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scarscribblesstuff · 2 months ago

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Dream a Little Dream of Me

Fandom: Redacted Audio

Pairings: Elliot/Sunshine

Song: https://open.spotify.com/track/0TqRpAZNwIcqi5troJpzt8?si=3oZlhAXSRRi-PziYWXjsLw

TW: unwanted advances from a creep at work, nightmare, mentions of car crash experiences, angst!! with a non happy ending

A guy at work is driving me up the wall by being super creepy and I've been missing Elliot so I thought why not combine them for an angsty lil fic! What more could you want.

As always here it is also on ao3 if that's easier! Please do not feed to AI, claim as your own, or repost to other platforms without my permission. The characters belong to Redacted Audio and this is a fan work.

(Fic below cut)

Another day at work and the day was just dragging. How long had they been here? They weren't too sure actually.

“Hey there.” The rather tall guy slides over towards Sunshine, mini golf uniform clearly new sitting awkwardly on his shoulders. “I'm new here, can you help?”

Sunshine startles, “oh! Yeah of course - you're Archie right?”

“That's me!” He grins down at them, moving a little closer. “Pleasure to meet you.” He holds out his hand.

They shake it with a professional smile. “Well, Archie, I'll be happy to show you the ropes! I've been working here almost every summer since I was 16, and it has gotten me through college.” They laugh.

“Oh really? What’d you study?”

“Currently studying production arts with a specialisation in lighting and rigging.” They correct politely, keeping an eye on the mini-golfers.

His eyes light up with interest and he moves a little closer again. “Wow, that's so different! I love that. I studied computer science which is like a more advanced level of what you did.”

“Uh huh.” Sunshine’s smile becomes a little more strained the closer he gets. “Well anyways, there's a group on its way now so we can-”

“Wait, do you like Doctor Who?” Archie points to the small badge on their shirt under the fluorescent Minigolf Funhouse jacket.

“Ah yes!” They relax a little at an easier conversation subject. “I'm guessing you do too?”

“Totally.” He grins. “So rare to find another decent fan nowadays.”

“Well, there are some more positive spaces at the minute. I liked-”

“Who's your favourite doctor?” Their irritation flares up as he cuts them off again.

They're hesitant to answer since they doubt he's actually interested. But they decide to give him another chance. Keeping an eye on the group getting closer; they're relieved to recognise two members who came here before, and were both easy customers to deal with. “I mean I really liked Peter Capaldi, and Ncuti Gatwa is doing a fantastic-”

“Well I really liked all the doctors but particularly in-”

Sunshine gives up, deciding to zone this guy out after he cuts them off for a third time. Pulling out their phone covertly under the desk, they see a text from Elliot.

‘How's work my MF champion?’

‘You know the joke on my employer’s terrible naming choice is only funny the first six times right?’

‘Nah, this will never grow old’ they roll their eyes affectionately.

Next to them Archie is still listing every doctor and his opinions on them. They couldn't focus on what he's saying even if they wanted to, his voice coming across as tinny and distant. Their focus is pulled back to their phone as it quietly announces a new text with a buzz.

‘Srsly how's work tho, all ok?’ They fight the smile as best they can at him checking in on them.

‘Yeah, new guy seems… enthusiastic… to get to know me.’

‘Ouch, damning.’

‘He seems alright just keeps cutting me off and getting closer than I'd like.’

‘Need a fake bf? ;)’

‘Maybe :/ I'll just use that old pic of us.’

‘I’ll do u one better.’

‘Wdym?’

This time there's no reply. Their heart drops, and they pause wondering why they panicked so much at that. It's not like he's gone or anything, he'll message soon.

‘Eli what are you up to??”

They put their phone away, noting the group is almost at their booth. They give a small wave to greet them.

“Hiya! Welcome to the Minigolf Funhouse - is that six in your party?” They cut through Archie rambling about his ‘superior opinions’ to greet them.

“Yes, that'll be six; and I have a return card for a 10% discount.” Damien smiles politely, return slip and card already prepped in his hand.

“Awesome - welcome back! Thank you for returning to us.” Sunshine turns to Archie who has somehow gotten even closer in the ten seconds they looked away. “So here the customer has been super organised.” They flash him a grateful smile, “so we just need to-”

“Yeah, scan it - right?” He flashes what they think he believes to be a winning smile. “Told you, computer science.” And he winks.

Fighting everything in them to let their true expression show, Sunshine takes some small solace in the way the group seems to do the job for them. “Right. First you need to press this button here.” They gesture to the older monitor over the till.

“Which one?” He's now right behind them, looking intently at the screen.

They take another clear step to the side, away from him. “Minigolf Funhouse Returner, it says ‘MF - Returner’. It's bad; don't question it.”

Gavin snorts appreciatively. “What a name.”

“What?” The tallest turns to him, tilting his head curiously.

“Don't worry about it Huxley.” Dear pats his arm.

“Okay! And that’ll be $42 including tax, are you paying together or separately?” Sunshine continues the transaction, desperately trying to ignore Archie’s very unsubtle flirting attempts as they run the card.

“If you head to my colleague in that building over there, you can grab your putters and golf balls. Thanks so much!”

Freelancer elbows Gavin as he opens his mouth to make a joke about grabbing sticks and balls to Lasko.

“T-thanks a lot!” Lasko beams with a wave.

“Uh dude?” Huxley hangs back as the group moves ahead, addressing Sunshine. “Can I ask you something real quick, uh just to the side here?”

“Sure thing sir.” They chirp, leaping at the opportunity to duck out away from Archie.

A few paces away from the group, he bashfully rubs the back of his neck. “I just wanted to check if you're doing okay. I can totally back off if you want, but that guy seemed to be getting kinda close.”

“Ah, yeah.” They sigh for what feels like the hundredth time since meeting Archie. “He’s… uh, friendly? But I'm training him today so I don't have much choice.”

“Well, know we've got your back if you need it bro, any of us would be happy to help out. Just give us a wave!” He grins giving them two thumbs up. The image of a very large, very cute dog comes into Sunshine's mind unbidden.

Sunshine is genuinely touched by this. “Thank you, that means a lot. I'll bear that in mind.”

“Cool.” He grins. “Do you do hugs?”

“Sure thing!”

And he wraps his arms round them before heading back to his group. Pressing a kiss to Damien’s head and giving Sunshine a wave, the crew head towards the course.

“We doing hugs now?” Archie's voice appears from behind them, and the peaceful moment pops like a balloon in an industrial blender.

“Oh he was just being nice-”

“Come onnnn.” He opens his arms.

“No really I'm okay Archie.” They put their hands up, backing up. Their foot catches on a crack in the concrete and they fall backwards into waiting arms.

“Woah, careful there Sunshine.” The familiar voice coos. “Can't have you falling for me twice.”

They look up to see Elliot, silhouetted by the sun behind him. Their entire face lights up unintentionally. “Eli!”

“Hey baby.” He winks. “Thought I'd stop by to visit you at work.”

“My hero!” They proclaim, cuddling closer to him. Trying not to giggle and blush too hard when he kisses the top of their head.

“Really?” Archie pouts, but sounds… off somehow. There's an underlying threat to his voice now.

“This is the memory you retreat to? You being pathetic, and him being a simpering loser. Both too cowardly to ask each other out?” Blake's sneering voice cuts through the illusion as Archie’s face disappears.

It all floods back. Brachium. Closeknit. Every memory with Elliot feels like a gut punch when they remember his expression as he was dragged out of the cell.

Sunshine feels their whole body deflate, exhaustion settling into them quickly. Painstakingly slowly, the fake version of Elliot drifts away to dust in their hold. “No, please.” They whisper weakly, cradling him close to their chest as long as they can before the wind sweeps him all away tidily.

“Enough. Just because I allow you to sleep doesn't mean you get to indulge in bullshit like this. Especially since I'm stuck here babysitting a deathwalker’s pet instead of spending the precious time I have left with the love of my life.”

“Oh just fuck off and see them then!” Sunshine spits, silent tears beginning to soak their shirt through. Anger a bitter taste in their mouth, spurred out by frustration. “Leave me alone. I bet that's what your sweet darling secretly wants.”

Blake’s face contorts at the mention of his new partner. His love, his. “Not until Brachium is brave enough to show his cowardly excuse for a face here again and TALKS TO ME.” He kicks angrily at what little physical presence is left of Sunshine’s dream.

They flinch at the anger instinctively, before turning their back on him. Refusing him the satisfaction, and enjoying for a small moment the inevitable tantrum that proves they got to him.

But it doesn't come. The space falls dark and silent. They're not in their cell so Blake didn't wake them up. The slimy discomfort of unease settles on their skin, he’s not normally like this. They haven't felt this for years.

They turn around just as headlights round the corner in front of them. As the horn blares out, they imagine the crumpling metal of the hood is Elliot’s arms embracing them once more.

#redacted asmr #redacted audio #redactedverse #redacted fandom #fanfic #angst #no happy ending #creep #redacted elliott #redacted sunshine #pls check tags and trigger warnings #scarscribbles

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eliteseven · 21 days ago

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we meet again. this meetings purpose? as always…another consonance hc thingy.

side note i also hope u don’t find these annoying cause they honestly are just thoughts that pop into my head and you get the ones i think are “good”

anyways

idk about you but whenever i make a band au for something whether it be my fav fandom at the time or just my own oc’s- i usually make a list of like songs that they would totally do.

And lowkey- see Astral Prism absolutely smashing through a bunch of Radiohead songs, the one i’m thinking about the most is Let Down. Always been a favourite of mine and i just like love the very specific idea of Serena and Jen co-writing the song, and since it’s obvi Shads on main vocals, it’s her singing it.

But then, combining the tik tok accounts that i mentioned Shart having, except it’s Serena’s page this time. I can imagine it being only a few videos and half of them are how they wrote some of their songs. And this is the first time that people have really heard Tav sing- the only other time is really on backing vocals an all that jazz. The fans? Fall in love with just this version of Let Down, which i can just imagine jen teasing serena about re-recording the albums with Serena on main vocals and her just being like “but they sound perfect with yours.”

UGH rant aside. Their on tour, one of the last shows or the tour. Venue? Sold out. Fans? Pumped. Serena? Nervous as shit. Hotel? Trivago. Why is Serena nervous you may ask? Well well. If you don’t already know- during the bridge of Let Down theirs two sets of vocals as they essentially sing the same thing. And usually- it’s just a backing track as Shad takes the lead. But- what’s this? No backing track? Just the Raw music? The song plays, it’s amazing- it’s gets to the bridge. And when it gets to the part where the song goes “One day, I am gonna grow wings.” Serena takes leads vocals as Shads does the beautiful extended vocals in the background. Fans go fucking nuts for it. Karlach and Wyll go nuts cause they have no idea cause it’s funnier that way. Serena is struggling just a bit because they barely planned this, but any technical mistakes are being replaced by just the raw emotion she puts into her vocals as she’s still fucking killing it on guitar.

And Shart? Has to sing with her eyes closed just listening to Serena because she’s just going to get side tracked and forget to actually sing- dw, she watches replays of it on tik tok and instagram the next day. I think it would also be rlly cute if that was their first like public kiss is after the song where they are both puffed out from the extended vocals. The crowd roaring with cheers and shouts, only just barley starting to die down before shadowheart leans in and kisses puffed out Serena for just a few seconds- hearing the cheers from the crowd somehow erupt even more so. Shads pulling back to see Serena doe eyed, blushing, and then returning to her spot on stage as if not happened, announcing the last song of the evening and Serena missing her que because she was still caught up in the moment.

I sincerely apologise if this makes zero freaking sense. It is late and this is the most brain fart thing if ive ever seen one.

keep doing you boo xx

- anon

lol I loved this!!! 😭🥰 it was an entertaining read, absolutely no apologies necessary! I never find asks annoying. They are my fucking jam and I’m so excited every single time I see that little grey anonymous ball with the sunglasses lmaooo. It’s like getting to chat up my friends on my favorite subjects. Never apologize and never hesitate in my inbox pls. Its open for a reason 🥹

Now onto your lovely Serena vocalist HC:

Fuck yeah!! I love the idea of Serena being a shy but talented vocalist! And Let Down is great, I know exactly which part you mean!

It’s so sweet that Jen believes in her and knows her talent before anyone else does (even Wyll and Karlach- I can see their shocked expressions when she belts it out live lmfao). I think Jen would be totally supportive of the fans realizing Serena is as talented as she is.

The live show you described is soooo sweet and satisfying, and the moment is so climactic! Poetic cinema 🥰 the idea that Jen has to close her eyes to focus is so real, she’d be lost watching Serena accompany her like that. And the kiss?? 😮‍💨 still breathless, panting, so fucking proud of her gf that she just HAS to kiss Serena to let her know?? Holding their foreheads together for a moment, forgetting the crowd entirely, trying to catch their breath?

Serena missing her cue because she’s zoning out staring at Jen has to happen at least once a show lol. She catches up quickly and the fans probably replay that moment 24/7 afterwards 😅

I love it all!!! Jen definitely pushes for Serena to do more vocals after the fact. I love that she slowly becomes less and less shy around Jen as she warms up to the idea that she’s safe with her. They both grow so much because of each other’s support. 💕

#this made perfect sense btw you’re too hard on yourself 😭😅#consonance fic #jen x serena #ask #anonymous

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galaxiesfallfromgrace · 2 years ago

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5 songs I have been enjoying, tagged by @xigrif

gonna combine this one with with the last music meme they tagged me in that I forgot to do which was about albums, so I'll start with sharing two albums that are very special to me:

These are respectively the soundtracks to the anime Jing: King of Bandits and its OAV Seventh Heaven. They're both by Scudelia Electro/Eiji Yoshizawa (all these years I've had both listed as Scudelia Electro, but apparently only Yoshizawa worked on Seventh Heaven without the rest of the band). Seventh Heaven is an absolute banger from start to finish and I recently realized it's probably in my top 5 fav albums ever, while Treasure is a little more hit or miss but has the anime's opening and ending tracks so I love it almost as much.

ANYWAY here're 5 songs from them for the meme:

Sha La La - The Jing anime ending theme, and one of my favorite songs of all time period. Taught me I could like more chill songs as anime op/eds and just in general. (Growing up my favorite songs were as EDM-y as possible. I still love EDM I just like other things now too.)

Everblue - Nails the tone of "wandering through a dream" that the Seventh Heaven story is about, using motifs from Guiding Light. Heartbreakingly I cannot find a good upload of Guiding Light but it'd be on here if I could. Actually I can't find ANY more good uploads of songs from Seventh Heaven and I am DEVASTATED, I was also going to put Maraschino on here but the only video I found of it had horrible audio quality and it just doesn't deserve to be heard like that. But I'm all the more glad I found this then bcs it's one of my favorites.

Together We Fly - from the main anime. Yeah, just as background music, even though it's like a song-ass song. This and the last three are all instant mood lifters for me.

Night Cruise - My next most favorite one from Treasure, already doesn't really hold a candle to most things on Seventh Heaven but regardless I like it.

Shout It Loud - The opening theme of the Jing anime. I used to find the opening riff kinda harsh but now I love everything about this song.

anyway gonna tag @pyritefes2 for the "pick 5 songs you've been enjoying recently" portion of this, as well as anyone else who wants to. I mean it. If you want to do this and you don't know me, do it and say it's bcs of this post and tag me and I'll listen to the songs you share.

#music meme

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denimbex1986 · 2 years ago

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'Barbenheimer, the cultural phenomenon that crossed the streams between the theatrical releases of Barbie and Oppenheimer, continues to dominate the news cycle. While the internet has buzzed about Barbenheimer for quite some time, the reality of this mythic double feature has been exciting to behold on a personal level.

Though the box office results have been impressive, there may still be a bunch of you readers who haven’t gotten onto the Barbenheimer bandwagon. It’s understandable, but should you have any reservations about why you should jump into the Barbenheimer experience, I’ve got you covered. Avoiding spoilers, here’s a list of reasons why it’s never too late to get in on this pop-culture trend.

