#also its in uptown <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[grilledcheese-aspiration]

Peachy Clean Laundry 🍑✨ a WIP

[doomduck]

The problem with having a Spotify play list dedicated to songs you want to skate to is with every new song it pushes out the ideas for the previous song

[videostak]

ordered a specific old pressing CD of king tubby meets rockers uptown cause it had the original album cover (the shanachie 1980something CD i have has different art thats of pablo playing the melodica as opposed to the og album cover which is a photograph of pablo behind a wall of posters n flyers n stuff) and like had already read on discogs that the shanachie cd was the superior one cause it was probably audio from a master tape or just v cleaned up and that the CD i got today was supposed to have bad very clear audible vinyl rip audio with audible cracks n pops of the record but i still got the CD anyways cause og album art goes hard and also unlike the shanachie CD it correctly lists track 7s name as king tubby meets rockers uptown as opposed to the shanachie one which mislists it as braces tower dub and also i think mislistss a lot of the names following that track due to the order being off by one or smthn. anyways when it came i was like wait this audio quality is kinda dogshit u can hear audible cracks and pops from the record lol but like i already knew that b4 so i dont know what i was expecting.

[comidyye]

abandoned nonsense about a tender treats movie au

aka. tender treats as a classic 80s slasher called " devilish delicacies "

susie is there ; she would die while "uptown girl" plays in her headphones. this is predetermined and im not changing it.

lila will die at the end but its okay because bob (or just the devil butcher in the movie) will die too skid and pump aka samuel "sam" and whitney "will" are our protags :3 other writing slop:

i also have a pinterest board and maybe more than one spotify playlist (this one is all 80s) (this one has a lot more) about this! was really passionate about it for a time, might pick it back up, if anyone wants to riff on it that would be super cool! do whatever u want with it really

[dragonbadgerbooks]

May Music Book Photo Challenge

As promised! Another book photo prompt challenge! This time, based around song titles!

The titles of the songs serve as the prompt. You are welcome to interpret them using just the title without knowing the song, using the lyrics, or using whatever your heart tells you will be best. If you'd like to listen to each song, I have compiled them into a Playlist on Spotify and each song is listed under the cut with its artist if you would prefer to look them up on another platform.

If you are curious where the songs came from, it's a combination of my most listened to songs over the last 12 months and the last 4 weeks, with a few newer favorites thrown in, then all shuffled together to create something new. I tried to use songs that I thought would also make good prompts and avoid songs that were just letters or seemed like bad prompts. But as always, they are open to interpretation and there's no wrong way to interpret them. You can also skip days or take multiple pictures if you want. I'm not your mom.

Note that several of these songs are explicit and some may be sad.

Looking forward to seeing what y'all do!

May 1: Crystalline by The Midnight May 2: Friends We Won't Forget by Brent Morgan May 3: Take the Reins by Vinny Marchi May 4: Green Green Grass by George Ezra May 5: Save You a Seat by Alex Warren May 6: Live Long Enough to become the Hero NateWantsToBattle May 7: Seasons of Love from Rent May 8: Out There from Hunchback of Notre Dame May 9: Wake Up by Llunr May 10: What We Live For by American Authors May 11: The Prophecy by Taylor Swift May 12: Labour by Paris Paloma May 13: Highland Girl by Nathan Evans May 14: Dandelions by Ruth B. May 15: Loser Baby from Hazbin Hotel May 16: Pulp Fiction by Motion City Soundtrack May 17: StopRewind by NateWantsToBattle May 18: Soldier Poet King by The Oh Hellos May 19: Dead on Arrival by Fall Out Boy May 20: Too Sweet by Hozier May 21: two by bbno$ May 22: Come Clean by Hilary Duff May 23: Uptown Girl by Billy Joel May 24: Everything is Alright by Motion City Soundtrack May 25: Caramel by Sleep Token May 26: Heather on the Hill by Nathan Evans May 27: I'm Just Ken from the Barbie Movie May 28: Would That I by Hozier May 29: No Children by the Mountain Goats May 30: Plead the Fifth by Cooper Alan May 31: Go Big or Go Home by American Authors

[drkineildwicks]

So we went and saw Sonic 3 in theaters....

Did it because my uncle paid for it

For context the very last movie I saw in theaters until this one was Sonic 1 so this was functionally the triumphant return

My honest thoughts:

*Crush 40 voice* YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

I've been singing Sonic music, specifically Shadow's songs, ever since going that movie was excellent I loved it and Mom had to stop me several times from vibrating apart in my seat XD

Also Sonic movie 4 is confirmed??? 2027 let's gooooo

Seriously I was all excited for the new Palworld expansion but after this movie that one has to wait I'm replaying SA2 XD

And it beating Mufasa into the ground is absolutely hilarious to me XD

Now that I've seen it I'm listening to podcasts covering it and the fact that Sonic 3 is showing in fewer theaters and making double the money HA!

And disney trying to lie and getting completely trolled by the fans

Three d's or whatever the lady said that got her arrested but Sonic is handing broke disney its head and I am here for it

Spoilery stuff under the cut, if you haven't seen it yet go see it

Also fair warning this gets long

Okay let's open up by saying that whoever makes these movies are MASSIVE GameCube era fans

Because they were pulling from Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow the Hedgehog, and Sonic Heroes

And Eggman's final outfit was his Sonic 06 one!

Was Gerald's Nega-Robotnik from the Rush games? IDK I only played the second one

They finally gave him his theme song as his ringtone!

I was elbowing Mom and pointing out what was from which game I did this with Sonic 2 as well

Sonic 1 when we came home from the theater I sat her down in front of the TV and booted up SA1 and SA2 and showed her the bits that the movie had pulled from

The guy in the Prison Island control room reminded me of the computer nerd from White House Down but Mom and I can't confirm yet

But he did have Omega on his computer console X'D

Shadow escaping from Prison Island

SHADOW MEETING TEAM SONIC AND BASICALLY REINACTING THE OPENING TO SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG

SONIC 3 WITH A CHAO GARDEN SEGA COULD NEVER

Listen I LIVED in those gardens with SA1 and SA2 I was able to identify every single one of those Chao types XD

THEY HAVE CHEESE THE CHAO!

