#these musicians won’t see it but your friends that are struggling will

[franthonyofficial]

if your first “dunk” on an artist you don’t like is their addiction you’ve severely lost the plot and i genuinely wish the worst on you

#FUCK yall for real #these musicians won’t see it but your friends that are struggling will #just say you don’t consider addicts real people

[atlasnessie]

WHAT A WASTE OF A LOVELY NIGHT !! — series masterlist

SYNOPSIS — an aspiring actress finds a struggling jazz pianist. together, they fall in love while pursuing their dreams.

all chapters coming soon. comment to be tagged

tag list: @little-miss-chaoss @atzuhi @tsuunara @mxtcha26 @silverbladexyz @lovayle @juice1231 @cheriiyaya @daza-ii @yaekko

0.1 — THAT SOMEONE IN THE CROWD !! after a failed audition, your roommates invite you to a few parties to ease up your mind. with a towed car, you start to walk home, only to stop and a hear piano. a melody. captivated, you walk into a bar and, oh god, it’s the guy you flipped off earlier ..!!

0.2 — “GUESS ILL SEE YOU IN THE MOVIES.” your friend invites you to a pool party to lighten up the mood after, yet another, failed audition. how strange ! it’s the guy from the other day on the keys ! rescuing you from a overly talkative man, he walks you to your car. there’s not a spark in sight !!

0.3 — “‘M GONNA HAVE MY OWN CLUB.” the ginger visits your workplace, taking you to a stroll during your break. getting closer, you gotta clear the air. you hate jazz. chuuya won’t take this, no. he takes you to a jazz bar, to show it to you up close. but, hey now, don’t go making movie references without watching it. chuuya’ll take you out to watch a movie. for research, of course.

0.4 — “I HAVE AN IDEA ..” what number of failed auditions is this ..? no matter, the movie night with chuuya is tonight. wait, your boyfriend has dinner with his brother that had been planned a while ago. but you can’t sit there. excusing yourself, you run to the theater, the melody of pervious nights ago playing in the back of your mind.

more chaps will be added soon …

CAST INTRODUCTION !!

CHUUYA NAKAHARA “you can’t just request ‘i ran’ to a serious fuckin’ musician..!” a struggling jazz pianist. despite his charming looks, he wishes to spread his wings and keep the life of jazz alive.

[NAME] “i’ll say it now. i hate jazz.” a barista with dreams to end up on the big screen. until a call back, they’ll remain in the same routine.

#bungo stray dogs #bsd #bungo stray dogs x reader #bsd x reader #bungo stray dogs chuuya #bsd chuuya #chuuya nakahara #chuuya x reader #chuuya nakahara x reader #chuuya x you #atlas writes !

[unorthodoxfaithxx]

Struggling Yandere Musician finding His Muse

He’s a musician, through and through, taking inspiration from everything. His past life experiences, past lovers, art, other music, nature, you name it. And he’s a good musician too, maybe not the best at piano but certainly a god on the acoustic guitar.

For some reason, he’s been having trouble making music as of late. Nothing comes to mind and he feels screaming into the void every time he picks up a pencil and paper. No lyrics come about, no melodies, nothing.

He falls into frustration and self loathing. Why can’t he come up with anything? Why won’t the notes come to him anymore?

It all changes when he meets you.

You attend one of your local cafe’s open mic nights where you hear him perform for the first time. He’s playing a  usual, perhaps even lackluster routine, and as much as he wants to enjoy it, he can’t. He finishes without a flourish, and is welcomed by claps from listeners. 

Being as forward as you are, you cheer the loudest, which catches his eye. He’s surprised by your enthusiasm, it’s much welcomed after going through a rut of self doubt and no creativity. The two of you shake hands after his performance and he gives you an autograph, as thanks for the pick-me-up. 

A little routine builds between the two of you. He performs, you listen. After every open mic night, the two of you chat with drink in hand, savoring one another’s company. 

It’s safe to say that you’ve been hooked ever since. You listen to his music on your favorite streaming service, and attend every open mic night you can now. 

What you don’t realize is he’s been hooked too. On you, that is. 

You’ve become his muse without you even realizing it. Have you noticed his songs have become sappier? More romantic? That’s all because of you. 

He can finally play with a refreshing state of mind. The thought of you has him wanting to sing his heart out, play for hours on end just to see your smile. 

When you happen to bring a male friend along to the next open mic night, he feels crushed. How could you do this to him? Didn’t you realize you two had something special? What was he supposed to do? How could he change your mind?

His performance is angry, passionate. It doesn’t ruin his music, rather it fuels his creativity and he probably would consider this the best performance he’s ever given. 

In his head, he thinks he’s losing you, his only source of inspiration and light in his bleak, creative-less world. He has to do something.

When it’s over, he catches you at an opportune time, your friend having gone to the bathroom. 

He asks that the two of you talk outside, and naively you say yes. 

Before you know it, your body is pressed flush against him and a wall, in the back of the cafe. 

“You’re not going anywhere, my muse.”

#male yandere #yandere imagines #yandere scenarios #yandere #yandere headcanons #yandere male #yandere writing #yandere x reader #yandere drabble #male yandere x reader

[nordic-language-love]

I see a lot of my followers in their early-mid twenties panicking about how they’re “running out of time” and they feel pressured to achieve things NOW before it’s too late so I just want to tell you about how my first year in my thirties has gone:

Doubled my hourly rate as an online English teacher (which I only started doing in late July last year)

Passed my advanced Norwegian exam, confirming I’ve actually managed to reach C1 level (which I never expected to do) and opening up other future possibilities

Learned basic Japanese

Accepted a job on the other side of the world, finally pursuing my life-long dream of moving abroad

Travelled solo to my favourite country twice and explored lots of new places and made new friends

Met my favourite musician/one of my biggest inspirations and spoke to him in his native language (which he told me I speak very well!)

Finally met an online friend I’ve known and admired for years

Started learning to draw

Organised (or at least helped organise) our studio’s first ever showcase

Choreographed and performed two routines with equipment I’d never choreographed a routine for before

Concluded with my therapist that I no longer need therapy

Tl;dr: at age 31, my life is finally starting. I feel like a real adult with the confidence and finances to achieve what I want to achieve instead of just getting by and panickedly trying to figure out what the fuck I’m supposed to be doing. So if you’re in your early-mid twenties and you’re worried that your life is over and you’re running out of time to be successful and achieve your dreams, you’re not. People say life begins at 30 (and 40 and 50, actually) for a reason. Your 20s are not supposed to be the time you succeed or even particularly thrive. You’re finding your feet, you’re figuring it out. Embrace it. Try things. Suck at things. Backpedal when you get things wrong.

I also just want to mention that I had an eating disorder and struggled with self-harm/depression/anxiety in my teens/early twenties. I probably wouldn’t have believed you if you’d told me life gets this good. I’m so happy I stuck around to see it! Please don’t lose faith in your future; you’ll make your own place in this world and you won’t regret waiting it out.

[kuromiisanton]

People watching

genre. angst

warnings. sad feelings. yearning. feeling as if you aren’t enough. self doubt. 

pairing. struggling musician!yoongi x fem!reader

a/n: I was listening to people watching Conan Gray when this idea came to mind and I couldn't stop thinking about it, so here it is. This story is written in yoongi's pov as well!  Hope you all enjoy it! (not proof read as per usual)

Watching people was something Yoongi often did. It had always given him a sense of comfort seeing how others were dealing with the world in their own ways. Watching others live their day to day lives helped him escape the never ending loop of whatever his life had amounted to. Failure. Something his parents often called him whenever he would go home for the holidays, he knew the career he had chosen wasn’t something his family would ever support but how could he live a life of misery with a job he hated? He could live a life of misery while doing the thing he loves.

Oftentimes he wondered if that’s how you lived… the girl he had always seen sitting in the corner of the local coffee shop. Always surrounded by books, papers, and your laptop. Focused on whatever task you had set for yourself to do that day. He had always wondered what you were doing. Was she working on an essay for her college course? Writing emails to her boss? Maybe she was a struggling artist of a sort like him… 

Staring at you was what took up a lot of his time while at the coffee shop. Though some might find it creepy, all he was doing was looking in curiosity. Finding inspiration for his next song or beat… most of the songs he had written recently was based on you. The girl in the corner of the coffee shop, always unknown to her surroundings. 

His eyes trace your face, the crease between your brow, the slope of your nose, and your lips… he sometimes wondered how your lips would feel on his. They look so soft and plump, he feared that if he ever got the chance he wouldn’t be able to stop kissing you. Releasing a sigh, Yoongi looks down at the empty sheet music he had been trying to work on for days now. 

Nothing was coming to mind except you. That's all Yoongi could think of nowadays… you could find Yoongi day dreaming of all the scenarios of him getting up and actually talking to you. How he would woo you with his knowledge of music, and how you would smile and laugh. He was always envious of how his close friend Hoseok could always approach whoever he wanted to and talk to them without any fears. If he was more like Hoseok, would you notice him?

Yoongi checks the clock and finds it’s half past six. The sun starts to set, gives the earth a golden glow and shines brightly through the window of the coffee shop. The scrapping sound of a chair against the ground sounds through the shop causing his head to turn towards where it came from. There you were packing up to head out for the night. Yoongi felt a familiar tug in his chest to speak to you, to stand up and introduce himself to you, compliment you and offer to take you to get a drink.

But, just like all the times before… Yoongi stays seated and watches as you pass him by towards the glass door. Where he won’t see you for another week or two…and during that time away he continuously thinks of all the things he could have said to you. Min Yoongi sits in that coffee shop watching you walk towards the bus stop, only to turn away to continue people watching.

©kuromiisanton, all rights reserved.

#𐙚florence posts #yoongi x reader #yoongi angst #yoongi x you #bts x reader #bts x fem!reader #yoongi x fem!reader #bts angst #kpop x reader

[landhficrecs]

Single Parent (1)

confections of the heart by pleasinglouis 25k

Harry chuckles, smiling when Louis’ breath hitches as he reaches up to brush his thumb over Louis’ cheek. “Louis, would you like to go on a date with me?”

He still worries that the date won’t go well, that Harry will get bored of him or decide it’s too complicated dating an omega with a pup, but he nods anyway, “Yes.”

It feels worth it when Harry’s lips widen into a grin and the dimple that Louis finds quite charming craters into his cheek. Who knows, maybe it won’t be as awkward as you think, Louis thinks to himself and follows Harry to where Oliver is watching a chef with a loud laugh show the pup how to sculpt with chocolate. Maybe this time it’ll work out.

.

.

Or Louis is a single mom, Harry is a pastry chef, and Oliver just wants his mom to be happy. With a teaspoon of love and a sprinkle of fate, the three might just find a home in each other.

darling, ill take care of you by louly23 20k

Louis watches the strip turn pink in the shitty employee bathroom of Donny stadium on a Wednesday evening in early April, 2008, and all she can fucking think as she sits there on the too-low, rickety old toilet seat that’s three fucking inches away from the sink with her nasty work khakis and Ann Summers underwear around her skinny 17-year-old ankles, 12,000,000 miles up Shit Creek with zero fucking paddles, is: I don’t even fucking like taquitos.

Across the ocean, in a small dingy-looking hallway in the shadiest part of Los Angeles, 16 year old Harry Styles tries to calm her breathing and wipe the sweat from her palms before she enters her very first audition as a fully grown, adult actor, a very long ways away from home.

...or Louis has a 7-year-old daughter, she's in a band, and apparently whenver she and that actor chick in the custom floral suits get near each other the internet loses it's shit.

With A Little Kindness by jacaranda_bloom 33k

The man lays his hand on Harry’s forearm and Harry looks up as the stranger leans in. “I just wanted to say,” he whispers. “Can I cover your bill? I’m a big believer in paying it forward and I can see you’re struggling. It’s none of my business, of course, but I’d really like to help.”

OR the one where Harry is a struggling single parent who doesn’t have time for relationships and Louis is a generous stranger who is unlucky in love, until fate decides to step in and bring them together.

Took Me by Surprise by QuickedWeen 20k

Louis Tomlinson and his best friend Bridget had a daughter when they were very young and he was on the brink of becoming the next MLS star. Until he blew out his knee.

A decade later, he's the head anchor of the American version of Match of the Day and is raising the coolest nine-year-old on the planet, who happens to be obsessed with Harry Styles - popstar, musician, and all-around household name.

tangled up and blue by thepolourryexpress 30k

Kai just shakes his head, making his way down the small batch of stairs with a hop in his step. “Have fun on your weird adult date.”

Harry sighs. “It’s not a date.”

“Dad, you already have him in your bed most nights,” Kai sings, walking backwards towards Louis’ car with an insufferable smirk on his face. “It’s not looking too good for you,” he shrugs, hands curled around the straps of his backpack.

Deep in His Eyes (I Think I See A Future) by FallingLikeThis 5k

Louis is a single father with twins, Davis and Ethan. Harry is the cute nursery school teacher that volunteers at the town’s fair.

promise you’ll remember by anonymous 10k

Louis is a widower whose daughter's fish just died. He panics, then ends up meeting Harry, a marine biologist who is out to steal his heart.

You’re Perfect Now by Kiwiwoman 21k

Louis is Harry’s bodyguard.

When Everything Gets In The Way by Kiwiwoman 16k

Louis is Harry's professor who holds his baby in lectures.

I’ll Call You Mine by KennieWen 13k

"Harry isn’t superstitious, doesn’t knock on wood, or wish on shooting stars, but his position on ‘love at first sight’ becomes increasingly wishy-washy as his mind begins to comprehend blue, blue, blue. He feels his heart constrict and tongue go dry. The man before him is the most beautiful omega he has ever seen in his entire life."

Or: A self indulgent Omega/Omega fic with a teacher/single parent of favorite student trope.

Right Beside You Is Where I Belong by lovelarry10 46k

“Harry, hi, I thought it was you,” Louis said as they came to a stop in front of him, Teddy by now sound asleep in his pushchair. “I hope I’m not holding you up?”

“Not at all,” Harry insisted, smiling down at Piper who was peering shyly up at the stranger in front of her. “I’m really glad we’ve seen you, actually. Pip, there’s someone I’d really love you to meet, sweetheart.”

Piper shuffled a little closer, clinging on to Harry’s shorts as he set a hand on her shoulder, willing her to relax. “Hello.”

“Hi!” Louis said, giving her a little wave, making Harry’s tummy flip over, loving how easy Louis seemed to be with his children. “I love your top. Sunflowers are my favourite.”

.•° ✿ °•.

Harry lives on his farm in the British countryside with his two children, loving the peace and quiet of his surroundings.

Louis is a writer who lives in the city, and decides it is time to take a break, to recharge and find some inspiration for his next book.

When Harry's daughter is left heartbroken by the unkindness of strangers, Louis decides it is time to right some wrongs, but doesn't expect to be reunited with the one who got away...

Wonder How I Ever Made It Through by lovelarry10 9k

Prompt 106: The shame at being incapable of it yourself.

Louis loved his home and his neighbourhood. It made jogging more enjoyable. But when a boy with curly hair moves into a home down the street, neither of these men realise what changes are coming their way.

Or Harry and Louis realise that all they need to be strong is love.

To Begin Again by lovelarry10 23k

“I, uh, I’m really sorry for yelling at you like I did.”

“Hey, I deserved it and more. I’m lucky you didn’t come and deck me on the nose,” Louis said, holding his hands up as if to surrender. “Seriously, you went lightly on me. If a crazy dog was leaping around me and my kids, I’d have lost my shit long before you did, and it would have been a lot more sweary than yours as well.”

Harry laughed at that, quite liking the man now he was getting to know him. This Louis seemed to have a good sense of humour, and his dog was fairly likeable too, laying there sound asleep, sunbathing.

“Well, I don’t usually lose my temper, so I just wanted to apologise.”

“It’s me who needs to say sorry. My stupid dog ate their bloody eggs, and on Easter Sunday at that. It’s a good job we don’t go to church, Cliff, or we’d both be going straight to hell. Nice ears, by the way. I meant to say earlier.”

