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haltandcatchfiretothemax · 4 years

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FEMSLASH FEBRUARY 2021 #9: In which Cameron meets Donna in the city

[CN: food mentions, snacking]

PREVIOUSLY: #3

Cameron and Donna remained in what was basically constant contact even when Cameron was out at her property. They emailed each other several times a day, almost always about work, and they talked on the phone nightly. “It’s kind of perfect?” Donna said one night, phone balanced between her ear and shoulder, as she rubbed some of the moisturizing lotion she kept on her nightstand into her hands. “I miss you, but I never feel like I miss you, if that makes sense? I always know that I’m going to see you in a few days, and I look forward to it.”

Cameron, lying on her bed so that she could see out the window, as she usually did, conjured up a very accurate image of Donna sitting up in bed while talking to her. With a content sigh, she said, “It makes perfect sense.”

Perfect though it was, neither Cameron and Donna’s routine not the regular return to the calm and quiet of her property was enough to stave off the inevitable: several weeks later, Cameron began to experience that old familiar restlessness that she always seemed to feel two to three months into working on a project by herself. Cameron had learned a lot about ‘working smarter’ while designing the navigator with Donna; with great effort, she’d gotten much better at taking regular breaks, at alternating between coding and other tasks, and at letting herself do some of her work related thinking in a more relaxed way, while doing household chores. But she’d finally reached the point where it didn’t matter how many errands she ran, how many breaks or walks or drives she took. She needed a true change of scenery.

On another nightly call, six weeks later, Cameron asked Donna, “Do you have anything big going on at Symphonic tomorrow? Or maybe the day after? Or would it be okay if I dropped in for a random visit?”

“I’m the boss,” Donna reminded her. “If anything big happens, it has to wait for me.”

Sitting at her desk, holding her her cordless phone to her ear, knees hugged to her chest with her free arm, Cameron pictured the dazzling smile with which Donna always made such egotistical statements, an expression that always made Donna’s male colleagues, who knew that she wasn’t really kidding, visibly uncomfortable, but always seemed to amuse the women she worked with, who understood that she was, on some level joking. (Donna absolutely was the boss, and everything very much did have to wait for her. She also never would have dreamed of making any of her staff or the firm’s partners wait just to prove that she could, and the women who worked with her knew this.) What Cameron did not and could not picture was that at that very moment, Donna, once again sitting up in bed in one of her luxe pajama sets, was hunched forward, casually painting a layer of quick drying top coat over the red polish on her toenails, as carefree as a woman who had never once answered to anyone else in her life.

“Couldn’t have happened to a nicer gal,” Cameron smirked.

“I know, right?” Donna said, putting the cap back on her bottle of top coat. She screwed it closed, and then set it on her nightstand. “So you’re coming up to San Francisco this week, then?”

“I think I just need like, a full day out of my workspace,” Cameron said, unfolding her legs. Planting her feet back on the floor, and setting her elbows on her desk, she said, “You know that thing, where it’s the end of the beginning with a project? And like, you can feel it? And it’s like, you’ve been doing real work, but at the same time, you know that the real work is about to start?” She sighed. “I feel like that’s a completely normal part of the process. Like, you have to get to that point to get anything done, right? But for some reason, it makes me nervous. It’s like, the ground levels out, and you realize that you’ve plateaued. I guess it’s the pressure to level up. Or whatever.”

Donna leaned back into her pillows, against her upholstered headboard. “Plateaued. You know what Gordon told me once? He said that during those over nights in the kill room at Cardiff, he learned what the word ‘jump’ means. Are you getting pre-jump jitters?”

Cameron took a deep breath and thought about it. “Well, this isn’t a risk like The Giant was. But I guess so?” She leaned back in her chair. “Even if it’s not a huge risk, I guess it’s just about jumping into the project, or something. Like, committing. You’ve done the prep work, and now you know that it’s time to step back for a minute, and then start getting ready for the next phase.” She looked around her trailer, and she pictured Gordon, how he’d looked when she first met him, the Cardiff office, Bos. After noting to herself that she needed to call Bos to confirm their next weekly dinner, she said, “It probably doesn’t help that the thing we’re trying to make is about people dying, and death.”

“It’s also about rebirth, though, I think,” Donna said gently. “And connecting.”

Abruptly, Cameron said, “I’ve been thinking about Japan a lot lately.”

“Oh yeah? What about Japan?”

“About…” Cameron started. “About what it was like to work on something by myself, after working in an office with so many people for years, in a completely new place where I didn’t know anyone. I wasn’t happy at Mutiny, and then I wasn’t happy with Atari, and, for a while I just assumed that I was incapable of happiness.” She frowned, and then said, “And then, you know, seven years later I got divorced, and I was like, ‘Oh. Okay.’”

Donna laughed and then made herself stop. “Sorry. That’s not funny.”

“It’s a little funny,” Cameron smiled. “You know what’s really funny? How much easier it is to deal with work and with professional struggles when you’re partnered with the right person.”

“That is funny, isn’t it?” Donna chuckled. “So. See you tomorrow, then?”

The next day, Cameron was woken up at 6:30 in the morning by the sound of pouring rain beating against the roof of her trailer. She waited to see if it might pass, but when it was still raining heavily four hours later, she called Donna to reschedule.

The day after that, Cameron woke up when her alarm went off 10am, to a gorgeous day and a light blue sky scattered with fluffy, unthreatening clouds. She got up, turned on the radio on her nightstand, and made her bed while humming along to the new Foo Fighters single, “Monkey Wrench.” She managed to not think about work once while showering, getting dressed, quickly making an egg sandwich and coffee, packing both to go, and heading out the door.

Around 3:30, Donna heard Cameron’s voice. She was making small talk with her assistant, Maya, and holding a paper coffee cup in each hand. Donna jumped up and rushed to her office’s door and stuck her head out. “Hey! You made it!”

Cameron and Maya both turned to look at Donna. Cameron’s shoulders loosened, and her face relaxed, that pinched ‘help me!’ grimace melting into a real smile. Donna noticed that she looked just a little disheveled. “Here, come in,” Donna beckoned. “Sit. Relax!”

Cameron turned back to Maya and said, “Gotta go, my boss is calling me,” making Maya giggle.

As soon as Cameron was in her office, Donna pulled her close, and kissed her on the cheek, and then frowned, and hastily tried to rub the dark pink spot of lipstick off of her face. “How are you?”

“I’m okay,” Cameron said. She offered Donna the coffee cup in her left hand, and Donna took it, grinning when she saw that it was a London fog. Cameron sat down on Donna’s couch, and put her own cup down on the coffee table, and as Donna sat down next to her, she opened her backpack and pulled out a paper bag packed with four plain scones.

“Oooh,” Donna said. “Don’t mind if I do,” she said, as Cameron handed one to her.

Cameron took a scone for herself, and then she said, “These are unfortunately store-bought. I thought about making some for us, but the airstream’s baking capabilities are limited. And I also thought it’d be silly to carry them all the way here, on the bus and the train.”

Donna nearly choked on her scone. “What do you mean, the bus and the train? You took the bus and the train all the way here? From Bonny Doon?”

Cameron’s face took on that mildly pinched look again. “Yes! I did! I was curious as to how long it would take, so I figured, ‘there’s only one way to find out’!”

Donna’s mouth hung open for a second. “And?”

Smiling ruefully, Cameron nodded, “It definitely took two buses, two trains, and five hours!”

Donna slumped back into the couch. “I’m exhausted just thinking about that, my G-d.”

“I thought growing up in the Dallas suburbs, where you totally need a car, and then going to school in Austin, where you don’t really, was weird.” She picked up her coffee and took a long sip. Cup still in hand, she continued, “But living in Japan for seven years, and then coming back here? That’s weird.” With a real frown and a heavy sigh, Cameron wailed, “I got so spoiled by Tokyo’s transit system.”

Donna smiled glumly at her. “Wanna move back? I can always open a regional Symphonic office there.”

“Nah. But hey, if you wanna put that money toward lobbying whoever to get a high speed rail system built in the states….”

“Ugh,” Donna scoffed, throwing her head back in disgust. “Don’t get me started on this country’s crumbling infrastructure. If I could easily throw money at that problem, I would.”

“I know you would,” Cameron said. “And I would fully support you in that endeavor.”

Donna sat up and grabbed her drink and her scone. “How was it though?”

Putting her cup down, she said, “Well, it was a lot! But it was also relaxing. I ate my breakfast, and I did some reading, and then I just sat there for a while, and before I knew it I was taking out my notebook so I could write down some work ideas.” Wistfully, she said, “I did that in Tokyo a lot, I’d go to the train station and I’d just, get on whatever train, and go wherever. And every time I would worry about getting lost, but I never did? I always had my map, and there were plenty of maps in the stations, and there were always people there, both the other riders and all of transit workers, and they were always so down to at least try to help? It wasn’t anything like needing help here. Or in Texas.”

Donna grinned at her. “So it was the change of scene you were looking for?”

Cameron smiled back at her, and then said, “Maybe you should ask me after I make it back home? For now though, yeah, it really was. What’s the saying? It’s the journey not the destination? Something like that, yadda yadda yadda,” Cameron said.