Me spending 90% of the movie pointing like Leo DiCaprio in that one movie like they did the thing! They said the line! and the rest just vibrating apart

I warned my uncle before going in, multiple times, that I would not be normal about this movie

I am not normal about this movie

And I keep joking with Mom that these movies were tailor-made for her XD

Reason being she liked movie 1 and ever since then they've been adding stuff she likes like Uptown Funk, Shemar Moore, Keanu Reeves, etc.

Now they added the Beach Boys X'D

Also Shadow joining Knuckles on the TV women deserve more respect couch

Seriously was that bit with Shadow and the telenovela a reference to Ghosts of the Future? Did they actually reference a fancomic???

Gerald Robotnik still being alive is interesting and framing it with him having one of Shadow's quills makes me wonder if that energy was what kept him alive

It would explain how Ivo Robotnik survived the end of Sonic 2

And with the fourth movie confirmed and Jim Carrey saying he loves the character, I'm left wondering if he's somehow going to come back again

Like realistically there should be no way but I said that about Sonic 2 as well

Also I love that he's retired but for playing Robotnik at this point X'D

That also makes me wonder if Sonic and company are rubbing off on Tom, Maddie and even Wade the same way

Like realistically Team Sonic was only gone for maybe two days? HOW did they get all that done in two days if they aren't operating at Sonic's speed honestly

Also SONIC HEROES REFERENCE

MULTIPLE Sonic Heroes references because when Tails carries the others it's how they do it in that game, Tails throws Sonic like he does in that game, Knuckles throws Tails like he does in that game, etc.

So I was wondering if they were going to bring in Silver so they could go into Sonic 06 but with introducing Metal Sonic and AMY ROSE they look like they're heading for a combo of Sonic CD and Sonic Heroes

More the latter because they've got like half the main cast of that game by now XD

Oh give me Team Chaotix

Also I'm glad they're evidently going with Amy's later characterizations of being a competent fighter instead of just running into danger because she's boy-crazy

Although when Knuckles was trying to talk Sonic down from using the Master Emerald in his enraged state (coupled with the Chaos energy Shadow could generate) I was wondering if that was leading into Chaos coming out of the Emerald and a SA1 adaptation

Also me telling Mom "he left it with Wade" for the movie to immediately hard-cut to Wade X'D

Knuckles series reference!

That show was good y'all just out here acting like it stole your firstborn you'd have never survived the 00s era

BLACK DOOM REFERENCE

I never finished Shadow the Hedgehog but him using a device that summons a black hole makes me think that was Black Doom tech

Shadow coming down in a meteor that looks like the big eye thing that follows you around if you take the evil route

And I find it interesting that they softened Maria's death from getting straight-up shot

I did not tell anyone in my family how she goes out until after the movie, btw

But arguably being that close to an explosion is worse and there's probably good reason she was in shadow in those scenes

GUN having to account for rings being able to take you anywhere you can visualize was a nice bit of worldbuilding

Didn't like the one lady tho

Don't know who the actress is but I don't think I'm fond of her either so that didn't help

I will say that I agree with Mom on the pacing of some of the jokes, I had that problem with the first two movies as well where a joke went for too long

But in listing the parts I would trim down (the two Robotniks dancing, the first telanovela scene, the bits in the gravity scene, etc.) it's all stuff that couldn't be thrown in because of all the work that had to go into it

Like Jim Carrey had to sit in a chair for hours with the Gerald makeup and then had to film it all twice

On that topic, the line with them hanging a lampshade on him playing two characters didn't need to be in there and made the scene run too long

Look, the biggest thing about comedy is that it has specific timing and if something runs too long or too short it throws the whole thing off

Although I kept expecting Stone to come up to Space Colony ARK with one of the Robotnik vehicles to save Robotnik

Eggman ends up broadcasting like he did before and it's to talk directly to Stone

And to be fair to Stone: after three movies of Robotnik saying he hates organics and only needs his machines, being upgraded to syco-friend is the best those two can do

Like dang Robotnik's out here like help me Max, I'm FEELING!

Robotnik's heart grew three sizes that day

They still managed to destroy the moon with the Eclipse Cannon XD

Shadow hurting so badly from what they did to Maria that he was willing to die firing said cannon and he was actively egging Sonic on and telling him to kill him...ouch

I do want to question them being able to have a whole chat on the moon considering there's no air and no atmosphere

Legit my first thought when they were doing that was Stitch and cousins from Lilo and Stitch: the Series because they didn't need suits either

And when I was picking it apart with Mom over breakfast this morning I eventually reasoned that the levels on Space Colony ARK towards the end of SA2 all do the same thing since if you miss a landing there you go, plummeting towards earth in a fireball

I love that of the three of them, Knuckles was the one who could handle the stress of reentry

My boi is as tough as he says

So is Tom apparently dude should not have survived that

Getting hit in the chest like that can stop your heart, as we found out with that football player a few years back--dude is very lucky his plot armor is thicker than the general's

I also like that Shadow, for all his planning to destroy the world and everything in it, looked like he felt genuinely bad for hurting Tom by mistake

And him and Sonic having that heart-to-heart

LIVE AND LEARN INTENSIFIES

Like they teased the song through the whole movie to have it BLARE OUT IN THE CLIMAX

Me trying to resist singing along in the theater X'D

Also petition to have the scene where Sonic and Shadow shake hands and clasp the others before going super be the new handshake meme

HAVING GUN ROBOTS COME OUT OF THE ARK

"Don't tell me you have your own catchphrase" X'D

Shadow with his motorcycle, casually doing a Ghost Rider straight up Tokyo Tower

Me elbowing Mom when Sonic follows: "I told you he could have run up the side of the Trans-American building in the first movie!"

Mom: "Oh yeah!"

They had the same posters in the background of the Tokyo shots as they did in the game YES

Also I noticed during one of the close-ups that Shadow's gloves have that same little smartphone-friendly patch that most modern gloves have??? In the seventies??? Dang Black Doom made sure he got the good gloves X'D

Like seriously I could pick apart this movie for YEARS it makes me so happy it was worth all the hype :D

I wasn't even expecting the first movie to be any good but three great movies and a TV show Sonic fans are eating good and apparently we're not done yet

I am SO ready \.o./

Anywho *goes back to running outside belting "Live and Learn" at the top of my lungs*

also good stuff for that one BH6 AU

[simstorian-blog]

Suite Life (Hotel & Resort Mod) by Lot51

Been playtesting the mod since about 2 days after its release (I am a Patron). It is the reason as to why I have quite a few hotel build WIPs in my build save. I held onto the Lot51 preview of the mod, on X, some months ago.

