#NOT ONE SINGLE MISS ON THEIR TRIP ALBUM. LISTENING TO IT ON REPEAT NOW | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

icarusthelunarguard · 8 months ago

Text

This Week’s Horrible-Scopes

It’s time for this week’s Horrible-Scopes! So for those of you that know your Astrological Signs, cool! If not, just pick one, roll a D12, or just make it up as you go along. It really doesn’t matter. Better yet! Check out “Heart of the Game, Fredonia” and see if they can sell you those D12’s with the symbols on them. Tell them “Shujin Tribble” sentcha. And “Hail, Hail, Fredonia!” Home of the Blue Devil!

Under the gun and ready to rock. Let’s have a little fun with the Potpourri category for 500 please, LeVar Burton. YES! We’re salty about it! LeVar SHOULD have been selected as the permanent replacement host on Jeopardy. But since he’s not… let’s see what this category has for you all.

Aries

You’ve got some ‘splainin’ to do with your musical taste! You get your toes tappin’ to “Bugle Call Rag” as performed by Doc Severinsen & The Tonight Show Band in 1991… but the song was originally recorded in 1922! How the HELL do you like Big Band Jazz this much and STILL have Ariana Grande in that same playlist!? This Week… Add some Molly Hatchet to your musical collection. It’ll be fun for just the album artwork alone.

Taurus

The Devil’s come looking for you while you were out gassing up your car. Something about collecting on a promise from when you were in high school - something about playing the bass in a band and getting respect! He looked pretty disappointed, too. So This Week… Seeing as how it’s a natural law of the Universe that Bass Players never get respected, it’s likely that The Devil owes YOU some recompense. Either that or he’s going to talk to you about your car’s extended warranty.

Gemini

Speaking of school, how about your checkered history with the principal at your high school? He was a nice enough person, always well spoken, always supported you kids, and made it to at least ONE event for every group he could every year. And what did you do? You organized a Prank on him. How you managed to build a giant Christmas Present Box around his car is still a mystery to this day - and it’s still spoken about as a Revered Legend to this day. So This Week… He knew it was you - all those security cameras didn’t lie. But he hid the information from the authorities just so you wouldn’t get in trouble. Remember that as you plan for your next April Fool’s Day Prank.

Cancer Moon-Child

What do you get when you mix a Fender Rhodes, a Fender Precision Bass, a Fender Stratocaster, and a single, repeated, 8-Bar Riff? You get FUNK! You get so dirty, naughty, grindy FUNK to listen to. But you don’t want to just listen, you want to play, don’t you? Yeah, we know how much you miss writing music and playing in that just-starting-out band with the funky bass player and the trumpet wacko. Why did you leave the band just as they were getting big? We’re really trying to understand your motivations there. So This Week… Look up the biggest Zydeco Bands of the Early 21st Century and feel sorry for yourself at how high they’re on that list.

Leo

Time to plan your next vacation - but with a twist. Sure, it’s fun to take a flight from New York City’s Laguardia Airport to England’s Gatwick Airport, but let’s do something more fun… TAKE A CRUISE! Sure, instead of an 8 hour trip it’ll be more like a week, one way… but HEY! You can get up all you want, eat when you want to, use a private bathroom, and take a swim mid-trip! So This Week… Consider splurging for your trip for once! And remember, WIFI plans start at only $18 per day. So plan your trip on the Queen Mary 2 NOW!

Virgo

Your music collection is for crap. NO, SERIOUSLY! Just because it’s complete doesn’t mean it’s good. Sure, you’ve got all EIGHTEEN albums put out by That One Artist, but he’s only ever had like 8 Top-40 Singles, and four of them were all from the FIRST album. Buying all those records didn’t support them - all that money went to the record companies. So This Week… He’s on social Media. Look him up and send him a message of thanks for the music you enjoyed. Maybe he’ll write a song just for you too!

Libra

You’re going to be headed out with your friends and have a GREAT time doing something you’ve always wanted to try doing; Prix Fixe! Yes, we talked about this on a previous Horrible-Scope, and that’s where you got the idea from. Let’s get you ready to finally take advantage of this fun culinary adventure, even if the cost will be an indulgence. So This Week… Spend a little money on a properly fitted suit so you look classy for this dinner. It’ll be worth it.

Scorpio

One of the things you miss is getting pecans, scooped from under a heat lamp, and poured into a wax-paper bag! Munching them on the drive home and having almost none left once you get there was so much fun for you… but now you’ve finally learned you have an allergy to them. Truly… TRULY a sad thing to know. BUT, it finally explains why it got harder and harder to eat them as the drive progressed. So This Week… Invest in some antihistamines so you can enjoy long drives with warm, succulent nuts in your mouth again. (*PAUSE*) We know what you’re thinking! You should be ashamed of yourselves!

Sagittarius

No one else knows about this, but WE do, and we’re spilling the beans. Your favorite superhero is… Wonder Woman! And not just ANY Wonder Woman, but the first live-action version with Cathy Lee Crosby and Ricardo Montalban. You think no-one remembers that clunker, but WE do! And, really, we have no idea WHY you like that one; though Ricardo Mantalban just makes everything an Instant WIN in our book. So This Week… You don’t want us to talk about your Secret Bondage Fetish, DO you? Ok. We won’t.

Capricorn

We know you enjoy doing cross-mixing websites, but you’re really pushing your luck. Mix-n-Matching PokeMon into weird abominations is fun for kicks, but you’re trying to turn them into personalized CCG cards and sneaking them into overnight games, trying to beat all the coffee-guzzling young adults… and heaven help us, you’ve actually managed to do it a few times! So This Week… Remember, “Exodia” is NOT a PokeMon card character! STOP SCREWING WITH THE KIDDIES! You gunna get some Bad Ju-Ju that way.

Aquarius

We’re not going to Tech Shame you here, but we kinda have to. Just because you have a Hand-Held Ham Radio, a “Where’s The International Space Station” tracking app on your phone, and a big-open sky doesn’t mean you can take over the ISS’ computers and hold them hostage! Your dreams of being an Evil Mad Scientist are just not going to manifest… because the ISS Laptops are running a specialized version of Debian Linux - so you’re screwed since you can’t hack those machines. So This Week… Find some eMachines from 1998 and load ‘em up with Mandriva Linux, or at least TRY to. THAT’LL make you mad REAL fast!

Pisces

It’s That Time Again! It’s time for you to start getting ready for the summer - meaning dieting so you fit into your swimsuit again. NO, we’re not Body Shaming you for your size! We’re shaming you for refusing to buy a new swimsuit! Look, that suit’s survived Hurricane Gloria, fer crying out loud! It’s time to just retire it and stop patching it everytime it splits a seam. So This Week… If you’re not gunna buy a new suit, then make some proper cut offs. They’re ALWAYS in fashion.

And THOSE are your Horrible-Scopes for this week! Remember if you liked what you got, we’re obviously not working hard enough at these. BUT! If you want a better or nastier one for your own sign or someone else’s, all you need to do to bribe me is just Let Me Know - or check out the Ko-Fi page ( https://ko-fi.com/icarusthelunarguard )! These will be posted online at the end of each week via Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Discord, and BLUESKY.

#parody #horrorscope #funny #horoscope #humor #comedy

0 notes

sha-nwa · 4 years ago

Text

each ml character’s feelings about taylor swift and how they reacted to the evermore album drop

Adrien is a taylor stan through and through, but he thinks this is a universal opinion so he doesn’t talk about it. he thinks there is an understood, unanimous agreement among the entire population that miss swift is the most powerful woman alive (besides ladybug). his favorite album is fearless. adrien has an entire essay living in his mind about how much he loves taylor swift and it’s the one question he wishes an interviewer would ask him, but he figures nobody bothers to ask it because everyone has the same opinion anyway. when evermore dropped, adrien faked sick the next day to stay home from fencing so he could listen to it on repeat.

Marinette loves taylor swift with her entire heart, but has learned how to not bring it up in every single conversation like she did in middle school. she listens to reputation when she has to focus on her schoolwork, and she listens to speak now when it’s time to think about adrien. when evermore dropped, 6 different people texted her the song gold rush and said “wow i can’t believe you ghost wrote a song for taylor swift”

Alya tolerates taylor swift because marinette is her best friend, and reputation honestly has some bops. mostly alya wonders if marinette is aware that beyoncé exists. she has to admit, though, all too well is pretty good. when evermore dropped, alya took a deep breath to brace herself before receiving 409837 freakout texts from marinette.

Nino has been listening to marinette talk about taylor swift since they were 8, so he has always been up to date on all her music. nino has never had anything bad to say about taylor, and sometimes listens to her while riding the bus on the way back from a field trip. when evermore dropped, nino listened to it immediately so he could have an opinion to contribute when marinette asked him.

Chloe pretends to hate taylor swift but she doesn’t. she just only listens to taylor when it’s time to cry feels like she needs to keep it a secret. chloe stayed up listening to evermore on repeat the night it dropped but went to school the next day pretending she had never heard of it

Kagami has actually never heard of taylor swift. she actually thinks taylor swift might be somebody that goes to school with adrien, but she has never seen her so she isn’t sure. when evermore dropped, kagami was at fencing wondering why adrien was gone

Luka isn’t sure how taylor swift got famous in the first place considering she isn’t a real musician. luka kind of thinks that taylor has had too many boyfriends and is constantly playing the victim. when evermore dropped, luka deleted his twitter account

Lila only likes taylor’s very first album and taylor’s christmas album (which she listens to all year) because they have the most horse girl energy. lila will never forgive taylor for straying from her country roots. when evermore dropped, lila listened to cowboy like me and no other songs.

Bonus:

Ladynoir talk about taylor swift together constantly. ladybug found out that chat noir liked taylor swift when she heard him singing “you belong with me” while he was waiting for her to arrive for patrol. every time ladybug says it’s time to go home from a patrol, chat sings “why would you wanna break a perfectly good heart?” when evermore dropped, they scheduled an emergency patrol so they could listen to it together for the first time.

#in case you forgot... lila was a horse girl #gabe thinks 'forever and always piano version' is a beethoven piece because adrien always starts his lessons with it #anyways. i'm right #mine #miraculous ladybug #ml #taylor swift

811 notes · View notes

mellow-em · 3 years ago

Text

Bittersweet Temptations

CHAPTER 2

[special dt @bluewingedangel <3]

Your neighbors, Nathan and Elena, have been friends with your parents for years. Whether it’d be family gatherings or vacations, they were around; they were family. But when you return home from your final years of college, what will happen when you find that it isn't just them living in the house next door anymore?

_____________________________________

The afternoon sun brought in a relaxing mixture of natural light from the windows, but I wasn’t even remotely focused on it.

My right leg was bouncing hastily under the kitchen table while I prodded my salad with a fork. I tossed a particularly small carrot around in the bowl, swirling it around the sea of other vegetables.

“Are you gonna eat that or play around with it sweetie?” The sound of my mothers voice raced right through one ear and out the other one.

I only sighed in response, and leaned the side of my head on my hand, not bothering to look up at either of my parents that sat across from me.

They urged me to consistently have family meals with them today, in an attempt to dine on the experiences I had away at college. If they’d asked me to do this at any other time, I wouldn’t mind.

But my head was clouded by something else; or should I say by someone else.

Last night refused to escape my line of thinking. Even after it all went down, I went back to bed to try and fall back asleep, but it was absolutely no use.

The cunning quirk of his lips as he smirked back at me was an image that glued itself to the front of my brain. I reeled around in bed until sunrise, unable to silence my thoughts regardless of any persistence. So as of now, I was beyond exhausted.

“y/n? Are you alright?”

I jump faintly in my chair, with my fathers words pulling me away from my cogitation of the man from the pool, “I’m um.. I’m fine, sorry.”

I gave them a toothless smile as reassurance, but by the exchange of looks they both gave each other, they didn’t seem too convinced.

I shifted uncomfortably, and stabbed the carrot I was messing with. I slowly bring it towards my mouth, finally having the compulsion to take a bite.

Until the man’s wink decided to project in front of me, as if I was experiencing the whole ordeal all over again.

I abruptly dropped the fork into the bowl, resulting in a reverberating clash that not only startled my parents, but it startled me back into reality again.

“Jesus y/n, what’s gotten into you?”

I’m asking that same question, mom.

“Nothing, I uh- think I’m just tired,” the excuse flew out of my mouth in a panic, “I’m just.. I’m gonna go shower for the party later.”

I hurriedly sprung from my seat, and scurried up the stairs to the bathroom.

“Well that was smooth, dumbass,” I muttered out in the open, while slamming the door behind me.

That son of a bitch is driving me crazy, and I haven’t even had a single conversation with him.

I take a few steps into the bathroom, placing both of my hands on opposite sides of the sink, leaning over with my body weight. With my head bowed down to the direction of my feet, I suspired deeply.

