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#better than having 4-7 different work-themed anxiety dreams a night
semiotomatics · 3 months
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tw gore/cannibalism, i guess???? talking abt the last dream i had
i wld say my most common anxiety dream (if not just my most common dream in general) is that im being chased by someone who wants to kill me. its not always the same person (if i ever even see them at all—sometimes i dont, i just know theyre there), its not always the same place, but the goal is always the same: dont get caught.
so last night i had one of those dreams (i ran out of one of my meds and havent gone to get it refilled, which i think is why ive started having bad dreams again) where i was being chased by some Faceless Murderer. and i was doing a pretty good job of evading them, tho ofc the fear/anxiety was still there since, yknow, anxiety dream.
but then, they do catch up to me, which is usually when i force myself to wake up (since i dont actually want to be murdered in my dreams). except!! i dont wake up!! yknow what i do instead?
fucking skin them alive holy shit
i think my brain skipped over most of the flaying bc tbh i dont think it even knows how to do that sort of thing, cause the next thing i know im just looking at this dudes disembodied, completely degloved hand (if you dont know what degloving is, DONT look it up w safe search off).
and ofc bc im a nerd my very first thought upon seeing it was "wow, what a clean job, you can still see all his veins and arteries". i was even pointing them out to whoever was with me, like i was giving an anatomy presentation SLFHSJF. i came across his ribcage too, and literally opened it up so i cld see his heart and lungs and stuff 😭 what the fuck yall
anyway, more dreamplot stuff happened and then the "final scene" was me in some kind of diner with nameless companion, like, celebrating the fact that we killed this guy? which was kinda weird but honestly fine, its not like this was a real guy and he very much WAS going to kill me if he caught me, so.
and then we get served our meal and i cant remember who tells me or how i find out but basically the soup i got was made out of the dude 😭 and in the moment i wasnt, yknow, absolutely horrified, i was just like "ah yes, poetic justice" like what???? was the dude gonna eat me if he caught me??? (honestly not implausible, a lot of my animal-based nightmares end in getting eaten alive)
anyway the soup just tasted like a hearty tomato soup (NO PUN INTENDED I FUCKING HOPE)
but anyway, believe it or not the weirdest part of the dream (to me anyway) was the very last "scene", where we're sitting there eating this Man Soup and celebrating killing a dude, and then the door to the diner opens and in walks the dude we killed. and in the dream im not confused or horrified or anything, im just like "ah yes, he must have regenerated himself", which????? sure, okay, the dude regenerated himself somehow. but he spots me and as we look at each other i dont feel any fear, im like? at peace? like i feel forgiveness somehow. and meanwhile he has an expression of, i stg, gratitude. and the very last thing i do is stand up and open up my arms in a "cmere, lets hug it out" gesture. and then i wake up.
so like. kinda fucked up right?
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tuesdayx · 3 years
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So I thought it would be fun to do a song-by-song breakdown of our latest album Essential.
Essential started as some rough demos designated for a side project in late 2019, which then became our largest album to date in terms of song selection. Many of the themes deal with learning to cope with the changing world thanks to Covid, with a perspective of someone who had to keep working at an "essential" job with no option of self-quarantine. I was happy to continue working and being able to pay my bills over the past year, but there was always elements of stress, fear, and tension lingering over myself and everyone else in my position.
So here we go; starting from the top let's look at the Songs of Tuesday X's 6th album Essential.
1. Jet Fuel Can't Melt Steel Beams: the title was a reference to the 9/11 conspiracy memes, which as stated in the opening lines, "has nothing to do with this song." Written in January of 2020 before Covid had made any significant impact in the US, the song touches on many themes which happened to occur throughout the year, such as [another] Californian forest fire (Australia too), new diseases (Covid), a riot (the BLM movement over the summer, which I will state everything that movement has been fighting for is 100% justified and the United States is in desperate need of Police reform, as does our political system which has remained inherently racist to this day.), Civil War (and exaggeration for sure, but the civil unrest and political division in our country will soon split us apart further), more corporate giants(companies like Amazon profited more from this Pandemic than ever before and have helped further the gap between the American working class and the top 1%). Favorite line: "I won't get philosophical, I only wanted your attention."
2. The Only Difference Between You and Me is a Sense of Apathy and Your Brand New Nikes: This song is a blithing criticism of the American political system. Our two party system has left Americans with a choice between "the lesser of two evils" and allows politicians with no true interest in our needs to rise to power. The use of 3rd parties as an alternative is a overly simple compromise that would only just begin to alleviate the problems created in our political system. Both of our main parties are considered conservative parties to the rest of the world, and any progressive measures that would benefit society and reduce the effects of climate change are considered radical and preposterous by politicians with financial stakes in our crooked system where corporatations hold control and the people are treated as fuel for an otherwise worthless currency. Favorite line: "Listen to the radio, they played my favorite song. Now I'm bored and wanting more."
3. Blame it on the Elves: the title is a reference to an episode of the Podcast "Lore" by Aaron Menke (i can't recall which episode, but you should check it out anyway because it's great listen.) An instrumental interlude inspired by ragtime music of the 1920-30's, with an edge of course.
4. Class of Dropouts: This song was written when I was 16 during my sophomore year of high school and was originally featured on my now unavailable album "trees" before adopting the Tuesday X monicker. I brought it back 6 years later because I loved how raw and punk it was. The lyrics are dorky but I decided to leave them as is, it's a cool track for high school stoners to blare and let out their teen angst. Favorite line: "Walking in on my friends fucking."
5. Polaroids on My Bulletin Board: This is a song about growing up. As a 22 year old (now 23) who decided not to go to college straight out of high school, I felt isolated from my peers in a way. By going into the workfield right away I sometimes feel like I skipped a few years and missed out on a lot of opportunities. I regret not leaving my hometown sooner than I did and chasing my dreams of being a touring musician in a band. More often than not I reminisce of my youth playing shows and getting into trouble, as I now feel old and out of place in a scene I grew up in. Favorite line: "I know what it's like to be alive, I know what it's like to live a lie."
6. Labradoodle Underpass: Going back on the theme of growing up, this is about my recent experience with shows as an adult. When I was a teenager I felt ambitious and ready for anything, and I would drop literally everything to go to the nearest show. As an adult I feel introverted and constantly anxious about the world around me. I've missed out on a lot of great shows due to my own self doubt's and anxiety. Now that shows have been canceled for over a year I feel even more regret by not appreciating them more while I could. Favorite line: "23 years and a lingering fear that anything could happen, why am I here?"
7. Some Shit: This was me trying to be modest mouse lol jangly guitars and half talking/half singing vocals describing the world around me. I guess in a way it was an exercise in writing character description and setting, but otherwise it's just a chill track that almost feels aimless at parts. Favorite Line: "it's just some shit I learned from a friend. Just some shit I learned when I was trying to prepare."
8: Woe is the World: On the album this is a chorus snippet that barely a minute long (the full version is available as a bonus track on bandcamp, and it was actually a demo that turned out better than the final version.) I originally wrote this song when I was 15 with a different set of lyrics, but I came back to it while writing this album and re-wrote it to reflect my mental state and the world around me. Overall, just another melancholy track in a sea of melancholy songs. Favorite line: "you've never felt more alone than you do now, was everything worth it in the end?"
9. Then Why Was it Named Gideon?: the title is a reference to a line in Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour (my favorite series) and like the first track on this album doesn't have much to do with the song. "Gideon" is a simple love song, talking again about how growing up sucks but having the right person by your side can make all the shitty times worth it in the end. Favorite line: "it's time to move on, you're taking too long."
10. I am Here, I'm Looking at Her, and She is Beautiful: This song is entirely about the book "Perks of Being a Wallflower". That's it. Nothing else, let's move on. Favorite line: "Over Christmas I read them a poem about a brown paper bag and the boy who wrote it."
11. Try to Be a Filter, Not a Sponge: Like the previous song, this one is also mostly about "Perks of Being a Wallflower", but with elements of my own experience with toxic relationships. I like to think of it as the character Charlie's experience with Mary Elizabeth overall though. Favorite line: "She called my favorite book washed out trash, said I have no taste and I'm still too sad."
12. Lavender Spray Bottle: This instrumental dates back to 2017. I recorded the guitar part as a demo on my phone and forgot about it. Over time I forgot how to play the guitar part, so I used the demo as a basis and layered everything else on top of it. The title is a reference to a bottle of water with lavender essential oils mixed in that my ex used to fend away spiders in the house we lived in at the time.
13. Hindsight is 2020: I will admit, this is my favorite song on the whole album and was actually the last to be written and recorded. With a simple guitar part and layers of vocals, this song is a direct reflection of life during the peak of the pandemic. With curfews in place and rising case counts, I had to learn to cope with life at home during my late nights away from work. My partner was quarantined during this time and I reflected on the mental strain this put on her. Favorite line: "Don't go to work, you need the money but you're not happy when you're there. Sometimes life is so unfair."
14. I Don't Know How to Deal With Serious Emotions Without Turning Them into a Fucking Joke: the title came from a meme I found on my phone from high school. The song itself was about my own inability to handle serious emotions without coming off as sarcastic. In both the music and lyrics, the song starts as a simple confession before exploding into raw chaos. Favorite line: "it's so hard. I'm so scared, what have I become?"
15. Say Hello to My Little Friend: the last instrumental on this album. A short haunting tune that reflects the final two tracks. The title is probably a reference to Rambo or something, but I never watched it and I thought it fit the feeling of this song.
16. Minneapolis: What became one of the most emotional tracks on this song actually began as a joke. My partner was snap chatting a friend one night and they asked me to write them a song on the spot. So I improvised the first two verses and chorus of this song, referencing her going to school there at the time. I found I actually liked what I had written however, so I refined the track and changed it from a sassy country song into a melancholic lament of my experience in the twin cities and southern Minnesota. Favorite line: "I miss Camp Snoopy, and Paul Bunyon's log flume ride that went around the whole damn mall."
17. Before the Sunrise: the final song on the album is an intimate look at my relationship with my partner. Through past experiences i have become riddled with self doubt and always looking at improving myself as a person. With hopes that one day I'll be the person I'd like to be for mine and their sake, it's an optimistic tribute to my best friend. Favorite line: "the cycle ends until the sun rises again, you're my best friend."
Thank you all so much! Check out Essential and our other music on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple, and other places! I hope you all enjoyed this personal look at these songs that got me through the worst parts of 2020.
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allsortsofgeekery · 5 years
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One of Us is Lying: Chapter 4
Chapter 1     Chapter 2     Chapter 3
Synopsis: Five students walk into detention, but only four walk out. These four are all main suspects in Remy Kallagher’s murder, but who really killed him—Logan, the valedictorian and student council president, Roman, the all-star athlete, Patton, the adorable homecoming prince, or Virgil, the infamous school drug dealer?
Word Count: 1,707
Trigger Warnings: death mentions, murder mentions, ransom note (kinda?), anonymous confession to murder, police mention, cursing, let me know if I’ve missed anything!
Pairings: eventual Analogical, toxic Moceit
Author’s note: Hi, all! I’m back! I’m going to try my best to make updates more frequent, now, since it’s summer vacation! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Logan
7:30 PM
Tuesday, September 25
Logan sat at his desk, tapping a pen against a blank physics handout and trying to find the motivation in himself to write anything at all. Usually, he had no trouble focusing on homework; in fact, he actually enjoyed it sometimes, a welcome stimulant to distract his brain from the extraneous stress of high school.
Evidently, witnessing a death and then being accused of murder all within twenty four hours proved to be too large of a distraction for even homework to take care of.
Grunting in frustration, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone, deciding instead to check his email for the umpteenth time that day.
He clears out his inbox fairly regularly, so there was only one email in there, one from last night that was sent at 6:15 from Principal Lynch. Logan scrolled through it, even though he had already read it at least fifty times by now.
Dear students and families...a junior, Remy Kallagher...more updates to come soon...talk to your student and see if they are okay...we are truly saddened by this terrible news.
He huffed and put his phone down, trying once again to concentrate on his homework.
He liked physics. He liked physics better than biology, and he certainly liked it better than chemistry.
Ugh. Chemistry. Even thinking of that class made Logan’s stomach twist in both hatred and guilt. He was in AP Chem last year, and it was the most difficult class he had ever been in. Usually, Logan enjoyed a good challenge, relished it, even, but Chemistry was more than a mere challenge--it was nearly impossible.
For the first time, Logan’s usual meticulous studying habits had failed him; no matter how hard he worked, and no matter how much extra credit he did, he couldn’t seem to break out of a C-average. The 73% was an ugly mark on his perfect student record; he watched the low C on every report card drag down his GPA. He could practically feel Harvard slipping out of his grasp--Harvard, the college that Logan had been working restlessly since he was little to get into. Harvard, the school that Logan’s family had been going to for generations.
Harvard, the school that simply does not accept students with C’s in Chemistry.
However, Logan was never one to give up, so he studied even harder and stayed up even later doing his homework. As a result, to Logan’s dismay, his other grades began to slip, too.
Utterly defeated, Logan was just about to ask his guidance counselor to switch him into the non-AP course, when an opportunity presented itself, and Logan took it. He ended up finishing the year in Chemistry with a 96% average.
He still isn’t proud of what it took to get his grade up, but he doesn’t regret it. As long as nobody ever finds out, his dream of attending Harvard is still very much in his reach.
Shaking his head, as if he could clear away the unpleasant memories like an Etch-a-Sketch, Logan picked up his phone yet again. He debated texting Virgil; sure, they weren’t exactly friends, but he was closer with him than he was with either Roman or Patton, and they were the only three people who could understand his situation.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed in his hand, his Sherlock theme song ringtone blaring. It was Virgil--apparently, he had beaten Logan to the punch.
“Logan Sanders,” Logan answered.
“Hey,” Virgil said. Logan could hear the panic in his voice even from the single syllable. His stomach turned. “Have you checked Tumblr?”
“Er--no,” Logan began, brow furrowing in confusion. “I do not have a Tumblr account. Why?”
“Oh, shit...uh, okay, I don’t--I don’t really want to be the one to tell you, but...somebody made an anonymous post confessing to murdering Remy.”
Logan was stunned into silence for a moment, before the implications of this new development sank in. “Can you read it to me?”
“Yeah, lemme just--pull it up...okay,” Virgil said on the other end. He began to read out loud:
“‘Killing Remy was my little favor to the rest of the school.
You’re welcome.
I mean, everybody hated him. Nobody wanted to have their lives ruined by being on “Spill the Tea”, right?
Now, nobody has to worry about any of that anymore.
I’ve been planning this for a while.
And after weeks of watching Remy’s every move, I could finally see my efforts pay off.’”
After Virgil had finished reading, they both stood in a weighted silence. Hundreds of thoughts fired at Logan all at once, but one stood out above all of them: “I could finally see my efforts pay off.” This implies that the killer, whoever they may be, watched Remy die. That, he realized with a sense of growing anxiety, further implicates himself, Patton, Roman, and Virgil. His stomach churned at the realization.
“I know,” Virgil said, breaking the silence in an unsteady voice. “Pretty fucked, right?”
Logan nodded before remembering that Virgil couldn’t see him. “Yes…” he began. There was another moment-long pause. Then Virgil spoke again.
“So,” he said, clearly struggling to make his voice sound casual, “which one of them do you think did it?” It took Logan a moment to process the question, but then it hit him with a pang.
“So—so you believe it, then?” He managed to sputter out. “You think that somebody in our—our detention—“ he spat the word out as if it were poison— “killed Remy?”
“Well...yeah,” Virgil said. “I mean, either that, or we’re being framed, and I don’t know what any of us could have done to piss anybody off that badly.”
“So you are more inclined to believe that one of us is more likely to have committed cold-blooded murder than to believe that we are simply being framed?”
“Well, when you put it like that…”
“Wait, Virgil,” Logan started, gears in his head turning. “You—you do not believe that—that I killed Remy...do you?”
There was a long, tense silence that seemed to stretch out for hours.
“Nah,” Virgil decided at last. “I mean, sure, you’re probably smart enough to pull it off, but I mean, I’ve known you since we were kids, and, I dunno, I just can’t imagine you doing anything like that. I mean, I don’t know if you had some kind of beef with Remy or whatever, but—“
“I assure you, there was no...beef...between Remy and I,” Logan cut in. “Of course, I did not...care for him, much, but I would never do something to that extent. Obviously.”
“Yeah, I figured.” Another pause. Then: “You don’t think I did it, right?”
“No,” Logan answered immediately. “To reiterate what you have already stated, I have known you since childhood, and nothing that I know about you leads me to believe that you would do anything of the sort.”
He could practically hear Virgil relax on the other end of the line. “Okay...cool,” he said, and Logan could sense the difference in his tone. “So then...who do you think did it? Roman or...or...the other kid?”
“Patton,” Logan corrected, exasperated. “You really should know his name. And I do not know very much about either of them, and nothing that I do know about them entices me to suspect either above the other. If you ask me, this whole...Tumblr post is an elaborate prank. A terrible one, but a prank nonetheless. As you have previously stated, none of us, to our knowledge, have done anything to upset anybody enough to frame us, correct?”
“Well...yeah, I guess. But the police are still gonna have to look into it, yeah?”
“Certainly. But, with no further evidence other than that Tumblr post, none of us can be implicated, correct?” Logan was reassuring himself just as much as Virgil at this point; perhaps if he said it enough, it would become true.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Still, there’s no way Remy’s death was an accident, right?”
“That is true. Again, I do not know enough about Patton or Roman to suspect either of them more than the other, but they do not seem like the murdering type. But I also do not know if either of them may or may not have had a motive. Or,” he continued, “maybe one of them had gotten somebody angry enough to frame them, and inadvertently dragged us down with them.”
“Yeah,” Virgil said, still sounding generally unconvinced. “Okay. You’re probably right. I mean, maybe one of them got worried enough about winding up on “Spill the Tea” or something? They looked pretty weird when the police officer asked us that this morning...but, I mean, you did, too, and I dunno if you’re hiding anything, but…” he grunted in frustration. Logan could feel his face growing hot again. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it like...you know what I’m trying to say. Everybody in school’s been worried about ending up on it at some point, right? I wonder if either of them did anything bad enough that they really didn’t want people to know...but that still doesn’t explain the Tumblr post—“
“Indeed,” Logan said quickly, face burning and suddenly eager to end the conversation. “My apologies, Virgil, but I need to go—I have to...er...finish my homework.”
“Oh, yeah, sure,” Virgil said. “See you tomorrow, I guess?”
“Indeed. Goodnight, Virgil.”
“‘Night, Logan.” He hung up.
Logan tossed his phone onto his bed, and noticed that his right hand was clenched in a fist, nails biting into tender skin. He released the fist and flexed his fingers a few times, trying to will his heart rate to go back to normal. Virgil’s words from earlier that day came to him.
“Everybody has secrets.”
Virgil had been right. But, Logan assured himself, there was absolutely no way that anybody could have found him out, right? Yes, the more he thought about it, the more outlandish it seemed—there’s no possible way that Remy could have known.
Feeling significantly calmer, Logan turned and stared down at his still-blank physics worksheet, convincing himself that there was no need to panic.
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depressionkid666 · 5 years
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a far too accurate explanation for how and why we lived on our own same wavelength.
Mirror Soul Meaning: Twin Flames
What Is A Twin Flame?
Sometimes discussed in terms of a “mirror soul” or “soul connection”, a twin flame is the other half of your soul. It is theorized that a soul can split into two after ascending to a high frequency. Thereafter, the soul lands in two different bodies.
If you compare a twin flame vs. soulmate, it’s important to note that a soul mate is someone who is made from the same kind of energy as you, but who has never existed in fusion with you. So, although soul mate connections are highly significant, an encounter with a twin flame is on another level entirely. Usually, this will lead to romance. However, it can also manifest in the form of an intense friendship.
“We think we meet someone with our eyes. But we actually meet them with our soul” ― Mimi Novic
If you have a twin flame, you are fated to meet this person at some point in your life journey. The two of you will be pulled together like magnets! You will know when you’ve connected with this person because you’ll immediately experience a sense of recognition. Many people describe an uncanny sense of having known their twin flame all their lives. When you encounter the person who carries the other half of your energy, it can create a profound and life-altering sense of wholeness.
Your relationship will naturally be extremely intense because twin flames are mirrors of one another. This person will not only provide a sense of wholeness; they will also elevate your self-knowledge, including knowledge of your flaws. Consequently, there’s a potential for conflict as well as happiness. Rest assured that it is possible to have a happy, healthy relationship with your twin flame. However, this is only possible if you can learn to love yourself, as your twin flame is part of you. This love must be honest and unconditional! Otherwise, a part of you will always be driven to reject your twin flame.
Most Common Twin Flame Symptoms
While the above summary of a twin flame will help you get a general sense of what to look out for, there are also more specific indicators that you’ve encountered your other half.
The most common twin flame signs are as follows:
* Intuitively knowing what the other person is doing, feeling, or thinking about. Plus, you find that they can detect the same things about you.
* Sharing many of the same interests, values, hobbies, and preferences. For example, your twin flame probably has a lot of books in your favorite genre. Similarly, you likely gravitate towards the same food as well.
* Often having the same thoughts or emotions at the same time, even if you’re in different places. When you’re together in person, this may result in you saying the same thing at almost the exact same moment.
* Feeling a strong physical pull to touch and be close, whether in a romantic or platonic setting.
* Having the same dreams at night, and frequently appearing in each other’s dreams. Sometimes your dreams will only overlap in theme, but the core message and feeling will be similar.
* Feeling like you can easily communicate without speaking out loud. A simple glance will often be enough to tell you what your twin flame thinks about what’s going on around you.
* Understanding complex or hidden parts of each other. This can be uncomfortable and confronting, but it can also be deeply liberating and validating.
* Sharing some of the same vulnerabilities and weaknesses. You may see some of your old faults in your twin flame, or have some of your present difficulties highlighted by the way this person behaves.
* Feeling like it’s safe and natural to be your authentic self around this person. For example, even if you’re normally shy, a twin flame will quickly make you feel comfortable enough to just be you.
7 Twin Flames Stages
Meeting a twin flame is a special, life-altering moment! However, it’s only the beginning of what is in store for both of you. Encountering one another kick-starts a dynamic new part of your life; one that will facilitate growth, inspire change and challenge you to fully accept yourself. Think of encountering your twin flame as the first step on a journey.
We’ll explore each of the twin flame stages in turn, and look at the connection between twin flame symptoms and each of these crucial stages. Some are primarily associated with wonderful experiences while others can be emotionally arduous, but all of them are necessary parts of encountering the other half of yourself. There are seven major twin flame steps to the process. Nonetheless, be aware that you may go through them at a slow or faster rate than other people will.
Stage 1. The Search
The search stage involves a strong sense of yearning and an acute awareness that something is lacking in your life. Even if you’ve never really thought about soul mates and twin flames before, this is the stage at which you begin to believe that there really is a perfect match out there for you. In all likelihood, you’ll doubt this feeling at first; you may feel unsure about what you should do with it, but at the deepest level, you will find it impossible to shake the conviction that you will meet “the one”.
The search stage is also partly about preparing your life for the incoming arrival of your twin flame, even though you may not know why you are doing this. For example, you may start a journal, engage in therapy, or work to find closure after past relationships. On an unconscious level, you know that all of these things are necessary if you are to welcome your twin flame.
Stage 2. The Awakening
As noted above in the discussion of soulmate signs, you tend to just know when you’ve encountered your twin flame. This second, awakening stage is where you physically meet, and the awareness of your compatibility hits you head on. This will often be a chance encounter that is full of coincidences and little signs that your meeting was destined to take place.
Sometimes, you won’t be together for very long, but even brief contact is enough to make you aware that something special is happening. It’s also worth noting that the awakening can take place in a dream, meaning that you “meet” your twin flame in the dreamscape before you ever cross paths in real life. Regardless of how you meet, you will be shaken by the intensity of the bond you feel. You may feel intoxicated by it, and find that all of your waking moments are occupied by thoughts of this person.
Stage 3. The Test
The test stage of a twin flame experience is defined by trying to understand your relationship with this other person. It is all about establishing boundaries, testing your limitations, and moving past the purely blissful experience of initially falling in love.
This stage will only occur once you’ve had enough time to enjoy a “honeymoon” phase. Plus, this stage is crucial if you are going to have a more meaningful, long-term relationship. For example, it is at this point that you will negotiate what your future will look like, and will begin to notice what may constitute obstacles to that future.
Although you are destined to know and love each other, you will still engage in conflicts (in the same way that before you met your twin flame, you engaged in conflict with other parts of yourself). Whether and how you resolve these conflicts, will define whether you’ll be able to stay together.
Stage 4. The Crisis
While twin flame love can be euphoric, it also inevitably involves a crisis stage. While this is often unpleasant, the good news is that it can also catalyze a deeper, more stable bond in the longer term. This stage involves significant anxiety and worries about your bond with your twin flame, and the crisis can be just about anything. It may be related to grief, betrayal, struggles with self-love or any number of other things that put pressure on your connection with your twin flame.
In spite of the supernatural compatibility of twin flames, this is often a point at which the two people decide to separate (a process that is extra painful given that it involves giving up a part of yourself). However, if you can get through the next few stages, you will emerge stronger than ever before.
(( if you see this thing at all, maybe send a sign ))
Stage 5. The Running Or Chasing Stage
No matter what form the crisis stage takes, it is always followed by a running or chasing stage. You may be in either role, and you and your twin flame may switch back and forward between the two roles. This stage revolves around one twin flame distancing themselves, often out of fear of confronting the level of intimacy that the two of you are capable of experiencing. The twin in this role will be in pain and will feel very defensive and resistant. Meanwhile, the other twin flame will give chase, believing that the bond is worth fighting for and working on.
This stage can only end up when the running twin stops trying to get away, and the chasing twin stops trying to push. Often, the end of this stage is characterized by both twin flames realizing that there are forces at work beyond their control.
Stage 6. The Surrender
In the surrender stage, both of you will start to give up on a previous need to control your relationship. In this context, surrendering isn’t about giving up on your connection, but rather about accepting that neither of you can escape from destiny. This can be a positive realization that releases you both from past anxieties and allows you to better live in the moment, trusting that the universe will lead you to where you need to go.
Do note that it’s only possible to progress through the surrender stage if both of you work on the issues that led to the crisis and the running/chasing stages. For many people, the core issue here relates to the fact that twin flames are mirrors. So, often, the things you will need to work through are the negative feelings you have about yourself, which are reflected back to you in the eyes of your twin.
Stage 7. The Reunion and Joining
When you and your twin flame move on to the reunion stage, you’ll have a sense of relief at the fact that balance is being restored.
In going through the previous, challenging stages, you’ll have learned a lot about yourselves and about the potential attached to the unique kind of love you have found.
For some twin flames, this reunion will be physical in nature. For example, the two of you may finally come back to the same place, agreeing to share a home, or finally physically consummating your bond.
