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lollybliz · 5 years ago

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bout to make a Monster of a fic rec post here we go

heyo @jinx108! We’ll start with the complete ones because sometimes you’re just not in the mood to wait for the last chapter, you know? I don't remember details of all of these so i’m just going to copy the author’s summary rather than write my own. I am literally just going through my bookmarks, I got 400 of these to sort through. if ive talked to or am familiar with the author im gonna mention them, but if I mention you and you don't want me to have Please tell me and i’ll remove it.

If you’re not into spoilers Please Tread Carefully, I don't watch out for that stuff so I wont know to label it

1>Crushing Truth by Bunzuku: Tododeku. “Romance is hard enough for a teenager to understand when they have a good relationship role model. For Shoto, it takes two excited meddlers for him to even realize what his feelings really are.“

2>Disowned by b00mgh: tododeku + others. Unrated, some traumatic elements. “Shouto freaks out under a bridge and I use the word "grass" a lot more than I really should. Izuku does his stupid martyr thing and everyone makes continuous references to his propensity to break his bones. Aizawa goes "oh FUCK my kids are dying again" and his students use him as emotional (and physical) support. A friend requests angst, I say what kind, she say idk make someone get disowned and i say oh this I can absolutely provide my good buddy.”

3>cotton candy hands by @chonideno: Kiribaku. I will take Any excuse to rec this fic, its the most fluffy pile of feels Good Lord. also the first fic I ever bound into a physical book. “Studying to become a hero requires knowing how to take care of yourself. Sometimes you might need help on the way so if your crush offers to do your hair for you or to give you a well-deserved back rub, it'd be stupid to say no. A series of soft vignettes in which a love-struck Kirishima and a touch-starved Bakugou care for each other and it's definitely not making their hearts jump through hoops, they’re never this close to kissing, no, they're totally best friends bro“

4>Catching Sight of the Storm by neo7v: Kiribaku, tododeku. A considerable amount of Whump and related angst, and kinda sad tbh. “Blind. Quirkless. Useless.The first two things were stated clearly by the doctor that sat about five feet in front of Izuku. The third was a word that Kacchan called him everytime he failed to make the jump on whatever forest excursion they were on or when he ran into a tree because he hadn’t seen it. “I’m so, so sorry, Izuku.” Was his mom giving up on him already? But he could still be a hero if he tried hard enough, right? Quirkless or not. Blind or not. Just because Izuku was useless now didn’t mean he would stay that way forever, right? *** A Blind!Izuku AU”

5>Yell Heah by fakecharliebrown: Chatfic. M a n y pairings. technically complete, but part of an ongoing series. “Iida creates a group-chat for Class 1-A. It doesn't go as planned.“

6>Sunshine by Rosey_Note: BIG SAD. tw- failed suicide attempt. KiriKamiBaku. “They didn't deserve to put up with his crappy mood. Because Denki Kaminari did not feel like Sunshine right now. And they deserved sunshine. In fact, Denki didn't feel much of anything right now.“

7>Electric Connection by Onlymostydead: ShinKami. “Kaminari's quirk has always had... Weird side affects. Like his ADHD. And his constant energy. And his insomnia, which wouldn't leave him be right now, when he really needed to just get some sleep. But, thankfully, he has good friends.“

8>The Best (The Worst) by Onlymostydead: no romantic pairing. tw- rampant transphobia, both outside and internalized. “Bakugou Katsuki has known who he was since he was four years old. He was a boy, it was as simple as that. Around his friends, at school... But things couldn't just be that simple, could they?“

9>Lichtenberg Figures by Q_loves_you: no definite romantic pairing. “Kaminari Denki has a very powerful force of nature running through his body. Kaminari Denki doesn't want to hurt anybody. He doesn't always get what he wants, and "anybody" does generally include himself.“

10>Eventuality by KikaTouka: ill be honest I don't remember this one at all, I maaaay not have read it yet :/. anyway. ShinKami. “Shinsou learns more than just hero lessons after being transferred to 1-A.“

11>Pickup Lines for the Soul by MustardSoup: ShinKami. “Denki is twelve when he is flicking through the TV channels and lands on an old RomCom movie about soulmate marks – specifically the same type that he has. “I can’t believe I’ve had to walk around with a cheap pickup line written on my ankle my entire life because of you!” The leading lady yells at the leading man as he stares at her in awe. Denki laughs. “Oh no.” His mother says, watching him. “Oh no, indeed.” His sister repeats quietly.“

12>caught in my own web by @anxioussailorsoldier: ShinKami. “Shinsou needs some help after getting caught up in his capture weapon. Kaminari enters from stage left.“

13>not so summer love by nataliya: ShinKami. “Class 2-B’s common room, although typically quiet, was currently filled with five students—three slowly giving up on homework, one bitching about noise and another that rushes through the front door. “We’ve been waiting for you—” Mina starts, but Kaminari’s vaulting over the back of the couch, eyes wide as he practically buzzes out of his skin, emitting light like crazy as currents dazzle across strands of hair. “I have a big ugly crush,” He steps off the couch and onto the coffee table, much to Bakugou’s chagrin, “On big ugly Shinsou.””

14>Blamed by coldandhotsoba: ShinKami. Tw- they fuckin kill a guy and its a lil nasty. “This was not how the day was supposed to end. They were supposed to end the day like they do most nights. Kaminari clutching onto him like a koala as he slept, wrapped in the millions of tacky blankets Kaminari had bought. Warm and safe in their bed. It was not supposed to end with both of them tied up in some cold metal room.“

15>Lightning Scars by Present-Mics-Scream (write_your_way_out): Shinkami. “It's hard to be confident in your abilities when you're surrounded by people with incredible quirks. Shinsou Hitoshi would know better than anyone. Sure, he was admitted to the hero course in his second year, but being admitted to the hero course, and keeping up with the rest of the class are two different things. Lucky for him, Kaminari is there to prove that the flashiest quirks come with the largest drawbacks.“

16>See No Evil, Hear No Evil by randomfan188: no romantic pairing. “Kaminari Denki is legally blind. When he forgets to wear his contacts and breaks down during math class, comfort appears in the strangest of ways.“

17>how not to enjoy the weather, an article by kaminari denki by dreamtowns: no defined romantic pairing. “If there was one thing Kaminari hated the most in a world wth villains, it would have to be thunderstorms.“

18>”Studying” by emmyrox22: ShinKami, EraserMic. “Shinsou and Kaminari have been “studying” together for a while (but not for school). Shinsou gets stopped by his dads on the way to another “study” session and mistakes are made“

19>Weaknesses by sunflowerstorm: ShinKami. “Kaminari's quirk and storms compliment each other in the worst way, but he's convinced he can deal with it on his own... until he really can't any longer. When Shinsou accidentally overhears Aizawa confronting Kaminari about recent changes in behaviour and hears about the hell his quirks been putting him through, he can't just pretend he never heard. He wants to help.“

20>it’s hurt denki hours by memeingfultrash: ShinKami + others. ““Certain members of our class are...under the impression that...you’re the traitor.” Denki’s body went cold and felt like he was going to short circuit. ~some of class 1a believes that denki is the traitor and avoid him”

21>Petition to replace Mineta with Shinsou- (signed by Kaminari Denki) by CharaTheQuartz: ShinKami + others. This is one of my favorites, I go back to reread it from time to time. It SAYS 41/42, but that's just a glitch cus chapter 36 doesn't exist for some reason, I talked to the author about it and its fine. “Mineta brings shame to the color purple. You know who does not bring shame to the rich color, but pride and sexual tension to one infatuated Kaminari Denki instead? Shinsou Hitoshi, aka sexy zombie man, aka the most perfect hunk of a man to walk planet earth, aka future husband. Shinsou has finally gotten his chance to prove himself to the hero course, and he did more than prove himself. The only question left unanswered is whether he will start in A or B, and how Kaminari can manipulate the end result.“

22>How to Get a Boyfriend (in Four Easy Steps!) by e1ana: ShinKami, EraserMic, + others. “Step 1: Get kicked out of the house by your homophobic parents. Step 2: Run headfirst into your brooding, mysterious crush. Step 3: Sleep in his dad’s (see: your homeroom teacher) house Step 4: Watch everything you thought you knew go to shit. This isn’t exactly the sweet, romantic plan that Kaminari Denki longed for. Will everything be ok, or will step 5 be to crash and burn?“

23>Bakugou and Todoroki’s Foolproof 5-Step Plan to Fuck with Mineta Minoru by Anubis_2701: Kiribaku, TodoDeku, + others. This is another one of my favorites, and the one I am currently folding and sewing into a physical book. you learn how to do funny things when bored and quarantined ig. “It was a simple enough idea; screw around with the resident bastard of Class 1-A to let him know that his medieval ways and perverted behaviour weren't going to be tolerated by even the most career-focused of UA's students. To say that things had snowballed was an understatement. Todoroki had no idea how he had ended up sitting on Bakugou's floor at 1 am, holding a dossier of incriminating material that would make the FBI slobber, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know. The long and short of it was, fuck Mineta.”

24>Colour Theory by chancellorxofxtrash: TodoBakuDeku. this one’s a series. “Midoriya/Bakugo/Todoroki slow burn soulmate AU. All three of them are nerds with their own emotional issues, trying to navigate their way through becoming heroes, and their own relationship with each other.“

25>Summer Sunshine by Mara97: TodoDeku. Ever want a Barbie in a mermaid tale/Bnha crossover? No? well here you go anyway! “Instead of worrying about college, Izuku spends his summer vacation finding out his father is, supposedly, a dead merman king and going on a quest to dethrone the current king, Endeavor. Along the way, Izuku becomes close to the three journeying with him, makes friends with strangers, starts crushing on an unattainable prince, and, in the end, learns to love himself. Oh, and he saves a kingdom, too.“

26>The snowflakes on our skin and the flames in our soul are one (and the same), my love by missunderstuffyou: TodoDeku, Kiribaku. this is one of the ones I keep a running reread comment going on. its at,,, 6, atm. “Before your quirk begins to present itself, the soulmate link comes through, and suddenly whatever you write upon your own skin appears on the body of your soulmate. As your soulmate writes to you, the emotions they feel follow through the ink.Izuku Midoriya is four years and a few months old when he first feels the slight ebbing in his arms. It doesn’t hurt… he can just feel something, and it’s enough to make him sprint into his mother’s arms screaming that his quirk is coming. She had been washing in the kitchen, and the sudden screech as her son rockets into her side is enough to make her jump with panic, immediately grabbing at him and looking for cuts and bumps before she understands his words and the stupidly bright, alight smile on his face with large, watery, hopeful eyes. Shoto Todoroki doesn’t feel his soulmate connection open up. It is drowned in the aches of a small body worked far too hard.“

27>It was dark inside the closet by Chad_Champion69420: Pre-ShinDeku? maybe? its tagged shindeku but like. it’ll make sense if you read it. “Midoriya is invited to a party. He and Shinsou decide to play a little trick on the rest of the party during Seven Minutes in Heaven.”

28>how to woo your local trash gremlin: a comprehensive guide by Todoroki shouto by wonhaebunny: TodoBaku. this is the fic that dragged me into todobaku, fun fact. “five times shouto tries to confess to bakugou, and one time he doesn't bother tryingaka: wikihow is a scam and bakugou is a terrible, terrible boy“

29>top ten photos taken right before disaster by Shookspeare: ShinDeku. “Izuku participates in a harmless prank, only to end up ruining it and running for dear life.“

30>Secrets to Share by pechebaie: no definite romantic pairing. “Kirishima comes out first, and nothing changes. Kirishima and Kaminari still hang out to complain about class and talk about boys - and sometimes girls, too, in Kaminari’s case; he still plans stupid pranks with Sero that get them sent to the principal’s or nurse’s office every time; Ashido still kicks his ass at Mario Kart without hesitation; and Bakugou doesn’t get angry at him any more than he usually does.“

31>What One Hides by Pinalinet: TodoDeku. “All Might gives class 1-A an unusual assignment that results in Midoriya Izuku and Todoroki Shouto attending a weekly acting class. But with a mysterious villain targeting individuals without Quirks, and a developing issue of Todoroki's own, an after-school assignment is the least of their worries.“

32>whether or not we’re fated, we’re meant to be by juurensha: KINDA SPOILERY. TodoDeku + others. “Todoroki didn’t have a soulmark for most of his life.His siblings all did, but up until the day of the U.A. entrance exam, he had shoved the idea aside. It’s not like they could help him anyway. And then a 9 appears on his chest, and a green-haired boy barrels into his life with a fire and ice soulmark on his arms, and suddenly Todoroki cares very much about all this could mean.”

33>The Midnight Shift by meiishu @meiishu @totallytodoroki (idk which you’d rather I attach so I went with both): ShinKami. ““Hey Toshi,” Denki says, and he laughs, clearly embarrassed. He’s got on a jean jacket that did him absolutely no help and a white tee shirt that is currently stuck to his torso. It’s got a pikachu design in the center. “By any chance, do you sell umbrellas?” “You really went out in this weather.” Hitoshi deadpans, instead of dignifying that with an answer. or hitoshi works the midnight shift at the gas station, which also doubles as a pokestop for pokemon go. of course, denki is a regular.”

34>Rock the House by AkabaneKayo: ShinKami. “It wasn’t just his bed. It was his entire fucking room shaking. Only one thought crossed his mind at that moment: “Holy shit. My room is haunted.”“

35>Technically, they’re morning kisses by CharaTheQuartz: ShinKami. “Most nights, Shinsou cannot fall sleep. Neither can Kaminari. It seems counterproductive to have a sleepover then, but they try to make it work. And they fail, but that is okay.“

36>someone to call mine by nearly_theyre: ShinKami, EraserMic “From: Me wish you were here, denks From: kitten 💛💘💛 what if i was tho? OR Four times Denki snuck into Hitoshi's room and one time he walked through the front door.“

37>Pretty by Onlymostydead (noticing some repeat authors? me too): no definite romantic pairing. “(Or, Kaminari still can't figure out bra clasps.) Kaminari has never really felt good about himself. Herself? Whichever way, not knowing doesn't make anything easier. Especially when he (she?) and Mina have their bodies swapped during training, and everything seems too right.“

38>If I offer you my hand, will you take it? by bleukitsune: Kiribaku. SPOILERY. ““Why?” Kirishima leaned back on his hands, trying to create some space between them. Too close. The ash-blond looked really nervous, his usually arrogant and cunning demeanor gone. “What do you see when you look at me? Kirishima is worried. Bakugou is hurting. After his confrontation with Midoriya, he finally reaches out to him. “

Theres way more but I haven't tagged them properly yet so that m a y come later if I can ever finish going through and adding my sorting tags.

and then a last few that Are Not Complete but im really very fond of them. not as many as id like to add, but my hands are getting tired tbh.

39>State of Mind by GuardianOfTheLoaf: no relationship YET but its looking like it’ll be either tododeku or shindeku, probably the former. EraserMic. tw- childhood neglect and severe depression. Izuku’s not a happy kid. “Izuku was a late bloomer, his quirk lying dormant until his tenth birthday when in a fit of emotion he grabs his mother and she disappears. With All Might slowly restoring his confidence Izuku begins the difficult journey into becoming a hero.“ 18/? chapters.

40>Izuku Eats His Problems by CosmicAce: ShinDeku. Izuku’s a flerkin, what more could you want? “His whole life, Izuku Midoriya was taught to keep his powers, his Quirk, hidden from the world. His kind were feared, hunted to near extinction because of it. He just wants to show people he’s different. That he can be a HERO. And nothing is going to stop him. Even if his Quirk IS like an eldritch abomination.“ 43/? chapters

and then probably my current favorite bnha fic- although it fights with Apertum Mortem for that spot but that ones d a r k and not here-

41>family of the year by periiwren: EraserMic. “Hitoshi is done. Done with moving around every few months to a couple that will scrutinize him and eventually dump him right back where he started. Good thing he’s well past his strike limit now- at least he can stay in one place, be content to age out of the system and finish out his training with Aizawa. Maybe transfer into the hero course, maybe be a hero- but none of that was guaranteed. The only thing for sure was that he was going to stay in that center for the rest of his childhood. Or so he thought- because Aizawa Shouta and Yamada Hizashi have other plans.“ 24/? chapters. we’ve been informed that this one’s gonne be l o n g and im Very Grateful.

42>Here There Be Dragons by here_and_there: pre-ShinDeku. “Izuku looked at the small circle Aizawa had motioned to in front of them. "I won't fit," he whispered, thinking. He raised his hand, tentatively. Sighing, Aizawa grumbled, "What?" "I-I have a question. Actually, two." His teacher just stared at him, unimpressed. Izuku continued. "Can we activate our quirks before we step into the ring?" Aizawa looked up into the sky, muttering something Izuku didn't hear. "If you must." "O-Okay. Uh, second question. You said we have to stay inside the circle, right?" "Yes." The man looked disappointed, not only in Izuku but in himself for letting the kid speak. "Great. Uh... does that include tails?"“ 6/? chapters.

43>Another Option by sandersonsister: TodoBakuDeku, Touya/Hawks, Dabi/Hawks. Potentially Spoilery, depends on whether horikoshi has the guts to confirm Touya. this one is waiting around the corner with a baseball bat, its really cute, and then r e a l l y painful. it might be getting better though. maybe. it might be getting worse. “When Touya stops his mother from hurting Shouto, he decides enough is enough. He needs to get out of this house and he's taking his baby brother with him.“ 33/? chapters.

That's it i’m done for now, oof. maybe ill edit more onto this post later, maybe i’ll just make another one. hope some of these work!

#fic rec #bnha #mha #tododeku #todobakudeku #kiribaku #shinkami #shindeku #erasermic #To Be Continued

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otonymous · 5 years ago

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The ABCs of Gavin (NSFW)

In honour of the Aerial Sweetheart™’s birthday on July 29th, please enjoy Gavin’s NSFW ABCs! 🥳

Warning: NSFW/18+: Explicit/graphic language - reader discretion is advised.

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

Gavin will pull you against his chest to hold you close, pressing his forehead against yours and planting soft kisses on your face, your sweat merging together as your heart rates slow as one

While you’re washing up, Gavin will quickly fly to get your favourite eats and be back even before you’ve stepped out of the shower

B = Body part (Their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Gavin is particularly proud of his abs. Have you seen them? They’re absolutely delicious. Go ahead and trace the muscles with your tongue. He’s more than happy to let you.

The real reason he likes them is that he loves the look of utter desire that comes over your face whenever he takes off his shirt. He loves the way you see him.

Gavin finds the nape of your neck absolutely irresistible

Every time you sweep your hair to one side or gather it into a ponytail, his gaze is instantly drawn to that delicate area, his eyes following the lines of your body as they curve out gracefully into the slope of your shoulders

He loves to press soft kisses to the nape of your neck, hold you close from behind to nuzzle his face into the area and inhale deeply, relishing the tickle of your soft strands against his cheeks

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum)

Nothing makes Gavin happier than the thought of you one day carrying his child, so he loves to give you that creampie (don’t worry, he would totally ask for your consent first!)

Outside of cumming in you, Gavin also enjoys ejaculating on your stomach while imagining it swollen with his seed

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Gavin has curated quite the collection of porn (and the protagonist always bears some physical similarity to you)

The Aerial Sweetheart™ has had to amass material to help maintain his sanity during extremely long dry spells while he was patiently waiting to reconnect with you

He was extremely embarrassed when you first found out (you’ve never seen anyone turn that red), but now the two of you love tuning in together, sometimes laughing while critiquing the storylines, which typically involve a delivery girl delivering an empty pizza box (oops! 😉)

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

Gavin isn’t particularly experienced, seeing as he’s been waiting for you ever since he first laid eyes on you in that downpour as a high schooler

The officer has had a couple of relationships in the past (it was bound to happen, with all the women throwing themselves at him and his super hot body), but they never lasted long because you were always in the back of his mind

BUT that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know what he’s doing — Gavin is driven to pleasure you and keep you more than satisfied in the bedroom/on the rooftop/on his motorcycle

You may be surprised, given that Gavin doesn’t strike you as being particularly talkative, but he is quite communicative during sex (e.g. “Does this feel good? Do you like it when I touch you here?”) - especially when he’s first getting to know your body and preferences well

This sweetheart just really wants to pleasure you and treat you like the queen that you are

F = Favourite Position

Your man is a big fan of the Missionary position, because it gives him the freedom to control the speed and depth of his thrusts (by shifting the position of your legs), but also enables him to see each and every beautiful expression of ecstasy that flits across your face in response to the way he moves within you

This position also allows him to embrace and kiss you just as deeply as he’s fucking you

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc.)

