#Cutting-edge Synth

[leadendeath]

i have so many (embroidery) projects on the go at once (WHICH IM ACTUALLY WORKING ON?!?) that im running out of embroidery hoops to work on them on

FEELS GOOD

[the-90s-music-colosseum]

Round 5, Match 5

propaganda below the cut! (wall of text warning)

Trent Reznor:

"he is everything. he is all that exists around us. he is the air which we breathe. he performed covered in mud at woodstock 94 and somehow made it work. he's largely responsible for arguably the most influential concept album of the 90s. he is beautiful and sweet and stunning. i want to study him under a microscope. i know closer is about sex as a self-destructive behavior but also have you seen how insanely gorgeous he looks in the music video? in the words of my friend, "he sings like he's in heat". he literally humps and destroys synths (in a variety of ways, including stripping the keys off with his boot) during performances. every single outfit he wears is extremely cunty. on multiple occasions guys have said that even though they're straight they would fuck him. finally, in the words of jude doyle: "to this day, looking at a photograph of trent reznor in the early '90s feels like looking into the sun""

"The live March Of The Pigs (1994) video makes me froth at the mouth I start biting and snapping my teeth and growling. I need to rewatch it five times a week at LEAST to stay sane. Trent Reznor is like if a trophy wife was a man. Also the way he WHISPERS INTO THE MIC AT THE END OF SUCK?????HHFSJBDNDNS???? THE ENTIRETY OF THE BROKEN EP????????? Cleanup on aisle my fucking pants. Is this too insane? Sorry"

"I’m a lesbian but that does not fucking mean anything when confronted with trent reznor"

"It's Trent, man. Even the literal devil wants him. He's just boypretty."

"This man deadass wrote a song with the lyric “My moral standing is lying down" in it"

Keanu Reeves:

"Best role model"

"I have several photos of keanu on my vision board on Pinterest because I need him so desperately"

"The most stunning, the sweetest, humble, funny, sincere, most gorgeous man alive probably. The internets boyfriend for a reason ya know what can you say? His looks do the taking for you. Like rivers edge Keanu? (80s so nvm) okay MOPI Keanu?? Riding that bike like nobody’s business in that hoodie leather jacket combo?????? Effervescent."

"This man screams KINDNESS AND LOYALTY. For that reason, it is enough. He is enough. More than enough."

"Majestic."

"i looked up keanu on pinterest to see what he looked like in the 90s and i ended up spiraling down a rabbit hole for half an hour just admiring his beauty. if that doesn’t prove that he deserves to win then idk what does"

[hypnoneghoul]

synthesizers, keyboards and keytars in ghost

all the keys used by ghouls since era I, under the cut

Opus Eponymous & Infestissumam Air:

Clavia Nord Electro 2 73

Clavia Nord Electro 3 73

Moog Little Phatty Stage II

Meliora Air:

Roland AX-Synth

Moog Little Phatty Stage II

Clavia Nord Electro 3 73

Meliora Zephyr/Chair:

Roland AX-Synth

Moog Little Phatty Stage II

Clavia Nord Electro 3 73

Clavia Nord Stage 2 HA88

Clavia Nord Stage 2 EX 88

Prequelle 2018 Cirrus:

Roland AX-Synth

Mellotron M4000D

Moog Little Phatty Stage II

Clavia Nord Electro 5 HP 73

Sequential Prophet 6

Prequelle 2018 Cumulus:

Unfortunately I failed to identify her two keyboards from that time. They were for sure two different models, but both had 73 keys. I couldn't find even one picture good enough for me to see anything characteristic for any brand :(

Prequelle 2019 Cirrus & Cumulus:

Roland AX-Edge

Roland A-500 Pro x2

Roland Juno-DS 88

Roland A-800 Pro x3

Impera Cirrus:

Roland AX-Edge

Roland A-500 Pro x2

Roland A-800 Pro

Roland Juno-DS 88

Impera Cumulus:

Roland A-800 Pro x2

ReImpera Cirrus:

Roland AX-Edge

Novation Launchkey 49 MK3 x2

Novation Launchkey 61 MK3

Roland Juno-DS 88

ReImpera Cumulus:

Novation Launchkey 61 MK3 x2

[ckret2]

i know you’ve talked about bill’s music tastes before, but do you have any head cannons for other characters’ music tastes?

i.e. do you think mabel would listen to vocaloid?

Mabel: here's what we know about her tastes.

She loves Dream Boy High; Dream Boy High's VCR tape design has nods to Jem & the Holograms, which has a million songs per episodes; Mabel has Xyler & Craz play synth music to defeat Bill; Mabeland plays 80's music. She's into extremely 80's-sounding synth-heavy pop. The music she plays in dream realms is the music closest to her heart. This is the core of her musical tastes.

There's something subtly, inexplicably different about music made for cartoons vs contemporary popular music, even when they're trying to portray the same genres. I can't describe what that quality is, but it's there. Anyway, if the core of Mabel's musical tastes is rooted in or near Dream Boy High, then she probably listens to other 80s cartoon soundtracks.

She's into 2010s acts that are throwbacks to late-1990s boy bands. She'd probably also like actual 90s boy bands.

She's fluent in modern top 40 music—which is no doubt where she she picked up Sev'ral Timez. I see her as the kind of kid who just keeps the radio on all the time. (And I do mean the radio—she didn't get a phone til the end of last summer, we see her with CDs, she probably had a radio long before she tried streaming.)

She's also fluent in classic rock ballads, but it's not her preference. She's a "grew up listening to the radio stations her parents picked on a car ride" kid. I suspect her dad plays 70s/80s pop in the car (cementing her primary musical tastes) because there's another Pines into synth pop so I've decided it's genetic, and her mom plays the classic rock. Mabel knows Don't Start Unbelieving from Mabel & Mom karaoke nights.

Dipper: if Mabel grew up listening to her parents' picks on the car radio, so did he. This is where he picked up his love for BABBA. From this we can deduce that, if their dad is the 70s/80s pop music parent, their dad probably drives them around more than their mom. I think you could safely give him other disco bands as well.

He plays the sousaphone but every band kid I've ever known treats band more like a musical sport than like a musical genre—the super passionate ones might practice extra and might watch other bands' performances, but they didn't just sit around listening to marching band music for fun. However, he also practices during the summer, even though he's in another state and obviously not participating in any summer band activities, which suggests an unusual passion for marching band. I still don't think he just listens to marching band music for fun but he probably keeps hearing songs and going "oh wow I've never heard the original before, only the band version."

He picked up a couple of indie folk bands to try to impress Wendy but he's not super into them.

Ford: He was on the absolute cutting edge of new wave & synth pop in the 80s. He was into the obscure stuff. Somewhere in the shack is a pile of cassettes by new wave acts the rest of the world has completely forgotten. He and Mabel trade music recommendations: he gives her the obscure as hell stuff and she tells him about all the cool new* (*post-1982) bands he never got to see. Mabel prefers peppier songs and he prefers moodier songs but there's a HUGE overlap between their tastes.

In a better, portal-less world, Ford's taste in new wave would have had time to drift into dark wave and cold wave, and from there slid over sideways to discover goth rock. There's an unhatched trad goth somewhere in his soul. He should have been listening to Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, and The Cure. He should have gotten a black trench coat because he thought it would make him feel cool, not because he was an interdimensional criminal on the run. It's not too late for him to discover it now, but by now he should have made it miles beyond the major 80s goth rock acts, gone down half a dozen increasingly obscure genre alleys, and be burrowed deep into some weird sub-sub-sub-genre of EBM you and I have never heard of.

He has a love/hate relationship with All Star.

Stan: He liked hanging out at a 50s-themed diner in the 70s. He likes 50s music. I also think he picked up a fair amount of Spanish-language 50s rock-and-roll while abroad. Once like five years ago Soos overheard Stan playing a record and singing a song Abuelita plays and it cemented his ambition to reverse-adopt Stan as his dad.

Soos: Popular hip hop and anime/video game soundtracks. Every rap song he knows has been on the Billboard Hot 100 but on the other hand he has the demo version of the extended version of the ending theme of an anime from 2001 that was never fully released outside Japan and he's probably got a fifteen-minute story about why he knows this song even exists. He's puzzled through the shipping info of a Japanese CD website to get the official soundtrack of the most dogshit anime you could imagine. He's spent a week pouring through anime convention forums trying to track down a song he overheard someone use as their background music at a cosplay contest. Lots of 8-bit.

Wendy: You know the stomp clap hey genre? That. I have nothing further to add, you know what I'm talking about. Her heart yearns to escape to hipster city. She didn't even like Robbie's music when they were dating, she just thought it was cool he made it.

I'm not gonna go through every character I have headcanons for, you don't need all that on one post. Anyway, have a work in progress playlist. It's rigorously organized. "😀😀😀 Character Name 😀😀😀" is what each character would like listening to, "😀 Zodiac Symbol 😀" is songs about each character, "🪐🪐🪐 Flatland 🪐🪐🪐" is backstory stuff, "🌎 Earth 🌎" is either songs I need on this playlist for the vibes or songs that belong in one of the other categories but I haven't sorted them yet. Some of the sections are still empty. I think this is forgivable since the playlist is already 11 hours long.

[hollideon]

soothing tongue — knifeplay, aftercare, that robot has A Thing for blood

///

warm, wet, a bit abrasive. stinging, but in a comforting way. Bree's synthetic tongue glides slow across the open wounds on your back; short and shallow slices she herself left. you can't help but gasp and writhe, just a little bit, under the sensation.

"stop squirming, i need to make sure they're cleaned properly." firm, but still a bit teasing.

"are you sure this is part of it or do you secretly run on blood?" you ask, alternating between gasps and giggles.

sitting on the bed behind you, she tends to your back. you shudder as her razor-sharp metal talons play across your sliced-up skin. leftover combat hardware, she'd said. tame compared to the stuff they didn't let her keep. Bree — short for Breach and Clear, you've learned — was a field synth, a purpose-made combat android. lithe but still tall and imposing. metal and silicon and carbon fiber, she makes you feel especially fragile.

"my hardware doesn't, but it does give me something to get out of bed for." she says this jokingly, but you can hear the underlying hunger in her artificial voice. her tongue returns to your wounds and you gasp as the abrasive surface pulls on the edges of a particularly cruel cut. she slows herself though, caressing the aggravated wound with slow, gentle licks. the pain melts away.

"y-yeah but why do you have to lick them? they make you with antibacterial spit? sorry if that's um, a weird question."

her tongue pulls away, ever so slowly. "not at all, it's just like show and tell." she winks, like the iris of a camera. "it's simple really, just flush out the synthetic saliva and put a canister of antibacterial solution in instead."

"hehe, sounds like you've done this before."

"once or twice. i scare most humans off... and y'know, other synths don't bleed." she doesn't bother to hide the hunger in her voice now. Bree's tongue having not returned to your cuts, you turn your head to look up, behind you. even seated she looms above there, angular metal body glinting in the low light. the red glow of her eyes bore into you. tall and inhuman. a literal weapon. some part of your brain posits that this view of her is probably the last thing a lot of people ever saw.

"m-more for me," you stutter out, forcing a chuckle in an attempt to purge that moment of genuine fear from your mind.

"oh?~ you want more, do you?" her voice practically drips with sadism and those claws again dance ever so lightly down your sensitive back.

"pleeeease," you can't help but whine.

"cute, but you've had enough for today. besides," she says with another antibacterial lick, "i'm nearly done cleaning you up."

you continue melt under the care of her tongue, taking its time to give each and every cut and scratch the care it needs. stinging and soothing. so warm. though it felt strange at first, now you can't imagine a greater comfort.

a short time later, you and Bree sit together on your apartment's little balcony, your wounds properly cleaned and bandaged. the night air is cold — you share a blanket, though she doesn't need it.

[hustlerose]

Sorry for the spam likes today. Favorite jazz album?? I saw a post on your blog that mentioned Mingus ah um. That’s either my fave or Birth of Cool (Miles Davis does do my favorite version of On Green Dolphin Street). Though both are kinda basic choices I want to expand my listening.

so i'm gonna give you a few albums (and album-adjacent things) with the caveat that i haven't heard most of what's out there ^_^ i'm just a casual fan

ornette coleman - the shape of jazz to come

this album is on another level. the multiple layers of brass crisscross each other, playing dissonant chaos, then they rip into solos that could melt charlie parker's fingers. the bass shreds and stumbles up and down some wild assortment of scales. the drums patter out a frantic rhythm that somehow ties everything together.

it shouldn't make sense, but it feels so alive. you'll catch quotes from flight of the bumblebee over rainy oceans of rhythm. herds of wild animals shuffle back and forth in a forest painted by jackson pollock. and then whoever's not soloing yells "woo! alright!"

it's not even my favorite ornette coleman recording. that honor goes to this youtube upload of a live show in germany, 1978. the bass intro, instantly picked up by the drummer, is so electric. the haunting melodies, borrowed from the rite of spring, are traded from sax to guitar. the whole band feels like they're operating on instinct. this is what a basquiat painting SOUNDS like. like a genius artist drawing with their non-dominant hand. LITERALLY coleman plays a violin left-handed at one point. it's incredible.

john coltrane - my favorite things

trane puts so much panache into this simple little pop song. the opening chords are heavy with drama. the groove is insanely tight. every time he plays the melody, it's got a new rhythm, to the point where he seems to be playing a game with the listener. "how many ways can i get you to feel this groove?" the song is melted, bent, and stretched like molten glass, in a 13 minute display of total virtuosity

and that's just track 1!!!! this album is timeless. every second is as fresh and vibrant as it was in 1961

herbie hancock - headhunters

herbie has always been at the cutting edge of jazz fusion. this is his definitive statement on funk

this album is intensely rhythmic, laying out catchy melodies over funk foundations. the whole band seems to just be having a blast. the grooves are often busy and hypermelodic, with no room to breathe as everyone jams at once. it's like an all-night house party in a bouncy castle full of confetti

if you're a fan of japanese jazz like caseopia, or jazz-influenced video game music, this album will feel shockingly familiar to you. its wildly creative synth work, uplifting and colorful chords, and eclectic sound palette are all DECADES ahead of their time.

where would we be without herbie? i'd wager the entire global music landscape would be different. from hip hop to big beat to drum n bass, we all stand on the shoulders of giants. hancock is a titan. the giants that raise us up are standing on his shoulders

[everydayyoulovemeless]

Hancock, Nick, and Danse As Yandere's

➼ Word Count » 0.4k ➼ Warnings » Spoilers in Danse's, Drug Addiction, Isolation, Mentions of Getting Crippled, General Yandere Themes

Hancock is a very clingy yandere, he'll always want to be touching you in some way, whether that be him having his arm draped around your shoulders or his hand hovering on the small of your back. He just can't seem to get enough of you! He's so scared someone out there is going to corrupt or hurt you in some way, so to keep you close by, he'd get you addicted to something. He's got a solid supply of chems that come through Goodneighbor and would gladly use that to his advantage if it meant keeping you safe. Hancock also isn't above organizing assassinations if it meant that he'd be in better peace of mind over your safety. He doesn't want to hurt you in any way, his only goal is to keep you protected and somewhat sheltered from the horrors of the commonwealth.

“Feelin’ nervous? I know a little trick that could help fix that edge. Sure, it’s safe, and I’ve got plenty of it, all you’ve gotta do is stick by me. How’s that sound?”

