#just ten perfectly crafted songs like.

[usergirlfailure]

this is why… 10/10. no skips. still feeling very emotionally fragile.

[mcuamerica]

The Shadowsinger: Thirteen

Warnings: 18+. Minors DNI. Alludes to sex, mentions of wing clipping, mention of parental death, fluff, ACOTAR series spoilers. If I forgot anything, please let me know!

Pairing: Azriel x Fem!Reader

Summary: You join the IC at the town home for Solstice, then make a decision about Windhaven.

Disclaimer: I do not own SJM’s characters or plot lines, only the ones I create for the purpose of this story. This is a work of fiction. I do not give permission to repost my work on any other platform or medium. Please be respectful.

My graphics are my own. If you wish to use them, please give credit!

Series Masterlist

Eight - Nine - Ten - Eleven - Twelve

You laughed as you saw Cassian and Mor drunkenly try to play the piano in the sitting room. You had a glass of some very expensive and very old wine in your hand, provided by Rhys. You had exchanged gifts earlier in the day. You received a lovely pair of fighting leathers from Cassian, two full outfits (including jewelry) from Amren, and a warm cloak from Rhys. Azriel had given you a specially crafted dagger. It had swirls mimicking shadows on it, and the blade and the metal were almost pure black. Along with it, came a sheath that fit perfectly with the leathers Cassian got you. And Mor… well she got you a hideous scarf and lace gloves. You weren’t sure what to do with them, but you figured maybe you’d display them in your closet. 

Rhys was sitting next to you, a faint smile on his face. For this being the first Solstice out from Under the Mountain, you thought he would be happier. But you could see that something was missing from him. He still refused to talk to you about anything other than your training and threats the Night Court was facing. After everything you had been through, you just wished you could talk to him. Like you had Under the Mountain. But that relationship might have been gone now that Rhys had his true family to talk to. He didn’t even tell you why he hadn’t called in the bargain with Feyre. Not the real reason at least. 

Amren was in the corner, a small smirk on her face as Mor played the wrong notes of the piano and Cassian was singing incredibly off key. You looked up as Azriel came over to you, not swaying at all despite the amount of alcohol he'd ingested tonight. “Care to dance?” He asked and you giggled, taking his extended hand and got up, steadying yourself as you grabbed his bicep. 

“You better be as strong as you feel. Cause I’m not going to be standing for very long.” You joked and smiled as he winked at you, promising he’d never let you fall. You both began dancing in circles as Mor and Cass continued their horrible song. Still, you laughed with Azriel as you’d stumble into him, or as he would make a wrong turn. 

The rest of the night consisted of you all singing and dancing with each other. And finally, around when the clock struck two, Azriel led you upstairs to your bedroom. You finished your fit of giggles from tripping up the stairs and leaned against the wall next to your door. “You, my Shadowsinger, are very much the stronger of us two. By a lot.” You said, holding back a hiccup. “You’ve caught me like ten times tonight.” 

You called him your Shadowsinger. Azriel’s heart skipped a beat. “You should get some rest, (Y/N).” He said, even though a smile came to his lips. You were both way too drunk to have him tempted into your room tonight. If he was going to take you, he’d do it properly and be very sober. So he could taste and feel everything from you. 

“Hmm… alright.” You said and turned towards your door, shadows pushing it open for you. “Better hope I can get out of this dress properly.” You said, half to yourself, and half to Azriel as a tease. You might have even heard a Cauldron boil me under his breath. “Goodnight, my sweet, strong Shadowsinger. Please don’t wake me up for some stupid training tomorrow.” You said before your shadows shut the door behind you. 

The night had been perfect. You spent it in Azriel’s arms or around him, not-so-subtly flirting with him the entire time. You’re pretty sure you showed him that you liked him. And that you enjoyed his company. And if the Inner Circle didn’t know, they probably did now. 

Rhys was agitated after Solstice. You couldn’t tell why, and honestly you were starting to get annoyed with him since he wasn’t talking to you. 

You were all having a meeting at the House, just a week after Solstice. And he snapped at Amren for suggesting that he needed allies outside of the Night Court. You could’ve sworn you saw her eyes flare with that silver power of hers. But she hid her annoyance much better than Rhys. 

You took Rhys’s arm, dragging him into one of the smaller sitting rooms. “What is your problem?” You asked, crossing your arms. “You’ve been on edge this entire week.” You said. 

He was practically panting. You’ve never seen him so worked up. He turned towards one of the open windows. He allowed the breeze inside, cooling the room instantly. “Feyre is marrying Tamlin.” He said. You detected a lot of jealousy in his tone... and scent. 

“And? They- they’re partners. It might be soon but-“ 

“She’s my mate.” 

Your eyes widened. You blinked at him for a few moments and then hummed. “Why haven’t you called in your bargain?” You asked. 

“She hates me. She’s been through so much. I don’t deserve her. I can’t bring her here when she’s marrying him.” He said. 

“Didn’t you say Tamlin was letting her waste away?” You asked and stepped towards him, resting a hand on his arm. “She might hate you, but I doubt she would if you allowed her to see past the evil High Lord act.” You said. 

“She’s marrying him… she might be miserable but she’s said yes. It’s in two weeks.” He said. 

“Do you think she has any other choice?” You asked and rose your eyebrows, looking up at Rhys. “She was a human almost three months ago. Tamlin saved her-“

“She saved herself. She’s the one who fought while Tamlin did nothing. He begged but he did nothing. He’s pathetic. And he’s letting her waste away in that manor.” He said. His wings were already out, but the longer he talked, the more darkness gathered around him. 

“Call in the bargain, Rhys. If you need me there, I will be. But you deserve to be happy. You’ve done enough suffering.” You said and squeezed his arm. “Call in the bargain.” You said again before turning to leave the room. 

“Is Azriel your mate?” He asked before you could open the door. 

You turned back towards him and frowned. “No… I haven’t had a bond snap into place. Not for anyone.” You said. 

“You certainly seem like you like him.” He said. 

“I do. He’s gorgeous. But he’s just warming up to me.” You said and smiled a bit. “And I’ve got training to focus on, I don’t need a mating bond right now.” You smiled at Rhys. “I’m here if you need me.” You said before leaving. 

You got back to the table, telling them that Rhys needed to cool off. You sat next to Mor, seeing Azriel peer at you from the corner. He was much more likely to be in the shadows than you were. While you used your shadows to hide, he used them to lurk. Not that he needed to right now. You were pretty sure he was doing it right now just so he could stare at you without being obvious. You stared right back. 

You went back to Windhaven the next day. Your wing was completely healed, thanks to Madja and her incredible abilities. You went straight to Devlon, apologized for hitting Calder, and said from now on you (and the other females) would be training with the males. 

“No, absolutely not. The females have to do chores first and they’re behind-"

“Put them with the new recruits. They will learn the exact same way the males do. There is no reason for them to be separate other than your bias.” 

“The males will refuse to train with females.” He said. 

“Then they don’t get to train, that will be on them.” You said and crossed your arms. “I’ve talked to the females, they have no problem training with the new recruits. If the males do, then they don’t train. But the females have the same trainers.” You said.

“Is this an order from the High Lord?” He growled.  

“It’s an order from me. And just as Cassian does, I speak for the High Lord.” You said. You did talk to Rhys and Cassian about it. Even Azriel sat in on the small meeting. They agreed. As long as you could convince Devlon, they would support you on it. 

“And where is the Commander?” He asked, looking around. 

“He has more important camps to visit.” You jeered. “Today, I’ll train with the recruits. Show you and them that a female can keep up with any male at the same level.”

“You’re at the level above the new recruits.” He said. You were surprised he admitted it. 