Irrespective of the particular form the reunion takes, it carries with it a sense of peace, acceptance and reciprocal understanding.
If you can weather the more tumultuous parts of your journey, twin flame energy inevitably leads both parties to this joining stage. After the reunion, the hard work is over; all you need to do now is live, enjoying the sense of completeness that can only be found in each other’s companionship.
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comicteaparty · 5 years
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May 13th-May 19th, 2019 CTP Archive
The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from May 13th, 2019 to May 19th, 2019.  The chat focused on Damsels Don’t Wear Glasses by J Alice Bown.
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RebelVampire
COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB START!
Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Week Long Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Damsels Don’t Wear Glasses by J Alice Bown~! (http://damsels-dont-wear-glasses.com/)
You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Remember, though, that while we allow constructive criticism, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic. Below you will find four questions to get you started on the discussion. However, a new question will be posted and pinned everyday (between 12:01AM and 6AM PDT), so keep checking back for more! You have until May 19th to tell us all your wonderful thoughts! With that established, let’s get going on the reading and the chatting!
QUESTION 1. What has been your favorite scene in the comic so far? What specifically did you like about it?
QUESTION 2. In so far, what aspect of the world-building catches your interest the most? Why is that so? Also, what theories do you have in regards to differences between places like Persephone and Hestia?
Delphina
For serious scenes, I think I gotta go with the big swordy magic scene where she saves Jake from being crushed by the statue (http://damsels-dont-wear-glasses.com/?comic_id=202) because the lighting effects are gorgeous and seeing Lave doing big magic stuff with her sword was really really cool. For silly scenes, the one that always sticks with me is Lave trying to be a host and failing miserably. (http://damsels-dont-wear-glasses.com/?comic_id=123)
keii4ii
2) I really liked this page. http://damsels-dont-wear-glasses.com/index.php?comic=20180423 How she just asks a random person on the street for a magic shortcut and gets an answer right away. While it's always been clear that magic is an ordinary thing, this kind of little details really shows exactly how ordinary.
Capitania do Azar
I really like the prologue, particularly the part where they climb the lamppost. There's just so much character into the entire scene, and the exchanges are really cool. It's a very strong beginning for a story too, imo!!
2) http://damsels-dont-wear-glasses.com/index.php?comic=20130423 I really think this part has a lot to show about world building like, here's this weird magical event going on, but everyone is just "I was just trying to show you something cool urg" and "well this ain't it"
duskglass
for the worldbuilding, i especially love the variety of creatures/nonhumans we've seen so far, and how well integrated they are with the setting! it's got a classic urban fantasy vibe while also being very fresh and unique
RebelVampire
QUESTION 3. At the moment, who is your favorite character? What about that character earns them this favor?
QUESTION 4. What do you think Lave’s backstory is? Do you think she got all her scars from her job, or might some of them predate her job somehow? How do you think Jake will change the way Lave handles and deals with her life?
ClauseArt
heeey I just saw this! This is my comic! Thanks for taking the time to read it! c8
RebelVampire
1) i definitely gotta go with the scene where jake is in dream world like place with aishe. I really love how this scene just suddenly adds 1000 layers of mystery. Plus, i really just love the change in color scheme. It really gives it this other worldly feel that gives me goosebumps. Plus, I also just like Aishe's design. 2) I've really been enjoying the differences in magic. Like, for example, how most zombies actually suck cause ya know...theyre dead. I feel this adds such a great twist what we expect, cause every change I feel fits a more logical setup for what the magic does. Again, like how the zombie thing makes 1000% sense cause dead bodies are not the sturdiest. I am curious about why Lave had such a reaction to Hestia magic schools, but I don't have any theories outside of magic must be viewed very differently in places.
3) Kestrel because he's such a precious failure at life. Like...he just cannot catch a break and for some reason that makes him super endearing to me. Plus now hes got the whole aishe connection thing going on so that makes him double interesting. But mostly I want to boop him for all his failures. 4) I would think some of her scares would have to predate her job. Cause she's...she's got a lot of them. And considering she mentioned having been in jail, I'm kind of struck with the idea that maybe she ran with a gang or something. She super gives me the impression of someone who mostly raised herself and didnt have a huge loving family involved in teaching her how to deal with life. I think Jake will be a good influence on her though and teach her to be more careful. Cause she seems very fun loving and reckless, and while that can work when youre solo, its not great when you have other ppl. Like i think the Kestrel thing was a good example cause I felt Lave perhaps was too loose cannon with it, which semi resulted in Kestrel almost kicking the bucket. And Jake is like 1000 times more fragile, and I think it'll force Lave to see that she cant protect anybody if she goes around without a plan.
ClauseArt
@Capitania do Azar that scene with Kest and lave interacting around the lamp-post was actually the moment I decided Kest worked well as a main character. He was honestly going to die in the original draft. @keii4ii thanks! I super love just....the mundane feeling of everyday magic. @Delphina Honestly Lave just being a f--k up is probably my fav part of writing her character, especially for comedic effect XD Next to drawing glowy magic scenes of course.(edited)
@RebelVampire Oh wow this is a lot. Thank you! ;-; dammit I really can't respond to these kind of questions cus spoilers. But I'm glad you noticed a lot of my characters having...well a habit of messing up (and Lave did not handle that first chap well cough) XD Also Aishe is my fav character to draw, because Kest is my fav character to draw only its + because glowy effects. I do really like when more real world logic is put in fantasy, like corpses making for bad heavy hitters unless they're in a swarm. So I'm super glad you liked that!
Capitania do Azar
4. If Lave's style has always been what we've seen so far, then all those scars don't surprise me at all! They'd be the natural consequence of past encounters, work related or otherwise. It just kinda feels that everything ends with someone getting punched around her
3. I've really liked pretty much everyone, but I think Lave's my favorite cuz she's sturdy but messy and I feel there's a lot to be learned about her aha
And also she prolly also has a lot to learn
RebelVampire
QUESTION 5. What has been your favorite illustration in the comic so far? What specifically about it do you like?
QUESTION 6. Why do you think Jake is in Persephone with no guardian? What theories do you have on Jake’s hatred of non-humans? Will Jake be able to overcome his prejudice?
Capitania do Azar
6. Jake feels a lot like is somebody important's family but important could mean a lot of things. And has for his discomfort, I think it mostly stems from not knowing/being used to all this magic, which gives me the idea that some of these cities are less magical than others
5. Not an illustration, but I really love how in the last pages, as the sun rises, the colors become brighter and the sky becomes pink!!
It really helps bringing home the feeling that the night is over and the quietness of early morning, which is kinda fitting since they also stopped fighting
Delphina
I think I gotta go with Lave as my favorite character too because competent + ridiculous + magical +swordy is my entire jam so she's sorta the best of all worlds. Gena holds a special place in my heart too because she's clearly trying to keep a lot of things together.
Illustration-wise, I love how things like Jake's anxiety (http://damsels-dont-wear-glasses.com/?comic_id=198) or Chirovision (http://damsels-dont-wear-glasses.com/?comic_id=237) or Aisheland (http://damsels-dont-wear-glasses.com/?comic_id=225) traveling through magic spaces (http://damsels-dont-wear-glasses.com/index.php?comic=20170501) make the palette and rendering different depending on the mood. Really good use of a more abstract style to convey tone and worldbuilding.
(Now I want there to be a DDWG theme park where there's weird places like Aisheland)
varethane
Lave is my fave!!!! I love her goofy attitude paired with how much butt she kicks when it's necessary. I love seeing people underestimate her and then get surprised, haha.(edited)
My favourite illustration is.... hard to pick, but probably this page: http://damsels-dont-wear-glasses.com/?comic_id=206
Capitania do Azar
oh yeah, I really love the color work for those scenes, it carries out the emotions very well
RebelVampire
QUESTION 7. Which characters do you enjoy seeing interact the most? What about their dynamic interests you?
QUESTION 8. For what purpose do you think someone sold Kestrel the cursed orb? How does this tie into the axe theft mystery Lave is asked to solve? What overall is going on regarding these illegal items, and how will it tie into the story?
Capitania do Azar
7. Anything that comes out of Kestrel's mouth is gold, but when he and Lave bicker it's even better!!!
Please just let them bicker more for my amusement
8. It really feels like someone's around trying to spread SOME mayhem and if one object was possessed then maybe it's not the only one... could be a tricky situation
Delphina
Will second that Lave and Kest definitely need to bicker more
RebelVampire
5) im kind of cheating by saying i really like the extra page about the leylines http://damsels-dont-wear-glasses.com/index.php?comic=20160620 its really simplistic yet i think the illustrations work super well to help convey all the world-building information. its just a nice combo of huge info drop with some pleasant visual accompaniment 6) I assume Jake is probably an orphan from some important family? Or that Jake's family is super high up in rank somehow and just went "nah man we dont want this kid no more." while i def think some of jake's hate comes from ignorance, i also get the impression that jake had a bad experience with non-humans. something about jake's reactions just really strike me as ptsd. overall yeah, i think jake is gonna have to overcome it. plus, exposure breeds familiarity. its hard to be in the lion's den and continue to hate the lions.
7) jake and basically any non-human. I really just enjoy seeing jake's various reactions of "eww no" and then having to be confronted with the fact that not all non-humans are bad. It just makes me more and more curious about jake's past. plus, all these interactions really serve as a great tracking devices for how jake evolves in opinion. 8) With Kestrel, I kind of think someone is trying to draw Aishe out. I mean Aishe does have pretty neat butterflies and powers, so I can't blame them. Though I assume its a revenge thing cause I get the impression ppl arent all that happy with Aishe. But thus why other illegal items are being involved because you need powerful stuff to get to the powerful people.
Desnik
That leyline page is gorgeous and informative, I love the combo of worldbuilding and infographics
RebelVampire
QUESTION 9. What sorts of art or story details have you noticed in the way the comic is crafted that you think deserves attention?
QUESTION 10. Who exactly is Aishe and what are their goals? What does this have to do with the undead from the first chapter? Why did Aishe help Jake? What will Lave do when she learns about Aishe?
RebelVampire
QUESTION 11. What do you think are this particular comic’s strengths? What do you think makes this comic unique? Please elaborate.
QUESTION 12. What do you think the story with Chiro is? How did he wind up as Lave’s roommate? Will Chiro and Jake learn to get along? Also, do you think there might be anything special about Chiro that might affect the story?
AshAngelV
6. I think he's come from an entirely different world that doesn't have non humans and magic.
AshAngelV
11. The world building and color scheme are definitely strong points. It feels fully fleshed out and magical, but also very grounded like it's this amazing magical place that's also totally normal. Also, the characters. Having a bunch of flawed characters with baggage is always more interesting than having perfect characters with no problems and even the bit characters feel dynamic. Like they have their own story and interests rather than being part of the scenery exsisting only for the MCs to interact with.
RebelVampire
9) The thing I appreciate the most details wise is just the physical flaws. Especially Lave's scars. Adding details like that can be really tedious, yet it really helps deliver so much character that I always enjoy when the time is taken to include things like that. 10) I feel like Aishe is probably some necromancer from the past who is trying to rectify a mistake that was made. I think Aishe helped for the reason they said: Jake did a kindness and gotta pay that shit forward. I feel like Lave is 100% not going to trust aishe and basically just encourage everyone to do the same. Maybe suggest Kestral seek professional help. But yeah, I don't see a green butterfly person flying with Lave XD 11) I think this comic's strengths lie in two areas. First, the implementation of magic. There are clear rules, there's enough deviations from the standard to be interesting, and the fact its presented as a normal culture thing is well-integrated. second, the color palettes are really amazing and suit the tone and atmosphere of each scene really well. 12) I feel like Chiro might be a bit special since that one person did wonder what species Chiro was or something like that. And that because of this specialness Chiro was outcasted. Hence why he wound up with Lave cause ya know, outcasts gotta stick together. I think Chiro and Jake will bond for sure down the road. Cause i mean Chiro did just help save Jake's butt, and thats gotta earn him some Jake points right?
AshAngelV
12. I think Chiro might be a vamp that just stays in bat form or maybe only has bat form.
RebelVampire
QUESTION 13. What are you most looking forward to in the comic? Also, do you have any final thoughts to share overall?
QUESTION 14. What do you think Kestrel’s role will be in regards to the larger story? Can Kestral and Aishe be detached from one another, or is the attachment permanent?
AshAngelV
14. I think he'll be the guy that's in a constant state of terror and peril. And I think the detaching will be up to Aishe.
ClauseArt
man its super hard not to chime in on these ahhh D8
Delphina
Rebel makes such good questions XDD
varethane
I am looking forward to several things! - what is Jake's deal and how is he linked to aishe -Lave's bite mark scar!!!! what is it!!!!!! -what will Kest do next -more Lave plz(edited)
RebelVampire
@Delphina thank you for saying so~!
13) im looking forward to more aishe doing aishe stuff just cause i dig that aesthetic a whole lot. im also looking forward to learning more about jake so more concrete theories can be made about wtf jake's deal is. and also why nobody else could take jake besides lave cause i mean seriously...theres gotta be more sane choices XD 14) Kest is gonna become a real mage and do magic stuff. also ya know, hide out with lave cause now the ppl he owes money too are probably gonna be out for blood. as for detaching...maybe not so much. i more feel like once Aishe is done with their tasks, their essence will just kind of disappear and merge with kest.
AshAngelV
Hang in there Clause.
ClauseArt
@AshAngelV I will try D8
I can at least promise a lot of these theories are gonna be answered sooner or later
RebelVampire
COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB END!
Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Damsels Don’t Wear Glasses this week! Please also give a special thank you to J Alice Bown for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Damsels Don’t Wear Glasses, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!
Read and Comment: http://damsels-dont-wear-glasses.com/
J Alice’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/JAliceBown
J Alice’s Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/A732E2D
J Alice’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlicesBrainPad/
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helenpowers · 6 years
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Tattoos and Tiramisu Playlist
Listen Here: https://open.spotify.com/user/22cp3xuocmvlx7uqh7zok5r4a/playlist/1pzXVV0oDdjQXiGnx5simB?si=fXi73MbHTvi_m6_od-uA4A
Want to know what the songs have to do with the story? I’ve basically written an essay. Enjoy.
1.Geronimo by Sheppard
This song is super upbeat and fun to listen to. I feel like it is a relatively accurate depiction of James and Brooke’s relationship, but put into really simple terms. Things happen faster than either of them is used to (although not so quickly that it makes either of them uncomfortable. They both just accept that this is what they’re feeling and dive head first into it, although Brooke tends to have her doubts. This is usually the first song that plays when I start my playlist and it’s the one that gets me pumped to write.
2.  Be Somebody by Thousand Foot Krutch
This song is like James’ theme song. Whenever I write a scene that is particularly James heavy, I play this song to get me into the right mindset to portray him properly. I feel like it explains a lot of how he feels about Brooke as well. She brings out the best in him, and he wants nothing but to bring out the best in her as well. He feels a little bit trapped by his reputation, but also holds it close to him. It’s his natural defense from keeping people from getting too close or learning too much about him. He likes keeping his life private when possible.
3. Secrets by OneRepublic
I actually have a couple of songs from OneRepublic on the playlist for this novel. I love their music and a lot of their songs seem to fit different parts of the story. Secrets, in particular, fits the fact that Brooke and James both have things that they tend to keep to themselves. In fact, the only people outside of their families who really know about those things are each other. They begin to trust each other a lot throughout the course of the book and eventually they allow each other to see those parts of themselves that no one else gets to see.
4. Your Love Song by TJ Kingston
This is probably one of the only songs where the lyrics don’t necessarily fit the book (aside from the chorus). However, the general vibe of the song is very relaxing and has a very sincere sound to it. I imagine that it is how James sounds when he is trying to comfort Brooke. I love it.
5. The Night We Met by Lord Huron
This song is less about the main story and more about one that isn’t fully told within the pages of the book. This is the story of Brooke’s father and her mother, as told from her father’s point of view. They were young and their romance was passionate but short-lived. He thinks back to the early days of their relationship often and misses her. He never stopped being in love with her.
6. Song 6 by George Ezra
This is another one where the lyrics don’t necessarily fit the novel, or even one of the characters specifically. It just gives me such a romantic notion of dreaming about that one person you are missing more than anyone else.
7. I’m Yours by Jason Mraz
Brooke has a hard time believing that James could have feelings for her, but he does, and he’s willing to show her that he does. This song is him, convincing Brooke.
8. Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers
James is kind and courteous. He understands Brooke’s eccentricities and her anxieties. He’s perfectly happy with their ordinary relationship. He’s not looking for something crazy and over the top romantic. Brooke feels unbelievably lucky to have someone like James be willing to learn about her and help her in any way he can. She’s happy with what they’ve got going on, and so pleased that James doesn’t ask for more out of her, and that he doesn’t try to be her hero or try to make her better.
9. Closer by The Chainsmokers
James and Brooke each have a reputation that precedes them around the school. While this song doesn’t necessarily get both of them right, it does give the right impression. Plus, by the time the two of them get together, things just seem to… happen. It’s their last year of high school after all, and they might not have time after this.
10. Shape of You by Ed Sheeran
In all honesty, this doesn’t really fit the relationship in this book at all. What it does do, however, is get me in the mood to write. This song was a lot of my motivation while writing/revising this book, and I never had the heart to take it off the playlist. It’s a bop, and both James and Brooke would have fun listening to it and dancing around.
11. Wish I Knew You by The Revivalists
If James and Brooke had been pushed together at a younger age, their lives would have been very different and they would have been very different people. They help each other in a lot of ways, and this song just captures that idea of wishing that they could have become these people sooner.
12. Heavy by Linkin Park
This song is Brooke. This is her anxiety and how it can take over her life. Her OCD being a monster in the back of her head. Most of the time, it’s not so bad, but when it takes over, it really takes over. It consumes her in a way that she hates and wishes that she could change, even though she knows that can’t ever really happen. This song is the embodiment of that feeling when your heart feels heavy in your chest because everything is going wrong.
13. When They Come for Me by Linkin Park
James has an ongoing battle with his reputation. He holds it close to his chest and tends to use it as a defense mechanism. The first verse of this song really captures that feeling.
14. Good Intent by Kimbra
I have a lot of songs that make me think about reputations for this book (ironically, none of them are from Taylor Swift’s Reputation album). James has friends who get into a lot of trouble, and he doesn’t do anything to stop them. He just helps them out of their tough spots when he needs to.
15. She’s Always a Woman by Billy Joel
Back when I was just starting to write this book, I went to my friends and asked them for songs that they think are super romantic. A good friend of mine brought this up as the song he thinks is genuinely one of the most romantic songs in existence. It stuck around while I was writing, and slowly became a bit of an anthem for how James thinks about Brooke. She has a lot of problems, but she’s always a woman.
16. My Type by Saint Motel
James famously hooked up with someone at a party once, and the reputation as a player has followed him around ever since. This song perfectly shows how everyone else sees his romantic endeavors.
17. Puzzle Pieces by Saint Motel
We’re puzzle pieces that don’t fit together. Brooke and James come from very different walks of life. They shouldn’t fit together, but they do.
18. My Silver Lining by First Aid Kit
Brooke has one thing that she’s been working towards for her entire life. Anything that can take that away from her scares her. However, the important thing that she knows about working towards goals is that there’s only one thing you can really do: keep on keeping on.
19. Hooked on a Feeling by Blue Swede
This is one of my favorite songs of all time. It’s fun and happy. James and Brooke are hooked on the feeling of having someone understand them. Plus this song is so fun it’s practically impossible to sit still while it’s playing.
20. Middle Fingers by MISSIO
Brooke and James don’t necessarily fall into the idea of a “normal person” that is set forth by society, but neither of them really care. Stick your middle fingers to the world and keep living your best life.
21. Fuckin’ Perfect by P!nk
I remember when this song came out and crying while watching the music video. It’s an incredibly sad song with an important message. You don’t have to be perfect for the world. Brooke’s ultimate downfall is that she wants to be perfect. She wants to live her version of the perfect life, and that’s just too stressful.
22. Romantic by Stanaj
Brooke and James are not typically romantic people. They don’t go out of their way to make grand romantic gestures for people. But when they’re together, something changes. They want to be romantic for each other. They want to have that Hollywood notion of love that seems so impossible.
23. Invisible by Linkin Park
This song has been on this playlist since the beginning. The first time I heard it, I knew that it needed to be baked into the story I was telling. Brooke has always felt invisible, beyond her reputation of being bossy and annoying. James doesn’t want her to ever feel that way again.
24. Starving by Hailee Steinfeld
I didn’t know that I was starving until I tasted you. Brooke didn’t know exactly how much she wanted to be noticed. How much she craved someone else’s attention and affection. Then James gave it to her and she became a bit addicted.
25. Moonlight by Grace Vanderwaal
The feeling of first love.
26. Sweat by All American Rejects
Honestly this song makes it seem like things are going to get a lot raunchier than they are. But James and Brooke have an effect on each other that they can’t seem to shake. They have the ability to make each other’s hearts race.
27. Rain by The Script
When you’re gone, all it does is rain. Heart break and grief. The seemingly impossible need to get back together.
28. Something I Need by OneRepublic
If you only live once, I want to live with you. The last line of this song is everything.
29. BLK CLD by XYLØ
This song was a much later addition to the playlist, but it made me think about the characters SO MUCH. This entire thing could be Brooke just… talking. Listening to this will give you a very good idea of who she is as a person.
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quarantineroulette · 6 years
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Minor Disappointments’ Least Disappointing Releases of 2018
Preamble: I had a bit of a low (not Low, although that would’ve been preferable) period in 2018 that went on for several months. I didn’t really listen to music during that time, and so I missed out on a lot of things. I’m kind of too scatterbrained from holiday hysteria to really take in anything new. So these lists probably don’t designate “the best”, but they’re decent documents of what I wasn’t too distracted or down to take serious notice of.
Secondly, my own band released an album this year, and that occupied a large amount of time normally reserved for listening to other bands. I won’t rank it because I don’t want to be that conceited...but if you want to check it out for yourself, the highlights for me are “For the Rest to Rest”; “Open Up the Ways”; “Screen Test”; and “Suspend Disbelief”. One of my favorite reviews of it described our sound as being a “unique blend of post-punk, brit-pop, indie, and a little post-rock too.” and said we’re “one of the smartest bands to come out of Brooklyn in a very long time.” This is both why people should listen to it and also why they might not.
Thirdly, one of the things I listened to the most this year was Protomartyr’s Consolation EP, but I’m refraining from listing it as it’s not a full-length. That said, I think it’s as good as nearly anything I’ve heard this year, Protomartyr are the best and both of their live sets I caught were my favorite gigs of 2018. TLDR: Protomartyr = good. Most other things on this list = equally good but not Protomartyr. Let’s get started shall we?
10 Songs That Were Good: 
10) Neko Case & Mark Lanegan - Cures of the I-5 Corridor. How has a Neko Case / Mark Lanegan duet not existed until 2018?? No matter the year, something this gorgeous and heartbreaking is always worthy of making the cut.
9) Lana Del Rey - Mariners Apartment Complex . I remember Spencer Krug tweeting something kind of snarky about “Venice Bitch” a few months back, then deleting it, and damn well he should’ve because both that and “Mariners Apartment Complex” are blinders. “Venice” may be the most low-key epic ever, but the way “Mariners” takes hints of Leonard Cohen and Lee Hazlewood / Nancy Sinatra and places them in a pop context is perhaps even more admirable. It’s truly inspiring to hear mainstream music this nuanced.
8) Parquet Courts - Tenderness . I love the jaunty piano, and how Andrew Savage’s vocal take is simultaneously forceful and lax. But most of all I love how all its elements converge to create a sense of hard-won optimism.
7) Iceage - Thieves Like Us . Iceage do a swamp cabaret song and I just can’t love it enough.  
6) MGMT - Me and Michael . Yes, it’s ridiculously ‘80s, but you would have to be a very dour person to not smile whenever that opening synth riff kicks in.
5) Shame - One Rizla . Riff of the year. Hands down.
4) Bodega - Jack in Titanic . One of the great things about 2018 was witnessing Bodega’s success. To me, they’ve always been one of the few up-and-coming indie bands with the  charisma to be actual stars, and it’s been a joy seeing the rest of the world take note of this. From the moment I heard “Jack in Titanic”, I just knew it was destined to show up on a BBC Radio 6 A-or-B list at some point in the near future (and it did!). And yeah, they’re my good friends, but even if they were strangers I’d appreciate the smartness, melodic hooks, and sexiness all the same:
youtube
3) Preoccupations - Disarray . Click on that link because the song is really good, but be warned -- the vocal melody is never, ever going to leave you.
2) Protomartyr - Wheel of Fortune . This song has everything: a nerve-wracking stop and start guitar part, an at-once badass and terrifying refrain, Kelly Deal, and the exact sense of urgency that’s needed right now. Powerful, timely, and a rare example of a song that puts its guest star to highly effective use.
1) Janelle Monae - Make Me Feel . This song combines about five different Prince songs but Janelle Monae’s personality is so strong that the end result is something wholly her own. And if the song weren’t a blast on its own, the technicolor video is almost lethally fun: 
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10 Albums That I Loved A Lot: 
10) Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino . I really loved this album but I’m ranking it as 10 just because it’s the Arctic Monkeys and I can’t believe I enjoyed anything they’ve produced *this* much -- especially a lounge album about a casino on the moon. I find Alex Turner overrated as a lyricist and cosplaying a Bad Seed isn’t endearing to me, but he obviously loves Scott Walker a lot so I guess he gets some sort of pass.
9) Moonface - This One’s of the Dancer and This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet . The only reason this isn’t ranked higher is because I haven’t been able to give it the attention it deserves. This is a concept album where some songs are sung from the pov of the Minotaur and others from Spencer Krug, and both these creatures are enigmatic are too enigmatic to be given mere surface reads. This all said, I’ve listened enough to glean that, as always, Spencer’s lyrics are awe-inspiring, the marimba is implemented well, the alternate version of “Heartbreaking Bravery” is excellent, and comparing and contrasting its themes with those found on Wolf Parade’s 2017 release Cry Cry Cry is a fun past time if you’re me or seven other people. Looking forward to delving deeper in 2019.
8) Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer . To be honest, I *was* a little disappointed in this. It’s not as cinematic or stylistically adventurous as Monae’s previous full-lengths, but I think Monae herself is extremely talented and I wish she was a much bigger star. Furthermore, when considered against the drek of the general pop landscape, this is still a bold, unpredictable, and intelligent pop record from a true enigma.
7) Luke Haines - I Sometimes Dream of Glue . Like “Kubla Khan” if it had been written after huffing a river full of glue, but instead of Xanadu it’s an English village full of miniature people having a orgy:
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6) Parquet Courts - Wide Awake! . No other song better captures the frustrations and anxieties of living in NY in 2018 than “Almost Had to Start a Fight / In and Out of Patience”, and for that alone this album would make the year-end cut. But it also happens to be brilliant start to finish, with the two closing statements, in the form of “Death Will Bring Change” and “Tenderness” respectively, being among PC’s best.
