#they’re literally trying to save as many synths as possible

[yourpaceangel]

Synth children got me fucked up

[hatsukeii]

hello! could you possibly do a scenario where tsukki has a secret passion for dancing, n one of his favs genres to listen to is like 80's music ?? i prefer it to be like raining n dark, just you two. i want tsukki n the girl to be like rly good friends, but tuskki lowkey likes her jus a bit n the girl is like totes in love with him, but they dont rly know about each other, until they like kiss after the songs stops. wkhsjdbf idk if this is too much but i love your writing sm!! thank you. 🥺❤

Okay that’s super cute so don’t worry lool

80s and indie music are SUPERIOR NO ONE TELL ME OTHERWISE.

I was looking through my playlist bc I have 80s songs but then I realised IT’S ALL ROCK LMFAO SO I HAD TO STEAL SONGS FROM MY FRIENDS JAHAHAH

Like I can’t make them dance to ACDC or like Guns n’ Roses wtf are they gonna do air guitars?

But then I realised I literally have a song called we can get together sooo👀👀👀👀

And I genuinely love it so much SOOOO👀👀

Earphones// Tsukishima Kei x Reader

Word count: 2000+

Warnings: None lol I’m not even gonna warn for swearing anymore if it’s just swearing then none

Summary: You randomly discover Tsukishima’s knack for dancing.

You always saw him as a calm, or sly person. He was witty, mean, sarcastic, an asshole in every way possible. He was that one person that would call everyone out for looking stupid while dancing at a party, or the one that would remind couples on Valentine's day that it was to celebrate the death of a tortured and beheaded saint. He was pretty much the most no-bullshit person you’ve ever met. It was as if he simply didn’t understand the meaning of enjoyment, and thrived to seek out every opportunity to ruin it for others as well. He rarely went to social events, never showed up at parties, and you don’t think you’ve ever seen him smile genuinely. Ever. 

Yet tonight, you witnessed something you never thought would happen.

You see, every night, you would take a good old stroll around your neighbourhood. Tonight was no different, except it was pouring, the constant pitter patter of your umbrella clouding out any other sound that was coherent. Sometimes you might run into street vendors, other times you would get a bowl of ramen to fulfil your midnight hunger.

Walking along the street to your favourite convenience store, instead of an eerily empty park, what you saw was Tsukishima Kei, the one person you were somehow close to, sitting in a park, with no headphones on. What a shocker.

Ever since you gave him those iconic white headphones, he has never gone anywhere without them. It was as if those headphones were a staple of your friendship, or more so, how much he meant to you. Just saying, those things were expensive. Like eighteen thousand yen expensive. You knew how much Tsukishima enjoyed listening to music, especially whilst doing work. You saved up for months, just to scrape together enough money to get him a brand new pair of headphones to replace his broken ones that only worked in one ear and had shitty quality. You would never admit it, but something in your heart clenched at the sight of the absence of those headphones you spent so much on. Many might have thought you were just sensitive, but they didn’t understand. In fact, no one would understand how insanely in love you were with him. 

“Hey, beanstalk.”

The blond looked up from his phone, his legs crossed on the bench.

“Well, would you look who’s here. It’s the infamous shorty.”

You approached his hunched-over figure, taking a seat next to him on the bench. “So, why are you here? It’s pretty late already.” Shoving your earphones into your ear, you hastily scrolled through your playlist, trying to hold off the urge to ask where his headphones were. “Lost my umbrella while going home from practise, it’s raining cats and dogs, I’m not looking to get soaked while going home, so I’m waiting for the rain to stop. Thank God I brought an extra sweater, my uniform is all wet and gross.” Chuckling, you punched him playfully, muttering a quick “Idiot,” before picking a song. You were very low-key about your feelings towards him. God knows how he would react if you ever told him. He would probably ignore you for the rest of your high school lives. Even worse, he might make fun of you for being childish and emotional. Just the thought of it sent shivers up your spine and a dark feeling towards your chest. Shaking your head, you tried your best to drown yourself in the terrifyingly loud music that was blasting through your earphones. From next to you, Tsukishima could hear every single note that was playing from the internal speakers. He scooted closer to you, much to your embarrassment. You grabbed your phone, pretending to scroll through it when in reality, you were just trying to hide the burning blush that was now painted on your cheeks. He paid attention to every little sound that came out of those tiny little earbuds, as if trying to figure out what song you were listening to was a fun game. Noticing the sudden absence of music in your left ear, you heard a tiny, almost breathy chuckle, followed by a pull on the earphone jack. “Pulp, hm? Nice taste you got there.” your eyes widened in surprise, mouth curling up into a wide smile. “Ahhh, never thought the great Tsukishima Kei would know them.” The blond smirked, shoving the rubber tip into his ear. “What do you mean? I have a playlist dedicated to this kind of stuff. 80s music will forever be superior.” You rolled your eyes, not falling for his shit. “Nonono, no way. Hand it over, I need to see for myself. I’m convinced you’re listening to raptor mating calls on a daily basis.” The blond shrugged, dropping his phone onto your lap. “See for yourself.” Opening up his Spotify, you were bombarded with a huge selection of his playlists. “Right there shorty, that’s the one you’re looking for?” Pointing his nimble finger at a specific one that was labeled “Old Stuff,” you scrolled through every single song, not believing what you’re seeing. “Holy shit, and I thought you would be into indie or EDM or something like that. This is some new information that I have to process.” Snatching his phone back, he wiped the screen with his sweater, turning it off. “That’s enough snooping for today. Come back at snooping hours again.”

It was at that moment, did the song decide to change. 

“Yeah, no. We’re skipping this shit.” You acted sad, fake pouting and huffing out. “But Tsukishima! All Star is God’s work, you can’t just skip it! Here, I’ll sing it for you!” The blond tried to look at you in disgust, but the smile he was holding back was clear as day, biting his lip as he tried not to laugh at your silly antics. “Oh God (Y/N) please no-” 

Too late.

“SomeBODY ONCE TOLD ME THE WORRRLD WAS GONNA ROLL ME, I AIN’T THE SHARPEST TOOL IN THE SHEDDDD.”

“Absolutely not.” Laughing softly, Tsukishima managed to heave out.

Grabbing your phone and shoving it in front of your face, he unlocked it with ease, navigating his way through the five pages of otome games to find your Spotify. “Jesus Christ, never knew you were this desperate for a man.” The tips of his ears were red, one thought circling his mind. 

If she really wanted a boyfriend, would she pick him? 

Grabbing his arm, you begged for him to let you continue jamming to All Star. You were shaking him, trying to grab your phone, but nothing worked. “Nooo! Kei! Nooooo lemme listen to the Shrek sex anthem!” 

“No.” 

Scrolling through your usual playlist, his eyes landed on one particular song. “Hm? What’s this? You listen to Icehouse? Nice taste you got there.” Your grip on his arm loosened up as you looked up at him in shock. “You know them too! Yes! They’re very much adequate.” You stared in awe as the blond smiled from ear to ear, picking a song much to your dismay. “Yesss I love this song with my whole heart. My dinosaurs make way for this.” Hearing the similar synth, you instantly knew what he had picked. “Seriously? You like this song? It’s like cheesy as shit! This is so out of character for you oh my God Kei.” Tsukishima rolled his eyes, completely done with you. “It’s a good song, don’t come at me. Plus, if you think it’s so cheesy, then just delete it.” You frowned. You liked that it was cheesy. You always imagined someone singing it to you, most of the time this imaginary person being Tsukishima. “I like this song too, it’s fine.” The two of you sat in comfortable silence, your earphone jack being the only thing connecting you guys. The park felt weird. You felt weird. This whole situation was weirdly unreal. It was as if the two of you were stuck in a parallel universe, where you and Tsukishima were the only people that existed in that timeline. The silence was thick in the starry night sky, the streetlamps occasionally flickering as the song continued to play. Humming along to the addicting tune, you don’t even realise your body that’s starting to rock, arms swaying from side to side to the rhythm of the chorus. 

“We can get together,“

“Get up.”

A hand comes into your sight, willing for you to take it as you feel another tug on your earphones.

“What?”

“You wanna dance, don’t you?”

Never in a million years, would the thought of Tsukishima being able to dance even cross your mind.

 “What? It’s raining, I thought you said you didn’t wanna get soaked-”

“Just take my hand and dance with me.”

Hesitating a bit as you looked up at the blond, you raised a brow, grinning playfully as you let your hand fall into his, pulling yourself up and letting him take your other hand. You felt the cold droplets of water fall onto your skin and rolling off, the fabric of your shirt going damp.

“Just take one step forward,” he instructed, motioning for you to follow along with his dance moves. “Then take another step backwards. Everything else will come into place soon enough.” Lacing your fingers with his, the two of you danced in perfect sync, having the time of your lives. “I am learning so, so much about you right now and I’m all for it. Why’d you never tell me you could dance?” Tsukishima’s cheeks went a light pink, looking away bashfully. “It’s embarrassing.” Chuckling, you twirled yourself around, pulling on his arm as you forced his attention back onto you. “It’s not. I think it’s super cool. Do this with a girl and they’ll be head over heels for you in no time.” You mentally facepalmed yourself for saying that. His blush went from a light pink, to a dark red in no time, saturating his cheeks like paint. “Let’s test that theory out.” Mumbling to himself, he continued to guide you, twirling you around and hoisting you up at times.

“Baby we can get together, we can get together.”

The two of you were just jamming along now, not caring about your wet hair and soaked clothes. Tsukishima’s hair was now a damp mess, sticking to his forehead as he whipped his head from side to side, laughing as water droplets flew off his blond strands. Your hair was no better than his, (H/C) strands reflecting the light from the streetlamps as they hit your face with every sway of your head. The earphones were falling off at this point, but it didn’t matter. The two of you already memorised the entire song beforehand. All you wanted was to enjoy the short moment. Grabbing his wet hand again, you randomly started jumping to the beat, letting the blond follow along.

“Later sometime, you can buckle my shoes, you can pick up my sticks, why don't you open that door.”

You gasped in surprise as you felt a large hand spin you around one last time, before dipping you dangerously close to the floor, rainwater rolling off your face. The song came to an end with its final guitar chord, the reverb still ringing in the background. “So, what’d you think?” Tsukishima leaned down, his face dangerously close to yours. Feeling a Cheshire grin form on your face as your tried to raise your head up, you gave his nose a boop with your own, before falling back onto his hand. “That was amazing.” Giving you a cheeky grin, you could feel his breath on your face as he sighed contentedly. His breath smelled like mints, you couldn’t help but wonder how lips would taste too. “You good now, or do you wanna go home? I think the rain just stopped.

Still in that intimate position, you decided to finally ask him.

“Where are the headphones?”

“I didn’t want to get them wet, they’re too important to me. They’re in my bag.”

And that’s when your body decided to act on its own.

Your mind couldn’t even register what you were doing as you pressed a long, soft kiss on Tsukishima’s lips, feeling the heat radiating off of him.

“Now I’m good. Wanna go home?”

“Did you just-”

“Yes.”

Pushing you back up to a comfortable position, he stared at you for another ten seconds, face burning crimson as his mouth opened and shut repeatedly, trying to process what you just did. Finally snapping out of his thoughts, he awkwardly leaned towards you, before pulling himself back. After doing that a few times over, you were properly confused. Grabbing your shoulders, he pressed a firm kiss to your forehead, before grabbing his bag from the bench he was sitting on, pulling his headphones out and hanging them on his neck, handing you the earphones.

“Wanna do this again tomorrow shorty?”

“11pm sharp, don’t be late, and I expect another kiss.”

“Whatever you say cutie.”

Tags:

@tiger1719 @burnt-tomato @thirstyvolleyballhoe @agentvicinity @izzyphantomgamer @sunshines-and-tatertots @sakusasgarbage @trashcanweeb @kaylacinderella @talks-a-lot-of-stuff @random-fandomlover @bokutokoutarou @for-ests @mariechan123 @justachillgirl @ewfilthymundane @just-another-bored-writer @inlwlevi @tiredgr3mlin @itmekisuu

I’m gonna check over the tags again tmr so feel free to dm or comment if I missed you or if you wanna be in the taglist

Eyyyy this isn’t that great but I hope you like it and feel free to give me feedback both good and bad lol love you guys I’m going to sleep now baiiii

[felixnation]

THE TOP 10 WORST KPOP SONGS OF 2020

(WARNING: I DON’T LIKE THESE SONGS AND WILL BE MEAN AT THEM. I DO NOT HAVE ANY PERSONAL BEEF WITH ANY OF THESE GROUPS OR ARTISTS SO DON’T COME FOR ME IF YOUR FAVE MADE A STINKER TRACK THIS YEAR.)

Ah, 2020. The year where disco came back, the 80s came back, and everyone was titling their songs after nonsense words. It was a good year for k-pop overall, with a lot of new trends entering the game towards the end of summer. However, there were some real clunkers that refused to get out of my head this quarantine and pissed me off to varying degrees each time I heard them. This list is an attempt to chronicle all of those.