“Then I’ll train with those males. And if I fail, the females stay training separate. If I succeed, however, they train at the same time, with the same commander.” You said firmly. 

Devlon looked out over the camp, his arms still crossed over his chest. “Fine, though if you hit another male unprovoked, you’ll get the lashings just like they do.” He said. 

“And if he hits me?” You asked, smirking as he waved you off. 

By the time lunch came around, you were panting and sweating with the drills the training commander was making you run. But you were keeping up with the other males. Some of them went ahead of you, some behind. All you had to do was show that you were just as capable of training as any of them. And you did. Albeit, you were exhausted by the end of the day. You didn’t even go back to the house, you just went to the cabin. After a quick bath, you shoveled down food and then passed out on the couch for the night. 

Azriel came the next morning to see how you were doing. Cassian and Rhys had a situation to handle at Ironcrest, and he knew you would be tired. It was before dawn and you were still on the couch, wings awkwardly wrapped around yourself as a makeshift blanket. He smiled as he saw your peaceful demeanor. He knelt down beside you, moving the hair from your face. “(Y/N)?” He whispered. 

You groaned and shifted, wincing as your wing caught on the back of the couch. You opened your eyes, blinking away the sleep. “Az?” You whispered. 

“Hey… did you sleep here all night?” He asked, sighing when you nodded. “You’re not going to be happy when you train today. You gotta sleep in your bed.” He said. 

“I was too tired to go up the stairs.” You said, tucking in your wings as you sat up. “Today, I was informed, is flying training.” You said. 

“Devlon said the females would train with the new recruits. Though I heard some of the males wouldn’t train with them. So I assigned them to chore duty instead,” you said with a smirk on your face. “See how they like chores instead of training.”

Azriel looked at you and shook his head. “You’ve done more than we’ve been able to do.” He said and smiled. “Thank you for helping with this. These females deserve to have the choice of training.” 

“This is only the first camp. My father’s camp… and Ironcrest… I don’t know how that’s going to go.” You said, shifting slightly. 

Azriel hummed and shrugged. “Prove to this camp that you’re just as good, better, than them.” He said. “Which you will be. Especially with the way you’re training.” 

“I think I need to stay here. Not just visit. I should live with them, and I need to be here.” You said, looking out the window that faced the camp. You could see the younger males and females running around doing morning chores. You even saw some of them playing together. 

“You want to live here? Full-time?” He asked, a protective light shining in his eye. It was one thing to visit and train, but to live here… He shook the thought out of his head. You could protect yourself. You were more than capable of putting any male in his place. 

“Until they continue without me nagging at them every five minutes, yes.” You said. “I’ll talk to Rhys about it, make sure he doesn’t need me in Velaris… but I think this is where I’m needed.” 

“Care if I visit?” He asked, sitting down on the small table in front of the couch. 

You smiled and leaned forward. “I would love it if you'd visit, Azriel.” You said, eyes scanning over his face. “Only if you don’t show how much you’re infatuated with me in front of the other males. Would make me seem weak.” You teased and nudged him as you got up. You stretched before going to the stairs. “You want to watch us train today?” You asked. 

“I’d love it,” he said and leaned back, smiling as he watched you walk up the stairs. 

You changed into the new fighting leathers Cassian got you and smiled as you saw Azriel waiting for you. “Can I ask you a question about the Blood Rite?” You asked. 

He frowned slightly, nodding. The thought of you participating in the Rite made his stomach churn. 

“Did you still have your shadows with you? Or did the spell take that away too?” You asked. 

“No, I didn’t have my shadows.” 

“Was it weird? Not having them with you after so long?” You asked and he shrugged. 

“A little, but I was more focused on surviving the Rite. Getting to Cass and Rhys.” He said and smiled a bit. “Why?” 

“Because I think I might have to compete,” you said, grabbing your water canteen. “If they’re supposed to take females seriously, they won’t until they see one survive the Blood Rite. If I could do it this Spring…”

“The Blood Rite is… you could die,” he said, frowning. “Are you sure?”

“If I can make the qualifier, I’ll do it.” You said and filled the canteen. “But only if you and Cassian think I would be ready for it… that’s what the whole training exercise in the mountains was, wasn’t it? To mimic the Rite? With my bound wings?” You asked. 

“Partially.” Azriel admitted. “But there’s other times your wings might be bound. And you still had all your normal strength.” He said. “If you want to participate… if they let you… it would be extremely hard.” 

“Females have competed in it before. And survived… not in hundreds of years.. but they have.” You said. “Cassian told me… but I know it’s not easy. I think it would be worth it.” You said. “And maybe other females would see they could do it too.” 

“Keep training. Make the decision once you get near to the qualifier… but doing it this Spring… I think you would need to train individually with Cass or me. They go at a slower pace. Unless you can get up each level every week.” Azriel explained. 

“I can do it.” You said firmly, turning towards him. The soft look in his eyes, the worry, told you that he believed in you. But he hoped that you wouldn’t compete. Not this year, and not anytime soon either.

Azriel didn’t want you to compete not because you couldn’t, but because he was worried about you dying. About losing you. 

“I know you can.” He answered, then opened the door. “Now let me see you train. Kick some Illyrian ass.” He said and winked at you. You laughed gently and walked out, Azriel trailing behind you. 

You walked in comfortable silence, noticing how Azriel would scowl at some of the males walking by. “You know, you normally are very good at holding your emotions back.” You said and nudged him. “This place must put you on edge just like me.”

“Illyrians can be brutal, and a lot of them used to make my mother’s life a living hell.” He said and frowned. “But luckily, she’s safe and no one mistreats her anymore. Not on my watch.” He said. 

You looked at him and gave him a small smile. Cassian told you about Azriel’s mother. How he only got to see her once a week when he was a child. And never saw her when he was training here. 

“My mother died after giving birth to my younger brother.” You said, looking forward. “My father had to make a choice between Varyn and my mother. His wings came out at an odd angle, and she was losing too much blood. Instead of having a disabled son… he allowed his wife to die.” You said and frowned as you  looked forward. “My mother was the kindest Illyrian I'd ever met. Her wings were clipped when she came of age, but never allowed my father to clip mine. She said she wouldn't, at least. After she died, he didn’t give a damn about anything.” You frowned. “When I met Sirona, she had such a similar personality to my mother. They would’ve been fast friends… I miss them both. And will never forgive my father for what he did to my mother.” 

“What about what he did to you?” He asked. 

“He’s a hateful man.” You said and let out a breath. “What he did to me was unforgivable, but… I got out. And my wings are intact. That’s because of me. I won’t hate him for it. But I hate him for a lot of other things.” 

“And yet you can still stand to be here?” He asked. 

“I have something to prove to myself. To prove that I can be better than any of these males.” You said and stopped outside of the mess hall. “Want to eat?” You asked, turning to him.

Azriel gave you a gentle smile and nodded, following you inside.

A/N: Aww this is a cute little chapter! The next one... let's just say there may be some spice in it...

Comments/Request Here

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[badkitty3000]

A song you think Five would dedicate to a S/O?

Oh, I love this question!

Five is an uptight old man whose talents include murder and designing finely-crafted insults. But he's still a romantic at heart. If you are out at a bar with friends, he would be playing it cool and aloof in the beginning, watching you with amusement until the drinks kicked in. Then he would find himself staring dopely over at you and thinking how lucky he is that he found you. He just has to hop up on stage for a soulful, yet off-key karaoke performance while you slide further down your chair in embarrassment, giggling.

He would choose the oldie but goodie "Shameless" written by Billy Joel but made more famous by Garth Brooks, because this is how Five feels when he's with you, everytime.

