#i’m a hoe for apocalyptic shit

[the-sn0wy-0wl]

The Forever Purge? 👌🏻 the lady playing Adela is absolutely gorgeous. Adela herself is literally loml. Definitely the best one out of the five

[irinanonyme]

Here's a Ryuji and Ryukoto appreciation post! (super long post but it's worth it)

One big problem (that everyone has already noticed, it's nothing new) is that the writers aren't really good at writing a good friendship between Ryuji and the other members of the phantom thieves.

While many say that his place in the group is used as a "comic relief", (which btw doesn't work because we feel bad for him), I also think that they're trying to make a fun friendship. Kinda like when you and your friends call yourselves "hoes" and "stupid bitches" but obviously don't mean it and it's just a joke, an affectionate way to say "I feel comfortable enough with you to say dumb shit".

However in Ryuji's case it doesn't work because not only does it go in only one way (the phantom thieves towards Ryuji but never Ryuji towards them... except maybe for Morgana but they're just quarreling) but also because Ryuji doesn't like it and doesn't take it as a joke.

The biggest example of him being mistreated was when he literally saves everyone's ass only to get beat up afterward while we know very well from his confidant that his father used to beat him and his mom, also his legs got broken by Kamoshida. The saddest thing is that he's not even trying to be dramatic about it.

He's just like "uh... yeah. My dad used to beat me up and my mom but whatever, I'm past that" while we get hours and hours of Futaba's palace showing us that "oh no her mom is dead those adults suck". No offense in any way to Futaba btw, I like her and there's nothing wrong with her arc but I just find that sad how while we got a whole big ass backstory for her troubles Ryuji's abuse gets downplayed the whole game and made fun of.

O-kaaaaay let's move on to the main point: Ryukoto.

This is something that seemed really obvious to me and I'm surprised that there's not many people talking about it. This ship has SO much potential if done right. (Emphasis on DONE RIGHT.)

I know it's super cliche because Makoto is supposed to be the typical "super intelligent girl with a badass side" and Ryuji the "lovable and reckless idiot" so this type of ship is overdone everywhere. Movies, games, TV series, manga, books, etc. I know.

But did any of you realize that both of them have many similarities?

For example, their troubles getting "downplayed". Like I said earlier Ryuji was abused by his dad but we never hear any more than that and in Makoto's case there's something similar happening. We know that her mom died when she was really young and then her dad but she never makes a big deal out of it just like Ryuji. I guess they didn't feel the need to add anything to that narrative because we already have many characters in persona who don't have/lost their parents (Futaba, Yusuke, Akechi, Haru, etc.) However there's something else happening, it's about Sae.

Remember that one scene where Sae just randomly started yelling at Makoto and telling her that she's useless, that she should "aknowledge their situation" and that she "eats away at her life". If it happend once what makes you think that it doesn't happen regularly? Afterward Sae realizes that she effed up, apologizes and says that from now on she'll eat outside which makes me think that this is not the first time this kind of thing happens. Makoto's reaction also comfirms it at the beginning when she wants to bring up their dad but knows clearly what can happen when she does.

Sae is obviously having a lot of stress due to the fact that she's now suddenly the "adult of the house" and she has to bring enough money home for both of them not to mention that Makoto has yet to get into a college (which can be really pricey). So it's understandable that Sae feels on edge and knows that she shouldn't say things like that. But even if she doesn't mean it she's still her sister and her words hurt. I'm hesitating on calling this a borderline verbal abuse situation because we don't have enough evidence for that (and also because many love Sae and I'll get my ass fried if I say anything bad about her, no worries though. I do think that she's an interesting character.)

So let's continue.

Then the whole time Makoto is teary eyed and silent which once. Again. Makes me think that this is absolutely not the first time this happens. Afterward we see Makoto's desperate attempts at trying to be useful to the phantom thieves and make a place for herself where there isn't. Both Ryuji and Makoto don't think highly of themselves, Ryuji thinks that he's a burden to his mother and Makoto to her sister. And so they always throw their lives away/put themsleves in great danger, Makoto when she goes with those strangers in a car to meet Kaneshiro and Ryuji when he stops a taxi by jumping on the road, or the time at Shido's palace when he saves everyone (the scene after that when he gets beat up is still super yikes like wtf do you think you're doing atlus??)

One thing that I always liked about her (that many don't) is that the palace in which she awakens doesn't have "much to do with her" compared to the others. But that's why it's great. Many say it would've been better if the palace was the headmaster's palace instead of "that random mafia guy" however I disagree. The build up to this moment always seems so obvious to me that it surprises me that a lot of people don't see the connection.

The whole build up before her awakening is all the people around her treating her like garbage and using her because she's the goody-two-shoes student council president who apparently only cares about a letter of recommendation and only does all those good things to get praise while we're proven wrong again and again. Does she want a letter of recommendation? Of course. It would be easier to get into a good college and help her sister financially since apparently if you have a letter of recommendation some colleges in Japan will take you for free (if I'm not wrong, I might be saying bullcrap so don't quote me on that). But is she mainly doing this for the letter? No. She does it because it's the right thing to do. She could've easily let those students in debt and tell the headmaster who the phantom thieves are but instead she prioritizes the students of her school.

