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yaneyanedaze · 4 years ago

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My Special Girl Pt: 1

(Yandere!Various x Beta!Chubby!Reader)

Whoo boy, it’s my first time taking a step into the realm of Omegaverse, but i hope you guys like it, I am working on My Android Lover and Our Goddess (Which is the Royal Pillarmen story!) those should be coming soon as well! I’m happy to write for you guys and I hope you all are having a wonderful day!

With that! On with the story!

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F/n is a college student with a little problem, She’s a beta that apparently give off the scent of an Omega. So when she finally goes out one day, her life gets turned upside down as multiple Alpha’s try to claim her as theirs.

Will she tell them the truth? or let them find out on their own?

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“Come on f/n, you never go out with me anymore? Are you alright?” My friend, Crys (Pronounced Chris) asked. I shook my head, sighing heavily, already knowing where this conversation was going. I stood up from the table and headed to leave, not wanting to be apart of this. “Hey wait up! F/n!” She whined, following after me, “Is this because of-“ “Do not. Mention. His. Name.” I practically growled, anger dripping from each word that left my lips. I could see the sadness in her eyes as she looked down at the ground, kicking dirt around.

“Come on, that was in the past. We’re in college now!” I rolled my eyes and continued walking on, more annoyed than ever now. “Look, I’ll think about it, Now go please..” I said, as I was now standing in front of my apartment. Her look of somberness quickly turned to glee as she practically bounced with joy. “Yay! You won’t regret it f/n!” “I haven’t agreed yet- annnd she’s gone.”

I watched as she happily skipped away, I shake my head, a ghost of a smile appearing on my face. Walking inside, I was greeted to the cold, crisp air, I could feel the goosebumps already on my skin from the nice, relaxing feeling. My name is F/n L/n, I am a plus size girl in her 3rd year in college, majoring in fine arts, I have two sisters who live with my parents still back in (Hometown). My sisters are both Omegas, as well as my mother, and of course my father is an Alpha, but me?

I got unlucky and ended up being a Beta and because of this they basically shunned me, even though I was the baby of the family. They didn’t want anyone to know that I was apart of their family. Then again, she didn’t like me anyways because i was a bit on the plump side, I had a chest, curves and a butt, so i guess i had everything that she wanted. She used to call me names, pick on me because of my weight and even my sisters joined in on it, while my dad just sat and watched. So I eventually ended up moving away to go and live with my Grandmother. She was a beta as well, so I don’t understand why my Mom hated me so much when her mother was the very thing I am. My Grandma loved me and cared about me, she bought me anything i’d like, make sure i was happy and never judged me . Soon she knew I was going to be heading off soon so she helped me get my own little apartment and car for school. I still visit her when ever i can.

My friend Crys was also an Omega, I don’t even know why she bothered because she was kind of considered the top tier of the school. But she’s been by my side since elementary school (minus..that incident.) and has been a huge sweetheart.

But again, it sucked.

Crys wanted me to go to a party on campus, but I usually don’t do well at parties, cause you know anxiety is a thing, and why go be social when you have Netflix. I groaned loudly “Why musty I have such a soft spot for that girl!!” I yelled out as I dragged myself to my room to get ready when I get a call from my best friend, Reimi. She was a sweet girl with bubblegum pink hair and big redish/pink eyes, She’s another friend that I’ve known for years, and I’m a lot closer to her than I am with Crys.

“N/n! I heard you were going to the party! Someone must’ve black mailed you into going” She jokingly, I rolled my eyes and chuckled slightly as I roamed through my closet looking for something to put on. “Oh shush! Crys persuaded me to go with her puppy dog eyes.” I explained getting a soft ‘Oh’ from her. “Well I was just calling to see, I’m not going do to exams, I gotta crunch that study time” “I understand, I just wish I would stay home but I’ve already got an outfit out and Crys is expecting me.” I say pulling out a cute pink dress. It was a bodycon dress with slits on the sides and a sweetheart neckline, i smiled and shrugged, tossing over on the bed so I could wear it. It was a gift from my grandmother one year for my birthday. “Well, let me go so you can finish getting dressed! See Ya!�� “See ya Reim” She hung up the phone and i headed over to the bathroom to freshen up and finish up.

I sighed and looked at myself in the mirror as I walked past, Even after all these years, I was still having a problem with loving myself. I guess my mom really did affect me more than i thought she was going to, I shook my head and slapped my cheeks.”Come on You’re gonna have fun tonight!” I say hyping myself up before i go in the bathroom to get ready.

(TimeSkip)

It was around 8:00pm when Crys and I pull up at the party, It was being hosted by one of the most popular boys of the school, Joseph Joestar, and of course, he was an Alpha. It’s probably the only reason Cyrs wanted to go to be honest. Speaking of the red head, she was wearing a pretty blue tube top with matching skirt, silver hoop earrings and a glittery choker. She wore heels to the party, but i know she had a change of shoes in her bag for when she get tired.

We both got out and she let out an excited squeal, “Yes! Look at us! two friends going out together, come on we’re gonna have fun just like the good old days!” She exclaimed, grabbing my hand and pulling me inside. Once we reached inside an overwhelming scent hit me straight in the face, I nearly dropped, but Crys caught me and giggled only making me nudge her as we walked in. We smiled and waved as we saw some of our classmates and some new people as well. But soon we separated as I had gotten tired of walking around already, and I usually didn’t do well in social environments.

I wandered around the large house until i came across a room that looked to be another sitting area, so I found the corner and sat down near it. I apparently didn’t hear the footsteps coming up beside me either.

“Surprised to see you here, F/n, Didn’t think you’d come to parties.”

I jumped slightly in my spot, turned and nearly fainted.

Jotaro Kujo was leaning against the wall behind me. He was one of my classmates, and he really didn’t come to class much, but when he did, you knew. Because majority of the girls would be swooning over him while the poor guy just wanted to rest and do his work. “Ah, I came with a friend, I got a bit tired, So I just came here to rest a bit,” He hummed in agreement as he leaned there. “Joseph made me come, said i needed to get out more, I would’ve been fine with chilling at home reading my marine biology books.” he said letting out a soft chuckle, followed by a ghost of a smile.

I felt like i was living some girls dream, To be sitting here chatting casually here with Jotaro would make them just melt. But to me he was just a normal guy, someone who loved marine biology and all things about the ocean. He was a gentle giant, at least towards me. “Let’s go outside, Its getting too stuffy in here.” He said, grabbing my hand, leading me outside, we pushed past people, saying my excuse me’s when we bumped into people.

Once we reached outside, I looked up at the sky seeing stars in the sky, all of them twinkling brightly, all of them just as beautiful as the next. Jotaro was also looking up at the sky as well, but he looked like he was contemplating something, like he wanted to say something, but he couldn’t.

“Jotaro? Are you Okay?”

(Jotaro’s Pov)

I breathed out slowly, gripping my fist as I let out a soft growl. ‘Why can’t i just get this over with.’ I thought to myself, She was standing right beside me. This cute girl, who didn’t find me scary, who didn’t just fawn over me like I was an object. Did she even know what I was? Other would be practically drooling over me, I’ve even had some males fawn over me. I glanced over at her and saw her face in awe looking at the sky. The way the moonlight glossed over her perfectly chubby cheeks, the way that dress hugged her curves and fitted her body in all the right places. If I wasn’t able to control myself I would’ve taken her right here and now, not caring that anyone else would see. They would know she is mine, and no one would dare look at her or try to claim her.

I was so lost in my thoughts I didn’t even hear her call my name out.

“Jotaro? Are you Okay?” I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to face her fully, she was about 5′1, so compared to me she was so small, She would fit so perfectly in my arms. I mentally slapped myself and let out a sigh before speaking. “Are you dating anybody?” I asked, and it came out blunt, but i didn’t mean it to, panic started to surge up in me as I didn’t want to come off as rude to her. But she seemed to ignore the tone of my voice and answered anyways with a smile. “Uh..no, I’m not really the dating person, i’ve ever only crushed on one person.” She admitted, a small blush on her face. ‘Thats cute.’ I thought as I watched her. She would be the perfect wife, I could see her swollen and round with my children, welcoming me home from a long day at work. I was happy with the response she said so I couldn’t help but give a slight smirk and a chuckle which seemed to surprise her as I saw another plus appear on her cheeks.

That’s when it hit me, She had a sweet scent to her, one that reminded me of roses and sugar, it gave off such an innocent vibe, not compared to some of these other girls around this place. She did say she’s only liked one person, so maybe that’s why, but I couldn’t wrap my head around it,it was teasing me, she looked to cute and innocent. I shook my head and let out a low growl hoping she didn’t hear, and luckily Joseph came outside just in time to save me from myself.

“There you are! I thought you had left, didn’t know you were out here chatting up this cutie here~!”

He said teasingly. F/n didn’t pay him no mind and neither did I. “Shut up, are you done hoeing around?” I asked, now standing in front of F/n. He smirked and laughed at my comment before throwing an arm around my shoulder. “I wouldn’t call it that, I was just looking for a girl~, but to answer your questions, no, I didn’t see anyone I like..that is..” He stepped around me and grabbed F/n’s hand.

(Pov Switch)

I jumped slightly when Joseph suddenly grabbed my hand. “You’re such a beautiful sight Baby doll~ How come i have never seen you around?~” He asked and I was about to answer until Jotaro practically growled at him. “Okay Okay jeez, i’ll back off for now~” He said, getting the hint. he scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to me before heading back into the house. He was gone as quickly as he came, i looked down at the paper in my hand and saw it was his phone number with hearts beside it. I rolled my eyes and giggled slightly.

“Don’t pay attention to him, thats how he always acts around girls he doesn’t know” Jotaro says before pulling down his hat and handing me his own piece of paper. I looked at it and saw it had his number on it but a date on it as well. “That day, after class, be ready we’re going out.” he said bluntly and walked back inside. I was in shock, so i didn’t immediately follow him. I had gotten two numbers in one night, both of them guys that all the girls loved. Needless to say, I didn’t know whether to be scared or excited, but i felt something.

I just didn’t know what.

I eventually walked around to the front to find Crys waiting on me. She smiled at me and started talking as we walked to the car. “Soo~ Did you have fun~?” She asked getting over into the drivers side. I nodded slightly, a smile growing on my lips, “yea..I did..” I said as I looked out the window, thinking about Jotaro, and excited for the next few days.

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I hope you guys liked this, as i stated above this is my first time really writing something like this and i also hope that i didn’t write Jotaro and Joseph too OOC, if i did let me know and i’ll try to fix it!

#JJBA #yandere jjba #yandere jojo #yandere Jotaro #jotaro x reader #yandere jotaro x reader #Jotaro Kujo #Joseph Joestar #joseph joestar x reader #jojos bizarre adventure #yandere jojos bizarre adventure #Jojo no Kimyou na Bouken #yane writes #omegaverse

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number5theboy · 4 years ago

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Favorite song montages/music scenes?

Oooohhhhh, love this. Because I’m on a roll, I made this another list, a top ten one, just so I don’t go overboard. I really looked at this as the scenes as a whole, rather than me liking the song or the scene individually. There are songs from the soundtrack that I love way more than some on this list, but didn’t think that they worked as well with the scene they’re in as the ones that did make the list. Without further ado:

10. I’m a Man (S2E2) - Diego & Reginald Fight

I just like how the aesthetics of this fight and the vibes of the song play perfectly together. It’s a more laid-back song than most fight scenes we get, and the line ‘I’m a man, yes I am, and I can’t help but love you so’ played over Reginald, who is demonstrably not a man and definitely doesn’t love Diego gives it such an almost sarcastic tone, like Reginald is toying with Diego.

9. Exit Music (For a Film) (S1E7) / All Die Young (S1E9) / Hello (S2E5) - Group Montages of Sadness and Change

I couldn’t decide between these three, because they all basically fulfill the same function in the narrative, showcasing different characters at low or turning points, and the mood of each song just hits perfectly. The way ‘Exit Music’ ramps up to Vanya’s guilt over killing and the confirmation that Leonard is Harold Jenkins. How ‘All Die Young’ is upbeat yet melancholic as nobody but Vanya truly is at their lowest at that moment, but you feel the arrow being drawn to the inevitable conclusion to this whole mess. And ‘Hello’ hit so much harder than it had any right to, it have the Swedes some dimension, but also the interplay of music with the funeral and the siblings’ big decisions, Vanya trying to confess to Sissy, Klaus going back to his cult, Allison telling Ray the truth, Diego and Luther burying the hatchet. It’s the perfect mood for it all, and the idea to use a Swedish cover is absolutely brilliant by the music department.

8. Soul Kitchen (S1E6) - Klaus & Dave in Vietnam

The Doors and Vietnam of course perfectly fits, but using the Doors to soundtrack a gay Vietnam romance??? Awesome. I’m usually someone with an ear for lyrics rather than the music, because I just know more about it, so I like it when the lyrics match up, but in this case, I don’t know any of the lyrics. I just like the mood the music creates. It’s a club in Vietnam and they’re not dancing to a club song. I like the rift between image and sound, and the sound still creates such a charged yet comfortable atmosphere.

7. In the Heat of the Moment (S1E5) - Five’s life in the apocalypse through the years

The fact that Noel Gallagher’s snooty singing and borderline meaningless lyrics fit this scene so perfectly is a minor miracle, but they do. The na na na nas coming in with the image after the counting in before the song quiets down just to soar again over Five’s struggles. And it’s also not a song that sounds strong, that is technically perfect, it never quite reaches grandeur, and I don’t know why the atmosphere it creates goes so hand in hand with decades in an apocalyptic wasteland. And the irony of a song about having someone by your side over excruciating loneliness. Also the lyric ‘you better learn to fly ‘cause they’re gonna point you up at sky’ objectively goes harder than Noel Gallagher lyrics should.

6. Stormy Weather (S1E8) - Allison drives through the rain to find Vanya, haunted by her past actions and flashes back to when she rumoured her daughter

It’s just the perfect soundtrack to Allison’s backstory with her powers, and the fact that it’s sung by Emmy Raver-Lampman herself adds a dimension to it. The entire scene is centered around her voice, you hear her past rumours, you see her tell a story to Claire, then rumour her, and she is singing in the background. It intertwines scene and soundtrack on another level, and I love it. The combination of the sad lyrics but the more upbeat instrumentation, and how they carry into her memory........so good.

5. Shingaling (S1E4) / Pepper (S2E8) - Drug Trip Scenes

TUA has two scenes where people are tripping on drugs, and I cannot choose which one I like more. The mood for weed chocolate vs the consciousness-warping FBI drugs is so drastically different but the song choices are so perfect for both. Hazel and Cha-Cha dancing high off their asses to Shingaling, which is a chill but fun song as they commit arson, coupled with that green colouring and fun shot set-ups. Truly exquisite. Vanya getting nightmare visions in the FBI building, with the weird, disconcerting energy and lyrics of Pepper blasting, and the second-best use of scene switch at the drop that this show has pulled off this far. Stupendous.

4. Run Boy Run (S1E2) / Never Tear Us Apart (S1E2) - Five pushes his powers and lands himself in the apocalypse, where he finds his siblings’ bodies

These scenes are SO good. So good, and it’s because the music is the driving force of the emotion in that moment. Run Boy Run has exuberant energy to underline Five’s excitement as he’s testing out his powers, but it’s also somber and dark and swells at the chorus, which leads to the best scene-switch at a song’s drop in the show. The moment where Five lands in the apocalypse as the chorus becomes grand and he looks around, panicked, and when he runs frantically back to the Academy with the claps and percussion in the background? I get chills every time, and the lyrics make it, I think, the definite Five song as it pertains to his character, his characterisation, his arc, as running, in many different interpretations, is one of the key themes to Five for the entire show. The relatively short scenes really hammers in the tragedy of Five being ripped from his home at such a young age, and it gets underlined with Never Tear Us Apart. I put it with Run Boy Run because they fit together, but Never Tear Us Apart is heart-wrenching in itself. Just the imagine of Five searching through the rubble for his siblings, his small frame stumbling through the ruins, with Paloma Faith giving it her all in the soundtrack, and this heavy bass really banging us over the head with the heaviness of the situation. It’s great and sad and both scenes are carried as much by the soundtrack as they are though Aidan Gallagher’s acting.

3. The Phantom of the Opera Medley (S1E1) / I Think We’re Alone Now (S1E1) / Sister of Pearl (S2E7) - Character-establishing Montages

I am a sucker for this trope, of characters being characterised through a song playing, and TUA pulls it off so well. Phantom of the Opera shows you what the siblings do and where they are at in their lives perfectly, telling you so much with so little. It’s a great introduction and using the Phantom of the Opera, with the idea of Vanya being the phantom, the mysterious musician constantly belittled and underestimated (this is generalised, very much so, but it fits) that lashes out at some point because of the abuse they suffered, is genius also because it combines different themes that you can set the Hargreeves to. I Think We’re Alone Now is about personalities, of who these siblings are if nobody’s watching. I don’t think I need to sing its praises, the scene has become iconic for a reason, it’s memorable and creative. And the music choice, a pop song that they could have listened in their youth, with lyrics that are eerily prophetic, is so good. And Sister of Pearl is the long-awaited addition that introduces Ben’s character, and the music is sweet and fun and him messing around in the world, all giddy and a little goofy, fits with the whole theme of dancing like no one is watching. All three are so amazing at characterising the different Hargreeves.

2. Istanbul (Not Constantinople) (S1E1) - Five fights the Commission agents at Griddy’s

Okay, but what is better than a musical sequence that characterises a sibling? A musical sequence that characterises a sibling that’s also a fight scene! I’m not going to be long about this one, because I wrote 500 words on why I think Istanbul (Not Constantinople) is a brilliant scene just yesterday, you can find it here if you scroll for a bit. It hits so many sweet spots. It re-contextualises Five and adds several dimensions to him. The fight scene is brutal but the music is happy and fun. The song is thematically relevant to the scene and the character and what this scene is trying to accomplish, namely making clear that this kid, who looks like he did at age 13, is not the same as he was, and never will be. Again, go to that other post, I couldn’t stop gushing about how excellent this sequence is, because I really love it, but Season 2 brought along another that I love even more.

1. The Order of Death (S2E6) - Five arrives at the address Reginald sent them, and watches on as his siblings slowly join him one after one

I genuinely don’t know why this one resonated with me so much. I just like the cold but melodic 80s synth together with the cinematography. Every single shot is so good, Five looking up at the looming skyscraper, him climbing the stairs, pushing the button with the use of negative space to show his loneliness, until he gets into the elevator where his siblings come to him. And the music is so fitting, for the scene, but also for Five as a character, it’s a song that works well for him. The rhythmic thumping of ‘this is what you want, this is what you get, this is what you want, this is what you get’ is so dark at second viewing, because this is what Five wants: to talk to Reginald, with the support of his siblings. And what is it he gets? What is the consequence of his actions? His existence gets wiped from history. The music is tense, in anticipation of what comes next, and fits perfectly over these wide establishing shots and their harsh lighting. I can’t pinpoint why I like The Order of Death more than any other musical sequence in the show, but I do. It is such a small, yet perfectly executed scene, and it hits some emotion within me, even though I can’t really articulate which one it is. Intrigue, probably, mixed with dread and a hint of sadness because now I know how this enterprise ends, and it’s not well.

