#v. as long as we���re out in the sun. ( complete au )

[karatficrecs]

~ Tuesday Blues Fic Recs ~

hi guys! a lot happened last week and this week, so if you want to have a good cry or be taken to another world just for a bit, you can read these :)) 💕💓 (if u don’t cry from reading one of these,, ur strong 🥴)

🚨 please make sure to read the warning carefully! 🚨

hostage by @jaeminhours - [wc: 7.6k] gang!au, highschool!au, angst, jaemin x reader + jeno x reader (warnings: mentions of drugs, violence, character death)

You fall in love with a boy you shouldn’t.

notes: this is my favourite fic from @jaeminhours! it makes me cry no matter how many times i read it. the writing completely immerses you in the story...one of my fav authors :))

timeless by @jaeminhours - [wc: 6.1k] about time!au, angst, renjun x reader (warnings: mentions of death)

You know the exact hour, minute, and second every person you meet is going to die, including yourself, and that’s the way it’s always been. In which you meet a boy who changes everything, but your time is running out.

notes: another fic by @jaeminhours,, i repeatedly read this because of the interesting au and it also makes me cry a lot. :’)

in loving memory by (you guessed it!) @jaeminhours - [wc: 9.1k] cellist!jeno, friends to lovers au, pure angst, jeno x reader (warnings: character death, cursing (a lot), mentions of sickness (cancer), mentions of death, etc)

Dying isn’t something that’s supposed to happen to kids. It happens to grandparents, and people who smoke cigarettes outside the supermarket, who are dying anyway, who have used up all the time they’ve got. It doesn’t happen to boys like Lee Jeno, your best friend, who makes music and smiles like he’s holding the sun on the tip of his tongue. It doesn’t happen to Jeno, until it does.

notes: at this point, you should just read all of @jaeminhours’ works... they’re such a talented writer 😩

charmolypi by @neostruck - [wc: 14.1k] terminally ill au, donghyuck x reader, kinda crack, fluff, angst (warnings: cursing, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, various illegal activities, neglect, dark themes, mental health, a bit of blood, mentions of death, jaemin is a v bad person. we all know how this ends. read with caution.)

charmolypi - (n.) a mixed feeling of happiness while being sad; “joy-making sorrow”

notes: @neostruck is also an amazing writer,, but this one really hit me hard and i find myself re-reading it a lot.

all i need by @t-aeycng - [51 parts] fluff, angst, jaemin x reader (warnings: cursing)

ever since your boyfriend cheated on you, you’ve been determined to help others heal from broken hearts. you create the dnyl club, but what happens when you develop feelings for someone? and even worse, what happens when your ex comes back for you?

notes: the storyline of this fic had so many plot twists that made my heart ache and my brain confused!! talented storyteller alert 🚨

liar, mark lee by @yukheistics - [wc: 2.5k] slight fluff, angst, mark lee x reader (warnings: implications of lying + cheating)

he knows how to lie. he knows how it works. he knows you.

notes: i just read this the other day and HAD to put it in here,, it’s short but makes ur heart ache every time :”)

180 days by @kkuljaehyun - [wc: 5.36k] angst, jaemin x reader (warnings: a lil bit of unprotected sex (please always wear a condom!), slight violence at one point, men being gross)

unbeknownst to you, na jaemin asks you out as a bet and makes you fall in love with him. how long can he keep the act up? what happens when things finally fall apart?

notes: this is another one i just read, but i felt like i really was in the story and the writing is truly immaculate *chefs kiss*

i hope you enjoy all these fics! please check our all these writers and their pieces,, and don’t forget to like them!!

- see you soon!

[justimajin]

His First Love ⟨Part 3⟩

➸ Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

➸ Genre: Angst, Fluff, Future Smut

↳ Vampire AU, Reincarnation AU

➸ Words: 1.5k 

➸ Warnings: none

➸ Summary: Each night, its the same dream; drenching tears, specks of blood and a heart torn in half. Each night, you wake up trembling and filled with the fear of how crystal-clear the nightmares were, more and more endless questions ready to spur from you. The biggest question however, was always left unanswered - who was the man that never ceased the opportunity to appear in them?

➸ Moodboard Prologue Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

“Y/N.” He breathes out and unknowingly, drops of tears fall from the corner of your eyes at the sound of hearing his voice.

“W-what? How?” It’s almost like there’s a blur in your mind, a blockage of some sort that twists and turns the longer you stare at him and soon a pounding sensation treads through your head, making you flinch and grasp it in pain.

The wobbliness present in your legs causes you stagger, but Yoongi is quick to catch you before you fall. You know there was something different about him too, that it wasn’t a mere coincidence that he appeared to look the same as the men currently resting on the ground, but oddly enough your body relaxes against him and you find yourself becoming sleepy from the mental exhaustion.

Yoongi places an arm around you back and underneath your legs, swiftly picking you up as you fall limp against him.

“W-what’s going on?” You barely manage to whisper out the words, your throat feeling incredibly dry and cracked words being produced instead. Too much was going on and it was overbearing, but you still needed something desperately, some sort of explanation for everything.

“Do you want to know more about those dreams of yours?” Yoongi says, still continuing to carry you as he walks on a different pathway from your own.

Not trusting your voice anymore, you simply nod to which Yoongi lets out a faint smile.

“I promise I’ll give you the answers you’re searching for.”

Maybe it was because of the long battle of figuring out what was wrong with you, or the sleep deprivation finally taking complete control of all your senses, but you decide it was safe to trust him when your eyes shut automatically and soon you lose your grasp on reality.  

You let out an incoherent mumble when you hear the blaring volume of individuals conversing near you, resulting you attempting to shift away from the noise. A deep voice pitches through and soon the light tap of shoes shuffling against the floor is heard before it grows louder. Your eyes slowly flicker, trying to accommodate to the dim lighting of the room and absorbing in the surroundings.

The room is a typical bedroom, but what catches your attention is the person Yoongi is talking to.

“Dr. Kim?” You blurt out, completely taken off guard with the new appearance of the person that was currently treating you.

Her eyes immediately widen, like she wasn’t expecting you to speak at all before she smiles and the long canines in her teeth are graciously presented to your eyes.

“Y-you’re a-“ You don’t know what to call it, but you were surely suspecting that she and Yoongi were not normal in any sense.

“Sun stop. You’re scaring her.” Yoongi states and she pouts at him, closing her mouth and reclining into her seat but you’re still overwhelmed by everything that was going on. You keep wondering to yourself when this all would make sense, and if you truly had succumbed to another dream somehow.

“W-what are you two?” You hesitantly ask when Yoongi falls quiet. Sun immediately perks up, smiling to you once again.

“We’re vampires!” She says cheerfully but your jaw drops at the mention and you unconsciously fist the sheets underneath you, shifting uncomfortably.

“V-vampires...?” You harshly swallow, eyes darting back and forth in fear.

Yoongi lets out a sigh at Sun’s proclamation, “We won’t hurt you. But yes, we are vampires. ” He says calmly, “Creatures that appear human but are more agile and stronger than them….and creatures that require their blood to survive…” His eyes furrow when they trail onto the fresh wound of yours that Sun had managed to bandage up.  

You take in a shaky breath to process the load of information being delivered to you.

“Okay...” You say, still taken aback as you exhale in disbelief but you compose yourself in the interest of more answers, “Why did you bring me here?”