5) Low - Double Negative .  Mimi Parker’s voice emerging from a sonic cocoon on “Fly” is one of the most gripping moments of Low’s fantastic career. This album challenged me the most in 2018, but it’s also one I frequently returned to, determined to crack its code.
4) Preoccupations - New Material . I suppose some would dismiss this as too trad. post-punk, but holy hell - these trad. post-punk songs have got some hooks! And there isn’t quite another singer like Matt Flegel, who somehow manages to channel Bowie and Mark Lanegan at the same time. I’ve listened to this so much that New Material already feels like a well-loved classic.
3) Gazelle Twin - Pastoral . I would argue that Pastoral is the closest anyone’s come to making something comparable to PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake. An electro-pagan examination of Britain’s heritage and history (and the whole Brexit thing) that manages to feel thorough despite only being 37 minutes long, Pastoral moves beyond being just “a record” and becomes something closer to contemporary art. Elizabeth Bernholz’s vocals, whether warped or unconstrained by processing, are remarkable throughout. A mash-up of folk traditions and modern beats that somehow works shockingly well:
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2) Idles - Joy as an Act of Resistance . Boyfriend / bandmate James and I have discussed this album more than any other this year, and it’s been a pleasure hearing his love for it and forming my own appreciation of it in the process. What sealed it for me was James’ description of “Idles” as pagan, and how the band’s use of repetition and simple melodies (as well as their bacchanalian stage presence) created an air of ritualism. In their primalness, they even remind me of The Birthday Party - a “woke” Birthday Party, but a Birthday Party all the same. My favorite musical moment of the year may very well be Joe Talbot’s first shout of “UNITY!” in “Danny Nedelko”, primordial, raw, unpretentious, and completely punk. We *need* these guys right now:
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1) Suede - The Blue Hour . There is a joke in the TV show 30 Rock in which Jack Donaghy -- Alec Baldwin’s network head character -- says he attended Harvard Business School, where he was voted “Most”. The Blue Hour could be considered “Most” -- it’s meant to be taken as one piece, it’s insanely grandiose and, like its predecessor Night Thoughts, listening to it makes everything in my life seem 18 times more dramatic and tragic. I don’t know how, but this bizarre mashup of Kate Bush, Jacques Brel, Pink Floyd, Scott Walk, Gregorian chanting, classic Suede, spell books and (of course) David Bowie somehow seems bizarrely in step with 2018. Seeing as this top three consists of albums that are arguably “pagan”, and folk horror’s representation in popular 2018 films like Hereditary, The Blue Hour feels accidentally on trend. It’s crazy to think that a band whose first release happened 25 years ago could still be relevant in 2018, but Suede somehow are so please give these dads a hand and then listen to The Blue Hour’s glorious closing trio of songs a lot, because boy are they “Most”.  
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teamdoubleoh · 7 years
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Masterlist of Already Posted Fics
Since commenting earns points and not everyone has read everybodies already posted fics, here is a list beneath the cut of those posted before the Fest begins. That way we have an easy way to pick/go to our team mates fics and comment or rec to our hearts contents
Organized by writer
List of Writers:
amottledrose (thebookworm214), beaubete, brookebond, Castillon02, Gwyllion, hippoprima, Iambid (Flantastic), IAmVengeance (Venstar),  JaimiStoryTeller, opalescentgold, sunaddicted, timetospy
amottledrose (thebookworm214)
Been Waiting My Whole Life (For Someone Like You) - Q takes independent IT contracts and James works as a security guard. All Q wants to do is start over in London after time working abroad, but he never could have imagined he would meet a blond, ex-Navy officer with a sense of humor and a ridiculously cute pet lizard.
Snapshots - James Bond and Q- perfect for each other even if they don't always know it.
00Q Jukebox - Music inspires many to write, and that's what it's done here. Each chapter will be the title of a song that in some way influences the content of the chapter. The story will be a series of short stories and one-shots featuring everyone's favorite Quartermaster/Agent. Some might be AUs, some might be angsty, others will be so high on crack/humor that hopefully you cry from laughing. All of them are inspired by the songs that give each chapter its name.
Unplanned - A glimpse into Q's mind, someone who never planned on ever loving anyone.
Double-Oh Doctor - It's dangerous to work in R and D, especially when things catch on fire.
Be The One You Bleed - Set back in Medieval England, James Bond takes the throne after his parents die, but there's more danger in his court than even he suspects. During the celebration of his coronation, a young traveler arrives: a strange man with pale skin named Q...
We Fell - An RP about Q, the angel tasked with guarding MI6, and Bond, the spy who loves him.
What's Said in the Silences - James and Alec are ex SAS who now work at a bakery in Oxford. Bond is struggling to adjust to civilian life after a career ending injury retired him from duty. Little does he know that he will soon meet a young bookshop owner, the enigmatic and curious Q.
Smile - His favorite memory of Q
Holiday Memory - It's James and Q's first real Christmas together since they began dating, and the agent is slowly remembering something that he'd forgotten a long time ago, buried under loss and pain.
Strangers on a Train - Two strangers meet on a train. Sometimes it's just as simple as that.
Happy Holidays - Q is feeling a bit like the grinch with all the holiday cheer, but James can fix that.
You Are Beautiful - After years of being together through missions and strife, James and Q are finally getting married! The big day is not without its struggles, particularly since both men are nervous about the actual event.
The Way of the Glamping - Q surprises Bond in Japan. Bond surprises Q in return.
Leavin' on a Jet Plane - James returns from a mission gone wrong and discovers something about Q.
In sickness and in health - In light of recent events here in the US, we decided that we needed a fic of James taking care of a sick Q. And that turned into all sorts of fluff :)
Kitten Q comes out to play - BDSM pet play James/Q/Alec
Pop Goes the Weasel - Memorials for fallen agents are typically somber affairs. Then James Bond gets up to speak.
Hand Talk - What better way to welcome James home than with unexpected sex?
My Fault - It was never going to be. It never could be.
Unrequited - Q knows falling in love with James Bond won't be good, but it doesn't stop him trying.
Longing - It's hard when you've been left behind. It's even harder when you blame yourself.
Second Chance - Dreams
My Skin the Colour of your Eyes - Eve sets up James and Q, not knowing about their soul mate marks.
A Kiss and a Good Scotch - James has to rescue the Quartermaster after he's kidnapped. But there's more to him than what appears on the surface.
The Hacker and the Hit Men - (I Am) Q is an up and coming hacker (and a Submissive), living next to married Doms James and Alec. When Q stumbles on something he shouldn't have seen, he has to go to his neighbors for protecti
Caring Goes Both Ways - (I Am) Set after "The Hacker and the Hit Men" Q wants to help James and Alec with their work, and he learns quickly that his Doms have a penchant for getting intro trouble.
Migraine (Prequel) - (Retirement Bliss?) Q sometimes suffer migraines from his long hours in front of his screens. He usually pushes through them. Set before the main events of the rest of the series.
The Tummy - (Retirement Bliss?) James and Q are retired now, and James is feeling self conscious.
Lazy Afternoons - (Retirement Bliss?) Cuddling on the sofa is a nearly daily activity now.
Mad Scientist - (Retirement Bliss?) Q likes to tinker...
Bail - (Retirement Bliss?) Just because they've left MI6 doesn't mean they've left the memories behind.
Gardening - (Retirement Bliss?) Everyone has to have a hobby.
Kitten - (Retirement Bliss?) Turing is getting older, so he needs a companion.
Chores - (Retirement Bliss?) Arguing over chores and picking up
Dancing - (Retirement Bliss?) Q discovers a secret James has been hiding for quite a while.
Touch - (Retirement Bliss?) Timetospy's headcanon of how James and Q comfort each other. It looks like a hug but it means so much more.
Strays - (Retirement Bliss?) James is something of an animal whisperer. Q thinks it's hilarious.
Watch Over Me - (Retirement Bliss?) All this time and James still can't properly believe that Q is really his.
Contemplation - (Retirement Bliss?) ames isn't he only one contemplating old age. Q does too.
Constellations - (Retirement Bliss?) James loves stargazing, but Q is easily distracted.
beaubete 
The Witches of MI6 - An old spell made in a youthful temper, an old sea witch managing in a new era, alone and broken. Old and new clash together within MI6.
Skuld - Dread is knowing a man will hold your heart in his palm before you meet him. 
Within Me - “I need it.” / Here, Q could play coy. He could pretend not to know what Bond means. He could be cruel, could mock Bond his obvious weakness. Instead he hums thoughtfully, considering. “Yes,” Q agrees. “You do."
2016 LDWS fics! - (ficlets and drabbles ) A collection of six drabbles from the 00Q Last Drabble Writer Standing 2016.1 - genre: canon; theme: game; 100 words / 2 - prompt: "bet you didn't expect this"; 200-250 words / 3 - genre: AU; prompt: trope role reversal; 300 words / 4 - prompt: fantasy; 150 words / 5 - genre: historical AU; prompt: trouble; 250 words / 6 - prompt: trust; 300 words
Prompts and Bites  - (ficlets and drabbles )  A collection of all of the prompt fic and fic bites that are too short to be on their own but long enough to archive.
In the Shadow of the Forest - (Here, There be Dragons) - Written for the 00Q Reverse Bang 2015/2016! / Sent to the edge of the world to look for dragons no one believes in, Sir Bond finds something.
A Year And A Day - (Here, There be Dragons) - Bond has lived with his dragon for a year now. A long, chaste year.
In Memoria Res - Memory is a tricky business. / After Franz's machine, the cup of Bond's mind becomes a sieve.
Only Style - Q takes the job because it's a ridiculous fluff job with an even more ridiculous salary. Things only get more bizarre from there. 
Hands-On Approach - What if the scene in the ski lift had gone differently?Spoiler-tastic, obviously. [Noncon Warning] 
[...and tons of other stories, because beaubete has 77 posted Bond fics! -Cas ] 
brookebond
Control - What else was he meant to do when he got caught? {DARK FIC}
Exposure - Bond is a photographer. Q is a model. What more do you need to know? (There is lace involved.)
Tangled Hearts - Nothing's ever easy when you work an almost 24/7 job, have a department to run, a boyfriend, and a cat to feed. Then there's the ever unruly 007.
No Accounting for Taste - Even though soulmates were common, James had been content without knowing who his was. He was happily married to Anne, the loveliest person he had ever encountered. She put up with all his bullshit and they were expecting a child. Things don't always go to plan though, and when complications arise during birth, James may just end up on his own after all.
Say yes? - (Diamonds are Forever) It’s Christmas Day, Q’s favourite day of the year, and Bond is nervous as fuck. He wakes Q up at 6am and Q is drowsy, half asleep when Bond starts asking questions.
Mr & Mr Bond - (Diamonds are Forever) Q and James get married.
Free to a Good Home - (Diamonds are Forever) Q has had enough of Bond's shit and puts flyers up in Q-Branch.
Another One Bites the Dust - (Diamonds are Forever) Bond has lost something rather important.
Castillon02
If I Had a Functional Pancreas I Could Love You - Q fears that revealing his diabetes will make Bond think less of him. Bond surprises him. (Fluffy just-established relationship fic.)
Pre-flight Jitters - Q experiences some flying anxiety and Bond offers him a (chemical) solution. Fluffy ficlet.
Wild Nights Should Be Our Luxury - Q decides that he and Bond should start having sex. Bond avoids choking to death on cannelloni
Luminous Beings Are We - In an effort to persuade Q to accept him and his feelings, Bond learns the way of the nerd and creates a special Halloween cosplay.
No Cock Tuesdays - Bond, Q, and Madeleine are snowed in and anticipating some hot OT3 sex. Only one problem: Bond’s cock is not cooperating.
And I laid me down with a will - Bond knows where he wants Q to be when the world ends. He finds him at Q Branch instead. (Written for the h/c prompt "World Explosion.")
Rubbish Flirts - Bond and Q’s first sexy weekend together ends with a bit of practical domesticity.
Post-coital Breakfast - Bond convinces Q that he had only the purest of motives when he snuck downstairs to make French toast on the morning after.
Tanner's Mission - Tanner goes on a mission to thwart his arms-dealing doppelgänger. Bond goes undercover and tries out a new form of transportation.
In the Office - Q makes a mess of Mallory in his own office; Mallory enjoys the hell out of it.
A Case of Good Etiquette  - Having recently moved into Q's house, Bond returns from a mission to find that his first welcome home has gone a wee bit awry.
Waiting for Spectre - Fills for MI6 Cafe prompts on Tumblr, written pre- and post-Spectre. Chapter eleven: Felix helps Bond on a mission; Bond wins a bet. James/Felix ficlet
It is not the wine that makes us drunk - Bond, Moneypenny, and Tanner take Q out for drinks to celebrate the end of a very long day. Fluff ensues, including Q's glasses getting passed around like a party favor and Bond having an honorable intention.
Q Branch Professionalism - Q finds his staff acting inappropriately.
Exit, Pursued by a Bear - One of Bond's targets tries to hide in the wilderness.
The Trick is Slick Code - Bond decides to woo Q in a way that Q will surely understand--with technology! Meanwhile, Q strongly suspects that Bond just wants a new Aston or something
First Cat to Feed - (Cats to Feed) The story of how Q, with a little help from Bond, acquires a cat after Skyfall. 
Worth Killing - (Bond Women Loving Women) Camille finds out that Mr. Greene’s boss has a daughter working with Medecins Sans Frontieres in Bolivia. She pays Doctor Swann a visit, hoping to find leverage and discovering something else.
For Want of a Moneypenny - (Bond Women Loving Women) Moneypenny changes the course of events on Silva’s island. Séverine lives.
Sparks in Six Saloon - (Bond Women Loving Women) Moneypenny helps out a woman who’s gotten on the wrong side of Mr. Greene. Old West AU.
Due Donne a Roma - (Bond Women Loving Women) MI6 and Lucia Sciarra both need the Spectre goons in Rome to go away. They work out a deal that involves Moneypenny.
Acceptable Loss - (Bond Women Loving Women) Field agent recruit Moneypenny starts dating Fields and learns a hard lesson.
A Conversation in Heaven - (Bond Women Loving Women) In the afterlife, Vesper asks Severine an important question.
Motivation - (Bond Women Loving Women) Yusef’s captors instruct Vesper to make a drop in Bolivia. Camille gets curious about why someone from the British treasury would walk into a known criminal hang-out.
Table for Two - (Bond Women Loving Women) The Treasury sends Vesper to Macau; the people who hold Vesper’s leash send her to meet Séverine.
A Question of Commitment - (Bond Women Loving Women) Back before Ms. Dowar had been an MP, she’d asked M to call her “Claire.”
Gwyllion
Five O'clock in the Morning - Written for the 2017 00Q Last Drabble Writer Standing.
Hello Weekend - Written for the 2017 00Q Last Drabble Writer Standing. Prompt: Transform, genre-fluff, Fibonacci number sentence per paragraph construction.
Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire - Written for the 2017 00Q Last Drabble Writer Standing. Prompt: AU “I must be dreaming.”
Sputter - Written for the 2017 00Q Last Drabble Writer Standing. Prompt: Bright.
Nothing Gold Can Stay - Eve goes on holiday alone and picks out the perfect Secret Santa gift for Q. 
2020 - Written for the 2016 007 fest Last Drabble Writer Standing. Prompt: Dare hurt/comfort
My Little Finger - Written for the 2016 007 fest Last Drabble Writer Standing. Prompt: Dialogue only 
My Heart Will Go On - Written for the 2016 007 fest Last Drabble Writer Standing. / Prompt: Fusion “I expect you to die.”
Big Spoon - Written for the 2016 007 fest Last Drabble Writer Standing.
Prompt: wager. First word beginning with "M." Second word beginning with "I." Last word must be "six."
Blackbird - James Bond didn’t need anything or anyone. He had already lost the war that circumstance had waged against him. When his affection for Q flared, he got the love he never had, and the home he never knew he was missing. 
Baby - Written for alby mangroves’ Lip Service – the Panfandom Commentfest.
hippoprima
Give and Take - Q wants and gives all that he could (exploding tech, hidden feelings, secret fears). Then he realized he should just take instead because Bond was more than happy to give.
A Bit of Supernatural in Your Life - Daemons are supernatural manifestations to meet human desires and expectations and MI6 decides to summon a couple of them to join its employment roster, such as one for protection, one to replace a lost Quartermaster. Bond's inextricably stuck dealing with them for better or for worse because that's how his luck is.
Iambid (Flantastic)
Le Beau Garçon - Bond comes home from a mission to Q.
Oh, Won't You Be My Valentine? - Q has a crush and asks Bond to help him out.
Completely Plastered - After a mission in Bruges goes horribly wrong, Bond finds himself confined to Medical. / In which Bond is a bloody awful patient, Eve is a crafty cow, Tanner is oblivious and Q has some wonderful ideas about how to relieve a 00's boredom.
Never Fearful - In a post-apocalyptic world where technology is a thing of the past and magic runs riot; James Bond, a warrior cleric of the Palace of Vauxhall, is the ultimate fighter.  / Will his bone-deep hatred of magic prevent him from protecting House Emisyx’s last, best hope for peace? And what is the deal with the kid with the goggles anyway?
Beholder - Bond's own concept of beauty.
One More Bruise - It’s been eleven hours since M changed the status of field agent 007, Commander James Bond, from ‘Active’ to ‘Missing in Action’.
Silence Is Golden - James Bond is a porn star who's been in the business for years. Q is the newcomer who's been drafted in as his co-star.
La Rata - Fourteen years ago James Bond lied to the man he loves and now that lie has come back to haunt him. / As the time approaches for him to confess what he did, he thinks back to the events that led to them meeting
Blacktail - When M loses patience with the way that James Bond conducts himself while out on missions she thinks she has the ideal solution. She has no idea she's about to change the agent's life forever.
All I Am - Finally falling into bed together after months of flirting, Q has a confession to make. Q seems to think his secret might scare Bond away. Bond thinks all his Christmases have come at once.
The Birthday Girl - When Eve Moneypenny’s birthday celebrations go wrong there's one man she can rely on to make everything better - her friend, Bill Tanner.
Breathe With Me - When James Bond goes back to MI6 following his disastrous relationship with Dr Madeleine Swann, Q wants nothing to do with him. / Then there's an accident in Q-Branch...
Lumos - Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry holds its secrets well.  Born six months after the famous battle in which Voldemort was defeated, James Bond is just weeks away from leaving the school when he stumbles across an unusual portrait of a young man.  Who was the mysterious ‘Q’ and why does James get the feeling that the painting is in terrible danger?
The Valentine Dinner - Bill's determined to make Eve a lovely dinner for Valentine's day. Unfortunately things don't go exactly as planned...
The Glastonbury Sprite and the London Spy - A chance encounter at the Glastonbury Festival leads to a passionate relationship between James Bond and Thomas “Q” Holt. / When James's true identity is suddenly revealed and it abruptly ends their relationship, James realises that he is in love and he will do everything he can to try to prove it to Q. Even if that means digging into his twin brother’s past.
Kissing It All Better - James visits a poorly Q.
2017 Last Drabble Writer Standing - A little collection of drabbles which I wrote for this year's competition over on MI6-Cafe's page on tumblr.
This Is Our Beginning, Coming To An End - (Devotion) Following the aviation accident which killed his family, Q uses a wheelchair. Fiercely independent, this is the story of how he fell in love and the three times he allowed James Bond to carry him.
I'm Right Where I Belong - (Devotion) After four years together, Q and James are as happy as they have ever been. This is never more evident than on a rare day off spent together. Although the dark repercussions of their employment are never far away, even the quietest day can be filled with surprises.
Dress Up In Dreams - (Devotion) James and Q's lives are turned upside-down when a kidnap plot sees them both taken, hundreds of miles apart. For Q it's a battle of wits and survival. For James, it's as much a fight against his own demons as the people who take him. [rape/non-con]
The Evening Shift - (Devotion) James Bond, from three different perspectives.
All Of Our Ghosts And Secrets - (Devotion) Following on from the events of Dress Up In Dreams, James and Q's relationship is struggling but a terrible injury turns out to be a blessing in disguise as they are thrust into a series of life or death events.
Grabbed By The Ghoulies - (Halloween Fun) Q takes dressing up for Hallowe'en far too seriously...
That's Just Wizard - (Halloween Fun0.) Just what did happen in that deserted office?
The Assumption - (The Surprises) Unbonded Alpha James Bond would lead a pretty solitary life if it wasn't for his Beta friend Q. They get on well and Q always knows the best restaurants. However James soon learns that Q is full of surprises...
The Homecoming - (The Surprises) What was supposed to be a straightforward covert op for the alpha James Bond turned into an extended, deep undercover mission.  Almost six months after leaving England he returns to London and the omega he was forced to leave behind; his beloved Q. / He thinks he’ll surprise Q by turning up unannounced in the middle of the night. As it turns out, Q has a much bigger surprise waiting for him...
The Arrival - (The Surprises)  It’s been a hectic time for alpha James Bond since returning home and finding out that his omega Q is expecting twins.  On leave from field work, James has spent his days trying to make up for lost time by being as close to his mate as possible and learning all he can about the intricacies of giving birth.  Unfortunately all his training hasn’t quite prepared him for things not going quite according to plan…
The Nanny - (The Surprises)  Three gorgeous pups and James and Q are still surprising each other.
IAmVengeance (Venstar)
The Subterranean God of MI-6  - The mind of a God is never still, even when it’s forgotten what it once was… Q flickered between himself and Hades on the way home, the riders in his train giving him wary looks and space, something about him now unsettled them. The kindly grandparents pulled their purses and coats close around them. The large youths pushed their earphones further into their ears, trying to lose themselves in the sound of their music. Small children peeped shyly out at him from over their parents shoulders. Those same parents would glance back and then quickly pull their children down to face away. Q kept his head down as he exited the tube station and made his way to the entrance to his building, bypassing the elevator and running up the stairs, where he finally stumbled through his doorway.
Getting A Word In - Some days, Q is so busy that James feels like he just can’t get a word in. Maybe it’s just the right word in or maybe it’s the right place.
Just Checking - You can’t have it both ways, much less three. I’m either a Wizard, or I’m...
Ping! - Old people and technology. Somehow 007 had accidentally group texted him and 006. There’s an attachment included and being curious in his little soul, Q opened it...
Inhale, Exhale - It was supposed to be routine, simple bodyguard duty for the Quartermaster of MI-6...instead it ended in a series of mistakes.
A Price -Death came to me on sock footed feet, stepping softly and silently across the hall floor, for it seems that Death didn’t care to wear shoes. For the MI6-cafe challenge for October.
Just Dance - Q walks in on some agents, absolutely killing it at Just Dance 4.
Banner Graphic for rivermoon1970 - IT'S A BANNER. THAT'S MY SUMMARY. YO. HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!
Good King James - A short re-telling of one of my oddly favorite Christmas carols, Good King Wenceslas.
The Boffin and The Badass - a rewrite of a holiday favorite, The Holly and The Ivy. Sing along! inspired by Rigel99's pics titled "The Boffin and the Badass"
The Greatest Responsibility is to Hide the Truth... Because Superpowers Suck. - Sometimes the greatest responsibility is to hide the truth from the ones you think you know. Other times, the greatest responsibility you can have, is saving each other’s asses. Bond has a secret that he doesn’t want anyone to know, it’s what fuels his “resurrection” hobby. Okay Alec knows, but they’re besties, he was bound to find out! Q is suddenly hit with a secret that he doesn’t want anyone to know, except for his cats and Rufus the roomba, or else he could be stuck in a lab forever and not as it’s Supreme Overlord! A failed kidnap reveals what the urban hero and the supreme lab rat have in common. They must get their shit together and work as a team, for the greater good and a bit of kissing.
Memoirs of a Quartermaster - You can wish for a different beginning for your ending, but sometimes you’re not allowed that luxury. In Japan, a pair of siblings are sold by their fisherman father. One to a geisha house (okiya) and the other one, to a brothel. Along the years of training and failure, one sibling escapes from the brothel where they lived and the other is left alone, becoming indebted to their okiya. However, years later, he earns the opportunity to become a taikomoshi apprentice, with the help and support of a successful ally. While still a young man, he falls in love with The Commander, at a chance meeting. Years pass before they meet each other again...
Growing Up - Now, it wasn’t that James couldn’t remember how he passed most of his youth, it’s just that it wasn’t very pleasant. So he chose to forget, like we all do.
There's Always Cats - It used to be a lonely walk, but with the discovery of two little fluff balls, Q's valentine's day might not be spent alone.
Demons by Candlelight - if you summon it, it will come.
The Bond Letters - Q has a whole notebook filled, with private writings, all about James. James was unaware of this, until he stumbles across a small, ratty, tatty notebook that was so at odds with the pristine and crisp Quartermaster. James was never supposed to ever find it or be aware of how Q really felt, but spy is always a spy. Now James can't help but wonder what it would be like to actually be on the receiving end of something so powerful outside of the journal writings.
Summer Bucket List - bond has a list. a list of things to do that will be done. he also has a reluctant quartermaster
1000 Paper Things - there's an old Japanese legend that if you make 1000 paper cranes, you get a wish. for james, well, he only has 999 paper things. not sure if it counts but q seems to think so.
The Witches of MI6 - An old spell made in a youthful temper, an old sea witch managing in a new era, alone and broken. Old and new clash together within MI6
The Origin of R -There comes a time, when your past catches up to your future. For Adam, the future Quartermaster (although he totally doesn't know this, sssh don't tell him), this is how his meager beginnings at MI6 collided with R’s rebellious nature, and how she came to be. Desperate to escape a situation of her own making, R turns to an old hacker mate and drags him through his own worst case scenario of past meeting present...they adopt a trusty 00 agent along the way, or perhaps, he adopted them.
Mission to Invite - (Mission Transcripts) It was just supposed to be the weekly read through, followed by Tanner summarizing the bullet points to M. Unfortunately, Mallory had requested unedited copies of the most recent missions, regardless as to if they were complete. 007 and 006’s joint mission had been part of that call for transcripts.
Mission to Date - (Mission Transcripts) Another transcript review by Tanner and another job of reminding a couple of agents that the Quartermaster of MI-6 is NOT a customer service agent or a call...center...girl.
Mission to Play - (Mission Transcripts) The minions need reminding that the deadly agents are not playthings, especially the Double ohs. Alec continues to try and be helpful.
Mission to Sell - (Mission Transcripts) Q’s eyes closed and he listened to the two agents as they left the safety of the hotel room for the unknown risk of the auction. To sell, perchance to buy - ay, there’s that rub. For in that sell of death, what dreams may come? Q twisted the lines of Hamlet for his own purpose. Slowly he began to work at his bindings.
Mission to Steal - (Mission Transcripts) The minions looked around the room, there were very few of them left in the branch. There were a few other double-oh’s in the field presently, but 006 and 007's mission was the only active mission that was currently going tits up, with one of the most important and heavily guarded assets in dire straits. They looked to R and she began to give orders.
