#Floppy Disk Overdrive

[bizarrobrain]

"DEFRAG.EXE" by Master Boot Record - From "Floppy Disk Overdrive" (2020)

[chorusfm]

Liner Notes (May 18th, 2024)

Buckle up—we have a lot to discuss this week. This week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here. If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here. A Few Things * One of the recent member-only episodes of the ATP podcast was all about “computer origin stories” or “first computer memories.” I’m roughly the same age as Casey and Marco and their core memories and histories mirrored mine quite a bit. And hearing them talk about their origin stories had me thinking about mine. My first memory of seeing a computer was in first grade when there was a computer in the elementary school library. Maybe an Apple IIGS? It was too long ago and I don’t know for sure. But a found family film makes it pretty clear I spent time with it. (Cool haircut first grade Jason.) I remember playing games like Carmen Sandiego. However, it wasn’t until middle school that my memories of using a computer start to solidify. I can remember vividly the computer labs at Twality Middle School. This is where I can remember my obsession beginning. At some point my parents bought a home computer for “the family.” It was a PC running DOS and Windows 3.1. Look, I’m very clearly old. I’m 41 and remember typing book reports on a typewriter before that computer. And this is when my obsession went into overdrive. I liked playing video games, what kid didn’t?, but I loved trying to figure out how all the software worked. I wanted to learn all the tips and tricks. I wanted to know how the system worked. Which meant I broke that computer. A lot. A lot a lot. I re-installed Windows on that thing from floppy disks more times than I can count. And this was where I first started playing around with Qbasic and did my first “programming.” My first memory of seeing the “internet” was at OMSI. My mom used to take my cousin and me there during summer vacation, and they had a computer lab. I remember downloading Simpsons WAV files and Dark Forces cheat codes, so this would have had to be around 1995, and I would have been around 14. At some point, breaking the family computer became a thing my parents got sick of, and my grandparents helped them purchase my own. Windows 95 and having my computer is where the already probably unhealthy technology obsession went supersonic. And this would be when I started playing around with HTML for the first time and soon after would begin writing what would turn into AbsolutePunk. That’s, best I can remember, my computing origin story. High school was primarily spent tinkering with PCs, installing various Linux distros, and using Windows throughout college. It wouldn’t be until around 2010 that I bought my first Mac. But, that’s probably a story for another time. * Anadivine was one of the hidden gems of the early 2000s scene, and they released a new 2024 remix/remaster of their album, Zoo_. It sounds great, and even if you never checked them out back in the day, it holds up all these years later. Also, if any labels read this and are interested in doing a limited vinyl pressing of the album, I can put you in contact with the band. Just let me know. * Aaron Mook, a contributor to AbsolutePunk and Chorus, has launched a GoFundMe to raise emergency medical funds for his cat. Please take a look if you’re able. In Case You Missed It * Review: Dua Lipa – Radical Optimism * Review: Keane – Hopes & Fears * Review: Broadway Calls – Coming After You * Review: Cold Years – A Different Life * Rise Against Announce New Tour * The Blood Brothers Announce Tour * Interview: Tony Lovato of Mest * The Used Announce B-Side Album * Alice Wallace – “Imposter” (Video Premiere) * Head Automatica – “Bear the Cross” * One OK Rock Announce World Tour * Avril Lavigne Announces Greatest Hits Album * Albums in Stores – May 17th, 2024 Music Thoughts * Lot’s of music to catch up on! Origami Angel released a new single, and it rules. I’m absolutely ready for a new Gami album. Their last… https://chorus.fm/features/articles/liner-notes-may-18th-2024/

[turtlethon]

“Enter: Krakus”

Season 8, Episode 6 First US Airdate: October 22, 1994

Titanus opens a portal to the future as his master plan is revealed.

The eighth season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles rolls on with “Enter: Krakus”. This is the concluding part of a three-story arc, following on from “Cry H.A.V.O.C.!” and “H.A.V.O.C. in the Streets!”

After the events of the previous episode, the Turtles and April watch from a distance as the Flux Transformer is transported out of the military base to prevent it being stolen by Titanus. As the Turtles are concerned that they won’t be able to follow the convoy without drawing attention from HAVOC’s mutants, April offers to do so on their behalf. At his headquarters, Titanus learns from his men of the move, and orders them to steal tracking equipment from a company called Suretech Surveillance that will allow them to determine the whereabouts of the Flux Transformer. Later, April watches as the sought-after device is loaded onto a train, and continues to shadow its journey.

The Turtles confront Overdrive, Amok and Seizure moments before their attempted break-in at the surveillance firm, but the battle is interrupted by the arrival of a Sonic Blast Man lookalike who opens fire upon our heroes. Grateful for the distraction, HAVOC’s mutants continue with their mission. The armoured warrior declares that his name is Krakus - “get used to it!” - and flies into the air with Donatello, threatening to drop him to the ground if he doesn’t reveal the whereabouts of Titanus. When Donnie suggests he’s likely in his underground headquarters, Krakus takes this as confirmation that the Turtles are in league with the villain, and allows him to plummet towards the ground, narrowly saved thanks to being caught by Michaelangelo. Krakus flies off, but before doing so accidentally drops a vital clue to his intentions: a small metal plate from one of his missiles marked “METROPLEX POLICE DEPT.”

Before we move on, can we take a moment to appreciate the box transition between this and the next scene? Rarely, if ever, have we seen such attention to presentation in TMNT, and I think it’s worth highlighting that the show is continuing to step up its game eight seasons in.

April’s trail of the Flux Transformer comes to an abrupt halt when it’s moved from the train to a helicopter. Left with no way of following it the rest of its journey, she uses her Turtlecom to inform our heroes of the bad news. The team speculate that there must be digital records stored somewhere that would reveal its destination, and Michaelangelo suggests Donatello could use his computer to hack into the military’s systems. Donnie points out this would be an impossible task, and so instead the Turtles opt to sneak into a government building by way of a basement entrance.

Emerging from a grate, the Turtles sneak inside and view a computer document titled “OPERATION FLUX SHIFT”. After copying the file to a floppy disk, the team are confronted by a guard. Barging their way outside, the green teens find themselves again face-to-face with Krakus, still convinced they’re working for Titanus, who accuses them of breaking into government property and opens fire with a laser blaster.

The Turtles take refuge in an oil refinery, which turns out to not be the smartest move as Krakus is able to do plenty of damage using his blaster weapon. Act one concludes with the gun-toting hero firing upon a metal platform which begins to crumble, threatening to flatten the team.

Krakus assumes his enemies have been vanquished, but the Turtles are able to escape via an underground hatch, re-emerging from another one nearby to confront him. Pinning their opponent to the wall, they demand information about his intentions. We learn that Krakus is a police officer who has travelled back in time from the year 2066, where Titanus was a crime boss who created an army of mutants and almost achieved world domination. Afterwards such genetic experimentation was outlawed, but the enormous villain escaped by travelling back in time. Still convinced the Turtles are in cahoots with Titanus, Krakus again opens fire, but is bewildered when April arrives on the scene to begin filming the action.

April, it turns out, becomes a famous journalist in the future – you'd think she already would be in the present given the number of outlandish events she’s covered over the course of the series for Channel 6, but okay – and more significantly for Krakus, she’ll save the life of his father twenty years from now, ensuring his own birth. Convinced through their connection to April that the Turtles aren’t evil after all, Krakus agrees to work with them to stop Titanus, but his primary objective now becomes to protect April as a means of ensuring his own survival.

Amok hands the tracking device stolen from the surveillance firm over to Titanus, and while doing so mentions the arrival of an armoured flying warrior wearing a star. The description is instantly recognisable to the huge mutant as that of his old foe Krakus, and after making the required adjustments to the tracker he alerts his other followers to the imminent threat.

I thought it was odd that in the earlier discussion between the Turtles of using Donatello’s computer to hack into the government systems it was never mentioned that in the previous episode, Synapse blew all the equipment in the workshop up. Presumably Donnie has since repaired his PC as it’s up and running in the next scene, with the Turtles using it to view the documents copied to the floppy. The team learn that the Flux Transformer is being shipped to an island on the Adams River, and rush off to make sure it’s not intercepted by HAVOC.

April is taking a stroll with Krakus, keen to learn from him about the events in the future that will lead to her hitting the big time. Before he can reveal how things play out, HAVOC’s mutants attack, robbing him of his weapons and destroying his armour. Within seconds the futuristic cop is stripped of all his accoutrements, and is now just a slightly craggy man, dressed in a blue turtleneck sweater and tan slacks that make him look like he’s ready to sit at home and listen to his collection of Jim Reeves records. He does his best Charlton Heston impression as he crawls across the street on all fours, yelling that he’ll fight the mutants with his bare hands if he must, but is soon defeated. Titanus’s troops take April hostage, her protector left to fall into a chasm created during the battle.

The Turtles arrive in their van and discuss how HAVOC intend to reach the nearby island where the Flux Transformer is being held, given that the only way to get there is via helicopter. They get their answer when the mutant underlings show up wearing jet-packs, scooping them up into the air. (Along the way Donatello snatches the tracking sensor from Amok, mistakenly thinking it to be a blaster weapon, an action that will play into the story later). The Turtles are dropped into the water and can only watch as their foes successfully raid the site, taking the critical device. A more pressing issue soon arises as our heroes face the prospect of going over a steep waterfall, saved only thanks to Michaelangelo’s grappling hook and Leonardo’s katana.

Returning to the Turtle Van, the team attempt to reach April via Turtlecom, but get only static. Upon arriving back in town, they find Krakus pinned under some rubble following his earlier altercation with HAVOC’s mutants. The future cop and the Turtles invade Titanus’s hideout, but find only a pre-recorded message from the villain. He tells the team that the Flux Transformer will shortly transform him to his “former glory”. Meanwhile, April has been taken by his underlings to a steel mill where she’ll be finished off. Krakus is insistent upon saving her, but is reminded by the Turtles that he now lacks the means to do so. With that in mind, he instructs his new friends to use HAVOC’s equipment to mutate him, knowing that this will make him an outlaw should he ever be able to return to his own time. Reluctantly the Turtles agree to carry out the procedure, turning Krakus into an enormous beast with fangs and armour. Still in possession of the tracking device, the green teens set out to find Titanus and the Flux Transformer.

Krakus barges into the steel mill, no-selling the attacks of HAVOC’s mutants and rescuing April. Meanwhile, at an abandoned sports arena, Titanus prepares to summon his army of mutants when the Turtles arrive in their van. Mutant warriors from the future begin passing through a portal and the odds appear overwhelming until Krakus arrives with April.

