#He likes to listen to music at a high volume level now

[julissart]

Then vs Now

Modern AU angst I've been thinking lately

My OP Fanart Masterlist here

[mazosstuff]

Heartsteel boys × classical singer!reader

Pairings: Aphelios, Ezreal, Sett, Kayn, Yone, K'sante (separately) × gn reader

Cw: maybe reader being a little insecure?

Words: 1.1 k

Aphelios

• You sometimes forget he's in the house, so, thinking you're alone, you start singing a little.

• You were no master at it so it was a little hard for you to say if you were singing with your throat or not, and that was one of his reasons why you never sang infront of him, but following some advices from your vocal coach helped alot.

• You were cooking something when you remembered the part of an opera you did when you didn't know Phel.

• Not noticing him, you started singing the solo and, my my, our boy was shocked.

• He realised you didn't know he was there, but he just stared at you awestruck.

• You never raised your voice in front of him, but to hear it so loudly, he was certainly amazed by it. (Doesn't mean that you were screaming, but it is pretty loud when someone sings right next to you, been there, done that myself)

• It was powerful, and even if he didn't understand a word of what you said, he still thought it was beautiful.

After ending your solo, you turned around and saw him, completely frozen in the spot.

Your cheeks went red

"Phel!" You exclaimed. "I didn't know you were home."

He grabbed his phone and wrote on the notes: do it again

"You... wanna hear me sing?" He nodded his head.

"And to think people say I'm too loud when I sing like this... don't you mind?" He shook his head to indicate a no.

Ezreal

• He kinda knew you sang a little, but he never knew what kind of genre you would be into.

• When you heard their song for the first time, you liked it a lot, so he thought your favourite genre of music must be electronic or pop.

• Truth to be told, you were really versatile with your taste in music.

• You two have a shared playlist where you once put an aria by accident, and you didn't notice until he told you.

"Babe, do you listen to classical music?" You stared at him. How did he know?

"Yeah... I usually sing it too..."

"Shut up, let me hear you! I wanna hear you sing the one you put in our playlist."

Panic. Total fucking panic. What if he didn't like it? What if you messed up the high note? What if...?

"Okay" you finally gave in.

"Let me just prepare a little... I don't wanna hurt my vocal cords."

After preparation, you started. Your heart pounded like crazy.

All went smoothly. You were so scared of having a voice crack but it never happened.

He got his yellow glasses and put them on his face just to push them down (like the scene in the MV).

"Why didn't you tell me I have a soulmate who sings better than me?"

"What...?"

"You can do high notes and everything! I need to tell this to everyone! My soulmate is already special by themselves, but this? You're amazing!"

Sett

• I feel like his mother would turn up the volume of the radio whenever classical music was put.

• He usually rolled his eyes when he was younger, but with age he started to understand the work and the vocal training people put to reach those levels. He respected it.

• Once you were going somewhere so he turned on the radio to put some music and the station the radio was on was the one of classical music.

• Before he could change the station you started singing.

• He secretly started to record you.

• He was impressed to say the least.

You looked over to him. "Delete that. Now."

"Oh come on, babe. You have millions of videos of me singing. Why can't I have one of you?"

"Touché..."

"Do you think I can sing whatever you sang now?"

"Do you wanna end up like Phel?"

"Omg, no"

"Then don't"

Kayn

• Bro rolls his eyes whenever he hears the words classical and music put together.

• He will pretend to throw up whenever you make him listen to a song that's not rock, pop, metal, or anything that doesn't have fast rhythm.

• One time it happened that you found a recording of you singing.

• He wanted to listen to make fun of your taste in music, but he was...

• He couldn't understand.

• Something he thought was lame just became... angelic.

"So... what do you think...?"

"It's okay, I guess"

"Wait... you are telling me that you liked it? Kayn, sweety, are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine. And what's with the sweety now? Don't say that again"

So, under that façade of the bad boy, there is a golden heart after all.

Yone

• He listens to the classic music playlists on spotify. You can't tell me otherwise.

• Would be delighted to know that you two shared this little interest.

• Would let you sing him to sleep if he allowed himself to rest.

• Once, because you had a minor argument, you slept in separate rooms.

• He couldn't sleep so tried with the music he had saved of spotify but nothing worked.

He knocked at your door.

"What?" You asked him, still pretty pissed off, but probably because of the tiredness and the sadness.

"I can't sleep."

"Me neither"

"Can... can you sing me that one melody you sing me everytime?"

"Can't you just listen it on your own?"

"Why deprive myself of the better version when I have it right in front of me?" The reality was that he needed your voice and not some of a stranger.

If your body wasn't a solid, it would have melted right there.

"Fine..."

(But no seriously, how can you not love this man)

K'Sante

• He would start humming with you some famous pieces.

• I don't know why but I have the feeling that he also has heard somethings so he has a basic knowledge of classical music.

• He asked why didn't you join a choir yet. With your talent, you should.

• He once tried sneaking up on you while you were reading a music sheet.

• With how scared you were you hit a high note that wasn't even in your range, or at least you thought it wasn't.

• The man was too stunned to speak.

"Did you just...?"

"I didn't even know that was in my range..."

"What were you reading anyway? Did you join a choir?" He gasped in excitement.

"Yeah... I followed your advice. It's actually more welcoming than I thought it would be"

"I'm so happy you're comfortable there!" He picked you up and hugged you.

A/n: Hi there! Paranoia has been stuck in my mind for quite some time, so I thought I might write something for the boys from the perspective of someone who grew up in a family of musicians and professional classical singers.

Riot... you gotta tell me why do you create them, make them drop a banger, and make them disappear into thin air.

I am waiting for a comeback of both K/DA and True Damage.

I hope you liked this! As always, requests are open. Check my pinned post!

[effy-writes]

Blitz: ABC’s of Intimacy

i’m posting my old stuff on here!!

•Aftercare (How do they look after you after sex)

He mainly just lays in bed and cuddles you. Nothing too crazy, he just lays there and listen to you talk and vice versa. He's not really into aftercare, but he does it for you.

• Body Part (Fav body part)

Boobs, he's a sucker (ha) for boobs. Groping, flicking, licking, sucking your nipples, he loves it.

•Communication (Do they talk during sex, roleplay, etc)

He's a huge talker and super into roleplaying. He mainly likes to roleplay as cowboys but is up to do whatever you want roleplay as.

•Dirty Secret (A secret they won't tell)

He's lowkey into you degrading him. He found out by accident whenever you yelled at him for accidentally cumming in your eye. Sometimes he gets on your nerves just so he could be yelled at by you.

•Experienced or Virgin

Super experienced, before yall got together bro was fucking like once a day.

•Goofy or Serious

Mainly serious in bed, but if it's just casual sex he'll say some dumb shit like, "I wonder if M&M are fucking right now." And you'll just reply with "Well I'm pretending I'm fucking Moxxie right now." And yall will just go back and forth

•Favorite Position (self explanatory)

He's a sucker for doggy. Pulling on your horns, hair, tail, he loves it. (Same with pegging)

•Hair (pubes shave or natural)

He's trimmed

•Intimacy (Their romantic level during sex)

It depends on what kind of day he had. If he had a pretty good day he's pretty romantic. Candles, music, all of that stuff. If he's having a shitty day then it's not as romantic but you can still tell he loves you.

•Jack off (How often)

Pretty often. Whenever you're not there he usually jacks off in the bathroom and thinks about you.

•Kinks

Choking, roleplaying, bondage (giving and receiving) He's not vanilla whatsoever. (But is willing to be vanilla if you're not up for it).

•Location (Fav areas to have sex)

Mainly his office, but he also loves doing it in the shower and on the couch. But office 100%

•Motivation (Their turn on's)

Whenever he sees you killing the targets. M&M have to pry him off of you basically. Also whenever he sees you wearing one of his shirts wearing no pants.

•No's

He doesn't have a lot of no's. The only thing is that he's against dressing up as clowns and roleplaying as them (because of his past)

•Oral (Give or receive)

At first he prefers receiving, but after that encounter with Verosika he was willing to give you oral, and ever since he loved it.

•Pace (Slow, gentle, rough, hard, fast)

Again, depending on what type of day he had. Sucky day, hard and rough, good day, slow and gentle. He's also willing to do whatever pace you would like.

•Quickie

He loves them. He always asks for a quickie every day (and if you're willing to do one).

•Risk (What things he's willing to do)

Anything and everything. Living world, the headquarters, on a fuck ton of drugs, in public (if you're up for that)

•Stamina

Pretty high, he can go how long you would like. After sex, he would need a couple of hours to recover, but after he's willing to go again.

•Toys

He loves them. His favorite one is using a vibrator on you. For himself he loves using a vibrating buttplug.

•Unfair (Teasing)

Definitely unfair. He's really into edging. But once you beg him to stop he'll happily obliged.

•Volume

Normal amount of volume. He's not extremely loud. Mainly just grunts and some moans.

•Wild (Are they animalistic)

Very much so, but not all the time. It depends if y'all are roleplaying and what yall are roleplaying.

•X Ray (What's in their pants)

7 Inches in length but slim. Its the same color as his skin and he has some "spikes" like the one his his back. It doesn't hurt at all and it gives you more sensation.

•Yearning (High or low sex drive)

Pretty high. If he's depressed then it's quite low and he's kinda embarrassed by that. But you're by his side and reassures him it's okay.

•Zzz

He typically stays awake if it's during the day. But if it's late at night he'll stay awake for some minutes before finally falling asleep.

[cowgurrrl]

Lavender Girl

Pairing: Joel Miller x fem!reader

Summary: A field trip [4.7k]

Warnings: financial stress, school fight, June once again introduces an ex, having a muse is creepy and weird, flirting that’s not flirting but it’s not not flirting, June putting her art history knowledge to work

Most days, you're a good teacher. A teacher that students want to eat lunch with or inadvertently include in their silly TikToks. Most days, you're patient and kind and only have to raise your voice a handful of times, if only to be heard over the blanket volume level of teenage conversation. Today is not one of those days. "Guys!" You yell, pausing the music on your computer and turning to look at your class, obviously annoyed. "We're supposed to be talking about Picasso. I don't know why I'm hearing so much conversation about lunch." It's a lie. There was a fight between two students at lunch. It'd also been the topic of conversation in the teacher's lounge, but still.

