#i stalk peoples spotifies to the tune of i look in peoples windows

[martinkate]

talia has playlists on her spotify again war is over

[yonymii]

begin again

a/n; this is p old but I needed to put content out since I've not been writing lmao,, I should probably do that

genre; fluff, friends to lovers,

warnings; cursing, she/her pronouns used for y/n <3

wordcount; 1.7k

Tendo had no idea how he’d gotten into a class with no one from the volleyball team this year. Not even one of his friends was in the room; the redhead sighed loudly as he swiveled in his chair, doing a full 360° spin to take in his new and unfamiliar surroundings.

Despite having been at Shiratorizawa High for a year already, the idea of him being in his second year was completely foreign, his brain short-circuiting when he realised he was a teenager now, not a child running around the park and tripping over his scooter with his neighbor anymore.

It was painful just to think about that anymore.

y/n had left without a word, their house full of life one day, the enticing smell of pork dumplings and her mother’s ramen wafting out of the open kitchen window, and empty the next, removals vans taking away the family’s belonging to god knows where.

He’d cried that night, after his mom and dad had kissed his forehead goodnight and he’d gone upstairs to his room, switching on the fairy lights that lined his walls and turning off the main ones, his speaker playing a random playlist he found on Spotify a few minutes prior.

That had been four years ago. Tendo decided to stop thinking about y/n, the way her hair used to fly out behind her head as she chased him, her eyes sparkling and skin glowing in the late afternoon sun; lips stretched into a huge grin showing her mismatched middle school teeth. 

“Goodmorning, second years! I’m Mr. Date, your Japanese Literature teacher for the rest of the year. Please take out your things, we’ll begin our first lesson of the year now.”

Tendo’s teacher stood by the blackboard, writing out his name and their class number in the corner for the students to copy out onto the front of their textbooks, the chalk crumbling under the pressure and coating his fingers with white dust.

“Okay everyone. Now we’ve gotten that over and done with, I'll go over my rules. Please pay attention!” the teenagers nodded, Tendo scribbling on a scrap piece of paper loudly. Mr Date only looked at him funnily before going back to reciting his class rules.

“Eating is prohibited in my classroom, and, as i’m sure you’re all aware, everywhere else in the school except from your dorms and the lunch hall,” he paused and a kid with a brown mullet spoke. He had his feet up on the desk and his tie was loose, shirt untucked. “What about hallways, sir?”

Their teacher shook his head, “not in hallways, either. Take your feet off of the table and tuck your shirt in, please.” the kid grumbled about his appearance not mattering but proceeded to do as he was told, sitting back in his chair once more.

“Okay! My last point for you all is that I absolutely HATE it when anyone is late, so-” at that moment, the door burst open with a tremendous force, slamming against the board and startling Mr Date so much he dropped the chalk in his hand. Tendo’s eyes lazily wandered to the figure standing in the doorway. Their leg was at a 90° angle, foot flexed from having to kick the door open, and on their face was a triumphant smirk. 

“That was a good one. I waited till you got to that part of your rules before you came in sir, did you like it?” the teacher blinked, cheeks going pink from anger. The girl put her foot down, smoothing over her skirt and loosening her tie to unbutton the top button of her blouse. She stalked over to the empty seat at the back, on the way there stating her name. 

“y/n l/n. I just joined this year. Got lost so i was only here five minutes ago.” she mused, slumping backwards and pulling out a new textbook, writing down her details and pushing it to the top left corner of her desk. Tendo looked her up and down, recognising her from somewhere, but it was early, and he couldn’t quite recall it until all the cogs in his brain finally clicked.

“y/n l/n. I just joined this year.”

She just had to show up just when he’d stopped thinking about her. 

There was just one thing though; she was being an absolute dickhead. This wasn’t how he remembered the sweet, kind, thoughtful y/n from elementary school. She’d never have openly defied a teacher or been late to a class. 

But people change. He had to remind himself. God, he’d changed. Not just her.

“Meet me after class, Miss l/n.” a few of tendo’s classmates snickered behind their hands, turning to their friends to grin. y/n seemed totally indifferent though, as if what she’d done was the most normal thing in the world.

The rest of Mr Date’s class was just him analysing a famous piece of writing with the class to assess their skills. y/n, he noticed, only got two out of the five questions he asked correct, but the redheaded boy supposed two was better than none at all; he also noticed she had her airpods in for the whole lesson, hair concealing the white earbuds from their teacher’s view.

After class, Tendo decided to wait outside for her before heading to lunch to see the rest of the team. He heard his teacher raise his voice from behind the closed door, shouting at her for humiliating him. There was no reply, then a few more words from Mr Date, and y/n came strolling out of the classroom, turning the corner and bumping into his chest.

“y/n?” he spoke, voice hushed in case he startled her or drew unwanted attention. She raised her head, their eyes meeting for the first time in years and her gorgeous orbs widened in recognition, her breath hitching before she reached up to poke his cheek.

Tendo giggled at the gesture, and y/n smiled genuinely, pink lips curling upwards at his familiar features, all red hair and crimson eyes, “hi tendo!” she chirped, raising herself up onto her tiptoes so they could speak at eye-level.

The redhead cupped her cheek delicately, taking in her new appearance and personality. Of course, just as he’d assumed, the persona she’d used in class was just a veil, easily pulled away by the people she trusts; underneath it all was the same friendly girl he’d known all his life, full of joy and energy, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet expectedly.

Maybe she hadn’t changed too much after all.

A blush had spread across Tendo’s face, creeping up his neck, the familiar warmth caressing his cheeks and highlighting his bone structure. The yellowing hallways lights were dim, the few windows offering little light in this section of the school. He felt his throat tighten involuntarily when he remembered how she’d left him all those years ago.

He saw her eyes getting teary as they walked to the yard at the back of the campus that no one really used anymore since the sun didn’t reach the area. Y/n found the pair a spot of ground just within the reaches of the golden rays, a soft smile adorning her features as she sat cross legged, patting the concrete beside her to beckon Tendo over.

He obliged, crouching down and then stretching his feet out in front of him. The tape on his fingers had started to peel in the heat and he picked nervously at the edges, biting his lip nervously as he heard y/n’s voice break the silence.

“Uhm.. how have you been, Ten?”

It was like honey, soft and inviting, whispered and carried away on the breeze that brushed their knees and ruffled their hair. The girl set her blazer down on a clean spot of the ground, careful not to get it too dirty on her first day.

“Honestly? Pretty fucking shit.” Her heart sunk at his words and Tendo barely heard the ‘I’m sorry,’ that tumbled out of her lips quicker than it should have. Y/n knew it was her fault for leaving him, but she didn’t have a choice? How do you when your father is killed in an accident overseas? When your family’s source of money fades from your life?

“I should’ve told you, it was an ass move and i swear Ten, there hasn’t been a day where i haven’t regretted not saying anything,” y/n sucked in a shaky breath, “but in my middle school brain, i figured it would have hurt more if you knew. That’s all.”

Tendo nodded, knuckles grazing over the back of her hand gently. “Why did you leave, though? What was the point?”

“Dad, uhh.. Remember he went to South Korea on a business trip that week?” the redhead hummed, remembering the solemn look on the girl’s face when she’d walked into class after her dad had left.

“Yeah. Is he okay? Did he leave you?”

y/n’s gaze was fixated on the floor, lips trembling but her voice came out, albeit quietly, “he was in an accident and passed away in his car a few days before we left. I- i didn’t know. Mom didn’t tell me till we got there.”

Tendo was silent. The wind whistled through the drainage pipes and picked up y/n’s hair, the strands tangling together and catching in her eyelashes. He decided not to speak, just pulling her into his chest was enough to let her know that he was there. 

“y/n?” he said after a good twenty minutes of holding her. She hummed, head on his chest and eyes closed, breaths fanning out across his white shirt. “Can we, uhh… get to know each other again?”

He felt her lips curl upwards, the image of her nose scrunching up as she did so being pulled to the forefront of his mind. Tendo felt the girl nod, and he smiled with her, leaning down to nestle his face into her hair, humming a tune which she recognised as the strange little thing he sang at volleyball matches.

“Ten?”

“Hmm?” his eyelids fluttered closed at the sound of her voice.

“Let’s begin again, okay?”

tags; @thegreatk1ng @wissaaltje @gigis-galaxy @kekozume

[kaypeace21]

The Duffers use of music proves byler is endgame (music-analysis)

The Duffers in an interview said that they choose songs for the show very deliberately -sometimes spending weeks on Spotify to find just the right song to convey an emotion/context of a scene. Songs in all seasons (but especially in s3) were used to show how characters are feeling- or just an action they’re about to commit.