Krakus does battle with his old enemy but due to restrictions implemented by Donatello earlier winds up reverting to his human form at the worst possible moment. Forced to improvise, Leonardo gets behind the wheel of a nearby forklift, shoving the villain through the time portal. As the controls for the Flux Transformer were adjusted by Donnie during the battle, rather than returning to the future Titanus finds himself in the prehistoric past, doomed to spend the rest of his days co-existing with dinosaurs.

After learning from Donatello that his mutation was set to only be temporary, though whether he’d revert to being human was never a sure thing, Krakus prepares to return to the future. In the last second before he heads through the portal, April again asks him what will lead to her becoming famous in the future, only to be told “[She’ll] find out... in time!” (Wow. That’s unhelpful.) The Turtles and April speculate that while Titanus has been vanquished, several of his mutants are still present in our time. Despite this threat, the team vow to be ready for any future challenges.

“Enter: Krakus” brings to a close the entertaining diversion of the HAVOC story arc, an experiment in telling three interconnected tales that require the viewer to tune in over consecutive Saturdays to fully appreciate this, the big pay-off. To some extent, it does so successfully, though I can’t help but wonder if in doing so it’s hampered the momentum that Shredder had built upon after finally being re-established as a legitimate villain. We’ll get back to him eventually, but Titanus is worth celebrating as a worthy adversary for the Turtles in his own right. This is what the show should have been doing all along, and it’s frustrating to think of all the time wasted through the years on unimaginative one-and-done mad scientists and other generic villains. We could have had years of Titanus/HAVOC stories sprinkled among the Shredder shows had the show gone down this route earlier; instead, these three tales are all we get, a tantalising glimpse at what might have been.

There’s an argument to be made that none of this, or anything after “Shredder Triumphant!” should be considered canon, the Red Sky seasons almost feeling like a glimpse into one darker alternate timeline rather than a natural continuation of what TMNT had once been. If we take them as entirely legitimate, “Enter: Krakus” creates a little bit of a problem as it suggests a future that conflicts with the one the Turtles visited in season five’s “Once Upon a Time Machine”, where they met their future selves in 2036. There, the Turtles were celebrated as heroes who had managed to do away with crime altogether, and April was approaching retirement age, still dutifully working the same role at Channel 6 and driving around in her old news van, the world around her seemingly having moved on. It’s implausible that the events of these episodes could co-exist as Krakus initially has no awareness of the Turtles, and there’s no way their public profile declined rapidly enough in the intervening thirty years that they went from practically being worshipped as gods to being completely unknown; conversely, the April from the 2036 we saw seems to have made no career advances, unlike the one Krakus describes. From this, we can only determine that either the timeline has since changed or that earlier adventure was never canon to begin with.

Really, though... was anyone clinging to the events of “Once Upon a Time Machine”, which depicted undignified and somewhat depressing futures for both the Turtles and April, as something definitive? As with so many episodes not written by David Wise, I’m okay with the prospect of jettisoning it from the larger story of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Let’s drop “The Turtles and The Hare” while we’re at it, just assume that whole weird Hokum Hare mini-arc never happened.

Astonishingly, there are only two episodes left to cover in season eight, and one of them is a hold-over that was intended to air a month earlier. Next time, we finally get around to discovering what the deal is with “Cyber-Turtles”.

[fancypantsrecords]

Master Boot Record - Floppy Disk Overdrive | Metal Blade Records | 2020 | Red & Black Marbled | /100

[metalshockfinland]

MASTER BOOT RECORD Release Song Clips For Entire New Album ‘FLOPPY DISK OVERDRIVE’

On March 20th, MASTER BOOT RECORD will release his Metal Blade Records debut, FLOPPY DISK OVERDRIVE. For a preview of the album, clips of all songs can be heard now here:

There are few truly unique musical artists, but the music made by MBR arguably exists in a category of its own. “The main elements include chiptune, demoscene &…

[after-annihilation]

Whilst I don't know WHY Grimora deleted the game, or at least most of it, well, if you want to know why Luke took a hammer to the Floppy Disk, well, he managed to take a peak at the Old Data and absolutely FREAKED OUT. Just, his fight or flight instincts went into overdrive. Then he called GameFuna to, I don't really remember, threaten? Warn them? That he knows what they did if I remember correctly, but then, well, an assassin killed him via a gun shot in the head. So, um, I don't think you guys WANT to know what Old Data is if Luke's reaction was any indication, or the fact that the company is willing to kill you if they learn that you know what it is...

"Wh— What? The heck's on this disk?!"

"Trust me, you do not wanna know."

"I'll have you know I don't trust you, at all."

[jgthirlwell]

2020 Year In Review

This year once again I invited some friends and colleagues to reflect on 2020

JG Thirlwell

Composer

Foetus Xordox Manorexia Steroid Maximus Venture Bros Archer

www.foetus.org

2020 was a troubling and disturbing year. I created a lot of music and experienced a lot of nights waking at 5am in a panic. I deeply missed the sacred experience of being able to see live music. In its absence of that I listened to a lot of music. It was difficult to whittle down this list but here are a lot of albums I enjoyed in 2020, in no particular order.

Le Grand Sbam Furvent (Dur Et Doux) John Elmquist’s HardArt Group I Own an Ion (900 Nurses) Roly Porter Kistvaen (Subtext) Liturgy Origin Of The Alimonies (YLYLCYN) Clark Kiri Variations (Throttle) Dai Kaht Dai Kaht I & II (Soleil Zeuhl) Chromb Le livre des merveilles (Dur Et Doux) Horse Lords The Common Task (Northern Spy) Ecker & Meultzer Carbon (Subtext) Insane Warrior Tendrils (RJ’s Electrical Connections) Jeff Parker Suite For Max Brown (International Anthem) Jacob Kirkegaard Opus Mors (Topos) Tristan Perich Drift Multiply (Nonesuch) Bec Plexus Sticklip (New Amsterdam) Vak Budo (Soleil Zeuhl) Merlin Nova BOO! (Bandcamp) The The Muscle OST (Cineola) Zombi 2020 (Relapse) Regis Hidden In This Is The Light That You Miss (Downwards) Rival Consoles Articulation (Erased Tapes) Sarah Davachi Cantus, Descant (L.A.T.E.) Sufjan Stevens The Ascension (Asthmatic Kitty) Idles Ultra Mono (Partisan) Daedelus The Bittereindeers (Brainfeeder) Boris No (Bandcamp) Aksak Maboul Figures / Un peu de l’ame des bandits / Onze Danses Pour Cobattre La Migraine (Crammed) Noveller Arrow (Ba Da Bing) Felicia Atkinson Everything Evaporate (Shelter Press) Ital Tek Dream Boundary (Planet Mu) Author and Punisher Beastland (Relapse) Sparks A Steady Drip Drip Drip (BMG) Corima Amatarasu (Soleil Zeuhl) Code Orange Underneath (Roadrunner) Deerhoof Future Teenage Cave Artists /Silly Symphonies / To Be Surrounded../ Love Lore(Joyful Noise) Sote Moscels (Opal Tapes) Run The Jewels RTJ4 (Jewel Runners) Oranssi Pazuzu Mestarin Kynsi (Nuclear Blast) Master Boot Record Floppy Disk Overdrive (Metal Blade) Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith The Mosaic Of Transformation (Ghostly International) / Ears (Western Vinyl) Michael Gordon Acquanetta (Cantelope) Neom Arkana Temporis (Soleil Zeuhl) Rian Treanor Ataxia / File Under UK Metaplasm (Planet Mu) Helm Saturnalia (Alter) Ivvvo doG (Halcyon Veil) Robert Normandeau Figures (Empreintes Digitales) Ben Vida Reducing The Tempo To Zero (Shelter Press) Beatrice Dillon Workaround (Pan) Dan Deacon Mystic Familiar (Domino) Sea Oleena Weaving A Basket (Higher Plain Music) Elysian Fields Transience Of Life (Ojet) Rhapsody Symphony Of Enchanted Lands II - The Dark Secret (Magic Circle) Duma Duma (Nyege Nyege) Ulla Strauss Tumbling Towards a Wall / Seed (Bandcamp)

Honorable mentions Carl Stone Stolen Car (Unseen Worlds)  Nazar Guerilla (Hyperdub) Iwo Zaluski with the Children of Park Lane Primary School, Wembley The Remarkable Earth Making Machine (Trunk) Nahash Flowers Of The Revolution (SVBKVLT) Cindy Lee Whats Tonight To Eternity (Bandcamp) Insect Ark The Vanishing (Profound Lore) 33EMYBW Arthropods (SVBKVLT) Declan McKenna Zeroes (Tomplicated) Layma Azur Zeii (Bandcamp)

FILM TV Succession ZeroZeroZero Escape at Dannemora 1917 Small Axe : Five films by Steve McQueen Pirhanas Monos The Hater Better Call Saul

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Drew Daniel

Matmos, The Soft Pink Truth

an alphabet of 2020 recordings

Arca “KiCk i” BFTT “Intrusive / Obtrusive” clipping. “Visions of Bodies Being Burned” Duma “Duma” Eilbacher, Max “Metabolist Meter (Foster, Cottin, Caetani and a Fly)” Forbidden Colors “La Yeguada” GILA “Energy Demonstration” HiedraH Club de Baile “Bichote-K Bailable Vol. 2” Ian Power “Maintenance Hums” Jeff Carey “Index[off]” Kassel Jaeger “Meith” Laurie Anderson “Songs From the Bardo” Mukqs “Water Levels” Negativland “The World Will Decide” O’Rourke, Jim “Shutting Down Here” Perlesvaus “These Things Below with Those Above” Quicksails “Blue Rise” Rian Treanor “File Under UK Metaplasm” Slikback “///” Terminal Nation “Holocene Extinction” Ulcerate “Stare Into Death and Be Still” Various Artists “HAUS of ALTR” William Tyler “New Vanitas” Xyla “Ways” Y A S H A “Summations” :zoviet-france: “Châsse 2ᵉ”

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Sarah Lipstate  (Noveller)

With all live performances canceled, this was truly the year of demo videos and home studio recording for me. These are 10 pieces of gear that came out in 2020 that helped keep me feeling creative and inspired during lockdown. In no particular order:

EHX Oceans 12 Dual Stereo Reverb - The Oceans 12 ticks all the boxes for what I’m looking for in a great soundscaping reverb. I used the Shimmer and Reverse algorithms in conjunction a lot when I was composing music for a film score.

Chase Bliss Audio Blooper - While I don’t actually own a Blooper, I had the pleasure of borrowing one from Mike of Baranik Guitars after NAMM this year. He made an incredible Blooper-inspired guitar and I was completely charmed by them both. Chase Bliss always delivers pedals that push me creatively and the Blooper truly hits the mark.

Cooper FX Arcades - I love everything Cooper FX has released to-date so the opportunity to access those sounds in one pedal via plug-in cartridges is just awesome.

