#i think it's really funny to have a mix of the expected rock bands with some folk and pop and stuff thrown in there

[mothpawbs]

finally making a bunch of band patches for the back of my battle vest!

so far I have fall out boy, of monsters and men, sea girls, dreamers, iamx, motion city soundtrack, my chemical romance, bring me the horizon, glass animals, the 1975, hozier, and raccoon tour. the ones I have left to make are lord huron, lemon demon, mother mother, pvris, pom pom squad, idon'tknowhowbuttheyfoundme, poppy, and maaaaybe sleep token but I'm still waffling on that one

I'm making these by cutting stencils out of contact paper scraps, sticking them to the salvage fabric from the jacket's sleeves, and painting them with homemade fabric paint made out of acrylic, fabric softener, and mod podge.

[dustedmagazine]

Chat Pile — Cool World (The Flenser)

Photo by Matthew Zargoski

Where’s the money to help victims of Helene? What’s going on with China’s infringement of Nepali borders? Which tech thought leader has rolled out a visionary new future for generative AI that also lays off the maximum number of staff this week? Is your mayor in charge? (Are you sure?) How outdated is the number of the latest Godspeed You! Black Emperor record? Why do people have to live outside when there are buildings all around us?

That’s not even trying to read much past A1. It’s a sick, sad world out there — out here, really — and the constant escalating tenor is, at this point, little more than a brutally myopic capitalist beatdown … so, what better way to retaliate than by doubling down, wallowing in the byproduct of lead-zinc mining, huffing the chat and piling on the pressure? What better way to live than by admitting from the outset we’re subhuman, dogs with trash mouths, veins full of garbage, destroyed noses? What better equalizer than a roaring statement of intent that everyone bleeds?

That’s the approach the ironically titled Cool World takes. When we last left Oklahoma City’s newly favorite sons of noise, the members of Chat Pile were, in Jonathan Shaw’s astute assessment, still figuring out “how close to the bone of the Real they want their music to cut, and how best to achieve that.” A belated alt-country movie soundtrack, a layover split with brothers in Christ Nerver and a whole lot of touring (featuring a whole lot of movie-related stage banter) has given the quartet some time to think through that response, the next move and what to do to appropriately address what they’re seeing all around us. The results are two fistfuls of noise-rock at least as potent lyrically as anything on God’s Country and arguably harder musically, for a few reasons.

“I Am Dog Now” eases in on what sounds like a gentle, mind-expanding cosmic wave before crashing to life with the sort of acerbic post-hardcore one might’ve come to expect from the band. “You take / You fucking take,” vocalist Raygun Busch growls with manic ferocity to open proceedings, and immediately you’re struck by how much more forceful it sounds. Busch eases off a little to sing on “Shame,” but that only amplifies the notion that all of this sounds bigger; despite the chords and the words, there’s a polish here.

Part of that must be attributed to the band’s willingness to expand its scope beyond hardcore’s narrow tropes, but the mixing job by Uniform’s Ben Greenberg (who’s also done work for Metz, Algiers and Drab Majesty) might also be worth mentioning. Busch’s vocals come through clearly most of the time, Cap’n Ron’s drums crash fabulously, Luther Manhole’s licks routinely liven up verses and choruses where you wouldn’t expect, and bassist Stin’s chugs recall everything from Big Black to Cows to nü-metal’s finer moments to bands like STNNNG and Young Widows to Sepultura, a band Chat Pile once covered. A lot of it’s the tight songwriting, but it’s enhanced by the production job (which, admittedly, might not be for everyone).

Nobody’s missing The Jesus Lizard in 2024 on account of Rack, but it’s heartening to hear their acolytes are out here absorbing the same squalid lessons and coughing them back up in bile-laden disgust. It’s easy to see “Frownland” as the less defeated inverse of TV Priest’s “Sunland” (“After all, it’s just a pointless collapsing star”); it’s easy to imagine just how “funny” “Funny Man” is; it’s easy to get how a band like this could end with a song called “No Way Out” that opens with the judgment that from the moment you were born, it was over. “And the world was quaking open / With all our fathers smiling / And the statues rose high above us / And God remained silent,” says Busch on “Shame.” Like the mix, it doesn’t take much to hear what’s in the message: There’s no salvation down here from our dads; there’s no salvation up there from The Father, either.

Where, then, do we turn? Though never spelled out, Chat Pile’s bleak worldview implies the answer by uniting anyone who can empathize with such visceral emotions, by those in the pit lashing out furiously and the rest of those in the room nodding along in agreement to “Milk of Human Kindness.” As it always was, we must turn to each other. Cold World is one suggested soundtrack to the endurance of the human spirit in spite of the bleeding. Escalate accordingly.

Patrick Masterson

[hihi-heart]

Been a while (I think?) but, do you often or sometimes listen to j-rock/band music on Spotify if you feel bored?

Ex.: Alice Schach & the Magic Orchestra, pitcher56, any CHAINSAW MAN related rock OSTs, etc.,

/genq

To my knowledge, I haven't gotten into much j-rock. I do sometimes listen to modern Japanese music. Listened to BABYMETAL during its earlier years, though only out of curiosity.

The only j-rock song I can think of is Senbonzakura or "One Thousand Cherry Trees", a vocaloid song about Japan's westernization and militarization during the Meiji restoration and Taisho Era.

(From here, I infodump about the song's intricacies and go over other Japanese songs I enjoy. Couldn't help myself. Keep reading for my analyses and overviews!)

The song's actually pretty fascinating. It uses a lot of idioms and indirect meaning, typical for older-styled Japanese songs. The idioms include references to weaponry, religion, and period imagery.

The song's visuals use an over-the-top pop portrayal of the time periods. To simplify, the time had a mix of Japanese tradition and western sensibility.

Miku's outfit is based on a army uniform but includes furisode kimono sleeves, a miniskirt, and shoes that combine loafers with geta sandals. Really leaning into the song's historical and anachronistic themes.

All of these aspects have caused some localization problems. Some English translators have put in a pro-war message that isn't explicitly stated. I will say, war propaganda songs then were incredibly subtle at the time, more than Senbonzakura. Both because that was the style at the time and probably to have more effective propaganda.

I'd say, one should expect anything made in modern Japan to be anti-war. They generally don't want a repeat of WWII.

-

Other Vocaloid Songs I Listen To

"Ah, It's a Wonderful Cat Life" is just a cute song about two cats in love. The boy cat wants the girl to join his life as a stray. The girl, however, is a house cat and doesn't want to leave her pamper life or her owner. Both yet still want to be together. This one is just nostalgic, grew up loving this one.

"The Tailor of Enbizaka" is about a kimono tailor who kills a man's family out of a jealous delusion that he's her lover. Like Senbonzakura, the lyrics never states this explicitly but the tone and visuals make it obvious.

Fun fact: The red, green, and black pattern on the side is based on kabuki curtains.

"Feathers Across the Seasons" follows an old folktale called Tsuru no Ongaeshi or "Crane's Return of a Favor".

On a snowy mountain lives a happy couple. The man eventually becomes ill, leaving the woman to provide for both and earn money for medicine. The woman is hinted to actually be a shapeshifting crane that the man once saved. She then returned to him as a woman to marry him. As favor for saving her, the wife weaves and sell cloth made of her own feathers, sacrificing her own wellbeing for her husband's life. It's implied the husband dies, leaving the crane wife a grieving widow.

Some think the wife also dies, after using her last feather. I don't think that's the case though. But, like poetry, it's inappropriate to reference death directly, so without visuals, both deaths are ambiguous.

-

Other Japanese Songs

Easy Breezy by Chelmico. I just heard the song from the anime Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! It's a fun song about creating and having fun regardless of what other people will think of you. Very appropriate for Eizouken, funny considering I don't think it was made for the show.

Nippon Egao Hyakkei or "Hundreds of Japanese Smiles" by Momoiro Clover Z. This song is mainly based in Rakugo, a traditional form of comedy. A single storyteller tells a long tale to build up to a big punchline. These stories rely on wordplay and delivery, so it's a bit hard to get into without a innate understanding of Japanese. The music video also uses elements of kabuki and festivals.

It has a simple message of enjoyment, to just laugh regardless of what strife comes along your way.

Through these songs, I realized that there's a common sentiment to enjoy life regardless of social expectations.

-

Pacfiic Overtures

I wouldn't be me if I didn't mention Pacific Overtures. This musical is American-made. But it's based in Japan before the Arrival of the Black Ships and then before the Meiji Restoration. The original production is styled mainly after kabuki with a gradual westernization in visuals and instrumentation.

Pretty much every song here is great, my top three being The Advantages of Floating in the Middle of the Sea (the song above), There is No Other Way, and Someone in a Tree.

I recommend watching the original version then the 2003 Japanese prodution. That one removed the explicit kabuki elements, opting to use the more subtle parts of Japanese culture with a modern taste. (Using the 2004 Broadway revival since that was based on the Japanese one.)

-

As you can tell, I prefer songs based on traditional music and history, something a little more that I can sink my teeth into. Also musicals but that's a topic for another day. Sorry for rambling, had to take the opportunity.

[yuttikkele]

so I finally got around to watching trolls 3.

I really quite enjoyed it. First off, character designs, amazing as always. Trolls always manages to cook with character designs.

Velvet and Veneer, obviously liked them! They were the stars of the movie. You can’t go wrong with queer coded villains (I mean, it’s really hard to).

The music mixes were AWESOME?? I didn’t catch every song bite or appearance, but I definitely wasn’t expecting WEEZER to make an appearance!!

One thing I didn’t expect to like was Branch actually. Branch being all closed off and awkward and still a little guarded about singing and expressing himself, but as soon as he gets on stage a switch flips and he’s just this charismatic band boy 😭😭 I LOVE this character trope man, and I think this is the first time I’m consciously realizing I like it so thanks Branch.

The animation was AWESOME. You know the animation’s good when specifically the movements make you laugh. There were just so many funny movements. I love things that are funny silly and nonsensical, and it’s not hard to find medias that have funny voice acting, funny writing, or funny mistakes. But man FUNNY MOTIONS in animation that are SUPPOSED to be comical, AKA animation done right, you don’t always find it, and it is something I really enjoy man.

I enjoyed watching this one quite a bit, but I must say it is probably because of the Sharpay and Ryan dynamic Velvet and Veneer have going on because that dynamic rocks and I love Sharpay and Ryan. I also have avoided spoilers pretty well surprisingly, but I didn’t know SO many recent popular audios came from Trolls 3 like holy cow that was a lot

[allthemusic]

Week ending: 12th February

I kind of appreciate when a novelty song lets you know on first glance that it's a novelty song. None of these novelty songs with plausible titles for me - I respect it when a song doesn't try and trick you into listening to it. And this song, whatever else one may say about it, is at least honest about its joke status.

Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?) - Lonnie Donegan (peaked at Number 3)

Yeah, the title of this song tells you everything you need to know. It's about whether your chewing gum loses its flavour when you stick it to a bedpost overnight. That's literally all you need to know. I have no clue why Lonnie wants to know that, or whether this was a common pratice, back in the day. And notably, "back in the day" here means back in 1913, which is when the first version of this song came about, and was used in a sketch by a Vaudeville artist. So yeah, despite the obvious silliness of the premise, this is actually a song with a history.

I think the Vaudeville connection explains a lot of the vibe of this song, actually. Because you've got that same quick shift between daft bits, like the one about a church choir interrupting a groom's wedding vows to ask the titular quesiton, or the nation going to the White House to ask the president, little unconnected jokes and one-liners, like the If tin whistles are made of tin / What do they make foghorns out of? bit, and even just nonsensical patter, like the line that's just a series of weekdays. It's scatter-brained, and just feels kind of random.

Also, a bit of a tangent, but after the lame foghorn joke, Lonnie shouts boom boom, which I only knew, before hearing it here, as the catchphrase of kid's TV talking fox Basil Brush. Intrigued, I looked it up, and it turns out that "boom boom" was an old music hall meme that developed from somebody playing a sort of "boom boom" on the drums after jokes, a sort of proto-"ba doom tshh" sound. Performers began doing it verbally, after that, which you still apparently get in panto - which is the tradition Basil's creator was drawing from. I'm really not a panto-goer, so I had no clue that was what was going on at all. A fun side-track.

Honestly, I'm having a lot more fun with this than I expected to. I normally don't like novelty songs, because they're trying to hard to get a laugh from me, and a lot of the time, the jokes just don't land. And it's not that they land here, exactly. Quite the opposite, there's a lot about the song that kind of grosses me out, but it's still somehow not as cringey as I thought it might be. There's enough skiffle in it, I think, between the frantic pace and strummy guitar and shouty, repetitive delivery, that I can kind of forget that it's Lonnie trying to be "funny" and just appreciate it as an extension of Lonnie's generally quite chaotic vibes. It's not an American folk song, but the overall effect is stunningly similar.

I also appreciate the live recording - the wild reaction from Lonnie's fans at the end make him sound much more punk rock than he has any right to come away from this sounding. By the end, I'm almost convinced I'm listening to something that's actually cool. And then I see the title and remember that this is a song about sticking chewing gum on your bedpost overnight. Which... yeah. Still gross.

I had a lot more fun with this than I expected to. I can absolutely see how Lonnie's mix of wild delivery, cheap production values and slightly daft music hall lyrics could have been pretty influential with later bands like the Beatles, honestly. Even the accent's not a million miles away - or it's at least a step towards proper regional British accents in music. Normally Lonnie's doing his best impression of an American hillbilly, so it's kind of nice to hear his "normal" accent here. Or at least a distinctively British accent, because he still doesn't sound very Glaswegian. Ah, well.

Favourite song of the still-gross-but-surprisingly-okay bunch: Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?)

[rachiekiszka]

Surprise! (Valentine’s Series)

Sam Kiszka x Female Reader

You think you’ll be spending Valentine’s Day alone, until your boyfriend Sam shows up unexpectedly.

Words~2.7k

Warnings: Explicit Content 18+, Alcohol use, Oral Sex (M. and F. Receiving), Unprotected Sex, Swearing

You sat in bed under a pile of blankets. A bag of chocolate in your left hand, TV remote in your right. You flicked through the selection of rom-coms on Netflix, trying to pick the perfect mix of funny and soul crushing. You had already polished off a whole bottle of wine; If you were going to be alone on Valentine's Day you sure as hell weren’t going to be sober. 

You weren’t alone, alone. Your boyfriend Sam was on tour with his band Greta Van Fleet. He had tried to make it home to see you, but with their current schedule he just couldn’t swing it. You didn't have enough PTO to take days off of work to follow him on tour either. So, you were alone. 

You sighed as you checked your phone again. Still no messages from Sam. You knew he was busy, but you hadn’t heard from him all day. On Valentine’s Day. That stung. He hadn’t even bothered to have flowers delivered, or post something cheesy on Instagram. So you decided on a drunken viewing of The Notebook, always the best choice for a good cry. 

