#was thinking of this the other day when I remembered ep 6 during my lunch break

[heyitsyn]

Keeping Up With Seijoh Ep. 6

a/n: DKFJSLDKFSJ OMG YOU GUYS IVE LTR BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS FOR SO LONG AACCKKK!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

also, omg im screeching bc BAHAHAHA THERE IS GOING TO BE A SLIGHT PLOT TWIST YOU GUYS!!!!!

for more seijoh content, check this masterlist out!

anon:

- Ever since yn got lost during a trip to another school, the team made the rule that she has to hold one of their hands. Its probably so small compared against the boys. She got lost cause babie saw a cat

SKDLFJLSDKFJ EWWWWWWWW IM SCREECHING IN DISGUST RIGHT NOW LIKE THATS SO DIS COS TANG OIKAWA TOORU LIKE LEAVE MY GUY ALONE!!!!!!! #LETMAKKILIVE

lmao yep this is really happening

okay so anyways

you guys know how seijoh is like known around the prefecture right?

and we all know that nekomata and old ukai are like besties so they were talking over the phone right

and nekomata was complaining that his players were already fed up with playing against the same people and they wanted to be challenged and wanted new exposure to other players and all that jazz

old ukai was cackling at the other side bc haha youre actually begging me to find you new teams now?

but anyways

theyre like besties forever so ofc old ukai would help

and by help, he turned to poor zaddy keishin and told him to look for teams that could be sent up to tokyo and play against nekoma

‘what?! im already busy and i dont have time to scout-’

‘YOU WATCH YOUR TONGUE BOY! I CREATED YOUR FATHER AND WITHOUT HIM, YOU WOULDNT BE HERE TODAY!’

‘BOLD OF YOU TO ASSUME I WANTED TO BE ALIVE IN THE FIRST PLACE!’

family goals 😍😍😍

but keishin still listened to his grandfather and recommended seijoh as being the one to go as they are one of the hardest to beat opponents in the preferecture

but its more like he wants to hear about nekoma being destroyed by oikawa’s service aces and grovel at their feet since naoi always made fun of them saying country boys arent as good as city boys

LIKE PLEASE

anyways!!!!!!

nekomata got word of it and immediately phoned aoba johsai and talked to the coach 

‘yes, i heard from an old friend of mine that you are quite strong’

nekomata praised, wanting and desperate to have them come up

‘and do you think your team is good enough to beat us?’

LMAO YESSSS GRANDPA IRIHATA!!! DRAG THEM KITTIES!!!!

WAIT NO THAT SOUNDS WRONG

but they settled on their disagreements and decided yep they were going to go up there and have a practice match

however

irihata and nekomata wanted their boys to be kept in the dark about who this team is as knowing them, they have sources to find them tapes of old plays

they wanted it to be a fair match

even the managers were being kept from it as they could easily be influenced by the players for that information

irihata walked into the gym and announced a team meeting to which they stopped

you sat down next to kyotani, who pulled you beside him and wrapped a protective arm around your waist

‘we have a practice match against a prominent team up in tokyo in 3 days. make sure you have your plays right and pat down as they are known to be quite an opponent’

the boys shouted a determined cheer and they all hussled back to practice

you were running around, tending to everyone with towels or medical tape

once you finally sat back down on the bench, you noticed your phone screen light up, indicating someone sent you a message

it was natsu

you swiped open and smiled softly at his picture

it a selfie of him in front of his school as you told him to send you a picture that he arrived safely

‘got here in one piece since im not ready to meet daddy satan yet’

i hate him you guys

after receiving news of his mother gaining custody of him, he cheered and was able to go back to tokyo without his father in the picture

lets just say,,, hes not nice

anyways

you were sad to let him go but you understood he missed his friends and his almost-boyfriend so you were able to say goodbye easily at the station

‘gross but im pretty sure katsuki would blow satan to smithereens’

‘hehe ;) he would’

‘N A S T Y’

you cringed but giggled and the team noticed so they tried hard to gain your attention back on them

‘aaa!!!!! y/n-chan!!! my leg!!!!’

‘i think i chopped off my finger!!!!’

‘my head snapped off my body!!!!!’

you rolled your eyes and placed your phone down before walking over to mattsun to help him snap his head back on his neck

finally, it was the day of the match

you were arranged to stay the night at tokyo to have a few practice matches with this unknown team

the team was arranged to meet at the train station at 9:45 since the train leaves at 10 

you arrived the earliest to keep track of everyone and just because you were actually kinda excited

theres this weird feeling in your stomach that isn’t exactly bad but its,,, giddy

you sat on the bench, waiting for the team 

they all started arriving one by one and you were doing a headcount for everyone but you were missing one

you checked your phone and you noticed he was getting late

it was already 9:54

you hate it when people are late to meeting time so you were slightly irritated

you dialed up your captain’s number and you stood up, pacing around

‘hello~~~~ y/n-cha-’

‘oikawa-san! do you know what time it is?! you were arranged to come here at specifically 9:45 but its 14 minutes passed that so where the hell are you? you better have a good excuse you piece of-’

‘aww y/n-chan oikawa-san is sorry’

someone whispered in your ear from behind and you flinched, surprised at the sudden person

oikawa wrapped an arm around your waist while his other hung up the call and you turned around, arms crossed while pouting at him

‘sorrysorrysorry!’

he apologized and you rolled your eyes

‘i swear, oikawa-san. if i find out it was because of your hair again-’

‘oi shittykawa! your sister just called me and you left the curling iron on, you stupid bastard!’

iwaizumi’s shout made oikawa sweat and pale 

your eyes glinted dangerously 

‘this is the last straw, oikawa-san’

you growled and he shot down to his knees and was about to start praying to you when the coach decided he had enough entertainment for the day and called everyone to gather around

‘heres your tickets. this train will get us there around lunch time so dont worry about getting hungry’

the shinkansen train had 2-person seating so everyone fought secretly amongst each other to sit next to you

literally, their private group chat was blowing up until early this morning at the shouts and yells of everyone caps locking their arguments as to why they deserve to sit next to you

the only one who didnt was mattsukawa issei

bc quite frankly, he didnt care who he sat next to and although it sounds nice to be next to you, he isnt exactly the comfiest to sleep on due to the obvious size difference

lmao like your head probably wouldnt reach his shoulders bruh

now youre not oblivious

or blind

so you noticed the glares of everyone as you all stood for the train to come

and you also noticed mattsun just standing there, bored, so you sneaked over to him, wrapping your arms around him

‘arent you excited, mattsun-san?’

he gasped quietly at your sudden appearance but he smirked

‘its nothing special. just another team that we’re going to beat’

you giggled at his confidence and you walked in front of him so you could properly be held by him

it was practically second nature now by the way he just opened his arms and you crashed into them, his own wrapping around your shoulders to hold you tight

‘i love your confidence so much mattsun-san’

he flushed red and furrowed his eyebrows, head turning to the side to hide the obvious effect you had on him

‘whats the point of playing when you cant be confident’

‘aaaa why are you looking away mattsun-san!!!’

lmao when the team saw you sitting next to mattsun, they all felt so betrayed like bruh

ltr kyo and iwa were about to go feral

oikawa was like ready to screech his ass off but one look from you made him shut up

‘i sincerely, really, truly hope youre just complaining about the seat hurting your flat ass, oikawa-san’

KDFJLSDKFJSDL Y/N NO STOP IT

it was kinda funny actually bc everyone was all pouting and sulky while you just have mattsun who’s smirking like ‘beat that’

SDKFJLSDKF I LOVE MATTSUN’S SMIRK LIKE PLEASE OMG

ofc he let you sit at the window bc you love window seats

like iwa, he also pulls up the arm barrier thingy and you shuffle closer to him and mattsun practically combusts

the ride isnt expected to be very long but you still found yourself sleeping during it

mattsun has his arm around your shoulder while your head is leaning against his peck man boobie 

omg its so cute like he actually slides lower on the seat to help you reach his shoulder and hes slouching and back is hurting just for you

;’)

he was awake the whole time bc he couldnt sleep with his heart beating so hard it might rip out of his chest

ew thats kinda gorey

your hand was gripping his own and to pass time, he found himself fiddling with your fingers 

an unknown smile appeared on his face at the obvious size difference between yours and his

a finger traced different and foreign shapes just to feel the softness of your hand and he combusts again when you unconsciously squeeze his hand

mattsun couldnt help but bring your linked hands up and kiss the back of yours

it was soft, gentle, and his lips lingered there for more than a second

then a sudden feeling of fatigue washed over him and he leaned his cheek against the top of your head 

the last thing he remembers is the smell of your f/s (favorite smell) shampoo

then you guys arrived in tokyo

irihata had to personally wake you all up because even naoi fell asleep and everyone fell asleep

irihata gently shook mattsun awake and when the boy opened his eyes, the older man nodded over to your form

‘gently wake her up’

as if mattsun didnt already know

thats why he softly ran the pad of his thumb on your cheek that was exposed to the air

‘y/n~~’

he coos and your nose twitches, in between the border of dreams and reality

‘darling, wake up, baby bear’

FSDKLFJSDLKSDJKFJDSKLFJSDLFKSJDLF YOU GUYS I CANNNNTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

also im listening to kataomoi by aimer  so that kinda influences the ‘darling

his deep voice that surprisingly reaches a level of quietness made your eyes flutter

your whole face scrunched at suddenly being woken up but the sight of mattsun’s genuine smile made you mirror it and cuddle closer for an extra dose of warmth

‘hmm, is my baby tired?’

he teasingly whispers and you nodded, snuggling even further and he gently cups your face

his hold had made your cheeks squeeze slightly together and your pout increased the cute factor 

‘nwoooo dont skweeze demmm’

you slurred and he chuckled

‘hai hai’

‘kwiss it better’

you demanded and he full on laughed before moving his hands to your jaws so he could plant many kisses on your cheeks

the repeated kisses tickled so you giggled and squirmed

‘aaaaaa mattsun-san it tickles!!!’

your playful protests forced him to stop and allow you to actually sit up

as usual, your hair was a bird’s nest and mattsun attempted to settle it out

‘hah, y/n-chan your hair is like another being itself’

he choked out and you pouted at him

‘so mean! mattsun-san is so mean! baba-san! rescue me!!’

yahaba was known in the team to be the one who fixed your hair and you trusted him the most with it

hearing his name being called, the pretty boy dashed towards you and mattsun’s seats

‘is senpai giving you trouble again? come, honey, come to baba-san’

mattsun gave him a look for the younger’s passive agressive tone

oikawa immediately dashed over right next to yahaba

‘oh? y/n-chan! oikawa-san is here!!’

iwa and kyo growled

‘SHUT UP SHITTYKAWA!’

meanwhile irihata and naoi were just done

they just wanted to get off the train like is that such a big favor?

finally!!!!

seijoh was able to actually make it to the city and ngl, despite living in sendai, you were actually overwhelmed by the bustling city of tokyo

there were people all over the place and many cars and you were being pushed around

it didnt help that it was ltr lunch hour and a flurry of business people just flooded out of their buildings

you unconsciously gripped your bag and focused on just not tripping over people so your eyes were trained on your feet 

then in the corner of your eye, you saw a tiny animal that was in danger of being stepped on so you ofc had to go chase after it

you shouted at some people to watch out and to not step on it

but then it disappeared

the moment you looked up, everyone was gone

you panicked and your head was turning from side to side

‘MATTSUN-SAN?! IWA-SAN?! KYO-SAN?!’

you shouted but it seems your voice wasnt loud enough

GIRL YOU GOTTA MANIFEST THAT BULLHORN VOICE

worry and dread bubbled inside of you but you stopped, just trying to calm down and think

then you saw the flash of white again so you hurriedly ran after it, not knowing that you were straying away from the city and towards the suburbs

you noticed you were now lost at the less amount of feet walking and this wasnt the city and you were now away from the team

taking yoru eyes off of the cat, you looked around to confirm your fear and that gave the cat an opportunity to disappear again

yoo crookshanks

huffing a curse, you pulled your phone out of your bag and dialed each 

your phone wasnt reaching the boys and no one was picking up

what the heck

you ended up at some quieter and less crowded spot 

like a neighborhood

you contemplated calling natsu as he lived in tokyo but tokyo was a big city and you were at some neighborhood so its highly unlikely he would know where you are

so you just walked around, looking for a place to sit and think like a park

then you heard a distressed meow

you were just walking and hearing that loud cry of help made you stop and immediately follow the sound

‘kitty? kitty?’

you called out even though you knew fully well they didnt understand you

but the cat cried even louder and you heard another cat

it was less higher pitched and honestly, you just felt like there was another cat

as you looked around, you saw the same cat you followed after and it bobbed its head at you as if asking you to follow him

‘you want me to go with you?’

the cat blinked then turned around and started walking

‘okay then’

you took the time to inspect the actual color of the cat

it was dominantly white furred but it had multiple colored spots, mainly yellow and brown

you eventually ended up at a large tree with a cat shivering on the biggest branch

it was black and had some fur sticking out at the top of its head and it looked young so its probably a kitten

you tutted and reached out your hand but it recoiled, hissing at you

BOI SHE TRYING TO HELP YOU WHAT

‘hey, i want to help you’

you softly said and maybe youre just doctor dolittle? 

bc it stopped hissing and started whining instead

‘kenma-san! i swear i saw it just now-’

a sudden foreign voice made the black haired cat hiss again and this time, even you were counted as a threat

the appearance by the corner of two boys made you glare at them

one was freakishly tall with grey hair and scary green eyes while the other was shorter and had bleached hair that grew out

they both wore running shorts and black shirts and they looked like they were on a run or something

then you had a thought

this guy was tall

he could help

‘hey! you!’

you waved and the boys stopped, eyes wide

they pointed to themselves and you nodded

‘yes, silly! especially the tall one!’

the other had a flash of a glare that disappeared almost immediately but the ‘tall one’ happily skipped over

‘oho, hello chibi-chan’

KDFJSLDFKSDJLFDKSJ YES IM CONDENSCENDING

you puffed your cheeks out in anger at the nickname but this was not the time

‘that kitty up there is stuck. and i cant help it because its scared. and its all the way up there’

you pointed and he nodded

‘i followed that cat here too but i needed someone else. thats why i brought kenma-san’

your eyes shifted to ‘kenma-san’ who was focused on the other cat who also stared back at his spot by the tree

hmmm, they look kinda similar

‘well! we need to help it,,,,,, grandpa-san!’

taken aback by the nickname, the tall guy gasped while the blonde boy choked out a sudden laugh and you giggled

‘GRANDPA?!’