So without further ado, let’s get this shit done.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

NCT 127 - PUNCH This isn't actually a bad song, hence it only making it to the honorable mentions section. In fact, I think this could've easily made the best list had it not been for one thing, and that's the presence of NCT 127, namely their rap line. The instrumental on this thing is absolutely killer and one of the best productions to come out of SM in a long time. The entire thing is bizarrely structured and incredibly gutsy, and therefore I think it's a travesty that an instrumental this incredible was drowned in ASMR-esque whispers and EYYYY WE BALLINs. There are a few salvageable sections, namely the first post-chorus, and we see glimmers of NCT 127's true potential, should they choose to explore this sound further.

CIGNATURE - NUN NU NAN NA Similar to Punch, I admire the production choices here - there are a few sections that blast you with 100gecs-esque womps, and that's always something I enjoy. The vast majority of the song rarely dips below decent territory, but since the entire thing hinges on the titular hook, it ends up falling apart right when it needs to bring the hype the most. I mean, building a hook around those notes was...an interesting choice, I guess. It reminds me a lot of fromis_9's FUN!, which also constructed the entire song around a terrible set of notes. Listen to them yell that hook at you and tell me it doesn't sound off. Most frustrating song of 2020.

ONG SEONG WU - GRAVITY Have you ever heard a drop this weak? I sure haven't. I hate the way he says DIVING INTO YOUR LOVE, the over-enunciation kills me and there's one syllable too many. Also, thanks Ong Seong Wu for giving CRAVITY the promo they deserve.

BTS - FLY TO MY ROOM I can't relax while listening to this, the beat is so sparse and has this nauseous sway to it that really makes me feel like I'm reliving these past 9 months of quarantine all over again. And just like quarantine, it really feels like this goddamn thing never ends. That final set of choruses is really a chore to get through, and I'm not the only one who thinks so - shout out to Taehyung for serving taste and I'm sorry Jimin convinced you to sing out of your natural range yet again.

TREASURE - MMM Ew.

I*ZONE - FIESTA It's a pretty standard girl group song up until that chorus hits and oh my god, who on earth produced this? Are they actively trying to trigger my psychosis? There are so many sounds happening that it feels like three or four demo tracks laid on top of each other, it makes me confused even trying to figure out what's going on here. And that post-chorus drop is horrendous, it's like the instrumental is literally screaming into my ear STREAM BLOOM*IZ!!! STREAM BLOOM*IZ YOU DUMB CUCK!!! YOU LOVE IT!!!

NOW FOR THE REAL LIST.

#10: TAEYEON - HAPPY

I do not like this. Taeyeon has one of the most powerful voices in the industry and instead of putting it to good use, she decided to put out the musical equivalent of eating a stick of butter. Bland, horrible texture, seems to go on forever and ever, you know you shouldn't be consuming it and you don't know why you're doing this to yourself, etc.

The MV contributed to my dislike, with Taeyeon whitewashed all the way into uncanny valley as she lounges around her beautiful apartment. Well of course you'd be happy if you lived in a place like that, I know I would. The sad thing is that there's some really nice vocal work here and there, but for the majority of the song, Taeyeon decides to serenade us in the most nasal tone that she can muster. I know she can sing better than this, and I'm disappointed in her for creating this and unleashing it on the world.

#9: WEKI MEKI - OOPSY

Whereas Picky Picky was annoying in the best way possible, Oopsy is annoying in the worst way possible. The instrumental legitimately sounds cheap, the drums sound so tinny and artificial that it's hard on the ears. Not to mention the hook, wherein the girls force their voices as high as they can go as they proclaim OOPSY! 

I'm a huge fan of cute concepts, but when it comes to putting out a high-energy sugary track like this, you're walking a fine line between adorable and irritating. Weki Meki didn't even try to walk the line, they just dove headfirst into irritating territory without a care in the world. It literally feels like the audio equivalent of having to hold a whiny toddler and then it pisses itself and the mom is just cooing about how her little darling made an oopsy.

#8: VICTON - MAYDAY

It feels like for most of the year, the vast majority of boy groups were stuck in a rut, knee-deep in sludgy EDM and leather harnesses. You know the songs I'm talking about, and I could've put any one of them here, but I chose this one purely because that chorus makes me feel like I have a concussion. I don't like this song nor the trend it's representative of - I spent most of quarantine having the same dark BG concepts thrown at me over and over and I'm glad things are starting to take a bit of a turn.

The bridge on this is actually pretty great, and the guys in VICTON do know how to sing, as can be seen in the final post-chorus. But man, there's just nothing fresh being brought to the table here, just the same stale trends in their worst form yet. The hook is so slow and drowsy, the same few notes just repeated over and over. I have not seen the MV because I feel like I can picture it well enough in my head just by listening. Are there harnesses? Don't forget those, boys.

#7: MCND - SPRING

Only Pentagon are allowed to do these concepts.

#6: HYO, LOOPY, SOYEON - DESSERT

This is genuinely unlistenable as soon as the drop hits, with a vocal stitching job that might be a horn synth, I'm not sure. That's how annoying it is. The producer is clearly incompetent and the performers are oozing with personality, though not the pleasant sort. The hook is  bratty and the raps here are beyond generic. After the halfway point, there are a couple interesting sounds thrown into the mix, but it's not enough to save things.   

Soyeon in particular sounds awful here, with her iconic nasally tone morphing into something genuinely irritating and borderline spiteful. Age up the toddler from the Oopsy comparison to around 7 or 8 and that's basically what you've got here. All I can hope is that this song is not influential in any way, shape or form, because I just had a vision of Blackpink imitating this production style and I felt a shiver run down my spine.

#5: SECRET NUMBER - WHO DIS?

I'm not sure how many Secret Number fans are out there, but I'm about to make all of em real mad at me right about now. However, it must be said.

This is basically Your Turn by Kaachi again.

I don't think I need to explain that hot take, just listen to the song. It's surprisingly amateurish, to the point where I feel like the vocals aren't in sync and they just used the first take they got from each girl. The raps in particular are awful, and I swear they even sound like they go off-key a couple of times. How this blew up in any aspect is bizarre to me. Anyways, stream Photo Magic and stan Kaachi.

#4: BAEKHYUN - CANDY

Did you want a k-pop version of Yummy by Justin Bieber? No? Well, Baekhyun decided to make it anyways! At least Yummy was sort of funny in how bad it is, this is just...a somber affair. Inexplicably, he manages to oversing the final third of the song, which I don't get the point of, but okay. Lazy, underproduced and overproduced at the same time, bland, boring, annoying...

Wait, did he just say...

Okay, I changed my mind, this is hysterical. Like Pop rocks, strawberry, bubble gum...

#3: (G)-IDLE - DUMDI DUMDI

I'm so sick of this group's 'ethnic' schtick, it's like they never learn. They just don't give a fuck - after a string of genuinely great tracks like Hann, Lion, and Oh My God, they just decide to put out this shit and expect me to listen to it? They're a group with a lot of potential, with some brilliant vocalists and the talent that is Soyeon (who really loves being on this list, apparently) but if they continue down the path of using different cultures as concepts I can't support them any further.

The song itself has salvageable parts, a recurring theme on this list, but the over-the-top tribal influences are so obvious and tropey that even listening to it feels gross. (G)-Idle have more creative control than most groups, and the fact that they're capable of creating works of art like Lion is what makes me harsh on them. Instead of moving forward, they continue to regress into their comfort zone of cultural appropriation.

#2 YOOA - BON VOYAGE

Speaking of cultural appropriation...are we gonna address this? Nah? Okay.

Oh My Girl, YooA's parent group, has a history of blatant cultural appropriation (and arguably some legit racist moments depending on how you look at it) and they seem like they're not changing anytime soon. That's why this particular song stings even more than it probably should. If you thought Dumdi Dumdi's tribal influences were a little too on the nose, take a listen to this chorus.

YooA has a bad voice, is wearing tribal face paint, and is running around the wilderness whitewashed into oblivion while a choir of nameless voices chant vaguely tribal things behind her. Even in an industry like k-pop, this sticks out as something in bafflingly poor taste, and I can't see how she got away with this in 2020.

#1 BLACKPINK & SELENA GOMEZ - ICE CREAM

Well, this is a predictable pick. 

I don't know why or how Blackpink thought they could get away with drip-feeding blinks content for 4 goddamn years in the lead-up to their first album, only to drop this big fat clunker on them. I honestly felt insulted by the song, from its cheap, tinny production to the god-awful lyrics. I don't know how anyone could find any value in a piece of music this soulless and hollow.

Lisa's raps are by far the worst part of it, with FIRE BARS such as "you're the one been chosen, play the part like moses" and "mona lisa kinda lisa". Unfortunately, these raps take up a good portion of the song, and there's nothing going on in the instrumental to distract you from them, save for that little ice cream truck jingle. (or at least I think that's what the producer was going for)

Selena is a non-presence and essentially blends in with the girls, who WAIL that awful hook like their lives depend on it. Also, there's some really cheesy innuendos here that're sung with all the sex appeal of the actual ice cream truck driver from literally your neighborhood. 

I loathe what this song represents - the only good thing about it is that the girls look stunning in the MV. And that's exactly the thing - this song represents the exact moment in time wherein Blackpink admitted to their audience that music is no longer their main focus. This is the peak of their influencer-ization, and only time will tell if they'll redeem themselves. (Spoiler: They sort of did, goddammit.)

[bluesunsdusk]

Answer the following so people know how ships work on your blog!

Fair warning that I may come off as harsh in some answers, which isn’t my intention. People can rp however they like and I don’t have to vibe with it. Do whatever the fuck you want, as long as you don’t expect me to do it.

WHAT’S YOUR OTP FOR YOUR MUSE?:

See, that question is hard, because I have well over twenty muses. That, and I don’t see things as OTPs, much like I don’t have best friends. They’re all valid. Though, I suppose Telendil and @ofheroesandstories‘ Jackson are an OTP, or at least as close as I’d get to calling something an OTP. It’s an ancient ship.

HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE?:

It really depends on the characters. I have muses well over a thousand years old. Sometimes, I don't really think about age with them, as long as everyone is over 20 years old. Preferably, I'd have people less than 15 years apart in age, but people can make their own decisions once they hit 25 or something. Even so, there are muses of mine with whom I would be uncomfortable if people tried to get them in a ship with people below a certain age. Sigma, for example, won't want to date anyone below 31. Anyone in their twenties trying to get in his pants is uncomfortable, because he's not into it at all.

At any rate, I let fully adult characters decide for themselves what they are interested in and won’t police anyone on what the maximum age of the characters they can be into should be. Even so, over 20 is the age another muse should be at which most of my muses may be okay with dating them. I prefer not to ship with any muse below that age, seeing as most of my muses are over the 25. My youngest is 23, not counting synths. 

Anyway, again, it’s largely up to which character one is trying to ship with. Sanguine, for example, doesn’t really care how only a mortal is and he is ancient. Logan feels awkward with anyone too close in age to his sister, which is 18, so anyone who is 20 is already kind of weird. 23 is fine though. That’s a 9 year age gap. Aidan prefers people in their thirties, but would only be uncomfortable if a guy below 23 or a guy above 57 or something tried to get with him. The upward scale is larger than the downward scale. Sigma's age gap acceptance is about 30 years, in either direction, but he would prefer people closer to his age. Telendil prefers people of about 40 (or the elven equivalent thereof). Sometimes, he’s fine with people in their twenties (or the elven equivalent thereof), but he doesn’t expect it to last, in all honesty. 

I know some people are super strict about age gaps, and I think that’s really silly, because there is no golden standard and I have seen people go as far as to say any age gap over the ten years is bad. A 40 year old can choose to date a 52 year old. They are grown ass adults. 

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING?:

I ship chemistry, so that's really all that is required, and that means we need interactions. If some talking ooc or in character interactions are too selective for people, I really don't know what to tell them. People who come up to me and try to push a ship too soon just need to accept that I will go at it platonically before anything else. Luckily, most do, and understand that it possibly won’t change. If you want to go on about how hot your muse think one of mine is, at least establish with me first if I’m open to the possibility. 

In short: If your character is hot for Sigma but I state there is no way he will reciprocate, do not come into my IMs to say how sexy he is to your muse. He is 62. Let him rest. It’s fucking weird. Let me rest, too. 

HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY’RE CONSIDERED NS/FW?:

In the old TES community, some would say once the clothes come off, but you don't need to take off clothes to be nsfw. It depends on the context. This isn’t a question I can answer as simply as some may believe. If people start talking about arousal, I guess, in cases where that may be relevant. If it’s not brought up, when people begin to undress or feel each other up? I dunno. I generally don’t write smut, so... 

Oh, also sexual questions. Sexual questions through asks are always listed as nsfw. I know this question is about in character interactions, but still.

WHO ARE OTHER MUSES YOU SHIP YOUR MUSE WITH?:

Again, I have over 40 muses and I don't really ship much that doesn't involve my ocs outside rp. Well, save for Jyggalag and Magnus, since those are both canon muses. I usually have ships between my muses. They aren’t regarded as canon to the blog in rp interactions, safe for Maoren and Rahn, who are always mates and are only available for poly ships. They can be regarded as canon in certain situations, but that is dependent on the mun I am writing with. I suppose, I ship Telendil platonically with Boone in his Fallout NV verse, too.

ANY NOTPS?:

Does Molag Bal and anybody count? He just shouldn’t be shipped with anybody, really. I don’t make the rules. The entire TES community agrees. I don’t think I have many NOTPs. I can’t name any from the top of my head. Most ships depend on execution.

