#andre three stacks

[culthermag]

Andre 3000’s “ 47 Messages “ Jumpsuits for the OutKast Reunion Tour in 2013. Every night he wore a different jumpsuit with a conversation starting message printed displayed on the front of it. In his own words, he said that he thought the fashion statement ( quite literally ) could act in a progressive manner, aiding socio-cultural concerns.

All 47 jumpsuits went on to be displayed in a gallery at The Savannah College of Art during Art Basel Miami. These jumpsuits also went on to spark a collection of t-shirts with the same messages. [ x ]

[tha-wrecka-stow]

You Can Find The Instrumental -> Here

[littlethriftywalker]

OutKast

[msbigredmachine]

New To This - Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you all for the wonderful response to the first chapter, I really appreciate it!

Enjoy Chapter 2!

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

Home for Delilah was a small, aging modular house tucked away in an urban suburb in eastern Pensacola. It previously belonged to Andre’s father, and it served as a fairly decent abode for the young couple ever since they got engaged nearly two years ago. Andre had been living there for a decade, moving in to work at his uncle’s auto shop immediately after graduating from high school. It wasn't the most luxurious of dwellings, but it beat the miniscule space she’d been crammed in with her father, mother and older sister for years, so Delilah really couldn't complain.

Rolling her eyes at her mother’s wedding-laden text message, she pulled her keys from her pocket, guided it into the lock and pushed open the door. Closing it firmly behind her, she leaned back against it, shutting out the rest of the world for the rest of the day. Hanging her hooded jacket on the hook by the door, she kicked off her sneakers and dumped them in the corner along with her gym bag, knowing she put them in their proper place, but was too tired and hungry to worry about that right then.

She wandered into the kitchen, ignoring the small stack of unopened bills on the countertop, and opened the refrigerator. The three pieces of leftover chicken and half-full bottle of red wine wasn’t going to cut it. Sadly, ordering takeout was a bit of a luxury right now, so she had to make do with whatever she could find in the refrigerator and the pantry. Luckily, her mother had ensured that both of her daughters became creative enough cooks to see through any food shortage, which, these days, occurred more often than Delilah liked to admit. So, retrieving as many ingredients as she could find, she set about making dinner for herself and Andre, a peace offering of sorts after their turbulent morning.

It had been a stressful last few months, combining her wrestling classes with numerous double shifts at both her jobs to make ends meet. Adding the equally demanding task of planning her wedding was not helping. More frustrating, at least, according to Andre, was the fact that their nuptial plans were being delayed by her so-called ambitions, chipping away at what little income they both earned. Delilah truly wished he could see the big picture, or at the very least, show a little more support. He, of all people, should have her back. That the rest of the townspeople thought she was out of her mind didn’t mean that he had to agree with them.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the front door open. Knowing who it was, her insides clenched a little with apprehension, wondering, perhaps hopeful even, that her fiancé would be in a reconciliatory mood. The footsteps coming from the living area got louder as they got nearer. Delilah diverted her focus from the saucepan to watch Andre stroll into the kitchen. and despite the tension that had been brewing between them all day, her heart couldn’t help but welcome the affection that rushed over her for him.

Andre Gibson had been every girl’s fantasy once upon a time. Still was, if Delilah was being honest. He was yet to lose any of the physical traits that made him so desirable back in high school. Just hitting six feet, his body was lean and toned from years of doing most of the heavy lifting at his father’s landscaping business. They were inseparable when they were younger; the best thing about school for her was sneaking out to hang out with him, making out with him in the bleachers after basketball games. It was like Heaven for Delilah, elated to be in a spot so many girls were dying to be in. The romance continued after high school, to Delilah’s pleasant surprise, culminating in his proposal two years ago on her twenty-second birthday. And now here they were, living together as soon-to-be man and wife.

“Hey,” he mumbled, rubbing a dirt-streaked hand over his tired face. His worn shirt was unbuttoned with his toned abs on display, and he dumped his backpack on the ground against the wall by the back door.

“Hey,” Delilah returned his greeting. “You’re home early. How did your day go?”

His tired sigh preceded his reply. “Same old, same old. We had one breakthrough though. Pops and I finally completed Mrs. Whelan’s garden.”

“Oh yeah, I remember you talking about that,” she said, stirring the contents in the skillet. “That’s great. I’m glad to know you finally pulled it off.”

“Same here, babe.” He came up behind her, peering over her shoulder. “What’cha got cookin’?”

“Improvising a little with the leftover chicken,” she started, pausing when his hands cupped her hips and his lips met her shoulder. And right away, she knew what this was. This was his way of apologizing about this morning; showing her affection without saying a word. That was the thing about her relationship with Andre. There was something special about the way that they didn't have to speak to know what the other was thinking. They fought, then acted like nothing had ever happened when they got back together. She felt he was in the wrong for this argument, but she wasn’t expecting an apology…no apologies were ever really exchanged afterwards…Everything just went back to normal, seemingly papering over the cracks, in Delilah’s humble opinion. But it kept the peace, so it was better if she kept that little discrepancy to herself.

“Now that we know how your day went, you wanna hear about mine?” she asked.

Chuckling to himself, Andre pushed gently away from her. “Sure, babe,” he said, “How was training today?”

“Tough as fuck,” Delilah grumbled, as Andre grabbed a glass and held it underneath the kitchen faucet. “Tank’s not letting up, even with two days to go till my match. But you’ll never believe who showed up at the warehouse today.”

“You really want me to guess?”

“Maybe not,” she conceded with a giggle, her eyes brightening with excitement as she recalled their brief meeting. “Jey Uso! Jey Uso of all people, Dre!”

Andre raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Am I supposed to know who that is?”

“He’s a big shot in the WWE. One of the top guys in the entire company,” she explained, even though it would most likely fall on deaf ears. “And the coolest part is he’s from right here. Raised in Pensacola just like we were.”

“That’s nice,” Andre responded with a nonchalant, almost bored tone as he settled down at the kitchen table. Delilah was well aware that Andre didn’t watch wrestling. He always called it fake and childish, but that opinion changed slightly when Delilah returned home from her very first class with bruises all over her body. She’d hoped he’d take interest in it, if only for her sake, but that didn’t look like it was happening anytime soon.

She finished making dinner and set a plate in front of him, shredded caramelized chicken with white rice and fresh tomato salad. It wasn’t gourmet, but Delilah had done what she could with what little they had. “Mm, smells good,” Andre complimented, grabbing his cutlery to dig in. Delilah sat beside him, casting pensive glances at him as she ate, pondering the right time to ask him a burning question. It was a few bites into her meal when she decided now was the right time.

“You know, you still ain’t told me if you’re coming to see my match or not,” she spoke up.

Andre’s cutlery ceased their skittering across his plate, and he averted his gaze. Delilah detected his answer right away, and her shoulders dropped. “You’re not,” she sighed, shaking her head.

“I didn’t say that,” he said quickly, “But you do understand why I won’t be able to make it, babe. You know what work is like for me these days.”

“I’ve been talking about this for weeks, Dre! You know how important this is to me! It’s my very first match! It’s in two days. Or did you forget that too?” Angrily, she stabbed her fork into a piece of chicken, trying not to imagine it was her fiancé’s eyeball. “You know what? Forget it. You don’t gotta come if you don’t want to.”

Andre started to counter her, but stopped, thinking twice about it. The last thing he wanted was yet another fight, because this was exactly how it always started. They’d been arguing a lot lately, and honestly? He was already over it. “Look…I’ll do my best to make it to your match,” he said.

“Yeah right,” Delilah rolled her eyes, ignoring the glimmer of hope that bloomed within her. “I ain’t holdin’ my breath, that’s for sure.”

“Come on, babe, I’m for real. I’ll clear out my schedule. I’ll set a reminder on my phone and stuff. I promise. Just gimme the details and I’m on it.” He stared at her with pleading eyes, determined to keep the peace between them. It had been a long, tense day, and in-house tension was the last thing he needed.

Delilah smiled, finally. “Fine. I can work with that,” she agreed. “Now finish up. Your mom sent me a few ideas on places we can have the reception. And after that…If you’re a good boy, maybe later, I’ll show you a new move I learned today.” She leaned closer to him, whispering in his ear, “In bed.”

The hand she’d placed on his thigh suggested volumes, and the tantalizing prospect made Andre smile, “Sounds like a plan, babe.” And with that, things were back to normal.

Or so they both wanted to believe.

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

The next morning…

Good thing she didn’t hold her breath in the end.

As Delilah dumped the heavy weights on the ground, she let out a loud growl, trying to release the tension surging through her body. She paced back and forth frantically as she glanced around the small gym, looking for what else to take out her anger on. Every muscle in her body was begging for mercy, but she couldn't stop. She had to take her frustrations out on something, otherwise she would take it out on someone, preferably Andre. Luckily, the gym was relatively empty, sparing some poor soul from her unwarranted wrath.

Fucking coward. He couldn’t even tell her to her face that he’d changed his mind about coming to her show. If that was even his intention in the first place. He’d scribbled some lame ass excuse on a piece of paper while she slept, and left it on his side of the bed before scurrying off to work. He was long gone by the time she woke up, presenting her with fewer reasons to trust her future husband.

The music blaring in her ears made it impossible for Delilah to hear or see anyone around her. And the anger she was feeling made her essentially ignore her surroundings. So it took her completely aback when she turned towards the direction of the punching bags only to run smack into a brick wall. "What the fuck!"

Josh smirked slightly as he took a step back, watching her yank the buds out of her ears. "Ay, my bad, on me," he apologized, chuckling at the discombobulated look on her face. "Thought you saw me comin’."

"Clearly not. You ain’t that hard to miss," Delilah snapped, tearing the fingerless gloves off her hands. "What are you even doing here?" she shot, noting vaguely that he didn’t look dressed for a workout. The man who had, just the day before, seemed imposing and breath-taking, was now just another testosterone-filled asshole standing in her way, like her fiancé.

Josh crossed his tattooed arms and stared at her. "Relax," he smiled. "Thought I would stop by and see how you were feelin' about tomorrow night, but I guess that's pretty obvious," he said, eyeing her up and down. He’d been on the mark about her body…bangin’ was an understatement. He forced himself to maintain eye contact to avoid staring at her nipples protruding through her sports bra.

Delilah grabbed the bottle of water sat on the nearby bench, unscrewing the cap and taking a few gulps. There was more than one reason she was feeling the way she was, and none of them put the butterflies in her stomach at ease. "I don’t even know why I’m trippin’," she shrugged. "I'm only jobbin' out anyway. Why would I want him to see me lose?"

“Want who to see you lose?” Josh inquired.

Delilah pursed her lips, contemplating whether she should answer or not. “My fiancé.”

He regretted asking. “Oh. Right. Tank said something like that,” he mumbled.

Delilah stared up at the huge man with narrowed eyes. “You and Tank talked about me?”

“Not the way you think,” Josh quickly clarified at her suspicious expression. “He has a lot of faith in you, which is why you ain’t gotta worry so much about tomorrow. You’ll be fine.”

