#Free & Equal

[chososcamgirl]

(SHE’S) JUST A PHASE CHAPTER FOUR: holy waters

masterlist

“Give it up for Miss Ayesha Erotica, everyone!” Yn announced with infectious enthusiasm over the radio waves.

Miwa, sporting vibrant teal hair and an equally vibrant grin, followed up with theatrical flair, “God, I love emo boy!”

Yn shot her a smirk. “Well, I’m pretty sure that’s a sentiment we can all get behind, right?”

Miwa didn’t miss a beat, her excitement bubbling over as she declared, “No Yn, I really, really love emo boys!”, being sure to enunciate the s at the end.

Yn’s face contorts as a picture of Megumi flashes through her mind.“That makes one of us,” Yn quipped, “but I see your point.”

“Seriously, though,” Miwa said, barely containing her glee, “today is shaping up to be amazing!”

Yn arched an eyebrow skeptically. “Oh? Do tell.”

Miwa’s eyes sparkled with mischief as she revealed, “Because Tridant has graced us with 10 free tickets to their show this Saturday, and we’re giving them away!”

Yn’s face twisted into a mix of dread and disbelief, her jaw nearly hitting the studio floor. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered into the mic, trying to cover her panic with a forced grin. “Trident? You know I’d rather listen to nails on a chalkboard.”

Miwa’s eyes widened in playful astonishment. “Huh, since when did you become such a critic?”

Yn leaned over and mouthed, “Just roll with it.”

Miwa nodded, her grin widening. “I know, but that’s exactly why this is going to be hilarious. We’re going to make someone’s day—and maybe even get you to enjoy yourself.”

Yn groaned dramatically. “Alright, but if I have to endure this concert, you owe me a full day of Solange on the station.”

Miwa clapped her hands together, her laughter echoing. “Deal! Alright, listeners, if you want a shot at these coveted tickets, call in now and tell us why you’re the ultimate Tridant fan. And don’t forget to shout out how much you adore these emo boys!”

As the phone lines lit up with eager callers, YN slumped back in her chair, torn between dread and reluctant amusement. Despite her best efforts to look disgruntled, she couldn’t help but be drawn in by Miwa’s infectious enthusiasm. And she knew Twitter would have a field day with this one—especially with a certain raven-haired boy likely to make an appearance in the trending topics.

“Megumi, get off your phone! We need to practice otherwise Gojo will be up our asses!” Yuta barked, his voice cutting through the cluttered practice room like a drill sergeant.

The space was strewn with old gear, tangled cables, and random junk, making it look like a tornado had hit a music store. Yuta, already in dad mode, stormed out, his footsteps echoing off the mismatched walls as he went in search of something crucial.

“Yeah, but Toge’s on his phone too,” Megumi shot back, his fingers still scrolling through his screen, barely lifting his gaze.

“Yeah, but nobody gives a fuck about him,” Yuji interjected from the corner of the room, where he was perched on a drum stool, grinning like he’d just won a prize.

“Suck my dick ,” Toge retorted, his white hair bouncing as he turned, looking genuinely miffed.

Megumi rolled his eyes with exaggerated drama, reluctantly shoving his phone into his back pocket. He could feel the buzzing vibrations through his jeans and couldn’t help but smirk, taking a twisted pleasure in the fact that he was managing to irk you.

“Ugh, Megumi, why are you grinning like that? A jumpscare warning would’ve been nice,” Toge commented, half-annoyed, half-amused, from his spot by the amp.

“Go fuck yourself,” Megumi snapped back, his smugness evaporating into a gruff irritation.

Did he really find joy in annoying you? Megumi mused, a hint of doubt creeping in.

“Hey, Megumi, you seem unusually cheerful today,” Yuta announced as he reentered, clutching whatever he’d gone to fetch with an air of importance.

“See? Even Yuta’s noticed,” Toge snarked, his eyes glittering with mischief.

“So what’s up, big guy?” Yuji asked, his grin widening as he strolled over, clearly enjoying the chaos.

“Did you finally get your dick sucked or something?” Toge blurted out, his tone blunt and unapologetic.

“Why would that make me happy?” Megumi shot back, genuinely confused.

“Because everyone can tell when you’re sex-deprived,” Toge replied matter-of-factly, adding with a laugh, “Plus the horny slash hate subtweets you’ve been posting do nothing for your case.”

“I’m not sex-deprived,” Megumi insisted, his face turning a shade of crimson.

“MY BOY!” Yuji cheered, rushing in for a celebratory dap.

“Not like that,” Megumi murmured, his cheeks burning as the room erupted in laughter, the awkwardness of the situation making it clear that maybe he should have kept his phone in his pocket.

“Alright, let’s get down to business. We need to nail this new song for our upcoming gig,” Yuta finally says as the laughter dies down, holding a stack of sheet music with an air of importance.

“Finally!” Yuji cheered, bouncing on his drum stool.

“Yeah, yeah,” Toge muttered, putting his phone away and grabbing the microphone. “Let’s see what this new song’s all about.”

Yuta handed out the lyric sheets and nodded at the band. “This one’s a bit different—more upbeat. I want to hear energy and precision. Let’s start with the intro and build from there.”

extras!

• the band in sjap is called triDANT not triDENT bc the group collectively came up with the name together but toge was the one entrusted (first mistake) who had to write it down for copyright purposes etc paper work ete anyways this man CANNOT spell so that's why it's with an A instead of an E lol

• yes the group definitely clowned him for it but they couldn't change it so it stuck and they ran with it

• toge did go to the gym but he snuck in when yuji went and they definitely blasted him on their social media page and stuck his face on the wall of shame😭

• the tickets sold out COMPLETLY and yn lowkey wanted one for herself…

• definitely did not smile to herself when panda told them he scored her tickets thanks to toge..

• dramatic ass

• megumi has convinced himself he only texts yn to piss herself and nothing more than that

• i aspire to be at his level of delusion

• yn, panda and nobara all went to whole foods and asked if they had any close to expire tomato’s at the back (they did)

• they went home with 2 crates full of the most saggiest wettest tomato’s in existence

• hope u guys enjoyed the week overdue chap :3

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*if i can't tag you please change your tag settings otherwise i will remove you from the list!

[dark-lord-of-awesomeness]

Stan being cursed to be a Prophet of Doom, without even realizing. He foretells bad events by having his mundane lines be rephrased by the curse into unsettling omens.

For example, in his day of making dinner, he meant to say “I made beef, grab a plate before I eat it all!” and the curse will act up and what everyone actually heard was “Feast now. For the hunger will remain, but your jaw will lock, your body too heavy, too still, to ever taste again.”

Basically he's foretelling Weirdmageddon and how Bill will turn everyone into statues.

Oh man, this is hmmm. Love this.

Because Fords not gonna take all these portents of doom very well.

Stan's life is unchanged, except people get freaked out by him or yell at him way more often, which, rude? But also he's just trying to make a living (illigal or otherwise, he's not picky). He's hearing what he's saying, but shrugs it off as a weird quirk from one too many head injuries.

Which, lets say it does! Thirty years too early :). Stan goes to respond to Fords post card, arrives, they make their way to the basement, and Ford drops the fact that he just wanted Stan to take his book away. Stan says his line of coming just to get sent away, but it comes out as something along the lines of 'you're just buying time for the inevitable, a thousand miles wont put distance between yourself and whats to come' or something equally ominous. Ford whips around, ranting about how Stan doesn't understand, somewhat more freaked out, Stan yells back about his own life, then another line about how all of it will be sweet nightmares compared to blood red skys and the collapse of all they know.

Fighting starts, Ford demanding Stan explain what he's talking about, the portal activates, Stan's omens getting louder and both of them freaking out, Ford brands Stan, and instead of getting up to punch Ford he just looks up, eyes full of pain and fear, and just says 'he's here'.

Then Bill comes through the portal, cackling and giddy at finally winning, finally being free to reign havoc on the dimension. Scoops up the Stan bros, boasting about how their squabbling really was all he needed, henchmaniacs pouring out of the portal, and the end of the world is here, Stan's prophesies, unheard and brushed off as insanity from everyone else and brain damage by himself, are coming true. The sky is blood red, people are being turned into statues, and Bill is here to make everything they know collapse.

And instead of yelling anything like 'what the fuck' 'what the fuck' or 'what the fuck' Stan's still yelling out prophesies, wide eyed and panicked as he starts screaming about everything Bill's about to do, how things aren't going to go the way Bill wants, how everything ends, even endings. He's a prophet of doom after all, and just because the dooms happening doesn't mean there can't be more, and everythings actually amped up now that its coming true.

Good thing Bill can put a stop to hearing the future from someone else! Stan gets turned into a fancy silver statue to match with Ford gold one, and its time to get the show on the road!

Except there's still the barrier there, huh.

Lots of ways it could go here. Bill uses Stan to get Ford to take down the barrier, sticking silver Stan in a corner to remind Ford whats at stake if he doesn't. Maybe Ford escapes, dragging Stan with him to regroup with Fiddleford and everything Stan says comes true and they realize he's predicting the future. Use it to their advantage to put an end to Bill. Maybe Stan still gets brain blasted with the memory gun, or maybe shoots Ford, maybe once the apocalypse is taken care of the curse ends, or maybe Stan's stuck prophesying the most minor of dooms, or future ones that will happen hundreds of years in the future.

[matty-bear]

Concert Fright [C.S]

type: fic !

pairing: drummer!chris sturniolo x fem!little!reader

warnings: sfw, fluffy, age regression

summary: you and your friend liv manage to bag tickets for your favorite band ! who knew it would take a sudden overwhelming turn and the two of you would end up backstage ? 

notes: submission for Bratzfornick141 writing contest ! (which is hosted by @bratzforchris and @nicksbestie !) <story elements selected: fluff, age regression, band member x fan, and concert> first age regression related fic i'm so excited ^^ hope u enjoy ! happy reading <33

WC: 4.7K

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The loud chatter of people ran through your ears as your friend, Liv, pulled you down the aisle and to the barricade. You could faintly make out an artist playing on the speakers in the small venue however you couldn’t quite make out who it was exactly due to all the commotion around you. With a soft exhale, you grasp the black railing and look over at the brunette next to you with a large smile. 

“Okay, but you have to admit I bagged such good tickets,” Liv says as she turns on her heels, an equally large smile plastered on her lips as she looks over at you. 

A few weeks ago, you and Liv’s favorite band announced that they would be going on tour. Considering how huge fans the two of you were of them, you both immediately decided on going. After ensuring that they were going to come to your area, Liv immediately made a plan for how to get tickets. The female took it upon herself to get in the traumatizing queue of Ticketmaster and sat in front of her desk for around an hour in hopes of bagging tickets. 

Luckily, she managed to get two front-row tickets and didn’t hesitate to call you the moment she got the confirmation email. Since then, you guys began to plan out concert outfits (you guys obviously got matching outfits) and counted down the days till the band came to your area. 

And that brings us to now. 

“These are amazing seats, props to you for fighting all the fangirls.” You praise the female with a small pat on her shoulder. Liv simply chuckles softly at the touch and quickly digs her hand into the pocket of her pants. After pulling her phone out, she taps her screens softly and turns the device so it faces you. 

“Two more minutes!” Liv lets out a small squeal of excitement and takes her free hand to grab your shoulder and shake your body back and forth. A small stream of giggles falls from your lips as you rock back and forth on your heels a few times before the brunette finally lets you go. “You think Matt will notice me? I mean I will be right in front of him.” 

“I’m one hundred percent sure that he will fall in love with you the second he comes on stage. Kid will get so dazed that they're gonna have to call for a break.” 

“Awh wait, I don't want them to have to stop mid-concert.” Liv frowns faintly with a soft huff. You shrug your shoulders and turn your head to allow your eyes to land on the stage in front of you. Your gaze wanders to the instruments towards the back for a moment, allowing your brain to get a better sense of your surroundings. You can faintly make out two of Matt’s guitars on a light brown rack tucked in the corner, the light blue one being attached to the amp a little closer to the ramp near the side of the stage. 