Yoongi gets up and sits behind you, reaching out to hold your hand but he pauses, before he decides to drop it beside him and face you to talk.

“Y/N...” He starts and his gaze is concentrated, hesitantly searching for a way to properly tell you everything.

“Y/N, meet the person of your dreams.” Sun winks playfully and Yoongi immediately glares at her, but the engines in your mind click and you look at Yoongi, recognition re-surfacing upon your face.

“You appeared in my dreams...” You whisper and Yoongi turns his complete attention on you, patiently waiting.

“Do you know about me? About us?” You can’t put the thumb to it and Yoongi feels like he’s ripping himself apart at this point when the blank expression adorns your features and renders him speechless.

“Y/N, we can help you understand those dreams, in a way we can help you remember.” Sun reassures you about the situation at hand but her words cause a mixture of confusion in you.

“Remember?” You ask and Sun nods.

“Y/N, your dreams are not normal dreams...there memories.” Sun softly smiles and you furrow your brows.

“Memories? I don’t understand...” You turn to look at Yoongi but he faces away from you, his hands clenched in fists.

“Y/N, come here.” Sun gestures for you to go towards her and you slowly get up, walking over to her.

“I know of ways that can help you understand your dreams better in the form of recovering those lost memories. If you wish, I can essentially allow you to get the answers you are searching for.” At the mention of answers, you stiffen.

“Would you like to know?” You nod right away in response, ready to figure out what was going on with you.

Sun guides you to lie down on the bed, with Yoongi getting up and not uttering a single word to you. She gives you a few instructions, telling you to get comfortable and using her words to lull you into a deep sleep, before you hear her voice speak out for the last time.

“It’ll feel a little bit odd and it will be exhausting, but you will find your answers.”

And with that Sun’s voice disappears, with you fading away.

The image in your mind distorts and you’re being transported somewhere, somewhere unknown. A painful jolt runs through you, similar to an electric shock, and soon you’re opening your eyes to a cooler environment. It makes you want to cover yourself, the breeze prickling the hairs on your skin. You slowly open your eyes, immediately widening them when you take in the setting before you.

It’s you.

Your jaw widens when you rake your eyes over yourself lying in bed, covered in what appears to be clothing that you wouldn’t even be caught in wearing these days. It’s distinctly similar to the ones you had always adorned in your dreams, a white cotton blouse paired with a dark brown skirt. Your hair significantly exceeds the length you had kept it now and you cringe at the thought of trying to comb its sheer length on a day to day basis, but the sleeping you doesn’t seem to mind it at all until your eyes flutter open.

Upon noticing that you were awake, you quickly merge into the dark shadows of the bedroom and hope to be left unseen. The figure before you stretches her arms out, letting out a soft yawn that brings small pools of water in her eyes and smiles, before getting up and fixing her attire.  

Maybe it was the way her eyes glinted underneath the light of the room, or the way her rosy cheeks and lips gave her that subtle beauty at the time, because you can’t help but think how much more graceful you appear to look so suddenly, like you weren’t yourself anymore.

Your eyes drift off onto the large abundance of scattered paper on a nearby table, messy lettering in dark scribbles lining the paper. There were multiple words you couldn’t understand or make sense of at all, the scripture being beyond your own basic knowledge. However your eyes land on other parts interlaced into the sheet, interesting and creative dots and swirls being used on the fine parchment. Immediately you make sense out of it all.

They were musical notes.

Raising a brow at the observation, you suddenly discover the figure in your peripheral view move to grasp the bronze coated door handle, assuming to be leaving for the day. Seeing this, you swiftly grab the black blanket that was previously submerged around your sleeping body and fling it over yourself in hopes to completely conceal your identity.

The door opens, and the figure walks out with a determined you trailing behind them in the shadows.

Because it seemed finally at last, you were going to get the answers you had been endlessly chasing after.

[kaileah-kat]

‘Tis a freaking AU

Hey @altruistic-skittles , heard you were in a creative slump. I decided to finish this for you. Maybe brighten your day a little :D

Grocery Store/Supermarket AU! The most basic AU you will ever see (besides the beloved coffee shop au’s). I was at work thinking of all these scenarios because I don’t really talk to anyone so my mind just wanders and we end up with things like this. Prepare for a not-so wild ride my dudes.

EDIT: HERE’S PART TWO HERE’S PART THREE HERE’S PART FOUR HERE’S A FLOOR PLAN HERE’S MORE RANDOM ISH HERE’S A MINIFIC PT 1

Logan:

He’s 21 with no sense of adventure.

He started working at this random store with no name when he was 18.

He started in the pharmacy section because he’s a smart cookie.

Sadly, he’s not smart enough to understand “The customer is always right”.

He doesn’t play games. When you’re wrong, you’re wrong.

It got to a point where he had at least 10 customer complaints a week and management was very close to kicking him to the curb. 

They made a compromise for him to move to a department with literally z e r o customer interaction.

The accounting office. He loves it. He’s now a smart cookie in charge of money.

But, if cashiers could sort their freaking coupons, that would be great.

Oh! He’s also Emile's brother!

Patton:

He’s about 19/20 (I’m leaning towards 20) and a sunshine bean.

He started working at this random store with no name when he was 16.

He’s a cashier who everyone l o v e s.

He’s so friendly?? All the time?? 

Management used him as an example for Logan all the time.

He sorts his coupons. Just for Logan.

Patton loves children and he loves the fact that he can offer them stickers.

Once, a child denied his sticker. He was a little upset. 

He’s not allowed to do re-shops anymore because one time he ended up re-arranging the entire cereal aisle by color.

His one task, which was to put the cornflakes back on the shelf, was never completed.

A local dad friend to every minor working in the store.

He also knows ASL just in case someone’s deaf because oh boy he isn’t missing a chance on any customer interaction. 

Also, he’s Virgil's brother!

Roman:

He’s 18. Look at him thrive into adultery adulthood.

He started working at this random store with no name when he was 16. 

Forgot a thing: every minor starts as a cashier. 15? They have to stay there until they’re 16. 16/17? Great! As long as you’ve been a cashier for 6 months, you can move departments! Only to certain ones though, lets not get crazy.

Roman stayed a cashier until he was 18. People are cool, he doesn’t mind interaction.

He got bored and decided he wanted to move to the bakery so he can decorate cakes in excessive amounts of edible glitter. 

He lets his creativity f l y.

When someone has an ordered cake, you better know he’s making that cake so that it exceeds expectations.

Sometimes frosting mysteriously “goes missing”.

He eats it in the cooler. He hasn’t been caught yet.

Makes the best frosting flowers. They look almost like real flowers, it confuses everyone.

However, he can’t write words on a cake to save his life.

Virgil:

He’s 17. He’s small and needs to be protected.

He started working at this random store with no name when he was 15.

He’s selectively mute because of social anxiety so clearly putting this child on a cash register is a g e n i u s idea. However, it’s the law, he has no choice.

He’s also half of the reason Patton knows sign language because he loves his brother damnit! If Virgil is anxious in a public space and he doesn’t want to use his actual voice that’s a-okay!

The front end cashier managers will also accommodate so if Virgil needs to chill and do some back work (like re-shops or cleaning the registers that aren’t in use.) then that’s fine. There is one manager that can choke though, but we’ll talk about him later.