Barbenheimer Tickets (and Better Seats) Probably Are Easier To Find Now

It’s true that opening weekend was a surprising smash for Barbenheimer. If you hadn’t secured tickets early enough, chances are you missed out on the fun of Barbie and Oppenheimer running back to back. That likelihood is even greater if you’ve been trying to track down Christopher Nolan’s historical epic in its preferred IMAX 70mm format.

No matter how you enjoy these pictures in the wild, the next couple of weeks are definitely going to be crazy when trying to buy into Barbenheimer. Don’t give up though, because if you get to partake in this joyful occasion, it’s going to pay off in several other ways.

The Audience For Both Movies Makes For A Unique People-Watching Experience

Photos of people dressed for both Barbie and Oppenheimer have been so much fun to observe. Whether it’s someone decked out in their best pink ensemble, a dour black suit and hat, or a t-shirt combining the two in a satisfying mashup, people have been showing up in style for this monumental draw.

Now you may prefer one half over the other, as we saw with our own Erik Swann’s first hand account of the Barbenheimer experience. However, you’re not going to know until you actually take the ride for yourself. Also, even if you end up disliking or liking these movies on equal levels, being a part of this real world experience is a hell of a way to celebrate the movie theater experience.

Theatrical Double Features Like This Aren’t Very Common

The “double feature” isn’t a new experience, as it harkens back to the classic days of cinema. It’s as ingrained in the DNA of moviegoing as cartoon shorts, newsreels, and popcorn; and surviving drive-ins still do it. At your regular multiplex however, it’s a more manually driven experience, save for catch-up marathons that might play to promote newer movies.

As such, the box office tends to compete movie versus movie with the ticket buying public; as seen in the recently examined history of iconic movies that premiered on the same date. And yet, Barbie and Oppenheimer cracked that pattern by becoming a long standing meme. Sure, people started to joke about Barbenheimer long before it even had a name, but people committed to the bit eventually. Which, when you look at both movies, isn’t as crazy as you’d think.

Soundtracks Such As These Need To Be Heard In A Theater

Primarily we “watch” movies, so the visual aspect is something that clearly gets a lot of attention when marketing a film. Moving past that layer and appreciating things like costume design, performance, and even the music of a movie is something that more intense movie fans tend to focus on, in addition to said visuals. And if you're a music fan, both Barbie and Oppenheimer have reasons you should be excited to get to a local theater.

On one hand, the Barbie soundtrack is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the artists featured. Billie Eilish, Lizzo, and an Ice Spice/Nicki Minaj collab are just some of the highlights one can expect from that fantastic plastic world. However, if you needed one song to convince you to see this movie in theaters, it’s Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night.” It’s been in all the trailers, so you don’t need to listen to it again. Just trust me when I say that it sounds perfect in theatrical surround sound.

Flipping to the other side of this coin, Ludwig Göransson’s score to Oppenheimer captures everything from unholy dread to scientific awe. It propels an already gorgeous movie to greater heights, and certainly hammers the important parts into the film with the right gravity. So if you're looking for two movies that might make driving home a bit more exciting, look no further than this pair of soundtracks.

Barbenheimer Is A Supporting Performance Powerhouse (That The Oscars Should Reward)

One of the big similarities between both Barbie and Oppenheimer is the fact that audiences can’t stop talking about key supporting performances from both. With Barbie, Ryan Gosling’s Ken was a shoo-in to steal the spotlight, and he definitely lives up to those expectations.

Though the even more impressive scene stealer is America Ferrera, whose monologue about being a woman in the modern world has already captivated audiences in the post-release discourse. On that same wavelength Oppenheimer’s massive cast also showed potential for cast members to bring their A-game against Cillian Murphy’s sterling central performance.

While the whole lot do indeed stand shoulder to shoulder with Christopher Nolan’s lead, it’s Robert Downey Jr. that snuck in and delivered the goods as the MVP. So while you may be showing up for Murphy and Margot Robbie’s front and center protagonists, be prepared to be wowed by some other key players in these separate universes. Think of it as getting more bang for your buck.

Barbie And Oppenheimer Are Kind Of Perfect Together

Superficially, the hyper colorful world of Barbie and the haunting world of Oppenheimer look like a pair that would not go together. Who would realistically expect Greta Gerwig’s examination of feminism/tribute to cinema to pair with Christopher Nolan’s sobering biopic about atomic physics? Look a little closer though, and you can see one common thread links these two movies in a special way.

Through both of these creation-themed stories, one can experience a reckoning with the intentions behind each gadget, and the effects it had on society at large. Barbie inspired young women just as Oppenheimer’s atomic bomb inspired humanity, with both inventions becoming double edged legacies we’re still talking about today.

Of course, Barbie ends on a more positive note than the chillingly unique ending to Oppenheimer. So if you do book yourself into the Barbenheimer experience, it’s recommended you see the historical epic first, then calm down with some neon colored introspective comedy. Should you choose to follow that suggestion or not, both films are currently showing at a theater near you.'

#Barbie #Oppenheimer #Barbenheimer #Christopher Nolan #Billie Eilish #Nicki Minaj #Ice Spice #Lizzo #Ludwig Goransson #Greta Gerwig #Cillian Murphy #Robert Downey Jr.#Margot Robbie #Ryan Gosling

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fairdelirium1898 · 2 years ago

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The Black Album - Nothing is as it seems

I'm calling it that, as I can't figure out how in the world to pronounce DCEOLMTPAUTTEECRHS, so I'll start with the track titles, then look at the album cover.

Putting a cut here for length reasons.

Erratum - AddiFell

Looking up the definition on google, Erratum is a noun meaning an error in printing or writing. I think this fits with AddiFell perfectly. He is shown through the art and his theme to have common errors and glitches, through Strikethrough still tops the list on that. The word Erratum may also describe how AddiFell feels about himself - a mistake.

It has been shown in a previous post that he would welcome death, or some form of it, which combined with DOS Strikethrough's hinted and explicit treatment of him, leads me to believe he has very low self-esteem. Poor guy. Still, the theme is more than his insecurities. The beginning is a light, Windows 95 startup sound. This relates to the soft spot he has, for Addispam and others. The rest of the song is very harsh, which I believe relates to how he presents himself - as a threat. A big threat. Looking at previous posts, it shows that his attacks are weak, but his defence is massive, which doesn't exactly line up with being a threat.

But it does line up with AddiFell's outward cruelty. It's all a show to protect himself. Likely from DOS Strikethrough the most.

Simulated Sympathy - DOS Strikethrough

Next up we have DOS Strikethrough's theme "Simulated Sympathy". What better way to describe her. She has been consistently shown as two-faced and manipulative, and the title of her theme is just a further reinforcement of that. She's faking sympathy for everyone and everything.

Her theme, like AddiFell's, is heavy, but hers has a more urgent tone to it, along with a much more melodical synth throughout. I think this lines up with how she wants to be seen as someone to trust, but that there is an underlying threat throughout, right down to her core. Essentially, her theme is trying to be the opposite of AddiFell's theme and she's succeeding at it.

But we know better.

Glamorous Overload - Addispam

Next up is the theme of who I used to think was the main character, Addispam! His theme sure screams for attention though! With a heavy mix of Mettaton's Death by Glamour and hints of Big Shot, it is easily the most attention grabbing song of the lot, which fits with his character perfectly. I mean, why wear a bright yellow suit if you aren't trying to be seen? "Glamorous Overload" is a perfect title, the song is exactly what it says on the tin!

His theme is the most moderate of the four, being a balanced mix of heavy bass and light synths. This fits with what we have seen of Addispam so far, he doesn't really hide who he is, he shows everything, even the less than favourable sides. Overall, I think his theme shows that while yes, he is capable of violence, he is also capable of sweetness, similar to Mettaton, whose bassline he borrows.

Connection Pending - Brackets

Finally, the newest theme of all, Brackets' theme "Connection Pending" is easily the oddest of all four themes so far. It has the lighter synth as the focus, however there is a consistent bassline and doubling of notes that can make the song feel heavier in parts without changing the song structure in the slightest. This leads me to believe that like Strikethrough, he is hiding his real threat level, along with the Freedom motif being present in his theme only.

The dial up sounds make a return here along with hints of Big Shot and the main focus, the Freedom motif. Honestly, Brackets is giving off the same feeling for me as the secret bosses of Deltarune do when compared to the other characters. He's someone we specifically had to seek out, and now that we've found him, he's the odd one out in the group. I think we need to look into him deeper, there's something we're missing.

DCEOLMTPAUTTEECRHS - The Album Name

Mun Atari, I mean this in the most respectful way possible, HOW DO YOU INTEND US TO PRONOUNCE THIS???

Now that I've got that out of my system, let's look at the obvious. It's a mashup of the words Deltatech Computers, just alternating every other letter. What is catching my attention is the album cover itself. So its the logo for Deltatech, along with the name, but it looks like there is binary code behind the text and logo. On desktop, it's barely visible, but it's visible enough to see the binary is most likely:

01001110 01101111 01110100 00100000 01100101 01110110 01100101 01110010 01111001 01110100 01101000 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01100001 01110011 00100000 01101001 01110100 00100000 01110011 01100101 01100101 01101101 01110011 00101110

Which when translated comes out to "Not everything is as it seems."

Deltatech Computers is clearly integral to the plot of this blog, and by extension, Randy Spamton. I want to know where this is going so badly!!!

Deltatech Computers - Nothing is as it seems.

#addispam blog theories #spamton #spamton g. spamton #deltarune #addispam #addifell #strikethrough #brackets #randy spamton

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ilovejevsjeans · 4 years ago

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Daniel Ricciardo on his passion for combat sports, a walkout song and the time he asked Lewis Hamilton to ‘fight’

McLaren Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo, who currently sits seventh in the driver standings heading into this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, is among the world’s best behind a steering wheel. But how would he fare if he swapped his racing gloves for boxing or MMA gloves?

“I’d love to do a charity boxing match or something just to feel that adrenaline of walking to a ring,” Ricciardo said. “It’s on my to-do list for sure. At school I had a few little fights but nothing crazy. Nothing I’d brag about here.”

Ricciardo says he learned the sport of boxing from a friend who fought as an amateur growing up. However in recent years his love of combat shifted more toward mixed martial arts, a sport that is “quite beautiful. It’s an art form and I was just taken by it.”

The Australian — who boasts 4.6 million followers on Instagram — rarely misses a fight night, whether that’s a small card or pay-per-view. Every Monday he gears up for multiple MMA podcasts to hear analysis on what just took place in the cage.

In an exclusive interview with The Athletic, Ricciardo opened up about his love for fighting, which driver would make the best opponent and why Lewis Hamilton turned down an opportunity to get in the ring against him.

You’re an avid fight fan. How did this passion for the sport start?

One of my best friends growing up, when he was growing up, he was doing amateur boxing and got very good at it. I was then doing my racing and he was doing his boxing. We were both on a bit of an unconventional path — both individual sports, not really the typical sports the kids at school were doing. We had that in common. Once I started taking my racing more seriously I began taking my fitness more seriously. So I started going to his gym to just train. I really enjoyed doing it. But the truth is — I don’t want to lie to anyone. I’m not a fighter. As much as I would picture beating the bully up at school, it’s not me. But I just fell in love with not only doing it but also watching it.

I enjoyed watching boxing but it was really when I got exposed to MMA … It just had me. It was back in 2011 when I started properly getting into it. It was the quickest sport I had ever been absorbed by. I was all in.

My whole YouTube feed is just all MMA shows, whether it’s press conferences, interviews, podcasts. It’s just full of MMA stuff. I’m a full nerd now.

Being in Australia and traveling a lot, are you forced to get up at weird times for fights?

The beauty was I was in LA when (Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 2) was on so it was prime time and I was happy. But normally in Europe, it’s 4 a.m. or 5 a.m., which isn’t as good. Any kind of sporting event that you look forward to, it’s always cool when it’s in the evening because you have all day to get ready and talk about it. If you wake up at 4 a.m. it’s like “ugh,” and then you’re straight into it so there’s not as much of a build-up. But it’s all good.

So do you still train at all?

No. To races, my trainer carries some pads and gloves just to stay a little sharp and change it up. If I’m getting my reflexes with some tennis balls, maybe I throw in a bit of a boxing combination or something. Again, I’m not saying I’m good or anything. But I just enjoy the whole movement part of it.

Boxing was cool and I enjoyed watching it growing up. But there was something with MMA where there’s just so many different disciplines and the matchups … as a contest it was so much more open and for that, exciting. I feel — I know it’s not always the case — you can kind of tell in boxing if someone is getting momentum, the advantage. It’s like “this guy is going to win the fight.” But in MMA, it’s like “this guy is winning standing but if this goes to the ground, it’s back to square one.” So I just loved it. I was really immersed by it all.

Did you have a particular fighter or fight that got you hooked early on?

One of the first events I watched was UFC 116. Chris Leben was on the card and I think he was losing the fight. And then he got a triangle with probably 20 seconds to go in the third round, so that was really exciting. Stephan Bonnar was also on that card and he got a really cool finish on “The Polish Experiment” Krzysztof Soszynski. That was a card for me where I was very taken from that. Then I discovered “The Ultimate Fighter.” I just binge-watched all of those (seasons).

In terms of fighters, Leben was a character, I liked him. Carlos Condit. I’d say Condit and Cub Swanson were two guys I got behind early on. Condit, I love his style and the way he carries himself.

Have you been to a lot of cards in person?

The very first one I did was the best for me personally. To this day, it’s my favorite sporting event I’ve ever been to: (Conor) McGregor-(Chad) Mendes. Vegas in July 2015. Obviously McGregor, but he wasn’t yet a champion and still kind of on the rise. It was the energy and atmosphere. It was just wild.

The whole event too. (Robbie) Lawler-(Rory) MacDonald, which had the fight of the year. Every fight on the main card I think was a finish, so I got very lucky at my first event.

I’ve done (Michael) Bisping-(Anderson) Silva in the UK. That was a great contest as well.

There are a lot of great fighters from Australia and New Zealand like Israel Adesanya, Alexander Volkanovski and Robert Whittaker. Have you had a chance to meet any of them?

I haven’t met them. A couple of them I’ve had interactions with on social media. But I love Whittaker, obviously Volkanovski is killing it. I’m fairly patriotic to the Aussie fighters. If they are fighting, 99 percent of the time I’ll be supporting them. But one of my good buddies is roommates with Luke Rockhold, so I got to know Luke the last couple of years. I was trying to do some training over Christmas with him but it didn’t end up working out.

I know you’re a big shoey guy. What do you think of Tai Tuivasa doing it after wins?

I’ve had a bit of contact with Tuivasa as well. It’s obviously great. But one thing I can’t get behind is spitting. That’s a little extra.

Plus he’ll grab some random fan’s shoe.

He definitely takes it to the next level. It’s cool that — as disgusting as it is — we have some traditions like this.

Shifting a bit to F1, have you ever gotten into any big fights on the track? What was the worst fight you’ve gotten in?

Earlier in go-karting there was a bit more. Unfortunately in F1, I guess because you’re on the world’s stage, even if you push someone you probably are going to get a fine or get penalized. At times it’s a little too clean. But I’m still waiting for the day that someone confronts me and I just lay them out (laughs).

You also just seem a lot more laid back than a lot of other drivers, so you’d probably not be my first choice of someone getting into a fight soon.

I’m all talk, it would be nice obviously to not have to fight anyone. But no one would expect it from me. Even when I tell people I’m a fight fan, people are like “oh really? You’re into that? You seem too nice to like that.”

But to get where I have in the sport, you need a bit of a killer streak in you. I do have it, but don’t always show it.

What other driver would make the best fighter?

I know some guys have done — for fitness — hit some pads. Randomly, he doesn’t have a seat this year, but Daniil Kvyat started doing quite a lot of boxing last year for his training. I saw a few clips and it started to look like he knew what he was doing. I would say he would be the guy who has the most idea. I’d put him and myself up there. The rest I don’t think stand a chance.

So if you had a charity event, you don’t have anyone in particular you’d want to go against?

To be honest, I actually asked Lewis Hamilton. At the beginning of 2016, he posted a video on his Instagram hitting pads. I was as well at the time, so I was like “hey, let’s do a charity fight.” I asked him in person. But he didn’t bite on that one so I was a little sad.

