#I would like it be know that I listened to Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls on repeat from start to finish of writing this | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

chaoticbardlady99 · 3 months ago

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Could I request a fluff fic for Astarion falling for a tav reader who's a bard and an amazing singer? Maybe he can't sleep, so he goes for a walk and finds reader singing to themselves, and he sits and listens, slowly realizing how hard he's fallen for them?

Thank you so much for putting this in my inbox! I hope you enjoy!

Astarion x GN! Bard Reader

I used the songs Nobody Knows Me At All by the Weepies and Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls because I am a cliche.

The moon glows brilliantly throughout the night sky and the stars don’t seem to realize how lucky they are that they don’t have to deal with feelings and masters and all the other terrible side effects of being a person.

In spite of his name sake, Astarion does not have the luxury of being blissfully unaware of the horrors life has to offer. It didn't bother him so much- he took each terrible thing as it came and rolled with the punches. Whatever it takes to keep him alive until the next day- it’s essentially his life motto.

Another thing stars aren’t burdened with- the need for rest.

Traversing into the Shadow Cursed Lands is the last thing Astarion wants to be doing and while he was already worried for himself, he found he has an entirely other worry weighing heavily on him.

Where in the hells are they? He thinks, its been an hour and a half now since they wandered off!

He is trying to not be so clingy and weird- you don’t seem to mind his company and his overbearing ness, but the others had been teasing him and he was rather sore about it.

They called him a lovesick bat amongst other things and he is not lovesick. You are a means to an end, nothing more and nothing less. Granted, no one else needs to know that.

Sleep continues to elude him as he waits impatiently to hear your footsteps walking back into camp or your scent to come rolling over him from the breeze.

It’s probably only been 30-45 minutes- realistically- but Astarion has found himself becoming very preoccupied and aware of your safety.

You are a squishy mortal- your heart needs to beat and you need to breathe or he will lose you and he can’t fathom the idea of not having you by his side.

His idle feet drag him to the forest, no longer able to sit and wait for you to make a reappearance.

I just need to make sure they are safe, he thinks, because otherwise I am not sure they would keep me in the group- yeah! That’s why I’m doing this. Nothing out of the ordinary.

While most feel terrified of the darkness of the wilderness at night, he feels comforted and engulfed in it. He loves the sun, but unfortunately, at the end of the day, he is still a creature of the night and that is where he technically belongs.

He supposes that’s another worry he’s had lately- an intrusive thought really- but what happens when this journey ends? You and the others assured him that they will free him from Cazador forever- Astarion even became a bit emotional when Gale said, “and he won’t find you alone!” when Astarion brought up the dangers of keeping him in the group.

You have rallied around him this whole time and stuck your neck out for him more often than not. The two of you have indulged in each other and been enjoying each other’s company, but right now he’s here and you may just not be attracted to the others.

What happens when everyone gets back to Baldur’s Gate? He’s seen you in pubs before and playing so the bar goers can stay on tune with the singer. You have your own little following of people who crave your attention and while you have told him it all makes you uncomfortable- those people would be a far more appropriate life match for you than a Vampire.

Astarion’s ears droop on their own at the thought. He thought he got out of the childish elven habit of slouching his ears long ago when Cazador beat it out of him- you seemed to have brushed off some of the vines. It’s like old parts of a factory are slowly being restored and as it is, he finds pieces of himself he subconsciously knew were there, but are new to him again.

For example- he loves a good practical joke just for good fun. He bought a cushion of sorts from Mol and put it where Lae’zel sits- covered with a blanket. She sat down on the log for her watch as quite literally everyone was sitting down to eat dinner. He fell off his seat he was laughing so hard- it was worth being chased up and down a few trees.

He also enjoys dancing for fun- you dragged him around the fire during the night of the Tiefling party and taught him more informal dancing and less of the stuffy shit Cazador forces him to partake in. You growled at anyone who tried to cut in- it was rather funny.

You are also quite the fan of the occasional shenanigan and he finds himself smiling at the memory of your baby hairs stuck to your sweat slicked skin as he kept watch for guards while you graffitied Vlaakith’s painting or when you waved at her instead of bowing.

Life is fun with you- he forgot why people enjoy being alive so much outside of not feeling ravenous all the time. He feels alive with you and the idea of you and him never seeing each other again for your entire life scares him. He doesn’t want to stumble upon an obituary some time in the future and ‘remember’ the person who saved him.

He wants to be at your side and it terrifies him, but it would be worse to be away from you.

Feelings- it’s disgusting and he does not like it.

Your scent becomes stronger on a more beaten path and he feels his alarm bells going off- jolting in the direction he believes you are and praying that every God actually hears him as he silently begs for you to be safe.

Your melodic voice and the sound of the babbling brook melts the worry in his body. Astarion’s pace slows slightly and he feels that annoying warm glow spread through his body.

You are sitting near the bank with your laundry in hand- Scratch and the Owlbear cub are laying down together nearby, one of the pup’s ears upright to hear any intruders.

It brings him some comfort that you have Scratch and the little cub- he isn’t sure he would fuck with an Owlbear Cub or approach a Bard with a bewitching voice calling out into the night like a Harpy’s song.

“When I was a child

Everybody smiled

No-body knows me at allllll

Very late at night and in the morning light

Nobody knows me at all

I got lots of friends, yes, but then again- nobody knows me at all-“

You stop suddenly and stare up at the moon and Astarion is completely enraptured with you and your singing. He feels charmed and he is entirely okay with it.

“I suppose that’s not necessarily true,” you say softly, picking at the grass and smiling to yourself.

Oh your smile- he feels himself slowly melt into the grass like a smitten school boy and his own grin dances across his lips.

They are talking about you, the thoughts sends shocks of happiness and twinges of guilt, your plan worked.

He should be thrilled, but he could honestly give a shit less. He is too busy listening.

“And I’d give up forever to touch you

Cause I know that you feel me somehow

You’re the closest to heaven, that I’ll ever be

And I don’t wanna go home right now.”

If his heart beat it would be pounding in his chest right now.

Your face is so relaxed, but he adores the furrow of your brow as you concentrate on hitting all the right chords and remembering the lyrics. The song is beautiful but he is certain it’s only because you are the one singing it. Anyone else singing a love song would make him feel nauseated.

Astarion feels centuries of heaviness roll off his body with every note and sweet omission of trust.

He is hypnotized by your lovely fingers plucking the chords and he feels the ghost of your hand in his- you had taken it in your hand while everyone walked through the forest. Your hand had felt perfect in his own and he felt like a young, giddy, new person again. You always make him feel like that though lately.

“And I don’t want the world to see me

Cause I don’t think that they’d understand

When everything’s meant to be broken

I just want you to know who I am.”

Astarion had lost all hope- truly lost it all- before the Mindflayers had kidnapped him. He felt more hopeful once he landed on the beach, but that hope was also laced with overwhelming fear.

Lately, he has been more present in his day to day. He is happy and full most days. He wakes up near you or to the sound of your laugh instead of the screams of his siblings or angry commands from Cazador or being yanked out of bed by either Cazador or Godey to be dragged off to the Kennels or Gods only knows where.

Astarion has actually been trancing for four hours straight without interruption these days and he even fell asleep a couple of times- his body finally feeling safe enough to completely shut down for a while. He woke up feeling stronger than ever and your heartbeat echoing through his ribs.

You had been more than happy to let him share your tent at night after he had barged into your tent after a particularly bad trance. It had been shortly after killing Nere in the Underdark and before entering the Crèche. He has basically been sleeping there every night since and he gets to enjoy your company- and all to himself!

You with your wild morning hair and sleep ridden breath- it’s a gift he has never been given before. Astarion is grateful for every morning he has gotten to wake up next to you and you are alive- so vulnerable and warm with sleep.

He adores the way you tiredly blink at him as you become more aware of the world. You have begun to leave a sleepy kiss on his lips in the morning and he finds himself looking forward to it; and the mornings you forget, he steals a lazy morning kiss from you. It’s like Gale and his coffee, he can’t start his day anymore without that first kiss in the mornings.

You continue to sing- your voice strong and full of passion. Happy tears make your eyes glimmer and sparkle under the moonlight and for once, he doesn’t hate being a creature of the night because you make nighttime seem ethereal and lovely; enchanting and whimsical; a luxury to witness. Astarion is positive you could make even the most dingy corners of the world look beautiful from blessing it with your presence alone.

You finish your song and he decides he cannot take being away from you for another moment longer so he backtracks just a bit.

“Darling?” He calls out with a fake worried voice, “are you okay?”

“I’m over here!”

With a big, stupid grin on his face, he half skips half walks over to your spot under the tree.

You are delightfully rosy with blush and your eyes light up upon seeing him- Astarion doesn’t think that will ever get old. You are the first person to ever genuinely be happy to see him and he laps it up like Scratch drinks water after he has a fit of zoomies.

“I am so grateful it’s you singing- I began to feel charmed and feared the worst!”

You roll your eyes at his comment, but smile widely anyway and put your luteto the side, taking his outstretched hand.

“I am so glad you find my singing appealing,” you say breathlessly, “I will have to work harder to truly charm you next time.”

“Oh- you may consider me thoroughly charmed, my Sweet,” he presses a kiss to your forehead and you giggle, “anymore and I might become your Thraul.”

“That wouldn’t be good at all!” You exclaim, “you would agree with me on everything and it would be terrible!”

Astarion throws his head back with laughter- it’s not even all that funny, but the way you embrace his personality and find it enjoyable fills him with so much joy.

You pull him out under the moonlight and he cocks an eyebrow at you- you respond with a cheeky grin.

“Magistrate Ancunín,” you say sweetly with a bow, “I thought I might have seen you across the dance floor this evening.”

Astarion smiles, “Ah! Your highness- how lovely it is to see you, my Dear. I was so hoping you may be here tonight- everyone else is so dreadfully dull, as you already know.”

“Believe me,” you roll your eyes and wave your hand, “none of them find my jokes or my stories entertaining.”

“Perish the thought!” He puts a hand to his chest in faux surprise, “They should all be sentenced to death!”

Your eyes widen for a moment before you snort and join in.

“I so agree,” you snap your fingers, “there- it’s all been magically taken care of. I am the most powerful Highness known to the realms, after all.”

“Oh your majesty,” he pretends to be on the verge of feinting, “no one has ever done something so wonderfully romantic like this for me before- however can I repay you?”

“You could repay me by giving me this dance?”

He hears your heartbeat race slightly and you look a bit nervous. It’s such a bizarre thing for you to feel. Of course he will dance with you. It would be criminal not to.

