#upped the vibrancy of the last photo a bit to bring out the bit of green

[skruttet]

it would have been a shame to miss this.

[outeremissary]

Hello! I have something for you! :)

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the ask box for the last 10 people who reblogged something from you. Learn to know your mutuals and followers.

Hello Ash! I'm in a good mood today... just five is difficult, but I'll do my best.

I'm very happy when my ex sends me cooking photos. I really miss getting to enjoy meals with them, but it brings back good memories to see all that passion and skill continuing to develop. I hope that one day we can eat together again. And maybe I'll be able to contribute something then, haha. They made shrimp curry today, by the way.

Today I closed out my quest to listen to all the main series Windows Touhou games' OSTs and I'll say that the Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom OST was something that brought me a lot of joy! It's amazing! I hadn't heard a lot of the stage themes before, but wow, there's not a single miss. There's so much vibrancy and rich layering to these tracks. There's an especially heroic and uplifting feel to it as well- grandiose without being heavy-handed, with soundscapes that are lush and environmentally descriptive. I have so much more appreciation for Pure Furies, the climactic track of the main storyline, after hearing it all in one go as well. You can feel all the layers of brightness and playful, nimble teasing abruptly stripped away in this relentlessly focused theme perfect for an immortal spirit of hate. Great OST! Might be my favorite Touhou OST now, would recommend! Good use of an hour and a half.

Sleeping in makes me happy, although I feel a bit bad about having to choose between staying up too late or ending the day too early. Still, sleeping until noon when there's nothing going on is wonderful.

The moment in sewing when you start to see what you're working on become something makes me so happy. Sewing is something that tends to look awful half done, so I'm always fretting about my projects. When I can see the sleeve or the little foot or the gold ribbon coming together to make a familiar pattern... that's wonderful. When the stitches disappear and you have a tangible object in front of you. I nearly cried when I finished the first sleeve of Tristian's robe, you know.

And of course my wings make me happy, even if there aren't a lot of opportunities for them! I am an angel, after all. It's right for me to wear them. They make me happy.

[maddogbackdrops]

Why Shimmer Walls Are Perfect For Photo Booth Backgrounds

 Creating a memorable event requires attention to detail; one often overlooked aspect is the photo booth backdrop. In an age where visual appeal is paramount, the choice of background can make or break the atmosphere you want to create. 

A shimmering wall is a perfect solution for those looking to add elegance, energy, and a touch of glamour to their event. This blog explores why a shimmer wall is best for photo booth backgrounds, ensuring your event stands out in every snapshot.

The Appeal of Shimmer Walls

A shimmering wall is a dynamic and visually striking backdrop of reflective discs that catch and reflect light. The result is a glittering surface that transforms any ordinary photo into something extraordinary. 

Whether hosting a corporate event, a wedding, or a birthday party, a shimmering wall's versatility and visual impact make it an exceptional choice for a photo booth background.

Elevate the Visual Experience

The primary role of a photo booth is to provide guests with an opportunity to capture lasting memories. A shimmering wall elevates this experience by offering an eye-catching backdrop that enhances every photograph. 

The wall's reflective nature creates a dazzling effect, adding dimension and vibrancy to photos. The result? Each image becomes more dynamic, ensuring your event looks as captivating in pictures as in person.

Moreover, a shimmering wall pairs effortlessly with any theme or décor. From classic metallics like gold and silver to bold, vibrant colours, it can be tailored to match your event's aesthetic. Whether you’re looking to add a touch of luxury or inject a bit of fun, a shimmering wall offers endless possibilities for customisation.

Perfect for Any Event Style

One of the greatest strengths of a shimmering wall is its adaptability. Regardless of the event type, this backdrop can seamlessly fit in and enhance the overall ambience. A sleek metallic shimmer wall adds sophistication to corporate functions or product launches while drawing attention to the brand or event theme. Weddings or formal celebrations bring a sense of elegance and romance.

For more casual events such as birthdays, family gatherings, or social parties, shimmer walls provide a playful, engaging element that encourages guests to take photos and share them on social media. Its ability to transition between different event styles is a testament to its versatility and broad appeal.

A Marketing Tool for Branding and Personalization

For corporate events, trade shows, or branded experiences, a shimmering wall offers more than just aesthetic appeal—it can become a marketing tool. Incorporating logos, event names, or hashtags into the design creates a personalised backdrop that aligns with your brand. 

Every photo taken becomes a piece of marketing collateral as guests share their images across social media platforms.

In addition, the shimmer effect draws attention and creates a buzz, positioning your brand as innovative and stylish. This seamless blend of visual impact and functionality makes shimmer wall popular for event planners seeking to leave a lasting impression.

Easy Setup and High Impact

Despite its luxurious appearance, a shimmering wall is surprisingly easy to install. The panels are lightweight and can be set up quickly, allowing event planners to focus on other aspects of the event. Once in place, the backdrop requires minimal adjustment, as the movement of the reflective discs naturally enhances the aesthetic throughout the event.

The ease of setup, combined with the high visual impact, makes a shimmering wall a cost-effective way to elevate an event's overall look and feel. Its reusable nature also means it can be repurposed for future occasions, adding long-term value.

Creating an Unforgettable Guest Experience

Guest satisfaction is at the heart of every successful event, and a shimmering wall contributes significantly to creating an unforgettable experience. The wall's interactive nature encourages guests to engage with the photo booth, and its striking appearance guarantees that the images captured will be cherished. 

Whether it’s a wedding, gala, or product launch, the shimmer wall ensures guests leave with a tangible reminder of the event’s elegance and excitement. A shimmering wall offers a visually stunning and highly

[existentialmagazine]

Review: myah continues her streak of stand-out emotive pop with her latest offering ‘I’ll Be Your Light’

With a recent abundance of new singles and a growing name for herself, the upcoming artist myah has been slowly but surely proving why she’s one to watch - and her newest single ‘i’ll be your light’ just keeps showing why.

Gracing her listeners ears with yet another song this year, myah lightly switches gears for something a little bit more pop-y in ‘i’ll be your light.’ Through whirring synth distortions and hushed electronic beats, the track begins to play out like you’re at the bathroom in a club, listening to the music on slow-mo. With every pounding note and pulsating echo, you’re both incentivised to dance and pulled in deeper to the more aching edge of the sound. As her low-toned vocals follow suit, myah’s every word lingers on the carefully structured sound, adding her own sulking and somber undertone but not without slowly growing towards a dominant display of range, power and confidence too. It’s mesmerising, from the opening moments that feel sincere and slow, to the progressive growth and emotions that seep through, you’re caught along for the lyrical ride as much through sound as you are myah’s words.

With another narrative of heartbreak, similar to her last single ‘everything’, myah continues through picking up the pieces of an unexpected end to something once envisioned to be forever – or perhaps it’s just about another love entirely. Through the opening question ‘is this how it ends for us?’, she doesn’t waste any time in establishing the situation either, already prepared for the worst. Continuing ‘you took what was left of me’, there seem to be feelings of resentment or perhaps just an acknowledgement that through heartbreak we all lose a part of ourselves, no longer who we were beforehand. Change seems unavoidable though, working through the difficulties of what a life apart will bring:  ‘hate that the movers came… hate that they painted the place, hate that they emptied all our shared things.’ Though expected, the harsh reality of their shared space becoming once again unknown mimics their relationship too, a familiar place now a stranger, somewhere that can never be returned to no matter how badly they desire to. Everything about it carries the raw experience of losing someone you love, slowly exploring the emotions that untangle and all of the unexpected lows that you’ll hit along the way.

The chorus absolutely dazzles in contrast, a picture of vibrancy as the instrumentals explore layers of scattered beats, synthetic padding and bright pops. Backing vocals add a haunting touch to some of myah’s lines too, a ghostly repetition that lingers just like the emotions in play. It’s loud and warm, bold but personal, challenging you to allow yourself to feel even when it’s overwhelming.

With a bridge that’s stripped-back, accompanied at first by only pulsating beats and dreamy backing vocals, the final cathartic outburst comes into play. Slowly building in layers of sound but remaining soft and light, all before one final chorus crash sees things out. It’s hard not to love, and even harder not to sing along with, so don’t miss out on checking out the full song for yourself here.

Written by: Tatiana Whybrow

Photo Credits: Unknown

// This coverage was supported and created via Musosoup, #SustainableCurator.

[breemerts]

Simple Image Adjustments - Photoshop

For my first first image I found a dark black and white image of the Bethells Beach Club house. I used the curve mode to lighten the shadows of the image as I wanted to bring out some of the background, as well as slightly raising the brightness and lowering the contrast of the image.

I found that this image was already very black without many light points other than the building.

https://www.bethellsbeach.com/about/our-history

This image there is a simple lady eating off a plate, I found that it was too light and over blown out in some areas, for this I only changed the curves of the image to darken the shadows this gave more clarity to the plants and building.

It was difficult to find unedited black and white images online.

https://lagar.vamtam.com/our-story/

This coloured image is of two children playing in the water, the original is slightly washed out quite grey/blue. To correct this I changed the colour balance of the midtones - a little red and some yellow, then I raised the saturation and vibrance of the image this made the colours pop more rather than be washed out. Also added another layer of colour balance to add more cyan, a little magenta and more blue. This livened the blue back up again, kept the skin of the children pink.

https://www.boredpanda.com/first-color-photos-vintage-old-autochrome-lumiere-auguste-louis/

My last image I picked a pink hued image. I wanted to create more contrast between the background and foreground. I did this by changing the colour balance adding a lot of cyan and a little yellow in my midtones and adding a little bit of red to the shadows. I increased my saturation by 50% and lightened some of the shadows with the curves tool. Lastly increased the saturation slightly to make the remaining picks pop.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/autochrome-old-color-photos

[astridthevalkyrie]

most to least good at taking pictures of their s/o with the aot boys?

coming in first place is armin, as much as i hate to admit it. he might even have a polaroid but even with his phone he always chooses the best filters, knows the places with the best lighting, will encourage you to post it to your socials because you look amazing even though he's already posted it to his with the captions "look how drop dead gorgeous they are"

bertholdt always chooses the best times, always makes sure you're smiling, and always checks with you after you take the picture if you like it. his camera roll is all pictures of you, it's adorable. he also has very organized filters to remember dates and places that he took the pictures so he's constantly texting you memories

everyone is surprised but eren is so good at taking pictures! you could be doing anything - reading a book, typing busily on your laptop, eating - and he'll sneak his phone out, take a really good shot from a nice angle, and then tuck his phone back in his pocket. a bit shy to admit that he does this, and slightly embarrassed to tell you that he looks at them when he gets anxious because they calm him down.

it's so frustrating, and yet porco takes pictures of you when you're sleeping, the asshole, and they still come out amazing! even with the bit of drool coming out of your mouth, he hushes your protests and insists that you look cute and besides, who's going to see it besides you and him and pieck who he's already texted??

jean takes the cutest selfies. that's just canon. wherever you are, whether at the beach or driving in the car or just lazing around at home, he'll hold his phone up and tell you to pose. 100% captions his photos with things like "me and my bae >>>> you (eren)" or "this asshole really messed up my hair after this ily but"

listen he doesn't just take them for the hell of it, but zeke is really good at remembering to take pictures at really fancy events where the two of you are super dressed up. more often than not he'll drag you away from everyone else for a few minutes because he found a really good spot that will bring out your eyes. times the picture and goes to stand with you, you two absolutely are that one couple everyone hates for being too cool.

i feel like reiner reserves pictures for special moments, and usually prefers that you be the one to take them. but he'll indulge himself every once in a while, takes a nice if kinda stiff picture of you two smiling and saves it to his folder of pictures to look at during a rainy day. also sometimes requests that you send him your own selfies since he thinks they're better.

floch will roll his eyes whenever you throw your arms around him from behind and ask him to take a picture, but he'll oblige you. the quality isn't really that bad, it's just that anyone looking at the picture can tell he wasn't enthusiastic to stop and take a picture when he could be spending time with you. almost always end up with him scowling in the photo, but he later crops himself out and keeps your smiling face in.

oh, erwin. i love him, i really do, but...yikes. he takes so many pictures of you, it's just that most of them are taken from a really bad angle or with a glaring light. he's proud of them, though, posts them like they're the greatest things on earth, and you just have to roll with it because you can't break his heart. please like every picture, he'll appreciate it and then continue to take more terrible ones <3

you would think that connie would be really good at taking photos, but he never takes one that fully satisfies him. it actually bothers him for a good while but he eventually realizes that what he loves about you is your vibrancy, how you move, the little quirks that are just impossible to capture on camera. so he actually prefers making videos instead, like recorded video diaries in which he narrates you doing everyday activities.

colt really tries, okay?? he really does. it's not his fault that someone (usually gabi) knocks his hand away at the side right as he's clicking the button, or that you move and the picture is ruined. luck is just never on his side. no matter what he does, something always happens to ruin the picture and he eventually just gives up. it's a perfect time for you to take a picture of him and capture his pouty face.

and coming in at dead last is levi, bless his soul. cannot take a single photo that isn't blurry or zoomed in weirdly and doesn't really get the point of taking pictures anyways. he's spending time with you, what need does he have for a picture when he could just look at you with his very own two eyes? you're much prettier when he's not looking at you through a screen at any rate. he prefers the real thing any day.