This was stupid. The brief interaction was embarrassing, yes, but with how I reacted today during lunch, especially when the party was happening later on today..

I just needed to stop thinking about what happened last night.

Act like it didn’t happen.

It didn’t happen.

____________

Turmoil carried on in the form of muffled conversations, and distinct bass from the speakers on the lower levels of the house. Even being upstairs in my room, the walls weren’t thick enough to block the noise that derived from the party.

Of course, my dad’s annual excuse backfired, and instead of the party being fairly small, it was as big as the rest of the parties we've had in the past. Although I really shouldn’t be surprised, knowing this really has carried on for 10 years at most.

As of now, I could only assume that the booze was already out for everyone, and by the end of the night, I could guarantee that almost half the people here will be drunk. It reassured me though, especially when I’ll probably end up being one of those people.

I could use a little alcohol in my system; to let myself go a little bit.

While fixing the straps of my white sundress, I looked at myself in the mirror, making sure any scraps of exhaustion were not visible on my features. Despite longing for a few hours of rest, I knew for a fact that I wasn’t going to get much yet again.

With satisfaction, I back away from my vanity, and start for the door that barricaded me from the chaos.

The exchanges of laughter became much more pronounced as I slowly opened the door, and traveled down the hall. My feet carried me towards the stairs, shaking from the rumble of the speakers seeping through the walls and floors.

It was a blessing that the noise didn’t affect our neighbors enough for them to make complaints; but that was mostly because they were all here.

With each step down the flight, more of the party overtook my vision. Guests were dispersed amongst every room as far as I could see, gathering around each other in hopes of starting conversation over the music. It had been fairly crowded to say the least.

Immediately after I make it to the ground floor, I’m bombarded by my mother.

“Hey honey, Nathan and Elena are outside if you want to say hello to them!” her slightly raising her voice didn't really help much, with us being right next to the speakers. But I nodded letting her know I understood.

Turning away from her, I then faced the crowd of people in front of me. I start to weave my way through, making slight pauses along the way to thank them for coming. Most of the people around me had a slight stench of beer already, making me scrunch my nose; that smell is definitely going to linger afterwards.

Eventually making it to the door, I slide it open and step out, letting the freshness of the outside air fill my senses. I quickly noticed the difference between the outdoors and the impeded aura from inside the house. It felt like I was finally able to breathe.

After shutting the sliding door behind me, I strolled away towards the yard.

I made sure to make a slight detour to the cooler to grab myself a beer though, rashly cracking it open as soon as I got my hands on one. I take a swig while observing the guests around me.

As soon as I saw a familiar head of blonde hair a few yards away, I could feel myself smile widely. I hadn’t seen Nate or Elena in four years, and being back home now is making me realize how much I missed them.

The both of them had moved into the neighborhood about a year after my family, and that was over 15 years ago. Ever since then, they hit it off more than you could imagine.

They had all gotten so close to one another, that they’d have annual dinners together, game nights and tag along on all of our family trips. They would even bring in their ideal vacation spots up to us, which evolved into us traveling to entirely different countries most of the time.

While Elena and my mom went to any beach they could find, and my dad found the bar, Nathan really wanted to drag me along to the historical landmarks and teach me about everything he knew. It made our relationship blossom, and now I considered him my second father.

Plus, because of him I began to develop an endless love for history.

I liked it so much that I made the decision to go to college for it. Nathan’s reaction when I told him before I left was something for the cover of a photo album, and I just knew already that a million questions were going to arise when I got to them.

I stepped down from the deck, and walked towards them with my lips still curled in a smile.

As I made it closer to them though, my gaze became hazy. With my brows contorting, my confused demeanor became more visible with every footstep I made closer to Nate and Elena.

There was another man wrapped into their conversation. He was taller than the other two, especially Elena. I noticed his hair slicked back ruggedly, from above the others’ heads. Though, I still couldn’t get a proper look at his face yet.

I turned my direction slightly to discreetly see who my neighbors were conversing with. My curious nature was overriding my body.

I should have just listened to that universally cliche phrase.

Curiosity did kill the fucking cat, and I wish it would just kill me now.

From here, I had a clear view of his face. He stood there listening to Nate’s banter, with a cigarette wedged between his lips.

The lips I had been staring at the night before, along with the rest of him.

Shit shit shit shit shit.

By this point I would’ve been repeating my annual habit of staring in place. But fortunately, I turned on my heal sharply to try and escape.

“Oh my god y/n?” My breath hitched while Elena's voice rang out towards me.

Well great.

I held that particular breath in as I turned my body once more to face her. My warm smile returned to my face, but a layer of embarrassment and panic riddled beneath the surface.

“Elena, it’s so good to see you,” I went over and wrapped my arms around her carefully, keeping her baby bump in mind, “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too,” she returned the hug, leaning close to my ear, mumbling, “especially when I’ve had to deal with him all alone. I swear sometimes I really question whether the pregnancy hormones are hitting me or him harder.”

I look over at Nate for a quick second, stifling a laugh while I let go of Elena. The two of us continued laughing faintly, certainly gaining the attention of Nate.

“What are you two laughing about? What’d I do this time?” Nate looked genuinely perplexed, which made it funnier.

“Oh nothing, Nate,” Elena and I looked at each other, smirking as she spoke.

Even with Elena and I’s pleasant interaction, that uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach just wouldn’t quit. I just knew he was watching my every move.

Especially, when in the corner of my eye, I watched his travel with me as I went to give Nate his hug.

“It’s good to have you back, Crash.”

Hearing the nickname took me away from my thoughts on the man behind me for a moment, and made my smile lift.

“It’s been too long, Aku.”

We stayed this way for a few more seconds, until I feel him pat my back. I let my arms fall away from him, and return to my spot in front of them.

I then feel my head slowly turn over to the unknown one of the three; well to me he was unknown.

“So who’s this?” I cross my arms in front of me, anticipating an answer from one of them.

But silence continued to radiate around us.

They all stood there, exchanging looks with one another, making me raise one of my brows. While awaiting a response I decided to take a long sip of my beer, feeling the cold liquid slide down my throat.

That is, before Nate finally spoke up, “Y/n, this is Sam,” he paused, and I could see the hesitation written all over him, “Sam Drake.”

I almost choked on my beer as soon as I heard the last name. I thought for a solid minute that my eyes were going to fall out of their sockets.

“Is this your-” I pointed between the both of them.

“He’s my older brother.” Nate finishes my sentence, as he scratched at the back of his neck.

My face fell even more if it was even possible.

Wait.

Nate was in his early forties to begin with, so that would make Sam…

I looked at Sam’s face intensely again, specifically at the wrinkles that were tainted across his face. Now that my brain was functioning properly, unlike last night, I noticed how many there really were.

Great. Not only was I checking out Nathan’s BROTHER, but the man that was more than twice my age.

Fuck.

#sam drake x reader #sam drake #samuel drake x reader #samuel drake #uncharted fanfiction #sam drake fanfiction #uncharted #naughty dog

95 notes · View notes

calumxkisses · 4 years ago

Text

Sleep On The Floor | c.h.

pairing: calum hood x reader

genre: fluff

warnings: none

summary: life’s getting dark grey, lucky for you, Calum is ready to show you all the colors - or maybe that’s what you dream about.

a/n: hi beautiful angels, i’m back! sorry for being away fr such a long time but i was studying and trying my best to stay alive. today’s also my birthday and i wanted to thank all of you for loving my past serie. i love every single on of you.

this imagine its inspired by the song: sleep on the floor

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

The music is loud, the same songs are repeated continuously but the constant talk and the drinks make it difficult to notice the monotony of these parties. It is a monotony that you relive every weekend since you started working in the music industry and it doesn’t depend on the place, the week or the event, the same things repeat themselves over and over again.

Dark grey. It’s the color that you best associate to this situation. It’s that color that makes you think about factories, workers in line, controlled by rules and by a world that leaves no room for creativity, for change, for a better world. You remember that Charlie Chaplin’s movie that your professor made you watch in school and the way he ends up living an adventure. Will that happen to you too? It’s just a party, you think, but because it’s a party you shouldn’t feel this way.

You’ll take a plane tomorrow and you’ll end up in another city that you won’t visit because there’ll be no time. After the concert or the interview, you’ll end up in some hidden place dancing and drinking and the day after another plane or bus will be waiting for you. And when the tour ends, you’ll be able to breathe.

The girl in front of you keeps talking about the promotion she got at work, but you stopped listening to her a long time ago. Didn't she get the promotion last week? Or was it another girl? Maybe she was the one who had just returned from a business trip?

Across the room, a few steps away from you, Calum, Luke and Roy are talking about the new album the band is working on, the new genre they are experimenting with and the lyrics they enjoy writing but will never release. They spend their days like this, searching for new sounds and writing lyrics about salads and strange places where they get lost.

You look around before your gaze gets placed in front of you and you notice that Calum is looking at you too, his curly hair with shades of blonde free from any beanie and he’s still wearing the leather jacket. His eyes stare at you and a little grin forms on his lips. Without realizing it, you slowly approach each other.

“It doesn't look like you're having fun.”

“My stomach hurts from how much I’m laughing.” You say in a sarcastic tone, your face expressing your emotion.

“What’s going on? Are you okay?” Calum knows you. He knows your need to break free from the world and the way you love everything that is extraordinary. He needs that too, he wants to have the possibility to just be him and not the bassist from 5 Seconds Of Summer, but he’ll never tell you this, he won’t give you the satisfaction of being right. But you know.

“No, I'm just tired of always doing the same things.” You say dramatically, sighing.

“Then let's do something different.”

“Like what? Playing hide and seek instead of beer pong?”

“No, let’s leave. We have a couple of hours before this party ends and nobody will notice our absence anyway. Let’s do something different for once.”

You smile. He’s trying to relieve your suffering and you appreciate that.

Calum walks away for a moment and when he returns, your jacket is in his hand and no longer on the couch. He throws it at you and offers you his hand. “A Taxi is already waiting for us outside. What do you think?” His smile is wide on his face, but not as big as the one that forms on your face when you grab his hand and drag him out.

You both laugh as you get into the car, your adrenaline is running high and you already feel better. The driver smiles at the scene, Calum whispers something in his ear and then sits back on the seat, his eyes following your body before looking in your eyes.

“I didn’t know you could speak French.” You say looking at his face.

“There’s a lot of things that you don’t know about me, love.” He says before looking in front of him, mentally trying to remember the name of the streets. His side profile is lightened by different colors as you pass all the different neons of the shops of the city.

The window on your right is slightly lowered. You rest your head on his shoulder and close your eyes, the wind brushes your face and the noise of the city is like a melody in your ears. Calum kisses your hair and rests his head on yours.

You’re in a car, just the two of you stuck in traffic, yet you feel like you are in a different world, in a world of constant change, where everything happens only once and you are ready to treasure every second of it.

You don’t know how many minutes have passed by before Calum taps on your shoulder and whispers, “Look.” before pointing to his left. You open your eyes and the Arc de Triomphe lights up the city. It’s a masterpiece that reigns in the French city. It’s fully illuminated and stands powerful in the center of the rotunda.

“Wow.” It's the only thing you can say as you get closer to the window to get a better look. The driver chuckles at your reaction. You are too distracted by the beauty of the monument to notice the way Calum looks at you, lost in the way the lights illuminate your face and the way your hand is in his, as if they were made to hold only each other.

All the cars are driving past the monument as if it was nothing, probably used to the view, but you can’t get enough of the magical feeling that you feel just by looking at it.

As the Arc de Triomphe is now behind you, you sit back in your seat, your mouth still slightly open from the astonishment of the sight. They might have been some of the most intense minutes you’ve ever experienced.

“Everytime we finish a show here, we always ask to pass by here. After the confusion of the concert, this view always manages to bring peace. Usually we are always exhausted but we try to stay awake as much as possible to not miss this view.” He whispers, looking out and smiling at the memories.

“I know how much you daydream and how much you like these views and as soon as they gave us the tour dates, I immediately asked to let you come with us. I knew you would like it.”

The idea that Calum has thought of you, especially in this occasion, warms your heart. He’s not a person who expresses what he feels, he finds it difficult to open up to the world and to the people around him and you know that that's his way of showing that he cares, by gestures, thoughts and small details.

“Thank you, Calum. We passed here yesterday and it was magical in the sun, I didn't expect to love it even more at night.”

The car crosses a bridge and the Seine is illuminated, leading you to fall even more in love with this city. It is definitely the most romantic city in the world, as everyone says.

“Close your eyes.” Calum whispers, taking your hand and putting them on your eyes.

“Wait, why? What are you doing?” You ask but he stays silent. Your heart beats fast.

Before you know it, the car stops and Calum talks to the driver. You are tempted to open your eyes and peek but the idea that he has decided to surprise you makes you feel too much guilt to do it so you decide to keep your hands on your face.