For instance, Karen when she’s about to meet Billy at the motel-  feels apprehensive and wants to get out of it (since it would hurt her family) and she was just flirting with Billy as a way to escape her own issues, about her life. She never flirted with Billy for the end-goal of “getting him.”

They even use “cat’s in the cradle’ which could be shown as a way to illustrate the inappropriate age disparity between Billy/Karen.

Other examples-

Right before the boys run away from the lingerie store- the lyrics are literally “I just walk away” XD

Jim when he looks at Joyce- the lyrics are “she’s got you.” ( cause he’s in love with her).

-And Jim after getting Mike to not come over to see El, (by yelling at him) sings…

Joyce after she sees Bob’s drawing fall to the ground and then crouches to pick it up.

And songs also illustrates how Nancy feels about her job (with her sexist co-workers). As the morose lyrics of “I’ll be working here forever” play as it zooms in on Hawkins post -as Nancy rushes inside.

As well as  her excitement -about investigating a new case. As Jancy leaves and the very on the nose song  of “get up and go” begins -as they get into the car.

Billy when he pulls out chloroform (from a perfume bottle).

El after dumping Mike (and smiling about it) XD

So all the byler stuff I’m about to mention proves byler is endgame.

So yes, the fact that the very first lyrics that play when we see mileven kiss for the first time  is “Just a little uncertainty can bring you down”- reflects that (just like the others, the song reflects Mike’s true feelings). The song is from the album “boy in the box (cough closet)”.

And we know this is how Mike (not El) feels about their relationship because he begins to sing the song right after this lyric. It mirrors how when Will danced with a girl (who owned a rainbow hair clip) the lyrics were “every smile you fake.”

Mike continues “And nobody wants to know you now. And nobody wants to show you how.So if you’re lost and on your own. You can never surrender.” He fears that if he isn’t straight everyone he cares about will abandon him, and that he’d be lost and the only one ‘like this’ -all alone.But he can’t ‘surrender’ the false-idea of being in love with El (out of fear).  El even says to “stop” and tries to cover his mouth to prevent him from singing and Mike asks “What you don’t like it?” and El just says “No!”.

Which may be a purposeful juxtaposition to how Robin came out- and instead both Robin and Steve sang off-tune happily together- while El covers Mike’s mouth and tells him to stop singing. When Mileven kiss at the end of the season the song ‘the first i love you’ plays. The same song that plays when Robin comes out to steve (to illustrate the juxtaposition).

What’s interesting is ( right before the mileven kiss) we see a zoom in shot of a picture of Will and a rainbow . Like that’s Will! He has light brown hair (not black) and Will is the only one associated with fire and has drawn himself with fire in the past.

And since El has Mike related-stuff all over her room, and barely knows Will. Mike probably lied saying it was supposed to be him- which is why it’s above her bed.And we also see that based on it’s placement Mike is facing the Will drawing so he can see it  (cause we see El in front of the poster and Mike sitting opposite of her during the 1st kiss) . 

And during this transition the lyrics read “cause just a little more time could open closing doors” Which could be hinting at byler becoming a thing later - when (after some ‘time’) they both become ready to actually admit their feelings/sexuality - despite the other probably doubting the other has feelings for them.

I mean we even see an illustration of Will & the text of the name ‘Mike’ written out next to a rainbow-heart. And 2 other drawings next to the rainbow heart drawing (that are covered in red hearts). XD

(*for those who can’t see Mike written out in the transitioned will/mike pic)

However, what’s interesting though is the one other things he took down from his wall. In S1 Mike (before he even met El)  has a heart sign, with a red heart being propelled by a rainbow. Then in s3 it's gone from his wall when he dates El (cause he's trying to repress the fact he's gay). Why El has a drawing that says Mike (with a heart also propelled by a rainbow.) He can't use El to escape the truth. His rainbow follows him everywhere even when he tries to hide it (from his basement wall and himself) -  and when kissing El!Aka he tries to take it down (like he pretends to be straight). However, in the first ep of s3 when Mike is making-out with El (trying to project his feelings for Will on to her by looking at the Will drawing while kissing) we see a emergence of the heart being propelled by a rainbow (in El’s room) as a drawing.  signifying Mike participating in compulsory-heterosexuality,  and the fact no matter how hard he tries- he’s not straight!

Also El’s reaction to the song - hints that this isn’t actually her mixtape. But one that Mike made for her. or Will made for Mike (since jon makes mixtapes and prob taught him how- Will in s3 gave a mixtape to Dustin so it would not surprise me if he gave one to Mike).

So similar to the drawing, the mixtape hints at byler’s feelings

  ‘I can’t fight this feeling’ (which mileven makes out to later). Actually indicates Mike fighting his feelings for Will. And how he’s been trying to fight his feelings for Will, all season.

Besides the lyrics themselves- the singer literally went on record about the song’s meaning . Which is about a boy being in love/pinning over his friend of many years and never thinking he had a chance at being with them (and being afraid he’d ruin the relationship if he confessed)- but slowly thinking he could  be with them (and that they might feel the same way about him) . And in the song the 2 people AREN’T even together yet!

“Oh, I can’t fight this feeling any longer. And yet I’m still afraid to let it flow. What started out this friendship has grown stronger, I only wish I had the strength to let it show. I tell myself that I can’t hold out forever .I said there is no reason for my fear ‘Cause I feel so secure when we’re together ‘.You give my life direction. You make everything so clear. And even as I wander I’m keeping you in sight. You’re a candle in the window on a cold, dark winter’s night. And I’m getting closer than I ever thought I might”

This makes no sense for mileven who kissed after knowing each other for a week and who didn’t have a long established friendship, beforehand. And who also are already together (and not afraid to express their ‘romantic feelings’ for each other).

Then in s2, mileven dance to ‘every breath you take’ a break up song about a stalker ex. The writer of the song also has said many times “it’s NOT a love song.” The duffers obviously knew that. Lumax also danced to it and Lucas was called a ‘stalker’. El also stalked Mike in s2 (all that stuff milevens found romantic- El watching him without him knowing. Mike says he was not ok with it in s3). And in s3 he said not to do that and she just says ‘i make my own rules’. Not to mention Nancy teaching Dustin how to dance is a direct parallel to Mike teaching El. 

Mike also tries to act like Dustin, and  forces Will to dance with a girl (who’s wearing a rainbow hair clip). Trying to be a good sport like Dustin is about lumax. And right after this we see Dustin look sad about Max/Lucas dancing and Mike (next to Dustin) look sadly at Will/girl dancing in the same exact frame as Max/Lucas. As they switch between these 2 shots to emphasize their sadness/jealousy.Then they both sit down (mirroring each other) on the verge of tears before Nancy and El show up to comfort them and distract them.  As El once again (presumably) wears Nancy dress. Mike “you cant go with your sister… i mean you can but it’d be really weird.”

Also in regards to Will- when I heard they were going to have the song ‘Never ending story’ I wondered if they were going to re-contextualize one line in particular to be a hint at Will’s queerness. And shock- they did it! XD

The lyric is “ Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds and there upon a rainbow Is the answer to a never ending story. ”

And of course Will is the one with a secret- that is ‘rainbow’ related. And they pan to him during the “secrets” line. I think Will is less in the denial phase than Mike is and already knows he’s gay and in love with him.

And this wasn’t a coincidence because when Lumax makes fun of Dustin they sing the lyrics incorrectly as  “The mirror of your dreams. Rhymes that keep their secrets…” And it pans to Will AGAIN!

We see Will obscured in shadows to represent he’s “hiding”.

And then he appears in the light, looking sadly at D&D as the lyrics , “rhymes that keep their secrets” is sang (again).

And we see he’s specifically looking at the d&d game sadly and about to give it away- since they zoom in on the game title (before he places it in the “donation” box). 

Because the d&d game is used to reflect his desires (like a “mirror”) . It’s the ‘mirror of his dreams’- to be with Mike. Cue Mike saying “ what did you think,really? That we were never gonna get girlfriends? We were just gonna sit in my basement all day and play games for the rest of our lives?” And poor Will  just responding with “Yeah, I guess I did. I really did.”

This lyric about the mirror is NOT in the original song. It was used once again to establish D&D as a romantic symbol for byler. Just like how they zoomed in on d&d right before the romantic “crazy together” speech.

Mike in s3 says “Blank makes you crazy… y’know like the word (love).” Flo in s1 says “ Only love makes you that crazy and that stupid.” Cue Will calling himself “stupid” 4 times (after Mike says they won’t be together playing games for the rest of their lives-and ripping up the Halloween pic , out of heart-break).

(x)

So again right after we see the zoom-in of the game (another romantically coded scene happens after). Will puts the game in the ‘donation’ pile - and Mike isn’t happy about it.

Mike: “WHOA, dude, that’s the donation box.”

Will: “ I know, I’ll just use yours,  when I come back. (pause) if WE still want to play?”