It was about halfway through the movie, your ratty old pajama shirt now tear stained, that you heard a knock on the door. Not expecting anyone, you stood up slowly, walking over to look through the peephole. You weren't expecting to let whoever it was in, so you didn't bother to put on pants. As you looked through the peephole you were met with the view of a very excited looking Sam, rocking back and forth on his feet anxiously waiting for you to answer the door. He held a bouquet of roses in one hand, and a suitcase in the other. This made you smile because you knew he’d be staying with you a day or two if he brought his whole suitcase along. 

You pulled the door open and Sam’s eyes immediately trailed down your body. You remembered you weren't wearing any pants giving him the perfect view of your lacy pink underwear. It was also in this moment that you remembered you were mad at Sam. It was obvious he had wanted to surprise you, but it still hurt that he had ignored you all day. You stepped back, allowing him to enter your small apartment, not meeting his smile as he walked through the door. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day” He said, handing you the bouquet of roses he had been holding. 

His soft smile quickly turned into a frown when he realized you were crying. The day had been a rollercoaster of emotions. You were happy to see Sam, happy that he had taken the opportunity to surprise you, that he hadn’t forgotten you all day. But there was still some part of you inside that felt neglected and overwhelmed by the situation. 

“Babe? What’s wrong?” Sam took a tentative step forward, reaching out to gently tuck your hair behind your ear. 

You leaned into him, allowing yourself to feel his body heat, to acknowledge that he was really there. 

“I just, I thought you forgot about me when I didn’t hear from you all day.” You managed, burying your head in his chest. 

Sam wrapped his arms around you, placing a gentle kiss on the top of your head.

“I’m so sorry love, I wanted it to be a surprise. I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret if I was talking to you, I would’ve gotten too excited. But the surprise doesn’t end here. I’ve got some stuff for you in my suitcase. You wanna see?”

You pulled away, nodding. A slight grin growing across your face.

Sam opened up his suitcase, pulling out a satin slip dress in a dark maroon color.

“It’s beautiful, but where would I wear it?”

“To the dinner reservations we have in…” He paused, checking the time on his phone, “An hour. And one more thing.” He continued, holding up his finger, rifling through his suitcase again. 

He pulled out a small velvet jewelry box, handing it to you expectantly. Inside was a gold chain with a letter S hanging from it. 

“S for Sam?” You asked, the corners of your mouth turning up into a smile.

“Yeah, if you want to wear it. I figured it could remind you of me when I’m away” Sam said quickly, a blush rising in his cheeks. 

“Of course I’ll wear it, could you?” You said, gesturing for Sam to put the necklace on you.

He took the necklace from your hands, pushing your hair aside. You could feel his hot breath on your neck as he leaned in, focused on the necklace clasp. You knew you didn’t have time to play out any of the dirty thoughts racing through your brain at that moment, but you would be filing them away for later. It had been a few weeks since you’d seen Sam, and you had missed his touch. And well, admittedly other parts of his body. Sam let the necklace go, and it fell perfectly against your chest. 

“I’d better go get dressed if we want to make that reservation.” You grabbed the new dress Sam had handed you and headed for your bedroom.

“Y/N?” Sammy called after you, causing you to pause and turn around. “Could you um, keep that underwear on?”

You simply answered with a cheeky grin and a wink, closing your bedroom door behind you. 

Knowing it would be cold in the February night air, you opted to layer tights and a black turtleneck beneath your new dress, making sure to pull your necklace out so it fell over the shirt. You ran a brush through your hair and threw on as much makeup as possible in the amount of time you were given. Just enough to make it look like you hadn’t just been crying at the very least. 

When you emerged, Sam had changed too. He was now sporting a black button down over the black skinny jeans he had been wearing when he arrived.

“You look beautiful, Y/N” Sam said, pulling you in for a kiss. 