Calum opens the door, “Give me your hand but keep your eyes closed, okay?” You nod before holding out your hand. He grabs it and, being careful not to hurt you, he gets you out of the car.

You walk for a while, the noise of the stones is loud as you walk on them and the wind ruffles your hair.

“Keep your eyes still closed for a moment.” He whispers in your ear making you feel chills all over your body.

You feel him moving away and you try to use your senses to understand where you are. You hear people talking in the distance, the noise of some cars behind you as you play with your fingers to entertain yourself while you wait. You aren’t afraid, there’s no single cell in your body that feels fear, you trust him too much to think about the idea that he left you there. He would be ready to climb the highest mountain and cross the hottest deserts to come to you, there’s no emergency that’ll let him leave your side.

Since the first moment his eyes saw you, he knew that he couldn’t let you go.

You feel someone stand in front of you before you hear him speak: “Okay, you can open your eyes now.”

Calum is standing in front of you, he’s looking straight in your eyes to see your reaction. He’s holding a red rose in his right hand and a huge smile is on his lips. Behind him, the Eiffel Tower is majestic, a source of light in the dark of the night. You’re left speechless, the magic you’re living is impossible to explain with words. It seems like billions of stars are joined by surrounding the structure, illuminating it and making it something eternal.

There are a few people in the distance, taking photos of the structure and laughing at each other.

There’s a musician on the side of the tower, she’s playing songs that you’re not familiar with and yet they seem to be perfect for this moment. They might be love songs, or even sad songs, but the melody envelops the atmosphere that surrounds you, making you look like the protagonists of a dream.

“Calum.” It’s the only thing you’re able to say. He’s standing there, between you and the Eiffel Tower, one of the most beautiful attraction in the entire world and yet his beauty almost steals the spotlight. But he’ll never know.

He grins and turns around to admire the structure. You reach to take your phone from the pocket of your jacket and take a picture of him, of the Tower, of everything that is surrounding you. Something to look at when you’ll need to think about a happy memory.

“I’m in love. That’s it. I know what love looks like now.” You said admiring the view.

“With me?” He looks at you smiling.

“You wish, don’t you?.”

He laughs and there’s no sound that could be better than that. Not even a view could be more beautiful. Calum Hood laughing in front of the Eiffel Tower, in the middle of the night, surrounded by stars is a sight that no one will ever experience and you hold this moment close to your heart.

“I’m moving here.” You say after a few minutes of silence.

“You can’t.”

“Why?”

“I can’t live without you.” Your heart skips a beat. “How am I supposed to wake up on time and to go to all my appointments if you don’t remind me?” You both laugh.

“Fine, I’ll honor you with my presence for a little while longer.”

“Thank you.”

For a moment, you look straight into each other's eyes. The world seems to stop, except for the Tower and the music in the distance. Calum takes a piece of your hair behind your ear and you can see your reflection in his eyes.

“It’s getting late, we should go.” He whispers close to your lips.

“Do we really have to go?” You want to close your eyes but you can’t seem to leave the sight of his face. A face that you see everyday but that you can’t get enough of.

“Yeah but this’ll be our little secret. A place that you can escape to when you’re tired of the world. It’s gonna be here-” He says before pointing to your mind, “-and here.” He stops pointing to your heart and for a second you stop breathing.

“We have too many secrets, Calum.” You say as he takes your hand and walks towards the Taxi. You can’t see his face but his body language is telling you that he’s smiling.

He opens the door of the car and gets in and you follow him, not before looking at the Eiffel Tower one last time and taking a deep breath.

The drive back to the party passes quickly and silently, your head is again resting on Calum's shoulder and his head is resting on yours, your hands are intertwined as you play with your fingers while the stereo plays slow, almost inaudible music.

“We are here.” The driver says with a strong accent and you realize that you're back in that building. You both get out of the car and while Calum pays for the ride, you look around you.

“It’s okay to escape reality every once in a while, as long as you remember to come back to reality to me.” He whispers while you get inside the house and you look at him confused before noticing the scene in front of you.

As you enter through the big door, you see that everything looks exactly as when you left. People are doing the same things they were doing before and while you throw your jacket on the couch, you notice that the stereo is playing the same playlist it was playing a couple of hours ago.

Calum is back at talking with Roy and Luke, he’s holding a drink and he’s laughing at something his friend is saying.

You go back to the group you were with at the start of the party, nobody seemed to have noticed your absence. The girl in front of you keeps talking about the promotion she got at work but you’re not really listening.

You look around before your gaze gets placed in front of you and you notice that Calum is looking at you too, he gives you a questioning look and winks before turning his attention back to his friends.

You smile.

#calum hood #calum hood imagine #calum hood imagines #calum imagine #calum hood x you #calum hood x reader #5 seconds of summer #5sos imagine #5sos imagines #calum thomas hood #calum 5 seconds of summer #calum 5sos #imagine #ashton irwin #ashton 5sos #luke hemmings #luke 5sos #michae #michael 5sos

230 notes · View notes

daisychains-and-laughs · 3 years ago

Text

A Love Letter to Red (Taylor's Version)

Red has been my favorite Taylor Swift album for years. I liked that it wasn't quite country, but it wasn't quite pop either. It was somewhere in between. It allowed me to daydream.

Red was first released in 2012 when I was a sophomore in college and I was 19 years old. I was finally starting to heal from something painful, a reputation era, if you will. I was ready to open myself up again. I was ready to risk getting my heart broken for something real.

I wanted to experience this burning red love she sings about. Taylor and I both now know that love is not "burning red, but it's golden."

True love doesn't miss your birthday party.

True love isn't passionate fights.

True love doesn't gaslight you.

True love is respect and communication.

True love is feeling at peace with your person.

True love is feeling at home with your person.

The album isn't all break-up songs though.

22 was an anthem for me at 19 and at 22. I miss living with my very best friends. I miss making breakfast at midnight. I miss drinking white wine out of mason jars. I miss beach trips. I miss running around the city just to be out. "Happy, free, confused, and lonely in the best way."

The Lucky One has been heartbreaking since day 1, but it hits different today. Especially alongside Nothing New. I can definitely picture her label being like, "Tay, you can't be that honest. People will think you're ungrateful." But she's just accurately expressing how it is being young and in the spotlight. I also love Phoebe Bridgers so Nothing New is very high on my hypothetical list of favorites.

Ronan absolutely destroys me every single time. The lyric video is heartbreaking. It's beautifully done. I know it means a lot to Ronan's mom, too.

That said, back to the romantic songs.

Girl At Home as a pop track?! Obsessed. I can definitely see her label back then holding back the vault tracks that have more of a pop vibe. They also definitely held back the rest because it would be "too many breakup songs." Don't ever say that to Taylor Alison Swift. I Bet You Think About Me would've absolutely slayed the country charts. It tears Jake Gyllenhaal to shreds. They were not about to release that into the world. The Very First Night and Message in a Bottle are pop masterpieces. Would've been anthems in 2012.

I love that she recorded Better Man and Babe for her version. I love that she writes for other artists sometimes, but I love hearing how she would have produced or arranged it.

I have a new appreciation for the album as a whole, not just my favorites. Even songs I haven't really listened to in a long time sound so good with her mature voice and a fresh production. My favorites hit differently when she owns them too. I cried listening to Treacherous for the first time. Stay Stay Stay is better now that it's not just a daydream. Sad Beautiful Tragic is simple and gorgeous at the same time. Starlight is a great example of her storytelling, which was really prevalent early in her career and has resurfaced with Folklore and Evermore.

When she first released the deluxe version with bonus tracks, I played Come Back… Be Here on repeat. I was falling in love with someone from a distance. The person who I would end up associating with Red as a whole, but especially All Too Well.

To love to fierce and passionate as it becomes clear that this person isn't good for you. That's RED.

In the beginning, there are butterflies. It's magical. He holds doors open for you. He treats you like a lady. He introduces you to his family. Things are moving in a certain direction and you start planning your life around this person. "But this love is brave and wild."

You fight. Distance weighs on both of you. Life happens. You cry when you have to part after a weekend visit. But he doesn't. You're depressed and lethargic the rest of the day. Nothing but memories to get you through until you can be together again.

At some point he stops planning his future with you in it. You grow apart. The magic is still there. He's still your best friend. But he can't be the person you call when you need someone at 2am.

Soon he's nothing but a memory of a time when you were young and dumb. A supercut of laughter, holding hands, kisses, midnight whispers.

I'm better now on the other side of this tumultuous, beautiful love. Now, I know what is acceptable behavior to give and receive in a relationship. We both had our faults. It takes two people to burn a relationship to the ground. I look back on this time fondly, but also with wisdom that he was not perfect and neither was I.

One thing I will never forgive him for (like Taylor's 21st birthday party) is talking me out of buying the original Red vinyl when I saw it in a store. I had it in my hands. I wanted it more than anything else in the store. It was my favorite. I will also never let a man tell me how to spend MY money unless he's my financial advisor that gets paid to do so. That's the lesson there.

I've grown since then. I've got years of therapy and mindfulness under my belt. A few years of hindsight. I've dated a little, but nothing compared to him. Until now.

I do own the original Red on vinyl now, by the way.

So thank you, Taylor. For writing this album and every single piece of art you've ever made. For giving us so much of you. How can we ever repay you for being our best friend that knows our hearts inside and out.

#taylor swift #taylor's version #red (taylor's version)#red tv #jake gyllenhaal #all too well

20 notes · View notes

comfy-whumpee · 4 years ago

Text

Father, Husband, Slave

Sequel to @ashintheairlikesnow‘s piece, which has now been published. Savvie is her monster and is used with permission.

TW: abuse, implied child abuse/neglect, whumpee forced to have children with whumper, romantic whumper.

Taglist: @lonesome--hunter, @iaminamoodymoodtoday, @wildfaewhump, @ishouldblogmore, @lektricwhump, @that-one-thespian, @raigash, @burtlederp, @rosesareviolentlyread, @whumptywhumpdump

She makes him listen to her album for the entire drive. It’s an hour and twenty minutes to the airport, time enough for him to hear every track twice. She’s been all about Bella recently, the album she titled after the daughter whose name she does not truly know. But today, on their supposedly romantic getaway, she returns – as she always does – to Firecracker. The album she wrote for him.

Except he hates it. It’s not for him. It’s for her image of him, the story she has composed around them both, the fairy tale curse he can’t break. While the children are locked away, and their Cinderella does her best to keep them safe, Jax is the boy with a shard digging against his heart, and Savvie is the Snow Queen that takes him away to her castle and refuses to let him go.

Firecracker is full of sweeping, gallant tunes that speak of classical romance, according to the reviews she had him read to her in the lounge on sunny afternoons. In Jax’s opinion, Firecracker is the assassination of his selfhood, dressed in pretty pictures to cover the obsession underneath. Nobody but his father knows that the album is about him, and that’s only if his dad found out about it, and recognises the childhood nickname he’d persuaded Savvie to use.

Jax hates it. It’s the grand, heavy expectation of her so-called love, blasting out through the shitty car speaker on repeat while Savvie reminisces about each track and each moment of his captivity that inspired it, stories that he’s heard a thousand times before, and lived besides that.

“I like h-hearing you talk about your music,” he tells her, between shudders of the shocks she laid on him, when they were back at home and he tried to persuade her to wait before dragging him out the door. He tells her this so that she’ll keep talking, and he barely has to reply.

He didn’t know about the trip until ten minutes before they left. He’d known that she was up to something, and that she’d been moody recently, complaining about losing his audience for her practise time so that he could put the kids down for their naps. She’d been snappy at Izzy at breakfast, telling her not to look so miserable, not recognising the conciliatory smile as a performance his little girl had inherited straight from her father. He’d known the signs and hadn’t seen what was coming.

He should have known. This is what he thinks about, as she drives him to the airport to take him to another country with his forged passport, for a holiday he doesn’t want, away from a home he hates and a family he loves. He should have known this was coming. Now, Izzy and Jamie are going to wake up without their father, and Hannah will only be able to say that he’s gone. She won’t be able to tell them that he’s coming back.

He doesn’t know if he is.

She’s always talked about moving them away. To Russia, she says, where classical musicians are respected and the language is as alien to Jax as hieroglyphics, and any law enforcement trying to reach him will be entangled hopelessly in red tape.

He doesn’t know where they’re going. It’s a surprise, she says.

He just hopes, once he’s at the airport, that the destination isn’t Moscow.

Savvie lapses into silence as the album finishes. There’s a brief pause of silence before it repeats again, fading into a single sustained note.

“This is good,” she sighs happily. “Time for just us two. You’ve been so preoccupied recently.”

He was trying to teach Izzy to read.

“You’re my husband, after all,” she reminds him, her eyes moving to him, chips of ice in a snow-white face. “I should be your priority.”

“You are, Miss Savvie,” he tells her, rote and instant, words barren of feelings she won’t allow. Then, because he has to cover for those empty spaces, he adds, “I love you.”