"You make it sound so easy-breezy,” Delilah groaned, shoving her sweaty hair away from her equally sweaty face. “Maybe if one of us got hurt, the fans will have something to remember the match by."

Now it was Josh's turn to roll his eyes. Damn rookies. "Yeah, then you’ll be the fragile weakling nobody wanna work with. I know Tank taught you better than that," he countered. "Look, it ain’t all about winning and losing, not right now anyway. It’s about making an impression on your audience. The fans need a reason to keep watching you, and the suits need a reason they should hire you to wrestle. So everything you do in that ring matters. As long as your match is entertaining as fuck and you don’t kill anyone, that’s all they’ll care about."

Raising an eyebrow, Delilah chuckled. "Right. I’ll keep that in mind for tomorrow," she said. Biting her lip in contemplation, she met his eyes again and fought the urge to swoon.

"Ay, it’s okay to be nervous. You gotta phase that out, though,” he added. “And whatever you got going on at home, put that shit aside until after the match." 

It was a little unnerving how well he’d read her. “Easier said than done,” she scoffed.

For a second, Josh thought about prying, but decided against it. "Wanna know what I was like the morning of my very first match?" He watched her countenance perk up, giving him a curious half-smile that he thought was insanely attractive. "I got so nervous, thinkin’ and worryin’ about the match and shit, that I forgot my bag with my wrestling gear in it. Boots and all. I didn’t realize it until I got to the arena," he explained. “I had to rush back home, and the traffic was so crazy, I didn’t get back to the arena until about ten minutes before my match. That shit sucked ass, man.”

Nibbling on her bottom lip again, Delilah eyed Josh with awe as he spoke, his understanding words and softer eyes putting her more at ease than before. To think that the great Jey Uso had felt this jittery before his first match made her feel like they had a little more in common now.

"I really want this, ya know?" she said, relaxing some more as she confided in him. "I've always wanted this. I had a later start than most, I’ll admit, and I’m playing catch-up. That’s why I'm busting my ass so hard," she admitted. "There’s no room for error, Jey. I gotta be perfect."

Licking his lips subconsciously, Josh watched her take another sip of her water, some of it escaping her lips and trickling down the valley between her breasts, and felt a tightness deep in his gut. "Perfection don’t exist, baby girl, not in pro wrestling," he pointed out, his eyes reactively sweeping down the curves of her body before he spoke again. "Look, if Tank thinks you ready for this, then you ready," he said.

Delilah sighed heavily. She could only hope Tank was right. As she picked up her towel and bag off of the floor, she stopped short, and then turned to face him again. “Wait…Did you just call me baby girl?” she asked him.

A smirk twitched at the corner of his lips. “Sorry. Bad habit. I meant no disrespect. If I offended you, I'm sorry.” He stepped closer to her. “Forgive me?”

Delilah swallowed, taking a few steps of her own backwards. She noticed his lips twitch again in amusement. “Uh…yeah. Sure.” 

Josh smiled. “Preciate that, Delilah.” He backed away. “I’ll see you tomorrow night. Think about what I said, a’ight?”

She watched him walk away from her and out of the gym, so many questions on the tip of her tongue. Her hand tightened over her water bottle, and she suddenly felt the need to take a cold shower, or two.

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

Thoughts?

Banner made by me. Credit to the owners of the pics and gifs.

TAGGING: @jxtina-86 @wrestlingprincess80 @fame-ass-ers @southerngirl41 @alyyaanna @squishyguishy @jstarr86 @murrylove @thewarlordsworld @mzv11 @cozyaliensuperstar7 @nayys-world @hunnidmilly @cyberdejos2 @papireigns-05 @niknakbucks92 @captainwithoutmakingitlove @sovereigngoth @aisharmi @kennedi0818 @alichesmi @thesamoanqueen @herwickedlittlesins @questionable-behaviour @tribalchiefreigns @2-muchsauce @thatbxtchsblog @raya-hunter01 @marchi36753 @lovelysuccess @christinabae @wooahmiri @thatonecarebear @tabletheofhead @rheaanddamianfan @vebner37 @hanley1577 @princessesareforsuckers @-naturally @joannasteez��@bbygirlky18 @lilucey @theninthwonder @melaninsugababy @chocovibesonly @msbluehaz3 @scarlettnoir01 @heerah34 @empressdede @tbmotw @darkangelchronicles @visionarymode @marasdeathnote @aintnorainbows @meggylynnloves @shantinextdoor @harlemblipster @trc-punzel @afterdarkprincess @nbanenefrmdao @sassginaswanmills @purplehairgawdess @holisticcoach @girlwhogaf @royalkay23 @heyitsnajabrinee @stoner2k @reci1996 @catxo @iamimanim @lookmais @ts1mp0ne @shonny09 @lizzyd1ish @m3llowww @skyesthebomb @final1miya @mzv11 @kia1996 @randomuser0711 @yourtribalqueen @caramelcleopatraa @katymae12344 @that-one-anxious-mango @yana3sworld @ajenae @truefant4sy @thetribalqueen @bhjszsdxc @paigereeder @christinabae @justazzi @maknaehyucks @mindairy

[figomagazine]

Let's talk about the 2025 Grammy Nominations:

You've seen the headlines, and by now I'm sure you're across the nominations list (if you aren't, spoiler – it's a HUGE year for female-led pop), so now it's time to deep dive into the key awards. What do we think? Who was snubbed? And who will be taking home a gold-plated gramophone in February?

Before we get into the finer details of it all, there are some key highlights from the 2025 nominations announcement.

Could 2025 be the year women take over the Grammys?

In short, it certainly looks like it. Of the ten artists nominated across album and record of the year, six of them are women – but last year there were seven, so this trend isn't exactly a new one. But it is only women who are nominated for both.

Looking at the 2025 nominations list, what stands out most is the dominance all of these artists have had across the last 12 months – you can't even begin to have a conversation about music in 2024 and not talk about the astronomical rise of Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter making pop music fun again, Charli XCX's Brat movement, Taylor Swift's surprise double album drop, Beyoncé's take on country music, or Billie Eilish's ambitiously tender third record. In fact, all I needed to do was mention their names, and I'm sure you're already in a highlights reel.

While Beyoncé will have some tough competition come Grammys night, she is leading the way in the nominations list – and rightly so. As far as nomination numbers go, she is wearing this year's crown, racking up 11 nominations for her eighth studio album Cowboy Carter and its singles. That is also a personal best for her, one-upping the 10 nods she received back in 2009.

But she isn't the only powerhouse female artist leading the 2025 Grammys charge, she is just one of five fan favourites nominated across ALL THREE top general categories – that is record, song, and album of the year. Joining Beyoncé in the battle for 2025's biggest awards are Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and Taylor Swift. Not far behind is Charli XCX who features in two of the three majors, and has scooped a STACK of very well deserved nods across the list.

It is the year of big female voices, and we are HERE for it.

Adding to nominations in all three top general categories, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan are also big contenders for Best New Artist – and if either of them were to make a clean sweep and nab all four awards they'd be the first to accomplish the feat since Billie Eilish did it in 2020 for her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (however, it hadn't been done before that since Christopher Cross all the way back in 1981).

We also LOVE to see Raye and Doechii up for Best New Artist.

What is the 2025 Grammy tea?

The sheer chart dominance of Sabrina, Chappell, Taylor, Charli, Billie, and Beyonce made predicting their nominations sweeps pretty easy – however it is some of the remaining nominations in these key categories that have left us scratching our heads.

I am yet to find a music fan or critic who would have even had Andre 3000’s instrumental flute album New Blue Sun as a dark horse pick for a general Grammys category, so seeing it nominated for Album of the Year has definitely raised some eyebrows, and while the Grammys love including a veteran in their nominations list, in a year so chock-full of incredible releases, seeing The Beatles' AI-enhanced "Now And Then" land a Record of the Year nod was still a surprise.

This might be a hot take, but we are quite surprised to see Taylor Swift's "Fortnite" feature so prominently – of course, Tortured Poets Department deserves its nod (and I don't think we'll see many Taylor release years that don't find her name amongst Grammy nominees) but "Fortnite" is arguably one of the weaker singles from the album.

We've discussed front runners and surprise nods, but what about those that missed out? Who are the biggest 2025 Grammy snubs. Much like Shaboozey's “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” seemed to be an inescapable force this year, earning a stack of nominations including Song of the Year, it is hard to believe that Hozier's "Too Sweet" missed the list entirely.

Benson Boone was surely in many Grammy predictions lists, across a number of categories, so it is interesting that his only nomination is in the Best New Artist category. It has been a huge year for pop releases, so it can be argued why his smash hit “Beautiful Things” missed Record and Song of the Year, but we had it ear-marked for Best Pop Solo Performance. Though, looking at the category as it stands, it's hard to argue who you might swap out.

An interesting snub a little deeper into the nominations list – it is interesting to note that while Taylor's "Fortnite" could pick up Record and Song of the Year, it did miss out on a nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance – instead Taylor finds herself nominated as the featured artist on Gracie Abrams' "Us".

In such a fierce year of pop releases, there were bound to be some releases that in a lesser year would have been shoe-ins for nominations but in 2025 didn't make the cut. This year, that spot goes to Dua Lipa's Radical Optimism who –following Future Nostalgia's Best Pop Vocal Album win back in 2021 – didn't receive a single nom. The same can be said for Ariana Grande, who did score three nominations this year, but doesn't find herself in any of the major categories.

Add to the list artists like Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj, Tinashe, and Tyla – while we wouldn't be arguing for a major category, it is surprising to see in a year where we are celebrating pop music's female force, all of these female artists were overlooked in their respective genre round ups.

We also continue to see Latin music grow on a global scale – but especially in the US, where it is the fastest growing streaming genre – so why then do we see no representation in any of the major categories? The same can be said for K-Pop, which has made it's way to the forefront of music conversations but still cannot manage to crack mainstream acknowledgement. Interestingly Recording Academy CEO and President Harvey Mason Jr acknowledged to AP News this very point, saying, "I definitely see room for improvement across many genres...Without the right representation we don’t get the right results. When I say right, I mean reflective and representative of what’s happening in music today. So, the work continues.”

How do the Grammy nominations even work?

Have you ever wondered how the Grammy awards end up with their nominations list? How they whittle down 12 months of huge hits into a neatly package selection of those deemed "the best"?

The Grammys are somewhat open about their process, boasting that they are the only music award that is determined by creators themselves – as they describe it "the peers of those being judged".

It's the performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, instrumentalists, and other creatives working in industry are also the ones voting. In that sense, they refer to themselves as a selection of music awards for the artists and creatives, by the artists and creatives.

It all sounds very democratic.

To be eligible for the 2025 Grammy awards, a recording had to be released between September 16 2023 and August 30 2024 – that is why Chappell Roan's somewhat sleeper The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess – released September 22 2023 – was just able to sneak in and take advantage of it's somewhat delayed success story and be nominated alongside record's released nine or 10 months later.