Smile - (2017 DRABBLES FOR LDWS) post-SPECTRE
The Trap - (2017 DRABBLES FOR LDWS) Demons keep the wings of angels that they kill as a prize.
Transformation - (2017 DRABBLES FOR LDWS) MI6’s ruler Queen M, sent Q, his protectors, his feline advisors and Q's true love James Bond into the future to be reborn through the power of the LEGENDARY QUANTUM OF SOLACE. Q and James can transform into the SPECIAL GUARDIANS OF MI6. They fight for love and justice, and in the name of MI6, they’ll punish you. (DON’T LOOK AT ME LOOK AWAY!!!)
When the Sky Fell - (2017 DRABBLES FOR LDWS) That which we are, we are; made weak by time and fate, but strong in will. When he is gone, I work my work, but he is still mine.
JaimiStoryTeller
Seducing Q - Bond comes to a realization that he wants his quartermaster for more than just a night and sets out to win him over.
After Seduction - Originally called Teasing, changed the title when I decided to add other drabbles to this
Stillness in Silence - (Bonds of Friendship) Doctor John Watson runs a rather unique practice, its entire purpose is to help those who are deaf or mute, either by birth, illness or trauma. Sherlock is brought to his practice by his concerned older brother after he spends months refusing to speak. Things do not go as planned or expected for any of them. 
“It’s for me.” 1 -  (Bonds of Friendship) Prompt: Somebody says “it’s for me” - whether a question, statement, or demand. Have fun! 
Flash Fics Set 1: 2- (Bonds of Friendship) Prompt: You get into your car one morning only to have your GPS inform you that it forgot all directions and needs your help remembering them.
Phrases Said 16 -  (Bonds of Friendship) Prompt “Have you lost your damn mind!?”
Phrases Said 19 - (Bonds of Friendship) Prompt: “I need you to pretend we’re dating…”
Bad Advice - (Bonds of Friendship) Q is in need of some advice and decides to ask his best friend for it.
Christmas Preparations - (Bonds of Friendship)  Jasper and Jim set up the flat for Jasper's first Christmas with his partners.
Different Paths - (Paths Taken) Soulmates Alec Trevelyan and James Bond find themselves at odds when Alec is given a mission that he assumes that James knows about. But they’ve both been betrayed. James’ briefing isn’t the same as Alec's. Alec’s life undercover is hard, and becomes harder once he learns his soulmate has been killed. Feelings of guilt and anger cause him to fight back against MI6 for his loss. When James turns up unexpectedly, he is shocked to find his soulmate is still alive - a soulmate who attempts to kill him and sets a chain of events into motion that he never would have expected.
Night Out - (Paths Taken) Time stamp event during Alec and Q living in Paris
Wrong Answer - (Answers Verse) Nine years is a long time to be undercover and the longer Alec's mission drags on, the harder it gets. He doesn't expect the teen he is given to actually change the course of his mission, but that's exactly what happens
Through the Ages - (Answers Verse) A series of short stories about James Bond, Alec Trevelyan, and Q over the years in the various life times. Each one is complete as is and will include which tags belong to it in the notes at the top of the story.
“It’s for me.” 5 - (Answers Verse) Prompt: Somebody says “it’s for me” - whether a question, statement, or demand. Have fun!
Deciding His Future - (Real Legends: Moments in Time) Aiden's a young adult now and its time to decide what he wants to do with his life
Interesting Person - (Real Legends: Moments in Time)  Aiden's observations lead to him meeting one of his classmates he finds interesting
Q's Gift - (Moriarty Twins) Q's twin decides to do something about his love life for their birthday, it definitely doesn't go as anyone expects.
Lost in the Echo - (Legends in the Multiverse) Alec's thoughts over the years
Diverted - (Legends in the Multiverse) What if Jon met James first instead of Alec?
Of Unicorns and Fate - A unicorn goes searching for the others of his kind, along the way he meets those who would both hurt or help him, and a most unexpected thing, he finds himself in love
Cuddles and Threats 6 - Prompt: laying in bed with each other, one whispers “I could beat the shit out of you” and the other says “I know”. Thoughts?
Around the House 19 - Prompt: Must use these words: Screwdriver. Curtains. Phone. Chair
Phrases Said 1 - Prompts: “Who crawls through someone’s window at 4 am to go for ice cream?!” and “Before you decide to murder me, let me explai n
Our Soulmates 7 Sentinel Verse 1 part 1 - Prompt: Soulmate AU
Our Soulmates 11 Sentinel Verse 1 part 2 - Prompt: Soulmate AU
opalescentgold
Sugar and Kisses - In which Q is (terrifically) bad in the kitchen, James is sweetly indulgent (with ulterior motives), and Q and James are (very much) in love.
For His Wallet - Bill doesn't know what he's done to deserve this. It's all Moneypenny's fault anyways. Christ, who has this much money?
Redamancy - If you write something on your skin, it will show up on your soulmate's skin as well. James doesn't quite fall in love over physics discussions and cheeky book quotes and coding and riddles inked onto his skin, but he comes close. And then he actually meets Q.
sunaddicted
Meow - Cats - James never was fond of them.
Tea Party For Two - "Good afternoon, Q. May I help you with your little predicament?"
Unspoken - It’s as normal as they get and they’re both fine with it: in the end, they don’t need words to profess their love.
Il Marionettista - He hadn't expected things to be the same as when he had walked out of MI6, his mind clouded by the illusion of a happily normal life and Madeleine's sweet perfume - 007 wasn't naïve: MI6 moved at a dizzyingly quick pace and those who didn't manage to keep up disappeared, promptly replaced by someone who supposedly was more competent
Shade: Blood - Q's head snapped upwards so quickly and forcefully that the protesting of his vertebrae was clearly audible and jade-green eyes burned with incredulity "What?! I don't do fieldwork"  / "This is going to be so far from fieldwork that I'm wondering whether we'll even be payed" James smirked, folding his hands behind his back so that he wouldn't give in the itching need to comfortingly pat those messy curls - somehow, he knew Q wouldn't appreciate it.
Lovers' Spat - James smiled cheekily, icy-blue eyes twinkling "Have I told you lately how adorably fluffy your hair is?
White - As James watched Q and Danny shriek like bloody children in the snow blanketing the park, courting pneumonia with childish glee, he couldn't help remembering the quote from the TV adaptation of "North and South" his lovers made him watch and think that Thornton was wrong: hell definitely wasn't snow white.
Hole In My Head - There's a hole in Q's head, where Silva used to be and that now he's trying to fill with James' presence
All About Us - “He looks delicious, doesn’t he?” Raoul smiled sweetly, his lips seductively brushing against Q’s earlobe and fingers possessively tightening onto his jutting hipbones. / [...] / “I think he needs to be gagged” Q offered quietly, leaning back in Raoul’s embrace as if to find a new position to better contemplate the way sunlight was painted over that tanned skin, stretched taught over deliciously powerful muscles.
Burning Ink - The day the youngest Quartermaster ever in the history of MI6 and the legendary 007 shook hands in front of a vaguely mocking and depressing painting by Turner, they both ignored the simmering heat burning a name on their skin. / [...] / The day a desperate young man like any other in London and an early riser jogger brushed fingers while swapping a bottle of water in the cold and humid air of a grey dawn, the surprise was so great that their paths immediately parted and left them to wander alone the city with the feeling of having let luck slip out of their hands.
Lingerie - "Wow" James couldn't prevent the three words engorged with admiration and lust from escaping his suddenly dry mouth "Wow" he praised again after uselessly and desperately gulping down nonexistent saliva: the vision offered to him truly was worthy of such honest and bare admiration.
#improper use of marshmallows - Q was bored to death, alone and sprawled on the still unmade bed, gorging himself with sickly sweet and gummy marshmallows and the tablet propped on his stomach to better watch stupidly cute cat videos
Yellow -  00QAD - Relationship
Hearts In Atlantis - "Stop frowning, mi querido, or you'll get wrinkles" Raoul ruffled Q's curls passing by, leaving a freshly baked biscuit by his elbow - a white chocolate and almonds concoction designed to uplift bad moods "You're usually not so pensive after having just woken up" he pointed out.
Bottled Happiness - "You do know that you don't need to bring me presents?" Q inquired as he caught Bond leaving a neatly wrapped package at the corner of his eyes. / 007 smirked and moved the little box in front of the boffin, who still was focused on the screen of his laptop, its light and algorithms reflected on the smudged lenses of his spectacles "I just want to show my appreciation for your hard work, Q"
Blossomed Hope - "Are you okay?" she kept asking and no, Q was not okay - very far from it. But he lied smoothly at her with a smile, not trusting his voice not to betray him if he let it out his vocal chords "You could come to dinner: James has been telling me how he misses your takeaway nights here in Q-branch"
Violet Hour - The first breath of fresh hair burned down Q's throat and he gasped, coughing and laughing with exhilaration at the same time while he spied at the horizon with half-closed eyes, the brilliance too much to stand for his pupils used to the darkness of the ocean's depths. His pale arms were thrown open up towards the sky, seafoam sliding down his wrists as if the ocean itself was having difficulties with letting its fairest child go; not that the flimsy hold would have ever been able to hold Q back, not once he managed to peel his eyelids open and the vastness of the world was forever seared in his retinas - an invisible brand of ownership.
00Q LDWS - I realised I never posted these so, here they are
Selfish Prayers - "Why do they always make them look like glorified whores?" James muttered, shivering as he remembered the late High Priest - an odious fat man that had been made leader of the Cult at the questionably venerable age of sixty-seven - thusly clothed; at least, he was thankful that the new High Priest was such a finely boned and handsome boy.
Royal Presents - Saying that James Bond wasn't a particularly big fan of Christmas would have been a pretty big understatement: he quite detested it, in fact, and tried to avoid anything to do with it - especially at work, which was the reason why he always requested to be sent out in the field, preferably in a country where Christmas wasn't celebrated.
Shattering Stars  -  James selected a piece by Rachmaninoff he knew Q was particularly fond of and tried to pretend everything was fine.
Twisted Games - "Last time Bond fucked you, the whole floor heard you" Silva tutted reproachingly, reaching over to spoon some cream into his tea. / Q merely arched an eyebrow: it wasn't as if he cared whether anyone knew about the little arrangement he had with Bond - and neither should his colleagues care, since having a sexual relationship with the agent didn't prevent him from doing his work. Anyway, it was widely known that Bond was his favourite agent: the fact that they were fucking couldn’t have changed that much people’s already malicious opinions "Jealous?" / "You don't even know where that cock has been"
Ode To The Broken - "Grow a pair, Q" 002 snarls over the comms, gritting her teeth as she scales the wall just using her pigheadedness and a huge amount of luck. / Q rolls his eyes: she could have easily used the elevator - after all, he could control it easily "Of what? Boobs?"
00qad LDWS - What it says on the tin
Feathers In My Head - (Tumblr Kink Meme) Josephine Bond. Of fucking course, Q should have bet her favourite sweater on it: the woman not only made heads turn with her natural and sensual beauty, enhanced by her colourful attires and heeled shoes, but she also conjured a nervous atmosphere with her reputation of ruthless assassin clinging to her even in the safety of MI6.
Break Time - (Tumblr Kink Meme) "I just want to know one thing" Q panted [...] "Why do we always end up having sex in my office?"
The Odd One - (Omega!Bond series) "James, you're painful to watch" / "Don't watch then" James shot back, turning on his side to have a look at his arse: he knew it looked good but instead of being plump, its cheeks were toned and firm.
One Of A Kind - (Omega!Bond series) To be honest, James had never particularly been fond of cats [...] but Q and the cats came together as a package deal and James had welcomed them all in his flat, which no more was depressingly bare.
E.T. - (Alien!Q series) "That's... a mouthful" James pointed out rather uselessly. / "You can call me Q" the other said with the poshest accent James had ever heard in his life - keeping a startled laugh from escaping his throat was quite an hard job.
Rainbow  - (Alien!Q series) James had some bad mental associations with red: it was the colour of blood - freshly spilled or already drying - and of gore; it was the colour of Vesper's sundress when she had drowned under the scalding Venetian sun of an Italian summer; it was the colour of Q's skin whenever he was hurt and in pain.
Comets - (Alien!Q series) "Will you stare at him for much longer or are you dragging him home any time soon?" Eve asked, a teasing grin appearing on her lips
Octopus - (Alien!Q series) "What is it?" He inquired [...] / "It's a lifejacket: it will keep you afloat in case you fall overboard" / "Does it come in another colour?"
timetospy
Riding in Cars with Spies - (la Vie en Rose) Riding along on a test drive with James Bond is never a good idea. /  Unless it turns out to be the best idea Q has ever had.
Slippery When Wet - (la Vie en Rose) He took the last few steps to the door, paused a moment, then burst in, assuming his firing stance and scanning the room. The refrigerator door was open, and he could see someone bent over, rummaging around in the crisper. / “Oh for the love of….” / He recognised that arse. He could pick it out of a lineup, should the need arise.
Acapulco - (la Vie en Rose) Something is missing in Bond's idyllic retirement, and he can't place what it is...
Descent - (la Vie en Rose) Q had been tiptoeing around the flat on eggshells or weeks. The tragedy was that Q was still on that beach, hundreds of kilometers away, lost along the dark shore as he tread over the remains of the battered and broken bits the ocean had seen fit to throw against the sand. It hadn’t been eggshells under Q’s feet as he tried to navigate himself back to the wreck of his happiness, a sand castle that the tide had reclaimed and broken into nothingness. No, it had never been eggshells. It had been the ever-widening drifts of the remnants of his life ground into his raw soul without mercy.
I'll Be Seeing You - (la Vie en Rose) A drink. He needed a drink. Maybe it would shake something loose from the cobwebs that were his unreliable memory.
Acapulco (Reprise) - (la Vie en Rose) Madeleine frowned. She turned and re-entered the bedroom, stopping at the dresser to retrieve her mobile. As she reached for it, a small slip of paper caught her eye. It was tucked underneath the vase filled with day old flowers, a routine she had adopted in futility to inject some kind of joy into the room that had become their battleground.
Writing on the Other Side of the Wall - (Either Side Will Do, 00Q) What happens when you drop a heavy bag through your neighbor's wall? Head wounds and dinner dates, apparently.
Writing on the Wall - (Either Side Will Do, 00Q)  What happens when you drop a desk through the wall of your flat? Q's about to find out...
Before My Eyes - “He must choose,” Death had said in the slow, raspy voice of wind through dead leaves. “And since you knew him in life, you are the one to give him this choice.” / Why me?” / “Because he loved you.”
Tease - It’s been a long day. Which isn’t an excuse for shouting, really, but Bond is leaning against Q’s desk, hands shoved into his pockets, which does things to the front placket of his trousers that Q would rather not be thinking about at the moment, but can’t seem to ignore, and his frustration is leaking out of his mouth.
Save Our Souls - The first time I save your life, it’s an accident.
007 Fest Ficlet Collection - The following ficlets are what I created during 007 Fest 2016. They were based on a prompt list I created - one quote for every day. The ficlets run the gamut from crack to angst to tooth-rotting fluff, so each one has a small content explanation in the notes. Fic rating is for only three or four of the 30 ficlets collected here. Most are T/M.
00Q Last Drabble Writer Standing Contest Entries - These are my entries for the 00Q LDWS contest held for 007 Fest in July 2016.
Cup cakes and anniversaries - Q makes cupcakes to celebrate, but James ruins his plans. Or does he?
For the Love of Peach Pie - After discharge from the Royal Navy in 1946, James finds himself adrift with no clear future. Hoping to find direction, he travels to America./ In which Q is a mechanic in a small Midwestern town, M runs a diner, and life still isn't as simple or peaceful as anyone would like.
A Face in the Dark - When Q suddenly vanishes, James tries everything to find him with no luck.
34 notes · View notes
jaimistoryteller · 7 years
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Team DoubleOh Fic Masterlist
Since commenting earns points and not everyone has read every bodies already posted fics, here is a list beneath the cut of those posted before the Fest begins. That way we have an easy way to pick/go to our team mates fics and comment or rec to our hearts contents
Organized by writer
List of Writers:
amottledrose (thebookworm214), beaubete, brookebond, Castillon02, Gwyllion, hippoprima, Iambid (Flantastic), IAmVengeance (Venstar),  JaimiStoryTeller, opalescentgold, sunaddicted, timetospy
amottledrose (thebookworm214)
Been Waiting My Whole Life (For Someone Like You) - Q takes independent IT contracts and James works as a security guard. All Q wants to do is start over in London after time working abroad, but he never could have imagined he would meet a blond, ex-Navy officer with a sense of humor and a ridiculously cute pet lizard.
Snapshots - James Bond and Q- perfect for each other even if they don't always know it.
00Q Jukebox - Music inspires many to write, and that's what it's done here. Each chapter will be the title of a song that in some way influences the content of the chapter. The story will be a series of short stories and one-shots featuring everyone's favorite Quartermaster/Agent. Some might be AUs, some might be angsty, others will be so high on crack/humor that hopefully you cry from laughing. All of them are inspired by the songs that give each chapter its name.
Unplanned - A glimpse into Q's mind, someone who never planned on ever loving anyone.
Double-Oh Doctor - It's dangerous to work in R and D, especially when things catch on fire.
Be The One You Bleed - Set back in Medieval England, James Bond takes the throne after his parents die, but there's more danger in his court than even he suspects. During the celebration of his coronation, a young traveler arrives: a strange man with pale skin named Q...
We Fell - An RP about Q, the angel tasked with guarding MI6, and Bond, the spy who loves him.
What's Said in the Silences - James and Alec are ex SAS who now work at a bakery in Oxford. Bond is struggling to adjust to civilian life after a career ending injury retired him from duty. Little does he know that he will soon meet a young bookshop owner, the enigmatic and curious Q.
Smile - His favorite memory of Q
Holiday Memory - It's James and Q's first real Christmas together since they began dating, and the agent is slowly remembering something that he'd forgotten a long time ago, buried under loss and pain.
Strangers on a Train - Two strangers meet on a train. Sometimes it's just as simple as that.
Happy Holidays - Q is feeling a bit like the grinch with all the holiday cheer, but James can fix that.
You Are Beautiful - After years of being together through missions and strife, James and Q are finally getting married! The big day is not without its struggles, particularly since both men are nervous about the actual event.
The Way of the Glamping - Q surprises Bond in Japan. Bond surprises Q in return.
Leavin' on a Jet Plane - James returns from a mission gone wrong and discovers something about Q.
In sickness and in health - In light of recent events here in the US, we decided that we needed a fic of James taking care of a sick Q. And that turned into all sorts of fluff :)
Kitten Q comes out to play - BDSM pet play James/Q/Alec
Pop Goes the Weasel - Memorials for fallen agents are typically somber affairs. Then James Bond gets up to speak.
Hand Talk - What better way to welcome James home than with unexpected sex?
My Fault - It was never going to be. It never could be.
Unrequited - Q knows falling in love with James Bond won't be good, but it doesn't stop him trying.
Longing - It's hard when you've been left behind. It's even harder when you blame yourself.
Second Chance - Dreams
My Skin the Colour of your Eyes - Eve sets up James and Q, not knowing about their soul mate marks.
A Kiss and a Good Scotch - James has to rescue the Quartermaster after he's kidnapped. But there's more to him than what appears on the surface.
The Hacker and the Hit Men - (I Am) Q is an up and coming hacker (and a Submissive), living next to married Doms James and Alec. When Q stumbles on something he shouldn't have seen, he has to go to his neighbors for protecti
Caring Goes Both Ways - (I Am) Set after "The Hacker and the Hit Men" Q wants to help James and Alec with their work, and he learns quickly that his Doms have a penchant for getting intro trouble.
Migraine (Prequel) - (Retirement Bliss?) Q sometimes suffer migraines from his long hours in front of his screens. He usually pushes through them. Set before the main events of the rest of the series.
The Tummy - (Retirement Bliss?) James and Q are retired now, and James is feeling self conscious.
Lazy Afternoons - (Retirement Bliss?) Cuddling on the sofa is a nearly daily activity now.
Mad Scientist - (Retirement Bliss?) Q likes to tinker...
Bail - (Retirement Bliss?) Just because they've left MI6 doesn't mean they've left the memories behind.
Gardening - (Retirement Bliss?) Everyone has to have a hobby.
Kitten - (Retirement Bliss?) Turing is getting older, so he needs a companion.
Chores - (Retirement Bliss?) Arguing over chores and picking up
Dancing - (Retirement Bliss?) Q discovers a secret James has been hiding for quite a while.
Touch - (Retirement Bliss?) Timetospy's headcanon of how James and Q comfort each other. It looks like a hug but it means so much more.
Strays - (Retirement Bliss?) James is something of an animal whisperer. Q thinks it's hilarious.
Watch Over Me - (Retirement Bliss?) All this time and James still can't properly believe that Q is really his.
Contemplation - (Retirement Bliss?) ames isn't he only one contemplating old age. Q does too.
Constellations - (Retirement Bliss?) James loves stargazing, but Q is easily distracted.
beaubete
The Witches of MI6 - An old spell made in a youthful temper, an old sea witch managing in a new era, alone and broken. Old and new clash together within MI6.
Skuld - Dread is knowing a man will hold your heart in his palm before you meet him.
Within Me - “I need it.” / Here, Q could play coy. He could pretend not to know what Bond means. He could be cruel, could mock Bond his obvious weakness. Instead he hums thoughtfully, considering. “Yes,” Q agrees. “You do."
2016 LDWS fics! - (ficlets and drabbles ) A collection of six drabbles from the 00Q Last Drabble Writer Standing 2016.1 - genre: canon; theme: game; 100 words / 2 - prompt: "bet you didn't expect this"; 200-250 words / 3 - genre: AU; prompt: trope role reversal; 300 words / 4 - prompt: fantasy; 150 words / 5 - genre: historical AU; prompt: trouble; 250 words / 6 - prompt: trust; 300 words
Prompts and Bites  - (ficlets and drabbles ) A collection of all of the prompt fic and fic bites that are too short to be on their own but long enough to archive.
In the Shadow of the Forest - (Here, There be Dragons) - Written for the 00Q Reverse Bang 2015/2016! / Sent to the edge of the world to look for dragons no one believes in, Sir Bond finds something.
A Year And A Day - (Here, There be Dragons) - Bond has lived with his dragon for a year now. A long, chaste year.
In Memoria Res - Memory is a tricky business. / After Franz's machine, the cup of Bond's mind becomes a sieve.
Only Style - Q takes the job because it's a ridiculous fluff job with an even more ridiculous salary. Things only get more bizarre from there.
Hands-On Approach - What if the scene in the ski lift had gone differently?Spoiler-tastic, obviously. [Noncon Warning]
[...and tons of other stories, because beaubete has 77 posted Bond fics! -Cas ]
brookebond
Control - What else was he meant to do when he got caught? {DARK FIC}
Exposure - Bond is a photographer. Q is a model. What more do you need to know? (There is lace involved.)
Tangled Hearts - Nothing's ever easy when you work an almost 24/7 job, have a department to run, a boyfriend, and a cat to feed. Then there's the ever unruly 007.
No Accounting for Taste - Even though soulmates were common, James had been content without knowing who his was. He was happily married to Anne, the loveliest person he had ever encountered. She put up with all his bullshit and they were expecting a child. Things don't always go to plan though, and when complications arise during birth, James may just end up on his own after all.
Say yes? - (Diamonds are Forever) It’s Christmas Day, Q’s favourite day of the year, and Bond is nervous as fuck. He wakes Q up at 6am and Q is drowsy, half asleep when Bond starts asking questions.
Mr & Mr Bond - (Diamonds are Forever) Q and James get married.
Free to a Good Home - (Diamonds are Forever) Q has had enough of Bond's shit and puts flyers up in Q-Branch.
Another One Bites the Dust - (Diamonds are Forever) Bond has lost something rather important.
Castillon02
If I Had a Functional Pancreas I Could Love You - Q fears that revealing his diabetes will make Bond think less of him. Bond surprises him. (Fluffy just-established relationship fic.)
Pre-flight Jitters - Q experiences some flying anxiety and Bond offers him a (chemical) solution. Fluffy ficlet.
Wild Nights Should Be Our Luxury - Q decides that he and Bond should start having sex. Bond avoids choking to death on cannelloni
Luminous Beings Are We - In an effort to persuade Q to accept him and his feelings, Bond learns the way of the nerd and creates a special Halloween cosplay.
No Cock Tuesdays - Bond, Q, and Madeleine are snowed in and anticipating some hot OT3 sex. Only one problem: Bond’s cock is not cooperating.
And I laid me down with a will - Bond knows where he wants Q to be when the world ends. He finds him at Q Branch instead. (Written for the h/c prompt "World Explosion.")
Rubbish Flirts - Bond and Q’s first sexy weekend together ends with a bit of practical domesticity.
Post-coital Breakfast - Bond convinces Q that he had only the purest of motives when he snuck downstairs to make French toast on the morning after.
Tanner's Mission - Tanner goes on a mission to thwart his arms-dealing doppelgänger. Bond goes undercover and tries out a new form of transportation.
In the Office - Q makes a mess of Mallory in his own office; Mallory enjoys the hell out of it.
A Case of Good Etiquette  - Having recently moved into Q's house, Bond returns from a mission to find that his first welcome home has gone a wee bit awry.
Waiting for Spectre - Fills for MI6 Cafe prompts on Tumblr, written pre- and post-Spectre. Chapter eleven: Felix helps Bond on a mission; Bond wins a bet. James/Felix ficlet
It is not the wine that makes us drunk - Bond, Moneypenny, and Tanner take Q out for drinks to celebrate the end of a very long day. Fluff ensues, including Q's glasses getting passed around like a party favor and Bond having an honorable intention.
Q Branch Professionalism - Q finds his staff acting inappropriately.
Exit, Pursued by a Bear - One of Bond's targets tries to hide in the wilderness.
The Trick is Slick Code - Bond decides to woo Q in a way that Q will surely understand--with technology! Meanwhile, Q strongly suspects that Bond just wants a new Aston or something
First Cat to Feed - (Cats to Feed) The story of how Q, with a little help from Bond, acquires a cat after Skyfall.
Worth Killing - (Bond Women Loving Women) Camille finds out that Mr. Greene’s boss has a daughter working with Medecins Sans Frontieres in Bolivia. She pays Doctor Swann a visit, hoping to find leverage and discovering something else.
For Want of a Moneypenny - (Bond Women Loving Women) Moneypenny changes the course of events on Silva’s island. Séverine lives.
Sparks in Six Saloon - (Bond Women Loving Women) Moneypenny helps out a woman who’s gotten on the wrong side of Mr. Greene. Old West AU.
Due Donne a Roma - (Bond Women Loving Women) MI6 and Lucia Sciarra both need the Spectre goons in Rome to go away. They work out a deal that involves Moneypenny.
Acceptable Loss - (Bond Women Loving Women) Field agent recruit Moneypenny starts dating Fields and learns a hard lesson.