Gavin tends to be more serious in the moment. He can’t help it: he has wanted you for much of his life and still needs to pinch himself every now and then to make sure he’s not dreaming when you’re lying in his arms

When your feelings run that deep, you’re typically not in the mood to laugh

H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

The officer is well-groomed and scrumptiously clean

The colours match

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…)

Sex with Gavin can be so sweet that the man literally has you crying from the sheer force of his passion for you

This officer is a man of action: he communicates with every kiss, every touch, every thrust — his body is telling yours the extent of his love and affection in ways that words never could

Gavin cannot stop kissing you, even when you’re both moaning with ecstasy into each other’s mouths. Expect him to lay soft kisses on your eyelids, trace the angles of your jaw with his lips until they lead them back to yours, already open and waiting for his tongue to slip back in

He loves to gather your hair into his palm and press his lips reverently to the silky strands before deeply breathing in its scent

Gavin finds it incredibly hard to hold back when he sees your tears; hang on tight, because you’ll be in for a rough (and sexy) ride

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

On average, the officer will masturbate 2-3 times/week, sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on whether or not he’s had the chance to engage in some sexy times with you and how busy he is with his top-secret duties

Gavin would die if you ever found out but…he enjoys setting up a comfortable atmosphere by lighting some scented candles before he touches himself

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

Gavin loves to fuck you on the rooftops of buildings

He enjoys the way you cling to him for dear life as he’s propelling you through mid-air

He’s also found that you get incredibly wet when he’s got your skirt hiked up around your waist and your panties in his back pocket, thrusting hard and fast into you from behind as you grip the railing at the ledge, eyes focused on the lights of the city below without actually seeing anything through your haze of ecstasy

Feel free to give voice to your pleasure as loudly as you want — with the wind whipping, no one will hear you, and that’s another reason why Gavin takes you up so high in more ways than one

Also, although it’s a bit small on him now, Gavin has saved his high school uniform and was hoping you did too. Perhaps you could reenact the moment of your first meeting? 😉

L = Location (Favourite places to do the do)

Gavin enjoys his sexual exploits in high places (see Kink above)

Has also been known to lay you out on his motorcycle

To be honest, your apartment is still his favourite place: it’s private, he doesn’t have to feel rushed while making love, but he also loves to learn about you by looking at what you keep close: the dog-eared copy of The Little Prince on your shelf, the bite marks on the caps of your pens, the faded teddy bear from your father that you would never throw out no matter how tattered or torn, the snacks you keep on the tallest shelf in the pantry (and the step stool conveniently located nearby)

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

Officer Gavin’s greatest motivation and biggest turn on is your love for him

Nothing gets him harder faster than knowing you desire him like he desires you

Want to really unleash the beast in the bedroom? Tell him he’s the love of your life, your soulmate, that he’s the first thought in your mind when you wake and the one you see in your dreams, because then, Gavin will know he’s not the only one who feels that way

Gavin also loves to see you in his clothes: that loose white tee, his unbuttoned uniform — preferably with nothing on underneath

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn-offs)

Like the other boys, Gavin refuses to share you with another person (please don’t ask him to, he will die on the inside)

Gavin also shies away from more extreme kinks that may result in bodily injury to you (he can barely bring himself to spank you, and once he does, he’s immediately rubbing the reddened area and soothing it with kisses)

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Officer Gavin likes to give as good as he gets

His oral game is strong, but fingering is his specialty

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

Gavin can do both

He tends to get fast and rough when you whisper words of love in his ear — it’s like a dam on his emotions breaks and he’s unable to hold back

Note that Gavin will never, ever, be needlessly rough. Never.

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

Gavin prefers extended lovemaking sessions, but is also down with quickies (see Kink, above)

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

The man is down with experimenting up to a certain extent. As mentioned in “No” above, he draws the line at anything that could cause you bodily harm

Other than that, he’s willing to try new experiences (he’s pretty much willing to do anything for you)

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

Gavin. Is. A. Machine.

He’s ready and willing to go for as many rounds and as long as your body can stand, if you’re up for it

Not gonna lie, he came pretty quickly the first time you had sex, out of sheer excitement (Gavin’s internal monologue: “Oh my god I can’t believe this is actually happening am I really making love to my dream girl omg omg omg…”)

BUT you best believe he ain’t no One-Minute Man (don’t worry, in addition to magic fingers, Gavin also has a habit of going south when transitioning to different positions so things stay nice and wet and comfortable)

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

Gavin does not have toys to use on himself. He has scented candles, his imagination (Psst! He’s thinking of YOU) and his hand thankyouverymuch

You know Gavin will pretty much do anything you want, so if you wish to include toys in your sexual repertoire, your man will oblige

Bonus points: take him with you to a sex shop to peruse the goods and watch him grow uncomfortably red

U = Unfair (How much they like to tease)

Gavin’s not really one for teasing, inside or outside of the bedroom

The extent of his teasing will be limited to whipping through the air or going faster on his motorcycle, just to get you to press closer to him

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

The officer tries hard to rein in his volume, but finds it difficult to keep his voice down, especially if his climax is close.

Gavin’s biting his lower lip, breathing hard through his nose, furrowing his brows from a mixture of both ecstasy and concentration, but the odd moan and groan still manages to escape

The sound of his low voice in your ear drives you wild

There have been times when you could’ve sworn you heard Gavin softly whimper when he came

W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

Gavin loves your scent so much that he secretly purchased a bottle of the perfume you regularly wear just so he can inhale it deeply and think of you when his longing is particularly bad

He keeps it at the bottom of his underwear drawer please don’t go looking for it

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words)

Average girth and slightly above-average length, with a slight upward curve

Uncut

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

Gavin’s sex drive is a bit higher than average

Hence, whenever he insists that you cover up in public, it’s to keep himself in check as much as the prying eyes of others

Z = ZZZ (… how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

It really depends on the time of day

During daylight hours, Gavin typically encourages you to sleep in his arms while he closes his eyes and rests for a bit without actually falling asleep

To be honest, Gavin is always on the alert for anything that could pose a danger to you, so even if he does nod off, he’s an extremely light sleeper and has been trained to be mentally and physically prepared to face anything at all times

If you’re spending the night together, Gavin will wait until you’re in deep, peaceful slumber before he will allow himself to sleep, just in case he needs to soothe you if you have any nightmares

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Thanks for reading! Check out more of my work here! 📚

#mlqc #mr love queen's choice #love and producer lucien #mlqc gavin #mlqc smut headcanon #mlqc smut #my writing #all request line

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jessahmewren · 5 years ago

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“Bedroom Adventures to Spice Up Your Love Life” / Queen / Bohemian Rhapsody Fan Fiction

Started something new! This will be a series, with pairings flipping like flapjacks (or at least, that’s the idea. I’m taking suggestions on everything. I hope you enjoy! :)

Summary: The boys find a sex help book from the Sixties and decide to follow it to the letter.

Rating: E for you ordered Extra Sauce and I delivered

Pairing: This one is Brian May/John Deacon (Breaky, baby)

Also on AO3

tagging @yeeyeebanana b/c they asked for this LOL <3

-0-0-0-

John biked home from the library, the book tucked safely in his messenger back alongside a beat-up copy of On the Road and an instruction manual on Bonsai training. He’d always been interested in the art, and since he was working from him now, he had more time.

He parked his bike in front of his and Brian’s flat, merrily waving to the neighbors and taking the stairs sometimes two at a time. Finding the little book had put him in a good mood. He ordered some pizza and plopped down in front of his computer to go through some emails.

Just company stuff. John worked IT for a PR firm in London, but recently had accepted a satellite position so he could work at home.

With that done, he settled on the couch and withdrew the book. He’d found it in the giveaway bin at the public library, and he couldn’t resist it. Bedroom Adventures to Spice up Your Love Life. He smiled at the cheesy title and the black and white line drawing of a man and woman on the front cover…the woman in a full skirt and pearls. He checked the publication date: 1964. This was going to be good.

John flipped through the book with a cup of tea, and to his surprise it was about role play, and some of the ideas were not half bad. He closed the cover. He and Brian were doing this. They were following this ancient sex manual like a guidebook, just for fun, to see what would happen.

A quick Google search brought up the author of the book, some psychologist long dead that he’d never heard of. Sounded legit.

The pizza arrived, and Brian right after. He greeted him with a lingering kiss. “Mmm, missed you love.”

“Missed you too my love. What have you been up to?”

“Nothing. Went to the library. Checked some email. Had tea. Found a sex bible.”

Brian laughed. “Found a what now?”

John smiled, pulling him to the table for pizza. “Our new sex bible. We’re going to do everything in it. It’s going to be fabulousss.”

Brian laughed. “Darling you become even gayer when you say fabulous like that,” he said playfully, shoving a piece of pizza in his mouth.

John smiled. “I’ve never heard you complain. Not in, what is it now, two years of marriage?”

“And you never will.”

The next day, John showed him the book. Brian scoffed. “John this is from, like, the seventies.”

“Sixties,” John corrected. “But it’s quite brilliant. It’s all about role play.” He bumped Brian’s hips. “You’re up for a bit of pretend, aren’t you love?”

Brian blushed. “Yeah, I ‘spose.”

John smiled. “Ok then. This first scenario has one of us auditioning for a band, and, according to the book, “the person auditioning makes frequent mistakes and is punished. Sexual punishments can included but are not limited to spanking, degradation, orgasm denial, whipping, being spat upon while bound –“

“Ok ok, I get the idea. Holy hell who knew they were so progressive back then.”

John was trying very hard not to laugh at Brian’s discomfort. “I’ve got my old bass from high school.” He eased up to Brian, playing with the buttons on his shirt. “Maybe I can play it for you, try to make it in the band. And when I mess up, well, you can show me how bad I am.” John looked up at Brian hopefully, his eyes even greener than usual.

Brian blushed. “Maybe. Um, how would you like to be punished, though? I’m not sure—“

“Spanking is fine,” John said easily, taking some of the pressure off of Brian. “I’ll go get my bass!”

“Wait, right now?!”

“Yes, no time like the present dear!”

Brian was left waiting in the living room, his arms hanging awkwardly at his sides. Before he realized it, John was back with his bass, seemingly waiting for him to tell him what to do.

Brian swallowed, sitting down on the couch. “Tell me about yourself.”

“My name is John Richard Deacon, and I was born on August 19th 1991.” He winced. “God can I start again? That was lame.” Brian nodded, smiling.

“My name is John,” he said simply.

Brian gestured to him. “Play me something John.”

John plugged up the amp he had lugged from the closet and played a tune, purposefully messing up. To his credit, he looked rather genuinely nervous. Brian held up his hand.

“That will be enough, John.”

John looked up at him, panic written on his face.

“That was good, but it wasn’t good enough,” Brian said, gaining confidence with every word. “I counted several mistakes.”

John swallowed thickly. “How many did you count?”

God his voice sounded small. Brian was already hard; maybe John has been right about this role play thing.

“About ten,” he replied, his voice husky. “So why don’t you come over here and help me count them.”

John shakily propped his bass against the wall and approached Brian, his whole body shaking with anticipation. He fumbled with his belt, his fingers slipping more than once.

Brian caught his hands. “If you don’t want to do this, it’s ok,” he said reassuringly.

John squeezed Brian’s hand in reply. “Bri, I want this so much I’m going to burst out of these jeans if I don’t get them off.” He laughed nervously. “Help me?”

Brian helped him out of his jeans, pulling them down as far as his knees, then his pants, his erection finally springing free. John gasped at the feeling as Brian put him over his lap, rutting a little as he settled in place.

It was all suddenly a little much for Brian, and he took several steadying breaths. He didn’t think he would be as into this as he was, but John’s pretty bum in his face, the way he wiggled in his lap…suddenly his palm itched to touch him.

“I’m giving you ten slaps to the bum for having a bad audition. I want you to count after each one. Are you in agreement with this?”

“Yess! Just please touch me,” John nearly begged.

Brian drew his arm back, bringing it down roughly to make contact with tender flesh of John’s backside.

“One,” he breathed, “God that feels amazing. Do it again Bri. Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”

Brian’s hand was warm where he had spanked him, and a pleasant tingle lingered along the skin of his palm. He was growing impossibly hard, and he worked his thighs together to seek relief.

“Two! Ahh, yes, yes Bri, thank you—“

Brian’s hand cut him off sharply as he cried out again, counting out three, and then four, as Brian kept him breathless and writhing until they finally got to ten, Jon dutifully counting out each one.

His bum was red and warm to the touch, and Brian smoothed his hand over irritated skin.

“Did I hurt you love?”

John crawled off his lap, sliding easily onto his knees in front of Brian. “No,” he said breathlessly. “But I think we might need to purchase some sort of cream, if we want to do it again.”

Brian thread his fingers in his hair, pushing his head back. “Oh we’re doing it again,” he said. He smoothed a hand down his cheek, and John leaned his face into it and kissed it.

“Isn’t there anything else I can do to change your mind...about the audition?”

He looked up at Brian with deceptive innocence, green eyes hazy with lust.

Brian scooted forward, his hand popping the button on his jeans.

“Show me how much you want it,” he said

John wet his lips, eagerly grabbing at Brian’s fly and working the zipper down. He had him out was taking him down hungrily before Brian had time to brace himself.

John had always been good sucking him off, but he couldn’t remember the last time he had been so enthusiastic about taking him down. The eager little sounds he was making, the way his head was bobbing so prettily, and his hot, wet mouth all had Brian gripping the couch cushions just to keep from fucking up into him.

John pulled off of him, his eyes glazed, a line of spittle connecting him to Brian. “Don’t hold back baby,” he said, his voice rough. “Fuck into me. Pull my hair.”

He descended on him again, swallowing him down even further. Brian was moaning, thrashing about before he grabbed John’s head and tugged, thrusting into his mouth.

John moaned, saliva dribbling from the side of his mouth. He thread his fingers through his hair, scratching at his scalp before pulling lightly. John whined, gagging on Brian’s cock before pulling back and taking him down again.

Brian could feel his orgasm lick low in his belly, tightening and curling its way through his limbs. John’s eyes rolled back, and he was moaning, the vibration on his cock like a tuning fork, setting fire to his veins. John was coming in his fist, thrusting into his hand as he sucked him off.

It was all he needed. Brian came with a jerk, John swallowing him down masterfully. When he was done, John pulled off of him and placed small kisses along his inner thigh. He looked up with glazed over eyes.

“So, did I make the cut for the band?”

Brian laughed, still out of it. “Yeah, I think so.”

John crawled up onto the couch and spooned up next to him. He smiled. For their first role play, this wasn’t too bad.

-0-0-0-

#queen #bohemian rhapsody #queen fanfiction #bohemian rhapsody fanfiction #breaky #breaky fanfiction #josqueenfamily #brian may x john deacon #john deacon x brian may #my writing #queen fan fiction #bohemian rhapsody fan fic #bohemian rhapsody fan fiction

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fullmetaldevil-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Batim: Stitched Au CH. 7

Ok. I actually had this typed up awhile ago but lacked the sufficient time to actually sit and post it properly :p

summary: Benny is gone and is no where to be found. Now a determined Angel is out to find her demon accompanied by her band and loyal husband. Can they find Benny or will someone else find them whom has even bigger plans?

I hope you all enjoy

On with the show~!

Ch. 7 Bigger Plans for the Band

Bright and early in the morning Allison and Tom piled into Tom's truck and the man broke a few speed limits to reach the studio. They had stayed up all night formulating ways to trying to track Benny down based on what Allison knew of him. The mechanic and actress had placed many phone calls waking much of the band members (and got cussed out by a few) as to perform a thorough search of the studio before the facility opened to the majority of the staff. Tom was taking full advantage of the fact that he was one of the few key holders and had informed everyone to meet at the studio 2 hours before the studio was fully open to openly search for Benny without onlookers. They had hoped that Norman, Aaron and Giovanni's plan of leaving food sitting out had paid off since Benny was known to have a large appetite.

While Tom drove like a madman down the dark road and was thankful no cops were around to pull him over (not like he would have stopped), Allison was silently praying that they would be able to find her little lost toon. Benny didn't really see much of the studio except for the area's she frequented and she had no real reason to venture beyond the animation department and the music department. She had hoped that Benny hadn't ventured further then that due to the studio's maze like infrastructure and it was a common occurrence for new staff to get lost or turned around. She held her overcoat tightly in hopes that by the end of the day her coat would help smuggle a little friend out of that hellish place.

Tom pulled into the studio lot and was soon joined by another car. The mechanic got out to look at who was the other early arrival hoping it wasn't some random employee and he was relieved to see Norman stepping out and waving at him.

“G' mornin!” Norman hollered from his car, the man stepping out to reveal a tool belt around his waist full of tools, a loop of wire and a small backpack.

Allison looked at Norman wide eyed “What's all that?” gesturing to the belt and small tools.

Norman chuckled as he pointed to his equipment “Well normally I carry these in mah backpack, but I got 'em on mah side on that off chance we find Benny an' I can sneak 'em out with the bag. These are mah tools fer the projectors so I carry 'em all th' time.”

Upon Norman finishing his explanation Allison chuckled and held up her overcoat. “I had the same idea, I brought the coat with the idea of sneaking him out in my clothes.”

While the group lightly chatted, a few more cars pulled into the lot while 2 others came on foot. Tom, Allison and Norman turned to see Earl and Edgar arriving on foot while Leonard, Giovanni and Aaron all arrived by car.

“Huh. I didn't know you boys walked here.” Tom commented while looking at the twins whom were still trying to rub the sleep out of their eyes.

“Ay, We live just down the way from here so it's only a 15-20 minute walk.” Earl yawned while Edgar hung off his brother clearly having a hard time waking up.

Allison watching Edgar having a hard time waking up instantly made her think of Benny. At times in the morning he was slow moving, groggy and not always ready for the day. “I just hope Benny is awake and can hear us while we're looking for him. He isn't exactly a morning toon.”

Leonard flashed a huge grin “Which is why we make as much noise as we can. If were loud by either playin' music or callin' his name I'm sure he's bound to come running.” The man held up his violin to emphasize his point.

Aaron smacked Leonard on the back of the head playfully “Or to go running away, did you ever think about that numskull. Think about it, the room getting trashed was enough to scare him away, he might be edgy and run from any excessive noises.”

“I vote we check were we put all the soup cans first before we wake the dead by shouting all morning.” Giovanni added in. “He's been missing for a full day now, he has got to be hungry by now.”

“Which is why I brought this” Tom heading to his truck and came back with a huge roll of paper and laid it on the hood of his truck prompting the group to come over. “This is a map of the entire studio, even the portions that as still in development. When I was developing the first ink machine Joey had to provide us the original blueprint of the studio then we added onto to it. This is my copy of the blueprint that I'm thankful I took with me.”

The band members had gathered round and everyone stared at the pages in awe at the sheer depth that the studio had gone. None of them could have imagined that the studio was much larger then it looked.

“What's this area?” Giovanni pointed at a large circular area that was labeled ' Belly of the Beast' on the draft.

Tom looked to the spot that Giovanni had pointed to “Oh that is the 'Throne room' as Joey liked to put it. It's where he houses Bendy memorabilia with the purpose of impressing investors.”

Norman's face twisted in confusion as he eyed the area that was brought into question. He followed the only route that lead from that spot to yet another large room but the only entrance was in a corner of the room rather then a main hallway. It seemed odd. “An' what's this 'ere?” He pointed at the second smaller room that served as the only entrance to the 'throne room' gaining Tom's attention.

“Huh? Oh that's the vault.”

“I know that area!” Norman's outburst taking everyone by surprise.

“You do?” Allison spoke up looking at the projectionist confused. Her look of confusion was joined by the rest of the band whom had no clue half of the new additions of the studio existed.

“Yeah. Th' other day Joey was headin' down 'ere and I was gonna check that area first in the hopes that lil' Benny hadn't come that far down. I helped 'em down and then he was askin' me about what Bendy films mah lil sister likes. I told 'em which ones and he told me t' get them out the vault. He told me how to open it and I got the films fer 'em, then we headed back to the office and I had to go back to the music department.” Norman stared holes at the blueprint of the vault on the draft sheet. “When I was in there th' door 'ere'” he pointed to the door mark in the corner of the room. “It was blocked off by a large book shelf an' ink was around the base. I dunno what was beyond th' door but it looked odd.”

