#ok enough chainsmokers for today

[dxdx]

It's amazing how in every groupal project the worst or longer part ends up going to me 🤡 (we raffle the parts lol)

Jupiter in the 9th, I trusted you but you let me down

( my jupiter in the 9th saying "haha bye bitch" and leaving me there just hanging-)

#do your fucking work #extra points of disapointment cause your not only in the 9th #YOU'RE IN A GOOD SIGN FOR IT AND ABOVE EVERYTHING YOU'RE MY CHART RULER #where's the luck you're supposed to give with highest studies 🤡 #WHERE #maybe my luck has run out from so many times I have made risky decisions regarding my academic life. #and those risky decisions turned out well instead of going wrong #crAshInG #hIT a WaLL #rIGHt nOw I need a MirACLe #i NEED YOU I NEED YOU I NEED YOU RIGHT NOW #yEAH I need you right now #so don't let me don't let me don't let me dOWn #it's IN mY hEAd #darLiNg i hOpE #thAT yoU'll bE hEre wheN I nEeD yOu thE mOsT #ok enough chainsmokers for today

[thedefinitionofbts]

Young

Alternatively “Wings of My Words” (你曾是少年)

Pairings: Jung Hoseok x Reader 

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Slice of Life, Tennis Player!Hoseok

Words: 10K

Description: 

He was someone you weren’t supposed to trust, someone who could break down your walls and leave you more vulnerable than you ever thought you could be. He was everything you knew you should stay away from, so why didn’t you think before falling?

Well, that’s simply because like every one who came before you, you were once rightfully and unapologetically…

Young.

A/N: Loosely inspired by the song “Young” by *cue Hobi’s voice* “their friends The Chainsmokers” and S.H.E’s “你曾是少年” (trans: you were once a youngster)

They say that when you reach your late-twenties you were supposed to have settled with a job, perhaps be on your way to marriage, starting a family, and have a relatively clear blueprint of the next ten or twenty years of your life. It’s when you’ve reached that period when musings like the meaning of existence, love, and the pursuit of happiness were things that you didn’t have time to contemplate because work life was hectic, you always had too much on your plate, and those youthful days of dreaming have long passed.

But that’s just what they say.

And it’s those moments where you’re sitting in a coffee shop, reading a book as the people on the streets outside go about their day, when the endless loneliness of your late-twenties, a time when you used to think by now you’d know what future you wanted to head towards and you should have life figured out and the path paved, hit you the hardest.  

You weren’t expecting anything in particular to happen today, but life in actuality is full of surprises.

“Y/N?”

The sound of his voice cuts through the background noise that you have consciously blocked out so you could enjoy the book gripped between your two hands, and you initially think you are just hearing things because the rhythm of the musical noise and the tone of the words escaping that person’s lips is so familiar it makes you actually believe you’re in a dream because the last time you heard that voice echo those exact syllables was ten years ago. But at this point, you have nothing to lose, so you look up from the words on the page just to make sure.

And it’s that defining moment in every cliché movie, the one where the main characters see each other for the first time in years, and they share this tumultuous past that the audience exists just to hear about.

Ok, maybe not that dramatic, but close enough.

And he looks just as good as the first time you set your eyes on him. He’s dressed differently though, draped in attire that makes him look more mature. His jawline is even more chiseled than you last remembered, raised eyebrows giving away the fatigue of age enhanced by the subtle wrinkling of his forehead. But his eyes…his eyes have not changed, even though they are looking at you in the most astonished way possible.

His hot cup of coffee is still gripped in his hand, and you can almost see it tremble slightly as you watch his Adam’s apple bob up and down, swallowing and averting his eyes, most likely regretting calling out your name.

“H-Hoseok?” You manage to mutter just before he is able to utter an apology for disturbing you and running off.

  …

It was your first day of school. Scratch that. First day at your new school. You were already in your junior year of high school, when your dad decided to switch jobs and move your whole family to a new town, ripping you away from everything you knew: the close knit group of friends that you had been with for years, the relationships you had already begun to build with your teachers (for the purpose of getting good letters of recommendation for college), and the dreams you had worked towards reaching in tennis.

A small town up north with no indoor tennis courts.

How the fuck are you supposed to play in the winter? Junior year is when coaches recruit players for college, and every tennis player knows even a day without practice could negatively effect your game. It was absolutely vital that you got enough court time, something that will soon turn into an impossible feat. 

“Just focus on your studies from now on. There’s no use playing in college anyways.” Was what your dad had said to you, after you had dreamed of becoming a professional tennis player since you were 10, but soon realized being a professional athlete was not in the cards for you, not in this universe at least. Hence, at 15, you decided to change your plans and play in college instead; thinking at least you could get into a top school on a full scholarship that way.

Well, not anymore.

And the fact that the girls’ tennis team at your new school sucked balls (figuratively and probably literally too) made your point even more valid. Who were you even going to practice with? It’s not like the shitty town had a tennis club with experienced coaches or good players for that matter.

But enough of the details.

Point is things weren’t looking too bright for you. At least you managed to make a couple of friends pretty quickly, word got around about you leading the girls team to their first ever championship and also taking over the valedictorian-to-be spot with your perfect grades. Seolhyun, the girl who apparently held that spot before you came along, wasn’t too happy about it judging from the glares she would shoot you whenever you passed by her in the halls. But that’s to be expected right? You were no stranger to cutthroat competition and innate female jealousy, heck, you survived a number of years in the junior league where saying that it was a dog eat dog world was putting it nicely.

Your new group of friends, Jisoo, Jenny, Rose, and Lisa were four of the most popular girls in school, and they were pretty adamant about inviting you to be a part of their clique (something about anyone who could get Seolhyun jealous was worthy of joining them). And yeah, schools in small towns are cliquey, which you found out pretty early on. You didn’t want to join them at first, being the type to stray away from rumors and avoid high school drama like the plague, but you figured sitting with them at their “popular” lunch table was better than eating alone in the corner for the next two years.

“What’d you get?” Lisa voices, nodding to Rose, who was scrutinizing her test paper that the teacher had handed back last class.

“87” Rose huffs. “I was this close to an A” She says, rolling her eyes and folding the paper and tucking it away in her backpack.

“Still pretty good” Jisoo shrugs.

“Y/N, what did you get?” Jenny queries, turning towards you.

You look down at the perfectly preserved paper in your hands, not a single red mark to be found. No surprise, in fact you’d be disappointed in yourself if there were.

“100” Lisa voices, peeking over at your test.

…

All was going well in your new school. You were on your way to making it through the last two years of high school with virtually with no more bumps in the road… or so you naively thought.

It was everything about the way he carried himself, the way he dressed, the way he interacted with his friends and other students whom he clearly held an air of superiority towards that screamed stay away, especially for a star student like you. You needed to focus on getting into your dream school, now that tennis wasn’t a valid option any longer; a perfect SAT score combined with a commendable GPA was the ticket to getting where you were supposed to go.

No slip ups. And absolutely no distractions.

He was someone you definitely didn’t want to get involved with, and you knew that. You fucking knew it like the back of you hand, and it wasn’t a source of alarm, not at first, not at all, and certainly not obvious in the least. Something as impossible as falling for him was never a worry, never an imminent concern, and didn’t even show up on your radar until he called your name for the first time.

Being the No. 1 singles player on the girl’s team and winning the seasonal championship for your school last fall season (which would not have been possible had you not joined the team despite their crappy record), it wasn’t a surprise that the coach of the boys tennis team asked if you wanted to help out in the spring as a student assistant coach. Especially since the boy’s coach was a close friend of your fathers. They had played on the same team back during their university days, and he had helped you train last summer, so it was only natural that you would repay the favor. They were short on hands anyways.

Spring was boys tennis season. And today was the first day of practice and of course it would be raining outside in a town with, you repeat, no indoor tennis courts, meaning that there was no way you could play outside on the actual courts in risk of slipping and sustaining an injury that would have you out all season. The coach had decided to just have the team gather in the gym where he could go over logistics.

Everything was moving along smoothly until you decided to walk past the area where everyone was playing around to get to you phone, which you somehow accidentally left in your backpack. Very unlike you. And thinking back, it was perhaps because of your unlucky fate that it just so happened to be today that you would make your biggest mistake in high school…or so you thought at the time.

“Y/N, watch out!” You hear someone shout as you watch a fluffy yellow tennis ball zoom past your eyes. If you were a single step further along your walk to your backpack, you would’ve been hit smack in the face, earning you a bruised eye and who knows how many comments the next day.

You turn to see where the ball came from, only to have your eyes land on a boy wearing a backwards cap, decked out in Nike tennis apparel, and sporting a cheeky grin as he waited for you to turn and face him.

“Careful there” He says with a wink as you continue to stare, wondering how he knew your name when you didn’t have a clue who he was.

The flutter in your chest that the 17 year old you had not experienced in the past caught you by surprise as your eyes met his in that infinitesimal second that felt like a fleeting eternity. It snuck up on the you who was foolishly defenseless and unassuming, and it converted a seemingly harmless and deceptively casual encounter into a serendipitous moment you would look back on and remember for years to come.

…

A few days later, you see him again. And you start to wonder why you had never seen him around before. It was like after the day you became aware of his existence, there was no way to ignore the fact that he went to your school and he was, no matter how much you tried to ignore the thought, “pretty cute” as described by your 17 year old self. In your defense, finding a human being of the opposite sex attractive was not something out of the ordinary. But it was completely new to you because before this, you had never considered any of the guys in high school to be even remotely datable, based on your standards, which everyone you had discussed the matter with voiced that they were too high.

But to each their own, you would argue.

He was wearing his cap backwards again, a signature of his you assumed, a style that conveniently revealed his smooth forehead and even smoother facial skin. Wow, he didn’t even have pimples. But he did have this douche-y smirk plastered on his face as he spoke with his guy friends. One of which looked like some emo dude who didn’t give fuck and another who was tall which you recognized from literature class because he was always the first to raise his hand to answer questions. The entire scene was somehow attractive to you, and you knew from then, you were doomed.

“Who’s that?” You asked while eating lunch with your group of friends.

Jennie turns her head in the direction that you were looking. “Oh, you mean Jung Hoseok?”

“Hoseok?” You repeat, feeling the syllables roll off your tongue like you had finally found what you had been looking for, as if you were finally getting a taste of water after a long period of perpetual thirst.

“Yeah, he’s No. 1 on the boys team. He’s held that spot since freshman year, a real player. Figuratively and Literally.” Jennie says.

“What do you mean?” You inquire, finally dragging your gaze away from the magnetic source it was being drawn towards to turn to the girls, who were all looking at you now.

“Y/N, don’t tell me you’ve never seem him making out with a different girl every week.” Rosie replies. “He takes PDA to the next level. ”

You raise an eyebrow, grabbing another glance at the expensively dressed boy who was still busy talking to his group of guy friends.

“He may not look it, but-“ Rosie

“May not look it?” Jisoo cuts her off mid-sentence. “Have you seen the way he dresses? That button up shirt and slacks scream douche bag. Nobody dresses that nicely for school unless they were trying to impress people.”

“Preppy and rich. He’s a tennis player, what do you expect?” Lisa shrugs.

“I’m a tennis player” You defend, instincts kicking back in and siding against stereotypes against all tennis players in the world.

“We know, but you’re different” Jennie says, patting you on the shoulder. 

“Yeah, Hoseok just does it to get girls” Jisoo explains. “When was the last time he’s been in an actual relationship?”

“Ha, like never” Rose scoffs.

“Isn’t he with Seolhyun?” Lisa asks.

“They’re just playing around, last I heard” Jenny says. “Saw them making out in the hall by the band room this morning. Made me want to gag and tell them to get a room instead of trying to make everyone want to gauge their eyes out.”

…

Spring rain was finally letting up which entailed the beginning of actual practice. And yeah, you would think that after everything your friends warned you about, you would do everything you could to stay away from this Hoseok guy, but that wasn’t really plausible, now was it? You, being the student assistant coach for the boys’ tennis team, and Hoseok, being the No. 1 singles player.

You don’t want to sound like a broken record, but you were powerlessly and undeniably fucking doomed.

On day 1 of practice, the coach decided to make everyone play a game as warm up. One in which two teams of 3-4 people line up on opposite sides of the court, playing with only one shared racquet. A person was to hit the ball and then pass the racquet to the next person in line. First team to mess up loses.

You stand behind Hoseok as he hits a forehand and turns to hand you the racquet. There was nothing unusual about the interaction, nothing particularly noteworthy about the motion, and no big deal, that is until he decided to make it one with a very immature comment.

Hoseok takes a step closer to you. “Was I too rough?” You look up at him, swallowing the saliva that had built up in your mouth because of how close his body was to yours. You could practically feel the heat radiating from his chest, which is well worth to point out, was bare, as all the boys had conveniently removed their shirts because it was, quote unquote “too hot”, while you were still wrapped in your hoodie being the type to get cold easily. “Sorry, I’ll be more gentle next time” He winks and runs back in line. The boys behind you burst out in laughter.

Very mature.

“Y/N, why don’t you and Hoseok go play a match on court 1” You hear your coach shout over from the next court over. “Our first meet is this Saturday, and I want you to make sure he’s ready. 

No choice. You had no choice but to do as you were told.

But what you did have control over was showing Hoseok that playing with him was completely against your own will, despite that tiny bit of excitement churning in the pit of your stomach that you were choosing to ignore so you could put on a bitch face and show him you were not going to fall for his antics. 

“Go easy on me ok?” He says after you guys decide who was to serve first.

“As if” You scoff, grabbing the newly opened can of balls away from him and walk to the baseline to begin.

“Yeah, beat him Y/N” Taehyung shouts from the other side of the fence separating back-to-back courts. Taehyung and Jimin were doubles players, partners for life on and off court. They were safe to say, your favorites on the team so far.

Hoseok smirks as he watches you get in the zone, ready to kick his ass, in which 45 minutes later, you do.

“Game, set, match” You shout as you hit a winner straight off his serve.

Hoseok sighs and walks towards the net smiling to shake your hand. You can’t help but notice how large his hand is compared to yours, and how long and slender his fingers are. His grip is firm and when you were about to pull away, he holds his grip a millisecond longer, just enough to notice but not enough to suspect he had mischievous intentions or ulterior motives, if you will.

“Good match” He says, still smiling at you, and for a moment the thought that his smile is seemingly brighter than the sun crossed your mind, but it’s gone the instant you hear the other boys whistling and cheering.

Again. Very mature.

…

The next time you see him, he’s with his friends again. And you were just by yourself, minding your own business while walking to your next class, when you just so happen to run into him with his posse. They sure looked like they were having a good time, joking around and laughing in the hallway. And you think you can get by unnoticed, like Hoseok wouldn’t see you, or at least he’d pretend he didn’t know you while he was with his friends. But no, apparently that’s not how things work in this world.

“Y/N” You hear the familiar voice call just as you were about to make your getaway.

Looking up, you see that annoyingly friendly smile again. One that for some damn reason doesn’t look as douchey when it’s directed towards you, and it dangerously makes you forget the player that he is (in the non-tennis-wise sense), the warning that is written in his preppy attire and jock-like attitude.

“H-hey” You manage to reply but immediately regret as your shaking voice escapes your lips. What the fuck happened to the confident side of you that kicked his ass in tennis the other day?

Hoseok chuckles. “See you at practice” He waves and is off before you can turn your head and watch him walk off with his friends.

At least you didn’t have any classes with him, but there was no way to hide anything from your friends, especially with how fast the latest gossip flew around at your school.

“So what’s up with you and Hoseok?” Jisoo asks as she sits down next to you at the coveted “popular” lunch table.

“Me? Hoseok? Nothing” You say, almost a tad bit hysterically. How the fuck does she know? You sure as hell didn’t tell any of them you were helping coach the boys’ team.

“Namjoon told Jennie that Hoseok’s been talking about you lately” Jisoo continues.

“I heard my name” Jennie says as she walks up to the table, lunch tray in hand.

“We were talking about Hoseok” Jisoo explains. “Y/N, we warned you about him, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. And there’s nothing going on. I beat him in tennis a few days ago. He’s probably just bitter about it.” You shrug, hoping they would just let it go because talking about him made it worse. You didn’t even want to think about him, or be reminded of the way talking about him made you giddy and want to think about him more. Fuck.

“That’s not the story I heard” Jennie raises her eyebrow.

“Story?” Lisa says, rushing over to the table and almost spilling the contents of her tray all over the floor. “I want to hear a story!”

“It’s about Hoseok” Jennie takes a moment to inform Lisa. She then turns back to you. “Namjoon said Hoseok recently cut ties with Seolhyun.”

Rose, Lisa, and Jisoo all gasp at once.

“…and that has to do with me because….” You trail off, praying that you sound skeptical and nonchalant.

“According to what I was told, shit went down like this.” Jennie, puts both of her elbows on the table and takes a deep breathe. “Seolhyun thought she had Hoseok in the palm of her hands. Aka, she assumed they were together. Officially. Which we all know doesn’t apply to Hoseok, but I guess little miss former-almost valedictorian and prom queen thought she was good enough to tie him down. She had told everyone that they were dating. But then just the other day, Hoseok suddenly decided to walk up to Seolhyun to confront her about it, after not caring about the matter for weeks. ” Jennie crosses her arms. “And Hoseok said, quote ‘were we ever a thing?’”.

Jisoo gasps. “He said that to her after every one in the school has already seen them making out in the halls and assumed they were together? Unbelievable.”

“Seolhyun cried didn’t she?” Lisa says with a bored expression. Jennie nods, a fake sympathy conveyed by her sad pout.

“But what does that have to do with me?” You cut in, failing to see your own involvement in this type of high school drama that you swore you never wanted to be a part of.

“It’s simple. It just means he found his next target.” Rose answers.

“And it’s you.” Jennie adds.

…

Normally you wouldn’t get up early on Saturday mornings, but the SAT was in a month, and you had a mock test to complete. You tried not letting your mind wander off as you stared at the long, and might you add, dull paragraph in the critical reading section that was displayed in front of you. It wasn’t a big deal. You had been taking these so-called practiced tests every Saturday for a year now, and luckily have seen steady improvement. It was unlike you to be distracted while reading, especially not to the point where you had to go back and re-read the same section because you weren’t paying attention the first time you skimmed through. This was very alarming. And as much as you tried not to think about “other” things, for the first time in your high school career that just didn’t seem possible no matter how hard you tried.

“It was an unusually difficult section,” You explain as you watch your dad check your answers, only to shake his head every time he marked one wrong.

“And what happens if you get unlucky and face an unusually difficult test?” He asks, looking up at you sternly past his reading glasses.

“I’ll put in extra preparation this month” You assure him, and let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding as he nods, satisfied with your discipline. 

The boys were playing against their first school this afternoon, and coach was expecting you to go and “cheer them on”. The underlying meaning of it being, review their match playing strategy and figure out what they still needed to work on. Oh, and might you also add that he specifically requested you to “examine” Hoseok’s match because cause quote “the No. 1 singles player is the person who carries the entire team.” 

Again, no choice. But that didn’t change the fact that Hoseok’s match was probably the most exciting to watch because although you had beaten him, he was still the best on the team, and for someone who grew up in a small town with no access to indoor tennis courts, meaning he could only play for half of the year, he was pretty darn good.

You cheer for him, clapping every time he won a point, classic etiquette in tennis, but even if it wasn’t, that burst of a shout after he hit a backhand down the line was not controllable, and you felt your cheeks flush when you realized how loud you were, only emphasized when Hoseok spotted you in the crowd and smirked.

He wins. 6-2 6-3. Easy.

“Can I have your number?” Hoseok asks as he walks towards you and sit down next to you in the grass. You had moved over to check out the other matches going on, trying to avoid him, but again, things just don’t work out the way you want…or do they, because deep down you secretly wanted him to come over and talk to you.

Sure. “No” You force yourself to say.

Hoseok shrugs. “Coach gave it to me already. Told me to hit you up for extra practice this season.”

That motherfu-

“Then why did you even bother to ask? And is he even allowed to do that?” You make an offended face.

“Didn’t want it to feel like you were forced against your will, but it seems that it is.” It was the first time you saw the look of disappointment on his face, but you knew, you fucking knew this was all part of his plan to get you to feel sympathetic. It was just another trick in his bag of goodies.

“You don’t say?” You retort.

“It’s ok if you don’t want to. I just tell coach we’re both too busy with school.” He turns and stares at the courts distantly, and you almost feel guilty about being so cold to him. If you really thought about it, he’s never done anything to you, per se, you’ve just been heavily influenced by third party sources, and it’s unfair to assume based on rumors. Or you were too weak to control your inner desires. Fuck.

“I’ll do it,” You say after a sigh.

“Wait, what?” Hoseok turns and looks at you confused.

“I’ll practice with you” You say, turning to face him, and you think you’re imagining the way his eyes sparkle a little as he registers your words, the way a little twitch of his upturned lip gives away the delight he was trying to contain, and for a momentary pause in time you let yourself return his smile.

…

So you were right about coach screwing you over when he gave your number to Hoseok, because the first time you spoke with him alone, like actually alone, for a good three hours after practicing with him one-on-one, you fell for him… not that your weren’t already slowly slipping into said black hole before that.

And for some unknown reason, you led yourself to believe he wasn’t what everyone made him out to be. And no matter how many times you told yourself you were being a blind idiot, his full body laugh and suggestive smiles tore down whatever barrier you were trying to build between him and your dumb ass.

“You totally could’ve gone pro,” He says as he takes a sip of water from his bottle.

“I didn’t have what it took, mentally or physically.” You say, staring out at the empty park you guys were practicing by.

“Ok, I get the physical part.” He eyes you up and down, while you glance over and scowl at him. “You’re pretty small.”

“Gee, thanks” You mutter.

“What’s the average height for a female professional tennis player? 5’9? 175cm?” He looks at the sky; fluffy clouds drifting over to momentarily cover the sun.

“Yeah” You respond. “Can we not talk about me being short?”

Hoseok chuckles, his perfect smile making another appearance. “Sorry.” He sighs. “So what about the mental part?”

“I’m bad at dealing with my nerves. I choke.” You reply. It was true. Choking during a match is when a player gets so nervous, their legs feel like marshmallows and they can’t perform nearly as well as they should be able to. It’s when you muscles tense up and you make a ton of mistakes you normally shouldn’t, and lose to people you know you’re supposed to beat.

“Hey, we all do that” Hoseok says. “Getting nervous just means you really want to win, and it’s a necessary motivator.”

“Not when it’s an extreme case of the nerves,” You correct, turning towards him. “But whatever, it’s in the past. Tennis isn’t really my thing anymore.”

There’s a short pause and it’s in no way awkward or uncomfortable.

“But you’re still really good. Like really good. I can only imagine how good you were when you really trained intensely. ” He smiles. And you can’t refuse the warmth that spreads through your chest at his comment. It’s been a long time since you’ve heard such kind words about your tennis skills. Not just kind, but sincere words from someone who really understood why you had to give up your dream, a person who knows you’re still amazing even though you didn’t make it, an earnest appreciation for the hard work you put in for so many years. 

You don’t know if that conversation is what led to the events that came after. Namely Hoseok asking you out on a real date and you somehow (or rather predictability at this point) agreeing, him driving you around town and chatting with him while sitting in the passenger seat like some country song, secret flirty glances during all subsequent practices which you thought no one noticed, and even studying together on weekends at the coffee shop by your house.

Snowball effect. That’s what it was. 

You also blame the raging teen hormones.

And on top of that, the infamous “first love”, the one that everyone talks about because it’s exhilarating and unforgettable and unapologetically so. Feelings you never even imagined existed were constantly churning in the pit of your stomach, and even though you knew it was precarious, having been warned of the risk you were taking with someone like him beforehand, you didn’t care. Not when Hoseok held your hand as if he would never let it go, not when he locked his lips with yours as if you were his last love, and certainly not when day in and day out the thought of him was what made you happier than you’ve ever been.

“You’re No. 1 in our class?” He asks, flipping through your test papers all marked with perfect scores.

“Honestly, high school is not that hard” You shrug.

Hoseok’s mouth hangs open in awe. “Teach me your ways,” He says, making a motion to get on his knees and bow down to you.

“Pls” You roll your eyes before laughing.

“You probably get this a lot, but how are you so perfect?” He comments, gazing into your eyes in a way that makes you swallow nervously and your heart pound like crazy.

…

“Just friends?” Jennie huffs, crossing her arms and shaking her head. You had confronted her after the rumors of you and Hoseok dating spread like wildfire.

Not surprising at all.

“Hoseok doesn’t date remember?” You lie, knowing perfectly well that you and Hoseok were most definitely not “just friends”. Especially not when you were planning on having him meet your parents next weekend. Yeah, meeting your parents. The same parents who specifically stated they didn’t want you to date in high school and especially not in the all-important year you were applying to college. But it was getting hard lying to them about where you were going on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons, and it was impossible to explain why someone was now driving you home after tennis practice so you don’t have to take the bus for an hour every day.

“Which is why you need to cut ties with him!” Rose jumps in before Jennie could say anything.

“I think I can handle it guys” You say, trying to quell the annoyance that was building up. You were beginning to hate the way they spoke about Hoseok, about how he’s this douche bag who plays with girls’ hearts, when in reality he’s nothing like that and everyone had just been blinded by nasty rumors.

Of course, it was everyone else who was blind and not you.

“We just don’t want to see you get hurt,” Jennie says, reaching over and caressing your arm when she noticed you were getting a little worked up.