Nick is so painfully aware that what he's feeling isn't love, but he's so subtle about it, and that makes him feel as if he's somewhat in the clear. The main thing that you'll notice with Nick is that he has a constant eye on you. He always seems to know where you're at, who you're with, or where you're going and he has no trouble throwing in his own input as a result. Usually, it's just snarky comments about the people you surround yourself with, although, they'll be common enough that you end up being influenced by them. Eventually, you'll cut off your loved ones one by one until it seems like you only have Nick left.

“The Commonwealths dangerous, doll, im just tryin’ to do what’s best for ya”

Danse is incredibly strict about who you're around, what you're doing, and where you're going. He's lost so many people close to him already, and he refuses to lose you, especially after all the support you showed him when he found out he was a synth. In his mind, you're the only person he has left―a savior of sorts, and he'd do anything to protect you from the rest of the world, even if it meant he'd have to do something drastic to ensure this. He's not afraid of locking you in a shed of sorts and keeping you there until you comply with his wishes. Just let him take care of you, he doesn't want to have to get aggressive to get you to listen. Danse's last resort would be to cripple you in some way so that it would be impossible for you to get away from him, then you'd really have to rely on him.

"That's enough, soldier, you're not going to do anything unless I'm there."

[sailoryooons]

Dominus | Drabble | kth (m)

☾ Pairing: demon!Taehyung x unnamed f. character

☾ Summary: Taehyung is a demon that has needs. Some of those needs include feeding off of fear and fucking until he's numb. Thankfully, he knows how to do those things at the same time.

☾ Word Count:  2,628

☾ Genre: Smut, pwp, strangers to one-night stand

☾ Rating: 18+ Minors are strictly prohibited from engaging and reading this content. It contains explicit content and any minors discovered reading or engaging with this work will be blocked immediately. 

☾ Warnings: PLEASE TAKE THESE WARNINGS SERIOUSLY. THIS DRABBLE INCLUDES INCREDIBLY DARK THEMES SUCH AS: explicit language, manipulation, power dynamics, explicit sexual content including spit play, breath play (intense choking), mentions of getting off on fear, unprotected vaginal sex, pet names (Tae calls her kitten), honorifics (she calls him dominus which means master in this world), masturbation (female) voyeurism, rough sex, orgasm control, light mentions of blood, no after care, mentions of alcohol and drugs, trance like state post sex, Taehyung is a demon and he is REALLY terrible in this - please read this IF YOU ARE OKAY WITH THE WARNINGS.

☾ Published: September 4, 2022

☾ A/N: This is a side drabble to my series Carved. The series is incredibly dark. You do not need to read the series to read this drabble, but it would make a teeny bit more sense. Carved Tae seems to have a lot of stans (cough cough myself included) so I decided to write this to get myself out of my intense writers block.

☾ Disclaimer: All members of BTS are faces and name claims for this story. This is entirely a work of fiction and by no means is meant to be a projection, judgment or representation of real-life people. Any scenarios or representations of the people and places mentioned in works are not representative of real-life scenarios.

Masterlist | Ask | Carved Series 

Glittering lights make Taehyung dizzy. He stares at them, coalescing purples and blues and pinks. They flicker in the fog of the club - or maybe it's the smoke that Jimin is blowing in the air as he breathes out vampire, luscious lips pursed. The smoke smells like candied fruit, pleasant among the smell of sweating bodies pressed against one another. 

Taehyung sips the blue drink. He has no idea what it is but he looks up at the lights and they are alive. Fuck. Synth makes the alcohol so much better. He is buzzing, his arms like TV static and head cottony. 

As usual, they have a private booth. It’s just Taehyung and Jimin tonight. It’s not unlike Jungkook to turn them down for a night out, especially now that he has that Carved to worry about. 

Not for the first time, Taehyung feels a rush of anger that he purchased her for Jungkook. He should have just bought her for himself. He could think of several things that he could do with her.

Taehyung adjusts the body chain laying down his middle. It loops around his neck and his waist, made from demon stone and Parthos steel. Though it glitters prettier than any other metal in the world, it could cut through Vanir skin and decapitate a Vaesen if pulled tight around the neck. 

Tan skin peeks out from the collar of his low cut shirt. The ruffle of his jacket snakes up the right side of his neck, curling around the back like a serpent on his shoulder. He’s always had exquisit taste: clothes, food, art, Vanir slaves, drugs. 

Tonight is no different. 

Spreading his legs wide, Taehyung runs his tongue on his bottom lip, and drags his dark gaze from the lights flashing over the dancing bodies to the lone Valkyrie in front of him. She sits rod straight, her gold eyes cast down. Taehyung taps the edge of his glass with his nail, slowly evaluating her from head to toe. 

Caramel skin covered in some cosmetic glitter that makes her shimmer like the drugs Jimin snorted earlier. White, leather skirt that does nothing to hide her generous ass or her little pink panties underneath. Tan planes of stomach that Taehyung wants to sink his teeth in. White, leather bralette, breasts spilling out the top.

Mouth watering. 

The valkyrie is afraid. Her fingers twist in her lap and she chews the inside of her cheek. She uses her dark hair, silky and smelling like rose to hide her face as her male companion climbs into Jimin’s lap. 

Taehyung has no mind for Jimin as he shoves his tongue down the witch’s throat. He stands up, stretching his long limbs. The room tilts on its axis and he laughs, utterly delighted by how fucked up he feels. 

As carefully as possible, he collapses onto the booth next to the valkyrie. She flinches and he grins further, slouching in the seat next to her so that he has to look up at her through his lashes, eyes round. 

“Hi,” he offers. Up close she smells like roses and vanilla - and fear. “You smell divine.”

“Thank you, dominus.” Her voice is soft and accented.

Taehyung resists the urge to bite his fist. Up close, he can make out the freckles across her nose and cheeks. The longer he stares, the more they appear. They move, swirling on her skin like constellations. He is hypnotized, open-mouth staring at her as the freckles dance. 

He blinks and they return to normal, unmoving and simple. 

“Why so afraid?” he murmurs. Taehyung’s head leans, almost resting on her shoulder. She glances at him and he bats his eyelashes at her. “You don’t have to be afraid of me. I’m harmless.” 

“You are powerful, dominus. It is difficult to be in the presence of greatness.” 

Liar, Taehyung thinks. He smiles, pointed canines on full display. She chews her inner cheek again. Taehyung slowly brings a finger to her cheek, brushing her skin. It’s so warm he almost moans, his eyes fluttering at the touch of her. 

To his pleasant surprise, her eyes shutter and she leans towards him a bit. He bites his bottom lip, dragging his fingers across her cheekbone and down the slope of her soft jaw. 

“You shouldn’t bite the inside of your cheek,” he whispers. “Might hurt yourself, kitten.” 

“I’m sorry, dominus.”

“Hmm. Don’t be.” 

Taehyung spreads his legs and pats his thigh. She hesitates for a moment and he drags his fingers up his dark trousers slowly before patting his thigh again - much higher this time. The valkyrie moves slowly, bottom lip between her teeth as she shifts. She throws her leg over his waist, facing him without meeting his eyes. Her ass settles on his cock and his blood thrums. 

Cold hands skate up and down her arms as he seeks the warmth of her skin. Taehyung is cold by nature, craving that warm blood rushing through her body. Her face isn’t hidden behind a curtain of hair now. Her eyes are large and round, button nose small on her heart-shaped face. She is the perfect Vanir: soft, supple, pliant, thrumming with vitality. 

Burning gold eyes that belong to the race of the valkyrie look at him tentatively. Her heart rate skips as Taehyung’s fingers settle on the hem of her skirt, brushing back and forth on the curve of her ass cheeks. 

Taehyung’s eyes go to her collar. It’s pink, a tiny E resting on the hollow of her throat, glittering with diamonds. He lifts one hand, going to her neck to trace the leather. She closes her eyes and sways in his lap. Taehyung smirks. 

“What’s the E for, hmm?”

Dark music pulses from the first floor. It hums through the floor, through Taehyung’s feet and through his ribcage. It’s a pleasant vibration, mixed with the alcohol and demon dust Jimin offered him before coming to the club. 

“Eden, dominus,” she whispers. “I belong to the club, dominus.”

“Such a pretty little thing, what a waste to be in this club.” Taehyung pouts up at her. He splays his hand at the base of her neck. He’s transfixed for a moment. His hand is so large in comparison to her delicate, tender neck. It would take a simple squeeze to end it all. Her little life is nothing in his hands. 

Instead of choking her to death like he wants, Taehyung tilts his head to the side. “Have you been treated well?”

“Of course, dominus.”

He tsks. “Come on, kitten. Be honest with me. You’re so afraid, sitting here with us. I don’t want that for you. I want you to feel safe. Has someone made you feel unsafe here?”

The valkyrie’s eyes water. She looks down, chewing on her bottom lip as she worries at the hem of her skirt. Taehyung gently brushes his hand from her chest to her bottom lip, pulling it lightly with his thumb. She stops gnawing at the flesh, but the damage is done. Her lips are roses and thrumming with the blood from the pressure of her teeth. 

“Some are rough, dominus. But it’s okay, we deserve it.”

“Hmm. Such a shame, to be rough with you. Do you like it here?”

“It is fine, dominus.”

Taehyung hums again. “What would you say if I offered to buy you?” Her wide eyes fly up to meet Taehyung’s. He hears the way her breathing stops. Starts again. Stops. Starts again. Her heart patterns like the wings of his father’s hummingbirds. “Your face is a waste here. You could come home with me.” 

“I-I am not good enough for a lord, dominus.”

Taehyung’s hand on her face goes rigid, gripping her chin harshly as he forces her to look at him. Her fear spikes, sour scent making Taehyung salivate. “I’m not a lord, kitten.”

He relaxes. Takes a deep breath. Caresses her skin for a while to get her to calm down. She melts into him after a time. 

“I don’t deserve it, dominus.” She whispers. She tangles her fingers together. Taehyung watches her, gaze fiery. “I’m just a Vanir. It would be an honor to be a part of your home, dominus.”

“We’ll do it then.” She looks up at Taehyung sharply. “When I leave, you’ll go with me.”

“Truly, dominus?” 

Taehyung gives her a wolfish grin. “I promise.” 

Bathrooms at Eden are pristine on the upper level. Taehyung doesn’t bother to lock the door. The valkyrie is looking around the room, eyes round like a doe. Taehyung watches her. The pink lights of the bathroom make her look magenta, her skin shimmering as she marvels at the vines and roses climbing up gold, carved mirrors.

A waterfall trickles behind Taehyung, the water spelled to be shimmering gold as it falls from the eyes of a weeping angel, hands clasped up to the sky. Foliage and flowers cover the walls, making the bathroom smell like jasmine and honeysuckle. It smells almost as delicious as the valkyrie who leans against the skin and looks at Taehyung with desire.

She opens her legs slightly, hips tilted up so he can see her panties. He grins ferally at her - perfect. 

“I bet you have the prettiest pussy,” Taehyung purrs. “Hmmm? Will you let dominus see?”

Sucking her bottom lip in her mouth, she nods. Slowly, she traces her hand under her skirt, pushing up the hem. Taehyung leans against the wall, legs spread with his hand resting on his cock. He’s hungry - not for food, but for the Vanir in front of him.

She pulls aside the delicate lace underwear and Taehyung smirks as she spreads her legs a little more. “Like this, dominus?” 

“Get on the counter.” 

She scrambles to listen to him. On the counter, she spreads her legs wide for him. He is fixated as she pulls the panties to the side again, opening herself up to him. She’s wet and pink. Taehyung hums in approval. 

“Play with yourself for me, kitten. Get it nice and wet so I can fuck that little cunt of yours.” Her chest starts rising and falling as she looks at him. He smiles. “Then we can go home, yeah?”

The valkyrie nods. She obeys immediately, hand tracing up and down her glistening folds. Taehyung strides forward, watching as her movements stop. He grins and leans over her mound, spitting directly onto her cunt before walking backward and leaning against the wall again. 

“Continue,” he says.

She complies, spreading the spit around her clit in lazy circles. He tells her to trace her hole with delicate fingers - she does. He tells her to pinch her clit - she does. She follows his every command, absolutely flushed and read all over, sweat beading on her brow as he has her edge herself.

Finally, Taehyung pushes himself off the wall. His movement is so quick that she barely tracks it, dazed as she looks up at him. Taehyung lifts her off the counter and throws her on her stomach. She lets out a soft sound of surprise and a whine as her forehead smacks the mirror glass. He ignores it in favor of unzipping his hands, stroking his heavy cock in his hand.

The valkyrie watches in the mirror. Taehyung is transfixed by the way his cockhead splits her hole. He grins, prodding her with the tip as she moans and clenches before he sinks into her on the upstroke, throwing his head back and gasping. 

Taehyung draws pretty little sounds from her mouth as he fucks into her cunt. He knows if he looks down in the mirror, he’ll see her eyes rolling back in her head. Her screams are of pleasure and border on pain as he digs his nails into the flesh of her ass, drawing blood. 

But he’s not watching her. He watches himself, watches the flush on his neck and the way his hair sticks to his forehead as she bends her further into the counter. Watches the veins throb and the way shadows begin to twist around him as he splits the valkyrie open. 

Her pussy flutters around him and he realizes she’s going to orgasm. Taehyung grabs her by the hair, pulling her back as he growls into her hair. “Don’t you dare fucking cum.” 

She whimpers in response, but nods. 

With one hand holding her down to drill into her, Taehyung uses his free hand to lift the loop of chain around his neck up and over his head. She lifts her head for him, watching him in the mirror as he drapes it around her head. 

Taehyung gathers the chain in his fist, pulling gently at first, just cutting off a little bit of air. She moans and he wraps the chain tighter, gripping it as he fucks into her harder, her hips slamming agaisnt the bathroom counter. 

The valkyrie pants against the mirror. Breath mists the glassy surface, her spit smearing across it as Taehyung shifts so that he’s leaning over her, pulling up on the chain and cutting off her air supply completely.

Taehyung begins to count the strokes it takes for her to panic. Someone enters the bathroom - a shinigami woman who gives him a grin in the mirror as she drifts to a stall. Taehyung barely acknowledges her as he twists the chain a fraction harder. 

“Cum,” Taehyung barks at her. 

Underneath him, the valkyrie’s hands curl into fists. She clenches around him once - twice and convulses, cumming with a scream and her last breath. 

He doesn’t stop. Cum drips down her legs, he can see it dripping down the tan flesh. 

It takes almost two minutes for her to start gasping for air. She grips the counter, red in the face as she fucking takes it. Taehyung feels a sliver of appreciation - a Vanir who knows not to fight back. A Vanir who takes what her master gives her, who pants against the mirror and lets her eyes roll back into her head. 

Another thirty seconds goes by and her heart begins to give out. 

It’s all he needs. Taehyung cums with a growl, letting go of the chain. The valkyrie gasps for air, sagging underneath Taehyung as he falls on top of her, crushing her into the sink.

For a few moments, Taehyung feels like he’s floating. There’s a buzz in his veins and his mind is somewhere else where it’s fuzzy and electric. The valkyrie doesn’t move under him, but he can feel her panting, struggling to catch her breath. She is still shaken from the choking and he grins, laughing as he finally pulls himself off of her.

The valkyrie melts to the floor like a puddle. She sags, still breathing heavily as she looks up at Taehyung. There are stars in her eyes as she watches himself tuck his cock into his pants. She smiles at him, dazed and delighted. There is spit all over her face, makeup running. A soft bruise has formed where she hit her head on the mirror. 

