#(Originally I was going to trim the song down a little more but in the end I was able to work with it to this point!!) | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

andhumanslovedstories · 6 months ago

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I've been running this writing experiment lately to cut out phrases like "I felt" in my fiction writing. Like I was looking at a sentence in a draft that said, "he felt as if character's eyes were pinning him in place." And then I was like, "well, does he think that or is it true? As a result of this person watching him, he's froze. It's not like a thing, it is that thing."

Oh and "almost"! I'm always going, "He felt almost relieved that it hadn't happened." Well, did he feel better that it didn't happen or didn't he? Or "somewhat", I'm always going, "she felt somewhat perturbed."

And like none of that is wrong, to be clear. I don't know if it'd improve your writing, I don't even know if it'll improve my writing, but I use this sentence structure all the time so every viewpoint is from a voice that thinks about what it thinks, hedges its statements, and offers the same ability for wry little jokes formatted in the exact same way. And I have a lot of writing like that and I think (!) that they're good, but read as a whole, I'm like, "god, they all sound the same." Like there's one melody that I write songs to, so even with different lyrics, it's almost (!) the same song. Something I've been struggling with in regards to my writing and why I've felt so blocked is how boring I found writing my usual way. I'd read something and enjoy the individual parts of it, but then I'd step back and I didn't like the whole. And I got good at this enough at seeing that I didn't like it to do it in real time as I was writing, which as you can imagine didn't improve the process of writing because now I was bored AND dejected about being bored.

There's this sentence-level structure fact that I use unconsciously. A pattern I find easy is short sentence, short sentence, short sentence, long sentence. So I write that. "He [verbed]. He [verbed]. Then he [verbed]. As he [verbed] to his [consequence], he [verbed] that [noun] was [statement of condition]." Which could work, it often does make for a nice rhythm, but it's something I reach for often because it's easier for me.

Just last sentence, I originally typed, "I find it easier for me." But if what I mean is "using this pattern is less effort than another pattern," then it's easier for me. One voice is hedging its bets and the other asserting. Either is fine! But they're different! And, again, GOD you would not believe how many words I've cut out of this paragraph as I write it. I'm so chatty. I love using twelve words when six will do. And that gives my writing a specific tone to my ear.

So if I am bored of that tone, why not try using just the six words? Why be understated? Why be afraid of stronger opinions? So right now with my fiction, I'm experimenting with cutting out as many self-reflective words as I can. Sometime you do need to draw attention to the face that this is the character's interpretation, but like you definitely don't need to do it as much as I naturally want to do it. You don't need to always go out of your way to allow the possibility that the narrative voice is wrong. During editing, I trim the weaker ones (I originally typed, "what I consider the weaker ones" Is that more accurate?). But I think them being there in the first place shifts my language which shifts my character's which shifts my plot. It's sentence structure all the way down!!

(this barely applies to my writing on here, btw. i try to do good but yknow this is a tumblr blog. i'm not trying to get a lit mag to accept it.)

Anyway blah blah (chatty!) the point is I've been trying to write in a way opposite of my interests. Something that doesn't take itself too seriously, that emphasizes EMOTION and ACTION instead of minimizing it, and that clips through scenes at a good pace. Doing this been amazingly fun. I've been having such a good time doing it. I am writing so much because I really enjoy doing it. The process of writing is so fun again.

This post is about two things. One is my new mood stabilizer and therapy day camp. The other is about the benefit of pretending to be MXTX.

#mxtx #w.#b.#the thing about writing scum villain is that you have to write a character so is SO CONFIDENTLY wrong.#sqq needs to be as sure of that he is wrong to the degree with which he is actually wrong #i've used more exclamation points in the last month than i have perhaps in my life. i might in fact have too many exclamation points #but turns out that shit's fun as hell #it's word confetti

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burningembers91 · 1 month ago

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Family Matters - Kang Dae-Ho x Fem!Reader (NSFW)

Follow up piece to:

Voice Like Honey Tennessee Whiskey Bruises The Sweetest Song

Synopsis: Kang Dae-Ho comes face to face with his sister, who delivers some shocking news.

A/N: First part of the fic based on this ask, although i've changed the title i was originally going to give this fic :)

The shower was on when you got home, the sound of the water bouncing off the tiles echoed around your tiny apartment. You could hear the dulcet tones of Kang Dae-Ho’s voice, the song he was singing wrapping you in the most delicious, fuzzy hug. His voice never ceased to give you goosebumps in the best way, his deep, soulful tone carrying you away on the melody. You dumped your bags in the hall, shedding your clothes as you hurried to make it into the bathroom before he turned the water off.

“Hey you,” you smiled, taking in his broad, muscular form, rivulets of water running over the toned outline of his abs. His long, wet hair dripped into his eyes, obscuring his vision as he jumped at your voice, letting out a little yelp. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!” he cried, trying desperately to shake the water from his eyes. You waited patiently for his vision to return, watching as he pushed his hair back from his face, his chiselled jaw and perfectly carved cheekbones making your heart flutter. “Oh,” he smirked, his vision clear enough to see you’d arrived in the bathroom with no clothes on. “I was just about to wrap up, but I can keep the water running.”

He pulled you under the water with him, his lips meeting yours as his hands roamed your body. You titled your head back, letting the water cascade over your breasts as Dae-Ho’s lips peppered soft kisses across your collarbone. Your soft moans reverberated off the walls as he gently pressed you back against the cold shower tiles, a stark contrast to the heat of the water.

Hooking your right leg around Dae-Ho’s waist, you guided him inside of you, your moans swallowed by his lips. He could spend forever lost in you and it would still never be enough. Every time he pushed himself inside of you, he fell in love all over again. You sounded so pretty as you let go for him, clinging to his muscular shoulders as he held you in his arms. Your pleasure was his undoing, the two of you holding each other under the water as you came down from your highs.

You weren’t due to work tonight, but you were heading to the bar anyway. The place was more than a job to the both of you; it was the place where your story had begun, and the place that felt like home. You’d head there for a drink, maybe play a few songs before stumbling home together.

It was full to bursting as usual, the two of you cramming yourselves into a small space by the bar. Your colleagues never understood why you both loved this place so much, why you insisted on spending your free time here. But to Dae-Ho especially, this bar had been his salvation. He got to live out his dream of singing, spending every night with the woman he loved. It was a feeling he would never be able to put into words, no matter how hard he tried.

“Dae-Ho?” He heard his named being called over the cacophony, felt the hand that reached out the grasp his shoulder. He had flashbacks to the night of the fight, and he whirred around to defend himself. But standing before him wasn’t the man who’d punched him to the ground. His sister stood in front of him, her once long hair now trimmed into a bob. It had been so long since he’d seen her, and she looked so grown up, so sophisticated. “Su-Mi?” He breathed, clutching his beer bottle as he took in the face of his little sister. You watched the exchange, wondering who the woman was. For one, brief gut wrenching second you thought she might be an ex-girlfriend, but then you noticed her eyes and her nose; they were exactly like Dae-Ho’s. Even her posture mirrored your boyfriends, and you were no longer in doubt; this was his sister standing before him. “We need to talk,” Su-Mi shouted over the music. “Please.” Dae-Ho looked back at you and signalled for him to go, concern creasing your brow. You didn’t know much about his family, other than the fact that he didn’t have a good relationship with them. Whatever it was must be serious, if his sister had sought him out.

He stepped outside into the warm summer air, not quite able to meet Su-Mi’s eyes. He remembered the last time he’d seen her, begging her not to tell dad when she caught him with his backpack on, sneaking out of the bathroom window at 2am. She’d kept her promise, never letting on that she knew her brother had run away. “Is everything ok?” he asked, wondering when the hell his sister had grown up so much. Gone was the scrawny girl he’d known and before him stood a powerful looking woman. “When were you going to tell me you were back?” she demanded, swiping his beer from his hands and taking a large gulp. “Do you have any idea how long it took me to find you? You could have at least told me you were home. I thought we were close.”

“It’s… complicated,” he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Dad-“ “We all know dad’s a dick, Dae-Ho,” she sighed, “but you broke mum’s heart when you left. And the hearts of our sisters. And you couldn’t even contact us to let us know you were back.” He wanted to explain to Su-Mi, wanted to tell her that he couldn’t say anything about his return. He couldn’t face his dad, couldn’t face the man who terrified him more than anything. He’d finally found the confidence to be himself, and he knew the moment he was back in his dad’s presence, that confidence would be sucked away. “And you have a girlfriend?” she cried, “how long has that been going on?” “About six months,” Dae-Ho smiled, “she’s great. You’d really like her.” “I probably would,” his sister sighed, “but I wouldn’t know, would I? Because I had no idea she existed.” “Don’t be like that.” He rolled his eyes, draining the last of his beer before she could swipe anymore. “Look, I didn’t come here to argue,” Su-Mi snapped. She’d always been feisty, a little firecracker that wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself. Dae-Ho had always admired her for that, had never understood how she could so easily stand up to their father when he had never been able to. “You need to come home.”

“Why?” He saw no reason why he should set foot over the threshold of his childhood home ever again. That place held bad memories, ones that he’d rather forget. “It’s mum,” Su-Mi said sadly. “She has cancer.”

You found Dae-Ho sitting on the floor outside the bar, his cheeks tear stained. He had no idea how long he’d been sat there, staring at the empty beer bottle clutched in his hand. Su-Mi had left him after making him promised he’d come home and check on their mother. “What is it?” you asked him, crouching down and pulling him into you.

He wasn’t sure how he was even going to begin telling you about the bomb his sister had just dropped. His mum had cancer, the prognosis still unknown, but from the moment she’d been diagnosed she’d spoken of nothing but her only son. Dae-Ho would have no choice; he’d have to face his father, would have to face the man who resembled the devil himself.

He'd spent too long running from his past. Now he had no choice but to turn and face it head on. But even with you by his side, he wasn’t sure he’d have the courage to do it.

#squid game #squid game x reader #squid game fanfic #squid game 2 #squid game x you #squid game season 2 #squid game smut #kang dae ho x reader #kang dae ho #kang dae ho smut

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slavghoul · 2 years ago

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Interview from Upset Magazine 6/2023

Words: Steven Loftin

Like an apparition manifesting within a dense fog, it was through radio static that Swedish rockers Ghost were formed. In the kindergarten he attended as a young boy, Tobias Forge found himself enamoured with the music crackling through the little toy speakers. From this point forward, he began picking apart the notes and melodies - his journey toward the lore and canon coming into focus as he sat, trying to figure out how this black magic could be summoned.

While it would be many years before he would don his garb as Papa Emeritus, the essence of what his future would sound like was being set through his exposure to a wide variety of music. If any proof were needed, just look to the impressive list of covers Ghost have put their ghastly mark upon, including 2016's 'Popestar' EP, which included the band's takes on Echo & The Bunnymen ('Nocturnal Me') and Simian Mobile Disco ('I Believe').

Ghost's latest EP is another covers bonanza. A five-piece offering of Tobias's backstory, 'Phantomime' plays out like a Greatest Hits radio playlist - a fitting throwback to Tobias' first dalliances with music. Of course, when a group more aligned to the metal/hard rock community bust out covers, including Genesis and Tina Turner, eyebrows are raised. To this reaction, Tobias scoffs. "In 1991, Genesis was one of the biggest bands on the planet! That was a huge hit. In the mid-80s, when I had an older teenage brother who rented every VHS movie that came out, of course, we saw the fucking Thunderdome, and that was a huge hit, and it's still being played on Swedish radio. It's an evergreen; it's not an eclectic choice at all," he declares. "I grew up listening to Stranglers because my brother liked them. What else do we have, Iron Maiden - I mean, are you kidding? I'm a metalhead!"

Originally conceived during the sessions for their fifth album, last year's 'Impera', there were two folders on his computer's desktop: one named 'Impera', the other simply 'Covers'. As the ideas for 'Impera' grew, Tobias would enter his usual routine of working on a cover or two. "At any point, when you lose a little wind in writing your own things, it's quite nice to say, 'Today let's go in and work on the covers'; you can choose anything you want, you can work on absolutely anything you want. And you don't have to finish it, you don't have to release it, you don't have to do anything, but just continue working."

He likens it to the freedom of being a theatre owner who, instead of trying to pen the next greatest Broadway phenomenon, opts to have a go at something already timeless and perfected.

"Maybe you're like, 'Okay, so this fall we're just going to do a reinterpretation of Hamlet instead, that's going to be fine, and that keeps everyone working, and that keeps a project moving along! And I find a similar thing with working on covers. So as I was writing "Impera', the covers folder was also growing exponentially and at a point. I had this idea that was going to be a full-length album."

With COVID restrictions meaning the original producer for 'Impera' was stuck in the US, Tobias had to source a replacement. It would be Klas Åhlund who stepped up to the plate. But, on one condition. "He was pretty upfront. He was like. Yeah, I only want to make the record; I don't want to work on covers," Tobias remembers "Fine, fine, fine, that's fine." he shrugs. "So, after the 'Impera' recording was done, I felt as if making a completely different, whole record again: I didn't have time for that. I didn't have the energy for that. But once I trimmed down the number of songs to only these five to make a very rocky record, it loosened up the screws a little bit for me in terms of like, "Okay, so now I know what the EP is going to be - it's going to be a full, full-throttle rock one."