And that's where all of this comes in: Kaneshiro DOES actually have something to do with Makoto because he attacked the students of HER school. If you get involved with the students of Shujin then you also get involved with Makoto.

But anyway, this turned out so long and I'm not even DONE.

Also how Ryuji and Makoto have similar taste. They're both sports-y, (Ryuji probably finds martial arts awesome I mean come on) and Makoto likes mafia movies which makes me think she also likes "cool" things and same for Ryuji. When Makoto awakened Ryuji was immediately on board calling Makoto an ass whooper, a post-apocalyptic raider and whatnot.

Both of them also get suppressed by their surroundings but for different reasons, Ryuji by the teachers and track team members because he's a ""delinquent"" and Makoto by the students and headmaster because she's the student council president.

Those two just understand eachother I'm telling you. Now just imagine them hanging out with eachother and helping eachother.

Makoto teaching Ryuji fancy Aikido moves he can pull out anytime just in case some crazy teacher has the bad idea to break his legs again so he can defend himself. Ryuji teaching her how to "talk casually" and more like people of her age so she can make friends, and also how to use emojis and play video games. Imagine Makoto saying "for real?!" and sending weird emojis to Ryuji then she has to explain what it means the next day. Like

"Hey uh, Makoto... Is Morgana okay?

-Of course, what do you mean?

-I mean, yesterday at 9pm you sent me this: "Morgana is gonna be delighted *knife emoji* *knife emoji* *cat emoji* *cat emoji* (🔪🔪🐱🐱)" what does that even mean?

-I was cooking something for Morgana since we couldn't bring him sushi yesterday. Is something wrong about that?

- Oh thank God... I thought you were about to kill him.

-What?! That's ridiculous. I would never!"

Ryuji also lends her some shonen and seinen manga because he knows she'll definitely like those (especially the mafia ones). Though they keep that a secret from the others because Makoto doesn't want them to know. But this one time they come into her room and Akira/Ren is like "hmm... I've seen the same mangas in Ryuji's room." So they just nervously laugh it off.

Just IMAGINE the studying scene actually helping Ryuji.

It starts off with Ryuji not even being serious about it and half assing it because he thinks "it's useless I'll never be able to get something better than a low passing grade" because his whole life he's been told that he's stupid and even when he put effort and time into it he wasn't able to get much better.

So then Makoto asks him what kind of method he uses to study and Ryuji's just like?? "What do you mean method? Isn't studying just about reading the same thing over and over again until it gets into your head?"

And so Makoto sighs and explains that there are different ways of memorizing and that everyone has different brains thus different methods of studying. For example she says she's more "manual" so she has to write down the important parts of her lessons a couple of time so she'll remember studying as an "activity/event" of her day thus she remembers what she was writing down because it takes concentration to write something and a councious effort to make a synthesis of all the important parts of her textbooks.

So they make a test to find out what type Ryuji is, Makoto will say 20 completely different words and everytime Ryuji will use a different way to memorize them. The first time around he writes them down then turns the paper so he can't see what he wrote.

He realizes that he was more focused on properly writing down everything she says rather than actually memorizing it so it doesn't work. Then they try again but this time all he has to do is listen carefully to her voice, she says that if it helps him he can also try to make a song with those 20 words.

No good, he's not the auditive type either.

Then lastly Makoto tells him to try to picture every word she says inside of his mind, if it's a tiger he'll picture a tiger. If it's cooking he'll picture someone cooking etc.

And so it ends up working best! He's more of the visual type.

Makoto then talks about the different ways he can study thanks to that. For history he can recreate the stories inside of his mind so anytime he needs to he can play the images in his brain and even if it's not 100% accurate it's fine. Imagine the story you're creating in your mind is a manga based on past events! For math where there isn't much "visualizing" to do, Makoto says he can try to "see" the layout of the page in his mind and if he gets through it a couple of times he can even remember which formula is in which spot of the page which makes it easier to remember them.

Makoto keeps giving him tips and Ryuji listens carefully. She ends her speech by saying that he's not stupid and that disliking studying is normal, having bad grades doesn't make an individual dumb. After seeing that Makoto is serious Ryuji also gets in the "study mood". He's happy because for once he's not being made fun of for really trying his best to get good grades. He feels comfortable with Makoto because she's not looking down on him for having troubles with studying and doesn't mock his efforts.

Thus he ends up having good grades (not Makoto level good but like... B+s and occasional As which seems like a dream for Ryuji.)

Everyone is baffled.

The phantom thieves, the teachers, the students.

It ends up looking really suspicious that he has good grades to the point where people think that he somehow managed to cheat or something. But it's fine, Ryuji doesn't care about what they think and he's super happy at the thought of his mom praising him. The whole time though Makoto is like "I knew it, Ryuji can achieve anything when he really tries." From this point onwards they always study together.

After a while Makoto invites him over since her sister is never home anyways and same for Ryuji. Also the daily lessons they have at school make their way into their conversations thus they pay more attention in class so they can talk about it afterward in their study sessions.

Since Makoto is a third year Ryuji asks her about the things he didn't understand and this helps Makoto to re-check her basics from past years since she tends to forget them and Ryuji also gets interested in third year material then starts getting ahead of his classmates.