Artist teams then have to get strategic and submit the albums and singles they want to be considered for each category – for example, Sabrina Carpenter's team put “Espresso” forward for Record of the Year and “Please, Please, Please” for Song of the Year, while Taylor Swift's team stuck with "Fortnite" for both, forgoing the likes of "I Can Do It With A Broken Heart".

They suggest that typically they receive around 20,000 different entries every single year – that's a lot of music to squeeze into 94 categories across 12 fields, with just five or eight picks each.

What are our 2025 Grammy predictions?

Is 2025 finally the year Beyoncé takes home either album or record of the year? Although she has won a record number of Grammys, and been AOTY-nominated for her last four solo releases, the top two awards have continuously eluded her. 2025 might be one of the most closely competitive years for both categories – with each of the artists we've already mentioned making up such a solid part of this year's musical and cultural zeitgeist.

It truly is hard to predict, based on merit alone, who might take out the top categories. So purely on hope and vibes, these are our predictions:

Record of the Year

This is a spicy spicy category. I would LOVE to see it go to Chappell or Charli to acknowledge the sheer impact they have had across the last 12 months, it would also be HUGE if Kendrick's "Not Like Us" got the gong, but it's more likely that Grammy darlings Taylor or The Beatles will scoop this one.

Album of the Year

I wouldn't be made if any of the aforementioned powerhouses took this one – Charli, Chappell, Billie, Taylor, Beyoncé, and Sabrina would all be wholly deserving winners. Our bias is peeking out here again, because we want a Brat or Midwest Princess AOTY score. In all likelihood though, it's hard to see the Academy not giving this one to Taylor – and as a fan of her catalogue (yes, we were there at the Eras Tour singing and dancing along) we really don't think TTPD as a whole collection of music is anywhere near her strongest output.

Song of the Year

Before we dive into our predictions, now is a good time to explain the difference between Record of the year and Song of the year. Song of the Year recognises the craft of writing the song and lyrics (so it goes to the songwriters) whereas Record of the Year celebrates the overall production and performance of the song and is about the final recording you hear (so it goes to the artist, producer, and engineers) – basically Song of the Year = Best written song, Record of the Year = Best recorded song.

"Please Please Please", "Good Luck Babe", and "Not Like Us" would all be huge winners, but given the sheer commercial success of Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" it's hard to look past it.

Best New Artist

This has shaped up to be one of our favourite categories, the sheer talent across the board is a really great summary of the artists who managed to breakthrough in the last 12 months. Best New Artist is surely Chappell Roan's to lose, it is hard to look past the stellar year she has had, but we'd also love to see the likes of Raye or Doechii take this one out.

What are FIGO's Grammy 2025 picks?

We are guitar music fans at heart, so we're scrolling straight to the Rock, Metal & Alternative Music field to share our opinions.

Best Rock Performance

Looking across 2025, it is really hard to believe that some of these releases are the best rock music had to offer up. "Broken Man" is a great cut from St Vincent's album and we'd love to see IDLES nab themselves this Grammy, but we're almost certain it'll be a The Beatles win. Our pick though is "Gift Horse" — IDLES OR "Broken Man" — St. Vincent.

Best Metal Performance

We love Spiritbox and "Cellar Door" got a lot of rotation in the FIGO office speakers, so we wouldn't be made about them getting the win. But truly, this has to be a Knocked Loose and Poppy Grammy score – we could talk for months about the impact Knocked Loose have had in terms of bringing hardcore music to the fore, and a Grammy win is absolutely deserved to acknowledge that. A win for KL here would be absolutely incredible for the scene.

Best Rock Song

Same as Best Rock Performance, our pick is "Gift Horse" — IDLES OR "Broken Man" — St. Vincent. Maybe they can knab one each and make us equally happy.

Best Rock Album

It's got to be Fontaines D.C. We won't argue that Romance is our favourite pick of their catalogue, but in terms of boundary pushing, artistic evolution, how unsettlingly spunky it is – and how it stacks up against the rest of the category – this is the album we are gunning for.

Best Alternative Music Performance

While we might have just said that Fontaines D.C.'s Romance isn't our favourite FDC album, "Starburster" is one of our track's of the year so it would be very very cool to see it nab the gramophone here. But we'd also love to see a woman take out these usually very male-dominated categories so if Kim Gordon or St Vincent scored a win, we wouldn't be mad either.

Best Alternative Music Album

Clairo's Charm is a truly beautiful collection of music – sure, it leans solidly more pop-sounding than any of the other record's in this category but this is where it has landed. Though, as mentioned before, Kim Gordon and St Vincent are also solid options.

When are the 2025 Grammy Awards?

The 67th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday, February 2, 2025, in the Los Angeles Arena.

[fangirlingfromdownunder]

Comfort in Girl’s Day

Summary - Part 49 in the Comfort series

Pairing - Dean Winchester x Reader, Reader x Sam (platonic), Reader x Bobby (father-figure), Andre (OG Character) x Reader (best friends), Garth x Bess

Series Masterlist | Masterlist

A/N: Sorry guys, it’s another short one this week. Been busy with my family for the holidays. I hope you all had a great Christmas (or whichever holiday you celebrate). 

In town, you and Destiny visit a few stores shopping for clothes, toys and beauty products for a relaxing girl’s weekend in the Bunker. She tries on various outfits for pyjamas, day clothes and even a few nice dresses for the occasion that you may be able to celebrate her addition to your little family properly. You even buy a few new outfits for yourself; it’s been so long since you went clothes shopping without a set event or intention in mind. 

After a few hours, both your and Destiny’s stomachs begin to growl. You know you won’t be able to get her a raw cow’s heart to eat in public but you hope she might be able to tolerate a rare steak until you can get home. You go to a diner down the street that you know serves decent meals. You order a rare steak and chips for Destiny and a medium rare for yourself with veggies, knowing you’ll get her chips. You also ask for a pitcher of water and two glasses. On your way to the table, you notice a stack of newspapers; on habit, you pick one up. Dean always gets them to look for cases, despite the internet being much better for that now, but you want it for a different reason. While you wait for your meals to arrive you flick through to the real estate listings and open houses. As you scan through crossing off houses that are totally out of your budget or style your eyes settle on a secluded property in the mountains. You know Dean would never want to live in the town with neighbours crowding him and invading his privacy, so the location is perfect. The house also looks in quite good condition, from the photos anyway. You type the address into your GPS and decide to drive by it before going back to the Bunker after lunch. 

Destiny eats the steak reluctantly to quench her hunger for now; it doesn’t provide the same nutrients that she requires as the heart would, but she doesn’t complain. She’s always so grateful for everything you do. You pick at her chips along with eating your own meal; your appetite is nowhere near as big as your husband’s and it’s even smaller now that you’re not over-exerting yourself on hunts. But you manage to make a decent dent in both meals and then take what’s left of your massive steak home for dinner. 

“You mind if we make a detour on the way back to the Bunker?” you ask Destiny once you’re both finished eating.

She shakes her head. “Where we going?”

“There’s just something I want to check out. It’s a house. Maybe a new home for us and Dean, of course, if he agrees.”

“What about Sam?”

“If there’s enough space he’s welcome, but I think if we leave the Bunker he’ll go back to college or something. I don’t know. Sam will do whatever he wants. I thought the giant scared you?”

“He does…But he’s nice.”

“He is. You ready to go?” You ask and she nods. 

You follow the GPS directions up into the mountains until you find the house from the photos. It has the exterior look and feel of a peaceful cabin in the woods, but it’s bigger than the average cabin. It’s large, but not too large, according to the ad, it’s four bedrooms and three bathrooms, with a full-size kitchen, lounge, study, games room, and a double garage. It also has a shed out the back and a pool. It’s a large block, but that just adds to the appeal as there’s no one else around. It will be like your own private sanctuary. Like the bunker, but without the lair-like feel. You truly believe you could make this a home. Of course, you still need to look inside and convince Dean, but you have high hopes. 

After having a decent look at the property, you head back to the Bunker to unpack your shopping haul. Both a little tired from all the events that have already occurred today, after unpacking, you decide that it’s the perfect time to watch a movie and just relax. You bring blankets and pillows into the Dean Cave and set it up for an afternoon slumber party. While you set up the room, you let Destiny scroll through Netflix to find something to watch. Once everything is set up, you both snuggle up in the cushions and blankets. You send a quick selfie and text to Dean letting him know everything is good and reminding him to be safe. Destiny then presses play on her pick of movie: My Neighbor Tororo. You’re not surprised she picked an anime, considering it’s what Dean has been putting on at bedtime most nights (thankfully he’s been choosing G and PG-rated ones while she’s around). 

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Tag list: (Leave a like or comment on this post or let me know below if you want to be added to the tag list for this series)

@bitchwitch1981, @muhahaha303, @justrealizedimmascifygurl, @mcdowell-123, @leigh70, @marvelsmarauder, @losa12308, @tapedeck-hearts, @luvjaida, @peachtxa, @ambearsstuff, @shadow-of-a-cloud, @slut-for-buck, @iprobablyshipit91, @sassy-pelican, @fallenlilangel99, @heavenlyhopeful0, @nelachu2423, @ladysparkles78, @canyouimaginethatstory, @mrlonelycat

[vacantgodling]

I have a burning question for you. One we all need answers to (only if you want to feel free to let this ask rot in your askbox for eternity you have my permission.)

is donut wip alive

KAT!!! i’m happy to see ya :’)

technically speaking donut wip & the entirety of the liminal space series as a whole are still alive! (i’m not a huge fan of killing off my wips i usually just shelve them indefinitely until i circle back to the idea) — couple of reasons it’s shelved rn tho

1. paramour brainrot >>>>>>>> like seriously this wip has made me insane idk what magical combination of tropes and ideas i managed to spark like 2 years ago but i have never been this abnormal about a wip ever i think lol. so a lot of my wips have been sidelined in favor of my Child.

2. i got Super Stuck. not just regular stuck where you get writers block for a bit then move on no, i mean Super Stuck as in i was stuck on donut wip chapter 15 i think for like a year and a half before i finally said “i cannot force myself to write more in this draft i have to take a break” so i stepped back from it and the series in general to figure out what was going on with me and my brain. and i think really what it came down to is at that time it wasn’t fun for me to write? it felt very much like a chore—despite all of its horror it seemed “safer” to write. it was the thing people were expecting out of me and i felt like i was writing more to fulfill expectations than to actually write this story because i enjoy it. AND I DO ENJOY IT!! that’s the crazy thing. i really like this story and the nuance i allowed to grow into it when it literally started as me being “fuck it write a horror novel just to finish something and don’t care about the characters” but i care about them so much now etc etc.

but because i don’t do well when i feel forced it just sucked the joy out of it for me. paramour in comparison, has never felt forced. it’s always exciting and stimulating to my brain because it is a wip that is so very Me all over it. and i wanted donut wip to have that same feel but i gotta give it more time. maybe i’ll try doing the outline to writing method that i’ve been doing and working for paramour so i can avoid getting stuck again.

however, i did actually rewrite donut wip’s chapter 1 proper back in may of this year—i wanted to see if i could come back to it and make myself write it Forreal and i could! i did! and i’m really happy with it! which is exciting! and as a treat you (and anyone else who reads this full nonsense ramble or remembers donut wip from eons ago) can read that revamped first chapter—first official piece of donut wip writing i’ve ever really posted. just cuz like tbh it means a lot to me that you care about that story weh ;3; and remember—

so without any more waffling: here is chapter one, uncensored from spoilers so u get drawn into the mystery 👀

Chapter One

I groaned when my guitar string snapped again for the third time today, the discordant twang echoing in my large dorm, up to the rafters. I heard Andres laugh from Tiffany’s bed.