Ditching some rumoured softer covers, including U2, Misfits, and Motörhead. 'Phantomime is instead a delectable slice of Ghost doing what Ghost do best: creating theatrically big rock. It's Tobias's mark upon some bonafide classics, including Iron Maiden's 'Phantom of the Opera' which feels as befitting to Ghost as it does seeing Papa Emeritus kick the bucket ready for his next iteration. While the focus was on creating this small dose of Tobias's musical DNA, it also served another purpose; to simply be "not very complicated." The project began with the mindset of "we can make this recording loosely - quick but stress-free - as opposed to making a record which is your hard fifth record that needs to live up to certain standards. So it was just a very inspired, very simple recording, actually."

After the complexities of 'Impera' which wound up requiring two studios simultaneously running in parallel "to be able to work efficiently" - Ghost was morphing into a taxing experience for the band leader, "It was just a bigger thing [and] way more stressful."

Deciding to strip that covers folder down to the five tracks, by all accounts, 'Phantomime was a measured and reserved effort. "It ended up being me, an engineer, and an occasional musician coming in and doing something. It was so much looser, so much more mentally Feng Shui," he smiles, relief glowing in his voice. "And I think that that reflected a little bit on the two different records. They're meant to be related - they are definitely related - they were made roughly in the same time, but they're completely different things."

'Phantomime' plays out like a ghoulish social commentary. Starting with a searing rendition of Televison's 'See No Evil, the journey traverses the scourge of Televangelism (Genesis' Jesus He Knows Me') with a delightfully-fitting NSFW video, the instant gratification humans require to feel (The Stranglers' Hanging Around"); the pull back into cruel reality (Phantom Of The Opera"), and the resulting undying hope from a degraded society (Tina Turner's 'We Don't Need Another Hero"). Each offering is bolstered with Ghost's dramatic, theatric rock licks and Tobias's powerhouse vocals.

With 'Phantomime' in the bag and the European leg of the 'Impera' tour imminent (Tobias is currently holed up in preparation), the idea of reflecting on how he came to go from a young boy listening to the static sounds of pop hits on the radio to orchestrating not only a feverishly adored band and its lore but finding the capacity to embrace his inner music nerd, couldn't be more timely. Tobias's relationship with music has always been one of intrigue. He's a pop songwriter with the ambition and ideas of a stadium rock band, which, in essence, explains perfectly why Ghost can sit in a unique, exponentially growing and expanding space.

"My earliest inclination of wanting to transform into something else was definitely Twisted Sister," he recalls. "You know, "I Want To Rock' and 'We're Not Going To Take It' - that was a huge record in 1984, and in 1984, I was three years old," he says. "My brother was 16, so everything that was going on pop-culturally amongst teenagers was happening in my home."

It was thanks to his brother that much of Tobias's relationship with music was formed. He's introduced him to various giants of the time, like tectonic plates being pushed around, impacting and shaping his musical landscape. Translating for young Tobias the attitude of punk at the time, as well as everything else that was 'in', he remembers, "When I was a kid, and he was supposed to babysit me, as a pacifier he would put me in front of [Sex Pistols mockumentary film] 'The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle"," he laughs. "And then when that was over, he would just switch to [X-rated cartoon] Fritz the Cat. And I loved that stuff, of course. That was as much [about] the expression and the attitude. Of course, I loved the songs, but it was also filtered or combined with big songs for me." Those big songs ("Men At Work 'Down Under'," he initially cites, "those sort of songs still have a unique place in my in my writing") would eventually entwine with his darker side that he'd explore as he grew older. "Whilst my whole adolescence was completely in the name of extreme metal, I always had a very soft spot for Top 40 rock and pop radio always," Tobias explains. "And I've listened to that all my life. So it's almost equal portions of Venom as it is anything. that was on the radio."

Also, witnessing shock and glam-rock bands explode intrigued Tobias. He became swept away in the idea that not only could you push a boundary to its absolute limits with convictions and over-the-top grandiosity, but you could do so with songs that quantifiably bop. But, as time has gone onto prove, it wasn't pop music that enamoured Tobias enough that he wanted to become a pop star. It's the mythology and mystery that has become his calling card.

Tobias remained an enigma under the disguise of an evolving form of the iconic Papa Emeritus (now in his fourth incarnation) until 2017, after a lawsuit from a previous iteration of his backing band's rotating cast, the Nameless Ghouls. Visual and video components to releases are often hoovered up by the fandom, stripped apart for meaning and potential. Instagram posts are referred to as a '[Message From The Clergy]" (a phrase later claimed for 2022's Best Of playlist), and lest it is forgotten, the Ghost 'Grucifix' - the prominent crucifix deconstructed into Tobias's gothic 'G' logo - which ties together the vision, religious imagery and satire that would become a core part of the Ghost experience.

His musical ambition and education colliding in the middle of his Venn diagram between dark metal and pop magic is thanks to the likes of the aforementioned Twisted Sister and W.A.S.P., as well as his teen years in the black metal community. "Their first record was also a huge impact in Swedish media," Tobias remembers. "There was this big sort of Satanic panic thing going on at the time in the fall of 1984. Where you had essentially all those things happening. You had Mötley Crüe 'Shout At The Devil', which came out a year earlier, and they were there because they toured with Iron Maiden in 1984, so there was a lot of focus on these shock-rock bands. I saw that as a kid, and I was immediately blown away - it was the coolest thing I've ever seen. And I think that that was the trigger that made me identify as that is how I want to express myself."

Decoding the songs he'd hear also became an integral part of that expression. "That was the only thing I did for years before I started writing my own songs." Recalling his time in kindergarten, they had a piano and guitar, which Tobias became infatuated with. Instead of playing with the other children, he would find himself enraptured, listening to the radio or flipping over whichever cassette happened to be loaded at the time. He would then imitate the sounds he was soaking up. "A lot of those early beginnings of how to learn and how I've learned how to understand music filters through everything I do now," he explains.

The early records he'd find himself trying to unpack included KISS 'Alive' and Pink Floyd's 'Piper At The Gates Of Dawn' - disparate matches, but undoubtedly Ghost fuel with hard rock melodies and psychedelic tendencies. "I had the first and the second Pink Floyd on a double LP that was called 'A Nice Pair'. And that's the shit that I sat and listened to and played guitar to," he says proudly. "That's weird music, that's really weird chord sequences and melodies that sort of went nowhere. And, that coloured me a lot in my vision of this is how you write a pop song. Of course, I knew more conventional writing as well. But I figured that this resonates with me, and I want to write more like that."

Tobias is the first to admit that the influence his musical exposure has had on him isn't the most straightforward. "For all the years that I was in bands, up until Ghost, basically when I was in bands not doing well, I got a lot of, I wouldn't say stick, but it was always like, 'You write weird songs, there's something weird about them, and it will never really become anything because it has that sort of weirdness to it".

As he grew, the songs he'd heard reflected this inherent strangeness he'd constructed. Before the days of mass formulaic pop factories, the music emanating from the radio abided by the strictest rule of needing to at least be approachable, but within these confines, artists of the 70s and 80s would push the envelope as far as they could. Citing Nik Kershaw's 'The Riddle' as one example, "Holy shit, if you would have taken that song and taken it to a chord structure masterclass amongst pop writers now who want to write songs for Miley Cyrus or The Weeknd or any of that sort of level they would say, no, no, no, no, that this will never work. It's too strange. It's too weird. You can't do that; it doesn't have the normal chord progression.

"There are a lot of songs from the 80s that are like that," he reckons, "compared to the now, more informative way of writing, the 80s was braver actually, and it worked well. And those songs are evergreens in a way that a lot of the top radio shit from seven years ago is forgotten, and that's the stuff that I grew up with when I started playing the guitar."

Having made that inner sanctum, he would enter kindergarten a reality, one where he can explore those recesses of his mind shaken by the musical earthquakes he experienced; now, he's matured and deeply entrenched in the reality. "Throughout the modern day of pop writing, I know a few professional pop songwriters, and we continue having these conversations because in pop," he says, "where some of them work prolifically on really high releases, they're like, it's strange how the business wants everything to be so informative. Everybody wants a weird song, but still, all the big songs are usually very, very formatted [and] very, very simple."

While unpacking the songs he'd heard back in the 80s offered Tobias a chance to comprehend what makes a good song, it, more importantly, helped him to set out doing it on his own. When digging into crafting a new Ghost number, Tobias explains that "each new song is a little bit like virgin territory with its own riddle to be solved, and is always a combination of the horror of maybe not solving the puzzle, with the thrill when you do. And it's never easy because each new song needs something new. And so you constantly need to feed your ability with knowledge about how other things are."

Breaking it down into a figurative example, he likens it to being like a detective. "I'm assuming that part of being a great detective is to constantly have an open mind, but also constantly learning about human behaviour and wha people do. If you just had 100 forensic classes, but you know nothing about people and how they live their lives, it's gonna be hard to solve crimes." The same rings true for writers who have to read to improve and further understand language, while comedians pull from real-life experiences - music is no different. Tobias's early days of stripping down songs to their basic parts and then rebuilding them have remained a constant endeavour. "But that's how you write songs as well; you go and absorb new things."

The covers process, as mentioned, is a release for Tobias. When things are stuck when trying to piece together a new chapter for the Ghost bible, a cover offers up a chance for something lighter. "Working on covers can be equally euphoric," he confirms, "because it's fun to understand a song whereas, on the other hand, it can be almost demoralising because you're like, I can't believe that this song is so much better than anything that I've written! And it's so much easier. It's so simple."

"I find myself overcomplicating things often, but you might not hear the complicated detour that I took to end up at the more understandable, straighter version that ended up being the actual recording," he continues. "That's a never-ending struggle because that's how it's supposed to be. It's not like you write the one song. I don't think I know anyone or know of anyone who's content with the idea of having written one huge song. And then you know, okay, that's nirvana for you. You don't write the one song the same way that if you're a comedian, it's not like, 'Oh, I just told the funniest joke. So now I'm done".

While Tobias is one for wanting to keep the ball rolling and on a constant endeavour to continue his musical evolution, he knows there's a limit. Every release of Ghost must have a purpose. Nodding to the 60s method of firing singles out on all fronts, eventually compiling them for a full-length release, Tobias acknowledges his relationship with his fans is based on a more long-term understanding. "That's not how we do things; we make an album, and off of that album, there are singles - it's a 70s/80s thinking. And I don't want to refrain from that - I don't want too many singles to be these autonomous little creatures."

But the world is different now. It's a Wild West where being in the masses' consciousness is key, so things may have to change for him. Admitting that right now, he knows he's post-release of Ghost's last canon entry, 'Impera', which arrived back in 2022, and while 'Phantomime' is a reasonable enough bridge, sooner or later, he's going to have to play the game of ensuring Ghost ramp up. Earlier this year, Ghost collaborated with Def Leppard's Joe Elliott on a re-release of 'Impera' cut 'Spillways' which, while a fantastic addition to their arsenal, adds to the same notion Tobias is fearful of. "I'm slowly preparing for making a new record that's going to come out in 2024, which is way too long for the current contemporary music climate; you need to be ever-present," the last phrase hanging in the air ominously.

That doesn't mean he has to lower his standards, however. No Ghost release will exist just for content's sake. Everything must have its place. He even reckons a 14-track album is "a lot of music", and he still sees an album as being "22 minutes of music per side" - true to form, currently, no standard issue of any Ghost album breaches 12 tracks. He's even ready to aim for the likes of The Rolling Stones and The Beatles by swiftly lobbing a couple of spicy takes out. "Look, man, I don't even think that 'Exile on Main Street' is that good. Not even the fucking White album is that great - break it up! Both of those records would have been better if they were trimmed down to singular records."

That pop mind breaking through; Tobias is someone who knows that music is entertainment. Certainly, a medium which often leads to more bulky connotations, but it must entertain. It's why he doesn't pay any mind to those naysayers that yearn for Ghost to be more metal or to follow a different path. This is Tobias's game; we're just privy to the sermon. These days the floodgates are open and, when compared to previous decades, as Tobias remembers it, "you had to buy your own records. Whatever additional music you got, that wasn't maybe heard on the TV or the radio, when you took something from someone else, was usually a choice, so music styles could in some way be a little bit more insular back then just because you weren't subjected to as much." He mentions his beloved death metal as being a signifier of the changes happening. "Back in the day, when I was starting listening to extreme metal, that was completely embraced by a certain little subculture or group of mostly teenagers and 20-somethings. Whereas in the 2000s, when Vice started doing black metal reporting, all of a sudden you have indie personalities who were fans of Darkthrone, and so, obviously, what ended up that turned into this fusion, which was a positive and very natural thing."

This cultural shift is another reason Ghost's space is widening and its success growing. "Nowadays, people are a little bit more open," he admits. But, with this comes issues. "As time has progressed, metal and hard rock, as well as most genres that have been around for a while, [they've] gone from this youth culture to a conservative institution because so many of the fans are now aged." The passage of time waits for no one. But, more presciently for culture, it also means our understanding of what is 'good' and what should be where is moulded differently to when we were younger. "Unfortunately, that happens to most people regardless of who you were when you were 20," Tobias reckons, "or your ideals when you're like 40/50/60 years old. Your brain starts morphing into a slightly more conservative, slightly more nostalgic... You don't want things to change."

Tobias is the first to hold his hands up and admit the same has happened to him. He yearns for 1984 and even 1990-94. He would even be happy with 1987, back to those days with the crackling radio and a childlike spirit. "That would be so much cooler. I loved that way more than in this day and age. But I can't sit around and mope about that because it's not a problem that it's not 1987."

'Phantomime' is proof nostalgia can be a useful tool. It fuels with passion, and Ghost is Tobias's Neverland. "There's such a debate about what we are and why that is." Ghost are a band that, thanks to Tobias's musical education, transcend time. They exist on their own plain and with the evergreen, timeless sounds of yesteryear echoing around Tobias's head, long may Papa reign with his gloved melodic iron fist.