Thinking back, you probably should’ve taken her warning more seriously. But then again, maybe it was good that you didn’t.

It was safe to say that your parents did not like Hoseok. Did not like as in, they’re going to make it blatantly obvious that they disapproved of him more than you failing a test, and that said a lot.

“I’d advise the both of you to stop this nonsense and focus on school.” Your dad had said the moment Hoseok sat down at the dinner table.

���I’m sorry?” Hoseok says, confused as to why a supposed introductory dinner was starting out on such hostile footing.

“Hoseok, was it?” Your dad continues, ignoring the alarmed looks from you. “I heard you play tennis. How are you grades? Do you plan on entering an elite university?”

Hoseok clears his throat. “My grades are average. They’re not stellar, so I’m planning on attending a middle tier school.” He answers, and you can sense the tension in the room, like it was this puff of smoke that was clogging your lungs.

Your dad chuckles. “You are aware of my daughter’s standards, right?”

“I-“ Hoseok begins but is cut off.

“I don’t know how you found the audacity to approach her with your” Pause. “average skills.” He says.

“Dad!” You shout, not being able to believe he was saying this.

Hoseok was containing himself well, you had to give him props for that because god knows how irritated and downright embarrassed he must feel on the inside. And your dad just wouldn’t stop, no matter how much you nudged his leg under the table, the attacking comments just kept coming. 

“Please excuse me” Hoseok says when he finally couldn’t stand the attacks from your dad any longer. He storms out of the house, holding back from starting a real fight because that would’ve led to an even bigger disaster.

You follow after him, but he’s already pulling out his car keys.

“Hoseok!” You shout. “Wait” You grab onto his arm, and he turns around to look at you tenderly. Anger evaporating from his previously tensed expression.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, ok” He says with a weary smile before getting in his car and driving off.

And you think you’re dreaming and the events that went down did not just happen, but you’re tackled by the reality that is a nightmare the moment you walk back in your house. Your dad had left the table, and it was just your mom, cleaning up the untouched food in eerie silence.

“You’re wasting your time with him.” She said, as you willed yourself to hold back the tears that were nipping at your eyes.

“But mom, I can handle school and-“

“I’m not talking about what your father was saying” She interrupts. “I’m purely considering the fact that young love rarely lasts, and he doesn’t look like the kind of person who will stay with you through the storm.”

“How would you know!” You almost shout back, it was the first time you had the audacity to speak to your mom in this way, but the fact that she just labeled Hoseok after knowing him for one dinner made you livid.

“Well, are you the first girl he’s been with?” She asks, voice revealing that she already knew the answer.

No. “I don’t know” You lie. You knew you weren’t.

“Do you believe he will stay faithful to you when you both go off to college?”

I don’t know. “Yes” You murmur, genuinely unsure, so that was technically only half a lie.  

“Honey” She says. “You’re still young, you’ll meet plenty of great people in the future. ”

And you would’ve made an even bigger mistake if you had took her word on that, because we all know the heart will not follow any sort of logic, and fate is not something anyone can decide.

… 

…

“It’s been a while. How have you been?” You say as you watch the familiar, yet unfamiliar figure, pull out a chair and seat himself in front of you.

“10 years. I’ve been decent. Could be worse.” He chuckles. “You?”

“I’m good.” You answer.

“Classic easy way out answer” He grins, and you can still see remnants of the sun in his smiling face, although the fuel that the burning flames had run on had been sucked dry lately.

You find out that he recently found a job in the city, after being unemployed for over 6 months when the marketing company he worked for went bankrupt. It sounded like quite the struggle, but everyone was struggling in today’s economy.

“I got my PhD two years ago, and I’m still a postdoc in my current lab” You explain, trying to sound casual, and summarizing the last 10 years in once succinct sentence. It felt strange knowing the person sitting across from you was once the closest person to you outside of family but now exiled to that awkward place between acquaintance and old friend.

You watch as he nods his head slowly, soaking in the circumstances and most likely feeling the same kind of nostalgic awkwardness that you were. He sighs and takes a cautious sip of his coffee in effort to postpone having to take the lead in this unexpected meeting of sorts.

“Going down the academic professor route?” He queries, raising an eyebrow and curving his lips upward in attempt to lighten the mood like old times.

You chuckle a little. “Honestly, I’m not too sure. I’ve never embraced the thought of being a college professor. Writing proposals all the time for funding and having to be responsible for students who have paid a ton of money for good education.” 

“Ah, right, you’re not too good with pressure.” He nods, understandingly.

And you’re surprised he still remembers.

The Jung Hoseok who you have not spoken to in over 10 years still remembers the first real conversation he had with you that day on the tennis court in the empty park in that small town. That defining moment which lead your two paths to cross, one in which you revealed more of yourself than you had initially intended.  

“How do you like the city?” You ask looking into his eyes that still remind you of so many things you’ve chosen to forget.

“It’s beautiful and exciting. There’s so much to do and it’s so different from the small towns I’m used to.” His eyes glance over at the scenery outside the window, the tall skyscrapers blocking a view that would otherwise go on for miles. “So far I’m liking it, but I don’t know if I’ll be feeling the same after living here long-term.”

“Yeah, it can get hectic. And public transportation is frustrating, especially if you have a long commute to work like me.” You voice, thinking of all the times you cursed at rush hour traffic and the one late night you took the subway after midnight and waited two hours for the train that took it’s sweet ass time.

Small talk.

You weren’t particularly good at it, and it always made you conscious of how awkward you are as a social creature, but you subtly wanted Hoseok to keep you company for as long as possible. Because he’s the one person from your past that you, admittedly, haven’t forgotten despite your not so strong attempts to do so.

It works. For a good hour or so before he finishes his coffee and tells you he needs to head out. You smile and nod, and tell him that it was good to see him, a pleasant encounter that could only be described at fate hard at work again, but you try and not think about it that way because it sounds stupid. Because you don’t know what he’s thinking or if you’ll ever get answers to why things happened the way they did, whether it was for better or worse. You also don’t know if you’ll ever see him again by chance, or if this is actually your last chance to do something. Anything. So thank god you ran out of that coffee shop, summing up every last ounce of courage you had and took matters into your own hands. Closing the distance between two parallel lines with your own strength instead of letting such a destined opportunity pass.

“Hoseok, wait” You call after him, rushing to stop him from not only physically leaving, but leaving the one thing that had been left unresolved for so many years.

He turns, staring perplexedly at your frenzied state.

“I just have one more question.” You say, trying to catch your breath. You bite your bottom lip, maybe it was a mistake to ask, but it’s been long enough right? 

“Why did you do it?” You finally manage to blurt out.

The expression that crossed his face is unreadable. It was a mixture of acceptance, a calmness that almost seemed indifferent and detached, and lingering regret, a pain from an old would that doesn’t go away because a part of your nerves have been scarred. That feeling of being powerless over the things you can’t control, like not being tall enough to be a professional athlete, not being able to see the uncertain future but trying to shape the un-shapeable anyways, or just simple making mistakes because you were young.

…

…

Dating in secret. Or at least that’s what it felt like. It was obvious that no one accepted your relationship. Not your friends and certainly not your parents.

What made it even worse was that this mess you were in, hindered your test performance. You had to re-take the SAT, a fact that made your father very, very unhappy. But for once in your finely tuned life, you didn’t fucking care that your world was gradually crashing down. So what if you didn’t get into your “dream school”? Did that define you as a person? Did that mean you were a failure for life?

You had heard of countless stories where success was not determined by test scores, grades, or what college a person attended. Besides, both Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were drop outs, and look how successful they became. 

It was a new kind of mindset you adopted. One in which compelled you to sneak out to bars with Hoseok at night, get drunk while underage, make love in public places while hidden under the guise of moonlit nights. And it was exhilarating, the way young love, first love, is supposed to be.

Hearing the sound of pebbles hitting your window, you already know who it is. You had been waiting for him, pretending to be asleep when you had told your parents goodnight and rushed up to your bedroom with a stomach full of anticipation. Kicking off your blankets you practically sprint to your window, opening it to the fresh breeze that kisses your face. 

“Ready?” You hear a voice shout lightly from below. You nod, enthusiastically, the same reaction you give him every time he sneaks you out to the bar late at night.

“Where are we going?” You breathe after getting into his car and realizing he’s not taking you the usual route.

“Somewhere I’ve wanted to take you for a while now” He replies, eyes focused on the road and mouth curved upwards in a warm smile. Your eyes trace along the curves of his silhouette, the contours of his figure outlined by the moon and etched in your memory. The way he controls the steering wheel with one arm and rests his other hand gently on your thigh is something you should’ve gotten used to by now, but the way his arm veins bulge with every small movement and the way his fingers dance on your skin never fails to ignite a flame in you.  

Hoseok takes you to an open field, doesn’t sound too appealing at first, but it’s not just any field, it’s a meadow, a field of flowers. And although you can’t see much at night, he insists that the glow of the moon and stars will be enough to see all that you think may be cloaked in darkness.

And he’s right. Or maybe you’re just caught up in the moment because you think you can see fluttering shapes when the wind brushes by, petals dancing in the air, their outline only visible because of the marginally lighter night sky, and the occasional sparkle of fireflies lighting up the black canvas.

He leads you over to a soft patch of grass under a tree, and the you who is normally terrified of the dark, especially in such a remote location feels fearless right then because Jung Hoseok could be leading you to the end of the world and you would gladly follow, no further questions asked. And your young mind chooses to believe that he was all you needed, because the warmth from his hands and the tenderness of his caress makes you wonder how you ever lived without his presence, something that seemed to feel just as important as the fundamental necessities that provided you with life.

When you sit down next to him and lean against his ever so familiar body, he wraps am arm around your shoulder, securing you in his embrace. He looks at you with an endearing gaze, lifting his other arm and tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

“You know I was warned to stay away from you right?” You voice, waiting to see how Hoseok would react to your not-so surprising revelation.

“Yeah, which is why I was shocked you agreed to go out with me.” He closes his eyes and takes a deep, sedative breath. “But would you believe me if I told you that you were my first.”

“So you lied about not being a virgin?” You raise an eyebrow, invisible in the dark but laced in your voice.

Hoseok laughs lightly. “No, not first in that sense.” He clears his throat, taking the time to organize his thoughts; running through his next words in his mind before letting them slip past his lips. “The first girl that made me stop thinking about other girls…the only person that makes me want to better myself…oh god, I suck at this.” He sighs, blushing in embarrassment.

You giggle, reaching an arm up to touch his face, cupping his cheek in your hand.

“Don’t worry, I get it,” You say with a smile, head still rested against his firm, comforting chest.

Hoseok was someone who made you want to choose love over bread because for a fleeting moment in time, you wholeheartedly believed it didn’t matter how shitty everything else in the world was, as long as he was with you, you could create a happiness.

“Hoseok?” You murmur after a long period of silent gazing at the nocturnal landscape.

“Hmm?” He hums, shifting slightly to look at you, who by now has raised your head to gaze at him.

“What do you think will happen to us?” 

He sighs gently. “I wish I knew.” He whispers.

“We can go to the same college.” You suggest, a statement that causes him to fall silent.

“Y/N” Hoseok voices, and it’s hard to identify the emotion entangled in his voice. It’s almost stern, but also weary at the same time. “I could never get into those schools that you’re applying to.” He huffs a silent chuckle.

“That’s ok, I’ll just apply to the schools you’re applying to” You say, almost cheerfully, like you were choosing to ignore how naïve your declaration sounded.

He removes his arm from your shoulder and sits up to look at you, placing his hands on your cheeks and rubbing the soft flesh with his thumb, like he was wiping nonexistent tears from your face.

“No, you’re not going to make sacrifices for me.” He says, still staring into your eyes. “You’re going to get into your dream school, and you’re going to be the successful women you were destined to be.” He smiles faintly. “You’ll fly high in your life, and know that I’ll be cheering you on.”

…

It was no miracle that you did get the acceptance letter from your dream school. Apparently not being able to test well under pressure was exactly what was holding you back from achieving the coveted perfect score on the SAT. And it was all thanks to Hoseok that you were able to rid yourself of that hindrance. It wasn’t just the fact that he changed you in a fundamental way, but he had also continued to help you cope with pressure and the expectation that you had been held up to all your life.

As you had voiced before, high school classes weren’t that hard so your GPA did not suffer at all, even though you were spending half of your free time going on dates with Hoseok, living freely without care despite the weight that continued to rest on your shoulders. It seemed like a win-win, and maybe now your parents would at least attempt to accept him. And you think you’ve finally figured everything out, that everything was now, truly falling into place.

You think. But when have you’re thoughts actually reflected reality correctly?

And then you learn that when your world actually comes crashing down, it doesn’t happen slowly. You can’t see everything falling one by one, the tiles sliding down the walls of your reality giving you time to make a run for it at least. But no, crashing worlds are not that nice to the living, it’s not gradual, it just flashes by, demolished in one single swoop.

It happens when you’re walking down the familiar halls of the school you almost grew to feel comfortable in. The band hall in particular. The one where the Hoseok you knew, diverted from the Hoseok everyone else at the school knew…or so you thought.

“Turn away” You hear Jennie shout before pushing you to face the other direction.

“Why-“ You begin to ask but are cut off by a gasp from Rose and Jisoo.

“Oh no…” Lisa murmurs. 

“Guys, what’s happening?” You question, trying to turn to see but the four of them are intentionally blocking your view.

And then you see it.

“You fucking asshole!” You shout down the hall at the two people making out like they were putting a show on for the world.

The girl turns around; face shocked with fear and quickly runs off as you stomp up to none other than Jung fucking Hoseok.

“What the fuck are you doing?” You ask through gritted teeth, you were feeling slightly dizzy, partially hoping that maybe, just maybe, this was all a nightmare you would soon wake up from. But it clearly wasn’t, because Hoseok’s grip on your arm is tight enough to cause you to lose circulation as he drags you outside. You attempt to rip your arm away, but he’s too strong.

“Stop making a commotion” He says, almost calmly, like he had all of this planned or some shit.

“EXPLAIN.” You order. “And if you’re going to come up with shitty excuse laced lies, I’m leaving” You spit, crossing your arms and staring him down with a piercing gaze.

And that motherfucker has the nerve, the audacity, to fucking smirk.

“I’m not going to sugar coat any of this. It is exactly what you saw.” Hoseok says nonchalantly. He places his arms on his hips and turns his head to direct his attention to the grass blowing in the field like he didn’t just slap you in the face. “You’re better off without an asshole like me.” He sighs.  

“Stop acting like this is a fucking Korean drama Hoseok!” You scream, tearing rushing down your face hot and angry. “You’re not doing anyone favors here. Hoseok, please…” You reach out and grab his arm, desperately, thinking that maybe he’ll snap out of whatever trance he was in. The robotic look in his eyes was scary and you don’t know why, what, how…there were just too many questions.

“I’m not playing around!” He says, finally letting the anger he was containing make its way to his voice. “Look at you, and me, we- we’re a fucking joke. And I know you’ve known the kind of person I am, don’t fucking pretend you actually believed I was someone different.” He huffs a laugh and it’s almost hysterical. “Y/N, look, I can spit out some fake apology right now, but I’m sure that’s not what you want to hear. Let’s just quietly go our separate ways. Good luck in college.” And that’s the last thing you hear from him as your heart clenches in your chest, limbs going numb, and ears ringing.

You stare as he tears his detached gaze from your puffy eyes, and you almost believe you’re hallucinating when you see the slight falter in his indifferent, heartless verging on cruel, expression. Because his eyelids droop a little, and his bottom lip quivers in a way that makes you want to hug him and tell him you know why he’s doing this and he doesn’t fucking have to, and let’s just forget all this shit happened and pretend we’re still strong enough to stay together no matter what the world decides to throw on us. But it’s just a fleeting thought, one that you don’t have the strength to put in action because you know it would be useless, and you don’t trust your instincts 100%, not when he’s ripping his arm from your grip and disappearing back into the school building.  

And he when he thinks you’re not watching anymore, when he assumes he’s out of sight, Hoseok crumbles, shoulders slumping and hand covering his mouth to muffle his hushed sobs.

Tennis season was over. Graduation was approaching, and you never saw him again, not in the halls, not picking you up to go on a date in town, not knocking on your bedroom window at night even though you foolishly, pathetically waited all summer, unwilling to let go of the fictional possibility that he would maybe, just maybe, come back.

He doesn’t.

Not for the next 10 years at least.

…

…

“I didn’t want to get in the way of your dreams” He replies. Simple, yet complicated because it was something you knew but couldn’t put to rest because it was unconfirmed.  

“So you did do it for me” You whisper, finally realizing you weren’t being delusional in thinking he didn’t cheat on you because he didn’t really love you.

“But I guess if I was really trying to be the hero in all this, I shouldn’t have bothered approaching you in the first place, right?” He forces a smile, but you know him well enough, even if it was the him 10 years ago, to understand that he not only hurt you but himself in the process. “And apparently love is more like talent rather than hard work” He chuckles lightly, looking down at the ground. Talent, something you are born with and don’t have a say in deciding how much of it or what kind you have, and hard work, the part of the path to success that you can regulate. It’s the age-old nature vs. nurture battle, and Hoseok was absolutely right. Love is nature, the talent that is gifted by the heavens, written in the stars. “It’s not something you can control.” 

Walking alongside him for the first time in years, your instincts lead you to Central Park, a gracefully designed natural environment with modern and traditional European architectural elements: a castle by the lake, flower gardens, and grassy fields to layout and bask in the sun. The trees that provided shade made you feel like you were finally alone with Hoseok once again, privately relieving a past you found hard to forget.

He doesn’t voice that he’s sorry, knowing that being sorry doesn’t do anything productive and only induces a sense of pity, but also accepting the fact that he made the decision that he did because he truly believed it was for the best at the time. It’s hard when you’re young and faced with an uncertain future and a relentless environment where people are constantly spewing toxic words and hurtful opinions at you. You get frustrated easily, wanting to make the right choices while at the same time, yearning for your own desires. Hoseok doesn’t know if he would change things if given the chance to go back. He doesn’t know if a slightly more mature version of himself would’ve chosen to avoid such catastrophic events, but one thing’s for sure, he loved you with all his heart, even though he was…young.

“So what happens now?” You ask.

“Since I’m here in the city now, if you want, we can meet up anytime” He responds. 

“Are you subtly asking me out?” You smirk.

“I’m a little rusty.” He sighs. “But yes, I am.” He smiles. “That is, if you want. Otherwise, we can pretend none of this happened.”

“I would love to” You respond soothingly, causing a familiar surprised look to spread across his features.

“I am in no way questioning your decision, but I can’t help but wonder why? A beautiful and successful woman like you should have men kissing the ground you walk on.” His eyes are wide and his lips are slightly parted, a reaction that makes your chest tingle with bursts of endearment.

“Because you remind me of a past I cannot go back to.” You voice matter-of-factly.

“Is that good or bad?” He nervously glances at you.

“I don’t have a clue.” You smile with a sigh. “I just know that to this day, I still clutch on to it as if it was what my life depended on. And I don’t have the desire or the will power to let it go.” You finish with a shrug.

At that Hoseok smiles, a beam that is indeed brighter than the sun, one that hits just the right notes, showing up at just the right time, and you know that this is right, that this is without a doubt unequivocally perfect, because it brings back something you had been missing for a long time.

And for now, you’re going to put off worrying about the future like the people around you keep urging you to do, and instead embrace the return of the kind of recklessness that is so often associated with youth because the man walking next to you right now is leading you in the direction in which your heart faces and for now, you don’t want to have it any other way.

…

#bts fanfic #hoseok fanfic #bts scenarios #hoseok scenarios #hoseok x reader #bts angst #bts fluff #slice of life #high school au

[loyolahcmass]

Spotify Playlist

We have a Spotify playlist of all the songs used at Mass from 2013 to present day, plus some songs used before 2013! Here is the link:

https://open.spotify.com/user/eoin.walsh/playlist/2ojJGlLsy5GkRgRbc14nn7

And if you don’t have Spotify but want to know the songs used in the past, the list is under the cut:

Hopkins Court Mass Playlist

Fall Semester 2017

Opening Songs:

·         OK by Robin Shulz feat. James Blunt

·         Supercut by Lorde

·         Feel it Still by Portugal the Man

·         I (clean version) by Kendrick Lamar

·         Fire on the Mountain Grateful Dead

·         Hey Hey What Can I Do by Led Zeppelin

·         Earth Blues by Jimi Hendrix

·         Belief by John Mayer

·         All on Me by Devin Dawson

·         Where is the Love? by The Black Eyed Peas

·         Something Beautiful by NeedToBreathe

·         One Call Away by Charlie Puth

·         Strong Enough by Matthew West

·         Stargazing by Kygo

·         Waiting on the World to Change by John Mayer

·         Changes (clean version) by 2Pac

·         Ain’t no Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell

·         Best of You by Foo Fighters

·         Sail by AWOLNATION

·         No Easy Way Out by Robert Tepper

 For Homily Songs:

·         Falls by Odesza

 Instrumental Songs:

·         Oceans Cover by Mezzo Piano

·         Comancheria by Nick Cave

·         You and Me by Dave Matthews cover by Vitamin String Quartet

·         Story of My Life by One Direction cover by The Piano Guys

·         Forrest Gump Main Theme from Forrest Gump Soundtrack

·         House of Cards Theme by Jeff Beal

 Communion Songs:

·         Oceans by Hillsong United

·         American Teen by Khalid

·         Tangerine by Led Zeppelin

·         Gravity by John Mayer

·         One Day by Zac Brown Band

·         When I Get Where I’m Going by Brad Paisley

·         The Night We Met by Lord Huron

 Closing Songs:

·         Whole Heart by Brandon Heath

·         Glorious by Macklemore

·         Soul Kitchen by The Doors

·         Burning in My Soul by Matt Maher

·         King is Born by Aloe Blacc

·         Brother by NeedToBreathe

·         The Man by The Killers

 2017 Spring Semester

Opening Songs:

·         In My Head by Galantis

·         Lionhearted by Porter Robinson

·         Don’t Look Back in Anger by Oasis

·         T-Shirt Weather by Circa Waves

·         Youth by Glass Animals

·         Oceans Away by Arizona

·         Just Hold On by Steve Aoki

·         What Do You Love by Seeb

·         Brand New Buzz by Big & Rich

·         All the Pretty Girls by Kenny Chesney

·         Ain’t Nothing Bout You by Brooks & Dunn

·         Zombie by The Cranberries

·         Somebody by Young Rising Sons

·         Drop the Game by Flume and Chet Faker

·         Erase Me by Kid Cudi and Kanye West

·         One Love by Bob Marley

·         Where is the Love? by the Black Eyed Peas

·         Daylight by Maroon 5

·         Good Grief by Bastille

·         Kids by OneRepublic

·         Shooting Stars by Bag Raiders

·         Come on Eileen by Dexy’s Midnight Runners

·         Live Like We’re Dying by Kris Allen

·         Count on Me by Bruno Mars

·         Broken Arrows by Avicii and Zac Brown Band

·         It Comes Back to You by Imagine Dragons

·         Kings of Summer (feat. Quinn XCII) by Ayokay

·         A Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay

·         I Want You Back by Jackson 5

·         Stay by Zedd and Alessia Cara

·         Sooner or Later by Aaron Carter

·         Catch My Vibe by Academy

·         Seve (Radio Edit) by Tez Cadey

·         High on Life by Rebelution

·         When You Were Young by The Killers

·         Can’t Keep Johnny Down by They Might Be Giants

·         Walking on a Dream by Empire of the Sun

·         Carry on Wayward Son by Kansas

·         Fast Car by Jonas Blue feat. Dakota

·         Overload (The Chainsmokers Remix) by Life of Dillon

·         The Middle by Jimmy Eat World

·         Jumpin Jack Flash by The Rolling Stones

·         Street Fighting Man by The Rolling Stones

·         Valleys of Neptune by Jimi Hendrix

 For Homily Songs:

·         Castle on the Hill by Ed Sheeran

·         Lazarus by David Bowie

·         Million Reasons by Lady Gaga

·         Believer by Imagine Dragons

·         Pink + White by Frank Ocean

·         Symphony by Zara Larsson

·         Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay

·         We Didn’t Start the Fire by Billy Joel

 Instrumental Songs:

·         Vitamin String Quartet cover of Tuesday’s Gone by Lynyrd Skynyrd

·         When the Wind Blows Instrumental Version by David Bowie

·         Billy’s Theme from The Departed Soundtrack

·         Honor by Hans Zimmer

·         What a Wonderful World by Richard Clayderman

·         I’ll be There by Jake Shimabukuro

·         Come to the Water by Instrumental Christian Songs

·         Dearly Beloved by Yoko Shimomura

·         Beauty and the Beast Tale as Old as Time Instrumental

·         Il Forte (The Strong) by Ennio Morricone

·         The Zookeeper’s Wife Theme by The Zookeeper’s Wife Soundtrack

·         A Calling by Rupert Gregson Williams

·         American Beauty by Thomas Newman

 Communion Songs:

·         Blackbird by The Beatles

·         Have I Told You Lately by Van Morrison

·         Dog Years by Maggie Rogers

·         Changing by John Mayer

·         In Color by Jamey Johnson

·         Eyes to the Wind by War on Drugs

·         Humble and Kind by Tim McGraw

·         Not Today by Imagine Dragons

·         White Blood by Oh Wonder

·         Rise Up by Andra Day

·         My Sweet Lord by George Harrison

·         Can’t Help Falling in Love With You by Haley Reinhart

·         XO by John Mayer

·         You’re Gonna Live Forever in Me by John Mayer

·         Fire and Rain (Instrumental Version) by Musica Instrumental

·         Holly Holy by Neil Diamond

·         Technicolor Beat by Oh Wonder

·         Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol

·         Southern Cross by Crosby, Stills, & Nash

 Closing Songs:

·         Feels Like Home by Sam Feldt

·         Up Around the Bend by Creedence Clearwater Revival

·         The Way a Night Should Feel by Jason Aldean

·         The Show Goes On by Lupe Fiasco

·         Don’t Leave by Snakehips and Mo

·         Shed a Light by Robin Schulz

·         All Night by The Vamps

·         Good to Be Alive (Hallelujah) by Andy Grammer

·         We Found Love by Rihanna and Calvin Harris

·         Best I Ever Had by Gavin DeGraw

·         Into the Sunset by Mako

·         Roundabout by Yes

·         Midnight City by M83

·         The Seeker by The Who

 2016 Fall Semester

Opening Songs:

·         In the Name of Love by Martin Garrix

·         We Found Love by Rihanna and Calvin Harris

·         Closer by The Chainsmokers ft Halsey

·         Ghost by Halsey

·         Fix My Eyes by For King and Country

·         Say It Again by Kingdm

·         Wona by Mumford & Sons

·         Breathe by Seeb

·         You Can’t Always Get What You Want by the Rolling Stones

·         Baba O’Reily by The Who

·         Reach Out by The Four Tops

·         Welcome to My Life by Simple Plan

·         Anthem Part 2 by Blink 182

·         Follow Me by Uncle Kracker

·         Living in Fast Forward by Kenny Chesney

·         Guys Like Me by Eric Church

·         Parachute by Chris Stapleton

·         Silence by Dave Thomas Jr

·         Whole Heart by Gryffin and Bipolar Sunshine

·         Open Season by Gryffin and Josef Salvat

·         Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd

·         Free Fallin’ by Tom Petty

·         Reelin’ in the Years by Steely Dan

·         Love on Me by Galantis

·         Let Me Love You by DJ Snake

·         Demons by Imagine Dragons

·         We Didn’t Start the Fire by Billy Joel

·         Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd

·         Johnny Boy by Twenty One Pilots

·         Flaws by Bastille The Chainsmokers Remix Version

·         Time of the Season by The Zombies

·         The Chain by Fleetwood Mac

·         Never Let You Go by Third Eye Blind

·         Radioactive by Kings of Leon

·         Please Don’t Go by Joel Adams

·         Just Be Held by Casting Crowns

·         By Your Side by Tenth Avenue North

·         Mercy by Shawn Mendes

·         Keeping Your Head Up by Birdy

·         Maybe IDK by Jon Bellion

·         Something Good Can Work by Two Door Cinema Club

·         Shots (Broiler Remix) by Imagine Dragons

·         Welcome to Your Life by Grouplove

·         Summertime by My Chemical Romance

·         Saint Cecilia by Foo Fighters

·         Trees by Twenty One Pilots

 For Homily Songs:

·         Eyes Wide by Handsome Ghost

·         Cold Water by Major Lazer

·         Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan

·         Blessings by Chance the Rapper

·         Still Breathing by Green Day

 Instrumental Songs:

·         This Land by Hans Zimmer

·         Hawkins from Stranger Things Soundtrack

·         Good Will Hunting Main Theme

·         Give Me Love Instrumental Version by Ed Sheeran

·         The Pacific Main Theme by Hans Zimmer

·         O God Thou Art The Father by Mark Howard, John Mock, and Stuart Duncan

·         Inside Out Main Theme from the Inside Out Soundtrack

·         Mad World by Marius Furche

·         Wild Horses by the Rolling Stones Instrumental Version

·         Good Will Hunting Main Theme from the Good Will Hunting Soundtrack

·         Vitamin String Quartet Cover of Fight Song by Rachel Platten  

·         Vitamin String Quartet Cover of Let it Go by James Bay

·         Green Mile Soundtrack Main Theme by Thomas Newman

·         Star of Bethlehem by John Williams

 Communion Songs:

·         Blood Stutter by Handsome Ghost

·         Home by Daughtry

·         #88 by Lo-Fang

·         Hey Jude by The Beatles

·         Beauty from Pain by SuperChick

·         I’m a Mess by Ed Sheeran

·         One Hell of an Amen by Brantley Gilbert

·         If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away by Justin Moore

·         Lost in the Light by Bahamas

·         Guitar Version of Coldplay’s Every Teardrop is a Waterfall by Evan Camrud

·         Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan

·         Skinny Love by Birdy

·         I and Love and You by The Avett Brothers

·         Moonlight Mile by The Rolling Stones

·         If I Could Fly by One Direction

·         O Come O Come Emmanuel by Casting Crowns

·         Way Down We Go by Kaleo

·         Moving Mountains by Disclosure

·         Endless Love by Jon Batiste and Aloe Blacc

 Closing Songs:

·         Candyman by Zedd and Aloe Blacc

·         Dive by Steven Curtis Chapman

·         Hundred Miles by Yall

·         All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix

·         Have Faith in Me by A Day to Remember

·         Saltwater Gospel by Eli Young Band

·         One World by Swanky Tunes and Dropgun

·         Here Comes the Sun by George Harrison

·         Time After Time by Quietdrive

·         Human by The Killers

·         Carry On by Crosby, Still, Nash, and Young

·         Walk by Foo Fighters

·         Hallelujah by Pentatonix

·         Call on Me (Ryan Riback Remix) by Starley

·         Take on Me (Kygo Remix) by A-Ha

·         Ready to Go by Panic! At the Disco

 2016 Spring Semester

Opening Songs:

·         Let You Go (Golden Pony Remix) by The Chainsmokers

·         Nothing Left by Kygo and Will Heard

·         Lose It (Jerry Folk Remix) by Oh Wonder

·         Sugar by Robin Schulz

·         Sorry by Justin Bieber

·         Firestone by Kygo

·         Shine by Years And Years

·         Clearest Blue by Chvrches

·         Third Eye by Florence + the Machine

·         Brother by NEEDTOBREATHE

·         Fortune Cookie by Emma Bale

·         Find a Way by Nico and Vinz

·         I Won’t Back Down by Tom Petty

·         Everlong by Foo Fighters

·         Hero/Heroine by Boys Like Girls

·         Here It Goes Again by Ok Go

·         Right Now by Van Halen

·         Shine by Collective Soul

·         Red Hands by Walk Off The Earth

·         Prodigal by Sidewalk Prophets

·         Let You Go by The Chainsmokers

·         Stay by Kygo

·         John Cougar, John Deere, and John 3:16 by Keith Urban

·         Lay It All On Me by Rudimental and Ed Sheeran

·         Zero by Alpines

·         Coming 4 U by Ken Loi and Thomas Daniel

·         Ray Bans by JT Hodges

·         High on Life by Darius Rucker

·         If You Ever Stop Loving Me by Montgomery Gentry

·         Breathe Life by Jack Garratt

·         Elevate by St Lucia

·         Lose It by Oh Wonder

·         Dreaming by Smallpools

·         Anna Sun by Walk the Moon

·         Air I Breathe by Mat Kearney

·         Sedona by Houndmouth

·         Bros by Wolf Alice

·         Spirits by The Strumbellas

·         Our Own House by MisterWives

·         Easy Love by Sigala

·         O-o-h Child by The Five Stairsteps

·         Walk Like a Man by The Four Seasons

·         Alive by Krewella

·         Working My Way Back to You by The Four Seasons

 For Homily Songs:

·         Love Yourself by Justin Bieber

·         Beautiful Day by U2

·         7 Years by Lukas Graham

·         Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots

 Instrumental Songs:

·         Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World by Relaxation Guitar Maestro

·         Clocks Instrumental Version by Coldplay

·         First Breath After Coma by Explosions in the Sky

·         What A Wonderful World by The O’Neill Brothers

·         The Hologram/Binary Sunset by John Williams

·         Let Her Go (Instrumental Version) by Passenger

·         Be Thou My Vision by The Webb Family

·         Theme to the movie The Town

·         First Breath After Coma by Explosions in the Sky

·         Daredevil Main Theme by John Paesano

·         Trees Piano Tribute to 21 Pilots by Piano Tribute Players

·         D.A.N.C.E by Maxence Cyrin

·         Prelude in E Minor by Chopin

·         Haunted by Waters by Mark Isham

 Communion Songs:

·         Blinding (Instrumental Version) by Jakwob

·         I’m Yours by Jason Mraz

·         You Give Me Something by James Morrison

·         All I Want by Kodaline

·         Tenerife Sea by Ed Sheeran

·         Iris by Goo Goo Dolls

·         Just Breathe by Pearl Jam

·         One by U2

·         She’s Got A Way by Billy Joel

·         Modern Day Prodigal Son by Brantley Gilbert

·         You Are More by Tenth Avenue North

·         Faded by Alan Walker

·         You Raise Me Up by Westlife

·         Love Will Set You Free by Kodaline

·         Beer With Jesus by Thomas Rhett

·         I Saw God Today by George Strait

·         River by Leon Bridges

·         Wheel by John Mayer

·         Acoustic #3 by Goo Goo Dolls

·         Measures by Windmills

·         Sun by Sleeping at Last

·         Higher Love by James Vincent McMorrow

·         Deeper Conversation by Yuna

·         Crash Into Me by Dave Matthews Band

·         Funny the Way It Is by Dave Matthews Band

 Send Off Songs:

·         Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley

·         Runaway (U & I) by Galantis

·         King by Years and Years

·         A Beautiful Life by Tim McMorris

·         On Our Way by The Royal Concept

·         One Vision by Queen

·         Home We’ll Go by We’ll Walk Off The Earth

·         Dreaming by Smallpools

·         Now That I Found You by Martin Garrix

·         God Love Her by Toby Keith

·         Perfect World by Allen Stone

·         Daylight by Matt and Kim

·         Raging by Kygo feat Kodaline

·         Reach Out I’ll Be There by The Four Tops

·         Mr. Brightside by The Killers

 2015 Fall Semester

Opening Songs:

·         Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye

·         Know Yourself by Drake

·         Calling (Lose My Mind) by Sebastian Ingrosso and Alesso

·         Sugar We’re Goin Down by Fall Out Boy

·         Love’s Divine by Seal

·         Unconditionally by Katy Perry

·         Portugal by Walk the Moon

·         Crystals by Of Monsters and Men

·         Hold On by Alabama Shakes

·         Express Yourself by NWA

·         Beautiful Girls by Sean Kingston

·         All We Need by Odesza

·         You May Be Right by Billy Joel

·         Best of Both Worlds by Van Halen

·         The Impression That I Get by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones

·         I Go Back by Kenney Chesney

·         Sunlight by The Magician

·         Cover of Ed Sheeran’s Photograph by Boyce Avenue

·         Heroes by David Bowie

·         Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra

·         I’ll Be There For You by Bon Jovi

·         I Feel So Alive by Capital Kings

·         Feel It by TobyMac

·         Give In by Lecrae

·         Don’t You Worry Child by Swedish House Mafia

·         Young Homie by Chris Rene

·         How Deep Is Your Love by Calvin Harris

·         All These Things That I’ve Done by The Killers

·         Hey Mama by Kanye West

·         Budapest by George Ezra

·         Safe and Sound by Capital Cities

·         Awake My Soul by Mumford & Sons

·         Where the Streets Have No Name by U2

·         I by Kendrick Lamar

·         Sunday Candy by Donnie Trumpet

·         Apparently by J. Cole

·         The Ballad of Love and Hate by The Avett Brothers

·         Patience by Guns N Roses

·         Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd

·         I’ll Show You by Justin Bieber

·         Pray to God by Calvin Harris

·         Love Myself by Hailee Steinfeld

·         Rejoice by U2

·         Even If She Falls by Blink 182

·         Metalians by Metalium

·         Falling Forward by Emmy Rossum

·         Before We Disappear by Chris Cornell

·         Everyday Superhero by Smash Mouth

 For Homily Songs:

·         Locked Away by R. City and Adam Levine

·         Know Yourself by Drake

·         Growing Up (Sloane’s song) by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

·         Fanatic by Lecrae

·         Only One by Kanye West

·         I’m Gonna Love You Through It by PS 22 Chorus

·         Colorshow by The Avett Brothers

·         The Love Project Video https://vimeo.com/146455750

·         Santa Claus is Coming to Town by Bruce Springsteen

 Instrumental Songs:

·         Haunted by Waters by Mark Isham

·         Prelude in C Major by Bach

·         Falls by Ennio Morricone

·         Bundle of Joy by Inside Out Soundtrack

·         We Are Not Things by Mad Max Soundtrack

·         Shawshank Redemption Theme

·         San Francisco, 1987 by Christophe Beck

·         Main Theme from Rudy by Jerry Goldsmith

·         Harry Potter Theme Song/Hedwig’s Theme by John Williams

·         Someone to Lava Instrumental Version from the Pixar short Lava

·         Infra 5 by Max Richter

·         Your Hand In Mine by Explosions In The Sky

·         Home by Explosions In The Sky

·         Your Hand In Mine by Explosions In The Sky

·         Instrumental Version of Ed Sheeran’s Tenerife Sea by Patrick McCarthy

·         Das Boot Main Theme from the Das Boot Soundtrack

·         Now You See Me Theme by Brian Tyler

  Communion Songs:

·         Crash Into Me by Dave Matthews Band

·         Life Ain’t Always Beautiful by Gary Allan

·         Footprints in the Sand by Leona Lewis

·         Let It Be by the Beatles

·         American Dream by Miami Horror

·         Swinging Party by Kindness

·         Fear Not This Night by Asja Kadric

·         Fear Not This Night Instrumental Version by Guild Wars Soundtrack

·         Nowhere Fast by Old Dominion

·         Revolutionary Road by City of Prague Orchestra  

·         Give A Little Bit by Supertramp

·         My Sweet Lord by George Harrison

·         My Everything by Owl City

·         100 Years by Five For Fighting

·         Calling On Angels by Train

·         Sigh No More by Mumford & Sons

·         Tiger Striped Sky by Roo Panes

·         Quiet Enough by Jon Niven

·         Remembrance by Matt Maher

·         I See Fire by Ed Sheeran

·         Be Still by The Fray

·         Bring Your Love to Me by The Avett Brothers

·         Awake My Soul by Mumford & Sons

·         Blood by The Middle East

·         Life Support by Sam Smith

·         Rhymes and Reasons by John Denver

·         I Am Not by Erik Mongrain

·         Lost in the World by Green River Ordinance

·         The Parting Glass by Ed Sheeran

Send Off Songs:

·         How You Love Me by 3LAU

·         If I Lose Myself by OneRepublic

·         Anything Can Happen by Ellie Goulding

·         Falling by Haim

·         Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC

·         King by Years and Years

·         Warriors by Imagine Dragons

·         Ignition by TobyMac

·         Let You Go by The Chainsmokers

·         Smile by Mikky Ekko

·         Because He Lives by Matt Maher

·         Beside You by Marianas Trench

·         Stand in the Rain by Superchick

·         Revenge of Tizona by Metalium

·         Beautiful Now by Zedd

 2015 Spring Semester:

Opening Songs:

·         Life Is Beautiful by Sixx A.M.

·         Soul Meets Body by Death Cab for Cutie

·         Down by the River by Milky Chance

·         Sell Out by Reel Big Fish

·         Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith

·         Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones

·         Fidelity by Regina Spektor

·         Something Like Olivia by John Mayer

·         Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran

·         Budapest by George Ezra

·         Vagabond by MisterWives

·         Home by Dotan

·         Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap

·         Medicine by the 1975

·         Insane by Flume

·         This Love by Maroon 5

·         Cheerleader by Omi

·         Someday by the Strokes

·         Give a Little by Hanson

·         Forever by Matt Hires

·         Strong by London Grammar

·         Tell Me Ma by Gaelic Storm

·         Regular Army by Mick Maloney

·         If I Should Fall from Grace with God by Young Dubliners

·         Electric Love by Borns

·         Queens by Misterwives

·         On Your Side by Cheerleader

·         Hallelujah by Paramore

·         Jumper by Third Eye Blind

·         The Silence by Bastille

·         Gold by Sir Sly

·         Seeing Stars by Borns

·         King and Cross by Asgeir

·         Mercy Mercy Me by The Strokes

·         Oxford Comma by Vampire Weekend

·         Call Me Up by St Lucia

·         Only Love by Ben Howard

·         On Top of the World by Imagine Dragons

·         King and Lionheart by Of Monsters and Men

·         Somebody by Jukebox the Ghost

·         You Got Me by Taking Back Sunday

·         Stars by Switchfoot

 For Homily Songs:

·         Shake It Off by Taylor Swift

·         Ghost by Ella Henderson

·         I by Kendrick Lamar

·         Roll Away Your Stone by Mumford & Sons

·         Stay by Rihanna and Mikky Ekko

·         Save Rock and Roll by Fall Out Boy

 Instrumental Songs:

·         Beethoven’s Piano Sonata #14 in C-Sharp Minor, OP. 27 No. 2 Moonlight Sonata by Steve Anderson

·         The Vigil Goes to War by the Guild Wars 2 Soundtrack

·         Gravity by John Mayer Instrumental Version (not sure which one)

·         What Are You Going to Do When You Are Not Saving the World by Hans Zimmer

·         Liz on Top of the World by Pride and Prejudice Soundtrack

·         River Flows in You by Yiruma

·         Passion by Kyle Landry

·         Bha Mise Raoir air an Airigh by Kathleen MacInnes

·         Avril 14th by Aphex Twin

·         Beethoven’s Piano Sonata #14 in C-Sharp Minor, OP. 27 No. 2 Moonlight Sonata by Steve Anderson

·         Your Hand in Mine by Explosions in the Sky

·         Meeting Krishna by Michael Dana (from Life of Pi soundtrack)

·         Golborne Road by Nick Laird-Clowes

·         Across the Stars by John Williams

 Communion Songs:

·         Landslide by Fleetwood Mac

·         Fear Not This Night by the Guild Wars 2 Soundtrack

·         The Shiverpeaks by the Guild Wars 2 Soundtrack

·         You and Me by Penny & the Quarters

·         Lost Stars by Adam Levine

·         Hungry by Dotan

·         Make You Feel My Love by Adele

·         Spanish Sahara by Foals

·         Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol

·         Scar Tissue by Red Hot Chili Peppers

·         Days by The Drums

·         Hate to See Your Heart Break by Paramore

·         Sights by London Grammar

·         Kilkelly by Robbie O’Connell

·         Will Ye Go Lassie Go? by The High Kings

·         Rainbow by Robert Plant

·         Hinnom, TX by Bon Iver

·         Have You Ever Seen the Rain? by CCR

·         These Are the Days by Van Morrison

·         Mourning Doves by Mikky Ekko

·         I Can’t Make You Love Me by Bon Iver

·         Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright

·         Only Human by Jason Mraz

·         Lover of the Light by Mumford and Sons

·         Hear You Me by Jimmy Eat World

·         We Found Each Other in the Dark by City and Colour

 Send Off Songs:

·         Move Along by The All-American Rejects

·         Just What I Needed by The Cars

·         Finale Song from Les Miserables

·         Into the Wild by LP

·         Be Still by the Fray

·         Something Good Can Work by Two Door Cinema Club

·         Last Hope by Paramore

·         The Parting Glass by The High Kings

·         Crystals by Of Monsters and Men

·         I Bet My Life by Imagine Dragons

·         Let Me In by GroupLove

·         I Can Talk by Two Door Cinema Club

·         Shake It Out by Florence & The Machine

·         Secret Crowds by Angels and Airwaves

 2014 Fall Semester:

Opening Songs:

·         Everything is Awesome from the Lego Movie Soundtrack

·         Flaws by Bastille

·         A Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay

·         Back Home by Andy Grammer

·         Wake Up by Arcade Fire

·         Naïve by the Kooks

·         Hideaway by Kiesza

·         You and Me (Flume Remix) by Disclosure

·         Call on Me by Eric Prydz

·         Too Far Gone by Sir Sly

·         Are You What You Want to Be? By Foster the People

·         King and Lionheart by Of Monsters and Men

·         Keep Your Head Up by Ben Howard

·         Ritual Union by Little Dragon

·         Drop the Game by Flume and Chet Faker

·         Pride (In the Name of Love) by U2

·         With or Without You by U2

·         Where the Streets Have No Name by U2

·         I Would Do Anything for You by Foster the People

·         Cosmic Love by Florence + the Machine

·         Lift a Sail by Yellowcard

·         Now We Are Free by the Lyndhurst Orchestra

·         Something Beautiful by Newsboys

·         Whispers in the Dark by Mumford & Sons

·         Under Cover of Darkness by the Strokes

·         Sleeping With a Friend by Neon Trees

·         Land of the Nod by Is Tropical

·         Meant to Live by Switchfoot

·         Bright Lights by Matchbox Twenty

·         Light Up the Sky by The Afters

·         Heroes by Alesso

·         You and Me (Flume Remix) by Disclosure

·         I Need a Dollar by Aloe Blacc  

·         Am I Wrong by Nico & Vinz

·         I Will Wait for You by Mumford & Sons

·         Footprints by Tiesto

·         Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkle

·         Chinese Translation by M Ward

·         Playing With Fire by Brandon Flowers

·         Better Days by the Goo Goo Dolls

·         Hold Us Together by Matt Maher

·         Dare You to Move by Switchfoot

·         Where is the Love? by Black Eyed Peas

 For Homily Songs:

·         All About the Bass by Meghan Trainor

·         Take Me to Church by Hozier

 Instrumental Songs:

·         Dearly Beloved by Kyle Landry

·         Shiverpeaks from the Guild Wars 2 Soundtrack

·         My Heart Will Go On Instrumental Version from the Titanic Soundtrack

·         To the Stars (from the Guardians of the Galaxy Soundtrack) by Tyler Bates

·         A Walk by Tycho

·         Then The Quiet Explosion by Hammock

·         Prelude for Time Feelers by Eluvium

·         Make Up Kisses by John Powell

·         Magic by Coldplay

·         Your Hand in Mine by Explosions in the Sky

·         Inspiring Instrumental Music by Unknown Artist (potentially Dare to Dream by Utopian Sounds)

·         Haunted by Waters by Mark Isham

·         Truly, Madly, Deeply by Ray LaMontagne

·         Ave Maria by the Lumiere String Quartet

 Communion Songs:

·         Hold Us Together by Matt Maher

·         Bring on the Rain by Gavin Mikhail

·         Oblivion by Bastille

·         Lean on me by Bill Withers

·         At Last by Etta James

·         Us Against the World by Coldplay

·         Lovely Day by Alt-J  

·         To Me by Chet Faker

·         Lesson in Patience by Chet Faker

·         Dreams by the Cranberries

·         Remember Us by The Hunts

·         Be Thou My Vision by the Lower Lights

·         O by Coldplay

·         La Vie en Rose by Louis Armstrong

·         What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong

·         Oceans by Hillsong United

·         Fix You by Coldplay

·         Gravity by John Mayer

·         Stay With Me by Sam Smith

·         Crash Into Me by Dave Matthews Band

·         O Come O Come Emmanuel by Casting Crowns

·         Hold You in My Arms  by Ray LaMontagne

·         Within You by Ray LaMontagne

·         Mary Did You Know by Pentatonix

·         O Come O Come Emmanuel by Pentatonix

 Send Off Songs:

·         Home Again by Blackmore’s Night

·         Peace by O.A.R.