“Well, what can I say, you have an eye for fashion.” You replied, gesturing to the dress he had picked for you. 

~~~~~~

The restaurant Sam had chosen for dinner was fancier than you had expected. It was on the top floor of a highrise downtown, offering you a nice view of the city. Sam had caught you up on the highlights of the tour since you last saw each other, and recounted all the ways in which his brothers had almost ruined the surprise he had planned for you this evening. You sat across from him, sipping on a glass of wine despite having drunk a whole bottle earlier in the evening. You didn't know if it was the alcohol or the dim lighting in the restaurant, but Sam had never looked better. 

“Love?” Sam said, breaking you from your thoughts. You looked at him expectantly. “You were staring at me pretty hard there,” he said, chuckling “Anything you want to share?”

“Nope” you replied, swallowing the remainder of your wine with a gulp. You peeked at him over the top of your glass as you did, giving him your best bedroom eyes. Sam shifted in his seat, noticing your expression.

You extended one leg under the table, running your foot along the inside of his leg. You reached experimentally higher, up the inside of his thigh, stopping just before the bulge in his tight pants. You watched his expression across the table darken. He leaned over and whispered in a voice only you could hear,

“You think you’re in charge? Just wait until we get home.”

You swallowed thickly, beginning to imagine what awaited you after dinner. You could already feel a wetness pooling in your panties. Under the table, Sammy took hold of your ankle, removing it from his lap, but not before running his fingers up your leg causing you to whimper.

“Sam!” you hissed. “We're in public!”

“Funny,” he said “That didn't seem to bother you when I was the one being teased.”

You struggled through the rest of dinner, keeping your thighs clenched together hoping to relieve some of the ache between your legs. Sam watched you with a knowing smirk, being sure to play with his rings when he knew you were looking. He knew that drove you wild.

So, when the waiter came around and asked if you were interested in any desserts you took the chance to tease him back. As badly as you wanted to go home and let him rail you, you thought he deserved to feel just as worked up as you were. You ordered a brownie topped with ice cream. You made a show of it, making eye contact as you seductively wrapped your tongue around the spoon. Sam glowered at you across the table growing impatient. As soon as you were done Sam stood from the table, hastily throwing down more than enough cash to cover the bill.

“Let’s go” he practically growled, his voice low.

On the car ride back to your apartment Sam placed his hand firmly on your thigh, fingers ghosting over your core through the thin fabric of your tights. When you attempted to buck your hips up against his hand, desperate for more pressure, he pulled away. Unable to control your movements, and wanting to get a reaction out of Sam as well, you slipped your own hand under the waistband of your tights. You spread your legs, putting your feet up on the dash, and catching Sam’s attention. You began circling your clit, your cheeks becoming pink as your breathing faltered. Sam looked at you with lust in his eyes, quickly pressing a hand to his growing erection. 

“I didn’t say you could touch yourself” He said, pulling into your apartment complex.

“Then make me stop” You replied, your fingers still working you towards orgasm.

Sam's hand shot out to your wrist, stopping your movements. You whined at the loss of sensation.

“You’re such a little slut. Can’t believe I thought I could take you out for a nice dinner. Teasing me all night. The things I’m going to do to you.”

The two of you raced upstairs at record speed, barely making it through the door before Sam had you pinned up against the wall. He brought his knee between your legs, spreading them apart as he kissed down your neck. He nipped and sucked at the sensitive skin in a way you knew was sure to leave a mark. You ground yourself down onto his thigh, still pressed in between your legs, causing you to let out a moan. Sam reacted to the sound, quickly pulling up your dress, exposing the waistband of your tights in full. He pulled your tights down aggressively, ripping them in the process. He grunted out a “sorry” before kneeling in front of you. 

“Look at you, still wearing the underwear just like I asked.” He said, licking a stripe down the center of your most sensitive area though the thin fabric of your lace panties. You moaned in pleasure throwing your head back against the wall.

“It's really too bad you couldn’t behave yourself at dinner.” he continued, pulling your underwear aside and shoving two fingers deep inside you without warning causing you to cry out in a mix of shock and satisfaction. 

He moved his fingers in and out of you at a tantalizingly slow pace, using his mouth to work at your clit, swirling his tongue against the swollen bundle of nerves. Your fingers found their way into his hair, tugging at the roots lightly. As if this spurred him on, he quickened the rhythm of his fingers causing your legs to shake beneath you. 

“Sammy, please, I’m-I’m so close”

At your words he pulled his fingers out of you, licking them clean. You stared down at him in disbelief.

“Good girls get to cum.” He said, giving you a little shrug. “Show me how good you can be.”

You knew what he wanted, dropping to your knees in front of him. You undid his jeans, slipping your fingers underneath the waistband of his boxers and tugging both garments down in one motion. His cock sprung free, already glistening with precum. You took him in your hand pumping up and down a few times before licking a stripe up the shaft, eventually circling your tongue around the sensitive tip. You took him in fully, then, setting an even rhythm. You had to use your mouth and hand in tandem to accommodate for his large size. Sam’s hands settled at the back of your head, holding you in place as he took control of the pace, fucking into your mouth. He hit the back of your throat, causing tears to well in the corners of your eyes and triggering your gag reflex. Sam pulled himself out of your mouth to allow you to recover, praising you.

“You're being such a good girl for me now. You take it so well, nobody does it like you, love.”

He gestured for you to stand leading you towards the bedroom. He pushed you down onto the bed, pulling your dress and top over your head. He was careful not to tug at your new necklace, still dangling delicately over your chest. Sam stared down at your now exposed bare breasts, you had opted not to wear a bra tonight. You reached up to him, unbuttoning his shirt as he kissed you hungrily, swiping his tongue along your bottom lip. You allowed his tongue entrance parting your lips and letting out a moan into his mouth. Sam broke the kiss as he pulled his shirt off his shoulders, leaning over you to take your breast into his mouth. He ran his tongue over your nipple, feeling it harden. With his hand, he massaged your other breast, giving them equal attention. Your back arched beneath you, unable to keep still at the varied mix of sensations. 

“Sammy, please, fuck me.” Your voice came out weak and desperate, but you suppose that's because you were. 

Sam obliged your request, hooking his fingers under your panties and pulling them down, pressing a kiss to your ankle and he tossed them aside. He lined himself up at your entrance, running himself through your slick a few times before pushing into you. You both gasped as he filled you up, your nails digging into his back as he began pumping in and out of you. Your hand snaked down your body, reaching out to circle your clit while he was inside of you. You were approaching your orgasm quickly and you could already feel your walls beginning to clench around him. 

“C’mon love, you’ve been good. Cum for me. Show me how good I make you feel” Sam said, snapping his hips against yours at a borderline unbearable pace.

Your orgasm came on strong, your legs going limp as you let out a string of curses. Sam continued drilling into you, still chasing his own high, giving you little time to recover. His orgasm soon followed, you felt his warm release coat your walls as his long hair fell against your face.

“Fuck love, I’ve been waiting for this for weeks” 

“Me too, I’m glad you came to surprise me” 

Sam pulled out of you, ducking into the bathroom and returning with a towel to clean you up.

You smiled as he crawled back into bed next to you, pulling your head against his chest. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day babe” You say, content, pressed up against Sam. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” he replied, running his fingers gently through your hair “You know, my necklace looks pretty good hanging from your neck with nothing else on”

You feigned shock, placing your hand over your heart.

“My goodness! And you accused me of being a slut?You dirty boy!”

This sent the two of you into a fit of laughter, quite a far turn from how you expected your evening to go, but you couldn’t be any happier with Sam by your side. 

[siflshonen]

What type of music do you think bkdk listen too I want to project onto Deku and say jazz cause it what I listen to but it probably anime soundtrack that edits all might and bkg I know people like saying rock but I think he listens to rap cause of the art hori did of him beatboxing

Huh! That's a fun question. I think it's probably a variety. But given their background and the sorta-meta conversation happening around how much US influence both boys experience and like in their daily lives, this is what I think they'd trend towards. It's funny you mention jazz, because there's a lot of history behind the Japanese jazz scene and music scene in general in response to westernization.

I've never really thought about it in seriousness, just like a passing joke, so here's what's coming to me off the top of my head.

Deku: modern pop, J-rock, anything in an action movie soundtrack and almost anything that has been touched by westernization into the main stream. Somehow, besides themes commonly used for his favorite heroes or in All Might cartoons and shows, I'm not sure how deeply he might think about music on its own instead of just like a casual consumer saying, "oh! I like this!" but if Heroes put out CDs, I'm sure he has them all because it coincides with his other, more obvious obsession. I can see him listening to a lot of different stuff, though.

Given Izuku's admiration for the "very aggressive" and western-like Katsuki, he probably has a collection of very intense and anti-authoritarian rap and heavy rock mixed within all the more general mainstream stuff, too.

Bakugo: I think Katsuki likely has a surprisingly varied library, too, but with a more noticeable trend towards blatantly US or the UK's bands and more of a penchant for heavier rock, metal, and rap than Izuku does overall. Stuff with the rhythm section very prominent rather than just plain "loud" music only. Whatever it is, it is likely more contemporary stuff with a few surprise tracks thrown in. However, I have a gut instinct to say that, of the two of them, I could see him having a fondness for jazz before Izuku, or at least a more noticeable one. I have nothing with which to justify this except a gut feeling.

And, again, to mirror what I said about Izuku's taste probably dipping into edgier territory as a flip to the "expected standard", I think Katsuki probably has the cultural equivalent of, like, what I like to call "sad girl music" - some Taylor Swift, Mitski (actually, yeah, for post DVK2-Katsuki, there's probably a lot of Mitski in there if he ever discovered it considering the topics of many of her songs), and stuff like that - on his playlists.

[beauty-and-passion]

What Eurovision 2021 taught us

1. That a nice, enjoyable show was possible (even if 4 presenters are still too much)

Of course nothing can beat Love Love Peace Peace (even if Ja Ja Ding Dong does its best), but this year's intermissions were very enjoyable.

We expected something flashy and over the top because hey, The Netherlands. Sex, drugs, gays and all that jazz.

But instead Covid surprised us. And then The Netherlands surprised us even more, by making a very enjoyable show, despite the restrictions. My personal favourites were:

The water intermission of the first semi-final. I loved the mixed feelings, how water is both scary and respected, for being such a powerful, unstoppable force.

The rooftop concerts during the final. Social distancing? Sure, no problem, let's make the past winners sing on top of some roofs all over Rotterdam. That was pure genius, I loved it so much.

On the other hand, the presenters were basically all useless. We could've had just two of them instead of four. But hey, at least they weren't as cringy as the three scary ukranians from 2017 or the useless four ladies from Portugal. The true highlights of the show were the intermissions, the guests and especially the songs themselves and this is perfectly good for me.

________________________

2. That we can live in a world without boring ass ballads

I’ve never been so proud of the Eurovision public, especially during the second semifinal: that evening was PACKED with ballads. Boring ballad after boring ballad, with just a couple more funny songs in between.

The ballads were all left behind. Even the two Amen. And I love the irony we chose El Diablo and the finnish band for the final, but no Amen. No saints allowed, only the norwegian angel. As it always should be.

And so we had the best final I've seen since I started following Eurovision in 2014. Catchy songs, dance songs, upbeat songs. And power ballads. Yes, ballads can still have a place, but only if they're good.

Because yes, Switzerland and France were good. Very good. Just not as good as the ones the public wanted.

________________________

3. That we want Eurovision, not Englishvision

Every year, the same message blasts from all Europeans: send a song in your native language. This show is supposed to make other people from Europe (and the rest of the world) to know more about your own country, to enjoy its rhythm and to listen to something we don't usually hear. So why waste this huge opportunity, to bring a generic song in English?

Because the English song wins. Because we all understand English, so English has more chances.

Flash news: GUESS WHO WON THIS YEAR. No, it’s not the generic English song.

The public has been crystal clear, the final poll is even clearer: the top five includes an italian song, an ukraine song, two french songs and only one english song. We want different styles��and rhythms, we want to listen to Europe.

So I want to give my full thank you to:

Albania: amazing song, great voice, wonderful language. Do it again.

Serbia: these ladies are fantastic, their song is great and they sang it in their language so I love them

Switzerland: thank you for leaving English to the side to give us some good french

Spain: the song wasn't as good as Universo, but it was in sexy spanish, so thank you for using it almost every year

Danemark: the song was terrible, but it was in your language and this alone deserves everything

France: I know we all make fun of you for being France, but your language is perfect for songs, so thank you for always using it

Ukraine: take note, Ukraine, because Europe is madly in love with your language and your rhythm

Italy: our language is beautiful, so thank you for delivering every year

While my biggest biases go to:

Greece: a generic pop song with no balkan rhythm and no greek either? An absolute shame, greek should always be used for songs.

Russia: russian language is very melodious and yes, we got something this year, but what about bringing a full russian song? We want it!

Germany: I may sound crazy, but I honestly think german language is good for songs. It's not like the mediterranean languages, but it still works. So please, do not be scared and show what you can do with it!

Scandinavian countries: why do you never want to bring your own language? Do it, don't be scared! Yes, Sweden, I'm talking with you: you still never tried to bring something in swedish, so do it.

________________________

4. That we don't want Americans to play with us

For reasons we still have to understand, Flo Rida was competing this year. And he was competing for San Marino, the smallest European country.

I'm pretty sure they took some time to explain to him what was going on, where he was, where San Marino is, wtf was happening, why there were sexy italians and ukranian witches and a norwegian angel and loads of beautiful women everywhere.

And I loved how we all send memes about this, about ahahah why is Flo Rida here, what if San Marino wins where would they host Eurovision, all while enjoying an actual catchy song.

And then, in the end, Flo Rida basically disappeared. Who remembers Flo Rida, when we got Ukraine, Italy, Finland, Iceland, and the UK? And Germany being wholesome? And the love story between Norway and Azerbaijan? We collectively forgot about him and I think it's very sexy from Europe to just say "nope" and push America away, even if for just one week.

And this isn't the first time: we basically showed Madonna in a corner in 2019, thanks to Mans, Eleni, Verka and Conchita. Once again, Europeans knows what they want: we don't want Americans. Australia can because they're like that little brother we took under our wing for no reason and now it's part of us. But not Americans.

The rest of the year is all yours, but one week is ours.

________________________

5. That we can lose like bosses

This year, the voting results have been absolutely insane and FOUR COUNTRIES got zero points from the public, while the UK got both zero points from the public AND the jury.

Don't get me wrong, the song was bad. And yes, Brexit played a role in this. And yes, hating England is Europe’s favourite sport.

But can we please all take a moment and appreciate how James Newman reacted? The public gave him a round of applause and he celebrated this achievement like a boss.

And he had all the reasons! He achieved something incredible, he unlocked something that this new voting system was supposed to never lead to. But he did it. So hats off to you, my boy: My Last Breath was better.

Germany is also used to the bottom of the chart, but this year I really thought Jendrik could have a chance to achieve a higher position. The song was funny, carefree, lively, the hand costume was the kind of trash we need and the message was nice as well. But he still got 3 points.

Despite that, Jendrik celebrated like a maniac and seeing his this happy made me happy as well. I really wish him the best.

________________________

6. That FUCK YOU JURY

Again, same message every year: the jury vote should be eliminated. It's a fucking farce and their votes have nothing to do with what the public want.

The jury focuses on the voices, except when they don't, and clearly giving points to your neighbours is because you like the song, not because they're your neighbours.

I usually make fun of Greece and Cyprus showing eternal love to each other, by giving 12 points to each other every year, but this time, it sounded even more stupid than usual. It really looked like a farce. Why should we see this farce? Why can't we just choose what the public wants? So at least we would blame ourselves for our shitty musical tastes.