#the band ghost #tobias forge #interview #really good one 👍

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brightside-of-the-upsidedown · 2 years ago

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I'm not sure how I'll continue it yet, but this is the infamous pastel grunge punk!Steve I ended up writing instead of tentacles, so enjoy XD

Sparked by this beautiful post

By @discodeviant because while I was reading, Beggar's Song by Matt Maeson started playing in my head.

Steve looked into the backroom bathroom's cracked mirror and fixed his hair for the seventh time in the last thirty minutes. It was practically a ritual at this point when he was nervous. Well, maybe it'd become his lucky thing after tonight.

He brushed the hair away from his face and clicked his tongue ring pensively. From one side, his new haircut still had his usual thick brown voluminous waves with highlights that nearly brushed his shoulder. From the other side, he'd had it trimmed down into a disconnected undercut and dyed baby pink. He'd originally been planning on dying all of his hair pink and getting both sides shaved, but had chickened out. He'd still been thrilled by the outcome though.

Or at least he had loved it just this morning. But would everyone else? Had he made a mistake and fucked up one of the only good things about him-

A fist banged on the door and Robin's voice came through the door. "Come on, dingus, you're already pretty. Stop spiraling and let's go!"

Steve smiled and let her in. "Aw, Buckley, I'm pretty? Even pretty enough for you?"

Robin snorted and wrinkled her nose. "Don't push it. Now get your ass up on stage before it escapes those pants and makes a run for it. You're never going to throw those out, are you?"

Steve looked down at his worn thin jeans and yeah, maybe they were a bit tighter than usual in the ass, but their new apartment had a lot of stairs, okay! Despite it being almost more holes than pants, they were comfortable and definitely something his parents would never have let him wear when he'd still been under his dad's thumb. So of course that made them his favorite.

He turned and washed his hands once more. Robin let out a choking noise and pointed at his ass. "That's a new hole."

For a split second, Steve thought she was talking about something else until she poked at a spot on his ass not covered by the pants. There was a new hole in his jeans that showed off a not small peek of his ass and thigh. But it was low enough that Steve wasn't too worried about it.

"Buy a guy dinner first, jeez." Steve teased her.

She just slapped his ass. "Yeah, sure, I know a great little place on Easy Street called Cafe Puttana."

"Did you just call me a whore in my own mother tongue, Buckley?!" Steve gasped dramatically. "And maybe if you dressed like this more often, you'd stop having to resort to handing out free drinks to get a girl's attention." Steve hip checked her as she giggled at him and opened the door. "Now let's get this show on the road before everyone notices their favorite bartenders are both missing. My public awaits." He adjusted his pink jean vest over his Nirvana t-shirt as he stepped out, still picking, still-

"Your 'public' is a bunch of drunks, punks, burnouts, and half dead partiers." Robin hugged him from behind just before they got to the stage in the bar. "So don't let the nerves get you. Just have fun and sing me a song, piano man."

That got a genuine laugh out of him. "I'm no Billy Joel, but I'll see what I can do, uptown girl."

Robin went up on stage to announce him. She hyped him up as best she could given her audience and got a not too bad round of applause. Steve wasn't expecting much, this was a gig he'd just gotten only because he worked at the bar and the band that had been scheduled to play had canceled. He usually worked as their bartender and he was good at it. He probably wouldn't have gotten either job if Robin hadn't stepped up to bat for him.

Steve practiced his breathing exercises as the players they could find on such short notice got ready. He stepped up on stage, gave a friendly wave to the regulars who recognized and cheered for him.

He took a seat at the piano he'd had to tune himself before the show because it got so little use.

"Hey, you bunch of vagrants and drains on society." His words were met with proud hoots and hollers. "It's me, Steve, your favorite bartender." This was met with a loud boo from the bar, Robin playfully heckling him.

"That bunch of assholes the boss hired canceled, yeah, I know. So you get me instead, aren't you lucky? Usually you have to buy a drink to get to listen to my dulcet tones." Steve grinned as the crowd booed, whistled, and catcalled. "So enjoy the music, I wrote it myself. Yeah, that's right, fuck you, I have layers. Or if you don't like it, just shut the fuck up and enjoy the view you bunch of pervs." More catcalls.

Steve signaled the players and waited a moment, waiting for his cue, as they played the intro. They weren't bad for only two days of practice.

Jesus, come talk to me

I am but a blind mess, I am wild and free

I know that I need us more than I need me

One more whiskey, I am wild and free

Steve started playing as he continued singing.

Oh, but I'm a beat-down, washed-up son of a bitch

I got one more cigarette and all my money is spent

But I'ma be damned if I let it keep me down

Oh yeah, I'm a beat-down, washed-up son of a bitch

I got one more cigarette and all my money is spent

But I'ma be damned if I let it keep me down

Steve didn't hear any hecklers, not that he thought anyone was that willing to get on Robin's Shit List, but he still didn't dare look up.

Oh, my mother Mary, come walk with me

I am on four drugs, I am wild and free

I know that I failed less, the less I knew me

Wander through the darkness, and come walk with me

Steve felt good about the beat and the band seemed to be really getting into it.

Oh 'cause I'm a beat down washed up son of a bitch

I got one more cigarette and all my money is spent

But I'll be damned if I let it keep me down

Ay, yeah

Yeah I'm a beat down washed up son of a bitch

I got one more cigarette and all my money is spent

But I'll be damned if I let it keep me down

Yeah, yeah

He timed his breathing as the band trailed into the chorus.

Oh yeah, I'm a beat-down, washed-up son of a bitch

I got one more cigarette and all my money is spent

But I'ma be damned if I let it keep me down, yeah, yeah

Oh, I'm a beat-down, washed-up son of a bitch

I got one more cigarette and all my money is spent

But I'ma be damned if I let it keep me down, yeah, yeah, yeah

Steve nodded and belted the post chorus.

You know that it's not over

It's okay to let yourself hurt

Swimming in the murky water

Won't you come on out? Yeah, yeah

You know that it's not over

It's okay to let yourself hurt

Swimming in the murky water

Won't you come on out? Yeah, yeah

We sing a beat-down, washed-up beggar's song

And we sing it even louder when the money is gone

Because we'll be damned if we let it keep us down, yeah, yeah

Oh, I'm a beat-down, washed-up son of a bitch

I got one more cigarette and all my money is spent

But I'ma be damned if I let it keep me down, yeah, yeah, yeah

Steve blinked his eyes open when he felt a bit of an echo- no, there were people singing along. He recognized Robin's off key voice and smiled. Steve sang out the lyrics with his whole chest.

You know that it's not over

It's okay to let yourself hurt

Swimming in the murky water

Won't you come on out? Yeah, yeah

You know that it's not over

It's okay to let yourself hurt

Swimming in the murky water

Won't you come on out? Yeah, yeah

He could hear a lot more voices raise with his as he sang the last chorus as the band tapered off. "Come on, beggers!"

We sing a beat-down, washed-up beggar's song

And we sing it even louder when the money is gone

Because we'll be damned if we let it keep us down, yeah, yeah

Oh, I'm a beat-down, washed-up son of a bitch

I got one more cigarette and all my money is spent

But I'ma be damned if I let it keep me down

For an embarrassing moment, Steve thought he might fucking cry at the roars from the bar. Yeah, it was a few dozen regulars, drunkards, and partiers blitzed out of their minds, but it was leagues above his self doubt's worst case scenario. He had to swallow hard more than once before he felt confident enough to talk into the mic again.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it, you assholes?" Steve knew he was probably smiling like an idiot, but it was hard to care. "Give a hand to the band, they had like two days to fucking practice my crap, holy shit."

The bar clapped and yelled for them. The band looked pleased with the positive attention and a few waved back. One flipped off the audience much to their delight.

"Now, the rest of the songs are covers, the good shit, I promise." Steve announced. "So spend your fucking money, don't forget to tip, and enjoy."

They ended up playing some Nirvana, a little The Clash of course, Dead Kennedys, Siouxsie and the Banshees, through in a Motley Crüe song, and topped it off with his beloved Queen.

To Steve's honest surprise and giddiness, there was a demand for an encore of Beggar's Song. He led them through it one more time before ending for the night. Closing time was in less than an hour and he wanted to help Robin out with last call.

They got a decent amount of tips that he let the band take the lion's share of, but still got a sweet fifteen bucks on top of the thirty his boss had already paid him. He'd be able to buy some pretty good food for him and Robin this month.

That's all I got for now!

The backstory is Robin and Steve moved together somewhere after Robin got kicked out for coming out to her parents.

Maybe she stayed with Steve until her parents told his parents and they called to tell him to send her home, whatever. Robin and Steve decided to strip whatever they could from the house, sell it, sneak into her room while her parents were gone to pack, and they rode off into the sunset.

Now they have a shitty apartment, jobs at a shitty bar, and they've never been happier. ❤

I have plans to bring Billy and Eddie into it later.

Two Nights Ago

Robin: I volunteered you for a gig

Steve: I've only sang in front of you!

Robin: it's time to fly, I'm kicking you out of the nest, dingus

Steve: does this make you my mama bird?

-Robin throws a pillow at him-

Steve: how could you do this to your child!

#harle hums #they're little shits and i love them #robin buckley #steve harrington #punk steve harrington #punk steve au #future harringroveson #future metalsandwich

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eywaseclipse · 2 years ago

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Safe in Your Arms*

Characters: Original character Metkayina Makani, Tonowari

Synopsis: It’s been a year since Tonowari’s mate Ronal died in the battle of the sky people’s return. With life slowly going back to normal he somehow opens up to the idea of finding love again, with you. (Ronal is killed off in this, but she was never pregnant because I’m not a monster!)

Warnings: Smut. Heavy yummy smut. So no minors and 18+ content

Word count: 3k

The days that were once filled with only anguish and darkness, suddenly started to dissipate. The light beyond the horizon now shone bright again, the pain in his heart slowly lifting. Tonowari swore he would never love again, not after what the sky people took from him. His mate Ronal, was murdered in the battle against the Metkayina and RDA. His Tsahík, his soulmate, gone. A year after this tragedy he knew that in order to properly lead his clan, he must begin searching for his new mate. But why was he filled with such guilt? You saw your leader every day, eyes heavy with sadness, body tense with internal turmoil, but he still carried himself with such grace and poise, a true leader for you and your people. Tonowari and you shared a close kinship due to Ronal’s and yours friendship since childhood. Your respect for him was great, but you couldn’t deny your physical attraction to this strong warrior. He was undeniably gorgeous. Strong thighs for swimming, his core muscular for long breath holds and balance. His eyes glimmering blue like ocean water, hands strong of a true warrior. A part of you prayed he would find love again, for his sake, your people’s sake.

You were close with Ronal during you childhood and adolescence. You trained among your people passing all of your rites of passage making your way into adulthood earning your tattoo markings. But you preferred to be one with nature. She had you apprentice her up until her death, almost like she predicted it, you thought to yourself. To Tonowari’s surprise you never mated with anyone. Much too engulfed in your practice of healing, and being with your spirit sister embracing nature more than being around people. He knew you were just as skilled with a spear as the next hunter, but would never boast out of humble kindness. Part of what he admired most about your gentle nature. Perhaps you were the one who could fix his broken heart.

You were in your marui this morning, gathering all of your collected shells to make your new outfit. Carefully weaving together the beautiful abalone into your green fabric, humming a song your parents would sing to you when you were little. Your loincloth was already finished. Adorned in black and blue seaweed, pearls, sea glass, and beads. You worked hard to match the top and bottom to hopefully seek a mate. Being in your 20th rotation it’s a little odd you’re still unmated, although your people do not question your decision. The docile respectful nature you possess for one another allows the space for all to thrive. As you continue threading the material and humming, your hips begin to sway to the melody. Your body moving on its own accord, fluid like the ocean’s movements. Unbeknownst to you Tonowari came to your hut ask you for a salve he knew you had for Anoung getting lightly injured in a hunt, but he can’t seem to announce his arrival just yet. His eyes are glued to your trim waist and wide hips, your tail flicking with happiness. Your voice smooth as honey to him. His cheeks and ears are hot. His loincloth begins to tighten. He tries to fight the urge to stop himself, but instead lets his eyes trail down to your ass first.