*＊✿❀○❀✿＊*

Harry’s ready to spend a fun Easter morning with his two children at the park, but it’s thrown into chaos when an over-excited dog and his owner come barrelling into their lives…

@louly23 @jacaranda-bloom @becomeawendybird @thepolourryexpress @fallinglikethis

(Please @ the authors if you can xx)

#ao3 fanfic #hlficlibrary #larry fic #larry stylinson #larryfics #harry styles #louis tomlinson #singleparent #queer parents #lovelarry10 #Kiwiwoman #KennieWeen

[daydreamgoddess14]

Landslide pt. 1

MASTERLIST here

Summary: Jason approaches a singer/songwriter about a request for Ted Lasso Season 3.

Jason Sudeikis/Reader Insert (OFC, no use of y,n/l,n)

Rating: General for now... we'll see how it goes 🤭

Disclaimer: I absolutely own none of these songs, I also don’t want to diminish Sam Ryder’s contribution in creating Fought and Lost. This is all completely fictional. I also know nothing about the music industry so this is drowning in artistic license! 

Playlist Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1crFZfdqL1fspNXb80u5sK?si=e90f5f8f357b4647

It leans very Swift heavy but also has songs that I feel fit the main character and her style. I've never created a playlist for a fic before but it seemed appropriate given the main character's profession.

Songs used in Chapter 1: 

If I had a gun - Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (piano cover version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xvoxDXxdok)

Landslide - Fleetwood Mac (piano cover version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5JP43fk_SM)

Chapter 1

“Have you checked your emails yet?” A voice sounded through your apartment.

“Not yet, why - anything good in there?” You ask, your head deep in the fridge searching for eggs.

“Marcus wants to talk to you, he said he’s text you?”

“Yeah, he wanted me to show up at a couple of his Canadian dates but I’ll be in Spain. Or France... Europe, I’ll be somewhere in Europe.” You emerge somewhat triumphant, a two egg omlette will have to surfice.

“You’ll be in South America actually.” Your assistant Lily takes a seat at the counter and slides a coffee over to you.

“Oh. Well, I won’t be in Canada that’s for sure. I already told him I couldn’t do it, I wonder why he’s still asking.” Lily passes your phone over and goes back to attempting to tackle your inbox while you drop a message to Marcus.

Hey, sorry I missed you. Can’t do Canada - I’m in South America that week. Thought we’d talked about it already? Would love to catch up with you & Carey when you’re back in L.A though. Let me know xx

You’d actually met Carey long before Marcus. The same age, you’d crossed paths a lot in your early and mid twenties when she’d been an up-coming actress and you’d been a struggling musician. You’d drowned many, many sorrows together in dingy South London pubs, you’d been in the audience at her first performance of The Seagull in London and you’d followed her to New York to watch her Broadway debut. In contrast, she’d cheered you on in dark clubs and pubs for endless weeks and months. When she’d reconnected with Marcus, he’d tagged along to a couple of gigs and asked you to join the band for a number of their shows. Eventually you were added to the billing on your own, and supported them on a range of tour dates. From there, your career had really taken off. Now, you were regularly selling out arenas and festivals. Next on the masterplan was a worldwide stadium tour, but that was some way off. First you had music to write for a new album and a summer of festival appearances planned.   

“Aha! Figured it out!”

“Did we miss an email?”

“Not entirely, it went to junk so it’s not really your fault. Or mine.”

“What is it?” You ask, pushing the eggs around the pan.

“Hang on, just reading now… It’s from a Tom Howe?” You look blankly in reply, the name sounds vaguely familiar but you’ve no idea where from. “Hi, I’m trying to get in contact with you regarding Ted Lasso season 3. Jason came across some of your older work and the sound is a great fit for the show. He asked if I could reach out to you to discuss further. You also come highly recommended by Marcus Mumford who I believe is a friend we all have in common. Don’t hesitate to give me a call on the number below or reach out via email. We don’t have too long on this so would appreciate speaking with you. Best, Tom” Lily finishes reading the email on her device just as your phone rings.

“Do you just not read your emails, or?”

“I’m a bit behind! It’s been a busy few weeks.” You dump the eggs onto a plate and team them with a toasted muffin.

“Ah yeah, the life of a superstar.”

“You should know, you’ve sold out more gigs than me.”

“Not true… maybe still true but not for much longer.”

“If you say so. How are you? How’s Carey and the kids?”

“All good here, they’re missing you though.”

“I’m back in a few weeks, we’ll have a day out. Lily just read me the email from Tom.” “What do you think?” “I’ve no idea, I need to hear it again. How on earth did you think of me?”

“I didn’t. Well, I did. I play your stuff all the time. We were working on Season 3 and it just so happened that Jason heard some of your really early stuff and liked it. He asked if I thought you’d work with us so I said I’d ask - or rather Tom would.”

“That makes sense. He said something about a tight timescale?”

“Kind of, the show premieres next month but we’re thinking of you for the back half of the season so wouldn’t need anything from you till early May.”

“Do I get an idea of what you need?” “That’s where you’re better off talking to Tom and Jason. I daren’t spill any secrets, I’m not getting in trouble.”

“Ok, I’ll get in touch with Tom and set something up. Is he based in L.A?”

“He’s there at the moment, yeah. Why, are you still in New York?” 

“Yeah, I’m here til the 13th I think? But I might be able to get there early.” You reply, looking to Lily for confirmation who nodded, stealing the last bit of your muffin.

“Ok, definitely call Tom, cos if the timing won’t work then he’ll need to think of something else. Let me know. I’m in L.A at the same time as you so we’ll catch up.”

“Love to Carey and the babes.”

“See ya darlin’.”

“Right, I’d better read that email again properly before I call anyone else.” You sit next to Lily who opens the email back up for you. You can see that Marcus and what appears to be Jason have both been copied in. It had been sent earlier the following week so had been stagnating in your junk folder for about 6 days. “Shit.” You mumble, realising. “What’s the time in L.A?” 

“Umm 8.30am.” Lily checks. “Acceptable enough for a work related call?”

“Fuck it, I’ll leave a message if it’s not.” You read the number from the email and dial it from your phone, taking a deep breath. “Hi, can I speak to Tom please?” Tom was, it turned out, really lovely. You’d grown up not a million miles away from each other in various parts of London and he was a similar age to your older brothers. You instantly felt at ease with his good humour and musical knowledge. He’d explained that they were looking for a specific song to be used towards the very end of the season in a highly emotional moment. Though he and Jason had heard your recent music, it wasn’t until they’d been with Marcus who was listening to your much older back catalogue that the penny had dropped for all of them. In the days that had followed, Marcus had given them a masterclass of sorts, sending them copies of your early work and showing them how it had grown as you had and how your new music still has similar themes and styles. You’d blushed furiously while pacing in your apartment. Marcus hadn’t exactly been telling the truth about just how in depth your music had been discussed in recent days. You admitted that you wouldn’t be in L.A for another two weeks and questioned whether it would be a problem, he thought not and you’d promised to respond to his email. You hung up feeling elated at the prospect of a new project to get stuck into.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

CC: [email protected], [email protected]

Subject: New Project

Date: 27th February 2023

Hi Tom, 

It was great to finally speak to you earlier, I apologise for missing your email - thankfully Marcus set me straight. From what you’ve said this project sounds really interesting, I’d love to hear more about it. As discussed, I’ll be in L.A from 13th March but can be there earlier if you have time? I know that’s pretty close to the premiere so I understand if you think we can’t fit this in - there’ll always be something else! On the off chance I am still in luck, I’m going to spend a couple of days binge watching 🙂

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

CC: [email protected], [email protected] 

Subject: RE: New Project

Date: 27th February 2023

Hey,

Thanks for reaching out, I won’t speak for Tom on how much time we have, but I really want to make this work so happy to hang on for as long as possible. Here’s hoping you can turn a track around in 24hrs, I guess?! It would be great to meet with you as soon as you can make it to L.A, then you could also attend the premiere if that sounds OK? I'll get the details sent over to you. We can meet first and then figure out next steps. Don’t worry about timing, that's on me.

JS

You’d received a reply within minutes. Literally minutes, and you were buzzing. It was from Jason himself. You’d only been half joking about binge watching, you’d done that already with Season 1 but had run out of time recently for Season 2. Now you were even more itching to watch it. Though you had no idea of storyline or what kind of song they were looking for, you could tinker with melodies and riffs. Tom had talked specifically about family, love and fighting for what you believe in so you could use those basic prompts to get you started. Over the following week, you'd worked on some new music and planned to bring your trip to L.A forward by a week. You were going to be there for up to 4 weeks. The information had come through inviting you to the season 3 premiere of Ted Lasso, so you'd made sure to catch up on season 2 just in time. But first came the initial meeting with Jason and Tom. You almost wished you could get away with waiting till the premiere but knew that wasn't realistic and you could totally understand why they'd want to get to know you sooner. L.A afforded you a little more anonymity than New York and with Tom's studio as the meeting place, you had a reasonable cover for being there if you were to get noticed by anyone. You slipped out of your Uber and followed a path through a pretty little courtyard. You'd gone for a denim skirt and Bon Jovi t-shirt, it felt miles warmer in L.A and you'd tricked your body into believing that Spring had fully arrived. You pressed the door buzzer and waited patiently. Lily had offered to go with you but you were still very much unused to having a real life assistant and still attended most meetings, interviews and events alone. 

"Hey, you made it! Come in, I'm Tom. You're alone?"

"Yeah, it's easier to go unnoticed." You smiled stepping into the entryway. 

"I wouldn't know, thankfully no one knows who I am."

"After the few months I've had, I'd wish the same thing." You follow Tom through the building, a handful of offices, a small kitchen and then into a corridor with a recording studio on either side.

"I don't pretend to keep up with gossip so I'll just have to take your word for it." He admits, you're grateful for that. It had been a rough 6 months or so. Your last relationship with a well known actor had ended abruptly - in that you'd escaped. He'd then leaked all over social media and outlets such as Deux Moi that you were 'emotionally unavailable', 'manipulative' and 'high maintenance'. He'd placed horrible, false comments that you'd supposedly made about your fans and friends, and he'd tried to alienate everyone against you. There had been a pile-on of negative press about you. Say nothing the management team had said, do nothing, stay calm and quiet they'd insisted it'll blow over. Bullshit. You'd gotten a little drunk and joined a friend in playing a dumb Tik Tok game where she'd asked what your 'Ick' was… you'd replied "Boyfriends who gaslight you and are emotionally and mentally abusive and then try to blame you in the media to make everyone hate you'' with an arched eyebrow and a knowing look. She'd posted it to Tik Tok and within minutes Twitter was ablaze with your retort. It had completely taken over the press tour for his new movie and overshon his interviews. Other exes of his had posted similar confirmations and praise of you on their socials. You’d then gone totally dark on the subject and not commented any further. Your team were still picking up the pieces from the escapade but you had so far been hailed a bit of a hero and it appeared that people were leaning more on your side now than they had been. It was only a matter of time before he’d produce some other lies though, at which point you fully expected that you’d have to go public and go all in on substantiating your initial comments. The how and the when preyed on your mind heavily. Tom led you into the studio on the right, a huge mixing desk took up much of the space but there were a couple of desks and sofas, space for downtime and collaboration. Beyond the mixing desk you could see into the studio itself with its acoustic panels and sound deadening equipment. Jason sat at the mixing desk, elbows up on the table typing on his phone. He turned and smiled at the sound of the door opening.

"Hey, glad you could make it. I'm Jason." You hold out your hand to shake his, his large hand engulfing yours. Your skin instantly felt like it had been set alight. He was tall, broad and ridiculously handsome. Binge watching the show had given you an almighty crush, so you'd sought out his other work too. Once you'd found out how funny he was, you were done for. Get a fucking hold of yourself you thought. It had not been so long since a man had touched you that you should be this affected by him. But, oh those eyes. And that smile is really something. He takes off his baseball cap and drags his fingers through his dark hair, greying at the temples and if you’d focused for any longer than half a second on that alone you couldn’t be held responsible for your actions. He greets you like he's known you for years and as Tom gets the meeting going, he's charming, attentive and so quick witted it makes your head spin a little. "I'm looking for a song specifically about the relationship between hope and failure and perseverance. That's the basic outline at least - I can't tell you much more than that." He apologises. You whip out your phone, 

"Just taking some notes, that OK? I get it, you don't want some rando knowing the ending." He motions for you to go ahead, smiling as your fingers frantically move across the screen on your notes app. 

"Yeah you might spill the beans on Twitter."

"It was Tik Tok actually."

"Ah how's it go? 'Tik Tok made me do it'?"

"And a lot of wine." You smirk, "Can I ask, how you feel about season 3 generally? For the song, I promise I'm not fawning over you to get information."

"I don't know if it's the end of the end, if that makes sense. It could carry on in different ways." 

"I'm just trying to figure out if it’s a goodbye to the characters, or to this chapter of their lives… from what you've said the song needs to be really personal. I want to make sure the emotion is there. Are you really sure I'm the right person for this?"

"I'm sure. I've heard enough of your music to know that this is what we need, I know you're more than capable. Between what you can do and what Tom already knows I need, I'm completely confident." Tom nods in agreement having stayed silent for much of your conversation. 

"So is this like The Voice? Do you guys have a list of people to see?" Tom laughed, 

"Not at all, we're hoping you're it to be honest. Though since you're here it would be great to hear you sing if you're happy with that?" 

"I didn't bring anything with me, so as long as you don't mind sharing your piano or a guitar?"

"It's all yours." He gestures into the other room and you head through nervously. They both join you, not wanting to listen via speakers. You stop for water first, and then flip through your notebook to find a suitable song, settling on something reasonably new but not so well known. You'd been performing for the best part of 20 years, you knew every note, every line, but performing in front of two people was about a million times more nerve wracking than two hundred people, or even two hundred thousand people which was exactly what you had lined up in the summer at Glastonbury. You closed your eyes, honed in on the piano at first, allowing yourself an extended intro to give you time to compose yourself. 

If I had a gun,

I'd shoot a hole into the sun,

and love would burn this city down for you.

If I had the time,

I'd stop the world and make you mine,

and everyday would stay the same with you

Hope I didn't speak too soon,

my eyes have always followed you around the room.

'Cus you're the only God that I will ever need,

I'm holding on and waiting for the moment

for my heart to be unbroken by the sea

You didn't play the full song but it was one you were extremely proud of. You let the piano trail off and risked a glance at Jason and Tom who were grinning at each other. Jason let out a whistle, 

"Y'know how you always wonder how people are gonna sound when they sing live and it sometimes doesn't live up to expectations?" He said mostly to Tom. You’re stomach dropped, oh god, were you about to fall into that camp?

"Yeah. Yeah that was pretty special." Tom agreed, vocalising Jason's thoughts. You breathed a huge sigh of relief. 

"Thank fuck for that. I haven't done that one for ages. You scared me then!” You said more to Jason.

"It's a beautiful song. I could just use that for the show to be honest, but I'd regret not working with you on something original." Tom said, as he did so, his phone rang so he left to take the call, “Sorry, be right back.”

“Any chance of another song?”

“I don’t see why not, while we’re waiting for Tom.” You flipped back through the notebook again, this time choosing a classic cover you’d done for years and years. It had been one of the first songs you’d learned and the lyrics seemed to change meaning for you in different chapters of your life so that it always fit you.

I took my love, I took it down

I climbed a mountain and I turned around

And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills

'Til the landslide brought me down

Oh, mirror in the sky

What is love?

Can the child within my heart rise above?

Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides?

Can I handle the seasons of my life?

“Holy shit.” He mumbled, sitting on the piano bench next to you. You could see through the glass that Tom was still on the phone. You run your hands over the keys playing mindless notes and melodies, no real intention behind, just filling the comfortable silence. You feel him leaning against you a little as he watches you play, the narrow bench not quite big enough for two.