I might re-ask the question.

What about Max Verstappen? For people who watched the first season of the F1 show “Drive to Survive” on Netflix, I’m sure they would love to see you guys throw down at some point.

That would have been cool as well (laughs). Max would be a good competitor in the ring. The way he drives, he’s quite stubborn. He’d be a hard guy to put away. He’s probably the guy that you’d choke him and he’s going to sleep and not tapping. That would make an interesting one.

In contrast, is there an MMA fighter you’d like to race on the track?

An obvious one would be Conor McGregor. To hear in his Irish accent all kinds of things, that would make pretty good television. And he loves his cars. It’s obvious, but that would probably be the best.

How often would you say you watch fights now? Not just PPVs, right?

Unless I have something like work or another commitment, I’m watching it every week. Mondays I’m getting ready for every podcast. I sound like a real nerd but it’s just an addiction. I love it. Anyone doing that for Formula 1, I’d be like “you’re such a nerd,” but here I am doing it with MMA.

Is it hard to follow everything during the race season?

If I can’t see it live, then 100 percent I’m going to watch the replay or buy it later. But it’s also a good escape. If I’m traveling and I’m in between races, to get my mind away from my competition, I like to watch it. I also try to pick up things as well. Whether it’s from a mental point of view … I’ll look at the walkouts and how they are behaving. I try to figure out if they are really as calm and collected as they are portraying or if it’s a bit of a facade. I’m trying to work out what I can use in my events.

Do you have a walkout song prepared if you were to fight?

I’ve thought about it. The short answer is no. You typically have to have something heavy and fast, but I fell in love with Chris Weidman’s “Won’t Back Down.” It’s not typically a song that will pump you up but it’s so iconic and now it’s his, it’s very fitting.

I’d go for something more lyrically powerful as opposed to instrumental. I loved Max Holloway’s, I think it’s called Mount Everest (by Labrinth). (X)

#hopefully this is the right one anon #daniel ricciardo #dan #interviews

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jimmys-zeppelin · 4 years ago

Text

ghostin'

chapter thirteen

(table of contents)

(chapter twelve)

june 14, 1976

"Okay, Ellie, now the chorus from the top." The producer from outside the booth said over the intercom. Ellie gave a silent nod before focusing and waiting for the backing instrumentals to start playing in her headphones.

As the lyrics fell from her lips, Ellie felt all sorts of emotions start to wash over her. During a longer break between lines, the blonde backed away from the mic and took a deep, shuddering breath. The playback stopped immediately.

"El? Everything okay?" Carolyn asked over the intercom. The look of concern in her eyes getting deeper with each passing second.

She was quick to shoot back an answer, "yes! I'm okay, I..." Ellie trailed off.

"We have to finish this song for the label. They want it by Friday and they already gave you a week's extension." She paused, "The only part left is your vocals."

"I know, I know." Ellie replied, "It's hard to get the words out."

"Do you wanna talk about it later?" Carolyn asked.

"No, it's okay, Care. Thanks."

With another deep breath, Ellie signaled to the technician that she was ready with a thumbs up to start the backing track. Focusing on the lyrics in front of her, she did her best at getting the words out the best she could.

The reason she was distracted was simple. Jimmy had called the previous night. It'd been nearly a week since the two had spoken and the guitarist didn't have much to say other than the fact that he "missed her endlessly". The tone of his voice, however, suggested his mind was elsewhere and that he'd certainly combined substances that were not made to be combined.

Ellie chose not to mention it so as not to rock the boat, but it depressed her more than anything. The conversation was short-lived and included his itinerary for the day; which didn't include much besides going over some shots they were still getting in order for the movie that was coming out later that year. Jimmy droned about how the cameraman made his ass look too big on screen. Ellie tried telling him it wasn't really a bad thing in an attempt to be flirty. It didn't work. She made an excuse to go few minutes later so that she didn't have to sit through another minute of his monotonous day.

She felt maybe they'd fallen out of sync after being apart for nearly three months, but Ellie remembered the other times they'd been away for more than a few months and nothing big or drastic had happened. She was always excited to hear from him and he was the same. Sometimes they'd even get a little too raunchy over the phone and every now and then he'd call her from his hotel room to relieve some tension. It happened more often than one might think. Ellie could only hope no one living near her would be tapping into the phone line during those late nights.

In any event, this separation period was not the usual "good time" she'd grown accustomed to.

Ellie tried shoving it as far away from her mind as she could while she sang yet another song that was about her dark-haired English lover. She'd amassed quite a few since recording Sign of the Times—the song she started writing over at Jimmy's house back in March. She hoped no one would catch on as the album came together, but Carolyn had certainly caught her bluff.

"You can't just write songs like that about anyone." she said once they were in kitchen for a coffee break.

"Well, some of them are just love songs." Ellie tried to concede.

"If you have any 'just love songs' I'd love to hear them," Carolyn said, pouring Ellie a cup of coffee before handing it to her, "I know it's not my business, but it seems like something more is going on between you and Jimmy."

The blonde shrugged off her manager, "It's just the separation. We're in a bit of a rut. It happens. I've just been reflecting more lately."

"Right, because 'will we ever learn, we've been here before, it's just what we know' is the sound of someone in a perfect relationship." The woman shot back.

"Care..." Ellie trailed off, "I can handle it. I just want to get this album done."

She raised her hands in defeat, "like I said. Not my business."

☆

Ellie was sitting at Carolyn's office, reading a book by herself in a separate room. The words on the page helped to distract her and take her to an entirely different world. The blonde was taken from her world of words when someone came bustling into the room. It was Carolyn herself.

"Songbird's charting! From the looks of it, it's gonna get bigger within the next few weeks."

Ellie dropped the book beside her on the couch and stood up so fast she nearly jumped. A scream of excitement left her and she ran to the doorway to engulf her manager in a hug.

"This is amazing!" she exclaimed, running a hand through her hair, a sudden realization washing over her, "I'll be right back."

Ellie burst into Carolyn's office popping open a bottle of champagne excitedly, "celebratory champagne!"

Carolyn arranged for two glasses to be brought to her office and the two cheers'd before taking a long sip of the bubbly beverage.

After a prolonged pause, Carolyn turned to Ellie, "so you ever gonna tell me what that song's about?"

The blonde chuckled, "Not at the moment." she said, leaving it at that. Her manager shrugged, taking the non-answer for the time being. She'd definitely had her suspicions, however, and Ellie knew that the troubled waters between she and Jimmy were becoming more and more obvious to others.

masterlist | playlist

Taglist: @diaryofafan17 @tophats-n-lespauls @witchesdust @jonesyjonesyjonesy @paginate54 @hejustsatisfiess @salixfragilis @princesspagey @reincarnated70sbaby @rebel-without-a-zeppelin @kyunisixx if you want to be added to the list lmk!

#jimmy page #led zeppelin #fanfic #fanfiction #ghostin'

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skzafterdusk · 5 years ago

Text

bang chan + “Pour Up”

This was requested from the Dean Title Track Prompt List I posted where you can pick an SKZ member and a song for a drabble fic

Word Count: 2k

tag: makeup sex, dirty talk

Summary: Your pride is too big to find Chan after you break up with him. Luckily, in the midst of a party you’re hosting, Chan shows up on your doorstep, drenched from the torrent of rain just outside.

Your bedroom is drowning in pink luminescence, complementary to the blue hues coming from your bathroom. From your view on the bed, you can just make out the way Chan’s pale skin seems to absorb that blue light, the muscles on his back seeming more pronounced.

The world doesn’t exist outside your closed door, even with the muffled sounds of Korean hiphop and R&B, the soulfull and sensual sounds of Dean and others like him, permeating the thick walls. But the loudest sound, right now, is the wet slip of Chan’s hand as he grips the faucet, and the crashing sounds of water abruptly halt.

You aren’t sure what emotion your face conveys, nor do you care. Chan will say his piece once he finally emerges from the bathroom.

“Um,” he starts off. “You should get back to your party.”

He’s quick to head for the dresser drawer that undoubtedly still holds the few clothes he had waiting here for whenever he spent the night.

You shrug, sitting up and leaning back on your open palms. “You’re the one that showed up here.”

It’s easy to confess when the eyes that both scare you and excite you aren’t boring into your own. That’s why he’s so easy to say what was clearly on his mind as he continues to rummage through a drawer of shirts.

“I wanted to see you.”

“Did you miss me?” You keep your tone even, not wanting to tease him so quickly.

“Of course.”

It makes sense. There shouldn’t be a reason why he wouldn’t miss you since you were the one to break up with him.

So, then, why do you still feel obligated to be truthful with him?

“I missed you, too, Channie.” As an automatic action, your hand pats at the space beside you. “Just, let’s talk. Come sit.”

Chan was always so easy to boss around. What makes it worse is that you knew that wasn’t because he was a pushover. No, you knew he only obeyed because it was you that asked the world of him.

Even now, it’s a terrifying thought.

But some things were always just too easy to fall into, too hard to push away. Like now, as he sits next to you on your bed, your mind goes back to the countless times that you’ve been in this position. Sometimes you just spoke with each other, his phone between the two of you as you took turns picking which song would play from your stereo across the room. Other times, though, sitting in this manner only gave you access to swing your legs over until you straddled his lap, watching the way his eyes would sparkle as they looked up at you.

You were never good about letting him know how beautiful you thought he was in those moments. But you thought he already knew.

“It’s only been a couple weeks. If I’d stayed away, you wouldn’t miss me for much longer. Right now, you’re just going through withdrawal.”

It’s not supposed to hurt you as much as it does, his words. Your stomach isn’t supposed to clench for fear of the way your heart drops from your ribcage.

“You’re comparing us to drugs?”

“People can become addicted to a lot of things, (Y/N).” His eyes are glued to his hands in his lap. He isn’t normally someone that is shy. Even if he rather not be in a situation, he can handle himself with his back straight and his shoulders scared.

It’s unsure if you fell for him with his mask on, or when he got so comfortable around you that he felt like he could hide from the world in this manner. Again, it’s terrifying, either way.

Your pride, however, is far too overpowering to ever give you a moment of reprieve, which is why you had to hide your sigh of relief when Chan stood outside your front door, drenched from the late summer downpour going on just behind him.

“So I’m addicted to you, now. Is that what you’re saying?” There’s a grin on your face, and soon Chan chuckles back, shaking his head. “Did you come here to tempt me, then?”

He finally looks up, the left side of his face showing the pink that comes from your lights lining the corners of your room, while the right shows the blue that still shines bright from the bathroom. You’ve seen so many combinations of colours illuminate his face, but even the shadows of the city lights show his beautiful side, cause that’s all he has: beauty.

“Depends.” He sighs, looking closely to every part of your face, eyes lingering tantilizing on your lips. “Was I the only one craving a hit?”

And with bated breaths you had no idea you were hold, you exhale deeply, throwing yourself onto his body, wrapping your arms tightly around his neck and straddling his hips, thighs tight around him.

Now was your chance to right a wrong only you created. Chan was giving you the opportunity to press “Undo”, to apologize for hurting him with no real reason other than you were afraid of any hypothetical pain that could come in the future.

Too many emotions run through you to the point that all you can do is breathe deeply, a slight tremor that Chan must feel when he encompasses you in his arms as well.

Although he was the one to come to your house first, you’re the one to break in every other sense, pressing your lips to his shoulder, not softly but with intent. Your lips crave the feel of his skin under them, so they go on their own journey, trailing up his neck, feeling the scratch of whatever short hairs grow from his jaw.

“I’m…” you try to speak, but the words get stuck in some unexplainable lump in your throat. “I’m…, Channie, I’m-”

“I know. I forgive you.” One of his hands free from their grip on your waist to grab at your jaw, pulling your face until your eyes are level with his.

“No matter where I was, I kept hearing your voice,” he explains. “It seems like you were calling for me, yeah?”

You nod as best as you can, his hand strong where it holds you. In the next second, he crushes your mouths together, a surprised moan getting stuck between you. You’ve definitely missed this, feeling the way you both like to fight for power in such a simple manner. He normally secedes, allowing you to move him in any way you see fit to get both of you off. But there’s something teasing about the way he starts to inch back, you chasing after his mouth, his tongue, almost confused as to why he would want to pull away at this moment.

“What about your party, baby?” There’s a smug grin on his face. And you retaliate accordingly.

“What, afraid I’ll be too loud? You’ve got hands for a reason.” Your arms are behind your back, pulling at the zipper of your dress harshly.

A face you’re used to seeing, the wonderment in his eyes. It’s such a look that has always made you feel powerful. “Such a bad hostess, (Y/N),” he chastises.

You get the dress off of you, pulling it over your head. “On the contrary, a hostess is supposed to make her guests feel comfortable. Are you not my guest?”

With the fabric gone, you can feel just how hot his skin burns under yours. Can feel his heartbeat against your own chest, and the roughness of his calloused hands make goosebumps rise on your back where they slide up, coming to touch you everywhere.

The world begins and ends in your bedroom, just four walls.

But your heartbeat still thrums to the bass of the song just outside. Chan turns you both around, resting you on the mattress underneath you so he can unbuckle his jeans. To save time, you take off your own panties, sitting up to rid yourself of your bra. He meets your lips there, ready to grab at your hands once they’re done.

You like when he constrains you in this manner, makes you almost believe like he’s in charge of the situation ever. The truth is that he derives pleasure from your moans, the way you fight in his grasp because you want to touch him just as much.

When your naked bodies slide together, another moan escapes your lips. You always thought you craved just the right amount of physical affection for any normal person. But all thoughts like those go away when his cock slides between the lips of your pussy, and you crave him to be closer, to rub against him until the pleasure all comes to a point.

“You know how many times I fucked myself thinking about you?” your words come out in a harsh whisper. At his answering grunt, you squeeze your legs around his waist to keep him close.

“I’d be so wet, Channie. Near tears cause it never felt as good as you. I can never get as rough as you are.” Even if the words are needy, whiney, you have to bite back your smile. It’s fun watching his control falter and break away like a dandelion in the wind.

He glares, but it doesn’t reach. Your mouth falls open as his free hands slithers between your bodies, his fingers going to rub at your bundle of nerves.

“Knew you were addicted,” he gruffs. “Couldn’t even last a couple weeks.”

You scoff, rolling your hips into the pressure of his fingers. “Yet you were the one walking through the rain. Admit it, you love fucking me. Love how wet I get for you, and how easy it is.”

“You know I have no problem admitting it.”

You lift yourself as best you can, his other hand still holding your wrists above your head on the pillow. “So fuck me then. Don’t torture yourself with waiting.”

And sure, big words for a girl whose eyes are going glassy with the way Chan rubs the head of his dick against you before finally thrusting in. Maybe he wasn’t too off by comparing you two to drugs, because the way he fills you up feels like going on a high.

No, no, it’s the way he leans forward, keeps your bodies close so you can hear each other’s panting, can feel the way your body temperatures spike and thrum with electricity.

At some point, his hand goes slack on your wrists, and you’re quick to wrap them around his neck, carding your fingers into his tresses, moving his face from your neck so you can kiss him. Open mouths licking into each other, biting and pulling at his lower lip when you can.

“You know how good you feel?” The question seems rhetorical, as his pace gets frenzied.

And the hurricane of emotions comes back in that moment, pleasure dragging feelings normally meant for any time that isn’t now.

Your words start off too silent and slurred for him to even understand what you’re saying, but he pulls his head away far enough, watching your face. That’s when he can hear it. A slew of, “I’m sorry”s and “I missed you”.

His hips are still moving, but your eyes are viscerally trained to his. And there’s that sparkle in his eyes, the pink and blues shining behind him like mystics.

“You’re beautiful,” you state, a hand coming to hold his cheek so carefully.

He only responds by coming down to kiss you again, this time more tender, more slow so you can feel him in every way. It makes your orgasm hit you like a truck, seemingly a steady thrum just to barrel forward. His name is on your lips as you cum, and he’s quick to follow, loving how it feels to actually hear you call for him rather than his imagination.