He coughs abruptly, announcing his presence, causing you to yelp in surprise. You whip your head around to see your visitor, blue eyes meeting his. “Oh Tonowari, you spooked me!” You say lightly with a smile bowing your head to your leader. “I apologize Makani, you seemed to be in quite the trance.” He chuckled breathlessly. He hoped you had not noticed his flustered state. “I came to see if you had some of the kelp salve in here, I will find it useful for Aonung and his hunting party wounds.” Your eyes kept contact with his for a second more, then began to scan your medicinal shelf. Your delicate hands find the salve and bring it over to your leader. “I hope he’s not too wounded, I can assist in anyway that I can.” With a soft smile that melts his heart, he feels your hand brush ever so slightly against his much bigger ones. “No, he must learn his lesson to know better than to show off for his friends. He will be fine.” He assures you. You nod in agreement. His eyes making way to your halfway sewn top. “Your shells, they’re beautiful. What lovely fabric” He says blushing. “Thank you, ‘Wari, it’s for the hunting festival tomorrow night, it’s almost finished.” You politely respond, flattered by his compliment. “I’m sure you’ll find that you are the one that’s worth celebrating in attire like that Syulang flower.” You gasp at his daring words. Suddenly feeling your own cheeks heat, and heart pounding you’re left speechless. The air becoming thick with tension. A whole year’s worth of stolen glances, soft touches, yearning, and unspoken feelings finally breaking to the surface. Both of you staring at one another in silence you decide to speak. “I was hoping that adorning such material, I might finally have a chance at finding my mate.” You speak shyly testing the waters. You see him take a deep breath, almost jealousy, “Any man would be a fool not to.” He puffs out his chest. “Maybe I’m just waiting for him to choose me.” Both of you closing the space between each other. Chest to chest, you feel his heart thumping loudly against your chest, breath fanning your face. “He already has Ma’Makani.” You press your foreheads against one another, embracing this moment of revelation and deep intimacy. An unspoken bond between the two of you tracing back years only platonically. Until now. What feels like minutes passing, he slowly lifts his forehead from yours, his tail swings with excitement. Putting the salve down his giant hands find their way to your small face, lightly tracing your skin. The gentle demeanor of this hulking man, is enough for your knees to buckle. Not a single mean bone in his body, despite him being a mighty ferocious warrior. You both slowly close the space between your face, lips ghosting each other letting your bodies talk for you. Your breath in sync with his. His lips so soft against yours, you practically melt into him. He feels you kissing him back, sneaking his tongue into your mouth causing you to moan deliciously. He feels your reaction, sticking his tongue further in your mouth. The undeniable heat growing between your legs becoming too much to ignore. You rut your hips into his seeking relief. He senses your desperation and chuckles. “What is it little one? What do you need?” “You, I need you. All of you. Right now.” Your chest now heaving with tension, your untouched body on fire with just his kiss alone. He smells your arousal, making his loincloth tighten with his own. “Oh, Syulang flower, you’ve had me, this whole time. I’ve been a fool not to see it, but now I know what I must not lose. You are the light I have found my way to after great sorrow. Always there for me when I did not appreciate your presence. You have healed the hole in my heart in ways I cannot explain. If you will have me as well.” Your eyes begin to water with pure love and adoration for the man in front of you. “Oh my love, please do not shed tears.” He says softly wiping the tears streaming down your face. You lightly chuckle, “only happy tears Ma’Tonowari. I feel only happiness.”

He gasps at you returning the intimate gesture. Feeling his arousal and lust for you he cannot wait any longer. He scoops you up, causing you to squeal. He brings you over to your sleeping mat, gently laying you down. Facing each other, he slowly kisses you once again this time filled with desperation. Your teeth clank against each other, tongues battling for dominance you moan into his mouth loudly. This sends his primal urges into overdrive. Now mounting you, a low growl escapes his chest. You gasp at his sheer strength, rubbing your thighs together as wetness between your legs grows. “Princess, can I taste your beautiful nectar? You smell divine.” He practically purrs into your face. “Yes!” You respond with equal desperation. He kisses your mouth one last time, slowly trailing his lips from your neck, collarbone, and stomach leaving wet marks on your blue skin. He gently unties the knots of your loincloth, while you lift up your hips for easy removal your body moving on its own accord. You feel a surge of confidence course through your spine spreading your legs as wide as they can go. His eyes barely blue now, with pupils blown with complete and utter primal desire. “Oh my beautiful princess, I am going to devour you.” He says chest heaving with his own excitement. He bends down eye level to your glistening pussy, he swears it’s the most beautiful sight he’s ever seen. Rubbing his nose against your thigh, taking in your sweet scent, you bring your hands into his hair gripping for support. Sweet soft kisses are placed on your soft skin, the anticipation killing you as your breathing becomes heavier. You feel your pussy throbbing with anticipation. “My love, please, I can’t take it anymore!” You scream desperately. He chuckles darkly at your desperation, finally shoving his hot tongue into your silky walls, sending shocks of pure electricity through your entire body. Immediately bucking into his face, you feel him French kissing your puffy lips, like a man completely starved. Your eyes roll back, moaning loudly into the air. Causing a surge of confidence in him. He pulls your body even closer, pressing his nose into your swollen bud completely engrossed by your delicious nectar. You feel a fire within your belly start to form, a sensation you’ve never experienced before. He sucks hard, gulping you up, slurping on your sweet juices. His tongue fucking your pussy deliciously, as your orgasm approaches quickly. “Tonowari, I think! I-Oh!” You feel your body begin to writhe on its own accord. “Go ahead my love, let go.” He says moaning into your legs. Your body shakes with extreme pleasure as you grip his braids for dear life, screaming with ultimate satisfaction. Your chest heaving, and breaths deeply panting as you come down from your climax. You feel Tonowari sucking all your nectar moaning and sucking his fingers dry.

Instead of allowing yourself a minute from your orgasm, you pounce on your mate. The sight of seeing him enjoying himself giving you pleasure strikes your core with mouth watering primal desire. Your hips find their way to his thighs, finding friction on the thick muscles. Your soaking wet pussy grinding against the warrior’s rip cord strong thigh, his eyes blown with hunger seeing you ride his thighs shamelessly. You bring your hand to the back of his head and slam your lips into his, moaning into him immediately. His loincloth is so tight it begins to feel uncomfortable. You sense his tense stature, and stop grinding. Your eyes find their way down to the huge bulge in his loincloth, a smile forming on your face. “Tonowari, let me please you now my Tìyawn love. I need to make you feel good.” Whispering in his ear. Your eyes hooded with lust, and hands begin to make their way to his loincloth. He sits back watching how desperate you are for him, causing him to sweat with excitement. “As you wish my darling.” He says practically breathless.

Your fingers work hastily, untying his strings, his hips lifting up to help you take the material off. His rock hard cock slaps against his stomach loudly, with a wet mark on his skin from pre cum. The sight of his huge cock, sends your brain into a frenzy, your mouth begins to water. The strong girth of his cock, leading to a swollen big mushroom tip dark blue from arousal. He stands at 16 inches. His cock is practically throbbing from your stare alone. “Let me taste you, love.” You say misty eyed. He leans back on the pile of pillows allowing you easier access. You crawl towards him like a predator stalking its prey, blue eyes barely visible from your lust. His chest is heaving with desire. “Anything for you princess.” He says letting his lust speak for him now. You finally bring your head down to the swollen glistening tip, slowly bringing your mouth around it, trying not to overwhelm him. He immediately lets a groan leave his lips from the contact, his eyes closing from pleasure. You sense it’s okay to keep moving, so you bring your mouth down the rest of his length. His swollen cock now hitting the back of your throat deliciously. Your head begins to bob up and down, finding a good rhythm for your small mouth taking his large length. You feel his big hands lightly grab your hair, holding for support as he’s transcended in utter bliss. You hear his mewls and whimpers allowing the confidence to flow through you, swirling your tongue around his length, then sucking hard. The grip on your head suddenly tightens as he squeals out rutting his hips into your face. “Ah! My petal, I will not last if you keep this up.” His chest heaving, refraining from cumming down your throat right there. “Then I better not keep you from waiting, my king. I am ready.” You take your mouth off his length, seeing him whine at the loss your lips. You bring your body slowly up to his again, with his hands cupping your face bringing you into a passionate wet kiss, tongue making its way in your mouth hot, and sloppy. Your body straddling his, both of you desperate for each other whining into his mouth. You know he will wait as long as you with his gentle nature. You finally bring your hand back to your braided kuru and hold it in front of you. His trance suddenly broken, “My love, if we do this, we will be mated before Eywa. I will not pressure you into anything you feel you’re not ready for.” His big blue eyes bore into your soul. You lightheartedly laugh at his manners. “Oh Ma’Tonowari, I have been ready since that day you came back from the reef with the war party with that bag of shells you gave me so I could weave them into making a new outfit. You always think of others before yourself. I have been madly in love with you for much some time now.” You take his breath away with your confession, a man of tough resolve suddenly weak in his damn knees from the woman in front of him. He never thought his heart would feel whole again, his days spent with longing and sorrow. Until you found your way into his daily routines, softly floating your way into his heart.

Tears now brimming in his eyes, fall down his cheeks slowly trailing his skin. You’re there to wipe them away lovingly. Your tender touch so soft he could collapse with adoration. “Now look who’s crying my darling.” You say in a whisper, now kissing his cheeks where his tears fell. He closes his eyes wondering how he had gotten so lucky to be given another chance at love in this lifetime. You’re so patient with him, allowing him to feel all his emotions breathing into your neck as you caress his braids delicately. “Makani, I have found the missing piece to my broken heart, you’ve mended me when I didn’t have the strength to mend myself. I am yours eternally my love.” He brings his thumb to your lips, lightly tracing them. Bringing your mouths together feeling the fire burn once more, igniting the lust back into the room, you swirl your tongue against his whimpering into him with delight. Your hips begin to move against his again, seeking the friction once again. His length begins to harden again, immediately seeking the sensation of your body. He senses your desperation, and brings his kuru to the front of you, taking yours in your own hand. Slowly bringing the dancing tendrils to each other as they weave their way into unity. You both gasp at the impact, pupils dilated from the bond. Breath in sync with each other, your eyes boring into his soul, feeling the complete love and adoration he truly possesses for you. Your emotions transferred to him, drowning in the devotion you have for him, your warmth, your fondness. You both bring your foreheads to each other, relishing in this feeling. Embracing the intimate bond of Tsaheylu.

He feels your lust building in your chest, barely holding it together, as you feel his arousal seeping into your soul. Your slick now dripping onto his thighs with anticipation as he brings your body over his length, strong hands on your waist. You slowly drop down guided by him, sinking onto his throbbing cock. Breath hitched with the sensation of you and him at once. All air leaves your lungs as you bottom out, with his full length inside of you. You whimper at the feeling of being completely full. “Take your time love.” Your mate coos into your ear. He sends a shiver down your spine igniting a delicious reaction. You roll your hips against his, his pelvis now rubbing against your clit. Your head thrown back with pleasure at such an impact. “Tonowari, please move, you do not need to worry about being gentle with me. I can handle it!” Your words barely making any sense as he bucks his hips into yours. The sound of skin slapping against each other. “As you wish my darling.” He breathlessly shoots out. Feeling the speed of his hips against yours, your belly burns with the fire approaching your second orgasm. You ride him with fluid movements like a crashing wave, him bringing his body to meet yours, sensing he is still holding back so he doesn’t hurt you. “Fuck me hard ‘Wari, I can feel that you want to, just let go!” He growls finally allowing his primal urges to take over his senses. Your body now flipped over onto your back harshly. Landing with a thud your legs are spread open by his strong arms. You moan at his sudden assertive demeanor. You completely submit to him. His mate.

He brings your thighs to wrap onto his hips, leaning over you. Bringing his cock to your entrance, slamming into you. The motion now completely rampant, losing the rhythm. You feel him approaching his climax as well. His pelvis slamming into your swollen bud, the sounds of your soaking wet pussy squelching at his contact. “Ah! Yes baby!” Your head thrown back in compete utter ecstasy. He brings his mouth to yours, tongue assaulting yours. “You’re taking me so well buttercup” He shouts in pleasure. He fucks you like a man starved, allowing all primal instincts to take over his body. Now slamming ferociously into your body, with your back arched at a sensual angle, driving him to suck your nipples harshly. “Ah!” Your scream in pleasure mixed with pain. He tears the material covering your breasts like a mad man, throwing it to the side. Now taking a hand to the other breast squeezing it. Your pussy clenches down on his cock, feeling your orgasm approaching quickly. The overwhelming stimulation clouding your brain with only pleasure. He removes his hand from your nipple, and brings his hand to your clit feeling how close you are. He knows he won’t last any longer with your whimpers escaping into the air. The final motion of flicking to your swollen bud sending you over the edge, the fire in your womb reaching its climax. Your pussy clenching him harshly, screaming with pleasure as your orgasm rips through your entire body. Following suit he moans into the air as his own orgasm crashes down, spilling his warm seed into your womb. The bond creating waves of ecstasy sharing your pleasure with each other, almost overwhelming. “Fuck! Princess!” He screams as his hips rut into yours with the last of his seed being completely milked from your silky walls. He falls onto your chest, careful not to smother you. Breathing heavy, bodies damp with sweat. You bring your hands to caress his back, delicate fingers rubbing his skin adoringly. His heart swells with love and adoration for his mate. The bond sending his love for you, to you. Moments have passed while the two of you embrace each other. “My Muntxate wife, you complete me.” He sighs into your bosom. “Oh my darling, I am yours forever.” You kiss his head, both of you slowly falling into a peaceful slumber as a mated pair. Who would’ve thought a mighty warrior such as him, would be given the chance to find love within this lifetime yet again.

Hope everyone enjoyed! Tonowari just gives me big teddy bear energy he’s so bbygirl.

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simplylove101 · 5 months ago

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2024 Horror Challenge: [42/?]

↳“The juice is loose!" Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) dir. Tim Burton

Plot: After a family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia's life is turned upside down when her teenage daughter, Astrid, accidentally opens the portal to the Afterlife.