"Miss, we already talked about Picasso!" One of your kids bemoans, and you raise your eyebrows at them. 

"So, if I asked you right now, you could tell me what historical event his painting Guernica is supposed to depict?" You ask. The entire class goes silent as you wait for a response that never comes, and you sigh. "Please, do your work."

The day started with getting yet another email from another gallery, this time from down south, telling you they loved your work but not enough to showcase or buy it. Then, a text from your manager letting you know that paychecks will be late because of technical issues with the system, even though you're already beyond broke. Then, a sad text from Andie about how she's feeling homesick and misses you and wishes you could get on a plane to come see her. Then, to top it all off, an email from your ex, Henry, popped up the second you pulled into the school. 

Hey, long time, no talk! I hope you're doing well. I wanted to reach out and let you know I've got an exhibition going up later next week and wanted to invite you to the opening. It's about-

You didn't read any further, anger and a wave of past emotions drowning you before you could. You and Henry were together all throughout college. You met during a freshman art class and were inseparable after that. He was tall, sensitive, and had a penchant for listening to country music when he worked, leading to many delirious nights spent crooning to Emmy-Lou Harris together. He surprised you with new paint and spontaneous trips to scenic parts of Texas to fuel your inspiration. You were happy for a long time. You even thought you'd marry him at one point. He wanted to be the next young, groundbreaking artist, making you his muse, no matter how many times you tried to assure him you were also an artist. Your work would go up in galleries and exhibitions, and everyone in your small program would gossip about the two of you. "He's so talented. It's insane," you heard one of your classmates say once. "And she's so beautiful." 

The compliment dug under your skin and stayed there as your relationship failed. You didn't want to be a muse anymore. You stopped letting him paint you in various states of undress and started asking for more alone time to work on your own stuff. You went from being the perfect, polished doll he could position however he wanted and started living in your paint-stained jeans and old, ratty shirt. You started arguing more and more, first about little things like why he left his paint water cups everywhere, and then about big things like your decision to pursue teaching and the "inspiration" he found in an impressionable freshman. He suddenly moved out after graduation without a word, leaving you to nurse your wounds in a half-empty apartment for the rest of your lease, and you hadn't heard from him until this morning. 

There's something more than the sting of hearing from him all these years later that bothers you. You're a high school art teacher struggling to make ends meet, and he's doing exactly what he set out to do. He's getting his work in front of his eyes and receiving praise for it. "Why do you wanna be a teacher when you can just be an artist?" He asked you one morning as you studied for your certification exams. "Or, at least, an artist's wife." 

"And what if I'm not good at that?" You asked. "Then what? I'm just supposed to be your muse for the rest of my life? Have kids to fuel someone else's inspiration and have no time for my own work? Wither away while you go on to make art and give talks and become a cynic? Fuck that." 

You stand by what you said, even all these years later, but there is an irony in that, even as a teacher, you don't have time to do your own work. Still, fuck that. The bell rings and signals the end of another class, and you quickly stand as students start packing up their stuff. "Okay, guys. Remember, your art history essay is due in two weeks! I'm excited to read all about everything you've learned since we started this unit. I love you, and please make good choices." You announce, hoping that at least some of them are listening to you, as they spill out of the classroom and the next students stream in. Ellie's sweet face is a welcome reprieve when she walks in. 

"Hey Bellie! How's your day going, kiddo?" You ask, and she smiles. You'll swear up and down all day that you don't have favorite students, but if you did, Ellie would be one of them. 

"Good. I have my signed permission slip for the art club field trip." She says. After your experience with Joel outside the bar, you couldn't sleep and knocked out all the field trip paperwork before falling asleep on your couch. But you weren't safe from his lips and broad shoulders, even in your subconscious. 

"Oh, my hero! I've been meaning to remind everyone about those. Thanks for getting that in so quickly." You say as she hands the paper to you, Joel's scribbly signature at the bottom. Somehow, you're not surprised that the box indicating he wants to be a chaperone is ticked. "Perfect. Your dad knows when the field trip is?" 

"Yeah. He wrote it down on his calendar and everything." She says, rolling her eyes fondly, and you laugh.

"Well, good, because I'm gonna need all the help I can get when I'm dealing with you guys."

"Hey!" She feigns offense as the bell rings, signaling the end of the passing period, and the last of your students comes running in. Ellie takes her seat near the front, and you grab your silly, colorful pointer to talk about Guernica, which is still proudly displayed on the board. After a quick art history lesson, you release them to work on the projects they've been working on for a week now. They still have a few more days before it's due, so more than half of them are slacking off quietly, which you're fine with. As long as you get a finished assignment at the end, they can do whatever they want.

You play quiet music as they work to help them focus and answer some emails. One email that catches your attention is from the parent of one of your students, Dalton, who's an amazing football player but is less than passionate about art, to say the least. You emailed his dad to let him know he was missing some assignments and could still turn them in late for only a slight penalty, but if he turns in nothing at all, you'll have no choice but to fail him. You also CC'd the football coach so he'd know the academic standing of one of his star players. Needless to say, you've been subject to a few not-so-nice emails from all parties involved. 

Once you're done firing off another round of emails, you decide to step away from your computer so you don't have to see the next reply until absolutely necessary. Walking around the room to answer questions, give opinions, or just hear what's happening in students' lives always makes you feel better. In one period, you helped a handful of students put the finishing touches on their projects, heard the latest gossip, and talked one of your girls out of sending a nasty text to the boy who just broke her heart. And they say teachers aren't important. 

The second you get a little bit of peace during your planning period, your phone buzzes with a notification. Given all the notifications and messages you've received today, you're hesitant to even pull it out of your pocket. But curiosity wins, and you open your phone to find a text from an unsaved number.

Is there anything I should bring to the field trip? Snacks, gum, alcohol?

You laugh to yourself and start typing a message back. 

Alcohol won't be necessary, but it might be good to bring some lunch and a few snacks. I think we're gonna try to have a picnic or something at the museum. 

Yes, ma'am.

You still feeling up to chaperone? Teenagers are no joke.

Do I need to remind you that I've raised two? I think I can handle a few more.

Oh, I can't wait to see this.

It can't be that hard, right?

On the day of the field trip, it turns out to be that hard. The only adults accompanying twenty teenagers to the museum are you and Joel. They're excited to be out of school and doing something new, but you can feel your migraine starting before you even get on the bus. Thankfully, the ride to the museum (and the traffic) calms them down, and they're more manageable by the time you arrive. A curator meets you outside the front doors and begins by walking your group through the outdoor sculptures, giving a little bit of history of the museum and the pieces themselves. The kids ask insightful questions and take turns snapping photos or even sketching a rough outline of the piece before moving on to the next. You stay at the front of the group while Joel manages the middle and back, silencing kids with a stern look. You fight a smile when you catch him and Ellie lingering at a sculpture, whispering to each other before he urges her forward and takes a sweet picture of her smiling in front of it. 

After the initial walk of the grounds, you stop to have lunch in a sunny garden and listen to the kids gush about their favorite part so far and what paintings they're most excited to see inside. 

"Miss, what's your favorite thing here?" Kayla asks.

"I like Dream Village by Chagall. If you find it before me, you'll have to let me know." You say. "Do you have a favorite?"

"Not yet. Maybe I'll find it today." Kayla says.

"I like that attitude!"

"Kissass." Jacob coughs, and you both give him a look. You can feel Joel's eyes burning a hole in the back of your head as you stare at Jacob.

"What's my policy?" 

"Are you really gonna make me say it?"

"Yep." You say, and he sighs.

"You can be anything you want to be, but you're not allowed to be a dick." He mumbles.

"Exactly. So, please, be nice," you say as you fish around in your lunch box for something. "Here, have a cookie. It might help make you feel a little better." He mutters a little thanks and unwraps it, already in a better mood after one bite, and you smile. 

"You just carry around cookies, waiting for a kid to be in a bad mood?" Joel asks, and you turn to look at him. He's wearing a plain blue t-shirt and jeans with sunglasses sitting atop his head, but you think it might be your favorite thing he's worn in your presence. You like it when he wears color.

"It was my cookie, but he needs it more than I do," you shrug. "Besides, things like that are a great morale booster. It's hard to be grumpy when you've got something sweet." 

"I'm inclined to agree with you." He quips a little too smoothly, his eyes flicking across your face and down to your lips, and you feel your cheeks getting hot. Thankfully, all the kids have returned to their own conversations and couldn't care less about what the Adults are talking about. 

"You're relentless." You whisper.

"Do you want me to stop?" He whispers back, and you sigh. If you were a stronger or better person, you might be able to think fast enough to come up with a response, but you're not. So, you just look at him and rack your brain for something to say but come up empty. "That's what I thought." He smiles and offers you his sweating Dr. Pepper can as a peace offering. You roll your eyes at his smug look but take a sip anyway. 

Once everyone is done eating, you all stand and make your way into the museum lobby, the kids already chattering about what they want to see. 

"Okay, you guys are free to roam but please, please, please remember that you're representing not only the school but also me. Be respectful and kind, and please don't act like you've never been in public before, okay? Go, be free." You say before the kids split off into their little groups with their obligatory activity in hand. Ellie stays near Joel, only a little shy, until Kayla turns around suddenly and waves her on.

"Ellie, c'mon!" She says. Ellie takes a few steps in her direction before turning to look back at Joel.

"Go. I'll be okay." He says.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Now go. Have fun." She doesn't need any more encouragement after that and skitters off with the rest of the kids, leaving you and Joel alone in the atrium. 

"She's doing really well." You tell him even though he can clearly see for himself. 

"Thanks to you." 