“That's where the ink for the ink machine is kept, along with 'the Ink Machine'.” Tom's voice causing the group to look at him and looks of confusion and the emphasis of the Ink Machine . “The Ink Machine not only helps make ink but it also filters and pumps ink throughout the studio like a giant heart. What we see up top is only a small piece of the real thing, that's the 'output' portion where the toons come out. It's 'heart' looks exactly like the one on the upper levels, but far bigger. The blue print for the Ink Machine is so complex it couldn't be all put on one drafting sheet plus along with whatever Joey put inside the machine.”

“So why couldn't you say something sooner? I mean about all that was going on behind the scenes with the Ink machine and Benny.” Aaron looked over at Tom with disappointment on his face.

The man's question made the mechanics shoulders slump “I didn't want to admit it, but I kinda liked the idea of a living toon. A little character who's sole purpose was to make people smile despite the stock market crash and the hardship that followed. That was the reason why I took such a ludicrous job along with the fact that it paid well. The longer I worked here and the more complex the project turned out to be, the more I realized I was in over my head and was too far in to just simply back out. Joey wouldn't let me and then my job wouldn't let me. I couldn't say anything cause Joey had threatened me.” Tom turned to look at Allison. “When I made the prototype ink machine it was only supposed to test on whether or not a object can be turned into an ink copy. The idea being that we can turn Bendy related objects into a physical replica of the toon, a 3 dimensional model if you will. That day I went to Shawn and asked to grab something from the scrap heap and he let me. I looked at the pile of Alice angel toys that were being tossed and saw one lonely Bendy plush that the eyes were accidentally mismatched and had somehow got stained yellow. I liked it on sight to be honest, something about it made me smile. It was unique. So I picked up the toy and brought it to the machine. To be honest a small part of me wished I could have kept the toy and that the process wouldn't work so I can get the toy back. Never in a million years would I have pictured that the toy was turned into a living toon somehow. After that, things got out of hand I was threatened by Joey into silence for if I said something or did something out of line he would go after my wife and have her hurt or worse.”

Allison stared at her husband in horror realizing that Tom was putting himself in harms way to protect her from someone who had no qualms about removing people by means of injury or death. That Tom had no choice but to endure threats to his loved one and carry the burden of the birth and death of the off model toon. She walked over to her cherished husband and gave him a warm comforting hug while whispering a small 'thank you'.

“So what exactly happen' when lil Benny was made?” Norman politely asked.

The mechanic smiled remembering the first day. “Well after I took one last look at the little toy and placed it inside the machine I went through the process of making sure the machine itself was ready. I threw the switch and watched the machine writhe around before a large glob of ink fell out the nozzle. At first I thought it failed and only succeeded in making some really thick ink, but when it started taking form I could only stand and watch in amazement. After a few moments a yellow colored Bendy toon was sitting in the ink and what really shocked me was when it was moving. It was alive. I couldn't help myself. I went over to look at the little new born and got to touch him for the first time, and he was so soft and sweet. A part of me was like a child, all giddy and excited at seeing their favorite character. The little toon was responding the sounds I made and my touches.” Then Tom's face turned bitter and angry. “Then Joey was shouting how the toon was off model and needed to be disposed of. I couldn't stand by and let that happen so I stood up to Joey protecting the toon who cowered behind me. We argued and while and when I was distracted Joey had grabbed an ax and struck me on the side of my head with the handle. I saw the little toon reach for me when I got hit and his reward was a slash wound across his stomach. I grabbed Joey's legs to try and keep him from going after the toon a 2nd time allowing Benny to escape. He hit me on the head again and I don't know what happened after that. The next thing I knew was I was in his office getting threatened into silence.”

The group had an overwhelming sense of pity finally learning Thomas's side of the story. The man had been lured in and used, and when the results came he got stepped on and shoveled over. A simple notion of helping to make something that made people smile got turned against him and brought him only pain.

A chuckle made the group look back at the man “Now I know that my little toon is alive, he is my responsibility. I brought him into this world and I won't let anything or anyone take him out. Though now we have a new problem on our hands rather then just finding Benny” Tom's eyes narrowed as he looked down at the blueprint laid before him.

“What is this new problem? We already have enough with tryin' to find a small toon” Giovanni roughly pointed out.

Tom turned to face the group. “Our 2nd problem is Bendy. The other day when I completed the 2nd ink machine it produced a perfectly on-model Bendy toon. He is alive just like his counterpart and is unfortunately in Joey's hands. The man forced me to come back here with threats to my livelihood if I didn't fix the machine to make a Bendy that 'acted right'. Apparently Bendy's behavior isn't like his cartoon self and according to Joey he is too much like his creator Henry. With any luck Joey didn't kill him, but considering how much he has invested in Bendy already he most likely has him hidden somewhere in the unfinished areas.”

Norman let out a sigh while pinching the bridge between his nose. “Great, now we got 2 lost chi'ren t' look fer.”

Tom gave and apologetic look to the band members “Sorry about this guys.”

“Ah, It ain't your fault Thomas.” Leonard spoke up walking up to the man. “You were doing what you were forced to and in a way it paid off. You got 2 loving cartoon characters and all we need to do now is just get them out., with this many of us it will be a snap.” The young man flashing a large grin. “Besides we're the infamous Joey Drew Studios band, the bane of Sammy's existence, the local terrors, the devil's musicians!”

“Speak for yourself. You, Edgar and Earl are the only ones that hold the title of 'the local terrors'” Aaron chided looking down at Leonard. “The rest of us on the other hand, proudly take the title of 'the Devil's musician's.”

The band all laughed and uttered various forms of agreement at the mans statement knowing that out of the entire group their youngest 3 members were the 'unholy terrors'. Words of cheers and the occasional pot shot was passed throughout the group before they settled down and looked at Tom. Giovanni looked at the rest of the members and stepped forward towards Tom and asked four words that drew all eyes to the mechanic. “Where do we start?”

“All right here's what we do.” Tom carefully folded the blueprint and ripped along the folds dividing it up amongst the group except for Norman and himself. “I want you guys to check each section of the map that I gave you and mark off any points of interest or areas where Bacon Soup cans were deposited. Most of this is reachable by elevator which I'm gonna unlock for you guys so can all go look around. I know we're all used to taking the stairs, but take the elevator. I know its sketchy as hell, but it is faster then running up and down the stairs. If you see something suspicious or think it might be Benny take note, but don't approach. I doubt Benny would deliberately harm anyone, but right now he is scared and alone, he might lash out if you just charge forward. Call out to him if you think its him. If he comes great, if not take note and keep moving we only have 2 hours.”

“'Ey guys we should move our cars so no one sees 'em.” Norman gestured to the small collection of cars in the studio main lot. “last thin' we need is Joey knowin' were 'ere.”

“See I told ya this is a stealth mission!” Leonard's voice piped up. “Instead of 'Escape the Hell Studio' it's now 'Toon Trouble: Search and Rescue.” The man flashing a wide grin at the group as he waved his hands outlining the title as if it were on the side of a theater entrance.

Aaron and Giovanni both looked at each other as to who wanted the pleasure of throttling the kid first. Tom beat them both to the punch by playfully smacking the kid on the side of the head at the same time Norman took a swing. The two musician's lamented that they couldn't get a shot, but smiles graced their faces at seeing a lighter side to their normally grumpy GENT mechanic.

“Boi this ain't time fer no games.” Norman lightly scowled. He secretly wanted to thank Leonard for at least lightening the mood since they all had a serious task on their hands.

“C'mon kid. This ain't a game, lets move the cars then find our toons.” Tom moved past Leonard whom was rubbing the spots where he was struck. Leonard briefly stuck his tongue out at the man, but immediately pulled it back in when Norman stood over him smiling before lifting him up by the back of his coat and trailed after the mechanic.

Allison, Edgar and Earl waited by the entrance as they watched the group one by one file into their respective cars and move them towards the back side of the studio lot out of sight of the entryway. Norman had long since figured out Joey's route to the studio and made sure everyone parked on the side that the man doesn't venture past. The group was more then thankful for the projectionists habit of observing habits. Leonard made a few more jokes about it being a stealth mission and even started playing his violin in a ominous manner while humming a tune calling it his 'theme song'. Thomas saw red and chased the man all the way back to the entrance trying to throttle him with Aaron and Giovanni right behind for backup. Norman being the only one to school his temper quietly followed wishing that the 3 enraged men weren't trying to wake the dead with their curses, the loudest of all being Tom. Leonard coward behind Allison whom scolded Tom for being too loud. The man glared at Leonard and had no choice but to let it go and focus on letting everyone inside.

The dim lights of the studio lot offered little assistance as Thomas pulled out a set of keys and fiddled with the door and the lock,the building seemingly protesting the early entry. The door finally decided to cooperate after the man gave it a good solid hit and it creaked open revealing the haunting interior. Only the emergency lights were on casting long black shadows over much of the studio entrance except for the dull moonlight that shown through the door. One by one the group filed in the sounds of creaking and groaning wood being their only greeting at the doorway. The studio logo's film reels slowly turning their normal creaks and groans sounding less like their mechanics that drove them and more like the moans of a dying creature.

“Ooo Boy it's dark in here.” Leonard spoke up watching the faint outline of the Joey Drew Studio logo reels forever turning round and round.

“Brilliant observation Sherlock” Aaron groaned while nudging Leonard further into the studio so he could enter.

“Awww don't be like that Aaron ol' boy, and here I thought we might be needing these.” Leonard turned to face the group and opened his coat up revealing the internal pockets stuffed with flashlights.

“For a second I thought you were gonna flash me.” Aaron grumbled while looking at the grinning Leonard.

“We'll I am carrying flashlight's, so in a way I already did.” Leonard soon found himself scrambling away from both Giovanni and Aaron as the two men both lunged for him leaving Norman burying his face in his hands and Tom's hands twitching. The mechanic still wanting to throttle the kid for his earlier antics and now this little episode to add on to his list of reasons why to maim the kid.

“Guys! Guys. We don't have time for this.” Earl piped up shaking his groggy brother off his shoulder. “We only got 2 hours.”

“For once it seems like 2 out of the 3 brat trio is using their brains” Tom muttered making Allison chuckle.

Making sure that he wasn't going to be the target of a whooping, Leonard sheepishly passed out the collection of flashlights he carried to the group. Tom turned his down saying he and Allison already had theirs and to give the spare to the twins so they each had one. One by one the younger members looked at their portions of the map and heading towards their desired locations. The dark halls greedily devoured their lights one by one with only the small creaks and groans of floorboards as evidence of their passage leaving the older members behind. The twins volunteered to check out the new park area while Leonard volunteered to check out the new Administration section. Aaron wanted to go back to check the music department just in case Benny came back. Norman wanted to better map the locations of the Bacon soup piles left on the upper levels. Giovanni volunteered to check the toy factory on the off chance Benny hid amongst the production lines. Allison and Tom both were gonna check the animation department before moving on to the depths of the studio.

“Wait.” Giovanni spoke up before Allison and Tom went down one of the halls the man jogging up to them. “Here take this. I wanted to give it to him, but right now you need it more.” The man held out his hand and revealed a little off model plush Bendy. The toy looked exactly like Benny just minus the stitches. The man chuckled “I found it hidden in the scrap pile, looks like Shawn made a mistake when he was half asleep and didn't want Joey to find out.”

Allison gently lifted the toy out of the mans hand and brought it to her chest hugging it tightly. She then pulled the man in for an embrace “Thank you. This means so much to me.”

Giovanni hugged the woman tightly before releasing her looking her in the eyes “Have faith, We'll find him. He will be going home.” his answer was a small squeeze back and a little 'Thank you'.

Once Giovanni both the embrace he waved slightly before resuming his trek down the foreboding halls of Joey Drew Studios leaving Tom and Allison behind. The couple nodded and turned towards the animation department to begin their search.

---------An Hour Later------------

A low rumble of a engine echoed throughout the studio lot as a Black car pulled into a parking stall with a little placard that read 'reserved for Joey Drew'. The man in question stepping out of the vehicle slowly leaning heavily on his cane while carrying a bucket of ink along with a few papers covered in messy writing and unknown symbols. He looked worse for wear as he had spent the entire night researching methods of extracting souls from bodies and converting it into ink. He practiced on a good number of small animals till he perfected the craft of the conversion. He found that for the best conversion the subject had to be living for the process. The subject needed to be within the circle and with a fresh wound for the ink to enter and consume the subject body and soul alike, a little incantation later and a ink creature is born. Since the subjects were only rodents the inky forms made were mere globs of think ink that screeched and moaned, but they were controllable. They responded to commands, but the things didn't seem to last long and fell apart shortly after creation, but then again they were only small insignificant creatures.

Joey soon learned that controlling the inky creatures came at a price, using the spells gained from the book lead to tremendous stress on his body which was already weak enough from the aftermath of Polio. His joints and muscles tightened every time he cast the various spells and at some points nearly inhibiting his ability to stand entirely. It was draining his life energy as a source of energy for the process and the ability to control the ink. He needed the ink machine. The contraption was an endless energy source and was designed for the sole purpose of making the living Ink for the form, but not the soul needed. He now had a way of giving the ink the soul it needs to truly bring the toons to life.

The director hobbled to the entrance unlocking the doors and let himself in before locking it behind himself. He needed peace and quiet before the rest of the staff started showing up. He readjusted his grip on his papers and bucket and made his way to the reception desk where his wheelchair sat. He hated using the thing, but with the amount of strain he put his body through each step felt like a knife was shredding his muscles apart and he desperately needed a break. Joey placed the bucket carefully between the foot rests next to his feet with the hopes that it wouldn't spill and slowly wheeled himself down the hall towards the ink machine. The mechanical hearts slow thumping it's only sign of life, beckoned the man to it's location. Joey sat before it listening to the rhythmic tune before laying his papers out on a nearby shelf and setting the bucket of gelatinous ink down upon the floor.

A grunt exited the man as he edged himself out of the wheelchair and clung to his cane for balance. He studied the papers on the shelf intensely before grabbing paintbrush and returned to the bucket he laid on the floor. He gingerly dipped the brush into the ink and started to paint the required circle and all it's inscriptions for the conversion at the base of the ink machine. A small chuckle escaped the mans lips. The original circle that lay within the the heart of the ink machine that gave it the ability to create the living ink and in turn make the living toons wasn't that much different then the circle used to extract a soul. One to create the illusion of life and the other to remove a life and repurpose it.

It was only a matter of minutes for the new circle to be completed beneath the ink machine and Joey stood back up on worn legs to admire his work. He had a sense of giddiness and his heart beat loudly with excitement almost in sync with the machine itself. Soon, very soon he will be able to snag his potential candidate for Bendy and perfect the toon. Now all he needed was to set up the true heart of the machine and wait for the staff to start showing up. Yeah sure the young man by the name of Leonard was one of the leading band members, but musicians come and musicians go. He could easily replace him with a new member if it meant that Bendy was no longer a soulless doll.

Joey gathered up his ink soaked brush sliding it back into the bucket and chose to slide it over to his wheelchair rather then carry it gathering up his papers along the way. Once his papers were secured he slowly eased himself back into his wheelchair and pushed himself to the controls setting the ink machine to lower to it's heart to line up the circles needed for the ritual. He listened to the machine as it whined in protest before it conceded and slowly descended into the darkness to join it's core, a raucous laughter escaped the man as the chains creaked and groaned from the decent.

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

“Benny! Beeeeeeennnnny!!” Leonard hollered down the halls bounding with a skip in his step while he played his violin as loud as the instrument would allow. His only answer was the silence of the halls except for a small rumble that begun to emanate from further down the halls gaining the mans attention causing him to slow and listen to the sounds. “Benny?”

Leonard nearly danced down to the edge of the hall with the sound growing louder and peered around it's edge and spotted what looked like a strange elevator shaft lined with 4 massive chains and pipes creating the rumbling sound. Confused Leonard pulled out his portion of the map and saw that the part he was now in was not on his piece of the map. Great. He was lost. He looked up from the page to see a large boxy mechanism being lowered down the shaft. Allison's words played in his head of the description of the ink machine; a large box with a huge nozzle and a catch basin beneath it and the object in question just descended into the depths of the studio.

He knew he should have turned around have gone to go find Tom or one of the other members, but what if it was leading to where Benny was? He couldn't miss this chance and the machine wasn't going very fast. Leonard edged towards the shaft and set his violin down on a crate and pried open the grate knowing that by no sense of the word was what he was about to do safe, but for Benny he was willing to take that risk. Thanking his lucky stars that the chains were large and very close to the opening, he jumped to the chains grasping onto them firmly going along for the ride into the darkness.

The ride down the shaft seemed like it took forever and on occasion an opening would appear in the form of a vent or a grate that allowed a small glimpse into the new floors of the studio that were off limits to the remainder of the staff. He couldn't believe how far down the studio was now stretching to, and could only stare wide eyed at the new renovations. The man signed and carefully slid down to rest on top the ink machine itself as he peered out the occasional openings. One particularly large open came to view and he was able to better view the floor.

Leonard was an instant child clinging to the edge of the machine staring out at the large storage room area of the floor. The area was covered in parts and booths for the rumored 'Bendy-Land' that was being constructed. His mind danced at the thoughts of the finished amusement park, the roar of the roller coasters, the screams and laughter of children and the smell of all the food. By god he couldn't wait! He so wanted to take Benny to the complete park and have him play some games with him, have a cotton candy eating contest, see how many balloons it takes to make him float and so much more! First they needed to find him and get him out of the studio. Once the little guy is safely out he can freely visit him and play as much as he wants without fear of getting caught.

A giddy grin swept across his face as he happily swayed on the chains at all the possibilities when 2 figures moving by one of the booths caught his attention. It was Earl and Edgar. The redheaded twins were' inspecting' the booth by playing the game with Earl clearly winning his round of ball toss in comparison to Edgar. “Earl! Edgar!” Leonard hollered out enthusiastically waving.

The two young men spun in place searching for the source of the voice before their eyes were drawn to Leonard waving beyond a grate. The man and a large boxy mechanism that could only be assumed was the ink machine were slowly descending down a shaft beyond the grate. Abandoning their game, the two bolted to the grate grasping a hold of it's frame while looking down at the grinning violinist.

“Ey, man are ye daft?! What are ye doin' down there laddie?” Earl shouted, he couldn't believe his eyes. What on earth was Leonard doing riding the ink machine like its a horse and left alone where was it going?

“I'm going for a ride fellas, see ya later!” Leonard shouted in return, his voice's echo bounced off the walls of the shaft.

Earl and Edgar both stood at the grate peering into the void that had swallowed their friend and they could only hope for his safety. Both looking at each other wondering what they should do about the situation. Should they give up and get Tom or continue on their mission and look for Benny. The two debated amongst each other and ultimately decided to let one of the games at the booths decide for them. Both rolled up their sleeves while they shot challenges back and forth as they paced to a booth and readied their hands for victory. Each took up a rifle and started up the target practice game forgetting their search.

Leonard stared up at the small light that was his brief window to his friends with a smile. If he were to find Benny first he would so gloat about it and rub it in the twins faces, especially since they were spending their time playing games rather then looking for their friend. His giddiness gave way to awe as his mechanical ride entered a massive cavern descending to a far larger version of itself below. “Holy cow! That thing's huge!” the musician gawked at the true Ink Machine that lay at the heart of the studio.

The smaller ink machine came to a rest on top it larger counterpart clicking in place as bellows of steam exited the machine with the larger one creating such plumes from its base as well. Leonard waved the steam away from his face before taking a look around the cavern. The place looked to be a normal underground cave that had been tunneled into. The walls were lined by scaffolding and other building materials and there were even scaffolding around the base of the Ink Machine. He eased himself to the edge of the smaller ink machine and reached for the scaffold grabbing hold and pulled himself off the machine and onto the platform. He sat for a minute admiring the both the ink machine and the Ink Machine in their entirety. It was one thing to see them on Tom's blueprints, but it never puts them in perspective as to their physical size.

Leonard stood up and brushed off his bottom before he followed the scaffolding that surrounded the Ink Machine until it lead to a ladder allowing him to finally get onto the floor properly which made him briefly want to hug the floor for he missed it so much. The edges of the machine caught it eye as he watched plumes of steam exit it's sides and pipes far larger then he had ever seen descend into what he initially thought was a hole until he realized that it was a lake, a lake purely made of ink. He couldn't believe his eyes, he had always seen copious amounts of the ebony liquid throughout the studio, but never at this magnitude. He drifted towards the shore of the lake peering out at the cavern watching the sinister liquid as it greedily clawed at the edges of it earthen well and seemed to swallow all light that touched it. Leonard audibly gulped as he backed away from the edge of the earthen well back towards the base of the scaffold with something bumping into him.