Rolling his shoulders, Taehyung heads to the door. 

“Dominus?” her voice is small behind him. He doesn’t even glance at her as he opens the door and lets himself out, leaving her dripping and disheveled. “Dominus wait!” 

Taehyung doesn’t wait. He walks back out into the cool interior of the club, the music swelling around him again. He stops by his booth - Jimin is gone. Taehyung doesn’t care. He knocks back one of the glasses full of blue liquid and snaps his fingers toward an attendant who shows him a bill. He doesn’t look at it - just flourishes the pen and heads toward the stairs.

As he passes the bathroom, he hears the valkyrie sobbing. 

Taehyung grins. 

[taste-in-music]

My Top 30 Songs of 2023

Hello everyone! Welcome back to my annual countdown of my 30 favorite songs of the year. 2023 had a lot of great music releases, and I’m so excited to recount the songs I returned to this year. And now, let us commence with the list!

Here are 10 additional honorable mentions: "Wide Eyes" by Loviet, "I Cry When You Sleep" by Pearly Drops, "Dreamgirl" by Father Koi, "My Love Mine All Mine" by Mitski, "Batman Song" by Cat Missal, "The Neighborhood" by Grace Enger, "I Been Young" by George Clanton, "Bright Red" by Ryan Beatty, "Dumbest Girl Alive" by 100 Gecs, and "The Narcissist" by Blur.

30. Angora Hills by Doja Cat: “Angora Hills,” a hit off Doja Cat's latest album Scarlet, is airy yet effortlessly self-assured, trading between quick-spit rap verses and a chorus of kitteny coos. But don’t get too lost in the sparkling keys and cutesy voicemails. There’s a spark, an edge, a darkness lurking in the murky bass and ominous synths which lends the song a greater intensity. “'Cause love is pain but I need this shit,” Doja Cat raps on the second verse, playing out cleverly rhymes romantic fantasies with an exhibitionist spin. “I wanna show you off,” she suggests on the song’s chorus, the red-hot desire roiling just beneath the surface.

29. Slut! by Taylor Swift: I think everyone was a little surprised hearing “Slut!,” the first vault track on 1989 (Taylor’s Version). When I first saw that title, I thought I was in for a catchy package of sassy one-lines and circa-2014 pop feminism. Instead, we got a tenderhearted ballad of wispy synths and Swift’s insightful musings on love in the limelight. Commentary does creep in (“Everyone wants him, that was my crime,”) but Swift focuses more on choice imagery of a love worth risking it all for: aquamarine swimming pools, thorny roses, and lovedrunk confessions. Sometimes, the most defiant thing is knowing that no matter how people might try to strip you of dignity, they’ll never be able to take your love away from you.

28. Nothing Matters by The Last Dinner Party: All-female British rock outlet The Last Dinner Party made a splash in 2023 with their confrontational yet exuberant debut single “Nothing Matters.” For a song with such a nihilistic title, it packs a punch of gravitas and a wry sense of humor. Lead vocalist Abigail Morris knows just when to heighten the melodrama, stretching the word “sailor” into “say-lahr” and belting the final refrain to the high heavens: “You can hold me like you held her / And I will fuck you like nothing matters.” In the music video, the group stomps around a gothic mansion in frilly petticoats and leather boots, tearing up feather mattresses and lip synching down to a camera positioned six feet deep in a grave. It all exhibits a keen ability to balance out the toughness with a cheeky wink, making it clear the group is only just getting started.

27. Running Out Of Time by Paramore: Much of Paramore’s sixth album This Is Why tears into the absurdity and stress of modern life. On “Running Out Of Time,” Hayley Williams captures the breakneck speed of life accelerated by packed schedules and the 24 hour news cycle, describing a self-destructive ouroboros of trying to catch up with the clock, doing her best to do good and always coming up short. “Intentions only get you so far,” she sings, “What if I’m just a selfish prick…?” It captures the stress and self-doubt, but also the conviction to keep moving forward despite it all. Williams provides a spirited performance as always, her vocals cutting through a pop rock groove that provides just enough energy to keep you from falling down the doom spiral completely.

26. Designated Driver by Taylor Janzen: Taylor Janzen’s debut album I Live In Patterns offered up several tracks which balanced heartfelt lyrics with propulsive pop flourishes, but it was “Designated Driver” that maintained the most momentum for me throughout this year. Atop a steady thrum of shimmering synths, Janzen unpacks her mixed feelings on being the "dependable friend," cracking under the pressure like a windshield. As the song builds, Janzen unveils the self-doubt eating away at her, where the raw emotions draw the other person in to detrimental effect: “you put your trust in a daydream / ’cause you love this dying part of me.” Janzen has the acute ability to put language to even the most obscure shades of anguish and giving them a more anthemic spin. “Designated Driver” is the song you can blast to get you through the grief, even as the toxicity shrinks away in the rearview.

25. One Of Your Girls by Troye Sivan: “One Of Your Girls” is a song so smooth that it’s easy to miss the melancholy which saturates its sparkling chords and clever lyrics. Troye Sivan taps into unrequited desire atop a lush, bassy thrum, describing a love interest who “everybody wants,” but who needs to keep their queerness covert. Sivan ushers in the song’s sing-along chorus with a languid sigh, glazing his voice in vocoder to keep the ache at bay: “Give me a call if you ever get desperate," he relents, "I'll be like one of your girls.” Pair it with a gender-bending music video, and you’ve got a song that delves into just how far a person might go obscure the hurt and save face.

24. I Need A New Boyfriend by Charly Bliss: It’s been four years since Charly Bliss’s last album Young Enough, and in 2023 they blasted back onto my radar with the scuzzy, snarky single “I Need A New Boyfriend.” This time, Charly Bliss sprinkle their anthemic rock sound with a touch of hyperpopping, bleep-blorping synths and churning electric guitars. Frontwoman Eva Hendricks laments her loser lover who grouches through parties and gives backhanded compliments, her observations both witty and scathing: “It took me three years but I finally figured it out / I’m just too fun for him,” “’Cause even though we had a five year plan / I couldn’t stay with him another minute.” By the song’s riotous end, you’ll also have the conviction to kick such soul suckers to the curb.

23. Feather by Sabrina Carpenter: It’s rare that a bonus track from a deluxe edition from an album is the source of a pop artist’s ascent to stardom. Rare, but not impossible. Case and point: “Feather,” the floaty bonus track from the deluxe edition of Sabrina Carpenter’s fifth album emails I can’t send. A downy kiss-off about leaving an ex in the past, Carpenter dreamily narrates the steps to her ghosting process over a softly strut beat of key glissandos and memorable ad-libs. It’s the humorous side of “Feather” that makes it a notable hit in Carpenter’s catalogue, the touches of sarcasm cut through the sweetness and showcase her multifaceted charisma as a performer. That little chuckle she lets out as she says “I’m so sorry for your loss” is the stuff superstars are made of.

22. LEFT RIGHT by XG: There was a handful of weeks back in the spring where every iota of my brain space was taken up by XG. The global girl group broke through with videos of the group’s rappers adding their own verses onto iconic modern beats, (group leader Jurin’s verse over ROSALÍA’s “SAOKO” is a bop and a half.) In a departure from the bombastic samples and in-your-face performances of those videos, XG takes a subtler approach on “LEFT RIGHT,” an ebullient blend of R&B and pop that goes down easy but has the same insidious ability to get stuck in my head. The lyrics are goofy yet earnest enough to make up for it. This boy has the narrator’s heart “Spinnin’ round and round / Just like my Pirellis, burning on the ground.” When a love is so strong it can pull you any direction, you’ve got no choice but to kick into gear and let the vibes carry you away.

21. Hummingbird by Metro Boomin ft. James Blake: When I took my seat in the theater to watch Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse, the second installment in Sony’s stunning animated superhero franchise, I knew the music was going to slap, (the needle drop for “What’s Up Danger” from the first movie is one of my all-time favorites.) While the soundtrack has many a banger, it was ultimately the tender hearted “Hummingbird” that I latched onto. James Blake lends his silky soft vocals to wistfully pine for a love that always remains just out of reach. Metro Boomin elevates the distance Blake describes with spacious and spacey production, dappled with piano and a chirpy sample of Patience & Prudence's "Tonight You Belong to Me." It’s a love song that spans time and space, across the Spider-Verse and well beyond.

20. Patty's Diner by Upstate: “Patty’s Diner” by Upstate came to me via a recommendation from a friend, (shoutout @bellamysgriffin) and I don’t know whether to thank or throttle her for it, because it’s one of the most potent tearjerkers I’ve heard in recent memory. Upon my first listen, I found the song to be starkly understated, nothing but a plucked guitar and traded verses from both lead vocalists. The central character is Patty, a diner owner who passed away from cancer. Now, her memory lives on in late-night radio commercials and fading recollections of her kindness, all recounted with a melancholy shrug. In its staggering simplicity, “Patty’s Diner” captures something potent about the grief we hold for loved ones: it can come with a smile as well as tears. Take a page from Patty’s book and keep pushing forward. What else are we supposed to do?

19. There It Goes by Maisie Peters: On her sophomore album The Good Witch, Maisie Peters writes a lot about the breakup experience. A whole number of spunky kiss-offs from that record could’ve landed on this list, but as the autumn chill locked in for the final months of the year, I found myself more and more drawn to the album’s penultimate moment of reprieve. “There It Goes” shows Peters letting go of the relationship by pivoting towards self-improvement. Atop a warm strummed guitar groove, she lists off the steps to reconnecting with her friends and herself: going to yoga class, reading novels, stumbling through the streets of Stockholm. Much of The Good Witch focuses on the thunder of emotions which come from heartbreak. “There It Goes” is the calm after the storm. It demonstrates the much harder to describe but no less essential development that happens after growing apart: growing up.

18. Only Love Can Save Us Now by Kesha: On her latest album Gag Order, Kesha pivoted from the party anthems that put her on the map in favor of a sparer, darker sound. Then halfway through the album, “Only Love Can Save Us Now” swings in to prove that Kesha can still serve up a barn-burning banger if she wants, and thank god she does. On “Only Love Can Save Us Now,” Kesha unloads a list of unapologetic declarations over a typewriter-clack beat, each line wry and searing: “Yeah, I'm possessive / Maybe I'm possessed, bitch / Fuck yeah, I'm selfish / Shut up, eat your breakfast.” The chorus kicks in with a rollicking guitar, gospel choir, stomping drums, and jangly pianos which all lend a folksy intensity. “I don’t got no shame left,” Kesha sings in the song’s final moments, “Baby, that’s my freedom.” It’s a moment of deft catharsis on an album so heavily defined by what it holds back, a defiant invitation to exorcise your regrets and then invite your demons to come and join the dance party.

17. Mother Nature by MGMT: It’s been five years since MGMT’s last album Little Dark Age, and it feels like I’ve lived a whole lifetime since then. “Mother Nature,” the lead single off their fifth album Loss of Life, shows that MGMT have seemingly grown as much as I have. The song is warm and welcoming, built from sunshiny strummed guitars I’d usually expect from Alex G or Big Thief. But the stargazing, larger-than-life scope of the group’s past work remains, merging the mundane with the magical. “I wrote the fairytale on the midnight drive,” Andrew VanWyngarden sings in the song’s opening moments, “Wanting to know if I'm more than alive.” The rest of the song walks this line between enchantment and ennui, alluding to a greater darkness looming just beyond the horizon. The bridge makes a swing for the anthemic, describing a castle siege over scuzzy wails of distorted synth, a last swipe for hope “before the fantasy is cast into the fire.” I can’t wait to hear how “Mother Nature” fits into Loss of Life, but it’s a song that is determined to live life to the fullest, even in the most barren of landscapes.

16. brrr by Kim Petras: Over the past few years, Kim Petras has become one of the pop landscape’s most audacious players, knowing when to wallop her listeners with unrestrained discussions of sexuality and when to play it coy. She finds a perfect balance between these realms on “brrr.” Built off a beat of squelchy synths and throbbing bass, “brrr” is equal parts daring and alluring. Petras addresses a love interest who puts up thick walls of ice around their heart and makes it clear that she sees right through the charade. “I’m not one to be afraid,” she lilts teasingly on the pre-chorus. Instead of being put off, she buys in, the implication clear as she delivers the title line with a wink and a smirk: “...you think you’re so cold, brrr.” Leave it up to Petras to make even the iciest of imagery steamy as hell.

15. labour by Paris Paloma: It starts with a low male voice, way back in the mix, counting her in on four. Then, the storm clouds roll in. On social media, “labour” by Paris Paloma has been deemed an anthem of female rage, but unlike the immediate, memetic quality of its viral peers, “labour” understands that rage needs time to simmer before it explodes. Paloma airs out every grievance of how this women’s work batters us in body, mind, and spirit, ruthlessly recounting bursting capillaries, cracked skin, every bullshit archetype and patriarchy-serving expectation thrown our way. Paloma knows that at the end of the day, no amount of spectacle could hit harder than the all-too-simple truth at the song’s core: “It’s not an act of love if you make her / you make me do too much labour.” Her vocals layer and layer until the final chorus slams into you like a tidal wave of anger, and by the song's final moments, Paloma has made the narratives made to hold us back into something wholly her own.

14. Nymphs Finding the Head of Orpheus by Nicole Dollanganger: Of all the tales Nicole Dollanganger spins on her album Married In Mount Airy, “Nymphs Finding the Head of Orpheus” is by far one of the most elusive. Dollanganger offers up a foreboding atmosphere of feather-light strings and dark ambient reverb. The imagery centers on rebirth, the baptismal potential of a tepid pool, bodies reclaimed by nature. It has little to do with the gory bacchanal of the mythical moment in the title, but the insinuation remains, seeping in at the seams to suggest violence and regeneration as potentially interconnected. On an album so concerned with all the evils of men, perhaps the most terrifying thing of all is what lies beyond our standard perception of human actions, of nature locked in shadow. On "Nymphs Finding the Head of Orpheus," Dollanganger offers a glimpse of this disembodied face in the darkness, one  we’ll never be able to truly know.

13. Sandrail Silhouette by Avalon Emerson: "Sandrail Silhouette" opens DJ Avalon Emerson's album & The Charm, reintroducing a new side of her craft. A departure from the electronic spin of her past work, the song feels organic yet gleaming, constructed of a move-and-shaker groove of rich strings, shuffleboard keys, and gloaming skids of bass. Emerson’s vocals waft over the landscape with the calming timbre of someone telling a bedtime story, stringing lyrics together like beads on a friendship bracelet. It’s an environment that’s easy to get lost in, so much so that it hit November before I even bothered to ask, what even is a "sandrail silhouette?" I have no clue, but it’s not so much about the words themselves as it is about the feelings they evoke, a wistful nostalgia that is aching yet hopeful. This feeling comes across in obtuse details (“Go ask a sequoia”) and stunning clarity alike (“Tell me I got more time / When all my friends are having daughters.”) Like the yearning for the past Emerson describes, my love for this song is hard to put into words. It’s easier to just sit back and let myself feel it.