"All I did was give her a push."

"Take the credit. You deserve it." He says, his lips pulling into that award-winning smile. 

You fall into silence as you walk through the different galleries, Joel never too far behind you. Sometimes, he'll start at the opposite end of the room and work his way down until you meet in the middle, making a deliberate effort to bump your shoulder or hand as he passes. Other times, he'll stay right next to you, and, for some reason, it doesn't bother you. You like being so close to him and feeling his eyes work over the piece like it's a puzzle he doesn't quite know how to work. When he can't stand the quiet anymore, he'll whisper a question to you about the artist or the history, his breathing fanning out across your neck and making the hair there stand on end. 

After moving through a big part of the museum together, you and Joel end up at the same painting as the dull hum of voices fills the space between you. You smile to yourself, practically hearing him trying to find something to say as he stands there and observes how the lines of bright colors follow each other. Some are stark and almost resemble lightning in how they move around the canvas, but others are muted, blended together with careful precision and patience. It's hard to imagine what West Texas could've been like in 1953, but this makes it a little easier.

"What's this one supposed to mean?" Joel mumbles, leaning ever so conspicuously into you. 

"I can't tell you." You mumble back, and he finally turns to look at you head-on. You meet his eyes with an amused smile, and he shakes his head at you.

"You're really not gonna tell me?"

"I can't tell you what art is supposed to mean to you. I can't tell anyone that." 

"But, you're a teacher."

"If you're asking me for an art history lesson, I'd be happy to help, but that's about all I can do for you."

"'S cruel and unusual punishment."

"If art and culture are cruel and unusual punishment, why'd you sign up to chaperone?"

"Maybe I wanted to see my friend," he says, bumping you with his shoulder, and you laugh a little too hard. "What? We can't be friends? Is there a school policy against that, too?" 

"Nope, no school policy. I just," You pause and revel in how enraptured he looks at every movement, pause, and breath you take. "I already have friends, so..."

"Oh, and you're 'fraid of bein' too popular?"

"Famously." You say, and he chuckles next to you. You go back to staring at the painting quietly with him so close you can feel his body heat. You're the one to break this time, knocking him with your shoulder to get his attention again. You didn't need to. When you glance at him, you see his focus is on you, not the painting. "It's Texas. Canyon, to be more precise. Up by Amarillo where there's nothing but cattle and desert. O'Keeffe taught out there for a few years and wanted to paint something that showed how big the West is. It's supposed to make you feel like you're two feet tall and seeing the sky for the first time. For her, it might've been the first time in a long time she'd gotten to see a sunset that big. So, she painted it so other people could enjoy sunsets like that. It's like a love letter." 

"How d'you do that?" He asks once you're finished explaining, and you furrow your eyebrows. 

"Do what?" 

"Make little things seem so beautiful." He answers easily, like you asked him what color the sky is. You don't know what to say. What are you supposed to say to something like that?

"'S just what art does." You shrug and break away from his gaze to look at the painting, if only to not feel him staring into your soul.

"No, it's what you do to it. 'S why those kids love you so damn much. You make everythin' feel like a masterpiece, even the little things." He's not flirting. He's not trying to persuade you to do one thing over another. He's genuine and heartfelt. You swear you would start crying if you had a little less sleep. You take a deep breath and lean into him for half a second, just enough to feel his body against yours, before standing upright again.

"Thank you." 

"It's what friends are for," he says, leaning into you in return. "I should make sure they haven't seized the museum or anythin'."

"Oh, I can do it. You're a guest."

"And you work too hard," he stops you. "Take a break and enjoy what you love. The world won't end if you take some time for yourself." If ever there were awards to be given out for sweet talking, you think Joel Miller would win all of them. 

"Okay," you say, and he walks behind you to move on to the next section. "You really wanna be my friend?" You ask before he can fully pass behind you, looking at him over your shoulder. He smiles devastatingly, light sparkling in his eyes, and nods.

"I really wanna be your friend." He says softly, his voice low and rumbling in his chest. He lingers for a second or two before finally making his way to the group of students, leaving you to scrutinize the painting you've been staring at for God knows how long.

The day crawls to an uneventful close, with you forcing all the students to take a picture in front of the museum for the yearbook. Joel takes your phone out of your hand and all but pushes you in the photo, and your students lovingly welcome you into their little group. In exchange, you grab Joel's phone and take cute pictures of him and Ellie for their own memories. They smile almost identically, and Ellie makes a fake annoyed face when Joel kisses her temple. Your fingers brush against each other when you hand it back, and for a second, you can feel the callouses from his job. It feels like unlocking a new piece of him or a new quirk. 

Too bad this isn't a date. Too bad nothing can ever come of this. Too bad you had to meet this way. Too bad. Too bad. 

The ride home is quiet and full of the clinking of backpacks and new souvenirs. When you get to the school, parents are waiting in the parking lot with fast food dinners and excited ears to hear all about their days. Almost everyone immediately slinks home, tired and happy, before you can even get close to the school doors. Almost everyone. Joel and Ellie help you carry your backpack and some things you bought for teaching purposes at the museum into your classroom. The school is virtually deserted, and you return to your room to find all the lamps flipped off and mostly positive notes from the sub. 

"Dad, what are we gonna do for dinner?" Ellie groans as you sit in your chair and open your email quickly before you can pack up the rest of your stuff. Their dinner debate becomes background noise as you find your inbox full of annoyed messages from Dalton's parents, coaches, and even Principal Martinez regarding his grades. Under all that vitriol sits Henry's half-read message about his gallery opening, and you feel the perfect bubble of your day burst around you. Joel and Ellie seem to realize it because they're both quiet when you tune back into their conversation, and you turn in your chair to look at them. 

"Are you okay?" Ellie asks, and you snap out of it, putting on your best teacher everything-is-fine face.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. Just some emails. It's not important." You wave her off, but Joel isn't so easily convinced. He thinks for a second before pulling his keys out of his pocket and handing them to Ellie. 

"Go get some practice driving." He says, jerking his head toward the door, and Ellie's eyes light up.

"Really?!"

"Just bring the car to the front, and don't hit anything!" He says, but she's already taken off with the keys and her stuff in an excited whirlwind. You laugh at her enthusiasm, and Joel leans against one of the desks near you, crossing his arms in front of him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." 

"Your whole face fell when you opened that computer." 

"It's nothing." 

"If we're gonna be friends, you're gonna have to tell me if somethin's wrong otherwise I can't help you." He says, and you fight a smile. 

"I don't know how you're gonna help me with this one." You say. He bumps your foot with his and gives you a pleading look. Big brown eyes on men like him should be illegal, you think.

"Talk to me." He begs quietly, and you take a deep breath.

"When I was in college, I dated this guy. He was an artist, too, and we were like the little power couple of our program. Things ended kinda badly and abruptly, and I hadn't heard from him since graduation until last week when he invited me to his gallery opening. I really don't want to go alone because, honestly, I haven't been able to get anything showcased in years, and I'm embarrassed. Plus, he broke my heart and made me feel like shit for a few years." You can't stop the words from falling from you once the dam is broken, but Joel doesn't flinch.

"Well, you've got friends to go with, right?"

"I do," you say. "But I want to invite you."

"Oh." He says, seemingly unintentionally.

"Oh." You repeat. "You can say no. I just thought... since we're friends and all now."

"I just... I don't..." he struggles before finally giving in to what he wants to say, what you think he's wanted to say all day. "I don't think I'm smart enough to go to somethin' like that. I don't know anythin' about art. I don't even know how to dress for those kinda things."

"Nobody knows anything about art. Not really, at least. Especially not Henry."

"You do."

"Then I'll stick with you all night and feed you lines about composition or some shit," you say. "And you just wear a nice shirt and some slacks. Maybe a suit jacket if you're feeling snazzy. It's really not as big a deal as people make it seem. We'll go, drink wine, say something about the colors, play nice, and then we'll leave. I'll have you home by 9:30. Earlier if you really hate it that much." He rolls his neck like he's rattling something around in his head or thinking about your offer, and all you can do is watch him and the way his Adam's apple pressing against the delicate skin of his throat. You're convinced he's gonna say no.

"Are you asking me on a date?" He finally asks, and you laugh.

"Not a date."

"Sounds like a date. You even promised to have me home to my girl at a reasonable time."

"Fine, it's a friend date."

"A friend date?" He raises his eyebrows at you, and you nod. 

"It's perfectly normal to go on friend dates, Miller. You're just behind on the times."

"Seems like I am. Maybe you can bring me up to speed during the gallery opening?" He says, and your shoulders drop in relief. "I'll pick you up if you agree to help me not look like an idiot."

"You won't look like an idiot." 

"Not with you there, I won't." He says, and you want to laugh, but you also want to tear up a little at his kindness. It's been a long week. 

"Thank you, Joel. Really. I owe you." You say, and he nods. 

"'S my pleasure," he says. For a minute, you two just stare at each other in your empty classroom like teenagers with an obvious crush. You think that's what you feel like. You think that's all you'll ever be able to feel for him. "I should go. I've got an impatient teenager waitin' for me." 

"Yeah. Go get her some dinner, and I'll text you the details." You say as you stand to walk him out. He stands to his full height, opens his arms, and approaches you. You didn't think you were hugging territory, but as his arms wrapped around you, you couldn't help but hug him back.  

"Goodnight." He says into your hair, lingering for another moment before disappearing as fast as he appeared. 

"Goodnight," you say. With that, he starts walking to the open door with a smile stuck to his face. "Hey, Joel," you call before he can step over the threshold, and he turns around to look at you. "Art is for everyone, and even if it wasn't, you're more than smart enough to enjoy it."

"Yes, ma'am." He says with a half-salute and a wink before stepping out of your classroom. You let yourself rest against your desk and take a deep breath. Finally, you let yourself pull out your phone and read the rest of Henry's email detailing the time and place of the gallery. 

I hope you can come. It would really mean a lot to me. I miss talking to you and even though things ended the way they did, I still love you.