‘yea. you know cus you have gray hair’

you reasoned and he was about to retort when he stopped himself

‘no. we have more important matters in hand. kenma-san, come stand on my shoulders. chibi, use my jacket to catch it if it falls’

you scrambled to do your task but you heard kenma-san mumble

‘you cant tell me what to do’

‘oh hey! whats your name?’

you asked and the tall guy waved

‘im lev. haiba lev. first year’

‘kozume,,, kenma. im a second year’

‘oh! then nice to meet you! im l/n y/n!’

introductions had to be cut short as you all assembled

kenma wobbled while lev cringed at the obvious pain but they gritted their teeth and kenma lunged to grab the cat 

but the cat jumped away, falling to the ground where it was caught safely by you

thankfully the jacket saved you from scratching but after a few soft whispers of reassurance, the kitty calmed down and it resulted in just shaking

‘its okay. we’re okay. i got you’

you were completely oblivious to the fact that kenma and lev were on the ground, bleeding after falling, or the shout at the distance

‘kenma! lev!’

‘Y/N-CHAN!’

you three turned to see two groups of boys coming from two directions

on the right had a guy with black hair similar looking to the cat on your arms 

while the left had your familiar looking captain

‘oikawa-san!’

you shouted and he ran up, eyes wide with worry

‘where were you?! why did you run off?! you shouldn’t-’

he rambled but your eyes stopped at the appearance of your familiar pink-haired cousin

‘natsu?!’

you shrieked and he had an equally surprised expression

‘y/n?!’

he shouted 

‘what-!’

he started but you beat him to it

‘why are you here?!’

you pointed to the people behind him

‘im,,, a manager. im a manager for my volleyball team’

‘volleyball,,,’

you trailed off

‘VOLLEYBALL?! NEKOMA?!’

you knew of your cousin’s school but you didnt think you guys would meet here

‘shes your cousin?’

someone piped up from the back and natsu nodded, still looking at you

‘oya? the apple doesnt fall far from the tree, then. hello gorgeous, the names kuroo tetsurou’

KSLDFJDSK I HATE THIS LIKE PLEASE HES JUST A NERD YET I WRITE HIM LIKE THIS I HATE MYSELF

‘HAH?! YOU BACK OFF!’

kyotani started but you caught him in time, holding him in your arms

‘nooo,, calm down, kyo-san’

natsu’s nose crinkled and his mouth curled

‘ugh, nice to see you too, brat’

‘BRAT?! YOU BASTARD!’

‘IM A THIRD YEAR, YOU BASTARD!’

kyotani was held back by oikawa and iwa while your cousin was with that kuroo guy and lev

you hurried back to the rest of the team and they each glared at you but they had an obvious expression of relief

‘do that again y/n-’

‘i know, makki-san. youll use a leash backpack’

lets just say its not,,, the first time youve been lost

‘new team rule. youre holding someone’s hand at all times. no matter what, always hold us’

yahaba scolded and watari nodded

meanwhile, mattsun grabbed your hand and gripped it tight

‘youre never leaving my sight again’

his tone was different from his usual playful and teasing voice 

you knew he was very worried and that made you feel really guilty

‘im sorry’

you whispered and he pulled you to him, hugging you tightly

‘its okay. youre here right now and thats all that matters’

you nodded and you turned your head, leaning on his chest to watch oikawa yelling and shouting at this kuroo guy while your cousin and kyo were arguing and you chuckled

this was,,, chaos

‘dear god, you shouldve let me be lost for a few more hours’

you mumbled, smiling lightly when mattsun’s chest vibrated as he laughed

‘take me with you next time’

‘i will’

you hummed

‘Y/N-CHAN! YOU ARE NOT GOING NEAR THIS-THIS MONGREL!’

oikawa screeched, stomping his way over to you

you smirked

‘oi kuroo-san! lets hang out after the match!’

oikawa screamed

a/n: now that my nekoma manager is out, i can finally have a manager x manager interaction and uwuwuwuwu just wait until i finish the others and ill do that req anon sent in ;) if you sent it in, you know what im talking about ;)

#haikyuu #haikyuu!! #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu!! imagines #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu!! x reader #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu!! headcanons #aoba johsai #aoba johsai x reader #aoba josai #aoba josai x reader #seijoh #aoba johsai imagines #aoba josai imagines #seijoh imagines #seijoh manager #haikyuu manager #haikyuu!! manager #aoba johsai manager #aoba josai manager #seijoh x reader #aoba johsai headcanons #aoba josai headcanons #seijoh headcanons #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu!! fluff #aoba johsai fluff #aoba josai fluff #seijoh fluff

[curiosity-killed]

a bow for the bad decisions

canon-divergent AU from ep. 24 (on ao3)

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10 | part 11 | part 12 | part 13 | part 14 | part 15 | part 16 | part 17 | part 18

Wei Wuxian rolls his hands, flattens them, and presses the seal into the dirt. A flash of scarlet bursts in the air, then a sudden swell of power, prickling, needling— It dissipates, and Wei Wuxian exhales, resting his wrists on his knees. Eyeing him a moment, Jiang Cheng turns back to the wards and reaches out with his spiritual energy to press tentatively at the barrier. It feels…strange. Alive in a way that doesn’t feel quite like spellwork but more like the cool distance Wei Wuxian kept up during the war. “That’s it, then?” he asks. Still crouched down, gaze longsighted, Wei Wuxian gives a slight nod. His hair’s drawn up high off his nape in a style he hasn’t worn since they were kids, and it sharpens the angles of his face, makes the new hollows and tired lines more apparent. Worry shivers in Jiang Cheng’s chest but he presses it down; he was worse during the war. He’s doing better. Jiang Cheng will bully him into getting some sleep now that the shields are done.

“It feels…different,” he admits eventually, turning back to the energy he can only barely sense before them.

“Mm,” Wei Wuxian hums as he straightens up. He sways, stumbles back half a step, but catches himself. “The trigger arrays in this one will ping any intruders. They’re really more a warning than a true defense. If someone crosses them when they’re live, they’ll hit the talisman traps and so on.” Nodding, Jiang Cheng crosses his arms over his chest and surveys the work. Nine layers, nine shields of warding and arrays spreading out from the center of Lotus Pier to encompass all the outer buildings and main dock. If there’s another attack, the city itself will still be at some risk, but there’s enough ground covered by these defenses that all the townspeople could take shelter and be protected. The knowledge makes something tighten in his chest, a fanged satisfaction baring its teeth. “It’s under your command but tied to the land,” Wei Wuxian continues, wiping his palms on his skirts. “You can grant authority to others but as long as Lotus Pier stands, the shields will hold.” He’d explained it as he worked, but his explanations tend to get…well, distracted, when he’s multitasking. Channeling resentful energy is still a little shaky as far as Jiang Cheng’s concerned, but he thinks he gets the basic premise. Like using residual spiritual energy, the arrays draw on the resentment naturally released by the dying things throughout the region. Flowers, trees, animals — over the generations, they build up enough that the outer arrays can draw off them without leaching too much vital energy. And for the arrays in the center, the strongest and most vicious — well, there are always bodies in the lakes. “Not the Tiger Seal?” he asks. Wei Wuxian’s face is unwontedly serious, drawn, as he shakes his head. “No,” he says. “It’s… Think of it more like Chenqing. They draw from the energy around them but aren’t controlled by it. The only one who can command them is you, and whoever you grant access.” “So you and jiejie and Bujue,” Jiang Cheng suggests. Wei Wuxian wrinkles his nose, dropping his hands to his hips. “Maybe just shijie and a-Jue,” he suggests instead. He says it too casually, nonchalant in a way he only is about serious things. Jiang Cheng scowls. “Why shouldn’t our da-shixiong have access?” he asks. “Ah don’t give me that look, Jiang Cheng,” Wei Wuxian gripes, shoving at his shoulder. “I just mean the more access you grant, the bigger the holes are. Like a fishing net where you keep widening the weave, pretty soon anything can get through. Anyway, it’s not like I couldn’t figure out a way in if I really needed to. I made the arrays, didn’t I?” Relenting, Jiang Cheng lets it go. It makes sense, he supposes, even if he’s not sure he believes Wei Wuxian fully. “Alright. So I just…tell it who to answer to?” he asks. Wei Wuxian hitches his shoulders in a little shrug as if to say ‘sure.’ Stepping forward and holding his palm flat until he can feel the shivering vibration of the ward, Jiang Cheng closes his eyes. He can’t get a hold on this energy like he can his own qi, but he can feel it humming just shy of him. “Jiang Yanli,” he says and feels a ripple, an echo of sensation, course through the wards. “Yu Bujue.” He wants to add the third but holds back for now. Wei Wuxian will kick up a stink and anyway, he can always come back and change permissions now that he knows how. “Well then!” Wei Wuxian says, exhaling. “We’re all set. Ugh I’m starving. Do you think they cooked lunch already?” Jiang Cheng snorts but starts heading back. “Get some sleep tonight,” he says. “You’ve been pushing too hard and you agreed you’d take care of yourself. Last thing we need is a mess at the hunt.” Spinning Chenqing, Wei Wuxian scrunches up his face in annoyance. “I’m fine,” he insists. “The wards needed finished and it’s not like we got much done while Huaisang was here. Anyway, are you sure I have to come to the hunt? I could stay here and keep an eye on things while you and shijie are gone, make sure the defenses are ready, keep up training. The upper talisman class is really coming along, you know. They’re about ready for practical application.” He’s heard some variation of this argument about a dozen times over the last few months, and Jiang Cheng doesn’t hold back his eyeroll. If they were closer to the lake instead of on the far side of Lotus Pier, he’d just shove Wei Wuxian into the water and get it over with. “Yeah because coming to the Phoenix Hunt without our First Disciple and resident war hero won’t feed any rumors,” he retorts. “Anyway, you’ve still got to talk to Lan Wangji, remember?” That sours Wei Wuxian into silence. He kicks idly at a stick in his path, and Jiang Cheng eyes him a little curiously. He doesn’t know what happened between the two of them, and normally he wouldn’t care at all but — well, in those three months, he almost thought they’d be having a wartime wedding once they found Wei Wuxian. Incomprehensible as it was, Lan Wangji’s devotion to finding Wei Wuxian was simultaneously unnerving and deeply relieving. He’d been so sure that the sect leaders, the adults, the ones who actually knew what they were doing, would tell him to leave his hunt and let Wei Wuxian lie with the rest of the dead. When Lan Wangji stepped in at his side to join him, he’d finally been able to exhale a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding at the time. They weren’t friends by any stretch of the imagination, but they’d had a common goal and shared fear. It was like they were both searching for their missing piece; Jiang Cheng for his brother and Lan Wangji for his — his something. Jiang Cheng still isn’t sure what, exactly, Wei Wuxian is to Lan Wangji. “I still think it’s a bad plan,” Wei Wuxian says stubbornly. “It’s a-jie’s idea,” Jiang Cheng reminds him in an attempt to end the conversation. “Shijie thinks the best of everyone,” Wei Wuxian points out. Jiang Cheng inclines his head in acknowledgment. On another day maybe, back in Cloud Recesses or before the war or if he weren’t so sick of this argument, he’d let it go with the acknowledgment that jiejie is far too kind for the vast majority of people in the world. But he is tired and he’s sick of Wei Wuxian pouting about this whole plan. “What happened between you two anyway?” he asks. “He was always in your tents playing music at you while you were half-dressed during the war.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” Wei Wuxian shoots back, brow furrowed. It’s the frown that makes Jiang Cheng hesitate. He’d only been needling, venting some of his irritation by prodding at this easy opening, but now he pulls back. Wei Wuxian has always been a relentless flirt and overly affectionate with anyone he likes, but Jiang Cheng is almost certain he’s never actually acted on that. For all his irreverence and shamelessness, Wei Wuxian has an at times uncanny deference to morals. He might flirt and tease and drape his arms around shoulders, but Jiang Cheng doesn’t really believe he’d go to bed with someone if they weren’t serious, if they weren’t someone he meant to give himself over to fully. And anything less than that, Jiang Cheng is positive he would’ve heard about: Wei Wuxian would’ve crowed about getting a kiss from a pretty girl until Jiang Cheng beat him to death with a pillow. “Nothing,” he says, sighs. “I just — it was impossible to drag you away from him before the war and now you can’t stand to be around him. Did he say something to you?” They’d have a whole other rumor problem on their hands if Jiang Cheng punched Hanguang-jun in the face, but for his brother, he’s willing to do it. If Lan Wangji said something, hurt Wei Wuxian— “Relax, Jiang Cheng,” Wei Wuxian says, laughs. “You don’t need to go beat up Lan Zhan for me. I’m not some fragile maiden.” Shooting him an annoyed look, Jiang Cheng forces his shoulders and hands to loosen. Wei Wuxian shakes his head before tilting it up toward the sky briefly, drawing in a breath of clean air. “So?” Jiang Cheng prods, elbowing Wei Wuxian in the arm. He scowls at him, rubbing at the spot as if it actually hurt, and Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes. “He’s just so — ugh, you know how the Lan are,” Wei Wuxian says. “All he wants to do is drag me back to Gusu to face punishment for my deviant methods. You heard him, all that ‘return to the righteous path’ and ‘I have to exorcise the evil out of you.’ I’m just tired of getting lectured all the time.” It still doesn’t feel quite right, like the explanation’s too shallow. Still, Wei Wuxian had hated all the rules in Cloud Recesses and Lan Wangji had been unusually terse about the cultivation path he walked. “Maybe he’ll relax if you explain it,” Jiang Cheng suggests, trying to sound genuine and not like he wants to shove the two of them in a small room and make them figure themselves out. “Like you’ve talked to me about it. He can’t bother you about returning to sword cultivation if he knows you…you know.” Wei Wuxian breathes out something that’s not quite a laugh, too bitter. There’s a twist to his lips that Jiang Cheng never saw until the war, something dark and ugly under his brother’s amusement. “Yeah,” he says eventually. “Maybe.”