Donna sat up, and crossed her legs at the knee. “I’m very glad to hear that it worked out, then.”

“Yeah,” Cameron agreed. She waited a full minute before asking (partly because she was, as always, distracted by Donna’s crossed legs), “But still — would it like, totally ruin the moment if I begged you to give me a ride home? Or at least, to Mountain View?”

Donna laughed so loudly that it startled her assistant.

#it's occurring to me that 2 buses/2 trains/5 hours is about how long it takes to get from queens to west philadelphia?#*searches the numbers* and yeah...the distance from bonny doon to sf is only 20 miles less than nyc to phl? that's wild!#anyways if you need me i'll be crying over the weather here and how i can't visit the bay or yosemite #femslash february #femslash february 2021 #fan fiction #cameron howe #donna clark #donna emerson

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katsu-at-the-bottom · 4 years

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Valentine’s Day Gig

@rangikuxmatsumoto

“Good evening, motherfuckers.” Katsu bluntly greeted the audience in English as he strapped on his acoustic bass guitar. Though X-Human had managed to score a gig at a proper music hall instead of a bar, they wouldn’t change their manners for a more sophisticated venue.

Katsu reserved a special front row seat for Rangiku. The bad news was that there was no way to buy drinks for her at this music hall. But the good news was that she could use her customized flask he gave her as a Christmas present...

Without wasting any time with unnecessary introductions, X-Human counted down and launched into their first song:

“Creep” by Stone Temple Pilots

Feeling uninspired Think I'll start a fire Everybody run Bobby's got a gun Think you're kinda neat Then she tells me I'm a creep Friends don't mean a thing Guess I'll leave it up to me

Katsu’s low voice suddenly rang throughout the music hall with a mix of anger and melancholy as he sang, “Think you’re kinda neat / Then she tells me I’m a creep.” This line had special significance for him because he had a similar experience with a girl in his first year of high school. He had never talked about this with the audience, his bandmates, or Rangiku.

“We thought this’d be a cool experiment to try out since some of our favorite bands did acoustic shows for MTV. I only have one original song for this show, but we might make more if this goes well. If not... we’ve wasted all your time and you’ll have to fight us in the parking lot.”

“Nutshell” by Alice in Chains

We chase misprinted lies We face the path of time And yet I fight, and yet I fight this battle all alone No one to cry to, no place to call home

Just as he sang the first verse, Katsu’s voice trembled with sadness. This was one of the songs he would listen to and sing along with when he had his lowest days: when he would completely shut himself away from the world and suffer in self-chosen isolation. He almost couldn’t believe he was sharing this personal moment with a live audience. Halfway through the song, he was fighting back against the tears forming in his eyes so he wouldn’t choke up during the performance. That wouldn’t be cool.

“Ooh, that was pretty good.” Katsu shook off his feelings and returned to his usual stage persona. He picked up the mug sitting next to him and sipped some coffee. He had written “Breast Milk” in big bold characters on the plain white mug and acted as if nothing was wrong, though he looked at Rangiku to see her reaction to his juvenile joke.

“Like Suicide” by Soundgarden

Heard it from another room Eyes were waking up just to fall asleep Love's like suicide Dazed out in a garden bed With a broken neck lays my broken gift Just like suicide

“That was about a bird who crashed into a window like a big dummy. I’ve crashed through a few windows, and I’m still fine.”

The drummer chimed in, “Birds have no excuse for dying like that.”

The rhythm guitarist added, “So Katsu’s tougher than the average bird.”

Katsu: “I’ll punch out any bird that tries to fuck with me.”

Drummer: “Bullshit, we all saw you getting manhandled by your girlfriend! She could toss you around with one arm!”

Katsu snorted and threw a guitar pick at the drummer, to which he responded by chucking his drum sticks at Katsu. The blonde delinquent picked and held up the sticks. “Come get ‘em, asshole.”

The drummer pulled out a spare set of drum sticks and slowly walked towards Katsu, holding the sticks like weapons. Katsu mirrored his actions and the two dumbasses whacked each other with the sticks, much to the amusement or dismay of the audience.

They soon sat back down after their little slapstick routine. “...I’m into that kinda thing anyway,” Katsu said. “Speaking of my girlfriend, she’s the one who bought me this guitar for Christmas. So uhh... these next two songs are for you, babe.” Katsu looked directly at Rangiku and smiled as he strapped his bass guitar back on. “The next one is the one I wrote. It’s called ‘Raggedy Doll’.”

This song was about a woman who had found a battered doll on a sidewalk, sung in the perspective of the doll. What looked like a trashy, decayed doll to other people walking past it was special enough to the woman that she picked it up, took it back home, and stitched it back together to look almost as good as new. The doll looks at himself and now feels like he looks good for a shabby old toy. He can see the damage leftover from use and abuse, but can love himself thanks to a woman who cared enough to keep him and give him a makeover.

“Heh, I think that went well. You know what, we might make more of these songs.” Katsu grinned from the praise of the audience and Rangiku.

Lead guitarist: “Let’s start writing right after the show.”

Katsu: “Hell no, I’m busy tonight.”

Lead guitarist: “Busy with what? Taxes??”

Katsu: “N--Well, that can wait. Hahaha...! But you know what day it is. I’m gonna cuddle up with my woman, watch a movie, eat our chocolates... and fuck her.” Katsu used more vulgar English to get laughs and gasps from the audience, but mostly for Rangiku’s reaction. “So let’s not waste anymore time and get to our last song. I want all of you to get home to your Valentine’s as soon as possible too... whether they’re 3D or 2D.”

“Everlong” by Foo Fighters

And I wonder When I sing along with you

If everything could ever feel this real forever If anything could ever be this good again The only thing I'll ever ask of you You've got to promise not to stop when I say when She sang

Katsu spent the vast majority of the song locking his vivid emerald eyes towards Rangiku in the front row. He thought back to their first night meeting each other... Katsu had kept his distance from girls for what seemed like forever, never thinking he could establish a genuine connection with any of them. But when he saw Rangiku sitting at that bar, Katsu couldn’t bear to wait any longer for a connection and threw himself into uncharted territory. Though their romance didn’t hit off immediately, and he suffered a mysterious attack, that small decision to talk to her changed his destiny for the better. Now they can drink and “waste away” with each other and share in each other’s breaths. Those few years staying away from girls and turning away groupies seemed to have paid off in a gentle, yet fiery and heartfelt love.

X-Human stood up as the music hall roared and rang with applause. Katsu bid them a good night and a Happy Valentine’s Day as he carried his acoustic bass backstage. He shot a glance and a smile at Rangiku, letting her know to meet him in the back to celebrate.

#rangikuxmatsumoto #Main: Shit Adds Up at the Bottom #This was so late I'm sorry!#And I suck at writing lyrics

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calamity-chaos · 6 years

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Walking After You

Pairings: Gabriel x Reader

Tags/Warnings: Angst, fluff

Song: Walking After You by Foo Fighters

Word Count: 2082

You had first seen him at the edge of a street corner.

It was mid-July, on one of your earliest cases. The suit you were wearing was hot and uncomfortable, and it was exacerbating your already sour mood. What had seemed like a simple salt and burn at the surface, was growing far more complicated the more you dug. You were in a hurry to get to your motel room to get out of the heat and change into something more comfortable when you felt a prickle on the back of your neck. The feeling of being watched.

You paused mid-stride, instincts kicking in as you scanned your surroundings. There. He was leaning against a sweet shop shamelessly staring at you. When your eyes met, he gave a nod and the smallest of smiles.

For some reason, you shivered. You immediately looked away, ducking your head down and continuing to your motel room.

You weren’t scared per say. That wasn’t what made you turn your head. There was something off about the man, something in the tilt of his head, the curve of his smile, the way his eyes seemed to glow golden despite the bright July sunshine.

You had casually asked the locals about him, during your investigation but discovered very little. He had come into town two days before you had, which had taken him off the suspect list since the phenomena had been going on for at least two weeks. He had introduced himself as Locke, and that was all anyone knew about him.

You would see Him around now and again. Always at distance, and always just…watching. You had tried several times to talk to Him, but He always seemed to disappear before you got close enough.

Until that one night. Alone in a house that was invested with angry spirits, you were way out of your depth. You had come expecting two spirits worst case scenario. There turned out to be around nine of them total. You had barricaded yourself into a room and was desperately trying to finish a salt circle when one of them appeared right in front of you. You screamed, jumping back. You threw the last tiny bit of the salt at it and it hissed but did not vanish. It advanced on you, and you scrabbled around trying to find anything to ward it off.

And then in the midst of all that chaos, you heard a snap, and the spirit was gone. The cacophony from all the others had ceased and the only sound you were left was your own ragged breathing. And He was there, leaning on the wall opposite radiating smug satisfaction.

“You alright there, Cupcake?”

You gaped at him, still trying to catch your breath. “What-how-who are you?!” You picked up the empty salt container and held it out in a pitiful attempt to look threatening.

Locke rolled his eyes. “Relax sweetheart, if I had wanted to hurt you, I would’ve left you to Casper the unfriendly ghost.”

“You’re welcome, by the way” He added when you didn’t respond.

You stared at him, not letting your guard down for a minute. “Why?” you demanded.