“Oh yeah, making faces at it will help.”

“Fuck off.” I stuck my tongue out at him. “Toss me…” I waggled my pointer finger towards a stack of boxes between Tiffany’s bed and my desk. Opened and dangerously leaning was a box of replacement guitar strings, near empty and I’d only bought them a few months ago. “… Those.” Andres didn’t move though. I groaned again.

“Andre!” I snapped my finger and my voice at him. “Strings!”

“I’m not a dog. Besides, you’ve been at this for three hours. When are you finally gonna give up for the day and spend some time with your bestie?” He put emphasis on the word, but the trill of his voice was playful. “Hmm. I have been buggin‘ on this part a bit.” I pretended to think, tapping my thumb against my cheek. He seemed hopeful. I caved and laughed aloud. “Later!” I giggled at his groan. “I wanna make sure this melody’s flowin’ right before I break. Then we can play Spyro or whatever else ya wanna do.” Seeing as he couldn’t be bothered to give me my strings, I got up myself and toed my way through the mess that was steadily building up on the floor between the beds. I snatched up the box before Andres could knock it over with his outstretched foot.

“Oh, you watch it mister.”

“Sooooory.” He dragged out, but his grin told me he wasn’t sorry. I flipped him off, then flopped back down on my bed, quickly setting to work on restringing. More of them had begun snapping lately as I composed, but I chalked it up to stress. Finals wore me down this semester, more than they had in our first year, but it was bittersweet that they were over now. This year went by so fast, it’s like I blinked and it was December again. Beside me on the bed my bright yellow phone buzzed.

“Who’s that?” Andres asked. I flipped it open to look at the message.

from: vivi

Are you sure you want to stay for winter break?

from: vivi

Dad wanted me to ask again.

I tossed my phone back on the bed.

“Just my sister!” I said cheerfully. “Doing dad’s errands again. I told him I didn’t want to deal with him and Miss Borsche.” I wrinkled my nose. “He’s been buggin’ her to get me to come with them since I told him no.”

“Come with them… where?”

“Oh usually dad goes on some sorta cruise or vacation for the holidays. But, he never invites Vi. So I never go.”

“Why doesn’t he invite her?” The question was posed nonchalantly, and I looked over at Andres, who was looking down at his smartphone.

I’d venture to say that we’d become near best friends now after the past year and a half of knowing each other, yet there was still a lot we didn’t know about each other. I knew he had siblings, but not their names, and he knew about Juvia, but not anything more than that. I knew his family wasn’t rich but they worked extra to push him through school. He knew that mine was, but I had loans out the ass. We played guessing games every now and again—to get to know each other. But whenever there was some real-life line we went to cross in our blossoming friendship, he was always open and I always hesitated. It’s just how it were.

“She…” I tilted my head back and forth a bit. “It’s a bit complicated, I reckon.”

“Then take your time telling me. I’m not rushing you.” Our eyes caught, and he gave me a tiny smile that I couldn’t not return back. But things fell quiet after that, and I turned back to my strings.

Winter break was here, and the freedom that came with it curled around our slowly emptying building like the fresh blanket of snow that dusted our sleepy little college town. On the telly earlier, there were talks about a blizzard rolling in sometime between today and tomorrow. The snow for now was peaceful, and inviting. It crowned even my windowsill when I woke up this morning, and even if I wasn’t with Juvia in person, the holiday buzz still felt strong in the air.

A rap on the door drew me out of my thoughts.

”It’s open!” I called. The handle clicked then pushed open a crack, just enough for someone to poke their head in.

“Kelley.” Andres acknowledged the second I breathed out “Joaquin!” Our R.A regarded us with a lazy smile, and my eyes traced the curve of his handsome mouth. A flush of heat shivered through my body, and I darted my eyes away when they met mine.

“How are you two holding up here? Your folks coming soon?”

“Negativo.” Andres leaned back on Tiffany’s pillow, stretching one leg out into the air. I heard something pop and I made a face. “They’re back home and I don’t have enough money for a plane ticket there. So I’m staying.” Joaquin nodded easily, then he turned to me again. “Julissa?”

“Just Juls is okay!” I said quickly. I coughed. “Um, no, I’m also staying. If that’s alright?”

“No rules against it.” Joaquin flashed me a smile. “I was checking to see who’s still going to be here so I can send a final count to the director.”

“Is it just gonna be us?” Andres asked.

“No, there’s,” Joaquin paused to pop open the door a little further, and leaned against the wall. He counted on his fingers. “The three of us. Then, Daisy Kennedy, on the third floor. René Edwards, down the hall and….” He looked up at the ceiling, trying to remember. “Ah, Saul…Carson, I believe. Top floor.”

“Didn’t know you had someone named Saul on your floor.” I said, looking over to Andres. He snorted. “Me either. Aside from my roommates, I only really talk to you Juls.”

“You’re such a loner.” I teased, as though I was any better. Andres chucked Tiffany’s pillow at me.

“Hey!”

“Actually Kelley?” Andres started. I threw the pillow back and nailed him in the torso, making him choke on his next words. Joaquin’s quiet huff of a laugh distracted me for two seconds—enough for me to let my guard down. Andres jumped from Tiffany’s bed to mine and grabbed me in a headlock.

“Andre!” I shrieked, but he was merciless. His freehand dug into my side and began to tickle at my sides. It wasn’t long before I was howling with laughter, trying to desperately shove him off me. Amused, Joaquin waited patiently with his arms folded loosely over his chest.

Andres finally relented and let me go and I kicked his shin for good measure. “God, I can’t breathe.” I wheezed. Andres laughed jovially, then turned back to Joaquin. “I was going to ask if we had to stay in our dorms while we were here?”

“Well,” He looked between Andres and I, raising an eyebrow. “I don’t think you need my permission, you’re both adults.” I felt heat swarm my dark cheeks and next to me Andres sputtered. “It’s nothing like that!” He snapped. “I just mean, I got a leak in my room and Juls offered to let me crash here. I just don’t know if the break protocol is different than during the school year.”

“A leak?” Joaquin frowned, reaching for his phone. It was similar to Andres’s, clear and sleek. He tapped a few buttons. “From the roof?”

“Yeah. I woke up this morning to snow dripping down my face.” Andres shrugged. “I don’t know how long the leak has been there, it’s been pretty dry this year. But I don’t want to deal with it, it’s literally right above my bed.”

“Like I said, you don’t really need my permission to stay wherever you’d like. But thanks for telling me, I just scheduled a maintenance request.” Joaquin tucked his phone back into his tight jeans. “Should be a few days but it should be fixed.”

“If it wasn’t snowing, I’d get up there and do it myself.” I hit Andres with my hand lightly. “That’s dangerous.”

“Wouldn’t want you falling off.” Joaquin hummed. “Now that I would be held responsible for.”

“Are you staying too, Joaquin?” I asked. Andres elbowed me. “He just said that. Earth to Juls, get your mind out of the gutter.”

“It wasn’t there in the— Oh, I hate you!” Andres and I began squabbling again and from the door Joaquin laughed. “I’ll leave you all to it!”

“Thanks for coming by!” I called after him as he moved from the doorway. Before I turned fully back to Andres, from the corner of my eye, I saw… something follow after Joaquin. I couldn’t get a good enough look at it, but what I did see looked like a cream colored tail.

[paisholotus]

We Tryna Get Chose!

So, I typed a text to a girl I used to see, saying that I chose this cutie pie with whom I wanna be. And I apologize if this message gets you down, then I CC'ed every girl that I'd see-see 'round town.

And hate to see y'all frown but I'd rather see her smilin', wetness all around me, true, but I'm no island. Peninsula maybe, it makes no sense, I know crazy, give up all this pussy cat that's in my lap, no looking back.

Spaceships don't come equipped with rearview mirrors, they dip as quick as they can, the atmosphere is now ripped I'm so like a pimp, I'm glad it's night, so the light from the sun would not burn me on my bum.

When I shoot the moon, high jump the broom, like a preemie out the womb, my partner yelling, "Too soon! Don't do it! Reconsider, read some literature on the subject; you sure? Fuck it!

You know we got your back like chiroprac-tic, If that bitch do you dirty, we'll wipe her ass out as in detergent. Now hurry, hurry, go on to the altar, I know you ain't a pimp, but pimp, remember what I taught ya!

Keep your heart, Three Stacks, keep your heart! Ayy, keep your heart, Three Stacks, keep your heart! Man, these girls is smart, Three Stacks, these girls is smart.

Play your part, play your part!

Letter by~ Andre 3000

[twins2994]

Minnesota Twins-Seattle Mariners Series Preview

6.28.24-Bailey Ober RHP (7-4) 4.50 ERA Vs. Logan Gilbert RHP (5-4) 2.71 ERA

6.29.24-Pablo Lopez RHP (7-6) 5.11 ERA Vs. Bryce Miller RHP (6-6) 3.90 ERA

6.30.24-Joe Ryan RHP (5-5) 3.31 ERA Vs. TBA

-The Twins At A Glance- The Twins took two of three from the Diamondbacks in the desert. The bats broke out with twenty-one runs in the past two games. The team heads up to Seattle to finish off this long road trip. The Twins got a break when Carlos Correa's wrist showed it wasn't broken. Correa left the game very quickly after taking a pitch off his wrist. He said he would be in the lineup for Friday's game. Correa has led the team with nineteen RBI this month. Royce Lewis played through an illness in Oakland and has been slumping since that time. Justin Topa is expected to throw a bullpen session next week and Brock Stewart is scheduled to throw his third bullpen session on Saturday. Josh Staumont hasn't allowed a run in seventeen innings of work with the Twins. The Twins bullpen has a 3.75 ERA this month, which is 13th best in baseball.

-The Mariners At A Glance- The Mariners have been a streaky team lately. They won eight of nine games before losing six of their past eight games. They are one of the biggest surprises in baseball and are 4.5 games ahead of the Astros for first in the American League West. Luke Raley and Mitch Garver have been hot in June with five homers each. Cal Raleigh has knocked in eighteen in June despite a .197 batting average. The M's are averaging 4.5 runs per game this month. Seattle has the third-best starting staff with a 3.41 ERA. The Twins will see Logan Gilbert, who has been very good with a 2.71 ERA. They'll miss Luis Castillo and George Kirby. The bullpen is in the middle of the pack with a 3.88 ERA. Andres Munoz has struck out forty-three men in thirty-two innings of work. Tayler Saucedo has been good from the left side. Trent Thornton and Ryne Stanek help set-up Munoz from the right side.