“I played it with Stevie Nicks once.” You say quietly. “I actually thought I was going to die. It’s like I have this black hole in my memory, where I remember meeting her and then I remember coming off stage and we had a couple of drinks together, but I can’t for the life of me remember actually singing it with her.”

“I think that’s probably to be expected. Our brains do weird shit and make us feel like idiots.”

“That is definitely the truth.”

"I would really like to get to know you a little better while you work on this," Jason admitted almost hesitantly, "if that's OK with you?"

"I'd like that a lot." You smile, he returns it, relieved. 

“So how did it go?” Lily asks when you call her from the Uber ride home. You’d stayed far longer than any of you had probably anticipated, throwing ideas around and experimenting with melodies. You can’t help but gush over just how much fun you’ve had - probably for the first time in weeks. 

“I can’t wait to get started, they were both so welcoming.”

“And Jason?” Lily asked, knowing about your crush. You pause slightly, it’s been hard to know who you can actually talk to recently. With your ex on a campaign to smear your reputation, it’s hard to know who is really on your side. You know that the comments he’s made are all false but it still worries you that some people will believe him over you. 

“He’s just… lovely. And my god he’s gorgeous, like up close in person? He’s insanely handsome. I felt like a creep staring at him!” Lily giggled along with you,

“Oh my god, I didn’t realise this crush was like a full on crush?!”

“Neither did I!” You admit. “Tom had to take a call so we were just mucking around at the piano for ages.”

“You had to sing?”

“Of course I did! They want to know that I’ll be the right fit for what they need.”

“What did you sing? How was it?” Lily knew you hadn’t sung properly for weeks, you were rusty and unprepared and it made you anxious just thinking about it.

“I did ‘If I had a gun’ and ‘Landslide’. It went ok, my voice is a bit rough, but nothing some decent exercises won’t help.”

“Classics! I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you. I wasn’t expecting this… connection. It’s weird, like he saw me immediately, like he’d known me forever. I feel like someone’s just plugged me back into real life.”

“You should write a song about that.” She teased.

“Well, I need to. They want to move forward with me so I need to bring my A game.” You reply, anticipation fizzing in your belly.

~~~~~~~~

Let me know what you think! I'm excited to get started on this 😊 As usual, my inbox is open!

#jason sudeikis #jason sudeikis rpf #jason sudeikis fanfic #jason sudeikis imagine #jason sudeikis x reader

[wren-of-the-woods]

Fake Dating Fic Recs

Geraskier

The Grass is Greener by @jaskierswolf Rated G, 6k

Jaskier's mother is coming to stay and his garden is an absolute mess and his lawn mower has seen better days... luckily for him his ridiculously hot neighbour is there to lend a hand.

A Favor for a Friend by biancarambles Rated T, 5k

As if being hopelessly in love and sharing a room with his best friend Jaskier isn’t hard enough for poor Geralt, he just can’t say no when Jaskier asks him to accompany him to his grandfather’s funeral. What better way to get back at Jaskier’s estranged, homophobic family than attending the funeral with a handsome (fake) boyfriend in tow? Any heartbreak on Geralt’s part is just collateral damage.

Christmas Downhill by avengeful-bunny (brodeurbunny30) Rated T, 66k

Jaskier, a struggling musician on the outs with his wealthy, elitist family is invited to spend a very special Christmas at his childhood home...with his boyfriend that technically doesn't exist. Enter Geralt, a Law student and part-time ski instructor who happens to fit all the requirements to play fake boyfriend in front of the family, for a small fee. With the magic of the season in the air, will the plan go flawlessly, or will a case of the feelings cause it all to go downhill? Either way, it promises to be a Christmas to remember.

The Bet by ladyprydian Rated T, 12k

“It was your idea Geralt!” Jaskier says. “ ‘Why don’t you cheat Jaskier’ you said-” “I did not say that!” Geralt growls. “ - so if I’m going to cheat you’re going to cheat with me!” “No Jaskier, absolutely not!” “Please Geralt. It’s just for December. Be my boyfriend for a month.”

I Scream a Truth, You Hear a Lie by @flowercrown-bard Rated T, 21k

When some bigoted man insists that Geralt can’t feel love, Jaskier blurts out that they are married - which they very much aren’t. So naturally, Geralt and Jaskier have to pretend to be husbands to convince people that Geralt is lovable, though no one doubts that more than Geralt himself.

Fast Track to Happily Ever After by trekkiepirate Rated T, 3k

Geralt opened his eyes to see Jaskier frantically tossing their belongings into packs. “That’s my shirt, not yours.” Jaskier looked down at the black linen in his hand and then tossed it into Geralt’s pack. “Right, yes, I knew that. Glad you’re awake; we need to go.”

Kiss me, for real this time by @jaskierswolf Rated T, 2k

“So… you’ll come to the banquet to protect me, but not as my bodyguard?” Jaskier sang. Geralt furrowed his brow and hummed. Jaskier rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Well you still refuse to use the term friend so that won’t work. You’ll have to be my plus one!” He laughed at his own joke, ignoring the spike in his heartbeat. Just a joke, Jask. Geralt hummed and tilted his head. “Alright.”

Snowstorm by @lovelyrita1967 Rated T, 9k

Geralt and Jaskier work in a restaurant together, but a snowstorm changes everything.

winnings and weddings by @purpurred Rated M, 16k

Jaskier and Geralt have to pretend to be engaged. Surprisingly, it's Geralt's idea. Everything is simultaneously the most hare-brained scheme and the most thorough production in the world.

Wild Blue Yonder by @jaskierswolf Rated T, 5k

Geralt's bookshop is slowly falling apart and he's ready to give up when Jaskier wanders into the store

overcome by @penandinkprincess Rated T, 38k

Drawn by a competition but afraid of a dark figure from his past, Jaskier manages to convince Geralt to attend with him. Now if the witcher would just stop asking why.

A Valentine's to Remember by @jaskierswolf Rated T, 3k

For Valentine's Day Jaskier has arrived to walk alpacas with his very best friend in the whole wide world... the catch? They have to pretend to be dating to get the Valentine's Day discount.

~~~

Other Pairings

champagne problems by @yoursummerfrost Yennefer/Jaskier, Geralt/Yennefer/Jaskier, Rated T, 11k

When Jaskier finds out that his ex-boyfriend is getting married, he convinces Yennefer to help him stage a fake proposal so he can ruin the wedding. There's just one problem: it turns out they both know the caterer.

Don't Stop Believin' by @skaldingrayne Lambert/Jaskier, Rated T, 5k

"I wish I could find a guy like you to actually date," Jaskier mumbled, so softly Lambert almost hadn't heard him over the music. Lambert snorted, a sharp and unwelcome pain shooting through his chest at the joke. Not that it was a very funny one. "Literally standing right here, Jas." "Yeah, but...not straight, I mean," came Jaskier's mystifying reply. Wait…Straight? Him? Lambert craned his head back just far enough to look Jaskier in those unfairly blue eyes. "You…You know I'm bi, right?"

A Marriage of Inconvenience by @ghostinthelibrarywrites Yennefer/Jaskier, Rated M, 7k

When Jaskier asks Yennefer to pretend to marry him in order to go undercover in a Nilfgaardian operative’s court, she decides she can’t let Geralt’s ridiculous bard get himself killed. But in the weeks that follow, the two grow closer and Yennefer begins to develop some inconvenient feelings for her pretend husband.

#the witcher #geraskier #geralt #jaskier #fake dating #yennefer #yennskier #lambert #the witcher fic rec #reclist #fic rec #fic recs #shoutout to jaskierswolf for writing a truly impressive number of these and providing us all with wonderful things to read! #and as always feel free to add your own recs in the notes -- it would make me very happy :D

[bwoahtastic]

Charles and Max really struggling to fit into each others worlds? Max struggles at the gala and even with Charles’ friends. They don’t share interests, they think Max is too brash and blunt. He’s not “fancy” enough for them. They laugh behind their hands when he uses the wrong cutlery or the wrong glass. The other omegas don’t want to socialize with him and when he goes to one of Charles’ concerts they exclude him. Max doesn’t want to tell Charles and risk his friendships. They haven’t been dating for long so he doesn’t know what’s appropriate.

Charles struggles with Max’s friend group. They’re all drivers, almost all of them alphas and he sees how much fun they have. They race each other on jet skiis or they go kart. And although Charles is fit and pretty athletic, he also feels excluded. He wonders if Max wouldn’t be better off with one of them. They’re a lot more “alpha” than he is, he’s soft and gentle and he struggles a bit with his own masculinity. They exclude him from a lot of activities, they’ve already decided he won’t be up for it

Oh plss! Max struggling to fit in with Charles's friends because he is not used to the fancy social events and dinners where you have a million forks and apparently shouldn't drink red bull with your meal. He tries so hard, even googles stuff or asks Charles to explain but freezes in the moment and doesn't know what to do and knows the others are laughing at him...

There being more partners and friends fro other musicians but no one wants to talk to Max and when he tries to talk to them, they cut it off real quick.

And at the same time Max's friends don't really involve Charles. Sure, he is an Alpha like most of them, but he seems frail and snobbish and they assume he doesnt like the activities they normally do. Charles tries hard to fit in but it doesn't work, and he knows they don't like him...

Maybe they each bond with one of the others friends tho! Like Pierre and Max get along well and can even joke around, and Dan ofc tries his best to involve Charles and thinks he is hilarious!

#asks

[philliamwrites]

SWYAATL 15: Dear Comrade

Pairings: Eren Jaeger x fem! Reader

Warnings: alcohol, young adults being horknee, depression at the end

Summary: “Yeah, I am. I’m glad I found you.” You mumble the last bit, plucking the leftover flowers from your dress until you hold the branch of the forget-me-not between your fingers. “And even though we’ll go our separate ways next week, I’m glad we’re friends. It’s weird … you’re someone I don’t want to forget, Eren Jaeger.” You offer him the flower. His eyes, now a dark green, are nothing like the soft blue—they’re different in so many ways, but you like them. Eren takes the flowers from you, looks at it like he doesn’t know what to do with it, and settles for putting it in your hair, behind your ear. “I won’t just disappear, you know,” he says, an exasperated tone swinging in his voice as though he’s talking to a three-year-old that’s still struggling with object permanence.

Notes: [01] || [14] | [16]

Words: 9k

A/N: Here we go, folks. Arc 1 of the story is over. I've already started working on Arc 2, and I've already noticed how fast-paced it is compared to what I've written until now. That being said, I can't tell when updates will resume, but I'll take a break from uploading for AoT for the time being. Once I'm back in the new year, I hope I can bring you a more regular upload schedule, but no promises.

Thank you everyone who's been on this ride for me, I can't thank you enough. Especially for the overwhelming love people show for Emil (I'm so surprised there are only asks about him on Tumblr than on the other AoT characters).

15: Dear Comrade

Commander Erwin Smith is a tall, impressive man. You’ve grown used to a handful of the other boys looming over you, but nobody manages to quite tower as Erwin does, making you feel small and insignificant even though you’re supposed to be the most important figure tonight. He’s wearing a simple white shirt, the sleeves rolled back to his elbows. With arms the size of logs and shoulders wider than the Walls, nobody dares to stand in his way.

It immediately sobers you up. Now you wish you’d at least worn a jacket or something.

He gives you an elegant, curtsy bow, offering his broad-palmed hand on which a wooden chip rests. “Might I ask for this dance, Maienkoenigin?”

“Uhm”, you say very intelligently. Sir, yes, Sir, is what you should have said. Instead, you blurt, “Should you be out here at all?”

Erwin doesn’t appear bothered by your question—then again, you think more is needed to throw the Commander of the Survey Corps off balance than a skimpy dressed, tipsy woman just fresh out of Cadet Corps.

“Should I and my men not be allowed to join the revelries from time to time?” he asks in return.

You can feel your face ablaze with shame. “I—I’m sorry, Sir, I didn’t mean to, Sir.”

Erwin chuckles. “At ease,” he says. “I must admit, I am out here not only for pleasure. I came to have a first look at the cadets. The Survey Corps is always on the lookout for promising new recruits.” He waits patiently for you to finally settle your hand in his, and turns his head to see which song the band strikes up next. On the other side of the plaza, the two string musicians each begin playing different songs, stop, and laugh at their error. When they bow their instruments this time, there’s harmony and the crowd moves in tandem; amongst all the other faces, you spot Marco spinning Mina, and over there is Ymir forcing another tankard of beer down Christa’s throat. It makes you giggle; you want nothing more than to join you friends on the other side of the plaza and dance with Mina and Marco and kiss them both, and find Jean and tell him how much he means to you and how glad you are that he is part of your life—oh, and the Shiganshina three, the Golden Trio, there’s so much you need to tell them, especially Eren, oh Eren—

“I imagine everyone must be excited about graduation,” Erwin says, easily spinning you out of the path of a boisterous couple kicking up their legs in every direction, and successfully yanking your thoughts away from your friends and back to him. “Has anyone voiced their interest in joining the Scouts?”

Your thoughts go right back to Eren, who burns so bright it blinds you whenever he speaks about the Scouts. Mikasa will follow him, of course. There is little you imagine she wouldn’t do for him. And where Mikasa and Eren go, Armin follows. You feel as though with those three alone, the Scouts are about to obtain a whole squad.

“Some,” you say, and try hard not to flinch when Erwin places his hand at the small of your back, leading you through the crowd. He’s an experienced dancer, and you wonder if that’s a hiring requisition for superior ranks. “Though opinions are split, and not in the Scout’s favour.”

You feel Erwin’s gaze on you. Maybe you shouldn’t have said that. But then he gives a small, crooked smile, and says, “When is it ever? That doesn’t stop us from doing what we have to do.”

“What’s it like?” Your voice is so quiet, you doubt he hears your words. “The outside?”

Erwin is quiet for a moment. Even though his hands don’t stop to guide you for a moment, he feels as though his mind is far away. In the end, he settles for, “There’s still so much I don’t know,” but he speaks it in a whisper as though they are meant for him alone.

The dance goes on and on; everything spins so fast: the music, the laughter, the warmth from living people. Girls and women spin in circles, their hair—black, brown, scarlet, and metal gold—flows like banners in the wind, and amidst them, silver flashes like a shiny coin. Like the moonlight flashing between dark clouds and illuminating the endless, dark night.

You trip over your own feet, staring in that direction. The only reason you don’t fall is because Erwin catches your arm in time, steadying you. “Is everything alright?” he asks, but it seems very far away. You tear away from him and dive into the crowd in search of what you’ve seen—who you have seen, because there is no mistake that only one person wears hair woven from silver starlight.

Dizzy and disorientated, you dart through the crowd towards the fountain, shouldering people aside, using your knees and elbows as weapons. Cheers and calls follow you which you ignore—you want to be invisible to them all, to throw away the crown and run back to the meadow, run across it barefoot hand in hand with—

The band’s song haunts you; the melody, their voices—it is the only thing that you can hear while running towards him.

 

O let the earth a-tumble, love, And humble you withal, Keep running. It’s up to you now, Up to you now, love to

Love run, love run For all the things you’ve done Run for all the things that drum Run for all those pages thumbed

Love run, love run For all the things we wished we’d done Run from all you know that’s coming Run to show that love’s worth running to.

 

When you emerge from the crowd, panting and with your heart trying to break free from your chest, no one with silver hair is waiting for you on the other side. It shouldn’t surprise you, yet you only realise now how much you’ve hoped, how much you’ve depended on the possibility that somehow, by the smallest chance, Emil would appear and surprise you. It feels as though you are losing him all over again—you are an open wound that you have no idea how to close. Tears burn behind your eyes, suddenly the emotions are so overwhelming you feel like you’re drowning in them.

You need to leave. As fast, as far away as you can until you can breathe again, until it doesn’t feel as though you are missing one of your limbs.

You turn and dash towards a narrow side alley—and bump into a solid, hard back. Before you can mumble an apology, a very familiar voice brightens the dark pit in your chest.

“Hey, what’s up?” Eren asks.