When Virgil turned 16 and was officially 6 months on register he freaking b o o k e d i t to management to see if he could move to accounting. (In the back where it’s quiet and the only person he’ll have to speak to is Logan? Sounds amazing.)

Sadly, the lad has to be at least 18 to be back there. 

Virgil settled for grocery. Still has customer interaction? Yes, but a lot less of it.

He still rarely talks and when people ask him where something is he generally gestures for them to follow him as he leads them to the item.

Belial (Deceit):

He’s 27 and can c h o k e.

He started working at this random store with no name when he was 17.

He’s one out of the four front end managers.

Every single employee hates him with the passion of 1,000 burning suns.

How did he get a manager position? No one knows.

Has made cashiers cry (mainly Virgil minors, and one super buff guy with a goatee).

Everyone thinks it brings him joy. Hint: It kind of does.

It tends to be his way of doing things, or the high way. 

All in all? A despised human with a snake tongue.

Emile:

He’s 27 and a legend who we will love and appreciate forever.

He started working at this random store with no name when he was 16.

He’s the Human Resource REP. and loves his job. Sometimes he wants to put his head through a wall, but he loves his job.

He wants the best for every single employee, except one.

Makes puns and pop culture references way too often.

Most people don’t understand what the hell is going on when he starts. 

When a pun is made you can hear Logan groan from the accounting office.

Remy:

He’s 26 and sassy as h e l l.

He started working at this random store with no name when he was 19.

He works in asset protection (aka: security)

He has all the receipts and tea sweetie, he knows you were trying to steal that lipstick.

He doesn’t play games. (Okay, well, he knows Roman eats some of the frosting. But he lets it slide. He would do the same thing.)

He lives off of coffee. His coffee cups seem to be everywhere.

“Alright Felicia, here’s the deal,” “My name is Carol.” “Honey, sure it is.” -every conversation with someone trying to break the laws of the land.

Thomas:

He’s 29 and somehow not losing his damn mind.

He started working at this random store with no name when he was 15.

He’s the store manager, look at him t h r i v e.

He wants the best for every employee, even the one with a snake tongue.

Why he doesn’t fire Belial has been a mystery for years. 

Treats everyone in the store like they’re part of his family bloodline.

Everyone would 100% cry if he ever transferred to a different store.

Alright, this is long. Tune in for part two where we’ll talk about how they ended up applying for the nameless store, more about how they interact with each other, shipping :o, etc. I might only do that if this goes well though... who knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[benterri]

Lego creator expert nasa space shuttle discovery

The crew cabin features the five seats in their correct placement for the astronauts on the STS-31 mission, complete with flight and robotic arm (Remote Manipulator System, or RMS), control panels. It’s not only the Space Shuttle’s exterior that is incredibly accurate, the interior from the upper flight deck down and through the mid-deck and out to the payload bay are sure to please both builders and space enthusiasts alike. Sadly, from the press photos, it looks like the set will be heavily stickered, which is quite disappointing considering we got treated to printed elements in the Saturn V. The tail’s rudder serves as a speed brake to assist in landing control and rollout on the runway after touchdown. The flight control surfaces on the back edge of the wings and tail then are used to control roll, pitch and yaw as an airplane does. These are flanked on either side of the tail by smaller engines designed for in-orbit manoeuvres and for deorbit and re-entry into the atmosphere at the end of the mission. The doors also feature reflective stickers to mimic the cooling radiators found on the real shuttle orbiter.Īt the rear of Discovery is housed the three main engines used for launch into orbit. The LEGO NASA Space Shuttle Discovery is made up of 2,354 pieces and is amazingly detailed in true reflection of its full-size counterpart, complete with functional landing gear, and payload bay doors that open one after the other. Nonetheless, it’s been over 10 years since the last Creator Expert-scale 10213 Space Shuttle which costs a small fortune on the secondary market, so LEGO fans who missed out will be delighted to have a shot at owning their own LEGO space shuttle. LEGO has had a long and rich history with Space Shuttles, from Creator Expert, to Technic, to Creator but the 2021 LEGO Space Shuttle is most definitely the spiritual successor to 7470 Space Shuttle Discovery-STS-31 which was released in 2013 and was a collaboration with the Discovery Channel. The model measures 21.78cm (h), 34.6cm (w) and 55.46cm (l), giving it quite the display presence.! While it’s no Mars Perseverance Rover, the Space Shuttle Discovery will look incredible next to the (recently re-released) 92176 NASA Apollo Saturn V, 10266 Lunar Lander, or 21321 International Space Station as incredibly awesome space-themed models to display. These will be extremely limited like all VIP rewards.įirstly, what an absolutely stunning set, and a great addition to your LEGO Space collection.Īnd you know what? No complaints about the 18+ black box design here – in this case, the black box actually works incredibly well as the backdrop of space. No ETA of when it’ll show up as a reward. Update: Just heard from LEGO and the Probe is going to be delayed. Thanks in advance!Īs a special bonus to incenvise fans to order early (as if you needed any convincing to order the set!), LEGO VIPs will be able to purchase an exclusive Ulysses Space Probe for 1,800 VIP Points, which the Space Shuttle Discovery launched in 1990 on a mission to scan the Sun. LEGO 10283 NASA Discovery Space Shuttle  – CA$269.99īy using these affiliate links, you help support the site as I may receive a small commission with each purchase.LEGO 10283 NASA Discovery Space Shuttle  – €179.99.LEGO 10283 NASA Discovery Space Shuttle  – £169.99.LEGO 10283 NASA Discovery Space Shuttle  – AU$299.99.LEGO 10283 NASA Discovery Space Shuttle  – US$199.99.This ode to NASA’s Space Shuttle program is meant to commemorate the original NASA STS-31 mission, over 30 years ago, which launched the Hubble Telescope – capturing images of our universe, to help us understand more about the great beyond.Ĭoming in at 2,354-pieces, the 2021 LEGO Space Shuttle Discovery has a global release date of 1 April 2021 for US$199.99 / AU$299.99 and will be available exclusively from and your local LEGO store. LEGO continues to nurture its partnership with NASA to reinvigorate interest in space exploration with the all-new 10283 NASA Space Shuttle Discovery, launching into your collection on 1 April 2021 – no, not an April’s Fools joke!

[lavieendonna]

Brushwork || ArtMajor!Calum AU (Chapter 20)

Summary: An Art Major AU where Dallas - third year gawky art student at VCA -  makes a deal with Calum - her cute new neighbour and project partner - and they spend the entire year learning that the perfect masterpiece takes a whole lot of brushwork.

Date: 22 February 2018 Requested: i think so? idk. probably not.    Pairing: Calum + Dallas Words: 3.5K Warnings: DATE NIGHT.......... PART 1   A/N: look okay. this is about ooh idk 2 months late. and all i have to say is i apologise. i hope you like it. or at least, don’t hate it. Big love xo 

Ask | Masterlist | ‘Brushwork’ Spotify Playlist | Next Chapter | ‘Brushwork’ News

Chapter 20: Dallas James. 21. Cause of Death: Literal Ray of Sunshine Piercing Her in Her Fucking Heart.

I don’t think I’d seen my hair look like this ever in my life. Like, Polly had done my hair plenty of times in the years we’d been friends. But it was like she was secretly on my side and really wanted me to blow Calum’s mind when he saw me tonight, but also didn’t want to say that in words so she just translated it into the language of hair.