A Conversation in Heaven - (Bond Women Loving Women) In the afterlife, Vesper asks Severine an important question.
Motivation - (Bond Women Loving Women) Yusef’s captors instruct Vesper to make a drop in Bolivia. Camille gets curious about why someone from the British treasury would walk into a known criminal hang-out.
Table for Two - (Bond Women Loving Women) The Treasury sends Vesper to Macau; the people who hold Vesper’s leash send her to meet Séverine.
A Question of Commitment - (Bond Women Loving Women) Back before Ms. Dowar had been an MP, she’d asked M to call her “Claire.”
Gwyllion
Five O'clock in the Morning - Written for the 2017 00Q Last Drabble Writer Standing.
Hello Weekend - Written for the 2017 00Q Last Drabble Writer Standing. Prompt: Transform, genre-fluff, Fibonacci number sentence per paragraph construction.
Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire - Written for the 2017 00Q Last Drabble Writer Standing. Prompt: AU “I must be dreaming.”
Sputter - Written for the 2017 00Q Last Drabble Writer Standing. Prompt: Bright.
Nothing Gold Can Stay - Eve goes on holiday alone and picks out the perfect Secret Santa gift for Q.
2020 - Written for the 2016 007 fest Last Drabble Writer Standing. Prompt: Dare hurt/comfort
My Little Finger - Written for the 2016 007 fest Last Drabble Writer Standing. Prompt: Dialogue only
My Heart Will Go On - Written for the 2016 007 fest Last Drabble Writer Standing. / Prompt: Fusion “I expect you to die.”
Big Spoon - Written for the 2016 007 fest Last Drabble Writer Standing.
Prompt: wager. First word beginning with "M." Second word beginning with "I." Last word must be "six."
Blackbird - James Bond didn’t need anything or anyone. He had already lost the war that circumstance had waged against him. When his affection for Q flared, he got the love he never had, and the home he never knew he was missing.
Baby - Written for alby mangroves’ Lip Service – the Panfandom Commentfest.
hippoprima
Give and Take - Q wants and gives all that he could (exploding tech, hidden feelings, secret fears). Then he realized he should just take instead because Bond was more than happy to give.
A Bit of Supernatural in Your Life - Daemons are supernatural manifestations to meet human desires and expectations and MI6 decides to summon a couple of them to join its employment roster, such as one for protection, one to replace a lost Quartermaster. Bond's inextricably stuck dealing with them for better or for worse because that's how his luck is.
Iambid (Flantastic)
Le Beau Garçon - Bond comes home from a mission to Q.
Oh, Won't You Be My Valentine? - Q has a crush and asks Bond to help him out.
Completely Plastered - After a mission in Bruges goes horribly wrong, Bond finds himself confined to Medical. / In which Bond is a bloody awful patient, Eve is a crafty cow, Tanner is oblivious and Q has some wonderful ideas about how to relieve a 00's boredom.
Never Fearful - In a post-apocalyptic world where technology is a thing of the past and magic runs riot; James Bond, a warrior cleric of the Palace of Vauxhall, is the ultimate fighter.  / Will his bone-deep hatred of magic prevent him from protecting House Emisyx’s last, best hope for peace? And what is the deal with the kid with the goggles anyway?
Beholder - Bond's own concept of beauty.
One More Bruise - It’s been eleven hours since M changed the status of field agent 007, Commander James Bond, from ‘Active’ to ‘Missing in Action’.
Silence Is Golden - James Bond is a porn star who's been in the business for years. Q is the newcomer who's been drafted in as his co-star.
La Rata - Fourteen years ago James Bond lied to the man he loves and now that lie has come back to haunt him. / As the time approaches for him to confess what he did, he thinks back to the events that led to them meeting
Blacktail - When M loses patience with the way that James Bond conducts himself while out on missions she thinks she has the ideal solution. She has no idea she's about to change the agent's life forever.
All I Am - Finally falling into bed together after months of flirting, Q has a confession to make. Q seems to think his secret might scare Bond away. Bond thinks all his Christmases have come at once.
The Birthday Girl - When Eve Moneypenny’s birthday celebrations go wrong there's one man she can rely on to make everything better - her friend, Bill Tanner.
Breathe With Me - When James Bond goes back to MI6 following his disastrous relationship with Dr Madeleine Swann, Q wants nothing to do with him. / Then there's an accident in Q-Branch...
Lumos - Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry holds its secrets well.  Born six months after the famous battle in which Voldemort was defeated, James Bond is just weeks away from leaving the school when he stumbles across an unusual portrait of a young man.  Who was the mysterious ‘Q’ and why does James get the feeling that the painting is in terrible danger?
The Valentine Dinner - Bill's determined to make Eve a lovely dinner for Valentine's day. Unfortunately things don't go exactly as planned...
The Glastonbury Sprite and the London Spy - A chance encounter at the Glastonbury Festival leads to a passionate relationship between James Bond and Thomas “Q” Holt. / When James's true identity is suddenly revealed and it abruptly ends their relationship, James realises that he is in love and he will do everything he can to try to prove it to Q. Even if that means digging into his twin brother’s past.
Kissing It All Better - James visits a poorly Q.
2017 Last Drabble Writer Standing - A little collection of drabbles which I wrote for this year's competition over on MI6-Cafe's page on tumblr.
This Is Our Beginning, Coming To An End - (Devotion) Following the aviation accident which killed his family, Q uses a wheelchair. Fiercely independent, this is the story of how he fell in love and the three times he allowed James Bond to carry him.
I'm Right Where I Belong - (Devotion) After four years together, Q and James are as happy as they have ever been. This is never more evident than on a rare day off spent together. Although the dark repercussions of their employment are never far away, even the quietest day can be filled with surprises.
Dress Up In Dreams - (Devotion) James and Q's lives are turned upside-down when a kidnap plot sees them both taken, hundreds of miles apart. For Q it's a battle of wits and survival. For James, it's as much a fight against his own demons as the people who take him. [rape/non-con]
The Evening Shift - (Devotion) James Bond, from three different perspectives.
All Of Our Ghosts And Secrets - (Devotion) Following on from the events of Dress Up In Dreams, James and Q's relationship is struggling but a terrible injury turns out to be a blessing in disguise as they are thrust into a series of life or death events.
Grabbed By The Ghoulies - (Halloween Fun) Q takes dressing up for Hallowe'en far too seriously...
That's Just Wizard - (Halloween Fun0.) Just what did happen in that deserted office?
The Assumption - (The Surprises) Unbonded Alpha James Bond would lead a pretty solitary life if it wasn't for his Beta friend Q. They get on well and Q always knows the best restaurants. However James soon learns that Q is full of surprises...
The Homecoming - (The Surprises) What was supposed to be a straightforward covert op for the alpha James Bond turned into an extended, deep undercover mission.  Almost six months after leaving England he returns to London and the omega he was forced to leave behind; his beloved Q. / He thinks he’ll surprise Q by turning up unannounced in the middle of the night. As it turns out, Q has a much bigger surprise waiting for him...
The Arrival - (The Surprises)  It’s been a hectic time for alpha James Bond since returning home and finding out that his omega Q is expecting twins.  On leave from field work, James has spent his days trying to make up for lost time by being as close to his mate as possible and learning all he can about the intricacies of giving birth.  Unfortunately all his training hasn’t quite prepared him for things not going quite according to plan…
The Nanny - (The Surprises)  Three gorgeous pups and James and Q are still surprising each other.
IAmVengeance (Venstar)
The Subterranean God of MI-6  - The mind of a God is never still, even when it’s forgotten what it once was… Q flickered between himself and Hades on the way home, the riders in his train giving him wary looks and space, something about him now unsettled them. The kindly grandparents pulled their purses and coats close around them. The large youths pushed their earphones further into their ears, trying to lose themselves in the sound of their music. Small children peeped shyly out at him from over their parents shoulders. Those same parents would glance back and then quickly pull their children down to face away. Q kept his head down as he exited the tube station and made his way to the entrance to his building, bypassing the elevator and running up the stairs, where he finally stumbled through his doorway.
Getting A Word In - Some days, Q is so busy that James feels like he just can’t get a word in. Maybe it’s just the right word in or maybe it’s the right place.
Just Checking - You can’t have it both ways, much less three. I’m either a Wizard, or I’m...
Ping! - Old people and technology. Somehow 007 had accidentally group texted him and 006. There’s an attachment included and being curious in his little soul, Q opened it...
Inhale, Exhale - It was supposed to be routine, simple bodyguard duty for the Quartermaster of MI-6...instead it ended in a series of mistakes.
A Price -Death came to me on sock footed feet, stepping softly and silently across the hall floor, for it seems that Death didn’t care to wear shoes. For the MI6-cafe challenge for October.
Just Dance - Q walks in on some agents, absolutely killing it at Just Dance 4.
Banner Graphic for rivermoon1970 - IT'S A BANNER. THAT'S MY SUMMARY. YO. HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!
Good King James - A short re-telling of one of my oddly favorite Christmas carols, Good King Wenceslas.
The Boffin and The Badass - a rewrite of a holiday favorite, The Holly and The Ivy. Sing along! inspired by Rigel99's pics titled "The Boffin and the Badass"
The Greatest Responsibility is to Hide the Truth... Because Superpowers Suck. - Sometimes the greatest responsibility is to hide the truth from the ones you think you know. Other times, the greatest responsibility you can have, is saving each other’s asses. Bond has a secret that he doesn’t want anyone to know, it’s what fuels his “resurrection” hobby. Okay Alec knows, but they’re besties, he was bound to find out! Q is suddenly hit with a secret that he doesn’t want anyone to know, except for his cats and Rufus the roomba, or else he could be stuck in a lab forever and not as it’s Supreme Overlord! A failed kidnap reveals what the urban hero and the supreme lab rat have in common. They must get their shit together and work as a team, for the greater good and a bit of kissing.
Memoirs of a Quartermaster - You can wish for a different beginning for your ending, but sometimes you’re not allowed that luxury. In Japan, a pair of siblings are sold by their fisherman father. One to a geisha house (okiya) and the other one, to a brothel. Along the years of training and failure, one sibling escapes from the brothel where they lived and the other is left alone, becoming indebted to their okiya. However, years later, he earns the opportunity to become a taikomoshi apprentice, with the help and support of a successful ally. While still a young man, he falls in love with The Commander, at a chance meeting. Years pass before they meet each other again...
Growing Up - Now, it wasn’t that James couldn’t remember how he passed most of his youth, it’s just that it wasn’t very pleasant. So he chose to forget, like we all do.
There's Always Cats - It used to be a lonely walk, but with the discovery of two little fluff balls, Q's valentine's day might not be spent alone.
Demons by Candlelight - if you summon it, it will come.
The Bond Letters - Q has a whole notebook filled, with private writings, all about James. James was unaware of this, until he stumbles across a small, ratty, tatty notebook that was so at odds with the pristine and crisp Quartermaster. James was never supposed to ever find it or be aware of how Q really felt, but spy is always a spy. Now James can't help but wonder what it would be like to actually be on the receiving end of something so powerful outside of the journal writings.
Summer Bucket List - bond has a list. a list of things to do that will be done. he also has a reluctant quartermaster
1000 Paper Things - there's an old Japanese legend that if you make 1000 paper cranes, you get a wish. for james, well, he only has 999 paper things. not sure if it counts but q seems to think so.
The Witches of MI6 - An old spell made in a youthful temper, an old sea witch managing in a new era, alone and broken. Old and new clash together within MI6
The Origin of R -There comes a time, when your past catches up to your future. For Adam, the future Quartermaster (although he totally doesn't know this, sssh don't tell him), this is how his meager beginnings at MI6 collided with R’s rebellious nature, and how she came to be. Desperate to escape a situation of her own making, R turns to an old hacker mate and drags him through his own worst case scenario of past meeting present...they adopt a trusty 00 agent along the way, or perhaps, he adopted them.
Mission to Invite - (Mission Transcripts) It was just supposed to be the weekly read through, followed by Tanner summarizing the bullet points to M. Unfortunately, Mallory had requested unedited copies of the most recent missions, regardless as to if they were complete. 007 and 006’s joint mission had been part of that call for transcripts.
Mission to Date - (Mission Transcripts) Another transcript review by Tanner and another job of reminding a couple of agents that the Quartermaster of MI-6 is NOT a customer service agent or a call...center...girl.
Mission to Play - (Mission Transcripts) The minions need reminding that the deadly agents are not playthings, especially the Double ohs. Alec continues to try and be helpful.
Mission to Sell - (Mission Transcripts) Q’s eyes closed and he listened to the two agents as they left the safety of the hotel room for the unknown risk of the auction. To sell, perchance to buy - ay, there’s that rub. For in that sell of death, what dreams may come? Q twisted the lines of Hamlet for his own purpose. Slowly he began to work at his bindings.
Mission to Steal - (Mission Transcripts) The minions looked around the room, there were very few of them left in the branch. There were a few other double-oh’s in the field presently, but 006 and 007's mission was the only active mission that was currently going tits up, with one of the most important and heavily guarded assets in dire straits. They looked to R and she began to give orders.
Smile - (2017 DRABBLES FOR LDWS) post-SPECTRE
The Trap - (2017 DRABBLES FOR LDWS) Demons keep the wings of angels that they kill as a prize.
Transformation - (2017 DRABBLES FOR LDWS) MI6’s ruler Queen M, sent Q, his protectors, his feline advisors and Q's true love James Bond into the future to be reborn through the power of the LEGENDARY QUANTUM OF SOLACE. Q and James can transform into the SPECIAL GUARDIANS OF MI6. They fight for love and justice, and in the name of MI6, they’ll punish you. (DON’T LOOK AT ME LOOK AWAY!!!)
When the Sky Fell - (2017 DRABBLES FOR LDWS) That which we are, we are; made weak by time and fate, but strong in will. When he is gone, I work my work, but he is still mine.
JaimiStoryTeller
Seducing Q - Bond comes to a realization that he wants his quartermaster for more than just a night and sets out to win him over.
After Seduction - Originally called Teasing, changed the title when I decided to add other drabbles to this
Stillness in Silence - (Bonds of Friendship) Doctor John Watson runs a rather unique practice, its entire purpose is to help those who are deaf or mute, either by birth, illness or trauma. Sherlock is brought to his practice by his concerned older brother after he spends months refusing to speak. Things do not go as planned or expected for any of them.
“It’s for me.” 1 -  (Bonds of Friendship) Prompt: Somebody says “it’s for me” - whether a question, statement, or demand. Have fun!
Flash Fics Set 1: 2- (Bonds of Friendship) Prompt: You get into your car one morning only to have your GPS inform you that it forgot all directions and needs your help remembering them.
Phrases Said 16 -  (Bonds of Friendship) Prompt “Have you lost your damn mind!?”
Phrases Said 19 - (Bonds of Friendship) Prompt: “I need you to pretend we’re dating…”
Bad Advice - (Bonds of Friendship) Q is in need of some advice and decides to ask his best friend for it.
Christmas Preparations - (Bonds of Friendship)  Jasper and Jim set up the flat for Jasper's first Christmas with his partners.
Different Paths - (Paths Taken) Soulmates Alec Trevelyan and James Bond find themselves at odds when Alec is given a mission that he assumes that James knows about. But they’ve both been betrayed. James’ briefing isn’t the same as Alec's. Alec’s life undercover is hard, and becomes harder once he learns his soulmate has been killed. Feelings of guilt and anger cause him to fight back against MI6 for his loss. When James turns up unexpectedly, he is shocked to find his soulmate is still alive - a soulmate who attempts to kill him and sets a chain of events into motion that he never would have expected.
Night Out - (Paths Taken) Time stamp event during Alec and Q living in Paris
Wrong Answer - (Answers Verse) Nine years is a long time to be undercover and the longer Alec's mission drags on, the harder it gets. He doesn't expect the teen he is given to actually change the course of his mission, but that's exactly what happens
Through the Ages - (Answers Verse) A series of short stories about James Bond, Alec Trevelyan, and Q over the years in the various life times. Each one is complete as is and will include which tags belong to it in the notes at the top of the story.
“It’s for me.” 5 - (Answers Verse) Prompt: Somebody says “it’s for me” - whether a question, statement, or demand. Have fun!
Deciding His Future - (Real Legends: Moments in Time) Aiden's a young adult now and its time to decide what he wants to do with his life
Interesting Person - (Real Legends: Moments in Time)  Aiden's observations lead to him meeting one of his classmates he finds interesting
Q's Gift - (Moriarty Twins) Q's twin decides to do something about his love life for their birthday, it definitely doesn't go as anyone expects.
Lost in the Echo - (Legends in the Multiverse) Alec's thoughts over the years
Diverted - (Legends in the Multiverse) What if Jon met James first instead of Alec?
Of Unicorns and Fate - A unicorn goes searching for the others of his kind, along the way he meets those who would both hurt or help him, and a most unexpected thing, he finds himself in love
Cuddles and Threats 6 - Prompt: laying in bed with each other, one whispers “I could beat the shit out of you” and the other says “I know”. Thoughts?
Around the House 19 - Prompt: Must use these words: Screwdriver. Curtains. Phone. Chair
Phrases Said 1 - Prompts: “Who crawls through someone’s window at 4 am to go for ice cream?!” and “Before you decide to murder me, let me explai n
Our Soulmates 7 Sentinel Verse 1 part 1 - Prompt: Soulmate AU
Our Soulmates 11 Sentinel Verse 1 part 2 - Prompt: Soulmate AU
opalescentgold
Sugar and Kisses - In which Q is (terrifically) bad in the kitchen, James is sweetly indulgent (with ulterior motives), and Q and James are (very much) in love.
For His Wallet - Bill doesn't know what he's done to deserve this. It's all Moneypenny's fault anyways. Christ, who has this much money?
Redamancy - If you write something on your skin, it will show up on your soulmate's skin as well. James doesn't quite fall in love over physics discussions and cheeky book quotes and coding and riddles inked onto his skin, but he comes close. And then he actually meets Q.
sunaddicted
Meow - Cats - James never was fond of them.
Tea Party For Two - "Good afternoon, Q. May I help you with your little predicament?"
Unspoken - It’s as normal as they get and they’re both fine with it: in the end, they don’t need words to profess their love.
Il Marionettista - He hadn't expected things to be the same as when he had walked out of MI6, his mind clouded by the illusion of a happily normal life and Madeleine's sweet perfume - 007 wasn't naïve: MI6 moved at a dizzyingly quick pace and those who didn't manage to keep up disappeared, promptly replaced by someone who supposedly was more competent
Shade: Blood - Q's head snapped upwards so quickly and forcefully that the protesting of his vertebrae was clearly audible and jade-green eyes burned with incredulity "What?! I don't do fieldwork"  / "This is going to be so far from fieldwork that I'm wondering whether we'll even be payed" James smirked, folding his hands behind his back so that he wouldn't give in the itching need to comfortingly pat those messy curls - somehow, he knew Q wouldn't appreciate it.
Lovers' Spat - James smiled cheekily, icy-blue eyes twinkling "Have I told you lately how adorably fluffy your hair is?
White - As James watched Q and Danny shriek like bloody children in the snow blanketing the park, courting pneumonia with childish glee, he couldn't help remembering the quote from the TV adaptation of "North and South" his lovers made him watch and think that Thornton was wrong: hell definitely wasn't snow white.
Hole In My Head - There's a hole in Q's head, where Silva used to be and that now he's trying to fill with James' presence
All About Us - “He looks delicious, doesn’t he?” Raoul smiled sweetly, his lips seductively brushing against Q’s earlobe and fingers possessively tightening onto his jutting hipbones. / [...] / “I think he needs to be gagged” Q offered quietly, leaning back in Raoul’s embrace as if to find a new position to better contemplate the way sunlight was painted over that tanned skin, stretched taught over deliciously powerful muscles.
Burning Ink - The day the youngest Quartermaster ever in the history of MI6 and the legendary 007 shook hands in front of a vaguely mocking and depressing painting by Turner, they both ignored the simmering heat burning a name on their skin. / [...] / The day a desperate young man like any other in London and an early riser jogger brushed fingers while swapping a bottle of water in the cold and humid air of a grey dawn, the surprise was so great that their paths immediately parted and left them to wander alone the city with the feeling of having let luck slip out of their hands.
Lingerie - "Wow" James couldn't prevent the three words engorged with admiration and lust from escaping his suddenly dry mouth "Wow" he praised again after uselessly and desperately gulping down nonexistent saliva: the vision offered to him truly was worthy of such honest and bare admiration.
#improper use of marshmallows - Q was bored to death, alone and sprawled on the still unmade bed, gorging himself with sickly sweet and gummy marshmallows and the tablet propped on his stomach to better watch stupidly cute cat videos
Yellow -  00QAD - Relationship
Hearts In Atlantis - "Stop frowning, mi querido, or you'll get wrinkles" Raoul ruffled Q's curls passing by, leaving a freshly baked biscuit by his elbow - a white chocolate and almonds concoction designed to uplift bad moods "You're usually not so pensive after having just woken up" he pointed out.
Bottled Happiness - "You do know that you don't need to bring me presents?" Q inquired as he caught Bond leaving a neatly wrapped package at the corner of his eyes. / 007 smirked and moved the little box in front of the boffin, who still was focused on the screen of his laptop, its light and algorithms reflected on the smudged lenses of his spectacles "I just want to show my appreciation for your hard work, Q"
Blossomed Hope - "Are you okay?" she kept asking and no, Q was not okay - very far from it. But he lied smoothly at her with a smile, not trusting his voice not to betray him if he let it out his vocal chords "You could come to dinner: James has been telling me how he misses your takeaway nights here in Q-branch"
Violet Hour - The first breath of fresh hair burned down Q's throat and he gasped, coughing and laughing with exhilaration at the same time while he spied at the horizon with half-closed eyes, the brilliance too much to stand for his pupils used to the darkness of the ocean's depths. His pale arms were thrown open up towards the sky, seafoam sliding down his wrists as if the ocean itself was having difficulties with letting its fairest child go; not that the flimsy hold would have ever been able to hold Q back, not once he managed to peel his eyelids open and the vastness of the world was forever seared in his retinas - an invisible brand of ownership.
00Q LDWS - I realised I never posted these so, here they are
Selfish Prayers - "Why do they always make them look like glorified whores?" James muttered, shivering as he remembered the late High Priest - an odious fat man that had been made leader of the Cult at the questionably venerable age of sixty-seven - thusly clothed; at least, he was thankful that the new High Priest was such a finely boned and handsome boy.
Royal Presents - Saying that James Bond wasn't a particularly big fan of Christmas would have been a pretty big understatement: he quite detested it, in fact, and tried to avoid anything to do with it - especially at work, which was the reason why he always requested to be sent out in the field, preferably in a country where Christmas wasn't celebrated.
Shattering Stars  -  James selected a piece by Rachmaninoff he knew Q was particularly fond of and tried to pretend everything was fine.
Twisted Games - "Last time Bond fucked you, the whole floor heard you" Silva tutted reproachingly, reaching over to spoon some cream into his tea. / Q merely arched an eyebrow: it wasn't as if he cared whether anyone knew about the little arrangement he had with Bond - and neither should his colleagues care, since having a sexual relationship with the agent didn't prevent him from doing his work. Anyway, it was widely known that Bond was his favourite agent: the fact that they were fucking couldn’t have changed that much people’s already malicious opinions "Jealous?" / "You don't even know where that cock has been"
Ode To The Broken - "Grow a pair, Q" 002 snarls over the comms, gritting her teeth as she scales the wall just using her pigheadedness and a huge amount of luck. / Q rolls his eyes: she could have easily used the elevator - after all, he could control it easily "Of what? Boobs?"
00qad LDWS - What it says on the tin
Feathers In My Head - (Tumblr Kink Meme) Josephine Bond. Of fucking course, Q should have bet her favourite sweater on it: the woman not only made heads turn with her natural and sensual beauty, enhanced by her colourful attires and heeled shoes, but she also conjured a nervous atmosphere with her reputation of ruthless assassin clinging to her even in the safety of MI6.
Break Time - (Tumblr Kink Meme) "I just want to know one thing" Q panted [...] "Why do we always end up having sex in my office?"
The Odd One - (Omega!Bond series) "James, you're painful to watch" / "Don't watch then" James shot back, turning on his side to have a look at his arse: he knew it looked good but instead of being plump, its cheeks were toned and firm.
One Of A Kind - (Omega!Bond series) To be honest, James had never particularly been fond of cats [...] but Q and the cats came together as a package deal and James had welcomed them all in his flat, which no more was depressingly bare.
E.T. - (Alien!Q series) "That's... a mouthful" James pointed out rather uselessly. / "You can call me Q" the other said with the poshest accent James had ever heard in his life - keeping a startled laugh from escaping his throat was quite an hard job.
Rainbow - (Alien!Q series) James had some bad mental associations with red: it was the colour of blood - freshly spilled or already drying - and of gore; it was the colour of Vesper's sundress when she had drowned under the scalding Venetian sun of an Italian summer; it was the colour of Q's skin whenever he was hurt and in pain.
Comets - (Alien!Q series) "Will you stare at him for much longer or are you dragging him home any time soon?" Eve asked, a teasing grin appearing on her lips
Octopus - (Alien!Q series) "What is it?" He inquired [...] / "It's a lifejacket: it will keep you afloat in case you fall overboard" / "Does it come in another colour?"
timetospy
Riding in Cars with Spies - (la Vie en Rose) Riding along on a test drive with James Bond is never a good idea. /  Unless it turns out to be the best idea Q has ever had.
Slippery When Wet - (la Vie en Rose) He took the last few steps to the door, paused a moment, then burst in, assuming his firing stance and scanning the room. The refrigerator door was open, and he could see someone bent over, rummaging around in the crisper. / “Oh for the love of….” / He recognised that arse. He could pick it out of a lineup, should the need arise.
Acapulco - (la Vie en Rose) Something is missing in Bond's idyllic retirement, and he can't place what it is...
Descent - (la Vie en Rose) Q had been tiptoeing around the flat on eggshells or weeks. The tragedy was that Q was still on that beach, hundreds of kilometers away, lost along the dark shore as he tread over the remains of the battered and broken bits the ocean had seen fit to throw against the sand. It hadn’t been eggshells under Q’s feet as he tried to navigate himself back to the wreck of his happiness, a sand castle that the tide had reclaimed and broken into nothingness. No, it had never been eggshells. It had been the ever-widening drifts of the remnants of his life ground into his raw soul without mercy.
I'll Be Seeing You - (la Vie en Rose) A drink. He needed a drink. Maybe it would shake something loose from the cobwebs that were his unreliable memory.
Acapulco (Reprise) - (la Vie en Rose) Madeleine frowned. She turned and re-entered the bedroom, stopping at the dresser to retrieve her mobile. As she reached for it, a small slip of paper caught her eye. It was tucked underneath the vase filled with day old flowers, a routine she had adopted in futility to inject some kind of joy into the room that had become their battleground.