This one time he was asked to solve a calculus equation/problem but he wasn't paying attention and he's like... wait... didn't I see this type of thing in Makoto's textbooks? He accidently uses the 3rd year formula instead having no idea that they didn't learn it yet and the teacher is like... "That's... correct? Isn't this third year material though?" And oblivious Ryuji thinks to himself "ah shit, am I gonna get scolded for not paying attention?"

But it's all fine, the teacher was just surprised that Ryuji knew how to use that method and everyone starts thinking that Ryuji is actually secretly super smart and all this time he was failing his tests on purpose to piss the teachers off. From that point onwards he doesn't seem as scary to the others anymore and he gets teased by his classmates sometimes, even the teachers. "So Sakamoto-kun is actually smart huh? Who would've thought."

After a while people start approaching him to ask for help with their homework and with his cheery personality he always explains everything in a super easy way to understand, many start coming to him. Even students from other classrooms then suddenly the "delinquent Sakamoto-kun" isn't scary at all anymore. Poor boy gets teased everyday, especially when they see him talking to Makoto.

"Hey dude! The blond hair doesn't suit you anymore, dye it back to black Sakamoto!!"

"So the student council president is your girlfriend? Makes sense, people who are alike get along right?"

"Aww and here I thought that I had a chance with you... Well, if you're just friends then maybe we could meet this weekend? Just the two of us."

Even Makoto finds teasing him entertaining. She does the typical *wink wink nudge nudge* whenever a girl says she's interested in him. Little does she know that he has someone in his mind already...

[isys777]

Tagged by  @mrs-n-uzumaki​ who I love also this is a good distraction so thanks

Copy/paste and bold your fic preferences and tag someone to do the same.

slow burn or love at first sight

fake dating or secret dating (yeah you literally can’t go wrong here)

enemies to lovers or best friends to lovers (God tier trope IS enemies-to-friends-to-lovers) I like both but if I had a preference...

oh no there’s only one bed or long-distance with correspondence

hurt/comfort or amnesia

fantasy au or modern au (Always gonna go fantasy)

mutual pining or domestic bliss

smut or fluff (I’ma be honest. this is fully affected by where I am on my cycle rn)

canon compliant or fix-it fic (I really like when like. you contextualize scenes in canon and then just add shit to it and then when I watch/read/whatever I’m like lol they made out two minutes before this)

alternate universe or future fic

one-shot or multi-chapter

kid fic or roadtrip fic

reincarnation or character death (Um. I’m as surprised as you are? in theory no to character death but actually I like angst? I like to cry? but only over fictional...characters?)

arranged marriage or accidental marriage

high school romance or middle aged romance

time travel or isolated together

neighbours or roommates (and they were roommates... oh my god they were roommates)

sci-fi au or magic au

bodyswap or genderbend

angst or crack (I told you I like to cry)

apocalyptic or mundane

I tag: @ipoddymouth do you even read fic idk you popped up and I was like okay @my---druthers hi just apply it @vibrant-falkon @hypermania @darwinquark literally LITERALLY because ik you won’t fuckin do it because you love to ignore me. hoe

[jamesbucksiclebarnes]

Rating: Mature: Language, threats of violence.

Chapter List: [1] | [2] | [3] | [4] | [5] | [6] | [7] | [8] | [9] | [10] | [11] | [12] | [13] | [14] | [15] | [16] | [17] | [18]

[AO3 Link] | [Fic Page]

Tag List: @crossbowking, @khaleesislytherin

SERIES SUMMARY:

"Not human. She was not human. They all knew it. Could almost feel it, but couldn't make sense of it. That was why they were afraid. Not because of what she used to be Before. But because of what she was now."

Having found herself serving as the right-hand to the Governor for too long, Synnove le Jacques does her best to make things right with the people of the Prison. Stuck beside her partner in crime, her irritatingly obnoxious and hideously problematic best friend, Merle, she does her best to fight back against the monster she has let the Governor become.

CHAPTER TITLE: A Council to Council the Counciled Council.

I stood with Rick upon the fields, looking out over the impressive expanse of crops with a soft smile. He looked proudly down at the row of corn stalks, rising almost two feet from the dirt, and let out a relaxed sigh.

It had been a strenuous few weeks. The first couple of days after Woodbury had been reduced to a pile of ashes had been such a haze of stress and panic that I barely even remembered it. We had all made a mad scramble to clear out enough room for the sudden influx of people, ridding D-Block of biters, going on run after run to ensure we had enough food and supplies to support a community this size. Daryl and I had spent more time outside of the fences than within them. If we weren’t on a run, then we were out on a hunt; if we weren’t on a hunt, then we were on watch; if we weren’t on watch, we were out in the forests, looking for any possible sign of the Governor’s whereabouts. The two of us barely had an hour alone these days.

Not that I entirely minded. His company was oddly comforting, almost homely in a way I was not at all willing to either admit or attempt to understand.

Now that everything had calmed down somewhat, we had been less stressed out. Our days had become more structured, less chaotic. We had an actual schedule for watches, which made choosing which day to go out on a hunt much, much easier, and gave us a little more free time – most of which Daryl and I usually… spent with each other, anyway.