After he rolls to your side, you still chase his touch, and there’s no shame to be had in needing it. Though the world begins and ends in these four walls, there’s some peace in knowing there is a world outside your door, waiting for you to emerge with Chan by your side, ready to drink in the atmosphere that vibrates on the other side.

Val’s Note:

Will I regret not reading through these before posting them? Probably. Also, anyone that doesn’t like the dom air I normally give readers can absolutely come for me. I’m ready to fight. Chan can and would be a soft dom or even a sub and you cannot change my mind.

...Anyways I hope you enjoyed this installment of the series! If you’d like to make a request for the Dean Title Track fic, you can do so, here!

#skz smut #stray kids smut #bang chan smut #stray kids x reader #stray kids imagines #stray kids headcanons #stray kids reactions #bang chan #bang chan x reader #stray kids angst #skz angst #dean title track series

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passivenovember · 4 years ago

Text

Reach Out and Touch Faith.

Harringrove April, Day Sixteen : Nostalgia.

Steve knows he’s got a stick up his ass about the whole thing.

Feels it wiggle around, amused, when he comes home early from work to find Dawn and Billy dancing around in their PJs to the opening chords of Personal Jesus.

They don’t see him.

Too preoccupied with the music, Dave Gahan’s voice pushing through windows and bursting through walls until Billy’s hips are moving in a way Steve hasn’t seen them do in years.

And Steve isn’t a betting man, but.

He knows that if Billy turned and zeroed in, hips moving like that with Dawn headbanging to dark wave like some sort of hybrid, the perfect combination of the two of them, Steve would be unable to rain on their parade.

His first reaction is to unplug the stereo.

And it’s a crime. To cut the Gretsch short like that, right in the middle of such an iconic riff.

Billy turns, out of breath from doing the limbo under Dawn’s black feather boa. “Oh, here we go.” He says fondly.

Steve ignores him, strictly business. “What the hell are you doing to my living room?”

Dawn’s still going. Arms win milling as she hop-scotches her way across the room toward Steve, forehead slick with sweat.

“I like that song!” She hollers. Right in his ear when she climbs into Steve’s arms like a twelve year old monkey. He sets her down immediately, trying to play it cool.

Dawn and Billy start jumping up and down together, obviously high on adrenaline and Steve feels like shit. For having to be the bad guy all the time.

He sits gingerly on the couch. Tries to tack on his best let’s have a serious discussion face, even as Dawn and Billy continue humming the chorus together.

Billy breaks away, pumping his arm. “How sick is that synth track, kiddo?”

“So sick.” Dawn says. She collapses onto the floor, exhausted. “I think I like that better than the one on Dangerous.”

Steve gapes. “That’s hardly appropriate.”

Billy scowls, indignant. “You’re the one who let Aunt Robin sneak in the first album we ever fu--”

"Bill.”

He shuts up, sighing. “Babe. You’re gonna be cool about this, right?”

“I’m cool!” Steve insists, leaning back on the couch. “I’m the coolest, ask anyone.”

Billy grins, cheeks flushing pink. “Really? ‘Cause you’re acting pretty uncool.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yup,” Billy teases. “Coming in and unplugging the stereo like that. Right in the middle of the riff, too.” Billy whistles low, shaking his head. “Gotta be one of the seven sins.”

“What, cutting a Depeche Mode song in half?” Steve deadpans. “I just would’ve preferred she start out with. Like. Speak and Spell. or something.”

Dawn beams. “What’s that? Can we listen to that one next?”

Billy ignores her, honed in. “Dawn’s twelve now, that’s like. Practically a teenager.”

“Yeah, Dad.” She says smugly. “I’m practically a teenager.”

“Exactly.” Billy triumphs, pasting himself to Steve’s side. “And as a practically-almost-teenager, it’s about time she hears some good music.”

“Hey, you said good music is whatever makes me feel something,” Dawn accuses, sitting bolt upright. “Good music makes your skin all tingly and your tummy do backflips and your heart--”

“I said real music makes you feel something. I never specified what makes it good.” Billy says smugly. “Everything you’ve heard before today is real music but it’s not good music.”

Steve lets Billy fuse their bodies together, wincing as his arm touches miles of sticky skin.

Dawn shrugs her shoulders.

Unbothered.

Unapologetic.

“What you said before, kiddo, about your heart and your tummy. Does this record make you feel like that?” Steve wonders, and Dawn’s nodding her head before he’s even finished.

He sighs. “Go get my cassette case, then. We’ve got some work to do.”

With her Walkman turned up as high as it will go, muttering along to the words as if in prayer, Dawn grows up before their eyes.

Two new copies of Violator are purchased before the year is out. Once because it’s played so much the wheels fall off, and again because Joey steals the new one.

Billy gets a phone call from Max the day after it goes missing. “The World Wide Web is an evil, disgusting place.”

Billy snorts. “Pretty sure kids are calling it the Net these days, grandma. Keep up.”

“I don’t want to keep up.” She snaps. “Four years. A whole kindergarten age child ago I force Joey to sit down and listen to my cassettes--”

“Your cassettes?” Billy mumbles, alarmed. “No wonder the kid’s purging himself on Steve’s shit.”

“Oh fuck off. That’s where he heard them?”

Billy plays dumb.

Max catches on instantly. “He’s been locked in his room, listening to Policy of Truth all day. I just don’t understand what’s so appealing about a bunch of sad boys--”

“Be nice.”

“Do you really think the kids are old enough to listen to that shit, man?” Max sounds like she’s coming apart at the edges. Scattered to the wind. “I mean. He left his room twice. Once to make a sandwich and again to borrow one of my skirts.”

Billy grins. “Ah. So he got his hands on some pictures of Martin Gore, that was fast--”

“He tore the thing to shreds, Billy.”

And Billy doesn’t get what the problem is, many of Joyce’s tattered Sunday skirts hanging in his closet even now.

He shrugs. “’S more punk that way.”

“God. Name the kid after his freaky uncle and the kid will deliver.” Max retorts miserably. She takes a deep breath. “What the fuck am I gonna do?”

“Dunno. Remove the stick from your ass?”

“Ha-ha.” Max spits, but. It sounds like she’s smiling. “Speaking of sticks up asses. Did Steve have a cow?”

Billy shrugs again, wrapping the phone chord around his wrist. “Whole barn, more like. But I think I convinced him.”

“Of what? That the perversion of our youth is okay?”

“No, that the kids are getting older.” Billy says. He doesn’t get it, why he’s the only one in touch with reality. “Joey’s Fifteen, Dawn’ll be thirteen in a couple months. They’re not little kids anymore, Max, they’re teenagers.”

She sighs. “So we’re supposed to let them listen to whatever they want.”

“Within reason. Susan and Neil would’ve bought the barn at full price if we hadn’t snuck around.”

Max makes a noise. “I never listened to--”

“N.W.A?”

“Fuck you, they have an incredible social commentary on the issues faced by disenfranchised people in the--”

“Check mate.”

Max falls silent. And then, glumly, “I hate you for always being right.”

Billy leans against the wall, chuckling. “I’m your big brother. Comes with the territory.”

When they get Dawn’s birthday list, only one thing is circled in red.

Joey and I want to see Depeche Mode live.

Steve wonders if he can make that happen.

#harringrove #harringrove april #depeche mode #so yeah #idk what this is #I've just been thinking about how my parents had some pretty cool shit in their crates upstairs that I never appreciated until I was around #Dawn's age #and now that music follows me around #There's something so personal #and ritualistic #about sharing music with kids #and maybe we'll see them go to the concert before this thing is over???#who knows #please lmk if you'd like to see that!

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gumnut-logic · 4 years ago

Photo

All of us love a mischievous squid.

-o-o-o-

Everyone knew Virgil was the musical soul in the family. He played, wrote and occasionally bled music. It was a constant in their home and the few times it was missing due to illness or absence, it was painful.

The man could sing if he wanted to, but that was a rare thing. He could dance with the grace of any ballroom dancer, his rhythm and style even outshining his eldest brother, Mr Lady-swooner himself.

Music was part of Virgil’s soul.

So, what happened late one Wednesday night after one too many rescues and ten too many drinks was quite surprising to them all.

The Tracy brothers weren’t big drinkers. They couldn’t afford to be due to their occupation. Both Scott and Virgil had been known to down a late night sniff of whisky on occasion. John had his boutique beers, but honestly, he wasn’t home very often to drink them, and space and alcohol was never a good combination.

Gordon fancied an odd cocktail from time to time and had the liquor stash to back it up, but most of the bottles were dusty and a couple well past their expiry dates. They just didn’t have the time or the opportunity to really let rip.

But it was Wednesday. The last rescue of five had been an avalanche and they always sucked. The boys had congregated in the living room…and it was a living room, not a damned comms room because International Rescue was down for a good forty-eight hours, Grandma’s orders.

They were all exhausted, but none wanted to sleep. They wouldn’t admit it, but there was fear in what they might find behind closed eyelids after such a shitty day, so they just sat together.

At first it was quiet. One or two words, fragmented debrief, until Virgil put an end to it and demanded John come home. Now!

Fifteen minutes later, the middle brother, just as exhausted as the rest, slunk into the living room and made a seat his own.

But there was little talking, each caught up in their own thoughts.

“Screw this.” Gordon jumped to his feet. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.” And he disappeared around the corner.

Scott didn’t pay much attention, his eyes on John, assessing his condition and fast coming to the conclusion that his brother hadn’t slept in at least the last twenty-four hours judging by the bags under his eyes.

“John, have you eaten.”

Turquoise darted in his direction. “Have you?”

A blink and Scott realised he hadn’t. He had been too occupied keeping track of tired brothers. “No.” Honestly, he wasn’t hungry.

“Then you understand.”

A glare in his brother’s direction. John just turned away.

Scott’s lips thinned, but then his attention was taken by Alan, who was slowly tipping sideways on his couch, eyelids drooping. “Alan, you should go to bed.”

“Don’t wanna. Wanna stay with you guys.” His head landed on the couch cushion and two seconds later he was snoring.

Scott sighed.

“I have cake. I have popcorn. I have drinks.” Hurricane Gordon slammed into the sunken lounge and a pile of popcorn, chips, a rather large cake and a bucket of candy landed with him. The whole mess was dumped on the table and the aquanaut disappeared again.

Scott just stared at the pile of food.

“Well, that’s the healthy option.” Virgil’s voice was pure sarcasm.

“Do you really care?” Honestly, Virg.

“Not really, but the principle is there.”

Scott rolled his eyes. Just in time for Gordon to reappear with half his alcohol stash, several of John’s beers and whisky. Glorious, golden whisky.

Now that was a very good idea.

What happened after the appearance of the alcohol involved a movie Scott didn’t pay much attention to, far too much carbohydrate…c’mon, caramel popcorn, yes…and a lot of alcohol.

After all, they were down for forty-eight hours guaranteed and how often did that happen? This was an opportunity for them to focus on themselves and despite their exhaustion, there was finally a little relaxation in front of…the Enterprise?

“Who gave John the remote?!”

“I did.” The feminine AI’s voice danced through the room in amusement.

“Eos! That’s cheating!”

She giggled. “I thought Gordon was cheating when he stuck it in his drink.”

Scott turned to his aquanaut brother who was dressing the sleeping Alan’s hair with popcorn. “Gordon!”

“What?!” The cocktail in his hand had an umbrella and a remote control garnishing it.

“You drowned the remote.”

“Huh?” He looked at his drink. “Oh.” And he pulled it out of the concoction and started licking it clean.

“Augh.”

A blur of red plaid and Virgil snatched the gadget from Gordon’s fingers and flicked it into the nearest pot plant.

Gordon appeared forlorn for its absence for a whole second before turning to his drink and sculling it all in one go.

“Gordon!” This time it was Virgil yelling his name.

The aquanaut had blue curacao for lipstick. “What?!” It was a direct echo of his same exasperated response moments earlier.

“Take it easy.”

“I don’t want to take it easy. I’m having fun.” With that he grabbed a bottle and dumped something red into the same glass with the blue, resulting in a rather unpleasant purple.

Scott groaned.

Which only earned him an assessing stare from Virgil.

A sigh. “Relax, Virgil. We’re home, we’re safe. Let your hair down a little.”

He was going to regret those words later.

The stare turned into a glare, but moments later, Gordon was ribbing Virgil about drinking and somehow he got under the engineer’s skin because there was a drinking contest.

Unfortunately for Gordon, swimmer’s physique or not, apparently Virgil was more brawn and could simply just absorb the stuff.

Gordon ended up snoozing in a sea of popcorn beside Alan.

John started giggling.

Scott raised an eyebrow at the small pyramid of empty beer bottles beside his space brother.

“How many have you had?”

“It’s a tetrahedron. Work it out.” John placed a single bottle at the top of the pyramid and smirked at Scott.

This was definitely a very bad idea.

His own whisky glass was only half empty. He needed to fix that.

It was warm going down.

Gordon started snoring, loudly.

“Okay, that’s it. Time for bed.”

“Don’t wanna go to bed.” Virgil put on the soppiest puppy dog face Scott had ever seen.

John cracked up laughing.

Oh god. “No, bed, now.”

“Okay.” And Virgil stood up.

And took a quick step to the left, then the right, before managing to stabilise himself somewhat upright, but listing slightly to one side.

It was that moment that the movie playing on the holoprojector burst into music.

Music? What the hell were they watching. He stared up into a haze of rebooted retro nineteen fifties and a song about a car and lightning.

“Ooh, I like this one.”

What?

And Virgil was suddenly dancing. Well, it could be considered dancing in some circles, but it mostly consisted of a lot of poorly coordinated butt wiggling and a lot of horizon pointing arms.

The jumping on the couch was really not called for.

“Virg?”

But his brother was lost to the music and dancing his heart and his coordination all out.

“C’mon, Scott, get up and boogie!”

Of course, Virgil was loud enough to wake Gordon, who took one look at Virgil and fell off the couch.

There was far too much butt wiggling happening.

“Virg, come down from there.”

He was completely ignored.

Scott needed more alcohol.

The bottle of golden oblivion smiled at him.

Screw it.

He wasn’t quite sure what happened next, but the result was a broken lamp and Gordon on the floor laughing hard enough to break a rib.

“Eos, play Jailhouse Rock.” John managed that between giggles. Scott idly noticed that the tetrahedron had become modern art and was attempting to defy the laws of physics.

It failed with a smash and rolling of bottles two minutes later.

And Virgil was still dancing.

Classic Elvis Presley at full volume, enough to wake up every lifeform in the caldera.

The butt wiggling had morphed into hip waggling and some kind of leg shaking that threatened to faceplant his brother on the floor.

“Virg, please get off the couch.”

“I am having fun, Scott.” Each word was enunciated clearly as if the man was having trouble putting the syllables together. “Letting my hair down.” A grin and Virgil shoved his fingers into his hair and completely messed it up until it was sticking out in all directions. Suddenly a hand was almost in Scott’s face. “Join me?”

There was something in his brother’s deep brown eyes, something beyond the alcoholic haze, something desperate, something…sad.

Scott never could refuse a brother his help. So, a moment later, he found himself standing on the couch as Virgil shifted his dance moves into something that involved some shoulder rolling and a goofy grin.

Scott found himself grinning in return.

John said something half drowned out by the music and the room was suddenly filled with an old dance favourite from his teens.

Virgil actually let off a laugh and moved into a sloppy dance routine from their childhood.

Scott couldn’t help himself and at some point, he just let go.

-o-o-o-

Alan woke from one of the weirdest dreams of his life. It involved music and Thunderbird Three dancing to a beat, her arms waving about.

It took him a moment to work out exactly why.

The dream was saner than reality. Scott and Virgil were standing on one of the couches…dancing.

Alan blinked the sleep out of his eyes. Was that the Macarena? It was hard to tell. Virgil was so uncoordinated, he could have been servicing Two in his sleep for all Alan could discern. Scott was smoother, but he was leaning at a teetering angle.

Frantic eyes located his two other brothers.

John was sitting on the floor beside a pile of empty beer bottles. He had a dob of cake frosting on one eyebrow.