Even if I'm pretty sure we all have great musical tastes. Let's not forget that in 2019 the public's winner was Norway, with a song that mixed english, a catchy rhythm and an amazing part in yoik language. Arcade is good as well, but we cannot deny the norwegian entry was a lot more interesting.

And this year, the public's taste was flawless:

Look at this beauty: italian glam rock, ukranian techno folk, french powerful ballad, finnish hard rock and whatever that thing was with Iceland.

There's variety, there's everything for everyone. And there are native languages. Italian, Ukranian, and French on top three, followed by English.

Moral of the story: the public is great and the jury should be abolished forever.

________________________

7. That Ukranian technofolk is all we needed in our lives

I didn’t see enough love for Go_A, so as italian, I think it's my sworn duty to give my appreciation to them and their amazing entry, because this band is awesome and Shum is currently on top of the Spotify top 50 - as it should be, because everyone should listen to it and join this slavic rave party.

I already liked their entry for 2020, Solovey. But I also liked My Last Breath from the UK and Universo from Spain. And this year they brought two of the worst songs. So I was very wary of Go_A.

But Shum is an absolute blast. Katerina Pavlenko's voice is unique and the song is even more, because based on ukranian folklore and traditional dances to summon the spirit of spring. They managed to teach something to all Europe in a three minute song and I think that’s incredibly sexy of them.

And so, I searched for other songs and OMG, I don’t know how it’s possible, but they are all great. Rano-Ranenko, Zhalmenina, Tanula, they all are perfect and I’m in love with this band.

And if all of this is not enough, THEY DID A COVER OF DANCING LASHA TUMBAI. The most iconic Eurovision song, sang by our god Verka. And this is the coolest, most badass cover ever in the whole universe. Please listen to it HERE everyone needs to hear this.

So thank you, Ukraine, for giving us Go_A. We all had a small empty place in our hearts and this place has ben perfectly filled by them.

And yif you think you don’t need ukranian technofolk, is only because you still haven’t listened to it. Please listen and enjoy Shum. You’re welcome.

________________________

8. That rock and roll never dies (and Italy’s well deserved victory)

The last time Italy won was in 19-fucking-90. 31 years ago. I was just born.

And now, they finally won again. And what a song! Despite being italian, I've never listened to Maneskin before, but oh damn, this song is good. Not all their songs are, but this one is. And also Morirò da re.

Their show was perfect as well. This post is really eye-opening about how well they put on their show. The use of the stage, the movements, everything has been part of a great performance, even their clothes. Damiano's voice never faltered, despite having an entire continent watching him. They handled the stage like bosses, despite being only in their twenties. And they gave us some good fucking rock.

And so the public said a loud "FUCK YOU" to the jury and chose its winners. The sassy, sexy italians.

And yes, I know that there has been a lot of petty polemics because those youngsters are having drugs!1!! as if they were a bunch of idiots who used drugs on international TV, with their manager sitting next to them.

Of course it was a pointless accusation and honestly I don't care if some people are sore losers. The drug results were negative anyway, what a shocker.

What we should truly think about is how strong the Maneskin's bladders are, because they spent the whole evening of the final drinking the entire alcohol supply of the Eurovision and, at the end, they were still happy and cool. Hats off to you, you sexy people.

This man is just iconic, why did I miss him before.

Also, have some more Maneskin. You know, as a treat.

________________________

9. That solidarity and wholesomeness are the biggest winners

It's just beautiful to see these nice people, from all over Europe, bonding, having fun, taking photos together and being friends.

The true winner of this, is probably Norway: Tix wanted to have a good time and he had a good time. The video of him vibing with Ukraine and Germany while listening Hard Rock Hallelujah is the best (HERE). His love story with Efendi from Azerbaijan is even better (please, check the video on his youtube channel, it's hilarious). I don't like his song, but he's a great guy and deserves everything.

The italian and finnish rock relationship is also great. Maneskin and Dark Sides found each other, considering they were the only two rock bands in the competition, so mutual appreciation was inevitable.

But Damiano is also a man of culture and he appreciates Ukraine's entry. And Ukraine appreciates both Finland and Italy. Is this what world peace looks like? Because I love it.

________________________

10. That Italians will be Europe's clowns again (and you're all allowed to make fun of us)

Beware, Europe: we Italians are messy and chaotic, our presenters don’t know a single word in English, we are homoerotic AND homophobic at the same time, our musical competitions are so fucking sloooow... let’s say next year’s Eurovision is going to be interesting.

And yes, you’re allowed to make fun of us. We don’t care, we won, so we deserve to be Europe’s clowns once again.

And I don’t know who the presenters will be (my bets are on everyone’s favourites: Fiorello, Amadeus and Malgioglio), I don’t know how we will ridicule ourselves once again, I don’t know where will we find the money to put on the show, I don’t know how ungodly long it will be... but I know that Mans Zelmerlow will be part of it. This man loves Eurovision just like all of us, so I can already see him packing his suitcase and planning his flight to Italy. Come to us, Mans, we will wait for you. We actually need an English presenter, so if you have nothing else to do...

[yungbludy]

the hills have eyes

plot ↬ being attracted to one overwhelming person known as yungblud is alresdy too much for you. adding mgk in the mix is even worse.

warnings ↬ there’s tension here yes yes, smut!! threesome!! fingering & handjobs, writing colson is so fun i didn’t realize how hot he was lol 😳, hint at something going on between colson & dom, dom & reader like each other, maybe a pt 2?

a/n ↬ i know y’all have been wanting this for the LONGEST, and it’s easily my most requested fic. enjoy it!

When you left college with a degree in music production, you never would’ve expected to land in the studio of Yungblud, a young but upcoming artist with his own charm to set him apart from the rest. He was easily the most hyperactive artist you’ve worked with, someone with a truly pure heart that cared deeply for his music and his fans. It was a breath of fresh air, because out of all the artists you’ve worked with—big and small, you don’t think you’ve ever come across someone so genuine.

It was almost fate how you went from being in the studio with him every other week to nearly every day. He loved your presence; you made him see things differently, made him hear things he had never heard before. You made him feel smarter, more experienced.

A friendship blossomed. It was nice, because you didn’t have that many friends when you left college. Dominic introduced you to other people too, such as his band mate Adam, and they adored you. You were the calm before the storm of Dominic in their eyes. You balanced each other out, like some rock n’ roll version of a Yin and Yang.

Before you would hang out in groups. You, Dominic, and maybe a few other friends attending concerts or going to a restaurant together. You liked it—these people knew you and liked you, and you felt like you had a place.

You didn’t know when the... shift started. When it started becoming just you, and Dominic. When he texted you if you wanted to hang out at his place, (not a date or anything, just hanging out lol 🖤). When you still saw your friends, but you were seeing Dominic’s face more and more.

But you knew as soon as that started happening, that the feelings you had for Dominic—as a friend and as a partner, started becoming way too deep way too fast.

And honestly? It scared you. Your last relationship was in college and that didn’t go so well because you both had different outlooks on how you wanted to continue your life. You weren’t ever a relationship type of person and barely found yourself developing fucking crushes on people.

But you were crushing on Dominic. Hard.

As cliche as it sounds, being around him gave you literal butterflies. Seeing texts from him made you smile, and when his arms wrapped around you and he looked at you with all his teeth out, his eyes clenched shut—God. You were falling, and you were falling hard.

That was, until, Colson came into the mix.

You liked some of his music. You weren’t a big fan of “MGK”, and only really knew about him because of the whole beef he had with Eminem. You remembered that one song—fucking Wild Boy, being played in a few clubs and parties during college, but you didn’t have any liking towards him.

But... wow. He and Dominic together were a force to be reckoned with.

Colson was a good person. A loving father and a talented individual—not to mention he was also fucking hilarious too. Having him around in the studio guaranteed no bad days, because he could also make you feel better with a corny joke or a funny assortment of curse words.

You liked him, over time. Not to mention he was drop dead gorgeous, tall and tatted and pierced and just... fuck. It would be a lie if you said you weren’t intimidated by his presence.

But in reality, he was a sweetheart. A gentleman.

So why did you start feeling butterflies for him too?

Having a crush on two people just seemed so out of this world to you that you didn’t even understand it. It made no sense. You and Dominic had known each other longer, and you weren’t dumb—you knew he liked you back. But with Colson.. you didn’t know if those butterflies were in your stomach, or if they were somewhere were they definitely, definitely shouldn’t fucking be.

You were good at controlling yourself when it came to these two. It had been a few weeks since you’ve met Colson and two months since you met Dominic. They were working on music together—a song, that they didn’t know what to title yet, and you were right there, helping them with everything.

This also meant that they were together. All. Of. The. Time.

Having two extremely attractive men, men that you were also extremely attracted too together all the time was going to be very bad for your health. But all three of you had a main goal at the end of the day, and that was to make a song together. They wanted to make a song that pertained to them, that took both of their struggles and related them to each other. Being Dominic’s right-hand-man at this point, you were more than happy to oblige in helping.

But you just didn’t know what you were getting yourself into.

“Maybe some shit that’s like, kinda emo, kinda not?”

“Kells, man... you need to /make/ that make sense.”

You can’t help the laugh that leaves you, smiling when both of their heads turn towards you.

“Y’all are just cute when you bicker.”

“Y/NNNNN,” Colson whines a little, his arms stretching to drape over your body. God, he has so many tattoos that you couldn’t possibly count them on your two hands and feet. “Help us. I’ve never been this stuck on a song.”

“Well, a mix of punk and rap, right?” You asked, humming as you scoot up to your monitor, going through a list of sample beats you always stored when songs were being made.

“That sounds ‘bout right,” Dominic spoke, both of his elbows being placed on his knees as he looked up at you. “Think that’s a perfect mix of us two, yeah?”

You picked out some beats—layering some, taking some away. While this process could be therapeutic to you, it could be also quite annoying, and it would’ve been if it wasn’t for the two grown men looming over your shoulder.

“What about this one,” you almost jumped as you heard Colson right near your ear, his voice powered into a whisper. He reached over you, his skin brushing against yours and you had to force yourself to look at the screen. Jesus Christ, you really needed to get laid. “How’s that?”

“‘ts good. I like it fo’ now!” Dominic joked, and a laugh rumbled in you stomach. “If we don’t like it, we could always change it tomoro or somethin’.”

“Okay, well, beats settled... now we need some lyrics.” you spoke, backing up a little—you would’ve backed up farther if Colson’s arm wasn’t on the back of your chair. “Got any?”

Silence. You rolled your eyes—you had told them days prior to come with lyrics. Nothing had to rhyme, but something to make an idea off of.

“Too busy clubbing to write lyrics-great.” you huffed, shaking your head as you stood to leave, but two hands reached out to stop you.

“Sorryyy, that’s our fault, really.” Colson spoke, locking eyes with you when you turned to look at the both of them. “Let’s make some together, yeah? All three of us motherfuckers. You know we couldn’t make up good lyrics without you anyway.”

You caved. Goddammit, he was so good at charming you and so good at fucking /flirting/. You found yourself sitting back down with a notebook out in just a few minutes of playful begging from the two of them.

“Since I watched The Hills Have Eyes for the first time yesterday with you two wankstains, I think that should be incorporated into here~” Dominic giggled, scribbling down the title of the infamous horror movie on a piece of notebook paper. “Where did all that shit happen, by the way? New York, Cali, Las Ve-“

“No, dipshit, Nevada. Did you watch the movie at all?” Colson huffed, reaching over to flick Dominic in the center of his forehead, in which the British male playfully bit down on Colson’s finger. The blonde grinned, and your eyebrows furrowed. What the hell?

“Nevada’s by Cali so we’re using California.” Dominic shrugged, scribbling more words down. “How’s... I wunna hide in the hills of California—but these hills have eyes, and I have paranoia?”

It took you a minute but you eventually nodded at it. “If we revise it a little bit then—yeah, that could work!”

“Awesome! Maybe you should get on your shit, Kells.” Dominic teased him, pink tongue pointing out at Colson, and your lips twitched.

“Fuck off.” Colson continued that grin—that little smirk, like they both knew something you didn’t. The day dragged on—more lyrics, more laughing, more inside jokes. By the time the session ended you were exhausted, your head kinda hurt, and you wanted nothing more than to head home and sleep, but Dominic stopped you before you left completely.

“Are you alright?” he asked, your hand in his as he looked at you with slight worry. His hair was pushed back, so he looked just too adorable with his forehead out and crinkled. He was worried. Worried about you, and that made your heart flutter.

“I think I’m good, just a little tired,” you offered a reassuring smile, lifting your bag up to your shoulder. “Why?”

“You seemed a little out of it,” he remarked, keeping your hand in his as he started to walk next to you. This was normal—Dominic walking you out to your car, then watching you drive to your apartment after he gave you a kiss goodbye, of course; some of them were on your forehead, some cheeks, and most recently, he’s teasingly brushed his lips against yours, only to see you blush and frantically push him away. “Just making sure you’re alright.”

“I’ll be okay, Dom,” you snicker, but you just love the fact that he can see through you. See when you’re uncomfortable or feel weird. “Thanks, though.”

“Of course darlin’,” his voice has dropped in volume and when you look at him, his eyes are boring into yours. You blink. “Drive home safe, yeah?!”

Both of his hands grab your face, squishing your cheeks—and you sputter a laugh as he kisses all over your face. Covering your forehead, your nose, your cheeks—and finally resting at your lips.

It’s like time has stopped. You smile, feeling warm—his hands haven’t left your face and you can feel his warm breath against your mouth. He leans in closer, and you feel that familiar thrum in your chest, his lips brushing against yours one, two, three times, before he only pecks you and pulls away.

You don’t even remember closing your eyes, but when they open, he’s walking back into the building, leaving you feeling lost.

To make it up for you for yesterday, the dynamic duo wanted to spend the entire day getting a good portion of the song done. This meant you had to wake up at nine am to be at the studio, something you were definitely not looking forward to, but you couldn’t complain about it. You three had a pretty good work ethnic, so you knew once you would get there, time would probably fly by.

You came to the studio in some fuzzy Hello Kitty pajama pants and a long sleeved shirt, not bothering to dress up too much since you would possibly be here all day. You didn’t look your best, but by the way Dominic’s eyes scanned you when you walked into the studio, you doubted he really cared.

“Well hello kitty-kat,” you heard Colson’s amused tone from the small couch by the door behind you, his body approaching yours to walk past you. His hand slipped over your waist, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. “Doesn’t Y/N just look the absolute cutest.”

“Shut up, asshole.” You grumbled, your cheeks hot as you ditched your slippers and made your way to your seat. You stretched, hearing some bones crack in your back, a tired yawn leaving your lips before returning to your sitting position and opening up your notebook. “So. Where are we starting today?”

When you looked up, both of them looked a little dazed—but the expressions disappeared in just a few seconds. That was weird.

“Welllll, I think I’ve got a title,” Dominic grinned cheekily, standing up with his hands clasped. “I liked what ya said yesterday... I think I’m good. That sounds pretty—American, doesn’t it?”

“Eh...” you started, but quickly took it back when Dominic’s face fell almost comically. “No! It’s not bad, but, I don’t know... how about another word, other than good?”

“Fine?” Dominic asked, looking at you with a smirk. Confusion racked through you.

“Okay,” Colson spoke up, reading over the page of lyrics with narrowed, concentrated eyes. “I think I’m okay.”

You contemplated it. It reminded you of My Chemical Romance, but there wasn’t anything wrong with that... their fans would probably like that, too.”

“I think I’m okay. Yeah, I like that.” you smiled, moving to your monitor to title the beats you already had. I Think I’m Okay.

“Perfect.” you beamed. “Now let’s get to work.”

The day went by pretty smoothly. Dominic and Colson worked better than you thought, and in your opinion, you were the icing to their cake. Being a producer meant you were there to perfect things—add something to make them sound just a tad bit better, to make the song flow just a little smoother. Perfecting the beats was something you absolutely adored to do, especially when you felt them both staring at the side of your face as you did it.

They admired you. And that sent shivers down your spine.

“Jesus fuck, ‘m hungry.” you grumbled. The clock above your head read two pm, meaning you had been here for six hours total. It wouldn’t have seemed like that if your stomach wasn’t grumbling like crazy.

“We can tell.” Colson joked, his fingers poking at your tummy. “Kitty’s talking to us.”