Today, however, I had chosen to come out an enjoy the mid-springtime sun with Farmer Rick. Once things had finally settled down around here, he had officially decided to “retire” from all leadership duties – which had started an entirely new form of chaos. Of course, no one had particularly wanted a repeat of what had happened with Philip, so the scramble to figure out what to do about leadership roles had been an irritatingly long, drawn out affair. Finally, the community as a whole had decided upon a council. It was the best way to avoid giving one person too much power. Eight members, from all different walks of life, were elected to be the voice of the people. The first six of which had been an easy choice for almost everyone.

Hershel, Karen, Claire, Daryl, Michonne, and Tyrese.

Each of them represented something different, had different views and opinions, yet none of them were what one would call… “problematic”. So far as everyone knew, of course.

The final two, however… They were somewhat of a challenge.

Hayden was a simple man, a plumber and handyman that had pretty much been vital to the development of Woodbury since the beginning. He was elected in order to assist the council in decisions regarding upgrades and repairs to the prison, to which he had proved almost instantly helpful – organising a repair of the pipes and giving us actual running water.

His complications came from his previous relationship with another member of the council. He and Claire had been married once, before the world had turned into a post-apocalyptic nightmare. They had been in the midst of a rather ugly divorce when the proverbial shit had really hit the fan. It had become almost an unspoken rule back in Woodbury to never find yourself caught in the same room as the two of them. They were practically nuclear, always biting at one another, never able to make it through an actual conversation without it turning into a heated argument. Which, obviously, made council meetings quite… interesting, to say the least.

Of course, the squabbling couple did agree on one thing. And one thing only.

That I was a cold-hearted, murderous bitch that deserved to die.

Their opinion of me was no secret and was echoed throughout some of the other people from Woodbury. Not many, thankfully, but enough that it became an issue when I was chosen as the eighth member of the council.

The decision had come as a shock to me and apparently had not been an easy one to make. Unsurprisingly, Daryl had been the one to initially bring me up as a potential candidate. Michonne and Hershel had both backed me, a fact that had made my heart all warm and fuzzy when I’d found out about it, however the same couldn’t be said for the rest of the council. Of course, Claire and Hayden had both voted against me, as well as Tyrese – who I apparently “unnerved”. Karen had abstained from voting, citing herself as “biased”, which had made the vote a tie.

It had remained at a stalemate for almost a full week before the tiebreaker come into play.

When I had heard that Rick had personally stepped in to cast his well-respected vote, I’d almost choked on my dinner in surprise. I mean, we had become closer since his “retirement”, that was true. Now that he was no longer strung out and stressed, he had grown into an almost entirely different person. We got along better than I would have ever thought. Despite that, however, his vote had left me in a state of shock for quite some time.

It had been a week since that day and my first council meeting was scheduled for this evening. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. Daryl was busy helping Carol and young Lucas skin the deer we’d caught earlier that morning and Hershel was tending to a sick little girl. Even Michonne was gone, out in the forests, searching for the Governor, which had left me no one to talk to. No one but good ole Farmer Rick, of course.

“Looks like the corns coming along well,” I remarked as I came to a stop beside him.

He straightened and turned to look at me, leaning partially against the hoe in his hand as he smiled. “It does, doesn’t it?”

“Your green-thumb surprises you?” I asked with an amused grin.

He chuckled and gave a nod, looking over his small little series of crops with a proud smile.

I didn’t have the heart to tell him the only reason his crops were growing as well as they were was because of me. During the night, before I met Daryl in the watch tower, I sometimes walked through the fields. My kind had a natural affinity for nature, which enabled me to use some of my limited magical ability to… well, gently encourage the crops to grow. It was nice to see it was working.

We stood in silence for a few minutes, until Rick spoke up, turning his body to face me.

“You’re hoverin’,” he remarked, giving me an amused look.

I put my hands behind my back and gave a half-hearted shrug, averting my gaze from his. “What? Me? Hover?”

Rick stepped forward, moving the hoe along with him so he could continue to lean against it as he gave me a kind look. “Syn. I know you’re nervous about the council.”

“What?” I asked, lifting a brow as I turned back to meet his gaze and forced a smile. “Me? Nervous?”

My voice rose half an octave, shaking slightly at the end of the last word. Even I didn’t believe my own attempts to convince him I wasn’t in the least bit uneasy about my first council meeting.

“I wouldn’t have put my neck out for you if I didn’t think you could do it,” Rick said lightly, reaching out with one hand to place it comfortingly on my shoulder. “You’re a smart woman, Synnove. Resourceful. And you work well under pressure.”

“I’m also a hot-head,” I remarked, giving him a pointed look. “And weirdly arrogant for someone with such a deep sense of self-loathing.”

Rick’s crystal blue eyes softened at that and he stepped even closer, so much so that the tips of our boots were barely two inches apart. He lowered his head, brows furrowed in a frown. “You’re a better person than you seem to think you are. You’ll do great, Syn. Trust yourself – believe in yourself. I do.”

I snorted incredulously, though it was half-hearted at best. His words struck me with an odd sense of pride, lifting me out of the abyss of my own self-doubt. I respected Rick, respected what he had done here, the way he saw people, so to hear him say that he believed in me… Well, it made me feel all warm and tingly. Unable to stop myself, I gave him a genuine smile. “Fine,” I breathed, forcing myself to sound put out. “But if I end up punching Claire in the face, it’s on you.”

He laughed softly, low in his throat, before stepping away from me and removing his hand, placing it back on the hoe by his side. “I think I can handle that.”