I have never let anything have this much control over me I worked too hard to call my life my own And I've made myself a world and it's worked so perfectly But it's your world now, I can't refuse, I've never had so much to lose Oh, I'm shameless

This man has been brought to his knees from just a look or simple touch by you. He has been cracked open, his soul on display, and he doesn't care. He doesn't give a shit who knows it or if he looks like an idiot. He is absolutely Shameless in his love for you.

Now, on the flip side, if he's REALLY drunk and horny and you're still chatting away with your friends, ignoring the fact that you need to leave right now so he can plow you as hard as possible the minute you get home, well then he might put Closer by Nine Inch Nails on the jukebox as a hint.

I wanna fuck you like an animal I wanna feel you from the inside I wanna fuck you like an animal My whole existence is flawed You get me closer to God

As soon as you hear it, you look over to see Five eyeing you up, not at all disguising the fact that he's going to absolutely ruin you, and if you don't hurry your ass up in the next ten seconds, he will be dragging you outside to rail you against the brick wall of the building, passersby be damned. 😈

Thanks for this fun ask, I always love blurting out my extensive head canons for this guy. If anyone is interested in reading my karaoke-based one shot that includes some family feels, as well as fluff and smut, here's the link. Let's Hear It For The Boy. ❤️

[misspearly1]

Kinda loving 31 & 68 of the smut prompts for our baby Joel of course 🤤

Holy. Fucking. Shit. 🤤 I'm loving these! 😈

Alright, listen closely. I've been burnt out on smut because of kinktober - understandably, it was a whole month riding the smut train - but these prompts? ESPECIALLY NO. 68?? Omg. Chy, your first request has left me complete mess. Kinktober is to blame also, but these two prompts you've chosen for Joel pair so well and I've mentioned to you before about how much I love ✨performing ✨ so prompt no.68 was just perfectly bringing me out of feeling burnt out and feeding my kinks!

If you have anything that you'd like me to write for, don't hesitate to send them in, my love. My inbox is still open for more Requests with Supplied Prompts and they're still open for general requests too! I love you so much for sending this in. I needed this smut for Joel. 🥰❤️

Play With You

Pairing: Joel Miller x F!Reader 

Warnings: 18+ Content. Minors DNI! Established Relationship. Joel playing the gee-tar. Fluff to start off with then Smut. Lots of detailing on Joel's manhood. Oral Sex (M receiving). Deep throating. Gagging. Choking. Dirty Talk. Praise Kink. Mentions of Sex. Hints of Dominant Joel. Reader being a big tease.

Prompts: “But baby, I want to play with you.” // “Kneel” 

-

It’s just so beautiful to sit and watch Joel play the guitar; losing himself to the song as he moves his head or taps his foot to the beat. The sweet melodic riffs he creates are euphonious to your ears and his deep mellifluous singing voice is soothing. 

You never grow tired of watching him each and every time he reaches for his six string. It’s a similar feeling Joel gets when watching you get dressed for special occasions, starting with gazing at you in the shower, then applying body lotion all over your skin before sitting in front of the mirror to watch you doll up your face and hair a little. The man loves it. There’s just something so sexy about you getting dressed that turns him on. 

Sitting on the back porch this evening however, you’re the one who is left feeling horny as you watch him pick away at his guitar and forget about the world all around him when closing his eyes. He and you built some decking out here last year, creating a little comfortable out-door area for you to relax and unwind after a long day. Joel and his brother Tommy did most of the heavy lifting of course, but Maria helped you with the decorations, the painting and adding the little homey touches. 

With two half circle sofas placed around a fire pit that is built into the middle of the decking, you sit opposite Joel and bask in the harmonious sound of his voice humming with the tune of his guitar. It’s peaceful and transcendent, inducing a soporific effect as your eyes become heavy with the need to sleep. You lay back against the sofa, lifting your legs up off the floor and tucking them under a blanket to keep warm. A third glass of wine held in your hands that’s almost finished, you take one more drink and place it down to the small square table, crafted by Joel’s bare hands. 

Occasionally you have requests and ask him to play some oldies, songs that you miss from back in the day, but tonight he hums the words of a song from his own creation. Just one song that he’s written multiple of so far. This is a new one, though. You don’t recognise the tune, but you love it nonetheless. Watching him attentively through half-lidded eyes, you watch his face soften and the smile appear on his lips, resonating self-pride. 

Muscles flexing in his arms gradually relaxing as the song nears its end, you wait till he finally opens his eyes and re-joins this plane of existence before whispering compliments. “I love it, handsome,” You beam, the audible level of your voice matching the tranquillity hanging in the air. “You got another hit song in the works there, I see.” 

“I don’t know if it’ll reach the top ten charts,” Joel jokes, returning the playful remarks while also keeping his voice low, “But thank you, darlin’. It’s a work in progress and-” His cheeks blush as his smile grows bigger, “-And it’s actually a song I’ve written for you.” 

“It is?” You ask, surprised, and he nods seriously, still with a big smile on his face. “Wow. Thank you, babe. I’m honoured.” You hold a hand to your chest, just over your heart as you express a look of gratitude and appreciation. “Play it again for me?” You request, to which he sighs and clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth with a shake of his head. “Actually, I had something else in mind, darlin’,” He says. 

“Oh yeah. Like what?” You ask curiously, recognising that hint of seduction in his husky voice and when he lays his guitar down, you see the tent growing in his slacks. A pulse in your heat sets the mood instantly from the sight, flooding your bloodstream with desire and passion. 

“I could play your song again,” Joel rises from the sofa and the hardness inside his jeans becomes more visible from this angle, “But baby, I want to play with you.” He says with a little growl emanating from his throat before walking around the firepit to stand over you. “Can I play with you instead, sweetheart?” 

“Shit,” You gasp softly, arousal evident in your tone as you sit up straight, “Keep talking like that and you can have anything you want, sexy,” You bite your bottom lip while looking directly into his eyes, your neck craned backwards a little from this position. You love it, love when Joel looks down at you like this, and with your offer, you can already guess what he really wants. 

“Anything, babydoll?” He asks just to be sure and when you nod, darting your eyes to his crotch then back to his face, the man smirks. “Kneel,” He jerks his chin outwards with demand, “Kneel and keep your eyes on me, Y/N.” 

You do as the man says eagerly, slipping off the edge of the sofa and dropping to your knees in front of him while maintaining his line of sight exactly like he asked you to. He loosens up his belt just enough to pull down his jeans and let his hardened cock spring free, audibly slapping against his lower stomach that makes his mouth fall open slightly from the sensation. You love looking up at him from this position, love taking him inside of your mouth from this position, it gives you a clear view of his handsome face change with satisfaction. And that’s rewarding in itself. 

Though, a struggle that you always face in performing oral is not knowing where to look sometimes as his face is just as beautiful as his manhood. You want to look into his deep brown eyes, darkened with lust and desire, but you also want to look at his dick and admire the way it looks so utterly desperate for your warm mouth. The tip reddened and angry, leaking with pebbles of his seed, the vein along the underside of his cock was prominent, pulsing with sheer need to release a hot load down your throat. 

Being circumcised, the little slit in the tip of his cock is where you like to give the most attention to. The head of his dick is bulbous and sensitive, so sensitive that sometimes you don’t even have to take him all, just sucking the tip softly can make him fall apart. And his balls. Oh, his balls are your favourite. They’re so full and swollen, drooping slightly with the weight of his cum stored inside. 

You like the size, width and angle of his dick. It’s perfect in every aspect. The length, a comfortable six inches, the width, girthy from the tip to base and the angle of his cock points upwards, thus causing sex to be incredible as he manages to touch your g-spot every time without even trying to. Joel not only keeps a pleasant amount of hair down here, but he keeps it tidy and in control too. 