I couldn’t stop touching it. She’d really worked some kind of dark magic to make this shit possible. It looked like silver-screen movie-star type hair – big, round, soft waves that even kind of shimmered in the shitty lighting of my studio bathroom. If I put on a tiara I could even look like some kind of gawky princess. One that wouldn’t fall over in heels to my imminent death.

I thanked Polly a million times before she claimed she needed to hit the gym and left (even though her gym nights were usually Monday’s and it was currently Friday night), and even though her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, I let myself imagine that she was happy to help. Because despite how radiant I looked, I still felt rather sick and pretending things between Polly and I were better than they were kind of helped with that.

What also helped was sitting up all night stressing about what I was going to wear. I mean, I was also stressing about Polly being mad and my sister not answering the phone, but I managed to get some productivity out of the whole thing around 3 am and I was even still pretty in love with the outfit all these hours later. I looked at the high-waisted ripped jeans and pastel pink off-shoulder shirt lying across my (unmade) bed and decided it was The One. If I wasn’t going to end up with Calum, then at least I had this outfit to fall back on.

By the time I’d pulled the clothes on and rushed through my make-up I had 5 minutes to meet Calum downstairs. I still felt like I was going to throw up but I was wearing converse and knowing I wasn’t going to struggle in heels made me confident I wouldn’t fall over in the process. It took many, many deep breaths for me to gather my things and make it out of the apartment door, but I got there and there was no going back.

As I descended down the stairs, my heart racing in my throat, I spotted Calum leaning against the wall right across from the base of the stairs. He was in black jeans (that, by some miracle, didn’t have any rips in them) and Vans, as usual, but instead of a plaid shirt he was donning a sunflower yellow dress shirt unbuttoned over a black v-neck t-shirt. And if he didn’t look handsome enough, his hair was tousled to perfection just the way I liked it, the tattoos painted up his arms on full display and a thick silver ring circling his right index finger.

He looked like some kind of Adonis and I really wanted to throw up.

“Dallas!” His face lit up so much and I thought that might have been how this ended. I was going to die in the lobby of my student apartment building and my autopsy was going to read, Dallas James. 21. Cause of death: literal ray of sunshine pierced through her fucking heart.

“Dallas!” His smile dropped in a second flat as I stumbled on the last steps, naturally falling flat on my face. It surprised me how much it didn’t hurt, hitting my nose on the hardwood floors. But I think I was more worried about where this moment would fall on the dreaded List. Because falling down the stairs in a lecture hall was pretty bad, but falling down the stairs in front of Calum was probably worse.

“Are you okay?!” Calum scrambled to help me up, hands reaching under my arms to hoist me back up to my feet before they cupped my face and checked for bumps and bruises.

“Uhh… I think so?” I found myself mumbling. For the first time in a while I couldn’t bring myself to look Calum in the eye for longer than a couple of seconds. I cleared my throat and pulled away, trying to smile – but we all know that doesn’t work well on a squeamish stomach. “Why? Am I bleeding?” I watched Calum shrug, trying not to get lost in the way his hand immediately found mine, the concern in his face unfaltering as his fingers intertwined with mine.

“No, no. You just look kind of pale.” He said. His eyes softened up a little now, brows unfurrowing slightly, one giving a gentle arch. “Are you feeling alright?”

My eyes went wide, mouth pursed together as I stood there shaking much like a deer caught in the headlights of an 18-Wheeler ready to squish me into the pavement. But I just offered a tight-lip smile and nodded as enthusiastically as I could.

“Yeah!” I squeaked out, my voice jumping up to an octave I barely realised existed. “Yeah, I uh. Yep, I’m fine. Totally.” Calum narrowed his eyes at me.

“Are you sure?” I pressed and I let out a long breath, caught in a lie (like that was so surprising).

“I…” I closed my eyes for a moment and when I opened them, Calum was still there and waiting. The smile I offered was small and scared, and I was kind of feeling the way I did back when we first met.

“Dallas?”

I nodded slower this time, swallowing the nervous sitting on my tongue that seemed to be weighing down my words.

“I’m okay.” I said without stammering. “I just, um. I feel slightly sick?” I watched Calum’s plump lips twitch in the corners. It was like he was trying not to laugh, or trying to decide if I meant it. Which I did, one hundred per cent, but not in the way it sounded.

“Not about tonight, I hope.” Calum just said carefully and I offered a bigger smile and ever-so-slightly sidelong look.

“No.” I said very matter-of-factly. “I… It’s a good sick.” Calum cracked another smile, the same one he had when I’d come downstairs.

“There’s a good way to feel sick?” He joked and I shot him a playful glare.

“Do you want me to go back upstairs?” I threatened. “‘Cause I can go back upstairs and put my pyjamas back on…?” I made a move and stepped backward toward the stairs, only to have Calum pull me right back.

“No!” Calum laughed, pulling me close so he could engulf me in his arms. “No, okay, I’m sorry.” He was looking down on me with such fondness that my heart really kind of felt like it was going to explode; and if that weren’t enough he took it that step further, his nose brushing against the length of my own before he pressed warm lips to mine. The kiss was soft and slow and I could feel where he’d licked his lips before he leant in, and it was almost enough to make me forget all of my nerves. Almost. I was pretty sure he could still feel me shaking.

“Relax.” He told me after he pulled away and grinned lazily at me. “It’s gonna be fun.”

“You say that, but there’s still time for multiple near-death experiences.” I said with a straight face (though the corners of my mouth twitched in betrayal). “Does that sound fun to you?”

“With you? Always.” Calum didn’t miss a beat in response, and all I could do was laugh and shove him lightly, all while blushing furiously and trying to remember my senses. “And besides, you’ve just had one. I want to start a tally.” I promptly hit him in the bicep for that one, but laughed along anyway.

We made small talk in the Uber, and the trip to Docklands only took about 15 minutes. By the time we got there the sun was setting over water in the docks and city seemed to be engulfed in a cold, but beautiful, red and golden hug. Though the air was cold, the breeze was light – just enough to tussle the curls of my hair and re-ruffle the curls of Calum’s. But I shivered lightly as Calum touched the small of my back, gesturing me towards the row of restaurants alongside the docks.

We didn’t say much for a while, we just walked and shivered and wandered why it took 6 months for this to happen. At least, that’s what I did. Although the more I thought about it the more I realised that I wasn’t shivering because of the cold and instead it had more to do with Calum and how he seemed to be attached to my hand (in the best way possible). Every now and then he squeezed my hand reassuringly, and I looked back up to him and, as always, he was already looking at me with soft brown eyes and a crooked smile. I just shivered again and hid behind my hair, waiting for a wave to get too high and wash me away into the sea. Maybe then I’d become a mermaid and this whole dating thing wouldn’t be so hard.

Eventually, Calum led me into a restaurant (and I tried not to fall the ground and kiss the floor when the smell and promise of food made me realise how hungry I was), and once we’d been seated and had successfully ordered something to drink and some starters, things started to feel a little bit more normal. Not completely, because I was still a shaking mess on a date with Calum Hood. But he started talking and something seemed to click that maybe, just maybe, the whole night didn’t need to go this way.

“I can’t remember the last time I had a decent meal.” Calum seemed to chuckle as we demolished a plate of garlic bread.