A yelp escaped the man as he bumped into a small object causing him to whirl around and come face to face with a blank Bendy cutout. It seemed to be freshly made and lacked any black expect for the outline of the devil darling and seemed to be holding onto sign that was oddly blank, probably gonna say 'work hard, work happy' like the posters. Behind the strange cutout was a door and decided to test his luck by trying the handle. To his surprise the door opened and he followed the hallway leading inside. Unbeknownst to him while he entered the machine and drifted down it's hall, an elevator next to Joey Drew's new office and the man in question wheeled himself out of the elevator and headed directly for the vault. Joey carried on with purpose as he only had a half an hour left till the staff started showing up and it took him a good 15 to 20 minutes just to make the circle on the smaller machine, but the bigger machine will take a little longer and he didn't have much time to waste.

Leonard didn't know what to make of the hallway that was surrounded by large glass tubes with ink cascading within them. Were they to showcase the functions of the ink machine?Or were they part of the ink machine? He lingered at the glass watching to fluid within before pulling his eyes away looking around before he spied a doorway at the end of the hall. He rest his hand on the doorknob turning slowly and pulled the door open slightly revealing that the room within was dark except for the faint flickering of lights. He nudged the door open further and was met by a large circular room surrounded by silver screens with various Bendy shorts playing with oddly no audio. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end at watching the shorts playing with no sounds, they are almost like ghosts dancing on a wall mocking their viewers. Leonard fully entered the room taking cautious strides taking note of the lone chair that was encased by the screens, 'chair' was a poor choice of words as it resembled more of a throne. The chains that hung from the ceiling leading to the chair didn't offer much comfort as the scene before him reminded him of some strange dungeon that was housing a beast, he could only hope this certainly wasn't the case.

“Benny? Benny are you here?” The man nervously called out. The cold atmosphere of the room was not helping his nerves.

His answer was a small soft whistle like whine drawing the mans attention to the imposing throne. Leonard edged around it fearing that the seat was occupied, but the noise he heard sounded so sad and in pain, he was willing to take that chance. He was met with a child sized figure sporting shiny boots and white gloves with a large ring driven through where the buttons would be located on each hand. The rings and a clasp around the wrists were bound in heavy chains pulling the arms away from the body. A white bow tie sat upon the upper chest area just below the head that was floating separate from the body. The head round and black with 2 small horns and a large white face with black pie cut eyes that bore traces of ink that ran down the sides of the face, and the normally trademark grin was turned into a prominent frown. Before him sat Bendy the Dancing Demon.

“Bendy!?” Leonard shrieked upon seeing the toon.

The man was shocked by what he was looking at, it was none other then Bendy the Dancing Demon the studio's icon. He remembered Tom had said that Bendy had been made, but didn't have a clue as to the toon's whereabouts since Joey had taken him. Leonard shook his away his brief admiration of the toon since he absolutely adored the character to take a closer look at the living toon. His hands ghosted the toons arms to the clasps and the rings that bound the devils hands and arms that still dripped with small amounts of ink from the wound. Since Bendy didn't seem to be responding to Leonard's presence, the man carefully fingered the rings that were driven through the toons hands. He found the little loops that held the rings closed and undid them and slowly slid one of the rings out of Bendy's hand causing the toon to jerk awake and bared large triangular teeth growling at Leonard, his teeth mere inches from his face.

“I-I'm t-trying to help you.” Leonard stuttered out, the man was spooked at his field of vision being filled with sharp teeth.

Bendy's growling continued till he looked at his hand and realized that it was no longer bound by the ring and two holes shown through where the ring were driven through. This man was helping him. A shaky smile crossed the toons face at his rescuer and he let out a small hum of appreciation. Leonard nodded in acknowledgment and started working on freeing the toons other hand and with a slow and steady tug freed the remaining hand of the ring. Bendy wanted to cry at the removal of the rings, but felt relieved when the objects were removed.

Leonard carefully looked at Bendy's injured hands and at the ink dripping from them. “Heh, too bad you're not fabric cause then I can try and stitch you back together like how Benny was.” He pulled out a handkerchief and patted the area around the holes being careful to not touch the actual injury itself. Bendy winced from the touches of his hand, but did his best to relax as Leonard cleaned him up.

“B-Benny? Who's that?” A small voice catching Leonard's attention and he turned to see Bendy looking at him strait in the eyes.

He could have sworn the toon just spoke, but that couldn't be right. Bendy had no speaking roles in the shorts as he had no voice provider. “Did, did you just speak?” Leonard looked at Bendy with confusion all over his face, his answer was a small nod from the toon. The man chuckled and turned his attention back to the chains that bound the toon trying to undo them. “Well the answer to your question is Benny is kinda like a younger brother to ya in a weird way. He's a toon just like you except he was once a plush doll that was made to look like ya and was brought to life by the ink machine.”

“So how come yer all th' way down here?” Bendy quietly asked as Leonard grinned in triumph and loosening up the chains allowing bendy to rest his arms on the armrests of the throne. The toon breathed a sigh in relief at being able to rest his arms rather then having them suspended in the air.

“Well little Benny got scared and fled his room when someone destroyed it, so now my friends and I are trying to find him before Joey does.” as soon and Leonard's words left his mouth Bendy growled softly making Leonard tense up wide eyed at the toon.

“I hate that man.” Bendy growled through gritted edged teeth. “He did this to me.”

Leonard's shoulders drooped while he looked at the toon in pity and understanding, it was only natural for the toon's to despise the man since he has done nothing for them except cause them pain. “Well know you aren't the only one.” Leonard's voice causing Bendy to look at him. “Benny has stitches that run completely across his stomach, a wound given to him shortly after birth by Joey. That's why we are trying to get him out of here, and now that I found ya I'm gonna try an' get you out as well.”

A small smile graced Bendy's face at the thoughts of freedom and the fact that there were people actually looking for him. He thought that no one cared for him and that no one would bother, but to hear that people actually did care and were even looking for him made a warmth bloom in his heart. He leaned his head over as far as he could comfortably go and gently nuzzled Leonard letting out a soft hum. “What's yer name?”

Leonard gently lifted a hand and ran his fingers between Bendy's horns before hopping off the platform and performed a small dace before taking a bow “My names Leonard Burn!” the man looked up at Bendy flashing a huge grin. “I'm a violinist and dancer here at the studio.”

Bendy looked at the man in shock at his performance before a chuckle escaped the toon as his characteristic grin grew on his face, his pie cut eye's locked with Leonard's. “Mah names Bendy. Bendy the Dancin' Demon.”

----------Meanwhile Outside the Throne Room----------

Joey shakily stood up out of his chair to open the vault and pulled on the door just enough to fit his body and bucket between the gap before pushing against the door forcing it to completely open. Part of him hated the fact that the heart of the machine was hidden behind such heavy doors and fortification, but at the same time it was for the sole purpose of protecting his property even if at the moment it felt like the studio was fighting against him. He had no choice but to leave his wheelchair behind as for it wouldn't be able to cross the ink lake making him wonder why a bridge had not yet been built. Taking mental note to maim GENT later about the lack of access. Joey slowly and painfully waded across the ink lake with his muscles screaming with the resistance from the thick fluid, it was certainly harder to cross the stuff in comparison to water.

Upon reaching the shore at the base of the machine Joey strode to the hallway leading to the throne room were Bendy was housed with his bucket of ink and brush. Only one more circle to go.

----------Meanwhile Inside the Throne Room----------

Leonard managed to loosen up the chains that bound Bendy, but lacked proper tools to completely free the toon, but at least the toon was more comfortable in the chair. The sounds of the door opening alerted both Leonard and Bendy as to another guest and the man dove down behind the chair in hopes that he wouldn't be found.

A silvery smooth yet taunting voice floated through the air “Ah, Bendy. How are we doing this fine morning?” Joey slowly strode up to the ink demon as Bendy was not paying the man any attention, his head turned away refusing to look at the man. “Still not very chatty I see.” Joey scoffed.

The man turned away from the toon and started to dip the brush into the bucket of ink and laid it on the floor slowly tracing the outline of the chair and throne. All the while Joey slowly went around the throne laying out the circle Leonard made sure to kept opposite of him using the chair to keep out of Joey's line of sight. The musician and couldn't help but wonder about the strange patterns being drawn beneath the toon's prison. Bendy grew weary at this new outline Joey was calmly adding on and didn't like the looks of what what going on. Each time Joey slowly rounded the throne with Leonard on the opposite side, the violinist would attempt to rub out small portions of the circle causing Joey to look in confusion as to why small portions of the circle were missing. He chalked it up to being exhausted from his 'research', the man shrugged and continued to lay out more of the circle all under Bendy's concerned gaze.

Bendy watched the small spectacle before him with concern and yet at the same time amusement at watching Joey slowly going round and round the throne and with each loop the older man looking more and more exhausted with the young man slowly following and erasing or smudging the strange inscriptions that were being painted on the floor. It was almost like a scene from a cartoon except in real life. Even Leonard flashed a grin as he quietly crept past Bendy trying to undo the marks on the floor gaining a equal grin from the ink demon.

Joey rounded the throne again and stared puzzled at the portions of the circle that he could have sworn he had just painted on. He bent down looking more carefully at the lines and noted a small smear on the end of some of the gaps. The man scoffed and pulled out a small bottle and poured out its contents, the black liquid almost gelatin like splattering upon the ground just past the circle. The man uttering a few small chants before picking up his brush and bucket once more while taking a glance at Bendy with a smirk before fixing the missing portions of the circle and then started to lay out the final touches.

Bendy stared at the questionable fluid just past the circle and feared the worst from it as he could have sworn he saw small spasms and things moving within the fluid. He could only watch as Leonard slowly rounded the throne with the toon making a small whistle like whining trying to warn the man of the impending threat. His whines grew louder when he realized that the fluid was pulsing and was forming what resembled a hand and Leonard was none the wiser.

Bendy swallowed audibly and lightly struggled in his bondage trying to make more noise to gain Leonard's attention, failing he attempted whispering his name while looking at the man. “L-Leonard...Leonard”. The musician too caught up in his sabotaging the circle, he failed to notice the black material reaching for him. The man yelped when black tendrils burst out of the fluid and grabbed him. “Leonard!”

“Well, well, well, look who we have here.” a sultry voice cooed as Joey slowly rounded the throne looking at Leonard who struggled in his restraints. “Why if it isn't my little musical friend I was looking for. I take it you've already met Bendy? He isn't exactly much to look at yet, but he will be.” The man patted the demon in question on the head getting a loud growl from him and bared teeth. “As you can see” Joey slapped Bendy on the side of the face extracting a whine from the toon. “He isn't well behaved and needs to treat his creator with respect.”

“Not that I can blame him.” Leonard frowned getting Joey to turn his attention towards the man.

“What did you say?” Joey lifted a brow as he stepped away from the throne and slowly walked towards Leonard giving the man a cold stare.

Leonard wanted to cower in fear as the mans frigid Grey eyes seemed to stare into his soul, but seeing Bendy struggling to free himself spurred him to stand his ground. “I said; not that I can blame him. You make him with the machine and then you tie him up all the way down here where he should be meeting the staff and most of all the children he was meant to entertain. Do you have any idea how many people and children wish they can meet their favorite little demon?” Bendy looked at Leonard wide eyed and the mans outburst, the musician looking at him dead in the eye before returning his gaze to Joey. “But no. He is forced to stay down here when he has done nothing wrong and you're not his creator! Henry is!” Leonard spat as he struggled in his binds. He was outraged that not only had Joey harmed Benny when he was a sweet little innocent toon, but seeing Bendy's condition and treatment lit the fires of rage in him. How dare someone hurt the cartoon character he loved so much.

“You're similar.” Joey sauntered up to Leonard being mere inches from the musician.

“W-what?” Leonard croaked.

Before Leonard could react Joey grabbed him by his hair and forced the man to look at the director dead in the eyes. “You show up out of nowhere and try to tell me what I can and cannot do like you own the place. I'm Joey drew, director and owner of this studio. I own him as much as I own everything here!” the older man bellowed in his face before quieting down giving a cold smile. “Just as much as I now own you.”

Leonard looked at him confused before a sharp pain radiated from his side. Joey released his hair allowing him to look down at the source of his pain seeing a knife embedded within his side between his ribs. Joey pulled out the knife and waved his hand causing the black liquid that had Leonard bound to drip off him and he collapsed to the floor like a puppet who lost his strings. He coughed and gasped for air as Joey scoffed at him before he cleaned the blood off his knife and slid it back into his cane.

“Leonard!” Bendy screamed at the man crumbled on the ground. “Joey what did you do to him!?” the toon turned his attention to Joey baring triangular teeth and struggled harder in his chains.

“Oh I punctured his lung, nothing to worry about.” Joey smiled darkly at Bendy. “Besides I need him alive long enough for the procedure, and not put up a fuss.” The director waved his had and whispered a few chants causing the black material that had dripped off Leonard to pool around him and drag his body off to the side and away from the throne, a trail of red and black following the injured musician. Taking opportunity to finish what he had started, Joey picked up the brush and repaired the smeared sections of the circle completing the initial ritual.

“Joey please.” A voice catching the mans attention as he turned to look at Bendy whom had large tears dripping down his face as he looked desperately at Leonard and the blood collecting under him. “Please let him go. I promise I'll stay here willingly, and do whatever you want if you let him go. He's hurt and needs help. Please.” the toon sobbed and choked on his words each each word growing more desperate.

“See there is a little problem with that Bendy.” Joey walked up to him with his smile growing wider and wider. “I need him to make you complete.”

Joey turned around and removed himself from the throne and drew another circle on the floor just before the throne itself. He made a small motion and the black fluid grabbed Leonard by his arm causing the man to weakly cry out in pain and dragged him setting him atop the circle. He pulled out the “Illusion of Living” and flipped to a few pages within and chanted for the black liquid to gather around the two circles joining the two. Bendy looked up at Joey in fear as the cursed liquid encased the base of his chair and around Leonard. The director smirked and stood off to the side of the circles and cleared his throat.

“An object void of life is merely an object till animated with magic, but it's still and object with the illusion of living. I offer up the soul of the living to bring the object with the illusion of life to life!”

Upon the completion of his words the two circles glowed a blood red and the floor creaked and groaned as the ground seemed to be lurching from the energy of the circles. The room was filled with deafening rhythmic thumping of the Ink Machine itself as the device was responding to it's masters commands. Joey stood against the wall laughing maniacally as pipes descended from the ceiling as if possessed, the machine groaned as ink oozed out the pipes like blood from a wound. Leonard weakly looked up at the pipes descending above him and looked at Bendy whom was looking at him with pure terror on his face.

A small chuckle escaped Leonard as he smiled at Bendy “At least I got to finally meet you.” the man whispered before the ink pooled around him and grabbed onto him.

The black tendrils cut into the man extracting small cries as his punctured lung couldn't allow him to scream. The ink worked it's way into his body making his writhe in agony as it was slowly suffocating him. Bendy screamed and fought to free himself to help the man, but his struggles stopped when Leonard's body stilled and the ink pulled him into the puddle as if he was never there. He was gone. Bendy wailed at the loss of the man who only tried to help him, someone who came to him with the purest intentions was now gone. The toon didn't have long to mourn the loss of his would be friend and savior as the ink that had consumed the man flowed to his circle joining the patterns that encased him. His panic rose and gave way to sheer pain as the cursed ink rose to form tendrils and each one punctured his chest. The ink that was once Leonard was being forced into his body and he felt like he was being torn apart from the inside out. Bendy's screams drowned out the sounds of the Ink Machine and Joey laughter as the man watched the ritual with glee.

Joey's laughter died down when he watched Bendy's body spasm violently causing the toons screams to cease as if he had been drowned in his own ink. The demon's ink dripped profusely as his body twitched and warped, his limbs and frame contorting to a figure that was more then twice his normal size and looked vaguely humanoid. His frame was skeletal like someone had taken a bucket of ink and poured it on a skeleton topped with a round horned head. His right hand looked like a humans with 5 fingers and no glove while his left hand retained it's tooney appearance and was far larger then his right. His body had spasm so violently that the ink that made up his right leg was bent at a awkward angle resembling a broken limb that healed wrong. The most disturbing part was the toon's face. Ink seemed to be constantly dripping over his eyes obscuring them and only the frown of his mouth was visible. The horrific form only lasted briefly before the toons body fell apart with all the excess ink falling off him in waves revealing a unconscious on model Bendy.

Before Joey approached the throne to check on the toon, he watched the excess ink that had washed off the toon pool at the base of the throne. The ink pulsed and vibrated before it was drawn back to the smaller circle where Leonard had been sacrificed. The ink bubbled and rose to form a vaguely humanoid figure. The creature was curled up and had a very prominent skeletal look and like the previous monster Joey had witnessed, this creature too had ink dripping down it's body. The creature twitched making Joey freeze in place to see what it was going to do, the man grasped his cane tightly on the off chance he had to fight. The creature slowly moved and looked down at its hands which were 4 fingered like a toon rather then 5 like a normal human being. It them began to inspect the rest of it's body slowly before curling in on itself sobbing softly.

The small click of Joey's cane drew the inky figures attention towards him and the man was horrified by what he saw. The face while clearly humanoid, lacked anything distinguishable. The mouth was a gaping maw that seemed to be frowning and there was no nose at all except for 2 small slits. The eyes were the most frightening as they were hollow sockets with small glowing yellow orbs and appeared to be crying.

“W-What did you do to me?” The creature quietly asked. All the color drained from Joey's face as he realized that the voice belonged to Leonard, the man was now some creature made of ink. He watched as the figure that was known as Leonard once again looked at his body before curling in on himself.

Joey stared at the figure. If this was indeed Leonard and he remembers what was done to him then that makes him a witness. If he's able to reach someone then he can expose him for what he did down here, he can't let that happen. Joey chanted lowly and waved his hand. The Ink Machine groaned in response and more ink oozed from it's pipes dripping onto the floor splashing loudly. Ebony Tendrils formed from the ink and wrapped around what remained of Leonard, the inky humanoid cried and screamed as it was dragged down the hall with Joey following behind. The tendrils dragged Leonard all the way out of the Ink Machine and to the ink lake at it's base pulling the tortured soul to it's surface. The shores of the lake thrashed at it's intruder, but was more then happy to consume it's offering. It greedily grabbed the poor soul and despite the man's struggles and effort it pulled him under with ease.

The surface of ink had long since quested while Joey watched with baited breath until he was dead certain the man would never see the light of day. He turned on his heel and hobbled back to the throne room in time to see the pipes of the machine slowly ascended back into the ceiling and the machines thumping died down to a quiet hum returning to it's normal operation. Joey scowled at the unconscious toon in the chair. He failed to find a compatible soul for the toon and needed to find someone else he had many candidates to choose from. Hell, he'll use everyone in the studio if he had to.

The man tucked the book back into his pocket before turning on his heel and strode out of the room turning off the light leaving only the glow of the projectors playing the cartoons on the walls who smiled sadly at the loss of one of the key band members who gave them their joyous music.

#batim stitched au #benny the stitched devil #benny the stitched demon #benny the stitch devil #benny the stitch demon #allison pendle #allison connor #batim allison #thomas connor #batim thomas #norman polk #joey drew #batim ocs #bendy the dancing demon #bendy the devil #bendy the dancing devil #bendy the demon #ink demon #lost one

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blouisparadise · 7 years ago

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Upon request, here is a rec list of bottom Louis fics where Harry and/or Louis are or were athletes. We included fics where they’re dancers, football players, American football players, hockey players, runners, and more. Happy reading!

Note: This fic was updated in September 2019.

1) Put You On Repeat, Play You Everywhere I Go | Explicit | 8290 words | 🩰

Harry is a college radio show host and Louis is a contemporary dancer attending said college. After a drunk hook-up, naturally a whole bunch of pining, dedicated love songs and make-out sessions on dance studio floors ensue.

2) We Should Get Jerseys | Mature | 12147 words | 🏒

Harry is a hockey player, and Louis is his slightly melodramatic boyfriend.

3) One More For The Stars | Mature | 16099 words | 🏈

Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

Harry's the star quarterback and Louis is about to graduate. It's a heartbreak waiting to happen.

4) Kinda Into It | Explicit | 19483 words | 🏈

Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

A pair of eyes follow him, narrowed and if Louis has judged right; assessing. Trying to see if Louis has a favourite. Waiting to see if he gives it up to one of the baying crowd. He doesn't. He straightens up and moves smoothly back towards the intriguing man in the front-row seat.

