#The End of Rock Piano

[getosugurusbangs]

what if i said i actually love too weird to live, too rare to die and think it’s underrated. what then.

[bmpmp3]

i do think its kinda funny when i see someone in the year of our lord 2024 talk about vocal synth music like its all gone downhill since like 2010 because like dont get me wrong i love a good niconicodouga-ass 2008 ass vocaloid joint BUT also like. the past couple years have had the most fascinatingly creative and expressive uses of vocal synthesizers ive ever heard in my life DJFSKHJDFS dont write it all off just yet!!

[marejadilla]

David Bowie (1947-2016), “Life On Mars?” (Original Ending Version). "Life On Mars?" is a song by British musician David Bowie, released in 1971 on the album "Hunky Dory". Website

[cak31ssuperi04]

Do you have any general hcs of the 1bit/1beat cast? Anythings fine

Kind of rough but

-I've played around with the idea with Eruno being from an orphanage/foster home(the "because you've got a proper family" bit) but I go back and forth on this one.

-Nio and Sakuma are friends! He does shifts at Bitwave they hang out there. The poor boy needs someone to fend off the fangirls.

-Eruno and Akitaka accompany Haruya on deliveries sometimes. Pals.

-When Aira's mimetic muscles get installed she doesn't really quite get how to use them immediately. Her expressions start out real stiff(which she expresses dissatisfaction with, and gets help from the others) to real exaggerated and overplayed(think unbridled rage or pained anguish at things that just kind of annoy her).

-Also she has Kiri make her taller so she can grow alongside her friends!

-Also Also by 1beat she has at LEAST one sibling who's just, a really muscled out doll in frilly clothes.

-Meru listens to death metal. She'd hoped it'd help her stay up better but now she just kind of likes it.

-Outside of tending to the shrine, Hakuhi has embroidery as a hobby.

-Izuchi took piano lessons when he was younger(parents made him do it to try and play up the prodigy genius image). He quit.

-That potion thing he made in 1beat was ripped from Kirai's anime but in part he'd made it after Eruno came to him Demanding a way to make her dog live longer.

-He went to Blue sun college(less because he thought he needed to and more for the benefits a degree there would give him) and got into an apprenticeship with Kiri. He keeps the lab when Kiri moves to Coco Alley(easier to skirt by the law). Familiar with the Blue Sun Trio to some extent.

-He has a sweet tooth but doesn't really admit it because he deems it unhealthy.

-While he did have a hand in the creation of the master program, he doesn't stay on the team after it's finished. Does continue to get occasional updates about it from Hiyu and Nanase though.

-His room is all clean and organized on the surface(maybe a few seashell displays, a poster covering a hole in the wall) but he keeps all the goofy weird shit stored away in drawers and under his bed.*

-I've played around with the idea of there being a 3rd Nasuga sibling who's just too young to be relevant in the game(<-no canon basis i just thought it'd be fun) but I'm not sure if I'd keep that.

-Enri has a pet hamster! He's like the band's son.

-The gang Kirara used to be a part of was like a sparkly gyaru girl gang. She never really enjoyed fighting but took a lot of lessons growing up so she was really good at it. The gang is still going strong though and at least a few of her Gyaru Friends are members(and there's at least one member who's just a plain normal ass girl that hangs around them but that's getting into oc territory).

-Rocca ends up growing up to be like Really Fucking Tall. Momori models clothes on her and remarks that she could be a model if she didn't trip over herself so much(not that she'd want to be one anyways).

-Mary has 3 siblings, they've done a way better job at staying out of the public eye(and have grown somewhat distant from her as a result).

-On account of being friends with a lot of the townspeople and having a lot of relatives, Hitohito is just one of those guys with a lot of connections. In a "guy who knows a guy" way.

-Chino is Coco Alley's mom jkasdsa.

--She brings Sora(was familiar with his family and doesn't want him to get too lonely) cookies and flowers sometimes and while he's dismissive about it he does secretly appreciate it.

-Tobari is the heiress to a big tea emporium who dipped because she got bored and/or got into a disagreement with someone over there, but continues playing up her Elegant Fancy Lady image despite living paycheck to paycheck(which I mean, good for her I guess.)

-Although Sagara knows Asuto through Hitohito, they actually interact fairly regularly in anime forums.

-Hitohito, Izuchi, and Sagara were on friendly terms when they were kids but grew distant for reasons. Hitohito and Sagara had gotten back in touch and still hang out. Heat reached out to Izuchi but was promptly brushed off, still looks out for him. Izuchi and Sagara have a weird frenemy/rival thing going on.

-Sagara has no siblings she just kind of lives alone with her mom who may or may not hate her.(although it's less "hate" so much as disappointment)

-Sagara's chicken avatar is modeled after one of her childhood pets.

-Sagara definitely Naruto runs.

-She holds DnD(\Dnd adjacent. Just some ttrpg I'm not an expert) sessions at every couple of weeks. I'm not saying Izuchi willingly participates(those commoners are hopeless without his guidance), just that she didn't exactly have very many other people to invite(Hitohito and sometimes Meu and eventually Nanashi).

-She has a knack for trying to help townspeople as part of some sort of Magical Girl Code but isn't as good at it as she thinks she is.

-She has a compartment in her arm warmers that's full of bird feed, she's made an alliance with the pigeons.

-While she does cool it with the Organization stuff, she never drops the chuuni behavior. Eventually opens a small cake shop with some edgy chuuni-esque title(debated on whether it should be in the same place Little Berry was, like after little berry closes its doors).

-Nomiya and Hiyu butt heads a lot but they both get along fine with Azusa. Somebody needs to be nice to her god damn it.

-The Kujohs have a pet dog but it's actually Azusa's. Following with the rest of the family, it's a big intimidating dog that's actually just really chill. Enri has tried to look past it but he's always very leery about visiting them.

-Nomiya's riding an adrenaline high throughout most of the game but his more calm demeanor in his events is just him going in the opposite extreme as a result of coming down from it. He's usually fairly loud and confrontational, just not THAT loud and confrontational.

-He keeps in closest touch with Tobari after the hackers are disbanded. Somewhat on account of her being able to hold her own in Break Passage the best out of the other three. She views him as a weird little brother.

-The hackers hold gatherings in memory(or what little of that memory they even retained. It's mostly secondhand from Nanashi) of Mikado where they commit minor crimes. The gathering was Kotora's idea the crime was Nomiya's.

-Sagara has a journal that she calls the Abyss Tome that's just full of fanfiction and anime drawings of herself and her friends(/enemies). Has a bunch of spell names listed down in it.

-Saaya and Meu are friends! Saaya comes to her for divinations about her love life a lot and just ends up venting. Meu's happy to listen though and tries to comfort her the best she can.

-Speaking of therapy though, Saaya does get therapy sometime post-canon and distances herself from Nanase(while a lot of Nanashi's friendships that start off on the wrong foot have room for growth, the memory thing makes things kind of... weird with her). She's in a much better state by 1beat.

-Saaya writes a lot of poetry.

-Yoh and Sagara are related. Somehow(I did consider nephew at one point but that didn't really pan out).

-So are Hiyu and Arumu. They've got that green hair and funky eyebrows.

-Akuta and Kaori date briefly(well, she's a fan of his work, and he is rich, and while he can't speak multiple languages he is well-spoken, what could go wrong?) which just ends in them breaking up over a disagreement over a book's ending. That was more the final straw though, actually getting to know him put into perspective just how far from her expectations he actually is and she's not super pleased about it. They do stay friends but something something important lesson about your idols being people.

-I feel like I've said somewhere that Kotora leaves the cafe to Rocca when he retires but I need to clarify that Kotora keeps being the cafe guy well into old age and that Rocca would be a whole adult by then.

-Kaori was the youngest of her siblings and only one to stay with her mother, she sees her dad as a good for nothing deadbeat(it wasn't an amicable divorce) and the ordeal heavily influenced how she views romantic relationships as a whole. Grew up somewhat distant from Kotora and their sister but reconnected in adulthood.

-Her "ideal guy" is just the best traits of her favorite book leads cobbled together like some kind of frankenguy. (And she might be internalizing something... who knows)

-The world did enter a more 'cyberpunk dystopia'-esque futuristic state a long time ago and the return to more traditional old timey ways is sort of in response to that, but Yasune is the only one who'd actually lived through it. Although then again the 2nd oldest character in the game is only 36 so...

The post is starting to not process so I'm going to cut it off here.

[darlinhutchence]

Michael Hutchence performing Never Tear Us Apart on Later with Jools Holland. x

[wordsandsound14]

2022 Albums of the Year

What a year it’s been. In all honesty, 2022 was a little disappointing in the album department. The albums I have on this list are all ones that I like and enjoy, don’t get me wrong. But I feel that I didn’t have an album that blew me away that normally does. However, I also didn’t have albums that I absolutely hated. Even the Panic! album that I didn’t care for isn’t an unbearable mess, it’s just not good and that’s it. Regardless, I listened to a good amount of albums from this year that I feel confident in my top 20. (I’m sure when I look at other year end lists, that my ranking will get changed. Yet, this list still feels good.) Let’s just jump in now 

20. Sometimes, Forever - Soccer Mommy

I find this album really explores the different sounds that Soccer Mommy is capable of producing. “Clean” was an introduction to her sound and “Color Theory” took that sound and made it larger. “Sometimes, Forever” doesn’t do anything unexpected but it does embrace experimental sounds that she hasn’t yet made. I adore the pinball “With U” as it launches into a electro-rock track that embraces the energy it has while still having an incredible chorus to hold the song together. “Shotgun” is another standout and the numbers back up how catchy the chorus is. It’s the most memorable song off the album and it’ll be stuck in your head. The rest of the album does a marvelous job of weaving the new ideas without feeling like two completely different thoughts, all the while still sounding like Soccer Mommy. A very unique album that will stand out in her discography with the years coming.

19. Lila - Marketa Irglova

After the long hiatus, the third album (and apparently the ending of a trilogy of albums) has finally arrived. Many know Marketa as being a member of The Swell Season and being a co-star in the film Once. Years later, we arrive at “Lila” and her long journey to where she is today. For those unfamiliar, she creates piano driven music that often focusses on the complexities and intricacies of love and its many different forms: platonic, parental, eternal, romantic, etc. She touches on a lot of topics but often, endearingly, looks at the side of love. While the short track listing is a hard pill to swallow after the wait (being only 9 tracks long), each song does feel special if you give it time to bloom. I was initially a little disappointed that after all these years and it didn’t feel like they compared to the past two albums. But living with the songs and listening to them more often proved how intricate these songs are. My personal favorite being “Girl From a Movie” with a melody that touches my soul and calms it. I hope these songs can find you where you are at and you can embrace the peacefulness they bring

18. Dance Fever - Florence + The Machine

The song “King” alone is enough to land this album on this list. Being the feminist song of the year and maybe decade, it has an ability to be empowering without feeling like there is an agenda or coming off really corny/obvious is what sets this track apart. “Cassandra” is another highlight that brings attention to the gothic fantasy that is thematically embraced by the band this time. The thing that does hold this album back is there is a series of songs on here that I don’t care for. From “Back in Town” to “Prayer Factory” is what feels like a very automatic Florence. However, everything else exceeds my expectations and fulfills that Florence scratch that I didn’t know I needed itching. I think what made this album work so well was the subtle experimentation they used. I felt like they utilized Florence’s fantasy sounding voice really well and made music that surrounded her voice well and doubled down on it. I think it’s the best decision they could have made and embracing it only created the album that we have here.

17. Hold the Girl - Rina Sawayama

There’s not a huge stand out here but this album fully showcases Rina’s ability to songwrite while fully embracing the pop genre. With her last album, she genre bounced almost as many times as she could and here she still incorporates other genres but I would still put them all in the pop genre. That being said, I fully understand why if others weren’t too fond of the this project. It doesn't feel like a betrayal from the artist but it isn’t a path that works for everyone. Without a standout, it can feel like you’re waiting for her to break the ceiling and it can feel like she never really does but if you take each individual song as it is, she does a great job of making them unique and their own. I see this album more as a collection of songs rather a complete project that has a start and finish. However, this perspective has helped me hear the songs for what they are and that each one was carefully made to be the best pop song it can be. “This Hell” being a catchy Gaga inspired song, “Hurricanes” being a momentous pop song, and “Frankenstein” being the iconic rock-pop song off the album (I think it’s an actual leftover Gaga track). Rina Sawayama is making waves as a new pop star that has no limits on her genre.

16. Chloe and the Next 20th Century - Father John Misty

This is probably the hardest album to rank. It took all year (did listen to this a little late; believe it was June when I listened to it for the first time) for this one to grow on me. Upon first listen, I felt like the title track was the only standout song (which it still is my favorite from the album) and the rest fell short of what I wanted from the 20′s inspired album. I lived with the songs some more and found some more songs from it but still felt like the songs felt a little stale. Then came late November and it’s time to re-listen to all of the albums I heard from the year so I can make my year end list and it clicked this time. Really clicked and suddenly there’s no skip tracks and it sounds super cohesive and I hear the diversity of the album. (There’s maybe one ballad that goes on too long but that was my only major complaint). It’s so well crafted and I think my only wish was that he committed to the 20′s sound more but he still did a really great job of getting that sound to the modern day. I’m sure this album will age like wine.

15. All Girls Go To Heaven - Mint Green

I did a lot of listening to Spotify’s Discover Weekly, a curated playlist of new music and this band showed up with their song “Body Language” (still my favorite from the album). I put the new songs I like in a “Rotation” playlist and I listen to them and funnel some in and out every 2 weeks. (It’s a whole system) To listen to new albums, I’ll pick a few songs that have albums attached to them. This is one of those albums that I found through this system. (Keep in mind that there are plenty of other albums but some come from last year so they don’t qualify for this year.) This album really impressed me, even though I thought there was places that it could improve on. The songwriting of this group is amazing and you can just imagine these being played in small rooms/live. You can hear their love and understanding of music through listening. These songs have such a great energy and it feels like there’s so much more of their talent for them to discover. I really can’t wait to hear what’s next for them but I also have this selection of songs to continue listening to. I also really love the dynamic of this band and having to women who sing in the band (though it seems the lineup of the band keeps changing every time I look). It’s a little difficult to rank a band on their music and not the potential of their music but they’ll land right here for now.

14. Asphalt Meadows - Death Cab For Cutie

While I’m sure Death Cab has made better albums, I feel this one is going to go under many radars of music from this year. This album showcases that they are a band who have plenty of ideas still for those still listening. I say it like I’m a longtime fan but really I only knew a handful of the bigger songs. I listened to “Plans” earlier in the year and then I saw that they dropped an album and gave it a listen also. I was pleasantly surprised when I gave it a listen and the songs have only improved with time. “Fragments From the Decade” is the perfected indie ambient music that I love from the band. “I Don’t Know How to Survive” is an excellent opener that presents the listener with confirmation that the rest of the album will be a good ride with its indie flares. “Hear to Forever” is another highlight that simply evolves with how the album is moving thematically but hits as a high point for the album. Each song is sonically interesting though and feel like they got the songs to the best of place they could get them in.

13. The Art of Survival - Bush

In 2020, Bush reinvented themselves with “The Kingdom”, opting for more of a modern hard rock sound with post-grunge. I loved the approach they did with their sound and evolving it to a place where that felt like it was appreciation to listeners who were still here after their on-and-off career. I wanted more of their recent evolution and they answered back maybe a bit too literally. It’s an album that serves as a sister album more than a sequel. But damn, this sound is really good. They don’t nail the ballad as good as they could have but all the other songs have a lot of energy to them with booming guitars and hard hitting drums. You can feel the wave of sound with every chorus that comes and the song structures are varied enough so that you never feel like it’s the same song over and over. It’s a great listen that I hope they can use it as a stepping stone for the next album. They can get away with one sister album but not two.

12. Meet the Moonlight - Jack Johnson

I hadn’t given up on Jack Johnson yet but I figured his best years were behind him, being a remnant of the 2000′s acoustic/folk scene. His past two albums didn’t seem to pushing his career forward in a significant way anymore, the first being more of a copy of his earlier work and the later feeling over-produced and sounding forced. But this album proved that he still has songs. I think the issue was that he was happy just touring, being a humanitarian, and being a family man. The studio and notebook weren’t calling him and he pushed himself to meet the page in times when it felt like his life wasn’t calling him that way. Here, you can feel that these songs were from his heart that he had something to say. The music matches the tone and Jack’s personality shines through; the Hawaiian beach ocean is almost tangible. It’s an album that feels like coming home. He has interesting songs and I’m extremely happy that he took a chance on ambient music with the title track and it ended up being my favorite from the record. It makes me happy to hear that he’s back in his element with music again.

11. It’s Almost Dry - Pusha T

I really liked Pusha T’s last effort with “Daytona” but felt that it could be expanded on in a way that could feel fully realized. “It’s Almost Dry” is the answer to that request. His hooks are impeccable and each song feels like its own. My favorite unfortunately has West attached to it and I had to make the tough call of not including it within my top 50 to not endorse West. While I know my actions alone will not really change what his reputation is, I don’t feel comfortable supporting him in any way. With that said, it doesn’t stop the music and hooks being absolutely great, with the only skip track being “Scrape It Off” as it uses a beat and plays of typical modern trap beats. But everything else is really progressive and evolves his songs in a new way. I know a lot of people say that Pusha T makes only one type of music and that you should know what you’re getting when you put on his music but idk, this album seems to prove that wrong and I might bet that’s what he was after cause no track sounds the same and I can tell he used his creativity to expand the best he could within the rap genre.

10. Where the Heart Is - Sweet Pill

Another Discover Weekly band that I found and fell in love with. The best way I can describe this band is take Paramore’s first two albums and they have recreated it without sounding like carbon copies. You can hear the heavy influence but it doesn’t take away from their own original sound. “High Hopes” was the song that got me hooked and still is my favorite with its addicting riff and high energy rock. However, the title track does make it run for the money providing a great thesis for the album. “Sometimes” is the perfect song for you if you are interested in their Paramore similarities. It’s a great callback album to the 2000′s edgy alt rock scene but moves it to a modern headspace. Overall, I’m super delighted to have found this band and am super excited to how they expand their sound next time.

