#Drake - Since Way Back Lyrics

[logansargeantsbabymom]

Practice

Oscar Piastri x Fem!Reader x Paul Aron

A/N: I really wasn't going to post anything on Tumblr for a while and to just use the anger and betrayal I feel inside of me to write as a form of an outlet. I've had this request done for a while but with everything going on I didn't want to post it but I already feel bad to the person that requested it for keeping them waiting for so long and since Oscar won today, I feel like this is an appropriate time.

After posting this, I do not know how long until I post again but know whenever I do decide it is the right time for me (mentally) to come back, I will have lots of stories to post along with writing more.

Again, thank you to everyone who has reached out to me and wishing me well and reblogging that post along with sending requests to other writers asking them to spread the word and to block and report that person, I do see them and I do really appreciate all the support.

Farewell, for now. I will see you all again soon.

Requested (idk where the actual ask went but I did write it in my notes app where I do rough drafts): Please could you do a story Oscar piastri x y/n x paul aron smut I'm dying for the two of them 🔥 @deepestrunawaykitty

SMUT

Follow my instagram account (THATS STRICTLY FOR THIS BLOG) for updates on when i post and fun stuff like that!

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F1 Masterlist

It was a hot July Saturday night, and I felt my heart race as I entered the club with my boyfriend, Oscar. The bass pumped through my body, setting the tone for a night of pure, unadulterated pleasure. I wore a tight, black dress that hugged my body in all the right places. my long hair fell loosely and my eyes sparkled with anticipation. Oscar looked dashing as always, his brown hair tussled, and that seductive smirk playing on his lips. He was a Formula 1 driver, and his bad-boy charm had me hooked from the start.

As we made our way through the crowd, hands brushing against each other, the familiar lyrics of Drake's "Practice" filled the room. This was our song, the one that played on repeat during our steamy make-out sessions. Oscar leaned in close, his hot breath tickling my ear as he whispered, "You know what this song does to me, babe. It makes me want to take you right here on the dance floor and show everyone what you're mine."

I felt my core clench at his words, my nipples hardening against the soft fabric of my dress. I loved it when Oscar talked dirty, and tonight, I wanted to give myself completely to him. "Then take me," I purred, pressing my body against his, feeling the hard length of his cock straining against his pants. "I'm yours to do with as you please."

Oscar's hand slid down my back, pulling my body tight against his. With his other hand, he reached under my dress, his fingers teasing the soaked fabric of my panties. "You're so wet already, baby. Who knows, maybe I'll let one of my friends have a taste of this tight pussy tonight." I moaned, my eyes fluttering closed as his fingers found my clit, rubbing slow, torturous circles. "Oh, yes, Oscar," I gasped. "I'm yours to share. Do whatever you want with me."

As if on cue, Oscar's friend, Formula 2 driver Paul Aron, joined us on the dance floor. He was tall and muscular, with a mischievous smile that sent shivers down my spine. "Well, well, well," he said, his eyes roaming over my body. "Looks like someone's ready to play."

"She certainly is," Oscar replied, his hand still working its magic between my thighs. "Why don't you say hello, Paul?"

Paul didn't need to be asked twice. He pulled me against him, his lips crashing down on mine in a passionate kiss. I melted into the kiss, my hands exploring Paul's body as his tongue dueled with mine. I could feel both of their erections pressing into me, and it drove me wild.

Breaking the kiss, Oscar guided me to turn around, pressing my body against the hard planes of Paul's chest. "Such a beautiful view," Oscar murmured, nuzzling my neck. "Seeing your pretty mouth wrapped around my cock while Paul fucks that tight pussy from behind." I moaned, my eyes rolling back as Paul's hands slid up my thighs, lifting my dress. "Mmm, yes, Oscar," I breathed. "I want you both. Please, fuck me. Make me yours."

Without warning, Oscar spun me around and pressed my against the nearby wall, his mouth claiming mine in a voracious kiss. my senses spun out of control as I felt Paul's hands on my waist, lifting me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he pressed the length of his hard cock against my aching pussy. "You ready for me, baby?" he growled, grinding his hips against her.

"Please," I begged, my head falling back as Oscar kissed and nibbled on my neck. "Fuck me, Paul. Give it to me hard."

With one swift thrust, Paul impaled me on his thick shaft, burying himself balls-deep inside me. I cried out, my nails digging into Oscar's shoulders as I felt myself stretched around his cock. Paul began to move, his hips snapping as he pounded into me, each thrust hitting me deep and hard.

Oscar's hands roamed over my body, cupping my breasts and pinching my nipples. He kissed and sucked on my neck, marking me as his. "You like that, baby? You like being fucked by my friend while I watch?"

"Yes," I moaned, my head tossing back and forth as pleasure washed over me. "Oh, God, yes. It feels so good, Oscar. Don't stop."

Paul's hands gripped my thighs, holding me in place as he thrust faster and harder, his grunts filling the air. I felt her orgasm building, a coil of pleasure tightening in my belly. "I'm gonna cum," I panted, my fingers tangling in Oscar's hair. "Don't stop, please, don't stop."

As if sensing my impending release, Oscar reached between our bodies, his fingers finding my swollen clit. He rubbed me in slow, firm circles, sending shocks of pleasure coursing through me. "That's it, baby, cum for us. Let me taste that sweet pussy."

And cum I did. With a strangled cry, my body shook as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over me. My juices flowed around Paul's cock, making his thrusts even more delicious. "That's it, take it," Paul grunted, his hips slapping against my ass. "Cum all over my cock, you dirty girl."

As my orgasm began to subside, Paul quickened his pace, chasing his own release. I felt his cock twitch inside her, and with a final, powerful thrust, he filled me with his hot cum. "Fuck, yes," he groaned, his body trembling as he emptied himself inside me.

But the night was far from over.

After a brief respite, Oscar led us to a more secluded area of the club. His eyes were dark with desire as he pushed me against a nearby couch, his lips capturing mine in a fierce kiss. Paul stood beside us, his eyes burning with lust as he watched his friend take what he wanted from my willing body.

Oscar broke the kiss, his breath hot on my face as he said, "Get on your knees, baby. I want your mouth."

I obeyed without hesitation, my heart pounding with anticipation. I knew Oscar loved deepthroating, and the thought of taking him all the way down my throat made my pussy drip. I looked up at him with hooded eyes, my lips parted, as I reached for the belt of his pants.

Oscar undid his belt, freeing his hard length. my eyes widened at the sight of his thick, veined cock, the head already glistening with pre-cum. I licked my lips, leaning forward to flick my tongue over the sensitive tip. "Mmm," I moaned, tasting the salty sweetness of him. "I've been waiting all night for this."

I took him into my mouth, sucking slowly, bobbing my head up and down as my hands stroked his length. Oscar's hands tangled in my hair, guiding my pace as he moaned above me. "That's it, baby, just like that. Take it all."

my lips slid down his shaft, my tongue swirling as I hollowed my cheeks, taking him deeper with each stroke. I could feel his cock hit the back of my throat, and I relaxed, allowing him to slide down my throat. Oscar groaned, his hips bucking as he held me still, his cock buried deep. "Fuck, yes, that's it, take it all," he panted.

Pulling back, I sucked hard, hollowing my cheeks as I swirled my tongue. Oscar's hands tightened in my hair, guiding me in a fast, hard rhythm as he used my mouth for his pleasure. "You love that cock, don't you, baby?" he growled. "You're such a dirty little cock slut."

"Mmm-hmm," I hummed around his shaft, my eyes flashing with desire. "I love it, Oscar. I love sucking your big cock."

Paul stood beside them, stroking his hardening cock as he watched the erotic display. "Damn, that's fucking hot," he muttered. "Seeing her mouth wrapped around your cock is making me hard again, Oscar."

A wicked smile curved Oscar's lips as he pulled me off his cock, a strand of saliva connecting our mouths. "I think it's time for that double penetration I've been craving, don't you?"

my pussy clenched at his words, the thought of being filled by both men at once sending a thrill through my body. I nodded eagerly, my eyes shining with anticipation. "Please, yes. Fuck me, both of you. I want it so bad."

Oscar positioned me on my hands and knees on the couch, my ass raised in the air, my pussy exposed and glistening with my juices. "Ride that cock, Paul," he instructed, his eyes sparkling with lust. "I'm gonna stretch her throat while you pound that tight pussy."

Paul lined himself up, sliding into my wet heat with ease. I moaned, my eyes fluttering closed as I felt myself stretched around his thickness once again. Oscar guided my head down onto his cock, holding me still as he thrust his hips, fucking my mouth hard and fast.

The sensation of being filled at both ends pushed me closer to the edge. I felt Paul's hands grip my hips, setting a brutal pace as he slammed into me. Oscar's cock pumped in and out of my mouth, his balls slapping against my chin. "That's it," Oscar grunted. "Take it, you dirty slut. Take both our cocks."

The sounds of their grunts and my muffled moans filled the room. “So dirty for us, such a slut” Oscar grunted. His words sent me over the edge. I cried out around Oscar's cock as my orgasm ripped through me, my body shaking with the force of it. Paul roared his release, his cum shooting deep inside me as he rode out his orgasm.

With a final, hard thrust, Oscar held my head down on his shaft, his hips bucking as he filled my mouth with his hot load. I swallowed, milking him with my mouth as he groaned my name.

Collapsing onto the couch, all three of us panted, a tangle of sweaty, satisfied bodies. I smiled, my body buzzing with satisfaction. This was definitely a night I would never forget.

—————

taglist:

@luckyladycreator2 @itsmiamalfoy @jeffs77 @ilivbullyingjeongin @forevercaffeinated-lee @daemyratwst @gulphulp @callsignwidow @f1wintermoon13 @teenwolf01 @victoriassecret101 @hiireadstuff @formulaal l l @kazza72584 @zabwlky1999 @dark-night-sky-99 @rougekiki @xoscar03 @jess-wither @bountychanti @dhanihamidi i @tellybearryyyy @a-panseuxalmess s @love-simon @tallrock35 @iiaik0ii @Milkyymelanine @ilovsyou3000morgan @styl1shl1v @eddieharrington @hellowgoodbye

[azinemagazine]

Jus doin' sum random scrollin'. 📱 - r3al' 🐉 #mambamentality🐍

Call it mindless, yet we all (in some sorta way) do it. It'd been a minute since anything had been posted for Azine. Supposing it appeared as though only reviews about Ye, Drake, Billie, or Taylor were worthwhile, it still felt integral to take my time. I'd go as far as to say that my creative nuances were both amusingly and unapologetically unafraid of patience. Cut to what one could curate as chancing upon the profile for Canadian singer, songwriter, and dancer Kallitechnis's Ardene interview on YouTube. While snuggly lotus sedentary in a lounge chair Kassandra (a.k.a Kallitechnis) sorted words on some pretty deep stuff. (See, I'm the type to keen in what artists fr say alongside of winnowing amid whatever it is they craft.) All her talk about authenticity, longevity, and even therapy, backdrops her latest Single releases, to delicately while devoutly dream weave some of the most sensational late night Trap Alt. Soul/R&B that I'd ever heard. After hours of zoning out on Spotify & Apple Music, I'd seemingly stumbled upon a mound of sound designs showcasing that Kallitechnis latest releases, "KALEDISCOPE LOVE" & "SOFT LIFE, are sonic gems worthy of ethereal shine. 

"KALEDIOSCOPE LOVE" is the most recent release by Kallietechnis.  Lyrically it's the lift off elements of romance dazzled in the depth of the "bedsheet ballets'" that hopefully accompany it. If you tap script Kallie's verses here, it'll literally take your breathe away. This 2024 Soul Over Ego Single release paints a sensual sonata, saturated in the palates of lovemaking by the likes of a Jhene Aiko, Victoria Monet, & fav Kehlani. My cherished over the two songs is the latter 2023 released, "SOFT LIFE", where the copulation carved crooning by Kallitechnics feels more assured in its contour.  Lyrics like, "Cocoa butter kisses on the back of your neck...No ones around, go and say it with your chest." sets up a between the sheet session, where direction details desire and more importantly: pleasures for both parties. The hedonism hails heavy here, and when ya place that alongside of Kassnadra's visceral vocal layerings, you're insatiably sedated into this ‘sensational style of life’ she's sojourning. 

Both releases mode just a mere of the music you can muse through courtesy of Kallitechnis. For me it's the completeness interwoven in the listening experience of these two tracks. Detailing what it takes to call yourself professional in this or any realm is something I valued early on. The attention to detail, care, production, and most importantly the passion, tentpole sound designing success for any act whether indie or not. On that note, Kassandra does something else, almost effortlessly. She ate, and fanged deep into the fact that there are stars who are not signed. Stars: real artists who are crafting carefree of what seemingly fates, what often lacerates acts who sign with labels. Definitively, I'm the late night type. I'm good either playing the pull while out, or layinlow at the cribbo, playlsitin' on the MacBook with Apple TV or YouTube dressing the backdrop. Either in or out, this pair of indie soul sounds soothe both the mind, as well as those other places the sensations may align.😉 

♾️

🔥🔥🔥🔥

∆³

[anarchywoofwoof]

since it's the 21st night of September and i keep seeing all of the memes and gifs including my own, it's in my leftist nature to jump in with a bit of learning & essay material, so let's go ahead and get it out of the way.

to appreciate "September," you must appreciate the group who performed it: Earth, Wind & Fire.

Earth, Wind & Fire was headed by the legendary Maurice White, who wasn't just the heart and soul of the group, but he was also its driving force in so many ways, both literally & metaphorically. Maurice White wasn't just making music; he was making social statements, negotiating and navigating race relations, and tackling the music industry's problematic nature back in the 70s.

Mistah White (sorry, i had to), with his killer jazz drumming background, brought Earth, Wind & Fire into the spotlight at a time when music was getting pigeonholed by race. and they dominated both the R&B and pop charts. but the impact goes a little further than charts and accolades. no Maurice White? probably no "Thriller", no Outkast, no Pharrell, no Drake.

in the 70s, the big music labels that dominated the industry were just targeting white, middle-class youth. Maurice White looked at this scene and thought, "ok den bet" with Earth, Wind & Fire. he blended everything from Jazz in "Caribou" to Latin vibes in "Brazilian Rhyme.” the type of borrowed influence you hear in modern Pop, rap, and Hip Hop music is built mainly on the backs of artists like Maurice White. and he fought for his vision, pushing for his music to be promoted across the board, believing it had universal appeal.

you also can throw in the showmanship that Earth, Wind & Fire had; massive sets, fireworks, magic tricks (yes fucking magic tricks), and super iconic Afrocentric costumes. in a time when Black musicians were very much under pressure from the music industry, White used Earth, Wind & Fire's popularity to push for a deeper dialogue on race. bands like Earth, Wind & Fire also provided the soundtrack to the Black Power movement, which was in full swing around this time. another famous track they released, "Evil,” contains lyrics that hint toward Black musicians’ struggles in the 70s - the choice that wasn't a choice - to either be upbeat or stay silent.

Evil, runnin' through our brain We and evil's just about the same Bad blood through our body flows Where's the love nobody knows Nobody knows, nobody knows, nobody knows Beauty in our face you see Tryin' to hide all our misery Our misery, our misery, our misery

if you listen a bit closer with a racial context in mind, there’s an acute call for change in Earth, Wind & Fire's art, and a plea to make the world a better place. Maurice White's legacy is that he helped drive forward the progress of a cold, hard music industry and spin it into something more like gold.

thas' all. thanks for reading.