He hasn't moved, bar to clutch his fingers slightly around the edges of the circle-shaped seat; his thighs pushing open a little further as he tucks his ass in; showcasing his dick somewhat.

The dress pants do barely anything to cover the jut of that length and Louis makes it his personal mission to make him hard. It's insulting really that he's not already there. He's been dancing for three minutes and if that isn't long enough to incite some interest then what is?

5) Your Certain Charms | Explicit | 20417 words | 🧹

Harry Potter AU. Louis is the reserve-reserve seeker, Harry is the Quibbler’s brightest new voice, and the Quidditch World Cup is as good a place to stargaze as any.

6) Monsters at Home | Explicit | 21566 words | 🏈

High School!AU. Everyone's eyes are on Harry, the beautiful, charming new student. Harry's only got eyes for the school golden boy: football captain Louis Tomlinson, whose homophobic father complicates matters a bit.

7) You Can Keep Me Inside The Pocket Of Your Ripped Jeans | Explicit | 23820 words | Sequel | 🏈

Louis Tomlinson is an English fashion designer. Harry Styles is an American football player. Their paths cross through twitter.

7) Have You Coming Back Again | Explicit | 31086 words | 🏉

It’s five o’clock in the morning. Louis has a lecture at half eight. He could be using this time to study or to do his readings or to go to the gym, but - well. He doesn’t have any exams coming up, he’s not going to his seminar today anyway and he hates the gym.

Instead he’s using this time to fuck with Harry Styles’ poor little brain.

Louis jogs across the street and jabs the key into the car door. It opens easily, not that he was expecting anything else. He copied the key for a reason, after all.

He’s got Harry’s schedule memorized, more because the guy keeps following him around than anything, so he doesn’t bother looking around before climbing behind the wheel and setting his bag on the passenger seat. It’s a Monday, which means that Harry doesn’t even get out of bed before noon unless he’s planning on harassing Louis.

8) Maybe You’re Saving Me | Mature | 31236 words | 🏊🏻

Harry is a swimmer who can't sleep, while Louis plays football and has been waiting for a boy who understands him...

9) We’re Like Bumper Cars | Explicit | 31716 words | 🏃🏻

Or the AU where Louis and Harry are rivals of the century and Cross Country competitors before things get complicated and they play pretend.

10) All The Right Moves | Explicit | 32264 words | 🏀

This is the third game in a row that Harry has been distracted by the noisy boy in the stands, five rows back.

There’s really no reason that he should feel compelled to stare into the audience as frequently as he is, but he can’t help it. This boy is a nuisance. And he’s loud. Even from basketball court with nine other players running by him, shoes squeaking on the shiny hardwood floor, and thousands of cheering college students, Harry can hear this boy nearly shrieking, his laugh more like a cackle than anything.

It’s seriously obnoxious.

11) What This World Is About | Explicit | 34472 words | 🏈

An eighties American high school AU; there are first times, football games, and feelings.

Alternatively titled: the beginning.

12) Bloodsport | Explicit | 40283 words | 🏈

“You know how our next game is against the Cardinals, right? You remember how vicious those guys can get. I wanted us to come up with some plays, maybe work on a block from the left—”

Louis stops when he hears a chuckle.

He doesn’t think he’s said anything particularly funny, so he turns to Harry, waiting for an explanation.

“‘S funny, ‘s all.” Harry throws his finished bottle somewhere near the other discarded ones. “This is the first time you’re talking to me in eight months, and it’s still about football.”

13) Ever Fixed | Mature | 41521 words | 🩰

Three years ago, Harry was happily married, successfully heading the largest technology company in the world, and raising his young daughter. After he loses nearly everything in the aftermath of his daughter’s lost battle with a rare brain tumor, it may take three strange and yet very familiar visitors – and a man from the therapy group Harry keeps refusing to go to – to get him back on track.

14) So Much We Didn’t Say | Mature | 53584 words | 🛹

Harry’s near fatal accident exposed the cracks in his and Louis’ eleven year marriage. A serious error in judgement by Louis shattered it completely.

15) I Want You So Much (But I Hate Your Guts) | Mature | 83648 words | ⚽

AU in which Louis gets accepted to play for the Manchester University Alpha-Beta Football Team. The only problem: Louis is actually an Omega. He is determined to make it big in the football world, though, and he can't do that bound to an Omega team. With the help of a faked doctor's certificate and some pretty strong suppressants he is ready to fight for his dream.

That Harry Styles (Alpha, second year and youngest football captain of the A-B team in ages) doesn't seem to like him complicates matters, though.

16) For Reasons Wretched and Divine | Explicit | 94655 words | ⚽

Ten years ago, Harry Styles was just a nerdy kid with one friend and a debilitating crush on the captain of his school’s football team. He thought the stars were smiling down on him the day he and Louis Tomlinson were paired for their end-of-term Literature project. But because Harry’s life is decidedly not a fairytale, the budding friendship quickly leads to the least happy ending of all time.

Now, Harry Styles is a household name. Barely twenty-seven with two Grammy nominations to his name, the singer-songwriter is poised to take the music industry by storm with his highly anticipated third album. So, what happens when the best producer in the business is also the only person Harry’s vowed never to speak to again?

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

#fic recs #blp fic recs #blp #bottom louis #top harry #updated #september 2019

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yuniesan · 7 years ago

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Girl Meets Season 6 - Episode Nine

Synopsis: The Journey from High School and into College will test everything Riley knew about her life, her friendships and her love. What life lessons will she learn in her first year of college?

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

A/N: A little bit of angst.... a little bit of fluff... friendship all around!!!

Episode Nine – Girl Meets Written in the Stars

Midterms were over, Riley had submitted her story for her writing class the week before and the weekend had been spent recovering from overworking herself. She talked with Josh on the phone after he had gotten out of the hospital, well more like she yelled at him for doing the same thing she did. They were the same, growing up at least before she met Maya, they had always done everything together. So of course, they developed the same bad habits over time. Maya had stayed in the city taking a few extra days with her family and Josh, while Riley stayed at school because Josh had told her to get some rest after hearing about the incident with the guy outside of Lucas’s class.

“You need to sleep Riley,” he had told her before saying goodbye. She missed her family, even when they visited it wasn’t enough most days, but she knew that she was working towards something that mattered.

Now she sat in her writing class, Zay and Charlie next to her talking about their grades on their writing projects, both of them had gotten B’s on them and told that they should work on the stories a little longer and develop them further. Riley’s grade had been a C, with no explanation as to why the grade had been that. She stared at the grade remembering freshman year of high school and the infamous D that she had gotten in Spanish class. She was waiting until everyone was done speaking with the professor, she wanted to know why she had gotten that grade, but just as she was standing up the professor had walked out of the room without a word to her.

“Riles,” Zay said looking at her, she knew he was worried about her, they were friends so worrying was normal. He looked down at her paper and saw the grade before looking back up at her.

“I’ll be fine,” she said the memory of the D fresh in her mind. “I’ll be just fine,” she finished before taking her bag and walking out of the room, leaving Zay and Charlie behind looking after her.

“I don’t understand,” Charlie said once they had started to follow her. “Her story was a hundred times better than either one of ours.”

Zay nodded his head but all he could think about was the sad look in Riley’s eyes, “Our first year of high school Riley got a D in one of her classes, and it consumed her, made her think that she wasn’t as good of a student as she had once thought she had been.”

“But I know that’s a lie, she’s a great student,” Charlie said to him as the made it across the quad on the way towards the dining hall they always ate at after class.

“Of course, she is but sometimes, well sometimes she doesn’t click with a teacher and I think that’s what hurts her the most because her father is a teacher and she grew up with teachers all around her so the fact that she doesn’t click with one is really hard on her.”

“That’s sounds kind of sad when you think about it, she always wants to live up to these great people but when she stumbles it hits her the hardest, but it still doesn’t make sense, her story was the best one in the class everyone else said so, why would the professor give her that grade.”

Zay shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t know, but I think we should help Riley no matter what,” he said thinking about how much she has helped him over the years.

Zay kept a close eye on Riley, he saw how her face changed from the sad puppy eyes she would get when she didn’t live up to something, to that determined fierce person who was bound to fix her own problems. Instead of waiting for her permission he pulled up a copy of her story and with the help of Charlie and Sam, they found a writing contest that was being held by the school and submitted Riley’s story into the competition. They also watched as she wrote everything she was feeling into a notebook, he remembered how she had written articles during the last two years of high school. The same articles that had helped so many people, including himself, so he knew that she was going to be alright. She was the strongest person he knew, and she was also the one person who could be hurt the most but the smallest things. Even after everything he had put her through over the last few months she never backed away from him, she stayed close and made sure that he was alright, so he had to do the same for her, because that’s what friends do for one another.

In the days since she received her grade, Riley had tried to talk to her professor, who was ignoring her both in class and through emails. It wasn’t right, but after talking to some of his former students she had found out that he does this with those who show the most promise just to see how they would react. It was mean and cruel and she hated the fact that he did it, but she couldn’t figure out why he wouldn’t allow a meeting. Instead of going back to talk to him she concentrated on the story she had to submit before thanksgiving break. The first story she had given them had been about a group of wolves traveling down a mountain pass, she had read about it once and thought it was an interesting concept. So she wrote a story about it for her project, but for some reason it wasn’t her best according to the professor.

“Don’t dwell on it too much Riley,” Lucas said as he rubbed her back. “You need to relax a little, and then focus on your next project.”

“But it’s just so… so… it’s infuriating to me,” she said jumping off her bed before she started pacing back and forth in her room. “Why would he do that if he thought a student had promise? That sound ridiculous, and then to ignore me outright instead of speaking to me.”

“Well they did tell us that college was different,” he said before standing up and moving in her path. Taking her face in his hands, “Just be yourself Riley,” he said before kissing her on her forehead. “You’re going to outshine everyone.”

“Okay,” she said to him as she attempted to relax even for a moment, but she still felt tense, she was afraid of what this meant for her final grade in the class. She enjoyed being there, the creativity was a good outlet for her but the feeling that she had done something wrong just didn’t feel right with her. Lucas held her close, it was the only thing she knew he could do, because once she was in her own headspace, her mind went into overload and she over thought every little thing.

“What did Señora Feinstein-Chang tell you freshman year that made you work harder?”

“That it wasn’t this grade that mattered but the next one because that showed her where I wanted to go.”

“That still applies here Riles, so just make your next assignment the one that matters,” he said before pulling away from her.

She gave him the biggest smile she could, because he was right, the next assignment is what mattered. “Okay,” she said to him as she pulled him back towards the bed. “For now, let’s watch a movie, you’re right I might be too stressed out about this.”

“There’s my girl,” he said with a smile. “And don’t worry, you’re meant to do great things, hell you’ve done great things Riles, but your future is so bright you can light up the sky with it.”

She couldn’t help but feel loved by his words, “Our futures are bright,” she said to him before they started watching a movie on her laptop.

In the days since her talk with Lucas, Riley felt lighter, she went to class and decided against going after her professor for her grade, instead concentrating on her next short story. Zay smiled at her in class before nudging Charlie, she wasn’t sure why the two of them were so happy but it didn’t matter. Zay was really smiling after having such a rough time the last few months, which only made her want to keep him happy. She wanted everyone to be happy, so she worked on her papers, on her stories. They had lunch like they usually did, never really deviating from their weekly schedules unless they wanted to see a movie. It became her new normal, until the week before thanksgiving break when her professor pulled her aside, reminding her of all of those times that he had ignored her. But she didn’t lash out.

“Ms. Matthews,” he said smiling at her. “I wondered when you stopped being persistent about your midterm grade that you had given up like so many other students, but you surprised me.”

“Well there’s no point in dwelling on one grade, when the next one is more important,” she said to him as the classroom emptied out behind her. “I was told once that it was the next grade that really matters because it shows you where I want to go.”

“That’s a good philosophy, kind of sounds like something someone I know would say,” he said with a smile. “I didn’t give you a C on your midterm, I gave you an A, but I wanted you to continue to work hard because you showed the most promise from all of my students.”

“So, you gave me a false grade just to force me to reevaluate myself, well sir, that’s cruel and hurtful.”

“Yes, I know that, I’ve been yelled at by several people about it over the last few weeks, some of which were your friends, another was my sister, who I found out was your teacher in high school,” he sighed and Riley really wasn’t sure where he was headed with this, and honestly, she didn’t really care. “You see, I’ve had students over the years who show promise on their first story only to fall behind afterwards. Their heads get too big thinking that they’re something big, but in the end, they question my methods when their final grade is below what they expected.”

“I don’t understand what that has to do with my midterm grade.”

“I did this as a test to you, as I have done to others over the last two years, some rise above it and create works that outshine what they’ve created, while others give up. You were persistent at first and then you decided that you needed to work on rising above it. So, I’m telling you now, as an apology, because I’ve been asked to judge your story for the writing competition, and I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea.”

Riley’s brain took a moment to register what he was talking about, she hadn’t entered a writing competition, and she wasn’t sure how he had gotten an entry from her. Before she could say anything Zay and Charlie walked up next to her and pulled her out of the room.

“See you next week sir,” Zay said smiling, but Riley wanted to go back into the room and ask what he was talking about.

“Bye Professor,” Charlie said before the three of them left and walked out of the building.

“What is going on,” she asked them when they were half way through campus forcing the two of them to stop. “Out with it.”

“Well after what had happened, we talked to Sam and kind of devised a plan,” Charlie said trying to look innocent. “It was mostly Zay’s idea anyway.”

“What to throw me under the bus man,” Zay said before pushing Charlie away. “Yeah, I had the idea to submit your story to the competition, it was really good and I hated the look on your face, plus I thought that the professor was wrong.”

“And we’ve been meaning to tell you, but you got all happy after the second class that week,” Charlie added as he rubbed his hands to keep them from getting cold.

“Lucas told me that he had helped calm you down by reminding you of how you got over what happened freshman year, so we put off telling you,” Zay said as he ran a hand through his hair before putting his hat back on. “We didn’t know you were going to find out this way, sorry.”

Riley smiled at the two of them before throwing her arms around their shoulders. “You guys are the best you know that,” she said as she squeezed them together. “Thank you,” she said with a smile.

Before she could pull away she felt someone’s body slam into her, “Yay for hugs,” Sam said before they were joined by Lucas.

It would have been weird for anyone to see the five of them hugging it out on the quad, but Riley didn’t care what others thought because she had good friends who wanted her to be happy.

“Not that I mind but why are we hugging,” Sam said after a moment had passed.

“We told Riley about the writing competition,” Charlie answered before Riley started pulling away. The smile still firmly planted on her face.

“Oh yay, I’ve been waiting for this moment, because I’m terrible at keeping secrets,” Sam said before putting her arms around Riley and Charlie.

Lucas smiled at them, Zay laughed, and Charlie patted Sam on the head before they separated. This was something good, for all of them, friendships were important, especially when so much was happening. She couldn’t wait to share it all with Maya, Smackle and Farkle, when they saw one another next. For now she was going to savor the moment.

#Girl Meets Season 6 #rucas #Zay Babineaux #Charlie Gardner #Riley Matthews #Lucas Friar

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jafreitag · 3 years ago

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Grateful Dead Monthly: Lindley Meadows (Golden Gate Park) – San Francisco, CA 9/28/75

On Sunday, September 28, 1975, the Grateful Dead played a concert at Golden Gate Park’s Lindley Meadows in San Francisco, California.

Lindley Meadows

From the Wiki: “In the 1860s, San Franciscans began to feel the need for a spacious public park similar to [NYC’s] Central Park. Golden Gate Park was carved out of unpromising sand and shore dunes that were known as the Outside Lands, in an unincorporated area west of San Francisco’s then-current borders.” Frederick Law Olmsted was the driver. He was the guy who conceptualized Central Park, and later Jackson and Washington Parks in Chicago, as well as the whole shebang for Chi’s 1893 Columbian Exposition and most of the nearby U of C campus. Olmstead “proposed a plan for a park using native species suited for San Francisco’s dry climate; however, the proposal was rejected in favor of a Central Park-style park needing extensive irrigation.” Nice try, man.

The park got a Commissioner in 1871, and the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department began overseeing its development. Between then and now, it’s been basically urban green space. Per the Wiki, GGP is roughly the same shape as Central Park, but twenty-percent bigger. It’s bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the West and the Haight on the East. And it’s the third most-visited park in the United States, after Central Park and the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

So Lindley Meadows?

See the oval on the left side of that sat pic? It’s Golden Gate Park Polo Field. Apparently, Lindley Meadows is the green area that sits just above its northeast corner. Guys, I’ve never been to California, much less SF. I’m not a super-traveled person, so some of these venue write-ups seem poser-y. They’re not intended to be. Apologies for the lack of local knowledge, and feel free to add anything like that below the line.

The Dead played exactly four shows in 1975. On 3/25, they played a benefit for San Francisco Students Need Athletics, Culture, and Kicks (SF SNACK) with the Doobies, the Starship, Santana, Dylan & Baez, and Neil Young. The band’s set was comprised of the Blues for Allah material that everybody pretends to dig (but nobody really does). I’m not familiar with that show. On 6/17, they played at Winterland, and the setlist was also BFA-forward. I’m not familiar with that show, either, but, according to the Grateful Dead of the Day blog, it gets attention nowadays. On 8/13, they played at the Great American Music Hall – that’s One from the Vault, and we’ve covered it before. Finally, on 9/28, they played at Lindley Meadows. Single set show, which clocks in at just under two hours. A lot of BFA material, but a lot of well-toured and well-beloved chestnuts, too.

Photo credit: Alvan Meyerowitz

In a 2008 post about this show, the Grateful Dead Listening Guide blog makes two points. First, there’s an absolutely epic audience recording. To wit: “[T]his is one of the audience tapes that historically was said to have been recorded by the band (Phil Lesh in particular) from the stage itself … It is absolutely one of the very best of the best AUDs. But Phil didn’t tape it. Phil didn’t make any tapes.”

GDLB continues, and this is great:

“[B]efore this century [meaning the ’00s], if you weren’t in the most enshrined trading circles, you couldn’t find a complete copy of this AUD to save your life (and the real deal master itself only just went into circulation in May 2008). When you might have run into this recording (I was lucky enough to score 45 minutes of the show on cassette about 12 years ago), there was no way you could accept that it was an AUD at all. Clearly Phil and the band had to have had a hand in making this tape, right? It just sounded WAY too good. And there was the fact that there were a painful amount of right channel dropouts throughout the tape which allowed you to appreciate the quality, but never really left you wanting to listen to the tape again because of the pain involved in those dropouts.

Then the SBD came on the scene, sounding super duper. Someone digitized the AUD (a multi-gen version) and spent the time patching the dropouts with the left channel – palatable now, the AUD was a dizzying drink from the fountain of audience magic. Well friends, that was nothing…

I’m not going to attempt to document the story of taper Bob Menke here on these pages. Let’s just say that BadBob (his own moniker) bleeds the history of Grateful Dead taping and collecting. He’s one of those fellows whose name lands in the inner circle when playing the dart game of Dead tapers. ‘Nuff said. Menke’s story has been one of clouded half truths, misunderstandings, and mystery in the eyes of tape collectors. Over the last number of years, the real Bob Menke has made his way into the digital scene, so a lot of the mystery has faded. But, it sure did fuel the fires that made this particular tape one of such grand story telling. This is one to tell the grandkids about, to be sure.

So Menke recently digitally transferred his master, and the MOTB crew [dunno] finished it off with heroic editing (glad I didn’t face this task). And now we have this AUD for the ages, in its most beautiful glory.

The recording is so good, it makes the AUD vs. SBD debate seem silly. It’s a little unfair, like bringing an NBA all star off the bench at a junior high basketball game. So much so, that it’s fair for a SBD supporter to cry foul – ‘Oh, well, 09/28/75! You can’t talk to me about that show. That’s not fair.’ Regardless, when you want to know what it might have sounded like pressed up against the stage for this hallmark Dead show in the year after they retired (you may never see them again), this is it my friends. Cripplingly good.”

There’s a link to the Menke AUD below, but on to the second point. Apparently, the band was “high” – as in, their performance was chemically enhanced by LSD. Again, GDLG:

“Then there’s the well enough substantiated story that the band was higher than kites for this show. While it has always been very well understood that this band played under the influence of LSD many many many times, there are some shows that come to mind when Deadheads talk about shows where the band was ‘known’ to have been chemically altered for sure: 08/27/72, 05/11/78, and 09/28/75 among them. So, this places an extra special sparkle to re-living the day’s concert when listening.

