#the specials ghost town lyrics

[ausetkmt]

and if you want to sing along -

"Ghost Town"

This town, is coming like a ghost town All the clubs have been closed down This place, is coming like a ghost town Bands won't play no more Too much fighting on the dance floor Do you remember the good old days before the ghost town? We danced and sang, and the music played in a de boomtown This town, is coming like a ghost town Why must the youth fight against themselves? Government leaving the youth on the shelf This place, is coming like a ghost town No job to be found in this country Can't go on no more The people getting angry This town, is coming like a ghost town This town, is coming like a ghost town This town, is coming like a ghost town This town, is coming like a ghost town This town, is coming like a ghost town This town, is coming like a ghost town This town, is coming like a ghost town This town, is coming like a ghost town

Riots have broken out around Britain.

Charles and Diana are about to marry.

And backstage at Top of The Pops, The Specials are falling apart.

In a few minutes they will perform their latest hit Ghost Town, which over the years, would come to be regarded as one of the greatest British singles of all time. It was a track which bottled the discord, racial tensions and societal breakdown happening in the UK that summer.

There had already been riots in Brixton that April, over the increased use of a new stop-and-search policy, the so-called sus law, which was named Operation Swamp. Police were said to have mounted a campaign of harassment against the black community in south London.

Brixton was the centre of clashes between members of the public and the police

Terry Hall is telling the band that he too has had enough. Worn down by touring, band infighting and struggling to deal with success, he wants out. It is too difficult to be singing about disharmony, while surrounded by it, both inside and outside The Specials.

"We knew it was going to end as we were recording it (Ghost Town)," Terry Hall told Front Row in 2019.

"It was bizarre. It took about eight months to record. I don't think there were more than two of us in the studio at any point. Those weren't good signs really. It finished up with me in a living room in Tottenham singing Ghost Town. It was all over the place. But it was a great way to bow out."

The song was written by the band's founding member Jerry Dammers, but it is also the track with which lead singer Terry Hall is most closely identified. Every TV and radio report about his death has centred on Ghost Town.

The single was simply one of the most timely releases in music history.

Terry Hall performing in Amsterdam earlier this year

"Talk about zeitgeist. That one song suddenly captured so much," remembered Specials fan and Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chada in the 2021 BBC Documentary 2 Tone: The Sound of Coventry.

"If there is one song Margaret Thatcher wishes never got released, it's probably Ghost Town," she added.

On 7 July 1981, Radio One announced that Ghost Town had replaced Michael Jackson's One Day In Your Life at the top of the charts.

That same day, newspaper front pages were full of reports about the first ever use of CS gas grenades by the police on mainland Britain, as they struggled to contain the Toxteth Riots. These were sparked by tensions between police and the local community in Liverpool.

By the end of the week more than 20 towns and cities including London, Nottingham, Wolverhampton, Leeds and Luton had riots of their own. The Specials were providing the soundtrack.

Amy Winehouse and Terry Hall both attended the Q Awards in 2009

In 2 Tone: The Sound of Coventry, Dammers explained how the creation of the song started with him sitting at his home organ, trying different diminished chords and working out how wailing could substitute a chorus.

"I think I wrote the music first. I was working on that for ages. The lyrics I wrote on tour just seeing what was going down around the country. It was about the recession and three million people on the dole. It's about the police harassment and unemployment. It was like a perfect storm really."

For years there has been debate over whether or not Ghost Town is specifically about their hometown of Coventry. The decline of the car industry had turned a thriving post-war economy into a concrete jungle.

Shakin' Stevens' Green Door shot up the UK singles chart

Neville Staple from The Specials has stated he believes the song should be taken more generally: "In Coventry and all over England it painted the same picture. This town is coming like a ghost town."

Terry Hall's own understanding of Ghost Town changed over the last 40 years. In 1981, when speaking to the New York Times, he insisted: "We were talking about riots in Bristol and Brixton. The fact that it became popular when it did was just a weird coincidence."

But speaking on BBC Radio Five Live in 2019, he told Nihal Arthanayake: "We made a record about how we saw the north of Britain. People think it was about Coventry. It wasn't. It was about Glasgow and Liverpool and Newcastle. It was about the north."

Ghost Town has certainly had an after-life.

When Amy Winehouse joined The Specials on stage at the V Festival in 2009, it was Ghost Town that she wanted to sing.

In Father Ted, when the priests organised a disco and the DJ, Father "Spin Master" O'Dwyer only has one record that everyone has to dance to all night, the 7 inch on repeat is Ghost Town.

West End Girls

On Desert Island Discs, it's a recent favourite, having been picked four times in the last three years: by the charity worker Claire Horton, the Director of Tate Maria Balshaw, the foreign affairs specialist Fiona Hill and the actor Rupert Everett, who called it "one of the great songs of the era".

And in 2020, The Guardian named it the second best number one single in the UK of all time, behind West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys, a song released four year later and not entirely dissimilar with the sense of urban decay which it creates.

Ghost Town is now considered to be an all-time classic, but its reign over the summer of 1981 came to an ignominious end. The day before 28 million people watched the wedding of the future King to Lady Diana Spencer, The Specials were dethroned.

The lunchtime unveiling of the charts revealed that rising 22 places to number one was none other than Shakin' Stevens with Green Door.

The band's era as chart-dominating stars had well and truly been slammed shut by Shaky. Within months, Hall had formed Fun Boy Three and The Specials in their original incarnation were over.

More than 40 years on Ghost Town stands as their defining work - the perfect coming together of pop and politics at exactly the right moment in history. It was that rarest of things, a song dealing with subjects found in The Economist while the band were on the cover of Smash Hits. Special indeed.

[djarincore]

a sacrifice in your name

SUMMARY: A paladin's oath means everything to them—but not to Simon, not when it comes to you.

ALTERNATIVELY: Simon sacrifices his oath to save you.

TAGS: oathbreaker!ghost, f!reader, DND!au, smut, angst, hurt/comfort, nondiscript violence, implied minor character death(s), Simon can lift reader, special villain guest appearance by Graves, body worship, cock warming, WC: 3.2k

A/N: a little what if scenario for vengeance paladin!Simon, who will always choose you over everyone else no matter the cost. and yes, the title is another sleep token lyric...

thank you to @/saradika-graphics for the dividers!

You wake to dim woods, a full moon overhead, and arms firmly encircled around your waist. The world bounces and sways in your bleary vision with a persistent ache pounding through your head.

Memories of the past few hours are a rapid flash of reds and oranges, sounds of crackling, splintering wood, and terrified screams echoing through the night. The bone-chilling fear of death seems to still freeze your sore muscles.

Now, as you slowly regain your senses, you realize you're riding atop a horse somewhere deep in unfamiliar woods in nothing but your night gown. The figure, whose arms encircle your body, grips the reins in front of you. Their own weight almost sags against yours. A helmet rests against your shoulder.

Icy fear crawls back through your body. You wish you can remember or get a clue as to where you were, but it is too dark and the horse is no longer on a path. The best you can do is escape, run, somewhere far from this stranger.

You jerk forward and claw at their arms, but you're blocked by leather vambraces. The stranger pull you closer to their chest, trapping your arms against your body.

“Let me go,” you plead. The stranger scrambles to restrain you and reign in the horse, who has become spooked by your cries. “Please!”

“Shh, you're safe,” a familiar voice soothes. It's grated, rough. Simon. “It's alright.”

Your body sags into his, but your heart still pounds. Your thoughts are mush in your head as you try to piece them together.

“What happened?”

The last thing you can recall is smoke and flames, raiders breaking down your door, and the blunt end of a sword bashing your temple.

Your query is followed by thick silence. A dark cloud of confusion hangs over you and Simon doesn't seem to want to offer any guidance.

“Simon?” You attempt to turn, but he holds you tighter, almost forcing the air from your lungs. And then, you realize he's trembling.

Simon, who was the pillar of strength, never trembled, never showed an ounce of fear. You grew worried.

“Don't,” he says quietly. “Just rest. We’ll be at an inn soon.”

A pit sinks in your stomach. An inn, but not your inn. If your fragmented memory serves you correctly, your inn is ash. The home and business your family-owned for generations was gone in a single night.

All the fight and adrenaline drains out of your body, leaving you weak and exhausted. You shut your eyes and lean against Simon, allowing tears to fall freely in the dark.

The neighboring town’s inn is small, cold, decorated with the heads of different animals and sharp weapons mounted on the walls. You hate it. There is no fireplace, no warmth, or life—nothing like your inn, your home.

You stare into the glassy eyes of a deer hanging above the owner. Your blank expression stares back in the reflection.

The owner is a bony, severe-looking man whose slimy gaze clings to you alone. Even as you cower behind Simon the man’s hunger makes you shudder.

You stare into the glassy eyes of a deer hanging above the owner instead. Your blank expression stares back in the reflection.

“A bath for her.” Simon tosses an extra silver piece onto the counter.

You're covered in soot with a trail of dried blood running down your temple and a small cut on your neck.

The owner perks up. “Do you require any assistance washing?”

You can't help but cringe at his words and wrap your arms around yourself.

Simon’s hand darts over the counter to grab the man by the scruff of his neck and slam his face onto the counter.

“Shut the fuck up,” he barks, “and get it ready. Or I'll spill your fucking guts on the floor and you can wash that up instead.”

The man whimpers and you can't find it in you to feel bad for him. But you do worry. Simon always makes a point to keep his violence away from you.

His fury wasn't a sight you saw often. You only know the beginnings and ends of it. The deep breaths as he tried to control himself and keep his temper in check or the bloodied knuckles and split lips.

“Yes, yes, right away,” the man stammers.

Simon doesn't let up. You see the fingers of his pointed gauntlets curl tighter, forcing a choked gasp from the man.

“Mercy,” the man pleads, voice wavering on the edge of tears.

Finally, Simon flings the man back and he stumbles to catch himself from hitting the wall. Scampering off, the man disappears around the corner.

Simon heaves a sigh, bordering on frustration and exhaustion. His shoulders are tense and when you reach a hand out to touch his arm, he doesn't look at you. He hasn't since you woke up on his horse. His helmet being on didn't help either.

You desperately want to know what he is thinking. Simon was never a talker, but his eyes were always more expressive than his words.

His arm wraps around you, bringing you into his chest. Your cheek rests against his chest plate. The metal is cool against your skin. Your arms wrap around his waist in turn.

You want to ask him so many questions, but now isn't the time. You want to think he’ll explain everything soon, but his tension doesn't reassure you.

He holds you in silence until the owner returns.

The man's gaze doesn't fall anywhere near you this time. The bloodshot, green eyes stay firmly on Simon as he stumbles over his words and let's you know the bath is ready.

Simon takes your hand and leads you around the corner. The narrow hallway has a wooden staircase built into the left and leads further down to an open door. You can see the tub inside, a towel draped over a wooden chair beside it.

The washroom is a simple room with a basin and a chair. There's a standing mirror tucked in the corner you use to look at the grime covering your body. Your face is gaunt, a shell of yourself. Your fingers ghost over the frown you fear will become permanent.

Simon shuts the door and moves behind you like a pillar, poised to support your unsteady legs. “Off,” he commands with a low voice, brushing the strap of your nightgown off your shoulder.

Your clothes slip off easily and Simon guides you into the tub. The water is lukewarm at best and you curl your knees to your chest to conserve heat.

“Will you tell me what happened now?” Your question is quiet.

He runs a cloth over your shoulders.

“Raiders,” he all but spits.

“What of everyone else?”

“Gone.”

Your brows furrow. You just couldn't believe you were the only one to make it out. Your heart breaks for all the people who were lost.

“And the raiders?”

No doubt Simon made short work of those bastards. He always did.

Simon wrings the towel out and extends his hand. “Come on. Out before you get cold.”

You're redressed in your nightgown but not satisfied.