Next to the rack was Chris’ orange drum set, the set the male has had since the beginning of the band’s career. The boy never went a day, from what you know, without using his orange drum set. You vividly remember him saying in a video that he’s grown very attached to the said set and would never get rid of it, even if the wrap is scratched and beaten to the core. It simply holds too many memories. As you stare at the bass, you feel your insides start to churn, half out of nervousness and half out of excitement. 

You were very fond of Chris, him being your favorite member of the band. You felt as though the two of you had a lot of things in common and that’s why you were so drawn to him. Yes, the boy was very attractive but his personality was what took the cake for you. He knew when it was time to mess around and when it was time to get to work and you respected him a lot for it. In the middle of your daze, the lights suddenly dim, and the speakers get rid of the music sounding from them. 

Immediately, the sound of high-pitched screaming runs through your ears. You freeze on the spot, a million feelings running through your veins all at once. At first, the feeling was a little overwhelming, however when you felt Liv’s hand gently grasp your hand, you felt more at ease. As you glance over at the female next to you, the sight of her excited expression brings you pure happiness. You watch her quickly take her phone out and open her camera before you face the stage again. 

The second you do so, the band begins to take the stage. Your jaw drops slightly as you watch the boys take their places in front of their instruments or Nick’s case, take his mic, and set it on the stand. You find yourself staring at Chris, your breath getting caught in your throat as you watch him take a seat behind his drums. A large smile can be seen on his lips as he bends down slightly to slip two sticks out from his bag. 

As he begins to twirl one in between his fingers, his free hand raises to adjust his in-ear. The boy finally lifts his head after a few moments and the two of you immediately lock eyes. You feel your face heat up when the brunette sends you a small wave, his smile somehow growing even wider. You send a small wave back before averting your gaze over to Nick who’s standing directly in front of you. 

Holy fuck he waved at me. 

Your heart was going at a million miles per hour at this point. You just made rather long eye contact with your favorite member not even a minute into their set. Your limbs were beginning to feel like jelly but you kept your strong hold of the barrier to keep yourself steady. As you kept your gaze focused on Nick, a certain boy behind him kept his eyes trained on you. 

“Hey guys!” Nick greets into the mic, his voice booming through the speakers and filling the venue. The crowd immediately begins to scream loudly at the boy's simple greeting. “It’s great to finally be here! You all look lovely tonight, I swear we have one of the best-dressed fanbases. Wouldn’t you agree, Matt?” 

The blonde turns his head slightly to look over at the mentioned brunette who rips his focus away from the guitar in his hands. Matt takes a moment to look out to the crowd, his eyes scanning over a few fans before he nods his head with a small smile. 

“Well, I'm sure you guys have been waiting for long enough. How about we jump right in, yes?” Nick asks as he focuses his attention back to the crowd ahead of him. In response, everyone begins screaming again. Nick lightly chuckles in response, his mic barely picking up the sound. 

The boy turns his body slightly to look back at Chris and gives him a small nod. The brunette nods firmly in response and you can faintly make out his chest rise and fall softly before he begins to play. You immediately recognize the song by the first few beats and a small scream escapes your lips as a result. 

“It’s your song, girl!” Liv exclaims as she clamps a hand on your shoulder. You nod your head rapidly in response, your eyes shifting from Chris to Nick again as he begins to sing the first verse.  You immediately allow yourself to get absorbed in the band’s set as their music spills from the speakers. The boys started with some of their slower songs and eventually transitioned to their upbeat ones, which caused the crowd to lose their shit. (that includes you and Liv) 

As they were a few songs in, you felt yourself start to get a little overwhelmed. The girl behind you was starting to throw your senses off with her non-stop screaming in your ear. It seemed as though she had no off button during the band’s set. While you’re all for enjoying a concert and allowing yourself to be free during sets, you strongly dislike when people are nonstop screaming and aren’t being considerate of the people around them. 

On top of the girls screaming, the music was starting to get a little too loud for your liking. Usually, you wouldn’t mind this however your feelings were getting thrown about like a rag doll and you felt super out of wack. Due to how overwhelming you were starting to become, you were starting to feel a little small. As your chest was starting to tighten and you felt yourself about to slip into your headspace, you looked over at Liv. 

You hesitated getting the female’s attention since she seemed to be enjoying herself but you needed to get out of the crowd and God knew you couldn’t do it by yourself. People were constantly shoving each other, trying to get closer to the front, and as a result, you got shoved against the barricade, your ribs and legs smashing against the cold, hard metal.

After a long moment of hesitation, you grab Liv’s arm and shake her gently. It took a few good tugs for the female to finally turn to look over at you but when she did, a concerned expression flashed on her face as she looks at you. 

“What’s wrong?” The female asks, her free hand immediately grasping your wrist. You let out a small whine and shake your head in response. You were fighting for your life to be big at this point and as a result, you couldn’t bring yourself to verbally respond to the girl. Liv takes a moment to study your features until it finally clicks.

She goes to open her mouth to say something however at the sound of two girls screaming bloody murder behind you, you immediately crouch down. One hand immediately shoots to cover your ear as the other firmly gasps one of the bars on the barricade, a small whimper escaping your lips as your eyes squeeze shut. 

“Hey, hey, hey.” Liv says, her voice barely audible over the intense amount of screaming around the two of you. “y/n you need to get up. You’re gonna get trampled if you stay down there.” After not gaining a bodily response from you, Liv huffs and bends down slightly to grab you from beneath your arms. 

With one strong pull, she lifts you to her feet and allows you to crash against her chest. When your soft whimpers and cries fill her ears, Liv sighs softly and rubs her hand against your back. As she begins to look at the crowd behind her, the dials in her brain begin to turn as she attempts to figure out how to get to a secluded area. Little did the female know, a certain band member had been intently watching the two females the moment the situation went down. 

As Chris finishes his part of the song, he stops and allows his arms to drop to his lap, the tip of his sticks lightly grazing the hoop of his snare. As he takes one more worried glance at you, he finally lets his eyes shift over to Matt, who has now begun to walk to the front of the stage to play his guitar solo. Chris lets out a rather impatient huff and looks over at Nick, who’s reaching down to grab someone’s phone, not paying attention to anyone but the person in front of him. 

No one’s paying attention. Shit. 

As the brunette continues to keep the steady beat of the song through the usage of his bass, he eyes Matt and waits for the male to be done with his solo. When the boy strums the final chord and begins backing up, Chris finally decides to grab his attention. 

“Matt!” The boy whisper-shouts. After not gaining a reply, he yells again, this time a little louder. “Matt!”

The guitar player finally turns his head, his eyes immediately locking with Chris’ worried ones. “What’s up?” Matt mouths. 

Chris lifts a single stick and points toward you and Liv’s direction. “Get security and tell them to escort those two to the back.” 

“The back?” 

Chris rolls his eyes at the hesitant look Matt gives him. “Yes, the back! Hurry the fuck up!” 

Matt huffs and turns back around, his eyes immediately getting to work on finding security. The moment his gaze falls on a bright yellow vest near the center of the stage, he quickly hurries over to them. When his turn to play comes up, his fingers begin to dance around the fret of his guitar. Due to both of his hands being busy, he crouches down as close as he can to the security and calls for them. At the sight of the brunette struggling to get the security’s attention, the fans in front of him assist the male by also shouting.

When the security finally turns back to face Matt, the latter quickly turns his head towards where you and Liv are. “Get those two girls to the back, please. Chris’ order.” The male states as he swiftly stands back up. 

“Who?” The security asks, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he looks up at the brunette. 

“Front row, right in front of Nick. They’re wearing matching outfits and one of them has the other held against her chest. Hurry please.” The security quickly nods and hurries over to where you and Liv are. When his eyes land on the two of you, he quickly shouts for you both. 

“Hey, I'm taking you two to the back. Come with me please.” The male informs Liv after locking eyes with her. The female faintly nods and gently pushes your shoulders so she can see your face. 

“Hey, they’re gonna take us to the back. Come on.” Liv says, her left hand gently running up and down your arm in a comforting manner. “Are you big or did you slip?” After you send the female a blank stare with a small pout, Liv sighs gently. “Come on, hun. I’ll help you get over the barricade.” 

Liv carefully sets both her hands on your hips and on the count of three, she helps you get over the barricade. The moment your legs swing over the top railing, the security member grabs onto your arms and helps set you down. The male doesn’t have time to check on you and get back to Liv before the female leaps over the railing. She lands on the hard floor with a hollow thump and takes a moment to dust herself off and adjust her skirt before gently grabbing both of your wrists. 

“Come on you two.” The security says. With a single wave of the hand, the male begins walking to the back, you and Liv following close behind him. The entire walk to the back, the female held you as close as she could, a single arm being kept around your waist. After a while, the loud beats and screams of the crown died down, ultimately lowering your uneasiness. Nonetheless, you were still frightened and tightly clutched onto Liv’s blouse for support. 

“I’m gonna let you guys in this room for the time being. If you need anything, call one of the staff members. There’s already plenty of snacks and beverages in there so help yourselves.” The security says as he begins to unlock a door. After opening it and pushing it wide open, Liv bids the male a soft thank you before guiding you inside. The moment the door shuts behind the two of you, the female lets out a small sigh of relief and pulls you to the sofa. As you plop down on one of the cushions, you gaze over at Liv with a pout. 

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” The female asks as she sets a gentle hand on your kneecap. At the sight of you rubbing your stomach, Liv nods her head and gets up from the sofa. She takes a glance around the small room and the moment her eyes land on a large tray on the nearby dresser, her eyes light up. She quickly makes her way over to the tray and examines the snack selection for a moment. 

Nuts, health bars, crackers…

When her gaze lands on the stack of fruit snacks and chocolate chip cookies, Liv immediately grabs two packages of each snack with a small smile. She turns on her heels when they’re in her grasp and makes her way over to you. The moment she takes a seat next to you, she sets the packages on your lap. 

“Which one would you like, hun?” Liv asks gently. You force your lips together as you stare down at the snacks. After a moment of ‘pondering,’ you snatch up a pack of the fruit gummies and set them on Liv’s thigh. “Great choice! These are so yummy.” The female picks up the small pack and opens it with one small tug. “Here you go!” 

When she hands you the pack, a large smile appears on your lips, your eyes crinkling slightly. You gently slip the pack off the girl’s hand and stuff your fingers into the small opening. As you silently indulge in your sweet treat, Liv leans back against the back of the sofa and takes her phone out to keep herself busy. 

-One hour later- 

“Yeah, they’re in here.” 

“Alright, thank you so much.” 

At the sound of muffled voices coming from the other side of the door, Liv immediately lifts her head. The moment she turns to look over at the shut door, it opens slowly with a small creeeeak.

The female’s eyes widen in pure shock when Nick pops his head inside the room, a worried expression plastered on his face. When the blonde notices that the girl already has her eyes trained on him, he smiles softly. “Hey, girl! Is it okay if we come in?” Nick asks gently. 

Liv’s mind sputters for a moment, all of her words seeming to be caught in the back of her throat. She takes one glance down at you, who’s settled in her lap and is intently staring at her phone which is playing My Little Pony before she looks back over at Nick. 

“You can come in,” Liv replies, silently cursing herself at the way her voice cracked slightly. Nick sends the female a small smile before he stands upright and gently pushes the door open. He turns around for a moment and waves his hand before walking inside the room. At the sight of Matt and Chris entering shortly after him, Liv’s jaw drops and she quickly clamps a hand over her mouth. 

“Are you two doing alright? Chris told me to get security and have them bring y'all back here.” Matt asks as he gently shuts the door with a soft click. 

“Yeah, we’re fine now. My friend here just had a little episode.” Liv replies with a small head nod. 

“She get too overwhelmed in the crowd? I saw everyone pushing each other and it looked horrible for the people in the front. I tried to get people to calm down but you can only do so much, you know?” Nick asks, a small frown overtaking his features. 

“Yeah, she did. She's usually able to handle concert settings but the crowd today just didn’t sit right with her.” As Nick and Matt gently nod their heads, Chris hesitantly takes a step forward. When he’s able to get a better view of your face, a small smile creeps up onto his lips when he sees you already peering up at him with slightly wide eyes. 