Taking your hand- he pulls you to him and wraps your arms around his neck. His fingers greedily cling to your hips as you sway together back and forth.

You hum as the two of you have your foreheads pressed together and your eyes closed- the only individuals privy to the moment being the moon and the sleeping animals.

Astarion appreciates how your voice always reflects your feelings- the happiness in your tune is pleasant to his sensitive ears.

Eventually it’s the sound of the river that you both sway to and he barely catches your sentence.

“I am surprised you came looking for me,” you say with a yawn, “I thought you would be asleep by now.”

He shakes his head, “I couldn’t.”

“Bad trance?”

“Something like that,” he quickly tries to change the subject, “why are you still awake?”

“I wasn’t able to sleep and decided I wanted to enjoy the moon and the ability to sing so freely,” you sigh, “Gods only knows when we’ll see it again.”

Astarion hums in agreement- taking your callused hands in his and tracing the line of your hands. This seems to help you relax and it does bring him quite a bit of happiness to be able to help you relax as much as you help him.

“I- I am really scared,” you look up at him with tears in your eyes, “I’m scared to go into the Shadow Cursed Lands. I have heard the stories and the lands are haunted by the cursed dead- people who had lives- who had stories.

“I am scared I could end up joining them,” your lower lip quivers so adorably, but he doesn’t like the words you are saying at all, “if I make one wrong move or we all get separated-“

“Stop,” he says, his voice thick and his chest heavy with an emotion he can’t identify, “I won’t allow that to happen. I can assure you that you will be rather irritated with me by the time we kill Ketheric- I don’t think I will be able to allow you to be out of arm’s reach.”

He says it, but the actual reality of the comment doesn’t hit him until a couple seconds later.

Fuck.

You smile brilliantly at him, “I hope you are ready for the same treatment.”

“I would be offended if you didn’t!”

“Well, we certainly can’t have that!”

You lean forward and leave a kiss on his lips that takes his breath away- he follows you as you pull away, not ready to be without your lips on his. Astarion smiles against your mouth when your breath hitches- he loves that sound.

And he is terrified to lose you.

Astarion fucked up his own plan- well okay, not really, but he did kind of. You have fallen for him, that much is obvious, but he was never supposed to fall for you!

The swaying continues- even as your body becomes heavier and heavier with sleepiness, Astarion feels like he’s dreaming and also simultaneously having a nightmare.

He needs to rid himself of these feelings before they become all consuming- before he goes and does something stupid.

Maybe I give myself some space- sleep in my tent tonight? His chest tightens and he cannot breathe, no, that won’t work. I- I don’t want to do that. I could push them away- get them to break things off with me.

That thought makes him feel even more ill. Being near you brings happiness, comfort, and warmth- even when he is feeling extremely confused and uncomfortable with his feelings towards you.

You see the pieces of him he doesn’t often let others see and instead of despising him, you smile at his jokes. You laugh the loudest out of everyone- even at the jokes that maybe don’t deserve it. You are patient when he is grumpy, unreasonable, and rude.

You have become important to him- more important than he ever intended for you to be.

“Let’s go back to camp,” you say with a large yawn, “I need a little bit of sleep- we have a hell of a journey ahead.”

Astarion helps you pick up your things and he carries your bag for you. You hold his other hand and you both chat as if you have spent years together rather than mere weeks- both of you grinning from ear to ear.

You eventually wind up in each other’s embrace in your tent and you are snoring softly. Always making music as he likes to say.

The nighttime eventually pulls him back into his own trance, but this time, his trance is filled with happy memories of your adventures together with every melody you have ever sung prancing through his head.

#baldurs gate 3 #astarion #baldurs gate astarion #astarion x tav #astarion x reader #bg3 #astarion romance #bg3 spoilers #astarion x you

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yourimagines · 7 months ago

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What he likes about you fluff

* English is not my first language I apologise

* Triggers: Fluff

A = Admiration, what he absolutely adore about you: That you love his music, your always singing along and dancing. You show you love for his work.

B = Body, what is his favorite part of your body: Your hands, they look smaller than his, the way you touch him makes him feel all soft.

C = Cuddling, how he likes to cuddle: He likes to be the little spoon, he loves to feel your arms wrapped around his torso and feeling the little kisses you place on his back.

D = Dates, what his ideal date with you would look like: Going on a vacation trip and just act like locals, riding a bike and eat local food.

E = Emotions, how he express his emotions around you: He's not every good with expressing his emotions, it mostly leads him to crying, he's a very emotional person.

F = Family, does he want one? If he does, when: Yes but not now, He's just living his life and thinks he's not ready yet to have those responsibility.

G = Gifts, how he feels about gift giving? What is his habit when it comes to this: He likes to give you things but he loves to make memories with you, that means more to him than just giving you materials.

H = Holding Hands, when/how he likes to hold hands: He holds your hands when he leads you the way through the crowd or city's, he also hold your hands when you cuddle him from behind, touching your fingers softly

I = Injury, how he would act if you got hurt: He would be sad, afraid and angry. He hates to see you cry or hurt.

J = Jokes, does he likes to joke around with or prank you and how: He's pranks but not to much, he doesn't want to disrespect you or making fun with you.

K = Kisses, how he likes to kiss you: he always kisses you with full passion, with emotion. Always holding you face or by your waist, pulling you closer to him.

L = Love, how he shows you he loves you: Bringing you along to his shows, listening to you and making sure your safe with him.

M = Memory, favorite memory together: Dancing together in Italy, on the streets while laughing and having a good time.

N = Nightmare, what is his worst fear: That he hurts you, he doesn't want to make you cry because of him.

O = Oddity, what is one quirk he haves: He sings to you, he always sings for you when he sees your not happy. Trying to make you happy

P = Pet Names, what he likes to call you: Darling, Baby, Sugar, Love, Baby, Honey. He has a lot pet names for you.

Q = Quality Time, how he likes to spend time with you: Exploring the world with him, just being free and appreciate the world.

R = Rhythm, what song reminds you of him: Iris by the goo goo dolls, the world (media) often don't understand him and you know the real him. You think about him when you hear this song, thinking the unfairness the brought up on him.

S = Secrets, how open is he with you: He tells you a lot but not everything, he doesn't want you worry you or something like that.

T = Time, how long did it take you to get together: It took two weeks after the first date because you both were busy, he showed up one day at your work and asked you in private to be his.

U = Upset, how does he acts when you’re upset: He gets upset to, he's a very emotional person and hate to see you like that.

V = Vaunt, what is he proud of, Does he likes to show you off: He's proud that you keep up with his lifestyle and that your a kind person, he loves you for being yourself

W = Warrior, how would he feel about you fighting? Would he fight for you: He hates to see you fight but isn't afraid to fight for you, your his and nobody hurt you.

X = X-Ray, how well can he read you: He knows when somethings wrong or when your nervous. He sees it they way you react and the way you talk.

Y = Yes, how would he propose to you: In a city abroad, somewhere romantic.

Z = Zen, what makes him feel calm: Think about you, making music and feeling you next to him.

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livdem1human · 2 years ago

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My Headcanos on how Death would interact with you❤️‍🩹

///Platonic and Romantic///

!Gender neutral

•Platonic•

- First of: He would probably be a little confused why you're not Afraid of him but find it amusing at the same time.

- Would be friendly but try to keep his distance

- Sharing a drink with You and maybe have some small talk won't hurt right? HAH wrong.

- Him Being Death includes not really having someone to talk to so he would probably Talk. A. LOT. (Like have u seen him interact with puss? This puppy wants to be heard)

- He would also enjoy it when you share some of your life Stories, doesn't even matter if they're happy Stories or not.

- Does actually enjoy the time with you.

- If you ask him to meet up again, he would totally be cocky about it.

- Like "Oh you will see me again either way" and then just disappear.

- Will never admit it but totally wants to see you again aswell

- After your first encounter he Would totally just appear next to you some day and start talking to you like it's the most normal thing in the world.

•Romantic•

- You somehow managed to get this oversized Puppy attached to you? Congratulations, you now have to get used to constant jumpscares.

- Fr tho He will just appear out of nowhere.

- Tbh i think he would at first still be a little distant emotionally

- You give him a comfort he never knew he needed

- Can and WILL protect you. Someone tries to hurt? He will absolutely terrorize them.

- Is the biggest softie for you. But look at him with doe eyes and he will melt right then and there.

- definition of "They fell first, he fell harder"

- He LOVES giving you pet names.

- Some he would use on a Daily basis are: Sunshine, Love/ my love, Darling, Dear or Flower

- And then he has specific pet names he uses to tease you: Bunny, Lamb, Dove

- You want him to shut up for once? Boop the snoot.

- Would absolutely nuzzle his cold nose into your neck out of nowhere.

- is pretty cold for someone with fur in general

- You notice hes Tense? Pls Scratch his ears, or rub his sides/Back.

- Is so touch starved, he will lean into any and every physical contact with you.

- he's also extremely cuddly.

-(edit) Love bites >>> fr tho, he would lightly bite into your cheek or shoulder to get your attention

- King of respecting boundaries.

- Will make you wear his Poncho. He loves seeing you in it.

- "It looks better on you anyways my love"

- You feel insecure about something? Oh boy.. the moment he finds out he will snatch you, sit you down on his lap and give you a shit tone of reassurance.

- Honestly i think you don't have to be worried about arguments/ fights with him. This man has been around since the begging of time, he's seen basically everything so making him mad enough for him to actually argue with you would be hard.

- has a constant inner conflict with himself about the whole situation tbh. He knows he shouldn't like you in such ways or even have a relationship with you. But he just can't help himself.

- it's such a chliché, but you're the light in his life (or not life? idk) He won't let anything happen to you.

_____________________________________________

Holly shit this turned out longer than expected. I would say it turned out pretty good tho

If you notice any typos or Grammer mistakes pls let me know! English is not my first language ^^°

____________________________________________

Little extra note: I've always loved this song but lately i have to think of him when i listen to it❤️‍🩹

#lobo #puss in boots wolf #big bad wolf #death x reader #death puss in boots #death wolf #death the wolf #puss in boots death x reader #puss in boots death #puss in boots the last wish #puss in boots #Spotify

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johnsspacesuittight · 13 days ago

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I Am SCREAMING- I was in a Destiel mood and thought I would maybe write something and started looking at some of my old stuff, and decided to listen to one of the songs that really put me in mind of that and I though of the night we met but couldn’t immediately recall the name of it or of Lord Huron, but remembered Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls which is also a big one for me so put that on listening to it zero thoughts, thinking it would loop but instead, well- guess what Spotify decided I should hear next, fucking The Night We Met by Lord Huron, literally screamed when that started playing how the fuck did they know, like that was literally a jumpscare istg

#Destiel #Jesus Christ Spotify fr???#spn #supernatural #deancas #dean winchester #castiel #dean x castiel #lord huron #the night we met #iris by the goo goo dolls

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seriouslycalamitous · 1 month ago

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Hiii author of the amazing fic Be the Death of Me!