SolidGoldFX NU-33 - I was asked to do a demo of this pedal for its release and ended up being really charmed by this box’s approach to lo-fi nostalgia. I’ve used it a lot for film scoring and highly recommend adding it to your collection.

Demedash Effects T-120 DLX V2 - I LOVE a good tape echo and the T-120 Deluxe V2 ranks up there with the best I’ve tried. This pedal made its way to me this Christmas and I look forward to making some beautiful sounds with it in the new year.

Hologram Electronics Microcosm - The Microcosm is one of those pedals where you should fully read the manual before diving in but once you put in that initial effort you’ve got a massively powerful tool on your hands. It does glitch like no other. Definitely worth the homework

Azzam Bells MP019 - I discovered this unique instrument through a post on Reverb’s IG page and immediately looked it up and ordered one. These experimental percussion instruments are hand-made in Italy and they’re as beautiful visually as they are sonically. I used it for bowed cymbal and daxophone sounds on a film score and it was absolutely haunting.

Echopark Dual Harmonic Boost 2 - I love the control you have over dialing in the perfect amount of grit with these dual boost circuits. I use it a lot as a textural tool when I’m laying down drones or bringing in big distorted swells. It’s one of the most versatile overdrives in my collection and I love that.

Fender Parallel Universe Series Volume II Maverick Dorado - I was smitten with the Maverick Dorado when I first saw it at NAMM. It has a lot of the specs that I look for in a guitar and the body shape with the Mystic Pine finish just blew me away. I hope that I get to use it live soon.

Polyeffects Beebo - The Beebo is one of those pedals that I genuinely feel is smarter than I am. It’s like an entire computer in one small touchscreen box. I can’t claim to have mastered using it yet but the sounds that I have managed to get out of it so far have been brilliant. I’m looking forward to spending more time with this box in 2021

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HELM 2020 REVIEW

Let's get the bad stuff out the way first, 2020 was undoubtedly an awful year. I'm still not sure how to really respond to seeing a global pandemic bring the capital to its knees and everything I love and hold dear to a grinding halt. Our government fucked it's response, putting profit before people and killing tens of thousands. The Labour Party descended into farce with the newly elected leader Sir Keith revealing himself as a bland centrist with no opposition or ideas. On a personal level it sucked not being able to travel or see my friends in different parts of the world - or even the same country - who I am starting to miss a lot. However, I was fortunate enough to get through the year with my sanity intact. Music, art and culture once again being my main positive. I think I listened to more music than I have in any year ever. I read more books than I have done since I was a teenager probably. I also re-discovered the joys of walking long distances and am extremely thankful for living near a lot of incredible green spaces: Epping Forest, Walthamstow Wetlands, Walthamstow Marshes, Wanstead Park, Wanstead Flats...

Music. My favourite albums of the year.

Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin kynsi Wetware - Flail Raspberry Bulbs - Before The Age Of Mirrors Necrot - Mortal Rope Sect - The Great Flood Private World - Aleph Oneohtrix Point Never - Magic Oneohtrix Point Never Pyrrhon - Abcess Time CS+Kreme - Snoopy Speaker Music - Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry Drew McDowall - Agalma Regis - Hidden In This Is The Light That You Miss Nazar - Guerilla Zoviet France - Russian Heterodoxical Songs (and all the ZF reissues!!) Triple Negative - God Bless the Death Drive Permission - Organised People Suffer Actress - Karma & Desire Acolytes - Stress II The Gerogerigegege - >(decrescendo) Chubby & The Gang - Speed Kills Flora Yin-Wong - Holy Palm Eiko Ishibashi - Hyakki Yagyo The The - See Without Being Seen Prurient - Casablanca Flamethrower Henning Christiansen - L’essere Umano Errabando La Voce Errabando Subdued - Over The Hills And Far Away Rian Treanor - File Under UK Metaplasm Komare - The Sense Of Hearing Shredded Nerve - Acts Of Betrayal Jesu - Terminus Autechre - SIGN Hey Colossus - Dances / Curses Sparkle Division - To Feel Embraced Mark Harwood - A Perfect Punctual Paradise Under My Own Name Still House Plants - Fast Edit The Bug & Dis Fig - In Blue Kommand - Terrorscape Haus Arafna - Asche Khthoniik Cerviiks - Æequiizoiikum Worm - Gloomlord Kraus - A Golden Brain Faceless Burial - Speciation

A shout-out to Jon Abby's AMPLIFY series on Bandcamp / Facebook, which I contributed a new piece of music to.

A shout out to the labels where most of the music I listened to seemed to come from:

The Trilogy Tapes Iron Bonehead Penultimate Press Dais La Vida Es Un Mus

Gigs. Despite live music being destroyed in 2020 I still saw a few unforgettable performances at the beginning of the year.

Graham Lambkin @ The ICA, London Puce Mary / JFK @ The Glove That Fits, London Demilich @ Finnfest, The Garage, London Container / PC World / National Unrest @ Venue MOT, London S.H.I.T / Asid / Chubby & The Gang @ Static Shock Festival, ExFed, London

Books I enjoyed. Most not published this year, but all read in 2020.

Joe Kennedy - Authentocrats David Balzer - Curationism Tom Mills - BBC: The Myth Of A Public Service Simon Morris - Consumer Guide: Special Edition Luke Turner - Out Of The Woods Various - Bad News For Labour Mike Wendling - Alt-Right Baited Area issues 1 & 2.

Film. Three good films I saw this year which I hadn't before.

Suspiria (Remake) Midsommar Cannibal Holocaust

Podcasts. I listened to a lot of these whilst walking.

We Don't Talk About The Weather Novara Media Tysky Sour & Novara FM Grounded with Louis Theroux System of Systems Red Scare loveline episodes Suite 212 NOISEXTRA Social Discipline CONTAIN

TV.

Didn't watch a huge amount and what I did was mostly trash. For some reason I rewatched both series' of This Life, a British drama from the late 90's about a group of young professionals house sharing and navigating their careers. Very cringey and has aged terribly, but it was perversely fascinating to revisit something from that time in the age of the pandemic. Following on from this I binge watched the entire series of Industry which was entertaining enough. A programme about a bunch of horny bankers with what felt like a confused ideology behind it. It seemed stuck between trying to criticise and glorify the culture around the industry, but also protect the industry itself from outside criticism by portraying anyone who may oppose as an insufferable wanker. Currently halfway through Succession which is OK. The Murdoch documentaries on the BBC were excellent and a rare respite from their descent into client journalism.

Thanks to anyone who listened to my music this year also. Best wishes to you all for 2021.

Luke Younger

http://hhelmm.com | http://alter.bandcamp.com

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Elliott Sharp

composer

1. My Nr. 1 lesson: patience. Whether it's bouncing through 30 seconds of severe turbulence at 39000 feet or slogging through 30 minutes of a interminable piece of concert music, one attribute I've tried to develop is the ability to see past the discrete and awaited ending, the exact framing of the immediate process, but put it into the context of a larger time frame. I've found that this year more than all others has demanded it. Breathing helps...

2. Books: revisiting old favorites from the realm of Thomas Pynchon and Philip K. Dick (both especially relevant), digging into John Lomax's portrait of Jelly Roll Morton, the works of Colson Whitehead, random things off of the shelf…

3. Composing: with touring off the table, I focused on that which needed to be written, some requested and commissioned, some spontaneously springing forth. Composing requires that one open the windows wide to the world, which at this moment brought in grief, terror, uncertainty, anxiety, visions of plague and pestilence and incipient fascism. Okay, now shut the window and get to work! How to process, translate, transform? The work can be a comfortable and obsessive cocoon once one learns to handle the radioactive materials and put them into the creativity reactor.

4. Beans! We have long been a fan in our house of the wide world of legumes but this year brought two stars to the front: the black bean and the red lentil. The black bean commands the lofty peaks but the seemingly infinite variations of dal surround it. Ginger, garlic, turmeric, smoked paprika, cayenne, onions, and olive oil form the basis then imagination builds.

5. Online teaching substituted for my canceled conduction of workshops in the Pyrenees Mountains of France. Between the participants and myself, we built a temporary but very congenial space online to share concepts and music. In addition, private lessons brought conversation and music with new friends in Germany, Italy, California, Australia, Illinois, Denmark, Pennsylvania, Spain, Florida, Brazil.

6. What started out as "stress baking" (before I even had heard of the term) soon became a frequent practice that yielded very edible results. The twins preferred the sweeter forays into banana bread and chocolate cake. I tried to find a balance between tried-and-true techniques and experiments in texture and taste with yeasted pumpernickels, multi-grains, and seed breads.

7. While not the same as performing 'live ', online gigs proved that it was possible to generate a surprising amount of adrenaline even without the pheromonal handshaking of a room filled with receptive ears. As a corollary, online recording collaborations with friends worldwide proved to be inspiring and a suitable substrate for sonic experimentation, exploration of new instruments, tunings, effects programming, structures. In these realms, shout-outs to Helene Breschand, Mike Cooper, Henry Kaiser, Tracie Morris, Mikel Banks, Dougie Bowne, Payton McDonald, Billy Martin, Colin Stetson, Jim O'Rourke, Scott Amendola, Roberto Zorzi, Jason Hoopes, Eric Mingus, Melanie Dyer, Dave Hofstra, Don McKenzie, Sergio Sorrentino, Veniero Rizzardi, Taylor Ho Bynum, Scott Fields, Bachir Attar, Karl Bruckmaier, Robbie Lee, Matthew Evan Taylor, Matteo Liberatore, Al Kaatz, David Barratt, Jessica Hallock, Kolin Zeinikov, Robbie Lee, Jeremy Nesse, James Ilgenfritz, Sergio Armaroli, Steve Piccolo, Sandy Ewen, David Weinstein, Jim Whittemore, Chris Vine, Werner Puntigam, William Schimmel.

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Daniel O’Sullivan

(Grumbling Fur, Guapo, Miasma & the Carousel of Headless Horses, Ulver, Sunn O))), Æthenor, Laniakea, Miracle, Mothlite, and This Is Not This Heat.)

