#really is one of my favorite genres of music

[timdrakesbussy]

Some of my™ Stardew Valley HCs

TW: mention of miscarriages

Emily listens to all kinds of music but despite not looking like it, she mainly listens to heavy metal. It's one of the thing that brought her and Shane's early friendship together. And because of that, Haley shares a bit of fondness to the genre that she enjoys Sam's band (but don't tell him. this will mess with her rep).

Sam is pretty educated when it comes to literature, and English was always his favorite subject when he was in school. He's the main songwriter of his band and while Sebastian could also write, Sam manages to be witty and clever with his lyrics. Other than storytelling through song, he loves his double and triple entendres. Suffice to say, he could get along pretty well with Elliott and it's one of the reason why Penny loves hanging out with him.

Ever since she was a child, Maru thinks that Sebastian is really cool and she wants to be like him one way or another. Of course, she still wants to be herself but Sebastian is just so damn cool. During her time at school, she made herself learn how to ride a motorcycle using a friend's bike because she knew Sebastian would never lend her his.

Elliott was from an esteemed family from a foreign land (just Stardew's equivalent of Europe tbh) and was a licensed lawyer until he stopped to be a writer. Needless to say, his family are not happy by this sudden decision. Not that he needs their opinion on the matter, he was pushing thirty when he made this decision.

Harvey was an ER doctor in Zuzu City until the incident™. He knew that with his line of job, he can't save everyone. However, he can't help but feel guilty and terrible afterwards. Which is why he has routine check-ups for the villagers, and if they can't visit him, then he will visit them. You cannot escape him because he will find you (affectionate).

Both Haley and Alex believed that at one point, they actually liked each other romantically. But when they had their first kiss together, they realized that they weren't meant to be. They have this deep platonic connection that even Emily doesn't really understand, but she's happy that her baby sister have someone she can rely on and trust for all her life.

Robin takes pride in her name even if her parents weren't supportive over her work at first. She have Sebastian share her last name, and when she married Demetrius, she hyphenated their surnames instead of just taking his.

Demetrius and Sebastian were close when he was a child. Sebastian was an overly curious and precocious boy and Demetrius was happy that he could share something with his stepson, their interest in biology. Although Sebastian was squeamish and even almost cried when he dissected a frog, he managed to calm him down. And even after their mutual parting as Sebastian grew older, he's the only one who knows what Demetrius' favorite animal is: moonlight jellies.

Jodi and Kent were teenagers when they had Sam. Jodi came from a highly conservative and religious family so they forced them to marry after Jodi gave them the news that she was pregnant. As they were teens, Kent took any odd jobs he could get in the city, from a corner-store clerk to a garbage man. Until he got offered into joining the military.

Pam was a trucker before she became a bus driver. In fact, she met Penny's dad in the business. But in her childhood, she was in multiple beauty pageants and even into her adulthood, she knows how to hairdo. She helped Penny with her hair since she was a child and hope that she could still do Penny's hair in her future wedding, whenever that is.

Alex's mom had multiple miscarriages before she have him, and that was into her ten years of marriage. She was beyond ecstatic with his birth that she immediately called her aging parents who also shared her happiness, they then invited her to the Valley a few days after Alex was born so they could celebrate in the Mullners' house. Lewis heard about the news and asked if they wanted to celebrate in the Saloon in which Evelyn denied because Clara wanted a small celebration with just her family.

Abigail is the only marriageable candidate to be born in the Valley. Sebastian moved in not long after Maru was born so he was close to her as he was the only child her age at that time. Penny moved in when she was seven with her parents until her dad left when she was ten. Haley moved in when she was ten years old while Sam moved in a year after. Alex often visited his grandparents but he officially moved in after Clara's death in his pre-teens. The rest moved in as adults.

Similarly to Alex, Shane only ever visited and stayed for a while in the Valley until he needed to take care of Jas. He wasn't close with his parents and they never tried to be anyways, Marnie is always the mother figure he has. So other than Marnie and Jas, the only people he considered as his family was Jas' parents. Her father, whom he met and befriended in college (as he was his roommate, before they mutually dropped out) and her mother whom he wasn't very close to at first until they both find comradery in bullying (affectionate) Jas' father.

#stardew valley #sdv #stardew valley headcanons #sdv headcanons #sdv bachelorettes #sdv bachelors #sdv emily #sdv sam #sdv maru #sdv sebastian #sdv elliott #sdv harvey #sdv haley #sdv alex #sdv robin #sdv demetrius #sdv jodi #sdv kent #sdv pam #sdv penny #sdv evelyn #sdv george #sdv abigail #sdv shane

[pubbamoon]

Venus signs and your music taste

Hey! Hope you're doing well. This is going to be the first (and maybe last, haha) post about astrology, 'cause I've been into that thing for five years, I guess. Since I'm interested in music, my first astrology observation will be about how someone's Venus sign can affect someone's music taste. It's also a Friday, a Venus-ruled day. So, let's go!? This is based on the tropical/western astrology. Take it as it resonates and leave what doesn't.

Venus in Aries: Oh well, that's the wild one! People with this Venus may love listening to kind of music which makes them confident, or you should use the music this way. Aries naturally rules over the 1st house of self and personality, so you guys with Aries Venus might listen to the song/music which resonates to your character or describes your life path. On the other hand, you may love energetic and bold type of music that can move you, something like EDM or Dance music!? Venus is in detriment in Aries, which is not a good sign in default. That means you might love type of music that is not well perceived by the music critics. You may also love rap/hip-hop music as well.

Venus in Taurus: Venus is in domicile in Taurus, which means that Venus is in own sing since it naturally rules over Taurus sign (and the 2nd house as well). This is a great sign for Venus to be in, music literally runs in your blood (take it as it resonates). You may love the type of music that grounds you and makes you peaceful. You can also prefer quality over quantity and listen to the songs that has some value or quality. Overall, you might love listening to music that is perceived as normal, stable or even predictable. Taurus is an earth sign, after all. Venus in Gemini: This sign rules the 3rd house of communication, words and self-expression, so you might prefer the lyrics when it comes to music. It doesn't have to be the case with all of you with Gemini Venus, but it can be (lol, what was that?). You may love to listen to the music that is relatable to you and your life circumstances. Your favorite artists could be singer-songwriters, who put their own lyrics first and who express themself freely. You can also listen to the different kind of music, since Gemini is the mutable sign, represented by the twins, which makes Gemini a dual sign. Your music taste is really versatile with this placement.

Venus in Cancer: You may love emotional type of music that gives you some kind of comfort. Cancer rules the 4th house of comfort and emotions, which makes sense. Moon is the natural ruler of Cancer and is associated with the homeland, which means that when it comes to music, you might listen to traditional or even patriarchal type of music that is related to you birth land/country or you love listening to the songs where your homeland is celebrated. Your favorite music genre could be folk, country or any other music genre that relates to your culture. Finally, you may love music that sounds familiar or nostalgic and this could mean listening to the retro music from the older times.

Venus in Leo: Similar with the Aries Venus, you may love listening to the music that boosts your confidence. Since Leo rules over the 5th house of creativity and hobbies, you don't like to be told what to listen to and don't rely on trends. You might also like romantic type of music, 'cause 5th house is associated with romance and short-term relationships. Your music playlist could be filled with a lot of shiny and bright songs that give you joy.

Venus in Virgo: I can sense that you are so picky while choosing the songs for playlists or while listening to the music in general. You may seek for perfection in every part of the song, the perfect lyrics, perfect instrumentals, perfect production etc. I feel like you always read the reviews written by music critics before choosing to listening anything, 'cause you're all so skeptical and suspicious. Venus is debilitated/in fall in Virgo, which means that Virgo is the worst sign possible for Venus. This basically correlates everything that I said about this placement.

Venus in Libra: Another domiciled position for Venus, which is great. Libra is a people-oriented sign and it rules over the 7th house of partnerships, marriage and long-term relationships, so you may love listening to songs with this type of themes. You might also like love songs or collaborations. It can be hard sometimes to choose what's your favorite artist, 'cause it seems to me that you may like both or every artist the same way, which makes sense since Libra is all about balancing things in our life.

Venus in Scorpio: First of all, it feels that you're pretty passionate about music. Second of all, you may like intense, dark type of music and your favorite artist is likely who can express raw emotions. You possibly hide your music playlist on Spotify (or on any other platforms) because of shame or you just don't want people to see you music taste. The themes of songs you may like to hear in songs are mostly breakups, criminal, transformations etc. You may listen to music to heal your wounds too. You may also feel like you rise like a Phoenix when you listen to the music.

Venus in Sagittarius: This placement tells me that you may possibly like optimistic type of music which is made for parties. The songs you listen to might be translucent or airy which make you want to dance or jump. The songs you like could also have deep meaning, since Sagittarius and 9th house are associated with philosophies, knowledge and wisdom. You may like music with a good atmosphere or which can make you feel good. This is such a funny and adventurous placement, love that.

Venus in Capricorn: It seems to me that you might have a serious approach when it comes to music. You may like quality, elegant, or even classical music (this won't apply for everyone). You don't mind when a particular song lasts more than five minutes, you even like to listen to long songs, 'cause Saturn represents longevity. By saying that, you like to listen to the music that ages like fine wine. Maybe you like to read reviews before listening to song or album. I have this placement in my tropical natal chart and I check the reviews out before listening to the whole body of work, haha lol.