Starring: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Arthur Conti, Jenna Ortega & Willem Dafoe

I feel bad I'm only just now reviewing this movie because I definitely had watched it twice before its release on digital and had more than plenty of things to say about it but oh well. lol I think it's because sometimes I forget to think of the original movie as a horror since it doesn't scare me at all but I adore it just the way it is. That said, while this one didn't scare me too much either, the horror aspect gets a little more heightened with the assistance of Monica Bellucci's character & her powers since it was a little like, whoa dark. lol I kept going back and forth about whether to go see it in theaters or not because people kept being negative about it and saying it'd be a shitty sequel but I decided to let nostalgia win that battle. I was mostly glad I did in a way??? lol As I said, I later watched it again in theaters about two weeks later since my dad really wanted to go see it since he's a big fan of Michael Keaton and I enjoyed parts of it enough to be willing for a round 2. The truth is, yes, it's not as classic as the original movie for a good number of people, myself included (I have seen that some people prefer it though so that's interesting), but I wouldn't say that makes it awful or a waste of time. There were still moments I really liked and I didn't mind paying to see it in the theater at all. As my dad declared at the end of movie, "Well, now that was rather mildly entertaining... But I was a little disappointed. Hmm." I feel like that sums up perfectly what my initial thoughts were. lol I think my core issue with it is the pacing. It feels like it takes a good while to really get going since they certainly take the time to have us play catch-up with Lydia and her family, which didn't really feel needed the way they chose to go about it. Meanwhile, once it does get going, there's like multiple plots going on (Beetlejuice trying to get Lydia to free him, Astrid having her own major storyline, Monica Belluci's character looking for Beetlejuice, etc.) but none of them feel like they're getting the proper time to cook right since it took so long with the exposition, the other characters, and then there's the filler stuff. Now, I love fun filler stuff. I don't hate fun. lol This is a Beetlejuice movie, so you gotta have that. And I know Tim Burton loves a music moment, I do too. You knew there'd at least be one after the first one had the truly classic scene with "Day-O" but it felt like there was too much of that kinda thing in this sequel for me, at least the length of time dedicated to that stuff over plot. I just wish the editor had been able to trim some things down a bit because it managed to feel a lot longer than a basically 90 minutes movie. Anyway, I'm gonna stop being so negative and go back to how there were things I liked about it, despite my complaints. The cast was wonderful, Michael Keaton once again killing it as the iconic Beetlejuice. It did feel like they could have used Jenna Ortega a little better but maybe it's just cuz it kinda felt like they wrote Astrid a little one-note at times. Idk. lol I still laughed plenty and the music choices themselves were fun (Though my dad kept saying "Why did they have to use 'MacArthur Park' for the big moment?? That song sucks" XD) It was nice to be in this wacky world again even with different characters included. Also, no spoilers, but that nightmare sequence at the end was classic horror comedy goodness and I dug it so much. lol There's probably more I could say but I think I'll stop here by saying that even though I wanted to like it so much more than I actually did, I still had fun. It is hardly the worst sequel ever and is deserving of its blockbuster success. I'm glad it didn't get the streaming treatment.

#beetlejuice beetlejuice #horrorchallenge2024

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mapplesand · 28 days ago

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Tyler - Character intro

Marco's character intro

Tristan's character intro

Josh's character intro

“I am not going to kill you, there is nothing artistic in a corpse.”

Full Name : Tyler Sebastian Giesler

Nickname : Tay, Taytay, Ty, Big T, Green Bean (by Carmen)

Age : 15 (2022), 16 (2023), 17 (2024), 18 (2025), 19 (2026), 20 (2027)

Sexuality : Bisexual

Pronouns : he/him

Height : 6’3 (190cm)

Weight : 264 lbs (120kg)

Birthday : January 1st 2007

Birth Place : Sante Fe, Texas

Currently Living : Grundale, Connecticut |

Nationality : American

Cultural Background : Swiss

Religion : Atheist

Occupation : High school student (2022-2026) | Psychology major (2026-

Voice Claim : Legoshi (Beastars) | L (Death Note)

Theme song : AURORA - Starvation

Family : Murray Giesler (father, 1976), Adelaide Hart (mother, 1990), Lucille Giesler (younger sister, 2015), Miley Giesler (younger sister, 2021)

Significant Other : Josh

Friends : Carmen, Josh, Tristan, Marco

Physical Appearance

Tyler is a tall and fat guy with long hair dyed in green, his hair is originally brown. He has a prominent nose and has braces. His face is not really expressive and it’s hard to tell what’s going on inside his head, he doesn’t smile that much and it’s barely noticeable when he does. He also has droopy eyes that makes him look even more strange to the people around him. He also has a mustache that he sometimes trim and as he grows older, he’s able to have a full beard but chooses not to. He has braces

He also has stretch marks on his body, especially on his stomach, back and thighs and burnt scars on his arms.

Tyler usually wears comfortable and dirty clothes that have paints on the sleeves and holes in them. Most of his clothes share the same green and black color.

Personality

Tyler is often described as being a very monotone and unexpressive person, it’s hard to tell what he’s feeling or what his intentions are which makes him a quite off putting person to talk to. He usually stays all alone and doesn’t mind being by himself even if he thinks it’s boring, he tends to compensate for that by listening and observing other people. He doesn’t understand how an average person should function and use both his observing skills and knowledge about psychology to understand what’s going on inside people’s heads.

He has a good memory for details and knows a lot about his classmates despite never talking to them, he also thinks it’s easy to get information to blackmail people, but wouldn’t use his knowledge to hurt them.

Tyler is also pretty blunt and would rather tell the truth than pretending he doesn’t know something. He doesn’t really take people’s feelings into account when he does that and often gets into problems because of his inability to understand he said something insensitive. He also has low empathy and struggles with recognizing what people think or feel, that is why he uses psychology to get into people’s heads and decipher what they mean and why they act this way most of the time. This lack of empathy doesn’t mean that he’s less human than anyone else and is actually a very compassionate person, trying to comfort people in his own ways even if they don’t understand that he still cares.

However, since he struggles with people’s emotions, he also tends to disregard personal boundaries and overstep them on a regular basis, meaning he would stand too close to people or touch them without asking. He doesn’t think it’s a big deal most of the time because he would also let people touch him in various ways without minding it. It’s mostly due to him being disconnected to his feelings and body sensation, often seeking dangerous things in order to feel something, he would for example put down his cigarette by burning his arm. On another note, this mostly means that he doesn’t mind when people are overly affectionate towards him, he actually does like when people respond positively to his closeness. Tyler also has little to no shame and openly talks about a lot of things, he will also for example sleep in his underwear while sleeping in the same bed as Carmen because he doesn’t think it would be weird.

Despite him having a pretty bad hygiene overall due to his childhood, his hand hygiene is always suspiciously clean; as he washes his hands pretty often, both because he often manipulates dangerous material and also because of strict habits he has ever since he was a kid. He also needs to pile up ten various objects at least once a day in order to feel satisfied with himself, if he can’t do that he will start to feel uncomfortable as his thoughts start to swirl over the fact that he forgot to do it and that it would somewhat affect him negatively. He knows this behavior doesn’t make sense but he can’t help it.

Overall, Tyler is a pretty complex individual with a lot of underlying issues who still tries his best to be somewhat of a gentle person despite his weird demeanors.

Backstory

Tyler was born to Adelaide Hart, who was 16 going on 17 when she had him, and Murray Giesler who was 31 at the time, on January 1st 2007 in Sante Fe, Texas.

His family always had been very poor and they lived in a trailer park, he was diagnosed autistic at 5. He was then sexually abused by a close friend of his father who was supposed to babysit him when he was 7, however he doesn’t remember that time very clearly.

Tyler was non verbal to semi verbal until he was between 8 and 9, this is at the same time that he met Carmen and spent a good portion of his time over at her place. His first sister, Lucille was born when he was 8 in 2015 and he had to share his room with her.

When Tyler and Carmen were in middle school, they spent their time hanging out together in the outskirts of their town, often trespassing on private properties and throwing firecrackers and attempting many science experiments. They were always close and often slept together in the same bed during their usuals sleepovers. Tyler was the one who started going as far as attempting to blow up stuff and Carmen followed his lead. They also got in trouble several times with the police threatening them to send them both to juvie if they kept their behaviors. This doesn’t mean they stopped but they started being more cautious around the police to not get caught again.

Tyler grew up in a dysfunctional family with little to no boundaries, often barging into his room and using him as a babysitter and teacher for Lucille, he would often miss school just for these reasons and this would continue until he moved out. His father often comments on women’s bodies and jokes about him having a relationship with Carmen and how he should man up and take more “action” with girls, despite Tyler showing no interest in dating.

His parents then moved out to Grundale, Connecticut in 2021 when he started High School, their decision was made after the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting but his parents couldn’t move before 2021 for financial reasons. His father reorganized the garage of their new home into his room, it was both the first time he lived in an actual house and had a room for himself. This is also the first time Tyler started to have some privacy. His sister Miley, was also born in 2021.

He spent all of his freshman year being alone and not drawing attention to him, rather silently observing his classmates. He still enrolled in the chess club and met David, who was the only person he talked to at that time. Despite living states away, Tyler and Carmen never grew apart and continued talking to each other a lot by text and video calls.

Between may and august 2022, Tyler had a growth spurt and his voice got low, he dyed his hair in august, it was supposed to be blue but he liked how it turned green anyway and kept dying it that way after. His family then planned a camping trip and this is when he met Josh, Marco and Tristan as well as David who he already knew. He spent most of his time there drawing and trying to get to know Josh despite his reluctance.

When his sophomore year started, he somewhat convinced Josh to be some sort of artistic model for him, as it was more an attempt at forcing Josh to hang out with him. They then both started to get closer as Josh couldn’t get over his “breakup” with Kelly and started seeking physical comfort with him. They both aren’t good for each other but it never stopped them from doing what they did, as Tyler was aware of Josh’s bad mental health at the time and his growing addiction to alcohol.

At the beginning of his senior year, Tyler was convicted with juvenile possession of marijuana, alcohol and possession of inflammable and potentially explosive devices. He was sent to juvie and served his sentence without having further problems with the justice system for good behavior and good cooperation during his time, he wasn’t charged with the suspicion of bomb threat. They also put a lot of his defense on his home life and struggles with autism. When he went back to his normal life, he was on and off from school to help his mother and decided it was better to repeat the year than fucked his life even more. From all this time, Tyler was still in close contact with his friends and Josh and graduated High School the next year and was accepted in a psychology major in college. He then started living with Josh.

Facts

-Tyler is a low empathy autistic, he also has OCD

-he has OCD and his intrusive thoughts mostly revolves around hurting others or sexual harassment, he also have boundaries problems

-he has light sensitivity especially artificial lights

-he usually eats very bland food without any seasoning and drink milk straight out of the bottle

-he has a hard time with hygiene and showering ever since he was a kid

-Tyler also has a hard time with physical boundaries and often overstep people’s personal space, he also have no sense of his own body and would let anything happen to him

-he is an artist and has many sketchbooks

-he has a special interest in psychology and explosives

-he’s more of a manual guy and likes to builds stuff ranging from legos and other similar toys, engines or explosives

-his username on social media is C4H6TY_

-he has a southern accent only noticeable when he starts unmasking

Clothes

#my ocs #morbid minds #original character #tyler giesler #writing #writeblr #character intro #oc writing

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readyforthegarden · 1 year ago

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Silver Springs - Part Eight

Masterlist

Pairing: Sam Kiszka x Original Female Character

Synopsis: The year was 1976, the season was summer. The days were hot and the nights were hotter. Music was the best it had ever been, especially rock music. Sam Kiszka has been riding the high of being in one of the top bands on the scene, but when his bands tour is accompanied by another up-and-coming band, with a lead singer that gets on his very last nerve, will everything come crashing down or will they end up making music that changes the world?

Warnings: Light smut, angst 18+ only, Minors DNI

WC: 1840

🎶 🎶 🎶

“Sam,” Sam’s eyebrows crinkled, taking in a deep breath as someone tried to rouse him from his sleep. “Sam, wake up.” he could feel smooth skin against his own, rubbing his legs and a hand caressing his torso. Instead of listening to them, he stretched his body, lifting his arms above his head. Feeling the bed shift around him, a weight landed on his left side. He felt lips moving up and down his arm, tracing the birthmark on his underarm.

“Do you want me to play housewife?” Harlow’s voice filtered in his ears. “Go into the kitchen in nothing but your shirt, making you eggs and bacon and coffee?” Sam couldn’t help the lip twitch at the visual of Harlow bringing him breakfast in bed, scantily dressed. “I know you can hear me, Samuel.”

“Mm, let me stay like this for a while longer.” Sam reached his right arm down around Harlow, bringing her closer to his body. She placed another kiss on his birthmark before snuggling into his embrace, laying her head on his shoulder. It felt like only a few seconds ticked by before her body was restless again, her legs moving between his, her fingers tapping gently on his chest. “Alright.” with a rough groan he enclosed her in his arms, rolling the both of them over, settling between Harlow’s legs. He let the tip of his nose graze against hers.

“What? I was finally falling back asleep!” Harlow smirked. Sam snorted through his nose, pressing kisses down her jaw and neck.

“Sure you were.” Sam laughed softly against her skin. He reached up with one hand, gathering her wrists that were relaxed above her head, the other trailing down her body, the rough calluses leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. He let them slip between her legs, through the small, trimmed patch of hair on her pelvis and down through her folds. Harlow let out a soft moan. “Is this what you wanted, baby?”

“Mhm,” Harlow hummed, arching her back as Sam’s middle finger circled her clit. “Gotta get my fill before I leave to show up to the studio, what was it? Fifteen minutes before you?”

“Or after.” Sam left a hot kiss under Harlow’s ear. “Preferably after, so I look better.” Harlow laughed, the sound turning into a breathy sigh as his finger slipped down further, pressing inside of her. He started a slow, torturous pace, making Harlow wiggle her lips impatiently.

“Sam,” she whined, shifting on his bed. “Come on, for once just give it to me.”

“And let that ego get bigger?” Sam chided softly, dragging his lips down her chest, nipping her left nipple, making her yip. “What good can come from letting you get what you want?” Harlow snaked a hand from his loose grasp, bringing his head up to hers and kissing his lips.

“So much good,” she giggled. “So, so much. You don’t even know how good I can be to you.” Sam withdrew his hand, popping his middle finger into his mouth, laughing at Harlow’s protests before scooping up her body, heading out of his bedroom and towards the bathroom.