9. Harry’s House - Harry Styles

Separate the art from the artist they say. I’ll do that here. And it’s not like I started hating or disliking Harry that much but the second half of this year has proved how much growing up he has left as a human. The drama behind the movie is difficult to ignore and how he is in interviews (especially surrounding the film) has made it evident that he isn’t really ready for any type of normality/reality check. Being someone who loves Harry, his daring outfits, and protest against gender norms seems like a long past now. He now seems like that annoying little brother who got famous but isn’t ready for the responsibility but is still able to BS through life. It’s complicated; he hasn’t done anything really wrong but he could be doing better. Anyways, more about the music since that’s what this is about. Harry’s ability to create insanely catchy pop hooks and do it successfully 12 times is truly a feat. And a good portion of them are fully realized and the others work well as shorter songs. He doesn’t try to push an idea further than it needs to if he doesn’t know how to fill that space. “Boyfriends” is the only song that I feel falls short. Everything else keeps up with the rest of discography. This album might be a little more simple musically, goes for the pop production, and sticks to shorter songs but I feel that these choices benefit the album majority of the time. There’s a song for everyone in here and Harry’s House is a good addition to his portfolio.

8. Spinning the Truth Around (Part 1) - Blue October

Blue’s last album was such a major disappointment. I felt like a lot of it was overproduced and that a lot of songs didn’t get fully realized. And it sucks because there’s a “fan reason” behind it that really seems to be true for this band. It goes something like this: “Justin (Blue October frontman) only makes music if he isn’t doing well. I’m happy that he’s finally happy and in a good place but the music doesn’t hit like it used to when he was depressed and anxious all the time.” And well... he made some really good music. The news is that he’s going through a divorce with his second wife. Luckily, it’s not even close to how messy the first divorce went. It seems like they just grew apart and didn’t feel their marriage was what it was supposed to be nor did it feel right for them. Yet, that still is a gut punch and you can hear it in the songs where Justin talks about this topic. He perfectly walks you through the emotions of losing a love that you still love. The anger, the sadness, the confusion, the passion, the acceptance, the etc. The greatest thing to come out of this album is how diverse their sound has become. While there’s still a glossy pop production to the album, there’s a lot of different sounds and approaches to songwriting. I can hear the band really pushing themselves to make great songs here and it really pays off. “Where Did You Go I’m Less of a Mess These Days” is my favorite for its soaring chorus and gut wrenching words. “How Can You Love Me If You Don’t Even Like Me” is groovy and incorporates its dark tone with its ambient sound. “Change” is a super unique, sleek rock song that I wouldn’t have seen coming from the band. I’ll let you listen to it but I’m super excited for Part 2 if it continues this new ambition within the band.

7. THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND- PUP

PUP seems to have found their sound and seems super comfortable with exactly how to expand that sound while maintaining it. They nailed a great sound with their last album “Morbid Stuff” and continue by going a little harder but continue with their great energy punk with indie rock. While I’m not a fan of the interlude songs in-between the longer songs, they are quick. But every normal length song on here is an absolute blast to listen to. They’re snappy, punchy, and rock really hard. “Matilda”, “Robot Writes a Love Song”, and “Habits” are the highlight tracks but it’s really hard to hand pick the songs off from here when each one is so well made. It’s an album that you can hear it being played live just by listening to the studio recording (but I kinda wanna hear it in a small room too).

6. 22 Make - Oh Wonder

Last year saw the return of Oh Wonder. Not that they went away but their album before “Nobody Can Wear Your Crown” felt like Oh Wonder on autopilot. 22 Break had urgency, creativity, and passion. It felt like that music was the only route for them to work through this part of their life. 22 Make is 2nd part of the album, a sister album. The first half explored how their struggles, doubts, and conflicts lead to a difficult first year of marriage. This album is reaffirming themselves through all the pain that they truly love each and backing away from their marriage and time together would be for the worse. The love is bleeding through the sound and the choice to stay in a relationship after a time of hardship is never more beautifully displayed than here. While there’s a bit more tendency for pop production compared to the first one, this still has a lot of creative ideas and unique sounds. Oh Wonder has still yet to really branch into something unknown but they have continually made interesting songs and sounds the accompany their music. Also the more time passes, the better Anthony’s production skills get. His beats, mixing choices, and selection of effects are really spectacular. Truly a producer I’m inspired by.

5. Are You Happy Now? - Jensen McRae

Discover Weekly really brought me to an artist here that has such a bright future in front of her. Comparable to Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, Jensen McRae’s lyrics and indie folk music is soulful, introspective, and meaningful. “Wolves” is commentary on average predatory men and how they affect women’s lives. “Adam’s Rib” is a desperation we all feel from unrequited or decaying love that is out of our hands. “Dead Girl Walking” was my introduction and utilizes its infectious beat to display her insecurities and stress. Her ability to share her thoughts well, keep the lyrics intimate, and the music interesting are welcome in the realm in highly praised modern folk songwriters mentioned above. Her album really caught me off guard tho. On the surface, she’s an indie artist that has a good knack for interesting songs but nothing that really jumps out. The moment you realize what she’s doing and how she sings really changes that perspective and tells you how wrong you are. There’s a lot more depth and letting these songs sing to you is the key to listening.

4. HOLY FVCK - Demi Lovato

Even with all of the discover weekly finds this year, this is still the biggest left field album for me this year. I’ve never listened or been interested in her music. I heard her music was actually rock this time and I kind of assumed people who said this were stretching the truth and it would sound way more like pop than rock. (kinda like Avril’s release) But I gave it a chance so I could have my own opinion and I was so surprised with what I found. Actual rock music... like what I was told. There are definitely some songs that have a pop sound to them but she never leaves the realm of rock music. Two biggest complaints is that there isn’t a song that super stands out to me and the track listing is bloated. I enjoy the whole track listing so it’s a little difficult to eliminate songs but it does indeed drag. Anyways, I was really taken back with how hard these songs rock and how ambitious it is for a pop artist to commit to a sound that would seemingly alienate the target pop audience. This album could have flopped (for Demi standards) and I may have never heard it. But she nails each of these songs and doesn’t make any adjustments for her audience. On top of it all, these songs are super honest with the listeners. She doesn’t sugar coat her experience the past years and has so much self-awareness. It’s how we get songs like “29″ and “SKIN OF MY TEETH” on how she realizes what her choices, things that have happened to her, and everything in between has affected. It’s her art and she made sure it was her story. It’s an impressive album and is executed as so. (I do also apologize if excluding them/them pronouns is harmful. It is not my intention to inflict harm. I remembered their pronouns changed at the beginning of this year. I thought it was she/her but it was they/her. Since they do go by she/her pronouns currently, I’ll keep my wording the way it is but I did not want to exclude they/them without mentioning those pronouns in a disclaimer at least.)

3. Vaxis II: Window of the Waking Mind - Coheed and Cambria

This is one of the most consistent bands of modern day. I understand that they aren’t for everybody but I find their music has always been so carefully made. This time, they took a few notes from classic metal and made the bold decision of making the majority of their songs shorter. If you aren’t familiar with the band, they are a modern Prog Rock band. Prog is known for their story driven albums and longer songs (Rush and Pink Floyd are well known classic Prog bands). While Coheed has a story within their album, it doesn’t need to be known to like or even connect with their music. I do think it helps knowing that there is a story so if something feels a bit narrative, you’ll understand why. However, Coheed has always done a wonderful job of displaying the emotion of the narrative if there is a story element happening. This is all beautifully displayed on the title track, which really feels like a Magnus opus. All of their skills, learning, and creativity reaches its max with this song. While you can jump into it if you really need to, the payoff is way better when the whole album is listened to so the last song has the impact that it has. Your mind will subconsciously pick up on the journey of the album and the final song will conclude this story well. They also lead this album off right where the last album drops off (more listening if you end up liking the band) with the melody of “Unheavenly Creatures”, which is thematically satisfying. Then you have the electrifying “Comatose” and the anthemic “The Liar’s Club”. And if that’s not enough, the band really experimented and mixed their sound with a Eurovision sound in “A Disappearing Act”. It’s a solid release from a band that continues to display their growing talent and professionalism as musicians.

2. Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers - Kendrick Lamar

I’m unsure if this is a hot take or not. All I can say is that Kendrick did a daring move and instead of tackling racism again after the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement, he took a step away to focus on his family trauma and his healing process through therapy. I feel like he even stepped away from flashy hooks in an attempt to make music that felt like less of a product and one that told his story. At first, I was thinking this project would land lower on my list, remembering that the songs felt like they missed the musical creativity that Kendrick offers more of and it sometimes felt like sitting in on his therapy sessions vs listening to a creative project. However, upon re-listening, I don’t feel that way anymore. These songs now feel like an old best friend that I’ve been needing to connect with again and I had put it off. These songs become personal in the same way that they are to him. They keep their impact, the theming becomes so much purposeful, and his execution of this album is precise. There’s so much depth and importance in what he’s saying: “Stop tiptoeing around the conversation”, “I’ve got daddy issues and that’s on me”, and “So I set myself free from all the guilt I thought I made.” There’s a deep sense of self healing and helping his loved ones with their healing. He’s tired of the damage that has been done and the passing of the damage with generation to generation. Hurt people hurt people. He decided that instead of continuing the conversation of racism he started, he wanted to start a new one on generational trauma. While I think a lot of us were doing healing ourselves at the same time during the pandemic, I don’t think there is a better example of this process than this album.

1. Expert in a Dying Field - The Beths

It’s a tough choice between this album and Kendrick’s. I went with this one because of how consistent it is in comparison. Kendrick’s album is a bit like a roller coaster of what works and what doesn’t. And sure, it does feel weird to have an album like this at my number 1 but it really has topped my list for best album. This album is full of amazing songwriting and consistently delivers throughout its runtime, plateauing at a high line. The Beths also take great notice to incorporate parts of different genres within their indie rock sound. Punk, 2000′s pop, and adult contemporary. And it sure sounds like a weird and maybe boring mix of genre’s but it never leaves the realm of indie rock. The catchy melodies with lyrics that paint a picture of different relationships and the aftermath of them are surrounded by carefully curated guitar tones. It’s an easy album to listen to but doesn’t sacrifice musicality, lyrics, or enjoyment. It’s a really solid album that keeps every song interesting and fun. Give this energetic album a chance and you’ll soon be singing along to the choruses of these songs. Maybe you too can be an expert in a dying field. 

[barrymccaulkinem]

two things i wish had shown up in mad men are 60's las vegas (which would have had to be nearly all cgi as everythings been replaced with gaudy monstrosities, so i get why its not)

and "buy mennen" bc it tickles me even though ive never seen any of the commercials and dont even know what mennen is/was. It was still referred to often enough that i know it well

[madamechrissy]

Kisses in the Dark

♡ ♡ Pairings ♡ ♡ Megumi Fushiguro x Fem Reader

♡ ♡ Warnings/content ♡ ♡ Cunnilingus, fingering, first time sex, rough sex, dirty talk, low key praise kink (idiots to lovers)

♡ ♡ Word Count ♡ ♡ 6.7k

♡ ♡ Summary ♡ ♡ You have been in love with Megumi Fushiguro since middle school, but you, Nobara, Yuji and him are all best friends. You're such good friends you've lived together during college, and you're good at keeping it in, until one night he goes on a date. You end up hopeless, thinking of him, and your vibrator is broken too!! So you try to do things... yourself. Megumi thinks he hears you cry :'( And checks on you! Then decides to help you, as a friend?

We'll see how that works!

A/N- first Megumi x reader! Four part story (tentatively) lots of fluff, tension and smut, friends to lovers <3 (Gumi and reader are 20 in this) Taglist open

Part two ♡ ♡ Playlist ♡ ♡ Masterlist

Part three

Your… friend? Megumi Fushiguro.

Your best friend…

Is swiping his tongue up your soppy little cunt, your head slams back against the stainless steel fridge as his dark green eyes peer up at you, his long fingers splaying over your lower tummy, where desire pools. You’re yanking on his spiky black hair, as he lifts one of your thighs over his shoulders, broad, strong shoulders, as he pulls you closer roughly.

“Megumi…” You whisper, and he pulls back for just a moment, covered in your slick all over his chin and pink lips.

“Be loud, we’re alone.” Megumi… just said that!?

Fuck.

You stand there, sputtering at his husky command, as he dives back down, his own eyes shutting as he hums in pleasure, drinking you up right there in the kitchen, you’re screaming now, because he’s right. You are alone… and Megumi’s talented tongue is now focusing on your clit, swirling in small circles as he then slides a long finger right in your eager cunt.

“Megumi!” You scream now, and he moans his satisfaction, as he curls that finger and hits the little spongy spot that makes you lose vision, you’re panting as he works you like an instrument, like the piano keys he so talentedly plays. His moans reverberate against where you’re so sensitive.

His hair is gripped between your fingers as your hips rock against him eagerly, you’d been craving him so much since you can remember, but now it’s so much worse, now that you know this is what he does to you. You want it every fucking day, every night, you want more, more, more of him.

You cum right then and there, blinding you as it washes all over you, legs twitching as your walls are pulsing around his slick finger, which finally slows, as he’s kissing and nipping your lips now. “Megumi… Megumi, fuck!”

He’s smiling against you now as he pulls back, lapping the obscene amount of wetness off, pulling back and staring intensely at you, your hands are shaking, your breasts heaving with your breaths as you cling to his shoulders. Your knees are so weak if he didn’t hold onto you, you’d fucking collapse. He slides up your body now, caressing your face carefully.

“I missed that taste.” He whispers, sucking you off his finger, and you lose it, your pathetic whine met with his lips as you yank him down to your level, slamming your lips up to his. Megumi moans, wrapping his arms around you, pressing you further into the fridge as he meets your kiss.

Your tongue swirls with his now, so messy, saliva dripping along with your pussy juices just all over him. You eagerly arch your back, reaching down to rub his hard abdomen, then lower, over his cock, making him groan, his brows low over his eyes as he pulls back. He grabs your wrist, pressing it up against the fridge, his own breaths labored as yours.

You both stare at each other now, in the quiet room, no sound but the whirling of the air conditioner and your breaths, which grow louder as he squeezes your delicate wrist so tight your hand goes numb. Your other hand reaches down, as you look at him with challenge in your eyes, and Megumi glares then, looking far too fucking attractive, grabbing that one too.

Now you’re pinned against that fridge, with Megumi Fushiguro staring down at you, a breath away, and your soppy wet cunt is dripping down between your thighs, drooling out of that little hole, which craves even more of him. You throb around nothing as your gaze drinks him in, his perfect nose, those lidded eyes, those lips that are set in a firm line.

“Please…” He looks at you, eyes shifting back and forth along your face now.

“Please what, Angel? Use your words.” He says, and you fucking melt, as he leans even closer.

“Fuck me.”

He blinks now.

Shit…

“What?” He whispers, and you lean your face forward, brushing your lips on his jaw line as his grip tightens on your wrists.

“Please, fuck me. I’m so ready I can’t…”

“Fuck you!? You’re a virgin.” He says with a scowl, and you giggle then, serving to enhance his irritation. “It’s not something to joke about.”

“Okay, since it’s my first time, I’ll say it differently. Megumi, will you be my first?” You say, softly, and his grip gets brutal, as he holds his breath, the tension between you making you ache. “Please, I want you… if you want me?”

“If I want you?” He takes one of those hands now, pressing it on the outline of his cock, and you suck in a breath as you feel him, hard and straining through those dark blue jeans he’s wearing. “I want you so bad I can’t think.”

“Then have me.” He curses quietly, releasing your wrists and grabbing your waist, pulling you firm against him, your hands wrapping around his neck, as you tiptoe, your black knee socks sliding as he presses you more.

“Do you know what you’re asking?” He asks softly, two lines between his brows now, and you nod shyly, kissing him again and again. “No, do you really-”

“I want it to be you.” He blinks then in confusion, pulling back to look at you in shock, but you’re too busy clinging to him, kissing him over and over, your hands sliding up his chest, gripping his soft shirt. He’s pushing you back gently by your shoulders. “It can just be friends, right?”

“Taking virginity as a friend!?”

“Yes, yes… why not. I’m comfortable with you. I can learn.” You say, and his jaw clenches now, as his eyes glaze over, dilating now, nostrils flaring. You’re clinging to his shirt, as his hands slip off your arms and he brings a hand to cup your cheek carefully, making your heart race.

A friend, yeah right.

“I wouldn’t want to hurt you.” You exhale, shaking your head then, legs shifting as you crave that friction again.

“You would never hurt me. Please, Gumi… I want to. I’m ready for this. And we’re alone… all day.” You say softly, then Megumi groans, picking you up in his arms and shocking you, you wrap your thighs around his hips, clinging to his neck, as he is carrying you now. “You’re so strong!?”

“Not like you weigh much, silly.” He’s kissing you now as you’re in his room, as the door clicks shut and he’s got you against it now, his hands slipping down to grip your ass, a cheek in each hand. You grind on him, your head lolling to the side for his hot kisses, nips and licks. “Fuck, are you sure?”

“Y-yes, swear, m’sure.” You mumble, as you’re grinding against his hard length, feeling the hard denim against your overheated pussy, pressing between the lips as he puts his weight against you and the wall. Your hands entangle in his hair as he’s kissing down your throat, yanking your shirt now, you gasp as buttons fly, and he flushes a bit as he sees.

“I got too excited, shit.” He says, a blush on his cheeks as he fingers the spots the stitches are out now, you giggle, breathless, shaking your head and cupping his face in your hands, turning his gaze to you.

“I’m excited too, I can fix those later, it’s worth it. It was… um, really hot.” Your voice is a throaty little whisper, making Megumi exhale in relief, before smirking just a bit, as he pushes your blouse down.