( translation: “I love and want to be with you but I’m not going to pursue you and get my heart broken again. Because even if I feel like you love me… I can’t trust my own instincts about how you truly feel anymore. If you want to play this ‘game of love’  with me you have to initiate/participate in the game properly.” Mike when fixated on El even says it was a cool campaign but  “we just weren’t in the mood right now.” and  also says to Will “c’mon, let’s play for real”  but Will storms off (not thinking that what Mike said was genuine).  

Mike : “Yeah, but what if you want to join another party?”

(*cough, the other ‘species’/girls, or just someone else: girl, guy or otherwise)

Will: “Not possible.”

(Will will always love Mike, and  admits he wants to be with him for the rest of his life).

(x)

And we actually see the Hopper’s Monologue (where Mike is shown)- reflects what Mike said to Will earlier. Mike does want to love Will but he’s just scared of changing their relationship into something romantic- and even though a part of him doesn’t want things to change, he’s still afraid that Will will move on from him as they both get older. “I’ve been feeling distant from you. Like you’re pulling away from me or something” (Will does this both figuratively/literally). I miss playing board games every night (d &d)”. “But I know you’re getting older, growing, changing. And I guess, if I’m being really honest, that’s what scares me. I don’t want things to change.”

Also the lyric “ Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds and there upon a rainbow- is the answer to a never ending story. ”

One way or another Will’s secret (of being queer and/or being in love with Mike) will eventually come out. And that’s the answer to this “never ending story” between Will & Mike. Their love story. I mean who else is associated with Will’s story and has loads of rainbow symbolism - and has rainbow symbolism that  specifically connects them to Will?

*Lol don’t even get me started  on analyzing how in s1 when Mike thinks Will is dead- Mike hugs his mom and the lyrics are “and we kiss as though nothing could fall. And the shame.” Which is queer coded and written by David Bowie- and during the s2 “freak” speech- Will even says he’d rather be friends with Bowie than Kenny Roggers.

People need to realize no one is a bigger shipper of byler- than the Duffer brothers themselves! XD

[stinkyweasley]

Ungovernable. Chapter Two. // Sweetpea x OC.

Pairing: Sweet Pea x Eleanor Fenn

Genre: Gang, future smut, angst, slow burn

Word count: 1.2k lol

Rating: PG-13 future parts may be rated R or NC-17

Warnings: swearing, underaged drinking, underaged drug use, abuse, stalking, harassment.

A/N: sry for posting late and lol pissed that i had to upload this twice.

School is bullshit no matter where you live, my first day at Southside High was a huge blow. I definitely befriended some younger serpents though, and thankfully I was "protected" by the serpents.

Apparently there's another gang but they're considered the Ghoulies, and they're all drug heads and really fucked up. I knew about more gangs, but according to Fangs and Sweet pea, these guys are insane.

I'm not surprised though, Riverdale is not an exception. Every place has the crew with some fucked up people.

On my second day, I got some back talk from this outsider who goes to the school, saying they know I wasn't a real serpent and how I shouldn't be sitting and hanging out with the Serpents, let alone be wearing one of the jackets.

Toni said to ignore it, outcasts try and pick on everyone but back out when they get shit on for being a dickhead.

The teachers here are stupid, not as bad as the last place I was, at least these ones can get a word out in the class. My mother may be an uptight bitch but she used all her money on herself, so I ended up going to trash schools anyways.

Southside High is a bit of an upgrade since my last school you couldn't even hang out anywhere besides outside or in the classrooms during school hours.

A lot of pregnant teens ran around the school, stupid guys with no brains would knock up chicks in the bathrooms, janitor closets. No one really went to the lunch room either considering someone was probably getting fingered under the table.

I had a few friends, I usually hung out with the stoners, or the kids that skipped everyday.

It was currently 5am in the morning on Friday, I was taking The Beast for a morning walk, I seen him at the Wyrm and he was so cute I needed him. My dad says he's the first task when becoming a serpent, to take care of Hotdog. Which is really rude because he's a cute pup, if you don't smell his breathe.

The moon was very much still shining and I was wearing some black sweatpants with a cropped t-shirt with a thin sweater overtop.

Clearing my head is probably the hardest thing for me to do, so Hotdog and I usually walk to a park and sit at it and play with a ball together and then walk home. The first real joy in my life for the longest time.

I've always had a soft spot for dogs growing up, never being allowed to have one when living with my mother because she couldn't stand the dogs being on the furniture. Why get a dog if they can't sit with you? I tried to even convince her to let me get a cat, but she told me she was allergic. Allergies? You can take a allergy pill for that. No use explaining that to her though.

I'm not surprised my mother suddenly turned on me, her new husband has always been talking badly about me, suspecting that I am going to get into trouble and end up in jail or worse dead. In his eyes you could do anything and you were a danger. Fucking dickhead. When you got home you let Hotdog in and grabbed your phone and a pack of cigs off the kitchen table and sat on the front steps.

Turning on your phone while taking a drag from your cigarette you checked your emails and texts, seeing a text from a random number, you didn't bother to look at the message you decided to check your emails. Clicking through them you noticed an email from an old flame, it read "I miss you sweetheart." Quickly deleting the email and blocking the email address you looked at your Instagram notifications. Didn't realize a picture of that local restaurant in Riverdale would receive so many likes?

Taking a long drag and blowing it out you finally looked at the unknown number, the numbers area code wasn't Riverdale so the message confused you. "I see you." You were never one to be spooked often, but the fact that you had only given your number out to your new friends disturbed you.

Putting your cig out you ran into the trailer seeing you had an hour to get ready for school. It was Friday but you told Toni you'd meet her at Pops and get coffee before classes.

Rushing out of the house, avoiding a hug from your dad and running over to hotdog to give him a kiss on the head, yelling goodbye and walking in the direction to Pops, put your ear buds in your ears and clicking shuffle in your music.

Your boots shuffle down the road while you lightly bob your head to the tunes playing in your ears. You could see down the road that Toni had just pulled into the parking lot, with Fangs and Sweetpea next to her, Fangs ended up turning around and yelling your name, causing you to pause your music and shoving your earbuds and phone into your the pocket of your jacket.

"Hey Dracula," you smiled ruffling Fang's hair and shoving Pea's side, causing him to turn at you and scowl. Toni looked in your direction and grabbed your hand pulling you away from the boys and dragging you into the building and shoving you into the window seat.

"El, your fit is so cute," Toni said while Fangs and Pea joined you guys at the table. "Yeah El, so so cute," Fangs said mimicking Toni.

"Fangs, shove it." Toni said while glaring at him. When the waiter came over to the table we all ordered. Having about 20 minutes before we needed to be at the school, Toni and Fangs were usually on time and I usually stayed back with Pea since I dont give a fuck about school.

Basically chugging my coffee, I listened to the conversation that was happening in front of me. Feeling a vibration in my pocket I pulled out my phone and seen that it was the same number from earlier, but the message said "Bitch." Shaking my head and putting my phone back in my pocket I downed the rest of the hot liquid. Toni and Fangs announced they were gonna head to the school and I should catch a ride with Pea, which I have done before which isn't anything new.

After they pulled out of the lot, it was usually awkward with me and Pea, ever since yesterday during lunch he's been acting weird with me. "What were you listening to?" he asked me which brought me out of my daze. "I seen you walking and you looked like the song was really good." He said.

Pulling out my phone I looked at my Spotify, "uhh, you probably wouldn't like it, honestly." I told him, but before I could even finish my sentence, he moved from across from me and sat next to me in the booth.

"Lemme listen, I wont judge." He admitted. Rolling my eyes I pulled my headphones out of my pocket and handed him one ear and put the other one in my ear before I played Dancer in the Dark by Chase Atlantic. He looked at me with skeptical eyes before turning away and listening to the song.

"Dancing with the devil?" he repeated from the song when it ended. I nodded before looking at the time and insisted that it was Friday and we shouldn't be an hour late again. He nodded his head and pulled out his wallet and putting down a 10 before we left and hopped on his bike before heading to the school. 

[rosalynbair]

Shut Me Up 

Chapter One: Deathblow Written by @darth-stetter and @rosalynbair Masterlist | AO3 link | Previous Chapter 

Words: 7.5k | Warnings: mentions of alcohol, cigarettes, sexual language, Henry and Pat are assholes, mentions of blood and a small wound  A/N: Please head the warnings as we update this fic - but we hope you enjoy chapter one!!

A warehouse was not the ideal place to hold auditions. Granted, it was a converted warehouse, but the walls still bled with rust and the scent of metal assaulted everyone’s nose. Y/N’s foot tapped against the cracked concrete floor that was stained with old oil and unknown liquids.