·         The Gambler by Fun

·         Love is Gone by David Guetta

·         So Now What by the Shins  

·         Hippy Hill by Grouplove

·         This Is War by 30 Seconds to Mars

·         This = Love by The Script

·         Geronimo by Sheppard

·         Elevate by St. Lucia

·         Let Love In by the Goo Goo Dolls

·         Riptide by Vance Joy

·         When You Were Young by The Killers

·         Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkle

·         Send Me On My Way by Rusted Root

·         One Day by Matisyahu

 2014 Spring Semester

Opening Songs:

·         Counting Stars by OneRepublic

·         Till Kingdom Come by Coldplay

·         All These Things That I’ve Done by the Killers

·         Underdog by Spoon

·         It’s Only Life by the Shins

·         Jubel by Klingande

·         Over the Love by Florence + The Machine

·         Come a Little Closer by Cage the Elephant

·         What About Now by Chris Daughtry

·         We Believe by David Cook

·         I Dare You to Move by Switchfoot

·         Consolation Prizes by Phoenix

·         You Only Live Once by the Strokes

·         A World Alone by Lorde

·         In My Place by Coldplay

·         Casting Such a Thin Shadow by Underoath

·         Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape by Underoath

·         Float On by Modest Mouse

·         My Way Home by Citizen Cope

·         Shake it Out by Florence & the Machine

·         Helena Beat by Foster the People

·         Hurricane by Ms. Mr

·         Human by The Killers

·         Wind That Shakes the Barely by Solas

·         The Devil’s Courtship/An Dro by Battlefield Band

·         Star of the County Down by The High Kings

·         All I Need to Know by Thousand Foot Krutch

·         Swing Life Away by Rise Against

·         Light Up the Sky by Thousand Foot Krutch

·         Color in Your Cheeks by The Mountain Goats

·         Chicago by Sufjan Stevens

·         Holland by Neutral Milk Hotel

·         The End Where I Begin by The Script

·         Carry On by Fun

·         Roll Away Your Stone by Mumford & Sons

·         At the Sound by Ike Ndolo

·         Let Your Heart Hold Fast by Fort Atlantic

·         Here is Our King by David Crowder

·         Shot At the Night by The Killers

·         Aviation High by Semi Precious Weapons

·         Up With The Birds by Coldplay

·         The Cave by Mumford & Sons

·         Demons by Imagine Dragons

·         Wake Me Up by Aloe Blacc

  For Homily Songs:

·         Let Her Go by Passenger

 Instrumental Songs:

·         Clocks by Coldplay Piano Cover

·         Your Hand in Mine by Explosions in the Sky

·         There Is No Plan by Steve Jablonsky

·         Tennis Court by Lorde

·         Mighty Rio Grande by This Will Destroy You

·         Quiet by This Will Destroy You

·         Interstellar by Hans Zimmer

·         Come to the Dance by Emerald Rose

·         Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

·         Chasing Pavements by Adele Cover by Vitamin String Quartet

·         Crucifixion by Passion of the Christ Soundtrack

·         This Land (from the Lion King Soundtrack) by Hans Zimmer

·         Let It Go by the Piano Guys

 Communion Songs:

·         Everybody by the Lonely Biscuits

·         First Day of My Life by Bright Eyes

·         Murder in the City by the Avett Brothers

·         Say Something by A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera

·         Be Still by the Fray

·         Permanent by David Cook

·         The Heart of Life by John Mayer

·         Warning Sign by Coldplay

·         Re: Stacks by Bon Iver

·         In the Waiting Line by Zero 7

·         Fields of Athenry by The High Kings

·         The Green Fields of France by John McDermott

·         So Far Gone by Thousand Foot Krutch

·         Casmir Pulaski Day by Sufjan Stevens

·         Dear Prudence by Across the Universe Cast

·         You Were on the Cross by Matt Maher

·         The Prayer by Kid Cudi

·         The Scientist by Coldplay

 Send Off Songs:

·         Carried Away by Passion Pit

·         Forget and Not Slow Down by Relient K

·         Hey Brother by Avicii

·         Heartbeat by the Fray

·         I Melt With You by Modern English

·         Too Bright to See Too Loud to Hear by Underoath

·         Welcome Home by Radical Face

·         The Impression That I Get by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones

·         The Raggle Taggle Gypsy by the Waterboys

·         Bodhran by The Young Dubliners

·         Architects by Rise Against

·         Ghost by Neutral Milk Hotel

·         Heroes by David Bowie

·         Resurrection by Passion of the Christ Soundtrack

·         All of You by Peter Thomas

·         Closing Time by Semisonic

 2013 Fall Semester

Opening Songs:

·         Sanctuary by Utada Hikaru

·         Higher by Parachute

·         Fill a Heart by Tori Kelly

·         Human by The Killers

·         Fly by Sugar Ray

·         Upside Down by JJ

·         These are the Days by 10,000 Maniacs

·         Holland Road by Mumford and Sons

·         Don’t Dream It’s Over by Crowded House

·         Be My Escape by Relient K

·         Colours by Grouplove

·         Kill Your Heroes by Awolnation

·         Pompeii by Bastille

·         If You Can Hear Me by Ben Rector

·         Hold Us Together by Matt Maher

·         Anything Could Happen by Ellie Goulding

·         What You Wanted by OneRepublic

·         Brave by Sarah Bareilles

·         Hanging By a Moment by Lifehouse

·         Do It Now by Ingrid Michaelson

·         Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd

·         The Great Adventure by Stephen Curtis Chapman

·         Only Love by Ben Howard

·         How the Day Sounds by Greg Laswell

·         Viva La Vida by Coldplay

·         Gold on the Ceiling by Bill Withers

 For Homily Songs:

·         Diane Young by Vampire Weekend

·         Wake Me Up by Avicii

·         Top of the World by Imagine Dragons

·         Home by Philip Phillips

·         Royals by Lorde

 Instrumental Songs:

·         Rue’s Farewell by the Hunger Games Soundtrack

·         Better Together by JJ

·         Together We Will Live Forever by Clint Mansell

·         Home (Piano Cover) by Edward Sharpe (original song by the Magnetic Zeroes)

·         Concerning Hobbits by the Lord of the Rings Soundtrack

·         River Flows in You by Yiruma

·         Let Her Go (Instrumental Version) by Passenger

·         Fairy Tail—Main Theme Slow Version by Yasuharu Takanashi

 Communion Songs:

·         Titanium by Gavin Milchail

·         The Heart of Life by John Mayer

·         The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel

·         Shower the People by James Taylor

·         The Perfect Space by the Avett Brothers

·         Farther Along by Josh Garrels

·         Waiting on an Angel by Ben Harper

·         Fix You by Coldplay

·         Follow You Down to the Red Oak Tree by James Vincent McMorrow

·         You Are More by Tenth Avenue North

 Send Off Songs:

·         Love Don’t Die by The Fray

·         Don’t You by the Simple Minds

·         Don’t Stop by Fleetwood Mac

·         Spirit in the Sky by Norman Greenbaum

·         I’m Alive by Michael Franti

·         I Lived by OneRepublic

·         Go Do by Jonsi

·         It’s Time by Imagine Dragons

·         I’m Shipping Up to Boston by Dropkick Murphys

 Songs from 2010-2012 (we didn’t keep records of the songs used these years as well as we did from 2013 on):

·         You Found Me by the Fray

·         I feel Again by One Republic

·         Alive Again by Matt Maher

·         Give Me Your Eyes by Brandon Heath

·         Let Love In by the Goo Goo Dolls

·         Your Love is a Song by Switchfoot

·         Feels like Home by Chantal Kreziviak

·         Hold My Hand by Explosions in the Sky

·         I Refuse by John Wilson

·         Only Hope by Mandy Moore

·         Better Days by the Goo Goo Dolls

·         Hard to Concentrate by Red Hot Chili Peppers

·         Gotta Find You from Camp Rock Soundtrack

·         Some Nights by FUN

·         Lights by Ellie Goulding

·         Wonderwall by Oasis

·         Man Who Can’t Be Moved by the Script

·         Never Gonna Be Alone by Nickelback

·         Say When by the Fray

·         Never Say Never by the Fray

·         As I Am by the Goo Goo Dolls

·         Stay With You by the Goo Goo Dolls

·         Can’t Let it Go by the Goo Goo Dolls

·         Soshite Hitotsu Ni from the D.N.Angel Soundtrack II

·         Ice and Snow from the D.N.Angel Soundtrack II

·         Could Be an Angel by Vic Mignogna

·         This Time by John Legend

·         Walls by the Rocket Summer

·         Do You Feel by the Rocket Summer

·         Beside You by Marianas Trench

·         Storm by Lifehouse

·         Grenade by Bruno Mars

·         Home by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes

·         Little Talks by of Monsters and Men

·         Wait, they don’t love you like I love you by Maps

·         Talking to the Moon by Bruno Mars

·         Let It Be by the Beatles

·         Clair de Lune by Debussy

·         Where Are You Going by Dave Matthews Band

·         One Love by U2

·         With or Without You by U2  

·         Redemption Song by Playing for Change

·         Somebody that You Used to Know by Goetye

·         Send Me On My Way by Rusted Root

·         You’ve Got the Love by Florence + the Machine

#playlist #Playlists #music playlist #mass music #catholic mass music #hcm music playlist #loyolahcmass

[disugasted]

ok i’m really gonna be salty if bts only performs DNA @ the amas cause

steve aoki’s remix of mic drop (ft. desiigner) is being released literally two days before the show which

shockingly enough would’ve been an amazing way to show america that kpop and american pop can intertwine...it would clearly show the transcendence of music,,

plus the lyrics are literally referring to bts’s international success so...it matches the occasion AND it would snatch every wig in hollywood

then we have go go which has the pop culture appeal with the choreo and the “yolos”

not to mention BTS literally did the collaboration with the chainsmokers on best of me and plot twist: the chainsmokers are a Nominee at the amas so...wow another logical option for a potential performance

we all know that blood sweat and tears is the song...it is The song.. it is That Song.

and Not Today? that would be Legendary.

the list goes on but the point is if they go on stage perform dna and then just walk out i’m gonna scream like please give them a medley or something so they can show the general population of the US why they’re worldwide handsome

#IMO #bts #bangtan boys #bangtan sonyeondan #the amas #AMAS #american music awards #mic drop #dna #go go #best of me #blood sweat and tears #not today

[drag-family-trees]

WreckRoom Idol Meet the Performers (2 of 3)

In NO PARTICULAR ORDER, here are five more contestants in the running for WreckRoom Idol!

 Oliver Angelo, 18

What attracts you to drag? How and why did you start doing drag?:

For me, the appeal of drag is the versatility of performance, as well as the freedom to present in a performance as whatever gender you like. As a gender fluid individual, drag is very rad because under all that makeup you have no idea what the sex or gender of the individual is- or rather, it doesn't matter! I started doing drag just a couple weeks ago to see if I would like it, and, sure enough, I do. It's very liberating. 

  Describe your drag persona. Who and what influences your art?: 

  My drag persona is a proud bisexual drama major and angsty writer. He's a happy-go-lucky chainsmoker and a sort of beatnik attention whore- I am influenced by the beautiful boys of tween dramas and cheesy romance movies, the cynicism of William Burroughs, and some of my favorite comedians (specifically Robin Williams and Bo Burnham). He's probably the result of my oppressive Catholic school experiences. Oliver is an impulsive, in-the-moment kind of guy just trying his best to bring some fun in this otherwise dank world. 

  How has drag impacted your life? 

  Drag is making me more comfortable in my skin as both a performer and an individual. To be honest it has helped me to have others recognize and acknowledge my gender fluidity when very few will. 

Why did you decide to compete in WreckRoom Idol?: 

  In all honesty I'm auditioning for Wreckroom Idol because I've been watching Rupaul's Drag Race for five years and would jump all over an opportunity to try something like it. I'm here to live my drag race fantasies.

  Can you give me a glimpse at what people can expect from you in this competition?: 

  I am so new to drag I honestly don't know what to tell people to expect. I don't even know what to expect from myself! But I expect I will be playing with androgyny a lot- there will be a lot of exploration, self-discovery, and definitely some booty shaking. Oliver is all about the ass. Expect tight pants. 

Do you have a favorite WreckRoom Idol? If so, who and why?:  

I'm quite excited for Alotta Vahjeen. Don't know much about her but her aesthetic looks stunning, and I love good aesthetic. 

Quick catchphrase: GO!: 

To Boldly Ho where No Man has Ho'd Before 

 (Photo credit: Carrie Strong)

Bay Valentine Turrelle,  22 

 What attracts you to drag? How and why did you start doing drag?: 

 I had a rough time growing up due to being bullied cause I was 400lbs and gay and so getting to become someone else that doesn't have all the insecurities is what originally attracted me to drag. I've always been super creative and loved theatre so it was just a win win situation.

 Describe your drag persona. Who and what influences your art?: 

 I refer to my Drag persona as fish, meaning I stick with the more kind of drag make up, but at the same time still a beautiful campy woman. My drags really inspired by more of like the now, really modern and up-to-date 2000s kinda stuff, because everything evolves for the better, why shouldn't drag? 

 How has drag impacted your life?: 

 Drag has impacted  my life in multiple ways, it's made me a better person, teaching me how to express myself in ways I couldn't before drag,  i've met so many great people that have had huge influences on who I am as a person today and I can honestly tell you the person I was before drag is not the person I am now.   

 Why did you decide to compete in WreckRoom Idol?:  because my Drag  has grown so much in the last year, and I want to show people that it doesn't matter if you've been doing drag 6 months or 6 years as long as you go in there and give it your all honey the sky is your limit. 

 Can you give me a glimpse at what people can expect from you in this competition?:  Face Cracks of the Century.  

Do you have a favorite WreckRoom Idol? If so, who and why?:  I don't really have a favorite, no T, I just wasn't into the drag scene or even around the OKC area until this year and I'm just now starting to meet the more seasoned queens and girl they are fabulous!

Quick catchphrase, GO!: 

Play with Bay 

Angelica Cyrus Monroe, 18

 What attracts you to drag? How and why did you start doing drag?:

I’ve always loved drag and drag queens. Their personalities and lifestyles are so loveable. Their costumes and makeup and everything they do has always interested me. But honestly doing drag myself was something I had never once considered. I had never heard of girls being drag Kings and I especially had never heard of faux queens. Growing up my mom told me stories of how she always hung out at the Wreckroom on weekends (in the 90’s, when she was my age) and watched the drag shows and she even lived down the road in a house with drag queens for a little while. So I already knew what the Wreckroom was, but I didn’t think it was still around. But when I heard they were reopening in July I was like “DUDE I HAVE TO GO” I went the first weekend and have been there every weekend since. But still, doing drag hadn’t crossed my mind. Until I met Knight Monroe and Black Widow one night at a show sometime in August. I guess you could say they’re both faux, which at this point I had still never heard of. But by then I had already made good friends with some of the regular performers up there, and one night they convinced me to perform the following week in Face Off, as a drag king. Knight Monroe performed the same night as me, but that’s about all I remember from my first show. Around that time was also when I learned that I could be a faux queen, so my second weekend that I performed, I did it as a queen and it just kinda stuck. I’ve been performing as a faux queen every single Friday for about two and a half months. Once I started performing I guess I caught the attention of Knight Monroe, because he offered to help me with costumes and my performances, and then he just became my drag dad. Honestly doing drag is everything I never knew I wanted. Everyone at the Wreckroom has become my family now and the Wreckroom is my new home. 

Describe your drag persona. Who and what influences your art?: Honestly, since I haven’t been doing it very long I’m still figuring out what my style is. My real name isn’t my drag name, but the name I use in drag is what I’ve always been called (except Monroe, that’s new). So Angelica Cyrus was always this sort of alter ego for me. She’s really badass, she loves leather, she doesn’t take any shit, she’s confident. Honestly I’ve kind of modeled myself after Miley Cyrus, Halsey, and Melanie Martinez. They’re probably my favorite female celebrities for so many reasons. 

 How has drag impacted your life?:

I struggle with a mental illness, so after I finished high school, I kind of lost all my high school buddies and so I didn’t have much of a social life, which contributed to my depression. But since I found this and started doing it, not only do I have something to do every single weekend, I also fell in love with doing this and it’s boosted my confidence so much and I’m learning new things about myself as I go. I think it’s helped make me stronger. 

 Why did you decide to compete in WreckRoom Idol?:

This one made me laugh. Because Knight (Kain) is my drag dad, I kind of heard about Idol first, and he actually asked me to help him get people together to invite people to compete. So since he’s running the whole thing it’s not much of a surprise that I’m in it. I mean of course I wanted to do it, but it’s not like someone asked me “hey we’re bringing back Idol, wanna be in it?” It was more like, “you’re already in this”. But either way I’m super excited to do this. I don’t even care if I win, I’m just happy I get this opportunity at all. 

 Can you give me a glimpse at what people can expect from you in this competition?: 

Definitely something different. I like to be very out of the box, I don’t like to be just like every other drag queen because I’m not. I’m a real girl. So for me this isn’t drag, it’s just me taking my life to the next level. So you can expect to see me definitely bringing out elements from the people I look up to and just generally being myself and not fitting into any mold. I’m very high energy and outgoing, I’m kind of all over the place sometimes but not in a bad way, just in general as a person. 

 Do you have a favorite WreckRoom Idol? If so, who and why?: 

I actually can’t say I do, since I’ve never actually met any of them or seen them perform. I’m still pretty new to all of this, so I’m still learning who certain people are. 

 Quick catchphrase, GO!: 

“girl, trust your intuition.”

Jasper Jaxs, 20

  What attracts you to drag? How and why did you start doing drag?: 

  The vibe, I love the people. Jexa is who really made me want to start. I love her. I have gender issues and was told I should try it. Since I have started I have felt more comfortable in my own skin. 

  Describe your drag persona. Who and what influences your art?:

Jasper has always been a name I liked. When I was young I had this character I loved to day dream about that i made up. His name was Jasper and he was mysterious and everyone liked him. But only a few really knew him. I always wanted to be that. So I guess in a way the cool "bad boy type" haha. 

  How has drag impacted your life?: 

 I have met so many people who become family. I have been able to figure myself out a little better. 

  Why did you decide to compete in WreckRoom Idol?: 

  Because I wanted a chance to prove to myself I could do it. I'm not looking to win. I'm ok with getting kicked out the 1st week haha. But I have already loved the excitement and friends I have gotten from this.

Can you give me a glimpse at what people can expect from you in this competition?: 

I'm going to be growing and trying my hardest to become better better each time. I will be here for anyone who needs me.

Do you have a favorite WreckRoom Idol? If so, who and why?: 

I don't know anyone who has been in Wreckroom idol. 

  Quick catchphrase, GO!: 

  I don't really have one "but if I did.. it would be "alright alright alright" because it always puts a smile on people's faces.

What attracts you to music? When did you start singing?  

What attracts me to music is the ability to reach others through song. I started singing at the age of three years old. 

Describe your stage persona. Who and what influences your art?:

My stage persona is a mix of soul and rhythm. God influences my art.

 How does music impact your life? 

music has impacted my life by having the ability to relate through song/music.

 Why did you decide to compete in WreckRoom Idol? 

I decided to compete for Wreckroom Idol because it has lots of different talent an I think that JuzP Johnson would fit in great. 

Can you give me a glimpse at what people can expect from you in this competition?: 

People can expect originality, quality, professionalism, and of course a great experience 

Do you have a favorite WreckRoom Idol? If so, who and why?: 

My favorite wreckroom idol is all of them because they are all original in their own way. 

Quick catchphrase: GO!: 

Be original.

#wreckroom idol #OKC #drag king #drag queen

[kinjaru]

Suffer my boi 1.-70. To the ask

thanks alot making me suffer you fuk :^D

1. A Song you’re ashamed of likingthis

2. Favourite lyrics

I’m not about to complain.That’s too much time and energy,too long a walk to try to turn back.

And i’m not the same.It’s plain enough to see,but some of us are living in the past.

3. Favourite band/artistI dont have any because my music taste is random but Coldplay been my favorite for long time

4. Top 5 Favourite songs at this momentSIAMES - Wolf, SIAMÉS - USED TO BE, OK Go - The Writing’s On the Wall, Grouplove - Ways To Go and Daughter - Numbers (god help me)

5. Latest song that made you smilePogo - Living Island or OK Go - I Won’t Let You Down (tho because of music video)

6. An overrated bandOne Direction and The Chainsmokers

7. An overrated songOneRepublic - Counting Stars (tho i like this but i heard it everywhere)

8. Latest song that made you crythis and this 

9. Artist/band that saved your life Coldplay, Syd Matters, The Killers, Hurts and Of Monsters and Men

10. If you could see any band/artist live, who would it beIdk but Coldplay  : ^ D

11. What song/album/band/artist always brings back memories for youColdplay, Vance Joy, this and whole LiS soundtrack still haunts me (i have way too many)

12. saddest song you knowis this sad enough?

13. Favourite song to sing in the showerNothing. I just listen vaporwave music.

14. If you played an instrument in grade school, what was itFlute a little but i liked to sing ALOT.

15. What song would you like to have your first dance to at your wedding idk but i let that somebody choose if i ever get married (likely never going to happen)

16. 5 Songs to have sex todont have any :>

17. One band you’d have get back together/bring back from the deadSwedish House Mafia

18. You’re forced to listen to only one album for the rest of your life, what album is itCarpenter Brut: Trilogy or Sparklehorse: It’s a Wonderful Life

19. A song that gets you through shitthis, this and this too

20. A song to shut everything outthis sometimes or this

21. A song that’s a joke between you and your friendsMMMHWATCHASAAAY

22. A song to jam out to at 4amBright Eyes - Lua

23. A song that punches you in the gut every single timeyou know what it is :^)

24. A song that calms you downColdplay Up&Up and this

25. A song that makes you feel aliveLisa Miskovsky - Still Alive, The Royal Concept - On Our Way and Amanda Palmer - In My Mind

26. If you could get any lyrics tattooed, which would you choose    The end, the end    Everyone will go away    In the end, the end    Everything will go

   or (because i like being still trash)

   We played hide and seek in waterfalls    We were younger, we were younger

27. What band/artist would you get your children addicted to at an early age Im not gonna get kids

28. Can you play any instruments, if so, whichI can’t :D

29. If you could be a member of any band for one show, who would it beNoboby

30. CDs or Vinyls CDs

31. 25 songs to play at your funeral

just play this then some meme songs then i can rest peacefully :D

32. What are some song titles that you loveTake a Walk, Best Friend and Be Just Fine

33. If your life ended today, what song would you choose to represent iti dont know does these represent my life??

34. Can you give me a 10 song playlist on ____

i dont have any?

35. A heart wrenching songFoals - Spanish Sahara (i still can’t listen it without crying and mourning)

36. A band/artist you’re proud ofI have way too many but i have to mentioned Koethe Koethe 

37. A song that has a lot of meaning to youthis

38. A song that reminds you of schoolKatri Ylander - Välitunnilla

39. A song not sung in your native languageFLIP FLAP

40. An instrumental songdoes soundtracks count?

41. A classical songi hope this counts

42. A song with no percussion:  )

43. Something you’ve heard performed liveJenni Vartiainen - Suru on kunniavieras and thiiis

44. Something you’d give ANYTHING to hear performed liveColdplay - Hymn For The Weekend

45. A song from a band/artist that’s from your town/city/state/province asdfhg

46. A song made suddenly precious because of a special someonei dont have any or i dont remember

47. A song made suddenly painful because of someone speciali wanna die.

48. A song that demands lip syncing and a makeshift microphone

dont have any?

49. A song from a band/artist you met/knowRetronymous

50. A song that you would rock at karaoke Vesala - Tequila or some finnish pops

51. A song you can’t help but dance toCapital Cities - Safe and Sound and this

52. A song that makes you want to dance on a table

this and this too

53. Your 10 song striper playlistdont have any  :’>

54. Favourite Disney song Why should i worry?, Colors of the Wind, I’m Still Here or Dig A Little Deeper

55. A song that starts with the first letter of your nameOf Monsters and Men - I Of The Storm

56. A song from an artist still alive a-ha - Take On Me

57. A song from an artist who’s dead ;_;

58. A song you love by an artist/band you hate One Direction - Story of My Life

59. A song you love with a colour in the titleFloas- Blue Blood

60. A song you love with a number in the titleAnarbor - 18

61. A song that reminds you of someone you would rather forget aboutKodaline - Talk and Kodaline - All I Want

62. A song that needs to be played LOUDTHIIS

63. A song that makes you think about lifeThe Paper Kites - Willow Tree March

64. 15 Songs that get suck in your head easily123456789101112131415

65. A song that you think everyone should listen to  :^D

66. A song that makes you want to fall in loveNicole Dollanganger - Sweet Girl and Hayley Kiyoko - Cliffs Edge

67. A song that makes you think about ‘him/her’Coldplay - The Scientist

68. A song that you remember from your childhoodASDFDF

69. A song that reminds you of you Kodaline - High Hopes

70. Okay what’s the real answer to number 1its still the same

#ask me #answered #laamanautti

[gilbertandanne]

AU College Fic. Farkle never figured out how Riley really felt about Lucas, so it never got out. Now she’s turning 21 and the gang decides to go to Las Vegas to celebrate. Sometimes what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas.

Rating: M

Pairing: Rucas

Word Count: 8,708

Cross-posted at ff.net            

Soundtrack (although not at all organized and subject to edits)

A/N: This song got dropped today, but it’s P E R F E C T to listen to as you read this chapter: “It Won’t Kill Ya” by The Chainsmokers.  

Also, 21 is now rated M.  And yes, I do take a little advantage of that switch in this chapter.  This chapter is dedicated to @gmwpluto because she held my hand and kicked my butt throughout multiple rewrites and edits.  She is the best sounding board ever cause she makes you kinda fight for what you’re doing and explain the reasoning behind it and yeah, I’m gonna get killed for this chapter, but I stand by everything that happens and considering the meltdown I had about it, I’m pleased with the result. Thank you Amy.

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | J | Q | K | A | J |

                                      Chapter Ten: Tension

Her brain couldn’t process anything that was running through her chaotic mind.  She had hurt him.  She knew that much, but he had hurt her too.  He accused her of trying to pit Asher against him, of trying to create this buffer between whatever was growing between them, but that wasn’t true.  It wasn’t true because she knew that whatever this was couldn’t possibly last longer than the next few days.  He had always been non-committal when it came to his girlfriends.  A few weeks or even a few months would be the most she could possibly hope for.  She wasn’t willing to sacrifice her friendship with him when they were in middle school, and as strained and practically non-existent as it was now, she still didn’t think she could bear it if he completely vanished from her life.  That’s what would happen next, wouldn’t it?  They would go out for a while and he would realize that she wasn’t what he was looking for, so he would break up with her.  Afterward, she wouldn’t be able to be around him because it would hurt too much.  Their friends would be forced to take sides, and the entire group would fall apart.  She couldn’t let that happen.

As tears streamed down her cheeks, she knew that one day, she’d look back on this whole experience and know that she made the right decision by walking away from this before it was too late.  As she watched the fountains dance to the beat of the music, her heart finally declared war on her brain.

