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hearts4youz · 4 months

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The Captains Daughter- Chapter 20

A/N: Chat, I am back. I really hope you enjoy this, It's severely overdue, but thank you all for staying with me on this!!!

Taglist:

@abbiesxox @n30n-j3lly @weird-katthing @kayoyamamegame @kroowonderemporium @astro-ghoul99 @darkravenqueen98 @gaylilangelbabyy @yuunnnaaaa @unicorngirly1 @noodlezz-bedo

Word count: 2k

Reader pov:

The following weeks are quite uneventful. We are sent on a few minor missions, all of which are successful, and are in a state of immense boredom. You almost want a war to break out at this point. But one late January day, your father calls everyone to the debriefing room. Anticipating a new mission, possibly one with more excitement, you and the 141 are practically bouncing on the balls of your feet with anticipation. One by one, you file in and sit down at the familiar long wooden table. knees bounce with expectation under the table.

Price walks in, everyone draws a breath.

Oddly, price has no folders in his hand, no loose papers, nothing. He walks in silently, clears his throat, sits at the head of the table and clasps his hands. He pauses before speaking.

"We're going to a wedding," he puts bluntly.

everyone exchanges confused glances.

"Well that was anticlimactic," Soap blurts.

Everyone breaks into chatter about the event before Price raises his hands to quiet the room.

"It's a good friend of mine, we served together. Names Bill,"

ohhhhh uncle Bill, you thought to yourself, happy for him and his soon-to-be wife.

Everyone nods and discusses the dress code, "Wait, wait, wait... am I going to have to wear a suit?" a voice from the corner of the room speaks up.

You turned toward the sound and saw Ghost, obviously peeved about having to dress up.

"Yes Ghost, your going to have to put on a suit," Your dad rolls his eyes.

The chatter continues as everyone files out of the room, the wedding was on for tomorrow evening, and you needed a dress. You contemplated returning home to get something out of your closet, but your overused sundresses just wouldn't cut it. You needed something flattering and mature.

That afternoon, you got permission to drive into the city to shop. The nearest mall was an hours drive from the base. Plugging your phone into the aux, you drowned out the hum of the road with an upbeat playlist for the drive.

You soon found yourself in a gorgeous, modern yet classy store. Elegant dresses lined the wall, from ballroom length to cocktail, there was no shortage of styles. Time, however, was of the essence. As you wandered aimlessly through the endless racks of dresses, an employee noticed your distress and walked over to introduce herself.

"Hey there! my names Georgia, how are you today?"

You give her a relieved smile. "Lost," you admit.

"Oh, happens to everyone, no worries. come with me, i'll get you measured and we'll find your perfect match!" Georgia says cheerfully.

She walks you over to an area near the fitting rooms, a plush ottoman and a soft rug are on the floor in front of a tall mirror. Georgia grabs her measuring tape and notes a few things.

"So, what occasion is this dress for?"

"A wedding, distant family friend."

She hums, "Okay so, like stunning... but like not steal the show stunning."

"Oh well I hardly think I could steal any of the spotlight from-"

Georgia cuts you off, "Nonsense! your absolutely enchanting!"

You give a weak smile at the complement as she goes and finds multiple dresses in various styles and colors. She goes through a quick but in depth fitting and analysis of each. Within the hour, you find one that you fall in love with. You can't help but grin as you look at the way the fabric showcases your body perfectly. You take it to the register and pay, bidding Georgia goodbye with a wave and a thank you.

That night, you do your best at an attempt to sleep. Your efforts remain futile as you toss and turn thinking of tomorrow. Catching up with old friends and family, dancing and drinking, but best of all...

Ghost gets to see you in a dress, The most flattering and gorgeous dress you've ever picked out. Finally, you find yourself drifting off slowly with those exciting thoughts.

-timeskip-

You arrive at the reception with your father, the rest of the group has their own rides. You try to let loose a little by grabbing a drink and catching up with friends and family, but you find yourself eyeing the door constantly, waiting for your masked comrade to walk in.

"Watching for danger eh? can't escape them habits the military drills into ya," The groom comes up behind you and ruffles your hair. You half smile and turn towards him.

"How ya been kid?" he asks.

The two of you chat for a few minutes before he goes off to find your father, you return to watching the door, thankful that he thought it was military instinct.

About an hour goes by and you down a few drinks, you were slightly buzzed but your mind was still clear. You still keep an eye on the door, waiting for Simon. You hardly notice when an old childhood friend of yours snakes an arm around your shoulder.

Startled, you flinch and raise your fist, but then you realize who it is and drop your arm awkwardly.

"Oh... uh... sorry Jake," you mumble.

"Ha! You musta had half a mind to think I was some kinda creep," Jake smirks and pulls you in for a hug. You try to pull away, but he has a vice-like grip around your shoulders.

You and Jake had been neighbors as kids, he was always over keeping you company after your mom left. The two of you had grown up like siblings, that's how you saw it at least...

Around your teenage years, you had started to experiment with boys a bit. Jake HATED all of your boyfriends. At first, it seemed like a protective older brother type thing, but after a while Jake got possessive. He followed you on dates, stalked the social media of all the boys you talked to, he scared people off and you hated it. This marked the beginning of the end of your friendship. Once you graduated and went to basic training, you talked to Jake less and less. Seeing him here was startling to say the least.

"Oh uh... yeah... didn't recognize you I guess," you said awkwardly, avoiding eye contact.

You scanned the venue for a familiar face to start a conversation with so you could get away from Jake. He seemed to notice this and tilted your chin up so you were looking at him.

"You here with anyone," Jake asked.

"Just uh... my dad," you decided to leave the 141 out of it so Jake wouldn't get angry and try anything.

"Mhm, how about I buy you a drink then?" he suggested.

"Uhm no... I've got one already," you gestured with your half empty glass. plus, you wanted to keep a clear mind in case Jake tried anything.

The night went on and you finally broke off from Jake. You floated in-between conversations, still no sign of Ghost, but you had seen Gaz and Soap briefly. In the midst of your search for the Lieutenant, you found yourself on the dance floor. Unfortunately, Jake found you too.

"Ah, Y/N, thought I lost you there,"

You chuckled uncomfortably, trying to keep it polite. The song switched to a slow dance and Jake reached for your hand.

"Seeing you here has brought me back," he whispered in your ear. "You've matured since high school" He places his other hand on your waist and you try to wiggle away.

"Jake stop"

"Oh, I'm sorry, where are my manners. May I have this dance?" He smirked.

"No. No you may not," You didn't know if it was the alcohol or not but you suddenly gained the courage to push him away, leaving all formalities behind.

"Y/N come on... we're made for each other, I know you better than anyone," Jake's voice grew more stern and threatening as he pulled you closer again.

"I...no...n-" your voice squeaked.

Suddenly, Jake's face turned pale, his eyes widened and you felt a hand on your shoulder.

"She's taken," Ghost says bluntly.

You are shocked at the turn of events and spin around to see Ghost, which causes you to fall a little off balance, but ghost places a strong hand on the small of your back to support you.

"I've gotcha, this prick won't bother you anymore," he says softly to you. His voice becomes more menacing when he faces Jake, "are we clear?"

The three words from Ghost are all it takes for Jake to give a quick nod and make his exit. Ghost gives a quick grunt "An old friend?"

"Yeah, something of the sort..." you breathe, watching him go.

Ghost clears his throat, "Sorry i'm late."

"It's no big deal, you came just in time."

"Yeah, just in time to dance with you."

Your heart rate quickens as you process his words. Is he joking? there's no way...

Soon enough, the two of you are whisked into the whirlwind of couples, Ghost dips and spins you with great care, as if you are a fragile porcelain doll. You've danced with men before, but this man makes you feel like a princess.

"You look gorgeous by the way," he says softly.

Okay, no way he's actually saying this, i'm dreaming.

"You look uh... good... er handsome yourself," you say breathlessly.

Come on liquid courage! do something other than make me tipsy!

You continue to move fluidly all over the floor, "You've got some experience I see," you joke.

"Mmh... maybe I just did my research beforehand," he smirked.

The song ends and the two of you take a seat. You take him in, his suit, which shows off his biceps and seems perfectly tailored to him. His balaclava, which he exchanged for a plain black one instead of skull print.

"You clean up nicely, trying to impress someone?" You say teasingly.

"I guess you could say that," he shrugs nonchalantly.

Now that's an answer you weren't expecting.

You sit in silence for a moment before Ghost speaks up. "That guy back there, was he trying anything on you?"

"To dance with me, yeah."

Ghost furrows his eyebrows, "and you know him?"

"Yeah... long story."

"Hm."

More silence follows until Ghost speaks again. "Seeing you with him, I didn't like that one bit," he looks straight ahead, not at you.

"Jealous?" you smirk.

"Yeah I uh... I guess you could say that," he sighs, still looking ahead.

Silence again

"You know what, fuck it," Ghost says slightly louder. "I didn't like seeing you with whatever his name was because I like you." he says matter-of-factly.

Your breath catches "I...I-you...me..."

he did not just say that

"I like you a lot and I couldn't give a fuck what our ranks are or who your father is, I just want... no, I NEED you to be mine," He continues.

"I...I uh... yes," You are embarrassed at how much of a nervous wreck you are right now.

"I'm taking that as a you like me back," Ghost says.

"Y-yes," you breathe.

You slowly get more comfortable as the night drags on, you never leave the side of your new boyfriend as the two of you bask in each other.

"All I want to do right now is dote on you and love you, show you my caring side," Ghost says at one point.

You giggle, "is the alcohol getting to you? Are you going to regret this in the morning?"

"Nope, completely sober, wouldn't want to forget this night with you."

The rest of the night is like a dream, you can't help but picture how the following days will be with this new relationship. hopefully this hangover won't be a smack in the face in the morning.

#cod 141 #cod mw2 #captain price #ghost x reader #simon ghost riley x reader #ghost cod #task force 141 #cod ghost #cod x reader #ghost call of duty #dad!price #ghost mw2 #ghost smut #ghost x reader smut #simon ghost riley #ghost #cod #cod fanfic

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gremoria411 · 3 months

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How to get into Gundam

Because fuck it, I was gonna do one of these sooner or later anyway.

So you want to know what this Gundam thing’s about, maybe you like the mecha design, maybe you caught part of an episode one time and want to catch up, or maybe you saw a nice piece of Chamuro fanart and want to go to the source.

But there’s so many shows and timelines that it can be quite daunting on first look, so this guide is intended to give a rough overview.

I would however like to stress two four things beforehand however:

This guide is not intended as “The One True Way” or anything. There’s no harm it coming into it a different way, and these are only my own opinions.

There’s nothing stopping you from just watching one show and leaving it there. You don’t have to watch every single show going, even I’ve only seen most of these, not all. Gundam typically has variations on similar themes - it’s very nice watching multiple shows because they complement one another, but it’s not necessarily required.

I am very much an insider looking out here, so let me know if there’s any details I’ve missed.

I’m not gonna recommend these on a “if you like X, then watch Y basis”, mostly because I don’t personally find genre recommendations helpful, so I’d recommend picking based on promotional material (vibes, if you will).

I’ll be using this chart, supplied by the excellent@l-crimson-l, to illustrate everything.

Gundam as a whole can principally be divided into three sections: Universal Century (or UC), the Alternate Universes (AU’s) and the Build Series.

The AU’s are below the light blue line, near the bottom of the Chart, the Build Series is within the bright green line at the top-right corner of the chart and UC is the big line in the middle. We’ll talk about each of them individually.

The AU’s

The Alternate Universes were conceived as a way to get away from the continuity-heavy nature of Universal Century and provide an easy jumping-on point for new fans. The AU’s are standalone and require no prior knowledge, and are thus an excellent place to start. Honestly, I’d recommend quickly searching some promotional materials (like posters) and just going with the one you find most appealing based on that. They are (in production order):

Mobile Fighter G Gundam (1994)

New Mobile Report Gundam Wing (1995)

After War Gundam X (1996)

Turn A Gundam (1999)

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (2002)

Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (2007)

Mobile Suit Gundam AGE (2011)

Gundam: Reconguista in G (2014)

Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans (2015)

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury (2022)

There’s side series and movies and other things besides, but these are the mainline shows, if you will. I have specific notes on a few of them:

Witch From Mercury - It’s of a shorter length than is usual for mainline shows, so consequently it’s a much smaller time investment than the others.

Mobile Fighter G Gundam - While undeniably rad as hell, I would recommend watching another AU first. G Gundam differs from its stablemates in a few key areas, and I find it helps to have a contrast to fully appreciate those differences.

Gundam AGE - is probably the only one I wouldn’t recommend. I didn’t like the art style and the technical explanations just got on my nerves, so I stopped watching.

Turn A and G-Reconguista are technically part of UC as well, but it’s not really crucial information so don’t feel like you have to watch UC first (I’m only including this detail for completionism).

I’ve found all the AU’s I’ve seen to be pretty good, so I’d say that which one you start with really just comes down to personal taste.

The Build Series

Is just kind of doing its own thing. The Build series is basically Buy Our Toys: the series. It’s got a far lighter tone, and I’ve had cause to compare it to pokemon prior. It’s also chock full of references and in-jokes to the other series.

Build Fighters and Build Fighters Try are the ones I’d recommend - they’ve got actual stakes and the fight scenes are really good.

Build Divers and Build Divers Re:rise I can’t recommend - I just find Build Divers aggressively boring. Build Divers Re:Rise is just okay - neither standout good or particularly bad. Its main flaw is that it’s a sequel to Build Divers.

The OVA’s are pretty much bad across the board - I’d particularly recommend avoiding Gundam Build Metaverse.

Universal Century

Universal Century is the big main timeline of Gundam, and is the timeline the original Mobile Suit Gundam from 1979 takes place in. There’s a tendency among certain fans to place UC as the one-above-all of Gundam, but I wouldn’t really go that far. It’s all pretty good, but I wouldnt really say one timeline is better than another (save personal preference, anyway).

Because UC is so big, it can be subdivided a couple times. The primary division is “Mainline” UC versus everything else. Basically there’s four-five shows in Universal Century from which everything else flows. As long as you know roughly what happens in these shows, then you can watch basically anything else in UC and have a good idea of what’s going on. These are (in order):

Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) - sometimes called Mobile Suit Gundam 0079.

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (1985)

Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (1986)

Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack (1988)

With Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (2010) as a nominal fifth (honestly I feel like you could argue either way).

The rest of the shows are:

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket (1989 Three-Episode OVA)

Mobile Suit Gundam F91 (1991 Movie)

Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory (1991 Thirteen-episode OVA)

Mobile Suit Victory Gundam (1993)

Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team (1999 Twelve-episode OVA)

G-Saviour (2000 Live Action Movie) - nobody ever talks about or acknowledges this one, it’s just here for completionism.

Mobile Suit Gundam MS Igloo (2004-2009 Three OVA’s with three Episodes each)

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin (2015 Six-Episode OVA, adapted from the Manga of the same name)

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt (2015 Eight-Episode Series, adapted from the Manga of the same name)

Mobile Suit Gundam: Twilight Axis (2017 episode, adapted from a light novel of the same name. Later rereleased as Gundam Twilight Axis Red Trace, with additional footage)

Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative (2018 sequel movie to Gundam Unicorn)

Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway (2021 ongoing movie series, very much adapted from the novel Hathaway’s Flash)

Most of the other series relate to events in the aforementioned “mainline” shows in some way, but a lot of the sidestories set during the One Year War require very little introduction (Thunderbolt, 0080 and 08th MS Team). Similarly, works set in “Late UC” (F91 and Victory Gundam) carry on from the other series thematically but don’t have any plot connections, so they can all be watched without any background knowledge of the rest of the Universal Century.

Compilation Movies

Just a quick note here - many of the Gundam series have compilation movies, where either a whole series or part of one are compressed down into a movie. While each movie compares differently, they usually boil down to this: Compilation Movies usually have worse pacing, but really nice animation.