She melts whenever he says it first, but only on the surface. She’s frozen all the way down. “Oh, honey, I love you too. See, you’re doing so much better already.”

His relationship to her is a performance on which he is graded. His reviews come daily, in words, or in actions, or in small cruelties towards his two helpless children, conceived only to expand her arsenal of weapons over him.

He looks away from her eyes, when she glances over again. Izzy’s eyes are his hazel-brown, earth and warmth and golden light.

Jamie’s too.

But he can’t be a father right now. He’s her husband, Savannah Marcoset’s perfect, pliant man. The Snow Queen takes the winter with her wherever she goes.

The fire that once defined him is a hearth, now. The only things left to be warmed by it are his children. When Savvie gets him alone, makes him alone, builds walls and drives wedges between himself and the children he was not supposed to love more than her, he allows the embers to hide under white ash, indistinguishable from snow.

He tried. He tried not to love them. They told him not to. But it had come, hard and burning, a comet through Savvie’s cold winter sky. A falling star.

What is it that happens in the story? Does love melt the boy’s frozen heart, or is it tears?

He can’t remember. Maybe Savvie changed the channel before they reached the end.

Firecracker ends for the second time. The airport is in sight. He still doesn’t know where he’s going, or if he’s coming back.

She pulls up. He gives her the smile that Izzy learned, and she beams back, eyes lit with joy at separating him from everything else, again.

He braves the question. “Where are we going, Miss Savvie?”

She sparkles. White, distant stars in a cold black sky. “Russia.”

#whump #parent whumpee #intimate whumper #romantic whumper #possessive whumper #child abuse tw #jealous whumper #abuse tw #savvie is a monster #jax #my fic #enslavement #dad jax #he's like dark jax but he has something to fight for

77 notes · View notes

fanficlibraryposts · 4 years ago

Text

MDZS/The Untamed Fic Recs

Flag Flying High by Araceil

The final lines were.... the only clear instructions given to him. It seemed as though Mo Xuan-Yu was seized with sudden ferocious clarity and drive – a single demand for the Yiling Patriarch: Whatever he was to do in revenge to the Mo Clan, he was to protect Hari above all. The child was not to be harmed.

When his life was not enough to trade for the protection of his friends in the Final Battle, Harry gave up his magic and found himself cursed. Travelling to the Cultivation World was his only chance to survive, to break this curse that drew the resentful dead into his orbit. While there though, he finds himself caught up in the life of the tormented Mo Xuan-Yu and unable to ignore the echoes of himself in the man's pitiful circumstances. But when Harry's curse draws the dead to Mo Village, the Junior cultivators of the Gusu Lan Sect are close behind, and his life takes a dramatic swing in a different direction, towed along in the wake of Mo Xuan-Yu now that he has been freed of his oppressive family, Harry finds himself in the Cloud Recesses, and involved in a whole new mystery that the 'adults' are determined to keep him away from.

*my token Harry Potter crossover fic*

Something Yet to Learn by Glitterbombshell

“Wei Wuxian,” the man grits out, and he pauses with one hand reaching for the door handle. The disciple who had come in to speak to Lan Qiren brushes past him and exits the pavilion without a backwards glance. Wei Wuxian turns back to Master Lan, one eyebrow tilting up in question. “An urgent matter has come up,” Lan Qiren says, every word sounding like it’s being forcibly dragged from him. “His Excellency requests my presence. Their current instructor is ill, I was meant to take over classes for today,” he continues, gesturing towards the tiny juniors. He swallows heavily, and the next sentence sounds bitter. Choked. “I cannot leave them unattended.” Wei Wuxian just blinks at him.

Wei Wuxian is asked (under duress) to babysit a class of tiny Lan cultivators for just a few minutes. A few minutes turns into an hour, turns into two hours, turns into an impromptu literal field trip and now there's an entire class that is weeks ahead of their curriculum, their most junior disciples have apparently imprinted on Wei Wuxian like baby birds, and Lan Qiren has no one to blame but himself.

*Baby junior Lans*

if you can’t beat them, recruit them by moeblobmegane

Rather than mourning a future that had not happened yet, he would rather work with all his might to prevent it from happening. [...] His aim was to fortify his home and his family so that they would never again be left vulnerable to greedy cultivators aiming for his genius. For that, he needed help. He may be a genius, but he was not the cunning manipulative man they thought him to be. No, that was not him. He knew who was, though.

(Or: Wei Wuxian uses a powerful array to go back in time and builds a secret squad to prevent the misfortunes of the future.)

Themes and Variations in F# Major by defractum (nyargles)

The thing with musical prodigies is that they're soloists, and soloists play alone. He doesn't want to play alone anymore.

"A summer guest lecture series? Oh, very nice. I wish I could sit in on that."

"Do you also play the piano?"

"Not even a little bit," says Wei Ying cheerfully. "But I'm sure you'd have a lot of thoughts on musicality that would be relevant regardless."

"Oh," says Lan Zhan. He seems to be searching for something else to say. "I believe it is oversubscribed," he says finally.

"As it should be," says Wei Ying, and does not tell him that he has all of Lan Zhan's albums downloaded onto his phone, listened to over and over when he's on a train, a plane, waiting for a taxi, has followed his career since he overheard half a Mendelssohn when they were fifteen.

补救; to remedy, to do something to correct or improve something that is wrong by ravenditefairylights

Wei Wuxian has missed the sword. He has missed the steady weight of Suibian in his vicinity, has missed being sure of himself without needing to defend his ability in front of a world that stands opposite of him as jury, judge and executioner. Wei Wuxian has risen and fallen and then gotten up every time, fallen deeper still until there was no way for him to get back up. Wei Wuxian has died and he has come back thirteen years too late and the world has moved on without him.

Back to the start—it’s a good place for the beginning.

or the one where Wei Wuxian heals, realizes there are people who love him and people he loves and goes back home

*Some nice post canon fluff and badass WWX*

Ghosts Shouldn’t by ShanaStoryteller

Wei Wuxian's spirit lingers.

*Chef’s kiss*

Cradle by Dragonesque

After barely surviving the assassination attempt at QiongQi Path, Wei WuXian and the Wen Sect remnants are left to figure out how to protect themselves and their new lives. Meanwhile, the Jiang siblings and an unharmed Jin ZiXuan try to figure out who's bright idea was that stupid ambush. In Gusu, Lan Wangji panics at the idea of Wei WuXian's near death and tries to figure out whether to insist to stay by the Yiling Patriarch's side or hang back in the Cloud Recesses.

And Wei WuXian struggles with the idea of whether becoming a teacher, teaching demonic cultivation and setting up his own sect might not be a bad idea after all...

Just say yes by edenwolfie

Lan Qiren had never had a student he couldn’t improve, and Wei Wuxian would not be the exception, especially not now that his nephew was in love with the troublemaker. He would not allow history to repeat itself.

And Time Is But a Paper Moon by sami, Winterstar1412

"Zewu-Jun. You once told me about a house surrounded by gentians, where you visited once a month, and how Lan Zhan still waited there, even when the door no longer opened."

Xichen feels light-headed. He feels shocked, and angry. He has never told anyone such a thing, but Lan Zhan is giving Xichen a look of utter betrayal.

"You told him?" Lan Zhan whispers. "When?"

Wei Wuxian takes Lan Zhan's hand. "About twenty years from now."

Wei Wuxian starts again from the beginning.

*part one of a brilliant and lengthy series*

SanRen by Kyogre

Leaving YunmengJiang in an effort to curb the tensions in the Jiang family, Wei WuXian becomes a rogue cultivator.

Even without the support of a sect, he is a rare genius whose name will become known across the cultivation world and whose techniques will influence the course of a war.

However, what influences his own fate is a chance meeting that becomes the first step toward love.

*A more proactive Jiang family and an oblivious Wei Wuxian ft. pining Lan Wangji*

New moodboard here !

Disclaimer: The fanfiction above were not written by me for I am not nearly as creative. However, I am an avid reader and movie buff so these are some of my favorite fanfiction within the fandom. I politely ask that you read the tags attached the fanfiction beforehand so that you know what you are getting yourself into, there may be crossovers. If you don’t like it then don’t read it. In addition, I ask that there be no bashing, the fics are based on my preferences and what I like. Lastly, if there are any specific genre or fandom of fics you want me to get into let me know through my ask box.

29 notes · View notes

newmusickarl · 3 years ago

Video

youtube

Album & EP Recommendations

As there is a HUGE amount to cover this week, I’m trying something a bit different with some slightly snappier reviews and a genre inclusion so you can head straight for the recommendation that matches your musical preference. There’s at least one album from all the key genres this week too, so hopefully a little something for everyone. Without any further ado then, here’s what’s good:

Album of the Week: Comfort To Me by Amyl & The Sniffers (Punk/Rock)

My personal preference from this week is the rip-roaring sophomore album from Australia’s own Amyl & The Sniffers. Although I was already vaguely familiar with the band’s previous work, I was still not prepared for the full throttle, smashmouth, rifftastic contents of this utterly brilliant record. As a result, this one hit me like a lightning bolt, thanks to the furious energy of frontwoman Amy Taylor and the mind-melting guitar work throughout.

From the off, absolutely nothing is held back here, as Taylor’s punk vocals and razor-sharp lyrics hit you in the ear like haymakers. What’s most surprising though is how the shredding guitar riffs that are littered across this record manage to sound so astonishing and impressive, yet at the same time as if the band are not even trying at all. It’s completely hypnotising yet everything is made to sound so easy and natural thanks to the sheer rawness of the music.

This one also already plays out like a greatest hits record too, with Guided By Angels, Security, Hertz, Maggot and Capital five of the best pure punk rock tracks to emerge in the last five years. Concise, in-your-face and no moment spared, this is a rock record the kind of which rarely gets made anymore. Without a doubt, one of the best of the year for its genre.

Listen here

Hey What by Low (Experimental/Alternative)

They may be 13 albums and nearly 30 years into their career at this point, but American experimental rockers Low show no sign of slowing down at this point. Still relatively fresh off the back of their hugely acclaimed album Double Negative, which was widely seen as the Album of the Year in 2018, Low are back yet again with another sonic trip into the weird and wonderful.

Now I must admit although a lot of people adored Double Negative, I personally was always a bit indifferent towards it. I appreciated the sonic textures and the heartfelt moments, but it never completely resonated with me like I know it did for others – one that fell into the “easy to admire, hard to love” category. That is not the case with this new album however, as with Hey What they seem to have further refined what they started on that record, creating an album that’s just as impressive but possibly more accessible than its predecessor.

Opener White Horses picks up pretty much where they left off under a tidal wave of soaring vocals and stunning yet unsettling distortion. From there you’ll once again be checking your audio equipment hasn’t broken, as Low playfully mess around with musical conventions and gargantuan glitchy soundscapes to great effect. This also allows the slightly sparser tracks like All Night, Don’t Walk Away and particularly Days Like These, to emerge out of this masterfully produced cacophony as some of the most haunting and stirring moments.

They may not have won me over with the last one, but they certainly have now – an outstanding album that leaves a lasting impression.

Listen here

Star-crossed by Kacey Musgraves (Country/Pop)

Golden Hour was another hit with the critics in 2018 that, much like the Low album, didn’t quite capture me. But again, just like Low, I prefer this latest work from country-turned-pop singer, Kacey Musgraves. With Star-crossed, Musgraves aims to craft her own Shakespearean tragedy, with all the theatre and the drama that goes with it.

The title track opener perfectly sets the stage as the gentle plucking of the acoustic guitar is suddenly surrounded by soaring, multi-layered instrumentation. It is all hugely cinematic and from there on in, Musgraves weaves her tale of heartbreak with plenty of catchy hooks, polished production and solid, heartfelt songwriting. However, the best moments are arguably when Musgraves keeps it raw, such as on camera roll where she takes something as simple as finding old photos of a lost lover on a phone and relaying back to the listener the pain that moment can bring.

In a year that’s already seen some brilliant pop albums, Musgraves stakes her claim with a well-crafted record built on a tried and tested concept. It’s a successful outing with more than enough great tunes and interesting instrumentation (see the jazz flute on there is a light in particular) to keep you interested from beginning to end.

Listen here

Enjoy The View by We Were Promised Jetpacks (Alternative)

Scottish indie rockers We Were Promised Jetpacks also released their stunning fifth album this week. This one pulls at the heartstrings from the get-go as the gentle waltz of reflective opener that’s Not Me Anymore immediately locks you into the record and refuses to loosen its grip until the very last note. There’s plenty of spine-tingling moments throughout too, such as the melancholic riffs of All That Glittered, the haunting sparseness of What I Know Now and the uplifting melody of I Wish You Well.