I was wondering if you had any songs that you thought fit the fic or the particular characters in it? I'm making a spotify playlist for it because I cannot help myself, but it really only has a handful of songs because I just don't know what fits!

Oooooh VERY good question. This is rough for me.

I’m kinda crazy, and I let music auto-play randomly while I write because the vibes of songs don’t usually affect the vibes of my fics, so relating songs can be tricky! Let me scroll through my recently-listened-to and make a list to the best of my ability. You can veto stuff if you want, you genuinely might know better than I would.

My friend, @probsnotabi recommended the song “All the Time in the World” by Kiltro in relation to BTDOM, and I like it!

“Running with the wolves” by AURORA is great. I dunno i think that might fit.

“What you know” by Two Door Cinema Club is a BANGER and the lyrics fit pretty nicely as well.

Obligatory “Somewhere only we know” by Keane because, once again, banger.

“Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls is pretty good too. Lot of pretty convenient lyrics.

“Our Last Summer” by ABBA is one i’ve been listening to a lot. Kinda nails some like soft nostalgia vibes that I aimed for with some of my scenes

“All I want” by Kodaline is a sweet, kinda sad song I like.

“The Night We Met” by Lord Huron might by too sad, but certain lyrics definitely slap.

“I Found” by Amber Run is just very scarian in most AUs. Again, convenient lyrics.

“Runaway” by AURORA because i remembered that exists while looking for more songs for this list and i love it. Running and finding pieces of heaven? Are you kidding? Yeah.

“Golden hour” by JVKE kinda works too. I like the vibes more than the lyrics tbh for them but some stuff about spending summers together…. yeah.

“This side of paradise” by Coyote Theory because, i mean, listen to it. Tell me that’s not them.

I’m gonna force myself to stop here, just because I think this list says more about my music taste than I particularly like LMAO! Hopefully one or two of those suggestions is useful!

For fun, I’ll say “Headlock” by Imogen fits pretty decently well for the sequel fic though :)

#i’m so bad at song recs LMAO #i just like the same ten songs over and over again #good ask though i got to think critically for the first time all day #<- which does not bode well for my exams #btdom #mitos asks #deity au #deity scar #god scar #human grian #mortal grian #scarian

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she-talks-to-angels-14 · 2 years ago

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Homecoming Queen: A School Spirits Story.

Wally Clark x Reader

Part 2

A/N:I just finished season one of school spirits and I had this idea I kind of ran with. This is a single part story but I left it open for more parts and i could definitely be persuaded to make more parts.

Split River High Homecoming week 2013

Homecoming had once again rolled around at Split River High and the festivities had just begun. I was sitting in my first period class patiently waiting for the morning announcements. They were supposed to be announcing the homecoming court during announcements this morning. This is supposed to be my year. I had been voted onto the court each year by my classmates but this year was finally the year I could be in the running to be named Homecoming Queen.

“Good morning Bandits!” Assistant Principal Hartman’s voice echoed over the intercom. “Today kickstarts homecoming week and I know we are all looking forward to our court announcement but there are a few things we must announce before then.”

I zoned out while he rambled off the announcements that came prior to the homecoming court announcement. I was lost in thought wondering if they would change things up this year for the 30th anniversary memorial of Wally Clark, our fallen football star who tragically died during this game back in 1983.

The memorial had been the same since I started attending the football games, since 2007, my brother Lincoln’s freshman season the memorial has always been a moment of silence at half time followed by a speech from his parents. It’s sad really reliving the worst moment of your life year after year, replaying that horrible moment every time you step foot in the stadium named after your son. That must be why his dad stopped coming back in 2008.

“Earth to Y/N!” My best friend Bailey snapped her fingers in my ear breaking my train of thought. “You spaced out, he’s announcing homecoming court now!”

“What grade are we on?” I asked my interest suddenly brought back to the announcements

“Sophomores about to be Juniors.”

I listened intently as each Junior Maid was announced patiently waiting for Senior Maids.

“Now for your Senior Maids,” Mr. Hartman said enthusiastically over the intercom. “Haley Johnson, Bailey Lewis, and Y/N YL/N. Let’s give a round of applause for your 2013 homecoming court!”

“We’re both on homecoming court!” I squealed at my best friend and teammate!

“Maybe a basketball girl will finally win Queen!” Bailey smiled back at me.

“Alright girls settle down.” Mr. Anderson called out, “congratulations but we have a lesson to get through.”

We ended our conversation and Mr. Anderson proceeded with his lesson. The rest of the day passed by rather quickly and before I knew it, it was lunch time. Bailey and I were sitting at our normal table with the rest of the team.

“So Y/N do you have a dress picked out for homecoming?” Sarah asked.

“I sure do,” I said showing her my phone with the picture of my dress on it.

“Oh my god you are going to look amazing!” She squealed.

“Thank you, Bailey’s dress is even prettier than mine.” I redirected the conversation.

While the rest of the team chit chatted about homecoming and their plans for the game and dance I was lost in thought about who I would have escort me during presentation at the game Friday night. My dad and mom separated 4 years ago and he moved off to Florida and has since remarried. I could try to have him come in to escort me along with mom but he would likely have an excuse as to why he couldn’t make it. Maybe Lincoln would escort me along with mom. I spent the rest of lunch lost in thought.

The rest of the week went by fairly quickly. It was a blur of dress up days to show our school spirit. Tuesday was decade day, I sported my best 80s get up. Wednesday was twin day, Bailey and I were twins in our basketball jerseys. Thursday was country vs country club and I dressed like a proper country girl. Lastly Friday was spirit day, I went all out to show my school spirit!

———————————————————————

Homecoming game 2013

I stood with my mom and Lincoln on the track as we watched the final seconds of the the second quarter tick by. We were currently winning the game by two touchdowns. At halftime we were lined up waiting to be presented, the presentation was to take place after the memorial. This year Mrs. Clark gave her speech first. The speech however was followed with a slideshow this year, pictures of Wally flashed on the screen below the scoreboard I had never seen pictures of him before, he was a rather attractive young man. The video ended with the stadium name flashing.

“We all knew his story,” Lincoln said to me as we waited for my name to be called. “He was the football teams idol.”

“He was your idol,” I sighed, “but I can’t help but feel sad for him, he had a young life that was cut short by the sport he loved.”

“He was the best player to grace this field Y:N.”

“Yes he was but could you imagine having the future he could have had only to have your life ended by the sport you loved?” I could feel the tears pricking at the corner of my eyes. “Then every year your family has to relive that awful moment over and over?”

Our conversation was cut short by the announcer calling out my name.

“Y/N is escorted tonight by her mother Amber YL/N and her brother former state champion quarterback Lincoln YL/N.” the announcer spoke into the microphone. The crowd erupted into a roar of cheers although I’m not sure if they were for me or for the returning Split River royalty I was related to.

“Give it up one more time for your 2013 Split River Homecoming Court.” The announcer spoke as we all left the field in the choreographed manner we had practiced all week.

We made our way back to the stage set up for the court and we all took our seats.

“Did you hear the way the crowd cheered for you?” Bailey asked, “I’d say based on that you are definitely our Homecoming Queen.”

“You know they weren’t cheering for me,” I sighed. “They were cheering for Lincoln, a part of Split River royalty.”

“You don’t know that!” She scolded

“I do Bailey, he’s a state champion, I’m just his little sister.”

“You are so much more than that.” She said she popped me in the back of the head. “You are literally one of the most popular girls here, you’re friends with everyone and have always gone out of your way to do for anyone who needed a helping hand.”

“You and I both know that that doesn’t hold a candle to being a state champion around here.”

She rolled her eyes at me but let it go. Thankfully the remainder of the game passed faster than expected and I was able to escape the stadium in no time.

———————————————————————

Homecoming Dance 2013

I walked into the gym with my chiffon train flowing behind me. I felt like a million bucks, this was my last homecoming dance and I was determined to have a good time no matter the outcome of the vote. I quickly found Bailey and the rest of our teammates and we proceeded to head to the camera line where we could take one final team homecoming picture together.

Once we finished with the pictures we made our way out on to the dance floor. The DJ had just started playing ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ by One Direction, we all sang in unison at the top of our lungs “baby you light up my world like no body else,” as we danced and jumped around. The song was fading out and the tune to a slow song was fading in when I felt a light tap on my shoulder. Turning around I was face to face with Jax Dawson, our quarterback.

“Can I have this dance?” He asked smiling sweetly and sticking his hand out to me.

“Of course,” I said taking his out stretched hand. He put my arms around his neck and placed his hands on my waste very lightly. We swayed in sync to the music and lyrics of ‘I’ll Be’ by Edwin McCain.

“You look gorgeous tonight Y/N.” He whispered in my ear.

“Thank you Jax.” I could feel my cheeks flush. “You look handsome.”

“Handsome enough I could snag a second dance later in the night?” He flirted

“We might can arrange that.” I laughed.

We danced with each other until the song faded out and a shrill screech of the microphone broke us apart.

“Can we please have our Seniors on homecoming court report to the stage?” The Principal Mrs. Sheridan called out.

I made my way to the stage my heart was beating out of my chest I was so nervous. I could literally hear my heart beating each step I took that got me closer to the stage.

Once everyone was situated on stage Mrs. Sheridan only added to everyone’s anxiety by dragging out the crowning. She started by crowning the Homecoming King, who was none other than Jax.

“Now time for your 2013 Homecoming Queen,” she called into the microphone. “Drumroll please, this years Homecoming Queen is, Y/N YL/N!”

The crowd erupted in applause and I stepped to Mrs. Sheridan for her to crown me. Once the crown was secured to my head I turned back to find my best friend Bailey, “You did it,” she smiled, “I knew you had this.”

“Thanks B,” I said hugging her, “finally one of the basketball girls won.” We both laughed.

“Please give it up one more time for your king and queen.” Mrs. Sheridan called out followed by applause.

I had to stay on stage with the court and take pictures for a few minutes after the presentation. Once the pictures were done I headed to the steps of the stage so that I could get back to the dance floor. As soon as I stepped off the first step I felt my dress tug on something causing me to miss the second step and fall down the steps hitting the back of my head on the steps as I fell down them. I could faintly hear people calling my name and I could tell my hair was wet with something, I stuck my hand to the back of my head and brought it to my eyes to see my fingers covered in blood before everything went black.