One of the great things about Gundam is that different shows offer variations on themes, so seeing how different characters react to similar situations, or how different settings change their approaches can make it incredibly rewarding.

I haven’t seen enough of SD Gundam to make any sort of recommendations there, and Manga is something I might touch on another day.

EDIT: Oh hey also: You can watch a good chunk of these on YouTube, for free, officially. The Official Gundam.Info YouTube channel rotates the series shown on its channel periodically. I think it’s got F91 and SEED on there currently? But it’s had Wing, 00 and Witch From Mercury before. Also all of the Build Fighters series are there.

So yeah, that’s a thing.

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misshoneyimhome · 7 months

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Hello! I don’t know if requests are still open 😬 after seeing they Willy gif all I can think of is being a bratty sub + spitting kinky when trying to get ready for his game or after the game.

Oooh yes... yes, indeed 🫠🤭

So, did I go beyond initially intended? Perhaps - Do I regret it? Perhaps not...

[I think I need to start putting warnings on these again 🙈]

So, short note; I'm not actually good with the whole dominant Willy, as to me he's more of a passionate lover, kind of guy, with a lightly boyish-fuckery-attitude (is that even a thing?) However, with that said, I do imagine him having a bit of a dominant side to him, and I am more than willing to explore it further 😉 (Also I have no idea if you meant to include actual spitting, but as my mind works in mysterious ways, I went along with it 😅)

Warnings: 18+ smut, p in v unprotected sex, sub+dom (consensual of course), a bit of spitting and spanking; I think that's it 🙃

"Do you really have to leave already?" you pouted, watching William stride from the bedroom to the hallway clad in his game suit, settling on a bench to put on his shoes.

"Yes, babe, I really need to go now," he chuckled softly, observing your attempt at a disappointed expression, standing in the doorway with your arms crossed. Witnessing your boyfriend prepare to depart for tonight's match wasn't unusual, but for some reason, tonight you just didn't want him to leave.

"You know, we still have a bit of time for... you know," you offered with a mischievous wink, stepping in front of him, attempting to delay his departure for just a moment.

"Baby, I'm always late for games..." he sighed, trying to manoeuvre around your legs to tie his trainers. You had already donned your jersey, proudly displaying his name and number, perfectly complementing your bare legs with its length just covering your bum, yet teasingly providing easy access for your boyfriend.

"Then why should today be any different?" you remarked playfully, looking down at him while gently running your fingers through his hair.

Deep down, you knew he wanted it. How could he not, William, a 27-year-old lad, with a sex-drive almost strong as his passion for hockey. However, he had recently received some reprimands for frequently being late to pre-game briefings - situations that might occasionally be influenced by your actions, whether through his own initiative or yours.

"Please... I'll come home straight after, and we'll have all the fun we want," he looked up at you, a hint of yearning igniting in his eyes, clearly craving your touch as much as you desired his.

"How about a quickie?" you smirked.

"No," William asserted firmly, sitting upright.

"I'll let you take me from behind as hard as you want, doggy style?"

But William remained resolute, prompting you to attempt your final move: straddling his thigh, clad in only his dress trousers and the delicate fabric of your knickers, enveloping your heated core. You smoothly wrapped your arms around his neck, planting a deep, seductive kiss on his lips.

Instinctively, his hand found your lower back, and as the kiss gradually intensified, you sensually rubbed your core against his thick, muscular thigh, eliciting a soft moan that escaped into the midst of the kiss.

"Shit..." William murmured, as his thoughts were conflicted between giving in to your intense desire, tossing you around and fucking you so thoroughly that you'd only be able to lounge on the couch for the evening, or forcing himself to leave, dealing with the inconvenient hard-on that he knew needed to soften before being in front of any cameras.

Feeling your moisty cunt gradually dampening the fabric of his trousers, he teetered on the edge of giving in. However, just as he was about to succumb, his phone pinged with a text from Sheldon asking if he was on the way.

"Fuck it, babe," he interrupted your passionate kissing. "I really need to go," he straightened up, gently nudging you aside, adjusting his throbbing member before grabbing his oversized dune jacket and heading out the door.

With a light sigh of disappointment, you rose and made your way to the bedroom. Although you had been on the brink of fulfilling what he wanted so badly, you knew there was another way to play this game. Moreover, another opportunity to tease your boyfriend a little further.

As William arrived at the arena, barely making it in time for the team briefing, his phone vibrated in his pocket, signaling a message from you.

A photo, to be precise.

Knowing your tendencies well, particularly when you were in such a playful mood, he quickly glanced around to ensure none of his teammates were nearby before he opened the message.

And just as he had anticipated, there you were in the photo, sprawled on the sofa, adorned only in the Toronto Maple Leafs jersey, your hand positioned provocatively close to your core. The image exuded sensuality and allure, yet stopped short of being explicit.

"Stop teasing me like this!"

"Why? 😏 You left me in need, now I have to take care of it myself."

Following up, you sent another photo, this time exploring yourself more intimately between your moist folds.

"I had to go to a game! It's my job... just wait for me to get home, and we'll make up for it all night."

"Sorry, babe, can't wait that long 😉 Besides, how do you expect me not to have a wank when I have to watch you play for the next few hours 😏"

"It's hockey, you can't get off on watching hockey 🤔"

"Well, I can get off watching YOU play hockey 😏."

"But we're just gross hockey players, all sweaty and being rough and violent…"

"Oh, I love it when you're all sweaty and rough with me 😏"

"Stop it! You're making me hard again."

"Oh no, are you getting angry now? Do you want to punish me now?"

"Shit, baby! I can't have this now… I want you so badly! Don't touch yourself while I'm gone. That's an order!"

"Yes, sir! But then you better hurry up and finish that game and show me just how much you want me 😈"

"Oh, I'll show you! Be a good girl and make sure you're ready for when I get home."

With a mischievous smirk on your face, you set your phone down and turned your attention to the hockey game.

***

Willy knew what you were up to, yet he also knew the power he possessed. While you could be a bit of a brat, both of you knew your deep desire for him to take charge. As composed and easy-going as he appeared around everyone else, he could be equally forceful and dominant in the bedroom with you.

And tonight, you needed to be put in your place.

Fortunately, the game went exceptionally well. The Leafs emerged victorious with a 5-2 win, and Willy excelled, scoring a goal and providing two assists. And to everyone’s surprise, he was the first to depart from the locker room that evening.

He navigated through any traffic swiftly, practically racing home, and upon opening the front door, he discarded his favourite coat on the floor, kicked off his shoes, and loosened his tie, gently wrapping it around his hand as he headed straight to the bedroom.

And much to his delight, you had obediently followed his commands.

Kneeling on the floor, completely naked, your hands rested gently on your thighs as you looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Welcome home, sir," you uttered in your sweetest tone.

A giant, satisfied smirk curved William's lips as he leisurely approached you, positioning himself in front of your face. He entwined his hands in your hair, pulling it slightly to make you gaze up at him.

"So, you can be a good girl, huh," his voice emerged husky and rough. "Then why do you always have to be such a tease?"

You bid your lower lip, revelling in your man's dominance. "Because I know you like it," you smirked up at him.

As if ignited by flames, Willy gripped your hair and pulled you up, applying just enough force to cause a slight sensation of pain, yet not too much as you willingly complied.

It was a game you both often enjoyed – a display of his dominance and your submission.

With his firm grip still in your hair, he drew you in for an ardent and messy kiss before pulling away, running his thumb across your lower lip.

"Bend over. Arms behind your back," he commanded.

You complied, positioning yourself over the bed, face down and slightly turned to the side, placing your hands crossed over your lower back, having an idea of his intentions.

And your thoughts were correct.

Standing behind you, William took his tie and gently wrapped it around your wrists and hands, tying a secure knot that held your hands in place without restricting blood flow.

But before proceeding further, he took a moment to admire the sight in front of him. Then tenderly caressing your naked buttock with his palm, before he delivered a sharp, firm slap, causing a gasp escaping your lips as the pleasurable sting spread across your bare skin. And with a second slap, a louder moan followed.

William was eager to fulfil the much-needed release that had begun before he left.

So, without much foreplay, he undid his belt, unzipped his dress trousers, and let them gather around his ankles, along with his boxers, freeing his throbbing erection to stand proudly against his lower abdomen.

Your skin brushed against his, your pulsating cunt desperate for contact. Yet, amidst the anticipation, you felt something unexpected.

Willy spat on your buttocks, letting the saliva trail down your cheeks before using his finger to spread it around your tight entrance, eliciting a moan from you as his two digits delved deep inside you.

"Fuck, Willy…"

"Is this what you wanted?" he asked roughly, his fingers moving in and out of you. "This is what you teased me for? Just to be fucked, huh?"

You attempted to respond, but his skilful fingers worked your inner walls so expertly that all the anticipation built up throughout the day demanded release.

"Uh huh," you whimpered.

"Good."

In a swift motion, William withdrew his fingers, swiftly replacing the void with his throbbing cock, forcefully penetrating your core.

Moans escaped your lips, nearly turning into cries of pleasure as you were filled by your boyfriend. His hips established a rapid rhythm, thrusting deeply into you, hitting the depths of your being.

The room echoed with heavy breaths and the distinct sound of skin meeting skin, his firm grip on your hips anchoring you in place as he drove his length in and out.

"You're taking me so well. Such a good girl," he praised between moans.

Tears trickled down your cheeks as you yearned to move your arms, restricted by the tie. All you could do was absorb the intensity of William's forceful movements, allowing your body to revel in the blend of pain and pleasure.

"Willy, I..." you whimpered, feeling an impending orgasm.

"No, you don't get to come just yet," he commanded, and you knew better than to defy him in this moment.

Amidst the intense pleasure of William's forceful thrusts, your mind swirled in a haze of pleasure.

"Fuck, I can't..." you struggled, your body instinctively moving along with his relentless motions.

However, another slap landed across the same cheek as before, leaving your skin tinged in a slight pink hue.

"No," he commanded firmly.

"But..."

Leaning over your body, William's hand sought your neck, curling around it as he gently lifted you up a fraction. It wasn't exactly a chokehold, but his grip exerted pressure on your throat.

"You come when I tell you to come."

Tears streamed down your cheeks. The experience was overwhelming. William thrusting into you forcefully, his hand at your throat, your arms immobile, and the struggle to resist the urge for release.

"Willy... I... I can't," you managed to articulate, though with difficulty. "Please..."

"Please what?"

"Please, Willy - let me come..."

Your tears seemed to fuel his own release, and sensing the impending peak, he knew it was time to grant you what you had been craving, releasing his hold on your throat.

"Come for me, baby..." he urged, and with an explosion of euphoria surging through your mind, all the pent-up anticipation burst forth. A loud moan escaped your lips as you tumbled forward onto the mattress, experiencing the climax that had been building, your juices coating William's shaft.

With the intense tightening around his length, William soon followed suit, releasing himself with a breathy exclamation.

"Fuck..." he breathed out, emptying his seed into your depths.

Minutes passed as both of you tried to catch your breath, and then William gently untied your hands. Slowly withdrawing from within you, allowing the fluids to trickle down your thighs, you both unravelled and you settled yourself onto the bed.

As William discarded the remainder of his clothes, the steamy air filled with perspiration and the echo of heavy breaths. Despite the intensity of the moment, a chuckle escaped you.

"I think I should tease you more often," you remarked, your breathing beginning to steady.

With a matching chuckle, William knelt on the bed, drawing closer for a kiss as he responded, "I think so too."

#my asks #18+#william nylander imagine #nhl smut #wn88 imagine

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aalissy · 18 days

Text

Makeover

Anddd the final chapter for today :). I hope you liked both <3. I had more fun writing this one hehe. Lemme know what you think though <3!

AO3

It was common knowledge that Marinette had always been passionate about fashion design. But today, however, she decided it was time to share her creativity with a rather unexpected model: Chat Noir. The idea struck her during one of their usual patrols when she noticed how well Chat’s figure would suit one of her latest designs. She couldn’t help but imagine how dashing he would look in one of her outfits. So, when he landed on her balcony after another uneventful night, where she was eagerly waiting for him, she quickly proposed the idea.

“Hey, Chaton, I’ve got a fun idea,” Marinette said, a mischievous sparkle in her eye.

“Oh? Do tell, my purrincess,” Chat replied, his curiosity piqued.

“How would you feel about letting me give you a makeover? I’ve been working on a new design, and I think you’d be the perfect model for it,” she explained.

Chat’s eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly recovered, grinning widely. “A makeover? By you? How could I possibly say no? Lead the way, Marinette.”

Marinette beamed and opened the trapdoor to lead him into her room. She gestured for him to sit on her chaise while she retrieved the outfit she had in mind. The outfit she had spent days painstakingly making. It was a sleek, black suit with golden accents, designed to accentuate a tall and athletic figure like Chat Noir’s. She had originally intended it for a... different model, but honestly seeing it on a real-life hero would be much more exciting.

“Here it is!” she announced, holding up the suit.

Chat’s eyes lit up. “Wow, Marinette, that looks amazing! Are you sure you want me to be the first to wear it? I don’t want to ruin it by putting it over my suit...,” he trailed off.

“Nonsense! I wanted you to wear it for a reason. I absolutely want you to be the first. You’ll look fantastic in it. Now, let’s get started,” she said, handing him the suit.

While Chat began to put on the outfit she had designed, Marinette gathered up her styling tools. She wanted to make certain it fit him just right.

She was positively buzzing with excitement, eager to see her creation come to life on her friend. When Chat Noir finally got the full suit on, he turned to look at her. Marinette’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. Surprisingly, the suit fit him perfectly, highlighting his strong build and giving him an air of elegance. Though, to be honest, she couldn’t help but snicker at the fact that he had needed to take off the belt with his attached tail and the bell.

“Mon minou, you look incredible!” she exclaimed, eyes sparkling with pride.

Chat did a playful twirl, striking a pose. “Do I look like a real model yet?”

Marinette giggled. “Almost. We just need to fix your hair a bit and add a few finishing touches.”

She guided Chat to sit down again, and then she set to work. She gently combed her fingers through his tousled blonde hair. This had to look perfect!

Marinette brushed and styled his hair, giving it a sophisticated look that complemented the suit. She then applied a bit of makeup to enhance his features, powdering his face to give him a more ethereal glow.

Chat watched her work with a mixture of amusement and admiration. “You’re really talented, Marinette. I feel like a completely different person already.”

She blushed at his compliment, applying just a touch of gloss to his lips. “Thanks, Chaton. I’m glad you’re enjoying this.”

Once she was satisfied with his hair and makeup, Marinette stepped back to admire her handiwork. Chat looked every bit the part of a high-fashion model, and she couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride. “Alright, time for the final reveal,” she said, leading him to a full-length mirror.

His jaw dropped as he took in his reflection. “Is that really me? I look… wow, Marinette, you’re a genius!”

She laughed, feeling a sense of accomplishment. “You look amazing, Chat! Now, how about we do a little photoshoot? I have my camera right here.”

“Photoshoot? Count me in!” Chat agreed enthusiastically, grinning down at her.

Marinette set up her camera and began directing Chat through various poses. He struck each pose with a natural grace, and Marinette snapped away, capturing the transformation. She guided him to different parts of her room, using her creative eye to frame each shot perfectly.

Chat Noir, ever the performer, added his own flair to each pose, making the photoshoot a lively and enjoyable experience. It was almost as though he had done this a million times before and knew exactly the tips and tricks to keep it fun and lighthearted. But, she really couldn’t imagine Chat as a model. Pfft, that’d be silly!

As they moved through different poses, though, Marinette couldn’t help but marvel at how comfortable Chat Noir seemed in front of the camera. He was a natural, and it was clear that he was having as much fun as she was.