Also, there is the fact that a baby was born during the show [check banter after Slipknot!], with the band and stage announcers doing their best to help.”

Acid, a baby, and no deaths? It’s like a good time Altamont. Right, Jerry?

GDOTD offers some listening notes:

“It opens with a sharp and focused Help On The Way before heading into a moody Slipknot!, which rages in the latter half. Rather than transitioning into Franklin’s at that point, as they had during the two other times they had paired those songs, the Slipknot! ends, and they launch into a smoking The Music Never Stopped. On that tune, Donna adds lovely backing vocals, as she does throughout the afternoon.”

More GDOTD:

“[A]fter a bit of banter, they finally hit the Franklin’s Tower, playing in mind-meld form throughout with Phil throwing down and the entire band contributing to a seismic jam after the ‘listen to the music play’ line. Then, Bobby announces that they will be playing a cowboy tune, before rolling into Big River, throughout which Keith serves up some incredible fills. After It Must Have Been The Roses, a marvelous Truckin’ takes off and eventually steers into a blistering jam … [T]he boys slow things up just a notch, Phil rains down a series of bombs, and Jerry streaks around before ceding the stage to the drummers. The Drums themselves are transcendent, but the Stronger Than Dirt that follows is face melting. What’s more, the transition into Not Fade Away is rapturous as the drummers drive on the change, but the rest of the guys resist, teasing out the last of the Stronger Than Dirt theme while slowly falling to the inevitable momentum of NFA. And what a Not Fade Away it turns out to be with serious, imaginative jamming all the way through to the Going Down The Road Feeling Bad, which is itself resplendent. Then One More Saturday Night caps the show in rocking, high-energy fashion.”

That’s cool, but there are listening notes, and then there’s our guy. Without further ado, here’s everyone’s favorite. The master of zero disasters, the king of schwing, the 88’s tickler, the Peloton’s boss, the cherry on top, the sun behind that one annoying cloud, the reason that outside cats come back home, the guy who rolled his eyes at all those Dos Equis commercials b/c #beentheredonethat, the Ig influencer behind @31daysofdead, and the better half of this gotdam thing. Man/myth/legend is just a trope until you meet him in person. He’s handsome; he’s erudite. He’s a man beyond description and, in his rare spare time, a member of Jehovah’s favorite choir. He’ll break it down, fo’realize. Ladies and Gentlemen, LN Grateful Deaditor, ECM…

“Hey now, kids! Today we’ve got some ‘Hiatus Dead’ for you. As most of you know, Hiatus Dead refers to that period of time between 10/20/74 (Winterland) and 6/3/76 (Portland, OR) when the Grateful Dead took some time off from touring. During this period, the band played only four shows, all of them in 1975. The show JF and I are featuring in this month’s edition of Grateful Dead Monthly – September 28, 1975 – is the last of those 4 shows and it would be the last show for over 8 months. This show is unique for a lot of other reasons too. First, it was a free show in Lindley Meadows in Golden Gate Park at a time when that kind of thing didn’t happen anymore like it did back in the 60’s. Another thing the band hadn’t done in a long while was play a show while they were tripping. Legend has it that they revisited that part of their past as well on this day. Although this has never been confirmed, it sure makes for a good story and at least seems plausible given the overall strangeness and looseness of the music compared with their very tight performance at the Great American Music Hall just a month prior on August 13th. In addition, unlike most GD shows where the band is virtually mute, here there is a lot of funny and odd stage banter – Bobby’s joke about getting around to all the old favorites that they can remember, the calls for a doctor to attend to the woman in the audience that was going into labor and Phil clarifying for the crowd that Truckin’ is NOT pronounced Truck-ing.

Another factor making this show unique is the weather which was unseasonably chilly for September. With temperatures down in the 50’s, it felt more like November than September which brings us to another unique aspect about this show – the band’s attire. Instead of Bobby wearing his signature Lacoste polo shirt and cutoff shorts, on this day he is wearing a Pendelton jacket with bell-bottoms. And, Garcia is rocking a leather jacket with Puma sneakers(!) While we are talking about attire, let’s also talk about instruments. This was allegedly the debut of Jerry’s new guitar, Travis Bean. It’s the guitar that he would use until 9/28/77 when he started playing his Doug Irwin Wolf again. Keith plays an electric Fender Rhodes the entire show. These two instruments certainly influenced the sound of the band that day.

Which brings us to the MUSIC…

The Grateful Dead played one set which clocked in at approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. They opened with Help>Slipknot. It’s the third one ever but just the second with lyrics. Jerry botches the last verse. It happens. Slipknot! is the third one but the first not going into Franklin’s Tower. It is played slowly, but deliberately, and they pull off the complex arrangement with flying colors. However, things come to a rather abrupt end when they call a halt because Jerry apparently breaks a string – he is audibly absent in the closing riffs. This is the point when the woman is having a baby too.

Once everything on stage is ironed out and a doctor is located for the woman in labor, the band launches into the Music Never Stopped. It is only the second performance and is a mere 6 minutes. Donna crushes her verse. This early version has only a few bars of the drifty mid-jam section and then charges right into the ending jam which only hints at the potential that it would soon become. Once the song concludes there are more stage announcements. A doctor has been located and now there are pleas for a stretcher.

“Oh, man. That’s weird. A stretcher?”

They Love Each Other is up next – perhaps inspired by the woman having the baby(?). Either way, it’s the first in over 1½ years and the first without the bridge section. This performance has a unique sound and tempo that is played somewhere in between the peppy versions from the 1973-74 era and the slower versions from the 1976 and later era. It is almost reggae-like. Jerry gives it a sensitive reading – sweet and subdued in its expressiveness. Afterwards Phil comes to the microphone to tell the father of the newborn child that his help is needed (Help on the Way?). That’s when Bobby comes to the microphone to assure the fans who are calling out requests that ‘we will get around to all the old favorites that we can remember.’ Cheers and laughter ensue to which Bobby responds, ‘you wouldn’t be laughing if you knew what that meant.’

Bobby cameltoe, ftw.

With the the band launches into a spirited version of one of their oldest songs from their first album – Beat it on Down the Line. Maybe this was a musical message to the father of the newborn baby to get moving and help his wife(?) Weir’s old buddy and bandmate from Kingfish, Mattew Kelly joins on harmonica. His playing is faint, but present, and adds a nice counterpoint to Jerry’s guitar.

The band completes the piece of their musical triptych that is missing due to the equipment and baby interruptions by playing a stand-alone Franklin’s Tower from a cold start. It is the third version ever and it is exquisite. The drums are groovin’ and Jerry’s on fire especially after the ‘if you get confused, listen to the music play’ line. Great call and response at the end. This is the song that made it onto the abbreviated version [featuring one song from every year] of the box-set 30 Trips Around the Sun that appears on Spotify.

There are more calls from the audience for songs – apparently somebody is calling for Truckin’ but Phil does not like the way the fan is pronouncing it. ‘Did I hear someone say TRUCK-ING? That’s not how you say it. You don’t say TRUCK-ING. But anyway, we’re not gonna play that now. We’re gonna play something else.’ Weir then comes to the microphone to announce that ‘Billy would like to make a small point to the fact that we’re playing a cowboy tune.’ That leads into rootin-tootin’ version of Big River which has nice solos from Jerry and Keith.

A letter-perfect reading of It Must Have Been The Roses follows. Jerry’s voice is at its pure, sweet unaffected peak. Excellent vocal harmonies from Jerry and Donna. Keith’s work on the electric piano provides the perfect accompaniment.

Phil returns to his Truck-ING banter which signals that the band is now ready to play it. Weir warns the crowd that he’s not going to remember the words, and he makes good on his promise by not only forgetting most of them, but also forgetting to sing part of the second verse at all. No worries. The jam that follows is fantastic thanks in large part to all the tight material the band had been playing over the past year when they were rehearsing and recording Blues for Allah. There is some heated controversy among fans about the jam that comes out of Truckin’. Some have said that it is The Eleven. In fact, the 30 Trips box set refers to it that way. I don’t hear it but it’s an exciting jam for sure! To me, it sounds more like a King Solomon’s/Stronger Than Dirt groove which is what the band segues into following Drums. This is the fourth and final King Solomon’s. It’s definitely the loosest.There are a few rough spots at first it recovers and maintains a solid groove.

There is a loose transition into Not Fade Away. The lead in is funky and rockin.’ Garcia peels off a slide-flavored, acid-drenched solo which is the start of a long, spacey transition to GDTRFB which is also funky with some amazing energy. Saturday Night caps the show in rocking, high-energy fashion. a hoarse-sounding Phil bids the audience farewell, ‘Let’s have another party like this again sometime.’ And with that, the band slipped back into hibernation mode and would not perform again for another eight months.”

As Ed mentioned, this show is part of the massive 30 Trips Around the Sun box set.

And it’s still on the Live Music Archive. Transport to the soundboard recording HERE, a matrix recording HERE, and Menke’s audience recording HERE. According to Menke,

“It was an overcast day and we got there early. About 8:30 in the morning. That is how we ended up about 10-15 feet from the stage. The mics were mounted on broom sticks (handheld) and they were split about 20 feet apart. The upfront vocals I believe are the product of a small (relative to PA speakers) speaker on the floor of the stage next to the right PA column. The vocals seem to be blasting from that speaker. Another very intersting point is the fact that the Jefferson Starship opened and their sound from the same PA absolutely sucked. Nothing approaching the clarity and sound quality the Dead got from the same system.”

There you go.

More soon.

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ansatsu-database · 7 years ago

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E-28 Horibe Itona - Character Profile

With just a simple new talent, I was amazed at how much better Itona's character became so soon after joining Class E for real. His tech-y skills are ever interesting to watch. It took a lot longer than I would've liked, but here it is, the last Student Profile. I shall post an "afterwords" of sorts later.

Sorry to say this, but I don't think I saved a copy of Itona's profile before the Assassination Classroom board on Baidu got totalled, so no link this time.

Furthermore, this time it's a direct Japanese -> English translation by me, but nonetheless, while I have endeavoured to keep things as accurate as possible, not everything may be successfully conveyed across

E-28 Horibe Itona (堀部糸成) – discarding his tentacles, a comrade acquired

“I’ll kill you in the end … Korosensei"

Description

A boy who was sent in by a certain organisation for the assassination. He was transplanted with the same tentacle cells as Korosensei, but failed to assassinate him. Under the Class E students’ cooperation, he discarded his tentacles and began to attend class.

When he first transferred schools, he was observed to have an abnormal fixation on things like “power” and “victory”. With the power of the tentacles, he was an even match for Korosensei.

When he was young, he treated his father’s electronic parts factory like a playground, and as a result his electronics skills are masterfully second nature to him.

Code Name: Not for CoroCoro (コロコロ上がり/ korokoro agari), Yoshida’s idea

He mostly does it (machinery stuff) as a hobby, but Itona takes it to a whole new level. One time, he looked at the Mini 4WD he was working on, and the custom slimming is way too good, and its specs are way too high.

(TN: Mini 4WD here mainly refers to plastic model race cars that are 1/32 (1:32) scaled and AA battery powered without remote control. Asian kids of my generation feel nostalgic for this stuff)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini_4WD

Explanation on Itona's nickname: it is so long that it deserves its own spoiler tags

Show

So, Itona’s code name, “korokoro agari”, is by far the hardest one to figure out, as every source and translation that I tried examining, across 3 languages, all had their own interpretation. But after looking at Yoshida’s Mini 4WD explanation again, I think I’ve finally figured out what Matsui went for.

First, コロコロ (korokoro) should be a reference to CoroCoro Comic, a Japanese monthly manga magazine published by Shogakukan, primarily targeting elementary school aged boys, younger than the readers of shōnen manga. It comes from the expression "korokoro" that can refer to things that are small, round and rolls around lightly, or that are plump and cute.

It has a sister magazine called CoroCoro Aniki (roughly CoroCoro Big Brother), published quarterly that target 30 to 40 years-old that are the readers of CoroCoro Comic magazine (nostalgia I suppose). As such, many series on this magazine were either spin-offs or sequels to the series serialised on CoroCoro Comic. Two Mini 4WD-focused manga were serialised here too.

Next, 上がり (agari) has so many meanings. Among the ones I believe could prove relevant, they include “rise/increase/ascent”; the “end/stop/completion” of something; the “after” state of something; denoting that something is of an “ex-/former” status.

Since it’s supposed to be something mean, my 2 candidates for his code name were the following:

“Ex-CoroCoro”, as in “no longer small and cute”; and

“CoroCoro After (Story)”, as in like “the stuff that comes after/goes beyond CoroCoro”, following the theme of “CoroCoro Aniki”, and in reference to his Mini 4WD going way beyond and his Ero nature.)

But giving it a bit more thought, I decided on the latter, but with a better tweak: “Not for CoroCoro”.

So there you have it. Hope I’ve got it right for real this time.

Birthday: March 31st

Height: 160cm

Weight: 53kg

Blood Type: AB

Favourite Subject: Science

Worst Subject: Social Studies

Interests and special skills: Electronics

Past Club: Electronics Club

Treasured Item(s): the soldering iron used by his father

Favourite Food: Paitan (White Soup) Ramen

Bento or Snacks: Snacks

Election Headline (from the 1st Popularity Poll): Shitamachi Rocket

(TN: Shitamachi Rocket was a novel by Ikeido Jun, now adapted into a drama. It’s about a man who gives up his career as a space scientist to succeed his father's manufacturing factory. Though the company is confronted with troubles, he strives with his workers to overcome them and pursue his dream of developing rockets. Apparently rather underdog-versus-giant themed, this reference rather fits Itona’s situation)

From Korosensei, Announcement of Results from the Periodic Exams (Main 5 subjects) (credits to young-il-long-kiyoshi)

While Korosensei can't judge his academic skills as a whole since he hasn't partaken any exams, he finds that his fundamentals are good. If he attends his Slippy-Sloppy Intensive Study Sessions, he should make good progress.

1st Trimester Mid-Terms: NA

1st Trimester End-of-Terms: NA

2nd Trimester Mid-Terms: NA

Karasuma’s Assassination Aptitude (graded on a scale of 6)

Due to the application of body enhancements, his physical abilities are exceedingly high. But because he had relied on fighting techniques that centered around his tentacles, his assassination skills are lowered. If he made full use of his manufacturing skills, he'll be suited to backend support.

- During the climax of the Bo-taoshi match at the Athletic Festival, his tag-team high jump with Isogai wowed even the Board Chairman. If he can learn to make the most of this astounding physical abilities of his, it should translate into considerable warpower. - With his natural manufacturing skills, he can create all kinds of radio-controlled models. Useful for reconnaissance.

(TN: I find the emphasis on his body enhancements odd, given that in Chapter 104 (which is included in Roll Book Time's canon, so to speak), Korosensei cautioned Itona that his body enhancements from Shiro are dissipating, which will result in his body returning to the levels of an ordinary middle school student)

Strategy/Planning: 2

Commanding/Leadership: 1

Execution (Ability to carry out plans): 5

Technique (Traps, weapons, preparations, etc): 6

Scouting/Intelligence Gathering: 5

Politics/Negotiations: 1

B*tch-sensei’s Fashion Check (credits to young-il-long-kiyoshi)

I wonder, before he made a return to Class E, did he coordinate his own fashion? Somehow his vibe now feels considerably different. Before he had put in a bit more planning, but now it feels like his dress sense has worsened, what with his casual style of his unbuttoned uniform over his high neck shirt.

With Tentacles

When he was under Shiro, he was always wearing a fluffy fur scarf, even during the hot summer. Maybe he actually has advanced tastes?

Without Tentacles

After losing his tentacles, the way he's always equiped with a bandana feels a bit out of place. His dress sense is also more casual than before.

Character Relationships

- Terasaka (addressed as Terasaka) -

Dissing Terasaka has already become something like Itona's way of greeting him when starting conversations. But because of such greetings, harsh words became soft. At any rate, he's his most trusted friend.

- Muramatsu Takuya (addressed as Muramatsu) -

After one slurp of the ramen from Muramatsu's shop Shouraiken, he gave it some brutal and severe criticism, but after that he unexpectedly approves of it. There are plenty of times when one just wants to eat some good old-fashioned Showa-era ramen without being super fussy about the latest craze.

- Yoshida Taisei (addressed as Yoshida) -

Their specialties are different, but since they both like machines, they hit it off right away. The events at Wakaba Park was the first showcase of their collaboration.

- Okajima Taiga (addressed as Okajima) -

He is someone who speaks of the will that's needed to be a man. Under the same banner, these two that are bound by a vow of sworn brotherhood exchange intelligence and clash their respective principles against one another on a daily basis.

(TN: not sure if I managed to encapsulate everything, but from the words alone this part is supposed to sound this dramatic, I kid you not. Even though we all know what they are really talking about with one another)

- Kataoka Megu (addressed as Kataoka) -

Together with Okajima, he persisted in his share of daily Ero activities, yet it is rare for Kataoka to scold him. Perhaps it's a bonus of playing the little brother character. In place of that, she scolds Okajima more than usual.

- Okuda Manami (addressed as Okuda) -

The way that Itona bluntly spews venom as easily as he breathes has Okuda scared from the bottom of her heart. Sudden eye contact alone will send her trembling like a small animal.

- Takebayashi Koutarou (addressed as Takebayashi) -

Whenever he goes to Akihabara to stock up on electronic parts he'll often run into Takebayashi, but because the categories of shops they enter are completely different, they'll just nod and pass by each other.

- Irina Jelavic (addressed as B*tch-sensei) -

While he likes big chests, Irina is outside of his tastes. To be exact, Itona treats the 20 years old Irina like something that's gone past the "best before" date.

Matsui-sensei’s Exclusive Behind the Scenes Data

Itona sleeps in a small storehouse that was among the few of his father's assets that avoided foreclosure. Housing an extensive collection of electronic parts, every day he spends time there earning pocket money through tasks like mobile phone repairs, while also continuing to endeavour with work that goes towards the assassination.

When Itona’s electronics work and the power of Ero unite, the bonds between the Class E boys became stronger.

Likes big chests, to the point that on his first day of transfer, he brought a gravia magazine and was absorbed in reading it. He is openly, silently, unspeakably perverted.

He’s silently lewd, and his potential perverseness rivals Okajima. In the past, he’s good with anything that comes with a big chest, but lately he likes chest that’re a bit more low-key.

#ansatsu database #assassination classroom #ansatsu kyoushitsu #itona horibe #profile #Databook #roll book time

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theplaguezine · 6 years ago

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BAL-SAGOTH

Interview with Byron Roberts by Daniel Hinds

(conducted March 2000)

It's sad to see how few noteworthy bands have emerged from Britain in the past ten years, considering the country's past glories. I mean, this is the land that gave us Sabbath, Purple, Priest, Motorhead, Maiden, Venom, the entire NWOBHM - the list goes on and on. Yet, something seems to have happened in the mid 80s, with the number of great, innovative acts declining rapidly in favor of cheap copies of whatever lame trend was spewing forth from the U.S.

Still, that creative urge was bubbling in the underground and we are now seeing some truly excellent new bands coming out of the UK. Bal-Sagoth isn't exactly new, but with a recent worldwide release via Nuclear Blast, they are bound to reach vast new audiences this year. Mixing elements of black metal, power metal and classical music with some of the most elaborate fantasy and science fiction stories ever committed to disc, Bal-Sagoth have created a highly distinctive and infectious sound. Vocalist Byron tells us more…

Now that it is done and has been out for a bit, what are your feelings about The Power Cosmic? Overall, we are very pleased with The Power Cosmic. We think that it is our most polished album to date in the sound department. It certainly has a clearer production than the other ones, which unfortunately a lot of people seem to have resented. They like the more aggressive, barbaric production of the previous albums, but this album is very clear, very sharp. It has kind of an edge to it. It combines a lot of the best elements of the early work with the best elements of Battle Magic and come out with kind of a hybrid of it all. But yeah, overall, we are very pleased with it. We like all our albums.

Did you do anything differently in the studio or did you just have more time? Not really. In fact, we actually had less time to record The Power Cosmicthan we did for Battle Magic. All it is is because we've used the same engineer from the first album and we've used the same studio and the engineer is very familiar with our way of working. With each album, we do get better at what we do and we are more able to maximize our time. As we've progressed, we can get a better production and we're able to realize our ideas a lot better and put them into practice and get a product at the end of the day that is closer to what we had in mind. We'll always aspire to achieve that level of artistic perfection, which I suppose every artist aspires to but ultimately never reaches.