I’m not sure how long I was out for but when I finally came to I had a major headache and was still on the gym floor. My vision was still slightly blurred but I could make out a male figure standing in front of me.

“What happened?” I asked groggily.

“You fell down the steps of the stage.” A sweet unfamiliar voice responded, “you hit your head on the way down.”

“How long was I out for?”

“Well about that.” The voice responded, I could listen to this boy talk all day,

“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked as my vision finally began to refocus. I was face to face with a face I had only ever seen once before, on the screen at last nights game. “Yo- you’re wa- wa.”

“Wally Clark,” he finished my sentence for me “Homecoming King of ‘83”

“That’s impossible,” I panicked. “I must be dreaming or in a comma because you’ve been dead for 30 years!”

“It’s not impossible cherry pop.” A girl with dark curly hair stated plainly.

“The only way it’s not impossible is if I’m.” I choked on the last word of my sentence.

“Dead.” Wally stated softly grabbing my hand.

“No I can’t be dead!” I whaled, “I’ve got a concussion or something.”

“Im afraid not,” a shorter boy with glasses said pointing off in the distance to a crowd of people around someone.

I pulled myself together enough to get up off the floor and see what was going on. I could see Bailey, Sarah and Jax clearly in the distance. I made my way to each of them touching their shoulders and telling them I was ok but neither of them even noticed I was there.

“They can’t see or hear you,” the shorter boy said.

“This can’t be real.” I real I sobbed, as I pushed my way through the crowd to see what the commotion was I saw my lifeless body laid out on the gym floor as one of the teachers attempted CPR.

“She’s not breathing.” The teacher shouted, “I’m going to continue with chest compressions until the EMTs get here!”

“Dispatch says they’re two minutes out,” another teacher called.

My friends were all a wreck, the sound of their sobs and cries tore through my heart like a bullet from a gun.

“She can’t be gone!” Bailey cried out. Sarah could barely speak she was crying so hard. Jax had his head in his hands and I could hear soft sobs escaping his lips. My friends were hurting and there was nothing I could do.

Within minutes the EMTs burst through the gym doors with a gurney. They rushed to the group of people surrounding my lifeless body.

“How long have you been doing compressions,” one of them asked the teacher who had been working to keep my heart beating.

“Ten minutes,” he responded.

“She doesn’t have a pulse,” the other EMT called out. “Let’s try to shock her.” They pulled out their defibrillator and proceeded to put the paddles to my chest. Shockwaves ripples through my body and I didn’t even move. They tried a second and third time with not a single movement. I was gone and I wasn’t coming back.

“Let’s call it,” one of the EMTs said. “Time of death?”

“Ten o’clock,” the other responded.

They began getting a body bag ready and I felt a hand lightly touch my shoulder. “You don’t need to see this,” the sweet voice from earlier said. I turned around and instinctively buried my head in the chest of the tall brunette football player. He wrapped his arms tightly around me as I sobbed into his chest.

“Let’s get you out of here while this is cleaned up.” He said as he ran his hand through my hair.

“Where could we even go where I won’t see them drag my body out of the school?” I sobbed

“Let’s go to the auditorium,” he started walking while he still held me into his side. “You won’t be able to see anything in there.

I didn’t say a word I simply let him lead me to the auditorium. I wasn’t ready to die. I still had so much life to live. I was supposed to go to college and play college ball. Meet a wonderful man and get married and have kids and grow old with the love of my life, I wasn’t supposed to die at my senior homecoming dance!

By the time we had made it to the auditorium my sadness had turned to rage. I was enraged by what had been taken from me. Once the auditorium doors shut I let out a blood curdling scream from the rage that was coursing through me.

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s ok,” tried to south me. “I know exactly how you feel. I felt the same way after reality finally set in. Mad at the world for what has been taken from you.”

“I’m pissed,” I cried. “ I had so much to look forward to a now it’s gone. No college ball, no love, no wedding, no kids, no growing old with the love of my life.”

“I get it,” he said putting his arm around me and pulling me to him. “I watched all of those same dreams I had die when I died on that damn football field 30 years ago.”

“How do you live with it?” I asked leaning into his embrace. I felt like I was safe sitting here with him as if not matter what he would protect me from whatever harm could come to me now.

“It gets easier,” he smiled, “eventuality the sting isn’t as painful as it used to be, that and with Mr. Martin’s help.

“Who is Mr. Martin?”

“He leads the afterlife support group we are all apart of.”

“Oh,” was all I could manage “what’s it like being a ghost?”

“It’s nothing like the movies make you think.” He giggled, “we can’t walk through walls, touch people, talk to them, or possess them.”

“So we’re really lame immortals basically?”

“Basically,” he sighed, “we still have the same needs and wants as we did when we were alive though.”

“So what we can get sick or something?”

“We’ll charley is allergic to nuts, even in death if he eats them he swells.”

“So can we still fall in love or have sex?”

“Yes and yes,” he laughed, “I just said we still have needs and wants like we did when we were alive.

God that laugh, something about his laugh was contagious. Hearing him laugh just put a smile on my pained face and I couldn’t fight back.

“I know the night didn’t go how you planned,” he said scratching his neck “but you are still homecoming Queen,” he said pulling out my crown, “and the homecoming Queen does get a dance with the homecoming king.”

“The homecoming king is still alive,” I said quizzically.

“This years king is yes but how about a king from 30 years ago?” He asked as he placed my crown back on my head.

“It would be my honor,” I smiled as I stuck my hand out to him.

“You know I never even made it to accept my crown,” he said as he took my hand in is. “I died the night before they crowned me so I never even got my dance.”

“Until now that is.” I smiled up at the handsome jock who had his arms tightly wrapped around my waist. “We don’t have any music.” I said I we swayed together in silence.

Wally began to hum the tune to ‘Iris’ by the Goo Goo Dolls then began to sing the opening lyrics. “And I’d give up forever touch you, cause I know that you feel me somehow, you’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be and I don’t wanna go home right now.”

I was mesmerized by how good of a singer he was and before I knew it I was lost in the song. My arms around his neck and my head lay perfectly on his chest, this moment eased the pain I felt moments before for just long enough for me to enjoy the dance.

The song had been over for a while but Wally and I still stood in the middle of the auditorium my arms around his neck and his around my waist neither of us wanting to break the comfortable space we were in.

“Wally?” I asked softly “how did you know that song, it came out years after you died?”

“I’ve been to so many of these dances over the years you can’t help but learn the songs.”

“I see well,” I sighed.

“Well what?” He asked concerned.

“You sang my favorite song very well.” I smiled.

“I’m glad I could do your favorite song justice.” He said as he let one arm fall from my waist and moved it to cup my cheek. “Do you feel better?”

“I do thank you,” I smiled as I leaned my cheek into his touch. Being in this moment felt right I didn’t pull my check away from his touch and he didn’t pull his hand away from me either we are just standing there looking into each others eyes. The next thing I know both of us are leaning into each other, within seconds his lips are pressed to mine in softest and sweetest kiss I have ever felt. His lips are soft and they feel like they were meant for mine. Moments later we break the kiss both of us breathless.

“I will never forget this night Y/N,” he smiled as he ran his thumb across my cheek bone.

“Neither will I,” I say as I reach one of my hands up to grasp the hand he has placed on my cheek.

#wally clark #wally clark imagines #wally clark x reader #school spirits #school spirits imagines #wally x reader #school spirits paramount #Spotify

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fuck-you-upmusicbracket · 5 months ago

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Iris (The Goo Goo Dolls)

And I'd give up forever to touch you/'Cause I know that you feel me somehow/You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be/And I don't want to go home right now/And I don't want the world to see me/'Cause I don't think that they'd understand/When everything's made to be broken/I just want you to know who I am

"It is a very bad thing that this song often plays in grocery stores and at the dentist's office, because it makes me cry. imagine walking around the world knowing that one of the songs that fucks you up could play in the goddamn dentist's office at any moment and there's nothing you can do about it. That in and of itself is something to be fucked up about. Also this song is gay. "And I'd give up forever to touch you /.../ you're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be" there's a gay interpretation in there. Why isn't the narrator going to heaven? Why does he have to give up forever to touch his partner? Gay. Gay. Gay. Gay."

Poll Runner: The song ever. You'll be screaming your lungs raw. The lyrics mean so much.

The Ocean (Against Me!)

And if I could have chosen/I would have been born a woman/My mother once told me/She would have named me Laura/I'd grow up/To be strong and beautiful like her/One day, I'd find an honest man/To make my husband

If I could have chosen where God would hide his heaven/I would wish for it to be in the salt and swell of the ocean/Carried by the currents to all continents' shores/Reaching into the depths where the sun’s light has never shone/If I could have chosen, I would have been born a woman/There is an ocean in my soul where the waters do not curve

"Have you ever listened to a soul-rending song that has a metatextual happy ending?A cry of suffering and of resignation to happiness being a fantasy while you drown in a tumultuous ocean. But. A few years later, you realise you don't have to be resigned, that happiness can come. Happiness doesn't have to be a fantasy, happiness can just be reality. You can transition and find yourself, like Laura Jane Grace, the group's singer-songwriter did five years after that song's release. Whether you're trans or not, such a powerful song that becomes a diary note that you read now, not facing dread everyday, with kindness towards younger you : that's a beautiful message that shakes you."

"Ocean. The Ocean. The Ocean. It's. it's. it's such a thing it's so good and so filling it is EVERYTHING. also coming out song. but not actually. And Laura's voice is so beautiful,,, and there is an ocean in my soul where the waters do not curve."

#fuck you up bracket #tournament #polls #the goo goo dolls #against me!

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folklaur21 · 9 months ago

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Muggle Music & Movies

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x gn!reader

Summary: The son of one of the most Blood-Proud families in the Wizarding World gets caught with a Muggle device.

Warnings: None, just fluff <3

Word Count: 874

Draco Malfoy is part of the most notorious Pure-blood families of the Wizarding world. It's common knowledge that him and his family are not fans of anything Muggle. It's how they were brought up, and how their lifestyle will be.

You thought Draco was the same; cruel, cold, and extremely anti-Muggle. That was, until, you caught him in an abandoned classroom, in quite a compromising position.

"Oh, sorry Malfoy I didn't mean to intrude, what are you- IS THAT A WALKMAN?"

Draco Malfoy's head snapped up to look at you and he shoved the Walkman into the pocket of his robe, before sharply getting up and darting towards you.

"No, I don't know what you're talking about." He stares at you, questioning whether you are going to continue your interrogation. Obviously you are.