“Hey, kid.” The brunette greets. As you hide your now flushed face behind Liv’s phone, the boy chuckles softly. When his eyes shift over to the open pack of fruit snacks that is discarded near your leg, he carefully picks it up. “You like fruit snacks too?” 

You slowly lower the phone to peer up at Chris before you nod your head. “They’re yummy aren’t they?” 

As the brunette continues to converse with you, Nick and Matt exchange confused looks. “Chris, what the hell are you doing?” 

At Nick’s sudden question, Chris cuts himself off and quickly turns his head to look back at the blonde. After taking a moment to take in the elder's warning look, he replies, “Making her more comfortable. She's a little, right?” 

At the boy’s straightforward question, Liv’s jaw drops. The female shuffles back a little in her spot before eyeing the boy closely and hesitantly replying, “Yeah… How did you figure that out?” 

“I have a friend who’s a little so I kinda have a gist of how they act and such.” Liv hums slowly and intently watches as Chris shifts his focus back to you. “How old are you, angel?” 

You look down at your free hand and stare down at your fingers before holding up three of them and shoving them out in front of you. “Three? You’re very well-behaved for a three-year-old!”

You flash the male a large toothy grin as you force yourself up into a sitting position, both of your hands dropping down onto your lap with a soft plop. You look down at your hands for a moment, getting caught up in gazing at your pastel pink nails before your eyes snap over to Liv's phone which is still open and playing the cartoon you were watching moments ago. In one swift movement, you grab the device and show the screen to Chris. The male jumps slightly at your sudden move however his eyes soften as he watches AppleJack and Rainbow Dash converse on the screen.  

“Woah, I love My Little Pony! Who’s your favorite pony?” The brunette exclaims with a wide smile. You set the phone down on your lap to point at one of your pink nails. “Pinkie?” You rapidly nod your head with a small giggle, your legs kicking out in front of you subconsciously. “She’s a silly one isn’t she?” 

You nod once more and point at Chris, your action causing a confused expression to paint his face. After a moment, what you’re trying to say finally clicks in the boy's head. “My favorite pony is Rainbow! She’s so cool and fast. I would say she’s super cool but I'd be calling Matt super cool and I don't wanna gas him up like that. You know, considering how she plays the guitar in the human world and Matt also plays guitar.”

At the male's statement, Matt narrows his eyes and shoves Chris’s shoulder. You watch the latter stumble a little from the sudden hit with a small giggle. “Did I say something wrong?” Chris asks, a fake hurtful expression flashing across his features as he looks back at the male next to him. 

“Yeah. Watch your mouth.” Matt grumbles in response, his eyes rolling as he turns on his heels and makes his way to the mini fridge in the corner of the room. When the boy is out of earshot, Chris walks up to you and bends down so you’re at eye level. 

“He’s all bark, no bite.” The boy whispers to you, his statement earning yet another giggle from you. 

At the sudden sound of three hollow knocks, the five of you all turn around to face the open door. Your eyebrows furrow in pure confusion when your eyes land on a female leaning against the doorway, both her arms crossed over her chest. “We need to get to the hotel. What are you three doing?” The female asks, a single eyebrow raising as she eyes the band. 

“We’re just checking up on our friends, Laura. They had a little incident during the set and we just wanted to make sure they were alright.” Nick replies with a soft sigh. 

Laura shifts her gaze over to look at you and Liv, her eyes narrowing as she eyes you both. “Oh. Well, they seem fine so let’s go. I seriously don’t want to deal with the receptionist today because we showed up late.” 

“We’ll be there in a minute, Laura. Go wait in the bus.” Matt dismisses the female with a wave of his hand, his eyes staying fixed on the can of Root Beer in his hand. Laura huffs and turns on her heels before walking off. When her footsteps fade, Chris turns around and puts his focus back on you. 

“So, where were we?” The boy asks you with a small smile. You quickly grab Liv’s phone once more and show the brunette the screen again. “Ah, yes! Did you know that Nick’s favorite pony is Rarity? Pretty fitting, huh?” 

“Alright, kid. There’s no need to out me like this.” Nick mumbles as he stuffs his hands in the pocket of his pants. “I think we should wrap things up before Laura starts dragging us to the bus.” 

At the blonde’s suggestion, Chris pouts and looks back at the older male with a pleading expression. “Exchange numbers or something if you want. We need to go kid, come on.” Matt says as he crushes the empty can in his hand. 

Chris sighs softly and looks over at Liv, his pout not faltering as he gazes up at the female. “Can I have her number, please?” 

“Yeah, of course! y/n would be pissed if I said no.” Liv replies with a small chuckle. 

y/n…

“Am I her favorite or something?”. 

“God, yes. She won’t shut the hell up about you sometimes. I swear if I bring up one thing that’s somehow related to you, she would immediately go on a tangent about you. I’ve learned to tread carefully when I say stuff yet she still manages to yap about you.” 

At the female’s statement, Chris looks over at you with a wide, cheeky smile. “How cute are you!” The brunette exclaims. The boy lands a few playful pokes on your side, the small touch drawing small squeals from you. 

After being rushed by Matt, Chris finally gets your number in his phone. The three boys quickly bid you and Liv farewell however before they leave, you quickly get up from your spot on the sofa and rush over to Chris. The brunette looks down at your shy expression and smiles warmly before engulfing you a hug. With a small pat on the head, the boy pulls away from the warm embrace and ruffles your hair before leaving the room. 

“You're whipped aren’t you?” Nick asks the moment the three of them are out of earshot from you and Liv. 

“What? No.” Chris replies with a firm shake of the head. 

“Sure, kid. Sure.” Matt says as he lands a single hand on the younger’s shoulder. Chris looks over at the male and takes in his teasing smile before rolling his eyes. 

The boy was most definitely wrapped around your finger but was he going to come to terms with it? Absolutely not. Well… not right now that is. 

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[deeppenguinstudent]

(I was procrastinating so here sorry if the English is off or anything I didn't beta this at alll)

Rhemann looked at Jean with apparent disapproval as he stared at Jean as the boy returned an equally heavy look.

"No." He said simply.

Jean grunted in distraught, his hands flailing to the side - in obvious frustration - as Jeremy eyed him discrepantly. Catalina had made him a cup of coffee that had long turned stark cold on top the wooden table. She was sat across Jean in a wooden chair, her legs cushioning her girlfriends head as Laila sat on the floor.

"Coach, please. It's an unnecessary investment, I've wasted enough time as it is. I can't waste more to commute," Jean choked out. He sent a pleading gaze to his teammates and mouth twitched even further when he realised he was alone in his decision.

"Commute?" Catalina laughed pointedly, "You were attacked, fucking hell Jean, attacked! And you worry how long your time of travel to the court is?"

"Cat-"

"No, Jeremy!" Catalina continued her outburst with an exasperated tone, "Am I the only one who's pissed off? Pissed off at the fucking Ravens for not even batting an eye when shit like Grayson was happening right in front of their eyes!"

The room was silent for a while. Catalina's shoulders were heaving in vexation, Laila's mouth was pursed in a line of displeasure and Jeremy pensive gaze was all but familiar. It was good. Good to see the rage of his teammates, it was supposed to be startlingly banal but all Jean could feel in his chest was a buried lump of mangled emotions attempting to break free through his voice box.

He clamped his mouth shut in retaliation while avoiding Jeremy's gaze.

"The reason why I called everyone to have this discussion is because I believe you guys have the maturity of adults and won't blast off when this conversation is in progress," he sent a scathing look to Catalina. "So, I'd appreciate if everyone can keep level heads progress through this together. Ultimately the final decision is Jean's and he will have the final word."

Rhemann sank back into the coach and waited expectantly at Jean's response. He undoubtedly favoured Alvarez's decision but as a coach, his job was supposed to be fair to all his students; as much as he wanted to punch the teeth out of Grayson fucking Johnson's face.

Rhemann had visited the residence of the two girls harbouring their captain and Jean after the whole Grayson Johnson ordeal. He hadn't reported the incident to ERC due to Jean's desperate pleas, but had instead informed them of an aggressive bystander circling the on campus dorms. This in turn made USC amp up the security of the Trojan's dorms in particular and gave students that lived off-campus the option to change their residency to a further location temporarily until campus police caught the preparator or the situation died down; which typically meant in 6 months.

"Jean, come on," Jeremy attempted to reason as he moved closer to Jean, "It's only half a year, you'll be safer there and it's not like we won't be accompanying you; it's dangerous here, for you."

Jean's gaze softened as he met Jeremy's eyes, "It's okay. Grayson was the worst of them all, now that he's...gone back to West Virginia, there's no immediate danger for any of us living here."

Jean turned back to face Rhemann who he expected to feel more at ease at this revelation. To his confusion, Rhemann's once relaxed body language was now tensed and his eyes furrowed.

"Them?" Laila's voice was so soft, so mellow yet that one word sent horror blazing all across Jean's nerves. His hands slapped against his mouth, and his teeth dug into his lips for that thoughtless slip of the tongue.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Catalina's words were alike to a dragon's breath of fire, hot red fury dripping all over each word like boiling honey, "There were people besides Grayson? How many?"

Jean shook his head.

"How. Many." Jeremy enunciated each word as he side-stepped Laila and Catalina and made a beeline for Jean. His hands clutched gently against Jean's as he pulled his hands away from his mouth, awaiting an answer. It was cruel, so cruel to be so kind to a dog that had been beaten all it's life. Jean would prefer if Jeremy took a knife to his jugular, punched his body to oblivion because that was the normality Jean was raised in. Where if one bared their molars, it would be torn off and used to penetrate one's own skin.

However, Jeremy, sweet oh Jeremy, touch had causterised his bleeding wounds poured straight from his heart. The lump of hope that wilted long ago was suddenly blossoming and growing into a fickle little embryo of desire and yearning. Curse pretty boys and making them the bane of Jean's existence.

Jean kept Jeremy's gaze in an act of defiance; to show his captain that despite everything the backliners did, everything Riko did - he was fine. The crack of his voice was another unfortunate betrayal as he uttered, "Five."

The entire trajectory of Jean's world shifted, it was like the Earth's axis was imaginary and nothing mattered except for everyone's impassive gazes to morph into sheer horror.

"I'll kill them, I'll fucking kill them all. How dare they. How dare they?" Catalina jumped up from her chair in outrage and Laila's thumb was bitten red with blood dripping as her expression was seething.

Rhemann breath was aggravated but other than that, his demeanour was neutral as he spoke, "Talk kid, I can send them out but you need to speak to me eventually. About the pool, about the contrition you were forced to face, everything."

They held me down. Made me kneel, laughed at me as they spat into my mouth. I can feel their hands on me, teeth etched into my skin forever. Forever? Forever. They made me weep as they splayed me open. They laughed about it afterwards with Riko, detailing everything that happened as they watched me squirm. I had to shower with them. I had to play with them. I lived every moment in fear it would happen again. It always did.

Grayson said he liked it when I was in pain. Liked me crying out as it made him think I was an easy fuck and entitled to the Raven's as their personal whore. I don't think I'll ever forget how Oats and Whey milk feels in my mouth.

Jean pushed Jeremy out of the way before shutting the bathroom door and retching into the toilet bowl. He scratched at his neck as he heard Jeremy pounding against the door. Jeremy was a saint. Maybe he'd kill Jean if he asked politely. Begged him like he did to Riko all those years ago.

Death - after all - was the only salvation for him. It was just an untimely promise that kept Jean shackled to this treacherous, wasteful life.

[sapphicscholar]

Hacks Episode 4.02 Thoughts

*Shorter notes for this ep! Putting them below the cut in case anyone is waiting to watch the show in one go!