You like the way his trail of hair begins between his clavicles, leading down and spreading across his chest evenly with a little over his stomach before growing hairier on his abdomen. You like the way it tickles when you take him whole and bury your nose into his mound. Everything about his manhood is sexy, his body is muscular and buff, manly, and his thighs are your leverage. The meaty flesh you hang onto tightly when he sometimes decides to take over and fuck your mouth. You like when he does that. 

And that is the struggle you sometimes face, spending more time admiring him in his nude form than actually touching him. You can’t help but love the way he looks, especially when he just steps out of a warm shower and his skin glistens. You love adoring him with either your eyes, your hands or your mouth. Besides, he knows how much you like to look, and he loves that you do. The look in your eyes always strikes the man with confidence, making him feel irresistibly attractive. 

However, the equivalent of you feeling a pulse in your cunt is his cock twitching with a need to be caressed delicately by your tongue. And that’s exactly what snaps you out of your ogling. You tear your eyes away from his manhood and look up at his face again, your chest filling with warmth and love at his pretty eyes blown wide with carnal desire. You don’t waste any more time than what you already have and lean in to hold the base of him firmly, your sweet doe-like eyes remaining glued to his as you open your mouth immodestly. 

You smile at him when dragging your tongue from the base to tip, tracing along the prominent vein that draws out the softest gasp as his mouth opens with anticipation for more. Which you give, and then some. You take the head of him inside your mouth, swirling your wet tongue around so tenderly, just the way he likes it. The rewarding faces he pulls spurs you on to rotate your wrist while taking him inside halfway. Sucking as you move back and forth, you see the struggle that he goes through every time you get on your knees like this, and it’s to keep looking down at you when all the man wants is to throw his head back in bliss. 

You love it no matter what he does. Seeing him so satisfied is your pleasure and just because you love pleasuring him so much, you remove your hand from his cock and hold onto his thigh instead, burying your nose into the hairs on his mound with an audible gag. You hold yourself there for as long as you can before tearing your head back, leaving a trail of saliva leading from your mouth to his cock as you gasp for air. 

“Drives me crazy when you do that, doll,” He grunts, jaw clenching as he guides himself back inside your mouth. “Lemme hear it again,” He says before surging forward, relishing in the sounds of you choking around him as he hits the back of your throat. “That’s it, atta girl.” He praises before pulling back to set a comfortable pace where you can time your breaths between each thrust. 

Filling your mouth completely with his cock each and every time, all you could do was hum and moan around him as he holds your head with both hands, keeping you exactly where he wants you to be. You look up and see the muscles in his stomach tense, the expression on his face tightening as he fights to keep his eyes open. His eyes that were so lost in ecstasy as he rambled.  “Mouth is so warm, darlin’. So warm and wet, just like your pretty little pussy,” He gasps and groans needily, desperate to release, “gonna take my load like a good girl then I’ll fuck you over to the sofa, yeah?” He asks even though he already knows your answer is yes, but just to be sick and twisted, he yanks your head back to hear you say it. 

“Yes, Joel. Yes baby, yes. Give it to me,” You plead and whine, opening your mouth to take him back inside with a few more thrusts before he spills. Joel bunches your hair up into a ponytail, gripping tightly as he pulls you in and keeps you in place, listening to a mixture of sounds of you gulping and gagging. You take his plentiful load like a champ, ignoring the ache in your jaw and the discomfort of struggling to breathe. The tears sting your eyes as they roll your cheeks before it inevitably becomes too much and you tap out, slapping his thigh twice. 

“Shit,” He chokes out a broken moan, pulling back to look down at your pretty face, your eyes red and blotchy as you try to catch your breath, gasping and heaving. For a moment, the man worried he took it too far, but when you looked up and met eyes, a smile appeared on your lips, one that speaks of mockery and tease for even thinking that you couldn’t handle his rough actions. “Jesus Christ,” He shakes his head at you, as if he were angry or disappointed, but he smiles too, “Playing a dangerous game teasing me like that. Fuck! Want me to play rough, huh?” 

“I told you, Joel.” You laugh sadistically as he holds your jaw firmly, “You can have anything you want if ya keep talking to me like that. And I see what you want, baby. I see it in those eyes…” You moan pathetically, tempting those dominant desires of his. “...Fuck me like you really want to.” 

“Oh, I intend to, darlin’,” He growls with a wild expression, “Right after you choke on my cock one more time.”

-

Perma Taglist (Everything): @marydjarin @kirsteng42 @supernaturalgirl @supernaturalgirl20 @harriedandharassed @joelmillerscoffee @joelsrifle @swtaura @alexxavicry @boliv-jenta @dragonsondragons @practicalghost @janebby @faceache111 @sleepylunarwolf @tusk89 @anismaria @graciexmarvel 

Joel Miller Taglist: @extraneous-trip @readsalot73 @luvmeijii @pale-gingerale @joelsflannel @something-tofightfor @ponyofmilfmom @hb8301 @squidwell @spideysimpossiblegirl @mooraakath @michele131 @chxpsi @zeida @wordsfromshona @dins-cyare @maggiehelene @trickstersp8 @killergodessmm  @kunakizen @scorpio-marionette @churchofrain @munsonownsmyass @oogaboogasphincter 

[gerogerigaogaigar]

At this point I hope that anyone still here is at least enjoying some of my recs. Obviously over the course of these 50 songs I've had a few songs in the back of my head that I really liked, but didn't have anywhere to put them or there was just a better choice for the category. So naturally here's one last playlist of things I just really like and want to share. There's no rhyme or reason here just enjoy!

Break Da Law '95' I could do a thesis on how influential Three 6 Mafia has been on modern hip-hop despite the fact that I never hear anyone mention them. BREAK DA LAW BREAK DA LAW BREAK DA LAW BREAK DA LAW BREAK DA LAW BREAK DA LAW BREAK DA LAW BREAK DA LAW BREAK DA LAW BREAK DA LAW BREAK DA LAW BREAK DA LAW

King Kunta This is Kendrick's biggest hit. It goes really hard.

Really Doe Danny Brown featuring Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, and Earl Sweatshirt. I fucking love everything on Atrocity Exhibition. Top ten album for me.

My Philosophy The death of DJ Scott La Rock was a turning point for the hip-hop scene. My Philosophy perfectly underscores the transition from teen bravado to politically charged anger that can be seen in KRS-One's performance.

Humpty Dance This song is hilarious. You can't stop me from singing along.

911 Is A Joke Remember when Flavor Flav had a reality dating show on MTV? That was weird.

Shadowboxin' Liquid Swords is another top ten album and this is prolly the best track off it. GZA and Method man square off and RZA crafts a beat meant to give Method Man's style a bit more spotlight.

Spiritual Healing The leading act in industrial hip-hop. Dälek are confrontational, abrasive and really good. fans of industrial music might enjoy these guys.

Earth People Dr. Octagon is one of Kool Keith's personas. He is a space alien from Jupiter with green and silver skin a pink afro and exposed glowing brain. Dr. Octagon mostly does medical malpractice for fun. Sometimes my taste in things is the stupider the better.

guns.up I've decided to end on something completely abrasive and unlistenable to the general public. clipping is a harsh noise hip-hop project from the mind of Daveed Diggs. If that name sounds familiar to you then you probably remember him for his hatsune miku binder. Daveed Diggs originated the role of Thomas Jefferson in Hamilton. So my challenge to all the Hamilton fans is this: Try to listen through midcity by clipping. Do it wimps!

That's All Folks! Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

[littleragondin]

2023 Recap - Songs from (QL) Dramas

I've been tagged by @troubled-mind to make a list of my favorites songs from this year's QL dramas (thank you so much 💕) and of course I can't resist. I liked a lot of music from shows this year, which is great but made the selection harder so it will be a little long, I hope you'll forgive me.