As they moved back up to her balcony, Marinette instructed him to take on a new pose.“Okay, now try leaning against the railing like this.” She slid back against her own railing, trying to give him a more casual but still stylish poser.

Chat followed her lead, leaning against the railing with a confident smirk. “Like this?”

“Perfect!” Marinette exclaimed, snapping the photo. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re a natural, Chat?”

“Maybe once or twice.” His eyes gleamed at her mischievously, like he knew something she didn’t.

Their photoshoot continued for another half an hour, with both of them laughing and enjoying the moment. By the time they finished, Marinette had a camera full of stunning photos and a heart full of happiness.

“That was so much fun, Marinette! Thanks for letting me be a part of this,” Chat said, pulling her into a grateful hug.

“Thank you for being such a great model, Chaton. You really brought my design to life,” she replied, hugging him back.

As they stood there, embracing and basking in the afterglow of their impromptu fashion session, Marinette felt a deeper sense of connection with Chat Noir. It was moments like these that reminded her of the bond they shared, both as heroes and as friends.

When they finally pulled away, Chat gave her a playful wink. “Anytime you need a model, you know where to find me.”

“I’ll definitely keep that in mind,” Marinette said with a smile. “Now, let’s get you back into your usual outfit before someone decides to patrol the rooftops and sees Chat Noir’s secret modeling career.”

Chat threw his head back in a loud laugh before nodding, ducking back behind inside to change out of the suit she had made for him. While he got ready, Marinette looked through the photos they had taken, already smiling at how cute they were. She absolutely needed to hang some of these up! Each photo was a testament to their teamwork and the fun that they had shared.

When Chat emerged, back in his familiar black suit, he gave her one last grin. “Thanks again, Marinette. Tonight was… purrfect.”

She chuckled at his pun. “It really was. See you tomorrow night, Chat.”

Together, the two of them headed back up to her balcony. When they made it, he brushed a soft kiss against her cheek, murmuring in her ear a quiet, “Thank you.” Her cheeks burned at the touch as she watched him go, using his baton to leap into the night.

Her mind was already buzzing with new ideas and new designs to create. She absolutely couldn’t wait to get started designing all of them! She should’ve done this sooner! Visions of suits and dresses flashed before her eyes and Marinette knew she needed to start sketching them soon.

As she settled back at her desk for the night, sketching one of her new ideas, Marinette couldn’t help but smile. With Chat Noir by her side, she knew that anything was possible. He was the muse to her artist and she couldn’t wait to have him try on more outfits for her now that she knew he was willing.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous #mlb #ml #fic #fanfic #marichat #marichatmay2024 #marichatmay #ml fic

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sebsgirl71479 · 1 year

Text

A King and His Queen

Mafia Sebastian Stan x Curvy Female Reader

Rating: 18+only No Minors

Word Count: 1,285k

A/N Once I saw the pictures of Sebastian at the LACMA Gala this story popped up in my head. I will have translations for anything that Sebastian says in romanian. Also if you have a problem with curvy/plus sized readers oh well.

A/N 2: Ok finally here is part 2, its a little short and its kind of a filler part but hopefully you like it. Turns out this will have a 3rd part to this story. PLEASE DONT FORGET TO REBLOG THIS IT WILL MAKE ME VERY HAPPY

Warnings: cursing, blood, guns, smut, virgin sex, unprotected sex, fluff, nicknames If there is anything I missed sorry.

The following day at the family fourth of july party, you both broke the news to your parents about your engagement. They were over the moon happy for you too, but did stress for the two of you to wait until after you graduated high school to start planning the wedding. You all agree and enjoy the rest of the party. Your whole senior year, the school was a buzz about you getting married. Everyone thought you were crazy but the majority of the students were on your side. Another thing happened that year during school. You both met a new student that transferred from Massachusetts, his name was Chirs Evans. Sebastian and Chris hit it off really quick and became the best of friends. They trusted each other wholeheartedly, as did you.

6 months after graduation you were getting ready to marry your king. You were standing in front of a full length mirror assessing your look. You picked a beautiful lace off the shoulder mermaid style wedding dress. Your shoes were the same color as Sebastian's eyes and the crown on your head was fit for the queen he said you were. It was a pre wedding gift from Sebastian. You decided to go without a vail for the wedding, it felt like it was too much. There's a knock at the door. “Come in!” You see Chris’ head peek around the corner like he isn't supposed to see you.

“Oh my god Y/N you look beautiful, Sebastian is going to combust.” You bow your head at his complement and let out a little giggle. “Do you really think he is going to like it?” “I may have only known you guys for a year but I feel like me and Seb were brothers separated at birth. And if he doesn't shed one tear I will smack him in the back of the head.” “Did you need something Chris?” “Oh yeah, um it's almost time, you ready?” “Chirs, I've been ready since I was 13 years old.” With a big smile on his face he offers you his arm and leads you to the back of the venue where your mother and father are waiting for you.

You had your wedding at Monteverde at oldstone, a beautiful outside venue with an old 18th century home. As you waited at the end of the aisle for your music to start you reflected on the first time you met Sebastian. He was such a sweet and shy boy and just wanted to get to know him better not knowing you were meeting the love of your life at such a young age. All of a sudden a string quartet starts playing I Can't Help Falling In Love by Elivs Presley, that's your cue to walk. As you walk you finally look up to see Sebastian practically sobbing. You try to hold back your tears as best you can. He is in a simple black suit white shirt and black necktie, so very handsome. You're halfway down the aisle when you mouths to you “I love you.” At that you quicken your pace you want to get to him as fast as possible. You make it to the front as your father takes your hand and gives it to Sebastian. “Son, I trust you to take care of my little girl.” “Sir, I will protect her till my dying breath.”

The ceremony was short but beautiful. As soon as the minister pronounced you man and wife Sebastian grabbed you waist, dipped you and kissed you with so much passion you thought you might pass out. He brings you back up and you hug each other so tightly. “I love you so much draga, I can't wait to start our lives together.” Lubirea mea, we are going to have a beautiful life together, my king.”

During your first year of marriage Sebastian was learning everything about his step-fathers business and then some. By your 1st anniversary he had almost completely taken over his business. What most people didn't know was that his step-dad was a small-time mafia man, and Sebastian had big plans to make it bigger than ever. You and Sebastian wanted to have children but waited a few years to really start trying. With him taking over the mafia, you wanted to find a time where things started to level out. After 3 years of marriage you had a big surprise for him on his birthday. You were 8 weeks along already when you found out. You had dinner simmering on the stove while you set the table ready for him to come home. On his place setting you put a copy of the sonogram. You heard him coming through the front door.

“Draga, I'm home!” “I’m in the kitchen lubirea mea.” You turn around just as he comes into the kitchen, giving you a soul stealing kiss. “Seb, what was that for?” “Just happy to see my beautiful wife after a hard day.” “Well I hope you're hungry? Go wash up while I finish up here.” Giving you a peck on the cheek he runs up stairs to take off his suit jacket and head to the bathroom to wash up. While he’s doing that you are a ball of nerves waiting for him to come back down stairs to sit at the table and find your surprise. You hear him coming back down and ask him to go ahead and take his seat while you bring dinner. As you walk into the dinning room you see Sebastian standing by his chair holding the sonogram. You walk slowly over to him and place dinner on the table.

“Sebastian, baby please say something.” He looks over at you with a few tears coming down his face. “Draga, is this for real? Are you pregnant?” You nod your head afraid to speak. He fist pumps the air and scoops you up in his arms and spins you around peppering you with kisses. Once he stops he puts you down and holds your face in his large hands. “Y/N, i didn't think i could be any happier than i am at this moment. You are going to be an amazing mother.” “Seb, you are going to be a great dad, not to mention really sexy.” You both laugh and give each other a few more kisses before starting dinner.

All through out your pregnancy, Sebastian was the most caring and attentive husband. Anything you needed he gave you, he even choose the décor of the nursery for you with your approval. At the 5 month mark you found out you were having twins a boy and a girl. You went into labor at 37 weeks, and Sebastian was with you through out everything. As soon as you were able to finally push the babies out that's when the real pain started. You soldiered through and when you heard the first cries are you baby girl you and Sebastian started crying. He cut the ambilocal cord and the nurse took her to clean her up. 5 mins later you start pushing again and out comes your son, he cuts his cord and is taken to be clean up as well. Two nurses bring over you son and daughter for you to hold. They give you your son and Sebastian your daughter.

Y/N, draga mea have you thought of name for our son?” “I have, do you have one for our daughter?” “I do, what do you think of Elena?” “I love it lubirea mea, what do you think about Luca for our son?” “Luca and Elena Stan, they both mean light in Romanian its beautiful.”

TAG LIST: @buckyalpine @christycurlswrites @frostironfudge @peaches1958 @allandoflimbo @altagraye

#sebastian stan x plus size reader #sebastian stan x y/n #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan au #mafia sebastian #sebastian stan fanfiction #young sebastian stan #romanian god #tz

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jewwyfeesh · 9 months

Text

To The Gentle You 3

Writer: Mitsuki

Character(s): Kagehira Mika, Hakaze Kaoru, Aoba Tsumugi

Translated by: stcrfeesh

CN Proof by: jewwyfeesh

Tsumugi: Ahaha ♪ Well, it’s not like I could have heard something that you’ve never really said, no~?

Please read the translator notes at the end!

Season: Summer

Location: Seishou Hall Common Room

Mika: (Ugh… the hell was I even on about, tellin’ Tsumu-chan-senpai I’d make a design so perfect it’d impress Naru-chan…)

(I kept thinkin’ ‘bout what Naru-chan might like while designin’ and ended up drawin’ a whole buncha drafts. Now I dunno which one ‘ta choose.)

(Back when I took on a jewellery designin’ gig, I got Naru-chan ‘ta model fer me and successfully designed a necklace that everyone liked.)

(Or maybe it's ‘cause this time ‘round, t’was only outta my personal desire ‘ta gift Naru-chan a brooch that's uniquely fer her and her alone, an’ not for anyone else. So now……)

???: Kagehira-kun, are you currently struggling with something very important?

Mika: Nnah~ bingo…

???: If that's the case, do you need this kind and considerate nii-san to give you some advice~?

Mika: That’ll do me a world of good— hold up, who the hell are ya?!

Kaoru: Ah, sorry, my bad. Did I interrupt your musings?

Mika: Eh?! Ha-Hakaze-senpai?! How long have ‘ya been standin’ there?! Have I been unconsciously sayin’ my thoughts out loud?

Kaoru: Ahaha, it’s nothing like that~ It’s just because your thoughts are clearly written on your face. I’m free right now, so you can talk to me if you have any worries.

Mika: Sorry ya had ta see me so unkempt… I actually wanted ta make a unique brooch as a gift, but I just ended up gettin’ stuck with the design.

When it comes ta usin’ cute elements as the design’s main theme, I just kept thinkin’ how all of them suit each other — I couldn’t pick. So now I’m here, mullin’ over the design drafts.

Kaoru: Huh… if you don’t mind, could you show me those design drafts?

(Hm… looking at it, it seems that most of these brooches have flowers, bows, hearts, and the like as the design’s core, which is rather cute. It’s definitely something a girl would like—)

(Wait, didn’t Kagehira-kun say he wanted to hand make a brooch as a gift? Is he going to give it to a girl?)

(For him to go to such lengths, then it must certainly be for someone who’s important to him, right…?)

Mika: …Hakaze-senpai? I see yer lookin’ like ya’ve got some stuff ya wanna ask me?

Kaoru: Ah, well, you see… What I'm trying to say is that, if you’re aiming for a design that’s more intimate, why not try getting inspiration from the mundanes of their everyday life?

For starters, you can go with how they dress — whether their usual style is more suitable for simpler or fancier jewellery, and identify colour palettes that would act as a complement to them. Just things like that.

Oh, yeah! How about using your outfits during your date as a starting point? It’ll be something rather memorable ♪

Mika: Woah… as expected of senpai who’s a part of the “Date Plan” project [1], ya really know a lot ‘bout these type of things.

Hmm~ If I were ta look at it from an everyday-life perspective, then I do wanna make this brooch suitable for goin’ out on dates too. I’ll trash these, then.

But it’s so hard to choose the best one among the bunch, and I keep thinkin’ how it could be way better… Could I ask for yer help with this again?

Kaoru: Ahaha, no worries~ I’ve got you covered ♪

(…I was just testing the waters by mentioning the word “date” earlier, and he didn’t even try denying it? Could it really be that he actually came looking for me to ask about relationship advice?!)

(Now that I think about it, other than Anzu-chan, who else would he be close with that isn’t also a guy…?)

(………)

(N-N-Nah, it can’t be. It’s probably just a misunderstanding cause I care too much about Anzu-chan… it’s nothing, let’s calm down. My priority now is to help Kagehira-kun with his troubles.)

Location: Seishou Hall Library

(And so I ended up accompanying Kagehira-kun to look for info at the library. I’m a member of “Biblion” [2], so the library here at Seisou Hall isn’t really new to me.)

I remember seeing it here… Woah?!

Aoba-kun, what are you doing just standing behind the shelf and not saying a word? You scared me…

Tsumugi: Oh, it’s Kaoru-kun and Mika-kun~ Apologies, I’ve been so into arranging these books over here that I hadn’t noticed someone entering.

Oh, I see. So you guys are looking for reference materials on jewellery making. You should find them on those shelves in the back row.

Kaoru: Uhh… about jewellery… not this one… not this either…

Aha~ found it! “Classic Jewellery Illustration and Design” and “A Selection of a Hundred Brooches”. Both books don't seem too shabby ♪

Mika: You have a good eye for things, Hakaze-senpai~ I only found one, “A Manual on Jewellery Making”.

Tsumugi: Ah, Kaoru-kun just reminded me. There are a few brooch designs in that “Classic Jewellery Illustration and Design” book that are quite similar to Mika’s ideas for his design drafts. He could check those out…

Kaoru: Eh? You’ve already seen Kagehira-kun’s design drafts?

Mika: Uh-huh~senpai even gave me some real helpful advice. Both of ya are such reliable senpais ♪

Tsumugi: Ahaha, you flatter me too much, Mika-kun~ I’m also an amateur when it comes to designing jewellery, so I decided to skim through some of the books while I was rearranging the bookshelves today.

I was planning on recommending these books that would be useful to you, Mika-kun. Let’s take a look at them now, shall we ♪

Take the design on this page for example. A technique that can be used to convey the delicacy and elegance of flowers could be adding ribbons to a fretwork.

Or perhaps these types of simple yet stylish designs over here aren’t too bad either. I think it would go well with everyday wear.

Mika: Hmm…

Kaoru: …How about we approach it like this — Kagehira-kun, what do you think about going over the person’s likes and dislikes with us? This way, if it’s someone we know, it’ll be easier for us to help you narrow down those ideas.

Tsumugi: (Huh? Does Kaoru-kun not know for whom Mika is making the brooch?)

(He’s been uneasy since earlier, could it be that he’s misunderstood something…?)

Mika: Nnah… when it comes to the things Naru-chan likes, it should be anythin’ that’s beautiful ‘n cute—things that’re called “Pretty”, y’know?

Kaoru: I see I see, so it’s someone named Naru-chan and not Anzu-chan. That sounds like a really cute name too~

Mika: — Naru-chan’s style seems to be more handsome rather than cute when she’s doin’ idol jobs with Knights, but no matter how ya look at it, she’s still very charmin’ either way~ ♪

Kaoru: (Eh…? This “Naru-chan” is a member of Knights…? So are you telling me that I… I’ve been under the wrong impression about this whole situation the entire time?!)

Mika: Hmm? Were ya sayin’ somethin’, Hakaze-senpai? Sorry, I was talkin’ to myself earlier, so I missed what’cha said~

Kaoru: I-I didn’t, though? Haha, I didn’t say anything earlier, I prommy! Cross my heart and hope to die!

Tsumugi: Ahaha ♪ Well, it’s not like I could have heard something that you’ve never really said, no~?