Okay as someone who’s been all alone on a big estate (housesitting) with coyotes surrounding the property, their barks are creepy af, and, beyond being an easy way to metaphorically represent Ava and Deborah’s dynamic, I appreciate the atmospheric work they’re doing. They’re unsettling! We don’t feel on solid ground, and we shouldn’t! The core of the show has fissured! It’s also a really nice way to remind the audience of the complicated duality of Deborah: alone at night, she can call the dogs up into bed to cuddle her when the moment of "weakness" won’t be glimpsed by anyone else (bc it’s also one of those “you’re lonely all the time” moments where Deborah is so isolated in a world whose relative foreignness—it’s not Vegas anymore, baby!—makes it feel vast and untamed), but by morning she’s the Deborah who hacks a fish’s head off without an ounce of squeamishness as she does the dirty work of cleaning up a bloody carcass without pause

I really appreciate the continuation of the tension between Ava and Deborah that is only ramping up instead of simmering out! I particularly love where the fight outside the comedy club ends up: Deborah’s declaration that she was wrong to have hired Ava because of how many eyes are on the show while she’s utterly and blithely unaware of how many eyes are on her (saying a lot of Not Good things) at that very moment! The way Deborah refuses to acknowledge that her having let Ava move her and change her comedy is what made the jump up to Late Night possible (insisting instead that it made her niche when in fact we know it sold out on QVC in minutes)! It does a really nice but subtle job of illustrating how Deborah can blind herself to what’s right there in front of her when she self-isolates. This isn't to say Ava's perfect, but Deborah's digging in her heels and losing sight of where she was before Ava vs. who she let herself become alongside Ava

The Americana apartment! I love this callback to the S1 Palmetto living situation as we see Ava thrown once more (again and again and again) into this weird liminal space that both is and isn’t home. Like the coyotes, it’s a nice way of communicating a lot about a character’s mental state and emotions without having them monologue it out or getting into heavy-handed shit. (Also, this is exactly the kind of scene where Kayla excels; her delivery of the Jersey Mike’s line will live in my head rent free)

Bitchabod Crane my beloved

Ava in a leather jacket pulling the chair out for Deborah even while they’re feuding, my beloved-er

The dinner at Winnie’s house was so great – there is nothing like a power dyke to lay down the law and throw some hard truths at Ava and Deborah’s feet while they’re both fucking themselves and their dreams over in a bid to hurt the other just a little bit more. I know there were some mixed feelings about the revelation that it wasn’t a contest bt Deb and someone else, but instead bt Deb and no show at all, with some feeling that it cheapened Deborah’s accomplishment, but imo it actually shows exactly how much of a risk they’re willingly taking with her (which makes her accomplishment that much bigger) while giving teeth to the narrative and amping up the stakes of their feud. And it goes to show that, while they’re both fish out of water here, Ava really is still a stranger to the some of the most brutal realities of show business, which all culminates in that hug—fucking devastating in the best of ways

Marcus, my darling… Getting to see him and Deborah sitting at the table as equals is everything I wanted out of Marcus’ arc, and I do truly hope he gets to find his way back to being a fan if that brings him joy.  

Critiques (both informed by what has come in the following 3 eps too)

Okay, so I don’t hate Deb’s psychic (and I know many love her--to each their own), but I find her presence here to be emblematic of exactly what I’m not enjoying about this season/later seasons Hacks: the guest stars are there too often and not doing enough—more gimmicks than plot. I love that the show is big enough that everyone wants to be on it! I don’t love that they’re largely doing it in ways that feel schlocky. Like okay, we get to see the psychic tell Ava that her aura isn’t blue anymore. That’s nice. But anyone paying the barest amount of attention already knows that Ava’s shifted away from her previous MO (hence the s3 finale shift from Ava’s moral high ground in that beautiful, devastating fight in Deborah’s living room to the conference room “I would, wouldn’t you?” moment). And the hat on a hat line is too inside baseball to land for most viewers, in addition to being another thing we can see and glean for ourselves without being hit over the head with it in a direct line.

I like Jimmy, especially in this new mediating role he's being forced to take between Ava and Deborah, but I don’t find the screentime for his and Kayla’s new firm justified. Especially now that I’m halfway through the season, it’s not adding nearly enough to the storyline to be taking as much time as it does.

[revenant-coining]

Can you redesign the free minded and design a free spirit flag?

Free minded: https://www.google.com/amp/s/beyond-mogai-pride-flags.tumblr.com/post/616886461197942784/diamondpride-free-minded-pride-flag-for/amp

(ids: 2 rectangular flags with 6 equally-sized horizontal lines. colors in order from top to bottom are dark brown, light yellow, pale yellow, pink, purple, and dark purple. in the center of the first flag is a white broke chain symbol outlined in dark red. /end ids)

(ids: 2 rectangular flags with 6 equally-sized horizontal lines. colors in order from top to bottom are dark purple, orange, light yellow, light green, blue, and dark purple. in the center of the first flag is a white spirit symbol outlined in dark purple. /end ids)

alternative free minded flags & free spirited flags!

symbols from here (link) & here (link)!

tagging; @radiomogai, @thecoffeecrew404

[gatekeeper-watchman]

Daily Devotionals for October 13, 2024

Proverbs: God's Wisdom for Daily Living

Devotional Scripture:

Proverbs 26:6-9 (KJV): 6 He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet and drinketh damage. 7 The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools. 8 As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honor to a fool. 9 As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools. Proverbs 26:6-9 (AMP): 6 He who sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off the feet (of satisfactory delivery) and drinks the damage. 7 Like the legs of a lame man which hang loose, so is a parable in the mouth of a fool. 8 Like he who binds a stone in a sling, so is he who gives honor to a (self-confident) fool. 9 Like a thorn that goes (without being felt) into the hand of a drunken man, so is a proverb in the mouth of a (self-confident) fool.

Thought for the Day

These verses tell us the damage a fool can do if given the opportunity. Fools, (those who are obstinate, rebellious, or self-confident) cannot receive godly wisdom.

Verse 6 - Sending a message by a fool "cuts off the feet" of satisfactory delivery. The message will probably not get there, or it will arrive late. A foolish messenger will probably perform his task poorly and leave a bad impression of the person who sent him. Instead of being useful, he creates more work for his employer. I have experienced this when I gave a duty to one whom I thought would surely take care of delivering my bills to the post office for me. They got sidetracked, and so did my mail. Although I would not call this person a "fool" they had done a foolish thing. We all do foolish things at times. This does not make us fools, but we should strive not to allow the enemy to cause us to be foolish in our ways.

Verse 7 - A parable in the mouth of a fool will not be of any use. This verse makes the comparison to one who has lame legs and cannot walk. A person who is lame must be carried about by others; they have to have help. So, it is when a fool tries to put forth a parable. Someone else has to explain it or it cannot be understood. Foolish talk never makes sense. In the mouth of a fool, a parable becomes as useless as paralyzed legs.

Verse 8 - Only a moron would tie a stone into a sling, and only a moron gives honor to a fool. Our modern equivalent of this term would be "giving someone ammunition" that is faulty. It would fire in the gun or go the wrong direction. Honor given to a fool is like ammunition backfiring.

Verse 9 - A fool misapplies a proverb so that its point is no more felt than a thorn cutting into a drunkard's hand. He puts a "spin" on a thorny issue so that one does not feel the point that is made. He is self-confident, trusting more in his own judgment than in God's. He waters down the truth. Sometimes God's Word causes us pain when we hear it, as it pierces our hearts. However, in the mouth of a fool, even God's Word can be distorted, so that one does not feel the pain of conviction and thus continues in the path of sin.

Prayer Devotional for the Day

Dear heavenly Father, thank you for Your words of wisdom in the Bible. I do want to adhere to them and avoid doing foolish things. Forgive me for the mistakes I have made in the past. Give me discernment to recognize the voice of fools, so that I am not taken in by their deceptive talk. I want to hear the truth, even if it is painful because the truth of God's Word is what sets us free. Give me ears to hear what the Spirit of God is saying, and then give me the grace to obey His Words. I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

[doomalade]

Yes! And with this idea, let's say the deal with Lilith had warped his mind into the Alastor we know today. Not completely, but just amped up the "I'll fuck you up" part of him. I can see maybe it being apart of Alastor's redemption arc. However, it's not so a simple like Charlie and him talking it out. Because that would be waaaay to easy for someone like Alastor. I feel like he should be either the last or next to last one to crack. Anyway, because, he's not willing to just redeem himself like Charlie wants so, Charlie could maybe set up to find her Mom, now more desperate for her plan to work than ever. Of course, like every other situation like this, Lilith isn't so willing to relent her deal with Alastor, because "A deal is a deal." She's asks Lucifer, but then maybe we learn that he can't, because only Angels can intervene with a demon's deals maybe? I don't know, like I said, just building ideas. Not concrete. However, going with the idea, Charlie goes back to Heaven and strikes a deal with maybe God or St. Peter or some other angel to free Alastor from his deal with Lilith so, he can be uncorrupted. Whichever Angel she makes a deal with accepts, but at the expense of Charlie herself??

Anon

I love you

Thank you for fueling the fires back into my rewrite

It would be interesting to see how living so long in Hell and gaining such power would warp someone’s mind and soul

That the Overlords slowly become more and more sadistic with power, especially with their status putting them above their fellow sinners.

Alastor being tasked with protecting Charlie no matter what and doing whatever it takes, even if that means consuming souls to increase his power and influence so he can stand his own even against Exterminators. Even if Charlie has been white listed from being killed, Alastor’s duty and deal is to protect her and the hotel at all costs.

Her reminding him of Rosie, being that little sister figure he had lost all of those years ago, it further pushes him over the edge. Perhaps Lilith did this on purpose as a sort of equal payment for his immense power, maybe it was accidental.

Either way, all of the worst aspects of Hell consume Alastor, leaving him to be the one sinner Charlie just cannot redeem. Maybe he believes himself unable to be redeemed after all of the horrors he unleash upon Hell.

His pride, wrath, gluttony, greed, envy, lust, and sloth (okay maybe not sloth? Idk) all being rampant.

He almost feels guilt for becoming a monster, unable to live with himself thinking what Rosie might think of him, what Charlie might think of him.

And now he’s gone and enslaved Husk along with consuming and trapping countless souls. He ponders if he is no better than Lilith, who still has him on her leash, or maybe it’s best that he’s been held back by her and was not allowed to become a true monster and lay waste to Hell.

(Insert joke about more effort being put into this than what Viv did and imagine this is in a text to speech for added comedic value)

[niningtori]

I'm asking this question to several authors I admire, so if it seems a little random, feel free to blame my overthinking brain.

I frequently read fanfics about hybrids and honestly, I really enjoy them. However, I often find myself with little context about many aspects of the hybrid universe, so I’d love to know your perspective on it.

For example:

• How do you imagine the origin of hybrids in your universe? Are they a natural evolution, a genetic mutation, or a scientific creation?

Additionally, I have a few more questions I'd like to ask:

• How do the government and society treat hybrids in your universe? Do they have the same rights as humans, or do they face discrimination in any way?

• How do you envision interactions between hybrids of different species? Would there be rivalries, alliances, or specific ways of coexisting?

• If there’s adoption of hybrids by humans in your universe, how does that process work?

• How do you approach the topic of heat and hybrid reproduction in your universe? Do they follow similar patterns to real animals or do they have their own biological rules?

• How do you imagine the hybrid nature (half-human, half-animal) would affect their emotions and psychology?

I’m sorry if this seems like a lot or a completely off-topic question (because I know it kind of is), but I’m genuinely curious since no one seems to talk about these aspects in depth.

Regardless of your answer, thank you for your time and patience! Have a great day 🤘🏻😁💖

(If you see this same message sent to another author, don’t worry—I love you all equally!)

hi! i've never written a hybrid au myself because i have no idea if people would actually like to see that from me (seriously doubt it NQNSJEJKWID) but i do have a few ideas! i'm not sure if you meant to send this to me since i don't really write hybrid stuff but regardless here i go:

1) i like to imagine they're a scientific creation. i think i like that the most because it makes way for more angst (to me at least) because then i could make the hybrid feel isolated from human society and create conflict there

2) i would make hybrids be seen as subhuman, which ties into their creation. they would be fighting for their rights but would ultimately still be discriminated against because of their origin

3) i think there would be presumed genetic dispositions that would make you think a certain hybrid would like/dislike or coexist in different dynamics with other hybrids but in my world they would probably be so human that it wouldn't really matter what breed they are

4) i think adoptions would be similar to animal adoptions irl. the younger, cuter, rarer ones get chosen first while the others have a harder time getting adopted. depending on the quality of the adoption center/demand of the hybrid, the vetting process would either be lax or extremely demanding (e.g. you must have x amount of space, x amount of income etc.)