Writing on the Other Side of the Wall - (Either Side Will Do, 00Q) What happens when you drop a heavy bag through your neighbor's wall? Head wounds and dinner dates, apparently.
Writing on the Wall - (Either Side Will Do, 00Q) What happens when you drop a desk through the wall of your flat? Q's about to find out...
Before My Eyes - “He must choose,” Death had said in the slow, raspy voice of wind through dead leaves. “And since you knew him in life, you are the one to give him this choice.” / Why me?” / “Because he loved you.”
Tease - It’s been a long day. Which isn’t an excuse for shouting, really, but Bond is leaning against Q’s desk, hands shoved into his pockets, which does things to the front placket of his trousers that Q would rather not be thinking about at the moment, but can’t seem to ignore, and his frustration is leaking out of his mouth.
Save Our Souls - The first time I save your life, it’s an accident.
007 Fest Ficlet Collection - The following ficlets are what I created during 007 Fest 2016. They were based on a prompt list I created - one quote for every day. The ficlets run the gamut from crack to angst to tooth-rotting fluff, so each one has a small content explanation in the notes. Fic rating is for only three or four of the 30 ficlets collected here. Most are T/M.
00Q Last Drabble Writer Standing Contest Entries - These are my entries for the 00Q LDWS contest held for 007 Fest in July 2016.
Cup cakes and anniversaries - Q makes cupcakes to celebrate, but James ruins his plans. Or does he?
For the Love of Peach Pie - After discharge from the Royal Navy in 1946, James finds himself adrift with no clear future. Hoping to find direction, he travels to America./ In which Q is a mechanic in a small Midwestern town, M runs a diner, and life still isn't as simple or peaceful as anyone would like.
A Face in the Dark - When Q suddenly vanishes, James tries everything to find him with no luck.
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wenamedthedogkylo · 7 years
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Eyyyy, sum tags bruh
Get to know me tag game!
Tagged by @betweenrivers-betweenworlds, thnx m8.
Rules: Answer these 92 statements and tag 20* people.
LAST:
1. Drink: Aqua, also known by plebs as “water”. 2. Phone call: Uh..... technically to Willa cause I think she was tryna find her phone. 3. Text message: A group text, in which I provided some amusing pictures. 4. Song you listened to: The chocobo theme from FFXV cause Willa’s playing it right now. 5. Time you cried: I genuinely have no clue. It was a while ago and I don’t cry easily. It was probably at a movie or something. Or maybe it was the cry I had after BatB...
HAVE YOU:
6. Dated someone twice: HAH!! No. 7. Kissed someone and regretted it: Yep. 8. Been cheated on: Lmao no 9. Lost someone special: Yeah, a couple. 10. Been depressed: Ahahahahahahaha! Literally 24/7. *finger guns* 11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: Of course, gotta do it at least once. I’ve done it more than once, so I’ve had my fill for life.
LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS:
12-14: Dark red, black, and dark purple
IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU:
15. Made new friends: Yup. 16. Fallen out of love: Pfft, ain’t even fallen in love so no. 17. Laughed until you cried: Many times. 18. Found out someone was talking about you: Like... in a bad way? Not that I– wait, yes, my older sister talked trash about me to my parents cause she’s a butthurt immature crybaby who can’t have mature conversations to save her life. We all laughed about it. (By that, I mean my parents eye-rolled and sympathized with me and I cackled.) 19. Met someone who changed you: Mmmm... can’t say I have? 20. Found out who your friends are: Lmao I mean I already knew it. I don’t make friends easily, so once you’re a friend, that’s that. 21. Kissed someone on your Facebook list: HAH. Nope.
GENERAL:
22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: I mean, technically most of them? I knew them either from HS or college, or they’re family? There’s only a few that I’ve met online, and at least one of those that I’ve met online who I’ve subsequently met IRL. 23. Do you have any pets: 1 1/2 cats. 1 cat is fully mine, and I co-parent her brother. 24. Do you want to change your name: I think I’ve effectively done all the name flipping necessary to feel comfortable with it, so nah. 25. What did you do for your last Birthday: Um. That... that’s a good question. I think I just... maybe had good food and watched a movie? 26. What time did you wake up: Like 11:55 AM, just in time to get my computer open to start work XD. 27. What were you doing at midnight last night: Playing the Sims and watching Parks & Rec. 28. Name something you can’t wait for: BLACK PANTHER! THOR: RAGNAROK!! STAR WARS!!! 29. When was the last time you saw your mom: Mmmmmm... I wanna say October? 30. What is one thing you wish you could change in your life: I’d make myself very wealthy to solve literally every single problem I, my friends, and my parents have. 31. What are you listening to right now: The background music for Final Fantasy XV. 32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: Yeah, my grade school principle was a Tom. 33. Something that is getting on your nerves: Capitalism, not having money for the things I need, and how hard it’s been for me to focus on/enjoy things lately because *Jean-Ralphio singing voice* ~even on medication, depression makes my life a walking nightmaaaaaaare!~ 34. Most visited website: Tumblr for sure.
RANDOM INFO:
35. Mole/s: A few all over. 36. Mark/s: Tons of scars, can’t really think of any birthmarks of note. 37. Childhood dream: Archaeologist, dinosaur hunter, historian, astronaut, pirate, queen of England... the list was long and unrealistic. 38. Hair color: Light blondish-brown naturally, purple by choice. 39. Long or short hair: Long as fuuuuuuck. 41. What do you like about yourself: My eyes are a cool color I guess, and my hair is usually really soft and smells good. 42. Piercings: 3 per ear, two on each lobe and one each in the cartilage. 43. Blood type: Literally never been tested so I have no clue. 44. Nickname: Bree is the most common that I usually use in place of my real given name, Briana. My dad used to call me Bubbles for reasons I still don’t know, some friends called me Breezy in HS. Right now the only other big one is Bryn (online only). 45. Relationship status: Single as fuuuuck. 46. Zodiac: Capricorn. 47. Pronouns: She/her and they/them (rarely he/his). 48. Favorite TV Show: Penny Dreadful, it’s the most beautiful show to grace the world ever in the history of everything. 49. Tattoos: None. 50. Right or left hand: Righty. 51. Surgery: I had to get stitches on my head when I was little. It’s a dumb story. 52. Hair dyed in different color: Hell yes! 53. Sport: Quidditch. On the computer. That’s it, I don’t like sports. 55. Vacation: I’d love to properly explore Europe, do some more putzing around the UK and actually visit France. 56. Pair of trainers: Uh, none right now. Like I said, I’m not a sporty, active type of person so if I don’t need ‘em, I don’t got ‘em. I prefer boots and like, Keds-type slip-on flats types of things.
MORE GENERAL:
57. Eating: Nothing healthy, I’ll tell you that much. I’m trying to restructure my diet and exercise rn to lose weight, but 100% honestly that just means I’m gonna get tall 2% S’mores Frappuccinos instead of grande regular (whole milk) ones. 58. Drinking: I’ve been making a conscious effort to drink way more water, especially cause the summer makes me even more dehydrated. 59. I’m about to: Probably play the Sims? Or rewatch Castlevania hehe. 61. Waiting for: MY FIRST COLORED CONTACTS TO GET HERE AL-FUCKING-READY SO I CAN TRY THEM OUT. 62. Want: Student loans paid, more money in my bank account, and my new work schedule to start already. 63. Get married: It would certainly be nice with the right person, but highly unrealistic. 64. Career: Well, I’d prefer to be a film actor already, but until I’m more financially stable, my current job is alright.
WHICH IS BETTER:
65. Hugs or kisses: Both are great, but honesty bomb warning, I’ve been pretty touch-starved my whole life thanks to social anxiety so I’m not used to either, especially kisses. Those tend to come more easily only when I’m drunk and there’s lots of people to kiss. 66. Lips or eyes: Eyes for sure. 67. Shorter or taller: I prefer taller, and in fact would love to be taller myself, but oh well. 68. Older or younger: Younger than me just really weirds me out, although Tom Holland makes me feel a way or two. Older actually feels way better, particularly in the 10-15 years range, but I also know that if just like 1 or 2 years younger feels weird to me, then 10-15 probably would feel too weird to them. So I’m just resigned to living alone for the rest of my days. 70. Nice arms or nice stomach: Nice stomach, and with nice arms would be a bonus. 71. Sensitive or loud: If... if this is referring to sex, then I can’t tell ya as I’ve never done it. I would hazard a guess, just based on who I am, that I’d prefer sensitive? 72. Hook up or relationship: The very idea of a hookup repulses me and drives home how incredibly demisexual I am on top of everything else. 73. Troublemaker or hesitant: Uh....???? I... I guess I’d prefer someone who’s more hesitant than troublemaking, because that means they think about their actions first?
HAVE YOU EVER:
74. Kissed a Stranger: Yes, while highly intoxicated AND high AND in an environment where I felt safe, which was the only way that was ever gonna happen. 75. Drank hard liquor: Yeeeeeeeeup. 76. Lost glasses/contact lenses: YES AND IT’S THE MOST OBNOXIOUS THING EVER ESPECIALLY WHEN THE SHRIVELED DRIED UP CONTACT SUDDENLY SHOWS UP ON YOUR FLOOR A FEW DAYS LATER. 77. Turned someone down: Yeah. 78. Sex on the first date: As stated earlier, never had sex, so no. And I never would unless I already knew the person a while before the date. 79. Broken someone’s heart: Not that I’m aware of. I’m not really heart-breaker material. 80. Had your heart broken: Mostly by myself with my insecurities. 81. Been arrested: No. 82. Cried when someone died: Of course. 83. Fallen for a friend: Yeah, on occasion. Usually briefly before slapping my shit brain for confusing platonic feelings for romantic ones and making me have a crisis. Fuck you, shit-brain, fuck you.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
84. Yourself: Haaaaah, not really. I mean, sometimes? But depression makes that hard. 85. Miracles: I’d like to, but good things rarely happen to me so it’s hard to. 86. Love at first sight: I believe attraction at first sight can be unusually strong, but that should never be conflated with love. That takes time. 87. Santa Claus: Hahah no, my dad accidentally ruined that for me as a kid. 88. Kiss on the first date: If the date was bad, no, absolutely not. If it was okay and there’s some potential there, a kiss on the cheek seems appropriate. If it was great and there’s a lot of potential there, especially if you were friends already, sure go for it.
OTHER:
90. Current best friend name: Willa and Kelsey (I firmly reject the notion that you can only have one best friend and fuck all you ungrateful cunts who don’t love your friends or yourself enough to have more than one). 91. Eye color: Blue-gray 92. Favorite movie: I... I think it might be Phantom of the Opera? I dunno, that’s always a hard fucking question for me.
*Tagging less than 20 cause man I don’t have the focus to count up that many people: @nerfherding-smuggler, @peasantabuser, @aceofaces20, @mel0dyoftears, @hawkeyepancakes, @girl-in-the-coat, @jo-version-2point0, @thegreaterfool, @bimgnusbane, @radioactive-spacemen.
And of course, it’s totally optional. And if you wanna do it but aren’t tagged, well now you’re tagged, go nuts buddy.
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jakepaule · 8 years
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Music 2016
Top 10 Albums
1.     Car Seat Headrest – Teens of Denial
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Turn your radio all the way up for this one. This album is saturated with high quality musicianship and lyrical creativity. I was impressed right from the start and it just keeps getting better and better. Will Toledo masterfully blends humor, depression, anxiety, and emotional self-understanding with crafty songwriting. He anecdotes his experience with escaping the wreckage of his teenage years and entering into adulthood. Toledo puts his heart and soul into this one. The album is reflective, introspective, and spirited. Just buy the album, please.
Hot Tracks: “Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales”, “The Ballad of Costa Concordia”
2.     Frank Ocean – Blonde
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Frank Ocean achieved huge commercial success with Channel Orange, his debut album influenced heavily by R&B and Soul. In Blonde, Ocean leans away from R&B and more towards experimental hip-hop. The whole album is rich with other themes of nostalgia, mortality, and sexuality. He opens up on his inner thoughts and ties them to some significant allusions like Elliott Smith lyrics (“This is not my life/It’s just a fond farewell to a friend”). I can’t get enough of this album. I admire how much work he put into it and how flexible his music really is. He reaches into the melting pot of music and hired help from Jonny Greenwood and the London Contemporary Orchestra, Alex G, André 3000, Justin Vernon, and many more.
Hot Tracks: “Nights”, “Seigfried”
3.     Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool
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Back in May, Radiohead blacked themselves out on social media. They released a short stop-motion animated clip of a ceremonial witch burning. Then, their single “Burn the Witch” came out on Spotify, the musical platform Thom Yorke had previously spurned. I was immediately attracted and hyped for a new album to redeem themselves after their mediocre album The King of Limbs. And this one did live up to my expectations. Radiohead and Nigel Godrich always have some tricks up their sleeves to creatively revolutionize the way they produce music from album to album. For this one, they decided to use magnetic tape and I think it really worked for them.
Hot Tracks: “Glass Eyes”, “True Love Waits”
4.     Pinegrove – Cardinal
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 I first heard of Pinegrove while listening to NPR’s All Songs Considered podcast during a car ride this past summer. The first song I heard was “Old Friends” and I was immediately hooked. Lead singer Evan Stephens Hall has an incredibly distinct and memorable voice fueled by powerful, heavy lyrics. Hall sorts through his feelings on life’s most critical personal connections and weaves them intricately throughout his music. There was never a dull moment in this album; it is colorful and vibrant all the way through. Give this one your full attention, because I really think Hall develops an instantaneous bond with his listeners and cultivates that bond throughout the album.
Hot Tracks: “Waveform”, “Old Friends”
5.       A Tribe Called Quest – We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service
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Tribe really lit up the place with this one. It’s been a long time since they released anything. The last I remembered from any of them was “Dear Dilla,” a special single performed by the late great Phife Dawg. The album has a lot of interesting collaborative work with Jack White and André 3000 and a track that include a sampling of Elton John. This one might be a little more politically charged than their other albums, but not in-your-face annoyingly political. It challenges us and calls us to mobilize and stand up for our rights. I’ve been jamming to this one since it came out. Give this one a good listen.
Hot Tracks: “Dis Generation”, “We The People…”
6.     Bon Iver – 22, A Million
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Bon Iver fans everywhere had been yearning for something new, but most people (including myself) probably didn’t expect anything like this. The sounds are very unfamiliar and somewhat unsettling, but they mix well with cryptic lyrics to foster a brand new soundscape. Just look at the track listing and you’ll get what I mean by cryptic and unfamiliar.  22, A Million will be regarded as his most bold, inventive LP to date. I strongly recommend purchasing a physical copy, because this album was built up to be a multi-media experience.
Hot Tracks: “29 #Strafford APTS”, “8 (circle)”
7.     Whitney – Light Upon the Lake
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I believe the first time I heard of Whitney was over the summer while listening to NPR’s podcast All Songs Considered (along with Pinegrove). Later, I heard in a trip out west with some friends. Many thanks to Bob Boilen, Robin Hilton, and Andrew for opening me up to these awesome musicians. This album really stuck with me after I first purchased it later in the summer. Impressive musicianship, graceful flow, and beautiful imagery are some of the main qualities of this album. The best way to describe this album is perhaps trying chocolate for the first time. The album has some distinctly vintage characteristics, but comes off as an easy and immensely satisfying listen. Buy it. 
Hot Tracks: “No Woman”, “Golden Days”
8.     Hamilton Leithauser & Rostam – I Had a Dream That You Were Mine
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The opening track, “A 1000 Times,” has a tendency to get stuck in my head every time I listen to it, but I don’t mean that in a bad way. Hamilton of The Walkmen and Rostam of Vampire Weekend combined their superpowers to masterfully create what I consider to be the most elegant album of the year. The album is exactly what I would expect to hear if The Walkmen and Vampire weekend merged (go figure). Hamilton’s vocal prowess and Rostam’s musical genius (and supporting vocals) formed an incredibly powerful album. Give it a listen, sing along, and get steamrolled by Hamilton’s energetic voice.  A 1000 thumbs up.
Hot Tracks: “A 1000 Times”, “1959”
9.     Chance the Rapper – Coloring Book
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Chance is the man. I absolutely love his brand of gospel inspired hip hop. To me, Coloring Book is really what it claims to be, a coloring book. He painted a beautiful portrait of his faith on the canvas of modern hip hop music. “Blessings” really stood out to me as a perfect example of gospel/hip hop fusion. Gotta love Chance’s versatility and skill. Stream this one A$AP.
Hot Tracks: “Summer Friends”, “Blessings”
10.     Parquet Courts – Human Performance
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This spot on my top 10 list was difficult to narrow down as 2016 was an amazing year for music. Parquet Courts’ new album Human Performance is actually the first full-length album I personally listened to by them. The gnarly guitar licks and catchy rhythms really grabbed me on this one. Some of the vocals could be off-putting to some. Andrew Savage’s vocals sound to me like a punk-ish mix between Elvis Costello and David Byrne (maybe?). Definitely an interesting and fun listen.
Hot Tracks: “Berlin Got Blurry”, “Human Performance”
Honorable Mention
Jim James – Eternally Even
Kevin Morby – Singing Saw
James Blake – The Colour in Anything
Kendrick Lamar – untitled, unmastered
Wilco – Schmilco
David Bowie – Blackstar
Hamburger Helper Mixtape
Disappointing Albums of 2016
The Avett Brothers – True Sadness
Truly disappointing. The album really is True Sadness. It was actually challenging for me to sit down and listen to this one (not unlike my experience with Magpie and the Dandelion and The Carpenter). The Avett Brothers have taken a significant departure from “roots revival” since A Carolina Jubilee and seem to be trying to make some profound musical statements with this one. It appears that they are trying so hard to make some extraordinary changes in their sonic arsenal by introducing electronics and mixing it in the pot with their typical folk sound. I don’t know if this is a product of an attempt at redefining a genre or if sitting near the top of Billboard’s 200 has led them to spoon feed listeners with their very own electronic folk fusion because it’s the latest, coolest trend.
Wild Nothing – Life of Pause
When the single “To Know You” came out in February, I got immediately hyped for Wild Nothing’s next album. But definitely a little bit too hyped. Virginia Tech alumnus Jack Tatum’s slick debut album Gemini and sophomore release Nocturne opened me up to the indie pop genre. Tatum’s world of fantasy has molded into something quite different with this one. Life of Pause contains some high points with “To Know You” and “TV Queen”, but the album felt a little less imaginative and cohesive to me. Tatum still has a talent for creating some interesting soundscapes and we can clearly see that with some of his interesting xylophone and synth work, but I feel this one is lagging behind his previous full-length albums.
Notable Singles
Cloud Nothings – “Modern Act”
Maggie Rogers – “Alaska”
Father John Misty – “Real Love Baby”
Sunflower Bean – “Easier Said”
Blood Orange – “Best to You”
JP
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jessi-31days-blog · 7 years
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Day 3, Tuesday, October 3rd
I wake up at 9:30 am, attack my phone alarm with a vigorous "fuck that" and set it again for 10:30 am. My alarm goes off at 10:30 am, and I officially wake up.
I fell asleep around 1:00 am last night, and I mentioned yesterday how I love my 9 hours. I'll try to go to bed earlier tonight. I had a dream that someone was trying to force me to drink blood, so if any of you super cool dream interpreters can guess what that means, let me know.
Yoga class - "Pranayama Yoga To Move Energy" - 12:34:
SIKE!
 Apparently while doyogawithme.com has lots of free classes, but a few videos are subscription only. So when I click on the link to this video and see "subscription only" I simultaneously roll my eyes and harshly exhale out of both nostrils at this minor inconvenience. Ah, yes, minor inconveniences; the bane of any millennial's existence. The same video is provided for tomorrow, so I will have to find yet another replacement for it for day 4. Okay, now for real this time...
Yoga class - "3 Yoga Breathing Exercises for Anxiety" by Caren Baginski on YouTube - 7 mins:
If you try this video, you'll noticed I picked a pretty easy video for today. It was very helpful, especially the switching nostrils one (forgot what that one was called). I'll need to remember these when I have anxiety.
Guided Meditation - "Transform Yourself" - 15 mins:
Okay guys, I have a confession to make on this one. My brain could not shut off and I was too restless, so I only made it through 8 minutes of this guided meditation. I tried to follow the imagery of imagining light flowing through my body, and I did my best but it didn't help much. One thing the speaker said that I will mention is that you choose how you think and feel about yourself, your life, and your surrounding. And while people with mental illness such as myself can often think the opposite, that you can't control how you feel or think, in many ways you actually can. More often than not it's within the means of actually forcing yourself to replace the negative intrusive thoughts with positive or realistic thoughts than actually making yourself feel something, but if and when you continue to make yourself think healthily, you'll start to feel better emotionally. This is easier said than done, but it is true.
Read a Proverb - Proverbs 3:
This is a pretty famous chapter of Proverbs for Christians and Catholics of the world. In it are these verses, 5 & 6: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." I first read these verses in early 2010. The fact that I can actually remember the year is pretty cool, since my memory pretty much sucks. Actually, my memory basically works of it's own will, selecting at random what information I will and will not remember. Anyways, these verses have always had a lot of meaning to me. It pretty much sums up God's intended experience for a person who believes in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and His salvation. That's why I don't worry too much about how my life goes and the way I choose to live it. As long as I'm saved, and I believe I am, regardless of what happens to me, I know how things will turn out for me in the very end.
The rest of the chapter reiterated the theme of Proverbs, which is to delight in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, so that you live a good life. It ends with some good general pieces of advice for life: use common sense, when you see someone who needs help, don't hesitate to help them, don't hurt people, don't pick petty fights with people, don't act like violent people act, and if you dedicate your life to wisdom, you will "inherit honor".
Blog post - TWLOHA - "Beyond Shades of Gray" by Sharleigh Thomson:
At the beginning of this article, Sharleigh defines how we as a society talk about something clear and defined. "You've either attempted or you haven't." But then she begins to describe what she calls a gray zone as the place where you desperately want to escape from the pain and being willing to die to do so. "A place where you might have the means, the will, the plan, the note—everything but the follow through." And good fucking god, I know what the gray zone is like. I instantly identified with the author of this blog post. She proceeded to describe how she was once unable to find the words to truly explain her experience and her pain. That there weren't enough syllables in the English language to describe just how hard what she was going through was. She started talk therapy, but had trouble opening up and finding the words to explain herself to her therapist. He suggested that she start writing down how she was feeling. My therapist told me to do the same thing, and I reacted the way Sharleigh did: with stubbornness. At that time she believed that writing was some sort of cop out. I used to believe that if I couldn't find a way to say it out loud, how the hell can I get it one paper? Well, as I've discovered, the opposite is true sometimes. If I can get my thoughts, whether they are complete sentences or not, out on paper (or most likely, the notes app on my computer), then I can form the way to say it out loud. As a matter of fact, writing down my train of thoughts has lead me to more epiphanies than I ever expected... I've got to start doing it again.
Finally, after another suicidal episode, Sharleigh gave in and began writing. She said that it started out dark and emotional, but eventually became something personal, beautiful, and hopeful. She found a way to break down her problems in her writing. Then she began to write plays, poetry, and blog posts about her experiences with mental health and suicide. Hey, I'm doing that last thing now! What a coincidence.
I haven't written poetry since I was a teenager. My poetry back then varied in quality, a good portion of them being angsty emo depression poetry about how much I hated my life. But I'm sure if I looked back into my old journals (which I somehow still have after losing the rest of my belongings over the course of a few months before moving to Florida), I could find two or three good ones. I wish I remembered how to write poetry. Not that it's all that hard, so long as you're good with words. But I have no idea what to write a poem about. I don't want to write one about my depression or anxiety, because I have grown to enjoy poetry that ends on a positive note, and I have yet to find a positive note for a poem about depression. It's not that I'm this huge pessimist, I know there's a light at the end of this dark ass stanky ass tunnel, but I just don't know how to end a poem anymore. I don't like writing poems about nature, because those are boring. I have a sense of humor, but for some reason I'm put off by funny poems. Oh well, maybe I'll find something to write a poem about someday.
As the blog post starts to near it's end, Sharleigh tells of how she rebuilt herself through writing, and how while she still feels darkness, she's still willing to keep creating things and searching for hope when times get hard. I'm trying to have that same attitude. Practice makes perfect, I suppose. She ends the post with some encouragement to stay alive, to find a way to make your voice heard, and most importantly, to find what you were made for. I appreciate the encouragement she offered, and I hope others who read that article find comfort in them, but more often than not I read inspiring words and ideas and they have little to no affect on me. It's the reading equivalent of "in one ear, out the other" (in one eye, out the other? I don't know). But when push comes to shove, I do get it. Really, I do. And she's not wrong. I suppose one day I'll find myself smack dab in the middle of what I was made to do. Maybe I'm doing it now. Regardless, though I don't feel encouraged, I'm choosing to be encouraged. I'm making it my state of mind rather than waiting to feel warm and fuzzy. It's all I've got right now.
Encouraging someone on reddit - r/anxiety:
I found an easy one. And when I say easy, I mean I had the experience to give to this person who was nervous about increasing their dosage of their antidepressant. They said they were afraid that increasing their dose from 10mg to 20mg would make them feel "weird". I let out a light chuckle when I read that, because if any psychiatric drug is gonna make you feel "weird" (or in my case, a fucking zombie), it's not the antidepressants; it's the antipsychotics. I told them about how I was misdiagnosed a year ago during my mental breakdown and was put on some VERY HEAVY antipsychotic drugs, which made me act like a robot. Ask my dad, he saw me a lot at that time. I had no emotions. My mother, who at this point lived across the country from me, even noticed that I was different. Now I'm not saying antipsychotics are bad, because some people really do need them. But if you don't need them, they definitely make you more numb than anyone needs to be, and not the "high" kind of numb, but the "I feel literally nothing; good or bad" kind of numb. I then told this person that I have had times in my life where I was only on an antidepressant. I've tried a bunch, and coincidentally, along with my vast experience with psychiatric medications, I've also experienced being on Lexapro alone. So I told them it doesn't make you feel weird, and that it is more likely to help them than anything. Or a bit less likely (but still possible), it could just not work for them at all and they need to try a different antidepressant. All in all, I hope I at the very least encouraged them not to be afraid to increase their medication, so long as the doctor says it's best.
Walk:
The neighbors came by today to let us know a few sex offenders live in our neighborhood. One guy even lives just a few houses down. Fortunately, all the ones closest to us are child sex offenders, so I'm pretty sure I'm too old for them to want to assault. Regardless, my mom made me take her stun gun with me while I went for my walk. I listened to another one of my favorite bands, Gazpacho, this time. It was nice and peaceful. On my way back a dog started following and barking at me for a few yards, until its owner got it to go back to its house. I laughed as this was quite amusing. Instead of getting followed by creepy sex offenders as my mother fears, I was getting followed by a medium sized brown yapping dog. When I got home I felt refreshed, and my depression went from like a 8 down to a 6, so there was some improvement. End of Day Notes: I don’t know if I feel any different yet. But then again, it’s only the end of day 3. Any noticeable improvements seem small: the morning pranayama yoga centers and calms me for the day, I’m starting a routine which always brings a sense of accomplishment, I’m learning a few things from what I’m reading, and I’m getting better at giving encouragement or advice. So at least it’s something. P.S. I promise I’ll make this blog look pretty at some point. I could have done it today, but along with all my goals, I spent 3 hours cleaning to whole house, so I didn’t have time to work on this blog’s appearance. 