Venus in Aquarius: Hmm, I think there's two sides of this placement. The first ones with this placement love to listen to experimental and eccentric type of music. When it comes to music, they like to stand out from the crowd and listen to something what is considered weird by societal norms. Aquarius sign always reminds me of the hippie culture from the 1960s. The second ones having this placements are one of the basic people out there, they listen to something that everyone listens to and they don't mind following the trends. Mind you that Aquarius rules the 11th house of the collective, masses of people, so it's not unusual for Aquarius Venus people to listen to something that is mainstream.

Venus in Pisces: Venus is exalted in Pisces, which means that Venus functions well here. Pisces rules over the 12th house of foreign culture, something hidden, and it's also associated with oceans. This tells me that you may like more listening to the music that comes from the different land or culture than yours. You can use music to heal yourself or to process your deep emotions. Similar with Scorpio Venus, you may also hide your music playlist from everyone else, 'cause you value privacy when it comes to the thing you love. This placement can indicate great taste of music or listening to the bunch of artists who aren't mainstream or who express their emotions.

That is everything I have to write. Hope you like this observation of mine. Make sure to care about yourself and do something you love to do. It's Friday, the Venus-ruled day after all.

Best regards,

Paky McGee

#Venus #VenusInSigns #Astrology #tropical astrology #western astrology #astro notes #astro observations #astroblr #astro community

[xenteaart]

contemplating mediocrity

pairing: idol!chan x reader (gn but written with f!reader in mind) word count: 0,9k genre/warnings: er, hurt to comfort, use of "baby", self-doubt, honestly not much else, pretty pg-13 author's note: heavily inspired by @withleeknow 's last seungmin fic, i couldn't handle the angst and needed to comfort myself fkdjfkdjfk. also it kinda made me reflect on why it hurt so bad so i guess this fic is a little support and comfort thingy for everyone who might not be feeling "enough". before reading you might wanna check out the inspo fic itself <3

“baby? what’s wrong?” 

ah, he’s always too quick to notice. 

you take your eyes off the laptop and put a video of 3racha’s festival performance on pause.

“nothing. you guys did a wonderful job, truly. ’m just… contemplating my mediocrity.”

“what?” he’s more just taken aback than anything else but you read it as irritation.

it’s one of those days when everything feels extra sensitive, even the things you can deal with well on a regular day.

“what? chris, baby, i’m not being self-deprecating, it’s just a fact. i truly could not be more proud of you, but sometimes i just can’t shake off the feeling of not doing enough compared to you. 

it warms my heart to know that you are so so loved and respected, it really does. but, i guess.. it’s a little humbling too? i haven’t achieved anything nearly as grand and i don’t have thousands of people cheering for me after i do as much as breathe. which you totally deserve, by the way, i’m not saying you don’t.”

long silence follows as chris frowns, carefully crafting his next response while you’re already starting to regret you opened your mouth at all. maybe, some things should be kept to yourself. maybe, it’s not really necessary to share every dark thought that comes to your pained mind after midnight. maybe, it’s safer for your relationship to just move those conversations to a cozy zoom meeting with your therapi—

“that’s a skewed perception of our dynamic though, baby.” 

oh, shit. he has the look. you know this one too well, and it says “i’m not letting this slide and we’re talking this through”. 

“how so?” you feel tired and discouraged already, mostly annoyed at yourself for making your boyfriend come up with some nonsense points to make you feel better now. 

“don’t put me on a pedestal. firstly, i think you’re forgetting how many people there actually are behind what we’re doing. daily. i’m talking all the staff and production teams, makeup, hair, clothes, art direction, schedule management. everything. there is literally a whole division for us that makes us look the way we look and helps us do what we love.”

you stay quiet, blinking slowly and pursing your lips together. 

“which isn’t to say we don’t work hard or that we haven’t achieved anything, but it wouldn’t have been possible without all that help. 

secondly, in my daily life i’m just a guy, baby. literally just a guy who loves music. nothing fancy,” chan gives you one of those wide soft smiles, and you hear your heart break a little. 

“yeah, well, not every guy who loves music has the amount of awards and recognition you do, baby.”

“okay, where is this truly going?”

there it goes.

“sometimes i worry i just can’t match it? that you’ll get bored of me because i’m not over the top extraordinary or... whatever.”

you feel stupid. 

“so you think i’m with you for your so-called achievements?”

you can’t come up with a response, so he continues, gently hugging you from behind and resting his chin on your shoulder. his favorite way of making you feel loved. 

“i’m with you because you’re my sense of normalcy, baby. you calm my mind when it’s racing too fast. you’re my safe little harbour where i can find peace after hectic schedules and loud noises and crowds. you ease the weight i carry on my shoulders every day.” 

you stay silent, focusing on the feeling of his warm breath on your cheek. the tip of his nose is touching your skin lightly.

“you love the regular channie. you kiss my puffy swollen face in the mornings, and those kisses make me wonder if i’m actually not that bad without all the makeup on after all. you laugh at my jokes and cuddle me when i get needy. you listen to my darkest nastiest thoughts and never judge me for feeling whatever it is i’m feeling. 

what i’m getting at is that... i can just be me around you, you know? that’s why i’m still here. and i feel so proud to have a partner with a big warm heart and a strong mind, honored to be cared for by someone so neat and beautiful in the most mundane things.

do you really think i’d measure my love and respect for you by something like fame or... some noble achievements?”

“i don’t know,” you sound even more confused than at the beginning of this suddenly serious conversation, caught off guard by chan’s words, but mostly — his tenderness towards you. his patience and the way he's willing to spell it out for you if you're feeling too low to see the whole picture yourself.

"well, then i’m telling you. that is just not the case. you’re already everything i could ask for, baby. someone passionate, honest, reliable, loving and kind. someone who holds my hands through the hard days and makes me laugh on the good days. simple as that."

the pressure on your chest is slowly fading as chan's words finally sinking in, finding their ways into your system and rendering as the truth. the ache isn't completely gone but you know it will be in the morning, when the sunrise washes the rest of your worries away.

for now, you turn around in chris's embrace and hide your nose in the crook of his neck, simply breathing and enjoying the lingering scent of his soap. skin to skin.

#skz x reader #skz bang chan #bang chan x reader #chan x reader #chan x you #bang chan x you #skz imagines #my fic #stray kids #stray kids fanfic #bang chan stray kids #skz x you #chan x female reader #bang chan x female reader #stray kids bang chan

[mitsua]

Let's have a drink, shall we?

Summary: MC suddenly asks for "vacations" to go to the mountains and gain a bottle to drink with their favorite demon. Inspired by this post by @obeymekarasu

Finally!! Happy birthday Lucifer!!! I've got this in my drafts for weeks but I'm glad I've finished it before his date 👏😼

Warnings: little cursing, MC receives harsh words Genre: little angst & comfort

Pairing: Lucifer x MC Series: — 𝑂𝑏𝑒𝑦 𝑚𝑒! - 𝑆𝑊𝐷?!

MC'S . . . GN! Words count: 3.6k

"MC's been real quiet don't ya' think?" Mammon asks to the demon next to him. Leviathan quickly answering back, "Yes, but I don't know why could that be..."

The living room falls silent once again, even when the five missing brothers knew this time of the day is spent chattering or fighting for another absurd thing between those two who happen to be the greed and envy embodiments.

The strangest is that the exchange human who they were talking about just moments ago was present, seemingly reading something difficult to understand on their D.D.D.

"Do any of you know...the Drealinal Mountain?" they finally spoke.

"Wha-" "Why'd you wanna know that?!" Leviathan interrupts Mammon.

"Uh, n-no reason..." you said shying away from their piercing gazes, you felt as if you've said a cursed name.

"THEY DID WHAT?!" "'THE HELL YA' TALKIN' 'BOUT?!" Both the white-haired demon and the blue-haired one shout in unison, startling the rest exchange program students but not their brothers who had grown accostumed to this kind of outbursts, specially if it's about their favorite human.

"I said MC has gone on a vacation," Lucifer repeated rubbing his forehead in frustration.

"Wha-B-But why?!" Mammon shakes his older brother's shoulders while searching for any sign of this being a joke.

"We... don't really know." Asmodeous answers after waiting for any of the others to reply for a few seconds. His gaze going to the floor in deep thought about his older brother's question. Have they done something wrong? Made them mad? Forgot about a special date? Was that pudding so special to you?

Lucifer, however, seemed the least affected, shaking Mammon off of him to continue with his busy agenda of the day. Burying the unsettling feeling growing in his stomach.

"I feel bad for not telling them the truth." The little angel confesses just as their home's door is closed behind him, letting an exasperated sigh as if being dissapointed with himself.

"But we promised MC we wouldn't tell a soul about this until they were back," Simeon tries to cheer his companion.

"And you know, I have my ways to see if my student is alright wherever they are. So don't worry," Solomon reminded and with a wink, he left to go back to his experiments.

"H-Hi! Is-Is this the Drealinal bar?" you asked to a big shadow standing next to what looked like a long-time abandoned officine.

"And who are you?" A deep voice was heard from that tall silloute, making you feel even smaller.

"I'm-I'm MC, sir." You said, bowing a little to show some respect.

"MC... That name... are you the human who has the seven rulers of hell as their dogs?" you winced at those last words, the heck? shouldn't he respect them?! their comment really ticking something in you.