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU?:

By literally going "Hey, can we ship?" Even if our muses have been getting close and we've been screaming about it? No. Outside of that? Yeah, you probably should ask before trying to ship. Confirmation is needed either way, but one can be through just saying the muse has feelings and then we yell about it, and the other has to be actually pitched and discussed.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU LIKE TO SHIP?:

Depends. Romantically, I prefer to ship with muses of specific muns over others. I can’t like ships without enough interactions preceding it.

ARE YOU MULTISHIP?:

Yes.

ARE YOU SHIP-OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS?:

I suppose more-or-less. I tend to get invested in platonic and familial things a lot faster than romantic things. I also prefer not to interact with people who seem ship obsessed when it comes to romance. When someone is too invested in collecting ships, it makes it seem like there is no chance for me to interact outside of ships, and I rather like interacting outside of ships.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SHIP IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM?:

Anahardt. Also, Fennorian and my ESO character finally deciding to do the quest and not making him chase after them and their horse several miles.

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU?:

Just interact between the right muses. Ships that are pre-planned tend to not last with me, tbh. I don’t like when there is a pressure to eventually ship something, and I rather our muses be friends before shipping happens. A ship happening before interaction is something reserved for people I actually talk to ooc and have known enough to call friends and talk in depth about things with in a fun way. (Like Samson, who had a ship before even being on the blog because I talked about what I wanted to do for his character with a bro while working on his bio and stuff...)

Tagged By: I stole it

[dyedmaxiian]

Here’s the thing about Jamie when it comes to morality. He tries to hold himself to a high moral standard, and in MANY instances he does uphold good morals. But there are ALWAYS circumstances that dredge up a darker side of who he is as a person. The unfortunate truth as well is that Jamie has a realist view of the Commonwealth save for a few instances.

As a whole he believes the Commonwealth can be brought back together and helped, and that’s part of why he supports the Minutemen as opposed to the Railroad. To him the Railroad has disregarded the fact that there are innocent people as well as synths who are caught in the crossfire of this all out brawl between the Institute, Railroad, and Brotherhood of Steel. So while he support the idea of Synth liberation from Institute control as it stands with THE FATHER, he doesn’t love that they don’t actually try to help anyone else.

But that’s a broad spectrum, there are instances where Jamie almost comes off as being completely devoid of empathy or morality when it comes to certain subject. The two biggest ones being

RAIDERS & ELDER MAXSON.

They are for different reasons of course because of his service to the Brotherhood of Steel coupled with his personal experiences under Maxson’s authority, however his demeanor is ultimately very similar.

In the case of Raiders, they’re not really PEOPLE to him anymore. To Jamie, raiders are basically ‘animals’ or the irradiated creatures of the Commonwealth. They lack that higher thinking, so they act on instinct which means that you HAVE to kill them or they’ll keep coming back ( insert ironic joke about roaches n the fact that radroaches exist ). It’s not that he CAN’T humanize raiders, but by default he doesn’t see them that way. In his mind they forfeit their humanity when they decided that basically doing whatever they pleased without restraint was the best course of action. And yes, that extends to Nuka World. So whenever Jamie encounters Raiders, there really isn’t any hesitation when it comes to simply KILLING RAIDERS. He’s not fussed about how they feel, or whether they intend on running away or not because they’re basically an infestation that needs to be dealt with in his mind.

The Nuka World Raiders ARE a little bit different, but only marginally. They’re obviously not just ROACHES in his mind because they’re more organized and they’re, for the most part, less like your typical raider, but ultimately Jamie still considers them an infestation and finds that letting ANY of them live is basically prolonging their inevitable desire for more. And that the only true way to ensure that the Nuka World Raiders DO NOT continue pushing into the Commonwealth is to snuff them out permanently.

The difference here between the Raiders and Maxson ( which I’ll get to in a minute ), is that Raiders who exhibit traits of morality, in his mind are then suddenly NOT roaches, but instead people who are perhaps misguided in their endeavors and could be steered in the right direction. And the flip is so swift because all it takes is ONE show of a sense of humanity that most raiders lack for Jamie to want to try and get them on a path that sees them NO LONGER being a raider. 

Unfortunately, the courtesy of humanizing is never extended to Maxson. Jamie’s entire mental model with Maxson is that basically Maxson is beyond saving. He’s so radical and lost in his lust to eradicate the synths and take the Commonwealth for Brotherhood control that there is no reasoning with him. And in Jamie’s mind especially, killing Maxson isn’t just about removing a tyrant from power, but about personal vindication. Jamie spent a great deal of time having to not only submit to the orders of a teenager / young adult, but one who effectively abused EVERYONE in the Brotherhood. Not to mention Maxson took the only thing about the post-war that Jamie could rely on and soured it into something Jamie is now so horribly ashamed of that he keeps the fact that he was ever part of them to himself.

For Maxson, in Jamie’s eyes, there is NO humanizing him. There is no making him redeemable. None of that. There is literally, Maxson dies and the problem is solved and he has his vengeance, or Maxson lives and the potential for everyone to suffer at his hands never truly goes away. Maxson is SUCH a hot button issue for Jamie that he’s literally blinded by his disdain for him to the point of irrationality, which really doesn’t tend to happen to Jamie often. He can usually separate things in a manner that makes it possible for him to see past the worst thing someone’s done ( under MOST circumstances ) but with Maxson, being related / tied to him at all effectively guarantees that Jamie will never be able to see past it.

[radioactivereactions]

What are the companions' vices? And how does Lone/Six/Sole help them deal with these issues?

I hope I got it right when you said ‘Vices’ I sort of grouped it to be ‘Immoral/Irrational behaviour’ I hope that’s okay saksjal

Side note; I literally can only draw mind-blanks for Mac and Nick currently but i really wanted to post this, I promise I will add them soon when I think of something that would be considered a vice for them. Please don't  hate me fhsufgyu

Fallout 4 

Cait

Her upbringing has led her to believe people are only nice to her because they want her body, she shows this by asking Sole if they ‘like the view’ whenever they’re behind her regardless if they were even looking at her or not, and constantly making sexual advances in unnecessary times. Sole helps her in getting out of this sort of mentality by showing more interest in her as a person and complimenting her actions over her appearance almost all of the time. Its subtle but impactful.

Curie

Shes too eager to help everyone she can. This is helpful when someone has a severe injury, but even if its something as simple as a papercut or cough she will make Sole stop in order for her to treat them. This can be very time consuming and unnecessary, especially when they are travelling somewhere important. Sole simply voiced their concerns and she listened, promising she will cut down on aiding every single person they come across.

Danse

(This is Post Blind Betrayal) He compares himself to ‘regular’ people and believes he’s less of a man because of him being a synth. He always asks if there is any way he could better himself in Soles eyes and it brings him down quite a bit. Sole always comforts him by expressing how much he means to them, all with a big hug and kiss to seal the deal.

Deacon

He hides his true emotions behind white lies and jokes. Its developed a sense of mistrust to the people around him and has severed many relationships in the past. Sole tries to help him with this by being around him as much as possible, whether it be travelling or just relaxing and laying around, trying to build as much trust between the two in hopes he won’t have to hide what he’s thinking towards them anymore.

Hancock

He believes the only way he can relieve stress is by taking chems. And everyone knows it’s near impossible to start an addiction unless you get the right medication and professional help. However you can suppress it, and Sole does just that. They distract him by teaching him how to pen twirl, which he then turns into knife twirling. They also teach him how to whistle and when things get too much they both whistle whatever tune is on the radio.

Piper

She jumps to conclusions a lot and has gotten into many dangerous situations because of it, especially when it comes to synth allegations. Though while Sole can’t stop her from jumping to them, they make her refrain from confronting them until she has gathered enough solid evidence to use against them, and tries to reason things out with her as much as they can.

Preston

He puts the needs of everyone else before his own. It gets to such an extreme point that he has passed out from over-exhaustion, lack of sleep, lack of fluid and just overstress. Sole forces him to take at least an hours break each day to refresh himself, and will literally carry him to bed of he isn’t in it by 11.

X6-88

He’s unable to understand the morality of basically every situation. Sole knows fully that he is unable to and tries to understand that, but they try to explain how they see the situation when the time calls for it. 

Fallout New Vegas

Arcade

He’s a  bit of a hypochondriac. He constantly panics over the smallest symptom, trying to justify a cough being the start of something like throat cancer or a lung infection. This also relates as to why he hates the sun, it feeds his paranoia on the chance he could get some form of cancer from staying in it for too long. Six tries to appease his fear by explaining the unlikelihood of anything he conjures up and giving more rational answers which is very unlike their usual relationship. It doesn’t help much but Arcade does appreciate it.

Boone

He’s afraid of showing too much emotion and tries to hide himself away emotionally as much as possible in fear something bad may happen as a result. The last time he was openly happy was with Carla and the nagging feeling that if he shows that much emotion another similar tragedy may happen to Six or other people around him. Six helps him show these emotions by having a lot of private time with him, simply laying around inside hidden away from anyone who could see them. The isolation allows him to open up more to Six, both physically and mentally.

Raul

He underestimates himself a lot and generally is pessimistic about anything he does. Whenever Six asks him to do something or for his opinion its almost always going to be replied with “Not sure why you want my opinion” or “I think you’re better off asking someone else to do this but if you want to I guess”. Its small, but has caused him to be very hesitant on his abilities apart from repairing. Six helps this by constantly complimenting him, and doing small things like asking him to open a can of food or reach something on a high shelf and thanking him enthusiastically like he saved their life. As silly as it sounds, it helps.

Veronica

She can be too ambitious and hopeful for things and stubborn to what she believes even if she’s proved wrong. She’s naive to the possibility of things going wrong and when she has to face the hard truth she takes it to heart which really damages her mental health and own wellbeing. Six can’t do much apart from being there for her when she accepts her wrong thinking, that and making sure she is at least aware of the possibility of things not going as planned when she determined for something.

Fallout 3

Butch

His own self-confidence has developed into a god complex. He tends to rush into situations literally and metaphorically thinking he’s king and able to take on anything. This has led to severe injuries to both him and Lone, but he still allows his pride to take hold of him.  Lone makes him promise not to do it, but when they sense he’s about to do something stupid they link a finger with his own, as sort of an anchor and reminder that they are there.

Charon

He’s untrusting of everyone and everything that isn’t Lone. Hed glare at every wastelander or creature or robot that comes up to them, sizing them up and even growling at times if he really doesn’t like them. Like a dog. Lone tends to help him soften up more by having some form of contact with the person or creature to sort of proving that it won’t hurt them. Whether this is by hugging wastelanders or petting dogs, it helps him calm down ever so slightly.

Clover

She is very clingy and has to put down other people, especially women, to make her feel better about herself. This is primarily out of fear that Lone may replace her with someone else, but also because of the way Eulogy had brainwashed her to think that she was easily replaceable and worthless. Lone helps her with this by holding her hand or giving her some form of contact whenever they can.

Jericho

Way too demanding, and always looking to extort everything he can out of any situation. This can be by demanding for more caps when taking a job or by threatening everyone they come across to get out of his way, or simply barging into them and pushing them away. Lone can’t talk sense into him, the most they can do that gets his attention is by stepping on his foot or elbowing his side.

[comickergirl]

Alright. Let’s give this a shot.

SPOILER-Y DISCUSSION OF CAPTAIN MARVEL, INCOMING:

I figure the best way to do this is chronological; my prior attempts have not been chronological, which might account for their feeling a little...all over the place and unorganized.

This will also be a good test to see how much of the film I remember.

RIGHT THEN: First and foremost, (and we gleaned this from the trailers, obviously) MEMORY-LOSS PLOT. Which is Classic Carol™. She’s lost her memory like. Four times.

(her poor brain D:)

All of this to say: The premise of the movie, a kind of reverse origin story in which Carol figures out who she is, in a very literal but also figurative sense, was a great way to go, IMO.

Love all the moments from Carol’s past. I was admittedly surprised that we didn’t get more of that? But what was there was effective and given the amount of ground the movie had to cover, I think it was sufficient.

So after the dreams** we get the early morning fight with Yon-Rogg (who I was absolutely certain was Yon-Rogg, in spite of all the back and forth speculation and Marvel attempting to ‘hide’ his identity) and there’s exposition, obviously, and the set up of Carol’s struggle with Yon-Rogg’s forced Kree values clashing with Carol’s humanity but MORE importantly...

PHOTON BLASTS.

Love the way they render the energy pulsing just below the surface of her skin. Looks so cool. 

Then: Chit Chat Time with The Great Intelligence!

I thought for sure it was gonna be Helen Cobb.

BOY WAS I MISTAKEN. (More on that in a sec.)

Favorite Visual #1: The slow pan of Starforce and the excellent shot of Carol’s helmet as they swim to shore on Torfa.

The whole rescue mission sequence/Carol’s kidnapping is...Truly a Highlight, in my opinion.

I mean!

She’s running around the enemy ship! Without her boots! Pummeling the Skrulls with unwieldy metal shackles! And growling in their faces!

#BOSSOFSPACE

Also, comic connection alert: Carol was kidnapped and experimented on by the Brood, which resulted in her stint as Binary.

So, back to the movie:

Talos man.

TALOS.

We’ll get to him later.

Okay what month of 1995 does Captain Marvel take place in? Because I was honestly offended that no one, and I mean NO ONE made a Buzz Lightyear joke re: Carol’s outfit and being a member of STARCOMMANDFORCE who checks her wrist communicator to try and make contact.