See you soon,

Henry Hall

"Fuck that."

TAGLISR: @abbyhaslongshorts @kiwiharrykiwi @sumsworldz @myloveistoolittle @anavatazes @marantha @cosmoscoffeee @shyminnie07 @beezusvreeland @eddiemunsonsbedroom @harriedandharassed @doodlebob-mp3 @ignorethisplz2004 @buckyispunk

[tobbotobbs]

Hiii!! I saw your post with the cod boys + Alejandro for a reader who likes Ayesha erotica and etc but I was wondering how would they react to music like: Narcissistic personality disorder, Stare don’t touch and like artists like: Odetari, Cade Clair, 9lives, Lumi Athena and Iluvvern?

Hey! Thank you for the request! I rarely listen to them myself, tried my best but this was still fun to write!

Now this man isn't really the person that listens to music a lot. Sure, he knows the regular typical chart songs because a specific scotsman always listens to radio when they drive somewhere, but really he doesn't know shit about music and he doesn't really care about it either. That is, until he found out what kind of music you enjoy and listen to!

He was a little confused as why you were so fond of this...chaos of high pitched noises and yelling. Questioning you why a sane normal person would in general enjoy getting their ears torn apart when they wanted to listen to something that's called and considered an art form? You decided to give the poor man a little break in into the world of edm and phonk genre. You explained the emotions that went with these type of songs and how it just makes your spine tingle when you listen to something like NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER or other songs of these kind. He tried to listen to a few himself, but it's really not his. He doesn't mind you listening to it though.

He does however looks after you. He knows how you can sometimes forget to take breaks when listening to music with your headphones and afterwards get headaches from it. He will remind you to keep the volume on a lower healthier level rather than fully turned up. Whatever makes you happy, makes him feel content as well. As long as his love is happy and doesn't get hurt that is.

Johnny is a little menace. He likes music. Mostly Scottish stuff or dirty songs like Ayesha Erotica but when he heard you listen to Red Eyes Black Dragon on full volume in your room he got curious. He's never heard of this kind of music, hyperpop and dance/electronic wasn't really his until now. He started easily with something that was pretty popular on TikTok to see if he should try out listening to more.

He did find two favourite songs after a while. Sure, they are pretty popular at the moment but he didn't chose them because of that. He just...really feels them when they come on his playlist. Kerosene Sped up and Murder In My Mind are his go to's when asked what his favourite songs are at the moment. He also really lives to explain why he suddenly started liking this kind of music. His answer always the same: ,,Y/n listens to it. It's their favourite music genre and I feel so close to them when listening to this music!". Ghost thinks Soap is head over heels for you and should finally tell you everytime he sees you guys smiling at each other longingly while one of you puts this music on. It's like a secret conversation between you two.

When you finally got together (after he proposed you listen to music together in his room to calm down after a long mission and he put on the song if it ain't me by whatsaheart and afterwards kissed you) weekly music sessions are a must. You invite Gaz sometimes because he really wants to explore more music genres meanwhile on other days you have discussions about your all time favorite songs in the car and Johnny always hypes you up when Kyle tries to make his music genre the dominating part of the discussion. If you are close to losing the discussion Soap will just straight up pull his phone out, start his playlist and play your guys genre as loud in the car as comfortable for your ears.

Visiting raves together is also very important. Soaps first rave was with you and Gaz. He got so overwhelmed by all the nlise and lights that you had to leave earlier to cuddle with him and listen to his calming scottish songs in a very very low volume, barely hearable in your guys room. It was still fun for him and after that he got used to the clubs noise and lights!

Poor Gaz really loves music. He does. But he is unsure of exploring new music genres. Way more comfortable with staying with what he knows and learned to like. Though when invited over to you and Soaps weekly music session he couldn't decline. A good time listening to music with his best friends? Hell yeah! That was, until he heard what kind of music it was you guys listened to. First being really opposed to it, he left very early saying he still had papers to sign. He actually just needed time in a quiet room because his ears had started to hurt sadly.

Next time he listened to this music was when he and you shared a room on a mission. You put it on to fall asleep, god knows how you could sleep to it but you seemed to do just fine. Kyle layed awake on his makeshift bed and tried to listen to the text and after a while he also fell asleep. It was a miracle how but he did. He asked what song played when you guys fell asleep the next day, trying to recreate the melody so you knew which one he was looking for and soon he got the name from you. Metamorphosis. It's become his favourite song, one of the more softer sounding ones he really enjoyed.

Cuddle sessions when you guys are together os a must. In the background there is always your playlist playing on a low volume to not hurt Gaz and his poor sensitive ears. Though once in a while he can be seen in a rave with you, where he wears sweet green earplugs you got him for his birthday, to reduce the noise a little and still be able to enjoy the event.

Man has no idea what in the seven hells you got there going. Was it an exorcism? He wasn't sure. He also couldn't understand a single thing. But you seemed to be doing just fine. Singing your lungs out to Sex Obsession by cade clair and Lumi Athena. Watches you bouncing around the training field while shooting and stabbing dummys left and right without a single miss. Today was your turn to choose the music on the little makeshift training field John had at his own home, you guys had a week long off from work but still spend it training because you didn't know what else to do. When you started your playlist he knew the "enemies" were done for. It seemed with this kind of music you just felt more powerful and legendary or something of that kind. At least that's what you have told him.

He is impressed by how you can work so good with that shit on full speakers, but he doesn't allow you to listen to it while on a mission or on base on the training field because it could distract yourself and the other soldiers. Internally he also says that because he himself isn't really a fan of that music and finds it even a little annoying. But he doesn't tell you that. For that he adores your happy face while the music plays too much. Gaz and Soap asked him and Ghost once to join you guys on a rave night. Old man didn't even knew what it was and only said yes because you had the next day off. Simon just stayed back and laughed his ass off at John's obliviousness.

When you guys came back the poor old man had to take some ibuprofen to make his headache go down a little.

So you like raves and all this weird interesting sounding music? Nice! Alejandro does know a few things, of course he does. His and Rudys teenager lifestyle was going to parties and being active all day and night. But the music style did change a little over the years. Electronic/Dance is still a beautiful sounding chaos but a little more...Gen Z like, how Soap and Gaz would put it. Alejandro is listening to it with you, now and then. But he won't allow you to play it while training or on operations. Even if he loved you and you were his everything, he likes his workspace to be concentrated and ready for anything so no music or anything allowed.

Well you and Rudy did prank him once in a while with that sudden loud music in his office or while training the new Los Vaqueros members. It was fun to watch him get scared and then calm down just to be annoyed be the laughter of the new recruits or when he kicks his pencil holder off his table because there was a sudden loud melody right behind him on his desk and while turning around the poor cup holding his pencils got a visual flying lesson around the room.

Raves tho, are a yes. When you guys have free time and there is one nearby, he likes to take you on a date to visit them. On the occasion he loves to get a little risky on those raves, taking you somewhere more hidden and pounds you to the beat. He once invited Rudy, after talking to you, and when Alejandro started walking away with you hot on his trail Rudy started to follow as well in the dark neon lighted room full of people. In a dark corner they fucked you, a pleasant surprise for Rudy which ended with you and your boyfriend grinning successful and enjoying the outcome of the night.

So sorry this took me so long. My mental health is a little down right now and I got a few other things going on rn sooo yeah! Hope you enjoyed this one, till next time (:

[much-vexed-glowy-mimic]

I got directed towards Music Meister and now he lives rent free in my head. Ludicrously overpowered, but that just means he's Gotham's newest and greatest nightmare.

Some headcanons for my verse:

-Number: 1.

-Chaos. He shows up 5 months after Riddler's brutal beating by Green Arrow and is the Chaos to Riddler's Order. Gotham ->Batman ->Joker ->Riddler ->Meister.

-Has no "real" name.

-20-ish, making him one of the younger rogues.

-Bothers Joker the way Joker bothers Lex. Joker considers him to be an anklebiter.

-Colors: Purples, greens and bright red.

-Just exuberantly happy man. Happiest man in Gotham. As happy as Gotham is dark.

-On the flip side, he's childish, petty, vicious and absurd.

-The JLA is terrified of him.

-Communicates mostly in song. He can talk, he just does it so rarely people assume he can't. -Generates music when he opens his mouth and constantly hums. This isn't something he can stop doing. He's constantly making some kind of noise. Can level entire areas if he's loud enough. (Rarely does this as it doesn't sound like music and starts hurting him.)

-Cannot stand still.

-Gagging him hurts him.

-Restaining him is basically torture.

-Green eyes/red hair. Gets confused for Riddler, even by Batman.

(They fell into a fountain, they're going to the Mayor.)

-People thought Riddler had drastically rebranded after Green Arrow's attack.

-Giant red shades.

-Can play any music he's heard.

-Make him mad or frustrated enough and he starts sounding like an orchestra mid breakdown. - *Angry orchestra noises*

-Doesn't care about people’s personal space. He will drape himself over anybody, he'll force people to dance with him. Has zero regard for people. (Basing that on the lyrics he sings in 'Mayhem of the Music Meister!')

-Really hates having his voice completely blocked. He considers it rude.

-Batman never gags him. Gagging him causes him extreme pain and makes him extremely mad and less likely to be cooperative the next time they meet. 

-His start outfit falls into Joker's purples-greens range, but his current outfit looks like he raided Riddler's wardrobe.

- "8D Full volume! 8D"

- "Crazy Frog. 6 hours, FULL FUCKING VOLUME!"

-Enjoys roaming around Gotham and singing, sending people scrambling. Classified as a tornado and even has a radio program dedicated to tracking him when he’s in storm-mode.

-Has his own music channel. Don't listen to it, he WILL order you to go steal for him.

-Meister: I was once proud to say I wan't deeply obsessed with Batman. Joker: What happened? Meister: He slammed me ass first into the hood of car and told me to be quiet. Joker: Ahahaha, the would do it.

-Motives for crime: Money, control, fun and attention. Sheer power display.