That left Gordon.

The strawberry blond was sitting on the floor in front of Alan’s couch.

“Gords? What’s going on?”

Gordon turned around and a soft smile curved his lips. “Big bros are letting their hair down.” The music suddenly paused and Gordon sat up straighter. “Eos, Dance Party 2054.”

More music erupted from the overhead speakers and vibrated the glass walls.

Alan found himself bopping to the beat.

Virgil climbed up off the couch and onto the hardwood floor, apparently so he could really let loose. His plaid shirt was undone and swirling around him as he moved.

Scott tripped over the top of the couch and almost faceplanted on that same hardwood, but he saved himself the bruises with those half-sharp reflexes of his. A moment later he was up boogying with his brother.

It was an odd sight.

“Are they okay?”

Gordon’s voice was quiet. “No, but they will be.”

“What about John?”

Gordon shrugged as they both eyed the slouched astronaut. “Not sure he has it in him, fresh down from Five. He’s safer on the floor.”

“What about you?”

Gordon snorted. “I’m good.” He chucked down the remains of his drink before turning to face his little brother. “Wanna dance?”

Alan’s eyes widened. “How are you?” His eyes bounced to the empty bottles on the table, the stained glasses and limp umbrellas.

“What? Do you really think I can’t outlast Virg? The man is a drinking wimp. Only took two good ones to get him dancing with the fairies. Letting him win was the hard part.”

“Win what?”

A snort. “Virg thinks he can drink me under the table. He’s small fry.” The aquanaut stumbled to his feet and Alan eyed him. Gordon had definitely had a few. “You aren’t allowed to kill brain cells. However, you can have fun, dear little brother.” He held out his hand. “May I have this dance?”

He blamed sleep fog for the automatic yes that found him up and out of the sunken lounge, careening around the room laughing his ass off.

-o-o-o-

“John, what is happening?”

The astronaut blinked dopily. Maybe he had had one too many, but with each one, the voices faded just that little bit more. Calls for help he was desperate to answer.

And the silences that followed.

“They’re dancing, Eos.” It was obvious really.

“I’ve never seen them act like this before.”

“Doesn’t happen very often.” If ever. What was Scott trying to do with their father’s chair? “Eos, could you please close the doors to the balcony.” Gravity did suck after all.

He took another swig of Swedish beer as the giant glass doors slid smoothly closed.

“Can you access the room lighting?”

“One moment. I have control, John.”

“Good. Reference the 1970s disco movement and see if you can replicate any of the lighting involved.”

“FAB.”

A few moments later and the room’s lighting went nuts. The holoprojector flickered and shone dancing rainbows on the rafters. The atmosphere changed radically as the whole room pulsed and flickered in beat with the music.

Virgil froze for a whole five seconds in the middle of the room, staring up at the glass ceiling before bursting into a massive grin and throwing himself into a full on fit of dancing to the song that was screaming out of the speakers.

Scott was pirouetting with his father’s chair in great rotating circles.

Gordon was attempting some kind of retro-breakdancing. Though at this point, the only thing that was going to be broken was pot plants.

Alan had a grin on his face and was the most coordinated of them all, jiggling along to the beat with a grin on his face.

Another figure appeared in the entrance to the room. It took John’s entire remaining intellect to realise that it was Grandma.

Something stirred in the back of John’s head, something about getting in trouble, but he had no coordination to connect the dots so gave up. Besides, the Grandma figure was only standing in the doorway watching.

“What is the purpose of all this activity?” Eos’ voice was ever curious.

“It’s fun, Eos. An attempt at stress relief.” To wash the pain away.

-o-o-o-

Virgil was vaguely aware that he was being ridiculous, but he was beyond caring. The music pulsed through him and lifted him up. He just let it all go and rode the beat.

He was too exhausted to care about anything.

Except his brothers.

He always cared about his brothers.

Scott was astride their father’s chair and was riding it across the room in a completely undignified manner. Gordon was laughing his ass off at the sight and Alan was beside him in that. Even John was grinning as the eldest coasted past.

Virgil spun and let the air stream around him.

Round and round and round.

Oh dear, too round.

He staggered to a halt, but the world kept going. He stumbled.

A hand caught him. “Take it easy, honey.”

The blur turned into his grandmother in her dressing gown.

“Grandma!” He drew her in to a massive hug. “I love you, Grandma.”

Her tiny arms hugged him back. “Virgil, you’re drunk.”

“No, no, I’m dancing. Wanna dance, Grandma?”

She was looking up at him with concern on her face.

“Smile, Grandma. You need to be happy.”

He needed to be happy.

She reached up and touched his face, her hand cupping his cheek.

He closed his eyes and leant into her palm as the beat throbbed around him.

-o-o-o-

The sight of his grandmother sobered Scott immediately. The chair beneath him drifted a few more feet before he brought it to a halt.

Grandma caught Virgil as he stumbled and they were hugging. Something about that simple gesture clenched his heart.

He clambered off the chair and staggered awkwardly. Okay, maybe he had a few too many. He forced himself upright, kicking some spine into his vertebrae and made his way over to his grandmother.

Virgil was all plaid and gentle eyes as she cupped his cheek.

“Grandma?” Scott’s voice wavered with his step.

Eyes as blue as his own turned towards him. “Scotty, you need to sit down before you fall down.”

He frowned. He had a chair a moment ago. He looked around.

A hand caught his cheek and drew his gaze back to his grandmother and those blue eyes.

A red arm wrapped around him and drew him in. “Scott, you are my big brother.” The statement was declared with so much love as he was pulled sideways into Virgil.

They almost fell in a heap. It was Grandma who steadied them.

“You boys need to go to bed.” A concerned frown and she called out to the ceiling. “Eos, kill the light show and the music.”

The silence that fell was so sudden, Scott almost fell with it.

Virgil stumbled and Scott held him upright.

An almighty crash off to their left and Gordon upended one of the large pot plants near the glass doors. Potting mix scattered across the floor. Gordon rolled over and sat up covered in the stuff. “Who turned off the music?”

Grandma straightened. “It is time for bed, young man.”

The dopey aquanaut looked up at his grandmother and squinted. “Grandma, is that you?”

She ignored him. “Alan, come here, sweety.”

Alan, who was yawning fit to break his jaw, wandered over as bidden.

“Yes, Grandma?”

She snaked an arm around his waist and drew him in. “Time for bed, Allie.”

Virgil reached out an arm to snag his littlest brother, but suddenly Gordon was in his way and he got an arm full of fish instead.

Virgil did not seem to mind. “Gordo! My wingman, my copilot, my fish in a barrel.” Red plaid squeezed tight. “Love you, bro.”

Scott blinked. That was three. Where was the other one?

A glance at the lounge found John sprawled on the floor up against one of the lounges, fast asleep.

“Oi, Johnny!”

Scott jumped at Virgil’s yell and so did John. Bleary turquoise peered in their direction.

“Get over here, little brother, group hug!”

Wha-? Scott’s head was so foggy.

But John was stumbling to his feet. Something told him this was a dangerous thing. As the astronaut wobbled over, Scott moved to help him, but found himself snagged by cast iron red plaid.

Fortunately, Alan picked up on his fellow spaceman’s difficulties and hurried over to give him a hand. A few moments of wobbly astronaut and John was standing with them.

Virgil immediately reached for him. “Johnny!”

Unfortunately, he didn’t let go of either Gordon or Scott when he did and, damn, Virgil was strong. They ended up in a huddle, Alan and Grandma awkwardly caught up with them.

“I love you guys.” Virgil’s voice was muffled up against John’s shirt. Scott had caught Grandma and Gordon had grabbed Alan. Virgil had his face mushed into John’s shoulder.

John looked like he had stuck a finger in an electrical socket and didn’t know why his hair was on fire.

“We love you, too, Virgil.” It was Gordon’s voice, muffled by Alan’s hair.

Something lodged in Scott’s throat and he found himself hugging the pieces of brother and grandmother he could reach.

Apparently, it was something they all needed, because they stayed there holding each other for a full minute.

Just long enough for Virgil to fall asleep against John’s shoulder and let off a snore. It took Gordon and Scott to catch him to prevent them all from falling in a heap.

The group hug dissolved and the focus became getting certain brothers to their bedrooms. Grandma hovered and helped where she could. Scott took Virgil, while Gordon switched to helping Alan with John.

The family went their separate ways.

Grandma followed Scott up to Virgil’s rooms. The engineer faded in and out, declaring his love for any and all brothers several times on the way up. But by the time they made it to Virgil’s room, the engineer was getting heavy.

“C’mon, Virg, not much further.” Scott was ever so glad of that as his head was still trying to swim against the current.

Letting him gently down on his bed, the man immediately curled up into a ball, fully dressed and obviously not caring. Scott undid green shoelaces, dumped boots on the floor with a clatter and yanked the covers up and over his already snoring little brother.

A hand smoothed crazed hair back into its more familiar style and Scott unfolded from the bed.

A glass of water appeared on the bedside table and he turned to find his grandmother looking at him fondly. He blinked. He had forgotten she was there.

She held out a hand and as he took it, he was drawn into a quiet hug. She was ever so little up against his bulk. “C’mon, Scotty, let’s get you to bed.”

“I’m okay, Grandma. I need to check on the others.”

She sighed, but let go a single nod.

As they left Virgil’s rooms, she didn’t leave his side.

A visit to John’s room found him in bed, but the wrong way around, his feet on the pillow, his head hanging off the end. It took some prodding and yanking, but Scott re-orientated him. A quick check of the gravity support systems in his clothing were functioning properly – the alcohol probably wasn’t helping. Grandma materialised with another glass of water which was placed on John’s bedside table.

Quietly. “Eos, are you monitoring, John’s systems?”

“Of course. He is well, Commander. Do not concern yourself. I will watch him.”

Scott’s eyes closed without permission and he had to force them open again. “Thank you, Eos.”

The AI didn’t answer.

Grandma took his arm and led him from the room.

A check on Alan found him on the floor, but that was nothing unusual. Gordon had probably dumped him there. The kid preferred the rug to his bed and Scott meant to talk to him about it, but…life.

Gordon had fallen asleep in the corridor outside his room.

Scott rolled his eyes. He wouldn’t be surprised if the brat had done that on purpose. After all the entire night’s fracas was obviously engineered by the aquanaut. A fond sigh of exasperation and he pulled his little brother into his arms and dragged him into his rooms.

Dragging fish was considerably easier than dragging two hundred pounds of engineer.

Scott threw Gordon onto his bed and covered him up. Fingers brushed hair off his face.

Scott sighed again and had to prevent himself from curling up beside his brother.

“C’mon, Scotty, your turn.”

Scott mumbled something even he didn’t fully comprehend and let his grandmother lead him out of his brother’s rooms. One of the aquariums blurped at him as he walked past.

And finally, he was in his own rooms and his own bed. Grandma handed him a glass of water. He guzzled it before burying his face in his pillow.

He opened his eyes as a hand brushed through his hair. “We love you, Scotty. Don’t you ever forget that.”

He blinked slowly and managed a smile up at his grandmother, but her fingers caressed the side of his face, forcing his eyes to close again and he drifted off.

His dreams were kind.

And full of loving family.

-o-o-o-

FIN.

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #Gordon Tracy #Virgil Tracy #Scott Tracy #John Tracy #Alan Tracy #alcohol #nuttyfic reblog

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spectacularlyignorantt · 4 years ago

Text

From the dining table

March 2017

Louis sat in the kitchen looking around, dust covering every possible surface. Princess Park, their first home, the place they bought together without telling anyone and then never sold after the breakup. Maybe because they couldn't see each other and not end up in bed, regretting it in the morning. Maybe because they both knew this time apart meant nothing. They were destined to be together, a love no one could understand, right?

The last time he saw Harry was after the presentation of his single Just Hold On on the X-Factor, but they had not been a proper couple for around a year. If you didn’t count the sex, of course. Louis didn’t. Sex didn’t mean much, not when he knew what it felt like to be in a relationship with Harry Styles for 5 years. They would have stopped seeing each other when the band started the hiatus if it wasn’t for his mom's health getting worse. Harry stood next to him all those months, giving him comfort, keeping her company when Louis was too tired to stay awake. Harry was part of his family, after all. And Louis knew Anne, Gems and Robin felt the same way about him.

The reason for their break up was a mystery for everyone, a question never answered. They belonged together, no one could say the opposite after expending time with the couple for 10 minutes. Either you were blind or disgusted by their love, in a cute way.

Louis knew, of course. It was a decision, more than anything. They felt like the only thing holding them together was the band and decided to take a break to figure out if there was more than that. So they never sold their first home because there was no chance they weren't going back together.

Lately, Louis wasn’t so sure about that. To be honest, he wasn't sure about anything. The sky was pouring like it should be, for mood purposes. The lump in his throat made breathing hard, the weight in his chest holding him down in the chair. He closed his eyes, he wasn’t going to cry. The promise he made to his mother was still clear in his mind and it was killing him. Because lately, it felt like Harry had forgotten about them. With his solo music, the movie, all that pr girlfriends Louis knew he hated. All that glamour, all those lights. Why would he be thinking about Louis? Maybe they were right, maybe it wasn’t destiny but circumstance.

Things got worse recently, after Niall went to his flat a couple of days before, wearing that big old tee and Louis told him he smelled like Harry. He wasn’t jealous, not really. It was Niall, for god’s sake. But Niall was around his baby a lot, they had a close friendship not many knew about. Something about the unusual sadness in Niall's eyes told him much more than the calls Haz never answered. Harry didn’t want him anymore. They were done.

The pressure in his head felt compressive like the one in his heart. All those shots, pints and pot weren’t a good combination. Neither was that boy with curls but the wrong shade of green when he woke up that morning in a hotel room, unable to remember much about the night before. But what else could he do? How could he go to Harry right now and tell him he was sorry for his insecurities? For ruining everything without a good reason? How could he tell him he was sorry? Liam and Oli said he needed to give it time, but everyday felt a little bit more far away from home. So he came back.

There was a notepad where they used to write the grocery list sitting on the counter, next to the fridge. He took it and the pen on the table, the dim light coming from the closed window. He didn't know what to do, how to get out of this pain, this love. How to be himself again.

So Louis did the only thing he felt like he could do right: he wrote a song. It was more of a letter, really. But it was shaped like a song, that was his strong suit after all. And Harry loved to see him write, once upon a time. Used to dance with him in that kitchen, used to make him pancakes in the morning. They used to talk and fuck and chat for hours between those walls.

To Harry:

Woke up alone in this hotel room

Played with myself, where were you?

Fell back to sleep, I got drunk by noon

I've never felt less cool

We haven't spoke since you went away

Comfortable silence is so overrated, Harry

Why won't you ever be the first one to break?

Even my phone misses your call, by the way

I saw Niall the other day

He said you feel just fine

I see you gave him my old t-shirt

More of what was once mine

I see it's written, it's all over his face

Comfortable silence is so overrated

Why won't you ever say what you want to say?

Even my phone misses your call,

And by the way

Maybe one day you'll call me and tell me that you're sorry too

But you, you never do

Woke up this boy who looked just like you

I almost said your name

We haven't spoke since you went away

Comfortable silence is so overrated

Why won't you ever say what you want to say?

Even my phone misses your call

By the way…

He stopped there, unable to continue. His hand was shaking, the tears were smushing the ink on the paper. What a fucking cliche, crying after promising himself he wasn’t going to do it. Nothing could hurt as much as losing his mum, nothing could compare. So why was he crying? Why couldn’t he just fucking stop?

Louis got up from the chair and walked away from the dining table, leaving the notepad there. He knew deep in his broken heart that the next time he came back it was going to be there. Left and forgotten, just like that house and those memories. Louis left it there next to his allowance to feel sorry for himself. He needed to grow up, get away from those parties and false people. He was going to get his shit together, write away his feelings and find his sound.

And if Harry didn’t want him in his life, then there was nothing left to do, right?

May 2017

The recording of Back to you was finally over and now they need it to work in the music video and he wanted to film it on Doncaster. It felt right to go back to his ‘home’, if he couldn't go back home, you know what I mean? It went well with the theme.