[rosemarydisaster]

I really like the idea of Catatonic Jason taking care of baby Damian. Like, yes, he's traumatized beyond belief. He's being trained to kill, and yet there's this softness in him. Talia recognizes the instinct to protect the innocent, allowing Jason to care for her son. She hopes it will ground him and in a way it does. It's almost natural to him. But then he's resurrected by the pit.

This new Jason is confused, half mad from the process. Most importantly he doesn't remember anything. His body does, all of his training coming through well practiced moves. But this boy is too angry and volatile, and Talia will not risk his baby with him. No matter how much her heart wants to believe he would remember holding him too.

Jason leaves. Talia and Damian follow his progress watching him progressively calm down. The effects of the pit can be combated, and Talia was relieved her initial assumption had been right: Jason Todd was still in there. It was harder on Damian. It's one thing to rationally understand why his brother couldn't remember him, and another thing entirely to accept it.

Once he moved to the manor, the absence felt even greater. Everything was so backwards, and the only person he could have found some sense of comradely with didn't remember him. What's more, he didn't even seem all that interested in reconnecting with his family at first.

Damian watched him struggle from afar, dealing with grief, anger and guilt on his own. He watched seething with jealousy as Jason tried to mend his relationship with Tim. "He's only nice to you because he feels guilty about punching a kid", he pettily thought. It wasn't fair at all, so he stuck to calling him Todd instead of Jason.

Richard was the only saving grace in the whole family, and thus the only one capable of making him feel included. It took a while, especially when his father and Drake came back, derailing their lovely routine. He wasn't going to complain about having another chance to prove himself to father, but he missed Richard.

Live continued, and slowly he felt more and more like he truly belonged. The feeling not coming from a single cathartic experience but a myriad of small domestic moments. It is one of those moments when it happens.

He has hurt his leg fighting Killer Croc, and Jason had offered to help him to his room since Bruce still needed to finish something on the computer. It was getting less and less rare to see Red Hood in the cave or Jason Todd upstairs. Everyone still treated him like a loud noise would spook him and Damian wondered if that's how they'd seen him once.

Jason jokes around when he grabs him in bridal carry and Damian threatens the safety of his reproductive organs. It's an old song and dance, and they quickly go back to ignoring each other. It is Jason who breaks the meditative silence again, starting to hum a familiar melody halfway through the stairs.

Damian can't place it at first, and Jason doesn't seem to realize he's doing it. He's walking down the corridor when he actually starts whispering the lyrics, almost in a trance. Damian tenses, recognizing the nursery rhyme Jason used to sing to him back when he was a kid.

The movement seems to snap Jason out of his reverie, standing completely still for a moment. Damian watches enraptured as the realization dawns on him, his brother's head snapping back to him. His eyes are wide open and slightly shiny as he regards Damian like it's the first time he's truly seeing him.

"Habibi?" Jason asks, still sounding far away.

Damian contorts himself to hug him, the pressure on his chest finally releasing as his brother finally comes back to him.

It takes him a while to recover his memories of their time together, but for the first time Jason actually wants to remember. He's had to wade through enough green-tinged half memories, filled with grief and shame. Damian's memories are different. They're from a time when he barely existed, reduced to pure instinct. And yet, that version of himself had the instinct to care for this child. To love him.

Maybe there was hope for him.

[stupidspidey]

DRAKE VS KENDRICK LAMAR

(Hey! here’s all of the songs i referenced that i cns actually add here! Plewse note i literally forgot to cover *meet the grahams*, but, fuck it, whatever.)

With the recent ongoing war between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, i feel like as someone with way too much time on their hands and nothing else going on for the day, what better than to write a cohesive timeline of literally *everything* that’s happened? And i don’t mean from **First Person Shooter**, i mean from **good kid, m.A.A.d city** type everything. Yeah, the Drake stuff isn’t exactly as recent as it may appear. Saying as theres no more ‘intro’ for me to give, here i go.

***Buried Alive Interlude (ft. Kendrick Lamar) - Take Care (2011)***

This was the beginning of the relationship between Drake and Kendrick, both of them considering eachother peers in the industry, despite being in such different lanes. (Lamar conceptual, and Drake more mainstream.), In an interview Lamar describes Drake as “A good guy.” (paraphased), regardless, things seemed alright for the two, the only real “beef” being their opposing views on how they views on their wealth and fame, Lamar keeping personal details quiet, while Drake frequently posts his lavish life to his thousands of followers.

***Poetic Justice (ft. Drake) - good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012)***

To say the two artists were always in some sort of feud would be wrong. On Kendrick’s debut album later rap classic, ***’good kid, m.A.A.d city’***, we see a feature from Drake on the track Poetic Justice. A few things of note though, is that this time period shows us a good natured relationship between Drake and Kendrick, even Drake going as far to say that *“GKMC was the last great concept album.”,* though there was definitely tensions between the two, as Drake’s refusal to work with Kendrick again began after the lyric **”I’m usually homeboys with the same n——s i’m rhymin’ with, but this is hip-hop and them n——s should know what time it is. And that goes for J.Cole, Big KRIT, Wale, Pusha T, Meek Mills A$AP Rocky, Drake, Big Sean, Jay Electron, Tyler and Mac Miller, I got love for you all, but i’m tryna slaughter you n——s.”**

Drake took an offence to this, and spited a refusal to work with Kendrick over it, seeing it as a diss, though nowadays most view this as friendly competition from Lamar. After the fact of Drake’s refusal though, Lamar did go back on another song to say **”Yeah, and nothings been the same since they dropped Control. Tucked a sensitive rapper back into his pyjama clothes.”**, this line being aimed at Drake, and actually being considered the starting point between the two’s feud, having Drake in interviews act nonchalantly and saying he isn’t “taking the bait”, he was the only rapper to have taken offence to Lamar’s initial lyric. Some also found Drake’s initial compliments to *GKMC* offensive, as the term “concept album” usually gives the idea that everything on the album is a story, or ‘made up’, implying that Drake believes Kendrick’s story in Compton was fiction, though i find that to be a bit of a stretch personally. Some people also found it as a fairly backhanded compliment because of this.

***Control (ft. Kendrick Lamar) - Big Sean***

I mentioned earlier about how this song sparked the real aggression between the two artists, and that statement still stands. Coming off of tour alongside Drake and A$AP Rocky, we saw Lamar feature on this song alongside Big Sean, in which he aims not just for Drake, but the rap industry as a whole. To repeat the lyric from earlier, **”**I’m usually homeboys with the same n——s i’m rhymin’ with, but this is hip-hop and them n——s should know what time it is. And that goes for J.Cole, Big KRIT, Wale, Pusha T, Meek Mills A$AP Rocky, Drake, Big Sean, Jay Electron, Tyler and Mac Miller, I got love for you all, but i’m tryna slaughter you n——s.”** This lead the press to obviously inquire Drake on his thoughts on this, to which he responded: *”I didn’t really have anything to say about it. It just sounded like an ambitious thought to me. That’s all it was. I know good and well that [Lamar] ‘s not murdering me, at all, in any platform. So when that day presents itself, I guess we can revisit the topic.”* This quote came with the claims that Lamar’s ‘dream’ of murdering him (metaphorically) was simply a fantasy, and that he simply couldn’t live up to what Drake had established. In other words, Drake believes his star power keeps him away from the threats Lamar proceeds.

***King Kunta - To Pimp a Butterfly/100 - The Game***

In these tracks, Drake begins to show a response to Lamar’s claims. In *King Kunta*, from Kendrick’s sequel album **To Pimp a Butterfly**, now widely considered one of the most influential albums in rap, Lamar pens **“I can dig rapping! But a rapper with a ghostwriter? What the fuck happened?”** this lyric is aimed at allegations that some of Drake’s music is written by a team, rather than himself—— more commonly referred to as ‘ghostwriting’, I haven’t heard much about this, but i do believe the lyric **”I got a bone to pick! I don’t want these monkey-mouthed motherfuckers sitting in my throne again!”** could be a potential dig at not just Drake, but the industry as a whole— something Lamar has done a few times as we’ve covered. Either in coincidence or response, Drake released a jab at Lamar around the same time, penning **”I would have all your fans if i didn’t go pop and stayed down on some conscious shit.”** these two lyrics are really the last time in the 2010’s we hear of the beef between Drake and Kendrick up until the recent events, with both of them seemingly simmering, nothing is really said as far as i’m aware between this point and the next.

***First Person Shooter (ft. J.Cole) - FOR ALL THE DOGS (2023)***

Oh J.Cole. you poor, poor man.

*First Person Shooter*, one of the lead singles for Drake’s album ***FOR ALL THE DOGS***, is with no doubt a victory lap for Drake and his colleague Jermaine Cole (more frequently, J.Cole). On the track, Cole pens **”People argue who’s the hardest MC, is it K.Dot, is it Aubrey or me? We the big three like we started a league, but right now i feel like Mohammed Ali.”** Now to most, this would come off as a compliment, with Cole stating that the big three of rap is him, Kendrick Lamar and Drake, though a few people saw this as fairly backhanded, seeing the following Mohammed Ali comment along with the fact that Drake was also on the song to be placing Lamar in third, implying that Cole believes those two usurp Kendrick, putting him in the top 3 out of pity in a sense. This is what set the current ball in motion, and more importantly, set off Metro Boomin and Future. (Well, not really, but the next instalment happens to come from their album ***We Don’t Trust You*,** so…)

***Like That (ft. Kendrick Lamar) - We Don’t Trust You (Metro Boomin and Future) (2024)***

This is where the games begin. Lamar is featured as a surprise feature on Future and Metro Boomin’s collaboration album, **We Don’t Trust You**. In this surprise however, Lamar comes in full force. Penning **”They think i won’t drop the location, i still got PTSD, motherfuck the big three, n——a it’s just big ME! (n——a bum!)”**, being the most iconic of the shots thrown from Lamar, as for after Kendrick continues to call Drake and Cole ‘bums’. It’s obvious that this is aimed at the two, as Kendrick starts his verse with **”Fuck sneak dissing, First Person Shooter? i hope they came with three switches, i crash out like ‘FUCK RAP!’ diss Melly Mells if i have to, got 2 tees with me, i’m snatching chains and burning tattoos.”** This is, of course, the beginning of what i like to call “the war” between Drake and Kendrick (and J.Cole, who immediately backs out, respect to him though, shit gets crazy.), for the first few weeks, neither artists really respond to these lyrics, up until J.Cole.

***7 Minute Drill - MIGHT DELETE LATER (J.Cole) 2024***

This is where the responses come in. J.Cole fires back at Lamar after a few weeks of seemingly nothing from the two aimed at in FPS, on this track, Cole aims singularly for Lamar, using a multitude of lyrics and phrases to insult him. This isn’t actually the first time Lamar and Cole have been in a sort of “battle”, though with the brotherly bond between the two, it’s been seemingly in good hearted nature. On the track, Cole raps **”He’s averaging one hard verse like, every 30 months or somethin’.”** in reference to the large release windows between Kendrick’s albums, GKMC, TPAB, DAMN. and Mr Morale. Following this, he states that **”If he wasn’t dissing, then we wouldn’t be discussing him.”** Implying that if he hadn’t been aiming for the two, nobody would be discussing Kendrick Lamar at all. This most likely comes from the radio silence from Kendrick since Mr. Morale outside of surprise features like **America has a Problem.** Cole also claims that he’s **”Front of the line, with a comfortable lead, how ironic, soon as i got it, now he wants something with me.**” Telling us that Cole’s belief is Lamar’s aiming is out of jealousy or envy, rather than the usual friendly competition between the two. In a more extended line proceeding this, he pens **”Your first shit? A classic. Your last shit was tragic. Your second shit put n——s to sleep but the gassed it. Your third shit was massive, and THAT was your prime, i was trailing right behind, and i just now hit mine.”** Each line in this lyric is directed to a different Kendrick Lamar album. His first shit (***good kid, m.A.A.d city***) is considered a classic in the rap genre, and is considered by some to be Lamar’s best album. His last shit (**Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers**) is taken in a completely different direction than most of Lamar’s previous work, this leads it to be more negatively reviewed among the rest of his works. His second shit (**To Pimp a Butterfly***)* Is the follow-up album to GKMC, showing us the first instance of Lamar’s social commentary (though, present in GKMC), this making Cole claim it as putting people to sleep, as it was too introspective and political (This line is heavily disagreed with, as most people perceive TPAB as the best rap album of all time.) His third shit (***DAMN.***) is considered by most to be Kendrick’s prime, and also the peak of his fame. Featuring artists like Rhianna and with hit classics like DNA. and HUMBLE., the album is considered some of Lamar’s most iconic work to date. After the release of ***7 Minute Drill***, J.Cole immediately backed out and apologised, stating “Do y’all love Kendrick Lamar? Cause so do i.” And basically apologising to him. To this day it’s unknown wether or not this was out of either respect or fear for Lamar, though we do know that ScHoolboy Q, a colleague of Cole’s, told him to simply not get involved, as he knew it was more of a thing between Kendrick and Drake.

***Push Ups (Drop and Give Me 50) - Drake (2024)***

This transitions is smoothly into where we really are today, the consistent stream of tracks between Drake and Kendrick that seemingly antagonise eachother to no end. We begin with **Push Ups**, a track where Drake goes not just for Kendrick, but for everyone involved with ***We Don’t Trust You***. Drake starts the track with **”Drop, drop, drop, drop…”**, a seeming triple entendre to a multitude of things relating to Kendrick. First off, some interpret this as Drake telling Lamar to “drop” something, either being a response to him, or just solo music in general. Another interpretation follows the idea that he is telling Kendrick to “drop and give him 50%”, as it’s suspected that Lamar’s label takes a 50% cut of whatever he releases. A third (and less interesting) interpretation is that it’s in reference to Lamar’s frequenting of the parks to do his exercise routines, namely doing 50 pushups. following this we hear **”I could never be nobodies number one fan, your first number one, i had to put that in your hands.”**, Implying Drake believes Kendrick’s fame comes from his features on Drake’s album ***Take Care***, and Drake’s features on ***Poetic Justice*** (both covered earlier.), following this, we get **”How the fuck you big-stepping with a size seven men’s on?”**, this is both a reference to Lamar’s album ***Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers***, and also Lamar’s height, being 5’5. Later on, we get **”Maroon 5 need a verse, you better make it witty. Then we need a verse for the Swifties, Top says drop, you better drop and give em 50!”**, this is in reference to how Kendrick has previously featured on songs for both Maroon 5 (***Don’t Wanna Know**)* and Taylor Swift (***Bad Blood***), Drake uses this almost in mocking. The “drop and give me 50” line is repeated through the song. Following this is **”Its like your label, boy, you’re in the scope right now. And you’re gonna feel the aftermath of what i write down.”**, this references both of the labels Lamar has been signed to, Interscope Records and Aftermath Records. To cap off what i’m gonna cover for this song (lest i be here for hours), Drake pens **”Pipsqueak, pipe down. You ain’t in no big three, SZA got you wiped down, Savage got you wiped down, Travis got you wiped down—“**, this line tells us seemingly whay Drake *a*ctually believes to be the big three, unlike what Cole claimed on First Person Shooter, this also seemingly a jab at Cole aswell, as Drake seems to ‘remove’ him from the big three. He later also says **”I don’t care what Cole think, that Dot shit was weak as fuck.”** seemingly solidifying this line of thought. Drake is now out for both Kendrick and Cole.