-Nightmare difficulty when it comes to handling him. He enjoys pushing and testing boundaries, teasing. Will just emit extremely high tones at random which can knock people out cold. He's also figured out what kind of music Batman hates. The only plus is he doesn't try to randomly stab Batman.

-Hypnosis: You're aware he's controlling you. Because he thinks this is funny.

-He really hates the Green Arrow family.

-Batman is the only hero he'll listen to. He just barely tolerates the rest of the Batfamily.

(In the back of the Batcar)

-He calls Penguin 'grandpa'.

-Really wants to sing with the Mayor.

-Is a somehow a fully licensed therapist. Batman assumes it's the Mayor's doing.

Refs pin!

[wolfawaycamp]

Overstimulated introverts Ryan and Abi finally getting some peace and quiet during camp. Can be platonic or romantic, no preference- just spreading the Abiryan agenda <3

Ryan’s sitting on the grass in the shade below and to the side of the lodge’s porch stairs when the girls step outside. He’s got a sketchbook propped open on his lap and an earbud stuck in one ear, set on a volume that’s much lower than his default in the name of hearing a camper or any other staff member approaching who doesn’t already know he’s retained custody of his phone, unlike all the rest of the counselors; even so, the bass is successful at drowning out the incessant chatter of a thousand bugs screaming as the sun began to set on a warm July evening.

It’s precisely that low volume that allows him to hear the voices approaching; one high and loud and theatrical in such a way that means it can only possibly belong to Emma. That fact means that it’s also practically a no-brainer that the second voice — similarly high in pitch, but much softer and quieter in volume — is Abi, even if he hadn’t had the familiarity to place it immediately.

Discreetly, he slips the earbud out of place and tucks it out of sight under the collar of his topmost shirt where no one will be able to see it. It’s not that he intends on eavesdropping or anything; moreso just the fact that Emma, out of all the possible options, would certainly not keep her mouth shut if she saw him with contraband devices. And while he’s reasonably certain that his shady retreat is still out of sight, he also knows Emma well enough by now to be familiar with her freakish talent for picking up on things she shouldn’t actually know about… like where Ryan’s gone to be left alone, or who likes who, or where to sit to perfectly avoid getting caught in the crossfire of Dylan and Jacob’s prank battle. (Ryan certainly doesn’t share that innate gift; it’s been three weeks and sometimes he still spots little specks of craft glitter washing out of his hair in the shower.)

Thankfully his assumption of going unseen is correct, for he goes unnoticed for a good ten minutes in the shadows of the stairs while the girls chatter on above him, which he’s perfectly happy to try his absolute best to tune out even without the aid of his music. Even so, he’s aware enough of the conversation going on above that he notices when there’s a sharp decrease in the noise level.

Curious, his head cocks a little to the side as he listens a tiny bit more intently as footsteps cross the porch, before the sound of the lodge doors admitting someone back inside. Then, more closely than before — right at the porch railing just above his spot — there’s a weary sigh.

“Finally,” Abi huffs.

There’s so much unexpected ire in her voice that it punches a loud snort out of him, completely unbidden, and even ducking his head does nothing to prevent being discovered. Abi jolts a little on the porch with the tiniest of gasps, head whipping down at break-neck speed to stare down at Ryan with comically large eyes.

“Oh my god!” she squeaks. “Ryan! I- I didn’t mean that like—” 

The girl stops short, seemingly lost for words, but her eyes are cutting rapidly back and forth between his seated position and the doorway Emma just disappeared through. He doesn’t have to be a mind reader to know what she’s thinking: holy shit holy shit please don’t tell Emma I said that she’ll be so hurt—

Plus or minus the swears, maybe. But then again: who really knew what Abi’s internal voice sounded like?

“It’s fine, Abi,” he tries to reassure, but she’s still too flustered.

“I— I just meant— it’s been so loud all day today and I just wanted some peace and quiet for once and she just wouldn’t stop going on and on about how Jacob did this and Jacob did that—”

“Abi,” he cuts in, earning another wide-eyed stare as she halts abruptly. “Really, it’s fine, I get it. Why do you think I’m sitting down here?”

It’s this point that finally seems to knock her out of the instinctual panic response at being caught expressing a less-than-strictly-positive thought about another person, and a friend and coworker at that. The girl wavers for a few moments, waffling in indecision and chewing her lip anxiously before she finally seems to make a decision, one that sees her descending the stairs until she’s in the open bit of shade just to the side of Ryan.

“Do you… mind if I crash your hiding spot?”

He glances up from his sketchbook. Abi’s cautiously pulling one of her own as well as a set of multicolored pencils out of the satchel on her shoulder, still eyeing him a bit worriedly.

“Go for it,” he offers, nodding to the empty space.

She takes the offer. And finally, finally, after ten peaceful minutes of sketching with no words exchanged, the tension in her body seems to drain away completely. The two of them are sat there for hours, just barely touching shoulder to shoulder in companionable silence outside of the gentle scratching of their pencils and the dull chatter filtering through lodge windows that somebody opened for fresh air, until some point late in the evening when Nick comes looking for the pair of them with the last two brownies he had saved from the ravenous masses in the dining hall.

🐦‍⬛

Hope you like!! Thanks for the request <3

[glowinggreeneyes-e]

In honour of PSC’s interview, here’s the Captain and Havers dancing:

Momentarily, the Captain unplugged his headset and turned the machine’s output to its speakers, lowering its volume to a comfortable level. “It’s variety hour on the Forces Programme, so we’ll have to settle with the BBC Home Service, I’m afraid,” he said, mostly to himself, as the mature timbre from a woman’s voice crackled through the speakers, accompanied by a few wind instruments fluttering with notes at the high end of their range. He shook his head as he heard the recording mellowed out into a presenter. “They always play the most melancholic of tunes at night, do they not think some classical gusto or perhaps uplifting melodies would be more appropriate?”

“I think people want to listen to a song that reflects how they are feeling. And did you dishonour both Frances Langford and Falling in Love With Love in front of me?” Havers shook his head disapprovingly. He guessed that they could turn off their professional idiosyncrasies at this point, and he was glad to be rid of it.

The Captain suppressed a grin at his Lieutenant’s charming yet biting comment. “I suppose I did. But I did not realise you held any strong opinions about music.”

“I did not realise you held so few. Though, I should not be at all surprised,” Havers returned the shot, leaning against the back of the chair.

When he tilted back his neck, stretching and sprawling his legs out under the desk, the Captain glanced over the lengths of soft, exposed skin.

Remembering he should be offended by essentially being called uncultured, the Captain cleared his throat to shake off his flustering state. He unknowingly squinted at Havers in the same manner as when he was exposed to something queer. “Now, whatever do you mean by that?”

“I’ve never seen you dance or enjoy music: you never put on records of your own volition and whenever you turn on the BBC you prefer their breaking news, bulletins, and updates from the front. Would it hurt you to switch your brain off and enjoy a bit of this?” the Lieutenant gestured vaguely to the new song coming through on the airwaves.

“I-I enjoy the works of Vera Lynn; she’s got a wonderful voice. And the talents of Glenn Miller and his orchestra,” the Captain replied without considering an actual thought-out rebuttal.

Immediately, he recoiled; his first thought was that Havers would spiel judging words for his overtly formal talk and by virtue of holding such an inoffensive opinion - that was the reaction he had known to expect from anyone else. When he managed to look at Havers, he was met by a nonchalant expression and a raised eyebrow that prompted him to go on.

“To tell you the truth, Havers, I don’t think I have danced in my entire adulthood.”

“Would you like to?”

It was the lack of ceremony that caught the Captain off-guard by the proposition. If the past month had all been a dream, nothing marked the end of it quite as much as a dance. But reality demanded he react instead of replay the moment.

He stumbled to reply, unfortunately having the effect of being uninterested; he’d had all kinds of thoughts about the Lieutenant in their time together, but not one was ‘uninterested’.

Havers hung his head, lightly laughing away his suggestion. “I apologise. You don’t want to dance with a man.”

“No! No- I-” the Captain struggled to string a sentence together in his head, let alone verbalise anything. Thinking quickly, he got to his feet and extended his arm down with his palm upturned. He knew he didn’t look the picture of a dancer, or that he was particularly handsome enough to ask to dance, but he wanted to try in the safe presence and direction of Havers. “They’re playing Moonlight Serenade… it’s my favourite.”

Havers considered the outstretched hand, only briefly, before slipping their fingers together as he joined his CO on the makeshift dance floor. The Captain stood close, his eyes capering over the man holding his hand as if he hadn’t long-admired the Lieutenant’s almond eyes and heart-shaped jaw and, well, his quite strapping arms. He coveted the features of his second-in-command every day, never bored of beholding them: the pointy tips of his ears, the brown stubble that lightly scrabbled beneath his skin, and the sculpture of his lips.

Something - or things - had changed within the Captain, gradually. Then the other night, in the shed with his Lieutenant, marvelling at their limpet mine, revelations had rained down all at once like comets falling across the sky above. He could no longer ignore the younger man standing before him, already providing serendipitous companionship and neat ends to his beginnings. He’d come to accept what he felt was more than a mere fondness for Havers; he wanted his heart to decide on his idolatrous fate, though his head wanted to know if Havers was receptive to more. Above all new revelations, it was that ‘if’ which hurt most to think about.

Briefly recalling Officer Jones’ enigmatic words on New Year’s Eve, and luckily not those of his father, he conceived that he was hurting himself. He could fend off his family’s expectations from beyond their graves for now. They had served their purpose, they meant well, but his new life at Button House had demanded he had to change. Perhaps too quickly. There was no time to unpack all that; there was a War on, after all.

They had a restrictive space to move in, shutting down the opportunity to practise dancing in any traditional styles, so Havers led them to the centre of the floor’s open square feet and decided the song deserved a slow-pacing movement. He instructed the Captain to place his free hand on his waist, where his uniform belt sat, while he held the Captain’s shoulder.