[xrcsesxtuliipsx]

a tutorial would be helpful. can you include how you erase the tint too? thanks. have a good day.

This took forever to make, but thank you for your patience. I will be doing both. A tint reduction:

and red lips:

Before I start, I’d like to say this. 

For these types of gifs; in order to add color, you also have to reduce colors. Adding reds can mess up the entire gif if you don’t fix it correctly, but if you have patience, and keep the face claim’s skin tone in mind, you can achieve what you think is impossible. 

The key is endless patience, and never be afraid to go back to your previous steps if you think something looks off. Sometimes, taking a step back might just be the answer you’re looking for. Good luck!❤️

We're starting with the tint tutorial.

First, you’ll be using the Channel Mixer. Thanks to @tessagraey for teaching me how to use this method. It’s confusing as hell and I’m still not an expert at using this function (too much math for me lol) but it’s worth a shot when in a pinch.

As you can see, I played around with the greens, adding a little more green and blues. 

Next, I used a Blue Photo Filter. Here’s the setting and what the gif will look like.

I brightened the scene with Levels next.

This next part will be where you add colors to her skin/lips. Select Hue/Saturation and play around with the settings in red and yellow until you are satisfied.

I had to add a little more Brightness, so here’s the setting and what the gif looks like.

She looks a little too orange in my opinion, so it’s time to reduce that orangeness and give her face a bit of definition with Selective Colors. I added whites on the yellow section.

and black and white to add a bit of definition to her face. 

Note: if you have a scene where the skin seem to blend into the background (this is a common problem with heavily tinted scenes), adding a bit of white could help to give the face definition. Of course, you have to be very careful when doing this. You don’t want to do too much and wash out the entire scene. 

On the right is what the gif looks like after adding blacks and whites. As you can see, there are highlights on her face. 

The last step is Color Balance to bring the scene together and then you can sharpen, and your scene is done! 🥳

On to the next tutorial.

First, select: Hue/Saturation. You’re going to add reds, and then go to yellows as the next step to even out the redness on her face. As you can see here, the gif is still really red.

We’ll lower that redness by using 2 layers of Selective Colors. 

For the first layer, you’re going to drag the white on the yellows all the way to the left.

Add another layer, you’ll go back to yellows and add blacks. Here are my settings.

On to Curves and Vibrance. Here are my settings, and that’s the outcome of the gif so far. 

I’ve also added Levels.

Like the scene above, I’m wrapping up with Color Balance. 

I hope this helps you, nonny. If you need more clarification, feel free to reach out to me.❤️

[leda-x]

Ladybug has five minutes left with Chat Noir, and she isn't ready to give them up.

Ladybug woke in the cooking section of a library with the word “chance” tumbling from her lips. It was the ancient atrium of a newly modernized building. Like always, she was crouched down behind a bookshelf with Chat Noir at her side.

Far, far above her head, thin marble columns rose upwards, curving into graceful arches to meet in the middle. Early morning light shone through the enormous circular skylight positioned at the center of the atrium’s domed ceiling. It illuminated little specks of golden dust that had been disturbed by them seconds before. The room was empty, sound hushed.

Meeting her gaze, Chat tapped the screen on his baton and the numbers 04:58 began to flash. 04:57… 04:56... He reached down, flipping through a cookbook at his side, stopping at a random page. “Lobster tails meunière,” he read aloud to mark the attempt, green gaze flicking back up for her lead.

There were 2,000 recipes in The Escoffier Cookbook and Guide to the Fine Art of Cookery. That one was new. Ladybug took it as a good omen.

There was nothing but seriousness in Chat’s face right now. Seriousness and a rosy glow of determination and confidence.

Ladybug’s fingers drifted off her bracelet to cradle Chat’s cheek. Her gloved thumb followed the line along the bottom edge of his mask, right at the exposed part of his cheek. She watched the depth and vibrancy in his eyes. Could see a ring of eyelashes through the colored glass. Could feel the heat from his skin. He had a freckle on his upper lip. Not for the first time Ladybug realized her partner was beautiful. The first few times she had stopped to really notice she had cried. An ache started in her throat and grew until her entire chest was sore, until she was breathless with grief.

A blush colored his cheeks and his neck. She watched, with some fascination, the steady beat of his heart through the vein in his neck. It was throbbing quick. He was searching her face for answers now, lip pursing into worry.  “Uh oh… It’s that bad?” Chat joked.

She wasn’t ready. It wasn’t the right time around. Ladybug got up from her crouch and held out her hand.

Chat took it without question and allowed her to lead them both out of the atrium into a modernized foyer, then into an elevator. She pressed floor four. 

“What’s the plan?” he asked as the elevator doors shut. Ladybug could detect a thread of nervousness behind his grin. He was probably wondering why they were going up when the akuma was last spotted below.

Such faith. It cracked her heart a little further every time. Ladybug squeezed his hand, watching the elevator numbers tick so she didn’t have to look him in the eye as she admitted, “No plan.”

The doors opened to an art gallery absent of people.

She let go of Chat’s hand, even though she never really wanted to, and began walking through the exhibit. She could hear the soft sound of his footsteps following her. Extremely large images of sand flicked by in succession. Ladybug didn’t stop to marvel at them.

Chat always did. “Whoah,” he said and she glanced back, catching him craning his neck. “This isn’t a photo. Someone drew this.”

Ladybug used up a few of her seconds to watch her partner, feeling a wash of fondness as Chat placed his hands on his hips and tilted forward, nose scrunched, face inches from the canvas. “LB how long do you think this took to make?”

Years, Ladybug thought. Aloud, she said, “This way.”

Chat let out a low whistle as they passed by a total of ten drawings. Each one looked alike. There were slight variations, however, upon closer inspection. It was the variations in Chat Noir that Ladybug kept discovering that made it impossible for her to stop doing this. They had been here over a thousand times before. Each time was a little different, but always ended the same.

They wound a corner and ended up in a smaller room. Ladybug headed towards the back where a replica of the interior of an old-style french house had been built. There was a bed and a little TV where you could learn all about Château de Blois.

It was the best place she had found for this. She had tried a lot of places. She had already dragged Chat around the entire city of Paris looking for a solution. Not that this Chat Noir remembered any of that.

She gestured at the bed, ignoring the documentary that was playing softly behind her, “I have a lot to tell you and no time to do it. How are we, by the way?”

Chat Noir obeyed, sitting on the bed, cat ears perked straight up, eyes bright now and curious. His knee bounced with pent-up energy. He glanced at his baton. “Three minutes, forty-seven seconds. Why? What’s going to happen?”

“I need you to pretend that everything I’m about to say is true,” Ladybug began.

Chat Noir gave her a funny look like, ‘why wouldn't I?’

Ladybug couldn’t help but smile a bit at that. She crouched down in front of him, placing a palm atop each bouncing knee. “You are going to die in three minutes,” Ladybug said.

Chat froze.

“Your heart. It stops. An arrhythmia,” Ladybug continued, keeping her eyes locked with his, making sure he was following along. They never had time to go over it again. “We’ve been here a lot. Anything you are about to say I’ve tried.” She had tried every hospital, every ER, every doctor; had tried Lucky charm-ing a solution countless times. 

Chat’s eyebrows drew together. His eyes were still present in the room with her, though. They hadn’t glazed off or flicked away in fear. “What?” he breathed. He searched her for a long moment for the joke. 

Ladybug knew better than to so much as flinch or blink right now while he was looking for a way out. Chat’s denial came in different severities every time, but it was never helped by her saying or doing anything until he did first.

A stormy look passed across his face as he took that in. “So... I’m dead and there’s nothing anyone can do about it?” he summarized, grinning.

Ladybug nodded, relaxing a touch. In her experience him grinning was usually the best outcome, even though it did seem a bit deranged. She took her hands from his knees, giving him a bit of space despite every bone in her body aching to hold him close. Even though she had held him so many times, it was always new for him. Too much of her affection too fast could scare him off.

“Wait. What about the cure?” he asked.

“You know Ladybug can’t bring people back to life.”

Chat leaned back a touch. A clawed palm drew up to rest over his heart, expression a bit dazed. Ladybug watched as her partner’s brain spun, processing. Then he glanced back at her, eyes startled. “How… How many times have we done this?”

“Many,” Ladybug admitted. “Each time is a little different. Sometimes you don’t believe me. Sometimes you call your dad. Sometimes you call Nino. Sometimes we just sit together.”

“Nino?” Chat caught.

“I know you are Adrien Agreste,” Ladybug said and then waited to see how he would react.

Sometimes this revelation hit hardest. It was more real, more believable. Often the fact that she knew his name at all was taken as proof she was telling the truth about everything else. That realization typically followed with denial. Sometimes terror.

Ladybug watched closely as Chat’s chest heaved in panic.

A humming noise suddenly kicked off. It was only after it stopped that Ladybug realized the air conditioning had been on. The change shocked Chat back out of whatever place he had gone. “Do I know you?” he whispered.

“Do you want to?”

Suddenly he recoiled, gaze suspicious. “You’re not Ladybug,” he stated, as if the thought had just dawned on him. “This isn’t real.”

Ladybug’s heart sank.

He was standing now, stumbling backwards. His shoulder hit one of the wood beams of the replica, causing him to twist.

With a sigh she reached down and twisted the bracelet back into position.

. .

Ladybug woke again in the cooking section of the library.

Chat tapped the screen on his baton and flipped through the cookbook. “Eggs benedict,” he read aloud.

Ladybug was still reeling from last time. They had almost parted ways on terms she could (maybe) accept. But no— Chat had to get paranoid. Not for the first time she cursed all the replicas of herself that her partner had faced. Maybe if he hadn’t been tricked previously they would have a better chance at this.

“Ladybug?” Chat’s voice broke her out of her thoughts, worried. “What’s wrong?”

“Why do you wake up in the morning?” Ladybug asked, eyes locked down at the book in his hands. At the long pause she got out of her crouch and into a cross-legged position, chancing a look at his face. Sometimes his living face in all it’s animated glory really hurt to look at when seconds before it had been dead.

Chat was staring at her in uncertainty. After a beat he mirrored her, settling down at her side and putting down the book. “That’s a weird question. Why? Something to do with the akuma?”

“Yes,” Ladybug lied. “I need to know.” She needed a break. Even though she never grew physically tired, emotionally she was exhausted. She used up rounds getting to know him better, plucking up the courage to try again to say goodbye again.

He had a grin on his face now. “Usually because of my alarm clock.”

 . .

She was back in the library.

“Grammont pullet,” said Chat Noir, to her right. He set down the cookbook and tapped his baton.

Ladybug laughed. She laughed and then she cried. She wasn’t sure when she stopped doing the first and started doing the second. They sort of happened together, just like all of these second chances and all of these subtle striations.

Chat’s hands hovered beside her arms like he wasn’t sure he was allowed to comfort her. His ears flattened, green eyes distraught. However, when Ladybug leaned in his arms looped around her in an easy embrace, chin resting atop her head.

Eventually emotions passed and Ladybug went quiet, listening to the sound of Chat’s heartbeat and the rumble of his voice as he asked, “What’s the joke?”

“You started the timer after you read the recipe this time,” Ladybug said.

Chat’s grip shifted. He fell silent, as if weighing something, before he admitted, “I don’t get it.”

Ladybug reached up and patted his back. She hadn’t expected him to.

. .

This time around was coq-au-vin.

They had made it to the elevator. This time, Ladybug pressed ‘Floor 4’ right as Chat pressed ‘Basement’. The elevator suddenly had a choice, and it chose to go down, and instead of twisting the bracelet to start over, Ladybug decided to take out some of her own anger on the akuma.

The fight was over before it barely begun.

The umbrella Ladybug tossed to Chat skidded across the floor. Chat stumbled. Ladybug reached down and spun the bracelet before she had a chance to watch him fall.

. .

The last recipe was profiteroles. And it was only the last one, because Chat— like always— surprised her. Ladybug supposed it was only a matter of when, not if. She could only do this so many times before Chat turned it back around on her.

He was glaring at her now, green eyes bright and vivid, unobstructed by goggles. Ladybug internally cursed whenever Chat decided to transform back because it meant there was no more baton— no more timer— and she always felt a bit lost within these three minutes without it.

“How many times have you put yourself through this?” he was asking her, again, since she couldn’t give him a straight answer. Suddenly, and swiftly, he got up from where he was sitting on the edge of the bed and took two steps forward into her personal space before Ladybug had a chance to stumble back. “How many?” he repeated.

“I-I don’t know!” Ladybug answered truthfully, suddenly flustered beyond belief. This was the first time Adrien Agreste had had the audacity to step this close to her, to get this mad at her.