“This bra matches?” He asks, raising a brow, and it’s your turn to blush, looking down a bit at where those lips quirk up. “Were you seducing me?”

“Shush, it worked, didn’t it?” You stick your tongue out, and he laughs just a bit, shaking his head and then carrying you over to his bed, it sinks a bit when he leans over you, trapping you between his arms. He’s then leaned up, finishing unbuttoning it, revealing that lacy bra that covers nothing.

“Are you getting a little slutty, just for me?” He teases, and something about those words make you melt, eager with need. “You’re not, by the way-”

“No, no, that’s hot too.” You assure him, as you could see he was worried, then you run a fingertip down his lips. “You can call me slutty. But mostly I like when you say um… good girl.” You’re a trembling mess as he sits up on his knees, his hands sliding up those thigh high socks, to where your skin is bare, making you shiver.

“So be a good girl for me, and take off your skirt.” Your breath catches at his husky command, you get on your knees too, sinking into the soft mattress that creaks ever so slightly, and you unzip your skirt, easing it off, leaving you in those crotchless panties and the thigh highs. You go to pull him down but he pauses you. “Now take off the bra.”

“Should I be saying yes Sir?” You tease, with a smile, but he huffs then, his grip tightening on your thighs as he looks down at you.

“Take it off, Angel, let me see you.” You’re soaked, your cunt is just throbbing now, as your lips part in surprise, but you eagerly do as he asks, your breasts swaying as you take the bra off, freeing them. He moans softly, hands gripping them, making your lashes flutter shut in pleasure as he squeezes. “You’re so pretty.”

“Gumi… please.” You pull at him, but he holds you back a bit, mischievous glint in those usually serious eyes of his, shaking his head. “You get naked. Please?”

“You sure ask sweetly, look at you, giving me puppy dog eyes.” His words are so sexy, his tone, everything about him, even his scent, filling your senses with intense need that keeps growing. “But no, not yet. Take these cute little things off… you know these kill me.”

“They do?” You ask, confused, and he sighs, eyes hungry as you slip the stretchy black material off your thighs, then your calves, tossing them on Megumi’s floor.

“These and those pleated skirts you wear. When you bend over? You don’t wanna know how many nights I’ve stroked it to that.” He’s too much, it’s all too much, as he finally touches you again, bringing a thigh up to his kisses, and your leg is trembling in his hold, as you’re aching more and more, looking at him, so needy now.

“Wanna know how many nights I’ve used my wand after seeing you shirtless? After a workout?” You say, and his eyes widen, before getting lidded, his tongue darting to lick his lower lip, now letting you slide up his shirt, revealing his hard body, chiseled abdomen flexing as he moves.

“How many times?” He asks, and you look down at him, at his pale, smooth and perfect skin, running your hands down it, finding his skin so hot.

“How many times have you, Gumi?” You counter, locking eyes with him again, then you both just stare at each other, as your breaths intermingle in the quiet house, so quiet you can hear the thudding of your heart in your ears.

“Tch, you are still bratty. I can fix the attitude.” You squeal as he’s pulling your hips and forcing you to lay, pressing a hand on your throat, sliding up gently and curling around it, as he leans down, his lips a breath away, free hand sliding down your soft tummy, then between your glistening folds. “Ah, that’s it, be a good girl for me?”

“Yes, yes. Will be. Mnh!” Your hands slide down his strong shoulders as he rubs your clit back and forth, making your eyes roll back at how good it feels. “Please, please…”

“You’re so needy, Angel. Be patient. If we’re doing this, we’re doing it right, okay?” You nod again, shy this time, planting kisses on his chest and feeling his heart race under your palm. “Good girl.”

“Fuck…” He laughs softly, but then his look is serious as he’s scissoring two fingers in your hole, squishing sounds so loud it’s embarrassing, as he has you slowly losing it more and more, overcome with this need deep inside. “Gumi…”

“Cum for me, Angel, let me watch you.” You don’t need much urging now, you’re losing it as you’re getting higher and higher, as he presses on your tummy and angles his fingers just so. You scream out, orgasm washing over you, so fucking intense, but he doesn’t stop. “Again, you can cum again, hmm?”

You nod, swallowing now, your throat going dry as  you watch him, watch his eyes light up as he’s fucking you with his fingers, your body tightening around his fingers as you’re shivering and whining for more, your walls pulsing as he’s pumping in and out, in and out.

“Oh my god, oh my god!” You’re panting, your chest heaving as your eyes roll back, and he’s leaned in, watching you now, stroking your cheek with his thumb, so gentle, and he’s not just making you wet and ready, he’s fucking your damn head with how he looks at you. “P-please.”

“I need you very ready for my cock, okay?”

Fuck!?

Fuck…

Those words out of Megumi’s pretty lips make you so weak, you can’t even function now, it’s surreal. You just nod eagerly, your pussy clenching around his fingers as he slides them out, a sad little sound leaving your mouth at the loss of that pressure, but then he’s leaning down, his spiky hair between your thighs again.

“Gumi, you already ah-did-fuck!” You can’t finish your sentence as his tongue is now licking you from your ass all the way up to your clit, making your eyes widen in shock and pleasure, as you feel your juices drool out.

“I need you very, very ready. Plus, I can do this all the time, you taste s’good.” He hums against you, and that on your sensitive clit makes your cunt spasm around his fingers again as he slides them back in. “Mmm…”

“Mnh!”

You both moan when Megumi starts pumping you hard, making you scream and buck your hips against him, your hands grabbing fistfuls of his hair, it’s no longer gentle for either of you. You’re pulling it tightly as he’s licking your clit, sucking it now, bringing you to the brink again, but this time even more intense, and he is latched on, insanely going at it.

“Gumi, I’m going to-” You’re not going anywhere, as your hips buck up he’s got your thighs in a vice grip, holding you down, making you take it as he’s playing with you, making you scream his name out in pleasure. The sound of his name, that nickname you’ve always called him, fuck he’s so hard now, he’s grinding his cock into the bed, precum sticking his cock to his boxers.

Megumi’s devouring your sweet taste, you’re so, so wet, wetter than he’s ever had anyone, and you’re gushing as you pull on his hair with your little hands. Megumi’s mouth moving faster and faster, your body shaking under his touch, his free hand sliding up to squish one of those perfect breasts as you’re pulsing around his fingers, he can feel your walls clamp down.

Can Megumi do this? Will he cum the moment his cock touches this perfect little pussy? Can he make it good for you? Should you all do this, when he already has it so bad for you… do you just want this as an experience, because you’re comfortable? Because Megumi doesn’t know if he can take it. He already hates the thoughts of you even going near another guy.

Would you be his, he wonders? Well, he’ll make sure you’ve cum so much you can’t think of anything but him.

“Good girl, cum for me, cum for me now.” His voice is so demanding as his green eyes look up at you, and it’s so fucking hot, of course you do as he says, your body seizing up in ecstasy, and you’re twitching, your orgasm so intense you’re crying out, and he’s lapping at you hungrily.

You collapse back into the bed panting, your body feeling so boneless, but he’s not done, oh no, he’s sliding up now, and you eagerly take his boxers off, gripping his ass, firm as you feel it, his cock thick and long, pressing it against your inner thigh. You gasp as you feel it, eyes shooting up to him, as he slides the boxers fully off, and you can feel the precum leaking onto your leg.

You look down at it, blushing so hard, and he’s just staring at you, his eyes gleaming as he’s stroking it, holding it at the base now, it’s so hot when your hand grips it, barely covering any of it. He moans softly, as he kisses you, covered in your wetness, slipping against your chin as he nuzzles you softly.

“You really want this, Angel? We can stop here.” He asks, and you smile softly, because he’s so caring. Your lips part as he settles between your thighs, and you realize exactly what you’re going to do.

“Gumi have you been with um… a virgin?” You ask, and he shakes his head, kissing your forehead sweetly, both of your eyelashes flutter shut at the sweet moment, as you feel his heart thudding on your breasts.

“You’re so tiny, I am a little worried I’ll hurt you.” You hear his voice break, making your heart ache.

“I want you. I’m ready, Megumi.” You say, and he groans, leaning down to kiss you again, as he’s sliding it into you now, just the tip, and you gasp at the sensation, as he tenses, the arm bracing over you stiffening.

“Oh my god… Stay still, please Angel.” You nod, nervously staying still, your hands gripping Megumi’s blankets tightly, as he exhales, opening his eyes and looking at you, leaning more over you now, cupping your face and stroking your cheek with his thumb, pressing in further, moaning even louder. “F-fuck… you’re so tight… I…”

“Ngh… Megumi, pressure!?” You whisper, because now he’s pushing past it, that little barrier, and it stings, making your eyes water, and you gasp at the pain. He freezes, resting his forehead on yours and pulling back.

“This may hurt, I'm so sorry…” He says, then he shoves his cock in you, and you scream out, as he’s filling you up, and it’s too full, too much. His eyebrows are low over his eyes as his jaw is clenched, and he’s trembling over you. “Fuck, fuck… ease up, please. Please.”

“How, fuck!? Ow! Shit…” You’re trying to calm down, tightening around him, and your walls stretching around his thickness, making him hiss in a breath as he struggles to stay still.

“Give it a minute, please just… relax.” He slides a hand down between you, to your clit now, rubbing and studying you carefully, all while being taut as a bow, you do relax some, as he eases out, then back in, even further. “Focus on this, fuck… please…”

You take a breath, shutting your eyes for a moment and focusing on where he’s rubbing your clit, which is jerking at his touch, overstimulated and sensitive. Soon, it feels good, so good, when he pushes in even further, and your eyes lock on his in shock, meeting that serious green gaze, those creases between his drawn brows, his teeth bared as he grinds them together.

You tentatively raise your hips, and Megumi groans, so sexy, his big hands now sliding up your body, as he rolls his own hips, and hits some spot you’ve never felt, bringing you so much pleasure. He’s gently pulling out, pushing in, and fuck he’s big, it’s so many inches, more and more, as he’s shallowly fucking you, watching your every movement, listening to your every sound.

“You’re so warm, so wet, so perfect.” He says then, and you’re shuddering under him, crying out and arching your back at how good it feels. “Are you all right, Angel? Still hurt?”

“I’m good, I’m good. It’s… it’s so deep?” You whisper, making him smirk then, his lips quirking up at those damn corners, and you narrow your eyes. “What’s that look!?”

“I’m not all the way in.”

“What!?”

“You really make a man feel good.” He teases, and then he’s pulling nearly completely out, making you hiss a bit. “Ready for me to go all the way in?”

“How much more, I don’t know!” He lets out a breathy laugh, but you sigh, nodding.

“Hang on tight.” You are clinging to him now, fingers against his rib cage, about to ask why, but then he slides all the way in, against your cervix, so deep you can’t take it, you’re so full of him. You scream out, in surprise, in pleasure… it’s hurting in the best way. “Ready, Angel?”

“Ready for what- ah! Megumi.” He snaps his hips now, fucking into you, and fuck it feels so good, that curved tip dragging along your fluttering walls, pressing on that spot again, and you’re getting so hot, your eyes rolling back, nails digging in. “Oh my god, you’re so deep…”

“You feel so fucking perfect. So perfect. I can’t hold back much more.” He says, and your thighs tighten around his hips as he looks down at you, and it’s too intimate, when he takes one of your hands, kissing it, as his dark lashes lower over those pretty hazy eyes. “Can you take me, Angel? Like a good girl.”

“I’ll try, I’ll try.” You say, and he smirks again, just a bit, before he’s fucking into you now, your legs wrapping around him now, your heels pressing into his back as he’s pushing in deeper, so deep you think you’re going to break. But it’s just so good, so good you want more.

“I’m going to ruin you for everyone else, Angel.” He whispers now, right against your lips. You wonder if you’re so fucked out you’re hallucinating, your eyes wide as he speaks so differently than you’re used to.

“Ruin me, Gumi?” You whisper back, and he smiles against your cheek as he goes to whisper in your ear.

“Ruin you for anyone, pretty once I’m done with you.”

What the… fuck?

You’re already ruined for anyone.

Stupid boy.

You feel it building, that pressure, that need, and he’s groaning, his teeth sinking into your shoulder, leaving teeth marks as he bites, making you feel this mix of pain and pleasure you can’t describe. Megumi’s hips are snapping against you, and then you’re falling, you’re falling over that edge again, but this time it’s so much more intense than anything you’ve felt.

“Megumi… I…” You’re blinking rapidly as he spreads your thighs wider, pressing them up and hitting deep, you hear the smacks of skin against skin along with your wetness filling the room as he works over you.

“Feel so perfect. You look so pretty under me.” He says softly, bringing tears to your eyes. “I feel it, Angel, let go. Let me feel you, please.”

He’s leaning forward, his dark hair falling softly over his brow, and you fall apart under him, your cunt is spasming around his cock as he’s fucking you through it. You feel his hot breath on your neck, his tongue sliding over your pulse point, and it’s so sweet, so good, every bit of it, you can’t take it. You scream out as the pleasure is so intense, and he’s pressing in so deep.

You’re clutching at him, nails digging into his skin as he’s going so fast now, his thrusts deep and demanding, and you’re just taking it all, because it’s just so good, so much better than you could ever imagine. Megumi’s pretty face is contorted in pleasure, a hand gripping your breast, as he sucks a peak into his mouth.

“Ah!” You cry out, as he’s fucking you so hard now the headboard is steadily banging against the wall, and your cunt is sore already, but she sucks him in, greedy and hungry.

“You’re perfect.” He says again, and you choke back tears, but they start coming, as he overwhelms you, and you’re going to cum again,  he’s going to watch you like that, with those eyes!? It’s just... fuck.

You can feel your walls clenching, can feel his cock throb and pulse, and he’s groaning louder now, his breath hitching. Watching Megumi work over you is the most intense things you’ve ever seen, as he’s staring at you like he’d stare at the stars in the sky, and fuck if he’s not your stars. It takes everything not to blurt out nonsensical words to him, to confess your feelings.

But soon he’s fucking you so good you have no thoughts anymore, not when his leaky tip is bruising your cervix now, giving a new intense feeling, your brow furrows at it, as you raise up for more. He’s shoving your thighs even higher, until he’s got one over his shoulder, hitting even deeper like that.

“Megumi, oh my god!” You scream out, clutching him so tightly, your nails are leaving cresents in his skin. He groans at that, looking down at you, lips parted, snapping his hips hard, watching you fall apart under him. “Megumi!”

“You’re not just pretty, you’re beautiful. Beautiful.” He says softly, and you’re sobbing, hopeless now as he’s brushing your hair back, pressing that thigh beyond it’s means, sinking in as he’s a centimeter away, as your noses touch. “I should have told you, that night… beautiful.”

“Megumi, I-” He cuts you off with a kiss, his full lips pressing as he’s grinding that tip on your cervix, and you’re soaking his length when you cum again, and he’s drinking in all those cries. “Mnmh!”

“Mmm.” He moans right back, brushing your tears away. “You’re so good. You’re doing so good for me.”

You’re pathetic now, you can’t form another word, not when he’s got you in tears, of the intensity, of his body pressing hard, the weight so perfect, one of his hands gripping the back of your thigh so hard it hurts, but it just all pushes you over the edge. You’re fading out in bliss, drowning in him, in his eager kisses, in his looks.

You’re fucked for anyone, he’s right.

But aren’t you just…

“I’m close, Angel. You need to tell me where you want this.” His seductive voice, the way he speaks, the words, they’re wrecking you, until you’re a mess under him, and he’s stroking your hair back, damp and sticking to your forehead.

“Where… um… do you want… to cum?” You whisper, and he smirks then, pulling back a bit and thrusting hard in you, watching you so serious.

“Inside you. Filling you up, so full of me.” He’s exhaling, his hands cupping your face now, dropping a kiss on your lips, hot and messy. “Wanna fill you so good you’re dripping me out for days.”

“You’re.. I… huh wha- I…” He’s so hot you can’t stand it, you don’t really know what he means, but you want it, fuck you want it.

“Wanna fill you up first. Me. Push it so deep.” His possessive words are met with a sure thrust, and you’re screaming, voice hoarse, as you’re close again, so damn close it’s insane, already overwhelmed by him. “Only if you want, Angel. Only if you ask me.”

“Megumi…”

“Yes, Angel.”

“Cum in me. Please.” He loses that composure then, letting go fully and fucking you so hard now, making your walls quiver and clamp down around him, and oh god it’s so good. The feeling of his cock pumping you full is so overwhelming, you’re shaking, your orgasm riding on the wave of his pleasure, making your toes curl and your body arch up to meet his, your cunt fluttering around him as he’s thickening.

“Ready for me to fill you?” He asks, so husky.

“Please, fuck please!” You’re screaming out now as he pulses inside you, cumming with you and filling you up. It’s so hot then, you cry out at the sensation, and Megumi’s clutching you so tight, slamming his lips down. Your tongues are messy, as you both desperately kiss, and Megumi’s filling you so much.

Hot puffy white ropes are coating your walls now, and you both lay there now, as his cock is squirting more and more, and your cunt is eagerly sucking him in, milking him for everything. Your hands enwtine, fingers together, so intimate as he’s kissing you so deeply, and something so naughty as his cum dripping out of your little cunt, along with yours, becomes so…

Sweet.

His sweet kisses, as his hands hold yours, it’s beautiful then, it’s so beautiful you think, as he leans down and looks at you. You watch each other, as you’re both breathing so heavy, as you’re both coming down from your highs. It all hits you slowly, as you return to Earth, as he now takes one hand to brush away a tear that has fallen from your eye.

“Megumi… that was-”

“Perfect. It was perfect.” He whispers then, and you do cry, you can’t help it, not when the love of your life is looking at you like that, not when he’s inside you still, not when he was your first. How can you function? “Was it… did I hurt you, pretty?”

“N-no, just at first. Um… just I… it’s so…” You’re crying in earnest now, and he looks concerned instantly, leaning up and looking at your body now, as if to inspect where he may have been rough. “No, Gumi I’m good, it’s-”

“Fuck. Um.” He’s pale now, as he looks between your thighs, and you lean up on your elbows, peeking, then you flush, covering your face in embarrassment. “No, no it’s okay, Angel… it’s fine.”