#Replies #jeyfeather1234 #a less extensive monstrosity this time

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nctzendreamz · 5 years ago

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Psycho — Bae Joohyun

Irene really, really loves you. Too much, you begin to realize.

Warnings: Psychotic!Au, mentions of abuse, murder, language, and in general dark themes.

Word Count: 7k

January 16, 2020 — 9:45PM

She might as well have been a celebrity, as she was the key reason that this coffee shop got visitors. Her silky smooth skin, complimented by her sparkling eyes and perfect build was everything the masses needed to get up early in the mornings before work.

She couldn’t count all the numbers she had recieved in just the couple of months she had been employed at Velvets; the coffee shop that rested in the center of the city. It’s red and pink decor, followed by the hand crafted decorations from so many visitors in the past, was exactly where Bae Joohyun, more frequently referred to as Irene belonged.

She always had the same greeting. It was in the protocol, after all.

“Hello! Welcome to Velvet’s. How are you doing today?”

And today is no different. She always tries her best to look right at the customer as soon as she hears the familiar bell, indicating the door had opened, but her nail was chipping, and it was driving her nuts. She says her line, still fiddling before she realizes that it can’t be fixed until later.

“I’m so sorry! It’s been a long—“

And then she stops. She has seen a million people come and go to her place of work. Most of them found her beauty to be enchanting, but even the finest of them could barely make her blink. No matter how hard they tried to merge the conversation onto dinner, or what she was doing after her shift, her facial expression stayed the same—dull and unimpressed.

But you. You’re standing here in all of your glory, hair perfectly sculpted to your face. She loves this look on you. It’s the perfect color to compliment your perfect skin, and daring eyes as they swallow her whole. Usually, she did this to others, yet here you were, snatching her soul—seemingly without even trying.

“A long day.” She finally breaths out. Her heart is racing at a dangerous pace, and she knows she looks like a creep right now. Her dark eyes are trying to break you down, and bring you to your knees, but it’s not working.

“I understand that.” You giggle. You seem tired. The bags under your eyes are slight, but still drooped enough to which she can tell you’re either a student, or you work a nine to five. Regardless, you’re not always free. Your clothing is simple. Sweats, a hoodie, and some ugg boots to shield you from the cold weather. “Your nails are so cute, by the way.” You smile, and it’s calming. It’s not a full on cheese session, but that makes it even better. It’s simple, just as you seem to be.

“Don’t flatter me.” She begins, showing them to you in full form over the marble counter. “It’s chipped.”

“And still cute.” You assure, smoothly moving a sole finger across the nail. “Is it gel polish?” You question with an adorable head tilt. Absolutely priceless. You’re probably very good at getting what you want. You know exactly how to move, and lighten your voice to make people feel what you want them to feel.

“It is. You know—

“It stays on longer.” You finish for her.

“Exactly.” She can’t hold in her smile. Was her heart...warming? If so, that meant her cheeks were turning pink, which also meant that you could see clearly that you were doing it right. If you were flirting with her, you were doing it so well, and so respectfully.

“I’ll just take a hazelnut.” You breathe out. Your hands are in your pockets, and you’re shifting the weight from your toes to your heels repeatedly. You must be cold. When you’re cold, you get jittery it seems. That’s why you’re in here in the nick of time. You’re definitely in school. You probably just got out of class, and have a shit-ton of homework to finish. That’s why you need the coffee and that’s why you seem so exhausted; although you’re trying to hide it from her.

“Hazelnut!” She shouts, turning around and giving the ticket to the real worker in here. She doesn’t even look at him as reaches out to snatch it from her. “Is that your favorite?”

“The only coffee I will drink.” You admit, covering your face with your hands. You’re embarrassed. You probably feel somewhat uncultured, and childish for even saying that out loud.

“Have you ever tried another?” She says in a light tone, tilting her head just as you did a few minutes ago. Still, you’re unfazed. You actually close your eyes for a moment before snapping them back open.

“I have. I think it was roasted chestnut? Whatever it was it was not good at all.” And now you’re laughing. Your laugh—it’s beautiful. It’s not a subtle, shy chuckle that would indicate you don’t laugh often. You laugh all the time. She can’t tell if it’s a boyfriend that always has you geeked like this, or maybe your friends. Maybe, even your girlfriend, but that would break her heart too much.

“Well, coffee isn’t the only good thing here. We’re not Starbucks, but our frapachinos are pretty good.” Irene mentions, eyes flicking to the frap menu to the left of her. She lets the red sweater she spotted slip off her shoulder ever so slightly, and you’re looking at it. It was for a mere second, but she saw it.

“Here you go.” Josh—the chef of this shift interrupted, handing you your coffee quickly.

“That’s the fastest you’ve ever done that.” Irene seethes, shooting an annoyed look to her co-worker.

“Trying to close. No offense.” Josh nods to you, already starting the trials and tribulations that closing involved. He’s wetting a rag in preparation of wiping all of the counters down.

“Oh, none taken. I hate to be that customer that comes in late like this. I just have all this work to catch up on and I figured buying aderall from the guy who sits beside me in Psych wasn’t the best idea.”

Irene breaks into a fit of laughter. Truthfully, she wasn’t faking it. You were so funny. But she was also right. She hit the nail right on the head, actually. Josh couldn’t believe his ears as he had barely seen her smile a genuine cheese. Of course he stayed silent. “You’re funny!” She coughs out through her fit.

“Don’t flatter me.” You smile brightly. Your smile is so pretty, just like you. God, she was running through too many scenarios on how she could make you stay. “Thanks for this pleasing experience. Today sucked and I needed it so badly. Do you guys have like a manager or something? Or like a survey?”

She had never been asked this before. No one had ever cared to commend them on their excellent service and caffeine recovery program they had in place for the addicts. “Um...no. But what you can do is come back. To repay us.” She whispers the last part.

She needs your name. She just knows someone like you has the most goregeous name.

And the heavens answers her request. She already saw that you had a necklace hiding under your hoodie, but you’re pulling it out now. It’s a name; she just needs to know who it is.

“That necklace, I love it.” She leans over the counter, squinting to see the name. “Y/N.” She mumbles. “Is that your name?”

“It is.” You respond. “People say it’s stupid to wear your own name, but it’s comforting to me. Plus, I don’t have someone else’s name to wear so.”

So, you were single.

“Don’t get too discouraged. Someone could come and change that. Very soon, actually.” She purrs, and she finally does it. She’s getting in your head. You’re seeing her.

You leave, your walk mezmorizing her in ways that makes her tingle. She barely follows the procedures of cleaning, as all she wants to do is go home. She needs to know everything about you.

“Y/N L/N. Twenty four years old. Younger than me.”

It wasn’t that hard to find your all your social media. All public, minus your Facebook account. Your Twitter consists of retweets of memes that probably made you scream, and your own little comedy that your select friends liked as they felt obligated.

She can’t lie; she was expecting to see a tweet about her. Something about a beautiful girl in the coffee shop. But there was nothing. Not a peep. Then again, maybe this was a good sign. Maybe you liked to keep your loves private. She’s searching through your pictures, embellishing in the sight of you until something stops her scrolling.

It’s a picture of you, and another guy. His hair is black, but his features are far from plain. He’s not impressive to her, but she knows to you, he’s everything. He seems to be just your type.

It’s been two years, and yet, it feels like a thousand.

The caption is so short, yet so sweet and gentle. It’s telling a million stories with one sentence, and even she can tell there’s real love in the photo. On your side, at least. She feels sick now. He’s tagged on the photo.

Lee Taeyong. That’s his name. The first place she searches is his likes, where she knows she’ll find proof of him being a scumbag. The way you addressed your necklace; it’s almost as if it was a mere replacement for a previous. It was a somber, silent story.

A lot of his likes are filled with hip-hop. Viral dances, artist appreciation, funny memes just as you enjoyed. You two probably found love through a similar interest. She continues to scroll though, where she finds something that truly twists her stomach. A quote.

Do you ever wish you could turn back time? Fix a mistake? Go back to when everything was perfect? When you could hold her and she was yours? Because same.

He hurt you. She didn’t know what he did, but she knows he hurt you. Her first guess was cheating, and she was going to stick to it. Maybe your chill nature was because your walls were up so high. Maybe your intense laughter wasn’t because you laughed all the time, but instead because you hadn’t laughed in a while. And it was all his fault—fuck Lee Taeyong.

He works at a video game store. No—he owns an arcade to be exact. She was going to see him. She needed to observe him in person. See his vibe. In the mean time, she can follow you on Instagram. That’s not too weird, right?

January 17, 2020 — 7:30PM

“Welcome to T’s.” A dull voice speaks.

Although the lighting in the arcade is practically blinding—all the neon creating a cool atmosphere, their customer service is awful. Probably a telling to his personality if that’s the kind of people he hired.

She waited for a moment, waiting for more. How can they just assume she knows what she’s doing? What kind of place was this? It’s a Saturday afternoon, and it shows because people are everywhere. Kids are running around, and adults are talking trash to eachother as they bet money on who will win the car game. “Men.” She sighs. But with her sighs brings the man she’s looking for. He’s almost blending in with his all black clothing, but she knows it’s him. He’s hard to miss, but not because of his features. It’s because she hates him.

Her current outfit; a tight red dress and dangerous heels aren’t really arcade attire, but she doesn’t care. She clacks her way over to Taeyong, who is surrounded by many people. He must be popular. He definitely cheated on you. The girls around him were ridiculous. So much for missing you.

She knows approaching so quickly would be foolish. It wouldn’t make sense. She decides instead to creep around, wanting to know who these people are. As she gets closer, she can recognize almost all of them. Chungha—your seemingly bestfriend was here, some guy with his arm around her shoulder. The Johnny she had seen pop up on your feed a few times, the Ten, and lastly, the Momo. Momo also seems to have some unspoken feelings about you.

She could feel it in the way she comments under your pictures. You couldn’t notice her flirtatious nature, but it was there.

The most beautiful human in the world.

My favorite.

Can I be you?

More like—can I be with you?

“Excuse me.” Irene finally speaks, interupting their laughter. She was hoping they’d give her a dirty look, so she could have even more of a reason to turn you against them, but they don’t. They look at her in synch, smiles still on their faces.

“What’s up?” Johnny says, a dashing grin on his face. Another who thinks she’s too beautiful. Exactly how she felt about you. “Are you new around here?”

Chungha punches him in the shoulder promptly, clearly not a fan of his approach. Irene can see why she was your chosen best-friend. Then again, was she really your friend? I mean, all of these people were hanging around your ex boyfriend and the only person who wasn’t here is you?

“Sorry about that.” She apologizes. “Us pretty girls are hard to come by, and they get extremely thirsty.”

She’s funny, but not as funny as you.

“Oh it’s fine. I’m Irene.” She introduces, placing her frail hand out. It connects with Chungha’s, and it’s genuine. “He’s right. I am new here. I’m a tad overdressed, I see.”

“I’m not complaining.” Johnny adds, receiving a punch from Taeyong this time.

So, he’s somewhat of a woman supporter too. I mean, he didn’t have to stop him from his words, but he did.

“I’m Taeyong.” He sighs, but he doesn’t place his hand out. That’s odd. The glow of games is making all of them look nothing less of models, but that doesn’t mean she’s impressed. No one was better than you.

“You know, you’re allowed to touch a girl other than your family and Y/N.” Johnny jokes.

The mention of your name makes everything in Irene’s body spike. They were acknowledging you, even though you weren’t here, which means maybe you didn’t mind them being here without you. Or maybe you and Taeyong weren’t exactly broken up. Something complicated instead.

He doesn’t say anything, just squints at his friend in an evil manner.

“Y/N.” Irene interrupts, putting a hand on her chin. “I met someone with that name last night.” She says. She knows exactly what she’s doing. “I work at Velvets, and this girl came in. She was wearing a necklace with that name.”

She watches for Taeyong’s reaction, and she gets what she wants. The mention of the cafe makes him almost flinch. Velvets must have been a place you two frequently visited together when you were dating. But then again, why did you seem so clueless about the menu? No, you weren’t. You mentioned you tried other coffee. It must have been with him. The way you laughed, it all makes sense now. You were thinking about him. A memory popped up.

She wants to ask if you were his ex, but that would be crossing the line. She had only known them for two minutes. It would seem too odd.

“Was she wearing sweat pants and a hoodie?” Momo questions now. Her hands are crossed over her chest, and Irene can’t read her. She doesn’t like that. Momo somewhat has her guard up.

“Yeah. I think she was.”

“That was definitely her. She’s been dressing like a complete bum lately.” Momo giggles now. If she didn’t already know this was her competition, she knows now. Momo is giggling just from thinking about you. You must make her laugh a lot. Irene doesn’t like her judgemental nature. You would be perfect in every state if she was a real one, but she’s not. So maybe she isn’t going to be a problem after all.

“You described her perfectly.” Irene seethes, quickly switching back to her normal state. The bright smile, and pink lip.

“How was she?” Taeyong questions. He still cares. She can see in in his eyes, but even if she was blind, it wouldn’t matter. His voice was so frail when talking about you.

“Oh brother.” Ten sighs

“I have a right to know.” Taeyong argues. He’s frustrated. He’s hot headed; at least when it comes to you.

“She seemed perfect to me. Laughing a lot, making jokes and stuff. I apologize if I’m out of place for this, but what’s going on? Is she okay?”

All of their faces seem to freeze for a mere second. They’re not uncomfortable with her question, but it seems like they’re wondering do they have permission to tell your buisness like that. They’re looking at Taeyong, presumably because it’s technically his buisness too.

Chungha is the first to speak. “She’s fine. These two,” she points to Taeyong, and then seemingly to thin air, “they broke up.”

Momo is oddly silent. She’s seemingly fuming, but no one is paying attention to her. That means none of these people know about her feelings for you. She’s been keeping it bottled up this entire time.

“Oh...sorry for asking.” Irene quickly scrambles, tucking her hair behind her ears. “I should’ve put that together by myself—

“It’s okay, beautiful.” Johnny places a hand on her shoulder, and she wants to slap the stupid grin off of his face, but he was going to be useful. He was stupid, and naive. One pull down of her panties, and he would tell her everything she needed to know. She moves into his touch, giggling just a tad.

The vibration of her phone distracts her, and she quickly searches for it in her Louis purse. You followed her back. One by one, you’re liking her pictures, and she can feel her heart beating hard through her little chest. Was her fairytale going to happen? Was she finally going to be able to fall in love again? God, she loved you already. Your sexy demeanor, your perfection. She needed you, and she would do anything to get it.

The bell of the shop dings, indicating that more people are walking in. From the way that they all freeze once again, she knows exactly who it is. She turns around and there you are. Her knees so badly want to get weak, but she controls herself. Today, you’re wearing an oversized t-shirt. She can’t tell if you have shorts on under, but she hopes you doesn’t. The shirt is from some band you listen to, and you have white converse on your feet. High top.

Momo is the first to greet you. She practically jumps into your arms, and Irene notices the way you don’t seem to mind. Her brain is starting to shock her, jolting her anger to all the wrong places. She could fucking kill Momo right now. The two of you are spinning around, Momo’s legs around your waist and you inhaling her scent. Everyone else is looking at the scene with a soft smile—they’re so stupid. How can they not see?

Momo finally returns back to the floor, and now you’re looking at her. She quickly fixes herself up, so quick, that you don’t even notice.

“Irene?”

The way you say her name is causing her to pool. She wants to hear you say it for the rest of the night. She takes a deep breath, not hiding it this time before she strides to you, hugging you. She knows this won’t make you uncomfortable. You seem to be willing to catch some affection for people you like. When she feels your hands on her middle back, she inhales you. You smell like spring, even in the winter, and that’s so beautiful. You’re so beautiful. She allows her cheek to graze against yours ever so slightly, and your noses to touch before she backs away. She sees the way you bite your lip. No one can see you but her, and she likes the thrill. It’s dangerous.

“Johnny.” You sigh, walking past him without a look. You don’t like Johnny—that’s obvious. Was he possible the reason for you and Taeyong’s break-up? “My Tenny!” You screech, putting his face in your hands like a baby and kissing his cheek softly. You have a soft side. “Chungha~” You sing, embracing her tightly. Now it was the big reveal. Would you speak to Taeyong? Or would you two do the awkward stare.

He still loves you. It’s obvious in the way that the love practically pours out of his eyes, and his hands shake. “Y/N.” He whispers. It’s like no one else is in the room. You must have not seen any of them in a while, based on the way they stare at you admiringly.

“Hey.” You whisper back, slowly moving to hug him. He closes his eyes for a mere second, and it’s all over. Now you’re back beside Irene, who’s very pleased.

“Irene was just telling us that the two of you know eachother.” Johnny speaks. He’s trying to get back into your good graces. It’s so obvious it’s painful.

“Yeah.” You smile, but not at him. “I was at Velvets getting my usual, and then we met. Surprised to see you here though.” You’re looking at her now.

“What? Just because I’m in a dress means I can’t be a gamer?” She jokes, and everyone around laughs. Everyone but Momo.

“No. Momo wears dresses.” You say, slapping her thigh gently. Why do you keep touching her? She’s standing right here, looking good for you, and you’re flirting with Momo? “There’s just a lot of assholes in a place like this. You don’t seem to be interested in that.”

“Well, how about I prove you wrong? Loser has to buy the other coffee.” She prompts.

She hopes everyone else looks jealous. Especially Momo. Knowing you, even if you wanted to say no, you weren’t going to deny her.

“Any coffee?” You question with a raised eyebrow.

“Anything you want—that is, if you win.”

“I say we have a tournament.” Momo adds in. “I mean, it’s been a while since we’ve all been together lile this.”

Shut up, slut. God, Irene just wants to wrap her hands around her neck. She had to get you away from her as soon as possible.

“Sounds good to me.” You agree. “Is that cool with you?” You look back at her. You’re already hooked enough to have to ask permission when you had only known her for 24 hours.

“Does it matter if she is?” Johnny mentions.

“Johnny!” Chungha screeches. “Why are you being such a dick!”

“Don’t answer that.” Ten prompts, taking his friend by the hand and leading him outside.

“Anyways, that sounds like a great idea to me. Let’s roll!” Chungha yells in sorority fashion, and now all of you are going to where the fun is. There’s a million games to choose from, but it seems like you guys have a section you’re leading her to.

“As you can see, the games only get harder and harder from here.” You explain to her, placing a hand on her lower back.

“So like, kids shouldn’t be going this far.” She giggles.

“Exactly. Consider yourself privileged.” You wink.

“Just because I’m short and cute does not mean I’m a child.”

“You’re going to have to prove that to me.”

You’re definitely flirting with her now. And to make it even better, more fiesty than she had expected it to be.