The building seemed to groan with age and history, each blow of the wind outside rattled the window panes and whistled through the rafters. The only other sound in the building other than the breathing of the last few people waiting to audition was the dull sound of an out of tune guitar playing through a monitor in the back room - once an office. Y/N inhaled deeply with her cracked phone in her trembling hands. She furrowed her brows, lowering the volume on her phone discreetly so the other people around her wouldn’t hear what she was watching. Even with her earphones plugged in, the chord dangling and hitting the sides of her face with each movement she made, she felt extremely self conscious that the other tryouts were watching her stalk Mind Failure.

At the moment, she watched in interest as, Danny Lane, the previous rhythm guitarist, went on a monologue about why he left the band, “They were too wild; I was there for the music but I felt like I couldn’t put in any kind of musical input. Patrick was very controlling about that.”

Danny Lane paused for a moment, allowing the reporter to ask, “Mind Failure’s members are known to have a very reckless and dangerous attitude towards life, did you ever feel that you were in danger being in the same room with them?”

The blonde hair man sighed, pushing back his locks to keep the mohawk out of his eyes. His green eyes stared at the floor as he carefully contemplated what he was going to say, his fingers were gripping the fingers of his other hand, wringing them out of nerves. When he finally did answer, he spoke slowly, almost as if he was choosing his words carefully, “I was told many times when I tried out that I didn’t know what I was getting into, I read interviews on their previous guitarists and I thought, ‘Oh these dudes are just pussies,’ but I mean, Mind Failure are who they are, and while some of the members are decent enough, others are bat shit crazy. I love music, and I love their music, but, being around them made me realize that the music wasn’t worth it if I felt that I was constantly in danger, and alienated from a tight knight group of guys.”

“What kind of things did they do that made you feel in danger?”

Danny Lane’s hair now fell over his eye, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, rubbing his chin, “I am not comfortable talking about that, but, I can say that I wouldn’t recommend anyone trying out for that band. It’s not worth it.”

The video ended at a sudden halt, cutting of the rest of the interview. The person who posted it was obviously only interested in what Danny Lane had to say about Mind Failure.

Intrigued, Y/N fell into the rabbit hole that was Mind Failure, the year’s most popular metalcore band. Prior to being asked to audition for the band, she had never heard of them - though they had won a Kerrang award the year before for best newcomers. She felt slightly terrible for it as she listened to some of their hit tracks - also the first one that showed up on a youtube search, nodding her head and tapping her moss green doc martens on the dirty carpeted floor; the sounds of their songs melding her mind into a dark reality. The angelic voice of the lead singer rang in her ears, making her feel like she was being personally serenaded; his vocals were twisted in with deep guttural growling, and the occasional high pitched squeal. The drums and bass both worked together to give the music the specific oomph necessary to make it not only sound perfectly composed, but powerful.

However, Y/N felt her body shiver when she listened to the sounds of the guitars, small goosebumps rose on her skin as her mind comprehended the technical leads and melodic rhythm guitars. She knew that this track was Patrick doing both guitar track recordings - information given from another interview she had watched. They had been between guitarists at the time, leaving the dark haired musician to gleefully take over the entire process.

This is so good, she thought, feeling excitement budding in her chest for fact that she was trying out for this band.

Still jamming to the Mind Failure’s music on Spotify, she continued to read up on the band’s history, chuckling at their obvious rock star antics, her amusement apparent when she came across a photo of the bassist, Henry Bowers, in handcuffs being pushed up against the hood of a police car, his face bloody and contorted while in mid shout, the long hair of his mullet sticking up in multiple different positions with sweat and blood. The silver blonde haired man next to him being held back by a heavier man. She assumed those two were Vic Criss, the vocalist, and Reggie “Belch” Huggins, the drummer.

Y/N’s Y/E/C eyes trailed over to the other side of the photo, opposite of him, also in handcuffs and pushed against the other side of the hood was a shaggy haired musician, his lips were pulled up into a large, gleeful snarling smile showing off his bloodied teeth, as if he was laughing at the police officers holding him. His nose was bleeding profusely, drops of the thick, red liquid falling into his mouth. His dark grey eyes were wild as he obviously rode a really exciting wave of adrenaline.

Y/N’s curiosity won her over; she immediately clicked on the link below the Google image. The link took her to a metal news website, the dark . Her eyes skimmed the article, smirking when she read about Henry Bowers and Patrick Hockstetter facing charges for aggravated assault, battery, property damage, public intoxication, under the influence of an illegal substance, possession of an illegal substance, assault with a deadly weapon, mild sexual harassment, public nudity (Henry was pantsed by Patrick).

She read the article further, learning that the whole ordeal came to be when two men accused Henry and Patrick of flirting with their dates.

Fucking stupid reason to fight , she thought to herself, shaking her head.

Upon reading more and more articles about the band members, she learned that the photo in question wasn’t their first run in with the law, or the last. As she scrolled further and further down on the news site, she realized there was a pattern; Henry Bowers and Patrick Hockstetter were the ones that always instigated any kind of reckless behavior.

Y/N didn’t realize how much time she had spent doing research on the band until she felt a tap on her shoulder. She jumped in surprise, yanking her earphones out and immediately getting to her feet, her body tensing up for a fight. She eased up a little when she realized who it was that tapped her, “For fuck’s sake, Johnny, what the fuck did I tell you about touching me?”

Johnny smiled at her, the dimples in his cheeks indenting. He pushed his hands into the pockets of his black slacks, his deep brown eyes gazing at her with an amused expression, “That if I ever did it you would knock me on my ass, cut by dick off and shove it in my mouth so I can literally suck it.”

Y/N eyed him, still trying to collect her composure. Everybody knew that Y/N despised being surprised, and especially touched, and right now, Johnny was mere seconds away from getting his ass kicked. She cleared her throat, quickly glancing around the room, taking note of the other two male musicians waiting for their turn to show off their skills.  “Are they ready for me now?”

He shrugged, an aura of frustration radiating from him, “I gave them a few minutes to take a break; the guys tend to get impatient if they’re sitting still for too long.Tryouts are usually a big hassle for them.”

Y/N rolled her eyes - something she did fairly often at the slightest inconvenience “Right, because sitting and watching people play music is so tiring.”

Johnny chuckled, his lips tilting up into a slight smile despite his annoyance, catching on to her obvious sarcasm, “You try going through twenty tryouts a day every few weeks.”

“No one told them to be assholes,” Y/N retorted., leaning back in the uncomfortable chair.

Johnny’s brows raised, “I see you’ve done your research.”

“I did,” Y/N said, not bothering to hide the fact that she had spent the past three hours stalking them online “I wanted to know more about the band I’m trying out for, and so far, I am both intrigued and mildly irritated, seems like they’re in this for the rock star lifestyle.”

“A common misconception; you will be surprised to know that they love music as much as you do, they have behavioral issues,” he paused, his gaze intensifying as he held her gaze, “Just like you do.”

Y/N tilted her head, scoffing as she feigned offense. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you don’t,” he said, his voice sarcastic on the delivery, checking his phone for the time, “I gotta head back in there; we’re taking these two others before we get to you.”

“That’s fucking bullshit, Johnny,” Y/N complained, her voice a high whine. She adjusted her weight on the chair, feeling the ache on her tailbone and back. “You’re the one that asked me to come here.”

“And you would have had your spot reserved if you had shown up on time, Y/N. But, you didn’t, therefore, your slot was taken and you got pushed to the back. Maybe you’ll take my advice seriously next time and show up to your own tryout when you’re supposed to,” Johnny said as he typed in a text into his phone, not even bothering to look up with the explanation.

“For fuck’s sake, Johnny, I had band practice,” Y/N groaned in defense, crossing her arms as and slumping forward in the chair.

His chocolate brown eyes finally looked up from his phone as he addressed her, “You had band practice with a band that you don’t even want to be in Y/N. You’re lucky these guys don’t pay attention to the roster, otherwise you wouldn’t have made it into the running for tryouts.”

Y/N looked up, brows furrowing, taking offense to his words. She was a fucking great guitarist, and in her mind, she was the best. Her elbows pressed against her knees, digging down until there was a discomfort from the pressure, her voice went dark as she asked him, “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Johnny quickly caught the attention of one of the other musicians, nodding to the shaggy blonde haired boy that looked like he was fresh from the beaches of California. The musician immediately grabbed his gear as he stood up, waiting for Johnny to lead him into the room in the back, “It means nothing Y/N. Just wait a little longer. Your turn will come.”

He nodded his head to the musician, motioning for him to follow his lead. Y/N still leaned forward on the chair, only lounging back when she dug into her leather jacket for a cigarette and her silver zippo lighter. She inhaled in relief as she took the first drag of nicotine. From the corner of her eye, she could see the other musician stare at her, judging her for daring to light a cigarette in Mind Failure’s warehouse.