Anyhow, I'm thinking about converting the empty event space of my 'S Hotel @ Uptown' build to be functional with the mod. So...

L O T R E V I S I O N

I might share the converted space. However, if I don't and you would like to do it yourself, here is a suggested floorplan change.

Also, (1) close off the kitchen area and mark the door as 'Staff Room Entry', (2) Slap the bell at the front desk, located on the "ground" floor, (3) If you do convert one of the second floor bathrooms, keep it as gender neutral or split it into two, and (4) Use custom lot traits to make the hotel come alive (I tested it already).

[kof-fatalfury-daily]

"Stray Dog, Stray Wolf" novel - Chapter 2 (full text)

By Akihiko Ureshino (2008)

Chapter 2

2-1

Up to this moment, Billy Kane had experienced despair three times in his life.

Was despair the right word to use? Because the feeling was like an overwhelming anger that he could not vent.

Whatever the word was, he had experienced that feeling, that despair,only three times until now.

The first time was back when he couldn’t really tell right from wrong. When he was barely beginning to understand.

He became aware of an undeniable truth—that he had nothing—and was overcome by an irrational anger towards the unreasonableness of it all.

Billy and his younger sister Lilly didn’t have parents to provide for them, or the warmth of a home where they could grow up. Children of their age enjoyed those privileges, yet they did not.

Eventually, he realized that he and his sister lacked the money they needed to survive, or the strength to fend for themselves. They were at the mercy of a cold-hearted world.

Billy despaired at their circumstances, feeling a deep hatred towards everyone and everything, except him and his sister.

They had never done anything wrong. Why, why did they have to crawl at the bottom of society like some filthy stray dogs?

The deep-rooted anger boiling inside of him was just as intense as the profound love he professed toward the sister he had to protect.

2-2

Then came the second time he felt despair.

Billy had tenaciously worked his way up in that town, climbing to the top like one would do on a heap of garbage. He believed that what truly mattered in the world was strength. People had to become strong in order to survive. He had found one man who perfectly embodied his beliefs, and it was because of the death of that person that Billy despaired again.

Emperor Geese Howard.

The person who had recognized his talent, keeping him by his side as his own right-hand man.

Since the moment word of Geese’s demise reached him, up until hearing that Geese was miraculously alive, Billy had been imprisoned in a cage called despair.

Geese’s background wasn’t all that different from Billy’s—he was an evil genius who climbed to the top of the underworld, and he was a very important figure in Billy’s life.

But...

Geese had died twice.

And the second time it had been for real.

Emperor Geese Howard’s death was a hard fact that plunged Billy into a dark, cold sea of hopelessness, because he considered Geese his boss, and he admired him and turned to him for guidance.

That was the third time Billy felt despair.

2-3

The bandana that had been tied to the bō fluttered in the sea breeze blowing from South Town Bay. The pattern was a Union Jack, and it had been a present his sister gave to him long ago.

On the other side of the bay, there was a quiet residential neighborhood shrouded in mist. Its artificial, immaculate image didn’t match the city’s true colors.

In reality, South Town was a sordid, murky and dull place. It boasted some uptown rich neighborhoods similar to Beverly Hills, but slums could also be found here and there. Similarly to what Billy and his sister had gone through, young kids crawled in the abyss of despair.

This darker side of the city was the true face of South Town.

A large passenger plane took off from the nearby airport and flew low with a thunderous roar.

Still silent, Billy squinted and looked intently at the plane.

He sat on a rusted container for about an hour, lost in his own thoughts.

2-4

There were very few people on the wharf.

Maybe they knew that Billy was the one sitting on the container and decided to keep their distance. He might not have Geese’s support anymore, but Billy was still a man feared by many.

With the collar of his black jacket turned up, and his back hunched, Billy stared at the ashen sea. But his blue eyes were probably seeing nothing.

None of the things in front of his eyes were bringing him back to the present. Billy was just sitting there without a purpose, facing his despair.

Despair and powerlessness, and a quiet violent anger burned within his heart like a piece of hot charcoal. He sat there at the mercy of the salty sea breeze, unable to do anything else.

“...”

How long had it been since Geese’s death?

The city’s residents had completely forgotten the man who had ruled over the city—or, at least, so it seemed.

2-5

Some people wondered if Geese would come back from the dead like he had done before, and they held their breath, scared at that wild possibility.

However, Billy knew that there was zero chance of that happening, because Geese had taken his own life in front of his eyes.

Billy could not possibly understand the workings of Geese’s mind, but one thing he knew was that Geese had twice found himself suffering an unsightly defeat at the hands of the same opponent, and then had been shown mercy by said opponent.

It had been intolerable for him—more intolerable than death, perhaps.

Billy had gathered that much at least, despite not fully knowing the truth.

But none of this mattered now. It didn’t change the fact that Geese was dead.

And the day he died, time had stopped for Billy.

“S’pose it’s time to go.”

The wind caressing his cheeks was unpleasantly cold. Billy rose to his feet, nimbly leapt off the container, and went on his way.

2-6

Billy’s sister was worried sick about him.

He went out every day to wander aimlessly with no particular purpose, and didn’t come home until the sun had set.

Billy started to head home thinking about the beautiful woman Lilly had become.

When suddenly...

The sound of the exhaust of a vehicle grew closer, as if it had been tailing Billy.

A black Mercedes Maybach stopped near the containers. The car’s door opened quietly and a tall figure emerged.

“Billy Kane,” called a voice behind Billy, who was about to walk away.

“...”

The cogwheels of time that had stopped for Billy began to grate unpleasantly.

“You...”

Turning his head, Billy’s eyes burned with rage as he stared at the man standing by the lustrous black luxury car. His profound surprise was evident in the tense lines of his face.

The man wore an ascot tie around his neck, and he spoke with a deep voice:

“It’s been a while, Billy Kane.”

2-7

The man was dressed in an expensive suit tailored to his almost two meters of height, and walked casually toward Billy, who stood motionless.