“What are you doing after this?” She flirts back, placing her hand on your back now.

“You’re taking me to get coffee.”

“Velvets will be closed.” She pouts.

“I didn’t say you had to take me to Velvets. They sell hazelnut coffee everywhere.”

“You really think you can beat me, can’t you?”

“No. I know I can.”

And you did. You beat the clean breaks off of her in every single thing. The whole tournament went to hell as you and Irene were completely in your own world. You ran from game to game like children.

You weren’t rude enough to not say goodbye, but it was quick. You knew exactly what was going to happen after tonight, and you needed it. It had been too long.

“You’re not coming over?” Is the last thing you hear right before you and Irene head out. It’s Momo again, and her eyes are sad as she seems to know exactly what’s going on. “We haven’t had the big sleepover in so long, and I cleaned my house.”

Irene is reading you like the open book you are, and you’re fighting it. You haven’t seen your friends in a while, and you want their attention. You love the fact that they miss you, and you miss them even more, but you don’t crave them like you’re craving her right now.

“I promise next weekend.” You try to plead.

“But I got drinks.”

“A promise is a promise.” Now your pinky is out. The way Momo seemingly gives up on her complaining shows that your promises held weight. She connects her pinky with yours, before lightly caressing your knuckles with her thumb. You don’t think anything if it, but Irene knows, and her eyes are burning holes into her skull.

As soon as the two of you reach the car, you’ve forgotten about the coffee.

With a slammed hand on the foggy window, Irene is in bliss.

“So much for that hazelnut coffee, huh?” She purrs, kissing you once more.

“You still owe me.” You giggle.

“You’re absolutely right.” She’s now crawling down your body, fully prepared to repay you for your victory. More like her victory. She had won, and it was easy. You were easy, and yet she still loved you. She would never let you go, and anybody who got in the way of you two being together forever will feel her wrath.

February 17, 2020 — 2:00PM

“Wait wait, so you’re telling me that I leave for two seconds, and Y/N and Irene are fucking?”

“Not just fucking—fucking dating.”

Johnny and Taeyong were catching up, just as brothers did. After being pulled out of the arcade by Ten, it had been decided that Johnny needed a break from his crew. There was clearly some animosity—rightfully so within the group, and a month break was much needed.

“I didn’t even know Y/N...”

“Exactly.” Taeyong finishes for him, taking an aggressive sip from his coffee. With the slam, some of it splattered on the table. He can’t help but think about how you would immediately clean it up as little things like that bothered you, if you were here that is.

“Well, how do you feel about it?”

“I don’t understand how this happened so quick. I mean, think about how long it took me and Y/N to start dating. We talked for what felt like years before you guys pushed us to make it official.”

“You mean pushed you.” Johnny corrects, sipping his Americano with shade.

“Whatever. I just don’t like it. I mean, this Irene girl just shows up, and takes Y/N away that quick? That quick?”

“I mean, she is fine as hell. Are you saying you wouldn’t be down for that?”

“Can you not be gross for like two seconds?” Taeyong fumes.

“Shh.” The congregation of the library says in unison, causing him to throw his head down in shame.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Month of meditation actually did something I can assure you.”

“I want to look into her.”

“As in, like stalk her? Do you really think you’ll find anything?”

“I don’t want to, but this all happened too coincidentally. I know you think I’m crazy,” a nervous habit formed as a little boy, Taeyong is scratching his elbow like a manic. His rash has appeared, and rash equaled bad news.

“Well, you know I’m on your side. You might be stupid and crazy, but as your best friend it’s my job to make sure you don’t do it alone.”

They weren’t alone, even when they thought they had found a secluded area. She was there, disguised as a typical college girl. She sported a bob that made her look extremely basic, and her ears heard every drip of that conversation. Of course, being the idiots that they were, a bathroom break included them leaving all their belongings on the table.

February 21, 2020 — 12:00AM

“Do I know you?” The blonde girl says in a low voice. She’s scared as she approaches her vehicle. She worked the late shift tonight, and deep down she knew it was a horrible idea, especially when her boyfriend was too drunk to come and get her.

“You don’t need the extra money—I got you, babe.”

But she ignored him.

“No, but I know you.”

“Did my boyfriend sleep with you? Because if you want revenge, I’m not the one you need to be speaking to.”

“What would make you think that?”

“Past trauma.”

“So he’s cheated before.”

“No, past trauma.” She doesn’t know why she’s entertaining this stranger. Maybe it’s because she’s so beautiful. You can’t help but to trust her, even in such a suspicious predicament. I mean, she was leaning on her fucking car like she pays the note. “Are you an addict or something? I barely have anything for myself, okay? Maybe next week.”

“You’re Johnny’s girlfriend, aren’t you?”

“I’m calling the police.”

But Irene snatches her phone from her, slamming it on the ground. The black gloves that cover her hands secure her non-existent finger prints, and the phone shatters.

“Literally what the fuck!” The blonde screams, but it doesn’t matter. They’re in a parking garage and there’s no one here to save her. She tries to run away, but Irene is just too quick. The knife that was behind her back connects to the back of her neck, and she haults.

“This is for your nosy fucking boyfriend, who believes that he can somehow find out about my past and make Y/N leave me. How foolish of him.” She chuckles, letting the blood trickle down her arm.

She’s crying and screaming, but as stated, it’s irrevlant. Irene 2 — Johnny 0.

February 18, 2020 — 9:00AM

“I just...I just can’t believe it. I told her not to work that stupid fucking shift.”

“It’s not your fault, Johnny.”

“Yes it is. If I wouldn’t have been drunk out of my ass, I could’ve saved her somehow—I don’t know. But now she’s gone. I loved her. I loved her so damn much and I was finally pulling it together because of her.”

The rest of you sit on the couch, struggling to find the proper words for such a tragedy. Johnny is sobbing into his hands now, while Ten is rubbing his back gently. Taeyong is off to the side staring into space. You’re familiar with this look. He was thinking heavily about something, but you obviously would never find out what it was. Chungha is sitting on your right, rocking back and forth. Her nails are chopping at her fingers—a clear sign of her fearfulness. Similar to Taeyong, Momo is silent. You expected her eyes to be on you in search of some answers, or silent suspicions, but she refuses.

Finally, Irene is beside you to the left. You didn’t know Johnny’s lover that well, but you knew she was a decent girl. She didn’t deserve this, and you couldn’t even imagine what would it would feel like to lose someone you loved. Anyone sitting in this room. Her frail hand is locked on your elbow while her thumb is trying to soothe you.

“I’m so sorry.” She whispers. Her lips find your shoulder in something sweet and comforting. “Who would do something like this? Did she have an ex boyfriend?”

It takes a minute for Johnny to find a response.

“She did tell me about some guy who began to get a little possessive, so she broke it off. But she never mentioned him coming back.”

“Maybe it was him.” Irene says quietly. You can tell she’s trying not to say too much, as she hadn’t been hanging with the crew for too long. You’re grateful that she’s here for you.

“Let’s just let the police do their job.” Momo finally speaks, standing up from the loveseat she sat on alone. Something is wrong with her, but you’d have to figure that out later.

“Let’s order some food.” You decide, standing up as well. “I know you might now want to eat right now, but it’ll clear you head even if just a little bit. We are all under a lot of stress right now.”

“I agree, babe.” Irene commends, smiling at you sadly.

“Alright.” Johnny sighs. He also rises, but he goes straight into the back of his apartment instead. None of you were worried about him hurting himself. You knew he needed time to let his emotions out, as he was constantly trying to be society’s definition of a man.

Your phone vibrates, and it’s Irene who’s hitting you up.

I think you should check on Momo. Was she friends with her? She just seems really upset and I know how close you two are.

You have to contain the smile that wants to come out for the sake of the situation, but she was so perfect. She didn’t get jealous about anything. And she was so in love with you. It had been too long since you could confidently admit that this wasn’t a one-sided situation.

Your feet are approaching the kitchen softly, trying not to make such a scene. Momo is leaned over the counter at first, but when she sees you she tries to straighten up.

“Hey.” She whispers, preparing for eavesdropping.

“Hey.” You say back.

Why was this so awkward? It was never like this before.

“I just wanted to check on you.”

“I’m fine.”

Which means she’s not. You see her observing your current outfit—yoga pants with a shirt she had bought you years ago covering your body.

“Do you want to talk later?” You offer, putting a tiny smirk on your face remembering that usually made her feel better.

“I think that would be good, actually. I don’t know if we’ll have the time, but maybe when everyone’s asleep?”

“The best thing I’ve heard all day.” You open your arms out, and you know she won’t deny you. She lets out what seems to be all the stress from her week as she lets you engulf her. It had been so long since the two of you were close like this. On your nights where you couldn’t sleep from past thoughts, it was Momo who would come over and hold you until you could.

“I’ve missed you.” She mumbles into your shoulder. “So much.”

“I missed you too. I’m sorry I haven’t been exactly here as much.”

“Irene...I know.” She pulls away at the mention of her name, and it’s odd timing. “Let me just ask you something— as one of your best friends?”

“Go ahead.”

“Don’t you think the two of you are moving a little fast? I mean, we saw the girl for the first time a month ago, and now you’re all committed and in love with her. I’m just concerned.”

She made several points. It wasn’t that you made people wait for you in the past. This whole scenario was just too quick, especially since you had just gotten out of a relationship not too long ago.

“Are you insinuating that I’m not over Taeyong?”

“No.” She’s confident in her answer. “I don’t want you to be with him anyway. He cheated on and is a fat jerk.”

You snort at her last two words, and she’s punching your shoulder lightly even though she’s laughing as well.

“You’re so negative minded.”

“Continue.” You breath out, covering your mouth.

“I just feel like—

The door flies open, revealing Irene on the other side. “Sorry to interrupt, but have you ordered the pizza yet? We’re all starving.”

In reality, she wasn’t in the mood for food. Ten and Taeyong had went to the back to check on Johnny, and Chungha was using the bathroom. She had heard your whole exchange and to say she was pissed was an understatement. Why didn’t you try and defend her? You should have walked out of the room, and straight into her lap the minute the slut tried to question you on something she knew nothing about.

Both of you look like you’ve been caught, and she relishes in that. The fear that is in both of your eyes.

“Yeah I got you.”

That’s all you have to say to her? First, Momo was able to get you to open up that fast, when you hadn’t even revealed to her any details of you and Taeyong’s relationship.

“Or, you can order it if you want. Me and Y/N were just catching up I’m sorry to take her away.” The slut speaks. Her voice bleeds cockiness, even though her face is soft and sweet. She knows that Irene is mad. She’s enjoying it.

“Okay.” Is all Irene mumbles before going back to the living room.

“What was that about?” Momo is looking at you in confusion and fear. She had always had suspicions about Irene. She just seemed too nice—too willing to be everything you needed, when in reality she didn’t fit the role.

Momo had been in love with you since she met you. Your smile, the way you loved everyone no matter their differences, and your seemingly never ending talent of making her laugh. You were magical, but she was okay with being on the sideline. She had done it for two years straight while you were with Taeyong, and even during your nights of crying over she kept it to herself.

She knew keeping it to herself was only hurting her, but she was willing to be hurt for the sake of your happiness as you were happy with Taeyong. She could see how much the two of you loved eachother, and even after everything went down, she didn’t want to stop your journey of loving herself to have to figure out a way to reject her feelings nicely.

“Guess I’ll have to find out later.”

You seem frustrated as your leg is tapping up and down—even though you’re not sitting. Your breathing is getting faster and faster, and she knew this picture. This is exactly how you used to react when Taeyong made you upset, or neglected your feelings.

“Does she know what pizza you like?” She decides on, trying to pick your mood up with her bare hands as you were always able to do for her. She finds herself dancing slightly—her go to when she didn’t know what to do.

“I should probably go find out.” You smack her exposed stomach before walking back into the living room, where everyone has returned. Momo is behind you, and Irene is staring straight at the wall.

“The pizza should be here soon.” She whispers without removing her eyes.

“That’s goo—

By soon, even she didn’t seem to have meant this soon. The door is being knocked on quite aggressively, and all of you are looking at eachother trying to decide who’s going to answer.

“I’ll get it.” You step up. You were always the one in the group who would rise to the things you knew they were scared to do. Before you can even put your hand on the knob though, the banging is coming again, this time even louder. “I’m coming!” You spit full of attitude, and at the same time, everyone but Irene is rising to the occasion to stand by your side. You would always protect eachother—even from the pizza man. Johnny steps infront of you, opening the door himself.

It’s the police, and they don’t look happy.

“Are you Johnny Suh?” The chubby officer questions.

“Uh—yes.” He stutters. “The police said I wasn’t getting questioned until tomorrow.”

“Oh cut the crap.” The other offer says. “You’re under arrest for the murder of Cierra Valdez.” He rips the handcuffs from his belt, and he’s trying to turn Johnny around, but Johnny will never go down without a fight.

“What are you talking about!”

“Get off of him!” You yell, immediately trying to pull him in your direction. Everyone else follows, together more powerful than the police. Johnny is out of their grasp for just a few moments before a gun is pointed towards all of you.

“Drop your hands now!”

“You’re not gonna fucking shoot us!” Taeyong screams. It was the most passion Irene had heard come from his lips, and she was quite entertained. She was entertained by all of this. If you wouldn’t have been letting Momo flirt with you, she would’ve gotten up to shield you, but you didn’t, which is why she’s sitting on the couch in fake shock.

“Y/N get over here!” She yells. She doesn’t even have to wipe the sly smirk off her face as nobody is looking at her.

But you ignore her.

“I didn’t kill her!” Johnny is crying all over again, his whole face soaked in tears. “I loved her. Why would I kill her?”

“Anything you do or say will be held against you.” The Miranda rights are flowing out of the officer like he does this all the time, and now they’re dragging him out. His back is scratching on the cement.

“Y’all have to help me!” Johnny screeches. The whole apartment complex can hear what’s going on, and it’s killing him inside. He didn’t kill the love of his life. He didn’t. “I loved her.” He cried once more. “I fucking loved her!”

Continued

#red velvet #red velvet irene #kpop #lgbt kpop #kpop imagine #red velvet imagine #irene imagine #nct #nct 127 #nct imagine #nct taeyong #nct johnny #kpop angst #irene scenarios #whew #nct scenario #nct angst #nct imagines #sm

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adverb-slut · 5 years ago

Text

fuck, i’m lonely. (Fanfiction)

I have writing requests to do and I’m 10,000% working on them, but I was listening to Lauv's "fuck, i'm lonely (with Anne-Marie)" and got hella Mammon vibes. I actually recommend you listen to the before you read this oneshot because I kind of borrow some things from the "plot" of that song.

This story doesn't realize have really have a true ending; it's just pining and sorta happens under the illusion that Belphie and MC never communicated at the end of Chapter 20.

As per the usual, this story is also on AO3.

Title:

fuck, i’m lonely.

Summary:

After MC returns back to the Human World, both they and Mammon realize that they're lonely.

Essentially some unresolved dumb mutual pining shit.

Genre:

Romance, I think?

Rating:

Word Count:

1065

Mammon scrolls absentmindedly through the Internet browser app on his D.D.D and sighs. He has clicked on every application on the device and still has found nothing to pique his interest and take his mind off of the boredom that looms over him as Lucifer does when he attempts to do his Statistics IV remedial homework. He groans and drops his phone to his side, nestling his head deeper into his pillow.

Typically, when he is this deep in a pool of lassitude, he hauls his ass to MC’s room, raps on their door an unholy number of times, and “bribes” them to hang out with him for a spell (only MC never actually accepts his payment, which, in his obviously important opinion, is ludicrous, but super kind, ‘cause he’s like, broke ninety percent of the time).

He shakes his head as soon as the thought enters his head; this is no time to think about MC. MC was long gone, back to their home in the Human World, and he had already done his share of moping around lugubriously in the five months that had followed. Now is the time to sideline those feelings, the time to put his pedal to the medal and become the truly amazing, perfect, and extraordinary demon that MC totally expects him to be.

Except … fuck, he’s lonely.

Mammon picks up his D.D.D and juggles it between his fingertips before squeezing it tightly in his hands. He closes his eyes and wonders … maybe now is the time. He gulps and navigates to the Phone app and clicks Contacts. His fingers are poised on MC’s name before he catches himself. What is he doing? MC hasn’t written, hasn’t texted, hasn’t shown any interest in reliving their time in the Devildom since they had gone. Who is he to hit them up out of the blue when clearly— his heart sinks at the thought—they were enjoying their life in the Human World?

He sighs and throws his D.D.D onto the ground and scoots up his bed so his head rests on the headboard. He leans back and takes a deep breath — he can almost smell MC’s stupidly-good-smelling shampoo in the air.

Fuck. Not letting MC cloud his thoughts is harder than he thought it would be. He then makes a decision: he is not going to think about MC—not about their fingers combing through his hair, not about the fact that their hands fit perfectly in his, and he most definitely is not going to think about their frigid arm wrapped around his torso under the warm blanket on his bed.

He groans and yanks a pillow onto his face.

This is going to be harder than he imagined.

You clicked “Play Next Episode” on Devilflix, the Devildom’s version of the popular streaming site, Netflix. You had downloaded the app from the dark web on your computer so you could keep watching a show that Mammon had recommended to you back in June. Although it is October now, you are still chipping away at the two seasons that comprised it. Somehow, you have trouble powering through the comedy with its tsundere, money-hungry main character, as it reminds you of a certain someone.

You take a sip of the bottle of Demonus Asmodeus had gifted to you as a secret going-away present from when you left the Devildom. Although the Avatar of Lust was a fan of the grape flavor of the drink, he had wisely purchased for you a bottle of the ever-unpopular pomegranate flavor—in fact, the only people in the whole Devildom who actually drank the somehow somber-yet-sweet-tasting wine numbered two, you and Mammon, from whom you had acquired the taste.

You blanch at the drink; strangely enough, when you had drunk it with Mammon, the wine had a candied flavor, however, now, drinking it by yourself, it tastes hopelessly bitter.

You muscle through the dark flavor and stare blankly in front of you. The Devilflix show is white noise to you, as you can’t bring yourself to laugh at the main character’s stupid get-rich-quick schemes without his seemingly real-life counterpart at your side.

You curse yourself for thinking this way — surely you have better things to do besides ruminate on the year you had spent in the Devildom, especially over Mammon, the one demon who you had spent the majority of your time with.

Especially since … you know that he, one of the Seven Rulers of Hell, is probably too busy to even spare you more than a passing thought.

You sink lower into your chair and take another swig of Demonus, wondering for the seventeen thousandth time why the demonic wine had no alcoholic effect on humans — if there was any time you’d rather be completely and utterly inebriated instead of trapped inside in your own mind with your stupid feelings, it was now.

You never realized how much you appreciated Mammon’s constant pestering, how he’d always frenetically come to your room in a frenzy with some kind of money-grubbing plot for the two of you to stage, and how at the end of the day when his plans inevitably failed, he’d come to your room with an apologetic smile and some kind of penance.

It then hits you … fuck, you’re lonely.

