#an outlaw without his fuzzy best friend

[dg-outlaw]

Trying to get back in the groove

This is an update for those who are following my JaySteph fic series, 'A Few Sparks Before The Fire' over on Ao3.

So... I've gone back and forth on how to do this post. Lots of detail. Be vague. Post nothing. But I figured an update was needed as I haven't posted a new chapter in a few weeks.

Shortly after posting Chapter 20 of 'Getting Lost in the Flames' I had to say 'goodbye' to my beautiful and amazing canine fur baby. She was old and lived a long, happy, and spoiled life, but even with some health issues the last few years and being on borrowed time because of those health issues I always thought THAT day was still in the future.

And then that day came.

She definitely defied the odds, but in the end she was ready to go. I find peace in the fact that I got be with her, say goodbye, and see to it that she had a painless final sleep before moving on to her next adventure among the stars. I also knew that day would be one of my hardest days... and it was.

Needless to say, I haven't been writing since then. There was mourning, rest, trying to find the "new normal" (still sorting that out), and lately I've been in that manic 'what do I do with myself?' phase after losing my routine of consistent writing. I'm doing okay now and I think I'm ready to get back to it, but after losing my fuzzy little girl and my consistency it's been tough.

Anyway, I wanted to give an update and let people know that I haven't quit. I've just needed time and might need some good vibes from anyone willing to put them out there so I can get back in the saddle and keep going.

[brujahinaskirt]

WAIT A SEC. I want to cut some credit to player drunkenness in rdr2 and how it works as a vehicle to reveal something about the main character of this story.

Usually drunkenness in games is played off for cheap laughs, and there are plenty of slapsticky drunken antics in rdr2 (LENNAY). But happy-drunk Arthur gives SO MUCH INSIGHT into his real personality, too -- even when he's being a giggling, property-damaging, cancan-dancing terror. When he's drunk, he forgets a little of his mean bastard enforcer mask, the primary role he must play in the gang, and his loving nature becomes laughably obvious.

[spoilers under the cut]

From his sudden determination to teach Jack mathematics to his declared affection for Hosea; from his worrying about Susan getting a break to his insistence that newer gang members are "one of us now"; from his innocuous little compliments tossed around thoughtlessly ("Mary-Beth! Sweetest outlaw in the West! Javier! Best-dressed outlaw in the West!") to his more genuine praise for Abigail's inherent goodness, drunk Arthur is a fuzzy but honest look at a truer Arthur, one who is not thinking about the part he must play in a criminal outfit. Strip that awareness of his station away, even if just for a while, and we wind up with an Arthur who is surprisingly fun-loving, sometimes downright silly, and who lives to fuss over and dote on the people around him.

My favorite moment, perhaps, is a tipsy interaction with Sadie in Horseshoe Overlook during Sean's welcome home party. Arthur meanders over to her, this woman who is not a gang member or a close friend at the time, but simply a grieving widow he doesn't know very well. And he and asks, loudly: "MISSUS ADLER. DO YOU NEED ANYTHING MISSUS ADLER. DO YOU WANNA DANCE WITH ME MISSUS ADLER."

And she just sounds so tickled when she says no thanks to this goofy-drunk gunslinger. And I think maybe, just maybe, watching big bad gang lieutenant Arthur slamming a couple bottles of whiskey and so transparently doting on everyone gave her some of the first laughter at the world she had in what must feel like a very long time.

In Chapter 6, Arthur can again approach Sadie while drunk, and he encourage her to smile. Sadie hisses you're drunk; no woman likes being told this, and on the surface, this seems like a proper Antagonize line. But then Arthur -- who knows he is dying -- says, blearily, to this friend he met at her lowest point of grief and who seems to be in danger of plunging even lower in rage, "I just want you to be happy."

Drunkenness is not a liquid clarifier. Often times, alcohol garbles and distorts a person's personality. But with a character like Arthur, whose heart is so poorly matched with his 20-year lot in life, drunk-writing becomes a powerful tool. It's a quick, non-transformative way to believably peel off the snarl he wears around for a while (without him knowing it), letting players access an easy, silly, soft interior that sober Arthur is much more guarded about showing the gang.

[dreaminpetals]

Oog the Andrew appreciation is making me feel fuzzy and warmmmmm! Could we get some skin specific headcannons for Andrew? Like how his train conductor or "cheese" skins would act?

🧀 skin specific hcs for andrew . . . 🚂

desolate sand ;;

♡ sandrew (hehe) is a lot braver and stronger than his other skins but also more exhausted and gloomy.

♡ a person with albinism being stuck under the relentless sun of the south is a recipe for disaster.

♡ he's seen outlaws do awful, awful things to people which has left him with a grim outlook on life.

♡ though he'll do all he can to protect innocents, especially women and children. he views it as his duty on this earth.

♡ speaks with a southern drawl.

♡ views his horse as his best friend and companion for life.

♡ while people turn their heads and refuse to serve him at some bars, his horse, named after his late mother, has always been there for him.

♡ despite how rough around the edges and unfriendly this andrew is, he's an angel towards his horse and spoils her rotten.

♡ if he had an s/o he wouldn't want them to be a shooter or freelancer like him, he'd prefer a friendly face he could come home to.

♡ andrew has dreamed of a domestic life for far too long but being viewed as a devil means he has to hunt for resources and live in tents all on his own, never staying in one town for too long because he gets chased out with torches and pitchforks. he doesn't have a home as much as he desperately craves one.

♡ a romance between you and him would be slow and sweet, you'd potentially go months without seeing each other but every time you reunited he could relax and get a taste of paradise.

♡ i feel like you would be a hotel owner that was willing to serve him so he associates you with warmth and safety, during nights when he had nothing to do but hitch his horse and stare at the stars he'd think of you and how much he wants you to be more than a stranger.

♡ overall he's a wanderer with a good heart that's been stomped on and lassoed far too many times, give him some rum, apple pie, and a bath full of delicate kisses and touches please his weary soul deserves it.

train conductor ;;

♡ traindrew fares surprisingly well in the bitter cold that his train conducting job entails, he's built up a tolerance since he's been freezing since birth.

♡ a feeling he experiences often is that realization that all of his passengers are unique people with their own places to go, he feels proud that he's helped so many people and hopes they can remember him in a positive light.

♡ he's treated surprisingly well by his passengers, weary travellers view him as a demon who's redeeming himself by reuniting people with their families and homes.

♡ of course 'surprisingly well' for andrew still has to include being dehumanized for his condition, poor guy.

♡ still, he loves his job. a speeding train is much more comfortable than a drab cemetery where evil men are laid to rest, the cheers and laughs he hears from nearby compartments remind him he's doing a good job.

♡ loves hot beverages like tea and hot cocoa, he almost always has a mug in his hands.

♡ when he sleeps he kicks his feet up on a table and tucks his hat over his eyes it's so cute.

♡ he's bitter and deals with jealousy quite a bit, he envies how easy other people live and prefers to be alone or with animals.

♡ even when the train is empty andrew still watches over it, cleaning it and making sure nobody breaks in.

♡ so if he had an s/o they would have met on the train.

♡ you were a rising singer who frequently travelled his train when touring, at first he expected you to be a sheltered snob who'd ask for a different helper but you were one of the nicest people he had ever met.

♡ during the evening you order two cups of coffee, one for you and one for andrew so he could take a break in your first class booth.

♡ andrew had a sneaking suspicion you were only being this nice so your future train tickets would be cheaper.

♡ oh yeah, andrew can be pretty pessimistic and judgemental. when people are nice to him he always has a lingering fear they're trying to gain his trust only to stab him in the back.

♡ he wholeheartedly believed that you weren't to be trusted until he overheard you practicing for your new single.

♡ it was about falling in love with a gentle train conductor who had piercing red eyes and alluring white hair, ghostly pale skin cold to the touch that still managed you warm you up when your fingers accidentally brushed together.

♡ he's used to being a stoic professional so when he realized he was catching feelings he nearly fell overboard.

♡ andrew is so hardworking and curious about the world outside his train and he was so overjoyed to entertain the idea of a singer who travelled the world possibly.... showing him everything he was missing... djfndks he couldn't handle it!!!

cheese ;;

♡ while the other andrews are more closed off and sort of bitter with how the world treats them, cheesedrew wears his heart on his sleeve and never loses hope for other human beings. he thinks there's good in everybody !!

♡ instead of digging graves he grew up scooping ice cream, he's lived a happy life and no one can tell me otherwise 🥺

♡ still anxious and insecure though... he naturally struggles with anxiety and fitting in with others, the cruelty he faces for his condition doesn't make life any easier for him. but he is a ray of sunshine once you show that you're harmless, i promise.

♡ he gives people everything even if they don't care about him at all.

♡ still, no matter how many times he's kicked down, he gets back up and he's ready to prove everyone wrong, people can be good no matter what happens to them.

♡ cries super easily, this includes tears of joy (which happen any time someone is affectionate towards him)

♡ obviously he has a sweet tooth, he shivers so much and appears to always be hungry.

♡ give this boy a home cooked meal, he hasn't had meat or vegetables in so long.

♡ his poor diet combined with albinism leads to fits of dizziness and even fainting, if you let him lean on you he'll never forget it!!!

♡ this andrew is like a puppy, if someone is nice to him then he takes their words at face value and trusts them with his life.

♡ don't be surprised if he follows you around or stares at your hands thinking about how soft they'd feel in his larger ones, anyone can tell what he's thinking by looking at his facial expressions.

♡ he's the sweetest lover djfjsks

♡ compares you to honey, candy, sugar, everything sweet in the world, he can't get enough of you.

♡ let him show you how to bake!!!! please!!! he loves teaching people things and doing things that will make people remember him in a positive light, wanting a warm place in someone's memories is a universal andrew experience.

♡ he tries to hide his giggles because he doesn't like how they sound but they're so contagious.

♡ once you reassure andrew he doesn't have to hide himself around you and you love all his quirks he'll melt into batter when he's around you.

[destieltropecollection]

Destiel Trope Collection 2020 Day 10: Enemies to Lovers

It's a Match! | @suckerfordeansfreckles

Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 2015 Main Tags/Warnings: pining, online dating, getting together Summary: Dean has seen the guy a handful of times, mostly at Charlie’s parties or when out and about with her — it’s only been six times that Dean is aware of, actually. Not that he counted. Well. He did, maybe, count a little. But that’s only because the guy is seriously gorgeous, and also seems to seriously hate Dean. Like, frowns and dark stares and leaving the room when Dean enters it. And that is most definitely the only reason why Dean keeps track of their meetings. It has nothing to do with the fact that, for whatever stupid reason, Dean feels all fuzzy and happy and warm around this stupid, scruffy, handsome, dark-haired and blue-eyed Cas-guy. Something about him just… does things to Dean’s head.

In The Ballroom | @gii-heylittleangel

Rating: General Word Count: 2594 Main Tags/Warnings: lovers to enemies to lovers, broken relationship, getting back together, false mentions of cheating Summary: The high school dance was useless in Castiel's opinion; there was nothing to do, people were incredibly annoying, and he would be alone. But, having Charlie Bradbury as his best friend, he had no choice but to go; after all, there was a tiny chance he would get tacos after the party. Castiel did not get tacos but he got something a lot better.

Ring a Bell for the Righteous Man | @pray4jensen

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 3003 Main Tags/Warnings: Enemies to Lovers, Royalty/Fantasy AU, Soul Bond, Marriage, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dubious Consent Summary: An hour passes and the prince doesn't bed him. Dean thinks that maybe the prince doesn't have any intention of doing it at all, and if that's the case, it'll be Dean who'll face the consequences. So, thumbing a finger down the length of Cas' wings, Dean taunts, ""I thought you promised Lord Alastair that I wouldn't be able to walk, your highness."" Dean pauses. ""Are you doubting yourself, my lord?""

Addicted | @verobatto-angelxhunter

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 3671 Main Tags/Warnings: Season 4/5 canon divergent, Destiel, slow burn, Badass! Castiel, first kiss, first time, explicit sexual content, canon typical violence. Summary: Dean can't get Castiel out of his mind. Everytime the angel is in front of him, is hypnotizing. He needs to know what is going on with him. Why Castiel is so irresistible? And why he feels that empty everytime the angel isn't near him.

the light of falling stars | @procasdeanating

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 4980 Main Tags/Warnings: Alien!Cas, wing fic, inspired by a movie (enemy mine) Summary: … when Lieutenant Dean Winchester and the two ships under his command engaged in combat with a Seraph squadron. Two army ships were destroyed, while one fighter, presumably Lt. Winchester’s, made a forced landing on a nearby uninhabited class D planet after triggering the emergency protocol. The ongoing search has not produced conclusive results. Lt. Winchester is classified as missing in action…

First Impressions | @suckerfordeansfreckles

Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 7254 Main Tags/Warnings: hospital AU, ftm trans Cas, top surgery, mentions of medical stuff, sharing a room Summary: When Cas wakes for the first time after his surgery, there’s sunlight tentatively streaming through the window to his right. It takes him a while of uncoordinated blinking and thinking until he realizes where he is, why he’s here. And then the giddiness comes, sudden and overwhelming, when he looks down at his chest and there is none. The reality is almost too much to grasp and his hands shake a little when he tries to raise them to touch. He's happy, and giddy, and so thankful. And then a nurse wheels in his new roommate, one very obnoxious and flirty Mr. Winchester. Cas just... cannot wait to watch all of this play out.

The Galaxy's Most Wanted | @saltnhalo

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 10160 Main Tags/Warnings: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Space Pirates, Enemies to Lovers, Blow Jobs, Frottage, Angry Sex, Sexual Tension Summary: Dean had been the one always up to mischief, running around with his father’s broken laser pistol and constantly getting into places he shouldn’t have been. Sam, in comparison, always seemed to be the smart, studious one – until he reprogrammed the AI in their neighbours’ house to play ‘Happy Birthday’ at the loudest possible volume while keeping all the doors and windows firmly locked. It had taken two experts seven hours to undo the coding that Sam had managed to integrate into the house’s programming. So, yes. They had been exceptional even from the beginning. And when John Winchester crossed one too many people, his sons inherited his beloved ship, and took to the cosmos doing what they knew best: stealing. And they were damn good at it too. Almost unrivalled, across their own galaxy and even those neighbouring. Almost.

Love Thy Enemy | @gii-heylittleangel

Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 11887 Main Tags/Warnings: revenge planning, use of guns, major characters injury Summary: After being betrayed by the Men of Letters, Dean makes the most stupid, idiotic, and best decision of his life: ask Castiel Novak, his long time enemy, for help.

The Quest for the Demon King's Heart | @cr-noble-writes

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 12500 Main Tags/Warnings: fantasy au, demon king!dean, wood elf!cas, enemies to lovers, mutual pining, minor character death, major character injury, angry sex, angst with a happy ending Summary: In a fantasy land, Dean, the Demon King, goes to a distant guild to take a break from evil, where he meets a young adventurer, Castiel, on a quest to slay the Demon King. For fun, Dean helps and protects the adventurer, and affection grows between them. Then, they arrive at the gates of his castle.

A Virgin to Redeem the Billionaire | @notfunnydean

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 16660 Main Tags/Warnings: Manipulation, Emotional Manipulation, blackmailing someone into a relationship, Mentions of drug selling (not Destiel), Mentions of cheating (not Destiel), virgin!cas Summary: When Castiel meets Dean Winchester, the other man seems to be a real asshole. So it doesn’t surprise him, when Dean shows up again and this time blackmails Castiel in a horrible way. Castiel agrees to be his boyfriend, only to protect his family, but along the way he actually falls for Dean.