***Taylor Made Freestyle - Drake (2023)***

This song seemingly stems from Drake’s impatience for Lamar to respond. (something he’d largely backtrack on later), To give some context to the title, the real beef between the two began during the release of Taylor Swift’s album ***The Tortured Poets Department***, because of this, Drake accuses Lamar of being “scared” to drop within this timeframe, in fear of being overshadowed. Unfortunately, in this song Drake begins by targeting one of Kendrick’s idols, Tupac, through the use of his AI Generated voice, a move that would wildly lose Drake the public vote. I’m not going to cover the stuff that’s used from the AI Snoop Dogg or Tupac primarily because (and trying to remain as completely unbiased as possible), Drake is a massive bitch for using them. Anyway, onto the first line of note: **”But now we gotta wait a fuckin’ week cause Taylor Swift is your new Top, And if you boutta drop then she has to approve.”**, this comes again from Drake’s belief that Kendrick is scared of dropping out of fear of being overshadowed, stating it as if Taylor ‘owns’ Kendrick. If i’m being completely honest, that’s literally all i can say about this track, pretty much every line aimed at Kendrick can be summed up to that exact definition, so i’ll move on the the next track.

***euphoria - Kendrick Lamar (2024)***

This is where Kendrick begins his involvement, by not just dropping his response, but by dropping two in one day, **euphoria** and **6:16 in LA** (the latter of which i’ll cover next). The track begins with a reversed sample from a remake of ***The Wizard of Oz***, in which a character proclaims **”Everything they say about me is true!”**, this could be interpreted to Kendrick owning up to the title of *”The Boogeyman”* some have given him in previous beefs. Following up this, Lamar begins the track with a slow, melodic beat, as he softly rhymes over the top of it. He pens **”You’re moving just like a degenerate, every antic is feeling distasteful.”** in reference to Drake’s use of AI voices on ***Taylor Made Freestyle***. After this, we receive a beat switch in which Lamar begins to ‘battle-rap’. We begin with **”Have you ever paid five hundered thou’ like, to an open case?”** This line is allegedly written in reference to Drake’s sexual assault allegations from Instagram model *Laquana Morris*, in which he paid $350k in settlement. Though this could also be in reference to Lamar’s 2017 lawsuit in which LOYALTY. was accused of plagiarism by *Terrance Hayes*, a case that was later dismissed and dropped with little to no explanation. Later, Lamar pens **”Id rather do that than let a Canadian n——a make Pac roll in his grave.”**, Another reference to Drake’s previous usage of Tupac’s AI voice, and more notably, Kendrick’s desire to defend Tupac’s legacy from that sort of usage. **”What is it, the braids? Oh you dont wanna work with me no more? Okay.”** Is in reference to how Drake’s haircut (twisted braids) has him thinking wrong to go against him. The following comment about not working with him is in reference to Kendrick’s comments on **Control**, aimed at Drake, and his reaction to no longer wanting to work with Lamar. **”Its three GOATs left, and i see two of em hugging and kissing on stage.”** Is in reference to ***It’s All A Blur Tour***, in which J. Cole and Drake headlined together, a photo commonly shared of the two of them hugging on stage. **”Yeah, fuck all that pushing P, let me see you Pusha T!”** Is in reference to Drake’s previous beef with Pusha T, in which he revealed that Drake had a son, Adonis. This later removed all responses from Drake, making people consider Pusha T the winner. There’s a LOT more lyrics in this song, but i’m gonna cut it primarily for actually making space for the rest of this stuff.

***6:16 in LA - Kendrick Lamar (2024)***

In a surprising move from Kendrick, he released two songs in a row, this one more personally aimed at not just Drake and everyone he’s associated with, but Drake himself. With this track there aren’t many lyrics i actually want to select and really explain like i have in previous sections so i’d be better off more or less explaining how tensions were in the release of this track. People were no short of surprised to see Lamar drop such a substantial amount of tracks in one day, making most people seemingly ‘switch sides’ from Drake, while most others applied the argument that “most had decided their winner before their battle even started.”, however this song is the prelude before we really get Kendrick to delve into Drake’s allegations, and more impressively, straight up call him a p*dophile.

***Family Matters - Drake (2024)***

After a day or two of waiting with bated breath, Drake finally responded to Lamar’s tracks with a return to burn Kendrick. The song begins with a reused sample of **Push-Ups**, almost making the song seem to be a sequel to that, Drake begins by proclaiming that **”Cole losing sleep over this, that ain’t me.”**, in reference to Cole’s exiting from the battle. However a lyric following this further landed Drake into a negative public opinion, as he raps **”Always rappin’ like you’re tryna get the slaves freed.”**, seemingly dissmissing to the work Kendrick’s done for knowledge on Black History, as well as mocking Lamar’s general influence and introspective style of rap. Later, Drake finally fires back with allegations that Kendrick is abusive toward his wife, with the line **”Ay, let that shawty breathe.”**, allowing the listener to interpret that Lamar may be involved in abusing his wife, Whitney. (Though, this was later seemingly disproved by a tweet from Whitney’s brother showing support toward Kendrick.) Drake then raps **”Shake that ass for Drake, and shake that ass for free.”**, implying both that Whitney is disloyal to Kendrick, and that Drake supposedly wants this to be a song people dance to in clubs via twerking or something, this later backfired as Lamar’s next track, ***Not Like Us***, actually ended up being played in a multitude of clubs and raves upon release. Drake later raps **”good kid, m.A.A.d city van, we’ll pop the latch and let the door slide.”**, seemingly in reference to a drive-by in Kendrick’s Compton days, as in the album the Van is used as a symbol of protection from the violence in the world outside. Drake is proclaiming he will destroy Kendrick’s only sense of protection. In Part III of the song, Drake begins by rapping **”Kendrick just opened his mouth, someone go hand him a Grammy right now.”**, seemingly believing that all of Lamar’s Grammys are given based off of popularity over talent, though Drake follows this with **”Where is your uncle at? Cause i wanna talk to the man of the house.”,** this is in reference to the **Mr Morale and the Big Steppers** track **Auntie Diaries**, in which Kendrick tells the story of his Auntie transitioning into his Uncle. The bar basically mocks Kendrick for being less masculine than a trans person, sort of transphobic to me but, yknow. From here it’s just more lyrics about the allegations of Kendrick’s abuse of his wife, bringing us onto **Not Like Us**.

***Not Like Us - Kendrick Lamar (2024)***

This track is the pinpoint for when we go from ***To Pimp a Butterfly*** to ***To Catch a Predator***. In this track, Kendrick fully goes in on Drake’s sexual abuse and pedophilia allegations, exposing a major amount of Drake’s argument. The first influential lyric on this track is **”Say, Drake, I hear you like em’ young.”**, again in reference to these allegations, now, to get this out of the way now, i’m gonna say the same for **”Certified Lover Boy? Certified Pedophile!”** and **”Tryna stroke a chord, and it’s probably A-Minor!”**, the first of which being a reference to Drake’s album **Certified Lover Boy**, and the second referencing the guitar chord A-Minor, entendres with “a minor” (Holy shit, man.) **”Certified Boogeyman, i’m the one who upped the score with em’.”** Is in reference to the **Halloween** character *Micheal Myers*, and more importantly his intimidating presence, that of which Kendrick implies he also brings in his opponents, the usage of ‘certified’ could also be another reference to **Certified Lover Boy**., and with all that covered, that’s pretty much all that comes from this track and, honestly, the beef in general.

***THE HEART PART 6 - Drake (2024)***

To remain as unbiased as possible, this is where things get downright embarrassing, and honestly, what solidifies Kendrick Lamar’s win. For starters, the track title itself is in reference to Lamar’s **The Heart** series, which is typically used to debut a new album, like **DAMN.** and **Mr Morale and the Big Steppers.** This is actually a joke that was frequently used on Twitter beforehand, as well see with the rest of this track, most of Drake’s research comes less from his peers and more from Twitter, the track itself actually is an attempt to mock Kendrick Lamar’s sexual assault, something of which we learn, actually never happened. Drake raps **”Mother i— Mother i— That’s the one record where you say you got molested.”**, despite him saying this, **Mother I** is Kendrick talking about how his cousin didn’t molest him, but none of his family believed him, in other words, Drake completely misses the point. Before this Drake raps **”This Epstein angle is the shit i expected.”** When, in prior songs, nobody has mentioned Jeffrey Epstien. He also raps **”I only fuck with Whitneys, not no Millie Bobbie Browns.”** in reference to his allegations in messaging *Stranger Things* star Millie Bobbie Brown, despite being 17 years older than her. Yet again, Kendrick had never mentioned this beforehand.

***MR. MORALE VS THE 6IX GOD.***

In the end, it comes down to personal opinion on who you really think ‘won’ this sort of thing, it’s a very arguable and personal thing, wether you believe that Kendrick beats his wife, or that Drake is a pedophile, just know either way, when i release this Kendrick Lamar would have released 4 more tracks.

Wish me luck.

[cringelordofchaos]

Hot take: drew and Zoey DO love each other

(or at least have at one point).

Look at that blush!!

Not saying they're not toxic or shallow or that it could've worked but to deny they had feelings for each other just for other ships to seem cooler seems pointless to me

They loved each other, though they are horrible cor each other that doesn't mean they don't care for each other (case in point: drake)

This is not to say drew isn't in love with Jake (I'm a big drew-is-in-love-with-jake-and-the-closet-is-made-of-glass-truther myself) but I don't think drew dated her just for reputation, they both have a messed up way of showing and receiving love (Drew's love language is gift giving, and Zoey might feel loved when given money which is weird af but it makes sense in a way, her getting a sugar daddy could be to get more money but also more love ever since drew might've started acting distant or uncaring towards her or she felt like his love and attention wasn't enough, cuz she seems extreme desperate for respect and attention and stuff like that, given how she usually makes herself to be the center of attention so often and how she tries putting herself above everyone else, meanwhile Drew would pay more attention to jake than her at times lmao, which might've made her angry or jealous or idk. but she craved his gifts, his love at one point.)

Zoey did manipulate and deceive him and he fell for it, RosyClozy at point said "Teeth" (a song by 5 Seconds Of Summer) fit Droey really well , and these are the lyrics

The song seems to be about someone infatuated with their lover, being the only brightness in their life and genuinely caring about them, but being lied to and deceived and ig being afraid of being pushed away

When drew found out zoey cheated on him, he was quite obviously upset, as anyone would be, really. Though you could say that, in a way, he seemed to be more upset about Jake not telling him Zoey cheated on him, than... Zoey cheating on him. Again, the show prioritizes how Drew feels about Jake over how he feels about Zoey, which makes it a bit more complicated to break down the true feelings behind Droey. (Plus, all the other ships have canon origins. Lander - childhood best friends. Jailey - met at freshman year, but Jake turned his back on Hailey in order to fit in w the jomies, causing rivalry and mistrust between the two. Jaisy - met in middle school, where she encouraged Jake's passions. Milliot - milliot spinoff ep1, see for yourself. Etc etc. but droey? We don't know how they met or how they got together. I assume it's gonna be revealed in S2 at one point. And it might be really important.)

At one point he worries about Zoey not asking him to buy her anything one time they went out. This was because that's his way of showing love like I said earlier. He was worried because she, in a way, rejected his love. He was worried she didn't love him anymore.

For what reason? Because he loved her.

Now, why does he act distant or ignorant to her at times? Heck if I know. In ep9 for example he seems more annoyed from her than anything else, really. Maybe he's fallen out of love..maybe he's tried of her. Maybe his love for Jake outweighed his love for Zoey. Maybe he felt like she didn't love him anymore, so he didn't feel like trying to love her either. Maybe something else entirely.

But either way ....

Drew cared about Zoey. End of discussion

Now, what is "the line" that separates romantic and platonic love? I honestly don't know. Was drew in love with her? Was it romantic or platonic? Could he have mistaken his feelings for something else? Idfk. I honestly think romantic attraction makes no bullshit. I always saw it as platonic attraction combined with sexual attraction but apparently that . Is not the case ???? Which makes no sense to me. Can some explain pls lmao

That's not the point. He loved her. Now, the show focuses more on how he loved and how he misses Jake, but it's not like Jake is the only person he loves and cares about.

Now does ZOEY love DREW? that's a separate discussion to have. Throughout the show we don't get too much of Zoey tbh. Or we do, but the fandom doesn't pay enough attention to her like it does to other characters. Which makes sense ig? At first glance she seems like a one sided antagonist that could be described in simple terms like "girlboss", "mean girl" "popular girl" "annoying" "manipulative" and that's it. But upon further speculation I feel like there's more to her. In ep3 when Jake threatens to reveal to Drew that she has been cheating on Drew, that's the first and last time she seems to soften up and seem genuinely afraid or caring. Like yeah, she doesn't want to lose the privilege of having him as her bf, that's what it seems like.. but I also have the feeling she was genuinely afraid of losing him for reasons other than money? Even though we can assume she acts affectionate towards him only to manipulate him, I feel like, again, there's more than we can tell.

I feel like though, it could've been very possible that they wanted love and affection in general, but didn't love each other specifically? But the Teeth song makes me think that's not the case.

This is what my mom thinks:

(I think they're both desperate tbh)

My mom also thinks Zoey might have had neglectful parents who mostly showed love to her through gifts and money, so that's why she's constantly seeking partners that give her such things, cause she's used to being loved that way - and being unloved as a child can make you have a messed up idea on what love is (this is the same exact backstory most people believe drew has, and honestly it makes sense for them both)

But yeah.

There's also this image, right here: (from extrarosy teeth MEP addition)

Both smiling, looking genuinely happy, faintly blushing. It doesn't seem as fake or artificial as it usually is.

They can't bear to lose each other. They need each other.

Why? That's up to debate. Maybe Zoey is a one-sided antagonist that's only dating drew for money, maybe drews relationship with her was a beard relationship like most people think so, maybe I'm just overthinking this all.

But again, I think they're more complex...

They're so interesting I need to study them under a microscope

Idk what I'm talking about tbh. This is very surface level and there's much more to say tbh but this is all I feel like saying at thr moment

[the-bar-sinister]

Deicide: Red Shift (58212 words) by VickytheSnake, thesavagesabretooth Chapters: 13/?

Summary: A mysterious signal is drawing ships across the Grand Line to a place called Elegia for the first ever concert by the rising star singer, Uta. Following the signal are Cross Guild and fallen emperor Shanks, the Charlotte family, the Donquixote Pirates and the shattered remnants of Law's crew, and Kid's crew, and Cavendish and Bartolomeo.

And the Straw Hats and their captain Luffy, who hasn't seen Uta since they were both little children at their idol Shanks' knee.

Perhaps this meeting was ordained by fate. Perhaps, in the end, there was only ever one tragic outcome possible.

But Luffy has other plans.

catch up here

-

Tashigi's first week as a pirate was not going at all how one might have expected a devious and traitorous turn to the side of injustice to go. 

It had started with pulling a very drunk, very sad Emperor Shanks out of the sea and somehow it had escalated to going to see a concert. Frankly, it didn't feel all that different from being a marine, on a minute to minute basis.

Had she been a bad marine?

She was starting to think she might have been a bad marine.

"This reminds me a little bit of the pirate festival, sir!" she said over the sound of the music. Captain Crocodile had split them into groups before they came ashore, and here she was with her fellow marines, Smoker, Hina and Drake, as well as some of Crocodile's pirates, a few of whom she even recognized. There was Iron Mace Alvida, as well Daz Bones and a couple of the other old Baroque Works mercenaries.

One of them, a tall and deadly looking woman with dark hair and a smoking pipe, had wandered up to murmur something to Alvida as she lightly bobbed her head to the music.

Hina had struck up another cigarette, grinning widely around it as she bumped Tashigi's hip. "Can ya believe this, Tashigi?? Uta. Hot damn. For our first big job as pirates this is a blast! That festival don't hold a candle to this!"