#mdzs #cql #the untamed #untamed fic #yunmeng shuangjie #jiang cheng #wei wuxian #my writing

[bangtan-legends]

Jungkook taking care of Jimin

⸻

okay so, I've been missing jikook awfully lately so I decided to make this little thread.

This will probably be rather long so hope you enjoy :D

⸻

1. Offering him jacket when Jimin is (probably) cold

In the first one, Jungkook is seen wearing that blue hoodie at the beginning of the video, and at the end of it you can see Jimin comfortably goofing around in that same blue hoodie.

In the second one you clearly can see Jungkook himself offering the hoodie to Jimin.

And in the third one, even tho Jimin said he took the jacket from Jungkook, Jungkook could have still said no since it was really cold and rainy that day, but instead we have jikook sharing warmth and being cuddly in one jacket. I approve.

2. Going as far to follow Jimin's diet to prove him it isn't healthy

I think the picture is self explanatory. Jimin was doing this extreme diet where he only ate one meal per day so Jungkook decided to do the same as to prove it's not healthy.

3. Always feeding him and checking if he ate

To connect on the previous fact, Jungkook is rather always keen on feeding Jimin and idk if it's just me but it feels like he is constantly checking jimin if he ate well.

Like in the second gif, Jimin was waiting for Seokjin to feed him but Seokjin didn't notice that, so Jungkook took the chopsticks from Seokjin and fed Jimin himself.

In the third gif, Hoseok was eating some candy and Jungkook went to him, literally took one while he was trying to put it into his mouth and gave it to Jimin :D

I'm probably looking too much into it but it just catches my eye how in that RUN EP.39 while they were playing 'Yes or No', Jungkook was the MC and the only questions he asked "Did you eat well?".

Or in RUN EP.38 while Seokjin and Jimin were eating at the table, Jungkook came to them and said "You can't leave anything, okay?".

And even now in the latest RUN episode Jungkook during "lunch" there was a short clip of Jungkook putting more food on Jimin's plate. Idk I just find it really endearing and cute.

4. Protecting him

As we all know, airport is a war zone most of the time for BTS. Constant pushing around, screaming fans.

Once, in 2016, Jimin tripped or was pushed down by fans that mobbed them and he fell down. Luckily manager quickly picked him up so he wasn't badly hurt. The next day you can see Jungkook walking side by side with Jimin, with his arm on his shoulder. And on many occasions you can just see jikook insuperable at airports.

Also Jimin himself, when he was asked to choose a member he would like to travel with, wrote down JK and said that "It seems like he will protect me from others."

5. Always encouraging him and assuring him that he is doing okay

Sure, it's well know that Jungkook loves to tease Jimin but he acknowledges when Jimin is really feeling anxious or worried so he makes sure to assure him that he's doing well.

During this interview (it's around 1:50 mark) the question was "Do you have anything that you regretted in?" and as soon as Jimin said "How do I start talking about my past?" Jungkook nust randomly said "No, hyung you're handsome!" and even tho members were teasing Jimin about his last selfies and Jungkook joined, the gesture was still sweet and cute.

If I remember correctly during BTS BIRTHDAY PARTY 2016 Jimin was one of the MCs and he was struggling to take the sheet of the boards and members were teasing him about that and his cute mistakes while MCing but Jungkook just kept saying "Cut him some slack" or "Hyung you're doing good!" multiple times.

He's ways quick to encourage him when he starts doubting his voice skills or literally anything.

Praising his food, basketball skills, his skills for being collected while solving that puzzle during RUN EP.38. Jungkook is always there to say something nice and encouraging.

Sure, he teases him, but Jungkook the best knows when Jimin needs kind words to keep him grounded.

6. Making him laugh

This is a well known and established fact in jikook community. Jeon Jungkook is there to make Jimin laugh.

There's so many moments where Jungkook would act silly just to make Jimin laugh or he would act silly, then loon at Jimin to see if he laughed and if he did he would do it again just because. Or he would look at Jimin before acting silly to see if he's looking at him and the he would do it.

For examples here are some videos:

Jimin's laugh Compilation made by Jungkook

Jungkook always makes Jimin laugh so hard

And many more that you can find :D

Also let me just add this here:

7. Jungkook is whipped for Jimin

This may not seem like "taking care of him" but for me it is.

It hides in complaining how slow Jimin is sometimes but still waiting for him to get off the stage together or falling behind with him all the time during BON VOYAGE SEASON 1.

Saying he will prank him about his lost phone, but as soon as seeing Jimin's troubled face he pulled that phone straight out of his pocket.

Only buying Jimin a birthday present, taking him on a trip, just two of them (scream loudly if you're still crying over G.C.F in Tokyo bc I sure as hell am).

Losing the game just so he could share a room with Jimin.

Always massaging his shoulders/neck.

It's all just the little things but really nice gestures.

⸻

And that's it. I wish I could make this longer but at the end I only was able to use words since Tumblr allows only 10 photos in one post but I could go on and on with photos of Jungkook looking at Jimin with that smitten look or video of him making Jimin laugh.

Hope you liked it :D

#jikook #kookmin #jungkook taking care of jimin #caring jungkook #loved jimin #whipped jungkook #i love my boys #and i miss them

[shemakesmusic-uk]

Getting to Know...

Rosa Bordallo.

Rosa Bordallo fka Manett is a singer-songwriter and musician based in Brooklyn. She is a CHamoru from the island of Guam in the Marianas, an archipelago in Micronesia. She came to New York at the age of 19. She was a member of the band cholo.

Last month Bordallo released Reef Walker, a deeply personal indie rock record with poignant lyrics that investigate identity, loss, belonging, society, historical trauma, and hope.

We had a chat with Rosa all about Reef Walker, her background and influences, creative process and more. Read the Q&A below.

Hi Rosa. Please tell us a bit about yourself. What led you to make music and who/what are your biggest influences?

"Hi! Thank you for this opportunity to share my work! I’m a singer/songwriter based in New York City. I am also a Pacific Islander, specifically an indigenous person from Guam who identifies as CHamoru. I was born and raised there, and I started playing guitar and writing songs as a teenager. I came to NYC in the early 2000’s for film school, and I have been living and working here since then. The first year I was here, I joined a post-punk band called cholo that was formed by Felipe Flores. We played in small clubs and venues around town for almost ten years. We also released three full-length albums and one EP. Around 2010 I started making music by myself under the alias Manett, and I also released a few solo EPs under that alias.

"Making music was a natural progression for me since listening to music has always been an important coping mechanism. They say imitation is the best form of flattery, so I try to emulate my heroes and hopefully something new and interesting comes out of it. I’ve always been someone who needs to express myself, whether writing in a journal, writing poetry, doodling or dancing. I think making a record, as a creative endeavor, suits me in a lot of ways because I can draw on those other forms of expression. Also I get easily distracted and I’m not terribly disciplined so it’s nice to have a record - an artifact, a piece of evidence - to show that I didn’t just waste all my time surfing the internet!

"In terms of influence, there are too many to list, but I draw a lot from rock & roll and all its derivatives and revivals particularly psych rock, garage, punk, post-punk, new wave, and grunge. I’ve always been drawn to women with loud guitars and loud personalities -- PJ Harvey, Björk / The Sugarcubes, Dog Faced Hermans, Bikini Kill, Slant 6, Cyndi Lauper, The Breeders, Babes in Toyland. I love unapologetically weird women like Lene Lovich, Lydia Lunch, Nina Hagen, and Siouxsie Sioux. I can go on! Other major influences from my youth are the Pixies, David Bowie, Nirvana, and the Velvet Underground. I think what they all have in common is an irreverence, a willingness to break norms and do something unconventional while keeping a certain integrity. None of them were trying terribly hard to be different - they were just drawing inspiration from their personal frustration and observations of the world and creating something special from that.

You recently released your album Reef Walker. What is the record about, what does it mean to you and what do you hope listeners will take away from it?

"Reef Walker is my first full-length album as a solo artist. I picked that title because I see myself as being able to navigate a gulf that is psychological, cultural, and emotional in nature. As an indigenous person who has lived the first half of my life in my native community and in a remote part of the world, and then spent the second half in this metropolis on the other side of the world, I grapple with the guilt that my loyalties are divided and that I am not spending enough time with my family and native community. On the other hand, I wouldn’t be who I am today if I didn’t leave my place of origin and to live in this new and wildly different place. I think there are many people past and present who have my experience of alienation but it’s not represented in our culture - or if it is, it’s an inadequate representation. I often think about the Japanese castaway Otokichi, later known as John Mathew Ottoson, as well as the Inuk man Minik Wallace, when I need to remind myself why I’m doing what I’m doing.

"I also like the imagery that is evoked from that title. I spent a lot of time at the beach and on my dad’s boat as a kid. It’s actually treacherous to walk along the reef during low tide, because the high tide can come in unexpectedly and drown you, or a rip current can pull you out to sea. It’s also not good to touch or step on coral. Not only is it a living organism that should be protected, but some coral can sting you. But snorkeling and swimming along the reef is a transcendent experience. My ancestors were expert fishermen and seafarers. The album title is as much an homage to them and to all the CHamoru people and other Pacific Islanders who have ties to Oceania.

"All I ask of anyone who hears my album is to have an open mind. I think one reason music is powerful and interesting is because it can be appreciated across cultural divides. I try not to concern myself with how my music is received. I just try to make music that I personally enjoy so if someone else enjoys it, it’s a nice surprise. As for your readers, if you anything about my story sparks your curiosity, I would ask you to explore the histories of indigenous people because much of it has been suppressed and erased.

"There is much needed attention being given to climate change but we should remember that indigenous communities have always been putting their bodies on the line to protect the land, water, and other natural resources. In my own homeland of the Marianas, the U.S. military is about to expand their presence to build two live-fire training ranges that would drastically impact our main aquifer and our wildlife as well as desecrate important ancestral lands. In North America, there’s the oil and gas cartel, and there’s the missing and murdered indigenous women crisis (aka MMIW) which disproportionately affects trans and queer native folx. In South America, the Amazon is being burned down to benefit illegal loggers and farmers. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, but if you consider yourself a moral person, it’s your responsibility to educate yourself about these things. If you’re in North America, there’s a great online resource (native-land.ca) where you can learn about the tribes and nations that first settled the land where you currently live. The International Indigenous Youth Council (indigenousyouth.org) is another good online resource because it shares news from indigenous communities around the world."

What was your favourite part recording Reef Walker?

"It was really fun to record in three different spaces that were also living spaces. We started tracking in Duane Lauginiger’s old basement studio, which was right below his garden apartment in Brooklyn. He called that place Time Castle, hence the name of the cassette label that released the album. Then we went to a private house in Piermont, NY, for the second tracking session. And then finally did a day and night of recording in a converted church in Craryville, NY. Each space had its own quirks and novelties but Duane (the producer-engineer) was really nimble about setting up and adapting. I really like working in a place full of paintings and objets d’art and tchotchkes as opposed to a sterile recording studio that looks more like the set of a bad sci-fi movie."

Please talk us through your songwriting/creative process.

"I have a full-time day job so I just try to make regular time for myself to clear my head, and any ideas I get, I will record it on my phone or my computer. Then I spend a lot of time listening and thinking about these initial ideas. I try to give them enough space to breathe and present themselves to me. I don’t like to exhaust myself working on song ideas that are not particularly compelling to me. If I like hearing it over and over in my head, then chances are it will be interesting enough to sustain my attention long enough to develop it into a complete song and recording.

"I almost always come up with the music first before I think of any lyrics. Sometimes I will have an idea for a melody and lyric together, but I don’t get too attached to the first lyrics I come up with. I also take random notes all the time, about anything and everything, so sometimes I have a poem or a musing that I’ve written down which will get repurposed for song lyrics.

"It’s useful for me to have a theme or concept in mind, something that will spark my curiosity and help me be emotionally invested. With Reef Walker I initially had Woman in Suitcase as the working title. That was the force that brought it into being. I meditated on that a lot while writing the songs. I currently have a working title for my second album, so I’ve been meditating on that. I also did this for my first EP, The Sea Urchin, which was my first stab at making songs that were very personal, as opposed to hiding behind a group project which I did with cholo, my previous band. The sea urchin was a powerful image for me at that time, because I felt very vulnerable putting myself out there. Imagining a shy sea creature with crazy-looking spikes, just chilling in the water and paying attention to its surroundings - that kept me motivated to finish the recordings and put it out into the world.

