#i latch onto one song and listen to it 5 thousand times

[patrice-bergerons]

Also find it absolutely hilarious that all of my top songs (plus Ahmet Kaya...) is just me surviving various stretches of insanity at work rip

Every November I think I did not listen to Leonard Cohen that much this year will he be my top artist? and every time Spotify tells me I'm in the top 0.1% of his listeners rip

[kpop---scenarios]

All Night

Jooheon x Reader

Warning: Smut

Word Count: 2.7k

Commissioned by: @h0n3ybr3

A/N: I really hope you like it! Avsjsh

For the last year of your relationship with Jooheon he never let you set foot in any of the concert venues that he was playing. He always told you that now wasn't the right time to tell people about your relationship, or there was always some reason why you couldn't go. You knew he was only trying to protect you but you really wanted to be there for him in person for once, even if he couldn't make any direct contact with you. 

"Please. Please please pleaaaaseeee." You beg Jooheon. He had a show tonight and you desperately wanted to attend and show your love and support for him and the boys. 

"Absolutely." He grins. 

"Really?" You ask, excitedly. 

"Not." He smiles, showing off those adorable dimples of his. "Baby, trust me when I say, I'm doing this for us, and for you. You know how fans can get. I just wanna protect you, plus I get all sweaty and gross. You don't wanna see that." 

"You know I love when you get sweaty." You pout. 

"I know you do, which is why you can't come because then you'll get horny, and I'll get horny and neither of us will be able to get off until after the show." He says, grabbing your arms while staring at you. "It's just not a good time for either of us." He sighs, giving you a pat on the arm before walking away. 

"Well to fucking bad, cause I'm going." You secretly whisper to yourself as he walks back towards you. 

"What?" He asks. "Did you say something?" 

"Me? Ha, noo." You say, turning to walk away. "Enjoy yourself tonight." 

"I'll see you when I get back baby." He smiles, giving you a small peck on the lips before heading for the door. 

"Or sooner." You murmur under your breath. 

"What'd you say?" Hr asks, turning around. 

"I said nothing." You smile. "Love you." You say as he closes the door behind him. 

How dare he. You wanted to be included with his sweat, why did everyone else get to see him in person at a concert like that and you were stuck watching videos? You wanted him to drip on you from the stage, you wanted to go deaf from standing next to the speaker while he played the rapped and did whatever else he was going to do. And dammit, that was exactly what you were planning on doing tonight. 

You happily took your time getting ready, making sure to wear Jooheon's favorite lingerie set underneath your clothes, since you already knew how tonight was going to end either way. You wore a low cut white top along with a black skirt and a pair of flat shoes that Jooheon loved. You knew he was going to be pissed with you when he saw you there, so you figured wearing some of his favorite things would ease his annoyance with you. 

Once you were happy with your makeup look you went downstairs, got in your car and drove off to the venue. When you got there you had texted Hyungwon who came and let you in the side door and then gave you a backstage pass to make sure no one gave you any grief about being there. 

"Thanks for helping me." You say as you follow him through the narrow halls. 

"Any chance I get to piss off Jooheon, I will take it." Hyungwon laughs. "We're heading on stage in about 5 minutes, once you see us pass by then pop out and stand by the speaker, he'll be sure to see you." He snickers. 

You thank him one last time before he leaves, leaving you standing there awkwardly while your stomach does flips. You hoped Jooheon was going to be happy to see you. 

"Let's do this!" You hear Shownu yell as they all cheer. They all run onto the stage and you can hear the crowd already starting to go wild. You quickly slip out of your spot, moving to where Hyungwon told you too and watched as they started the set. 

Watching Jooheon rap in person was a whole other experience in your mind. You had seen his videos, music videos, lives and those things but to see him physically do what he loved to do was amazing. You were annoyed at yourself for taking so long to come to one of these but even more annoyed at Jooheon for keeping you from it. You couldn't be too mad at him though, he looked damn fine doing what he was doing. 

You stood there swaying and dancing to the music as the song changed, forgetting that Jooheon still didn't know you were here. You opened your eyes when the music stopped, and looked directly into the eyes of your boyfriend who looked surprisingly happy to see you, but also pretty shocked that you were there. You weren't quite nervous anymore now that he knew you were there and you could enjoy yourself a bit more. 

A while later they called for a short 15 minute intermission while other things were getting prepared for their next set. Jooheon rushes over to you, grabbing your hand and pulling you away and into a small dressing room. 

"Is this yours?" You ask, looking around.

"God no." He scoffs. "What are you doing here?" He asks, looking you in the eyes. 

"I wanted to see you in concert. Real live concert." You whisper. 

"I know." He smiles. "Hyunwon told me everything." 

"Motherfucker." You growl, knowing you're going to have to torture him later for this. 

"I've got to go back on, but come on." He smiles, grabbing your hand and pulling you from the small room. "I've got something to show you." 

You run behind him as he pulls you closer and closer to the stage, you think he'll let go of your hand before he goes on but you're most definitely mistaken. 

Jooheon pulls you onto the stage where there are thousands of screaming fans. You stand there with your eyes wide as you listen to everyone scream while you're shocked. He leaves you standing beside a drum set, letting go of your hand to sit behind the drums. 

Grabbing the microphone, he yells loudly into it. "I want you all to give a warm, special applause to this beautiful lady right here. She is my light, she is my life, and she is mine." He says before putting the microphone down and begins playing the drums. 

You stand there with tears in your eyes as you watch the love of your life playing a song dedicated to you, in front of thousands of his fans. As he continues to play, he looks over at you, giving you a side smile with a small wink before going back to concentrating on playing. A few minutes later the rest of the boys come onto stage, microphones in hand. Jooheon steps away from the drums, grabbing his microphone to join them. Someone from backstage runs out a stool for you to sit on as the boys surround you and begin serenading you. You couldn't describe the emotions you were feeling so overwhelmed with happiness. Your eyes couldn't leave Jooheon as he sang to you, his voice so sweet and soothing. 

As the song ended, everyone in the crowd began screaming and clapping for them. Jooheon rushed over to you, pulling you into his arms and whispering "I love you." Into your ear. It was the thousandth time he had told you that, but somehow it felt the most special in that moment. 

Jooheon walks you off stage, his arm wrapped around your waist as he presses his lips to yours before heading back out to finish the now interrupted concert. You watched them perform, but your mind was more so thinking about everything you were going to do to that man when you got home. 

** 

The concert ended and the boys were all in the dressing room, getting ready to go home. You walk in as the rest of them are leaving, leaning against the doorway as Jooheon sat in front of the mirror wiping his face. 

"Hey you." He smiles, throwing the towel into a basket. 

"Hey." You blush, looking at the ground. "I can't believe you did that." You laugh, thinking back. 

"I'm full of surprises." He grins. 

You walk over to him, he opens his legs pulling you in closer to him. "Thank you." You whisper, leaning down to give him a peck. You move your face away, both of you staring at each other before you lean in again, pressing your lips against his harder this time. Your lips move against his, his arms wrap around you, holding you against him as your kiss heats up. 

You pull away, catching your breath and let out a little giggle. "Let's go home." You whisper, grabbing his hand to pull him behind you. 

The entire car ride was silent. Your eyes glanced over to Jooheon who was looking straight ahead, his finger tapping on his thigh. You looked up slightly, seeing his semi hard cock bulging against his jeans. 

You squirm in your seat as your pussy begins to drip, thinking about his cock sliding in and out of you, and how badly you wanted him to make you cum. 

As the driver pulled up to your place, Jooheon threw some money at him before ushering you out of the car, making you hurry into the building. The two of you silently wait for the elevator to come, and when it does you press the close door button so no one else can get on. The moment those doors close, Jooheon has you pressed against the wall, pushing his hard clothes cock into you, his lips latching onto your neck as he grinds himself on you. 

He moves up your neck, kissing up your jaw, moving to your lips, pulling you in for a hard, passionate kiss. The elevator dings, leaving the both of you breathless as you stand apart, waiting for the doors to open on your floor. You run down the hallway to your apartment, struggling to get the key into the lock. Jooheon stands behind you, pressing himself into you, his hot breath radiating down your neck. His hands reach around, cupping your breasts, squeezing before groaning. 