Listen here

Back In Love City by The Vaccines (Indie)

A band well adept at writing killer hooks at this point, indie rockers The Vaccines have also returned with their fun fifth album this week. Not too much to say about this one other than if you are a fan of their previous efforts the chances are you’ll adore this one too, as their music continues to deliver big riffs and anthemic choruses aplenty, but with more refinement and polished craftmanship at this veteran stage in their career. Highlights include the ultra-catchy title-track and the galloping, Western-stylings of Paranormal Romance, which comes across a bit like their own version of Muse’s Knights of Cydonia.

Listen here

Mother by Cleo Sol (R&B/Soul)

Fresh off her high-profile collaborations with Little Simz and Sault, singer-songwriter Cleo Sol has once again stepped out on her own, this time exploring themes of motherhood. Gracious, compassionate and quite moving, it’s a stirring soul record where Cleo’s soft yet powerful vocals take centre stage against a backdrop of minimal instrumentation. If you need something peaceful and easy listening, you won’t go wrong with this one as Don’t Let Me Fall, Promises and We Need You offer up the most beautiful moments here.

Listen here

The Melodic Blue by Baby Keem (Hip Hop/Rap)

There is a lot of pressure that comes with being Kendrick Lamar’s cousin, however you wouldn’t know it listening to Baby Keem’s assured debut album. Although it is admittedly quite hit and miss (first two tracks trademark usa and pink panties ironically leave a lot to be desired), there are enough high points here to make this record worth your time. The collaborations with Kendrick (range brothers and family ties) both strike a chord while the Don Toliver (cocoa) and Travis Scott (durag activity) featuring tracks also dazzle. That said Keem is arguably at his best when he’s riding solo, such as on the heartfelt issues and the Kanye West Love Lockdown sampling, scars.

Listen here

I’ve Been Trying To Tell You by Saint Etienne (Ambient/Electronic)

Crafted over lockdown, this tenth studio album from the London trio is a gloriously understated dive into modern British history, 1997-2001 to be precise. By using evocative imagery and samples from the turn of the millennium, where R&B and bubblegum pop dominated the musical landscape, they have forged quite a dreamy ambient record. Wonderfully creative and a fairly chill listen, it’s a fascinating reflection on a time when the world seemed a lot less complex than it does today.

Listen here

The Blacklist by Metallica (Metal/Various)

And lastly on the albums front this week, I have been promoting the various Metallica covers released as part of the The Blacklist project for several weeks now, but now finally the full album has been revealed along with all the covers yet to be shared as individual releases.

At 53 songs long, the tribute to Metallica’s classic Black Album is certainly not one to run through in a single sitting, however there is plenty of fun covers here to dip into and explore. In case you haven’t seen, amongst those offering their own versions of these classic tracks are: Miley Cyrus & Elton John, Phoebe Bridgers, Dermot Kennedy, Weezer, Biffy Clyro, St. Vincent, Rina Sawayama, Sam Fender, Flatbush Zombies, Portugal The Man, IDLES, Cherry Glazerr and many, many more.

Listen here

Tracks of the Week

Beautiful James by Placebo

I’m also over the moon to say Placebo finally released their new single this week, their first since 2016’s Jesus’ Son. Beautiful James shows that Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal haven’t missed a step in their five-year hiatus, with this one centred on a typically instant chorus and some neon-soaked synths. A big welcome back to one of my all-time favourites!

Listen here

I Don’t Live Here Anymore by The War On Drugs

Although the first single from their forthcoming new album may have been more understated than normal, on this title track Adam Granduciel & Co. return to the soaring stadium-sized rock for which they are known. Undoubtedly one of their finest tracks to date, you’ll want to stick this one on repeat just so you can keep getting lost in those wonderfully atmospheric guitar riffs.

Listen here

Arcadia by Lana Del Rey

And finally, Lana continues the build towards her second album of 2021, Blue Banisters, with this latest single seeing her on typically vintage form as the song sounds as if it was pulled from another time. With distant horns and a gentle piano, it’s as stunning as any of her best recent work.

Listen here

2 notes · View notes

captainseaweedbrains · 4 years ago

Text

The Dance of the Color Guard, Op. 64 Ch. 3

Everlark meets marching band meets enemies to friends to lovers.

Tumblr: X X X

Read on Ao3: X X X

May

There wasn’t a single childhood memory Katniss could pull that didn’t involve Peeta Mellark. Try as she might to ever forget they were friends—and she tried her hardest to forget—it was next to impossible. Peeta and her were, once upon a time, inseparable. Glued at the hip. Her parents used to tease that only the moonlight could separate them and even then, in the summertime, Peeta spent many nights sleeping on the living room floor next to her, giggling as they watched movies and ate popcorn, Prim snoring beside them.

And then with her dad being an avid photographer, there were boxes of family albums documenting Katniss and Prim growing up throughout the years. From first steps to bath times together to dance and music recitals—her dad documented it all. “For future biographers,” he used to joke whenever Katniss would complain why they always had to take a picture of everything. She’d roll her eyes in response and just let him snap away. There was no stopping the man. Now she wished she could take back all her tweenage-angst and let him take as many photos as he wanted of her. But she didn’t know what she knew now. Thus was life.

On the rare occasion when he relented with the camera and accepted that she was not going to cooperate with any poses he suggested, Peeta was more than happy to step in and take her place, joking how his many admirers at school would kill for a candid photo of him. “It’s not candid if you’re posing, stupid,” she used to tell him, but he’d kindly tell her to shut her piehole and offer up suggestions on where to take the picture next, her dad eating Peeta’s enjoyment up with each click of the shutter.

Peeta was in a lot of her family photos. It was impossible to flip through any family album after Katniss had turned three and not find him. Due to his parents constantly working at their family bakery turned mini corporation, Peeta and his older brother Rye were often left to fend for themselves and from early morning until sundown, Rye would kick Peeta out of the house and lock the door. Rye’s dickish behavior was actually how the two met—Katniss hearing Peeta screaming across their yard, asking if he was dying because he was crying by his back door, fists slamming the glass.

“No,” he sniffed, rubbing his puffy red eyes. “My brudder—l-l-locked—me—o-o- ooout!” Peeta hiccupped, his hysteria growing with each syllable until he was back to crying for Rye to let him in.

“My daddy’s makin’ pancakes,” Katniss offered from her deck. “He makes them with funny faces and makes them sing. Want some?”

There probably should have been some type of introduction between them before Katniss invited this total stranger into her home, but when Peeta came in with her, her dad just smiled and told him to pull up a chair. Names were finally exchanged over gooey chocolate chip pancakes and they became instant friends.

After that, instead of crying when Rye would inevitably lock him out of his own home, Peeta would cross over to the Everdeen’s yard and walk on in, shouting out his greetings to whoever was in the kitchen at the time and seeing what she or her dad were up to for the day. There were countless memories of Katniss coming downstairs after playing with Prim and finding Peeta and her dad casually working together on the morning crossword puzzle at the kitchen table, or out in her mother’s garden doing yard work and chatting about everything and anything. He was always there, ready to hang out and see what she had in mind for them to do that day, and their photo albums showed it. Birthday parties, family dinners, sleepovers, holidays—there Peeta was, all smiles and dimples.

Peeta Mellark was a huge fixture in the Everdeen household until one day he just wasn’t. One day he was there, making her laugh so hard, milk came out her nose, and the next, he was gone and those boxes of happy family photos were just sad reminders of what used to be.

No dad.

No best friend.

It was fine. She was fine.

Except maybe she wasn’t? It annoyed her that Peeta could still dig under her skin like that, his words in the locker room playing on repeat in her mind. At least her nerves about tryouts had a chance to calm down between stressing about Abernathy’s mocking jabs about her playing and her annoyance at Peeta thinking her a heartless loner. So what if she preferred to do things alone? It meant she was independent, mature for her young age. Was that such a bad thing?

And what was up with accusing her of not being there for people? Not caring for them? Did she have to remind him that he made his choice and ditched her ? That the second her dad died, he split? Was he ever really her friend, or was he just using her to get to her dad because his dad wasn’t around? Katniss had been wondering that for years, but didn’t have the courage to ask because she just knew if she did, she’d start to cry and shout at him and maybe shove him a bit and he and his stupid friends would laugh and probably call her a psychopath bitch.

What a fucking hypocrite Peeta Mellark was, calling her heartless when he was guilty of so much worse.

The final bell rang at last, freeing everyone for the day. Katniss was so caught up in her anger over Peeta and Mr. Abernathy and really, just everyone at this point, that she almost forgot about the call sheet posting. Almost. As soon as Madge reminded her, asking if she wanted to walk over there with her and Gale, all those nerves resurfaced as they headed over to the band room. She kept discreetly wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans, preparing herself to be disappointed, to expect someone like Glimmer to get it, but please, whoever was listening up there, please let her have made captain. If this crappy hellish day could give her just one thing, let it be that.

“I can’t look,” Katniss panicked when she saw the neon pink sign taped to the window connecting to the band office, halting in her steps. “If I didn’t make captain, I don’t know what I’ll do. Punch something?”

Madge rolled her eyes and offered to check for her. “If Trinket didn’t make you captain, she clearly tripped in those heels and is suffering from some head trauma. Let’s see.” Her manicured finger scrolled down the long list of names until stopping on the Es. “Hm. Katniss, I don’t see your name on here at all.”

Her heart jolted. “What? That can’t be.” She wasn’t positive on being captain, but she was positive she’d at least make the team . Were the theatre and dance kids really that much better? She shoved Gale and Madge aside, looking for her name. Abrams...Banks...Carroll...Daly...Edwards...Evans... Everdeen! And there was an asterisk next to her name! She was captain of next season’s color guard!

“You asshole!” she laughed, shoving Madge in the shoulder. “I’m captain!” She couldn’t help the large smile stretching across her face. She was captain!

“You are!” Madge cheered, giving her a big tight hug. “Congratulations, Katniss! I’m so proud of you!”

“Totally not surprised,” Gale said, messing up her hair in a brotherly fashion. She shoved his hand away and gave a playful glare. “And what about my favorite guard member?” he asked, looking down at Madge. “Did you make it, too?”

Madge gave him a sweet smile and looked further down the list before pumping her fists in excitement. “I did! I made it! Take that Shelly Shoemon from 4th grade for saying I had the coordination skills of a cow!”

“Totally not surprised,” Gale said again, laughing as he pulled his girlfriend in for a kiss. They locked lips for a while before Katniss cleared her throat and suggested they get a room if they wanted to continue. The couple smiled, Madge’s freckled cheeks tinted pink, but broke apart, their hands remaining clasped together.

“Should we head over to Sae’s for burgers and ice cream to celebrate?” Gale suggested. “Thom just paid me for fixing his car, so I have the cash to spend.” Both girls happily agreed to his suggestion, excited to share the news with Sae, the diner’s owner and local grandmother to anyone under the age of 40. Good news didn’t feel real until sharing it with Sae.

“Katniss,” Miss Trinket shouted from somewhere in her office, “is that you?” Her head popped out the doorway, startling the three. “Excellent, dear! I’ve been waiting to speak with you about something. Come in! Come in!” Her hand motioned for her to follow.

“Oh.” Katniss looked over at Gale and Madge, unsure what to say. “Am I in trouble?”

Miss Trinket laughed. “No, not at all! I just need to discuss some color guard things with my new captain.” She sang the last word, putting great emphasis on the middle consonants, and glared behind her at, presumably, Mr. Abernathy who probably said something rude in a remark.

“Sure, yeah,” Katniss said, feeling a bit dumb. Of course Miss Trinket wanted to jump right into the thick of things. The woman was the Energizer Bunny on crack when it came to choreography and scheduling. Of course she’d want to talk to her captain about the game plan and how she expected they execute it. “I’m free to talk.” Miss Trinket smiled and stepped back in her office.

Katniss turned to Madge and Gale, wearing an apologetic smile . “I’ll meet you at Sae’s?” They nodded, not minding the wait, and wished her luck, telling her to text when she was leaving school.

*********

The first thing Katniss noticed amiss when stepping into the adjoined office was Peeta Mellark casually sitting there in front of Mr. Abernathy’s desk, flipping through a pile of sheet music. It wasn’t unusual for band students to volunteer time helping the surly man try to keep the band program organized, but it seemed a little late for a volunteer to still be in here. Abernathy and Trinket were a lot to take and only bearable in small, manageable doses. Most booked it the second the bell rang.

She paused in the doorway, unsure if she misunderstood Miss Trinket. She meant for them to talk now, right? So what was Peeta doing here?

“Ah, Katniss,” Miss Trinket said, sifting through a stack of notes, not noticing her hesitation. “Take a seat, please.” She motioned to the wooden chair in front of her desk.

Still unsure what was going on, Katniss gingerly sat down in the offered chair, her bag in her lap, and waited to see what exactly Miss Trinket wanted to talk about with Peeta still here. Guard stuff wasn’t technically private, but it’s not like it was riveting information either. Something didn’t feel right here.