The Bakery | @dates-with-cas

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 41075 Main Tags/Warnings: angst with a happy ending, offscreen character death, enemies to lovers, workplace sex, semi-public sex, attempted rape/non-con, mentions of past sexual abuse, alcohol as a coping mechanism, sex as a coping mechanism, sex in a kitchen, unresolved past trauma, top!Cas, bottom!Dean Summary: Dean Winchester loves his job, and he's thrilled to have his boss' brother coming in to work over the holidays, that is until he meets Castiel Novak for himself. The man is picky, grouchy, and absolutely fucking gorgeous.

The Path Between the Stars | zaphodsgirl (AO3)

Rating: Mature Word Count: 53111 Main Tags/Warnings: AU - Labyrinth Fusion, Angst with a Happy Ending, Minor Character Death Summary: It's been almost fifteen years since Dean met the enigmatic goblin king, Castiel. After failing to complete the labyrinth with Sam to save baby Adam, Dean is forced to make a deal to secure their freedom. Five years ago he finally gave in to the feelings he’d been keeping at bay for some time, only for Castiel to disappear from his life completely without a word. When Dean relays the story of the labyrinth to Sam's girlfriend Eileen, an opportunity presents itself for him to get some answers...and maybe have a second chance at something he hadn't dared to believe was real.

Of Twists and Turns | @kitmistry

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 75080 Main Tags/Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Pirate AU, Implied Drug Use, Minor Character Death, Amputation, Sea Monsters, Hunter Dean Summary: When naval surgeon Castiel Novak is captured by the Black Impala pirates, he has no choice but to agree to their terms: He is to serve on their ship for a whole year before they release him. That doesn’t mean he is going to like it, though. Especially when their captain is the embodiment of everything Castiel despises. Determined to earn his freedom, Castiel settles into the life of an outlaw. When the pirates’ true goal is revealed, though, he can no longer deny that things are not as black and white as he thought they were. And he can’t deny how drawn he is to Captain Winchester either.

Sovereign | @pomegranatedaffodil

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 87974 Main Tags/Warnings: Arranged Marriage, Hate to Love, Fantasy AU, Royalty AU, Virgin Castiel, Switching, Slow Burn, Minor Injuries Summary: When his brother embarks on a risky venture, Prince Dean of Pellia’s only choice is to enter into a marriage with the king of Arxelle in order to save Sam’s life as well as his own. King Castiel is severe, aloof, and no more happy about their hasty wedding than Dean. Marital bliss is the last state either of them expects to reach, but as Dean spends more time in his new home, he and Castiel slowly begin to settle into a partnership that allows them to put the needs of their kingdom before their own feelings. The longer they spend together, though, the more those feelings develop, daring them both to wonder if they might ever be husbands in more than just name.

Shot Through The Heart | @peanutbutterjelly-pie

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 156327 Main Tags/Warnings: Alternate Universe, Men of Letters, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Humor, Case Fic, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Bottom Dean Summary: As a hunter Dean finds himself more often than not relying on the help of the Men of Letters. Most of the time that's not much of a problem - if it wasn't for Castiel, the smartass bookworm with the piercing blue eyes, the messy hair and the rude attitude. He's been an annoying thorn in Dean's side since day one - and the hunter doesn't see that change anytime soon.

[benes-diction]

parting thoughts.

Tagging @korporxie / @doctorlaelia-ffxiv / @whitelotus-ffxiv​ for mentions of her gals!! And also as a big heckin’ ‘thank you’ to pushing out content while we play with our characters in our Discord sandbox!

It is an odd feeling, having my family at my side once more without the backdrop of Garlemald behind us. The air of Doma is thick and heavy with humidity. The fog hangs heavy over its mountains like something from a painting. I can see the people milling about in their villages, tending to their simple lives, smiling and laughing, from the windows of the carriages as we travel to the easternmost docks. Sometimes a few children will follow beside us, holding pinwheels to the breeze as they race the horses.

Though my childhood memories remain fuzzy, I like to think that I smiled as they do, that I was a happy child when not around Caius and my grandmother.

The Jade Palace is a cursed place. That is my final observation of it. The people living there can act as though they’re better than my family and I, that despite our hands not having Doman blood upon them we are just as complicit as Yostuyu and Prince Zenos.

Emperor Zenos, now, if the rumor mills from Arduro and Auntie’s network of informants is to be believed.

But the people in that palace smile with daggers and teeth ready to tear. Their eyes aren’t soft at all; they’re hard and cold, eternally looking for a weakness to exploit. They’re strange and otherworldly, and merely being in their presence made me want to cower behind my mother’s skirts like a tiny child. And that man… That lecherous old man, offering up his grandchild like a bartering chip, was the worst of them all. As much as I wish my mother controlled herself more, her outrage mirrored my own, and I am grateful that she uses her voice when she deems it necessary. It reminded me too much of my grandmother, arranging a marriage with a man who would become my friend.

I wonder if he realized who we are—refugees and outlaws, fleeing a land drenched in chaos and war, desperate for sanctuary. We’re not people who could give him a leg to stand upon in Garlean politics, even if we wanted to.

And judging by hawkish looks Father and Auntie gave him, I will bet that if he tries it with another Garlean more susceptible to his snake-like charm, they will fight him every step of the way.

I hope the Au Ra woman he’d tried to woo at his banquet chokes him in his sleep before then.

But the palace, in all its shining glory, in all its rotted corruption, is behind us, finally. And I am grateful.

The winds from the ocean aren’t much better than the muggy mountains, and the water stretching far into the horizon threatens to swallow me whole if I take a wrong step. But we are in the final stretch of our journey.

Father holds his head higher. Mother holds his hand and tells us all stories of her travels before my siblings and I were born. Auntie Caelia and Calliope hold each other tighter. They’re anxious to see Caius again and meet Audrey, I think. And I almost think that, despite herself, Laelia’s mother is grateful to see the sun reflecting upon the waves.

And Arduro…

My Arduro.

Audrey told me on a rickety little rowboat that she thought water had no memory, that it cleansed and healed. I still stare into its depths and see nothing but a hungry mouth that wishes to erase me from existence, but I hope—I pray, to whatever Doman or Hingan kami, or Eorzean god that wishes to listen—that she was right.

I wish that this next journey across the ocean will be one that lifts the weight that presses on his shoulders.

Even if it doesn’t, I know that his hand is always there to hold mine. Even if he won’t allow me to shoulder the burdens he bears, I can be there, at his side, and do my best to give him strength to push on.

I know we’ll be returning, at some point; I can see it in Arduro’s eyes every time someone mentions Bozja. He’s a man of action, and his grandfather still remains in Garlemald, doing what he can.

The drums of war are always thudding in his chest, and I don’t know if they’ll ever silence completely.

These moments in Hingashi will be our reprieve, but when the time comes, he’ll be marching off to wage war on those who silence the vox populares.

And I will be at his side.

Now and always. 

Manus in Mano.

[hysterialevi]

His Name Was Isaac - Ch. 14

Fanfic summary: During a mission to avenge his mother’s death, Isaac hunts down the men responsible for her murder and kills them off one-by-one, only to discover that his last target is taking refuge among the Van der Linde gang. In an attempt to kill them, Isaac attacks the gang and unknowingly becomes enemies with his own father, who is in the process of fighting his own battle for redemption.

Point of view: third-person

Previous chapter | Next chapter

This story is also on AO3

ONE WEEK LATER

BARROW LAGOON, AMBARINO

Steadily rowing the narrow boat back to shore, Isaac allowed himself to glide across the icy water as a series of ripples wobbled in the surface around him, causing broken plates of ice to shift to the sides.

He had just finished catching some fish in the snow-covered lake, and thanks to the peaceful nature of the wildlife in these parts, he also managed to pick a few herbs that might’ve helped with his father’s sickness. Isaac doubted they would do anything to cure him, but he just hoped they’d be able to tame his cough at the very least.

He had enough to worry about, after all. Between watching out for Pinkertons and looking after Arthur’s health, Isaac honestly didn’t care that much about reaching Canada for the time being.

Hell, he was willing to stay in The United States for another fifteen years if it meant his father could focus on recovering, but... knowing Arthur, Isaac doubted he’d able to convince the man to worry about his own well-being before his son’s.

That stubborn old man always seemed to attend to everyone else’s needs first. Isaac knew his father came from a place of compassion, but he just wished he could’ve done something to help him in return. A gun didn’t do much when it came to battling pestilence, and that was about the only thing Isaac knew how to use.

Part of him just wanted Arthur to return to civilization. He knew the man loathed being around places that were full of people, but they weren’t going to find a doctor anywhere else. 

Time was running out for the outlaw, and the last thing Isaac wanted was for that time to be wasted. He and Arthur may have argued sometimes, but the man was right about one thing. This was their only chance to make things right.

Letting the boat slide back onto dry land, the young man hopped out of his seat and lugged the sack of fish over his shoulder, slowly trudging through the crunchy snow as he made his way back to Arthur.

At the moment, the older man was looking after their horses just by the shoreline and had a fishing rod of his own cast in the lake, but it didn’t look like he had been able to catch much.

His nose was red from the cold, and judging by the pale tint of his skin and the dark circles surrounding his eyes, Isaac assumed his illness wasn’t getting any better.

He walked up to the man, trying his best to conceal the concerned expression on his face.

“Isaac,” Arthur greeted upon seeing the boy. “You’re back. Find anything?”

Isaac hurled the sack of fish onto the ground, showing him what he had caught.

“Got a couple of fish, but... it ain’t much. Hard to find any food in these parts.”

“Well, it’s still better than what I did. Good work, son.”

The boy strolled over to his horse, giving the animal a friendly pat on the neck.

“What ‘bout you, Dad? You have any luck?”

Arthur let out a chuckle, reeling the line in. “I’m afraid not. You know me, kiddo. I was never much of a fisherman. Though, I did manage to kill a rabbit earlier. Should keep us fed for a few days.”

Isaac grinned humorously. “Once we get to Canada, I’m never eatin’ fish or rabbit again. I’ve had enough of it for a lifetime.”

The other man returned the grin. “Try eatin’ it for thirty years. That was all our cook ever made for us. That, and venison. We rarely ate anything else. Just stew full of rabbit and deer bits.”

“And you wonder why everyone in your gang was always so cranky.”

Arthur paused for a moment, thinking back to his time with the gang. “...Hey, did I ever tell you about Hosea?”

Isaac shook his head. “No. Who is he?”

“Oh, he passed a few years ago,” he said regrettably, “but he and Dutch raised me together. They were practically brothers. Funnily enough though, Hosea was nothin’ like the old man. He was an outlaw same as the rest of us, but somehow, he always managed to be a gentleman about it. He was kind, but firm. Wild, but delicate.” 

A warm smile spread across Arthur’s face. “You remind me of him. I think Hosea would’ve liked you.”

“Yeah? You think so?”

“Sure. I imagine he’d wanna take you hunting or fishing. He always preferred the outdoors. Hell, he even took me to hunt a bear once.”

Isaac glanced at him incredulously. “Really?”

Arthur nodded. “Really. We dragged ourselves all the way from Valentine to the Grizzlies East just to find the damn thing.”

“Did you catch it?”

“Eventually. But it weren’t easy. The beast almost killed the old man. Luckily, I managed to shoo it away -- more by luck than anything -- and ended up huntin’ it on my own. Got me a pretty good sum. The trapper recognized the ugly bastard’s pelt the minute I dumped it in front of him.”

Isaac gave Arthur a playful smirk. “You ever gonna take me huntin’ for bear?”

The older man laughed. “Not a chance. You’d just scare it off.”

The two of them chortled at that and began packing their things up, preparing to continue their journey as the white sun inched across the sky. The weather was a little warmer today -- or at least warm by Ambarino’s standards -- and tiny droplets of water could be seen melting off of the numerous icicles hanging around the environment. Unfortunately for them though, the road ahead was still mostly obscured by thick layers of snow.

“Hey, Dad,” Isaac said, climbing on top of Aldo’s saddle. “I’ve been thinking...”

Arthur mounted his own horse, letting out a brief cough. “What’s on your mind, son?”

“Well,” the boy tapped his reins, riding alongside his father, “when all this is over -- if we actually manage to make it outta the country, that is -- I’ll have to find a new way to make a living. A new career. I can’t just be an outlaw forever.”

The older man let one of his arms dangle casually by his side. “No, I s’pose you can’t. You got any ideas on what you wanna do?”

Isaac nodded. “Yeah. I think... I think I wanna be a doctor.”

Admittedly, Arthur found himself surprised by the decision. He didn’t doubt his son’s capability, but the young man never really struck him as the medical type. He guessed his recent illness was impacting Isaac more than he realized.

“A doctor? You sure about that?”

“Maybe,” Isaac replied with a shrug. “I dunno. I just...” his eyes sank downward, “...I’m tired of hurtin’ people all the time. It’s all I seem to do. I feel like I can’t go one week without nearly killin’ somebody. I wanna start carin’ for people for a change. Save their lives instead of taking ‘em.”

Arthur smiled proudly. “That’s a real noble thing to do, Isaac. I think it’d be good for you. Heh. And you didn’t believe me when I said you wasn’t a killer.”

The boy’s mood didn’t seem to lift at the remark. “Maybe I ain’t a killer now, but I definitely was before I met you. If you had seen the way I killed Eli...”

The other man remembered the name. “Eli Whitley? He was one of Shay’s friends, wasn’t he? You never really told me what happened to him.”

“Yeah.” He confirmed. “Eli was there when mom died. I hated everyone in Shay’s gang with a passion after that, but Eli... I guess you could say he was the kindest in the group. He was the one who convinced everyone else to spare me when they woulda shot me. He’s the only reason Shay ever took me in.”

“But... that didn’t stop me from goin’ after him.” Isaac continued. “I cornered him outside of Rhodes just a few months before I got to Shay. Interrogated him at this abandoned barn. Didn’t let him die until he told me what I needed. He was probably the least deserving out of the entire gang, and yet... I killed him the slowest.”

Arthur sighed, speaking in a gentler tone. “...What’s wrong with you, Isaac?”

“I... I don’t know. But I wanna change. I don’t wanna be that kinda man anymore. That’s why I’m thinkin’ of being a doctor.”

The older man encouraged the idea. “Well, you’re a smart kid. And you’re still young. I think you could do it.”

“Well, it ain’t set in stone yet. It’s just a thought. For all I know, I could end up becoming a hillbilly granger somewhere. Spend all my days roastin’ under the sun. Scare away the occasional coyote. Yell at kids when they come wanderin’ too close to my property. Marry my cousin.”

Arthur chuckled. “Good to see your sense of humor ain’t run off. Maybe you could go into show business. Become a... performer or something.”

Isaac scoffed in an amused manner. “You really think I could be a performer?”

“Well... maybe not. But don’t limit yourself. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be in Broadway someday.”

The boy laughed. “I hope not. Have you met New Yorkers?”

Arthur nodded, thinking back to a certain stranger he met outside Strawberry. “Yes, actually. Yes, I have.”

He fell quiet for a second, suddenly remember something.

“Hey, Isaac. Before I forget, I just wanted to say, I’m--” a series of coughs interrupted him, “--I’m--”

Being cut off once again, Arthur brought a hand up to his mouth and did his best to overcome the sudden attack, only to feel his heart racing when he realized that it was getting worse.

His entire body shook in pain, and with every jagged cough that escaped him, the more he could feel his throat burning.

“Dad?” Isaac said in concern. “Are you okay?”

Arthur didn’t respond. Instead, he simply continued to cough into his hand, desperately trying to catch his breath. The edges of his vision were starting to grow fuzzy now, and despite his efforts to fight through it, Arthur’s strength began to drain from his body by the minute.

“...Isaac...” He wheezed, his voice raspy with irritation. “I...”

Without any warning, Arthur suddenly tilted off his saddle and collapsed to the ground, sending Isaac into a state of panic as he inspected his father’s unconscious body.

“Dad?!” He exclaimed, shaking the man by the shoulders. “Dad! Hey! Wake up!”

His voice began to echo in Arthur’s ears, fading along with everything else as the world turned black.