(But there’s something about this recklessness that makes you feel like you’re reliving a spring from once upon a time… ♪)

Translator's notes:

[1]: Mika is referring to Kaoru’s shuffle unit project, √AtoZ.

[2]: Biblion is an existing ES archive circle composed of the following members: Hajime, Kaoru, Nagisa, Tsukasa, and Tsumugi. The members gather out of their love for books of all genres.

← Chapter 2 | ES x LC Masterlist | Chapter 4 →

#enstars translation #fragments of light and shadow #kagehira mika #hakaze kaoru #aoba tsumugi #to the gentle you

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pixiechaos86 · 6 months

Text

“Im ready” I say as I step onto the landing of the staircase and start to make my way down the stairs. Sawyer who is at the bottom turns around and starts to say “Great if we leave now we’ll…” but when our eyes meet he freezes in place and his mouth hits the floor, his eyes glistening with pure joy and a small hint of lust. I smile wide at him and think hashtag nailed it! That was the look I was definitely going for because he has never seen me this done up before. We are typically more casual people, preferring a night at home then out on the town, and any event we’ve gone to for his work I’ve dressed up, but never anything this glamorous. Tonight I was red carpet ready in the floor length, skin tight green sparkling dress that I know complemented me in a way that my green eyes were shining like emeralds, and accentuated all my curves in the right way. I had full glam too. Makeup done to perfection and hair styled in cascading curls that would make Kim K jealous.

“Careful my love you’ll get drool on the floor” I say playfully to him as I step onto the last step right before him. His smile grows at my words as his hands go to my waist and mine go to his shoulders. “You look stunning my love” he says as he looks me straight into my eyes. Standing on the bottom step, in heels is the only time we’re eye to eye and at times it nice to be able to look at him without straining my neck back to see his beautiful blue eyes, but that’s just the way I like my men, tall, dark and handsome I think as I smile at him. He looks stunning himself with his hair in tight braids that sit right at his neck and his black Armani suit fitted to his sculpted body. We’ll I needed to be careful or my drool will be on the floor too I think to myself.

“Thank you” I say but my voice comes out in a whisper because Sawyer has pulled me flush against him now and is nuzzling his nose right between my full breast. I laugh at his reaction to me all dress up and a low grow escapes him as my breast move against his face with the motion of my laughing. My smile grows at his adoration of me, thinking of how he often nuzzles himself there and calls it “home” he breathes out against my skin and I really smile now as he verbally finishes my thought for me. He places a soft kiss at the top of my breast and then one on the other and then slowly starts to make his way up my neck “Sawyer we have somewhere to be” I warn as his kisses start to make me weak in the knees and I know if he ask me to stay home and blow off our own engagement party I would absolutely, but then I think of Kate and all her hard work and try again. Even though my arms wrap tighter around him. His nose is caressing my chin now as I say “Babe we really have to go Kate will..”

He pulls me tighter against him and I feel just exactly the affect I’ve had on him with our bodies pressed tightly and my breath escapes me as lust invades my veins. “Kate will be just fine if we’re a few minutes late” he says in a husky whisper looking me straight in the eye one eyebrow arched daring me to argue and I smile at him and say “Okay but don’t mess up my hair” and in the next second he is lifting me up and running back up the stairs as he says “deal”.

#arealmofdiscord #bookworm #new author

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themissusmarvel · 2 years

Text

Patience

Ransom Drysdale x Reader

18+ Only Please!

Content Warnings: fingering, unprotected sex, smut, Ransom Drysdale (lol)

Summary: You are looking stunning at a party, and Ransom is having trouble resisting you. Eventually, his patience runs out.

It was so much fun. A glorious evening filled with laughter, drinks, and dancing.

And Ransom couldn't keep his eyes off of you.

He was dressed in a gorgeous dark blue suit that perfectly complemented your silver dress. His hair was styled as he always had it, gelled back with every strand in place.

His heated gaze was making you feel flushed. And when he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, you knew you needed to be near him.

You started making your way towards him, and noticing you getting closer Ransom closed the gap between you. Your arms draped around his shoulders and his hands slid around your hips. Hearing the music change to a slower pace, you started dancing.

Ransom cleared his throat. "You look stunning tonight, angel. I've been catching all the guys in here eyeing up my girl."

You looked up to see him shooting others a look to back off, which made you giggle. "Ransom, you know I'm only yours."

He dropped his head to quickly catch your lips with his. It was a soft and gentle caress, like he was saying I love you.

Ransom rested his forehead on yours, so he was able to gaze into your eyes with his deep blue ones. Your fingers drifted through the hair on the back of his hair, and you heard him take in a sharp inhale of breath.

"Careful angel. I've been trying to be patient. Waiting to take you home." He moved so his lips grazed the shell of your ear. "So I can rip that dress off of you and fuck you till you're screaming my name."

The feeling of his breath on your ear sent a shiver down your spine, and he moved one hand from your hip to brush his fingertips along the length of your back. His words were sending heat to your core, and his touch wasn't helping.

It was your turn to take in a sharp breath, and your lips parted slightly at his caress. Seeing that, Ransom's eyes darkened. He loved seeing you react to his touch. It turned him on immediately to see the control he had over you.

He suddenly pulled you tight to his body, his hands splayed across your back, pressed against his hard chest. "Angel you're killing me." Ransom ground himself against you, and you made a little gasp at the feeling of his growing erection against you. "I need to be inside of you. I can't wait until we get home."

Before you even had a moment to notice what was happening, he had grasped your hand and guided you into a hallway to the side of the party. He pushed open a door and glanced inside, then pulled you in with him, locking the door behind you.

The bright light hit your eyes, and you realized where he had taken you. It was a lovely, ornate bathroom with a large vanity, shower in the corner, and a beautiful clawed bathtub that you wished you had in your own home. But that didn't matter right now. Ransom had his body pressed against your back, and you could feel his cock throbbing against you.

"I tried to be patient angel, I really did. But your body in this dress is driving me crazy." He growled as he spun you in his arms and lifted you up. You wrapped your legs around his hips and threaded your hands into his hair.

Ransom walked you back towards the countertop, and placed you on the cold marble. A squeal left your lips as it touched your bare skin. It seemed that as Ransom had been holding you, your dress had ridden up your body.

He backed up a couple of steps. His eyes roved over your body, his eyes filled with lust. Feeling emboldened, you bit your lip and started hiking your dress up your legs, Ransom watched while inches of you skin was revealed to him.

When you stopped before revealing your most intimate parts, he growled. "Come on angel. A little bit more. Show me how wet you are. How ready you are for me."

You groaned at his words. How was he so fucking sexy all the time? Ransom knew exactly what to say to get you to do what he wanted. As the hem of your dress was pushed over your thighs, you slowly spread your legs and watched Ransom.

Earlier that evening, when you were getting dressed, you decided that you would tease Ransom later by telling him you weren't wearing panties. Well, he had other plans and now he definitely knows.

Seeing your glistening folds he shot back towards you and his lips crashed on yours. It was a devouring kiss, with his tongue dancing across yours and his fingers squeezing your hips.

As the heat began to pool low in your belly, you moaned softly into Ransom's mouth. You felt his cock twitch against you at the sound. He broke away from you, but kept his nose resting against yours, so he could keep eye contact.

"I need to hear more of those pretty sounds, angel." You felt his hand leave your hip, then his fingers slid through your core and you gasped at the sensation.

"Ransom," you whispered, your voice raspy.

He swirled his thumb around your clit and pulled your bottom lip between his teeth. After swirling his tongue over where his teeth had been, he slowly slid two fingers into you. "You don't cum until I say so. I've been patient, so should you."

You nodded as Ransom continued to pump his fingers in and out of you, continuing to trace circles on your bundle of nerves. As you felt your orgasm building, you started grinding against his hand, chasing the pleasure. Ransom noticed your breathing becoming more rapid and your walls clenching around him, so he pulled out his fingers.

The sudden emptiness made a little whine leave your throat, and Ransom looked at you darkly. "I say when too cum, angel. And it will be on my cock, not my fingers."

Your gaze went to his cock, which straining against the fabric of his trousers. Seeing the hard length of him made you dart out your tongue to wet your lips. You looked back to him. "Then fuck me Ransom."

He growled and quickly undid the button and zipper, reached into his boxers and pulled out his throbbing erection. Without a word, he pulled you to the edge of the counter with one hand and lined up the head of his cock with the other.

Ransom wasn't going to take you softly. Not when he was so desperate to feel you wrapped around him. All it took was one snap of his hips and he buried himself in you. You cried out at the sudden invasion, but as Ransom started pulling in and out of you, pain turned to pleasure and little moans started leaving your lips.

He fit you so perfectly, filled you so well. And his cock hit you in just the right place. With each thrust Ransom watched your breasts bouncing in front of him. He was mesmerized by you and your body.

You threw your head back in pleasure when he moved one hand to your breast, where he was squeezing and rubbing your nipple. The sensation of the fabric on your sensitive skin was electric.

But when you looked back, you noticed the mirror behind you. Ransom noticed your gaze, and a devilish grin spread across his face. "You wanna watch, angel? You wanna see my cock going into your sweet pussy?"

His words made you clench around him, which was a yes in his mind. Ransom grabbed your hips and slid you around to the side, so you could see him fucking you in the huge mirror.

It was erotic, seeing him holding your gaze in the mirror and you watched his hard cock thrust in and out of you, slick with your arousal. Your mind began to fog as your orgasm once again grew closer. The heat becoming almost overwhelming as it continued to build.

"I can feel you getting close, angel. You want to come?" Ransom asked quietly.

You nodded your head frantically. But that wasn't want he wanted.

"Use your words, angel. Tell me."

"Yes Ransom. Please."

He began moving faster, his hips pounding against yours. His breathing grew heavier as he tried to bring you both to your end. "Say it again."

"Please Ransom, please. I'm gonna cum!" You cried out.

With a smirk, he started to once again rub your clit to push you over the edge. "Then cum, angel."

It was all you needed. You shouted out his name as the wire snapped and your body went stiff with your orgasm. He was right behind you, his thrusts becoming erratic and with a grunt, you felt his cock pulsing with his release.

You sat up to wrap your arms around Ransom as you both came down from your highs and your breathing returned to normal. After a while, he gave you a kiss on your temple, and slowly pulled out of you.

He turned and grabbed a towel off a nearby wall, and gently cleaned you up and then himself. Ransom threw the towel into a corner, and you giggled. "What's so funny, angel?" He asked while he grabbed you around your waist to place you gently back on the floor.

"I just love you, Ransom." You sighed.

"I love you too, angel," he kissed your forehead. "But next time your in a dress like this, I'm fucking you in the car on the way to the party."

#ransom drysdale x reader #ransom drysdale #ransom drysdale x you #ransom x reader #ransom smut #chris evans

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paper-n-ashes · 3 years

Text

The Late Shift

Characters: Paul Sevier x Female Reader

Words: 2k

Warnings/Tags: There’s actually none (I hope). I know. I’m surprised too.

Authors Note: This is so dumb. I’m aware. Look, I’ve been dealing with a horrendous writers block and shattered confidence and I made Paul Sevier gifs to ease my pain. It turned into this. I just wanted to try something a little cute and fluffy to get back into the swing of things. So... here it is.

It was going to be a long night.

Stuck on the Wednesday evening shift for the third time this month, you mindlessly fiddled with the pen in your hand. Twirling it between your fingers, your mind drifted away from the present moment, wondering why your boss seemed to dislike you so much to keep you here past 6pm in the middle of the week. He’d always been adamant this was prime selling time for this boutique suit store, with corporate clients needing to do their shopping outside of normal business hours.

You, however, knew keeping this place open was senseless, barely seeing more than a few unenthusiastic customers in these agonizingly slow stretches. Working on commission also made you all the more bitter about being paid minimum wage to stand behind a counter and doodle sketches of imaginary clients dressed in the outfits you personally tailored. This isn’t where you thought a Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design would take you, that’s for sure.

“H-hello,” you heard a deep voice quietly greet you, startling you into focus. “Are you busy? I… think I need a little help.”

Eyes flickering up from the notepad, you were sure your pupils blew wide at the sight of the man in front of you. Standing at an imposingly large height, his hair a severely murky shade of black, with honeyed irises shining brightly behind delicate spectacles.

A human personification of tall, dark and handsome. Well, except for the clothes.

The stranger wore the layered combination of a grey tweed jacket and argyle patterned sweater, arranged over a particularly heinous, mustard-coloured button up. While the ensemble made you internally cringe, it gave him an air of intelligence, like the kind that hangs around stuffy, old college professors who have more academic accolades than you have fingers and toes.

“Me?” you coughed out, knowing full well you were the only other person in this tiny little shop. “Uh, yeah. I mean- No, no I’m not busy. What is it you need help with?” Even when you stood, the man towered above you, making you silently begin to calculate the high-numbered measurements you’d need to fit him in something.

“I have an important meeting scheduled for Friday. You know, the type you need to wear a suit to?” Evidently the thought of it made him nervous, as you noticed his cheek twitch slightly, his eyes scanning momentarily at the garments filling the space. “I’m… uh… not so great with clothes.”

Clearly, you chuckled inside your head, holding the word from your tongue. “You want me to pick out something for you?”

He took a defeated breath, his mouth twisting into an awkward yet wonderfully endearing smile. “Would you mind? Only if it’s not too much trouble.”

“No trouble!” you burst, maybe a little too excitedly. “It’s my job!” Bounding out from behind the counter you’d been imprisoned by, you moved directly to the section of classic navy business suits. Slim line. Something to accentuate his well-built frame, rather than hide it away. You had to pause, swivelling back around to the dumbfounded man. “Is price an issue… uh…?”

“Paul,” he answered for you, slowly moving to where you stood. “And… I suppose not. Probably should spend the money on something that will last. If you think it’s a good idea.”

Oh thank god, you mused without showing the relief on your face. He’s not some rich asshole trying to flash his cash. “A good suit can last you five years, if you treat it right.” Your hand reached over to graze one of the deepened blue sleeves of a jacket at your left. “And a classic colour will never go out of style.”

Paul let out an embarrassed chuckle. “I think you’ve already noticed how lacking in style I am…” He glanced to your nametag, murmuring your name with a goofy smirk curling his lips. You’d never seen a grown man, especially not one of this stature, appear so adorable. It was horribly distracting.

“I’m sure you have expertise in other areas,” you stumbled, realizing only when the words came out how offensive they might seem. Yet Paul conceded to your comment, his rumbling laugh making your chest feel tight.

“Debatable,” he shrugged. “I’m just glad I found some qualified personnel to help me in this instance.”

Oh boy. Humble and charming? You were in so much trouble. Surely someone as sweet as this had another waiting for them at home. “I’m sure your partner could help you pick out something nice too.”

“Not an option in my case.”

Shit. Single too. You were truly fucked.

You turned, trying to calm your erratic heartbeat by focusing on finding an outfit that would contain his longer limbs. Plucking out a matching jacket and trouser set, with an ivory, collared button-up, you offered them to Paul, his features having melted into a sweetened look of intrigue. “Go and try these on. There’s a changeroom just behind the counter. See how they feel, and we can go from there.”

He nodded, taking the pieces with both of his large hands and shuffling away to where you’d pointed to. No sooner than the latch had locked were you dashing to where your phone was sitting at the register, flitting out a rushed text message to your favourite co-worker.

There was rustling you heard emanating from the changeroom stall, doing your best to ignore the urge of picturing Paul, a man you’d met only minutes ago, gradually slipping off his clothes to reveal the toned muscles underneath. You grimaced at yourself, shaking your head to banish the imaginations. God this was unprofessional.

Finally, a response lit up on your phone screen.

You laughed softly through your nose, about to type a reply when you heard the lock click open again. The breath in your lungs was stuck as Paul made his way out, the expensive textiles draping over his burly frame in a way that made your whole body tense.