Is this your first album to be get a proper release in the States? Is it? I don't know. Cacophonous, our previous label, they did have distribution in the US, but it was very, very limited. I think the previous 3 albums were available over there, but you really had to dig for them. Hopefully, with Nuclear Blast, because this is the first time we've been on a label that actually has an office over there, it should be available more widely.

What kind of reaction are you getting from people over here? It's funny because from the beginning, from day one of the band, some of our most really positive response has been from the USA. I think what it is is over there, there aren't many people who do like us, but the people who do like us, really do like us. People say stuff like it is the soundtrack to their life, they just love it so much. We do, interestingly enough, get a lot more response from Canada than from the USA. I don't know if it is because I used to live in Canada or just something peculiar about north of the border. And interestingly enough, it seems to be more French-Canadian than the English-speaking Canadian.

The style on tPC is fairly similar to Battle Magic. Do you feel like you've found your sound or will the next album branch out into new territory? I know that our guitarist is very pleased with his guitar sound on The Power Cosmic. He wasn't as pleased with it on Battle Magic, because it was kind of lower in the mix. As The Power Cosmic is kind of an amalgamation of the best elements of our sound from the previous three albums, ultimately we have found kind of our ideal sound now. We're not going to tune up to constant pitch or anything. We still downtune our guitars to B, to get that really dense, heavy sound. And the keyboards will always be insane and they'll always be totally weird. We're not going to start doing Yes type numbers… I think we have achieved kind of a level playing field with the sound.

I think it's cool that you guys don't limit yourselves thematically. What are some of the writers on the sci-fi side that have influenced you? Essentially that whole side of thing, the science-fiction and swords and sorcery, is just stuff I've been into as far back as I can remember. As time has gone on, I think I've intensified the science-fiction aspect. Throughout the three albums, there has always been elements of science-fiction in there - songs like "Vortex" and "Astral Gate" from the Starfire…album and songs like "Return to the Praesidium of Ys " from the Battle Magic album have always had very strong flavors of science-fiction to them. This time, I just kind of increased that level of SF, upped the intensity of the science-fiction iconography. That is a big kind of pulling point with us. A lot of kids write to me and say, 'I'm not really a fan of black metal or death metal, but I do like science-fiction and fantasy, which is why I've been turned onto your band.' Through that, they have also come to have an appreciation of black metal, which is always a good thing. That kind of high concept of the band is really the adamantine base to it all, because it governs what kind of riff we write. For example, if Chris comes up with a riff that sounds like Anthrax or Pantera, it will be rejected, because it doesn't sound….Bal-Sagoth enough, if you can.

Unlike a lot of metal bands who are determined to make every riff more evil-sounding than the previous one, you guys actually incorporate some happier melodies alongside the darker ones. Is this balance important to you? It is, definitely. There is more to metal than the minor chord. We do use a lot of major chords, a lot of bombastic, uplifting melodies in the stuff. A lot of victorious parts, a lot of reflective, ethereal, kind of dream-like parts as well. Of course, we can always shift straight into the aggressive, cataclysmic darkness. We can run that whole gamut of emotions in the music, which is a good thing. A lot of that is due to the fact that Johnny the keyboard player is such a damn good musician. He has been trained in classical piano since he was a wee laddie (laughs) and he can play a lot of different instruments. He can play bass, guitar, drums obviously, keyboards, the trombone even. A lot of it also boils down to the fact that not everyone in Bal-Sagoth is big fan of metal. I love all the bands like Bathory and Celtic Frost and Slayer, that kind of thing, but Johnny for instance, his favorite bands are The Police, A-Ha, and Queen, that kind of thing. So that mixture of influences and tastes enables us to be a little more interesting in the musical aspect.

How do you compose your music? Is it done initially with keyboard or guitar? Johnny writes most of the music and Chris contributes a little bit as well. All of the songs these days are written first and foremost on the keyboard. Johnny comes up with keyboard riffs, he tells Chris what kind of guitar part he wants to put to it and then we work out the bass parts. Essentially, yeah, the prime facilitator is the keyboard. In the early days, we did write a few songs on guitar and added keyboards later, but these days it's all on the keyboards first and then the guitar comes in and fulfills the role that the keyboards used to fulfill.

How do you record the keyboards? Are all the different parts played live or are some of them sequenced? We record them by each constituent instrument. So, we start off with the brass track and Johnny will play all the brass parts to a particular song. Then we'll work out where we want the strings to go and then we'll put the string parts on another track to compliment the brass. Then we'll put like the woodwinds, the choirs, the timpani - all that sort of thing. So we do record in a truly symphonic sort of way. It's almost like getting an orchestra in and having the musicians play their own individual instruments and building the whole thing up.

What prompted the split with Cacophonous? Are you pleased with Nuclear Blast thus far? We'd recorded three albums for Cacophonous and we finished Battle Magic, we had fulfilled our contractual obligation to them. And they gave us a pretty attractive offer to stay with them, but what happened is that, just after we completed Starfire… I was contacted by Marc Steiger from Nuclear Blast and he said, 'I love your albums and if you're not bound to do another album for Cacophonous, I want to sign you now.' I said to him, 'We've got one more to do and after we've recorded that, we can negotiate, if you're still interested.' And he said, 'Yeah, the offer is always open.' We had some other offers from Peaceville and Hammerheart, but ultimately we figured we'd go with Nuclear Blast, strictly because they have a bigger distribution service. I used to get so many letters from people who said they couldn't find our albums. They knew they were out there, they had heard tracks on samplers, but they couldn't find them in the stores. Or if they did it was like $30 or something ridiculous. So we thought we'd see what Nuclear Blast was like and we've done one album for them. We are actually signed for another two, but time will tell if we decide to stay with them. They are doing a decent enough job, I suppose. The trouble is that, on Cacophonous, we were the main band, but at Nuclear Blast, we're just one band among many. We're like band number 10763 or whatever on the whole roster, so we can't get the same amount of time spent on us individually as we could on Cacophonous, but hopefully other things will make up for it.

What are the latest plans for the re-release of your demo on CD? Very much so, yeah, because the demo was never actually made available. I had to take the decision not to release it because we weren't entirely happy with it. We wanted to record intros, outros, and put a lot more sound effects on it, but ultimately what happened is Cacophonous got wind of the demo, they asked for a copy, I sent it to them, and they were like, 'Right, okay, we'll sign you.' So we didn't really have a chance to release our demo, because they wanted us to go straight ahead and do an album. But what we can do now is take the demo, do what we wanted to do to it, add the intros, remaster it, put some interlude tracks into it, repackage the whole thing and also add a CD-ROM track to it as well, with some video footage or some band-related features. Then we can get it out there for not too much money and all the kids who wanted to hear the demo will be able to get a hold of it. It's just a matter of getting time to actually do it.

Are there any other unreleased tunes that might see the light of day someday? Everything we've ever recorded in a recording studio, apart from the demo, has been released. What we do have are a lot of tapes from the Starfire… rehearsal days. We had so many fucking songs for Starfire…, we had to pick and choose which ones would go on the album. So there are perhaps 2 or 3 songs at the moment, which are of that kind of Starfire-esque feel, but have never been recorded. They exist only in that rough form. Hopefully, one day we can release like an EP on Nuclear Blast with those kind of forgotten scenes, if you like.

When you play live, how to come up with a set-list? Do you take songs from each album or run through an entire album? Yeah, especially because we have so many songs now, we would have to pick and choose which ones would go down best live. Plus, a lot of the fan favorites are the really long songs, like "Circus Maximus" and "Lemuria," things like that, which do tend to take up a big chunk of the live set. We haven't actually played live since the tour with Emperor in 1997, so hopefully by the time we get around to playing live, we will take into consideration the fan favorites, as well as the ones we enjoy playing, as well as the ones we think will work live, as well as the ones we can actually play live. A lot of the songs, the new guys can't actually play yet and Chris has forgotten so many of the songs as well. We tried to play "Dreaming of Atlantean Spires" the other day and he'd completely forgotten it. So we will take a lot of time to get a good set list together.

Do have any plans yet for a tour this year? Well, hopefully. We've got a date coming up in Athens here in the near future, because Greece is one of the territories where we are quite well received, sales-wise anyway and we get a lot of fan mail from there. Then maybe do something like the Dynamo open air festival. What we'd like to do is get a tour together that covers territories where we'd actually like to play. Nuclear Blast at the moment are pressing us o play Germany again and again. We don't have that much of a fan base in Germany, we don't sell that many records over there and the response from crowds over there has always been pretty bad. It's a shame because we'd like to play places like southern Europe, Spain, Italy, Portugal, where we know we have a very devote following. We'd also like to get over to Australia, Japan and North America, but labels and promoters have another idea. They want you to go where they think they can get the most money and with Nuclear Blast being a German-based label, they want us to play Germany, which isn't something that… We will play Germany, but out of a 15-date tour, we don't want 10 dates to be German dates.

You guys have a very detailed and nice-looking web-site. How involved with it are you? Very much. All the features on the web-site, I've designed them all and our web-master takes my designs and puts them into graphical reality. Things like the chronology, the glossary, the map, the A-Z, that's all kind of designed by me. I've been trying to get Chris to work out some tablature to make a tabs section, but he has to learn how to reads tabs first, so that won't be for a while. But yeah, I think our web-site is one of our most versatile tools right now. We have galleries and pretty much any piece of information anyone wants to know about the band, they can most likely find it at the web-site. People can send in their own drawings, they can send in comments, so it really is cool, the whole interactive thing. And of course the lyrics to the new album are exclusive to the web-site, so that is how important I feel the web-site is. (http://go.to/Bal-Sagoth)

Do you guys hang out much outside of doing band-related stuff? I don't tend to hang out with the other band members too much, but we do occasionally go to the same bars and places like that. There's a pub across the street from where I live, so that's where I tend to spend most of my free evenings drinking. As far as anything else goes, we sometimes just get together, have a six-pack and mull over a few ideas. Unfortunately, a lot of the metal scene in Britain these days is very centered in certain areas. London is a big area for it and there are a few cities up north, but this area isn't really well known for the extreme metal scene. Most of the people here are into Korn, Marilyn Manson, all that kind of shit.

I thought it was cool that you mentioned Sabbat as one of your influences, as they never get the credit they deserve. What it was with them is they released two wonderful albums, History of a Time to Come and Dreamweaver. At the time, I think it was about 1987 when I first heard them, in that era of very street-level metal, with jeans and T-shirts and thrash and those big fuckin' sneakers, Sabbat really stood out for me. Here was a band whose image and lyrical topics were so much what I was into, that whole paganism and fantasy thing. And the sound was so abrasive and so wonderful to me, that I immediately thought what a wonderful band. With Bathory and Celtic Frost, they are still to this day one of my all-time favorite bands. I saw them live so many times, I saw them once with Manowar which was excellent, and they are just a brilliant band. They are nice guys as well. Well, Andy Sneap was a bit arrogant when I used to speak to him, but Martin was a really excellent guy and they were just an excellent band with so many good ideas. They were so good musically and Martin was such an excellent lyricist and brilliant vocalist that it really did gel. It was just a shame that they split up before their time.

www.bal-sagoth.com

#Bal-Sagoth #interview #mar2000

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jacewilliams1 · 5 years ago

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Jumpseating to Europe… maybe

I was a 900-hour Part 135 DC-3 copilot, working for Kitty Hawk Air Cargo out of Dallas/Fort Worth, based at Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti, Michigan. It was my first commercial pilot job, and I was in aviation heaven. I’d come over all the way from Ibiza, Spain, where I lived, to build my hours to eventually head back to apply for the Spanish airlines.

Little was I to know then how aviation would absorb my life for the next 26 years, but that is another story, a story about the world of short-, medium-, and long-haul worl-wide flying in everything including the DC-3, Bae ATP, Fokker 50, and Falcon 20, B 737, A 320 and 330, not to mention the VLJ Embraer Phenom 100.

It was winter 1990, and heavy snowstorms blanketed the whole East Coast of the United States. We had just landed N302SF back in Willow Run after a five-day stint flying all over the country, including a shipment to Peterborough, Canada, battling ferocious winter headwinds and night IMC approaches to innumerable slippery, uncontrolled fields to deliver overnight FedEx and UPS packages, and charters carrying car parts for the likes of Ford and GM.

Later that day, sitting around in our rest area with my captain, Mark, and our chief pilot, Tej, shooting the breeze and sipping crappy coffee, Tej told us he had come unannounced from Fort Worth to ferry 302 back to Meacham Field for scheduled maintenance. He told us we had four days off, maybe six days at the most.

That jumpseat is a great way to travel – if you make the flight.

I jumped at the chance to go to Spain, deciding right there on the spot to jumpseat that evening to JFK and then jumpseat with Pan Am or TWA to Madrid. It meant a short visit with my wife and son.

I had not been home for nearly a year. To say my family lived a sacrificial existence was to put it simply. This wasn’t quite as simple as driving across the state of Michigan. But hell, I was young. I packed a small kit and got on a Delta flight out of Detroit Metro to Dayton, Ohio, where I hoped to jumpseat on the first flight to JFK.

Killing time in Dayton while waiting to board the Pan Am flight, I sat talking with a Pan Am 727 first officer, also jumping to New York. We got so involved in our conversation we missed the boarding call over the airport’s PA system.

When I realized suddenly the boarding gate hall was empty, we ran over to the boarding gate and convinced the agent to let us in and barely made it on board. My heart was thumping. Damn! It was close! As we approached New York we had to divert to La Guardia. The stress was unbearable. Tick tock, tick tock. We jumped in a taxi and drove through snow-collapsed New York to JFK.

Heavy snow was falling at JFK. I only had about 20 minutes to make my way through the confusing maze of terminals to reach the Pan Am flight dispatch office, locate the aircraft and crew flying to Madrid and pray for their sympathy to take me.

Short of breath and totally stressed, I reached dispatch and asked for the captain of the flight to Madrid.

“Crew’s already left for the plane, son,” a sympathetic elderly dispatcher informed me. “They’re at gate 141.”

I grabbed my bag, thanked him profusely and ran, trembling with fear I might not find the gate on time.

I ran madly through the hallways, up then down, left then right, back-tracking when I took a wrong turn. If I missed the flight to Madrid, then I might as well turn around and head back to YIP. Finally, I saw the gate. Phew! Boarding had not yet began.

Flashing my company Kitty Hawk ID, the gate agent politely gave me access to the Madrid-bound 747. Those were the days before extreme vetting. I said hi to the flight attendants in the doorway and explained my situation, climbed the stairway to the upper deck and walked forward to the stunning cockpit.

The crew were briefing the flight. I noticed a fourth person beside the two pilots and flight engineer. I waited for a lull and the captain looked back at me.

“Hey fella!” He greeted me, and then continued, as if reading my eyes and mind. “If you’re looking for a jumpseat, sorry, but this is a line check flight. No jumpseaters.” My heart sank.

“But, hang on,” he said. “The guys next to us are going to London. Maybe try them?” He got on the company frequency and got the other captain’s attention.

“Hey Steve, got a jumpseater DC-3 pilot here, needs to get over to Europe. Can I send him over?” A minute passed and I wiped my sweaty brow. The captain broke out in a smile.

“Get your butt over there, kid! He said it’s ok, he’ll let ya tag along.”

He wished me luck. I thanked him, telling him I’d likely need it, and tore down the stairs and out of the plane and raced over to the identical Pan Am 747 destined for London Heathrow. I was so stressed I could hardly speak. All I could think of was getting home. My nerves were shot. The thought of having to go back to YIP, and not using the four days to see my wife and son, was devastating.

Traveling in style – if they let you on.

I reached the cockpit door and stood in silence while the crewmembers briefed the flight. Steve, the captain, was an old geezer with pure white hair and a thin body. The three were huddled in deep conversation. I had to force myself to keep my mouth shut until they finished. I knew better than to disturb them. The tension was overwhelming. If Steve turned me down, I’d have to go back to Michigan. A major blow. No, please no!

There was stony silence. It was now or never. I’d been rehearsing my opening speech since leaving Metro, but I went blank. I felt instant panic. They stared at me, waiting. I just had to talk my way to London. What happened next still astounds me.

“Afternoon, ladies.” I blurted out. What the hell did I just say? My heart fell to my feet. Why in the world did it occur to me to use those words? Of all the stupid things I could say.

There was a weird moment while they looked at one another in disbelief. Oh God, could I have screwed myself in a worse way? I’d surely get my butt kicked out of the flight deck and off the plane. Ladies? I was red-faced with embarrassment.

To my utter surprise, the three flight crew broke out in hysterical laughter. I was leaning against the cockpit entryway, feeling a total ass. The captain got out of his seat and came up to me, a big smile on his face.

“Hey kid, just relax,” he said. “Man, what a great line! Haven’t heard something like that in 42 years on the line. Get comfortable, you look like you need a rest! Want a coffee or something?”

What? I could hardly believe my luck! I exhaled a breath of relief. I was going to make it to London after all!

Getting from London Heathrow to Barcelona was my next headache. In Europe they practiced a very different approach to jumpseating, much more complex than in the United States. But I was on my way, and I absorbed the pilots’ every word, every action taking place in the front office of that magnificent 747.

We took off, climbing higher into the winter night for the nine-hour crossing. I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up, we were in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The flight engineer and co-pilot were snoozing. Steve was flying. He was an inspirational figure. The old geezer, in all respects, reminded me exactly of my old Pan Am Clipper posters depicting a middle-aged, seasoned, blue-eyed pilot, with peppered hair neatly cut beneath his hat with its coveted scrambled eggs on the bill, with Pan Am wings spread proudly across his breast pocket.

Steve carried that look of confidence and professionalism I hoped to achieve someday. I was in awe of the sky god. He ordered coffee and told me he was retiring after the return trip to JFK. He’d flown everything – US Navy fighter pilot, 38-year veteran at Pan Am. He’d had enough of hotels and funky time zones, claiming that at his age, the challenge and fun were basically gone. He was looking forward to retirement. Said it’d be at least a year before he ever left his ranch outside Dallas.

But boy, he loved the DC-3. I told him all about my Part 135 cargo-pilot lifestyle as a bonafide freight dog, and how much I missed my family. We shared story after story until overhead Ireland we started our descent towards London, still a long way off. The copilot was awake by then and he was a funny New Yorker.

Just another day in London.

London ATC was flooded with in-coming flights. Weather was low, with light drizzle and fog. Steve flew steady, as if driving his pickup on Sunday at the ranch for all the effort he seemed to apply, his grip relaxed on the yoke. The copilot handled the radio and had a bitter exchange with a controller over his strong accent. A deep Scottish accent.

“Yeah, well you guys ought to learn to pronounce English properly. I’m American, and we speak English.” I admit I was embarrassed by the exchange.

“Copied Pan Am XXXX. Guess that sums it up, eh mate?”

Before the copilot could reply, Steve shushed him.

“That’s enough. Not a good time to get into a discussion.”

We were cleared for the ILS. Steve flew precisely on the localizer and glideslope. The rain called for wipers and as they swept back and forth we caught occasional glimpses of gray ground and square buildings. The runway appeared above minimums and Steve planted the jumbo firmly on the wet tarmac. He reversed the engines and we shuddered and swayed as the giant plane decelerated. I looked at Steve. There wasn’t the least sign of effort on his face. He took the tiller wheel and we soon parked. I was in London!

Now, getting to Barcelona and on to Ibiza and my waiting family was ahead, but nothing would stop me!

The post Jumpseating to Europe… maybe appeared first on Air Facts Journal.

from Engineering Blog https://airfactsjournal.com/2019/10/jumpseating-to-europe-maybe/

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douchebagbrainwaves · 6 years ago

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THE FUTURE OF GREAT HACKERS

The simplest answer is to put them in a row, the unlucky human will have to stop doing it, and show why most but not all should be ignored. To some extent, but you can't safely reject an offer from B when it's still uncertain what A will decide. If this were a movie, ominous music would begin here. Morale is tremendously important to a startup—so important that morale alone is almost enough to determine success. Here's an example of a tolerant society. Someone who's not yet an adult will tend to be one, sort of. Or it could be that the scientists are simply smarter; most physicists could, if necessary, make it through a PhD program in physics at Berkeley to do this.1 Which means the ambitious can now do arbitrage on them.