Locke shrugged. “I was in the neighborhood” You gave him a flat stare. “I was bored,” He said, a hint of defensiveness in his tone.

“Who-what are you?”

He only grinned, waggled his eyebrows, and vanished.

The next time you saw him, was at a café in some small town in Nowhere USA. You had just finished a job and was avoiding the stares of the other patrons by reading.

“Good book?”

You jumped, spilling your drink. “Jesus Christ” you hissed earning a glare from the elderly lady at a nearby table

“Not quite,” Locke said dryly. You reached for a napkin to mop up the mess but found the table dry and your drink sitting upright.

“What are you doing here?” you whispered, glancing around at the other customers in the café, but none of them had seemed to notice Locke’s sudden appearance. “You can’t-go away”

Locke raised his hand to his chest in mock hurt “But I only just got here” You ignored him, opening your book, and hoped that the lack of attention would send him back to wherever he came from.

Half and hour and two cups of coffee later, it became abundantly clear that Locke was not going to leave. You put down your book with a sigh. “I didn’t catch your name,” You remarked, watching in horrified fascination as he downed his sixth cup of hot cocoa.

“Didn’t throw it, sugar?” He said casually.

You rolled your eyes. “Y/N,” you said “My name is Y/N L/N”

“Well,” He said with exaggerated grandness “It is a pleasure to meet you Y/N L/N” Locke smiled, his eyes twinkling as he took your hand and pressed his lips to your knuckles. You felt heat rising in your cheeks and prayed that it wasn’t visible.

“Oh please,” you said with a coy smile, matching his tone “The pleasure is all mine, Mr…?”

“Just Locke will do,” He said, his grin growing wider.

“Well then,” you said “Just Locke. Is there anything I can do for you? There is a significant lack of angry ghosts so I can’t imagine you’re here to save me again.”

Locke shrugged nonchalantly. “Just passing through?”

You raised a skeptical eyebrow at him “Really?” you said, drawing out the word. “So, you aren’t stalking me then?”

“I would never!”

“So, all those times I caught you watching me…that was just a coincidence?”

Locke winced “Had to make sure you weren’t hunting me. Just a safety precaution, nothing personal.”

“Should I be hunting you?” you said, leaning forward and resting your hand on the knife tucked into your jeans.

The question hung in the air, and the voices in the café seemed suddenly muted and distant. Locke leaned forward. “You’re welcome to try,” he said softly, his eyes burning into yours, and you were once again struck with the feeling of off-ness. This…being radiated power and otherworldliness, and you felt very, very small.

You leaned back slowly, bringing your hand off your knife, to rest on the table and Locke relaxed. The moment had passed, the noises of the café returning.

“What are you?” you asked quietly.

Locke smiled “Just passing through” was all he said, and then he was gone.

He would return at random intervals, sometimes giving you helpful tips, or pointing you in the right direction on a case, other times appearing simply to pester you into talking to him. At first, mouths could pass before you would see him again, but as time wore on his visits became more and more frequent. You never could figure out what he was, though you had several guesses. You attempted to spring the question on him, but he always had some witty line ready.

It was after a particularly nasty fight with a werewolf. You were leaning against a tree, trying to catch your breath and grinning at some stupid story Locke was telling when you winced in pain. Lifting your pant leg, you found three claw marks. You grimaced, certain that it was going to leave a scar when you felt a hand on your shoulder and the pain and marks vanished.

You looked up to see Locke standing beside you, frowning. Your eyes met, and he brushed his hand against your cheek, and this time you felt something ghost across your face, healing up little cuts and nicks you had accumulated over the years.

“What are you?” you whispered

Locke’s mouth curved up “A friend” he answered before vanishing into the night.

You stopped asking after that.

And then the Angels came.

And Locke was gone.

At first, you were worried, wondering if something had happened to him. You brushed that aside, Locke was too powerful, too clever. You decided painfully that he had finally grown bored and had simply moved on. You weren’t bitter of course. Not at all.

Things just won't do without you, matter of fact Oh oh ooh I'm on your back I'm on your back

And so, when he appeared months later, sitting across from you, leaning back casually as if nothing had happened, you weren’t the least bit angry.

“Been a long time?” You said after a while, keeping your eyes glued to the book you had been reading “Thought you forgot about me”

“Been busy” Locke said shortly. You snuck the briefest glance up at him and was startled to find his usual calm, nonchalance had been replaced by a distracted, almost nervous air. Locke was on edge, and that meant nothing good.

Still, that was none of your business.

“So have I,” You said, flicking your eyes back to your book. “Angels and demons and all sorts of biblical shit. Don’t know if you noticed.”

Locke ignored you, continuing to flick his eyes around the room as if watching for something. “I can’t stay here” He muttered, almost to himself

You swallowed down a wave of bitterness. “Well, don’t let me keep you.” You said with false cheer.

“Come with me”

Your head snapped up. “Uh..what?”

“Run away with me,” Locke said stronger this time, his eye meeting yours.

“Where?” You asked bemused

“Anywhere you like,” Locke said, spreading his arms in a grand gesture. “Anywhere in the universe.”

“I can’t just leave” you spluttered “Demons…the seals…Lucifer!”

“I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but it’s already too late,” Locke said.

“No-we can still stop it” you argued

“Trust me,” Locke said “You can’t” And for the first time, you noticed the pain in his eyes. You opened your mouth to speak, but he cut you off. “Please.” He said, his voice growing soft. “I missed you”

For one shining second, you considered saying yes. Leaving behind all the stress of the imminent apocalypse, hunting, everything.

“I can’t,” you said “I’m sorry”

Locke’s face tightened in frustration. “You’ll die.” He said, desperation coloring his voice. “If you stay you’ll die”

“Not neces-”

“You will” he interrupted “No listen, the apocalypse…Lucifer…you can’t win”

“We can try,” You said with growing irritation “My friends need me.”

“I need you”

The words hung in the air, and the both of you froze. You swallowed, heart-pounding “Locke-” But he was already gone.

I cannot be without you, matter of fact Oh oh ooh I'm on your back

Music played in the bar, and patrons chattered and laughed. A golden-haired man sat alone at a table, eyes staring into his untouched drink.

“You’re a hard man to find”

Locke jumped up, knocking his drink over. His eyes snapped up to meet yours and widened with recognition.

“Wait!” You pleaded before he could vanish once again “Please, I have to say something before you go, you owe me that much”

Locke stilled, his expression neutral. You walked over to him, throat dry. You opened your mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Weeks of searching and planning exactly what to say and you couldn’t find the words.

You leaned your hand against his cheek and kissed him chastely. “Stay with me” You whispered as you pulled away.

Locke stared at you, his expression torn before he pulled you in closer and kissed you.

If you walk out on me I'm walking after you

The last time you saw him, was in an old library, mid case. Dusk was falling and you had been going on about the possibility of vampires when you trailed off realizing Locke had been usually silent. His face was lined with worry and he was looking distractedly out the window.

“Hey,” You said walking over to him “What it is, what’s wrong?”

He swallowed looking old and tired. “The Winchesters have managed to get themselves into even more trouble.”

“Yeah, they have a remarkable talent for that,” You said dryly “I suppose we’ve got to save them then”

Locke shook his head. “Not we”

“Nice try, but you’re not leaving me behind. Not again”

Locke shook his head “This isn’t your fight, sweetheart”

“It isn’t yours either” You argued. Locke looked away and didn’t respond. “Locke, what’s going on, what aren’t you telling me!?”

Silence

“What are you?!”

This time Locke looked up and smiled sadly. “I’m yours,” he said and kissed you before vanishing for the last time.

Another heart is cracked in two I'm on your back

Gabriel: @luciferseclipse @hankypranky

#Gabriel x reader #Gabriel

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thepinkwriterr · 6 years

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Loner // IT 2017 Chapter Ten

Live - Lightening Crashes

I can feel It comin' back again like a rollin' thunder chasing the wind forces pullin' from the center of the earth again I can feel it.

He pulled away from the kiss, rubbing the back neck of his neck. “Uh…Sorry…” “No, no, I liked it.” I smiled. “Really?” He laughed nervously. “Oh yeah.” I grabbed his hand and led him to the bed.

I pushed him down, straddling his hips. “Is this alright?” I asked as I kissed his neck. “Yeah…” He trailed off. Lightening Crashes by Live croons softly in the background as he flips me over, kissing my neck.

Dani’s POV

I woke up to the sun filling the gaps my blinds created. Round Here by Counting Crows blasted from downstairs. Hm, James must be up. I got up, pulling on a green shirt and jeans rolled at the ankle.

I made my way down the stairs, the smell of pancakes filling my nose. As I entered the kitchen I saw Kali’s school stuff on the table and James making breakfast. Kali was sitting on the counter in her black sleepwear.

“Hey,Dani,” Kali hopped off the counter,”Can I borrow some clothes?” “Of course. Me aramrio es su aramrio.” I smiled. “Moi bien!” James joked, turning to face me.

Kali clomped up the stairs. “Hows it hangin?” I asked as James sat a perfectly circular pancake on a ceramic plate and handed to me.

He shrugged,”Nothin’ much, how about you?” He asked as I grabbed the syrup. “Boy drama.” I sighed, coating my pancake with syrup. “Who do I need to murder?” James asked. I laughed as he sat across from me.