You knew it didn’t mean to be an innuendo, but you took it that way, and you’re sure Dominic probably did too with the expression that crossed his face.

“I’ll order some pizza.” Dominic sung out, British accent flowing through the air as he stood to grab his phone and leave. You had been alone with Colson once before, but that was before you recognized your attraction towards the male. Now, you were very, very aware of the fact.

“Cmon kitty, you’ve been sitting in that chair for hours and I know that ass hurts,” Colson smirked knowingly, grabbing your hands to lift you out of your seat. “Lemme help you stretch~”

“I don’t need help, you damn skyscraper.” You said stubbornly, but Colson paid no mind to you, grabbing both of your arms and lifting them above your head. It did make you feel much better, and you would’ve stayed in the position if his long fingers didn’t suddenly dig in your sides and under your armpit.

“I-get off of me!” you laughed loudly, squirming in his tight hold as he squeezed you even closer to his body. You could feel his chest press against your back, but you weren’t focused on it, just how much you were laughing from his antics.

“Hell nah! I’ve barely seen you laugh today, kitty~” he purred into your ear, and your thighs clenched. “Keep on fighting, nothing will happen babe.”

“Fuck you!” you shouted, successfully finding your way out of his grasp, but that didn’t stop him at all. He grabbed you again and while he did so, you were moving backwards—eventually landing you both on the small couch in the room. You wiggled your arms through his grip, letting your fingers dig into his sides in a similar manner—and your smile hurt with how loud he started laughing afterwards. You were sure after the short five minutes the tickle attack took that you were all over the place, and so was he—panting on top of you with both arms over your body.

“You’re an asshole.” you murmured against his shoulder, since his body was draped over yours. You wished it would’ve stayed that way, because he lifted himself, and you turned into jelly with how he looked at you—and that stupid fucking grin that spread across his face.

“Got you to laugh, didn’t I?” he asked, rolling off of you. The warmth that left your body—from your stomach, ribs, and a few inches below your bra, told you that the tickle fight was much, much more than that.

A month had passed since that day. It was more then enough time for more tension filled encounters—more of Colson’s hands on you, more of Dominic’s teasing kisses. It had gotten so bad that you needed to excuse yourself in the middle of a session to calm yourself down in the bathroom, because holy hell. Those boys were a lot—and the fact you had the audacity to think about taking both of them at once. You literally could never.

The song wasn’t that hard to make. With a few more helping hands, plus your expertise and their work as well, it was nearly done. Final vocals just needed to be recorded and some cleans up—and then, I Think I’m Okay would be released to the world.

This Friday would be a night that all three of you would go out clubbing, but you decided to visit the studio to listen to the rough draft the two had recorded previously. You were in matching all black outfits which definitely wasn’t planned. The dress you were wearing was a bit out of your comfort zone, but you decided—why not? You wouldn’t be the only girl there and you knew you looked decent, at least.

“Wow,” you murmur, a little speechless as the rough vocals of I Think I’m Okay fill the studio at full volume. The lights are off because it’s dark, so the only source of light in the room is your monitor. “Wow. We fucked this up.”

“What?!” Dominic shouted, eyes wide. You laughed.

“Not in that way! I mean, we fucked this, in a really good way.” you said, excited, bouncing a little in your seat. “Fuuuck, can’t wait to release this shit.”

Colson’s hand is hot and heavy when you feel it against your thigh, playing with the hem of your dress. “Couldn’t do it without you, kitty.”

You swallow. No, not tonight. You were going to have fun tonight. Not be in a state of sexual frustration because of these two.

“Right,” Dominic hummed, and you freeze when his arm wraps around your waist, his chin on your shoulder. “Y/N, I never really thank ya properly for all you do for me, do I?”

“Huh? Of course you do.” you tell him, but you’re a bit distracted by Colson’s wandering hand. It shifts, moving to the inside of your thigh, rubbing softly at your skin. His thumb is close, too close to your pussy, but you don’t push his hand away, because you don’t want to.

You like it. You want his hand to come closer, just a little closer—

“I don’t,” Dominic whispers, those thick lips brushing against your ear, and you almost jump out of your skin. “I should.”

“Dom...” you whisper nervously, eyes widening when his hand slides to the middle of your back and up your spine, fingers locking at the zipper. The slide of your dress being unzipped goes along perfectly o the tempo of the song, and so does Colson’s molding of your thigh, his hand eventually finding way because your closed legs, pressing right up against your underwear.

“Think the kitty wants me,” Colson sighs huskily, and your jaw drops. Holy fuck. “Am I wrong?”

“Is he?” Dominic presses when you don’t answer, his hand somehow making its way inside your dress, finding its way to your sleeves and yanking them down. Oh, fuck. “Ya want us both, don’t ya darlin’?”

“Oh my god.” is all you can whisper, earning chuckles from both of the men who play so deviously with your body. Colson finds your clit with no help at all, pressing against the little bud, right as Dominic takes both of your breasts out of your bra and palms them hungrily. Two sets of hands touching you makes your head roll back, and you can only comply as one of Colson’s hands presses against your left thigh, spreading your legs open.

“Put your legs on the desk for me, pretty,” he whispers and you do so, heels still on your feet. “Mm, yeah, that’s good—damn, look at you. So fucking hot.”

To your surprise, it seems like Colson is doing most of the talking, since Dominic’s mouth finds itself on one your perked nipples. He sucks it into his mouth, making it all pert and wet and your toes curl against the velvet surface of your shoe.

“When I had you on that couch, I wanted to ram the shit out of you, even if you were wearing those stupid ass pants,” Colson tells you, slipping your panties to the side and dragging his fingers up your slit. You’re almost embarrassed from how wet you sound. “Had to remember the British cunt has a little crush on you, though. Didn’t wanna break his heart.”

“Fuck off, ya asshole.” Dominic’s mouth leaves your breast, cheeks red at the fact that he was just exposed like that. “I was gonna tell her that my fookin self!”

“You’re telling me she didn’t know?” Colson chuckled, one of his hands grabbing your chin to roll your head towards him. “Did you?”

“Mmf—I-I knew,” you murmured helplessly, your back aching as two long, thin fingers push inside of you, spreading themselves. “Always knew.”

“But I like you too, kitty, maybe like you even more than him,” Colson smirks, his mouth pressing against yours, and you bite down on his lip when Dominic bites down against your nipple. “Now we’re both gonna make our girl cum.”

Our girl.

You could cum from those words alone.

Colson’s fingers work magic inside of you, pressing further until you feel lightheaded, then easing themselves out and repeating the process. Dominic’s fingers find your clit, rubbing it quicker then the pink vibrator you used before even getting dressed. Your hands are against both of their thighs as your body grinds down against them, both of their mouths meeting yours at different times, kissing you or letting you moan out against their mouths. I Think I’m Okay plays over and over again with no one to stop it, hiding your loud sounds.

You’re close. So, so close, but you don’t want to cum without giving them some type of pleasure—so, to the best of your ability, you start to unzip their pants, bulges very angry underneath the fabric.

“Ooh, fook yeah,” Dominic whispers, taking his jeans off quickly and wrapping your hand around his cock, going cross eyed at the feeling. “Yeah, jerk my fuckin cock.”

Colson isn’t too far behind in revealing himself. You try to stroke them both, but you’re so overwhelmed that sometimes your pace quickens on one and slows on the other. Their bodies are pressed as tightly as they can be against yours, and sometimes wet fingers find their way against your neck, or grabbing at your chests—with wide open mouths against your face.

“I-I think I’m gonna cum,” your pant out, your hips rolling in circles and your grip on their cocks growing even tighter, causing them to make their own sounds of delight. “So close-“

“Cum, kitty kitty,” Colson tells you, his lips wrapping around your earlobe. “Soak this fucking chair, pretty.”

And that’s exactly what you do.

Dominic busts right after you, feeling your clit spasm against his fingers was enough to send him over the edge. Colson isn’t too far behind, getting extra leverage because of both of your cum covered hands jerking him off until he shoots his seed out as far as it can go. It’s a heavenly sight, and for the first time you hear him whimper—a sound that’ll be engraved in your mind for days.

You three sit there, panting, covered in sweat and cum. You lick your lips, your hearing picking up the two shifting to clean you up and dress you, much to your confusion.

“What? You think you were gonna cum once tonight and that would be it?” Colson chuckled, already helping you out of your chair.

“Just wait till we get to this club,” Dominic continues, his hand tightly groping your ass. “You’re gonna have the night of your fucking life.”

And you’re certain that you will.

[thesmokingguns]

Waiting Game

Word count: 1890

Request Summary:“The band meets a girl whos in a band like ghost and she fine as hell and shes super funny, chill, but also very confident and they all fall for her and compete for her affection. he thick asf like megan thee stallion😌 she got tan skin brown eyes and long black hair, long painted nails, she 5’8, and she wears alot of tight clothes or just stuff to show off her body”

A/N: I should be back on track with things and posting daily/ every other day. Requests are back up a little bit but I’m saying two weeks for a turn around and hopefully I can stick with that. Thank you for reading!

Taglist: @ayablackwood​ @agroupiewhore @littlemisscare-all​ @thenobodies-inc​

It was a Wednesday night on the Sunset Strip. The four men walked into their favorite Strip Club, eyes searching for the band that they were going to meet before going on tour with. They had heard some of their music but wanted to make sure that even though they sounded good it would be a good fit on tour. It would be two months of being around them so they had decided that they’d go out and party with the newbies to see if they could match energies.

The band had gotten there early, wanting to enjoy some time in case they didn't match energies with the band. As they sat down they noticed a taller girl getting on stage, laughing as she talked to a group on the side of the stage. Music started to play that was almost upbeat rock and the girl held on the pole, flipping her long black hair over her shoulder. The guys watched how her hands gripped the pole, her eyes scanning the crowd and smiling at the table of men.

“Holy Shit, she’s new.” Tommy said not being able to take his eyes off her. Her hands sliding up the pole as she rolled her hips. Bouncing her cheeks before turning so her back was against the pole and spinning around. She brought one leg up, wrapping around the metal, her leather tiny hot shorts seeming to raise even higher to give even more view of her cheeks.

“Give me money, Mick.” Vince held out his hand to the guitarist who was in charge of going to the bank earlier to get the ones. His eyes still on the girl who had her knee wrapped around the pole, her black hair sweeping down before she pulled her head up and spun around. She she was off the ground She wrapped her other leg around the pole twirling down, on the ground she extended a leg straight up running her fingers over the thickness of thigh.

Mick was handing out stacks of cash handing them to each of the guys who were leaning towards the stage, watching her stretch out, her hips rocking up and down , the crop top band shirt she was wearing rising to show the swell of her underboob as she made eye contact with Nikki, her tongue sticking out.

“Oh Fuck,” he hissed reaching out to tuck some cash into her leather shorts. He watched her wink , tossing her hair back, one long finger run down his cheek before she jumped up heading back to the pole.Holding the pole as she slowly twirled her body seductively around it. Her hand trailing over her stomach as she pressed her other hand above her head, her knees bending as she opened her legs dancing down in slow hip rolls.

“What is her name? We need her, oh my god,” Mick watched her drop into a split, bouncing up and down as the song came to a close. She had this smug look of satisfaction on her face as she stood up, grabbing someone's hand and stepping off the stage.

“DIBS!” Four voices all yelled out at once. The  guys all looked at each other with this competitive glint in their eyes. They all wanted the stranger they had just met on stage. Before they could get a word in she was walking over to the table, four guys behind her.

“Hey. I thought you would be coming later tonight. I’m Ivy.” her easy smile  threw them all off as she sat down. “I’m the singer from Blood Bank.” She slid between NIkki and Tommy as the rest of the band.

“So you’re going to be the singer in our opening band?” Mick was the first one to make an intelligent sentence and all the other looked on envious that he had done it. She nodded, eyes sweeping over everyone.

“And if you keep up the tips I’ll even dance after the shows for you.” Tommy choked on his beer, foam coming from his nose at her comment. The way she smiled from the side of her mouth at  how flustered she had them didn’t go unnoticed by Nikki. He loved that she knew exactly what she was doing to them.

“After the shows there’s a lot of things we can do.” Vince gave her a suggestive look, watching as she leaned forward, closer to him. Drawing the blonde singer in closer to her, letting the cloak of her charms lay over them.

“Like what?” she picked up the mixed drink he was sipping on, letting the straw run over her full lips. His eyes were glued to her full lips thinking of all the places that he would like them to be pressed against. Vince let his mouth open and close a couple times before she sat back, pushing the straw aside and taking the drink like a shooter, “Captivating. Can’t wait for that.`` She was easy to joke with. Witty and quick. She fit in easily with them. Her eyes turned to Nikki expecting him to add to the conversation but he had two fingers in the air ordering another round of drinks for everyone.

A moment later a whiskey with ice was being pressed into her hands. Nikki’s fingers sliding over hers for a second longer than they should have. Both of them locked in a stare.

“Were you dancing to your song? I’m looking forward to hearing more of you on tour.” He asked, moving to pick up his own drink. Nikki was being as smooth as velvet, not letting himself stumble over words like his band mates.

“It wasn’t.” She looked at her band ages, rolling her eyes at the way the guys were all acting. This was pretty typical of what her life was like when she went out. She knew that they would all just be trying to get her attention for the next few months.

“You’re going to make her puke, Mick!” warned Tommy. Mick had challenged Ivy to a drinking contest on the tour bus, shot for shot they went of the clear liquid, letting it burn for a second before reaching for the next shot.

“Way to underestimate me, T-Bone.” she rolled her eyes slamming back the next shot, watching the way that Mick’s eyes were starting to close. “You better have a back up bottle so you can’t bitch out.” she warned. Mick glanced warily up, he wasn’t going to be able to play in a few hours if she kept it up.

“Sorry, sweetheart. I need my guitarist tonight. You’re going to have to call it a draw.” Nikki warned her. Her eyes rolled to look at him as she downed the last shot looking unbothered by the fact she had just shared a handle with Mick.

“I’m going to lay down.” Mick muttered, stumbling down to try to sleep off some of the drunkenness before they arrived in Denver for their show. Tommy bounced out of his seat, knowing Ivy was alone now from the attention of anyone else.

“Hey. we’re going to stop for gas soon. Do you want to jump on the back of my bike for the rest of the ride to the venue?” he asked. She had liked going on the bikes for a few hours in teh afternoon. Her skin is warm in the sunlight and hair in the wind. She’d often spend hours wrapped around Tommy between pit stops. She never got on the back of a bike with anyone else, much to their disappointment.

“NO, I think I’m going to end up in my bands bus. I should probably nap before the show.” her easy smile slipping out but Nikki could see she was thrown off kilter a little bit.

“Why don’t you go lay down in my bunk?” Nikki offered. He saw the hesitation in her eyes. She was friendly with everyone except him. She would drink with Mick, go on the bikes with Tommy, and do vocal warm ups well drinking tea with Vince. But Nikki had been almost an outsider. “I’m not going to offer to lay down with you.” he added, trying to make her more comfortable.

“What if I sleep better with someone?” her voice was like honey and he was the fly getting stuck in her trap, “Lead the way, Sixx.” standing up, he remembered she was just wearing a band shirt as a dress, her thick thighs looking like they should be wrapped around his waist. It was easy to fall into a fantasy about her because even when she wasn’t dolled up in her sheer outfits or tight stage costumes Ivy was drop dead gorgeous.

“I don’t sleep. So if you fall asleep I’ll probably just leave you.” he warned as he pulled the curtain open to the bunk. Ivy climbed in, her full booty showing as she climbed in. Nikki said a prayer to himself in hopes he could try and keep his hands to himself.

Ivy was making herself comfortable, pulling the blankets over her and laying down on his favorite pillow. The bassist was thinking about how his bunk was going to smell like her tonight. The scent of her perfume and shampoo was already filling the small space and he knew it would be stronger when he was lonely driving to the next town.

“You don’t like me.” her eyes were on him, like a cat watching him settle into bed. This threw him off but she was going to explain, “Everyone else in your band tries day in and day out to get close enough to me to sleep with me. I’m not an idiot.” she licked her lips and his eyes fixated on the movement of her tongue, “But you’re all one liners and ice cold coolness. I had to ask you into bed with me.” she pointed out.

“You’re drunk. I don’t want to get you in my bed when you’re drunk and need to sleep it off. I want to get you-” she didn't let him finish, her lips hitting his. Ivy slif under the covers closer to Nikki, her leg sliding up, until his hand hooked around her pulling her closer.

His mind was fireworks and not thinking correctly. He didn’t realize what was happening but he also knew that he didn’t want it to stop even though he had to stop it. She was sliding so that she was on top when he finally groaned, pulling away from her kiss. The way her eyes questioned him.