Their little circle was an absolute biohazard of mingling smoke. Cigarettes, whatever drug Zala was puffing down, and Smoker's cigars blazing as he laughed sharply. "Reminds me of it too, Tashigi. Little bigger, and probably ain't gonna end in a madman slamming his way through half of it—least until the marines get here."

"I certainly hope so!" Tashigi agreed, glancing up at the stage. Especially outdoors the smoke didn't bother her– she was long used to that sort of thing in much closer quarters after working under Smoker for so long. "I mean I hope not? I hope the marines are the worst we have to contend with! Do you think it'll be bad, sir?"

Smoker looped his arm around Tashigi as he watched the young singer bounce around on stage framed by the prosthetic wings she wore, cheerful lyrics blasting out from the stage and filling the air around them with strange and flashy pyrotechnics—dancing creatures in the sky and glittering starscapes.

"It'll be bad, Tashigi. They're probably gonna send an admiral, possibly even a Buster Call if she pisses off the Celestial Dragons enough. They're already probably pissed about the signal hijacking."

"Eugh…" Hina hissed through her teeth. "Let's hope they don't send all of them." 

"Well, at any rate they're at least down a few, right?" Drake offered. "Us."

-

The set went perfectly— the rising excitement of New Genesis, a promise to everyone watching, came to a crashing crescendo in 'Backlight', riling the crowd up with a declaration of rebellion against everyone who dared abuse them. The crowd was excited—she was excited!

The whole world was watching, and her fans were full of joy, which was good. She'd give them the show they promised before she had to make her decision. Before she had to decide if Luffy's offer of a place on her crew was something she could forgive pirates at large for.

She had to figure out if she could still be a pirate like she'd once dreamed of being—after the show. After the festival ended. She hopped backstage and headed to her dressing room with a smile—only to find the Dream Guardians, her stalwart constructs, standing with a rather sizable group of…

"LUFFY! There you are, you pain in the butt! You snuck backstage again!" 

Luffy crossed his arms. "Well, obviously! I told you I was gonna introduce you to my crew! Oh and Mingo wanted to tag along I guess."

Donquixote Doflamingo, the man from the poster she'd collected, loomed at the back of the group, feather cape and all. He gave an excited wave.

"I'm a big fan," the famous pirate said.

Uta froze as she looked up at Donquixote Doflamingo with wide eyes. "Oh wow…oh WOW!"

DOFLAMINGO from her POSTERS! She had a pair of the same glasses, and he had that great coat. 

Excitement bubbled up inside her. When she'd seen his posters she KNEW he must have been misguided or something—and now she was wondering if he was even that. Maybe he was just a good pirate? After all—a monster of a pirate wouldn't ever be a fan of her music.

"Doflamingo, you like my music? I own your poster! I have it on my wall!"

The dark haired and scruffy young man leaning on Luffy's shoulder stared dubiously at her. "You're fucking kidding me. You're fans of one another??" 

Doflamingo clapped his hands together excitedly. "I love your music! I've been sharing it with everyone, isn't that right, Law?"

Luffy stuck out his tongue. "Everybody thinks your music is cool, Uta. A bunch of my crew are fans, too. Sanji's a huge fan! You have his poster too!"

Her brother reached with a stretchy arm and hauled a blond haired man with a cigarette in his mouth to the front of the group.

Sanji sputtered, little puffs of smoke leaking from his mouth as he was yanked to the forefront of the crowd—but he composed himself really quickly, taking his cigarette from his lips with a charming smile.

"I never thought I'd get to meet the beautiful goddess of music in the flesh. If you'll have me, I'd be happy to serve ya as your knight in shinin' armor~."

Uta's smile grew a bit wider. He looked JUST like his wanted poster—and who could say no to a bit of praise like that? 

After that, Luffy introduced her to his crew. There were a lot of them, and they were all very strange. Strange, but charming and kind. They weren't anything like she'd expected pirates to be— like the people of Elegia told her they'd be. Nami was a thief, but she was gregarious and clever, telling her that 'gals like us have to stick together, right' as she snickered and promised her embarrassing stories about her crewmates. 

Franky—he was a LIVING ROBOT, or a Cyborg , as he put it. A big, really interesting and completely odd man made of metal who kept calling her a 'rebel heart'. Usopp was funny, constantly telling tales she could TELL were lies all through his introduction.

The whole crew was kind and welcoming—Robin, the quietest of them, leaned over to tell her that she secretly hoped that Uta would take up her captain's request.

She was also introduced more formally to Doflamingo– "Call me Doffy", he said, despite Luffy calling him 'Mingo'-- and his crew, which apparently included Law, the guy who Luffy was hanging all over, and Bepo, a big bear mink man who was wearing a bunch of her merchandise and seemed shy.

It was an idol's job to try to be there for a fan, wasn't it? She beamed widely as she called Doflamingo Doffy as he wished, and eagerly asked him about how he found her music—and leaned over to loop Bepo in as well. He was shy—but she'd draw him into the party atmosphere!

Bepo remained shy, but it was clear he was having fun. He told her about his favorite songs and asked if she'd mind signing one of the little fanbooks someone had been selling, for his friend Buffalo.

Everyone was excited, and eager to talk to her, and it had all taken on quite a party atmosphere. Zoro, who Luffy had introduced as "my swordsman" jokingly asked if she had any of Luffy's baby pictures.

Sadly she didn't—but she DID offer Zoro embarrassing drawings of some of young Luffy's most ridiculous moments. Better than anything Luffy had ever drawn, too!

Things were great—she'd signed the fanbook, and the whole group had moved from her dressing room and out into one of the festival areas for her to grab a bite to eat as they joked, mingled and laughed.

The crew treated her like one of them—even the other crew, the Donquixotes who were there, treated her the same way. 

Eventually, she couldn't help herself. For old times sake she challenged Luffy to a contest to see if he could actually break his losing streak. 

Luffy pointed to her with a huge grin. "You're on!!"

And so they'd been on. The only question had been whether or not to screen the competition on the big monitors for everyone.

At first Uta wasn't gonna do it—this was their favorite old game after all, a private affair. But— the pre-competition smack talk had only escalated and escalated until she grinned and projected the image of themselves the entire concert wide with a cheerful proclamation.

"Hey everyone! Who's ready to watch my little brother LOSE another competition with your favorite U~T~A~!"

It had gotten the crowd pumped, that was for sure. Even if it was probably a little confusing to some of her fans. That was fine, what was important was having a good time. It was important that her fans were having a good time. That was the most important thing.

But maybe Luffy was right and her having a good time was a little bit important, too.

-

Crocodile and Mihawk had been searching the crowd for the Donquixotes for an hour or more with no sign of them.

He didn't expect to see Doflamingo's big stupid sunglass wearing face in a crowd of Straw Hats behind Uta in her latest transponder projection across the island.

"......oh." MIhawk had taken to squinting at the screen with a quietly perplexed expression as the 'contest' played out.

Uta, the world famous singer and Shanks' estranged daughter, had challenged Straw Hat Luffy to an eating contest of all things. The dainty and cheerful idol had set up a complicated mix of the classic grand line children's game of 'chicken', aka: whoever chickens out of a potential injury first is the loser—and an eating contest.

The first to finish their plate won—all while a monstrous bull with 'Uta' painted along the side charged towards them from behind. 

Crocodile stared at the screen for a long moment. In fact, he did not take his eyes off the events unfolding as he asked his dear partner in crime for an objective take.

"Mihawk. Am I hallucinating?"

"I do not believe we're able to share hallucinations, Captain," Mihawk murmured. "and I feel as if I must be, myself."

Uta declared a START!!

And she and Luffy started eating with abandon—scarfing chicken wings as the bull charged down the inexplicably rainbow colored track while fucking Doflamingo and the Straw Hats watched in amusement. 

"And you're seeing Straw Hat and Uta doing an eating contest while Doffy sits with the Straw Hat crew? Cause that's what I'm seeing."

"Yes, that is what I am seeing, Captain Crocodile," Mihawk droned. "It would seem that he's also got Law Trafalgar with him. And there is a bull."

The eating contest was neck and neck—both of them able to eat with an absolutely astonishing and admittedly alarming amount of skill and speed. The bull was getting closer—and somehow Uta had manifested a mug of beer in her hands, which she cheerfully offered to Luffy mid-meal.

And Straw Hat, of course, took the beer obviously and drank it. Crocodile struggled once again with the fact that if he had met Luffy first in Alabasta, before Vivi did, things might have gone very differently.

"Something's off, Hawky," Crocodile grumbled, watching Luffy get attacked by a bull live on stage.

"I suppose it could be falsified footage," Mihawk mused quietly, "though that isn't easy to make."

Taking advantage of his distraction Uta finished her plate and leapt out of the way of the bull as it barreled closer, laughing cheerfully as she did. 

"And why the hell would she put Doffy in it of all people?" Crocodile demanded, watching the farce play out. "Alright well at least we know he's around here somewhere. Even if it's weird we haven't seen any of his family."

There was a lot more weird than just that, but hopefully if they found Doflamingo he could answer some of those questions.

Uta on the screen was rolling around, kicking her feet on the ground as she laughed and Luffy clearly lost their ridiculous contest on mass-broadcast transponder snail.

She looked up with a joyful smile and raised her hands like she was miming claws, squeezing her fingers at him and sticking out her tongue "And that's another loss for you, Luffy! Looks like you still can't beat me after all!"

"Well, Doffy is a big fan, isn't he? He told me a few times. Perhaps he used his charm to get a backstage pass." 

"Maybe," Crocodile murmured. "Alright let's find the fuck out."

-

The contest had Shanks smiling again for the first time since Uta had gone off stage at the end of her set. Since then, he'd been nervously wondering why Uta would be mad at him, and what he should do.

Buggy had no fucking clue how to answer either of those worries. It was weird, right? Sure, he was pissed when Shanks left, and he was sure Uta felt the same way, but why would she have told him that she'd wanted to stay in the first place? And how the hell do you fix that?

He'd been lost in trying to figure out how to navigate that minefield when the contest blared out in front of him and set his eyes bugging out of his skull.

What the FUCK was Doflamingo doin' there?? With Luffy and his gang of all people too? The whole crew—and….and…

His eyes lingered on Princess Vivi for a long and baffled moment. Hoo boy, ooh, ouch, oof, that was gonna be a whole other can of worms. He'd seen her wanted posters, he knew she was a pirate but—

Hooo boy. Aborting hard from that line of thought he turned his attention to the contest instead. Holy fuck, that kid could eat. Was Shanks really sure that she wasn't actually Luffy's birth sister? Because he'd never seen someone actually rival the notorious glutton other than whats-her-name the newbie pirate who vanished. Bonney. Yeah. 

"She beat him again!" Shanks chuckled. "Should have expected that, really."

"Did she uh, usually beat him at this kinda thing?" Buggy asked, looking at the guy who wiped the floor with him in the East Blue—who he helped during Marineford—lose spectacularly to Shanks' bubbly daughter. 

"Every time. Because she played dirty, and Luffy played fair. Just like that." Shanks was grinning widely.

"She really is your daughter, ain't she?" Buggy laughed with a shake of his head, rubbing the back of his neck. "They look like they're really havin' fun. That's a good thing, right?" 

"Yeah. Just like old times."

-

"I can't believe you cheated!" Luffy huffed, hands on his hips after the end of the contest.

Uta giggled, scrunching her fingers at him again like she used to as her smile stretched across her face. "I didn't cheat! I'm just playin' the way a pirate would. You're a pirate aren't you?"

This was wonderful—wonderful! It felt just like it had back at the village, back when it was the two of them playing and talking about their dreams every night they were in town. Their old contest, the rivalry, the well of affection she'd had bottled up for years!

"Well, maybe, but, ugh!!" He stuck his tongue out at her, stretching it long. "I guess you still like the pirate way after all!"

After his momentary frustration, he threw his arms around her in a hug.

Uta hugged him back, her arms looping around him and holding him tight as she burrowed her face against his shoulder. "Seems t-that way, huh?" she murmured against his neck.

Even after so long pushing that down, maybe she still had that pirate's spirit buried inside her heart? Was that—was that a bad thing? 

"I'm glad," he said softly, tugging at her hair. "Oh yeah! Hey there was something I was supposed to ask you about."

Uta lightly poked at his back, the smile still wide on her face as she just—relished the contact with someone she'd cared about. She'd been here for so long, just her and the people of Elegia—she'd missed this.

"Yeah? What is it?" 

"We were just wondering if there was something weird about the island," he told her earnestly. "We have a friend, Violet, and I guess she passed out and said there was something up with it?"

Uta's eyes widened as her heart nearly stopped. 'Something weird about the island', a guest had passed out? Her brow furrowed in concern. 

"...do you know why she passed out? I don't know what about Elegia would make her pass out like that! Did she just get too much sun? Or—she said it was the island?" 

Luffy scratched his neck and looked back at the others as if looking for input. "Uh, she said she was blind? And there was something wrong with the island. And then she passed out. She has a devil fruit power?"

Law leaned over and explained. "She's got a devil fruit power, yeah. Basically she can see everything. Within a certain radius she can extend her 'sight' to cover it. She tried checking up on her sister who's somewhere out there on the sea, and she yelled she was blind and passed out—it sounds like something was interfering with her devil fruit. Maybe seastone or something."

"Seastone??" Uta's brow furrowed. "We don't have any of that on the island. I mean—it'd get in the way of me, too."

"Oh yeah," Luffy nodded sagely. "I bet you like, wouldn't even be able to sing at all if there was seastone around. So it must be something else."

Doffy stepped over from nearby, cocking his head. "So you don't have any idea what could cause it? Well, our doctors will just have to get better at their job, then."

Uta bit her lip, her brow furrowing as she looked between them. She had an idea—admittedly she did. There was a nagging part of her that told her that even if she trusted them she shouldn't say a word, though.

"Well—it's possible that another devil fruit in the area is interfering with it?" she offered. 

Luffy cocked his head. "You think so? There are a lot of people on the island!"

Doffy stroked his chin. "That's a fair point."

Uta clapped her hands together. 

"That's right—lots of people and lots of devil fruits—the problem is devil fruits is you never know how they're gonna interact with one another, you know?" She pointed to Luffy. "Like—I dunno, maybe your stretchy power would malfunction in the face of something that rubber doesn't like." 

Luffy wrinkled his nose. "I guess."

Luckily, Uta had a way to dodge the rest of this conversation. She was going to have to get back on stage any minute.

She gasped out loud. 

"Shoot—I have to get backstage and get ready for my next set!!!" She grabbed Luffy's hands tightly "Luffy, I'm so glad we met again, and I'm so glad I got to meet the crew. I—" she hesitated, looking over her shoulder at the stage. 

Luffy squeezed her hands. "I know you gotta do your concert thing. We can talk more later, right? I'll tell you if we find out what's up with Violet!"

"We'll talk more later! Let me know what you find out, ok?" She smiled fondly at him. "---and maybe we'll talk more about that offer you gave me. I really like your crew…a lot." 

-

Headed back from Uta's dressing room to the bridge, everyone was naturally talking about meeting the pop star, and her contest with Luffy, and what might have been up with the island.

Luffy had pulled Sanji aside with a big grin. "What did you think now that you met her in person?"

"She's a hell of a girl, Luffy! I'll say that much." Sanji grinned back at him. "---didn't know how much like you she was until the two of you started goofin' around. Wouldn't have expected it, but—she makes it look good." 

"Makes eating chicken look good?" He stuck out his tongue. "I looked better! She cheated!"