"In general I just try to stay inspired and curious about things. The urge to create comes out of frustration but also out of appreciation for and communion with other people’s creations. And there are so many wonderful creations out there. I see this as a creative practice, rather than a creative process, because for me it’s more about being grounded and responsive to what’s put before me, rather than about checking off items on a to-do list or making sure that a particular set of actions is followed."

Finally, what are your plans for 2020?

"I plan on touring and writing my second album. Stay tuned!"

Reef Walker is out now.

#getting to know #rosa bordallo #reef walker

[ilkkijangege]

123

Chad Chronicles is on hold while we work from home.

I'll keep updating this post if anything does happen to us.

Basically, I was telling Jacqui how J*ck told me I should join Tinder, use it during work to find out of he is there and if we would match. But Jacqui was like "what if you don't see him there but his friends see you??" So I was like "Then good na he's not on it 😂 as if he's ever talked about me to his friends 😂"

Then, nearly an hour later, I looked at my "Friends You May Know" on FB (there's a rumor that that is a list of people who's viewed your profile) then I saw that one of his friends are on it!!! I was shook, if the algorithm theory is right, then his friend was stalking me which means he has talked about me to his friends. LOL AYAN NANAMAN OVERTHINKING BES EH 😂

Then Jacqui told me how she asked her bf: if you offer a lift to a girl, does that mean he's interested? Her bf said yes but I shouldn't overthink and wait for another big sign.

Anyways, my Mandalorian plan is still going ahead. 😂

20/3/2020

Well, we didn't really talk online, he welcomed one of the guy on our team because he just got his access sorted today but I did not get the same treatment yesterday 😭

It's G tho 😂 Seems like he really is super smart because I looked into one of his chats and he used the word "futile". I'm just....wow big word 😂

Lol anyways, we're out for the weekend, Disney+ comes out on Tuesday, will try to binge it as soon I can so I can message him by Thursday or something 😂 really hope our conversation can flow naturally. Like I will just say "oh I've finished it and I am now obsessed with Baby Yoda or I can see why you are obsessed with Baby Yoda, he is adorable!" Then hopefully he can be like "What did you think of it?" Etc etc and we live happily ever after. CHOS.

.

21/03/2020

Swear everyone is telling me to either text him or to keep my feet on the ground and let the connection grow.

I REALLY DO NOT KNOW. He keeps doing all these things to me and I am always overthinking it. My friends have told me not to but it is sooo hard. They told me to wait for other signs.

I really want to take a risk and tell him but I really do not want to ruin our new found friendship. I mean I really hope he's just waiting to make more signs because he doesn't think it's time yet or something but I just don't want to give give give and not have anything in return. Haaaay Lord, please help me!

.

22/03/2020

This morning, I told my mom about the fact that he drove me home. At first, I couldn't tell her immediately, I was just staring at her the whole time and she asked "Anong kailangan mo sakin?" I said "nothing." "Bakit naka tingin ka sakin?" Then finally, I said, "Wala lang, may update lang ako sayo." Then she was like "ano may date ka???" I replied, "No update!!! Hinatid nya ako kila tita nung last time kaming pumasok.." and she was just like "ayie, hinahatid ka na ha." Then she told me, "yan dapat, cool ka lang. Pero tapusin mo muna.." She didn't complete her sentence but I knew she was talking about my FE1s but then she was probably thinking that I am nearly 25 and she should let me be. Hahaha. Then she asks "nag offer ba xa?" Sabi ko oo 😂

Then she asks me if he texts me and I told her no, we only talk in work. Then she replied, "ganun talaga" 😂 hay mother, if she had asked more details, I would have told her how I am getting mixed signals from him kaya di ko tlga sure kung gusto nya din ako 😂 but she didn't, so let's leave that for another time. 😂

Lord, pleaseee I trust you. If he doesn't reach out to me, ako na tlga mag rereach out. Need to binge The Mandalorian asap.

.

23/03

He keeps reading my messages on our GC immediately but does not with other people

ANO BA GUSTO MO PARAMDAM KA NAMAN PLS

Happened again at 16;09 ANO BA HUHU

.

24/03

STOP SEEN ZONING MY MESSAGES AS SOON AS I POST THEM AND START TALKING TO ME

.

25/03

No sign of Chad life anywhere, he was pretty much quiet today, not reading/replying to messages etc

.

26/03

I FINISHED THE MANDALORIAN YOU GUYS.

I took a risk and messaged him. It took me a whileeeeee but I just took the plunge.

Basically, I asked him how he was and how working from home has been coming along. It took him like 6 mins to reply, which was fine, we were in work so understandable.

He told me he is relaxed but about to get boring. He asked me ‘how about you?’ So I sent him this quite long response how I’ve been relaxed working in my jammies and binged watch Mandalorian, bummed about 2 eps so illegally streamed the rest. Told him that I am now also obsessed with Baby Yoda (he laughed react to this). Then he said how it was dumb for Disney not to release everything at once. (Was upset he didnt ask me what I thought of the show)

Then I told him if Netflix can do it, so can they. But he said people would just sign up for trial, watch it then cancel. Thennnn he asked if I liked it. I said yes except for Ch.6′s characters. He said he thinks you were not meant to like them.

Then I asked him if he thinks Fennec Shand is still alive. He was like which one was HE again? So I told him correction she* (laugh emoji) then explained her character. He was like ‘Oh yeaaahhh. Then boba fett was supposedly the one who found her” I replied ‘yup that’s the theory but I feel like she was pretty much lifeless already and maybe just a teaser for boba fett then?'

Then nearly 3 hours later, I go check our workplace chat and he seenzoned me. Okur. He read the message at 20.27. He better reply tomorrow or I’ll take it a sign that he really just isn’t interested in me.

On a side note, he went on lunch at 6pm, came back at around 7ish but didn't change his Status xD it's either he forgot or na distract na sya sakin CHOS sige laaaangg.

I swear I hope we can talk more tho. Since he seenzoned me, I will not message him again cos I don't want to look eager/desperate so yeah. Byeeeeee.

.

30/03

STOP READING MY MESSAGES, dear heart and head, STOP THINKING ABOUT HIM.

I know you get notifications that "Bianca messaged..." Does your heart flutter when my name appears? STOP OVERTHINKING BIANCA.

Ayan nnmn tayo sa seenzone eh 14:55. Ano ba?

.

1/04/20

I had a dream that he messaged me. He asked me how I was and for some reason, he told me to go to Google Music because they were having a sale and that I should make a track for him. (Like what?)

Also dreamt that he took me home again. When we got to our house, he told me we needed to talk. I think he confessed.

Ay ayoko na.

.

5/4/20

Why do I keep dreaming about him? I dreamt that he messaged me on FB, really long paragraphs of him confessing his feelings.

Urgh.

Oh and I also paid for a tarot reading of how he really sees me. I mean idk if it's real but there are feelings there but there may be a third party but the reader could not 100% confirm it. It is highly probable, he's a single man who could totally date around. The reading also mention how he finds me attractive and sees a long term energy with me. It also says how he may not be ready for a serious romantic relationship but he can see it progressing down the line. But honestly, I do not see him as someone who longs for sex, yknow? I am nearly sure that he could still be a virgin but the fact that he frequented Krystle in college, makes me question it. I mean, he is a white male, it is something I am not super pressed about.

I've just been thinking, if I were to get with a Filipino guy, is there anyone out there who has never had a girlfriend or who has even dated anyone?

Chad really gives me the vibe of never having a girlfriend before but I really see him as not looking for anything at the moment to focus on his dream job.

.

6/4/20

Okay, why did I have a dream that he proposed to me??

I think we argued over something and then a few days later, he proposed. Wtf.

From what I remember, he only proposed in his car. lol

.

8/4/20

So we had a team call today. He has not been working since like Thursday last week because he could not get his VPN to work.

But dang. I heard his voice after 3 weeks. He sounds the same as in real life but his American accent is more prominent 😂

Then our TL said we might still be working from home for the next 3-4 months and I'm just like. HUHUHU.

Will I be over you by then?

.

10/04/20

Had a dream we were back in the office and we were having banters again like nothing has changed.

I think he also messaged me on Facebook one of these isolation days...

I swear I know it was probably unintentional for him to ghost me like that.

.

11/04/20

So I've been searching his Gamer tag on Google, even before I decided to let go of him and there is this one file I keep noticing, it is League of Legends and it seems his password is Yugioh246 😂 it is actually hilarious 😂 I didn't know he is that big of a nerd. I don't see it as a bad thing because I like nerds and I am drawn to them but I hope he is not an incel because that is a major turn off.

Yes, I am not wishing for us to be together anymore but I really hope he finds the woman of his dreams. He deserves to have someone who will understand him for who he is.

.

13/04/20

Another thing, how do I listen to songs without thinking of him?? It is getting frustrating. I used to listen to these songs without thinking of him and now all I do is associate these songs to him. Nakakainis.

.

14/04/20

Why do you keep reading my messages then stop reading others' after mine??

.

18/04/20

Argh why did I dream of him again?

We were back in the office daw and I sat in a different computer because I was avoiding him as in. For some reason, the coat rack was behind him so when it was home time, I grabbed my coat as fast as I could so he would not talk to me. He was slouched in his seat and looked really tired. His hair was long like mid length sufer dude hair, he was not wearing his hat. But then he saw me and called me and said "Bianca, I'll give you a ride home." I replied, gaga naman ate nyo, "If it's not raining, I can walk but if it is, I'll take the bus." He replied, "What time is your bus?" I replied, "In an hour." He replied, "Okay, if it's raining, I'll wait for you here, let me know." Then I grabbed my stuff from my locker, I went out the office and it was raining. I went back into the office and told him that it was raining. So he got up from his seat and we walked to his car. On the way, I noticed he looked really tired and his eyes were red so I asked him, "Did you not sleep?" His reply was: "Yeah I came to work with no sleep." So we just walked to his car and he opened the door for me. He even adjusted my seat.

Then for some weird reason, we ended up in Dolphins Barn, like the flats and around Tesco. Then there were billboards for Book of Mormons and he saw it he said or read "What about the Mormons?" Then I was confused at first so he pointed at the ads for the Book of Mormons. Then I told him: "Oh I really wanna see that! I heard it's meant to be one of the best Broadway shows." He then tells me he is not a big play fan but there is something he likes. I asked him but he saw another Book of Mormons billboard and pointed to it. Then we reached Reilly's Ave and idk why but my whole family and our old neighbors were all outside. Bsta ang weird talaga na he dropped me off in our old house. Dreams are weird.

So I just thanked him and watched him leave.

Aish why did I dream of you again???

.

20/4/20

Had another dream about him. Just why oh why? What are these dreams trying to tell me? I haven't been thinking about him seriously so idk.

Basically in this dream, we were all back in the office. So we got a few newbies who joined our team. And management/TL thought it was a good idea to blend the newbies with the senior agents so there was a complete seat change again. Chad and the guy beside him moved to my old area, as in Chad moved to my old seat. While I was stayed in my current seat. Of course I felt sad that I won't be able to see him face to face as often anymore and that I felt like our friendship will drift apart again.

Basta ano baaa I don't understand this. Do I still have feelings for him deep down?

Oh and he read my message on the group chat again. 10:18am. I mean ok he's been active on the UKI chat today so here's me overthinking again.

.

23/04/20

Another day, another Chad dream.

So in this dream, I was in Tesco with my mom or Aldi, anyways a supermarket.

I wanted to make Tacos so I was at the spice aisle, looking for a taco spice mix. Then out of nowhere, he pops up and sees me. Says hello and asked how I was etc, while I was grabbing the taco spice mix.

Then I told him goodbye but I still kept seeing him everywhere in the store even though I purposely was avoiding him.

WHY DO I KEEP DREAMING OF HIM.

It is honestly annoying. 😭

I just wanna move on.

.

27/04/20

Been a while since my last dream but I dreamt that he drove me home, yet again, but I only remember the part where we entered Cherrywood and then I just got out of the car and don't even remember saying thanks. I stood at the front door, until he left.

.

28/04/20

Arghhh he read my messages again on the office chat almost instantly at 2.37pm 😩😩😩😩 Whereas our own team's chat has been active all day, yet he has not read the messages on there since yesterday morning!!

Were you expecting that I messaged you or something??? CMON IF YOU WANNA TALK TO ME JUST MESSAGE ME. I already messaged you first, it's your turn.

Ugh I hate overthinking this!!

Also, 26th of April marked the 1st month since we last talked. Hmmmm have I fully moved on? I really don't think I have but I am just trying to live my life. Why must you be an introvert Chad, we'll be waiting for each other forever.

.

6/05/20

Hmmmm... Beginning to think he actually has 3 siblings contrary to the fact that I thought he said there are 3 of them in the family, him being the eldest, followed by his sister then his younger brother.

If it is his brother that I saw on FB then it makes sense now because remember when he gave out chocolates for Christmas? I heard him say "my brother's work had them on sale" or something along the lines. And the other brother I was aware of was only a kid. This person I saw matches the bill, from Chicago and went to the same secondary school as him. (AND LOOKS LIKE HIM!!! We may be the same age or a year younger because he graduated secondary school in 2014) [yup he is older than me by 6 months and just like his older brother, he is also very much into Star Wars and video games. But he seems more social than his bro. Haha xa na lang date ko 😂 Chad 2.0 chosss Chad introduce me to your bro para di tayo awkward sa work 😂 They are actually only 10 months apart, I wonder if they are close.]

Hmmmmm why am I such a stalker 😂

(7.6 update: nah saw his bro's IG and he seems like a fckboi, his DP is a mirror selfie of him shirtless, showing off his v line abs 😂)

.