5) i think they would have a heat cycle and feel the need to breed but they would be able to crossbreed which i don't see a lot in hybrid au's

6) there would be a lot of feelings of inferiority and helplessness because they would have less rights/respect than humans do so i would prob make reader a human to really amp those emotions up and ensure that the hyrbid didnt feel deserving of the human at all

bonus: if i were to do this i'd probably make reader a depressed or anxious human in need of an emotional support hybrid and the male lead would be a moody hybrid that has trouble getting adopted 🫶 again i don't think that anyone would want to even see me write this because it's so out of my usual lane but it excites me nonetheless

thank you for asking and have a great day ❤️

[watchingyouflytl]

Chapter 1: Nozomi Kasaki is Unlucky (Part 4)

What stopped Natsuki’s long recollection was the melody of an electric guitar that sounded like the whinny of a horse. When they went to karaoke, this was always what came last. Natsuki opened the soft case she had brought in, placing the electric guitar atop her knees. If she connected the guitar to the karaoke machine with a shield cable, it quickly transformed into an instant live venue.

Karaoke these days was really convenient, since you could tune your instruments, and even customize effects. On top of that, displaying the guitar chords on the monitor meant it could be used as a substitute music stand.

What a perfect place it was to spend this moratorium period in January, on the cusp of graduation. There was no one who would mind no matter how much noise they made, and any way they chose to spend their time was allowed.

The guitar Natsuki held in her arms was a Yamaha Pacifica 112V, and its color was Old Violin Sunburst. Its glossy dark brown got darker the closer it got to the edges. Natsuki had received it from her older cousin, and it was her first electric guitar.

And sitting next to Natsuki was Yuuko, who had a differently colored version of the same guitar model. The one she was using was in Vintage White. Even though it had the same shape as her guitar, the design used ivory as its main color.

Yuuko had bought this guitar after that summer. The two of them had gone to a music store. Thinking back on it now, that had been the first time they had gone somewhere with just the two of them. Natsuki had responded to Yuuko’s request of ���For the moment, I want a cute one,” by recommending the same guitar model as her own.

Had she planned to follow Natsuki’s advice from the beginning? Yuuko had promptly made her decision, breaking into her savings from her new year’s gift money and buying a guitar set that had tens of thousands of yen. It had come with necessary items for beginners like a mini amp and a tuner, a shield cable, and a strap.

The awkward movements of Yuuko’s fingers in the beginning had, after two years, come to the point where they looked good. Perhaps the speed at which Yuuko had absorbed it had been because Natsuki had been skillful at teaching her, or because of her natural musical sense. It felt good to have the upper hand and take on the role of a teacher, but it was much more fun now that they were able to play together with an equal relationship.

Natsuki enjoyed the sensation of sliding her fingers across the six strings. Fat strings, thin strings. By adding just a bit of stimulation, the difference became absolutely clear.

“What should we play? It might be good to practice the graduation song.”

Finishing her tuning, Yuuko played the strings with her pick. Their twang resounded strongly through the speakers.

Natsuki had started the guitar in her second year of middle school. Her cousin, who had formed a band in university, had taken the opportunity of getting a job to buy a new guitar, giving her the guitar she had been using up until that point. The reason her cousin had bought an electric guitar instead of an acoustic guitar had been because, in her not-properly-soundproof room, she had been able to practice by plugging headphones into the guitar.

The melody directly rattling your eardrums through headphones was wonderful, but freeing your ears to hear the guitar felt even better. The tingling vibrations directly reached your skin, sending shivers all the way down to the pit of your stomach.

“The graduation song, huh, I haven’t really liked it for a while.”

“That’s cause you’re twisted, Natsuki.”

“To put it simply, I can’t relate to songs that say nice things.”

“There’s no way that only bad things are the truth, though. It’s just easier to look like you mean it when you have bad intentions.”

“As expected of the president, you sure know how to say it.”

“You’re making fun of me, aren’t you.”

“It’s what I really think.”

Yuuko sniffed. Her legs, dangling from the sofa, crossed and tightened inward.

Would she shed tears at her high school graduation ceremony? Like Nozomi had that time.

As hard as she tried, she couldn’t imagine her own face as she cried, so Natsuki gazed at Yuuko’s side profile as she fiddled with the karaoke control panel. When the music started, the room became darker. The contours of Yuuko’s smooth cheeks were illuminated by the colorful light spilling from the screen.

After their graduation ceremony would be their university’s entrance ceremony. Natsuki would be going to the same school as Yuuko and Nozomi, so their drifting apart didn’t feel quite real. Since Nozomi had come back to the concert band in their second year, the four of them had pretty much been together. They had been about to fall into the delusion that these normal days would continue endlessly, but every time the topic of Mizore’s college of music came up, they knew that that was an illusion. 

Mizore would be taking the entrance exam for a college of music. Even if Nozomi wasn’t there.

“Hahhh.”

Yuuko asked the deeply sighing Natsuki, “What’s up?” with a fed-up face. Placing the tablet atop the table, she faintly narrowed her eyes. Not particularly liking the gaze that seemed to be seeing through everything, Natsuki purposefully made her voice more cheerful.

“Just wondering what clubs we’ll join when we go to university.”

“Nozomi was saying she’d join the orchestra club.”

“She would do something like that, that girl loves the flute.”

“What are you gonna do, Natsuki?”

“Hmm.”

Cradling her guitar, Natsuki rested her chin in her hands. She had no intention of continuing with the same instrument the way Nozomi did. That was because she had already been satisfied by her time in the concert band. Natsuki and the others’ generation had left behind spectacular results in both their second and their years, and she had gone all out in her job as the vice president, completely out of character for her. Perhaps the most fitting expression for it was that she had become burned out.

Yes, Natsuki was burned out. She still loved the euphonium now, as well as concert band. But beyond that, she didn’t want to try her hardest in that way ever again. She was tired.

“How about you, Yuuko?”

At her question, Yuuko grasped the guitar in her hands as though she were hugging it tight.

“I want to play guitar.”

“Like now?”

“Even more than now.”

“Is the president cheating with light music?”

“It’s not cheating, I truly love both of them.”

Holding the strings down with her fingers, Yuuko strummed the guitar with her purple pick. Mixing in with the sounds flowing from the TV monitor, the impromptu music came to life in the narrow space. Yuuko always played the guitar so enjoyably. Her small lips beat out the “la la la”s of a nameless melody.

How was it for Natsuki? She liked playing the guitar, but that was all. She wasn’t thinking she wanted to be a pro, nor did she think she could.

In the bass section, there had been a kouhai in the year below her from a powerhouse school. She had been in charge of the concert band’s single string instrument, the contrabass. It didn’t suit her small figure, that two-meter-tall instrument. But, in defiance of the gap in size, her kouhai had shown off her performing skills with an innocent smile. It had been amazing. It had been overwhelming.

When that girl had played the guitar at a concert, she had honestly been shocked. Because she had been on a similar string instrument, letting the contrabass girl play the guitar had been an easy decision. Her kouhai had laughed, “They made me play it in middle school a lot too,” looking unfazed at the high-level sheet music she was playing.

Why on earth was it that she continued to play guitar herself even when she had realized that was what you would call genius? The earth was overflowing with both geniuses and hard workers, so a regular person like herself sometimes lost sight of the meaning of why she was playing music at all.

“Ah, it’s your favorite band.”

Natsuki consciously raised her gaze from where it had fallen at Yuuko’s words. Antwerp Blue had appeared on the information channel being broadcast to the karaoke room. They were talking about the new music that Natsuki had just bought. Every time the vocalist said something, the young female MC would interject exaggeratedly. 

“I wanted to make a song that the listeners would think is fun to listen to.”

The vocalist calmly spun his words as he showed white teeth appropriate for a performer. It wasn’t as though they really needed to care what the people listening to them thought. Just seeing the members enjoying themselves was fun for Natsuki.

“I really like their new song.” 

Yuuko said this carelessly while pointing to the screen. Natsuki gave a wry smile, thinking that their interests really were direct opposites of one another.

Their footsteps on the way home from karaoke were slower than usual. This was because the guitars they carried were heavy. In the end, today Natsuki and Yuuko had stayed at the karaoke place from 10:00, when it had opened, until 7:00, when free time had ended. Since it was cheap, oftentimes they’d unexpectedly come across other Kitauji students. When they had run into a concert band first-year once, their amazed words of “You are getting along well as usual, President and Vice President” had been a bit baffling. Mainly the “as usual” part.

“Nozomi didn’t do guitar even up to the very end.”

As Natsuki mumbled this, Yuuko said somewhat sulkily, “She’s devoted to the flute.” Yuuko had reached out to her several times about whether or not she would start the guitar, but Nozomi had turned them down every time. Though she was kind to everyone regardless of who they were, she had some unexpectedly stubborn parts as well.

Her exhaled white breath. Natsuki looked up at the sky as snow blew in her line of sight. It was wet snow with a lot of moisture in it. By the time the snowflakes fell to the ground, they had almost entirely melted into droplets of water. If it had been raining, she’d have opened her umbrella, but since it was snow, perhaps it wasn’t worth bothering. Watching a pattern of water droplets forming on Yuuko’s coat, Natsuki rubbed her elbows.

“You two going home from somewhere?”

Yuuko called out as she dashed forward towards something she had found. Beyond her waving hand were Nozomi and Sumire. So Nozomi’s previous plans had been with Sumire. Nozomi and Sumire both laughed together at the sight of Natsuki dashing after Yuuko.

“You two are always together, Natsuki and Yuuko,” Sumire said with a grin.

“It’s not like we always are, though. Anyway, where are you two going?”

Casually denying this, Yuuko countered them with the same query. Digging through her shoulder bag, Nozomi took out a flier, saying, “Here.” The yellow rectangular paper was printed with the name of a cafe in a rather fashionable font.

“What’s this?”

“We were checking out venues. We’re going to hold an event here.”

Sumire answered Natsuki’s question. Yuuko blinked in surprise. “An event.”

“The five of us formed an instrumental band when we quit the concert band, didn’t we? So we were thinking of renting this cafe with just our band to do an event celebrating graduation. Tickets are 500 yen per person, so if we invite about 40 friends, we can pay for it.”

“Nozomi, aren’t you not involved with the light music club?”

“I’m just tagging along because it seems interesting. Since Sumire and the others are working so hard, I want to cheer them on.”

“When I asked Nozomi to be a part of the band, she rejected me.”

Sumire said this in a voice that didn’t suggest any sad feelings at all. Nozomi lightly lowered her eyebrows.

“After all, there’s only five members in Reticle, right? There’s no way I could suddenly step in.”

“You could just participate as a guest.”

“If I were going to participate, I think it would just be as a staff member. I’m sure there’s a lot to help out with.”

“Nozomiii! What a nice girl you are, that would be a huge help!”

Sumire clung to Nozomi with a theatrical exclamation. Sumire was always high-energy, and Nozomi laughed with her mouth wide open.

“Reticle” was the name of the instrumental band that Sumire and the others had formed. Since it was made of five members who had quit the concert band, it was made up of a drummer, a keyboard player, a trumpet player, a sax player, and a trombone player. They were entirely devoted to playing jazz, and even appeared in events outside of school.

“Ah, anyway, why not ask Natsuki and Yuuko?”

The carefree, laughing Nozomi suddenly turned her focus on them. “For what?” Natsuki asked, tilting her head. Sumire, having abandoned her, clapped her hands together in delight.

“That might be a good idea!”

“No, what do you mean?”

“We’re looking for a band to do the opening act for our event! Just having our band play for two hours feels kinda lacking, so we were wondering if someone else could also come out. See, if we had someone singing, it would really get everyone pumped up.”

“No, we don’t really know any bands ourselves, though?”

Though it was a very direct answer, Sumire let out a shout of laughter as though she had said something funny.

“What are you saying. You and Yuuko should come perform, Natsuki. On your twin guitars.”

“Huuuuuh?”

Natsuki and Yuuko’s exclamations harmonized perfectly. In the interlude, Nozomi unnecessarily said, “Perfectly in sync.”

“Kids from Minami Middle will be coming too, so I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you having fun, Natsuki, Yuuko. How about it, a two-piece band?”