"Hurry up." He growls. 

You finally get the key into the lock, opening up your door. He pushes you inside, slamming the door closed behind him. He stands there, his chest heaving, he licks his lips as he eyes you up and down. 

He stalks towards you, his hand wrapping around the back of your neck, pulling you into him as his lips crash onto yours. He slides his tongue in your mouth, deepening the kiss before pulling away, and moving away from you. He stands there for a moment, eyeing you up again. 

"Strip." He demands. You're a little caught off guard, but holy fuck, your pussy is dripping. You slide off your shoes, your eyes never leaving his. You hook your thumbs into the waist of your skirt, slowly shimmying it down your legs, revealing your thong. You can hear Jooheon hiss as you pull your shirt over your head, leaving you standing before him in his favorite set. 

"Get on the counter." He tells you. 

You walk over to the counter, hopping up you sit there facing him, your legs crossed. "Spread em, baby." 

You slowly open your legs, your panties barely covering your pussy. Jooheon kneels down, placing your legs over his shoulders before he pulls you closer to the edge. He takes a finger, moving your panties to the side before his two fingers, spreading your pussy lips open, before licking a long strip up with the flat of his tongue, and pulling back. You let out a small moan as you yearn for more contact. He leans in again, licking a strip up again, slower this time, teasing your clit with the tip of his tongue. 

Your hands grip the edge of the counter as Jooheon wraps his lips around your clit, very slowly sucking, making you cry out loudly. 

"Please.. faster." You beg. Jooheon keeps at his pace for a few minutes, making you moan and beg. He loved to hear you beg. 

"Oh god, please." You groan. "Please make me cum, baby." 

Jooheon releases your clit, looking up at you with a smile on his face. "Not yet." He whispers, licking your pussy one more time before standing up and pulling you off the counter. 

"Suck my cock." He demands. 

You quickly turn around, dropping to your knees. You unbutton his pants, pulling them down, allowing his cock to spring free. Precum drips from his red tip, his cock throbbing to be touched. You place your hand on his shaft, pumping his cock a few times, causing him to throw his head back as he lets out a few moans. 

You smirk as you open your mouth, taking in as much of him as you could at once, his tip hitting the back of your throat. Jooheon pulls himself out before he thrusts back into your mouth, making you gag on his cock. You look up at him as he continues thrusting his hips, increasing his speed. Your eyes water as his hands get tangled in your hair, keeping his rhythm while fucks your mouth.

“Fuck you feel so amazing" he grunts, his breathing becoming staggered. He quickly pulls out of your mouth, stumbling back. "I can't cum yet." He breathes.

Jooheon moves towards the couch, sits down, ready for you to straddle him. You climb on top of him, lining yourself up with his cock and he slowly lifts his hips, pushing his cock into your pussy, stretching you out in the most pleasurable way. Jooheon reaches behind you, unhooking your bra, sliding it down your arms and discarding it somewhere in the living room. He cups one of your breasts, pinching your nipple before rolling it in between his fingers, making you throw your head back. "Fuck." You gasp, rocking yourself back and forth on Jooheon's cock. 

He lets go of your breast, leaning forward to take the other one in his mouth, wrapping his lips around your perky nipple, tugging and sucking. Your rock yourself harder on his cock, you clit rubbing against him perfectly. 

"Oh fuck." You cry out, your hands gripping onto his shoulders, your nails digging into his skin. Jooheon quickly stands up, you wrap your legs around his waist, his cock still buried inside you. He moves swiftly through your apartment to your bedroom, tossing you both onto the bed. He lifts your legs straight into the air, and pulls his cock out of you before pounding himself back into you. He wraps a hand around your neck, squeezing tightly as he snaps his hips, his cock hitting all the right spots. You gasp for breath as his grip tightens, his thrusts becoming erratic. 

He releases your throat, moving his hand between your legs, his thumb pressing your throbbing clit. He starts rubbing, making you arch your back and moan loudly. 

"Please don't stop." You gasp, your hands gripping your sheets as your orgasm builds so quickly. "I'm gonna cum." You cry out as you tighten yourself around his cock. 

"Fuck." He groans, thrusting faster. 

"I'm cumming, I'm cumming." You scream, your orgasm pulsating through your entire body, your eyes rolling back into your head as you work through your high. 

Jooheon moves his hands to your legs, holding them tightly as he pounds into you, chasing his own release. 

"Fuck, fuck." He yells as he spills himself into you, filling you up with his warm cum. 

The two stay still for a moment as you catch your breath. Jooheon pulls himself out of you, his warm cum leaking out from your pussy onto the bed sheets. 

He smiles as he pulls you up, your naked body pressed against his. He takes your hand pulling you towards the bathroom for a shower. 

"Baby, I'm gonna fuck you all night." He smirks, dragging you behind him.

[spiltscribbles]

10 Different Characters, From 10 DifferentFandoms, And Tagging 10 Different People

I was tagged by the ever lovely soul  HMS-Chill and this is so hard but like I think I got a good list? So in no particular order….

Eliza Schuyler Hamilton (Hamilton) » Like idk if we’re suppose to explain, so I’ll keep it short. She is the brightest fucking star of them all, and she is so brilliant and so beautiful and so wonderful!! And I cry every time I think about her because she went through so much hurt and heartbreak but she is an angel and she always got what she set her mind on and truly if you just looked at my tag for her you will understand fjoiaejfoiaer 2. Annabeth Chase (PJO Saga) »  Honestly part of my pan awakening, i’ve been in love with her since I was an 11 year old kid LMFAO. She was so tough and her back story with her dad was so heartbreaking and she tries so hard and she loves so much even if she doesn’t show it and she loves other girls and JFC the fact she was the only one of the seven without ~magical~ powers just makes me love her all the more!!!! 3. Adam Parrish (TRC) » It would not be an over exaggeration to say that I would die a thousand painful deaths merely to know that he is happy…. I love him with my entire heart and soul and he deserves every ounce of goodness that this damn crappy world can offer! His story arc in TRC was so heart wrenchingly beautiful and him in the Dreamer trilogy is just, I can’t breathe I love him so much!!! 4. Katara (ATLA) » It’s frankly embarrassing to think about the massive crush I had on her without realizing how gay I was for her fjioajrfioajer She was beautiful and she manipulated my favorite element and she was a fucking loud feminist and she is in touch with her heritage in the tribe and she is my sunflower baby!! 5 Baz Pitch (Carry On Trilogy) » Okay just straight up, I would’ve loved him despite it all, but when Rainbow dropped in the fact he was half Arab, and I got— Representation???? Me????? Holy fuck!!! And she even brought up how his Ma was too dark for other British Wizards to trust her and just, wow I felt seen! Okay but back to my tragic baby! He is snarky and he is brilliant and he has impeccable taste— even if the love of his life is a God damn mess mjfoiaejfoierkdl And God the storyline brought up in Wayward Son, connecting with his vampire identity! I just know that’s finna fuck me up in the last book so just he is my child that I must protect and hide at all costs!!! 6. Amy March (Little Women) » Listen, she is the love of all my days and she is so fucking remarkable! I know I’ve said this about everyone— surprise surprise I’ve got a type— but she is so beautiful and so brilliant and so fucking amazing!! I’m so thankful for 2019 for giving us Florance Pugh who really just breathed her to life in such vivid and remarkable ways and that speech she gives Teddy in the art studio just forever will give me chills! I’ve always said this, I definitely embody Joe, but I am so smitten with Amy, with her shrewdness and her wit and her sense of duty. She was this lovely frivolous girl, which is good and perfect already, but then she grows up into a lady who still loves all the indulgences of life, and is well aware to her status, she wants to marry well because she wants to help her family but she’s always known she would. And she gets what she wants by working within the system, and I think that’s so fucking bad ass! But then she also gets to end up with her first love! Just JFC I’m far to emo about her fjoiarjfoa 7. Chidi Anagonye (The Good Place) » It was so fucking hard choosing between him and Eleanor, because I identified so hard with the latter— especially with some things with her parents— but Chidi is my pure angel child who I must protect at all costs! He was always the sane and truly good one and he was so neurotic and so kind and so smart and JFC him shirtless jfoiaejfuoehrugi Just love this little bean! 8. Prince Henry (RWRB) » He’s this precious and angelic academic, like how could I not be in love??? Seriously, henry just breaks my heart into a thousand little pieces and he’s so endearing and good and he has so much love to give but he also has this sadness that’s just so tragic and so interesting to look into and he deserves so much warmth and love and he got that! Him and Alex you guys JFC talk about making me weak! Okay look I just love him and I will always protect him!! 9. Amy Santiago (Brooklyn Nine Nine) » She’s my top tear sergeant princess!! She’s so funny and neurotic and strong and fearless and compassionate and good! And she can be feminine while being a bad ass and so fierce! And she’s so beautiful!! And I just adore her to bits!! 10. Alec Lightwood (Shadowhunter Chronicles) » Okay you guys know how there are some characters you just latch onto? Like he’s not always great *Cough cough original trilogy** but like he is my child okay! Every time I read about him, or he’s alluded to, or just thinking about him I just smile. That little soliloquy he gives Izzy, I think in City of fFallen Angels? Like when he’s describing the paper cuts, God I still get chills, i related so fucking hard. And he was so afraid in the first couple books but he’s learned to love himself and be open and be proud, and seeing where he is today, with his job title and his family and just all of that— JFC I’m getting chills thinking about it. I just love him so much!!!! 11. Natasha Rostova (The Great Comet) » Okay okay Linda I know! I’m cheating! It’s suppose to be ten!!! But you haven’t taken account, I DON”T CARE!!! I had to include my baby my girl my star child! She was just here to hav a good time okay!! She knows that she’s beautiful and she was horny and it’s such a simple story, but it’s so sad and tragic, like her last song with Pierre makes me cry every fucking time, when he describes her limp arms at her side and you think about he described her as the life of the party when she was younger and society didn’t get it’s clutches on her yet! That just broke me. I think so many girls can relate to this story of being “a ruined woman” and it’s disgusting that our society still has these acts, and just I love this girl so much, and I want to protect her from all of it! And god of course Denee’s heavenly voice and gorgeous face just endeared me to her even more fjoierjfoiaerjf!