“I’m serious.” He declared seriously as Kali walked in, wearing fishnet stockings, a black zip-up skirt, and a stripped sweater. “Wow…” I smirked,”Lookin’ hot. White hot.” “Thanks.” She winked.

Kali drove us to school, actually being on time today. “Finally! Friday!” She exclaimed as she exited the car. “I’m excited for that party tomorrow.” “Shit, me too.” Kali laughed.

Mrs. Kub was a smug cunt first period, as usual. I got to second period, Casey no where in site. I looked at Bill from across the room. He smiled back, his wide pink lips turning up at each corner.

Casey and her two friends: Amanda and Chelsea came stomping in. Casey rolled her eyes, sending the others into the same pattern. They mirrored her actions to a tee, to the point of it being just sad.

I rolled my eyes at Bill, throwing a scowl on my face shaking my head the same way they do. He laughed quaintly. Casey look at him, and he shot his head forward to look at the board.

I rolled my eyes again and turned back to the board.

Third period was History. Great, the most boring class ever. I sat through the lesson, wanting to throw my head through the cement wall. The teacher, Mr. Zigler, was explaining our projects toward the end of class. One of Casey’s pets, Amanda, raised her hand, sans Casey. Well, that’s new.

“Yes?” He asked, pointing to her. “Will we be able to work in groups?” He smiled,”I just about to say that. Uh, yes, partners, actually.” Everyone cheered, turning toward their designated “best friend”.

“But, I get to choose who you work with.” He smiled. Everyone stopped, then groaned. “Oh stop! It is not that bad.” He joked. He grabbed his roster, reading off each persons fait.

“-Amanda Shirtz and Dustin Henderson…” Thank god, I’m not with that barbie doll. “Eddie Kaspbrak and Danielle Sinclair…”

What? Eddie? Richie’s best friend? Great! He’s going to hate me.

The bell rang as I looked at the boy. His head was down, his shoulders slumped. I felt bad for the kid, actually. He practically married his mother, he didn’t have many friends, his dad died when he was ten, and everyone made fun of him.

Maybe working with him wouldn’t be so bad.

I walked to my class with haste, as it’s on the other side of the building. Why do I have to run to Gym class, and run again?

After gym class was lunch. I sat next to Kali at out usual table. “Hey.” I said as I sat at a blue stool. She bobbed her head with the music playing from her walkman into her headphones. I pulled off the noise canceling headphones,”Earth to Kali!” “Sorry.” She laughed.

I stopped the tape, popping the tape out of the device. “R.E.M? Did you take my tape?” “Yeah, sorry. I was gonna give it back.” “At least you finally gave into my pleas. I’ve been telling you to listen to this album for months!”

She laughed,”I know. Your bother recommended it this morning, so I looked for it when I was getting dressed.” I rolled my eyes,”You’re a tramp.” She laughed,”So are you.”

After lunch was study hall, which I spent in the library, doing my homework. I heard two people laughing and taking in hushed tones. I looked up to see Eddie Kaspbrak and George Denbrough. I smiled at Eddie, then returned to my work.

There was then loud noises and jokes, coming from a different spot. I looked up to see Richie Tozier, Bev Marsh, and Ben Hanscom. They were fucking around and laughing loudly. I groaned, pulling out the walkman I borrowed from Kali during lunch. I popped in the cassette James made me for my birthday.

Side One:

Tesla - Love Song

R.E.M - Strange Currencies

Smashing Pumpkins - Luna

The Smiths - This Charming Man

Joy Divison - Disorder

Semisonic - Closing Time

Stone Roses - I Wanna Be Adored

R.E.M - Losing My Religion

The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under The Bridge

Side Two:

Live - Lightening Crashes

Bush - Glycerine

Radiohead - Creep

Foo fighters - Everlong

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Soul To Squeeze

The Smiths - Girlfriend In A Coma

Counting Crows - Round Here

Fleetwood Mac - Storms

Stone Temple Pilots - Creep

Nirvana - Something In The Way

I got to Closing Time when the bell rang. I packed all of my things, and as I exited the library Beverly came up to me. “Hey, you comin’ to the party tonight?” “I thought it was Saturday.” “Yeah, but mine it tonight.” “Yeah, I’ll go.“ I smiled. “Saturday too?” She asked. “Of course! I love parties.” I smiled. “Me too.” She laughed. “See you then.” “See you there.” She waved as she turned the opposite direction of me.

I decided to skip Spanish today. Not for any reason other than that I wanted to sleep. I waited until the bell rang for the last time, and went back to the library.

After sixth period finished, I went to Biology. I wasn’t particularly good at the subject, but I loved the class. After the bell rang I went down to the detention room.

And guess who was there on my last day? You guessed it, Richie!

Thank god we only had half an hour detention today. It was due to the fact the janitor didn’t want to clean around pimple faced teenagers who couldn’t shut their mouths shut long enough to keep themselves out of trouble.

I rolled my eyes at him as I walked into the room. He didn’t move a muscle. I thought that was weird, but I sat down regardless. Five minutes passed. I didn’t hear a word from him.

I turned to face him,”What? No asshole comments for me today?” He looked up at me,”Nope.” I furrowed my brows,”Who are you and what have you done with Richie Tozier?”

He said nothing. I turned back around, but it didn’t feel right.

I shuffled around in my bag and pulled out my headphones and walkman. I stood up, walking over to Richie. I handed him the items. “Here.” I held them out.

He looked puzzled, but took the items anyway. He put on the headphones and hit “play” on the walkman. Lightening Crashes began to play through the large headphones.

I moved my stuff to the seat next to his and sat down.

During the song I saw his eyes grow glassy, tears threatening to take place. The song ended, he took the headphones off. He pressed stop on the tape player.

“I always carry the single, it’s my favorite song.” I smiled weakly. He pushed the walkman and headphones over to me.

I popped the tape out of the walkman and handed it to him. He didn’t say anything, he just engulfed me in a tight hug.

Before I could hug him back, his watch beeped. He grabbed the tape quickly and grabbed his bag, scurrying out of the room.

I sat, utterly confused. After a few minutes I gathered my things and left the room. As I opened the door to the back parking lot, I saw Richie’s blue car. I searched the empty lot for Kali’s car, but I couldn’t find it. I guess she forgot about me.

I dreaded what I was going to do, but I walked over to the old car. I knocked on the window.

I could heard Lightening Crashes playing. Richie’s head was down. He looked up, his eyes tear stricken. He wiped his eyes discreetly, then rolled down his window.

“Hey-uh-your sister isn’t here, so I was wondering if you’d give me a ride home.” “Sure.” His voice broke momentarily. I got into the passenger seat of the little car.

We were silent until the song ended, and then he started the tape over. “I still live on Oak Road.” He nodded at my words. We turned onto my street a few minutes later.

Before I opened the door he ejected the tape, handing it to me. I shook my head,”Keep it.” I opened the door and slammed it, walking up my driveway. I saw Kali’s car on the pavement. She’s waiting for me.

I opened the door, walking into the anti room. I looked back through the window and saw Richie’s car was gone. I slipped off my shoes and walked into the living room.

“Honey, I’m home!” I called into the empty room. “Hm…” I sighed. I went up to my room. Empty. I heard Candlebox coming from my brothers room.

I walked down the steps and made a beeline for his room. I heard Kali’s giggle from the room.

I opened the door to see her straddling his hips. She was shirtless, and he only had boxers on.

“What the fuck?” I yelled, backing away from the door.

#it #it movie #it movie 2017 #it 2017 #eddie kaspbrak #bill denbrough #stan uris #richie tozier #beverly marsh #bev marsh #sophia lillis #rachel green #sophia lillis x reader #bill denbrough x reader #richie tozier x reader #river phoenix #beverly marsh x reader #bev marsh x reader #fanfic

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deadcactuswalking · 4 years

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 07/11/2020 (Ariana Grande, Bring Me the Horizon)

You know, it’s odd how that despite two pretty massive albums dropping, both having an impact on the chart, we actually have less debuts than the scattered mess of singles from last week, thanks to silly UK Singles Chart rules. Regardless, this week’s #1 is still “positions” by Ariana Grande and welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS.

Dropouts & Returning Entries

The biggest drop off the chart this week is undoubtedly the #1 hit “Before You Go” by Lewis Capaldi, exiting the UK Top 75 after a run lasting 50 weeks. Nothing really compares to the weight of that drop-out but I guess we do have “GREECE” by DJ Khaled featuring Drake, “Heather” by Conan Grey. “Bando Diaries” by Dutchavelli, “Heart of Glass” by Miley Cyrus, “forget me too” by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Halsey and “Hold” by Chunkz and Young Filly, only lasting a measly two weeks but still peaking high. There is actually a theme to our returning entries as all of these are spooky scary Halloween-themed tracks. The classic “Thriller” by the ever-controversial King of Pop Michael Jackson is back at #57, “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker, Jr. Is back at #54 – this is my personal favourite of the bunch, mostly thanks to Neil Cicierega – and even “Monster Mash” by Bobby Boris Pickett is back at #50. Oh, and “5AM” by M Huncho and Nafe Smallz is back at #66 but that’s just scarily bad. The biggest fall this week was for “Cool with Me” by Dutchavelli and M1llionz down to #64 whilst the biggest gain was unfortunately for “Whoopty” by CJ at #48. Honestly, what’s the appeal here? Sigh, at least we have some really interesting hijinks this week, pretty fitting for a week that saw the messiest US election in history, and I won’t write this in order so you won’t see what I’m leading up to until a while after you read this part but there is some incredible stuff here. You know what’s not incredible?