“...Wake up...!”

~~~~~~~~~~

A FEW HOURS LATER

NIGHTTIME

NEAR LAKE ISABELLA

Cold. Pain. Fear.

These were the only things Arthur could feel at the moment. The only things to greet him when he finally returned to consciousness.

The world around him was still dark, and without the sensation of a solid ground beneath him, he might’ve assumed he was dead.

As for his illness, Arthur could still feel it burning the insides of his chest. His throat was dry and sore, and due to the freezing wind embracing his body, it almost felt as if the breeze was carrying his life away with it.

But no... not yet. He couldn’t quit. He was still here. He was still alive. His body hadn’t given out just yet, and he still had to protect Isaac, no matter the cost.

He just didn’t know if he could anymore.

Waking up with a start, Arthur felt yet another chain of coughs rattle his chest as he forced his eyes open, sluggishly observing his new surroundings.

It looked like he had been moved to a shack somewhere in the middle of Ambarino’s mountains, and if it weren’t for the stiff bedroll lying underneath him, Arthur would’ve been sleeping directly on a fresh blanket of snow. 

There wasn’t much of a roof to shelter the shack’s interior from the weather outside, and with the sun now hiding behind the horizon, the night only seemed to grow colder.

Jesus Christ... what had he gotten himself into?

“Dad...?” A familiar voice whispered, drawing Arthur’s attention.

Slowly turning his head to the side, the older man spotted Isaac sitting in a corner of the shack with his rifle clutched tightly to his chest as he guarded his father, clearly anticipating some kind of threat.

His eyes were widened with anxiety, and the way he kept his voice low only heightened Arthur’s sense of fear.

What was going on?

“...Isaac,” Arthur said, barely able to speak at an audible volume. “Where... where are we...? What happened?”

“You had another coughin’ fit.” The boy explained. “You just... passed out. Right onto the road. You-- Jesus Christ, Dad... I thought you were dead. I tried to find you some shelter, but there ain’t much in these mountains. The best I could do was this rundown shack.”

Arthur tried to ease the young man’s nerves, not wanting to escalate things anymore. “It’s okay, Isaac. You did good. But... why d’you seem so afraid? What’s goin’ on?”

“I saw Dutch and his men on the way up here,” Isaac warned. “They were searchin’ the wilds. I think they’re looking for you. They didn’t seem to notice me, but... we have a trail leading directly to us. Dutch could be here at any minute.”

The older man cleared his throat, trying to ignore the pain. “...Shit. That man don’t give up easily. I’ll give him that.”

Isaac looked to his father for guidance. “So, what do we do? Should we just stay here for the night? Or keep moving? I mean, you’re in no condition to travel.”

“We need to get outta here.” Arthur concluded. “You said we have a trail leadin’ straight to us. If anyone finds that...” another cough escaped him.

The boy disagreed. “Don’t be ridiculous. You need to get some rest. Pushin’ yourself will only make things worse right now.”

“And if we stay, we risk Dutch findin’ us. Or even worse, the Pinkertons.”

“But you’re too weak!” Isaac argued. “And it’s the middle of the night. If we go back out there, we’ll freeze to death! It doesn’t--”

Interrupting the young man, an ominous thud suddenly emitted from the shack’s flimsy door, causing both of them to go silent.

Isaac instantly aimed his rifle at the entrance and cocked his weapon, standing directly in the middle of the shack due to a lack of cover.

There weren’t any voices talking at the moment, but underneath the loud howling of the wind and the creaking of wood, Isaac could hear a series of footsteps approaching them.

It sounded like they knew someone was inside based on the steady pace of their movements, and when Isaac glanced down at the crack underneath the door, he couldn’t help but notice an orange light seeping through the small gap.

Part of Isaac just wanted to shoot whoever was outside, but if it was Dutch like he suspected, then that meant his men must’ve been nearby. He couldn’t risk drawing their attention with any loud noises, and if a shootout were to ensue, there was no guarantee Arthur would be strong enough to fight through it.

He’d have to keep things quiet for now.

Swinging the door open with a light push, their unexpected visitor welcomed himself into the shack as a gust of wind breezed past him, chilling Arthur and Isaac to the bone.

The man was wrapped head-to-toe in winter clothing and had a revolver in one hand whilst holding a lantern with the other. His face didn’t strike Isaac as incredibly familiar, but upon seeing the pinned-up hat that he adorned, the boy instantly knew who it was.

“...Bill.” He murmured, watching the man’s every move. “You’re here.”

The other man’s eyes widened in recognition, causing him to raise his gun in alarm. “...Shit. So it really is you. I thought I saw someone out here.”

Isaac stepped protectively in front of Arthur, keeping his finger on the trigger.

“...What’re you doin’ here, Williamson?”

“What d’you think I’m doing? Lookin’ for your daddy, of course.” Bill’s gaze wandered over to Arthur, leading to a sudden shift in tone. “...What’s wrong with him?”

The boy tried to hide the fear in his voice. “He’s sick. With what, we don’t know. But... we think it’s the same thing Dutch has.”

Bill was quiet for a second.

“...Is he coughin’ a lot?”

“Yeah.”

“Is there blood?”

Isaac thought back to when Arthur passed out. “Sometimes.”

The other man sighed, his expression remaining flat. “Then it’s probably tuberculosis. At least, that’s what Dutch has, accordin’ to the doctor. He finally saw one the other day.”

The news hit Isaac like a bullet to the gut. He knew whatever Arthur had couldn’t be good, but he never expected it to be that bad.

“...Shit.” He cursed quietly. “That... explains a lot.”

Bringing his attention back to Bill, Isaac pushed his thoughts aside for the moment and strengthened his grip on the rifle, bracing himself for anything.

“Listen to me, Bill. I dunno what the hell Dutch wants, but you don’t have to do this. Just... walk away. Forget you ever saw us.”

The outlaw stood his ground. “And why should I? If I recall correctly, your daddy said he didn’t care about what happened to me the last time I saw him. So why should I care what happens to him now?”

“Because he’s my family. Wouldn’t you do the same for yours?”

Bill’s glowered at that. “I would, and I have. The gang was my family. I tried to help ‘em, but the only thing anyone ever did in return was ridicule me! Everyone always treated me like I was some... some idiot! A fool! A drunk! Dutch was the only one who ever treated me with respect. That’s why I gotta do this for him.”

Isaac felt a familiar sense of anger boiling inside him. “...You lay a single finger on my father, and I will kill you myself, Williamson.”

The veteran guffawed mockingly. “Oh, yeah, you’s real tough when you’re attackin’ our gang from the shadows. But you ain’t nothin’ compared to Dutch. And neither is your daddy. That man ain’t just strong. He’s caring. He’s the only reason our gang has survived for so long. He has something that the two of you never will. He has our loyalty.”

The boy almost laughed at the ludicrous statement. “Loyalty? Dutch doesn’t give a shit about you. Any of you. Look at how quickly he turned on my father. What makes you think you’re any different?”

Bill looked at him in bewilderment. “Dutch didn’t turn on your father. Arthur turned on him! Dutch... Dutch is a good man. He helps people. He helped me. When I was at my lowest point, he saved me while everyone else ignored me. He saw somethin’ special in me, and he gave me a new purpose in life. And I will never forget that.”

Isaac sighed in frustration. “You’re blinded by your loyalty, Bill. Dutch may have been a good man in the past, but he’s a tyrant now. A madman. Surely, even you can see that!”

The outlaw grumbled to himself, shaking his head in disagreement. “...You’re a real fool, Isaac. You know that? You kill a couple of our men, and suddenly, you think you’re an expert on our gang. You think you know a goddamn thing about us!”

“I know enough. I know that your gang is finished. I know that there’s no more trust between you. No more loyalty. You’re the only one in your gang who still believes in Dutch’s old rhetoric of a better world, and meanwhile, everyone else has given up on it. Hell, even Micah’s already betrayed you.”

Bill fell silent at that. “...What? What’re you talkin’ about?”

“How else do you think I was able to sneak into your camp?” Isaac pointed out. “How else could I have known about the bank robbery in Blackwater? Think about it, Bill. Your gang’s been fallin’ apart since before I even showed up. Only difference now is... there’s no chance of savin’ it.”

It was clear that the other man’s faith was crumbling at Isaac’s words, but he remained reluctant to admit it.

“No... no. That ain’t true! Dutch is special. He knows how to save people. He’ll get us outta this mess. He always does. And besides, I owe him everything after what he’s done for me. Without him, I’d be nothin’ but a big, dumb oaf. But Dutch... he’s a great man. And when I’m with him, I feel like I can be somebody.”

Isaac found himself at a loss for words, unsure of how he was going to convince Bill to walk away.

The last thing he wanted was to start a firefight in the middle of nowhere, but Bill was turning out to be far more obstinate than even Dutch himself.

The man seemed to idolize their gang’s leader. He still saw Dutch with the same image that he held eight years ago, and it looked like he wanted nothing more than to be like him.

But... there was more to Bill. Isaac could see it. Beneath all the anger and recklessness, the boy could sense that there was something pure at Williamson’s core.

It was clear that he still carried some wounds from the ridicule he endured in the past, but with enough encouragement, Isaac hoped he’d able to persuade Bill to overcome it.

If they were going to get out of Ambarino alive, they’d have to make sure that no one else found them. And right now, Bill was the only determining factor on whether or not that would happen.

Isaac didn’t want to take another life, but that sure as hell didn’t mean he wouldn’t.

“Y’know, Bill...” he said carefully, “I used to feel the same. Not too long ago, I used to believe that without my father, I’d be nothin’ more than a heartless killer. I saw him as somebody I wanted to be. Somebody who I needed to be. But you know what he told me?” 

Arthur perked his head up in interest, silently listening to Isaac from his bed as the boy spoke about him.

“He said that when all this is over, I ain’t gonna be like him. Or Dutch. Or Shay. Or even Micah. I’m gonna be my own man. A better man. And somethin’ tells me you can be, too.”

Bill softened his voice at the non-hostile approach, struggling to get his thoughts out. He hadn’t exactly reached a friendly disposition just yet, but his demeanor wasn’t nearly as aggressive as before.

“Them’s pretty words, Isaac...” he muttered quietly. “But how do I know you mean them? How do I know you ain’t just playin’ me for a fool like everyone else has?”

The young man clenched his jaw in nervousness, trying to steady his breath.

“...Because I’m tired of killin’ folk. I’m tired of always fearin’ for my life. If you lower your gun, I’m willin’ to lower mine.”

Bill glanced at Arthur. “And your daddy? He gonna let me go, too? Or is he gonna gimme the same treatment he gave Micah?”

“He ain’t gon’ do nothing. He doesn’t have the strength. Just walk out of here and pretend you never saw us. We’ll do the same.”

The outlaw hesitated for a minute, clearly torn by the dilemma. Despite his animosity towards Arthur, he seemed to have some sympathy for the man due to their history together. 

Their gang used to be like family after all, and as rotten as Williamson could’ve been sometimes, even he wasn’t so monstrous as to murder a boy and his dying father in cold blood. Not yet, anyway. 

A part of him actually believed what the young man said to him earlier, and if Isaac was telling the truth about Micah being a traitor, it was likely that the rat had spoken with the Pinkertons too. If that was the case, then their gang truly was finished.

Dutch may have been a fighter, but even he couldn’t work miracles. Bill would have to get out of this life as soon as possible if he wanted any hope of surviving, and perhaps this was his chance.

He finally lowered his gun, keeping an eye out for any sudden moves from the boy.

“...Goddammit, Isaac.” Bill muttered in annoyance. “Fine. I’ll let you go. This time.”

The young man slowly followed Bill’s actions, admittedly somewhat tentative to believe the outlaw.

“You will?”

“Yeah, but like I said, just this once. If Dutch or Micah find you again, I won’t be able to do anythin’ about that.”

Isaac felt a wave of relief wash over him, allowing him to relax a little.

“...Thank you, Bill.” He said sincerely. “You’re a good man. Or at least, a better man than you think.”

Bill didn’t crack his shell just yet, but Isaac could tell there was a sense of appreciation somewhere in him.

“Sure, Isaac.” He turned around and headed for the shack’s door, stopping in his tracks just before he left.

“Listen, there is somethin’ you should know. The truth is, Dutch doesn’t care about findin’ your father. It’s you he’s really after.”

Isaac raised a brow. “Why me?”

“Hell if I know. Dutch mostly shuts me out these days. Only Micah truly knows what he’s up to. Just... be careful around him. There’s no tellin’ what he has planned for the both of you. Especially after all the hell you’ve raised.”

The boy gave him a nod. “I’ll remember that. Oh, and Williamson?”

Bill looked over his shoulder. “What?”

“...Thank you again. I won’t forget this.”

The grumpy outlaw stepped back out into the snow, pulling his scarf over his nose as the night slowly came to an end.

“Don’t thank me yet.”

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 31/10/2020 (Ariana Grande, KSI, Little Mix)

I haven’t heard that Ariana Grande album yet as of writing this but the lead single – and title track – “positions” has just debuted at #1 on the UK Singles Chart, her seventh song to hit the top and second this year after “Rain on Me” with Lady Gaga. Hence, that’s today’s #1 and we have a busy and pretty chaotic week of new arrivals. Welcome to REVIEWING THE CHARTS.

Dropouts & Returning Entries

A lot of their debuts from last week were completely wiped out on this week’s chart which surprises me, especially for songs I thought would hit it big like “One More Time” by Not3s and AJ Tracey. Our notable dropouts here range from bonafide smash hits like “Roses” by SAINt JHN and remixed by Imanbek, which hit #1, although I always preferred “Swoosh” from the same album, to pretty easy and quick fall outs from songs I’ve reviewed in the past few weeks. We’ve got songs that peaked in the top 10 like “Rover” by S1mba and DTG and “I Dunno” by Dutchavelli, Tion Wayne and Stormzy but otherwise that’s mostly it as a lot of these drop-outs are just songs that didn’t really reach their charting potential or have mostly had their day in streaming, like the surprisingly quick drop for “my ex’s best friend” by Machine Gun Kelly and blackbear, as well as “Destiny” by D-Block Europe, “Tap In” by Saweetie, “FRANCHISE” by Travis Scott, Young Thug and M.I.A., “OK Not to Be OK” by Marshmello and Demi Lovato, “Airplane Mode” by Nines and NSG and even “Outta Time” by Bryson Tiller and Drake. If you’re worried about the loss of MGK’s song being too soon for whatever reason, don’t fret as “forget me too” with Halsey, a much better song, is here at #72, our only returning entry for the week. I might as well run through the biggest gains and falls, those both being last week’s debuts. “Train Wreck” by James Arthur absolutely surged up to #24 whilst “Hold” by Chunkz and Young Filly absolutely purged down to #59. To be fair to the general public, I think I’d rather listen to something from four years ago than that song as well. Anyway, let’s start our new arrivals with a couple really interesting choices...

NEW ARRIVALS

#75 – “Sofia” – Clairo

Produced by Rostam

Clairo is one of those artists where I feel completely out of the loop on, especially with all the recent buzz from TikTok, and I was not checking for that album last year, and whilst I didn’t mind her feature on Wallows’ “Are You Bored Yet”, I’d never been intrigued enough to check out the solo work until I guess here we see it on the chart, which is big for the genre of bedroom pop, which again I know next to nothing about. Now, I like lo-fi indie rock fine, but I’ve never really tried to look into the bedroom pop micro-genre – if anyone has any recommendations, that would be appreciated – so this will pretty much be a first gaze into not just Clairo but the entire scene surrounding her. I’m not a Vampire Weekend fan by any means but Rostam on production just give me hope, even if the mix here is a bit too drowned in reverb and echo to give the guitars any more impact when they really should have, at least I think so, they’re pushed back in a way that makes an already pretty calm, fleeting indie single even more lacking sonically. Clairo sounds great on this instrumentation, admittedly, albeit kind of uninterested, but it really is about that fuzzy distortion in the drop that feels... oddly anti-climactic and seemingly pointless considering how little progression is made before or after it. Maybe this genre just isn’t for me, but I feel myself turned off from how Clairo’s pretty beautiful vocal harmonies are not reflected by the production here, whether it be the stiff percussion, abrupt ending or overall lack of substance. This is kind of disappointing as I really wanted to like this. The song is a pretty vague but longing ballad mostly revolving around her crushes on people she saw in the mind, particularly Sofia Vergara and Sofia Coppola, hence the name, and I think it’s actually really well-written. I especially love how the chorus seems to acknowledge that not only are these crushes clearly out of her reach as a teenage girl just discovering her sexuality but also mentioning how afraid she is to really develop on any of these feelings because of how it’s prejudiced against and in some countries outlawed, but the song easily works as just a confession of love without really realising the statement, so it doesn’t feel forced or unnecessary. Sadly, I guess Rostam had to put his prints on this one, but the song itself isn’t bad at all. Hey, I’m not going to complain about a song where I can look at pictures of Sofia Coppola for “research”.