He leads the two of you up to your room for the night. There's a wooden bed tucked in the corner and a dresser beside it with an oil lamp. You grimace at the sheets which are covered in a layer of dust. You pull them off the bed and toss them to the floor.

Simon begins the quiet routine of shedding his armor at the door. It almost feels like you're back home. His helmet comes off first and rests on the dresser.

Finally, you can see the tight furrowed brows, the downcast eyes, and tense jaw he wears. There is a quiet conflict raging behind his tired eyes. He looks exhausted and beaten to the core. He leans his sword against the wall, places his gauntlets on the dresser, chest plate and greaves beside it.

You watch as each piece comes off, searching for signs of injury. He never returns to you without scars or bruises for you to fuss over. But piece by piece, his clothes are free of blood and his body doesn't tense from sudden movements.

No sign of injuries should be reassuring, but it only adds more questions.

“Are you okay?” Your hands run down his chest to rest on his abdomen.

He's quiet for a moment, tense beneath your hand, before he mutters a curt, “Fine.”

Simon takes your hands and guides you back onto the bed. He leans over you, forcing your neck to crane back. A hand cradles your cheek, caressing your cheekbone with his thumb, as his lips lower to ghost over yours.

You want to ask him more questions—ones he won't answer, he can't answer—but he stops you short.

Simon captures your lips in a desperate kiss. He kisses you with a hunger that he needs satiated. His hands cup either side of your face, always gentle.

When he pulls away there's something missing from his gaze, replaced with a despair that stretches beyond you.

“Simon…”

“Not tonight,” he whispers.

He never liked to talk about his missions, the evils he faced all in the name of upholding his oath. And you never forced him to, simply doing your best to provide him comfort in other ways. You gave him a home to return to, open arms to fall into, and loved him completely. But, the hollow look on his face warns you of something terrible, something that can't be healed.

He brings himself to his knees, head hung in quiet repentance. His lips press against your knee. Then his hands snake up, pushing your nightgown past your thighs.

You grab his hands before he can reveal anymore, but he is insistent.

He looks up between your thighs like you alone can offer him salvation for whatever sin is consuming him whole.

“I need you,” he pleads. “Let me have you.”

Simon doesn't wait for your response before he’s rising once again to push you against the bed. When his lips meet yours, it's fierce and demanding. His body cages you and you're helpless to refuse as he knees your legs open.

Simon’s rough hands explore the soft curve of your body. Your hands caresses the slender curve of his neck and into the silk strands of his hair while his thumb traces random patterns on your stomach before dipping below the waist of your panties. His fingers skim lower and lower, and you squirm when the dull ache between your thighs grows stronger.

The pads of his finger meet your sensitive clit for the first time and rub slowly. Your body seizes around him, thighs clamping around his, and your arms wrap around his neck to ground yourself around the sensation.

The way he gazes upon you so reverently, like a goddess worthy of his devotion, nearly makes tears spill down your cheeks. You let out a gasp as the pleasure in your stomach grows stronger.

Your hips move against his hand, demanding more. When his hand moves away to tug at your gown, you pout.

“Off,” he commands.

Nothing needs to be said twice, not with Simon. You pull your dress off, freeing yourself to the darkness and his roaming eyes. Your nipples are pert against the cold air. His calloused hands glide over your waist, mapping every inch and curve of your body to commit you to memory.

“My beautiful girl,” he whispers in awe. His hand cups your breast as he lays kisses across your chest. Between each kiss he says, “You’re mine.”

You feel yourself blossom beneath his reverent touch and words. You lift your hips to let him pull your underwear off. His hands slide up your calves, over your thighs, and eventually one settles over your mound. You arch into his touch. A sigh leaves your lips as he runs his finger through your slick folds.

Two fingers are thrust into you without warning. Your breath is caught in your chest as you clench around him. His fingers work inside of you, pulling sweet moans from your lips, until you come undone.

Simon lifts your limp body against him as he settles on the bed with his back against the wall. You lay against his chest, face buried in his neck, as a wave of exhaustion hits you. The traumatic night is finally catching up with you.

As you come down from your orgasm and your eyes grow heavy, he pulls his cock free and positions you above him.

You attempt to shift your hips down to take him, but he stops you with a gentle squeeze of your hips.

“I've got you. Just relax.”

Simon eases you down on his cock, stretching you open. You want to squirm, to move, to please him the same way he did for you.

“Just stay here,” he says, his breath heavy in your ear. His hands cling to you as he shifts your bodies against the pillows. You feel the stir of him in you and involuntarily clench. He groans, burying his face into your neck to regain control of himself. “Let me feel you.”

You stay in each other's arms until your breaths fall steady. The closeness, his warmth, is a comfort you relish. Your home may be gone, but you still have Simon.

And, for now, it is all you need.

Simon waits for you to fall asleep first, cradled against his chest, before he allows himself to feel guilt wash over him. The weight threatens to drown him and he clings onto you like a raft.

He leans his head against the wall, staring at the water-stained ceiling. A veil of unshed tears blurs his vision. “Forgive me,” he whispers.

To who and for what, he doesn't know. He just hopes those words are enough to make the ache fade—it doesn't.

He allows himself to fully recall the entire night before he found you, before it all fell to shit.

Simon returned to ruin.

He saw the plume of smoke in the distance and hoped it wasn't real, but it was. Your town was engulfed in flames, glowing in the dark as bright as day, burning in his eyes like hellfire.

He moved through rubble, mind swimming with dread, to find you at the center of town, bound and unconscious. There were men surrounding you who wore a familiar coat of arms.

Graves, the pain in his side who never seemed to just disappear, was standing in the center of it all. Simon had faced his men before, but never Graves in person.

Simon would have caught on to the strangeness of the situation if not for the fury boiling in his blood.

Simon knew what he had to do—kill him, make him suffer. His oath wouldn't allow his evil to continue any further.

Gods, he hated the cocky grin on his face.

“There you are,” Graves called out like he was greeting an old friend.

“What the fuck do you want?” Simon’s sword was already unsheathed, ready to taste blood.

“To teach you not to fuck with me.”

Simon almost barks out a laugh. He raised his sword toward the challenge. Not one of Graves’ men moved to help defuse the situation.

“Go ahead and do as your oath commands—kill me.” Graves stood proud, arms spread wide.

Simon took a step further.

“But if you kill me, your girl dies too.”

A henchman hauled you up and placed a dagger at your throat.

Simon, for once, faltered. The sword in his hand trembled. He tried to steal himself but found he couldn't catch his breath.

He couldn't kill Graves and reach you in time. And he was sure if he made any move to save you, you'd be dead already.

“If you don’t kill me, I'll let you leave with her. Make your choice.”

So that was the game.

“Fuck you,” Simon spat. “I don't know ‘er.”

Graves ignored the bluff. Something in his smile told Simon, he saw right through his bullshit. “Go ahead and be a hero, Ghost.”

“I'm not a hero.”

He scoffed at the word. Destroy evil by any means necessary. His tenant echoed in his mind. Any means necessary.

He was far from a hero. A hero didn't turn a blind eye to those in need to pursue evil. He left behind innocent's far more times than he can count in the name of his oath.

Would you become one of the souls he sacrificed too?

Ever since he lost his family and took up his oath, he couldn't allow himself to feel emotions like guilt, sorrow, or fear, less it made him weaker to deliver the vengeance he swore to uphold.

But, you were his new family, the love he found amidst his violent wandering. He couldn't lose the safety and warmth that you were.

No matter what he chose, you or his oath, he would lose a part of himself.

Simon wanted to plunge his sword into Graves’ chest and be rid of the man and his impossible choice and that fucking smug smile. He wanted to destroy his very existence, so not even the strongest magic or God could piece him back together. He knew the world would be better off without him. He knew it deeply.

Yet, Simon lowered his sword and made his choice to condemn the world.

“I knew you were a selfish one.”

“Give her to me.”

Graves waved his hand and you were dropped. Simon caught you before you could touch the ground. He wrapped his arms tight around you, shielding you from the world.

“Fuck with me again and I won't wait for you to save her.”

Simon gritted his teeth but didn't say a thing. He kept his eyes on you. There was a cut on your neck where the blade was, shallow enough to draw a sliver of blood, and he couldn't do a damn thing about it.

Fighting Graves would mean your death. Simon didn't care if he died, but he would never risk you. All he could do was lift you up and walk away.

Each step away from that ruined town he felt a piece himself slip further into the dark, remaining in the wreckage. His limbs lost feeling; his chest constricted.

A rope pulled inside his chest, urging him back to finish his duty. But, his feet dragged against the force to continue forward.

When Simon stepped over the town's threshold, the rope snapped. He was left with cold, empty despair.

Simon held you because that was all he could do as he left behind the destruction and his oath. At least he still had you.

He condemned the town’s survivors to death and allowed evil to escape the wrath of punishment—and he would do it all again to save you.

He will tell you of his selfishness in the morning. But, for now, he will hold your bare form tighter against his chest, closer to his heart, convincing himself you will fill the piece of himself that will never return.

But the void is boundless. It is echoes of flame and terror, shame and guilt, and a haunting voice calling to him in the dark.

“Oathbreaker, what have you done?”

[iblameashley]

Rekindle: Soulstring Symphony

Military | Male | Gay

2,400~words Content: AU, time skips, soulmates, depression, longing, angst, bullet wound, mention of blood, bit of fluff, gay stuff, happy ending.

Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley | John 'Soap' MacTavish

!!!SFW!!!

Everyone has a special someone out there in the world. Everyone is connected in their own way, and for John 'Soap' MacTavish, that's through song. Every time they sing, they can hear each other... until one day the songs stop and Soap is left alone and heartbroken. Thrusting himself into a military career, he eventually pushes the idea of finding his one-and-only out of his mind; until a mission goes wrong and he hears his soulmate once more. (Based on Tweet below GIF)

THE LONGING

It was difficult sometimes, to wander the world alone. To see all the soulmates around you find their perfect person. Johnny wondered if he would find his soulmate one day too.

The memory of the songs haunted him now, but he remembered the first time he had heard them, been blessed by them. He had been asleep in his bed at his family home when the melody slowly crept into his dreams. The voice was rich and smooth, with a deepness that pieced his heart.

But when he woke, he could only remember the outro of the song.

...As the night surrenders to the dawn, and the stars begin to fade, The echoes of our connection linger in the serenade. A promise in each note, a vow in every line, To find you in this lifetime, and forever call you mine...

Then one day, the songs stopped. He had wondered if maybe his soulmate had died suddenly; it had happened to other people, and it was a soul-crushing experience to know you'd spend the rest of your life alone. Disconnected. Halved.

Johnny had searched the library for old folks songs, and then eventually online, plugging the lyrics he remembered into search engines to come up empty. This was an original song, it seemed.

Johnny's journey began at home in Scotland. Guided by the knowledge that more than two thirds of all soulmates were born within a one thousand kilometre radius of each other.

That didn't stop people from moving away by any means, but it narrowed the search down to the Atlantic Ocean and the surrounding countries of the European Union. And he was pretty certain his soulmate wasn't in the ocean.

He travelled the misty highlands, the expansive coasts, and ancient castles seeking any clue that might lead him to his love. Town after town, and small villages were turned upside down in hopes of anything. But finding nothing that lead him closer to his soulmate, he moved on Ireland, then England; finding only a growing despair and loneliness in his heart.

Everywhere he travelled he found nothing but dead ends. There was nothing in Norway, except the picturesque scenery of the fjords. Denmark, while also another beautiful country to visit was just as barren of his soulmate as all the preceding locales. By the time he had reached the Netherlands, all he had was a dimming hope in his heart. In a quite place among the bulbs of the Keukenhof garden, Johnny took a seat under a tree and closed his eyes.

He took a deep breath and recalled the last bit of the song; not that it took much to remember, having been burned deep into his soul for so long.