“Marinette,” Adrien realized, sounding a bit punched in the gut. “You’re Marinette. This whole time...”

Not trusting herself to speak, Marinette nodded, eyes wide. The amount of times they had both come to know each other’s identities were slim. Rarely did it ever get this far. From this point on was uncharted territory for Ladybug. This Chat Noir suddenly became very real, no longer this strange version of himself that repeated the same phrases and did the same things over and over. No, all the sudden this profiteroles version of Chat was wholly unique.

“If I die in three minutes—” he began.

“Any second now, actually,” Marinette corrected.

“—you’ll do what, exactly?” he finished.

Marinette knew how bad it sounded, but she said it anyway, “I’ll go back to when you’re not dead.”

Adrien’s eyes flicked to the Miraculous around her wrist for a second, brows scrunching. “And then what?”

Ladybug only had to meet his eyes for a brief second to answer that question.

Suddenly Chat had a strong grip on her arm, yanking it towards him.

It took Ladybug a full three seconds to realize what he was trying to do. “Chat. Stop. Chat, stop,” she hissed, veins icy, mouth dry. If he took the bracelet it was over. She twisted and ripped her arm out of his grip, stumbling back and away. A quick glance down confirmed the bracelet was still there and still activated. She kept it pressed tightly to her polka dotted chest, holding it with her other hand.

Adrien was shaking his head, bits of blond hair falling in and out of his eyes. “You can’t keep doing this,” he said, a little out of breath.

Marinette wondered if his heart had stopped and her fingers rested down upon the bracelet, but after a few seconds passed and he remained standing she let them drift away.

If Adrien noticed, he didn’t mention it. “Other people need you,” he accused. “Paris needs you.”

“Paris can figure it out,” she hissed.

Chat blinked, surprised. His face slowly morphed, surprise bleeding into understanding. “It’s ok, Bug. It will be ok.”

Her throat clenched and it felt like he had cleaved her entire body into two pieces straight down the middle. How? How would it ever be ok? When she thought of her future now she only saw darkness. There was nothing left.

“I know I can’t keep doing this,” she gasped, the words ripping out of her. “I know other people love me, need me. But you’re not the one that has to walk out of here alone." The word 'alone' made her own heart swell ten times too big until it felt like it would burst. She hoped it would. That would be a whole lot easier. She had wished a whole lot of things recently that would have appalled her younger self. “I’m not ready.”

“When will you be?” Adrien asked softly.

A hot surge of anger raced through her and she felt the insane urge to shove him or hurt him or do something because how dare he ask her that. How dare he! How dare he die in the first place! Ladybug was tempted to twist the bracelet just to get away from this Chat and go back to an earlier version who was still malleable and innocent. Just erase this attempt all together from his memory so she would never have to answer.

All she had to do was twist it. But then he’d be right. And if she didn’t twist it, he’d still be right. Because… he was right, regardless. And no matter how many times she could make him forget it, she would never forget it.

Adrien wobbled, taking a few quick steps back until he was slumping back on the bed, face pale. Time’s up.

Her anger evaporated and she was there, tugging him close into her chest, because this was the closest to Chat she had ever gotten in all her attempts. The crown of his head tucked underneath her chin, gloved fingers running through his hair, as she felt all the movement and life drain out of him. It was like this every time. Quick, quiet, sneaky. As quick as a switch. One minute the lights were on, the next they were off.

She had no idea how much time she had before her five minutes were up. If she had to guess it was down to seconds. Her fingers detangled out of blond hair and dragged along her side, along her arm, until they met her wrist and bumped against the bracelet. 

Was she? When would she be? Ready, that is.

[kireii-writes]

pairing: reader x chisaki kai (overhaul)

fandom: BNHA 

<read part 1 here >

-

warning(s): swearing, mentions of kidnapping and drugs, reader is a badass yakuza leader

summary: in which y/n is a young yakuza leader who one day caught the interest of the leader of their rival gang, chisaki kai

-

A near empty glass of red wine sat on the glass table in front of you as you sank back into the plush sofa you were on, a cigarette between hung between your lips. With a long exhale, a new wave of smoke replaced the previous one that was slowly dissipating in the air conditioned room.

“Are you done?” The voice in front of you across the table made you tilt your head towards its direction. 

“Chisaki, did you not teach your men to be respectful to visitors?” You asked the man in front of you lazily as Chisaki’s unreadable eyes never left yours. No doubt, that the intensity of his stare made you uncomfortable. It was like he was undressing you with those calculative eyes of his.

“Nemoto, where are your manners? Y/n’s a guest and a fellow yakuza leader, there’s no need to be rude.” Chisaki ordered the man who had rudely interrupted your peace earlier on, his eyes never leaving you. 

“Whatever,” you waved your hand dismissively. “I’m here on business with you, Chisaki.” Taking one last puff of your almost finished cigarette, you lazily threw the bud on the clean and pristine floor and extinguished it with the heel of your shoe. much to Chisaki’s annoyance. You knew how much Chisaki hated it when someone smokes and dirties the environment he’s in, and the subtle scrunch of his eyebrows indicating his unhappiness made you smirk internally. 

“Why did you order your men to attack mine? I’m sure you’re aware, I already have 3 causalities just this week. Are you that bad at controlling your men that they end up running around like rabid dogs? Hell, even dogs are smarter than them.”  At your remark, both Chisaki and his most loyal follower, Nemoto visibly tensed up. Silently, Chisaki loosened his tie and leaned forward, his steady eyes locking with your disinterested ones. 

“I told them to do whatever they deem fit if anyone comes into my territory. It’s the fault of your own men not knowing their place.” The young yakuza leader replied. “That was my order to them, if you’re not happy there’s nothing I can do. After all, your men are already dead. Maybe it’s the result of having such an incapable and spoilt brat who lacks the guts and experience as the yakuza leader.” He scoffed. 

As much as you hated it, there was some truth to his words. Out of all the yakuza leaders, you lack the experience that most of them have. Instead of working your way up to the top, you had it easy, with the position given to you, all just because you’re the child of the previous yakuza leader. Hell, there were even times when you weren’t sure you would be able to manage a whole organization of men who would kill on a whim. But still, you had successfully managed to prevent the yakuza from falling apart as soon as you inherited the ‘throne’. 

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue? I hit the jackpot, didn’t I?” Chisaki took your silence as a form of cowardice. “You shouldn’t talk so much when you’re still learning about the ways of the yakuza, my dear y/n.” The black face mask covered the lower half of his face, but you’re positively sure that underneath the damn mask was a smirk. 

Motioning for the lackey that had accompanied you, he handed you a lighted cigarette which you sucked harshly on, your feet taping the carpet impatiently. “I don’t want to hear that kind of crap for someone who has to wear a face mask and gloves all the damn time. Maybe you should retire and spend the rest of your life in solitary confinement. You act too much like an old man.” You retorted smugly, your eyes daring him to say something else. “I may not be as great of a leader as my father,” you exhaled, smoke acting as a temporary curtain between you and Chisaki. “But I know better than to take part in illegal drug dealings despite being banned from it.” You scoffed. “Oh, and the illegal developing of dangerous drugs without a legal license.”

At your words, Chiskai gave a humorless low chuckle, the deep baritone of his voice slicing through the dangerously silent room. “You can’t accuse someone of doing something without concrete proof, y/n. What makes you think that we’re dealing with illegal drugs? If you have the proof, show it to me.” 

“There’s no need for any proof and you know it. Once I tip the police off, it’s over for your poor little pathetic life.” You replied with obvious disinterest as you looked back at Chisaki who had gone silent, an unreadable look on his face yet again. 

“Well,” You sighed as you got up from the sofa and stretched your limbs. “Now that the cat’s out of the bag, I don’t see a point in staying here any longer.” Taking a puff from your cigarette, you turned to leave without bidding Chisaki goodbye. 

“Oh and, the girl’s name is Eri, isn’t it?” You paused in front of the door and tilted your head to look at Chisaki. But the man hadn’t move one bit, and his body showed no signs of tension. “How terrible you are, Chisaki. Never would I dream of kidnapping a young girl to experiment drugs on. Only a degenerate like you could do it.” You scoffed.

Still no reaction from the man on the sofa.

“If you want me to keep your little secret, you ought to compensate for the lives of my men you’ve taken. It’s the least you can do.” You said after awhile. “Human lives are not so cheap that you can go ahead and take them without any regard. Atleast the lives of my men aren’t.”