Remus J Lupin  »  Plane and simple, he is the greatest love of my life and that’s just simply on facts and the Marauders era is the reason why I even love Harry Potter as much as I do. JFC he is so fucking wonderful.

Okay wow I went on for SOOOOO LONG!! JFC I need to learn how to shut up jfoairejfdjsoijw 

But okay ready to tag some wonderful peeps!!!

•Adverbialstarlight   •Tinyarmedtrex  •Pastelle-Pvn  •Maraudereasmut   •Kirito-potter  •Celiabowne  •omgcmere  •TedddyLupin  •Saywhatjessie  •Oldkingyounggod  

[nightbloomsresorthotel]

JUPITER’S CURSE

An original short story about a girl named Jupiter, the demigod Narcissus, and a little bit of ghost-like possession.

Genre: fantasy, sci-fi, comedy

Tags: greek gods, possession, alcohol, supernatural, enemies to friends (ish)

Rating: T for language

///

Jupiter stared into her glass. The bright lights in the club danced over her skin, turning it all sorts of colors. She felt wobbly. How much had she had to drink?

She stumbled when Maggie crashed into her, laughing.

“I’m twenty three!” She half yelled, half sang into her friends ear, “Nobody likes me! I’m having such a great time, Jupe! Dance with me!”

“Do you know how many drinks I’ve had?” She yelled back. She tried to keep her balance, but Maggie was dragging her towards the dance floor too fast. She spilled her drink. Her hand jerked wildly, clear liquid spilling onto the floor.

“Huh? I dunno, why?”

“I feel drunk,” she said, holding onto Maggie for support, “I have to go.”

“Woah, woah, woah, what, do you feel bad? Do you think somebody did something to your drink?”

“No, it’s not that. I can’t have more than a drink or two. I only had two, why do I feel so drunk?”

Maggie took the glass from her hand, sniffed it, took a sip. She made a face and coughed. “Ugh! Can’t you taste how strong this is? Did you drink the whole thing?”

Her heart dropped. “Is it really strong?”

“My throats still on fire.”

Shit. The bastard messed with her taste buds. Since when could he do that?

I’ve been hiding that trick for a while, said a smooth voice in her head, let me out!

Resisting the urge to clutch her head, she ran to the bathroom.

“I have to pee!” she yelled, hoping her friend wouldn’t follow her. Mercy of mercies, there wasn’t a line. She ducked in, latched the door, and clutched the bathroom sink, staring at her reflection.

Son of a bitch.

“You asshole,” she told her reflection, “You asshole!”

You know, botox doesn’t cost much. I’m not saying you need it but if it’s not broke, fix it before it is, right?

“God I hate you. I hate whatever it is I did that cursed me with you.”

She looked at the corners of her eyes in the mirror. She didn’t even have wrinkles.

Not yet, said the voice.

“I’m puking. Bye.”

The voice laughed. Too late for that! It’s already in your system, sweetheart. Don’t worry, i’m not gonna get a haircut like last time. I’m just gonna party and show Maggie what a good friend you are.

She couldn’t believe this. The sink jerked in her hands, and she gripped it tightly to avoid falling. She never should have ordered a drink. She should have—

“Oh calm down,” he said with her mouth. With her hand, he began to fix her lipstick. “You’ve been standing in the corner like a wallflower the whole time. Why do you think she dragged you out onto the dance floor? You were being a huge bore.”

Great. Now she was stuck inside her own mind, a prisoner for at least eight hours until either the  alcohol wore off or Narcissus got bored.

“Listen, it’s not exactly my idea of a fantastic time either. You think I want to be stuck inside the body of a twenty year old girl? I used to be gorgeous. And, to top it off, I can only come out when you’re drunk.”

Don’t even think of getting botox, or lip injections, or whatever! My face is fine, I like myself just the way I am.

“That’s a great outlook! And you should. I was only kidding about the botox anyway.”

Stop fixing my lipstick, it’s fine. You’re putting too much, my lips aren’t that big.

“It’s called over lining,” Narcissus said, finally capping the lipstick and slipping it inside her purse, “it’s supposed to make your lips more plump. You look great. I look great. Let’s party. Ooh, wait what’s this?”

Taking her hand out of the bag, Narcissus held her cellphone.

He looked in the mirror, met eyes of their reflection.

“Selfies!”

They spent a ridiculous amount of time taking selfies. Jupiter hated to admit it, but her lips really did look great. And for being a thousand year old demigod, Narcissus took amazing selfies.

At least she got a great profile pic out of tonight.

“See? I’m not that bad once you get to know me.” He said, opening the door. A girl rushed past them, and if Jupiter could, she would have blushed with embarrasment.

Jupiter scoffed. I don’t mind knowing you. I mind that I can’t control my body right now. Can’t you possess someone else?

Narcissus got another drink at the bar and paid for it. “If I could, believe me, I would. It’s only been a few weeks, give it some time. Dionysus’ curses usually last about three months anyway. I’ll be gone before you know it.”

Dionysus? You got cursed by Dionysus?

“Yeah,” he said, twirling a lock of hair around their finger, “Why else do you think this only happens when you’re drunk? He probably picked you because you never drink. If it weren't for your friend Maggie, I’d still be stuck in your head. I should thank her.”

Three months? They were stuck together for three whole months?

If Jupiter had control of her mouth, she would have cursed herself.

“Hey Jupe! Are you feeling better?” Maggie said, surprising them. Her birthday crown was askew, and they fixed it for her.

“I am! Now that i’m here. I mean, now that you’re here, birthday girl. Do you wanna dance?”

Maggie squealed, definitely tipsy, and led them to the dance floor.

Jupiter hated to admit it, but even stuck in her own mind, she had a good time. She could still see, hear, and feel everything that they did. And seeing her friend happy on her birthday made her happy.

See? Narcissus thought, I told you we’d show her a good time.

Yeah, Yeah, now hush. This is our favorite song.

Unfortunately for her, Narcissus kept drinking throughout the night. She wasn’t sure if it was because they were there, and he thought they might as well drink, or if he was trying to appease Dionysus somehow by consuming alcohol. Now that she knew he wasn’t thrilled by their predicament either, maybe he was doing all he could to undo it?