You tip your head back to look up at him. Eren used to be your height when you started out in the Cadet Corps, but now he looms over you, almost a whole head taller. Something about seeing him right now takes the wind out of your sails—you’ve searched for a haven and while you haven’t arrived where you want to be, maybe you’ve arrived where you need to be.

“I—I’m okay. I’m okay now,” you respond finally, unable to look away from Eren’s face. He dips his chin a little, as if sensing there is more you’re about to say, but when nothing comes, he gives you a crooked smile and turns to disappear back into the crowd. Something about the sight of his broad shoulders retreating closes up your throat, wedges sharp needles into your mouth.

“Stay,” you say, catching his wrist, feeling his hot skin. Eren stops, turns slowly. “Don’t leave. Please.”

He looks up from your hand to your face and studies it; studies your face for the answers to the questions flickering in his eyes. They pierce through you, hook right under your skin. Usually, you’d hate to lie bare and vulnerable before someone, but it’s different with Eren. Until recently, there was only one person whose thoughts you cared to know—what they thought about you, specifically. Now, Eren has become that person.

Slowly, Eren reaches for your hand and untangles it from his shirt. Your heart drops to the bottom of your stomach, but before you can say anything or move away, he takes your hand and leads you away from the feast through narrow alleyways, hidden away from prying eyes. It’s quiet here, and deeply dark. A few couples have sought that secrecy and are together now, joined at the lips, pressed close against the walls. Another song has begun, but slower.

Eren slows only when you reach the gates leading outside Trost District. He leads you off the path to where the grass fields stretch like silver patches under the moonlight. Immediately, you notice how much easier breathing is out here in this quiet, calm place. You take off your flower crown and drop it behind a crate, and hope you will never have to wear a crown again.

You find an empty spot down by the riverbank and sink down into the grass, the earth still warm from the day’s sunlight. You’re surprised. For the loud mouth Eren is, he can be quiet when it matters. The only light source comes from a big campfire people have put up near the water. It casts Eren in a warm glow that softens the planes of his face. He looks younger—like on the day you met on the first day of training when his eyes looked big for his face. His eyelashes are still stupidly long, stupidly dark—curving like the crescent moon above your heads. Light stubble runs along his sharp jaw. You wonder how his skin would feel to the touch.

You’re certain Eren is aware of your eyes on him, but he keeps staring ahead unblinkingly, waiting for you to fill the silence. He’s putting your back against a wall like that. You don’t know how much longer you can run. From him, from yourself—always towards the past as though Time itself slows to let you play, stealing the hours and turning the night into day.

You let your hands roam over the soft grass, and feel your fingers stumble over leaves and petals.

An idea blossoms.

You pluck the flowers from the ground and begin to weave a crown.

“You know, this means affection and admiration,” you say and show Eren a purple-crowned dianthus. He blinks. “And this,” you continue, presenting a lilac aster right under his nose, “means I will remember you.” You pick up the next flower. “This is Forget-Me-Not.”

“Let me guess,” Eren says. “Don’t forget me?”

“So smart.”

He grins. This grin makes something deep inside you unfurl, like a petal opening up its secrets to the sun.

You return to your craft, fumbling with thin stems and fragile pallets that break off and tear under your touch. Eren watches you struggle for a good minute. When he speaks, the amusement in his voice is like soft wind grazing through leaves. “Need help?”

“I’m good, I’m just—” The stems unweave and slip through your fingers like seams coming unknitted. The sweet smell of crushed petals fills the night. Nothing you do makes the crown hold—and then you realise why.

You let the flowers fall into your lap and blink at them, feeling your eyes grow heavy. “He never showed me.”

Eren tilts his head towards you.

“He never taught me,” you repeat, a quiver to your voice, “how to make flower crowns.”

Eren clears his voice. “Who…?”

“Emil!” You stretch out your hand, showing off his ring, grinning. The crimson sphere flashes almost threateningly like spilt blood.

Eren is quiet for a moment, eyes fixed on your slender finger and the ring. “I’ve heard you mention him,” he finally says, turning his head away. His side profile seems suddenly like a stranger’s, sharp and uninviting. “Who is he?”

“My fiancée,” you announce proudly.

He turns his head so fast and sharp in your direction, you hear a bone crack in his neck.

“You’re engaged?” he asks, but there is a very unfamiliar, un-Eren like tone to his voice that makes you look at him.

You don’t think Eren has ever looked at you like this. As though you are a glass of water and he is dying of thirst, but unable to reach you. As though you are the only patch of cool, green grass in a never-ending stretch of parched, grey land. You have only seen yearning on Eren’s face when he talks about killing all Titans and going outside the Walls. It makes you feel as though you are an exposed nerve, tender and raw to the slightest touch. If Eren would reach out right now and put his fingers to your skin, surely you would combust.

His eyes seem to reach deep into you, hooking into the words buried deep in your chest, and yanking them out painfully.

“He’s dead,” you say quietly, your grin slowly fading. “I think … otherwise, he would be here. With me.”

Eren’s voice is barely audible. “Was it in Shiganshina?”

You nod, and nod, and keep nodding, feeling a thick lump in your throat. You bring your knees up to your chest, your hands wedged in the fabrics of your dress to keep them warm. Only when Eren puts his jacket around your shoulders, you notice your body is shaking, but the moment his warm knuckles brush your collarbones, the cold inside your body dissipates. The fabric is warm from his skin, the collar smells like him. You duck your head, trying to bury yourself inside his jacket.

“You know, not one day passes where I don’t miss him so much it feels that I might die,” you say, quietly, more to yourself than to him. “I don’t know if you’ve ever felt something like this.”

Eren holds your stare. If the silence is bait, you don’t take it. You inhale, slowly. You smell food and the riverbed: mud and spice, with the slight after-taste of human pollution. And sweetness; ripe flowers ready to harvest for bees and insects.

“My Mom,” he finally says after a long moment. He stretches out his long legs, then reconsiders and pulls his knees back up to his chest, mirroring your position. “I saw my Mom die five years ago and the first days after that were like hell.”

You nod. You know what that feels like. Glancing over at Eren, you think about taking his hand and squeezing it—to show that he is not alone in that grief, that you know his pain. But when you look at his hand, you find it already balled into a tight fist by his side.

Weirdly enough, it makes you smile. Of course Eren would not allow himself to break. Instead, he steels his grief into rage, into desperation, into resolve.

“We’ve lost … so much … we’re trapped like fucking cattle ready for slaughter.” Eren forces a deep, shuddering breath inside his lungs. You can see the veins along his arms stand out, and suddenly your mouth goes very dry. “I can’t live like this. Nobody should live like this.”

“You have big dreams, Eren.” You bump into his side, feeling his strong arms hard like walls against yours. He doesn’t budge. “Maybe you’ll set us all free one day.”

He scoffs and rolls his eyes, but you see the corners of his mouth twitch. “If we ever bring down the Walls, I’ll definitely line up to throw a dynamite or two.”

“And then? What then?” It is a strange feeling, talking about a future you know won’t exist, but there is a quiet place in your heart that tries to imagine a life with no Titans, with no boundaries. It would look like a small Haven of trees, brushes hung heavy with glossy berries, red and purple and black, and small trees hung with oddly-shaped fruits you’ve never seen before and that would be home—you take a sharp breath in. Gone is the smell of green, of living and growing things, of dirt and the roots that grow in dirt, and as you blink away the picture that’s fading behind your closed lids, slipping from your mind even though you have no idea where it has come from in the first place, you hear Eren still talking: “… and after Armin and I see the ocean, I don’t know. We’ll explore the world. Find all the places in Armin’s book he always talks about. And then … I’ll pee in every major body of water on earth?”

“Oh my God.”

“You asked.” Eren bumps back into your side and you nearly topple over. When you straighten yourself, he’s looking at you curiously. Whatever he sees must satisfy him because he turns away, smiling to himself.

“What?” you ask.

“I see you’re feeling better.”

The question surprises you enough that you need two takes to open your mouth and give a response. And then you understand, he’s been trying to cheer you up. Nothing outlandish. Still, it’s like a died-out ember in your chest rekindles a fire.

“Yeah, I am. I’m glad I found you.” You mumble the last bit, plucking the leftover flowers from your dress until you hold the branch of the forget-me-not between your fingers. “And even though we’ll go our separate ways next week, I’m glad we’re friends. It’s weird … you’re someone I don’t want to forget, Eren Jaeger.”

 You offer him the flower. His eyes, now a dark green, are nothing like the soft blue—they’re different in so many ways, but you like them. Eren takes the flowers from you, looks at it like he doesn’t know what to do with it, and settles for putting it in your hair, behind your ear.

“I won’t just disappear, you know,” he says, an exasperated tone swinging in his voice as though he’s talking to a three-year-old that’s still struggling with object permanence. “After graduation, whenever our old Corps meets, I’ll annoy the shit out of you. Don’t think you can slack off in sparring just because I’m not there to kick your ass.”

“Last time I checked, I kicked your ass.”

Eren throws up his hands. “Because Mikasa was distracting me!”

You wave his excuses away, then stave off a yawn. The feast doesn’t show any signs of stopping yet, but you know the second your head hits the pillow, you’ll be out cold. Which is exactly why you lie down in the soft grass, looking up at the vast starry sky above you.

“If you fall asleep, I’ll leave you here, you know,” you hear Eren say, your eyes already closed.

“No, you won’t,” you say, and just to be sure, you hook your fingers around one of his belt loops. Something suspicious like a snort comes from Eren, but his warm presence beside you remains until you fall asleep, dreaming of juniper berry bushes and trees greener than any you’ve known.

 

The land is bare of grass, of plants, of life. It is a vast, never-ending wasteland of rolling sand hills where every grain twinkles like little stars no matter which direction you turn. It is an alien, strange place that feels familiar at the same time. You’ve been here before, but something is missing. Someone.

His name lies on the tip of your tongue, but you can’t remember the feel or sound of it. Sometimes, you think you see someone standing on the horizon, but when you catch up, that person is gone like a mirage. The frustration builds, the taste filling your mouth with copper. When your eyes spy the person once more, you decide to call out: “Er—”

“You see someone more interesting than me?” asks Emil by your side.

You blink, dazzled, and when he offers you his hand, you take it. It feels the same as all those years ago, but nothing about him is the same. Or is it? You close your eyes for just a moment, and he smiles at you, his boyish face still young and round. “There’s no one more interesting than you,” you say, because that is the truth. “It’s just this place. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Sandy hills and a never-ending starry sky stretch before you to all sides. There’s something else, something very bright and very big, but whenever you try to look at it, it disappears, and you wonder if maybe you’re just imagining it.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” says a voice that isn’t Emil’s. You find that Emil has disappeared, and you are now standing with Eren. It’s the same game: he looks different and at the same time he doesn’t. Older, but also still how you remember him.

“Where’s Emil?” you ask, turning. You see Mikasa with Armin, and Jean who is holding a sleeping Marco in his arms, brushing away ink-black curls from his forehead. Something about Marco seems strange though, as if half of his side is turning into sand.

“What are you talking about?” Eren says. “This place is for the living.” His hands are cool on yours, and you are aware of them in a way you have not been of Emil’s as he turns you away from Marco’s sight.

You narrow your eyes at him. “What do you mean?”

He leans close. You can feel his lips against your ear. They are not cool at all. “Wake up, [Name],” he whispers. “Wake up. Wake up.”

 

You bolt upright in bed, gasping, hair plastered to your neck with cold sweat. Your wrists are held in a hard grip; you try to pull away, then realise who is restraining you. “Eren?”

“Yeah.” He’s sitting on the edge of the bed—how have you gotten into a bed?—looking tousled and half-awake, with early-morning hair and sleepy eyes.

“Let go of me.”

“Sorry.” His fingers slip from your wrists. “You tried to hit me the second I said your name.”

“I’m a little jumpy, I guess.” You glance around. You’re in a small bedroom furnished with dark wood. By the quality of the faint light coming in through the half-open window, you guess it’s dawn, or just after. Your uniform-jacket hangs neatly folded across the back of a chair. “How did I get here? I don’t remember…”

“You fell asleep right next to me.” Eren sounds amused. “Mikasa helped me get you to bed. She also changed your clothes. Thought you’d be more comfortable here than on the cold ground.”

“Wow. I don’t remember anything.” You run your hands over your face, feeling your swollen cheeks from a long, deep slumber. Maybe you’ve had more alcohol than you’d expected. “What time is it, anyway?”

“About five.”

“In the morning?” You glare at him. “You’d better have a good reason for waking me up.”

“Why?” Eren asks, leaning back on his heels, grinning. For some reason this is the exact moment your brain notices you and Eren are sitting on the same bed, and you are very close to each other. He must have changed his clothes before waking you up—gone is the rumpled black sweatshirt and in its stead Eren is wearing a simple white military shirt. “Were you having a good dream?”

You can still feel cold sand between your toes, see stars twinkle before your eyes. You think there were certain people in your dream, people you knew, but the details are blurry. “I don’t remember.”

He stands up. “We’ve got our rifle rehearsal, remember? Shadis sent me to kick your ass out of bed. Actually, Jean offered to wake you up, but since it’s five in the morning, I figured you’d be less cranky if you had something nicer to look at than his horseface.”

“Meaning you?”

Eren’s grin grows tenfold. “What else?”

You throw a pillow after him, but Eren is already up and about, and out of the door before you can grab something else.

Just for a moment, you consider falling back into your bed and pretend the next couple of days don’t exist. Somewhere on the other side of the compound you hear Shadis’ roars, and decide to get up pretty quickly.

Twenty minutes later, everyone stands ready. Rifle in hand, half of them visibly fighting their hangover, the rehearsal goes as smoothly as planned: Sasha stumbles twice, and Samuel and Connie go down with her. For a moment, Shadis looks like he doesn’t want to say anything, but then he simply states you’d be all dead if those rifles were loaded, and proceeds to procure a bucket of water to douse them like filthy street cats.

It gives you a small break where you set out to find Jean. Compared to three years ago when around four hundred soldiers enlisted, only half of that number remains today. Many of them are foreign faces, and you doubt you’ll ever find friendship in any of them since your group has pretty much remained the same ever since the first weeks of trainee days.

On the other side of the plaza you spot Mikasa and Eren. She’s plucking at his clothes, which he is invisibly annoyed about, but it is a different type of annoyed than when he’s around Jean—it seems more long suffering while endearing at the same time, and for a moment you can’t help but just stare at them and realise for the first time that they look good together. They’ve known each other since childhood, and Mikasa is rarely apart from Eren. You wonder what that would be like, to know him in and out and say things that make him laugh, make him blush—just like Mikasa is doing right now, but then from this distance you see her mouth from something that looks like your name and you stare even harder until she must feel you staring like a physical presence and turns.

Catching Mikasa’s eyes, you grow even more convinced that they are discussing you, that Mikasa can read you like a book, can see through to your very soul, and is telling Eren all your secrets. As if you are shouting this aloud, Eren turns at that very moment and looks at you, breaking into an elated smile as he waves his rifle dramatically in the air, and you smile back, waving yours in return, and receive a clap to the back of your head from Shadis for your troubles. As you rub your head in pain, you see Eren laughing in delight, and that alone makes it all worth the trouble.

“Bam,” comes Jean’s voice from your side. When you turn, you see him lower his rifle. “I just shot you.”

Changing the rifle from your left to right shoulder, you follow him back to your positions to restart the rehearsal. “You know I’d come back and haunt your ass. And don’t point it at people, it’s rude.”

You can practically hear Jean rolling his eyes when he says, “Whatever.”

Back in your line, you follow the steps and march in tandem with everyone else. In front of you, Jean continues quietly enough for only you to hear, “We practised rifle handling for this one thing; what a waste of time. It’s not like we’ll ever use them against other people.”

“I guess they’re just making sure to cover the whole syllabus. I don’t like thinking about having to point that at someone else.”

“You sure as hell won’t have to,” Jean says, whipping around, bringing the rifle across his chest to his other shoulder. You do the exact same, staring up at the back of Reiner’s head. From the stiffness of his broad shoulders, you can see he’s very tense. Maybe he’s taking this rehearsal a little too seriously.