NEW ARRIVALS

#74 – “Too Many Nights” – 220 KID and JC Stewart

Produced by 220 KID, Joe Janiak and Mark Ralph

I started off this episode by writing about the Bring Me the Horizon songs first. Not only is the album good and I had recently listened to it, but I had a lot more to say about the tracks, obviously since it’s not something you see on the charts every day and there’s a lot more to discuss in these tracks. Hence, after writing nearly 2,000 words on the metalcore boys alone, I have a question: do I really need to cover this emotionless tropical house-pop crap manufactured by labels and DJs who rarely find any interesting instrumentation, songwriting ideas or even samples to cover up their complete lack of innovation and at times even talent, for a quick buck and stupid amounts of unwarranted chart success? I don’t want to say I’m angry and I don’t want to seem pretentious but music is art. Art is, as a result of the society that produces it, a product, but even #1 hits and major-label records are still pieces of art. They can be analysed, appreciated and listened to with a lot of thought and detail. I cannot see that in “Too Many Nights” by 220 KID and JC Stewart. To me, this is purely a product. I’m taking this way too seriously but this really exemplifies what people hate about pop music in three minutes and eight seconds of cheap plastic dance music. Next.

#67 – “Ginger” – Wizkid featuring Burna Boy

Produced by P2J

Wizkid and Burna Boy are both highly acclaimed Nigerian singers and given everything that’s happening here recently, it’s no surprise Wizkid released an album that I would think touches on these issues, Made in Lagos, which is a name I can infer means he will explore Nigerian identity and what it means to be from Lagos and make it big in music. Wizkid is one of the big stars and pioneers of modern African pop music and whilst I should be interested in the album, I haven’t had the time to give it a spin yet so I’ll take this first impression from the track with Burna Boy. This is a pretty sweet tropical tune with an infectious hook referencing the traditional West African dish of jollof rice, and whilst the language barrier does prevent me from fully understanding the song, I can gather that this is a mix of a hook-up jam and typical rap stuff, with him flexing how he lives nice and if people want smoke, he’s got smoke, and a lot about this woman gyrating on him. Seriously, that’s the whole first verse, which only arrives after a really awkward pause. The second verse is kind of awkward here and Wizkid’s voice and flow have never done much for me, especially here where both he and Burna Boy sound checked-out. Burna Boy’s contributions are pretty much relegated to half of the chorus and an outro that quickly fades away and soon enough, this really slow, kind of uninteresting song has already finished. I’m not personally a fan of this but I am still interested in that album – I like the song with Skepta even if it does sound very much like “Ginger”, just with a stronger guest. Now onto the big story, or at least my big story, on the chart.

#55 – “1x1” – Bring Me the Horizon featuring Nova Twins

Produced by Jordan Smith and Oliver Sykes

I never read Kerrang! magazine, mostly because I’m not a loser [citation needed]. I understand that they originated in the 1980s as a metal-focused magazine but I wasn’t there for that. I was there for the Kerrang! TV era of pop-punk whining, scene-core screaming, nu-metal grunting, emo crooning and the Bloodhound Gang for some reason. Listening to this new Bring Me the Horizon album, titled Post Human: Survival Horror, took me back to that place. That feeling of classic Metallica followed by less classic Foo Fighters followed by the absolutely not classic Medina Lake (some of their stuff still slaps, however derivative) – oh, yeah, and like 10 minutes of adverts after six minutes of music. That feeling of All Time Low and You Me at Six playing back to back and being completely incapable of telling the difference between the two. “If we ain’t got that then we ain’t got much and we ain’t got nothing.” They were simpler times. I may be mashing up eras here but it still stands. Hell, the BABYMETAL tracks even took me back to the “Flashing Lights” disclaimers of all things. Rest in peace to Scuzz by the way, and, yes, I said BABYMETAL, we’ll get to that in a bit. So, yeah, I really liked that throwback to turn-of-the-millennium mallcore, but it does keep itself fresh and interesting enough throughout, especially with Sykes’ unique delivery and topical albeit ham-fisted edgy lyrics. You can say a lot about Bring Me the Horizon but at this point at least they definitely have pretty defining characteristics and a lot of likeability even if they do like to stick to a formula at times that makes it pretty obvious where their influences lie. That said, I do think the album becomes a slog by track seven, and it’s a lot duller than it probably should be for the final stretch. Unfortunately, this is track seven. I’m not familiar with the Nova Twins but they’re a punk-rap duo from London and honestly I am interested in checking out that debut album but I’m not really impressed by them or the metalcore boys – which is somehow a better band name than “Bring Me the Horizon” – on this track. Again, there is a formula to the metalcore boys’ banger tracks, and here it feels particularly stale and awkward, thanks to the loudness war that’s present in the album as a whole (Linkin Park’s influence shows up everywhere, even in the production) and the awkward trap elements shoved into the percussion of the first and second verses. I think Amy Love of Nova Twins obviously flows better on it than Oli Sykes who should have handed everything that’s not the chorus – one of the most cookie-cutter on the record – to the Twins, because he sounds pretty off here. There’s a lot less “epic edgy” lyrical content (I’m not sure if that’s a compliment) but that leads to kind of vague and disjointed ideas that don’t all line up to the core theme of the song, which is human guilt for the sins of man or some crap like that. Boys, when you interpolate four of your own songs AND Linkin Park, you’ve got to realise you’re re-treading some ground here. Not even the typical Bring Me the Horizon drop into the metal breakdown from an electronic bridge really feels like it’s worth it or climactic here, which is a shame but who needs the Nova Twins when the metalcore boys have a collaboration with another unique all-female rock duo...?

#51 – “Kingslayer” – Bring Me the Horizon featuring BABYMETAL

Produced by Jordan Fish and Oliver Sykes

When I saw BABYMETAL on this tracklist, I was amused and kind of laughed it off. These guys do have some pretty bizarre collaborations – they have songs with Halsey and Grimes – but BABYMETAL? I remember them when they were half-awesome Japanese pop-metal band and half-complete and utter meme in the early 2010s, and I knew that they had continued being so, mostly because the last time I heard from them they were playable in Super Mario Maker. Seriously, look it up. Now when I saw BABYMETAL on the charts, nearing the top 50 no less, I was ecstatic and honestly shocked. Needless to say this is their first appearance on the chart and whilst metal bands in the 2000s like Slipknot and System of a Down had genuine hits, outside of, fittingly, Bring Me the Horizon, it’s unheard of, especially for a Japanese girl group who happen to have freaking shredders playing on stage behind them. I haven’t listened to a BABYMETAL album but I feel like I don’t need to because of how much they’ve made an impression through singles, videos and live performances. Judas Priest’s Rob Halford called BABYMETAL “the future of metal” and whilst I’m not into the metal scene, I’m half-inclined to both agree and add Bring Me the Horizon to that conversation. I’m just amazed there is a cyber-kawaii metal song on the charts. I’m honestly astonished. Oh, and it helps that the song is incredible. On the album there’s a short interlude that functions as an introduction but honestly the short, aggressive synth riff followed by an immediate crash into the metal groove and Sykes yelling his lungs out works better on its own to just shove you face-first into some insane music. I love how that opening yell is chopped up and digitally re-arranged in the background of the chaotic instrumentation. The cutesy and bleep-bloopy synths that are not new to Bring Me the Horizon’s repertoire are used to their full potential here and yes, it is complete sensory overload, but it’s also kawaii-cyber metal. I mean, what did you expect? It also thematically makes sense. The song is about Call of Duty but it’s also an ode to the people willing to stand up for what they believe in even if it’s illegal and even if it doesn’t abide by rules and regulations. The album is full of these songs that fully support a revolutionary attitude and a clear frustration with keeping up with the old guard for all these years. You can hear how fed up and sick and tired of the political hellscape Sykes is in his shifts between pitch-shifted whining not dissimilar to Blink-182 and gravelly yelling straight out of extreme metal, except unlike most extreme metal I’ve heard, this is actually mixed properly. This track and especially the opener, “Dear Diary”, have so much anarchic energy and that is what I love about the hardcore punk edge to a lot of the album, not necessarily as much sonically as that in content and lyrical themes, where Sykes presents his inner mental struggles and contextualises them on the world stage, making an album that tackles the pandemic, racism and corruption vaguely and with poetic wit without being shallow or impersonal. Most songs that relate to the social distancing will not use the depressive emotional bloodletting of “Teardrops”, the subtly ominous yet still anthemic choruses about lockdown in “Obey” (seriously, these guys can make even YUNGBLUD sound listenable) and even the slow, sour conflict with both Mother Nature and general isolation on the closing ballad that has a name way too long for me to recite, as much as I enjoy upping the word count on every episode. Sykes’ verse in “Kingslayer” discusses opposing points of political opposition and protest, on one hand wanting to express how sick people are of going through the capitalist machine only to be spat back out again but also asking him the condescending question of if he really wants to poke the governmental bear. On the pre-chorus, he voices those frustrations in profanity-laden motivation that is asking not just himself but the general public to wake up, not that they’re unaware of how unfair the system is but instead acting as a call to action. Su-Metal of BABYMETAL takes this ode in a different angle, seeing revolutionaries as idolised figures, so much so that the chorus works as a confession of love or just awe in how the “kingslayer” is destroying castles in the sky and will save “us” from the darkness and from the struggles that the corrupt elite forces onto the populace. In the verse Su-Metal juxtaposes the imagery in the hook of some kind of medieval warrior (“angel of the blade”) with the near-incomprehensible verse, which is half-sung in Japanese with a cry for help responded to in commanding English, which I see as a reaction from the authority that undermines these problems. They call the revolutionary “artificial” and “modified” in a condescending, mocking tone, as well as using so much digital jargon that the verse becomes practically meaningless, especially backed by the heavy, loud music that drowns some of the messaging about and very much intentionally. It also seems pretty intentional that this song sounds like a take on an anime opening, as all of this cyber-punk imagery and anti-authority lyrical content feels a lot sharper when coated in references and criticism of mass-media. Oh, and it also helps that the song rocks, Su-Metal’s melodies are beautifully placed against a frenetic, monotone bass note in her verse, and that final chorus is absolutely perfect. That rapid-fire addition to the chorus took me by surprise on first listen and just completes the song for me. The song ends with one last wake-up call from Sykes about the rabbit hole before his yell is manipulated, screwed and played with by the production, rendering his scream inhuman... and followed by the playful, childlike inflections of BABYMETAL. If we don’t at least try to change in this time, the generations after us will suffer from our mistakes and missed opportunities. Man, this song is a rollercoaster that starts with drum and bass rhythms and ends with Oli Sykes growling gratuitous profanities that get close to feeling like he’s insulting the listener – it’s really brutal – and I’m here for it all the way. There have been songs on REVIEWING THE CHARTS that I like and that I love and whilst I know this won’t stick around (it is still cyber-kawaii metal), this is undoubtedly the best song I think I’ve ever covered on this show and might as well just be one of the best songs I’ve heard this year and maybe ever. I adore this track, please, PLEASE check it out.