"Umm, yes you do! That was a Walkman, I had one for my 16th birthday a couple months ago. Why do have a Muggle device?"

At that comment, Malfoy shoves you into the wall, and covers your mouth with his hand. "Shut up." He realises how close the two of you are, and takes a few steps away from you.

"OK, you need to calm down. I'm just asking." You try to shrug off his reaction, but you still have more questions. "Why are you, of all people, secretly listening to Muggle music?"

Draco sighs and turns back towards you. "Do you promise not to tell anyone? Especially not my friends? And my father won't hear about this?"

"Yeah," you raise your eyebrows, "I won't tell anyone."

"The music is actually really good. My father wouldn't let me take Muggle Studies as a class in third year, but that Granger girl did, and I heard her talking about... Muggle things."

"OK, so you secretly bought a Sony Walkman?"

"I saw it in a Muggle charity shop in London when I was on my way to Diagon Alley. I just thought it would be cool. The gadget already had these songs on it." He shows you a list of 10 songs in a tidy scrawl.

Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana Creep - Radiohead Iris - Goo Goo Dolls Boys Don't Cry - The Cure Times Like These - Foo Fighters The Winner Takes It All - ABBA Wonderwall - Oasis I'll Be There For You - The Rembrandts Livin' On A Prayer - Bon Jovi Girls & Boys - Blur

"Why do you care about me?" You hear Malfoy say, very quietly.

"Well, I care because you go around screaming bloody murder about Muggle-borns, and here you are on a Saturday afternoon, hidden away in an abandoned classroom."

"It's complicated. I actually think things like this," he pulls the Walkman out of his pocket, "are really cool. We don't have this kind of magic as wizards."

"I guess. I've never really thought about it like that." You walk over to one of the desks and sit on the table. "My mum's a Muggle, you see. I was brought up on Chocolate Frogs and Disney films."

"What are Disney films?" Draco asks, confused. "Is that like, another sweet?"

"Oh. My. Gosh. You've not heard of Disney? Or films, for that matter?" You suppress a small laugh.

"Well, I did just mention that my father was a controlling, anti-Muggle lunatic. So, no I don't know what films are." The coldness that you knew as Draco Malfoy started to peek through at this comment, but not enough for you to be deterred by his response.

"OK, I am definitely bringing in my projector. And a Disney film." You stop and think for a moment. "What kind of things do you like? Animals, magic, princesses?"

This was how you ended up in your dormitory on a Friday night a week later, led on your bed with Draco Malfoy, watching Bambi.

"What just happened? Where's his mum gone?"

You turn around to see Draco's eyes welling up, and looking confused at the moving picture on the screen.

"Umm, yeah, she dies Draco. The hunters got her."

"That's awful! This is a kid's film! What children enjoy this?"

Right. Maybe Bambi wasn't a good first choice for an introduction into Disney films. You definitely should have gone for The Little Mermaid.

"But, Draco watch."

The two of you finish watching the film, but Draco still seems hesitant.

"See Draco, it has a happy ending."

"Yeah, but his mum still died. How would you get over that?"

"I don't know Draco, but that's not the point of the film. It's about friendship, and development, and love."

"I still don't think it's acceptable for children." Draco huffs indignantly.

"Draco, wizarding children's stories involve RIPPING PEOPLE'S HEARTS OUT and even BEING MURDERED FOR POWER. How is this unacceptable?" You sigh, mostly joking.

Draco doesn't say anything to that comment, but a moment later he asks. "Can we watch another next week?"

You turn to him surprised. "Really? You enjoyed this? I thought you said it was unacceptable for children..."

"Yeah, but... I like spending time with you."

At this, you turn around and face Draco, looking into his eyes. "I like spending time with you too."

Draco pulls you in towards him, and your lips meet.

"Maybe," he thinks, "being caught with my Muggle music wasn't so bad after all."

#slytherin boys #slytherin #theodore nott #harry potter universe #y/n #harry potter #draco malfoy #fanfic #fanfiction #draco lucius malfoy #malfoy x reader #draco x reader #x reader #x y/n #x y/n fluff #x you #fluff #imagines

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brunettemarionette · 2 months ago

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@witchthewriter

𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐍𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐚 𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐤𝐬! She is devoted to her cause and believes in the importance of justice, honor, and equality, something the two of you have in common. I see the two of you together, fighting side by side; she will always help you with concerns and fears with a small smirk and her bullheadedness.

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘀

Nymphadora couldn't approach you when you first joined the Order. She was flustered even though she tried to hide it, not that Remus or Sirius let her. So she'd find small, little things to give you to open conversation. "Oh, you like rings. Here's one of mine."

You are her calm. Before you, she was quick-tempered and rash, but now, when the two are together in Grimmauld, the others can find you in some nook somewhere reading or sharing thoughts on a book that you had gotten Nymphadora into.

Nymphadora's features sometimes change unintentionally, at least more so when she knows she has feelings for you. It would become a running gag that when you pass by, her hair goes red, and her face slowly turns pink.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗴

I Need You by James Newton Howard Blister In The Sun By mxmtoon (cover) Home by Gabrielle Aplin

𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀

Oblivious (You) x Constantly Admiring (Tonks) They Fell First, But You Fell Harder Runs Into Battle (Tonks) x Not Far Behind (You)

𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲

Unbreakable Bond

𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐉𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐳! He's one of the 'softer' Sons and probably the most sensitive. I think he would quickly love your personality, which among the women of the club would be like a diamond in the rough. He craves warmth and stability, which you have a lot to give, and it helps ease his anxious side.

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘀

Whenever he's on a run, he always hits up a few bookstores looking for something special to bring home. While the guys are rushing out their road flings, he's in a small cafe library searching for that book you've been talking about.

That being said, I can see him getting a little OCD with all the little trinkets lying around in the house. He'll quickly put back any books that have been left on the counter or find a clean way to store those colourful bath bombs—the only thing he won't do is touch your tarot deck; he knows better.

He thought your shaved head was awesome and begged you to do his. That's where the little mohawk comes from. It started as a joke when you were shaving, but with a grin, he decided it was there to stay.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗴

I Know Places - Lykke Li Iris – Goo Goo Dolls Stereo Hearts - Gym Class Heroes

𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀

Dumbass (Juice) x Oh God That’s My Dumbass (You) You’re The Only One Who Understands Me (Juice) Anxious Mess (Juice) x His Safe Place (You)

𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲

Love At First Sight

𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫! I think Bruce struggles a lot with positive relationships because he's driven by fear of causing pain or losing them. Still, once he sees you're not going anywhere, he'll start to drop that guard. Having the Hulk means that you'll have not one but two people fiercely protective of you and your sanctuary.

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘀

You have a very good relationship with Hulk, much to Bruce's worry. You are one of the only people genuinely able to calm the big guy down. He can sense Bruce's internal love for you, so Hulk relies on your love, too.

People think Bruce spends too much time in the lab, but what they don't understand is that the two of you spend those hours just being together—him doing scientific research and you reading a book or learning something new in the realm of witchcraft. You don't need to be talking to be together.

He loves to hear you talk, your thoughts, musings—everything. He could listen to your voice for hours. It's soothing and keeps him calm.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗴

Flightless Bird, American Mouth by Iron And Wine

Rosyln by Bon Iver, St. Vincent

Can't Help Falling in Love - Elvis

𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀

Supportive & Protective (You) Finally Allowing Someone Into His Heart (Bruce) Tragic Past (Bruce) x Ray of Light (You) " I love you unconditionally" (You) x "You shouldn't" (Bruce)

𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲

Initially Distant, turned to Mutual Yearning, turned Lovers

#match ups #sons of anarchy pair ups #sons of anarchy #soa #sons of anarchy ship #sons of anarchy ships #hunger games ships #the hunger games #mcu #mcu pair ups #mcu ships #mcu fandom #mcu match ups #ship exchange #pair ups #headcanons #fandoms

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mike-wheeler-hater · 2 years ago

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Songs i want to see Byler edits to when they’re canon

The Great War - Taylor Swift

Flawless - The Neigbourhood ( use the bridge it’s the best part of the song)

Don’t Blame Me - Taylor Swift

Set Fire To The Rain - Adele

Softcore - The Neigbourhood

Seven - Taylor Swift

Back To The Old House - The Smiths

Yellow - Coldplay

Wildest Dreams - Taylor Swift

You And I - One Direction (lmao)

The Beach - The Neigbourhood (love this one)

Baby Come Home 2 / Valentines - The Neigbourhood (was once my favorite song)

The Night We Met - Lord Huron

Cinnamon Girl - Lana Del Rey

This Love - Taylor Swift

Somewhere Only We Know - Keane

Midnight Rain - Taylor Swift

Mistakes Like This - Prelow

We Fell In Love In October- Girl In Red

Baby I’m Jealous - Bebe Rexha ( ~I stole your man~ idk it would be funny but mean )

Bellyache- Billie Eilish

Me And Micheal - MGMT

The Most Beautiful Boy In The World -The Irrepressibles ( requested by @jazz-penguin 🫶)

Sweet Disposition- Temper Trap ( requested by @are-friends-electric-7 🫶)

Forever & Always - Taylor Swift

Style - Taylor Swift

I’ll call you mine - Girl In Red

Heroes - David Bowie ( requested by @themidnightpoetsociety 🫶 thank u , I can’t believe that I forgot )

The Story - Conan Gray

Everything Has Changed- Taylor Swift ( requested by @byler-solos 🫶)

You Get Me So High - The Neigbourhood ( ~you’re my best friend I’ll love you forever~ fits them somehow)

Heather - Conan Gray ( requested by @violetbaudelaire15 🫶)

Video Games - Lana Del Rey ( requested by @ilsrj 🫶)

Everlong - Foo Fighters ( requested by @daydreams-in-the-moonlight 🫶)