Still, he laughed, hanging himself around Sanji's shoulders.He wrapped his arms around him with a wry smirk around his cigarette.

"Captain, captain, you both looked gorgeous. But she did cheat—which is surprisingly pirate-like behavior for such a sweet lookin' girl." He took a long drag off his cigarette "and I gotta respect her showmanship and dedication on the stage—but how are you feelin? Excited that she's back in your life?" 

"I'm really excited," Luffy nodded. "I hope she's really gonna join our crew. I think she will! She acts way more like a pirate than a pop star."

-

She acts way more like a pirate than a popstar!

Bepo overheard Luffy's conversation as they walked the long, winding way through the concert grounds back toward the bridge.

He wasn't wrong! Meeting Uta had been shocking– though not in a bad way at all. He glanced around the group, everybody seemed to be in a good mood for the most part. Hopefully this thing with Violet wouldn't turn out to be such a big deal…

He looked Law over, gauging his mood.

Law didn't seem to be in a bad mood—he had a kind of bemused expression on his face as they left Luffy behind with his crew—contented and happy, though with that edge of worry for Violet still lingering.

In fact, he seemed kind of amused by that whole conversation with Luffy. "I can't believe he's trying to recruit the Grand Line's biggest pop star." 

"I'd say maybe we can snatch her up first, but…" Doffy trailed off, laughing. "So that was Uta. I like her even more, now."

"But Luffy would lose his shit if you stole his big sister?" Law smirked at Doffy as they walked. "That was Uta—honestly, same. I didn't know what to think of her besides her music—but now that I met her? She seems like a hell of a gal." 

"I'd love to ask her more about her thoughts on the world government," Doffy said, idly. "But I didn't want to kill the mood, huh? And yeah, don't wanna set Straw Hat off by stealing his sis. Fun addition as she might be.""

"Yeah," Bepo nodded thoughtfully in agreement. "As long as Violet turns out to be okay everything is going pretty great."

Law patted him on the back with a smile. 

"Damn right—-and if it really is just a conflict of devil fruit powers, then she should be fine once she wakes up and realizes that something isn't, like, actually wrong with her." He looked up at the sky with a wry smile. "and Doffy, it's a three day long concert, I'm sure you can snag her for a little more time to talk about that kinda shit." 

Doflamingo chuckled. "If she's not too busy doing her pop star things. No, you're right. I'm sure she'll have a little bit of time for lil ol' Doffy."

"I—" Law was about to continue when suddenly a voice cut through the crowd. 

"---CAPTAIN??!" The warm, slightly scratchy feminine voice was incredibly familiar to Bepo, even if its source wasn't immediately visible. 

Bepo's ears flicked, orienting toward the voice. It was a familiar voice. A voice he hadn't thought he'd ever hear again.

He turned. Surely he had to be mistaken.

Law's brow furrowed. "That sounds like—"

All doubt was chased away when an unmistakable young woman shoved her way past grumbling concert goers to lock eyes with Law–and then with Bepo.

Dark, coiled hair bounced around Ikkaku's face as she stumbled to a stop with her hand to her lips and a wide-eyed expression of surprise. 

"I thought I'd heard your voice—I'd thought—you actually…." She was wearing something new, not the boiler suit of the Heart pirates, but a black crop top and a pair of loose fitting pants cinched by a belt containing a bunch of completely empty tool loops, .but it was the same Ikkaku, right down to the tears welling in her eyes as she said "I thought you'd fuckin' died! Both of ya!" 

"Ikkaku??" Bepo couldn't believe his eyes. She'd thought they were dead? They thought that she was dead. He looked between her, and Law and back again in complete shock.

That was when he noticed the crowd behind her. More of the Heart Pirates! Almost all of them!

Law froze where he stood, and Bepo saw the smile light up his face. "...I'll be damned… I'll be DAMNED! You guys—almost all of you! How the hell did you make it?"

Ikkaku held her arms out towards them. "Bepo! Captain, you wouldn't believe how much of a shitshow it was down there! We barely survived—I got dragged through the fuckin' ocean! But—but…"

She hesitated, and then turned to the others. "SEE? I told ya Law would be fine, you limp dicked morons! Now we can all go back to bein' the Heart Pirates!" 

Now Bepo looked between Law, and Doflamingo, and the Heart Pirates with a sinking and conflicted feeling in his belly.

[callsign-rogueone]

Hey my love, welcome to another rant of a chaotic mind. 😵‍💫❤️

Hear me out. Bren and duchess dancing. That's it. Whether it's at an event, say maybe there's this event at riorson house and there's music playing ( like classical idk ) he's dancing with her. Wedding ofc too. Say duchess is playing her millennial music and she's just idk vibing/dancing to it while holding Brens hand, he's going to give in to his wifey! He's has to right? He's a simp for her. He's gonna twirl her and hold her hand or waist/ lower back. And when she's just vibing to her music he lets her do what she wants. It's just a thought that has been stuck in my head for 2 days.

Also what do u think is bren and duchess song? I love the song love story from indila for them. But what do u think lovely? ♡

love all of the rants, especially about my most favorite couple 🧡

Duchess, being nobility, was definitely taught to do ballroom dancing and all that fancy stuff as a child. so she totally could (and has before) lead Brennan around in a lazy waltz in an empty ballroom in Riorson house or her parents' house, just the two of them swaying and Brennan humming a tune for them to dance to... keeping one hand on her back like you said, maybe he twirls her and pulls her in for a kiss, or dips her to make her laugh and hold on to him tighter... lots of potential there.

which is good practice for rare formal events where it's expected of them. and their wedding, of course. their first dance is just them swaying around and him holding her close and trying not to cry lol. Bren is absolutely going to cry at their wedding because he loves her so much and cannot believe it's happening + all the emotions of his fam not being there + the "official" start of his second life... yeah. I got a request for their proposal / wedding / honeymoon which I'm working on and it's going to be several emotions, fluff, spice, and a few tears lol

and you know he cannot say no to her. if she wants to dance with him, he's getting up out of his chair and following along, even though he's not the best at it / shy -- he just loves seeing her happy, loves holding her and seeing how graceful she is. he'll also stand silently and just watch her dance if she doesn't know he's there, and scare her a little bit every time when she twirls around and realizes he's there and gets all shy and embarrassed. but he just gives her a kiss and says it was cute / reminds her how much he loves seeing her like that.

also, if they're at a fancy party or something her parents are hosting, Brennan is by her side all night. no other man is going to dance with her since Brennan is glaring at any man who gets too close or looks at her the wrong way, especially if most people there don't know she's married to him. possessive baby, hehe.

only Brennan gets to hold you like that. the exception was Liam and Xaden and her dad each dancing with her at her wedding, which is traditional, and he knows that's her family. but nobody else! especially not Drake Cordella.

I do not understand any french at all but that song is really pretty! here's some of the songs that are on my playlist for them (I have playlists for most of the couples that shall remain secret, hehe)

across the stars (love theme from star wars): I like using this one when I'm writing for multiple couples, including them <3

I also like a lot of dramatic Lana Del Rey for them... young and beautiful (especially the orchestra version!!), born to die... dark paradise...

war of hearts by ruelle was on repeat when I was writing the chess game, for the dramatic ambiance. I'm listening it to it again now, going through my playlist for them and I can feel the panic I was trying to convey in duchess when the venin shows up... the lyrics don't really match their story but the vibe does!

for more thematic, obvious reasons, work song by hozier... "no grave can hold by body down, I'll crawl home to her"... generally anything about defying death for love. Brennan is just very Hozier coded in the depth of his love for his partner and his devotion to her,,, yeah. expect an essay about that later lol.

also, would that I by hozier... this one has references to fire, and to the beauty of her hair, and we all know how Bren feels about her hair.

til forever falls apart by ashe. I have a one-shot planned for this song but not for them, though I think it still applies -- they're endgame, until death and beyond.

I'm thinking about doing a little "disney love songs" type thing with little fics for a handful of the gfs / wives, and theirs would be kiss the girl from the little mermaid, with Ban and Marbh meddling and encouraging them to just kiss already!! since I still haven't given you how exactly they got together...

another song I have saved for a future chapter of theirs is are you with me by nilu. that will be the title for their next full chapter toward the end of iron flame / battle of basgiath... there's gonna be some angst there for sure, but "happy ending" (or as happy as the end of iron flame can be... both of them survive and the argument they have is resolved.)

[a-moth-to-the-light]

Most-Listened of May 2024

[last month]

May 2024 was finals + road trip home from uni + getting settled in at home for the summer, so the songs on this month's list were the soundtrack to a really busy time for me. (Because of that, I'm extra grateful to them for helping me power through it all!) I didn't have the brainspace to be properly excited about any new releases (except Repion's at the end of the month), so a lot of the songs here kind of snuck up on me. Surprisingly, I'd still say I enjoyed May's releases more than April's, though!

1. Not Like Us -- Kendrick Lamar

The Drake-Kendrick beef finally graced my YouTube recommended at the beginning of May, just in time for "Not Like Us" to save me from the Inevitable Finals Gloom. The beat was what hooked me at first (so string instrument!! so texture!!), but there are SO MANY good lines here--more than enough to keep me excited about this song, even after I massively overplayed it in just a few days of finals. (I'm a 'leave songs on repeat for hours as I float in and out of The Work Vortex' kind of guy, you know?)

2. Candy Store -- from the 2014 Heathers soundtrack

No complicated reason here: the vocal performances are just breathtaking, so I haven't been able to get this song off my mind for the past two weeks. Shoutout to @embraceofday for introducing me to this one! (That was a couple of years ago, I think, but somehow it came back to me recently, and I've been more obsessed than ever!)

3. Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl -- yeule

I've been getting ads for I Saw the TV Glow all month, and they worked on me--sort of? I still have no plans to see the movie, but this song from the trailer has taken my listening by storm. Lyzette G on YouTube mentioned yeule last year (I am SO jealous of their taste in music), so I'm proud to say I like a yeule song now! This is peak 'driving home on the highway at night and your heart is all sparkles because she said she'll text you later', which is one of my favorite kinds of music, actually. (Yes, this is oddly specific. But it's also like A General Feeling, you know?) It's eerily inhuman but also full of longing; it keeps a consistent, hazy atmosphere while still including a few moments of emotional punch--it's great!!

4. Down Swinging -- Holly Humberstone

Saxophone solo!!!!!!! That actually isn't my favorite part of this song, though--the way Holly Humberstone sings "watch me keep my cool tonight" at the end of every chorus is full of just SO many emotions--shame, determination, acceptance, longing--I find it captivating (really, every lyric in this chorus is a gem). I love songs like this (see also: Betty Who's "You Can Cry Tomorrow" and Lee Hi's "HOLO"), songs that aren't about being over something bad but are just about being within something bad and getting by anyway. Being stuck, and knowing you're stuck, and being okay regardless? Sometimes, I just need to know that's possible, and "Down Swinging" makes it feel more real than ever.

5. I'm the Ocean -- Neil Young

My dad and I ran across this on our (twelve-hour) drive home from my university, while we were listening through this playlist. My dad is a huge Neil Young fan, while I'm just meh about him--"I'm the Ocean" caught my attention from first listen, though, and I've been revisiting it daily since then. (Funny enough, my dad doesn't care for this one.) I love its haziness, how it walks the line between hopelessness and rage and how you're never exactly sure how to feel about the speaker, or about the song itself. I love singing "I'm the ocean / I'm a giant undertow". (Like, that is a captivating lyric. So powerful, so simple yet so layered with meaning?) I love the crunchy TV-static guitar!!!

6. From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come) [Live at Malieveld...] -- Bruce Springsteen

Spotify keeps notifying me whenever Springsteen releases a new compilation album (they know me too well...)--and he just keeps releasing them. I'm not sure I needed all these albums, but I'm glad to get this gem, at least! This one has a super-singable chorus, and the fiddle solo is SUCH a high.

7. Turn it up -- PinkPantheress

Not particularly exciting, but super fun! It's a solid serotonin jam to go on a playlist with all the early Twice title tracks.

8. No Biggie -- Itzy

SO CUTE SO CUTE I LOVE IT. With "None of My Business" + this one, I've been so glad to see how well the post-NewJeans world suits Itzy. My main problem with a lot of their music, especially title tracks, is that the songs strain their vocals in ways that end up sounding unpleasant to me--a chilled-out song like this one reminds me just how listenable Itzy's music can be!

9. Rollercoaster - MTV Unplugged -- Bleachers

I think Spotify suggested this one to me. I am THE Bleachers girlie, but I'd never heard this specific version of "Rollercoaster" and oh my GOD does it make me emotional. If you've ever cried to "Someone to You" by Banners, I think you already understand what this one makes me feel.

10. The Ghost of Tom Joad (feat. Tom Morello) - Live in Anaheim, CA -- Bruce Springsteen

My #1 song from my #1 artist!! (Sorry, "Badlands". Your top spot was beautiful while it lasted, and we've had so many good times, but I just... I don't think you're the one for me anymore...) I did an essay about Springsteen for one of my finals, believe it or not, and I talked about this song in particular, so that explains the sudden spike in listens--though it's constantly in my rotation regardless.

11. Wave - Ollounder's Bold Dynamics Mix -- Ateez

It's a time-honored tradition, now: trashy club remixes are my THING during finals. This one stuck with me all month, though, because it's actually kind of compelling--I find it fun, even when I'm not speedrunning a final paper. "Wave" is just a really sweet song already, and I think this remix adds a variety of sounds that make it not just pleasant, but also super captivating.

12. Lookalike -- Conan Gray

No comment...

13. Set Me Free (Lindgren Remix) -- Twice

Re: trashy club remixes for finals. This is so trash, I can't even argue that it's worth listening to at any time other than finals season. (The synth riffs in the prechorus are kind of awesome, actually, but the vocals sound like you're listening to them through a tin can telephone.) It was a great hype song while I studied, though.

14. Maybe -- (G)I-DLE

My second-favorite G-IDLE song ever (though I have no idea how I'll make room for "Eyes Roll" and "Revenge" in an updated top ten) is never not welcome on my most-listened list, but I have no idea why this is here. Maybe I left it on repeat while working on a paper? It has the right kind of beat drop to give me the same kick of adrenaline as my trashy club remixes do--though in terms of how much I admire it, "Maybe" is on a whole different level!

15. BOA -- Megan Thee Stallion

This is a wildly addictive song. The Gwen Stefani sample is such a good hook, but it's used so sparingly that I'm left hanging on Megan's every word, waiting for it to appear again. The deep bass makes the song feel full, though--by the end, I'm left wanting more without feeling like the listening experience was actually incomplete. My favorite line is definitely the Birkenstocks one; I still smile every time I hear it! I'm so excited for the album :)

Five-Star Songs (& Albums!) This Month

BOA -- Megan Thee Stallion

Lime -- Soojin

With just a few twists on a sweet, summery formula, "Lime" manages to stand out from the pack of cheery dance songs coming out at this time of year. The orchestral intro is so exciting, and the weirdly gritty vocal production (I still have no idea why anyone would consider that on a song like this--this album has some truly baffling production choices amid all the fantastic ones) unexpectedly grew on me. This song does sweet-and-sour so well!!

[Speaking of baffling production choices: "Drop Top" from this same album is a very nice listen, but what the hell is happening in the bridge... It would totally be a five-star song for me if not for that screechy violin (?) note in the dance break. Like. Why. Why would you just repeat the same ear-piercing note. The whole time. Have you considered a riff? Or making it just a TAD BIT quieter? Or just... a lower note? Anyway. Also, the ENTIRE title track, "Mona Lisa", is a baffling production choice. Just. The whole thing.]