"I do have pacts with them, so could you answer my question now?" you said not really caring if you're coming of as rude.

"I don't believe you," he said, the shadow coming closer to you in an intimidating way.

"Well, that's not my problem."

"Who do you think you're talking to-"

"Oh come on Lamqua! Let them in already! It's not like you run the place anyway," a femenine voice was heard coming from the inside of the ruined building.

The demon grunted and opened the door for you. You passed as quick as you could, flashing lights and pretty loud music disconcerting you for a moment when you felt a pair of hands on each side of your shoulders.

"Welcome darling! You've arrived at the best time here!!" The same voice shouted through the rythms.

"Haha-uh,- sorry, I-I came here for a special drink..." you tried to explain that you were not really looking for a partner or anything similar.

"Oh-has someone broken your heart?" the young demoness asked while ushering you to one of the counter's stools.

"No-It's not like that, I'm looking for a legendary blend of Demonus I've heard you only brew here..." the silence took place just as those words finished coming out of your mouth. Was this really a forbidden place where you couldn't say anything or what was going on as well when you mentioned the mountain's name to Levi & Mams and now here the drink's name?!

"Haha! They're joking! Keep it going guys!" the demon shouted to suffocate everyone's doubts and start playing their songs again. The environment returning to its livid self. "Listen, I know what ya'r talking 'bout, but do not mention it around anyone but me anymore 'mkay?" she said with a more serious tone, getting closer to you and now directing you towards a wooden door far from the party's room.

"If you want that drink that much, then you better be prepared because you might get involved with the worst demon in this whole place."

Once you reached another metal door, the friendly demon asked you one last time if you're really sure of what you were doing.

"Yes, I need to get that legendary Demonus."

And with that, the door opened and a dark aura quickly flooded all your surroundings. A sinister laugh ringing in your ears and as you realized how pretty much fucked up you were, the girl that was once next to you had dissapeared, now it was only you and whoever behind the smoke courtain.

"It's been one day, six hours and fourty-six minutes since I've last seen MC!!!" Mammon let in a pained tone, stretching his tall figure on the living room's couch.

"Twenty-six seconds too!" Leviathan added, only causing Lucifer's forehead's vein to pop further.

"Could you please not act like that? We all miss MC, but this is too much." Satan chimed in, also discomforted from his brother's behaviour.

"You could put this time to something useful and do your homework now." Lucifer suggested, shoting a killing stare at both of them to shut them.

"It's just that it's so weird they left without really saying that much like on other occasions..." Asmodeous tried to defend his brothers, but also expressed his true feelings about your sudden decision.

"Yas, he's right, normally they'd let any of us know beforehand where and how long are they goin' off!" Mammon shouted in annoyance.

"It was MC's decision, we can't do anything about it than to wait for them to explain, so now shut up." Lucifer finished.

"So you want some of my precious creation I've heard?" you heard another womanlike voice speak, feeling the smoke move all around you, you inferied the presence infront of you was inspecting you.

"Y-Yes!" you said in hopes that they'd stop whatever they were doing.

"Hmm, I don't think you're worth it."

"What-"

"If you want a bottle of my legendary Demonus you shall pass a test." In a snap, all smoke was gone and you saw for the first time the witch behind that so praised beverage you've read about lately.

The demoness infront of you seemed to be in her early thirties, but you knew better than that, she must be at least one and a half thousand years old.

The room was full of chemistry equipment and exploding bubbles could be heard from a little further. In the ceiling there were middle-age weapons to cursed swords and torned magic books. Please don't ever let Satan see those, he'd have a heart attack from them being mistreated — you thought.

"What kind of test?" You asked, getting more cautious as reality dawned on you. This was truly dangerous. You were currently all alone with an uknown, seemingly powerful, witch, in a room full of weapons.

"Hah, now now don't dare to back off!" The witch who had been leading you deeper onto the room suddenly came to a stop. "It's not like you have room for any more option."

"How's MC doing? How're they? Are they alright?" Luke bombarded Solomon who had told his two roommates he's gonna do his hourly check-up on you now.

"Luke, they can't concentrate if you keep on shaking him!" Simeon took the youngest off of the sorcerer to let him continue.

"They've met a witch... they're with her right now..." Solomon fell silent, watching through a cristal projecting a little image from your point of view. He got caught off when he could discern the demoness' face, how long has it been since he last saw her?

Nevertheless—as some memories came to mind—Solomon also remembered her grand power and her ease with magic, making him grow interest for how would it turn out... still, he did not understimate his apprentice.

"Draras..." he muttered to himself, finally moving to a side for Simeon and Luke to watch over MC, both quickly filled with concern for their beloved friend.

"Tha-That's the witch they've been talking about?!" Luke spat out, covering his eyes with his hands as Simeon gave him a comforting palm on the back.

"Yes, and I might add I may or may not have been the one who taught her how to brew in the first place..." he said, recalling the little demon he hung out with when he was first getting involved on the beverage world as one of his many hobbies.

"Brew? you? How'd it go?" Simeon wanted to ask, but knowing his roommate, it probably caused some massive explossion as he added whatever his heart told him to. Instead, he cleared his throat to take out of their thoughts the two people accompanying him.

"Uhm, well, do you think MC'll get over it? Safe?" the oldest angel preferred to ask and get his anxiousness to go away.

"Even if it seems as they're in a difficult environment," Solomon said referring to the laboratory filled with weapons, "Draras's always been on the path to make psychological tests rather than physical ones..."

"I never got to know why, but she was beyond interested on knowing more about people's thoughts and emotions." Solomon shrugged.

"Oh MC, just come back safe please!" Luke cried out.

"So, now you know the rules, you only gotta come back from a short nap, 'mkay?" Draras said as once again smoke poured out and started to engulf you into a drowsiness state.

Before you could muster a word, you'd already fallen to dreamland.

"A human risking so much to defend a demon and an angel... how very interesting."

You felt the first tear fell.

"Can't you go a single day without causing trouble?"

Then the second one...

"All of you, out of the way...! I'm going to tear that human limb from limb...!"

What on literal hell was going on? Lucifer? Luci—

"Let me make one thing clear: I respect my brothers' freedom to do as they wish. However, if I ever sense that you've become a threat to either Diavolo or us... then I will show you absolutely no mercy.

Understood?" a stern so cold you couldn't help but nod out of pure instinct, thinking you'd get to see something, anything else after your one true love being mad at you as he once did.

So this was what the test's about?

As horrid memories came one after another, your eyes already stinging and swollen from reliving them all, you noticed some more casual ones or 'cute' ones you've had with him before coming here got distorted as well, he was being mean in all of them.

Mean to you, whatever you'd do he'd call you out and show you how to do it flawlessly. He'd not take a look back at you as he expressed his disappointement on you, he'd mindlessly say how you're better off in the human realm as you clearly were such a failure, a threat to everyone.

After what felt like years of watching, listening and feeling every single cruel thing Lucifer could have and might have told you, you found yourself as a complete wreck.

Knelt on the floor as your legs stopped working about hours ago, exhaustion filled your form, dried tears stained your cheeks and the only thing that kept you awake in this twisted nightmare was your constant mantra "this did not happen, I love him."

You'd repeat it as you'd feel his words hitting harsher than any physical pain you've been through, his eyes missing the light that'd brighten up any day with him, his embrace that was shown closed for only you as the current menace you symbolyzed for him.

The scenary finally turned black, it was only you and your utterly messed up thoughts climbing you up, surpassing your fatigued mind. They whispered through and through everything they could to make you go insane.

"Now that you've seen that," Draras appeared a few meters infront of you, "tell me one thing." Her figure showed was nothing but imposing. It made you want to crawl into a corner. But there was truly no way to go anywhere to wherever you were in the first place.

"How is it that you still love him?" she continued, walking to finally look you straight in the eyes from above; you would've thought she was mocking you if it wasn't for the truly intrigued look she was giving you.

You didn't know what or how to answer, your mouth felt dry and your eyes were heavy.

Remember what you came for. You came for... What did you come for again?

"See, so useless you can't even remember your purpose." A voice that you were now so familiar with spoke back.

You lowered your head in surrender, why couldn't you say it? What did ever kept you from admitting it? Pride? Like him?

"I came here because I love him, and I love him because of him and only him, his innate strength, the fearless way he says things but still giving thought to every word to do not get it wrong, his caring nature..." you finally admitted, you felt yourself being flooded with the immense love you had for him, for Lucifer.

Lucifer Morningstar.

"I love him." You added for the last time, now standing up face to face with Draras, who listened intently and watched fascinated as you explained everything.

"I can only wish for you to enjoy yourselves dear, and hope someday I'll get to meet someone like you." She replied, crystaline-eyed with her hands to her heart, showing you a kind smile.

With that, everything vanished, you sucked a big breath before recognizing your whereabouts as the laboratory you first entered to.

Draras was looking for something inside a hallway in the room, which was covered in bottle racks. The pictures of the Legendary Demonus you've only watched online came to your mind and you felt as if you'd burst of how proud you felt for yourself in that moment, this, immediately leading you to think about Lucifer's reaction once you show him what you got.

"Here, only the best of the best," she handed you a translucent, pear-shaped bottle, a lilac, thick beverage swirling in it.

"Thank you so much Draras," you said taking it with great care, starting your way back home.

"They made it!" Solomon exclaimed from his room as he watched once again through his cristal, your point of view indicating you were out of the bar already, bottle on hand.