Wicked Game- Chris Isaak

Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division

Just Like Heaven - The Cure

Lovesong - The Cure

Never Let Me Down Again - Depeche Mode

Are ’Friends‘ Electric ? - Tubeway Army

Apocalypse- Cigarettes after sex

Starlight - Muse

Enjoy The Silence - Depeche Mode

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - The smiths

Ordinary World - Duran Duran

Supercut - Lorde

When We Were Young - Adele

After Dark - Mr Kitty

You Are In Love - Taylor Swift

Daylight - Taylor Swift

It’s Nice To Have A Friend - Taylor Swift

Out Of The Woods - Taylor Swift

Afterglow - Taylor Swift

Still Into You - Paramore

The Only Exception- Paramore

All I wanted - Paramore

Iris - The Goo Goo Dolls

Head Over Heels- Tears for fears

Sparks - Coldplay

Fix You - Coldplay

New Person , Same Old Mistakes- Tame Impala

Die For You - The Weekend

Breakdown - Tom Petty and the heartbreakers

About You - The 1975

Wonderland - Taylor Swift

Lover - Taylor Swift

Long Long Time - Linda Ronstadt

I Love You - Billie Eilish

I Want To Know What Love Is - Foreigner

Can’t Fight This Feeling - REO Speedwagon

Keep On Loving You - REO Speedwagon

Crazy Little Thing Called Love- Queen

Who Wants To Live Forever - Queen

Time After Time - Cindy Lauper

True Colors - Cindy Lauper

Take On Me - A-Ha

True Love - P!nk

Who Knew - P!nk

Someone To You - BANNERS

Someone To Stay - Vamcouver Sleep Clinic

Don’t You ( Forget About Me ) - Simple Minds

Reflections - The Neigbourhood

Compass - The Neigbourhood

Stuck With Me - The Neigbourhood

Scary Love - The Neigbourhood

Void - The Neigbourhood

Nervous - The Neigbourhood

Honest - The Neigbourhood

Sunsetz - Cigarettes After Sex

505 - Artic Monkeys

I Wanna Be Yours - Artic Monkeys

Wonderwall - Oasis

Don’t Look Back In Anger - Oasis

Dandelions - Ruth B

I Follow Rivers - Lykke Li

Don’t Speak - No Doubt

Listen To Your Heart - Roxette

Right Now - 1D

Infinity- James Young

It’s My Life - Talk Talk

Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol

Open Your Eyes - Snow Patrol

Duvet - Bôa

Fade Into You - Mazzy Star

You’re My Best Friend - Queen

Clocks - Coldplay

Till Forever Falls Apart - Ashe

Cherry- Lana Del Rey

Say Yes To Heaven- Lana Del Rey

Without You - Lana Del Rey

If I Lose Myself - One Republic

Secrets - One Republic

What You Wanted - One Republic

Electric Touch - Taylor Swift ( requested by @cultofsheep 🫶)

I Think We’re Alone Now - Tiffany

Fuck It I Love You - Lana Del Rey

American Money - BØRNS

Message In A Bottle - Taylor Swift

Boys & Girls - Conan Gray

Now That We Don’t talk - Taylor Swift

You’re On Your Own Kid- Taylor Swift

( all 4 recent song requested by @martyconansversion 🫶)

( thank you @toria-hanny for all your requests 💗💗💗. I’ll make sure to find them all once Byler is canon . And btw your music taste is awesome 🫶)

I’ll keep updating this because I want to 👍🏻😀 If you have any ideas or something feel free to tell me please !

#byler #byler edit #stranger things 5 #edit songs #lmao #mike wheeler #will byers

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deadcactuswalking · 1 month ago

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 30/11/2024 (Kendrick Lamar's GNX, Wicked Soundtrack with Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo, Stromae & Pomme)

Kendrick Lamar is Santa, Ariana Grande is Mrs. Claus, and God, do we have a lot of elves. I suppose that makes Gracie Abrams Rudolph, since she’s leading the pack for a sixth week at #1 for “That’s So True”. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

content warning: language, gang violence, potential spoilers for Wicked Part One

Rundown

As always, we start our week with the notable dropouts, those being songs exiting from the UK Top 75 – which is what I cover – after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. This episode, we bid adieu to: “Two Faced” by Linkin Park and “Running Wild” by Jin – both off the debuts last week – as well as “São Paulo” by The Weeknd and Anitta, “Love Somebody” by Morgan Wallen, “Indestructible” by Andy C and Becky Hill, “TOO COOL TO BE CARELESS” by PAWSA, “Diet Pepsi” by Addison Rae, “BACKBONE” by Chase & Status and Stormzy, “Slow it Down” by Benson Boone, “The Sound of Silence” by Disturbed, “Prada” by casso, RAYE and D-Block Europe, “Riptide” by Vance Joy, and finally, “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls. It is safe to say that at least some of these tracks make their return once Father Christmas has dropped the gifts off at the chimney.

Now for the festive flood, and whilst I won’t mention gains for pre-existing holiday tracks outside of the merriest three, we do have plenty of Christmas-related returns this week – every year has the chart week where the floodgates open for holly jolly hits – and even some seasonal new entries which we’ll get to. For now, we welcome back: “Driving Home for Christmas” by Chris Rea at #75, “Holly Jolly Christmas” by Michael Bublé at #72, “Sleigh Ride” by The Ronettes at #66, “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” by the late Dean Martin at #65, “Step into Christmas” by Sir Elton John at #56 (I love that one), “Winter Wonderland” by Laufey at #55 (more from her later), “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Bublé at #51, “Do They Know it’s Christmas?” by Band Aid at #45 and “Merry Christmas” by Ed Sheeran and Elton John at #31. Our three jolliest jingles are “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” at #20, “All I Want for Christmas is You” at #10 and “Last Christmas” at #8. I would say it’s too early for all that but my tree’s already up, and the only gain we get outside of this is “Messy” by Lola Young at #41, which I can’t complain about.

As for our top five… I suppose it’s best to break the news now. Kendrick Lamar’s new #1 album GNX and the soundtrack to Ariana Grande-led fantasy musical film Wicked have both debuted three songs – the maximum under UK chart rules – and they’ve all landed high up in the top 20. We can see quite early how this affects us, as Kenny takes “luther” with SZA at #5 and “squabble up” at #4. The top three, however, has not shifted in the slightest, with “APT.” by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars at #3, “Sailor Song” by Gigi Perez at #2 and of course, Ms. Abrams at the very top. Now, before we get into the big events, we of course have the filler episodes.

New Entries

#67 – “Christmas Magic” – Laufey

Produced by Laufey and Spencer Stewart

We start our week – of course – with the Amazon Originals. For those who don’t know, Amazon Music makes original holiday tracks with often famous artists, either for their bargain-bin Christmas films or as standalone tracks that automatically play when you ask Alexa for Christmas songs, hence run the streams up from automatic and passive listening but don’t have much of an impact on a lot of the population’s streaming rotation because they simply do not have access to it. It’s a questionable approach, for sure, but now it has been the norm for so many years, I no longer feel the need to complain about it. I used to review suggestions in protest, but this year, I decided that it’s really not difficult to find these songs without an Amazon product or subscription, and I may as well review them even if for the most part, they’re just vaguely festive slop. Plus, sometimes they are cover versions and hence I can talk about chart history. This does not appear to be the case for either of our new Amazon tracks, starting with Icelandic jazz singer Laufey’s “Christmas Magic” – if there’s any time of the year where her bordering-on-easy-listening style is going to gain the most traction, it would be Christmas, and this is fully a traditional Christmas song, with bursts of swing sax and sleigh bells backing what is basically a list of clichés. Laufey sounds nice as always, but it’s so short and there’s so little to it in all avenues of music – performance, lyrics, instrumentation – that it really can’t rise above vague pleasantry.

#49 – “It Can’t Be Christmas” – Tom Grennan

Produced by the Ghosts of Capitalist Past, Present and Future

Find Tom Grennan in around 30 days time and tell him what day it is, he won’t believe it. Anyway, we have our second Amazon-exclusive track, another original, this time from British pop-rock boy Tom Grennan, a semi-regular fixture on this series for the past few years. The horns are flatter here than on Laufey’s song, the tempo is fixed at a staggered classic soul pace which has never always fit holiday music for me – it’s usually used for Christmas songs that are more longing relationship, by-the-fireplace kind of songs, but there’s a cold angst to that drum rhythm to me, especially when in this context of a manufactured mix and song structure cut down for optimal length and audience retention. Grennan’s delivery flails into a really pathetic rasp, especially in that rough bridge, it sounds like a first take, and the staccato backing vocals don’t do much to sugarcoat it. It plays out less like an original Christmas song and more drunken karaoke from a wannabe Teddy Swims. Thanks, Bezos, we really needed this in the repertoire – besides, if you’re going to make a sincere attempt at introducing your song into the Christmas canon, why make it platform-exclusive to a platform largely not considered a major competitor in that particular medium? It’s like making a blockbuster film only available in cinemas located in Bedford – like, sure, people can see it but you have to go to Hampshire and not everyone’s going to be in Bedford all the time, in fact, most of the country won’t, though it’s not that difficult to get to anyways. And yes, Tom Grennan is from Bedford, and no, I didn’t know that before I wrote this analogy in, seriously.

#21 – “Ma Meilleure Ennemie” – Stromae and Pomme

Produced by Stromae, Mako and Luc Van Hayer

So, this kind of came out of nowhere. Stromae hasn’t charted internationally in a while and does not do so very often nowadays, especially in the UK, but he’s a Belgian singer best known for his 2009 smash hit “Alors on danse”, which this has amazingly out-peaked and once I found out why, I was a lot less excited to figure out why this duet with French singer Pomme had made a big splash when no non-massive event is otherwise getting through the holiday freeze. To keep it simple, as we’ll be talking about in-universe nonsense a lot for the rest of this episode, this is a song from League of Legends spin-off Netflix series Arcane, about a complicated relationship between two characters that starts off really antagonising and blossoms throughout the series, especially the second season which has recently premiered. I actually really like this song too, with the slightly off robotic vocoder functioning as those emotions coming to boil and bubble up inside the two characters, but not feeling too coherent yet, and Stromae’s spoken delivery fitting wonderfully over a reggaeton beat with a lot of space in the mix for phased wave synth pads and choir swells that take a human touch to a potentially over-produced and slodgy rhythm that comes with slowing a reggaeton drum pattern down and fuzzing out the mix. It’s a pretty good song outside of that, on strength of its chorus and concept, which fits what I’m told is the premise about a city and its seedy underbelly. If there’s cyborgs in the show, this is such a cyborg-coded song, and that’s the kind of in-depth observations you read this for. Between this and “Enemy” a few years back, maybe this show has something to it. Now speaking of shows I’m out of my depth on…

#17 – “What is This Feeling?” – Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo

Produced by Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Oremus, Greg Wells, Jon M. Chu, Marc Platt and Maggie Rodford

So, I have not seen Wicked, and I probably never will – it’s the first part of a musical I have no interest in stretched out to a film adaptation of two and a half hours. No amount of positive reception will bring me to see that. However, I had cleverly predicted this outcome and enlisted a duo of undercover spy agents to research and recount details of the piece to inform and assist with this episode. For the sake of anonymity, I shall call them Jessie and James, and yes, I’m Meowth, that’s right. Bear with me here, as like a third of this episode will be plot details for a movie I haven’t seen, but I will try and keep it brief as unlike Kendrick’s songs, these have very little chance of sticking around once the hype has dissipated. This song is from when the two students at “Shiz University” (again, bear with me) first meet: Galinda, an elite sorceress played by Grande, and Elphaba, the titularly wicked witch played by Erivo, write to their parents about each other and their initial experience as roommates. Apparently, this is near-unchanged from the musical version (which is itself adapted from a novel, itself adapted from The Wizard of Oz), and acts as a reversion of the “hate-to-love” trope in conventional musicals, by presenting two characters who absolutely love to hate each other and finding exhilaration in a quickly-onset and potentially longstanding loathing. My secret agent calls it a “toxic yuri anthem”, whatever that means – I like the intensity of the strings and especially the horns as the song ramps up, and for a show tune, the soundtrack version is less flat than many a musical track sounds in studio quality, even if the drums don’t hit like they should. I do find Ari – sorry, I mean Galinda’s lengthy description of her green counterpart being met with a short and snappy “Blonde.” from Elphaba pretty funny and, if I were more attuned with the narrative, probably an appropriate summary of their characteristics. A song about mutual hate written as if it were a cutesy love ballad is a cool take, especially in the bombast of a musical, but it doesn’t fully connect with me all the way through, it loses me a bit once we get into the choir parts. You know what didn’t need to take time to lose me?