Not Like Us -- Kendrick Lamar

Summer Daze -- Soojin

I like "Lime" a lot more than this one, but I can't help but admire "Summer Daze" too! I'm so in love with how it's a pop b-side just feels so authentically indie-rock? Like, "Más Lejos" by Atalhos was one of my favorite songs of the summer last year, and that's an actual indie-rock song--and it feels like everyone who had a hand in "Summer Daze" understood exactly why people enjoy that type of song & decided to write a love letter to the genre. This track would fit right in with anyone's wistful k-indie playlist!

Entre todas lo arreglamos (album) -- Repion

Yeah, fuck it--I added Repion to the stanlist this month! After this EP, how could I not? The pre-release "El día no me da" had my heart already--it was so similar to their last album, though, that I found it a tad bit boring. But as an opener for a song like "Viernes", "El día no me da" reaches its full potential; it functions so perfectly that my qualms completely disappear. "El día no me da" builds up the energy to this delightful high, and then "Viernes" is the rollercoaster ride back down, full of twists and turns--I love the experimentation with rhythm, which continues in "Qué hay de ti?". It adds such a nice edge to the album; even though this release retains the things that drew me to Repion in the first place--strong vocals and incessant energy--it feels anything but boilerplate. This EP has only one flaw, and it's the kazoo-sounding thing that shows up in "Vienen de pasárselo bien". Maybe it's a perfectly lovely instrument in other contexts, but I think it just sounds silly here, and I really would rather just appreciate their (always delightful) harmonies in peace. Those harmonies do save the song for me, though! To be fair, this album only has four songs--putting it in the albums category is kind of a stretch--but these four songs are packed with enough interesting ideas to make this the fullest EP I've heard in forever. (Plus, Repion gets extra-credit points for releasing my album of the year--a full-length one, too--last year.) I'm not sure if this EP will turn out to be a smaller part of an upcoming album, but I really hope so--I love this sound for them!

[fanaticsnail]

ARGHHH CURSE MY BRAIN FOR FORGETTING SO MANY THINGS (aka even more addition to my answers for the ask game. the ask game is now my reasons for ranting. please be careful of the length of this rant)

How the hell did I forget about Uta my beloved and X Drake my sweetie cop boy. AND KING. AND REIJU. ARJFKFHFKSJ-

• What song makes you think of your favourite character?

For Uta, literally every song on the Film Red album (personally, New Genesis, Backlight, and The World's Continuation really scream Uta to me). The songs really show how Uta progressed in the movie and it's just so fun to hear the tune change from a pop song to rock-style and to rap and then to ballad (that broke my heart). I first knew of Ado this way and boy did she have a really good voice (her growls omg).

On the topic of Ado, there's a really good song (also her debut song) called Usseewa that I think fits Law in the context of him expressing his dissatisfaction and anger towards Doflamingo. The catchphrase of the song is literally a very rude way to say shut up (usseewa), so- yeah.

And riding the bandwagon of "songs I know and ring with a particular character", Luffy with stupid by John Michael Howell (yes, again, I am just dumping songs that have a nice ring to them rn). This song is just my personal headcannon of how Luffy's stupidity mirrors a choice he made (unknowingly?) to preserve the brightness he has and to prevent himself from turning cynical like most of the world. After all, how can you see the good in the world and its people if you're constantly afraid of everything being everything it isn't?

SPOILER ALERT FOR KING'S ORIGINS/BACKSTORY AND X DRAKE'S IDENTITY

Moving on, I just got one for King (my dearest), Just A Man from Epic: The Musical (I have seen the book and it scares me and I have not touched it again since that moment). I know this is a bit turning the lyrics on its head but I feel like it'd fit him in a situation where he sees the Seraphims and he was reminded of his situation. He was a child when he had to witness the extermination of his people. He begins to think about how he's now Kaido's right-hand man and the people he's slain. He doesn't want the Seraphims who look just like his people to witness such violence and get corrupted at such a young age. I feel like deep down, King still wants to go back to a place he called home even when said home might not even be there anymore, but he's too busy trying not to get exposed and sold out to the World Government. The overall melody and lyrics just *slams table* it's just KING-

Back to a lighter mood, bc of a cinematic I saw on Tumblr (and then on Youtube) of Business Man by Tom Cardy with X Drake... yeah. It just sticks so bad I can't even keep a straight face anymore XD (pls watch it. I cannot explain the comedy magnificence in words alone) (cue drake singing i'm a business man with a business plan and apoo and hawkins watching with a look of disbelief)

Link: https://youtu.be/sg9CVmJQZ9o

OKAY SPOILER OVER

• What song makes you think of your OC?

I got a collection of them, but some that really stand out to me is Nobody by OneRepublic for Ainsley since he's Samantha's support pillar (he was the first Anomaly (what I call most of my OCs in this universe) that Samantha (albeit unknowingly at the time) created just for that purpose) which is why he's essentially the other half of her heart. He has been, is, will, and would always be with her as an everlasting companion/counterpart. Where Samantha is the more serious, stressed natural leader type, Ainsley is the laidback chaos in flesh type.

And then there's lovely by Billie Eilish and Khalid for Samantha. She's coping with her stress and borderline depression by becoming stoic and hardened (although still easily irritable sometimes (similar to Crocodile tbh)) and when I heard lovely my mind just went "yes that's her song, make her depresso espresso". Add the extra seasoning of something similar to savior complex and just being too responsible for things that she overworks herself (workaholic) because she got them standards.

There's also Royalty because DAYUM this fits her vibe so much. Like she isn't the grand flaunting bright kind of nobility but a "i rule over everything you know but you won't know about it until i tell you" royalty.

Last one for now (because I'm Indonesian and this is played real often in the radio rn), there's an Indonesian song called Gala bunga matahari by Sal Priadi that talks about accepting the passing of a loved one while living on happily as they hoped even though the singer still misses them. It really reminds me of Samantha just reminiscing on the people she they? loved who had already passed. The depresso espresso personality actually comes from Samantha being the first Anomaly created by the (mostly negative) subconcious of the entity right now dubbed as The Primordial One (yes all my Anomaly OCs are self-aware to some extent). The Primordial One of course has origins and that's where the remembering past friends part comes in. Tbh the OC universe is pretty much The Primordial One's subconcious that created a whole new universe and the lore goes deep here as well so I'll cut it right here (might pop up in your askbox with extra bits of lore tho).

• If your favourite character was real and appeared beside you, how would you feel about it? What would you do?

Honorable mentions because they're beloved (these exclude the intial shock reaction)

Uta: KARAOKES. BE FRIENDS WITH HER. SING ALONG. LISTEN TO HER MAJESTIC VOICE. I will teach her the music of this world and then go shopping. OH RIGHT JAMMING TO SONGS FOR HOURS JUST COOPED IN MY ROOM ASKSJKA- (as you can see i am not normal about her)

King (haven't i wrote this already? Anyway): 1. How did you fit into my house without breaking anything, 2. How the hell am I supposed to take you out with all these wings characteristics, 3. What kind of clothes would fit your tall ass

X Drake: so are you a cop - no i'm not - yes you are - of course not! - okay stop. I know you're a cop (shows him the video earlier clips of Wano, the Fandom, and all that) - ...okay then goddamnit - it's okay you're my lizard bbg - w h a t

Reiju: MMM SUGAR MOMMY. I'll save enough money so I can go to Japan and eat fugu (Japanese pufferfish) with her without big risks because have you seen how she saved Luffy from getting poisoned pre-WCI? Hell yeah. Aaand take her out for a shopping trip together and I'd really like to take her to a museum that focuses on biology and not just the appearances (like. museum/aquarium date. that's my mommy)

shiiiiiiiiittttt my rants might've gone out of control. Hugs and cookies for one of my favorite fanfic writers, bye- (i don't want to burden you pls don't feel pressured to answer this and hope i don't have anymore amnesiac sessions akrkrkj)

Now, you listen here. (Affectionately)

You can't just drop "Just a man" on me like that. Its so incredibly emotional, and I think of Gol D Roger every time. Just the:

"I look into your eyes, and think back to the son of mine... I'm just a man who's trying to go home... Deep down, I would trade the world to see my son and wife. I'm just a man."

Okay, now that I've said that. One Piece Red is gorgeous, and I love it so much. The music, the costume changes for the characters in that battle KOBY was just spectacular.

I love Samantha and Ainsley so much. I also adore the song 'Royalty', it's on almost every playlist. I HC that song with the monster trio. As a violinist, it sings to my soul. Samantha hitting it with the Billie Eilish just 🥺🥺🥺🥺. I adore her.

Also, X Drake and King 😭😭😭😭😭. The way you speak on them so passionately 🥹🥹🥹. I love it. I need to write for X Drake so bad. Also, agreed on Reiju. I can't wait to write for her in the next few weeks 🙌. Love her so much.

Thank you so much for your thoughts. I love them so much 🥹

[jacob-blogs]

Okay I can give you a Kendrick and Drake beef rundown. Apologies if I’m explaining shit you already know but IDK your background on this so I’ll be thorough just to make sure.

Major Characters:

Drake. Aubrey Graham, AKA Drake, is extremely financially successful, but not very well respected in actual hip hop scenes. He’s generally seen as a culture vulture because of his privileged child actor background and white suburban upbringing putting him at odds with other people in hip hop culture. Also, in 2018, he very publicly lost his beef with another rapper named Pusha T, who revealed he had a secret newborn son named Adonis. Lastly, he has a long history of being kind of a misogynistic creep, the worst parts being a history of being sketchy around underaged girls.

Kendrick. Kendrick Lamar is an extremely respected rapper, though his songs aren’t always the most radio friendly and he doesn’t release them super frequently. He’s extremely artistically minded, though, and is one of those artists who’s just so good they can feel borderline untouchable. If I had to pick a rapper who was the consensus greatest at the moment among big hip hop heads, it would be Kendrick.

Backstory: Drake and Kendrick are arguably the two biggest rappers right now. A third rapper, J. Cole, had a lyric about the “big 3” in October naming himself, Kendrick, and Drake. The second part is that in March, Kendrick had a bar where he said “fuck the big 3, it’s just big me.” Cole tried beefing back, dipped out pretty quick.

Drake released two diss tracks against Kendrick on April 19, Push Ups and Taylor Made Freestyle. The latter was especially controversial because he used AI to replicate the voice of Tupac, which is… a huge no-no.

Last Tuesday, Kendrick finally responded with his first track, Euphoria. It was what people were expecting, for the most part: he went in on Drake in the ways a diss track normally would, just with extra finesse since he’s Kendrick. Still an excellent record on its own.

On Friday morning, he released 6:16 in LA on Instagram, which mostly got attention for implying that Kendrick had a mole from among Drake’s own crew. Also, the cover image was an image of a black glove.

On Friday evening, Drake released his response to Euphoria, Family Matters. Among other things, Drake accused Kendrick of beating his wife, though since Drake has a history of lying people are unsure how seriously to take that. Notably, though, some of Drake’s bars seem to have been preempted by Euphoria, which lends some credence to the idea that he may have a leaker.

Only thirty minutes after Family Matters dropped, Kendrick released Meet the Grahams, which directly responded to several things Drake said, which confirms he has a leaker. Not to mention, the cover image was a zoomed out version of the 6:16 image, which now includes items like literal receipts and prescription bottles of Ozempic and Ambien with Drake’s legal name on them. So this photo was taken inside Drake’s mansion. The song itself is the equivalent of bringing a switchblade to a cage fight, and among other things drops that Drake also has a secret 11 year old daughter, as well as it accuses him of being a pedophile and a sex trafficker. This song is why everybody’s talking right now. Nothing like this has happened before.

Anyways, Kendrick dropped another track tonight, but the dust hasn’t quite settled on that yet so I won’t say too much.

Thank you sooo much for the context.

Rap as a genre is always interesting to me because it's characterized so much by not only the songwriting and lyrics, but also the messiness and drama that goes on behind the scenes. I don't necessarily listen to it on the daily, but it would be insane not to recognize the cultural influence it has on American pop culture. And hell, up until recently tumblr was a huge supporter of Drake through his weird career decisions.

But like.... homie's gotta hang it up flat screen. Drake and his team of ghost writers literally ain't got shit on K. Dot. Like how can you pay folks actual money to take up in your defense over a dance beat while this other dude's dishing out bar after bar of straight fire getting after you, your career, your family, your crew, your lies, your shitty behavior...

Like okay, it's a rap battle but also this has got to be THEE cultural reset of 2024

[imaginespazzi]

Hello love!! Sorry i’ve been mia for a minute. I’ve had a lot going on but I finally got the chance to read part two of the UCLA fic and wow. I truly loved it i’ve said it so many times but you leave me in awe with your writing. I know you hear this alot but you can never said it enough from me! I really like the way you convey their emotions and how I can almost feel it. Also love the inclusion of how close the Fudds are with Paige. I’m glad she finally realized how much she affected Azzi and not just herself. And Caroline!! I feel as though she kinda helped knocked some sense into her even though she knew Paige was wrong she also knew Paige needed Azzi just as much as Azzi needed her. I will say I’m glad Azzi told paige off on what she did and what she was going through. I’m also glad that she did have someone other than her teammates to help her through it even if it’s not Paige. And I can’t wait for that date to become a reality. Im pretty sure im missing something else and once I remember I will let you know what. But I’ve had some song recs that have just been stuck in my head that I personally feel for them I would like to share!

Red-Taylor swift

“Losing him was blue, like I'd never known

Missing him was dark gray, all alone

Forgetting him was like trying to know

Somebody you never met

But loving him was red”

These are the lyrics I personally feel for them best but the whole song does as well. I also feel they fit paige more so azzi in the sense she believes she lost azzi more than azzi lost her. But it is truly two sided it really does fit both.

I miss you , I’m sorry - Gracie abrams

“You said, "Forever, " and I almost bought it

I miss fightin' in your old apartment

Breakin' dishes when you're disappointed

I still love you, I promise

Nothin' happened in the way I wanted

Every corner of this house is haunted

And I know you said that we're not talkin'

But I miss you, I'm sorry”

Now this one I definitely feel it’s more azzi over paige. Especially when it says “nothing happened in the way I wanted” ain’t definitely conveys azzis emotions in what happened. But once again I definitely feel the whole song displays her emotions.

Marvins room- Drake

“The women that I would try

Is happy with a good guy

But I've been drinking so much”

and

“I'm just saying you could do better

Tell me have you heard that lately?

I'm just saying you could do better

And I'll start hatin' only if you make me”

Now I feel like I don’t need to say this makes me think of paige because the lyrics just suit her in part two. I really thought of this song when paige drunk called azzi. I didn’t include the lyric but “ And since you picked up ,I know he's not around” Makes me think of the part when she asks if zoe is there.

But I just realized how much I really yap. I have a lot more to say but I definitely don’t want to annoy you. Thank you for listening love and sorry for not reaching out or anything!

Bye love have a good day or night!💕

(🌴 anon)

Hi babes, so happy you're back <3 Listen you really and truly could not annoy me like I love long asks and I read them with the biggest smile on my face.

And thank you bestie, it means the world truly and I'll never get tired of saying how much it means that y'all like my writing and that it makes everything worth it. 🫶🏾

Poor Paige like I feel like I'm always putting my favorite blondie through hell in this fic (it doesn't really get better next chapter-) but she needed to hear a lot of those things and Azzi needed to say them. And Carol, doesn't matter what universe, girlie pop is gonna get stuck having to deal with Paige and Azzi's dumbasses every time. 😭

Y'all keep saying that but will I let the date become a reality? *insert evil angst writer laugh here* (jk jk jk....except?)