“It’s not fine, what…”

“It’s normal. Shh. I’m more worried I hurt you. Was I too rough?” He asks softly, as your legs shake, your knees knocking together with the force as your breaths come too quickly.

“It was so good, so good. I can’t even describe it. I’m crying because it was really intense.” You say then, and he exhales, clearly in relief. “Is that how sex is, Megumi?”

He pauses then, gently caressing your thighs up and down, shaking his head. “No, it’s never been this way for me.” Your heart stops now, as you both look at each other, then look away, both of your pulses fluttering, both of you anxious messes.

Did it mean something to him, too?

“Angel, calm down. I’ll clean you up… I’ll run you a bath, would you like that?” He asks softly, and you struggle to come to, to collect yourself. He surely thinks you’re upset about your first time, but it couldn’t be further from it. You’re upset it was so good, that it felt so raw and real.

“You don’t have to do that. We’re not dating or anything. Right.” You say then, and he frowns at that, as you hope he’ll say something, he runs a hand through his now messy hair, sighing.

“That didn’t not mean anything. It was… it was…” He’s trailing off, and you hang on his every word, as he speaks so quietly.

“It wasn’t just sex?” You ask softly, and he gulps again, opening his mouth, then closing it, before his brows draw low.

“I’ll be right back, okay?” You nod, waiting nervously, and you hear the water running now from the bathroom, as he comes back with a wet washcloth, gently rubbing your sore pussy. You hiss a bit at it, as he cleans the remnants of your first time from between your thighs.

“Ah!” You wince, and he frowns again.

“I had a hard time controlling myself, you felt so good.” He says, pressing more, and watching you with a dark glint in his green eyes. “So good. So tight… so hot… and those sounds you make? And those faces?”

“Megumi, fucking don’t say that. You’re confusing me.” You whisper, but he kisses you deeply again, over and over, taking shaky breaths as he pulls you to him carefully, cradling your face in his hands. “Megumi, I’m already sucking at this.”

“Sucking at what!?”

“The sex thing-”

“You were by far the best I’ve ever had. No competition.” Your lip trembles at that, as he reassures you, brushing your hair back gently. “The best everything.”

“Oh, Megumi…” You’re kissing again, and again, and again, until you feel him hard under you, and he pulls back with a blush. “Oh?”

“Just a reaction to you. How perfect you are.” He’s picking you up then, bridal style, and you clutch on to his neck, looking up at him nervously. “I’m gonna give you a bath, make you feel better. You sore?”

You’re now the blushing mess, looking down a bit. “Yes, I am a little.”

“I’ll take care of you.”

Fuck.

“As a friend? Friends do that?” You ask, and he glares now, as he walks you into the bathroom, stopping the water and sitting at the edge of the tub, feeling it with his fingers carefully.

“You keep saying that, is it because that’s all you want?” He murmurs, and you glare at him now.

“Not at all, it’s what you said that night!” You can’t stop the hurt from affecting your voice, and Megumi is now sinking in the bath, letting you feast on his gorgeous, toned body. He reaches for you, taking your hands now.

“I didn’t know what to say, what was the right thing then.” He pulls you in with a splash, and you’re laying back between his legs, as he’s running his wet hands over your naked skin, making it glisten. Your pussy is aching so badly as you lay there, as the hot water hits it. “I still don’t know the right thing to say.”

“Your feelings maybe?” You murmur, then moan when he’s pinching your nipples, sudsing them up with a fragrant body wash.

“Feelings, hmm. What are yours then.” You pause at that, tensing and shutting your eyes, feeling his body against you, hard and lean. Feeling the hot water soothing aches you never knew you’d have.

“I have a lot of feelings, Megumi. I’m scared to tell you them.” He pauses his caresses now, inhaling sharply, before exhaling, tickling your cheek as he does.

“So we keep fucking, as friends. And I keep cumming in you as a friend?” He whispers, and your eyes roll back, head falling to the side as his hand wraps your throat, giving you wild ideas. “That what you want, Angel?”

“I want you.” He curses under his breath then, finding you where you’re so sore, and you whimper when he sinks two fingers in to the knuckles, breath against your ear, you’re shivering with need, with emotions, with everything you can’t say yet. “I want you again.”

“Can she take it? She’s gotta be so… sore.” He presses up hard, and you’re crying now, because fuck it hurts, but you could go again, as he’s fingering that cum out of your little hole.

You turn then, straddling him, watching the desire fill his eyes, as the water sloshes around you both. “I can take it.”

He smirks at that, eyes devouring you, as his hands grab your hips, sliding his hard cock between your folds. “You already wanna fuck again? Are you so eager for me, Angel?” You nod shyly, and he smiles as he watches those lashes cast shadows on your pretty face.

“I want you to fill me up again. Please fill me up again. Make me forget everything else but this.” He’s looking up at you, his eyes filled with something so intense, something that makes your heart pound, before he nods, and you’re sitting on his cock, feeling it stretch and fill you up again as he presses you down, you’re crying out, arching up.

Your hair is falling in wet waves down your back as he hungrily sucks on your breasts, biting and licking and sucking, like he can’t get enough as you slowly sink down on him. “Tell me what to do, Gumi.” You whisper, and he moans at that, his glossy lips parting as he presses you down again.

“Just do what feels good, Angel. I’ll like it - ah- promise.” He shoves fully inside of you again, and your walls tighten in response, you’re so damn sore it hurts to take, but the feeling of fullness is so good. His hand goes to your tummy now, and he grins just a bit, a little flash. “Feel me here.”

“In my tummy?” You ask weakly, and he takes your hand and presses it to the bulge, your eyes lock up to his in shock, then he’s bucking his hips up, and you scream out, shattering around him, bulge under both of your hands.

“Beautiful.” He murmurs, urging you then, and the water’s so warm and bubbly around you both, and it’s soothing your skin, and fuck he makes you feel that way. His every look, his every breath, as he’s now pushing in so slow, so gentle, like he’s afraid he’ll break you. Like he’s afraid he’ll shatter something so precious.

Your throat tightens with emotions as you lean down, pressing your forehead to his, and he wraps his arms around you, as you begin to rock your hips where it feels so good, just like he said. Now you are taking him deeper into you, letting his cock fill you up so good, and soon he’s got that hand back around your throat, caressing it.

“You’d be so pretty with my hand wrapped around your neck.” He says, husky, and you gasp at that, pausing for a moment. The mix of gentle and devious is too much, it’s too intoxicating.

“So do it, Gumi.” You say softly, and he audibly groans, wrapping his hand around your throat, squeezing slightly, pressing his thumb over your pulse point now, and you’re so weak for him, as your cunt tightens down on him like a vise.

“So pretty.” He says, his other arm wrapping your waist, fucking up into you in the hot water, and your head falls back slightly as he increases the pressure, you start to orgasm, losing gravity as Megumi Fushiguro chokes you, his cock so thick, stretching you so good. “Good girl, cum on me.”

You scream out, broken and wordless, face reddening as he holds your throat so tightly, you’re fading as you cum so hard, muscles pushing out his load of cum down his slick cock, along with your wetness, mixing in the tub. You’re trembling over him as your vision blackens, and soon he lets you go, kissing you desperately, his tongue hot and swirling inside your mouth.

“Mmm… Ready for more cum, Angel? Need to fill this pretty pussy up more.” He says, so husky, and you nod, as he wipes your tears, and you gasp.

“Yes, please, I can.” You say, and he starts cumming then, his head falling back, making you cling to his shoulders with slippery hands as he pushes you over the edge, and you’re kissing up his neck, tasting him. “Gumi, oh my god!”

“Fuck.” He hisses then, as he’s pumping even more cum in your aching cunt, and then he’s pulling you against him, hands sliding up your spine, and you both try to catch your breath, as he shoves your hips down, rocking on your cervix, and kissing your cheeks, covered with tears.

It’s silent in that bathroom, as you both stare at each other, mouths aching to speak, but for now, you both just kiss again, you kiss until that damn water runs cold on you, in his arms. How can you just be friends now, when it’s so clear that there will be no one else for you?

Ruin you he says, well he already has.

How the fuck is Megumi your friend anymore?

Final Part

[remlionheart]

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡MDNI ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡

ᡣ𐭩 I really have no excuse for this tbh, it’s midnight and I’m ovulating and overly eager boyfriend Yuuji was heavy on my mind 🙂‍↕️💫 ((aged up characters)) yuujixfem!reader ᡣ𐭩

yuuji who just loves touching you 24/7. whose hand is always so eager to brush across your skin, he often forgets his surroundings.

the two of you are on his couch one night with some b-grade horror movie that he and junpei wanted to watch playing in the background. junpei’s sitting on the floor next to you guys, both of them going back and forth with so many trivial facts about the film you don’t even see how they’re paying attention to it.

your eyes are heavy, your body spooned against yuuji’s with a throw blanket loosely covering you. his fingers are running through your hair, him and junpei still going on and on - something about the director’s cut and an alternate ending when suddenly, his other hand is wedging itself between your thighs.

playing with the opening of your shorts as your eyes dart to his from over your shoulder. he grins back at you, holding a finger to his lips. junpei continues to stare at the screen in front of him, completely unaware of the other show that’s about to start promptly behind him.

the movie flickers across the grainy tv screen, an eerie piano melody echoing across the room while the main girl finds herself lost and alone in a dark forest as a thunderstorm starts. you’re doing everything you can to focus on the details of it. to avoid flinching from the way yuuji spreads you apart. his two thick fingers tentatively grazing along your folds, gathering up slick you didn’t even realize was there causing you to grind further into him. your back arching so perfectly it makes his cock twitch.

you close your eyes, pretending to be asleep in case junpei decides to look up at either of you. you know he probably won’t given how entranced he is by this director - but still! this is reckless, even for your perpetually-ready-to-make-you-cum boyfriend.

yuuji keeps somehow talking though. keeps laughing and acting like his dick isn’t hard as a fucking rock and pressed firmly against your ass as he begins to lazily play with your clit, drawing heavenly circles that have you suddenly biting at the side of your hand to keep yourself from letting out a dangerously suppressed moan.

you do your absolute best to pretend you’re still asleep, carefully rolling over to face him as he continues to nonchalantly toy with you. lightly running uppp and downnn your slit. you feel like you’re going to explode, pathetically attempting to pass off a whimper as a yawn when you feel him start to prod at your entrance.

“aw, she’s tired huh?” junpei comments.

“yeah,” yuuji smiles, biting back a laugh at the way your mouth drops open and you eyes nearly cross when he finally slips a finger into you. “she’s pretty spent.”

a chase scene ensues, the loud stomps and suspenseful music of the killer running after his victim being enough to cover up the wet, squelching sounds of yuuji’s fingers slamming blissfully into your gummy walls.

he smiles at you again, mouthing “it’s okay, it’s okay.” as his fingers go deeper, but slower, hitting that spot you like at just the right angle.

“hey junpei, sorry to ask but - would you mind grabbing me a beer?”

“oh yeah, of course” he says, getting to his feet.

the moment he’s out of the room, yuuji’s suddenly knuckles deep again, your needy little cunt clamping around him so nice and snug while your eyes and body both plead with him.

he lets his mouth catch all of the cute, desperate noises you can’t hold back anymore, his tongue swirling against yours feverishly while you struggle to keep your voice down. luckily though, your lewd whines seem to blend perfectly into the screams coming from the tv.

“your pussy’s so soft ‘n so pretty, y’know that?” he whispers, reeling in the way you’re drenching him. “i could play with it forever if you’d let me.”

his words make you dizzy, your body instantly wanting him back where he was as he pulls out and licks his fingers clean from the mess you made, letting out his own little groan at your taste. “you’ll get the whole thing later, don’t worry.” he promises, placing a light kiss on your forehead right as junpei re-enters the room and hands him his beer.

“what all did i miss?”

“not much,” yuuji muses, cracking open his drink. “he finally got her off…”

your heart stutters in your chest, your knee swiftly nudging his.

“…the path she was on.” he finishes, swallowing down his beer. “she was soaked by the time he caught up to her.”

you softly pinch him, feeling him smile as junpei laughs, none the wiser.

the two of them continue on with their banter while you actually do doze off this time. yuuji’s hand gliding across your neck as he silently begins counting down the minutes until he gets to bury himself inside of you again.

he just can’t help it :((( he loves touching you.

⋆. 𐙚 ˚

[letorip]

kiss with a fist [iii]

"your slaps don't stick, your kicks don't hit, so we remain the same"

===+++===

pairing: tara carpenter x reader

summary: you can't help but feel like maybe you and tara are more than frenemies, and it culminates in a night where you finally share some truths with each other.

warnings: a somewhat traumatic dream sequence lmao, mentions of sex, kissing (almost), curse words, blood

word count: 5.8k

A/N: hope y'all like this one because i definitely liked writing it. definitely a whole lot more kissing than fisting.... wait a minute....

it's 5 am, my ass is grass. anyways, part 4 relatively soon because woo wee theres still so much to explore in this story i legitimately cant believe my idiot self said it'd be done in 2 parts originally

===+++===

===+++===

"(Y/n)," a voice calls to you, sing-song and sweet as your eyes fade to darkness. It's a gentle woman's whisper, but it manages to hit you like a truck, pulling you down from wherever you came from, and plopping you wherever you've arrived. Or, rather, wherever you've always been. "(Y/n), look, darlin'."

A gust of wind gently strokes over the plane of your cheek, and when you open your eyes, all you can see is rye. On one end, it reaches out towards a sharp cliff, overlooking a lake, with nothing but rocks and the water below. On the other, it runs far up the plains of land in front of you, stopping in front of the white house you know all too well, with its rickety porch and broken tire swing.

You take a few steps forward, as if ready to run right inside, and then before you know it, you're running. Like the world is about to end, like the house is burning down, like you'll never see the place ever again. Foot after foot, you dash towards it, hearing Alisha's piano flit through the front window for the first time in years, and the smell of a pie right along with it. "(Y/n)!" the voice calls again. "Dinner time, kid!"—

But your foot catches on a root, just like it did in your memory, and in an instant, you've fallen down into the rye, with a painful thud, right on your face. You let out a grunt, feeling the dirt on your new, white shirt. The one your mother never let you wear when you were playing outside.

And when you right yourself again, sitting up out of the field, the house isn't any closer than it was before. It sits, perfectly far away, only all that stuff is gone now, and the house looks about as dark as it did the day of Mitchie's funeral.

"(Y/n)!" an excited voice calls from behind you. "Wanna play tag?"

"(Y/n)'s too old for that, Mitchie," another voice chides, and you whip around like Calvin would actually be there to chide him like that. Like he used to. But he isn't. All you can see is the rye. It stands in thick stalks, reaching up to your knees in lush groupings, tall and abundant, strong and growing.

Another voice. "Read me a story?" It's soft and it's a little girl's and it's far away, and you get to your feet and spin in a circle, waiting for her to appear. It seemed to reverberate through your ears, washing through the pathways of your brain before seeping into your heart. It fills it up, and before you know it, you can feel yourself hastily searching for her.

"'Randa?" you called into the open field. "Miranda? You there?" but she continues on like she didn't hear you.

"Would you read me a story? Please?"

"I will Miranda, but where are you?" you called back, raising a hand to shield your eyes from the barrel of the hot sun.

"I'm gone, (Y/n). You're supposed to be gone too," she says back, with a sweet giggle. "Why aren't you gone with us?"

"I—" you stammer, whipping your head around the field in search of your siblings. "I don't—"

"Do you really think that's fair, (Y/n)?" Calvin asks.

"Why aren't you here, (Y/n)?" Miranda asks again, this time her voice wavering like she was about to cry. "Why aren't you in the rye with us?" Your hands came up to your head, trying to squeeze your eyes shut and block out the noises, but they seemed to reverberate into your skull.

"Mitchie was your fault, you know," Peter chides. "We would've never let that—"

"—Why did you get to stay, (Y/n)?" Came Tomas' voice. "We're supposed to be cursed, and you're supposed to be cursed too." He was always the quiet one, but now his voice had a sharp edge to it. One of jealousy. One of anger.

"Why didn't you catch me?" Mitchie asked. "If you just would've caught me..."

"Come play piano with me, I'll teach you," said Alisha, in her light, airy laugh.

"Why did it get to be you?" snarled Calvin. "And why are you getting closer to Tara? You want to curse her, too?"

"Stop—" you stammered, squeezing your eyes shut tighter.

"Wanna play hopscotch?" said Mitchie.

"Do you miss us, (Y/n)?" Alisha said, in between tears.

"Yes, of course— I—" you tried, but now the voices were filling up your head, threatening to spill over and knocking you to the ground. You curled up into a ball as your brain filled up. Words piling up on top of words, piling up on top of words, about to split you open. "STOP!" you yelled.

And everything went silent. When you opened your eyes, you found yourself still in the field, but your siblings' voices had gone entirely. Now it was just you, in the field, alone with the rustling of the wind and the rye, as it grazed gently against your legs. You hadn't remembered standing up, but you were now.

In a flash, you could see a shape, running through the rye in a line that was very visible from where you were. You recognised the dark hair, and the yellow jacket he always wore. With the realisation came the looming dread, and you realised with very little time left what this exactly was a memory of.

You took off running, faster than you had to the house, faster than you had ever run, and faster than you had run then, chasing after him as he took off towards the cliff-end of your rye field. "Mitchie!" you yelled, trying to be louder than the buzzing cicadas, but it seemed the moment you yelled, the cicadas got even louder. He was too short to see over the stalks, but you could see him go, running in odd shapes as he got nearer and nearer to the cliffs edge.

"Catch me if you can, (Y/n)!" he called back with a gleeful laugh.

"(Y/n), grab your brother," called your mother. She didn't seem too worried, and she hadn't been, then. No one had been, until it was too late.

"Mitchie! Stop!" you cried out, feeling tears already beginning to fall down your cheeks. "Mitchie!" you tried again.