(Toy Story came out in November so if this takes place in the summer I GUESS I will let it slide.)

But otherwise dug all of the 90s references.

The little Gameboy sound when she calls Yon-Rogg!

(Also, train chase was great but I’m trying to save time though I do feel inclined to mention Kelly Sue DeConnick! Bringing some quality side eye! Very nice.)

Young Fury + Carol = excellent buddy cop combo, 14/10 would take an entire spinoff of their wacky 90s road trip adventures.

‘You look like someone’s disaffected niece’ might be favorite line in the film.

Let’s pause for a moment and appreciate the score, shall we? Pinar Toprak CRUSHES IT; the Captain Marvel theme feels like something out of The Rocketeer but with about 400% more sci-fi synth and I LOVE IT.

**Love the piece of score played when Carol wakes up. (Appropriately titled “Waking Up” I think, on the soundtrack.)

I also like the songs they picked for the movie? This is probably the complaint I’ve seen most often, that they feel obvious and easy, but. I dunno. I was never expecting something like Guardians of the Galaxy? So I wasn’t mad about it. 

(In related news, I’ve been listening to “Connection” on repeat ever since the special look trailer dropped.) 

Anyways.

GOOSE.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSE.

MY GOOD FLERKEN GIRL.

(So, yes, breezing past the bar interrogation--though I do like the ghostly images of Carol’s past that crop up--as well as the trip to Pegasus, again in the interest of time.)

(WAIT. NO. THE TAPE JOKE.)

(Okay for real. Moving on.)

So then. THEN.

The Rambeaus. And the feelings.

Unpopular(?) opinion: I love that this big budget action movie focuses on female friendships and platonic relationships instead of romance THERE I SAID IT

ALSO LIEUTENANT TROUBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I spelled Lieutenant right on the first try. Just sayin’.

But in all seriousness, I love the time we spend in Louisiana. We get a lot of good stuff. Carol getting answers from Maria, Talos arriving with his soda (milkshake?) The standoff with Goose.

(Oh, and how could I forget Maria bidding farewell to the neighbor, shutting the front door as Carol continues to glower???)

‘What’s happening?’ ‘It’s loading.’ XD

Favorite Visual #2 (Chronologically, but actually the one I like best in the movie) The Pysche-Magnitron Light Speed Engine explosion.

(Thank you, Marvel, for changing it to ‘light speed engine,’ which is much easier to spell than Psyche-Magnitron)

But yeah, that was the visual that sold me, in the earliest trailer. I wish I had some profound reason for that, but the truth is I just love blue-glow-y stuff.

BUT ALSO

(And, okay, an additional spoiler- warning because this is a big one. Like. Big.)

...................................................................

...................................................................

...................................................................

Seriously, go away if you haven’t seen the movie yet.

................................................................................................................................

MAR-VELL iS A WOMAN

LIKE THIS WHOLE TIME. EVERYONE WAS SO FOCUSED ON JUDE LAW. And then there was that blip, right before the release, when Annette Bening revealed she was the Great Intelligence, again after months of secrecy so we were all like, HA we know the TWIST.

BUT NO. NO WE DID NOT.

Well played, Marvel. Well played.

This was something I was thinking about before the film came out; I just kind of assumed, because of the lack of an apparent ‘Mar-Vell,’ that Carol would be the first and only Captain Marvel in the MCU. And she basically is, b/c we have no indication that Dr. Larson was moonlighting as a superhero, but regardless this is SO COOL. SUCH A GOOD TWIST.

(A quick Google search on how many ‘L’s are in Mar-Vell led to a serendipitous discovery: an article on the gender swap decision, and apparently it came very late in the game. Like. ‘Already looking at guys to play Mar-Vell’ late in the game. *insert themoreyouknow.gif here*) 

Right, okay, back to Feelings:

When Carol’s like: You don’t know who I am! I don’t know who I am!

I was. Emotional.

(Brie Larson is perfectly cast and does a wonderful job.)

Maria’s pep talk? Also caused emotions.

And Maria got to come on the mission! I was pleasantly surprised, and really glad that the visit there wasn’t like. Just a pit stop, you know?

RIP Science Guy, we hardly knew ye.

Again, jumping ahead, but may I just say: It was truly an Experience, watching this movie with folks who had no idea what a ‘Flerken’ was.

Both my friends at the first screening I attended, and then like. Half the theater at the second one. XD

The whole row was like: WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT when the tentacles came out.  

So yeah, Talos and the 180 on the REAL villains: Nice. The enduring complaint leveled at the MCU is a lack of compelling villains. (I guess Talos technically doesn’t count as a villain by the end of this, but. We’re going with it.) And Carol’s commitment to helping the Skrull refugees lifts plot elements from my favorite portion of the DeConnick run, so. YEP. LOVED IT.

(I was also trying to determine if Talos’ daughter was perhaps meant to be like. a Tic expy. Did it say ‘Tic’ on the pinball machine? Or ‘Tig’? Or something else entirely?)

Loved the...mind prison? sequence. All of it. “Come as You Are,” the Great Intelligence rockin’ out in the jacket, Carol’s Big Damn Hero moment. Brilliant. Spectacular. Amazing.

“My name is Carol.” 

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSS

(Or does she say her full name? I can’t remember.)

And then the subsequent fight scene where Carol’s like. Simultaneously kicking butt but also enjoying all this newfound power/strength? A+++++

Favorite Visual #3: Carol sitting on the railing with the lunchbox.

Sad to see Minn-Erva go, but. Was so cool that Maria gets her own hero moment.

And then this big ol’ fight scene where Carol DESTROYS SPACESHIPS WITH HER BARE HANDS. 

Favorite Visual #4: Carol going Binary in the red, blue, and yellow suit with the helmet FLYING THROUGH SPACE, LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT.

All of the visuals from this portion are so on point it’s like they’re pulled straight from the comics.

Favorite Visual #5: When Carol’s staring down Ronan and she like. Does that thing, where you hit your palm with your fist? (IDK the technical term there) And there’s this awesome energy burst and AGAIN, BLUE GLOW-Y THINGS. I love.

I’m pretty sure there’s an interview where Brie Larson talked about watching Indiana Jones? And wanting to be the female equivalent of that.

WELL, that’s the movie I immediately thought of when Carol blasted Yon-Rogg into a boulder, mid-goading.

(Y’know, like the scene in Raiders where Harrison Ford was too sick/tired to do the fight choreography, so he just. Shot the bad guy.)

ALSO, when she drags his sorry butt across the desert? I was IMMEDIATELY reminded of Kara dragging Astra into the DEO.

DANVERS GIIIIRRRRRRRRRRLLLLLS

*ahem*

THE FAMILY DINNER AT THE END?????

LITERAL FOUND FAMILY OF ALIENS AND SOLDIERS AND SUPERHEROES JUST. HAVING DINNER. PLAYING UNO. WASHING DISHES AND SINGING "PLEASE MR. POSTMAN”?

Thank you, Marvel, for this beautiful gen fic material.

 WHOOPS I forgot the costume colors bit. (Admittedly confused it with the ending wherein Monica gives Carol her jacket back. Sans ketchup stain.)

So backtracking ever-so-slightly...

Let’s see if I remember this right: We get

Red and gold (Binary send-up, possibly? Or maybe the original Ms. Marvel costume?)

IDK what to call it....Lite-Brite? (♪ makin’ thi-ings with lii-iii-ight ♫) 

Black and Gold (bathing suit costume?)

White and Green (original Mar-Vel/Kree colors) 

That last one’s the only one that’s like. Obvious and deliberate. I’m just guessing with the others.

BUT CLEARLY I am ABSOLUTELY ONTO SOMETHING with the Lite-Brite.

BACK TO THE ENDING Lt. Trouble gives Carol her jacket and that’s my fav look, out of all the costume variations we see in the movie. I mean. I love the black and green, admittedly, and the helmet looks SO GOOD for being something that should be ridiculous, but my go-to answer for superhero costume design is: add a leather jacket.

Favorite Visual #6: Carol in the suit and flight jacket, floating above Earth, ready to go save the day.

AND THEN SHE’S OFF.

Ooooh, ooooooooh, but we can’t forget the scene. The scene that I’m certain ticked off The Continuity Police. (You know the types.)

See, remember when Marvel was like, ‘Carol’s the first Avenger!’ and haters were like, ‘UH HELLO IT’S STEVE????!????’ 

And then Marvel was like, oh ho ho ho, we meant LITERALLY the ENTIRE INITIATIVE IS NAMED AFTER HER CALL SIGN AND SHIELD STARTS LOOKING FOR SUPERHEROES BECAUSE OF HER ERGO SHE IS THE FIRST die mad about it.

That was so very, very satisfying to see.

(Also I guess she’s a literal Captain in the air force? If the rank on the jet is legit. Pretty sure she’s a Major in the comics, though. But I assume this change is to help sell the ‘Captain Marvel’ name.)

And then, friends. And then.

I was fully prepared to leave the theater, uncertain of when we’d next see Carol.

EVEN AS THE MID CREDITS SCENE PLAYED. I was like. ‘Well, they’re gonna cut it off before we can see anythINOHMaNTHERESHEIS!!!!!!’

‘Where’s Fury.’

*insert aesthetically pleasing keyboard smash here*

BRING ON ENDGAME.

And before we wrap up here, one final note:

The Space Stone, sought after by Trickster Gods and Mad Titans alike, was for a brief time, nothing more than a glorified furball.

FIN

(Nope, wait. One little anecdote before we go: of my core group of buddies, I am the Comics Nerd, and thus I am often consulted after we’ve watched a Marvel movie. So I had to explain that YES, Kara Danvers had the last name Danvers first, but she was adopted, and her GIVEN fake name was Linda Lee, so in all fairness, the same-name thing is a little less plagiarize-y, b/c ‘Linda Lee Danvers’ does not necessarily match up as well as ‘Kara Danvers’--which wasn’t even used until really recently--to ‘Carol Danvers’. ...Honestly, I was just really happy they called out the connection MY WORK HAS NOT BEEN IN VAIN XD )

Also, I sometimes get replies on posts like this which is totally fine BUT, I would ask that folks keep really spoiler-y stuff out of ‘em. At least for a little while.

[randomvarious]

S Club 7 - “S Club Party” Now That's What I Call Music! 6 Song released in 1999. Compilation released in 2000. Pop

We love the overly transparent crass commercialism of the 90s and early 2000s, don’t we folks? S Club 7 were the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed septet of British teens and 20-somethings that were concocted in a lab and thrust upon hordes of impressionable tweens across the world. The story of S Club 7 is a rather gross one that consists of young and attractive, moderately talented people being taken advantage of by their manager and his company to churn out gobs of content without just compensation. If you’re an American of a certain age, you probably know a little something about S Club 7. Their ballad, 2000′s “Never Had a Dream Come True,” peaked at #10 and #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Mainstream Top 40, respectively. Two of S Club 7′s other biggest global hits, the Jackson 5-inspired “Bring It All Back” and “S Club Party” never charted in the US, but lots of Americans still seem to be familiar with them.

S Club 7 was the brainchild of Simon Fuller, one of history’s most successful music  managers, who had managed the Spice Girls. Fuller was known for manufacturing a bunch of British boy and girl bands throughout his career and, at the time, also managed Annie Lennox of the Eurythmics and athletes, too. After helping the Spice Girls skyrocket into global superstardom as a brand that sold itself on a gimmicky blend of “girl power” and quirky British-ness, Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice) orchestrated his firing. Citing his unbearably controlling nature and his marketing schemes, the Girls decided to proceed without Fuller.

But the day after his firing, Fuller was back at it. This time, he decided he would start a new band, but rather than it being a boy band or a girl band, it would be a boy-and-girl band, modeled after an idea put forth by another British group, Steps. Steps are a quartet, and while they’ve achieved little to no success in the US, they have enjoyed wild success in Europe, especially in the UK. And they’re still around. After a five year hiatus that followed a twelve year hiatus, Steps released an album in 2017 that reached #2 on the UK charts. 

But they weren’t a Fuller group. Fuller seemed to have the connections and gravitas that Steps’ managers didn’t. To start his new group, Fuller held an audition of an astonishing 10,000 people, which eventually was culled down to seven. These seven would then be formed into a group and be dubbed S Club 7. None of the members had known each other prior, but according to all the articles I could find, they hit it off and they all became close friends.

With this crop of kids, Fuller saw dollar (or pound or Euro) signs. S Club 7 were going to be way more than just a pop group; they were going to be a marketable brand. And to achieve that goal, the first thing they were going to do was not get into the recording studio, but instead shoot a fictional TV series to air on CBBC (Children’s BBC) to introduce themselves to British pre-teens. Each character would have their own personality, which would be loosely based on their true selves, and together the group’s adventures would strengthen their bond. And each episode would consist of a choreographed song performance, too. The first season, set in Miami, would depict the seven constantly being exploited by a seedy hotel manager and made to perform housekeeping duties.

Unfortunately, these fictional circumstances were loosely based on their own reality. Over twelve weeks of shooting in Miami, the group worked tirelessly for eighteen hours per day, and after a long day’s work, would have to take care of their own cooking and laundry. Fuller and his company, who were flush with cash, didn’t provide S Club 7 with any of these needed amenities. The S Club 7 TV series would become an immense hit in the UK and ended up being sold to 120 different countries. As a result, each group member pulled in 52,000 Euro; a total pittance compared to the total sum of all the TV contracts the show received.