How about it, Natsuki had never had the urge to form a band with Yuuko before. Nozomi grasped Natsuki’s arm as she was about to immediately refuse, smiling innocently at her.

“Should be good. I know the concert band kids will also be happy to see the President and Vice President combo!”

President and Vice President. Though they were her and Yuuko’s titles, being thought of that way by Sumire made her feel a bit uneasy. Surely, to Sumire, the words “president of the concert band” would still point to Nozomi.

The continuation of the cut-off recollections she had had earlier was both a bad end and a happy end. The year after Sumire and Nozomi and the others quit the band, the new music teacher and advisor Taki had come to Kitauji High School to replace Rikako-sensei when she had gone on maternity leave. He was the exact opposite type from before, a presence that combined the high schoolers’ expectations and nightmares as a Spartan and handsome and capable instructor.

In the beginning, he had been called horrible things like “the devil” and “ogre,” but Taki had painted over the club’s lazy atmosphere before their eyes. He really had amazing skill. It was enough to make you laugh dryly, since what had the struggles of the members who had quit even been for?

Nozomi had returned to the concert band the summer of their second year. Kitauji, which had been a weak school, had been confirmed as an entrant in the Kansai Competition, and the 55 A members had already been decided. Seeing Kitauji being reborn, Nozomi had quit the adult concert band circle and decided to come back to the concert band. Of course, she hadn’t been able to participate in that year’s competition.

If Nozomi hadn’t quit the club, surely the future would have been different. She would have been absorbed into the center of the club, and would have been able to put her quick wits to good use without any regrets. She might even have been the club president instead of Yuuko. Thinking of Yuuko being the vice president supporting her made her resent how rich her own imagination was.

Even though Nozomi became a concert member when they became third years, even though they got results at the Kansai Competition, guilt haunted the deepest part of Natsuki’s heart.

Because, at that time, the one who had pushed Nozomi had unmistakably been Natsuki.

She should have told her to stay in the club. She should have said, with a hell of an expression, there’s no one else who loves concert band more than you. But that was all in the past.

She was slightly startled by the coldness of the snow that plopped right onto the tip of her nose. She realized how far they had come since the crossroads that summer had been. Natsuki exhaled in a puff of white breath with no lingering regrets as Sumire put her hands together, asking “Please!”

Any sentimentality that she held might possibly have been contempt.

“That might be nice, a band.”

As Natsuki nodded, Sumire raised both hands in a show of overexaggerated happiness.

“Don’t go deciding things on your own.” 

White snowflakes fell on Yuuko’s bangs as she puffed out her cheeks. Trying to catch them between her thumb and pointer finger, Yuuko brought her eyebrows together even more discontentedly.

“Nice, now you’ve also gotten motivated for real, haven’t you?”

“Doing it in and of itself is okay. It’s not that, it pisses me off that you decided this on your own, Natsuki.”

“What a pain.”

“What was that?”

“Seeeee, Yuuko-chan. Let’s form a band together, ‘kay?”

“Excuse me, I’m not a five-year old kid, though?”

Natsuki was swayed by this feigned grumpiness. That was because she now knew that that was Yuuko’s way of indulging her.

“Seriously, you two get along so well.”

Natsuki stole a glance at Nozomi’s profile as she said this with a light tone. It was always only in a single moment when Nozomi showed a sign of melancholy.

The edges of her lips lifted, and with a glimpse of her white teeth, the usual pleasant smile returned to Nozomi’s face.

“I’ll also cheer you on with Mizore.”

Yuuko responded to Nozomi’s words with “It can’t be helped” in a not-at-all-bad voice. Feeling the weight of the guitar on her back, Natsuki re-wound the scarf that was getting warm around her neck.

The fact that she wasn’t carrying a euphonium was just a little lonely.

Chapter 1  Nozomi Kasaki is unlucky.

(Maybe that’s also a likable part of her)

[euphorial-docx]

i will say as much as i agree w free palestine there are many many ppl who just use it to be antisemitic. jewish areas in britain like all over the country r being filled w antisemitic messaged accompanied by pro-palestine messages and it makes pro-palestine people like myself look bad

i am truly not trying to sound like a bitch, but i will be very very firm about this and my stances:

people who use this as a way to be antisemitic were always going to be antisemitic. about anything. about everything.

those assholes are nowhere near a big enough voice of the free palestine movement, or an actual power inside the movement at all, to be getting as much attention as they are. the antisemitic takes are being amplified for the sole purpose of discrediting any pro-palestine action. it’s another easy scapegoat to avoid any form of accountability or reflection.

additionally, what you’re saying is only anecdotal, and you’re very much inflating how popular pro-palestine stances really are. whether we realize or not, israel has a lot more power not only between governments of countries, but over every day people.

not to mention the general attitudes towards the middle east from western and european countries are already disgusting, and in modern times that almost certainly has to do with a post 9/11 america. this is feeding into those long-standing attitudes. it is soft ground for israel to bury into. but that is a much larger issue to tackle that i am too tired to break down right now.

back to the point!

in my opinion, what you’re saying is not a viable argument because of how disproportionate they are in this context. these “sides” are not mirrors of each other. they are not equal. amping up the antisemitic voices and tying them to pro-palestine stances is cut and dry propaganda, and you are fueling it by doing a variant of the “i agree but” argument.

as much as the media wants to try and complicate it, this is all actually very simple: palestine is being colonized, and has been for decades. we are witnessing ethnic cleansing and genocide. that’s what this is, and while we shouldn’t let go of empathy, we should not lose sight of the injustice palestinians are facing.

it is no coincidence that other movements such as black lives matter and land back are supporting palestine loudly; their experiences are, unfortunately and eerily, similar.

lastly, you should not be concerned about “looking bad.” supporting palestine automatically makes you look bad to many people, and the misinformation takes most of the blame for the negative perception of the free palestine movement. it is not a walk in the park to defend palestine right now. you need to push back against so much, but despite the outside forces, supporting palestine should be an easy choice— and an unwavering one at that— because what has been happening to palestine for generations is appalling.

sparknotes version: stop throwing up propaganda as talking points. you sound like you should be on fox news.

[dustedmagazine]

Dust Volume Nine, Number 10

Older, but not a bit wiser, the Hives return

Fall comes with its smell of maple in the leaves, its intimations of mortality and, this year, its share of unsettling events—war in the middle east, AI in everything and the murder of our beloved Bandcamp by capitalist privateers.  (We are not equating these things by any means.)  Like always, we turn to music, the annihilating blare of metal, the agile interplay of improvisation, the well-shaped contours of pop, depending on our individual tastes.  We hope you’ll find something to ease your own personal burden in all this as well.  Contributors include Bryon Hayes, Bill Meyer, Andrew Forell, Tim Clarke, Jonathan Shaw, Ian Mathers, Alex Johnson, Jennifer Kelly and Ray Garraty. 

Due to technical issues we're posting this in two parts, so don't miss the second one.

Ad Hoc — Corpse (Shame File Music / Albert’s Basement)

Ad Hoc was a Melbourne-based improvising unit, an experimental outfit that should have higher prominence. It only took 40-plus years, but Shame File Music and Albert’s Basement are finally spearheading a reissue initiative. Last year saw the arrival of the trio’s sole release, the hypnotic Distance cassette. It disappeared the moment it became available. Corpse documents an unconventional live performance from the group. They prepared their instruments (guitars, an EMS Synthi AKS synth and tape loops) for performance prior to the arrival of the audience and then shut off their amps. When all were seated, the trio turned on the amplifiers and unfurled an aleatoric blast of sound. The resulting music is far removed from the ambient tone clusters of Distance. The first piece shimmers in a way that calls to mind Matthew Bower’s Sunroof project, while the latter piece bathes in guitar noise so thick that it may have influenced The Dead C’s The Operation of the Sonne EP. Ad Hoc have today’s noisemakers beat: Corpse presents itself with a freshness that belies its 1980 provenance.

Bryon Hayes

Axolotl — Abrasive (Souffle Continu)

The French trio Axolotl existed for a few years in the early 1980s, and it reflects the aesthetic concerns of its time. Guitarist Marc Dufourd’s playing betrays some acquaintance with the work of Derek Bailey and Henry Kaiser, and the fibrous tones and agile exchanges between reeds players Jacques Oger and Etienne Brunet recall Evan Parker. All three double on electronics, hand percussion and utterances. These accessories, in combination with the concentration of the album’s 12 tracks, give the music a truculent attitude and just-the-facts brevity that brings to mind punk and post-punk. This may be free improvisation, but it is improvised from a point of view, and it’s that informed attitude that makes the album worth visiting nearly 40 years after its original release.

Bill Meyer

Will Butler + Sister Squares — Self-Titled (Merge)

Will Butler joins with Sister Squares — multi-instrumentalists Jenny (Butler’s wife) and Julie Shore, Sara Dobbs and drummer/producer Miles Francis — for their debut album. Bouncy, heartland rock garlanded with that 1980s Fairlight and Linn drum sound mixes with touches of art rock as Butler emotes wholehearted. The influence of the 20 years Butler spent with Arcade Fire is inescapable, but it feels like the quintet have also been listening to Billy MacKenzie (“Long Grass”) and Russell Mael (“Arrow of Time”) as well as Springsteen, Mellencamp and company. “Hee Loop” sounds like a mash of Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel. The themes and emotions can be big in that Arcade Fire way that’s equal parts exhilarating and exhausting, but the album works best when the band dial down the melodramatic flourishes as on “Car Crash” and “The Window,” where Butler is right in your ear, tired, disillusioned, real. This is a record I wanted to like both more and less. For every heartfelt moment and interesting musical choice, there’s a cringe-inducing gestural overreach that makes you wince. A bit like his former band but with enough promise to persevere with.

Andrew Forell

Claire Deak — Sotto Voce (Lost Tribe Sound)

Melbourne-based composer Claire Deak’s last release on Lost Tribe Sound was 2020’s The Old Capital, a fantastic collaboration with Tony Dupé. In my Dusted review I said, “There’s so much wonderful stuff going on across these seven songs that it’s a delight to revisit.” As its title suggests, Deak’s solo debut, Sotto Voce, very much sits at the opposite end of the musical spectrum. This is subtle, minimal music that softly arises out of silence and speaks an elusive language. The background to the album’s creation is Deak’s exploration of the work of two women composers from the early baroque era, Francesca Caccini (1587–c.1645) and Barbara Strozzi (1619–1677). The dominant musical elements are strings, harp and voice, with other instruments coloring the edges of these understated, starkly beautiful compositions. Across the album’s 42 minutes the music feels, at times, to be battling the entropy of erasure, struggling to be heard amid the cacophony of these overstimulated times. For that reason alone, it’s necessary to invest your attention and listen closely. The experience is eerie and transportive.

Tim Clarke

Mike Donovan — Meets the Mighty Flashlight (Drag City)

On a musical Venn diagram showing the intersecting circles of garage rock, lo-fi, and psych, Mike Donovan has set up his sandbox. With Sic Alps he veered more noisy and lo-fi; with Peacers he favored a straight-ahead garage-rock sound. On this new record with Mike Fellows, AKA The Mighty Flashlight, Donovan steers in the direction of shambolic psychedelic-pop in the vein of the Olivia Tremor Control. (To anyone who knows and loves OTC, this is obviously a very good thing.) The splashy drums and percussion tracks feel like a gestural afterthought rather than a rhythmic backbone the songs are built around, and Donovan and Fellows steer these songs into some choppy, unexpected waters. Opener “Planet Metley” is the clearest and most successful distillation of their aesthetic, offering up a staggering range of ideas in under four minutes, stopping and starting erratically, the bass roving all over the fretboard. At the other end of the spectrum, “Laurel Lotus Dub” is the kind of experiment that sounds like it was more fun to create that it is to listen back to. Between these two extremes there’s the junkshop boogie of “A Capital Pitch,” which features the hilarious line, “Hanging out on the ramparts with some dickheads in black,” the concise drum-machine and organ instrumental “Amalgam Wagon,” and the plaintive, country-flavored “Whistledown.” Wherever Donovan roams it’s usually worth following, and Meets the Mighty Flashlight is a winning collaboration that fizzes with fun.