“Oh, dude, same.” I breathed out a laugh of relief that I wasn’t the only one really looking forward to the food. “I’m pretty sure the last time I had something freshly made…” I paused to think about it, and my cheeks flushed a little when I realised that I’d gone out for lunch with Isabelle not even a week ago. I remembered because I could distinctly recall wanting to drown myself in soup when she was making a big deal out of Calum and me having a date. “Ah. Wednesday.” I confessed and Calum spluttered out a laugh.

“Yeah, ‘cause that was so long ago, Dallas.” His eyes crinkled in the corner and I couldn’t help but laugh too.

“When you live off of Maggi noodles and dollar loaves of bread from Coles, yeah, Wednesday was pretty freaking long ago, Calum.” I defended myself. Calum laughed but nodded, palms up in surrender.

“Alright, alright!” He agreed. “Fair point. Did you want another drink?” He asked and it wasn’t until then that I realised that I had finished my wine.

“Oh, um.” I stared at the empty glass for a moment, trying to decide if that was a good idea. “I, uh. Yeah,” I decided before I started reaching for my wallet. “But I can get it, don’t –hey!”

Calum grabbed my wallet straight out of my hands before I had a chance to even finish my sentence.

“You’re not paying for a thing.” He said, and I shrank in my seat feeling very scolded. His eyes were pointed and almost dark, and if I didn’t like him so much I would have been terrified for my life. But then his lips twitched and his eyes crinkled again and my heart kind of just fluttered away from me. “I’ll be right back.” I almost didn’t realise that he’d taken my wallet hostage, either.

I wished to God, while I waited for Calum to return from the bar, that I could pin-point the moment things started working out. Because as far as I knew I was still dorky as hell and unlikeable to mankind. But for some reason, Calum liked me. Like, he like-liked me. And although that was such a surreal thing to believe, it was true – this far. And I felt like if I could pin-point that moment when things started working in my favour, then maybe I could keep it up for as long as I possibly could.

When he came back he set a new wine glass in front of me, filled with the same sweet berry goodness that had filled it before, a new tall pint of whatever sitting in front of him too.

“You really didn’t have to you, know.” I said very matter-of-factly, and it surprised me a little bit, how cool and casual I was being. Calum just shrugged as he sat back down in his seat across from me.

“Yeah I did.” He said simply. “It’s a date; my treat.” I rolled my eyes, though internally I was gushing at his chivalry.

“It’s a mutual date,” I reminded him. “I agreed to this, remember? I should be allowed to pay for some things.” He shook his head, a flirtatious, cheeky smile spreading across his lips.

“Not this time.” He said just as simply as before. I raised my brows at him.

“Next time?” I offered. He paused, thought, and then shook his head with a playful expression glistening in brown eyes.

“Nah, probably not.” He said and I really wanted to slap him again for that.

“You know, sometimes chivalry should stay dead.”

I laughed at him and Calum laughed back the way only he could. It was the magical kind of laugh; the kind of laugh that made me forget that there could have been real problems in the world. The kind of laugh that made everything kind of okay for a while. Polly didn’t matter and Ashton didn’t matter – hell my own family didn’t even matter because Calum was laughing at something I said and I didn’t immediately want to neck myself for it. Everything was okay – there was a chance of Happily Ever After here, I could feel it.

“Can I ask you something?” Calum asked me a few minutes after our main courses had arrived. My pasta was smelling like the greatest thing on the planet and I really wanted to scoff it down – but I couldn’t, because Calum was asking me a serious-sounding question.

“Uh, yeah.” Mumbled out, a little hesitant but the sound was involuntary. “’Course, go for it.” Calum took a bite of his steak quickly and chewed while deep in thought. It was a little unnerving, but for some God-known reason I trusted him.

“Do you know why I want to paint you as our ballerina?” He asked me. And I was a little taken back because, as always, I wasn’t really expecting that kind of question. We’d spoken about this before and how I was really against the idea of me being the face of our project. I wasn’t up to such standards, but Calum really seemed to think so. It made me uneasy thinking about how this could have been another conversation about him trying to change my mind about that. Because as far as I could tell, I never would. Unless I woke up looking like Cara Delavigne or some other equally, ridiculously attractive supermodel, my face wasn’t coming anywhere near that wall (at least, not in paint form).

“Um.” I cleared my throat a little, took a sip of wine and a bit of food before I attempted to answer that. “I, uh. I guess not, no.”

For a couple of moments, Calum wasn’t looking at me and I wondered what that could have meant. But then his eyes turned upward toward me again and he seemed… not desperate, but insisting. He chewed with intent, like he was about to mean every word he said in the next few minutes. Knowing him, that’s exactly what was about to happen. He was an honest man, especially when it came to me. I got the feeling whatever was about to come next, it wasn’t going to be a string of random ramblings.

“You don’t…” He started, and then stopped. I put down my cutlery as he did and watched his face for any hint as to what he was going to say. Calum was so hard to read. I couldn’t tell if the slight furrow in his brow was good or bad, and I couldn’t tell if it was a good thing that he didn’t look away from me, not once.

“I don’t what?” I prompted, the sound kind of squeaking out. “What don’t I do?” My mouth twitched nervously, though I was lucky that the curiosity of whatever Calum was trying to say was greater than the return of the feeling that I needed to throw up.

“You don’t seem to have a clue how… amazing you are.” Okay, of all of the things Calum could have said, of all the adjectives he could have used, amazing was not the one I was expecting. I just stared blankly at the brunet, unsure what to say.

“I, um.” I wanted to cough and splutter and clear my throat and deny it. But I couldn’t. “I don’t, uh. I don’t think I am.”

“I know.” Calum just said flatly. “That’s what I mean. You don’t think you’re good enough, you never see yourself the way that everybody else does. You’re beautiful, Dal. And you’re smart and funny and soulful and caring. And naïve.”

“Naïve?” I cocked a fearful eyebrow. I still didn’t really know if Calum was angry or not. I don’t think he was, but he still intimidated the shit out of me.

“You don’t see any of that. You don’t hold yourself to those standards. And I wish to God that you would, Dal. If we paint you as the ballerina, Dallas… I figured that there was a chance that maybe you would finally see yourself the way everyone else does. The way I do.”

I had no idea what to say. What was I supposed to say? Thank you? Not likely. It was all so much to take in, I almost couldn’t do it all at once. I felt warm and giddy at the fact that Calum saw me in this light that I’d never once thought I would ever be in, but I was almost more confused than ever. All I could think of was, ‘why me? Of everybody in this universe, why me?’

“Can I ask you a question?” I mimicked Calum’s earlier request, watching the way his brow furrowed considering I didn’t respond to his bold and loving statements. But he nodded anyway, when he smoothened his expression and offered a small smile.

“Anything you want.” He said softly. I think he was trying to make me feel better, like he could sense the anxiety wavering off of my shoulders. If he could, it probably wasn’t a new thing. I just hoped I could stomach my words enough to get them out in real words.

“Why?” I brought my inner monologue to life.

“Why, what?” He asked and I gave a shrug, trying to find the right way to ask what was going through my head.

“Why… why did you decide to like me?”

Calum scoffed and I couldn't help the small giggle that bubbled from my lips in response.

“What?!” I chuckled.