Seven months after its UK debut, the S Club TV series would make its way stateside on kids’ TV purgatory, Fox Family. Formerly The Family Channel, which was founded by horrible and insane Christian shitbag grifter, Pat Robertson, it would be acquired by NewsCorp. Fox would control the network’s programming, save for some hours in which Robertson’s daily spoonful of Christian conservative nonsense, The 700 Club, would air. Admittedly, for a time, I was an avid viewer of Fox Family (except when 700 Club was on), but I’m pretty sure I was rare. Year after year, Fox Family would try to replenish its lineup with new shows to attract new viewers, but they failed to peel many eyes off of the likes of Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and the Disney Channel.

The release of the S Club TV series in the U.S. coincided with the group’s debut album. And maybe it was the fact that they only managed to get on Fox Family that led to them peaking at an unimpressive #112, but back home, they topped charts. The TV series-first formula more than paid off (for Fuller, though. Not so much for S Club 7). “Bring It All Back,” the group’s first single, which was released two months after the TV show’s debut, went to #1 in the UK. Its follow-up, “S Club Party” topped out at #2. And their debut album reached #2 as well.

And along with the TV show and the music came all the merchandise. Dolls, makeup, perfume, clothes, school supplies, a PC game, you name it. If there was an object that a kid could use, Fuller wanted it to bear the S Club name. There were also more seasons of TV and movies, too. And Fuller would reap great profits from all of it, but once again, S Club 7 saw minuscule returns from their name and likenesses being marketed and sold. 

Fuller’s cartoonishly-evil-yet-real-life-record-executive persona became more than apparent during a meeting between he, S Club 7, and some of the members’ parents. Asking how they could receive such little compensation as Fuller and his company made millions off of their efforts, Fuller told the members that he could replace them on stage with cardboard cut-outs and it wouldn’t make a difference. Fuller would also be publicly shamed by a radio DJ when it was revealed that while the S Club kids were traveling the world and making him literally millions, he flew them in economy class. Only after his miserliness was made public did he bump them up to business class.

And although Fuller knew the right people to get his band spoonfed to British kids, it didn’t mean S Club’s songs were bad for what they were. They were well-produced bubblegum pop. Five songs on the debut album ended up being produced by a Norwegian duo called Stargate. Total unknowns at the time, Stargate went on to write or produce for some of the pop world’s most successful groups and artists, including Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Lionel Richie, Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Janet Jackson, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Sam Smith, Mary J. Blige, Ne-Yo, Katy Perry, Coldplay, P!nk, Sia, Kylie Minogue, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Charli XCX. Throughout their careers, Stargate have managed to rack up a whopping seventeen Grammy noms, including four wins  But before building up that long list of accolades, they began with S Club 7. 

The first single Stargate ever produced was “S Club Party”. A piece of sunny and breezy, anthemic kids’ pop, this song is a natural earworm. Underneath mostly loud and shouted vocals, Stargate weave a celebratory, feelgood g-funk whine throughout the choruses as a series of electro-funk synths and string and horn stabs predominate the rest. The first verse, sung solo by member Jo, proceeds from relative sparseness to an addition of hand claps and a simmering choir of backup vocals, before launching into the undeniably catchy chorus. The four female members soothe in unison as the boys contrast with revelrous chants. In the post-chorus, the girls get in on the chanting, too. The second verse, which packs more energy than the one that precedes it because it’s sung in unison, introduces each member of the group with a simple rhyme. Following the bridge, the song undergroes an unexpected key change, which raises the enjoyment, and as the song fades out, Bradley, the group’s lone black member, does some light scatting. 

You know, Fuller admitted that since he was fired by the Spice Girls, there were some ideas he had had for them that he wasn’t able to use, and instead used for S Club 7. Maybe musically, he wasn’t quite finished with that g-funk infused pop sound. The Spice Girls’ “Say You’ll Be There” has that summery g-funk pool party vibe much like “S Club Party” does. Just a thought.

Here’s the music video, which shows the group transporting back to a California desert in 1959 to race a bunch of people. A choreographed song and dance seemingly materialize out of thin air, too: It comes from the movie they shot called Back to the ‘50s.

For the next few years, S Club 7 continued to release high-charting hit after high-charting hit in the UK, but in 2002, band member Paul decided to leave. This ultimately resulted in possibly the worst sentence ever written on Wikipedia:

Talking about his former musical venture three months before he left S Club 7, Paul Cattermole described his school nu metal band — called Skua— as having a "Limp Bizkit vibe" as well as comparing their style to Rage Against the Machine.

Wat.

Following Paul’s departure, S Club 7 shortened their name to S Club and continued to make hits. However, their star was clearly fading, and in 2003, they agreed to a mutual split. In 2008, some of the members got back together and formed S Club 3. In 2014, they expanded by a member and became S Club Party. Eight months after that, all seven members regrouped for a reunion tour to cash in on some nostalgia. Needless to say, Simon Fuller was involved, and hopefully, the contracts weren’t as exploitative this time around. In the meantime, Fuller would continue unabated, amassing management deals with the likes of Carrie Underwood, Amy Winehouse, and Kelly Clarkson. In 2001, he launched Pop Idol, which would be imported to the States as American Idol.

Now you know more than you thought you’d ever know about S Club 7. It’s tragic how Fuller treated them, but the group is responsible for some great turn-of-the-millennium pop hits, despite how manufactured and seemingly preordained their success was. Oh well, we can’t help what we listened to when we were kids and nostalgia has a way of making us love things we definitely wouldn’t as adults. Nothing wrong with coming to terms and embracing that fact.

Stay the fuck inside you freaks.

[sosu-morgue]

Romanced companions reactions to having a child with Soul.

Aww, that’s so sweet

I was going to do this whole convoluted process of who is and is not having a child with Sole since non-humans can’t reproduce, like Hancock - ghouls are sterile.Unfortunately, there are many complications with that which make it too complicated to really enjoy. Curie is a synth, Danse is too, Deacon isn’t so Sole would carry the child but that means a gender neutral Sole isn’t possible.Default reacts will have a neutral Sole. I don’t want anyone to feel left out.

So Sole will be gender neutral and all children will be adopted children taken in by romanced Sole x Companion. It allows everyone to love, adopt, and raise a child while allowing you guys to imagine your own Sole; male, female, or really any gender you want whenever. : )

Context:It was a depressing reality in the commonwealth. This post-war world was changed when Sole emerged from Vault 111, but the harsh world still exhibited no mercy on the defenseless.During their travels Sole found something in need of their help. Or rather, someone.

Cait:Sole, the singular person she cared for dearly, had found a child. An infant to be exact. The kid was wrapped up in this mix of torn clothing and a section of what looked to be tarp.

Cradling the infant in their arms, Sole had this look in their eye. Something connected to them instantly. Cait didn’t know that look, but she had a guess. “Don’t tell me you’re thinkin’ what I think you’re thinkin’.”

Sole seemed awestruck by this child. A young boy with a tuft of brown hair and hazel eyes. “He has the same eyes as Shaun…” They said quietly, like a shocked response under their breath. “It’s… kind of funny. He looks a lot like Shaun, actually.”

Cait stared at Sole who never looked up for even a second. It didn’t take long for Cait to figure out what Sole wanted to do. Though they still fought to save Shaun from the Institute, they couldn’t shake this feeling.

“The hell we doin’, Sole?” Cait’s usual harsh tone caused Sole to glance up, a worried look in their eye. “We can’t just leave the little noise maker here. I know you still got Shaun’s crib.”

Sole smiled and reached to give Cait a hug with one arm. The red haired woman just shook her head. “He’s… kinda cute lookin’. For somethin’ that cries nonstop.”

Curie:Now she didn’t need a lot of convincing. She was more than thrilled to see the infant Sole brought back to Sanctuary.

She held the child, rocked them, and read them stories. She learned all these practices from various surviving books as well as Sole’s instructions. Curie felt so deeply connected to the infant the second she held them.

This affection came as a surprise to Sole and a very welcome one at that. She spent as much time as she could with the new child in their life, sharing parenthood was never something she thought about. She didn’t think it was a possibility considering herself as a synth and Sole searching desperately for their own son.

“Sweet little thing…” Curie held the child close, hugging them to her chest and kissing their nose. “I love you.”

Danse:His life was a… complicated and confusing mess since he was kicked out of the Brotherhood. As a synth he believed his life was an affront to humanity, a threat to future of this world. The Institute created him in a lab, he was not born, he had no family.

Well, expect for Sole. They became his only family and he was thankful, even though he didn’t understand why Sole chose to be with a synth.

Now the complicating life he lead with Sole got even stranger. He figured, before he discovered he was a synth, eventually he would have a family and possibly a child. He would age, he would have to retire from active duty. Something he never wanted to happen, but now that he wasn’t with the Brotherhood…

He held the infant in his arms up, careful to support their neck and head. He had no idea what to do, this was far more confusing than anything else.

But Sole knew what to do, Sole knew everything from the very beginning. Which made sense of course, they had a child before so of course they knew more than Danse.

Yet he held the child, felt how soft their skin was, how they smiled until their face turned red.

And he fell for the child immediately. It was difficult, he didn’t know what to do about this, he didn’t know if he should say this or if this wasn’t normal.

Sole placed a hand on the baby’s head, catching Danse’s attention. They smiled at him and he grinned back.He never thought much about a family outside the Brotherhood and now he wished he had before. He loved the promise of this new civilian life.

Deacon:He missed his wife dearly, he always thought about raising a child with her. Of course he knew that wasn’t possible now, but back then… it was a different world.

Holding this child in his arms he patted their back to calm them. Sole had this sweet, loving expression as they watched Deacon with the child. Deacon was surprised he had imagined it so accurately, specifically how it would feel to hold a child of their own.

This infant was all he wanted as a family. The kid wasn’t a big crier, they seemed more into staring and touching than anything else. When the infant grabbed the rim of his glasses he chuckled. They were reflective and that was perfect for the kid.

“I think they’re digging the shades, Deacon.” Sole took a step back, watching Deacon’s smile widening.

“Of course, they have good taste.” He lifted the infant up, watching them holding the sunglasses to their mouth and sucking on them. “I didn’t mean literally.”

Hancock:The kid was cared for certainly - it was unfortunate that the parents were part of a violent gang ambushing caravans. Sole had to stop the attacks, they were crippling Minutemen supply lines to settlements. Sole and Hancock had no idea there was an infant down here until they heard the cries.

Sole took a shine to the kid the second they found them. Carrying the infant out of the dilapidated super duper mart, Sole found themselves unable to let go of the kid.Then Sole proposed the… option of taking the infant back to Sanctuary and raising them. It was sudden and unexpected, Hancock had no idea what to say.

So Sole suggested that they take the kid in, but Hancock didn’t have to be there. They simply did not want to force anything on Hancock especially since this was such a sudden turn of events and a huge commitment.

Hancock hesitated, he didn’t know what to do. All he really knew was he was in deep with Sole, he didn’t want to leave their side. It took some time, he took a few days to consider it.

In the end he saw how much Sole loved the child, how much they doted on them. He figured Sole was the person he wanted to be with, if there was anyone he wanted to raise a kid with… Sole was definitely the person.

At the end of it all he took up the responsibility. After all, someone had to be mayor when he retired.

MacCready:Having a kid was nothing alien to MacCready. He loved Duncan like his life depended on it. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for his son and he didn’t think he would have another child anytime soon.

Yet here he stood, Sole at his side cradling an infant and cooing to them. Sole loved the child, adored them with everything they had. The kid would want for nothing under the protection of the pre-war survivor from Vault 111. Between Sole, the Minutemen, and Sole’s network of loyal friends and factions - this was the most well protected child in all the commonwealth.

When Sole raised the child to MacCready and he held the infant in his arms, he was smitten with them. The infant held his finger, all bubbly and just happy to be there. Such a sweet happy little child so curious and excited.

He held the infant close, rocking the baby until they grew tired. When the infant fell asleep in his arms, such a content look on their face, MacCready realized Duncan had just got a sibling.

Sole was glad because they already knew the kid would be staying with them in Sanctuary. There was no other option. With MacCready and Sole’s experience raising children, they both were ready for this one and more than happy to take the child in.

Nick:In this dark, grisly, and struggling world raising a child seemed impossible to Nick. For more than one reason for Nick, obviously him being a synth made having a child with any relationship he started would not happen.

Still people raised children and they grew up either in the commonwealth by wanderers, by settlers, or people living in the few towns in the area. He found it rather hopeful, he was glad to see people still trying to live their lives. Seeing the kids run around Diamond City was always a welcome sight.

He never thought about caring for a child himself. There just wasn’t that option, not until he arrived in Sanctuary seeing Sole in their home holding an infant in their arms.

The kid was not Shaun, he knew that. Shaun was older than an infant, they learned that from Kellogg’s memory. This was another child, he didn’t know where from but seeing Sole carry them close…

Nick sat down across from Sole, sure to be quiet as the child slept. Sole gave him an almost nervous smile which Nick returned. He figured this was how it would happen. Unexpected, surprising for sure, yet he welcomed the chance to raise a child with Sole quickly.