“Tonight. I just need you sober and know that you really want this.” Ivy rolled her eyes. He was the only one in the band that would stop and make sure she was fully able to consent to anything before going further. Nikki had this respect for her but he also had his own pride. He wanted to make sure that she wasn’t just kissing him because of the vodka but because she wanted to be doing it.

“OKay, Sixx. I’ll be back here tonight and you won’t be able to say no then.” she warned moving her head down to his chest. She might have not been able to go as far as she had wanted with him but Ivy was going to make him regret his decision of stopping her and Nikki knew it.

[nattikay]

So I saw this post while browsing toa tags the other day. While I don’t think being obsessed with the school mascot automatically makes Toby a furry (though it is funny to joke about lol) since “being a furry” actually just means “being a fan of anthropomorphic animals” and doesn’t necessarily require any form of costuming or interest in such, it did get me thinking, hmmm...if he was a furry, what would his fursona be? 🤔 And from there I started wondering what Jim’s and Claire’s would be as well because y not ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

BUT WAIT, I hear you say--haven’t you already drawn the trio as werewolves and wolfwalkers etc.? Wouldn’t those be their fursonas??

Well yes....but actually no.

I guess it’s a little hard to explain, but there’s a nuance between “[person] but as an animal” and a proper “fursona”. While a fursona is an animal character used to represent its person, it doesn’t have to physically resemble them at all as you would expect [person]-but-as-[animal] to. For example, if you were to design me but as a cat, you’d probably give it light brown fur and green eyes like I have irl. But my fursona, unlike my human self, actually has blue fur and purple eyes. You can give your fursona matching physical traits to your own if you want to, and some people do, but most use only a pinch of their irl appearance, if any at all.

The choices people make when designing their fursonas vary wildly from “it looks like me irl” to “it looks like who I want to be”  to “I just really like this color scheme” to “this particular color/marking holds deep personal meaning to me” to “this particular pattern represents a particular defining moment in my life” to “idk it looks cool and i vibe with it” etc. etc. etc. Everyone has different reasons of varying depth for the decisions they make in designing their fursona.

Therefore, to design a fursona for Toby etc., it’s less a question of “what would this character look like as [insert species here]?” and more of “how would this character choose to present himself with his own [animal] character?”

And that’s a much trickier game than just transferring a character aesthetic to a new species. ^^; We have to kinda dive into the characters and makes some guesses about how they, if given infinite creative freedom to design an animal avatar with no rules or limits, would choose to present themselves.

So all that said, here’s what I came up with:

Starting with Toby because he’s the one who inspired the post. I think Toby might choose a wolfdog fursona. A lot of people who choose wolves as fursonas consider themselves to be overwhelmingly loyal to their friends, a trait that fits Toby very well. However, while Toby likes to be “cool”, I don’t think he really thinks of himself as much of an “alpha” type--he’s more of a sidekick, and he knows that, and he’s ok with that. He’s the wingman. So what better way to incorporate that than to add dog into the mix? Man’s best friend=Jim’s best friend. Sociable, humorous, and unwaveringly loyal. Wolfdog it is!

With the species decided, we can move on to the design itself.

I can’t imagine any form of Toby in anything other than warm colors. This is extra emphasized by the flamelike patterns on his legs and tail, which both speaks to his desire to be totally awesome-sauce as well as acts as an allusion to his flaming warhammer. It’s fairly common (not universal, but common) for people to give their fursonas a more “ideal” physique than the person actually has as a sort of way to live by proxy physical goals or fantasies they’ve been unable to attain irl for whatever reason. Given that we’ve seen Toby struggle with fitness from time to time, it wouldn’t shock me to see him take this route. His wolfdog self is still relatively short and stocky, but it’s all muscle, babey. 

This fursona is strong, fun, boisterous, and generally just kicks butt. Concentrated awesomesauce flows through his veins. Just don't mess with his friends, or you’ll feel the flames!

.

Moving on to Jim. Jim was the hardest to nail down, and most definitely the hardest to keep my personal biases out of oof. Which I may have failed to do anways because yes, ok, I made my favorite character a blue feline, sue me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  But hear me out first!

For Jim I ultimately settling on a cheetah/lion hybrid.

Cheetahs, in a way, are sort of the underdogs (er...cats?) of the feline world--at least, in their local ecosystems. They are built wholly for speed, not strength--and as such, just about every other large predator in their environment has them beat when it comes to raw strength. Remind you of a certain Trollhunter? plus the long lanky legs. don’t forget those lol

However, because of this disadvantage, cheetahs...usually surrender. They know it’s not worth it to defend their kill from larger, stronger opponents, so they’ll give it up and just catch something else. This aspect doesn’t quite fit our protective, selfless protagonist all too eager to risk everything to save his loved ones--so a pure cheetah may not be the right choice.

So what animal is brave and protective? That’s where the lion part comes in, of course!

Why not just make him a pure lion? Well, a little similar to making Toby a wolfdog instead of a pure wolf. A straight-up lion feels a little too “chad” for our sweet Jimbo. Too much of a jock. 

Jim has the humble underdog nature of a cheetah as well as the bravery and fierce protective drive of a lion. Cheelion? Leetah? idk, but let’s design it!

Like Toby and warm colors, I don’t think I can possibly associate Jim with any color but blue. While it’s never directly stated, given that we’ve never really seen him wear any other color (with the exception of the Eclipse armor), I think it’s pretty safe to assume that that’s his favorite. Blue sweater, blue jeans, blue shoes, even his backpack and bedsheets are blue. So naturally, his fursona would be predominantly blue as well! Plus some yellowish accents to (somewhat) match the natural colors of his chosen species(s).

I imagine he originally designed the character without horns, but then added them after becoming the Trollhunter, since it became such a major and impactful aspect of his life.

His lion’s mane also continues down his back in imitation of the “mantle” found on baby cheetahs. This youthful feature could subtly represent the fact that he’s been forced to grow up too fast and take on so much responsibility so young--so his fursona can still be young and carefree as long as he likes even while his real self struggles with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

This fursona is relaxed, calm, and confident. He’s not just cool--he’s crispy!

.

Lastly but not leastly, we have Claire. Out of the three, I think Claire was actually the easiest to choose--or at least, I had the clearest idea of what I thought she might go for.

Claire is a bit of an interesting duck, because while she’s shown to be fairly popular at school, she’s definitely far from the stereotype of The Popular Girl™. Yes she’s smart and pretty, but she’s also a little spunky or even a bit quirky--she’s a theatre kid, she’s a huge fan of hard rock band Papa Skull, and while I wouldn’t quite call her “rebellious” per se, she’s certainly willing to bend some rules if she feels the situation calls for it (not telling her parents that she was going to the concert with Steve, literally sneaking into Jim’s basement to try to find out what was up with him, etc).

That said, I think Claire might go for a hyena fursona--something a little out of the box, but not totally out of left field. (she also shows a slight Gurl Power™ streak here and there “the staff was not meant to be wielded by man--” “I am not a man!!!”) and if you know anything about hyenas...well, yeah lol)

I think Claire would lean into her punk-rock “rebellious” side with her fursona design. This character is completely free of the pressure of being the councilwoman’s daughter and having to maintain her mother’s public reputation, and thus allows Claire to express a less restrained side of herself. She has a bold semi-edgy color scheme with bright accents (and some earrings to match her person’s hair clips) while still remaining feminine and (her own brand of) fashionable. 

This fursona is spunky and sassy; she’s spicy and sweet all rolled up into one. She knows what she wants and she’s not afraid to chase it down. She lives her own life and she’s dang proud of it.

.

....sooooo yeah there’s my take on what Toby’s, Jim’s, and Claire’s fursonas could hypothetically be. And I guess since this post was inspired by a joke about Toby’s infatuation with the school mascot, here’s just some quick thoughts on how they might approach fursuiting to end us off:

Jim I don’t see as much of a suiter. He might try it once or twice if given the opportunity, but at the end of the day it’s not really his cup of tea--he’d rather act as the “handler” for his friends, if anything.

Toby and Claire, on the other hand, I could definitely see as suiters. In fact, with her interest in acting, Claire would probably particularly enjoy it--she’d be one of those suiters who really gets into character, absolutely refuses to break the magic publicly (outside of any actual medical emergency), and popular at cons because she just performs so well. 

Toby, meanwhile, would be the more chill type--uses his normal voice in-suit, isn’t really too stressed about “breaking the magic”, just kinda hanging around like he would normally except “look I’m a talking dog, cool right?”. 

also while I was typing this it occurred to be that since Eli is canonically a cosplayer then he could be a fursuiter as well; in his case i imagine he actually made his own suit it’s a protogen and it’s full of little LEDs and other electric gadgets, it’s not the prettiest thing ever as sewing is not his forte but boy did he try!! good for him. good for him

[allthemusic]

Week ending: 19th July

And we're off the dodgy comedy train - phew! Words cannot express how refreshing the first song here felt after last week's irritatingly not-funny comedy tunes. Some straightforward, youthful music - we love it!

Why Do Fools Fall in Love - Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers (peaked at Number 1)

Oh, man. This is maybe our most teenage song yet? Beyond the fact that the band are literally called the Teenagers, you've also just got the frivolity of it all, the endearingly earnest lyrics about being foolish and in love for the first time, and Frankie Lymon's voice as he sings his 14-year-old heart out. There's something amazingly energetic and innocent about it all, a real breezy breath of fresh air.

It's rock and roll, but a upbeat, chirpy doo-wop version of rock and roll, livened up immediately by the backing singers, with a deep ah dum wah, du-dum wah, dum wah, du-dum wah and a ooh-wah, ooh-wah response. Which looks silly, written out like that, but the effect is immediately iconic, making you want to sing along. It's great!

And then Frankie comes in, asking first Why do fools fall in love? then answering his own question with a series of other questions, asking among other things, Why do birds sing so gay? and Why does the rain fall from up above? Answer: it's nature. Fools fall in love, it's just what they do. There's an unpretentious poetry to this all, especially in the way that the answer isn't really ever explained. You have to kind of think about it to work out what Frankie means here.

There would be a sort of meanness to it, if Frankie didn't so clearly include himself in the fool category, singing about how Love is a losing game / And love can be a shame / I know of a fool you see, for that fool is me. In many ways this is the key joke of the song - Frankie, at only 14 years old, is already jaded and cynical about love, even as he can't escape it.

And to add another layer to it, the sound of the song and the energy that Frankie throws at it kind of undercuts this message, simply through its verve and joie de vivre - it's not the sound of heartbreak, even if the lyrics would suggest it. It's an undeniably fun song, and the overall effect is a sort of performative cynicism, Frankie shrugging and having a laugh at himself, recognising his own foolishness, but not letting it get him down.

And fresh off this bit, we're launched into a very fun bass, guitar and sax break, at which I genuinly found myself doing a little shoulder dance. It's just got a good energy, a kind of infectious enthusiasm, and it lasts just long enough that you feel like you've had a break once Frankie comes back in, which he does with aplomb for one final verse and then some ethereally high tell me why lines, in a well-earned ending.

Yeah, this is a classic for a reason. Simple but enjoyable lyrics, astellar performance, a catchy hook, some fun rock and roll backing and a slightly silly but immediately recognisable opening - it's got everything you need for a hit. Masterful song-craft right there.

Gogi Grant - The Wayward Wind (9)

I've not heard anything by Gogi Grant before, I don't think, so no idea what to expect here. I like the sound of the title, though - it's got a sort of mystique to it, somehow. So, let's give it a listen.

Okay, so this started with some upbeat strings and strummy guitar, it was all quite perky-sounding, very light. Except when Gogi's voice came in, it was much deeper than this would suggest, a sort of smoky, rich country-pop voice. I liked it, but it felt odd and far too modern a mix - and lo and behold, when I tried again, I realised that I had a weird version that had put Gogi's original vocals (I think?) against a completely different backing track. Oops.

Once I got the actual song up, it was much more what I expected, a very string-heavy country track. In it, Gogi first explains that the titular wayward wind is A restless wind that years to wander. And unfortunately, she's in love with a man who was born next of kin / The next of kind to the wayward wind. So he's prone to wandering, travelling about instead of staying with Gogi.

We get a bit of backstory about how this happened, learning, for example, about how In a lonely shack by a railroad track / He spent his younger days, where the sound of trains setting out for foreign parts Made him a slave to his wanderin' ways. We then get a sketch of how, in his wandering, he met Gogi in a border town, and how Though he tried his best to settle down / I'm now alone with a broken heart.

In all of this, the focus remains clearly on Gogi's man, and not on her heartbreak. She doesn't leave it out, she's clearly broken up about her man leaving, and performs the song as such, with all the emotion you'd expect. But there's a lot of sympathy towards her man, too, and a sense that he doesn't really have any control over if, either. He's simply at the whim of his wanderlust, however much he might want to settle down.

There's a sort of Wild West romanticism to all this. You could definitely see this being used in a Western, which often have that sort of wandering protagonist, ruggedly handsome, but unable to settle down or form permanent connections, compelled onwards for some reason or another. It's a powerful image, and honestly, I like it a lot. Good job, Gogi!

Also, her voice is still excellent in this version, I really ought to note that. It's smoky but not rough, and she soars up to the higher notes in the song almost effortlessly, adding in a sort of intensity that doesn't ever feel overdone. So yeah, doubly well done. I happen to know that we will see this song again, and honestly, I'm quite looking forward to it.

Hmmm, those were both kind of poetic, weren't they? Not in an overwritten way, but they've both got a certain nuance to them, and both are well worth checking out. The Wayward Wind, in particular, was an unknown to me, and I think it should get more airplay, it's great! And then Frankie and the Teenagers - talk about iconic! It's got a freshness and a catchiness that really feels like a template for pop to come, and I love it.

Favourite song of the bunch: Why Do Fools Falls in Love

[aries-writes-shit]

Hello hi uh i hope you are doing well and are staying safe and sanitized during this whole pandemic, um I hope the matchup is still up, if not my apologies uh ig I'll get started :) (platonic or romantic is fine by me, I dont mind either or cuz I honestlydont know what I want heh...ya..) My name is Dioceline (any pronoun is fine by me but people usually go with (she/they), my nickname is Dio or Small as most of my online friends call me. I have been told that I'm very impulsive and funny but im also emotional and I stand up for what I think is right and know when to be serious. I usually take the lead of things if no one else feels comfortable enough to deal with it which has landed me into some trouble in the past but id do it again for my friends because frankly I love and appreciate them and I make sure they know it by drawing them things they love or write poems about what I love about them and what I find beautiful about them every couple of weeks. Im not very big on socializing in person but I'm very bubbly and eager to meet people online (my socialbattery does brain pretty fast so I I ti take a quick nap or go on YT for a bit before I can go back to being stupid), I'm shy at first in person but the longer you get to know me I start to get annoying and very touchy feely cuz I'm ✨touch starved✨. Im 5'7 and a half and I like to flex that I'm taller than most of my family because its known that Mexicans/Hispanics are short asf. I am a Capricorn but I don't really feel connected to my sign so I'll give you my enneagram and my mbti! I'm an Infp-T and my ennegram is 2 wing 1. My music taste is all over the place at all times and I listen to anything as long as the lyrics speak to me or the instruments sound good asf (guitars are my favorite instrument, any type of instrument with strings speak to my soul) but I have been listening to a lot of old rock singers/bands recently like Queen, AC/DC, Hombres G, ABBA, Roger Taylor, Bon Jovi, and a lot of other singers/bands. Now since I've been the middle child of 5 other siblings before my little brother was born I have developed a strange humor, it's very mixed and changes a lot but I adapt and go with the flow of anything as long as it makes people happy and laugh. I usually flirt in very awkward ways like throwing horrid pickup lines at friends or pulling the fuckboy face while saying that they look like the snack that smiles back. It's a form of breaking the ice with a people after ive concluded that I want them in my life cuz idk why but I do so ya (in a platonic way ofc). I tend to get a little overprotective and take the parenteral roll when I hear that one of my friends haven't ate or is being insulting and ir being made uncomfortable. Now for appearance, I smile with my eyes, have a cupid's bow and I have lip asymmetry on my left lip. I have a lot of beauty marks on my face and arms, I have dark brown hair and eyes. I'm on the curvier side, I have really big thighs and my chest is pretty big to so it makes it look like I have somewhat of an hourglass figure which is cool ig. I usually wear shorts and baggy sweaters that are 2 times to big for me, most of my clothes is black except for a couple of red and grey shirts/sweatshirts that I have in my closet. I love music, drawing, painting and pretty much anything to do with art. I also really like Chemistry/Science, English, and Philosophical talks, I like learning about the ocean and space but im to scared to actually go into the ocean and my family never really goes out cuz money issues and stuff but it's nice to see it on the internet. I also really enjoy the company of animals and plants :) ok I think that is all, sorry it was so long I tend to ramble and say things that aren't necessary. OH idk if this would help at all but I want to be a family therapist and will be joining the army next year after I graduate so I can get my degree without getting into terrible debt. Ok now I think that is all, hope you have an amazing day/night and stay safe!