“It’s in four-four time, so start by stepping outside foot outside, inside foot outside, repeat, together, then change direction,” Havers demonstrated in small steps.

Eye to eye, it was initially much harder for the Captain to concentrate on how to move, enamoured by Havers’ easygoing guidance. In spite of this, he copied the instructions, mirroring his movements. The Lieutenant drifted between stages of the dance self-assuredly, ignoring every mistake and continuing on. Fairly soon, the Captain got used to the rhythm and lost in the song, though his heart stuttered where words would fail should he have had to speak. The proximity was dizzying.

Havers was soon happy enough to introduce another part to his lesson.

“Like a circle, then together, apart,” he reassured as they turned around in the office together.

It was a little clumsy at first, with almost every step nearly causing a twisted ankle, until the Captain had steadied his arms and strides. The song didn’t demand more creative actions so they switched between the two gaits. The Captain nervously laughed once they had successfully changed direction, but he kept his head up like he was told. Havers always carried himself with governing conviction which continued into the dance; the Captain enjoyed being subordinate for once.

The orchestral Serenade ended with a melodic coda of wind instruments which they matched with smooth, gliding pivots.

As the song faded into another instrumental piece, this one somehow slower, they didn’t let go of each other. They kept watch of the other man, looking for the slightest hint that they should call it off and step back, but that never came.

“Hold me closer,” Havers directed soothingly, “the song… it’ll suit it better.”

The Captain moved his hand, almost paralysed from being held so still on Havers’ waist, around the man’s back until it could nearly cup the other side of his torso. There, he let it relax, and slowly his body melted from its previous rigidity. Their hips were almost pinned together, in fact when they started moving it was hard to keep any distance between their bodies.

Havers was nearly in raptures when he felt the Captain take on the leading role. When they pulled in their still-interlocked hands close to their chests, the rest of the room dissolved away into a shallow blur.

“Are there any more moves for this sort of song?” the Captain asked, trying to cover his drying throat and scratching vocal chords.

“Not exactly. By this point, couples would rest their heads together, maybe the woman would place her head on the man’s chest or shoulder. It’s meant to be a sensual moment. Some songs, like this one, are meant to be heard by only two people at once. Together.”

As Havers’ friend, the shared intimate space was sacred and Orphean. In uniform - as the Lieutenant’s CO - he suddenly felt disturbed. Thoughts intruded on his serene moment, biting at his contentment with guilt-ridden rhetoric. It was in his own voice, his father’s voice, every superior’s voice, that these thoughts flooded his working memory.

How could you be so selfish? How could you betray your rank? Your country? Your sensibilities? How dare you abandon hierarchy and the War and proper priorities? How could you allow your mind to be corrupted? Are you that weak?

Again, the friction in his mind overwhelmed him easily. “Sorry, I think the tiredness has hit me all at once,” the Captain said as he broke off their embrace.

But Havers kept him close, holding the Captain by his waist then quickly moving his hands to a more appropriate grasp on his biceps. He held the Captain’s gaze, unwavering. “Something has been troubling you for a while now.”

(They need to have many difficult conversations; but locked in the arms of the other it is a bit easier)

[takosdenaranja]

Don't Go

Angst Drables Series.

Alternate Universe of the movie Ultraman: Rising.

Oc x Canon Content. However, if you like to read it as Canon x Reader go ahead, only they are masculine pronouns.

(English Version) (Sorry for the terrible English.) (Versión en español en mi perfil.)

WARNING!

English is not my first language, so there are going to be grammar or even pronoun errors. An apology for that. Yes, this is practically translated from Google Translate, don't judge me.

_______________________________________________________

"You know you have our complete trust."

The bright blue eyes stared into the multicolored ones in silence, letting those hands calmly adjust the collar of her uniform.

«You are twelve years old, you are already a lady in the eyes of others, but for us, you are still our spoiled child.»

Her father Kenji calmly placed the coat on her, with a smile on her face that also showed concern. He didn't like the idea of letting her ride the subway alone, it was too dangerous, especially on the streets of Tokyo.

"Do not hesitate to call us if you feel threatened or in danger."

Jonathan adjusted the technological watch on Emi's wrist, which displayed a photo of the three of them. The blonde smiled softly, looking at her two parents who knelt down to be level with her.

"Prepare all your defense equipment that is in the internal pockets of the trench coat. Use them only if necessary."

She nodded, letting out a light soft laugh before reaching into her pocket and looking at a lemon drop. She raised an eyebrow, before focusing on her parents who still looked worried.

«Emi... there is only one more thing we ask of you...»

Kenji's voice was barely a sound that could be heard above a murmur, his voice almost broke as he mentioned each word, Jonathan understood why, but he didn't need to worry Emi too much. Just give the warning. Both men held the girl's hands in theirs, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles and another on her palms as a good luck ritual.

They always did it before leaving.

"Don't get too close to the tracks."

Emi was not a girl who caused big problems. She was spoiled sparingly, not all the time. She had two parents who would lay the whole world at her feet if she so desired, they would die for her no matter what. For as long as she can remember, her two parents have been in charge of giving her everything she will need to grow in optimal conditions.

Her love was never lacking, the displays of affection and gifts they offered her always came from her heart. She was the perfect girl that Kenji and Jonathan always wanted. She was found in the worst circumstances you could find a baby in, and now there she is, looking like every princess and queen in the world, because she was raised by her parents.

She was not rude, nor impolite; The tantrums only occurred during her childhood, in adolescence she is a complete young woman who made the men who raised her feel proud. She was independent, strong, athletic, beautiful and with a big heart she was willing to give love to everyone.

She was a sun among gray clouds. It's a shame to know that someone wanted to dull her shine.

And she almost succeeded.

That summer afternoon, when the rain fell gently on the streets of Tokyo, Emi was heading to the subway station. Not because her parents had forgotten about her, nor because she was accompanying some of her friends. She just wanted to ride the subway for the first time and live that beautiful experience of feeling independent.

She captured anyone's attention with those bright blue eyes that looked like the ocean, shining five different types of blues when the sun hit them. Despite the clouds covering the sky, the sun always finds a way to shine. Emi, took slow and soft steps to get closer to the shore when the subway was going in her direction. She heard the voice over the loudspeakers announcing the arrival of her train.

Her standing there, her oblivious to what was around her and listening to the music at a high volume that silenced any other sounds from outside, was the same thing that condemned her to be thrown onto the subway tracks.

It was only seconds when her foreign hands forcefully pushed her directly into the moving subway. Everything happened in slow motion that she barely had time to process the strong hit of the metal against her legs before sending her flying through the air and more muffled noises were heard. Alarms immediately sounded and the entire subway stopped, with people screaming and quickly calling for paramedics, the shadow that had cast her to a painful death receding into soft, melodic chants before disappearing.

_______________________________________________________

Man... Knowing me, things are going to get very bad.

[kimbapisnotsushi]

managers? managers. let's go!!

(aka kennedy made an excellent excellent post and i realized I WAS PART OF THE PROBLEM so now we have miyagi manager headcanons bc i don't do nearly enough for them . . . also have a healthy side of runayachi)

runa feels like soft synth pop and slow sweet indie music and makes playlists to show her love, so while yachi definitely does not understand the significance of getting a playlist from her the rest of johzenji does!!

she's in charge of the aux cord when they hit the road for games and the team always has the best time jamming out together even if they have no volume control and annoy every car within a five mile radius

(also if you remember my post where higashi and narita bond over playlists? this is totally where higashi gets it from)

speaking of which i think yachi is pretty oblivious when it comes to someone actively trying to flirt with her, especially if it's not in a way she recognizes from shoujo manga LMAAAO

it's because she always thought she was in the background!!! character b!!!! a tree!!! she doesn't think that stuff would happen to her!!! she reads high school romance manga and recognizes the obvious stuff when it happens (i.e. hinata grabbing her hand and pulling her through the city on a mad dash) but it's a SURPRISE bc why would it happen to HER!!!! she doesn't think anyone would be interested in her enough, and definitely would not flirt in ways she's not familiar with!!!

so basically runa is in for a hell of a time trying to show yachi she likes her without saying it

runa got convinced to sign up as team manager when misaki caught her crouching outside the gym one day bc she was trying to figure out a way to repay jiri and higashi for helping her catch her dog when he'd gotten loose during a walk the other day

otherwise runa would be in the music club with her mad piano/keyboard skills

sometimes misaki wonders if she took something away from runa because runa really is talented and would probably thrive in music club and she always seems so anxious with the team (they can be a bit much, she knows) and she tells runa that it's okay for her to leave not knowing that it would break her entire heart

is runa not wanted??? did she do something wrong??? did they not like her??? but she thought she was getting along so well with them, she really considered them her friends . . .

anyways everyone barely lasts two days before they're clamoring to get runa back and it turns into a whole messy thing where runa keeps avoiding them bc seeing them hang out without her makes her sad so it becomes a game of "who the hell can get runa to stay still and let us talk"

in the end it's jiri (FULL CIRCLE!!!) who manages to get her to listen and there's a lot of tears and snot and hugs from everyone all around

nametsu kicks ass in competitive pokemon battling. i don't even know how it works myself i just know she would

she'd really like to design/code her own game someday and have her own game development studio!!! her notebooks are full of little doodles and sketches of all her ideas

(i am still so salty we never got a timeskip appearance for her)

through the power of 'everyone is following everyone in the high school boys' volleyball circuit' nametsu gets hooked up with kenma and he becomes her number one beta tester and gamer nerd friend

she's a big fan of visual novels and mmorpgs and ropes futakuchi, aone, onagawa, and obara into playing with her

okay yeah kogane and sakunami too

(she tried with the third years, but moniwa is for some reason terrible with technology, kamasaki keeps trying to fight things like 20 levels higher than him and dies without ever improving, and sasaya just likes collecting things to cook with)

also i DO think nametsu actually grows pretty close to runa and yachi and keeps an eye out for them because as much as yachi and runa admired kiyoko and misaki they were third years with their shit (relatively) together as the third years tended to be, whereas nametsu is a hot mess second year figuring things out (which makes her less scary) but still has the experience that lets runa and yachi see her as some sort of authority even if it's just by a year

tl;dr nametsu is more approachable as a second year so she, yachi, and runa actually develop more of a friendship where neither yachi or runa are tripping over their tongues all the time

also!!! childhood best friends with futakuchi!!!!

i like to think that nametsu and futakuchi met aone in middle school and they took him under their wing, which means aone's social buffs were futakuchi being a little bitch and nametsu being a little bitch in a completely opposite way

in nametsu's first year she got insecure bc she didn't know if the team saw her as "aone's and futakuchi's friend" and only talked to her because of that or if they cared about her as a person individually and she was too afraid to ask

but they did!!!!! onagawa always walked partway home with her even after they left futakuchi and aone, obara always wanted her opinion on pc mods and games and whatever, moniwa always asked to go out to coffee shops and hang out . . . and so on and so forth

nametsu didn't really believe it until they all pitched in to throw her a surprise birthday party and the cake was her favorite flavor (chocolate orange) and futakuchi was like "yeah i put onagawa and obara in charge of that and didn't really tell them to do much other than don't fuck it up" which meant. they LISTENED to her and they cared enough to know her favorite flavor and to even decorate it with a stupid coding joke and and and -

she almost burst out into tears right then and there

it was okay, though. they ended up having a lot of fun!