Piper:She was always trying to raise Nat, always trying to keep things together. Between work, raising her sister, and crossing the commonwealth with Sole she barely had any time to herself.

So when Sole and Piper found a child in the home of some farmers that had been murdered by raiders, she didn’t know what to think.

Sole took the child back to Sanctuary, resting the exhausted and upset infant in Shaun’s old crib, they took a serious look at their options. Watching the child sleep, Sole knew exactly what they wanted. They wanted to move on… Sole still had Shaun, the synth child made by the real Shaun, who was gone now.

But giving Shaun a sibling, having the chance to raise a child… Sole felt a compulsion to have this chance.

Piper wasn’t against the idea really, she just didn’t know what to do. How to raise a child in the commonwealth wasn’t an easy task. Seeing Sole coddle the child brought a smile to her face.When she cared for the infant, she grew attached quicker than she anticipated.

It didn’t take long before she and Sole agreed to raise the child together, Shaun now had a sibling, and Nat became an aunt.

Preston:He was proud, thrilled to get this chance as a father. He wanted a family, he wanted to make the world safe enough to have a kid and a significant other like Sole.

Now, with the General of the Minutemen, and the Minutemen themselves connecting all across the commonwealth. This was the most secure they might ever be.

When Sole found the child and shared their plan with Preston, he was happy to take on the challenge of raising a child with them. He adored the child, dedicated his days to caring for them and making the world a safer place while they grew up.

He was the happiest he had ever been, it had been far too long since he felt this hopeful for the future. Rebuilding the Minutemen made him hope for the best, but it wasn’t the same.

Now he had someone he loved, a child he would give his life for, and a people he could trust to do right by the commonwealth.

His life, even though he still fought against raiders, mutants, and so many other threats, was perfect. He had everything he ever wanted and never imagined he’d have.

With Sole and his own child in his arms, he knew everything would turn out just fine.

[fo4companionsreact]

*pokes* is this blog still active? if so, can i request the companions reacting to sole overworking themselves (not eating, sleeping properly, etc) and finally collapsing from it?

Pffff!! If it’s still active?! OF COURSE IT IS…. irregularly and with great pauses, but it is active :D

Cait - Come to think of it, she did notice Sole barely eating, almost always taking the watch for the night and some serious daily workout. They were out in the sun, making beds for some settlement and Cait was bored out of her mind, bitching about it. Suddenly, their whole body just gave out and Sole fell down like a ragdoll. Cait began cursing under her breath as she picked them up. They were seriously overheating and only now, up close, did the ex-slave noticed the dark circles under their eyes. 

With a help of some settler, she carried Sole into one of those newly build shacks, laying them on the bed they’ve finished mere minutes ago. Sole was cooling up slowly, but were near unwakeable, she only managed to give them some water, before they zoomed out again. “Dumbass… That’s what you get for treating yourself like shit,” said Cait under her breath, but stayed with them until they were feeling better.

Codsworth - The mister handy immediatelly set off to find some help, knowing that trying to drag them away from the attacking sunlight would end up with them most likely wounded from his arms. Of course, not even 30 seconds later were there settlers that were saved by Sole themselves few hours prior. Two settlers carried Sole to a shack, while a timid looking woman poured some cool water on their head, waking up fairly dazed Sole.

Codsworth handed them some more water, which Sole drank extremely quickly. As soon as they did, Sole fell asleep on the mattress, the sleeping deficit taking a toll on them, among other things. As soon as the robot was sure they’d be fine, he began making a meal for them when they’d rested enough. It saddened Codsworth, really. They were taking care of everyone, but themselves.

Curie - “Oh, no!” said Curie very quietly, when she caught a glimpse of Sole’s bared torso. Both of them were dreched and found themselves in the process of changing clothes, so they wouldn’t catch a cold. And Curie saw just how malnourished Sole was. Come to think of it, she now noticed how little were they eating. Considering what sort of exercise they do every day, Sole should be eating 4 times more than they do.

Sole made a move to leave the building they were in, as they were already sporting dry clothing, but Curie blocked their path: “What are you doing, Curie?” they said. Sole’s voice was filled with fatigue. Saying nothing, Curie grabbed them by their shoulders and almost drag them to sit in one of the chairs around. After thorough scolding about how they should care better about themselves, Curie proceeded to cook a nutritious meal for them, after which she sent them straight to bed.

Danse - This was not good. At all. Sole was a Brotherhood of Steel soldier, which is a very physically demanding job, yet Sole didn’t get nearly enough rest and food they needed. Danse always knew this and knew that it could destroy them and now he was cursing himself to hell and back, because he let it happen. Sole was unconscious, lying on the hard ground. The paladin let out a sigh as he got out of his power armour and picked them up, laying them down on a nearby bed.

When he chekced that they were safe, he ran off to fetch a doctor. They’re probably just sleeping (god knew they needed it), but better be safe, than sorry. As the doctor looked them up and down, Danse began rummaging through their things, finding them some food and plenty of water, for when they regain their consciousness. He then made a promise to himself; he will now always keep in mind that they care for themselves, since they probably won’t…

Deacon - He’s been through this himself. When something fucks up, one has to deal with it, and Deacon’s always dealt with it by trying to do more work than he could handle while neglecting his basic needs. He had to admit, it wasn’t nice. At all. Of course, the agent immediatelly made sure they were breathing and had a stable heartbeat, before picking them up and putting them on the nearest bed.

He picked an (almost) clean rag and poured some water on it, laying it on their forehead. He was no nurse, or a babysitter, but Sole was his friend and as mentioned above, seeing one of your only, if not the only friend in such a state made him feel sick. He was there when they woke up later, offering them some InstaMash and a Nuka Cola, both of which they gratefully accepted. When they were done eating, Sole let sleep take them once more. They’re gonna stay in this cabin for a while, as it seems.

Dogmeat - The pup saw them falling down, but not getting up, therefore he immediatelly rushed by their side and began licking their face. Sole woke up after a while and Dogmeat almost dragged them into a shadow. THere Sole sat, slumped against the wall, while Dogmeat went off to bark at Trashcan Carla until she came around. 

Of course, she was cursing and fussing, but gave Sole something ‘on the house’, a single canteen of purified water and a can of Pork n’ Beans. It wasn’t a lot, but Sole was grateful anyway, being thirsty and starving. They later left to go to bed, while Dogmeat kept them company, dozing off softly over their legs, watching over them.

Hancock - “Oh, shit,” he said, getting Sole’s attention. Now, he looked at them maybe a little more than was necessary, so he was surprised he didn’t notice how… skinnier Sole became. And definetely not in a good way, they looked completely starved out. He definetely shouldn’t be telling anyone how to live, shouldn’t even combine the words ‘healthy’ and ‘lifestyle’, but this wasn’t good. So he told them, as nicely, but firmly as possible.

It took him a while to finally get them to eat and drink something. He even threatened them a bit, saying that he’d be making sure they care for themselves, that he’d be like their own fucking babysitter. After Sole’s been fed and promised him they’d try to live more healthily, he sent them to bed. He might have been a bit of an asshole, too strict on them, but Hancock already saw many of his friends lost. He didn’t want to go through this with Sole.

MacCready - The sniper wasn’t overly picky about his food - after living off mushrooms for 16 years of his life, a well made mole rat steak was a fine dish. On the other hand, he could see why Sole wouldn’t like eating too much, they were certainly used to better food. So it didn’t worry him too much at first. At first. It worried him way more when he saw Sole collapse on the ground, literally starved.

He wasn’t the best cook out there, but when Sole finally woke up and smelled the mirelurk omelettes he made, they almost choked themselves on them. MacCready then proceeded to tell Sole how dumb they were for not eating and drinking enough and what a scare they gave him. Sole felt awful, apologized about a hundred times and promised they would eat more. “I sure hope so,” the sniper said, “neither of us wants me force feeding you now, right?” 

Nick Valentine - Being a synth and not having basic needs like sleeping or eating, he noticed how badyl Sole neglected themselves pretty early on. He even told them about it, on several ocassions. Things like ‘This place looks safe. YOu sure you don’t want to catch some Z’s?’ or ‘You know I don’t need to sleep, right? You can sleep while I watch out…’. Now that the synth detective reflected back on it, he should’ve been firmer.

Sole was nervous, literally jumping at shadows. The circles under their eyes were very, very dark and they looked like they would fall asleep right on their feet. That was quite enough for Nick. He grabbed their shoulder, maybe too forcefully, and dragged them towards the ranger cabin. He sat them on the bed, while they argued. “Listen, kid/doll. I know you’re tough. But if you want to keep helping people and find your son, you’ve got to take some time to rest.” Sole agreed in the end and were out by the time their head hit the mattress.

Piper - Sole liked to help people. Everyone knew it, Piper held them in really high regards because of it and they were really making a difference. But after a while, the reporter noticed it was taking a real toll on them. The shack they built was perfect, it was nicely decorated and looked like an amazing place to live in. However, Sole’s muscles were most likely crying out in pain right now. They truly worked from 6 o’clock in the morning until 10 o’clock at night, taking only very small breaks.

She saw it on Sole, the fatigue. Their usual, rather confident strode looked almost zombie-like now and the typical spark they just had was gone. Piper too was tired, she was helping the whole day as well, but Sole was taking it to the extremes. She offered them a massage, which was very awkward, but it seemed to relieve some stress from Sole’s muscles, all the while Piper asked them not to overwork themselves like this again.

Preston - The minuteman had no idea how Sole managed to do everything they do. One moment they’re killing hostiles, the other they’re trying to find their lost son and then they’re doing some manual work at the settlements. He always worked with them, but it felt as if Sole worked as two people at once. It dind’t occur to Preston at first that they could put themselves into danger, overworking like this.

So when Sole fell down on the ardent ground, drenched with sweat and burning up, Preston cursed at himself and began fussing over his general. He carried them to the most cool part of the settlement, brought a doctor, bought plenty of water, food and meds just to know they’d be alright. When Sole finally came to, he apologized a hundred times and promised that he would never let them overstrain themselves this much.

Strong - The super mutant knew human doesn’t eat humans, but it seemed to him that they weren’t even eating human food. He could understand, human food was disgusting, but when humans, or super mutants don’t eat, they’re not good fighters. He, of course, told Sole this. They promised that they’ll try to eat more and since that moemnt, Strong always reminded them when he thought they should do so.

X6-88 - It was his job to make sure they survive, so the courser was a bit annoyed, for they were making it harder for him. Without enough rest and food, Sole is sure to become an easy target and X6 wouldn’t fail the Father and the Institute by allowing this. He tried being nice, at first, ‘You should eat something, sir/ma’am’ and ‘You should get some rest, sir/ma’am’ was however answered with something like ‘Hmm’ and ‘later’.

X6 wasn’t exactly thrilled at how he ended up dealing with the situation, but it worked. He lcoked Sole in their own bedroom in Sanctuary with several Institute food packs and purified water and until they had a meal and a long sleep, X6 wouldn’t budge and let them out. It worked at the end and Sole began to actually treat themselves better, so it’s for the better, X6 thought.

Sorry for any typos xD

[wellamarke]

Ooo another one: Athena and to some extent, V

(For context, this is about this character Q&A challenge thing that I reblogged back when series 3 was airing!)

WOW OKAY so I was just thinking to myself that it was weird that I couldn’t remember what I’d written about V for this, because I wanted to compare if I still felt the same about her after the finale episode, and Lo and behold (haha, see what I did there) I find that I actually never finished answering, which is why I couldn’t remember what I’d said!

(I know, I know, reading that was tiring, but imagine having to BE me)

Looking back now it’s super unfortunate that I didn’t write the V section when this ask first came in, because it would have been an interesting comparison… but I think I was felled by not having much V content to go on, before 3.8, whereas now I can talk at much more length!

I had, however, finished the Athena section, so here you go, this is what I had already in the draft:

First, Athena:

• Do I like them? Yes, she’s a brilliant character!

• 5 good qualities: She’s SO SMART, oh my life, major brain crush. She uses her intelligence in a way she considers ‘pure’, despite the more lucrative options that are open to her, so she has a strong moral code in a climate ruled by selfish gain. She’s motivated by her love for her daughter, which defies all odds and succeeds in pioneering an entirely new scientific field - what an icon! She takes crap from exactly NOBODY and is sassy as hell in the process. And she’s willing to help Karen, for which she’ll always have a special place in my heart.

• 3 bad qualities: She wasn’t exactly quick to accept synth consciousness, umm, so she killed a bunch of them pretty callously. Like Ed, she was able to convince herself they weren’t really people long enough to serve her own purposes, so that’s… I’m less keen on that. Umm.. she can be a little brusque, I didn’t particularly like her scene with poor Helen Aveling, who was another lady in science trying her best! No need to put her down! I guess from a narrative perspective, I could say that Athena is a little superfluous, especially since she doesn’t seem to be coming back. We’ll count that! Lots of her harder, colder edges are due to her grief so I can’t really find it in me to pin them as ‘bad’. Have I mentioned, this show does amazingly with its characters, particularly its women?!

• Favourite episode: 2.8 was the goodbye to V, right? Ugh, heartbreaking.

• OTP: … this is kind of out of the blue but I could see her and Laura, mayhaps? Certainly there aren’t any human men left alive in the show who could hold a candle to her. Oh, but how interesting if she and Neil Sommer had dated in the past. Heh heh heh.