Woah 😳, Why are yall so cool?

I think ima match you with....

C!Philza and C!Techno

Oh no, two protective anachists, what they gonna do

In all seriousness

These two are 100% very protective of you

One of them is always with you

Either making sure your safe

Or just making sure you dont do something to crazy

You play the guitar?

Expect to preform pretend concerts to Phil, Chat, Techno and all technos animals

If neither of the boys can be with you, philza's murder, Chat, as he calls them, would follow you from a distance

Phil would paint with you 100%

Techno wouldnt paint with you two, but he would watch

Philosophical talks with techno

But their like, in like the middle of the night

"Why do you think were here on earth"

"Woah, thats a good question"

Definitely would concern phil, when you two talk about the meaning of life out of nowhere.

They would definitely support your choice of becoming a therapist

And the military as well

Despite fighting for a government

[boognish-worshipper]

Midnight City AU

it took me forever to decide where to go with this chapter and i was literally getting fed up editing it 😭 i’ve been so busy with all the chaos goin on in my life rn too so yeah writing’s been feeling delayed over all but i decided to just finalize this one for rn and uhhh sorry if it seems funky or shortttt

//Chapter 3: Vanished

The next day, Trevor went back to Sterling Lake Park, after spending the night at Wade’s. He agreed to meet up with him there later, walking around the park with his earbuds in. As he threw himself down on his usual bench, he settled on listening to his usual playlist of his favorite songs. He scrolled through nosedivr once again, taking a photo of the lake. It was foggy, and the thick air sat atop the water. He liked when it was like that. A sturdy drumbeat thumped in his ears, making him feel whole. He paused it briefly, just to change it to a different song that was even louder, but with the lack of music he could now hear the crunch of gravel not too far away. He thought he told Wade to come later on? He looked up from his phone, pulling out an earbud. It was the guy from yesterday.

“Hey.”

“Hello.”

“Where’s Amanda?” He asked, glancing around.

“Uhh she’s.. not here today. I kinda came to see if you were here. I wanna get to know more people at this park if I’m gonna hang ‘round here more I guess.”

“But she doesn’t like me?”

“She don’t gotta know.”

“Well aren’t you Boyfriend of the Year.”

“Oh uh, we aren’t dating yet.”

“Thought she was your girl though.”

“She is, she is. But it’s nothing serious. Not yet. And I don’t know what happened between you guys but you don’t seem that bad, so if I wanna talk to you that’s more of a her problem than me.”

“Huh.”

Today Michael wore an eCola shirt, which was obviously made to resemble their old logo, with blue jeans. He had on a pair of red sneakers this time to match the color of the shirt. They looked slightly newer, compared to the pair he wore yesterday. He dressed nice for such a basic style. Trevor on the other hand, threw on an old, frayed Love Fist t-shirt, and messy jeans. He wore a different pair of boots, some kind of knockoff of a popular name brand. A pair of purple lensed circular glasses sat on his head, the nose pieces caught in his hair.

“So.. uh. Mind if I sit there?”

“Not like I own the bench or anything, go right ahead.”

He cautiously sat next to Trevor, hands in his lap. Trevor started one of his other playlists up again, settling on a mix of Paramore and Green Day. He left an earbud out, just so he wouldn’t be completely rude. He mindlessly scrolled, occasionally looking back at the lake or casting a sideways glance at Michael, who was looking at him funny. Sighing, he paused his music, putting his earbuds away.

“What.”

“I.. nothin’ man. I just, I dunno. What is the point of coming here?”

“It’s a public fuckin’ park man.”

“I know, but you said that you don’t even really like the people here, so what’s the point?”

“There is no ‘point’ to it. I just like time to myself is all. These guys don’t bother me, and I don’t bother them. They only start trouble when they see fit.”

“Ah… I see? What were you listening to by the way?”

Trevor stifled a groan, not really wanting to talk to the guy when he had time to freely plot his scheme.

“Pop punk shit. Ever heard of it?”

“Uh, no? I thought punk wasn’t supposed to be popular. Or fit in. Or whatever.”

“That’s merely the ideology, which I do follow, dear Michael. I just like the sound I guess. You know Paramore?”

“Not really. I don’t listen to that stuff much.”

“Then what the fuck do you listen to?”

“Not sure if it has a genre per say, but I like that song Radioactive goin’ around? Songs that sound like that I guess.”

“You like Imagine Dragons?”

“That’s what they’re called?”

Trevor could only stare at him. Was this guy living under a rock?

“Uh.. yeah. Y’know what- never mind, what else do you listen to?”

“80s music?”

No wonder this guy was unaware of who’s popular now.

“Amanda’s been trying to get me into groups like the 1975. I actually kinda like them.”

Trevor rolled his eyes.

“Of course she did.”

“They’re not that bad to be honest. She likes that weird alternative shit.”

“Yeah, I know. By the way, there is a name for that genre. Indie rock. Can’t stand the stuff.”

“How come?”

“You know, you ask a lotta fuckin’ questions.”

“I’m just tryna understand this shit here. I ain’t in the loop of all these trends.”

“Well, for your information I just find the style to be too slow and whiny for my taste. I like fast, upbeat, wild stuff.”

“Any recommendations then? I wanna impress Amanda by at least knowing one artist off that nosedivr thing she goes on.”

He raised a brow, not really wanting to share anything else knowing he would just repeat it back to her, but he shrugged and continued.

“Alright. Besides pop punk, I like experimental songs. Underground groups. Crystal Castles are my favorite.”

“Never heard of ‘em.”

“Wouldn’t expect you to.”

“Right.”

“If you want more indie rock shit though, I suggest listening to I don’t know, the Arctic Monkeys? That seems more like her taste.”

“These bands have such weird names.”

“I think bands have always been like that.”

“Hey wait a sec, I thought you didn’t like that stuff? How do you know the name of one of those groups?”

“Ugh… I guess I might as well say it if you’re gonna get with her, but we were friends at some point. She introduced me to those bands, but even then I didn’t really like it. We had a stupid falling out I’d rather not get into.”

“Oh.. sorry.”

“Eh, don’t be. Shit happens. You definitely seem like her type though, no wonder she got with you.”

“What’s her type?”

“Heh. As if I’d tell you.” He scoffed.

“C’mon man, please?”

“Nope.”

Michael frowned, slumping in his seat.

“Fine. Whatever. Not like I need to know.”

“You could at least pretend you don’t care.”

“I don’t.”

“You clearly do, bro.”

He sat arms crossed, turning a smidge away from Trevor. This was his opportunity to listen to his tunes again, but before he could Michael spoke up.

“Can I… can I listen to whatever you’re listening to?”

“Huh?”

“I wanna hear what you’re into.”

Trevor shot him a puzzled look.

“Uh.. okay.”

Wiping off an earbud, he handed one to Michael. He already had one in.

“Pick your poison cowboy.”

“Cowboy?”

“Just a nickname I give people.” He shrugged.

Michael settled on his experimental music, actually nodding along to the sound. They were closer than a minute ago, and it made Trevor uncomfortable for whatever reason. Maybe because he was never in such close proximity to strangers, but the other part of him didn’t care that much. Michael’s eyes were closed, smiling.

“You like it?”

“Yeah! Reminds me of synth stuff from the 80s, just more modern I guess.”

He smiled back at Michael, appreciating the fact there was someone else who liked the music he liked. The two listened to a couple different playlists he had, up until the moment Wade arrived at the park.

“Trevor! Hey!”

“Woah. Who’s your friend?”

“Hm?” He pulled out the single earbud, turning his head around. Wade had clown makeup on, making Trevor jump in his seat.

“Fucks sake. Hey Wade.”

“Ooh who’s this?”

He wasn’t sure if Wade freaked him out or not, seeing as the guy not only had matted locs, but many facial piercings as well. And the clown shit. He stood up to introduce them to one another.

“Wade, this is Michael. Michael, Wade.”

The way Michael looked at him was like a kid seeing a zoo animal for the first time. He looked bewildered, but not disgusted.

“Hi. What’s with the..?” He wavered a hand in Wade’s direction.

“Oh! It’s jus’ clown face. Not tryna scare ya or nothin’!”

“Uh huh… man. How have I never been around these parts? You guys are real different.”

“You got that right, Mike.”

“Seems like I’ve been missin’ out. I hangout with some dudes who would hate this place if I’m being honest.”

“I’ll have to meet ‘em sometime.” Trevor chuckled.

“They’re real cool guys. Didn’t expect our paths to cross, but anything’s possible in this fuckin’ city.”

“Oh yeah. Land of opportunities, for all types of wackjobs.”

“Ain’t that the truth.”

A hand tapped Trevor on the shoulder.

“Uh, excuse me, Trevor, but are we still gonna talk about the Merryweather thingy-”

“Wade! Shut it-”

“What Merryweather thing?”

“Nothing, nothing. Not important.” He said, gritting his teeth, glare strong on Wade.

“Okay..”

“But you said we’d talk about it over icecream!”

“Later, Wade. Not right now.”

“Fiiine. Can we still get icecream though?”

“Sure. Promise. I’ll let you know.”

“Okay! Bye Trevor, bye stranger!”

Michael lifted a hand to haphazardly to wave goodbye.

“What was that about?”

“I told ya man, nothin’. Just going over some plans we’re making.”

“Is it about that special event being held there?”

“How you know about that?”

“Mandy told me.”

“Mandy… yeah. Figures as much.”

“She got an invite, and wants me to go as her plus one. I don’t know if I really wanna go though, I’m still pretty unfamiliar with all this.”

“Trust me, you don’t.”

“Seriously, what is your beef with those guys?”

“I told you, they start shit when they want. Taught ‘em a lesson and that was it. Nearly got me banned from this place, but it was kinda worth the looks on their faces.”

“You are.. quite peculiar y’know. Anyway, you mind showing more of that music? I was honestly gettin’ a kick outta it.”

“Uh, yeah.”

He sat back down next to Michael, handing him the same earbud as before. He clicked on one of his favorite Crystal Castles songs, Vanished. As they were listening, Michael furrowed his eyebrows.

“Hey wait a minute.. I think I’ve heard this before.”

“You have? I thought you didn’t know them.”

“No, I mean yeah I haven’t, but that’s not it. The lyrics. Vocals. I’ve heard them in a different song.”

“Oh.”

“Lemme think, lemme think, ah… I got it! Pass me your phone real quick.”

His fingers typed in the song title fast, pressing play right away. It was an indie rock song, much to Trevor’s dismay. But something stopped him from complaining, seeing how Michael’s face lit up.

“Yeah! This is it, Sex City by Van She. Y’know, I honestly think that’s neat.”

“What is?”

“The fact that a song you like, samples a song I like! Who would’ve guessed?” He said, eyes sparkling. Trevor didn’t notice how bright they were until now. The eye contact, along with the lack of space between them, made him feel stuffy again. He averted his eyes back to his phone, trying to loosen up a bit. As the song played, he savored in the sound, shocking himself a bit. The rock sound was there, but had an 80s sort of feel to it. The song finished before he knew it.

“So.. What’d ya think?”

“You know my thoughts on indie shit. Wasn’t for me, sorry.”

“Oh c’mon, you know you liked it.”

“Nope. Prefer Vanished.”

“Yeah, okay. Keep telling yourself that, but I honestly think they’re both really good. You think that too, I can feel it.”

“Whatever you say bro.”

He switched the song over to that Grimes song he listened to yesterday, the two of them sitting silently. It was a pleasant afternoon they shared. Suddenly Michael’s phone went off, and he yanked the earbud out.

“Ah shit. I gotta take this. Mandy.”

“Gotcha.”

Trevor grabbed the other earbud, putting it back in. He saw Michael wave his free hand around, looking close to hurling his phone right into the lake. Trevor assumed he must’ve been shouting as well, from the way other people were looking at him. Hanging up not much later, he returned to the bench, as Trevor put his earbuds away.

“Fuckin’ Christ.”

“So.. how’d it go?”

“She’s finally not mad at me anymore, but demanded I go take her shopping now. I swear, she’s gonna clear out my bank account or something.”

“How? You guys aren’t even dating.”

“I know, but I just can’t say no to her.”

“Uh huh.”

“Look, I’m sorry to leave so suddenly, but I really gotta go before she goes back to being pissed at me. See ya around?”

“I’ll be here man.”

Michael stood up, storming away. Seemed like he had a short temper, huh? He wondered to himself how long he was gonna stick around, seeing how Amanda’s dating history was… an extensive list. He thought back to last night, when he had seen that post of them, remembering the fact that no guy stayed for longer than a week. It almost made him bummed, seeing as he only had Ron and Wade for friends. Lester too, but that was on rare occasion. Shit. The plans. What time was it?

“Ah, fuck me.” He muttered. How did he let the day go by so quick?

He shot a text to Wade, telling him to grab Ron and meet at some icecream place. He did promise Wade after all.

Ron ended up meeting them there a little bit later, apologizing profusely before Trevor told him to just sit down and shut up. He did just that, almost apologizing once more.

“Now, let’s get down to business. Who do we know that would help us sneak into that club to cause sheer utter mayhem?”

Ron raised his hand excitedly.

“I could get Floyd maybe-”

“Definite fuckin’ no. He would have a heart attack the minute he set foot in there.”

This was getting nowhere. He tossed his head back to look up at the sky. As he did, he saw a couple walking out of the icecream place.

“Oh fucking hell.”

Was this guy following him or something? He snapped his head forward, trying to be a little more hidden.

“What? Trevor what is it?”

“Shh! Keep your fucking voice down Ron!”

He made all three of them lower their heads as the couple walked away, peeking over his shoulder to make sure they were gone. As he did, he could’ve sworn he saw Michael looking back at him. The both of them turned away as quick as possible from the split second of eye contact.

“Trevor?” Ron repeated.

“It was nothing. Just thought I saw someone.”

“Ain’t that the Michael fella I met today?”

“Nope. Don’t think it is.”

“Are ya sure-”

“Pretty fucking positive. Now, back on topic.”

The next hour or so still went nowhere. Wade had gone through two servings of icecream, and Ron started to get restless. Trevor was just bored.

“Ughhh there has to be something we can do!”

“I don’t know what to tell you Trevor. We’ll find someone, soon. There’s enough time isn’t there?”

“Yeah, but I’m not waitin’ til the last possible fuckin’ second to get a guy to help us out here.”

“But we still have time.”

“If you fuckin’ say so Ron.”

The three of them called it a night, as Trevor tossed around the idea of possibly getting Michael involved in his head. On one hand he wanted to out of spite just to make Amanda and the other hipsters mad, and on the other he didn’t want to screw up whatever new friendship he had started with Michael. Ron did say they had time to find someone soon. They weren’t exactly in a rush, but he still wanted to make sure their plan was concrete. They all went back to Wade’s, Trevor deciding to take a walk along the beach. He threw on the same playlist from earlier, watching the sunset. As he walked, he didn’t pay much mind to where he was going, bumping into someone.

“Ah fuck, watch where you’re going-”

“Shit, sorry man-”

As they spun around from the collision, he realized exactly who he had run into.

“Trevor?”

What the fuck?

“What the fuck? Are you following me or something?”

“Huh?”

“This is the third time I’ve seen you today. What are you even doing here?”

“Uh, it’s a public fuckin’ beach man.” He said, mocking the comment Trevor had made earlier.

“Don’t get smart with me.”

“Hey, I’m just tellin’ you how it is. I didn’t purposely search for you, hell I didn’t even know you lived this way.”

“I do. So make like a tree and fuck off.” He said bitterly.

“Woah, chill the fuck out. What’s your deal? I thought we were cool man.”

“I don’t like being followed.”

“I just told you I wasn’t!”

“It doesn’t exactly seem like it. You just so happen to look for me this morning, and just happen to go to the same icecream place I went, and then I find you here? I mean Jesus-”

“I’m telling you, it’s all purely coincidence.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Fuckin’ hell man..” He mumbled.

“Y’know, you’re as fuckin’ stubborn as Amanda is. I already told you-”

Trevor balled his fists, before jabbing a finger into Michael’s chest.

“Don’t fucking compare me to her.”

Michael threw his hands up defensively, not realizing he touched a nerve.

“Woah woah, easy dude. I didn’t think it was that bad between you guys.”

He exhaled loudly, unclenching his hands.

“It wasn’t. Isn’t. Just.. don’t compare me to her.”

Michael pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling hard himself.

“Look, I think you’re cool and all but you can’t flip out on me like that. I mean we are just getting to know each other y’know. I can’t have you wanting to bite my head off like that if I just so happen to keep running into you. I really am just trying to navigate the area better, so forgive me if I came off as some sorta fuckin’ stalker. Amanda went home and I had nothing better to do so I chose to walk over this way.”

“Hmph. Fine. Whatever.”

“So we good?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Now, since we’re already here why don’t we just hangout or something?”

Trevor folded his arms, trying to look like he didn’t want to spend another minute with him. It didn’t really work though, because he actually did want to talk to him more.