12. WHAT A MAN by DEBBY FRIDAY: “WHAT A MAN” by DEBBY FRIDAY simply slams so fucking hard. I don’t know what else to say. From the very first listen I came to immediate conclusion that it slammed into oblivion and was one of my favorite songs of 2023. "WHAT A MAN" unfurls like an erotic noir thriller, all churning bass and musings on a love that’s slipped the narrator’s fingers. DEBBY FRIDAY’s lyrics are obtuse yet evocative, contributing to the seductive atmosphere: “I held a heart / It wasn’t mine / When he came looking / I wasn’t kind.” Stacks of escalating synths ratchet up the tension until all hell breaks loose on the back of a scorching electric guitar solo that’d make Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Phantom of the Opera jealous he didn’t come up with it first. It’s the kind of song that rips loose and is over all too fast, asking for forgiveness in the aftermath of ruin, and never, ever permission.

11. Top Dog by Magdalena Bay: Hands down the best pop song of the year to reference Laura Dern, a race that should by all means be a lot more competitive than it is. From its opening references to the actress, synth pop duo Magdalena Bay make it clear that this isn't a song where they're going to be taking themselves too seriously. Everything about "Top Dog" oozes lackadaisical confidence, all with a cheeky wink to the listener. Against a backdrop of strummed guitars, they pepper in samples of cameras snapping and, fittingly, dogs woofing. Not only that, but they also add in a healthy dose of aughts nostalgia with a synth palette that feels directly pulled from dial-up bleeps, Motorola ringtones, and 8-bit power-ups. Mica Tenenbaum’s vocals are a pitch-perfect balance of airy nonchalance and self-satisfaction, traversing through the goofy canine metaphors without once sounding like she’s forcing a punchline to land. It makes for a song that’s loopy, loping, and effortlessly fun.

10. Honey by Samia: It’s hard to pin down what makes the title track of Samia’s sophomore album so special. “Honey” is subtle yet anthemic, an ever-growing conviction coming into fruition over the song’s duration. “I’m not scared of sharks / I’m not scared to be naked / I’m not scared of anything,” Samia sings in the song’s opening moments, going on to narrate a continual climb towards self-confidence and determination. My favorite detail is the gradually growing backing chorus which appears and reappears with more intensity with each new iteration of the song’s main refrain. “It’s all honey,” Samia repeats, over and over at the song’s close. All the times I’ve listened to this song, and I still haven’t pinned down an exact meaning for that line, but maybe that’s the point. The nonchalance, the uncertainty, the acceptance that no matter where life takes us, it's sure to be sweet.

9. Welcome To My Island by Caroline Polachek: In the opening moment of Desire, I Want To Turn Into You, Caroline Polachek shows off the titanic potential of her voice, letting out a dexterous, breathtaking belt that warps and careens into the stratosphere. Even if the song was just comprised of its first thirty seconds, it’d probably still be on this list. But then, of course, there’s the rest of “Welcome To My Island,” a facetious introduction to the sonic space Caroline Polachek will go on to explore over the rest of the album. Over a glimmering, twitchy beat, Polachek half-raps, half-belts a series of pitches for her personal paradise of waving palm trees and placid oceans. On the song’s bridge, she gets more vulnerable, revealing the pathos amongst the phthalo blues: “I am my father’s daughter in the end,” she sings like she’s on the brink of tears, “no nothing’s gonna be the same again.” But when the groove snaps back over an outro of brassily tuned guitars and defiantly chanted “hey hey hey”s, it’s clear that Polachek’s island is worth booking an extended stay, self-doubt be damned.

8. bad idea right? by Olivia Rodrigo: “bad idea right?,” the second single on Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album GUTS, followed on the heels of operatic ballad “vampire” by not following it at all. Like the preceding sophomore single “deja vu,” it’s snarkier, wonkier, and (in my opinion,) way more engaging. While Rodrigo undeniably knows how to pen and pull off a dramatic power ballad, her comedic chops deserve recognition too. On “bad idea, right?” she chattily recounts a night of terrible decision making, tossing out hilarious, memorable one-liners at a dizzying rate: “…you're callin' my phone, you're all alone / And I'm sensing some undertones,” “I only see him as a friend / (The biggest lie I ever said,)” “I just tripped and fell into his bed.” The production ups the ante with a strutting bassline, ad-libs which drive every line home like Rodrigo’s inner monologue coming to life, and a squealing guitar solo in the song’s back end. " All in all, "bad idea right?" captures the tumultuous clownery that having a crush conjures up, self-aware embarrassment colliding with lovesick horniness that makes you look a wealth of poor choices the eye and brush it off with a “fuck it, it’s fine.”

7. Echolalia by Yves Tumor: Echolalia is baby babble, the sounds humans make when they don’t have a grasp on language, but still need to communicate some innate need. On their latest album Praise A Lord Who Chews, But Which Does Not Consume (Or, Simply, Hot Between World,) Yves Tumor taps into these primal urges, transmogrifying them to a cosmic level through the medium of phychedelic rock. Such is the case on slow burning second single “Echolalia,” a hazy whirlwind of devotion and desperation. “Looked up to god,” they sing in the first verse, “You looked so good.” Tumor’s voice stays in their husky lower register, gritted out with hushed intensity over an alluring blend of gleaming synths, burning bass, and heaving breaths. “The way I’m thinking, is this unnatural?” they inquire in the song’s final moments, then lay their hesitations to waste in the heat of the moment, “you look so magical." At its most intense, “Echoloalia” strips away the set dressing of pretty words and veneers, unveiling the desire, hunger, and everything that simmers just below the surface, begging to break free.

6. Casual by Chappell Roan: I’ve long bemoaned how many a great pop album has been brought to a screeching halt by a ballad haphazardly thrown in to make things more “emotional.” A pop artist holds genuine promise to me when they’re able to clear this hurdle and make an album’s slower moments just as compelling as the bops. I'm glad to announce that Chappell Roan pasts this test with “Casual,” a mid-album on her debut album The Rise and Fall Of A Midwest Princess. On "Casual," slower pace of the song provides space to let Roan's simmering frustrations with a one-sided situationship reach a breathtaking boiling point. Roan pines for something more official with a girl who insist on having “no connections,” pointing to front seat cunnilingus sessions and dinner dates with her maybe-belle’s parents as proof that they're much more than a casual fling. Eventually, Roan just can’t take it anymore. “I hate that I let this drag on so long,” she confesses at the top of her lungs, “you can go to hell.” It’s testament to Roan’s promise as an emergent pop force that she can establish compelling stakes which make the emotions of her ballads tangible, never skippable.

5. A&W by Lana Del Rey: I already gushed about “A&W” back in March for how it showcases Lana Del Rey’s versatility as a performer, her veracity as a lyricist, and her astuteness in curating her personal history. As the year progressed, “A&W” kept pulling me back into its tumultuous depths, trying to parse its meaning and always falling just a bit short. Over the course of the song’s two-part structure, Lana Del Rey deftly maps a trajectory from childhood innocence to reckoning with how the world will wolf women down without mercy, their physical bodies exploited as their humanity goes unseen. “It's not about havin' someone to love me anymore,” Del Rey states, “No, this is the experience of bein' an American whore.” Lana Del Rey has grappled with these themes of for her whole career, walking the line between nostalgic recollection and ironic deconstruction, but on “A&W” they sharpen into focus and hit both the heart and gut like never before. That switch up into the second half of the song still sends a chill down my spine every time it’s ushered in on the back of those skittering trap drums and roiling bass. “A&W” is everything that makes Lana Del Rey Lana Del Rey, it's alluring, eerie, it’s Venice, bitch, and it’s one of her best songs, period.

4. Boy's a Liar Pt. 2 by Pinkpantheress ft. Ice Spice: When I listen to “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” by Pinkpantheress featuring Ice Spice, I feel the popular music landscape shifting beneath my feet. A strange thought to have about a song that’s so pointedly small in scope. Even with the Ice Spice verse extending the length of “Boy’s a Liar,” the song just barely exceeds two minutes. Given such restrictions, the amount of detail both artists manage to cram in is nothing short of impressive. Pinkpantheress jam-packs the beat with bouncy synths and a drum pad which races like a fluttering pulse. Ice Spice spends most of her verse telling off the useless titular liar, but adds in a one-two punch of vulnerability near the end with a heartened confession: “…I don't sleep enough without you / And I can't eat enough without you / If you don't speak, does that mean we're through?” “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” is more than just a rare remix that exceeds the quality of the first installment. It’s the bona-fide hit of the TikTok generation that feels fully born of the app’s tendencies, it’s mile-a-minute pacing, nostalgic skew, casual intimacy, and brutal honesty all rolled up into an inescapable earworm. I’d take part three in a heartbeat.

3. Psychedelic Switch by Carly Rae Jepsen: Throughout her career, Canadian pop connoisseur Carly Rae Jepsen has captured love from all angles, rendered its scope of e•mo•tion in a slew of shades. “Psychedelic Switch” off her latest album The Loveliest Time shows her setting the disco ball to spin, covering the entire spectrum of light and color in one go. Over a pulsing, dance-floor ready beat, she swirls together metaphors with the precision of a gourmet mixologist, taking odds and ends of all things dreamy to capture the onset of a whirlwind romance. This love is like a psychedelic trip. It’s like lucid dreaming. It’s like meditating. It’s sunsets and paradise and coming home. It's the all-encompassing rush of euphoria that only pop music can capture. Jepsen finishes off the concoction with a dash of sighing violins, a twist of bass throbbing like a heartbeat, and a couple drops of reverb-washed ad-libs. Every one of Jepsen’s album cycles has the fan-favorite standout to add to her growing canon, and from the very first listen I knew “Psychedelic Switch” had cemented itself within her ranks of cult classics.

2. Not Strong Enough by boygenius: When Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker announced their first full-length project as the singer-songwriter supergroup boygenius, the record, (the record,) had the aura of something larger than life, a culmination of three generational talents celebrating their chemistry as collaborators. If there is any song on the album that captures this magic, it’s “Not Strong Enough,” a song which burst out of the gate sounding like an instant classic. “Not Strong Enough” chronicles the search for identity amidst uncertainty, the line “I don’t know why I am / The way I am” may just be its driving force. And boy does it drive, as the singers search for clues listening to The Cure while drag racing down canyon highways, skipping old exits, roving out in search of a meaning that may never materialize. This freedom and frustration culminate on the bridge, where Dacus’s mastery of vocal dynamics takes center stage. “Always an angel / Never a god,” she sings, starting off with a whiff of timidity before escalating to belt it up to the heavens, backed up with stunning harmonies from her peers. An angel may only ever be second-best, only ever identified through its relation to a higher power, but that just makes the journey towards self-actualization more transcendent.

1. Sepsis by Blondshell: For the longest time, I was determined to put any other song but “Sepsis” at the number one spot on this list. Initially, my pick from Blondshell’s self-titled debut was “Kiss City,” an amazing song, but sadly not the one I played over and over, screaming along because the lyrics hit too damn close to home. Much of Blondshell grapples with addiction, and on “Sepsis,” Sabrina Teitelbaum explores how the validation one gets through situational flings is one hell of a drug. Atop the ebb and flow of electric guitar, she interrogates the tendency to keep returning to a man she should be avoiding, a dick with a front-facing cap who’s bad in bed. Still, she keeps coming back, pissed therapist be damned, because “if I’m in love, nothing hurts.” Teitelbaum hones these observations through the metaphor of curing ailments and fast-acting sickness, “he’s going to start infecting my life / it’ll hit all at once like sepsis.” It’s a metaphor which exposes how self-destructive these habits are. “What if I’m down to let this kills me?” she howls at the apex of the bridge before, the sentence slurring into a frustrated scream as the entire song tumbles back into a cavalcade of fiery chords. If there’s anything “Sepsis” and my relationship to it proves, it’s that confronting these unhealthy habits is difficult, but essential. Sometimes, you’ve got to recognize that these coping mechanisms aren’t a “cure” and are only “making it worse.” It’s only then that true healing can begin.

Thank you so much to anyone who has interacted with this blog over the past year. I hope you all are having a happy holiday season!. My top 10 albums list should be out soon. See you then!

[omnybus]

I've mentioned before that I love robots, and Fallout 4 has some nice robot designs, especially with the Automatron DLC. The Gen 1 Synths have always caught my eye ever since I first saw them in the original trailer, and I do like the look of them for the most part. I like how they manage to make a robotic endoskeleton android that's distinct from the T-800 Terminator, another favorite of mine. They look more spindly and skeletal, with their limbs looking like real-world prosthetics and their "guts" that look like a cross between a computer tower and a car engine. The only parts of their design that I don't care for are how their teeth are all perfectly flat and identical like piano keys, and their feet end in three equal-sized, claw-like toes. I mean they're supposed to be "mankind redefined", so why does that involve giving them weird metal lizard feet?

The Gen-2 synths are interesting too, though not as much as the Gen-1s. I don't normally care for robots that just look like a regular human but with a different skin color and a bunch of seams all over their body- part of the reason I find robots cool is seeing the various parts that make up their joints and limbs and how they move and articulate. The Gen-2 Synths' skin is a bit more interesting than most, with their seams having a thick, rough edge to them, and the texture and color gives them a more Frankenstein-esqe look, as if the Institute cut up sheets of actual human flesh and then molded them into shape over their body. Though it does sort of lack the same cold, machine-like precision that the rest of the institute's technology seems to be designed with in mind. Still, being able to shoot off bits of their skin to reveal the machinery underneath is quite a sight; that's a trope I especially enjoy seeing in any context. Of course, speaking of their insides, while I like it in concept, the thin metal lattice that the skin sits on doesn't look quite right to me. In-game it just makes them look more visually busy, and there doesn't seem to be any articulation built into them, just thin ribbons of steel bending at the joints.

And of course the less said about the Institute's ugly-looking toilet seat armor the better. I mean I kind of like the simple brace-like hinges on the arm and leg armor, and I get that they were going for a no-frills, super-efficient design, but the rest of the armor looks so uncomfortable and impractical as armor, with huge gaps in vulnerable places and parts that barely cover anything, especially at the joints and chest.

[youreyesarelikedoves]

maybe im getting old but charli's brat album was overall disappointing to me. to have a major pr move like hosting partygirl got my hopes up for an album that would bring innovations from the electronic dance music world into a pop structured piece. sadly, brat fell short. the partygirl versions of the tracks are way more fun.

also i think she seems like a cool and genuine person but i really did not want a confessional album after lanas confessional era. im not going to make a moral judgement on the impulse to get raw and real with the fans but im not looking for intimacy when i listen to charli especially not in the form of brat's spoken word poetry style vocals at points. it put me off.

i understand its currently a project of charli's to grow a fanbase in the red scare pilled women community (ie inviting dasha to partygirl and writing lyrics about a "lana del rey" "anorexic" "gold cross necklace daddy" "nyc""problematic" girl) but it seems misguided because those girls are fueled on hating on sincerity basically as an ideology so to mix the two would maybe only appeal to a younger crowd of aforementioned type of woman who reblogs lace curtains or something. no hate btw.

charli has made public that she was once a tumblr girl for a decade now, so it would make sense she would want to write an album for the younger generation of tumblr girls, but relying off specific transient cultural motifs felt alienating to me.

there were cute moments. pretty synth sounds in sympathy is a knife. mean girls had some of ag cooks britpop composition in it, which reminds me of lightning lipgloss life both of which are really nice.

charli says in the album that she wants to get married and have kids and settle down. i appreciate her service in consistently delivering cutting edge pop and electronic and ive always appreciated her tastes in producers. i hope she can do that now and be happy. no use in doing something youre tired of, which she herself says she is.