In his deep voice, low as a whisper, he began to sing. To reach out to his soulmate in hopes of kindling a response.

...As the night surrenders to the dawn, and the stars begin to fade, The echoes of our connection linger in the serenade. A promise in each note, a vow in every line, To find you in this lifetime, and forever call you mine...

Choking out the lyrics through the welling tears in his eyes, Johnny waited for a reply, anything to tell him that his soulmate was still out there somewhere. The maddening silence was the only answer he got in return.

“Please answer me, mo chridhe.” He whimpered.

Finding no peace or happiness among the trees and flowers of the garden, Johnny decided it was time to move on once more.

Without a reply to the song to guide him, Johnny felt lost. His heart was beginning to fracture on his way back home. Having used all of his savings, and not wanting go home to his family still alone, he was ready to enlist in the military and see where his life would take him. If he was destined to be alone now, the least he could do was feel like his life meant something. That he was doing something worthwhile. At least, that's how he sold it to himself.

But then something happened.

It was faint, almost like white noise in his head. It wasn't the song, not exactly... more like a longing that resonated deep from his soulmates heart. They were out there, close, but still far and beyond his reach. It was just an echo. A ghost.

“Mo chridhe...” He murmured into the window of the train car. “I'm here... you're not alone.”

And then, just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

It crushed him.

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ENLISTMENT & THE SAS

Prodigy is not a word tossed around so easily in the British military; but that's what Johnny was. Young, smart, motivated and able to out think and out manoeuvre his fellow soldiers.

This path left no room for distractions, let alone the notion of his soulmate still being out there and longing for him in return. Or so he lied to himself.

He was able to think outside the box and on the fly to complete tasks that most men thought were impossible. He couldn't deny that it went to his head. Johnny's mental health bore the weight of his relentless pursuit of perfection, to meet his astronomical and unreachable standards, and thrived on the positive feedback and praise from his superiors.

But added to the stress of his standards was the constant scrutiny from his fellow soldiers. While most of the enlisted men in the service became close comrades, it was something that was kept at an arms length for Johnny. No one wanted to be around the young, up-and-coming showoff – and smart ass – Scot.

Off-duty time was the only time where Johnny's focus wavered. With nothing to occupy his time, mind or hands, he was left to his thoughts; and those usually drifted to his loneliness. To dull the ache in his heart every night, Johnny would find a quiet and secluded spot on the base and would sing to himself and to his soulmate; who he prayed could still hear him.

...When I'm lonely, well, I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the man who's lonely without you And when I'm dreaming, well, I know I'm gonna dream I'm gonna dream about the time when I'm with you When I go out (when I go out), well, I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you And when I come home (when I come home), yes, I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the man who comes back home with you I'm gonna be the man who's coming home with you...

“Mo chridhe... I wanna be the man who grows old with you.”

Another night of singing, another night of silence in return.

The turning point in Johnny's career was when he aimed at the SAS, the best of the best, the elite. What Johnny wasn't aware of at the time was that the SAS had their sights set on him as well. They recognized the potential in him and valued his abilities to think beyond the military norms.

The process to be selected for the SAS was, in a word, gruelling. Johnny pushed himself to the limits of his physical and mental endurance. Yet in the forge of the SAS training program, he was able hone his skills and discover a deeper understanding of his own resilience.

Though it nearly broke him – in a different way than his loneliness had – Johnny managed to pass the selection process and found his new sense of purpose. The long climb through the ranks of the military quickly shifted, and his career felt like something he could celebrate. Along with the accomplishment of being among the elites, Johnny finally began to find brothers in arms, friends.

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MEETING THE GHOST

The hum of the engines drown nearly all other sounds out, even the rumbling engine of the approaching truck. Ghost was waiting on his SAS forces to arrive, and was not disappointed when one particular Sergeant hopped off the truck and jogged over to him.

“Save ya' a seat, LT.” He playfully quipped, giving Ghost a punch to the shoulder before darting towards the ramp to the plane.

“Fuckin' Hell...” muttered in his gruff voice. He slowly moved forward, following Soap.

Outwardly, Ghost appeared annoyed by the Scotsman, but he couldn't help but be a little amused by the man.

He was also grateful for the mask, and his ability to hide the beginnings of a smirk that tugged at the corners of his lips.

Ghost joined the rest of the men on the plane and strapped himself in for takeoff. He was unaccustomed to working with such a large team, and it made him uneasy. There was a knot in his stomach as his eyes scanned the cargo area, falling on every soldier down the line.

And then there was Soap, sitting directly across from him with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“So, LT, ye ever been tae Mexico?” He asked, attempting to break the ice.

Ghost locked his gaze onto Soap and sat there quietly. He considered replying, but somehow he knew that Soap wasn't the man to just inquire about the mission. It was the smile on his face and the glint in his eyes. So Ghost sat there quietly.

“It's an awfully long flight, LT. Gotta pass the time somehow, aye?” Soap continued. “Ye ever been tae Las Almas?”

Ghost conceded and gave a shake of his head. “No.”

Soap nodded in response.

“Guessin' ye never worked with the Mexican Forces, then?”

Ghost let out an inaudible sigh. “Nothing more than intelligence sharing. But I know they are an effective group.”

He didn't understand why he was still indulging this conversation, but there was something about the Sergeant that disarmed him; threw him off balance. Ghost would rather be waterboarded than admit that out loud, though.

“Aye, I've heard they're no strangers tae dealing with the like o' the cartels. Hope Alejandro dinnae think we're here tae step on any toes.”

Ghost shakes his head firmly. “Alejandro has a solid reputation.”

Soap shifted slightly in his seat, stretching a leg out towards Ghost.

“Ye ever wonder what ye'd do if ye found yerself on the other side of an ambush?” Soap asked, knowing it was still work-related but not mission-related.

Ghost actually pondered the question for a moment, oblivious to Soaps intention to get him to open up, he finally replied. “Stay low, prioritize targets, maintain communication and adapt as necessary.”

Soap grinned and gave another nod. “Tactical tae the bone, eh, LT?”

Ghost let out an agreeable grunt.

“Favourite childhood memory. Go.” Soap said, abruptly switching the topic.

Ghosts eyes were rather indifferent to the question, but there was a part of him that wanted to chuckle at the ridiculous question. Suppressing that urge, he cleared his throat before engaging Soap once more.

“This isn't a game, Soap.”

“Aye, It's not, but no harm en' askin' ye?” Soap retorted. He couldn't help himself, he felt a deep urge to lay on some charm with the big man that sat across from him.

He wasn't going to relent. Ghost knew it, and he could see the smirks and chuckles from those in earshot of this conversation.

“Training sessions in the rain.” Ghost deadpanned.

Soaps head jutted back and he raised a brow. “That's yer idea of fun?” he questioned.

Something stirred in Soap with that reply. A warmth. Ghost was definitely a closed off man, and one of few words, but it seems he still had a sense of humour about him. It intrigued Soap to no end. Ghost had no idea what he was getting himself into now that Soap had managed to worm his way under Ghost's armour.

“It's efficient.” Ghost added in his flat tone. In his own way, Ghost was enjoying this playful banter, it was something he hadn't allowed himself in years. Though he was concerned at how easily Soap managed to disarm him, even if he didn't outwardly show it.

“Might have tae get ye to show mae sometime.” Soap declared.

Ghost could only look away, focusing his gaze on a rather unremarkable sign bolted to a bulkhead of the plane. He hated and loved the feeling swelling inside him. A feeling he saw reflected in Soaps eyes.

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IN STITCHES

“The fuck ye trying tae do tae me, kill mae?” Soap whined as Ghosts hands worked to asses the wound on Soaps abdomen.

Ghost let out one of his usual, gruff grunts of amusement.

“Looks like you tried to do that all on your own, Johnny.” He replied, a sardonic smile playing on his lips under his mask.

“Ach... ye've not got the hands for this, Simon.” Soap continued to complain, his voice strained with discomfort.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic, Sergeant. I've had worse patients." Ghost retorted, his hands working with a practiced efficiency. "Maybe if you stopped trying to catch bullets with your abdomen, we wouldn't be in this mess."

Despite the blood over his hands and the rickety table under Soap, the wound really wasn't as severe as it seemed. The bullet had passed through the right side of Soaps abdomen, and no major blood vessels or organs were hit.

Soap winced, a low grumble escaping him. "Fuckin' bullets never were good for mae complexion, Ghost. Maybe if ye stopped picking missions with so much lead flying around, I wouldn't have tae be yer practice dummy."

“Stop whining and moving around.” Ghost fired back as he worked to clean the wound. He scanned his medical supplies, and sighed in relief that there was enough there to patch Soap up and get him back on his feet. “You're lucky the bullet went through you the way it did, otherwise I'd be carrying your dead ass back to exfil.”

“Aw, ye wouldn't leave mae behind? Even if I was a gonner?” Soap teased, though his usual grin was weak and unconvincing.

“Wouldn't do that.” Ghost divulged with an unusual amount of honesty, his eyes momentarily betraying a hint of genuine concern beneath the mask. "Besides, who else would I have to annoy with my impeccable charm?"

It took Soap by surprise and left him momentarily speechless. “Jus' patch mae up and get us tae Exfil.” He grumbled, resting his head on the table. “An' for the record, I'm the charmin' one on this team.” He smirked.

As he stared up at the ceiling, he couldn't help but reflect on how this mission had gone tits up. The room, dimly lit with flickering candlelight and a few flashlights, emphasized the gravity of their situation.

The mission was pretty straight forward; infiltrate a terrorist stronghold on a dense tropical forest on an island in the South China Sea. Ghost and Soap had approached the island via stealth insertion and had to navigate the vegetation and hills until they reached the compound perimeter undetected. The objective: confirm the presence of a high-ranking extremist leader.

The mission had actually started out well, the overcast skies and foggy waters provided more cover than initially predicted, and both men were able to navigate through the shadows to the compound.

The compound itself was old and run down, with barely any power. There were very few camera's, the electric fences didn't function and the guards were spread far and wide. It was almost too easy to breach the defences and slither their way inside.

But a few wrong steps - quite literally - and a slip of the tongue alerted one guard to their presence. One guard turned in ten, then thirty and suddenly they were overrun. Apparently the compound housed more terrorist forces than intel had lead them to believe. With a few quick and desperate shots and a lot of running, Ghost and Soap made their retreat, but not before Soap got shot.

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SONGS AND SOULMATES

With Soap begrudgingly resting on the creaky table, Ghost moved with his usual purpose through the small, dilapidated home. He meticulously secured all doors and windows as best he could, putting up wooden planks and chairs where he could, and using torn and foul-smelling blankets to cover the windows. There had been sounds in the distance, too indistinct to tell if it was wild animals or their pursuers, but he wasn't willing to take any chances.

Outside, Ghost stood guard under the small porch of the entryway. He scanned the darkness of the forest around them before taking a step off the crooked step and into the soft soil beneath his feet. The silence was eerie, even for him; though looking at him you'd never know it.

Ghost began to do perimeter walks, though never straying far from the small abode that Johnny lay in. It was a stroke of luck that either other them had found this abandoned hovel. If Ghost had to guess, this used to be some sort of drug smuggling port. The few buildings and dock were clearly hastily assembled, which also explained their current state of disrepair, though the one home they occupied was the only fully standing structure left.

Ghost couldn't help but also wonder; how was this place was missed during the intel gathering? Though it had been a miracle to exist and be abandoned when they needed it most, maybe it was best to not look too deeply into the matter.

Knowing they needed to get back on the road – so to speak – Ghost finished up his last lap of the area and headed back towards the home. He stepped up onto the old porch and slowly creaked the door open.