You sigh and open your desk drawer. Pilfering through the clutter, you blindly reach to the deepest corner of the drawer and retrieve your D.D.D. It’s October now—making it five months since you last used the device back in June. You type in your passcode, surprised that the four digits have yet to escape your memory, and scroll until you reach the Phone application. You run through your contacts until you reach Mammon’s name.

Just as you’re about to click his contact, however, you stop yourself.

You shake your head and laugh darkly. What are you thinking? Trying to call an actual demon with a role as important as Mammon’s for no other reason than that you’re bored?

You’re not that desperate … are you?

You shake your head resolutely. You most certainly are not desperate for Mammon’s remorseful grins, his blushy, tsundere stutters, his weirdly toned arms wrapping around your torso as he rests his head on top of yours —

You drop your head onto your desk as you realize …

Pining is not your strong suit.

#obey me #obey me swd #obey me shall we date #omswd #obey me mammon #obey me shall we date mammon #omswd mammon #obey me mc #omswd mc #fanfic #fanfiction #mutual pining #unresolved #adverbslut_writes

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mediaeval-muse · 4 years ago

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Video Game Review: Assassin’s Creed Revelations (Ubisoft, 2011)

Genres: action-adventure, third person, open world

Premise: Ezio Auditore travels to Constantinople to unlock the secret of Altaïr's vault in Masyaf, battling Templars who also want the vault’s contents. In the present day, Desmond Miles is trapped in the Animus and must find a "synch nexus", a key memory that links him with Altaïr and Ezio, to reintegrate his splintered subconscious and awaken from his coma.

Platform Played On: PC (Windows)

Rating: 3/5 stars

***Full review under the cut.***

I am evaluating this game based on four key aspects: story, characters, gameplay, and visuals. I will not be evaluating the multiplayer mode because I don’t like playing video games with other people.

Content Warnings: violence, blood

Story: The main premise of Revelations’ story is that, following the end of Brotherhood, Desmond has fallen into a coma. The stress of being controlled by Juno has splintered his subconscious, so in an effort to save his life, Rebecca Crane and a mysterious figure have placed him back in the Animus. In order to repair his mind and escape, Desmond must “play out” the remainder of Ezio’s memories, so he follows his ancestor as he travels to Masyaf in search of Altaïr's vault, which requires five “keys” to open. These keys have been hidden around Constantinople, and Ezio must race against the Templars during the political conflict between Şehzade Ahmet and Selim I.

Desmond’s plot follows a somewhat natural progression. Though I missed his interactions with the Assassin team, it makes sense that his next big adventure would involve being trapped in the Animus and learning more from Subject 16. I liked that gameplay in Ezio’s world unlocked some puzzles in Desmond’s world (even though he’s trapped in the Animus, he inhabits a little island where he can be himself) and that these puzzles told us more about Desmond’s past. I did not think, however, that Desmond’s past was related in a compelling way. Most of it is told to us through Desmond monologuing as the player completes puzzles that are somewhat reminiscent of Portal. I thought Desmond’s past could have been done better, perhaps by having flashback scenes like how Altair’s past is related.

Ezio’s plot felt like it was lacking, and I think the reason is that the past 3 games have focused on finding and controlling the Apple/Piece of Eden, whereas this game is about opening a vault/library. Ezio’s story also lacks a strong antagonist to tie things together; instead of battling the Borgias, Ezio is competing with general “Templars,” and even though there are some prominent Templar figures, none of them had “stage presence” like Cesare Borgia did. Though I liked the political backdrop, I think Ezio himself was ill-suited for it. It sort of feels like the creators wanted to extend Ezio’s story rather than start something new with a protagonist who was more connected to the setting, and though recovering Altair’s library is a fun goal, I think the story should have revolved around someone who grew up in the region.

I did like that we got to delve a little deeper into Altair’s past and learn more about him. Unless you play the portable Assassin’s Creed games, you don’t get to learn much about what happened to Altair in ACII and Brotherhood, so it was nice to see some exploration of his life in a game that was centered on uncovering his work.

Characters: Ezio, our protagonist and player-controlled character, is a little older in this game, and while he’s still likable, he’s much more serious and down-to-business. I’m a bit torn as to whether his demeanor fits the setting of the game - on the one hand, I loved that the European character wasn’t presented as someone who comes to the Middle East and takes charge. Ezio definitely has much to learn, and his skills are seen as having value without being superior. On the other, I do wish the protagonist had been someone who lived in the area - I got the feeling that Ezio was made the protagonist because of his popularity rather than his suitability for the setting, and while I appreciate that Revelations closed out his arc, I don’t really think it was needed.

The major supporting character in this game is Yusuf Tazim, leader of the Turkish Assassin Order. He shows Ezio around and provides much-needed instructions and lore, and he’s incredibly charismatic and personable. Ezio also encounters historical figures such as Manuel Palaiologos and the future Suleiman the Magnificent, which were fun treats for history enthusiasts, but not extremely commanding personalities. Instead of courtesans appearing throughout the city, there are Romani people seen hanging about, and though I liked that they were included and talked about their oppression, I do think their visual design and function during gameplay were somewhat stereotypical.

Ezio furthermore gets a real love interest in this game in the form of Sofia Sartor, an Italian traveler and book collector who helps him locate the keys. I thought the interactions with her were sweet, but she was a kind of damsel in distress and she didn’t have much personality other than liking books for a large part of the game.

Desmond, for his part, doesn’t get a lot to do, despite this game being about reconstructing his psyche and digging into his past. I liked that we learned more about him, but I do wish the stakes of being trapped in the Animus were higher.

Gameplay: Revelations uses almost all of the same mechanics as Brotherhood. There are armor and weapon upgrades, treasure stashes, upgrades to the city of Constantinople (which stimulates the economy and earns the player more money), etc. Art merchants are replaced with book merchants, so instead of buying paintings, players can purchase codices, but functionally, they were the same. Similarly, instead of freeing areas from Borgia influence, players liberate “Templar dens” and turn them into “Assassin dens,” and while they’re thematically different from the Borgia towers, they’re functionally the same. Players complete assassination missions in which you kill the captain of the guard responsible for overseeing the Templar den, but instead of blowing it up, you trick your enemy by signaling Templar retreat, allowing the Assassins to move in and take over the area. You can also recruit assassins and make use of thieves, mercenaries, and courtesans much the same way as in Brotherhood, though courtesans are replaced by Romani people. There was a moment in Sequence 2 when Ezio had to defend the Assassin safehouse from a Templar attack, and gameplay involved placing barricades, commanders, archers, riflemen, and cannon fire. while balancing morale and damage. I kind of liked the strategy involved and it could have been an interesting mechanic for the rest of the Templar dens/Assassin safehouses, but alas, this moment only occurred the one time unless you’re not paying attention to your infamy meter (which was easy to take care of).

The major weapon upgrade in this game is the introduction of the hook blade and various types of bombs. Bombs ranged from simple noisemakers, to stink bombs, mild explosives, smoke screens, and other useful ranged attacks, while the hook blade enabled faster climbing as well as traveling along zip lines. These weapons were fun, but because so much of the other gameplay was the same as in Brotherhood, they felt like cosmetic patches to an otherwise repetitive gameplay experience.

Visuals: As always, I adored the look of the historical setting. The artists and developers beautifully rendered Constantinople, and I loved seeing more rich colors and details on the buildings and clothing of NPCs than when playing as Altair in the first Assassin’s Creed. I also really loved the look of Ezio’s armor, which forwent the classic white and red palette and opted for a more somber grey. The grey blended with the surroundings a bit better, in my opinion.

What really threw me off was that the facial models for some of the returning characters were altered. Both Ezio’s and Desmond’s face shapes are a little different from how they appear in Brotherhood, and though I do not doubt the change was in service to testing out advancements in graphics, I couldn’t quite shake the uncanny valley vibe.

Animations were up and down; upon starting this game, I encountered a horrible glitch that made the screen flicker and movement impossible, but luckily, I was able to fix it easily using instructions from other players who had the bug. There were some really satisfying combat animations, including finishing moves that upped the level of Ezio’s epic skills, but sometimes they lagged or a bug would make them not connect to an opponent. While not the end of the world, it was noticeable and sometimes took me out of the immersion experience.

Final Verdict: Despite repeating much of the gameplay from Brotherhood and unnecessarily extending Ezio’s story, Revelations presents a beautiful atmosphere and fun adventure to unlock some much-desired background to Altair’s narrative.

#video game review

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stevenuniversallyreviews · 5 years ago

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Episode 125: Doug Out

“It can't be all ‘Bam!’ ‘Pow!’ action all the time.”

(First things first: Lamar Abrams’s delightful promo art leans away from traditional cards with the title and storyboarders, and this is my favorite of the bunch. He really knocks the visual pun out of the park.)

Dr. Maheswaran is a titanic presence in her daughter’s life, and while she does have a canonical first name—Priyanka, according to Ian Jones-Quartey—it says a lot that the show itself only presents her as “Doctor” or “Mom.” She, not Doug, is the person Connie must reconcile with in Nightmare Hospital. She, not Doug, is the one that’s late picking Connie up in Storm in the Room. She, not Doug, takes the role of Yellow Diamond in Stevonnie’s psychic dream from Jungle Moon. And Doug, as should be clear now, has a first name that we actually hear on the show. Hell, it’s in the name of the episode.

Doug’s status as a background character allows his characterization to be more fluid than his wife’s. In Fusion Cuisine, which is a weird episode period in terms of Maheswaran behavior, he tells a joke to break the tension and disapproves of Steven and Connie hugging. In the far superior Winter Forecast, he’s frustrated with Greg in the bad timelines, appreciative of Greg’s cherry sweater in the good timeline, and we learn that he can’t drive in the snow (but thinks he can). Connie has told us that her parents are strict, which logically means he’s strict, but we see more impatience than strictness in his voiced appearances.

None of what we’ve witnessed lines up too well with the Doug we get in Doug Out: sure, we’ve seen his awkwardness, and I guess his tendency towards jokes at inopportune times means he can be funny, but he’s super silly in this episode. Normally such a huge shift in characterization would bug me, buuuut:

Doug is such a minor character that it’s not a huge deal that his personality adjusts to fit the story better, and

We’ve only seen Doug with Dr. Maheswaran nearby and I can totally buy that he acts differently when she’s not around.

It would’ve been nice for the canon if a little more of Doug’s behavior from Doug Out had been established earlier, but yeah this isn’t a dealbreaker for me. It’s already weird that Connie said in Bubble Buddies that her family moves around a lot because of his security job, considering they don’t move at all over the course of the show and her mother’s job certainly pays more than her father’s, so at least showing Doug at work lends some consistency to her claim.

Entering the episode by pulling a prank on Steven is a succinct way for the show to tell us this is a new Doug. We do get references to the Maheswarans being all about safety, namely his concern over Steven's hydration after eating salty fry bits, but he’s simultaneously silly with the kids and proud that his daughter is a “swashbuckling swashbuckler.” Plus his dopey smile is the same as his daughter’s dopey smile and it’s the most precious thing in the world.

There hasn’t been any indication that Connie is distant from her father, despite his lack of screentime; in fact, one of my favorite unspoken bits of characterization for the family is how she (and through her, Stevonnie) often wears his signature flight jacket. But it’s still great to see them get along so well, keeping up the light mood from the beginning of the episode and amplifying it through paternal playfulness.

While bringing kids along for a security mission after hours doesn’t sound like something an ultra-responsible parent would do, I choose to see it as a sign of Doug’s respect for his kid and her friend. He knows they’ve handled dangerous situations before, and it’s neat to see him acknowledge this by allowing them to ride along. Moreover, the whole point of the episode is that he doesn’t think his job is exciting, so it’s not like he thinks he’s throwing the kids into a violent situation. And considering he wants to see more action like his daughter does in missions or his wife does in the hospital, I’m glad that this jealousy never turns petty or mean-spirited: this wasn’t a given, as he’s been unfriendly in the past. Doug sort of rules in this episode, and it’s nice that veteran voice actor Crispin Freeman finally gets something to do with him.

The goofiness isn’t limited to Doug, as half of what makes him great is his playing along with Connie and Steven’s prepackaged goofiness. The kids are in top form in Doug Out, dressing as ridiculously-named parodies of Carmen Sandiego and Mario while they’re on the case (Connie’s assertion that Pizzapoppolis sounds more Greek than Italian is in contention with her bemoaning the laws of physics in the Gravitron for the best “Connie’s A Nerd” joke of the night). They’re down to mess around and ruin a teen’s night, and I’m here for it.

Still, I wouldn’t call this a full-on goofy episode, particularly when it evolves into a sequel of sorts to Gem Hunt. Aivi and Surasshu’s soundtrack evokes exaggerated noir as Doug talks shop, but shifts to a menacing drone as the trio encounters evidence of something sinister afoot at Funland. Steven and Connie stay in-character during the chase, but drop the act when discussing the possibility of a Gem Mutant or Homeworld Gem. Whatever they’re hunting is clearly hunting them, and perhaps the most impressive aspect of Doug Out is maintaining a tone of genuine looming danger that isn’t undermined by the episode’s numerous jokes.

The mystery, as in Gem Hunt, is complicated by a red herring. During Connie’s first big mission we’re led to believe that a Corrupted Gem might be healing itself, given the multiple distinct footprints, but we learn in the third act that it was Jasper all along. This time we get a wide array of dangerous possibilities, so the third act Onion reveal initially comes as a relief. But we’ve never seen him this scared before, and his distinct silhouette doesn’t match that of the shadowy figure on the roof.

Before we can think about the hints that Onion isn’t our perp, the focus shifts back to Doug as we conclude his character’s episode-long arc. He wants to be taken seriously, projecting a badass vibe that’s often undermined moments later by an intentional joke (like calling his daughter by her “Cucamonga” alias with a straight face) or by the emergence of his inner square (pretending to be undercover by removing his glasses then instantly relenting because he needs them to see). He’s not incompetent, correctly deducing that the culprit isn’t a regular teen and quieting the children to listen for clues, but he’s just a normal security guard in a family with a surgeon and a kid hero. You can’t blame the guy for developing a bit of an inferiority complex.

So again, I really appreciate that his behavior doesn’t devolve into toxic overcompensation, because that’s the obvious route to go and it would’ve made this episode so much worse. He respects the kids and doesn’t pretend he needs to protect them, and he doesn’t let his desire for action let him get in over his head—in another similarity to Gem Hunt, he stresses the importance of calling for backup instead of stubbornly going it alone. When Connie talks about how much she loves and values him, we’re allowed to feel it, because she’s reiterating what we’ve seen rather than letting a petty control freak off the hook.

We’re coming off another terrific Dad Moment in Lion 4, but Greg being great is par for the course. Most Dad Episodes are understandably about him: other father/child relationships have their days in the limelight (Fryman and Peedee in Frybo, Kofi and the Pizza Twins in Beach Party, Bill and Buck in Shirt Club, and Yellowtail/Marty and Sour Cream in Drop Beat Dad), but Greg gets more focus episodes than all of those combined. So while I would’ve liked to see more of him in an arc that hinges on the phrase “my dad,” I love that we get one last new Dad Episode to kick off the end of Season 4, especially if it lets us see Connie again before her kidnapping.

Onion may be a red herring, but the whole ending with Doug and Connie’s sweet talk is another red herring, tricking us into thinking the episode is wrapping up and that despite the suspicious inconsistencies, Onion was just being Onion. Unlike Gem Hunt, our heroes don’t solve the mystery, and because they don’t, neither do we. We have more information than Steven that something sinister is afoot, with an alien threat that for some reason is going after Onion, but before our sleuths can learn more, we cut to black.

After the victories of taking the ocean back from Lapis and saving the world from the Cluster, Act III of Steven Universe is the first with a tragic midpoint, and the fallout of Steven’s sacrifice at the end of Season 4 ripples through the first third of Season 5. Episodes like Storm in the Room and Lion 4 bring plenty of angst as well, so Doug Out wisely gives us some comic relief before the sweet-and-somber flavor of The Good Lars and the tension that follows. That tension is still present here (we get a cliffhanger, after all), but I’ll take moments of pure happiness where I can. This isn’t a silly episode in the vein of The New Crystal Gems, but it’ll still be a while until we have this much fun in one episode again.

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

It’s time again to expand our Top List, from a Top Twenty to a Top Twenty-Five! Most are Act II classics that got pushed down by the sheer volume of great episodes, but Lion 4 makes the cut as well. We’ll keep it at 25 until Change Your Mind; normally I’d switch to 30 at Episode 150 to keep up the Top 20% trend, but it seems more fitting to expand when the original series concludes.

Doug Out sadly does not make the cut, but it’s still an episode I love. We’ve had plenty of cliffhanger episodes that feel incomplete, and while this one also leaves us wanting more, it still works as a full story and not just setup. And the story is great!

Top Twenty-Five

Steven and the Stevens

Hit the Diamond

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

Last One Out of Beach City

The Return

Jailbreak

The Answer

Mindful Education

Sworn to the Sword

Rose’s Scabbard

Earthlings

Mr. Greg

Coach Steven

Giant Woman

Beach City Drift

Winter Forecast

Bismuth

Steven’s Dream

When It Rains

Catch and Release

Chille Tid

Lion 4: Alternate Ending

Keeping It Together

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Ocean Gem

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

Warp Tour

The Test

Future Vision

On the Run

Maximum Capacity

Marble Madness

Political Power

Full Disclosure

Joy Ride

We Need to Talk

Cry for Help

Keystone Motel

Back to the Barn

Steven’s Birthday

It Could’ve Been Great

Message Received

Log Date 7 15 2

Same Old World

The New Lars

Monster Reunion

Alone at Sea

Crack the Whip

Beta

Back to the Moon

Kindergarten Kid

Buddy’s Book

Gem Harvest

Three Gems and a Baby

That Will Be All

The New Crystal Gems

Storm in the Room

Room for Ruby

Doug Out

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Open Book

Story for Steven

Shirt Club

Love Letters

Reformed

Rising Tides, Crashing Tides

Onion Friend

Historical Friction

Friend Ship

Nightmare Hospital

Too Far

Barn Mates

Steven Floats

Drop Beat Dad

Too Short to Ride

Restaurant Wars

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service

Greg the Babysitter

Gem Hunt

Steven vs. Amethyst

Bubbled

Adventures in Light Distortion

Gem Heist

The Zoo

Rocknaldo

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

Say Uncle

Super Watermelon Island

Gem Drill

Know Your Fusion

Future Boy Zoltron

Tiger Philanthropist

No Thanks!

6. Horror Club 5. Fusion Cuisine 4. House Guest 3. Onion Gang 2. Sadie’s Song 1. Island Adventure

#doug out #steven universe #su #steven universally #review

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internetremix · 5 years ago

Note

In IR lore, what are the personalities of your personas? Basic likes and dislikes?