Luke and Simeon let out a relieved sigh, hugging themselves feeling happy for you.

"It's been three days, eight hours with four minutes..." Mammon groaned, his defeated form laying all over the same couch he first started counting on.

"And eleven seconds..." Leviathan let out, spraid on the floor with his game's console long forgotten at his right side.

"And you didn't even spared your books a single glance..." Satan said in frustration.

There was this tension hanging in the air ever since Lucifer broke the news of you being gone. None of the brothers acted as their usual self.

Even if Satan showed himself as discontented with his brothers, he kept thinking if there could be a bad reason why you'd leave without saying anything at all.

Lucifer kept doing his night patrols and would watch his brothers' demeanour get worse. Along his, that is. It wasn't unheard of you to go on a vacation to the human world from time to time to see your family now that the exchange program was done for the first year.

What it was unheard of was you wanting some other brother to deliver the news to everyone, this was something you'd taken very serious since you knew how those brothers get even without a 'goodnight' from you every night.

So of course this was new for all of them, and they were not taking it very well for the time being.

After some minutes of silence except for Beel's stomach growling and utensils being used by him cooking something for dinner, some knocks were heard on the HoL's front door.

"Are ya' waitin' for somethin'?" Mammon asked as he twisted his body to try and get a glimpse of who or what might be bothering at this hours from the windows.

"No, my cosmetic's delivery won't arrive until tomorrow." Asmo chimed in, bringing his hand under his chin as if in deep thought.

"We're only waiting for MC—" Leviathan said in realization.

Everyone's eyes were on him and before he could say anything else, the brothers who were awake and not cooking ran up to the door and slammed it open; as expected, revealing an MC a little messy, with a backpack that looked as if it was dragged a few miles and a very odd-looking bottle on their arms secured.

"H-Hi everyone! I'm back!" you exclaimed, a bit embarrassed now that you got time to think about your appearance, nevertheless, you were welcomed warmly and quickly taken care of by your seven roommates demons.

Eventually, you found yourself surrounded by their tangled bodies trying to fit in your single bed, restless.

You cautiosly made your way out of pile of people to fetch something to drink, preferably a coffee, you thought.

As you arrived to the kitchen, you noticed the bottle of Demonus you brought, you've totally forgotten about it after being embraced by the brothers so kindly.

A smile came to your face and as you were about to place it somewhere safer than the counter it currently was on, you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist, a chin rest on your shoulders and breath hit your neck.

"Just where on hell did you go?" Lucifer asked, mindless of his bold action and mostly intrigued about your little trip.

"Hmm, do you know about this drink?" you replied, turning a little for him to get a better look at it. His eyes widened as he read the bottle's label.

"MC, don't tell me you went to something like the black market to get that—" an agitated look appeared on him.

You laughed at his reaction, "No, of course not, I-I," suddenly the words got caught up in your throat. You were proud about your achievement just a few hours ago, why couldn't you tell him?

Flashes of the nightmare you had to go through flooded your mind and it came difficult to keep your eyes open due to the pain forming in your head.

Lucifer noticed and ushered you to sit down, settling the drink somewhere else as he took care of you.

"I went to the Drealinal bar and encounter a witch named Draras," you barely mentioned before feeling the need to hold your forehead with one hand.

"Did you get hurt?" Lucifer's voice got lower and a cold glance met your eyes, just like what Draras showed you—

"What—no, I'm fine, I—I brought the Demonus for you," you presumed forcing a small smile to reassure him, your other hand found place on top of his other and moments later your smile reached your eyes genuinely.

It was this little moments of connection and intimacy you had with him, with Lucifer, that gave you the comfort and peace you need to go from storm to storm, this were your happy and calm moments with him that you had learnt to enjoy so much.

"I have to say it tastes delicious even if it doesn't affect me." You declared as you took another sip from a glass with the liquid that took you so long to find, your beloved taking from his own cup on the chair next to yours while listening to some cursed records of his, on the cozy environment that brought his room.

"It's exquisite indeed," he let out in a grunt as he felt every fiber of himself melt along the burning sensation he got in his throat for drinking for Lord knows how long now.

"I'm so glad you liked it," you remarked smiling fondly at him, who became speechless admiring your happy self.

He got up, leaving his glass of Demonus and making his way towards you, next kneeling infront of you and taking your unoccupied hand with his, planting a small his on the back of it.

Then getting closer to you taking advantage of his height, it was not that difficult to reach your face, surprising you.

"I love you... I love you so much," he confessed, never letting you out of sight, as if searching your love for him in your eyes as well, because right now, he knew you could see his.

The best method you found to express it rather than words was the way your lips found his in what started as a tender and soft kiss, slowly turning into a more passionate and love-filled one.

As you separated, Lucifer opened again his eyes, admiring you once again. It certainly wasn't always for something like this to happen, but it was surely was something you loved about him the most.

"I love you too."

𝚆𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚋𝚢: Mitsua © (𝙲𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚊𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜) my navigation!

#mitsua #mitsuawritings #mitsuawrites #obey me #x reader #shall we date obey me #obey me #obey me! #obey me shall we date #obey me boys #obey me angst #obey me brothers #obey me headcanons #obey me lucifer #obey me scenarios #obey me x mc #obey me x reader #lucifer fluff #lucifer x reader #lucifer #om lucifer #lucifer angst #lucifer morningstar #omswd #om! x reader #om! lucifer #om! shall we date #om #om! swd #fluff

[lieslab]

Somewhere only we know

꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎ ꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎ ꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎

Pairing: Seungmin X gn reader

Summary: You find yourself in an overwhelming pit of depression when your boyfriend interrupts with a plan to cheer you up.

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 2.7K

Trigger warning: Depression and self-hatred.

A/N: I finally got around to this request!! This idea has lived rent free in my head for a while, so I'm glad I've finally gotten the chance to put it to good use. This might be one of the only pieces I've written that has me giggling and blushing. Enjoy <3

_ _ _

The lights were off again and the ghosts were roaming. Whispers of hatred and the acidic self-insecurity had taken control of the reigns. You couldn’t remember the last time you smiled. It had been so long since you spoke, you couldn’t remember what your voice sounded like. 

What was new? Trapped in another bottomless pit. Choking and screaming, you used to fight to stay floating, but something had just changed recently. Why was it so hard to be happy? 

 When did waking up feel like a chore? The walk to the bathroom felt like climbing Everest. Picking up your toothbrush was like picking up a boulder. Why did it all have to be so hard? 

There was a permanent curve in your spine now. You couldn’t remember when your eyes were bright. Everything was easy when you were a naive child. Unfortunately, time changed and life went on. You didn’t have the safety of adults surrounding you. 

That was the one thing that truly sucked about getting older. Sure, you could have friends and you had your boyfriend, but you had to face your battles alone. Your friends couldn’t make life choices for you. It’s not their responsibility to make sure you’re taking care of yourself. 

It’s something you struggled with. Part of you wanted someone to reach out. You wanted a helping hand and yet you didn’t. You wanted to be entirely alone and at peace. Let your eyes glaze over and the muted TV screen colors melt together. You weren’t even paying attention anymore. 

The episodes of ‘The Great British Bake-Off’ blurred together. There were Italian cakes and pies. There were French pastries that you had no idea how to pronounce. The blend of sweet treats meddled in your mind. 

You used to watch this show with such passion. Happily rooting for your favorites and becoming distraught when your favorites went home. Rolling your eyes at silly technical flaws and gasping when desserts fell apart. 

With a scoff and a “I could do that better and I’m not even a baker,” you used to amuse Seungmin. You were the one that introduced him to the show. The two of you used to taunt each other over who could bake what dessert better. They were empty taunts and free fun, nothing less and nothing more. 

You missed him. You missed him more than words described. It had been a while since the two of you had been around each other. Comeback seasons were always hard and there wasn’t enough time to juggle a relationship and his career. 

You didn’t mind it, but he did. He was always feeling awful about not being around. Interview questions kept him preoccupied. Photoshoot poses had to be shot without his cell phone. Music videos had tight deadlines with all hands on deck. 

It wasn’t really a surprise that the last text you sent him this morning went unanswered, but you still missed him. You missed those teasing and the taunts and the- 

What are you doing?

A soft sigh escaped your lips and you shut your eyes. Even the memory of him was starting to physically make your heart ache. The two of you had been dating for a while and yet, you still weren’t used to these few weeks where life seemed a bit emptier. 

Struggling with your mental health only made it harder. Were these dark shadows eternal? Were you cursed to drown in this wave of sadness? Maybe you weren’t meant for all of this. The never-ending wheel of misery that life seemed to be. 

You were spiraling and you couldn’t help it. You squeezed your eyes shut and reached for the remote. Screw it, you were heading towards bed. That exhaustion always seemed to seep into your soul lately. Sleep was the best temporary cure for it. It was starting to get late anyway. 

You pushed yourself up, picked up the remote, and then your body froze. Your ears perked up and you shifted towards your front door. Surely, nobody would be here at this hour? It was almost ten in the evening. 

You swallowed your nerves and stood up. Wooden floorboards creaked beneath your weight. The doorbell rang once more. Closer and closer you inched to the door. Closer and closer until… 

“I know you’re in there! Don’t leave me out here, it’s hot! I can hear you watching that stupid baking show. Let me in! This shit is heavy!” 