She wasn’t sure how long she stayed on the patio by herself.  Part of her had hoped that he would come back outside so they could go ahead and completely annihilate one another with more accusations and resentment.  Maybe it would be better to get it over with in one fell swoop as opposed to prolonging the inevitable.  It was her fault, anyway.  She was the one who suggested they play ‘seven minutes in heaven’ for real.  She was the one who could have walked away after her alarm went off the first time.  Maybe then, they wouldn’t be like this.  Maybe then they wouldn’t act like two complete idiots who, if she didn’t know any better, seemed to be completely in love with one another.

She scoffed as she wiped her eyes.  That was impossible.  While she knew that it was true on her end, she knew that if he wanted to figure everything out, if he really wanted to work through it, that he wouldn’t have left her the way he did.

She didn’t even want to have the stupid conversation in the first place—not now anyway.  She was drunk.  He was drunk.  She knew it would end badly, but he kept pushing her until he finally figured it out.

As Riley turned away from the show to go back inside, her head was spinning.  He knew now.  After seven years of hiding it from him, he now knew that she didn’t step back from him because her feelings for him had changed.

She took a deep breath as she made her way back to the table.  She had never felt more sober in her entire life.  She hated it.  She was never a huge drinker, and didn’t anticipate that trend changing just because it was suddenly legal for her to do so, but the battle her heart and brain waged was beginning to take its toll on her.  All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep through the next 48 hours.  She wanted to wake up in her dorm room in New York and chalk this whole trip up to being a bad dream—a cautionary tale about the perils of giving into temptation.

Her eyes locked on to Maya’s as she slowly approached the table.  She wrapped her arms around her body as a shiver rippled through her.

As soon as Maya saw Riley, she stood up and quickly made her way toward the quaking brunette.  “Riley?”  When Maya reached her, she rubbed Riley’s arms in an attempt to warm her up.  “You’re freezing.  Are you ok?”

Riley shook her head.  She was the complete opposite of ok.  How did everything get this complicated?  She just wanted to go out and have some fun and now she wasn’t even sure which way was up anymore.

“What happened?”

Riley shook her head once more.  She didn’t want to talk about it, not now anyway.  “Maya, I-I need…I…” She looked all around them.  What she was in search of, she didn’t even know.  She suddenly wanted to claw through her own skin, shed herself of her own body and simply float away.  This was all too much right now.  

As her frantic eyes continued to search the room, she spotted him.  He was seated at the main bar, and he wasn’t alone.  He wasn’t with the same woman as before, but it was another blonde woman and she wasn’t alone either.  A brunette woman had her arm looped through the blonde’s as they giggled at something Lucas said.  Riley felt a fresh batch of tears sting her eyes as her mouth fell open.

Maya furrowed her eyebrows together when she noticed anguish slowly seep into Riley’s eyes.  “Riley?  Riley, what is it?  Do we need to leave?”

Riley blinked several times as she stared at the three people who didn’t seem to have a clue that they were being watched.  Lucas seemed completely unfazed by their earlier conversation.  He laughed at something the blonde woman said, and made no move to remove the hand that the brunette woman had placed on his arm.  Riley’s throat ran dry as the blonde slid onto the barstool on the other side of him.  He was perfectly nestled between both girls now.

What a happy little threesome they seemed to be.  

The agony Riley felt when she stood outside rapidly faded.  Her desire to finish their conversation evaporated as she watched him take a sip of his scotch.  From where she stood, their conversation was over and he seemed more than content enough with the outcome.  

She’d be damned if she’d ever allow him to see how deeply he had gotten underneath her skin and into her heart.  If he was about to fulfill his quest to bring multiple women back to the suite, then she was hell bent on doing what she had set out to do the entire night—not think and not second-guess a single move she made.

But first, she needed to reclaim the buzz she had before she stepped outside with him.

“No,” she finally answered as she turned back to Maya.  She wiped her eyes.  “I want to stay.  I-Is my makeup ok?”

Maya wiped underneath Riley’s eyes to get rid of the slightly smudged eyeliner.  “Yeah.  You’re fine.  Why?  Riley, if you’re upset, then maybe we should—“

“Drink,” she offered even though she knew that wasn’t what Maya had in mind.

“No.  Maybe we should call it a night?”

Riley shook her head.  “No,” she answered as a slow smile tugged at the corners of her lips.  “The night’s only just begun.”  She glanced at the bar.  “I just need to find my buzz again.”

Maya was grateful that Riley’s master plan only seemed to consist of more vodka and dancing.  She had no idea what had transpired during Riley’s dance with Lucas, and while she wanted nothing more than to lock both of them in a closet and let them duke it out, she also knew that tonight wasn’t the best time to do it.  Everyone was intoxicated and she knew that Riley’s emotions were at an all time high.

Although Riley had taken to dancing with any guy who showed a remote interest in her, Maya knew that it could only go so far as long as she were nearby.  She was grateful that Zay and Farkle had joined them a few songs in.  Initially, Farkle had only shown up to give them each another drink, but Riley insisted that he stay with them and dance for at least a few songs.  She batted those beautiful brown eyes and told him that all she wanted for her birthday was to dance with her friends.  Farkle never stood a chance.  Her entire group of friends always ended up giving in when she pouted.

Maya noticed that not once since they hit the dance floor did Riley look back at Lucas.  She considered it a small victory.  She wanted nothing more than to see Riley and Lucas give it a shot, but she also knew nothing good would come out of a drunken conversation right now.  They had a lot to work through and discuss.  If they could make it through tonight, then maybe, just maybe, they would be able to work it out when their heads were a little clearer.

Riley laughed as she wrapped her arms around Zay’s neck and pressed her body against his.  “Dance class has really paid off, huh,” she grinned as they moved to the beat of the club music.

“You all laughed at me in middle school, but it’s always been a lady magnet,” he answered a he focused on the best place to hold Riley.  The last thing he wanted was to get in between whatever was going on with her and his best friend.  Incurring the wrath of Lucas Friar was one thing he did not want to do tonight.  He glanced over his shoulder as Maya cozied up behind him.  He turned back to Riley as he gestured at the blonde behind him.  “See?  Total lady magnet.”

“You’re in the middle of a Riley and Maya sandwich,” Riley laughed as she wrapped her arms around Maya as the trio rocked to the beat of the moderately slow R & B song.  “Do you know how many men would kill to be in your shoes right now?”

Zay chuckled nervously.  She was right.  He was nestled in between two beautiful women, and he knew damn well that if Lucas caught a glimpse of him right now that he might not live to see the sunrise.  “I know of one guy who probably would like to kill me right now if he saw this.”

“Make way for me,” Farkle announced as he ducked in between Riley and Zay.  The entire group laughed as Farkle slithered in between his friends.

“Farkle, I’m not that drunk yet,” Zay smiled before he spun around to dance with Maya.  The genius was one of his best friends, but his dance moves could prove to be lethal.  Farkle needed space to dance, and in his currently inebriated state, Zay wasn’t sure that he would understand that he only had a small space to work with.

Riley laughed as she placed her hands on Farkle’s shoulders.  “Oh Farkle…how are you doing?”

“Pretty good right now,” he smiled as he placed his hands on her waist.  He wasn’t really sure what he had been drinking or even how much he had.  He had placed Zay in charge of everything he consumed since he had never been much of a drinker.  “I can’t really feel my face right now.”

Riley’s eyes widened for a moment before she nearly doubled over in laughter.  “Oh my God,” she snorted as she gasped for air.  He couldn’t feel his face?  She had never been that drunk in her life.  That couldn’t possibly be normal, could it?  “I am so not on your level yet, Farkle.”

“Try me,” he grinned.  “I’m not kidding.”

“So, you can’t feel this?” She lightly touched his cheek.

He shook his head.  “Not at all!”

She tapped his cheek as her smile widened.  “And that?”

He shrugged.  “Nope.”

She lightly smacked his cheek.  “Still nothing?”

He laughed.  “Not a thing.”

“Wow.”  She was more than a little impressed.  Maybe she should get Zay to dictate the rest of her drinks for the night?  She moved her hand back down to his shoulder.  “If you were ever going to get into a fight, tonight would be the night to do it, Farkle.  Only…please don’t do that because then the night would be over and I’m having way too much fun to get kicked out of this club.”  She spun around before she placed her hand over top of his as she moved her hips from side to side.  “I love that you’re dancing right now,” she called out over her shoulder to him.  She couldn’t remember the last time she had been able to dance with him.  It had to have been high school.

“I told you guys that I would loosen up once we got here tonight,” he called out from behind her.

“I know, but I haven’t seen you have fun in a long time.”  She spun back around to face him as the song ended.

He shrugged as a more upbeat song began to play.  “Comes with the territory, I guess.”  He leaned in to speak directly into her ear as the DJ increased the volume of the music.  “I know you wanted this trip and it was your idea, but I needed it.  I needed to spend time with you guys…get out of New York for a few days.”

Riley frowned at his words.  He never talked about the breakup—not since the night it happened.  She turned her head to speak in his ear.  “Does it hurt?  Seeing places that you shared with her day after day?”

He nodded.  “Not as much as it used to, but sometimes I’ll walk past a coffee shop or restaurant or even somewhere that we only went to once, but I’ll think about her and it’s like…it’s like I can’t breathe.”  He sighed.  It was the worst form of torture he could possibly think of.  “For six months I felt so claustrophobic everywhere I went.  I thought I was going crazy.”  He rubbed the back of his neck.  “Maybe I am.”

“That’s how you know it was real.  I know it doesn’t help anything, but we’re here for you.  We’re all here for you, Farkle.”

“You know, the worst part is that…she’s gone.  She’s still in the city, but Riley, she might as well be in another country.  I haven’t talked to her since it happened…I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to be friends again.”

Riley nodded slowly.  It made sense.  Even in her muddled thoughts, it all made perfect sense.  Her heart broke when he called her that night and told her that Smackle broke up with him.  There wasn’t any build up or longstanding issue between them.  She simply told him that her feelings for him had changed and while she wasn’t sure how or in what way, she needed to take some time for herself to figure it all out.  Six months later and Farkle hadn’t heard a word from her.  “So you not only lost someone you loved, but you also—“

“I lost my best friend.”

Riley’s eyes scanned the club.  She couldn’t see much of anything past the dance area.  Was he still here?  Had he already left with those girls?  She had easily been on the dance floor for half an hour, maybe longer than that.  As Farkle’s words echoed through her hazy mind, her heart ached.  Her brain was winning the battle, despite the fact that she had subconsciously turned off both organs the moment she saw Lucas with those women.

It wouldn’t take her long to find out where he was.  As the small group made their way back to the table, she spotted Lucas, the blonde woman, and the brunette woman at their table with Asher and Dylan.  Instead of sitting down or even acknowledging the strangers who seemed to be latched onto him, Riley headed directly toward the bar.  The conversation with Farkle still rang in her ears as she ordered a shot.  As soon as she downed it, the bartender smiled at her.  “You’re the birthday girl, right?”

She cringed as her throat burned.  She nodded as she sat the glass back down.  “Yeah, I’m Riley.  And you are?”

“Mark,” he smiled.  “Listen, I know this might sound a little weird, but are you willing to help us out with something?  I can guarantee you that you’ll have fun and you won’t have to pay for another drink tonight.”

She raised her eyebrows.  She came here to have a memorable birthday.  Judging by the smile the bartender gave her, she knew that she had to do whatever it was he wanted her to do.  She needed some fun.  “Mark, you had me at fun.  What do you need me to do?”

Lucas looked up at the bar as he watched one of the bartenders whisper in Riley’s ear.  When he saw her laugh in response, his jaw twitched.  He couldn’t stand this.  The air around them felt so thick.  How was she able to laugh and carry on like this when the entire future of their already fragile friendship seemed so uncertain?  He reluctantly looked away from her when he heard the cackling of the brunette seated next to him.  Why did Dylan insist on inviting them back to their booth?  He had hoped to pawn the women off on Asher and Dylan and kill two birds with one stone, but Dylan didn’t quite get the hint that Lucas had no interest in either woman.  How could he when the one woman he wanted was so close, yet so far away from him?  

He hated the way they left things outside.  He hated that he stalked off, but he was so frustrated and so mad that she would think, for even a second, that if they became something more, that he would eventually end it.  Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that he had earned the reputation he had for a reason, but she didn’t know the whole story.

“Why is she standing on top of the bar,” Zay suddenly asked as he watched one of the bartenders help Riley climb on the bar.

“Seriously?”  Maya stood up as she turned toward the main bar.  “I thought she was only going to get a drink…not let the whole world see up her dress,” she groaned as she watched Riley run a hand through her hair.

Lucas snapped his head up to look at Maya.  “Excuse me?”  He turned his head toward the brunette.  Sure enough, Riley Matthews had climbed on top of the bar.  Apparently the members of their table weren’t the only ones to notice as a group of guys crowded around her.

Maya glared at the back of Lucas’s head before she walked toward Riley.  The others followed closely behind.

“Tonight at Hyde, we are very fortunate to help celebrate this beautiful woman’s 21st birthday!”  Mark gestured to Riley who grinned when the crowd cheered.  “And she has so graciously decided to help us deliver a round of shots for anyone who might be interested.  It’s an apple pie shooter and the way it’s gonna work is that Amber will pour some apple juice into your mouth.  After that, I’ll come by and add in some vodka, then Miss Riley over here will top it off with a dab of whipped cream!”

“Well,” Farkle smirked as he watched the bartender hand Riley a can of whipped cream, “She said she wanted to have fun tonight.”

“She’s making memories that she might not actually be able to remember tomorrow.”  Zay glanced at Lucas.  He could practically feel the anger and jealousy billowing from his best friend.  At least that anger couldn’t possibly be directed at him.

As Mark grabbed a bottle of house vodka, he gestured to the area around them.  “So, line up around the bar if you want one.  First come, first served!”

“I don’t know about you guys,” Maya smirked as she slid up to the middle of the bar, “But I’m getting a free shot.”  She couldn’t believe what was happening, but she had to admit that it would definitely make one hell of a story.  Riley Matthews was serving whipped cream to a bunch of strangers on her 21st birthday.  As she heard Riley laugh, Maya figured that maybe doing something a little crazy like this could be good for her.  She had played it safe for her entire life.  She was due for a semi-wild night—as long as it didn’t involve some sort of exchange of bodily fluids with a random stranger.  

Most of the group followed Maya’s lead as they stood in front of the bar.

Lucas didn’t want to do it, but he knew there was no way she would willingly climb down and forget the whole thing.  If he could prevent her from spraying whipped cream into just one stranger’s mouth, then he’d stomach what was sure to be a disgusting shot.  Instead of lining up with the rest of his friends, he moved to the end of the bar.  If he had any luck, he would be the last one.  If he had a little more than luck—and if his brain hadn’t been completely thrashed by the jealousy he knew he’d have by watching her doing this—then maybe he could get her attention long enough to apologize for running away from her earlier.

He watched her slowly bend down to spray the whipped cream in the first few guys’ mouths.  Lucas noticed that there were a few women by the bar, but most of the patrons consisted of guys—guys he knew couldn’t wait to get their chance to hit on Riley.  Lucas’s focus never wavered as she moved from person to person.  She laughed when she saw Maya and the guys about midway through her trek around the bar.  After she squeezed some of the contents of the can into the blonde’s mouth, she kissed her cheek.  Both girls giggled as Maya swallowed the shot.

Lucas noticed that Riley seemed to be getting more and more into what she was doing as she skipped down the line.  He clenched his fist as she slowly slid her index finger down Asher’s cheek before she squeezed the whipped cream into his mouth.  Did she know he was watching her?  Was she purposefully trying to drive him insane with jealousy?

It was a great exercise in patience and test of his growth as a person to watch her casually flirt with about twenty-five random strangers.  It felt like an eternity had passed by the time she reached him.  Luckily, their friends had retreated back to the table, as had most of the other people who had gotten a shot.

As he opened his mouth for the apple juice and vodka, he wondered if she even noticed that he was there.  As the two bartenders turned back to make drinks for the crowd that awaited them, Riley’s eyes finally locked onto his.

She was surprised to see him.  She thought that if he had wanted a shot, he would have been lined up with the rest of their friends and the two girls he had been with for nearly an hour.  She had never been so tempted in her life to drown the two women in whipped cream, but she managed to avoid a murder charge as she breezed by them.  Now, as she looked down at Lucas, she wasn’t so sure she’d be as successful with him.  She crouched down as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.  She wasn’t sure that she had ever been this angry with him.  It was new territory for her, but she gladly welcomed it compared to the agony she felt when she first saw him with the two girls.  “Thanks for proving my point by walking away earlier,” she snarled before she sprayed the substance into his mouth.

Lucas swallowed the shot the moment she began to spray the cream into his mouth.  He thought for sure she would try to use up whatever was left in that can on him in an attempt to cover him in the frothy concoction.  While she did end up giving him more whipped cream after he swallowed, it wasn’t nearly enough to make him choke on it.

As she turned to leave, all thoughts of an apology escaped him.  He wanted to apologize, but he couldn’t remember the speech he had formulated as he watched her dance around the bar.  So, he acted completely on instinct when he grabbed her arm and gently tugged her back down to him.  He lifted his head slightly as his lips met hers in a searing kiss.

The first thing Riley could taste was the whipped cream in his mouth.  She was shocked that he had pulled her to him, but as she felt his tongue slip into her mouth, her anger melted into an unbridled passion that she had no idea how to subdue.

When she heard herself moan into his mouth, she snapped herself out of her daze.  She pulled back from him without saying a word and turned to the bartenders.  “Is that it,” she asked as she wiped a little bit of the whipped cream from her mouth.

“Not quite,” Mark smiled.  “It is your birthday, and what good is a birthday without a birthday cake?”

Riley smiled as she spun around to see one of the other bartenders bring a cake over to her table.  She quickly climbed down from the counter as she walked over to the chocolate cake lit up with sparkler candles.  Lucas trailed several feet behind her as her friends sang “Happy Birthday” to her.

She pushed the brief interlude with Lucas to the back of her mind as she looked at the friends who surrounded her.  This was the moment she knew she’d remember for the rest of her life.  She had made it to twenty-one.  She had no clue what the future held, but if this group of people remained in her life, she knew she’d be ready for anything.

After the song was over, Riley closed her eyes as she made a wish.  Her wishes over the last eight years hadn’t changed, but this one was slightly different.  It still centered on the Texan she had just kissed, but instead of wishing to be with him, she wished for some sort of sign to know what to do, whether to let go or to hang on.  She pulled her hair back as she leaned over and blew out the candles.

Everyone around her cheered as she raised her head back up.  “This is so incredible,” she happily smiled as she sat down in the booth.  She turned to Farkle.  “It’s perfect, Farkle.  The place, the cake…everything.”  She glanced around the club.  “You know…if I had to pick anywhere in Vegas to celebrate my 21st, it would have been here…the fountains, the dancing, the ambience…it’s perfect.”

He smiled.  “I wish I could take the credit for it, but I can’t.”

She frowned.  “What are you talking about?”  She thought Farkle had planned the entire trip out.  If he didn’t set all of this up, then who did?

Farkle searched the club for his friend.  He couldn’t believe that after everything, Lucas missed the cake being brought out, especially after how specific he had been about where and what cake to get.  “I thought for sure he would have told you, but it makes sense why he didn’t.  He’s not one to really brag, but…Lucas set up the whole thing.”

Riley glanced at Maya before she looked back at Farkle.  “What are you talking about?”

“I had no idea where to even begin to look for a place.  Lucas told me that he wanted to plan your birthday celebration.  He’s the one who booked the table here, got us all into VIP, and he even picked out the cake.”

“He planned it?”

Farkle nodded.  “I thought I knew you better than anyone…well, except for Maya, but…I think Lucas beat me on this one.  This place screams Riley to me.”

Just then, Lucas walked around the table as he sat down at the other end of the booth.  Riley couldn’t help but to stare at him.  He planned the whole night?  How did he pay for this?  Riley didn’t even want to think about how much it all must have cost him.  

She watched as the two girls she still didn’t know the names of turn their attention away from Dylan and back to Lucas.  As she reached for the drink Maya ordered for her while she was on the bar, her inebriated brain began to weigh her options.  On the one hand, she could continue to ignore him to the best of her ability and watch him accomplish the mission he had set out for himself at the beginning of the night—or—maybe she could be the mission.

As the vodka slipped past her lips, she figured that it would actually be pretty poetic to lose her virginity to him in Las Vegas on her 21st birthday.  He had been her first everything—first date, first kiss, first boyfriend, first love.  Why not complete the circle?  Why couldn’t she be the hookup he craved tonight?  It was only sex, right?  If she could keep her heart silent, then maybe it would actually help her begin to move on.  Maybe they wouldn’t be physically compatible?  Maybe this was the first step to letting go?

She smirked as she continued to consume the contents of her glass.  There wasn’t enough liquor in the world to convince her that sex with Lucas wouldn’t be good.  A few heated kisses told her everything she needed to know about their physical compatibility.  Still, she was feeling completely light and free.  Maybe she needed one night of passion with him in order to finally close the door on her first love.

Once she finished the drink, she slowly stood up and walked to the other end of the booth.

Lucas’s attention immediately shifted to Riley the moment she stood up.  He was more than a little surprised when she stopped right in front of him.  He had no idea what to expect.  Was she going to yell at him in front of everyone?  Was she going to get back on the bar and do something else that would surely test his self-control?

“Hey Huckleberry,” she smirked as she casually drummed her fingers on top of the table.  “Are we dancing or what?”

He knit his eyebrows together in confusion.  He knew that he must have misheard her.  She wanted to dance with him?  After their argument outside and after everything that had transpired between them in the last 24 hours, she actually wanted to dance with him?

“It is my birthday.”  Her smile never wavered as she watched him reach for his drink.  She raised one inquisitive eyebrow at him as she waited for him to finish drinking the amber substance in his glass.

Lucas finished off his scotch and sat the glass down next to her hand before he looked back up at her.  “Lead the way.”

He thought for sure that she would take him to where she had spent the better part of the night with most of their group.  Instead of going to the dance floor, she led him back outside, back to their hidden corner, back into the darkness.  Only a few people mingled outside, as the temperature must have dropped another five degrees in the hour since they were last out there.  Riley felt a chill ripple through her as soon as she stepped outside, but she didn’t care.  This was the only place she knew of that they could have a little bit of privacy.  They were nowhere near the music, although they could still hear the bass beat as clear as day.  

Riley didn’t say a word as she spun around and placed his hands on her waist.

“Riley, what are you doing?”

She wrapped her arms around his neck.  “I don’t want to talk.”  She knew that this would go a lot better if neither of them said a word.  Every time one of them opened their mouths, they ended up in some ridiculous fight.  If they could just somehow float together, let things happen naturally without having to discuss the past or what it all meant, then maybe they could work this out without a fight.

“What do you want to do?”  Lucas swallowed as he stared at her.  He had no idea what was going through her mind.  She didn’t want to talk.  That was fair enough.  Every conversation they attempted in the last 24 hours was disastrous to say the least.  He never wanted to ruin her birthday.  If she wanted to dance with him in silence, then he would take that time trying to commit every millisecond of it to his memory.

“Have fun.  Not think.”  She shrugged her shoulders as she glanced at the fountains for a moment before she looked back at him.  “I’ve spent the first twenty one years of my life thinking about every move I made…doing the right thing…saying the right things.”  She shook her head.  “I don’t want to do any of that tonight.”  She was tired of having to be perfect all the time.  She was tired of her brain stopping her from doing the things she wanted to do.

He sighed.  Despite the canyon between them, he knew who she was.  He had always known.  “And what happens tomorrow when you wake up?”  She was saying all of this now, but he knew that once she sobered up, she would regret it if she did something completely reckless.

She shrugged.  “I don’t want to think about that.”  Didn’t he understand?  She wanted to give into her emotions for once.  Maya always led with her heart while Riley had always led with her brain.  Leading with her brain had only made a huge mess of everything, so why couldn’t she simply give into her feelings for one night?  What was so terrible about that?

“But I do.”  He wanted to step back from her.  He wanted to remove his hands from her waist and go back inside, but he couldn’t.  He wasn’t strong enough to separate himself from her right now.  He was a man who had been starving for a third of his life over the woman who stood before him.  At this second, he was holding the only thing he had ever really wanted.  He couldn’t let go.  Maybe if he was a little more sober, he could.  Maybe if she wasn’t looking at him in the way he had always wanted her to, he could let her go and walk away.  

“You’re not pulling away from me,” she murmured as she stepped forward and pressed her body against his.  She lowered her right hand to the nape of his neck as her fingertips brushed through his hair.  She bit her bottom lip as her eyes lowered to his lips.

“I need to,” he groaned as she leaned forward to kiss his cheek.  The alcohol in his system worked against him as he felt himself slowly give into whatever she wanted to do.  He knew that he was wrapped around her finger, but he never knew how much until tonight.  He’d die to try to give her the world if she wanted it.  He’d move heaven and earth for her if she asked him to.

“You don’t need to do anything,” she responded softly before she began to plant open-mouthed kisses along his jawline.  

Lucas felt his earlier anger dissipate with every connection her lips made to his skin.  It wasn’t fair.  None of this was fair.  Every single emotion he had felt tonight was placed into extremes.  He was certain he had never been angrier with someone in his entire life, but at the same time, he knew that he had never loved her more.  It wasn’t just the fact that she was stirring up every single hormone he possessed, but it was the fact that for the first time ever, he finally realized that she wanted him just as badly as he wanted her.

He swallowed as she moved her attention to the other side of his neck.  He craned his neck back and stifled a moan as she scraped her teeth against the base of his neck.  He was rapidly becoming putty in her hands.  Whatever she wanted, he was prepared to give her.  Anything—everything.  He just had to know that she wanted him and only him.  