You only get the last bit of Jean’s sentence because he unobtrusively pokes you in the back with the end of his rifle. “From what I’ve heard about the MP, you’ll have your occasional thug but actual casualties are very rare.”

“Seven more days,” you whisper back. “Will you be okay without me? Who’s going to pull your ass out of trouble?”

“I’m pretty sure Marco’s got that covered.” Jean turns his head, probably on the lookout for the culprit in question. You go very still, but from the lack of Jean going on, you’re pretty sure Marco has still not found a good time to talk to Jean.

“You know, there’s still time to reconsider,” you say in just the moment the rehearsal reaches the stage where your fake rifles go off and make a deafening bang noise.

Jean turns his head, the ‘Huh?’ clearlywritten on his face.

You pretend you didn’t say anything. Maybe things are progressing the way they are for a reason.

 

From the 344 recruits who started out at the very beginning, only 218 graduated.

On the evening Shadis announces the Top Ten trainees, nobody is surprised to see the ten best lining up before your instructor. You feel immensely proud that both Jean and Marco have managed to hold their ground. But to you, standing in the back between Mina and Armin feels right.

All you care about is the celebration that’s right after that—the last evening you’ll spend with the majority of your friends before everyone heads off. Understandably so, Jean’s constant reminder to ‘not enter the boys’ barracks after’ gets more and more frustrating.

“Why?” you say through a mouth full of steamed potatoes. “Are you guys comparing dick sizes?”

Someone who listens in on the table across from you chokes on their spit.

“We want to have a guy’s night, what’s so unusual about it? You girls do … whatever you girls do. Have a pillow fight or whatever. But don’t come into our barracks, got it?”

True to the nature of your friendship, obviously you barge into the boys’ barracks after the graduation celebration is over. And what timing you have. Swinging the door wide open, you enter at the exact moment Jean declares proudly that in a life or death scenario, he’d totally be down for a threesome with you and Marco.

You freeze. Everyone in the room freezes. Marco unsuccessfully hides the bottle of booze behind his back. It tips over and he shrieks as red liquid spills across the wooden floor. Multiple boys boo at him, and you realise they’re all drunk.

Jean raises his eyes to yours, and you trade a look that feels like a dare. Somehow, you can’t really take a hold of what expression to make—it ranges from confusion to slight disgust to mild interest at how exactly the logistics of such a scenario would look.

Realising there’s only one thing you can do right here, right now, you take a step back and close the door again, willing to forget this ever happened. Three steps is all you’re able to make before the door flies open again, rough hands grab you and manhandle you back into the room.

“You better not tell anyone we got booze here, or I’m gonna dunk your head inside a latrine,” Daz hisses. He’s the opposite of intimidating at any given moment, but now, wobbling on both feet while pointing a shaky finger at you, even a newly born puppy has more bark to it.

You discreetly swipe away the cool spit he’s graciously sprayed over your cheek.

“So, that’s the reason girls are not allowed?” you say, putting on your best Ida-performance to show how disappointed you are. “You’re going to hoard all that and don’t invite us?”

Across the room, Samuel shrugs. “The more people know, the easier Shadis might catch wind of what we’re doing here.”

“Yeah, he’ll skin us alive.”

“I think,” you say, very slowly, “we should get everyone in here and have a final blast before tomorrow.” That didn’t get the reaction you’ve expected, but it is met with less resistance than before. “And we can also,” you add, wiggling your eyebrows, “maybe play some games? Make it exciting.”

Not ten minutes later, the boys’ barracks is cramped. Every open space around the low centre table has been taken by someone as they sit huddled together, shoulder pressed against shoulder. You’ve organised more tankards from the kitchen, and now you’re sipping from the sweet meed Daz has organised somehow. After asking him for the third time and him refusing to explain, you’ve given up and accepted this might remain the greatest secret of Cadet Time.

“So, what games did’ya have in mind?” Samuel asks after the initial excitement has settled down while everyone is nursing their drink. You can feel Jean’s body pressing against your side, clearly interested in what you’ll come up with.

“I got these,” you declare, and present a dozen wooden skewers you’ve helped yourself to, “so we can play the King’s Game.”

A couple “Oooh”s and “Aaah”s later, everyone who wants to participate has settled around the table. Since it was your idea, you can be Queen first, and you’re not here to hold hostages. While swirling the mead in your tankard, your first order is, “Number 3 has to give number 5 a kiss on the cheek.”

When Connie and Samuel rise at the same time, the rest giggles and whistles, but the boys don’t back down. Alcohol is always a nice confidence booster, so Connie makes a big show of smacking a wet smooch onto Samuel’s cheek, earning them a round of applause for that.

“Okay, my turn.” Connie downs the rest of his beverage, then smacks his lips. “I want number 4 to give number 1 a piggy back ride.”

Reiner stirs, showing his skewer with a number 1 carved into the wood. When Christa climbs to her feet, wobbly like a flagpole swaying in harsh wind, the room erupts with laughter.

“I can do it,” she mumbles to herself, her usual pale face a canvas of red—the culprit of it sitting right next to her and cackling like a maniac. Over the last years, Ymir has perfected the art of getting Christa drunk before anyone can notice and stop her. It’s quite funny to her until Reiner offers to give Christa a piggyback instead, and all Hell breaks loose.

Next to you, Jean scoffs. “Like animals,” he says, but when you look up at him, he has a goofy smile on his face. You can’t say how much mead he’s had until his glassy eyes drop down to you and he leans into your space, arching over you until your shoulders touch.

“I’m gonna miss you,” he mumbles, his breath soft against your cheek. You feel the pinprick of tears at the back of your eyes and blink against them. He can’t pull that shit the night before you go your separate ways.

Before you can reply, someone is tugging at your sleeve. When you turn, somehow magically a new skewer with a new number has manifested in your hand.

“Seven’s gotta sit on Nine’s lap,” Sasha whispers conspiratorially. She points at you, then across the table, where Eren is looking at you with a very weird expression. “By the King’s order.”

You whip your head around and find Reiner grinning at you. Jean’s presence immediately vanishes when he leans away, looking sickly pale all of a sudden when he stares somewhere else, his jaw held tightly shut as if he’s just bitten into glass.

This is a bad idea, without a doubt—but the other, much louder part of your brain thinks challenge accepted.

You crawl over to Eren who eyes you as though he’s just waiting for the hidden dagger to slash forward and cut him open, and throw one leg over his lap. Good balance so far. You sit more on his knees than on his thighs, which is enough for the first round of whistles and unnecessary remarks from your comrades. Eren has found a very interesting spot somewhere behind your shoulder that demands his complete, undisturbed attention.

“Kids, you gotta do it properly,” Reiner says, and with a slap to your back, he pushes you flush against Eren’s hips. You choke on your spit. Eren yelps.

Reiner grins. “Exactly like that.”

“Okay, okay, we get it.” You try to weasel some space between you and Eren’s pelvis, but the only place of leverage is his arms. It’s different from hand-to-hand-combat practice where touching bodies is inevitable and you’re too occupied thinking about ways to bring your opponent down than worry about girls and boys accidentally touching where they shouldn’t. But this is deliberate, and now that your hands cling to his arms to regain your balance, you notice the strong chord of muscles tensing under his shirt. His solid thighs easily holding your weight. You don’t doubt if his shirt would lift slightly, the sight of firm abs would greet you.

“Don’t move,” he hisses, grabbing onto your thighs to prevent you from squirming. It gets the desired effect, immediately shutting you up, freezing you on the spot. It also does something weird to your body. You want to close your legs, pretend modesty is a thing that you guys still do around here, but you don’t have to be a genius to understand friction is the last thing Eren needs, and that’s why he’s got an iron grip around your thighs.

Why are so many people cramped up in this tiny room, it’s so fucking hot in here. You still don’t meet Eren’s eyes. You’re close enough to feel him breathing, feel the heat radiating off his body. Not knowing what to do with your hands, they just fumble needlessly in front of you, your fingers curling into the hem of your shirt to do something. Someone laughs really loud at the back of the room.

Eren clears his throat quietly. “Nervous?”

Finally, your eyes meet. His seem darker than usual, a deeper green like a lush forest dancing to strong wind picking up before a storm. This close, you could count every single one of his long lashes.

“Why would I be?” You lean back slightly, but the friction is enough to make Eren tighten his grip around your thighs. You can feel his nails dig into your skin through the fabric of your trousers. “If anything, I get the feeling you’re the one who can’t keep up, Jaeger.”

Eren executes an eye roll that must give him a spectacular view of the inside of his skull. No wonder Jean can’t keep his cool. Or maybe it’s just an Eren-thing, infuriating those around him. A match to an explosive barrel.

You’ll give him one.

“Nervous?” you ask with a mean grin that furrows Eren’s eyebrows in question for a second. Then you roll your hips against his once but hard enough for him to feel the heat between your legs. His expression is priceless, absolutely dumbfounded and stupid and laughter rises in your throat—

Eren throws you off his lap, already on his legs and charging out of the cabin into the cool night. Thankfully most of the other cadets are too busy whooping at Sasha drinking loads of beer from an improvised funnel Connie and Samuel are holding up for her. Only Mikasa has paid attention, and is now rushing after Eren while you return back to Jean’s side. He nibbles on a dried cracker and barely spares you a glance.

“What’s wrong with your face?” Jean asks. He sounds impatient, and when he snaps his jaw shut on the cracker, it reminds you of a guillotine slamming down.

“What’s wrong with your face?” you snap back.

“No, I mean if you’ve got a fever or something, go to bed.”

“Just eat your damn crackers, Jean.”

You try to hide your burning face behind your arms, knees bent up to your chin—a small ball of embarrassment because who could have thought your little joke on Eren would backfire so bad. In that split of a second before he threw you off, his neck and face completely flushed an angry red, Eren looked absolutely ready to devour you. Desire is a dangerous look on him.

From across the room, you catch Reiner’s eyes. Mischief glints in them as he raises his cup in mock salute to you, presenting himself to be the true pyromaniac all along.

 

❀❀❀

 

“I’m going to escape these Walls. That’s my dream. Mankind hasn’t been wiped out yet. We deserve to be out there; we are free. We were born into this world to see it.”

When you turned, expecting to see Eren because you so clearly remember him saying those exact words at the graduation ceremony, you saw Emil sitting by your side instead. His eyes were closed, his long, pale lashes resting against his high cheekbones. You remembered how often he said that word, but you didn’t fully understand what he meant.

“What is freedom?” you asked, burrowing your bare toes into the warm soil.

Emil kept his eyes closed. He picked a flower and placed it on his lips. You’d never wished so hard in your life to be able to turn into a flower. He was lying next to you, his fingers resting interwoven on his chest. “It means to do and feel what you want without anyone holding you back or stopping you.”

“That sounds great.” You looked out at the riverbed. It seemed to sparkle more than usual today. “We could get there, one day. It doesn’t sound all that hard.”

“You think?” Emil opened his eyes and looked up at you. His eyes twinkled just like the river. “Look around. All these flowers. Who do they belong to?”

“Hm … nobody? Everyone!”

“Fair enough. Then, pick one that you really like.”

When you looked around, searching for forget-me-not, you spotted a nine-petalled, white flower stretching its small head towards you. “This one,” you said, pointing at it.

Emil made a small sound at the back of his throat. When you turned to him, he was already staring somewhere else, but he looked as though he’d swallowed something sharp. He bent over and ripped the flower out of the ground. “This,” he said, “is my flower now. Even though you really want it. What will you do now?”

“Ask you nicely to give it to me. Because I know you will.”

Emil smiled at that. “Pretend I am not someone nice. Pretend I am someone who is a bad person.”

“Not you.” Your reply came immediately. “Not ever.”

“Then, Marianne,” he continued, and like you knew he would, he put the flower behind your ear, brushing his knuckles along your cheek. “If it were Marianne who took what you wanted, what would you do?”

You pulled a face. “Leave her, I guess. She can have it. But I’d be very sad.”

“Exactly. She is free to do what she wants, and what she wants is to take this flower. And even though you want it too, only stealing it back from her would make you happy. Because you as well are free to do what you want.”

Your head spun from the possibilities. Emil squeezed your hand. “And what if…,” he continued in a voice that was utterly unfamiliar to you, “…what if what you want is to hurt others?”

“It’s wrong.”

Emil chuckled. “Says who?”

“It’s … it’s common sense,” you tried to argue, but it sounded weak and naive even to your own ears.

“Common sense dictates we do not kill, we do not steal. Did you know there are people living underground who have never seen the sky? Who are not allowed to come up here and enjoy the fresh air? Enjoy the feeling of the sun. They kill and steal to survive. Is that still wrong? To do what you need to do to survive?”

You grew very silent. Listening to Emil, he almost seemed like a different person.

“Look at these walls.” Emil looked up. The warmth in his eyes disappeared. “We want to go outside, see the world. But we can’t. Because there are Titans outside. Because there are enemies outside these Walls. It’s unfair, isn’t it?”

“But these Walls protect us,” you shot back. “Without them, Titans would come in and eat us.”

“I suppose that is true. Sometimes, I just wonder … if they as well simply do not have a choice.”

“Which means…” you said slowly, realisation dawning, “Titans … aren’t free?”

The corner of Emil’s mouth pulled up in a rueful smile. His eyes were almost sorrowful. “I suppose … if they feel anything at all.”

“You’re always on top of those things, Emil,” you marvelled, squeezing his hand back. “You’re kind and so full of sympathy for everyone and everything. See, that’s why you could never be a bad person.”

The warmth returned to his eyes, lightening them up to the colour of the early morning sky. “If you say so, then it must be true.”

Before you could forget it, feeling the soft petals of the flower tickling your cheek, you asked, “By the way, what flower is this? I always see it on you.”

And for the first time since you had known him, Emil lied to you: “I don’t know.”

 

❀❀❀

 

You have a feeling the headache pounding at the back of your head the next morning isn’t solely because of the booze escapade the night before. Your body doesn’t feel as weary and heavy as the day after May Day a week ago, this type of lethargy is a different kind. You pin it on the upcoming events later in the day, and focus on your current task organising everything for the cannon maintenance at the top of Wall Rose.

Marco has been quietly helping you with that for some time. The creases on his forehead run deeper than the canyons cutting into the earth south of Wall Rose. Everything points to the source of his concern being Jean, currently occupied checking the gas stock for the cylinders, still, you ask the million coins question: “Have you spoken to Jean yet?”

As though he’s been waiting for you to ask that, his reply comes immediately: “I’ll talk to him later. After the preparations. I asked him to wait for me in the backyard at HQ. Before we head off to Sina.” He shrugs. “Or maybe we won’t head off. I’m not sure how to tackle that exactly.”

You think of how much value Jean puts into Marco’s opinion; how he eats up Marco’s words right up like a starving man.

“I don’t think it matters how. You got this. He’ll listen if it’s you, Marco.”

Marco stays silent. He clears his throat when he notices you staring at him, and gives you a wry smile. “We’re talking about Jean here. He can be as stubborn as you.”

“I could beat him up for you. Make him listen.”

The wry smile turns into a full-blown grin. He puts a little more enthusiasm into helping you secure the crates with ropes onto the wooden platform that lifts you up to the top of the Outer Wall. You like this Marco better than the sombre one. You continue working like that for some time until everything is loaded onto the platform and you give Marco the sign to turn on the mechanism that lifts you up.

“You ever wonder,” he says suddenly, thumb resting on the button. When he looks at you, it feels a little as though he’s seeing through you. “… if what we want and what we need are different things?”

You wait for him to continue when you realise he doesn’t mean it as a rhetorical question. “I think it’s enough sometimes to settle for what we want. We might never know what we need.”

“Maybe,” sighs Marco. “But what if the moment is there all of a sudden and you have to make a decision?” He kneads the back of his neck, then shakes his head like a puppy shaking water off its fur, trying to disperse his thoughts. “I’m talking nonsense, sorry. Today is hard enough on most of us. I’ll see you later for the distribution banquet.” He doesn’t give you a chance to respond and presses the button. With a jolt, the platform rises, and you hold onto a crate, watching as Marco grows smaller and smaller. He salutes up to you by putting two fingers to his temple. You wave back, trying to swallow around the lump in your throat.