He rustled a hand through his hair, looking up to you while fidgeting with the starchy material stretched over his chest. “Does it look okay?”

After all these years working this job, the enticing novelty of attractive men in well-fitted suits had slowly worn off, especially when most of them treated you with about as much respect as the used gum they spit out onto the sidewalk. Suddenly, all those preconceived notions were gone. On Paul, this ensemble instantly became the most captivating thing in the entire universe.

The inside of your mouth flooded with saliva, having to swallow hard before speaking again. “Great… it looks… great.” You did your best to conceal a settling exhale. “What do you think? How does it feel?”

Paul shifted to look at his reflection in the mirror, pupils trailing up and down, flexing his limbs in an attempt to get a proper impression of the new apparel. “It feels really good. Makes me look… sophisticated.” He turned to you, his expression unsure. “Right?”

Your smile was sparkling, nodding to his question. There was a small amount of work to do, noting how in your effort to make sure everything complemented his physique, you’d oversized him. The waistline of the jacket needed to be taken in, the shoulder lines sitting slightly off, and the trouser length needing to be taken up slightly. “A couple of adjustments and it’ll be perfect.”

“You mean taking it to be tailored?”

“No need.” You pulled out the wheel of berry pins from your pocket, kneeling down on the floor next to Paul’s feet. “All our tailoring is included in the price. Done completely in house.” You began to fold the bottom edge of his pants, pinning it to an adequate length. “I can have it ready for you tomorrow, all ready for your Friday meeting.”

“You do all the tailoring yourself?” Paul asked as you slinked another pin through the fabric.

“Sure do,” you chirped, moving onto the other leg. “3 years at a design school taught me a few things about cutting and sewing.” With the hemlines in place, you straightened in front of him, plucking out a roll of measuring tape from your other pocket. “I just… need to take a few measurements to properly alter the jacket.”

His cheek twitched, the line of his jaw seeming somewhat strained. “Sure. F-fine. Do what you gotta do."

You went with determining his arm length first, feeling out the boney point of his shoulder and striping the lined tape all the way down to his wrist. Then, after taking a deep inhale, you curled your arms around his hips, focusing hard on the little black numbers to ignore the fact Paul’s breath had started to skate over your skin with this close proximity. It was when you were lining up the thickened stripes indicating his chest circumference that you made the mistake of peering up, finding his alluring stare fully concentrated on you.

There was a moment. A spark to waiting kindling. Where impulse could have led you to do a dangerous thing. You’d never been the hasty type, never acted without considerable thought. Usually so shy and composed, never making the first move. Although right now, you could scarcely hold yourself back, desperate to know the sensation of Paul’s lips, how they’d move over yours, what they tasted like.

No. This was so inappropriate.

The compulsion was about to wither away when you felt a hand skim up your waist, the lightened touch shooting a thrill over your skin.

“Excuse me,” a gruff voice called from your side. “How much are these dress socks?”

You immediately stepped back, smacked into reality again. “$12.99. Exactly what it says on the box.”

The older gentlemen scrutinized the packaging, lids narrowed until he finally saw the numbers plastered at the border. “Oh, right. Eh, a little expensive for my taste. Thanks anyway.”

Flustered, you began to coil the measuring tape into its resting spiral, forcefully glaring at the floor. “I’m all done. You can get dressed into your own clothes now.”

In your periphery you saw Paul regarding you with a gentle nod, walking back into the changeroom without another word. Every part of you wanted to sink beneath the wooden floorboards, so horrendously embarrassed you could feel a smoldering heat prickle at your cheeks. Only to relieve some of the nervous energy, you ran to your phone.

Again, Paul was exiting out of the stall just as you were going to submit your reply, placing the neatly arranged garments over the counter. It was difficult to look directly at him, having to summon all remaining shards of your courage to drift your eyes up to his face. “Was there anything else you needed?”

His mouth parted, only to quickly snap shut, scratching at his hairline in the seconds it took for him to give you a response. “No. Nothing else. Unless there’s something more you think I need.”

You shook your head, wishing you could give another answer just to keep him here. “You’re all set.” The full price of his items flashed on the monitor in front of you, spouting it to him as your fingers flicked across the keyboard to finalize the purchase, with a personal discount that wouldn’t show on the receipt.

“When should I come by to pick it up?” he queried, passing you his credit card. “Oh, but there’s no pressure. Whenever you have the time is just fine.”

An idea flared. “If you give me your number, I can text you when it’s ready.”

“That works for me.”

Erasing all evidence of the conversation you’d been having, you brought up the number pad, handing your phone over. Paul swiftly typed in his details before placing it back in your palm. ‘Paul the Suit Guy’ the contact read, unable to stifle your laugh.

“So I’ll see you tomorrow?” His eager expression made your heart quiver through a beat.

“Y-yeah,” you stammered. “I’ll see you then.”

Paul waved his hand in an awkward flourish to signal his goodbye, eventually moving far enough from your vision for you to finally take a full, relaxed breath. In a dazed hurry, you keyed in your returning message to your co-worker.

It was the precise moment your thumb had pressed into the ‘Send’ button that you realised your recipient wasn’t the one you’d intended.

You’d sent this message straight to Paul.

Fuck. Oh fuck. This was bad.

While you were scrambling to formulate a believable excuse, a new message popped up onto the screen.

Tags for my lovelies who might tolerate this nonsense: @tlcwrites @roanniom @princessxkenobi @hopeamarsu @blowthatpieceofjunk @mariesackler @leatherboundriot @foxilayde @modernpaw @cornmousequeen @direnightshade @safarigirlsp @blackberries45 @mylifeisactuallyamess @caillea @jynzandtonic @beskarbabs

#paul sevier #paul sevier x reader #paul sevier x female reader #midnight special #adcu #adcu fanfiction

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sinceileftyoublog · 3 years

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30 (Technically 34) Albums We Loved That Happened To Come Out in 2020

So much has already been said and written about this cursed past year, but a few good things came out of it, including the music. Album-wise, like many before it and many to come, it was an embarrassment of riches. But even with so much time on our hands to devour new tunes, it was often old favorites, songs of comfort or familiarity that garnered the heaviest rotation. For many artists, too, it was a year ripe for revisiting or reissues of old material, looking at existing songs with fresh and new perspectives. Simply put, with so much to listen to, new and old, the prospect of ranking a finite number of albums felt not only daunting, but frankly a bit stupid. Maybe we were late to the game, but 2020 taught us that music should and can be appreciated in multiple contexts, not limited to but including when it first came out and when it was heard again and again, even if years later. The records below--listed in alphabetical order--happened to be released in some form in 2020, whether never-before-heard or heard before but in a different format. And the only thing I know is that we’ll be listening to them in 2021 and beyond.

Autechre - SIGN & PLUS (Warp)

The legendary British electronic music duo surprise released SIGN a mere month and a half after its announcement and then PLUS 12 days later. The former was a beatific collection of soundscapes that belied the band’s usual harsh noise, while PLUS embraced that noise right back, drawing you in with the clattering chaotic burbles of opener “DekDre Scap B” and lurching forward. -Jordan Mainzer

Against All Logic - 2017-2019 (Other People)

The perennially chill ambient house artist Nicolas Jaar had a busy 2020, as usual, releasing two albums under his name, Cenizas and Telas. But it was 2017-2019, the follow-up to the debut album from his Against All Logic moniker, that came first and throughout the year helped to illustrate Jaar’s penchant for combining inspired samples with club beats and tape hiss. Take the way the lovelorn vocals of “Fantasy” or soulful coos of “If Loving You Is Wrong” war skittering, scratchy percussion and cool arpeggios, respectively: Jaar is coming into his own as a masterful producer almost a decade after he released his first full-length. Oh, and bonus points for including none other than Lydia Lunch on a banger so blunt it would make Death Grips blush. - JM

Bartees Strange - Live Forever (Memory Music)

Like many, my introduction to Bartees Strange was through Say Goodbye to Pretty Boy, his EP of The National covers. Creativity and shifting perspectives shine through each song’s reimaging, like flipping the coarse, almost manic “Mr. November” into something softer, more meditative. It felt like a mere peek into what was to come on Live Forever. Bartees Strange is a world-builder. Each track on his debut unfolds and welcomes you to a wildly engaging tableau, a fully constructed vision. “Jealousy” opens with soft vocals and birdsong. “In a Cab” is the slick soundtrack to racing through a cityscape in the rain, seeing the blurred lights of the high-rises above as you pass by. “Kelly Rowland” warps wistful pop song feelings. “Flagey God” takes you into a dark, pulsing club while only a few songs later, “Fallen For You” wraps you in echoed vocals and romantic, raw acoustic guitar.

It’s an accomplishment to craft an album of individual songs that stand strongly on their own but still feel cohesive. 2020 wasn’t all bad. It gave us Live Forever, a declaration of an artist’s arrival. - Lauren Lederman

Charli XCX - how i’m feeling now (Atlantic)

Back in the spring, many of us wondered who would put out something great in 2020’s quarantine. It was hard to imagine that the intensity of a global pandemic would really allow for artists to embrace creativity. That thought carries the same eye-roll inducing feeling of “We’ll get some great punk music out of a Trump presidency,” but of course, Charli XCX delivered. Through live workshops with fans and longstanding collaborators, she delivered songs to dance alone to in your bubble. Charli embraces the unknown of the moment but clutches onto what’s familiar. Under the glitch-pop veneer of the album, she digs into the anxieties of not just this moment of time but of the bigger questions we all confront: trajectories of relationships with friends, romantic partners, ourselves. Album standouts “forever” and “i finally understand” embrace that feeling of both looking for control and accepting the lack of it. Charli is a master at balancing this. - LL

Christine and the Queens - La Vita Nuova (Because Music)

Named after a Latin text by Dante Alighieri about missing a woman who has died, Chris’ La Vita Nuova is not about mourning a death but instead about loneliness and isolation, post-relationship or otherwise. It doesn’t bang quite like her previous two albums, but it hits harder than ever.

Read our full review here.

Dogleg - Melee (Triple Crown)

Released on March 13th, right as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Melee was supposed to be supported by three cancelled tours–SXSW, an opening slot for Microwave, and an opening slot for Joyce Manor–and an appearance at this year’s cancelled Pitchfork Music Festival. Listening to the songs on the record, you can only imagine how they translate: the jerky momentum of “Bueno”, build-up of “Prom Hell”, gang vocals of “Fox”, clear-vocal anthem of “Wrist”, and odd groove of “Ender”.

Read “Buckle Up, Motherfucker”, our interview with Dogleg.

Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia & Dua Lipa/The Blessed Madonna: Club Future Nostalgia (Warner)

Where Dua Lipa’s much-anticipated second album Future Nostalgia succeeded was in its disco anthems and retro, club-ready beats, so who better to bring out the best of the record than The Blessed Madonna? The turntablist masterfully curates a mix of heavy hitters of the charts and the underground that not only offers an essential complement to Future Nostalgia but transcends it. Sending the tracks out to various producers and singers for features and then adding her own samples on top, she invites you to peel back the layers, enter a YouTube rabbit hole of sample searching as much as bopping along.

Read our full review here.

Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou - May Our Chambers Be Full (Sacred Bones)

Roadburn Festival has long been on my bucket list, and since the pandemic showed me how much live music can be taken away in a flash, when it’s safe again to travel and go to a festival, I may just pull the trigger and go--especially considering it’s the springboard for such fruitful and inspired collaborations as the one between Louisville singer-songwriter Emma Ruth Rundle and Baton Rouge sludge dwellers Thou. Rundle embraces the heavier opportunities on the follow-up to her incredible 2018 record On Dark Horses with the ever-flexible Thou backing her up vocally and instrumentally. Slow-burning opener “Killing Floor” offers a familiar introduction to fans of both--sort of what a Rundle/Thou song would sound like--before grunge chugger “Monolith” introduces huge, catchy riffs and “Out of Existence” a True Widow-esque dirge, newfound inspirations for both artists bringing the best out of each other. - JM

Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters (Epic)

What makes Fetch the Bolt Cutters stand out among Apple’s catalog and music in general is the clarity with which Apple seethes at those who have wronged her, whether ex-boyfriends or patriarchal oppressors, and looks to her relationships with other women for peace of mind.

Read our full review here.

HAIM - Women in Music Pt. III (Columbia)

For HAIM, the title Women in Music Pt. III is suggestive that, more than their previous two records, their third centers around the experiences of being an all-female band in a historically white cis male-dominated scene, at least one that wouldn’t call catchy riffs written by a man “simple” or call attention to the faces a man makes while playing. What it doesn’t let on to is how deeply personal the record is, how, by unabashedly embracing genres and styles of music that they love, HAIM have made far and away their best album. Co-produced by the usual suspects, Danielle Haim, Ariel Rechtshaid, and ex-Vampire Weekender Rostam Batmanglij, it’s instrumentally and aesthetically dynamic and diverse, consistently earnest without devolving into cheese.

Read our full review here.

Irreversible Entanglements - Who Sent You? (International Anthem)

I’ve been captivated by Irreversible Entanglements ever since I first saw them at Pitchfork Music Festival 2018. The radical poetry of Camae Ayewa (aka Moor Mother) is the perfect front for a ramshackle mix of Luke Stewart’s spidery bass, Tcheser Holmes’ weighty drums, and a horn section that concocts tones that range from hopeful to desperate. At their best, Who Sent You? is a shining example of celebratory Afrofuturism and metaphysics that makes the urgency of Ayewa’s more concrete and political words all the more necessary. “No Más”, composed by Panamanian-born trumpeter Aquiles Navarro, is a declaration against imperialist oppression, while the stunning title track flips the switch like a Kara Walker painting, as Ayewa’s the one interrogating the police officer terrorizing her community. “Who sent you?” she repeats, never spiraling, grabbing a hold of the power and never letting go. - JM

Jeff Parker - Suite for Max Brown (International Anthem/Nonesuch)

It’s Jeff Parker’s mom’s turn. After 2016′s The New Breed ended up being a tribute to the guitarist’s father, who passed away during the making of it, Parker decided to pay tribute to Maxine while she was still alive. Suite for Max Brown (Brown is his mother’s maiden name; Max is what people call her) is a genre-bending collection of tracks inspired by Parker’s DJing, juxtapositions of sequenced beats with improvisation that certainly sound like the brainchild of one individual. Indeed, Parker plays the majority of the instruments on it and engineered most of it at home or during his 2018 Headlands Center residency in Sausalito, CA; though all of the players and the vocalist (Jeff’s daughter Ruby Parker) on The New Breed show up, plus a couple trumpeters (piccolo player Rob Mazurek and Nate Walcott of Bright Eyes) and cellist Katinka Kleijn, Suite for Max Brown is a distinctly Jeff Parker record.

Read our preview of Jeff Parker & The New Breed’s set at Dorian’s last year.

Jeff Rosenstock - NO DREAM (Polyvinyl)

Jeff Rosenstock throws us right into the spinning, manic energy of NO DREAM, his latest release from a seemingly endless well of music that never lacks urgency. It’s a reminder that though it’s been a strange year, the issues Rosenstock tackles here aren’t new. There’s no interest in making you feel comfortable here. On the album’s title track, Rosenstock sings, lulling you into a false sense of security, “They were separating families carelessly / Under the guise of protecting you and me.” But reality sets in, and the hazy guitars spin out as he spits, “It’s not a dream!” and, “Fuck violence!”