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thebandcampdiaries · 3 years
Video
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Ty Bru is back on the scene with a new, exciting album: Triple Bypass: Under Anesthesia.
June 2021 - Ty Bru is an artist with a focus on pushing deeper, creating diverse and groundbreaking songs that will make a big splash on the music scene. Recently, the artist dropped a brand new album release titled Triple Bypass: Under Anesthesia. This album is more than just entertainment: each song is produced really well, but more importantly, the artist has a very strong focus on crafting meaningful lyrics that connect with the listeners on a deeper level. Of the 11 songs featured on this album, each listener is most definitely going to be able to connect with a track in particular at least. The songwriting is so insightful and diverse that I have no doubt that there is a song for everyone out there, and Ty is able to really channel so much realness and intelligence with his lyrics.
Take the song “Give Me Wings,” for example. This is a powerful and personal story that deals with the story of how a friend of the artist himself help him become more free on a personal level. In addition to that, the track also deals with the aftermath and side effects of using drugs and alcohol, something that many people struggle with to this day.
This album of work flows smoothly, as its production has a diverse background. The all-encompassing nature of the arrangement makes for a thick and organic sound, as opposed to a texture that could be considered more grainy and fragmented. As a result, Ty Bru really produced something that’s big and larger-than-life, and Triple Bypass: Under Anesthesia stands out as a massive achievement on his part. The sound of this release feels like a perfect introduction to the sound of Ty Bru, and it stands out from the herd due to its world-class sound. Fans of conscious hip-hop music are definitely going to enjoy Triple Bypass: Under Anesthesia, and if this is any indication, we are on track for something truly amazing coming from Ty Bru in the near future! Stay tuned, because this one is going to make its way into your heavy rotation!
This full-lenght album will be released on the 12th of June, exclusively on Bandcamp. It’s already possible to pre-order from the following link! 
https://mightierthantheswordrecords.bandcamp.com/album/triple-bypass-under-anesthesia 
From the July 16th, the album will be available on all other streaming sites as well.https://youtu.be/RnGns2RD8i4
We also had the chance to ask the artist a few questions! Keep reading for more:
- On the album, it feels like each song has something special to offer, not only when it comes to the lyrics, but also the production. Was it a conscious choice to make this album so diverse?
It certainly was intentional to diversify as much as possible when it came to content, subject matter and when choosing the production for each song. I wanted a seamless feel for the most part but also a few songs that would jolt the listener into something different enough to remind them that this is more than music, it’s comprehensive art and most times that can turn into something sporadic, and that fits the theme I have for the album as well.
- Do you have a favorite track? And if so, which is it and why?
Without any hesitation, my favorite song is ‘Advice’. That was the third song I recorded and it felt so good to get that all out. Shot out to Brain Staples at Livewire Studio for his guidance on how I ended on the hooks, because it really helps bring it back down to a personal level, the first time my wife heard it, she asked if I wrote it specifically for her because it resonated with her so well.
The song is an attempt at suicide prevention along with saying that it’s ok to use certain vices in times of distress and anxiety. Too often are these things shunned and that type of behavior can lead to over indulgence. We are all human and we all like to feel good, when someone makes you feel bad about using these vices, of course you are going to want to go toward that substance because it can help fill the void of good and understanding friend. After performing that song for the first time at a live streaming concert with the Iconoclast Crew (Ed E. Ruger, Stitchy C, DJ Phillie Phresh & guests DJ Kyng Rash & Marshall Alexander) in February, that same night I ended up getting in a bad car accident, then within a few days contracting COVID-19. Depression hit me harder than it had in recent memory and I started feeling like the song was a lie, like what right did I have to try and help other people when I couldn’t help myself? I felt weak, then I started listening to it as it was someone else’s song and it clicked and help strengthen me up, I stand by that song with all I am.
- Do you approach lyrics first, or do the instrumentals come first, inspiring you to write?
In this case, as in most cases the instrumentals come first. I met the producer of the entire project, Poe Mack in Roanoke, Virginia in 2007 and we hit it off immediately. His background and my background aligned on some pretty specific levels. About 2011 I spent a few weekends with him in Salem and we began working on a project, he made about ten beats and I wrote to about half of them off gate, then after I moved to China for 5 years it got abandoned, like so many of my projects, unfortunately. Then we picked the conversation back up when the pandemic hit in 2020, he was making several beats a day and I picked out ten of them, and wrote the whole album within a month and recorded them in three sessions. I did end up deciding to use one of the beats from 2011 because I loved the evolution of that song and it fit with the concept.
- Is there an underlying theme or concept that ties the songs of the album together?
Yes there is, this is my fourth solo album and all of them relate to the heart and is symbolic to the stages of a heart attack both before, during and after. ‘Triple Bypass: Under Anesthesia’ begins as I find myself confused in an ambulance and then it goes through the steps someone might take after that. I’ll go through the tracklisting with you, for instance.
1- OUT OF THE AMBULANCE: is the confusing feeling and sort of “out of touch with reality” I might feel as I am getting out of the ambulance, getting ready to go into the hospital. 2- BEAUTIFUL FIGHT: they say your life flashes before your eyes as you are about to pass away or during near death experiences and this is a song about my wife, my son and myself which is currently the highest priorities of my life, so of course that’s what I might see
3- GIVE ME WINGS: is when they administer the anesthesia, the feeling I would get
4- BURIED ALIVE: explains the reasons behind the condition of me as a patient, mixed with hallucinations of death and actual feelings I have had in the past
5- ELM STREET: is a continuation of life flashing before my eyes, which began on Elm Street, so what better place to start than at the beginning
6- CANT SIR: is deep in the dream state of anesthesia, where I can’t really tell if it’s real or not, however even though it shouldn’t me, it is very real and shows how the neglect of certain races, overlooking an area of a city or someone blocking your path due to nepotism or racism can stop your heart, a symbolic form of cancer.
7- SYMPHONY OF A HEARTBREAK: is an extension of the previous song, going more into detail of everyday heartaches that could be through the fault of no one or the fault of oneself. Things I might think of while in the dream state of anesthesia
8- 4TIMES: still under anesthesia, this is an actual recollection of the four times I personally saw death so very close and nearly crossed over.
the first was the first steps of drowning in an icy pond when I was 7, the second while I was in London during an attempted bombing on the underground train I was on, the third was when my blood count was all out of whack, numbers that were extremely close to death, due to h1n1, but I neglected it thinking it was a hangover and the fourth, very recently when I totaled my wife’s car in a snowstorm. I was a few feet from a ravine and a few inches from a guardrail splitting me in two.
9- GETS IN THE WAY OF LOVE: is kind of the end of the anesthesia, right before I wake back up, showing the evolution of my courtship with my wife, a good and familiar dream, giving me a reason to wake back up
10- ADVICE: is what someone is giving to me when I am awake, right after anesthesia
11- HATE IS USELESS: is what I have decided that needs to be done after receiving that advice to avoid any further complications to my heart.
- Can you tell us a bit more about the album’s title and what it means for you?
Like I said previously, all of my albums have related to a symbolic heart attack.
ON THE BRINK (2007) was like my habits were leading me on the brink of a heart attack.
HEART CORE HIP HOP (2009) was like a heart exam, to see how the old ticker was doing
TRIPLE BYPASS: IN THE AMBULANCE (2011) was when something went terribly wrong with me and the mixture of habits and health lead me to be taken into the hospital for
TRIPLE BYPASS: UNDER ANESTHESIA (2021)
- Any touring or live performance plan?
Touring is still out of the question for me at this point. I’m not ready for that quite yet in the newly re-opened world. But we are having an album release party performance that I am very excited about at Four Saints Brewing Company in my hometown of Asheboro on July 17, 2021 8pm-10pm. After that we are having a birthday bash performance at The Flat Iron in Greensboro, NC on August 27, 2021. Other than that, I plan on one performance a month until the end of the year, then reassessing the situation then.
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metamorphosingbrick · 5 years
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One last time
st He is back and i have no clue whow to deal with the vaccum. I have no feelings but my heart starts beating really fast. I dont want to care to be honest but the truth cannot be denied. It feels awfully bad to not have what you desire and that person living under the same roof. 
This is probably the last time i will mention anyone, anything- I will probably stay silent. Choose to stay quiet in the lot and be on my own. I want to be the girl i was who when someone ignored, went right upto them to remind them that I gnore your more than he ignored me. 
I wish to be the fearless girl who once in office just knew that every problem has a solution and it cannot be justified if someone did not come up with one. Live is much difficult around here to give two fucks to be honest. 
I want to validate every thought but not with you anymore. I have greater things to do and more important things to take care of. So, i am going to just study and get done with my part of the job. The main idea is to not lose focus and concentrate as much as possible in my life. 
We all fall apart but giving up is not an option. We don’t give up on situations because every problem has a solution. Studies are better than exam - they love you if you love them dearly. Better than cigarettes which does not ruin your health or wealth. You say no to them and a no means no. Anxiety or no anxiety, it does not make sense if one has to deliver eveything by themselves. Every task on this face of earth is doable. 
Except making a person love you or care for you. Stay silent and that’s all which can be regarded. Just shut yourself down and you’ll know how many things you notice and observe 
We cannot take into account the beauty of concealing the scars. What we can regard as important is the emrgence of understanding the dept of the wound and how things can be responded in accordnace to that. The wounds will be lovely in the skin, a gush of invisible blood - pouring into the ears of people. It is the expectation and desire of human which makes a person hover over the flat surface and cry out loud for the point it is required to make. The dramatic dilemma added into the soil can be understood wth the tears flushed down the drain. 
This is a situation i cannot run over in my head but simply behave with the flow. The love is incurable disease which once entered our heart - it shuts logic down. It becomes inexplicable to the people in front with the idea of incurabiliy and no ray of hope or no light in the end of the tunnel. We can rejoice with the choices made over the past or just accept the incurability of the situation. It is a virus which runs through our blood and probably an external blow of injection can cure the disease. The crying or leaking your feelings over others will make things worst. This year has already taught me so many lessons, it becomes a beautiful journey in itself to enjoy and ponder on. 
Starting from the new year’s eve, the night where i wrapped myself with a human who was no stranger to my heartbeats and enjoyed the power he had over me. The fun and frolic a person feels when they have the other perosn over their impression is a beautiful feeling. I know because i am no starnber to the spell myself. It’s an unconscious thing. Trying ot handle every part of my asisgnment which coudl not be caotured in the rear view of the situation but alas, i lost the hope and faith. But from 16th I reconquered myself with the amount of life i need to breathe in a few justification of success. A thridt to prve myself my value and if i see a hollistic view, the pang and animosity will take me noweher but breaking the jedgements of peopel and the fun of tastig success will be my endeavour. I will recapture every battle i lose wih the grace of god and balance my life the way i want it to go. Not wasting more than 10 minutes talking. Not bothering about anybdy exceot the people i really care aboutlike my family. Not talking and wasting time over love and bullshit. There is no thing as love. What someone said recently to me, was the idea of being emotionally stable which is important. If someone can be logical and practical in controlling their emotions- they win the battles in life and rule the world. When i pass this course, i will rule over the world and enjoy my life to the fullest like everyday is my last. 
The most achieveable things is what you dream and if you can dream it, you can do it. Finishing everyday goals through taking action and making the world a better place by contributing your ideas for betterment. I know no guy will be with me until i learn to be with myself. At that time i was ready to be with myself hence somoene could love me. I was willing to help through the process to myself and heart break was not a big deal to run through. 
You see yourself, 5 years down the line. I can see a heart broken girl who has hidden her feelings and emotions inside her files and papers. A very cynical individual who does not beleieve in stopping the wheel, who believes in breaking the wheel and asking people to run behind her in every sense. People will treat ourselves as we treat us, if i treat myself with repsect - people will do the same. If i am all work and no play then they will take me serously, how difficult is it, to make things different without context. One thing i have learnt firstly in this house more because of steoehn is how to ignore things whenever possible. Ignoring people followed by ignoring the person’s feelings. But no more, i will treat myself according to the time gifted to me by the universe. Utilise every bit of it and relish the ideas to make myself a better human my parents would be proud of. It’s true when maa said that when things go wrong, they blame the mothers and daughters themselves. Each day i will remind myself of all teh sufferings i went through to be a part of this universe. the anxiety and horror of the situation which i faced just to emerge enlightened and loved by myself. I will commit from today onwards to my books and career because it wont wake up one morning and say i dont like you like that anymore or god wanted this to happened and leave. I will have a stable guy who i dont love and be independent of all the needs and desires. 
From today onwards, i will talk less and less possible and work more and more as i advance. No give a shit about what people feel and just do my work like laying the brick mostly perfectly as a brick can be laid. The watch is the time keeper which will witness my chnage and sing with joy in every success melody. I will talk more logical and insightfully by doing homeowrk and keeping lists.
The world is there to eatch you and not punish you. Just the humans are not believeable and not worth spending time about. My phone and anxiety will be doble tapped to knock out. The peron beside me will hear no voice of mine untill - he or she thins i am intimidating. The world would be a different place and I would be a different perosn. The one who just talks when required and every word would make more sense to everyone that they will quote me. That is how i want to be, knwoledgeable and bold, Who cannot be hurt or bend over to have fun with or bullied to the point where she shuts and reflects on her decisions. There will be no advancement in the issues anymore and everything i say will be taken seriously with the idea that my words add value to the world. Be it James or Stephen, nobody can come cose to the idea because i wont be scraed or timid or expressive anymore but bold, fearless and unapproachable. We all change and become the humans we were destined to be, I will be the same and i will be successful in everything i touch because i will lay the brick as perfectly a brick can be laid to build the wall around me to not let people see my emotions.I will be that person quite soon. We come into the world with a purpose, when someone is earning money, nobody cares to ask the rank because its evident that money is equal to a high rank. I will recah that rank very soon and accomplish what i have came here to accomplish. In the coming months, I will talk less without emotions getting involved, pull my guards up and not talk that i will regret and stay away from Stephen. laugh and smile less to the point where people see a serious face. The interesting thing wil always be how people thought i was the fool who understood nothing but i will turn out to be the branie. Yes, this reuqires practise but learning the hard way - we change ourseleves and becime who we were destined to become. No talkings and not caring what they say about you - we are the real deal. I can visualise my tomorrow starting to end the Agile framework by 3 and lseeping till 7 am to wake up and go for a run for 15 mins and yoga for 10 minutes with stretch and surya namaskar - this goes with a bath and then leaving for college to work on the case study. I will discuss and put forward right points to the meeting and make james think and go yes. I will conquer tomorrow’s discussion. Post meeting i will start off iwth the 5th and 6th prt of agile by 4pm. Sit with Shalu from 4 to 6 to start my campaign on marketing for movies. Make a logo and download adobe to create an instagram channel talking weekly themes and genres and wriitng how it could have been marketed differently. How movie marketing can be started off with the blend of digital media and outdoor campaigns. best of movie outdoor campaigns- best ambient movie ad- how can you apply it too ypur shirt documentary - collab with documentary. Then come back home to read the questions and answers to explore the qestions in the website. This can be followed by reading up all the questions and answers in the leaflet to understand the frameworks and agile techniques again. tomorrow i wont be clulesless and thisis exactly how the day wil go and I will learn to do smart work. this would make me regret less about my existence as i am in control of every frame of the situation. Love the way you can behave and make things better ofr good of the people. DOnt forget to eat fruits and not smoke and pray to god for such a life. You are talented and gifted but the actions you atke now, the future self will be proud of you. Beautiful in every way possible. Love you and love your ideas. Talk less, remember to control your emotions and not react to everything. You protect yourself and if you mean no harm to anyone then yes, you should not feel bad about anything. I love you a lot 
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photosofusly · 7 years
Text
Exclaim!'s Top 29 Albums of 2017 So Far
As originally seen on Exclaim.ca.At this point last year, we’d already experienced massive album drops from the likes of Beyoncé, Kanye West, Radiohead, David Bowie and Drake; by the end of the year, we were left wondering just what was left to come out in 2017.
The answer is a swathe of albums by artists whose names might not adorn stadium marquees, but whose work shone brightly as beacons for another good year in music. Between long-awaited debut full-lengths, worldly, philosophical album statements and surprising genre crossovers, 2017 has seen a wealth of riches.
As the year’s halfway mark approaches, we’ve separated the great from the merely good in order to present the best albums released so far this year.
Click next to read through the albums one by one, or use the list below to skip ahead to your favourites.
Exclaim!’s Top 29 Albums of 2017 So Far:
1. Kendrick Lamar – DAMN. 2. Sampha – Process 3. Feist – Pleasure 4. Father John Misty – Pure Comedy 5. Mount Eerie – A Crow Looked at Me 6. Drake – More Life 7. Jay Som – Everybody Works 8. Mac DeMarco – This Old Dog 9. Joey Bada$$ – All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ 10. Slowdive – Slowdive 11. Power Trip – Nightmare Logic 12. The xx – I See You 13. Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 3 14. Thundercat – Drunk 15. Oddisee – The Iceberg 16. Code Orange – Forever 17. Kelly Lee Owens – Kelly Lee Owens 18. Full of Hell – Trumpeting Ecstasy 19. Cloud Nothings – Life Without Sound 20. Stormzy – Gang Signs & Prayer 21. Do Make Say Think – Stubborn Persistent Illusions 22. Incendiary – Thousand Mile Stare 23. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Flying Microtonal Banana 24. (Sandy) Alex G – Rocket 25. Future Islands – The Far Field 26. Timber Timbre – Sincerely, Future Pollution 27. GAS – Narkopop 28. Paramore – After Laughter 29. Ryuichi Sakamoto – async
29. Ryuichi Sakamoto async (Milan)
A good deal has been made of the possibly autobiographical nature of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s triumphant return, async. The disc landed a little less than three years after his throat cancer diagnosis, and is replete with mournful synth lines, scratchy noise (if ever there was a track that made you want to clear your throat, it’s “andata") and spoken word segments about mortality.
There’s much more than nostalgia at work here, though. The 65-year-old, who calls both Tokyo and New York City home, delivered us a complex, at times difficult listen. Yet async remains wholly accessible. It’s beautiful without being pretty, engaging and, at the same time, comforting.
Is the disc’s title short for asynchronous, which refers to events "not occurring at the same time"? Maybe reading his illness and subsequent recovery into that is a stretch, but Sakamoto’s pre-release materials describe his interest in "the blurred lines of life and artificiality/noise and music." The line between good and poor health is often similarly tough to distinguish, but its exploration would fit perfectly amidst the tender thoughtfulness evident here. Kevin Press
28. Paramore After Laughter (Fueled By Ramen)
Paramore have gone through their share of professional and personal turmoil and lineup changes since their chart-topping self-titled LP. Bassist Jeremy Davis left, drummer Zac Farro returned seven years after an acrimonious split and singer Hayley Williams admitted in pre-release interviews that she often doubted they would ever record another album. The trio address this adversity head-on on the startling, emotionally complex After Laughter, a tuneful, effervescent full-length on which Paramore mostly trade what was left of their punk and emo roots for New Wave synths, sinewy Afrobeat-influenced guitar riffs and percussive Technicolor pop that evokes Talking Heads, Paul Simon and Tango in the Night-era Fleetwood Mac.
In contrast with the soaring, ebullient melodies, the lyrics reflect the band’s tumultuous recent past, most prominently on the LP’s first single, the cathartic "Hard Times." Hitting rock bottom has rarely sounded better than on After Laughter, one of the year’s finest pop albums. Thierry Côté
27. GAS Narkopop (Kompakt)
Wolfgang Voigt has kept busy over the last 17 years through his various projects, but he’s been neglecting the one that earns him the most attention. Capitalizing on last year’s elaborate GAS box set, the 56-year-old returned with his fifth album under the moniker like no time had passed.
His new 75-minute opus, Narkopop, surveys different moods and pulses, filling in the vast space with a range of textures and styles: drone, ambient, neo-classical and minimal techno. The results can be mesmeric and beautiful, though he’s not averse to stirring up discomfiting moments to throw the listener’s meditation off, either.
Although it follows the GAS template in its design and structure, Narkopop, like its predecessors, is very much its own entity and an exciting next phase in the oeuvre of electronic music’s most intriguing characters. Cam Lindsay
26. Timber Timbre Sincerely, Future Pollution (Arts & Crafts)
The sinister synths that flood Timber Timbre’s sixth LP leave little doubt that the Canadian band’s latest record, Sincerely, Future Pollution, isn’t entirely optimistic about humanity’s course. The free-floating folk-noir ensemble, led by the haunting vocals of Taylor Kirk, reach new vibrancy on this record by harkening back to ’80s-era Bowie, drum machines and dystopian narratives to create an album that, like Pink Floyd’s The Wall, comprises a cinematic whole yet is approachable enough to enjoy in individual parts.
Evidenced by the cascading melodies of "Moment," the wide-swath guitar strums of "Sewer Blues" and the clavinet-bumping "Grifting," Sincerely, Future Pollution is much more concerned with world-building than 2014’s sensuous Hot Dreams in both theme and vision. As they have each release since 2006’s Cedar Shakes, Timber Timbre somehow manage to enhance their ever-evolving sound once again here; this time, they do so by borrowing from the past to craft an album as fresh as it is timeless. Mackenzie Herd
25. Future Islands The Far Field (4AD)
Less immediate than 2014’s Singles but ultimately more rewarding, the hooks on Future Islands’ The Far Field are subtler, the sound a little wearier. Anchored by the soulful, strange vocal stylings of Samuel T. Herring, the band still know how to write songs that will sound great at the outdoor festivals they’ve graduated to since the smash success of "Seasons (Waiting on You)" — and there are several of those here — but the real revelation is the bold steps they’re taking in the face of their success.
The woozy, weird "Candles" and the call-and-response Debbie Harry duet "Shadows" are proof that the band aren’t content to play it safe. By resisting the urge to go bigger, Future Islands have instead gone deeper, to devastating effect. Dave Mix
24. (Sandy) Alex G Rocket (Domino)
Eight albums in, the restless Alex Giannascoli — aka (Sandy) Alex G — refuses to be labeled simply as "indie rock." On Rocket, he tackles it all — bittersweet alt-country ("Bobby"), industrial pseudo-rap ("Brick"), auto-tuned R&B ("Sportstar"), weirdo psych-pop ("Witch"), ramshackle experimental noise ("Horse"), and the list could go on — yet it all still feels oddly cohesive, shrouded in a mysterious lo-fi intimacy narrated by Giannascoli’s melodic and dazed vocal style.
Hints of self-doubt, anger, sarcasm and bliss blend together effortlessly thanks to a strange and freaky concoction of plucky acoustic guitar, screeching synthesizers, dazzling violin, piano, saxophone and even random dogs barking. Rocket readily mutates around unsettling emotions using inventive fictional personas; it’s a curious approach, but it grounds the record to a quietly relatable content, and incites new feelings with each listen. Chris Gee
23. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Flying Microtonal Banana (ATO)
Like most of their previous efforts, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s latest project was tied to a concept from the outset — this time around, microtonality.
Flying Microtonal Banana might be the band’s most ambitious concept album so far, using a collection of microtonal instruments to weave unique melodies and Eastern-flavoured harmonies into the band’s usual frenetic grooves. That experimentation shines on tracks like "Open Water," with riffs that sound like an electrified snake-charmer, and "Billabong Valley," on which lead guitarist and singer Stu Mackenzie’s vocal lines mirror the eerie and hypnotic guitar melodies.
Rather than allowing themselves to be boxed in on Banana, though, the band run wild with the concept, transcending the chromatic scale to pull together one of the best psych-rock experiences of the year. Brandon Choghri
22. Incendiary Thousand Mile Stare (Closed Casket Activities)
Incendiary’s Thousand Mile Stare is a blistering return for the Long Island hardcore outfit. In the four years since their last record, Cost of Living, the music industry has seen some dramatic changes, particularly in relation to the current political climate. With these ten tracks, Incendiary prove that not only are they still relevant, but they’re on the forefront of their scene, leaders in an increasingly anxiety-ridden landscape.
The album’s eye-opening lyrics and gut-busting riffs are perfectly exemplified in "Front Toward Enemy," as frontman Brendan Garrone yells about "Fearing revolution": "They got their trigger fingers moving / The threat of oncoming war." Thousand Mile Stare’s unforgiving interpretation of a genre the band helped build, coupled with the passionate message they continue to spew, help make it one of hardcore’s most important release of 2017 thus far. Griffin Elliot
21. Do Make Say Think Stubborn Persistent Illusions (Constellation)
Do Make Say Think have never made a weak album, but nobody expected the legendary Torontonian instrumental octet to come back with such vital urgency after the longest recording gap in their lifespan. Perhaps it should’ve been clear though — they declare literal "War on Torpor" on Stubborn Persistent Illusions’ opening track. And to back the claim, this music is anything but lethargic or mentally lazy.
Everything we love about the band is present — the brash energy of punk rock, the rhythmic complexity of jazz and Afrobeat, the patient, bold dynamics of classical, and those epic, richly interwoven tapestries of guitar melodies and horn harmonies — but while these pieces share obvious genetic material with the band’s best work, none of it feels like an exercise in cloning. It’s like new sonic lifeforms are evolving from the band’s collective primordial soup to populate heretofore unexplored corners of their distinct sound world.
Beautifully realized with the utmost of love and respect for the act of co-creation and a work that may well be the new high water mark in post-rock, Stubborn Persistent Illusions is an absolute gift to fans of the ineffable magic of musical collaboration. Scott Gray
20. Stormzy Gang Signs & Prayer (#Merky)
For a decade-and-a-half, future-minded hip-hop heads and Anglophiles alike wondered how to get grime over to North American audiences. In the last two years, it’s finally happened, thanks in no small part to Skepta. But while he may have been the one to open the door, absurdly tall South London MC Stormzy has burst through it with enough force to remove hinge from frame.
On Gang Signs & Prayer, Stormzy serves up a perfect blend of crisp, rapid-fire delivery, aggro battle rap, heartbreaking introspection and surprising R&B sensibility. Stormzy is a perfect poster child for the new wave of clever, pop-savvy grime MCs. Chris Dart
19. Cloud Nothings Life Without Sound (Carpark)
Almost every year, an album is released that immediately stands out from the punk-leaning, guitar-slinging pack. It was Beach Slang a couple years ago, and now it’s Cloud Nothings’ turn with Life Without Sound, a record that sheds any of the extraneous influence of the past and find the band at their most cohesive and emotionally resonant yet.