We smiled silently at one another for a moment before I nodded, taking a deep breath and turning away from him. “Alright, then. Wish me luck.”

I could feel his eyes on me as I walked away. “Good luck.”  

#

Turns out, the luck was most certainly needed.

The moment I stepped foot into the cell block’s centre room, where the council meetings were always held, I was instantly verbally assaulted. I’d barely even had a chance to close the metal door behind me before I heard Claire’s whiny voice pipe up from her place at the circular table below.

“What the hell is she doing here?”

I turned in place to look down at her with a forced pleasant smile, casually descending the short staircase and crossing the concrete floor to the table. Daryl shuffled over on his seat, giving me room to sit down beside him. I gave him a thankful smile as I did.

“Rick agreed Synnove would be a good addition to this council,” Hershel stated simply, giving me a kind smile and encouraging nod before turning back to face Claire. Her face looked as if someone had just unhinged their jaw and swallowed her favourite pet whole. “Now that we are all here, our first order of business is to attend–”

“Hold on just a hot second,” Claire cut in, lifting both her hands up and waving them about as if to get everyone’s attention. “I thought we agreed her presence here would be detrimental to our future as a community.”

I let out a sigh, reaching down to pull up the sleeves of my leather jacket, exposing my tattooed forearms. “Ah, here we go.”

Claire ignored that, slowly rising out of her seat to look each of the council members in turn – notably avoiding eye contact with me. “This is the same woman that changed sides in the middle of a war. The same woman that did terrible, terrible things at the behest of a sociopath, knowing full well what he was. The same woman that murdered a man in cold blood before Woodbury’s fences were even complete.”

I raised my hand. “Actually, the fences were well and truly finished when I killed Marcus.”

Claire finally met my gaze, though it was only to express how aghast and disgusted she was with the blasé way I’d just said that. She pointed an accusatory finger at me with a snarl. “See? She takes pleasure in killing innocent men.”

Beside me, I felt Daryl’s leg slide across the concrete floor, the side of his booted foot coming to rest against my own. I knew it was his way of giving comfort. After all, he was the only one here that knew the truth – well, believed the truth – of what happened that night with Marcus and his two sycophants.

I took a deep breath and shook my head. “Marcus was far from an innocent man, Claire.”

She scoffed. “Your lies fall on deaf ears here in this council, murderer.”

I wanted so badly to scream at her that I was literally incapable of lying, yet knew that would only open a can of worms I was in no way prepared to dive into. Instead, I just shook my head and tossed up a hand in exasperation.

“Synnove’s past is not up for discussion,” Hershel politely stated, looking to Claire with that disapproving look of his. “We are here to talk about the future.”

“Oh, you mean the likelihood of her murdering someone else?” Hayden remarked with a bemused snort. “In the future?”

I turned my head to give him a pointed look. When his gaze met mine, he sunk back in his seat with a thinly veiled look of fear, averting his eyes down to the silver table in front of him. “My place on this council has been decided. Move the fuck past it, man. We got shit to sort out.”

“How eloquent,” Claire sighed, slowly lowering herself back down into her own seat.

I bit my tongue, forcing myself not to bite back at that comment, instead turning my attention to Hershel as he continued what he had been attempting to say earlier. Our first order of business. Apparently, the food situation was rapidly growing dire. We didn’t have enough supplies left over from the remains of Woodbury to sustain us all for an extended period of time. The game Daryl and I brought back was helpful, but it wasn’t enough, and the likelihood the crops would be ready to harvest before we all began to feel the effects of starvation was disastrously low.

Hershel looked to me, pulling a rolled-up piece of paper from his back pocket and laying it out flat on the table in front of him. It was a map of the local area, including what had once been Woodbury and its neighbouring towns and farmlands. “Can you tell us the areas you had yet to scavenge from?”

I lifted my butt out of the seat in order to lean over and get a better look. It was true that Merle and I had made short work of the local townships, having nearly torn apart every house we came into contact with. There was little left in the way of supplies around the majority of the mapped-out area before me, that I knew for certain. We had hit every single house in every single town within a ten-mile radius.

“The only places here we didn’t get to were the farms out by the interstate,” I explained, pointing out the three large acres of land along the stretch of road. “They were too overrun for just the two of us and Phil didn’t think they’d be worth the risk.”

“Odd,” Claire remarked, barely loud enough to be heard. “I thought you were meant to be some kind of Goddess at cutting down biters. Your partner sure seemed to think so. Although, his complete and utter devotion to you, which was sickening to say the least, would suggest his opinions were rather flawed.” She gave me an irritatingly wide grin. “Good thing he got cut down before you turned on him, too.”

The sheer amount of willpower it took to stay firmly planted on that seat beside Daryl was honestly impressive, even to me. My entire body may have been tensed so completely that I could be mistaken for a stone statue, but I stayed where I was. I didn’t leap across the table and shove the palm of my hand so hard against her nose, it pushed her cartilage back into the miniscule excuse for a brain that rattled around in that head of hers. Like I wanted to. No, I remained exactly where I was. As did Daryl, though I could all but feel the anger radiating off him as if it were a wave of physical heat.

A chilling smile stretched across my face as I looked across the table at Claire, running my tongue slowly across my upper teeth as I tried to sort through the red haze of anger that clouded my mind for a diplomatic way of saying “fuck you”.