In the morning she woke up on Maggie’s bed, still in her party dress. She rose to get up and stopped, instantly regretting it when her head throbbed monstrously.

Sorry, that one’s my fault. They were good drinks.

“Ugh. They were.” she groaned.  

She tried again, tasting her own breath and wishing Narcissus had the foresight to brush their teeth before they passed out. She found her spare in the bathroom, and tried to be quiet while Maggie was still asleep.

“Look,” she said, toothpaste dripping from her mouth and falling in a foamy mess on the sink, “If we’re gonna be like this for another two months, we need some ground rules.”

Ugh, Narcissus said in her mind, rules are boring.

“Yeah, well, I don’t like that you’re scheming every night to get me drunk. So what about this,” she paused to rinse her mouth with water, and spat.

“Every Saturday, we can get drunk. You can come out, you can do what you want. But only one drink for you. I can’t keep waking up with headaches, I just can’t.”

Only every Saturday? That’s a whole week i’m stuck in here!

“Well I don’t like the idea of getting drunk every day! I’m the one that wakes up hungover, not you!”

Narcissus grumbled in her head. Okay, fine. But a week? That’s literally torture.

Jupiter crossed her arms, looking down at her reflection. “Take it or leave it. It’s either that, or you’re stuck in there for two months.”

Fine, it’s a deal. Every Saturday. But we’re getting drunk in the morning. That way, I get the whole day.

Jupiter didn’t like the idea of giving up her body for an entire 24 hours, but she supposed it was only fair. Narcissus would be stuck in her a whole week.

It was fair.

From the other side of the door, Jupiter could hear Maggie moving around.

“Jupe? Who are you talking to?”

“I’m calling the bank!” she lied quickly, “They have a phone tree.”

“Ugh, I hate those! Hey, let’s go get some breakfast. And some breakfast drinks.”

Hey, Jupe, Narcissus said, a smile in his voice. You have to. Because guess what day it is?

Jupiter groaned. She walked right into that one.

Today was Saturday.

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

Thanks for reading! If you liked the story, consider donating to my Patreon here, or checking out my blog for more short stories and poetry! You can also find me on Instagram here. 

Photo Credits:

1. Amazon

2. Narcissus (Caravaggio)

3. neonteenscult on tumblr

4. Imgur

5. Maybelline, Via google

6. Tumlblr, via google 

7. Made by me in Gimp

8. Bacchus (Caravaggio) 

9. Via google

[ink-flavored]

11/11/11 Tag Game (Triple Threat)

I was tagged by @bookenders @timetravelingpigeon and @oradall! Thank you!

Questions

What animal would be your familiar?

You can bring any one extinct species back, with the guarantee that it won’t become extinct again. Which animal do you bring back?

Top three favorite animals?

What’s your favorite road trip snack?

What’s one place you never want to visit?

If you had to live in the world of (one of) your WIP(s), how screwed would you be?

What’s the worst name for a character you’ve ever had?

What’s something your 8-year-old self would love about you? 

What’s the stupidest thing your OC(s) has ever done?

How important is family to your OC(s)? To you?

What’s the song you want playing in the background every time you walk into a room?

Tagging: @rainy-rose​ @rrrawrf-writes​ @aslanwrites​ @tenacious-scripturient​ @waterfallwritings​ @quilloftheclouds​ @blueinkblot​ @lilquill​ @kobalt-ink​ and anyone else who feels like it!

My 33 answers below!

1.      What baseball positions would your OCs be in if they all had to be on a baseball team? What’s the team name? What’s their mascot? What do the uniforms look like? (If you hate baseball or prefer a different sport, substitute said sport for baseball.)

Well, considering Park is literally on a baseball team, I think I’ll answer this one for him. He’s a pitcher for the North Carolina Sabretooth Cats, and if you can’t tell their mascot from that, then I don’t know what to tell you. Their uniform colors are white, gold, and black.

2.      How good are your OCs at bowling? How good are you at bowling?

I, personally, suck at bowling. I’ve never been good at it, but I still have fun!

Before Hayden was on crutches, he was the bowling master. It’s harder for him to bowl now that he can’t really balance by himself, or hold a ball at the same time as he holds his crutches.

Park is also really great at bowling, something that Jamie (bad at bowling) will never forgive him for.

If bowling existed for Teconia, she would try her best, but not succeed. Xinya would be almost good. The occasional strike. Yu-Qi would attempt to chuck the bowling ball like a softball because it Made Her Lose.

3.      Rewrite this in your style: “I picked up the book and read the back. He took it from me before I could protest. He never lets me have the cool stuff.

I took the book of the shelf and flipped it over to read the back, but I couldn’t get a single word in before he snatched it out of my hands. I pouted – he never lets me have the cool stuff.

4.      What do you love about the last book you read?

The last book I read is called Policing the Black Man, a collection of essays edited by Angela J. Davis. I’m telling you this because you should read it. It’s not an easy read, and I’ve had to take several breaks from it because it’s very heavy, but it’s an eye-opening look at how race and law enforcement interact in America. It reinforced a lot of the things I already knew (the police are an institution founded on racism), but it’s teaching me so much more about why that is, and how we can fix it in the future. Highly recommended – especially if you’re white.

5.      What are three things you love about your writing?

I really love my descriptions, character interactions, and settings.

6.      What’s a word you love the sound of? What’s a word you really don’t like the sound of?

I have an entire list of words that I love, but I’ll pick my top three: Vivaciousness, Gossamer, and Facetious.

My least favorite word is flesh. I hate that word so much.

7.      How do you like to begin your stories?

It depends on the story. Usually I like to jump into the action, to give the reader something to latch onto as soon as possible, and to get them to form questions at the same time.

8.      What other forms of writing have you tried other than the one you’re working with now? (i.e. playwriting, screenwriting, poetry, interactive, novels, short fiction. etc.) How do you feel about them?

I’ve been writing a game! It’s been a super huge blast, and even though I know neither jack nor shit about coding, the program I’m using makes it very easy to write games without any coding. Use Twine! It’s the best!

Once I graduate (in June!!), I want to finish the game and upload it somewhere so I can get people playing it. Stay tuned for that!

9.      What’s your favorite play/musical? Why? What’s your favorite part?

OH NO, I HAVE TO PICK ONE? Okay fine, it’s Chicago. I absolutely adore that musical, mostly because I love jazz. But also because the dark humor, satire, and well-rounded and unique women are top notch. I had the privilege of seeing it on Broadway in 2017, and I cannot recommend it enough.

10.  What kind of stories do you like to read? How different are they from what you write?

Honestly, not much different at all. I read a lot of fantasy, sci-fi, and poetry – I write a lot of fantasy, sci-fi, and poetry. The only thing I write, but don’t read, is suspense/horror-ish stuff. Which sounds weird, but I listen to Welcome to Night Vale, which is about as much horror as I can handle.

11.  What’s your favorite bit of worldbuilding from a story someone else wrote?

I’m a huge Tolkien nerd, and the whole concept of two trees that give light to the whole world is the best idea.

12.  If you had to change the genre of your WIP, what would you change it to?

Oh man, this is a tough one. I think the easiest one would be changing Firesoul from fantasy to steampunk-fantasy, a la Perdido Street Station by China Miéville, but I’m not sure if that counts. The idea of an urban fantasy God-Dragon’s Wife is interesting, too.

13.  What’s your favorite writing POV? First person? Third person limited? One or multiple POV’s?

I prefer Third Person Omniscient or Third Person Limited, but I will (very rarely) write in First Person, and even a little Second Person.

14.  Have you thought of a title for your WIP? How did you pick it?

All my WIPs have titles, but the one that was hardest was Out of the Park, because it’s way too cliché and I only picked it because I needed something to call the project.

15.  How easy is it for you to come up with outfits for your OCs?

Depends on the character. Xinya is the hardest, because all of her outfits have to be super elaborate and have to fit in with her culture, but Hayden? Jeans and a t-shirt. Easy.