With one last side glance at the other yakuza leader, you left without another word.

~~~

It’s been more than three weeks ever since your little “meeting” with Chisaki, and there was no sign of remorse from him. In fact, he took it upon himself to see that you suffer more losses. From the constant cuts and bruises your men would get after running errands to the drastic decrease of customers that would frequent the gambling dens under your ownership, it was as clear as day that Chisaki was reacting to your words, all the more making it obvious that he was indeed hiding something. 

“... So I want you to stay away from Chisaki for the time being, you got it?” The silvery voice of the young man next to you brought you back to reality. 

“Y/n? Are you even listening to me?” 

Setting down the cool glass of whiskey in front of you, you gave a sigh in response and turned to the man beside you. 

“Yeah, yeah. I heard you the first time, Midoriya.”

Midoriya Izuku- as far as you could remember, your little partnership with him went back a long way. When you had claimed the position of the yakuza leader, the first thing you did was to make sure that you were on good terms with the police. That way, things would be easier. In exchange for more freedom to carry out the organization’s businesses, you had agreed to inform the police of any suspicious activities that were going on in the yakuza world. Midoriya Izuku, although the two years younger than you, had a strong sense of justice like no other. Ever since he had been in the police force three years ago, he’s been working hard like no other officer to bring gather evidence and bring down the Shie Hassaikai. By working with him, the Shie Hassaikai would collapse sooner or later, making you the next most influential yakuza leader once Chisaki was out of the way. 

“I suppose you wouldn’t want any information on whatever Chisaki’s been planning then?” You raised an eyebrow as you scruntised the drink in from of you before downing in all in one gulp.  “I have... some news that might interest you.” You gave a tiny smirk as you placed a lit cigarette between your teeth. 

“And how reliable is your source?” Midoriya raised an eyebrow questioningly. “For all you know it might just be a rumor.”

“Midoriya, Midoriya.” You sighed. Since when did I ever lie to you?” A lighthearted chuckle escaped from you, the smoke from your lips blurring your vision.

“... Two months ago, when you said you’d be free to grab ramen together and you ended up bailing on me last minute.” The green haired man replied quietly, almost seriously. 

Almost immediately, a burst of laughter erupted from within you, your body trembling from the vibrations of your laugh. Since when have you last felt this genuinely happy? 

“I couldn’t help it and you knew it. There was no way I could half ass things and leave to have ramen with you.” You sighed as you wipe the tears forming at the corners of your eyes, now full of life and vibrancy. “But on a serious note,” You continued. “They aren’t just rumors. Pictures don’t lie.” A huge puff of thick, grey smoke hit the back of your lungs as you tossed a manila envelope towards Midoriya, which the latter swiftly caught. Without another word, the green haired male proceeded to look through the contents, his eyebrows scrunching as his eyes landed on each and every photograph contained in the envelope. 

“... What is all this about? Where did you get these photos?” 

“It’s exactly what it looks like.” You propped your elbows on the bar counter top, your gaze swift as you scanned the different bottles of drinks behind the counter. “Illegal drug trafficking on top of the Illegal developing of drugs. Not only that, you see the girl in the picture? She’s a guinea pig to Chisaki, nothing else.” 

You didn’t have to look at Midoriya to know that he was mortified to say the least. Who wouldn’t be, after learning that a yakuza leader has been experimenting drugs on a young girl?

“She’s the one, isn’t it?” You asked. “The girl that had been reported missing. You know, the one that the police has been finding for the past few months.” You stretched your limbs, a contended sigh escaping from your lips as strong yet gentle fingers tapped the cigarette trapped between them.

“Y/n,” Midoriya sighed. “I thought I told you to steer clear of Chisaki and whatever he’s doing.” 

“He killed some of my men, it’s only fitting that I poke my head into his business and cause as much as trouble as I can.” You shrugged. 

At the silence that greeted your last sentence, you turned towards Midoriya, only to find him staring back at you with an unreadable look on his face.

“I’m just kidding.” 

“...”

“Anyway,” Midoriya sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “This is valuable information. The police will be conducting a more explicit investigation now that we have this.” He waved the manila envelope in his hand. 

“Do whatever you want with it.” You replied, your voice devoid of any emotion at all. “In fact, the sooner you throw him in jail the better.” You inhaled another puff of thick smoke. 

“Y/n.” The seriousness in Midoriya’s voice made you turn towards him, the slight raise of an eyebrow the only thing conveying emotion. 

“Smoking isn’t good for your health.” 

A mirthless laugh from you was the only response Midoriya got from you. 

“Stay away from Chisaki from now on, okay?” 

“...”

Hearing no response from you, Midoriya sighed as he got up from his seat. “Then, I’ll get going now. I’ll contact you soon.” 

With one last pat on your shoulder, you were now left all alone, the sound of his footsteps concealed by the plush carpet that covered every inch of the floor. 

“No promises.” You muttered as the last puff of smoke filled your lungs. 

[amphtaminedreams]

Farewell to Spooky Season, AHS Style: Lookbook no.12

Hi to anyone reading,

Happy belated Halloween!

I capitalise it because if I'm gonna recognise any day as sacred, it’s the spookiest one of the year! Halloween 2020 obviously hasn’t been as exciting as usual, parties and club nights being banned has meant there’s been far less opportunities to dress up, but I still managed to get out for the night before they announced the upcoming second lockdown and do a couple of spooky movie nights (and carve a pumpkin!)!

I originally intended for this lookbook to be last minute halloween costume inspo but I was lazy and didn’t manage to get it out on time-a lot of these looks minus the makeup and maybe an accessory or two could work on any day or night out so I thought I’d go ahead and post it now anyway. Celebrating the fashion moments of American Horror Story is something I’ve wanted to do for a while; it’s probably not the first show you’d think of for sartorial inspiration but Mr. Ryan Murphy has fucking fantastic taste in stylists and the first five seasons of AHS in particular, which I’ll be focussing on in this post, have given us SO many amazing looks. The man may be guilty of many things-subjecting us to the character of Will Schuester, trying to turn Richard Ramirez into a thirst trap, embarrassing everyone who raved about how good Scream Queens was when he wrote season 2-but costume related laziness is not one of them. We see more consistency in a Ryan Murphy character’s wardrobe than we do in their story arcs and I respect that because honestly, as much as I love joining in when it comes to ripping into his ability to cohesively bring an AHS season to a close when it airs, I’d probably be the same; if you put Lady Gaga in front of me and told me to write her lines I’d probably end up getting overly invested in what her character was going to be wearing in the scene too. 

So! Enough Ryan Murphy bashing from me! I’ll get on with it! Starting with 3 season 1 inspired looks:

Murder House: Elizabeth Short, Tate Langdon and Violet Harmon

-striped jumper from caitlinlark on Depop, kick flare jeans from ellagray-

When it comes to reflecting on season 1 of American Horror Story, all I can say do is thank the internet overlords that Tumblr has moved on from the romanticising school shooters and wearing normal people scare me tops phase to instead collectively taking the piss out of the “GO AWAY, TATE!”, “YOU’RE ALL THAT I WANTTT! YOU’RE ALL THAT I HAVEEE!” exchange. 

In terms of fashion *moments*, whilst season 1 doesn’t stand out as much as the seasons that come after, Violet and Tate’s wardrobes did give birth to a bit of a 90s grunge renaissance with their oversized knits and faded jeans and layering of textures. It did also give us good costumes in the form of Alexandra Breckenridge’s Moira O’Hara and Mena Suvari’s portrayal of the Black Dahlia, Elizabeth Short; unfortunately, I didn’t have a slutty maid costume lying around so I did the best I could at giving the outfit Elizabeth wears when she makes that fateful visit to the Murder House a modern, more party appropriate update.

In terms of season rankings, Murder House isn’t my favourite. It starts off really great but lulls a bit towards the end and I could never get behind Violet and Tate as a couple because you know, one of them is a school shooter who sexually assaults the other’s mum, and that’s a hurdle that I think most couples might struggle to get over irl. That being said, it was the season that started it all and showcased some of the most innovative writing and directing on TV, and it opened up a spot for horror on primetime television which as far as I know was kind of unheard of before then. Back when I first watched it, I had no idea what to expect not only because I’d never seen horror in a serial format but also because it seemed to be able to get away with the kind of storylines you’d expect network executives to fire people over. It introduced us to Jessica Lange and Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters and Denis O’Hare who would go on to make the show what it is today and more importantly, through Jessica’s glorious portrayal of Constance Langdon, provide us with an endlessly versatile meme format for this trying time.

Asylum: ‘60s Lana Winters, ‘70s Lana Winters, and Sister Mary Eunice McKee

-afghan coat from louisemarcella on Depop, red AA skater dress from julietramage, pink gingham co-ord from zshamim-

I think we can all agree: Asylum would’ve been a perfect series of television if it wasn’t for the completely unnecessary alien storyline. Like, I get that they fit in with the whole good vs. evil theme as a kind of non-biblical alternative to the idea of a higher, all-powerful being but there was already so much going on that it just wasn’t needed. Aside from that, I think the general consensus amongst watchers of the show is that Asylum has the best writing of any season and I think I’d tend to agree. It’s not my favourite because it’s too depressing to rewatch but if we’re talking the first time round, this is the series that had me hooked. Lana Winters?

Iconic. 

Sister Mary Eunice? Iconic. The Name Game? Iconic. Remember when you couldn’t go a day on Facebook without seeing that one photo of Naomi Grossman as Pepper used as the go to “what I really look like” photo in one of those “expectation vs. reality” style posts on your newsfeed? Those were simpler times.

Because this season was mostly situated within the hospital, we didn’t get that many proper outfits but when we did, they were stunning; if I had to state my absolute favourite AHS character of the entire show I’d probably go with Lana Winters and the part her wardrobe played in her characterisation would 100% play a part in that. The late 60s/early 70s was such a wonderful period for fashion and through her character we get to see both of those explored a little. Of course there’s also *that* Sister Mary Eunice scene with the red slip dress and suspenders too which yes, could be a perfect halloween costume, but I also strongly believe should be a perfectly acceptable outfit for any day of the year. 

Coven: Misty Day, Madison Montgomery, and Zoe Benson

-chiffon dress from rags_to_riches on Depop, pinstripe corset from hanpiercey, and tennis skirt from mollie_morton-

I hate to be a basic bitch but I have to say it: Coven is my favourite season of American Horror Story. Once you get over the complete waste of Evan Peters’ acting capabilities that resulted from the *choice* to have him play Kyle, the unnecessary rehash of the Evan/Taissa pairing from season 1 in what I can only assume was an attempt to capitalise on the popularity of the questionable Tate/Violet relationship, and the subsequent sacrifice of any interesting character arc we could’ve foreseen for Zoe Benson beyond her obsessing over a resurrected, non-verbal frat boy, it’s a perfect season. A supreme (heh) balance of horror, humour, and character drama, as well as the stunning aesthetics and forever quotable dialogue, make it my go-to season if I’m ever considering a rewatch. And if you disagree, let me jog your memory with the most mainstream (not to get all “normal people scare me” and suggest AHS is not a mainstream show, I literally just mean in the sense that even those who have never watched the show will have seen this)  reaction GIF set any FX show has even spawned:

Buzzfeed employees had a field day, Emma Roberts enthusiasts (I mean me) finally saw her cemented as the pop culture icon Scream Queens has since showed us she deserves to be (because not enough people have seen Unfabulous, Nancy Drew or Scream 4) and the gays everywhere rejoiced at the year’s worth of meme fodder they’d been provided with. It was Madison Montgomery’s world and we were truly just living in it.

And the fashion! I mean, Stevie Nicks meets 21st century teenage witches! Come on! 

Freakshow: Dandy Mott, Maggie Esmerelda and Elsa Mars

-olive green satin skirt from morganogle on Depop, headscarf from tonijordan, platform sandals from elliefewt, PVC skirt from bethpin_, corset top from sadieflinter, beret from house_of_erotique, flame detail platform boots from mad_rags_vintage-

When people talk about the declining quality of AHS, they usually point to Freakshow as the beginning of the end, but I have to completely disagree. I wasn’t a fan the first time round but on rewatch it’s probably the most emotional season of them all; no, there aren’t as many “horrifying” moments as in other seasons and Elsa is probably Jessica’s worst performance (which is still an incredible one by anybody else’s standards), however it makes up for it with the most sympathetic bunch of characters yet, and on the flip side, also one of the most amusingly depraved with Finn Wittrock’s Dandy Mott. Fans usually argue that the season went downhill once *SPOILER* Twisty the Clown was killed off but for me, he really primarily served as the catalyst for the far more interesting devolution of Dandy, who, imo, is the show’s strongest villain to date, rivalled only by Bloody Face. Then there was the episode Orphans too which made me cry buckets, the sole AHS episode to do so. 

We got a lot of great fashion content in this season too: the theatrical opulence of Elsa Mars’ wardrobe, “Maggie”’s nomadic fortune teller costumes, and all those twee suits we saw Finn Wittrock in. Highly underrated if you ask me. It seems an odd choice for me to use Elsa’s Dominatrix look as an inspiration for one of my looks here when we have that Life on Mars performance outfit and all the extravagant robes Jessica got to waltz around in for reference buuuut I didn’t really have anything to do the vibrancy of either of those justice so I went with the black leather option which is much more me. Am I saying I moonlight as a dominatrix? Maybe. Lol, no. I wish. It’s not for lack of trying. WHERE ARE ALL THE GENUINE TWITTER PAYPIGS AT!? Your girl wants to insult creepy men and get some new clothes out of it xoxo

Hotel: Hypodermic Sally, Liz Taylor, and The Countess

-silk white bralet from xlibby_maix on Depop-

Hotel is another season that I liked a lottttt more upon rewatch, once I knew I was okay to tune out the (completely predictable and utterly nonsensical) Ten Commandments Killer storyline that so much of the season initially seems to hinge on. I love Chloë Sevigny but the fact that her and Wes Bentley’s wooden John and Alex Lowe are positioned as the protagonists at the expense of the far more interesting Liz Taylor, James March and Hypodermic Sally really does a disservice to what is an otherwise great season upon initial viewing.