“Well, let’s get you a little more wet and see just what we can do about that.”

🎶 🎶 🎶

Harlow sat at Danny’s drum kit, the drummer sitting taking a sip from a bottle of beer. Josh stood behind her, his fingers combing through her hair and twisting a few strands here and there, watching with a bored expression as his two brothers argue over a part in the song. On the rug the kick drum rested upon, so did Danny, twirling a drumstick between his fingers. Jake and Sam had been arguing for a while now, and Josh decided instead of inserting himself, to let them duke it out.

“I don’t know how much more of this I can stand.” Danny sighed. Harlow nodded in agreement, piping up from behind the kit. She had a notebook on the top of one of his snares, a pen that had been writing steadily the whole morning now laid down and stagnant.

“Maybe this isn’t that big of a deal to figure out right now.” she called out, interrupting Sam’s rebuttal to something Jake had said. The young men whipped their heads around to look at her.

“Like you even know what you’re fucking talking about.” Sam snapped harshly, causing Harlow to sit up, taken aback. This quip wasn’t dripping with the underlying plans to rile her up, that was a pointed dagger aimed straight at her throat.

“All I’m saying is this doesn’t need to be figured out right this second if it’s causing this big of an issue.” Harlow replied shortly. “But since I don’t know anything, I’ll take my exit.”she stood up, her hair falling from Josh’s hands as she gathered her notebook and pen, stepping around Danny’s kit and stomping to the door.

“Harlow, come on, don’t-“ she heard Danny call after her, cut off as the studio door slammed shut.

“Give her a minute.” Josh stopped the tallest member of the band from getting up, then turned to his youngest brother. “I don’t know who the fuck raised you, but it must not have been my parents. They didn’t raise us to speak to a woman like that.”

Sam was standing with his bass, eyes wide, realizing how he snapped at her.

“I didn’t-“

“I don’t want to hear it, Sam.” Josh snapped. “I’m tired. Jake is tired, Danny is tired, we’re all fucking tired of you two fighting. Whether it’s fake to hide whatever it is you two are doing or not, we’re tired.”

“When she comes back, we’re fixing this.” Jake was standing with his hands on his hips, staring down his little brother. “If we have to take all day, we’re fixing it.”

“Okay,” was all Sam said, hanging his head. He was embarrassed. Embarrassed he snapped that way towards you, embarrassed his brothers saw it and scolded him. It was in the heat of the moment, he would’ve snapped that way at Danny too.

Outside, Harlow was pacing a lit cigarette in her mouth, going over the thousands of ways she could’ve come back at Sam, flaying him to the core with her words. As she paced, she stopped, getting an idea and scrambling to open her notebook. She darted over to the old, wooden picnic table on the side of the building where workers had their lunches. Slivers be damned, she sat on the tabletop, jotting down words in a messy scrawl.

Once she was done, she hopped off the table, storming back into the studio with a force the likes of which the boys had never seen.

“Harlow, I-“ Harlow threw her hand up at Sam’s face, halting his speech as she sat at the piano.

“I don’t care.” she said flippantly. setting her notebook on the music stand. “I wrote a new song. Jake, play this on your guitar.” Harlow began playing a piano riff, repeating it until Jake caught on to her liking. Then she instructed Sam to play a bass line until he did it, as quick as he could to try and make up his prior faux-pas up to her. Danny quickly popped behind his kit, ad-libbing his own beat based off everyone else’s. Harlow began singing, her brows furrowed in concentration and pent-up anger.

“Loving you

Isn't the right thing to do

How can I ever change things

That I feel?”

Sam couldn’t help himself, as he looked over her shoulder at the words she put on paper. He sang the next verse, cutting off her own voice.

“If I could

Baby, I'd give you my world

Harlow turned her head and looked at him stone faced, as if he were once again coming at her. She turned back to the keys, ignoring him and continuing singing.

“How can I

When you won't take it from me?”

The two sang together, the rest of the band watching cautiously on from behind.

"You can go your own way

Go your own way

You can call it

Another lonely day

You can go your own way

Go your own way”

Sam was getting heated again, and took over the next verse.

“Tell me why

Everything turned around

Packing up

Shacking up is all you want to do.” Harlow took over now, striking the keys rougher than she intended.

“If I could

Baby, I'd give you my world

Open up

Everything's waiting for you” Sam joined her for the chorus again, the two of them seeming to get out their frustrations singing the words to each other.

“You can go your own way

Go your own way

You can call it

Another lonely day”

They were repeating the chorus over and over until finally Jake hit a sour note to distract them, though when Harlow turned around, her eyes were fixed in a glare to Sam. He was staring back at her with an unreadable expression. She couldn’t tell if he was angry, proud or sorry with the way his brows were knit together. Josh distracted them by asking to work on a part of the song with her, drawing her attention back to the keys.

They continued working on the song, leaving the animosity in the air to at least hammer down the vibe. When all was said and done, and they were packing up to leave, Josh stopped them.

“I think we need a day off.” he explained. “Let’s all go do our own thing for a day, and come back with a fresh headspace. Can we do that?”

“Sure.” Harlow side-eyed Sam as she agreed, and he nodded his head. “Josh could you give me a ride back to my hotel?” Josh nodded, and Harlow began following him out to his car, stopped by Sam’s hand on her wrist.

“Can I-“

“No.” Harlow’s look cut him. “I think Josh is right. I think I need some time away from you.” Sam’s hand dropped Harlow’s wrist, and he watched her walk over to Josh, and get into his car.

“A beach day sounds lovely, doesn’t it?” Josh glanced over to Harlow as he drove her home.

“Yeah, I guess.” Harlow shrugged, watching the street signs that were becoming more and more familiar pass by.

“I meant, we should go to the beach tomorrow.” Harlow turned to Josh with a soft smirk.

“Aren’t we supposed to be doing our own things?”

“No one wants to go to the beach alone, Harlow.” Josh tilted his head, flashing her a dazzling smile.

“Fine.” she laughed. “Twist my arm.” Josh chattered on about their beach day until he stopped in front of her hotel.

“I’ll be back tomorrow morning to get you, okay?”

“Okay.” Harlow nodded, leaning over and grabbing her things from the floorboard of the passenger seat.

“6 AM sharp!” Josh called out as she stepped away and shut the door, hoping the sound of the metal shutting would muffle the time.

“What?!”

“Bye!”

🎶 🎶 🎶

Taglist: @joshsindigostreak @ascendingtostardust @sammysprincess @sammykiszkamyass @belovedsamuel @sunfl0wer-power @indigo-starcatcher @sammyscherub @earthlysorrows @lvnterninthenight @allieisacrybaby @losfacedevil @xserenax-13 @sarakay-gvf @shutupdevvie @myownparadise96 @watchingovergvff @gretavanfleetposts @sacredthefran @josiee-gvf @joshkiszkatoothgap @madneedshelp @gardensgatedaisy @demonrat444 @writingcold @dannyandthekiszkas @lightmylove-gvf @tearsofbri @paleshadow-ofadragon @happy-harpy-stuff @like-a-woman-in-a-dream @starshine-wagner @objectsinspvce @josh-iamyour-mama @mountain-in-springtime @cal-a-bungaa @capturethechaos @jankandjonch @gvfpal

@allybjt @hippievanfleet @weightofbrokenbells @joshkiszkasbadussy @malany-gvf @ruby0antlers @samofthedawn @sacredjake @aim4thedoublee @diditallforyouu @gvfmarge @highladyofasgard @sammysvanfeet@gold-mines-melting @earthgrlsreasy @mountain-in-springtime @forcebond301 @stardust-and-shadows @llightmyllovee @gretavangroupie @comesofarsomehow @starcatcherkiszka @indigofallingsky @hellowgoodbye @hearts-hunger

#sam kiszka #sam kiszka x reader #sam gvf #sam kiszka fanfiction #greta van fleet #greta van fleet fic #greta van fleet fan fiction #jake kiszka #josh kiskza #danny wagner #sam kiskza x oc #silver springs fic #i didn't know how to end this one so yeah lmao

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obscurecharactershowdown · 2 years ago

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Group F Round 3

[image ID: the first image is of Gaap Goemon. his silver hair covers his entire face and body. he's wearing a long, blue coat with white trim, and a belt around his waist. he's holding a sword. the second image is of Granger, a girl with green eyes and short, wavy or curly black hair. in her hair is a red hat or ribbon. she's wearing a black turtleneck sweater, blue overalls, and a green coat. end ID]

Gaap Goemon

a good boy who wants to make 100 allies. dope swordsman. has a silly little guy of his very own. and also sweet magic wind blades. [additional propaganda 1] [additional propaganda 2]

Granger

so granger is the main character of the indie game "NeverHome" Chapter one, which is only $1 on Steam, is called NeverHome: Hall of Apathy. if ur a fan of young protags being put in RPG maker horror games, then this is the game for you!! so granger is just that… she wakes up to find herself in a strange, hostile world. she, along with the friends she makes, must solve the various puzzles before them while creatures are out to kill them… and along the way they can uncover the secrets of these never ending halls… her dynamics with the cast is also super fun… each character gets their moment or moments with granger. and what's so cute is that there's unique art for each pair that highlights the fact you cant get through these halls alone!! she also has her own theme song!! here!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_vwtmIj5cw it's called cyclical tragedy AND HERE IS AN ANALYSIS OF THE THEME!! MUSIC THEORY!!! written by my good friend @HIEMIOLA "cyclical tragedy" embodies the protagonist, granger, through the music theory behind the track and ties itself back into the main track as well. to begin with an overview of the track, the key is D minor and hte time signature is 3/4. the piece begins with a broken minor third starting from the tonic. that is, it begins on the main note and moves along the main chord, D to F. the next set of notes are C to E, which is shifted down a step. the phrase repeats again, this time D to F, then G to E, which is an inverse movement from the original sequence. even in this first part, we could tell that the protagonist begins from square 1 with a simple pattern, then tries it again when it works. however, the inverse breaks that expectation of repetition, thus showing the diverse variations of solutions she comes up with using just the tools she has (the two notes moving in thirds). just like the game, she is given a handful of objects as well as a knife to defend herself and solve the mysteries of the world she exists in. with her creative uses of the items given to her, she continues on her way through the plot. we will keep moving. the melody begins. true to the title of the track, the melody cycles around the same beginning note, D, that she always returns to at her square 1. this is a nod to the save states she is allowed to keep to make sure that we the players don't lose the game, but it also references the health bar that appears as a circle around her avatar. the melody, mapped out, is also moving in an up-down wave movement across the sheet music. granger is creative with the knife she has and the quest items she obtains throughout the story, but she is not entirely reckless. rather, she knows when it is time to return to the safe rooms to rest. to time her returns requires skill because she must run to cover without being caught by varying her path so the enemies don't corner her as she tries to return to the room. most of the time, she is successful, shown through the consistent return to the beginning note. let's keep going. i would like to turn your attention to the main theme briefly. in the bass notes, you can hear arpeggios and outlined chords. this makes up the bulk of the accompaniment in the main game theme. [mod note: the rest of the essay, and some more propaganda, is continued under a cut because tumblr will not process more text than this in an indent. sorry to split it up, please continue below for the rest of the essay and additional propaganda!]

the third variation of granger's theme also has arpeggiated chords in the accompaniment while the melody features broken chords. at this stage, the pattern switches to eigth notes instead of the quarter notes at first. with greater movement and heightened senses, she runs throughout world and befriends other people, thus interacting further with the environment. while she isn't exactly someone we would call open, she is respectful to the people she first meets and has no problems with asking them for help when she needs it. because of her openness to working together, she speeds up her progress by asking for aid at obstacles that would be too difficult for her to overcome on her own, such as asking a teammate to break things, move things, or reach into smaller holes. fusing the main theme elements with her own theme marks this step as the inciting incident that sets her on the path to escape from this world. we'll continue.

continuing the same part, we hear some secondary fifths. i'm not entirely sure if this is what you call it, but it is a nod to the parallel key, D major. depending on what theory class you take, this could also be considered the other half of the key. i dont know how else to describe it, but i digress. these are glimpses to different dialogue options she could take, glimpses to a different key or a different ending. because this game only has one chapter ending so far, we are unsure of what other paths granger will end up in; we only know that there are certainly other endings she will experience, only to begin the cycle again when the save state is loaded for players to reach another ending. both A major and G major are chords that signify different choices that may lead her elsewhere only for her to return back to the tonic or main note, D. despite this, she keeps going, as will we.

at the midpoint of the track, we see a quick shift in patterns. instead of upward leaps in the notes, the melody falls in stepwise motion. true to the plot, this is another turning point of the game when she is forced to make a choice: continue or stop. after facing the spoiler event, her once determined personality is challenged as she struggles to keep herself and her team together. despite being the headstrong protagonist who spearheaded solutions, even now she finds herself doubting and taking smaller steps, smaller risks.

even after all of this, she rises to the challenge as the melody returns to its beginning sequence. true to a protagonist she gets up again despite the events that transpired and keeps her team moving in their lowest points. the thirds return as she finds more objects to solve more puzzles to open more rooms to save more friends. this repeating part of the track only solidifies her resolve as the piece ends with a broken chord in the main key, her key, of D minor. despite everything that transpired, she stayed true to herself."

the game is also so, so charming with the art, music, and story made by the same person… its so clearly loved and full of passion!! i love listening to the game's ost on occassion!! since it's all on youtube!