13/05/20

It's been a while. As of yesterday, he is fully back to work. We had a team meeting on Monday and he was on it. He said they gave him a laptop to work on. I had myself on mute so I was just listening to him. Yes I wanted to join in on the convo but I needed to stop myself. I need to distance myself until I fully move on from him.

Anyways, today, a case was assigned to me at around 8.30 in the morning. I didn't action it because the office was going mad with chats so I said I was gonna action it when I had a chance later on.

Then I noticed that it disappeared from my queue. I went to my closed cases and I saw that he had actioned it. I mean, I am not saying that he did it on his own free will, our TL may have asked him to go through our team's response received internal queue. Which is aight but this case was not originally mine, but one of his office broskis, na mean? So it's either he did not read the email thread at all or he just decided to close it in MY name. I mean he had to type my name and I wonder if he felt something. CHOSSSSSS 😂

But I'm telling you guys, ever since he got access again, my heart started fluttering again just like when I was still crushing on him, before I moved in front of him and he started giving me all these attention that made me fall in love with him.

I have been trying to move on. I even wrote a 7 page journal entry about my feelings. I've been super distracting myself by watching Kim Possible and staying away from sappy romantic shows 😂

I need more time to heal but it will be okay!

Update 14/5:

I got another case from the same broski, which he actioned yesterday and closed it under his broski's name but he closed the other one on mine.

Ugh why am I overthinking this again!!!

Chad please go away from my feelings 😩

15/5

Today, I helped him out with one of his cases.

He said 'thanks!' whereas the past few days, he's only been replying to people on our team with 'ty!'.

Made me overthink again but I was just being ridiculous 😂 'ty' tapos today sakin 'thanks', special ako chos 😂 honestly wasn't that bothered but okay! Stop giving me special treatment please 😂 don't treat me differently from others if you don't feel the same way because it's unhealthy for me 😂

Helped him again with another one and he said 'thanks!' again urgh. Swear tho, I was hesitating a bit when I was helping him. My heart was thumping again like it did before we started getting comfortable with each other 😭😭😭

.

17/5/20

Exactly 2 months since I saw him and when he dropped me home.

Oh Chad. Will I ever be over you.

.

18/5/20

Helped him with another case because no one was helping him so I was just being nice.

Bianca don't be marupok pls. You've been making progress. Don't relapse now.

.

20/5/20

Another day of helping him out....

Basically he asked our group chat for help, no one replied for like 5 minutes so I said I'll help him.

Then he private messaged me about the case. He told me there were a lot and said "ahah". I should have joked around but I didn't or even asked him how he was 😭

But after I helped him, this was his reply:

Huhuhu parang ang happy nya na may tumulong sa kanya. Chad naman, don't do this to me! I am trying to move on 😭

.

21/05/20

Haaaayy... Reading my messages again as soon as I post them. Chad Chad Chad ....

.

26/05/20

He legit have not read messages on our office GC since 10.30 this morning. I messaged a few times around 3pm and he kept reading them. Ano ba kasi Chad.

Don't be scared of rejection, I know I may not be showing real signs but I am an awkward turtle, just talk to me.

.

27/05/20

As usual no one was helping him again so I private messaged him and asked if anyone was helping yet.

His response:

Hahaha cute 😂 so I told him 'give me the deets, I'll send it up'.

He said 'ty!!', gave me the deets.

Then when I completed it, this was his reply:

Hahaha naloka na xa, double a. Choss. I replied with "anytime 😊" 😂 para konti landi to let him know na I am here to help anytime HAHAHAHAHAHAHA chos

BAKIT HIRAP MAG MOVE ON MGA BESH

.

5/6/20

So I've been hesitating about posting this but about 2 days ago? I had a dream about him again. It wasn't just him in it but the dream mostly centered about him and I.

Basically, we there was a party in the office and for some reason, I was getting ready at my desk as in curling my hair (so weird 😂😂😂).

Then Chad decided to go out of the computer area, probs was on a break or something. Then my team decided it was a good idea to hide his baby yoda plushie so I hid it in my locker and when he came back, he kept looking for it and we were just laughing at him. 😂

That was it haha.

But you guys, I've been diligently praying for my vocation and I've been getting signs about marriage etc. What if he's the one? God, please give me more signs.

.

15/06/20

So it's been a while. I've been helping him here and there over the last few weeks.

Today's response was "awesome, thanks!"

And that made me kilig inside. 😂

I am awesome, chos! 😂

.

16/06/20

Just saw the July Schedule and he is taking 2 weeks holidays 😂

Lol fam watchu gonna do? 😂

Tara let's go on a date chos 😂

.

24/06/20

I miss him ☹️ But I've been good with not thinking about him a lot but I just really can't wait to be able to ask him out in person hahaayyyy

Hmmmm I also suddenly wondered if he still has the card I gave him for Christmas. That was a cute card, €4 din un ha hahaha

.

3/07/20

Yo wassup.

I had a dream, so we were back in the office. We were on the weekend shift and for some reason, I decided I was staying back for a bit more so he left before me.

Basically, from this dream, it seems that we were on minimal speaking terms. So like as he was leaving, at the computer area door, he said bye to me and idk why, I asked him to have dessert with me on Monday 😂 it was weird 😂

.

12/07/20

Okur, I had a dream that he dropped me off again in Cherrywood, like just out of nowhere. Like all I remember was that we were walking to his car together.

He even opened my door and carried my bag and walked me to the front door. Haaayyy....

.

14/07/20

So today, I was overthinking again.

Basically there was a post in work where an SME asked him to tag his team. He tagged me first over his broskis and that made me quite overthink again. Like the way he tagged our team was not as if it was alphabetical order. So why did he tag me first?

Hahah ako ung unang pumasok sa isip nya

Huhuhu ayoko naaaaa

.

19/07/2020

So he is on his 2 weeks PTO from tomorrow.

Haaaaayyyyy miss ko na xa, bakit ba kasi ako ganito. Pero as long as he has not said that he is not interested in me, may chance pa rin tlga kami eh.

Wag lang tlaga xang umalis ng company and it will be grand.

.

08/08/20

Been a while since this was updated, nothing's been happening between us so there is nothing to report. But anyways, lately I've been having (r-rated) fantasies about him 😂 argh I just want to be with him 😂

He's also started playing Fall Guys on the PS4, we have something in common na chos 😂

Also, there's an SME position in work and I have a feeling he might apply huhu if he gets it, he'll be level 12 and I won't be able to date him 😭😂

Honestly still think may something sila ng QA namin huhuhu

.

16/08/20

So I told MF on the 14th of August about everything that has happened, like how I was getting mixed signals that made me overthink alot to me messaging him twice and being left on read, also how I plan on asking him out when we get to the office. (Also how he dropped me home.)

I told her how it's been very hard for me in the last 5 months, trying to move on from someone I don't even talk to. She was very understanding and told me that she also has not talked to Chad since WFH, as she was also left on read. She said he may not be the texty type because he's quite shy.

I was honestly shook. I thought they talk, even on our workplace chat because they are close in work. Cause I asked her if it was even a good idea for me to ask him out or if she knows if he's seeing someone because I don't want to intrude. I told her I want to take a risk with him but a part of me fears rejection.

She asked me if I ever thought about asking him out for coffee since things are opening up. I told her, yes but I don't think we are in that level where I could just ask him randomly.

So her plan is to build up a rapport with him again and find out the goss. I really hope she can build something up with him and that if ever, this time, there will be progress.

Until I know I have a chance with him, I can't move on. If he's seeing someone, then okay at least I'll know where I stand.

I'll let you know if there's progress.

.

19/08/2020

So today, I helped him out with a case.

One of the internal tools was not working for him so he asked for help. I was the first to reply so I told him to send me the details and I'll do it.

When I did it for him, he said 'Perfect thank you!' and I just replied, "No worries 😊" landi landi with that emoji 😂 Wish we kinda had a conversation going though 😭 Wish I asked him how he was but it wasn't appropriate okay 😂

Haaayy can't wait to find out if he's dating anyone or when I'll see him again so I can ask him out. HAAAAAYYYYSSSS.

.

9/9/20

So yesterday, I asked our group chat for help on a case. I didn't really expect that he would be the one to respond but he did and that was cute. Awww. ❤️

Looool I wish I could've thanked him personally but other people started helping me out so yeah. But for a brief moment, I was kilig haha

Really wanna ask him out already! But cases are rising again and I don't want him to use Covid as an excuse so I'll wait again until cases have slowed down.

.

13/09/20

So today, I had a video call with MF. She told me that she got a new job 😭 meaning, she won't be able to be my wingwoman now 😭

I am happy for her but this cuts down all my chances with Chad 😭

But she did talk to Chad and he applied to the SME role apparently, I think he may have already been interviewed but he didn't hear back from them yet.

MF also said that we should meet up for a coffee date "with Bianca" and he said we should hahaha cmon MF make this a reality please so I can talk to him 😭

[wanderingtravelr]

This is Israel is back after a few months of hiatus!  For those who might not be familiar with this blog segment, it is a space where I share with you what I have experienced during my past month in Israel. In addition to my normal travel blogs, I want to use this space to give you a glimpse of what my life in Israel is really like.

  Week 1

Coffee shop finds and cat conferences I remember during my first few months in Haifa, I was quite disappointed in the lack of cute or cozy coffee shops. However, as the months have gone by, I’ve become more accustomed to how to find my way around the city, and as a result have been able to explore more and find those coffee shops that I’m more than willing to spend hours in. Honestly the best feeling ever!

This week I managed to go to one close to my flat before starting work in the morning. I can’t describe how much a good coffee from a cute coffee shop can help lighten my mood if I’ve been having a tough week. AND ALSO CUTE LITTLE BAKED GOODS 

As a side note, came across this conference of cats on my way to the coffee shop. There’s an old lady in my neighbourhood that enjoys feeding all of the cats, so she comes by with loads of cat food every morning. You know she’s outside because you can hear all the cats meowing in excitement for their morning meal.

Making a conscious decision towards better health

Okay, so I’ve realized that sitting at a desk for 8+ hours a day is not conducive to great physical health. That insight should have probably been obvious since the beginning, but I didn’t really become conscious of it until I was 1 year into my work and really began to gain weight and feel more tired and anxious than I normally would.

I came to the conclusion that in order to begin leading a better lifestyle, I should begin doing some sort of exercise – so I got out of my comfort zone and signed up for the gym! I’ve been starting off with two fitness classes per week, which are in Hebrew, but eyyy I’ll learn eventually! Although it hasn’t been long since I’ve begun, I can already feel my energy returning and I’m all for that!

Also, super side note, I didn’t realize how much fun it is to buy athletic wear. I think this might be a problem.

  Geckos in the flat! I repeat. Geckos in the flat! I FOUND A GECKO (or three) in my flat! I honestly don’t have much to say about this other than I think they’re really cute and I’m more than happy for them to be in my flat (if they just don’t come on my bed plzthx) because they eat up all the insects!

I had to help this guy find his way outside, so I put him in a container and gently left him outside my door.

* * *

Week 2

My new obsession Okay, so I may have started going to the gym, but I also started baking muffins sooo I think they cancel each other out? We’ll deal with that later.

Pinterest has become my source of muffin inspiration, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I didn’t realize how much fun baking would be! And how much more fun it would be to eat my creations ahaha woooops

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

  Israeli lunches and flower shop adventures Yes, hummus is good. But have you ever tried Labaneh with Zatar?!?!! Bless the Israelis for having some crazy delicious foods. And to have it with a side of bread and veggies? Yes please!

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

Also, can we please take a moment to get excited over the flowers that I got right after lunch? Problem was, they wilted in a week’s time because of how hot the weather is, but here’s to hoping that once the weather starts to cool down (maybe in a hundred years?), then my flowers will last longer.

Nespresso magic

I.

GOT.

A.

NESPRESSO.

MACHINE.

That is all.

… no, but actually, it has made my mornings so much more exciting. So many coffees to choose from in such little time. YES PLEASE.

* * *

Week 3

Hamster HAMSTER HaMsTeR For those of you who know me, you know that I can even tear up when I look at cute animal videos. So please imagine my utter excitement when I got to play with a hamster this week. I think I reverted back to my 6 year-old self.

Tel Aviv adventures Sometimes, I really need to get out of Haifa – and this was one of those weeks. I just needed to have a little adventure, and that’s definitely what I got with a mini half-day trip to Tel Aviv.

Of course I had to stop by Sarona Market (aka. the best place ever), and had to buy tons of goods that I couldn’t get my hands on in Haifa (like onigiri!!!). 

Wolf spider Imagine being scared of spiders (for some, you may not have to imagine this because, like me, it is your reality). Now, one evening, after a long day of work, you come home and begin making food for yourself in the kitchen. You then make your way to grab something out of your cupboard BUT YOU CANNOT DO THAT BECAUSE THERE IS A GIGANTIC SPIDER OF HUGE PROPORTIONS WAITING TO FEAST ON YOUR SOUL.

Honestly, look up “wolf spider” on google. Look at the image with the biggest one. That’s the one that was in my flat. The biggest. The soul-sucking one.

  * * *

Week 4

Art nights Over the months, I’ve realized that I need more balance in my life – so I’ve began doing art. I’m not good at it, but I do enjoy it, and it definitely helps me with relaxing! So as often as I can, I look up ideas on Pinterest, whip out my water colour paper, take out some water colours, pens, and markers, and begin to doodle away. 

My plan is to put up some of my creations in the flat, so I’ve gotten them frames, but still need to find a way to put them up (because I’m not allowed to make holes in the wall). Hopefully a store will have some kind of sticky tape that’ll help me get the job done!