My image of Jeff Rosenstock in the year 2020 is masked up with “Black Lives Matter” scrawled across the fabric of his mask in Sharpie, performing album highlight “Scram!” on Late Night with Seth Meyers as high energy as ever. It felt like watching someone send out a beacon, both a distress signal and a call to arms. - LL

Jessie Ware - What’s Your Pleasure? (PMR/Friends Keep Secrets/Interscope)

I am not someone who goes to clubs. I don’t “go out dancing,” preferring to let loose in the privacy of my own home or a trusted friend’s house party. But Jessie Ware’s What’s Your Pleasure? makes me think I could embrace a night out like that, once the world opens up again, of course. The album is filled with syncopated disco beats that feel fresh and classic all at once. The abundant horns and strings on “Step Into My Life” are decadent, like light bouncing off sequins in a dark room. Ware’s voice is slinky and velvety one moment, windswept like her album cover the next. It’s songs like “Save a Kiss” that embrace both, allowing her to show off her range. - LL

Laura Marling - Song for Our Daughter (Partisan)

With sparse production, mostly from her but with additions from Ethan Johns and Dom Monks, Marling foregoes the comparative maximalism of the Blake Mills-produced Semper Femina, her last proper full-length, and 2018′s LUMP collaboration. The songs aren’t simple, but they’re succinct, and every element, from Marling’s finger-picked guitars, the occasional slide guitar, and that unmistakably calm voice, sometimes alone and sometimes layered, fits. It’s her most universal set of songs yet, centering around the times when we’re apart from one another but reflecting on when we were together and when we might be together again, with no guarantees.

Read the rest of our review here.

Les Amazones d’Afrique - Amazones Power (Real World Records)

The groovy pan-African collective expands upon their debut Republique Amazone and then some with Amazones Power, a tour-de-force statement of female empowerment in the face of oppression against women throughout the African diaspora. Indeed, the album is more than just songs boldly decrying FGM, though those demands ring heavily. Instead, the group goes further, delving into gender power structures in marriage on “Queens” and selectively finding strength in tradition on “Dreams”. And this time, they include men to stand alongside with them. “Together we must stand / Together we must end this,” sings Guinean musician/dancer/artist Niariu on opener “Heavy” in solidarity with features Douranne (Boy) Fall and Magueye Diouk (Jon Grace) of Paris band Nyoko Bokbae. But perhaps it’s her kiss-off on “Smile” that hits hardest: “I shut up for no one.” - JM

Lianne La Havas - Lianne La Havas (Nonesuch)

The British singer-songwriter’s much anticipated follow-up to 2015′s Blood was better than I could have ever imagined. A song cycle about life cycles--of nature, of lives, of a relationship--inspired by an actual breakup, Lianne La Havas is a contemporary neo soul masterpiece. Overview opener “Bittersweet” is an instant earworm, La Havas’ coo-turned-belt filling the space between classic and increasingly emotive slabs of piano and guitar. Funky, lovestruck strut “Read My Mind” is the soundtrack for the unbridled confidence of finding new love. Yes, the doubts begin to sow on the fingerpicked melancholy of “Green Papaya” and “Can’t Fight”, and where the album goes from a simple narrative perspective may be predictable: They break up, they don’t get back together, La Havas enjoys her independence. But the depth of the arrangements and assuredness of La Havas’ singing is a product of an artist starting to really show us what she can do. And how many people can pull off a Radiohead cover like that? - JM

Lomelda - Hannah (Double Double Whammy)

What does it mean to title an album after yourself? Lomelda’s latest album is centered around discovering more about yourself while not always having the answers. Despite the lyrical content, the album is self-assured. Hannah Read’s voice feels as steady as ever as it navigates these twisting questions, like the way the world can shift after a kiss. She finds power in softness and reflection throughout the album, like when she explores the mantra-like words of “Wonder” or through a reminder to do no harm in “Hannah Sun”. In a year that allowed for perhaps more reflection than usual, Hannah makes space for the questions that arise out of figuring yourself out, of making sense of the messiness of it all, wrapped in warm guitar, balanced vocals, and steady drums. - LL

Moses Sumney - Grae (Jagjaguwar)

“Am I vital / If my heart is idle? / Am I doomed?” Moses Sumney famously sang on his stunning 2017 debut Aromanticism, an album that saw him developing his acceptance of being alone. grae, his two-part 2nd full-length, and his first since officially moving from L.A. to the Appalachian Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, doubles down on themes of heartbreak, but instead of being sure in his seclusion, he embraces the unknown. The album teeters between interludes of platitudes about isolation and ruminations on failed human connection, and maximally arranged clutches of uncertainty. “When my mind’s clouded and filled with doubt / That’s when I feel the most alive,” Sumney coos over horns and piano on slinky soul song “Cut Me”; it’s an effective mantra for the album.

Read the rest of our review here.

Norah Jones - Pick Me Up Off The Floor (Blue Note)

At the time we previewed Norah Jones’ 7th studio album, she had only released a few tracks from it. Turns out the rest was just as powerful. From the blues stomp of “Flame Twin” to the rolling piano stylings of “Hurts to Be Alone”, Pick Me Up Off The Floor is an album full of jazzy orchestrations and soul and gospel-indebted arrangements, Jones’ silky, yearning voice tying together the simple, yet lush and deep instrumentation. And that other Tweedy feature, that closes the album? It’s a heartbreaking portrait of loneliness, one of many on a record that still manages to celebrate being alive all the while. - JM

Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher (Dead Oceans)

Phoebe Bridgers is a master of details. Her lyrics shine when they get specific. They range from the mundane to morbid: A superfan’s ghost-like wandering under a drugstore’s fluorescent lights, a skinhead likely buried under a blooming garden, reckoning with the you in “Moon Song”’s lines, “You are sick, and you’re married / And you might be dying.” Bridgers has always been able to set a scene meticulously, and Punisher arrived with 11 songs that expanded that skill, both lyrically and musically, with her dark humor intact and a fuller sound that includes her boygenuis collaborators’ harmonies. - LL

PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love: The Demos & Dry - The Demos (Island)

Yes, revisiting Dry’s demos as a separate entity is still worthwhile. Harvey’s powerhouse vocal performance carries the acoustic strummed “Oh My Lover”, while the comparatively minimal arrangement of “Victory” highlights bluesy riffing, call-and-response harmonies, and layered guitar and vocals. The singles, the slinky and sharp “Dress” and propulsive anthem “Sheela-Na-Gig”, hold up to their ultimate studio versions, too. But it’s the To Bring You My Love material that provides novelty because it’s never been released and more so because it encompasses the greatest aesthetic contrast from the album. From the warbling hues and guitar lines of the title track to the tremolo haze of “Teclo” to the crisp snares of “Working With The Man”, the demos show a continuity and level of cohesiveness with the diversity of Dry and Rid of Me not shown on the studio version of Harvey’s more accessible commercial breakout. (Predictably, the album’s most well-known song, “Down by the Water”, is the closest to its eventual version.) “Long Snake Moan” is simultaneously more spacious and more noisy, its garage blues a total contrast to the lurking “I Think I’m A Mother” and swaying shanty “Send His Love To Me”. And “The Dancer” fully embraces its flamenco influences, hand claps and all.

Porridge Radio - Every Bad (Secretly Canadian)

Is there a better opening line than “I’m bored to death, let’s argue”? That kind of duality is found across all of Every Bad as it grapples with the frustrations and anxiety of trying to figure it all out, whatever that might mean for you. “Maybe I was born confused, but I’m not,” vocalist Dana Margolin repeats throughout the opening track, roping in listeners with the dizzying feeling of trying to make sense of yourself. The band’s guitar and synth sound coupled with Margolin’s howl makes for a dance party filled with dread, rendering Margolin’s already strong, repetitive lyrics even more spiraling. And yet, by the time we get to “Lilacs”, a glimmer of something else shines through as the music gets more manic and Margolin’s voice begins to soar: “I don’t want to get bitter / I want us to get better / I want us to be kinder / To ourselves and to each other.” - LL

Sault - Untitled (Rise) & Untitled (Black Is) (Forever Living Originals)

Yes, Black Is still pulls plenty of devastating punches. “Eternal Life”, a segue from the gospel boost of “US”, juxtaposes a deliberate drum beat with zooming synths, both ascending like a chorus of angels, as they sing, “I see sadness in your eye / ‘Cause I know you don’t wanna die,” presenting the oppression of Black life at the hands of white supremacy in inarguable terms. Ultimately, though, it’s the anthemic nature of the songs, resistant of platitudes, that shines through. “Nobody cared / This generation cares,” says Laurette Josiah on “This Generation”. Whether she’s talking about young people in general or the latest generation of young Black leaders, the sentiment is reflected on songs like “Black”, wherein over dynamic, sinewy instrumentation, the singers alternate between encouragement, support, and love of the self and others.

Read our full review here.

Shamir - Shamir (self-released)

Shamir’s voice is a bright beacon in a sea of conventional singers. Shamir captures the effervescence of pop music and weaves it together with elements of country, alt rock, and diary confessional lyrics all supported by the emotion and range of his vocals. There’s something for everyone across the album’s 11 shimmering tracks. Lead single and opener “On My Own” feels like a declaration of self and self-sufficiency, an anthem of a breakup song. The almost pop-punk bounce of “Pretty When I’m Sad”, paired perfectly with lines like the angst-ridden, “Let’s fuck around inside each other’s heads,” feels impossible to not bop along to. The twang of “Other Side” would put a country crooner to shame. That’s the power of Shamir. His voice has the ability to smoothly convey joy, resilience, and humor. He uses elements of several genres, not just the dance-pop of his debut, to build a unique album that gives listeners so much to sift through and, of course, dance to. - LL

Songhoy Blues - Optimisme (Fat Possum)

If Songhoy Blues’ second album Resistance lacked “the grit of its predecessor,” it’s clear from the hard rock stomp of the opening track of Malian band’s third album Optimisme that they rediscovered their mojo. More importantly, they couple this maximal brashness with tributes to those who make their world a better place: fighters for freedom, women, the young. It’s perhaps the first Songhoy Blues record to truly combine the celebratory nature of their desert blues with a balanced mixture of idealism and vigor. - JM

Spanish Love Songs - Brave Faces Everyone (Pure Noise)

How can you find hope in hopelessness, or optimism when every news story points to cruelty? Is it naïve to keep searching for light in the dark? I don’t think so, and I don’t think Spanish Love Songs does, either. I’d like to think we both believe that’s not naivety, but power. It’s the embers you need to really ignite a flame. After all, this is the band with a song titled “Optimism (As a Radical Life Choice)”. It’s a band whose crunching guitars and earnestness insist that despite death and depression and addiction, the instinct to survive shines brightly above all. That relentless hope resurfaces across Brave Faces Everyone’s 10 tracks even as it works through the bleakness of everyday life. - LL

Tashi Dorji - Stateless (Drag City)

The magnum opus from the Asheville-based picker is a group of evocatively titled, disorderly songs about the desolate hellscape of America for outsiders and immigrants. Enigmatic in its nature, not exactly narrative, Stateless combines Dorji’s urgent strumming with moody motifs, captured beautifully in a studio setting for maximum emotional wallop. - JM

Touche Amore - Lament (Epitaph)

Is this what an almost uplifting Touche Amore album sounds like? It’s cathartic in a newer way for the band, especially after the beautifully rendered grief of Stage Four. Lament loses none of the band’s aggression or urgency. “Come Heroine” thrusts listeners into that urgency and introduces a moment of warmth, Jeremy Bolm’s vocals still rasping and insistent: “You brought me in / You took to me / And reversed the atrophy.” The bounciness of “Reminders” may seem close to optimism, but a sharper look at the lyrics uncovers more than blindly looking to the things that bring joy. “I’ll Be Your Host” is reflective, a few years removed from Touche Amore’s previous album and the immediacy of loss, self-aware and growing, but still raw. The album closer, “A Forecast”, takes a turn, a lone voice and piano acting as a confessional before giving way to thrashing guitars and the realization that growth and reckoning with trauma doesn’t mean minimizing it. It means learning to keep moving forward and to stop for help when you may need it. - LL

Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud (Merge)

The best album yet from Katie Crutchfield is inspired by positive personal change (getting sober, dealing with codependency issues, her blossoming love with singer-songwriter Kevin Morby) and reflections on family and friends. Named after the suburb of Orlando where her father’s from, Saint Cloud is a genre-hopping collection of stories and feelings that doesn’t necessarily follow any semblance of narrative. On opener “Oxbow” and country-tinged ditty “Can’t Do Much”, Crutchfield’s increasingly aware of the need to pick your side and your battles, whether in the relationship between two people or between the allure of the bottle and the next-day hangover. Some of the best songs on the album see her finding commonalities with others as a means towards self-love. Gentle strummer “The Eye” refers to her natural creative relationships with Morby and her sister Allison. “War” she wrote for herself and best friend, who is also sober, the title a metaphor for one’s fight to remain substance-free. “Witches” is an ode to her best friends, including Allison and Snail Mail’s Lindsey Jordan, all equally frustrated by the toxic nature of the music industry and the world at large, ultimately lifting each other up because they simply have each other.

Read our full review here.

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fishylife · 3 years

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Okay I gave in and I am watching Street Dance of China Season 4 X’D

- I love how international the pool of contestants is. Even if they barely speak each other’s languages, they can appreciate each other’s talent and skill.

- I did not watch last season so all of the contestants are new to me.

- I watched the opening film on Reddit and it was really fun and it’s probably a big part of why I was hooked into the show haha. There’s some loose lore there that isn’t super important. I liked seeing how all of the captains had performances that suited their own style of dancing. Also I think people think that Jackson’s going to guest on this season because apparently he voiced the guy that invited all of the captains.

- Han Geng slipped mega fast into gege mode while helping Henry and Yixing......I may catch feelings.

- The random method of choosing dancers is pretty fair imo, especially how they separated them into categories (e.g. dancers based on what style they danced, etc.) so that the teams would be pretty even. Also it must’ve been fun for the dancers to get a little figure or trading card of themselves lol.

- Out of the choreographers, I think Eleven and Wang Run left a bigger impression on me. The others were awesome too though.

- My favourite rooms/streets is probably Yixing’s or Henry’s. A lot of people like Yixing’s because of how striking it looks. He lucked out because red is always the most striking colour haha. But I like the scifi feeling of Henry’s room. I think it’s quite cool.

- Henry’s 100% showing off his language skills hahaha. Part of it is for him to show off his skills (lol) but the other part of it is that he’s trying to break the ice and make his team feel included even if they don’t speak Chinese.

- Yixing......so awkward. So much dead time lmfao. I love him but he cannot MC to save his life hahaha.

- Yibo is so serious lol, no introductions.

- I was thinking that if I was a contestant, I’d want to be on Han Geng’s team. He’s the chillest, but it isn’t that he isn’t prepared. He’s just very relaxed.

- I mean, all of the performances were great, what can I really say?! It was interesting seeing how some of the dancers from other cultures used Chinese music.

- I was thinking about how with “mainstream” pop dancing, dancing is used to complement the music, but in all of these performances, the music was the complement to the dancing.

- Rochka fanboying over Ibuki was pretty cute, not gonna lie. There are also quite a few Japanese ladies on Yixing’s team, and I love they cheer each other on. But seriously, Ibuki is such a little warrior princess!!! Love her :P

- Speaking of which, Yuri getting one of the Chinese dancers to teach her how to say 你很帥 and then practising it was cute haha. I just love how even though there’s a language barrier, they have fun with each other.

- Acky san uwu. I think he’s just here to have a good time, and he’s so encouraging and friendly and relaxed!!!!!!!!! Love him. He’s the supportive uncle lol. AC is also pretty cute haha. After Acky performed, AC gave him a big ol’ hug.

- Lmao Lil Kev and Nelson not feeling the food that Han Geng brought....to be fair it probably is something that is an acquired taste. In the end, the staff brought them burgers.

- Seeing the captains put the teams together was fun. Teamwork!!!!!

- It always amazes me how FAST dancers can choreograph and put together a dance. I’m assuming their dance backgrounds help them to recognize common dance moves but still!! RESPECT!