“The Chinese have an old saying for this: ‘lost like a stray dog’. Hehe, it suits you very well. You lost your owner Geese, and now you’re roaming by the roadside without a purpose. How low you have fallen.”

“Shut your trap already. Why are you here, Laurence?”

Laurence Blood, the matador with a penchant for fresh blood, had once been praised as the Hero of Pamplona, but his brutal taste for blood later led him to be shunned by people.

He had been Billy’s colleague one time in the past, although not for long.

Laurence had been born to a noble Spanish lineage but behind the façade of his gentlemanly demeanor laid the true face of a coldhearted sadist, and Billy was aware of this.

Unbiased or unrelated parties might be of the opinion that Billy and Laurence were equals in terms of ruthlessness—and Billy had no intention of denying this—but even though their personalities shared many traits, for some reason, Billy and Laurence did not get along well.

2-8

“I feel sick just remembering you. What do you want?” Billy scowled at Laurence, spitting the words resentfully.

“You truly are a mad dog. That’s one thing that has not changed.”

“Bastard. You’ve got nothing better to do than coming to see me? Good, I’ll make you company.”

Billy wrapped the bandana around his wind-blown hair, and assumed a fighting stance holding his vermillion bō.

“If you die here, don’t complain from the afterlife, you hear me?”

“Hm, I wouldn’t mind fighting you, but that is not why I’m here.”

“What?”

While Billy frowned, trying to discern Laurence’s true intentions, the door of the Maybach opened again, and another tall figure stepped out of the car.

“I haven’t seen you in three years... Or is it four? I missed you, Billy Kane.”

 2-9

He was a distinguished man of approximately forty years of age, sporting a thick mustache. His bowtie matched his checkered vest, and his suit looked expensive even to inexpert eyes. His composed demeanor was reminiscent of old-fashioned European aristocrats.

But from up close, no one would take him as just an aristocrat. He was almost as tall as Laurence, and his robust muscular body could be perceived even through the clothes.

On his forehead, there was a distinct X-shaped scar.

Because of the scar and his pro-wrestler-like physique, it wasn’t easy for people to guess that he was a noble, regardless of whether he conducted himself with elegance or not.

Taking over from Laurence, the man stepped forward, and presented his white-gloved right hand to Billy.

“I was wondering if you would have gone back to England, yet you remain in this filthy town.”

“Krauser...! You survived!?���

Billy bit his lip so hard that it started to bleed, and a familiar metallic taste spread through his mouth.

_______________________________________________________

Chapters 1 to 10 are available on Patreon. There are still 17 chapters that need to be translated. Your support would be greatly appreciated :) Join us on Patreon!

https://www.patreon.com/AlessandroRossiGarou

Pic source: Street Fighter 6, ironically.

[d8nielaa]

Hiii ^^ ik it's probably getting old to get so many darry requests TvT but here we are

Could I just get something pre-musical with the gang (or just the Curtis brothers) in the car or something and reader's sitting in the front with dar, + since I'm a singer Darry x singer reader ADDICT, could they just be duetting the crap out of the radio?? Bonus points if it's an actual duet/love song or they're just eating down Uptown Girl specifically, and the gang is just sitting back there like "oh yeah, this is gonna be his wife"

Watch me get EXTREMELY specific, cue sparkles, there's a transition cut to like a year later post-musical or during, idrk, it's up to you, I'm indecisive and I gotta make up for giving you such a tailored request, where Darry's caught looking at/holding a ring.

Again tysm, I love love love to binge all your stuff <3 have a fantastic day and remember to drink water n all that jazz 🥰 no pressure! And again, I love your writing oh my stars

-S

Author's Note: HAIIII- it okay I absolutely LOVE writing for Darry! this is such a good request cause I love when people give me specifies \, it helps me tailor the fic more towards how the reader wants it. also tysm for your kind words, I always have doubts about my writing but everyone on here is very encouraging and I love you guys for that!

"That's Love".

Darrel Curtis x fem!reader

The radio crackled as the familiar opening chords of "Uptown Girl" came through the speakers, and before Darry even reached for the dial, your voice rang out in perfect harmony with the song.

"Oh no," Soda groaned from the backseat, already grinning. "Here we go."

"Uptown girl!" you belted, nudging Darry with your shoulder. He gave you that sideways smirk—the one that sent your stomach into a flurry—before effortlessly joining in.

"She's been living in her uptown world!"

Ponyboy rolled his eyes, but there was no hiding the small smile tugging at his lips. Steve just shook his head. "They could at least be bad at it. Y'know, give the rest of us a chance."

"I bet she's never had a backstreet guy—" Darry turned the steering wheel with one hand, drumming the other against it as he glanced at you.

"I bet her mama never told her why!" You pointed at him dramatically before letting the laughter slip between your lyrics. The two of you tore through the song, voices blending seamlessly, the kind of chemistry that made everything else in the world fade away.

Two-Bit leaned forward, elbowing Soda. "You see that? That's true love right there."

Soda snickered. "Yeah, she's got him wrapped around her finger, and he don’t even mind."

By the time the song reached its final note, you and Darry were breathless, stealing glances that spoke volumes. The car settled into a moment of silence, save for the hum of the engine and the occasional stifled chuckle from the backseat.

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

A year later.

The house was quieter than usual, the late afternoon sun slanting through the kitchen window. Darry stood by the counter, rolling something between his fingers. A ring.

Soda walked in, stopping mid-step. "Whoa."

Darry glanced up but didn’t tuck the ring away. He just turned it over in his palm, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Think she'd say yes?"

Soda let out a breath, shaking his head with a chuckle. "You kidding? She said yes the second you started singing Billy Joel in the car."

Darry huffed a laugh, rubbing a hand over his face before looking back at the ring. "Yeah," he murmured. "I think you're right."

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

The proposal happened on a quiet evening, nothing extravagant—because that wasn’t Darry’s style. Just the two of you on the porch swing, your hand in his as he thumbed over your knuckles, nervous in a way you’d never seen before.

"You know," he started, his voice steady but soft, "I’ve been thinking about this for a long time."

You tilted your head, curiosity sparking in your eyes. "Yeah?"

He took a breath, then reached into his pocket, pulling out the small velvet box. When he flipped it open, your breath caught.

"Marry me?" he asked, quiet but sure, the weight of the moment settling between you.