You blinked in shock at the sound of Seungmin’s voice. Your hand outstretched and it didn’t take long for you to yank the door open. There your boyfriend stood with two hands full of plastic bags. 

“Thank god, you’re still awake, I thought you’d be asleep. Now move your ass and let me in.” 

“What are you-” 

“Don’t ask until I have it all put together. Go sit on the couch and I’ll tell you when you’re done. You’re not allowed in the kitchen, so if you need me, just holler.” 

“But why? You have work tomorrow and yo-” 

“Nuh-uh. We finished everything early and the company gave us the next two days off. I’ve missed my significant other. Let’s go, haul your ass!” 

He was used to your apartment. This was his home away from home. This safety net of love and compassion. He knew where you stored everything. He knew where your secrets hid and he had seen your inner demons roam. 

You sighed at his insistence, but went back to the living room anyway. Sinking back into the couch, you glanced out of the corner of your eye. The kitchen was partly hidden by the bar counter that shot out of a distant wall. You didn’t know what he was doing with all the bags. 

“If you’re making dinner,” you finally mustered up the courage, “we could have ordered takeout.” 

“We’re not making dinner, but speaking of that, have you eaten?” 

You frowned and your eyes went to the coffee table. The remote and a near full plastic bottle of water were sitting there. You thought it’d be easier to drink water from a water bottle, but it wasn’t. 

“Not yet,” you admitted. “I’ve kind of been too soaked up in the show, I’ve been binging it.” 

Seungmin knew that response was bullshit, but he wasn’t going to press you about it. He knew something was up with you when you stopped responding to his texts. He’d have to wait hours before he’d get a single response. He tried to answer as soon as he could, but then you wouldn’t respond. 

He knew how much you liked to curl inward on yourself when you mentally struggled. You were good at shutting yourself away from the world. You thought it was fine, but he knew that if you kept it up, you’d collapse beneath it. 

“Okay, so you can order us some dinner. I haven’t eaten dinner either.” It was a lie, but he didn’t want to make you feel guilty for being the only one getting food. “What are we thinking?” 

“It’s getting late.” 

“So fast food, it is.” 

You chuckled and shook your head, but it didn’t sway you away. While bags ruffled and Seungmin grumbled and struggled in your kitchen, you ordered the two of yourselves food. 

“Holy shit,” you got out. 

“What? What is it? Are you okay?” He stopped what he was doing and rushed towards the living room. 

“They’re totally backed up on orders! It looks like there’s a few places closed, so if we want food, it’s going to take two hours. I mean we could go get it, but I-” 

“Do you think you can wait two hours?” 

“Can you?” You jerked your head up to glance at him. 

He grinned, “this is perfect. Go ahead and order and I’ll finish setting up.” 

“I don’t like not knowing what you’re doing.” 

“You’ll know soon enough.” 

“What do you want?” 

“The usual.” 

As you ordered, he continued to set up until he finally finished. “Okay, I’m ready! Come out here now!” 

You pushed yourself off the couch and headed towards your kitchen. Before you could make it there, he stopped you and shoved something over your head. You raised an eyebrow as you glanced down at the black apron. “What are you doing?” 

“Every baker needs an apron.” 

“Huh?” 

He grabbed something from behind you and shoved it on your head. You stared at him in shock as he adjusted the puffy white hat. “Ta-dah!” 

“Did you just put a chef hat on my head?” 

“Maybe you should be thanking me because I didn’t put a rat up there first.” 

You rolled your eyes and glanced over. A wide variety of ingredients were placed along the counter tops. Two large mixing bowls were situated on the counter behind you. You glanced at all of it in confusion. 

“What is this?” 

“Welcome to your very own version of your favorite baking show. The contestants are us and the winner gets bragging rights. The other will never be able to forget that they suck at baking.” 

“You gave me a chef hat…for baking?” 

“Cooking and baking are basically the exact same thing.” 

Your jaw dropped in shock. “I can’t believe you just said that. You watch my show with me and you still don’t know the difference? Baking is usually measured ingredients and it’s baked whereas cooking is flexible and you can add and subtract things into your di-” 

“Spoken like a true nerd. Anyway, let’s get on with the show. Chop, chop!” He clapped his hands and spun around. “Since I clothed you, I expect you to do the same. The stuff is behind you.” 

You tried not to laugh as you put the apron over his head and tied the strings. When you were finished, you placed the chef hat on his fluffy hair and tugged too hard. He yelled the moment he couldn’t see. 

“You’re cheating! Cheater! We’ve gotta cheater and the competition hasn’t even started yet!” He huffed and jerked the hat back up while you laughed. 

There it was. That melodic sound that he thought about every night before bed. It was so rich and so glorious. He wished he could experience it until the end of time. 

“You’re so dramatic!” 

“Well, someone has to call you out on cheating and I’m the only one here to do it!” 

“What are we making?” 

“What if I said I haven’t figured it out yet?” 

Your eyes glanced over in confusion. All the ingredients were sprawled out, but he didn’t know? “So what is all of th-” 

“I just picked out a bunch of random stuff,” he shrugged. “There’s some different fruits. Flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. I got some different spices and some vanilla. I just figured that we’d try our best to make something out of it.” 

“We’re going into this blind?” 

“Yeah.” 

“I hope you know that this is going to be a disaster.” 

“For you, it is. For me, I’m basically a pro.” He rubbed his hands together and then clapped. “Alright, let’s get this party started!” 

You walked over to your bowl, grabbed it, and glanced at all the ingredients. “So what are you making?” 

“I’m not telling.” 

“How are we going to bake something without measuring cups?” 

He froze and his eyes widened. “Wait, I thought you had those! Please don’t tell me that you…” You shook your head. “Oh no.” 

You waved him off and shook your head a final time. “It’s fine, we can adjust. We’ll just use spoons or our hands. Speaking of that, I need to clean mine.” 

“Ha! I’m already one step ahead of you. I’d never poison the judges with germs.” 

“What judges?” 

“You.” 

“Oh.”

While you washed your hands, Seungmin headed over to the opposite counter and grabbed the flour. He started to tug, but the bag wouldn’t open fully. With a sigh of annoyance, he gripped the sides tighter and tugged. 

When you heard sputtering, you whipped around with the dish towel still in your hand. You were utterly speechless as a puff of flour blew out of Seungmin’s mouth. The two of you stared at each other in silence. 

It covered his entire face. Both of his darkened eyebrows and eyelashes were coated in it. Sun-kissed golden skin had turned moonlight pale. The chef’s hat tipped back off his head and laid on the floor behind him. A strangled giggle erupted in the back of your throat. 

“Stop it! It’s not funny!” With every word spat, flour slipped off his head. It blew off his nose and freed itself from his lips. When he brushed pale handprints on his black apron, you lost it entirely. 

Collapsing onto your knees, giggles streamed from your mouth. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t stop them. Every time Seungmin huffed or grumbled, you laughed harder. He looked like the abominable snowman. 

“You think this is funny, huh?” He grabbed a handful of flour from the table and chucked it your way. The snowy smoke stained the front of your own apron. 

“Hey!” You cried out as you brushed it off. “That’s not fair! You did this to yourself, don’t take it out on me!” He laughed and grabbed another handful. You screeched and ran to the other side of the kitchen. Your hat managed to fall off in the process. “Stop it!” 

“Get back here!” 

He couldn’t help it. Your smiles and laughter were so infectious. He knew it had been harder for you without him around all the time. The two day vacation from the company was a small slice of heaven. 

When you dodged one way, so did he. You slipped onto the floor as he shoved the handful of flour in your hair. You grabbed another one and shoved it to his chest. He yelped as the powdery substance slipped down his shirt. 

“Hey!” 

“You started it!” 

“You brat!” 

You didn’t know how long the two of you ran around throwing handfuls of flour at each other. Unfortunately for you, the bag of flour he had gotten was bigger than usual. Flour was all over your pants, your cheeks, and your apron. You were even sure it had entered your armpit. 

You finally collapsed onto the ground in the leftover piles. A powdered haze settled over the area. Both of you were breathless and full of delight. 

“Okay,” Seungmin managed to get out, “we call it a tie for now.” 

“Uh-huh.” 

“Next time, we’ll prepare better.” 

“With an actual recipe,” you added. 

“With an actual recipe,” he agreed. 

The two of you stayed silent for a while. Your eyes shut and you panted. It had been so long since you had a little fun. You forgot how small things like this tended to fossilize in our hearts. This tiny memory was one that you’d remember with such joy and delight, you’d never forget it. 

“I think I choked on too much flour. Everything tastes like bland ass and-” 

“You’ve eaten ass?” 

“You’re about to eat this fist.” 

You laughed and sprawled out your limbs. Your eyes shut and before you knew it, your limbs began to move. Up and down, up and down, up and down. 

“What the hell are you doing?” 

“Snow angel.” 

“This isn’t snow.” 

“A flour angel is the same concept.” 

Seungmin pushed himself up and stared over at you. A small smile was on your face as your body moved up and down. Sure enough, it looked like an angel was forming behind you. The blank pits of the floor created the illusion of wings where your arms were shifting. 

His own smile appeared on his face. Your flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes. God, he wished he could keep you happy like this forever. He knew he couldn’t, but he’d sure try. 

“Okay, come on, angel.” He stood up and reached out a hand towards you. “We’ve gotta go shower and clean this mess up before the food arrives.” 

“Or we could just stay here for a little longer.” 