Miss Trinket cleared her throat, catching Katniss’ attention from not looking at Peeta, and folded her hands on top of her desk with a bright, fluorescent smile. “Katniss, I want to be the first to congratulate you on a job well done. Your audition was truly inspiring. Honestly, I wish I could have taped it to show future guard members what true dedication looks like.” Katniss’ cheeks darkened at her director’s lavish compliments.

“Thank you, Miss Trinket,” she said quietly, feeling a tad uncomfortable being told this in front of Peeta and Mr. Abernathy. “I tried my hardest.”

“And it shows, dear. It truly shows.” The assistant director looked down at her notes, reading from one of the piles she was sifting through earlier, her long fingernails idly tapping the top metal surface in thought. “In fact,” she said, “I was so impressed with your audition, I’ve decided to make you a very prominent figure in this season’s show. The show’s leading star, as it were.”

“I’m—um. What?” And then Miss Trinket proceeded to happily explain her vision for how their band was going to tell the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet, with the occasional grunts from Mr. Abernathy here and there. She explained how she envisioned the houses being represented by the color guard and drumline, feuding together on the field as the music from the band crescendos to the climatic finish.

“Next to you, Katniss,” Miss Trinket said, holding up what looked like a handwritten list of names, “I haven’t quite decided who will play who for color guard, but we have time to iron out these details, dear. What concerns me is how long it is taking Boggs to decide who made it for drumline.” Her eyes slitted at Abernathy. “It seems someone forgot to pass along the deadline I imposed so we could avoid this exact problem.” Mr. Abernathy just gave a noncommittal shrug and continued flipping through the scorebook he was looking at. Miss Trinket rubbed at the corner of her eyes and gave Katniss an exasperated look before continuing on.

“It took some wheedling to get him to bend to my will, but I do believe many of our seasonal veterans are returning to drumline this year, Peeta being one of them.” She smiled warmly at the boy. For someone finding out good news, Peeta looked bored out of his mind sitting there, listening as Miss Trinket prattled on about visions and forbidden love and what this will mean for the band come competition season.

This all felt like a lot. Like a lot a lot.

“So let me get this straight,” Katniss said slowly, trying to process it all and not throw up like her stomach wanted. “You want me to be Juliet? Like the Juliet who falls in love and dies at the end? That Juliet?”

If it was at all possible, Miss Trinket’s smile grew, making Katniss feel even sicker. “The very one, my dear! Oh, Katniss, I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to have you as our Juliet. I’ve had my guesses who you’d play for a while now, since I decided we should do Romeo & Juliet a few months back, really.” Mr. Abernathy snorted at that but said nothing to contradict her. “But now, after seeing how much you’ve improved since last season? Truly inspiring! And with your tiny frame, I think we can finally bring air flips into the mix now! Wouldn’t that look amazing under stadium lights?”

Katniss really felt like she was going to be sick now. “You want me to be a spotlight guard?” Her voice sounded a bit squeaky to her ears. “But that’s—I’ve never been a spotlight guard before! Especially not something to that kind of scale. They’re, like, really important. Like judges judging them important.”

It was Peeta’s turn to laugh next to her, trying to cover it up with a cough when she turned to glare at him. Why was he here?

Katniss took a deep breath in to try and quiet the loud ringing noise suddenly blaring in her ears. She was clearly not making a first good impression as captain, but this was so unexpected! Miss Trinket had never had her be a spotlight before. Ever. It was one thing being captain, but this, having her performance carry the entire story? Yeah, no thanks.

“Are you sure you want it to be me?” she asked, her voice a lot calmer than she felt. “I was thinking you’d want someone like Madge—or Glimmer—for something this important. You’re always saying how swan-like Glimmer is on the field. Don’t you want Juliet to look like a swan?”

“Told you she wouldn’t be for it,” Peeta muttered next to her, a knowing smile on his face as he shook his head in amusement. Oh, he just thought he knew everything about her, didn’t he? Like he was some Katniss Everdeen expert.

“Why are you even here?” she finally asked him. “This clearly has nothing to do with you. Can’t you file music somewhere else?”

“Isn’t it a bit obvious why I’m here, Katniss?” he asked her incredulously, leaning back in his chair, arms crossed. “I thought you were more observant than this.”

Before she could reply, Miss Trinket held her hands up. “Enough! Peeta, I’ll kindly ask you to please sit there quietly, as we discussed.” Discussed? When did they have time to discuss this? Then she remembered earlier. Miss Trinket needing to speak with Peeta, breaking up their argument. They were discussing her? Why did Peeta have to know that Miss Trinket wanted her as Juliet. She was clearly missing something obvious, like Peeta said, but her mind was shot. Barely able to process anything anymore as her anxiety kicked into gear.

“And, Katniss.” She looked up at the sound of her name. “Please keep an open mind about this. I understand to some, being a lead is scary, but trust me when I say, I have my absolute faith in you.

“Madge and Glimmer are talented girls, yes,” Miss Trinket explained, “but I’m afraid they are too tall for what I have in mind for choreography. You know how important these things can be. We need someone petite like you, Katniss. Someone Peeta can easily pick up and twirl without fear of dropping.” She motioned a manicured hand at Peeta, his face staring at her expectantly.

But Katniss’ brain was still running in circles. “Peeta’s not on guard. Why would he be picking me up?”

Miss Trinket’s patient smile looked strained now. “As I already told you,” she said slowly, surely believing Katniss dense now, “Guard and drumline will be representing the two houses. Guard will be Capulet and drumline Montague. Peeta’s on drumline, so naturally he’d be our star Montague.”

Her mind finally caught up to what everyone was suggesting. “Wait,” she said, sitting at the edge of her seat now. “If I’m Juliet and you’re saying he’s the star…” Her focus drifted to Peeta, who gave an amused, cocky wave, surely enjoying the multitude of emotions crossing her face in this moment. Her stomach dropped, this news hitting her harder than the spotlight one. “You’re Romeo?”

Instead of just answering with a simple yes/no like a normal person, or even some Ding! Ding! Ding! joke, Peeta lowered himself to the floor and responded in all his annoyingly obnoxious flair: “‘But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.’” He closed his eyes on the last word and reached for her hand, giving it a gentle kiss, his lips soft and warm against her now clammy skin. She swatted her hand away, tucking it around her bag for protection.

No. No, no, no. No!

This had to be a mistake. Her and Peeta Mellark? As Romeo and Juliet?

That was what Miss Trinket wanted to talk to him about, she realized. It wasn’t about her at all. She wanted to talk to him about being Romeo for the field show.

“I don’t understand,” Katniss said at last, when her stomach had finally recovered itself. “How can Peeta be Romeo when he’s going to be busy marching around with a snare drum? What about Finnick? He’s tall. Taller than Peeta, for sure. I’m sure he could just as easily lift me.”

Was she seriously that desperate to prefer the preening peacock Finnick Odair?

Yes, yes she was.

“Finnick will most likely play our Tybalt,” Miss Trinket remarked. “And as he is on guard, he will play a Capulet role.”

“What about gender bending the role?” Katniss suggested. “Who says Juliet has to be a girl? We are in the 21st century. And didn’t Shakespeare have men play the female roles, anyway? Let Finnick play Juliet to Peeta’s Romeo. He’d be perfect in the role.”

“Should I feel insulted that you don’t want to be my partner, Katniss?” Peeta innocently asked, enjoying this way too much. Her fists gripped her bag hard, her eyes deadly slits. People often told her how intimidating she looked, but Peeta didn’t even bat an eye. He was all smiles and dimples. If only looks could kill...

“Katniss,” Miss Trinket said curtly, snapping her attention back on the director, “I chose you as my next in command because I trust in your talent and know you are a driven young woman who people look up to. Now we both want the pleasure of seeing this band win first place at PSU, don’t we?”

“Yes, but—”

“And we will do what is necessary to move this band toward that goal, correct?”

“Of course, but—”

“But nothing, Everdeen,” Mr. Abernathy interjected at last, kicking his feet off the tall pile of sheet music laying by his desk. “You want to win?” He shook his hand at her, not needing a response. “Stupid question. Of course you do. I can see it all over your face. You’re too competitive to hide it. Well, to win you have to please the judges. Plain and simple. Judges like this kind of flair nonsense. So play our star-crossed lovers—”

“We’re not star-crossed lovers!” Katniss grit out, a bit harder than she intended, unable to look at Peeta as she said it. Not like it mattered. She could practically feel his amusement radiating off his person. “This won’t work, Mr. Abernathy. Don’t you want people who’ll get along? Peeta and I hate each other. We have for a really long time.”

“Who cares?” Mr. Abernathy asked, throwing his hands up in exasperation, his longish black hair falling in his face from the motion. “Pretend. Act like your lovesick classmates. I don’t care. It’s all a big show, anyway, and if pairing you two up wins us enough brownie points to win and shuts Trinket up for a year, then that’s what we’re going to do. Mellark’s already agreed to it and he’s never danced a day in his life. So now it’s your turn to be a good girl and agree to the plan, Everdeen. Got it?”

“Got it,” she muttered, slouching low in her chair. Of all the things she expected to hear today, pretending to be in love with Peeta Mellark was not one of them. This was definitely going to blow up in everyone’s faces, she was sure of it. Putting on a performance smile for judges was one thing, but acting like she was in love with Peeta was another. And then hoping he wouldn’t drop her when doing those stupid flips Miss Trinket mentioned? She was going to be in a body cast by the end of the season.

Peeta seemed to have dropped the amusement act at last, mirroring her sour mood as the two directors discussed extra one-on-one rehearsal time with Miss Trinket to better prepare Peeta since he had zero dance experience. Katniss tried to pay attention, but she couldn’t stop her eyes from glancing over at Peeta, wondering what he could possibly be thinking during all this. His jaw was clenched, she could tell, but he wasn’t looking at her or Trinket or even Abernathy. He was focusing on picking at a hole in his jeans, his eyebrows scrunched together. She understood the conflict—was feeling it herself—but he didn’t look mad. Just...troubled. Like something was said that he was having a hard time with.

Where to begin? Katniss thought bitterly, still unable to believe they were actually being forced to play Romeo and Juliet, like they were in some teenage drama or something.

“I know we have lots to work on, but just seeing the two of you together like this,” Miss Trinket said, motioning between them, “tells me I made the right decision. Look how adorable you two look! Pearls on a necklace! Didn’t I say that’s what they reminded me of, Haymitch?” She turned to Abernathy, who was now busy digging dirt from under his nails with his baton. Miss Trinket frowned before catching herself. “I did, I did! I said that earlier when I found you talking in the back.” She winked and oh god. Could they just go already?

********

It took another fifteen minutes of talking and goodbyes that were very much not goodbyes before they were truly free from the office. Katniss bolted out the side door as quickly as she could, cursing under her breath at how long she’d been in there. That took almost an hour! Madge and Gale were probably wondering what was taking so long. Or maybe not. It was Trinket, after all.

The parking lot was nearly empty now as she crossed it, digging around for her battered up phone to text. Hopefully they were still up for burgers because after that talk...yeah. She needed the greasiest burger available. Wait until she tells her friends she’s playing Juliet and that Peeta Mellark was her Romeo. They might not believe her, thinking it a practical joke and asking what Trinket really wanted. That’s how absurd this whole situation sounded.

“Katniss!” she heard her name called out. “Hey, wait up!” She turned and saw Peeta waving her down, his long legs quickly catching up to her. Part of her wanted to pretend she didn’t hear him and keep moving, her car just across the street from where she stood. It’d be a safer bet, too, moving along, because nothing good was ever said when she was upset. This afternoon being a prime example. But for some reason, she was curious what Peeta had to say about all this. She stopped at the street corner and pretended to check for traffic despite the road being empty of any moving vehicle.

“Damn,” he laughed, a bit breathless as he caught up next to her. “I forgot how fast your fight or flight response is.”

“I’m not fleeing,” she frowned, checking the street for real this time before crossing. She dug around the front pocket of her book bag, pulling out both her keys and phone. “School’s done and I’m going to Sae’s with Gale and Madge. You know, my friends.”

“I know who Gale and Madge are.”

“Just checking,” she stated cooly, flipping her braid over her shoulder, “since you practically accused me of having none earlier.”

He winced. “Yeah, not the finest thing I’ve ever said. I’m sorry about that.”

She shrugged. “It’s fine, Peeta.” It wasn’t, but if she kept telling herself that, maybe she’ll believe it. “We can’t all be Mr. Popular like you.”

“Right.” He looked back at the student parking lot where he parked. Unlike her family, his could afford the $350 the school charged for a parking space. “Listen, about what you said in there. About us hating each other.” Katniss raised an eyebrow, curious where this would lead. “I don’t...hate you.”