  Tel Aviv Museum of Art I had the most spontaneous trip to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art! I didn’t even know it existed until someone called me and said “let’s go to the museum tomorrow”. The museum itself is around an hour away from where I live, so it is quite easy to get to by car. Unfortunately, since I don’t have a car, it is near impossible for me to get there on my own, because there is no transit running on weekends in Israel. So unless I want to get there on foot (no thank you, google maps tells me it would take 19 hours and 31 minutes), there’s really no way to get there.

So grateful for someone to have taken me and let me join them on this adventure! I’ll definitely be posting a full blog post about this place, so I won’t give anything away about it right now!

    13 months down, 17 more to go!

xx

This is Israel (Ep. 9 – August 2018) This is Israel is back after a few months of hiatus!  For those who might not be familiar with this blog segment, it is a space where I share with you what I have experienced during my past month in Israel.

#Israel #Photography #travel #travelblogger #wanderlust

[janice0600]

All is well

9/8/18

Happy national’s day!

Happy 35th bday, Ng Nene.

Well, it started off at 81. In at 1, out at 3. Home by almost 4am. Gosh. This has always been the routine and its fucking exhasuting. Sleeping only for 2hrs after making love and traveling all the way back home! Cmon.

Yesterday, 8/8/18 was quite a day. It was supposed to be a light clinic with the last patient to be seen at 4pm but guess what, ended late again. Atleast for me, I managed to go back bit earlier.

What’s new. It’s just that.. it’s getting more annoying. The longer it goes on, the more we realise that he is wasting too much time. Really. Not just his time, but other people’s time too. Doesn’t he get it. We need to spend time with our loved ones too.

Speaking of loved ones, mum was not feeling well the other day, diarrhea again but lucky she has her sister around to look after her. I miss u mama. If only i can hug u every night before going to bed. I love you so much.

Well, im not able to log in for the past few days but I spent time with my cousins, tito and lj last sunday. Was so much fun. Cant go into details tho, too much info. But it was nice catching up with all of em especially talking about our old memories. When tita was still alive.

Okay, back to yesterday. Got to go back at 6 plus. Went straight to somerset to get him his bbq fries from the famous potato corner, headed to bedok afterwards. Met him downstairs, he was there. Waiting for me. He came from morning shift and will be on for his afternoon shift the next day but there he is.. waiting for me. Waiting without a smile in his face. Well thats his typical serious look. He looks taller with that look, dunno why. My honey. It was both our first time there. We figured out we should be taking a bus to our destination and voila, theres this bus 67 and another one, cant remember now.

Told him i got a hundred dollar from the nurses day and I got him his favorite flavored fries. I hope I made him happy. Cause to myself, I think hes more of annoyed cause I kept him waiting. Hehe. I told him will be giving him something too to make up for the wait. *Wink*

We thought we missed to go down the right stop but where we went down to was just perfect. He used his google map for directions and we both managed to arrive safely. Bedok reservoir for that night. 8.8.18. With my honey.

We ate our fries and the best thing was.. we watched the last ep of GOTS7 together! Lord baelish died, and I saw how he celebrated it with his evil laugh. So cute. Now his part of the club waiting for the next season to come out. Hahaha (my version of evil laugh)

Then had our heaviest, heaviest dinner. Lamb and baby back ribs. Took photos and held each other’s hand across the table.

Since we are two full fools, we went for a stroll in the park and found our spot. Spent hours chitchatting with my man, hugging and kissing and talking about random things. How we met, how it all started, how it almost ended, and where we are at now. Simple days, simple memories. Memories to look back to with this guy. Honey.

Today, 9.8.18, celebrated ng nene’s bday during lunch, spent happy times with the gang, had a mini photoshoot with ng eena.

Before bedtime, spoke with him in messenger, planned his leave for seb’s bday (sucks to think he will be away for so long!!) and said our prayers! Lord thank u for the blessing and whatever happens in the future, I pray we give U glory always. Love you, God. In Jesus name, Amen! 😘

PS. I gave him a box of toothpaste. Hehe

[blkwidowsweb]

Chicago Spotlight: A Conversation With Steve "Miggedy" Maestro

Born & raised in Chicago through two Belizean parents, Steve’s musical journey started at birth through osmosis. His journey marks are with vinyl, instruments and action. His humble musical beginnings included guitar & piano lessons & choirs until the Hot Mix 5 and Prince came into his life. Striving to do both produce & DJ, he started his professional DJ career spinning in Army base clubs on and off post while serving. He also played guitar, bass, keys & drums in many bands during his military career until he came back to Chicago. Steve landed a mix show jock position in the fall of 1993 on Chicago’s #1 station, WGCI. By mixing smooth blends of House, Old School, Hip Hop, R&B & Reggae, Steve quickly became a household name. Since then he has gone on to mixing for syndicated powerhouse Super Radio, Tom Joyner & Doug Banks, doing production & remixes for Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley, Joe Smooth, DJ Kool, Janet Jackson, Erick Sermon, Tyrese, George Clinton and Faith Evans.  He started his record label, MMP Records, through another Chicago DJ Raphael, by selling his instrumental downtempo R&B tracks on CD for local dancers. Since then he has produced U.K. soul siren Julie Dexter’s full-length album, “New Again” on Ketch-A-Vibe Records, released the “Bop Padow” EP on Unified Records, “Happy Place” EP on House4Life Records and the Julie Dexter “Make You Dance” EP with Vick Lavender’s Sophisticado Records. It wasn’t until he released “Tribe Deep” on Void Digital Music when he met & partnered with Jerry C. King; CEO of Kingdom Music Digital Group.  I recently had a chance to talk to Steve about his career as a DJ, Producer, Remixer, Radio personality and Label Owner.  We had a chance to talk about his longevity, his thoughts on the music and the Chicago House Scene.

CONVERSATION WITH STEVE “MIGGEDY” MAESTRO

Black Widow:    You grew up with music in the center of your life in a home where house music was always played, how did your childhood/teen years influence your love of music?

Steve Maestro:  My thing was always music.   If there was a choice between toys, clothes, or records…the choice was always music.  My dad was the DJ/Music enthusiast in the family. He had all the records and as a child I used to scratch his records, I was doing that at a very young age. I was scratching up my daddy’s records, so you know I was getting my butt whopped! {Laughter}

Black Widow:  You can’t scratch ya daddy’s records!!! [Laughter] So as early as you can remember it was always, music, music, music.?

Steve Maestro: Yeah man….I was getting my butt whopped and didn’t give a damn. [LAUGHTER]  When my parents had their parties, I could put my daddy’s records back in their respective jackets and I didn’t even know how to read. That was at 3 years old!  This wasn’t a hobby, it was my life.  It was my destiny. Innately I think I’m a born entertainer. I would this artist, The Mighty Sparrow.  He was the Michael Jackson of Caribbean music. I would sit on the hammock and imitate him. His voice was dynamic and what he sang about was so diverse.  It was sex, politics, relationships and it was in my native language. I carried all that inside of me; the rhythms and such.  My parents had such a diverse love of music. My dad liked Joe Crocker, Janis Joplin and my mom liked Dinah Washington, Bessie…all these dynamic people.  You know you listened to what your parents listened to.

My parents put me in music lessons. I started guitar at 7, piano at 11, then I went to high school and prince came into my life. 

Black Widow:   You went to Whitney Young right?

Steve Maestro:   Yeah…Yeah…   It was right around, Prince’s album, “Uptown” I wasn’t just into the records; it was the artwork and the credits.    I was fascinated with the credits. What was producer? What was executive producer? What was the difference between the two? When I saw that album and read that Prince did it all (write, perform, and produce) I was stunned.  I started to learn how to play bass and then I also had a band called "Intimicii"; we were basically a Prince Cover band.  I was learning music and DJing in high school. I’m practicing both. I was obsessed with it and would stay in the house making tapes.  That’s how my cousins got my name out there.   I was always in the house! I was inside learning music and the craft.  My senior year of HS, I told my parents this is what I want to do. I knew it! From there I went to Roosevelt and did two semesters there and went to the army.

Black Widow:   Why the army?

Steve Maestro:  I didn’t see the point of going to school and learning what I already know.  I was thinking instead of my parents paying for my education, I could do this, and learn a new skill.  The 2nd thing I did at Fort Campbell was look for a DJ Job.  I’m at a barracks and the club was right across the street. Because I had the music in me, I could break down house, hip hop, go-go, all the cuts. On Friday, Saturday nights it was my job!  I was in the army being DJ GI Jack!  I was in bands, Ding 3-4 times a week. 

Black Widow:  When did the radio work start coming in?

Steve Maestro:  I came back to Chicago about 91, living at home and used my GI bill, went to Devry, then Columbia college, while working at Coconuts on Addams/Wabash for 2 years then a DJ told me about a contest where you could DJ along with Mike Dunn on WGCI. I didn’t think I had a chance.  Its super clichés here and I wasn’t really part of one.  I wasn’t going to do it but I’m glad I did because Elroy called me and said, “Hey you are kinda hot. Come down and do ya thing”.

That was the beginning of that chapter

You have to understand…I’m coming in without a crew behind me.  Back then I didn’t know Pharris, I didn’t know Mike, I didn’t know Terry... I didn't know anyone.  I come into the station. At first they didn’t want me to do house music.  I came in doing hip hop and R&B.   That was the first month then they let Mike Dunn go.  You have to understand how that looked on me. At the end of the day, I gotta walk in these streets and it appeared as if I was the reason he was gone to anyone who didn’t know me.  Mike and I had this distance for about 5-6 years because he thought I was behind it.  I was in this position and I have to do what my boss says.  The boss (Elroy) says, play Hip-Hop and R&B for 1st two hours, then house the last two hours but the streets got a hold of me and was like, “run that ole school”.  So that’s what did, and they let me go…

Black Widow:    OH WOW!  Get outta here!

Steve Maestro:  Yeah…for a whole week people in the city faxed letters to the radio. They had my butt back at work within a week. That’s how I was accepted.   I was serving.  Then Clear Channel came and wanted hip hop. So they were like screw house! You gonna do hip hop or you’re out. We did that for 3 years before they cancelled club 107.5.  I had to do what I had to do.  They made me show director but that’s just another word for supervisor. I had to review 4-5 other DJs mixes and do my own.  Then Power 92 popped up and served the streets and filled that void that Elroy couldn’t at that time. 

Black Widow:  So you got caught up in the corporate bureaucracy.  You are getting into the corporate red tape. That will kill your creativity.

Steve maestro: Yea and it kinda sucked the life out of me. I’m a producer/DJ/artist.  You know I wanted to be like the Steve Hurleys, the Frankie Knuckles’…that was the plan.  I was doing syndicated mixes for super radio doing R&B/Hip-Hop on one side and old school on another side. That was one hustle. Then Steve Hurley hired me to do work with him. I was doing records with him and from there started doing mixes for Tom Joyner. Then Doug Banks went syndicated and the first person he tapped to do mixes was me. So I was doing mixes for Doug Banks, Tom Joyner, Super Radio and WGCI.  I was tired and still trying to get production done and DJing. DJ’ing was something I enjoyed but the producing was more serious for me because I equated it with more money.  I knew producers were the ones who got paid and that’s what I wanted to do.  But they kept me on the DJ thing forever and it got the point where I had to leave.

Elroy and I had a unique relationship. Back then I encouraged him to make radio sound like Chicago. Play our music…we taught each other a lot and were great friends. He even started to like house.  He started to pay attention to the culture and you felt that during that time on the radio. He said play what they know then do your thing. 

Black Widow:  You talk about the transitions in radio.  As a DJ on the radio, how did you balance what you wanted to do with what the station wanted?

Steve Maestro:  You know back then I was 24-26, I did house and old school that was my lane. They let me do my stuff on Fridays and I did the lunch mixes and stuff during the week. That was my balance. Then Clear Channel came in and said screw that.  At that moment, the 90s hip-hop was poppin, it was great for me! I could do all of that.  But then some of the southern hip hop got popular and then I started to lose for it because I couldn’t relate to it.  It’s no diss, it just wasn’t my vibration.  I was enjoying that but I wasn’t enjoying the environment that came with it.  It was a lot of that coming up in the clubs too.

Black Widow: now see, that’s when I was introduced to you. On the radio, when I was in high school. My connection to music was via the radio since I couldn’t go to the parties and such.

Steve Maestro:  What I discovered is that I didn’t come in via the circle. Those clichés were inbred because of how everyone grew up. That was when black people really ran the Southside.  We are grandkids and great grandkids of that. I grew up north, my experience was different but when I started talking to Pharris, Wayne, Mike, Terry, and when we started to understand each other it was all good. You know initially, no one understood me, I didn’t fit in.  I wasn’t from where they were from.  It wasn’t until I left WGCI and went to NYC, and came back to Chicago to 106.3 that Mike and I talked and I explained to him what happened and we cleared the air. It was so many other people who were feeding into that madness, people who didn’t like me, talking to him and vice versa…it was crazy.

Black Widow: That’s something isn’t it?  When two people have a conversation? 

Steve Maestro: I know! Exactly! There was always this thing between DJs, this divisive thing with Radio DJs vs Street DJs. I never understood that because I was just as much a street DJ as I was a radio DJ. I mean how do you think I got on this? [Laughter]

Black Widow: So now you are DJing and working on the radio, where did producing come into play?

Steve Maestro:  I was always doing production.  I was trying to find my lane and discovered it was R&B, steppers, and house.  In 2009, I met Julie Dexter and we did an album together, then I met Jerry King, my business partner and that becomes the third leg of my journey.  The artist/producer/label with him and the DJ thing in the streets. My goal has always been to be as diverse as possible.  All races, colors…its money in all of that.  I’m concentrating on the music; he’s concentrating on the business. We are both musicians and we speak the same language and it’ works. He’s my Jimmy Jam. It’s a true partnership. He’s my business partner.  We strengthen each other with our different parts.