You didn’t hesitate. Didn’t even let him sweat for a second.

"Yes," you whispered, your smile breaking into a laugh as you threw your arms around his neck. "Yes, Darry, of course."

His arms came around you, holding you tight like he never planned to let go. And as you sat there, wrapped up in him, you swore you could hear the faint hum of "Uptown Girl" playing in the back of your mind—your song, his song, the song that started it all.

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

Author's Note: this is lowks buns but I hope you like it! also im going to an escape room for my bsfs birthday tmr and we are NOT escaping

[fell-contract]

fell-contract's 2024 Albums

#3: c,xoxo - Camila Cabello

Trust me, I've been trying to wrap my head around justifying this placement for months. As someone prone to chronic introspection, I spend a lot of time trying to figure out why certain albums resonate more with me vs. the perceived consensus. This year it was c,xoxo, an album from an artist I’ve generally found artistically whelming at best. So what is it that seemed to ensnare me here? While I’ve been tempted to dismiss it as blonde hyperfemme styling and some new collaborators makes gay brain go brr, it would be an unfortunate downplaying of how much the music here connected with me. Indulge me in the alternative that c,xoxo is a bit misunderstood.

c,xoxo is at its core a tribute to Miami, Florida and Cabello’s own coming of age within its culture. This would all make for a vaguely interesting yet vacuous concept if there wasn’t such an obvious understanding of atmosphere. The heat and haze of Miami is dripping off of this album: fights on Biscayne Boulevard blend into nights of feminine solidarity and taunting past flames, lonely walks from a remote motel to the beach a conduit for fantasies of reacquainted connection. More specifically, c,xoxo is about a woman lost in her own coming of age. The undercurrent of nihilism is probably the album’s biggest subtle strength: the last lyric of the standard album is ‘always been a problem’, a stark admission of unmoored insecurity. This degree of self admonishment was a surprise for me and ultimately what kept me turning this album over like a stone: what does it mean to admit you only exist in someone’s life as a source of pain? There’s refreshing levity to this narrative in the deluxe edition that dropped months later with new closer "Godspeed", where Cabello ejects herself from the cycle and chooses to walk away. As simple as it is, “I wish you well but far away from me” is a satisfying conclusion to the intentional loose ends of the standard edition. Additionally, it was the delayed release of the bonus tracks that converted me from tentative, somewhat ironic enjoyment to genuine appreciation.

What also captivated me about c,xoxo was the intentionally nebulous approach to songwriting. The songs here are built as sketches, broad strokes of color that evoke the scenery of Miami and establish a fully formed persona within it that Cabello had yet to realize in past works. While the lyricism is hardly moving the needle on confessional songwriting it’s still noticeably sharper. From my knowledge of her career, Camila has largely played it straight as a singer-songwriter approach, sacrificing singularity for safety. Here there seems to be a purposeful loss of clarity. Cabello described this as an album about questions without answers and I think that’s what has compelled me to spend as much time with it as I have. At 31 years old I don’t feel like I had any more answers than I did at 21, it’s just that I’m comfortable now not knowing.

This is complemented by some of the best productions of the year. El Guincho is in top form across the album, painting vivid soundscapes where these lyrical abstractions can flourish. The most obvious example here is "Dade County Dreaming" with that demented synth like a hydra emerging to flatten Florida before a ridiculously hooky verse from JT set to piano (!!), but that’s not to discount the propulsive synth work on "Hot Uptown", the hypnotic vocal distortion of He Knows and of course the inspired Pitbull sample on "B.O.A.T." My personal favorite is "baby pink", a shimmering missile of fragmented memory and lost connection that unravels with possibility like an open highway.

Credit where it’s due to Cabello’s own commitment to the vocals across the album. It’s the biggest difference maker on "Come Show Me", a fairly standard bouncy bop that comes alive in its second half with the barely contained glee of her squealing out lines about belly chains, sake and Anna Wintour. Whether it’s the breathless yelp on the chorus of "B.O.A.T.", the feminine exuberance of "DREAM-GIRLS", the wistful sigh of "can friends kiss?" or the delicacy of "Twentysomethings", she’s singing these songs like it’s the album she’s always wanted to make. 

The album’s faults largely lie not in the artist’s performance but rather with how this album was presented. The material is done a disservice by the label mandated table setting of the features: the ones that work are tucked into album tracks, while the center of the album as it was presented were endorsements from Koshi and a disgraced Drake. They’re superfluous on the best day and actively detrimental on a bad one. The intentions here are made even more confusing by Cabello’s own impression of how the album would be released: "baby pink" is the only song to explicitly reference the album title and seemingly was intended for the standard, while "Godspeed" was referenced as ‘the first song where I thought oh we’re making an album.’ I’ve admittedly not played the standard album as it was released since first listen, but this speaks more to the frustrating lack of faith the label seemed to have with this sort of artistic pivot. There’s enough of a case made for Cabello’s reinvention by the rest of the songs, so it’s an unfortunate if understandable sticking point that the album was dismissed at large for these decisions. Still, look past the window dressing and you might find the album I did, one that finally makes a compelling case for Camila Cabello as an artist in the current pop landscape.

As for my own relationship with the album, I’ll concede that it’s been a matter of right time, right place: I was in Florida when the album dropped and it was like this feverish collage of my immediate reality: memories of being stoned in the passenger seat with the sunroof down set to that dental drill hook on "I Luv It", late night ruminations to "B.O.A.T." as I reconciled my frayed relationship with my parents, early morning gym sessions with "Dade County Dreaming" flooding my headphones, or an overcast morning driving back to reality with "June Gloom" playing as we left the coast. These are crystallized as some of my favorite moments of the year, and I can’t divorce that enough to look at this with full objectivity. Stubborn as I am, I can’t imagine I’d admit it even if I was capable. So instead, here’s an overlong write-up for an album that means a lot to me. Sometimes that’s all we can do.

For what it's worth, here's how I listen to the album.

[wehavecometoanend--maybe]

I've been tagged by the dearest @transjjester 💕 so here are ten songs from my shuffled on repeat

1. Ten Duel Commandments - Hamilton

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine - I hope these aren't all gonna be from Hamilton...