“Or we could just go get cleaned up, so we don’t smell like grain.” 

“You always have to ruin the fun,” you huffed. 

“Who said the fun had to stop at the shower? You never know what might-” 

You were up within seconds and rushing towards the shower. All he could do was playfully roll his eyes and chuckle. You left white footprints the entire way there. He wanted to lecture you, but for now, he was just glad you were smiling again. 

| ♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡ | ♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡ | ♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡ |

Taglist: @lina-linny @straykidsstanforeverandever @seungnishi

Masterlist

Requests, taglist, and inbox rules

#stray kids #stray kids fanfic #kim seungmin #kim seungmin fanfic #kim seungmin stray kids #stray kids drabbles #skz fanfic #seungmin comfort #seungmin #stay #kim seungmin fluff #kim seungmin x reader #kim seungmin x you #kim seungmin x y/n

[haihaihaitani]

Cheers to the Jukebox Queen! ~ *Ran Haitani*

Summary: You love the little dive bar you found after work one day. You're always spending time with the regulars and enjoying the atmosphere. That is, until it's disrupted by a stranger...

Pairing: Ran Haitani X Fem!Reader

Genre: Fluffyish Oneshot

Word Count: 2224

Warning: Alcohol consumption, swearing

Masterlist

It was your favorite place to go when you needed to get away and relax. The little hole-in-the-wall dive bar had everything you needed: excellent drinks, good food, charming regulars, and a chill vibe. It was everything you needed after a stressful day at work.

Especially on a day like today.

It was pouring, soaking anyone who went outside to the bone, even if you had an umbrella. You also just put in two hours of overtime at your job and were exhausted. That's why as you were leaving the office, you could hear the sound of a cool drink and some old music calling your name from across town. You braved the storm to get to your favorite dive bar and order your favorite drink to make you feel better.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" The crotchety old bartender chuckled as he saw you. "The usual?"

"Double it. I need something strong tonight." You sighed, slouching against the bar.

"Another long day?"

You nod, shaking your wet hair. "Always. They work you to the bone for pennies, I'm telling you."

"That's why I keep asking you to quit that dead-end, early-grave job and come work for me. Sure, you'll still be making pennies, but you won't be worked to the bone. And everyone here likes you." He explained, as he passed you your drink.

You glanced back at him and shook your head. You took a sip of your drink, enjoying the subtle sting of alcohol in the back of your throat. "Nah, I still need to pay my dues. The contract expires in three years. Then maybe, maybe I'll consider quitting my day job to come work for you."

He chuckled. "That's all I'm asking; just some consideration. And quit swinging your hair around like a wet dog! You're getting my clean bar all dirty!"

"When has this bar ever been clean?"

He threw an ice cube at you, which you expertly dodged. A laugh spilled past your lips and you took another sip of your drink. The night settled after that. You chatted with some of the regulars, talking about their day and their latest gripe of the night. All of them commiserate over your struggles at work and how you never seemed to have time for yourself. Despite all of the crap the day threw at you, you could always count on your evenings and nights to be much sweeter. This is what made working like a dog all worth it; being able to spend some good quality time with people you actually liked.

"You know, you really ought to stop hanging out with us old timers so much." One of the regulars sighed and downed the dregs of his beer.

The woman next to him nodded. "You need to go to one of those swanky clubs and grind up against someone to take home."

You grimaced at the thought. "Clubbing isn't my style. I like it here! It's super chill and everyone is so nice! Why would I give that up?"

"A pretty young thing like yourself needs to find herself some hunky arm candy." The woman laughed.

You laughed and shook your head. "The dating scene isn't for me. All the guys are whiney babies who want a mother, not a significant other."

The man grunts in response. "You got that right. You kids don't want to work for a relationship anymore."

The woman scoffed and playfully shoved him. "Like you put any work with me when we were dating!"

"And yet you still married me!"

As the rest of the bar laughed, the door opened with a bang. You jumped, spilling a little of your drink on the bar counter. There, soaked to the skin, was a man dressed in purple to match his hair. He was tall, lithe, and carried himself with such authority it looked as if he was disgusted the rain even dared to fall on him. But what struck you about him was the tattoo prominently displayed on his throat. 

Bonten. He was trouble.

Everyone seemed to sober up in that exact second. No one looked at him, finding other things far more interesting to occupy themselves. It wasn't until the bartender cleared his throat hesitantly that he was actually acknowledged.

"What can I do for you?"

"I need to borrow your phone. Mine died."

His voice was smooth and cold. It sent a shiver down your spine. You looked down at your drink as he took the phone from the bartender, leaning against the bar next to you. Though you tried really hard not to, you couldn't help but listen to his conversation.

"The car's dead. No, I didn't wreck it. Probably the battery. Just get someone down here to fix it. I'm not staying here all night. Be here in an hour or I'll tell the boss you kept me waiting."

Your heart stuttered in your chest. You didn't know who his boss was but you really hoped you wouldn't find out. A part of you wished he never walked into this bar and killed the whole vibe.

"Do you have a bathroom?" He asked the bartender, who pointed to the back.

As he left, you let out a shaky breath. The regular who was talking to you earlier shook his head. "That was terrifying."

"Shh! He could hear you!" His wife smacked his shoulder.

"Why is a Bonten executive hanging around this part of town?" The bartender mumbled under his breath, wringing his hands.

"You know him?" You ask and he winced at your words.

"Before I moved the bar here, I had a run in with their boss. He's terrifying to put it mildly, worse than that one. He let me off with my life but took everything else from me. I'm lucky to have escaped and I vowed I would never get tangled up with them again. Now they're back and I don't think I can go through all of that a second time."

The bar fell silent once more, heavy with the weight of the bartender's words. It made your stomach roll. But you weren't going to let some gang executive ruin your night. You couldn't. This place was your sanctuary. You couldn't let anyone take that from you.

Looking for a distraction, you found the perfect thing. Grabbing a quarter from your wallet, you walked over to the jukebox and punched in the correct code. Instantly, the bar was jamming to one of their favorite classic rock songs. The heavy mood lifted and you found yourself smiling once more. It was good to have the night back on track.

Everyone was too lost in their good mood to even notice the Bonten executive return from the bathroom, in a new, dry suit. You were bopping along to the music, watching some of the regulars dance in between tables, trying not to spill their drinks too much.

"What's all this?" His voice coming from behind you made you jump again. 

"Ah..." You replied, your words getting stuck in your throat. "Sometimes, we like to turn on the jukebox for some dancing. It's a normal occurrence here."

He nodded. "I'm assuming it only plays songs from back in the day."

You give a small shrug. "Yeah, but it's nice. Reminds a lot of these people of the good old days."

If you weren't paying attention, you would've missed how his eyes widened a fraction. "The good old days..."

The wistfulness in his voice that you were sure wasn't supposed to be there made your heart skip a beat. Despite your better judgment, you drank the last of your drink and held out your hand to him. "What do you say?"

He stared at you. "What? Are you asking me to dance?"

"Why not? You're waiting for your ride, right? Why not wait with some dancing?"

He continued to stare at you for a moment longer before taking your hand. His grip was strong and his skin was smooth, save for some callouses you were sure came from handling weapons. Still, you didn't want to think about that right now. You were trying to lighten the mood and you would not be frightened by this mysterious, yet powerful man whose hand you were now holding.

He was stiff at first on the dance floor, as if he had never danced to this kind of music before. You weren't surprised. He seemed like the kind of guy who would frequent the swanky clubs the regulars were teasing you about earlier. Still, with a bright smile and some good moves of your own, you got him to loosen up on you. He even flashed you a small smile which made yours grow.

"You're pretty light on your feet." You tell him over the music.

He shook his head with a smirk. "You're not so bad yourself. What's your name."

When you tell him, you nudge him playfully. "Are you going to tell me yours?"

"Just call me Ran."

You didn't need him to tell you his last name, because you already knew it. Anyone who's anyone knew the only Ran in Bonten was Ran Haitani. He was powerful and dangerous, and you were currently dancing with him in a dive bar. What a small world this was after all.

As the song started to come to an end, you grabbed another quarter to change the song. Before you could punch in the code, Ran punched one in for you. You raised your eyebrow at his choice and he rolled his eyes in response.

"I like this song." Was all he said before he pulled you into your next dance. 

A laugh escaped you as he twirled you around the floor. You felt weightless and dizzy, but in the best way possible. You could tell why he liked the song. It was peppy and had a good rhythm, something easy to dance to. You couldn't help but enjoy this time immensely, even as the song drew to a close.

You paused to catch your breath and take a sip of your drink. Ran ordered a whiskey and drank it slowly, his eyes on you the whole time. If he was any other person and this was any other time, you would have taken him home with those bedroom eyes. But you valued your life more than your pleasure. So instead you just winked at him and went back to the jukebox. You had one quarter left. You had to make it a good one.

After going over the choices a couple of times, you finally made your selection. It wasn't fast-paced or even all that happy. It was a song about reminiscing over your past and finding solace that the best is yet to come. It was slow, easy, and a good way to end the night.

Ran tapped your shoulder. "One more?"

You couldn't deny him. If you weren't going to take him home, you could at least dance with him one more time. As he pulled you close, you could feel your heart leap into your throat. It was intimate but not sexual. It was almost... romantic.

"How come I've never seen you at the clubs?" He asked quietly in your ear. "You have the moves for it."