Black Widow:   How were you introduced to House Music?

Steve Maestro:   It was a natural progression. For me it wasn’t about a classification of music because of how I was introduced to it. I didn’t know what it was.  To me, it was just my daddy’s music.  I was always inquisitive; I would listen to Ralphie Rosario at noon and would listen to him every day. I wanted to know what this was. I started taping these and take the mixes to loop records and ask Jessie jones what is this?  I already understood the art of looking for records because my dad would take me record shopping. My dad was so cold with it; he could look at the album cover and know it was a dope album!   And Whitney young was a huge part of that too!  Whitney Young was on the Westside but it was Southside all day long!

Black Widow:     You are very open on social media in telling your story about your career and what you have seen and sharing your history.   Why do you think documenting and telling our stories is so important, particularly with this genre?

Steve Maestro:   Cause a lot of us don’t. I see what was done with rock, blues, and jazz.  We created it, they labeled it.  House included. I think now, I’m old enough to articulate it and give it to you in laymen’s terms so the young people can understand it. Don’t get it twisted; some young people don’t believe what’s out there is the only thing poppin. With the internet, all it takes is one kid who’s into something different to get a hold of what we are doing and spread the word amongst younger generations.

Black Widow:  I’m glad you said that.  You mentioned putting it out there in layman’s terms.  In my experience, sometimes people have talked down to me in a way when talking about the history and I don’t think it’s done on purpose but it’s definitely a tone to it.  Because I’m younger, because I wasn’t around during the 80s, etc. in their desire to tell me what it was like, they talk down to me.

Steve Maestro:  People and their egos….I went through that for months in radio.    I’ve learned that some people don’t like change and they don’t like accepting new people on someone else’s terms.   People don’t understand you are exposed to what you are exposed to when you are exposed to it. You can’t penalize folks for not being born at a certain time! [LAUGHTER]

Black Widow:  [LAUGHTER} I KNOW!

Steve Maestro:  It’s also checking for the phonies.   It’s like a hazing; trying to make sure you are real. You know we’ve caught some who front like they were in certain spots when they weren’t. You can be protective of the culture but you don’t have to be abrasive about it.

Black Widow:  That’s the challenge we face now as the storytellers to younger generations…not to be so abrasive and to be more inclusive.   This is why I bring my kids to certain kid friendly house events. I want them to see this…feel this culture. I want them to see people dancing, feel the energy, and not just standing on the wall hoping a fight doesn’t break out.  I want my kids to feel the difference in the vibes.

Steve Maestro: Exactly!  Yes it’s such a difference and they need to see that!

Black Widow:   I read in another interview that you were a fan of the dancers.  What makes them so important to the DJ and the party in your opinion?

Steve Maestro:  There’s no party without them. You can have everything but if you don’t have dancers, you have no party. Everyone is important to the pie. People don’t get it, it’s not just the DJ, promoter bartender; it’s the people who come to the club.  The dancers attract me more than anything. That ignites me more than anything. It’s not just trust in the DJs, it’s the dancers.  I’ve seen people in wheelchairs do the spin move on a dance floor…you know?  

I grew up in a family of dancers and my dad was DJ for our family unit.  We would pile up in this small apartment with 30 adults and 20 kids and we had a ball dancing to my dad’s music and he had one turntable! It was people partying, drinking and talking shit.   I had the party spirit in my blood already.  At five years old, I would take over and put those records on while my dad was talking and I remember once my grandmother came over and put $5 in my pocket and said; now you’re a businessman. I don’t know why that sticks out in my head but it does. It stuck with me my entire life.

Black Widow:  I love that!!! Those experiences and memories ….I have similar stories too. My grandmother would have parties at her house after she retired and she’d have all the dancers, jazz artists, and singers, musicians from back in the day at her house, partying, drinking and playing cards. I remember I was home from college at the time and I would be there making them drinks! My mom would joke that I went to school and became a bartender and a card shark! [Laughter]   I would listen to the stories they told about their scene, the jazz scene.  We learned how to party from them.

Steve Maestro:  Yes! That was it…that was my dad. 

Black Widow:  It’s why I enjoyed those jam sessions at Alicia’s we would have, where my kids were there and they would see us relaxed and having a good time.

Steve Maestro:  Yes I love moments like those.  Kids love seeing grownups having fun! I know I did when I was a kid.  I took all of those experiences in and I think because we are artists, we get to enjoy people enjoying themselves.   That’s what we get to do; that’s the environment we create, people enjoy themselves while we do what we do. 

Black Widow:  What inspires you to create?

Steve Maestro:  Life inspires me because I can’t do anything else. I tried.   Working a job sucks the life out of you as an artist, at least for me.  It’s about being fearless.

Black Widow:  It’s interesting you mention fear because I tell people all the time; fear pushed me right into where I am right now. From being scared to share my work to what I’m doing right now.  It’s crazy what happens when you stop fearing things.

Steve Maestro:  What are you scared of? That has always been my thing. Once I got over being introverted; once I stopped being unafraid of what was getting ready to happen, it showed in the way I played.  My wife too, she really was my bedrock to my creativity these past 8 years.  When you have another artist who gets it, she saw more than my potential, she saw where I was going with this thing.  She understood where this was going.

Black Widow:   It’s nice when you have a partner who gets it!

Steve Maestro:  Yes and she really fueled my creativity.

Black Widow:  Any DJ Pet Peeves?

Steve Maestro:  Ok, when I first heard music mixing on the radio, I remember hearing actual blends.  A lot of cats don’t know how to blend!

Black Widow:  It’s an art, I will stop me mid-dance! It’s a face I give you if I hear a train wreck!  Having friends who are DJs taught me how to hear music differently. Now I’m more particular.  Even now sitting in studios, my ear is being trained differently.

Steve Maestro:  People always tell me “you spoiled me”…you know how many times I’ve heard that.  [LAUGHTER]  The longer you are around it, you start to see those differences and become more particular. People tend to get mad at that or say you are “riding” certain people...

Black Widow: Oh lord…yes! [Laughter]

Steve Maestro…That’s the people who don’t know what you’re doing. We get that so much. You have no idea! I remember Elroy saying when they really start hating on you is when they are tired of hearing your name. That’s the Chicago way.  That means you are doing alright! [Laughter] I swear Jerry and I deal with people trying to get at us while talking shit about us.

Black Widow:  Isn’t that crazy!

Steve Maestro:  It is but it made me realize I was doing something good! LOL.  

Black Widow:  What do you think about the Chicago House Scene now?

Steve Maestro:  You know when people talk about the same music being played at certain spots. There’s a creative wavelength that we are all on at times.  We are in tuned with each other. Certain people make the songs, others are party pleasers and they are all important

Black Widow:  I’ve had this conversation with friends of mine who don’t come out as much. There are some of my friends who don’t get out and when they are, they will go up for songs I’m tired of hearing but I had to realize they don’t get to hear the music the way I do. It’s different for them.

Steve Maestro: Exactly! The experience is different and that doesn’t ‘make it bad or worse. It’s a place for all of it.  If it’s the hottest record, play it.  It’ really is how you choose to handle it as a human being! Fuck DJs…people make a big deal about DJs. It’s how you are influenced as a person by what you do to a community.  There are a lot of DJs who spin well but their insides are negative. If you are selfish, that translates. 

Black Widow:   I tell people when I feel a bad vibe or negativity coming from you as a person; it takes my desire to hear you play away.  It doesn’t matter if you are good…but I have no desire to hear you play.

Steve Maestro:  Your name don’t mean shit if you ain't shit.

Black Widow: [LAUGHTER} THAT’S IT!   As a patron, I’m chasing the experience. I’m chasing that good vibe. I’m chasing the music.  When I come out, I want to feel good. I want to laugh; I want to be surrounded by positivity. Life is hard enough; I can’t do that when you are a horrible person.

Steve Maestro:  You have to get that negative energy off you.  My job is to get you to scream and get that out. I want to take you to another place.  That’s my job.

Black Widow I totally agree!  I want to feel lighter, more hopeful and you can’t transform me with negativity. I want an experience that allows me to feel better in my day to day life. 

Steve Maestro:  That’s why people gravitate towards certain DJs. It’s not hate or anything like that. You can’t be mad at someone at their point of entry in the game.  Elroy wouldn’t have hired me if I wasn’t good. It just is what it is. You can’t be mad about that.   I’ve been blessed so much in this, there’s no need for hate or bitterness.  These bitter DJs…I’m like you can’t hold that because you isolate people from you and people don’t want to be around that.

Black Widow:  YES and you are stifling yourself. Even as a new artist, if I had focused on the hate or negativity thrown my way, it would stifle me. I can’t be concerned with that, it’s not about them. I have to keep doing my thing. 

Steve Maestro:  It’s real like that. Once I figured that out… once I started talking to a lot of these cats, and getting that on the job training, we all had an understanding. I was just putting in that work and the respect came, you have to just keep doing you and…

Black Widow:  Keep those blinders on when it comes to the naysayers!

Steve Maestro: That’s it!

Black Widow:  House and Steppers music is different yet uniquely connected. What do you think the differences are?

Steve Maestro:  It’s not really different.  They just dance differently to a different tempo. Both styles are musical.  It’s a community just like house with their own language, style and culture.  We actually are very similar and it’s a Chicago art form.

Black Widow:  One thing I know for sure is that you KNOW music and music history. Why is it important for DJs/Producers to not just listen to the music but actually know the music?

Steve Maestro:  It makes your work flow easier if you know the language to compute.  Everything has a language; computers, language, hustling, pimpin… Southside has a language. If you are going to anything well, you have to know the language.  The Music we play has a language.  Through the music I get to emote my feelings.  I pick the records I pick because it’s where I am at the moment.  You have to be open, vulnerable…

Black Widow:  I’ve learned that over the year, the more open, and vulnerable I am the more it connects. 

Steve Maestro:  Yes you have to be fearless. When I perform, I can do whatever I want. There’s freedom on a stage.

Black Widow:  That seems to be a common theme in my interviews. It doesn’t matter if it’s a DJ, producer, singer, poet; everyone always talks about this need to be open and vulnerable for it to connect. When we talk about creativity and connecting

Steve Maestro:  Yes! Yes! You have to be and it’s so hard for us sometimes to just strip it down, and open up. To be vulnerable, I’ve done it so much I don’t have a fear anymore. I just doing my thing…there’s freedom on the stage. I totally understand why Michael Jackson said the stage was where he felt most free. 

Black Widow: What does being a Chicago artist mean for you?

Steve Maestro:  We are near water and we are in the center of everything musically, the country and globally. We are always in people’s mouths. If you wanted to make it, you went to New York, LA but you also had to come through Chicago.  We have the biggest and loyal fan base in the world. I’ve been London, NY and love the music and culture but Chicago is the home of house, blues, steppers, juke, jazz so many genre’s….we influence the world.

We are an epicenter.

That’s just us…

Black Widow:  What does the future hold for you?

Steve Maestro:   I’m focused on bringing people together. The bands and DJs.  We got the Navy Pier gig coming up, getting everyone together, enjoying multicultural events, that’s what I’m about right now.  I’m focused on getting our music played and getting it out there.  70% of the music I play is Chicago Music.

Black Widow:   I could do this all night! Thank you so much!

Steve Maestro:  It’s so much! You have no idea… laughter… the stories the highs and lows from NY and back to Chicago…it’s so much. 

Black Widow I know…we need to do a part 2

Steve Maestro:  Definitely!

Black Widow Thank you so much for chatting with me! 

Steve Maestro:  It was my pleasure!

You can find Steve Maestro this Saturday at the World’s largest House Halloween Party and at the following:

On Traxsource: https://www.traxsource.com/artist/81309/steve-miggedy-maestro?ipp=100

On Mixcloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/miggedy/

On FB: https://www.facebook.com/steve.m.maestro

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miggedy123/

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miggedy

#Chicago House Scene #Blkwidowsweb #Chicago DJs #Chicago Producer #Chicago artist #steve maestro #steve miggedy maestro

[blancagriswold]

Real Weddings: Mel and Matts Beautiful Summer Wedding

The weekend is here Cwtchers!! Happy Friday!

And to start you off, we have a beautiful wedding to share with you. Shot by the superb Hannah from Rocksalt Photography, Mel and  Matt tell us all about their beautiful summery day….

Mel and Matt’s Beautiful Summer Wedding

What was your budget?

We did and didn’t have a budget… we tried to be sensible (read “tight”!) but also considered each expense on its necessity, its worth and its contribution to our day!

How would you describe your wedding theme?

I called our theme “Summer Gatsby”… all glass and art deco without the black and gold!

What was your favourite part of your wedding?

Mel: I think- surprisingly for me- walking down the aisle was my favourite part of our day (surprisingly as I hate being centre of attention)! I was ready. My Dad on my arm, I was walking into the next chapter of my life and my closest friends and family were there to share that moment with me. Wow! That’s pretty sentimental!

Matt: The band! I love live music and we’d hired an amazing band who entertained us for hours. It was also the time for me to relax and really enjoy celebrating with my new wife and all our guests.