Ghost's gloved hand barely released the door handle when it hit him. A melody, soft and somehow distant, crept into his consciousness. A song, not from the dense jungle outside, but resonating within the confines of the small home and within his own head. The disparity between the reality of their situation and the euphoric notes dancing in his mind brought Ghost to a halt.

...When I'm lonely, well, I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the man who's lonely without you And when I'm dreaming, well, I know I'm gonna dream I'm gonna dream about the time when I'm with you When I go out (when I go out), well, I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you And when I come home (when I come home), yes, I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the man who comes back home with you I'm gonna be the man who's coming home with you..

His heart, accustomed to its steady rhythm, even during combat, skipped a beat. The song washed over him like the waves of an incoming tide; soft, soothing and dangerous.

For the first time in a long time, Ghost was frozen, and there was a lump caught in his throat. He hadn't expected this, and certainly not now. He hadn't sung since he had become The Ghost, and his soulmate has stopped singing to him years ago. He had convinced himself they were beyond each others reach now, resigned to a fate of loneliness. But here it was now, in his head, threatening to drown him in emotions he has long since suppressed.

Managing to muster up the courage and strength to step inside and close the door behind him. He took a shallow breath with every step as he crept closer to the kitchen where Soap lay.

He peered through the crack in the door, still a fair distance away, and focused on Soaps lips as they softly mouthed the words to 'I'm gonna be'. His head spun with every passing line as it dawn on him that he had been serving alongside his soulmate for years now, completely unaware.

But it couldn't be true. It was impossible! They would have figured it out, certainly, right? They were soulmates, there should have been other signs!

And there were. There had been plenty, but both of them had been too lost to grief and despair and their careers to notice.

Despite the proof in front of him, Ghost needed to be certain. Maybe he was somehow hallucinating Soaps voice in his head. He had to know. He had to test.

Swallowing hard, Ghost parted his lips under his mask, and began to sing some of the song he had written when he was a teen, when he first became aware he had a soulmate out there in the world. It was low, nearly a whisper, to ensure Soap couldn't hear from from the other room.

...Through the trials and the battles, where our destinies entwine, May this song guide you to me, a soulmate undefined...

A symphony of yearning, sung from the depths within, An anthem for the restless hearts, a journey to begin. In the tapestry of fate, where threads of time align, This melody of hope declares a love that's divine...

As Ghost reached out with his song, Soaps eyes widened with surprise and recognition. It was the song from his youth. “Mo chridhe.” He choked to the ceiling above him.

And Ghost continued.

...Oh, whispers in the shadows, reach across the starlit sea, A serenade for the one who shares this tune with me. Through the trials and the battles, where our destinies entwine, May this song guide you to me, a soulmate undefined.

As the night surrenders to the dawn, and the stars begin to fade, The echoes of our connection linger in the serenade. A promise in each note, a vow in every line, To find you in this lifetime, and forever call you mine...

Ghost paced the small space as his song came to an end, his masked features betraying the turmoil within. The weight of years spent in solitude, conditioned himself to guard his heart against the vulnerabilities of love, collided with the realization that Soap, his annoying Scotsman Sergeant, was closer than ever.

Their shared history, and the undeniable proof of their soulmate bond, felt like both a lifeline and a precipice. Ghost's stoicism, a shield against the harsh realities of their world, buckled in the face of this revelation. The desire to retreat into the well-known comfort of silence was strong, fueled by the fear of exposing the fragile state of his own heart.

As Ghost contemplated the situation, his eyes fell once more to Soap, laying on the table. He had almost convinced himself to keep it a secret, until Soap began to sing again, this time he echoed the song Simon had written all those years ago. His heart swelled with affection for this idiot. His Sergeant. His soulmate.

For all his quirks and banter, Soap... Johnny had become an indelible part of Ghost's life. The possibility of losing him now, with their shared history and the bond rekindled, was a risk Ghost found himself unwilling to take.

The decision solidified in his mind, compelled not just by duty but by a deeper, unspoken respect... love that had weathered the test of time. Ghost couldn't deny that Soap deserved to know, deserved to understand the reason he stopped reaching out and searching.

Steeling himself, Ghost slowly walked across the room and pushed the door open to the kitchen, approaching Soap like a he would a mission objective. And then he stood before Soap who lay there and looked at him with teary eyes, and all of Ghosts resolve melted away. There wasn't going to be any “I'm your soulmate, Johnny.” or “I heard your singing in my head, I never knew it was you!” or any such directness.

Instead, Ghost cleared his throat and give Soaps wound one last glance.

“Time to go.” He commanded, already assisting Soap into a sitting position. “Gotta get to exfil before we're found, Johnny.”

As Soap stepped down to the floor, Ghost helped to steady him. “Easy there, Johnny.” He muttered, his voice low but filled with a touch of warmth.

Soap let out a grunt and a nod, and gave Ghost a few firm pats on the shoulder. “I'm fine, LT.”

As Soap found his footing, Ghost ensured all the candles they used were put out and their equipment packed up and ready to go. He could see the longing and pain creeping back into Soaps expression, and it broke his heart; something he assumed would have been impossible until this moment.

He gripped the nape of Soaps neck firmly and aimed him towards the front door. “We'll take it slow...” he began as they started to walk, “but we should reach exfil before the night surrenders to the dawn... Mo chridhe ”

Soap was caught off guard – to say the least – by the words that fell from Ghosts mouth, and felt his heart flutter. The tone in Ghosts voice carried the admission of their connection, and the immediate danger they were in felt far away.

“C'mon you muppet... gotta get you to safety, we've got a little to talk about, yeah?” Ghost understated. His fingers massaged gently at the back of Soaps neck as they continued to walk out of the house and into the forest. Soap was still grappling with the revelation that there was more to their bond, his footsteps heavy and his breath short as his mind worked to unravel what had just happened.

“Simon...” was all he was able to mutter.

“I know Johnny...” Ghosts vocie went low and was filled with remorse. “I'm sorry, chridhe. I'll make it up to you.”

Soap wanted to cry, to burst into tears and turn and hug Ghost, but Ghost was right; they had to get to safety first, and then they could talk about it. “Yer pronunciation was shite, Mo luaidh.” Soap chuckled; grabbing at his sore abdomen as he shuffled through the foliage. “We'll work on that tae, aye?”

Ghost let out an approving grunt, giving Soap a playful push forward.

[d-criss-news]

How Sondheim and Burnett Got Darren Criss to Provincetown

Provincetown hasn’t been compared to The Godfather or Star Wars very often, but those are the examples actor and singer Darren Criss names in acknowledging that his July 21 town hall appearance will be his first visit here.

“Provincetown is like that movie that you haven’t seen but you don’t want your friends to know you haven’t seen, so you don’t incur their wrath and ridicule and disbelief,” he says, noting that several of his good pals visit often. “I don’t bring up that I haven’t been there because my friends will give me crap. I haven’t avoided it — I’ve really wanted to go. Finally, the stars aligned quite nicely.”

Maybe the stars had a little help from Carol Burnett.

Host and accompanist John McDaniel, a Grammy and Emmy award-winning musician, says he invited Criss to be part of his summer Broadway series here after Criss performed on 2023’s Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Love + Laughter TV birthday special. McDaniel was the music director.

Criss’s best-known roles are his breakout portrayal of Blaine for five seasons (2010 to 2015) on Glee in a milestone-for-mainstream-TV gay romance with Chris Colfer’s Kurt, and his 2018 Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning turn as spree killer Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. (Both roles came thanks to producer and Provincetown part-timer Ryan Murphy.)

In addition to acting and singing — including Glee’s “Teenage Dream” cover that climbed the Billboard charts — Criss is a songwriter. He first won notice for co-writing and starring in 2009’s A Very Potter Musical parody for the Chicago-based StarKid Productions, which he co-founded. Criss’s A Very Darren Crissmas generated national holiday tours.

Shortly after Criss wrote the opening number for the 2022 Tony Awards, his friend Paul Miller, director of the Burnett tribute, asked him to refashion Stephen Sondheim’s “Side by Side” from Company into an homage to Burnett’s famous duets with celebrity guest stars.

In what he called “one of the coolest things I’ve ever gotten to be a part of,” Criss performed “Burnett’s Duets” for the star-studded birthday-party special with Broadway’s Sutton Foster. That came after he meticulously dissected Sondheim’s music to fit new lyrics and fine-tuned the arrangement with McDaniel.

“When I was doing this,” Criss says, “in my mind, I was going, ‘What would the ghost of Sondheim be OK with?’ ”

More Broadway music will be on Criss’s mind in Provincetown for what he says will be an unusual program because it likely won’t include original work or him playing guitar or piano; McDaniel will accompany him. Criss prides himself on not performing the same live show twice and plans to include Broadway songs he’s not yet sung in public.

That said, he recognizes fans might want to hear something connected to his own Broadway star turns. Those include — besides the nonmusical American Buffalo in 2022 — How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying in 2012 and 2015’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Plus, earlier this year, Criss starred in off-Broadway’s Little Shop of Horrors.

In September, he’ll originate a Broadway role for the first time, headlining Will Aronson and Hue Park’s musical Maybe Happy Ending. Criss plays an outdated, retired robot in futuristic Seoul who explores the nature of love with another retired robot (Helen J. Shen). To try to help boost its U.S. profile, Criss is also a producer of the musical, which has been a hit in Korea, China, and Japan. Its Broadway debut will be directed by Michael Arden (2023 Tony Award for Parade, Spring Awakening), a longtime Criss friend who directed the English-language debut in 2020 in Atlanta.

Criss is excited but nervous about the piece; he says it’s intimate and epic at once. “There’s an excitement about the uniqueness and specialness of this show that I’ve never encountered before,” he says. “So that’s either going to crash and burn and blow up in our faces or catch on. I don’t know, but the prospect is very thrilling.”

Criss, who is straight, made headlines this spring for comments at a Chicago expo about being “culturally queer” because of his admiration for the LGBTQ community. “The things in my life that I have tried to emulate, learn from, and be inspired by are 100 percent queer,” he said then, later adding that “it was in queer communities that I’ve found people that I idolize, that I want to learn something from.”

“That had to be the slowest news day ever,” Criss says about his comments getting attention — especially because he’s talked many times before about similar things, including how much it meant to be part of Glee’s Blaine-Kurt relationship story.

Beyond Provincetown and Broadway, in August Criss’s voice will be heard in an unusual spot: on season 10 of Netflix’s Gabby’s Dollhouse, a children’s show, as the new Marty the Party Cat, magical host of the Party Room. It’s a voice role Criss says was planned long before his two-year-old daughter and seven-week-old son were born to him and his wife.

Marty is described by Netflix as a lovable, “exuberant goofball” who has a big heart and the ability to laugh at himself.

“He’s a fun guy,” Criss says. “I’m aspirationally Marty the Party Cat.”

[hezekiahwakely]

After spending literally multiple days and nights listening to hours of new music, here are my thoughts on what the Protocol playlists might tell us about the characters. I'm gonna break it down by large themes and I'm putting it under a read more bc I don't know how to not ramble about this. its SO MUCH

Gwendolyn Bouchard 👁️

Hers is the most self-explanatory. Girlboss is girlbossing and paying for it. But I did pick up several nuances.

Gwen is: Cold, power-hungry, and ambitious (you should see me in a crown, Are You Satisfied?, Severance theme). Suffering from her own hubris (Oh No!, Gasoline). Resentful and envious, especially about family, wealth, and power (Family Jewels, 24 hours, Warriors). Touching the dark and being supernaturally influenced (Mr. Bonzo theme, Evil Eye, We Don't Talk About Bruno, Making Love to the Dead).

Special mention to the 'daddy's money' reference in 24 hours.

Samama Khalid 😶‍🌫️

Sam makes ridiculously long playlists, like me, so this entry is gonna be long, but the emotional vibes were pretty easy to pick out once I got through it.