You chuckled and shook your head. "Not my scene. But I'm assuming they're yours. You seem like a club guy. Ah, I don't mean to offend you or anything-"

He shook his head. "Not at all. Actually, I own a couple of clubs in Roppongi."

"Is that so? You must be loaded then. I hear the club scene over there is to die for."

"Thanks to my brother and me." He smirked and spun you, making your head go fuzzy. "Perhaps you should try it sometime. I can turn one of my clubs into a dive bar for a night, just for you."

The way he whispered that last part in your ear made you shiver. But you smiled nonetheless. "I might just have to take you up on that."

As the final song of the night came to a close, the two of you stared at each other in the eyes. There was something in him, something that was asking if he could kiss you. You wanted to give in. You were even leaning towards him-

The door to the bar opened. Everyone turned to look. It was a different man with a Bonten tattoo. Upon making eye contact with Ran, he nodded. Apparently, his ride was here.

Ran sighed. "Right on time. And I was so looking forward to cracking some skulls."

You bit your lip and hid it behind your hand. You knew he wasn't joking but you were tipsy. It was a little funny the way he said it so stoically.

He turned to look at you and pulled out a business card. "Call me, if you ever want to partake in my proposal."

You gently took the card from him and watched him slip away. Your heart was beating too fast and your head was clouded. Still, you couldn't stop thinking about the charming Bonten executive you danced your night away with.

It was then that the regular woman yelled out to you, "See? I told you! All you needed was some hunky arm candy!"

#Tokyo Revengers #Tokyo Revengers Fanfiction #Tokyo Revengers Oneshot #Anime #Anime Fanfiction #Anime Oneshot #Bonten #Ran Haitani #Ran Haitani X Reader #Ran Haitani Fanfiction #Ran Haitani Oneshot #Ran Haitani Fluff #Ran #Ran X Reader #Ran Fanfiction #Ran Oneshot #Ran Fluff #Oneshot #Fluff #Angst

[writernopal]

🎻Mariachi - El Sonido Mexicano🎻

Alright friends, this is not the type of post I usually make on this blog but I felt like I needed to because, well, sharing is caring, and because I don’t see a lot of posts or music recommendations containing mariachi music and it breaks my heart! You’re really missing out!

Mariachi is, my god, so special to me. As a Mexican-American, mariachi always felt like one of the strongest ways to connect with my Mexican heritage (aside from the food of course hehe) especially because I grew up in an area where there wasn’t a very strong Mexican cultural presence. It made me feel proud of who I am when there were so many reasons to feel like I shouldn’t be. The energy, the lyrics, the outfits, the dances, the tradition surrounding mariachi are just things I wish more people had the chance to know and appreciate even if they don’t speak Spanish or have any kind of personal connection to Mexican culture.

So that’s my goal today! Buckle in because this is going to be a LONG post. And for anyone that makes it to the end, I hope you come away with a better understanding of this cornerstone of Mexican culture and even find a few songs to add to your playlists. 💙 🇲🇽

For anyone that wants to get right to the song req's here is a playlist I put together that has my favorites in it, it's also linked at the very end of this post!

A Brief History

Mariachi is a regional music style, native to ranches and small towns, which developed in the late 19th century in central/western Mexico, particularly in the states of Jalisco, Nayarit, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Guanajuato (Nopal’s family is from here!), Michoacán, and Colima. Some sources will also include Sinaloa, Durango, and Guererro as places where mariachi developed even though they are on the northern and southern extremes, respectively, of the aforementioned central/western region.

The history of mariachi, in many ways, is the history of Mexico and her people. It starts as early as 1519 when the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés made landfall in what would later become Mexico. With him, traveled musicians carrying primarily string instruments—harps, guitars, and the vihuela (the predecessor to the modern day one used in mariachi, this one was more similar to a lute)—all new to the pre-colonial region. By contrast, indigenous peoples mainly used rattles, drums, flutes, and conch-shell type horns to play their music. African peoples (via the Spanish as slaves) were also brought to Mexico, along with their musical influences. Its the blending of these three rhythms—Spanish, Indigenous, and African—during Mexico’s colonial era (1519 - early 1800s) that formed the basis of mariachi, el son jalisciense.

Other influences, like waltzes and polkas, and the introduction of brass instruments like trumpets, have transformed el son jalisciense into the beloved mariachi that we know today. Because of these added influences, and the rise in popularity of mariachi in the 20th century, there are many other regional styles/genres which are performed with/by mariachi ensembles. Some of the most notable styles are rancheras, corridos, cumbia, and boleros. These styles have their own instrumentations which include marimbas, accordions, drums, synthesizers, tubas, and various percussions instruments, like maracas and claves, that will often accompany a mariachi group performing pieces from that genre. So the key thing to understand here is that mariachi is both a genre and an ensemble type.

Since 2011, the mariachi genre has been recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Instrumentation and Ensemble

Mariachi instrumentation primarily consists of violins, trumpets, guitars, vihuela, guitarrón, and in larger ensembles, harps. Of the instruments listed here the two I want to focus on are la vihuela and el guitarrón because they are likely unfamiliar to most of you.

La vihuela is somewhere between a guitar and ukulele in size and has five strings. The sound it makes is very crisp and high, producing little to no echo, and gives mariachi that sharp quality to its string section. Its primarily strummed but can also be plucked!

El guitarrón is kind of the opposite of la vihuela in that is makes up the bass of mariachi instrumentation. You’ve probably seen it before, its much bigger than a guitar and has a large rounded back with six strings and no frets. It’s usually plucked to create a deep and full-bodied sound which forms the backbone of that hallmark mariachi sound.

Ensemble sizes vary but many consider a full ensemble to be 12 members strong—6 violins, 3 trumpets, 1 guitar, 1 vihuela, and 1 guitarrón (this is the size I had at my wedding!). In some cases, a 13th member will be added, usually a harpist. However, schools and professional companies may have more (upwards of 16) whereas more casual groups will have 4-6 members (think the kind that you see at Mexican restaurants!). Some groups may have a dedicated soloist/singer, but if they don’t, group members will take turns soloing before returning to play their instrument (sometimes even while they play!). They also sing as a group, so its pretty common to have instruments and the musicians themselves microphoned, especially in larger concert halls. However, mariachi in smaller venues often don’t need mics because they’re pretty loud as it is hehe.

Traditional Dress

Remember how I said that the history of mariachi is also very much the history of Mexico and her people? Where here is further proof! You might have noticed that mariachi ensembles wear a pretty distinctive style—the wide brimmed sombrero, bolero jackets, tight pants, both often in black with embellishments, fluffy silk scarves tied in a bow, and leather boots. This outfit is based on another Mexican cornerstone—el charro, or Mexican horseman—and is aptly named traje de charro or charro suit.

Charros have a storied history that I won’t get into for this post but know that these aren’t the “Mexican cowboys” popular media would have you believe. They are sportsmen (and women!) of the highest caliber who not only demonstrate exceptional control over their horses but of the lasso and represent values of honor, gallantry, community, and family. Charros are more like the rugged intersection of rodeo contestants, dressage riders, cowboys, and knights, who trace their origins back to the great haciendas of Mexico, where they competed to outdo one another in their skills of horsemanship.

To digress a little, the mariachi traje de charro also has a variant for women mariachi as well! This sees the inclusion of a long close fitting skirt. Its usually just full enough to allow the woman wearing it to ride sidesaddle, a detail which I think makes a little more sense after the charro origin of it has been explained.

Designs often include embroidered embellishments around the hems and pockets of the suit and of course the signature aletón down the side of the pants. Other accessories can include the zarape, large belts, and brooches.

Dance

You might have noticed there are no percussive instruments in the mariachi ensemble, which in concert settings, is true, but not in full scale performances. Enter another Mexican cornerstone, el zapateado! You have likely seen this style of dance before! Men in trajes de charro will dance with women in bright colorful dresses with big skirts, often striking their heels loudly on stage to produce a thundering sound. Dancers will often whistle, cheer, and sometimes even throw out short phrases of encouragement as they dance, further adding to the ensemble’s music.

This type of footwork was adapted from Spanish Flamenco (among other styles) and is in itself a type of tap dance, characterized by those hard heel strikes, and wide sweeping movements. It can be performed by as little as two couples (yes they are always paired off, even if either the men or women appear alone at first) up to a dozen (really as many as can fit on the stage or dance area haha, the more the merrier!)

There are a few other dances that accompany mariachi such as el jarabe and huapango dances. I should note, that these dances all form what is known as ballet folklórico (or folkloric dance) of which most Mexican states have their own signature style and steps. This is why outfits (most notably the women’s) will look different depending on which state’s performance you are watching. The most well known are the dances and outfits from Jalisco (remember the history section where I mentioned Jalisco as one of the origins of mariachi?) which features those big colorful skirts. Veracruz’s dresses are also very well known, these dresses are white with black embroidered aprons. Another notable mention is Puebla which have more narrow, brightly colored and sequined skirts.

I’ll add some links here to see zapateado and jarabe performances because you really do have to witness it if you’ve never seen it before! I would also encourage you to find a dance group in your area if you can, because the heel strikes are a lot more impressive in person!