Kristen: Goggles is An Child and behaves as such. She's very cheerful, very curious, a bit mischievous and also 100% obsessed with making fanwork of her internet family... like a goddamn weirdo. She'll usually be hanging out with everyone, spot some sort of inspiration, squeak with joy and then rush off to write or draw. She's also the defacto leader of the Smol Squad, which is composed of herself, Shyner, Jojo and Chi-chi, and she's usually the one squeaking out ridiculous plans in muppet for dumb shit like stealing cookies and trying to trap people in fanfiction scenarios. She likes to help and can often be found doing such things as assisting Xander in his many schemes or just popping up to provide shit like charts or hold things for other people- basically whenever it would be funny to have some goddamn muppet backing something up.

She loves plush toys, particularly Crockernanner, and also loves sugar, star decorations, and cuddles. She likes being picked up and loves attention, and she's pretty consistently attached to at least one person, often her big brother Split if she's not with the Smol Squad. She is in eternal war with Phill since he bullies her constantly, and will occasionally try to set up elaborate traps for revenge only to fail miserably. Also she's a huge weeb. She does not like to sleep and will often go days without it before being dragged off by some bigger person to take a goddamn nap you ridiculous child. She is also very afraid of thunderstorms, she doesn't like loud noises or the dark.

She also has... various flaws and problems. But those are spoilers and I have no idea when/if we’ll be doing story stuff with IRsonas so I don’t want to give too much away with that.

Sorry this is very long, I think about my child a lot.

Jojo: JoJo is also a very happy child... like, stupid happy all the time. Like, they don't really have a concept of being angry. they're either manic happy or a bit sad. They love to find any way to make anybody smile or laugh, whether it be a somber happy, or a crying fit of laughter. They thrive off of happiness. They're a bit mischievous as well, and will try to play pranks and swipe things to chew on. They'll just appear in random places you'd never expect. like, in the pantry, the vent, or in your drawer. They chew things all the time to keep their dragon teeth sharp! They do tend to come off as obnoxious and kind of useless sometimes? But that's ok.

They love happiness, rocks, swimming, sandwiches, Vanilla coke, coffee, pianos, stars, ghost stuff(horror genre), and laughter. JoJo is pretty similar to Goggles now that I think about it x_xJoJo is best friends with Phill, and will always be on him in some way. Like his leg, back, holding onto his scarf by their teeth, etc. They're also very close with Goggles and Shyner, and Scott (even though Shyner tries to chase JoJo off with knives, JoJo will take it as a game of tag or something)JoJo doesn't like being yelled at or being told to go away. They get spooked easily by loud noises. They always get paranoid when they think someone is mad at them and will go to ungodly lengths to make them not mad or slightly annoyed with them, which sometimes makes people more annoyed with them than they were before.

JoJo is just an exaggerated version of me XD

Atwas: Atwas is fairly easy going. They make light of things often, and often hide serious sentiments behind jokes. They’re the type to roll with goofy and silly situations, and are very “yes and” type that enjoys escalating things in the name of light-hearted fun. They enjoy playing pranks, especially ones that take advantage of their hologrammatic nature (being able to enter and ‘possess’ electronics is something that they take advantage of often). Being technically in the cloud and a part of the internet at all times, they will often chime in with fun (often unrelated or humorous) metrics about situations and people as they occur—and often forgets that having a HUD isn’t something everyone has access to.

Being ‘technically’ invulnerable, atwas isn’t phased by the more dangerous things that go on in the IR tower, but usually prefers being a spectator or commentator as opposed to being an active participant in general shenaniganry. They don’t have any particular animosity towards anyone, and will occasionally help manage technical parts and functions of the tower.

They enjoy things like tech, cold weather, tea, fun statistics, darkness; and aesthetics like Film Noir and Retrowave.

They dislike things like excessively hot weather, being interrupted, getting too personal, having to put in a lot of “effort”, and being out of the loop.

Shyner: Shyner can easily be summed up to a tsundere in denial, and is the definition of an agent of chaos. If something goes wrong, she’s the one pouring a trail of kerosene to let the fire spread. She's loud, impulsive, and really doesn't give two shits. While quirky and charismatic, she’s also sarcastic and witty, reveling in the amusement of making fun of others. She’s often stubborn and impatient, thinking highly of her own beliefs and angered by those who dare to challenge her ideals. She also lacks a filter, and enjoys garnishing her words with colorful profanities. Filled with gripes of past trauma, she’s engaged in a constant internal war of turmoil and grief. She’s incredibly cautious and closed off around those she doesn’t trust, and can be very selfish. Despite this, she’s loyal to the few people she cares about, going out of her way to put them first if a dire situation were to arise. She’s also very sneaky and mischievous, often finding amusement in spying on others. Her MBTI is INTP-T.

Her hobbies include stargazing, ghost hunting, spying, and Satanic worship. She enjoys melancholy vibes, horror movies, animals, thunderstorms, and has an unhealthy obsession with sweets. Yes, this child will stab you without hesitancy if you take her cookies. She dislikes seafood, big crowds, kiddie leashes, and is afraid of experiencing intense emotion she doesn’t understand.I love my satanic smol bean very much. If I may be so bold as to dive into the nitty-gritty psychology, Shyner possesses many flaws, a lot of which I personally struggled with growing up. She is a reflection of my past self, some gripes with my current self, and the perception of how I could have turned out if I hadn’t met my family at IR. Hiding behind the exterior of being a merciless bully, she still has an intense internal desire to be a good person, but gets frustrated and often derails herself in the process of fighting her desire to act on impulse. She keeps most relationships with people at arm's length, fearing that if someone were to think highly of her, it would only be a matter of time before they’re disappointed. If we were to go full-fledged story mode, she would most definitely have an intense character redemption arc, making the revelation that being shitty to those who care about her isn’t the way to run from her problems and hide away from her own sense of self-insecurity/hatred.

Phill: Phill likes mischief, bad jokes, sexual undertones, Jojo, sexual overtones, bullying Kristen, and the colour pink. That's it xD

Jojo: :D yay

Alex: Alex don't give a shit but is for whatever reason the bossman and is also as powerful as silver age Superman, just don't try actual murder of the crew and he won't yeet you into the sun

Moon: 2019 Moon is an idiot. If we didn't know any better, we would assume he was born from nothing but an old head of lettuce in Satan's refrigerator. Think like Scott from Monster Prom, but different. He knows his right from his left, but the compass is still just "NESW" to him. Impulsive, lovable, and kinda loud, this muscley dumbass will do practically anything you tell him to if he finds it enjoyable. When paired with a few people, he works well as a second to many dynamic duos. Brodingles and Moon/Split and Moon are two really good ones, dangerous shenanigans ensue. Can and will rap like a beast, any challenge to a freestyle will result in a career ending and a death being sentenced. Extroverted people pleaser, definitely shooting high to perform and when adapting to a character, goes a little too hard. This man played Gander in Charlottes Web and didn't stop making goose sounds for months. Did I mention he's also a disney princess? Singing, animals, mortal enemy falling to their death? Everything

Dawn: ToonWolf/Dawn's personality falls within the confines of recklessly adventurous who doesn't think things through entirely. They like to try and rope others into going on various hikes, treasure hunts, mythic/cryptid searches, etc. Unapologetic sailor mouth. They will fight for friends and family. Various animals, trinkets, treasures, and cool but useless garbage are brought back to the tower often (oops theres a liiiiiiitle bit of hoarding). Sometimes those animals consist of dogs, cats, lizards, bears, wolves, The Great Noble One, horses, lions, elk, you get the idea (Can I keep them?Pleeeeeeeaaaaaaaaseeeeee??????????).

Overall they are most comfortable and relaxed in/around water and likes a whole lotta things including sailing, swimming, adventure, stargazing, animals, mythology/legends, friends, family, and drawing.

They dislike waking up early, limitations, being talked down to, boredom, desert/hot/humid/dry weather, coffee, and the movie "Cube"

Tex: Tex is an avid cryptid detective + has a surprisingly good intuition when creating conspiracy theories about them to follow. Mm lots of memes and disguises. Smart, but usually just off on their own thinking about other stuff.Totally has a wall in their room dedicated to figuring all the cryptids out with like, red string and everything.

#whole crew #ask the ir crew #irsonas #sorry I know this isn't everyone we have a big crew and not everyone is up to answer this stuff #Anonymous

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peace-coast-island · 5 years ago

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Diary of a Junebug

Corentine’s cherry blossoms

There’s nothing like starting out the day surrounded by a shower of delicate pink petals.

Today’s the cherry blossom festival and what better place to celebrate the lovely blooms than a charming village like Corentine?

It’s been a couple years since I stopped by so along with joining in on the festivities, I also get to catch up with some old friends! There’s Alma and Milana (who got married last month so congrats!) as well as Rika and Elowyn.

Now that I think about it, when was the last time the five of us hung out together? Probably almost five years ago? Wow. Where did the time go?

Newlyweds Alma and Milana have been super busy helping with the festival. They’re part of the town council, which is mostly elders though there are a small handful of members under 60 that has been growing steadily for the past few years.

Alma is the head of her family, the Maebros, who are one of the three oldest and powerful families in Corentine. Their bloodline is intertwined with demon spirits who once inhabited the land the village stands on. Alma’s that friend who occasionally has moments where it seems like her third eye’s wide open so it makes sense.

So her family’s got an interesting history that seems almost unreal except that it’s all true. Her mother’s side is basically village folklore. Unfortunately bearing the name of one of the most powerful families in the area has a heavy burden to bear so it’s one of those things where you have mixed feelings towards. It also doesn’t help that most of the family has been afflicted by misfortune save for the current generation. Alma’s mother, as well as many of her ancestors, have reportedly cursed their family’s name with their dying breath.

The head of the family is designated to the firstborn and for the past eight generations, it was always a woman. Rumor has it that if the matriarchs bear a daughter for eight generations, then the sins of their ancestors will be lifted and no more descendants will have to bear the burden of the demons.

The murders of Alma’s mother and five other controversial and closed minded council members was the last time the village was seen in a negative light. While things are a lot better in the past twenty years, the village had a reputation for being closed off and intolerant toward those who don’t agree with their often outdated ideals. With the deaths of the five, the village went through a change as the younger council members began standing up for themselves and the remaining elders were more receptive to the change now that no one got in the way.

Although the dead were respected members of the council, they honestly weren’t good people. Like Alma’s mother and Milana’s father - both who were abusive - and the others who were bigoted elders that everyone was intimidated by. It’s generally agreed that they indirectly caused their own deaths by being shitty people.

Alma’s father learned how to stand up for himself after years of emotional abuse from his wife. That in turn helped him become a better parent to Alma, who pretty much had to raise herself because her mother bullied her while her father tried but at the same time lacked the emotional maturity to be a parent. He even took Milana in as she didn’t have much family aside from her abusive uncle, a move that surprised a lot of people, including Alma.

If they didn’t have each other, Alma and Milana would’ve turned out differently - likely jaded, cynical, and closed minded. They were always close as kids and their friendship later bloomed into love. After dating for eight years, Alma and Milana tied the knot in front of the Summer Blooms shrine at the outskirts of the village.

The wedding was officiated by an elder who everyone calls Ojiichan, which means grandpa. He’s a cute little old man who always seems to know exactly what’s going on. I’m surprised that he remembers me! He’s pushing 100 and his memory’s sharper than a tack - hell, he doesn’t even look that old! At this point everyone’s convinced he’s some kind of immortal and all knowing being which isn’t surprising because there’s nothing to deny that he isn’t.

Since we got here early before the festivities began, Ojiichan gave me and the campers a tour around the village. A lot has changed in five years though it still feels familiar - like the saying about how the more things change the more they also stay the same.

I always found Corentine to be a charming little village because of the sights like the cherry blossoms, the distant mountains, and the numerous shrines. But at the same time it gave off the vibe of a small town where it’s kind of like a hive mind at times. I would put in the category of nice place to visit, not so much to live in.

While listening to Ojiichan’s stories, I noticed how different things are now. I see elders casually hanging out and chatting with younger residents like they’re equals. Before the elders kinda just did their own thing - especially the village council, which was kinda like a clique. Seeing people like Alma’s dad and aunt acting all casual and even bickering good-naturedly was refreshing. Especially since most of the older adults in the council have a reputation/image for being proper and professional so seeing them relaxed and having a good time was nice. Even Ojiichan, who has always been a sweetheart, is a lot more livelier and carefree.

Compared to my very first visit to my last visit five years ago the general vibe of Corentine has changed a lot. It’s still a small village that sticks closely to traditional ideals but over the years it’s become more open to change and is thriving because of that.

Ojiichan spoke about how the times are changing and how back in the day the villagers fought against it. But as we all know, change is inevitable and expecting everything to stay the same is futile. The mood turned a bit somber as he spoke about how some residents who clung on to their old ideas so tightly that it hurt everyone else. Although there’s a lot about Corentine that he’s proud of, one thing he’s highly critical of is the village’s mob mentality.

Aside from being a sweet old man, another thing I admire about Ojiichan is how he actively strives to be a good person. He’s not afraid to own up to his mistakes and he really does try his best.

The way he sees it, the closed minded residents see things in only black and white. They’re powerful people so no one tries to correct them. Once in a while someone steps up and says the sky is actually blue. But they’re shot down by the closed minded, who insist that the sky is white and if anyone disagrees, then they are delusional. It’s a harmful mindset, he says, and not only it gave the village a shaky reputation, it also held everyone back.

The murder of the six council members, he said, was one of those cases where bad things had to happen in order for change to break through. Not that they deserved to meet a gruesome fate, but they kind of brought it on themselves. They constantly fought against the world, making unreasonable demands to fit their narrow world-views and hurting anyone who dared to challenge them.

Then the mood turns to philosophical as Ojiichan asked us to take the time to look at the cherry blossom trees. What he meant was to climb on a branch and hold a flower in your hand. Don’t just look at the flower but experience it - take in the light fragrance, feel the delicate petals, gaze at it’s breathtaking beauty - it might sound silly but it really is mind opening!

For a while I felt completely at peace with the world. Like everything I was looking for was now in my hands in the form of a cherry blossom. Sitting on a branch and being surrounded by pink petals felt so surreal that for a second I thought I was in a dream.

See what I mean when I say that Ojiichan’s probably an immortal being? And then he went on to say how we are all cherry blossoms. In a way, we’re fragile and delicate, worn and swayed by what life throws at us. Always moving in different directions at a slight breeze, always scattered about. Some of us have torn petals, some have survived storms, others have wrinkles and tears, and very rarely, few remain whole. Some bloom and are blown away, some bloom and slowly lose their petals one by one, and some remain buds until the very end.

After listening to Ojiichan’s musings, experiencing the cherry blossom festival felt a lot more magical.

#animal crossing #animal crossing pocket camp #Diary of a Junebug #headcanon ramble

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ladylike-foxes · 6 years ago

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Dragon Age Question Meme

Tagged by @galadrieljones ❤️😘 Thank you, Sweets!

Tagging: @wrenbee @joufancyhuh @kvpowers @nerkierants @solverne-02 @ellstersmash @swimming-squids @roguelioness And anyone else who'd like to!

01) favorite game of the series?

Inquisition. I hadn't played Origins or DA2 in so long, I had practically forgotten they existed. I had gotten out of gaming for a long time, until I finally caved when I moved away, and got into Skyrim. I played so much I literally maxed out my levelling, and was starting to get bored...which made me sad. Inquisition not only rekindled my love for Dragon Age, it brought out more fresh inspiration to my creativity overall, and that in turn has improved my life,

02) how did you discover Dragon Age?

I played Origins and DA2 at friends' houses when I was in school, but while I enjoyed them, I wasn't in a place in my life where I could appreciate them. Then I was telling my amazing baby-brother-in-law about how sad I was that Skyrim was feeling stale to me, and he told me to play Inquisition. I was speculative at first, because I was so in love with Skyrim's open-world format and lack of any real Good +/- Evil alignment...but once I got past the Intro, I felt so immersed and so connected to the characters, that now Skyrim feels a little empty in comparison (though I do still love it)

03) how many times you’ve played the games?

Origins and DA2, only once each. Inquisition & its DLCs, 6 times all the way through.

04) favorite race to play as?

Elves. It's a bit embarrassing, but I'm an Elf Person. Though I'm sure it hasn't been obvious at all.

05) favorite class?

ROGUE!!! Especially dual-weild 😍 Mage is super fun too, though, ngl

06) do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time.

NGL It depends on which character I'm playing as, mostly. I also base new decisions based on the effects of decisions in past play thrus and how they played out. If I'm contented with the results in respect to the character, I'll make the same decisions 😂

07) go-to adventuring group?

Solas, Iron Bull, and Dorian, though I rotate Varric and Cassandra in and out a lot, too.

08) which of your characters did you put the most thought into?

😂😂😂 Halesta

09) favorite romance?

Solas, because I enjoy torturing myself. Sera was cute, too. Cullen was fluffy and sweet, and was good for me after my first play thru with Solas. I was in a bad place after the first Solavellan go 'round, cried for weeks. It was not pretty 😂

10) have you read any of the comics/books?

First Flight and Masked Empire

11) if you read them, which was your favorite book?

Masked Empire, hands down. I don't know why, but I couldn't really get into First Flight? But Felassan in Masked Empire, are you kidding?! SWOON.

12) favorite DLCs?

Trespasser. I also love the Descent, especially for the lore! But the Deep Roads scare the ever-loving shit out of me, so I have to psych myself up before I can play it 😅 While I am hot for Ameridan, Jaws of Hakkon didn't really grab me.

13) things that annoy you?

To steal Gala's answer: "Not much. Mostly I get annoyed when parts of the fandom fixate on things that annoy them. That annoys me, because I’m here for the positive vibes, not the negative."

14) Orlais or Ferelden?

Ferelden for the people and culture, Orlais for the varying environments and the history.

15) Templars or Mages?

Mage Rights

16) if you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one?

Halesta + Laleal Verse is technically the same Verse as Camber + Somber, since their stories converge, but their timelines are a little different. Ghani is Omniversal. She's in any and every Verse. She's in your Verse right now, and you don't even know it 🤫

17) what did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc)

The dogs in Origins and DA2 were Bryna and Nilo, respectively. Halesta's horse is Da'assan and her little fox is Ghestlin ("lil monster")

18) have you installed any mods?

No...PS4 😟

19) did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden?

Noooooo.

20) Hawke’s personality?

She's a spiteful, sarcastic bitch and I love her so much I can't even.

21) did you make matching armor for your companions in Inquisition?

Ahahaha, God no. I made armor for each companion that I thought fit their personalities.

22) if your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change?

Oh God, uhh, I have no idea.

23) do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon?

SO MANY. Felassan doesn't die, Halies's father is an Ancient Elvhen Sentinel, she is sent by Fel to kill Solas before he can get the Orb to Corypheus (she doesn't), she knows Solas is Fen'Harel, she saves the Orb from breaking but won't give it to Solas, is able to master the Orb and use the power of the Anchor without losing her arm (though it is severely scarred), etc. etc. ad nauseum.

Also, @galadrieljones , about the barefoot elves: I kinda like that they're barefooted! Though probably because I'm always barefooted 😅

24) are any of your character(s) based on someone?