"Come on, you've gotta be faster than that if you're gonna be it!” Mitchie called back. "Catch me! Get me! C'mon! I'm gonna make it hard for you to win, Duck."

"MITCHIE! PLEASE!" you screamed, but all he did was giggle. “STOP! DON’T GO!” But the moment you reached the end of the rye, he was gone over the edge, just he had been when you were 13, and there was an arm shaking you awake.

===+++===

"Oh my god, you're about the least peaceful sleeper I've literally ever seen," Tara laughed, grinning at you from over her textbook. She had it pulled into her lap from her side of the table and titled against the table edge, and spread out in front of you were her papers galore, with notes scribbled all over them in preparation for her upcoming exam.

Mindy sat next to her, playing a stupid game on her phone, while Ethan was also studying in his own textbook. He had stopped trying to avoid you as much, as had Chad. You and Tara "dating" seemed to offend them less and less the longer it went on.

"Uh," you mumbled, still feeling a little bit disoriented from the dream. It was like a dose of adrenaline had been shot directly into your heart, and you struggled to adjust to the calm, peaceful library that actually was around you. "Shut up," you grumbled, but not like you were actually upset by her teasing.

Tara watched you with her eyebrows raised. "You look tired."

You sat up in your chair, running a hand through your hair. There was a small layer of sweat on your forehead. "Aren't you never supposed to say that to someone? Pretty sure that's how you get someone at the bar to throw their drink in your face."

"It is," Ethan nodded. "I made that mistake once. I was trying to be sweet."

"Good thing I'm not seducing you, then," Tara shrugged. "You've seen me puke everywhere. Pretty sure that ruined my chances right-out, and yet you love me anyways."

You grinned, leaning back to stretch out your arms. It was meant to be a gentle teasing from Tara, but you had only gotten better and better at deflecting the longer you were around her. "You'd be surprised, actually. That was super pretty. That was the prettiest you've ever been." Mindy snorted next to Tara.

Tara glared at you, unappreciatively. "And you're pretty when you do not speak."

"I'm pretty all the time, Tara," you mockingly shook your head. "And you think I'm joking. Find yourself a girl who looks nice covered in sweat, with her hair going everywhere, and puking in the toilet. That's my girlfriend."

"You're such a dick," Tara scoffed, but you could tell part of her was stifling a laugh. It was funny to her too, and you both had laughed at it together for days, afterwards.

If anything, it had gotten easier and easier, to act like the both of you were actually dating. You weren't too sure why, maybe Tara had become less annoying, or you had become less annoyed by her, but you had definitely at least become a better actor. That's what it was, after all. "Oh, also," she continued.

"Yeah?"

"Someone tried to call your phone, while you were sleeping. I think it was your dad."

You frowned. "You didn't pick up, right?"

"No," Tara said, shaking her head. Then she paused. She dropped her voice to speak just to you, guarding the conversation from Mindy and Ethan. "Do you and him not get along?"

You shrugged. "Eh. He was probably just checking in. We have a fine relationship." It wasn't true but it was an easy lie, that rolled off the tongue like nothing. He had already called twice, that day, and you knew why.

"Seriously, though," she said with a frown, looking up from her book. "You look fucking horrifying—"

"—Thanks," you said, flatly.

"—I mean, even more than normal, it's crazy—"

"—Thanks," you repeated.

"—Have you not been sleeping, or something?"

You shrugged. "I mean, I'm an architecture major, and it's midterms... so not really."

"Hm."

"What?" you asked, propping your head up on your arm. "What's the 'hm' for?"

She shrugged, trying to turn back to her textbook. "Hm, nothing."

You furrowed your eyebrows down at her. "Well, obviously the 'hm' was something, Tara." Mindy shot you a look again.

"Or it was just a hm."

“Would you two shush,” she said to you, rolling her eyes. “You bicker like an old married couple.” But you both ignored her.

"It's never just a 'hm.'"

"I say hm all the time. It's literally just a hm."

"No, it means you've got something to say but don't want to say it."

She frowned at the accusation but was obviously even more displeased that you were correct. "I was gonna suggest we go to the OBK party tonight, but maybe you should just go home and sleep. I was trying to be nice.”

You shrugged. "I won't be doing either, actually." Tonight was not the night for parties. You were somewhat grateful, that you had a legitimate excuse to busy your time, or else you would've spent even longer thinking about the dream. "I have to do homework. My final is due tomorrow."

Tara furrowed her eyebrows at you. "Wait, but I thought classes ended today."

You shook your head. "Nope. I've still got some stuff do."

"Oh," Tara frowned.

"Not all of us can have easy majors," you teased, trying to lighten the mood away from what was clearly concern.

"Hey! You chose the stupid thing," Tara shot back. "Not my fault I chose something fun." She stood up, gathering her things into a neat stack. The time was nearing for her midterm exam, and you stood up with her, grabbing her textbook to be helpful.

"Thanks," she said, then she wandered over and held out her hand. You grabbed it in yours, lacing your fingers together, just like you had practiced together.

The library was a tall building on the far side of campus from where you lived. It was a trek and a half to get there, which is partially why you had been a little annoyed, when Tara said she needed to go there. It ended up being the perfect place to fall asleep in, with the quiet signs and only a few murmurs now and again, and though it had been a less than peaceful dream, it was more than you had been getting for the past few days.

"I don't see why you can't just go without me," you shrugged, adjusting her book in your hands. "Just tell Sam I'll meet you there. Besides, Chad and Mindy are going to the same party, right?"

"Yeah, but I what if they realise you're not actually there and mention it to Sam, or something? And, I'd have to go there alone, since Chad and Mindy are going early."

"They are?"

"Yeah. Helping with set up. Mindy literally just mentioned that. Shows how much you listen to her.” She shook her head in a mocking disappointment in you.

“I was asleep, jerk.”

“I know,” she said, grinning.

You looked down to her, where she walked next to you, gently swinging your joint hands back and forth. "It's not a far walk to OBK. You could probably make it there in five minutes. It's well-lit, and—"

Tara frowned, shaking her head adamantly. "Not alone. Not without you, no way. Sam would want to see you at the door to pick me up. She'd probably hate the idea of it."

"Fair enough," you shrugged. "Find a movie at home tonight, then. Relax, or something. I'd kill to be done with this stupid project."

"What are you even making?" Tara groaned, breaking your hands to shove hers into her pockets. Actually, it was your jacket, and therefore technically your pockets too, but she had taken a liking to it, after your date. You had been less than pleased, when she asked to borrow it, considering how much the jacket meant to you, but she insisted it was assisting her to keep up the act. You figured you could part with it, at least for a little while.

"Architecture," you said with a thick layer of sarcasm. Tara rolled her eyes at you. She nudged you, and you couldn't help but laugh as her elbow pointed into your side.

"Oh, you think you're funny, huh?"

"I'm hilarious."

"You wish..." she scoffed, shaking her head.

It was a beautiful day in autumn, and the weather was soon to leave the sigh of brown leaves and rainy days and move into whispery winds and icy pavement. You didn't mind winter, but you didn't like the chills, even though it was undoubtedly what gave summer's warmth a certain sweetness. Still, nothing burned like the cold.

You walked her all the way to the door of the exam hall, stopping out front to hand her the textbook you had been carrying. You went to speak, but the moment you tried to open your mouth, your phone started ringing. You grabbed it from your pocket, sighing and declining the call, while Tara stared at you.

"Is that your dad, again?"

"No," you said. "Telemarketer."

"Right..." she said, frowning. "You're a terrible liar."

"Am I?" you challenged. You were, it was true.

"Why don't you want to talk to him?"

“I just don’t.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m asking why, (Y/n).”

"Why don't you leave it alone?" you shot, in frustration. You could see Tara's eyes narrow at your tone, and you felt a bit bad. There was the occasional reflex still, to bite each other's heads off. You weren't sure what it was about her, but something about Tara Carpenter always seemed to rile you up inside, and do the same for her with you.

"Sorry," you said, looking down at your shoes. "I just don't want to talk about it."

"That doesn't mean you have to be an asshole," Tara glared.

"Right... I'm... sorry."

Tara sighed. "I guess I'll see you next week?" She asked.

You nodded. "There'll be plenty of time after this, I just need to get this thing done."

"Okay," she nodded, failing to hide her excitement. Tara seemed to really love parties, the more and more she went to, and you were somewhat glad you could help her find something she enjoyed. It was nice to see, not that you'd ever say that to her. Doing that would absolutely result in her teasing you again, or something even more annoying.

"Good luck on your test," you said.

"Good luck on your project, babe," she said, drawing the name out.

“Now who’s hilarious,” you said with an eye roll. Tara winked at you, pressing a kiss to your cheek.

“Me.”

===+++===

It seemed you were having no good luck on it whatsoever, actually. Laid out in front of you was all of your materials, in a messy pile of cut-out pieces and foam boards that were there, sure, but not likely to just jump together and put itself together on its own.

The clock had already ticked away to 12:33 in the morning, and your design was barely finalised to where you could get to work and finish quickly. All of the other students had left at a much more reasonable hour, and it left you standing at your table alone, quietly working to classical music in the empty modelling lab.

At this rate, you could be here for another two or three hours, and the project was due at eight. You were sluggish, slowly working through the plans you had set out days ago and working through the kinks.

Every few minutes, when you stopped for even a second, the dream seemed to rush back to the forefront of your brain. Your mother had been the one to call, that evening while you were eating a poor excuse of a dinner, and you had declined that call just like you had declined all the rest.

You were hunched over your work, probably unhealthily so, with your face buried in your iPad, hastily throwing out sketches of the various shapes. You were settling on a design that would have to do, heading for the woodcutter, when you heard a noise.

It resembled a door shutting, and you froze right where you were. "Greg?" you called out. There was no one else in the building except for you and Greg, at his usual security post, and you waited with bated breath for him to return your call.

But there was no response, and all you could hear was the sounds of classical music gently floating in the background. Usually, it set you at ease while you worked through whatever you were doing in the lab, but now all it did was raise your heart rate to match the increasing tempo. It was completely dark, except for the overhead light above you, which illuminated the table you were working at and a few of the stainless steel cabinets that held tools and supplies.

Then, off to the side, you heard a rolling. An odd, wooden rolling, slowly drifting towards you. On the ground was a pencil, gently pushed towards you, playfully rolling as if perfectly in front of your toes. You hopped to your feet. "Hello?" you called, squinting in the dim light, in case anyone else was there. "Is anyone there?" you called out again. "Greg?"

Now you could really feel the thumping of your heart. The modelling lab had always been creepy late at night, but this was a new level of unease. It was as if someone was watching you, playing with their food, and you swallowed down the lump in your throat. "Is someone there?" you said to the rest of the room.

"Hey!" said a voice, and you jumped what felt like five feet into the air.

"Fuck!" you shouted, spinning around and seeing Tara behind you. She jumped at your reaction, raising her hands up. In one of them was a tray with two coffees on it. “You scared me!”

"Woah, woah, are you okay?" she asked, face etched with concern. She walked towards you slowly, and you put your hands on the edge of the table, trying to calm yourself.

"Don't just sneak up on me like that, dude," you glared at her.

"I literally didn't, I fucking announced myself, loud as can be," Tara said, rolling her eyes at you. Then, it melded into concern. "How long have you been here?" she asked, looking around the place and its emptiness.

"Since I left you at your test," you shrugged. "How'd it go by the way?" Tara's eyebrows furrowed, ignoring your question instead for one of her own.

"Did you at least eat dinner, or something?"

"Yeah," you nodded.

"Good."

“Yeah…,” you trailed off, turning back to your work. “How did you know where I was?"

“I asked Chad. He’s still a little snippy with me about, well, thinking we're together. Tried to tell me that if anyone would know, it would be me, and I said, yeah, that’s true, but it’s only been three months, now.”

“Well,” you said, gesturing around to the lab. “This is the modelling lab.” You were a bit of a nerd about the whole place, showing it off like it was your cool superhero lair.

“I know,” Tara mocked. “I saw it on the giant sign above the front door.”

“Ha ha. Does Sam know that you’re here?” You asked, grabbing your pen and resuming your work while you continued to talk to Tara. She plopped herself down on the edge of the table, letting her feet swing.

She looked a bit sheepish at the question. “Uh… no.”

“You know she’ll kill me like she did that one time, if you’re not home when she wakes up,” you frowned, wandering over to the supplies and grabbing out a box cutter to help trim the pieces you needed.

Tara nodded. “I know. But I snuck out, so I’ll sneak back in.”

You turned back around to reply, maybe say something stupid, but you had to stop yourself from laughing, when you saw her legs hanging off the counter and not reaching the ground.

“What?” Tara asked, furrowing her eyebrows. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” you said, shaking your head and returning to the table. “…Dwarf.”

“Hey!” she said, smacking you on the arm. “I brought you coffee, don’t make me take it back.”

“That’s true,” you frowned, weighing your options. “Guess I can’t make fun of you; you brought me caffeine.”

“That’s more like it."

You worked in silence for a few minutes, feeling Tara watch your every movement. It was harder to work, under her scrutiny, but you were grateful that she was there. It wasn’t lonely in there, any more. A few months ago, you would’ve hated her guts for sitting around while you attempted to work. But not with Tara anymore. Not on that day.

“This might be an all-nighter,” you warned, sending her a small smile as you sliced a piece of foam in half and went to work to attach it to your board.

“Fine with me,” Tara shrugged. She just continued to watch you, in a calm silence. “Actually, I have beef with you,” she hummed.

You laughed, looking up while you secured the base with glue. “Why’s that, Tara?”

“You got that song, stuck in my head.”

“Which one?” You asked.

“The one you sang for me. I found it online.”

“Which one?” you teased, smiling again. Your face was tired and the smile certainly didn’t help, but you couldn’t help the newfound peace washing over you again. You had completely forgotten the weird happening from earlier.

“You know, don’t play dumb.”

“No,” you shook your head. “I really don’t know.”

“You literally do,” Tara scoffed.

“Sing a little bit. Refresh my memory.”

“Nuh uh,” she said, crossing her arms. “This is a trap.”

“It isn’t,” you insisted, sticking your pinky out to her. “Swear.”

She wrapped it in her own, rolling her eyes. She definitely knew it was, but she obliged anyway. “If you need a friend, don’t look to a strangerrr. You know in the end,” her voice broke on the low note like yours did, and you laughed while heat rose to her cheeks. “I’ll always be thereeee.”

“And when you’re in doubt,” you sang back to her, in between laughs. “And when you’re in dangerrr.” You both were tone deaf and the rendition was awful, but the mood in the lab was getting lighter and lighter the longer you were together.

“Take a look all around,” Tara sang, coming back in. “And I’ll be there.”

It was impossible not to laugh at how bad it was on both sides, and you grinned at her toothily, before turning back to your work. “Thank you for reminding me.”

“You’re welcome, idiot,” she teased, nudging you in the side again.

===+++===

You went back to working on your model, finishing the first floor in about an hour. You and Tara occasionally talked now and again, but mostly she just watched you while you worked. “Why are you doing this all tonight?” she asked.

“Uh…” you stuttered. “I didn’t have time the past couple weeks…cause of… well, you.”

She shot up to her feet, mouth dropping open. “Why the hell didn’t you say no to me?! I didn’t know you had all this to do.”

You shrugged. “I never mentioned it. Plus, you were having fun. I’m glad someone was enjoying themselves.”

“Oh…” she said, and it sounded small.

“What?” you asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

“…Nothing."

“It’s fine, Tar. Seriously.” She blinked at you.

“Tar?” she asked, looking amused.

You looked up from your work, feeling the change in the atmosphere. “What?”

“I don’t know, you’ve just never used the nickname for me, before.”

“Yeah, I guess not. Is it weird?”

“Well… no. I kind of like it.”

“Okay.”

“Okay,” she agreed, nodding a little. “My mom was the one who gave me the nickname Tar. Haven’t spoken to her in a little while, though.”

“Do you still miss her?” you asked, glueing your second story onto the base successfully.

“Sometimes…” she trailed off, staring out at the pitch black night through the window that hung over your workspace. "She calls me once in a while."

"Do you answer?" you asked.

"No," she admitted. "It's usually about Woodsboro. I gave up on her a few months ago, but she still calls sometimes about the town."

"You never talk about it..." you comment, trailing off with a hand on the back of your neck. "You don't have to, if you don't want to." You leaned back against the table with a curiosity, watching her face move as she struggled to answer.

"Well... it's cause I don't want to that I don't talk about it. You know how people say that shit about manifesting happiness?" you nodded, knowing what she was talking about. "Well, I keep saying I'm fine, and I'm moving on, but it just keeps following me everywhere. It's like this chronic cough I can't shake. This constant thing. No matter how much I run, it's always there. People don't see me as anything but one of the survivors."

You swallowed, feeling her words hit you. "I know what you mean." Tara's eyes snapped down to yours, but when you didn't volunteer more information, she sighed.

You frowned, turning yourself back to your work and hunching over, so she wouldn’t see the heat rising to your cheeks. “I, uh… I listened to that song you said you liked, too.”

“You did?” she asked, lighting up at the mention of it.

“Yeah… added it to my playlist… so…”

“So…” Tara laughed, amused by your awkwardness. It was somehow less awkward when you hated each other. The fact you could tolerate each other now was unusual but not unpleasant, and you still found yourself grappling with how pretty Tara’s eyes looked in lamplight. "If I get a nickname, you absolutely have to have one too."

You scoffed. "That's not at all what that means."

"You had to have had one at some point."

"No, I haven't had one," you said.

"Liar!" Tara said with a giggle, pointing at you with her finger. "You're so bad at lying it's remarkable. Now spill. What is it?"

"I'm not lying!" you insisted, but now you were laughing and it was even less convincing.

"C'mon, promise I won't say it in public— unless it's really bad."

You stared at her for a moment, when she clasped her hands together in a begging plea.

"Please?"

"No," you shook your head.

"Please?"

"Nope."

"Pleaseeee?"

"Fine," you sighed. "My family, they used to call me Duck."