“Listen here, Claire,” I said slowly, my voice a shadow of its former self in his sheer coldness. “I know you have an issue with me being here. You’ve made that quite clear. Another thing you have made quite clear is your complete and utter lack of anything resembling tact. Merle and I kept you all safe and alive and fed for months. You might not have liked the man – and I can’t blame you for that – but at least have the fucking decency to keep your negative comments regarding him out of the council on which his younger brother sits, you ungrateful, undignified, spiteful bitch.”

The room fell into a tense, deafening silence. Claire stared back at me with her mouth agape for a moment before her green eyes slid across to Daryl. Her expression fell as the realisation struck her that she had just bad mouthed a dead man whose brother sat across the table from her. She looked utterly shameful, opening and closing her mouth as if in an attempt to come up with an apology that wouldn’t sound forced.

Daryl couldn’t meet her gaze for much longer than a handful of seconds, looking down at the table with a huffed breath. His boot was still pressed against mine beneath the table. I lifted my foot and placed it gently on top of his, trying my best to provide a silent comfort while I glared coldly across the table at the arrogant woman as she rose from her seat.

“I’m so sorry, Daryl,” she breathed, putting a hand to her chest. “I didn’t think.”

When Daryl shook his head, grimacing, unable to answer, I felt my anger peak once again. Her words had only served to remind him of the pain he’d barely had a chance to move on from. Of the brother that had perished doing the first selfless thing he’d ever done. The brother that, by his understanding, had died for him.

How dare she? How fucking dare she put her resentment of me above Daryl?

Slowly, I rose out of my seat, moving my foot from atop Daryl’s in order to do so. “Sit the fuck down, Claire, and if you so much as open your mouth again about anything other than council business, I may just reach in there and pull your spine out through your throat. Got it?”

She looked back at me with wide eyes as she, almost involuntarily, fell back down into her seat. It seemed as if she truly believed that was something I was capable of, as if that cold, hissed statement had reminded her of exactly who she was mouthing off to. Her fear of me had become hatred, but the foundations of that fear were still rooted deep within her.

Everyone stared at me as I slowly sunk back down into my seat beside Daryl, their silence speaking volumes. Karen and Tyrese shared a look with one another whilst Michonne gave me an encouraging nod. Hershel seemed somewhat ill at ease with my violent threat, but allowed it without comment, nonetheless. Claire and Hayden both looked as if they were about to be sick, which was fine with me.

Daryl, beside me, reached out beneath the table and placed a thankful hand on my knee. I glanced at him out the corner of my eye and gave him a small nod before turning back to look over the map once again.

“As I was saying,” I continued, my voice returning to normal. “The farms along the interstate haven’t been touched by anyone from Woodbury. They may well be full to the brim with supplies. Only issue being, of course, the number of biters out there will rival a two-man squad. You’d need at least six.”

Hershel nodded, no doubt thankful we’d finally moved on from the feud between Claire and I. His gaze slid across the entire table, glancing at each of us in turn before coming back to me. “Synnove will lead a six-man group to the first farm, here,” he said, pointing out the closest farm to the prison. “You can take a car and one of the trucks, but if there are too many out there, you come right on back. Do not push forward if you are unable.”

I nodded in agreement, reaching out to take the map from the table and rolling it back up silently.

“I’ll go,” Daryl stated, his voice hoarse.

“So will I,” Michonne volunteered.

“I’m down, too,” Tyrese said, though he didn’t particularly sound all that happy about it.

I gave him a thankful smile, which seemed to quell some of the tension that had pulled his shoulders into a tight line.

“That’s four,” I remarked.

“Glenn will go with you,” Hershel suggested.

“I can get Sasha to come, too,” Tyrese put in, this time returning my thankful smile with one of his own.

I nodded and grinned back at Hershel. “Well, that was easy. What’s next on the agenda?”

Everything went relatively smoothly from then on, as we discussed possibilities on upgrading the fences. At one point, there, I was almost enjoying myself. Once Daryl’s mood improved somewhat, I found it much easier to relax into my position, going so far as to suggest a possible subject to discuss during our next meeting. Hershel seemed to be pleased by my addition, writing down the possibility of establishing some kind of schooling system for the young ones onto his notepad.

I probably should have left it there, of course. Why I felt the need to push it one step further is beyond me, but at the time it had made all the logical sense in the world. As if I’d forgotten my apparent nemesis was sitting across the table from me, intent on my complete and utter social destruction.

“I’d suggest adding some kind of defensive training,” I added, pointing to Hershel’s list. “The kids could probably use it.”

Claire snorted. “Of course, you’d be the one to suggest that,” she remarked, crossing her arms over her chest indignantly. “The children do not need to learn how to kill one another.”

I took a deep breath before turning my attention on her, trying my hardest to keep the promise I’d made to myself to remain civil toward her during council sessions. “I never said that. All I’m suggesting is we give them all the skills necessary to survive in a world overrun by walking corpses that want to eat them. But, go off, I guess.”

I didn’t need to turn my head to know Daryl had nodded in agreement. Which apparently made Claire even angrier, for some reason.

“They’re children!” she replied, raising her voice so that it echoed around the empty room. “It is our job as adults to protect them, not train them to be some kind of child-soldier army.”