Halesta's personality is based loosely on my mother combined with certain self-insert aspects of my bipolar disorder. Laleal is pretty much based on a combo of my best friend and my husband. Camber's personality is based a little more accurately on my Momma, and her relationship with Somber is based on mine with my own brother (though we're not twins) when we were younger (we're still close, but you know how things change sometimes with age and distance). And Ghani is just a straight-up personification of my depression and anxiety 😂

25) who did you leave in the Fade?

Stroud. I couldn't live with an alternative.

26) favorite mount?

While Halie has a horse she's very attached to in my fic/hc, I don't use mounts in-game. To quote Gala: "My party and I run around on foot like children and get eaten by bears like men."

#about me #dragon age meme #tag meme #galadrieljones #friend love

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thatswhenyourefrom · 6 years ago

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Sunday’s Best - “Poised to Break” & The “Californian”

I wanted to give insight into the checkpoints of the external forces that make me who I am today. I won’t deny that most of these pieces will mostly stem from my adolescence (and also mostly be music), but I still act as clay in the presences of art around me. The selected pieces (or collections of pieces) may be precise or vast, so expect varying lenses. Most of what I wanted to bring to this conversation were my hidden gems; pieces I hold so true to me and me only. I came to a realization recently that some of my favorite albums and some of my favorite movies do not stick to some of my peers. I don’t expect them too. I also don’t expect to sway any opinions or justify any of my opinions. The expectation is to usher you in to the closest parts of me.

I first heard Sunday’s Best in 2002 on a Canadian tv show called Undergrads before I was in the double-digits. It was a background song (reused again in the end credits), but the chorus stuck in my head. Whether it be hummed, sang, or just spinning around in my head, the song and the sound was stuck (and remains to be to this day). This song has built a house on top of my brain.

In the early 2000’s, the internet was picking up a lot of steam, and even though I was a young little guy, i started to learn my way around it at a young age. Yet still, there was difficulty in finding what I was looking for. I needed to find the artist of this song and the name of the song and download it on Napster or Ares or Kazaa or Limewire (or……). When a certain mood would strike, I would feel almost nostalgic and go on journeys to find a soundtrack list of the songs involved with this show. The hunt for the past is what I craved, and still do. One day I found the Undergrads website, put up by MTV when they used to make websites for each individual show on their rotation. It was a flash site and you could navigate around a little picture and highlight items for more information. One setting to navigate was a bar. In that bar was a jukebox. In that jukebox was the soundtrack list.

I began downloading every song I could. To be entirely honest, I think that these two Sundays Best songs were relatively easy to find, since the rest of the soundtrack was made up by obscure Canadian power pop bands. After listening to the first song I downloaded I knew I had found it; the song was called “Saccharine”.

I mark this song as my touch point for what I would later call emo music. The cul de sac that now exists with the houses of The Promise Ring and Texas is the Reason would most likely not exist is I didn’t hear “Saccharine” when i was nine years old. It fit right in with the other music I liked at the time like Jimmy Eat World who had just brought the light of Bleed American to the world. I get amped in the same way when I hear “Saccharine” as I do “Sweetness” by Jimmy Eat World; youthful, energetic, a little pain, and most of all nostalgia.

[If you would like to split hairs for a minute, I really love the poppy sound of this song and it‘s a much more of a power pop/college rock sound that I was attracted to than something classically emo, but it paved the way, so i digress.]

The hooks still get me. The riffs enliven me. At the very least, you can walk away from this song thinking it it is a catchy bastard. If anyone in the world can take a step back, look in on this song, and for even a second understand that this is the foundation for some person’s entire musical world, you have found me out. I am an open book at that point.

This is one song.

There is another Sunday’s Best song in the soundtrack for Undergrads and it also rang in my head, but to a much lesser extent. “White Picket Fences” is a much more reserved song by comparison to “Saccharine.” Quieter, yet way more dynamic. It grows so much. From what I remember from Undergrads, the audience only hears the last section, a theme that is bigger and hookier than the mood the rest of the song lays.

These two songs remained on my iPod for years.

When I was around the ages of fifteen and sixteen, I decided that i really needed to figure out all of this mumbo jumbo and really hammer down the music that has plagued me for years. What is that sound I am looking for? I want more Sunday’s Best. Can’t just search indie rock. Can’t search punk. Can’t search anything. The keyword “emo” was found and i had suddenly discovered a bible.

I spent a ton of time getting to know a ton of new bands which continue to dominate the music I like today. In this discovery of bands, I also learned much about record labels, including Polyvinyl records. Guess who put out Sunday’s Best’s music.

I decided that I would make the gamble and buy the CD “Poised to Break” by Sunday’s Best from the Polyvinyl store. I call it a gamble, because I have been severely bitten by looking in deeper to a bands output only to find out that the single I love is by far the only thing I could find likeable. This is not the case. This album is ten songs of exactly what I love.

“The Hardest Part” is a strange opener, because it’s kind of big and heavy. The chorus is yelled for Christ sake. It’s easily the angriest sounding song for an otherwise mellow band that I would call energetic at most. Partially uncharacteristic, but still a damn fine song. Track 2, “Bruise Blue” would fit right in with the soundtrack of Undergrads (and parallely my life). It’s calm, full of hooks, emotional. Great. Followed by “Bruise Blue” is “White Picket Fences” and “Saccharine”. At this point, my thought it “well I have all of the best songs out of the way.” “Indian Summer” blows that away with a track that I am so surprised isn’t heralded as an indie rock classic. This song wants be on every mixtape and MTV show until the end of time. “When is Pearl Harbour Day” is an awesome song about nostalgia, including the following line which rings in my head all of the time: “I hate nostalgia, it tries to hard to remember only the easy parts.” Track 7 and 9 are both energetic ones. Track 8, “Looks Like a Mess” is a broody, melodramatic song that I am undeniably in love with. “Winter Owned” rounds out the album and brings it back to the energy of track 1 and employs the same mixed singer chorus. The final track (and bonus track) is called “Congratulations”. Full of hooks, personal experience of naivety and confusion. The secret track is an instrumental song I am sure they used to open sets with. I am glad they included it because it’s loud, slow and cool. To me, each track is unskippable.

The whole album sounds like a soundtrack to a teen drama show that were hugely popular in the late 90’s going into the early 2000’s. Shows like Buffy, Dawson's Creek, 90210, and so many others were drenched in naive and intense emotions, stories of love and personal growth, and youth culture which made them a perfect place for this type of music. I am lucky i got to grow up in the times when I did where I can look up to those people on the screen, then be them, then look back on them with a familiar nostalgia.

Years later I would find that Polyvinyl holds a “Garage Sale” where they sell their surplus records and cd’s for next to nothing. While flipping through the garage sale, I had discovered Sunday’s Best had a second full length. I must have unconsciously ignored this release due to my fear of ruining the sanctity of my entire musical foundation. Do I risk it? What if it sucks and it’s ten boring songs? Or what if they sound like other more popular bands of now? It did come out in 2002 when this type of music was the mainstream. This is more than just a $3 gamble.

I bought it. It’s called “The Californian”. It’s better than the first LP.

Again hitting a ten song track count, “The Californian” is a succinct mood of an album. Much more consistent in tone, the songs are a lot more mellow than the ones on the first LP. This doesn’t mean that it lacks dynamics or moments of intensity. But it does mean there’s less yelling, head banging, and anthemic lyrics. What arises is my own personal therapy. Whether it be because I found a lot of this music (emo) in the autumn seasons, or if my mood just drew my to these sounds during fall, I always return to my classics around this time. Monday was a brisk day and I put in “The Californian” and it immediately hooked a line to the center of my heart. The air reminded me to being a young person and being in high school and college and time passing and old friends and how I used to feel so big, and the songs from “The Californian” were not there to yell at me; they were there to hold me like mother to her child. Therapeutic.

Quick track by track: The album launches into “The Try”. Coming off of the first album, you immediately know this album has more pieces to each song (production wise) creating a huge sound. But it’s not wasted. Every melody is catchy as all hell. “The Try” reigns that in. Track two, the title track, continues this pace. The chorus bops around a bit. “Don’t Let It Fade” is the single. Very quiet. Very somber. The bridge is my favorite part. “The Salt Mines of Santa Monica” has more energy than the last two so it sounds like a bigger “Poised to Break” song. The second singer has great contributions in the pre-chorus. He is really being used in a more calculated way. “If We Had It Made” comes in with massive church bells sound. One of my favorite songs. I love the bells. I don’t entirely know what the song is about, but the chorus moves me. Track 6 is a rocker. Even so, it’s consistent. “Without Meaning” was used in a Gilmore Girls and it’s directed melodrama fits that vibe really well. “Beethoven St.” is pure Sunday’s Best. If you wanted to write a song like them, copy this song. “Brave But Brittle” has a lot of the classic emo riffs. The way the intro falls over itself and then morphs into have arpeggios. Another favorite of mine. The last track is easily my least listened to song, but that’s because I usually reach my destination listing to this album in the care. It’s great though and I kick myself for missing it.

(I could give more in depth track-by-track if requested, but that isn’t necessarily the point of the writing.)

This band and these two lengths are an emblem of my growth. They are a tree that has stood my whole life and I am still sustained by its fruit. The sound that is contained in these albums is contains a definition of who I am and what I love. When you cannot articulate a feeling with direct words, you use art. That’s what artists do. Though I could never imagine conjuring this feeling inside of anyone else with my own art, I am glad I can direct others to this album and this feeling. It it’s hooks can get in and you let yourself get pulled, you can be me.

-luke

#r #by luke

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kotas-dump · 7 years ago

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A flower blooms

You’d always been a bit scared of orcs. Not because of what people said but after that horrible locker incident in junior high you’d always been a bit..scared of orcs and small spaces in general. Who even shoved kids in lockers anymore? Let alone a girl?

It made you shy, reserved really. You drifted toward Gothic and punk fashion, shaving your head into a mohawk and stretching your lobes. Then you hit a growth spurt and shot up to a height that rivaled most guys and the bullies left you alone. Occasionally teasing with words or cruel tricks but nothing like what it used to be.

You were working in the flower and home garden section of a small boutique. Where you’re gothic hippie vibes really flourished and fit in. Here you didn’t see many orcs this side of town at all let alone ones in the garden/flower area. It’s why you liked it really. Nothing but you and the somber silence of the fragrant blooms and saplings. It was serene, calm and wide open.

So when he walked in you had to keep yourself from hiding. He wondered around for a long time, looking at this and that until he came up with an armful of potted saplings seeming to choose them at random. You’d never seen an orc without tusks before. Ringing him up you stare at one of the plants, glancing up at him.

“Is there a problem?” He asks. His voice is deep but soft, unsure.

“N-no it’s just.. uh. This plant does better in the shade. I.. It helps if you plant it next to a wall facing the east or west... “ Laughing nervously you place it back into the tray with the others and quickly ring him up.

His brows raise, the corners of his lips turning down. “I didn’t know that. Thank you.” His nostrils flare and he’s starting at you.

Sucking in your lower lip you fidget with your fingers for a moment. “You’re total is $35.73 sir.”

Blinking he laughs, smiling and exposing his filed tusks. “Right. Helps if I pay.”

Chuckling you smile and nod. “Just a little I mean we wouldn’t go bankrupt but it does help if our customers pay.”

He gives you the money and you hand him his receipt. He was actually really nice and despite your first reaction... you wanted him to come back. So you break out the big guns. Going ‘above and beyond’ in customer service. “Did you need help out to your car?”

“That would be very helpful actually.” He pauses, the tips of his ears twitching. “Thank you. You’re very kind.”

A flush of heat rushes to your cheeks and you smile. “Can I be honest about something?” You ask, looking down and picking up one of the trays of saplings.

His yellow eyes glance to you, a skeptical look in his eyes as he leads the way out. “I’d prefer it yes.”

Shaking your head you look ahead, avoiding his gaze. “You looked like you didn’t know what you were doing. And I don’t mean to assume you don’t it’s just.. If you need help? Don’t be scared to ask. I’m here about 6 days out of the week so..” You trail off as he opens the back door of a police suv and places his tray of plants in the back seat. Glancing between you and the car he gives you a sheepish smile and holds his hands out for the tray of plants.

Snapping back to reality you hand them back. “Are you... You’re that orc cop? Nickolas Jakoby right? The one who stopped those crazy cult people? You were all over the news a month or two ago. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you. Oh my gosh I feel so stupid for being scared of you before.” You scoff and your eyes go wide. STUPID blabbering mouth! Now you sounded like you were a huge racist idiot. “I shouldn’t have said that last thing. I- I didn’t mean it like that. “

His expression falls and he gently takes the plants from you and sets them in the car, closing the door. “It’s alright. I’m used to it.”

“No!” You blurt covering your mouth. “No.” You repeated softer, kicking at a rock on the sidewalk. “I just... How about uh..” Tina always offered a date when customers were unhappy and that worked for her. You knew he had to be a good guy, he was cop as an orc for crying out loud.” Can I buy you some coffee sometime? As an apology? I can offer my endless knowledge of flowers and plants if you’d like.. It’s just...It’s a long story. One better told over a cup of coffee?”

You pick at the dirt beneath your nails and look down at the cracked concrete of the sidewalk. Why would he go for a date with you? It was such a stupid idea to think you could sell a date as forgiveness. “I’m sorry. I’ll just- I’ll just go now. Sorry again. I hope you have a good day. Stay safe.” You turn to leave and you hear him open his car door.

“Wait.” Turning Jakoby glances back to you. “I’m free next Tuesday. I mean if you wanted to do the coffee thing?”

A sigh of relief leaves you and you turn back around, a smile on your face. “Yeah! I get off around 2 so uh... meet me here?” You point behind you and then down the street. “There’s a coffee place down the street we could just walk to it? They have these baked puff pastries with rose jam made from the roses here and they’re so good I could eat like ten of them if they let me.. but you didn’t really need to know that.” Blushing you laugh. Stealing a glance up you hope he’s not annoyed or mad but he’s just staring at you with this hard to place expression.

Slowly, as if he’s distracted he nods. “2 is good. Great even. I’ll see you then.” Without a goodbye he climbs into the car and starts it up.

You wave bye as he pulls out, watching him drive down the street before you realize you’re being creepy and hurry back into the shop. Waiting for you by the door, leaning casually on a shelf with a shit-eating grin is Mama Tina the owner of the store. She’s a tall and gorgeous elven woman with pin straight black hair and killer fashion sense. “W-what?” You stammer, looking around.

“Ohhh nothing. Nothing at all sweet pea. Why don’t you make sure all the flowers are watered and you can go ahead and head out for the day. Wouldn’t that be nice?” She stands up but that smile never leaves her face.

“Really? Okay, yeah. You got it!” She rarely let you leave early. Must be your lucky day. You take your time watering the flowers but as soon as you’re done you gather up your things and take off like a bat outa hell.

The weekend crawls by and before you know it it’s tuesday. You’d made sure to bring a change of clothes and quickly changed into a nice black sundress with small white daisies on it. Donning a straw boater hat with a thick black ribbon and skull pin. Stuffing your work clothes into your backpack you stand outside and wait. Rocking back and forth on your gladiator sandal heels as you stare at the ground.

You stopped rocking back and forth and check your watch, sighing when you realized ten minutes had passed. You’d been stood up enough times to know when to stop waiting. You should have known better but it kind of... hurt. Taking a deep breath you raise your chin. So what if he didn’t want to come? You could still go get coffee and a pastry.

Walking down to the coffee shop you order and take a seat by the window in the corner. It’s your favorite thing and a rare treat but the coffee taste bitter and the pastry is to sweet. Your thoughts begin to wonder, carrying on the conversation you would have had.

The door chime rings out as someone walks in, walking around and glancing every which way. Glancing at your watch you stand up with a huff. 3 o’clock. It was probably time for you to get going anyways.

“There you are!” A familiar voice says. He looks a bit flustered and there’s dirt on his pants at the knee. “I’m sorry. I was in the garden and I lost track of time. I used my sirens to get here, we’re not supposed to do that, but you weren’t outside. So I went inside and they’d said you left. So I ran down here and...“

You stare at him for a long moment, a sad smile pulling at your lips. “Oh. That’s alright... I was just leaving actually.” Pointing to the door behind him you glance over to the barista. “Here.. um.” You dig in your purse, handing him a ten dollar bill. “I keep my promises.”

His eyes leave you and glance behind you to the place you were sitting. Seeing the plate with the pastry with two bites missing and your still full cup of coffee. The foam flat on the top of the cup. “But you didn’t even eat...” He mutters more to himself than to you. He pulls out his wallet and turns to the barista. “Let me buy yours-”

Shrugging you place the bill on the counter for the barista before turning to him. “I already paid half and hour ago.” You laugh dryly. “Don’t worry about it. I’m used to it.” The turn of his own words on him. His ears twitch and his lips turn down into a frown.

“I didn’t mean to be late. I didn’t want to be.” Nick explains as you turn toward the door.

You push open the door and stop, turning to glance back at him. “If you need help with the plants you should swing back by the shop. Mama Tina loves return customers so you’re bound to get something for free.” With that you leave, heading down the sidewalk.

Nick sighs and turns back to the counter to order. Not surprised when the barista places the change on the counter instead of in his outstretched hand.

“You were better off not coming ya know that?” The barista’s southern accent is rich and strong. “She wouldn’t have had to waste her hard earned money on a man like you. Standing her up like that. You should be ashamed. She’s a good woman. Hard working, nice, kindest soul I know not to mention she’s got curves for days. Obviously to much for a man like you huh?” The barista tsk’s and shifts her weight to one foot, making Nick’s coffee.

“I didnt’- it wasn’t-” Nick begins.

“Ah yeah yeah yeah. You men all got your excuses. You got one chance to make an impression. And yours?” Her eyes flick up and down the orc. “Ain’t a good one. Heaven only knows if apologizing would help you. Girl’s been stood up so many times it ain’t even funny. If she was into me I woulda snatched her right up like my momma’s homemade cookies on Christmas. Treat her right too, like she deserves.” Plastering on a fake smile she hands him his coffee. “Have a nice day now.”

Taking his coffee with pursed lips the orc nods and heads out, scratching his head.

---

A few days pass and you’re tending to the succulents when a customer walks in. You look up to greet them and see Nick. Immediately you duck behind a bunch of potted ferns. You wave Tina over and she practically squeals in delight.

“Oh you’re backkkk? What a surprise! It really is! You wait right there and i’ll go get her.” Mama Tina ignores your panicked expression and grabs your arm, pulling you out from behind the foliage. “Viola! Here she is~!”

Standing there awkwardly with your eyes fixed on the ground you bite your lip. Tina jabs her elbow into your arm with a smile and you wince, rubbing your arm. “What can I help you with today sir?”

Tina saunters off, watching from behind a shelf of pots.

The orc shifts, clearing his throat. “I wanted to make it up to you. Apologize and uh.. Well, Take you out for dinner. Any place you want. You can choose.”