OST I've been milking in full

I don't very often go through full OST unless someone does a background music playlist i can put on (Like this one for La Pluie by troubled-mind, and this one for To Sir, With Love for example) but two stood out for me this year.

My School President OST - I knew in advance I would enjoy a musical show, and I have to say I was NOT disappointed. My favorite though is ฟัง by Fourth, Ford, Satang, Winny, and the fantastic Pijika Jittaputta. Have a go at the original too!

Unintentional Love Story OST - This one came late this year for me, but i have been listening to the whole thing again and again. My favorite is Beautiful Day by Cha Seowon. I really enjoy his voice a LOT, and I'm weak for a nice, so soft it's even a little mushy love ballad.

With those two out of the way, let's go through the list country by country I think.

From Thailand 🇹🇭

ลางสังหรณ์ by Teng Tachaya from The Sign

This one is just a banger! It literally rocks, and I keep belting out the chorus every single time i listen to it. I love everything about it, even the spoken words. Also, not music related, but that costume!!

เงา by Lazyloxy from Shadow

I like Lazyloxy's voice a lot, as well as the rhythm/bass line (?) during the verses. There is an edge in that song that fits the show very well, too.

พรุ่งนี้ by Ford Arun from Moonlight Chicken

Ford's voice, do I need to say more? Tbh I got a little teary the first (ten) time(s) I listen to it.This ballad is so very touching, it's gentle and hopeful, I can never tire of it.

Honorable mentions >

รักคุณยิ่งกว่าใคร by NuNew's cover of Got Jakraphan from Cutie Pie 2. I loved this one so much I got myself a video editor so I could post it there. Only honorable because it's a cover, but it got me into luk thung so it deserves to be here.

เพลง รักนี้มากับดวง by Bmine & Near from Lucky My Love. This one is just because it's goddamn cute, sweet and peppy, and it makes me smile and bop my head. Sometimes I don't ask for more.

From Japan 🇯🇵

U&I by Hi-Fi Unicorn from Kimi ni wa todokanai

It's just a perfectly crafted pop song imo. It's cute, fresh and lively, fitting the show perfectly too. Since it came out, you can catch me humming "kimi ni waaa todokanai hmm hmm hmm" all day, every day, so it deserves its place on the list!

Yoruwazura by osage feat Ishino Riko from Kimi to nara koi wo shite mite mo

This one got me the second Ishino Riko started singing. The harmonies between the two are SO good! I really like the guitar in this one, and the little claps in the background. It's also really easy to hum so it stays with me a lot.

Bitter by Royce from Utsukushii Kare season 2

The contrast between the energy of the melody and the nearly bored sound of the voice (the singer sounds like their mouth does not open fully) works reaaally well for me. It's catchy and fun, and well, the lyrics are just so perfectly Hira...

ふたたび Futatabi by HIROBA & Otsuka Ai from Bokura no micro na shuumatsu

I was very surprised when I saw it was a feat with Otsuka Ai (who I only knew for her sugary pop in early 2000). The melancholy of the lyrics and the melody are beautiful, I am a huge fan of the way their voices mesh together, and I can't resist a piano + violins combo like that.

Honorable mention > Go Sign by Billy Laurent from Ameiro Paradox. The little piano, the rhythm, that chorus, it makes me shake my ass every single time.

From Taiwan 🇹🇼

'痛苦擁抱 (Painful Hug) by Ozone from Oh No! Here Comes Trouble

(I won't hear anything about technicality and it being a QL show or not =3) Had not realized it was from a boy group before checking the clip for this list. I like the way the melody rises for the chorus, their voices are pleasant, and it carries both power and some sort of melancholy that reminds me very much of Pu Yiyong.

Honorable mention > Come With Me by K6 from Marry My Dead Body. The whole OST of that movie is great, but I somehow got completely obsessed by this one from the gym scene at the start. It also features Austin Lin (I think as backup on the chorus).

From Korea 🇰🇷

IoU by UTOPI from The New Employee

It's a sweet, simple one that never fails to put me in a good mood, and sometimes that's enough to listen to a song non stop over months =3

Natural by Young K from A Breeze of Love

This one is also sunny, light and joyful. I like the guitars and I am especially fond of Young K's voice - it got me looking into him which I do not regret. A nice little surprise for the end of the year.

Thank you if you made it all the way through it, otherwise...

Tl;dr you can find all songs under this playlist (´꒳`)♡

i'm not sure who would have fun doing this, maybe @iguessitsjustme if you fancy it? Anyone who see this and want to do it, please tag me so I can have a look at your faves! <3

[theliterarywolf]

I'm still baffled about tbh everything abt Wish like ??? for an homage of classic disney/disney renaissance why not go back to the 2d animation! write/perform the good songs! write a story with sincerity and heart! and for a movie that was apparently in production since 2018, it's baffling how it could be so meh (Tangled was pretty good and had about the same production time - 6 years). I think it's definitely due to higher-ups/execs interfering but man. backfired horribly bc now all everyone is going to think of said film is just another typical disney film, take it or leave it

Well, in regards to the 2D animation aspect, we had a confirmed answer as to why (up to this point; remember, to try and preemptively save face before Wish dropped, Disney made the announcement of 'diving back into 2D animation') Disney hasn't touched 2D animation in the past ten-odd years:

They don't have anyone left to teach the new generation traditional animation.

Which, really, is still Disney's fault but, yeah, there's a reason why most recent animation that harkens back to the feel of the Disney Renaissance is done by foreign studios and independent animation teams.

I'm actually reminded of a recent 'gotcha' tweet someone tried making where they found a picture of the animators for Bambi in the studio studying a live deer to get the body-language and structure down. The OP was all 'See? Back in the day, animators actually used to care about their craft! They're all just lazy now!!'

But every rational animator in the industry who saw the tweet pretty much had the same response of 'Do you think that if studios gave us time and resources like this we wouldn't be doing shit like this?'

But, back to Wish: it really does feel like the notion of 'a film to celebrate a studio's centennial legacy' got pushed to the side for the sake of marketing toys of that fucking goat and Luma-knockoff star, as well as making perfectly milquetoast, inoffensive songs that can be spammed on radio and used in TikTok memes.

[saltarellos]

I don’t normally make text posts here but @narwhaled-wheatfield tagged me so here we are

rules: shuffle your likes or your favorite playlist and post the first ten tracks (and say a little something about them if you want)

So here’s that with my spotify likes:

1. Fade to Black - Metallica

- Metallica has always been one of my favorite artists, ever since I was 13 or so. Their first five albums are classics and also excellent reminders of what metal music can be. Many artists seem to think that metal is about playing the fastest or having a louder amp than your competition. But songs like Fade to Black show that the most important ingredient in metal music is, just like in any other genre, the songwriting. Metal songs can be just as complex and compelling as songs of any other genre, and Metallica helped show that.

2. Waltz Across Texas - Ernest Tubb

- A playlist isn’t complete without the tubbster

3. Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 in D Minor - Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by Jean Rondeau

- Jean Rondeau is probably the most interesting modern harpsichordist. He, along with Jakub Jozef Orlinski, helped introduce me properly to baroque music.

4. Motor Spirit - King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

- I know the name is silly, but KGLW has put out the two best metal albums of the last 10 years. They also respect the principle I mentioned above. KGLW’s metal work isn’t the fastest, or the heaviest, but it is crafted with far more care and attention to detail than most modern metal music.

5. Schwanengesang: XII. Ihr Bild - Franz Schubert, performed by Kathleen Sanchez and Johnandrew Slominski

- I’ve never been a huge Schubert fan, but his vocal collections have always been a favorite of mine. And Kathleen Sanchez performs these songs perfectly.

6. Yekteniya V: Svyatyy Vkhod - Batushka

- Haven’t you seen my blog? Of course I listen to black metal.