#74 – “All Girls are the Same” – Juice WRLD

Produced by Nick Mira

It’s so odd and kind of heartbreaking to see the Genius comments for this track where they say Juice is “up next for 2018”. It’s also pretty amusing to see some of these annotations...

God, I love Genius.com. This is a 2017 Juice WRLD track from the late rapper that was released as a single from his debut album, Goodbye & Good Riddance. I don’t really understand why this had a resurgence – again, I’m going to assume TikTok or some kind of remix – but it is funny to see a bitter, immature and sloppily-written song about heartbreak and how “all girls are the same” next to a lesbian love ballad on the chart... and above said ballad because we clearly live in a society. I’m not going to mince words here: this is a pretty bad song, at least in my opinion. All respect to Juice but he’s clearly not on top form here, with an uninterested and badly-mixed vocal delivery over a really dull, jingly trap beat with awful bass mastering. In fact, the whole song is mixed awfully and sounds really muddy which may have been the point but it doesn’t complement Juice at all. The lyrics here are purposefully immature and at times stupid, especially when he compares himself to John Lennon and is so desperate for a rhyme the dude says this unnamed girl is from Colorado. I’m not going to deny some of the lyrics here are kind of haunting now due to tragic circumstances but I still get a chuckle out of the vocoder on his voice after massive empty spaces in both the beat and vocal track that makes the song sound clearly amateurish (to be fair to Juice, he clearly didn’t have access to the best studio equipment but it doesn’t excuse the major-label streaming release sounding this sloppy), as well as that opening line.

Broke my heart, oh, no, you didn’t!

Yeah, I’ll take “Robbery” over this any day, or even “Righteous”. Sorry.

#73 – “Martin & Gina” – Polo G

Produced by Hagan, Lilkdubb and Tahj Money

It seems we have two melancholy trap-rappers from Chicago appear consecutively on the chart. I love those types of oddities. If you don’t know Polo G, you probably should, at least from his hit “Pop Out” with Lil Tjay last year, and this is his most recent hit. I typically find his brand of mournful Auto-Tuned crooning about life on the streets remarkably genuine in comparison to most rappers but also admittedly really boring, at least for now. I can see this guy becoming a lot bigger and better but as of now he releases so much music and the quality and effort seems to fall by the wayside more often than not. In typical 2000s bling-rap fashion, this hardcore street rapper’s biggest hit from the album The GOAT (perhaps a bit early to call there, Mr. G) is a guitar-based R&B love jam for the ladies, except it’s not a sex jam...

Girl, I can’t wait ‘til I get home to f*** the s*** out of you

Okay, well, that’s one line.

Man, I’m tryin’ to get to know you sexually

Okay, but at least he’s trying to get to know her. The song’s lyrics do have a genuine heartfelt sense of love and companionship with his unnamed woman, and some of these lyrics are pretty funny and pleasant, albeit shallow. I love how in the first verse he says that even on her worst days she still looks “kind of cute”, in a way that makes this song more down to Earth than other thugs-need-love-too songs, especially when he acknowledges the troubles in their relationship, which may be undermined by the unfortunate implications that come with that “Martin & Gina” comparison but that’s really not the focus of the song, even if it is the title. He may talk about the shopping sprees now but there is evidence here that Polo G genuinely wants to live his life with this woman, especially when he says he wants them to move out to California and live in a mansion. There’s flexing there for sure but it’s less out of a desire to sound “cooler” than the other rappers or the audience, and more out of a desire to make the most out of this relationship in case, as he knows he might have to, he should “pull the stick out and shoot” to protect her. It helps that this is a damn good song with Polo’s catchy flow in both the verses and that infectious chorus, as well as a really slick guitar lick behind that trap knock. Yeah, this is pretty great. Check it out.

#71 – “Spicy” – Ty Dolla $ign featuring Post Malone

Produced by Ty Dolla $ign, Westen Weiss and damn james!

It seems that Ty Dolla $ign has finally clocked that people like him for his features and not his solo work as he has released his most recent album fittingly named Featuring Ty Dolla $ign, following a trend of recent massive collaborative albums in pop music. This particular album features the likes of Kid Cudi, Kanye West (twice), Anderson .Paak, Nicki Minaj, Big Sean, Future, Young Thug, FKA twigs because, well, sure, and obviously, Post Malone. I haven’t listened to the album yet, I mean it sounds exhausting but I don’t necessarily like what I’ve heard. “Expensive” with Nicki Minaj is soulless, “Ego Death” with Skrillex, Kanye and FKA twigs is chaotically misguided and a massive disappointment, “Track 6” with Kanye, .Paak and Thundercat is way too boring for these four artists, and that’s all I’ve heard, except that “Dr. Sebi” interlude with Young Thug that I thought was actually pretty damn good for a one minute snippet. I did brief through some songs on the album right now as I was writing this and I wasn’t really a fan of any of it, not even the songs with Future and Young Thug, artists I actually really like. The song with Kid Cudi was pretty amazing though, which I pretty much expected, I mean it is Cudi after all and he’s really felt revived this year, even if he feels out of place on a sex song. The serpentwithfeet interlude definitely adds to that song though, and it actually leads into this track with Post Malone. This is their second collaboration after their #1 hit “Psycho”, but it’s a lot less interesting, replacing the serenity and smooth flows with more fast-paced trap skitters, hit-and-miss flows that only make Ty$ sound all that great in the tail-end of his verse. Post’s verse is out of place and feels like a regression for him, with the verse sounding like it was taken straight out of the Stoney sessions. The guys have no chemistry and Post doesn’t even contribute to a final chorus, which feels particularly odd as there’s not a bridge to round any of this out properly as it just transitions awkwardly to the sixth track, titled “Track 6”. At least Ty$ isn’t facing 15 years in jail for cocaine possession now, which is something I brought up a disproportionate amount of times in older episodes of this show, because, well, sure.

#69 – “Whoopty” – CJ

Produced by Pxcoyo

CJ is an “up-and-coming” rapper with only one song that pretty quickly went viral. There’s something fishy about this. The only other song by CJ on Spotify and I assume other streaming services is this CashmoneyAP-produced trap song called “On Me” that is completely garbage. It does sound pretty odd that while he doesn’t sound dissimilar in “Whoopty”, this uninterested Auto-Tuned mumbler took three years to get another song on streaming and now he’s an energetic New York rapper using a beat that was literally uploaded to the producer’s website as a “Pop Smoke type beat” weeks before “Whoopty” was released, which, by the way, was an immediate viral hit on YouTube. Very strange, very unusual but not very worth talking about as the one thing “On Me” and “Whoopty” have in common is lack of quality. Sure, I like the Indian sample but it’s quickly drowned out by the booming 808s and pretty rote drill beat. Somehow, CJ sounds too energetic and excited to the point where he’s out of place on a beat this menacing. He sounds like a joke made by a record label to create some kind of popular generic drill track and it does not help that there’s a single verse, with part of it repeated as a bridge, and two repetitions of the same over-long chorus. When Pop Smoke rapped over beats, he was aggressive, sure, but had a smoky voice and a lot more charisma than this flat tonal sandpaper CJ brings to the table. It’s almost offensive to Pop Smoke’s legacy that this was rapped over his “type beat”.

#57 – “SO DONE” – The Kid LAROI

Produced by Omar Fedi and Khaled Rohaim

I figured I’d have to talk about this guy at some point, well, what better time than in the midst of a lot of mediocre American hip hop, although this isn’t American, rather it’s actually an Aussie at it this time, with this 17-year-old kid propped up by Internet Money and Lyrical Lemonade and mentored by the late Juice WRLD. This kid really likes capital letters, and naturally I listened to his last hit “GO!” with his mentor Juice... and, yeah, it’s not good. That hook is stupidly infectious – and the pre-chorus is actually more so – but his delivery is obnoxious and unconvincing, especially in comparison to Juice on the same song. Man, I wish that entire song was as good as its pre-chorus. Anyway, this is a new song, not taken from his debut mixtape aptly and rather politely titled F*** LOVE. It uses an unorthodox ukulele loop as its main sample but once again I’m not a fan of this guy’s immature delivery. Maybe in a few years this Kid LAROI will sound less like a Kid LAROI and more like a genuine rapper but right now he is just barely keeping on beat with a jangly pop beat that would sound really interested if accentuated by the right rapper but here it doesn’t work at all. I do actually appreciate some of the lyrics here, even if they are repetitive and vague. Hey, at least they’re family-friendly PG clean for the most part so he’ll get that radio push, but it’s not like it’s matters here in the UK. I’m sure this lad is the hottest thing to come from Australia this year... okay, well, maybe the second hottest – but I’m not a fan, even if some of these melodies are promising. In fact, I really like some of his ideas, especially in the chorus, I just think that tragically, Juice could have done them more justice than this Kid LAROI ever could. Sorry.

#47 – “Bad Guy” – Morrisson and Loski

Produced by BKay and Harry James

Duh. Okay, so these are both UK drill rappers who I’m not very familiar with although I’ve heard of Loski before. Morrisson is a complete unknown to me. They’re both from London, as one would expect. Is the song any good? Well, I do like that chopped violin sample but Morrisson is only vaguely convincing when he claims to know Vinnie Jones and to be Stone Cold Steve Austin, and when he mentions getting “white-boy wasted” with a woman sniffing coke, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but that’s actually the point. I mean, the chorus says this:

You need people like me so you can point your f***ing fingers and say, “That’s the bad guy”

The issue here is I’m not convinced. Morrisson’s double-tracked vocals aren’t intimidating or menacing and are mostly overshadowed by a pretty great beat. His delivery is also something I’m not a fan of and while I can’t say he’s uninterested or not putting his all into it, it just sounds weak, especially when pitted against this beat. Loski is here too, but he doesn’t add much to the “bad guy” idea, especially when he starts talking about The Simpsons and Family Guy. Not Mr. Burns or even that angry chicken that fights Peter, just Stewie, Brian, Bart and Homer. Admittedly, “shell out the whip like Mario Kart” is a pretty fun line and I appreciate his flow more than Morrisson’s... but, yeah, I’m not really a fan. I like the concept but it misses the mark on execution.

#44 – “Golden” – Harry Styles

Produced by Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson

So this is the opening track to Styles’ sophomore effort, Fine Line, an album I thought was mildly entertaining pop rock at best and lazy, absolutely worthless trite at worst. I don’t mind Styles’ take on classic 70’s pop and glam rock but I’ve also never found it interesting, and the songs are at times disjointed and at most times just plain boring. I understand I’m probably alone in this but I really disliked this album and I’m not excited that he’s pushing yet another single. The beeping keys that start the song are immediately met with the crash of a drum beat that sounds as flat as Harry’s singing in that obnoxious, sloppy intro refrain. The verse is equally as awkward, with the song lacking in any kind of substance other than that one line of “You’re so golden” which has been overly annotated by fans on Genius to mean a lot more than it does and should. It’s a confession of love but unlike “Sofia”, there’s very little to grab onto in terms of compassion for the singer and I quickly lose interest in what little story there is to the track. The bridge with the high-pitched guitar squealing and squeaky pitch-shifted murmuring is over and done with as slowly as possible and that refrain of nonsense vocalisations just continues without fear or even self-awareness of how annoying it is. This is probably ultimately harmless but it annoys the hell out of me and whilst I predict success for the track, I really hope against it as I absolutely do not like this at all.

#39 – “Teadrops” – Bring Me the Horizon

Produced by Jordan Fish and Oliver Sykes

Yes, that Bring Me that Horizon. Yes, the metalcore band. At least they used to be metalcore and definitely on that heavier side of Kerrang!-core, but what I’m more amazed by is how they continue to ditch the sound and continue to get bigger as they do so. After 14 years, you’d think these guys would stop getting Top 40 hits – hell, the only other hit they had before 2020 was “Drown” – but this is their third this year! I’ll admit I’m not really up to speed on Bring Me the Horizon – I listened to their last record (which was just fine but honestly probably worth listening to for “wonderful life” alone) but not this EP that the singles have been from, and definitely not their older stuff. For the sake of REVIEWING THE CHARTS, however, I did listen to their earlier singles – you can’t say I don’t do much for this show – and I’m overall not really sure on how to feel about this stuff. I still like “Drown” – and always have – but I’ve never been too big on metalcore so I’m actually surprised how much I really enjoyed the Linkin Park rip on “Sleepwalking” (which I’m impressed I remembered the chorus for). I remember liking the practically nightcore track “ouch” and, yeah, it still slaps. Some tracks are very heavy on the electronic, and “Can You Feel My Heart” is reliant on that vocaloid drop, about two years before that became the norm in pop. Just from a skim of their biggest singles, I’m honestly kind of a fan, especially “Throne”, even if I feel like the EDM influences just kind of go nowhere. Also, none of this screams “metalcore” to me but I don’t know, these guys seem to change their style a lot with the only thing staying consistent being Oliver Sykes, and his tone that shifts between nasal pop-punk-style crooning and chopped-up Auto-Tune growling. I talked to a friend about them and they like their earlier stuff mostly, although he “wouldn’t recommend” their debut album to anybody at all. Another friend said he refuses to listen to their music based on the pretentious title of their third record and honestly I think that’s a pretty fair decision. This song sounds like pretty standard BMTH, or at least from what I can gather from the singles and the formula they follow. It starts with a funky and cute, chirpy electronic groove before it’s drowned out by heavier drums and heavy metal guitar riffs, but this time said electronic groove is less integral to the instrumental and the shift to a funkier bassline in the verse might honestly be for the best, although I do love the way the instrumental is chopped up a bit at the end of each repetition of the chorus. It makes the song sound a lot more unique and even if it sounds just as 2012 as their 2012 stuff, I honestly think that’s fine, especially with that abrupt sharp contrast of his raspy yelling over breakbeats quickly followed by some crooning with light piano backing, which may make the song feel messy or structurally disjointed but honestly it works for the chaotic tone of the track and the angst that is presented in the lyrics. Also, although I haven’t evaluated this band since I watched a couple videos on Kerrang!, this feels oddly nostalgic. Huh. Some additional musings: That falsetto Sykes hits in the chorus is great. My friend said that he couldn’t finish the last album they put out which isn’t a good sign but to be fair to them it was an hour-long IDM record, because, well, sure. I’ve written way too much about Bring Me the bloody Horizon at this point so I’ll just move on but I’ll make sure to check out some of their stuff after this.

#37 – “Loading” – Central Cee

Produced by HARGO

Now back to normality, at least I think so. This is another UK drill artist I’ve never heard of. I like this beat, especially that sample of the horns that I’m surprised wasn’t found by crate-digging but it works pretty well under the drill beat; it sounds like a menacing “gangster” song, especially because of how that sample reminds me of 1930s Chicago. I’m not good on my American (or gang) history so that might be nonsense but you know what I mean, right? Black-and-white footage of men in suits gambling whilst women surround them and they all got their money from drug trafficking and they send out hits. Something like that, I don’t know. The song is kind of boring though, this Cee guy has zero charisma and the references to COVID make this immediately dated (not that this song is lyrically all that interesting anyway), and by two minutes the beat has run its course and just starts getting annoying. Yeah, not much to say about this one at all, but it could have been better.

#8 – “Sweet Melody” – Little Mix

Produced by Peoples, MNEK, Morten “Rissi” Ristorp, Oliver Frid and Tayla Parx