“Do you do this on purpose?” I asked, tilting my head to the side as I regarded her. “Misinterpret everything I say just so you’ll have something to argue about?”

“You’re the one talking about arming kids!” she shouted back at me. “And you think you’re better than the Governor?”

My eyes partially widened at that, out of the sheer disbelief that she seemed to believe I was no better than the man that had massacred half of our town out of goddamn spite. A scoff escaped me as I shook my head, whispering a curse under my breath with a bemused smile. “You have got to be kidding me. Claire, that man wanted to send those kids into battle. I’m merely saying it would be beneficial – to them, the children – to learn how to defend themselves against the biters. Are you seriously disagreeing with me on this? Do you want them to get eaten?”

“Synnove,” Hershel cautioned. “Enough. We will take the suggestion into consideration and speak on it next week.”

Claire rose out of her seat and shook her head, raising her hand out to Hershel as if to tell him to be silent.

Oh, I was going to hit her. The urge was almost too much. Had Daryl not pressed the sole of his boot against the top of my own shoe, I probably would have leapt out of that seat and across the table before anyone even had a chance to blink.

“I think this is something that warrants discussion now,” Claire stated haughtily.

“Claire, leave it alone,” Karen sighed, speaking up for the first time in a while.

The two women shared a look, during which I could see the sheer exasperation on Karen’s face as she tried to shake her head, a silent plea that Claire seemingly ignored.

“If you go anywhere near any of those children,” the haughty woman began, “I will personally –“

“You’ll what?” I snapped, leaning my forearms against the table as I stared evenly up at her. “What will you do, Claire? What can you do to me?”

She leant forward, too, placing one hand against the metal table in order to thrust her painfully skeletal finger in my face. “Listen here, you arrogant little psychopath, I was a US senator. The list of things I could do to you are endless.”

I snorted a laugh. “Where the fuck do you think you are? Washington? Civilisation has taken a trip to fucked-ville, darling. Your hoity-toity senator bullshit means nothing to me.”

“It should,” she spat. “I can have half of those idiots out there believing you are the Devil incarnate by noon tomorrow.”

I pursed my lips and nodded, feigning bemused agreement, before breaking character and laughing. “The way you say that implies you think I give a shit about what people think of me.”

“I don’t care if you do or don’t,” Claire hissed in response. “You ever heard of a citizen’s arrest? Imagine what that will be like in this world. They’ll hang you up by your neck from a tree.”

Tyrese, Michonne, and I all simultaneously took in a sharp breath at that. The meaning of her words seemed lost on her, if the confused look she gave the two of them said anything. I shook my head, eyes hard as I glared back at her in disgust.

“So… you’re suggesting…” I scoffed out an unamused snort. “Let me get this straight. You’re suggesting a lynching?”

It took her a second longer than it should have to catch on. Her eyes grew wide and she straightened, looking between Michonne and Tyrese with wide, horrified eyes. “That is not what I meant.”

“Sure sounded like it,” Michonne remarked, her voice hard. Tyrese nodded his agreement.

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Claire’s wide gaze turned to me. “Don’t twist my words.”

“It’s literally what you described,” I responded with a blank expression.

She let out a frustrated groan. “You! I meant you! It’s what you deserve! For Marcus, for Woodbury, for Jasmi–”

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Daryl shot up out of his seat before she could finish that one name that would have sent me over the edge, pointing an aggressive finger in her direction. “You shut your damn mouth! We don’t need to hear no more of your shit, so sit the hell down!”

Claire, as stunned as the rest of us at Daryl’s outburst, slowly sunk down into her chair and snapped her mouth closed. I craned my neck back to look up at him with my brows raised, the ghost of a smile pulling at the corners of my lips. Something about the hard set of his jaw as he glared menacingly down at Claire made my lower stomach tighten.

Once he was sure the woman was going to keep her mouth well and truly shut, he returned to his seat with a gruff sigh. I watched him lower himself down, watched him clench and unclench his jaw, with a wide-eyed look of shocked amusement. He glanced over to me and once our eyes met, I had to bite back a laugh, turning to look away before I lost it.

After a moment of tense silence, I looked between everyone and gave a nod. “Well, that was hot. Let’s move on.”

And, thankfully, we did.

[demauryss]

mtea @bluronyourradar tagged me to do this. thanks so much love !!

trope game

slow burn or love at first sight  (also when it’s love at first sight but transformed into a slowburn?? man. that shit gets me going)

fake dating or secretly dating 

enemies to lovers or best friends to lovers (honestly i’d die for both of these tropes but enemies to lovers hits different.)

“oh no, there’s only one bed” or long distance correspondence

hurt/comfort or amnesia 

fantasy au or modern au

mutual pining or domestic bliss

smut or fluff

canon compliant/missing scenes or fix it

alternative universe or future fic

one shot or multi chapter

kid fic or road trip fic

reincarnation or character death (get me away from any kind of death please)

arranged marriage or accidental marriage 

high school romance or middle aged romance 

time travel or isolated together

neighbours or roommates (i’m such a hoe for both of these tropes)

scifi au or magic au

body swap or genderbend

angst or crack 

apocalyptic or mundane 

i don’t know who to tag so i’m gonna forgo it. if you want to do this then consider yourself tagged :))

[valentineblaze]

Endgame Spoilers

Listen up people I am here to rant.