Finding some inner strength that he didn’t know he possessed, he slowly moved his hands up to her shoulders as he nudged her back slightly.

Confused, Riley lifted her head.  “Isn’t this what you want?”

The way her eyes had darkened nearly set off an explosion in the Texan’s mind.  Dear God, he knew that no matter how much alcohol he consumed, he would never forget the way she looked at that exact moment.  Her cheeks were slightly flushed, her breathing had become slightly labored, and the way she pursed her lips immediately made a certain body part of his throb in sheer anticipation.  He knew he had to maintain his composure for at least another minute.  He had to know she really wanted this and she wouldn’t claim it was some drunken mistake tomorrow.  “Is it what you want?”

She smiled as she slowly, purposefully so, closed the space between them once more.  “Yes,” she purred as her lips quickly covered his.  She wanted to silence him before he had a chance to think, a chance to ruin whatever moment they could have together.  

Lucas felt most of his remaining defenses slip away as her fingers slowly danced down his chest.  As her tongue slipped into his mouth, his hands slid up her back as he quickly guided them further into their little oasis.

As soon as her back hit the wall, she shoved one of his hands down to her thigh.  “I want to feel your hands all over me,” she murmured as she hooked one of her legs around his waist.  She smashed her lips to his once again as she wanted nothing more than to feel him explore her entire body.

He squeezed her thigh as her tongue met his once more.  When she moaned into his mouth, he felt the last shred of ‘Lucas the Good’ slip away.  Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that while whatever they were doing was completely and utterly right, the timing of it and the location of it was not at all how he had imagined it.  Still, the alcohol in his system and eight years of dreaming about the woman in his arms night after night tipped the scales into Lucas the not-so-Good’s favor.  When she placed his hand on her thigh and told him that she wanted his hands all over her, he nearly took her right then and there.  As soon as she moaned into his mouth, ‘Lucas the Good’ ceased to exist all together.  His hand slowly crept up her thigh.  He knew that if she didn’t want this, she would push his hand down, pull away from him and tell him that they were going too far.

But she didn’t.  As her nails scraped across his back, she wiggled against him in a desperate attempt to get his fingers toward their destination quicker.  She needed to feel him. She needed him to touch her in a way that no one else had before.

Up until that moment, Lucas didn’t know that his brain possessed an off switch.  As his fingers slowly disappeared under her dress, Riley whimpered in sheer anticipation.  How many times had he dreamt about them like this?  How many times had he woken up and taken a cold shower because the woman he fantasized about wasn’t next to him?

“Please,” she murmured desperately in between kisses.  “I want you to.  I need you to.”  Goose bumps peppered her entire body as she felt his fingers graze the outside of her underwear.  “Please, Lucas.”

All he wanted to do was to make her happy and to make her feel good.  She wanted this.  He wanted this.  As he opened his eyes, he noticed that hers were already opened as they continued to kiss one another.  He looked for a sign of hesitation, any indication that it was merely the alcohol talking and not something she really wanted.  It was the only thing that could possibly hold him back from doing this.  A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she lightly bit his bottom lip.  “Please,” she begged once more.

At that moment, no one on Earth could have resisted her.  

She gasped as soon as she felt his fingers slide into her underwear.  She dug her nails further into his back when his lips reclaimed hers while his fingers slowly explored a new uncharted territory.  Was this real?  As his fingers paid homage to her most private of regions, Riley sighed into his mouth.  God, it felt so much better than she imagined, and it wasn’t even the real thing.  Her entire body felt completely electrified by his motions.  As insanely wonderful as it felt, she wanted more.  This was becoming an addiction.  He was becoming an addiction.   She had to have more of this.  She had to have more of him.

Lucas wished that she had left with him earlier when he mentioned it.  It was a mile and a half back to their hotel, but with traffic, it could easily take 20 minutes to get back to their suite.  He wasn’t sure about her, but he knew he couldn’t wait that long.  He wasn’t even sure they could make it to a room at the Bellagio at the rate they were going.  

Riley couldn’t stand it anymore.  She thought she could be placated with a tease, with a glimpse into a world that had been forbidden for so long, but it only made her demand more.  She dragged her fingernails down the length of his back before she brought them in between their bodies.  As she lowered her lips to his neck, her fingers grazed the outside of his pants.

He groaned the moment he felt her fingertips against him.  Did she have any clue how close he was to taking her right then and there?  All it would take is one word, one indication of consent and he would happily spend the rest of the night—the rest of forever—worshipping her like the goddess she was.

He used his free hand to run through her slightly tangled hair.  As she lifted her head up, he pulled her face to his in a scorching kiss.

Lucas quickened his pace as his mouth desperately sought contact with hers.  Riley could hear her heart race in her ears as the pressure within her began to build more and more rapidly.  She wasn’t exactly sure how she was able to pull in any oxygen between the breath Lucas commanded and the fact that his ministrations had already labored her breathing.  She felt like she could pass out at any moment from sheer pleasure.  If she died right here, she would die the happiest woman in the world.  She never wanted this feeling to end.      

He kissed her with every single feeling she was giving him in return.  A lethal combination of love, lust, anger, jealousy, and passion swirled within him as he desperately tried to tell her everything she was doing to him without ever saying a word.  He was a man possessed.  He couldn’t control anything anymore.  “Tell me,” he commanded as he slid his lips across her bare shoulder.  His free hand fell to her lower back in order to support her when she threw her head back and desperately gasped for air.  “Tell me that I’m the only one you want.  Tell me you don’t want him.  Tell me, Riley,” he pleaded as his lips brushed against her collarbone.  “Tell me that when we wake up tomorrow, we’ll be together.”  He kissed his way toward the base of her neck as he waited for her answer.

Riley’s heart pounded even harder as she listened to his pleas.  As her mind desperately tried to fight through the thick fog of alcohol and lust, she replayed his words again.  Be together as in dating?  Her mind raced as the logical side of her brain tried to dissect his words and the meaning behind them.  She couldn’t do this right now.  She was hammered.  She told him that she didn’t want to talk.  She didn’t want to make a life altering decision while they were intoxicated.  

She thought this would be easy.  She thought that maybe they could get whatever this was out of their system tonight—chalk it up to the city, to the alcohol, to being young.  She knew that on some level, she had waited for him, had wanted him to be her first because he had been her first everything else and that maybe she could begin to move on if she got some sort of closure from the last seven years.  She knew that at least for her, it wouldn’t be so simple to walk away, but maybe it would be for him.  Maybe getting the tension out of the way could somehow pave the way for them to repair their friendship.  At least, that was what the inebriated side of her had foolishly thought.  

She closed her eyes a newfound embarrassment filled her.  For one moment, she had successfully turned off her brain.  For one moment, she led with something other than the sense that had kept Lucas Friar at arm’s length for a third of her life.  In one foolish moment of weakness, she might have just wrecked an eight-year friendship.  

She slowly opened her eyes when she felt his lips slowly pull away from her neck.  They weren’t on the same page at all.  She knew that couldn’t risk this anymore than she already had.  Her body still cried out for him, but her mind had finally taken control once again.  She thought she could give into this for one night, but she wasn’t that kind of girl.  She never was.  “I can’t,” she answered weakly as she braced herself for the fallout she knew she deserved.

It felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on the Texan.  He felt completely paralyzed as the weight of those two words fell on his shoulders.  She had driven him completely insane.  He never would have allowed things to get this far between them if he thought that she didn’t want to be with him when morning came.  As he slowly pulled away from her, it felt as if a thousand knives had penetrated his heart.  He couldn’t do this anymore.  He couldn’t be around her while he was still in love with her.  If the last seven years were any indication, he knew that trying to get over Riley would be nearly impossible.  As he shoved his hands into his pockets, he knew that he had to get away from her, but first, before he threw himself off a cliff, he had to know why.  “Why,” his voice cracked with the weight of emotion that flowed through his heart, “Why is it so hard for you to understand that I want to be with you?”

Riley slid her dress back down before she wrapped her arms around herself.  She wanted to tell him it was because of what she had overheard earlier that night, but the real problem extended beyond that.  “Because,” her voice shook, “it was so easy for you to accept what I told you we were and move on.”  She looked down.  “If you did it back then, I know that you’ll do it now.”

“But I didn’t accept it!”  His eyes widened as he waited for her to say something else.  Was there no other reason than the stupid label that she put on them when they were in middle school?  “Don’t you get it, Riley?  Everything that’s happened since then has been because of this ridiculous idea you got into your head that Maya and I liked one another.”

She cut her eyes up at him.  “Didn’t you?  Even for just a second?”

“No!”  He shook his head as he tried to pull himself together long enough to explain to her what actually went on in his confused fifteen year old mind.  “I thought that…that maybe there was…or that there could be…but I realized later that I only thought about that after you told us there was something there.”  He scoffed when she said nothing in response.  “Do you not understand that Maya and I only dated because the person we loved the most in this world told us that we had to see how we felt about one another?  I’ve been chasing you ever since then.”  He shook his head as he looked away from her.  This was completely ridiculous.  Was he supposed to pay for her decision for the rest of his life?

Riley furrowed her eyebrows.  “What did you say?”

His eyes fell to the ground.  “I’ve been chasing you, Riley.”  Was she going to laugh in his face?  Was she going to completely pulverize the last shred of hope he had for them?

She shook her head.  “Before that.”

He took a moment to think about what he had actually revealed to her.  When his words came back to him, he realized that after seven years, he finally told her how he felt.  As he lifted his gaze, he knew that he had never intended for it to come out like that.  He had always imagined some huge romantic reveal—something that would rival the white horse he rode in the gymnasium at John Quincy Adams Middle School—but perhaps some of the purest moments didn’t need to come with pomp and circumstance.  Maybe they were best received when spoken from the heart, even if it’s outside of a club at 2:00 in the morning.  “Maya and I only went out because the person we loved the most in this world told us that we had to see how we felt about one another.”

Riley was convinced that the entire earth was currently spinning at a rate that would perplex scientists for the rest of eternity.  She swallowed in a desperate attempt to ensure that her voice didn’t shake when she finally asked him the most important question she had ever asked anyone.  “You loved me?”

“Yes!”  He looked all around them as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.  Had she not been listening to anything he had said or done in the last 24 hours?  Could she not see it before then?  Did she never suspect how destroyed he was over what happened to them in middle school?  Did she never catch on to the fact that his gaze always seemed to stay on her no matter where they were, who they were with, or what they were doing?  Did the woman before him have zero clue that he not only wanted to give her the world but that she had been his entire world for the last eight years?  “I loved you then,” he finally declared.  As she lifted her eyebrows in surprise, he realized that she really had no idea what he had sacrificed just to be able to continue to orbit around her.  “I love you now,” he confessed.  She had to know.  She had to see that this wasn’t some random hookup to him.  She had to know that this was the culmination of seven years of emotional repression.  “I never stopped loving you, even for a second…even though you told me that you only saw me as a brother.”

#ouat2011 fic #**21** #rucas #rucas fic #rucas fan fic #lucas x riley #riley x lucas #liley fic #liley fan fic #rucas fanfiction #rucas fan fiction #liley fanfiction #liley fan fiction

[thespace-dragon]

Hi Mogi! Are there any Klance fics that you would recommend? Thanks :)

Oh good golly gosh, here goes my afternoon, because youre about to get a shit ton. xD

If you want to peruse my bookmarks feel free. the link has been filtered down to only klance fics, enjoy your time sifting through 150+ fics ^^; (i have no self control)  And then theres any of my stuff here because i need validation and have no shame with self plugs, but ill put the focus on the other fics for right now. ^^

But here are the ones i reallllyyyy recommend outside of the big name fics that literally the whole fandom knows about.:

Make Me Your Home by Reader115

Summary: “Oh my god, Keeeith,” Lance wheezed. “Keith you’re the best drunk space cadet I’ve ever seen.”“Space cadet,” Keith mumbled. He repeated the words again although his eyes had zeroed in on Lance’s hands and Lance offered no resistance when Keith picked one of them up and pulled it possessively towards his lap. He began to gently trace over Lance’s fingers, sending shivers up Lance’s arm and down his spine. “You have looong fingers,” Keith murmured after a few moments.Keith’s face perked up then, as if he’d just had a brilliant idea, and Lance could almost not wait to hear what new obscure thought had entered Keith’s pretty head. He was prepared to laugh, and instead found himself shivering again as Keith leaned far into his personal bubble, lips practically touching Lance’s ear when he spoke next.“I bet you could reach all kinds of things, Lance.”Update: Now with ART by suitboxers!!WC: 38169 (6/6)General Notes: just, omg? this fic has like it all, and it all fits into s2?? yes please?? i could not get enough of this fic and talking with the author, there is a rumor that they might write an epilogue and i like high key died. 10/10

Today, anew by MemeKonVLD

Summary: “Lance.”Lance’s eyebrows furrow in concern for a second before his whole face goes gentle and open.“Hey buddy, everything okay?”Keith nods. Then shakes his head, then opens his mouth to let out a noisy sob before he’s hugging the air out of Lance, grip vise tight.Lance hugs him back. That’s one of the great things about him— he doesn’t— he doesn’t need explanations for things like this. He doesn’t make Keith jump through hoops, the way other people might— he’s just— he just knows what Keith needs in times like this. No façades, no posturing.(Or: the one where Keith is trapped in a time loop. A time loop from hell.)WC: 5910 (6/6 chapters)General Notes: this was interesting to say the least, and one of my latest reads. I really enjoyed, told from Keiths pov and he’s stuck in a time loop. Angsty, but has a happy ending. 8/10

Voltron Cafe by PinkHitman

Summary: Lance is the number one butler at a maid cafe, and his number one customer? Just his old High School rival Keith.WC: 66422 (14/?)General Notes: This is really funny and quirky. Lance is adorable in all his dorky glory. The whole team is there and i cant count the times ive had to stifle laughter reading it because it was 3am and i really needed to sleep but, hey what are you going to do xD theres also a blog @voltron-cafe and the art is just as quirky as the fic and i love it to all get out. 9/10

a truth in the blood by angstinspace

Summary: “I’m Galra, Lance.”It’s the first time he’s said those words out loud––and to Lance of all people. He should feel horrified at himself but somehow, he doesn’t. In fact, an eerie calmness has settled over him. Everything comes sharply into focus as he stands there, still holding Lance’s wrist, breathing in and out, waiting for a response. A post “Blade of Marmora” fix-it fic. Mostly broganes & klance bonding.WC: 7489General Notes: So theres a little bit of angst in this, but it does a really good job of filling in the blanks of what could have happened between ep8 and ep9 of s2. I really liked it, has some Broganes in there and Klance bonding. 8/10

Starlight by epiproctan

Summary: For once, Lance tries to be responsible for something. Namely, his feelings. Needless to say it doesn’t go well.WC: 7719General Notes: Lance pov, honestly this boy tries so hard to keep the team dynamic the same, but it never goes well. goes with the trope that EVERYONE knows about mutual pining klance, but goes a different direction just for the hell of it. i loved it. 9/10

He Who Fights Monsters by magisterpavus

Summary: In a world where monstrous dragons terrorize humanity daily, the Garrison trains valiant Knights to slay the evil beasts and defend Earth. But when Knight cadet Lance Espinosa is kidnapped by a strange red dragon who kills its own kind, certain truths are revealed…and so are the true monsters. WC: 64888 (13/13)General Notes: holy fuck do i love this fic, cuz like, wow. Im a sucker for dragons and i loved the way the author inocrporated them into this fic and made it freaking work. A+++. Lots of action, drama-rama and Lance learns a thing or two about hs feelings along the way. 10/10

Burning Love by TeaAndKittens

Summary: An injury sustained on the job for firefighter Keith means an extended medical leave that makes him feel useless and angry. He’s so desperate to get back to his crew at Station 5 that he’s almost willing to try anything - except yoga. Especially after Hunk calls this friend of his that owns a yoga studio and Keith gets supporting evidence for his claim that only crazy people practice yoga.Somehow, despite all of that, Hunk and Shiro manage to bully him into at least trying it. He shows up for that first class expecting to hate it. What he’s not expecting is for Hunk’s friend to be hot like the fire of a thousand suns. Or even more insane in person.Or: Keith’s life. So Hard.WC: 7017 (2/?)General Notes: Firefighter Keith and yoga instructor lance,,, um yes please! this fic is just getting started but i really love it so far. 8/10

Sharps and Accidentals by Zizzani

Summary: Keith is a talented up and coming violin virtuoso. Lance hates him immediately.Or an AU in which Lance and Keith both attend the same music university. Keith is deaf. Lance is Trying™.WC: 39528 (9/?)General Notes: ok, so i just really love this a lot. im a band nerd so music is like my thing, and this is honestly great. Deaf keith, and lance… poor lance, hes trying ok? Im a couple updates behind, but i really love it a lot. 9/10

bouncing off exit signs by steelthighsvoideyesSummary:

Summary: This is the story of two absolute idiots who keep searching for what they’ve already found. WC: 40147 (yes on chap xD)General Notes: this is like one of those comfort fics for me, i binged it one night, and it was amazing. Based off the song Closer by The Chainsmokers. honeslty, well done. 10/10

Duly Noted by TeaAndKittens

Summary: Keith has a box full of scraps of paper, a lovingly archived collection of all the notes Lance has written him so far in their relationship. Their son has a box just like it, and soon their newly adopted daughter will too.Or: 5 (-ish) notes Lance wrote to Keith, beginning with the one that started it all, and 1 Keith wrote backWC: 4913General Notes: this was so fucking cute that i really couldnt stop smiling the whole way through. lance leaving notes everywhere is just so him. 10/10

The Quiet by MilkTeaMiku

Summary: Does he not realise he’s dead?Keith can see ghosts. As a part of his Garrison training, he’s sent to a hospital to do one year of medical clerkship - it’s there that he meets a charmingly irritating ghost who definitely needs to learn what boundaries are.WC: 38000 (19/?)General Notes: Stop reading this list and fucking read this oh my gawd. It is that good, go on, shoo 10/10

Flirting with Death by drippingpen

Summary: Keith commits the ultimate taboo as a grim reaper: he saves a life.More specifically, he saves Lance’s life.Now they are forever linked, unable to survive without the other. Keith must protect Lance from the forces that are trying to right Keith’s wrong and kill Lance.WC: 29346 (9/?)General Notes: yoooo, my friend is reading this, and she is doing such a great job with it. Grim Reaper Keith and lance is high key supposed to be dead, and its awesome. Pidge is as nosey as ever and Hunk is pure™. give it a read, really. 10/10

Days Like Today by literal_trashbaby

Summary: For all Lance’s snarking and posturing, all that easy, cheery confidence, for all his charm and his pretty, pretty smiles (which absolutely did not make Keith a little weak in the knees, no sir). Just every now and then, Keith thought his smile would go just a tiny bit tight around the edges, and he’d go just a little quiet… well, quiet for Lance. And on the days when Lance was just that little bit… Not-Lance, like a force of nature he would, without fail, pull one side of his lower lip into his mouth and just chew on it, destroying those poor, perfect lips. Days like today.OR: Lance is Having a Day and Keith is somehow the only person to notice.WC: 3159General Notes: I love it when people write Keith picking up on Lance’s tendencies, its so freaking cute and my heart cannot handle. 9/10

so why don’t we fall by akinghtley

Summary: Five times Lance used a pet name for Keith, and one time Keith used one for Lance.Keith has no basis for having a relationship with someone, so he’s trying to follow Lance’s lead.WC: 8218General Notes: NSFW saying that now. but i love pet names, and this was all so cute. Touch of angst, but it makes up for it with fluff. I love it. 9/10

I think tht does it for fic recs rn, i could literally go through all of my bookmarks and list every one of them, but lets face it that would take forever.

Hope you enjoy all that fics!

#klance #voltron #fic recs #first time ive done one of these #i tried to touch a little bit of everything #but like #theres a lot of angst in my ao3 #like whoops #hahah #lxncekogane #dragon answers

[yuneyn]

Tagged by: @hyperstorms, thanks a lot!

Rules: answer the 20 questions in a new post and tag 20 blogs you would like to get to know better.

Nickname: Yuneyn? Although that’s my fangirl nickname :p 

Gender: female

Starsign: cancer

Height: 157cm (I speak metric, sorry^^)

Time right now: 9:55am

Last thing I googled: I have no idea... most likely some sentence to make sure I use it correctly in my fic

Favorite Bands: OMG uh... a lot? I guess I’ve gone to the trouble to see Muse and U2 in concert so that’s probably saying something (I hate crowded places), but honestly I listen to a ton of things from a ton of different artists.

Favorite Solo Artists: Same as above :p 

Song Stuck in Your Head: Right now, I guess “All we know” by the Chainsmokers

Last movie I watched: ...Rogue One (I don’t watch that much movies ok, and since I’ve watched Rogue One I’ve only been playing FFXV - same for my husband - so no time to watch a new movie) (also it’s a very good movie to have as my last one, I love it a lot. A lot.)

Last Tv show I watched: Does watching any episode of Friends for the 12348th time to help me clear my mind as I fall asleep count?

When did you create your blog: 2013... but then I kinda deleted everything and abandoned it after a while and started using it again a few months ago.

What kind of stuff do you post: Anything I love. These days it’s very much FFXV and Star Wars but sometimes something else pops up. And sometimes I complain that it rains or something.

When did your blog reached its peak: I guess around 2013-2014, during my No.6 phase - then again I never had that much followers anyway. But I don’t care, I’m not sure I could handle too many people :p

Do you have any other blogs: Yep, about when I lived in Japan and the other trips I’ve taken there. But I’m not sure what to do with it now that I don’t have much more to tell. Also the social networks I used for it annoy me to death right now so I’m taking a break.

Do you get asks regularly: Uh, never? 

Why you chose your URL: Well, I needed a nickname that people IRL didn’t know about and um... Idk, I liked Yuna in FFX so I took Yun, and eyn is the same ending as my usual internet nickname. 

Following: 170

Posts: 608 (but then again, I deleted everything before 2016 so...)

Hogwarts house: I’m one of those people who hasn’t watched/read HP? Like someone showed me the first 2 movies at some point but I think I was too old to enjoy them and I was like “meh”... But who knows, when my kid grows I’ll probably watch them with him and if he enjoys it I’ll watch all the movies then.

Pokemon team: I was the blue one, don’t remember the name. I didn’t play much, I don’t live in a very big city so it was kind of boring.

Favorite colors: Blue / black / purple

Average hours of sleep: However long my son lets me sleep. Tonight it was 3 hours - TODAY IS NOT GOING TO BE FUN

Favorite characters: OMG uh... Ok so obviously Obi-Wan Kenobi, and I also love Ahsoka a lot, and I’ve always had a lot of love for Yoda, and R2D2, and Han Solo, and - should I list all Star Wars characters?  Also I think Prompto (FFXV) has earned himself a very high place on my list because... just wow. That was unexpected, but I relate to him a whole damn lot, and I love him and want to protect him. And hug him. (Also Noctis, I really love Noctis).  And um, in LOTR Aragorn, Merry, Pippin... In KH there’s Roxas and also Riku...  Guys, if I start doing all of my fandoms we’ll be there next month so I’m going to stop here.

What are you wearing right now: Sweatpants and some random t-shirt that won’t mind getting all splattered with food. (Life with a toddler) 

How many blankets do you sleep with: 1 or 2, depends.

Dream job: Ask again later. (Honestly though, I’m 30 and I have no fucking idea, and I’d rather not go down that road right now)

Dream trip: Can I please go back to Japan? (And also back to New-Zealand)

I tag: I’m super shy at tagging people so um... @ahikuboruchi because I know you well enough not be scared^^ and @listenforthelove because it’s been a while and I hope you’re doing fine!  (and anyone else who wants to do it, please feel free!)