Louis was driving back from the studio to his flat when a notification popped out in this phone: Harry’s album was out and apparently, people thought a couple of songs were about him. Louis wasn't going to be surprised if they were, both wrote about each other a lot along the way. And the fans loved to link things, made up theories about the Larry situation. Something he wished he could out and say ‘yes it was true but it's over now, please stop tagging me, it hurts’. It didn’t. not as much anymore.

Or that’s what he thought until he heard track 4, Two Ghost. He knew those lyrics, Harry had written them years ago. That is what they used to call each other’s public images: ghosts. Images without a soul. What a young and dramatic pair they used to be, back in 2013.

He didn't cry with that one, maybe because of its familiarity. And he wasn’t even mad about the songs about girls, he knew Harry better than that, even after all this time.

Next was Sweet Creature, the one everyone was speculating about, and honestly Harry, ‘two hearts, one home’? The song felt different. Maybe because he thought that Harry didn’t really remember about their lost home, about being young and in love. Too young to know, most people used to say. What a fool he was for listening. Now he knew, and it was too late.

Kiwi was funny in the most depressing way for him, Woman felt like an anthem, it felt like Harry’s jealousy, his deep and most dark possessive behavior. But then, when a chord from a guitar came in he went to his phone to check the name. He wasn’t quick enough, tho. The first verse stopped him right there. It was a good thing he parked in his apartment building a couple of songs ago.

Because there, in the shape of the last song of H’s first album, it was Louis' letter. His feelings in a notepad, in the shape of an awkward song. Almost word by word, Harry’s voice filled the car with calmness and longing, a branch of olive. He was giving the first step. If those little easter eggs along the album weren’t enough, he took Louis letter from two fucking months ago and put it there. He probably had to push the label to do it, with such short notice. Harry went out of his way to let him know it wasn’t over.

Harry went back to Princess Park, just like him. He went back home.

----

His friend picked up the phone after two missed calls.

‘Oi Lou, how ya doin?’ the thick Irish accent wasn’t enough of a distraction.

‘Hey lad, I’m fine. Sorry to bother but I need to ask you something’ he could hear the urgency in his own voice.

‘Never a bother mate, whatever you need’ Niall, always the optimistic. Louis loved him.

‘Is Harry staying here? In London I mean’

‘What? What's going on?’ and then ‘Oh, the album is out, innit?’

‘Yeah…’

‘Okay, well, Harry was going to be with Nick today so yeah, he must be doing press shit’

‘Of course, makes sense, thank you mate. I will explain later ’

‘Sure, use protection’

Louis rolled his eyes but didn’t deny the implications. The car came to life once again and he started driving to Harry’s house. The one they used to spend time in when they had some time between recording and touring. He didn’t even feel annoyed by the traffic, listening to the album all over again. Letting his body welcome Harry once again.

Of course, he still had his keys, drowned deep in the glovebox. He wasn’t going to enter the actual house, but it wouldn’t have been smart to stay outside on the street, someone could recognise him.

So once he parked in front of the building and noticed Harry wasn’t home, he closed his eyes and took a breath after what felt like hours. The next time he opened them there was a hand taping on his windows, he had fallen asleep.

It was a big hand adorned with rings and some nail polish. Louis knew what it felt to hold it more than he knew his own face. He took a deep breath and opened the door. Harry was waiting outside, a small smile making just one dimple appear. It was the first time they had seen each other in months but Louis felt like no time had passed. And if Louis was going to turn into an idiotic helpless cliche then it better be because of a boy as wonderful and beautiful as him. There was no one else. Harry was it.

‘I thought it was going to take you longer ’

‘To listen to the album or to get my shit together? ’

Harry seemed to consider his answer for a second, the dramatic little shit that he was. Then he smiled and Louis forgave him immediately.

‘Both’

Louis laughed and took a step closer to the love of his life.

‘I’m sorry, baby, I'm really sorry ’

‘Me too’

‘If you let me kiss you right now I’m never letting you go again. It's your choice’

‘Never wanted you to go in the first place’

‘Right answer’

And then they kissed because there wasn't much left to say. At least not right now. The conversation could wait for the next morning, once they had sex, pancakes and maybe a little dance in the kitchen. For old times sake.

----

Soooo, I wrote this because I couldn’t get the idea of Louis writing this song out of my head. And like, it sounds so much like Harry’s writing, this is not a theory at all. But I liked the idea so yeah. It’s probably gonna be my first and only fic about Larry, hope you like it.

All the mistakes are mine and its noy my first language, sorry if the grammar is trashy. Thanks.

#larry #larry stylinson #larry fic #larry fic rec #larry fanfic #fanfic #harry styles #louis tomlinson #canon compliant #but fiction #i don't think they broke up #and if they did is not my bussiness #just so you know

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lovejustforaday · 4 years ago

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Sonic Youth Albums Ranked (Part 1)

There are few indie/alternative bands that I’d argue are as challenging and engaging, or as formative as Sonic Youth.

From their early days as a radical no wave project, to their mid-career as a hard-hitting noise rock band, to their later years as a mellow indie band with prickly guitar tones, Sonic Youth has reinvented the concept of both the guitar and rock music in general again and again. They’ve probably made at least fifty or so never-before-heard noises with their instruments. Combining these sounds with lyrics that regularly explore disillusionment, nihilism, social transgression, pop culture, feminism, abstract thought, underground scenes, and outsider art — it’s safe to say that Sonic Youth have always gone against the grain.

The members of Sonic Youth are obviously all musicians, but they have also been iconoclasts, satirists, and poets throughout their careers, creating music that demolishes both the conventions of rock as well as the social pretensions of the conservative American lifestyle.

Each member of the main lineup contributes something fundamental to the band:

-Guitarist/vocalist/de-facto leader Thurston Moore, the no-fucks-given anti-rock star icon and visionary (albeit he’s kind of a smug twerp these days)

-Bassist/guitarist/vocalist Kim Gordon, the reserved but sharp-witted feminist and multi-disciplinary artist

-Guitarist/sometimes vocalist Lee Ranaldo, the revolutionary master of bizarre guitar tunings

-Drummer Steve Shelley, whose soft and shy demeanor masks a deliverer of precise, high-speed rhythmic anarchy

I could go on and gush about this band forever, but I’ve decided to settle for writing a big nerdy list all about how I feel each Sonic Youth album holds up when ranked. With 15 proper records in total, there is a lot to digest. Likewise, I highly encourage you if you haven’t already to go listen to some of these LPs for yourself and formulate your own opinions about one of the most fascinating bands to have ever existed. This list is really just my two cents.

Note: we will be focusing on the 15 full-length studio albums recorded under the name “Sonic Youth”. This list does not include the s/t debut EP, nor does it include the “Whitey Album” or the SYR series since those are best understood as separate side projects. This list is going to be long enough as it is anyway.

15. Rather Ripped (2006)

Main Genres: Indie Rock, Alternative Rock

A decent sampling of: Noise Rock

From any other band, this is a perfectly decent album with a few nice, gratifying guitar tones here and there. But as a Sonic Youth album, Rather Ripped sounds like the band is on auto-pilot. This is the band’s only album that to my ears sounds like it could’ve been written by any number of other alternative rock bands at the time. It just lacks a certain essential edge that their music usually has.

It really doesn’t help the case for this record that Thurston Moore began having an affair at this point in the career, and it is disgustingly present in the lyrics in hindsight, with the offensively titled “Sleeping Around” and possibly even “Incinerate” both probably taking inspiration from his dirty little secret.

I usually separate art from the artist to a certain degree, but in this case it really does kill part of the experience, because I can’t help but feel that Thurston is having a stupid little giggle to himself by hiding his affair in plain sight and it’s really just kind of pathetic. Kim Gordon is my favourite member of the band, and to me she’s the epitome of an extremely cool person, which only makes the whole thing worse. Seriously, quit bragging old man.

Speaking of “Incinerate”, I can confidently say that I think this is the band’s most overrated song. Certainly not their worst, but I really can’t fathom how so many people consistently put this up there with “Schizophrenia” or “The Diamond Sea” as one of Sonic Youth’s top five songs when it’s honestly just so...by the numbers.

That being said, Rather Ripped is not ‘bad’ per se, it’s mostly just that it really lacks something the band usually has, which makes the project feel a little soulless. Still, the record has its better moments. “Pink Stream” is rather ethereal sounding, which is pretty rare in the band’s discography given their usual penchant for the bombastic and ear-shattering, or the ominous and unsettling. “Turquoise Boy” is also a nice mellow track that probably could’ve fit in quite well as one of many solid tracks on A Thousand Leaves, albeit most of those tracks would still trounce this one.

Rather Ripped is all-around competent; it’s a pretty consistent listen and a decent enough beginner-level Sonic Youth album in terms of accessibility. But there’s just nothing about this album that really grabs me like literally any of their other LPs. There’s almost none of the band’s personality on this record (save perhaps Thurston’s inflated ego). Perhaps it is best to call it their “least interesting” album instead of their “worst”. Honestly, you could just skip this one and you probably wouldn’t miss much.

6/10

highlights: “Pink Stream”, “Turquoise Boy”

14. The Eternal (2009)

Main Genres: Indie Rock, Alternative Rock

A decent sampling of: Noise Rock

The Eternal is the last LP Sonic Youth put out as a band. With context, the record has somewhat of a somber feeling. Even its name ‘The Eternal’ seems to suggest that the band might’ve known that it would be their last record, as if the album could be at least partially a reflection on the band’s legacy that will eventually go on to outlive each member.

The band really does sound a little burnt out at multiple points on this record, particularly in terms of Thurston’s vocals which can be best described as sounding ‘exhausted’. Again, like Rather Ripped, the music is certainly competent and enjoyable, but it’s also noticeably less adventurous than on earlier LPs. The album is also a bit more sluggish than most of the band’s past work, feeling just about as long as Daydream Nation or Washing Machine despite being well over 10 minutes shorter than either of those LPs.

I’ll be perfectly honest: if it weren’t for “Massage The History”, this record probably wouldn’t be all that much better than Rather Ripped. Kim Gordon gets to have the very last words on the record with this grim and cryptic requiem about hers and Thurston’s relationship, indicating that she was at least partially aware at the time that the two of them were growing apart.

This would be the last album Sonic Youth put out before Kim became fully aware of Thurston’s affair with a younger woman, leading to her divorce and the band’s inevitable breakup. The song is honestly kind of painful to listen to for that reason, but it is also tragically and morbidly beautiful. “Massage The History” is chronologically the last track in the entire Sonic Youth discography which stretches across 15 LPs over the course of three decades, and it’s a very worthy swan song for the band, if also a bitter reminder that most things cannot last.

“Malibu Gas Station” is another standout, a nocturnal alternative rock jam that sounds very much like a track from the Sister-Daydream Nation-Goo era, and yet another example of Kim Gordon’s capabilities as a member of the band. Really, Kim basically carries this entire LP on her shoulders in terms of the lyrics and vocals.

Nevertheless, I like this record for what it represents if nothing else, and I would still say that it is a level above Rather Ripped thanks to the album closer, and more on par with the next couple of albums on this list. However, I would never recommend that anyone start their Sonic Youth journey with this LP. You can listen to their discography in just about any order you want to, but I’d highly recommend that you save this one for last. The Eternal is a mostly bittersweet experience that is best appreciated after hearing the rest of the band’s output.

7/10

highlights: “Massage The History”, “Malibu Gas Station”

13. Experimental Jet Set, Trash, And No Star (1994)

Main Genres: Noise Rock, Alternative Rock

A decent sampling of: Experimental Rock, Post-Punk

Experimental Jet Set, Trash, And No Star came right after the modest commercial success of Goo and Dirty, and I think you can hear on this LP that the band is reacting to that success by trying to resharpen some of the edges that were smoothed out by Butch Vig’s production on Dirty. Basically, this sounds rather like Dirty but less put-together, less consistent, and a lot more raw.

I appreciate that they wanted to do their own thing and challenge expectations again, and you can really tell that the band is mostly playing around on this record, but in this case I gotta say that the songwriting seems to suffer a little because of that.

The album starts off promising enough with two major highlights. First, there’s a rare acoustic offering with the lo-fi opener “Winner’s Blues”, the first of many tracks that would appear on later Sonic Youth LPs proving that Thurston’s vocals can actually be quite soothing. Then there’s the winding, topsy-turvy patterns of “Bull In The Heather” where lyrically Kim mocks the infantilization of women in her usual snarky, sing-talking fashion. Later on the record, there’s also “Bone” which has a very sinister, bluesy swagger to it that I really enjoy.

But everything else from here on out is kind of a mixed bag. The main setback really seems to be the track lengths; it’s actually pretty weird for a Sonic Youth album at this point in the band’s career to be full of songs that are mostly only two or three minutes long like they are on Experimental Jet Set, Trash, and No Star. That’s not inherently bad of course, but a lot of these tracks really only sound like ‘parts’ of a Sonic Youth song; some really good ideas, but largely underdeveloped.

Take “Starfield Road” for example, which takes a whole minute to build up this really cool and bizarre turbulent sound storm, and then Thurston starts singing over it for a couple of bars until it all sorta just stops abruptly. This track could work in theory if it was structured differently. “Mildred Pierce” off of Goo does something similar, but with that track there’s pay off at the end with the sudden wicked, destructive breakdown which catches you off guard, but here there’s simply no pay off for the listener.

Combine the lack of complete songwriting with the fact that this is actually one of the longest tracklistings on any Sonic Youth album at 14 tracks, and you get an album that feels like it’s bloated with lots of filler. Mind you, there’s still a lot of great little moments on this LP, but very few of them come together to make great songs. It’s an excellent sampler of just how many different ways Sonic Youth can play with a riff or make weird new static noises, but with regards to songwriting, Experimental Jet Set, Trash, and No Star feels more like a collection of demo tapes than a proper album. Still, there’s some cool energy on this record and I’d say it’s a worthwhile listen for any diehard fan.

7/10

highlights: “Bull In The Heather”, “Bone”, “Winner’s Blues”

12. NYC Ghosts & Flowers (2000)

Main Genres: Experimental Rock, Noise Rock, Art Rock

A decent sampling of: Post-Rock, Art Punk, Beat Poetry, No Wave

This is a good example of why we can’t have nice things. Somewhere between A Thousand Leaves and this record, Sonic Youth had most of their gear stolen by some jackass, which effectively meant pressing a hard reset button on the band’s sound for at least one album.

Likewise, a lot of people say that this is their worst record, and yeah I get why those people feel that way, but I actually like NYC Ghosts & Flowers for the fact that it forced the band to undergo yet another major sonic transformation. It‘s certainly more consistently interesting than Rather Ripped or The Eternal, just a very strange album in general, and for that it gets some extra points. I should also mention that this is the first of a couple of albums where the band collaborated with the acclaimed avant-garde artist Jim O’Rourke.

With lyrics influenced by the legendary mid-20th century ‘beat poetry’ scene born out of the band’s own New York City, this is the most 'abstract' Sonic Youth ever sounded. You can hear hints of the band’s no wave origins on this record, but with all of the crude chaos of those early LPs replaced with cerebral tension.

It’s also more sparse than any of their other studio albums, even more so than the dark and intangible Bad Moon Rising. Unfortunately, in this case that also leads to some tracks like “Nevermind (What Was It Anyway)” feeling somewhat empty, or perhaps sometimes too monotonous or repetitive without enough sonically gratifying moments.

But there are exceptions, and the middle portion of this album is where the new formula mostly thrives. “Small Flowers Crack Concrete” is vivid post-rock art poetry, not unlike a more noisy, sporadic version of some of the songs off of Slint’s beloved post-rock classic Spiderland. “Side2Side” is very aurally pleasing, with plinkety guitar staccatos and Kim’s voice hopping from one ear to the other like some kind of noise rock ASMR.

“StreamXSonik Subway” is a freaky little track that sounds calmly menacing, and I really like the high-pitch computer-y bloops. But then right after that there’s the seven and a half minute title track “NYC Ghosts & Flowers” which could probably give me a headache if I didn’t distract myself with something else while I was listening to it; truly maybe the worst track of the band’s entire discography if I was asked to pick one.