Tim Clarke

Everything Falls Apart — Everything Falls Apart (Totalism)

“Somn” means sleep, or more poetically death. It’s the title of six of the seven tracks from Everything Falls Apart, the self-titled album from the duo of Belgian bassist Otto Lindholm (born Cyrille de Haes) and English producer Ross Tones. Those titles (numbered six to 11) and the coda “Wonderfully Desolate” tell you only part of the story of the music the pair produce. Their conversation focuses on the nuance of the Lindholm’s double bass which Tones swathes in electronic effects, stretching notes and motifs into near drones in timbres that rise from the murk like lugubrious sentinels. This is seriously heavy music but the dynamism of the duo’s understanding and interplay distinguishes Everything Falls Apart. Whilst many of the pieces focus on stasis and decay, “Somn 9” is a desert storm with clicking percussion, almost didgeridoo like growls from the bass and screeching electronic noise. On “Somn 11”, deep bowed notes support Lindholm’s move through the registers as if shaking from fitful dreams into the morning light. “Wonderfully Desolate” is comparatively unadorned, a string quartet playing against the end times, shimmers of light through the cracks.

Andrew Forell

False Fed — Let Them Eat Fake (Neurot Recordings)

Is it accurate to call a band including members of legendary underground acts Amebix (Stig Miller), Nausea (Roy Mayorga) and Broken Bones (Jeff Janiak) a “supergroup”? It might help to note that Janiak has sung for Discharge since 2014, and Mayorga has done a couple stints as drummer for Ministry. All names to conjure with (though a few of us first encountered Mayorga as a teenager back in the 1980s Lehigh Valley hardcore scene, when he drummed for Youthquake; West Catty Playground Building forever, man). In any case, the players have pooled their talents to create this death-rocking, sorta goth, sorta post-punk record, and it’s a lot of grim, grimy fun. Most of the music is mid-tempo, grand and romantic in its gestures, but shot through with a crusty growl in the guitars and production tone. The best songs speed things up a bit; both “The Tyrant Dies” and “The Big Sleep” have compelling momentum, complementing the stakes of songs’ ideas. It's Armagideon Time, people. Here’s your soundtrack, from dudes that know.

Jonathan Shaw

Hauschka— Philanthropy (City Slang)

German composer Volker Bertelmann’s 15th album of prepared piano pieces under the name Hauschka is noticeably warmer than some of his previous works. Joined by Samuli Kosminen on percussion and electronics and cellist Laura Wiek, Hauschka continues his exploration of the rhythmic and timbral possibilities of his instrument. At times almost jaunty, there are echoes of Bertelmann’s previous experiments with melancholic atmospherics but the general tone here is welcoming and optimistic. Kosminen adds subtle effects which frame rather than obscure the piano. There’s a touch of Satie in Hauschka’s playful iconoclastic approach to the piano and his deceptively simple melodies, especially on “Loved Ones” where Wiek’s plangent cello lines sustain and decay over an allusive harmony that speaks both of innocence and experience. At the other end of the spectrum, the closing piece “Noise” builds abstract ambience from repeated piano notes, smears of cello and a quiet wash of effects as if the players are enveloped in a thick damp fog. A lovely album for both fans and newcomers.

Andrew Forell

The Hives — The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons (Disques Hives)

There are usually going to be some questions when a band comes back with a new record after over a decade, maybe especially so with an act like Swedish garage/punk flamboyants the Hives; can they match the energy of their youth? Are they still willing and able to give us the old thrills? Or have they (and this is usually asked with a small, tasteful shudder of disgust) matured? It doesn’t take very long into first single/first track “Bogus Operandi” for the concerned listener to have reason for a sigh of relief. Anyone who used to (or still does?) blast “Main Offender” or “Hate to Say I Told You So” or “Walk Idiot Walk” should feel the galvanizing charge of a true, Frankensteinian resurrection once the riff hits. And across these not-quite-32 minutes (the brevity is also a promising sign) Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist and the boys kick up exactly the kind of racket you’d want from them, with tracks like “Trapdoor Solution” and “The Bomb” savoring the kind of gleefully dumb fun they’ve always provided (with a nice sideline in some of Almqvist’s deliberately, over-the-top awful narrators on “Two Kinds of Trouble” and “What Did I Ever Do to You?”). They even continue to throw out small, satisfying variations on the classic Hives sound like the brassy swagger of “Stick Up” and the surprisingly heartfelt thrash of “Smoke & Mirrors”. They may have killed off their “sixth member,” but the Hives are otherwise in rude health.

Ian Mathers

Islet — Soft Fascination (Fire)

The Welsh psych-electronic oddballs in Islet are on their fourth full-length now but show no signs of settling down. Soft Fascination is a bonkers mash up of dance pop, art song, hip hop, noise and folk. “Euphoria” floats a feather-light daze, a la Avey Tare, then punctures it the rat-at-tat of snare, the rifle shot rap repartee of Emma Daman Thomas. Gossamer textures of synth weave in and around the main action, snapping tight at intervals, like sails catching a hard wind. The whole thing is butterfly ephemeral with strong wires holding it up, a combination of daydream and architecture. “River Body,” if anything, tips even crazier, with its infectious sing-song, skip-rope vocals, its tootling toy keyboards, its blasts of noise and friction. And what can you make of “Sherry” which bucks and heaves and shouts out “Ay, ay, ay, ay,” like a lost Matias Aguayar cut? “Ay, ay, ay, ay,” indeed.

Jennifer Kelly

Jute Gyte — Unus Mundus Patet (Self-released)

Unus Mundus Patet is not the most dissonant or challenging record Adam Kalmbach has released during his 20-plus-year run under the Jute Gyte moniker. But neither is this black metal for the kvlt trve believers or for the hipster-adjacent sets, be they transcendental or ecstatic or blackgazy. The songs twist and turn in on themselves, always clear in their expressions of complex musical ideas, and also — somehow, someway — listenable and enjoyable. Avant-garde? Sure thing, and likely a much more authentic iteration of that phrase’s meaning than the music many other metal bands churn out under cover of high-minded beard stroking. See the by-turns undulating and fragmenting “Killing a Sword” or the trudging, vertiginous and then utterly thrilling “Philoctetes.” Jute Gyte doesn’t make music for the background, but if you can give these songs your full attention, you’ll be rewarded. Turn it up and open the portal into somewhere much weirder and more marvelous.

Jonathan Shaw

Danny Kamins / Chris Alford / Charles Pagano — The Secret Stop (Musical Eschatology)

Free improvisation may be a little sparser on the ground in the southern USA than it is in Chicago or New York, but The Secret Stop affirms the vigor of those who participate. Guitarist Chris Alford and drummer Charles Pagano play in New Orleans, and Danny Kamins is a saxophonist from Texas; this encounter took place in the Crescent City. As even players in places like the aforementioned northern cities or London will affirm, travel comes with this territory. Their interactions display a capacity to sustain balance when the energy is high and to back off when doing so will transform the music’s tension. Kamins intersperses long, coarse tones with emphatic pops, and Alford evidences a fluent stutter that suggests he’s spent a lot of time studying James “Blood” Ulmer’s sound grammar. Pagano’s cymbal sizzle and mutating not-quite-patterns provide both forward momentum and a framework within which the action occurs.

Bill Meyer

MIKE \ Wiki \ The Alchemist — Faith Is a Rock (ALC)

The long awaited collaboration between The Alchemist and MIKE took a sudden turn when they took on board another New York rapper Wiki who steals the show here. Both Wiki and MIKE were outcasts recording music in the vein of Earl Sweatshirt, even though MIKE was always a better version of Earl with only possibly a tenth of his fame. Knowing no rest, The Alchemist (that is his fourth collab this year) takes both MCs way out of their comfort zone, refusing to pander to the needs. MIKE and Wiki have to deal with The Alchemist’s fast and thick layered production, and it works for all of them. “Mayors A Cop” is a standout here, and Faith Is a Rock is one strong contender for the tape of the year.

Ray Garraty

Camila Nebbia — Una Ofrenda A La Ausencía (Relative Pitch)

The title translates as An Offering To Absence, which of course raises the question, what’s missing? Camila Nebbia is a multidisciplinary artist who grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but has seems to have spent a fair chunk of time moving around Europe in recent years, and is currently based in Berlin. She has a sizable discography, but this correspondent has not heard most of it, so let’s just focus on the album at hand. Its 16 tracks present three facets of her work — acoustic tenor saxophone, electronically adjusted saxophone and poetry — with the first method best represented. The unaccompanied saxophone performances reveal her mastery of both weight-bearing muscularity and adroit tap-dancing on the far side of the fences that confine conventional tonality. But when she layers long tones and feedback, Nebbia becomes a one-woman orchestra transmitting heavy Penderecki vibes. The one poem included, “Dejo que me lieve” (“I let it lie”), is recited in Spanish, and no translation is offered; perhaps home is what’s not there, so she needs to manifest it creatively?

Bill Meyer

[Continued in Part 2, because Tumblr decided we only get 10 audio links.]

[freddyguykestner]

Chapter 61: REMOTE

I’m standing in my stylish, glass-walled, tastefully decorated apartment on the penthouse floor of the American Gardens building, looking out across the Manhattan skyline at the towering monuments of wealth and success. My physical position among these great concrete monoliths speaks of my own strength and achievements, as if I am one of them, made of breeze blocks and cement. I take a sip of J&B from my crystal tumbler and shake off the thought. The fantasy merely reminds me of my raw and aching yearning to belong. Although I couldn’t put a finger on what I was searching for all this time, I’d always felt the answers were somehow within my reach. I notice a red speck on the cuff of my Valentino Couture cotton shirt. Surrounded by the trappings of my success - my twin leather Mies van de Roche Barcelona chairs; my wall-mounted Roberto Lungo diptych; my 32” Sony Trinitron CRT TV, flanked on both sides by piles of unreturned Blockbuster videotapes; my Pioneer PD-4300 CD player; my Harmon Kardon stereo music system, complete with HK 725 preamp and HK EQ7 equalizer; my endless CD collection - I am consumed by an emptiness that no amount of material indulgence, no amount of dissecting girls can fill. The city below pulses with life, but within these walls, I am imprisoned in the kingdom of the dead. A cage of solitude, carefully and dutifully constructed by no one but myself.

The truth seems to emanate from my being, dwarfing even the tunes beamed from my HK 770 amp: Behind this meticulously crafted mask lies a craving, a desperation to break free from the suffocating grip of superficiality and meaningless, psychotic violence. My heart aches for human connection: I long for someone to see beyond the carefully crafted image I present to the world; through the layers of epidermis; of sinew and muscle painstakingly toned and hardened by rigorous daily workouts and dieting regimes; past the monster hidden beneath; deeper still, to glimpse the fractured soul trembling at the bottom of the well, crying out for the love it didn’t know it needed.

As the sounds of the mixtape bounce between my floor-to-ceiling windows and sparsely decorated, clinically white statement walls, the weight of isolation presses down upon me like a leaden cloak. In this soulless city of excess and extravagance, I am but a solitary figure adrift in a sea of indifference. The emptiness gnaws at my insides like a starved and entrapped rodent.

There is more than an idea of Patrick Bateman. I grab the remote and turn the volume of the hi fi system up full blast, as if to broadcast to the world, to anyone who will listen: “I am here”. The sound waves of my loneliness reverberate through the floors of the building, like heat passed from one being to another, a lament for the human connection that continues to elude me and perhaps always will.

[hifilounge]

Trafomatic Rhapsody 300B Single Ended Valve Amp Now On Demo In A Cool Colour!

Hi Everyone,

As I've been writing these blogs over the last couple of weeks it has made me realise just how much new demo stock we have bought this year, scary stuff really, being a music lover and HiFi enthusiast running a HiFi shop really is akin to a drug dealer being addicted to heroin, it really is a dangerous and expensive business, bloody good fun though, there are just so many temptations out there.