Music Richard Youngs - Ein Klein Nein Alabaster DePlume - Instrumentals Hildegard von Bingen - O Nobilissima Viriditas Francisco de Penalosa - Missa Ave Maria Peregrina Carlo Gesualdo - Responsoria 1611 Dirty Projectors - Five EPs Sonic Boom - All Things Being Equal Brother Peter Broderick - Blackberry Richard Horowitz - Eros Of Arabia Duncan Trussell Family Hour Cocteau Twins in the bath

Books/comics Alexander Tucker - Entity Reunion II Derek Jarman - Chroma Stephen Harrod Buhner - Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm The Penguin Book Of Irish Poetry - edited by Patrick Crotty The Gospel Of Ramakrishna - translated by Swami Nikhilananda Lucretius - De Rerum Natura Plotinus - Enneads Ram Dass - Grist For The Mill Lisa Brown - Phantom Twin

Other Fasting / meditation / macrodosing Walks in freshly coppiced woodland (for the smell mainly). Plants / Foraging / Growing Traditional ferments Douglas Sirk movies Mandolorian Writing songs on the piano Rediscovery of Kenneth Graham via my kids

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Karl O’Connor (Regis)

01.Wolfgang Press - Unremembered, Remembered 02. Klara Lewis - Ingrid Live at Fylkingen 03. Jesu - Terminus 04. Dave Ball - Leeds Poly Demos 1979 05. Edwin Pouncey - Rated Sav X (the Savage Pencil Skratchbook) 06. The Bug - In Blue 07. New Order - Power,Corruption and Lies ( Writing Sessions  ) 08. JG Thirlwell and Simon Steensland - Oscillospira 09. FM Einheit and Andreas Ammer - Hammerschlag 10. Thurston Moore - By The Fire 11. Body Stuff - Body Stuff 3 12. Ann M Hogan - Honeysuckle Burials 13. Rob Halford - Confess (Autobiography)

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Caleb Braaten (Sacred Bones Records)

Shirley Collins Hearts Ease Dehd Flowers Of Devotion Duma Duma Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways Green-House Six Songs for Invisible Gardens John Jeffery Passage Drew McDowall Agalma Sweeping Promises Hunger For a Way Out Colter Wall Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs Woods Strange to Explain

My Favorite 90’s Nostalgia Movie Rewatches

Colors Ghost Dog Menace II Society The Player Rounders Safe Starship Troopers Trees Lounge Vampires Waiting For Guffman

Most Culturally Bankrupt Year : 1997

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Charlie Looker

(composer, Psalm Zero, Extra Life, Seaven Teares)

Ten Things That Didn’t Happen in 2020

1.  I didn’t write a ton of new music. Don’t get me wrong, I wrote some. I always do. But mostly I focused on my new YouTube channel, essays, and on getting old recordings released. I haven’t even been working a day-job so I thought I was going to write my next Ring Cycle, but I really didn’t find Covid inspiring.

2.  Trump wasn’t re-elected. Cool.

3. I didn’t lose anyone to Covid. I am, of course, profoundly grateful for this. But I feel pretty embarrassed remembering group-texting ten friends in March, “We are all going to see a loved one die. Every single one of us. Don’t kid yourselves”. I can get hysterical, and that was somewhat irresponsible of me.

4.  No revolution happened. I don’t mean to be smug or cynical, or to belittle anyone’s participation in the protests. But, as far as I can tell, nothing happened in 2020 that promises to reduce police brutality or human suffering of any kind. We’ll see. That burning Minneapolis police station was exciting to watch at the time, if only on an aesthetic level.

5.  I have a stack of unread books I bought this year, just staring at me, with nary a crease among them. These include:

Adorno and Horkheimer, The Dialectic of Enlightenment (looks amazing, but I haven’t touched it) Marx, Grundrisse (it’s 1000 pages for fuck’s sake. Amazon also accidentally sent me two copies, and its double presence in the stack is just comical) Reza Negarestani, Intelligence and Spirit (the first 15 pages blew my mind, then my mind blew it off)

6.  I didn’t settle into living in LA. I moved here six months before Covid and I was just starting to cultivate some friendships and play shows. This was quashed and I still feel like I still live in New York. I still barely know the layout of the city here.

7.  No brand-new buzzy musical artists burst onto the scene, that I can recall. No new hyped micro-genre of the moment. There was just no way for there to be a hot new trend. I’d say that was refreshing, but it wasn’t.

8.  Tyson’s return was not awesome. Two minute rounds, ended in a draw. I’ve been getting way into boxing this past year. This fight was a bummer. I’m looking forward to Mayweather vs Logan Paul (LOL) because we know it’s comedy ahead of time.

9.  For three weeks in July, I didn’t do a single thing other than watch street fight compilations on YouTube and Worldstar. That’s just grim.

10.  There were no school shootings in March. Apparently, this was the first March with no school shootings since 2002. Not a single 7th grader got a hand job in March either. I cannot begin to imagine what it’s like to be a kid now.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chuck Bettis

https://chuckbettis.com

Other People's Music released this year:

Coil "Musick to Play in the Dark" (Dais)

Duma "s/t" (Nyege Nyege Tapes) Twig Harper "External Boundless Prison/ in 4 parts EP" (self-release) I.P.Y. (Ikue Mori, Phew, YoshimiO) "I.P.Y." (Tzadik) Kill Alters "A2B2 Live Stream 11/13/2020" (self-release) Krallice "Mass Cathexis" (self-release) Lust$ickPuppy "Cosmic Brownie" (self-release) Doug McKechnie "San Francisco Moog: 1968-72" (VG+ Records) Merlin Nova "Boo!" (self-release) Omrb "Milandthriust, The Graths of Mersh" (self-release) Akio Suzuki & Aki Onda "gi n ga" (self-release) Yoth Iria "Under His Sway" (Repulsive Echo) Wetware "Flail" (Dais)

My own music released this year:

collaborations

Chatter Blip "Microcosmopolitan" (Contour Editions) Matmos "The Consuming Flame: Open Exercises in Group Form" (Thrill Jockey) Reverse Bullets  "Dreampop Dsyphoria" (self-release) Snake Union "live at Roulette" (self-release) Snake Union w/ Hisham Bharoocha, Bonnie Jones, Heejin Jang, Matthew Regula "Three Arrows" (Rat Route) Thomas Dimuzio "Balance" (Gench Music) YoshimiO & Chuck Bettis  "Live at the Stone" (Living Myth)

solo Chuck Bettis "Arc of Enlghtenment"  (Living Myth) Chuck Bettis "Motion Parallax"  (Living Myth)

compilation Various Artist "Polished Turds Vol.1" (Granpa)

Music Books read this year

"Intermediary Spaces" by Eliane Radigue/Julia Eckhardt (Umland) "Ennio Morricone In His Own Words" by Ennio Morricone/Alessandro De Rosa (Oxford University Press) "Free Jazz In Japan: A Personal History" by Soejima Teruto (Public Bath Press) "Rumors of Noizu: Hijokaidan and the Road to 2nd Damascus" by Kato David Hopkins (Public Bath Press)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Maya Hardinge

(musician / artist)

list of things i liked this year

first ever solo road trip through new mexico and Texas right before lockdown experiencing manhattan with no cars on the road . having a car to escape in to nature. (which i craved so much) walks and bike rides with friends… FRIENDS! The web site ‘workaway’ that helped me feel that there were options for escape. playing games weekly on zoom during lock down teaching yoga weekly on zoom. Witnessing and being part of the BLM protests. witnessing and being part of the demise of T sitting on my couch at 6am drinking a cup of tea, appreciating my apt. making time to meditate. halloween without tourists .

some music I’ve bought and/or enjoyed this year Elvis Perkins-Black Coat Daughter Patricia Kokett -Soi soi Henning Christiansen - OP201 Bryce Hackford- Safe Svitlana Nianio and Oleksander - Snayesh yak? rozkazhy Brannten schnure - Sommer im Pfirsichhain Killing Joke - Nighttime David Shea - Tower of mirrors Shakey - Shakey Woodford halse tapes Coil - Musick to play in the dark

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

BJ Nilsen

sound artist / composer

Work 2020

Despite Covid 19 lots of things actually did happen.

In Feburary I visited the only active nuclear plant in The Nederlands as part of my "Expanded Field Recording” project together with SML. In March revisited the Acousmonium at the Elevate Festival in Graz with an additional trip deep inside the Schlossberg recording old mining trains. In March and April I did two daily recording projects “Pending and Auditory Scenes” - both of Amsterdam during lockdown. In May did my first Zoom field recording workshop with the CAMP project. In June & July  two research trips in Waldviertel, Austria with Franz Pomassl. In August recorded bells and organs in 10 different churches around Amsterdam for Jacob Lekkerkerker. In September recorded Kali Malone at the Orgelpark in Amsterdam. Performed at Heart of Noise Festival in Innsbruck and A4 in Bratislava. Also went ice-skating for first time in 20? Years. In November and December I travelled to Jeju island to record field recordings for a project by Femke Herregraven for the Gwangju Biennale, commissioned for 2021. Did lots of gardening, released two tapes “Call it Philips, Eindoven” and “Zomer 2020” with Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson. NOW! Looking forward to 2021.

http://bjnilsen.info https://soundcloud.com/bjnilsen/sets/auditory-scenes-amsterdam

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Vicki Bennett

(People Like Us)

Negativland - True False https://negativland.com/products/truefalse-cd (this came out last year but is so THIS year) Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways https://www.bobdylan.com/albums/rough-and-rowdy-ways/ The Soft Pink Truth - We from Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase https://thesoftpinktruth.bandcamp.com/album/shall-we-go-on-sinning-so-that-grace-may-increase Carl Stone - Stolen Car https://unseenworlds.bandcamp.com/album/stolen-car Porest - Sedimental Gurney https://porest.bandcamp.com/album/sedimental-gurney Matmos - The Consuming Flame: Open Exercises in Group Form https://matmos.bandcamp.com/album/the-consuming-flame-open-exercises-in-group-form Domenique Dumont - Miniatures De Auto Rhythm https://antinoterecordings.bandcamp.com/album/atn044-domenique-dumont-miniatures-de-auto-rhythm The The - See Without Being Seen https://www.thethe.com/product/see-without-being-seen-cd/ Ciggy de la Noche - Hold Tight HMRC https://soundcloud.com/ciggydelanoche/hold-tight-hmrc Neil Cicierega - Mouth Dreams http://www.neilcic.com/mouthdreams/

and my details: http://peoplelikeus.org/ https://peoplelikeus-vickibennett.bandcamp.com/ pic: http://peoplelikeus.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Welcome-Abroad-promo3-2-scaled.jpg

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

DJ Food

Music - Type 303 - Sticky Disco / Analogue Acidbath 7" (45 Live) The British Space Group - The Ley of the Land CD (Wyrd Britain) Squarepusher - Be Up A Hello LP / Warp 10 NTS mix (Warp) dgoHn - Undesignated Proximate (Modern Love) LF58 - Alterazione LP (Astral Industries) Robert Fripp - Music For Quiet Moments series (DGM) Run The Jewels - RTJ4 (BMG) Simf Onyx - Magenta Skyline / The Unresolved 7" (Delights) Luke Vibert - Modern Rave LP (Hypercolour) JG Thirlwell & Simon Steensland - Oscillospira (Ipecac) Aural Design - Looking & Seeing 7" / DL (Russian Library) Luke Vibert - Rave Hop (Hypercolour) Clipping. with Christopher Fleeger - Double Live (Sub Pop) APAT - Terry Riley's 'In C' performed on Modular Synthesizer (YouTube) Field Lines Cartographer - The Spectral Isle LP (Castles In Space) Jane Weaver - The Revolution of Super Visions single (Fire Records) King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - K.G. LP (Flightless) Humanoid - Hed-Set - forthcoming on (De:tuned)

Film / TV - Inside No.9 (BBC) What We Do In The Shadows Season 2 (Netflix) Tales From The Loop (Amazon) Keith Haring - Street Art Boy (BBC) John Was Trying To Contact Aliens (Netflix) The Social Dilemma (Netflix) The Mandalorian (Season 2) (Disney+) Long Hot Summers - The Style Council documentary (Sky Arts) Zappa (Alex Winter)

Books / Comics / Magazines Confessions of a Bookseller - Shaun Bythell (Profile books) The Often Wrong - Farel Dalrymple (Image Comics) Edwin Pouncey - Rated SavX (Strange Attractor Press) Jeffrey Lewis - Fuff (all issues - really late to the party on this one) Rian Hughes - XX - A Novel, Graphic (Picador) Cosey Fanni Tutti - Art, Sex, Music (Faber) Caza - Kris Kool (Passenger Press) Dan Lish - Egostrip Vol.1 Electronic Sound magazine Decorum - Jonathan Hickman & Mike Huddleston (Image) John Higgs - Stranger Than We Can Imagine Simon Halfon - Cover To Cover (Nemperor)

Very few exhibitions or shows this year for obvious reasons

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[tokidokitrash]

It’s been quite awhile since the previous post and I’m sorry!