Overall, I’d say that NYC Ghosts & Flowers is a very artistic and fascinating experience in the moment, but I don’t really end up remembering much of it an hour or two after listening to the record. It just doesn’t really stay with me like some of their other records, and I don’t often feel the need to revisit this LP. I think Sonic Youth does the whole ‘sparseness' thing better when they’re aiming to sound vast, haunting, or nihilistic, as opposed to this kind of small, cerebral, sit-down-in-an-empty-room-and-listen experience which I personally find a bit more suited to other bands.

That being said, I applaud them for taking a lot of risks on this one, and I genuinely like NYC Ghosts & Flowers for the moments where it really does seem to be on the cusp of something groundbreaking. It's also a pretty polarizing record for most listeners, so maybe you’ll love it.

7/10

highlights: “Small Flowers Crack Concrete”, “Side2Side“, “StreamXSonik Subway”

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melchron · 5 years ago

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Nightmare Time Episode 3 Thoughts

I usually save this for the end of my thoughts but I have to say this now. OMG MATT DAHAN!!! I WILL NEVER NOT BE IMPRESSED BY HIM! Usually with the episodes I catch 1 or 2 motifs but I swear I caught everyone this time. And they all fit so well. My attention was evenly split between the music and the story this time. It was so freaking good. Matt deserves all the awards like omg.

I think this is the least laggy the theme has been. Good job going all out for the last one!

I said to my mom "Did Shashona record this video?" and she did!! Great cinematography Shashona!!

I also pointed out the Tim's daddy mask. I said "Aww he's wearing a mask for his son!". I guess my mom got confused and forgot Tim's name because she thought I was talking about Dylan's (nonexistent) son.

THE DRILL PRESSES!!

LEX AND ETHAN

I kind of already knew this but I love that Ethan knows cars. I just likes that he has a hobby.

Lex cares about Tom so much I love it.

WHY DID JANE TRY TO KILL ETHAN?!?!?!? TOM DOESN'T WANT TO MAKE LOVE TO HIM!!!! DID SHE HAVE SOME PERSONAL REASONS LIKE WHY!?!??!

That Lexthan interaction was so cute. I love how he saw she was super sorry and scared and he just stopped being mad and comforted her. They are so cute I can't handle it!!

KENDALL!!! Ok so through out this whole thing I know everyone was excited for their favorite character to come back but I really just wanted to see Kendall again. I guess after BF I assumed we would never see her again because I couldn't see them working with children becoming a normal thing. But when the original cast announcement came out I got so happy to see her name. So I was super excited to see her.

Her covering her hair with a beanie looks better than the wig

UNCLE PAUL I'M SOFT I CAN'T HANDLE THIS!!!!!

Cineplex Teen is like Larry from tawog. I guess we should start calling him Obnoxious Teen then. Until we get a name.

I love that Tim immediately likes Becky. Wish I could say the same for my stepparents.

Santa Claus Is Going To High School bb. Also I want to hear the rest of that song. Also also how many wigs does Lauren own?

TONY GREEN

Why must they make love to this movie everytime? Can't we simply just watch it and make fun of like normal people? That way Tim can enjoy it too.

Good for Jane for making sure her son doesn't have to eat disgusting school lunch. She gets good mom points.

Aww Becky reassuring him he's not a Dummy

Becky is like really horny this episode. Honestly Tom's into so go ahead girl

JAIME IS JANE

OK OK OK SO Jane said they were driving home from her parents house. Which means they were still alive when Jane died. That was only a year and a half ago so the Perkins parents might have died more recently than we thought. It's like Spring of 2019 right? So Jane died around Fall 2017. I don't remember if this was said in the show (it probably was and I'm saying nothing new) but I think Black Friday takes place about a year after her death. Tgwdlm took place October 2018. They have to have died only a few months before then. How long had Emma been in Hatchetfield before tgwdlm? Maybe there is a possibility we can see a flashback of an interaction with her parents depending on how long it's been. Also that means Emma lost her whole family in the span of a few months omg. And Tim lost his mom and his grandparents in that time. I want to see how they grieved with all of that. Also I know I'm crossing universes here but Emma also almost died the same day Jane did. Some strange force must really have it out for the Perkins family. Good on Emma for surviving like a champ.

Ok so I thought they went scouting for girls because Jane didn't want the man she loved to have to devote the rest of his life to a car. I thought she was trying to help him move on. She was getting good lover points but those have since been redacted.

Jane is definitely bi and I love that for her. I don't care if she tried to kill her new crush. It was new enough for it to mean nothing.

GREENPEACE GIRL

Tom does look like a creep ngl

Jane reminds us she's a car a lot. Like girl we get it.

No. No. No. NO NO NO NO NO NO NOPE! We're not talking about it. I don't want to. I stared at James the whole and honestly same dude. I saw Nick in my peripheral vision and loved/hated that he was laughing. RIP to me watching this with my mom. RIP to Kendall. Actually rip to everyone who had to sit through that. RIP to Jaime and Dylan for having to perform that. RIP to the cursed rehearsals. Matt and Nick seriously took the time to sit down and write that. What the heck you two?!? This made me more uncomfy than the entirety of mamd and Ted's character combined. I wish I was exaggerating. Maybe this was just me but it felt longer than it needed to. The relief and worry I felt when Tim walked in is a feeling I can not explain. Glad he was clueless.

Tim sweetie I love you but SHUT UP

Jane is crazy and Jaime is doing such an amazing job at portraying that.

Yes Tom. Because grave digging is way crazier than possessed cars.

I asked my mom why the didn't just go grave digging for Jane's body but my mom said the body is probably all rotted and gross so that explains that.

Why didn't Becky just go inside? If she went far enough I doubt Jane would have been able to hit her even if she managed to break into the house. Also let's assume Becky's house had an upstairs. There, perfect safety.

Did Becky seriously die in the same woods as Stanley?

Ok so I thought the tree thing was a reference to little Irish girl Becky from the Black Friday sk10 stream. But now it seems like something more serious and bad happened so I'm curious.

DID JANE GET TOM ARRESTED?!?!? It seemed like she could drive herself at that point. Why not let him get out and get Becky yourself? Is this that self confidence thing Tom talked about?

Is she really about to have her son be obsessed with Ms. Becky for the rest of their lives or is she gonna tell him?

This next episode made me physically jump twice. I say literally a lot but I promise you I'm using it correctly when I say I literally jumped.

KENDALL'S SINGING

I saw the thing about the ukelele being a bday gift from the cast so this was super sweet

Ok personal time. My grandmother's name is Pamela and my mom decided to permanently cut ties with her a few months ago due to her abusive behavior. Me and my sibling are still allowed to talk to her whenever we please but we haven't seen her as much as we used to. I got kind of scared watching this with my mom because I was scared this would trigger something. She didn't say anything and I didn't want to bother her about if she was fine so I didn't say anything. Anyway this just kind of hit different for me.

JAIME'S RANGE OMG

"I want to be alone with my man." Ms what are you about to do to your Tv?

DON'T GIVE HER BEER

Duke seems chill. I like him.

LEX AND ETHAN GOT ARRESTED!?!?!? FOR SELLING HER PILLS!?!??! THAT SHE TOLD THEM TO SELL!?!?!? I HATE HER!!!

Does Ms. Foster have a type or is being male good enough?

Hannah's 14? I thought she was the same age as Tim. I could have sworn in the BF commentary track they said she was 9 or 10. Did my brain make that up?

How does Kim change her hair so quickly? She did this in episode 2 too? I could never. I am very impressed.

Curt and Kim talking over the phone while standing shoulder to shoulder was funnier than it should have been

Ms. Holloway is cool. YAY MOSTLY GOOD WITCHES

How does Ms. Holloway know? I need a backstory please!!

Ok so I saw Jon in his cape and thought he might be the with. But then I saw James in his cape I y'know stopped thinking that. Anyway I'm obsessed with Jon and James in capes. Kind of wish Corey had one too.

OH I JUST THOUGHT THIS AS I'M TYPING NOW ok so that tree she was talking to at the beginning was one of the tree people. I'm embarrassed it took me this long to realise it.

Hannah is way too calm about these talking trees and sometimes spider ladies. I respect that.

There was a lot of black and white theming in this episode. More than normal. It makes me more curious about what exactly Hannah's connection to it is.

Hannah almost died in her own mind. I was kinda hating Ms. Holloway in this moment because she forced Hannah to go into her mind. But I know she had to so I'm cool with her again.

THE STARLIGHT THEATER

Did she really say just don't be scared next time? Like miss some actual advice would help.

CAN MS. HOLLOWAY'S MIND LEAVE HANNAH ALONE?? Like I know you didn't get the reaction you wanted out of her but you're seriously gonna give up and go for a little girl instead. Pathetic.

"What's shakin', Banana?" That was the first time I jumped.

WIGGLY

What exactly is that 6-legged girl? I wish we had a visual. Also how couldn't Ms. Holloway help her? What was her issue? Npmd you got anything for me?

Wiley. Just seeing him come up. That was the second time I jumped.

Also everyone already said this but props to Joey for his commitment. Shaving in between episodes like omg sir you didn't have to go all out for this. But you did and I appreciate you for it. Also HE KEPT THE JACKET?? WHAT!??! Just fully committed to this character go off Joey!!

Usually I would laugh at stuff phasing through the green screen but this just made it creepier.

HOLLOWAY AND WILEY/WILBUR BACKSTORY PLEASE

But also I love how the script had him listed at Wilbur above his lines. I remember Nick called him Wilbur once in the commentary track (possibly by accident) but it's nice to have it in cannon. I don't remember I any of the characters called him Wilbur because I'm so used to seeing Wilbur and Wiley used interchangeably but this was just nice to have canonized.

DUKE PAY ATTENTION!! FREAKING USELESS RIGHT NOW!!!

Dang Wiley she was already being choked in the physical world you didn't have to choke her in her mind too calm down

YAY MORE DOLLS

NICK I WAS KIDDING ABOUT AN APOTHEOSIS DOLL

Is the mouth one (I see we've named him Nibbly. Good because his full name is too long to type out) gonna be the npmd villain? The pick color theme seems cool.

ANGELA'S TRANSITION THOUGH!!! Omg she switched roles seamlessly. And her voice too!! Go off Angela.

MARIAH IS WEBBY

This is random and unrelated but I never noticed how big Mariah's eyes were before.

So Webby and the Doll Gang are all siblings? I find it interesting that the were described to all where black. And Webby's color theme is white. Like how the good and bad ukeleles were white and black. This might sound really dumb see as we don't have a 100% accurate visual of the black and white but I wonder if Webby ever left would it be 100% black? Like if Wiggly went through the portal would it become a little less black? Does this make sense? Also I'm starting to see the black and white as less of a bad place. Its starting to see more ominously neutral.

Hannah's favorite show is He-Man no I do accept criticism.

Ms. Holloway is a nerd. She saw Hannah make the reference and was like "Huh. I f she likes He-Man maybe making this hat a reference will make her like me." She would only know if she watched the show. But then again she seems to be stuck in the 80s so maybe she just thinks that's what's popular with the kids.

MS. HOLLOWAY PLEASE GET LEX AND ETHAN BACK

AND ANOTHER GREAT SONG TO END IT OFF

This episode was......a lot. So much happened. Loved all of it. I am scared of Nick and Matt's minds but also incredibly grateful for them. As usual everyone's acting was top notch.

I love this episode.

Also I'm just gonna say it. Jon ruined Nick's season one reveal.

#starkid #nightmare time #nightmare time spoilers #jane's a car #the witch in the web #Hatchetfield #mel thinks thoughts #melchron the good book

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vyylet · 4 years ago

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Personal Recommendations Logic - Under Pressure Review

Logic finally reaches his full potential on Under Pressure.

To me at least, Logic’s career has always been one of missed potential. Ever since Under Pressure and the Young Sinatra mixtapes, Logic has always demonstrated the pen game and instrumental pallet to make a great record. He also has some truly amazing songs that I find myself coming back to often, such as Growing Pains III, Dear God, Soul Food, Everybody, the list goes on. However, on every record Logic’s released up until this point, he always seems to be stuck in mediocrity that keeps him from releasing a great album. He had an especially bad 2019, coming off of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, easily the worst rap album of his entire career, and Supermarket, a record I haven’t listened to yet, solely because of the reviews of this album making it sound so terrible that I don’t want to stomach even a second of it. Coming into this record, I wasn’t really sure what to think. I’m always interested and hopeful for every subsequent Logic release, however at this point I’ve kind of come accustomed to be disappointed. However, the album’s title being a clear homage to his first album, as well as him bringing back legendary producer No I.D. into the fray seemed to signal that this album wouldn’t be like most of the other albums that Logic has released up until this point.

Thankfully, I can say that this album does not disappoint, and actually blew my expectations out of the water. While this certainly isn’t the most revolutionary hip hop album of all time, its tracklist is filled with great song after great song. The appeal of this album is shown perfectly on the first track, No Pressure Intro, with its crispy boom bap drums, jazzy chords, and a nice flow and energy that Logic brings to the table. Logic’s pen game has also taken a step up since his past few records, with some funny and memorable quotables like “Gangsters put that heat to your head like a hairdresser”, and “On my Rosa Parks, in the back writin' like B-Rabbit”.

All of these things combined make this track extremely enjoyable, and it continues onto the next track, Hit My Line. While I don’t think Logic’s melodic chorus on this track is all that stand-out, everything else about the track is great. The production is grand and gorgeous, with some heavy drums and warped piano samples, mixed with some grand synth bass hits at some points. The verses are also another part of the track that I love, with Logic rapping about just general injustices in the world, pleading to God to help solve and fix these issues. While this certainly isn’t the most revolutionary song topic, it’s made up for by some great lyricism, as well as Logic’s verse almost being a little anthemic with how passionate he sounds.

The track GP4 is one that I have sort of grown to love over time. The song is a clear homage to the track Elevators by OutKast, with many elements of the track such as instrumental and the hook clearly being heavily inspired by that song. While I don’t love the fact that this song is pretty much a rip off of the OutKast track, in a vacuum I can’t help but love the song. Logic displays a lot of personality and penmanship on this song, with some stand-out moments, like the pretty funny Erykah Badu impression, as well as that Biggie Kick In the Door line, which completely blew my mind when I finally found out what it meant.

Next on the album, the track Celebration is a fun banger, with Logic sounding confident as hell, and a beat that genuinely sounds like a Celebration. I also really love the track Open Mic//Aquarius III, with a nice beat and a performance that sounds kind of like a quick freestyle. One small part of the track that I really love is the way Logic’s voice is mixed, where Logic genuinely sounds like he’s performing at an open mic night.. After that part of the track, the Aquarius III part of the song starts, which is a fun, celebratory way to end the song, with some great production to boot.

The track Soul Food II is another highlight, taking the beat from the first soul food with some great bars from Logic, talking about how he’s changed as an artist and as a person after the release of the first Soul Food song. My favorite part of the track is probably the flip of the first line on the first Soul Food, where instead of saying “Goddamn, goddamn, conversations with legends, Crazy how one day your idols can turn into your brethren”, he says “Goddamn, goddamn, conversations with people, Crazy how one day, the legends forget that they equal”

The second half of the song is Logic talking about this whole overarching story that’s been going on across his albums. While it may be cool to someone who’s super invested in that part of Logic’s career to hear this, I never much cared for the whole story aspect of his albums, so I didn’t really get much out of it. Still, though, Logic has a great delivery and flow throughout that entire part, and the beat is nice enough to the point where I can still thoroughly enjoy it.

The track Perfect is a fun banger in the tracklist, with some trap-style hi hats, loud kicks, and 808 cowbell melodies. Logic sounds zany, funny, and confident on the track, and my only real complaint about the song is that it’s only 1:40.