#random life stuff #tagging things

[arwenkenobi48]

Tagged by @allthewians <3

Tagging: @khara-chan, @grand-admiral-asshat, @inthepurplefog, @xiamei-sami and @conscientiousmonster (no pressure)

the last

1. drink: Water 2. phone call: One of my aunts 3. text message: A friend of mine from college  4. song you listened to: The Cure by Lady Gaga 5. time you cried: Earlier today 6. dated someone twice: My ex-gf... *shudders* 7. kissed someone and regretted it: Funnily enough I’ve never done this 8. been cheated on: Nope  9. lost someone special: Yes 10. been depressed: Until very recently 11. got drunk and thrown up: Does it count if you get drunk on sugar? If so, then in 2013 (worst year of my personal life tbh)

3 favourite colours

12. Black 13. Purple 14. Earth blue

in the last year have you

15. made new friends: Yes, I have <3 16. fallen out of love: I have...a lot 17. laughed until you cried: I find the weirdest things funny so yes, I have :3 18. found out someone was talking about you: *cringes* yep 19. met someone who changed you: Idk who hasn’t done this 20. found out who your friends are: Yes <3 21. kissed someone on your facebook list: I don’t have Facebook

general

22. how many of your facebook friends do you know in real life: N/A 23. do you have any pets: Nope, but I want a cat, maybe two 24. do you want to change your name: Yeah that’d be neat 25. what did you do for your last birthday: Went to see Star Wars identities (best day of my life!) :D 26. what time did you wake up: Approaching 9AM 27. what were you doing at midnight last night: Discussing my SW faves on Discord  28. name something you can’t wait for: Starting sixth form college in September :D 29. when was the last time you saw your mum: She’s in my house right now XD 31. what are you listening to right now: Closer by Halsey and The Chainsmokers 32. have you ever talked to a person named tom: I can’t remember tbh 33. something that is getting on your nerves: The current state of the world and the SJW side of the Star Wars fandom 34. most visited website: DeviantArt, Tumblr, Discord and Youtube   35. hair colour: natural brunette, frequently dye it different colours 36. long or short hair: Short 37. do you have a crush on someone: Do Clone troopers count? If so, then Fives <3 38. what do you like about yourself: Oh man... I’m very forgiving and open-minded, I guess...  39. piercings: Nope (religious and medical reasons) 40. blood type: B positive 41. nickname: Arwy <3 42. relationship status: Single (but I want a bf)

43. zodiac: Cancer

44. pronouns: idk...anything goes, I guess 45. favourite tv show: TCW, Rebels, Studio C, Rick and Morty    46. tattoos: No (same reason as no piercings) 47. right or left handed: ambidextrous

first

48. surgery: Never had surgery 49. piercing: N/A 50. sport: Swimming 51. vacation: Either Spain or Canada I can’t remember 52. pair of trainers: When I was 9, I think

more general

53. eating: Nothing 54. drinking: Nothing 55. i’m about to: Read ‘In Cold Blood’ for my summer work 56. waiting for: My exam results to come through 58. get married: Yes please <3 59. career: Writer and soon-to-be film student

which is better

60. hugs or kisses: both...? 61. lips or eyes: Eyes 62. shorter or taller: Taller 63. older or younger: Older 64. nice arms or nice stomach: I can’t decide tbh 65. hook up or relationship: Relationship, definitely 66. troublemaker or hesitant: Hesitant

have you ever

67. kissed a stranger: Nope 68. drank hard liquor: No 69. lost glasses/contact lenses: Nope  70. turned someone down: Yes 71. sex on the first date: No 72. broken someone’s heart: I hope I haven’t (but it depends on the person) 73. had your heart broken: Yes 74. been arrested: Almost 75. cried when someone died: I cry over the deaths of strangers (it would be shockingly OOC if i didn’t cry) 76. fallen for a friend: Yes (but I wish I hadn’t)

do you believe in

77. yourself: Sometimes 78. miracles: Yes 79. love at first sight: Yes <3 80. santa claus: Nope, never XD 81. kiss on the first date: Sorta 82. angels: Yes 

other

83. current best friend’s name: I have too many friends to single them out :3 84. eye colour: Brown 85. favourite movie: Here’s a few: Every SW film ever, the LotR/Hobbit films, The Dark Crystal and the Hellboy movies (ok that’s more than a few XD)

#arwen speaks #tag meme #i love these

[todaysbiggesthits]

The Exam

Best Music Moment of 2017:

Code: dancing out the entire wedding reception playlist with my best girl on an empty concrete slab on a breezy texas night

BC: -The absolute stellar dance party at Codemin’s Wedding; most notably:

     “Carol” by The Rolling Stones

     “Enjoy the Silence” by Depeche Mode

     “Crystal” by New Order

-OK Computer’s 20th Anniversary and the listening/reflection that came with it -My four year old, Emmett, learning “Maps” on the drums pretty much on his own

JD: February: Watching the “Emotional Rescue” scene in A Bigger Splash:

March: Seeing Stop Making Sense on the big screen at my favorite theater with m’gal and a David Byrne Q&A after the screening. April: The dance party of a lifetime at Code and Arden’s wedding. November: Watching Parquet Courts play “You’ve Got Me Wondering Now” for the first time in years.

C: "Born to Run" at a good friend's, Brian Ferguson's, wedding.

Nasty: This playing at the end of Leftovers Season 3, Ep 5 - "The Most Powerful Man in the World"

Bronco: Sitting on my back porch with Brenny, sipping down some delicious whiskey drinks and listening to the new Mastodon on a surprisingly unshitty Amazon bluetooth speaker. Watching his face on the breakdown in Jaguar God was quite entertaining. Also listening to the Squalus album (the metal interpretation of Jaws) with the kids, my oldest asking what it was, and him saying he wants to watch Jaws now. He was especially fascinated by the USS Indianapolis part of the story.

Laser: This 

Chap: My 17 has been dominated by the two new ladies in my life. I made this mix for them:

and played it for them on random the morning they were born. This was the first song that came on:

and I finally broke down with emotion after the 36 hour experience while holding one of them while this song was playing:

Best Shows Seen in 2017:

BC: This first 60 seconds of this:

Nasty: Future Islands & Action Bronson

Larse: Future Islands with Maddie, Nasty, and Sam; Action Bronson at The Rave - pretty sure I got a contact high just from being in the show

C: War on Drugs

Bronco: Mastodon

Codem: lvl up - beat kitchen kitten forever - subterranean downstairs ovlov - beat kitchen pqc - the bottle girlpool - logan square auditorium moving units’ joy division cover set - the bottle PAWS - cobra lounge a. savage - the bottle pictureplane

JD: 1. William Basinski and Julianna Barwick at National Sawdust 2. No Age at Elsewhere 3. Parquet Courts and B-Boys at Elsewhere 4. Liars at Warsaw 5. Deerhunter and Eleanor Friedberger performing while Bradford Cox painted her portrait onstage at Warsaw 6. LCD Soundsystem at Brooklyn Steel 7. Yo La Tengo in Central Park 8. Andrew WK at Warsaw 9. Vince Staples at Panorama Fest 10. Wire at Baby’s All Right 11. Vagabon at Brooklyn Bazaar

Confession of 2017:

Bronco: I listened to the New Kids On The Block offering of 2017 "Thankful" (it was fucking terrible).

C: Still haven’t listened to LCD Soundsystem

Code: -knowing the backstory, the mount eerie album was probably the best album i heard this year, but it was too dang sad to listen to more than a handful of times. -i still loved that brand new song despite the lead cat being a creep. -i thought that this year was pretty rough for music, but my tune changed after looking back through my top tracks.  maybe there were just so few full albums that i liked? -i fast fwd'd through every SNL musical guest this calendar year, but i did catch the tom petty tribute from the vegas countrymin. 

BC: I don’t hate that objectively awful Chainsmokers/Coldplay song because it reminds me of this year’s BOB since Creevey played it every twenty minutes for 36 holes.

Larson: Listened to more rap this year than I think I have in past years; must be Nasty's Lincoln influence!

Nasty: I listened to more podcasts than music in 17.

Biggest Disappointment of 2017:

Laser: LCD Soundsystem

Codem: -no chromatics this year. -the two lcd shows that i saw this year.

Chap: The albums. I would not be shocked if I didn't listen to any of my top 15 all the way through after today.

Bin: DJT

JD: Mondanile

BC: Real Estate.  I think they need to invite the perv back into the band.

Bronco: Bison, Monolord, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, And So I Watch You From Afar. They all put out albums this year, and I've like their stuff in the past, but they did little to nothing for me this time around.

Most Overrated of 2017:

Codem: slowdive, but also twod and japanese breakfast

Bin: Bodak Yellow / Cardi B

Larse: LCD Soundsystem

Bronco: -Pallbearer - just don't like the guy's voice, and though they're slow as shit, there's no good riffs or anything to connect with for me. -Code Orange - hardcore band that I just don't get. One of those 'motherfucker I'm the best!' type super close to being alt-right supremecy type bands even though they're probably completely against it. They're at the top of most metal lists this year. I've given them 4-5 spins, most in reaction to the praise they're getting, but I just don't get it. -Royal Thunder - just one big case of blue balls. All of their songs seemingly build toward a climax that never happens. It's just so blech.

JD: Did the music press even treat anything as a lasting work of art and not ephemeral content to get through a week or two of famous personality driven clicks? King Krule? 

BC: Lorde, I think?  I mean, that album’s gotten a lot of love this year and I thought the lead single – “Green Light” – was hot garbage. It spawned a conspiracy theory in my mind that Taylor Swift was proactively influencing and then purposefully sabotaging the work of her close friends (see Lorde, Haim, et al).

Make it Stop 2017

Bronco: Sex monsters. Can we just take all white dudes in powerful positions, assume they've sexually assaulted at least one person, imprison them, and move on? We could take everything they have, give it all to Native American tribes, then force them to walk their own trail of tears to live out their lives in the desserts of New Mexico, and force them to build the wall, but it would just be a wall around their sad sex monster reservation.

Also, Taylor Swift.

Nasty: I didn't have the luxury of expending any real hate on music this year... which I'm just now recognizing as a bad thing.

JD: -Unceasing sadness and anxiety about the present and future. -Jack Antonoff

BC: Life on this planet.

Code: any rap station that i hear in an uber. that cardi b song was playing every time i caught a cab at 5:30 a.m. to play golf.

Larson: U2

Biggest TBH Regret of 2017:

BC: Not seeing NIN at RiotFest

Larson: Skipping the Car Seat Headrest show at Summerfest because I could tell Maddie didn't want to leave Jonas' party (party was fun, so not a real loss, just wish I would have seen the show).

Nasty: Not even giving new artists a chance. I'll listen to an average album from The National 10x's before I give someone new a shot.

Codebreaker: not having an opportunity to karaoke badu's tyrone

JD: -Had the worst fever of my life during LCD and could only manage standing in the back shivering. -Forgetting to go see Dinner at Baby’s All Right. -Not enough time with Bjork, Miguel, and Blanck Mass. 

Bronco: Fucked up the family calendar maintenance and ended up not being able to see the Toadies and Local H. I was pissed at my wife, but it wasn't the end of the world. I haven't listened to either in forever, and the listen I gave to the Toadies latest offering didn't knock my socks off. It was really just for nostalgic purposes. Still it sucked to have to miss it despite my best efforts to bring it to her attention multiple times.

Detective Murtaugh of 2017:

NACK: I had two separate opportunities to see LCD, and just didn't feel like putting in the effort. Was going to put this as a regret, but I don't regret it.

Code: i skipped 7 shows that i had tickets for and left 6 shows early. two shows i left early due to brightness of lights.  mmmmmnhh

JD: Couldn’t hear for 18 hours after No Age. Needed two Tylenol for the headache I gave myself during “You’ve Got Me Wondering Now” at PQ Quartz.

BC: Having no idea who either the SNL host or the musical guest was for three straight weeks.  Tiffany Haddish? Saoirse Ronan? SZA? I’m too old for this shit…

Nasty: Carson, Maddie, Sam and I went to watch the IU game this weekend with one of Carson's co-workers (an IU grad) who is 23.... I got rolling on a rant about how important it is to enjoy your 20s because after the impending onslaught of weddings and babies life basically isn't any fun anymore. Suspect it was a little too impassioned by the end.

Bronco: I was enrolled in a three month coding bootcamp to learn Web Development. Aside from the two older ladies (50+) and the weird Brazilian idiot (45+), I was the oldest person in the room by probably an average of 13 years. They are all for the most part life-pivoting in to the dev world and they all have all the time in the world to learn new shit, do whatever they want, whenever they want...goddamnit I miss that. So maybe this is my "too married and fathered for this shit" section of the exam.

C: Wife’s Pregnancy

Laser: Every time I wake up with a fucking hangover and tell myself that I’m not gonna drink like that again only to get back on the saddle the next available opportunity.

Resolution for 2017 Update:

BC: Put a goddamn band together. How it went: 

C: Check out some jazz/blues in Chicago. How it went: FAILED

Larson:  Focus on the shit I really care about instead of trying to listen to everything posted on the thread…I’m just going to have to be honest with myself and realize I ain’t got time for all this media! How it went: Terrible; found myself listening to Timeless Pop Rock hits playlist more than anything else.

Chap: Check out more of the recommendations on the TBH thread. Try to organize get-togethers around TWO shows. How it went: Actually not bad. I had a few solid period during nap times when I didn't feel like working. I think I was able to listen to every album I wanted to at least once.

Code: make concerted effort to listen to music that i liked in previous years in addition to music from the current year. How it went: i nailed my resolution, as i devoted four full months to the grateful dead and it was the best musical trimester of the year for me. it was really interesting to watch all of the new music pile up and never once feeling compelled to listen to something else. god damn did the '77 version of the band have it all figured out. i could listen to any uptown mississippi halfstep toodeloo from that year at any time.

Bronco: Learn the guitar. I’ve been fooling around with Rocksmith (guitar hero with real guitar) and I want to push myself to execute the more complex chords, not just stick to the powerchord simple songs like Blitzkrieg Bop, and start learning how to build and execute a solo. I also want to distill my own whiskey, build a garden shed from scratch, and learn to code. How it went: I haven't quite mastered the guitar, but I can play a few songs fairly well. I did not start working on my own whiskey or build a garden shed from scratch...yet. But I did learn to code. I am now at conversational levels of fluency with Javascript and at "donde es el bano" levels with Ruby and Python.

Nasty: See a show in NY with JD. How it went: Not great, Bob! I barely made it down the street to see Action Bronson with Laser 

JD: Seeing more shows with you guys is an evergreen resolution. How it went: To quote BC,

Resolution for 2018:

BC: No more resolutions

C: Catch some jazz in Chicago

Laser: get my list in on time!

Chap: While I didn't have the occasion to catch shows this year, I anticipate doing so in '18 due to some changes afoot.

Codem: make more playlists for my wife

Bronco: Get in shape. I want to stick to a schedule of running all year round. I ran a 10K back in June, then needed to recover for a bit, been recovering ever since...Fat Dad needs to keep running all year round without excuse, especially given that we go skiing between Xmas and New Year's and I'm gonna be a floppy legged mess. During those runs, I'll try to listen to new material each time.

Bin: I'm just going to keep saying "get to NY for a show with JD" until I make it happen. 

JD: See you gents more often with or without a show attached. 

Most Anticipated of 2018:

C: MBV

JD: MBV, No Age, Panda Bear, something surprising

Code: chromatics (i think it's really coming this year), mbv, no age, DOM, CCFX full album

Bronco: Tool. Fourth year's the charm...fuck those guys. It better suck me off when it finally does come out. Also a new Sleep album and a new High on Fire album...still waitin' on those too.

BC: Simple Minds, Vampire Weekend, Kanye

Nasty: Kanye, ASAP Rocky, Rhye, Chromeo, Vampire Weekend

Chap: After a quick glance at the list... Vampire Weekend, Kanye, Chromatics

Larse: Honestly don't even know what is on the horizon, just hope I can listen to it with this net neutrality bullshit!

[k80gage]

Rock N Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon

Sometimes you meet people you just immediately connect with and understand...well that is me and my Flaca. She found me at the pool (surprise surprise) after 70.3 champs. Soul sisters...we hit it off and the rest is history...

OK onto Vegas OH yes the race...I have not decided if I am more upset about missing the glitter or my sub par race....the glitter most definitely the glitter... La Flaca and her Gringas were on our way to Vegas early Saturday am! It would be my very first trip to Vegas! I really never had any desire to go to Vegas...but for a race...well sure! The agenda for the weekend was just to roll with it. Only thing set was the race was at 4:30 PM on Sunday. Yep, an evening race...was not sure how I felt about this. After we landed we checked into the Aria and decided to go to the Expo to get our stuff and then it was down to business...finding wine. After a trip to a shady liqour store and 7-11 for supplies we headed back to the Aria exhausted and starving so hit up the Aria Cafe for lunch and a bottle of wine. I guess we were starting early. A small part of me was wondering how this was going to work...knowing we would be going to see Chainsmokers that night at 10:30 PM...we had a long time to go to start drinking at 2:00 PM...and the race the next day...but it wasn't until 4:30 PM!...hmm. So I rolled with it. Then it was back to the room for girl time and to get ready to hit the town.

First up was Goo Goo Dolls...the pre-race entertainment and free concert. There La Flaca and her Gringas met up with the rest of the group. We were there for about an hour and then headed to Wynn for dinner and then it was off to XS Nightclub for The Chainsmokers. Everyone was getting sleepy....which would make sense at 10:30 PM (1:30am DC time). Annnnd my feet wearing heels were killin me. One we got into the club my energy got a boost. I headed straight to the dance floor...EDM is my jam. After Jenni and I had a couple red bull and vodkas I was far from tired. Next thing you know it is nearing 1:00 AM. UMMM this DJ is awesome but WHERE ARE THE CHAINSMOKERS?! The group was fading and dwindling. Jenni, Dave, Ed and I were not giving in until they came on. Then Dave disappeared. The 3 of us persisted. Then the tired and hurtin feet really set in. We decided to take a break and go outside for a bit. OMG the place was packed...lines around the place to even get onto the dance floor. Then BOOM....GLITTER...and there they were...Chainsmokers. NOOOOOOOO! No way we were getting back in :( AHHHHHH....GLITTER everywhere! ok it was ok....seriously we needed to go to sleep! After a few piggyback races (Dave, maybe Rev3 could add an event and we take it on the road?!) and running around the Wynn barefoot we called an Uber and it was sleepy time. almost 3 AM...tomorrow would be interesting...

I woke up starving at 6:00 AM. Flaca was up and antsy too so we went down and got Starbucks and then decided we should do the all day Aria buffet so we could eat and have coffee when needed. So went for breakfast. I was feeling OK after some food...just tired...maybe this half marathon would be ok. PR...yea prob not. The rest of the day before the race was resting and eating. Then met up with the group and wandered around the strip taking pics. I felt anxious with such a big scene and pre-race poops when the race isn't until 4:30 PM...not cool. Finally it was dusk and time to get into the corrals.

Sarah (who decided to just run with me) and I lined up together and had a good 30 minutes to chit chat. Finally blazes of fire shot out into the sky and we were off. guh. Felt good to move but I felt meh. My hips just felt stiff and sore...not a good sign starting off. This is usually just a sign off me being tired and not having enough reserves in the tank. Sarah and I weaved through people and after about 2 miles had some space. My planned of starting off at 8 minute miles felt hard...another not so good sign. Around mile 4 I maybe felt things shaking off and maybe this would go ok. It was dark and I tried to just enjoy the scene. oh wow it is so dry here, I had been drinking water constantly but my mouth was so dry. I stopped often for water. At the 10K I really had to poop. guh. Not feeling it. Sarah said almost half way! I wanted to hang with her but it was getting hard. I slowed a little. If I was going to finish strong I would have to. Then around mile 7 I looked at my watch and I could not see it. yep, migraine. GREAT. I was not at all surprised. dehydrated, anxious waiting all day for the race. the lights! just the right combo to bring it on. I could do this...only 5 miles to go...with a migraine. It will go away. Lost vision in one eye, then the other, then the face numbness...all of it. Felt like I was running through a nightmare! Mile 9. I am walking...just for a few...ok back to it. And that is how it went until the end. t a half mile to go I pushed it to the end. WOW...that was a serious effort. I felt so nauseated and EXHAUSTED. I really put my body through the ringer today. I called Flaca, who had pretty much the same race experience as I. The two of us hobbled back to the Aria...I was actually nervous several times that she might not make it and I would need to carry her! #teamwork Jenni arrived soon after and it was maybe an hour before we were all fast asleep!

After another day of buffets, a little shake out swim (yes, the retro Vegas pool had fringe for flags), and laying in bed I missed Matias and the kids and was so so ready to come home!

Lesson learned: party AFTER the race. #yolo

[theworstbob]

yellin’ at songs, week thirty-four

in this post WITH A TWIST YOU’LL NEVER SEE COMING, we review the songs which debuted on the billboard chart the weeks of 8.30.1997, 9.1.2007, and 9.2.2017

8.30.1997

40) "All Cired Out," by Allure ft./112

Imagine how dope this would have been a capella. Like, you have a girl group and a boy group. That's at least six singers good enough to sustain their own groups. Why you gotta give this song all the production? Why not let the cavalcade of singers carry this one home? Curse that we're a good 15 years away from Pentatonix making a capella commercially viable! This song could have been something.

46) "Backyard Boogie," by Mack 10

/clears throat /tugs at collar Eh, now this mack should not have returned. /bows to thunderous applause /leaves the stage /audience still applauding /walks back onto stage /tugs at throat /clears collar Eh, now... /audience falls into rapturous, expectant silence This mack? /everyone in the audience is waiting for the words i speak to deliver their salvation /i hold them for a thousand years Should not have returned. /i am anointed Wonderful Comedy Boy /god himself weeps

62) "What About Us," by Total ft./Missy Elliott

Never gonna complain about Missy in YAS, except for the time she cropped up in 2017 and I wasn't into it. I complained about it then, if memory serves. But I only complained about it because it was a Missy song that didn't sound like this, because this song is smooth and fresh and several other outdated descriptors! Also, I haven't made enough a big deal about The Double Decade Dance Club, but, as far as I'm willing to go back through the archives, the folks who've had songs chart in '97, '07, and '17 are Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill. Special consideration is given to Mariah Carey, who doesn't qualify for Decade Dance with no songs charting in '07 but DID have songs debut later in '97 and earlier in '17! Congratulations to those five people on this fake accolade in a blog read by an indeterminate but likely single-digit number!

68) "Around the World," by Daft Punk

Have I had my complaints about electronic music in the 1997 list? Yes. Have I wished for dance music that sounds like something I could dance to? Several times! Does this mean I like Daft Punk? I... I mean, y'all knew I wasn't cool. Like, this sounds fine, I don't disagree with every single thing happening in this song, which is a step up from all the other electronic music, but I connect to this about as much as I do a well-composed track in a video game. I admire how it does its thing, but I'm not attached to this song in any meaningful way, I'm not having any sort of emotional reaction to it. It just sort of exists while I'm hitting buttons. Wait and this is HOW MANY minutes long? Y'all, I'm behind on every single obligation, no thank you.

69) "My Love Is the Shhh!" by Somethin' for the People ft./Trina & Tamara

This is like a staler version of the Missy track we had earlier, and I already opted not to pay attention to the Missy track so I could blather about YAS mythology, I don't know how I'm supposed to come to this song and find something else to say about it. What kind of name is Somethin' for the People, anyway? How do you settle on that as a name? Did literally every other combination of words in the English language fail to please you? I have to access the Iowa Land Records website sometimes, and the captchas they use on that website are delightful words that are almost English but not quite. Today I had to enter Simbang Carrer. I don't understand how you could be given a set of letters and rules which can create Simbang Carrer and think, "No. Somethin' for the People. That is how we identify." I hope they had a rivalry with Nice Songs For Enjoyment.

72) "Don't Say," by Jon B

milquetoast (adj) - a word used by people looking for a synonym for 'bored' that happened to open the thesaurus while they were hungry

73) "As We Lay," by Daha

"I'll be fine," Bob said as he decided to put off writing the entirety of YAS to Wednesday evening. "I know 1997 has 11 songs, but there's no way all of them are going to be '90s R&B! I won't get burnt out by the fifth R&B jam because there will only be five, with enough variety between R&B jams to keep these songs fresh1" Friends, I can admit when I have erred. In my defense: have you listened to Bad Cop/Bad Cop's Warriors? I feel I should be forgiven for making Bad Cop/Bad Cop's Warriors the only thing I've listened to the last five days. This song is pretty okay. I think the beat isn't quite sure what song it belongs to, but it gives this song a unique sound, which, hey, you probably didn't listen to all these songs. You probably don't get how much I treasure something that sounds unique, even if it's a not especially great kind of unique.

78) "Happy with You," by Samantha Cole

HELL YEAH I LOVE THAT SEINFELD-ASS BASS. You know what, song of the year, right here. I feel like this song is the reward for sloughing through Slow R&B Mire, and now I have this upbeat song about the joy of finding another soul in this world and being in that moment with them, and I just, thank you, thank you everyone for creating this moment, for giving me just like a nice song about how good an emotion love is. Yeah, girl, you try to hit that high note! A for effort! A for good song! A+ to your bassist, what a pleasant song!

80) "No Tengo Dinero," by Los Umbrellos

"Los Umbrellos was a Latin pop dance group formed in Denmark" Um "It was led by the rapper Al Agami, the exiled crown prince of the small African enclave of Africa" UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM DID SOMEONE SEE THAT NO ONE HAD WRITTEN AN ARTICLE ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR GROUP AND JUST SAID "I'LL TAKE TO WIKIPEDIA!" AND JUST MADE SHIT UP? DANISH LATIN POP GROUP "The song hit #1 in Austria" OK, that I'll believe, knowing what I know about Austrian music that absolutely tracks, this is the trash they love in Austria. But no seriously DANISH. LATIN. POP. GROUP.

86) "Piece of My Heart," by Shaggy ft./Marsha

Oh hell yeah. This is everything the "I Shot the Sherrif" cover wasn't. Like, that was a song that wasn't quite sure what it wanted to do with the song, but you know what this does? You know what made me laugh in my apartment? It took the Janis Joplin cover, it gave it the reggae backing, it did the "COME ON! COME ON! COME ON! COME ON!" thing, and that led RIGHT INTO A GODDAMNED SHAGGY VERSE. LIKE HELL YEAH. That's the music version of the hidden blocks in Kaizo Mario. Just get dunked on. "COME ON, COME ON, COME ON, COME ON," and then it turns out we were building up to Shaggy. That was beautiful. Like, this kinda garbages up a standard, but I don't care, it's hella fun.

88) "I Care 'Bout You," by Milestone

Yep. Yeah, there's about only one way 1997 could end. "Sometimes I feel so alone/I call your heart but there's no one at home." Oh absoLUTEly fuck off.