"Duck?" She asked, leaning back to look at you as if the nickname would re-contextualise your entire appearance. "Where'd that come from?"

"It's dumb. I used to wear this yellow raincoat when it was storming outside and these orange booties, so my little brother Mitchie saw me, when he was like five or six, and said I was a Duck. And so I was Duck."

She smiled at you, genuinely pleased with the explanation. "That's adorable. Where is Mitchie, tonight?"

You opened your mouth but shut it. Then, you opened it again. "Probably watching cartoons, or something. Back in Nebraska." (A/N: my ass genuinely did not know that was a U.S. state until right now)

You couldn't tell her that today was the day he had died, several years ago. That a year or two before that had happened, Calvin had gone, and a few months before that, Tomas and Alisha had passed too. That Peter had gotten sick, or that Miranda had gone missing before any of that mess had happened. That you were the only one left.

It was a bad lie, and probably one you would regret later, but it was one you ushered past, and Tara didn't seem to pick up on. From one cursed person to another, you figured it was probably best that you keep your own curse to yourself. It's part of what had made you hate Tara so much at first. She walked around knowing her days were likely numbered, so carefree and careless. And then there was you, you who was so careful in order to keep living.

But you couldn't resent her for that. It had melted away with seeing the Tara underneath. The real, beautiful Tara underneath.

"Duck is good, though. I'll bring it out when I want to embarrass you," Tara smiled, inching closer on the table.

"Yeah?" you grinned back at her, standing up to gently tap against the glue. It was set, and your model was finally finished at 4:42 in the morning. Tara leaned close, watching the glue with her own eyes, cheek almost up against yours in curiosity.

You finished the thing, looking over at her and her large, warm brown eyes, staring at the model you had made with so much curiosity and genuine interest. Tara hadn't lifted a finger to help, but you couldn't help but feel like it was partially hers.

You went to pull back but found your face turning towards hers, looking at each other for a long moment. Your eyes lingered on the slope of her nose, down to the curvature of her soft lips, turned up in the corners like Tara always did when she smiled. They looked so soft, and before you knew what was happening, you could feel Tara's hands coming up to the sides of your face, thumbs gently stroking against the skin there.

You couldn't breathe, feeling the warmth of the pads of her fingers on your face and the faint brush of her breath upon your nose. "Tara," you whispered. The pull was magnetic, and just as you were about to say to hell with it all, her phone began to vibrate in her pocket, and you both leapt apart from each other.

You wandered a few feet away, trying to seem busy while she answered it. You could feel Tara watching you while she spoke on the phone, so you did your best to hide the blush that was certainly spread wide across your cheeks.

This was the very girl you had spent the past several months hating. You suddenly felt dizzy, like the world would slip out from under your feet. Tara, the very same annoying girl who had pestered with you and bickered with you. The one who had so much more to her that what you had ever thought possible. The one who drew you in. The one in search of a hook up, for which you were only the decoy. You cleared your throat, whipping around when you heard Tara say "What?!"

"What's wrong?" you asked. "What's going on?"

She crossed her arms over her chest, looking up at you like she was about to cry. "They're questioning Sam again. They think Ghostface is back."

===+++===

DUN DUN DUNNNNNN anyways my ass is going to bed now. also i do not recommend anyone lie to someone they're interested in about who they are, ESPECIALLY an attempted murder victim

[child-of-the-danube]

I'm still in my Lilia brain rot era and I keep thinking about her and Agatha, and their dynamic and parallels.

Like, Agatha is a dick to everyone from the start, even Teen, but she's extremely chill and even, for her being who she is, weirdly respectful towards Lilia. Maybe it's because of the age, maybe it's because Lilia was the only one to show she still had true power when they first met, maybe it's because they share experience and persecution the younger ones don't truly understand, maybe Agatha just has a soft spot for those who are very clearly outcasts and weirdos.

The only sting at Lilia I can recall is calling her "Dory" in the last trial lmao

She never once questions or mocks her gaps. Hell, she said "we came to the right place" AFTER she saw Lilia scream her head off in ep2 over, to them, nothing. "Hmm, this bitch a lil bonkers, but that's exactly what I like and need :)"

She told Lilia that she couldn't take her power unless she's blasted with it - something she was certainly aiming for if the door didn't open and that ended up saving them in ep2 when she was using her ye old technique of being a menace. She may have told it to her only to get her in, but that's a big minus to her plan B.

When everyone had their hallucinations, Agatha didn't mock Lilia when she was, once again, "being weird". She believed her and reassured her in a soft tone that it was ok.

One interaction I found really funny is in ep3 when Teen asks about a sous vide machine and Agatha turns to Lilia with that "What the fuck is that? That wasn't around in our time" look

Usually when one of them starts spewing wisdom, someone will give a snarky remark, usually Agatha, but when they were talking about summoning a new green witch, Agatha let Lilia speak and was the only one who, at least somewhat, listened to her advice (50/50 but still haha). It was Lilia after all who was the first one to, tho reluctantly, agree to Agatha's idea of summoning a back up green witch.

Also the way Agatha looks at Lilia when she calls Jen out for giving Sharon only one dose of antidote when she had two glasses of wine. It's just so "mmm 😈 I like this one"

Agatha's first choice for "who could possibly play piano" wasn't Alice. Ya know the daughter of a rock goddess who would be the most logical choice. It was Lilia and I find that sweet and a lil funny too.

Lilia didn't tell Agatha's Salem story with judgement, even if she said "when Agatha killed her original coven". It was delivered as mere fact to explain the story.

Then when Evanora showed up and Lilia looks angry and almost disgusted at what she's hearing her say to Agatha. Even after Alice's death, she didn't jump on Agatha's back and accuse her. She let her be cause she was clearly distraught.

Agatha "I'm not drinking the poison. You can suffer but I won't!" Harkness jumped on Lilia and covered her with her own body in the latest episode when the sword was about to impale her. And then she let her do her magic even if it didn't seem to work as the ceiling was still falling and even if she thought tarot was bullshit. She trusted she knew what she was doing.

And the look they give eachother when Lilia reveals Rio is Death. Lilia's face reads as terrified, but more than terrified, she seems to have a moment of compassion. It's the look of "How deeply fucked must your life have been that the only one that ever showed you love and kindness is the one who everyone else sees as the bringer of pain?". Death broke Lilia's heart many a time, but in that moment she understood, she broke Agatha's heart too in even worse ways.

AGATHA LIKED HER! SHE LIKED HER FROM THE START AND RESPECTED HER! AND LILIA LIKED HER TOO, DESPITE THE INITIAL SUSPICIONS!!!

I need to know what her reaction to finding out Lilia sacrificed herself to kill the threat that was specifically after her will be. Will she brush it off and pretend she doesn't care to keep appearing stern and emotionless or will this be the thing that finally makes her realise people care for her? Cause Agatha has never had anyone, except literal Death, show her kindness, much less sacrifice themselves so she could keep living. And I find it beautifully poetic that the one other person Death has known well for centuries, who Death has acknowledged by name in that coven, was the one to do that.

Again, I'm aware that this is just my brain rot speaking, but Lilia was truly the MVP. She's the one with wisdom, the biggest experience, the one with seemingly most patience, the hype man ("Jennifer, look what you did", "It was all for you", "Don't worry, baby. We're cool"). Her trial is the only one where the rest was in fact not needed and was of no help. Actually, all they did was make it worse. The first three trials depended on teamwork. Lilia's was truly solvable ONLY by Lilia.

Anyways, Lilia mentally adopted Agatha and realised she truly was part of her coven and therefore worth dying for and I will never fucking recover 💔💔😭😭

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Copyright takedowns are a cautionary tale that few are heeding

On July 14, I'm giving the closing keynote for the fifteenth HACKERS ON PLANET EARTH, in QUEENS, NY. Happy Bastille Day! On July 20, I'm appearing in CHICAGO at Exile in Bookville.

We're living through one of those moments when millions of people become suddenly and overwhelmingly interested in fair use, one of the subtlest and worst-understood aspects of copyright law. It's not a subject you can master by skimming a Wikipedia article!

I've been talking about fair use with laypeople for more than 20 years. I've met so many people who possess the unshakable, serene confidence of the truly wrong, like the people who think fair use means you can take x words from a book, or y seconds from a song and it will always be fair, while anything more will never be.

Or the people who think that if you violate any of the four factors, your use can't be fair – or the people who think that if you fail all of the four factors, you must be infringing (people, the Supreme Court is calling and they want to tell you about the Betamax!).

You might think that you can never quote a song lyric in a book without infringing copyright, or that you must clear every musical sample. You might be rock solid certain that scraping the web to train an AI is infringing. If you hold those beliefs, you do not understand the "fact intensive" nature of fair use.

But you can learn! It's actually a really cool and interesting and gnarly subject, and it's a favorite of copyright scholars, who have really fascinating disagreements and discussions about the subject. These discussions often key off of the controversies of the moment, but inevitably they implicate earlier fights about everything from the piano roll to 2 Live Crew to antiracist retellings of Gone With the Wind.

One of the most interesting discussions of fair use you can ask for took place in 2019, when the NYU Engelberg Center on Innovation Law & Policy held a symposium called "Proving IP." One of the panels featured dueling musicologists debating the merits of the Blurred Lines case. That case marked a turning point in music copyright, with the Marvin Gaye estate successfully suing Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams for copying the "vibe" of Gaye's "Got to Give it Up."

Naturally, this discussion featured clips from both songs as the experts – joined by some of America's top copyright scholars – delved into the legal reasoning and future consequences of the case. It would be literally impossible to discuss this case without those clips.

And that's where the problems start: as soon as the symposium was uploaded to Youtube, it was flagged and removed by Content ID, Google's $100,000,000 copyright enforcement system. This initial takedown was fully automated, which is how Content ID works: rightsholders upload audio to claim it, and then Content ID removes other videos where that audio appears (rightsholders can also specify that videos with matching clips be demonetized, or that the ad revenue from those videos be diverted to the rightsholders).

But Content ID has a safety valve: an uploader whose video has been incorrectly flagged can challenge the takedown. The case is then punted to the rightsholder, who has to manually renew or drop their claim. In the case of this symposium, the rightsholder was Universal Music Group, the largest record company in the world. UMG's personnel reviewed the video and did not drop the claim.

99.99% of the time, that's where the story would end, for many reasons. First of all, most people don't understand fair use well enough to contest the judgment of a cosmically vast, unimaginably rich monopolist who wants to censor their video. Just as importantly, though, is that Content ID is a Byzantine system that is nearly as complex as fair use, but it's an entirely private affair, created and adjudicated by another galactic-scale monopolist (Google).

Google's copyright enforcement system is a cod-legal regime with all the downsides of the law, and a few wrinkles of its own (for example, it's a system without lawyers – just corporate experts doing battle with laypeople). And a single mis-step can result in your video being deleted or your account being permanently deleted, along with every video you've ever posted. For people who make their living on audiovisual content, losing your Youtube account is an extinction-level event:

https://www.eff.org/wp/unfiltered-how-youtubes-content-id-discourages-fair-use-and-dictates-what-we-see-online

So for the average Youtuber, Content ID is a kind of Kafka-as-a-Service system that is always avoided and never investigated. But the Engelbert Center isn't your average Youtuber: they boast some of the country's top copyright experts, specializing in exactly the questions Youtube's Content ID is supposed to be adjudicating.

So naturally, they challenged the takedown – only to have UMG double down. This is par for the course with UMG: they are infamous for refusing to consider fair use in takedown requests. Their stance is so unreasonable that a court actually found them guilty of violating the DMCA's provision against fraudulent takedowns:

https://www.eff.org/cases/lenz-v-universal

But the DMCA's takedown system is part of the real law, while Content ID is a fake law, created and overseen by a tech monopolist, not a court. So the fate of the Blurred Lines discussion turned on the Engelberg Center's ability to navigate both the law and the n-dimensional topology of Content ID's takedown flowchart.

It took more than a year, but eventually, Engelberg prevailed.

Until they didn't.

If Content ID was a person, it would be baby, specifically, a baby under 18 months old – that is, before the development of "object permanence." Until our 18th month (or so), we lack the ability to reason about things we can't see – this the period when small babies find peek-a-boo amazing. Object permanence is the ability to understand things that aren't in your immediate field of vision.

Content ID has no object permanence. Despite the fact that the Engelberg Blurred Lines panel was the most involved fair use question the system was ever called upon to parse, it managed to repeatedly forget that it had decided that the panel could stay up. Over and over since that initial determination, Content ID has taken down the video of the panel, forcing Engelberg to go through the whole process again.

But that's just for starters, because Youtube isn't the only place where a copyright enforcement bot is making billions of unsupervised, unaccountable decisions about what audiovisual material you're allowed to access.

Spotify is yet another monopolist, with a justifiable reputation for being extremely hostile to artists' interests, thanks in large part to the role that UMG and the other major record labels played in designing its business rules:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/09/12/streaming-doesnt-pay/#stunt-publishing

Spotify has spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to capture the podcasting market, in the hopes of converting one of the last truly open digital publishing systems into a product under its control:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/27/enshittification-resistance/#ummauerter-garten-nein

Thankfully, that campaign has failed – but millions of people have (unwisely) ditched their open podcatchers in favor of Spotify's pre-enshittified app, so everyone with a podcast now must target Spotify for distribution if they hope to reach those captive users.

Guess who has a podcast? The Engelberg Center.

Naturally, Engelberg's podcast includes the audio of that Blurred Lines panel, and that audio includes samples from both "Blurred Lines" and "Got To Give It Up."

So – naturally – UMG keeps taking down the podcast.

Spotify has its own answer to Content ID, and incredibly, it's even worse and harder to navigate than Google's pretend legal system. As Engelberg describes in its latest post, UMG and Spotify have colluded to ensure that this now-classic discussion of fair use will never be able to take advantage of fair use itself:

https://www.nyuengelberg.org/news/how-explaining-copyright-broke-the-spotify-copyright-system/

Remember, this is the best case scenario for arguing about fair use with a monopolist like UMG, Google, or Spotify. As Engelberg puts it:

The Engelberg Center had an extraordinarily high level of interest in pursuing this issue, and legal confidence in our position that would have cost an average podcaster tens of thousands of dollars to develop. That cannot be what is required to challenge the removal of a podcast episode.

Automated takedown systems are the tech industry's answer to the "notice-and-takedown" system that was invented to broker a peace between copyright law and the internet, starting with the US's 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The DMCA implements (and exceeds) a pair of 1996 UN treaties, the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the Performances and Phonograms Treaty, and most countries in the world have some version of notice-and-takedown.

Big corporate rightsholders claim that notice-and-takedown is a gift to the tech sector, one that allows tech companies to get away with copyright infringement. They want a "strict liability" regime, where any platform that allows a user to post something infringing is liable for that infringement, to the tune of $150,000 in statutory damages.

Of course, there's no way for a platform to know a priori whether something a user posts infringes on someone's copyright. There is no registry of everything that is copyrighted, and of course, fair use means that there are lots of ways to legally reproduce someone's work without their permission (or even when they object). Even if every person who ever has trained or ever will train as a copyright lawyer worked 24/7 for just one online platform to evaluate every tweet, video, audio clip and image for copyright infringement, they wouldn't be able to touch even 1% of what gets posted to that platform.

The "compromise" that the entertainment industry wants is automated takedown – a system like Content ID, where rightsholders register their copyrights and platforms block anything that matches the registry. This "filternet" proposal became law in the EU in 2019 with Article 17 of the Digital Single Market Directive:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/09/today-europe-lost-internet-now-we-fight-back

This was the most controversial directive in EU history, and – as experts warned at the time – there is no way to implement it without violating the GDPR, Europe's privacy law, so now it's stuck in limbo:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/05/eus-copyright-directive-still-about-filters-eus-top-court-limits-its-use

As critics pointed out during the EU debate, there are so many problems with filternets. For one thing, these copyright filters are very expensive: remember that Google has spent $100m on Content ID alone, and that only does a fraction of what filternet advocates demand. Building the filternet would cost so much that only the biggest tech monopolists could afford it, which is to say, filternets are a legal requirement to keep the tech monopolists in business and prevent smaller, better platforms from ever coming into existence.

Filternets are also incapable of telling the difference between similar files. This is especially problematic for classical musicians, who routinely find their work blocked or demonetized by Sony Music, which claims performances of all the most important classical music compositions:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/08/copyfraud/#beethoven-just-wrote-music

Content ID can't tell the difference between your performance of "The Goldberg Variations" and Glenn Gould's. For classical musicians, the best case scenario is to have their online wages stolen by Sony, who fraudulently claim copyright to their recordings. The worst case scenario is that their video is blocked, their channel deleted, and their names blacklisted from ever opening another account on one of the monopoly platforms.

But when it comes to free expression, the role that notice-and-takedown and filternets play in the creative industries is really a sideshow. In creating a system of no-evidence-required takedowns, with no real consequences for fraudulent takedowns, these systems are huge gift to the world's worst criminals. For example, "reputation management" companies help convicted rapists, murderers, and even war criminals purge the internet of true accounts of their crimes by claiming copyright over them:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/23/reputation-laundry/#dark-ops

Remember how during the covid lockdowns, scumbags marketed junk devices by claiming that they'd protect you from the virus? Their products remained online, while the detailed scientific articles warning people about the fraud were speedily removed through false copyright claims:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/18/labor-shortage-discourse-time/#copyfraud

Copyfraud – making false copyright claims – is an extremely safe crime to commit, and it's not just quack covid remedy peddlers and war criminals who avail themselves of it. Tech giants like Adobe do not hesitate to abuse the takedown system, even when that means exposing millions of people to spyware:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/13/theres-an-app-for-that/#gnash

Dirty cops play loud, copyrighted music during confrontations with the public, in the hopes that this will trigger copyright filters on services like Youtube and Instagram and block videos of their misbehavior:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/02/10/duke-sucks/#bhpd

But even if you solved all these problems with filternets and takedown, this system would still choke on fair use and other copyright exceptions. These are "fact intensive" questions that the world's top experts struggle with (as anyone who watches the Blurred Lines panel can see). There's no way we can get software to accurately determine when a use is or isn't fair.