7. 16 Waltzes: No. 4 in E Minor - Johannes Brahms, performed by Idil Biret

- Brahms’s 16 Waltzes is simply a classic. Nothing else to say.

8. Perihelion - King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

- See 4

9. Ready for Tomorrow - Babe Rainbow

- In another life I lived in a van on the upper west coast and chased those tasty waves brah

10. Sweet Tasting Tennessee - Daniel Donato

- I don’t remember adding this song but it’s here and it’s good so it’s staying.

It’s missing a few of my staple genres but oh well. No ethiopian jazz, sorry nar.

I tag no one.

[twigg96]

Tag Game: Ten True Facts About Me

Rules: Share 10 facts about yourself and tag other blogs! I want to get to know my mutuals, and the people I follow a little bit :) The facts can be about anything!

Tagged by: the lovely @ir0n-moon thank you so much my dear 💕💕

1. I used to be big into cosplay. I used to hand make cosplay costumes, props, and once even attempted to make a wig. I have only ever been to a few conventions but I miss the community I used to share with fellow cosplayers pre-Covid.

2. I had an Anime Amino if anyone remembers that app. This was back during an age before discord. Back during the time I took a break from Tumblr (2015-17? Maybe) I started on Amino to look for community and friendship during a time I felt like I had none. Amino was literally just a mix of Tumblr with random blogs and discord with its chat rooms option. People mostly used it for RPs and other community events. It was a great time honestly kinda sad they killed the site.

3. I love weird ass music. I’m not talking like “oh that new album by famous artist with a weird name” no! I’m talking music that will make normal people run screaming into the next room. Give me remixed pirate/Viking songs all day long. You don’t even have to remix them. I’ll take them as is if you’re feeling spicy. Heavy metal versions of songs that have no right being metal (Disney songs, pop songs, country). 🤤. Those artists are doing gods work. Random 80’s songs. The sluttiest dirtiest music you can think of. Jazz. All of it man I love all of it as long as it’s weird.

4. My very first fan fiction was written on fan fiction.net. I used to have two accounts it was because I forgot my password for the first one but then I used the second account more than the first so it all worked out. I kinda want to archive the stuff from those accounts onto AO3 even though I’m not in those fandoms anymore. Just so I have the content.

5. My first ever crushes were on Shego and Kim Possible from said show. I didn’t know how to verbalize this as a kid so I told everyone I loved Justin Timberlake from *NSYNC.

6. I’ve been thinking about publishing a few books. I have some ideas for a few novels, series, and kids books. I just don’t know where to start or even if they’re worth while.

7. I have two dogs and two cats! My puppies names are Maizy and Chihiro. They are both Labs and are just the cutest angel babies! My cats are Eevee and Oreo. Eevee is chunk rescue baby. Oreo is our prissy princess who needs to be held at all times.

8. I have never once reset one of my animal crossing villages. I’ve had three on three different games. Game Cube, DS, and Switch. I always do my best to name the village perfectly , I would do anything in my power to have the perfect neighborhood/ villagers, I would even piss off Mr. resetti back when he was a thing just to get a second chance to try an interaction again.

9. I’m thinking about starting to stream on Twitch. Nothing too serious. Just something fun that I can try to do!

10. I am a huge collector. I collect many things lol old books, (first editions, cool instructional books, books published earlier than 1955, All the Stephen King novels), ART! I love art. All of it. Prints from artists I buy from. Hand made pieces I randomly find at art fairs and craft shows, paintings, those mystery boxes that hold figurines in them I fucking love them so god damned much.

I think I’ll tag @nsfwitchy, @normanblowup, @morbid-pigeon, @el-michoacano, @gointothevvater, @gogomeaty,

[pinkrabbitsbythenational]

what’s your top five albums and favorite songs from each (only if you wanna add those)??

omg this is such a hard question 😭😭😭 it changes on the daily i feel but here are albums that have rlly stuck with me over the years:

yeezus by kanye west - favourite song: black skinhead (i just wanna say here that i completely disavow kanye and make a conscious effort not to listen to his music anymore but this was my favourite album for like ten years so it feels disingenuous not to include it)

melodrama by lorde - favourite song is SO hard but i think it could be supercut or the louvre ? anyway lorde did so much for the mentally ill girlies with this album and i owe her big time for it

blonde by frank ocean - my favourite song is and probably will forever be nikes which is maybe a controversial choice but i loveee the autotune intro and the switch to frank’s real voice when it gets more personal. also the outro 🥺🥺🥺

crushing by julia jacklin - AHHHHHHHH. every lyric in this album is perfectly crafted. favourite song is body.

vampire weekend by vampire weekend - just slaps innit. favourite song is cape cod kwassa kwassa

honorary mentions: trouble will find me (the national), red (taylor swift), EMOTION (carly rae jepsen) , the overload (yard act), renaissance (beyonce)

[liu-yu-xin]

I still dont really like the screeching on the “youth” if they even turned it down a LITTLE i could get used to it its still way too much for me rn ill probably stockholm syndrome myself into it at some point but that said. The last 30 ish seconds of the song starting with kuns bridge is fucking gorgeous and delicious even on first listen. And i kind of understand why this is the tt bc poppin love doesn’t have a powerful theatrical grand finish like this. like just so well crafted and perfectly pieced tgt they even worked the “youth” screech into it in a way that sounds so much more harmonious with the song. This song is also held tgt by the vocal line like tens rap in the second verse and kuns bridge and xiaojuns voice setting the tone at the beginning and his Beautiful high note at the end. Everybody say thank u xiaokunten.

[thebandcampdiaries]

Neveragain introducing a brand new album: "Despite Everything."

Neveragain is an Emo/Punk quartet based in New Jersey.

The line-up includes Joe Drew, Nick Rossano, Zach Rossano, and Max Martino, who managed to find their chemistry and create a powerful sound with a very kaleidoscopic twist and a huge range of styles on tap. From the bittersweet melodic sheen of early 2000s emo to the upbeat energy of modern pop-punk, anything goes. The group's most recent release," Despite Everything" feels like a perfect opportunity to push the boundaries of the band's vision and sound.

The album was written in a dark place, with the aim of capturing Joe Drew's mental state at the time. Each song essentially serves as a love letter to the impact his mental illness has had on his life over time.

The album features ten songs, each exploring a different direction while retaining a very personal sound. The opener, "Catching Fire," begins with some reversed parts to build a layered ambiance and texture. Soon after, the whole band goes off, unleashing a powerful rhythm and going for a smooth, dynamic sound that immediately sets the bar higher. The following track, "Red," is another distinctive piece of music and one of the highlights of the album. The call and response between the guitar parts in the intro leads to a huge sound, with massive drums and harmonized vocals soaring over a thick wall of electric guitars. "Rewritten" enables the band to dive deeper into their most atmospheric side, going for a deeper tone that combines hard-hitting punk influences with a darker tone, at times reminiscent of artists such as Armor For Sleep or Taking Back Sunday. "Dead and Gone" dives further into modern Pop-Punk aesthetics but with a more aggressive sound, especially in terms of vocals and guitars pushing the envelope. Fans of Sum-41 will instantly connect with this track! The song "Interstates" is one of the most melodic songs on the album, and the arrangement is immediately easy to relate to. The drums, in particular, build some great dynamics, with a slightly more laid-back vibe in the verses to allow the choruses to really go wild. "Painted Wings" is fast-paced and colorful, bringing the energy levels to a whole new level. The melodic guitar leads are catchy and well-executed, perfectly complementing the hooky vocal parts. "Despite Everything, It's Still You" is another great example of how good the band is at building immersive textures. The introductory segment features spoken word accompanied by suspended guitar chords, creating a captivating overlap that sets a powerful tone for the song. The mesmerizing blend of the spoken word and guitar chords gradually builds up to an exhilarating drum crescendo, signaling the imminent launch into the full-bodied performance of the song.