Maybe that was his try at convincing you to change your path as well. It would be great, staying together like this for the next few years until it is time to discharge. But somehow you doubt it would be that easy to convince Jean otherwise, and you’ve already made yourself acquainted with Trost’s Garrison unit and its captain, Hannes. Of course, now that you won’t see him for some time, you find a better answer for Marco’s question: That sometimes, you settle for what you can get. That you can’t have it all.

On top of the wall, Connie is the first to greet you. “We got worried you two bailed on us,” he says, immediately tackling the ropes and disentangling them from the crates. The rest of the group is already maintaining the canons and cleaning them up. Whoever was on duty to supervise you, they’re nowhere in sight.

“Sorry, we lost track of time chatting.” You help him carry the necessary instruments and tools. When Mina sees you, her face lights up and she says something to Thomas. He looks over and grins. Sasha looks over and grins, too. It feels as though they’re all in on a conspiracy and you’re the only one left out, radiating a fervent energy that is like a flame jumping from source to source.

“What’s up with everyone?” you ask Connie.

He drops a crate, ignoring the rattling inside it and dusts himself down. “They’re just excited ‘cause Sasha swiped some meat from the pantry.”

“She did?” You rivet your eyes on her until she notices your stare. Holding your hand up in an OK-sign, she grins and throws a hand up in return. Mina squeaks—and maybe that is a little too much excitement for something as simple as that, which should have given you reason to wonder. Connie sniffs indiscreetly. “Oh, and we’re all gonna join the Scouts.”

You drop your hand and stare at him. “You’re joking.”

“Nuh-uh. I guess Eren’s little speech yesterday left an impression on us all.” He shrugs, as though a decision like that is not worth the hustle. You want to take him by his shoulders and smack his head against a wall. By divine intervention or just honed survival instinct, he decides just then to join the others and leave to your crisis.

They must think you’ll join the Survey Corps as well. But this isn’t how it’s supposed to happen. You don’t just decide something like that in the spur of the moment. “What if the moment is there all of a sudden and you have to make a decision?” You wonder if Marco is in on this, and it’s all a huge conspiracy.

You take a step forward to set things right, and maybe give Mina a good shake to remind her this isn’t what you two agreed upon, this isn’t what you two wanted—

The sight is breathtaking.

It is your second time on top of the wall. Cadets are usually allowed only after their graduation because Shadis doesn’t trust you not to kill yourself by stumbling off the edge. Maybe it’s the final step for him to recognise his fledglings have grown into hunting birds capable of soaring through the skies and every year he pushes that as far away as possible.

The sight never ceases to amaze you. All along the horizon, mountains rise and fall in full splendid, covered with forests and cut through my glistening lakes and rivers. Giant, stark-white clouds rise behind them and paint the blue horizon with a severe beauty that has you shuddering with the realisation how close you are to the sky.

This is it. The sight Emil has always dreamt of, that he had longed to see for himself. The endless world; to leave the small cage and see the big world. The thought makes your heart race with wonder and excitement and fear—all after just seeing the possibility.

What if, what if, what if … what we want and what we need are different things?

“Hey, be careful.” Eren’s voice is like an anchor pulling you back to the present. You haven’t noticed him approaching, but now he’s standing close to you.

When you look at him, you blink until the sting at the back of your eyes disappears. “The wind’s really something up here, huh,” you say, rubbing your eyes dry.

Eren’s jaw works for a moment before he turns and takes the world in. “Yeah,” he mumbles. “It’s something.”

It feels like no more words are needed. He gets it.

“You have to tell me,” you mumble. “What you’ll find beyond the horizon. Okay? Whenever you leave to kick Titans’ asses, you have to come back and tell me.”

Eren turns to you. The wind tears at his hair, but he stands firmly. Nothing can throw him off. “Of course I’ll come back,” he says like it’s nothing. He doesn’t know what this promise untethers inside you. Your knees wobble. It feels as though you have peeled back every layer of your hopes and fears and dreams and laid them bare before him. The weight of your heart seems to tear you apart with the words that you wish you could say. And for a time there is timelessness; endless stillness that holds the picture that is you two standing at the edge of the world stretching across the horizon when overhead, lightning in the sky turns the world white and summons the Destroyer of Worlds.

As you stare into the eyes of the Colossal Titan, stomach roiling with panic, you can’t help but notice, distantly, how human its eyes seem.

A/N: Today’s The Amazing Devil’s song I’m shoving down your throats: Not Yet / Love Run (Reprise)

***

Taglist: @arisu003, @brooki, @prttyangelbaby, @honeylmnade, @berriesandcrem

#aot x reader #aot x you #aot x y/n #snk x reader #snk x you #snk x y/n #eren x reader #eren x you #eren x y/n #eren jaeger x reader #eren yeager x reader #phill.swyaatl #swyaatl

[tsukikoayanosuke]

Twisted Wonderland x Project Sekai - In Which I Put the Proseka Kids in the Seven Dorms

I originally made this before my TWST version, but I didn't have much explanations and only going with the vibes. So, I kinda redo it. It wasn’t as well-thought as my last crossover, but I'll try my best to give some rambles which hopefully make sense. Oh and it might contain spoiler to Ignihyde Episode, so beware when you reach that dorm. Also, this is more based on the English Server of Project Sekai, so future event beyond Scramble Fan Festival won’t be referenced often.

So, enjoy this nonsense. Oh, and imagine NRC is co-ed or something.

Heartslabyul

Founded on the severity of the Queen of Hearts, Heartslabyul is known for having a long list of rules to follow as created by the Queen of Hearts. Each member is expected to follow all 810 of them; failure of even one will result in their beheading.

Believe me when I say that I honestly don’t know who to put here. I don’t want to call this dorm the “vanilla dorm”. So, what does this dorm is known for in the story? I would say they like to “go by the believe in”, whether it is following the Queen of Hearts rule like Riddle, going against it like Ace, or believing for the best for your childhood friend like Trey.

Continue from the TWST version, I have to put Mafuyu Asahina here. She and Riddle is quite similar, especially the relationship between each mother. Their rule is “do everything to please mother dearest”. Mafuyu follows her mother expectation, aiming to be a doctor because that’s what she wanted. She always put on this nice girl persona and only take it off, revealing a broken girl who wants to disappear, when she’s in discord with her fellow music-team. The main struggle for Mafuyu is finding her feeling again with Kanade’s song as her only salvation so far, the same as Riddle post-Overblot who tries to stand outside his mother’s shadow. Housewarden Mafuyu let’s go.

If Mafuyu is the equivalent to Riddle, the Mizuki Asahina is the equivalent of Cater with a little dash of Trey. The rule they always keep is, at least from my interpretation: “always keep your distance because you never know whether they will accept you or not”. Secret Distance shows how Mizuki, despite wanting to be close to their team, still keeps their distance because of the fear they have. Both them and Cater have secrets that they don’t want to spill, mostly about personal feeling and internal struggles, and cover them with this cutesy-cheerful attitude. Mizuki is also more mature than their friends, being the mediator like Trey. Though unlike Trey, they doesn’t really lean toward one side of the spectrum. Their relationship with Ena can mirror Trey’s relationship with Cater where Trey/Ena tries to reach out to Cater/Mizuki and their the latter still steps back. Hopefully they will find happiness one day.

For Shiho Hinomori there is one rule that she’s uphold: “dedication means you have to give your all”. The struggle she has between her and her bandmates is her ambition to become a pro musician in contrast to the others who just wants to have fun. However, she still wants to be with them like they use too. Musical Twilight Parade and Resonating with You shows this conflicting feeling. You know, Shiho wants to be pro for she is being recruit into another band, but she wants to be pro with her friends and stays with Leo/need. She can’t force them to join in, it is their choice in the end. For Shiho, the feeling is not enough, you need the determination and the dedication as well. That’s her rule, her standard. If not, they will get leave behind.

Savanaclaw

Founded on the stubbornness of The King of Beasts, this dorm excels in sports and martial arts. As a result, many of the students tend to be hot-headed. It's important for students of Savanaclaw to be physically fit in order to survive.

Ah Savanaclaw. The game did you so dirty. But let’s see what we have. What can we learn about Savanaclaw from the whole magishift/spelldrive sabotage? Well, they are bullies, they are hotheaded, and competitive. Even if Leona and Jack are complete opposite (Leona will do whatever it takes to reach his goal while Jack still has that sense of justice), their stubborness is almost similar. There’s also a lot of growling.

The lesbian takes over this dorm. This is the only dorm where everyone is new in the roster. Saki was originally in Octavinelle, Minori is Scarabia, and An in Heartslabyul. But because all of them are too stubborn for their own good, they are transferred here.

Minori Hanasato is probably one of of the most stubborn people in the cast and is the biggest lesbian we stand her. Imagine yourself going on 50 idol audition, only passed three of them, but ended up being rejected as well. But she won’t give up, ‘More More!’ as she would say. But you can say she doesn’t learn from her mistake, even doesn’t know she made a mistake during all these audition until a pro (Airi) tells her. Sometimes she let the hate-comment get to her head like in Hear Me! Hopeful Show. While she knows that she’s not in the same level as her idol mates, she still want to prove herself being worthy for the stage.

Sick girl Saki Tenma is here for a reason. It’s kinda ironic to put the one with the worst health to the dorm about all sport. No worries, nobody dare to bully her if they don’t want to face Tsukasa’s wrath. Speaking of Saki, like Minori, she is stubborn as well. She is sick, like chronic illness or something, and has a weak body. And yet, she still push herself to contribute more in the band despite what her bandmate said. Proven in First Star (Stella) After the Rain where she keeps on working and joining in practices despite her tired body, and Unnamed Harmony where he kept making and making songs despite not knowing the basic. She is driven by her desire to spenf more time with her friends because she didn’t get that during her stays in the hospital.

An Shiraishi stubbornness is not as visible as Saki and Minori, but one thing she’s known for is her desire to surpass the legendary event RAD WEEKEND. Unlike Akito but like the rest of the dorm, she doesn’t really think(?) or has planning. She chooses Konahe to be her partner to be her partner in their second meeting (the first one Kohane ran away) and literary pulled her into this music world, even Akito pointed out how An is being ridiculous for dragging a newbie. An is kinda driven by her feeling as in Singing in Sync she thinks she’s protecting Konahe from being panic by singing over her, only for Akito to kinda tell her of that she’s not treating her partner as an equal. At the end of Awakening Beat she even feel sad that Kohane improve so much, thus she will try to catch up with her.

Octavinelle

Founded on the pity of the Sea Witch, students from Octavinelle are known for their intelligence. When not attending lessons, they run the restaurant Mostro Lounge. Rumour has it that their dorm leader can grant any student any desire and if a student wishes for something, a pair of twins will appear before them.

The smart and scheming dorm so I know I won’t be sorted into here. I’m pretty sure Octavinelle Episode is the favorite episode for many of us or at least I know you guys like the mermaid aesthetic. What can we learn? Don’t be stupid before reading a contract, I guess. Azul, Jade, and Floyd is shown to be smart in their own ways and use their strongest charm point to make many (including us) fell into their trap.

Honami Mochizuki doesn't like being in Octavinelle because it highlights her biggest problem: she doesn't want to take sides so she caters to all sides. Octavinelle is known for it shadiness and tax fraud, but that's not what Honami stands for. She doesn't want to get hurt, that's why she tries to please everyone. This only resulted in her being viewed as a two-faced people pleaser. Don't Let Doubts Hold You Back shows the Honami who finally decides to be brave and states her opinion without worries of whatever people thinks of her, because she still have her childhood friends who will always support her.

Kohane Azusawa meanwhile doesn’t seem like your typical Octavinelle. She’s not cunning nor a trickster. She’s a honest, probably innocent student who wants to stand with her teammates but lack the confidence. However, we can see this this way and I’m not trying to downplay Kohane here. Without her, An won’t have the perfect partner to sing in RAD WEEKEND, just like how Akito and Touya are a pair. Kohane shines because of her singing voice, while untrained, is beautiful and An sees this potential. She is An’s wish-granting golden contract, similar to Azul. However, similar to Azul who starts as a shy octopus pot, Kohane grows into a more confident person in her unified dream with her friends.

If we’re going just through aesthetic, Nene Kusanagi is perfect for this dorm. Her Mermaid Admiration event is based on The Little Mermaid, so that’s already a plus point. Relating to Mostro Longue, I can imagine Nene working there as a diva because I know Azul is going to capitalize her singing voice. Nene, like the other Wonderland x Showtime member, loves the stage and is one member who has already an experience in a theater troupe. She also has one of the best voice among the cast (VA-wise). Like Kohane, she’s not really that confident on stage, mostly from being traumatized that one time she forget her line, but eventually she finds her courage during On This Holy Night, I Sing.

Scarabia

Founded on the meticulous planning of the Sorcerer of the Sands, the students of Scarabia are known for being highly resourceful. The students live by the dorm's motto, "Plan with deep anticipation".

I was there when the fandom is still figuring out between Kalim and Jamil of who will overblot (I suggested that both of them would). But putting that aside, Kalim and Jamil are two contrasts, similar to the two magic lamp genies (Robin William the Genie and Jafar). Both Kalim and Genie has this goofy attitude, but have their strength in their relationship with others (for Kalim it’s the Scarabia students, of Genie it’s Aladdin). Jamil and Jafar is straight up the representation of Scarabia: cunning, resourceful, and two-faced.

Emu Otori immediately goes straight here. She's the carbon copy of Kalim. Loud, rather pushy, but still wants the best for the dorm and the embodiment of sunshine. But not always. Her struggle in Smile of a Dreamer shows how she's still holding on nostalgia, wanting to preserve her grandpa ambition to always bring smiles to the people versus her more logical brothers who works in a full-scale reform for Phoenix Wonderland, because the park is struggling. Both Emu and Kalim still hold on to that hope that maybe things can go back the way they are. While in Kalim’s scenario, his and Jamil relationship is tainted a bit, Emu manages to get her happy ending in Wonder Magical Showtime.

Speaking of Jamil, Now, we need someone equivalent to him, and who is a better candidate than Akito Shinonome. I’ve been tossing Akito from dorm-to-dorm (between Heartslabyul, Savanaclaw, Scarabia, and Pomefiore). He has his own rule that he doesn’t accept someone who’s working half-ass. He is stubborn when in comes to full-filling his goal to the point of long, harsh, almost unhealthy practice in Stray Bad Dogs, but at the same time can be seen as hardworking. Unlike Jamil however who knows that he is better than Kalim, there is a lingering feeling in Akito that he is talentless due to his neglectful father (which also affected Ena), that’s why he does whatever it takes and use whatever he can to be able to stand beside his teammate. 

Now, how about someone in the middle. Airi Momoi is the perfect blend of Kalim and Jamil. She is bright and sunny girl who wants to be an idol, however the industry keep pushing her to become a TV personality instead. She’s bright like Kalim but skilled in various style like Jamil. Like Jamil, she has one ambition: to become an idol, and yet society wants her to be something else. You can say that she rebels by quitting the industry as well, similar to Jamil’s rebellion. However, she still maintains Kalim kindness for always worrying over her fellow idols, like her relationship with Shizuku. She’s the one who suggests to be an essentially YouTube idols, thus proving her being able to think outside the box. Honestly, she’s a good housewarden candidate.

Pomefiore

Founded on the heavy efforts of the Beautiful Queen, students of Pomefiore dorm excel in alchemy and potion-making and carry an exquisite sense of beauty.

For many, Pomefiore is the prep dorm. We see their fancy clothes, stuck up attitude and our personal hatred toward Vil when slapping Epel. But we often forget that Pomefiore is the most hardworking dorm among all. The whole Pomefiore Episode is a showcase of Vil’s hardworking effort. Epel’s Lab Coat shows that he’s not all “i want to be manly”, and Rook’s love for beauty is honestly amusing to see.