Sam is: Straight chillin' to some lo-fi beats, desi hip hop, and melodic bops (literally too many to list but, Remind Me, Forgive the Mess, 93 'Til Infinity, Magpie, Fire Sale, Iniesta Flow, I Guess, Prarthana, Hai Hai, etc., etc.). Rebellious (The Adults Are Talking, Reptilia). Bonded with someone (Halo Flip, soulboy). Yearning, romantic, and playful (Girl Like You, Mr. Sandman, New House, Meteor, You Only Live Once, Be Your Girl, Dear Jean, Say The Word, My Girl/Hey Girl, Smiley, The Real Sugar). Reminiscing about a break-up (Oui, Afterparty Lover, Last Nite, Stick Season, Turn off the Lights, Jessie (i miss you), WONDERING, Afterthought, I Love You, I'm Trying). Full of regrets, pain, and melancholy bitterness (Seasons, Can't Call It, Let It Go, nightmares, Pretty Insane, different tomorrow..., Cigarette Daydreams, CABIN FEVER, Self destruct, Go Back, Stuck Here With Me, Bliss City). Alienated, yet wanting to be alone (uh-oh) (Creep, Alone, Stone cold., Paint it, Black).

Special shout-out to all the implications about the old Sam/Alice relationship. And I'm especially worried by the potential meanings of Downside Up, Let It Go, Go Back, and Stuck Here With Me.

Also, interesting that there's a lyric-free track just called 'drained' at the end of his playlist. I'm sure that's fine.

Alice Dyer 🌀

Oh my girl. What is going on with you. She has impeccable and predictable taste, at least. But... then there's the Ominous Implications again...

Alice is: Rebellious, anarchic, and irreverent (Underclass Hero, Toxicity, Tribute, Buddy Holly, Dragostea din tei, Feel Good Inc., Piss Off, Rebel Rebel, Ghost Town, Brimful of Asha, Surrender, Uncle Walter, United States of Whatever). Blasting high-confidence power anthems (Material Girl, Therefore I Am, Jump, Bad Reputation, The Middle). Depressed behind a mask of high energy and false cheeriness (SugarCrash!, Mad World, Bathroom Floor). Yearning after someone's love (A.M. 180, Zombie Love Song, Nearer Than Heaven, Save Tonight, Ms. California, Because I Love You, Fell In Love With A Girl, Take Me Out). Reminiscing about a break-up (Ciao!, Built This Way, Kidz 'N' Stuff, FRIENDS, Free Fallin', Not In Love, Who Knew, Song for the Dumped, When It All Falls Apart, Laid, Complicated). Feeling crazy and overwhelmed (uh-oh) (Basket Case, In Too Deep, Bonkers, I'm A Robot, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, 19-2000, Wonderland, High, Undone, Cosmic Castaway). Creeped out and brushing up against the supernatural (Walking On Air, The Blue Wrath, Pet Sematary).

Oooh. Oh, the implications. The Sam/Alice break-up. The potential for feelings that remain. I HAVE to know what happened between them.

Also, here are some select lines from five Alice songs presented without comment: "Yeah, I'm a zombie, baby," "I'm a robot, I'm a robot/I don't have any feeling in my heart," "I don't wanna be buried in a Pet Sematary/I don't want to live my life again," "Take me down, six underground/The ground beneath your feet," "Walking like a zombie, like a zombie."

I'm sure that's all fine.

Celia Ripley 🕸️

The most mysterious new member of the OIAR, her music choices are appropriately enigmatic. The Vibes make me excited to see what she's hiding under the surface.

Celia is: Raring for a fight (Seven Nation Army, Rumble, know your place, Run from Me). Fed up with the system (Blood//Water, Run You). Bold, sexy, headstrong, and self-confident (Creature, Took A Trip, River, Do It For Me, Aerials, Uber). Struggling against supernatural influence, feeling trapped and helpless (Mama! There's a Spider in My Room, Where Is My Mind?, I Feel Like I'm Drowning, Closer, Space Dementia, Rain)

So we've all but confirmed the theory that she's from the OG Archives timeline and that she has continuing ties to the Web from passing through Hill Top Road. I think we have hints here that she's manipulating the others, but I also think there are signs that she's fighting her own battle against an evil trying to take her. There also seems to be an overarching theme of water in many of her songs for some reason 🤔

I can't wait to get more of Celia. Even if she is lying, I'm rooting for her (<hoping this doesn't come back to bite me in the ass)

In conclusion, I love them all already your honor, and I want to thank the cast for putting such loving care into crafting these for us. Thank you for such great food to feed our wild theorizing.

[zinnie-zoloft]

I made my Charles Rowland playlist, primarily these are bands I think he’d listen to but there are a few songs I chose for specific reasons

The Tears Of A Clown - The Beat

Listen to the lyrics of this and tell me it’s not about Charles

Watching The Detectives - Elvis Costello

An ode to classic detective shows set to a reggae beat, stylistically inspired by the clash

House Of Fun - Madness

Ok so technically this is about a brothel, but it’s also about turning 16 and being excited about new opportunities and in the context of being about Charles that’s really depressing

The Eton Rifles - The Jam

Private school tory pricks are the worst and Charles probably had to deal with a lot of them at boarding school

Dear God - XTC

Charles went to catholic school but I think he’d question how god could let so many injustices happen, even more so after his death and everything that happened to Edwin

Rudie Can’t Fail - The Clash

A song about a rude boy who is questioned and criticised for his lifestyle and attitude, but sticks by his beliefs

Ghost Town - The Specials

It’s a ska song that mentions ghosts I couldn’t not put it on here

Anyway I’m still adding more to the playlist so if anyone has any suggestions then you should absolutely share them

[zoinks-world]

My Top 10 Puppet History Songs

In preparation for season 6 of Puppet History I have decided to rank my personal top 10 Puppet History songs in the order of how much of a fucking banger they are and also include my personal favorite Lyrics: 

"Hatshepsut" - “And so it’s with respect that we / Remember on occasion / She kicked ass”

 “Asmodeus”- “I’ll scare the shit out of nuns, cause it's fun”

“Come on up”- “I saw the whole JFK assassinnation and I know exactly who did it, I can't tell you who but I can tell ya, they DID that. Anyway let's get back on track with some scatting”

“It's the End of History ''- “Cuz there's no stopping what's to come, some shits sketched into the stars calamity's you can't outrun.” 

 "Gore On The Shore" - Now this samurai’s cuttin me/you down to size / We must be denser than wood to not realize”

 "Clip Clop Into The Light"- “I hope my wife died too, so I can see her soon And smooch her spooky horse-ghost lips, And stare into her gorgeous fucked-up oblong horsey pupils As we drift into the vast abyss”

"Pieces of Me"- “And who knows, Gust a wind could blow on by, Lift that pile on upward, Lemme see that pale blue sky”

“You Got the Pox!”- “And You’ll probably die but hey on the bright side, you got a couple new friends who’ll be with you ‘till the end scabs-n-pus” 

"French Heads"- “ French HEADS, season ‘em lightly, A bordelaise for Claire, a pinch of pepper on Pierre”

 “Stool of Gold”- “A stool of gold A stool-stool of gold” 

Special Mentions:

"Snitch On The Rich"- “As discussed You mustn't trust that upper crust Toss their asses on the menu 'Cause it's time to EAT”

"I Spew Goo '' - “And, look, I hate to do this, Just gonna bury yr town rq :( But spewin’ goo’s my truth, sis :)

"Choke For The Gold!"- “I MUST DOUSE MY HELLISH FLAME WITH YOUR SUBSERVIENT SWEAT”

“One hell of a me out of the pieces of you”- “I’m not a surgeon but I’ll try my level best, I’m gonna flay you up and down, leave you bleeding on the ground and make my own Bergara vest”

[jules-has-notes]

This Is Halloween — VoicePlay music video

The approach of spooky season is always special with VoicePlay. In 2018, it meant that it was time for their second visit to Halloween Town, which involved even more elaborate makeup than the previous one. It also contains an important reminder — don't take unwrapped candy from strangers, no matter how little and cute they might be.

Details:

title: This Is Halloween

original performers: cast of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

written by: Danny Elfman

arranged by: Layne Stein

release date: 5 October 2018

My favorite bits:

the legato opening chords from Grim Grinning Ghosts under the intro section transforming into the more rhythmic opening of this song

the halftime echo of Earl and J.None's harmony lyrics behind Eli's lead melody

everybody's concerned reactions as their voices and bodies start to change

Geoff reflexively flinging the spiders from his hair at Layne

the syncopated wails of ♫ "HAL-lo-ween HAL-lo-ween" ♫

Eli's semi-operatic tone on ♫ "the next sur-priiise" ♫

the onomotopeia of ♫ "pounce pounce" ♫

their precise diction starting with ♫ "I am the clown..." ♫

Layne's little scamper behind the pumpkin tower

that bouncy ascending bass line that leads them through the key change

the driving percussion giving way to a full measure of straight double kick drums

♫ "That is our job and no we are not mean." ♫, so crisp

Eli's incredible breath control as he belts for over 10 seconds

their mischievous giggles as they scurry away

Jude's intense stare straight into the camera

Trivia:

VoicePlay originally recorded this song for their 2012 Disney album, "Once Upon An Ever After".

This is the second of four Halloween videos they've made using music and imagery from The Nightmare Before Christmas. It also happened to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the movie.

Each of VoicePlay's video projects is usually handled from start to finish by whoever does the music, but for this one they spread their duties out a bit more. Layne did the vocal arrangement, while Geoff handled the video production process.

The guys are once again representing characters from the original movie — J.None is the wolfman, Eli is the mayor of Halloween Town, Geoff is one of the vampires, Earl is the behemoth, Layne is Lock, and the trick-or-treater is dressed as Jack.

The YouTube description contains another important safety tip — "There is only one Earl Elkins and he is not exactly human. Do NOT try to smash YOUR skull-meat with an axe… it will hurt."

The filming process for this video spanned two days — one for the framing scenes and the start of the singing, and another for their monster morphing.

The full transformations took more than 12 hours because of the extensive prosthetic makeup involved, not to mention contact lenses and costume changes. Their shot list was "the spreadsheet from hell" by necessity. Once a step in someone's monster makeup was added, it couldn't be taken off until the end.

The impressive makeup and prosthetics were designed by Andy Wright and Lia Forestner from Makeup & Creative Arts.

One of the trickiest parts of the makeup process was the fact that Layne turned out to be very ticklish when it came to being airbrushed and had trouble sitting still.

Among the carvings in the jack-o-lantern tower are an Oogie Boogie face, a Jack Skellington face, and a VoicePlay logo.

There was also a hidden bottle of Diet Mountain Dew on the back side for emergency high tenor hydration.

The onesies Eli and Earl are wearing at the beginning are references to their respective roles in "The Chicken Song".

Geoff's dragon onesie made another appearance four years later in a short of "I Put A Spell On You", dueting with Winifred Sanderson from PattyCake's Hocus Pocus videos.

The group created individual character posters in the style of Stranger Things to promote the video on social media.

The jowled prosthetic was added to the MCA / Morphstore collection as a custom item, with Eli as the model and the more generic product name of "fat boy".

The trick-or-treater is Layne's nephew, Jude. Though the over-the-shoulder shot of him knocking on the door is actually Kathy wearing the top of the costume and kneeling on the stoop. Apparently giving a young child lots of candy and then trying to get him to do something slowly isn't the best plan.

J.None had a late-night gig booked after the shoot, and was still wearing parts of his costume when he rushed out to get to that.

Rek Dunn, the guys' longtime friend and production collaborator, made a behind-the-scenes video as a project for a continuing education course he was taking.

The Makeup and Creative Arts team also made a behind-the-scenes video focused on the prosthetics processes.

Some aspects of the makeup made it a little difficult to enunciate. (Good thing their audio was prerecorded.)