That's a question that the entertainment industry itself is increasingly conflicted about. The Blurred Lines judgment opened the floodgates to a new kind of copyright troll – grifters who sued the record labels and their biggest stars for taking the "vibe" of songs that no one ever heard of. Musicians like Ed Sheeran have been sued for millions of dollars over these alleged infringements. These suits caused the record industry to (ahem) change its tune on fair use, insisting that fair use should be broadly interpreted to protect people who made things that were similar to existing works. The labels understood that if "vibe rights" became accepted law, they'd end up in the kind of hell that the rest of us enter when we try to post things online – where anything they produce can trigger takedowns, long legal battles, and millions in liability:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/04/08/oh-why/#two-notes-and-running

But the music industry remains deeply conflicted over fair use. Take the curious case of Katy Perry's song "Dark Horse," which attracted a multimillion-dollar suit from an obscure Christian rapper who claimed that a brief phrase in "Dark Horse" was impermissibly similar to his song "A Joyful Noise."

Perry and her publisher, Warner Chappell, lost the suit and were ordered to pay $2.8m. While they subsequently won an appeal, this definitely put the cold grue up Warner Chappell's back. They could see a long future of similar suits launched by treasure hunters hoping for a quick settlement.

But here's where it gets unbelievably weird and darkly funny. A Youtuber named Adam Neely made a wildly successful viral video about the suit, taking Perry's side and defending her song. As part of that video, Neely included a few seconds' worth of "A Joyful Noise," the song that Perry was accused of copying.

In court, Warner Chappell had argued that "A Joyful Noise" was not similar to Perry's "Dark Horse." But when Warner had Google remove Neely's video, they claimed that the sample from "Joyful Noise" was actually taken from "Dark Horse." Incredibly, they maintained this position through multiple appeals through the Content ID system:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/05/warner-chappell-copyfraud/#warnerchappell

In other words, they maintained that the song that they'd told the court was totally dissimilar to their own was so indistinguishable from their own song that they couldn't tell the difference!

Now, this question of vibes, similarity and fair use has only gotten more intense since the takedown of Neely's video. Just this week, the RIAA sued several AI companies, claiming that the songs the AI shits out are infringingly similar to tracks in their catalog:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/record-labels-sue-music-generators-suno-and-udio-1235042056/

Even before "Blurred Lines," this was a difficult fair use question to answer, with lots of chewy nuances. Just ask George Harrison:

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

But as the Engelberg panel's cohort of dueling musicologists and renowned copyright experts proved, this question only gets harder as time goes by. If you listen to that panel (if you can listen to that panel), you'll be hard pressed to come away with any certainty about the questions in this latest lawsuit.

The notice-and-takedown system is what's known as an "intermediary liability" rule. Platforms are "intermediaries" in that they connect end users with each other and with businesses. Ebay and Etsy and Amazon connect buyers and sellers; Facebook and Google and Tiktok connect performers, advertisers and publishers with audiences and so on.

For copyright, notice-and-takedown gives platforms a "safe harbor." A platform doesn't have to remove material after an allegation of infringement, but if they don't, they're jointly liable for any future judgment. In other words, Youtube isn't required to take down the Engelberg Blurred Lines panel, but if UMG sues Engelberg and wins a judgment, Google will also have to pay out.

During the adoption of the 1996 WIPO treaties and the 1998 US DMCA, this safe harbor rule was characterized as a balance between the rights of the public to publish online and the interest of rightsholders whose material might be infringed upon. The idea was that things that were likely to be infringing would be immediately removed once the platform received a notification, but that platforms would ignore spurious or obviously fraudulent takedowns.

That's not how it worked out. Whether it's Sony Music claiming to own your performance of "Fur Elise" or a war criminal claiming authorship over a newspaper story about his crimes, platforms nuke first and ask questions never. Why not? If they ignore a takedown and get it wrong, they suffer dire consequences ($150,000 per claim). But if they take action on a dodgy claim, there are no consequences. Of course they're just going to delete anything they're asked to delete.

This is how platforms always handle liability, and that's a lesson that we really should have internalized by now. After all, the DMCA is the second-most famous intermediary liability system for the internet – the most (in)famous is Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

This is a 27-word law that says that platforms are not liable for civil damages arising from their users' speech. Now, this is a US law, and in the US, there aren't many civil damages from speech to begin with. The First Amendment makes it very hard to get a libel judgment, and even when these judgments are secured, damages are typically limited to "actual damages" – generally a low sum. Most of the worst online speech is actually not illegal: hate speech, misinformation and disinformation are all covered by the First Amendment.

Notwithstanding the First Amendment, there are categories of speech that US law criminalizes: actual threats of violence, criminal harassment, and committing certain kinds of legal, medical, election or financial fraud. These are all exempted from Section 230, which only provides immunity for civil suits, not criminal acts.

What Section 230 really protects platforms from is being named to unwinnable nuisance suits by unscrupulous parties who are betting that the platforms would rather remove legal speech that they object to than go to court. A generation of copyfraudsters have proved that this is a very safe bet:

https://www.techdirt.com/2020/06/23/hello-youve-been-referred-here-because-youre-wrong-about-section-230-communications-decency-act/

In other words, if you made a #MeToo accusation, or if you were a gig worker using an online forum to organize a union, or if you were blowing the whistle on your employer's toxic waste leaks, or if you were any other under-resourced person being bullied by a wealthy, powerful person or organization, that organization could shut you up by threatening to sue the platform that hosted your speech. The platform would immediately cave. But those same rich and powerful people would have access to the lawyers and back-channels that would prevent you from doing the same to them – that's why Sony can get your Brahms recital taken down, but you can't turn around and do the same to them.

This is true of every intermediary liability system, and it's been true since the earliest days of the internet, and it keeps getting proven to be true. Six years ago, Trump signed SESTA/FOSTA, a law that allowed platforms to be held civilly liable by survivors of sex trafficking. At the time, advocates claimed that this would only affect "sexual slavery" and would not impact consensual sex-work.

But from the start, and ever since, SESTA/FOSTA has primarily targeted consensual sex-work, to the immediate, lasting, and profound detriment of sex workers:

https://hackinghustling.org/what-is-sesta-fosta/

SESTA/FOSTA killed the "bad date" forums where sex workers circulated the details of violent and unstable clients, killed the online booking sites that allowed sex workers to screen their clients, and killed the payment processors that let sex workers avoid holding unsafe amounts of cash:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/09/fight-overturn-fosta-unconstitutional-internet-censorship-law-continues

SESTA/FOSTA made voluntary sex work more dangerous – and also made life harder for law enforcement efforts to target sex trafficking:

https://hackinghustling.org/erased-the-impact-of-fosta-sesta-2020/

Despite half a decade of SESTA/FOSTA, despite 15 years of filternets, despite a quarter century of notice-and-takedown, people continue to insist that getting rid of safe harbors will punish Big Tech and make life better for everyday internet users.

As of now, it seems likely that Section 230 will be dead by then end of 2025, even if there is nothing in place to replace it:

https://energycommerce.house.gov/posts/bipartisan-energy-and-commerce-leaders-announce-legislative-hearing-on-sunsetting-section-230

This isn't the win that some people think it is. By making platforms responsible for screening the content their users post, we create a system that only the largest tech monopolies can survive, and only then by removing or blocking anything that threatens or displeases the wealthy and powerful.

Filternets are not precision-guided takedown machines; they're indiscriminate cluster-bombs that destroy anything in the vicinity of illegal speech – including (and especially) the best-informed, most informative discussions of how these systems go wrong, and how that blocks the complaints of the powerless, the marginalized, and the abused.

Support me this summer on the Clarion Write-A-Thon and help raise money for the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/27/nuke-first/#ask-questions-never

Image: EFF https://www.eff.org/files/banner_library/yt-fu-1b.png

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

[hatsukeii]

tip-toe (take me back to the ground) / timeskip!iwaizumi hajime x reader

genre(s): domestic iwa omg... fluff!! very soft, straight up sensual fluff!! iwa is hot!! iwa is romantic!! iwa is good at many many things, and good WITH many many things too!! im rotting in bed thinking about what could be one day ngl

warning(s): he's very handsy let's just say that... so suggestive warning!! no explicit nsfw, gn reader, but this will get decently/pretty suggestive towards the end u have been warned:)

wc: ~1.4k

tldr; Iwaizumi Hajime wants dinner (you)

Iwaizumi Hajime likes to come home to the golden glow of table lamps, fluttering wisps of fire on the wicks of cinnamon candles on spice shelves, and a vinyl playing beneath the needle of a record player on the coffee table of his living room. It's not an extraordinarily good record player. Sometimes the pitch wavers uncertainly, almost like when the service drops on a video call and the other person's voice suddenly drops half an octave. Occasionally, the needle skips a note and adds a fleeting pop to whatever song is playing on the record, like when a few embers of a fire crackle a little louder than the rest. Whenever he hears the record player, and the muffled hums from somewhere else that fill in the jumps and correct the warped melodies from the grooves of the vinyl, Hajime feels like having dinner.

When Iwaizumi Hajime stands over the stovetop of his kitchen, sleeves of whatever top he's wearing rolled halfway up his forearms, he listens for something beyond the scratchy song from the vinyl across the living room. He squeezes a few rings of oil into a pan, and pretends to press down on the ignition at the sound of carefully muted tiptoes against wooden floorboards. Hajime is unfazed when a pair of arms slither across his stomach, and cross at his chest, but he smiles at the sensation anyways. Beneath the guise of diffused cinnamon candles, he smells soap and laundry. By how a pair of loose short sleeves slide down your arms to bare your biceps to him, he knows that you're wearing one of his freshly washed t-shirts, and pulling his back closer against your body.

"I'm sweaty, love."

"Good, you know I like it."

If you creep up on Iwaizumi Hajime, clad in slippers and his t-shirt, he can blame nothing but his inhibitions when he abandons the empty pan, and lazily turns to hold you instead. Your arms travel up his back now, hands feeling for every groove around his shoulders, the dip of his spine, the hairs that line his nape. Hajime's fingers reach beneath your shirt for your hip bones, and the record player in the background pops a note. He sinks his palms into the flesh of your waist, pushes you close until he's certain you will melt into him. His thumbs massage the outskirts of your stomach, drawing the scales and arpeggios from the song on the vinyl into your skin, and he begins to sway and step in tandem with the music that fills the room. You press your ear to his chest, synchronise your heartbeats with his own that pulses through your ears and sends your mind into a golden haze. Your feet step from side to side with him, and suddenly, Iwaizumi Hajime is slow dancing in his kitchen with you, instead of having dinner like he initially planned to.

"Missed you all day." He mumbles into the top of your head, lips against your hair.

"I know, missed you too, Hajime." You speak it into his heart through his clothed ribcage.

The song on the record player fizzles out into its next track, one that plays out in piano keys that staccato across rocks in a creek, saxophone that glides like a breeze over the surface of still water, barely causing a ripple, flutes that fly past a waterfront like birds that soar above the earth in bimbling chirps.

Iwaizumi Hajime then decides he wants a little more than just dinner.

His hands push past your waist to your ribs, fingers splaying across the two sides of your back and palms lying flat against the sides of your chest. His vision spins and flips when you sigh against his ribcage, whole body flinching at his sudden advance. He relaxes into your embrace even more, shoulders loosening and hunching into you. He feels your body shift by the way his hands seem to move up with you, and your lips leave their mark on the right side of his neck. You nibble at his skin, and the record player jumps a note again, like a flat stone skipping past the surface of quiet waters. Hajime's throat gives out, a full hum vibrating through his Adam's apple, and your lips curl into a smile against his pulse. He thinks he wants this more than dinner.

You don't realise you are stepping backwards until your heel hits the base of your kitchen island, one of Hajime's hands now settled on the small of your lower back to cushion the impact of the cold countertop. It doesn't matter anymore, really, when Iwaizumi Hajime finally dips down to catch your lips in his own, giving his dinner a first taste. Your eyes flutter close, lashes tickling his cheeks as he sinks himself further into you. Your hands grip the edge of the counter now, steadying yourself so your knees don't give out and collapse beneath you. Hajime kisses slow, but pervasive. He finds every inch of your mouth, swipes his tongue across your bottom lip, swallows your stutters by pushing even harder. Something is off with the track in the background, perhaps the needle is wearing out with how every second note seems to warp and crackle. But you're pressed up against the kitchen counter, Hajime's hands feeling for every inch of your body, so you don't really have half a mind to care about the record player right now.

Strong arms pull you up and onto the countertop, and you part your legs to let Hajime settle between them. You sit taller than he stands here, head angled downwards to meet his own. He is completely at your mercy, and he surrenders his control to you. Your hands grab at the back of his neck, pulling him into you as if he can get any closer than this. Iwaizumi Hajime is content with slow dancing, lingering touches, patient kisses. But he sighs into your mouth. You cut him off by nibbling on his lip. And when he pulls away for air, he thinks you've forced him to want more.

The song fades out into the space of the living room. The water is still again, and the moon invites itself into the scene, painting the notes that still hang in the silence a misty silver.

Your vision soaks in Hajime's expression. His eyes are lidded, half-open, yet something glimmers in his irises that travel across every detail of your face. His cheeks are stained red, the tips of his ears even more so. A glossy sheen of saliva coats the entirety of him mouth, and the skin around it too. You bring a thumb to his mouth, and wipe away at the edges of his lips with the pad of your fingertip. Looking down on Iwaizumi Hajime is not something most have the privilege of doing, and you bask in every second that he stares up at you, as if there is nothing in this lifetime that will be better than the view from below. Your hands hold his face now, fingers running themselves through his hair. He shivers at your touch, dips his head into the crook of your neck. You rub and scratch at his scalp, handfuls of soft hair brushing and pressing against your palms.

"So good to me. Too good."

"Want me to fix up dinner for you, Hajime?"

The record player doesn't make a sound. Night has settled, birds hide away in the branches of trees, the breeze smooths over the surface of the water, rocks and stones sit in the riverbed, unmoving, grounded.

When Iwaizumi Hajime separates his face from your neck, he thinks to himself, one day, I'll put a diamond on that pretty little ring finger. You continue to thread your fingertips through his hair, when he pulls you back for another kiss. This is softer, but you can tell that he is getting hungrier. He moves teasingly slow, almost agonising. His lips are hot against yours, warm breaths from his nose fanning across your cheek, and you don't miss the way his hand slides from your waist to the inside of your thigh. A finger slips beneath the hem of your shorts, pinching and tugging down at the fabric. You wrap your legs around his chest, and he pushes them apart again, holding them in place with his rough palms.

Fuck a dinner, Iwaizumi Hajime wants you instead.

"Gonna take you to the moon tonight, love."

author's note:

yall iwa is so sexy... i can't help it... i've never felt compelled to write anything overtly physical or suggestive but for iwaizumi hajime 27 athletic trainer i felt many many things... i need him sb and i hope that you do too after reading this because i need people to understand how FERAL i am for this man ;P

anyways tags!!

@catsoupki @akaakeis @staraxiaa @chuuya-brainrot @hiraethwa @4ngelfries @bailey-reeds @fiannee @stars-tonight @wyrcan

ok love u all bye bye muah see u next fic

[sytoran]

home is where the heart is ★ profile

IN WHICH your married life with Natasha Romanoff is depicted through this comedy-drama series. With your dream job, three kids, and a plethora of friends, each day is blissful but all the more chaotic and unpredictable. (And ultimately, very horny.)

SERIES MASTERLIST || MAIN MASTERLIST

Y/N L/N (the beefcake)

YOU are known as 'mama' to the kids, and 'daddy' to natasha. would literally lay your life down for your kids and wife. raging butch, gym rat, handiman around the house, occasionally helping with cooking and cleaning as well. you're also the CEO of L/N-Corp worldwide media, with a degree in being husband material. you like it when natasha calls you handsome, a service top to the end of time. but at the end of the day, you're just ken, hopelessly in love with your wife and worshipping the very ground she walks on.

NATASHA ROMANOFF (the milf)

NATASHA is known as 'mommy' to the kids and you. epitome of housewife milf, with her clean fashion and reading glasses and soft tummy you never fail to squish. she's the stricter parent, with a firm but patient parenting style. as much as she can resist the kids' puppy dog eyes, she always falls for yours. down bad for your beefiness. peak wife material - she's teaching the kids the piano, the food she cooks is literally orgasmic. your darling angel pillow princess. she's the barbie to your ken, the black cat to your golden retriever, the only one for you till the end of time.

MARINA (the peacemaker)

MARINA is your oldest daughter, ten years of age but wise beyond her years. her name is of russian descent, meaning "of the sea". marina is a quiet kid, more calm and laid-back like natasha. you think your daughter is a secret genius, as she's topped her class since first grade, and has an amazing affinity for languages and the arts. the first time you read one of her poems, you started crying. (it was titled 'the sun' and was about how much she adored you, for the record.) marina is such a responsible big sister, though she sometimes struggles with the lack of attention she gets because of her younger siblings.

EMILIA AND EMILIO (the troublemakers)

EMILIA is the older twin, five years-old and ready to rock the world. her name is also of russian origin and means 'eager'. she's more tomboyish than her older sister, disliking dresses and being weirdly obsessed with checkered bermudas. she's a little unorganised, but emilio keeps her in check. they balance each other out, after all. emilia is completely selfless and entirely loveable, just this shining bundle of joy in your life. she loves football too! you play it with her and emilio on the weekends.

EMILIO is the younger twin by fourteen minutes (which his older sister never fails to tease him about). they share the same name meaning, which is rather fitting. this five year-old is loud, unapologetic, and aspires to be a dinosaur. he really likes pterodactyls, okay? he's a mommy's boy, always curled up in natasha's arms when he's not busy exploring the world. his fated enemy is mathematics, so you have to fight world wars in order to get him to do his addition and subtraction. just a cheeky little guy who thinks the world of his sisters and moms.