I actually wrote this awhile back, but lacked the courage to post it.

I’m someone who is quite insecure and scared of how people might view me and my writings online.

But today I decided to just post this anyway-it’s June and Seven’s birthday is coming up— heck it!

I’m sorry it’s so long , and we aren’t at a conclusion yet- I’m just writing whatever comes to mind kinda and I’m grateful to any who reads it- your notes are such an encouragement, however small.

Also, amidst these crazy times, I hope you are all well, stay healthy, remember to eat!

——————————————————————————————-

The way we are - 02

Seven is left standing outside her door. He’s pretty lost for words at this point, which is rare for a smart mouthed genius like himself.

He has to admit, he feels better after laughing like that -it was cathartic, but after listening to what she just said, seeing her smile like she was entirely broken inside, he can’t help but feel that he’s lost something very, very important in that moment.

He’s realised she was probably crying.

And that it was most definitely his fault.

Pangs of guilt worked his their way up his mind, as his heart aches at the thought that he’s given someone as cheery as her so much sadness over his demeanour.

She had always been so strong, so happy. Shining with the brilliance of the sun with every step she took. Always seemed like nothing in life could bring her down. True, she was a little weird, with her adorable exclamations of excitement over what would seem to be the most mundane of things. How he’d catch her standing outside the apartment for a spell, start to worry she’d seen something or someone that could cause her any harm....only to realise she’d be staring adoringly at a pigeon who’d made his way down the corridor. She seemed to be delighted by any little critter or creature, and that part of her, he adored.

She was such a sweet creature herself.

He’d sometimes catch himself distracted by the CCTVs, ever on a lookout for a glimpse of you, eager to see if he could decipher what had caught your interest that day.

And oh, how his heart would swell whenever you returned to the apartment, no matter how distracted you’d be, or how many bags you were holding after a trip to the grocery store... you’d always find time to look up at the cameras and flash him a beaming smile, giving him a little wave or wink. He’d sometimes find himself giving you a wave back, blowing a kiss or two, despite knowing full well you’d never know this. You were just so, so cute, he felt his heart would burst at the seams and implode on him due to an overload of cute.

While he might be greedy for more of your attention, he savoured those little, minute, unseen interactions with you.

The incident with ‘unknown’ was the turning point.

Seeing that precious girl in danger once was too much for a lifetime.

How could he have let this happen? Was he just incapable to protecting those he cared about?

His mind entered overdrive at the realisation that Unknown was none other than his sweet younger twin Saeran, whom he’d always longed to reunite with someday.

But never in his wildest, sickest imaginings did he want a reunion like this.

Saeran, who stood before him, a completely different man. Gone was the timid, sweet boy- in his place was a twisted man whom the world had hurt too much...and it was all his fault- he failed to protect his brother .

So many unanswered questions reeled in his head, he was having the worse headaches of his life. Trying to piece together the massive puzzle that was unfurling right before his eyes. If there is indeed a god, he was being awful.

In the days he spent at MC’s place, frustration and growing anger seeped into his very core. The complications between Rika, V and Mint Eye...and how....what happened to Saeran?? Then there was the anger at himself... at how put MC in danger. He had nearly let his bright, shining flame get snuffed out.

All this was too much, he was slipping off his 707 persona, whether he wanted to or not. Telling himself it was for the best, he started pushing MC away, first treating her coldly, with disdain, as he tried his best to pour himself into the work.

Next came the harsh words lashed out towards her fuelled by his own frustrations.. Or just ignoring her, or just telling her she was being an annoyance, disrupting his work.

Yet she still always came to him, like she was pulled towards him by an unseen force.

Sometimes, all she wanted to do was sit close to him, watch him work.

Other times, she would make small talk, peppering the conversations with little jokes, trying her utmost best to lighten the mood.

She always seemed to have her eye on him, watching over him. Often fetching him some dr.pepper or honey Buddha chips, or, you know, proper food and water so he doesn’t die of malnourishment.

Once, he had accidentally dozed off mid-work, and woke to the feel of a blanket placed on his back. Then, being the jerk he is, he told her not to bother with him and leave him alone, to stop wasting her time on him, before grabbing the blanket and hurling it across the room, startling her.

Regret sank in immediately when he thought he saw her eyes glisten with the threat of tears... he saw her lips force themselves into a tight smile, the she pouts a little, rolls her eyes just ever so slightly, clearly trying to lighten the mood. “Alright, alrighttt, sorry!!” She exclaims as she gingerly pick up the blanket- folding it neatly before placing it in the couch next to him...”jusssst in case, alright? “ she says in a whisper , before adding “.....Please take care of yourself.”

He just ignored her the rest of that night.

He hated that even in this crazy situation where he’s already decided to push MC away for her safety, she still made his heart glow with a slight warmth whenever he saw how much she cared for him.

Since the day after the incident, he realised she truly was a strange one. She seemed flighty, almost airheaded at times, like when her curiosity got the better of her and she touched the floppy disk containing all the photos he had of Saeran, leading Seven to lash out at her and tell her to mind her own business for the umpteen time...

Yet there where times she seemed acutely sharp, always seemingly able to see through his 707 persona- to look deep within him and see Saeyoung.

‘No. What she was attracted to was the 707 she could fool around with in the chat rooms. Not this horrible person I truly am...not Saeyoung.’

Heading back to his corner, Seven tried to settle back into work.. but his thoughts keep bringing him back to MC. He had never wanted to see her like this. He recalls what he managed to see in that short moment they had eye contact- the reddened, swollen eyes, tear-stained face. It ripped his heart to shreds knowing he did this to her.

During that moment, there was a part of him that wanted nothing more than to apologise to her, scoop her up in his arms and kiss all the tears away, whispering apologies and sweet nothings to her as he showed her that he cared for her just as deeply as she did him.

On the other hand, the other side of him wanted to bolt out of the apartment. So that he could never hurt her again- that way she could forget about him sooner.

At this very moment, all he could think about was how much of a jerk he was- how he really could never stand in the sun with someone as radiant as her.

He was filth.

Head pounding, he sighs, slipping his headphones on- well aware this might make his headache worse, but he still blasts the music anyway, as though he’s looking for some internal form of self-punishment.

Minutes had probably turn to hours, the sun had long since risen, already hanging a little lower in the sky. Seven cracks open another can of Dr.pepper, his tongue a little numb from the constant combination of Honey Buddha chips and his favourite beverage. Idly he realises the last proper meal he had ......was the same time as MC’s. That fact makes him straighten up. He had at least some semblance of nourishment over these last two days- what about her?

He started to feel ashamed of his actions, more so, his inactions. Had he truly been so wrapped up with work and trying to push her away, that he failed to check if her basic needs were met? Whipping out the phone that had been stowed away in his oversized hoodies’ pockets, he fires off a private message to her.

- ‘Are U awake?’

...he stares at the phone expectantly, waiting for her reply.

Only the reply doesn’t come.

‘...maybe she’s asleep. ‘ He quietly thinks to himself. The idea to hack into her phone crosses his mind, but he stops himself. If he does hack into her phone, not only would it be a telling sign of his occupational hazards, it might also be a serious breach of her trust....but from the way she used to flirt with him on the messenger, she sure gave the impression that she might not be totally against the idea of him sneaking a peek or two at her.

He brushes the thought away, absentmindedly rubs his face and ugh, he feels greasy and gross- he himself was in dire need of a shower, as he’d clearly neglected himself these last few days- well, maybe the days before these as well. The man took terrible care of himself once the momentum of work was in full swing.

Phone still clutched in his left hand, he starts looking up food delivery options. He couldn’t care less about himself, but was growing more concerned about MC- he won’t have her starving herself, not on his watch! He mutters the various food options he sees on the screen, wondering what would be a good choice. “........bibimbap? Kimbap? Ah maybe something different like western or....fast food?.........hnnnnnn Indian food? What would it be.....hmmmmm...”

“WOAHH”

Her voice booms from the phone and he yelps, fumbling about with the phone. He quickly holds the phone against his ear.

“is this a miracle?! Are you finally going to eat something?!” She exclaims, voice a littler higher due to excitement and he winces from the loud volume, pulling the phone away slightly.

“MC?? How come you’re on the pho- ahhh. I did it again didn’t I?? Ahhhhhhh I need to stop dialling you ahhhhhhh” he groans as he slaps his forehead. The sound elicits giggles from her, and his heart does little somersaults in response.

“Dawwwww did you truly miss little old me thaaattt much?”

Why Yes. Yes he did.

“I know choosing what to eat might be difficult.... but you didn’t have to call y’know- cause ...dundundun! Here I am!”

Right as she says that, the door to her room swings open and she jumps out of the room, one arm up in the air, the other holding the phone to her ear, presenting herself. To Seven, it seems like light has returned, and she’s brought a gust of fresh air with her- her joyful bearings seemed to alleviate that pounding headache he’s been having. Only now does he realise that he’s finally relaxed his furrowed brow.

“Ta-dahhhh~!” She says, and Seven can’t resist clapping for her, then mentally slapping himself for going along with her antics. Hadn’t he resolved to push her away, not show the slightest form of affection for her? But ahhh, how could he have possibly resisted that??