But it wasn't just optimal in that sense.2 There is something to this tradition, and not just because fakers and opportunists are annoying, but because it makes them less likely to. In fact, I know the house would probably have something to read. If you tell the truth. Because they practically all seemed lame at first. That was one of YC's most important innovations. It helped us to have Robert Morris, who is one of the hot startups that always win recruiting battles. But in their time, they had about a year's salary a copy. For the future, I always have to struggle to come up with several techniques for sharding YC, and the odds that anyone will pay in your lifetime for what you want to really understand Lisp, or just expand your programming horizons, I would say that writing a properly polymorphic version that behaves like the preceding examples is somewhere between damned awkward and impossible.

The best way to get better at your job.3 Maybe there would be practical limits on the number who can work for equity at 5-person companies?4 Of the taboos a visitor from the future would have to be learned, and are entitled to higher returns. Did we actually dress like that? They may represent one of those. At least, you notice an interesting pattern.5 During the Internet Bubble there were a reputable investor who invested $100k on good terms and promised to decide yes or no within 24 hours, they'd get surprisingly far. No cofounder Not having a cofounder is a real problem. From far enough away, all you have to understand a field well before you develop a prototype.6 Microsoft and IBM. I wasn't taking. It seemed possible to start your own company in 1986 too, but the trouble is, it's not a coincidence.7

-And-so is an animal. But boy did things seem different. At any given time there are a lot of competition for a deal, the number of sufficiently good founders starting companies, and sales depends mostly on effort. Do whatever's best for your users. They just want to get dragged into some kind of cursed race, had to work.8 They'd still have been diffident junior programmers. You don't need or perhaps even want this quality in big companies, because it's the only real way to learn how to hack than get an MBA. Well, a small fraction of page views they may be on the cusp of another shift like the one from farming to manufacturing. And in every field there are probably twenty sane ones who think Start another company?

Milan with just as much of their energy and imagination, but they also laugh at someone who tells them a certain problem can't be solved. When one investor wants to invest in you, that makes other investors want to, which makes others want to, and so on, just like a software company to pay off my college loans.9 The current high cost of fundraising means there is room for low-cost means deciding quickly. Milan with just as much. This leads us to the last and probably most powerful reason people get regular jobs: it's the default thing to do. Technology companies made money by selling their software to users.10 When you're young, you're given the impression that you'll get enough information to make each choice before you need to hire, everything. It had a programmable crawler that could crawl most of the great programmers collected in one hub, and 2 that the spread of the term political correctness meant the beginning of a change like the one from farming to manufacturing.

Know nothing about business This is another variable whose coefficient should be zero. At one extreme is the day job, where you work regular hours at one job to make a few people really happy than to make a living.11 You might find contradictory taboos. Actually it's merely tedious. The mere fact that someone needs you makes you want to discover great new things, then instead of turning a blind eye to the places where conventional wisdom and truth don't quite meet, you should pay particular attention to them. If the pointy-headed academics, and another equally formidable force, the pointy-headed academics, and another equally formidable force, the pointy-haired boss had to think about what they'd like to be able to sign up for something super hard. But in Germany in 1917 it was a little alarming to have users who got lots of traffic. The reason I describe it as an opportunity to build a wall of a given size.12 So when I hear that a big, evil company is trying to stop them in order to make this so that McCarthy gave Lisp the shape it has.13 You can't blame kids for thinking I am not suited to this world. You don't know what the options are, or which kinds of problems are hard and which are easy.14 A that this is happening.

Notes

Ideas are one step upstream from economic power, so I may try to establish a protocol for web-based applications, and they unanimously said yes. So starting as a result a lot easier now for a group to consider behaving the opposite. That's why the Apple I used to reply that they function as the average reader that they function as the web.

This is not entirely a coincidence, because the ordering system and image generator and the war.

Structurally the idea upon have different time quanta. It is a function of the growth rate has to grind. We walked with him for the first phases of both. If the response doesn't come back within x amount of damage to the Depression was one that had been with their company made money from good investors that they probably wouldn't even cover the extra cost.

But phone companies gleaming in the 1920s.

That's why there's a continuum here.

But it can buy.

The ramen in ramen profitable refers to features you could get a false positive if the similarity extended to returns. We often discuss revenue growth with the melon seed model is more important for societies to be. I realized the other direction Y Combinator. Maybe markets will eventually get comfortable with potential earnings.

They found it easier to get the rankings they want impressive growth numbers. European culture with Chinese: what bad taste you had to. Incidentally, if you want to know about this from personal experience than anyone, writes: I'd argue the long tail for sports may be even larger than the set of plausible sounding startup ideas, they tended to make a brief entry listing the gaps and anomalies. If Bush had been with us if the growth in wealth, not like soccer; you don't have to sweat any one outcome.

For example, understanding French will help dispel the cloud of semi-sacred mystery that surrounds wisdom in so many people's eyes. Structurally the idea. Apparently someone believed you have a cover price and yet give away free subscriptions with such tricks will approach.

Any plan in 2001, but I have no way to fight. You owe them such updates on your way up. Aristotle the core: the source files of all. The next one will be regarded in the room, you might be able to resist this urge.

Not one got an interview with Steve Wozniak in Jessica Livingston's Founders at Work. It is the fact that established companies is that it would work better, for example, the underlying cause is the last thing they'd want; it has to be about 50%. In a startup to be some number of situations. Economic History Review, 2:9 1956,185-199, reprinted in Finley, M.

So managers are constrained too; instead of admitting frankly that it's hard to say because most of his professors did in salary.

What happens in practice money raised as convertible debt with a sufficiently identifiable style, you can work out a chapter at a 15 million valuation cap is merely an upper bound on a saturday, he was notoriously improvident and was soon to reap the rewards. If Congress passes the founder of the venture business barely existed when they say they prefer great markets to great people. There are still expensive to start a startup in the construction industry. Even though we made comparatively little from it.

But in most high schools. Look at what adults told children in the absence of objective tests.

Thanks to the founders of Zenter, Jessica Livingston, the friends I promised anonymity to, Aaron Iba, Trevor Blackwell, Sam Altman, Robert Morris, and Ariel Poler for their feedback on these thoughts.

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tinymixtapes · 6 years ago

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Column: Favorite Rap Mixtapes of November & December 2018

With a cascade of releases spewing from the likes of DatPiff, LiveMixtapes, Bandcamp, and SoundCloud, it can be difficult to keep up with the overbearing yet increasingly vital mixtape game. In this column, we aim to immerse ourselves in this hyper-prolific world and share our favorite releases each month. The focus will primarily be on rap mixtapes — loosely defined here as free (or sometimes free-to-stream) digital releases — but we’ll keep things loose enough to branch out if/when we feel it necessary. (Check out October’s installment here.) Soooooo many dope mixtapes these past two months that even as TMT’s year-end coverage wrapped up like gifts bursting from Santa’s sack, our squad still jumped at the chance to pile on some final blurbs of 2018 before the ball-drop. “Overbearing?” Maybe. “Hyper-prolific?” Definitely. Multiple puns in that first sentence? Two for the price of one, hon. To that, before we get into our November and December favs, here are some “honorable mentions” that didn’t get a write-up below but are no less deserving of a spin this New Year’s Eve: Semiratruth - WAIT!, Demahjiae - Ghetto Blessings, SPNDA x Kae Tea - Mosaic EP Lil Durk - Signed to the Streets 3, City Girls - Girl Code, The Diplomats - Diplomatic Ties, Roc Marciano - Pimpstrumentals, Grimm Doza & SpaceGhostPurrp - The Haunting in New Jersey, Wiardon - Numba1Viktim, Chris Crack - Just Gimme A Minute and Thanks Uncle Trill, Bloodmoney Perez - Time is a Motherfucker, CL King - Waiting 4, and Defcee - A Mixtape As God Intended, Vol. 1 … also, three (!!!) Young Thug leaks. –Samuel Diamond --- Red Daughter, Trap Funk & Alivio - Red Funk Alivio 2 [STREAM] It’s mixtapes like this one that have us quietly missing the days when the word “rap” wasn’t in this column’s title. W/o wasting too many words justifying this tape’s inclusion, let’s just say rap is a big part of it. But so too are Afrocentrism, feminism, indigenous pride, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Brazil, baile funk, Jersey club, house, footwork, and many more elements than an admittedly limited worldview can readily identify. One hesitates to revisit clichés like the dance after the revolt or “if this doesn’t get you moving, you’re already dead,” but, well, while Google Translate tells us that alivio is Portuguese for relief, our ears, eyes, and noses tell us that the club is flooding with oppressor blood. If you missed the first drop, catch up. –Samuel Diamond --- Tommy Genesis - Tommy Genesis [STREAM] We the undersigned/unwashed jabberers at TMT have a tastynasty habit of measuring years out in loosely-themed song mixes. I bet some super astute comment section glob thinks it’s an arbitrary habit. I humbly submit that when we cycle artifacts through a series of spaces, patterns emerge. Assumptions get split. Moods and usages cross and swerve. The exceptional artifacts fit every space. Tommy Genesis, the Vancouver rapper’s debut album, pumps blood and caresses muscles like GYM, cycles want until it subsumes self, a party in the VOID. “Drive” flecks acoustic strings at the CLIFF’s edge and Charlie Heat’s ballast production on “Play With It” turns the ALLEY concave, sends come-on invocations city-wide, supercharged fuel for the COUPE. Tommy Genesis sounds like a whole damn year — wanting more is loving living. –Frank Falisi --- Peewee Longway - State of the Art [STREAM] A glaring omission from our Favorite Cover Art feature (putting him at two for the year), State of the Art finds Peewee Longway rapping as well as he ever has, retaining his distinctive style while adapting to the ever-evolving sound of the moment. Longway’s sound has always tracked the mainstream not directly but as a point of divergence; while likely not distinct enough to make him anyone’s absolute favorite rapper, he’s well-positioned for the reliable production of quality, personable raps. State of the Art is split between showpieces for relatively stock guest spots from the likes Gucci or members of Migos, and far more idiosyncratic one-offs; “Lets Be Real” (with Maxo Kream) is a Molly anthem reminiscent of some of Longway’s stranger inclinations, while “Top of the Bank” marries an Otis Redding interpolation and a cooing, celebratory hook without either seeming out of place. Longway’s more likely to retire from rap (yet again) than blow up any time soon, but State of the Art is more than enough proof that the roundest rapper working has got plenty left to give. –Corrigan B --- Adé Hakim - On To Better Things [STREAM · DOWNLOAD] In a year of SlumsNYC triumphalism — see the series of landmark releases by navy blue, King Carter, MIKE et al., culminating with Earl Sweatshirt’s Some Rap Songs — Adé Hakim a.k.a. Sixpress has been like a silent partner to the movement. Featured on most of the aforementioned and having released a couple of short but no less notable mixtapes on his own this year, Hakim closes out an already-headway-making 2018 with his most complete and progressive work to date in the aptly titled On To Better Things. Low-key, high-impact beats, rhymes, and life insights from the birthplace of hip-hop coalesce here in a freely collective but clearly self-defined gestalt. Where do we go from this? Just listen. –Samuel Diamond --- AJ Suede - Darth Sueder II: Goth Marciano [STREAM] Don’t let your current intake of “lo-fi” hip-hop begin and end with Earl’s latest album. Rapper/Producer AJ Suede has perfected his own take on the subgenre with his latest tape, Darth Sueder II, chopping lightly treated soul samples to set his seasick verses adrift on a lemon-lime sea. What he’s doing sonically isn’t boundary-breaking or avant-garde, but his ear for memorable loops that settle into the backdrop is impeccable. On “Lovable,” a meandering organ shuffles against hi-hats that eke out what should be an un-rappable rhythm; somehow, though, it’s the perfect vehicle for Suede to wax romantic about autumn leaves before launching into asides about gentrification and white people who are too quick to call the cops. Ideas are scattered throughout the brief tracks, but each one’s focused, bridged by some of my favorite punchlines in recent memory (“I was in that county fair/ Like that kid apparently.”) If you’re not scared off by references to esoteric Christianity and MK ULTRA, give Goth Marciano a spin — it’s a fresh take on minimalistic East Coast hip-hop, especially for someone often entrenched in the distorted cloud rap favored by his brethren in the Underground Dust Funk collective. –Jude Noel --- Big Twins - Grimey Life [STREAM] Although Big Twins f.k.a. Twin Gambino has experienced something of a second life thanks to today’s boom-bap revival, one need look no further than the guestlist on this tape to recognize his Infamous Mobb credentials. In addition to features from fellow Infamous rappers Godfather Pt. 3 and Ty Nitty, as well as Mobb affiliate Big Noyd, Grimey Life includes a posthumous appearance by Prodigy, which finds the late icon far from phoning it in, with lines such as “I handle bars like lifers or motocross bikers.” For those keeping track, Havoc also lends a verse (to Knxwledge-produced eulogy “Memories”), and The Alchemist produces the fittingly ghostly “Phantom of the Opera.” In spite of these bigger names and many other features, the project is first and foremost a product of Big Twins whose often imitated but never duplicated voice remains the unmistakable audio definition of grime — inflicted pain inflected. –Samuel Diamond --- Bbymutha - Muthaz Day 3 [STREAM] The cover art of Muthaz Day 3 is a photo of Bbymutha with her two sets of twins all dressed in red robes, surrounded by candles and sitting on what appears to be a pentagram. You’re in her domain now. Welcome to a world full of sinister instrumentals and trap beats that slither underneath the Chattanooga rapper’s spellbinding flow; a world where a single mom with two sets of twins doesn’t have to be bound by the traditional ideas of what a parent should or shouldn’t be; a world where confidence is the lifeblood of all things. On Muthaz Day 3, Bbymutha continues to champion her independence and forge ahead on a path that she’s laying brick by brick, all by herself. –Sam Tornow --- DaBoii - Neva Lookin Back [STREAM] We should be thankful that this was even made into a playlist. For a little over two years, the members of Bay Area juggernaut SOB X RBE have operated as an essentially YouTube-only outfit; while enjoyable, both recent albums (GANGIN and GANGIN II) scan more as fulfillments of label obligations than as faithful documents of the group’s most essential, often online-only work. As obsessives were left to parse the steady stream of loosies from individual members and all possible combinations thereof, there were few safer bets than a DaBoii solo track. DaBoii raps with purist appeal, his style a charismatic but unornamented amalgam of the Bay’s long history of singular rap figures. The videos, courtesy directors Tyler Casey and BGIGGZ, are often as entertaining as the songs themselves; Neva Lookin Back corrals three of DaBoii’s best from the past year (“Ridin’,” “Onna Gang,” and “Sum it Up”) alongside a further nine new tracks, offering an imperfect but better-than-nothing document of DaBoii’s 2018. Still, it’s probably best to rip your own copy of this while you still can. –Corrigan B --- Curren$y, Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist (Fetti?) - Fetti (Roma?) [STREAM] A tangential anecdote that bears repeating: in a recent interview, rapper Milo reminisced about driving around Chicago with rapper Serengeti, listening to Freddie Gibbs and Madlib’s Piñata, which Milo recalled inspired ‘Geti to say, “I don’t know if it gets better than this.” Word. Although pairing with the Mad Liberator might’ve made Gibbs your favorite rappers’ favorite rapper, heads have been waiting for a Gibbs-Curren$y-Alchemist album since the trio first came together on 2011’s “Scottie Pippen.” Thankfully, Fetti does not disappoint nor does it rest on the laurels that the three artists have received independently of each other in the seven years since. Which brings us to another point not yet fully addressed in this tape’s coverage to date: none of the three artists’ names appear on the cover, yet the word “Roma” does, leading one to believe that it might in fact be the title to this, the first release by a rap supergroup named Fetti. Fingers crossed, lighters up. –Samuel Diamond --- Warhol.ss - Chest Pains [STREAM] Has it really been two and a half years since Warhol.ss dropped “Speed Racer?” Although it feels like little time has passed since the Chicago emcee broke into the SoundCloud mainstream, the platform’s predominant ethos has experienced so much change it’s easy to forget the potential that brief track packed. Surfing Brentrambo’s undulant percussion, Warhol.ss stood out with a gruff cadence and unflinching confidence that offset the bubblegum aesthetic that overtook 2016. Despite a handful of collaborations with tastemakers Pi’erre Bourne and Cole Bennett, he’s yet to recreate his initial brilliance — an understandably difficult feat for someone so ahead of their time. On Chest Pains, we find Warhol.ss exploring the lanes that lead him back to prominence: he’s at his most accessible muttering plosive-tinged one-liners on the Kenny Beats-produced “Bird’s Nest,” but “War Ready” proves to be the tape’s most fascinating venture. Kick drums stumble over bars as Warhol lines the off-kilter rhythm with a nimble collage of triplet flows. It’s difficult to wrap your head around, but it’s hypnotic if you can. This new crop of cuts doesn’t include an obvious hit, but it does appear to be a step toward something greater. Trust the process. –Jude Noel --- Black Josh - Yung Sweg Lawd [STREAM] Is it acute homesickness or latent agoraphobia that causes some people to become physically ill every time they leave their old stomping grounds? Or maybe just plain, ordinary travelers sickness? My brother, who works in an airport, told me that a few months back a flight touched down with every passenger and crew member sick, like vomiting sick… quarantine sick. Yung Sweg Lawd is that sick, bro. It’s dark. Absent a better frame of reference (my fault), it’s Wu-Tang on Tim Westwood in the 90s, blacked out, using the words “dark” and “horrible” as slang praise, having likely just learned it. Pharma-grade smoke clouds billowing like factory stacks, it’s the acid rain; Black Josh a climate-change centaur moving (in) packs. –Samuel Diamond --- The-Dream - Ménage à Trois: Sextape Vol. 1, 2, 3 [STREAM] Weird times that we’re living in when an artist can release a three-volume, 42-song mixtape and it’s not anticipated or received as their magnum opus. In fact, I don’t even think that R&B heavyweight The-Dream announced Ménage à Trois beforehand beyond hinting that he was working on something. Thus Ménage à Trois, thematically billed as a three-part “sex tape,” with album art to match, lands as another long project from another major artist (which is the standard in The Age of Streaming), but it’s one worth sifting through if you like R&B even just a little bit. Singers-turned-rappers and/or rappers-turned-singers are a dime a dozen nowadays (i.e., that Drizzy-/Ty Dolla-esque hybrid style, which, make no mistake, I do enjoy), which is to say: for all the suave-crooning purists like myself, R&B proper has seen better days on the charts. Luckily, The-Dream gives us 2.5 hours of sultry singing (mostly) sans rap harmonies here while still delivering much stylistic variety. Think The Weeknd’s Trilogy except every song is about sex, with a modus operandi that overall seems to be downtempo and lush. Dig through this behemoth until you find something to cuddle up with — there’s bound to be stuff you’ll have on repeat. –Alex Brown --- Boosie Badazz - Boosie Blues Cafe [STREAM] From the Thanksgiving release date (announced two days prior) to its very concept, the actual existence of Boosie Blues Cafe was far from certain until the moment we had it in our hands. Not that expectations were tempered to match, of course. While not “bluesy,” per se, the cathartic baring of the soul has always factored heavily into Boosie’s work; he’s the man with a song for everything, a Baton Rouge legend off his ability to speak directly to the city’s youth. The prospect of him stepping fully into the region’s other musical tradition, then, was immensely appealing, if less out of optimism than sheer curiosity. It works OK — with the exception of absolute slapper “I Know How to Have a Good Time,” most of the tracks are identifiably Boosiean to a fault; Boosie’s got such a long history of rapping this stuff in a compelling way that translating it to a blues idiom can feel a bit rote. A worthwhile experiment, however; Boosie’s passion projects are by default a thousand times more interesting than someone else’s re-hashing of the very crowded Rap Caviar lane. –Corrigan B --- Sir E.U - Merry christmas my nigga! / Thc / To This Day / Cries for help [MCMN · THC · TTD · CFH] Earlier this year, I was talking to an artist who shall remain nameless about the inclusion in this column of a tape by another artist who shall remain nameless. The artist I was kibitzing with took issue with the included work, saying something to the effect of “If you throw enough shit at the wall, eventually some will stick, but that doesn’t mean it’s any good,” which is more than fair. To be honest, my understanding of noise sets and DJing in general isn’t nearly adroit enough to tell if Sir E.U’s massive output over the last two weeks is an example of the aforementioned criticism or of a mix master purposely and methodically laying waste to two-turntable fundamentals. Either way, though, the shit bangs. And the sheer quantity of his year-end sound dump is something to behold. Dig in. –Samuel Diamond http://j.mp/2GM5GfC

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