Not that it mattered anyways, the whole place was a fucking mess of old beer bottles, cigarette butts, baggies that held traces of cocaine and marijuana. Another cigarette butt in the sea of garbage wouldn’t make a difference.

She sighed deeply, exhaling the smoke from her lungs and out of her nose. The disgust she felt at the how the band lived on their days off was overshadowed by her interest. Their attitudes didn’t bother her, hell, even she had her fair share of felonies under her belt. If anything, it was the music that enticed her into wanting to join their band. A feeling she only started having moments ago when she researched them.

Obviously, Y/N had no prior knowledge to Mind Failure, which was a shame in and of itself because even their older EPs were amazing. So, when Johnny Ray approached her late last night at a show she was playing with her shitty ass band, she was skeptical.

“I think you should try out, you’d be perfect,” Johnny pushed, handing her a bottle of Guinness.

Y/N chugged down the beer and tossed the empty bottle into the crowd with a wince of disgust  when she was finished with it, not checking to see if it hit anyone, and high key not giving a fuck, “Look, suit, I’m not interested in trying out for your jazz, or blues band. I got my own shit to do, and I have my own band.”

“Of course, but, if we’re being honest, your band sucks. And the only reason why you get a crowd like this is because you’re hot, and slightly because of your skill. The rest of your bandmates are shitty musicians, and you have so much potential to be better,” he said, banging his hand against the bar counter to make his point, “With us, you could get there.”

“I told you, dick, I’m not interested in--”

“It’s not a fucking jazz band, and I’m not a band member; I’m the manager,” he informed, as if that would make a difference, “Besides, everyone knows that you hate playing in this band, the only reason you still do is because you need the cash. If that’s the case, you’d be making ten times more if you joined us,” he paused, brining his beer bottle to his lips, “If you even made it past tryouts.”

Y/N waved down the bartender, who immediately brought her three shots of vodka. She lined them up next to each other, taking them down one by one, not even feeling the burn of the alcohol anymore. Once she finished the last one, she slammed the small shot glass on the counter, finally meeting the manager’s stare, “How much cash we talking here?”

“Enough to get you off of your drummers bed bug infested couch,” he said, watching her with a small smirk. “And some new equipment.”

Y/N learned one simple truth as a musician, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably was. But, Y/N wasn’t known for being careful, she was known for jumping from band to band; using each experience as a stepping stone to get her where she needed to be. Where that was? Fuck if she knew. But, if these fuckers had the cash to pay her for her skill, then fuck it. What was another stepping stone but an opportunity to climb higher on the musical ladder.

“Alright, I’ll try out for your band,” she agreed, grabbing the bottle from Johnny’s hands. She took a long drink before she continued, “It better not be a fucking folk band, John, otherwise I’ll burn the fucking place down.”

He reached out to her, trying to planting a card into her leather jacket. Instinctively, she pulled back, snatching the card from his hand as she pointed her finger at him; her pointed acrylics looking more intimidating than she actually was, warning, “And don’t ever fucking try to touch me again, if you do, I’ll cut your dick off and shove it down your throat.”

Y/N began to disappear into the crowd, vaguely hearing his voice calling out to her, “I’ll put you in for 2 pm tomorrow!”

Being the idiot that she was, however, Y/N forgot about the tryouts and rushed out of band practice, only to arrive three hours late with messy hair and a sweat sheen body from the heat of the basement she had practiced in. And, like Johnny said, she was lucky to still be given a chance to tryout. Especially considering the fact that she wanted the money. She needed it.

The musician that went in for his tryouts walked out of the back room in a huff, kicking the cans on the floor and slamming the heavy door of the warehouse shut behind him, she could vaguely hear him yelling curse words as he walked further from the building. The other person in the room stared at her, the intimidation clear on his face.

The echoes from the back room could be heard down the hall as they bounced off the walls, “You can’t keep humiliating and talking down to all the tryouts, Bowers!”

“I was just fucking with him; not my fault he can’t take a fucking joke,” a man said, his voice raspy from the yell, she assumed it was Henry Bowers, as if Johnny calling him by his last name didn’t make it obvious.

She heard childish snickering coming from the room, “Oh, you think this is funny, Hockstetter? We go on tour in three fucking weeks! You need a new guitarist to--”

“I see another guitarist come into that room, I’m going to beat the shit out of them,” Henry said loudly, and she could almost picture the boy standing with his arms crossed and a sneer on his face.

The other musician in the room, seemingly intimidated by Bowers’ words, immediately grabbed his equipment and scurried off. Y/N smiled to herself, crushing her cigarette under her boot, just me now.

“We only have two more left,” Johnny said in a gentle tone, as if he was trying to comfort a band of toddlers.

“Just bring the next person in, Johnny,” a tired, softer voice said, “Henry will get over it once this is over, he just needs to dip into some pussy.”

“Fine,” Johnny spat, “But you’d better fucking sit your ass through these tryouts or so help me god I will--”

“ I will, I will ,” a mocking voice repeated, mimicking Johnny’s voice, “Shut the fuck up and bring those sorry cock suckers in here.”

A roar of laughter erupted from the room. Seconds later, Johnny appeared in the room, confused and puzzled that Y/N was the only one there. Y/N shrugged, simply explaining, “Guess your other tryout bitched out.”

Johnny rolled his eyes and motioned with his fingers for Y/N to follow him, “Just don’t take anything they say too personally- they can be pretty rough.”

“I can handle myself,” she assured, rolling her eyes.

“Seriously,” he paused, a look of terror in his eyes, he needed her now more than ever. “ Please , don’t take it personally.”

Y/N nodded, raising her brow, “I’ll be fine.”

Johnny released a loud sigh from his nose, the stress obvious when he began to rub his hands together. Y/N followed Johnny into a large open room, the walls spray painted with graffiti all around save for the large window on the other end. There was a large plush, black couch pushed against the wall, two men occupied that one, and she immediately matched the guys to their photos; Vic Criss sat on one end of the couch, scrolling through his phone with a bored expression on his face. Belch Huggins looked as if he was dozed off on the other end of the couch, his head laid on the hand rest with his cap over his face, while his feet were sprawled over the edge.

Near the large open window, Henry Bowers and Patrick Hockstetter seemed to be having what looked like an impromptu knife fight. Henry lunged toward Patrick, who jumped out of the way, cackling maniacally, “Getting a little slow there, huh Bowers?”

“Fuck you, twig,” Henry spat.

Johnny cleared his throat, trying to get their attention, “Guys, this is Y/N.”

At the mention of her name, all eyes were now on her. Even Belch, who had been snoring a few minutes prior, was wide awake now, gaping at her like if she was a figment of their imaginations.

Vic Criss tilted his head, a small smile spreading across his lips. He quickly put his phone down and crossed his arms over his chest.

Henry and Patrick however, stared at her in shock. Henry ran his hand through his outdated mullet styled hair, “Are we starting the pussy party early, Johnny? Cause if so, I think you really should have brought more.”

“We can share her,” Patrick whispered, a devilish grin spreading across his lips. His playful figure quickly turned into a sexual gesture, as he thrust his crotch out, his long fingers running over the zipper as he licked his lips. His eyes observed her from her moss green doc martens, the black laces wrapped twice around her ankles, up to her torn skinny jeans, and then to her exposed belly area. His eyes lingered on her obvious cleavage, admiring the way her torn shirt showed just enough skin to tease his imagination, “I go first.”

“In your fucking dreams, creep,” Y/N scoffed, setting her sticker covered guitar case on the ground.

Their eyes watched the movement, and in a sudden instant, their expressions went from flirty to hostile in a matter of seconds. Patrick was the first to speak up, laughing, “Aw, she thinks she can try out for the band, Hen.”

“You can try out,” Henry started, slowly walking towards her, “If you get on your knees and suck my dick.”

Y/N laughed, loudly, throwing the men in the room off, “I’m sorry, but I only fuck with guys who are over 8 inches, and you,” she paused, checking Henry out and sighing dramatically, “You look like you’re 3 inches, tops.”

Vic and Belch snickered at the insult. Henry was livid, and Patrick stared at her darkly, his hand fidgeting with something in the pocket of his plaid red and black overshirt. Y/N turned to Johnny, “Where do I plugin?”

Johnny, who was eyeing Henry and Patrick carefully, turned to her, “We use the Line 6 half stack over here for the tryouts.”

Y/N nodded, kneeling down next to her guitar case as she casually flipped the latches open. Her guitar had seen some better days, once, before she owned it. Now, the once white Ibanez GRG had chipped paint on the edges, the fretboard was slightly warped from previous water damage. The permanent marker drawings she made on it were covered with stickers that she had given up on removing. But, she loved that guitar with all her heart; the only thing she ever really loved.