[fallout4-reacts]

How about Companions react to a sole who cries in their sleep? Thx for doing the lords work

Hooo how cute! It will be with pleasure, I really hope you'll like it!

And Felicitations! You're the first!

Cait :  They set up a rudimentary camp under a pillar of the old highway. The road was long; barely the fire lit and the area safe, Sole fell asleep. Cait prefers to lengthen the evening with a good crooked brobov. That’s how she becomes aware, barely an hour later, of a strange sound. It’s like a muffled squeak. Really not usual of this kind of sound, Cait gets up slowly, wondering what creature can produce something so strange. She then realizes that the sound comes from the Sole’s sleeping bag and worries about what might be attacking them. She grabs a stick dragging near the fire and lines up to hit swift and hard… when she realizes that its Sole themselves that seems… cry? Like a child? Cait has a vague memory of having already cried, a long time ago. In fact, while crouching near Sole, she remembers too well a distant time when she was crying, curled up in the bottom of her bed, a habit she soon lost because the slightest weakness was deadly when she became a combat slave. She hesitates for a long time, then advances an uncertain hand towards her friend’s shoulder. “Eh?” Sole wakes up, shocked, and quickly wipes they cheeks covered with tears. “Sorry. I guess I was dreaming of… finally… before.” Cait makes a grimace, uncertain of how to react, but she decides to pat (awkwardly) Sole’s shoulder as a sign of comfort. “It’s going to be okay. We have all our moments… I guess.” Sole grips her and leads her in a hug to break the back of a bear and Cait immediately regrets having wanted to comfort the other. Finally, after a few seconds, she hugs them back.

Codsworth : The poor butler walks back and forth in Sanctuary’s kitchen. He heard Sole crying there, at the end of the hall, but even though he knew how to develop his small personality during the 200 years he spent waiting, he wonders where the line between servant and companion is. He cuts himself off from the only thing he can do: make tea. He actually prepares three kinds: one to calm the nerves, one to improve the mood, and one to help them regain sleep. After reflection, he mixes the three, then takes the cup and finally decides to enter the main chamber.  "Madam/Sir?" Sole shakes, surprised to feel they cried. "Hm. Codsworth. What time is it?" "3am. But since you seemed to have a disturbed sleep, I made tea to help you." "That’s nice, Codsworth. You’re a real friend." Codsworth feels excitement when Sole makes this statement. A friend? A friend. He gives the cup to Sole and then goes back to the kitchen to clean.

Curie (synth) : Curie has read much research on human emotion and knows that sleep disturbed by negative feelings means a repression of emotions. She decides to sit on the edge of Sole’s bed, gently shaking her friend to wake them up. Sole quickly wipes away their tears, embarrassed to be surprised in such a situation.

"Don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal in your situation to have these moments. According to Freud— "Curie, it’s okay. I’m going to skip an essay on human psychology at 3 a.m." "So, do you want a hug?" Sole hesitates, embarrassed, then reaches out. The synth is rather good for giving comforting hugs, and soon, Sole finds a calmer sleep. If romanticized, Curie and Sole would snuggle in each other’s arms to end the night, with Curie sliding her fingers into Sole’s hair while they fell asleep.

Danse : (PreBB) Danse knew a lot of soldiers sobbing at night for miles and a reason in barracks. But none was really his friend. He knows that the best procedure to follow is to wake the subject up, give them water to drink, and get them to talk about what’s upsetting them. But with Sole, he feels a bit embarrassed. He doesn’t know why. He feels that he himself feels something strange in the presence of his friend, but he has trouble understanding why he is so moved to hear them cry. However, he has to react. He shakes Sole’s shoulder and addresses them perhaps a little too abruptly without looking at them. "Soldier, you’re crying." "Shit, Danse, I’m sorry." "Want to talk about it?" "Not really, no. But thank you. It was horrible." Danse awkwardly holds a bottle, always without looking at them. "Drink, go back to sleep. But if ever… if you ever feel the need to talk about it, know that I... I am here. We are mission companions, and I would not want to know you are indisposed." "In your personal language, I understand you’re worried, Danse?" "Hrm. Drink, sleep." "Thank you, friend, good night." "Good night, and… sweet dreams. Danse (PostBB if romanced) : Danse turns into a half-sleep and surrounds Sole with his protective arms, attracting them in a bear hug. Sole immediately feels good and safe, finding a more peaceful sleep. The next morning, Danse tries to make Sole talk, and he opens slowly on what disturbed them. Over the course of the day and even the following days, Danse helps Sole make peace with their repressed emotions by using all the tricks he knows from his experience gained in the Brotherhoods.

Deacon : Deacon observes Sole sleeping over the campfire, and his face is irritated, but not because of Sole. He is irritated because he feels powerless to assist his companion. What would he say to them? Lies? Trying to help people to confront their problems at the risk of bringing up his own demons? No, let them sleep and hope that all will be forgotten the next day. If romanced, Deacon slowly awakens Sole. "Eh. I'm not sure who you were dreaming about, but you know the rules: you can only beg me, and only during sex." Sole laughs, a little surprised and taken aback. They see that their cheeks are swollen with weeping. They cried once more. The dream returns to them. Their spouse was murdered, and they lost their son. It's almost become a nighttime classic. They sadly sigh. "Come on, uh, everything will be okay." "Liar." They both bust out chuckling and Deacon moves Sole little to create room in the sleeping bag. "Come here, sleep, and keep an eye on you." "Thank you." "I'll always be there for you."

Dogmeat : Lick the face of Sole until they wake up. Whines a little before sinking into his master's arms. Sole buries their face in the dog's fur and sighs, pleased to have such a loyal companion. They return to sleep, and this time their sleep is more peaceful.

Elder Maxson : When the Elder is on duty in the barracks, he overhears a soldier whimpering in his sleep. He approaches a dormitory and discovers that it belongs to Sole. He is feeling a little uneasy. Sole did not appear to be the type of person to have struggles, but it appears that they suppress their feelings deep within. Maxson walks up to their bed and shakes them. "You have a disturbed sleep, Knight." When they see the Elder next to them, Sole misses falling out of bed... They are really humiliated to have been discovered crying, by the Elder in top of that. They rise slowly, embarrassed. "Don't be ashamed; it's normal, and I believe we all go through it. Life is difficult, and the life of a soldier is even more difficult. Tomorrow morning, you will consult Knight-Captain Cade, who will be able to recommend sleep options." "T-t-thank you very much, Elder." "Now go back to bed. Make an effort to have a better night." "T-t-thank you very much. You as well." If he's romanced, Maxson gets up from his office, where he spent the day reading reports, and moves closer to his bed. "Hey, honey." "Arthur?" Sole is perplexed and struggling to recuperate. "You were sobbing. Is there anything you'd like to talk about?" "No, but I'd like to be hugged." Maxson can't keep a grim smile on his face. When they want to, Sole can be a big baby. But he cheerfully submits to the comfort session and then tucks his beloved in. When he finishes his tasks, he slides against them in the bed and hugs them tightly, keeping them all against him while he falls asleep.

Hancock : Hancock slipped behind Sole and took them in his arms, romance or not. He softly awakens them up by playing with their hair.

"Look like you had yourself a real nasty nightmare there, brother." "Hancock? It was awful." "Want to chat about it?" "No, not at all. It's just too much...it's just too much..." "Sh. Don't sweat it too much, we all have our demons and you ain't no different. Take a swig of jet and let yourself drift back into dreamland, everything gonna be copacetic."

Hancock stays exactly where he is for the balance of the night, affectionately caressing his friend/lover.

Gage : Panic Pledge. Worse than Cait. An overboss crying is an overboss showing weakness. An overboss who shows weakness is a dead overboss. And how he compromised for this Overboss in particular, Gage believes he’s going to die if it’s discovered. He’s going around the Fizztop Grille to make sure no one’s sneaking around, and then he comes back to Sole’s room. "Hey boss, waking up." "Gage? What time is it?" "It’s time to take you for a pussy, it seems. Get your act together. It’s unworthy of an overboss to chew like a chick." Sole feels shame and quickly wipes their tears. "Sorry I…" "Don’t make it worse, don’t apologize any more. Damn it, you’re the big guy, drop the sentimentality stuff." "Yeah, it’s okay, I get it." "Here, a nuka-cola. Think of the conquests we’ll make before you fall asleep, it will save you from doing something stupid again." If romanced, Gage turns into his half-sleep and… panics for a moment while waking up completely. Then, finding nothing better, he takes Sole in his arms, if only to hide them in the face of a possible witness. He must protect them, no matter what. But he sincerely hopes that in the morning, they will not say a word about this story and that it will never happen again.

MacCready : MacCready was lying on his bedroll, staring at the night sky, when he became aware of Sole crying on the other side of the campfire. He sat back up, a worried expression on his face, and returned his gaze to the spot where they were resting. Their sleep expression was one of intense sorrow, and tears streamed down their cheeks.

He gave them a little shoulder shake. "Wake up, boss. You're having a terrible dream."

When Sole's eyes eventually opened, they were filled with confusion and fear as they looked up at MacCready. “Mac?" They were crying so hard that their voices were raspy when they asked, "What... what's going on?" Sole knows that with Mac, there's very little chance of a threat appearing too close, so they're perplexed as to why the mercenary wakes them awake.

"You were crying in your sleep," Mac replied, before asking, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Sole hesitated for a second, but after looking at the compassionate ratface who had recently shared his own concerns with them, they decided to start talking. "It was... just a nightmare," they stated. "Concerning the Institute and Shaun," their voice shaking as they mention their kid.

"I'm very sorry. That must have hurt a lot. I'm not sure how I'd react if Duncan were taken away from me," Mac mumbled through clinched teeth, his voice trembling with the intensity of his own emotions.

If romanced, MacCready would continue to console them, embracing them tightly and vowing to stay up and talk until they felt better. He'd then go a step further, bending in to offer them a delicate kiss.

"I love you." He said it while looking at them, tears welling up in his eyes. "You're worth more to me than any cap, and I only want to see you happy. You know what? We'll get your son back, it's a promise."

Sole smiled weakly as they reached up to softly pat MacCready's cheek. “Okay. Thank you very much, Mac. You are the most amazing everything that has ever happened in my life, since the bomb, and possibly before."

MacCready's heart was overflowing with feelings of love and pride. He was aware that being with the Sole Survivor meant taking on all of their suffering and fears, as well as their triumphs and happiness, but he was convinced that as long as they had each other, they would be able to face any obstacle.

Nick Valentine : When Nick hears weeping, he is working on a file. He's not surprised; there's no picture. Sole is already strong enough not to cry at every turn for someone who came from a perfect little existence and was launched into a post-apocalyptic world where terrible tribulations always multiply. Nick rises from his chair and walks down the passage to the back bedroom. He walks up to the bed and places his good hand on his friend's shoulder. "Wake up, doll/kid." "Nick? Can you tell me what time it is?" "It doesn't matter if it's late. You were sobbing. Wanna talk about it?" "No, not at all..." "Come on doll/kid," he says as he sits on the bed's corner, "it's not good to keep everything inside. It treats you at night, at the very least. The more that can be said, the better. And then we can move on." "Thank you, Nick. Maybe... someday." “Meanwhile, know that you can always count on me to be here for you. Right around the corner and down the hall. Would you like a bottle of water?" "Thank you, Nick; that would be nice." "It really is nothing. Nothing, in all honesty." If Nick is romanced: Nick leaves his workplace since, romanced or not, he doesn't need to sleep and only does so when Sole asks him to sleep with them. Sole went to bed alone that night, but Nick feels they shouldn't have after hearing their sobs. He walks up to them and, slipping close to them on the mattress, takes them in his arms, softly waking them. "Hey, you seem to be having a nightmare." "Oh, Nick, that was awful!" "Would you like to talk about it?" "No, but please keep me close." "Don't worry, I've got this." And that's exactly what he does. Through the night, he holds Sole in his arms and caresses them tenderly with his good hand.

Piper : Piper had always been a light sleeper, so when she heard faint sobbing coming from the other bed in the room, she awoke. She sat up and looked over to Sole, who was moaning loudly in their sleep.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," she said quietly as she crawled up to their side. "Blue. You're having a bad dream."

Sole straightens up in their nappy and reaches for their weapon, but Piper runs ahead of them and takes the gun away from them.

"Wow! There is no danger in sight!"

"Piper? What exactly is going on?"

"You were crying in your sleep," she said at them. "Honestly, given everything you've been through, I don't find it surprising, but I couldn't let you mope in either... whatever it was you were rehashing."

"Hm. It was simply a nightmare. Sorry for waking you up."

"Come on, isn't that what friends are for?" For better and worse, I guess. Would you like to talk about it?"

Sole examines her for a long time, perhaps hesitantly, before shaking their heads. "No. I don't want it to be on the front page of the newspaper tomorrow morning."

The reporter has been hurt but she chuckles nervously to alleviate her suffering. "Come on, I know I'm a little... intense, but I'd never expose your privacy to the four winds!"

"You've already done it. Remember? It was the interview."

"It was entirely voluntary!" Piper is fuming with annoyance now, and she reaches into her pockets for a cigarette. She understands that her relationship with Sole is built from above and below, but she just wants to help and is upset by her friend's insinuations. Sole sighs deeply, nervously rubbing their neck.

"I'm sorry. I didn't intend to be that cruel. I… I guess I'm still a little drowsy to speak well."

Piper puffs on her cigarette.

"I was dreaming about Shaun,” they finally confess. “I was dreaming about Kellogg taking him away."

The wide smile that spills over Piper's lips without her being able to contain it tells a lot about her happiness that her friend open to her. She puts down her smoke and wraps her arms around her pal, squeezing them hard against her. "Here you go.” Then she realizes what he said. “Oh… Oh my goodness! I’m sorry. It's awful. I'm very sorry."

“Oh no, only one of us can be sorry at a time,” Sole laughs.

"Ah, Blue, poor Blue." She continues to rock her pal till they are completely relaxed. Piper's nerves are completely spent from not crying in front of her friend's distress, so when Sole eventually falls asleep, she moves away a little, crouches on the ground, and cries for a solid half hour.

If they were romanced, Piper and Sole would have shared the same bed. Piper will then hold them tightly and keep them against her during their conversation, perhaps placing a kiss on their face or in their neck as proof of her love for them.

"Blue, I love you. I'm here for you," she murmured, her eyes welling up. "We'll get through this together, okay?"

The Sole Survivor smiled softly, reaching up to wipe a strand of Piper's hair away from her face. "Okay. Thank you very much, Piper. I'm not sure what I'd do without you."

Piper tucks herself into Sole's chest, and the two fall back to sleep together, providing profound solace to one another.