Shizuku Hinomori is the embodiment of how fandom view Pomefiore is. As Airi put it: a pretty idol that makes people jealous with the strong presence by just standing there and everyone will look at her. This is Shizuku’s struggle in her My Color! event: would she want to cater to her fans who sees her as the perfect idol or be herself as someone who is hardworking to be that hopeful idol. I imagine Shizuku being in Pomefiore would have the same struggle, maybe even her being the housewarden.

On the other side, you have Ena Shinonome. She's almost similar to Shizuku in someway, however I think Ena, being the attention seeker, would really live up to want many seen Pomefiore for. At the same time, like Shizuku, she wants her art skill to be acknowledged as well. There is no doubt that her art is good, but she doesn't think so because it has fewer likes. I might match her with Epel for not seeing what they're actually excel at because they're having the wrong view of what is worth/true (Epel for his masculine view, Ena for her 'more likes = the art is good" mentality). Truly an artist struggle.

And our dearest protagonist, Ichika Hoshino, is the last one to be here. Ichika doesn’t stand out as much as the other two, but she has her strength. Her biggest struggle is wanting to maintain the relationship between her, Honami, and Shiho before Saki returns, but fails to do so. But she never stop wishing in reuniting all their friends. It’s during Singing Among the Cherry Blossoms where she finally find her footing. She realized that there’s something wrong with her self-confidence and she finds the answer for it to increase her singing skill and confidence. It is her who grabs Shiho’s hand during Resonating with You and tells her to her face that they will becomes pro with her. She never stop trying to write the band first song in A Bright Future and always wants to improve her singing as the band leader. If that’s not hardworking, I don’t know what is.

Ignihyde

Founded on the perseverance of the King of the Underworld, the students of Ignihyde specialize in research concerning the integration of magic with technology. However, they're very reserved and don't interact with the other dorms much.

Even putting aside the whole necromancy and kidnapping, the first thing we immediately associate with Ignihyde is technology and introvert. It’s hard because Ignihyde doesn’t really interact with many, so it’s hard to find something special from them. Let’s see from another angle. We all know that Idia built Ortho, right? Technically he’s an inventor. So, imagine the trial and error he had to go through to ‘resurrect his little brother’. The dedication and to never give up from the final product.

This is also the only dorm that doesn’t get any changes, because I’m honestly the most confident with the vibes.

Kanade Yoisaki, our sick Victorian child. You just know that she’s perfect in Ignihyde. She’s basically a nicer version of Idia without the necromancy. Gifted in compossing music while never leaving her room, she has a savior complex thus she won’t just give up after the first failure. Carnation Recollection displays Kanade’s perseverance in creating that one song that can make Mafuyu feel something. No matter how much sleep she lost, she will trudges through the writer block and create a song that will save people. She also has Idia’s depression and drowning-in-guilt attitude because it was her song that lead her father to depression and falls into a coma. 

Rui Kamishiro is not your typical Ignihyde. He’s loud, wacky, and so out-there he would make Idia quiver in fear. His desire to create the most extravagant shows with his probably-dangerous gadget makes people walk away from him and it scares him. Like Kanade, he has a bit of Idia’s drowning-in-guilt. In It’s On! Wonder Halloween he feels guilty when Tsukasa gets hurt from his robot which makes him hold back all the stunt much to Tsukasa disappointment. It is only after the reassurance that Wonderland x Showtime won’t leave him just from this one mistake makes Rui returns to his usual self.

Diasomnia

Founded on the Elegance of the Witch of Thorns, Diasomnia is home to those who excel in general magic.

The only dorm that still doesn’t have the main story but I would argue it’s one of the top three dorm. Everyone hail our Master Malleus (not me tho). But the Diasomnia quartet has an interesting dynamic. As we know, Lilia raises Silver and was Malleus’ caretaker (possibly Sebek’s to an extend), in addition both Silver and Sebek are Malleus personal bodyguard. You can tell they’re close, almost familial. Diasomnia is about loyalty, honor, family, and the bonds between the people. Though, with this description, any of the proseka kids can join here. So, I'll cut to the essential member for those three things

I laughed a lot when I pick the first person in this new roster because it’s the one and only Tsukasa Tenma, the world future star. It's the whole thing about family. The only reason why Tsukasa wants to be a star is because he wants to see his sick sister smile more often. He makes shows for her on the hospital in the attempt to make her laugh. This lead to his teen years when he joins PXL. The bonds between him and Wonderland x Showtime is also another thing. In Wonder Magical Showtime, he sacrificed his want to win the PXL competition in order to help Emu in saving the park. And at the end, he finally see those warm smile from the audience: the main reason of him wanting to be a star. I mean, if we can have Sebek's loud voice, we can have Tsukasa as well. Imagine them gushing over Malleus and Saki would be funny. It’s also funny that the Tenma siblings are in the dorms who are known as being spelldrive rivals.

When it comes to loyalty, I think Touya Aoyagi takes the the spot. We can see this as two things. One, from the whole “classical music ruined my live” side. Touya is a son of a classical musician, Harumichi Aoyagi. Harumichi is a strict in his training, forcing Touya to study classical music to the point that Touya hate it which leads him to street music. This is where the second part loyalty came in: Akito (x 52 times). Akito and Touya immediately click and becomes partner as Bad Dogs. Here’s the thing. You can say that Touya is loyal to Akito to the point he thinks he’s not serious enough to be his partner because street music is just an escapism from classical during their story, but Akito reassure him that he’s a great partner. Touya is also the one who keeps reassuring Akito during Stray Bad Dogs. I think, Touya maybe choosing one genre of music over the other because trauma, but in the end he’s still loyal to music. In Nocturne Interlude, he says to his dad that he still love classical music despite the pain, because he learns many enjoyable things about it and what his father enjoy about it, the same way about his feeling to street music.

The thing about honor is pretty tricky, so we might have to stretch some things. Haruka Kiritani, the former idol who thinks she lost the honor of being one. She is known as the best super idol, bringing hope of a brighter day to many people, like Minori and Mai. When Mai joins Haruka’s idol group ASRUN, she always encourage her junior to practice more. She means well, however this leads to Mai damaging her vocal chord and she blames Haruka for giving her false hope. This leads to Haruka spiraling down until she quits being an idol. That is until Minori, who never lose hope, reach out to her and she gains her honor back. Also it would be funny to see Savanaclaw Minori and Diasomnia Haruka, two most rivalling dorm actually being friends.

#project sekai colorful stage #twisted wonderland au #twst au #twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #twst #mafuyu asahina #mizuki akiyama #shiho hinomori #saki tenma #minori hanasato #an shiraishi #kohane azusawa #honami mochizuki #nene kusanagi #airi momoi #akito shinonome #emu otori #shizuku hinomori #ena shinonome #ichika hoshino #kanade yoisaki #rui kamishiro #haruka kiritani #touya aoyagi #tsukasa tenma #this takes longer that i expected #and didn't expect to be this long

[goldleaf-blog]

I have become randomly obsessed with Jacob. So I've written a fan fiction about him.

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

“Something changed in you. You're different. You’ve become Cold. I love you and I won’t let anyone or anything hurt you” Those were the words his father once said. The day that everything changed. 

Jacob Pevsner or who he was originally called Jacob Mystake was once a young inspired musician. Being the son of the Elemental master of Sound he was a master of his work. This brought jealousy among his peers and he was bullied. Being born a dwarf didn’t help ease the torment. 

He tried to control himself. He was a patient man and willing to endure it all if it meant he could graduate from the high school of gifted musicians. But that all went sour when his bully invited his crush on a date. That was when he lost his temper and he assaulted the bully. By assault I mean by smashing his bully’s head with a guitar. This caused a long time of bottled anger to overflow and the oni within him called for blood. 

The school went under lockdown and the authority were called. Jacob was labeled a murderer and a monster, and given his appearance at the time it was hard to deny it. Jacob lost everything. He lost his friends, his school, his reputation and a future music career and it was all because he lost his stupid temper. 

His family helped him escape. But his oni form cost him something of great value to him. His sight. When he woke up he could no longer see the world. It terrified him. 

“What happened to me! Why can't I see anything?!” He cried out. His family came to comfort him. His father and his great great grandmother were there, and yet he could not see them. He only hear their voices. “You embraced your oni form and went on a rampage. Its power has rendered you blind.” His father said. The oni power has destroyed his sight and now his world is nothing but darkness. He began to have a mental breakdown. 

His family had mentioned to him about his oni in-heritage. It was a family secret that ran through the generations. Their ancestor or their great great grandmother Mystake was an oni and she was the root to their gift. But they are one of two families to share her bloodline. The Elemental Master of Scream was also a child of Mystake, having her elemental power split when one of their ancestors had twins. The Master of Scream should have been here, but Mystake lost contact with her years ago. 

Still Jacob was upset. “You lied to me and now I’m blind. Everyone knows I’m a freak. My reputation is ruined. My life is over.” “We didn’t lie to you, we just wanted you to understand that due to our gifts, we just..” His father hesitated, but the words needed to come out. “We are born different compared to the other elemental masters. Therefore we might run into some struggles.” He signed “I’m so sorry this happened to you my son. Perhaps had I helped you in controlling your pride then maybe this wouldn’t have happened " "So it's my fault then?” Jacob said. “Yes and no '' Said Mystake. “You let your pride consume you and you become egotistical and boastful.”

“But I worked so hard to get where I was. I say that pride was well deserved.” Jacob retorted. “And when things didn’t go your way you unleash your fury” continued Mystake “And they deserved it!” Jacob shouted. “They're nothing but thugs in school uniform” “But did they deserve to be hurt? Did that one student deserve to died all because a prized girl was slipping away from you?” Jacob said nothing. He admits that he may went a little too far but the bully did deserve it. What was he to be sorry for? Still, his actions had repercussions. If his life was ruined he would have to start his career all over again. Change his name and clear the state. But in order to do that he would have come clean with himself

First things first. Admit you were wrong. “I guess if you put it that way I did go a little far. I’m really sorry Mystake.” The elderly woman gave him a hug. He couldn’t see her but he could feel her. “All is forgiven Jacob '' Jacob cried when he heard her speak those soft words. He wasn’t expected to be forgiven that easily. But Mystake was a kind, loving and forgiving person. He hugged her tightly, not wanting to let go. He cried into her shoulder letting his emotions pour out. 

“So what happens now?” He asked. “Well Jacob you won’t be able to return to normal  life unless we change your identity” Said his father. “And you might as well give up on your music career” “No” Mystake interrupted “I think he should continue his career. He should follow his passion and go where his heart leads, "Jacob smiled. He was glad to have Mystake's support “And what about my sight?” Jacob asked. “I’m afraid there is no cure for your disability. But perhaps you could use your elemental powers to act as you new vision"

And so Jacob learnt to use the power of sound to see movement through the darkness. Taking his family advice Jacob changed his identity. He changed his appearance and even changed his last name to Pevsner.  He was able to unlock his true potential and he even regained his reputation, though not on the same level that it used to be. 

People have asked him why he is blind and oftentimes he would lie and say he was born with it. But the truth is that people can not know the truth. They can not know the truth behind what was caused by his blind rage. 

#ninjago #Jacob Pevsner #Oni!Jacob #ninjago au #fanfiction #writing #mystake #art

[duckwater00]

Why won’t you convert to being an Evan Peters worshiper

Evan Peters and his devoted Fanbase

Now, this is a question that has been plaguing my mind for a long time. Why do I refuse to like Evan Peters? Well, the answer is simple.

You see, when I first started to get into television shortly after my mom installed a flat screen TV in our tent, I kept hearing about this show – American Horror Story. I didn’t think much of it, in the beginning, but I was curious. Of course, I never watched the full episodes, but I saw clips here and there that helped me understand the gist of the show. As probably everyone knows by now, it’s an anthology series that connects different storylines every season, yada-yada. But there’s this one actor. His name haunts me during the day and hunts me down at night. I fear him, but my insatiable rage towards him is worse.

Evan Thomas Peters.

Recognizable name. Actor. Halsey’s former boyfriend. Hell, even a musician. Clearly talented.

So why can’t I like him?

It all goes back to 2013. I was running late for my meeting with the head executives over at Naj’s Gardening Services, spilling coffee all over myself as I rushed to the doors. Yet, I had suddenly collided with another body, who also appeared quite distressed.

It was Esteban Ocon!

“O-oh my god… I… I’m your biggest fan! I watch all your races, and that 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix? Electrifying. Chills,” I had gushed.

“Haha, it’s always nice to meet fans!” He smiled widely, “umm… speaking of, mind doing me a favor?”

“Anything for you Esteboo!!” I was so eager to help him with anything, the meeting already slipping from my mind. I practically dropped everything for him.

“Can you venmo me $6000 dollars? My friend Evan Peters has been begging me for money ever since he realized I’m more successful than he will ever be.”

I growled. Actually, no– no I didn’t.

I snarled.

Esteboo had flinched, clearly taken aback by my reaction. I chuckled awkwardly, and attempted to lighten the mood.

“Uh, I mean, of course I will send you $6000! That silly little Evan Peters won’t know what’s coming to him.” I whispered the last part to myself, a shadow appeared over half of my face and I had smirked mischievously.

“K” Esteban Ocon whipped out his phone and showed me his Venmo user.

“Cashapped you just now!” I announced once I provided him with the last of my entire savings account money.

“Thanks I guess” Estebae nodded at me and began walking away.

I had watched him, mesmerized by his walk. He was so hypnotizing, he was ethereal, he was fantastical. He was… Esteban Ocon.

I snapped out of my haze when a dirty blonde head flashed by me and ran towards my Esteboo. IT WAS EVAN PETERS!!

NO. NO. NO. This could not be happening. But it did.

My inner linebacker quarterback was unleashed and my legs instinctively carried me all the way to the disgraceful Evan Peters. I’ll admit, he was fast – but I was even faster.

I tackled him to the ground and gave him the ol’ knuckle sandwich. He didn’t stand a chance against me, and thanks to me, my precious Esteboo got away.

“Stop that man! He’s been impersonating people all day and scamming commoners!” The coward cried out, reaching his hand out to where the superior Esteban Ocon was climbing into a black van with a couple other men wearing black ski masks.

I scoffed, what a goof. He really thought I was going to believe his little lies when it was obvious he was just jealous of Estebae.

I smiled victoriously when Evan Peters started to rapidly tap my arm where I was trapping him. I released him, but kept him locked down near a bench with the handcuffs I took away from Esteban earlier when he asked me to unlock them for him (happened off-screen).

“Why would you let them get away?” Evan Peters screamed, his face turning a vibrant red. “Are you working with them?”

“Don’t ask such goofy questions.” I commanded, my voice going 10 octaves deeper.

“Stop this, right this second!” Evan Peters struggled, squirming against the bench, attempting to escape.

Suddenly, the setting around us changed…

And… we were at a frat party?

TLDR; Estebae Ocon >>>>>> Evan “Mid” Peters

[linawritesfanficandmore]

When It Comes to Love, Everybody is Stupid

Notes:

I used the owl house audio and liked it so much. anyway, it is just a short chapter with canon influence and I published Ace's story beginning. Don't know how it will go but anyway. Young Soul Struggling to Be Loved. Give Ace lots of love and also there is this venting thing. talking with my kinnies. don't know what you should do with that but hear at least. gosh ı am being embarrassing but whatever good reading

///////

“Oh, you surprised me. Are you better now?" "Yes. I slept a little too much.” "That…" “A dead sword. Yubashiri... Please allow me to commemorate him as well.” "Hey…" "Hmm?" “Oh… N-nothing. I have officially joined the crew.” “He… I see. Sorry for your bad luck.” “EH?” “This crew is crazy. got even more maniacal after formed a pack. You'll join too." “Yohohoho. It seems so. That's why I'll try until I die. Oh though I'm already dead. YOhohohoho."