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[etherealising]

Hi Vee!!! I hope you’re doing well and congratulations on 1K woot woot <3! I was wondering what some of your favorite songs are right now and what are some of the songs that remind you of aiekoy currently? For me it’s definitely Pigment by HER, unthinkable by Alicia Keys, and Do4Love by Snoh Allegra both sonically and lyrically are what I usually listen to when reading aiekoy!

bestie bestie bestie…i hope you’re sat and ready for this presentation you’re about to receive. also the pfp is so cute i love that for you!! 🥰

firstly i am doing well thank you for inquiring, i hope the same could be said for you my love! also 1k wowie! most are bots and pages that don’t interact but we’ll take our wins where we can get them! please babe prepare yourself for this behemoth of a post! 💕

some of my fav songs atm are…

nothing matters - the last dinner party

this song makes me feel like i’m a witch in salem and my neighbor wants me hanged because he thinks i seduced his wife with witchcraft but we’re actually just two ladies in love

history of man - maisie peters

i’m a whore for greek mythology references and girly pop got me

rapstar - polo g

word for word bar for bar i could sing this song drunk

megan’s piano - meg thee stallion

dare say this is my hype song (could also sing this song faded out of my mind)

slow burn - infinity song

gives me 90s vibes and i love anything they put out (it inspired aiekoy chapter 12 heavily)

walk like this - flo

listen flo has been doing it right since cardboard box i don’t play about these girlies!!!!

the way things go - beabadoobee

i actually have a carmy one-shot based on lyrics from this song 🥲

songs that remind me of aiekoy:

only you - yazoo

i mean this one feels kind of obvious to me, it literally inspired this whole fic and without it aiekoy would have never seen the light of day.

cybah - syd/lucky daye

listen okay, this song just speaks to my sole and i promise you everytime i hear these lyrics i can see baby and carmy in my minds eye just going through so many different scenes its absolutely crazy. this song is just so intimate to me and it reminds me of the soft intimacy barby shares.

loved by you - kirby

this song is so carmy coded it inspired an upcoming interlude and anytime i hear it all i can think about is barby (mostly carmy) and all the scenes i have planned to write about in interlude 3. this song gives me very much carmy’s internal dialogue throughout this series and that’s basically what the interlude is as well. this song also really inspired me to keep writing this series when i was ready to just give up on it and idk it just holds a special place in my heart (also shoutout to s1e4 of the bear for introducing me to this song 😭)

ros - mac miller

i feel like this is so out of left field but it just fits! also very carmy coded imo just hearing this song immediately makes me think of barby and lyrically i just feel like it fits them almost perfectly (also heavily gives carmy’s internal monologue).

honorable mentions:

achy bones - ash the ghost

dark red - steve lacy

i like the way you love me - brenton wood

back in town - florence + the machine

bestie brattyb’s immaculate music taste:

pigment

literally gagged me, i was not ready for that! i love the mixture of singing and spoken word it was so beautiful and i feel like it balances the love and toxicity that can sometimes be present in relationships and it screams barby. you really put me on with this one bestie it was such a good choice!!!

unthinkable

a classic really miss keys rarely misses. listening to this song i could literally see scenes between carmy and baby playing out in my head which is always inspires me to write. like oh my goodness how have i not considered this song before this is literally barby’s relationship in a nutshell!

do4love

bestie you really have superior music taste. this gives me like the ‘missing’ years between carmy and baby. especially baby trying to move on and create a life outside of her love for carmy and her little Chicago gang.

i genuinely love you so much for all the constant support you have given me and this funny little series i decided to write, also thank you so much for participating in my 1k celebration your ask forced me to go through the aiekoy playlist and remember why i love writing this series so must and it has really inspired me to keep writing for aiekoy!!

please enjoy the long awaited playlist i’ve been meaning to share (apologies in advance there’s some random songs that def don’t belong and i’m too lazy to delete) 🫶🏽🤍

[bedoballoons]

Genshin Men Headcanons:

~What song they would sing to you~

(Includes: Diluc, Bennett, Thoma, Zhongli, Albedo, Itto, Gorou, Tighnari, Alhaitham, Kaveh, Baizhu, Xiao, Kazuha, Venti, Heizou, Wanderer, Kaeya, Chongyun, Mika, Ayato, Childe, Xingqiu, Cyno, and Razor!)

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Diluc:

♪~Ghost Town: By Benson Boone~♪

He'd try any way to get out of singing to you, it's not that he's embarrassed, he's just scared you'll end up not liking what you're hearing. He sounds amazing though and each lyric is sung with so much soul...

Bennett:

♪~Walking On Sunshine: By Katrina and The Waves~♪

He walks up to the mic and just let's loose singing happily, dancing around without a care in the world...till he gets wrapped up in the wire and falls off the stage, the thought was sweet though! His singing wasn't horrible either!

Thoma:

♪~Dont Stop Believing: By Journey~♪

He is extremely red in the face, the entire time before singing saying that he's going to sound terrible...but as soon as he you realize that's not even close to true. He sounds perfect and he adds extra emphasis to the chorus.

Zhongli:

♪~Hallelujah: By Leonard Cohen~♪

When he sings it's like you can see the story playing out in front of you, it makes you wonder if he experienced anything like it. He sounds wonderful, his voice slightly lower than normal and it made your heart beat faster.

Albedo:

♪~Rewrite The Stars: Sung By Zac Efron and Zendaya~♪

He sings the song a bit slower than the original almost like a acoustic version and he's slightly awkward, but he sounds good. Through out the entire song his eyes are on you and at the end he thanks you for giving him the courage to try.

Itto:

♪~Thats What Makes You Beautiful: By One direction~♪

He goes all out, screaming the chorus loudly and putting a hand on his heart as the song comes to a close. He doesn't sound...the best, but he's so funny and cheerful that it doesn't matter.

Gorou:

♪~Just The Way You Are: By Bruno Mars~♪

He's so shy when it starts that he messes up the words, but after you give him a reassuring smile he forgets his stage fright and sings the best he can, he doesn't sound bad either! In fact he does really well and gestures to you whenever he gets to the chorus, making you blush heavily.

Tighnari:

♪~Time Bomb: By Zach Gordon~♪

He teased you till you'd sing, now it was his turn and he wasn't happy about it, everything sounded to loud, he already had a headache from the horrid singers before the two of you. However...he sang really well and it was like he had a special connection to the song. It made your heart flutter.

Alhaitham:

He refuses to sing, claiming there's no point in it other than for entertainment and reading a novel would give the same effect. He did say he that if he were to sing it wouldn't be anything sappy or romantic, most likely something classical and short.

Kaveh:

♪~Uptown Girl: By Billy Joel~♪

He's a absolute blast, his singing isn't perfect but he puts so much effort into the song and into his dance moves. By the end he's completely out of breath and your stomach hurts from laughing, your face is red with a blush.

Baizhu:

♪~Leaving On A Jet Plane: By John Denver~♪

He sings so softly, taking deep breaths between most of the lyrics and you can't help but worry about his song choice. He had soul...and he would sound good if there wasn't so many pauses...was he really going to be okay?

Xiao:

♪~Perfect For Me: Sung By Justin Timberlake~♪

At first he said he wouldn't take part in such a mortal activity, but eventually with enough convincing and promised almond tofu, he eventually agreed. You were in pure shock...he sounded amazing and despite the song being a sad one...he somehow sang it like a love song.

Kazuha:

♪~I Will Follow You Into The Dark: By Death Cab For Cutie~♪

His voice is very gentle and he sings so slowly, you could fall asleep to it, not to mention how good he actually sounds. Poetry and the art of sword fighting are just some of the many things he's amazing at.

Venti:

♪~Tale As Old As Time: Celine Dion~♪

Not only did he play his lyre but he sang so wonderfully, it was right out of a story book and you cheered for him when it was over. Little did you know you were his inspiration.

Heizou:

♪~Perfect: By Ed Sheeran~♪

It was a cheesy song choice and he knew that, but it was one of the few he knew all the words to. He sang it pretty well too, even grabbing your hand and dancing with you while he sang.

Wanderer:

♪~Walls: By Louis Tomlinson~♪

He tried every way possible to get out of singing, saying he'd rather eat garbage then sing a song, but in the end he'd been dared and now he had too. He actually put more effort into it then you expected and as he sang...you could tell he was truly feeling the emotions of the song.

Kaeya:

♪~Sexy And I Know It: By LMFAO~♪

You were dying of laughter, your blush redder than a tomato as he sang directly to you the ENTIRE song. Not to mention his dancing...that was questionable. He truly knew how to do a show and he winked at the end...

Chongyun:

♪~Flashlight: By Hailee Steinfeld~♪

He's completely blushed the entire time as he sings the sappiest song you'd ever heard and afterwords he had to eat three popsicles just to calm down...but it was all very cute.

Mika:

♪~Somebody To You: By The Vamps/Demi Lovato~♪

He was so nervous he could barely sing and although the song was one he knew...he messed up every word, he didn't sound very good but the emotion in the song was there!

Ayato:

♪~Thousand Years: By Christina Perri~♪

You were shocked by his song choice at first, but as he slowly sang the whole song you fell absolutely in love with him all over again. He sounded incredible and afterwords the two of you slow danced.

Childe:

♪~What A Man Gotta Do: By The Jonas Brothers~♪

You couldn't help but smile the entire time as he sang, he was enjoying himself and he sounded pretty good! He was also fairly animated, clearly used to entertaining others and it only made the whole situation that much better.

Xingqiu:

♪~Dandelions: By Ruth B~♪

He sang so gracefully, each note hit perfectly on time and in key...it was beautiful, thoughtful. He had a light blush on his face but the entire time he smiled showing his true feelings through music.

Cyno:

♪~All I Want Is You: By Barry Louis Polisar~♪

The song was a little silly, with more puns then you'd usually like, but the way he sang it also made it feel...romantic? Somehow it became a very special song to you both and he hums it sometimes while at work.

Razor:

♪~Count On Me: By Bruno Mars~♪

He's not the best at talking, so singing really isn't his strong suit but he tried very hard and in the end he sounded adorable. He may not have remembered some of the words and he definitely wasn't in key...but he picked the song just for you.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

✿Hope you have a good day!✿

[smokeygrayrabbits]

singing vash thoughts sparked wolfwood thoughts. once again a notes app special that I have no explanation or context for. but it's taking up my storage. sorry in advance to any poor soul reading this

legends of the punisher make their way through gunsmoke, whispered on dark doorsteps and carved into shadowed walls.

the singing reaper. soft whistling, the hum of hymns long forgotten to time, lyrics whispered out, a mocking imitation of the final breaths they mark.

soft singing becomes a funeral march for his targets. a last dance with the angel of death.

but for some, it's salvation. an angels chorus, the feeling of divine protection for children walking home at night, for the weak and weary, hummed in cozy bars by those who know they're safe as long as they're wrapped up in his whispered gospel

one day, an angel enters the choir. and the chorus changes forever. now it sings of a tragic love, the worship of a faithless priest for this scarred angel.

the cantor has found his muse.

gospel and hymns preaching the soft draping warmth of a coat of bloodstained feathers, a halo of golden thorns, the watchful eyes as deep as forgotten oceans, overflowing with lonelyness and repentance and unconditionalallconsuming love. an angel who guides humanity from their death instead of to it.

millions Knives sends the punisher after the angel. and that's fine. it's a priests duty to obey a god, no matter the orders.

the punisher follows the angel across the sands. through blazes of bullets, out of towns away from fire and pitchforks and mobs of nonbelivers.

the punisher is only following orders.

orders bring the angel to the steps of the church built in his name. to his other half who wants to become whole once more.

wolfwood fulfills his role as shepard, guiding trapping the angel to the alter.

his duty is complete. wolfwood leaves.