I wonder if now that I listened to Bring Me the Horizon for half an hour straight that the last four songs all sound worse, or at least less interesting, in comparison. Well, I doubt that really, I think these songs will just end up being less interesting. I mean, five separate producers on a simple three-minute pop track? This’ll be as market-tested and manufactured as possible, as one would expect from Little Mix. I didn’t mind their last couple promo singles but this song seems to have some actual traction and even a high-budget video behind it and hence it debuted as high as #8. Well, is it any good? Well, it’s no 2013 Bring Me the Horizon, that’s for sure. Jokes aside, the nonsense vocal refrain is kind of awkward and the R&B production here is kind of minimal and just... off, particularly in the first verse and refrain, where the singing and hard 808 is met with only accompaniment from one stray snare that is just... there? The drop doesn’t feel like it has a proper build-up either, and doesn’t even feel like it lives up to that non-existent tension. I do love the harmonies towards the end of the track and the “he would lie, he would cheat over syncopated beats” line is kind of a bar, I suppose, but yeah, this production is awkward and I’m not sure if it really does the girls’ talent justice. I would have preferred something more dramatic and with more of a climax than the skittering hi-hats and vaguely dancehall-inspired bass grooves, but alas, here we are with a pretty mediocre, uninteresting track, which wasn’t exactly unexpected.

#3 – “Really Love” – KSI featuring Craig David and Digital Farm Animals

Produced by Digital Farm Animals and Mojam

Ah, the trio we all didn’t know we wanted but definitely deserved(?): YouTuber KSI, legendary R&B singer Craig David and a couple virtual elephants. KSI is more than a YouTuber or prankster now to be fair to the guy, with songs like “Lighter” he has cemented himself as a genuine pop star and not in the way that songs used to get viral or even back in 2017 with Jake Paul. KSI is taking this stuff seriously and having fun with it, and, hey, he beat up Logan Paul once or twice so I guess I respect the man to some extent. I’m honestly surprised he got Craig David to be on the song with him. I mean KSI may be popular but I never put much thought into his music or even think it’s any good although the song has clearly debuted this high for a reason. Craig David has a janky hook that just plopped onto the track for a chorus and bridge, with pretty generic lyrics about love, which KSI develops on in some oddly specific ways. He’ll buy this woman Amazon Prime – I hope you enjoy the Borat sequel, guys – and she’ll “wreck his balls like Miley”. Classy. Honestly, the song is mostly fine – KSI’s flow is kind of awkward and stiff still but it’s a lot smoother than it usually is and he does deliver a pretty convincing performance here, as does Craig David, who sounds as great as he did 20 years ago over this groovy house instrumental, with a great bassline that really does fit Craig David more than it does KSI. The trap breakdown is pretty well done as well, which surprised me as I assumed the song would lose all momentum afterwards but, no, it keeps on chugging. This is listenable and far from bad but it’s mostly just a serviceable pop tune. I have no issue with this sticking around as it probably will. Now for the big one:

#1 – “positions” – Ariana Grande

Produced by TBHits, Mr. Frank and London on da Track

Man, I’ve just reviewed 12 songs, I do not feel like talking about the biggest and most important one now. Well, maybe it’s not that and instead the fact that I have this conflict with Grande’s music where someone so unbelievably and obviously talented sounds so incredibly disinterested in the songwriting and production, to the point where her performance is irrelevant. Sure, sweetener and thank u, next had their highs but the former is a complete mess and the latter feels so dull and oddly characterless. Again, these albums aren’t all bad but I feel like they’re still so rushed and infuriatingly so, with Grande having very little involvement, or at least it sounds like that in these albums. Regardless of how much she contributes to each record, it always comes out the other end sounding impersonal, so I’m actually glad she dropped the pretence and is now just doing purely sexy R&B stuff. I haven’t listened to the full album yet but with song titles like “34+35”, I can kind of expect what I’m going into here. That said, I’m not really a big fan of the title track and lead single here, although I can understand why it debuted at #1. Firstly, the video where she becomes the President of the United States for practically no reason is great. Secondly, the beat is pretty good and produced by London on da Track, who I’m kind of disappointed didn’t put his producer tag here. It would have at least been kind of funny hearing it transition into Grande’s sweet whispery vocal tone. I like the slick trap percussion, cricket sound effects and that chirpy guitar pluck, and especially those strings in the second pre-chorus which sound genuinely awesome. Ariana’s a great performer but the chorus is kind of weak, especially lyrically – I don’t mind the opening and main line about switching positions, hell, it’s kind of clever, but “I’m in the Olympics the way I’m jumping through hoops”? Really? The bridge is also pretty short and lazy; I feel like it could have actually been done away with or put as an intro and would have worked just as well replacing the second chorus with that final chorus, background whistle notes and all. That said, the song is a solid lead single and I am kind of excited to hear the rest of the album, even if this is at least somewhat of a retread.

Conclusion

What a mixed bag. I’m generally pleased with what we have here though and I am going to give Best of the Week to “Teadrops” by Bring Me the Horizon with an Honourable Mention to Polo G for “Martin & Gina”, although Clairo would have gotten close without Rostam on the boards. There’s nothing all that bad here except “Golden” by Harry Styles which does get an easy Worst of the Week, with a Dishonourable Mention to CJ’s “Whoopty” for just being lazy. Here’s this week’s “spooky” top 10 – it is Halloween after all:

You can follow me on Twitter @cactusinthebank for political ramblings if you so wish but I wouldn’t recommend it, especially if you like Keir Starmer, but all politics aside, thank you for reading this far and I’ll see you next week.

[justanoutlawfic]

The Virgin: An Outlaw Queen Ficlet

Summary: When Robin's sister accidentally inseminates Regina, their worlds are turned upside down. Little do any of them realize, they're not in as control of their lives as they think. The past Regina never knew about, is suddenly coming to haunt her.

Also on AO3

February 1st, 1994

 Cora sat up in bed, looking down at the baby girls in her arms. She had known that they wouldn’t be identical but hadn’t expected them to look that different. Baby A had fair skin and blue eyes, some wisps of blonde hair atop her head. Baby B had darker features, from her deep brown eyes to the dark fuzz that stood out next to her sister’s. The nurse, who had no idea of the situation, said that she had never seen twins come out looking so different. Cora would’ve strangled her if she wasn’t so exhausted from giving birth.

 The door opened and her father entered the room. Cora looked up at him, craning her neck to try to see behind him, but he simply shook his head.

“Henry is still stuck in France, trying like hell to get a flight but the weather is putting it off for a few days, and that loser you call a lover didn’t show his face.”

Cora huffed. “His name is Jonathan, Daddy.”

“I don’t really care what his name is. You had a chance to be better, Cora. Now, look at you. How is Henry ever going to accept having a daughter with such light features? He’ll know instantly that she’s not his.”

“I could simply say she inherited it from my side of the family…”

“And when he sees that she looks exactly like your gardener?” Cora adverted her gaze down to the babies. “That’s what I thought.”

“I didn’t even think this was possible,” she whispered. “How can twins have different fathers?”

“I don’t know, but I do know that you’ve ruined your life.”

 Cora stared down at the squirming babies in her arms. She couldn’t go back to living at her father’s, working as a cocktail waitress. She had pulled herself up from nothing and there was no going back. Henry was a boring man, not very good in bed. Even so, he was giving her a life that she had always dreamed of.

“No, I haven’t,” she said.

“There’s no way you can…”

“They didn’t survive the labor.” Cora looked up, meeting her father’s gaze. “It was terrible, tragic, but they lost oxygen. I gave their organs so they could save other babies.”

“You cannot be serious.”

“I told you when I married him, I was willing to do anything to keep him.”

“That’s all well and good, but there’s the mere factor of the girls. What are you going to do with them?”

“I’ll worry about that.”

 The following evening, Cora was discharged from the hospital. She wrapped the babies in the blankets that she had been knitting throughout the pregnancy. and put on a shawl before having her father drive her to the fire station. It was the dead of night and chilly, for Florida’s standards anyway. Cora walked up the steps and settled the girls’ baskets down on the steps. Each blanket was embroidered with a name. For Baby A, they had gone with Zelena, derived from the goddess of the moon. Baby B was named Regina, which meant queen. Cora wanted powerful names, so one day they would be powerful women. Zelena’s basket had green ribbon on it, while Regina’s was red.

 “Poor babes,” she whispered. “Life is cruel and full of betrayal. That is my only lesson for you. Now, I must give you away, to give you my best chance.” Cora’s breath caught, as the tears pooled her eyes. “As long as I have the two of you, I can never be more than a miller’s daughter.”

 The wind picked up and the rain began to fall, signaling to Cora that it was time to go. As she walked away, she could hear both of her daughters crying for their mother, but she simply ignored it. She was on her way to her better life.

 October 23rd, 2018

Good food, amazing champagne and everyone donating to the local homeless shelter. It was a night that Robin had been looking forward to for a really long time. His family hadn’t always had the money they did and even so, charity had been so important to his mother, especially given her own upbringing. Robin hoped that she would be happy with how they were giving back. The shelter would be able to do the repairs they needed and add more beds.

 The party would be what Robin remembered as the last night normal night of his life. His father had insisted on a party and Robin told him that if that was the case, it needed to be for charity. There was lots of loud music, the servers dressed as aquatic mythical creatures and bubbles for the few kids that were in attendance.

 Despite the presence of his father, Robin would remember it as a good night. He got to talk with Lacey, it was rare that she went anywhere without her husband and Robin was glad that she had left him home for the night. Robin loved his half-sister with everything in him, but when it came to romantic partners, she either picked the absolute worst person or someone that was far too old. It seemed like Adam Gold was a mix of both of those things.

 Marian stood by his side, smiling from ear to ear. Neither had any way of knowing that this would be the last party they would ever throw together. As far as they knew, the next morning they would be on their way to making Roland a big brother. Roland himself was chasing the other kids around that were his age, tiring himself out. It would be pretty easy to put him to bed that night.

 It was truly the happiest Robin had felt in a really long time. Had he known what would come, he would’ve cancelled Marian’s appointment the next day. Instead, they’d have breakfast at the hotel before taking Roland to school. They’d discuss different, more secure ways of expanding their family. At the very least, he would’ve insisted that his sister stay at the hotel for the night. Roland would love having a sleepover with his favorite (and only) aunt.

 Alas, no one is capable of telling the future. So, he kissed Lacey on the cheek, watching as she headed home to her husband. When Marian suggested they turn in and leave the hosting duties to Richard, he agreed. He picked up a sleeping Roland in his arms and they headed up to their suite together. They lived the last normal night of their lives, when their family could still very much be one.

Sobriety is an uphill battle, ask any addict. There are several triggers that you know to avoid once you start recovery, whether it be people, events or objects. That’s the easy part. One can learn to avoid those.

 What isn’t easy, are the things that come out of nowhere. They pull you down and practically force the bottle to your lips. At least that’s how Lacey Locksley-Gold felt.

 She had cleaned up her act when she married Adam Gold. There was no more hanging out at the Rabbit Hole after her shift, no hustling men as she played pool (even though that had been how they met). She focused on work and being a good wife. With that, she finally did what her family had been begging her to do for years and quit drinking all together. Lacey began attending A.A meetings and left behind the group of friends that pushed scotch into her hands at parties. It wasn’t an easy process, but it was one she was proud of nonetheless.

 After yet another party thrown by her father, Lacey walked into the salmon colored home that she shared with her husband. There was music coming from upstairs, which put a big grin on her face. She walked up, unzipping her black dress as she did. When she reached the door, she took the clip that held her auburn curls up in a bun out and let them tumble down. As she opened the door to her bedroom, she allowed the dress to fall to the floor.

“Waiting for me, baby?” She asked.

 Gold shot up from the bed, but he didn’t do it alone. Beside him was Carlotta De Vil, a fellow lawyer at his practice. Lacey’s jaw practically dropped to the floor, taking in the Dalmatian print lingerie that Carlotta wore, along with the lack of anything on her own husband’s body.

 “Lacey…” he stammered.

 She didn’t say anything in response. Instead, she merely pulled up her dress to cover her naked body before running down the stairs. She got in her cherry red Jaguar, not even sure where she was going until she pulled up at the Hole. Lacey pushed through the doors and marched straight up to the bar.

 “Whiskey, neat,” she demanded.

 Keith simply gave her a smirk and filled her order. Lacey knocked it back in one go, before ordering another one. The thought of her two early morning appointments didn’t even cross her mind, none of that mattered. All that did, was getting the image of Carlotta in her bed out of her head.

Lacey woke up the following morning with a pounding headache and dry mouth. She rolled over in bed, nearly falling over the body that laid beside her. She blinked a few times before realizing it was Ruby Lucas. Wait, why had she gone home with her? Why wasn’t she in her own bed?

 The memory of the night before hit her like a ton of bricks, causing tears to cloud her eyes. She furiously wiped them away as her phone rang, causing her head to throb even more. Lacey followed the sound to her purse, digging it out. The screen informed her that it was her personal assistant. She slid the green button over and held it to her ear.

“Ugh, what?”

“Lacey!” Astrid’s worried voice filled her ear. “You’re late! You’ve got two patients waiting on you!”

“What?” Lacey looked over at the fuzzy red alarm clock that was on Ruby’s nightstand and cursed herself. “Shit! I’ll be right there!”

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Just, distract them.”

 Hanging up the phone, Lacey raced into the adjoining bathroom and splashed water on her face. She borrowed some of Ruby’s makeup to make herself look somewhat presentable, running a brush through her hair. She had a change of clothes at the office along with some gum. Not the most hygienic, but she didn’t have time to go back home and she didn’t necessarily want to, knowing her husband would be there.

 Ruby appeared in the doorway, wearing a t-shirt that rode up over belly button and black underwear. “Hey, I can go pick us up some breakfast.”

“I have to get to work.”

“Need a ride? You left your car at the bar last night.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“I had a lot of fun last night…”

“Does it look like I have time right now, Ruby?”

 Pushing past her one-night stand, Lacey ignored the pulsing headache she had. No one could know how hungover she was, she couldn’t afford for it to get back to her father or God forbid, her brother.

Regina settled onto the bus seat, feeling exhausted. She had been up late the night before grading papers and had considered canceling her visit, but it had taken her months to get an appointment with Dr. Locksley-Gold. She was the only one that accepted her insurance in the city.

 Being 24, it probably shouldn’t have been her first appointment. She had told herself for years that she didn’t need it, it wasn’t as if she were sexually active and up until she started at her new job, she hadn’t had insurance since she aged out of the system. Emma was taken aback when she heard that and insisted she made an appointment right away. Regina had to bite her tongue at how surprised Emma was. Both of them had grown up in the foster system, but after Emma got pregnant at 17 by the son of one of the wealthiest women in the city, her life had gotten a lot better.

 Regina had to fight for any bit of success that she got. She worked her ass off in high school to get a scholarship to a good college, working in any spare moment to make up the rest. On top of a full course load, she had worked as a waitress. Being over the age of 18 meant she could work full time, but that was both a blessing and a curse. She had barely slept during those 5 years, living off of coffee and ramen. It had been worth it, at the very least. She was an English teacher at a Catholic middle school and was slowly chipping away at student loans.

 She pulled out her notebook as the bus drove along to the office. She knew that the idea of a novel was silly, but she couldn’t push the dream out of her head. Books were one of the few things that got her through her crappy childhood. They were an escape to various places, where she could pretend that for a minute, things weren’t so dreary. Maybe she could do that for someone else, no matter how old.

 Eventually, Regina found herself walking inside Dr. Locksley-Gold’s office. It wasn’t long before she was pulled back into a room, where a nurse took her vitals and confirmed the reason for her visit. After the nurse left and she changed into the paper gown provided, she was waiting awhile for the doctor. She couldn’t help but feel her eyes slowly shutting. It was just for a second, the only break she’d get. After her appointment, she had to get to work. She wasn’t going to fall asleep…no…