Preston : Preston is startled awake by Sole's sobs. He gets out of bed and quickly fixes his sight on the General's. Preston understands how a troubled mind feels at night. He walks up to his companion's backpack and searches for a bottle of water before gently shaking their shoulder. "General, eh?" "What? Is there a settlement that requires our assistance? What exactly is going on?" Preston softly shakes his head, unable to resist smiling. He may be exploiting the pleas for aid, and he should be aware of this in the future. "You were crying, General." "I…" Sole touches their cheek and notices that they are still wet. Their dream resurfaces in their minds. "Indeed, yes. I'm sorry for waking you up, Garvey." The Colonel sits on the edge of his superior's bed. "There's no need to apologies. Actually, I get it. Would you like to talk about it?" "No, not at all." "I understand that as well. Drink here." Sole takes the bottle and downs it. "How frequently do you do that?" they inquire. "Crying in your sleep?" "The question is, do I ever sleep without crying? Understand, I don't consider it a flaw. I've witnessed the devastation of so many men and women, children, and lives. If it didn't come for me, I'd say I'd lost my humanity." Sole pauses before returning the bottle to Preston. "You... you're right. I was dreaming about that day when I watched Kellogg murder my wife and kidnap my child. I felt so helpless. I still have nightmares about this moment, and each time it tears me apart." Preston places a compassionate hand on the shoulder of his General. "I see what you're saying. Believe me, I get it. But the most important thing to remember is that if it had been possible for you, I'm sure you would have done everything in your power to prevent it. I seen you, and I know you're capable of anything. Kellogg would already be rotting in hell if you hadn't been locked up without a way out, and your spouse and son would still be by your side. It wasn't your fault at all." "T...thank you very much, Preston. I believe...I believe I needed to hear it." "Please don't thank me; I'm simply telling the truth. It's time to go back to sleep. We'll have a lot of work to do tomorrow to get the Castle back in working order." "Yeah... but thank you." "I'll see you later, General." If they are romanced, it is all in the same waters, but Preston will take Sole in his arms and reassure them by softly cuddling them. He kisses them on the forehead as they fall asleep, assuring them that he will be by their side for a very long time.

Strong : Strong hears sobbing and walks over to Sole's bed. He takes the mattress with both hands and flips it over, sending Sole flying. "What? What?! What is— "Puny human weeps like a child. Puny human must be strengthened." "Thank you from the board, Strong. I'll try to remember..." "Strong always there for puny human." "Yeah, we'll discuss it in the morning. I might have an assignment just for you in a settlement." "Strong is powerful, and Strong guards weak little humans." "Please go to sleep." "Human sleep, Strong watch." "No! No, that's OK. Go to sleep, I'll keep an eye on you." "Good, but no more weeps." "No, trust me, never again."

X6-88 : "You're crying, Ma'am/Sir." Sole struggles to drive the clouds of sleep away, only to find the Courser leaning over them, hand on their shoulder. "X6? Can you tell me what time it is?" "The sun hasn't risen yet, but you were crying in your sleep." Sole looks around, a little perplexed. Then they recall. They had just left a raider camp the day before, and one of them was dressed in a set that vaguely resembled Kellogg's. Probably what made them dream about this fateful day... "I'm sorry for worrying you, X6, but everything is fine." "If there is something that disturbs your sleep and prevents you from getting a good night's rest, I'm confident a scientist at the Institute will be able to operate on a— "No, X6. It's natural for humans to experience extreme emotions during the sleep period, yet everything is well with me. I don't require treatment." "If you say so, ma'am/sir, but if it happens again, I cannot urge you enough to say— "Good night, X6." "Good night, ma'am/sir." Sole turns in their bed and goes back to sleep, while the Courser resumes his monitoring place, his piercing stare not leaving Sole for the remainder of the night. If romanced, X6 awakens Sole. "You're crying, Ma'am/Sir." "Yes, X6, I had a nightmare." "Is this another of those emotions you were describing to me?" "Yes, X6, it does happen." The Courser pauses. "What can I...do to assist you?" "Hold me close." X6 crushing Sole against his chest. "Is that correct?" "Yes, it's absolutely perfect." "Is that adequate?" "It's just perfect." Sole barely finished their sentence before falling asleep again, and X6 dares not to move a single hair.

[alpinelogy]

HELLO could you tell me PRETTY PLEASE how did you make the halftone colored effect on your latest gr63 poster? tysm!

Of course!! I love talking about my graphics!!

I learned how to create the halftone effect from a guide I cannot find right now but my steps are as follows. heads up that I work in photoshop so everything is photoshop specific I fear.

Under the cut since there is a ton of images here o7

For the halftone effect

Import image of my choice and convert it to a smart object. This guide should theoretically work without a smart object with clipping and/or layer masks but smart objects look better + they keep my workspace more organized

In the smart object I create a new layer with a solid fill of #808080, convert it for smart filters (Filter > Convert for Smart Filters) and also set it to Hard Mix in the layer blending modes menu

Open the smart filters menu for the layer (Filter > Filter Gallery) and I create two layers, first Halftone Pattern with the following settings and on top of it Torn Edges with the following settings

You can fiddle with these obviously but I have never changed these since I started using this for my halftone effect

4. Now your image probably looks like this, really wonky and bright

To fix it I create a new adjustment layer, usually Levels but I have used Curves before as well and fiddle with it until I like it. Dont be afraid to use multiple and just mask it! For example here Tadejs jersey is white but the background is black so to keep the texture I masked the jersey and adjusted it separately.

Final effect vs adjustments to keep the background texture vs adjustments to keep the jersey texture. By combining the latter two I achieved what I wanted

If I want my image in grayscale I also add a Black & White adjustment layer in between my initial image and the Levels layer, though for the effect I achieved with the George graphic we dont want that.

Gradient colors

First of all I make all my multicolored graphics using gradient maps. I am not particularly knowledgeable so my apologies but I cannot even try to begin explaining gradient maps.

So for a multi colored effect I create a gradient map once I have an image that I am satisfied with and adjust it until it looks good. Important that the color fully on your right on the gradient map is the color you want to have in the background which in my case is the beige I use everywhere.

After that I save my smart object as I would usually do (Ctrl + S) and exit to the main graphic and ideally, it should look the same in your graphic as the smart object looked.

Unfortunately I cannot help with color choices/color theory for the actual gradient map since I barely understand what is going on myself lmao. Fwiw personally I think Synth (@/jamesvowles) is awesome with colors and how they work together in his paintings so maybe he could be of any help o7

Solid colors

This is for cases like this, where all my colors are solid flat, no matter how many colors

This is where the Black & White adjustment layer mentioned comes into play. For when I do solid colors only, even with multiple like in this graphic, I create a new color layer on top of all my other layers, fill it with the color of choice, and set the blending mode to screen. no idea why screen works, someone smarter with blending modes would probably be able to explain though.

For different colors I just mask out the areas I want the color to appear in.

Final step is to combine all my layers into a folder and under that folder I create a new solid color layer with the background color of my choice, in my case beige, and set the folder blending mode to darken. Once again, I have no idea how it works but it does and that what counts to me haha, someone smarter with blending modes would be able to explain most likely.

On a final note, do experiment!! Oftentimes I like getting to the point of where I would have usually used a gradient map (so no B&W layer) and then see what I can do with blending modes! Thats how I ended up with this image of Primož, its just a yellow color fill layer set to Hue blending mode

Hopefully everything makes sense, feel free to ask more if you are confused or want to know more about any part of my graphics <3

[animalcrossingshowdown]

Best K.K. Song Round 1 Results:

Reminder that this is a DOUBLE ELIMINATION tournament, which means a song must lose twice to get knocked out. No songs have been eliminated yet except for Lullaby, because it lost to both Marine Song and Farewell in a three way poll. Tomorrow will be round 1 of the secondary bracket, which will be match ups between all the songs that lost this past round. The losers of the secondary bracket WILL be eliminated and sent to the worst K.K. song bracket, while the winners will still have a chance to be declared the best K.K. song.

numbers below the cut

Animal City 86.5% / Mr. K.K. 13.5%

Spring Blossoms 81.5% / Fugue 18.5%

Disco 79.9% / Pondering 20.1%

Drivin' 79.1% / Safari 20.9%

Condor 78.9% / Oasis 21.1%

Two Days Ago 73.5% / Samba 26.5%

Steppe 71.5% / To the Edge 28.5%

D&B 71.3% / King K.K. 28.7%

Surfin' 71.1% / Dixie 28.9%

Salsa 71% / Khoomei 29%

Bubblegum 70.2% / Technopop 29.8%

Metal 69.1% / Swing 30.9%

Robot Synth 69% / Sonata 31%

Cruisin' 68.8% / Jazz 31.2%

Chillwave 67.5% / Aria 32.5%

Gumbo 67.1% / Reggae 32.9%

Bossa 66.6% / Waltz 33.4%

Stale Cupcakes 66.4% / Soul 33.6%

My Place 66% / Mariachi 34%

Ragtime 65.8% / Mountain Song 34.2%

Go K.K. Rider 65.2% / Chorinho 34.8%

Stroll 64.8% / Slack-key 35.2%

Wandering 64.6% / Blues 35.4%

Groove 64.5% / Bazaar 35.5%

Agent K.K. 63.6% / Parade 36.4%

Jongara 63.3% / Flamenco 36.7%

Love Song 63.2% / Soulful 36.8%

Space 63.1% / Milonga 36.9%

Steep Hill 62.9% / Hypno 37.1%

DJ K.K. 62.2% / The K. Funk 37.8%

Rockin' 61.6% / Ballad 38.4%

Fusion 60.3% / Moody 39.7%

Neapolitan 59.7% / Rally 40.3%

House 58.7% / Bashment 41.3%

Lament 57.9% / Folk 42.1%

Only Me 57.7% / Hop 42.3%

Break 57.3% / I Love You 42.7%

Tango 56.9% / Adventure 43.1%

Western 56.8% / Étude 43.2%

Dub 56.1% / Casbah 43.9%

Rockabilly 54.4% / Mambo 45.6%

Lovers 54.4% / Lucky K.K. 45.6%

Faire 53.4% / Calypso 46.6%

March 52.6% / K.K. Song 47.4%

Isalnd 52.3% / Imperial 47.7%

Rock 52% / Comrade 48%

Welcome Horizons 51.5% / Café 48.5%

Polka 51.4% / Marathon 48.6%

Chorale 51.3% / Country 48.7%

Dirge 50.9% / Birthday 49.1%

Synth 50.6% / Aloha K.K. 49.4%

Forest Life 50% / Ska 50% (less than 0.1% in Forest Life's favour)

Three way poll:

Marine Song 2001 47.2% / Farewell 27.3% / Lullaby 25.5%

[fuzzkaizer]

OBERHEIM - ring modulator

" Mostly known for his synth ventures these days (think Van Halen’s “Jump”), Oberheim grew up studying physics and building amps, which led to his career as a computer engineer. Eventually, he discovered that music gear was his true passion after designing an effect written about by Harald Bode in an issue of Electronics Magazine. He parlayed this passion into a budding career in guitar effects and synthesizers, releasing the first pedal-style ring modulator and phase shifter.

 Now, after surveying the cabinet’s contents, I realize that there is not another piece within it that is even tangentially linked to Bode, and his place in the effects business is small but oh so important. The spirit of this column would be remiss without acknowledging his contributions to the field, so here goes.

Apart from being the first man to publish an article about ring modulators, he was also the first to sell them under his own name. Bode also played a crucial role in the adaptation of tubes to solid-state transistors, as well as the advent of the vocoder, a device now known as “that robot voice effect” but originally used by WW2 intelligence officials to encrypt high-clearance conversations between world leaders. Bode was the man, and don’t you forget it.

So it should come as no surprise that Oberheim’s Ring Modulator is perhaps the most sublime example of the effect—in both aesthetics and tonality—despite being the first “pedal” version with many subsequent contenders to the throne, yet nary a usurper. As far as its modern practicality is concerned, there’s a reason you don’t see any on any pedalboard anywhere, beyond the pedal’s insane price point and collectibility.

For one, the thing is as big as a phone book. If that’s not enough, the two switches in front are—you guessed it—toggles. There’s a jack in the front that one might think is for an auxiliary footswitch, but alas, it is for a “control pedal.” Fortunately, this made the pedal a boon for keyboadists, especially those favoring the Rhodes piano. Jan Hammer of Mahavishnu Orchestra made significant use of one (in addition to other Oberheim-designed goodies) on several tracks, one of which I’ll link below (3:28).

Ring modulators work by using an internal pitch called a carrier frequency, which is derived from a ring of components, which modulates the input signal. Unlike many ring modulators that stick you with one carrier value, Oberheim’s version offers you a plethora of carrier options, with the option to output the oscillator itself to other effects, supply your own carrier oscillator (thereby making the pedal a throughput processor), as well as two switchable carrier frequency ranges and many more options under the hood.

If you know how to dial in ring modulators (sadly, a dying art), you’d be hard-pressed to find a better sounding unit than Oberheim’s original. And because finding one is so hard, there’s a good chance you may never get to play one. True to most geniuses of the craft, Oberheim’s device relied on then-cutting-edge tech, using an MC1495 four-quadrant multiplier chip that has long since crossed over to the tech graveyard.

Lastly, it begs to be mentioned that the Oberheim Ring Modulator may very well feature my favorite pedal art of all time—the whole shebang looks like a Devo album cover. Oberheim’s “muscly note” is simply one of the coolest logos ever, and the incredible and thorough attention to detail give it beauty with brains to match."

cred: catalinbread.com/blogs/kulas-cabinet/oberheim-ring-modulator

[ageofbarbarians]

Worked Up // D.R.W

AgeOfBarbarians

Summary: You had a great relationship with the Kiszka brothers since you’ve known each other for years. Danny on the other hand? Not so much… things change after a night out at the bar to celebrate the boys’ newest album release.

Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI, Drinking, Smut, Unprotected Sex (wrap it up lovelies, no crotch goblins), Oral Sex, Fingering, Name Calling, Language, Edging, Choking, Praise Kink, Daddy Kink if you squint,

Word Count: 7.7k

M A S T E R L I S T

“Can you just shut the fuck up for one minute? Please?” You rubbed your temples as you grit your teeth, avoiding any eye contact with the boys who sat around the table with you. You were celebrating with the Kiszka boys after their newest album The Battle at Gardens Gate had just been released. Oh… and Danny.

Danny. Daniel fucking Wagner. God, his name made you want to vomit.

You had known Daniel just as long as the other boys but for some reason, the two of you could just never get along. Which was a shame honestly, because you thought he was extremely attractive but the way he acted towards you ruined the whole thing for you.

“Me? You’re the one who is just blatantly fucking stupid,” You threw your hands up and grabbed your beer bottle before chugging down the rest of your drink.

“Who is up for another round of shots?” Jake asked, clearly trying to pull himself away from the situation. Josh followed him and Sam sighed since he knew he was going to be the peacekeeper like he was every other time.

“So, Y/N,” Sam broke your attention and you let go of the daggers you were boring into Danny’s soul. You gave Sam a light smile, signaling for him to continue.

“You still haven’t told us your favorite song off the album,” Sam took a swig from his beer before gently sitting it back down on the table. You thought for a moment before responding.

“The Barbarians, mmm, no actually, Trip the Light Fantastic. I love the piano in the beginning I think it’s—“

“It’s actually a synth,” Danny cut you off as he scoffed.

“Danny really you-“

“Dude are you actually fucking serious?” You yelled a little too loud, gaining attention from some of the other surrounding tables. You smiled weakly at them and put your hand up as a way to apologize for the outburst.

“What? I’m just telling her what it was?” You could hear the attitude in Danny’s voice as he talked to Sam. You shook your head and before you could start going off on Danny again, Jake and Josh came back with shots. You grabbed one quickly before downing it. You hit the glass on the table and stood up and walked away.

“Y/N!” You heard Jake call after you but you stormed out of the bar, not even minding the people giving you strange looks. You pulled a pack of cigarettes out of your purse that you only used when you were extremely stressed. You leaned against the brick wall of the bar, the cool Michigan April air nipping at your skin through your sweater. You knew you should be wearing a jacket or a coat of some kind but you didn’t want to go back inside to grab it.