#46 – “Flooded” – M Huncho and Nafe Smallz

Produced by Sean Murdz

Okay, seriously for a second: who cares? There’s nothing interesting here. A synth-based soundscape with some cheap flute loops drowned out by trap percussion that doesn’t even drop in, it just awkwardly fades in – yes, even the 808s – and Auto-Tuned mumbling from a nasal-voiced child with an unbearable falsetto. What is the appeal? None of them sound interested, there are no bars of any interest or even a funny line, not even unintentionally. D-Block Europe make me laugh but this tragically awful duo make me bored to death. M Huncho has a cool mask he wears and I wish his gimmick was more than just that and you know, actually translated to the music, but he doesn’t sound intimidating or like a villain. He just sounds like some dude who decided to rap barely on the beat of badly-mixed type beat with bass mastering that should be pitied. He did have a fluke song that kind of slapped called “Pee Pee”, which just comes to show that the more ridiculous and stupid he gets, the more vaguely entertaining he is. So why is he this dull and lame?! The flow is either talking over a beat that refuses to stay still but never truly reaches any kind of climax or even build-up, or just trap-rap word association. “I flooded the chain, it’s like a lake, we runnin’ the game, you pressin’ the brakes.” There’s nothing here, absolutely nothing, and these two hacks cannot sell it. I’m just looking for some effort and even if something is effortless, at least have the charisma to make it sound like you give a damn because this is pretty inexcusable.

#35 – “Paradise” – MEDUZA and Dermot Kennedy

Produced by MEDUZA

I’m tired and I feel like I’m almost at breaking point with these songs. What would usually be generic and uninteresting is sounding offensively bad to me right now and I’m not sure why. That doesn’t really matter all too much to me though as this show has never been an in-depth critical assessment... okay, well sometimes it becomes as such but these are usually just my first impressions of tracks that happen to debut that week on the UK Singles Chart and this can range from volatile frustration to immediate adoration to not giving a rat’s ass about a single one of the songs that debut, depending on how I feel that day. That said, this song is fine. I actually really like Kennedy’s delivery, even if his rougher edges are smoothened and cleaned up by the vocal production here, which is pretty reverb-drenched but does allow for Kennedy to actually release rather than editing the vocals to sound really tight and closed-in... except for that really weak, pathetic drop but I do like the lyrical content, fittingly about distanced relationships as England enters a second lockdown. There’s little to say here but it’s worth a listen.

#32 – “Four Notes – Paul’s Tune” – Paul Harvey, Daniel Whibley and BBC Philharmonic

Produced by ???

No production credits for this one for whatever reason. Anyway, I am tired to the point of just complete speechless confusion at why this charted, and especially so high, rather than having any intrigue in why, but I looked it up anyway. Paul Harvey is a man from Sussex with dementia who is able to improvise beautiful piano melodies with only four notes as a reference point, hence the name. This was recorded by his son Nick and posted onto Twitter, where it soon became viral. This composition was then arranged by Daniel Whibley and recorded by the BBC’s Philharmonic Orchestra to be released as a charity single with proceeds being split between the Alzheimer’s Society and Music for Dementia. This isn’t a song I can critique. The arrangement is really pretty and it was in the original video, with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra only serving to make it sound grander and fitting for a single release. Dementia, Alzheimer’s and any kind of brain disorder are all really tragic and really depressing things to happen to anybody, especially to the people it tends to affect: the elderly. It’s sweet that this is a single and I like that it charted high so those organisations that can assist science in treating these disorders and give help to those with family members diagnosed with and suffering from brain disorders have more funding. The song sounds good, it’s mixed well and honestly it’s pretty gorgeous at times, and if this helps people, then it’s done its job, and I commend Harvey and his son, Daniel Whibley and the BBC for letting this happen. Now for something completely different.

#26 – “Deluded” – Tion Wayne featuring MIST

Produced by Steel Banglez and Chris Rich Beats

Steel Banglez, Tion Wayne and MIST? God, maybe we are returning to the new normal; this is a 2019 line-up. Tion Wayne is a character and a presence on the track always and MIST is quite the opposite, but that “So High” song with Fredo was pretty cool, I suppose. Tion Wayne has always been more of an entertaining presence than half this crop of drill rappers, even if his flow and bars suffer from it, but he’s always a lot more fun and he does have a couple punchlines that hit. This particular song uses that “mm-mm” flow that originated on his track “Keisha & Becky”, and both him and MIST sound really interested and enthused here, as they trade bars in the verses and support each other with ad-libs throughout. The two seem to actually have some chemistry and it’s not an unnatural collaboration. Even in Tion Wayne’s solo chorus, MIST is shouting behind him, and it overall makes the song really aggressive and punchy, even if some of the lyrics are just kind of uninteresting or even confusing, like the oddly-specific jab at an unnamed crack abuser, always referred to as “you” in the song. Is the listener a crack addict? Should I be scared? I’m not entirely sure, but this kind of slaps, especially the keys and vocal sample in the outro. It kind of reminds me of a harsher version of the #1 hit back from 2018, “Funky Friday” by Dave and Fredo, except these guys are legitimately menacing in the song and the bass-heavy drill beat never subtracts from that, not to say that “Funky Friday” is a bad song (far from it). It’s not about being able to convince me with lyrics, it’s about being able to sell what you say effectively and interestingly – not even uniquely, but just in a way that’s presentable and leads to genuinely good music. M Huncho and Nafe Smallz could take a couple hints from these guys.

#16 – “motive” – Ariana Grande and Doja Cat

Produced by TBHits, Joseph L’Etranger, Mr. Franks and Murda Beatz

Murda Beatz, huh? Well, I haven’t listened to Positions yet, mostly because I’ve been bumping Goddamn Bring Me the Horizon for the past week, but also because 14 tracks of the same song doesn’t necessarily interest me. For the sake of the show I probably should check the album out – it’s not that long – but don’t expect me to have that a positive opinion on it. I said my peace on Grande last week and given the singles I seriously doubt this album will erase my continuous issues with her projects. I’ve always felt that despite her unbelievable talent, she is also unbelievably disinterested and detached from her own music to the point where whatever artistic contributions and creativity she and her team had is completely washed out by the questionable production, weak-sauce trap beats and misguided song ideas (I still roll my eyes on “7 rings” and “sweetener”). From what I’ve heard from this new album, it has a lot more classic R&B keys and strings undercut by trap skitters and modern vocal production, and this is pretty clear in “motive”, a funky house-inspired dance-pop tune that feels miles less robotic and factory-made than most house on the charts, instead going for an organic fast-paced groove and mildly annoying vocal samples. The trap breakdown in the pre-chorus is what gives Murda Beatz the right to put his producer tag at the start of the song, which is honestly just funny. I do like the verses but the chorus doesn’t hit in quite the same way it should, possibly that pre-chorus is just garbage and it doesn’t build to an effective crescendo for the chorus to build up on off of whispery murmuring. Oh, and Doja Cat is here, which took me by surprise when she started lazily rapping since Ari actually sounded like her in the second verse. In fact, this is a Doja Cat song in all but lead artist credit and honestly, the song kind of suffers because of it. This is decent, I suppose, but a collaboration that doesn’t favour either artist.