 The door slammed shut and Regina shot up, the paper beneath her crinkling. She blinked a few times, before realizing the short doctor with auburn hair was talking to her.

“Um, yes, hello. Sorry. I drifted off.”

“It’s fine. I’m Dr. Lacey Locksley-Gold.” she sniffled and Regina noticed that she had red, bloodshot eyes.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, yes. Please scoot down a bit.” Regina did as told, her feet sliding into the stirrups. “Did you bring anyone with you?”

“Um, here? No…it’s just me.” She was confused. Did adults normally bring someone with them to get a pap smear?

Lacey sniffled yet again. “You’re doing it alone, good for you. It’s…it’s probably easiest that way,” her voice cracked near the end of her sentence and it became clear she was fighting off tears.

Regina suddenly felt very uncomfortable. She wasn’t good when it came to other people’s emotions. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry. This is so unprofessional. I’m just going through some personal problems.”

“Um…do you want me to come back then?”

“No, then we’ll have to wait another month and that’s not fair to you.”

 Regina nodded, though still unsure if she trusted the woman in front of her. She stayed leaning back, feeling a tiny bit of discomfort, but then Lacey was pulling away from her.

 “Alright, you’re all set. Just rest here for 10 minutes and then you’ll get your results in two weeks.”

Regna tilted her head. “That’s it?”

“That’s it. And again, I’m sorry about the…you know.” She gestured to her face.

“No, it’s fine. I hope…I hope you feel better.”

Lacey merely nodded, before walking out of the room. God, that had been so embarrassing. She had never broken down in front of anyone like that before outside her family, much less a patient. She just hoped that it didn’t cause any stress and wouldn’t affect the insemination.

 Heading out of the room, she went down the hall to her next patient. She raised an eyebrow when she saw her sister-in-law, Marian, sitting up one of the cots. Lacey’s brother, Robin, stood beside her, a smile on his face. Lacey’s brows furrowed as she looked from her chart, back up at them.

“I wasn’t expecting you two today.”

“We’ve finally decided to try for another baby,” Marian explained. “So, we had the nurse unfreeze Robin’s sperm.”

 Lacey stood frozen in spot, her mind replaying Astrid’s words as she walked down the hall.

 “You’ve got a pap smear in 3 and an insemination in 1.”

 The number on the door read 1…but she had put the sample inside the patient in 3.

 She had put her brother’s sample inside the patient in 3.

 Robin’s only sample. He and Marian had their son four years ago. Shortly after that, he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer. Before entering chemo, Robin had decided to freeze his sperm so that way he and Marian could still live out their dream of having two children in the future. He had beat the cancer and all of his checkups still showed that he was as healthy as a horse. Of course they’d want to try again.

 Lacey suddenly felt as though she was going to pass out. What the hell had she just done?

“Lacey?” Robin asked. “Are you alright?”

 Lacey blinked a few times. She couldn’t let them know. No, that’d be a terrible, terrible idea. Robin would never trust her again. IUI only had a 10 to 20 percent success rate the first go around, Marian and Robin knew that. The odds of it even working on the other patient were slim to none. No one had to know. Especially not Robin.

“Yes, I’m fine. I just…I forgot your sample. I’ll be right back.”

 When Lacey returned, she inseminated Marian with some saline before stressing the statistics once more to them. The hopeful look in their eyes drilled a hole in Lacey’s soul. There would be other options for them, wouldn’t they? Plus, they already had Roland.

 No matter how she justified it, Lacey knew she was wrong. After all Robin had ever done for her, she had just screwed him over in the worst way possible.

[cfwarriors]

( GREGG SULKIN, MALE, HE/HIM ) — ✧ that looks like APOLLO OF BANA-MIGHDALL! they’re the TWENTY SEVEN YEAR OLD SON of ARTEMIS OF BANA-MIGHDALL. [ they are also a DETECTIVE at paragon. ] i hear they’re CONFIDENT & COURAGEOUS, but tend to be RECKLESS & OVEREMOTIONAL. his file says that his power is AMAZONIAN PHYSIOLOGY. { mel, revamping apollo and keeping the wc for Fabian’s best friend!! }

Age: 28

DOB: 30th April 1990

Hair colour: Red

Eye colour: Green

Height: 6’2

Sexuality: Pansexual

Father: Unknown

Mother: Artemis of Bana Mighdall

Powers: Amazonian Physiology

History ;;

You grew up on the move. You don’t know why, but as soon as you were old enough to travel - you were off. You have so few memories of your father, fuzzy from the mind of an infant, almost like a dream you never thought to question, all overlaid by memories of travelling with your mother, seeing the world but never truly having a home.

Your childhood was full of a balanced combination of training and love - Artemis was a kind mother, she showered you with affection and treated you like the sun, but from the moment you were old enough to hold a weapon you did. A sword, an axe, a bow and arrow. You grew up with fight in your blood, and your mother taught you how to use it.

But the love she gives you each and every day gives you so much more than that. You grow with love and compassion in your heart, and even at four years old the combination of combat training and a heart overflowing with love leads you to defend anything and everything you care for. Including a small, starved very miserable half-wolf creature you find. You take your new friend to your mother, look up at her with wide, pleading eyes and after making a promise to take care of her always, Artemis allows you to keep her.

You don’t really know what to do when you’re brought to meet your mother’s friends. A man with a streak of white in his hair, a red helmet and what seems like a permanent frown on his face. You have no idea who these people are, and while you're definitely not scared you are a little confused, a little unsure. This is the first time you’ve been brought into someone else’s home, someone else’s family.

But Artemis trusts them, and.. For you, that’s enough to at least try.

There’s another child there, someone your age, and while you don’t expect it you take to them like a house on fire. You play, you laugh, you get to be a kid, and before the night is through you’re practically glued together and you refuse to leave with your mother without a promise that you’ll get to see them again.

School is a strange combination of training and Amazonian studies, and attending a normal school with normal friends and a normal life. As you grow you miss the travelling, you miss seeing the world, sharing that life with your mother - but you gain friends, you fall in and out of love, you learn to live more than just the next fight, the next sparring session, more than training with your mother or her sisters.

And then, at 18 - everything changes.

You don’t know who they are, you don’t recognise them and you definitely don’t know why they come for you but they do, they come for you when you’re with Fabian and every instinct you have is to protect them, to save them, to make sure they don’t pay for a life they have nothing to do with.

But despite years of training, despite your determination and your will to stop this, you fail. You fail and all you can do is watch as they take a hit meant for you. You watch as the life bleeds from your other half and your soul is wrenched apart.

You pull away. From everything, everyone. You rage, you scream, you fight, you train - god, you train until your hands are raw and your knuckles are bloody, until you can barely hold yourself up anymore and then you push yourself to train even more.

Time and care and love helps, but the only thing that really heals you is when they come back and you feel the pieces start to come back together, but.. Losing your best friend has changed you.

It takes some time, some work, and care from those closest to you, but you start to move on. You enter the police academy, despite your mother’s wishes - she may not see the value in it, but you want to protect people. You want to fight, you want to serve, you want to be the best you can be - both in her footsteps and otherwise.

Personality ;;

Anyone who knew anything about Apollo before - he’s very much the same in a lot of ways! He’s still very positive, very strong-willed and determined to be the best he can possibly be. He’s always full of light and energy as always.

His self confidence is much stronger now, he has a very steady view of himself in a lot of ways. He knows he’s strong and capable and more than able to fight and work and save people. His familial ties are also much stronger as he grew up with a very stable family with Artemis, and extended family with the Amazons and the Todds.

He does still have some unresolved issues from travelling a lot and not having put down roots for so much of his life. Being in one place is a little strange for him and he will often get restless and seem bored. He’s also got some darker thoughts in his head, a voice that’s constantly pushing him, reminding him he needs to be better, stronger, faster, smarter, and as much as he tries to drown it out.. It doesn’t always work.

He will always run headfirst into fights, he’s always going to be ready to put his fists up and defend anyone he cares for - and just about anyone around him, really. Losing Fabian made him very aware of just how much he hates to see people get hurt, and while he knows he can’t save everyone - you better believe he’s gonna try.

When he’s not training or working he is a lot of fun, very energetic and enthusiastic, very much ready to dive into just about anything he finds fun and he will definitely pull his friends and family along with him where he can.

Relationships ;;

Fabian Todd - your best friend, your other half, the one person in the world you will never doubt, even when everything else falters. You know what life looks like without them and you will do literally anything in the world ot make sure you never have to go through that again. There’s nothing in the world you wouldn’t do for them, and you know they’re the same for you.

Jason Todd - Pretty much the only father figure you have. You grew up with Artemis and other Amazonians, but it wasn’t until you grew closer to Fabian and as a result Jason that you began to learn just what it could be like to have a father. You admire him more than he probably knows and you will always look up to him.

Makena Thurman - the ex you still love, but in a very different way. You and Kena had a lot of fun and you cared for her very much, but long term things just weren’t meant to be. You know you love her still, you always will, but it’s a very different kind of love - and you’re both okay with that.

Gaia Munroe Howlett - very much the one that got away. You and Gaia were close and hopelessly happy together - you were drawn to her the moment you saw her, her heart, her spirit, her energy, and even though it was new and terrifying it was also incredible, and very much the happiest you’ve ever been. Leaving her was one of the hardest things you’ve ever had to do - but you did it to protect her, you know it was right, and you’ve never stopped regretting it.

Wanted Connections ;;

Artemis of Bana Mighdall - for obvious reasons, Apollo loves his mother a lot and would love to see her here !

Junior officers - younger police officers who are newer to the force and might need some guidance and mentoring Apollo so they can learn the ropes!

Other Amazon kids- children of Diana, Donna or other Amazons who would basically be like family to him. Apollo definitely sees Diana and Donna like his aunts and subsequently their kids are like cousins

Training partners - this needs someone with a little extra oomph in their fight styles and abilities to be able to keep up with his enhanced strength/speed/agility/everything else that comes along with being an Amazon

Future Outlaws - you heard me. Apollo will follow in his mother’s footsteps and one day be an Outlaw just like she was. He might even take on a well known mantle one day. All he knows is that as an Outlaw his mother did good work dealing with bad people, and he wants to be able to carry that on and do the same.

[littleteatimestories]

Prompt: "I wish I could forget I ever met you." Pairing: With Peter Quill/Star-Lord As requested by: None -

“Okay, let’s just clarify this. You saw the so-called legendary outlaw whom I forgot his name talking and laughing with another woman?” your friend from the bar that you worked in Xandar confirmed.

You sighed heavily. “Yes, Juliet, I saw him with another woman.”

Your friend, Juliet, narrowed her brows. “You’re overreacting, (Y/n). What if he’s just talking to her and not actually flirting with her?”

You grumbled. “I know what I saw, Juliet! I know who and what Peter Quill is capable of! He used to flirt with a lot of girls and even invited them to bed.” You covered your face with your hands because you were just so frustrated right now.

Peter Quill, also known as Star-Lord, and you have been dating ever since his team saved the galaxy from Ronan the Accuser. The capital hosted a party and, luckily, you were one of those bartenders who was able to get up close with the Guardians of the Galaxy. And another fortunate thing happened was that you got yourself acquainted with Star-Lord himself; the man behind the team; the leader of the team.

At first it was just pure flirtation. He was saying nice things about you and you, of course, wouldn’t be fooled by it so you played along with him. A few hours later, he left you when his teammates called him up. And by the end of the party, he approached you once more and told you that he wanted to see you again. You wouldn’t want to get your hopes up, but you did tell him that you would be looking forward for it. And from there, he would visit twice or thrice per week. It made your heart flutter until it came to the point you two went to try dating.

Thus, you two have been seeing each other for three months now until, well, of course, the time you saw him with another woman.

You gulped down your cocktail and asked for another refill. Juliet sighed.

“You know, alcohol won’t make things better,” she remarked.

You scoffed. “Then what would make me feel better?”

“You’re the only one who can answer that, (Y/n).” She then left.

You exhaled a heavy breath. You swigged at least three cocktails. Your head was beginning to become fuzzy, but you remained yourself sober as much as you can. You then felt someone sitting next to you. You assumed that this may be another male trying to flirt with you.

"I'm not in the mood. Go away," you slurred, trying to sound intimidating as possible.

"Really? That's not nice especially to the one and only Star-Lord."

You wanted to die right then and there. Why does he have to show his handsome self this instant? Plus, why does he sound so happy? Like what happened at that time was quickly forgotten.

Oh you swear to the universe, you didn't forget about that. You remained quiet, not attempting to say a single word out of your mouth.

"Hey, why aren't you talking to me? Let me guess, I did something wrong and I didn't know. What did I do wrong, (Y/n)?" Peter was being concerned and sincere.

You really didn't want to talk to him right now, however now is better than later. "I wish I could forget I ever met you," you uttered out.

Peter squinted and tilted his head to the side. "What?"

You looked at him and shrugged your shoulders. "You heard me. I don't want to see you anymore."

Peter laughed. "Okay, enough of that, (Y/n). This isn't a joke."

This time, you glared at him. "Not a joke?" you scoffed. "I guess you talking and giggling with a woman was just a joke to you. I trusted you, Quill. I trusted you that you'll be different. But, nope, you'll always be the good ol' Peter Quill." You left your seat and started to stomp your feet to who-knows-where.

Obviously, Peter followed. He didn't understand on what you just said.

"Alright, hold on, (Y/n)!" He halted you by going in front of you. "Look, I can talk to any woman, but I'm not flirting with them! You have to believe me on this! I...!" he paused.

You stared at him, waiting for him to finish his sentence. He blinked, his mouth a little ajar.

"I what?" you started for him.

He closed his mouth and cocked his head down, avoiding your gaze. "I... uh..."

It took a good two to three minutes for him to say something until you huffed.

"I'm going. I just need to think this over." You shoved him out of your way (probably going to the exit) when you finally heard his voice.

"I love you."

You stopped. Did you hear him correctly? You shifted yourself around once again to face him. Your facial expression was contorted with such disbelief. Peter gulped and casted his eyes anywhere but yours.

"What did you say?" you asked him for clarification. You must have heard him wrong.

"I..." His words were failing him once again. He knew that if he said those words, things would get really serious between you two and he wasn't sure if he was ready for that.

You glued your feet on the ground, not planning to move any time soon. You blinked at him and waited for him to finish his words again.

Peter closed his eyes and heaved in and out. This is now or never.

"I don't know what made myself drew closer to you and got to know you more. I mean, sure, there're millions of beautiful women out there. But, you? You're one of a kind. I feel really comfortable talking to you about anything. Every time I'm out there in space, I just miss your voice. I guess I couldn't anymore imagine not having you around."

Again, you just fixated your eyes at him, a blank expression only evident in your features.

"What I'm trying to say is," he exhaled once more. "whatever I did, I'm sorry. I just don't want you to be mad at me."

Should you believe him or not? He may be just trying to coax you. And, those were not the words he said like a minute ago.

You shook your head. "I don't know, Peter. Can you give me some time?"

He looked at you with widened eyes. Time... He dreaded to hear that especially from you.

"So... Does that mean you don't trust me at all, is that it?" He became serious all of a sudden.

You didn't say anything for some brief seconds. You voiced out, "I don't know anymore."

He held both of your arms. “(Y/n), please, you have to believe me that I didn’t do anything. I…” He lowered his head and his voice was only a murmur, “I love you.”