Meryl drags him back.

it's too late.

there's no recognition in vash's eyes, no more of the soft caring looks that he kept giving wolfwood, just a rabid fear as he fights and fights and tries to get away, get to nai,

and maybe vash fights back for real now, maybe he punches wolfwood with his prosthetic hand, hard like wolfwood had always wanted him to, instead of giving him impossibly sad stares. maybe wolfwood is now staring down the barrel of a gun not designed to kill, but lord knows vash is gonna try

a single tear slips down vash's cheek. he doesn't seem to notice as he levels the gun against wolfwood

falling stars dropping from the fear filled eyes of his angel

without realizing it, or even knowing why, vash is crying, gun steady and levelled on wolfwood, but he shakes just enough to know something is wrong and why is he crying but he doesn't know this man then why is he crying why does this man look so afraid, not of the gun, but of him and why is he crying

no, he realizes, not of him

for him.

blank eyes cry but the gun never falters, and wolfwood can’t help but smile, chuckle tasting like bile in his throat, a smile that should have vash faltering, that in any other circumstance would make vash second guess, but his hand remains steady, ghosting over the trigger as wolfwood sends one final prayer of penance, one last plea for salvation that he knows he doesn’t deserve because it was him who killed the angel and gave him a gun

the longer they stand there, vash crying and shaking but gun oh so steady in practiced hands, and wolfwood trying to get some kind of recognition from him what was that he'd said about a memory to bring back his true self? and eventually wolfwood moves to acceptance. he knew he would die someday. with his positon? it was a given. but wait, no, he cant accept this. vash swore to never kill, and wolfwood would never be able to let the only person vash personally delivers to hell be himself, that'd hurt vash far too much, even if he can't tell now

he doesn't really know why, but wolfwood starts humming. maybe a final attempt to comfort himself before the end. maybe to try and get vash to have any other look on his face than that blankness woldwood always hated that look. nothing never was a good look on vash, on this bright vibrant alive angel of a man hell, maybe wolfwood just wanted to face his end creating something, after destroying so much in his short life. a final attempt at repentance.

so wolfwood hums.

the very same tune he heard fall from vash's own lips while wolfwood pretended to be asleep as to not startle the soft, melancholy creature that would emerge from vash in the solitude of a silent night, under the watchful eye of the stars vash came from.

so wolfwood hums.

knives freezes. the satisfied grin falling from his face. leaving it slack with rage and something that looks tragically like nostalgia and grief (of a childhood, of simpler long abandoned.)

wolfwood shifts his gaze back to vash as if he could ever tear them away from that beautiful face for even a moment. he tries to burn this angels face into his mind. those blue eyes, always filled with an ocean deep, unending grief that wolfwood had only just began to lighten if only he had more time. the gentle slope of his cheekbones, pale and soft despite a centure of pain in an unforgiving desert the planes of vash's face always fit so nicely against his shoulder, his chest, his lap. the arching brows that would shoot up in theatric shock at the smallest hint of dumbfuckery vash had mentioned wanting a piercing there, once. when they were nearing the bottom of a bottle in some forgotten nowhere town. he would have dragged Nick along with him, to hold his hand. the same hand that had the barrel of a gun leveled at wolfwoods chest. the soft point of his nose wolfwood booped it once. vash practically flipped over backwards, adorably wide eyed and flushed the rest of the day. wolfwood pretended he didn't. seeing vash touching the same spot over and over again for the rest of the night. wolfwood made a point of doing it as often as possible after that.his eyes traced the sharp edge of vash's jaw which always dug into wolfwoods shoulder on long rides, bony asshole, but fit so nicely in his hand. finally, wolfwoods gaze, still humming like a funeral march, reached vash's lips, and the train of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, slack and blank like the rest of vash's face and wasn't that just awful. blank never was a good look on vash, on this bright, vibrant, alive, angel of a man. a smile was better. come on darlin', smile. you always look best wearin' a smile wolfwood traces those lips with his eyes what he wouldn't give to do it one last time with his fingertips, his tongue. God what he wouldn't give to kiss those lips again, always so petal soft despite decades in the sun

blood drips from vash's mouth, spilling like ruby tears onto that coat of red this tragic angel always wraps himself in. drops disappearing, hidden from view swallowed up and squirreled away like so much of vash's pain, as soon as they meet the crimson fabric.

wolfwood hums.

knives rages nai remembers.

and vash screams

[theminecraftgay]

*drops my favorite songs and runs*

Aerials - System of a Down Bernadette - IAMX (also listen to the Post Romanian Storm version) Frontier Psychiatrist - The Avalanches Balada de la trompeta - Raphael Ghost Town - The Specials Love etc - Pet Shop Boys Stray Cat Strut - Stray Cats Yo No Naci Para Amar (En Vivo) - Juan Gabriel

I ended up taking notes while listening whoops. Anyways thoughts / opinions below!!!! And I’m so down for more music reqs from anyone because I have already found some keeps!!

Aerials - I want to play this myself it seems like it’d be fun to play!

Bernadette (both versions) - OH THATS WHAT THIS SONG IS CALLED!! I’ve heard this and I really like it, I didn’t know how to find it!! Added to my liked songs in the first three seconds lol. Second vers gives me Christian from Moulin Rouge vibes if you get me??

Frontier Psychiatrist - oh flashbacks to when I was a tiktok cosplayer, I haven’t heard this in YEARS and never in full!! Was not expecting it! V good background music for writing / drawing I feel!!

Balada de le trompeta - I have such a love of trumpets honestly, unfairly bullied instruments. Added to liked list!!!

Ghost town - this didn’t only get added to my liked list, but to one of my character playlists! (For people that know my OCs; it’s Rishi’s playlist lol)

Love etc - I LOVE THESE KINDS OF SONGS! It’s bouncy and fun with mildly painful lyrics, love that! Added to liked list

Stray cat strut - I’ve been looking these up and the fashion of this band alone is worth it lol. I like this!!

Yo no nací para amar - I love this style of slow sad music lol. Added to liked list, might find it’s way into another OC playlist too (Rai is never safe from sad heartbroken music)

[ppnuggie]

          𝙃𝘼𝙈𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙎 𝙂𝙊𝙏𝙏𝘼 𝘽𝘼𝙇𝙇

　　『　female human reader + megatron ,, optimus prime   』

　　—  chapter two || 3am hampter merch drippin

　　— second chapter how we feeling 😎😎 we wanting more of this ? got more of a writing portion bc gotta write the actual story too 🙄 but theres still the chats n stuff yuhhh ,, the chapter titles are the lyrics to the song hampter gotta ball by jakerton 🫶 dope song

　　＜　one , three , four , five    ＞

        honking followed behind you ,, dookie face started to flap his wings as he took off in a flight. you werent too sure what the hell you did to anger him but he definitely had beef with you. once again ,, looking like a fool ,, you took off running like the fbi was after your ass.

        he chased you around the block ,, and through an alley way. you were definitely going to be late ,, not sure how late but late late. the honking only got louder ,, running through the open field of the ghost agency. luckily for you ,, dot was just up ahead.

        " DOT !!" you screamed ,, whimpering out as you kept running for your life. "DOOKIE FACE IS BEHIND ME HELPPPP !!" you cried ,, running towards the woman and hiding behind her. she rolled her eyes ,, already done with your antics and it isnt even 10 am.

        with her magic ,, the goose instantly stopped. it felt like one of those movies ,, where two cowboys are standing and facing each other ,, where they give the ' the town aint big enough for us both ' and have their standoff. you swore the goose glared at you ,, kicking its feet up in the dust and waddling away back to his wife. she was probably in on it all too ,, you were absolutely sure of it.

hands found themselves wrapped around dot's waist ,, cries of thanks falling from your lips. " oh thank you ! thank you thank you thank you dottie !!" you cried ,, the woman giving you an unimpressed look. " you missed the meeting you know ,," she crossed her arms. your eyes widened ,, staring in disbelief.

" WHAT ?!" she rolled her eyes ,, helping you up from the ground and walking towards her ranger jeep. " schloder already knows why ,, so its not too big of a deal . but we've also been assigned those cybernetic sleeves ." she held up her arm ,, showing it to you. " i was lucky enough to be paired with elita ,, optimus however ,," she shook her head at the thought.

" what ? schloder paired himself with big o ?" you snorted ,, and dot nodded her head in confirmation. " lord have mercy on that man ,, optimus is gonna be suffering ." you leaned on the window as dottie got inside her jeep. the car beeped at her ,, before she turned it on.

" who did i get assigned ? or was i not special enough to be chosen ?" you asked ,, raising a brow at the woman. she only smirked in response ,, before bidding her goodbyes and leaving. you werent all too sure what the look was for ,, but it couldn't mean anything good.

grumbling to yourself ,, you walked inside the ghost agency. the large hallways consumed you ,, towering around your smaller form as you walked along the all too perfectly straight walls. though luck had shined on you ,, spotting wheeljack up ahead. you broke into a sprint ,, shouting for the scientist as you skidded to a stop in front of him.

" good evening wheeljack !" you waved at him ,, giving a soft smile to the mech. " good mornin' ,, ya missed the meetin' by the way ,," his servo came around your waist as he picked up off the ground gently. he set you on his shoulder ,, continuing his path towards both of your workshops. the two of you were work partners ,, as he constructed and built the devices ghost uses ,, and you design and code them. the two of you worked fast and well ,, never really having a problem with one another and bouncing ideas off each other.

" yeah i know ,, its not my fault !" you were quick to complain about your recent rodeo this morning. " dookie face just has something against me ,, and i'm not even that sure what it is . oh yeah ,, who did i get partnered with for the experiment ? was it you ?" you smirked at the mech ,, who in turned chuckled and shook his head. " nah it aint me ,, it's megatron ." he spoke ,, the lab doors opening as he walked you both inside. you slid off his shoulder and onto the counter ,, eyes wide and jaw dropped.

wheeljack snickered at your expression ,, turning his back on you as he went straight to working on the latest device. " no need for the look ,, he aint so bad ya know . besides ,, this aint gonna last for long ,, its just an experiment afta all ." he shrugged ,, servos moving to drill pieces and bits together.

" when does the experiment start though ? or has it already started ?" you questioned ,, taking a moment to chill out on your not so comfortable chair. it felt like sleeping on bricks ,, if anything. you werent sure why ghost didnt spend the money to get cheaper and comfortable chairs instead of these expensive prison cell feeling chairs.

" pretty sure hes waitin for ya ,, in the meeting room ,," wheeljack replied humming to himself as he continued working. you sighed ,, letting your head roll from side to side before jumping to your feet. the meeting room was quite a ways from your lab / workshop ,, and you cursed wheeljack for not just taking you there in the first place.

you walked along the big halls once more ,, sighing as you dragged your feet along the flooring. your legs were already tired and aching ,, having to be chased by dookie face and now having to walk the halls that take hours to get to anywhere. you wondered if ghost would fire you soon ,, having been late a few times now. they could easily replace you ,, find people who actually showed up on time and worked faster than you. maybe wheeljack would've appreciated it. the thought has your heart swelling ,, frown forcing itself on your face.

" (y/n) ,, there you are ." the familiar scottish accent rang through the air ,, frown turning into a thin line as you glanced up at the giant mech. megatron stood before you ,, crouching to his knee as he laid one arm over it. " where've ye been ? was it the goose again ?" he asked ,, holding his servo out for you.

" how'd you know ?" you snickered ,, climbing onto the warm metal and gripping tightly to his digits as he raised his servo up. you were quick to settle yourself against his shoulder ,, making yourself comfortable on the mech. " so ,, ive heard we've been paired together ?" you raised a brow at him ,, holding tightly to the metal of his body as he walked down the hall. " yeah ,, everyone else has their 'sleeves' on ,, or whatever wheeljack has called em ." he replied ,, making his way down the hall and being mindful of you ,, moving slower than usual so you wouldn't slip off and fall to the floor.