The elf behind the shelf sequels and quickly looks like she’s shifting the stock of pots but you both know she’s not.

Sighing you look away from Tina and back to the floor your eyes go. “It’s alright Nick. Really. Nothing to make up. Besides.. I uh. Can’t really afford to go out to eat.”

“I’ll pay. Don’t worry about that honey~! “ Tina chimes. Dismissing your excuse.

Shaking your head you let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah... figured you’d do that...” You gripe. Looking up you meet his eyes only for a fleeting moment and you notice he’s smiling. “Is it...a date?” You ask, eyes darting around his face for a moment as you try to read if he’s trying to pull a prank on you. That’s happened before.

For a moment he’s flustered, stuttering. “W-would you like it to be? A date that is?”

Going silent for a moment you chew on your lip. “Are you going to stand me up again? O-or be late?” You voice is small, a whisper.

Nick shakes his head almost violently. “No. Why would I do that?” He’s smiling again, tight-lipped like he’s not sure if he should smile or not.

Once more your eyes scan his face and you hold his eye-contact for a moment before looking to Tina. Her bright eyes darting away as she shifts the pots and scoots them across the shelf. “I don’t know.” You say slowly. “I could be weird or... just to shy but I prefer to say i’m a..”Pause for dramatic affect. “wall flower. Get it? Since I work here..?”

His deep chuckle lifts the tense air in the shop and you smile. “I get it. Wall flower. There’s flowers on the walls.” He points to the floral wall paper and you blink. That...wasn’t it at all.

Snorting you bust into laughter, holding a hand over your mouth. “Well I don’t eat meat so I hope you don’t like steak houses.” You look up at him.

His smile is wide, happy. “No.” He shakes his head.” I don’t eat cow flesh.”

Canting your head to the side you give him a confused look. “Cow flesh? That’s a new one. I like it.” Giggling you tuck your hair behind your ear. “There’s a new chinese place that has crazy good tofu a few blocks down. We could go there?”

Tina scoffs, stepping out from behind the shelf and waving her hand in the air like someone just farted. “That’s not good enough. I know someone who runs a few of the restaurants up where I live. I’ll get you two up with a reservation for tonight for...8pm? Sound good?” She looks to Jakoby and he nods, a bit confused as to how she just hijacked the planning.Clasping her hands together the elf smiles. “Lovely! Alright well I do believe this is yours.” Plucking the small cactus from the shelf she grabs Nick’s hands and places the pot in his hand before turning him around and pushing him toward the door despite his stuttered words.

Leaning forward she opens the door, whispering in his ear. “You stand her up and i’ll make sure no garden shop in a thirty mile radius will sell to you. Do you understand?”

You see Nick swallow, nodding stiffly before being pushed out the door. Tina locks the door and spins on her stiletto heel. Uh-oh. You didn’t have a good feeling about this. “...Why did you lock the door?”

The elf flicks her hair behind her shoulder with a sigh. “Because, my dear little sweet pea. You have to make him regret wasting that hour of your life. What you do after that moment is up to you but i’m not letting you go on that date without you feeling absolutely b.e.a.utiful.”

---

The time approaches faster than you thought as you’re carted to every store in elftown. You must have tried on a hundred dresses before settling on a black dress that hugged your waist and flowed down to your ankles. Two thigh-high slits ran up the side and exposed your sparkling black tights and small strapy heels.

Tina had paired it with a black floral lace shrug that belled out at the sleeves giving the dress a witchy-gothic feel. She tied a choker around your neck, slapped a nice black felt hat on your head and took a long look at you. After plucking out a thick dark denim blue colored belt and fastening it into place around your waist she nodded. She had been fawning over you since you left the shop but now she was done. Letting out a slow exhale she turned you around to face the full length mirror.

Your make up had been done and with your hair was down and styled you looked... beautiful. Staring in amazement you blinked. “I look so pretty...” Amazement fills your voice and she wipes at a tear in her eye.

“I do such marvelous work.” Glancing at her phone she gasps, pulling you away from the mirror and out of her house towards the car. After the short drive she practically kicks you out of the car after handing you her bank card. “I expect that back tomorrow morning understand? Good. Have fun sweet pea~!” Waving a manicured hand the driver takes off and you head into the restaurant.

You can’t help but feel out of place here but you’re trying not to look lost, telling the staff you’re waiting for your date. There was still 10 minutes until 8pm when Nick walked in. Blinking you had to take a double take. He was wearing a suit and a vest, you hardly recognized him. He looked amazing. Like he belonged here. You stare, jaw almost dropping as your heart beats against your ribs like a caged fairy. He looked like a modern day prince from a fairy tale.

He looks around and you see his eyes scanning the faces looking for you, his nostrils flaring as he even tries to smell you out. Raising your hand you wave, attracting his attention. He pushes past an elf couple chitchatting away and over to you. You can feel his eyes scan you as he walks up and he stares for a moment.

“You look-...Wow. You look... beautiful.” There’s awe in his voice and his eyes lock with yours. Suddenly there’s a small collection of bright flowers in your face. ”For you.” His yellow eyes look down, lips pressed together.

Blushing you smile and bite your lip but manage to take the flowers and hold them close “Thank you. I was going to say the same to you.” Pausing you laugh. “Not that you’re beautiful. Handsome I suppose would be better fitting?”

The both of you sit down and it’s a little awkward at first but the food comes out and you start to eat and open up. You start talking about your own gardens and from there it snowballs. Before you know it you’re both laughing about the fairy who pulled up all his potato plants and caused him to be late to the coffee shop. Ultimately though when the food is gone you both feel to out of place to linger and he offers to take you home which you reluctantly agree to on one condition.

“Can you put on the siren?” You ask, eyes big as you give him a puppy dog eye look.

Nick blinks, confused by the look. “We’re not supposed to do that.”

Winking you smile. “We’re NOT going to do it right?”

His mouth opens making an ‘oh’ face and he opens the door for you. “I suppose..this one time it wouldn’t hurt.”

“Yes! I’ve never ridden in a cop car before. I’ve always wanted to do that. Not like..in the back were the criminals are but like. Oh what’s it called... shadow a cop? I grew up to fast though. Never got the chance until now.” You pull the seat belt around, clicking it into place before taking in the multitude of stuff on the dashboard. “Woah.”

Jakoby climbs into the drivers seat and shuts the door, buckling up and starting the car. He pulls out and points to a pair of switches. “This one is the lights and that one is the siren.”

A wide grin spreads across your face and you’re practically buzzing with excitement. “ You won’t arrest me if I do will you?”

“Maybe.” He teases, his deadpan delivery having you hesitate. “No no. Go ahead.”

“I wouldn’t mind if you slapped me in cuffs.” As the words leave your lips you realize how dirty it sounds and he turns slowly to look at you, one brow raised with surprise. Panicking you flip the switches as your face flushes red. The siren isn’t nearly as loud as you hoped it to be and you’re left in an awkward silence.

Turning his attention back to the open highway his fingers tap the steering wheel. “D-Did you have a good time?” He asks, breaking the silence.

“Yeah actually I did. D-did you?” Turning to him you take the moment he’s focused on the road to take him in again. Taking in the pattern of dotted color on his face and how it turns upward from his lips like a huge smile.

“Yeah of course. I didn’t know there were so many different types of lettuce.” He remarks. Laughing you shake your head. “The salad is what impressed you? Not the fancy frou frou dinner but the appetizer?”

“Why? Is- Is that weird?” He asks, glancing at you for a moment before turning back to the road.

Smiling you shake your head no. “Not at all Nick. Not at all.” Looking down at your lap you swirl your pointer fingers around each other. “If you’d like I could help you plant some flowers that drive away fairies?” Your attempt at setting up a second date is thwarted by the orcs own curiosity.

Nick looks at you for a long moment and you look up to make sure the road is clear. “There’s flowers that fairies don’t like?”

“Of course. But really you got to worry about the bugs. Some pesticides are bad for you. Actually i’m not sure if they’d be bad for orcs. They can be bad for humans. Plus you’ll need more flowers in your garden if you want bees to do the pollinating. Since we’re in a pretty urban area it’s hard to get them to find the plants and if they don’t then you don’t get vegetables and that’s just a bunch of hard work for nothing... I’m rambling again. Sorry.”

Waving his hand he shakes his head. “No no. I like it. You have a nice voice. Very soothing.”

That familiar heat crawls up your neck and you blush. “I don’t think anyone’s ever complimented my voice before. Thank you.” You feel his eyes on you but you’re to embarrassed to look up.

He turns the lights and sirens off as he drives up to the checkpoint. “Where do you live?”

“Oh just a few blocks south of the shop. You can just drop me off by the corner. I’ll walk the rest of the way.” Brushing your hair behind your ear you look out the car window, watching the city roll by.

“It’s alright. I’d feel better dropping you off at your home.” Nick says.

Smiling you give him your address before trying again at the second date, third date? idea. If he brushed you off then he brushed you off.. but at least you could say you tried. “Would you like help? With the flowers I mean. I could show you were to plant them and help you with your garden if you’d like?”

“You’d do that?” He asks, eyes flicking over to you for a moment.

Nodding you turn and catch his fleeting look, the small flicking twitches of his ears. “Of course. I think it would be nice to spend more time with you...” Trailing off you think over your next words.

“But?” He prompts, eyes fixed on the road.

“No but. I just... I feel comfortable around you. You put me at ease I guess? It sounds silly out loud. I used to be bullied by an orc back in school. Made me terrified of them and small spaces too. Walk-in closets kind of freak me out." Laughing you look down at the flowers in your lap and touch the colorful blooms. “I’ve gotten my hopes up before and I get hurt a lot by trusting the wrong people. I can’t say you’re different, i’m a terrible judge of character really... But i’d like to think you are. Different than the others I mean.” Looking up you lock eyes and there’s a spark, a flutter of your heart as it skips a beat.

The light turns green but his eyes are fixated on you. A car behind you honks and he startles, grunting and stepping on the gas. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me..”

You giggle, looking at your feet. “Well...there’s more where that came from. Stick with me Nick. I’ll compliment you till i’m blue in the face.” Pausing you both look at each other and bust into laughter.

#I never finished this and idk if i ever will so i'm publishing it to clear up my drafts #nick jakoby #fluff #pardon the errors it's not edited #orc

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beevean · 7 years ago

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I’ve always liked to describe music and rate it, so I thought to put here my top 30 Sonic Forces tracks, and maybe in the future I’ll do the same for other games.

Under the cut because it’s a top 30, so it’s pretty long :V I couldn’t do less, I’m sorry!

@bookvideogamemaniac @ramenbomber @dizzydennis

30) Eggman Empire Fortress: Iron Fortress

This is what happens when you mix the intensity of Scrap Brain and the dissonance of Death Egg. It’s suitably dramatic, and the harsh Genesis-esque sounds help the sense of being surrounded by cold, deadly metal. It feels very heavy for some reason. *insert joke about Classic’s physics*

29) Green Hill: Arsenal Pyramid - Interior

More Eggman bases should have a dance theme. This track manages to fit the sterile, technological environment, the context of a base infiltration and, while it does remind a bit of White Acropolis, manages also to be unique in the OST.

28) Green Hill: Arsenal Pyramid

While I’m happy there are some guitars, here they were really needed as the main instrument, as the saw wave not only doesn’t fit with the general Green Hill environment, but makes the whole track sound really similar to Sunset Heights. What stands out, at least, is how serious it is, especially the climax. It wouldn’t be out of place in a final level.

I also really like the piano at the beginning. It’s a nice touch.

27) Mystic Jungle: Casino Forest

I had no idea this one was composed by Tomoya Ohtani! I was so sure it was Naofumi Hataya, it just screams “Genesis-era”! The whole track fits perfectly the setting of a deranged casino area - somewhat spooky, but still with that bouncy feeling of many casino themes. (wish the level itself complemented the pinball gimmick with the forest background...)

Also when it was first revealed the official Sonic account pointed out the amazing bass, so... listen to that amazing bass. Very reminiscent of Casino Night’s, but more energetic.

26) Mystic Jungle: Luminous Forest

Unfitting with the stage? Yes. Didn’t need the saw wave at all? Absolutely. Catchy? Also absolutely. It helps that here the wave is accompanied by some very nice guitars reminiscent of the Adventure series - this whole soundtrack needs more of them, so any track with rocking guitars gains instant points from me. The funky bass solo near the end of the loop is just the cherry on top. An energetic old-school tune all around, it could’ve been much higher on the list if it didn’t suffer from Sonic Adventure 2 syndrome and wasn’t so unfitting for the level.

I once compared it to a Bad Future version of Savannah Citadel Day, and it was nice to see I wasn’t the only one thinking that!

25) Metropolis: Metropolitan Highway

This song is so happy! I still call it “Skyscraper Scamper Day Good Future”, and with good reason. It wouldn’t be out of places in a Riders game!

I don’t know what else to say. It just puts a smile on my face every time I listen to it. It’s very Sonic-y, that’s the best way to put it.

24) Boss: Infinite (Showdown)

As I pointed out a while ago, this one was composed not by Ohtani, but by Yutaka Minobe, a far less famous composer and pianist who’s largely responsible for a good chunk of the first two Advance games’ OSTs and miscellaneous tracks like Black Doom. From the tracks I’ve linked it’s easy to recognize his style in this orchestral piece that barely resembles the original theme anymore, unless you pay attention to it.

I’m disappointed in how little dubstep there’s here, but while the track doesn’t have a clear melody (aside for those short sections that call back Infinite’s theme, and to be fair they are really good reprises), it compensates by being highly atmospheric and making the final showdown with Infinite feel far more epic than it actually was.

Maybe there’s not much dubstep to symbolize how Infinite is going to lose control of the Ruby? Just speculating.

23) Boss: Infinite (First Bout & Second Bout)

Infinite’s boss remix is a wonderful mess of metal, dubstep and... a genre that I’ve seen multiple times being compared to k-pop, for some reason. It may take a while to grow on you, but it’s catchy from the get-go. Who could’ve thought this style would fit our new favorite edgelord so well?

I put these together because there are mininal differences within each other. However I slightly prefer the second version, it’s more danceable and not as repetitive as the first one.

22) Mystic Jungle: Aqua Road (Moonlight Battlefield)

While I admit this one dropped down a lot since it was first revealed (my only problem is that it’s pretty repetitive), it’s still pretty good, and it continues the sweet tradition of having a piano for the aquatic stage (if you want to call the slides gimmick “aquatic”).

I like how the echoing piano feels very light and how at the same time it’s contrasted by the strong synth bass and the electronic drums. The singer’s voice just makes everything prettier. A lovely theme with melancholic lyrics.

21) Mystic Jungle: Eggman's Facility

I’m not a fan of Sonic Adventure 2′s soundtrack, but I can at least appreciate White Jungle for standing out among the endless buttrock and for fitting both the stage and Shadow’s emotional state at that point. DnB really suits him.

This remix emphasises pretty much everything that made the original good, making both the lyrics and the guitars clearer. It’s pretty much a modernized remastered version, and it seems it was composed precisely for Shadow infiltrating Eggman’s base in Mystic Jungle. They choose the right track.

20) City: Enemy Territory

I have a mixed relationship with ShTH, and the same goes for its soundtrack: I hate half of the OST and love the other one, no in-between. In the half I love there’s the Westopolis theme - I don’t care if you’re forced to hear it 10 times in one of the dullest level in the game, the track itself is pretty badass, and yes, nostalgic for me.

So you can imagine how much I squeed when I realized they remixed it for the Shadow DLC.

I especially like how they made the main melody clearer and not as drowned under the edgy noises, while still keeping the overly-badass mood of the original. It even fits the aesthetic of Sunset Heights! And it even includes a Radical Highway cameo for free, because why not.

The PC version (beta version?) is not so bad either! It’s just more subdued.

19) Chemical Plant: Space Port (Fighting Onward)

A perfect introduction to the Avatar music style. The cold synths couples with the steady rhythm makes me imagine the Avatar walking in the middle of a blizzard, and the bass gives that touch of determination.

18) City: Red Gate Bridge

Very tranquil and somber, with a “calm before the storm” vibe to it. The piano and the strings go very well with the saw wave and the synth bass. Not easily hummable but memorable nonetheless.

A shame the main stage wastes it, but at least this one plays during those mini acts... other tracks aren’t so lucky.

17) Metropolis: Capital City (Virtual Enemies)

We will defeat insanity~

There’s something about the chords and the overly distorted voice that really fit both the futuristic, shiny, and sterile look of the city and the unsettling context of being mindraped by Infinite. It’s also pretty fun to sing out loud! Another track that could’ve come out from a Riders game, albeit more downbeat than others.

16) City: Park Avenue (Justice)

How can a track from June 2017 feel already nostalgic? This was the first music theme officially revealed, and what an impression it made. Like many, many other tracks in this soundtrack, it took me a while to fully appreciate it, but now it’s pretty much a classic in my book. Here the synths used truly shine - the chords at the beginning immediately set the mood and both solos convey the Avatar’s strenght and determination. Energetic and catchy, with cheesy (in a good way!) lyrics, it might as well be the symbol of the Avatar music style.

15) City: Sunset Heights

Another track that by now feels familiar. I just never get tired of this one, I could listen to it in a loop for twenty minutes straight. It reminds at the same time of Sonic Runners and Sonic Heroes, if not ShTH, almost a much more lighthearted version of Westopolis - fitting, all things considered - or Final Haunt. While the saw wave here goes very well, it’s the clean guitar that makes it for me, it gives the composition a nostalgic feeling. This is pretty much the very first theme that comes to my mind when I think of Forces.

14) Metropolis: Null Space

Poor track. You deserved so much better than what you got.

Even without knowing the context, you can perfectly picture in your head a vast, empty, dark, otherwordly place, and the eerie reverberating piano, the ethereal choir, and the subtle glitching noises are sure to send shivers down your spine. It being a dark reprise of the piano bridge of Fist Bump doesn’t help.

(side note: this was co-composed by the aforementioned Yutaka Minobe. I’m sure he’s also the one who plays it)

13) Green Hill: Virtual Reality

Who doesn’t love Supporting Me? It’s a fan favorite for obvious reasons. It’s been remixed in Generations 3DS, and once again in Forces, and each version is better than the last. This version is much less somber, with the added guitars, the synths replacing the strings, and the more frantic drums, and the whole remix feels like it mixes both genres that represented Shadow in Adventure 2 - heavy rock and DnB.

This is also the only track in the Shadow DLC that features dubstep to represent Infinite’s influence, which I think is a nice touch. The only downside is that the chorus isn’t a dark reprise of Live and Learn anymore.

At first I found it very odd that this plays in the bright Green Hill, but the soundtrack dissonance helps the feeling of creepiness and uncanniness Infinite was aiming at in the story. The lyrics also talk about illusions, so...

The PC version lacks most of the guitars, but that means you can enjoy the synths more, especially in the chorus. I almost prefer this version for this reason.

12) Fist Bump - Piano Ver.