2. Wait for me (Reprise) - Hadestown

Show the way the world could be *cries*

3. The Election of 1800 - Hamilton

honestly I get why burr shot hamilton

4. Waving through the window - Dear Evan Hansen

tap tap tapping on the glass, can I stop having this stuck in my head

5. Guns and Ships - Hamilton

Daveed Diggs won his Tony for a reason he carries the whole show let's be real

6. Take a Break - Hamilton

best part of the song is philip. also, imagine if hamilton just took that break. man should have listened to his wife....

7. Chant II (live) - Hadestown (original cast)

I love it so much, I think it has been on my on repeat for months. Persephone's part is so so so so so good, especially the flow of: "Love is when he came to me begging on his bended knees to please have pity on his heart and let him lay me in the dirt" I'm so sad it was cut later on, even if Chant (Reprise) is also great.

8. That would be Enough - Hamilton

I'm so jealous of Phillipa Soo's voice (and I would be so embarrassed of having to sing with her if I was LMM). But also I feel like this song is often overlooked, it's so quiet and soft compared to the songs surrounding it and at first glance maybe not that important but oh oh oh

"We don't need a legacy.... Oh let me be a part of the narrative..." I love foreshadowing <3

Also the piano theme at the end... returning as main theme in 'its quiet uptown" ..... Listen Hamilton is not without flaws but it's good musically and I hate it.

9. What the Heck I Gotta Do - 21 Chump Street

Its fun, what can I say. I like Anthony Ramos voice, I promise I'm not a LMM stan.

10. The Challenge - Epic

Queen of Ithaca, queen of my heart 🏹 ❤️

tagging: @chthonickore @ociels @deluxinn @girlgregorsamsa @burningdragoncollector @nullians @sowlmates everyone who would like to do it! love finding new music <33

[bbloveseevees]

I did a BIG thing.

I PRESENT…

BB’s Song Writing Challenge!

It’s basically: people give you a letter, and you try to write a fanfic based off of a song’s meaning and stuff. This is my first ever writing prompt challenge please don’t rip me to shreds :(

(This can apply to any fandom you feel like writing for)

(The Alt options are if you don’t feel like doing the first option :3)

You can reblog this if you wanna do it I guess :3

A: Alien Blues (Alt: Animal) (the living tombstone version, not DECO*27)

B: Bang! (Alt: Boys Will Be Bugs)

C: Candle Queen (Alt: Conversations With Strangers)

D: Don’t Be a Fool (Alt: Day Job) (it’s by Emerson Brophy btw)

E: Eighth Wonder (Alt: Everything Stays)

F: Full Disclosure (Alt: Find The Keys)

G: Ghosts Play to The Audience (Alt: God-Ish)

H: Harpy Hare (Alt: Help Me) (The OR3O song)

I: I’m Just Your Problem (Alt: Inertia) (AJR WOOO!)

J: Join The Party (Alt: Just Another Night in New York) (Yes, it’s an I Heart Arlo song, ITS GOOD ‘N ANGSTY THO)

K: Karma (Alt: kyu-kurarin) (AJR’s Karma is recommended, but you can use OR3O’s :3)

L: Language of the Lost (Alt: Lemon Boy)

M: Magical Girl and Chocolate (Alt: Matryoshka) (USE AN ENGLISH COVER IF YOU CAN’T WRITE BASED OFF OF THE JAPANESE LYRICS)

N: New Invention (Alt: Night Dancer)

O: Our Word (Alt: Open Up Your Eyes) (Go ahead… call me a brony…)

P: Paparazzi Murder Party (Alt: phony)

Q: queen of broken hearts (Alt: SPIN A WHEEL!) (aka: I only have queen of broken hearts)

R: Rabbit Hole (Alt: (Rotten) Apple Dot Com)

S: Scrawny (Alt: SIU)

T: Tangerine (Alt: This Comes From Inside)

U: Uptown Funk (Alt: (Un)Natural Selection)

V: Vending Machine of Love (Alt: Victorious)

W: Writing on the Wall (Alt: What’s Inside) (Is it the Will or Lia version? That’s your choice) (also: What’s Inside by PinocchioP)

X: uhhhhm, you pick???

Y: You’ll Be Gone (Alt: Your Reality)

Z: Zero (Alt: uhhhhhh any of your favorite Vocaloid songs) (Btw: it’s the PinocchioP song, but use the SMG4 one if you want idgaf)

[sarcastichalstead]

The Chicago Files

A Jay Halstead Storyline

Gif credit by @xofeno​

Chapter 2

It was a sleepless night but nonetheless, you came in early greeting Trudy and heading upstairs. As you headed upstairs, you noticed the mess in Ruzek's office. You made a small groan, cursing Ruzek and his mess. You fixed up the table, cleaning up the crumbs.

"So it's you!" Jay surprised you, coming up the stairs, shrugging off his jacket. You questioned his comment, making him continue. "Ruzek is not a clean his area kind of guy but his desk is always clean,"

"Yeah no, Ruzek rarely leaves his desk clean," You laughed, remembering one-time Ruzek was so caught up on going home, he left his laptop open and forgot to sign it out again and it went missing for 3 days. You pointed to the lounge, glimpsing at Jay. "Want some coffee?" He nodded, heading there following right behind you.

When you got to the kitchen, you saw him looking at his phone before shoving it down back in his pocket, walking over to you. You turned on the coffee machine, leaning against the counter.

"What's wrong Hals? You have your mopey face," The nickname caused a smile to form on his lips.

"I have a mopey face?" He questioned. You grabbed a mug, pouring the hot coffee inside.

"Yep, you also have another face I call the Halstead look that you and your brother are famous for but that's for another time," You put sugar on the cup before handing it to him. "3 spoons of sugar, just how you like it," 

You served yourself coffee, sitting down at the table. "So are you gonna tell me what's wrong?" 

He sighed, rubbing his face. "Hailey is doing something dumb and possibly dangerous." Sipping your coffee, you thought what you could tell him to ease his tension.

"She's doing what Hailey does best," You admired Hailey, her determination and her fearlessness you envied. She didn't do what wasn't needed. But it was like Jay to worry, that man has his heart in his sleeve, even if he says differently. That's was one of the things you loved about him.

"I know you care about her, but she's gonna do it whether you like it or not, so just be there for her for when she does need you," He nodded, agreeing with you but still having doubts. "Don't let your feelings for her cloud your judgment. Hailey is one hell of a cop." Jay's eyes met yours, leaving both of you still.