Well that was...unexpected. Was that why he looked so troubled in the meeting? Because she said they hated each other? She took a step back from him, realizing he was closer than she felt comfortable with, and waited for the rest of it. It didn’t sound like he was finished, like there was a big but hanging at the end of his sentence. What else did he want to say? But I still don’t really like you? But I think you’re annoying and working with you is going to suck? But I think you’re a bitch? Honestly, the list could go on about all the negative things Peeta could say about her, but he said nothing. He just looked down at his shoes and kicked at some loose pebbles in the street.

“Oh,” she said, unsure what else there was to say. “I guess that will make rehearsal easier.”

He nodded, a bit too jerky to look natural. “Yeah. I just—it’s important to me that you know that I don’t hate you. I’ve never hated you. Mad beyond belief? Yeah. Lots of times, actually. But never hate. I could never hate you, Katniss.”

“Oh,” she said again, dumbfounded. “Well, thanks, Peeta. I guess. That’s... Good to know.” And just because her sour mood couldn’t help itself, “I’ll be able to sleep happy tonight knowing you don’t hate me.” She made a face, instantly regretting her words, and yanked open her car door, needing to just leave. “Listen, I gotta go. Gale and Madge are already waiting for me and Trinket took forever rambling about how we’re pearl necklaces. They’re waiting for me.”

He didn’t say anything as she got in the car, the loud, embarrassing screech of her engine once on making any type of conversation near impossible to hold. He stepped away and gave a halfhearted wave, all bravado gone now, as she pulled away from the curb. By the time she thought to wave back, it was too late and her car was halfway down the street.

God, she really was a heartless bitch.

*******

It was only hours later—after returning home from drowning her frustrations in the thickest chocolate shake Sae could make and celebrating her good news with her mom and sister over pizza—did she allow herself to think about Peeta Mellark.

On a whim, she pulled the framed photo she kept of her and her dad off her nightstand and held it, her grip tightening as she studied the ridiculous faces they’re making at the camera. It was one of the last pictures they took together before his passing. She can’t remember what prompted them to make the faces, but she wished she could go back and make them again with him. To be with her dad for just one more day. One more hour, even. She’d do anything for that.

Katniss closed her eyes and hugged the frame close to her chest for a moment, trying to stop any tears from slipping past her tight emotional control. She was safe to cry in her room, but wanted to wait until she was in bed with the lights turned off before crying over this emotionally draining day.

When it felt like she had her emotions under control, Katniss used her longest fingernail to lift the tabs on the back of the frame and carefully took the picture out, unfolding the right-half of it to reveal a young curly-haired Peeta smiling up at her, her dad’s arm thrown over his shoulders.

She stared at the full photo for the longest time, remembering how mad she was at him for taking this one simple thing from her. She never minded Peeta being in her family photos before. She sometimes pulled him in for ones when her dad or mom shouted, “Picture time! Show us your pearly whites!” But that was when she still thought they’d have more time. Why wouldn’t there be more time? Dads weren’t supposed to die until you were old and had kids of your own. That’s how it was supposed to be. They weren’t supposed to die when you’re eleven and barely old enough to understand the cruelty of the world. The unfairness of it all.

Katniss barely remembered a time when it was just her and her dad. Alone. No Peeta. No Prim. Just Dad and her.

She didn’t even have a good photo of just the two of them.

Just boxes upon boxes of photos of him, her, and Peeta.

The magical trio.

The full photo didn’t bring up any past resentment this time, though. Instead, it reminded her how much fun the three of them used to have, bumming around town while Aunt Lulu watched Prim at her shop, singing along to the radio and playing Punch Buggy. Her dad always made it a point to include Peeta on any outing they made, even if it involved going to the grocery store. How disappointed Dad would be seeing us now, she thought, tracing over his face with her thumb. Her and Peeta not friends anymore.

But Peeta Mellark doesn’t hate her. Katniss didn’t understand why hearing that felt like a weight had lifted off her, but she felt lighter now, the more she thought about it. Like it was easier to breathe again.

“Peeta Mellark doesn’t hate me,” she whispered to the photo, the words tasting sweet on her tongue. A small smile pulled at her lips and she said it again. “He doesn’t hate me, Dad.”

Katniss didn’t understand why Peeta thought it was important she knew he didn’t hate her, but it was all her mind kept thinking of, and she was glad to hear it.

He didn’t hate her. He never had.

#Everlark fanfiction #The Hunger Games Fanfiction #The Hunger Games #Everlark #Everlark fanfic #My writing #The Dance of the Color Guard Op. 64 #I realized in the sneak peek I put ch 4 instead of 3 #because I forget prologue is different #*face palm*#I hope you enjoy!!#Like and reblog!#Let me know what you think!#Finally getting the ball ROLLING

45 notes · View notes

oyesmendes · 5 years ago

Text

half hearted

a/n: this is part two to it was you! sorry if i hurt you!!!!

summary: shawn fucked up and he knows. he’s trying to fix it but could it be a tad bit late?

“Somewhere, anywhere but here”

Those words ran through his mind every single day he was home, and Shawn could barely focus on being with his family. He made trips to the Lakeside Cafe daily, passing by her house just as he rounded the corner to the Main Street. He was hoping to meet her, try to sort things out. He’d stand outside her house for not more than fifteen seconds, wondering if he should go ring the doorbell. Today was the same routine, he stood on the front yard of Y/N’s childhood home running through the old memories they made together. Shawn thought about all those late nights they spent climbing onto the roof of her house, drinking cheap beers and talking about their dreams. He remembered how Y/N was always a constant throughout his life even after he made it big and toured hundreds of cities in the world. Sure, Camila was there from the start too but Y/N, she felt like home. She was his home. He wrapped his arms around his body, the Canadian winter turning him into a 6 foot popsicle. He was getting ready to leave, not wanting to be any creepier than he was the past few days but the front door swung open and Shawn was frozen to the ground.

“Shawn! hey buddy, what’s up?” Mike shouted as he made his way down the driveway. Should he ask if Y/N was home? Was it appropriate to be asking her boyfriend that? Heck it.

“Hey uh, I was just wondering if Y/N is home? I needed to ask her something regarding work” A frown formed on Mike’s face as he approached Shawn.

“She didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“She left Pickering last night”

“She what? Where did she go?”

“Florida, Miami. She said she had to go see Camila, something about-“ Before Mike could even finish, Shawn was running back home. Why the hell would she go to Miami? What the fuck, Y/N? He was dialing her number into his phone, re-dialing and cursing at it when he was led to voicemail.

She watched her phone vibrate in her lap again, Shawn’s face filling up the screen. 6 missed calls, 15 unread messages.

“Y’know he’s probably packing up his bags to fly here right” Camila gave her a knowing look. She was right, other than yourself Camila knew Shawn like the back of her hand. He was probably already driving to Toronto and yelling at Andrew to get him on the next flight out to Miami. But she couldn’t care, she couldn’t be bothered right now. She took a flight to Florida to try and fix things for Camila, for Shawn. And right now, she couldn’t afford him yelling at her. It was weird, being here and Camila pouring her heart out to Y/N when she was the underlying cause to her breakup. But they were friends, for as long as they could remember, Y/N and Camila were friends even before Shawn and Camila became a thing. Their parents became best friends after an incident on a family trip in Miami; and ever since that day, they were inseparable.

“Shawn you can’t just pack up and leave!” Aaliyah was shouting at her brother who was now throwing random articles of clothing into a duffel bag.

“You don’t tell me what to do, Liyah”

“Oh yeah? How about this - everyone knew she was leaving, Shawn. Everyone except you.” Shawn froze in his place.

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“Everyone knew where she was going. She came to say goodbye, told us she was going to try and fix things for you. If she couldn’t, then she was going to be a friend, one that Camila needs in a time like this.” She stood in front of Shawn, hands folded to her chest. “I know you love them both, in very different ways but you need to stop and think. They both mean so much in your lives and if you go down there and tell Y/N how much you love her and want her back, how the hell is Mila supposed to react? You’re going to hurt her, Shawn.”

As much as he hated it, he knew Aaliyah was right. He didn’t know what to do, he wasn’t a fixer like Y/N was and neither was he a romantic that knew his way around relationships like Camila did. He was just a dorky kid from Pickering, who wrote out his honest feelings in songs. So he did that, he wrote a song.

“Y/N! Como estas?” Camila’s mother greeted her with a warm embrace when they arrived at their Florida home. They led her through the house into the kitchen, where a table spread of food was waiting for them.

“I’m going to leave the two of you to devour this alright?” They both nodded and Camila gave her mother a peck on the cheek before joining Y/N at the kitchen counter. Y/N wasted no time before diving straight into the healing wound on Camila’s heart.

“Why didn’t you fight him on it?” Camila choked on the pancake, food flying out of her mouth. Silence ensued between them for a second, Camila only being able to focus on the food in front of her.

“Because”

“Oh fuck off Mila, you know that’s not an answer”

“Because I’m not the one he’s in love with” She sputtered out, taking a gulp of the coffee in her cup. It was way too hot, but she didn’t mind it burning her throat after what she had admitted on behalf of Shawn.

“Say again?” Y/N knew she was pushing it, but she had to hear Camila confirm the words that were spewing out of her mouth. Camila repeated the words this time, slowly and with more conviction. Y/N couldn’t believe her ears as she leaned back in her chair.

“So you’re telling me, after writing one whole album about you while he was dating me, then telling me he wasn’t in love with me; that he was wrong and he’s still in love with me?”

“And he always will be in love with you” Y/N scoffed at those words, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. After all the drama, after she’s moved on and found someone new, Shawn was still in love with her?

“Is this a joke?” She looked out of the window at the sky. How could God be playing such a game with her? Camila hugged her from behind, her head resting on Y/N’s shoulder. She couldn’t piece anything together, patch up any holes because she didn’t know where to even start.

I should’ve said a word

Because you were wrong in what you’re thinking

Girl, I’m only never thinking

Of you

Shawn scribbled the last lines to the song, slamming his notebook shut before shoving it into his duffel. It had been a week since Y/N left for Miami, and two days since she arrived back in LA with Mike. Both herself and Camila kept each other company throughout the few days they were together, reminiscing their old friendship and talking about how crazy the situation was amongst them. She didn’t mention much about Shawn to Mike, and he respected her need for privacy. That was one of the many things she admired about Mike, he was so patient with her and he listened to all of her stories after she broke up with Shawn. He knew she needed her space, and in time she would open up to him as long as he waited for her. She was his guardian angel, the one she could count on every single time.

It was late in the evening and Mike was working overtime in the office tonight. So Y/N was on the couch, watching a TV series she never really paid attention to. She was about to fall asleep when the pounding on her front door sent her falling off the couch. She dragged her body to the door, ready to scold Mike for forgetting his keys again, but the figure standing at the door made her swallow all her words.

“Shawn? Wha-how…what are you doing here?” He pushed past her and stomped into the hallway, shaking off his boots and bags.

“What the fuck Y/N?” He’d been waiting for days to say this to her, but when he saw the anger on her face, he immediately regretted every word.

“Excuse me?” She moved closer to him, her head cocked to the side. She was in a white Saint Laurent hoodie, the same one that Shawn had gotten her when she came to one of his shows in New York. He claimed that they should have matching “Best Friend” hoodies because it “strengthened the friendship” Oh the bullshit.

“You can’t just pack up and leave, then go to Miami to see my ex girlfriend!”

“Your ex-girlfriend so happens to be my best friend too!” They were now both shouting, and Shawn was pacing the living room, not ready for where the argument was going. When he didn’t respond immediately, Y/N took her chance to fire some shots. Better to get the damage done and out of the way.

“You are a fucking idiot do you know that?” She paused, looking at Shawn in the eyes, “You lost someone who loved you so much, who gave her heart to you. She thought she was going to marry you, Shawn! You broke her!”

“And I’m sorry! I’ve already apologised a million times what else do you want me to do?” He tugged at his hair. Shawn looked distraught, the bags under his eyes heavier than ever, his cheeks sunken in and the light that was once shining was nothing but a broken bulb flickering in his eyes. But she was in pain too, knowing that there wasn’t a good way to fix this.

“I don’t know Shawn”

“Let me hold you, please Y/N. You’re all I have now”

“And I have Mike” She whispered.

“Wha-“

“I have Mike, I’m happy where I am Shawn. I’ve moved on.” Shawn felt as if he’d been shot in the chest when those words came tumbling out of her mouth. But it was true, Y/N has Mike who loves her till the end of the world. She saw herself marrying him, having kids together and building a family. She couldn’t see that with Shawn, at least not now when he couldn’t figure out himself. “You once told me that you should fight for love, and to fight hard when you were sure. And I saw you do that, you fought so hard for Camila that I told myself I had to let you go” Tears had welled up in both their eyes by now. They stood 3 feet apart, Y/N wrapping herself with her own arms and Shawn’s hands itching to pull her close to his chest.