“If you insist.”

“Alrighty.”

The two of them started to head in the direction of the boardwalk, neither one speaking yet. After finding a bench to sit on as the sun sunk below the horizon, the silence was still there. This sort of thing was bizarre for both of them in different ways. Michael never really frequented these parts of LS, and Trevor never really hit it off with any kind of stranger. Ron and Wade were exceptions if anything, and he had known Lester for a while now. Yet there was something about this guy that didn’t make him feel like he was spending time with a stranger, even though he knew jack shit about him. He might as well try to make small talk.

“So I-”

“So uhh-”

They spoke over each other while trying to start up a conversation, making things feel a little more awkward.

“Shit sorry, you go first.”

“Nah nah you go.”

“Um. Okay. So.. tell me about yourself? We haven’t really talked about much besides music.”

“Yeah.. right. What do ya wanna know?”

“I just asked you to tell me about yourself, so it’s your job to decide what to say.”

Michael gave him a sardonic smile in response to that, partly because he wasn’t sure what to bring up about himself. It seemed like they were gonna be here a while if they wanted to say the most basic shit you say when getting to know someone.

“Well, I ain’t that interesting if you really need to know. I’m guessing you already know about my whole ‘affinity for the 80s’ thing, like the culture n shit that came from it. Real sick stuff.”

“If you say so.”

“Yeah. Anyway, if you really want to know plain shit about me though, I will tell ya that my favorite color’s blue.”

Trevor snickered at that.

“Pfft, seriously? We’re talking favorite colors now?”

“Hey man, you said you wanted to know more about me.”

“Uh yeah, but that’s so fuckin’ silly.”

“Maybe it is, but what about you? You got one?”

“Favorite color? You kiddin’?”

“I’m waiting..”

“Uh huh… I’ll give. Always liked the color red I guess. Like, in variety. Not picky about something as childish as that.”

“What’s childish about that?”

“Cuz only kids exchange that whole ‘oh what’s your favorite color?’ thing. It’s like if I were to ask you what your favorite dinosaur is.”

“Hmm.. I’d probably say a T-Rex.”

“Oh now you’re just pulling my dick. And no, I’m not telling you what mine is just because you did.”

“Hey, I didn’t ask you though. That was all you.”

“Mm… shut it.”

“You got one though?”

“I’m not telling you!”

“Ah ah, I didn’t ask which one, I asked if you had one.”

“Well I don’t, so knock it off.”

“That’s fair. I won’t push.”

They grew silent for the second time that night, before Trevor mumbled something under his breath.

“It’s a pterodactyl..”

“What was that?”

He forced a breath through his nose, acting annoyed.

“It’s a fuckin’ pterodactyl. That’s mine. Okay?”

“Hah, okay. Any reason why?”

“You’re so nosy.”

“You’re the one who started this conversation about getting to know each other man.”

“Ugh, I know that.” He said, lightly shoving his shoulder.

“I think it’s cool that they could fly and shit. I like flying.”

“You like flying?”

“Loved it.”

“Wait, you tellin’ me you fly? Like, planes and shit?”

Trevor winced at the words, regretting what he just said.

“I did.. at some point. Air Force shit. They said I was one of the best they’d seen in a while but I.. left. Sort of.”

“Then why’d you leave?”

“I didn’t exactly leave on my own accord. More or less got kicked out.”

“How come-”

“I don’t like talking about it. I know we’re opening up or whatever the fuck but that.. that’s still too soon for me to want to bring up. Especially to someone I barely know.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” He said, even though it really wasn’t. It’s not like Michael knew though, he really wasn’t trying to prod in a bad way.

It was almost pitch black by the time their conversation got to that point, only distant streetlight and the nearby pier lighting up their surroundings. The whole mood had shifted, and both of them decided to just break it off there.

“Hey uh, I’ll probably see you tomorrow man. If I’m with Amanda I think I’ll just send a wave or something your way.”

“Got it. See ya.”

“Bye.”

Trevor stayed put, watching Michael leave as he turned down a random one way street. This guy was tripping him out and he couldn’t pin point why. It was getting late though, and walked off himself back to Wade’s. He’ll save that vexed question for another night.

//ahhhhhh i rlly did not know what i wanted to do with this….,,., sorry if this wasn’t as good as the first two !! i alrdy know i repeated a bunch of stuff in there and i feel like it got kinda sloppy so again, soz (including typos or whtevr)

but uhhhh anyway yeah i cut it off here bc i wanted to continue some of this shit in the next chapter ig lol,, more stuff to come soon god willing

[i-watch-too-many-movies]

5 Favorite First Viewings of July 2021

Quick note: Hi everyone, I'm back, things have honestly been getting better for me, and I'm glad to be on this site full of cinephiles, people that are too horny, and cinephiles that are too horny. I'll be more active on here. But anyway, let's talk about some movies.

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) (dir. Russ Meyer)

CW: Abortion mention

What a picture. What a gorgeous, sexy, horrifying slice of what Hollywood and star life can do to a bunch of bright-eyed young people looking for success. Also is a critique of how macho nature can ruin friendships and romantic relationships with total ease. I was obsessed with the scene transitions, like Pet pouring pancake mix onto a plate after the abortion scene, or Kelly singing after someone screams before their murder in the opening scene.

Great, campy flick with exceptional music too.

Deep Cover (1992) (dir. Bill Duke)

Laurence Fishburne plays Russell Stevens, a Cincinnati police officer who hopes to do well by the community, to make a difference. He’s traumatized by the death of his substance-abusing father, and wants to make sure that he can help the people of his own town. He goes undercover on assignment as a drug dealer, where his boss orders him to take down the kingpin. Stevens realizes the police’s own failings while on assignment. The racist abuse he takes from Agent Carver, and the realization that the police department is protecting drug kingpins like Gallegos and Barbossa. Giving drugs to Black kids and Latinx kids so there will be less of them. The cops are no different than the drug kingpins looking to make filthy amounts of money.

Fishburne’s performance is excellent, as Stevens feels he has to maintain a stone face so he doesn’t get caught by Jason or Barbossa or any of his cronies, but also he maintains a stone face to try and hide his emotion, his trauma. But when he gets pissed, Fishburne acts it beautifully, as is when he has to deliver a funny quip to counter Jason’s douchebaggery. And the production design, holy fuck, the sets and the lighting.

A perfect neo-noir for the HW Bush years, arguably one of the most timeless commentaries on the era, as well as the police as a whole.

Fast Five (2011) (dir. Justin Lin)

I was torn between including this or Furious 7, but I ultimately went with Fast Five because it felt like an important turning point in the series, it's a great heist film, and it reached the same chaotic highs and genuinely excellent filmmaking that I had been waiting for since 2 Fast and Tokyo Drift.

Fast Five opens where Fast & 4ious left off. Dom is hauled away to prison on a bus. Mia and Brian drive in their high-tech cars and knock the bus over, helping Dom escape. The title drops. Fast Five. It’s such an intense yet short action scene, and dropping the title immediately after it lets the viewer know that this movie is not fucking around. It’s arguably gonna be more intense and insane than the previous one.

And it is. The filmmakers made the decision to use a lot more practical stunt work for the film, and as a result, it leads to, so far, the best action in the entire series, since 2 Fast and Tokyo Drift. It’s not just how it’s shot or edited, it’s the geography of the locations, the rooftop chase echoes the rooftop chase of Jackie Chan’s masterwork Police Story, particularly the way each character bounces from top to top.

And of course, there’s the silliest moment in the movie, the one that matches the intensity and kineticism of a film like 2 Fast, which is driving the Reyes’ bank vault throughout the street, getting chased by corrupt cops.

I know we make fun of Vin Diesel for saying “family” all the time in these films, but there’s a reason we remember him saying all of these impassioned monologues. Because he’s unbelievably sincere, and has so much love in his heart for every single person in the room. Anytime he delivers a speech to any of them, it’s genuinely heartwarming.

This is the film that finally shows La Familia in their best environment, which is working together, in a movie genre that allows them to work together, which is a heist film. And a great one at that.

Last Days (2005) (dir. Gus Van Sant)

CW: Mention of suicide

Several films have been made about legendary rock artist Kurt Cobain, and for good reason. He is one of the most tragic figures in rock and roll. A tortured genius who has written and performed classic song after classic song with his band Nirvana. He was called the voice of a generation, and helped change the face of mainstream alternative rock music as we know it. But with that fame, and all of those expectations came a worsening depression and further drug abuse, and his eventual death. But most of the films about Kurt Cobain ask one question which gets under my skin way too much:

“Who REEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLY killed Kurt Cobain?”

It was him. He did. And it’s okay, I’m sad too. Thinking that Kurt Cobain was murdered is completely ignoring the depression that he faced. And despite Last Days being more inspired by the death of Cobain rather than actually about it, it feels much more honest than the conspiracy documentaries on his death, wanting to leech off of his dead body.

This is the last installment of Gus Van Sant’s “Death Trilogy”, the previous two installments being Gerry (2001), and Elephant (2003). While I have not seen Gerry, I have seen Elephant though, and love that film for its minimalist, raw nature, and its boldness for not romanticizing the school shooter or the lives they had taken. Last Days falls into that trap once, as I don’t agree with the shot of Blake’s soul climbing up a ladder, that always struck me as cheesy in a film that is anything but.

Last Days is similar to Elephant in terms of the way it is filmed. Its usage of long takes, and still shots of characters doing various things, such as Blake playing his guitar behind a drum set. The way these moments are shot is similar to a Chantal Akerman film, particularly Jeanne Dielman. Where the acts of the mundane are the stars of the film. Blake wanders around an empty house, and the viewer can feel the pain, not just through Michael Pitt’s acting, but from the house itself. Its decay, its paint peeling from the walls, from the soft glow of the lamp that lights his face.

I say this is the most honest film about Kurt Cobain, because, despite the characters technically being fictional (the main character who looks, walks, and acts like Cobain is named Blake), this film focuses on the mental state of a person before they eventually take their own life. They’re still working, still making music, still trying to talk to friends and bandmates, but the depression lingers on. Not once does this film try to make you believe that someone else killed him, because you can see the signs of his own suicide taking place just through the film’s excellent cinematography by Harris Savides, showing his mental state only growing worse through the production design.

And it’s empathetic with him. There’s no judgement for leaving rehab, there’s no finger-wagging at him or the people he was with, there’s just a silent prayer at the end of the film, hoping that he is in a better place than he was.

Sometimes you don’t need to show every event that led you to where you are, all you can show is the moment, which also makes this better than most biopics as well, as it never feels messy or muddled, just showing one moment of Blake/Kurt’s life.

I really loved this film, and I’ll be writing about it in full soon.

The Village (2004) (dir. M. Night Shyamalan)

The Cracked.com/Channel Awesome audience stuck in 2012 will tell you that this was the beginning of the end for Shyamalan. That this was when people stopped taking him seriously, that this was when he became more of a punchline because of his twist endings.

But why?

The Village was released in 2004, deep in the Bush administration, during the early stages of the Iraq War. The leaders of the time were talking about imaginary boogeymen, terrorists that would attack the civilians if they could. Because of 9/11, politicians could get away with these false ideas with the majority of Americans fully believing them. The boogeymen in The Village are “The People We Don’t Speak Of”, monsters attracted by the color red. Yet we find out that they are all costumes made by the Elders of the land, designed to prevent people from going outside the land. They rule by fear disguised as love. They’ve gone through their own traumas through the deaths of their family members, but they’ve decided to completely abandon the lives that they’ve had and have their children living lies.

9/11 impacted American life by teaching citizens to live primarily by fear, to not trust anyone but their own people. And yet, post-9/11, all that increased was not “coming together”, but hate crimes against South Asian people. The rage white Americans had felt led to conservative politicians pushing fear-mongering agendas, and said white Americans blindly accepted. The outside world was progressing, but too many people were fine with living with further conservative politics only regressing American life further and further back, all for the illusion of safety. Meanwhile, the only threats to them were not the brown citizens outside of America they were so afraid of, but the white elders, the white politicians.

The Village explores these fears so eloquently, all while having a terrifying atmosphere, an enchanting score, and brilliant sound design. I enjoyed this movie very much.

Other viewings I enjoyed:

Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996) (dir. Mike Judge) (re-watch)

Blow Out (1981) (dir. Brian de Palma) (re-watch)

Clueless (1995) (dir. Amy Heckerling) (re-watch)

Furious 7 (2015) (dir. James Wan)

The Long Goodbye (1973) (dir. Robert Altman)

Lupin III: The First (2019) (dir. Takashi Yamazaki)

Unbreakable (2000) (dir. M. Night Shyamalan) (re-watch)

Velvet Goldmine (1998) (dir. Todd Haynes)

The Visit (2015) (dir. M. Night Shyamalan)

[existingispetty]

Hullo ^*^ wondering if I could get a matchup for BSD and Genshin? (Feel free to do 1 if thats too much)

I use all the pronouns (including neos), and go by X ^^

Im omnisexual

Im 20, and 5’4. Ive got hair I dye a lot, often in various blues. I dress in a, well- its been described as “Indie Band Cover” style, with PLENTY of printed button downs. On top of that, I wear a sweater almost all the time.

Im an ISTP, and an introvert. I have been described as “Sarcastic, yet Anxious and nice to be around”. Im not confident at all, unless Im preforming on stage, whether it be with my band, or in a musical/play. Im extremely clingy, and occasionally very hot headed if I don’t agree with somebodies decisions. I live to make people laugh, so people I consider friends or a romantic interest should have a good sense of humor.

Im not exactly romantic, but I love clinging to those I love, and making them things. I really like cats, music (a mix of punk, alt rock, indie, and ska), theatre, drawing, and collecting outfits and plushies.

However I dislike loud noises, gorey things, falling, and way too many people. I also overheat quite easily, so Summer is horrible as well. Despite my hatred of gorey things, I love watching true crime (JCS)/buzzfeed unsolved, because its very interesting to me.

(Hope this is enough (〃ω〃))

Thank you so much for the ask, I’m so sorry it took so long and I really hope you enjoy it! Have a good day/night! P.S I’m definitely fine writing both!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Your matchups are…(insert really aggressive drumroll*)

Edogawa Ranpo

Ranpo would find you so entertaining from the beginning. Ranpo would love the sarcastic part of you and he would be amazing at finding ways to reassure you! Ranpo thinks you are amazing both on and off stage! He would go to every performance physically possible on his part! Ranpo is your biggest fan and will constantly give you flowers after a performance! Ranpo is also incredibly clingy he had to spend at least 2 hours with you a day otherwise he gets really cranky. Ranpo would love to have intellectual debates with you and your hot-headedness doesn’t affect him at all. Ranpo would adapt to whoever he’s around, whatever you think is funny he’ll talk in that way. Ranpo will notice every small detail. Ranpo would love to be around you at all times, he would get that sparkle in his eyes every time you give him something as well. Ranpo can act like a cat at times and he owns at least one with the dumbest name ever. Ranpo would love to listen to music and he would enjoy Hamilton so much… Ranpo makes stick figures if that counts. Ranpo actually has his own little collection and he would to add to yours as well! Ranpo tries not to be loud around you and while he does slightly tease you for your dislike of Gorey things, he’s not a big fan either. Ranpo hates summer because he gets hot due to the amount of clothing he wears. Ranpo will watch so much true crime but he’s too good at solving all of the unsolved cases.

Venti

Venti would giggle at any sarcastic remarks made by you especially. Venti is so reassuring without even trying. Venti every day will tell you that he thinks you are amazing and will preach about all your talents. Venti would love to join you on stage anytime he can, and if he has to be a bystander that throws flowers at you at the end of the performance he’s still just as proud. Venti is the definition of clingy any time you and he are free he’s somewhere near you, even if you don’t know it. Venti is quite calm during little debate so he finds your short fuse a little funny. Depends on how you describe a funny personality but I believe Venti has it in him. Venti's eyes would light up at gifts and affection. You hug him? Venti returns with a squeeze that was tighter than your own. Venti is as we all know quite allergic to cats so just keep them away from Him And he won’t diss them or anything. Music is Venti's specialty so when you hang with him expect to hear a song or 2. Venti is big into acting he would enjoy musicals like the Heathers. Venti would love drawing just random interesting people he meets. Venti has a collection specifically of stuffed cats since he can’t own the real thing. Venti is actually quite quiet around you. Venti dislikes Gorey things due to the trauma of his friend's death. Venti can deal with people but he doesn’t want to be the center of attention all the time. Venti is the anemo archon for a reason he loathes summer, anemo is chill and relaxing while pyro is chaotic and consuming. Venti would watch true crime but not understand any of it.