- I LOVED the five person performance from Yixing’s team, choreographed by Bunta. It was a little less uniform than the performance from Yibo’s team, with the dancers dancing in ways that matched their styles and body types, but still looking cohesive as a team. And it went with the music super well, expressing the lyrics of the song. I couldn’t stop rewatching the performance haha.

- Bouboo seems so cool. Like he’s so chilled out and calm but also super steady. Whenever he walked out for his battles, I was already like oooooh the stage presence. This man is so cool haha.

- The Bouboo vs. Ibuki battle was very interesting because we can see that their strengths lie in different areas. For example, I felt that Ibuki did better in the upbeat songs, whereas Bouboo was better in the chilled out relaxed songs. That being said, I felt like Bouboo had more variety in his repertoire. He had a lot of different moves. Ibuki did default to waacking quite often, which makes sense because that’s what her strength is. I also felt like Ibuki was more dancing to the music, whereas Bouboo was moving “alongside” the music. Like, Bouboo was hanging out with the music whereas Ibuki saw the music as a set of rules to follow.

- I thought that this show might have a lot of “variety show editing” e.g. showing reactions from a million different angles, but surprisingly, it is paced very well. There is almost always something happening.

- Why don’t they cut down on the episode length? This show had three very distinct sections (1) formation of the teams, (2) teams getting to know each other and “auditioning,” and (3) the battle between Henry and Yixing. So I’m confused as to why the show is going with nearly 3 hour long episodes. I checked MDL and apparently this show is supposed to have 12 episodes. I know Chinese shows have an episode length limit of like 40 episodes, but even if this show cut down on the number of episodes, it would not reach 40 episodes, so I am very curious.

- I liked that we got some commentary from the judges. Even though we’re all about good vibes, I still liked that we got judge commentary to explain to us why they chose who they chose.

- I think my favourite teams so far are Yixing and Yibo’s teams, but I’m also not sure if it’s because the camera purposely gave us more screen time of their teams because they were battling first. Yixing and Yibo’s teams seemed very friendly and cohesive and supportive thus far. I would want to have Han Geng as my captain, but I would want to have teammates like Yixing’s or Yibo’s haha.

- I am hyped for the next episode haha. It’ll have more performances since there won’t be any introductions required anymore.

#thinking out loud #cvariety #street dance of china

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iamacolor · 4 years

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fashion queen! which nct era has the best fashun in ur opinion?? and if u were a designer which neos would u pick as ur models?

I was so excited to answer this that I wrote several pages and it basically turned into a style analysis for each unit so I sure hope you have some time on your hands to read everything I’ve just written! (I did not reread so sorry for any typing mistake)

NCT is known to be experimental in their music and that’s also the case in their styling so there’s a lot for me to get into even though sometimes it’s a miss. One thing I will say though is that when it comes to the styling in mv/teasers, what’s around the clothes is super important because if you have a very specific styling concept, your set design or graphic design needs to complement that and give the audience more clues on how to read all these elements together (the cherry bomb era is a great example of that with all the added graphic elements and the predominance of the colour pink) and recently I’ve found that the creative team has not really gone further than just putting nct in an outfit in front of a basic background so it makes for a pretty underwhelming result

But let’s move on to my favourite styling eras. I’m going to do this per unit (I’ll finish with NCT U) and define an era by its teaser pictures and the mv (and not go through all the performance looks during the promotion period)

I’m putting this under a read more because it’s reaaally long (I put pictures so that it’s not just one big chunk of text)

NCT 127

Easily the most experimental unit when it comes to fashion, especially in their first years where they would wear mix of sportswear, grunge references, avant-garde fashion and a lot of layers. When it comes to their debut “Firetruck”, I think it fitted the song really well but that it didn’t fit all the members equally (especially the younger ones, for me Taeyong and Taeil pulled it off the best – it’s expected of Taeyong but I also think that Taeil always stand out when they go for edgy/unconventional look, I think it really suits him).

Anyway, just to say that they were off to a very strong start and then I’m just going to kindly ignore the Limitless styling and move on to Cherry Bomb!

One thing nicely done for CB is how when you look at a group picture they’re clearly all following the same concept but they’re not necessarily matching or giving off the same vibes if you take them individually. I love the use of the colour pink which brings a) a great visual impact (you don’t ever see that much pink at once – especially on men) and b) an harmony despite the shapes and styles of their outfits being so vastly different, you’ve got ties, tousled, shirts, little frilled collars, stripes and all-over prints, sportswear and formal wear… (ex: taeyong’s short jacket is reminiscent of something a little luxurious, even maybe historical/noble with the little added embroidery-like details, it reminds me of these boleros jackets worn by toreros that are often red/gold VS doyoung’s overalls is an outfit that has a much more recent origin as it was first worn by factories workers, it’s usually blue or grey and is meant to be practical rather than pleasing to the eye -> here it fits very well with the general setting of the mv in what looks like an empty industrial storage space)

This second look is more of a game on how to deconstruct formal wear (there are less prints and no bold colours, their hair is less messy…) but they don’t just add sportswear like the bomber jacket, you can find rock or more “modern” elements with the leather jackets or the jean jackets. All in black and white so great contrast with the previous looks, although that mix and match concept is still there. My favourite elements are the checkered ones (worn by taeyong, taeil and haechan) as it reminds me of the strategy element of the chess game which fits pretty well with all the weapons and other arms visible in the mv (a bit like a nod to the game battleship)

This one I love that they developed their own print, especially since it’s another graphic element used elsewhere (see their album cover), because it’s a great way to really introduce their identity as a group, through the different visual elements they put out in a comeback, it’s like a logo but as a print. And all the teasers and the mv did a great job at mixing 2D/3D contents so that’s another nice way to be cohesive. It’s not my fave look out of the 3 (especially because I do not approve of that belt-suspenders-bag they gave Johnny, it’s like everything you don’t want to put a dancer in and it’s ugly as well) but I still like the fact that’s it’s another nod to the battle/strategy aspect of this comeback, like they’re on a mission to hit the stage and conquer it

Then fast forward to my other favourite one, Simon Says! (No teaser pictures here because they don’t show anything or they show not enough lol)

First of all THE MASKS

Oh how I wish they could’ve been shown more (imagine teasers with the members wearing them!!! I would’ve loved individual teasers based on each of the masks concepts) Once again, a great to have group concept without making everyone wear the same thing. They’re all super different and full of details. Haechan’s is the only one from what I could who’s mask is actually a mask and not a fully covering hood. The materials and techniques used on these are either evocative of “fragile” things like glass and flowers but theses elements have their own hidden strength. Some others are covered in lace, pearls, fringes or fur…all these things are usually considered to be precious or even luxurious but it covers their faces and their identity and they throw it away in rebellion (and I think it’s also super interesting how Taeyong who takes off his mask first has the least ornamented one)

Then the outfits themselves. Simon Says in an interesting MV because unlike most others they wear one outfit for most of the MV (the second one appears quite late in the mv and is lit and staged in a way that makes it less visible). It’s a mostly grey/white set of outfits which is usually a colour combo for office wear or maybe factory workers, it’s not something that can seem very exciting or edgy. The styling in these outfits reminds me of the works of Japanese designers who came to Paris in the 80’s and kind of shook the whole high fashion system by bringing a different type of shapes, aesthetic and purpose to fashion (Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto…). These designers went on to become super successful and inspired another wave of “avant-garde” designers nicknamed “the 6 of Anvers” (Anvers is a city in Belgium), this group includes Martin Margiella, Dries Van Noten…And to me the outfits in Simon Says really fit into this aesthetic. Unconventional fits, various layers, it’s not so much mix and match than a work on contrast between structure and fluidity (Yuta’s half skirt with un-trimed edges, Haechan’s long shirt with the long bow and the fitted jacket, Mark’s top with the various see-through layers of different lengths…).

An other interesting details (which to me calls back to the mask and that tension in the song/concept of letting go/being free of expectations), is the way they all have thick strings tied on their feet/ankles. Not holding them back because their feet aren’t tied together but there’s still this clear restriction of the garment itself, a reminder that there are tied to something and not completely free (also an interesting choice when dressing dancers who would need to have no added weight or discomfort in their outfit to dance but visually something is holding their ankles)

Honorable mentions:

Kick It– they managed to create very memorable outfits while taking inspirations from already well known elements (both for the fighting/training outfits and the bomber jackets). The black and white outfits especially are very original as performance outfits/dancing clothes since the og garment they’re inspired by has already such a strong identity outside of the performing arts and I don’t think I’ve ever seen it be used as a stage outfit? Or concept? It’s a nice exemple of how you can take inspiration for something designed to be useful and to be efficient (in fighting) and turn it into an aesthetic.

Truthfully, martial art training outfit was already an “aesthetic” on its own but they made it a performance costume and now I do feel like it’s one of these looks that everyone will remember (like if there was a “most memorable kpop outfits” list it could easily have kick it’s black/white fits). The rest of the outfits for that concept weren’t as memorable/original to me although I feel like it showed a new approach to the styling of nct 127 as a group since they all had very similar outfits this time (especially when wearing the jackets).

Also, interestingly, that shot of Jaehyun that had everyone go “wow” ? Well it’s impactful because it’s him and he looks like that and it’s shot in a very specific way, but it’s also even more impactful because he’s the only one who gets to wear that kind of outfit in the mv. Everyone else has 3 sets of outfits (black and white, shiny black, red jacket and black pants) but he has 4 and that suit is only used in that shot which makes for a greater impact!

And I feel like Kick It in terms of styling opened a new era for NCT 127 has it kind of broke their usual mix and match/edgy concept. This time they were clearly referencing something already well known (either martial arts, the 90s…), and the members were all matching and they kept on doing that with the military jackets in punch, the other 90s concept in nct 2020…

Touch – for the way the outfits match the sets (in all their individual sets their outfits have a detail in a matching colour), the focus on colours !!! You can see that this whole concept was designed with this colour game/colour progression between the outfits and the set in mind. It’s just very pleasing to the eyes and a great contrast to their usual stuffs (also I wrote my graduation paper on colours so I am really into creative use of colours like this)

OK now moving on to Dream!!

The interesting thing about Dream compared to NCT 127 is that from the beginning although their outfits had to match the song an the concept of the comeback it also had to match their age. Dream’s a group that had to look young when debuting (to the point where they wore outfits that made them look even younger than they were which is rarely done for boy groups) and then they had to transition into adulthood, and all of that had to be made visible. In that aspect, I really like the styling for We Young and Boom (especially when you look at them at the same time).

For We Young, the styling is meant to be reminiscent of school/boy scout uniforms but with a marine vibe. It makes for playful outfits that aren’t too childish but that also aren’t grown up. I prefer the “seaside” outfits as I don’t really like school uniforms as a concept for styling and I think it’s really a choice that suited them and the song so well, it really fitted their energy. It’s playful but it also has a vintage touch to it as these outfits with their stripes and their squared flap at the back date back to the XIXth century (I just found out that it all started with the queen Victoria dressing up her kid in an outfit inspired by the royal navy uniforms for a painting after a cruise ).

Boom on the other side is their first proper “grown-up” concept. We go up was already more grown up but still very “teenager-ish” and although they were mostly teenagers when they did Boom it was clear that this was supposed to be their first entry into “adulthood” as a group at least. And although they did wear a sportswear/casual outfits which is something that isn’t related to age (and I really like the black and white “skeleton” set which already feels more grown-up and more “stylish” than the other casual outfit) , they wore two other “grown-up” elements: suits and all-jean outfits.

And yeah teenagers, and kids wear jeans too but a full jean-on-jean outfit is more of a “grown-up” fashion choice and it makes them look like young men rather than boys. As for the suits, I just really love when stylists play with the codes of that garment (length of the jacket, tightness of the pants, the way the shirt is tucked in…).

Notice how Renjun has a really short jacket, Chenle’s pants are wide, Jeno has a tail…Once again, a really interesting aspect of Kpop is the variations of the same concept based on the members. In the mv, there is a tension between their more grown up selves (the one in suits, the one with a craft/a path) and their young selves (the one running around in the field, the one laying down in the flowers and eating a cake). And there is also in these outfits and the contrast between them this tension, this contrast…which path should they go? The jeans are the more laide back, innocent outfits, whereas the suits come with responsibilities and status (and you’ll notice that in the scene where jisung is left alone to blow his candle it’s when he’s wearing jeans not when he’s in the suits).

Now on to WayV!!

WayV are different from the two in the sense than when they debuted they couldn’t have an “age” concept or an edgy concept because 127 and dream had already taken those and I feel like for that reason they’re still looking for what makes them stand out visually from the others (and in my opinion it’s not in whatever they were wearing for turn back time!). WayV’s concept is space and time travel, it’s building a new life, a new worl, going beyond anything! In my mind, they’re either supposed to feel a bit “otherworldly” (either spectacular or literally like they’re from another world/another universe, a little bit futuristic maybe?) or to look like explorers/travellers (they have a lot of travel/transportation “gears” references in their outfits). Their MVs also have a very different production than the other nct mvs (the scale and the way it’s filmed, the sets…it’s a different approach and it’s usually much more “grand” for their title tracks). The great thing about WayvV styling is usually that they match the outfits well with the world that the mv is set in (like in Moonwalk for example you get a sense of the world they’re in and the fact that it’s not ours or at least not as we know it now through the way they dress – you can’t really say oh it’s inspired by this era or by this or that because -at least- to me it immediately gives me a vibe of something that could be worn in a sci-fi movie, almost like a costume) or that they allude to travel in their styling.

When they debuted with Regular they went for a very sleek and high fashion look which worked really well for them! Even their more “casual” looks were a bit striking and I think that’s very “wayv-like” to me.

Same goes for Take Off where they mix the individual styles (and I don’t like ten’s leopard fur sleeveless jacket at all) and the group concepts – the “flying” outfits and the “racing” outfits (that last one is my favourite! I love the silhouette it creates with the tight pants and the larger tops with an emphasis on the waist).

There’s something a bit extra to WayV - which is why some of their outfits remind me of costumes more than fashion while at the same time they’re the most “high fashion” unit– like the “flying” outfit in Take Off are recognizable as “flying gear” but you can’t really tell what they’re flying, it feels once again like something that they could wear in like star wars or a similar kind of story.

Imagine a movie about 7 men on another planet trying to come together to overcome the dark forces or whatever’s bad on their planet in a futuristic society with a mix of “traditional” and “trendy” outfits? That’s WayV. The movie the 5th Sense? That’s WayV but on steroids. They’re also the only group with actual characters in their mvs, they’re all supposed to have a backstory or an individual setting and find a way to get together in their mvs.

Anyway all that to say that it’s hard for me to pick an era for them because they’ve only had a few and they still feel like they’re looking to solidify their concept, and since moonwalk and turn back time really set the styling in different worlds than ours, you have to look at how they fit in that world rather than ours and I think Moonwalk does it best since it’s the most cohesive one visually. But then I think Regular had the best individual styling!

Okay this is super long but we’re finally getting to NCT U!!!!

Number one favourite:

The Year Party outfits!!!! I’ve already talked about this but I love when they say we’ll put them in suits and then since they have to make a different one for each of them they cut bits an dpieces of the suits here and there, play with lengths. It’s not a revolutionary concept but in terms of searching for a shape, searching for variations of an already so famous, so well-known garment (everyone has seen a suit, and so many designers have already deconstructed it and then put it back together and so on) it’s so nice, it’s almost like a full collection given how many members there are and it’s just a good tailoring work.It almost feel like an exercise of how many variations of an outfit can you think of? And it looks fun to do! It’s all about the details and the way the layers are set together.

The accessories add to the “formal attire” aspect of it. It almost has a ceremonial look to it. A bit of royalty with the futuristic vibe usually associated with WayV. The dark blue suits were pretty classic, the most interesting details (for me at least) were on the light blue ones. Especially since it’s a rare colour to find in formal wear or in ceremonial wear. In general, I feel like it’s a pretty rare colour in fashion outside of like shirts and baby clothes? I think it was a great styling choice for a content like the year party although I do wish they (either NCT or WayV who’ve touched upon this kind of outfit a bit already) would do a full comeback with this kind of styling (like the lighter version of the black and green outfits in SuperM’s One). It’s not revolutionary but it was something new for NCT and I really hope they use that elegant/futuristic concept once again.