16.  Who is the oldest OC in your WIP? (Either in-universe or when you made them.)

In-universe, Xinya is the oldest human at thirty-three. Yu-Qi easily surpasses that by like ten thousand years, but she’s an eternal dragon deity, so.

In real life, Teconia is the oldest. Believe it or not, I made her for my first D&D campaign, and then decided I liked her so much I would make a whole story about her.

17.  Have you ever written fanfiction (even if it wasn’t posted online?)

Yes! I write a lot of fan fiction, and though most of it hasn’t left my flash drive, I have an AO3 account, with a couple of works-in-progress. Come say hello!

18.  What are your OC’s favorite colors? (List as many or as few as you want)

Teconia: bright orange, green, red

Xinya: dark blue, silver, light pink

Hayden: purple, yellow, lime green

Park: grass green, rusty red-brown, gold

19.  What is the most significant/important/often-appearing object in your WIP? Or, what is one object that one of your OCs cherishes?

D…dragons. In almost all of them, it’s dragons. Can you tell that I like dragons?

20.  What’s that one word that you can never seem to spell correctly?

This isn’t really a spelling thing, but I will never ever remember the difference between affect and effect. I’ve had it explained to me countless times, but I will never get it. I’ll be confused for the rest of my life.

21.  Which arc do you like better/think is more interesting: a hero who starts slowly slipping into evil, or a villain who decides to try to be good?

I think both have their perks, but the villain that tries to do good has a special place in my heart because it shows that people can change, which is a dose of positivity that I think we all need right now.

22.  Do you have any minor characters that are trying very, very hard to become one of the mains?

You know, I thought Yu-Qi would be happy staying the love interest. But now she wants to be a co-protagonist with Xinya. That’s what I get for making her literally a god.

23.  Weirdest thing you’ve been inspired by?

I read a fan fiction once, and I thought, “Psh. I could write that better.”

And now I have The God-Dragon’s Wife.

24.  Which character is closest to a self-insert?

In a way, all of my characters have some aspect of me in them, or some kind of trait I wish I had. Teconia has my kindness – the kindness that’s probably too nice. Park has the confidence I wish I had a lot of the time, but also the fear that I’ll never be good enough. I gave Hayden my anxiety (sorry), but also the determination to push through it that I need. Xinya is pleasant in polite company, but behind closed doors she’s a very angry character, which is something that I’ve been dealing with lately.

I guess I just don’t like the term “self-insert,” because all of my characters are me as much as they’re their own characters. They can be both.  

25.  Favorite season?

I’m assuming you mean my favorite season. It’s summer.

26.  Do you eat appetizers when you go out to eat?

Short answer: Yes

Long answer: If they serve mozzarella sticks, you bet your ass I will eat every single one of those fuckers unless someone holds me back. Also, if you try and separate me from gyoza, you will have your arms separated from your body.

27.  What is something you’re scared to write about?

Romance. I don’t know why, but I always feel like it comes off very stiff and impersonal when I write it, so I’ve been avoiding it for a long time.

28.  Favorite fantasy book series? (I need recommendations ;))

The. Inheritance. Cycle. Ho-lee shit, I have been talking about this series since I was in first grade, and I will never shut up. The first book is Eragon by Christopher Paolini. If you read it (or if anyone reading this has read it before) feel free to drop in and scream at me. I’m always ready.

29.  The most you’ve ever written at one time?

I don’t remember, actually! I think it might have been… when I wrote 8k words in a day?

30.  When do you like to write?

Whenever I can, but mostly at night. Which is not doing my sleeping schedule any favors, I’ll tell you that.

31.  Why is coming up with questions the most difficult part?

Good question. I have no idea.

32.  Which character would cry over a marvel movie?

Teconia, for sure.

33.  First character you created. Why?

My first character was a girl who had the werewolf-esque ability to turn into a dragon. She was pretty much my ideal self.

[thesinglesjukebox]

MUNA - NUMBER ONE FAN

[6.20]

We have no choice but to (checks score) ...give a [6]?

Leah Isobel: About U's ability to make gay adolescence seem poetic instead of, like, thoroughly humiliating made it one of my favorite records of 2017, but any more elegiac lyrical evocations of the past would feel like too much navel-gazing. So for their new single, MUNA turn their eyes toward the present; the protagonist from their debut is a little older, much better at dancing, and officially Online. The vocoder turns Katie Gavin's already-brittle intonation into sheet metal, and the hollowness around the synth and guitar tones suggests one of those extremely '90s Internet PSAs. The lyrics, meanwhile, do something so completely obvious I can't believe it hasn't happened yet: They filter self-love through the purposefully exaggerated language of stan Twitter. Depending on my mood, this either reads as a brilliant evocation of the struggle to love oneself by just trying harder (borne out by the prechorus, which is the best part of the song), or as cheap pandering. The meta-implications of getting their audience to sing "I'm your number one fan!" back at them are too good for me to resist, but this particular strain of slang doesn't feel entirely suited to their brand of suburban emo. [7]

Will Adams: MUNA's mastery of imbuing sincerity into otherwise cheesy mantras (see also: "don't you be afraid of love and affection") is what lets them get away with a song that's about loving yourself, free of any of the subtext that usually comes with it, that even includes words like "stan" and "iconic" in its chorus. As with "I Know a Place," the mood is celebratory -- a grooving, Technotronic bassline, guitar licks peppered in judiciously, synth chords that burst like confetti -- only stopping to reveal its doubt in the bridge ("in the thick of it, will you stick up for me?"). For a Pride month particularly marked with dead-eyed corporate lip service and certain other pop stars fumbling with allyship, having something as earnest as "Number One Fan" is a damn triumph. [8]

Stephen Eisermann: This song makes no effort to hide its pandering, but with such a peppy production, it's almost forgivable. Almost. The disinterested vocal prevents this from being great, but man, was it close. [5]

Vikram Joseph: A song about self-belief that doesn't seem to believe in itself; the tightly-wound verses accumulate a potential energy that needs to find release, but instead spills away in the pre-chorus and evaporates entirely in the flaccid, anticlimactic chorus. The vocal melody bears much of the blame, flatlining around a few mid-range notes and exposing Katie Gavin's weaknesses as a vocalist. The brash synth that serves as a post-chorus drop is fun, but I'm not sure MUNA are very good at middle eights -- a slow, soupy 30 seconds also derailed "Winterbreak," a far better song than this. [4]

Katherine St Asaph: Yet another song that starts seething and knife-poised but immediately abandons all tension for major-key blahs. The only difference is "Number One Fan" doesn't even wait the whole verse to drop it. What it has instead is a chorus of stan shit. And given that for the past decade of my life, and probably for the rest of it, stans have shown me how many thousands of people think I'm an awful person, up to and including sending me death threats, echoes of that are not remotely assuring in any context. Nor is the overarching premise much better. I await the day pop culture and pop psychology stop haranguing people about how they should ignore the tides of people calling them shit, and instead direct those efforts at stopping the tides. [3]

Iris Xie: It has a hilarious intro that's a sure attention-grabber, but it settles back and becomes really muddled after the initial verse is over. Still, the screwy zipper of a synth throughout, combined with that delivery, makes me score it a [6] instead of a [5]. [6]

Katie Gill: It's interesting how this song simultaneously has a darker sound than the classic overlook-your-flaws, self-love songs of Alessia Cara, Pink, and Christina Aguilera, and yet is more upbeat and peppy than all three of those. The chorus is overproduced in such a way that I doubt "Number One Fan" will ever reach the sing-along status of some of MUNA's other work. But as weird and uneven and oddly constructed as "Number One Fan" is, I still love it a lot. [7]

Alex Clifton: "Number One Fan" has made me think about the all the time I spent loving various idols and hating myself. I've latched onto obsessions just to remind myself that there's something good in this world worth loving--my Jason Mraz years, that time I listened to only Arcade Fire for three months straight, the summer I could only focus on One Direction content, the whole year I spent focusing on BTS so I could ignore the trashfire of 2017. During those years I'd look at myself in the mirror and feel so unworthy of love for myself that I felt I had to pour it into something else. I never considered the concept of "being your own stan," but it's like all the stuff I've worked through in therapy--reworking your brain so it's not beating itself up, telling all those voices saying you're unlovable and evil and alone that they're wrong, taking all the bad thoughts and forcing them into something better and more productive. Rather than holing up and listening to Bon Iver in the dark for six hours, it's okay to love yourself and be your own biggest fan. "Number One Fan" is a much-needed reminder for me, and also probably one of my favourite songs this year. [8]