You sat on the cold hard cement and took a long drag from your cigarette. You felt the familiar tightening in the back of your throat and you couldn’t help the tears that slid down your face. You wiped them away with the sleeve of your sweater but they just kept coming no matter how hard you tried to get them to stop.

“Y/N,” Jake rested his hand against your shoulder softly, catching you off guard.

“I just don’t fucking get it,” you started as you shook your head. Jake sat next to you and he let you lean into his side, not even minding the cigarette between your fingers. Usually when you smoked the boys have you shit since it was bad for you but it was so rare that you did it that there was no point. Plus with your current state, the last thing Jake wanted to do was piss you off even more.

“I just don’t understand why he’s up my ass about every little thing. For fucks sake, we’re out here celebrating you guys tonight and of course, we end up arguing and it ruins the whole night.” You took another drag from your cigarette before ashing it next to you.

“Honestly I wish I knew,” Jake responded softly. It was quiet for a minute before you just started to laugh softly to yourself.

“What?” He questioned.

“Do you wanna know something crazy?” You turned to meet Jake’s face and he raised a brow at you with a low hum. You took a final drag from your cigarette before putting it out on the cement and tossing it somewhere against the building.

“I used to think Danny was so attractive. I actually had a crush on him at one point. I was head over heels for him and honestly, those feelings never really went away. But the way he talks to me and the way he treats me, I just can’t. I can’t bring myself to think of him that way.” You admitted quickly. You realized that you probably shouldn’t have even said anything but the alcohol that raged through your system let the confession slip out. I mean hey, drunk words are sober thoughts, right?

“Really? I didn’t know that.” Jake looked at you in shock, unsure of what to even say.

“Because nobody did. Do you know how much shit he would give me if he ever found out? Which reminds me, this is between us, just like every other secret.” You held up your pinky so Jake would pinky promise with you. Your fingers connected and you wrapped them around each other to seal the deal.

Out of all the boys, you were closest to Jake. He knew every little detail about you and you knew every detail about him. There had been many nights where the two of you stayed up until 3a.m. talking about anything and everything, he was there for you through your first big heartbreak, you were there the day when Jake broke his arm wrestling and three days after before he went into surgery to get the plates put into his arm. You had been there for each other for just about every single life event that had gone on. He truly was your best friend.

“Do you think telling him that would change anything?” He asked and you about doubled over from laughter.

“Seriously? Me actually telling him that I liked him at one point? Keep in mind, liked, as in past tense,” you scoffed. The wind began to blow and you shivered from the crisp air.

“I mean I don’t know, it could make a difference,” Jake shrugged and he stood up. He offered his hand out to you to help you up and you took it and smiled as a thank you.

“I highly doubt it.” You shook your head. The two of you walked back into the bar and you went up to the counter by yourself. You ordered three shots, two for you and one for Jake. You figured that if you were spending the rest of the night with them you might as well get drunk to enjoy yourself.

The bartender handed you the three glasses and you took them over to the table. Danny and Sam were lost in a conversation of their own with Jake and Josh talking quietly. Well, Jake talked quietly since Josh was loud and was always talking with his hands.

You handed the shot to Jake and you grabbed one before the two of you cheered your glasses and downed them together. You took the other one right after and cringed at the foul taste, blaming yourself for not getting a chaser. You felt the drink travel down into your stomach since you could feel the slight burn, but it was what you needed. You could feel a set of eyes on you, and as you looked up you realized it was Danny before he looked away.

The rest of the night went on rather smoothly. You and Danny didn’t talk for the rest of the evening which was nice since nobody was arguing anymore. You, Jake, and Josh got lost in your own drunken conversations and you weren’t even sure how you got onto some of the subjects that you did. For a while, you got quiet and just listened to the twin boys talk.

“Last call!” The bartender yelled and it snapped you out of your gaze. You looked around realizing how you were pretty much the only ones there.

“Alright guys, ready?” Danny asked as he grabbed his keys. Danny had volunteered to be the designated driver for the night which was surprising since he was a part of the band (obviously) and they were celebrating them.

You scooted out of the booth seat and stood up, grabbing onto Jake’s shoulder as you nearly fell over. This was the first time you had stood up from drinking all evening besides when you went outside.

“Y/N you’re gonna make, make me fall when I stand up,” Jake laughed and you giggled. He stood up and you grabbed onto his arm.

“S'fine. We’ll fall together,” you slurred and Jake laughed with you. The two of you started making your way out of the bar to Danny’s car while the other three followed behind you. The short trip to his car was eventful considering you and Jake had almost fallen on three separate occasions which ended with both of you in a hysterical fit of laughter. Drinking with Jake was one of your favorites, but you two were just stupid together.

Everybody piled into the car. Sam sat in the passenger seat, Jake behind him, you in the middle, and Josh on your other side. Danny started the car to get the heat going and made his way out of the bar parking lot towards the Kiszka’s house. You were quite the entirety of the ride while the four of them continued in whatever conversation they were having.

The twenty-minute ride seemed to fly as you pulled into the driveway. Jake and Josh both stumbled out of the car as you gave both of them hugs. Josh had offered for you to stay at their house tonight but you truly wanted the comfort of your own bed. You sighed since you knew in a few short moments you’d be alone with Danny as he took you home.

Danny got out of the car to help the drunken boys inside and while he was gone you made your way up to the passenger seat. You could feel your head and your body spinning as you blinked from the alcohol that raced its way through your system. You leaned your head against the window and closed your eyes, focusing on the cold glass.

You were on the brink of falling asleep when the driver's side door opened and Danny got in. You jumped slightly and he laughed.

“Scared much?“ he teased as he pull out of the driveway.

“I was almost asleep, actually,” you said quietly trying your hardest not to give him any ounce of attitude so it didn’t lead to an argument. That was the last thing you wanted right now.

“You’ll be home soon,” was all he said before the car went silent. You stared out the window and tried to observe whatever was going by, but it was all too fast for your drunken mind to keep up with.

You rolled the window down and stuck your hand out. The cold air made your hand go numb but you didn’t care. The breeze actually felt night against your warm skin. You bent your hand in a wave motion and watched as the different angles made your hand dip.

“Y/N, it’s cold,” Danny sighed and you closed your eyes.

“Can I just have this one fucking moment to myself? Please?” You sighed. Danny didn’t say anything he just turned the heat up a little higher and sighed.

You pulled into the driveway of your house ten minutes later and you finally brought your hand back into the car and rolled up the window. Your skin was cold to the touch and you could feel the blood circulating through it to get it back to its normal temperature.

As Danny parked, you opened the car door and got out, almost falling on your face in the process. Danny got out and offered his hand to you for balance. You shook your head and leaned against the car.

“I don’t need help,” You started making your way to the front porch but stumbled again.

“Will you just let me help you?” Danny asked with an annoyed tone. You stopped as you turned to face him.

“No. Why should I even let you? After all of the bullshit you gave me tonight and every other time before that, why should I let you help me this one goddamn time?” You asked with complete seriousness. It was silent for a minute and Danny didn’t say anything.

“Exactly. If anything you would just use it against me in the future or something stupid.” You turned away from him and continued your drunken walk up the stairs of your porch. You caught your foot on the last stair and you stumbled forward and hit your body against the front door. You felt an arm support your waist and another hand dug into your coat pocket for your keys. Danny slid the key into the lock and you heard the front door click. He pushed it open with his foot and he brought the two of you inside.

“I can go from here, thanks.” You tried stepping away from him but his grip tightened.

“Considering the way you just walked up four stairs, I doubt you’ll be able to make it up a whole flight.” Danny shook his head and started walking the two of you upstairs. With his help, it seemed so easy to go up each step, but he was right, without him you would’ve just ended up on the couch.

He lead you to your bedroom since it wasn’t the first time he had been in your house. The hallway was dark but you could see a sun glow from a small lamp you had left on for when you got home. You flopped onto your bed and sighed as you felt the comfort of your bed.

“Welp…” Danny began to walk toward your door to leave before you shot up.

“Can I ask you something?” You asked suddenly. He sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that night and turned to face you.

“What could it possibly be?” He sat down next to you on the bed and you studied his face.

“That. Exactly that. Never mind.” You shook your head as you started taking off your boots and Danny grabbed your wrist.

“Y/N stop, I’m sorry. What? What did you want to ask me?” He asked, much softer this time.

“Why do you hate me?” You asked honestly. The question made your heart sink and you realized after you asked, that you were possibly going to regret the answer. Both of you stared into each other’s eyes and you searched for an answer. Nothing.

“What?” Danny laughed before he realized you were serious.

“Y/N I don’t hate you.” He shook his head and you shook yours.

“Then why do you act like it? I mean for fucks sake you’re always at my throat about something, we can’t even enjoy a nice night out with the boys about your album release, there is always just something!” You rambled. You searched his face for an answer but you couldn’t find anything.

“To be completely transparent? I don’t know.” He shook his head and you observed every little part of his face. Your eyes landed on his lips and they lingered there a little longer than you expected. You looked back into his eyes and there was a slight smirk on his face.

“Honestly, I like seeing you get worked up.” He admitted. He pinched his lip with his thumb and forefinger and you raised a brow at him. His eyes scanned your face trying to gauge your reaction. You could feel your heart begin to pound in your chest and the feelings you had from him once before started to slowly roll in from his simple confession.

“So you like pissing me off?” You raised a brow and trying to figure him out made your head spin more than it already was.

“I like watching you get heated about little things, always thinking you’re right, the little crease you get between your eyebrows when you get angry, the way you ball up your fists when I really piss you off, the way your thighs clench when you’re trying to keep your cool,” Danny’s voice lowered and you could quiet read his demeaned but it said a new wave of heat through our body.

“Can I be honest with you?” You asked in almost a whisper.

“You typically are, aren’t you?” The cocky tone in his voice almost makes you not want to tell him but the alcohol in your system beats you to it.

“When we first met I had the biggest crush on you. I mean it was stupid so I just let it go but I did. I thought you were so fucking fine and I thought about you a lot.” You laughed to yourself but when you realize how it sounded your eyes shot up to Danny’s. The cockiest smirk was spread across his face and you began to shake your head.

“I didn’t mean— I mean I have— only once— fuck, no, I didn’t mean,” you stuttered over yourself and stopped talking before things got any worse. You covered your face with your hands as you felt the heat sprawl across them from embarrassment. You felt hands around your wrists that pulled your hands away from your face. You avoided eye contact with Danny until he placed two of his fingers around your chin to move your head in his direction.

“I didn’t mean any of that,” you lied as you shook your head, trying to save yourself from any potential teasing.

“So you haven’t thought of me?“ Danny questioned as his hand rested on the top of your thigh, rubbing slow circles with his thumb. The action alone sent another wave of heat through your body.

“N-no,” you hesitated and Danny shook his head. His hand moved up your thigh and you clenched them together. Your breathing was becoming heavier and you wanted him to just do something but you could never admit it to him or even yourself.

“Hm, that’s a shame.” He stood up and you could tell he was going to make his way out. You grabbed his arm before pulling him back down onto the bed and you connected your lips with his. You couldn’t even process what you had done until you did it. You pulled away for a second before Danny closed the gap between the two of you again. You took in a deep breath through your nose and you tangled your fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. You tugged lightly at the fine hairs which caused a groan to escape through him. The sound of him getting a reaction from you made you want him more than you could’ve imagined.

Danny bit your bottom lip and he tugged which earned a whimper from you. You moved your kisses from his lips, to his jawline, and to his neck. You bit one spot below his ear and soothed over the area with your tongue.

“Y/N, Y/N,” Danny pulled away from you and he grabbed the sides of your face as you looked at him. “As much as I want this, you’re drunk,” He sighed as you continued to leave marks along him.

“I’m sober enough to know what I want, and what I want is you,” You admitted before his lips connected with yours again. You fell back against the bed and Danny hovered over you. He grabbed your hands and pinned them above your head and the dominant action made you whimper.

“Somebody likes being controlled when she isn’t running her mouth, hm?” He smirked at you as you watched his eyes turn to a darker shade of brown. Usually, his comment would’ve made you bitch at him but something about his demeanor made you melt.

“Please do something,” you squirmed underneath his touch. You just needed him to do something to you.

“Needy, are we?” He asked before his lips came down and left marks along your jawline. Your eyes fluttered closed as he marked you like you were his. Honestly, you wished you were. You just didn’t want the constant arguing and fighting but you wanted nothing more than to be his. You never wanted to admit it to yourself but now that you were in this position, you were positive about what you wanted.

“At any point, you feel uncomfortable tell me, and I’ll stop,” Danny’s eyes met yours as he spoke with a soft tone and you nodded but it wasn’t good enough for him.

“Words, please.”

“Yes sir,” Your eyes went wide at what you realized you had just called him but the way he smiled you knew he liked it. You had never called somebody sir before but for Danny, it just seemed… fitting.

“Good girl,” His hand ran along your face before he started making a line of kisses down your neck. He grabbed the bottom of your sweater before pulling it up and over your head. You were left in your heather gray lace bra and your leggings. The sudden exposure made your skin raise with goosebumps and a sudden chill went through your body.

Danny’s lips trailed down your chest, leaving a mark on the swell of your right breast. He pulled your bra to the side and took your nipple into his mouth, toying with the hardened bud. You let out a sigh at the contact, the slickness between your legs growing.

He moved his way down, leaving faint kisses along the hem of your leggings. He looked at you through his lashes before hooking his fingers around the rather thin material and pulling it down your slender legs. Your black lace thong was exposed and the sight nearly made Danny drool.

“Fuck, you look so pretty like this,” Danny ran his fingers down your stomach and along your thighs, avoiding the spot you so desperately craved him.

“Do something, please,” you whined. You needed to feel his touch against your throbbing core, you were aching.

“Patience, baby,” he purred before he ran his fingers over your soaked clothed core. He chuckled at the feeling of you.

“So wet for me. Who knew I could get you so worked up?” He hummed and you whined at his words. You shifted under his touch trying to gain more friction from him.

“It’s not the first time,” you admitted. He raised a brow at you as he sunk to his knees.

“No? Tell me, pretty girl,” He pushed. You suddenly went quiet, not wanting to tell him about the times you had come home and touched yourself to the thought of him. There had been multiple nights where he worked you up and you had wished he would take his anger out on your slick pussy. You were soaked all for him.

“Don’t get quiet on me now. Tell me what’s gone through that pretty head of yours.” He urged. His fingers softly grazed over your clit and he began to rub soft circles.

“Multiple times. I wanted you to just take your anger out on me, fuck me senseless,” your eyes fluttered closed from his delicate touch. He applied more pressure and you moaned.

“Is that what you want tonight, angel? For me to fuck that pretty cunt of yours until you can’t walk?” Danny pressed a kiss to the inside of your thigh and you could feel the electricity swim through your body.

“Fuck, yes, please,” you groaned and bucked your hips again. Danny used his free arm and pinned you against the mattress. You felt a sting and the sound of a rip when you realized he tore your thong off of you.

“Danny,” you whined. Those were your favorite.

“I’ll buy you more,” was all he said before he dove into your dripping core. He looked a bold stripe up your core before he wrapped his lips around your clit. He moaned at the taste of you, never tasting something so sweet in his life.

“Shit,” you gasped as you felt his tongue work its magic. He slipped one finger inside of you and pumped it a few times before he entered another. His fingers curled upwards and a loud moan escaped your lips. You adjusted your head to look down at the vulgar scene below you and it was an image that would forever be engraved into your head. Your hand came down and you pushed the hair out of his face so you could get a better view of him. He looked up at you and you could see the devilish smirk across his face.