#9 – “34+35” – Ariana Grande

Produced by ProdByXavi, Mr. Franks, Peter Lee Johnson and TBHits

Ariana Grande’s albums have disproportionate producer credit to producer effort ratio. At least there’s not a M-M-M-Murda on this one. The song title is stupid but this was pushed to radio so I guess it has to be family-friendly PG clean to some degree. It is interesting how it goes for the absurdity of being dirty over Disney-like orchestral blossoms and pretty nice-sounding strings, but it doesn’t go far enough other than the chorus. It’s missing a good, effective, funny opening line, and I feel that the verses are pretty lacking. The pre-chorus is almost cringeworthy and just going into bizarre levels of horny on main but that is very much the point of the whole thing. “You know I keep it squeaky”? I find it almost difficult to take this song as anything more than a joke, but she does have some pretty commanding tones when she asks him to “just give me them babies” and the snarky laugh in the intro combined with pretty slick albeit absolutely stupid punchlines that go from so bad it’s good territory to just unabashedly ridiculous and embracing itself as such. I love the falsetto in the chorus even if it is just building up to that stupid title that is nowhere near as clever as Ari thinks it is. By the way, she completely delivers here and it’s a pretty damn great performance from her, one of her most enthusiastic on record, even with her now typical “yuh”s spread throughout. Hell, the rap verse actually works this time mostly because her charisma actually comes through and the trap skitter has some energy this time, unlike “7 rings”. I don’t get the end where she says she was never good at maths, though, because “34 + 35 = 69” is a pretty solid and correct albeit obviously simple calculation. You got the answer, give it a tick in a different colour pen.

Got the neighbours yellin’, “Earthquake!” / 4.5 when I make the bed shake

There’s a song in the top 10 that uses the moment magnitude scale as a sex metaphor. 2020, everyone.

Conclusion

Let’s cut to the chase: Best of the Week goes to Bring Me the Horizon and BABYMETAL for “Kingslayer”, which should have been obvious. I’m so glad I expanded beyond the top 40 on this show. It means I can talk about songs like that in depth. Honourable Mention might actually go to Ariana Grande’s “34+35” on plain fun alone, although the similarly numeric “1x1” did get close. The Worst of the Week is really a toss-up because there was a lot of disposable filler between the good and interesting stuff this week had to offer. I’ll probably go with “Flooded” by M Huncho and Nafe Smallz, with a Dishonourable Mention to “Too Many Nights” by 220 KID and JC Stewart. Both are just impressively lacking in effort or any appeal I can search for, but knowing my luck, they’ll both be “Old Town Road”-level big. Here’s our top 10:

Thanks for reading this! You can follow me @cactusinthebank on Twitter and I need some sleep. See you next week!

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denialofspoon · 7 years

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all the asks

Mmmmmboy I’m lazy but also I love attention so ty anon!

Spotify, SoundCloud, or Pandora?

Spotify! Pandora sucks and SC got to ad-heavy.

is your room messy or clean?

messy ;_;

what color are your eyes?

Brown

do you like your name? why?

It’s nothing fancy, but I feel like it suits me pretty well, so I like it.

what is your relationship status?

@nottootypical and I have been together for over 2 years now lol

describe your personality in 3 words or less

Witty, driven, creative

what color hair do you have?

Brown-auburn… Also my beard is orange lol

what kind of car do you drive? color?

Silver VW Jetta

where do you shop?

Amazon mostly, also a local outdoor mall. Clothes in my size are tricky to find.

how would you describe your style?

Hipster with accents of streetwear. “Shitty SoundCloud DJ” I guess? lmao

favorite social media account

This one! I love being anonymous enough to be honest. Plus y’all are super nice to me.

what size bed do you have?

Honestly I don’t remember. Full?

any siblings?

Two! They’re very different from me but we’re close.

if you can live anywhere in the world where would it be? why?

I’ve been around and honestly, Austin represents the greatest opportunity for my dreams… Plus it feels like home! I’d love to be able to travel when I wanted to. Would love to spend some time in Reykjavik.

favorite snapchat filter?

That one with the pug! It’s so unsettling!

favorite makeup brand(s)

Don’t wear the stuff, but @nottootypical‘s Urban Decay palettes are awesome!

how many times a week do you shower?

7-9. I need to be cleeeeean

favorite tv show?

Twin Peaks! I’m hype af for the reboot!

shoe size?

American 10.5

how tall are you?

5′10″/180cm

sandals or sneakers?

Sneakers

do you go to the gym?

Not lately. As soon as the semester ends I’m jumping back in.

describe your dream date

We eat like 3 pounds of steak, sit quietly and hold hands, pet like 20 dogs at once, and then get launched into the void of space with all those dogs and start a dog colony on the moon.

how much money do you have in your wallet at the moment?

$100 in cash.

what color socks are you wearing?

Black

how many pillows do you sleep with?

2 personally. In total we sleep with like 50 because Alisa is a pillow hoarder.

do you have a job? what do you do?

I’m an analyst/consultant.

how many friends do you have?

Several? I dunno the quantity. I have maybe 7 or 8 friends, 3 very dear ones.

whats the worst thing you have ever done?

That I’m comfortable telling the internet? Uh, awhile back I let a breakup get the better of me and turned into a pretty toxic, unpleasant person for a few months. I’m pretty sorry I put everyone through seeing me like that.

whats your favorite candle scent?

It’s super basic but I enjoy vanilla/gingerbread scents.

3 favorite boy names

I honestly don’t know

3 favorite girl names

^^^

favorite actor?

Leonardo DiCaprio or Mahershala Ali. Both are brilliant.

favorite actress?

Marion Cotillard is super underappreciated IMO

who is your celebrity crush?

Chris Evans holy shit dude

favorite movie?

Interstellar. I don’t think I’ve ever had another movie fill me with so much wonder or make me feel such a wide range of emotions. I’m also really partial to space operas tho don’t mind me

do you read a lot? whats your favorite book?

I used to read a lot. Less since college. I look forward to returning to reading for pleasure. I really love the Witcher Saga or the Silmarillion.

money or brains?

Brains can beget money.

do you have a nickname? what is it?

Nope!

how many times have you been to the hospital?

5? I think?

top 10 favorite songs

In no particular order:

Shelter- Porter Robinson & Madeon

Pay No Mind- Madeon & Passion Pit

Do I Wanna Know? -Arctic Monkeys

Empty Threat- CHVRCHES

Paper Boats- Darren Korb & Ashley Barrett

Gold Dust Woman- Fleetwood Mac

Running in the Night- FM-84

Everlong- Foo Fighters

Let Them Feel Your Heartbeat- A Silent Film

Destination Unknown- Scandroid

do you take any medications daily?

Nope. I’m occasionally on treatments for asthma or a digestive condition.

what is your skin type? (oily, dry, etc)

Dry, but really reactive and can get oily quickly.

what is your biggest fear?

Dying without leaving a mark on the world. I want people to remember me.

how many kids do you want?

Currently 0. If I have kids, probably 2. I feel like having a sibling is an important part of growing up.

whats your go to hair style?

Somewhere between an undercut and a pompadour.

what type of house do you live in? (big, small, etc)

A small apartment.

who is your role model?

My friends, honestly. I feel like they’re always showing me new ways to improve and kind of exude goodness and ambition.

what was the last compliment you received?

Alisa said I was cute :>

what was the last text you sent?

“ayy lmao”

how old were you when you found out santa wasn’t real?

6ish.

what is your dream car?

Maserati’s Birdcage Concept. It looks like it’s from the future.

opinion on smoking?

Filthy, harmful habit. I worry for my friends who smoke.

do you go to college?

Only for one more week! I’m 15 class hours and a few exams away from a BBA!

what is your dream job?

CEO of a tech company. I want the power and influence to make the world better, and I want to be able to make devices that improve lives.

would you rather live in rural areas or the suburbs?

This is super hard for me. I grew up in a rural area and I love being out in nature, but it can be so dull. I suppose suburbs to be closer to the city, but eventually I’ll need to escape.

do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels?

yeah lol

do you have freckles?

Yep!

do you smile for pictures?

Yeah, just to counteract my RBF

how many pictures do you have on your phone?

Like maybe 20. Android phone quality.

have you ever peed in the woods?

So many times

do you still watch cartoons?

Yeah lol

do you prefer chicken nuggets from Wendy’s or McDonalds?

Wendy’s hands down.

Favorite dipping sauce?

If salsa doesn’t count, honey mustard.

what do you wear to bed?

Underwear/nothing. I gotta be free man.

have you ever won a spelling bee?

Yep!

what are your hobbies?

I write, draw/paint, make music, and I have a few coding projects on the side. I take a lot of joy from the act of creation.

can you draw?

See above!

do you play an instrument?what was the last concert you saw?

I play trumpet and bass guitar. The last concert I was at was a music festival. Pretty Lights Live was probably the coolest act, but I wasn’t super impressed with anything.

tea or coffee

Decaf tea.

Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts?