Jonathan Bradley: The diagnosis is better and more terrible than the cure. "I heard the bad news/nobody likes me and I'm gonna die alone" is delivered over forceful chunks of synth bass with declarative finality. It's bitter, perhaps because it's cruel or perhaps because it could be true. But when, for the chorus of "Number One Fan," Katie Gavin turns stan culture inward, it doesn't make it more uplifting; it subsumes her own esteem into that hungry emptiness. Nonetheless, the repetition of slang and filler words -- "like, oh my god, like," "so iconic, like big, like stan" -- in that hook builds up its own rhythmic sense, one that is more affirmative than the resolution itself. But it's the cold dread of the opening that is this song's best moment. Add that to "I knew, when you told me you don't want to go home tonight..." and "I saw a beautiful girl on the street/she looked nothing like me..." as evidence of this band's arresting ability to conjure scene-setting openers. [6]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: Of all the recent tracks to turn the dialect of stan twitter back onto itself, this is the only one to really work. That's partially because MUNA is a very good at the basic functionalities of being a band-- just listen to the little contours of the guitar track, or how self-assured the drum groove is. But "Number One Fan" really works because it understands that fandom is deeply self-centered yet never narcissistic. Obsessing in fandom is the abandonment of the self and the taking on of something greater than you as replacement. MUNA short circuits that equation: for better or for worse, the only thing to stan is yourself. [8]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[dreamerinsilico]

32, 41, 51 for the fandom ask meme : )

32. Do you listen to music when you write or does music inspire you? If so, which band or genre of music does it for you?

I used to, but rarely anymore - I have a harder time focusing these days than I once did.  When I did listen to music while writing, it was usually a playlist at least semi-tailored to the subject matter of my writing, though heavier on instrumentals than vocals, as hearing words while I’m attempting to write other words scrambles things for me unless it’s a song I know so well I can tune it out.

My playlists run heavy on EDM (Infected Mushroom is still an artist I listen to while writing with some regularity), synthpop, and goth rock, but I have been known to listen to things from pretty much any genre except country and Christian devotional music.

41. List and link to 5 fanfics you are currently reading:

Currently.  Hmm.  I don’t know if I have five that count as “currently reading;” on my ongoing Hannibal binge I’ve had a glut of finished fics to tear through one at a time, for the most part, so I’m not following as many actively-updating fics as I did once upon a time in other fandoms, yet.

Sashimi, by @pragnificent, which is a siren!Will Hannigram AU and an example of Wow, Apparently There’s a Fandom Where Dae Will Happily Read AUs (probably because there are so many fantastic ones here!).  (I am not usually a big consumer of AUs with bigger differences than “is set in modern times” and/or “canon divergence.”)

Faces of God, by Eremji (post-finale canon compliant Hannigram), which is finished but I got interrupted when reading it earlier.

a killer of a different kind, by The_Picture_of_Dorian_Grey, which is a Hannibal/Killing Eve crossover.

Those are the three that I think count as Actively Reading.  I’m still subscribed to a bunch of Overwatch fics, but haven’t really been reading them - I assume I’ll catch up eventually, but the ones I’d drop everything if I saw a notification for haven’t updated in years.

51. Rant or Gush about one thing you love or hate in the world of fanfiction! Go!

I fucking love micro-memes that develop within individual fandoms!  That is so cool to me!  I end up commenting on that sporadically on my Hannibal sideblog a fair bit of late because of course, I’m (still - holy fuck, has it really been six months? being in a big fandom and shipping The Main Ship is so…. not a thing I’ve done since Labyrinth fandom!  …which I’ve never really left, but ya know.  I haven’t read fic for it in a While. It’s wild to be back in Aircraft Carrier territory!) happily swimming around in years of fandom archive, but yeah.  

Things that the fandom latches onto about the source material that show up in fic constantly, or sometimes things that have very little to do with the source material but still become a Thing, in the fanfic, somehow.  In the Labyrinth fandom, for instance, there’s a character named Irene who gets called “Karen” by like half the fandom.  *coughs*  Myself included, in my flagship fic, whoops.  Where did that come from?  No one knows.  But like, more sensibly over in Overwatch, there’s theaterKid!Gabriel Reyes (Reaper), and then the weird dichotomy of Angela Ziegler (Mercy) headcanons between people who write Pharmercy and people who write Mercymaker - Pharmercy shippers always seem to write her as this endlessly good-humored, blushing ray of sunshine, while Mercymaker (and Sommercy, but I think almost all Sommercy shippers are also Mercymaker shippers) shippers write her as the mentally ill, Generally Done With Your Bullshit disaster gay that she really is.

I just think it’s a neat phenomenon; I enjoy the heck out of wondering about how ideas spread and seeing little memes develop and propagate and get enjoyed by dozens, hundreds, or thousands of fellow fans.

[365elephantsoap]

DAY 5: BELLY, STAR

The truth is, I could write and write about albums that influenced me or that are linked to my memories. Soundtracks to life. Chris and I would spend hours listening to one CD on repeat. A few months would go by before we’d change it and move onto something new and different. I think there was a good solid three months where we listened to the soundtrack to Chess. I sang along with Elaine Page with a dream of maybe, just maybe, getting the chance to play the part of Florence. Chris and I would discuss set designs and lighting. We’d break down the production of this musical as if we were actually going to be a part of putting it all together for the public. Other times, we’d lay spooning while listening to Les Miserables, weeping together at the beautiful sadness of it all.

For a while we were obsessed with Mercury Falling, an album released by Sting our junior year in college. Our copy of In My Tribe by the Ten Thousand Maniacs was the rare copy that included their remake of Cat Stevens’ Peace Train and Chris and I both would ooh-awe-ee with Natalie as we drove down country lanes. We were constantly latching on to musical artists. While Chris was introducing me to artists like Pink Floyd, I was introducing him to the Flaming Lips. I would discover a new artist and write it down on a sticky note for Chris to find. Months later he’d start playing a CD and say “hey, I found this new band I thought you’d like.” I’d punch him the arm and tell him that I pointed that band out to him months ago. Then we’d laugh. Chris was the one to introduce me to Belly. He had their album, Star. I ended up finding every one of their albums in the used CD bin at Hasting’s. But Chris just didn’t give me this band, he gave me a key.

Chris and Traci were best friends. Best. Friends. I came along and I was an outsider. Though Traci never ever treated me like an outsider, I still felt like I was intruding on that relationship. I doubt to this day that Traci had any idea how intimidated I was by her. I thought she was so cool. I still think that. Her relationship with Chris was so important and vital for the two of them. I didn’t want to mess it up. I didn’t want to be the girlfriend that Chris would bring over that would make Traci roll her eyes in annoyance. Knowing and loving all the songs from that band was my in with Traci. I remember one time the four of us, Chris, me, Traci and her boyfriend Chris (now husband), drove to Dallas for a concert. Traci and I were in the backseat and the guys were in the front, flipping through radio stations. The radio tuned into a station that was playing Feed the Tree by Belly. Traci and I screamed from the back seat “LEAVE IT THERE!” and then proceeded to sing along and bounce around in the backseat of the car. Traci would end up being my concert buddy for concerts when Chris wasn’t interested in going. Belly was the band that started that.

At least it was for me.

[maxfreedmanwrites-blog]

My Favorite Songs of the First Half of 2017, RANKED

This year, I decided, you know what, fuck it? I’m gonna indulge myself. I like talking about music, writing about music, and just generally being able to turn the “oh my god this SONG” in my head into actual coherent prose. This is super informal though, I’m not trying to impress The Journalism Gods™, just doing this for me mostly.  And I’m also really curious how different my end-of-year list will look from this midyear list (and by extension, how my end-of-year list will compare to my end-of-decade list). Also we might all be blown to bits by the end of this year so I just wanted to do this for once okay????