ok one last thing thing!! on may 8th, the game hit 100 downloads (on both steam and itch.io). you can see the creator of the game celebrate that with this lovely drawing of granger: https://twitter.com/NeverHome_Game/status/1655761270694633472

so at most, only a bit over 100 people have played the game… id like to say that makes it obscure!!

anyways granger and neverhome!! we love to see our protagonists put in horrific situations and isn't she super cute with a lil bow on her head? she is my daughter…

[additional propaganda 1]

[additional propaganda 2]

#obscurecharactershowdown #obscure poll #group f round 3 #gaap goemon #mairimashita! iruma kun #granger neverhome #neverhome

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gleesongtournament · 2 years ago

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Glee Song Tournament Update #1

I’m hoping to start the tournament on Sunday the 16th, but I will post a more concrete confirmation of the schedule once I get it 100% sorted

For now I wanted to talk about the songs that are included and excluded, and how I’ve set this up

What didn’t I included? Well the only two concrete answers were anything that was just a dance performance with the original song in the background (Single Ladies, Bubble Toes, etc), and any song that was album only with no filmed scene to go with it (Dancing On My Own, I Was Here, etc)

Some musical moments I left out might seem hypocritical. I left out songs by rival glee clubs that basically only served to show that yes, there is a third club competing, here’s ten seconds of their song (Broken Wings, Starlight Express, etc) but I included ten second snippets of songs from main characters (Respect, Mr. Cellophane, etc)

I also didn’t included (most) songs whose only purpose was to be bad or get cut off which unfortunately cuts out half the times Tina got to sing. Some exceptions are Crush (because we at least got a full studio version) and Pink Houses (which we heard enough of in the episode). But things like The Climb or Revolution will not be found here

Lastly, songs in deleted scenes. These were cut or kept in based on what I thought was more popular. I can understand someone being miffed if Santa Baby or I Want You Back wasn't included, but I doubt anyone would care as much about Oklahoma or Mr. Monotony (if you stan the latter two songs, I'm sorry). So I only kept in the ones I thought were more well known/liked

If you're upset about one of the above songs not being included, or think I'm not being fair, you should know that there will be 340 match ups consisting of 681 songs in round one alone. I only trimmed the tiniest amount of fat, and I promise there are still plenty of songs for you to vote on. But hopefully everyone can understand where I'm coming from and just accept what got cut x

Now, with hundreds and hundreds of songs in the mix, I wanted to do something a little more interesting than just throwing a million random match ups your way with no rhyme or reason. Bc 1) It could get boring and repetitive and 2) It could be harder to follow if it weren't split up in some cohesive way. That's where the categories come in

What are the categories? Generally speaking, they're the ways I've broken down the polls into themed sections. Hopefully this will make everything easier to follow, plus who doesn't love some good theming?? Specifically, the categories are...

Holiday Songs. All the Christmas songs + the one Hanukkah song. If you hate Christmas music, feel free to skip this round

Original Songs. Basically just any songs that aren't covers, whether it's the humorous or serious ones

Mash Ups. All the songs that are two songs combined

Same Songs. The songs that were covered multiple times on the show, pitted against one another. The only round that isn't matched up randomly

Tributes. Songs by artists/from musicals that the show frequently paid homage to (RHPS, WSS, Grease, Beatles, Britney, Fleetwood Mac, the Jackson fam, Madonna, Whitney, Stevie Wonder)(also the songs are from all eps, not just the one(s) that served as the actual tribute ep)

Musicals. Songs from musicals not listed in the last bullet point

Rivals. Songs performed by opposing glee clubs (The Warblers, Vocal Adrenaline, etc)

Guest Stars. Songs performed by, or heavily featuring, any of Glee's numerous celebrity cast members

New Directions. Songs performed by the main club. (Not necessarily a group number. Could be sung by half the club, or even two or three people, but as long as the rest of the club is there vibing, it counts)

Solos. Songs sung by one main or recurring character

Duets. Songs sung by two main or recurring characters

Misc. Everything else! Mostly trios, quartets, or group numbers that go beyond just ND

Of course there are plenty of songs that could fit into multiple categories. For example, "Somewhere" could fall under Tribute, Guest Star, and Duet, but will only be included in one of those. So if you think I left something out of a certain category, don't worry, you'll see it pop up in a different one later!

So I think that's all the basics so far. If you have any questions you can send them here or on my main @angelhummel

#glee #glee song tournament #klaine #pezberry #brittana #faberry #quinn fabray #blaine anderson #santana lopez #kurt hummel #mercedes jones #tina cohen chang #rachel berry #brittany pierce #finn hudson #etc etc

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acaplaya-musings · 1 year ago

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Voiceplay Visuals: My Mother Told Me

This video was released on the 24th of April, 2021, and currently sits at a very-impressive 6.7 million views! It features Jose Rosario Jr (in his first collabration with Voiceplay (on a full-length video at least)), who for a few years performed with Rockapella! (Rockapella is an acapella group who have been around for over 35 years, they were part of the OG Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego show, and they were a bit of an inspiration to Voiceplay (originally 4:2:Five) in their early days).

I wasn't actually sure whether or not this video would give me a lot of moments to point out/talk about (it's been a while since the last time I watched it), but it's obviously a big production (epic, even), and I will undoubtedly be talking about its "sister video", Valhalla Calling, when I eventually get around to it, so long story short, I'm doing this. Let's go!

Each vocalist got filmed separately for this one, each with their own backdrop (and then were all spliced together for "group shots" in the video), so each member gets their own picture when I'm talking about them in this post!

Jose is wearing some textured blanket-looking thing, plus a plain brown shirt/tunic, and he's got a pair of blueish lines on his face that almost look a little bit like scars. He's standing in front of a sort of desert plains landscape, maybe with some large red mountains/rock formations?

Oh yeah and also it's a little hard to see, but just at the neckline of Jose's shirt, underneath his beard, there's a cool viking(?) symbol on his neck that also shows up in Valhalla Calling (and on the merch for that video too)!

Eli appears to have a bit of dirt and grime on his skin (which would be intentional of course), as well as some cool-looking tattoos (even on his head!) (fake ones for the video of course), and some very heavy eye makeup. He's standing in front of some grass, rocky cliffs (possibly with water down below?), and sea mist

(Also Eli is credited with "virtual production" on this one, so I guess all these greenscreen backgrounds were his doing? Massive shoutout to Eli!)

J has the same symbol on his forehead that Jose had on his neck/chest, as well as some white powder-looking makeup stuff on his cheeks. No clue what kind of top/shirt that is, but I like the big fur coat, and cool arm cuff things as well! He's standing in front of a frozen (or partially-frozen) lake, with snow-covered mountains/rock formations behind it.

(Fun fact: Geoff re-used a few costume pieces from My Mother Told Me when filming the videos for his covers of Far Over The Misty Mountains Cold and I See Fire!

Layne has got a makeup design to Eli, with similiar tattoos on his face, and a bit of extra dirt/grime as well. He's got fur trimmings(?) on his shoulders like Eli, but it looks more like the fur that J is wearing. He's standing in front of wide open plains I guess? I'm not sure, I can't make out a ton of detail.

I think Layne's outfit might be my favourite one of this video; it seems the most complex, like it has the most going on with it, and I like the patterned cuff design thing on his right arm!

And I haven't forgotten Geoff, of course I haven't forgotten Geoff, and seriously oh my god

I'm honestly not sure if I could give a good description of Geoff's outfit even if I tried, but it works! (Also wait I literally only just realised that, once more, he's the only one in the video with exposed shoulders (well, one exposed shoulder, but still!))

This honestly might be one of Geoff's most terrifying looks of any Voiceplay video so far, if not the most terrifying. Vampire!Geoff in This Is Halloween was "scary" in the "yes please give me more of it" (i.e. hot) way. Oogie Boogie!Geoff in Oogie Boogie's Song was just theatrical and entertaining. Mr Hyde!Geoff in Kidnap The Sandy Claws was (to me at least) just a little bit strange and hard to wrap my head around. But Geoff here? This is "makes you want to move very quickly in the opposite direction" scary!

(So like well done to Rick Underwood on the makeup (but in regards to everyone else as well))

Jose, J, Eli, and Layne all got cool aesthetic landscapes as their backdrops. Geoff got darkness and STUFF ON FIRE (...yeah that checks out 😆)

Even the fingernails!!! Even the fingernails look like they've got grime on them! (Also, Geoff at his least-terrifying moment of the video)

Aaaand we're back to "time to run away very fast" mode!

(Also yes Geoff's tattoos and makeup are very cool as well)

Not that Geoff is the only one in this video that I wouldn't wanna pick a fight with!

Jose is credited with "additional acting direction" in the description, so I guess he maybe camw up with/directed some of these kind of moves?

Oh hey Geoff has that symbol on him as well! I wonder if Layne and Eli have got it somewhere on them too?

Wait hang on what is Eli holding?

A better shot of Layne's face tattoos and the cool sleeve thing!

Geoff doing a similar hand movement to the one he did in Bang! (which was my previous post actually), after he had just done a bit of an impressive bass-vocal-run (or something like that), except this time it's after holding a quite low note (a subharmonic I think?) for like 6 seconds.

Oh I think Eli was holding his cape?

Yes I can see the tattoo, thank you Jose! 😂

Also did Geoff do a bit of hair colouration for this video? Because yes he's got a bit of grey in his hair now, but not that much grey, and it's not always that noticeable (though personally I do love the grey streak he often has in his bangs, it's rather fetching if I do say so myself <3)

Run fast, and run far!

And that's the video! Man, can you believe these are the same dudes (well except Jose) that did the Aca Top 10 videos, being all silly and fooling around? Acting skills were freaking on point here! Everyone crushed it!

It's a great arrangement as well (shoutout to Layne!). The song is actually just one single verse, which here is sung like 5 or 6 times over, but you barely even notice it (if at all) because the whole production is just so mind-blowingly good!

I also wanted to do this video because I'll be skipping over You're My Best Friend and Man In The Mirror, so this'll be the last video I'm doing where J is actually a part of the group. It was of course very sad that he left Voiceplay, but he's come back as a guest artist in like 6 full-length videos now (not even counting the minis), and hopefully he might one day return to Voiceplay full-time, once he's done with his stint in the US Navy band!

#hvoiceplay #acapella #my mother told me #geoff castellucci #eli jacobson #layne stein #j none #jose rosario jr #acaplaya analysis #voiceplay visuals

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curio-queries · 9 months ago

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Run BTS: 064 | The part 2

Original Air Date: 19 FEB 2019 Episode Length: 33:28 Total Parts: 3 YouTube English Subtitles: No Title Song: Idol

Synopsis: Continuing the previous episode. This part covers the rest of the handbell game, lunch game, eating and the PE game

Production: When i was anticipating this episode, all i could remember is how long the handbell section was going to be but upon rewatching it, it actually wasn't that bad. i do think they should have trimmed it a little bit more as it starts the pacing off real slow. I genuinely don't understand why they do random non-team games in team-based epsiodes. why couldn't the lunch thing have been a team game? with the guessing, points, and reward?? The relay was a good little trick section. it's always funny when the members acknowledge that the staff is impressed by them completing something quickly.

Endearment: The guys still have their energy up and the games are proving to be good challenges for them whilst still being entertaining.

Winner/Loser: see final part

Best Cheater: V. he definitely wasn't completely through that hanger and he was holding onto the board part instead of just the ropes.

Member Moments:

RM: RM, continuing to remind his team to go slow. i just keep hearing him say 'nice and slow' from that part in Bon Voyage where they ride the carts in New Zealand.

JN: Jin immediately sharing his food with the rest. and giving an alternate when he knew Jimin wouldn't like it.

YG: Ah, Yoongi, the torture of these poor students!

JH: I would absolutely be Hobi in this situation, continually messing up but with the best of intentions!

JM: Absolutely iconic moments of JM being frustrated with Hobi

V: awww, V still trying to get it down even after they've lost the handbell game.

JK: The guess that it's Yoongi's belly button

Bonus Content: There are some good moments, but i was so distracted in the beginning by how shaky the camera work was. i know the bonus content is usually from a specific crew that's not running the main cameras for the ep, but I've never noticed it being this bad before.

CQ Rank: 3.5

youtube

(CQ Eval Date: 15 APR 2024)

Check out this post for my Masterlist of all episodes and descriptions of how I'm evaluating these.

Previous Episode: 063

Next Episode: 065

#bangtan sonyeondan #jeon jungkook #park jimin #kim taehyung #kim seokjin #min yoongi #jung hoseok #kim namjoon #run bts #ep.064 #bts #youtube

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dk-wren · 1 year ago

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My Thoughts on Mean Girls the Movie MUSICAL

(Taking a quick break from my usual postings to go back to talk a little bit about one of my other interests...musicals!)

I just wanna share some of my thoughts about the new Mean Girls movie, so I hesitate to really call this a review or a critique. First and foremost, gosh its marketing. Don't even get me started. I have so many questions, but that is not what I want to really focus on. I just needed to get it out of my system. Now, let's begin!

I consider myself a fan of the Broadway musical. Probably not to the extent where I would consider myself its #1 fan, but I did follow its journey to Broadway and any announcements that came during its initial run and tour. I have yet to have the pleasure of watching it live (only through a slime tutorial on YT). So, for someone like me who has listened to the cast recording and watched any live performances by the any of the Bway or touring casts countless time, I can at at least appreciate that this movie exists to deliver the musical aspect to a larger audience.