“Seriously?” He laughed. “That’s your question?!”

“Yes, that’s my question!” I said. “Seriously, why me?”

“I don’t know, Dallas!” He laughed again, shaking his head as he took a drink. I watched in total awe of the human in front of me and the way his smile was just something else entirely. “Why did you decide to phrase your question like that?” I snorted too, when he put it like that.

“Because…!” I buried my face in my hands, I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. This was not how I envisioned this conversation going. When I peeked through my fingers he was looking back, the same admiration in his eyes that I had just moments before.

“Exactly.” He nearly whispered back. “I like you because I like you. Is that not enough?”

My smile was starting to hurt my cheeks, it was so wide. I nodded as I brought my hands away from my face. I took the first move this time and I reached for him, taking his hand in mine and caressing the back of it gently with my thumb. I almost felt like I wanted to cry, this didn’t seem real. But I smiled and I nodded and I looked into eyes and probably fell, maybe, a little bit in love.

“Yeah.” I said, almost mumbling. “I um. I like you too.”

[thetaekooklibrary]

Do you know of any long enemies to lovers fics that aren't in your tag? I've run dry, and I'm not joking when I say I've read everything, thank you!

here’s what wasn’t already in our enemies to lovers tag!

Body Ache by lethallergic - If you listen closely, there are two boys connected so deeply their hearts beat as one.

Bubblegum Bitch by snowmoney - Jungkook is but a simple delivery boy; the last thing he needs is a high maintenance fake boyfriend.

We Make a Nice Pear by jeonnifer - Jeongguk tries to get the new transfer student expelled from the academy and fails. (Jeongguk tries not to fall for Kim Taehyung and fails even harder.)

All The Way Up by taeharem - Because it’s damn easy to go from fuck you to I want to fuck you real quick.

A la carte by meanho - Jeongguk’s third year as a chef de cuisine should’ve been commemorated with another (Michelin) star, if only it weren’t for that pretentious weasel critic who calls himself V.

three points (where two lines meet) by iucundus - Jeongguk pretends to gag, “You’re so fucking sappy.” “You wouldn’t take me any other way.” The blonde bats his eyelashes, which makes Jeongguk rolls his eyes. “Are we rolling?” “Yep,” Jeongguk pads back over beside him. “Then I should probably stop staring at your ass.” –or, the story of jeon jeongguk and kim taehyung, as told through a boyfriend tag.

where the sun beats by maxx - In that moment, Taehyung knew he would steal the stars time and time again. If it meant Jeongguk would come out of the Summer Palace and trek towards the Winter Kingdom, bringing with him the phenomenon of the dark night twisting and turning into an aurora borealis, then he would grasp hold of the very sun that Jeongguk’s kingdom had praised over and pluck it straight out of its cradle. Or, Jeongguk is an artist struggling to get by and Taehyung owns a magical store that sells blankets. They (re)discover an extraordinary life – a life which should have been nothing more than a dream.

he smells like strawberries, cologne, and youth by peachberries - Taehyung was that one kid who everybody wanted to know, cheerful, friendly, relaxed, he was some sort of campus God. Jungkook was quiet, awkward and blunt, only able to claim one friend, Jimin. Jungkook had always hated Kim Taehyung, and oh… would you look at that, they’re in a project together. And oh… would you look at that, Jungkook has completely fallen in love with the guy he’s supposed to hate.

I still don’t like you. by Anonymous - “You don’t know that,” Junghyun said in defence. He didn’t even turn from the television. It was at the scene where the Hwarang were being initiated. “Kim Taehyung is an angel.” Jungkook huffed. “Whatever,” he grumbled. “It’s not like you or I will ever meet him.” Jungkook would later eat his own words.

Fall Asleep (Fall For You) by drannie - “They say when you fall in love you can’t fall asleep, but now that I’ve met you I feel like I finally can.” A University AU where Jungkook and Taehyung become roommates. But Jungkook has insomnia and can’t fall asleep with other people and Taehyung can’t fall asleep alone.

got a question or request? check our tags page first to see if what you’re looking for is already there, or use the search bar on our blog! if you don’t have any luck with that, feel free to send us an ask when the inbox is open^^

[callunavulgari]

Scrapbook 2019 | Pt III

I can’t fucking edit my post because this website is crap, so we get a part three even though there’s only two more months to 2019. But whatever, I’m not bitter or anything.

Reminder:

Normal font - Indifferent/Neutral Italicized font - Enjoyed bold font - Loved with an asterisk* - All time favorite (bracketed titles) - Re-watches/Re-reads strikethough - Disliked

Goals are: read one hundred books this year (finished!), finish five video games (finished!), write something novel-length (not so much, does it count if I wrote a novel’s worth of short stories in October?) and write something original (technically done? don’t know if I want to count a snippet that didn’t even hit 1k). These last two goals CAN be combined (I might try NaNo this year, so we will see).

Part I: January-July Part II: August-October

MOVIES

November

The King

(V For Vendetta)

(Avengers: Endgame)

(Beauty and the Beast: Enchanted Christmas)

Frozen 2

(Winnie the Pooh)

Journey to the Sun

December

Klaus

(Aladdin: Return of Jafar)

Hotel Artemis

(The Santa Claus)

(Star Wars: A New Hope)

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

(Love Actually)

BOOKS

November

The Gilded Wolves | Roshani Chokshi [Fin]

Words of Radiance | Brandon Sanderson [Fin]

Oathbringer | Brandon Sanderson

The Hating Game | Sally Thorne [Fin]

Again, But Better | Christine Riccio [Fin]

The Queen of Nothing | Holly Black [Fin]

North and South | Elizabeth Gaskell

December

Oathbringer | Brandon Sanderson [Fin]

Snow, Glass, Apples | Neil Gaiman, Colleen Doran [Fin]

North and South | Elizabeth Gaskell [Fin]

The Starless Sea | Erin Morgenstern [Fin]

There There | Tommy Orange [Fin]

The Secret Commonwealth | Philip Pullman

The Library of the Unwritten | A.J. Hackwith [Fin]

PODCASTS

November

The Penumbra Podcast s3, Eps 2-3

The Magnus Archives Eps 160

King Falls AM Eps 11-30

Adventure Zone Moonlighting Pt 1

(Zero Hours: When the Beat Drops)

December

The Magnus Archives Q&A

Outliers s1, ep 1

King Falls AM Eps 31-34

TV SHOWS

November

Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural, s6

His Dark Materials, s1

She-Ra, s4

(Gargoyles, s1)

South Park

Rick & Morty, s4

Star vs the Forces of Evil s1, s2

The Flash, s4

The Dragon Prince, s4

The Mandalorian

Star Wars: Rebels, s1

December

His Dark Materials, s1

The Mandalorian

The Dragon Prince, s4

The Untamed

The Good Place, s3

The Witcher, s1***

The Great British Bake Off, s7

VIDEO GAMES

November

Assassin’s Creed: Origins (10 hours)

Death Stranding (10 hours)

Pokemon: Shield (20 hours)

December

Pokemon: Shield (20 hours)

Red Dead Redemption 2 (2 hours)

DELIGHTFUL FIC

November

The Sun Dog by ambiguously | Star Wars | Finn/Ren/Rey | 5k | Finn and Rey, with their semi-prisoner Kylo Ren, attempt to meet up with the Resistance on a planet that has been taken over by monsters.