The fax machine hummed to life, startling both of you. You got to the machine, reading the memo. "It's intel on the van," Jay had his hand hovering over your lower back "It got its picture taken, passing a red light a half-mile away from the first kidnapping and a witness spotted a white van an hour before the 2nd body was found,"

Hank came in, spotting both of you in the corner, reading the paper. "What do we got?" Jay moved back, letting you tell Voight.

"A lead with the van, it was reported stolen on Monday afternoon by a Freddy Brooks." You told him.

Hank looked at Jay, "call Uptown to meet you at Brooks's house," He walked toward his office.

"She had some family problems she can't make it," Hank remained silent, making eye contact with Jay, almost having a silent conversation.

"Go with Y/n," Both muttered the words 'what'. "its only a conversation and I need Halstead to have some sort of back up and this could be practice for you," He told you. Which didn't ease your nerves.

When Jay parked the car in front of Brooks's house, you tried to calm yourself as he stared at you. You were great on the sidelines but never on the outside. Jay knew this was new for you, and he tried his best not to overwhelm you.  "Just stay in the car I got this, if you're not ready," You shook your head, forcing yourself to push your nerves to the side.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Both of you walked to the house, ringing the doorbell waiting for a response. After 2 minutes with no answer, Jay knocked. Jay was about to pull out his gun when Brooks opened the door.

"I'm sorry about that I was in the backyard," He greeted us, wiping his hands with a dishcloth. "I'm assuming you're here for my stolen van?" Jay nodded, following him inside. He threw the cloth in the kitchen before heading into the living room, showing you two a couch.

"Were sorry to bother you, we just wanted to ask you a few questions," Jay took out his notepad. Brooks agreed sitting in front of us. "so go back to when you saw it last?"

"Uhm let's see I came home from work late at night and I parked the van in the corner of my house and walked to my house and went to sleep and when I got up from work it was gone," Jay wrote down on his pad before asking him if he noticed anyone doing anything suspicious around him. 

"Not that I could think of, my neighborhood is pretty quiet," You got up, looking at his place seeing no personal memorabilia.

You would glimpse at Brooks, catching him staring at you. You walked to his dining table, seeing a full medication bottle sitting they're before looking back to Brooks.

"one more question, where were you yesterday afternoon," You asked him. He lifted his sleeves, resting them on the armchair. You noticed the small diamond-shaped tattoo sitting a few inches above his wrist. The tattoo caught your interest since mostly teenage girl decides to get one of those kinds of tattoos.

"Uhm lunch with a few coworkers," He looked around, fidgeting in his chair. "I have to get to work are we done here?"

"sure, I just need you to write down the name of the restaurant and coworker so we can confirm," Jay passed him the notepad with the pen. 

After he wrote the names, we left heading back to the car.

You felt staring, making you turn around. It took you a second to recognize him but you saw J.T standing in the corner, watching you both.

"Jay," You called him, grabbing his attention. You pointed the boy out to him. He took a step forward, making the boy take a few steps back. "Just go in the car I got this," When you walked forward and saw that the little boy didn't walk away, you got closer.

"J.T right?" He slowly nodded his head. Once you got close enough you greeted yourself. "I'm y/n," You squatted, hopefully, able to gain trust. 

"What are you doing out here?" He stayed quiet, staring at you.

"How about we go to the station and wait for your dad to pick you up huh?" You noticed the small tremble, he was terrified. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I work with the police were the good guys," He slowly walked to you stretching his arm out. "How about we go get ice cream?" He nodded, finally a small smile appearing in his face.

[nogu-d-reamers]

WELCOME TO PLAYTOWN/POPPY PLAYTOWN- CHARACTER REFERENCE #3.

NFORMATION AND DATA.

Name: Bobby Bearhug Jr.

Age: 22

Height: 300 mts/9'8 fts.

Species: Smiling critter creature. Bear (spectacled bear).

Occupation: nurse.

Genre: female (she, they).

Sexuality: pan.

Magical usser type: Shaman.

Birth place: Old uptown (Main city).

Birth day: February 14th.

Personality:

Bobby is the type of person who "falls in love" at first sight with how warm she is; She is cheerful, proactive and a little trusting with the people she meets and is very detailed with those she sees as important and although she is not extremely good at reading people enough to know when someone is wrong and needs to get rid of it; but she's not very good at keeping secrets, which frustrates her with the words "can you keep this a secret?".which means that when she finds out something that is a secret or surprise because she is a shaman, the situation arises that she desperately flees until the situation explodes. In these moments when he explodes, what he says is incomprehensible (she will speak in Spanish)

She is someone who is overly emotional; so much so that sometimes it takes them to the limit, which makes her someone extremely emotional; which the critter crew invented "Bobby's limit" to give news and see how much she could stand while they were photographing her and not cause her discomfort.

however when she is on her shift, the nurse bearhug; specialized in dealing with cursed people, she does not tremble even her pulse, her hand or her nerves to say or do things in order to see an improvement in the most undisciplined patients (so much so that even someone like Catnap fears and respects her in equal measure).

about her work and daily life.

Bobby works full time at the "cutter buttons", a hospital near the old uptown sector of Main City (being the oldest sector of the city and at the time it was an important immigrant sector), where due to his feared character and fame out of fear for the cursed ones, it is common for many of her coworkers not to talk much with her even though she tries to be friendly.

Her only close friend in the workplace is Doctor Daddy Longarms, or as she affectionately calls him "pops"; where they generally work side by side since they started work on the first day, and they are usually assigned together due to their synergy when working; to the point that it is common to see Pops also being a close friend of the critters crew and that there are rumors in the hospital that they are dating.

It is common when she is not on duty to see her near Hoppy having dates or studying at the municipal library.

A recurring joke is that at any moment before something happens she makes a "GASP" without knowing if he should tell the news or not.

"Magic" data (and other skills):

As mentioned above, all of its capabilities are based on medicine; what you can use like=

treatment of a certain degree of wounds.

training in emergency cases.

management to a certain degree of surgical devices.

be Catnap's "family doctor"; And although she is a nurse, it must be understood that she has enough physical strength to stop him on her own.