Lazily, she placed the mickey mouse strap over her shoulder, plugging in the amp cord that Johnny handed to her, and strummed the guitar to make sure it was in the proper tuning.

“You really play with that piece of shit?”

Y/N tried to bite her tongue at Henry Bower’s rude comment, instead opting to focus on her guitar, still tuning it, “This piece of shit has more balls than you and your boy put together.”

She could feel Henry’s glare on her, but she refused to acknowledge him, telling herself that if she lost her temper right now, she wouldn’t get the opportunity to earn the cash for her own musical interests.

Stepping stones , she reminded herself; trying to suppress the fact that she genuinely did enjoy the music these assholes created.

Once her guitar was properly tuned to drop d, the tuning she knew these boys played on, she strummed her guitar rhythmically, playing a small piece of a song from her other band.

She turned to face the guys all staring at her, Vic, the lead singer, leaned back on the couch, “Well, go ahead and blow us away, babe.”

Y/N’s fingers went to the slightly warped fretboard, the tips touching the strings - her nails briefly touching the other strings before she adjusted them - as the fingers on her other hand grasped her 0.5 pick, strumming the strings as she played a technical solo, her fingers bent the strings as she shredded on the frets, doing sweep movements, and finger tapping; her eyes caught a glimpse of Vic’s face, his jaw dropped open in awe and Belch nodded his head to an imaginary beat in his head, as if he was playing his drums along to her.

She continued to shred on her guitar for another minute before pausing. When she stopped, Vic and Belch stood up and gave her a standing ovation, along with Johnny Ray.

Belch was the first to speak, smiling as he walked over and high fived Y/N, “That was fucking awesome!”

Vic came up beside him, holding out his fist for a fist bump, “Hell yeah, I like her, Johnny! Better than the fucking sugar sniffers you brought in earlier - she actually knows how to play.”

Johnny, pleased with himself, smiled, “I knew you would,” his eyes trailed over to the other two men who were eyeing their bandmates with vicious disdain, “What do you guys think?”

Henry pursed his lips together, staring at Y/N up and down, “Do you even know any of our songs?”

“I’m a fast learner,” she answered, holding her guitar by the fretboard.

Henry scoffed, staring at Patrick. Though, Y/N noticed a tiny glint in his eyes, like he was impressed as well. Patrick, however, still remained stoic as he lazily waltzed over to her side. He reached out towards the rack of various guitars, picking up a black ESP Kirk Hammett signature guitar with white symbols imprinted on it. Y/N stared at the instrument with awe and envy, wishing she could afford something as beautiful as the guitar Patrick held in his hands, plugging it into the other Line 6 half stack.

It didn’t take long for him to tune his guitar, and he stared at her with dark eyes as he also began to shred in front of her. He was taller than her, staring down to her with his legs spread.

Y/N knew what this was, he was establishing his dominance; he was cementing his territory, saying with his stance, his hard stare, and the gesture of playing during her tryout, that she was never going to be a part of their band.

The hell I’m not , Y/N thought.

She immediately began to finger pick as well, keeping up with Patrick’s ever increasing speed, refusing to back down and let him win.

The air in the room was tense, she knew all eyes were on herself and Patrick, but right now, it was only she and him. Both of them fighting for their right to play in the band, neither refusing to back down. His riffs were raw, angry and powerful; communicating with her that she was not welcome.

Hers were just as heavy, pushing back, unrelenting.

Finally, Y/N shredded so heavily, so quickly, that two of her strings popped loose, flying and snapping hard against her fingers. She felt the pain in her hands as a small cut formed on her fingers, still, she played with the remaining strings, choosing to stick to soloing.

The battle wasn’t over until Patrick ended his solo with a hard riff, prompting Y/N to stop as well.

They both stood still, the silence in the room was deafening as they glared at one another. Johnny came up beside Y/N, keeping his distance, “Y/N, are you alright?”

“Huh?”

Johnny pointed to her hand and she looked down at it as it covered her strings and guitar in blood, “Oh? This is nothing, I’ll be fine.” She shrugged, rubbing the cut fingers on her jeans.

“Like a badass,” Belch smiled, nodding his head in approval; Vic nodding along with him in agreement.

Henry’s face was blank, void of any emotion, but his eyes trailed to her open wounds, and then up to her eyes; he furrowed his brows slightly in amusement, but it was quickly replaced with indifference when he gazed upon Patrick’s dark stare.

Y/N scoffed, smirking when she met his eyes, “Is that all?”

Patrick opened his mouth as he was about to speak, when he was crudely interrupted by Vic, “For now, yes. We’ll keep in touch, but, I think you’re the one.”

“Fuck yes,” Belch agreed.

“Fuck no,” Patrick said, “There’s not a chance in hell--”

“We’re not letting a chick in the band,” Henry said, his arms crossed over his chest.

“What the fuck are you talking about? You just saw--”

“No,” Patrick interrupted as Vic was trying to make his point.

Y/N, frustrated with the bitching between the guys unplugged her guitar and gently placed it in its case while the guys continued to argue. She picked her case up from the handle, speaking loudly over the boys, “Look, mull it over or do whatever the fuck you guys gotta do, but I got shit to take care of and I am not staying here to listen to grown ass guys bitch like high school girls.”

The boys stared at her in shock, their eyes wide as she turned to speak to Johnny, “Take down my number, gimme a call when these pussies make up their minds.”

Johnny smirked in amusement at her obvious ballsy nature; he pulled out his phone, dialing her number, “Let me walk you out.”

“Later, bitches,” she casually said, flipping the boys the finger as Johnny ushered her out of the room.

When they were finally out of the warehouse, he spoke to her as he lit a cigarette, “You shouldn’t antagonize them; your chances of joining won’t be pretty now.”

“I don’t think my chances were great to begin with,” she confessed, somewhat defeated. Johnny handed her his cigarette and she graciously took it, puffing on it and exhaling a cloud of smoke in relief.

Johnny lit another cigarette for himself, his voice was slightly a mumble with the cigarette pressed between his lips, “Probably, but, I’ll see to it that you make it in. Whether they care to admit it or not, you’re the best tryout we’ve seen; and you’re not afraid of them, which means you won’t bail at the first sign of trouble.”

Y/N tilted her head, bringing the cigarette to her lips, “Just how much do you know about me?”

“Enough to know that you’re the real deal,” he said, smirking. His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he quickly took it out to read a barrage of text messages coming in. He chuckled with a slight sigh. He pushed the phone back into the pocket of his blazer, looking down at her bloody hand, “Make sure to get that looked at; if you make it in, we can’t have you taking hiatus before you’ve even had the chance to start.”

“I’ll be alright,” she assured, cockiness in her voice.

Johnny laughed in amusement, turning and entering the warehouse, “And get those strings replaced.”

Y/N flipped him off, the blood was now dry on her fingers when the door shut behind him.

She turned, slowly dragging her legs along the hard concrete ground. Nighttime was setting in, and she could have called a cab, but her funds were running low and in all honesty, she preferred to feel the night air on her skin. It was going to be a long walk, but she needed it if she was going to ponder the possibility of being in Mind Failure.

Patrick and Henry were adamant that she was never going to be in the band, but, she had Vic, Belch and Johnny on her side; which had to count for something… right?

It had been two and a half weeks. Two and a half fucking weeks and not once did she hear a peep from Johnny, or any kind of status updates on Mind Failure’s website on the new rhythm guitarist. She checked the sight hourly, waiting to see if it would change, but it still read in big red letters, “Tryouts Open.”

She groaned in frustration for the fifth time that day, vaguely paying attention to the members in her band going on about how they wanted to change the sound of the band, for the third fucking time.

Y/N stood in the background, scrolling through her phone; band practice today was held at Evan’s garage, or more specifically, his parent’s house.

“Yo, who the fuck is that?” Evan asked, pointing to someone outside.

Y/N turned to see Johnny Ray leaning against a black Ferrari.

“Oh shit, yo, I think that’s Johnny Ray, the manager of that fucking band--Mind Failure,” Sam said, snapping his fingers, and jumping up in excitement, “Fuck, maybe he’s here to sign us!”

The guys started yapping away about the possible idea of being signed. Y/N lazily unplugged her guitar, pushing the instrument behind her back as she walked out of the garage and towards Johnny.

“You here to check out my shitty band?”

Johnny laughed, removing his sunglasses, “I’ve had enough of that piece of crap band of yours; and I’m sure you have too,” he turned, opening the door to his expensive car, “Grab your shit, let’s go.”

“What--”

“Do you want to be in Mind Failure or not?”

Y/N turned suddenly, meeting the stares of her ex bandmates and flipping them off as she shouted, “Hey guys, fuck you! I quit!”