• BrOTP: Well, I’m so glad that she’s got Karen’s brain scans, so that she can recreate her perfectly and they can love and support one another!

• OT3: Athena & V & a weekly lunch date where V shows up on her tablet screen and checks in with what she’s been doing/how many synths she’s resurrected in her Mind Meadow.

• NOTP: Athena and her kind of boring husband, what was his name? One of those unisex names? I want it to begin with L? Oh well.

• Best quote: “Nothing really bad has ever happened to you, has it? Because when it does, you don’t need reminders about your insignificance to the universe.” I’m quoting from memory so it might not be the exact wording. Amazing line, anyway.

• Head canon: I like to think that Athena did, in fact, have something to do with Leo’s early treatment. I mean, Max isn’t even with him when it happens, so at some point the Elster sibs must have pooled resources and talked about what was going to happen with him. (They probably moped about their literal surgeon brother not being there too). Anyway, somehow they found Athena and she did some salvaging (having also recently practiced with Pete when she uploaded his consciousness, pending upload to a new body) and later handed over to Anatole. Basically my headcanon is that nobody has really died in this show since Athena and V were introduced. Athena knows how to save human minds and V can grab the synths. Sorted.

Now V! The only one I had previously answered was this:

• Do I like them? Yes, bless her digital cotton socks!

Although now I might slightly rephrase that in favour of:

•Do I like them? I think so! But in the words of George Millican, she worries me! Moving on to the rest of the questions…..

• 5 good qualities: She cares about others, and is benevolent towards the synths even though she is a separate species in and of herself, with a less defined concept of “them” and “us”. Where she can, she acts to relieve suffering (giving Odi the rest he wanted, even if we’d rather she hadn’t). She’s resourceful. She’s developing/has developed a strong sense of herself and her chosen role, which is lovely to see as growth since her confusion in series 2. Aaaand, she recognises Niska’s worth and potential (even if… well, see next part).

• 3 bad qualities: She’s not too bothered about Niska’s personal agency, and would rather focus on convincing her to carry out her will. Speaking of her will, she does seem to think her way and ONLY her way is the right way for both organic and synthetic humanity - and while she might be the best disposed to predict future events, having access to the entire world’s knowledge etc…. that still doesn’t make her Actually Omniscient, I’m sorry. Whatever she thinks. And for a third, hmm, maybe she was a little harsh to leave her mother all of a sudden, but for all we know they’re back in contact now?

• Favourite episode: whichever one it was in series 2 where she starts to piece together who she was but refers to Ginny as ‘she’ rather than ‘I’ - that was so powerful and chilling.

• OTP: I’ve never thought about an OTP for V, ha. Hmm, not in the romantic sense, but I think she and Niska COULD be a winning combination, if nothing goes to awry in s4, but I am on standby for Niska having to stand against her at some point and take her down in some epic, badass way. ALTERNATIVELY, can V make Q properly conscious, and we can see what on earth a ship between 2 non-corporeal AI characters looks like? Or rather, doesn’t look like?

• BrOTP: Supposing that V stays nice, I would like her and Astrid to bond about how much they value Niska, possibly for Astrid to give V a talking to about straight up manipulating her, but in general for them to team up in making sure Niska is taking care of herself during her difficult reign as Queen Indigo.

• OT3: Well, Niska and Astrid and V, I suppose, given my last two replies!

• NOTP: That creepy dude with eyes on his eyelids can stay far away from the Synth Who Sleeps that he’s so obsessed with, thank you!

• Best quote: Listen, I will NEVER not get chills about “Why did you ask me to lie to him?” Every time I hear that line, I am there in the auditorium watching the extended trailer for the first time and it’s just SOOOO GOOD.

• Head canon: ahem, okay, buckle up kiddos because this answer requires some backstory. So, since the age of like 14, my favourite book has been Speaker for the Dead, which is basically about future humanity trying to peacefully coexist with a new alien race, centuries after they wiped out the first alien race they encountered. The main character, Ender, is friends with an artificial superintelligence called Jane, who like V, has access to every piece of information on every computer, can process billions of thoughts at once, keeps her existence a secret from most of the human race, and can appear as whatever image she likes on a screen. (Unlike V, she grew out of a computer game rather than being a transferred human consciousness). Aaaanyway. In the book and its sequels Jane shows an interest in helping humanity & the aliens to understand and accept each other, and partly it is because she’s just a sweetheart, but partly, too, it’s because she hopes that if humans can understand the Pequeninos, who have physical bodies, as they do, but are fundamentally different from them in many ways… if they can learn to live with and value this alien race, then maybe one day, Jane hopes, they will also be able to understand and accept her, too, even though she’s not got a physical form and is fundamentally different from them. Sooooo, I immediately loved V in series 2 because she reminded me of Jane and I love Jane, but now with her new role in series 3 I can see even more possible similarities. My headcanon (the point of this entire essay if you’ll remember) is that V’s quest to end conflict between synths and organics is not quite as altruistic as it might seem, but is rather part of a larger plan to gain acceptance for herself. There’s this amazing quote from Speaker, about Jane who, being aware of all the science fiction the human race has come up with, therefore knows how many of us fear the potential of someone like her coming to exist, and how many stories there are about her final destruction. V doubtless knows all the same stories. It’s in her interests to foster an environment of human acceptance of AI consciousness, to set the stage for her own emergence. This is probably a conclusion that is easily drawn without bringing Jane and Speaker into it, but what can I say, I love it when parallels between my favourite things present and deepen themselves. Okay, that’s probably enough of this, hmm?

Since apparently I’ve woken this again, why not send me a character! If you want! Or reblog the thing!

[one-of-us-must-be-crazy]

WRITING MEME!

Pick any passage of 500 words or less from any fanfic I’ve written, and stick that selection in my ask/fan mail. I will then give you the equivalent of a DVD commentary on that snippet: what I was thinking when I wrote it, why I wrote it in the first place, what’s going on in the character’s heads, why I chose certain words, what this moment means in the context of the rest of the fic, lots of awful puns, and anything else that you’d expect to find on a DVD commentary track.

This is going under a cut, as its a long segment, and an even longer commentary, because I don’t know when to shut up.

@rushing-to-slay-that-darn-dragon requested this scene from By Starlight (ugh, I need a new title for that, I might save this title for the series name), first chapter. Amanda’s refused one of the many medications she was prescribed on returning, and her security droid nurse her whatever is concerned.

First of all thanks for doing this! Secondly I’m probably going to be hyper critical over this becuase its the first time I’ve read it since I posted it (yikes). Thirdly, this is going to be rambling and I apologize in advance.

I wrote this section as a start of an argument: what could they fight or debate about that was serious enough to actually put a wall between them? After what they’d seen/lived through together they’re probably both very anxious at the idea of being alone, and they’re so early on in their relationship that they’re probably annoyingly lovey-dovey. Arguing just wouldn’t be...something they’d do. I write too much about his own insecurities and in later chapters Amanda gets her say--”Don’t you ever think that maybe you’re not the only one who doesn’t think they’re enough?”--he’s designed to be nearly perfect. In his head though, none of his intelligence or strength means a thing, he’s a human, and he never will be. He can’t marry her, grow old with her, and he can’t give her their own family (legally he can’t adopt with her either, he’d never be “their” kid’s legal guardian). 

            “Hey, Chris?” her voice was gentle, affectionate “The idea is, if I’m only sleeping with you I don’t need it. Unless there’s some possibility of a Demon Spawn-style miracle infant,” [’It’ being birth control, to anyone who hasn’t read the whole fic; she turned it down becuase well...unless she needed it for a medical reason, like she said, she doesn’t need it.] [And she IS joking about the ‘miracle infant,’ in her mind right now the idea that they don’t need any kind of protection is fucking great. It’s also an establishing line for the readers to know that yes, they’re already screwing; since I don’t really write sex scenes.]

            “Demon Spawn?” the words shake him from his reverie, and he gives a rueful laugh. [Demon Spawn was a somewhat psychedelic 70′s scifi-horror. Normally they’re my jam but between my own SERIOUS phobia of childbirth/reproducing at all, and the content it freaked me out. The premise is a super-AI computer has designed an artificial sperm cell to impregnate the semi-willing wife (she was cool with it for a hot second, but had little choice really) of its own creator when he’s away, in hopes of making a being that is both greater than human or machine alone. Spoiler: it succeeds.] 

            “It’s an old horror novel, about this old AI program—“

            “I know what it is. There was a film too.” Amanda cringes; she read the book during her vintage scifi phase [ I LOVE the idea that 20th century science fiction was a major source of style and overall aesthetic in her time period--it would explain the look and feel of her world, and give hints to the direction that fiction would be taking], and still remembered a few images from it she’d rather not seen on a screen. At the idea that he had seen it though… how many of those old AI stories were about amoral and cruel machinery? [There’s so few stories outside of Asimov and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? that show robots/synths/droids as another other than empty, unemotional, and/or evil. With these stories enjoying a new popularity, this reprise of fear/mistrust of androids would be something he’s dealt with quite often, and probably affects his own view of himself and his “kind.”]

          “Sit with me,” she said kindly, and when he didn’t move she called for him again. “Chris, come on. It’s cold and gross outside, and you’re warm.” [Amanda knows at this point that he’s going in a downward spiral, not necessarily that he’s going the route of ‘You should be with someone that you can have a human life with,’ the implication here is that in the short time at home he’s already gotten depressed like    He hesitated, but allowed [he allowed] himself over, taking off his boots, placing them by the door beside hers, and shrugging off his jacket, which he hung in the closet, before taking his place beside her. Amanda sat up against him; he radiated heat like a desktop computer. [she’s just considering this as a comparison, if she said it aloud, he’d take it literally, as of now he can’t think of himself in human terms]

            “At least I’m good for something,”

            “You’re good for a lot of things,” [surprise, that line isn’t suggestive, she means it innocently, honestly] she smiled at him, that warm and reassuring expression she always did when reality started to hit him. Still, he was slow to hold her, slower to kiss her, and when she slid her hands under his sweater, he held her arms in place [she’s so worried that he’s already growing distant, so her next words aren’t so much true as they are her trying to apologize]. “Sorry,” she said, and bit her lip. “Self control. I’m not good at it.”

           “What can I even offer you?” it caught her off guard. [she was expecting him to say something else entirely, something about the morality or social acceptance of him being a synth, this is the first time since they got together that he’s really brought up the details. Its not just the taboo of it, he’s so worried that she’s giving up a normal life and a chance to finally put the past away and move on, and he’s just going to hold her back.]

[themousai]

Top 10 Albums of the Decade: Nic Martin

Nightmare Avenged Sevenfold

[2010]

This is a fitting album to start with; I will probably always pin my decision to pursue music as a career on Avenged Sevenfold. 14-year-old me was absolutely crushed by the tragic death of drummer Jimmy Sullivan in 2009, but truly believed in the band’s decision to carry on, full speed ahead, and manifest Sullivan’s vision that he never got to complete; being 2010’s Nightmare.

While I personally never cared for the title track/lead single, it was cathartic and honest tracks like Victim and Tonight The World Dies that really showed me a new and important layer to the band I was already so inspired by. We still had the A7X that has gone on to, frankly, dominate the world stage - the relentless Danger Line and prog-epic-closer Save Me were reminders that these California boys were on to something huge, and they knew it.

Teenage Dream  Katy Perry

[2010]

Admittedly: I came to listen to Katy Perry because I had a mad celeb-crush on her in this era. This album is a surprisingly diverse collection of legitimately well written pop songs, front-to-back. Obviously it has the singles we’re all numb to these days (I’m pretty sure California Gurls and Firework were enforced listening for every Jayjay’s across the country), but I found myself using songs like Circle The Drain and Hummingbird Heartbeat as an excuse to enjoy the undeniable pleasure of great pop melodies. 

I guess I just feel like this was one of those “cut-above” mega-pop albums, alongside T-Swift’s 1989 and Bieber’s Purpose, I guess I just never saw either of them shooting whipped cream from their chest.

There Is A Hell, Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is A Heaven, Let’s Keep It A Secret  Bring Me The Horizon

[2010]

I rarely hear people cite this as their favourite Bring Me album; never disregarded, but never the top of many lists; yet you Tumblr-Millennials out there would be lying if you said you never reblogged a grainy photo of a bedroom strewn with fairy-lights and band posters with lyrics from It Never Ends or Blessed With A Curse edited over it. I have no issue in saying that the quality of Oli Sykes’ voice was at a low point for this release, but I will always defend the telling depth and emotion that’s explored in the lyrics and structure of each song.

A dark and pummelling metalcore offering in a general sense, it’s Bring Me’s signature unapologetic approach to the point of difference they’re always pursuing – especially on tracks like Blacklist, the transition between the second half of Fuck into Don’t Go, and the catastrophic closer The Fox and the Wolf – that ensured I would keep tabs on this band’s evolution throughout the decade.

Periphery II: This Time It’s Personal Periphery

[2012]

I have a tattoo dedicated to this album and how much this band + album changed my perception of music, especially heavy metal. With that considered, I struggle to find a way to describe this album in way that isn’t simply “If you like metal, go and listen to this album” because there is bound to be something within this gem that will scratch an itch you didn’t know you had.