Starbucks

do you want to get married?

Yes I do!

what is your crush’s first and last initial?

AY lmao

are you going to change your last name when you get married?

Nah m8

what color looks best on you?

Grey is my go-to. Also dark blue.

do you miss anyone right now?

Yep!

do you sleep with your door open or closed?

Closed.

do you believe in ghosts?

I have some thoughts, but no definite answer.

what is your biggest pet peeve?

People who don’t consider other people in their actions or decisions. If you can’t handle seeing the world from someone else’s perspective, shut up and sit down.

last person you called`

Alisa!

favorite ice cream flavor?

Orange blossom!

regular oreos or golden oreos

Regular

chocolate or rainbow sprinkles?

Chocolate!

what shirt are you wearing?

A Saint Pablo Tour shirt. Mahhhsanoonah.

what is your phone background?

Snowy mountaintops!

are you outgoing or shy?

I’m so heckin shy

do you like it when people play with your hair?

y e s

do you like your neighbors?

Nah they’re pretty dumb. I don’t hate em, but I prefer they leave me alone.

do you wash your face? at night? in the morning?

Yes, at night.

have you ever been high?

lol ye :~)

have you ever been drunk?

l o l y e : ~ )

last thing you ate?

I made a peanut butter/coconut ice cream shake. It was amazing.

favorite lyrics right now

“If I could try a little harder, I would succeed/I’d rather give up and be happy” is super sad but pretty to me, idk

summer or winter?

Winter.

day or night?

Night!

dark, milk, or white chocolate?

Dark as a moonless night!

favorite month?

November is top.

what is your zodiac sign

Libra af

who was the last person you cried in front of?

Alisa pretty much exclusively over the past 3 years. I’m not super good at crying tbh

Thank u for asking me so many things and helping me put off doing work anon! We’re friends now, u and I!

#ask

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cjostrander · 8 years

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The Offspring: Days Go By

Well today is going to be a decent combo review for today. It tackles both an anniversary review as well as a promotional pick. This is the latest by The Offspring and is on its fifth anniversary this year. Their album Ignition is turning 25 and may of been a better legacy pick for newer fans; but it’s getting to be that time where the newer albums of the year start arriving so i am going to scratch one or two of them before they start releasing. Let’s get started! There is a re-recorded version of the track Dirty Magic from Ignition from that album but i’m going to exclude that track for now so that i can show you guys its original sound when i do that album later on in the year.

The Future is Now: We start off with a serious sounding guitar riff and quickly add some energetic drum beats to turn this opener into a lively first piece. Dexter enters rather smoothly with a direct delivery and his tone does a fine job of expressing the seriousness in his lyrics and getting a strong degree of emotion from them. These lyrics are pretty well done and will carry your focus along nicely while the instrumentals keep up a fast level of balanced energy. It’d be a nice live piece due to its energy and lyrical substance. The key segment towards the end is a very nice element that adds in some complex melody with a sense of beauty and gives the song a fresh moment to space itself out enough before it concludes with another lively chorus. 9/10

Secrets from the Underground: This song picks up from the last one with some electronic effects and a shift into another serious punk driven guitar/drum instrumental. It will do another good job of getting your adrenaline packing before the keys enter to deliver a nice dose of class before Dexter ups the power level in his voice to push forth a very strong chorus. The lyrics prove to be rather strong yet again and demonstrate their ability to still craft some rather solid songs this far into their career. I can only imagine what their upcoming album will sound like. The solo is a nice touch and adds in some good rock melody with a hint of that aggressive side. The bass has a little solo moment that allows the song to decompress before it concludes in a similar format to the previous song. 9/10

Days Go By: This title track is a single and begins with a mainstream cheerful melody that i originally thought was something new from the Foo Fighters at the time. Dexter enters after a nice jam session and smoothly delivers some decent lyrics. His high notes do seem a hair off but you really have to look for it here. The chorus pretty much sounds like a casual verse which will give the song a very easygoing structure in comparison to the previous songs. It was the first song that they released for the album and to me it was a basic offering but still an easy way to show the guitar tone that they would achieve on this album as well as the prominent focus on melodic vocals. 8.5/10

Turning Into You: This is another single and begins with some programmed drum beats and shifts into an energetic but low tone guitar instrumental. It fades once Dexter enters and the bass surfaces to deliver a very soothing hum. Dexter’s voice is flawless and leads this song in a very commanding yet relaxed nature. The chorus is straightforward and relies heavily on the support of the instrumentals and consistently strong lyrics.Other than that you get the idea for this song. 8/10

Hurting As One: This somewhat shorter tune begins with a steady drum beat and some dark yet melodic guitar riffs before sinking into a steady punk flow. It does a decent job of keeping the song feeling mostly full with its minimal instrumental layering. It basically feels like it is just guitar and drum with little production filler that you would expect in this day and age. The interlude segment has a nice sense of harmonic hums from the band and its an effective way to space out the song while introducing a little guitar solo to round it out before the chorus finishes things up. 8/10

Cruising California (Bumpin’ in My Trunk): This is the last single for the album and has a very party beach like vibe with elements of their jokester approach from the older days. The music video is ok but it proves to be a nice break from the more serious nature of the previous tracks. It begins with a poppy sounding keys and leads into a cheerfully powerful opening from Dexter. The drums have a nice beat to them and these key notes provide a very nice timing mechanism for Dexter’s humorous lyrics and lively delivery. It is definitely a nice piece to play outside on a sunny day. I will give this one props due to its experimentation with electronics and the inclusion of female vocals to keep the listener guessing. I remember when this first came out; it got a lot of backlash from their fans. I don’t see why because it is a joke song very reminiscent in theme of their older hits like Pretty Fly and Hit That. I think that it was just mostly newer era fans that had just uncovered their 90′s work like me at the time and were surprised by the polished tone of it and the fear of their electronic party direction on the song. It was still my favorite single till the final track got a music video. That one wast a single but was a nice add on down the road to promote the album and keep it in your heads awhile longer till their new one got done. 9/10

All I Have Left Is You: This one returns to the album’s serious tone and is more in the vein of a somber ballad piece.It begins with a steady drum beat and the fade in of a soothing key note. It has a pretty polished but acoustic tone to it and the bass makes a prominent appearance in the background. Dexter does a fair job opening but is very refrained when first starting out. The guitar melodies softly space it out and give the listener a clear sign of gradual build u towards the chorus. The chorus has a decent level of energy but Dexter still slows it down to focus seriousness on his lyrics. For me it causes it to lose a bit of a punch and can potentially bore a listener as a result. it would be an ok piece for a live show due to its potential for breaking up their more fast paced songs. The solo itself is actually really nice in terms of emotional melody and will due well to turn the ending into a rather pleasant experience. 7.5/10

OC Guns: Now this one i’ve always hated for some reason. Its another joke song with elements of their ska side but for me it doesn’t seem to have a place on the album flow wise and throws the album a bit out of rhythm. It’s basically them tossing out Spanish swears; which will surely get some giggles out of the teens. The instrumentals do have a nice rhythm and the inclusion of brass will be appreciated by the listener due to its freshness on the album. I will say in hindsight that the chorus is actually pretty melodic and catchy; which will make this song rank a bit higher than i lead it to appear during the beginning of my description. I do think at four minutes it does stick around excessively long for my taste and for a listener that gets the point after the two minute mark. 7/10

I Wanna Secret Family (With You): These next few tracks speed the album towards its end due to them being shorter and faster paced. It starts off with some cheery guitar riffs and pounding drum beats. The vocals are very catchy and the lyrics add in some extra humor to the song. The instrumentals provide a steady support for the casual verses and allow them to retain prominent focus from the listener. The chorus gets more push from the guitars and allows the listener to float by with a nice sense of happiness at this stage in the game. 8.5/10

Dividing By Zero: This one begins with darker guitar riffs and a fast punk dose of drumming. Dexter has a more serious tone as expected for this album and delivers a nice level of substance for the lyrics without forcing the listener to endure the same thing over and over. The solo is a nice touch and keeps the momentum going and creating a feeling that this song is actually longer than the 2 and a half minutes it feels. It does it in a pleasant way so no complaining on my part. 8.5/10

Slim Pickens Does the Right Thing and Rides the Bomb to Hell: This final track picks up quickly from the last song and continues with the band’s usual punk jam format and Dexter’s lyrics are straightforward lively and easy to sing along to as well. It would be a decent song to toss into their live shows when they want to freshen up their set lists. The chorus is a prominent fixture and the drums develop a strong level of momentum at times and will add to the charge of the guitar solos so that the ending can end on a strong note. I’ve always liked this one and will note it as a direct way to end this album. Not exactly climatic but still an acceptable finish. 8/10

Overall album rating: 8.3/10

Well a B- is a decent score for them and will position this album as a reviewer’s pick. If you wanted a look at their more serious material; this is an example of it in their later years. I’d say give it a try and pretty soon i will look through my lists to find albums that are both promo and anniversary so that i can widdle down both lists at once. My choices so far are Velvet Revolver’s Libertad (2007), and All America Rejects Kids in the Street (2012). If you would rather one than the other message me and i will hop on it the moment i can. Enjoy your day and be sure to check out this album.

*Reviewer’s Pick*

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