The visuals this season are magnificent and I think if I had to pick one character’s wardrobe to steal from the entire cast of AHS characters, it would be The Countess (a toss up between her and Misty Day tbh, so I kinda just settle for low-key channelling both). No fucking idea where I'd wear any of her clothes to but I’d make it work. Liz Taylor and Hypodermic Sally have some amazing looks too-there’s just honestly so much to choose from; that being said, this post wouldn’t be complete without a specific ode to the vampire goddess Elizabeth Bathory, who is everything I want to be in life minus the murderous qualities:

Everything. EVER-Y-THING. LOOK AT HER!

Lady Gaga is really a fucking goddess isn’t she. And people were claiming before they’d even seen it that she couldn’t act? A patriarchal society doesn’t like women that can do it all. Just saying. 

Anyways!

That’s it for now! I hope you enjoyed the post if you did read til the end! Sorry I couldn’t get this out before Halloween, I was typing and Picmonkey-ing madly from 2 in the afternoon on the 31st but I taking fucking forever to get ready and had to abandon all hope of getting it out on the day by 4PM. I’ve got so much content planned and it sucks because a couple of them are lookbooks which now feel completely redundant given we’re heading into a second lockdown, but maybe I should just do it anyway? The grunge inspired moodboard I just did seemed to get a good reception too so I’ve got some more of them planned. 

As always, hope everyone is keeping well, and feel free to inbox me with any suggestions, queries or even just to say hi if you need someone to talk to! I check here quite a lot so I should see it. Lots of love to everyone in this time!

Lauren x

[mikeshanlon]

psst share your outer banks coloring secrets

ah, yes, one of the worst shows to color lmaoooo. i'll try to give some tips but im sure as anyone who has tried to color this show knows each scene is diff and has it's own flavor of awful yellow/green/red shading.

some tips on how to go from this to this......

............under the cut! (warning v long and idk if i'm the best at explaining things lmao)

so firstly, i use this psd i made ages ago for everything (alecbaenes was my url many moons ago i just am too lazy to change and reupload). usually i will go into each individual layer of that psd and see how they work with the scene, and will change the opacity or turn off the layer depending on what looks best. generally for obx, i will lower the opacity on the gradient map layer, as well as certain vibrancy/curves/levels layers, ones that make the gif brighter and more vibrant. i will usually bring back some vibrancy and brightness later but when im first getting the base coloring, some layers just heighten the yellow/red and we need to kinda bring that down before we make adjustments to get aspects like skin color more accurate.

so, just with my psd/adjustments made to the psd layers, the gif may looks something like this: (going to use this gif bc i made it more recently so i remember some of the stuff i did better, and is the most accurate to my current process--plus it sucks to color lmao)

ususally still way to red/yellow for my liking, both for the skin tones and to be able to manipulate the colors for a vibrant coloring! so the next step is to get colors as close to how they are normally. warning, you will have to make 345435354 adjustment layers and just keep tweaking and tweaking... and tweaking. sometimes i will have like 20+ adjustment layers at the end of the process. i usually put all my adjustments under my psd--i also always add a vibrance and brightness layer above. sometimes it helps to do final tweaks above the psd if you just cant get anything right bc of course the psd will change how colors normally look.

anyways, usually my base fixes will be some sort of combination of curves, levels, color balance, and selective color. so like, if the gif needs more depth/darkness, or is way too bright, i will bring the curve down or up respectively. levels, and also increasing the black selective color layer will also add depth. i will also use auto curve sometimes! the first image i have below i circled some of the extra tools i may use--auto for auto curves, the top black eyedropper you select the darker points in your gif and it will adjust based on that, the bottom one for the lightest--if i use those i will either use the black one only, or the black and then the white. the other three are examples of how my curve layers may look--i already have S curves in my psd, so when i do extra curve adjustments, it's just one single point, and i don't move it that much. same with levels, i dont make a super dramatic change, when it's under the psd it's enough to just move a bit to make a big difference. sometimes i'll also bring these layers to a lower opacity.

generally my first step is color balance though, especially if the gif seems mostly fine lighting wise. for obx, i usually shift it towards cyan and blue to cancel out the red tones. magenta and green depends, if its more green i may move towards magenta and vice versa, but usually i dont shift it that dramatically and often leave it alone. i will usually move the bottom bar towards blue, to soften the yellow tones. color balance helps shift the overall colors of the gif. notice that it's on mid tones in these pictures:

as you can see, i shift the cyan/red one more dramatically than the yellow/blue, and with magenta and green i usually just move it 1-3 points over. in the last one, i actually shifted towards red above my psd layer, because after all my adjustments i lost some of the red/warmth, so i brought back in red.

with color balance/curves, the gif may looks something like this

less of a completely red/yellow filter over everything! but still not great, their skin is too red, and overall still not the best base to try colorings. so next up is selective color, which can really help you fine tune things, but because of that.... SUUUUPER tedious. i will have 3495874 selective color layers and sometimes like 5 of them will be half canceling each other out just to get something okay. but this is a hobby i've chosen so we must suffer LKRGJRG. generally, my realm revolves around red, yellow, and at times magenta or neutral. if you think back to how we fixed some of the colors with color balance, kind of a similar principle, just with the individual colors. and lots of experimenting. so with color balance i would cancel out reds by making them more cyan--on the red selective color, im also gonna turn up the cyan. for yellow, i'm gonna make it more magenta, to make the yellow tones warmer. i will tweak the other tones too, just kinda experiment to see how changing it affects the gif, and then soon you will kind of intuitively know how to change the values based on whats going on in the gif lighting. magenta selective color helps for red values that are more pink, so make them more red or yellow based on what you need--i don't use this as much, hence i didnt have an example in the crop of psds i opened, but it's helpful sometimes. with neutral selective color, it usually affects the whole gif, so again, only minimal changes--usually i will bring the black levels down if it got to bright, or add just a tinge or yellow or cyan or whatever i need. here's some pics to show examples of what mine looked like for this gif:

there were many more, but i just chose a few. the '1' and '2' i wrote to demonstrate that these layers were sequential, how they balance each other, and how selective color can be a tedious balancing act-- the second example it's like basically the opposite but it balances it out. also, if you have two characters with different skin tones, or the lighting is different for them, etc, you can use layer masks to erase certain adjustments so it only affects one of the subjects. some of these tweaks will be inbetween me transforming the gif to be colorful, and noticing how the colors interact, etc. so between this i was also making it colorful and it's not exactly the finished product at this stage: but this is kind of what the gif would look like after all the adjustments just to get it looking... normalish:

not totally perfect but MUCH better, and also will look a little different when surrounded by the colors i want to turn it into. i have some stuff about how i color in this tag, i can do a lil other tutorial or smth if needed but bc i have limited photo space on the ask and already wrote so much i wont get super into it here. but for shows like obx, it helps to work with a group of colors that will work with the show--yellows/oranges are easier bc of all the yellow already found in the show. pinks can be harder because there is so much yellow in the show, but doable. greens are good because of all the green in the show, and thus blues are good because its easy to go from green to blue with selective color and stuff. thus, purples are good too because its easy to go from blue to purple! stuff like that makes it easier. some work with selective color, hue and saturation, gradients, and voila!

you can see how maybe some of the issues like it being still a little too yellow/greeny toned balances out with the surrounding colors.

also, a big part of it is just practice! i've been giffing for yeaaaaaars and with media that has just the most god awful lighting so i've gotten good at understanding what to do and sometimes i'm just on auto pilot.

hopefully that helped, i know it was long winded and it can be hard to explain/understand photoshop. if y'all want some more in depth explanation about a part of the process i can try, or with other examples!

[little-miss-dumpsterfire]

I think I made you up inside my head ~ a td au

Hi everyone (or anyone out there)! This is my first ever tumblr post, so apologies if I’m a bit rusty. I’m originally a Wattpad writer, but I think for this story in particular, I’m better suited over here (I like ‘em spooky).

So without boring anyone, I present to you, my total drama horror anthology - “I think I made you up inside my head ~ a td au”

Chapter One - I can still hear their screams

It was her eyes that initially gave him a profound feeling of unease. The vacancy of her stare was reminiscent of the eyes of the dead; a thick fog drowned the vibrancy of her irises, dulling the shine that they had once held. His heart pounded against his chest as he set up his equipment, trembling fingers fumbling with the intricate wires and cables. The atmosphere in the room, nay, the house he found himself in was suffocating.

One interview. That's all you came here for. The media attention you'll get for this will be astronomical. Just focus on that.

His preconceived notion of his guest had been immediately shattered upon meeting her earlier that day. The tabloids and news painted her as a 'psycho hose-beast', the living epitome of an LSD trip. Yet, it was her fragility that shone through most as she sat before him. Her signature frizzy orange hair had darkened, resembling more of a rich copper, combed neatly into a bun. Her fingers were slender and pale, like those of a porcelain doll, and gaudy rings embellished them all, minus her left ring finger. Her pressed teal pantsuit was a stark contrast to his jeans and a graphic tee, yet she was undoubtedly feeling more comfortable than he was.

He cleared his throat, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead before reading out his preprepared spiel.

"Hello all and welcome back to the Pop-Culture Paradox podcast. I'm Axel Riley, your resident tour guide through the scary side of Hollywood. In today's episode, we will be delving into one of the most infamous conspiracies in reality TV to date."

His voice caught slightly in his throat, catching him off guard before continuing.

"My guest today was an ex-contestant on the hit reality show series Total Drama Island, as well as its follow-ups Total Drama Action and Total Drama World Tour." Upon hearing those words, she visibly cringed and balled up her right fist on the couch next to her. "Welcome to Isabelle "Izzy" Danaher-Morgans!"

"Thank you for having me here, Axel," Izzy added politely.

Axel stared at Izzy quizzically. "I gotta say, you're a lot different to what I thought you'd be like."

"I get that a lot, I really do. And honestly, a lot of aspects of my portrayal were exacerbated by the producers. I have ADHD and had been on medication up to that point. Not that that takes everything away, I was just better at focusing and less impulsive. But for drama, they weaned me off of my meds. That fact, alongside the drugs they had to have been putting in the water, just pushed me off the deep end."

"And what has life been like for you since the show? Last time viewers properly saw you, you had transformed into your alter 'Brainzilla'," Axel asked, probing Izzy to reveal any dramatic details.

Izzy laughed awkwardly. "That was a time in my life I cannot explain, truthfully. I did get back to some normality with counselling and medication, and I now work as a therapist for former child stars escaping from the industry."

Axel sighed defeatedly, tapping his lead pencil against the corner of the coffee table.

This is too boring. I need something for listeners to really bite their teeth into.

Carrying on with the extended mundane conversation, Axel was carefully planning the perfect moment to poke the bear and reveal his main prerogative.

Interjecting Izzy mid-sentence, Axel raised his eyebrow and asked the question that had been eating him up inside since he arrived.

"So Izzy, tell me, is there really a Total Drama curse, or is this all just bullshit?"

The colour drained from Izzy's face as she locked eyes with the podcaster. She fidgeted with her rings, twisting them around her fingers repeatedly. Her mouth gaped open and closed like a fish, unable to form any coherent words. In response - the only way she physically could at that moment - she shook her head viciously.

"No? Hmm, that's really interesting. It must just be an extreme coincidence that a majority of your cast-mates have either perished or disappeared. Did you know that they were dead, Izzy?" Axel probed, salivating at the thought of the publicity this will bring in.

"I don't want to talk about this," Izzy replied curtly, looking down at her legs and picking at some invisible lint on her pants.

"Like when this all started with the death of-"

"I said I don't want to talk about this, Axel. I'm done here," Izzy proclaimed, removing the headset and standing up from her couch.

"Ju- wait a damn second," Axel jumped from his seat, yanking his headset cord from the soundboard before grabbing Izzy's wrist.

Izzy pulled herself from his grip, rubbing the sore spot on her wrist. "I said no. We don't need any more amateur journalists trying to disturb the dirt of the past."

"You listen to me for a second," he said, putting his finger close to her face, "I drove all the way from California to be here. You fucking owe me the details."

Scoffing, Izzy walked to her kitchen, grabbing an icepack from her freezer for her wrist.

"Kid, I went toe-to-toe with Chris McLean and Chef Hatchet for three seasons. No young tech boy from California is going to intimidate me." She paused and thought for a second, passing a cursory glance at a timber door down the hallway. "You know what? Fine. You want to talk? We can talk, but not on record."

Axel rolled his eyes and huffed out his chest. "Then what's the fucking point?"

"The point is... well... the point is that you'll be able to talk to the only known survivor of that fucking show."

***************************************************

Izzy lead Axel to the dead-bolted timber door situated at the back-end of her house, removing a key from an adjacent picture frame that sat on a table. The latch clicked and squeaked sharply as the door was pulled open, the pair slowly making their way down the dimly lit staircase. As the door slammed shut behind them, the force knocked over the precariously positioned photo frame; in its silver walls sat an image of twenty-two kids smiling on a rickety dock, blissfully unaware of what the future had in store for them.