Also in these outfits, the jewelry is super important and adds to the “grand” aspect of these outfits. The concept is that these aren’t ordinary outfits for ordinary men, we’re witnessing something “special” and so they aren’t wearing their usual jewels either (of course the big chains are still there but differently look at that necklace jaehyun is wearing)

Honorable mention:

Boss & Baby Don’t Stop (they’re different but they go together in my mind lol). Look at them in their uniforms! And also they had doyoung wearing these sunglasses

Ok I think I’m done, if you’ve made it this far thank you so much and I hope it was a nice read!!

As for who would I chose as my models…it really depends on what I’d make them wear tbh for menswear the things I’d like to design would either be something like formal wear or knitwear – I’d pick Lucas, Taeyong and Doyoung (I think they’re the most model-like members and could pull off pretty much anything even my non-edgy concept because I can’t do that lol and they pose very well) and then depending on the concept I’d pick between Winwin, Jaehyun, Kun, Jungwoo, Taeil, Haechan and Shotaro (the way I struggled to remember all the members at once…there are too many really)

#this is soooo long omg I didn't know I had that much to say wow #I hope you've managed to read it all and that it was somewhat coherent and clear #now it's time to eat #nct #nct 127 #nct dream #wayv #nct 2020 #fashion #leemarx #I've got mail #vinformation

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viola-ophelia · 3 years

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Hiiiiiiii I’m here for the ship love! I’m eyeing the TURN fandom, a male character? I’m infp, Sagittarius sun, Libra moon and rising. I have medium-length brown hair, my height is certainly on the shorter side of average, I require glasses, and my style tends to range between eccentric art teacher and mysterious latin professor. I am definitely an introvert and hold my few friends very close. They definitely see a goofier side of me. I’m not really good with romantic relationships, despite how much I love to love — I am definitely an idealist and that can sabotage my relationships. I enjoy reading, writing, cooking, and.. well, not necessarily hiking, but definitely romping around and exploring wooded areas. I’m pretty good at keeping my cool, though a person can always tell I’m nervous when I start using bigger words and outdated phrasing in conversation and writing. Currently I’m studying literature and languages and definitely see myself ending up with someone who appreciates art and scholarly discourse — someone thoughtful and practical, perhaps who can help balance my whimsical side. I appreciate an honest man who values trust and openness. Thanks so much!

hi, thanks for sending in an ask!

for TURN, i ship you with ben tallmadge!

ben's so dedicated to his work as head of intelligence that the last thing on his mind is finding love, but when he meets you, he sees all the facets of his personality complemented in the best ways. he highly values your appreciation for the outdoors, especially since the two of you often find yourself traveling through the woods on spy missions. you're a perfect match for him intellectually as well - during the war, ben rarely gets to discuss the things he learned at yale, so he absolutely loves that your passion for books and languages gives him an excuse to ramble about virgil and shakespeare (and an equal wit to spar with!). if ben has a fault, it's that he often takes himself too seriously, so he's worried at first that he might not be suited for - or deserving of - romance because of his dangerous occupation. however, your optimism provides him with enough faith to give it his all. your relationship is rooted in idealism, but in this case, it's a beautiful thing rather than something bad - ben's practicality can sometimes lead to him believing he'll never succeed, but because you see him as the very best self he can be, the healthy balance lends itself to positive growth.

#turn amc #amc turn #turn: washington's spies #turn matchup #ben tallmadge #viola-ophelia's matchups

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xsteriism · 4 years

Text

Too Good to be Bad

Chapter One: Trouble is Cooking

by celestial-irondad

1, 225 words

1/?

based on @funkylittlebidiot’s chat post about ironstrange

edit: click on the chapter title to read it on ao3!!!

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There are two sides to Dr Stephen Vincent Strange. On one hand, he can be holed up in the Sanctum Sanctorum for weeks on end, just reading book after book after book. He’ll have a bitter cup of tea, no sugar, right beside him as he reads in his rocking chair, with the polluted air of New York City penetrating into his living quarters.

On the other hand, sometimes all he wants to do is to bring chaos to the lovely New York City. He usually has a plan ready whenever these episodes happen, something to spice up the petty lives of the Avengers. For example, Stephen’s currently in the Avengers’ quinjet, tied up like some rope bunny, on his way to the Avengers’ Compound. It may not seem like it, but everything is falling into place. Stephen’s capture was planned, his trip to the Compound was planned. He’s going to destroy the Compound from the inside and these measly superheroes won’t even see it coming.

Of course, Stephen made it slightly difficult for the Avengers to capture him. He’s not a complete idiot. He fought with whoever was present for about an hour, only showing off the simple spells he had learnt. Nothing more was needed with these superheroes. He could have gone on, too, if it weren’t for the fact that he had a time schedule to keep.

The moment the Compound comes into view, Stephen is momentarily winded from the sheer beauty of it. The architecture is breathtaking and whoever designed it deserves a golden, gleaming medal. But before he can make a comment on it, he’s carried into the building by one very strong Captain America, who doesn’t seem to break a sweat.

‘Did I not gain weight?’ Stephen questions himself internally. ‘All I had been doing this past month was eat, sleep and shit. Surely, I had gained some weight?’

He doesn’t dwell much on it because he’s forced out of his thoughts when he’s unceremoniously dumped into a very hard wooden chair. He groans at the ache growing at his rear end, cursing at the existence of magic binding ropes. He sighs soon after, his mood quickly turning sour. This was supposed to be a fun little excursion, a break from being cooped up in the Sanctum Sanctorum for the past two months. Why did the Avengers have to ruin everything? What kind of sick joy did they obtain from this? All Stephen wanted, was a little explosion, a small firework celebration as the Compound burned.

“Is the interrogation part going to begin?” The sorcerer drawls, looking utterly disinterested, even yawning to prove his point. The Black Widow steps forward threateningly, with her knives gleaming in the light before she’s promptly stopped by Captain America.

The doctor smirks. Is it this easy to rile these heroes up?

The Black Widow stabs her knife into the armrest of Stephen’s wooden chair, looking dangerous. “Here’s how it’s going to go. We’re going to ask some questions and you’re going to answer them.”

Stephen raises his eyebrows and closes his eyes as he nods. These superheroes are cute if they think he’ll spill all his secrets just because they asked him to.

“What are the sorcerer’s plans?” Captain America asks arms crossed over his chest, trying to look more intimidating, obviously to no avail. Stephen just looks even more unimpressed, if possible.

“Oh, mine?” He asks back, looking around as if deep in thought. “Hmm… I don’t really know. I was planning to make myself a nice cup of tea after this, but I think that may have to be postponed.”

The Black Widow drags her knife along the length of the armrest. The doctor glances at the action, not bothered in the slightest. It would take much, much more to successfully instil fear into him. Her little tricks may work on the normal people she usually interrogates, but not Stephen. Really, is this the best she could do? Stephen is the Sorcerer Supreme and he feels slightly offended that the Black Widow thinks she can scare him by just using mere knives.

Please, he’s seen scarier in his dreams.

“What is the—” before Captain America can finish repeating the same question, the door to the interrogation room slides open. And the sorcerer finds himself out of breath for the second time that day.

Stephen is absolutely sure that the man who walked into the room is not of this world. He’s wearing the tightest black shirt that clings to his body in the most delicious of ways, complementing his muscles beautifully. His sweats are too loose for Stephen’s liking, but well, he can’t win everything, now can he? The man has an oil stain on his perfectly sculpted face, smudged right below his eye, right on his cheekbone, highlighting it. His lips are quirked into a stunning smile, his hair a lovely shade of brown. Stephen isn’t quite close enough to see the colour of his eyes, but he’s sure they are also as enchanting as the rest of him.

“Hey,” the ethereal man says, pausing at the sight of Stephen tied up. He pauses a little too long, eyeing the villain up and down, clearly liking what he sees. “Oh, hello to you, too. Anyway, stop by the lab if you want your suit patched up, Nat. I have some upgrades in mind, too.”

Oh, his voice. Such an angelic sound. The sorcerer thinks he can listen to it forever. Forget being cooped up in the Sanctum Sanctorum reading his ancient books, Stephen wants to be cooped up in this man’s room.

The doctor kicks Captain America in the shin, uncaring that he doesn’t get a dramatic reaction. “Wait, what? This is your boss?”

The man in red, white and blue frowns, unfolding his arms. “What? No? Tony’s not our—”

Right at this moment, a golden portal appears, blazing as Wong steps through it. The assistant falters at the sight of the people gathered, but quickly casts a spell that shields him from the rest and casually starts to untie Stephen. The Avengers are in a state of shock, but before they can move, Wong seizes the opportunity to momentarily paralyse them. Their faces are varying degrees of shock and fury when they realise what happened, but before they can shout, Stephen speaks.

“Why have we been wasting our time with these idiots,” Stephen cries, pointing to everyone in the room, besides his angel, “when this being has been roaming around the halls of this building? Oh, Vishanti! This has been a colossal waste of my time!”

Wong mumbles an incoherent reply, before speaking up. “So… I’m guessing we won’t be blowing the building up today?”

Stephen looks at Wong incredulously, rubbing his sore arms before using a little spell to knock the occupants in the room unconscious. He catches Tony right before he hits the ground, cradling the body close to his chest as if Tony was a delicate piece of china. The rest of the Avengers drop to the floor like sacks of potatoes, creating ‘thunking’ sounds that make Stephen smile.

“Of course not, Wong,” Stephen rolls his eyes, hoisting Tony into his arms, carrying him bridal style. “Let’s go back to the Sanctum. We’ll blow this place up another time. I have important things to do, now.”

----

hello! i hope you enjoyed this little fic! maybe i’ll write a second part to this, who knows? anyway, please reblog if you liked it, give me some comments?

*this is my first time writing ironstrange and i dont usually write romantic ish relationships (im hermit crab irondad, not hermit crab ironeveryone), but i hope its good enough..?

thank you @technically-a-little-dragon for beta-ing this fic and for getting me to write for the marvel fandom again i dont really know who to tag, but since i always tag you... @officialtonystarkprotectionsquad @jaijaiwriter @hollandrecs

#ironstrange #tony stark #stephen strange #villain stephen strange #based on a chat #wong #steve rogers #natasha romanoff #bamf nat #black widow #captain america #genius stephen strange #celestial-irondad #fluff #crack #Marvel crack

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fauxpromises · 3 years

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Random musings about Talking Heads & Kuja

Been getting back to writing again and felt like it would be kind of fun to write down my thoughts on the artist and album that inspired some of my thematic ideas for my fic. Though realistically this is more of a general character analysis re Kuja than anything specific to my writing, lol.

Analysis below the cut!

Part of why I was inspired to write is, well, Kuja is one of my favorite characters in fiction and I feel that a lot of his most important themes and characterization go almost completely unexamined. Specifically, I notice fandom tends to focus on his characterization prior to his big change in trajectory. That trajectory results in his constructed persona being pretty much completely destroyed, and in the wake of that, I see his post-arc persona being much more muted and lacking in a solid foundation of identity. No longer the excessively theatrical, outgoing identity that he created in order to convince himself that he was unique and important (neither of which his origin would lead him to actually believe).

And that’s exactly why I relate Talking Heads, and more specifically Remain in Light to him as a character. It’s an album with the central theme of identity conflict, at times in a very abstract way, that I feel fits him as a character so entirely well. The actual style of music has either a chaotic, rapid “racing thoughts” tempo to it, or a subdued sound that nonetheless has feeling of looming dread to it. Sometimes they feel rather casual, but in a superficial way. But the theme is pretty consistent across the track list. Even the title “Remain in Light” and the album cover is meant to convey that something is being obscured and is attempting to come into visibility.

The narrative voice as performed by David Byrne is also extremely fitting. He’s good at conveying a personality that is eccentric and at times seemingly detached from the human experience. He makes quirky, coy observations and tends to muse on the state of humanity or others in ways that almost seem as if he excludes himself from that lot. You could call it somewhat dissociative, while still portraying a lucid train of thought; there’s often a difference in the degree of intelligence the narrator shows in his observations, and his ability to understand the emotions that they yield.

Of the songs on Remain in Light, I believe the ones that most relate to the identity disturbance theme are “Once in a Lifetime”, “Seen and Not Seen”, and the big one for me, “Crosseyed & Painless”. I give a shoutout to “The Great Curve” because it kind of informed the romance dynamic, which, while not supposed to be foremost to the character study, represent something Kuja as a character has almost no interaction with in his canon context (outside of Dissidia anyway) - a tangible connection with another person. That track really complements the theme of delusion that the album insinuates, as it’s a sort of fanciful love song describing an idealized, lofty portayal of a woman. It’s abstract and nonspecific, barely a love song in the conventional sense, but I like the idea that someone who is themself conflicted or deluded about their own identity would struggle to see others as they really are.

Anyway, “Once in a Lifetime” is probably one of the best known TH songs. It’s an almost comedic take on an existential crisis, the narrator reflecting on his uncertainty of the nature of reality to the point of questioning the basic objects he interacts with in his day-to-day (like his wife and his car). “Seen and Not Seen” is a much more obscure track that is an extended metaphor. The narration describes a man who is able to change his physical appearance at will, trying to make it match that of idealized others (like celebrities) or changing it to better suit his perception of himself. It’s a representation of how people shape their personalities and identities, and how they can err in doing so.

But really, I’d say “Crosseyed & Painless” is the song that really, to me, is Kuja’s character arc in a nutshell. I really love the live version from Stop Making Sense specifically for the extended and stylized intro. It starts with a really calm and casual instrumental and guitar line, which gradually (and disconcertingly) transitions into a really fast tempo and guitar which reminds me way too much of “Dark Messenger”. It’s pretty clearly a musical depiction of a descent into insanity as something rather incremental, but ultimately landing with force. It’s definitely something that has to be heard to be understood.

Lyrically, the narrator describes a feeling of identity confusion. Due to an unspecified cause, he feels like he is caught between an assumed identity and a true identity, pretty well explained in the first verse (Lost my shape, trying to act casual). It’s a cause of great distress as evidenced by the third line, “I might end up in the hospital”. And beyond that, the phrase “I feel like an accident” indicates something has occurred that is inevitable.

After the narrator explains his own predicament, to me it seems he turned his skepticism to the reality of everything else rather than admit that the delusion and conflict is within himself. It’s rather clever. He speaks at length about facts, as in the second verse: (I'm ready to leave, I push the fact in front of me/Facts lost, facts are never what they seem to be). Facts are something unavoidable and true by definition, but he focuses his attention on both lamenting their immovability and still trying to rationalize that he can alter them. There’s also talk of doubt, which I expect is related to the aforementioned conflict with facts - despite the denial of them, doubt always voices itself. The chorus in its various versions reaffirm this with the statement “the feeling returns whenever we close our eyes”.

The prominent refrain, however, is the “I’m still waiting” repetition. An annotation on the song on Genius.com sums up the meaning behind it very well:

“What I love about this refrain is that it seems to reconfirm a desire for facts or some kind of master signifier that will give order and meaning to the world, despite the song’s overall critique of facts. The repetition of “still waiting” ties in nicely with the line in the bridge that “Facts cut a hole in us.” This reminds me of what Jacques Lacan calls objet petit a – the object-cause of desire that our desires forever circle around without obtaining.”

If you care to give any of these songs a listen, I’d recommend the album version for all but “Crosseyed & Painless” which has a significantly better version in my opinion on the live album. There used to be an incredibly amazing downmix of the whole album on Youtube but it has since vanished, very unfortunately.

#kuja #talking heads #wow those tags sure are on opposite ends #my fic

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