" and ,, let me guess ,, schloder paired himself with optimus ?" you asked ,, taking notice of the path towards the meeting room. megatron only hummed ,, giving you the only answer you needed. immediately you bursted in a fit of snickers ,, holding your hand to your mouth to keep yourself from full on laughing. " oh i feel bad for him ,, poor optimus ,," you shook your head ,, megatron's face plates lifting up in a smile upon hearing your little giggle fit at the silliness of schloder's schemes.

the meeting room was a large cleared out space ,, with a large platform in the middle for the bots and humans. it was large and tall enough that the bots could rest their arms on it ,, and help their human companions up on the table ,, so everyone would be at equal eye level. it was much better than having the bots squat or sit down to reach human eye levels ,, as that had happened in the past and didnt prove beneficial for anyone. laid upon it was a small sleeve and much larger one.

megatron's hand came to grasp you gently ,, setting you down on the table. you walked towards where the 'sleeves were' ,, wasting no time to put yours on. it was a little snug but overall not bad ,, fit well and was comfortable ,, and surprisingly not itchy. megatron slid his over his arm ,, fitting his servo through the opening. " so ,, does it turn on automatically or ??" you raised a brow and megatron shrugged at you. a small green button was on the underside ,, and you being you ,, you pressed it. a hologram of wheeljack waist up showed ,, a smile on his face as he stared before he started to talk.

        " howdy yall ! these are mah new cybernetic emotion sleeves ,, improved 101 ,, best of the best !" he winked. lord have mercy ,, this man ,, megatron looked unimpressed as he stared at the hologram. " so you're trying yer c.e.s for the first time ,, and yer wondering ' what does it do ?' well ,, thats where ah come in to help !" he placed his servos on his hips as he looked smug. " first ,, these are meant to improve cyba-tronian and human relations ,, probably not the most effective way but definitely a way ! they're meant ta share emotions with your partner ,, so yer partner will know what yer feelin at times ,, unless ya take it off of course ."

        " all ya've gotta do is press the little circle in blue on the top ." you followed his instructions ,, pressing the button and listening in to what he said next. " now ,, all ya've gotta do is touch the hand or servo of your partner ,, and yer connected ! its as easy as that !" he nodded to himself ,, chuckling in the process. megatron raised his servo in front of you ,, your own hand reaching out and pressing against his palm.

        at first ,, nothing happened ,, until after a minute and suddenly everything went black.

[sillyname30]

How Sondheim and Burnett Got Darren Criss to Provincetown

The songwriter and star of Glee makes his local debut in Broadway-centric concert

By Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll Jul 17, 2024

Provincetown hasn’t been compared to The Godfather or Star Wars very often, but those are the examples actor and singer Darren Criss names in acknowledging that his July 21 town hall appearance will be his first visit here.

“Provincetown is like that movie that you haven’t seen but you don’t want your friends to know you haven’t seen, so you don’t incur their wrath and ridicule and disbelief,” he says, noting that several of his good pals visit often. “I don’t bring up that I haven’t been there because my friends will give me crap. I haven’t avoided it — I’ve really wanted to go. Finally, the stars aligned quite nicely.”

Maybe the stars had a little help from Carol Burnett.

Host and accompanist John McDaniel, a Grammy and Emmy award-winning musician, says he invited Criss to be part of his summer Broadway series here after Criss performed on 2023’s Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Love + Laughter TV birthday special. McDaniel was the music director.

Criss’s best-known roles are his breakout portrayal of Blaine for five seasons (2010 to 2015) on Glee in a milestone-for-mainstream-TV gay romance with Chris Colfer’s Kurt, and his 2018 Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning turn as spree killer Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. (Both roles came thanks to producer and Provincetown part-timer Ryan Murphy.)

In addition to acting and singing — including Glee’s “Teenage Dream” cover that climbed the Billboard charts — Criss is a songwriter. He first won notice for co-writing and starring in 2009’s A Very Potter Musical parody for the Chicago-based StarKid Productions, which he co-founded. Criss’s A Very Darren Crissmas generated national holiday tours.

Shortly after Criss wrote the opening number for the 2022 Tony Awards, his friend Paul Miller, director of the Burnett tribute, asked him to refashion Stephen Sondheim’s “Side by Side” from Company into an homage to Burnett’s famous duets with celebrity guest stars.

In what he called “one of the coolest things I’ve ever gotten to be a part of,” Criss performed “Burnett’s Duets” for the star-studded birthday-party special with Broadway’s Sutton Foster. That came after he meticulously dissected Sondheim’s music to fit new lyrics and fine-tuned the arrangement with McDaniel.

“When I was doing this,” Criss says, “in my mind, I was going, ‘What would the ghost of Sondheim be OK with?’ ”

More Broadway music will be on Criss’s mind in Provincetown for what he says will be an unusual program because it likely won’t include original work or him playing guitar or piano; McDaniel will accompany him. Criss prides himself on not performing the same live show twice and plans to include Broadway songs he’s not yet sung in public.

That said, he recognizes fans might want to hear something connected to his own Broadway star turns. Those include — besides the nonmusical American Buffalo in 2022 — How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying in 2012 and 2015’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Plus, earlier this year, Criss starred in off-Broadway’s Little Shop of Horrors.

In September, he’ll originate a Broadway role for the first time, headlining Will Aronson and Hue Park’s musical Maybe Happy Ending. Criss plays an outdated, retired robot in futuristic Seoul who explores the nature of love with another retired robot (Helen J. Shen). To try to help boost its U.S. profile, Criss is also a producer of the musical, which has been a hit in Korea, China, and Japan. Its Broadway debut will be directed by Michael Arden (2023 Tony Award for Parade, Spring Awakening), a longtime Criss friend who directed the English-language debut in 2020 in Atlanta.

Criss is excited but nervous about the piece; he says it’s intimate and epic at once. “There’s an excitement about the uniqueness and specialness of this show that I’ve never encountered before,” he says. “So that’s either going to crash and burn and blow up in our faces or catch on. I don’t know, but the prospect is very thrilling.”

Criss, who is straight, made headlines this spring for comments at a Chicago expo about being “culturally queer” because of his admiration for the LGBTQ community. “The things in my life that I have tried to emulate, learn from, and be inspired by are 100 percent queer,” he said then, later adding that “it was in queer communities that I’ve found people that I idolize, that I want to learn something from.”

“That had to be the slowest news day ever,” Criss says about his comments getting attention — especially because he’s talked many times before about similar things, including how much it meant to be part of Glee’s Blaine-Kurt relationship story.

Beyond Provincetown and Broadway, in August Criss’s voice will be heard in an unusual spot: on season 10 of Netflix’s Gabby’s Dollhouse, a children’s show, as the new Marty the Party Cat, magical host of the Party Room. It’s a voice role Criss says was planned long before his two-year-old daughter and seven-week-old son were born to him and his wife.

Marty is described by Netflix as a lovable, “exuberant goofball” who has a big heart and the ability to laugh at himself.

“He’s a fun guy,” Criss says. “I’m aspirationally Marty the Party Cat.”

[princesssarisa]

A Christmas Carol Holiday Season: "Scrooge" (1970 musical film)

Here we find the first lavish big-screen musical version of A Christmas Carol. It clearly follows in the footsteps of another Dickens-inspired movie musical, 1968's Oscar-winning Oliver!: not only is it similar in tone and musical style, it was filmed on some of the same sets. In place of Lionel Bart, however, this score features music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Stop the World – I Want to Get Off, and more), who also wrote the screenplay. And the star is the unlikely Scrooge of 34-year-old Albert Finney, affecting a hunched walk and a croaking voice under considerable makeup and prosthetics to play the old miser.

In general the plot follows Dickens' book faithfully, but with a unique tone of wry and sometimes dark humor that sets it apart from other adaptations... yet which never crosses the line into parody or detracts from the serious themes. Marley's Ghost (Alec Guinness) has a particular sense of dry gallows humor about him, and the Ghost of Christmas Present (Kenneth More) trades his poetic speeches for a cheerful yet biting sarcastic wit. Bob and Mrs. Cratchit (David Collings and Frances Cuka) are a young couple in their early 30s instead of the usual middle-aged pair, Bob has a lively, playful personality in place of other versions' careworn meekness, and the mischievous humor of Scrooge's nephew, here renamed Harry (Michael Medwin), is likewise enhanced. On the more poignant side, the sequence with the Ghost of Christmas Past (portrayed as a stately elderly lady by Edith Evans) places special emphasis on young Scrooge's romance with his fiancée Isabel (Suzanne Neve) and the older Scrooge's sad pining for her. But most unique are the scenes with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (Paddy Stone), where Scrooge's poor debtors turn his funeral into a song-and-dance celebration, and where Scrooge plunges into his own grave and finds himself in a darkly comic version of hell. Little wonder that after he wakes up, Scrooge is so elated that he creates a grand musical finale in the London streets, dressing as Santa Claus to give toys to all of Camden Town's children and cancelling every debt that's owed him.

Albert Finney's attempt at performing old age is slightly cartoonish, but he still gives an engaging performance that captures Scrooge's wide range of emotions and transformative arc. The supporting cast of distinguished British names are equally strong, and Bricusse's songs – "A Christmas Carol," "Christmas Children," "I Hate People," "Father Christmas," "December the Twenty-Fifth," "Happiness," "You," "I Like Life," "The Beautiful Day," "Thank You Very Much" and "I'll Begin Again" – are full of charm.

In the realm of Christmas Carol musicals, this is a quirky one, but unforgettable, and it always brings a smile to my face.

@ariel-seagull-wings, @reds-revenge, @faintingheroine, @thealmightyemprex, @thatscarletflycatcher

[evegwood]

I see, thanks again! Honestly I'm just hankering to see some Pauli Tunes at some point if only because Something about her as a character eludes me in a way that leaves me very intrigued and fascinated, hohoh. I think the abstract nature of many song lyrics is a great way to Imply something through their use but accidentally spoiling something is always a risk, so I getcha! Have a good one, chief! o7

As a special treat here are a bunch of Paulina songs!!

Landscape (Demo) by Florence + the Machine [link]

Cause she's just like the weather Can't hold her together Borne from dark water Daughter of the rain and snow

Control by Halsey [link]

I'm bigger than my body I'm colder than this home I'm meaner than my demons I'm bigger than these bones

Monument by Röyksopp & Robyn [link]

This will be my monument This will be a beacon when I'm gone Soon when that moment comes, I can say I did it all with love

Baptism by Crystal Castles [link]

This is your baptism And you can't forgive 'em

Play With Fire by The Birthday Massacre [link]

And every night The red light Will burn like your eyes Our time is never Cause we'll live forever

Destroy Everything You Touch by Ladytron [link]

What you touch you don't feel Do not know what you steal Destroy everything you touch today Please destroy me this way

Lyndia by General Ghost [link]

They gathered sticks from the woods and started a fire Not a question of whether they should condemn the outsider Your superstition has made up its mind Tied to the stake is a clean sacrifice

You'll Find a Way (Switch & Sinden Remix) by Santigold [link]

Don't reach too far You will fall over Don't be surprised what you discover Don't fear your call Can't pull us under You better watch out, run for cover

Signal 30 by Public Service Broadcasting [link]

You're driving a little too fast and have a false sense of confidence Watch it

Guillotine by YADi [link]

I don't need blue blood running through my veins Because like a queen, like a queen I can make you say you love me

I Go Hard, I Go Home by The Presets [link]

Forget about the things you want Forget about your hopes and dreams Focus on the here and now Just think who we could have been

Choke by I DON'T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME [link]

Now shut your dirty mouth If I could burn this town I wouldn't hesitate To smile while you suffocate and die And that would be just fine

this is about half the playlist but i think the vibe comes across haha. enjoy!!