-What To Watch For- The Twins took three of four from the Mariners at Target Field in May. The two sides split a four-game series at Safeco Field last July. The Twins seem to always go to Seattle in June or July over the past few years. Bailey Ober is (2-0) with a 4.05 ERA in four starts against the M's. Mitch Haniger has two career homers off Ober. Logan Gilbert is (2-1) with a 4.95 ERA in four starts against the Twins. Pablo Lopez is (1-1) with a 2.45 ERA in three starts versus the Mariners. Bryce Miller gave up six runs over 5 2/3 innings in his lone start against the Twins. Joe Ryan is (0-3) with a 7.30 ERA against Seattle. The Twins get to see how they stack up against a solid Mariners team.

-Chris Kreibich-

[clementine-side-blog]

Quintessence: A Short Horror Story

This is a short story I wrote for my Living Experience and Culture English class for college! I had a lot of fun creating the characters, and I even made backstories for each of them. Maybe I'll try and draw them one day! But anyways, I hope you guys like this as much as I do! If you read this, thank you for supporting my writing! <3

I really took inspiration from The Backrooms, The Twilight Zone, Silent Hill, and I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream.

Basically, I wanted this story to just confuse the fuck out of the reader and make them go "HUH!?". It makes no sense, and I intended for it to make no sense. But if you have any constructive criticism (please be nice about it), feel free to leave them in the comments! :)

            The van clunked and clanked with every bump in the road that it rolled over. All the passengers gripped their seats for dear life, as if it was the only thing grounding them to this earth. To be fair, Erin was a bit of a reckless driver. They followed the laws in place, of course, but they were a bit haphazard about how they chose to do that. Andre was still grateful, however. Not many people could say that they had a friend who’d do anything for them at the drop of a hat. Erin was that friend to Andre. He had been friends with Erin since they were both around 5 years old, and they were closer than siblings could ever hope to be. Anyone who saw the bond they had immediately grew envious.

“Sorry guys! I thought I avoided that little pothole…” Erin trailed off, focusing back onto the road before them.

Andre leaned over to his left, and he looked over his shoulder to see how the other two were doing. Parker Parks, or “Jack” as he preferred to be called, was gripping onto his pants so tightly that his knuckles were white. The man’s perfectly gelled brown hair was now falling apart slightly, and a few pieces hung in his chiseled face. He looked like he was biting back a snarky comment, no doubt about Erin’s driving skills. Andre gave him a soft smile before moving his gaze to Charlie Sung. She was a stunning woman, but she had a cold energy about her. Her blue eyes were so piercing that it felt like they bore into your very soul. She didn’t look as bothered as Jack was, but she didn’t look too pleased either. One of her slender legs was hiked over the other, both of her hands placed on top of her knee. When she noticed that Andre was looking at her, she did nothing except give him a brief smile. He turned back to the front and started to fidget with his camera.

“No, you avoided it…just not the other three…” Jack said, adding the last part a little more quietly.

Charlie spoke up, averting her eyes from the blur of pine trees outside of the window. She looked at Jack, giving him a playful roll of her eyes. With one of her manicured hands, she patted Erin’s shoulder reassuringly.

“You’re doing just fine, don’t worry. Where are we going anyways? If we’re going to film near a forest, why don’t we just go to a park or something?”

Jack nodded, pointing at Charlie to put emphasis on their question. Andre reached down between his feet, and he grabbed a duffel bag. There were more bags in the back that had other props in it, but he kept the smaller things up front with him. He opened it up and brought out two scripts, handing them to both hired actors. They took the stacks of paper, flipping through them for the hundredth time.

“Well, we could, but I’d rather not have children screaming in the background. Besides, I know there is a state park up here somewhere. It’ll give us better scenery as well as a quiet place to film.” He explained.

“Yeah! It’ll be fun, and we’re gonna get froyo afterwards!” Erin added enthusiastically.

Jack and Charlie nodded, continuing to look through the script. It made sense, and it was smart. The film was nothing huge, as it was merely a project Andre had in his film class. Cinematography had always been a passion of his, and he was fascinated with the idea of capturing something and turning it into a story. One of his favorite genres was horror, so naturally that was the type of film that he was making. Erin, Jack, Andre, and Charlie were going to be in the film. His plan was to make it like it was found footage. The story was simple, and he took a lot of inspiration from The Blaire Witch Project. The four of them were going to be friends on a hike, and they ended up getting lost. Slowly but surely, they disappear mysteriously. Again, it was nothing spectacular, as the only filming equipment he had to use was his handheld camera. But he was determined to make a good movie, nonetheless.

“Well, I’m always down for froyo, sounds like a plan to me.” Jack commented, smiling as he read his lines in his head.

Charlie hummed to herself, rapping her fingertips against the thick papers. She looked back out the window and took in the area around them. They group was practically in the middle of nowhere, and the gray cloudy sky added to the isolating feeling. A frown tugged down her mouth, and she turned back to everyone.

“It looks like it might rain. If it does, are we still good to film?” She asked.

Andre nodded, almost excitedly.

“Yeah, that’s perfect actually! I was hoping it would rain. It’ll provide a nice atmosphere for the movie. I just hope it doesn’t get too bad to where it starts storming.”

Erin shuddered.

“I hate thunderstorms.”

The group fell silent again and went back to doing their own things. For a while, the ride was peaceful. The drizzle of the rain on the windowpanes eventually lulled Jack into sleep with his face pressed against the glass. His snores were a bit irritating, but they became white noise after a little while longer. The drive felt like a road trip, but with two people you picked up off the side of the road. Andre and Erin had only met the actors a few weeks ago and hadn’t spent too much time with them. They seemed like nice people of course, but they weren’t exactly friends with them. Andre pulled out his camera and looked at Charlie.

“Do you mind if I film a little bit of the drive? I want to have some exposition in the film. You can improvise anything if you’d like.” He asked.

Charlie nodded, running a porcelain hand through her raven black hair. With the confirmation, he started to record. The slim woman looked out the window and she let out a little sigh before leaning over.

“Not exactly the best weather to hike in, Erin.” She spoke.

Andre chose not to change any names for the film. He didn’t really have a reason for it, rather that he wasn’t sure about what names to choose. Maybe it was a little lazy on his part, but he would make up for it in the story. He panned the camera to Erin, and they looked into the rearview mirror.

“Well, it’ll smell like earth. That’s always nice, isn’t it? What do you think Ja-“

Erin cut themself off as a loud “pop” sound rang in their ears. The van started to drive a little weirdly, and Jack shot his head up, banging it on the roof of the vehicle. Andre lowered the camera a little, recording his feet.

“Woah, what’s going on?” He asked.

Erin shrugged and looked back at the road. Just up ahead was a gas station on the right. They continued to drive, albeit slowly, and turned into the gravelly parking lot. Charlie was a little startled, and she looked concerned. Once Erin had parked the van, they got out and did a walk around. The three passengers got out as well, Andre still rolling. He raised the camera up, recording Erin kicking the wheel with one of their tennis shoes.

“Damn it! The tire blew!” They groaned in frustration.

Charlie knelt, looking at the old tire. It was definitely blown out. She sighed as she stood back up, placing her hands on her hips. Jack looked at the gas station and pointed towards it to get the attention of the others. Andre saw and moved the camera to the building.

“Let’s just go inside and get some help.” Jack suggested.

The motley crew all looked in the direction of the automatic doors. It looked like a brand-new building, with not a hint of dust or peeling paint in sight. Andre went up to the doors first, and he watched as the sensor detected him and opened the glass doors. He stepped inside, looking at the stocked shelves and fridges. The hum of the fluorescent lights rang in everyone’s ears, and it was painfully monotonous. Andre panned around the gas station and turned back to the group.

“We could probably use this in the film.”

Charlie nodded and walked around the building. It was completely empty of any life. Eerily empty. There was no one behind the counter, which was odd. A thick aroma hung in the air; unidentifiable. It was a familiar smell, though. It was reminiscent of childhood nostalgia, but a hint of mildew accompanied it subtly. The smell was foul, yet appealing. An odd way to describe it, no doubt, but it was true. Where was the smell coming from? Why did it smell like a fond memory? And why was it making them all unsettled?

“Yellooo? Our tire blew, and we were wondering if we could get some help?” Jack called out, leaning over the checkout counter.

There was no response.

“Do you think they’re on break?” He asked, turning to Andre.

The film student merely shrugged in response and decided to walk around. His combat boots made the occasional squeak as he trudged along the linoleum floor. The inside of the gas station was like the outside; perfectly clean. He couldn’t find a smidge of dust anywhere, and all the shelves were stocked in such an organized way that it felt a little satisfying to look at. Andre had fond memories of gas stations, especially from his adolescence. His mother would always take him to get a Slurpee after soccer practice, and he grew to find comfort in the confined buildings.

“I can check the back?” Erin suggested, pointing towards the door behind the counter.

Before anyone could respond, they hopped over the glass display case that showed off various brands of cigarettes. Charlie let out a sigh as she watched, crossing her arms over her chest. She felt uneased. This place was weird, and she was certain that the others felt it as well. Gas stations were such a common place to go, and it shouldn’t feel foreign at all. But it did, and that’s what made it strange. Erin opened the door, surprised to find that it was unlocked, and peeked their head in. With a disappointing look, they closed the door and returned to the group.

“There’s no one there.” They said, confusion lacing their tone.

Andre turned to look at his best friend, and that’s when he felt it. He felt the thick layer of abnormality that filled the area. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Even though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, he could still tell. He straightened his posture and pulled out his phone. The day was not going quite how he wanted it to, and it was a little frustrating. He flipped the camera around, recording himself as he dialed his dad’s number. Andre chose to continue to record everything they did, with the hope that he could salvage some of it and keep it in the movie. He had to make do with what he had. The phone didn’t ring, and he realized that there was no cell service where they were.

“That’s odd…” He trailed, putting his phone away.

“What?” Jack asked.

Andre ran a hand through his dreads, letting out a quick breath. It seemed like nothing was going according to plan. He shrugged his shoulders and motioned for everyone to follow him outside. The doors slid open, and the quartet stepped out, briefly admiring the setting sun before them.

“I tried to call my dad, but I don’t think there’s good reception out here. The call didn’t even go through.” He explained, walking towards the van.

“Wait, so are we stuck out here?” Charlie scoffed.

Andre shook his head.

“No, we just need to walk back to where we came from. It’ll be a long walk, but it’s better than being stranded out here. I’m really sorry about this, guys.”

Erin shook their head and placed a hand on his back.

“It’s alright, Dre. Maybe we can include it in the movie? There’s always a silver lining to things!” They comforted him.

Jack nodded and gave two thumbs up.