#13 – “Popular” – Ariana Grande

Produced by Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Oremus, Greg Wells, Jon M. Chu, Marc Platt and Maggie Rodford

Now I do know this one! Is it because Ari had covered it prior with MIKA? Yes. Do I like that version? No, it’s horrible, but that is in part why it stuck with me and also in part why I cannot watch this film, as if I at any point think of MIKA in a cinema, security may need to intervene. Yes, I still find this song really annoying in whatever form, but what I didn’t know until now is that I’m somewhat supposed to. The musical’s most famous but not most iconic track, performed by Galinda alone, shows her as a bit of a smug, superficial pest obsessed with “improving” her newfound friend Elphaba that she sees as needing to be changed drastically to gain approval from her peers. The “la-la-la” hook is still incessant, but it plays onto “political performance themes” (quoting my spy) and given its status as both a fan and general audience favourite, I’m sure it’s exciting in the film’s context, and though one of my confidantes loved the extended outro, I find lengthening “Popular” to be somewhat like making sure your murder victim gets slapped around before you stab him, especially since the instrumentation is largely barebones. I get why the song is like it is and at least it’s not the MIKA version, but I’m still not a fan.

#7 – “Defying Gravity” – Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande

Produced by Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Oremus, Greg Wells, Jon M. Chu, Marc Platt and Maggie Rodford

It turns out, coincidentally, that the songs’ chart order also reflects that of the musical, so we observe the character arcs in real time. A seven-minute showstopper, “Defying Gravity” may be the most impressive number, so immersive as a song in thematic context that it’s part of why the film has been split into two different parts instead of released as a whole: it’s built specifically to bring a curtain down to intermission, so the producers cut the film not long after so the events following such a grand, iconic moment didn’t end up “hugely anti-climactic”. I mean, the song is called “Defying Gravity” – leaving the audience with a song that, according to my team of associates, gives them goosebumps, may be more powerful than bringing the film back down to Earth at any point, if it were possible. For the sake of chart history, Elphaba’s stage performer Idina Menzel recorded the song as a single, and therefore, this is the one song from the musical we get here to have charted several times, first with Menzel for a #60 peak in 2008, secondly with the cast of the TV sitcom Glee in 2010 for a peak of #38. To track that in the real world, the #1s at those dates were Rihanna’s “Take a Bow” and Tinie Tempah’s “Pass Out”… which both kind of make sense for such an extensive, transforming song about the two main characters coming to grips with how they’re just too vastly different to go in the same direction, and because of that, it’s a particularly powerful song for Elphaba. One of my friends – I mean, undercover employees prefers Adele Dazeem’s version but Cynthia Erivo’s performance here took me aback by sheer strength in just the audio so I’m sure I’d be impressed seeing its scenes play out on screen or stage. That hook really clings to you as an earworm and whilst getting there each time may not be the most fun to follow, that makes it all the more satisfying once you’re there, and this really is a special tune, even out of narrative context, so I completely understand why, despite the length, this is the highest-charting from Wicked. Once again, thanks to Team Wicked for equipping me with details regarding the film and its source texts because doing actual research is for nerds. Who the Hell would write a chart show based on actual research, facts, history and fair analysis for over half a decade? ...Well, maybe Spectrum Pulse.

#6 – “tv off” – Kendrick Lamar featuring Lefty Gunplay

Produced by MUSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD

All three of Kendrick’s top 10 debuts from his most recent surprise album – dropping in the middle of the afternoon UK time last week – appear in a row from #6 to #4 and we also don’t get any of the denser tracks, which is to be expected but does mean we partially lose a layer we could use to discuss the album with. This isn’t a problem, though, for if there’s any album in his discography that Kendrick wants you to feel and not overthink about, it’s his series of West Coast tributes seemingly made in just the past few months that he calls GNX. I’ve always been less enamoured by Kendrick than many others, because of what in my opinion is a spotty catalogue and messy approach from his output, DAMN. onwards, but a lower-concept, mixtape-esque record from him may be just what I’ve wanted him to get at since To Pimp a Butterfly. There are themes worth getting into on this album, for you to evaluate and take piece by piece, but there’s nothing cryptic, which isn’t necessarily a problem for me regardless, I can enjoy plenty of abstract rap, but it also means the album’s less heavy, more of a concise product that tells you quite explicitly how Kendrick is feeling. Hateful, he is feeling hateful and he's absolutely proud of finally having the angle and time in his career where proving himself isn’t necessary, and he can pull up to the Super Bowl with a set of new bangers he hasn’t gotten sick of yet, or even thought too hard about in the first place. There’s a real release in this album that comes with the post-Drake beef success: near-unanimously crowned the winner, dragged through the mud and coming out clean as a whistle in the public’s eyes, he realises that he can show off some jams that’ll resonate with his folks in California and boost that scene to worldwide status. As silly as it sounds, it might be my favourite Kendrick Lamar album.

Now as for the three track we have here, I’ll zoom through them, as we have two energetic West Coast bangers and one R&B cut, starting off with what might just be my favourite track, and I’m sure many agree: “tv off”. Produced by Mustard, who takes the same Monk Higgins album to flip as he did for “Not Like Us”, alongside Sean Momberger, Kamasi Washington, Jack Antonoff (of all people, he’s all over the record) and Kenny’s long-time producer Sounwave, Kendrick starts off with what may be the mission statement of the album: he’s finally bought his dream car, and he’s set out on the goal of making hits for the people: “fuck being rational, give ‘em what they asked for”. Once letting you know his rationale, he sets the score over a shrill sample chop that rings of all the malice he self-admittedly approached this project with, the beat animated by his manic flipping between his now signature goofy voice (a nasal whine), restless yelling and deadpan, sick-and-tired rambling. The main conceit of the song is authenticity, how Kendrick feels like he’s the only real one in the game, and there are not enough people like him, which leads to catchy flows and great brags like how he can afford to cut his grandmother off if she doesn’t agree with him (so much for keeping the family close), but also comes with the underlying knowledge that he’s admitting he himself is not enough to save his culture from losing the plot. Of course, the song only really switches into gear with the beat switch, as over a menacing loop from a Disney soundtrack of all places, Kendrick memetically screams “Mustard!” when the beat drops as if the guy who produced “Freaky Friday” was a Dragon Ball antagonist. His scream is not just for the meme, though, he explains why: he wants to walk into the Super Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana with the energy of his hometown of LA, and part of that is screaming California’s biggest producer as part of Kendrick’s own personal victory lap. That’s kind of beautiful, but you wouldn’t know it from Kendrick’s grimy verse and intricate rhyme schemes all enveloping from an already ruthless Biggie interpolation. I particularly love the second half verse from the “prophetic”-“cosmetic” bar onwards, the fricative mouthful leading into that second pained “Mustard!” release is such a great moment. And if you don’t know who Lefty Gunplay is, well, you weren’t supposed to, not only was he initially uncredited but he, as one of many West Coast underground rappers Kendrick gave shine to on this record, only provides the outro here, itself a bit of a memetic mantra of how it can get “crazy, scary, spooky, hilarious”. Theories have arisen that this reflects Kendrick’s four main diss tracks against Drake, but I see this more as just what happens when you see Kendrick in this aggressive mode because this album shows that it can get as zany as it can get genuinely threatening, and Lefty Gunplay’s voice fits like a glove, as expected for a largely unknown California rapper – there are a few others on the album, with Dody6 and AzChike in particular giving really standout performances. Part of me wonders if Lefty had a longer verse on this and that one line was just the part Kendrick liked the most so he looped it at the end. Either way, let’s move on to:

#5 – “luther” – Kendrick Lamar and SZA

Produced by Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, Kamasi Washington, Bridgeway, Rose Lilah and M-Tech

Earlier on in the album is a more lowkey cut with SZA, the laidback duet “luther”. One of the few tracks of its kind on the album, it is an honest-to-God love song from Kendrick, promising his girlfriend – presumably his fiancé Whitney, played by SZA – that better days are coming, in part because he’s there for her and is on the way to make her life as perfect as he sees her as. Kendrick promises that if the world was his, she’d have no enemies – in this case, he says he’d gun them down, of course – and wouldn’t have to suffer any pain, playing on the sample from “If This World Were Mine”, specifically the cover by Cheryl Lynn and Luther Vandross. As with many SZA tracks, it’s a piano and acoustic guitar-led trap-inflected slow jam, but with all kinds of very special and very Kendrick additions, like the string swell that tries its hardest to make you not notice that Kendrick’s first verse is the same set of bars repeated with two extra bars (it’s not fully successful), and how the beat is reduced to just the bass mid-verse so Kendrick can play with his “fah-fah” ad-lib melodically for longer than he needs to, but it’s still cut and further immerses you into the fantasy of a perfect world. For the rest of the song, SZA and Kendrick switch from going back-and-forth, completing each other’s sentences on the second verse, to harmonising entire verses and refrains together, in a catchy serenade that still plays with the pace of the lengthy chorus in interesting ways, whilst having Sam Dew and Ink fill in some of the vocal gaps Kendrick simply can’t. Kendrick’s less-than-perfect vocal here is part of the self-deprecation he accumulates in the song – he’s helpless to reach his goal of having a perfect world he has control over, but it’s in pursuit of this perfect woman who loves him regardless: “she a fan, he a flop, they just want to kumbaya”. Overall, it’s a charming, loveable little track that I’m very glad was included and could see sticking around – as much as I love it, “tv off” is probably being swapped out next week, but the higher two are probably going to be charting for a while.