No one else sounded quite like this, and no one really has since. Whatever, djent. This album absolutely rips. Spencer Sotelo’s vocals are inhuman (not pitch-corrected on this album, noteworthy), and it contains multiple personal-favourite guitar solos ever, ever (Luck As A Constant and Mile Zero). Listen to the whole damn thing, but check out Muramasa, Facepalm Mute, Scarlet, or Ragnarok if you need convincing.

Parallax II: Future Sequence  Between The Buried And Me

[2012]

“Goodbye To Everything”. One hell of an alluring motif, no? There is a LOT to unpack on this album, and if you struggle to resonate with musical journeys that take you across the galaxy and back 10+ minutes at a time, then it’ll take a while to sink your teeth into Future Sequence to the depth that it deserves to be appreciated at. The technicality and intricacy of the music accurately reflects the complexity of the lyrical narrative, only made even less-accessible by Tommy Giles Rogers’ ambiguous, cryptically simple/broad verses. 

As necessary as the shorter breather tracks/interludes are, the highlights on this release are the lengthier pieces that all take you on a true journey, taking its time to set each scene and its mood. Lay Your Ghosts To Rest and Telos are integral tracks that really take you to a new dimension and show you every nook and cranny of it; and the final 18 minutes of Silent Flight Parliament & Goodbye To Everything (Reprise) has got to be the single most epic metal album closer this decade; a claim I’m open to having challenged. 

Make no mistake, this is literally a 72 minute melting pot of progressive rock and technical death metal, with hearty sides of wack synths and lush orchestration, atmosphere that shifts from grand to crushing, and cheeky passages that skim from surf-rock to noodly jazz.

Altered State  TesseracT

[2013]

My uncle introduced me to TesseracT’s first album One in 2012, which immediately cemented the band as one of my favourites. But 2013’s Altered State is one of those “perfectly aligned” albums for me: it was exactly what I needed to hear right when it was announced and released. It’s the only album to feature vocalist Ashe O’Hara (who now sings for Voices In The Fuselage) and is widely considered their crown jewel – although I firmly stand by the sentiment that TesseracT are incapable of writing a song that isn’t stunningly incredible.

The album is 10 tracks split into four “suites”: Of Matter, Of Mind, Of Reality, and Of Energy; so it was a daunting thought to try and absorb the entire thing in that way during my first listen. This is one of those albums that you know how incredible it is, but it’s not until you find yourself going back to it again and again over the years that you get to truly appreciate how perfectly executed the entire 50 minutes really is. The effortlessly impossible, extended rhythmic passages in Eclipse and Singularity; the sound of a heart exploding in Resist; the GOD DAMN SAXOPHONE in Calabi-Yau and Embers, it’s ALL there to make one of the most remarkable progressive metal albums ever; and they did it without a single scream or sub-drop.

To Pimp A Butterfly Kendrick Lamar

[2015]

I have no shame in announcing that hip-hop is a genre I forced myself to like. My brother had a soft spot for it growing up, and a lot of people in my school liked it; so, while I was familiar, I hadn’t found the album ‘for me’. good kid, m.A.A.d City showed me who Kendrick Lamar was and that – like pretty much every other teenager in 2012 – I quite liked his songs. The Blacker The Berry will never not-give me the same goosebumps I got upon first hearing it. I remember seeing the announcement that To Pimp A Butterfly had just been released hours earlier on iTunes, it was probably the first album I ever purchased online that wasn’t anything close to rock or metal, and – once again – I have no shame in admitting that the artwork was a big reason for why I was so immediately drawn to wanting to hear it.

Man, as I sit here listening to the intro to u at 12:30am, driving the entire album into one of its many, many dark and completely out-the-gate corners, I’m reminded that this album was so damn ahead of its time. Kendrick is unpacking SO much. He sits you down and pours you a drink as Wesley’s Theory lulls you in with its sexy groove and upbeat formalities, and he continues to tell you EXACTLY what the fuck is up, and he does it with pure, unapologetic class. The music on this album is just… it literally leaves me speechless nearly 5 years on: there are moments where it feels like the speakers couldn’t possibly handle another layer of jazzy instrumentation or lush, effect-laden basslines. But it’s when you take that, then add Kendrick’s stories, and that’s why this album transcends beyond most other hip-hop/rap releases; listen to How Much A Dollar Cost? or Mortal Man and tell me that he doesn’t have SO much to say that the already-limitless musical landscape can barely contain him.

131 Emarosa

[2016]

Something I had to keep remembering as I considered my list and wrote about each album is that we were asked to talk about albums that were important to us and our lives on a personal level. So, although Emarosa have multiple FANTASTIC albums, 131 was an album that found me and reached out to pull me out of a dark place in my life. Bradley Walden had already proved that he was a beautiful vocalist with a gorgeous voice on 2014’s Versus, but 131 feels so honest and more real in comparison. 

This album doesn’t try to be anything more or less than what it is: a collection of meaning rock songs about life and the more personal, intricate emotions and tribulations that most people endure. Songs like Sure and Cloud 9 draw you in with their ear-worm choruses, but they keep you around with the heartfelt stories being told, all of a sudden you’re lying on your kitchen floor with tears streaming down your face wailing to the climax of Never while you think about your bb. This album helped me understand and forgive myself, I hope it can help you too.

Clairvoyant  The Contortionist

[2017]

“Wow, Nic put Clairvoyant in his ‘Albums of the Decade’ list? What a genuine surprise…”

Anyone who knows me is probably sick of just how frequently and in-depth I talk about this album. The Contortionist were that band that all my favourite bands loved but I never got around to checking out. That was until my friend Declan showed me Return To Earth, which would easily make my top singles of the decade, too. It’s a perfect representation of the entire album: melancholic, intense, epic, and worth being patient with as it pulls you in with its devastating themes of addiction and loss. Vocalist Michael Lessard has said the album’s lyrics were written as the darker extension of 2014’s critically acclaimed Language; the general story revolves around his close friend’s untimely overdose due to his struggles after losing his mother, with Clairvoyant taking a more subdued, less metaphorical look at the despair his friend endured.

While this album does have its hookier and more upbeat moments - found in Reimagined and the title track – it’s the way these sections are woven into a much bigger picture that really turns every track into one 54 minute journey that you’d be remiss to not repeat a few times on a road trip or during a rainy day in. A personal highlight for me is the closing track Monochrome (Pensive), particularly after having listened to the entire album from the beginning first. As one of the most heart-crushing and honest moments lyrically, the song is ultimately an indescribable piece of art: catastrophically grand, breath-takingly emotional, this album is one of my most highly recommended ever.

Sundowning Sleep Token

2019

My most treasured musical discovery this year; I heard a 7-second-long snippet of Sleep Token’s 2017 single Calcutta on another artist’s Instagram story and was shocked: were you even allowed to pair a voice as lush as Vessel’s with a musical landscape that ultimately builds into a down-tuned breakdown? I was hooked, I needed more than the minimal offerings (heh) that were available – though EVERY song leading up to Sundowning is absolutely stunning in their own rights.

All of a sudden, The Night Does Not Belong To God appears on YouTube as I check my phone early one Thursday morning: fantastic, a new single. Two weeks later, to the day: The Offering makes itself known and has since dominated the band’s ‘popular songs’ on all streaming platforms. Another exact fortnight later, Levitate is an unexpected, yet welcome change of pace as a tender piano ballad topped with Sleep Token’s signature grand-finale-breakdown that can only be described as a wrecking ball levelling everything that was so intricately crafted in the 3-4 minutes prior. A pattern was emerging, and I was HERE for it. Sundowning revealed itself as 12 tracks, each carefully composed but linked together with an emotional lyrical thread, as well as aligned graphics/videos and even merch released with each track. As a working musician, this marketing approach completely blew me away, but when the music being pushed is this boundless, this forward-thinking, this calculated yet so naturally flowing, it gives me hope for the future of heavy music.

Every song is worth giving equal time and attention to, the band knows this and that’s why they released it that way. There are no two songs that sound like each other, but there certainly are various, vivid shades to Sleep. From the brutally thick ending to Higher or Gods, to the cheekily obscure, trap-versed banger Dark Signs, to the gorgeously progressive epics Say That You Will and Blood Sport; this album is one that anyone who considers themselves a fan of music needs to check out. This is what the future of music sounds like.

Listen to our decade wrapped over on Spotify!

Written by Nic Martin / Devilskin + Seas Of Conflict

[more decade round ups here]

[ridleykemp]

Free Business Idea: Student Synthesizers!

Before I get started, I’ll acknowledge that I’ve been away for a bit. Things have been chaotic and that chaos hasn’t subsided yet, although it may soon. I apologize for being vague, but I’ll clarify when the dust settles. I have a lot to say, but that’s not what this post is about. This is going to be the niche-iest of the niche-y: My thoughts on a hardware device for learning how synthesizers work!

I was 18 when I got my first “real” synthesizer, and by “real” I mean that it allowed me to build sounds from scratch as opposed to just selecting presets like “tuba” and “harpsichord.” Arnold and Morgan up in Dallas had a stack of Roland SH-101 synths that they were trying to clear out, so they’d been marked down to $199 new.

I literally had no clue what to do with it. There were some helpful illustrations in the back of the manual showing how to make an “organ” sound or “synth lead” by manipulating the settings, But, I didn’t know what a “DCO” was or what the different wave shapes meant. I didn’t really understand what a filter was, or how it worked with resonance, and I absolutely couldn’t have explained an ADSR envelope.

But, in a sense, I was very fortunate. The SH-101 was a very simple machine with limited options and things laid out in a fairly intuitive fashion. If I worked left-to-right with the sliders and knobs, I could get an idea of how the different settings changed the sound. That was the beginning of what has been a very long love affair with electronic music.

So, recently, I’ve been wondering: What would be the best synthesizer to teach the basics of analog subtractive synthesis? We’re in a golden era of neat, affordable hardware, but none of it seems really aimed at learning the basics. There’s nothing I’d sell to schools as the machine for learning how this stuff works.

Ideally, here’s what I would look for: * Analog-style workflow * 37 or more full-sized keys * 4 note polyphony? * All parameters controlled by a knob or a slider (no “menu diving”) * No features beyond what is needed to learn the basics * One speaker and optional battery power for portability? * The ability to save a small number of patches because starting from scratch every time gets old * An inviting, intuitive front panel * MIDI implementation * The lowest price possible Now, there’s an elephant in the room here. Why not just use softsynths on a laptop with a MIDI controller keyboard? That’d be a lot cheaper (at least, if you don’t count the price of the laptop). Honestly, that’s not a bad idea. I’d prefer not to go that route because I think there’s real value in touching the sliders and knobs and hearing how that changes the sounds. There’s more of a remove if you’re using the mouse to do it. Maybe that’s just me showing my age, but that’s my thinking.

Does anything like this currently exist? Not that I’ve found, but there are quite a few that are close. The Korg Minilogue has small keys and way to many features. The Arturia Minibrute is monophonic, but it ticks a lot of the boxes. But…these are pro-level machines and, what makes them attractive to that set is that they can do a great deal more than I’m looking for here.

The closest to this platonic idea is Roland’s old Juno 106. Just look at this beauty:

It may not look like it, but that is a remarkably uncluttered panel and it’s really attractive, too. This was Roland’s entry-level polyphonic synth back in the day, a cheaper alternative to their coveted Jupiter line. The Junos absolutely sold like mad, in no small part because they were so simple. You could learn everything there was to learn about them fairly quickly, which made sound creation much faster and easier.

So why isn’t this my model learning synth? Because they’re very, very expensive these days and no one has gotten around to cloning them yet (Uli, I’m looking at you!). A Juno in good condition would go for a couple thousand dollars now and, because they’re vintage, they take some care to maintain as well (although less than most of the other synths of that era).

Speaking of Uli Behringer, his company seems the most likely to come up with something like this. They’ve made a name for themselves cloning vintage gear and selling it much cheaper than the original. Their versions of the Minimoog, Octave Cat, and Sequential Pro-One are all outstanding, but to me, the interesting one is the MS-1, their clone of the Roland SH-101. Behringer have added some features which excite me as a gear-loving nerd, but defeat what I’m going after here. We don’t need FM synthesis for our learning machine. We need, essentially, the workflow of the SH-101 (which was nearly identical to that of the Juno), stripping out the bells and whistles, adding a few keys, and one internal speaker, and I think you’re there.

This is my first attempt at re-arranging the MS-1 as the MS-L (for learning!). I’ve moved a few things around so they make more sense to me. I’ve removed the sequencer, the FM, the pitch wheel, and left the Arturia-style waveform mixer because that’s really nice. My uneducated hope is that something like this could be made with digital oscillators and filters instead of analog because that should bring the price down and make it more stable in the long run. The goal here isn’t to produce an analog synth; it’s to produce a hardware device that teaches the basics of analog synthesis.

Is there a demand for this sort of thing? Damned if I know! I know I would have loved a class that taught me this stuff and encouraged me to play with sound design. Maybe, though, it’s just too niche and not worth the investment. It may be that this sort of thing wouldn’t have the appeal of a class in production, sampling, looping, and using a digital audio workstation. It would be very much like me to come up with an idea that would have been genius 30 years ago.

Anyway, that’s what’s been buzzing in my head for the last few weeks and it feels good to get it out of my system. I’ll probably forget about it now, so if you want to do a kickstarter or something to make a student synthesizer, go nuts!