(even if they almost committed arson trying to light up the candles)

[unrelaxing]

media list (26.02.2024 - 26.03.3024)

👂 Listened:

Albums:

Speak Now (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift (2023) [8/10, probably my favourite of her re-releases, Timeless and Electric Touch are amazing vault songs.]

Red (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift (2021) [7/10, I don't really love any of the vault songs in this except for the 10 minute version of All Too Well, and while I like the tune and vibe of I Bet You Think About Me, I find it lyrically awkward.]

D-Day by Agust D (2023) [5/10, musically I just don't vibe with Yoongi's solo stuff a lot of the time, so it always ends up being a very distant appreciation, and I'll be honest and say I probably wouldn't listen if I wasn't already a fan.]

Indigo by RM (2022) [8.5/10, really really solid album, though it couldn't quite overtake mono. for me in terms of how much I loved it - considering if I were to rate mono. it would absolutely be a 10/10.]

Podcasts:

Morbid Episodes: ⤷ EP 502: The Highgate Vampire ⤷ EP 503: The Torsaker Witch Trials ⤷ EP 541: The Unsolved Murder of Georgette Bauerdorf

📖 Read:

Articles:

The ATO is reviving old tax debts totalling billions, threatening some taxpayers with bankruptcy by Nassim Khadem from abc.net.au

Dissecting the Diabolical Documentary 'Mister Organ' with Filmmaker David Farrier by Lulu Dropo from The Advocate

How Michael Organ Weaponised the Family Court... and Sean Plunket by David Farrier from Webworm

Mystery in Japan as dangerous streptococcal infections soar to record levels by Justin McCurry from Guardian

China visit sees $105 billion iron ore exports on the brink by Jamie Seidel from news.com.au [I don't often remember to actually put any political articles on this list, but this remained open on my tabs for a while so it makes it.]

Too close for comfort: Aussie filmmaker’s accidental portrait of a psychopath by Karl Quinn from Sydney Morning Herald [As made obvious by this list, I do tend to watch something then immediately seek out more information - a lot of the time it just leads me to reddit threads, but other times I do find articles and read those.]

The Bible Says Jesus Was Real. What Other Proof Exists? by Christopher Klein from history.com

What is the historical evidence that Jesus Christ lived and died? by Dr. Simon Gathercole from Guardian [I was dragged to church by my other and it hit me that I'd never even tried to find proof on whether or not Jesus wasn't fiction, so I started reading what people had to say. tldr; no archeological proof, though people of Jesus' class at the time didn't tend to leave archeological proof of their existence, and it seems there are accounts of Jesus starting 30 years after his death from non-Christians, so. Probably a real guy. Whether or not he's actually the son of God is, of course, unable to be proven.]

Books:

Stalking Darkness by Lynn Flewelling [finished! Another 10/10.]

Pine by Francine Toon [dropped - couldn't continue this one anymore, it's slow and filled with details that had nothing to do with the actual mystery or the characters themselves - I think other people might have appreciated it for the way it allowed you to visualise the setting so vividly, but to me it was just incredibly boring.]

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen [in progress, told myself I'd read more classics and thought I'd start with one I was supposed to read in high school.]

Spy x Family vol. 1 [finished! 10/10. Immediately bought the 10 volumes out on Amazon after reading this because I enjoyed it so much. Loid Forger is a goldmine of a male character, the kind that's easy to fall for and to root for. Anya is sweet and funny and interesting, and Yor is just the icing on the cake of their dynamic.]

Spy x Family vol. 2 [finished! 10/10 - my goodreads rating system is going to be SKEWED after reading this manga.]

Spy x Family vol. 3 [finished! 8/10 mostly because I didn't love Yor's brother at all.]

📺 Watched:

Movies:

Dune: Part Two [8/10 - this really revitalised my love of going to the cinema! I've watched it twice, and I've made plans to see some other movies in theatre and it's really all because this was such an experience to see on the big screen. Highly recommend.]

YouTube:

The Deranged Arsonist Who Filmed Their Own Crime • Mystery Files from Watcher

The Perplexing Legend of Vermont's Sea Monster • Mystery Files from Watcher

True Crime Cases with Disturbing CCTV Evidence from Lazy Masquerade

Documentaries:

Our Planet II [This was gorgeous and informative and also eye-opening in how it shows you the direct impact of human carelessness on so many creatures, to the albatrosses choking on plastic and the walruses unable to find ice to leave its baby. At the same time, there's hope! There's humans helping crabs cross roads, and bridges being built for animals who've used the same paths for hundreds and possibly thousands of years.]

Life In Colour with David Attenborough

Worst Roommate Ever EP 1-2: [the first episode one was WILD, especially because I had no idea this was a true crime when I clicked on it, and so did not expect it was going to involve several dead bodies buried in a little old lady's backyard. I do feel like this was such an intriguing case that I had a hard time finishing the second episode, since it feels so much more ... dull in comparison, as terrible as that is to say about murders.]

David Farrier's Mister Organ [I'm a long-time fan of David Farrier, but didn't get a chance to watch this for a while. This one is a dark, dark tale that has nothing to do with murders. It's all psychological. I'm always amazed with how well Farrier can explore the darkness of humans without turning to the usual things we think of when we think of 'bad' people. I'd also recommend reading this article - which I'll also read on my read articles list - after watching this documentary, just so you know how insidious Michael Organ truly is.]

Into The Deep: The Submarine Murder Case [I don't give the things I watch ratings, but if I did, this would be a 10/10 - it's a unique experience to be able to see footage of how the people close to a murderer react as they realise the kind of person their friend is.]

[colorisbyshe]

So, last night my neighbors music was so loud I had to actually go over there and say something. Normally, I’m opposed to that but the music was so loud that when I went for a walk to get away from it, I heard it several streets over. If I stayed in, closed all the windows on the second floor, went to my bedroom on the opposite of the house, turned my ac on, AND put on headphones I could still hear their music. I was so desperate for something less loud, I considered going to the movies at 11 or maybe just driving to like the closed target parking lot and jsut sitting in my car hoping a cop wouldn’t yell at me.

Well, when I was like “Hey, listen, I support your right to party but what the fuck is going on here?” the owner told me the loud music I’ve heard all week was actually THEIR back neighbor and that they were just raising the volume on their own music so they didn’t have to hear someone else’s music. And that they had been doing this all week too but hadn’t realized it’d escalated so much.

So, I was hearing two different houses competing to have the loudest music. Neither getting the irony of not wanting to hear someone else’s music so you decide to be louder than them.

Like the neighbor was nice about it and turned their music down (though it was still quite loud and went until after 1am but at least it was “I can hear my own thoughts now” level) but like… holy shit???

I genuinely have such a high tolerance level for this shit—like I get annoyed but support their right to be annoying—but this has been a week straight of constant, loud music and the apology I got was just “We’ll keep it up, just softer” and also him admitting that it was kinda loud after we had to walk to my front yard to talk becuse he couldn’t hear me 🧍🏻‍♀️

[joehillssimp]

Hermitfam is baaaad.

Like it's passable when you consider it's a 30-40 something year old white guy writing and performing it, but like... aside from that it's baad.

The backing beat is good, I like it. However, the chill vibes don't really match the speed Impulse pulls right after the intro poems. It honestly feels more like the backing beat for a singer than that for a rap song, missing the heavy percussion and.... BEAT, that that is typical of the genre.

Even more chill rap songs like Young and Wild and Free(Wiz Kalifa, Snoop Dogg, Bruno Mars, etc) have a set percussion and rhythm that guides the song along and helps to set the pace for the artists performing on the song. And that is really the core of the problem with this song.

Impulse doesn't know how to stay on beat, and doesn't seem to understand that the performer is supposed to stand out, but still fit into the overall composition of the song.

I won't talk about the opening bars, those are more spoken poetry and an introduction than anything. But the first real verse, despite being the strongest one, with a consistent flow, has the problem of not quite matching the backing track.

I don't much to say about it other than that, it's the best part.

Then the chorus comes in with Impulse kicking it up about half a notch speedwise, returns to that thing he did in Hermitgang where he tries to shove too many syllables into one bar, making the whole thing sound jumbled and rushed, like he didn't take the time to actually smooth out the little bumps in his writing before recording.

After that, the next 2 verses have this kind of spoken word, beat poetry, vibe to them. Which is fine, if he hadn't tried to open the song itself with speedrap.

Now it's not uncommon for rappers to have 1 verse, or a bridge in a different style than the rest of the song, but it's hardly ever the first verse, and usually when they bring on a guest, who's voice adds variety and it supposed to act as a high point in the song, before having another chorus or whatever to finish off the song.