This is a great new addition to our range though I feel, Trafomatic Audio are a new brand to me and bringing them on was solely driven my love of the Western Electric 91E 300B valve amp we have here which when partnered with our DeVore speakers really is a match made in heaven which got me looking at what other 300B Single ended Valve amps are out there which brought me to Trafomatic, I was firstly sold by the looks, yes I'm such a tart, but I asked if I could borrow one from the distributor, Absolute Sounds, which they kindly obliged with and after a quick listen I realised that along with it being absolutely gorgeous it sounded different enough from the 91E that it would be a worthy addition to put on demo to give our ever growing number of DeVore customers another amplifier option. What I need to do now is try to on other speakers as I'm sure it will make any speaker sing it is connected to.

Choose You Colour!

Another great feature on the purely aesthetic point is that you can have any colour you like, so being a bit of a car nut I sent them a picture of the below Ferrari and asked them to match that, please, so Trafomatic spoke with Ferrari and got the paint code, I think when you see the amp you'll agree they did a great job.

As for the sound compared to the Western Electric 91E? it definitely has a slightly tighter and punchier bass and a more refined sound overall whereas the 91E is a little more forward and lively so they really do complement each other well as they are both equally as good I'd say but just different so it will be up to the customer to choose, I can see some fun demos coming up.

Once our DeVore Reference speakers arrive I plan to run them with the Trafomatic Glenn 300B Mono Blocks as I would expect that to be a very special combination, really can't wait to get this all up and running.

As ever please find a link below to Trafomatic on our website, we're still adding some products to this, and a few pictures below and if you'd like to come in for a listen at anytime please feel free.

Cheers,

Paul.

The Big Question, Trafomatic Rhapsody or the Western Electric 91E?

[vavaclasses]

Notes on Class 12 Physics Semiconductor Electronics: Materials, Devices and Simple Circuits

Introduction to Semiconductor Electronics: Materials, Devices, and Simple Circuits

Semiconductor electronics forms the backbone of modern technology, revolutionizing communication, computing, and countless other fields. This branch of physics deals with the study of semiconductor materials, devices, and their applications in electronic circuits. Semiconductors, such as silicon and germanium, play a pivotal role due to their unique properties, which lie between those of conductors and insulators.

In this study, we explore the intricate workings of semiconductor devices like diodes, transistors, and integrated circuits. These devices enable the manipulation, amplification, and regulation of electronic signals, essential for powering electronic gadgets, processing information, and controlling machinery.

Through understanding semiconductor physics, device operation principles, and circuit design techniques, we embark on a journey to comprehend the intricate world of semiconductor electronics. This knowledge not only forms the foundation for advanced studies in electronics but also empowers us to innovate and contribute to the ever-evolving landscape of modern technology.

Here are some notes on Class 12 Physics Semiconductor Electronics: Materials, Devices, and Simple Circuits:

Introduction to Semiconductor Physics:

Semiconductors are materials with electrical conductivity between that of conductors and insulators. Examples include silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge).

Intrinsic semiconductors are pure semiconductors with equal numbers of electrons and holes.

2. Extrinsic Semiconductors:

Doping introduces impurities into semiconductor crystals to modify their conductivity.

N-type semiconductors are doped with materials that increase the number of free electrons.

P-type semiconductors are doped with materials that create electron-deficient holes.

3. PN Junction Diode:

A PN junction diode is formed by joining a P-type semiconductor with an N-type semiconductor.

It allows current to flow in one direction (forward-biased) and blocks it in the other direction (reverse-biased).

Characteristics include forward and reverse biasing, breakdown voltage, and diode equation.

4. Diode Applications:

Rectification: Converting AC to DC using diodes in half-wave or full-wave rectifier circuits.

Clipping and Clamping: Limiting voltage levels in electronic circuits using diodes.

Voltage Regulation: Stabilizing voltage levels using Zener diodes.

5. Transistors:

Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT) and Field Effect Transistor (FET) are common types.

Transistors amplify or switch electronic signals and can be used as amplifiers, switches, or oscillators.

6. Transistor Configurations:

Common emitter, common base, and common collector configurations for BJTs.

Common source, common gate, and common drain configurations for FETs.

7. Transistor Amplifiers:

Amplifier circuits use transistors to increase the amplitude of electrical signals.

Common emitter and common collector configurations are commonly used for amplification.

8. Logic Gates:

Basic building blocks of digital circuits that perform logical operations (AND, OR, NOT, etc.).

Implemented using transistors to process binary inputs and produce binary outputs.

9. Integrated Circuits (ICs):

ICs are miniaturized electronic circuits fabricated on a single semiconductor chip.

Types include analog ICs (op-amps, voltage regulators) and digital ICs (microprocessors, memory chips).

10. Simple Circuits:

Basic electronic circuits incorporating semiconductor devices like diodes, transistors, and ICs.

Examples include amplifiers, oscillators, timers, and voltage regulators.

Understanding semiconductor electronics is essential for various applications in modern technology, including computers, telecommunications, and consumer electronics. These notes provide a foundational understanding of semiconductor materials, devices, and circuits, laying the groundwork for further exploration in the field of electronics.

[thebookishwallflower]

this is all very important and some of these are super easy, free, and take hardly anytime. just a bit of balls

call the government, tell them they’re complicit in fucking genocide. organize if you can. protest if you can. donate if you can.

my own edition is plugging a rad shirt i found at a flea market reading ‘Legality Doesn’t Equal Morality’ it shows support and 25% of your money goes the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund

Below Cut: Full links & ID

ID: A white t-shirt with red lettering reading LEGALITY DOESN’T EQUAL MORALITY. The words ‘doesn’t equal’ are striked through). A small triangle reading PCRF.net is located on the right sleeve, with a classic uppercutt logo on the back of the collar.

https://14uppercutts.myshopify.com/products/legality-doesnt-equal-morality

https://www.pcrf.net

700 Palestinians were killed in the last 24 hours and the airstrikes are more violent each night. Gaza's hospitals have fuel left for two more days. Israel only allowed aid into Gaza on the condition they didn't carry fuel. The Indonesian hospital has shut down already, because doctors have no supplies and no choice but to let the wounded die. They're calling it a collapse but the term doesn't do it justice.

Over a 100 incubator babies are at risk. There are 50.000 pregnant women in Gaza right now, and 5.500 due to give birth this month. Menstruating people are taking pills in order to stop their periods, because they do not have pads or water to maintain hygiene. Surgeons are operating without anesthesia. Water is not reaching Gazans because there's no electricity or fuel for water pumps.

There's no excuse for this. Israel justifies the airstrikes by saying they want to destroy Hamas infrastructure and release the hostages, but they have refused to negotiate for their release. Hamas informed Israel they wanted to release two elderly women without anything in return, and Israel refused. Netanyahu said they wouldn't take their own civilians back because it was "mendacious propaganda." When the hostages were finally released, Netanyahu prohibited the hospital from giving press releases. Yocheved Lifshitz went behind their backs and talked to the press anyway, saying she was treated very well by Hamas, but the government abandoned them. They're being used as straw men. Israel is conditioning the entry of fuel to the release of hostages and yet, according to The Wall Street Journal, when Hamas proposed to exchange 50 hostages for fuel they denied. IDF officials have said they fear the release of more hostages because that might withhold the order to their ground invasion. They do not care as long as they can use the hostages as a pretext for their slaughtering.

There's a turning tide for Palestine in public support. Support for Israel was built through decades of propaganda and we are making a dent into it. Zionists are desperate, holding zoom meetings to promote zionism, but we have to do so much more. We have to shame people in power into supporting the Palestinian cause.

Keep yourself updated and share Palestinian voices, looking to inform yourself from the sources. Palestinians have asked of us only that we share, tweet and post, over and over. Muna El-Kurd said every tweet is like a treasure to them, because their voices are repressed on social media and even on this very app. Make it your action item to share something about the Palestinian plight everyday. Here are some resources:

Al Jazeera

Anadolu Agency

Mondoweiss

Boycott Divest Sanction Movement

Palestinian Youth Movement

Mohammed El-Kurd (twitter / instagram)

Al-Shabaka (twitter / instagram)

Mariam Barghouti (twitter / instagram)

Muhammad Shehada (twitter)

Motaz Azaiza (instagram) - reporting directly from Gaza

Take action. You can participate in boycotts wherever you are in the world, through BDS guidelines. Right now, they are focusing on boycotting (don't be overwhelmed by gigantic boycott lists. Only boycott additional brands if you can):

Carrefour

HP

Puma

Sabra

Sodastream

Ahava cosmetics

Israeli fruits and vegetables

Push for a cultural boycott - pressure your favorite artist to speak out on Palestine and cancel any upcoming performances on occupied territory (Lorde cancelled her gig in Israel because of this. It works.)

If you can, participate in direct action or donate. Palestine Action works to shut down Israeli weapons factories in the UK and USA, and have successfully shut down one of their firms in London. Some of the activists are going on trial and are calling for mobilizing on court.

Call your representatives. The Labour Party in the UK had an emergency meeting after several councilors threatened to resign if they didn't condemn Israeli war crimes. Calling to show your complaints works, even more if you live in a country that funds genocide.

FOR PEOPLE IN THE USA: USCPR has developed this toolkit for calls

FOR PEOPLE IN THE UK: Friends of Al-Aqsa UK and Palestine Solidarity UK have made toolkits for calls and emails

FOR PEOPLE IN GERMANY: Here's a toolkit to contact your representatives by Voices in Europe for Peace

FOR PEOPLE IN IRELAND: Here's a toolkit by Voices in Europe for Peace

FOR PEOPLE IN POLAND: Here's a toolkit by Voices in Europe for Peace

FOR PEOPLE IN DENMARK: Here's a toolkit by Voices in Europe for Peace

FOR PEOPLE IN SWEDEN: Here's a toolkit by Voices in Europe for Peace

FOR PEOPLE IN AUSTRALIA: Here's a toolkit by Stand With Palestine

FOR PEOPLE IN CANADA: Here's a toolkit by Indepent Jewish Voices for Canada

Join a protest. Here's a constantly updating list of protests:

Global calendar

USA calendar

Australia calendar

Here are upcoming events:

CANBERRA/NGUNNAWAL, AUSTRALIA – Wed Oct 25, 11 am, National Press Club. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cyh1xy1BMrU/

OXFORD, ENGLAND – Wed Oct 25, 12:15 pm, Cornmarket. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CykroKeInz3/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

SMITH COLLEGE (US) – Wed Oct 25, 12 pm, Chapin Lawn. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CymT8f5vnHN/?img_index=1

ST CATHERINES, ON ( CANADA) – Wed Oct 25, 6 pm, 61 Geneva St Info: https://www.facebook.com/events/889319005528757/

TORONTO, CANADA – Wed Oct 25, 5 pm, Sidney Smith Hall. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyjVbpGvva8/

SANT CUGAT, CATALONIA, SPAIN – Thurs Oct 26, 6 pm, Davant l’Ajuntament. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CynL834tgg9/?img_index=4

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Fri Oct 27, 7 pm, Federation Square. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cyhyd0vhP8t/

LIVORNO, ITALY – Sat Oct 28, 2:30 pm, Piazza Cavour. Info https://www.instagram.com/p/CyiWJ06MXpM/

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (US) – Sat Oct 28, 1 pm, Lake Street and Minnehaha.

ROME, ITALY – Sat Oct 28, Rome. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cyi7ey-MMs1/?img_index=1

ROME, ITALY – Sat Nov 4, Rome. Info TBA: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyndKUitnMU/

WASHINGTON, DC (USA) – Sat Nov 4, 12 pm, White House. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyiecRtr9-B/

Wollongong: Rally at Crown Street Mall Amphitheatre on 21 Oct at 1 PM

Melbourne: Blak and Palestinian Solidarity Rally at Victorian Parliament House Steps on 25 Oct at 6 PM

HOUSTON: Thursday, October 26th, 5:45PM, Rice University, Central Quad

VANCOUVER: OCT 28 at 2PM, Vancouver Art Gallery

KITCHENER: Wednesday October 25th at 5 PM at CBC Kitchener

SANTA ANA: 20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701, October 25th at 5:30 pm

TORONTO: WED. OCT 25 at 7PM at Queen's Park

[CAR RALLY] WASHINGTON D.C: Wednesday 10/25 outside the US State Department on the 23rd Street side

Feel free to add more.