She brings her arm down and does a little bow for him, then patters over towards his corner, dressed in a large, long sleeved shirt and pyjama bottoms with animal prints all over. Her short umber hair a messy cloud, sticking up in weird tufts, being uncooperative with her as she gently combs through her bed-head. Being so stupidly adorable- he notes. As she nears him, she stills herself, before awkwardly sitting at the far end of the couch. “So, uh, I’m here to....help?” She says as she smiles widely, exaggerating for him. He resists the urge to chuckle, and tries to go back to his ‘serious, no nonsense, leave-me-alone’ persona...then he remembers whatever happened during his last interaction with her, and tells himself that he doesn’t have to be that much of an ass. He clears his throat, noting that her eyes were now downcast, but always sneaking glances at him.

“Well, I guess it’s good you’re here, I was about to order food for us-speaking of which, I hope you aren’t starving yourself. You shouldn’t bother with me, but you should make sure to eat, to take care of yourself, or the rest would worry about you..”

“Hmm, I know! You don’t have to worry about me too, Seven~” she sighs “I can handle myself too.” Her voice seemed laced with a barely noticeable tinge of sadness at that last statement.

Worried, Seven finds himself at a loss for words, he hadn’t had time to think about how to act around her, and as the awkward atmosphere nearly makes a comeback, her belly makes its presence known on cue with a small, but audible rumble. A slight pink blossoms on her cheeks, and they stare at each other, before casting a sheepish look his way.

“bibimbap sounds good right about now though...”

He darts his eyes away from her and disguises his chuckle as a grunt,signalling his approval in her choice, rapidly scrolling away on his laptop, searching for bibimbap...and it takes every fibre of his being maximum effort to hold back the laugh that nearly escaped him, as her blush turns from pink to scarlet.

——————-

Thank you again for reading! And thank you to @emberchoihan for your comment on my previous post :)

[postpunkindustrial]

MASTER BOOT RECORD - FLOPPY DISK OVERDRIVE

http://masterbootrecord.bandcamp.com/album/floppy-disk-overdrive

[darkarfs]

May as well, unless a WAY GREAT album comes out this month. I've done a lot of walking, and a lot of listening. I've had nothing but time, most of it spent in my own head. I'll elaborate on that as best I can, when I can. But I can make a list. No order. (Some missing...still haven't heard the new Boris, Insect Ark, Pallbearer, Inter Arma...lots to hear this year. A bit overwhelming.)

Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin Kynsi Thundercat - It Is What It Is (still hate that title) The Mountain Goats - Getting Into Knives Bohren & Der Club of Gore - Patchouli Blue Igorrr - Spirituality and Distortion Kiln - Astral Welder Tobacco - Hot, Wet and Sassy Emily A. Sprague - Hill, Flower, Fog Elisa Ambrogio - 2020 Neptunian Maximalism – Éons Sparks - A Steady Drip Drip Drip Run the Jewels - RTJ4 MASTER BOOT RECORD - FLOPPY DISK OVERDRIVE Kesha - High Road (not perfect, but I listened to it a lot) Paradise Lost - Obsidian (likewise) Open Mike Eagle - Anime, Trauma and Divorce King Buzzo and Trevor Dunn - Gift of Sacrifice Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters

[holeinyoureye]

[Not Metal But Music]

Master Boot Record - Floppy Disk Overdrive (2020)

7/10

[bizarrobrain]

"SMARTDRV.EXE" by Master Boot Record - From "Floppy Disk Overdrive" (2020)

[doom-eternal-cheat-codes-o9]

doom eternal cheat codes hack EK47!

💾 ►►► DOWNLOAD FILE 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 All weapons are unlocked and mastered, and all equipment is unlocked. Unused Mod Bots will not be accessible. Player has infinite Extra Lives. To use a code, launch Doom Eternal, select 'Campaign' followed by your save. Choose 'Mission Select' to bring up the list of missions you've. There are 14 Doom Eternal Cheat Codes to collect, including one that's not actually found hiding in a campaign mission. City // Infinite Lives cheat code location When you get to the section where you first encounter a tentacle, you'll notice a question mark. Unlike previous games, the cheat codes of Doom Eternal are collectible items that must be discovered before they become usable. They appear as floppy disks with designs appropriate to their corresponding cheat. To activate an unlocked code, choose the Mission Select option from the main menu and pick the desired codes from the "Cheat Codes" menu. Cheat codes can only be used on previously cleared missions and will hide Slayer Keys when active, but any other collectibles found with cheat codes active will still count towards game progression. While a cheat code is active, objects that would conflict with the cheat's function cannot be used for example, runestones cannot be interacted with while the All Runes cheat is in effect. Collecting every cheat code will unlock the ability to play the original Doom on the Slayer 's computer in the Fortress of Doom. It will also complete the "Reforged the Genie Lamp" achievement and tick off its corresponding milestone. Some cheat codes are only available in the main campaign due to their restricted applicability. Cheats are not available when playing Master Levels or in Horde Mode. Skip to Content Skip to Navigation. Log in Create account. Page Discussion Edit this page History. From DoomWiki. Categories : Doom Eternal Cheating Lists. Improve DoomWiki. Quasar made an edit on 15 July Terms of Use. Related changes. Permanent link. What links here. Mobile view. Search DoomWiki. Hell on Earth. Gain the effects of Sentinel armor for the entire mission, significantly reducing damage taken by the player. Staggered enemies die instantly when hit by projectiles, explosions, the flame belch , or dashing. All weapons have unlimited ammo, except for the Crucible as of Update 2 and the Sentinel Hammer. All weapons and equipment are unlocked and mastered. Gain an unlimited Onslaught effect for the entire mission, multiplying all damage inflicted by four. Gain an unlimited Overdrive effect for the entire mission, giving unlimited ammo for most weapons excluding the Crucible, BFG , Unmaykr and Sentinel Hammer and increasing the player's movement and weapon firing speeds. Demons will not drop health or armor on death, forcing the player to rely only on pre-placed pickups to survive. Completing a mission with this cheat and no others active awards the Hell on Earth podium and the "Master of Fasting" achievement. Demons are staggered instantly when hit by projectiles, explosions, the flame belch, or dashing. Does not work on bosses. Gain an unlimited Berserk effect for the entire mission, allowing enemies to be killed bare-handed with one hit. Unlocks all runes. Unlocks all perks for the Praetor suit. Upload a new image. Recent changes Special pages About. Random page Help Disclaimers Recent changes Random page.

[cleverbroadwayurl]

A Heinous Night (Michael Mell x Heere!Reader)

A/N: Call me crazy but I saw an ask-robo for this like months ago, and I loved the idea! Plus I’m a slut for any character getting protective, so I decided to sit my butt down and write it out! (Also @robot-anon said it was okay to tag them!) I tried to be gender neutral, so if I made a mistake with pronouns, let me know! 

Trigger Warnings: drug use, mentions of sexual assault, anxiety symptoms, mentions of vomit, vomit, hospitals, Jeremy being a dick because of a demonic floppy disk, language

“Get out of my sight, loser,” Jeremy said, a large circuit-like flash pulsating through his eyes. But just because the SQUIP was controlling him doesn’t mean that his words didn’t hurt. Michael’s chest ached as Jeremy walked away, red solo cup in hand.

Weed generally calmed Michael down, but the smoke from it around the room made him feel like he was suffocating. He decided to sit on the couch for a second to collect his thoughts. Unfortunately, a Halloween party was not the place to do it. No one would shut up, the music was too loud, he could see people moving faster and faster. The world was spinning, and everything looked blurry. Michael needed a way out.

Luckily, Jake’s house was pretty easy to navigate, even with all the wasted high schoolers dancing around him. A strobe light flashed in his face, and Michael jumped back in surprise and fear, his whole world becoming even more disorienting.

When he found the bathroom at the edge of the stairs on the second floor of the Dillinger household, he breathed a sigh of relief. Michael quickly twisted the knob, getting ready to have a little release, or something similar to a breakdown, in the bathroom. Tears were already starting to form in his eyes, as he tried his hardest to open the door.

The door wouldn’t budge. It was like it was caught on something. Or locked, Michael thought.

He started banging on the door, harder and harder, just trying to get whatever couple was in there having sex to get out goddamn it he needed the bathroom! He only faltered when he heard some kind of sniffling.

And then he remembered Jeremy’s final word, that gut-wrenching “loser”. He remembered that the only people here were drunk teenagers and he definitely needed the bathroom more than they did. There are coat closets and rooms to have sex or puke in, people! He started banging on the door, more aggressively this time.

“GO AWAY!” A voice shouted back at him. Taking a large gulp and some deep breaths, Michael tried to focus on the words he was going to say instead of the ever-blurry world around him. He needed to get into that bathroom. He needed a place to have a breakdown where no one could see him.

“Hey I really need to come in I…uhh…I-I’m on the verge of a panic attack.”

As if time were moving in slow motion, the door clicked. Michael began to cry tears of joy and panic. Thank god whoever was in there opened the door. They were the nicest, best, person in the world, even though it took Michael what seemed like hours to get through to them. As the door opened wider, it revealed you.

You, as in, (Y/N) Heere: Jeremy’s twin sibling. Honestly, Michael didn’t expect you to be at this party. Maybe your friends had invited you, who knows, but Michael felt a moment of relief to see a friendly face. Sure, it was the face of someone who was related to his now ex-best-friend, but you were better than some random asshole who took forever to open the door.

You had dressed up as your favorite character in honor of the holiday, but the costume looked a little disheveled. Parts of it were torn, and the top of it was soaked with some kind of fluid. Michael definitely did not want to know whatever the heck that was. He also couldn’t help but see a little bit of himself in you.

It was kind of frightening, honestly. You mirrored Michael’s exact stance, the tears, and even his fidgeting fingers perfectly. The only difference was it seemed like your fight or flight instinct had been kicked into overdrive. Your eyes darted around the room, looking anywhere and everywhere.

“(Y/N)?” Michael finally spoke as he closed the door behind him. He was still shaky on his feet, but you seemed like you needed someone more than he did. The boy pulled you into a small embrace after asking if it was okay with you. He mostly asked because he also needed a hug, but that’s beside the point.

“Are you okay?” He asked as you hugged him tightly, as if he was your lifeline.

He could feel you starting to get heavier in his grasp, and your initial tight hug was becoming more and more loose. Something was definitely not right here. You were not the one to normally freak out at parties, and if you were, you could always maintain your composure better than you were at the moment.

“I drank something…and I feel funny,” you said, the last little bit becoming a mumble against Michael’s shoulder. You were dropping to the ground, and you anticipated falling. However, Michael was not one to let go that easily. He steadied you while maintaining the hug.

“Is that so?” Michael asked in return, his mind racing with anger instead of panic. He pulled back, only slightly so he could keep you upright, to see your eyes get droopy. You were also starting to stumble, even though the two of you had not moved.

“Fuck (Y/N), let’s get you out of here.”