#4 – “squabble up” – Kendrick Lamar

Produced by Kendrick Lamar, Bridgeway, Jack Antonoff, Sounwave and Matthew “MTech” Bernard

Unlike how the three-song rule often dictates, we do not see the opening track on the chart this week, primarily because “wacced out murals” is a five-minute villain origin story that is coldly intense and thematically necessary… but not as much of an undeniable jam as its follow-up, “squabble up”, which appears to get the lead single treatment with a midweek video and it should be obvious as to why. First teased in the “Not Like Us” video months ago, “squabble up” starts with intense breathing under Kendrick’s promise that he’s back: one of the album’s main themes is reincarnation, and here, he sets the stage for an album that’s bangers on bangers by saying he’s done stargazing and back outside for the people, whilst also referencing the sentiment that he considers himself Tupac Shakur reincarnated, a longstanding idea in his catalogue. Sentiments are hardly what makes this song great, though, as it’s named after LA slang for a brawl as Kendrick, with a lot of wacky choices of imagery and great wordplay – sometimes about his own producers (again) – over a groove that caught me in a trance on first listen, especially with that phased 80s synth bass, taken from Debbie Deb’s freestyle classic “When I Hear Music”. The vocal sample from Debbie isn’t interpolated in any way but its theme of dancing to the music takes on a different meaning in this more sinister context – Kendrick’s guys are on the floor for different reasons. The group call-and-response vocal in the bridge comes with intrusive drum crashes, and the third verse has so many cute details in how the sample is glitched and chopped into sparkling sound effects and vocoder loops that you almost get distracted from some of the funniest lyrics in the song, especially the flatly-delivered couplet “Bitch with him and some bitch in him – that’s a lot of bitch / Don’t hit him, he got kids with him? My apologies”. One could complain about the relatively simple and staccato hooks here, but the off-key singing in the chorus has always been part of Kendrick’s charm and why he can appear so down to Earth compared to rappers who will use Auto-Tune for a hook like that, and the rubbery effects in the post-chorus keep it texturally rich. This will have its chart run hampered by Christmas, but I still can’t imagine it not sticking around because this is infectious in all the best ways, and also a fun way to wrap up the episode.

Conclusion

Kendrick sweeps, as you’d expect. He grabs Best of the Week for “tv off” with Lefty Gunplay, and just to be fair, I’ll tie his Honourable Mention for “squabble up” with “Defying Gravity” by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. As for the opposite side, Tom Grennan takes Worst of the Week for “It Can’t Be Christmas”, obviously, and though I’m personally scared of my undercover assistants’ capabilities and mob connections, I will also dare to give Ariana Grande’s “Popular” the Dishonourable Mention. I’m sorry, the song will never click with me. As for what’s on the horizon, I can’t imagine much else but Christmas tunes, particularly a new one from Ed Sheeeran, so strap in, folks. We’re in for the slowest month of my year. For now, thank you for reading, long live Cola Boyy, and I’ll see you… soon.

#uk singles chart #pop music #song review #kendrick lamar #gnx #sza #lefty gunplay #tv off #cynthia erivo #ariana grande #wicked #arcane #stromae #pomme #laufey #tom grennan #christmas music

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blueberry-ovaries · 10 months ago

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PLAYLIST - HIRAETH

A playlist for Hiraeth - or the songs i listen to when writing :)

I also imagine the audio where it’s like “i’m not a violent dog i don’t know why i bite”, if you wanted to feel more sad, imagine that :D (Isle of the dogs, audios are so sad)

HIRAETH - Winnie’s personal playlist

I Bet On Losing Dogs - Mitski

‘Tell your baby that I’m your baby - I bet on losing dogs - I know they’re losing and i’ll pay for my place’

Waiting Room - Phoebe Bridges

‘Know it’s for the better - Know it’s for the better - Know it’s for the better’

‘If you were a waiting room i would never see a doctor - I would sit there with my first aid kit and bleed’

Not Strong Enough - Boy Genius

‘Always an angel never a god - Always an angel never a god’

Chemtrails Over The Country Club - Lana Del Ray

‘You’re in the wind, I’m in the water - Nobody’s son, Nobody’s daughter’

The Archer - Taylor Swift

‘Can you see right through me - They see right through me - They see right through me’

Matilda - Harry Styles

‘Nothing about the way you were treated ever seemed especially alarming ‘til now- So you tie up your hair like it’s no big deal - You can let it go - You can throw a party full of everyone you know’

You’re On Your Own Kid - Taylor Swift

‘Just to learn my dreams aren’t rare - You’re on your own kid - You always have been’

‘My friends from home don’t know what to say - I looked around in a blood-soaked gown - And I saw something they can’t take away’

Cigarette Daydream - Cage the Elephant

‘You were only Seventeen - So sweet with a mean streak - nearly brought me to my knees’

Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes

‘I’m gonna serve it to you - And that ain’t what you want to hear - But that’s what i’ll do’

Angel of Small Death and the Codine Scene - Hozier

‘With her sweetened breath - And her tongue so mean - She’s the angel of small death and the cosine scene - With her stare blonde hair - Her arms hard and lean’

Young and Beautiful - Lana Del Ray

‘Will you still love me when i’m no longer young and beautiful - Will you still love me when i’ve got nothing but my aching soul - I know you will, I know you will’

The Fruits - Paris Paloma

‘For if i’m going down - I guess i’ll take you with me - Screaming birds sound an awful lot like singing’

Dog Days Are Over - Florence + The Machine

‘So you better run - Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father - Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers’

‘Leave all your love and your longing behind - You can’t carry it with you if you want to survive’

Iris - The Goo Goo Dolls

‘When everything feels like the movies - Yeah, you bleed just to know your alive - And i don’t want the world to see me - ‘Cause i don’t think that they’d understand’

I’ll Make a Man Out of You - Donny Osmund (Mulan)

‘Did they send me daughters - When i asked for sons? - You’re the saddest bunch I ever met - But you can bet before we’re through - Mister, i’ll make a man out of you’

Fine Line - Harry Styles

“We’ll be a fine line - We’ll be a fine line - We’ll be alright - We’ll be alright’

Teeth - 5 Seconds of Summer

‘Don’t know if you love me or you want me dead - Push me away, push me away - Then beg me to stay, beg me to stay’

‘Fight so dirty but your love’s so sweet - Talk so pretty but your hearts got teeth’

Kiwi - Harry Styles

‘She worked her way through a cheap back of cigarettes- Hard liquor mixed with a bit of intellect’

Sign of the Times - Harry Styles

‘We never learn we’ve been here before - Why are we always stuck and running from - The bullets? The bullets?’

Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus

‘But she doesn’t know who I am - And she doesn’t give a damn about me - Cause i’m just a teenage dirt bag baby’

Can’t Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley

‘Wise men say “Only fools rush in” - But I can’t help falling in love with you - Shall I stay? - Would it be a sin? - If i can’t help, falling in love with you’

Devil in Disguise - Elvis Presley

‘You look like an angel - Walk like an angel - Talk like an angel - But i got wise - You’re the devil in disguise’

Everlong - Foo Fighters

‘I’m over my head - Out of my head she sang - And I wonder, when I sing along with you - If everything could ever feel this way forever’

I’m Still Standing - Elton John

‘I’m still standing better than I ever did - Looking like a true survivor - Feeling like a little kid - And I’m still standing after all this time’

History of Man - Maisie Peters

‘He stole our youth and promised heaven - The men start wars yet Troy hates Helen - Women’s hearts are lethal weapons - Did you hold mine and feel threatened?’

Work Song - Hozier

‘When my time comes around - Lay me gently on the cold dark earth - No grave can hold my body down - I’ll crawl home to her’

Brutal - Olivia Rodrigo

‘’Cause who am I, if not exploited - And i’m so sick of 17 - Where’s my fucking teenage dream?’

‘And I wished people liked me more - All I did was try my best - This the kind of thanks I get? - unrelentlessly upset’

Francesca - Hozier

‘My life was a storm since I was born - How could I fear any hurricane? - If someone asked me at the end - I’d tell them “put me back in it”’

Soldier, Poet, King - The Oh Hellos

‘There will come a soldier - Who carries a mighty sword - He will tear your city down - Oh lei - Oh lai - oh lord’

Honour to us all - Lea Salonga (mulan soundtrack)

‘Help me not to make a fool of me - And not uproot my family tree - Keep my father standing tall’

Reflection - Lea Salonga (mulan soundtrack)

‘Who is that girl I see staring straight back at me? - Why is my reflection someone I don’t know? - Somehow, I cannot hide who I am, though i’ve tried’

Don’t Blame Me - Taylor Swift

‘They say, she’s gone too far this time - Don’t blame me, love made me crazy’

Boys Will Be Bugs - Cavetown

‘I eat sticks and rocks and mud - I don’t care about the government - And i really need a hug - I feel stupid, ugly - Pretend it doesn’t bother me’

‘I’m not very strong but - I’ll fuck you up if you’re mean to bugs’

Two Birds - Regina Spektor

‘Two birds on a wire - one says come on - And the other says i’m tired’

‘Two birds of a feather - Say that they’re always - Gonna stay together - But one’s never goin’ to let go of that wire’

Paper Rings - Taylor Swift

‘I like shiny things but i’d marry you with paper rings’

End Game - Taylor Swift

‘Big reputation, big reputation - Oh, you and me got big reputations - Ah, and you heard about me - Oh, I got some big enemies’

Seventeen Going Under - Sam Fender

‘I was far too scared to hit him - But i’d hit him in a heartbeat now - That’s the thing with anger - It begs to stick around’

Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) - Edison Lighthouse

‘She talks kinda lazy - And people say she’s crazy - And her life’s a mystery - Oh, but live grows where my Rosemary goes’

I Love You So Much- The Walters

‘I’m gonna pack my things and leave you behind - This feeling’s old and I know that i’ve made up my mind - I hope you feel what i felt when you shattered me soul’

‘So, please let me go - But I love you so (please let me go) - I love you so (please let me go)

TAG LIST:

@malarkgirlypop @mads-weasley @footprintsinthesxnd @bucky32557038ww2 @grumpy-liebgott @executethyself35 @fxxiva

#band of brothers #babe heffron #ronald speirs #bandofbrothers #dick winters #eugene roe #george luz #hbowar #band of brothers #donald malarkey #hiraeth #winnie hayes oc

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