The shift in sound from previous LP Here and Nowhere Else is noticeable. The guitars are a little less ragged, the hooks maybe not as prominent, but while the intensity has been dialled back, it ends up refocusing the group’s vision, and elevates Cloud Nothings’ sound to the next level. Marked by themes of self-evaluation, isolation and desperation, Dylan Baldi’s lyrics feel relatable, without being cliché. Those moments where Baldi’s emotionally driven lyrics hit hardest seem perfectly balanced against the band’s momentous riffs, which burst from every angle out of the speakers feeling alive and purposeful. Anthony Augustine
18. Full of Hell Trumpeting Ecstasy (Profound Lore)
Following a pair of collaborative albums with experimental noise artists the Body and Merzbow, Full of Hell stripped away a lot of the chaotic noise elements found on those releases for a more focused and cohesive record. In just a little over 20 minutes, Trumpeting Ecstasy finds the grindcore powerhouses launching a savage assault of blast beats and ear-piercing shrieks with just enough variation to let each song stand on its own.
Throughout, the band manage to infuse their abrasive tracks and organized havoc with thoughtfulness and care, as evident on songs like "The Cosmic Vein" and the blisteringly fast onslaught of "Branches of Yew." And though they’ve dialled back the experimental noise here, the band still manage to fit those sounds into the delicate yet aggressive title track. Trumpeting Ecstasy is a slab of viciously hostile grindcore not meant for the faint of heart. Joe Smith-Engelhardt
17. Kelly Lee Owens Kelly Lee Owens (Smalltown Supersound)
Within its few seconds, Kelly Lee Owens’s self-titled debut evokes the familiarity of an old favourite. Her spacious, pop-inflected techno is both vivid and economical, wringing nuanced emotions from simple elements. "S.O" and "Lucid" show the patience of a seasoned pro, enchanting listeners with cozy ambience before introducing a beat, while "C.B.M." and "8" go straight for the throat, showcasing thumping bass and mind-bending drone, respectively.
Owens’ concise, focused lyrics feel naturally expressive, as soothing as a well-worn mantra. Yet she refuses to coddle her listeners, and both "Anxi." and "Throwing Lines" hint at internal discord without breaking the record’s placid surface. Kelly Lee Owens is as invigorating as it is inviting, and it only gets more welcoming with each repeated rotation. Matthew Blenkarn
16. Code Orange Forever (Roadrunner)
Leading up to the release of Forever, Code Orange’s third full-length album, many questions orbited the band and their future: Would the shift from Deathwish Inc. to Roadrunner Records dilute their unrelenting sound? Would Code Orange’s loyalty to producer Kurt Ballou begin to yield stagnant and predictable results? Having demonstrated much promise in the past, but never fully delivering on their potential, Forever had to be the band’s best effort yet.
Code Orange answered by punishing all scepticism with nauseatingly visceral riffs, behemoth breakdowns, jarring passages and concussion-inducing percussion. Forever is the band’s heaviest and most menacing album to date, while offering the most diversity, too. Having been released only two weeks into the year, the record will face much competition in the battle for 2017’s best heavy record, but it’s inarguably in the conversation; this shit is thoroughly, aggressively good. Lukas Wojcicki
15. Oddisee The Iceberg (Mello Music Group)
It’s an understatement to say that many of 2017’s headlines have inspired cultural malaise. But, as usual, tense political climates have led to some seriously reflective music. And Oddisee’s latest project, The Iceberg, recently joined the highest echelon of socially conscious rap albums.
The 12-track LP delivers a healthy dose of social commentary, discussing police brutality, immigration, gender inequality and, of course, Donald Trump’s presidency. In such an unpredictable era, an album like The Iceberg helps listeners make sense of the world while also disseminating an important message: You’re not alone.
But storytelling is only part of the battle when putting together a masterful rap project, and like only a handful of other hip-hop artists, Oddisee produces his own beats. Throughout The Iceberg, the 32-year-old pushes the boundaries of the genre by layering unorthodox instrumentation with dense synths and prominent percussion. Imagine a hip-hop track guided by an organ; Oddisee did, and he made it sound dope. Anya Zoledziowski
14. Thundercat Drunk (Brainfeeder)
Like a wild night out featuring several shots of tequila, Drunk is zany and random, an immensely entertaining journey through Thundercat’s colourful mind.
A blend of angelic vocals, quirky lyrics ("I think I left my wallet at the club," he croons) and dizzying bass lines that defy human logic, Drunk has anthems for every variation of inebriation. There’s the fun and fidgety "Tokyo" for the restless drunk, "Drink Dat" for the flirty lush among you and "Lava Lamp" for the more sombre imbiber. "Friend Zone" plays like the gratifying tipsy text you’ll later regret sending, while "Jethro" feels communal and deeply spiritual, like a heart-to-heart between two buzzed strangers at the bar. Featuring clever, full-bodied production from collaborators like Flying Lotus and Soundwave, Drunk is great at first and gets even richer over time, a merry indulgence without the hangover. A. Harmony
13. Run the Jewels Run the Jewels 3 (Independent)
The political ire of nonconformists El-P and Killer Mike has long been at the forefront of their music, and the same can be said of their latest, Run the Jewels 3, a finely executed confrontation of the ruling class and a perfect closer for their album trilogy.
On top of its gorgeous, hard-hitting production, RTJ3 features help from an impressive list of collaborators including Danny Brown, BOOTS, Trina and Kamasi Washington. Run the Jewels have crafted a sound and style that stands alone, and here, it’s sharpened enough to go for the throat. The duo’s ingenuity is recognizable almost immediately, and impossible to duplicate. If their first two records laid the groundwork for battle, RTJ3 finds the rap iconoclasts in the thick of it. Ashley Hampson
12. The xx I See You (Young Turks)
It seems almost contradictory to say that the xx expanding their sound could make their material more intimate — especially given the way they already wore their emotions on their sleeves — but that’s exactly the case with their third album, I See You.
On their first two records, the band matched lovelorn confessions with spare, reverb-heavy guitars, distant drums and the hushed vocal deliveries of Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft. This time around, producer Jamie Smith, fresh off his excellent solo record In Colour, infused the record with his signature sample-driven production style, adding a whole new level of character to the band’s signature sound without distracting from the emotional heft of the songs. The record is easily the band’s most ambitious, but also their most rewarding, featuring gems like Madley Croft’s heartbreaking vocals on "Performance" and the danceable "I Dare You."
Their sound palette has expanded considerably, but so has their conviction as a group, a fact that’s clear from I See You’s beginning to its end. Matt Yuyitung
11. Power Trip Nightmare Logic (Southern Lord)
The "crossover" in crossover thrash is on the continuum of metal to punk, but for Power Trip, there’s a whole other crossover happening — from hardcore underground to metal mainstream. With over 10,000 copies sold, Nightmare Logic is quickly becoming a phenomenon, and with good reason — it’s phenomenal.
While artists worry about a sophomore slump, Power Trip have delivered a sophomore slam dunk, outshining their previous material that is, itself, far from lacklustre. There’s new confidence here: Riley Gale’s powerful snarl is now less reverb-soaked; "Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)" and the title track manage to turn straight-ahead chugs into memorable, headbangable riffs; and the opening groove of "Soul Sacrifice" and the blaring thrash with which "Firing Squad" comes out of the gates are incredible. And that’s just the first half of the album.
Not since Municipal Waste blew "rethrash" open a decade ago with their penchant for partying has a band had a better shot at bringing thrash back to its one-time glory as one of the world’s biggest heavy genres. Bradley Zorgdrager
10. Slowdive Slowdive (Dead Oceans)
Releasing a record is a tricky proposition for any reunited band, let alone one as monumentally adored as Slowdive. Come back half-cocked and you’ll risk disappointing fans; refrain from making anything new, and you’ll leave listeners (and band members alike) wondering what could have been.
The British shoegazers deftly avoid both possibilities with their latest LP (and first in 22 years), a self-titled album filled with woozy atmospherics, ethereal vocals and reverb-drenched guitars that pack the same wallop as crumbling ice shelves.
Slowdive aren’t exactly reinventing themselves here, but with their core songwriters having spent the last two decades in the understated Mojave 3, and the whole band having toured together since 2014, Slowdive is a lean and impressive set of songs that improves upon what they do best. Hell, it might even be the best album of their career; it’s certainly the most fully realized. Matthew Ritchie
9. Joey Bada$$ All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ (Cinematic Music Group/Pro Era)
Joey Bada$$’s second studio LP, All-Amerikkkan Bada$$, was released early this year, debuting at #5 on the Billboard Hot 200. It marked a departure from his debut album; where that record served more as a showcase of his wordplay and an homage to the golden era of hip-hop, this time around, Joey packed his 12-song project with scorching political commentary that aimed to draw awareness from the younger generation of listeners that have come to hold the 22-year-old rapper in high regard.
Alongside releasing political-minded singles "Devastated" and "Land of the Free," Joey claimed that "I was put here on this Earth not only to inspire but to wake people up" in the lead-up to AAB’s release. Having heard its entirety, that makes sense; the album is a defiant assertion of his status as a leader of millennials and a timely collection of (almost) entirely self-produced, anti-establishment anthems Riley Wallace
8. Mac DeMarco This Old Dog (Royal Mountain)
Mac DeMarco, a hero for the kids with his onstage antics and an inspiration to "keep it light" while wearing a pair of seen-better-days red Vans and an equally beatup baseball cap, has become synonymous with goofiness and good times. So when This Old Dog, his third studio album, was announced, it was easy to assume that he’d continue to bring the "jizz jazz" signature sound that he popularized — but he didn’t.
Instead, DeMarco proved to critics and fans alike (likely shocking both a tad) that not only can he pen a great tune, he’s equally capable of bringing the party and pulling at your heartstrings. He’s teased at this sort of softness before, with tracks like "Still Together" from 2 or Salad Days’ "Let My Baby Stay," but This Old Dog’s focuses on sweetly strummed guitars, melodies that provoke nostalgia and lyrics that address love and his estranged father, with a few surprises thrown in (the slinky "On The Level" and bouncy "Baby You’re Out"). It’s a wonderful surprise, and a sweet one, too. Cosette Schulz
7. Jay Som Everybody Works (Polyvinyl)
Melina Duterte has said that her debut album as Jay Som was inspired by Carly Rae Jepsen’s E•MO•TION, a talking point that has reverberated throughout all of her press. True, songs like "Remain" and "One More Time, Please" bear at least some similarity to Jepsen’s more slow-danceable heartbreak anthems, but reducing Everybody Works to this comparison ignores the album’s character and breadth.
"The Bus Song" is an absolutely timeless indie rock sing-along that makes a solid argument for the return of gang vocals, "1 Billion Dogs" is a fuzzed out alterna-banger and "(BedHead)" is ingenious slowcore. The Jepsen comparison is most on-point in that Everybody Works is so perfect that it sounds like it was laboured over by a team of songwriters and hip producers. But it wasn’t — it was recorded by Duterte, alone in her bedroom. Josiah Hughes
6. Drake More Life (Young Money/Cash Money/Republic)
If VIEWS was the angry rebuttable to Drake’s authenticity being challenged, More Life is the realization that introspective and peace-seeking is his most authentic artistic self. While its swollen "playlist" designation allows for a few unnecessary inclusions, the majority of Drake’s tenth full-length project finds him at his absolute finest.
The underlying theme is celebratory, including the sewn-in appraisal for an increasingly varied selection of global influences. For a brief moment a year ago, it looked as if Drake’s unchecked dominance may be coming to an end, a notion that seems ridiculous in retrospect. Emerging as a humble victor suits Drake best, and allows us all to reap the real spoils. Michael J. Warren
5. Mount Eerie A Crow Looked at Me (P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd.)
"Death is real."
In the past two decades that Phil Elverum has been singing about mortality, nothing he’s said before has been as hard-hitting, direct and heavy as these three words. Recorded during the months following the death of his wife, Geneviève Castrée, A Crow Looked at Me is a document of Elverum’s thoughts, fears and reality.
But what makes his eighth Mount Eerie LP so compelling is how it stands as an example of peerless art. Elverum couldn’t have been thinking of his fan base, record label or any musical scene while recording these songs; he was creating music out of pure necessity, as the 11 songs featured on this LP are bereft of choruses, bridges or even a proper rhyming structure. A Crow Looked at Me is an album Elverum almost certainly wishes he never had to make, but alas, death is real, and therefore it exists. This resulting meditation on grief is both stark and stunning. Daniel Sylvester
4. Father John Misty Pure Comedy (Sub Pop)
Father John Misty’s all-encompassing Pure Comedy finds Josh Tillman addressing the absurdity of human life, the effect of technology on the way we connect with others and the inherent meaninglessness of being here, but he does it all with shocking affection, in an Elton John-esque guise.
Far from a cynical polemic, Pure Comedy is a monster of a record that is never as hopeless as it may appear. It tries to shine a light on the possibility of a brighter, happier future by pointing out trivialities like the ridiculous weight we ascribe to our online presence ("Ballad of the Dying Man"), or by holding up a mirror to our strange human existence/experiment on its title track.
In its final moments, during "In Twenty Years or So," Tillman drives home just what we can learn from and do with meaninglessness: Find our own meaning. And as he sings, "I look at you as our second drinks arrive / the piano player’s playing ‘This Must Be The Place,’ and it’s a miracle to be alive," it’s clear that beauty and meaning and love are not so hard to find — even in a world that might suggest otherwise. Matt Williams
3. Feist Pleasure (Universal)
Leslie Feist’s first record in over half-a-decade might just be her best. Somewhere between the delicate sophistication of 2007’s The Reminder and the rougher bombast of 2011’s Metals, Pleasure finds Feist at her most dynamic, weaving timbres as seemingly contrary as woodwinds and gain-y blues guitar into songs that swing dramatically from placid to stormy in seconds — and that’s just in the first five minutes of it.
Even at their loudest, these songs are minimal: "I Wish I Didn’t Miss You" climaxes with Feist’s voice wailing through a watery delay effect over just her acoustic guitar; "Any Party" sounds like one when the gang vocals join her and her guitar for the chorus; and the propulsive "Century" is lent almost all of its urgency by a crackling layer of handclaps. They’re simple ingredients, but in Feist’s deft hands, they sound like pure Pleasure. Stephen Carlick
2. Sampha Process (Young Turks)
Though many listeners may have first become acquainted with Sampha through his guest features with Drake or SBTRKT, the UK native has firmly established himself as a solo artist with Process. It isn’t just his buttery tenor that makes his long-awaited debut LP a standout of this year so far, but his talent as both a writer and producer, too.
Drawing on the process of overcoming his mother’s passing and his own personal hurdles in music-making, emotional strength is a thematic constant across the record’s ten tracks, from the percussive drive of piano and drums on "Blood on Me" to the hushed keys and enveloping pads of closer "What Shouldn’t I Be?"
The most powerful moment of Sampha’s Process comes when he strips the electronic wizardry away, though; the breathtaking ballad "(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano" finds him seated at the ivories to lay bare his love for both his mother and music. Calum Slingerland
1. Kendrick Lamar DAMN. (Interscope/Top Dawg Entertainment)
Given music’s subjectivity, and Exclaim!’s long-standing policy of allowing writers to freely express their opinions, our original review of Kendrick Lamar’s latest caused some expected consternation. It’s an album that was praised by some, and fell short for others. After polling the Exclaim! writer’s pool, the overwhelming consensus was that DAMN. is the most beloved album released in 2017 so far.
Over sonically skeletal production, Lamar bares his truths and insecurities, fleshing out the songs with new layers and textures as he dramatizes the various characters he uses to speak on his behalf. He balances societal heartache and ferocious resilience, serving as a mouthpiece to tell the stories of his generation, as well as those before him and after us — and unapologetically, at that. The war chants of "DNA." and the introspective depth of "DUCKWORTH." offer jolting insights into the lives of young black Americans, while the animated "HUMBLE." and daunting "PRIDE." explore the waves of fear and acceptance that come with that day-to-day existence.
Whether you love DAMN. or not, for all that it stands for thematically, you have to admire Lamar for laying it all out on the table. Erin Lowers
View Full Article Here: Exclaim!’s Top 29 Albums of 2017 So Far
Exclaim!’s Top 29 Albums of 2017 So Far was originally published on CALM | We Drive The Calmest, Strive Regardless
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pan-matsuri · 8 years
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Questions
Borrowed from this post. 1: Let’s start with a tricky one; what is the real reason you are confused right now? I have immense anxiety regarding my current work situation, knowing that I leave my heart at home every morning to go to a job that I have no interest in doing and mentally exhausts me with stress, but at the same time possessing a fear that I’m not actually qualified for any other jobs and a similar fear that switching jobs will result in a reduced paycheck and further deferral of going to grad school. This couples on top of an anxiety that working these sort of jobs any longer will dull my mind and that I often fear that I’m not actually smart enough to go to graduate school and be a teacher like I dream of. And on top of all of that, I fear that my general lack of energy will prevent me from being able to pursue my creative dreams, such as writing a story. I also one day dream of pursuing romantic subplots but I just have a whole mess of anxiety and fear that my reclusive nature brought upon by general and acute work-related stress prevents me from even knowing where to begin to meet new people and commit to the energy needed to make a relationship work. This all ties in to a fear that I’ve constructed in my mind the idea of a perfect life that I’ll never be able to replicate fully. The executive summary is that I constantly struggle with my risk-averse nature, knowing full well what I want to do and how to achieve it, but being too chickenshit to actually do anything about it. We’re off to a good start, I think. 2: Do you ever get “good morning” texts from anyone? No I hate mornings. 3: If your significant other smoked pot, would you care? Yes I think so. I have asthma so the smoke would be a problem, plus it would be a hobby that we wouldn’t be able to share. 4: Do you find it easy to trust others? No. 5: What were you doing at 11PM last night? Playing video games. 6: You’re drunk and lost walking down the road; who is with you? I don’t drink, and I try to make sure I know the area before I start wandering by foot. Take that, quizmaster! 7: What would you do if you found out you had been cheated on? It would hurt a lot. 8: Are you close with your dad? Much closer than we were when I lived with my folks. But we have some disagreements. 9: I bet you kissed someone last night, right? You should check your sources. 10: What are you listening to? It’s probably in Japanese and it’s probably an anime theme on repeat. 11: You can only drink ONE liquid for the rest of your life - what is it? MILK. 12: Do you like hickeys? Okay so one time when I was younger, I accidentally gave myself a hickey on my arm because I found out you could leave a mark with suction and I wanted to investigate. I have had fuck-all for Sex Ed or Health education in my life and had never even heard that term before, so when my parents asked why I had a hickey on my arm, I didn’t really know what they were talking about. 13: What time do you go to bed? The wrong time. 14: Is there someone who continuously lets you down? Yes and it is me. 15: Can you text as quickly with one hand as you do both? I would not describe my texting as “quick”. I move the phone towards and away from my face to confirm depth perception, extend my index finger forward, and carefully press the wrong letter on the keyboard. This method allows me to type at the same speed at which I am able to process conversation. 16: Do you always answer your texts? Most of the time, but it takes me a while if I get nervous and overanalyze my response. I also don’t respond if the last text has ended the conversation. 17: Do you hate the person you fell the hardest for? No. 18: When was the last time you talked to one of your best friends? Last night. 19: Is there someone that makes you happy every time you see them? Many people do that. 20: What was your last thought before you went to bed last night? Frequently, I distract myself from falling asleep because I know I will not want to wake up in the morning to start another soulless day on the job. 21: Is anyone else in the room with you? Yes technically. I work in an office. 22: Do you believe what goes around comes around? Boomerangs rely on this principle to function. 23: Were you happier four months ago than you are now? Four months ago was before I got demoted, and it was also before the election, but neither of those things has really changed the world all that much. I’m still just as stressed and the world is just as filled with hate, it’s just that now I don’t have a reason to care about work and the hate is more out in the open now. 24: Is there someone you wish you could fix things with? Not sure I understand. 25: In the past week, have you cried? I cry at every anime. 26: What colour is the shirt you are wearing? I only wear black and gray anymore. 27: Do people ever call you by your last name? No. 28: Is anyone ignoring you right now? Possibly the entire earth’s population but that’s for the best, as I am a piece of work. 29: Do you have a best friend? Yes. 30: Would it be hard seeing someone else kiss the last person you kissed? I’m sure it would be. 31: Who was your last call/text message from? My housemate and best friend Amelia. 32: Are you mad at anyone? Who has the time? 33: Have you ever kissed someone older than you? No. 34: How old will the last person you kissed be on his/her next birthday? The premise of the question is wrong. 35: How many more days until your birthday? I have already been born. Sorry, you probably missed it. 36: Do you have any summer plans yet? I want to, but need to confirm them. 37: Do you have any good friends of the opposite sex? Yes, most of them. 38: Are you keeping anything from your best friend(s) now? Most people keep secrets. 39: Do you have a secret that you’ve never told anyone? Actually now that I think about it, I think every secret that I have has been divulged to at least one person, but never two secrets to the same person. 40: Have you ever regretted kissing someone? Can’t regret something that’s never happened. 41: Do you think age matters in relationships? It can. People of different ages can have wildly different problems. 42: Are you available? Mentally I’ve been checked out for years but I’m trying. 43: How many people have you had real, strong feelings for since high school ended? Upwards of one. 44: If you had to get a piercing (not ears), what would you get? I wouldn’t. 45: Do you believe exes can be friends? Yes, there are many reasons why relationships change. 46: Do you regret anything? I regret lots of things. 47: Honestly, what’s on your mind right now? I don’t think anyone thinks my job is important. I certainly don’t, but I thought at least someone would. 48: Did you ever lose a best friend? Some things are natural. 49: Was your last kiss a mistake? See question 40. 50: Why aren’t you pursuing the person you like? I’m not certain who they are. I have some hunches but I am not sure. If anyone reading this knows the answer, please let me know. 51: Has the last person you kissed ever seen you cry? See question 49. 52: Do you still talk with the person you LAST kissed? See question 51. 53: What was the last thing you ate? Cheerios, dry. 54: Did you get any compliments today? Not yet but I just drew a Pokémon so here’s to hoping. 55: Where are you going on your next vacation? Seattle. 56: Do you own anything from other countries? Yes, most notably I own a wanderlust from Japan. 57: Are most of your friend guys or girls? Many of my friends are women. 58: Where have you lived most of your life? The lower-middle class. 59: When was the last time you took a long drive? I don’t have a valid driver’s license anymore. But I took a trip with my parents to the coast when they were visiting. 60: Have you ever played Spin the Bottle? Not that I recall. 61: Have you ever TPd someone’s house? I am not often filled with such hatred. 62: Who do you text the most? Probably Amelia. I don’t text very frequently. 63: What was the last movie you saw? In theaters, it was Doctor Strange. At home, I believe it was Atlantis: The Lost Empire. 64: What’s preventing your current boyfriend/girlfriend from going back to their ex? I believe it is because they do not exist but you would have to ask them. 65: How many boyfriends/girlfriends did you have in 2011? Zero. 66: Is the last person you kissed younger than you? See question 52. 67: Do you curse around your parents? I do now. 68: Are you happy with where you live? Yes, it’s much better than the last one. 69: Picture of yourself? [link] 70: Are you a monogamous person or do you believe in open-ended relationships? Everyone can do want they want but I would get along best with another monogamous person. 71: Have you ever been dumped? Sure. 72: What do you most like about making out? I don’t. 73: Have you ever casually made out with someone who you weren’t seriously involved with? See question 66. 74: When you kiss someone for the first time, is it usually you who initiates it or the other? See question 73. 75: What part of a person’s body do you find most attractive? I believe it was intended that people would be observed as a whole. 76: Who was the last person you talked to last night before you went to bed? Amelia. 77: Had sex with someone you knew less than an hour? Sex is gross. 78: Had sex with someone you didn’t know their name? See question 77. 79: What makes your heart flutter and brings a big cheesy smile to your face? Anime. 80: Would you get involved with someone if they had a child already? I don’t think we’d be able to pursue the same goals with the same fervor at this time. 81: Has someone who had a crush on you ever confessed to you? Yes. 82: Do you tell a lot of people when you have a crush? Social media has made this default behavior for society, I think. 83: Do you miss your last sweetie? I don’t have one. 84: Last time you slow danced with someone? A wedding. I made two of my friends dance with me because they are important to me and it was important that I took the time to say as much. I’m sure it was awkward. 85: Have you ever ‘dated’ someone you’ve never met? No I don’t think so. 86: How can I win your heart? I need it to live so I’m hesitant to offer it as a reward. But if we’re talking about my affections, I like quietly talking about anime and sharing dreams and going on long walks. 87: What is your astrological sign? Aries. 88: What were you doing last night at 12 AM? Still playing video games. 89: Do you cook? Yes. 90: Have you ever gotten back in touch with an old flame after a time of more than 3 months of no communication? See question 83. 91: If you’re single right now, do you wish you were in a relationship? It would be nice to have the support but I want to make sure that I can give a relationship the full energy it deserves. 92: Do you prefer to date various people or do you pretty much fall into monogamous relationships quickly? I don’t know how to date. 93: What physical traits do you look for in a potential interest? A pulse. 94: Name four things that you wish you had! I’d poll my friends to see if there is anything that they want that would not otherwise be able to achieve without magic. I can think of at least one for sure. I can also think of a number of normally obtainable things that could be expedited with magic. 95: Are you a player? I believe you misspelled “playa”. 96: Have you ever kissed 2 people in one day? See question 74. 97: Are you a tease? Frequently. 98: Ever meet anyone you met on Tumblr? I may not be using Tumblr in the same way as the question suggests it should be. 99: Have you ever been deeply in love with someone? Perhaps. 100: Anybody on Tumblr that you’d go on a date with? There are a lot of people on Tumblr. 101: Hugs or Kisses? Hershey’s Hugs are made with white chocolate and milk chocolate so you get both flavors at once. 102: Are you too shy to ask someone out? This is basically what I am getting at by answering all these questions. 103: The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? They look nice. 104: Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you babe? You could theoretically do this for years to cover up that you never learned their name. 105: If a sexy person was pursuing you, but you knew he/she was in relationship, would you go for it? No, I don’t think so. 106: Do you flirt a lot? I thought about trying it at the grocery store once. 107: Your last kiss? See question 96. 108: Have you kissed more than 5 people since the start of 2012? See question 107. 109: Have you kissed anyone in the past month? See question 108. 110: If you could kiss anyone who would it be? Yeah. 111: Do you know who you’ll kiss next? No, but I’m sure some people can answer this. With the right attitude, you can define your own future. 112: Does someone like you currently? This is not a thing that is readily available information to me. 113: Do you currently have feelings for anyone? I might. 114: Do you like to be in serious relationships or just flings? I’d prefer something serious. 115: Ever made out with just a friend? See question 109. 116: Are you happier single or in a relationship? I don’t have enough data to make a judgement. 117: Your own question that you want me to answer. Just write it. I guess maybe I’m not doing this right.
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