It's a climax. So musically, Impulse has the Climax right at the start of the song, and then the rest a kind of chill slide down a lazy river. And i should say, there is nothign wrong with a slower flow, a lot of rappers from the east coast are hella successful off their slower flows, but once again, their flows are on beat, with a consistent cadence and blend with the backing track.

So when he starts off fast, and then slows down for all his other lines, which are at most 12 syllables each, it feels like he couldn't figure out what to say about the rest of the server, or that he was padding for runtime so the song would reach that 2 minute mark. Not to mention completely leaving out TFC.

And I think, that aside from there being no rhythm to the song, Impulse's voice isn't properly balanced by the rest of the beat. Impulse's voice, I wouldn't say it's high pitched, but it's very close to the tonal range that the rest of the song exists in, and so they use volume to make him stand out. It would have been better if perhaps they had taken some deep bass, and used that to set some kind of rhythm, with higher melodies that create a space for Impulse's voice to stand out, while keeping all the audio levels at reasonable levels.

As it stands, Impulse is so loud you can barely hear the beat, especially during the chorus.

I'm not good at explaining my thoughts but yeah uhhh...

In regards to impulse's writing...

Think of the consonants in a word, or line, to be like a drum beat. The way each one is stressed and unstressed, creating each hit and pause in the percussive melody.

For people not familiar with music theory, even drums have tones and pitches, and when you write a rap song, your voice becomes a part of the drums, who's tones support the melody, rather than the melody themselves like in normal singing.

And I listen to how Impulse phrases his words, and how he places his stresses and pauses, and it creates something akin to a child just beating a drum however they like, getting tired but still hitting, and then doing whatever they want on the chorus as well. it's not a good sound.

And the worst part is that I KNOW that impulse plays the drums. I KNOW that he should have a better understanding of rhythm and cadence than that shown in the song. Which makes this as a whole more disappointing.

Maybe he just doesn't understand how that all translates to writing.

I genuinely believe impulse could have made a better song, writing, cadence, overseeing the creation of the beat so it matched his creative vision....

I dunno it feels rushed.

And it sounds like a bad song.

[lorestory0]

why doies the pain? its just a guy on a loud car. science guys say pain only happens for a reason

dead bodies stink so stay awayfrom it or predator nmight atack. bleeding hurts so tyou avoid it happening again.

why loud car hurt ? very little sleep in months. i dont get tired at night but guy on truk make noise all day. its 1 guy who lives nearby on a thing driving through the forest.

it only doesnt hurt when i turn my music up in my headphones but i used to be able to hear myt game at volume level 1 now i can barely hear it on 20. but if i take off my headphones the pain from the noise causes my hands to twitch and i bleed a lot from uncontrolable fingernail stabbing.

they wopnt stop because toop rich to care but if i lose my hearing i lose the majority of the things that calm me down.

but whenever i try to give my ears a break i bleed too much.

this didnt used to happen but ebveery time i try to sleep[ something wakes me up before i get any good amount of rest and i am weird and use to be fully able to wake up after 4 hours of sleep.

now im constantyl tired and in a lot of pain. for months ive only gotten a few dauys of proper sleep and icant take it. im tired and hurting at all timnes and playinmg m,y game is the only source of true comfort

but if i lose mny hearing life will ber a constant pain. i like listening to music or watching anime to calm down.

im very impressed with that guy's ability to not get bored only doing 1 thing every single day. and i dontb get jealous i very happy for the guy. sounds fun to not get easily boired

but i cant take it anymore

but my mom says talking to the guy about it would only make him do it more because that happened when she said not to poinson the plants near the fence because of the goats but hese doing it more. and some other things i forget. io keep hitting myself in tjhe head . i cant even get up to go pee without screaming in pain and sometimes hand twitches that hit me in the head or fingernails dig into skin and i wou;ld stop my hands from doing that if i could but i cant and it s so much harder to stop it than i used to be.

nopise canceling headphones dont work.

sometiems he does it a t night too

when my hands are doing the twitches they would stop when they were covered in blood because the shock wouldf snap me out of it but even that seems tro not be working lately

how does someo ne even stop rich person from being like that? ask him to stop and it gets worse so i cant is there a trick to it oi cant take it anymore. the la ck o f slkeep is making me a lot weaker and i wanna be able to run around again. and i wanna stop crying wheneverv i need to take off my headphones. i hate sleep ing but i miss it so much. tired of wiping tears off my face because i sometimes get blood in my eyes and it feels like im peeling off my eyelids maybe they are too wet too oftewn. ansd i dont wanna run out of wipes becuase of a problem i have as a result of abuse during high school so i need those wipes for that and not for crying or blreeding and they are too ecpxensive to be used this much

[recordrundown]

Art Farmer Quintet - Art Farmer Quintet featuring Gigi Gryce (1956) Prestige - Album Review

Personnel:

Art Farmer — trumpet Gigi Gryce — alto saxophone Duke Jordan — piano Addison Farmer — bass Philly Joe Jones — drums

A sealed 80s OJC reissue at a local record store caught my attention. I ended up putting it back on the shelf and going home. Sometimes what I will do is take a picture of the album before I leave the record store if I am on the fence about buying it. That way I can go home, stream it to see if I like the music and do a bit of research. I remember listening to the album on Spotify while I was driving at night, and man was I loving it.

I think you can guess by now that I ended up going back to the record store and buying it. I didn't have any Art Farmer led albums in my collection before this. I had seen his name before and knew he played as a sideman on some Blue Note records that I owned, but when you are deep in "Blue Note reissue world" his name isn't heralded to the level of Morgan, Turrentine, Hancock, Silver, Mobley, Blakey, Shorter, etcetera. And if you thought that was bad enough, I had definitely never heard the name Gigi Gryce before. Boy did I get an education just by stumbling across this singular album. I was reminded how much of a music discovery tool browsing record stores can be. With all of the great reissues that have coming out over the past few years, I have spent far less time going into stores and doing most of my shopping online. Even with the volume of reissues coming out, you have to remember it's only scratching the surface on everything ever released, and if you want to explore the huge world of vinyl records, there is no better way than to find a good quality record store and browse the shelves.

I digress. As for this album, every song is enjoyable. Farmer and Gryce fuse together to create high energy output. 1 + 1 = 3. The music is fun and could be played at a party. They have a few other albums that they also collaborated on. They are all good and worth checking out. This has been one of my best finds of the year. I've never heard anyone talk about this album before even though it gets quite good reviews where they exist. You never know, but I would guess this one won't be reissued on vinyl anytime soon so if you like the music enough, you may want to go seek out an older copy. Exploring these Prestige albums has been super rewarding.

Rating: 87

[much-vexed-glowy-mimic]

(Edit:Tumblr doesn't like the drawings so here's the text version Edit edit: OH NOW IT SHOWS UP!?!?)

I got directed towards Music Meister and now he lives rent free in my head. Ludicrously overpowered, but that just means he's Gotham's newest and greatest nightmare.

Some headcanons for my verse:

-Number: 1.

-Chaos. He shows up 5 months after Riddler's brutal beating by Green Arrow and is the Chaos to Riddler's Order. Gotham ->Batman ->Joker ->Riddler ->Meister.

-Has no "real" name.

-20-ish, making him one of the younger rogues.

-Bothers Joker the way Joker bothers Lex. Joker considers him to be an anklebiter.

-Colors: Purples, greens and bright red.

-Just exuberantly happy man. Happiest man in Gotham. As happy as Gotham is dark.

-On the flip side, he's childish, petty, vicious and absurd.

-The JLA is terrified of him.

-Communicates mostly in song. He can talk, he just does it so rarely people assume he can't. -Generates music when he opens his mouth and constantly hums. This isn't something he can stop doing. He's constantly making some kind of noise. Can level entire areas if he's loud enough. (Rarely does this as it doesn't sound like music and starts hurting him.)

-Cannot stand still.

-Gagging him hurts him.

-Restaining him is basically torture.

-Green eyes/red hair. Gets confused for Riddler, even by Batman.

-People thought Riddler had drastically rebranded after Green Arrow's attack.

-Giant red shades.

-Can play any music he's heard.

-Make him mad or frustrated enough and he starts sounding like an orchestra mid breakdown. - *Angry orchestra noises*

-Doesn't care about people’s personal space. He will drape himself over anybody, he's ll force people to dance with him. Has zero regard for people. (Basing that on the lyrics he sings in 'Mayhem of the Music Meister!')

-Really hates having his voice completely blocked. He considers it rude.

-Batman never gags him. Gagging him causes him extreme pain and makes him extremely mad and less likely to be cooperative the next time they meet. 

-His start outfit falls into Joker's purples-greens range, but his current outfit looks like he raided Riddler's wardrobe.

- "8D Full volume! 8D"

- "Crazy Frog. 6 hours, FULL FUCKING VOLUME!"

-Enjoys roaming around Gotham and singing, sending people scrambling. Classified as a tornado and even has a radio program dedicated to tracking him when he’s in storm-mode.

-Has his own music channel. Don't listen to it, he WILL order you to go steal for him.

-Meister: I was once proud to say I wan't deeply obsessed with Batman. Joker: What happened? Meister: He slammed me ass first into the hood of car and told me to quiet. Joker: Ahahaha, the would do it.

-Motives for crime: Money, control, fun and attention. Sheer power display.

-Nightmare difficulty when it comes to handling him. He enjoys pushing and testing boundaries, teasing. Will just emit extremely high tones at random which can knock people out cold. He's also figured out what kind of music Batman hates. The only plus is he doesn't try to randomly stab Batman.

-Hypnosis: You're aware he's controlling you. Because he thinks this is funny.

-He really hates the Green Arrow family.

-Batman is the only hero he'll listen to. He just barely tolerates the rest of the Batfamily.

-He calls Penguin 'grandpa'.

-Really wants to sing with the Mayor.

-Is a somehow a fully licensed therapist. Batman assumes it's the Mayor's doing.