9.1.2007

38) "You Are the Music in Me," Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgens 60) "Gotta Go My Own Way," Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgens 66) "Bet on It," Zac Efron 74) "I Don't Dance," Corbin Bleu & Lucas Grabeel 90) "Everyday," Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgens 92) "All for One," High School Musical 2

Even in 2007, I was already too old, as well as a tad bit too straight, to have any opinion on the High School Musical series. But! While I have gotten approximately 10 years older in the intervening ten years, I like to think I've become substantially gayer, so HERE WE GO. Honestly, HSM as a franchise is inoffensive fun. I enjoyed the first movie when I was of an appropriate age to have watched it, I enjoyed the clips from the second film as a 28-year-old alone in an apartment, and "Bet on It" is a classic piece of American filmmaking that should be taught in schools. I’m not afraid to say it: High School Musical is great, and we are going to be so grateful if the world lasts long enough for the ‘00s nostalgia wave to hit and create the 20-year High School Musical reunion and/or reboot movies.

46) "Clothes Off!" Gym Class Heroes ft./Patrick Stump

So this song is breezy fun, almost certainly the song of the week were it not for the fact "Bet on It" belongs in every museum, but it does sort of foretell the disappointing direction in which Travis McCoy would venture, dunnit? "Cupid's Chokehold" is this equally fun song about a neurotic, emokiddy person finding love in this crazy world, and it's not the most sophisticated thing in the world, but it's a nice song with a distinct feel, and then there's this party jam about gettin' naked, and it's like, alright, I dig this party jam, but you're gonna go back to, y'know, the emo stuff, right? But they never did. They made one really dope song and then just made this forever.

98) "So Small," Carrie Underwood

Finally: an inspirational ballad from a female country singer. Don't think I've heard one of those yet from 2007. Great times.

9.2.2017

42) "Silence," by Marshmello ft./Khalid

This is a sensitive EDM jam like all the other sensitive EDM jams. I'm still lukewarm on Khalid as a whole, like I think he does a fine job on this song but I don't understand why he's this whole thing, don't really get what he brought to this song that no one else could, but honestly that doesn't matter when I probably couldn't discern this from a Chainsmokers joint. Y'all have fun with this one, teens. Y'all do you.

88) "More Girls Like You," by Kip Moore

Hold up. Hold up. Can we talk about the amazing mixed similie in the first verse? "I've been livin' like a wild old Mustang out in Montana fields" A mustang is a horse. He is comparing himself to a wild horse. Understandable, and hey -- interesting spin on the usual back road cliche! Montana is the state equivalent of a back road. Quality shitty songwriting! "Mighta earned me a bad reputation, but never stopped these wheels" A mustang is a car. So he's a Ford Mustang in Montana? I mean I guess? Always good to compare yourself to an American-made automobile in country music. "I'm like a Camry runnin' with a full tank!" said no country star ever. "From rollin' and goin' too far/From runnin' and gunnin' too hard" OK, so he's a car, I recognize these as car terms, you gun engines, I get that, I remember the word rollin' playing a starring role in the Chamillionaire standard "Ridin'," I guess I got that part wrong at the start. Definitely a car. "So unreigned, so untamed" WHAT A HECKIN' TWIST HE WAS HORSE THIS WHOLE TIME?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!? Man, this song is trash.

92) "Something New," by Wiz Khalifa ft./Ty Dolla $ign

"Girl, you look just like something out a magazine/You smell great, know your body clean" ...Di, um, excuse me, but did Wiz Khalifa just compare his girl to the perfume samples that sometimes come in magazines? Anyway, this song sure existed for three minutes.

95) "Untouchable," by YoungBoy Never Broke Again

Various other videos call this man NBA YoungBoy, and with respect to the choices he has made, I am going to refer to him as that from here on out, assuming we hear from him again, which, hey, he's not the worst of the mumble-rap cohort! I kinda feel bad calling him mumble-rap, because this song actually goes more than one place, and that's at least him mumbling! No auto-tune over a trap beat, an actual human being mumbling over a fairly compelling track. Beat's really good, this might be the first song that actually held my attention for all three minutes. Don't know who produced this, but I hope that person goes just a bit farther than NBA YoungBoy.

97) "I Could Use a Love Song," by Maren Morris

I really wish the first six seconds of "Sugar" could be a single. The rest of the song is good, too, but those first six seconds are goddamned flames. I think it's important for you to know that Maren Morris is way more compelling than this song. It's fine, but like we had "Every Little Thing" two weeks ago, y'know? Like, the music video talks through the song, and I don't... blame it? It's OK! Just slight.

98) "Fix a Drink," by Chris Janson

OH FUCK THIS DUDE AND HIS "ROCKABYE"-ASS SPOKEN WORD NONSENSE. This is stupid. This is stupid, and I'm stupid for ever complaining about the preponderance of '90s R&B I've foisted upon myself. It has a sense of humor decidedly sub-Toby Keith. Congratulations on being able to make beer.

100) "Woke Up Like This," by Playboy Carti ft./Lil Uzi Vert

Billboard didn't classify any songs as either debuts or re-entries, songs that weren't on the chart last week simply didn't have an arrow next to the name and I had to guess if they were actually new or retreads of previously released songs. Like, I could have sworn I had to deal with Kip Moore, but that's prolly just 'cuz it sounds like the rest of bro country's nonsense. So I can't tell if this is a new song because they restyled the title or if this is an actual new version of "Woke Up Like This," but I'ma just go ahead and assume my initial assessment of this dude being boring still holds. I can’t believe an entity called NBA YoungBoy won the 2017 Song of the Week title. I can’t... I... Oh. Hold up.

Who won the week?

Did High School Musical 2 just win this one for 2007. Did 2007 really produce the best songs because this was the week High School Musical 2 dropped. It’s not 2017 because the highest grade I’m willing to give “Untouchable” is C+. It’s not 1997 because there was “Happy with You” and a lot of interchangeable nothings. Holy cats. 2007 won High School Musical 2 Week. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe I’m going to say, of the three years, 2007, BASED SOLELY ON THE STRENGTH OF HIGH SCHOOL GODS DAMNED MUSICAL 2, WON THIS FAKE ACCOLADE ON THIS LITTLE-READ BLOG. I forgot “Clothes Off!” dropped this week. This is all HSM2. Wow. What a week this turned out to be. When I was makin’ these lists, when I saw all the High School Musical 2 droppin’, I said, “2007 is dead in the water.” BUTCHA KNOW WHAT HAPPENED?!

2017: 12 1997: 11 2007: 11

2007 has won three of the last four weeks. Don’t call it a comeback, because 2007 never left. History is permanent, it would be weird if the entirety of 2007 disappeared even for a second. And next week, the last selection remaining from HSM2, “Fabulous,” will team up with 50 Cent to take on “Barbie Girl” and what appears to be /sigh/ an Avicii tune. Will the dream die? FIND OUT!

[voodoochili]

A Special, EXTRA BIG Edition of Reviewing the Hits (2016/2017)

It’s that time again! It’s time to review every song that topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 2016. Wait, you’re saying “that time again” passed sometime in December, or at the very least January, when people still gave a shit about reviewing the year that was? Fair enough. In my defense, I like to let the dust settle a bit on these hits before I review them to try to get a big picture on the previous year’s pop trends. Either that, or I am unforgivably lazy. Probably a combination of the two. My apologies to my three or so loyal readers who look forward to this column every year!

As a special treat, and so people might actually want to read this in May 2017, I’m not only gonna review all of last year’s number ones, but review all of the current year′s number ones up to this point as well. Relevance! 

Just gonna do a quick rundown of 2016 (and I guess 2017), because it already feels like a billion years ago, but the most important trend on the charts in 2016 was the appropriation of Caribbean styles of music, particularly dancehall, into mainstream pop music. Hooray! Another fun, vibrant style of music for the pop charts to chew up and spit out until Ed Sheeran thinks it’s ok to use it.

The parallel story was the resurgence of Hip-Hop, the biggest beneficiary of new Billboard methodology that rewards stream counts as much as radio play. There are still many issues about Billboard methodology and the weighting and averaging of certain metrics over others, but the inclusion of streaming seems to me to be a positive development. Despite the surge in popularity of Hip-Hop in recent years, Top 40 radio is as segregated as it ever has been. Radio programmers are completely stuck in their ways, and less willing than they once were to shift genre or format boundaries to accommodate a rising hit song. The influence of streaming forces programmers hands, but they often don’t succumb to the popularity of the latest Hip-Hop or dance track until well after many genre fans are sick of it. Still, radio programmers still have control over what they play, and this can create a weird incongruity between the top song on the Billboard charts and the top song on the airplay chart--”Panda” and “Black Beatles” topped the charts, but you weren’t exactly hearing those tracks at shopping malls.

I guess what I’m getting at is this: Billboard is the culture now! Songs that would peaked in the outer reaches of the top 40 five years ago routinely reach the top ten--”Broccoli,” “2 Phones,””Don’t Mind,” “XO Tour Llif3″etc. Sometimes when I look at the charts these days, it feels like Billboard charts 80 of the most popular songs in America and leaves it to Complex and The FADER to pick the rest.

Edited to add: Can’t believe I forgot to mention this the first time around, but we are currently amidst a record run of men topping the Billboard chart. It’s been nearly a year since Sia topped the charts with “Cheap Thrills” and since The Chainsmokers’ and Halsey’s “Closer” came off the number one spot, there haven’t even been any female featured artists. I honestly have no idea what to make of this, and I have to think that it’s a blip. Hopefully, this will change soon and it won’t take another Taylor Swift or Adele to wrest the Billboard charts away from the grubby hands of Drake and Ed Sheeran and the rest of their male friends.

Anyway, onto the hits.

2016 - Pirates of the Caribbean

“Hello” – Adele; 11/14/15-1/16/16 (10 weeks)

Wrote about this song in last year’s recap! Here’s what I said (I still agree with most of it, though I probably would dock a point off the final score):

“Adele is the biggest star in music.  It’s taken as a given nowadays, but let’s take a moment to contemplate how strange this is.  Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Beyoncé have bigger Internet cults of personality and maybe more “cultural relevance,” but Adele is the only true four-quadrant star in today’s music business.  Adele is treated like a unicorn by the music press—“so she sold 3 million albums, but Adele is the exception.” Well, yeah, she’s the exception now, but she didn’t magically fall from the sky on a pile of platinum albums.  She developed.  She stopped being that Amy Winehouse-imitator that many pegged her as when she first came to America in 2009, and developed her own take on that retro-style, foregoing the brassy horns of ‘60s soul in favor of the revealing songwriting and acoustic bombast of ‘70s singer/songwriters like Carole King.  People these days seem to forget that Tapestry sold more albums than Off The Wall.  Adele’s unique combination of affable and engaging personality, polished songcraft and unmistakable voice got her to the top of the music world, but she’s no unicorn.  There can and probably will be another Adele, but only if they can belt out choruses as memorable as “Hello.”

Now for “Hello”: It’s alright.  The chorus is great and ridiculously fun to sing along to and the song and the production perfectly build until the chorus explodes.  Still, is this a song or just a chorus?  The verse lyrics do not add much to the chorus and they don’t provide a coherent emotional arc and too often it seems like Adele and her backing band are biding time until the chorus comes again.  Still, what a chorus!”

7/10

Justin Bieber - “Sorry”; 1/23-2/6 (3 Weeks)

A deceptively simple pop song with three chords, a dancehall beat, lots of cool sounds courtesy of Skrillex, and a maddeningly catchy chorus, “Sorry” feels like it should be better than it is. After a quatrain of massive hits in ‘15 and ‘16, Bieber enjoyed something of a critical rehabilitation, especially since most of pop radio seems engineered to recreate the hitmaking magic of “Sorry.” If you haven’t heard yet, Justin is an adult now, who likes to sing about “mature” subjects without any emotional maturity. I’ll give props to the man for trendspotting, but I’m not quite sold on his transformation. The superficially earnest and skin-deep faux-introspective lyrics are a bigger problem in his follow up hit, but the main thing that sidelines “Sorry” is Justin’ vocal, which is overly breathy, melodramatic, and often irritating. Still, it’s hard to deny the chorus melody and the production by Skrillex and Blood strikes an impressive balance between bubblegum pop and the harder-edged sounds for which Skrillex is famous. I don’t need to hear this song ever again, but it doesn’t make me mad.

5/10

Justin Bieber - “Love Yourself”; 2/13, 2/27 (2 Weeks)

“Love Yourself,” co-written by Ed Sheeran and produced with admirable restraint by Benny Blanco, recently won “Best Lyrics” in the 2017 IHeartRadio awards. Leaving aside award-winning couplets like “You think you broke my heart, oh girl for goodness sake/You think I'm crying on my own, well I ain't” and the censored title insult, “Love Yourself” is a cripplingly, hopelessly petulant song. It’s “methinks the lady doth protest too much” in musical form. To his credit, the Biebs does a decent job selling the performance--whatever sweetness there is comes from his voice not the composition. The stripped down arrangement, with amateurish, whispy electric guitar and a trumpet teleported in from a happier song, shines a spotlight on the nasty and vindictive words. I’m thinking that whomever Justin is singing about isn’t missing him too much.

2/10

Zayn - “Pillowtalk”; 2/20 (1 Week)

For a minute there it felt like 2016 would be dominated by former teen stars who are now all-too-proud to boast “Hey, I’m having sex now!” through their music. "Pillowtalk” is an oversung, oversexed, overproduced slog--clocking in at 3:25 that feels like an eternity. It aims for “Climax,” by Usher, but it barely reaches “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons. The song is called “Pillowtalk,” Zayn, so please stop shouting at me!

2/10

Rihanna - “Work” ft. Drake; 3/5-4/30 (9 Weeks)

A refreshingly minimalist, slinky slice of music box dancehall from the best damn pop star working. Nobody stood out on the radio in 2016 like Rihanna. The songs that tried to imitate “Work”--oh and there were plenty--failed to capture the confident spontaneity, effortless melodicism, and sheer force of personality exhibited by RiRi on the track. Most importantly, and the thing that makes “Work” such a radio standout, the producers know to stay out of Rihanna’s way, barely embellishing the original “Sail Away” riddim and letting the diva do her thing. “Work” sails towards a 10, but then Drake shows up to talk his favorite subject: what the object of his affection “used to” do. Ease up, man.

8/10

Desiigner - “Panda”; 5/7-5/14 (2 Weeks)

A bombastic trap anthem from an excitable Brooklyn teenager on the mic and a former Mancunian cell phone salesman behind the boards, “Panda” is one of the more unlikely number ones in a while. Desiigner bought the beat that eventually became “Panda” from producer Menace for the low low price of $200, after discovering the beat on YouTube. The track quickly caught fire, reaching the ear of Kanye West, who slapped his own version onto The Life of Pablo. Strangely enough, “Panda” caught more heat than any of Kanye’s solo tracks, climbing up the charts to become first solo rap hit to reach the top of the Hot 100 since 2011 (Wiz Khalifa, “Black & Yellow).

All that stuff is super cool and all, but besides the origin story, I'm fairly conflicted about this song. There are some truly unique aspects to the track that help me understand why it caught on so quickly. In an era where artists are encouraged to throw a hook at you right off the bat, it takes some balls for Desiigner to let the beat build--holding back for the first 40 or so seconds of the track, letting the natural contours of the instrumental and his wild ad-libs do the work. Did I say natural contours of the instrumental? Yeah, the beat is great. At first blush, it seems a bit rudimentary, but so few radio rap tracks actually have any dynamics--they’re all full steam ahead all the time. It’s refreshing and kinda weird to hear the LOUDquietLOUD formula that’s been done to death in alt-rock in a trap song.

But overall, despite the more interesting aspects, the whole of “Panda” is just garden-variety trap, but without the hook that makes trap music interesting--a unique personality. Desiigner can’t help if his rhythmic baritone sounds similar in timbre to Future, but he uses the EXACT SAME FLOW as Future as well. In fact, I bet there are STILL people out there who think that “Panda” is a Future song and the fact that it topped the charts before any real Future song feels a little bit like Pat Boone’s “Tutti Frutti” outselling Little Richard’s.

6/10

Drake - “One Dance” ft. Wizkid & Kyla: 5/14, 6/4-7/30 (10 weeks)

Leave it Drake to litter a scorching sample and piano loop with his atonal ramblings, magically transforming a potential banger into a Pavlovian stimulus to change the station. Do me a favor and listen to the original instead.

3/10

Justin Timberlake - “Can’t Stop The Feeling”: 5/21 (1 Week)

Like Pharrell’s “Happy,” JT’s “Can’t Stop The Feeling” is a feel-good cash grab from the soundtrack to a kids’ movie. Also like “Happy,” it’s a song that sounds a lot more like a jingle from a Coca-Cola commercial than a pop song that has any business near the radio. JT is a more engaging performer than Pharrell, so this has some sterile charm (and I dig the finger snaps), but mostly, this song is the sound of a once-great pop star grasping for a niche in today’s crowded marketplace now that the other Justin captured his sex appeal and Bruno Mars eclipsed him as the most beloved translator of ‘80s R&B slickness.

4/10

Sia - “Cheap Thrills” ft. Sean Paul: 8/6-8/27 (4 Weeks)

The second catchiest dancehall-influenced track to top the charts in 2016! (Due respect to “Work,” get lost “One Dance”). With the sound of pop music ever drifting toward the Caribbean, it was inevitable that one of pop music’s biggest dancehall crossover stars would rear his head for a comeback. And voila! Here is Sean-a Paul bringing back his bi-di-bam-bam to the pop charts, livening up an otherwise blah track. Sia, as usual, delivers a solid melody and a strong vocal, but the backing track is punchless with no memorable instrumental hooks and a barely noticeable rhythm section.

5/10

The Chainsmokers - “Closer” ft. Halsey: 9/3-11/19 (12 weeks)

When future social scientists study the popular music of America in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, they will find that a single turning point plunged the quality of the artform into an irreversible decline: the moment that one dude from the Chainsmokers psyched himself up in the mirror and convinced himself he could sing.

2/10

Rae Sremmurd - “Black Beatles” ft. Gucci Mane: 11/26-12/31; 1/14/17 (7 Weeks)

I’M A FUCKIN’ BLACK BEATLE CREAM SEATS IN THE REGAL ROCKIN’ JOHN LENNON LENSES LIKE TO SEE ‘EM SPREAD EAGLE...

ahem. excuse me.

It’s hard for me to retain my critical faculties when listening to this song, but I’ll try my hardest to succinctly describe why I think "Black Beatles” is one of the greatest rap songs of the past decade or so. 

First, Mike WiLL’s beat--with those strange, Eastern-style modal ascending fourths, the Glass-like arpeggiated synth riff that hangs in the air, the brilliant use of negative space in the bottom that transforms any room into a haze-filled cavern, those hi-hats that sound like a million monkeys crafting a masterpiece on a million typewriters...I can go on and on.

Second, I would like to congratulate Swae Lee and company for creating a five minute long song where nearly every moment is a hook. Seriously, there are at least seven or eight lines in Swae’s verse that could be the key line in a massive single (”New day, new money to be made,” “Like clockwork, I blow it all” “She think she love me, I think she trollin’”).

Third, while this might feel like a participation trophy for Gucci Mane and Slim Jxmmi, it’s not. Slim’s absurd lyrics and crazy high energy provide the perfect anchor lap, and Gucci’s verse provides some twisty wordplay as the cream filling the Rae Sremmurd oreo.

Are Rae Sremmurd the next Beatles? Probably not. Are they the trap N’Sync? Warmer. Either way, here’s to many more number one hits and trashed hotel rooms for these crazy kids, who hopefully never grow up.

9/10

2017 - THE YEAR THAT IS NOW

The Weeknd - “Starboy” ft. Daft Punk: 1/7 (1 Week)

In which Abel Tesfaye chops off his famous ‘do and magically transforms into Tears For Fears. Three-and-a-half minutes of build-up that never quite resolves into a climax. I’m not sure what Abel was going for with that chorus--”starboy” is a silly phrase that the song demands you take very seriously. I’m sorry--to me a “starboy” calls to mind the “Star Child” from the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey or a superhero’s sidekick. Maybe he’s trying evoke David Bowie (”staaaarmaaan”), but this is a lot more Starship than Stardust.

5/10

Migos - “Bad and Boujee” ft. Lil Uzi Vert: 1/21, 2/4-2/11 (3 Weeks)

A sinister, cavernous, evil trap banger like this topping the Billboard charts?--momma we made it. This year, people finally realized that putting three uniquely talented, rappin’-ass-rappin’ emcees who finish each others sentences and help each other out with absurd ad-libs on every track was a very good idea. Failing that, just grab Quavo and let him sang. As great as Quavo is on everything, and he comes through here with a brilliant secondary hook (”yeah..dat way”), the real star of “Bad and Boujee” is Offset, who peppers Metro Boomin’s track with rhythmic witticisms and provides the year’s most memeable chorus. As for Lil Uzi Vert (eyeaaah)...well... it would have been nice to hear Takeoff on this track, but no matter, he shines on the follow-up hit, and our nation’s new national anthem, “T-Shirt.”

Is Migos better than The Beatles? No. Is “Bad and Boujee” better than “Black Beatles”? Almost.

9/10.

Ed Sheeran - “Shape of You”: 1/28, 2/18-4/29 (12 Weeks)

RIP Dancehall (1985-2017) -- Killed by a charmless, rhythmically challenged chia pet and the tinniest, rinky-dinkiest production to ever top the charts.

1/10

Kendrick Lamar - “HUMBLE.”: 5/6 (1 Week)

Considering all that Kendrick Lamar has done in the past five years, it’s kind of remarkable that people were concerned that Kendrick Lamar might have to sand off his rougher edges to achieve mainstream acceptance. Well, here he is in 2017, the biggest pure rap star in the world, and he gets his first number one, not with an attempted crossover but with a lyrical exercise, with a spare, pounding, piano beat by Mike WiLL Made It. Kendrick’s long-awaited successor to “Backseat Freestyle,” “HUMBLE.” is a bracing listen with the rapper delivering memorable line after memorable line in lockstep with the beat. “HUMBLE.” doesn’t quite have the emotional range or level of detail as some of the better songs on DAMN., but then again, I can’t think of a number one hit since the heyday of B.I.G. that has this level of pure, athletic rapping.

8/10

Bruno Mars - “That’s What I Like”: 5/13 (1 Week)

I’ve been doing this post every year for over a decade, and in that time, Bruno Mars has had SEVEN number one hits. So I’ve had plenty of chances to write about Bruno and I’ve made my opinion on him very clear: dude is a skilled craftsman and talented performer who’s never had an original idea in his oft-fedora’d head. In the past, I’ve levied that as a criticism, but now...I kinda like the dude. All it took for me to change my opinion was for Bruno to stop aping people like Billy Joel and start aping people like Zapp and Roger, or the Gap Band, or Teddy Pendergrass. “That’s What I Like” echoes the adult-oriented R&B of the ‘80s, but it doesn’t feel like as much of a retread as Bruno’s other big hits—borrowing stylistic elements but not in an obvious way. It’s a well-constructed song, written in 2/2 time with jazzy chords, endearingly dumb lyrics (“wake up with no jammies” “Julio cook that scampi”), and a big fat ‘80s-style analog synth on the bridge. What’s not to like?

8/10

DJ Khaled – “I’m The One” ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper, and Lil Wayne: 5/20 (1 Week)

Ever the master of A-List posse cuts, DJ Khaled built upon his recent Snapchat celebrity and earned his first number one hit with this beach bbq-ready slice of summer. This is possibly the most impressive combination of talent that Khaled has ever assembled on a song...so why is this so boring? I like most of the individual parts in the song, though I could really do without Bieber’s Caribbean patois at the end, but they come together to form this overlong mish mash. The main culprit, unfortunately, is the instrumental from Nic Nac, who I normally like a lot, which uses and abuses the ‘50s doo wop chord progression without dressing it up with sounds to make it more novel or interesting. I’m happy for Chance and Khaled for earning a #1, and I won’t change the station when it comes on, but “I’m The One” is overstuffed, brimming with wasted potential.

5/10

Luis Fonsi – “Despacito” (Remix) ft. Daddy Yankee & Justin Bieber: 5/27-6/10 (3 Weeks [so far])

The first Spanish-language track to top the Billboard charts since the “Macarena” propelled Bill Clinton to victory over Bob Dole in 1996, “Despacito” is an infectious, if rote, slice of Latin Pop, anchored by Puerto Rican cuatro and an expressive vocal from Luis Fonsi (who I’d embarrassingly never heard of before hearing this song). As the American monoculture fragments into dozens of competing scenes and genres vying for attention, the Billboard reign of “Despacito” demonstrates the positive effects of putting the charts in the hands of streamers instead of radio programmers.

Then again, those dastardly programmers had to sully this with a Justin Bieber intro. I understand that adding Justin Bieber to “Despacito” was the only way to convince English-speaking radio to play it, but its melody is plenty strong enough to stand on its own. The original version benefits from the counterweight between Fonsi’s verse and Daddy Yankee’s rap, which the Bieber intro throws out of whack. Add the fact that Bieber seems to lack respect for the original artists and it looks like a transparent cash grab from a guy who probably doesn’t need the cash. Still, 30 seconds at the beginning of the song can’t take away from the remarkable achievement from the two artists, nor the the Cuatro wizardry of Luis Fonsi.

6/10

BEST #1 of 2016: “Black Beatles”

WORST #1 of 2016: Lots of competition, but let’s go with “Pillowtalk,” narrowly edging “Closer”

BEST/WORST of 2017 coming at the end of the year--this is shaping up to become one of the best ever years for number 1 hits (no thanks to you, Ed).