Seeing Ghosts by blacktofade | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 4.5k | Ryan blames the entire thing on temporary insanity.

silver in our lungs by taywen | Spinning Silver | Miryem/The Staryk Lord | 3.6k | The marks had been with Miryem for as long as she could remember. 

sing all your questions to sleep by Wildehack (tyleet) | The Magnus Archives | Martin/Jon | 1.5k | Jon, Martin, and Basira take a breath.

as ordinary things often do by lymricks | Stranger Things | Harringrove | 4k | Max is yelling out the window, “She means like, two weeks--” before they’re turning around the corner and--And Steve is standing on the front steps of Billy Hargrove’s house, keys jingling in his palm, thinking what the fuck?

on hairpins by Lirazel | The Queen’s Thief | Attolia/Gen | 3k | When the citizens of Attolia complain that the Thief of Eddis is a terrible influence on their queen, they have no way of knowing the truth of their own words.

the umbrella by Wildehack (tyleet) | The Magnus Archives | Martin/Jon | 4.6k | "And to think—all of Jonah Magnus’ carefully laid plans, the centuries of scheming, the murders, the sacrifices, all of that work could have been completely undone if Martin Blackwood had gone back for an umbrella"

you got me begging, begging, i'm on my knees by plalligator | The Queen’s Thief | Attolia/Eugenides/Costis | 5k | (or, that struggle when you're a guard who's in love with your rulers and it turns out you would kind of like it if they bossed you around a little)

rumour has it by plalligator | The Queen’s Thief | Attolia/Eugenides/Costis | 1.5k | “Costis, what in the name of the gods happened? I have heard from five separate people that you have a secret sweetheart who you went to meet on your day off.”

Home Was A Dream by impertinence | Attolia/Eugenides/Costis | 3k | Lunch, a mysterious fruit, revelations, and sex. In that order.

Well Loved by SerenadeStrong (ninja_orange) | Attolia/Eugenides/Costis | 3.5k | Gen finally convinces Costis to sleep with his wife.

and so begins by romanoff | Marvel | Steve/Tony | 8k | After Tony's death, Steve is adrift. He carries Tony's body, and thinks: I never said thank you.

something more alive than silence by pageleaf | The Queen’s Thief | Costis/Attolia/Eugenides | 21k | It was a good thing that six months after the king had promised to halve the guard, he still hadn’t done it, because since then, there had been two attempts on the king’s life.

Covenant by liesmyth | Stormlight Archive | Kaladin/Adolin | 9k | Adolin had never imagined he’d meet his match like this, on the dusty streets of Sadeas’s warcamp - or that it would be a bridgeman of all people, defiance clear in his dark brown eyes.

How Do You Catch a Storm and Pull It Down? by liadan14 | Stormlight Archive | Kaladin/Adolin/Shallan | 4k | It takes Shallan approximately two months after the wedding to realize that she is an idiot.

Keep It In Your Sights Now by LuckyDiceKirby | Shades of Magic | 9k | Holland travels with Lila and Kell. Somewhere along the way, they reach an equilibrium.

waiting for the sunlight by sarcasticfishes | Buzzfeed Unsolved | 18k | Sara had always known, growing up as both an only child and a princess, that she would likely not marry for love. 

Fifty Shades of Gold by beethechange | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 21k | That’s his official position: he’s over Ricky Goldsworth.Shane’s unofficial position, regrettably, is that he’d rather be under Ricky Goldsworth.

(these things take time by sonhoedesrazao | Les Mis | Enjolras/Grantaire | 63k | He’s always wary of making assumptions; even more so when Grantaire is concerned. He knows he’s not the easiest person to deal with. People either like him or can’t stand him, and it’s easy to respond to those reactions, but Grantaire—Grantaire is hostile and mocking, Grantaire scorns his beliefs, and Grantaire stays.)

December

Begin the Begin, Over and Over by beethechange | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 33k | Shane only agrees to be handcuffed to Ryan for a video because he can put up with anything for twenty-four hours. That’s the funny thing about time loops, though—they don’t always adhere to the parameters set by clickbait videos.

When I Fall to Rise by lc2l | Thor | Loki/Thor | 41k | Loki wakes up to ship alarms blaring, the air full of ash and Valkyrie saying she brought him back because she needs his help. She's captaining a small emergency vessel containing the last handful of Asgardians desperately looking for a place to call home. And she's having to do it sober.

From Orbit by astolat | Star Wars | Leia/Han/Luke | 4k | “You’ve got to quit doing this,” Han said.

Charioteer by petrichoral | The Queen’s Thief | Attolia/Eugenides/Costis | 14k | Captured in battle and stuck in the Mede capital, Costis has given up all hope of seeing his country again. But Eugenides has a habit of turning up where he's least expected.

ready if it happens with you by sarcasticfishes | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 4k | It’s not a thing. Ryan’s just a little… touch-starved. Intimacy-starved.

I fancied you’d return the way you said by ambiguously | Star Wars | Reylo | 3k | No one else can see him. Rey is used to that.

i kill giants by diasterisms | Star Wars | Reylo | WIP | 7k | "Rey Skywalker?" There's a vaguely sardonic twist to the corner of his mouth. "Does that make you my cousin now?"

DELIGHTFUL FANVIDS

November

MARVEL/DC - Runnin

THE WITCHER | MAIN TRAILER | NETFLIX

(GoT) Daenerys Targaryen | Meant To Fall

Game of Thrones | Never Wanted to Leave

young god.. (multifandom)

Poison & Wine | Ben and Rey

Multifandom ][ Glitter & Gold

rules of nature [multifandom amv]

December

what's up danger [Death Stranding]

Kylo Ren || Destiny

star wars || blue monday

K[L]AUS | High Enough

2019 Movie Trailer Mashup

Reylo | My Love Will Never Die [tros spoilers] Rey & Ben

Reylo | Dusk Till Dawn [+TROS Spoilers]

REYLO || SOMEBODY TO DIE FOR (+tros)

Multifandom Mashup 2019

DELIGHTFUL MUSIC

November

Frozen 2 Soundtrack

Les Mis Soundtrack

December

Spotify Unwrapped 2019

Reylo Playlist

POSTED FIC

November

open the walls, play with your dolls | Coraline | Coraline/Wybie | 2,886 words | Halloween at the Pink Palace is a lot like any other time of year.