SERIES MASTERLIST || MAIN MASTERLIST

first time making actual ocs with names and stuff! what are your thoughts on this lively family....

© 𝐒𝐘𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐍 2024 ━ do not copy, edit or translate my works

[earlycuntsets]

translation: "my chemical romance interview. "for us, the live stage is the only place where we can be ourselves."

The songs are like a collection of rock anthems from all over the world, past and present, and it sets the hearts of listeners ablaze.

Who is the emo band that rocked the Summer Sonic stage?

My Chemical Romance, from New Jersey, who just released their major debut album "THREE CHEERS FOR SWEET REVENGE" in July, came to Japan for the first time at Summer Sonic 04. MCR's music is called "screamo" because of their friendship with their friends, including THE USED, and their style, and it contains the street/garage sensibility unique to the generation that went through American punk in recent years… but if you listen to it with a calm ear, you can see that although the vocals are "screamo style," the songs have a beautiful structure and tearful melodies that are related to British heavy metal, and they also feature beautiful guitar solos. In other words, MCR is a band that plays heavy metal at the street level… That's why they must have been so welcomed right from the start in Japan, a country that has a strong tradition of heavy metal music (probably) - their first performance in Japan was a big success.

45 minutes after the end of the thunderous "Summer Sonic" stage

We caught up with the two excited guitarists!

I've never been to a show like that before! I'll never forget this experience.

--Now Frank Iero (FI): This isn't real.

How was the live show you just finished?

FI: Seriously! I've never done a show like that before. It was a memorable moment in my life. I'll never forget it!

--You seem very excited. What was so amazing about it?

Ray Toro: No, not "What". WTF! I mean, they were so welcoming! I wasn't expecting that kind of reaction at all. It felt like a hometown show. Oh, what can I say… ahhhh… anyway, it feels great!-- (Laughs)

Was the positive reaction because the new york was great? Especially the first single "I'm Not Okay" it's really exciting… It's a great song, and the song structure is well-crafted, building up from the intro, and the solo is uplifting too. Did you feel any magic when you made it?

FI: Well, let me tell you something. This song is something that you can't really call "written".

Really? Is that so?

FI: That's true. The song itself only has four chords, right? Except for the solo, it's all four. So at first, I thought it would be a boring song. But when we got together in the studio and Ray was playing those four chords over and over… Gerald (Way/vocals) started singing. The other members were silent. I closed my eyes and listened carefully. Then I realized it was an incredibly beautiful song. I felt it was worth completing. So I tried to change it up with the chorus. The root remained four.

---The guitar solo in this song creates a harmony with the guitar, creating a grandeur that is reminiscent of Queen. How did this come about?

FI: That solo was all Ray!

RT: Of course we were totally inspired by Queen! We were all saying, "Let's have a big guitar solo. Nobody does that anymore!" So I layered the guitars on it and made it as epic as possible. Also, when we were writing the song originally, we talked about making it as production-heavy as possible in the studio… Another thing I did consciously was to think of all the '80s pop and '70s bands I liked. I thought, "What would they do to make a song that's really epic…?" That's also where the two-second piano in the middle of the song came from. It doesn't really mean anything, but it's a bit like a soundtrack.

In terms of age, he was still very much alive.

FI: To tell you the truth, that second part is from the live album "CHEAP TRICK AT BUDOKAN" (1978) [laughs] I really wanted to include it. To begin with, even though some people have performed it live, I've never heard it performed in a studio album. I tried to include that as well and create the biggest anthem I could think of.

Q: Not just "I'm Not Okay," but all of MCR's songs…The composition is designed to make the listeners excited. They are all uplifting and dramatic. Is this something you do consciously?

FI: I'm totally aware of it.

RT: Yes. You can hear it in the song, but I change parts one after another. For example, We never repeat the same parts twice, and as the song progresses, new elements are added. We want it to feel like it's building from one thing to the next. Every member of the band contributes to that. The drums, the vocals, the melodies…everything helps the song to go higher and higher.

FI: Especially the new album, "It's Not A Fashion Statement, It's a Deathwish" crescendos all the way through. It just gets stronger and stronger. It all comes together in a spectacular finale. The whole band sings together for an anthemic ending. Because I like it! Our styles are completely different, maybe that mismatch is a good thing?

MCR's music tends to be dramatic. Is that due to the influence of the music you've listened to up until now?

RT: I grew up listening to heavy metal, like Ozzy Osbourne. I was obsessed with guitar heroes. I like bands that feature guitar players such as the late Randy Rhoads (g/Ozzy Osbourne) and Joe Satriani, Jimi Hendrix… In other words, Randy is the one who combined heavy metal with classical music, but his guitar playing I think he is the person who has had the biggest influence on my style. It's a bit old-fashioned, but it has a melody. And it's timeless. Melody.

FI: Richie Havens. My first woodstock. He was the opening act for the concert. He took me to an acoustic I just played it with one guitar, like a solo. There wasn't much, just sitting on the stool. He played very melodic and rhythmic guitar. But it's a completely unique style that can't be imitated. He had tiles… Such a great performer. I've never seen him before! I've seen Richie on stage about 10 times now, and I'm blown away every time. He's one of the reasons I don't stop playing guitar. I also love Greg Ginn (guitar/Black Flag) and Thurston Moore (vocals, guitar/Sonic Youth). In other words, I like dirty and emotional guitar more than intellectual style.

——————Hmm. You two have completely different tastes…

FI: Well, we are completely different types of guitarists, but maybe that mismatch is a good thing.

--You mentioned a lot of artists, but listening to your album I can sense a strong influence from heavy metal. But you also listen to a lot of different music from the '70s and '80s, right?

RT: Well, you can't just listen to one type of music, you know? There's so much good music out there. We can't just pretend not to notice it! All of us in the band try to listen to as much as we can and want to absorb as much as we can from all kinds of music.

FI: What we heard was an influence in some way.

FI: I like to use a Marshall JCM900 connected to a SUNN cabinet, and an Epiphone Zak Wylde model Les Paul as the only guitar. I turn up the bass all the way (laughs). Treble is about mid-range. I add gain here and there. But I like to keep it sounding like a real guitar. Not a "buzzing" sound with too much gain, but more of a solid sound.

RT: Yes! And we both try to only use effects when absolutely necessary, and usually plug them straight into the amp. Oh, but we do use wah pedals. Personally, I'd love to see the wah come back!

--I see. So with Frank on the bass and Ray raising the middle, it feels like you've managed to balance the band sound well?

FI&RT: Exactly!

FI: That's how I make it clear that there are two guitars. It's better to have a difference where you can hear each guitar part and it doesn't sound too cluttered.

――――So, let's talk about your playing, not just the guitar sound.

RT: I've been in the middle of it all. But the best thing to do is come to a show and see for yourself! I think there have been times when people thought it was Frank and it was me, and vice versa. We've influenced each other so we have some similarities.

---So you're influenced by each other's playing?

RT: Yeah. At least I got it from Frank.

I learned to play dirty. Not just clean, but more emotional. Instead of being super technical and perfect, I gave myself a little more leeway and tried to avoid feedback and pick-squeezing.

Frank is especially good at pick slides. He likes to make noise out of the guitar, rather than a pretty sound.

He's really good at bringing that out. Making noise, not just playing, is something I'm still learning.

FI: I'm the opposite, I'm learning to play clean, to keep things under control, but still let out emotion when necessary.

RT: A classic example of what you're talking about is "The Jetset Life Is Gonna Kill You." Frank has a really great part here. After the second chorus, it gets really quiet.

"THREE CHEERS FOR SWEET REVENGE" Warner Music Japan [CD] WPCR-11883 Sensual vocal melodies and emotional guitars, as heard on the 1st single.Their popularity is on the rise thanks to the explosive emotion of their vocals. This is the band's second album and their major label debut. Ray's strengths are in his guitar playing, which always lifts the listener up. While talking about the existing screamo sound, such as the "screamo" part, a new sense of flavoring with the essence of gothic and metal shines. And it's the same with everyday experiences! Everything that comes out of it naturally comes out in the work, and the more I shut out certain types of music or certain experiences, the less fertilizer I have. The goal is the stage. Keep playing to the limit. From what I saw on stage a while ago, the live equipment was, you both used similar things. How do you differentiate between the sounds?

RT: I'm more into distortion. I play a lot of riffs and generally like to emphasize the mid-range.

My model was the crunch guitar sound of Metallica's "Master of Puppets" (1986).

FI: On the other hand, I only use distortion to a natural degree.

Can you tell me the specific equipment names?

RT: The amps are Marshall "JCM2000" and "1960".

Cabinet. The guitar was bought by my brother for Christmas 10 years ago.

It's a very easy one to make, but the sound is great!

I also use an Epiphone Les Paul.

036 GuitarBreakers Vol.8

He said it was a good example of how the differences between the two of them are well expressed.

Can you name any?

FI: You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us

In Prison, I guess?

RT: You're right!

FI: You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us

"In Prison" is huge! The first two verses are

It's rhythmic and dirty, and then…

Ray's guitar hero-like, epic solo begins (laughs). And it has a light rhythm. And then there's "To The End" too.

RT: Yes. In some ways, I play more technically than Frank, but "To the End" has a great guitar solo, it's fast, and it's got some rhythmic, dirty parts. But I think you can hear the difference in our playing styles on every song to some extent.

---By the way, on the album, which is left and which is right?

Are you playing the channel?

RT: Well, in the verses, I mostly play on the left.

Ray is on the left. And Frank is on the right in the chorus.

Frank really blossoms in this scene. It's totally different from his previous style.

FI: Mmhmm!

---Finally, could you tell us about your future goals regarding guitar and songwriting?

FI: For now, I'd like to be able to turn the parts I've written for the next album into proper songs.

Also, we have a clear goal as a band.

But I'll keep it a secret until I achieve it (lol).

RT: For me personally, I just want to keep improving.

FI: Me too!

RT: We both love playing guitar.

That's what life is all about, so I want to keep improving both in technique and melody.

FI: For us, it was a live show that lasted less than two hours. I think that the only chance I have is to be myself, to experience a pure and spiritual moment. So my goal is to continue to play all the way to the end. There is a joy that cannot be expressed in words. I don't think you can understand it unless you have experienced it!

My Chemical Playing - A magnificent world created with guitar

The key to My Chemical Romance's songs is the twin guitars. When the two guitars intertwine, sometimes intensely and sometimes elegantly, it gives the listener a great sense of exhilaration.

Ray was crazy about guitar heroes like Randy Rhoads and Joe Satriani, while Frank loves Greg Ginn and Thurston Moore. They come from completely different backgrounds, but as Ray says, "When we get together, we don't know why, but a special atmosphere is born," which is the characteristic of the My Chemical Romance sound. In fact, Alba

If you check out his playing, you can hear many good examples of two-guitar ensemble. One of the best is the backing for "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)." As mentioned in the interview, the bass in this song is a repeat of four chords (D → Bm Em → A), but it is amazing how the performance is not at all simple. Due to space limitations, I will not post an example.

"I'm Not Okay" style guitar solo sheet music.

I'm sorry I can't introduce it, but I definitely want you to check out the ensemble in the A-melody. So, I'll introduce the solo below. This performance was inspired by Queen and was meant to be grand. The harmonies are great, but the chord progression is deliberately E/G#, even though E would have been fine in the flow. This is one of the reasons why it feels so grand.

In the harmonies from bars 1 to 8, you want to be aware of the speed at which you raise the pitch of the choking, and the speed and depth of the vibrato.

The first half of bar 12 means "play five notes in two beats."

2004 volume 8 guitar breakers from theydrewblood.blogspot.com

[milkteabinniechan]

♡The Trickster's Treasure - Felix

MINORS DNI 18+ONLY MEMBERSHIP//M.LIST

pairing: pixie! Felix x afab! reader

summary: In a mystical forest, you venture deeper than usual, drawn by enchanting sounds. Unbeknownst to you, a mischievous pixie observes you from the branches above. He delights in playing tricks, creating illusions and leading you astray with mirages of shimmering paths but soon you become lost...

warnings: hallucinations, mild panic attack, Felix is a little troublemaker

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long, dancing shadows through the forest, your feet were starting to grow weary. You tilted your head up to the canopy of trees and tried to remember how you ended up here in the first place. Look high and look low, will you find me or find madness? You'll never know!

A small, taunting voice reverberated through the forest. Music. Music had been what drew you to these woods. Some kind of mystical, fantastical melody.

But now the melody has ceased and you were left with only the sounds of the forest. As nightfall consumed the flora and fauna, the once welcoming wood had suddenly taken on a very sinister appearance. Where once sunlight filtered through the leaves and illuminated the forest floor, now moonlight drenched the hardened oak trees and jagged rocks that lined your path.

Suddenly, a darkened underbrush opened up and cleared the way to a small path.

This way! Go this way!

That voice again. A playful, mischievous little voice that seemed to come from all directions. You looked around to find no other path available. Against your better judgment, you decided to listen to this mystery voice and walk down the small path.

As you walked, a new melody started up. A soft, inviting sound of harpsichord and piano keys. But where was it coming from? You quickened your pace down the small trail and the music seemed to grow louder. Slowly, your footsteps hastened to a run as the music intensified. Louder and louder it grew. Your ears pounded with the sound but your feet continued onward, determined to find the source of the sound. You covered your ears from the volume when, without warning, it stopped.

Silence. Nothing but silence all around you. Not even the sound of leaves crunching or birds chirping anymore. An ear-splitting silence that filled your eardrums worse than the music you had been following.

“Hello?! Can anyone hear me?!” You shouted. At least, you hoped you were shouting. You fell to your knees, your hands still covering your ears.

Tears started to coat your eyes as your mind raced with all the possibilities of what your life could be now. You couldn't even remember how you got here. What if a witch has cursed you? Your mother had always warned you about witch's curses. About the music they would play at night to lure small children into the forest to eat them. But you weren't a child anymore. What if you fell and hit your head? You could be dreaming now. But your body aches from running. And your arms were scraped up from tree branches. What if the whole world was silent now? What if you had fallen into a horrible, other-worldly dimension filled with unspeakable horribles that you could never escape from-

Yay! That was fun!

You shook yourself out of your spiral and turned your head to find a small, winged creature resting on your shoulder. He giggled playfully as he floated up in front of your eyesight. Your eyes widened slightly as you took in the sight of his wings, their delicate iridescence shimmering in the forest moonlight. You reach out a hand slowly, as if approaching a skittish animal.

“What are you…?”

You kept your hand out in front of him and he perched himself on your index finger. He smiled and tilted his head, seemingly surprised that you didn't know what he was.

“Tell you what, if you play another game with me then I'll tell you what I am.” His grin quickly turned prankish.

“Another game?” Your face twisted with disgust. “I'm just trying to find my way back home.”

The small creature sighed softly, swinging his legs back and forth on your index finger. “Well, that's no fun! You can't go home yet! We were just getting started!” He giggled louder now.

“Don't you remember when I changed the direction of those paths? And you went in circles for hours? So funny!”

Your face turned beet red, your patience now running thin at the sight of this tiny creature and his games.

“That was you?!” You shouted. “Why would you do that?!”

The pint-sized creature held his stomach and laughed heartily. He pointed one finger and continued to giggle and guffaw at your expense, nearly falling off of your finger. Your patience now fraying at the edges, you shook your hand and brushed the tiny man off your finger.

“I'm leaving!” You yelled, stomping your foot for emphasis.

The creature suddenly ceased his laughter and flew close to your face. “Wait!” He waved his tiny arms rapidly. “I'm sorry! Don't go! It's been so long since I had someone to play with!” His eyes were round and pleading. “Just one more game! And I'll show you the way home, oh please!” He pressed his tiny hands together and begged.

You let out a deep, defeated sigh. It was not as though you had much choice but to trust him. There was no way you could find the path towards home on your own. You gave the miniscule creature a firm nod, holding your index finger up.

“First, you tell me your name and what you are. Then we can play a game. Deal?”

“Deal!” He fluttered around your face excitedly. His little wings flapping and vibrating with anticipation. “I'm a pixie!” He said proudly, puffing out his chest as he spoke. “And my name is Felix!”

Your eyes grew large as the realization of your situation sunk in. Faeries and pixies were among the many stories that your mother had told you. You just never thought they would be this much… trouble.

“Alright, Felix. What game shall we play?”

Felix thought for a moment, stroking his chin in deep thought. Then his face split into a devious smile.

“Hide and Seek! You count and I'll hide! Ready?”

You hadn't played hide and seek since you were a child. With work and taking care of your family, there never really was time for games anymore. A smile surprisingly appeared on your lips as you agreed to count while Felix flew off to hide. You start counting, your voice steady despite the urge to rush through the numbers. One… two... three... four... five... six... seven... eight... nine... TEN! You open your eyes and scan the area, searching for any sign of the tiny pixie. You tilt your head back once more, squinting up at the canopy above, searching for any movement among the leaves. You then crouch down, examining the undergrowth and behind logs, your voice growing more playful with each failed attempt.

“Not under here... not behind this bush…” You were actually having fun. You couldn't believe it, you could hardly recognize the sound of your own laughter tumbling out from beneath your own chest.

Felix’s laughter once again echoed through the forest. The sound of his jovial giggling bouncing and ricocheting off every branch and fallen log.

You'll never catch me!

Suddenly you stop dead in your tracks. You feel the stillness of the woods again but this time you are not afraid. Instead you reach your hand back to your left shoulder. You slowly reach back, gently grasping Felix in your large hand. “Ah-ha!” You bring him down to eye level, a victorious grin spreading across your face. “Gotcha!”

Felix laughs playfully once more. His excited squeals make you laugh loudly as well. The sounds mingle together in a perfect childlike harmony that you had forgotten was possible.

“I'll show you the way home now, human. But promise you'll come back to visit me? You're fun to play with!”

You opened your hand and watched Felix flutter from your palm and hover in front of your nose. You smiled and agreed to come back soon. As long as he doesn't trick you again.

“I promise!” Felix answered quickly, his fingers crossed behind his back.

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