You could feel your tears falling from your eyes. You were speechless, but you mustered yourself to say something. “I… wanted to believe you, Peter… But, I’m just confused right now.” And you finally took off without looking back. Your tears started to stream down and you didn’t know if it was the best decision you ever did or the worst one.

As for Peter, he fought the urge not to cry, but it hurt so much. If seeing his mom die in front of his eyes was one of the worst things he had experienced, seeing the love of his life walked off added to the list.

However, knowing Peter Quill, he doesn’t give up when he knew that he didn’t want to lose something or someone so important to him. His mom was an exception, though. You? No exceptions for you.

Thus, he followed you once again.

[iwritethat]

Jason Todd: The Arrangement

A/N: Hopefully, this isn’t as bad as I think it is. It’s on Wattpad and now I’ve posted it on here. Also a fem!reader, I usually try to keep them neutral but I couldn't with this. My apologies.

Warnings: Language, implied sexual content.

>>>>——————>

An arrangement. That’s all it was. That’s all it was supposed to be. This ‘thing’ you had with Jason, it didn’t mean anything - it was just sex. Like how Roy and Kori had no strings attached, Jason and you did the same and it was great. It’d just happen sometimes and particularly after long missions or for stress relief because you both knew you needed it with everything that was going on in your chaotic lives.

How it started was somewhat blurry, you were all at the bar and had downed a couple of drinks when Roy and Kori ‘disappeared’ leaving Jason and you behind. This was fine, you were both good friends and would joke around often so the situation was never awkward. It was a woman that came up to Jason, she was dressed in a slutty/sexy dress, the details are kind of fuzzy - she asked him home with her but he refused saying he didn’t want to leave you here alone. It’s a bar, it’s Gotham, it’s late, and you’re a female. Not a good combination at all and he’d be damned if he was going to just up and leave you for this woman.

“Are you fucking her or something?” The woman interrogated after Jason had told her no, you were outraged because simply inquiring if you were his girlfriend would’ve been nicer! Jason, put an arm in front of you as you went to get up, you had a few and were more hot tempered he presumed, silently telling you he’s got this one. “Look, I would never fuck her.” Jason responded, taking a glance to you before saying so. The woman smirked, and you were slightly offended - very offended because hey you’re right here. “I mean I would, but it’d be sex or making love, I don’t know. I have too much respect for her to simply fuck her. You on the other hand… Now that’s a different story.” Jason explained further, you were honoured and the woman stormed off.

You walked back together after another drink, neither of you were 100% sober but you weren’t tipsy or drunk either so you were completely stable walking home. By the time you’d got back you had forgotten to say thanks so you kissed him on the cheek and did just that. Jason stared at you for a moment, then his lips crashed into yours and you kissed back, this lead to you being pinned against the wall with your legs hung on his hips as he continued to kiss you. “Are you sure you want to do this? Because you’re going to have to stop me now if you don’t want this to go further (y/n).” Jason kindly inquired once he’d briefly removed his attention from lavishing the sweet spot on your neck to hear your response. “Yes I’m sure, it doesn’t have to mean anything.” You breathlessly replied, and so you both continued after he carried you to your room.

Thankfully, you were up first and your bed was empty when you awoke - as per usual you made yourself a drink and sat at the table when Jason walked out of his room. “Jay, I had the weirdest dream last night - me and you…” You began, thinking that it might’ve actually been a dream since there was no evidence but upon seeing Jason so relaxed when he’d got up and sending you a confused look you guessed it happened. You slept with your friend last night.

“It wasn’t a dream was it?” Jason shook his head in reply whilst you laid your forehead on the table, closing your eyes and sighing. “C'mon (y/n), I wasn’t that bad.” The man joked, attempting to lighten your mood. “No you were great, the sex was exceptional.” You complimented calmly, Jason was smirking. Big time. It went on from there, you found it benefitted you both.

You were apart of the Outlaws anyway, so you had a good friendship with Jason that wasn’t at all affected by what you were both doing - you’d sleep together (with protection of course) and pretend it didn’t happen, nothing would change. You assumed Roy and Kori knew, just as you both knew about them but these arrangement’s didn’t affect the dynamic of the team in any way - they were what they were and made you all feel better in some form, so there was no issues with it. One of you was always gone by the time morning arrived depending on who’s room you were in, not once did either of you make it more than it was and you liked it that way. It was a good arrangement.

However, over time it had started to change, you honestly thought it’d be you who gave in but shockingly it was Jason. It was his room this time, after a rough fight with a gang and once you’d cleaned yourselves up things escalated from there - it was amazing, it was always amazing but afterward when you slowly sat up and moved to the edge of the bed in order to to slip out of his room, he spoke.

“Stay (y/n).” Jason’s voice was soft, though his breathing a little ragged due to recent activities. This had never happened, ever so you being speechless was a severe understatement. His arms were propped behind his head whilst he stared up at the ceiling, the sheets reaching tantalisingly low on his abdomen meaning his abs were still on show. You didn’t know what on Earth compelled you to stay with him that night but you did, you laid yourself back down on the bed next to him and slipped yourself under the sheets for extra warmth, falling asleep soon after.

Sunlight filtered through the window the next morning stirring you from your sleep, you took a brief glance at your unfamiliar surroundings muttering a quick “Shit.” upon realising where you were. That wasn’t the strangest aspect of the situation though, you were warm - especially on your back and regretfully it was originating from Jason. His arm situated around your waist holding you very close to him, he was nuzzled into the nape of your neck and you could feel his every breathe against your ear. “Shit…”

Carefully you tried to remove yourself from his grip, it was difficult because Jason was strong so doing your best to get out without stirring him was impossible since you soon felt him place soft kisses to your neck and shoulder during your struggle. Immediately you froze, and he knew it - he released his hold, allowing you to roll onto your back with a questioning look as he was hovering over you.

In your description, Jason wore a lopsided grin before resuming his work on your shoulder and collarbone then working his way up. Again, it baffled you as to why you gave into him by tilting your head so he’d have better access to your neck but you did. Jason soon reached your lips and began to kiss you passionately then slowly pulled away after a minute or so. “What? You up for round 2 or something Jay?” You asked with a hint of sarcasm in your husky morning voice. It confused you further when he shook his head signalling that that wasn’t what he wanted, he placed a final lingering kiss to your lips and got up.

After that night, you both began to stay with one another more frequently after having sex, with the results varying from time to time. Occasionally they resulted in a round 2 or 3, you’d both just get over it or there’d be sarcastic remarks thrown. “Leaving so soon?” He voiced as you went to leave the room. “I should’ve left sooner.” A true statement, and you both knew that but couldn’t accept it. “I think you’re getting attached to me. I don’t blame you of course.” Jason remarked, gesturing to his body. “Yeah well I wasn’t the one who asked myself to stay Jason - I think you’re getting attached.” You wittily replied, shutting his door behind you. “Maybe…”

It had been a few months since the whole thing had started and you could feel that there was something different about it in the recent weeks, it wasn’t how it used to be. The only way you could explain it is how it wasn’t just sex anymore, there was something else that came with it but exactly what that was still eluded you. Although it was probably for the best if you didn’t dwell on them, or voice you concerns to Jason and happily left your questions unanswered.

With all of that pushed to the back of your mind like usual you continued with the operation to take out one of Black Mask’s shipments that would earn him a lot of money. The Outlaws just couldn’t resist not jumping this one, so you soon found yourself fighting a bunch of drug smugglers on the docks. It was going well until Red Hood captured your attention with yet another sarcastic statement. Great.

“I’ve done something stupid!” Red Hood yelled mid way through the brawl.

“Again?!” The sarcasm flowed from your lips as you punched a thug in the jaw.

“I’m serious. This is probably the worst.” The vigilante responded, matching your tone. “I’m always fixing your problems, so would you just spill!” You dodged a bullet shot, but still managed a reply before disarming the guy.

“You can’t fix this one (y/n), you can either make it better or worse.” Red Hood managed, tone more serious as he landed a kick to someone’s gut.

“It can’t be that bad, who or what does it involve.” “Us - you and me.”

“There’s an us?” You questioned with an upbeat attitude, ducking under a punch and sent the attacker to the floor with a brisk kick to the groin the quickly rolling out of the range of another bullet.

“You’re missing the point.” He stated a matter-of-factly causing you to scowl. “Then tell me the damn point.”

“It’s not that easy!” Red Hood was beginning to get frustrated, you could tell. “You’re making it complicated.” You happily retorted, performing a drop kick. “Trust me, I’m not!”

“I can be the judge of that if you’d tell me!” You yelled, evidently you were starting to get annoyed with the lack of information you’d obtained.

“I can’t!” “Why not?!” You pushed further, sliding across the ground to pick up an abandoned gun to shoot your attackers and maybe defend your teammates if they needed it.

“I’m not sure how to!” It must be something Jason doesn’t like talking about was the theory you’d acquired based on his justification. “Just say it!” “No!” “C'mon Jason!!!”

“I fell in love with you!”

That statement completely threw you off and you kneed the last person in the face so they fell to the floor unconscious leaving you dumbfounded, shocked and slowly turning to Red Hood who was taking off his helmet.

“What? No, that can’t happen - you couldn’t have, shouldn’t have… How did it?!” You panicked, apparently in denial about his love for you because it shouldn’t exist.

“I don’t know how love fucking works (y/n), but it sucks! One second I’m with my friend and the next I’m waking up with this beautiful woman in bed with me, the morning sun is hitting her skin and honestly she looks like a vision. Her (h/c) hair is tousled because of me from the night before but it looks so sexy, she gets up to stretch wearing a (f/c) camisole and I’m taken with her because at that moment I’m realising she’s everything to me. I couldn’t help it, I was up and inches away from her in seconds, both of us still tangled in the sheets and she’s smiling at me, blushing and looking away asking me what was wrong - and she looked so perfect. Then I was kissing her, my lips were on hers in an instant and I’m pushing her back down onto the bed because I didn’t know how to tell her I’d just accepted that she was the love of my life.”

“I remember that…” You quietly acknowledged, still at a loss for words after reminiscing on the month old memory Jason had beautifully described.

“Say something. Please.” “I - I don’t know, this wasn’t supposed to mean anything. No strings attached.” You rushed, the point of the justification still unknown but by the look on Jason’s face - it hurt him.

“So you haven’t felt it? It’s not just sex to me anymore (y/n).” His voice was cracking toward the end and you knew feelings and emotions weren’t his favourite things to discuss.

“I have, and me neither. There’s something there, and as much as I try to deny it… I love you too Jay.” You whispered, the last part rolling off of your tongue and Jason was ecstatic to hear those words even if his expression didn’t show it.

Instead he pulled you in for a lingering kiss, making sure to let everyone know that you were officially his girl now. The hand that didn’t hold his helmet went to the small of your back pulling you against him so he could continue to kiss you. “This probably wasn’t the best place to confess your love for each other y'know.” Roy claimed, lightly nudging the arm of an unconscious thug.

[reapers-carino]

/runs in with one shoe on/ May I have a lil ficlet where Gabes S/o was cryogenically frozen a day before the Swiss explosion, because he knew what was going to happen (didn't anticipate the outcome) and then came back for them years later as reaper, reunion that ends sweet and they'll basically follow them to the grave. Please~ your a peach

“You trust me, corazón?”Your eyes danced over his face, your heart thundering in your chest as Gabe’s thumb lightly stroked your cheek, his outer resting lightly on your shoulder. Things were coming apart at the seams; Blackwatch had been revealed to the world, Overwatch was under increasing scrutiny and the public outlash was becoming more resentful, tumultuous. Despite all this, Gabriel hadn’t stopped his hard work. Over the years he had begun to find hints that those behind Overwatch and Blackwatch weren’t the altruistic benefactors that they had made themselves out to be. Omnic rogues connected to LumériCo, Volskaya Industries funding the Talon terrorist organization, the Omnium explosion in Australia tied to an under the table deal with the United Nations. Initially, he had hidden this information, from both you and McCree, not wanting to pull more people into this conspiracy until he was sure it was just that and not happenstance. When he had finally informed both of you, it was already too late. Whoever was in charge knew that you were onto them and they had retaliated swiftly. Gabriel forced McCree to leave first; it was better to think he gone AWOL rather than he committed treason by staying. Gabriel’s protege was smart, he said he couldn’t take the arguments, the infighting of both organizations too much for him to bear. One night he was there and the next he was gone; sent away with money, false identification, a few of his personal effects and his gun. Your safety was next. He wouldn’t say exactly what was coming next, but he explained that it would be catastrophic and he would be damned if you got caught in the crosshairs. You couldn’t convince him to go with you, the both of you knew in your heart of hearts if he went with you it would cast way too much suspicion. Plus, he needed to reach Jack. Arguments or not, the two were still best friends, brothers in arms and Gabriel wasn’t going to just let him die without giving him some kind of clue what was going on. But he promised, as soon as things died down, he would come and find you and the both of you would get your ‘happily ever after’. You gulped thickly, nodding your head slowly, a shaking smile creasing your lips. “Well duh”, you said passively, giving a slight shrug of your shoulder, trying to downplay the anxiousness that thrummed through your body. “Wouldn’t have followed you all the way here if I didn’t, now would I?”You tried to be playful, tears burning in your eyes as you made eye contact with him. You both were tired; tired of being the pawn of a world who didn’t give a damn about you, tired of being told you couldn’t have a happy ending, that you would die before you got some semblance of peace. You closed your eyes tight, tears slipping down your cheek, turning your head and pressing a loving kiss to his palm. You nodded your head a few more times, laughing quietly, mirthlessly. “Un poco más”, Gabriel said, pushing your hair behind your ear and leaning down to press a kiss to your temple. “I’ll come and get you when things die down, okay? Te amo, mi reina.”He kissed your temple, your forehead, the bridge of your nose and both of your cheeks before capturing your lips in a tender, loving kiss. Your arms wrapped tight around his neck, not wanting to let go of him, a few more tears squeezing past your lids. His hands moved to your face, his calloused fingers light stroking both of your cheeks as the both you pulled away from one another. You could see the emotions swimming behind his eyes and the control he was exerting as he looked at you. You gave a shaky sigh before giving a confident smile, nodding your head. “I love you too my king”, you responded, placing your hand over his and rubbing against the back of his hands. “Now go save the world.”He gave a low, rough chuckle before taking a step back away from you, your hands falling to your side as you pushed yourself further back into your cryogenic pod. The cushioning in the machine formed around your body, creating a comfortable surface for you to lean back on. Gabriel attached the oximeter to your finger, squeezing your hand gently before releasing it. He placed one last kiss on your forehead and lips before pulling back. The door of the pod slid down over you, the floor sliding up slightly to snugly secure you in the machine. You tapped down on the claustrophobic anxiousness that threatened to claw up from your chest, a soft hissing sound alerting you to the sleeping gas release. Gabriel gave you a comforting smile as the gas did its job, your eyes growing heavier and heavier. “I love you”, you mouthed to him.“I love you too.”