Speaking of her abilities as a Shaman, she can use her magic in 3 different ways =

-oracle card: if Bobby places one of his cards on his forehead; Her divination abilities advance by a maximum of 12 hours and the accuracy of what he sees is 99%.

-shaman card (combat): if Bobby places one of his cards in the area of his ribcage, his brute strength increases abruptly and his physical resistance and reflexes become even higher; In crisis situations his prediction ability is shortened to a maximum of 20 minutes but his accuracy is maintained.

-healer's card: if Bobby places one of his cards in his abdominal area, he loses the ability to divine instead of accelerating the healing and scarring of wounds.

Side note: the use of cards is not necessary; but not using them can wear it out more quickly.

other random data:

favorite food: arepas with salmon paté and hot chocolate with cheese «strange combinations, but tastes inherited from my mom».

Favorite dessert: honey and apple pie «Bless Picky for that family pie! but now I have to stay on a diet if I want to eat them often…».

hated food: liquors «HOW IS SOMETHING THAT TASTES SO HORRIBLE SO POPULAR AND ADDICTIVE?!I'm tired of seeing people injured or killed by too much liquor!».

smell: roses.

strength: empaty,moral support, confidence.

weakness: obstinacy, too much emotional.

favorite physical appearance: smile with fangs «Sometimes a nice smile can brighten someone's day. A pair of fangs, far from being scary, show that they can be more adorable~».

hated physical appearance:grumpy face «I really hate how scary I can look when I get angry, do you know how hard it is to keep calm features when you get angry just so you don't scare?».

person you respect most: Daddy Longarms «Only I know this longman's history; and with all the bad things that happened it is still a LONG cinnamon-roll!!!»

person you don’t want as an enemy: Bubba «Bubba is a monster if his tax date is close... I have reported about 7 cases of acute "I-won't-face-the-pachyderm-in-fiscal-season."».

hobby: dance salsa, Wrestling and read the horoscope.

Some crush?: … «I've been dating Hoppy for about 4 years, 6 moths and 15 days… and if at the end of this year she doesn't dare to ask me to marry her, I swear I'll do it myself!!».

[hit-song-showdown]

Year-End Poll #66: 2015

[Image description: a collage of photos of the 10 musicians and musical groups featured in this poll. In order from left to right, top to bottom: Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Wiz Khalifa, Fetty Wap, Maroon 5, Walk the Moon, Taylor Swift, Silentó, The Weeknd. End description]

More information about this blog here

I thought I would be able to go two polls without a song being sued by Marvin Gaye's estate over plagiarism accusations. Anyway, the sound of the 2010's is splintering in an odd way. Like the previous poll, we're seeing more songs with retro influences such as Uptown Funk and Shut Up and Dance. But as for the sound of the 2010's itself, we're starting to see more trap in the mainstream, both in terms of artists and production styles. And with See You Again, the wordless chorus (millennial whoop) is cementing itself as a major staple of the decade. But just below the top ten, we're also seeing the rise of another genre in the mainstream: tropical house. But we won't cover that until later.

We are now deep into the streaming era by this point, but not without its controversies. While some artists like Taylor Swift were fighting against streaming services, others tried to take this direction into their own hands. But again, we'll cover that in a later poll.

[vital-information]

It’s past time for Uptown Girls, almost universally panned when it first hit theaters 20 years ago, to be widely reconsidered and celebrated as a Y2K New York City fairy tale. Sure, the plot is far-fetched, and the ending in particular is wrapped up in a nice, convenient little bow, but Uptown Girls is a unique story about what young women can learn from each other.

Uptown Girls goes to darker emotional places than most other light hearted “chick flicks” of the early 2000s, and features career-best performances from Brittany Murphy and Dakota Fanning, as well as cameos from aughts superstars Mark McGrath and Nas. Uptown Girls was shot by legendary New York City cinematographer Michael Ballhaus, who has also photographed the city for heavyweights like Martin Scorsese and Mike Nichols. In his 3-star 2003 review, Roger Ebert defended the film against its haters, dismissing “all cavils about the movie’s logic and plausibility as beside the point,” asserting that “this is not a movie about plot but about personalities.” Ebert was able to see and hear Molly and Ray as vastly different, but equally emotionally complex characters, in a way that his peers were blind to at the time.

…

Molly’s unflagging brightness and Ray’s grim cynicism are both completely earnest reactions to having been pushed into a position where they must parent themselves throughout childhood, and into young adulthood, in Molly’s case. Molly has chosen to never grow up, postponing adulthood for as long as possible, whereas Ray grew up too fast. What makes Uptown Girls so compelling is watching Molly parent her own inner child through parenting Ray, which comes to a head in the infamous Coney Island spinning teacups scene.

…

While not the only contemporary critic to be positive on the film, Ebert was able to see beyond the glitzy surface, bravely standing apart in his refusal to rely on gender bias to express disapproval of a film. Maybe the most significant thing Ebert praised about Uptown Girls was its performances; specifically, he compared Murphy’s comedic talents to those of Lucille Ball. “Molly Gunn is a comic original, vulnerable and helpless, well-meaning and inept, innocent and guileless…Murphy’s performance has a kind of ineffable mischievous innocence about it.”

Indeed, one could imagine a scene in I Love Lucy where Lucy attempts to get a job at a luxury bedding store, and consequently falls asleep on one of the beds, as Molly does in Uptown Girls. Murphy’s face is pure Ball as she realizes (too late) that she’s about to get smacked in the face with a swinging door, in a moment where she needed to look particularly dignified. Thankfully, Ebert was able to recognize that an actress’ performance should not be judged solely on “likability,” but on its more palpable merits, such as comedic timing and vulnerability. Ebert was also more favorable than most critics toward Fanning’s performance. He wrote that “Ray does seem prematurely old…in the case of Dakota Fanning, I think we are looking at good acting.”

...

Uptown Girls might still not be taken seriously today by the larger community of serious film critics and historians, but the film has found its audience of lonely young women trying to find their place in the world. If you search “Uptown Girls” on social media, you’ll find a sea of girls posting about their emotional connection to the film, and of course, their love of Murphy’s performance. Some of this could very well be written off as 2000s nostalgia, but a lot of love for Uptown Girls comes from a place of deep sadness, both for the girls that we once were and the girls we could have been.

— Katarina Docalovich, “Uptown Girls Reminds Us to Connect with Our Inner Child, 20 Years”