“Yeah, that’s a great idea!”

The four of them walked back to the side of the road and began their trek. It would be easier to just ask for help from someone driving by, but like Charlie noticed earlier, they were in the middle of nowhere. It would be a while before they saw a car. The rain from earlier had eased up a bit, and it was now a very soft drizzle. The smell of wet asphalt lingered in the nostrils of everyone, and it was oddly refreshing. Jack whistled a little tune as he walked, and Charlie frowned as the rain dampened the top of her head. Everyone had every right to be grumpy, but they had to keep their chin up. Every now and then, they would have a conversation, but it never lasted long. It was awkward, and Andre hated it. He felt like all of this was his fault, as the van was his. He knew that the tires were a little worn, but he still didn’t replace them. This could have all been avoided if he had just been responsible.

“I-“

Andre cut himself off, seeing something out of the corner of his eye. He stopped midway through a step and froze in place. When the rest of the group noticed, they slowed down and eventually halted their movements. Erin watched as their best friend carefully made his way down the slope that connected the road to the woods. He nearly slipped on the dew-covered grass, but that didn’t stop him.

“Andre, where are you going?” Charlie called out, cupping her hands around her mouth.

“I saw something!” He replied, not elaborating any further.

Erin didn’t hesitate to follow him, and Jack was quick to tag along. Charlie tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and treaded cautiously down the slick slope. When they all reached the bottom, they jogged up to Andre and looked ahead at what he was staring at. He was right; there was something out there. It was hard to identify, but it looked out of place. Andre held the camcorder close to his face, zooming in as much as he could on the distance. His eyes widened, and he lowered the camera a bit. Without saying anything, he rushed into the woods. Not sure what else to do, the three others ran after him and did their best to avoid any shrubbery that looked like it could cause a rash. Erin nearly stumbled over their feet, but Charlie helped them regain their balance. Jack was the first to catch up with him, and he let out a deep breath. Andre’s pupils were blown out, and his mouth was slightly agape. It was hard to see on his dark skin, but hints of pink dusted his cheeks. It was clear that he was flustered, or at the very least shocked.

“What are you…woah…” Jack trailed off, looking at the sight before him.

Charlie and Erin caught up, and they were next to look ahead. Just like Andre, they had a look of bewilderment plastered on their faces. A small clearing was in front of them, and the sunset provided an eerie orange glow on the field. Directly in the center was an in-ground pool. It was the kind that you would see inside a YMCA, but a little smaller. A swirly slide was bolted into the grass, and if you slid down it you would fall into the empty pool. Every inch of concrete was pristine, and looked like it was brand-spanking new as if it had just been installed earlier that day. The grass around it was overgrown, and the wildflowers that scattered the area were thriving in the environment. Overall, it looked like a picture ripped straight from a fairy tale. Except for the pool. It was odd. What was it doing here? Who put it here? And why did it look so untouched by nature?

“What the hell?” Erin muttered.

Andre had the camera pointed at the pool, and he stared in awe. Of course he wasn’t amazed by the pool itself, but the location of it. It was in the middle of a forest. It had absolutely no business being out here, and yet it was. Charlie stepped forward and walked to the odd structure. She looked like she was trying to approach a wild animal. Andre made sure to get her in the shot, and he zoomed in to make sure he could get her facial expressions as well.

“What is this doing out here?” Charlie asked out loud.

“Maybe they were going to make a public swimming area? Do you think they were going to build an apartment complex here?” Jack wondered.

Erin leaned over, poking their head out from behind Andre.

“Why would they build the pool first? That doesn’t seem right…”

The group fell silent, completely out of ideas. Maybe there wasn’t an explanation for why it was there. Perhaps it was just…there? It wasn’t that uncommon to find weird things in weird places, but it wasn’t exactly common either. The more Andre thought about it, the more unsettled he became. The placement of the pool plagued his mind like a disease, and it made him uncomfortable. It made him feel sick. He couldn’t explain why, but he felt like none of them should be here. He felt like he was going to vomit.

“I don’t like this…” He mumbled under his breath.

“This could be good for the movie, Andre.” Charlie said plainly, stepping into the pool.

The three of them watched as she slowly disappeared, descending further and further down into the empty pool. Birds chirped softly in the distance, and the faint sound of grasshoppers could be heard. Everything about the situation was unsavory. It left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. It was sordid, it was rotten, and it formed heavy pits inside of their stomachs. Each moment that went by without Charlie saying something was a moment where Andre felt like his heart would burst. He couldn’t shake off a weird feeling, and it bubbled in his gut like a boiling pot of water. A few moments of silence turned into multiple, a multiple turned into dozens, and then a minute went by. A minute was not long at all, but given the context, it felt like hours. Andre begrudgingly walked towards the disturbingly familiar pool, and Jack and Erin followed close behind him. His brows furrowed subconsciously, and he pointed the camera towards the bottom of the pool. Jack’s eyes widened, and all the color drained from his tan face. Erin instinctively clung onto Andre’s arm, their ginger curls hanging in their face as they gasped quietly.

Charlie was gone.

There was nowhere for her to go without them seeing. It was impossible. Andre kept an iron grip on the camcorder, spacing out in puzzlement and fear. None of them said a thing, as the empty pool had rendered them speechless. How could someone just disappear into thin air? But then Erin saw it. They pointed towards the wall of the pool, directly under the slide, and swallowed thickly.

“Hole.”

Their voice was meek, and the fear had caused their tone to become flat. Erin was usually a bubbly and energetic person, but that was gone. There was nothing to be energetic about. There was no optimistic comment they could make. There was no silver lining to what had just happened, and what they just discovered. Andre panned the camera to the wall, and sure enough, there was a hole. It wasn’t huge, but it was just large enough for the average person to walk through with ease. With a tremble in his step, he walked down the stairs of the pool, and stared head on at the ominous opening. Jack and Erin were once again behind him, not daring to be alone. The trio slowly approached the hole, and the closer they got, the more they saw. The hole revealed a staircase, and it led further down into the earth. There was no end in sight, at least from what Andre could see.

“To hell with that! I’m not going down there!” Jack spat, shaking his head violently.

Erin turned around to look at him.

“We can’t leave Charlie down there! She could be hurt!” They scolded him.

He scoffed in response, pointing to the eerie hole.

“We don’t even know if she’s down there!”

Andre rolled his eyes.

“Where else could she have possibly gone, Jack?” He asked rhetorically.

Jack let out a long and exaggerated groan, crossing his arms over his chest. It was not difficult to see that he was afraid. Of course he was. Who wouldn’t be in a situation like this? It wasn’t often that one came across random pools in the middle of the woods with a staircase to darkness inside of it. The man grumbled, zipping up his hoodie and pulling out his phone. He turned the flash on and held it up, so it illuminated the dark and damp staircase. The walls were mossy, and it almost seemed like the hole had once been full of water.

“It looks slippery…” Erin stated, wanting everyone to be careful.

“There’s not exactly a railing to hold onto.” Andre added.

With a deep breath, he took the first step. Thankfully, the steps themselves weren’t as slippery as the walls looked. They all began to traverse down the dank stairs, hearts racing the further they went. The stench of algae and sulfur was heavy, and it was enough to make Jack queasy. It reminded him of the ocean, specifically of the low tide. He hated it when his dad took him fishing, but man did he wish he was fishing right now. It would be a whole lot better than this. Drippings of water plopped onto the stone stairs, and the sound echoed off the slick walls. The orange hue of the sun bled down into the hole, but only just barely. The deeper they went, the fainter that comforting glow became. It left them all cold, and they suddenly felt like they had entered a new land. But surely, they hadn’t, right? They were just below the ground after all.

“Look!” Andre exclaimed, pointing down the stairs.

A small amount of light could be seen, and it took them all by surprise. But at that point, any source of light was appealing. They were drawn to it like moths to a flame. Hurriedly, but still being careful not to slip, they raced down the stairs. Maybe it was a cave of some sort? Or maybe it was a secret tunnel with rich history behind it? That would certainly make for a good setting in Andre’s film. And while those were all good guesses, they couldn’t be further from the truth. They all stepped down the final step and walked out of the staircase. The new environment put them in a chokehold, and fear completely took over their bodies. Everything about the place felt familiar, just like the gas station, but it had a malignant undertone. As absurd as it may sound, they were standing inside of a parking garage. It was a normal, everyday, run of the mill, parking garage. Cars filled the various parking spaces, and it was dreadfully quiet.

“What the hell is going on?” Jack asked, exasperated.

Andre stumbled over his own words, recording everything he could manage. He had no idea what was happening, and he had no explanation for it. It was impossible for this to be here, truly. Why would it have been built here? How did the cars get down here? What was the purpose? There were so many questions that flooded his mind, and he couldn’t create an answer for any of them.

“I don’t know…” He muttered.

“Yeah, well screw you guys! This is bullshit! I’m out of here.”

Jack turned around to head up the stairs but froze in place at what he saw. Something was sliding down the staircase, and the lack of light made it impossible to identify. With every step that it slid down, a thump followed it along with the rubbing of fabric. His heart beat rapidly in his chest, and he took a few steps back. Erin and Andre did the same, and their chests were heaving with every breath they took. The thudding sounds grew closer and closer, and eventually, they could finally see what it was that was creating the noise.

“Holy shit…”

A body slid down the last few stairs, and rested face first on the concrete floor of the parking garage. There were no signs of any visible injuries, but they all knew that they weren’t alive. Swallowing a lump in his throat, Jack crouched down and rolled the body over. He gagged instantly, doubling over and vomiting. Tears formed in his eyes, and he groaned as he looked back down at the body. Erin stood in shock, and Andre was speechless. Charlie Sung was dead on the floor before them. No wounds, no lacerations, no bleeding, nothing at all. But nevertheless, she was dead. Before any of them could truly react, the sounds of faint buzzing caught their attention. They all looked to the end of the parking garage, or at least where they assumed the end was, for there were no lights near the far side. A light bulb faded out, and the three people stood frozen in fear. Another light bulb went out, then another, and then another. Erin didn’t like it at all, and they tugged on Andre’s arm before looking at Jack.

“We need to get out of here!” They cried.

There was zero hesitation as they all clambered up the stairs. Their feet suddenly felt like they had weights around their ankles. Every step was difficult, and their hearts raced knowing that something might be behind them. They didn’t see anything of course, but that didn’t mean they were alone. Charlie Sung was left behind, her lifeless body soon to be engulfed by the darkness. The closer it got, the more her body began to degrade. The hair on her head shriveled up, and then eventually disintegrated entirely. The skin on her bones dripped off her body like ice cream on a hot summer day. It melted into a puddle on the floor, and her muscles and tendons snapped like stretched out rubber bands, shooting far away from her cadaver. The three of them couldn’t help but steal a glance, but they instantly regretted it as they saw Charlie’s bones crack under absolutely nothing. It was as if someone took a hammer to a plate and smashed it into a million little pieces.

“Go! Go! Go!” Jack shouted.