-----------------------------You woke up in bits and pieces, your mind bleary, head falling listlessly against your chest. Warm air poured in through vents on the side. It chased the chill out of your bones, slowly coaxing your mind from its slumber. Your face twisted up in concentration as you tried to open up your eyes, a soft croak falling from your lips as you tried to speak. “Hey hey...it’s okay.”That deep, scratching tenor was like music to your ears, a small smile tugging at your lips. “Gabie”, you murmured throatily, your eyes finally peeling open. Your vision was completely blurred, you were only able to see the fuzzy outline a tall black figure. Your snort of laughter dissolved into a cough, the figure rushing forward to gently touch your shoulders, rubbing them in small circles. “Ah--your hands are cold!”Gabe yanks his hands back, your eyes blinking a few more times to clear up your vision. Little by little you were able to make out a clearer image of your boyfriend. You couldn’t hold back the soft chuckle as you finally caught full sight of him. It seemed he had upgraded from a black hoodie to a full, almost floor hooded trench coat with--were those shoulder pads? He looked pale, the normal warm red undertone of his brown skin replaced by a cooler gray, if his arms were any indicator. There was tension in his posture though, his hands were clenched into tight fists, his shoulders tight. You groaned softly as you tried to move forward a bit more, wincing as you moved you shifted your stiff legs.“Ah!”You fell forward, your eyes squeezing shut tight as you braced for impact that fortunately did not come. Gabriel’s arms were wrapped tight around your center, your face pressed against his chest plate. “You okay”, he asked, holding tight to you as you found your footing, still leaning against him heavily. You moaned softly, pulling your head back and nodding, your hand lifting and rubbing at the part of your forehead that slammed into his armor. A sudden shyness crept in on you as his hands moved from a steadying hold to a more tender one, a hand shifting to your lower back. You felt him go stiff under your touch as your eyes lifted to look at him, your mouth parting in surprise as you met his gaze. His skin was actually cooler toned, like all the blood had drained from his body. His face was covered in more scars than you had remembered, some fresh healing other solder. Your hand lifted, tracing a scar that stretched from under his right eye and down to his jaw, pulling your bottom lip between your teeth as you concentrated. His curly hair and goatee were peppered with white hairs, the black still managing to have the gray beat. His skin felt so cool underneath your touch, your palm cupping his cheek tenderly, your eyes shifting their focus back to his. The rich cinnamon irises were now the color of garnet, flickers of black licking at the corners of his sclera. His jaw clenched under your touch, his eyes tearing away from yours but he didn’t move from your touch. “Hey guapo”, you hummed softly, thumb lightly stroking his cheek, his eyes shifting back to yours. “You getting old on me, ain’t you papi?”A slow smirk tugged at his full lips as his arms wrapped around you in a bruisingly tight hug. Your arms wrapped around his neck, the fingers of your hand lovingly stroking the back of his neck. “Te extrañé mi amorcita…”The next few hours were spent checking out your body, eating, drinking and talking. He told you about the explosion, the botched resurrection, how it took him a year to heal and two more to adjust to whatever the fuck he had become. He explained how Overwatch was outlawed, his work alongside Talon and how he had discovered more and more connections now that Gabriel Reyes was presumed dead. Technically, you had been pronounced dead as well, another unrecoverable body. He was frank with you, explaining that he couldn't stop his work to bring down those that had threatened not only the world, but had threatened his family.“I know you were tired”, Gabe started, staring directly into your eyes. “You don't have to join me on this. I have safe houses anyw---”“And miss out on the adventure”, you interrupted, a determined smirk on your lips. “There's no way I'm leaving your side again Gabriel. So if you're going, I'm going with you.”His face softened as he reached across the table and gently grabbed your hand. He squeezed before pulling it to his lips and pressing a hard kiss to the back of your hand, littering several across your fingers. His gaze was gentle, tender, the look that made you fall more and more every time you saw it.“Thank you mi reina…”

[houstonlocalus-blog]

Don’t You Wait: The Best of The Week

Solange. Photo: Paradigm Talent Agency

  Well, the Super Bowl is here, which means a ton of artists will be on hand performing all across the city, although many of you won’t be able to get close enough due to enormous crowds. Solange, ZZ Top, Lizzo, and Polyphonic Spree will all perform here this week while most of us attempt to get around all of the chatter and mess. Houston, your next seven days are all planned out.

  On Wednesday you can start off at Discovery Green and surrounding areas for the Super Bowl Live event featuring Americana rockers Buxton.  Far from heroes in this neck of the woods, the band’s last album Half A Native is one of the best albums a label ever botched the release of.  Aside from the swooning notes from that album, the group brings it live for the all ages event that gets going around 3 pm with sets from Second Lovers and more with additional information here.

  Walter’s will host the synth heavy jams of LA’s popular Cold Cave.  Mixing dark wave, noise, and synthpop, Cold Cave reminds me of a lot of what Great Britain offered up in the ’80s.  Known for an energetic live show, their latest release, The Idea of Love from last year, is pretty enjoyable.  The new wave goth pop of LA’s Drab Majesty will be on hand as direct support an opener and his live sets are supposed to be a real trip.  The all ages show has doors at 8 pm and tickets between $15 and $17.

  Youth Code. Photo: Dais Records

  Eastdown Warehouse will have the return of Pittsburgh’s Code Orange.  The kind of hardcore these guys bring isn’t usually my deal, but their latest album Forever does hit pretty hard.  This show is highlighted with a direct support slot from LA’s Youth Code is worth checking out.  Youth Code has always kind of reminded me of a modern day mix of Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson, without the cheesy factor, and their latest release Commitment To Complications is pretty killer.  Arizona’s Gatecreeper opens the all ages show with doors at 8 pm and tickets between $12 and $16.

  Over at Club Spire on Main, you can get up close and personal with world renowned DJ A-Trak.  He’s been turning heads since he was 15 and a stint as Kanye’s DJ didn’t slow him down by any means.  His sets are known to get people moving and his latest release, last year’s In The Loop: A Decade of Remixes, can definitely get you moving.  The 21 & up show has locals but none mentioned yet with doors at 10 pm and tickets for $20.

  Lizzo. Photo: Atlantic Records/Jabari Jacobs

  Thursday you can begin over at Discovery Green for the Super Bowl Live event that kicks off with the hip hop of Houston’s INGRID, who’s latest album from last year, Trill Feels, is pretty hot.  Lizzo will bring her intense and groovy new album Coconut Oil to life afterwards before a set from jazz pianist, Robert Glasper Experiment.  Of course, Solange will close out the night for the all ages and FREE event that gets going around 3:00 pm with extra sets from Children of Pop, Bang Bangz and more on hand.

  Over at Mucky Duck, the often laconic voiced sounds of Nashville’s Minton Sparks will swing by to perform.  Adding a spoken word type set full with lush Southern notes, Sparks will make you think while she melts your heart.  Her last release, 2014’s Gold Digger is an album everyone should hear, and her live sets have been acclaimed from coast to coast.  The 21 & up show has doors at 7 pm and tickets between $22 and $25.

  Boy Harsher. Photo: Courtesy of Artist/Travis Weitzman

  Satellite Bar will host the synth oriented darkwave sounds of Massachusetts’ Boy Harsher.  This two piece dropped a pretty amazing EP in 2014 called Lesser Man, only to drop a full length last year called Yr Body Is Nothing that went darker and harder.  They’re known for an intense live show, and they’re an act you should check out if you’re a fan of the genre.  The dark synthwave sounds of Houston’s Tearful Moon will provide direct support while the always intriguing strangeness of Ak’chamel will go on prior.  Andrew Lee of Lace will perform a solo set as opener for the all ages show with doors at 8 pm and tickets for $7.

  Fitzgerald’s will have a barn burner when one of the craziest acts you can see, Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers will swing by to perform their blend of blues, Americana, rockabilly, and Southern gothic tunes.  These guys never keep things the same and they even employed Duane Denison of Jesus Lizard at one point.  However, now they’re just a fist pumping four piece with a killer new album called Agridustrial, and their live shows are always like a crazed tent revival set to music.  The throwback tonk of The Delta Bombers will provide direct support while the rockabilly energy of The Brains will go on prior.  The outlaw country of South Texas’ The Barnyard Stompers will open the all ages show with doors at 8 pm and tickets between $15 and $20.

  Walter’s will have the fun side of Ween, when a set from Dean Ween Group stops in to drop a set.  Ween is the one in the band who plays the more pop oriented songs, and his latest album The Deaner Album from last year feels like a ton of fun from start to finish.  Amandla will provide support for the all ages show with doors at 8 pm and tickets between $20 and $24.

  NOTS. Photo: Ground Control Touring/Chad Kamenshine

  Rudyard’s has the weird punk of the Memphis based all female four piece, NOTS.  Known for an intense live show and critically acclaimed sounds, their latest album Cosmetic is worth lending an ear to.  Austin’s John Wesley Coleman III will provide direct support while the intriguing dance meets indie rock of Houston’s Keno Sims will open the all ages show with doors at 8 pm and tickets between $10 and $13.

  Friday things get heated when you can start at Market Square Park for live tunes from Dollie Barnes, Young Girls, and more.  The all ages and 100% FREE event gets going around 11 am and ends around 3.

  Catch Fever. Photo: Uncredited/Courtesy of Artist/Facebook

  If you really want, you could head back over to Discovery Green and the surrounding area for more of the Super Bowl Live shows.  Robert Ellis, Leon Bridges, The Suspects, and more will all be on hand, as well as performances from Catch Fever, Vodi, -Us. and Wrestlers.  The all ages and FREE event gets going around noon.

  Believe it or not, you can steer away from all of that madness and head out to the Woodlands to catch funk legends WAR in the Big Barn at Dosey Doe.  Seriously, these guys wrote the book on funk, they can still bring it when they perform, and hits like “Low Rider,” “Why Can’t We Be Friends?,” and “Spill The Wine” should be more than enough reason for you to head out and catch them while you still can.  Your ticket includes dinner which is served from 6 pm to 7:30 pm for the all ages show with tickets between $98 and $158.

  You Blew It! Photo: APA Agency

  Walter’s will have a set from Florida emo rockers, You Blew It!. ��I hate this band’s name, but contrary to what some think, I dig their sound.  Their 2014 album Keep Doing What You’re Doing got them a larger audience, but their latest Abendrot is where the love should be focused.  The album finds the band incorporating a more adult sound while hanging on to emo core elements from their past, resulting in a record that you should check out.  The indie pop of All Get Out will provide direct support while the emo of Tennessee’s Free Throw will open the all ages show with doors at 7 pm and tickets between $12 and $17.

  If you’d rather get your laugh on, you could attempt to get into one of the two shows at Fitzgerald’s featuring the always funny Hannibal Buress.  Whether you know him from his comedy specials, his time on The Eric Andre Show, or his albums, Buress never disappoints.  The 7 pm show is sold out, but there’s an all ages show with doors at 10 pm  with tickets between $35 and $40.

  Kay Weathers. Photo: Josh Cobb

  Kay Weathers will return to town with a set over at Nightingale Room.  While I’m pretty sure that Main street will be a nightmare to navigate, you should still swing by to catch her perform.  A crazy light show and adornments galore, her debut EP Songs For Lucy is pretty amazing.  She’ll have the hyper energized jams of -Us. on prior for the 100% FREE 21 & up show with doors at 7 pm.

  If you’d rather steer from music altogether, then you could head to Hardy & Nance Studios for the Cheap Date show.  Over thirty five artists will have art on display, all for a $20 price to take home, and the attached market means that you should definitely swing by to grab some things to decorate your spaces.  There’s more information here for the all ages event that gets going around 7 pm and runs between $3 ad $5.

  At Proof Rooftop Lounge, Long Beach rapper and weed aficionado Snoop Dogg will drop by to perform an exclusive set as well as drop a DJ set.  Of course I don’t need to give you the man’s resume, though his latest release Coolaid from last year is worth giving an ear to.  The 21 & up show has a limited number of tickets between $50 and $175 with doors at 8 pm.

  Jody Seabody & the Whirls. Photo: Uncredited/Courtesy of Artist/Facebook

  Rudyard’s will have a headlining set from Houston’s Slow Future.  Though the band has only been around for a couple of years, they’ve stayed on track with a pretty solid release on last year’s First EP.  That might be enough for people, but the insanity of a set from Jody Seabody & the Whirls will be on as direct support, and as someone who’s caught them multiple times; be prepared to be impressed.  The highly charged fuzzy indie rock of Houston’s A Sundae Drive will be on as  openers for the 21 & up show with doors at 9 pm and a measly $8 cover.

  On Saturday you can keep the Super Bowl goodness starting at Market Square Park for an opening set from Dayta, followed by performances from Handsomebeast, El Lago, Vodi and more.  The all ages event gets going around 11 am and it’s 100% FREE.

  Over at Discovery Green and the surrounding area, you can get groovy with another day of Super Bowl Live.  A headlining set from Houston legends ZZ Top will be preceded by a performance from Gary Clark Jr as well as one from Houston’s The Suffers.  There’s also sets from Dollie Barnes and more for the all ages and FREE event that gets going around noon.

  The Phantom Royals. Photo: Uncredited/Courtesy of Artist/Facebook

  At Continental Club, you can check out the multiple vocal chorus sounds of The Polyphonic Spree.  The Dallas group lead by Tripping Daisy’s Tim DeLaughter has never disappointed with their mix of trippy pop and multiple vocals, and their live shows are always amazing.  While their last album Yes, It’s True is do for a follow up, their first two releases The Beginning Stages of… and Together We’re Heavy are what they’re known for.  There are also sets from The Phantom Royals, A Fistful of Soul, DJ Mikey and more.  Things get going around noon and it’s 100% FREE.

  If you just want to avoid all of the madness around football, then you could swing by The Archway Gallery to see and hear the collaborative effort between Sandy Ewen and her mother Jane Ewen.  Art, music from Sandy’s trio Etched in the Eye to perform will all be on hand alongside gratis beer and more.  The all ages show gets going around 7 pm and it’s 100% FREE.

  Screech of Death. Photo: Uncredited/Courtesy of Artist/Facebook

  Vinal Edge will host the Women In Punk Fest featuring art punk, old school death punk and more.  The show, featuring sets from No Love Less, Mel Hell & The Texas Mod Crushers, Screech of Death, Supergrave and Clare, has more information here.  Things get going around 7 pm and the all ages event is 100% FREE.

  Later on at Continental Club, the queen of rock n’ roll, Wanda Jackson will swing by to play to a more than likely packed house.  Jackson hasn’t really slowed down from a career that began in the 1950’s.  Realistically, Jackson is reaching that age where this might be one of your last chances to catch her, and her 2011 album The Party Ain’t Over was her kind way of saying she’s not going anywhere. The 21 & up show has doors at 10 pm and tickets for $25.

  On Sunday you can finish the Super Bowl Live series with a headlining performance from Houston’s purveyors of Latin ska, Los Skarnales at Discovery Green and the surrounding areas.  I don’t need to oversell these guys, I’ll just say that they’re performers that actually perform while redefining a sound they’ve nurtured since they began.  Grupo Fantasma is also set to perform alongside others with things getting started around 11 am for the 100% FREE all ages event.

  Negative Gemini. Photo: Courtesy of Artist/Facebook/Uncredited

  Monday, Walter’s will host the unabashed and unadulterated electro pop of Brooklyn’s George Clanton.  Clanton has skewed all over the electronica genre, and while his live sets have always been entertaining, the electro pop world is where he really shines.  Lucky for us, his new album 100% Electronica is as pop as it gets, echoing the likes of OMD and Aha.   The chillwave dreampop of New York’s Negative Gemini will bring plenty of dance grooves on during her set as direct support, while Houston’s XLO will bring a textural nature to the show beforehand.  A DJ set from Children of Pop will make things ultra groovy as openers for the all ages show with doors at 8 pm and a $10 cover.  

  On Tuesday the crew from Bootown will bring another edition of their video clip rewritten series Neo-Benshi back to The Secret Group.  The show, featuring people reworking the script of a video in the style of Mystery Science Theater 3000 is always worth making it out for.  The all ages show has doors at 7 pm and a paltry $5 cover.

  If you just want to escape, then you can forget all about the madness of the NFL festivities at Walter’s for their VHS Night.  A double feature of sorts will play, maybe some tape swapping for those who still prefer the bulky film casing, as well as drink specials and more.  The doors are at 8 pm, it’s all ages, and the FREE event has more information here.

  That’s about all that’s happening around town this week.  Don’t forget that it’s going to be bonkers, there will be law enforcement everywhere, as well as drunken tourists with the keys to a rental car.  So be mindful, be safe, and use your best judgement for everyone’s sake.

Don’t You Wait: The Best of The Week this is a repost