She quickly ran to the other side of the car, jumping in and trying her best not to jump in anticipation as Johnny explained to her how her life was going to change, “Right now, I’m taking you to Empire Records to sign a temporary contract.”

“Temporary Contract?”

“So, the way we work this out is we have you sign a minor touring contract; this is only because these guys go through musicians fast, once you have stayed for a full year, then you will sign a permanent contract similar to what the rest of the band members signed,” he said, looking at his phone as he drove, typing a quick text message.

Y/N nodded, “And what are the terms of this contract?”

“You’ll see when we get to the office, I have my lawyer on call to review it for you in case you don’t understand it or want to change something, and I’ll be there as well,” he smiled, eyeing her sideways.

“And the guys?”

“They’re prepping for touring; we leave in a week, so we need to get this underway as soon as possible. If you agree to the contract, I’ll need you to pack essentials to bring on tour with you, as well as your equipment,” he said, turning into a large parking garage.

He hurriedly opened the door, his legs rushing towards the elevator in the parking garage, prompting Y/N to hastily shove her guitar onto the passenger seat. She felt her body begin to tremble with anticipation; she couldn’t believe this was actually happening to her.

She followed Johnny into the large office on the 25th floor, Johnny leaned over the counter of the receptionist’s desk, “Hey Joan, how’s my favorite lady today?”

Joan stared at Johnny with a hard look, the older lady in her mid forties obviously not having Johnny’s flirtatious advances, “You’re late to your appointment, Mr. Ray.”

“Is he pissed?”

Joan smirked, “Fuming.”

Johnny shrugged, walking towards the wide, large doors on his left. Without knocking, he pushed to doors open, strutting inside like he owned the place, “Alright, sorry I’m late, but I was caught in traffic.”

Tristan Roberts, who was sitting behind his desk, leaned forward on his desk, “Traffic? It’s fucking 10 AM,” his hard stare fell on Y/N; he took in her appearance, smirking as he stared at her standing there in her signature green Docs, black jeans rolled up to cuff above her boots. Her fishnets she wore under the jeans rested above the waistband, clinging to her skin, the old standard round neck t-shirt that rested at her hips, eyeing the obvious tattoos on her skin, “Nice, I see why you were adamant about his one Johnny; record sales will skyrocket if someone as good looking as her is in that band.”

“I recruited her for her skills, Tristan,” Johnny said with irritation in his voice, “Now, let’s get this shit started.”

Johnny motioned for Y/N to sit beside him as he dialed the band’s trusted lawyer while Tristan handed Y/N a copy of the contract. She looked over it, listening to Johnny’s lawyer explain to her the legality of it all, “Now, here’s the thing, since you are going to be signing a temporary contract, the only revenue you will make is from playing shows. You will not receive any pay from streaming sites, royalties or record sales until a full contract is signed; this is just so we guarantee that you stay in the band, once that has been established, we will make a permanent contract and you will receive the same amount of pay as the rest of the members, including participating in the making of their future albums.”

Y/N nodded, knitting her eyebrows at the legal jargon on the paper. Tristan and Johnny stared at her when she looked up from the paper, “So,” Johnny said, handing her a pen, “What’s it going to be?”

The tour bus was thick with the scent of cigarettes and cheap beer, Johnny hoped the guys weren’t up partying in the fucking bus again, but once he gazed at the sight in front of him he slowly felt himself die inside; Vic was sprawled over the small couch, Belch was retching in the restroom, Henry laid naked next two blonde women and Patrick was nowhere to be found.

Angrily, he grabbed the air horn he kept hidden in the driver’s seat of the bus and obnoxiously squeezed it; the boys automatically jumped up in surprise, yelling in shock “What the fuck, Johnny?!”

“You guys leave for touring today, get your shit together,” he chastised, his patience wearing thin as he tried not to yell, tossing the blonde woman her skimpy clothing, “Where the fuck is Hockstetter?”

“Fuck if I know,” Henry answered, recording the whole ordeal on his phone; which was going to end up on his instagram account, “Ask mom over there.”

Johnny turned to Vic who shrugged, rubbing his face as he stretched, “You know Hockstetter, he wanders off doing god knows what and doesn’t show up until it’s time to leave, he’ll be here.”

Belch slammed the door of the restroom shut behind him, rubbing his forehead with his sleeveless flannel shirt, “Coffee, aspirin.”

“The coffee is on it’s way,” he said, “Aspirin is in the cupboard right there; you guys really should reevaluate your partying, I don’t think this mess is going to make a good impression on Y/N.”

Henry rolled his eyes, sitting up on the floor, still naked, “I think it will; she’ll see that I’m not a weak three inches and soon enough, she’ll be on her knees begging me to fuck her.”

He laughed at his own joke, amused with his humor. Vic rolled his eyes, tossing Henry his faded jeans, “She’s out of your league, Hen.”

As if it couldn’t get worse, the door suddenly opened and Y/N furrowed her brows at the mess inside the tour bus. She smirked slightly when she saw Henry’s back as he pulled his pants up, catching a glimpse of his ass, “I can’t say much about your dick, but you do have a cute ass.”

Henry turned beet red while the guys all laughed, he marched off towards the restroom in a huff, slamming the door shut behind him.

“Sorry for the mess,” Vic apologized, a sheepish half smile on his lips, his fingers carding through his hair.

“The only thing you need to be sorry for is not fucking inviting me,” Y/N said, pushing the guitar on her strap behind her.

Belch and Vic smiled, already liking the new member of the band. Johnny rolled his eyes, glancing over at Y/N, “Did you bring your equipment?”

“Yeah, your roadies are hauling my stack into the trailer,” she said, kicking the beer cans aside as she sat near Vic, photobombing his selfie with a kiss to his cheek. Vic didn’t seem to mind, as he moved his arm further to catch both of them in it.

“Belch get in here,” Vic called.

Belch jumped on the their laps, prompting groans of pain from Y/N and Vic.

“Vic, show Y/N to her bunk, I have to get back to the office; but remember, try to be on your best behavior- ugh I don’t even know why I bother,” he said, mostly to himself as Belch began to play with Vic’s nipple guard through his mesh shirt, “Make sure Hockstetter is on this bus before it leaves.”

Johnny promptly exited the bus, leaving Y/N alone with the boys for the first time.

Vic and Belch weren’t bad however, they both immediately started complimenting her on her playing, “Your riffs were sick; even Bowers was blown away, though, he didn’t want to admit it.”

Vic got to his feet and motioned for Y/N to follow him to the back of the bus, “The bunks are back here; Henry, Belch and I have the bottom ones, Pat has the top one and that leaves you with the other top one.”

He pointed to the only empty bunk in the crowded room, “It tends to get hot up there, so be careful. Also, there’s an empty drawer over there for your clothes. Make yourself comfortable, breakfast is being brought to us.”

“Thank you,” she said, shooting Vic her most sweetest smile, making the blonde haired guy blush slightly.

Y/N took a moment to glance around the dark bunk room, admiring how each bunk was easily identifiable to whom it belonged to. Vic’s was neat, with fluffy pillows and what looked to be like a soft, feather blanket. Belch’s was slightly ruffled, a pair of drumsticks tossed on it. Henry’s bunk was- surprisingly- somewhat neat, save for the numerous amounts of shirts piled on it. Patrick’s, however, was the filthiest of all. The blankets were on a heap on his bed, the thin mattress peeking out below the blanket; there was no pillow at all and a guitar lay on top of it, with small pieces of paper stuffed into the walls along with a half smoked joint and a pack of Camel Bolds.

She tilted her head, setting her own guitar on the bed. She began to unpack her clothes, fitting them and her accessories into the one drawer. She pulled out her small clip on fan, grateful that she even decided to bring it in the first place.

As she turned to head back towards the “dining” area of the bus, she bumped into the tall, lanky, shaggy haired guy that was Patrick. He wore tight black skinny jeans that were torn at the knees, the cuffs pushed into large, black combat boots. The blue and black flannel overshirt he wore barely covered the dried bloodstains on his white undershirt, his knuckles were cut open as if he was fighting.

He didn’t say a word, he just stood there, staring at her as he smoked his cigarette. Frustrated with the awkward silence, she asked,  “You gonna say something or just stand there and stare?”

Patrick’s stare was still blank, until he finally pushed beside her and climbed into his bunk, his eyes still on her while he exhaled a large cloud of smoke as his hands began to play his guitar.

Y/N scoffed, knowing full well that he was still trying to intimidate her. Just to spite him, she stayed in the room, climbing into her bunk and enjoying the cool breeze of the mini clip on fan, smirking at Patrick’s sweaty face. The heat didn’t seem to bother him, as he was unaware of it, still staring at her.

Belch’s voice cut the silence in the air, “Yo, Pat, Y/N; breakfast is here!”