"Sapphire" is a more mellow song with exciting parts and a floaty, dream-like arrangement that offers another outlook on the diverse range of sounds the band has to offer. This track is quite reflective and finely crafted, demonstrating that this group is just as comfortable performing heavier material as they are with more introspective moments.

The next track, "Attention: Deficit," begins with a drum intro that feels powerful and thundering, a perfect beginning to one of the album's most poignant and diverse songs. The song's chorus is fantastic, featuring a gritty guitar part that is just as memorable as the chorus itself. Said riffs exhibit an intriguingly spacious and captivating quality, while the vocal harmonies delicately and flawlessly adorn each lyrical line.

Last but not least, the closing track, "No Sleep For The Dead," feels like a perfect final salvo, enabling the band to end with a very energetic outburst.

Ultimately, what makes "Despite Everything" special is definitely the fact that it showcases the band's diverse stylistic references, as well as signaling their ability to blur the lines between various influences. This release ventures far beyond the boundaries of typical pop-punk and emo music, and could be aptly characterized as a skillfully created alternative rock album. It offers a wide range of influences that significantly contribute to its overall effect. The band's music showcases a clear ambition to push past its initial style and consistently venture into uncharted musical territory. The album puts a strong emphasis on powerful, impactful moments while also revealing a band that is in a state of growth and creative exploration.

Their music is a truly compelling combination of raw punk influences and unfiltered emotions, especially coming through in the song lyrics. This is a great way for the band to create a very tight bond with listeners who crave authentic expression and a bold, uncompromising approach when looking for new music to welcome into their lives.

"Despite Everything" is indeed highly recommended if you are a fan of artists such as The Wonder Years, The Story So Far, Dead Rituals, Youth Fountain, or Mayday Parade, among others. Don't forget to check out "Despite Everything" on all major digital music streaming platforms. This new release is definitely worth a listen, so make sure not to miss out on it!

[jasonp01]

Kids Being Kids

There’s a certain power to kids being kids. Especially when together and when fully involved with some kind of real world activity, when actually doing something physical with other kids. You might just call that “play,” but it can be more than that. Today at camp was rife with that power. It was our first full day of camp activities and we saw it everywhere.

After a yummy breakfast of Rick’s homemade oatmeal, fresh cut fruit, granola, yogurts and cereal, everyone at camp fanned out all over to get started with the whole range of camp activities. Each camper had chosen their activity schedule the night before, and now it was time to begin with the first of the four today.

All ten of the craft activities sprang to life. Girls were soon weaving colorful yarns on looms in Curiosity with Lucy. They were pinching and rolling clay in one of the 2 pottery studios. They were learning to tie special knots to make their first friendship bracelet. They were twisting t-shirts and dripping dye on them, sticking scraps of paper to “memory boxes,” weaving wet reeds to make baskets, sewing pillows, dipping brushes into watercolor paints, and carefully measuring thin planks of wood before making their first cuts in wood working. Many art projects had begun!

Sports too! The campers shot rifles and bows with .22 caliber bullets and arrows hitting their paper targets. They balanced on the beam after stretching in the gymnastics area of the gym. The tennis courts saw various tennis drills and short games. The gaga ball pit also was stirred up by game after game, with girls jumping and swatting as the ball bounced in their direction. For something more relaxed, there were yoga classes being held in the hillside lodge. Of course the lake, which (after to the dining hall!) is probably the most popular place in camp, was humming with fun as the girls zipped down the water slide, invented silly poses while jumping off the diving board, and just played around on different floating toys. As the weather was perfectly warm and sunny throughout the day, the lake was a great place to be.

The first riding lessons also took place today, with the campers who wanted to ride meeting new horses. There were riders in every ring walking, trotting and cantering their way around. The outdoor adventure staff offered climbing on the Alpine tower, trips through the zip line course here at camp, a hiking trip to High Falls in the Dupont State Forest, and chances to begin learning the basics of whitewater kayaking down at the lake.

Dinner was a hotdog picnic on the hill— dogs (and veggie dogs), buns and regular “fixing,” homemade coleslaw, salad and potato chips. We also had freshly baked cookie bars for dessert. With ideal, almost cool, evening weather, we all enjoyed a breezy feeling dinner that was just the right balance of hanging out and silliness.

Tonight’s evening program was an all-camp campfire we call “Jug Band.” This is a silly program of traditional Appalachian songs and stories that the counselors, Hi-Ups and other directors present. Sarah dresses up like an old woman and brings her fiddle to play. Tonight a guitar and ukulele joined in to play “She’ll be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain,” “Mountain Dew,” and “Little Cabin in the Woods,” which were clear favorites with the campers. This was classic camp fun, and an excellent way to end the day.

It was wonderful to feel the energy of kids being kids at camp. Everyone seemed happy and excited, and nicely settled in. These camper are already feeling comfortable and enjoying camp life. My hunch is that it’ll soon be even better!

[thisaintascenereviews]

Being As An Ocean - Death Can Wait

If you can look at yourself from a decade and cringe, that’s called growth. That’s what people say, anyway, but I think it’s true. I look back at myself from ten years ago and I immediately cringe, not just from how I looked and acted, but some of the music I liked hasn’t particularly aged well. I was very into bands like La Dispute, Hotel Books, Touché Amore, and all of those bands in that “spoken-word post-hardcore scene.” It was a very niche scene, and at the time, I really loved it. I won’t deny that I loved it, or even that it’s truly bad or makes me cringe, but I only cringe looking back because I thought those bands were extremely thought provoking and mind blowing, but it was a lot of saying big words in a very melodramatic way. Not that it doesn’t have its place, but now that I’m 30, I like music that’s fun, catchy, and may have something more interesting to say or do, but being “experimental” just doesn’t cut it for me now. One band that I used to love during this time was Being As An Ocean, and their first few albums. They were one of the bigger bands in that style, but they also kind of faded away. I haven’t listened to since them since 2015, when they released a self-titled album that I didn’t like much, but they’ve been periodically active, I just have gone away from that kind of music. It’s just not music I listen to, or care that much about, anymore, but I decided to check out their new album, and their first in five years, Death Can Wait.

I didn’t know what to expect with this album, because I haven’t listened to them in so long, but I was mildly optimistic. For all I knew, they could have really changed their sound, and they’d drop a really solid album that ultimately surprised me. I’ve listened to this album a few times, and I have some mixed feelings about it. On one hand, this album is better than I thought it was going to be, and there are a couple of things I really like about it, but on the flip side, this album feels like it was supposed to be released in 2014. This is a great example of an album that I’d love if I was 20, because it embodies that spoken-word post-hardcore sound perfectly, but I don’t say that to sound like this album is bad or it’s childish, because it isn’t. If you still enjoy this sound, although I haven’t seen or heard much from it over the last decade, this is a cool album, but this album also sounds very dated. That can either be a good or a bad thing, depending on who you are, but for me, I’m ambivalent on it. I don’t really like this sound too much, but I don’t hate it, either. I just don’t listen to it at all anymore, but if it’s done well, I can appreciate it. I would say this album is good, at least on a technical level, so that’s what conflicts me about it, since I don’t really like care for it otherwise. I can still recognize the song craft, even if it doesn’t do much for me.