You nodded, but Michael only got blurrier. He was hard to keep track of without his red hoodie on, that’s for sure. He escorted you out of the bathroom, pulling your arm around his neck, and asking if he could put his other hand on your hip to hold you steady.

The two of you successfully got to the stairs, and managed to walk down them without too much trouble. As you reached the bottom of the stairs, you could see the edges of your vision get blurry, and your head became heavy. You knew that you were going to black out soon.

You could’ve sworn that you heard your brother’s voice calling out, but you couldn’t focus on that. This was urgent, and you needed to stay awake in order to get to Michael’s car. That was priority number 1. Because once you were in Michael’s car, you were safe.

When the two of you reached Michael’s P.T. Cruiser, you were already gone. Michael reclined the passenger seat so it was at an angle instead of upright. That way, if you vomited while you were passed out, you wouldn’t choke to death. He set you down in the seat and buckled you before running to the driver’s side.

He quickly started the car and then realized he had absolutely no fucking clue on what to do. High school health had taught him that if someone was drunk enough to be throwing up and passed out, they should go to the hospital. But what about drugs? And, more importantly, what about date rape drugs? What the fuck was he supposed to do?

Michael acted quickly, deciding that the best thing for you was to take you to the hospital. If that’s what you did for alcohol, it was better to be safe than sorry. He put the car into gear before speeding off into the night, not caring if he was going 5 or 25 over the speed limit.

It took Michael 20 minutes to get to the hospital. He carried you inside, laying your head upright on his shoulder, and carrying you bridal-style into the E.R. He decided in the car that this was the best way to carry you. It wasn’t harsh, and it would prevent you from choking again. As soon as he walked in, nurses took you into a separate room, and began working.

He was told to wait.

That killed him. He had done all this work, put in all this effort, and yet? Nothing. He was doing all these good deeds: researching the SQUIP, trying to help Jeremy, and fucking saving Jeremy’s twin’s life after he was a total dick to him. And what did he get in response? Waiting.

An hour passed, and still Michael heard nothing. He sat, unmoving, and still panicky. He was starting to hate the smell of the hospital, the drab walls, the fluorescent lights, the way everything beeped, and the fact that he literally could not get a snack without leaving the place. And he couldn’t leave. You needed him.

An hour turned into several hours, and Michael couldn’t seem to find sleep, no matter what position he put himself in. As time went on, he heard more and more nurses talking to one another about some fire.

“Luckily no one was too badly injured. Just that poor boy who started the fire himself.”

“Oh, that’s terrible. On Halloween too.”

“Yes, but I suppose you never really know with the Dillinger’s,” one of the nurses sighed.

There was silence for a minute. A fire? At the Dillinger household? It was definitely something that could happen on Halloween. With the night’s events, Michael wouldn’t be surprised if it was Rich who started the fire. Or even Jeremy. Fuck Jeremy.

And that was another thing, if Jeremy cared so much as to why Michael was taking his sibling out of the party, hand on their waist, then he would’ve followed. If Jeremy cared, he would’ve noticed that someone had spiked (Y/N)’s drink. If Jeremy cared, he would be at the hospital right now, apologizing to the two people that mattered the most in his life. If Jeremy cared, he would’ve kept watch over his twin, and would have not called Michael a ‘loser’ as he so charmingly did.

Another hour past, and still Michael could not sleep. He really, truly, just hoped he could see you soon. There had been no word or gossip about you, just about the fire, and he was starting to get antsy. Were you really that bad? And if you were, why was he not allowed to see you? Because dear god, did he want to see you. He wanted to tell you that everything was over, and you’d made it out safely. He wanted to give all of the positive emotions he had because this was in no way fair to you. He also really just wanted to be able to take you home, and go home himself.

“Michael Mell?” a nurse called into the waiting room.

His head shot up, and he rushed over to the nurse, sleep deprivation making him feel faster than he actually was. “Is everything okay? Are they okay?”

“Yes, they’re going to be just fine. We normally don’t allow people other than family members to see patients after visiting hours, but, we made an exception for you since we could not get ahold of their parent or sibling. It seems you are the only person to look after Mx. Heere tonight.”  

The nurse led him back into the maze (it really was, Michael was impressed that the nurse could navigate it so easily), and to a small room with your name plastered up on the door. As soon as he could, Michael walked in, so relieved that he could finally see you.

And god did you look…weak. You were pale, your body stiff, and your eyes were shut. An IV was hooked up to your hand and pumped clear fluid into your veins. Any makeup had been removed, and it was honestly the first time that Michael’s heart had ached so much for you.

“They’re asleep,” the nurse said, halting Michael’s train of thought. “They’ll probably wake up soon.”

The nurse gave him a soft smile before exiting the room. Michael glanced at the clock. 4:24 in the morning. God, he’d been here for almost four hours. But it was worth it. You were safe, and you were going to be okay.

Michael sat down in the hospital chair, finally feeling like he could sleep. Normally, the boy was a heavy sleeper, but tonight was different. He slept lightly, and any noise that either you or the machines around you made would wake him up. He really wanted to be there for you when you woke up. He felt like it was his mission; his duty.

He’d moved the chair over so he could be closer to you. He grabbed your hand and began to rub soothing circles on it with his thumb. Michael was asleep within minutes after the last beeping machine had been silenced.

Michael jolted awake to you groaning as you winced at the bright lights.

“Michael?” you asked, still wincing from the fluorescents.

“I’m here. Do you need anything? Water? Some food?”

“First of all, you’re not here. I’m Heere. Second, water would be nice, and third, what are you doing in my hospital room?”

“Do you want me to leave?” He asked, immediately letting go of your hand and turning to leave.

“What? No! I’m just surprised. I thought you’d leave. I know Jeremy’s been a major jackass lately.”

“You’re not Jeremy.”

You gave the biggest smile you could before letting your face fall back to neutral. “Fuck I’m tired,” you sighed.

“Yeah, I kinda figured. How are you feeling?” Michael asked, taking your hand back into his own. He knew that you were probably freaked out. Hospitals, drugs, and the idea that they could’ve been assaulted were not exactly comforting thoughts.

“Like I got hit by a truck. A nice big fat ass cement truck.”

He looked down for a second. “I’m sorry.”

“For what? You saved my life, dude. Thank you.”  

“I didn’t—”

“Yes you did, Mell. Seriously, thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Michael said, a sad smile forming on his lips. This was the first time he’d seen you so scared, and now so relieved. This wasn’t fair to you. You didn’t deserve to be treated like an object. You deserved respect, kindness, and someone who listened. And if Jeremy wasn’t going to save you tonight, Michael was glad that he did.

“Could I get that water?” You asked, your eyes big and voice small.

“Fuck, I forgot. Let me get the nurse for you.”

“Michael, I have a call button. It’s okay.”

“Right. I definitely forgot.”

“But…would you be willing to…I don’t know…”

“Tell the nurse what you want?”

“Yeah.”

“Of course.”

“Good, because I already pressed the button and the nurse is on their way,” you joked, that small smile from before on your lips.

When the nurse got there, Michael spoke for you. You shot him a good of gratitude, and squeezed his hand. It was a warm gesture. It was a way for you to say thank you once again.

The nurse came back with your water and some painkillers, and placed the table closer to you so you wouldn’t have to lift up the cup (you probably weren’t strong enough for that anyways). You tried to sit up on your own, but failed the first time. The second time you tried, Michael gently, as if you were made of glass, supported your back forward so you could take a drink.

The minute you took a sip, you felt a little better. It was something in your stomach other than the drinks you’d had before, and you were feeling a little dehydrated.

When you were done with the water, Michael helped you lay back down, and you were a little bit content. He grabbed your hand again, and gave it a squeeze.

It had been a wild night. The bathroom, getting drugged, Michael helping you, Jeremy being an asshole, walking out of the party, the hospital, and everything tying up to this moment that you were experiencing now. It was hard to believe that you had left the party just 6 hours ago. But you were grateful for Michael. He could’ve just left you there, but instead, he managed to keep you safe.

At 7:26 in the morning, you were released from the hospital. They actually wheeled you out to Michael’s car. He helped you climb in, and he climbed into the driver’s seat. He took one last look out the window, to see the nurse who had wheeled you out, give the biggest smile they could before walking back into the hospital. Something told him that it was a thank you for bringing his friend there instead of letting someone, or himself, take advantage of them.

Michael glanced over at you, and you were already fast asleep, your head resting on the car window. He put on some quiet music, and began to drive you home.

It took him a little over 45 minutes to drive you home. He went extra careful over any bumps and drove anywhere from 5 to 10 miles per hour under the speed limit. Surprisingly, Michael was calm. He was at peace with himself, even though he was still mad at Jeremy. But helping you made him feel good. It made him believe that he had purpose. He was a hero to you.

When you got to your house, Michael did not want to wake you up. You’d had a hard night, and he absolutely wanted to leave you sleeping. So, he did. He picked you up bridal-style once more, and carried you inside. He found your room, and placed you on your bed, covering you in your blanket. As soon as Michael was going to turn around, he heard an all too familiar voice behind him.

“What the fuck happened with my sibling?” Jeremy asked, the tinge of teal gone.

“I didn’t do anything. I actually saved them, unlike you.”

Jeremy’s gaze got even angrier, his face turning bright red. Michael stepped passed Jeremy and walked downstairs into the Heere’s living room. If the two were going to fight, he wanted to do it away from you. You had already been through enough, and he wanted to let you sleep.

Jeremy was close behind, and he was only getting angrier. “You saved them?! Michael, it’s pretty clear that you fucking took advantage of them!”

“What?! No way, dude! Someone dosed their drink!”

“You wanted to get back at me, so you fucking used my sibling!”

“I didn’t! If you actually cared, you would’ve come with us to the hospital!”

“Yeah right! You knew they were drunk, so you whisked them away!!”

“That’s not at all what happened! You were being a prick and I found them in the bathroom!”

“You found them?! Was there anybody else with you?”

“No, why would there be?!”

“I don’t know! Maybe you were looking for a place where there would be nobody around so you could fucking do something! Don’t play stupid with me, Mell. You messed with the wrong twins!”

“I! DIDN’T! DO! ANYTHING!”

“Really? I’m supposed to believe that? Michael, you left the party, they were drunk, and wow, the next morning, you show up carrying them into their room like it’s no fucking big deal!”

“You could’ve come with us, if you actually cared for once.”

“You think I don’t care about (Y/N)?! What kind of dumbass accusation is that?!”

“Well, considering last night you basically tried to grab them out of my grip. Yeah, fun fact Jer, if you would’ve succeeded, you could’ve killed your sibling!”

“I was just trying to keep them safe!”

“Some job you were doing at that, you know, leaving them in the bathroom to fend for themselves!”

“I didn’t know that they were in the bathroom!”

“Yeah? Did you also know that they were crying?”