Hey, remember when Aaron trolled us all by implying Tails was gonna die? :D

But even if this melancholy rendition of the main theme plays just in the theater option, it’s still lovely, the kind of piece you’d listen to in a rainy day with a mug of hot chocolate in hand. You can almost hear the gentleness of the player’s fingers.

11) Fist Bump

Speaking of the main theme!

This song just screams “early-2000s”, and it’s food for all the Adventure children inside of us. It’s corny and proud of it. It will never ever leave you head. It’s pure adrenaline in musical form. It has a piano bridge and a sweet guitar solo. You can’t ask for more from a Sonic song.

Shout out also to the Invincibility theme, a catchy 16-bit rendition of the chorus! And of course, the very first piece of music revealed, the instrumental version that goes well with everything.

10) This Is Who You Are

They didn’t need to go so hard for something as simple as the character customization theme. But they did. And I’m so glad.

There’s a certain cleverness into mixing a boppy square wave to the simple orchestral background, as not only the Avatar is mainly associated with synths but it also somewhat alleviates the serious mood, which is perfect for our rookie. The fluttering piano is gorgeous, and I have to mention that swelling climax. You really feel like you’re building up a hero from scratch.

9) This Is Our World (Eggman, War, Resistance)

What a cool title for a world map.

I put them all together because they’re very similar to each other, but the three different versions are great at setting up different moods with little tweaks. The first version has steady, powerful drums that remind of Eggman’s machinery and factories, but the overall tone is of a great war incoming. The second one cranks up the intensity and the mechanical noises, fitting for the definitive showdown between the Eggman Empire and the Resistance. And the final one is pure triumph and peace.

8) Eggman Empire Fortress: Final Judgement

... or is it Last Judgement? The OST isn’t quite clear. But in any case, this track is both intense and energetic, fitting for the very last stage, and somewhat melancholic. Amy does feel sorry for Infinite for being allegedly created here, but without context it actually makes me think of an imminent heroic sacrifice necessary to save the world. It definitely spells out “last stand”.

7) Boss: Zavok (Battle with Death Queen)

I’ll never understand why they named the track after the robotic wasp. Anyway, Zavok’s theme in Sonic Lost World wasn’t anything special, a menacing orchestral remix of the Deadly Six leitmotif (although it barely sounds like it). But the Zavok replica gets a sick dubstep strings remix! Twice as fast, with the intense violins getting drowned by the arhythmic, glitchy dubstep noises, it does a perfect job to pump you blood. To fight... the Death Queen, apparently. (rip zavok nobody loves him)

(I also have to point out that this is one of the only two major tracks Kenichi Tokoi had an hand in, the other being the Metal Sonic boss theme. I wish he did much more because boy he was on fire!)

6) Death Egg: Egg Gate

I learned to play this on my keyboard purely because I love it so much! It’s so badass! It could fit with Flash In The Dark or other Wily themes! Too bad it’s so short, but I feel it’s more complex than others, so it compensates. Not gonna lie, this theme coupled with the gorgeous background of the base in space made my jaw drop like few things in the series yet.

While here the saw wave actually fits, I would’ve died of happiness if it was played on an electric guitar. Bring me all the rock covers <3

5) Eggman Empire Fortress: Mortar Canyon

I can already tell this will be the most underrated track in the OST. It’s a shame it plays in the shortest level in the game, because it ends just as the music gets to the truly awesome part - and I don’t mean “awesome” in its more common sense, I truly mean “awe-inspiring”.

It starts out with the saw wave (which here would’ve also fit nicely), but slowly it fades in the background, the lead being replaced by a piano, then a choir, then strings, to create something that feels bigger than Sonic and the player. There’s a sense of despair, with only the slightest twinge of quiet, detemined hope. You’re so close to save the world from total destruction.

Chilling. One of the best “final level” themes in the series. Take the time to listen to it with headphones to enjoy all the tiny details, you won’t regret it.

4) Infinite

And after the remixes we get to the original version. This is, by far, my favorite character theme of the series, if only because it fits Infinite so well.

It manages to be ironically edgy, both with the overuse of HEAVY METAL RUMBLING GUITARS and lyrics such as I AM THE SHARPEST OF BLADES I’LL CUT YOU DOWN IN A SECOND... and yet it’s also unironically cool, especially if you grew up with this kind of music. The lyrics were also incredibly fun to analyze, even though at the end of it the meaning was just “I’m the best and y’all suck”, which perfectly reflects Infinite trying to appear more powerful and menacing than he actually was.

Also, like I already mentioned, metal and dubstep go so well together.

When everything you know has come and gone... only scars remain through it all...

3) Boss: Mega Death Egg Robot Phase 2

Pure despair. You really feel like you’re facing something much bigger and more powerful than you are. It only needs a choir, some strings and a flute to achieve all of this - its semplicity it’s what makes it so effective.

It also seems it takes some inspiration from Egg Nega Wisp Phase 1, which I can be only happy about.

2) Boss: Mega Death Egg Robot Phase 3

Let’s get that one flaw out of the way: the loop is too short. But everything in the loop is spectacular.

It’s in the same style as Dr. Eggman Showdown, and while it’s not quite at the same level, it is pretty close, and I do prefer this guitar solo.

What truly makes this track great, however, is the buildup. It starts with a light, high choir that feels hopeless... then the drums kick in... then the guitars... and finally it explodes in a wonderful, triumpant mix of orchestra and rock. Eggman is on his last rope, you’ve already won. And when you defeat the final boss, it ends abruptly with the same choir of the beginning, in a satisfying book end.

And don’t miss that Fist Bump riff! I know some people would’ve preferred a full remix of the main theme, but I actually like this approach.

1) The Light of Hope

All that I see now, it’s not the same...

All you remember, has gone away...

But you’re still standing here...

The first stanza alone made me tear up, and I didn’t stop until the end. What a gorgeous song.

This song alone made me feel proud and accomplished... after watching a stream and being severely disappointed in what I had seen in the last hour. This one song almost fixed everything. And the new title screen, with the instrumental version in the background and the flower in the shining Resistance quarters... touching. It reminds me so much of Wiosna from Katawa Shoujo, a track I hold dear.

Kudos to Amy Hannam and her lovely voice - this song is much harder than it sounds, and she nailes every single note.

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic music #sonic the hedgehog music #sonic forces

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snowstorm808 · 4 years ago

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My Holo Love Review

Roughly four months into quarantine, and I think I have settled back into my K-dramathon life quite well. I have watched quite a number already, although my current streak doesn’t match my previous streaks yet. I still have more dramas on my list, but I’m not in a hurry as I have a lot of time in my hands now. I also am following currently airing dramas practically everyday of the week!

This time, I watched My Holo Love on an impulse because I could not wait for the new episodes of Men are Men. I also read some good feed backs which I thought was good enough to give it a try. It was quite regretful the drama only had twelve episodes, but then it was just fine as the plot seemed to have been fit for exactly a dozen episodes only. I’ve been seeing this on Netflix but was avoiding it deliberately. For one, the title seemed cheesy and I have been refraining from AI themed dramas since all of them are like a spin off of Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend) to me, which I was never fond of. What set this drama apart, is the use of a hologram instead of a robot, and the fascinating glass technology. My professor in Media and Information Literacy happened to discuss this topic a bit during our classes, so it really piqued my interest to see it in a drama. I was also impressed that everything somehow made sense and was logical enough for me to go along with the whole series.

A Sweet Distraction

My Holo Love was a sweet distraction from reality albeit rather brief. It also left a moral lesson which people of all ages can reflect upon especially for those who have been too enthralled with gadgets and technology. The tech war between Gio Lab and Magic Mirror felt real enough to create suspense. It reminded me a bit of the ongoing race between countries to advance to the 5G and 6G, if it is really in the works. Also the recent murder of Fahim Saleh came to mind despite that one not being because of a tech war. I just suddenly thought of these things as I watched this drama. I really liked it when the drama showed the effect of the Holo glasses when it became available for public consumption. The drastic change in attitudes and how it ruined human relationships was realistic, and I personally believe current technologies have done similar damages already.

The characters were personally relatable especially Han So Yeon, though I do not have face blindness. I have similar inhibitions as her because all I can remember was getting burned from people. I guess I still have a lot to learn and I should try harder too. I like her character a lot because she was sensible and not the irritating damsel in distress type. Her character felt human with all her inhibitions about relationships due to fear of getting hurt, and she never exaggerated things. I believe both the character and actress, Ko Sung Hee, should be credited for this. All of that was really relatable for me including her innocence. I do not understand why people love to sexualize everything. They think girls with this character are just being pretentious...can’t there be an innocent soul who does not think of sex and being pretentious all the time?

Ko Nan Do was another character who had distanced his self from human relationships tp the point of becoming a pessimist. He was so sure emotions like love was just an algorithm. I am not sure if I really bought it that he thought that way, because I always saw Holo as an alter ego whom he refused to acknowledge. Nan Do always tried too hard to convince his self that he did not need love nor that he deserved it even though his noona Ko Yoo Jin took care of him a lot. Well, he is one stubborn character so it was not much of a surprise.

Simple and Sweet Chemistry

Strangely, I can’t seem to stop thinking about Kang Woo sunbae and So Yeon. They also had a sweet chemistry with a more realistic couple feel than a drama couple feel. They seemed like a couple I would see in the streets, going home from work or out on a date after a day’s work. I felt that vibe from them and it was obvious they could have ended up together if they both had more courage to express how they felt.

Of course, Nan Do and So Yeon looked really nice together too. Their chemistry was on point and was not overpowering at all. I love the balance they had in terms of visuals and their characters. They were afraid to get hurt thus it took them quite the courage to stop denying how they felt for each other. I love their sweet moments because it gave me that warm and fuzzy feeling I always look for in romance dramas. It was clear they only had eyes for each other. And the plot on being childhood friends felt natural. I have been tired of the attraction from childhood ploy because it has become overused, but My Holo Love incorporated it early on to the story so it did not feel like a “surprise plot twist”.

Lastly, Ko Yoo Jin and Chansung! It was quite obvious these two had a thing for each other before Nan Do and So Yeon even realized their feelings. I always spazzed whenever I saw them together. Chansung had that reliable sangnamja feel which added to his chemistry with Choi Yeo Jin. I was so happy they got married in the last episode. It was the happily ever after I secretly wanted.

Official Sound Tracks!

I do not mention osts lately because they do not make much impression lately. Most of them are just there to assist a scene without becoming significant enough to notice. I’m still racking my brain but i believe it is safe enough to declare the osts in this drama is by far ma favorite for the past year or so. And I mean this for the whole ost playlist. Every song really set the mood well for every scene including the jazz songs they used for the early episodes. The warm and somber moods complemented well with the songs and the wardrobe colors the cast wore. It really set the mood for the episodes which carried me along so well. It was unexpectedly good. The production team did a stunning job for this drama.

https://open.spotify.com/album/1VVLJmwl5DPDmAurVLLtlm?si=lEI2QV5ySt6tNfHYyGVZUA

Thankfully, My Holo Love was not an overrated show like the rest of dramas I turned away from. It provided warmth and comfort, like a movie you would want to watch on a rainy night when you just want to stay home and be by yourself, wrapped in a blanket, with snacks and a cup of hot chocolate.

#My Holo Love #netflix #yoon hyun min #ko sung hee #choi yeo jin #hwang chansung #kdrama #men are men

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clippedwingsmusic · 8 years ago

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Interview with La Bouquet

We had the honor of speaking with Bryan Sammis from La Bouquet about their latest single, ‘Loser Baby’ and their upcoming album!

What made you decide to keep ‘Loser Baby’ from your previous project (Olivver the Kid)?

‘Loser Baby’ is a song that we’ve had for a long time that we never put out, but would play at every Olivver the Kid show. If you could kind of trace back to the start of La Bouquet, it was probably when we wrote that song, even though we wrote that song before any Olivver the Kid songs. That was really the first time that Jake and I really collaborated heavy on a song since high school. We had jammed in high school and tried to make songs, but fast forward 5 or 6 years and we made that song and just really loved it. Jake is so good at guitar and writes really good riffs that he would send me, so he sent me this riff and it was super long. I just said ‘Hey, what if we cut this in half and put some drums over it.’. We always wanted to release it, and it’s kind of a blessing that we didn’t finish it before because it would’ve come out as an Olivver the Kid song and we wouldn’t have been able to play it now. I think ‘Loser Baby’ is really symbolic of where La Bouquet started. The 2 songs that are out right now, ‘Loser Baby’ was the first song that we’d ever written, and ‘Loveless’ is the second to last that we wrote for our first album. It was important to keep that song to kind of show where it all started. It’s cool for the fans that have been there through Olivver the Kid because the song is so much better now. Every night when we would play it, the lyrics would change. They were never solidified, so during the 2nd verse every night I was kind of winging it. Now, I’m really glad that we took our time with it because the lyrics, production, song structure, everything is so much better. The whole pre-chorus used to be ‘I’ve been saved’ over and over again and one day i just thought ‘Wow what a cop out. I could say so much more here that’s more important to the message of the song.’

Did you keep the same instrumentation/set up from your last project? Why/why not?

Not really. The instrumentation in Olivver the Kid jumped around with DJ’s, guitars, 4 people, 6 people, etc. Now we have Jake and Guy on guitar, Justin bass, keyboard, and trumpet, Garrett who plays drums, and me who plays guitar, has a soundboard, and sings. I don’t have 2 mics anymore, most of the reason why I had 2 mics during Olivver the Kid was because I needed to have a mic I could walk around with because it was a pop show. But with La Bouquet that’s not really the vibe. I think eventually when we’re playing headlining sets and have longer sets to play, it would be cool. For now I have 1 mic and I just keep it in place- which is a little more classic to me. I was watching old videos of The Cure and Robert Smith has his mic in place and just stands there, and I think that just fits our vibe more. That was part of why we changed the project too, I couldn’t picture myself being 60 years old doing a pop show. It needed to change so I could be able to like this music when I was 6 and like it when I was 60.

The general vibes of your released music so far are kind of somber, is that the mindset that you’re in when you write? Or is that kind of feel just going to be what we hear in your upcoming album?

My main lyrical idols are Morrissey and Jesse Lacey, and their general vibes are kind of on the somber side. And for me, I don’t get any sort of catharsis from writing happy songs and happy lyrics and just acting like my whole life is great. Music is like another person for me, it’s like my therapist. Music helps me get over stuff, so once I put something on a song, I can leave it there and I don’t have to carry it with me anymore. A lot of our record is upbeat and dance-y in terms of instrumentation but the lyrical content is somewhere else. The first track on the album, called ‘Heavenly’, actually picks up from the last song on the last Olivver the Kid EP, ‘Hell’. It’s the antithesis of the past track, and talks about how both of us are better off without each other. That track isn’t too somber, but the feel of the album as a whole is pretty sad. We already have songs for the next album, and those are a little less sad and a little more story-telling. Making this first album, that was just kind of the headspace that we were in. And the artists that we identify with aren’t generally happy either, like Bon Iver, Father John Misty, and Iron & Wine.

In your residency that just wrapped up, you shared the stage with your friends Rad Horror, Dark Waves, and Field Medic. Is there possibly a tour in the works with any of those artists?

Yeah, we’d love to! I personally hand-picked all of the bands that we played with during our residency and everyone that I picked are friends of mine, but all made an amazing show. Field Medic, into Rad Horror, into La Bouquet is a very eclectic show, and that’s what ties us all together. And the same could be said with all of the nights of the residency. If tomorrow someone asked us to do a headline tour, I would definitely ask those bands to be on it, we just all aren’t at that point right now.

What made you want to release ‘Loveless’ and ‘Loser Baby’ on a 7”? How has/does vinyl fit into your life as both a creator and consumer?

We wanted to do this because as we were thinking about merch, we wanted to make something cool that you could have forever. For our type of music it just kind of fits the vibe more than hats or pins. And we all listen to vinyl a lot, our music sounds good on vinyl, and it’s just a really cool thing to have. I have a collection of records from the 60s and 70s and I still have them and listen to them. To think that someone might have our vinyl in their house for that long is pretty sweet. We have 500 of them, and we’ll hopefully be getting them online soon since we don’t have a lot of shows coming up.

What is 1 thing that fans can expect from your forthcoming album, and 1 thing (can be song or otherwise) that they should keep an eye out for?

It has a little bit of everything in it, just like how I didn’t box Olivver the Kid into a certain genre. A big part of the album for me is the sequencing; how the songs flow into each other and writing songs to fill a gap or a vibe that the album didn’t have. It starts out energetic in the first 4 songs, then goes into a more somber part of the record, then in the latter half we have 3 more bangers in a row, and end it with 2 more somber songs. It takes you everywhere, from ‘Loveless’, to ‘Loser Baby’, to the last track which is acoustic. Daniel Bronstein and I produced the album, but we also co-wrote songs with Dark Waves and Michael Keenan, so we have influences from all genres. Those are the kind of things that everyone can expect and lookout for.

Your music video for ‘Loveless’ is a fairly simple setup but has you and Jake imposed in multiple outfits and playing different instruments. are you going to keep going with the simpler videos, or possibly revert back to the more intricate and thought provoking videos that you’ve done in the past?

Definitely! We wanted this first one to be simple. We’d never done a performance video, and with the change from the last project, we wanted to set the vibe. We wanted people to understand the aesthetic of the project from this first video. It’s a little more new wave-y, so we wanted ‘Loveless’ to be an introduction to that. We have a video that we’re working on right now, and the idea of it is more along the lines of Olivver the Kid stuff. For all of the Olivver the Kid videos, they were my ideas, but now with La Bouquet I want to start co-directing the videos. The song that the video will be for will probably be the main single for the album once we have set plans of when it’ll be put out. Unfortunately, unless you’re a big artist, music videos won’t really get you anywhere. They won’t really have an impact. They mean a lot to me creatively, and they’re amazing things to have and look back on, but for smaller artists, you’re not going to be propelled forward in your career by a music video. I don’t think there was any sort of gain from me making a music video for ‘Loveless’. The impact was very low because everyone who saw it was probably already a fan.

Fans have coined you and Jake as the ‘Dads of Sad’, so give us your best dad advice for fans who are going to start living their lives out to La Bouquet.

Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do! That’s a very dad thing to say, right? But honestly, expect to fail. Failure is a good thing. The people who have only had success are the ones that explode when things start to go wrong. I’ve been making music for a while now and I’ve seen a lot of good things happen, but I’ve also been through a lot of bad things too. It kind of hardens you and helps you move forward with whatever you’re passionate about. When I split with my old band, it sucked, but I could take it 1 of 2 ways. A lot of people would’ve just given up, gotten a new job, and called it a day, but I took what I learned and applied it towards something else. After that, ending Olivver the Kid was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make, but I had to do it because I knew that I wouldn’t feel fulfilled in 40 years from just doing the same thing. Be comfortable with the idea of failure, and be your biggest supporter.

https://rosesinthegraveyard.com/

Written by Ashton Carr

#la bouquet #bryan sammis #olivver the kid #ashton carr #interview #ftbt #ftbtmusic

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