They all made it to the top, the darkness now creeping up the stairs after them. Erin was the first to make it out of the hole, and that’s when they realized it was closing. Their eyes widened, and they held out a hand for Andre. He grabbed it immediately, and they tugged him out of the staircase. Jack was close behind, and the darkness was only a few feet away from him. The gap in the wall was closing, and he made it through in the nick of time.

Almost.

His hand was the only part of his body that made it through. He was reaching out desperately, and as the walls closed in around him, his fingers formed a clawing gesture. Not even the walls of earth that surrounded him could muffle his wail. It was short lived, however, as he was crushed by the force and drowned in the darkness. His hand fell to the bottom of the pool, and his blood trickled down the drain to God knows where. Andre and Erin lay on the ground, eyes blown up like moons and faces flushed with fear. They said absolutely nothing as they stood up, turning their heels and running like hell. There was nothing to say about what had just happened, at least not yet. It was evident that they were not safe in the woods, and they needed to leave. Andre knew as soon as he stepped foot in that gas station that something was wrong. He should have listened to his gut. The friends looked around frantically, trying to remember what direction they came from. Everything looked different than before, and it was unclear which way was which. Were they even in the same forest?

“This way!” Erin called out, pointing towards the North, or at least what they hoped was North.

Andre looked back at the pool, and he screamed as he saw the inky black mist seep through the walls of concrete. He didn’t need to look anymore. His feet did all the work, and he felt as if he could run at the speed of light. They both ran together, panting heavily as they powered through their exhaustion. The adrenaline pumping through their bodies was enough to keep them going. Leaves crunched beneath them, and it reminded them of the sound of Charlies bones cracking just moments ago. Erin felt like they were going to be sick, and they swallowed back their nausea.

“Keep going!” Andre encouraged, feeling himself grow weak.

Erin looked back at him and halted when he tripped. They looked further back, seeing the dark approaching them faster and faster. It rotted the trees, withered the plants, and killed the grass. Everything it touched suffered a cruel and painful death. It was as if it was alive, and full of malice. Erin held out a hand, but Andre swatted it away. He tossed his camcorder in their direction, and they caught it.

“Get out of here, Erin! Run!” He cried, looking behind him.

They hesitated, feeling their face heat up as their vision got blurry. When he yelled at them to leave once more, they finally turned around. The chilly wind nipped at their face as they ran, and they dared not look back at their friend. The sound of their pants slightly drowned out Andre’s bloodcurdling scream. It echoed throughout the forest, and it continued to ring in their mind. Their legs never stopped moving, though. Desperately they tried to find sanctuary from the benevolent concept that chased after them. It was neither a creature, nor a man, but pure darkness. It was a concept. It wasn’t tangible. But it could touch everything it wanted. It was impossible to escape from. Erin’s legs grew tired, and they wheezed as they saw the road ahead of them. A smile spread on their face, and they picked up their speed. Their legs stretched out as they leapt as far as they could. The darkness was on their heels, and they were so close to freedom that they could almost taste it. With one final bound, they crossed the threshold that separated the woods and the road. They gasped shakily, holding a hand to their heart as they caught their breath. Swiftly they turned around, seeing the darkness stop in its place at the tree line. It was as if it was prevented from progressing any further by an invisible barrier. Grief over the loss of their accomplices, especially their best friend, overwhelmed their mind. It hit them like a ton of bricks. They fell to their knees, camcorder held limply in their hand. Sorrow corrupted their heart, and they wept heavily. Tears trickled down their cheeks as they looked up. The road was no longer there. Instead, a vast meadow was before them. The sun was almost fully set, and its blazing fiery aura contrasted strongly against the pitch-black sky. As the great ball of light lowered itself further and further, Erin was immersed more and more into darkness. In the final moments of light, they saw multiple pools scattered across the meadow.

“Wait…”

The light in the sky disappeared, and the land was covered in a blanket of void. There was no color, there was no light, and there was no other life except for the darkness. The only sound that existed in the infinite plane was the pulsing of its energy. It was a dull, drawling, and deplorable hum that never ceased. Everything was gone; nothing was left. The unknown had made itself known, and it conquered everything in its wake. It scourged the land and remade it in its own image. Inky black nothingness was what it yearned for; strived for. And as it spread itself over the plane like a canvas, it relished in what it had achieved after eons of waiting…

…Quintessence.  

[starrwulfe]

Now Listening: 🎧 Andre 3000 – New Blue Sun

Giving a Sunday listen to Andre 3000’s flute harmonics on his latest.

The most pioneering ATLien is reaching us from beyond the Event Horizon with his newest outlet that we’re just coming to understand. Substitute Three Stacks’ lyricism and word play for flute pipping and staccatos and it’s still the same Andre Benjamin we met so many years ago. He just traded in the seat in the Cadillac for a jetpack and EVA suit and instead of telling us to meet him on the block, he wants us to hang out in the cosmos amongst the nebulae. It feels like the Drone Zone ambient stuff I used to relax to on XMMP/WinAmp back in the early 2000’s and still have in the background when chilling to this day. …I no longer feel “alone” with this stuff coz one of my fav artists digs it too. Hell 2 da yeah! 👍🏾

…and I can definitely dig all that. I’m 46 and I feel like every 5~6 years I fall into a new “thing” to explore/deep-dive. I too am definitely not the same as the 17 year old that first met both Big Boi and 3000 in “SouthernPlayalisticCadillacFunkyMusik” (although I do like to relive those beats) so I completely get Dre wanting to do it differently and finally give us a window into what he’s been up to in Venice, California… Speaking of which, is one of my chill spots growing up in LA. I could defo see me riding the K Line from Inglewood, Changing to the E and hitting up Santa Monica with these tunes.

📡🔀:

Vivaldi

[smokeybrandreviews]

I Knew You Were Trouble

Hip Hop is a desert right now and i blame Drake. I have no love for Wheelchair Jimmy and i have been nothing but vocal about that since the dude dropped. Seriously, i remembered hearing Best I Ever Was and thinking to myself, "Really? This is the guy now?" Drake, for me, has never been the innovator. He's never been "That Guy" to me. Dude does nothing great, just well. And, in time, even that became suspect. With all the whispers of ghost writers and OVO literally being just a stable for him to steal from, Drake became even less of a legitimate artist to me. I'm not going to get into the personal sh*t that i just don't care for, mostly the pedo vibes dude gives off, but keep this strictly to his brand, absolutely poisoning the culture. About a month ago, i spoke on how pedestrian For All the Dogs turned out and i got next to no push back, even from the staunchest of Drake fans among my circle. That sh*t was a sub-par effort. So when Scary Hours 3 dropped a few weeks later, with six songs Champagne Pedo had written after the initial release of what most consider his worst album, i just scoffed. This motherf*cker just released paid DLC to push a mediocre record, into the realm of pedestrian, and people were not feeling that sh*t at all. It was surreal to witness because, for once in soft ass, Wheelchair Jimmy's career, people were seeing him for how i always saw him: A Try-Hard cornball, pretending to be someone he wasn't built to be. And that energy gave way to an entire generation of halfwit rappers who don't believe in Hip Hop, who don't believe in the art of the rhyme, and it's left the genre decimated. They're playing f*cking country songs of my hip hop/RnB stations, it's so bad.

Drake was never as good as his peers. Never. Wayne is batter than he is. So was Nicki, Cole, and Kendrick. When you think of the "big names" of his era, when you stack him up against those other contenders, he falls short in every aspect. Drake is the weakest of the "Goats". He's the LeBron of that conversation. He has stats and that's about it. When you look back on those who came before, they are known for something. Big was a storyteller, Pac was a lyricist. Jay had that freestyle and Em was all about the battle. Nas was the teacher and Andre was the artist. Anyone you throw into the conversation as being the greatest, was the epitome of the best at some aspect of rap. What does Drake do that is actually great? What does he do for rap, which you can point to and say, "no one can get him on that?" Not a f*cking thing. Drake is, and always has been, adequate. He's the Taylor Swift of rap. His image, the content of his songs, the way he's constantly crying about women; That's Taylor's formula. Of course he has tons of sales. Of course he has a litany of prepubescent fans. Of course the children love this cats sound, they're children. How many grown ass people are checking for Taylor's juvenile ass songs? I ask the same of Drake. Even the sh*tty Soundcloud rappers have moved on from those nonsense songs. Lil Yachty is a great example of that. He followed Drake's path but, unlike Aubrey, legitimately didn't give a sh*t about the damage he did, until; he did. Lil Boat didn't give a sh*t about anyone's approval and just did what he did because it was fun. And then he grew up. And then he matured. He understood that, at the ripe old age of twenty-six, he was the elder statesmen of his era and treated that sh*t as such. His sound evolved and his music stopped sucking knob. Drake, in direct contrast, is making the same f*cking record he's made since he came into the goddamn game and these youngsters coming up after him, are doing the same sh*t! Drake made it acceptable to suck, long into your career and the entire genre is hurting because of it.

The best thing to come out of the Hip Hop in the last three or four years, is f*cking Ice Spice. Isis Naija Gaston is out here getting double-billing with Nicki Minaj, on the title track for one of the largest film releases, ever. Ice Spice has come out and said she rhymes for idiots. The way she raps, is supposed to be simple, it's supposed to be pedestrian, so it's as accessible to as many people as possible. As a grown ass man who grew up on Nas, Outkast, and Eminem, this sh*t is disgusting to me. Raps has always been about delivering knowledge, in a way that is both clever and musical. At it's core, Hip Hop is the exorcism of out cultural demons, put to a beat, and Ice Spice basically said, "Nah, I'm cooning out here for dollars." She basically just said "White kids buy Jordans, too" and that's the effect Drake has had on the entire industry. Whether i like it or not, Drake was the biggest thing in rap for close to a decade, and he did it by selling those Js to all the white kids who would buy them. That's the Taylor Swift Method and he executed that sh*t to a tee. I touched on this a while ago but the only album that had any semblance of a creative flair he's released, Take Care, was a whole ass Weeknd album that got left behind when man figured out signing to OVO was a scam. Drake took that and dropped the best sh*t he's ever made, and it wasn't even his sound. It wasn't even his record. It's that disrespect to the genre, that haphazard approach to making music, which has permeated throughout the genre and Aubrey f*cking Graham is to blame for that sh*t.