“And I let you go” She continued, “then I found Mike, well more of he found me. And he put me back together, gave me his all. He fought for me and I love him, Shawn. I love him so so much. It could never match up to the love I have for you, but he’s my forever. I’m sorry”

Shawn didn’t have the energy to respond to her, hell he didn’t want to respond. All he could do was pick up his bags, and put on his shoes to leave. Y/N watched him gather his items and pull the front door open. He wanted to play the song he wrote about her, scream his thoughts out and tell her she was wrong. That he was always fighting for her no matter the circumstance. But he could only kiss her on the forehead, and whisper the words he never got to say,

“I love you, and I’m sorry”

#shawn mendes #Shawn Mendes Imagine #shawn mendes one shot #shawn mendes x reader #camila cabello #shawn mendes blurb

86 notes · View notes

cullxtheherd · 3 years ago

Note

Long(-ish) time listener, first-time caller here - just wanted to say that I really love your take on Jacob, and that your taste in music is A+! Also, I come offering a few songs that I think have big Jacob vibes - "Unsainted" by Slipknot, "The Heresy" by Mushroomhead, and "Feed the Machine" by Nickelback (just trust me).

hglkghjl oh my god hi!!! how are you?? first of all thank you what the heck skjhdndkf you are absolutely too nice sjdhsdjskdf but i am glad you enjoy my stupid shit™

and i am gonna dive into these songs rn.

yes but i would like to counter with this slipknot tune [x] and also this one cause i kinda forgot about them and now im scREam? [x] GLLHKGLLHBKGLHKGLKL

holy shit yeah i love mushroomhead but it's been yEARS since i properly listened to them- like?? since you had to buy the dvd to see the music videos cauce mf TV would not play them skjdskjsk i did not even know they had new content out?? tbh ksjfkdfjdkj?? but alsoo [x] and [x] anddd its taking me aGES to answer this cause im on a trip through songs of my younger years and like THANK you!!!! i am having so much fun skjfdkdjf

oh. my god okay. it's. it is. it. has taken everything in me to type nickelback into my youtube search bar. i'm really over here like:

hgkhlgkhlghll okay but i AM listening here i go pray for me...

okay. here's the thing. if chad fucking kroeger wasn't singing this i would really like this- the guitar solo is a little extra, but i've also listened to dragonforce and completed that shit on guitar hero0 jAYSUS CHRiST- anyways! i?????????????????? am going to have a lil quick jacob inspired music romp, join me if you like!

5 bands/artists, 5 songs below the cut!! but, FIRST!!

a warning: these first three groups will be triggering and offensive in many/multiple ways! please be prepared!!

𝙺𝙾Я𝙽:

Never Never: [x] - this is particularly nice™ if you follow my he was married timeline;

Shoots And Ladders: [x] - this pertains to childhood sexual abuse i haven't even had the stomach to write about yet for the Seed boys and it's not part of my timeline currently, but. it is definitely part of my headcanons and there is not enough brain bleach for me to ever live the same ever again 🙃

All In The Family [x] - i do not think this needs any explanation but i ammmm hahahahhahahahhksjud imagining john and jake hghg;glghlhglhgljhgl

It's On! [x] - i really forgot how much i miss early 00s/late 90s rock aaand wow so much of it it very The Seeds™

Coming Undone [x] - wow how hot was jon davis kdjskjdks i mean he still is but hewlp senmdddd shheelpppshdaslkf

𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐇 𝐍𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒:

The Becoming [x] - yeah 😢 it really do be like that. if you've never heard this before it can be a little... jarring, unsettling and/or painful to listen to, especially if you aren't in a good or positive headspace. there are a lot of sudden and loud mechanical/industrial type of noises as well a running background track of people screaming out in pain so... enjoy. that.... i actually?? really love this song and the entire album. it describes the fight with mental illness well in my opinion.

Mr Self Destruct [x] - it's perfect. would also very much work for Joseph but i do think this is just verrrryyy, sickeningly Jacob

I Do Not Want This [x] - this is another that is just not good if you aren't in the headspace for it

Big Man With A Gun [x] - this is just. explicit. and rude. and accurate. you're welcome.

Eraser [x] - don't listen to this if you're feeling low or not well mentally. definitely a deputy ship song.

bonus cause i can't follow rules even of my OWN making and i could go on for an embarassingly LONG time about NIN in relation to any one of my muses and sjkdnksdfns here you go:

The Perfect Drug [x] - this is a great song for any seed/deputy ship tbh but kdjkfdjfsnkfndhbf this a whole ass mf ass jacob seed ass mood and i am yelling out loud and my dogs are barking and all my cats ran awAY AaaaAaa

𝑺𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒎 𝑶𝒇 𝑨 𝑫𝒐𝒘𝒏:

Violent Pornography [x] - this song makes me laugh out loud to be honest?? i am not? a sane individual

Cigaro [x] - LMAOOAHAHHAHAHSJABSDKAS UBISOFT SHOULD HAVE HIRED ME FOR THE WHITETAILS RADIO SOUNDTRACK BYEE HHHAJKDnsaf

Suite-Pee [x] - sorry but this is apparently just funny meme time now im hahjdgsfkjddgf

War? [x] - accurate meme hour continues

I-E-A-I-A-I-O [x] - glhfmlkfgmlkdfg i'mm ghlghklgkhl the absolute mutterings of a ginger madman trapped between two mountains

𝓛𝓸𝓻𝓭 𝓗𝓾𝓻𝓸𝓷:

The Ghost On The Shore [x] - fricken love this song and this group

Drops In The Lake [x] - pooor ol widower. i've been toying with a universe where his wife is still clinging to life, mostly burnt and nearly dead in that old veteran's center and hahahaha this doesn't hurt at all 🥴

Long Lost [x] - this is fine. not imagining my otp. nope.

The World Ender [x] - 🤠🗡

Yawning Grave [x] - this is also a lucifer jam as fuck

𝕰𝖑𝖑𝖎𝖔𝖙 𝕸𝖔𝖘𝖘:

Silver + Gold [x] - super good ship song for character arcs; dep ship or not

Closedloop [x] - 𝒊𝒕'𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 . . .

I Heard [x] - what a fuckin jam. also wow how cute is elliot?? ? wow

99 [x] - i dont have anything to say its just so accurate and so good

Without The Lights [x] - this is a very accurate interpretation of a physically and sexually abusive relationship through dance, please use caution! but this is going to be accurate for any canon type relationship with jacob or maybe even all of the seeds. personally i refuse to write any strictly non-consensual material, but i am fully aware this is more than likely something that happens. having been in similar relationships in the past this video goes on repeat a lot and i can't even begin to say how beautiful it is- i cry every single time.

"𝓬𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓸𝓯𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓸𝓰𝓼 𝔀𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭 𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓸𝓭𝓼 . . ."

hoLY COW if you made it this far you deserve something dont u... hmnnn. i'm sure i have something somewhere on a hard drive

that should do sjdkjfkd ok i love youu thank you for sending me this ask akjnsfdskf i hope u are having a great day!! bye!!

4 notes · View notes

anyways-wonderwall · 4 years ago

Text

Album of the week #2

Comedown Machine

(2013)

By The Strokes

Overall rating: 8.5/10

TL;DR: This album is like your favorite pair of jeans. It looks like all of the other ones you own but something about it feels like home.

Hey everyone! Sorry this is a few days late but I actually got a concussion the day I was going to write this so I would argue that I have a fair enough excuse. Don't worry I am staying away from screens and I'm really only typing this in 5 minute intervals, meaning I am trying to type as fast as humanly possible. Future me is going to have a field day proofreading.

Anyways, this week's album is Comedown Machine by the Strokes, a band that I definitely should listen to more but haven't fully gotten around to it. I know more of their songs than the average person and have a few of their albums on my phone, but I haven't really fully gone in depth with them like some other bands. I actually already had this album on my phone, which worked out great because I ran out of data this week and could only play downloaded music in my car.

But enough about the interesting week I had, here is my review on The Strokes great 2013 album, Comedown Machine. (Also totally unrelated but I absolutely love the cover? It is just simple enough to not be boring. Reminds me of old vinyl covers and the red makes it really easy to pick out on my phone.)

General Thoughts:

The best way I can describe this album is that it is a very solid vibe the whole way through. It kind of falls into the trap of every song sounding the same, but at least its a good same. When prompted with a title of a song on here I 100% could not tell you what the melody is (minus “Call it Fate Call it Karma”) but there was not a single song on here I didn't like.

The songs in this album have a very detached old energy, that kind of feels like a hug. I kept finding myself coming back to this album as a kind of home, because I know that it would be comforting. A bad day at work? Just listen to this and I'm instantly calmed down. While I usually like variety, what is repeated in this album is so good I can't be mad at it.

Song Breakdown:

I. Tap Out

This song starts out exactly like the intro to my favorite Wii game, Guitar Hero III, so I already liked it without actually hearing what the rest of it sounded like. This song sounds so 2010s indie that I felt like I was living in a John Green book and honestly? I'm not mad at it. Its just mellow enough for my concussed head to vibe along with it but it still has enough of a beat that you can dance to it. The ideal dance would be that one kid vibing in the club with sunglasses. You know the one? I hope you know the one or I sound crazy.

2. All the Time

Okay so this one definitely belongs in a Guitar Hero game. I'm honestly surprised it hasn't been in one yet. Like the last one it makes me feel like I'm in a teen coming of age movie and this is playing in my car as I go on a road trip to “find myself”. Passes the vibe check and is a very solid song.

3. One Way Trigger

This is one of the most, if not the most memorable song in the album, and the one of the only ones that gets stuck in my head. That little riff thingy is super super catchy and repeated enough that you would think it would become annoying, but there is just enough going on that it balances off. I like this one so much that when I was listening to it right before writing this I honestly forgot I was doing a review and was just grooving along. Very very good song.

4. Welcome to Japan

My second favorite on the album babey (you'll see which one is my favorite because it will have a whole love letter written to it). This is definitely a song I want to sit down and learn all the parts on every instrument, tinkering with them until I can get them to sound like the actual song but funkier. The vocals balance goofy and good with thought-provoking lines “what kind of asshole drives a lotus.” The vocals also use a wide range and aren’t just falsetto, thank GOD.

5. 80s Comedown Machine

This song is familiar to the point it is killing me. The main riff is so so so close to something I know but I can’t put my finger on what it is. At first I thought it sounded like the theme song from an old DS game I had as a kid, but after looking up the theme it's not that. It is so familiar sounding the song hurts to listen to because I just feel like I’m missing something. My only guess as to why it sounds so familiar is it sounds like the music used during the climax of The Royal Tenenbaums, it sounds so close that I had to look up the actual soundtrack just to check that the song wasn’t actually there. (The song is actually “Needle in the Hay” by Elliot Smith and while they don’t sound alike they have basically the same vibe to me. Wes Anderson if you need help with soundtracks call me because this song would fit any of your movies.)

6. 50/50

Meh. The songs do all sound the same in this album and this one doesn’t have something about it that makes it stand out in a positive way. The vocals are new I guess, but they just remind me of something out of Scott Pilgrim vs The World so that kind of changes it. Good song that isn’t bad, it’s just not overwhelmingly good.

7. Slow Animals

I really like this one :). Honestly I don’t know what else to say about this one because everything has kind of already been said. All the songs had the same energy so I like them about the same. This one maybe a tad more than the others though. Especially the Waluigi Pinball part.

8. Partners in Crime

This is the only super upbeat song in the entire album and both my regular and concussed brain find it too jarring. Like I was lulled into this false sense of security by calm distortion and layers of vocal harmonies and now that really violent opening riff in this song. I know I’m extra sensitive right now but it’s a no from me.

9. Chances

The teen coming of age movie that is this album is now coming to an end, and this is the song that plays on the car ride home after the climax. It’s dark outside and the bushes and trees are whizzing past, getting more and more familiar as they approach their small hometown. While not my favorite, this song is amazing and sounds especially nice to my concussed brain after the last song.

10. Happy Ending

And now the coming of age movie is over! The main character learned a lesson just before being forced to go off to college in a new town and make all new friends. This song doesn’t have anything that is super different from the others, so all I can say about it is that it was really solid and nice.

11. Call it Fate, Call it Karma

Here is another entry on the “do you ever just want to become a song” list. I want this song to be played around me for the rest of my life. I want to be surrounded in it and put into a stasis pod. Love does not cover what I feel for this song the same way Amazing does not cover how god this song is. The whole album kind of feels like a comforting hug, but this feels like home. It feels like you will be okay and that the world is calm again. My years of music education can’t even break down how it does this, it just does. 50/10, this is the song that made me buy the album. Every part of it is good. Every part.

Final Verdict:

Well I already had this album on my phone, but if I didn’t I would 100% buy it. While individually the songs don’t stand out too much, the album as a whole is something that is worth listening to time and time again. I haven’t listened to many Strokes’ albums the full way through, but as of right now this one is my favorite. A masterpiece of early 2010s alternative rock in my nonexpert opinion.

#album of the week #album 2 #the strokes #comedown machine #music review #music recommendation

6 notes · View notes