December

yule gift #2 - 4,639 words [fin]

WIPS | UNPUBLISHED | ORIGINAL

November

December

yule gift #1 - 1,267 words [unfinished]

yule gift #2 - 4,639 words [fin]

FANMIXES/GRAPHICS

November

Havoc

December

Somebody to Die For - a Reylo playlist

[haitilegends]

HISTORIC MUSIC FROM HAITI RECORDED AND ARCHIVED BY ALAN LOMAX (RIP) IN THE 1930's Alan Lomax in Haiti - Commercial (Short Version) - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ4aPQ2bxzs ALAN LOMAX IN HAITI http://www.culturalequity.org/features/haiti/ce_features_lomaxinhaiti-essay.php " When 21-year-old Alan Lomax dragged 155 pounds of luggage and recording equipment into the heat and humanity of Port-au-Prince's dockside, he entered a crucible. In the Christmas season of 1936, #Haiti was re-forging a national identity after a 15-year U.S. occupation. The island nation was discovering the roots of its rural culture in Africa, struggling to reconcile the class and race issues arising from a mixed #French, #Spanish and #African #heritage, and the cosmopolitan urban culture and #folk traditions of the rural poor. Lomax, too, was coming of age in his first solo venture in ethnography, while wrestling with emotional uncertainty, romantic longing, technical challenges, sickness, and financial woes. On November 17, Harte Recordings will release Alan Lomax in Haiti, a 10-CD audio and video box set that reveals for the first time the musical and cultural fruits of that national and personal struggle. Lomax entered a society stressed by poverty and occupation. The United States took control of Haiti in 1915 to patrol sea-lanes to the Panama Canal on the eve of WWI and to preserve order for the sugar companies. In 1936, the Marines had withdrawn just two years before, leaving behind a fragile representative government. The new independence also stimulated interest in folkloric traditions, as expressed in the indigène movement and the work of Haitian classical composer Ludovic Lamothe (his only recorded performances of his own work are on the set's first disc). Though officially outlawed, #Voudou music and ceremonies attracted sensationalists in the late 1920s and early 30s, such as Hollywood zombie-movie maker William Seabrook � which provoked an understandable mistrust of the ethnographers who followed. Haiti in the #1930s was a magnet for scholars and ethnographers such as Lomax who were pursuing the trail of African-American culture to its sources in Africa. The lighter-skinned, urban upper classes identified with French culture and Catholicism, while the separateness of the undeveloped rural countryside that was home to Haiti's masses allowed African expressions to flourish and hybridize with European elements. That relatively untouched terrain brought anthropologist Melville Herskovits, dancer and writer Katherine Dunham, author (and Lomax collaborator) Zora Neale Hurston , and several other researchers, including George Simpson and Harold Courlander, to Haiti during this period. Both in the United States and abroad, the late 1930s ushered in a new era of exploration of indigenous culture, folklore and the expressions of the rural poor. The shared experience of the global Depression created fellow feeling and interest in the lives and accomplishments of ordinary people. In the U.S., these realities were being documented by artists and writers employed by U.S. Federal programs. Previous expeditions to Haiti resulted in rich descriptions; Lomax brought back sounds and images &mdash allowing them speak to us directly. Lomax came to Haiti under the auspices of the Music Division of the #Library of #Congress. The young man was already well-traveled and experienced, having begun, while still a teenager, to assist his father, John Avery Lomax, in a major effort to record African-American folk music in the U.S. Later he collaborating collaborated with Zora Neale Hurston and NYU professor Mary Elizabeth Barnicle on field expeditions to the Georgia Sea Islands and migrant labor camps in Florida. Those trips pointed Lomax to the Bahamas in 1935 and then to Haiti, encouraged by Hurston, and funded, if minimally, by the Library. As the extensive and illuminating books included in the box set make clear, Lomax was confronted with scenes surpassing any he'd witnessed in even the most poverty-stricken districts of his own country. Lomax's Haiti diaries, edited by Ellen Harold, contain many evocative passages: “This morning on the mountain I walked through the whole of the lives of millions of people on the earth. A woman in a blue dress and holding her baby sat on the hard, clean, white clay of her front yard, while her man sat at the corner of their one-room hut, made of the wood, the straw, the palm leaves of that same mountain, leaned and smoked his pipe and did not look at the woman but at the fat nanny goat baaing around the corner. Down the street a little fox-terrier puppy say and shivered in the sun, ill with the disease of hunger; and all the dogs here are like that, thin and whining and shivering. I have the feeling that they and their masters mutually hate each other; they are competitors for the food supply.” Lomax complained little to his diary, reserving his energies for detailed descriptions of what he saw, but he let us glimpse his troubles: the obstacles thrown up by the Haitian bureaucracy and the near-constant requests for payment against his almost total lack of means; the lack of discs for recording; the technical limitations of his equipment (this was the last time he would use the aluminum disc-cutting recorders); debilitating fevers and dysentery resulting from malaria. And there was the anguish of separation from his young fianc�e, Elizabeth Harold &mdash resolved by an elopement and joyous reunion in Haiti, where they married. In spite of the challenges, Lomax managed to produce 1,500 recordings (fifty hours of sound) and six films, all of which were deposited in the Library of Congress. There they remained for seventy years, until a project begun by the Association for Cultural Equity/Alan Lomax Archive in the late 1990s resulted in preservation work by the Library's American Folklife Center and The Magic Shop in New York. The aluminum discs were transferred at the Library's Sound Lab in March, 2000. The medium was not ideal, as Matt Barton, the Library's curator of sound describes: “The twelve-inch aluminum discs they used for most of these recordings could only hold about five minutes of sound comfortably, but often, they simply had to hold more. On many discs, Brad and I saw that they had allowed the recording head to keep tracking to within barely an inch of the hole in the center of the disc. This reduced the fidelity and created untold technical headaches more than sixty years after the recordings were made, but in this way, a few seconds, perhaps even a full minute more of priceless documentary recording was accomplished.” The transferred files arrived at the Magic Shop in 2006, where Steve Rosenthal and Warren Russell-Smith applied digital technology to tease out the sound from the ambient noise and what Russell-Smith calls “the coughing and wheezing of Alan Lomax's 1930s recording equipment.” The entire collection was mastered using even more advanced tools in summer of 2009. In addition to producing the box set, ACE will repatriate the entire collection to Haiti, completely restored and remastered. There, we hope to work with local people and institutions to ensure that it is used and disseminated. As a result of its sponsorship by the Green Family Foundation of Miami, which is involved in humanitarian work in Haiti, the project has been made part of the Clinton Global Initiative in Haiti. The Haiti Project is the fruit of the hard work and commitment of our partners: Warren Russell-Smith and Steve Rosenthal at the Magic Shop; Jeff Greenberg and Beldock Levine and Hoffman; Dave Katznelson and Harte Recordings; Haiti scholars Gage Averill and Louis Carl St. Jean; Kimberly Green and Anthony Colon of the Green Family Foundation; and the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress." READ MORE: http://www.culturalequity.org/features/haiti/ce_features_lomaxinhaiti.php Alan Lomax Haiti Recordings "Listening" Event - YouTube http://bit.ly/1qHsm3f Gonaives - YouTube http://bit.ly/1qHsKyy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfH9Y58OXPo Instrumental Merengue - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsYDRpde1fw Merengue - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACWQCgqKD40 Haiti's Hidden Treasures By WILL FRIEDWALD During that period, the 21-year-old scholar and historian captured roughly 50 hours of sound recordings that were then buried in a U.S. government vault for more than seven decades, never seeing the light of day. Until now. READ MORE: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703837004575013090167372252 Alan Lomax in Haiti Box set http://www.amazon.com/Alan-Lomax-Haiti-Various-Artists/dp/B002FOQY7C The Recordings of Alan Lomax in Haiti in 1936-1937 - YouTube http://bit.ly/1qHqWFI Alan Lomax Obituary in Journal of American Folklore http://alanlomaxpathfinder.tumblr.com/post/61561435013/alan-lomax-obituary-in-journal-of-american Abrahams, R. D. (2004). OBITUARIES: Alan lomax (1915-2002). Journal of American Folklore, 117(463), 97. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/198462015?accountid=14214 #HAITI☆#LEGENDS #AlanLomax