Tell us about your Wedding Dress

I was the bride who thought she’d never get married and had no idea what dress I wanted so my plan was to try as many styles as I could to find out what suited me. My first experience trying on wedding dresses was a last minute appointment at David’s Bridal, Stratford with one of my bridesmaids. We were wandering Westfield after a day in London whilst our other halves went to watch the football at a nearby bar. Little did Pete know, Matt was about to ask Pete to be his best man so whilst I left London without a dress, Matt left London with a Best Man! Being 5’2″ I never thought I’d go for a mermaid/trumpet style but I fell in love with an Essence of Australia number- during my next appointment at Laura May on Crwys Road, Cardiff- which was exactly that! The fit was perfect, I felt amazing in it (my bum looked great!) and most importantly-, my mum and mother-in-law-to-be loved it! To be sure it was “the one”, I arranged a second appointment with all my bridesmaids who I knew would be honest… even whilst I was 6 months pregnant! Nope, that wasn’t planned! Safe to say it wasn’t as ‘easy’ an appointment as the first however, it confirmed I’d picked the right dress- I just had to fit back into it!

Who did you pick as your bridesmaids &/or best man and why?

Mel: It was pretty easy for me to pick my bridesmaids; my sister was Maid of Honour, or “Chief” as I liked to call her(!), Matt’s sister who I already saw as a sister, my two long-term, best friends and the Best Man’s wife who I clicked with as soon as we met a few years prior. I say it was easy but I always had a feeling something was missing- that something was another friend who I’d grown up with but now lives away. Now here’s the funny part… considering my bridesmaids’ ages and marital situations, it was always a possibility that one of them could fall pregnant before the big day but I never thought 2 of them would! I’d already bought the dresses so we could have had a dilemma but no! I had a plan! Shifting some bridesmaids up a size with the dresses and buying one new one to match the others, there was a spare dress… which fit my other friend perfectly! Now I’m not one to believe in fate but I do believe that some circumstances are meant to be and this was certainly one of them.

Matt: My choice was easy- I chose Pete! Out of my group of friends, I knew he would be the one to a). get me home from my Stag Do in one piece, and b). get me to the church on time… I’m notoriously late for everything and Mel is the complete opposite!

Why did you choose your venue?

Buckland Hall is a magical place! We fell in love with it the first time we visited. It was the last on our list of a number of venues in Brecon and I was tempted not to even go as their website was a little old fashioned. However, Matt convinced me and as soon as we pulled up to the long winding driveway I had goosebumps and a tear in my eye! That’s the truth! The staff there were so welcoming and we felt like it was ‘home’ from the start.

Tell us about your photographer

We found Rocksalt (Hannah )after looking at the Welsh Wedding Awards lists and thinking they must be good if they’ve won an award for their region! We arranged to meet Hannah at a pub almost a year before we were getting married and found her easy to get on with from then. Just before our wedding we met at our venue to discuss the wedding then by the big day it was as if we were old friends! Hannah had a very easy-going personality which suited our crowd to a ‘T’. She offered advice on ‘staged’ shots (not too many) and arranged some brilliant photographs on the day, making the most of what our venue had to offer. She gauged her audience very well and quickly realised how to tame the rowdy groomsmen and had my brothers rounding up guests like they were cowboys with horses! Hannah had a great sense of humour and was a real pleasure to work with. The quality of her work is outstanding; the creativity with her shots are incredible- we were so excited when we received our photos so promptly after our wedding and the results were truly unforgettable. Hannah really captures the special moments from your day.

How did the proposal happen?

Both Matt & I love Christmas so we woke up Christmas morning in 2013 all excited as usual and Matt said he had some last minute wrapping to do for one of my presents- for anyone who knows Matt, this was totally believable! I was gutted as I had to wait in the bedroom with the door shut- on my own!- until he shouted that he was ready. So…. “Ready!” I walked out of the bedroom and he wasn’t in the spare room. I looked at the mirror on the landing and there was a print-out of Santa with the words, “Follow the trail” stuck to it and there were rose petals trailing down the stairs! I followed the trail where there were more Santa print-outs leading me to the living room. I opened the living room door and there was Matt, down on one knee under the Christmas tree with our song at the time (“I’m Yours” by the Script) playing in the background. I took one look at him, began to cry, covered my mouth and said “noooooooo!”… but in the context of “I can’t believe it!”. I think he was a little miffed as he then said, “So will you marry me?”! and it took all of me to nod as I cried like a baby! I was so happy! The hardest part of being engaged is being told to keep it quiet and this is what Matt said I had to do until lunchtime… every Christmas until we got engaged we’d wake up together but have Christmas lunch separately with our respective families. Matt didn’t want one family to find out before the other so I was told we had to Skype before dinner and that’s when we’d break the good news. Long story short- I had to avoid my Dad’s eye contact for 4-5 hours because Matt told me he’d asked for his permission on Christmas Eve, so he knew our secret! Then we had signal issues at lunch using Skype (think 90’s modem-esq video!) so once our news had finally broken, it was all a bit of a crazy, amazing moment! The best part for me was seeing my mum cry with happiness and my sister telling me she couldn’t choose between crying and eating her paté on toast starter!

Any DIY stories/tutorials you’d like to share?

I’ve always thought of wedding favours as an unnecessary expense, a forgotten ‘gift’ so I wanted to come up with a memorable favour; especially as I see myself as a creative type! After getting some inspiration and a laser printer, I decided we were going to use specialist paper to transfer our initials and each guests’ name and ‘role’ onto champagne glasses they could use on the day.

To be fair to Matt, he spent many an evening transferring our monogram and individual names onto Ikea glasses, hardening them in the oven then carefully rubbing off the excess paper with isopropyl alcohol. It took so much time and effort we began to wonder whether it was worth it but when my cousin posted an Instagram showing he was using his glass again, it gave us a little warm feeling that actually, we’d made favours that were useful and brought back some amazing memories!

What was your first dance & why?

After buying a house and later having a baby, we spent a few Saturday nights in watching X-Factor and both absolutely loved James Arthur the whole series through! Once X-Factor was finished and the acts pretty much forgotten about, Matt still kept up with James Arthur online and found he’d made an EP called “The James Arthur Project”. One song on there he introduced me to was called “Superman”. It resonated with both of us and became the obvious choice- over The Script and Al Green- to be our wedding song,

In hindsight, was there anything you would have done differently?

Neither of us can think of anything we would have done differently as it was such a great day. I think I would have liked to have taken more in and thought about myself a bit more and not worried about the guests so much but they make such an effort to come to your day, maybe I should have worried about them more?!

Do you have any advice for future couples?

We only have the general advice I think; enjoy your day, don’t stress too much, take 5 minutes away from the chaos just for yourselves and remember- the little things don’t REALLY matter! e.g. No-one noticed there was a bunch of lillies missing from our fireplace, or that my dress didn’t fit me as perfect as I’d hoped after alterations or that all the female guests were missing their ‘tickets’ before sitting down to dinner..!

What was your favourite thing about planning a wedding?

I think we both agree that although we had almost a 2 year gap between booking our wedding and getting married, it’s the final result which makes everything worthwhile. Seeing all your plans come to fruition and your nearest and dearest enjoying what you’ve worked towards is priceless.

The Suppliers

Photographer: Rocksalt Photography Reception Venue: Buckland Hall Bride’s Dress: Laura May Bridal Bride’s Jewellery: Accessorize Bride’s Shoes: Carvela Groom’s Outfit: https://www.cayzersmenswear.co.uk/ Bridesmaids’ dresses (and shoes): Monsoon Bridesmaids’ accessories: Accessorize Cake: Matt @ Cup & Cake Bakery Flowers: Cath @ Brecon Blooms Hair: Katie & Becky (Bridesmaid’s sisters) Make-Up: Emily (Bridesmaid’s sister-in-law)

The Wedding Album

Liked this? You might also like these! :)

Real Weddings: Hannah and Jack’s Country Vintage Wedding

Real Wedding: Jenny and Thomas’s Edwardian Manor House Wedding

Real Wedding: Claire and Tom ‘Con-Man’ Conners by Clixx Photography

Helen & Michael Hint of Christmas Wedding by Sacha Miller

Real Weddings: Jenny and Mike by Carly Turner

The post Real Weddings: Mel and Matts Beautiful Summer Wedding appeared first on Cwtch The Bride.

[rbeatz]

rBeatz Exclusive Interview with The Palms

The Palms are an LA psych-pop band that we found through submithub.com with their recent single, Beach Daze. 

The group recently dropped their 6-song EP, Sway. We love this duo’s sound because their vocal production has a Beach Boys and Beatles vibe paired with a psychedelic indie-rock arrangement that can certainly be described as chill. Modern day electronic folk music maybe?

We here at rBeatz have had the pleasure to interview the duo below, and with most of our interviews before, click the play button below and read the interview for the full “The Palms” interview experience.

The first half of the interview is Ben, while the second half is Johnny. Johnny begins with the proper noun, “Ben.” I’m sure you’ll figure it out

INTERVIEW: 

Where does the name The Palms come from and why did you pick it?

Johnny and I were in my old studio in Venice, working on what would eventually become our song Push Off, and I went out for a quick bike ride to the store…We’d been really struggling on coming up with a name for our new project.  Being that we’re both born and raised in LA, we wanted it to represent us as authentically as possible, while also seeming timeless and classic.  I took a left onto Palms blvd. and it hit me…the clouds parted, the sun appeared and The Palms was born.

Where are you from and how has that shaped the musician you are today?

As stated above, we’re both born and raised in LA, which happens to be incredibly rare for a band or musical endeavor based out of Los Angeles.  Our native environment has shaped us musically in more ways than we could ever begin to express on paper or in words.  California and specifically LA County is so engrained in our souls, that it’s impossible to establish where that influence begins and ends…It just is…And one of our goals with this project, was to hopefully provide our hometown with a sound or musical identity… That when people listen to our music, they see Sunset Blvd and PCH…They see the majestic beaches of Malibu and the grimy alleys of Hollywood.  It’s a tall task, but it’s one that we’re striving for.

You’re a two man group – how do you compliment each other?

Johnny and I have writing and creating music together for close to 7 years now (which is crazy to think about) and have honestly more or less morphed into one single musical mind.  We both def have our strong points, but everything we create is literally 50/50.  I couldn’t imagine being on this crazy journey alone and always say, that no matter what happens, I know that the two of us created some really dope music together and positively affected a few souls along the way.

What instruments did you play when you were younger?

My Mother is a classically trained pianist and made it Law, that my Sister and I both had to play an instrument(other than drums) growing up.  I started on Piano in my younger years and eventually switched to guitar.  My obsession with guitar began to grow in my early teens and eventually fully consumed me by the time I was 17 or so.

Are there an instruments that you currently wish you COULD play?

Drums

Tell us the story of how you two got started creating music on your computer?

It’s kind of always just gone hand in hand.  I took a Pro Tools class in college, learned the basics and then never looked back.  Having the ability to create high quality sounds out of my bedroom changed my life forever.

What has been your favorite moment when creating your 2017 EP, The Palms EP?

There have been plenty of cool moments throughout…Push Off was a pretty special moment.  We were thrown into this writing session for 5 Seconds of Summer and had spent the entire day coming up with the cheesiest and worst lyrics possible.  During a lunch break or something, I heard Johnny messing around with what would become the chord progression to Push Off and it immediately caught my ear and moved me.  We ended up writing the entire song on the way home and recorded the demo that night.  The way the chorus came together for Future Love was another cool moment… The oohs and everything came together effortlessly and i remember listening to it on my drive home that day, thinking that we were onto something special.

What do you like to do when you’re simply hanging out – aside from music?

Making art, cooking and hanging out with my Family.  I try and keep it simple.

Do you participate in any extracurricular activities?

Other than music, Surfing is what defines me.  It’s had a huge impact on my lifestyle and how i approach life in general.

Who are your musical influences?

Ben was raised on Motown but found blues and folk music later on. My house was heavy on British Invasion music: Beatles, Stones, Kinks etc. mixed with Laurel Canyon-sound stuff like Buffalo Springfield, CSN, The Byrds. That being said, both being born and raised in LQ we’re big hip-hop fans so at the end of the day we regurgitate all of this music into what makes up The Palms

What DAW do you use and why?

We like to call it “vintage digital” to make ourselves feel better about how out of date our rig is. Right now it’s a 2005 iMac running Pro Tools 10 and using a Digi 003 controller. The key is a good mic, so we invested in a middle of the road Neumann mic which helps make the recordings sound sonically more professional.

What is your favorite MIDI Controller right now?

 We’re not too savvy on the technological front, but our aux guy uses the Novation Launch Pad which is tight.

What is one of your favorite or go-to VST Plugin?

Again, not too savvy when it comes to this but we have a cracked version of this plug in called Analog Synth that works 1/10 of the time, but when it does it’s gold hah.

What is your biggest accomplishment to date?

I would say launching a band from literally our bedrooms after going through hell on a shitty record label with our last project, and being able to generate as much success independent as we have. We were just #31 on AAA radio and with each release we’re growing our fan base and people seem to really be reacting, which is incredible! It was very emotional and difficult coming out of our last project, and then to open up again and release music that people are vibing with is amazing.

Do you have a key production tip for our young producers out there?

The biggest thing is knowing your sound. Everyone has access to the same gear and plug ins etc so they only that is going to separate you is to be yourself 100% cuz there’s only one of those on the planet. Come original!

What has been your top favorite venue to play and why?

Coming back and playing the Troubadour 5/1 is going to be a big moment for us, for obvious reasons pertaining to the venues history and relevance on the LA music scene  but also because that was the last show we played as Terraplane Sun so it’ll be rewarding coming back and playing the troubadour on our own terms.

What is your favorite color?

Humboltd Fog

What food do you eat the most?

Mexican

What is your favorite social media platform and why?

Probably Instagram because of the captions. I love completely changing someone’s perception of a photo just by adding some words.

What is next for The Palms?

We’ll be dropping singles in the foreseeable future, we have tour lined up for May and then hopefully put out an album – that’s the dream!

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