After that track, we get two more lowkey cuts, man i is and DadBod. The track man i is is a track that I have mixed feelings about. While I do appreciate the instrumental on the song, the song feels a bit long-winded, with the horn sections taking up an extremely long amount of time. Additionally, I feel like Logic could’ve done a little bit better with the lyrics here. While I most certainly like them, it doesn’t really seem like Logic truly hits any super salient realization about who he is, and the track kind of devolves into rambling at a certain point. The track DadBod is a track that I like much more. The drums on this track are probably my favorite part of the instrumental, as I just find the way they hit and all sound to be extremely satisfying. While the track has a painfully simple chord progression in the sample, it’s more than made up for by the catchy chorus on the song, as well as the lyrics on this song. While some might find the song a bit annoying, it’s rare to see someone like Logic admit how truly boring some aspects of his life are now that he is a dad, rapping about cleaning baby shit and complaining about the bad hotel wifi when he’s touring, and I find seeing this part of the song to be really admirable.

After those two tracks, there’s a much-needed pickup with the track 5 Hooks. While I think the song’s decent, I feel like there isn’t really all that much to the track. There’s not many quotables that I can remember from it, and while the beat is fine, it’s certainly not one of the best on the project.

The track Dark Place is honestly one of my favorites on the album. While the instrumental is very stark, I think Logic lays down one of his best verses on this song, talking about his mental health and a lot of things that are honestly really sad to hear. I really love the message of the song, admitting that you are sad and realizing that it’s ok- everyone gets sad from time to time.

After that is probably the worst track on the album, A2Z, which is an ABC rap. It’s one of the only songs on the album with an instrumental I genuinely dislike, and the lyrics aren’t all that impressive either.

The song Heard Em Say is another highlight on the album, with one of my favorite instrumentals. There’s a huge Kanye influence that I hear on this song, whether that be the drum pattern of the instrumental, or a lot of the inflections that Logic uses during his verses.

Overall, I’m really happy with this album. Do I think it’s going to convince any Logic haters to appreciate his music? No. Do I think this is going to go down as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time? No. However, this is still a very quality release from an artist that has always had the potential to release something this good. It’s nice to see Logic happy in retirement, and I love this record lots. I don’t think he could have released a better sendoff to his career than this.

8.7/10

Favorite Tracks: No Pressure Intro, Hit My Line, GP4, Celebration, Open Mic//Aquarius III, Soul Food II, Perfect, DadBod, Dark Place, Heard Em Say

Least Fav Track: A2Z

#music blog #music #logic #no pressure #music review

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dustedmagazine · 4 years ago

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Slept Ons: The Best Records of 2020 That We Never Got Around To

Tattoos and shorts! How did we miss the Oily Boys?

It happens pretty much every year. After much fussing and second-guessing, the year-end list gets finalized, set in stone really, encapsulating 12 months of enthusiastic listening, and surely these are the best ten records anyone could find, right? Right? And then, a day or a week later, someone else puts up their list or records their year-end radio show, and there it is, the record you could have loved and pushed and written about…if only you’d known about it. My self-kick in the shins came during Joe Belock’s 2020 round-up on WFMU when he played the Chats. Others on our staff knew, earlier on, that they weren’t writing about records they loved for whatever reason — work, family, mp3 overload, etc. Except now they are. Here. Now. Enjoy.

Contributors include me (Jennifer Kelly), Eric McDowell, Jonathan Shaw, Justin Cober-Lake, Bill Meyer, Bryon Hayes, Ian Mathers, Andrew Forell, Michael Rosenstein and Patrick Masterson.

The Chats — High Risk Behavior (Bargain Bin)

High Risk Behaviour by The Chats

Cartoonishly primitive and gleefully out of luck, The Chats hurl Molotov cocktails of punk, bright and exploding even as they come. They’re from Australia, which totally makes sense; there’s a sunny, health-care-subsidized, devil-may-care vibe to their down-on-their luck stories. Musically, the songs are stripped down like Billy Childish, sped up like the Ramones, brute simple like Eddy Current Suppression Ring. Most of them are about alcohol: drinking, being drunk, getting arrested for being drunk, eating while drunk…etc. etc. But there’s an art to singing about getting hammered, and few manage the butt-headed conviction of “Drunk & Disorderly.” Its jungle rhythms, vicious, saw-toothed bass, quick knife jabs of guitar frame an all-hands drum-shocked chant: “Relaxation, mood alteration, boredom leads to intoxication.” Later singer Eamon Sandwith cuts right to the point about romance with the couplet, “I was cautious, double wrapped, but still I got the clap.” The album’s highlights include the most belligerently glorious song ever about cyber-fraud in “Identity Theft,” whose shout along chorus buoys you up, even as the dark web drains your savings account dry. The album strings together a laundry list of dead-end, unfortunate situations, one after another truly hopeless developments, but nonetheless it explodes with joy. Bandcamp says the guitar player has already left—so you’re too late to see the Chats live—but it must have been fun while it lasted.

Jennifer Kelly

Oliver Coates — skins n slime (RVNG Intl)

skins n slime by Oliver Coates

2020 was a year of loss, of losing, of feeling lost. Whether weathering the despair of illness and death, the discomfort of displacement or the drift of temporal reverie, English cellist Oliver Coates creates music to reflect all this and more on skins n slime. Using modulators, loops and effects, Coates employs elements from drone, shoegaze and industrial to extend the range of the cello and conjure otherworldly sounds of crushing intensity and great beauty. Beneath the layering, distortion and dissonance, the human element remains strong. The tactility of fingers and bow on strings and the expressive essence of tone form the core of Coates composition and performance. If his experiments seem a willful swipe at the restrictions of the classical world from whence he came, the visceral power of a track like “Reunification 2018”, which hunkers in the same netherworld as anything by Deathprod or Lawrence English, the liminal, static bedecked ache of “Honey” and the unadorned minimalism of “Caretaker Part 1 (Breathing)” are works of a serious talent. skins n slime is an album to sit with and soak in; allow it to percolate and permeate and you’ll find yourself forgetting the outside world, if only for a while.

Andrew Forell

Bertrand Denzler / Antonin Gerbal — Sbatax (Umlaut Records)

Sbatax by Denzler - Gerbal

Tenor sax player Bertrand Denzler and drummer Antonin Gerbal released this duo recording last summer which slipped under the radar of many listeners. Denzler is as likely to be heard these days composing and performing pieces by others in the French ensemble ONCEIM, playing solo, or in settings for quiet improvisation. But he’s been burning it up as a free jazz player for years now as well. Gerbal also casts a broad net, as a member of ONCEIM, deconstructing free bop in the group Peeping Tom, or recontextualizing the music of Ahmed Abdul-Malik along with Pat Thomas, Joel Grip and Seymour Wright in the group Ahmed amongst many other projects. The two have worked together in a variety of contexts for a decade now, recording a fantastic duo back in 2014. Sbatax, recorded five years later at a live performance in Berlin is a worthy follow-up.

Gerbal attacks his kit with ferocity out of the gate, with slashing cymbals and thundering kit, cascading along with drubbing momentum. Denzler charges in with a husky, jagged, repeated motif which he loops and teases apart, matching the caterwauling vigor of his partner straightaway. Over the course of this 40-minute outing, one can hear the two lock in, coursing forward with mounting intensity. Denzler increasingly peppers his playing with trenchant blasts and rasping salvos, riding along on Gerbal’s torrential fusillades. Throughout, one can hear the two dive deep in to free jazz traditions while shaping the arc of the improvisation with an acute ear toward the overall form of the piece. Midway through, Denzler steps back for a torrid drum solo, then jumps back in with renewed dynamism as the two ride waves of commanding potency and focus to a rousing conclusion, goaded on by the cheering audience. Anyone wondering whether there is still life in the tenor/drum duo format should dig this one up.

Michael Rosenstein

Kaelin Ellis — After Thoughts (self-released)

After Thoughts by KAELIN ELLIS

To be sure, “slept on” hardly characterizes Kaelin Ellis in 2020. After a trickle of lone tracks in the first months of the year, a Twitter video posted by the 23-year-old producer and multi-instrumentalist caught the attention of Lupe Fiasco, quickly precipitating the joint EP House. It’s a catchy story from any number of angles — the star-powered “discovery” of a young talent, the interconnectedness of the digital age, the silver linings of the COVID-19 pandemic — but it risks overshadowing Ellis’s two 2020 solo records: Moments, released in the lead-up to House, and After Thoughts, released in October. It doesn’t help that each album’s dozen tracks scarcely add up to as many minutes, or that the producer’s titles deliberately downplay the results. And some, of course, will judge these jazzy, deeply soulful beats only against their potential as platforms for some other, more extroverted artist. “I’d like to think I’m a jack of all trades,” Ellis told one interviewer, “but in all honesty my specialty is creating a space for others to stand out.”

Yet as with all small, good things, there’s reward in savoring these miniatures on their own terms, and After Thoughts in particular proved an unexpected retreat from last fall’s anxieties. Ellis has a poet’s gift for distillation and juxtaposition, a director’s knack for pathos and dramatic sequencing — powers that combine to somehow render a fully realized world. As fleeting as it is, Ellis’s work communicates a generosity of care and concentration, opening a space for others not just to stand out but also to settle in.

Eric McDowell

Lloyd Miller with Ian Camp and Adam Michael Terry — At the Ends of the World

At the Ends of the World by Lloyd Miller with Ian Camp and Adam Michael Terry

Miller and company fuse the feel of a contemporary classical concert with eastern modalities and instrumentation. The recordings sound live off the floor, and give a welcome sense of space and detail to the sensitive playing. Miller has explored the intersection between Persian and other cultural traditions and jazz through the lens of academic scholarship and recorded output since the 1960s. With this release, the performances linger in a space where vibe is as important as compositional structure. The results revel in the beauty when seemingly unrelated musical ideas emerge together in the same moment, with startling results.

Arthur Krumins

Oily Boys — Cro Memory Grin (Cool Death)

Cro Memory Grin by Oily Boys

The title of this 2020 LP by Australian punks Oily Boys sounds like a pun on “Cro-Magnon,” an outmoded scientific name for early humans. It’s apt: the music is smarter than knuckle-dragger beatdown or run-of-the-mill powerviolence, but still driven by a rancorous, id-bound savagery. The smarts are just perceptible enough to keep things pretty interesting. Some of the noisier, droning and semi-melodic stretches of Cro Memory Grin recall the records made by the Men (especially Leave Home) before they decided to try to make like Uncle Tupelo, or some lesser version of the Hold Steady. Oily Boys inhabit a darker sensibility, and their music is more profoundly bonkers than anything those other bands got up to. Aggro, discordant punk; flagellating hardcore burners; psych-rock-adjacent sonic exorcisms — you get it all, sometimes in a single five-minute passage of Cro Memory Grin (check out the sequence from “Lizard Scheme” to “Heat Harmony” to “Stick Him.” Yikes). A bunch of the tunes spill over into one another, feedback and sustain jumping the gap from one track to the next, which gives the record a live vibe. It feels volatile and sweaty. The ill intent and unmitigated nastiness accumulate into a palpable force, tainting the air and leaving stains on your tee shirt. Oily Boys have been kicking around Sydney’s punk scene since at least 2014, but this is their first full-length record. One hopes they can continue to play with this degree of possessed abandon without completing burning themselves to down to smoldering cinders. At least long enough to record some more music.

Jonathan Shaw

Dougie Poole — The Freelancer's Blues (Wharf Cat)

The Freelancer's Blues by Dougie Poole

A cursory listen might misconstrue the heart of Dougie Poole's second album, The Freelancer's Blues. When he mixes his wobbly country sound with lyrics like those in “Vaping on the Job,” it sounds like genre play, a smirking look at millennial life through an urban cowboy's vintage sound. Poole does target a particular set of issues, but mapping them with his own slightly psychedelic country comes with very little of the postmodern itch. His characters feel just as troubled as anyone coming out of 1970s Nashville, and as Poole explores these lives with wit and empathy, the songs quickly find their resonance.

The album, though it wouldn't reach for pretentious terms, carries an existential problem at its center. Poole circles around the fundamental void: work deadens, relocation doesn't help, spiritual pursuits falter, intelligence burdens, and even the drugs don't help. When Poole finally gets the title track, the preceding album gives his confession extra weight, a mix of life's strictures and personal limitation combining for a crisis best avoided but wonderfully shared. The Freelancer's Blues comes rich in Nashville tradition but finds an ideal fit in its contemporary place, likely providing a soundtrack for a variety of times and spaces yet to come.

Justin Cober-Lake

Schlippenbach Quartett — Three Nails Left (Corbett Vs. Dempsey)

You might say that this record has been slept on twice. The second recording to be released by the Alexander von Schlippenbach, Evan Parker and Paul Lovens (augmented this time by Peter Kowald) was released in 1975, and didn’t get a second pressing — on vinyl — until 2019. So, Corbett Vs. Dempsey stepped up last summer, it had never been on CD. But this writer was so stumped on how to relate how intense, startling, and unlike any other free improvisation it was and is, that he just… slept on it. Until now. Even if you know this band, if you don’t know this album, well, it’s time you got acquainted.

Bill Meyer

Stonegrass — Stonegrass (Cosmic Range)

STONEGRASS by Stonegrass

Released on the cusp of a tentative re-opening for the city of Toronto after two months of lock-down, this slab of psychedelic funk-rock was the perfect antidote to the COVID blues when it arrived at the tail end of a Spring spent in near-isolation. The jam sessions that became Stonegrass were also a new beginning for multi-instrumentalist Matthew “Doc” Dunn and drummer Jay Anderson, who reignited a spirit of collaboration after a decade of sonic estrangement following the demise of their Spiritual Sky Blues Band project. Listening to these songs, you’d never know they spent any time apart. The tight, bottom-wagging jams on offer are evidence that these two are joined together at the third eye. Anderson’s grooves run deep, and Dunn — whether he’s traipsing along on guitar, keys or flutes — is right there with him. There’s enough fuzz here to satiate the heads, but the real treat here is the rhythmic interplay. Strap in and prepare to get down.

Bryon Hayes

Bob Vylan — We Live Here EP (Venn Records)

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Bob Vylan flew under the radar in 2020 successfully enough that when someone nominated them for the best of 2020 poll in Tom Ewing’s Peoples’ Pop Polls project on Twitter (each month a different year or category gets voted on in World Cup-style brackets, it’s great fun and only occasionally maddening), most of the reaction was “is that one a typo?” Nobody had that response after listening to “We Live Here” — my wife also participates in the poll, so we just play all the candidates in our apartment, and Bob Vylan was the first time both of our jaws dropped in amazement; the song got played about ten times in a row at that point. Bobby (vocals/guitar/production) and Bobbie (drums/“spiritual inspiration”) Vylan’s 18-minute EP lives up to that title track, fireball after fireball aimed directly at the corrupt, crumbling, racist state that seems utterly indifferent to human suffering unless there’s profit in it. Whether it’s the raging catharsis of the title track or the cool, precise hostility of “Lynch Your Leaders,” Bob Vylan have made something vital and essential here, that very much speaks to 2020 but sadly will stay relevant long past it.

Ian Mathers

Working Men’s Club — Working Men’s Club (Heavenly Recordings)

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It’s been evident these past few years that I’ve retreated from music and committed myself to the slower world of books as a way of giving my mind a break from the accelerating madness outside, but I could never really leave my radio family the same way I could never really leave Dusted. Another great example why: A fellow CHIRP volunteer played “John Cooper Clarke” in a December Zoom social I actually managed to catch, and I’ve been addicted to Working Men’s Club’s debut LP from October ever since. The quartet hails from Todmodren, a market town you won’t be surprised upon listening to discover is roughly equidistant between Leeds and Manchester; the album screams Hacienda vibes in its seamless integration of post-punk signifiers and dancefloor style. It’s easy to bandy about names from Rip It Up and Start Again or even The Velvet Underground in 12-minute closer “Angel,” certainly one of the most arresting tracks of the year, but the thing that struck me immediately is that this was the record I’d always anticipated but never got from Factory Floor — smart, aloof and occasionally calculated, yet still fun enough to play for any crowd itching to move. Until the community of a dance party or Working Men’s Club live set is once again possible, patience and a fully formed first album will have to suffice. You’ll have to imagine the part where I corner you at the party to rave about it, I’m afraid.

Patrick Masterson

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