I did mention that I enjoy a couple things here, and those are namely a couple of “new” elements I noticed, especially where I haven’t listened to them in years, so maybe they’ve been doing this for years and I didn’t know, but they added clean vocals and more melodic hooks. I gotta give them credit here, because the hooks and clean vocals are really good. It just sucks because the harsh vocals aren’t that interesting, at least in the sense that they just have no range or variety. Their harsh vocalist just has the same raspy scream throughout every track, and they can’t seem to go a song without them. Towards the end of the album, there’s an electronic / pop-ish track that sounds like it’ll be a more melodic song, but then the screams show up and sort of ruins it. I will say that there are a few breakdowns that show up that are really good, but they’re few and far between. It’s kind of the harsh vocals that kill it, as well as the random spoken-word stuff that doesn’t really amount to anything, and it tries to feel more dramatic and important than it really is, but I can’t fault the band for doing what they do well.

At the end of the day, Being As An Ocean is a band that I don’t have anything against, but their brand of post-hardcore just doesn’t work for me anymore. Their clean vocals are really good, and the hooks on this album are done well, but the harsh vocals and the spoken-word vocals sort of kill it for me. It’s not even that it’s bad, per se, but it just doesn’t engage with me in the way that it used to. If anything, it feels like the band is doing the same thing they did a decade ago, and clean vocals and melodic hooks are a step up, but they don’t go far enough with it. I think this is an album I respect more than I like, as I respect what they’re doing and that they’re still doing it, but I don’t care for it. I’d say it’s an album that I’m glad I listened to, if only just to say I checked up on these guys after a decade of not listening to them or keeping up with them. I will say that if you enjoy this type of post-hardcore, you’ll definitely enjoy this, and you’ll get something out of it. I feel like I would have loved this a decade ago, but now I’m just indifferent to it, and not even because it sucks, but because this type of music doesn’t work for me these days. It’s done well, especially for what it is, but I won’t be going back to this any time soon.

[musicarenagh]

Tally Koren's "We Are Builders of A Different World": A Melodic Beacon of Hope In a world often shadowed by stories of discord and calamity, Tally Koren's "We Are Builders of A Different World" emerges as a beacon of melodic hope, an anthem for the enduring spirit. Infused with gravitas through its poignant inception inspired by Rabbi Benji Stanley's sermon amidst the early tremors of war in Ukraine, this single transcends music; it becomes a testament to human resilience. https://open.spotify.com/album/0ov8qoU7G9Yafu65zTOfG5?si=I9SZoHRZSlOlWp6BCxp54g Tally Koren turns wisdom into verse against the backdrop of a haunting melody that carries whispers from distant lands—Israel, Palestine, Ukraine—where celebrations are mingled with sirens. The track reverberates with both the solidarity found within grief and gusto breathed into prayerful notes. Each chord seems meticulously crafted—not just arranged but built like bricks in a sanctuary for peace. Listeners sail on flowing verses towards an unavoidable confrontation with humanity’s shared pains and aspirations. There is no denying Koren's place in this conversation: she stands not just as an artist but also as an ambassador *par excellence* for reconciliation—a role shaped over ten years' dedication to Middle Eastern peace efforts. “There is not a quick fix for a brutal war, but now more than ever, where there is division, there must be a vision for reconciliation for the new generations. We must have the courage, to work together, choosing to build bridges and educate from a young age to eliminate hate. My dream is to open an Orphanage for Palestinian and Israeli children". - Tally Koren In her lyrics lies distilled sincerity—"We pray today to end this painful dissonance."—a powerful plea paired perfectly with instrumentation that blooms from somber reflection into heartening optimism. It reflects not only current affairs’ volatility but also resounds with echoes from protests songs past — think Dylan-esque times reimagined through contemporary strife. [caption id="attachment_53756" align="alignnone" width="1350"] Tally Koren's "We Are Builders of A Different World": A Melodic Beacon of Hope[/caption] "We Are Builders Of A Different World" isn’t just heard; it’s felt—an emotional journey where global tribulation meets individual reflection. It doesn’t simply capture emotions—it cradles them gently, offering solace and inspiring change. Tally Koren is indeed peace personified; her music does what sermons aim for—it quietly transforms listeners into believers...believers who hold hammers made of hope ready to build alongside her chords that construct bridges across chasms torn by conflict. And so we listen again—because in every note thrums potential wrought from desperation—and find ourselves harmonizing tentatively at first before robustly joining this orchestral rallying cry for unity resonating far beyond studio walls or critic’s pages to touch steeled hearts waiting… building alight anew. Follow Tally Koren on Website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

[gerogerigaogaigar]

Funkadelic - Maggot Brain

For the early days of Funkadelic's career the funk definitely took a backseat to the psychedelic. And while there are funky elements throughout Maggot Brain the real star is guitarist Eddie Hazel. I think Eddie Hazel is one of the best guitarists ever, his work in Funkadelic and his solo career is a blend of psychedelic, blues, hard rock, funk, and jazz and no one blends them all the way Hazel does. On the middle of the album Hazel plays fuzzy heavy riffs especially on You And Your Folks, Me And My Folks and Super Stupid. And on the ten minute opening and closing tracks he shows off his improv skill by playing delicate strings of jazzy riffs that create a beautiful stream of consciousness style solo. Obviously every single ayer on this album is a master at what they do but if its early Funkadelic, especially Maggot Brain and Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On, then Eddie Hazel is your god.

U2 - The Joshua Tree

This is an enjoyable album. The 135th best album ever? Oh my god no. U2 are factory default music. They are plain, unsalted potato chips. Bono is incredible at reaching into the void and pulling out the platonic ideal of banality. Like these guys can write decent music, but there is no soul. Inside those jangly chords and melodramatic vocals is just a bunch of guys who want to be famous and will do anything to get there except be sincere.

Fugees - The Score

In terms of rhyming, flow, storytelling capabilities, expansive vocabulary, beat crafting, and whatever else you want out of a hip hop record The Score is possibly the greatest record of all time. Wyclef Jean in charge of production and bringing a casual style of rap with heavy use of Haitian creole, Miss Lauryn Hill with a tough stacatto style while also bringing beautiful singing, and furtive Pras so easily forgotten. The mix of reggae and jazz into the hip hip beats made for some very unique flow and makes the group stand out on the basis of their instrumentals alone. But the rap skills of the rest of the group are completely insane and all three are ao perfectly in sync with each other. The lyrics are effortlessly cool and intelligent as fuck at the same time. There are absolutely no throw away tracks on here. Every single song could and should have been a smash hit single. And to be fair Ready Or Not and Fu-Gee-La did become huge hits and the transcendent cover of Roberta Flack's Killing Me Softly is one of the most evergreen songs in hip hop history. The Score has stood the test of time and become one of the most belived albums for a reason.

Joni Mitchell - Hejira

At this point in her career Joni Mitchell was an unparalleled genius at artistic expression. A little folksy and very jazzy, especially with the help of fretless bassist Jaco Pastorius, Mitchell is in the zone here. Every song developing its own complex series of characters and symbols. This is Joni Mitchell's most complete and cohesive work, although i personally have a slight preference for the less focused Hissing Of Summer Lawns.

Hank Williams - 40 Greatest Hits

What am i even supposed to say at this point? Sure I like Hank Williams but if you cant actually point to an album that is significant to call one of the 500 greatest then just choose aomething else. Hey there have only been three or four metal albums total and one electronic album so far. Why not choose some of that? Iron Maiden, Diamond Head, Judas Priest, Converge, Rainbow, Entombed, Gojira, Sepultura, Devin Townsend, Voivod, Opeth, Between The Buried And Me? Theres a list of metal bands with top 500 tier albums. Andy Stott, Carl Craigg, 808 State, The KLF, Jeff Mills, Juan Atkins, Robert Hood, The Orb, Justice, Moodyman, The Field, Leftfield, Mr. Oizo. There I gave you some electronic artists too. This list sucks. Oh yeah and Hank Williams is like the father of country music and is really good and important or whatever.