“You know what? Enough of this! I’m done with you making me feel like shit when you were the one who had sex with my sibling while they were too intoxicated to consent!”

“We didn’t have sex!”

The minute Michael yelled that out, he could hear quick footsteps on the second floor. They were loud, the person not caring how much noise they were making. And there was no way that they were Mr. Heere’s. Michael knew it could only mean one thing: you were awake.

“Nice job, Jer. You woke up your own sibling,” he said, glaring at the boy before walking up the stairs to make sure you were okay.

Jeremy followed, not too far behind, but immediately stopped when he saw Michael comforting you as you threw up last night’s drinks. He held your hair, and softly rubbed your back. As soon as you were done, you slumped down into Michael’s grip, and he just sat with you as you cried.

“Hey, (Y/N), you okay?” Jeremy asked, his eyes becoming soft as he looked at you.

You shook your head slightly before letting out another sob. Michael continued rubbing your back, and looked at Jeremy coldly. “Do you want Jeremy to get you some water?”

“Yeah.”

“Jeremy, you heard your twin. Make yourself useful. For once.”

The two of you sat in the bathroom, and you got bitter flashbacks of the night before. You could remember Michael leading you out of the party, but that was all you could remember. Well that, plus the saltiness of the drug on your lips. You hadn’t tasted it when you consumed the drink, but you could definitely taste it now. You vaguely remembered the hospital, but you had lost hours of memory. What happened in those hours? You had no clue.

“Michael?” you asked, your head against his chest.

“Yeah?”

“What happened last night? At the party?”

Jeremy had gotten your water, but stood just outside the doorway to your guys’ shared bathroom. He wanted to hear what you had to say because he had a feeling that Michael lied to him and used you.

“I took you to the emergency room. You were really out of it before we even left the party, and completely gone by the time we got to the hospital.”

“And that’s all?”

“That’s all.”

“So, when I woke up there this morning, I had been there for hours?”

“Yep. It took them about 5 hours to get you stable. Nothing else happened.”

When Jeremy heard that you had remembered being at the hospital, his heart sunk. Michael had been telling the truth. He really did take you to the hospital, and he really did save your life. And maybe you weren’t just drunk. Maybe someone had dosed your drink. And that person was definitely not Michael. Jeremy carefully stepped into the doorway, holding a large glass of water.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks,” Michael snapped.

As soon as you were asleep and situated back into your own bed, Jeremy decided that now would be a good time to talk to Michael. The two went back downstairs into the living room.

“Dude, I messed up. I’m sorry. Thank you for taking care of my sibling. I had no idea how bad they were hurting.”

“Apology accepted. I guess.”

“I just—I get protective sometimes, you know? I mean, I didn’t want to believe that someone would stoop low enough to drug their drink. And I’ve told them so many times that if they ever go to a party to make sure to not let their drink out of their sight.”

“Are you really victim blaming your own sibling?” Michael asked, his eyes only getting darker.

“What? No! God no! I honestly didn’t think this would ever happen. I just gave them advice to be safe, but apparently even that wasn’t good enough.”

Michael sighed at his friend before looking him in the eyes. Yes, Jeremy did not deserve comfort based on the past 24 hours, but Michael could see the hurt.

“You couldn’t have prevented it,” Michael said after a minute or two. “I mean, I guess it’s a good thing that you called me a loser last night, otherwise I wouldn’t have found (Y/N).”

“That was not cool of my either. I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking.”

“You weren’t thinking.”

Jeremy flinched as if a shock went through him. He just stared at the ground, contemplating his next move. And suddenly, without any warning, Jeremy went down into his basement, not a word leaving his lips.

Michael knew Jeremy wasn’t mad, but he had read somewhere that SQUIPs often made people do weird things. He assumed it was something he could never understand, and decided to check up on you.

When Michael entered your room once more, he just stood in the doorway and watched you sleep. You definitely looked stronger and more like yourself. He stood there and sighed. As much as he wanted to trust Jeremy to take care of you, he knew that wasn’t going to happen.

But Michael also knew that he couldn’t stay. He had so much more research to do, homework, and some errands to run. He hoped that you’d feel better, and that everything would be fine, even though Jeremy was being a major dick.

So, he wrote you a note. It was fast, he had essentially scribbled on a slip of paper, but it was better than leaving you alone with the selfish boy who’d planted himself downstairs and the in basement, with the volume way too loud. He left it on your nightstand, right on top of your phone. That way, you’d see it and had the ability to know he was there for you, even if he couldn’t be there physically.

Michael made his way to your front door, feeling guilty about leaving the Heere household when there was more he could’ve done. He placed his hand on the knob before hearing a small “You’re going?”

The boy never whipped around faster in his life. There you stood, at the top of the stairs, eyes wide and stance weak.

“Uhh, yeah. Unless you need me to do something else?”

“Can you just stay for a little while longer? I know that’s really selfish to ask but—you know what? Never mind. You should get some rest. I know my brother and I aren’t exactly the kindest people. Especially with that stupid…” your aspirin that the nurse had given you had worn off just enough to make your head hurt with each passing thought. Thinking harder felt like what Jeremy described when that stupid thing implanted itself in his brain, “pill floppy disk thingy. I understand. You should go,” you said, turning away.

Michael’s heart sank. He definitely had stuff to get done, but you probably needed him more than a stupid essay for English class.

“Let me run home, change, and then grab some stuff, okay? Do you want anything from 7/11?”

“A snack would be great. And maybe something caffeinated? Literally anything. You could buy me generic brand soda, and I’d be okay with it.”

“On it. I’ll see you in a bit, okay? Get some rest while I’m gone.”

“Okay. Bye Michael,” you said as you walked back into your room to take anther nap.

Luckily, the nausea had passed, and you were able to relax a little bit. And while you knew Michael was coming back, you missed the company as if you’d be fending for yourself for months. It would be nice to have someone there with you besides the other Heere. However, you were willing to be patient. You took Michael’s recommendation and decided to lay down for a little bit, and if sleep happened, then it happened. If not? Who really cared anyways?

Your eyes fluttered open to find a dash of red in your vision. It was close by, but not too close. You blinked a few times, realizing that it was Michael. He sat with his legs crossed, and his back against your bed as he worked on his laptop.

“Hey dude,” you hummed, smiling. You were happy to be in good company again. “What time is it?”

“It’s 2 PM. And I’m happy to see that you got some sleep. I put your stuff right by your bed, but I can whip it up so it’s right next to you, if that makes things easier.”

You nodded, your smile only growing from gratitude. “Thanks, Michael.”

“You’re welcome, (Y/N).”

You sat, eating your snack while checking your phone. The two of you sat in comfortable silence, just enjoying the other’s presence. Why didn’t you hang out with Michael more? He was a good friend, and always cared for the ones he liked. While he never said anything out loud about it, you could always sense through his actions that he would always be there, no matter what. Like last night, when he helped you, no questions asked. Or like he was doing right now: researching the SQUIP so he could get his friend back. Okay, so the last one was a little selfish, but it’s not like you could stop the SQUIP. You tried last week, and Jeremy ended up ignoring you, just like he was ignoring Michael now.

“Is that new information on the SQUIP?” you asked, eyeing the boy’s computer screen.

“Yeah. Your brother is a real tool right now.”

“Oh, I know,” you rolled your eyes, “He told me the other day that it ‘isn’t cool’ to hang out with your sibling. Then he called me an asshat, who calls someone that, before flipping me off and going into his room.”

“What a prick.”

“I know!”

There was silence in the room again as you began to think. You definitely wanted that thing out of Jeremy’s brain as soon as possible. Pretty soon, he was going to ask you if you wanted one. And then, that would lead to more events like last night. And you definitely couldn’t take any more nights like that.

Ugh, last night. How disgusting and utterly humiliating it was. Why did you even decide to go to that party? Who convinced you? Who in their right mind thought that it was okay to not only hand you a drink, but drug that drink? What were you thinking?

“Whatcha thinking about up there?” Michael asked, glancing at you for a second. You caught the concern in his voice, and quickly remembered that you had somewhat of a breakdown in the bathroom earlier in the day (wow, two for two. It’s been a bad weekend).

“Last night,” you said simply, eyes still a little glazed over.

He got quiet, but a new kind of quiet. The kind where he didn’t know what to say, and it was kind of awkward. He pitied you. He really did. No one deserves the kind of treatment you received by that dick who dosed you last night. No one wants to be drugged against their will.

“Hey, thanks again for saving me by the way.”

“Don’t even worry about it,” Michael said, a small smile forming as he looked back at you.

You began to replay the moments you remembered in your head. You frowned when you realized that Michael had pushed aside taking care of himself to take care of you. Barely anyone did that, especially now that your brother was under the influence some weird sci-fi USB drive.

“Hey, do you like, want to take a nap?” You asked Michael, wanting to return some of the favor.

“That sounds amazing.”

“Cool. I’ll make room up here. I’m a little gross, but I promise I don’t bite.”

“What?! Oh…I can uhh…sleep on the couch if you want?”

“Downstairs? No way Mell, you’d be in target of the gremlin that currently lives in the basement.”

“Did you just call your twin a gremlin?”

“I’m not wrong, am I?” you giggled.

“Not even in the slightest.”

You shifted over and unfolded the blanket so Michael could join you. The two of you grabbed the blanket and covered yourselves, absolutely loving the warmth it gave off, when you noticed that you were trapped between Michael and the wall. “And this way,” you started, a small smirk on your face, “if I throw up again, you’re a direct hit.”

“Wow thanks! It’s what I always wanted to be: (Y/N) Heere’s designated puke catcher.”

“I know! That’s why I gave you a stellar promotion,” you said, trying to hide your laughter.

As soon as the two of you got comfortable, you both drifted off to sleep. Michael had unconsciously slipped his arm under you, and pulled you in so that your head was resting against his chest. You were half awake at the time, and happily accepted his invite to cuddle. He was warm, and only held you with the lightest touch.

Jeremy came upstairs by 5 PM to check on you, and there you were, asleep with his best friend. And the only thing that crossed Jeremy’s mind was: why in the world is (Y/N) sleeping in that awkward position alone?

[bandcampfire]

Master Boot Record - Floppy Disk Overdrive

FLOPPY DISK OVERDRIVE by MASTER BOOT RECORD

[metalshockfinland]

MASTER BOOT RECORD Reveals Details For New Album, ‘Floppy Disk Overdrive’

MASTER BOOT RECORD Reveals Details For New Album, ‘Floppy Disk Overdrive’

On March 20th, MASTER BOOT RECORD will release his Metal Blade Records debut, ‘Floppy Disk Overdrive’.

There are few truly unique musical artists, but the music made by MBR arguably exists in a category of its own. “The main elements include chiptune, demoscene & video game music, thrash/death metal and some black metal as well as classical and symphonic patterns and progressive structures,” exp…