ANYWAY I’m rolling out albums tomorrow, but here’s my songs of the year so far. I’m starting you off with an alphabetical honorable mention section of 10 songs, and then I ranked my top 10 songs. For the honorable mentions, I gave a four word description so that, if you haven’t heard the song, you know whether you might dig it. Then it’s full on WORDS for the ranked top 10. Oh, and did I mention each section has a corresponding Spotify playlist? BOOM

Honorable Mentions

Presented as Artist – Album (Label), and * = I work with this artist; ^ = I previously worked with this artist

Arca – “Desafio” (XL) (weird, beautiful electronic ballad)

Balun – “Teletransporte” (Good Child Music) (entrancing, ambient pop journey)

Blanck Mass – “Silent Treatment” (Sacred Bones) (hell on the dancefloor)

Blessed – “Headache” (Coin Toss Records/Kingfisher Bluez) (art punk with math)

Chelsea Wolfe – “16 Psyche” (Sargent House) (metal, but goth rock)

Fufanu – “Liability” * (One Little Indian) (post-punk in the club)

Leyya – “Zoo” ^ (Las Vegas Records) (sassy, smack-talking deep cut)

Shame – “Tasteless” (Fnord Comms (however, this band just signed to Dead Oceans)) (classic post-punk done modern)

Yoke Lore – “Only You” (Independent Label Alliance) * (late morning sunshine inspiration)

Zola Jesus – “Exhumed” (Sacred Bones) (overwhelming, symphonic electronic drama)

Honorable Mentions playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/126489514/playlist/2AzLWfVloJH07fnmV0QeOE

Ranked Top 10

Playlist at the very bottom

10) Big Thief – “Shark Smile” (Saddle Creek)

You’ll see in my albums list tomorrow that I’ve opted to exclude Capacity, Big Thief’s newest album, from consideration just because it’s so new that I can’t really hold it up to things I’ve been enjoying for much longer, even though it’s pretty fuckin’ goddamn great. I don’t have that dilemma with songs, since they’re much shorter, but either way, “Shark Smile” has been around for at least a month longer than the album, and it hasn’t entirely left my head since I first heard it. Last year, Big Thief’s Masterpiece was #9 on my albums of the year list, and Capacity sees the band moving further inward, far less pop-oriented, as vocalist/songwriter/guitarist Adrianne Lenker explores her formative traumas; “Shark Smile” sounds like Lenker negotiating the space between the sound she wanted to achieve with each album, and it’s overwhelming and amazing. It’s a searing, painfully detailed recollection of a pretty gnarly car accident, its intensity building over the song’s course just as one’s adrenaline might accelerate while they’re in a car going over the guardrail. This is the exact scenario Lenker describes at the song’s peak, when her snarl and the band’s racket come bursting from their seams, overtaking me so strongly I usually play this song three times before moving forward with the rest of the album. “Humans,” from Masterpiece, was in my Top 5 songs last year, and this shit makes that song seem like child’s play.

9) Gabriel Garzón-Montano – “The Game” (Stones Throw)

You could look like a piece of ham growing mold between two pieces of American cheese—which isn’t even real cheese!!—and still be sexy as hell if you were the person behind “The Game.” Jardín, Gabriel Garzón-Montano’s newest album, is rife with nu-soul influence, and “The Game” is its most addicting example of how Garzón-Montano toys with the genre’s pervasive sexuality. It starts by asking its central character why he’s comparing himself to some other guy (some real lame-o, it seems), then tells him he could just roll up with swagger out the ass and have no problems anymore. Musically, it’s a soundtrack to someone running into a casual, heavily seated jazz bar and weaving his way through scores of women—this is very straight music, honestly—hoping to magically recruit one to a sensual dance and follow that with a Miguel-style Coffee In The Morning. I wonder if snarling “now walk like a tangerine” on loop in the club could find me the love of my life…probably not, but that’s because I’m not an architect of lively, jittery soul anthems like this fuckin’ guy.

8) Dream Wife – “Somebody” (Lucky Number Music)

“I am not my body/I’m somebody.” This song came out two months after the Women’s March, yet its chorus could’ve been the basis for so many of the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of signs boldly donned across the world’s major cities. This line is preceded by vocalist Rakel Mjöll’s sarcastic reciting of some dude who doesn’t believe in rape culture’s bullshit justification for some scumbag’s actions—“You were a cute girl standing back stage/it was bound/to happen”—one of the most memorable and clearly audible lyrics to grace rock music recently, perhaps intentionally so because the point of view it’s shitting on is so despicable. Of course, even the most pointed social commentary in music is still music, so it helps that the gently overdriven guitars here are just as natural to latch onto as Mjöll’s chameleonic voice. Dream Wife don’t have to reinvent rock to make it enjoyable; mining its longstanding strengths and not beating around the bush on a frustratingly omnipresent social issue in music do that just fine.

7) Lorde – “Green Light” (Republic)

Melodrama is nearly as good as the hype says, but it’s also a June release (see Big Thief above), and I also don’t always make it past the first track 'cause godDAMN this song is impossible to dislike. “Green Light” is like if the overproduced bullshit “gracing” the airwaves on Top 40 radio had a conscience, seriously great songwriting, and a semi-intentionally clunky lyric or two to give it character (‘she thinks you love the beach/you’re such a damn liar” should’ve been the basis of more memes this year). The chorus is accessible as fuck, and by that I mean, teenage girls, pop critics, electronic fans, and straight up alternative listeners should have no trouble finding catharsis in how that enticing piano bop from the pre-chorus goes full-steam big party singalong in the chorus. Can’t you imagine this song just lighting up diverse folks occupying the same karaoke bar? Don’t you just want to get out of your seat and start dancing every time this song comes on? It’s as graceful and innately thrilling as big-bucks pop gets; even someone as pretentious and picky as myself is absolutely helpless when I hear it.

6) Perfume Genius – “Wreath” (Matador)

“Wreath” trembles throughout its entire, far too short run. There’s a constant shaking, the semblance of a heart beating its very fastest, in these incredibly fascinating synths that are equal parts bony and glitzy. This song is as celebratory as it is uneasy (a pretty apt description for No Shape at large), riveting in its experimental sounds and dramatic vocal delivery. As though Mike Hadreas’ descriptions of sunsets and sunrises demarcating new days weren’t unusually harrowing, the way his voice transforms from a relatively gentle bellow into an all-consuming howl is nothing short of arresting. Does it sound like he gradually shifts from singing the word “grave” to the word “death” in the song’s outro, or is that just me? This is seriously rattling shit, the kind of transformative experience that’ll take you out-of-body for a hot moment before you dive right back into it, because there’s no playing this song just once.

5) Palm – “Walkie Talkie” (Carpark)

Palm’s gotten its finite yet rabid fanbase from its deconstruction and subsequent repair of rock norms. There is no verse-chorus-verse, no common time, no mere sequence of eighth notes with Palm; instead, there are incredibly brainy runs of guitar-drum polyrhythms, passages where the only thing more difficult to trace than the beat is the reason you keep even trying to trace the beat when you know how futile that is. Also, there are flares of dissonant, fanged noise rushing at you from every conceivable angle. 

“Walkie Talkie” is one of Palm’s most compelling runs to date, a portrait of an art-rock band continuing to focus equally on art and rock. Whereas so many new releases depart in some manner, subtle or otherwise, from their predecessors, “Walkie Talkie” doesn’t too fundamentally fuck with Palm’s established domain of janky, demanding noise rock. It’s just another incredibly strong entry into the Palm canon, and since this band has spent its existence doing something that so few other artists are doing, that’s really all we can ask for. And I’m pretty sure the phrase “trading basics,” which is the title of their stellar 2015 album, pops up a couple times on this song, and I don’t remember hearing it ever said on the album. So sometimes sticking with what made you amazing in the first place is the right move.