Jaquel, Auli'i, and Renee (maybe in that order?) are the standouts to me. I absolutely loved Jaquel and Auli'i as Damian and Janis. I honestly think I have nothing but good things to say about their performances and portrayals. And again, from hearing and seeing clips of Renee in the Broadway cast, I was so happy to hear she was cast as Regina George in this adaptation. If you haven't already listened to the movie's soundtrack, most of the songs from the musical were adapted to fit more of a pop vibe than the original Broadway style. While I am happy to have like an official version of Renee singing Regina's song, I felt like her voice was toned down a bit to fit this iteration of the music. Don't get me wrong, she still sounds amazing but I didn't feel like she was able to truly show off her musical theatre chops.

Also, on the subject of the soundtrack, I listened to it before seeing the movie. And can I say, watching it really makes a big difference. I had a lot of thoughts about "Fearless" and "Stop" being cut. But, it kinda makes sense since those are the Act 1 closing and Act 2 opening songs, which in a movie, is not going to have that break, or intermission. In this still being an adaptation of Mean Girls, you have the scene where Cady tells Regina she can no longer sit with the Plastics and is subsequently shunned from the rest of the cafeteria. It's there, there's just no song to accompany it. But, it did feel like the right call since I think that part of the movie would've started dragging if those songs were both kept in.

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"Where Do You Belong" is another song that was cut that I have mixed feelings about. I am still a little sad that it was cut, and I don't think it would've slowed down the pacing that much if left in. After watching the movie, while I can't say it was the right move to cut this song, it definitely didn't feel like there was something missing in this part of the scene. Now, this song leads into "Meet the Plastics" in the musical, which was significantly trimmed down for the film. It's kinda funny to me that the title is still plural when it's only Regina's part. In having this be the third song in the movie, and really the first one after the opening, there is a bit of power that inherently(?) comes with it in having Regina's entrance announced through song.

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As I've seen others point out, two of Damian's songs were cut. So, I am really happy that they turned "Apex Predator" into a duet between Janis and him (rather than Cady and Janis). This is a change or perhaps addition that I really enjoyed. In the movie, this scene/song still takes place at Northshore High (with any mall scene being completely removed). Going along with the lyrics, the choreography resembles the musical in more ways than others, with the students acting like different animals. And it works but also it doesn't. The choreography definitely fits the lyrics. But that comparison between students as animals and high school as a savannah that is set up in "It Roars" does not happen because "What ifs" replaced "It Roars." As a result it feels a little weird (I hesitate to throw out the word cringey, but maybe a little bit). I'm familiar enough with the musical that I could tell they were definitely pulling from that number as it appears in the musical, but if I was not, I don't really know how I would feel.

The last song I'm gonna talk about is "What Ifs" replacing "It Roars." For the slight story adjustments that were made as to why Cady and her mom return to the US, the new song definitely works. It sets up Cady wanting to explore "normal" high school or teen life the same way "It Roars" does, but it supports the detail of Cady talking with her mom at some point about what she feels she is missing out on because they are in Africa (from what I could gather, the decision to move back to the US is much more driven by character interest or desire, rather than cut funding and becoming the only option). The vibe or style of this song also works well amongst the rest of the soundtrack, especially since I can't imagine "It Roars" translating that well into this new style.

For some smaller details that I really enjoyed, I really liked how (if I'm remembering correctly) when Karen is first introduced, she's wearing a necklace that has her name on it, but she's wearing it backwards (leaning into that "she is the dumbest person you will ever meet"). It was shown in a trailer or an ad, but during "Revenge Party," there is the section where Janis, Damian, and Cady try to embarrass Regina by turning on a sprinkler that will hit her (and ruin her makeup). I like how we see Ashley Park's character, the French teacher, try to mimic the "wet look" since it almost feels like an homage to her playing Gretchen in the musical, who is always described as trying to please or be just like Regina.

Everyone has their own opinions, so I can't say with confidence oh this type of person will love it or this type of person will hate it. But, I can say as someone who loves the musical, I really enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun and was generally smiling throughout the whole thing since in a way, this is the closest I've come to (and may come to) seeing the Mean Girls musical adaptation. Even then, this movie felt like it was trying to do its own take on Mean Girls and Mean Girls the Musical, and I'll give the directors and creatives credit, some of it really worked (and some didn't). I wanted to see this movie, but I was unsure how to feel going into it since I couldn't tell if it was going to be bad or decently/surprisingly good. And after watching it, my initial reaction is to lean more towards the surprisingly good, which makes me happy.

Go see it for yourself though and be your own judge! These are just some of my thoughts. Feel free to comment or share yours! Or ask me about any of my other thoughts about the film.

-Dakota Wren

#mean girls 2024 #spoilers?#mean girls musical #mean girls movie musical #my thoughts #Youtube

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suyooo · 2 years ago

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Making BIG SIF2 (Part 2)

Hello again. In case you missed the first part of this project, I'm trying to recreate an old SIF(1) attraction where nine players jump around on floor buttons to play the game cooperatively. Last time, I went into how those buttons work, how they connect to the game, and completed the first switch.

Just need to do that eight more times.

This is another post with a bunch of text I'm writing down as I work on the project, in case you want to see where it's going or want to build something similar yourself. The TL;DR is that all floor switches are done now, I had to change the button mapping app, and found a nice solution for selecting songs and starting Lives - and then there's a video of me trying (emphasis on trying) to play BIG SIF solo.

This is the part of a project where there's nothing to do but boring, repetitive work. There is more interesting stuff to do, but you can't get to it before you just spend several hours doing the same thing over and over again, and it's hard to get excited to do it. So, even though this was probably the most time-consuming step of the project with 25+ hours, it can be summarized in one sentence: there are now eight more functioning switches.

This involved cutting out a total of 24 more shelf liner circles, clipping holes into 8 more rug pad spacers and 8 of the shelf liners, inserting 128 snap caps, crimping 16 connectors, and placing all the copper tape and soldering it together. One small change I made is that I added a little bit of copper tape to move all the connectors a bit to the side, so you don't step right on it when going for a press, and also gave it a generous glob of hot glue to serve as strain relief. Also, I had to purchase more anti-slip rug pad after all - turns out most of the one I owned was too flat to work properly. Oops. With the new rug pad, I noticed this beady style of rug pad is more stretchy on one axis than the other, so these layers are not rotationally symmetrical. To help with that, I cut out the corner where the connectors are glued on - not only does this make that spot a little flatter, but it also makes it easy to tell which orientation the pads must be placed when assembling the switches to align everything correctly.

Since I don't own any proper presses, all of the snap caps and crimp connectors had to be done by hand. That - combined with all the liner cutting, rug pad trimming, and soldering - has not been a fun time for my wrist :) It might be a good idea to invest into snap cap and crimp presses instead of pliers, it's probably cheaper than replacing my wrist down the road... and for the soldering, I'll probably just go with copper tape with conductive adhesive next time as mentioned before, to avoid that problem altogether.

Speaking of crimp connectors: add 36 more to the count for those connecting cables, and 18 more for the other ends on the controller board. The latter one just involved replacing the little button connectors the board comes with, which would usually make it easier to wire up arcade panels.

As for the cables, those are speaker wire. It's probably extremely overkill for a simple signal wire. I originally wanted to use dirt-cheap doorbell wire which would have been more than enough to carry the signal even over long runs, but there were two reasons I didn't go with it. One reason is that doorbell wire is solid wire. But if people might step on the wire, or I want to roll up and transport the parts of this project, stranded wire is far more durable, so I wanted to make sure to use it for the extra reliability. The other reason is that it was on sale :) I decided on buying a 25m roll and having each cable be 2m long - which is probably somewhat overkill again, but for things like cable length, I'd rather go too long than too short.

But hey, we've got over the mountain that is the boring and repetitive part of the project, and now we can ride down the hill to the finish!

Wait, no, that would have been too easy. Of course there's problems.

There was something that I completely missed in my test from the first post. I only had one floor switch, so I didn't try an actual song, which would have uncovered a big issue with using Key Mapper: it doesn't support pressing multiple buttons at once. If one player holds down a switch for a hold note, and another player taps their switch, the hold immediately ends. And of course, I didn't notice that problem until I actually had multiple floor switches completed.

After a few hours of searching and experimenting, I could only find one other app that worked. It is called Mantis, and it sucks. It contains ads, requires a weird and completely intransparent set up procedure through a wireless ADB debugging session, you must map the inputs of the arcade controller board to an Xbox controller layout before you can use them or they'll just be ignored, there's an unremovable menu button on your screen at all times, the map can't be programmatically disabled to stop the buttons from inputting for a moment, and I've found it's maybe a little unreliable? It just suddenly stopped while the game was running once. But as I said, it's the only one that I've found that works. So, I'll have to live with it. At least it supports the holds that Key Mapper doesn't do. So, you can play the game fine now. We can get back to finishing up the setup.

But before that, have you noticed though some of the mapped tap locations for the buttons are slightly off from the center of the spots in the game? I intentionally moved them a little, so they still hit the tap spots during Lives, but miss certain menu buttons! For example, the tap locations for spots 4 and 6 are moved down, so they don't hit the menu buttons while the game is paused. Otherwise, the player on floor switch 6 could accidentally use up my loveca if they kept stomping on the button after their stamina ran out and continued…

Here's everything connected together! The nine completed switches, all linked up to the board, and all that's left to do is set up Mantis and the HDMI output on the phone, plug in the single USB-C cable, and it's ready to play!

But before we plug everything into the phone, I really quickly want to note something about the adapter: The adapter required for this project was not just about needing a way to go from USB-A to USB-C - after all, that could have been solved even easier by just replacing the USB-B-to-A cable of the board with a USB-B-to-C cable and connecting it directly to the phone. As you might have been able to tell from the cover picture from the first post, playing BIG SIF on the phone screen is kind of... not optimal. So, the adapter had to have both an USB-A port and an HDMI port, so you could show the game on a TV or projector!

The adapter I ended up picking not only had those two ports, but also two more USB-A sockets and an USB-C socket. The USB-C port is for power delivery - everything runs off of the phone battery if it is not used, but this allows you to use a powerbank to extend the battery, or just plug in a wall charger so you don't have to worry about it at all. And the other USB-A ports come in really handy, as well. One of them can be used for an Ethernet adapter, which can vastly improve the stability of the required internet connection, if available. As for the other USB-A... one problem I hadn't considered at all is the game menus. As in, song selection and actually getting into the game. Of course, you could always just walk over to the phone, and try to find the correct tap spot on the screen that is turned off, then walk back to the switches - but there's a better approach thanks to that last USB port, with a wireless keyboard I had around already:

This one in particular is a wireless keyboard and touchpad combo, which gets recognized as a generic keyboard and mouse on any device you can plug it into - including Android. So now, you can use the touchpad on that to move around a cursor and do the menuing that way, without having to run back and forth! It's still a little awkward to control the pointer via the touchpad, but there's more that you can do: the keyboard part is not actually needed for this project, since we don't need to type any text... and Key Mapper is sitting idle now that we replaced it with Mantis, so how about we pass the keyboard to it? The keyboard won't have to deal with multiple simultaneous presses, so by setting up keys from it in Key Mapper, we can get an entire keyboard worth of buttons to map even more taps to! That way, instead of having to move the cursor across the screen, you can select and start songs by just pressing a few keys in order. And Mantis still handles the floor switches, so holding down the buttons still works fine, no matter how many are pressed.

Also, yes, I am planning to run regular Lives when playing on this. You might be wondering - "Why? There's a Rehearsal mode now, wouldn't that be better for something like this?" And the answer is yes, it absolutely would be, since I don't have to care about LP or running out of HP during a Live then! But the Rehearsal mode has a static background (see video below) instead of the cool Live Monitor, so I'll be happy to sacrifice my LP candies for the cool effects :) I'm not going to ever use all of them, anyways. And as for the HP problem, I could just add some healers... and if anyone ever wants to see how badly a Master chart would go, I can still start a Rehearsal by clicking on that button using the touch pad.

~~~ a quick little bit of an aside

Speaking of Rehearsal though, even if I'm not using that mode - can I just say how much I appreciate SIF2's gameplay direction? It just feels like the game is far more about "having fun just playing songs" than SIF1. There's changes like the ability to restart songs right from the pause menu if you're aiming for an FC, not losing LP if you fail, all songs being unlocked from the start - but also, obviously, the addition of the Rehearsal mode, where you can play any song without using LP and with infinite HP. One key result of this kind of design is that the game is far less punishing for making a mistake, and I think it invites people to challenge themselves to higher difficulties. There's no need to play it safe anymore: If you're curious about whether you could pass a Master chart, you can just play it, without having to worry about failing and wasting resources anymore. If the chart ends up being too hard, you don't lose any LP or other resources. You can choose to either run it back as many times as you want, or to play another song, neither option carrying any penalty. That makes the harder difficulties so much more approachable, and I think it's a fantastic change.

~~~ back to your regularly scheduled programming

With the system fully set up, it can finally be played! The problem being, I don't have nine players here, just one. I tried a couple times, but it went about as well as you'd expect, even on Normal - it's kind of hard to consistenly find and hit the floor switches while staring at the screen. But it does work! All the buttons work great (as long as I can hit them)! And even with me stepping on the connectors and cables and kicking the switches around by accident, they don't immediately break.

So with that, the project is technically done! All the switches are functional, you can play BIG SIF as intended, and I can bring the controller system anywhere. That's a massive milestone done, of course - but overall, this project still very much in the "janky mess of cables" state. So there's still some stuff to do...

On the next part of Making BIG SIF2: making it nice, making it good. Probably at least a box to put everything in, maybe something to improve reliability, maybe make the interface something better than just a keyboard with labels on it? Let's see how far I can take this

update: you can find the third part here!

#lovelive #love live #ラブライブ #school idol festival #sif2 #スクフェス #i am currently wearing a wrist brace #ouch oof owie

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