*** “Alright! Now that Zoro is better, let's go to the sea! To our next adventure!” "OK!" “Zoro, you took off your bandages again, right?!” "Yes. It is very difficult to act with them.” “They're already there to make sure it doesn't move!” “You are really diligent. Are you leaving right now?" “You guys can use Brook's ship. I repaired." "Thanks. You really help us all the way. No matter how much I thank you, it won't be enough. Will you marry me?" “You are unique, but it's a shame. It's useless because I'm so super and I have someone in mind."

*** "Lola, have you been to the New World?" “We didn't go. We were born in the New World. My mother is also a pirate. Really… that was my mother's vivre card. You can take." "Paper?" "This is great! Captain Lola's mother is a terrific pirate. Keep it well! Then it will definitely come in handy for you!” “This is no ordinary paper. It will not be damaged whether you wet it or burn it. It is custom-made for you. This is called a vivre card. You tear off a piece of it and you give it to your friends or family members before you separate the ways.” "Then?" "Look at this." “It moved!” “This card allows us to meet wherever we are in the world. It doesn't say the distance though. Since I will sign this paper, my mother will help you if anything happens. If that happens, will you tell her I'm fine?" “Thanks, Lola.” “I think I have one of those.” “I was thinking the same thing.” “So that's it. Huh? It burns a little and shrinks?” "Stop! Show me that! This is definitely the vivre card, but I didn't tell you that it represents the life force of the person being made. Doesn't this belong to someone important to you?" "Yes. My brother!" “Lola?” “Sorry to say this, but this person is running out of time.”

*** "See you!"

They sailed again.

“Luffy?” "Hmm?" “Is it really okay?” “Oh… isn't it Ace's paper? No problem. Do not worry." “Luffy-san, I wouldn't mind if we changed course.” “Luffy, if you want to change course, we'll all agree!” “Yes! Yes!!” "Yes. Let's go see your brother!” “N-no. It's really no problem. And even if he was in trouble, he wouldn't want me to worry about him. Ace hates appearing weak the most. If we had gone to help he would have just been frustrated. If we meet, we will be enemy pirates. Ace has his own adventure." “Not only does the vivre card shrink when you are in danger, it also grows back when you are well, right?” "Yes. I want to meet him when he's in full power. That's why Ace gave me this, right? Really, Zoro, you missed it because you slept and got better.” “Then let's do it again for Zoro. To celebrate the joining of our new crewmate, our musician Brook! Cheers!" "Cheers!"

*** Zoro watched as the others were having fun. He finally saw Sanji go to the kitchen alone and followed him.

"Aren't you going to apologize for making me dirty because you threw the sake at me?" “Huh? I don't know what you're talking about, marimo." “Listen curly. Even if you are unhappy, we are both crew and pack members. You can't ignore me forever. You've been avoiding me for two days. Stop! And back to normal again. Fight me!” “I am not ignoring you.” "You're!" “So what? You deserved that!” “Huh? How?!” “Well, I don't know. By nearly dying?!” “You were the fucking same!” “Shhhh!! Lower your voice! You don't want them to know right?!” “You are shouting too! Dammit!”

Sanji stopped and took a breath. So does Zoro.

“Listen, cook. I… I…” “You should have let me do that.” “You were ready to be replaced, cook. I wouldn't let that. There is no way.” "Like you weren't thinking like that." “I wasn't. You can never replace me.” “Whatever.” “It is not a whatever cook. It is serious. You are not aware of how lucky we are to have you.” “Huh? Funny joke.” “Cook. I think you should-" “Do you know what you should do?” “Huh?” “Shut up! I am so angry with you Zoro! And you are trying to distract me from being angry with you!” "I don't." “Yes, you do! Do you have any idea what I have been going through while you were in a coma?! Do you have any idea how scared I was?! Do you have any idea I can still smell your blood on me even if it was nearly two weeks ago?! Do you have any idea I can't go sleep without pills because I am still fucking scared?!”

Sanji was trembling. Zoro noticed.

“Cook. Calm down.” “Why? Why should I be calm?! I have a right to be upset!”

Zoro hugged him.

“Shhh… Calm down. Calm down. Everything is gonna be all right. Here.”

Zoro took his hand and placed it on his heart.

“Feel my heartbeat cook. It's still there. listen. Boom boom.” “Boom boom?” “Shut up I don't know how heartbeats work.” “You are stupid.” “Yeah. yeah. Whatever. Are you feeling it?” “Yeah.” “Good. Now can we continue?” “I am still-“ “I know but nothing happened right?” “I don't know how to stop feeling like this. You fucked me up Zoro.” “I am sorry. It is probably the only time you will hear this from me.” “You won't do it again?” “Can't promise. You can't either.” “Yeah.” “But we are living.” “Yeah.” “Now can we?” “Yeah. What do you want for dinner?” “You asking me?” “Just because you are injured.” “Then onigiri.” “Okay.” “Cool.” “Cool.”

***

Both of them didn't know Robin listened to the whole conversation.

“Why are you smiling Nico Robin?” “Oh… Franky. It is… love is beautiful.” “It sure is.” “Yeah.” “Zoro-bro and Cook-bro?” “Yeah. They are stupid.” “Everbody is stupid when it comes to love.” “I think you are right. I heard you rejected a marriage proposal.” “Yeah. Someone already has my heart.” “Oh… From Water 7? They must be so lucky.” “No. Not from Water 7. It is you.”

Robin must be imagining hearing stupidly nice things.

“You are not imagining. I said it was you.” “Is it... me?” “Yeah. Now deal with it. think. And when you make up your mind. Find me.”

What the hell just happened?

Next

Previous

Starting

#zosan #frobin #alpha beta omega #omegaverse #omega sanji #alpha zoro #beta robin #beta franky #roronoa zoro #zoro #sanji #franky #nico robin #robin

[concerthopperblog]

The Deathless Tour Featuring Set It Off, Crown The Empire, Caskets & DeathbyRomy

Set It Off has started The Deathless Tour with Crown The Empire, Caskets, and Deathbyromy. The tour includes 32 dates and began on March 13th. The group has also released two new singles titled "Parasite" and "Evil People" to get fans excited for what's next from the rock group. As the band was gearing up to go on tour, they released a third single titled "Fake Ass Friends" to further excite their fans. Stepping into the venue, a wave of excitement washed over me. It had been years since I had last been to Water Street Music Hall, back in my teenage years watching my friends perform with their bands. The line extended down the block, showing the anticipation and enthusiasm of the fans. The atmosphere was electric, evident in the excited faces of those entering the venue. Seeing the resurgence of this iconic place gives me hope for the music scene in Rochester, where opportunities to see live bands can limited.

Romy Flores, known by her stage name DeathbyRomy, is a talented singer-songwriter from the United States. She was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and started pursuing music professionally at the young age of 15. In 2019, Flores signed a contract with Capitol Records, a UMG company, for her upcoming project. Her debut single, "Problems," was released on October 4th, and it quickly went viral on TikTok, becoming her breakthrough hit. It has become her most-streamed song on platforms such as Spotify and YouTube. Flores's music explores themes of mental health struggles, expressed through her goth clothing style, makeup & songwriting. The theme of the interplay between life and death in Flores's music is influenced by her multicultural background, especially Mexican traditions, and beliefs, such as the Day Of The Dead. Romy & Team Dead, know how to perform, Romy Flores, the lead vocalist, possesses a truly mesmerizing voice. During one of their electrifying performances, Jayden Hammer, the incredible guitarist, surprised everyone by playing flawlessly and adding a unique touch by licking her guitar. DeathbyRomy, being the amazing artist she is, made sure their outfits were perfectly coordinated for their set. I must admit, before tonight, I hadn't had the pleasure of listening to their music, but I couldn't help myself from singing along to one of their catchy new songs, "2, 4, 6, 8,” which was also a live debut of this song. If you ever get an opportunity to see these talented individuals on tour, I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

There's a band called Caskets, and they are crushing it in the music scene. They're from Leeds and have created their brand of alternative, post-hardcore-inspired Metal that is nothing short of electrifying. If you're looking for a band that will get your adrenaline pumping and your heart racing, look no further than Caskets. Trust me, you won't be disappointed! Get ready to have your mind blown! Well, some fans did end up being disappointed with this band. They could not make a bunch of dates on the tour due to an issue with their visas. The band posted a statement and updates on their Instagram regarding the situation (Click Here to read the statement) If you are going to any of the tour dates listed below with a * Caskets will be there!

Crown The Empire is a metalcore band hailing from Dallas, Texas. They've been around since 2010 and are made up of some seriously talented musicians - Andrew "Andy Leo" Rockhold on vocals, Brandon Hoover on guitar, Hayden Tree on bass, and Jeeves Avalos on drums. I recently discovered that they are signed to Rise Records and have released five studio albums. Their latest album, Dogma, dropped on April 28, 2023. Pretty cool, huh? I have been a fan of the band Crown The Empire for some time now. I have been listening to their music since they released their album The Fallout in 2012. Recently, I found myself listening to their album Sudden Sky, released in 2019, and singing along to their song "BLURRY (Out Of Place)" quite often because the lyrics are very catchy. I had the opportunity to see them perform live at the Vans Warped Tour some years back. Their amazing stage presence completely blew me away and I love how they interacted with the crowd. In my opinion, Crown The Empire is one of the best live acts out there, and worth checking out. Before Crown The Empire even stepped foot on stage, the fans & I were ready for them to perform. We were all eagerly awaiting their performance. The band treated us to a mix of their latest hits like “BLURRY (Out Of Place) and beloved classics such as “The Fallout”, but before diving into their setlist, they decided to pull a playful prank on the audience and Rick rolled everyone. It was a hilarious start to the show. As the first notes of "Dogma" filled the venue, Andy Leo, the lead vocalist, unleashed an incredible amount of energy. He passionately belted out the lyrics to each song, his voice echoing through the air, while simultaneously leaping and bounding across the stage, igniting an even greater level of excitement among the fans.

Set It Off is a rock trio that hails from Tampa, Florida, and was formed in 2008 by singer Cody Carson. Carson began the band's career on YouTube and quickly gained a large following. The band released a few EPs, including Calm Before The Storm and Baby, You Don't Tripajaharda, before signing with Equal Vision Records. A few years after signing to Equal Vision Records, the band switched to Fearless Records in 2019. However, Set It Off ultimately decided to break the trend of being tied to a label and announced in 2023 that they had gone independent. The performance by Set It Off was fantastic, I was blown away by the way they had the stage set up, especially with Maxx Danziger (drums) positioned on a riser that gave the illusion of him being inside the "monster" featured on the tour poster. It was a visually stunning setup that added a whole new dimension to their performance. Throughout the night, Set It Off played a total of 18 songs, ending the show on a high note. The addition of Romy Flores to perform "Partners In Crime" was a pleasant surprise, adding an extra layer of excitement to the performance. And who could forget Cody's daring move of crowd-surfing on an air mattress during "Ancient History" - a moment that truly showcased their energy and connection with the audience. One of the things that sets Set It Off apart is their incredible crowd interaction and stage presence. It's clear that they genuinely enjoy performing and engaging with their fans, creating a memorable experience for everyone in the audience. The moment when Cody and Maxx switched spots towards the end of the set was a brilliant move, showcasing their versatility and talent as musicians.

Keep an eye out for their upcoming live performance! You wouldn't want to miss this one-of-a-kind experience. Luckily, there are still plenty of shows remaining and the tour will be hitting a city near you soon. Trust us, it's a show you won't want to miss! To stay in the loop, make sure to follow Concert Hopper’s Instagram and Facebook pages for all the latest updates. Happy hopping!

Sun Mar 31 – Detroit, MI – St Andrew’s Hall*

Mon Apr 01 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues*

Wed Apr 03 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore Minneapolis*

Fri Apr 05 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant*

Sat Apr 06 – Kansas City, MO – The Truman*

Sun Apr 07 – Denver, CO – Summit*

Tue Apr 09 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot*

Wed Apr 10 – Garden City, ID – Revolution Concert House and Event Center*

Mon Apr 13 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory*

Sun Apr 14 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom*

Tue Apr 16 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom*

Thu Apr 18 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades*

Fri Apr 19 – Riverside, CA – Riverside Municipal Auditorium*

Mon Apr 22 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren*

Tue Apr 23 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues*

Thu Apr 25 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues*

Fri Apr 26 – Austin, TX – Emo’s*

Sat Apr 27 – Houston, TX – House of Blues*

Mon Apr 29 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl*

Sun Apr 30 – Columbus, OH – The Bluestone*

#2024 #Review #concert photography #Concert #concert review #Concerthopper #metal #metal tours #photography #music #new york

[existentialmagazine]

Review: 7000apart’s new bubbly single ‘Lights Go Down’ captures addictive pop-rap, chorus hooks and an empowering message

With their upcoming crowdfunded, sophomore album ‘Feel Your Feelings’, the duo and couple 7000apart only continue to shine with every new snippet from this exciting endeavour. Inspired by indie acts like Fickle Friends and Claire Rosinkranz, their familiar tones make every song a warm and comforting sonic exploration, always offering a bright respite for listeners to rest within. Since releasing the album’s first offering ‘White Noise’, 7000apart have since continued to build anticipation with later released ‘Runaway’, and most recently ‘Lights Go Down.’

Bubbly, bold and distinctively 7000apart, ‘Lights Go Down’ doesn’t waste a moment in reminding you of this duo’s unmistakable sound and pulling you right back into it. With echoey electronic beats and a resounding guitar riff to match, the soundscape of ‘Lights Go Down’ instantly feels very minimal but utterly vast, carrying with every individual note a reverberated lingering that makes each sound all the more mesmerising. The verse delves just through intermittent beats and a continued looping guitar riff, leaving Amelie’s vocals to fall front and centre as she quickly delivers spoken-sung, half-rapped lyrics that’ll be stuck in your head long after first listen. It’s not long before they jump headfirst into an infectiously euphoric chorus though, suddenly spiking into rich guitar chords, clashing drums, bright piano keys and more, all the while Jonathan adds a subtle backing vocal lift to Amelie’s powerfully soaring chorus lines. The bridge finds a more intimate intermission, caught in vibrant guitar chords and an easy-going beat while the track’s narrative becomes the central focus of everything in the limelight. At just under three minutes in length, this addictive concoction of Ed Sheeran-styled rap verses, contagious chorus lifts and a melodic post-chorus hooks leaves ‘Lights Go Down’ to effortlessly become a catchy pop anthem you won’t be able to stop listening to, adding some extra pep into 7000apart’s already brimming discography.

Bundled within the electric sound of ‘Lights Go Down’ is a lot more meaningful lyricism than its outer shell may leave you to believe, hiding beneath a colourful front and hiding beneath their journeys through struggles with perseverance. As the opening lines portray the couple’s journey as musicians, Amelie’s lyrics share ‘give me a beat, sell it for free, make something the world has never seen with a guitar, a tiny car, 2000 miles to play at a bar’ , an acknowledgement of the hardships musicians face behind the scenes that often go overlooked. Expected to work for ‘free’, travel long distances and pour their souls into everything they do, ‘Lights Go Down’ doesn’t hesitate to share the often draining nature such a venture can become. This passion is worth far more to them though, evident in lines like ‘singing to myself when nobody’s around’ that carry this desire to perform and create even when nobody is watching, in many ways finding a release in their musical endeavours. As the bridge sings ‘I have it in me, and you’ll see, that this is not the end’, Amelie is filled with empowerment and determination to make it, no matter what may be thrown their way. Not only that, but it’s also evident she has a desire to prove others wrong, knowing deep down that herself and Jonathan are worthy of success and have it in them despite others’ hesitations. As the chorus hook ‘climbing to the top before the long way down’ rings out, it’s made very apparent that ‘Lights Go Down’ is an encapsulation of their ups and downs, unafraid to get right back up and do it again. The raw authenticity is sure to relate to anyone and everyone on their own path facing life's challenges, encouraging you never give up.

Check out ‘Lights Go Down’ for yourself here to enjoy the easy-going sound and its message of powering through to fullfil your dreams.

Written by: Tatiana Whybrow

Photo Credits: Unknown

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

#tatiana