I LOVE THESE SONG RECS. The first two were already on my playlists but I have to add the 3rd on. Also I love that you said Red because the "losing him was blue" line really fits with the title and also the "remembering him comes in flashbacks and echoes" verse is very apt for Azzi in the fic. I love when y'alls minds are tethered to mine!

[website-enjoyer]

drake has been giving canadian rap a bad name lately. also, since ppl started spectating on that beef on tumblr, i’ve seen a lot of posts going around about ppl on here being super ignorant about rap - so i thought i would make a post about a few contemporary canadian rappers who are worth listening to. list below!

first up is Night Lovell. this is a personal choice cus we are from the same area code and he started releasing music while we were both in high school (although i haven’t listened to him quite as often since moving away tbh). this is a song of his i like, the video reminds me of the fun parts of my late teens:

next is Haviah Mighty, from the same city as my gf and the creator of some truly excellent gay anthems, PLEASE listen to her:

another artist who grew up in brampton is TOBi, originally from nigeria. his latest project won rap album of the year at the 2024 juno awards. listen, it's good music:

there's also lots of indigenous rappers that are extremely worth checking out. my first recommendation here would be Boslen:

another cool act is Snotty Nose Rez Kids, a duo from the haisla nation. i don't listen to them as much but they have some really strong tracks, like this one:

next i want to mention a couple rappers from the sri lankan tamil diaspora in canada. first, SVDP. his mridangam raps series is a really cool blend of musical traditions. this is a song from him i like:

and secondly NAVZ-47, who is a rapper and also a beautiful singer. this is a great song of hers:

lastly, and probably my current favourite canadian rapper — u already know it’s Backxwash, originally from zambia. her music doesn’t hold back in any way, and it’s really emotionally powerful to me as another trans woman. follow her on here @backxwash !! here is her latest song, a great example of how phenomenal her lyricism and delivery are:

now u know some canadian rappers :) this is nowhere near an exhaustive list obviously, i just had to end the post at some point. all of these artists have released collabs with others that are worth checking out so if u like any of these, there's ur starting point to learn more. enjoy!

[sevengraces]

someday I'm gonna be somebody people want

You, ch2, Title Card

AO3 Link

-------------

Tim slowly stiffened as he came back into himself. He was curled up in Jasons lap, with his head shoved under the older mans’ chin and his face buried in his neck. His hands were gripping the back of Jasons’ jacket like he belonged there and there were half dried tears all over the both of them. Jason had his arm wrapped around him and his other hand was running though his hair. Casually, he pressed a kiss onto the top of Tims’ hair, still speaking softly throughout it all.

-or-

Nobody ever deals well with loneliness, but certain people are probably worse at it and certain people probably deal with it more often. Tim is of course both of these people.

--------------

Hello, this is complete and I might just post it all at once, we shall see lol. First DC post at all tbh, and I've read exactly one comic in my life and am not likely to read more so if you are a canon type of reader then you might not wanna be here. All character and such choices come from the first Red Robin comic and fanfiction, that is it. The fic title is from Noah Kahan "Come Over" and the chapter title is from Dodie "All My Daughters" - I picked the songs and lyrics for the titles from a playlist I made abt Tim Drake and these were the best fits for the fic lol, lemme know if you want more Tim Drake song recs cause I've got a shit ton.

(also if you're here for my series in progress I'm sorry- I promise it'll happen just maybe not for awhile, it hasn't been my special interest in a hot minute so this is what you're getting rn lol)

CW's/TW's:

panic attacks negative self talk/low self esteem swearing vomit mentions of canon typical violence suicidal thoughts --- that should be all but as always let me know if I missed something

-----------------

Chapter 1- I'll grow the bones myself then, on my own again

Tim has pretty much always known, in the way that clever children tend to know things, that there is possibly something wrong with how his parents raised him. Objectively an eleven year old shouldn’t know to lie about who is and isn’t home to avoid trouble, but being alone suited him. It was convenient and necessary and normal and understandable and utterly, utterly miserable. But growing up a lonely child suited him in the same way that grief suited Batman, terrible but necessary.

Batman has only gotten better at grief and Tim thinks, as an emancipated minor in the silence of his blank apartment with big windows and echoey walls, that perhaps he has perfected the art of the lonely child.

Regardless of how suited he is to isolation, he knows he grows maudlin the longer it lasts. It’s a poor excuse for his weak will, but as he stands in his sparkling penthouse kitchen silently making his third cup of coffee this morning he considers.

Tim braces his elbows on the solid marble countertop with his eyes closed to the harsh fluorescent lights and the echoes of his mothers’ sharp nails in his arm and he considers picking up the phone. He could call someone- anyone at all, in an effort to avoid this sinking sensation he’s fled from since he was nine years old with nothing but everything he’d ever needed and a camera to keep him sated. Someone might even answer, depending on who he called.

It is ten in the morning on an entirely unremarkable Saturday. The sun is resting comfortably in the sky, his phone is fully charged, he knows where everyone he has ever cared about is, and he could call anyone.

Tim opens his eyes and stretches out an arm across the countertop towards his phone, hesitating slightly before making contact but pushing through nonetheless. He flicks it on and ignores every single notification with the heavy awareness that not a single one of them is from anyone who actually wants to talk to him, he taps through the apps before reaching the dial screen and he places the phone face up on the countertop and breathes.

He stands straight from where he had been bent over, carrying his coffee with him through the rest of the kitchen. He doesn’t open the fridge, there’s nothing in there anyways. Tim takes even steps until he reaches the far window of the living room where he leans against it and slides down slowly.

Once he’s rested against the floor with his fresh coffee cradled in his hands he leans his head against the cool glass and considers his options.

He could call Cass, she’d probably answer him. Mostly because he never calls unless there’s a world ending disaster, but she would answer him. After the hurried reassurance that “No Cass, nothings wrong- I just wanted to talk” she would probably let him ramble on about whatever he could come up with for awhile before she pointed out in that simple, honest way of hers that they didn’t talk like this and she knows he didn’t call just to make small talk. She would stare at his face through the screen and wait for his explanation, she would stare and wait for him to lie. Once he did, because he always did- what else could he even do? She would watch his body tense, she would follow the lines of anxiety like a roadmap, until every petty insecurity was written plain as sin on his face. And then she would accept the lie like it didn’t hurt, like she didn’t know. They would talk and maybe even have an okay time, then something would happen in Hong Kong and she’d have to go or WE would explode in some new way and he would have to go. Either way the call would end and Tim would be alone again in his pristine, lifeless apartment except this time someone else would know how badly he wanted to claw off his skin in the hopes of finding whatever was deeply wrong with him.

Tim laughed like a rusty hinge and took a sip of coffee. To no fault of her own, Cass couldn’t help him- he ignored the fact that the only solid feeling he’d had in days was that nothing and no one could help him.

There was always someone a little less discerning, like Dick. The man could flay him alive, but it would be entirely unintentional and oblivious on his part. He could call Dick and he might answer. Of course it was a Saturday morning so he was probably either asleep or with Damian, and Tim didn’t want to wake him up or deal with the building tension as he waited for Dick to hang up because the demon brat needed something at that exact minute. There was the chance he was hanging out by himself at his own apartment in Bludhaven, but even Tim could only intrude on the older mans’ personal space and time so often. No, Tim knew with a bone deep certainty that he could not handle this call going to voicemail or being cut short because Tim was the easiest burden to leave behind.

He carefully placed his coffee mug on the floor next to him and pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes, watching the spots burst into being and fade out slowly.

For obvious reasons he wasn’t going to call Damian. For all that he was eleven years old and impossible to deal with, Tim didn’t want to be the type of person who needed a teenager to regulate his emotions for him. The boy knew how that felt first hand- and even if he’d walked into Robin with his eyes open to the consequences, he’d been pushed out with his eyes a little wider and his chest a little hollower for more reasons than most wanted to believe. No matter how snot nosed the demon brat was, that kid had spent too long playing at being an adult and he deserved better than that from Tim, at least. Tim doggedly ignored the fact that he himself had only been a little older than Damian is now when he’d yanked on the mantle with two hands and the determination of a desperate child, he also ignored the fact that Damian would skin him alive for thinking such thoughts even tangentially to thoughts of the boy himself.

The seventeen year old grabbed blindly for his coffee and took a long drink. He had a feeling he knew exactly where this thought exercise was going, but Tim had never been one to give up. Not when he really should, not when it would’ve been easier for everyone involved, and not when it was pointless. He had been good at the suspension of disbelief long before he’d joined the crusade, and he was loathe to break a bad habit.

If not Cass, Dick, or Damian to call- there was always Jason. Tim choked back a snort and stared at the empty wall next to the front door, yes there was always Jason. It was maybe a little unfair to think so poorly of the older boy, but it was too easy for Tim to think highly of him and he had fallen from those heights a few times more often than he’d care to admit. It wasn’t that Jason wasn’t kind or even that he was unwilling to talk to Tim these days, it was more-so that he’d never stopped trying to impress the older man and peeling back his flesh to show Jason the slimy, unlikable parts and then ask to be coddled was a level of desperate that he shuddered to think of reaching. Of course Jason had never been one to coddle Tim in general, which was a generous way of putting it. But despite it all, Jason was a good person and lately seemed if not interested in Tim then vaguely affectionate towards the concept of him- he would probably answer on principle. But how was Tim to even start that conversation? “Hi Jason, I know we literally only talk when we’re working or when Dick gets it in his head that all of us being Robin at some point means something, but I was wondering if you would talk with me about something that wasn’t either mutually traumatizing or how much you hate me. Why? So that I can pretend that someone would choose to be around me, that’s all.” Yeah probably not the best idea he’s had to date.

Tim chewed his lips and pretended that his breathing wasn’t getting heavier the shorter his list of options got. He barreled forward with his mug between his feet and his head between his knees.

Alfred had never once refused a call, with the only recompense being the subtle implications that he really ought to join them for dinner more often. Tim could call Alfred and the man would answer. He would answer and reserve judgement, even more- he would be perfectly willing to bring Tim up to speed on everything he’d missed since the two had last spoken. He would fill him in like it was nothing and with no disapproval to be heard. Alfred was really his best option but nonetheless the boy refused to move towards his phone, still face up and turned on across the room. Alfred had never turned down any overtures of companionship, at least not since Tim had been allowed into the circle as Robin, but he’d also never really reached out to him of his own volition. Tim had always told himself it was the older mans sense of propriety, but what if it was that same sense of propriety that kept him on the line? Tim was lonely, sure, but he didn’t want to take advantage of the fact that Alfred had been attached to the Wayne name for longer than even Bruce had been alive and Tim had latched onto the family like a burr or a mold. The boy wasn’t sure he could handle being placated either, he’d met plenty of people employed under his parents and if today was the day Tim noticed how similar their vacant indulgence was to Alfreds’ steadfast professionalism he would probably break in irreparable ways.

He forcibly calmed his breathing and glared at the mug between his ankles. He ignored how that feeling from earlier had strengthened and barricaded itself in his chest and was making it hard to focus on his heartbeats.

There was Stephanie, one of his oldest and long-lasting companions. He could call her but she was pretty likely to be busy and thus not answer or be rightfully angry and thus not answer. He would have no way of knowing except that he knew which one was most likely if only based on historical precedence. He had been a bad boyfriend but a better friend- that of course didn’t mean much, it wasn’t a particularly hard bar to clear after all. Even disregarding all of their history, Tim hadn’t really spoken to Steph since blowing into town with ninjas on his heels and animosity between them a mile wide. They still hadn’t really sat down and talked about everything from her death, the gang war, and his radio silence during his search for Bruce. It felt wrong to call her up like none of that had happened and she still wanted him around as anything other than a competent yet obnoxious coworker.

The thought of Steph ached like a bruise and that pain only compounded the marching drumbeat in his chest that called out in gleeful tones "Not wanted, not wanted" and so Tim snuffed it like the wick of a bomb and moved onward once more.

Babs was always available, somehow. She made a point to keep a line open for any capes in the Gotham area no matter how frosty the personal relationship had gotten. But that was for professional things, and Tim didn’t know if he could deal with reaching out to her for comfort only for her to remind him exactly how they’d left things. He’d had a case related theory- Bruce wasn’t dead. Dick had disagreed, Barbara had disagreed, everyone had disagreed. Tim had pushed and Dick had taken it both personally and poorly, that moved things from a professional dispute between allies to a personal spat between the nosy neighbor and her long time closest companion. There was no version of reality where Babs chose Tim over Dick, honestly there probably wasn’t a version of reality where anyone chose Tim over anyone they even vaguely liked- let alone loved. It would be absurd to expect her to push past how he’d hurt Dick, even though he’d been right, and it was impossible for Tim to push past how she’d left him to fend for himself out of spite despite the fact that he should’ve expected it and known better.

Tim was trying hard not to catastrophize, he knew that was what it was actually called when he came up with one thousand plans with ten backup versions each, but it was so tempting to script his conversations so that nothing could go wrong. It was nearly fool proof and most of the time it felt like it was almost worth the consequence of looking in the mirror and having his gaze drawn to how his mothers eyes and bone structure fit comfortably on his face. There was always the chance that someone would see his railroading for what it was, but Young JustUs and Steph had been the only people to do so in any meaningful way.

There was nothing stopping him from call Kon, Bart, or Cassie. Well, that was almost true- Kon would answer but he had better things to do than hold his hand through the consequences of his self-imposed isolation. The super was just barely on good terms with Clark and testing the waters of a brotherly relationship with Jon- he had actual, real problems to deal with that didn’t have anything to do with the sort of best friend that had gone insane when he died and tried to clone him back to life. Bart was in a similar boat in that he definitely shouldn’t have to help someone who was somehow less emotionally adjusted than him handle reality. The speedster was beginning to settle back into this time period, and seemed to be believing in the permanence of it in a way he hadn’t before he’d died. Tim didn’t need to shake that up just because he was coping poorly with his own decisions. Cassie was an entirely different situation that Tim was in no way equipped to handle with competency. How do you ask your ex-girlfried/bestfriend/group life partner to tell you she still cares about you when your last proper conversation was her telling you how insane you’d gone and you telling her that you didn’t need her anymore- you don’t, that’s how.

Even though Young JustUs had been prepared to be together until the heat death of the universe, Tim should’ve known better than to hang his hopes on something as flimsy as that. People simply didn’t stay with Tim, which was something he’d learned at the age of ten when his parents had skipped every holiday that year (and his birthday) without comment or apology, he just knew that ten year old would be embarrassed at how far he’d fallen just because some people had been nice to him for a little while. He should’ve known better then and he did know better now.

Bruce was alive and in the correct time so he should be an option, but even Tim wasn’t that delusional. The man was still settling into the modern day and his new family dynamics that had changed without him. True, he was Batman again and Damian was his Robin- but the demon brat still deferred to Dick more often than not and Dick was a little too smug about such preferential treatment to discourage it in any meaningful way. Not that Dick was particularly good at discouraging the boy of any behaviors even when he didn’t enjoy the results but, water and bridges and such. Bruce was chafing under his performative authority and thus going on some sort of family building kick as a consequence. He would definitely answer, but Tim wasn’t sure he could withstand any sort of relationship they built getting thrown to the side once this little tantrum ended. This call would mean too much to Tim and be nothing more than bragging rights or blackmail for Bruce, there was a reason he was the bottom of the list.

Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne was sitting on the floor of his perfect apartment with his head between his knees and a recently emptied coffee mug next to him when he realized, with a sharp exhale like a punch to the gut, that it didn’t matter.