Axel felt across the crumbling brick wall until he came to a light switch, coated in a thin layer of cobwebs. He flicked the switch, being greeted by a low humming noise before the filament brightened and burst, sending glass shards flying through the air, crashing noisily on the cement floor. A sudden scratch rang out as Izzy stuck a match against the matchbox, lighting the gas lamps that lined the walls.

"What... what is this place?" Axel asked, goosebumps emerging over his arms.

"Some may call it a museum. I prefer to call it a mausoleum," Izzy replied, glancing over at the confused boy.

Stacked in the centre of the room were rows and rows of wooden shelves, lined up next to each other. Assorted items and relics were neatly arranged, an antithesis of the lackadaisical nature of how the rest of her house was decorated. Axel looked at all the objects before stopping on something he thought looked familiar.

"Wait," he pointed at them, a confused look plastered on his face. "These beads... they're Beth's friendship bracelets... the ones she gave out in Action."

Izzy nodded slightly, her face illuminated by the flickering flame of the gas lamp. She stopped in front of a large white shirt, holding it up to her face, inhaling the scent.

"Mmm," she said quietly to herself, "still smells like chicken cologne."

"These things, these... relics. These were all from the cast. And look, you even have some from Revenge of the Island. Why do you have these, Izzy?" Axel asked, increasingly creeped out by the environment he found himself in.

"I keep a part of them because if I don't, I can't trust myself to remember if they were real or not."

She replaced the shirt back to where it was neatly folded and turned to face Axel.

"I lie awake at night, tossing and turning. I think to myself, 'I am the cursed one here'. And it's true," she said softly, her eyes prickling with tear droplets.

"How?"

Izzy chuckled sadly, tears gathering on her light eyelashes. She walked over to one of the many glass cabinets and stared at her reflection.

"Because even though they're dead, I can still hear their screams. And now it's someone else's turn."

[technicallyswagpizza]

EDITING AN EXISTING LIGHTING MOD TUTORIAL // part 1

If you are like me, you might have fallen in love with custom lighting mods and how pretty they make our games look. But there always seems to be something that irks me, be it how dark it is at certain times of the day or the water colour seems off, thus I learned how to edit one and here’s how you can do it too!

There are two ways of editing a lighting mod, one is by adjusting the RGB values in .ini files and the game adjusts the colour ramps for you (EA base game lighting works this way, I have never tried this method so cannot really say much about it other than here’s an old tutorial for it in case the lighting mod you want to edit has been created that way) or by taking the ini files into a photo editing program and editing each colour ramp manually by hand (EA travel and some other worlds lighting works this way, BrntWaffles and Awesims used this method with their lighting mods too). I have learned most of this by trial and error, piecing information together from different tutorials and through this MTS topic by Simsample and friends, but some of the posts/pictures it references to are long gone and it can be a little hard to follow. There’s some really important info buried in there though! I have shamelessly stolen a few pictures for this tutorial too as they are most helpful. I’m sorry, but I’m not sorry (ノдヽ)

Programs you need:

S3pe

Photoshop or Gimp (DDS plugins for Photoshop -> this and this, Gimp has this feature built in already)

Files you need:

An existing lighting mod .package file of your choise

Alternatively a custom world that has custom lighting in it that you want to use and convert into a standalone lighting mod

PoisonFrog’s Colour Ramp Designer .psd file, optional but extremely helpful and 100% recommended

PoisonFrog has created a file that has grouped each EA lighting file together based on which world or expansion they came from. You can use it to compare how the lighting differs from world to world or how the weather changes the colours of your world, you can also use it as a base to create a completely new one from scratch or just brutally smash different bits together. It also includes a helpful timeline layer so you can adjust your colours according to the time you want them to appear.

// Disclaimer: This tutorial goes through the basics and covers simple things such as editing cloud/water/sky colours. There is so much more to weather files than just colours, but this tutorial would end up far too heavy otherwise so I will leave out the INI file things such as cloud thickness, bloom, fog values etc, and we shall dive into those at a later date.

1. UNDERSTANDING THE FILES

1. Open your .package in S3pe.

Within the .package there are INI and IMG files. Each INI has a corresponding partner IMG file as one controls the weather conditions (INI) and one controls the colours (IMG) that we see during that particular weather. I will call them siblings because well, they are related as the image shows. You can ignore the INI files for now as we are only changing colours. Lets say you want to change the water colour for your world, so this means you need to edit each and every IMG file and find the colour ramp that controls it. But if there is only a particular time of the day, lets say you feel the sky is too dark during the stormy weather, you would only edit the IMG file called S3_00B2D882_0076A684_E422CDDE7FE1F25F%%+_IMG.dds (instance number in S3pe would look like 0xE422CDDE7FE1F25F) as it’s the one controlling stormy weather colours. 2. Some mods might have neatly labeled file names, while other mods seem a bit more cryptic and it may take a little detective work to figure out which IMG file is the one you need (In the #2 picture I have opened 2 different lighting mods in S3pe to show the difference). If that’s the case, look at the last digits of IMG instance numbers and match it with the codes on the right side in picture #1 or scroll all the way to the bottom for codes in this tutorial. Right click the IMG.dds file(s) and Export to File, don’t change the IMG name as you need it to match its sibling INI file later! Save them to a folder somewhere. 3. Open your IMG.dds file in Photoshop or Gimp, if you get a pop up asking about mip maps just say no. You can also open PoisonFrog’s .psd file (It should work with the latest Gimp too) and copypaste your IMG.dds file over there so you can compare it against EA lighting or simply just for his helpful timeline layer. By default the IMG files come with no explanation as to what each colour ramp does, but you can use Awesim’s labeled ramp to help and identify the colour bar you need to edit. PoisonFrog also sort of.. But not quite explains them. His pictures are gone, but this may be helpful to someone?

// Photoshop Tip! When you zoom in real close you might be facing a super annoying grid which makes it hard to see what you are doing! You can get rid of it by going to View -> Show ->  Pixel Grid -> untick it and you can see clearly again.

2. EDITING THE FILES

4. Once you have identified the ramp you need to edit, avoid drastic and sudden colour changes so the transition looks nice and tidy in game. This is particularly important with both ends of the ramp that they are consistent with each other, so once midnight comes and goes otherwise you get choppy disco like flashes of colour (If your world is a nonstop danger disco then go for it, otherwise keep it smooth). You can use selection tool to separate the ramp you want to edit, play with the hues/brightness/vibrance and see how it changes your ramp. Gradient tool is a good option too for mixing your own colours.

PoisonFrog’s .psd file is once again really nice for this as you can just yoink some other world’s colour ramp and copypaste it over the one you are editing. Or copypaste a small part of it, you don’t have to change the whole ramp if you have a specific time of the day that annoys you! You can also create your own groups within it, take apart other lighting mods and drop them in so you can mix and match their weather files.

5. Done with your colour tweaks? If you used the .psd file provided, copypaste your layer you were working on from there to over the original IMG.dds file. Make sure there are no extra layers floating around, merge everything together! Saving is a little different with Photoshop and Gimp, with Photoshop you can use Save As option while with Gimp you have to use Export As (Please correct me if I’m wrong with Gimp settings as I don’t really use it) to replace the original exported file. Copy the settings shown and make sure no mipmaps bit is ticked! If you have been saving as .psd or changed the file’s name, make sure the name is now EXACTLY as when you exported it earlier.

3. COMPILE THE FILES

6. Before continuing, you might want to make a backup save of your original lighting mod, so any changes you do to it that you might regret later can be reverted. Either way, open the lighting mod .package you exported your IMG files from earlier in S3pe again, hit Resource and Import from file to bring your edited IMG files in, replace and overwrite the old ones with your new ones (The old ones get crossed over and replaced only if you used the original names! If you have loads of IMG or UNKN files and nothing gets crossed over, your file names are incorrect!) and save.

7. Drop the .package in your Mods/Packages folder, make sure you have no other lighting mod in there. Boot the game and enjoy your new lighting mod! Alternatively if you are making your own world and you have a certain aesthetic for it, you can merge the package into your CAW map and that way whoever plays your world will also get to enjoy the unique lighting!

// OH NO!! If it’s looking funky, colours are way off or everythings gone spooky black, you haven’t used the right .dds settings while saving and/or your IMG.dds file names are wrong thus they are not linking correctly with their sibling INI files. Double check the settings/names and reimport them into your .package file.

Under the cut you can find all the .dds file names and instance numbers for easier use and access. It’s a long-ish list thus it’s hidden.

These are the file names you see in the very first image, but I figured the instance number might help you to identify them in S3pe easier. You can copypaste the INI and IMG names if you have accidentally renamed your file to something else. Clear weather type INI: S3_1F886EAD_00000000_967BC6C3B3808C00%%+_INI.ini Instance number: 0x967BC6C3B3808C00 IMG: S3_00B2D882_0076A684_7529C26EE8E2A9E6%%+_IMG.dds Instance number: 0x7529C26EE8E2A9E6 Partly cloudy INI: S3_1F886EAD_00000000_560C0FD7012DA7F3%%+_INI.ini Instance number: 0x560C0FD7012DA7F3 IMG: S3_00B2D882_0076A684_ECCBBCB773C02131%%+_IMG.dds Instance number: 0xECCBBCB773C02131 Overcast INI: S3_1F886EAD_00000000_8DEA7AE7631A026A%%+_INI.ini Instance number: 0x8DEA7AE7631A026A IMG: S3_00B2D882_0076A684_F0A86F660985BF20%%+_IMG.dds Instance number: 0xF0A86F660985BF20 Stormy INI: S3_1F886EAD_00000000_2C02B3532B64EB49%%+_INI.ini Instance number: 0x2C02B3532B64EB49 IMG: S3_00B2D882_0076A684_E422CDDE7FE1F25F%%+_IMG.dds Instance number: 0xE422CDDE7FE1F25F Custom weather type INI: S3_1F886EAD_00000000_FE1F6A95A24A604A%%+_INI.ini Instance number: 0xFE1F6A95A24A604A IMG: S3_00B2D882_0076A684_28C841C9462BCDE0%%+_IMG.dds Instance number: 0x28C841C9462BCDE0

Let me know if you know a better way or I have made an error in this tutorial! I’m happy to answer questions too if you have any.

[spideyspoods]

minor inconvenience

Pairing: Peter Parker X F!Reader

Request: Combined @astrospideys & @spideypeach ‘s milestone celebration prompt (”a kiss. for good luck.”) with an anon request! “Hello dear! If you don’t mind can you write about peter and his childhood bestfriend being more than friend, but Peter is in dilema because he realized he wanted more but he doesn’t want to put the reader in danger because he’s spiderman. You can decide whether the reader knows Peter is spiderman or not. Thanks a lot!” 

A/N: I’m truly sorry to everyone that this is so late, school’s been kicking my ass. However, I’m kind of proud of this one so I hope you enjoy! :)

Warnings: Fluff.

Word Count: 2k

---

Peter Parker wasn’t one to get distracted during school. In fact, he prides himself on being a great student; one who rarely failed tests. However, he’s noticed that his mind starts to wander whenever he’s around Y/N L/N. They’ve known each other since they were in the first grade and have practically been attached at the hip. Their friendship grew stronger as the years progressed, but Peter couldn’t help but yearn for more.

He remembers May teasing him about how close they were ever since they started to hang out. He’d constantly deny her claims by calling her ‘just a friend,’ but do friends feel their heart leap at the mere sight of the other? Peter’s been stuck in his own thoughts, thoughts of her, for the past few months trying to convince himself that it wasn’t a crush. However, his heart said otherwise.

He wanted to confess his feelings for her so badly, but there was a minor inconvenience to his idea. Y/N had no idea that he was Spider-Man. Despite telling each other everything, he failed to mention his alter ego. It’s not like he wanted to hide it, he just didn’t want to endanger her.

So with that, the bell rang as Peter headed out the door and to his locker. “Parker!” a voice called out. He turned his head and found the girl of his dreams stepping towards him. Her eyes seemed to sparkle, vibrance and sunshine practically radiating off of her. “We’re still on for tonight? Your place?”

“I don’t know, I was thinking of going to Delmar’s,” he trailed off, jokingly. She feigned a pout, crossing her arms. “Rude. To think I was going to bring you some gummy worms-”

“Hm, I guess that sweetens the deal.” Y/N rolled her eyes at the pun, “What? Is my own presence not enough for you?” It is. Peter’s mind went foggy, trying to recover from his thoughts. “I’m joking! Now get to class, I’ll see you later.” She nodded, “I’ll let Ned know. Later, nerd.” Y/N turned before disappearing into the midst of students and left Peter with a lovestruck look. He had completely forgotten Ned would be joining them.

---

“Hey, you know how we’re studying tonight with Y/N?” Peter asked, poking at the tray of food in front of him. Ned nodded, taking a sip of water. “You mean like we always do every Thursday?”

“Well yeah, but this time it’s different. Would it be able to be just me and her tonight?”

Ned quirked a brow, “Why? Wait a minute,” he gasped “are you finally dating? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Peter’s eyes bulged out his head, frantically shaking his head before hushing his friend who may have been a bit too loud. “Because it hasn’t happened yet! I was kind of trying to make that happen tonight.”

“No worries, I got you. I’ll let her know that something came up. But you owe me.”

“Anything!”

“Help me rebuild the death star.” Peter shrugged, that wasn’t too bad.

“Wait rebuild?!”

---

The minute Peter got home, he ran to his room. He took in the sight of opened drawers and papers strewn across his desk. He glanced at his watch. 5 PM. She’d be here by 7. He huffed, knowing that he had a lot of work to do.

---

May set her purse down by the couch and slipped off her shoes. “Peter, I’m home!” Silence. At first she didn’t think anything of it, before seeing that the living room was in pristine condition as if it was a hotel. “Peter?” She opened the door to his room that was now organized; every single item had its place. “I’m not complaining, but is there something going on?” Peter turned from the mirror and to his confused Aunt, “Y/N is coming over.”

“She always does, but this cleaning thing is pretty foreign for you.” Then it all clicked in her head. “Are you finally going to ask her out?” Peter’s eyes wandered to the wall, still extremely focused on adding the right amount of gel to his dark locks. “What no it’s not like that,” he turned to his Aunt “but if I was going to ask her out...does my hair look okay?”