4) Run the Jewels – “Thursday in the Danger Room (ft. Kamasi Washington)” (self-released)

Literally nobody came to RTJ3 to cry. Everyone who loved RTJ2’s potent mix of absolute bangers and still-necessary, eternally relevant political commentary—it’s honestly so frustrating that, even though we’re having such good conversations and Black Lives Matter has gained serious political weight (and used it amazingly), Philando Castile’s murderer was nevertheless just recently entirely acquitted—came to RTJ3 expecting the same. And they got no less of the commentary, but generally, the album is less bombastic. Not that these are ballads or anything, but holy fuck is “Thursday in the Danger Room” beautifully close to that. (Also, before we go any further, yes this song/album were technically released in 2016 but FUCK IT (also more on this in my albums list tomorrow))

I remember seeing El-P tweet that he and Killer Mike almost left this song off the album since it’s so goddamn personal. El’s verse about watching a friend slowly die—heavily implied to be a battle against something like cancer or another fatal disease—ends with some seriously tear-jerking shit, and then these two have the audacity to throw in a chorus with not just Kamasi Washington’s most solemn sax run to date, but these actual lyrics oh my god:

And I guess I'd say I'll see you soon

But the truth is that I see you now

Still talk to you like you're around

And I guess I say you left too soon

But the truth is that you never left

'Cause I never let myself forget

And then there’s Mike’s verse about a friend he lost to a mugging, and how he tried to help this friend’s family through the emotional and financial turmoil in the fallout. If somehow RTJ2’s tales of police brutality weren’t thoroughly humanizing—“Early” is especially moving—this song right here will slap the shit out of your tear ducts and really get you going. This song is as devastating as it is gorgeous, and I can’t really think of another hip-hop song with the capacity to make me tear up like this one.

3) Kelly Lee Owens – “Anxi (ft. Jenny Hval)” (Smalltown Supersound)

To be perfectly clear: the best song on Kelly Lee Owens is “CBM,” which stands a good shot at making my Top 30 or so Songs of the Decade, but since “CBM” first appeared on last year’s unreal, near-perfect Oleic EP, it doesn’t count for this list. “Anxi” is pretty fucking stellar, though, so I’m actually glad I didn’t have to decide between the two. When I chatted with Kelly Lee Owens for FLOOD Magazine earlier this year, I mentioned to her that she and featured vocalist Jenny Hval have startingly similar voices, and before I could even ask her if that’s something she gets a lot, she went off on how even she remains fascinated by how much the two sound alike. As blasphemous as this is to say, Jenny sounds even more natural on this beat—the year’s best electronic beat, in my opinion—than KLO herself might. “Anxi” is two immensely talented experimentalists bringing out the best in each other.

“Anxi” starts out innocuously enough, with a beat so subtle and murky only Kelly Lee Owens could’ve crafted it. It’s pretty amazing that KLO’s already such a distinct beatmaker this early on in her career, and having Jenny’s voice here—both in singing and spoken word form—makes the beat all the more alluring. Anyone in tune with KLO’s soundalikes—namely, IDM and especially Aphex Twin—might gauge that more is to come, so the handful of chugs that come after Hval wraps up her main appearance aren’t surprising. But that bass-heavy groove that comes in about 10 seconds later? That shit slaps, even though it’s more restrained than about 99% of electronic music. It’s a great example of KLO’s charm: her beats are really, really tightly tethered, yet they’re as body-shaking and freak-out-worthy as something by, say, Grimes or Caribou. “Anxi” is methodical, ominous, and just a fucking banger, even though it’s incredibly quiet. For lack of a better word, it’s magical.

2) (Sandy) Alex G – “Brick” (Domino)

“Brick” is a shitty song, and I mean that as high praise. It’s really just Alex G having a temper tantrum; its lyrics detailing the final stages of a relationship are clunky as shit, and there are moments where it’s just him screaming against a drum machine, and also the guitars are so muddy and loud they’re indistinct, and also these are the exact things I love about it. It verges on being bad by way of just being immature and petulant, but honestly in this era when we all want to punch everything in the face and everything is infuriating, who am I to judge? Instead, when “Brick” comes on, I give in to my visceral, unpretentious senses and go out smashing windows, toppling over newspaper stands, knocking pedestrians to the sidewalk, and lighting shit on fire.

Not actually, but that’s what “Brick” makes me want to do, and I love songs that can make me do that without sounding gross. As I described before, “Brick” should sound gross, overdone, tawdry, and all that, but it somehow finds a perfect balance of aggression and homespun emotion to be an endlessly replayable song. Honestly, I didn’t even know what its lyrics were before I looked them up; I was enthralled enough having a punching bag song, the sort of anthem that can sympathize with me on my bad days, remind me that the world at large sucks on my good days, and drown out the hysteria of the subways on any ordinary day. I’m not really much of a mosh pit guy, but “Brick” brings out the animal in me and makes me want to run headfirst into a crowd of angry showgoers and punch some faces. Everyone’s got some anger in them, and this song brings out the minimal amount that lies in me.

Also, this is essentially a hardcore punk song on Rocket, a country-lite album?! Yooooooooooooo

1) Priests – “JJ” (Sister Polygon)

“JJ” is like “Shut Up Kiss Me” but punk. I just had to say that because it’s me writing this, regardless of any true analogy there might be. But there kind of is one. (Also, yeah this song came out in late October 2016, but it’s the best song on Nothing Feels Natural, which came out in January, don’t @ me).

My eternal “Shut Up Kiss Me” obsession comes from many places: its tongue-in-cheek pop tropes; its catchy-as-hell guitars; its fiery, thrilling vocals; its joke-filled lyricism that can also be taken at face value as wholly serious; its incessant replayability. “JJ” has all this, but in an entirely different context. It’s a post-punk song with surf rock elements infused throughout, and its structure affords some novelties even though it’s mostly familiar terrain; still though, after long enough, the way Katie Alice Greer snarls “When I met you/you were just a bad attituuuuuude!/You dated a model/one time she stuck her finger in a light socket” feels more like an in-joke than a send-up of some bad ex’s even worse ex. “You were just a rich kid/low-life in a very big jacket in a very big way” precedes a diss about the entirely commonplace cigarettes this guy—let’s call him JJ—smokes, and then Katie disses her own cigarette habits before moping, with more than a hint of satirical self-pity, “You thought I was disgusting/You thought I was disgusting.” Of course, this can also be taken as an entirely serious remark, one relating her own self-image issues to this ex’s abusive words. When Katie tells us that “all the jock frat boys” called JJ a “hipster fag,” she’s simultaneously mocking him, mocking herself for dating him, and lambasting the frat culture that allows homophobic slurs to be so commonplace in the first place. As the song moves into its final chant of “Who ever deserved anything, anyway?/what a stupid concept,” it’s just as easy to imagine an angsty teenager shouting this as a friendship ends as it is to envision Katie seriously lamenting the fact that she actually held JJ to any sort of high standards. So yeah, that whole “what’s a joke, and what’s serious?” thing is on full display here.

And then, of course, there’s the music. As tongue-in-cheek pop tropes go, they’re a bit fewer and farther between here than on “Shut Up Kiss Me,” but the assertiveness that Katie presents on what’s a relatively standard structure song fits that mold. G.L. Jaguar’s catchy-as-hell guitars and Katie’s fiery, thrilling vocals and especially the incessant replayability are real as fuck, though. The guitar line that opens the song and later commands its second verse is stupidly catchy, and even when the six-string takes a bit of a backseat, its faint melancholy is pervasive; when guitars introduce the interlude following the second verse, they’re pure firebrand. Katie’s voice throughout is loaded with vibrato and drama, at times veering on parody—“I wrote a bunch of songs for you” sounds like she’s teasing JJ rather than castigating him—and it’s also a stellar fucking performance. Here’s someone who can belt, sing straight from the gut, and mutter introspectively as she sees fit. And you know what’s really great? Everything happening here goes down in under three minutes, so of course you’re gonna hit replay. I’m gonna be listening to this song constantly through the end of the decade, when I expect it’ll crack my Top 10 Songs of the Decade list. “Shut Up Kiss Me” will still be #1, but god I’m happy to have a punk version.

If you think the “Shut Up Kiss Me” comparison is a huge stretch (it definitely is, let’s be real), I have an argument in your favor. I still don’t hear the pianos on “Shut Up Kiss Me” that Angel Olsen details on Song Exploder, even though I’ve listened to that goddamn song like 500 times. Pianos on “JJ”? Everywhere, baby. And they really make all the difference.

Ranked Top 10 playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/126489514/playlist/4gt4kP3aZ5bEJoJNvn6zGH