Y/N continued to stare back at Patrick, finally breaking her gaze as her stomach rumbled, betraying her.

She jumped off of her bunk, heading towards the delicious smell of pancakes, bacon, eggs and coffee in the air; she could still feel Patrick’s eyes on her as she left however, somehow, she knew that the only reason she was here was because of Johnny, Vic, Belch and maybe even Henry.

This was something that Patrick obviously objected to, and he wasn’t going to make her time with Mind Failure easy, she somehow also guessed that he would do anything in his power to make her quit. But, he had another thing coming if he thought he could get rid of her that easily.

Tag List: @owentteague @pattycake-hockstetter @purplezebra68 @livelikewonderland @nurserykryme @gizmo-the-gay @thicctor-victor @slyprides-blog @ashisthresh @toungepopperr @i-am-mcbroken @caddywhompered 

[web-mobile-applications-blog]

The best Android apps for 2017

At Tech Advisor we review a *lot* of phones and tablets, but certain

apps

are always top of our list. Here's our pick of the best Android apps - the most useful downloads if you've just bought a new Android phone or tablet.

Your phone is capable of many things, but at its heart it is a phone, and designed for keeping in touch with friends, family, colleagues and whoever else you fancy a chin wag with.

Your phone will have a messaging app and a dialler built-in. What it may not have is online messenger and calling services that allow you to contact friends over an internet- rather than cellular connection.

Two of our all-time favourites are WhatsApp Messenger and Skype. WhatsApp is free for all users, and lets you send and receive free messages, pictures, videos and voice messages over the web. If you have a tablet, laptop or PC you should also check out WhatsApp Web for synching messages between the two. Also see: How to install WhatsApp on a tablet.

Skype, meanwhile, is the video chat service for people who don't have iPhones and iPads and therefore can't use FaceTime. It's an excellent way of speaking face-to-face with people who are too far away to visit.

If you're not fussy who it is you're chatting to, and you're a fan of online forums, you'll also be pleased to learn Reddit has recently launched its full Android app.

What is Reddit, though? "There’s a Reddit community for every subject imaginable: your favourite sports team, relationship advice, memes, silly gifs, the latest in news and politics - all in real time," states the official download page, and we couldn't say it better ourselves. It's free - go get it.

Many Android phones and tablets come with social-media apps built-in, but if yours doesn't then top of your list will be Facebook and Twitter.

If you're downloading Facebook don't forget Facebook Messenger for private messaging with friends (no, it's not evil), and if you're a poster rather than a lurker then Timehop offers a fascinating look back at what was on your mind on this day in previous years.

If social is your bag, there are loads more free apps with which you can stalk your friends and make them jealous with a picture of what you just ate for dinner or news on your latest job.

Snapchat is the latest trending social app, and face-swapping is all the rage (beginners should check out our guide on How to use Snapchat), while LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest are just a handful of other social apps that are available. You can also find all manner of social aggregators that combine all your social feeds into a single feed.

At Tech Advisor we're using Slack for instant messaging between colleagues. It's much easier to follow than a long email thread where various people reply to different messages all at once, and some of my team mates are particularly enjoying its GIF support.

Large, high-resolution screens are all the rage with today's new Android phones, which paired with their fast processors and graphics makes them ideal devices on which to watch TV, video and films.

YouTube is more than likely preinstalled on your Android device - and if it's not you should download it now. Some other free apps that we wouldn't be without include TVCatchUp, which rather than a catch-up TV service actually offers live-streaming of UK Freeview channels, plus some actual TV catch-up services such as BBC iPlayer (you'll also need BBC Media Player), ITV Hub, All 4 and Demand 5.

If you subscribe to Sky at home then Sky Go lets you watch Sky TV on your phone or tablet, while Virgin offers a similar deal with Virgin TV Anywhere.

Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video are the two big online film-streaming services, each charging a monthly subscription of around £7 and letting you watch as many films as you like within that period. We like Netflix, although you may prefer the associated benefits of having a Prime account, including free next-day delivery on eligible items bought on Amazon and Amazon Prime Music. We've compared your options to help you choose.

We're also big fans of NowTV which, like Prime and Netflix, is a subscription service that puts hundreds of TV box sets and catch-up TV from some of Sky's most popular channels at your fingertips. NowTV also has a movies option that lets you tune into a great many of the films broadcast over Sky's movie channels.

Film fans will more than likely appreciate IMDB, the world's largest collection of movie, TV and celebrity info, while for TV sport fanatics there's BBC Sport and Sky Sports.

If you have an Android phone or tablet, you can access your entire audio collection by uploading it to Google Play Music, which is more than likely preinstalled on your device. But what about new stuff?

In the past if you wanted to listen to new music and you didn't want to pay for it you would listen to the radio. Many Android phones and tablets have a built-in FM radio, and you simply plug in a pair of headphones to act as the aerial. There are also online radio services - one of our favourites is BBC iPlayer Radio.

But this is the 21st century, and while radio still thrives online music streaming is where it's at, allowing you to listen to what you want, when you want, and if you want to ditch the ads that's possible too. Spotify and Deezer are two of the most popular online music-streaming services, but even Google has its own subscription-based Music service. Weigh up your options in our best music-streaming service article.

Audio fans will also like SoundCloud, to help them find new music, and Shazam, to work out what it was they just listened to.

Big screens don't just make for easier watching, they make for easier reading too. Whether you want to read books or magazines, there's an app for that.

We'll start with magazines since we are, after all, a publishing company. One of our favourite new services is Readly, which is a subscription-based magazine service that lets you read as many mags as you want for a one-off fee. Tech Advisor and its sister titles Macworld, iPad & iPhone User, Android Advisor and Windows Advisor are all available on Readly, and there's loads more good stuff too. Check it out with a free trial.

And now books. No matter what other pies it has fingers in, Amazon is still the company we associate with buying books, whether you want them in paperback or digital form. You don't need one of Amazon's own Kindle tablets or e-readers to enjoy its unique reading experience, since the Amazon Kindle app is available for all Android phones and tablets. In fact, all the apps in Amazon's app store are available for your Android device - see how to get truly free Amazon apps for your phone or tablet.

Smartphone cameras are getting better than ever, and even out of the box they take some fantastic snaps (also see: What's the best phone camera 2017). But there are apps that make a good thing great.

We asked around the Tech Advisor office, and there was one clear favourite: Snapseed. It offers professional controls that are applied with a fingertip. Easy peasy.

Photography fans shouldn't forget Instagram either. Beginners should check out our guide on How to use Instagram.

If you are taking photos and video on your Android phone or tablet, make sure you have Google Photos installed and configured. Photos will automatically back up your snaps and video clips over a Wi-Fi connection, meaning they are not only safe if you lose or break your device, but also accessible from any other computer on which you are signed into your Google account. Also see: How to back up Android.

Our phones and tablets are not just like mini PCs, they are mini PCs. And with online productivity services and cloud storage you get the benefit of being able to access all your office documents from wherever you are, and collaborate on them with colleagues.

At Tech Advisor we use Google Apps for Work, so by default we tend to use Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Docs and Google Sheets for work tasks both in and out the office. But there are plenty of other app choices, and not least is Microsoft's Office suite, with free Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote apps for Android phones and tablets. With OneDrive you also get useful cloud storage, or you might prefer Dropbox or Box - see our round-up of the best cloud-storage services.

AirDroid is a great app for wirelessly managing your Android phone or tablet from any PC or Mac, too.

One app that's specific to us as a tech media publisher, but also useful for anyone whose business involves a website, is Google Analytics. Using the Analytics Android app on my smartphone I can see not only how many people are reading this very article right now, but I can see what drove them to the article, on what type of device they're browsing and other useful stats.

We've already rounded up some of the best Android games in our separate round-up, but we can't ignore them entirely in this article for the simple fact that having at least one good game on your phone or tablet is essential for those times you can't get online and need something to do to fill five minutes. And even people who *don't play games* will be sucked in when their competitiveness gets the better of them. And it will get the better of them.

We've already rounded up some of the best Android games in our separate round-up, but we can't ignore them entirely in this article for the simple fact that having at least one good game on your phone or tablet is essential for those times you can't get online and need something to do to fill five minutes. And even people who *don't play games* will be sucked in when their competitiveness gets the better of them. And it will get the better of them.

The internet and a wealth of information is at your fingertips, but apps take away the hassle of searching for it. You can have news and weather information delivered directly to your phone simply by launching an app.

Here in the UK two that really stand out are BBC News and BBC Weather. But you can install as many as you like - don't fancy that rain and wind the BBC says is coming your way? Perhaps the Met Office is predicting bright sunshine and BBQ weather.

Ref: http://www.techadvisor.co.uk/test-centre/google-android/best-android-apps-for-2017-3626975/