---

His phone buzzed, and he saw a notification from Y/N.

On my way! :) Attached was a photo of her holding the large bag of gummy worms to her head. He smiled to himself, that was definitely her new contact photo. Right as he locked his phone, he got a call. “Requiring back up! Robbery three blocks away-” Damn it. He let out a sigh, but slipped his suit on. “May tell Y/N that I’m going to be a little late!”

“You haven’t told her that you’re Spider-Man yet?”

“No! I just- it’s complicated. I gotta go!”

---

Y/N knocked on the apartment door to reveal Peter’s Aunt. She smiled, welcoming her in. “Hey, Y/N! Peter said that he’d be running late but feel free to make yourself at home. I have a few errands to run, so you’re in charge!” Y/N shot her a thumbs up. “Don’t worry, Peter running late isn’t anything new anymore.Thank you, May!” She breezed out the door and Y/N set her things down in Peter’s room. “Wait a minute.” Peter’s room was actually neat? 

In all ten years of knowing him, he had never been one to tidy up. Not that he was a slob, he just lived in organized chaos. Without the clutter on his shelves, she could finally see the photos in the picture frames. There were a few of him and Tony, courtesy of the Stark Internship, one with Ned, an older photo with May, but one stood out the most.

A photo of her with Peter during their freshman homecoming. Neither of them had a date, and May thought it would be cute for the two of them to go together. Little did he know, that was the day Y/N started to fall for Peter Parker. Sure she had always loved him platonically, but something changed in high school. His chocolate eyes were always gentle and the way his brows furrowed whenever he concentrated was enough to make her swoon. The only thing stopping her from admitting her feelings was the reason that she was sure he didn’t feel the same. Not only that, but what if it made things awkward? So she compromised, keeping her feelings to herself.

Minutes turned into hours and Peter still wasn’t back yet. It was already 10, and Y/N decided to make herself comfortable. Surely he wouldn’t mind if she borrowed one of his sweatshirts?

---

Peter slowly opened his window, before jumping into his room. For some reason, everyone decided to commit crimes at the same time. He froze, seeing Y/N lying in his bed sleeping. He frowned, feeling guilty that he left her all alone. Peter scrambled for his clothes and looked around. Now where was the sweatshirt he left out?

“What the hell?” he heard a groggy voice call out. Y/N was now wide awake, staring back at him. A spandex suit clung to his legs and his face paled. 

“Okay-”

“I knew it! So you are Spider-Man!” she exclaimed in glee.

“No- wait you knew?”

“Well I thought you were and I asked Ned, but he said no very unconvincingly. So there’s that.” Of course she knew.

“I’m sorry for ditching you, wait is that my sweater?” He smiled to himself, and winced before clutching his side. Y/N choked, but noticed that he was in pain. “Yes, but I don’t think that matters right now. You’re literally bleeding and oh-” Past what just happened, she noticed that he was shirtless. Her eyes lingered longer than they should have, before dragging him to the bathroom to find rubbing alcohol.

The wound burned, but the mere sight of her seemed to dull the pain. “You know this reminds me an awful lot about the first time we met.”

Peter sat down on the hardtop at school, with a small lego set in front of him. He had just watched his first Star Wars movie with his Uncle Ben last week, and ever since then he had been enamored by each of the characters and spaceships. For his birthday, he got a small tie fighter lego set and he brought it to school so he could assemble it during recess. He didn’t have many friends, but he was okay with that. A fellow group of first graders approached him and snickered, “Where are the rest of your friends? Oh wait, you don’t have any!” followed by giggles. He ignored them, it wasn’t anything new after all. 

“I’m talking to you, dork!” The kid in front of him let out a yell before letting his small foot crush the legos underneath. “No!” Peter whimpered. The pack of bullies started to laugh even harder before they heard a high pitched voice yell. “Stop it!” A little girl with pigtails stomped towards them, “You’re not being nice! Leave him alone!” The blonde kid scoffed, “What? Are you friends with this dork?” She stood in front of a frowning Peter and crossed her little arms, “He’s not a dork! He’s my friend! Go or I’m telling the teacher!” At that, they all scrambled. The little girl turned back to Peter who sniffled. “Hey, I’m Y/N! Can I help you build your spaceship?” Y/N smiled wide, showing off her missing front teeth. Peter wiped away his tears with his sleeve, “Okay, do you watch Star Wars?”

“Yes! It’s my favorite! Do you want to be friends?”

“Yeah.”

Both of them were brought back to reality, a smile dancing upon their faces as they remembered what had happened years ago. “You were cute back then.” Y/N smirked, “Are you saying that I’m not cute anymore?” Peter tensed up. Uh oh. “No, not at all! You’re not cute,” her face fell “That’s not what I- You’re very pretty.” He dug himself in a deep hole. “Well thank you, Parker-”

“You’re also really nice, and funny, and smart. You’re a great person, Y/N.” He huffed out. Now or never, right? On the other hand, Y/N looked down, trying to hide the child-like grin on her face. “I wasn’t aware that it was compliment time-”

“I think I like you. Well not think, I know I like you. I have for a while.” He felt her touch slowly slip away. Great, he thought, you screwed it up. “Did I make you uncomfortable? I’m sorry-” Y/N got up to quickly press her lips to his. It was short, but he could feel the passion and intensity.

“You talk too much.” Their heartbeats echoed in their ears. 

“Wait so you like me?” She nodded, a blissful smile on her face. “For the longest time, I just thought you didn’t feel the same way.”

“I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you to get hurt because of my job.” He stated, looking into her eyes. “That’s a risk I’m okay with taking.” He tentatively kissed her again, resting his hand on top of hers. “I really like you, Y/N.”

“I like you too, Peter Parker. Now, just because you’re cute doesn’t make up for the fact that you haven’t helped me study for the physics quiz tomorrow.”

---

Y/N and Peter strolled through the halls hand in hand. They approached Y/N’s next class; physics. Both of them stopped by the door with a smile. “Relax, you’ll ace this.” Peter spoke. She bit her lip, “You’re just saying that.” He grazed her hand with his thumb before planting a kiss on her cheek. “Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?” she smiled. 

“It was a kiss. For good luck.”

“That’s cute, I’ll catch you later.” Y/N entered her class, while Peter stood in the hallway. “When did that happen?” Ned called out, but Peter was too enthralled in his own bliss to answer back.

He fell for her hard, and he was okay with that.

---

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[junghelioseok]

change. | 07

↳ a kind, handsome stranger makes you question your deteriorating relationship.

◇ taehyung x reader | jungkook x reader ◇ angst | fluff | smut ◇ 2.7k [7/10]

notes: links are still broken, so please check my masterlist to read other chapters! 

01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | epilogue ✓

Kim Seokjin, you decide, is an absolute godsend.

A godsend with a full bottle of champagne and another of freshly squeezed orange juice, both waiting for you as you take a seat opposite him in the restaurant he’s chosen for today. It’s a cozy little place with burgundy walls and dark wooden accents, plenty of potted green plants providing a splash of vibrancy. An outdoor patio scattered with silver heat lamps overlooks the sidewalk, the tall windows closed against the wintry chill in the air.

The patio is where you are sitting today, the warmth of the lamp on your right keeping you comfortable despite the chill that manages to permeate the glass window on your left. Jin is quick to pour you some champagne, and you laugh softly when he tops it off with the tiniest splash of orange juice you’ve ever seen. “You know me so well, Jinnie.”

“You sounded like you had a rough night,” he replies, setting the bottle down with a clunk and fixing you with a knowing gaze. “Ready to talk about it?”

You sigh. “No. But I need to.”

Jin waits patiently as you take a long sip of your drink, reading through the menu about three times before you finally find the words to begin your tale. You tell him about your coffee not-date with Taehyung, and Hoseok’s studio. Jin manages to maintain a stoic expression throughout, but when you mention Jungkook’s phone call at the holiday market, his face darkens.

“Jesus Christ,” he mutters. “Talk about bad timing.”

You sigh again, rubbing the bridge of your nose. “I know. And now he knows about Taehyung, and probably thinks there’s something going on between us. It’s a mess, Jinnie.”

Your best friend exhales heavily and pours himself some more champagne. “So what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.” Reaching for the bottle, you top off your glass. “I guess I should try and talk to Jungkook, but he hasn’t been responding to my calls or texts. He probably needs time to cool down.”

Jin hums. “And what about Taehyung? What happened after Jungkook called?”

“He drove me home,” you reply. “And then I texted you, and here we are.”

The waiter chooses that moment to interrupt, so the two of you place your orders. Jin wisely requests another bottle of champagne, and once the waiter takes your menus and departs, you reach across the table to clutch at Jin’s hands.

“Distract me,” you entreaty. “Tell me about your life. How’s the cookbook going?”

“Well—” Jin begins to say, only to be cut off by a series of oohs and ahhs coming from the front entrance. Taken aback by the sudden commotion, you turn toward the source, only to stop dead at the sight of a familiar head of coppery hair and a distinctive boxy smile, the latter of which is directed at the group of wait staff who have flocked around him. Upon closer inspection, you see that a little black and tan Pomeranian is the main source of excitement, and the sight of the dog only further amplifies your shock.

“Oh my god.”

Jin gives you a curious look. “What?”

You shake your head, mind still reeling in disbelief. “Taehyung,” you whisper, and Jin immediately understands, whirling around to look at the young man at the door.

“That’s him?” He squints and cranes his neck, tilting his head at almost a ninety degree angle. “Huh, I guess he does kind of look like that photo you showed me...”

“Jin!” you hiss, scandalized by his blatant staring. “Stop it! He’s going to notice u—”

But it’s too late. Taehyung has already spotted you, brown eyes widening as recognition dawns across his handsome face. You see him mouth your name silently before giving you a cheery wave, breaking out into an even wider grin than before. “{Name}!” he repeats, out loud this time. “Hi.”

You wave back, lips curling up into an automatic smile. Then you glance at Jin, who’s raising both brows at you as if to say, well? Invite him over, idiot!

Behave, you mouth at him—before beckoning Taehyung over with another wave. Almost immediately, the young man politely excuses himself from the crowd fawning over the little dog at his feet and makes his way toward your table. “Hey, stranger,” you say once he comes to a stop in front of you. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“I could say the same thing,” he replies with a chuckle. You notice the way his gaze slides over to Jin curiously, and wince when your best friend chooses that moment to kick you under the table.

“This is Jin,” you say, gesturing to the dark-haired man and attempting to kick him back when Taehyung turns away. Jin wisely chooses to ignore you and accepts Taehyung’s proffered hand instead, giving him a firm handshake.

“My turn for introductions,” Taehyung says once the two have exchanged pleasantries. Glancing down, he tugs gently on the leash wrapped around his wrist. “This is Yeontan.”

The little Pomeranian perks up at the sound of his name, and you lean down to let him sniff your hand with a giggle. “It’s nice to meet you at last, Yeontan,” you say, your solemn tone drawing a fit of squeaky laughter from Jin as he crouches down to greet the dog as well.

“Why don’t you join us for brunch?” Jin asks once you’ve both straightened up. “If you aren’t meeting anyone else, you might as well. I’m sure we’d both—” and here he gives you a pointed look, “—love your company.”

You kick Jin under the table again, but Taehyung doesn’t notice—a boxy grin spreading across his face as he glances between the two of you. “Would that really be okay?” he asks. “I don’t want to intrude.”

“You aren’t intruding,” you reassure. Across the table, Jin bites back a victorious grin and settles for an expression of smug satisfaction instead. He’s quick to pull an empty chair from a nearby table over for Taehyung, who thanks him as he takes a seat and ties Yeontan’s leash loosely to one of the slats in the backrest, leaving just enough slack for the little dog to sniff around the table and reach the water dish Taehyung sets out.

“I’ve never been here before,” Taehyung admits once he’s settled, smiling politely as a server brings him a menu. “Do you have any recommendations, Jin? From what {Name} has told me, you seem to know quite a bit about food.”

Jin grins and happily launches into a monologue about the restaurant’s best and worst dishes, describing every last detail down to the plating and garnishes. Taehyung listens attentively with his chin propped up in his palm, nodding along and laughing at all the right places. You groan as Jin sets up a particularly bad joke, and bury your face in your hands when he delivers the punchline with a slap to the knee and an excited shout of, “Burgundy!”

Time flies by. Before you know it, two hours have passed, filled with easy conversation and laughter. Jin takes the opportunity to order a third bottle of champagne when a server stops by to clear your plates, and cheerfully tops off your glass once it’s arrived. “Drink more,” he commands, leaving you no room to argue. Then he turns to the other man at the table. “Taehyung? More for you?”

The coppery-haired man laughs, placing his hand over his glass and shaking his head. “No, thank you—no more for me. I have a few errands to run after this, so I should really keep a clear head.”

“More art?” you inquire curiously, remembering your visit to Hoseok’s home yesterday afternoon.

Taehyung nods. “I have a few more paintings to look at for Studio V. But Tan here—” he looks pointedly at the little Pomeranian curled obediently at his feet, “—wouldn’t let me go without taking him for a walk first. And I’d heard that this place was dog-friendly from Yoongi, so here I am.”

“Good thing, too,” Jin says, leaning down to give Yeontan an affectionate scratch behind the ears. “I’ve been wanting to meet you for some time now. {Name} hasn’t shut up about you since you met.”

You’re sorely tempted to kick your best friend again, but with Taehyung sitting between you, there’s a good chance you’d end up kicking him instead. Instead, you settle for an eye-roll, while Taehyung grins and shoots you a playful look. “Oh? She’s been saying nice things, I hope.”

Jin pretends to hesitate. You huff, swatting at his arm. “Don’t lie,” you berate him before turning to Taehyung. “Don’t listen to a word he says, Taehyung. Jinnie here is a pathological liar.”

“Am not,” Jin sniffs, intercepting your hand mid-swipe and lacing your fingers together firmly.

“Are too!” you cry, trying to wrench out of his grasp. Taehyung watches the entire exchange with a soft smile, and you cease your struggling when you see the quiet melancholy lingering in the creases of his expression. “Taehyung? Are you okay?”