“Fuck, Danny,” you moaned out as you could feel your legs begin to shake. It was insane how fast he was bringing you to your peak but from his demeanor, you knew it wasn’t going to be the only orgasm of the night.

“You’re close are you, doll?” The simple name caused you to let out a whimper and you nodded your head. His fingers continued their brutal pace while his thumb worked against your swollen clit.

“S-so, so close,” was all you could manage to get out. The feeling in your stomach was bound to snap, all you needed was the word from him.

“Do you wanna cum? Cum all over my fingers like a dirty slut?” Danny began to make a mark on your thigh. Biting the area before soothing it over with his tongue.

“Please, I’m, fuck, I’m so close. Please let me cum, please,” Your head fell back again and your legs shook violently. You needed the sweet release but you had a feeling if you didn’t obey it would make matters worse.

“Cum for me, pretty girl, all over my fingers,” His mouth attached to your clit again as you came undone around him. He groaned as he lapped up every bit of you, not wanting to miss a drop. Your moans bounced off the walls and you couldn’t help but arch your back.

As you came down from your high, Danny stood back up and you scrambled off the bed before getting on your knees in front of him. You worked on the buttons of his jeans before he sat his hands over the top of yours.

“Y/N, you don’t have—“

“I want to, I’ve thought about this so many times, just a taste,” you begged and he let you continue. You wrapped your fingers around his belt loops and tugged his jeans down his slender legs. He stepped out of them as they reached his ankles, leaving him in his dark blue boxers. You could see the hardened outline of him and there was a spot that was darker where the precum leaked from his tip.

You pulled on the band of his boxers, desperate to get them off. As you pulled them down, his cock sprung free and slapped against his stomach. You about drooled from the sight of him but his size was intimidating. You had never expected Danny to be small but you definitely weren’t expecting this.

You grabbed the base of him and pumped him a few times before slowly taking his tip into your mouth. You flattened your tongue out against him as you sunk down onto him. He hissed and leaned his head back as you swirled your tongue around his cock.

“Fuck, you look so pretty like that. Sucking my cock so well,” He moaned and his words were enough to send you over the edge again. You looked up at him through your lashes and watched as his chest rose and fell with each movement. You took him as far down the back of your throat as you could and you paused as his tip hit the back of your throat. You sat there for a moment before you gagged and came up for a breath of air. His fingers dug into your hair as he pulled you up to your feet. You whined at the loss of contact with him and he laughed.

“Another time, pretty girl, I promise.” His hand fell across your cheek like it had done previously and his lips intertwined with yours. His tongue fought for dominance with yours and you could still taste every part of you against him. He pushed you back onto the bed, his lips never leaving yours, but only for a moment.

“Are you sure you—“

“Fuck me, Danny,”

That was all he needed before he lined himself up at your entrance. He put one of your legs over his shoulder while he slid into you slowly. Your eyes rolled back as you could feel him stretching you out. He stilled when he was halfway in to let you adjust before your hips connected.

“Move, please,” you begged and he did. He moved his hips at a dreadfully slow pace. You whined at his torturous pace and he took the hint as he began to move a little faster.

“You take my cock so well baby,” He praised and you smiled at his words.

“Harder,” you whined and he obliged. His pace stayed the same but he rammed his hips into you. Any air you had in your chest left and no sound came out. The only noise that filled the room was the lewd sounds of your skin colliding and your drenched core. Finally, a loud moan flew past your lips and Danny silenced it with a kiss. He swallowed every noise you made as you brought your nails to his back and dragged them down.

“So.” Thrust “Fucking.” Thrust “Good.” Thrust “For me,” He then sped up his pace and you cried out from the new pressure.

Danny showed you no mercy as he rammed himself into you, your hips colliding at a pace you knew was bound to leave bruises. He took your leg off your shoulder before bending both of them back against your chest as he leaned against you, creating a whole new angle. A series of curse words flew past your lips and you choked on a sob. Tears pricked the corners of your eyes from the overwhelming amount of pleasure.

“Danny, I’m close,” you managed to get out and he shook his head.

“You’ll cum when I say you can, got it?” He took in a deep breath threw his nose and your eyes screwed shut as you tried your hardest not to fall over the edge.

“I need your words,” He said again.

“Fuck, yes sir,” One of his free hands came down and toyed with your clit and you knew you wouldn’t last much longer. You could feel yourself tightening around him before you suddenly were emptied from him. Your eyes shot open and you whined are the loss of contact.

“Come,” Danny commanded and you looked at him through hooded eyes. He adjust himself against your headboard and you watched as he took his cock in his hand and pumped himself. You watched his explicit movements and the sight made you drip.

You crawled over to him and you took advantage of the position he was in to take him into your mouth once more. He moaned at the contact before pulling you off of him.

“Did I say you could wrap those pretty little lips around me?” He asked with a raised brow. You shook your head and he grabbed your chin with his thumb and forefinger, making you look him in the eyes.

“Good girls get rewarded, bad girls don’t get to cum,” He smirked and you suddenly felt weak. He was already denying you of your impending orgasm and you’d be a goner if he just left you like that.

“Please, no, I just wanted to—“

“Wanted to what? Be a dirty little slut? Can’t keep those pretty lips of yours away from me, can you?” He tisked and you whined at the dirty name he had called you.

“Come sit,” he motioned for you to sit on his lap. As you went to go like yourself up with him he pulled you down against his shaft and he began to rock your hips against him. His strong, calloused hands pressed into your hips and you knew he’d eventually leave bruises. Your head fell back as soft moans left your lips as you ground across him. Danny watched your every move and his breathing became unsteady.

“Feels s'good,” you whispered. He bummed in approval before lifting you up and lining himself up with you. You sunk down onto his cock and you whined at the pleasure of him filling you up again. His pace was nowhere close to nice as his hips flew upwards and you had to grab onto his shoulders for leverage. You wrapped one of your hands around his neck while the other trailed down his chest. His hands remained on your hips as he guided you down with each thrust.

You could feel him hitting every spot of you perfectly and you soon felt the feeling of your next orgasm approaching. You grabbed your chest and toyed with your nipples as Danny fucked up into you.

“Fuck, your cock feels so good, don’t stop,” you whined. Danny sent a particularly hard thrust up into you and nearly screamed.

“Yeah? You like that way I fill up that pretty cunt?” He continued the pace and you could feel the band in your stomach ready to snap.

“Shit, Danny,” you couldn’t even get the words out, but he knew you were close.

“I said wait. Just a little longer.” He sped up and you leaned forward onto him, your head in the crook of his neck. You whined in his ear and left more lilac marks on his skin.

“M’s’close” you groaned as your legs began to shake. Danny’s movements suddenly stopped and you whined. You tried moving your hips against him but he stopped you from doing so. He grabbed your face with his hands and left a gentle kiss along your lips.

“Can you be a good girl and beg for me? Tell me what you want?” He asked quietly and you nodded with closed eyes.

“Yes sir,” you tried moving your hips again but his fingers tightened around them.

“That’s not what I asked,” he scolded. You whined and looked into his dark eyes.

“Please let me cum, I’ll be so good just for you.” You tried and he shook his head in a way that was telling you it wasn’t good enough, but it was a start. He very slowly began to move your hips against him.

“You can do better than that baby,” he hummed.

“Please, sir, let me cum. All over your cock, please,” You whimpered as Danny began to move your hips a little faster and you could feel your high slowly returning. Your hands raked down his chest before he brought one of his hands up and wrapped it around your throat, not squeezing too hard. You smiled at the contact and the feeling made you want to explode. There was no better home for his hand than on your dainty throat.

“You can do better,” His grip tightened as he saw your devilish grin and he started fucking up into you again.

“Fuck me, please, so fucking hard. I want to cum around daddy’s cock,” you gasped and your eyes fell closed. You could hear his grunts beneath you and you had a feeling he was close too. You had never been edged before but it was definitely a new kink.

“Fuck,” he groaned as his pace became deadly and his hand tightened around your throat. You couldn’t make any noise and your vision started going in and out. Your legs began to shake again and Danny flipped the two of you over before he pulled out again. His grip released from your throat and tears started to prick your eyes from being denied.

“Danny,” you whimpered and he smirked down at you.

“Patience, baby girl,” He smiled before dipping his head between your legs and lapping at your dripping cunt. You tangled your fingers in his hair as he held you in place. You noticed the hair tie on his wrist and you grabbed it from him to pull his hair back.

One of the things that made you absolutely weak was when Danny had his hair pulled back into a bun. The way you could get a clear view of his face, the way his jaw could cut diamonds, he was perfect.

You pushed back the hair and tried to get some of it that were stuck to his forehead from sweat. You tied the hair tie around his thick curly tresses before you let your head fall back. Your breathing was becoming labored and you could feel yourself begin to throb.

“Baby please,” you whined as you so desperately just needed to release around him. He stopped again and a tear slid past your eyes. This was absolute torture.

“Have you been good enough for me?” He questioned as he got close to your face. He kissed you again and grabbed your bottom lip with his teeth before pulling it back.

“So, so good,” you ran your delicate fingers over his face and cupped them around his jaw.

Danny lined himself at your entrance again before entering you agonizingly slow. You sighed as he filled you up again but your sigh was replaced with a yelp as his hips collided with yours at a brutal pace. He started rubbing fast circles against your clit and you were seconds away from unraveling.

“Danny, fucking please,” you gasped and he nodded his head.

“Cum for me baby, all over my fucking cock,” his thrusts quickened and seconds later you unraveled around him. Your eyes screwed shut and a moan left your lips that would put a pornstar to shame. All of the air left your chest and your legs shook violently.

“Such a good girl, cumming all over my cock, look at you,” he groaned as his pace began to falter and you knew he was close.

“You fuck me so good, cum for me,” you praised and Danny moaned. His hands tightened around your waist and you smiled from his reaction to your praise.

“Shit,” he groaned before pulling out of you quickly. You moved so your face was lined up with his tip.

“Please,”

“Mmm, so fucking good for me. Open.” He commanded before you opened your mouth and took his length in your mouth. He grabbed your hair before turning it into a makeshift ponytail and began to thrust into your mouth. You gagged a few times and a few start years slid down your face but he wiped them away with his thumb.

“Fuck, I’m gonna cum,” He warned and you hummed in response. His grunts became moans as you cupped his balls in your hand and began massaging them. Moments later you felt the warm, salty liquid hit the back of your throat and you swallowed every last drop of him. He pulled back but you grabbed his hips as you swirled your tongue around his tip. You could feel his legs shake and he let out a whimper before pulling away from you.

“Holy shit,” he gasped and all you could do was smile. You rolled over onto your back and he admired your fucked out appearance. You had hair that was sticking to your forehead, marks covering your neck and chest, and a sheen layer of sweat covering your chest and stomach.

All you could do was smile at the thought of what you had done and you knew it would be engraved into your memories forever. Danny walked out of the bedroom and came back a few moments later with a damp washcloth and he began to clean you up. The rough material made you squirm as he ran it over your core and he laughed.

“Sensitive, are we?”

“Says you,” referring to just moments ago when he pulled away from you. He nodded his head almost as a ‘touché’. He picked up his boxers before sliding them on and he threw you his sweater to wear. You slid the soft material over your body and it fell around your thighs. The sleeves were too long but you didn’t mind since that was how you liked it anyway.

You adjusted yourself in your bed and patted the spot next to you for Danny to come lay down next to you. He took the invitation and he got under your duvet. You scanned his features before applying a delicate kiss to his lips. He kissed you back as his hand rested along your cheek. Your lips moved together slowly and you prolonged it, never wanting the moment to end.

Danny pulled away and rested his head against yours and you kept your eyes closed as if it would keep the moment from disappearing. He ran his fingers through your hair and pressed a kiss to your forehead.

“What does this mean for us?” You asked softly. You didn’t want to go back to the way things were with him.

“What do you want it to mean?” He questioned. You leaned your head against his warm, toned chest and you got quiet for a moment.

“I don’t want to go back to how things were.” You said in barely a whisper. Danny took in a deep breath and for some reason, it made your stomach uneasy.

“Honestly, I’ve wanted this for so long,” he admitted and you turned to look up at him. His eyes were closed and he just looked… peaceful.

“So…” you said quietly, not sure where to go from here.

“I say, we see where this goes. Only if you want to, I mean.” He suggested. Your heart swelled at the fact he actually wanted a real relationship with you. You nodded your head and wrapped your arms around him.

“I’m okay with that.”

***

A few weeks had gone by since you and Danny decided to test the waters and see where this whole thing went. You had decided that night to still have your occasional arguments but you didn’t want to make things so obvious for the other boys.

It wasn’t working.

“What is going on between you two? Like things are just… weird?” Jake asked as he polished his guitar. You sat on his amp and shook your head. The boys were beginning to practice for tour and you had decided to come along. But you also had plans with Danny after.

“Nothing. Maybe we’re just finally getting along, I dunno,” you lied. Jake caught your bluff and he sat his guitar down. He came closer to you and put his hands on your legs as he leaned closer to your face.

“You’re a shit liar, Y/N,” He said quietly. You could feel Danny’s eyes on you since Jake was so close. You bit your lip as you looked at him, silently asking to tell Jake. He gave you a simple nod before he continued tightening the bolts on his drum set.

“Okay fine. Danny and I are seeing each other,” you said quietly, a blush appearing over your cheeks. Jake stepped back and looked between the two of you. You stared at your feet and he gasped.

“Are you telling me that tinder hookup-“

“Yes, it was Danny. When he dropped me off a few weeks ago after that night we went out, he helped me inside and we talked a little, and things just kind of went from there.” You said quietly so the other boys wouldn’t hear.

“God damn, Wagner!” Jake cheered and Danny flipped him off as you laughed.

“Why are we cheering for Danny boy?” Sam asked as he and Josh walked back into the room.

“Y/N and Danny fucked!” Jake laughed and you gasped in horror. Danny dropped one of his sticks and threw his arms up.

“Jacob!” You yelled

“Dude, what the fuck?” Danny groaned.

“No fucking way, you’re lying!” Sam laughed as he looked between the two of you. You shook your head since the cat was out of the bag.

“Thanks a lot, Jake,” you sighed and hopped off the amp. You walked over to Danny before giving him a light kiss and the three boys behind you groaned.

“Oh god, now we have to deal with you two fucking in front of us? I’d take the arguing over that any day.” Josh groaned and you flipped him off as you kissed Danny again, this one being even longer just to piss them off. He grabbed your ass and you both smiled through the kiss.

“You’re just jealous,” Danny retorted.

“I’m gonna go get some drinks. Be back, kay?” You whispered and he nodded. You grabbed your stuff and began to leave the small little practice studio.

“I mean honestly yeah. Y/N has a great ass,” Josh shrugged and you turned around to look at him with wide eyes. Danny threw a drumstick at him which bounced right off of his head.

“Ow, Danny!” Josh complained and you couldn’t help but cover your face to avoid them seeing your laughter.

“You fucking deserved that,” Sam piped up and you finally exploded into a fit of laughter. You opened the door and waved to Danny and Jake while Josh and Sam started to argue.

“I’ll be back with waters.” You closed the door behind you and started making your way towards your car. As you got in you heard your phone go off and you pulled it out of your pocket and noticed it was a message from Danny.

You do have a great ass(;

———

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