[smokeybrand]

I Knew You Were Trouble

Hip Hop is a desert right now and i blame Drake. I have no love for Wheelchair Jimmy and i have been nothing but vocal about that since the dude dropped. Seriously, i remembered hearing Best I Ever Was and thinking to myself, "Really? This is the guy now?" Drake, for me, has never been the innovator. He's never been "That Guy" to me. Dude does nothing great, just well. And, in time, even that became suspect. With all the whispers of ghost writers and OVO literally being just a stable for him to steal from, Drake became even less of a legitimate artist to me. I'm not going to get into the personal sh*t that i just don't care for, mostly the pedo vibes dude gives off, but keep this strictly to his brand, absolutely poisoning the culture. About a month ago, i spoke on how pedestrian For All the Dogs turned out and i got next to no push back, even from the staunchest of Drake fans among my circle. That sh*t was a sub-par effort. So when Scary Hours 3 dropped a few weeks later, with six songs Champagne Pedo had written after the initial release of what most consider his worst album, i just scoffed. This motherf*cker just released paid DLC to push a mediocre record, into the realm of pedestrian, and people were not feeling that sh*t at all. It was surreal to witness because, for once in soft ass, Wheelchair Jimmy's career, people were seeing him for how i always saw him: A Try-Hard cornball, pretending to be someone he wasn't built to be. And that energy gave way to an entire generation of halfwit rappers who don't believe in Hip Hop, who don't believe in the art of the rhyme, and it's left the genre decimated. They're playing f*cking country songs of my hip hop/RnB stations, it's so bad.

Drake was never as good as his peers. Never. Wayne is batter than he is. So was Nicki, Cole, and Kendrick. When you think of the "big names" of his era, when you stack him up against those other contenders, he falls short in every aspect. Drake is the weakest of the "Goats". He's the LeBron of that conversation. He has stats and that's about it. When you look back on those who came before, they are known for something. Big was a storyteller, Pac was a lyricist. Jay had that freestyle and Em was all about the battle. Nas was the teacher and Andre was the artist. Anyone you throw into the conversation as being the greatest, was the epitome of the best at some aspect of rap. What does Drake do that is actually great? What does he do for rap, which you can point to and say, "no one can get him on that?" Not a f*cking thing. Drake is, and always has been, adequate. He's the Taylor Swift of rap. His image, the content of his songs, the way he's constantly crying about women; That's Taylor's formula. Of course he has tons of sales. Of course he has a litany of prepubescent fans. Of course the children love this cats sound, they're children. How many grown ass people are checking for Taylor's juvenile ass songs? I ask the same of Drake. Even the sh*tty Soundcloud rappers have moved on from those nonsense songs. Lil Yachty is a great example of that. He followed Drake's path but, unlike Aubrey, legitimately didn't give a sh*t about the damage he did, until; he did. Lil Boat didn't give a sh*t about anyone's approval and just did what he did because it was fun. And then he grew up. And then he matured. He understood that, at the ripe old age of twenty-six, he was the elder statesmen of his era and treated that sh*t as such. His sound evolved and his music stopped sucking knob. Drake, in direct contrast, is making the same f*cking record he's made since he came into the goddamn game and these youngsters coming up after him, are doing the same sh*t! Drake made it acceptable to suck, long into your career and the entire genre is hurting because of it.

The best thing to come out of the Hip Hop in the last three or four years, is f*cking Ice Spice. Isis Naija Gaston is out here getting double-billing with Nicki Minaj, on the title track for one of the largest film releases, ever. Ice Spice has come out and said she rhymes for idiots. The way she raps, is supposed to be simple, it's supposed to be pedestrian, so it's as accessible to as many people as possible. As a grown ass man who grew up on Nas, Outkast, and Eminem, this sh*t is disgusting to me. Raps has always been about delivering knowledge, in a way that is both clever and musical. At it's core, Hip Hop is the exorcism of out cultural demons, put to a beat, and Ice Spice basically said, "Nah, I'm cooning out here for dollars." She basically just said "White kids buy Jordans, too" and that's the effect Drake has had on the entire industry. Whether i like it or not, Drake was the biggest thing in rap for close to a decade, and he did it by selling those Js to all the white kids who would buy them. That's the Taylor Swift Method and he executed that sh*t to a tee. I touched on this a while ago but the only album that had any semblance of a creative flair he's released, Take Care, was a whole ass Weeknd album that got left behind when man figured out signing to OVO was a scam. Drake took that and dropped the best sh*t he's ever made, and it wasn't even his sound. It wasn't even his record. It's that disrespect to the genre, that haphazard approach to making music, which has permeated throughout the genre and Aubrey f*cking Graham is to blame for that sh*t.

[ladylilithprime]

.....I have a lot of books that I've read, but I would hesitate to recommend them even where the authors have not to my knowledge done anything to warrant expulsion from the Good Writer Club on grounds that have nothing to do with writing. Especially on tumblr. Especially when at least two writers I devoured the works of have controversies in their personal lives that have caused many people to shun their works out of a sense of betrayal or just an overdeveloped desire for a social justice crusade. (Not getting into that up here, I've got a whole rant about the need for nuance and critical thinking and that's not the point at present.)

That said.

I did read the Harry Potter books until the fifth one when Rowling apparently fired her editor and started turning her books into more useful bludgeoning weapons. The movies were easier for me to sit through, though the adaptions changed things.

I tried to read Twilight and only got about a page and a half into the first book before I had to put it down from boredom. Again, the movie was easier for me to sit through (lack of first person narrative helped here) and I still haven't seen the others in the series.

I have never even picked up a book by Sarah J Maas, so I can't say anything about the quality of the writing from the perspective of me as a reader.

I haven't heard of any of the others, though I'm at least aware of Robert Jordan, much the way I'm aware of James Patterson.

The books I did read and devour?

The Brainship series and the Pern Chronicles by Anne McCaffrey (requiescat in pacem).

The Xanth series by Piers Anthony.

The Elvenbane and Elvenblood by Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey.

Pretty much anything by Mercedes Lackey.

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C Wrede.

The Young Wizards series by Diane Duane.

The first three quartets in the Tortall universe by Tamora Pierce, though my appetite slowed after "Squire". (Not specifically a detractor to the later books, just where my own personal interest began to falter.)

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (yes I'm now aware of the issues surrounding her personally, but I wasn't when I read the book).

Pretty much everything by Terry Pratchett...

...which led me to his Good Omens co-author and various books he wrote. (Again with the timing of awareness, not getting into it here, see comments above.)

The Animorphs series by KA Applegate. (Tried to get into the Everworld series, didn't enjoy it as much.)

Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey (slow-going because I do have to be in a specific headspace to read that much BDSM porn, even when it's well-written and plot-relevant).

My partner loves the books by Lois McMaster Bujold and has read excerpts to me many times, which are quite entertaining.

I read Redwall by Brian Jacques and a couple others in the series, but found them more entertaining when I thought they were just talking animals.

So.

I'm currently sitting in a room surrounded by books because my family are all avid readers on a wide variety of genres. A lot of the books I'm staring at are not ones I would choose to read, and I've never been pressured to read them. My mum (just turned 80) has read many of them, usually right along with me. My dad (now 78) has read many of the same books as well as the rest she hasn't, and he's disagreed with many of them and written journals filled with notes and arguments on many of them. He was once given a book by an acquaintance who told him she thought he should read it because she knew he was a logical thinker (he did read it and told me later that the book was not at all logical; not having read it, I can't say either way).

Point is... go find a library and look through the stacks. Read the blurbs on the inside covers, maybe read a page or two. If you like it, keep reading. Look up the author on your phone if you have to in order to see what else they wrote.

And if you don't like the book, then just don't keep reading. Put it down, move on to another one. Don't go looking for controversy or dirt to justify not liking the book or the author. Don't do it to justify liking them, either. You do not need to justify your personal preferences. You can be aware of the politics the author has, even heartily disagree with their perspective and biases, and still enjoy reading a book. It's perfectly okay not to internalize what you read every time.

Otherwise, I wouldn't still reread The Chronicles of Narnia.

J. K. Rowling gave us facist Wizards.

Stephanie Meyer gave us Mormon Vampires.

And Sarah J. Maas gave us zionist Faeries.

The Holy Trinity of Mediocre White Women ruining fantasy for everyone!

[thef1nalb0ss]

Faction Rankings: Week of June 26, 2023- July 2, 2023

10. The Bloodline

Roman Reigns' three and a half year streak of not being pinned has ended.

The Usos won the war when Jey pinned Roman. Of course, this wasn't a match where Roman's Championship(s?) were on the line, but this shows he can be defeated. We are seemingly seeing Roman's downfall- and its not hard to imagine his status as champion may be at risk as well, especially now that there's somebody who can schedule a championship match with him anywhere, anytime.

9. The LWO

Neither Zelina or Santos were able to capture the briefcase, but they were both close a number of times.

8. Alpha Academy

Despite the loss against The Viking Raiders two weeks ago, Chad is continuing to train Otis and Maxxine, and he issued a challenge for a rematch.

7. Meta-Four

Lash and Jakara are still bragging about their win two weeks ago, and made it clear they want a match for the Women's Tag Titles to bring gold back to the Meta-Four. During the post-MITB press conference, the new champions Liv and Raquel mentioned them as possible opponents, so that opportunity may come soon.

6. The Brawling Brutes

Despite winning a triple threat on Smackdown, Butch did not win the MITB briefcase. Ridge wanted a match with Solo after the attack two weeks ago, but he had a match with Austin instead. After Austin won, he tried to attack Ridge, but Sheamus ran to the ring for the save. Because of this, Sheamus has a match this week against Austin for the United States Championship.

5. Gallus

Before their tag title match, neither Mark or Wolfgang had heard from Joe for a week, but they just decided that was fine and contiuned on. They then won against Malik and Edris, after Stacks interfered and helped them retain. Later, Joe visited Tony and told him Stacks was the one who turned him in, complete with an audio recording that proved it.

4. Chase U

Andre Chase is back!

Thea lost against Tiffany, but she would have won if not for Drew and Charlie distracting the ref so he wasn't looking when Tiffany tapped out. Afterwards, Drew and Charlie attacked Duke, and Andre returned to make the save.

3. Imperium

Vinci has returned after being gone for a couple weeks after Matt attacked him. Gunther won against Sami on Monday, and then went on to MITB to retain his title against Matt. His celebration was cut short, however, by a returning Drew McIntyre, who made his intentions clear after hitting a Claymore on Gunther and holding up the IC title.

2. The Judgement Day

Monday saw a win for Dominik against Tozawa, a loss for Damian against Cody, and a win for Finn against Carmelo. At MITB, it was the opposite, with both Dominik and Finn losing their respective matches but with Damian picking up the win in the Men's MITB Ladder Match to become Mr. Señor Money in the Bank. There was some tension after Damian appeared at ringside during Finn's match against Seth, and Damian standing from his chair distracted Finn for a moment, which led to Finn losing, but Damian insisted during the press conference there's no tension between them. Rhea also has a rematch against Natayla for the Women's World Championship this week.

1. Damage CTRL

Bayley kept her spot in the MITB match by defeating Shotzi, and after Shotzi interrupted her and Iyo backstage, they threw her on a table and cut her hair. During the MITB match, Bayley stopped Iyo from unhooking the briefcase by making the ladder she was on fall, and later in the match, Iyo handcuffed Bayley to Becky while their hands were between the ladder, trapping them both there and making it so Iyo could capture the briefcase and become Ms. Money in the Bank. During the press conference, Iyo said that the briefcase belonged to both her and Bayley, although Iyo took it from Bayley when she tried to leave with it.