Guadalajara, La Culebra, El Tranchete, Son de la Negra y Jarabe - Ballet Amalia Hernandez (dancing begins around 3:30)

Jalisco. Son de la Negra, El Carretero y La Madrugada

Tradicional baile del Jarabe Tapatio

La Culebra, El Tranchete, y Son de la Negra

Artist and Song Recommendations

Now, we’ve talked enough about mariachi and its history so let’s get down to the music itself! The lyrical content of mariachi music revolves around themes of love, heartbreak, betrayal, death, politics, country life, and carries tones of strong masculine pride. Thus the voices who perform these songs are typically masculine/male. However, as I mentioned before, there are women mariachi and mariachi groups. The key thing here is that mariachi music must be performed with body and soul!

Some other characteristics you might notice are el grito or shout, which is common to traditional mariachi and is that loud “Ay!” or “Wah!” you’ll often hear in performances, live or recorded, and may also come from dancers if they are present. Lyrics may also be crooned out to characterize the pain of the lyric’s meaning, Vicente Fernandez does an excellent job of this.

Below I’ve included some of my favorite artists and a playlist of songs for you to check out, but I would encourage all of you to explore the genre on your own and find what you like! I will note that not all of the artists here do strictly mariachi music, some branch out into other genres, but in general, most traditional Mexican artists have sung mariachi before due to its sheer popularity and cultural significance. You’ll also find that there are a lot of classic songs covered by many artists, so there is a mixed bag of original and covered works here!

Artists

Mariachi Vargas

Vicente Fernandez

Alejandro Fernandez

Jose Alfredo Jimenez

Pedro Infante

Pepe Aguilar

Javier Solis

Christian Nodal

Ana Gabriel

Angela Aguilar

Aida Cuevas

Lucha Villa

Nopal’s Mariachi Faves (YouTube Music Playlist, in no particular order!)

#mariachi #music! #mariachi posting #i could seriously go into more detail on a lot of this stuff #but i had to keep it brief hehe

[cloudbatcave]

I listen to some electro swing and suddenly I’m alive again. St. James’ Ballroom always hits.

#cloud speaks #really is one of my favorite genres of music

[triple-pupil]

So I heard that recently, the creator of The Backyardigans, Janice Burgess, passed away.

I loved that show and it's characters ever since I was little, still do to this day, it was creative and fun, I still love watching my favorite episodes and listening to my favorite songs.

I made a couple of doodles of the characters at least last year, so I'll try to find them (I don't remember where they are ): )

I hope she knew how her show impacted so many of us, even beyond the USA, and I hope she's resting easy.

#And my favorite one has always been- and will always be- Austin #I related so hard #the backyardigans #That show had SUCH BANGERS #Really creative with the rotoscope dancing and all the different genres of music #It was so good #Janice Burgess #Also I love the gang of characters sm #They're such a soft comfort- They make me feel soft #I want to hug them #If there is an afterlife- I hope it treats this lady well- At least for this show #Because tbh I didn't even know or questioned who created it until now #Damn I want to do headcanons and scenarios of the characters with my friends again #swearing in tags #I feel soft and fluffy inside again

[derpinette]

one way for a music performer to earn my full respect is if they carry out acts of self mutilation on stage

#that is how you know they are ♯Real about it truly dedicated to their craft & passionate #none of that gay spitting or whatever. start cutting yourself up BOY. or rather #as long as you do the latter the former you can do too without it being just Whatever #this is obviously specific to shock making-mamma-maaaaddd genres of bands/artists in general that i am into #not expecting like IDK france gall to start smashing things on her head to make it bleed. RIP miss gall i really love her music #my all time favorite female artists ( one eastern one western ) are known to just act as ragdolls & Bleeding on stage #& i think that is very based & adds to the experience/atmosphere of everyone involved there #this is sadistic of me ♯SORRY like obviously no one should kill themselves but... >_> ... #i just cannot help but think of the ones not doing it as posing Arse cowards SORRY about it #that one image of the stick figure shoving a gorey image to its stick figure friends Yeah that would be me. #when will i grow out of being an edgelord Probably Never

[britneyshakespeare]

i just have to say it. in my head by jason derulo is one of those songs a kid can hear on the radio constantly, for years, not think of it as anything but a regular love song. but then they grow up and realize. my god. this was never about anything OTHER than sex and it’s VERY obvious. one day a generation of children will have this realization about levitating by dua lipa.

#not that there's anything wrong w a song being about sex. i mean. if i did have a problem w it... i'd be really bothered all the time #by like every genre of music #there's just something kind of interesting about how you interpret lyrics as a kid bc all pop songs are kind of the same when youre young #they're all about situations like dating and parties and breakups that you don't relate to at all. except in very shallow kidified ways. #so you're like 'in my head is about him liking a girl' #but like. ITS GOING DOWN IN HIS HEAD???? #when youre older you grasp lyrics on a more specific and literal level. AND you can understand abstract lyrics better. #'all night youre my starlight i need you' blah blah #i happen to dislike both of these songs ive named but that really has nothing to do w this observation theyre both just kinda annoying to me #text post #idk what the point of this post was but im thinking about jason derulo #you could be my it girl.... baby you da shit girl #LOOOOOOOL one of my favorite lyrics ever #it's been over a decade and i cant get over 'shit girl' #I KNOW WHAT HE MEANS ITS JUST SO STUPID IN A LOVE SONG

[mymarifae]

society when everyone realizes akito and toya's cover of fragile fucking sucks and stops associating the song with them and embraces aun no beats as The akitoya song like THAT'S their song THAT'S the song that means the world to them both, not fragile, i hope fragile blows up, they sound like they're underwater???, stop reminding me fragile exists, it's not even a sweet song it's just miserable, help me? i think you all saw the cheek touch (i have no idea how else to describe it.) they do in the 3D MV and your brains turned off and maybe you didn't look at the lyrics because no couple in their right mind would claim . that. as Their Song, not even akito and toya

#aun no beats isn't the happiest song either but it's sweet. it's heartwarming even as it hurts. #'i held my heart up to you; give it back someday; be gentle okay?' come on. that's akitoya all over. why did fragile win out as Their song #i mean it's probably because fragile came out before aun no beats and aun no beats isn't in the english server yet blahblahblah #i think also i am just baffled at the majority of the fandom's taste in music. i see lists of the fan favorites and it's like #well guys i don't think these ones are very good . can we try again #that's not something to take personally btw i am coming into the music of this game with heavy metal as my preferred genre #and while there are plenty of songs i really really really REALLY like from prsk there's also a lot that i. don't. want to listen to. #👍🏾DNFNDNFKDFN major taste clash #(insert above image) society when colorful palette lets mafuyu's VA cover a DAZZLE VISION song btw

[tariah23]

Gwen Stefani ain’t shit but I’m sorry, I still love no doubt

#I loved their music man I still do #do you know how hard it is to find refreshing sounding ska music that doesn’t sound samey as hell like #I think that was what drew me to their music back then #and my mom would always play pop and everything on the radio so our neighbors would be like ‘y’all listening to that white shit’ skksksksl #like no we grew up listening to all sorts of genres of music so I liked everything back then regardless of the genre and decades #I remember being in like 8th grade and going through my 60’s music phase lmfao #rambling #I still love old blink 182 sorry if they suck to you I get it #m+m’s is one of my favorite songs by them I just love the fast drums and guitar I really loved their style a whole lot #their old stuff at least idc about them individually I don’t know a lot about them I just never payed too much attention I just fucked with #the music

[aqqleshiqqing-archive]

i watched the entire season of sp.y x fa.mily 3 times this week.

#one was my first watching. second was with my sister and i finished skimming through my favorite parts just now #mostly to collect screenshots #please watch it its so good #its on YouTube for free even. thats heaven #my gallery is crying #I CARE ABOUT THEM SO MUCJ OHKFG #its so rare for me to have anime comfort shows this is like my 3rd one so far among the many animes i watched #WAITING FOR SEASON TWOOOOOOOOOOO #~ rambling #btw the ed music makes me cry because 1) good music video #and 2) i have no idea what genre that song is — but that's one of my favorites genres #GOSH I REALLY ADORE THIS SHOWWWW i stopped watching anime in a while this is very refreshing #if my art soon gets based/referenced around this anime im not sorry HWHEHWHEHHWEHHEE

[tinyredpoppies]

Buuuuuut...Alex and I made plans to see 2 concerts next weekend so that made my morning better.

#one is emo night #and the other is system of a down tribute night #so i'm very excited to listen to some live music of one of my favorite genres/bands #and i juuuuuust got the bivalent covid booster and it'll be exactly 2 weeks when we go to the concerts #so i can relax and enjoy myself instead of worrying so much when I'm maskless #honestly i still wear a mask every place i go and wear an n95 at work #vacation was the only time i really went maskless much and even then i wore it in like the science museum and stuff #can't wait until this is better managed and we can eventually be without masks #i mean for those who are still choosing to do so bc i know the majority of people gave up on masks months ago #anyway again getting off topic #very very excited for next weekend #even told alex to invite her friend who i am not sure about yet lol #personal #k texts

[lock-my-feelings-in-a-jar]

just realized even though sweet was my favorite band forever ago, i've never really seen that many band pictures of them and never really searched for any before, just posting this as a heads up in case i find things and feel like posting some at some point

#me #they are probably my second favorite after iron maiden and i think they've always been near the top #of my favorite band list #if not at the very top like they used to be #i love that my music taste hasn't changed much for my entire life #like i ventured through some other genres throughout the decades but nothing else ever really stuck with me #and now i'm on to metal and it's like the biggest one for me so far