He shot up from his perch, kicking the mug across the room to shatter against the wall, and he laughed. He laughed so hard he couldn’t breathe. He laughed so hard he choked and shook and began to sob. Here he was, freaking out in his stupid apartment in ways he hadn’t since the first time his parents left him home alone for more than a week, and for what reason? He had known this little spectacle wouldn’t mean anything but tears in the end, what was his fascination with self-torture that he’d needed to break it down on a person by person basis like it wasn’t a foregone conclusion as of four years ago when he’d wedged his way into this doomed mission with nothing but empty hands and spite. His sobbing picked up volume and his breathing got sharper.

In some distant way Tim was aware that he was having a panic attack. A pretty bad one, if the crying and shaking had anything to say about it. But in that same distant way he didn’t really care. He was watching himself choke on his tears so hard that he had to curl over and vomit on the hardwood floors and he couldn’t bring himself to feel any type of way about it. What did it matter if he choked to death on his vomit in this perfect, sterile penthouse all by himself? Wasn’t it a little poetic, in a morbid sort of way?

If it wasn’t for the fact that Janet Drake had no physical choice, she would’ve skipped his birth just like his father had- she probably would’ve avoided his birth happening all together if they’d had their way. They’d left him alone as soon as they could get away with it, and he’d wasted away his years waiting for them to come back and acknowledge that they had a son. Wouldn’t it be ironic if he died choking on the physical manifestation of his loneliness in an apartment that reminded him too much of his childhood home to ever be comfortable?

Tim- not Drake or Wayne, just Tim-Nobodies-Son, spread out on his freezing floors and tried to breathe through the suddenly overwhelming urge to see if a second fall from a window would do the job. He tried to beat back the echoing voice that seemed to emanate from the middle of his chest, that had graduated from “not wanted” to “never wanted”, because he could see the next escalation coming from a mile away and he knew there was nobody there to stop it but him- like always. And ever so slowly his tears dried, tacky and embarrassing, and his shame returned to him like his coffee had just a moment ago.

He sighed loud and long, “What am I even doing? I’m lucky dad is dead- at least he doesn’t get to see exactly how right he was.”

As the boy kneaded the tension from his forehead he noticed a clicking sound that, in hindsight, had been echoing around his walls for quite awhile.

And then Jason Todd, in all his murderous glory, was standing in his doorway with lock picks in hand and an unreadable expression on his face.

[diresang]

[ apology ] a kiss offered as a way to apologize or make amends { angel to husk in our overlord au ;) }

            ⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 ✦․⁺  ↳ 𝑫𝑰𝑭𝑭𝑬𝑹𝑬𝑵𝑻 𝑾𝑨𝒀𝑺 𝑻𝑶 𝑲𝑰𝑺𝑺 𝑺𝑶𝑴𝑬𝑶𝑵𝑬.

husk wasn't a good man, and he never would claim to be. he was littered with flaws━ one being admitting he was in the wrong and apologizing. he couldn't remember a time when the words 'i'm sorry' came out of his mouth, and he wasn't quite sure how he planned to make up his mistake with angel without doing so.

            ❝ just fucking say sorry ! ❞ kimi had yelled at him, tugging at the fur on his ear angrily. she had been a witness to it, husk telling angel he'd just wanted to get on his good side━ that he was basically manipulating him for their first few months together. she had also been there to witness husk realizing he did have feelings, then proceeding to take out his frustration of it on angel.

and she was right. fucking hell, husk hated when she was right. because he was now down in the empty lounge way too late, having drake bring angel down from the bedroom he had confined him to earlier in the evening. he downed the whiskey in his glass just as angel had emerged, dressed in bellbottom jeans and a fluffy pink sweater. dull jazz played over the speakers, and husk looked at his saddened face with guilt.

            ❝ angel. . . dance with me. ❞ husk requested, watching the nerves overtake the spider in response━ taking the blame as he often did.

            ❝ whatever i did. . . i'm sorry. ❞

husk didn't respond, simply holding his hand towards angel and waiting for him to take it. and he did, cautiously, like he was waiting for husk to get angry at him. but it didn't come, only husk sweeping him off to the empty dancefloor as the music changed to kitty kallen━ a jazzy, slightly more upbeat orchestral filling the room. there were no words between them for a while, only the lyrics of the song that made husk's ears twitch.

                        ❝ it's been a long time                          haven't felt like this my dear                          since i can't remember when                          it's been a long, long time . . . ❞

husk found himself silent through out the song up until the outro orchestral, carefully spinning angel around before pausing their dance. he lifted angel's hand, pressing a kiss to the back of his palm before slowly inching up his arm.

            ❝ . . . stay with me tonight, baby. ❞ it was husk's very own pathetic attempt of an apology. attempting to make up for it rather than actually using the words themselves.

            ❝ ain't you mad at me ? 'cause that's how it felt all night. ❞ angel snapped back quickly, yet he didn't pull away from husk's kisses, like he was expecting more.

husk glanced up to angel, catching a glimpse of kimi behind them at the bar frantically mouthing at him to apologize. he could've sworn he saw her silently threaten him as well. he tensed, let out a sigh, holding angel's arm against his lips.

            ❝ no, i'm not mad at you, baby. ❞ husk finally lowered angel's hand, reaching to take ahold of the other one, looking up to angel and meeting his eyes, ❝ mi dispiace. ❞

angel was silent for a while, and all husk had was his worrying thoughts racing through his head, and the jazz still playing over the speakers. husk was ready to pull away when suddenly hands cupped his face, leading him forward and into a firm kiss on the lips. the cat froze up, his wings behind him poofing up rather dramatically. husk's eyes were wide staring up at angel, even as he pulled away and whispered, ❝ ti perdono. ❞

husk was frozen in his spot for what felt like forever, thinking through his options here. until finally he settled on one━ ❝ . . . fuck it. ❞ and grabbed angel, tugging him back down into another kiss.

[sardonic-sprite]

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

“Ok, but like, does it stack, or is it just a song thing?”

“I mean, if you take it literally, it stacks.”

“That’s crazy outrageous. How much shit is this girl getting?”

“Or guy.”

“Or guy?”

Tim whipped out his phone and tapped his calculator. “Let’s see. Twelve, plus the quantity eleven times two, plus the quantity ten times three, plus the quantity—”

“Why the hell would you do it that way?” Damian grimaced.

“Well, how would you do it, then?” Tim snipped.

“One, plus one plus two, plus one plus two plus three…”

“No, no, no.” Dick shook his head. “Just go in order of the lyrics. One, plus two plus one, plus three plus two plus one, plus four…”

“The word plus has become utterly meaningless to me,” Duke announced.

Cass exchanged a look with Jason. He raised his eyes to the heavens; she hid a giggle.

“Wait a second, I’m an idiot!” Tim yelped.

“Correct,” said Damian.

Tim ignored him. “It all parallels. Ok, two times each quantity of twelve times one, eleven times two, ten times three, nine times four…”

Damian and Dick were both still furiously jabbing at their calculators.

“Three hundred and sixty-four!” Tim cried in triumph, holding up the phone.

“Dammit,” Damian muttered.

“Holy shit,” said Duke.

“True love, more like sugar daddy,” Dick mused. “How much does all that cost?”

“Now or when the song was written?”

“What are even the ethics of buying someone dancers and milkmaids?” Duke wondered “Like, animals are one thing, but are all the people, just, like, hired or were they actually enslaved?”

“Let’s go with hired. But how do you hire a lord?”

“Shouldn’t it be three hundred and sixty-five, Drake?” Damian asked, still determined to prove Tim wrong, “Since the partridge line is repeated one more time?”

“But that one is just musical flare.”

“How can you call that musical flare, but not all the other repeats?”

“Fine!” Tim threw up his hands. “Three hundred and sixty-five. My calculations were still faster, brat.”

“This is what we’ve come to,” Jason muttered, too soft for anyone but Cass to hear. “This is our semblance of sanity?”

She giggled again, shrugging at him to say she didn’t mind. Her brothers were crazy and funny and she liked it that way. But the pinch between Jason’s eyes meant he couldn’t handle the conversation much longer, so she took his hand and tugged, saying, “Dance with me.”

“Gladly.”

The other four didn’t even notice them leave, too busy arguing whether the true love had had to pay delivery fees for all the gifts.

Cass didn’t usually enjoy galas. In fact, she, like her siblings, tried to get out of them every other time of the year. But for some reason, Christmas galas hit different, as Tim would say. She loved all the green boughs and glittery lights and pretty painted ornaments. The various shades of the same six colors (white, green, red, gold, silver, black) were calming to process compared to all the bright neons and pastels that she’d see other times of the year. Eggnog was also much tastier than champagne, and there was usually gingerbread, her favorite kind of cookie.

But the best thing about Christmas galas was the music.

Ordinary galas had bland, benign background pianos or violins. They played songs Cass could dance to, but not songs that were fun to dance to. But not at Christmas. At Christmas, they played lots of big, broad songs, with brass and sleigh bells and quick beats that she could swing to, and dramatic, full, swooping songs for a waltz. Cass could fly to Christmas music.

She didn’t know the tune the band had just struck up, but she could feel that it was already quick and fun, and was beaming even before she and Jason started to dance. The trumpets were loud and proud, showing her the music’s heartbeat so she could step in time.

Jason was very fun to dance with. He enjoyed it almost as much as Cass did, and knew lots of fancy twists and turns. He also wasn’t afraid to lift her off the ground and spin with her, and she’d laugh in delight, and he’d grin right back. He also sang along under his breath if he knew the song, not even aware that he was doing it, but teaching Cass the words nevertheless.

They danced three songs together, working up a good sweat and making Cass’s neat bun fall out, before the fourth song began with a series of high, tiny chimes, and Jason groaned.

“Not this one,” he said, leading her off the floor towards the others. “I love you, Cassie, but not this fucking song.”

A middle aged woman with a sprig of holly in her hair shot Jason a horrified look as they passed. Cass hid her giggle behind her hand.

Halfway to the table, Dick came running up to them, crying, “Cass! Cass, come on, I gotta dance this one with you!”

“You’re a menace, Grayson,” Jason called, trading her off with a shake of his head. “One too many concussions.”

“Bah humbug to you too, Scrooge!” Dick shot back, pulling Cass back to the dance floor right as the music really got going.

It was another swing, one that most people were taking half-time, so naturally she and Dick took it double. Towards the end, he started spinning her and spinning her, so much that her skirt stayed out in a bright green plume, no time to settle until the very end, when, rather than a graceful dip, she stumbled dizzily into his arms, both of them laughing too hard to speak.

“Whoo!” Dick cheered as Cass got her balance back. “That was fun.”

“Very fun,” Cass beamed, breathless. “But need a drink now.”

“Then shall we, my lady?” Dick bowed at the waist and offered her his arm.

“We shall,” she grinned, taking it.

They headed over to the refreshments table, Dick ladling a cup of punch for himself, and Cass taking a flute of eggnog. Plus a few gingerbread cookies. To share. Probably. Maybe.

Not, it turned out.

They made their way back to the others to see the argument still ongoing. Damian was in Tim’s face over the particulars of each species of bird, and how the price of doves was not equivalent or even indicative of the price of turtle doves, and Tim was shouting right back that if he couldn’t find the answers, he had no choice but to extrapolate. Duke was trying to get between them and calm them down, and Jason had given up, dropping his forehead against the table.

“Are you gonna tell me what type of dancer, too, brat?” Tim was saying. “Whether the pipes were metal or wood? What kind of drum? Just chill about the particulars!”

“I will not settle for a subpar answer when you have the ability to give me an accurate one!”

“I’m telling you, I don’t have the ability to—”

“Tim, Dami, you’re both beautiful,” Dick said, accomplishing what Duke could not and pushing them apart. “It’s hypothetical anyway, so as long as Tim gets close enough in his comparisons, I’m sure the rounded total won’t be far off.”

Cass cocked her head and signed, What are you actually doing?

“Trying to figure out exactly how much it costs if you’re the true love from Twelve Days of Christmas,” Tim answered, completely casual although Cass was certain it was not a very normal activity.

“I hate to even ask,” Duke interjected, “but do we include the value of the laid eggs and the milk?”

“I don’t think so,” Dick said. “He probably wasn’t paying to make sure the geese were actually laying eggs at the time they were received, so the fact that they can lay eggs is just covered by the cost of each goose.”

Jason lifted his head and banged it against the table. “It’s. Just. One. Stupid. Song.”

“Come on, Jay, aren’t you even a little bit curious?”

Jason turned his head to squint at Tim. “If I ever was, all your nonsense has completely ruined the answer for me.”

“Do you have a better way to pass the time?”

“No,” he admitted reluctantly.

“Then shut up or help us figure this out. If the swans are swimming, we assume the receiver already owned whatever they were swimming in, or was that purchased too?”

Cass ruffled Jason’s hair as she started away, ignoring his whine of Take me with you! and smiling to herself. She wandered through the ballroom, admiring the gowns and suits, until she spotted the tall figure she was looking for.

Bruce turned before she reached him, as if he had sensed her presence. He smiled, excused himself from the group he was speaking with, and closed the distance to give her a hug.

“Enjoying yourself?”

“I am. Jay’s not.”

Bruce scanned the crowd, and Cass knew he’d seen her brothers when his mouth twisted into a wry grin.

“We’ll head home soon. What are they going on about this time?”

“The Twelve Days of Christmas song.”

He winced, obviously recognizing just how absurd and detailed a conversation his sons could spark on that topic.

“At least it’s kept them from pranking anyone.”

Cass giggled. Tim and Jason could come up with very good pranks when they put their minds to it. She thought they were very funny, but the fancy people at the balls rarely did, and Bruce didn’t like to make them too mad. Still, it would have been fun if one of them had put mistletoe in Dick’s hair again.

The music changed from a quick song to a slow one, in three-quarter time, and Cass beamed up at her father, holding out her hands.

He smiled and took them, leading her out to the floor and starting to dance.

Of all the people in her family, Cass loved dancing with Bruce the most. He wasn’t as energetic as Dick, or as showy as Jason, but she could see in his posture and his smile that he was dancing just for her. It made her feel special and loved, that he always made sure to dance with her, and always was so happy to do so. She had to share him so often, with her brothers, with Steph and Harper and Cullen, with Selina and soon their new baby, with all his friends. Dancing was the one time she could have him all to herself.

The dance ended, as dances always did, but that was alright. Cass beamed at her dad, and he smiled back, soft and warm. Then he winked and told her to gather her brothers. She had to stand on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, then skipped off back to the table, snatching more gingerbread on her way.

This time she saved one cookie, giving it to Jason as she told them, “Go home now.”

Everyone cheered, except Damian who asked Tim three times whether or not he’d factored in what region of France the hens had come from, as he’d found there was a wide variation of price.

“Yes, Dami, I just took the mean, calm down.”

They continued discussing things until they were out in the cold air, and had to stop to run to the car, where Alfred and Bruce already sat waiting.

“I see you all found a way to entertain yourselves,” Bruce said mildly.

Jason pointed a finger at him, gesture as threating as if he held a knife.

“If you make me go to a party with these hooligans ever again, Bruce,” he warned, “you owe me reparations equal to whatever the hell crazy total Timbit figures out, adjusted for inflation.”

“I…”

“Adjusted for inflation?” Tim looked up from his phone in shock, tapped a few more keys, and slowly shook his head. “Yeah, no, B, Jason’s definitely not worth that much to have around.”

“Tim,” Dick started, “be ni—oh.”

Bruce shook his head, smiling fondly. “I’ll figure it out,” he promised. “You’re priceless to me, Jaylad.”

“Shut up,” Jason muttered, turning pink.