His smile grows more genuine at your concern. “I’m fine! It’s just that you two remind me a lot of me and my best friend. You might remember me mentioning him at some point—Park Jimin? He still lives back in our hometown, so I haven’t seen him in quite a while.”

You nod, recognition flicking a switch in your brain at the sound of the name. “Right—I do remember. You grew up together on your family’s farm, right?”

Taehyung chuckles. “Exactly. We got into all sorts of shenanigans as kids… in fact, I’m pretty sure I was grounded more often than not.”

“I can’t imagine that,” you say with a laugh, taking in the neat lapels of his tailored coat and the smooth silky material of the floral-patterned shirt underneath. “I can barely imagine you on a farm, to be honest.”

“No?” Taehyung’s chocolate brown eyes glint with amusement. “Can’t you imagine me in a cornfield? Feeding cows? Shoveling fertilizer?”

Jin chooses that moment to interrupt. “You mean manure.”

“Well, yes,” Taehyung admits with another chuckle. “But we just ate, so I figured a little tact wouldn’t hurt.”

“Much appreciated,” you reply. “Jin has no tact whatsoever, so it’s a welcome change. Honestly, you should probably just ignore him from this point forward. It’s what I do most of the time.”

Taehyung nods slowly, seeming to consider your words. “Noted. I’ll do that,” he says after a second’s deliberation—to stifled giggles from you and an offended squawk from Seokjin. His protest only makes the two of you laugh harder, and Taehyung wipes his eyes as he pulls out his phone to check the time. “Ah. I really should get going,” he says regretfully, flagging down a server so that he can pay his bill.

“You’ve got people to see and things to do,” you murmur, watching as he pulls out his wallet and selects a few bills. “Don’t let us keep you.”

“Still, I wish I could stay longer,” Taehyung replies with a soft sigh. “Oh, well.” Placing the money in the checkbook, he stands up, the scrape of his chair startling Yeontan from his impromptu nap in a patch of sunlight on the floor. Tail wagging, the little Pomeranian stares up at his owner, head tilting curiously as Taehyung begins to shrug on his coat. “This has been really fun,” he says, packing up his belongings and giving Yeontan a playful bop on the nose as he tucks his water dish back into his messenger bag. “Thank you for inviting me to join you. It was nice to finally meet you, Jin.”

“You too,” Jin replies, standing up to clap Taehyung on the back and give him a farewell handshake. “We’ll have to do this again sometime.”

“Absolutely,” Taehyung agrees. “Just name a time and place, and I’ll be there.”

With all your goodbyes said and done, Taehyung departs with Yeontan in tow. You and Jin wave at him one last time through the window as he walks by, which earns you a boxy grin and a happy finger waggle in return. Then Jin turns toward you and raises his glass, simultaneously dumping the rest of the champagne bottle into your empty one.

“Cheers!” he says, forcibly taking your hand and wrapping your fingers around the stem of your glass and bringing the two together with a clink. “To Kim Taehyung. I see why you like him.”

You roll your eyes, pulling out of his grasp and taking a sip. “Told you he was nice.”

“You did,” Jin agrees, leaning back in his seat and tipping his drink back into his mouth. His gaze returns briefly to the street outside the window again, watching pedestrians and cars pass by. Then he heaves a sigh and sets his glass back down, the soft clunk loud in the sudden silence. “Hey. Can I be honest with you for a second?”

“Of course,” you reply slowly, concern welling up in your chest when you see the way he presses his lips into a thin line. “What is it, Jinnie?”

Jin sighs again, his index finger drumming out an erratic rhythm on the edge of the table. “Taehyung,” he begins cautiously. “He likes you. Really, really likes you. You’d have to be blind not to see that. And… well, I think you like him too, even if you don’t want to admit it.”

Your mimosa suddenly tastes sour. “That’s ridiculous,” you say, brushing him off with another eye-roll. “Taehyung’s just a friend. Besides, I already have a boyfriend.”

“You mean the guy who’s currently sulking and ignoring your calls?” Jin asks, raising a brow. “Some boyfriend.”

“We’re just in a bit of a rough patch,” you defend immediately, eyes narrowing at his implication. “These things happen. They happen in every relationship!”

“Sure, but this so-called rough patch? It’s lasted for a month… if not longer.”

“Well, Jungkook’s been busy!” Your voice pitches a little too high on the last syllable, strident in the quiet atmosphere, and Jin’s other eyebrow rises up to join the first at your outburst. Immediately abashed, you lower your tone and try again. “I mean, he’s just a little on edge. And it makes sense—I mean, between training new employees and that big new project, he’s been pulling crazy hours at the office.”

“I know,” Jin concedes. “I get it—I do. But his job shouldn’t be taking such a big toll on your relationship. That’s not fair. To either of you.”

You meet his eyes at last, shoulders sagging as you rest your elbows on the edge of the table. “What are you suggesting I do, Jin?”

“I don’t know,” your best friend replies, reaching over to take your hand in his. “I can’t answer that for you.” Then he gives your fingers a squeeze, soft and warm and comforting. “All I know is that you deserve to be happy. And right now… I don’t think you are.”

///

When you arrive back home, you immediately slide off your shoes and flop down onto your bed, burying your face into the nearest pillow and sucking in a deep breath. Jin’s words echo in your head, tolling like a bell. Happy, happy, happy.

Are you happy? You aren’t sure anymore, and you aren’t left with much time to dwell on it when your phone suddenly buzzes in your pocket. Rolling over, you dig it out and wake the screen, your heart sinking a little when you see the message displayed there.

[4:25pm] Mom: You and Jungkook are still planning to take the Saturday morning train right? We’ll be there to pick you up at the station. Can’t wait! Excited to finally meet him!

Groaning, you drop your phone back onto the mattress. Guilt settles across you like a blanket at the mention of your holiday plans—plans that you and Jungkook made almost two months ago and have been looking forward to ever since. Nearly one year into your relationship, and Jungkook is finally meeting your family. It’s a big step for any couple, and you can’t deny the flicker of excitement that comes to life inside your chest at the thought.

You need to text Jungkook. You need to, yet your phone suddenly feels like it weighs a hundred pounds. And try as you might, you can’t forget Jin’s words, nor can you erase the image of Taehyung that has etched itself into your head and your heart.

[previous] [next]

[like-the-wings-of-butterflies]

Watercolours (Queen x Artist!Reader)

Summary: Following a difficult few weeks you beg the boys to take you with them to Ridge Farm where they then discover a small secret of yours.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1,574 (No wonder it took me forever to write)

A/N: It’s 1:15am and this. was. exhausting. I’m posting a bit later then what I originally planned but as promised, it’s here. This one took a bit of a turn to what I started with but in the end, I think I’m fairly happy with it. Let me know what you think! ♡ (Not my gif)

When you heard Freddie, John, Brian and Roger were taking a road trip to the countryside to record their next album, you practically begged them to let you join. Not only so you could witness the boys create something extraordinary; a new era of Queen, but it also provided the opportunity to escape the recent painfully restless nights in London, where your small apartment felt the slightest bit too cramped for comfort. Your seemingly endless work and responsibilities leaving you tired and burnt out. With the suffocating feeling in your chest becoming far too strong, you knew you needed to step away from the busy world, even for a short while.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Please Freddie, I’m begging you.”

“Hmmmm...I’m not sure. John? What do you think, should we bring our little tyrant or leave her behind?” Freddie teases.

“I vote leave her behind.” He puffs

“Hey! Just because I’m good at stopping your fights does not make me a tyrant. If it weren’t for me you would’ve all killed each other by now.”

“Us? Fighting? Never.” Roger drawls, his tone equally as teasing as the other two. 

Brian sat in the background watching the situation unfold, lightly giggling at your exasperation. It was without question you were going. Even if you didn’t want to, they’d still find a way to convince you. It wasn’t as if they were oblivious to your moods over the past few weeks, it pained them to see you so stressed and exhausted and they knew that disconnecting was exactly what you needed. Plus it meant you all had some time to spend with one another, an occurrence that’d be becoming slightly more rare with their busy schedules. Simply, you needed them and they needed you.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

When the day finally came, you couldn’t contain your excitement for the whole journey. It was almost as if the second you stepped out of the car you felt instantly relieved of the pressures that had been troubling you for so long. After taking in a breath of fresh air studying your surroundings you then turned to the others, “Isn’t it beautiful?” After taking a drag of his cigarette Roger spoke up “I thought this was supposed to be a recording studio.” Clearly the boys weren’t as sold on the new setting as you were. Paul had shown you all to your rooms and told you to make yourself comfortable as recording would start in a few day’s time after everyone had settled in. The five days that followed were slow but still comforting. The new setting caused a shift in everyone’s attitude, provided an opportunity to take a load off and relish in the simple atmosphere.

Mainly you just settled into the new environment, making yourself familiar with the in’s and out’s of the place. Apart of course from the evening you and Brian decided to go for a walk together, getting caught in the rain and running back to the house, only to find that Roger had locked you out despite denying your claims. (Even though it was easily distinguishable from his howling laughter on the other side of the door). But soon enough, everything was set up and the boys were ready to start.

On the first day, Freddie insisted you stay next door and spend the morning taking a moment to yourself: “You’ve been stuck with us the past five days, at least take a hour or so to yourself.” He said. You realised he was right, the entire point of you going on the trip was so you could think through some things and figure out what to do next. As much as you enjoyed your time with the four, spending every waking moment with them somewhat defeated the purpose.

“Alright,” You smiled, “But you’ll be next door if I need you, yes?”

“Always Darling.”

Somehow they knew exactly what you needed, exactly when you needed. One thing the boys didn’t know about you however, was that you held a certain passion for art. Though you didn’t think of yourself much more then a hobbyist, your work said otherwise. Originally, you started out painting landscapes but as your friendship with Queen developed, you saw more enjoyment in painting them. They brought a new essence into your life, which then reflected in your work.

After settling down at the dining table with your supplies spread all over it, the small tin of watercolours making a quiet ‘clang’ as you placed them down, you flicked through the leather-bound folio. Knowing you had a couple hours on your own you made the bold choice to work on a few unfinished sketches from the last show you visited, it wasn’t as if anyone would see, you’d just have to pack up before noon when they came back for lunch. You didn’t exactly enjoy keeping your hobby a secret but you struggled to overcome the anxieties of not being good enough and kept your work solely for your eyes only. With your work station set, you began. You hand moved effortlessly across the paper, and the whirlwind of colours bled into one another. Each pencil and brush stroke placed with a calculated precision. A certain love and care that could only be highlighted through art.

Just as everything was going well, a heavy gust of wind blew though the open window, sending pages flying, scattering pencils and spilling the small dish of water you had out to clean your brushes. Cursing to yourself for not closing the window earlier, you hurriedly soaked up the water with a nearby cloth, hoping it hadn’t ruined any of your paintings and in the process; knocked your tea off of the table, thus resulting in the cup shattering on the hardwood floor.

“(Y/N)? Are you alright Love?” John’s voice called out, the barn door creaking as it opened and closed behind him.

“We heard something fall, just wanted to make sure you hadn’t hurt yourself.” Brian added.

“No no, I’m fine. I just spilled my tea is all. You can go back to recording, I can manage.”

As they turned the corner you held your breath hoping your body would block their view from the small disaster behind you.

“Well you look suspicious.” Brian said matter-of-factly.

“Everything’s fine, I’ll clean it up. No need to worry.” As you were speaking to Brian, in the corner of your eye you say John’s head tilt slightly to the side, your open sketchbook and art supplies now in his full view. A small smiles played on his lips, “Is that Fred?” He said, nodding toward a stray piece of paper.

“What? No, I mean yes,” In that moment you knew there wasn’t any redemption. Would they think it’s strange? Surely they would, otherwise you wouldn’t have hidden it for so long. The press taking photos is one thing but their friend using them as a muse without their knowledge is whole other ordeal in its own.

And at that moment, just like clockwork, Roger and Freddie walked in. “What’s going on?” The black haired male asked.

“(Y/N)’s an artist apparently, a bloody good one at that.” John said as he picks up some of the sketches you’d been painting over.

“No, that’s certainly not what’s happening, I umm-,” Although you knew it was already far too late, you scrambled for the loose pages that escaped your sketchbook, silently praying that they wouldn’t see any more then what they already had. Despite your efforts, each of the boys had already picked up various pieces and were studying each one in immense detail. The swirls of colour and carefully places lines depicted Freddie flaunting on stage, John and Brian deep in concentration during their respective solos, Roger twirling drumsticks in his hands and finally, the group taking their final bows at the end of the show. Each piece held a certain vibrancy that they hadn’t seen before.

“I never knew you saw us like this,” Roger breathes out in disbelief, holding the pages up to the light and studying them further.

You hesitated for a moment, but then spoke, “What do you mean? Of course I do, you’re my family.” You still felt shy but you spoke honestly nonetheless. “I can’t quite describe it but when you’re performing you’re just, in your element doing what you love. You’re all just so raw and so, you. I like trying to capture that.”

“What? When do you even-?” Freddie pressed.

Scratching the back of you head you went on, “I usually sketch while you’re performing and then I’ll paint that night after you’ve all gone back to your hotel rooms. It distracts me from my own thoughts I guess.” An uneasy silence filled the air. “These ones were from your tour in Sweden, I’ve been meaning to finish them for a while but never really got around to it. I know they’re not the best and doing this without you knowing is strange but-”

“Oh shut up.” Roger said, pulling you into a hug.

“They’re amazing,” John paused “We don’t want you thinking otherwise.”

“Especially with the way you go on when we’re feeling insecure about our playing.” Brian added.

“I only go on about it because you blatantly ignore you’re talented.” You interject, lightly pouting.

“And look who’s blatantly ignoring their own talent now,” Freddie smirks. “I’d even go as far to say you made me look too handsome.”