Tony Stark is effing amazing and I love every second of his gilded trashbag life. But this was just a killer. Dad Tony was everything I wanted and more let me tell ya. I love you 3000 is freaking heartbreaking. I have no issue with his arc in the movie at all even if the end does cause me to break out into back breaking sobs because fuck you. If Tony is going to die by gauntlet then you had better be damn sure everyone he even peripherally gave a damn about is going to make it through this fight. Natasha, Gamora, Loki, and every single Asgardian Tony could remember would have been brought back because that man is the definition of all or nothing.

What I have issues with is the sheer lack of world building we get in this movie. Honestly its the Snap and the only glimpse of this Post apocalyptic world is group Therapy and Remembrance walls. As well as several miscellaneous flashbacks to Hawk-eyes surprise family? That not even comic fans are super attached too because they were literally made up probably for male man pain. Where was the atmosphere? Where was the drama? Where was the angst? Post snap was quite honestly not heart wrenchingly rendered into a suitable level of grief. It just wasn't. I expected break downs and rage. All I got was three seconds of Natasha tears as she has let someone else tracking down her soulbro. And a Tony Stark screaming at Captain America. This movie just told us what was happening didn't show us what was happening. It was piss poor story boarding.

Then there was the character development. Like wow. We get all these new and amazing side characters in which you could have fleshed out and made us root for and you just throw them to the sea like chum. -Captain marvel is just not there at all, she gets a gratuituous girl power scene which was random and then she gets slapped to the ground never to get up? Right after she take a head butt without a single flinch. You can small Thanos's fear right then. -Rocket gets to slap Thor? Thats it thats his most memorable moment other the holding Nebula's hand. -Rhodey has some of the best lines but no development or follow up. -Nebula there is so much happening off screen that it physically hurts me. She is amazing. I adore her. I want a series of her. Nebula is my bitch bea. I found a new hoe to die for and it is she. She is my new ride or die. Found family and redemption arcs come at me. -Sam and Bucky both get maybe two lines a piece and that just irks me.

Time travel... yes bitch I am always there for time travel hijinks and drama but honestly five minutes of a single episode of leverage had more heist feels then this three hour train wreck. It might have been the lack of a great soundtrack but it just wasn't that compelling to watch. I'm also really confused about the time travel thearory in this shit because they kept going back on thier own writing through out the movie (cough cough STEVE cough) I'm a fan of we rewrite the future by affecting the past. Butterfly effect is my Jam. This alternate reality thing is fun yes but it can't really be that because they may create alternate realities okay? then if there was the need for pym particals for time travel to occur how did Thanos's big ass army get enough to travel through time to the future? Because the avengers were out or at least low regardless of Steve's thievery and Nebula only had the one from my understanding. Also if changing the reality makes a new reality how the fuck was Steve in this reality.

Bruce , Bruce, Bruce. My beautiful green rage monster and yoga doctorate what have they done to you. What is going on. Why are you so cheerful. Why are you at peace. I hate to say it but go back. Why are we still doing this Nat/Bruce ship? It is so random. I just can't see it. Fandom can trick me into it for a few chapters but not forever.  Ya'll should have taken a hint from Ragnorok give me that personality and it would have been a win. Shock and dismay was my only emotions when it came to this mess.

My constant rage with this series is pick up an effin comic book. Sit down watch a cartoon. If anyone is going to become a human disaster post Snap its going to be effin Hawkeye. Like yay Ronin cool but what the actual fuck. Why did you come at me like that? Hawkeye is not your edgy overlord. He probably would have died ages ago with out the female influences in his life. He has regular dates with dumpsters.  I'm sure he even has a ranking system for prefered dumpsters to end up in after a beat down. Yes he is startlingly competent but even he doesn't know how he does it half the time. He eats food off the floor and thinks expiration dates are guidelines.

Thor was a new one. They threw me for a loop. One this man needs a hug. Two, why is no one hugging him? His rampant depression and weight gain shouldn't have been the butt of jokes. There should have been some honest concern and meaningful conversations with the living not the dead. Thor never doubted his mother's love. That was never up for debate. Thor is not to blame for the snap. Thor will give no fucks if he messes up the timeline if it means his family is alive and together. Especially post Ragnarok. Also I could have sworn Thanos killed every asguardian on his ship at the beginning of infinity war? How is Valkyrie alive? Why would Thor decide to go to space?

I’m not even gonna touch on the Black Widow for this one. I’m just not gonna go there. Blind rage doesn’t even cover it.

Howard Stark. Wow just wow I thought I was having some weird ass delusion. That man is scum. Comic canon scum. One of the smartest men on the planet yes, revolutionary war hero technically yes, great father and overall good human being? Hell to the no. Tony literally named his A.I. after Jarvis, cried over the death of J.A.R.V.I.S,  I would have expected a quiet chat about fatherhood and marriage and how it can make the best out of any man (he hopes)  before I got a conversation with dear old dad.

Why can’t Tony and Steve have one friendly conversation? A sense of camaraderie? Anything? Why is that so hard?

Steve "fight me" Rogers what has MCU done to you? I'm supposed to believe that you would have left Bucky Barnes to Hydra's hands for over 70 years. Im supposed to believe that you would have been in the past and had no interactions with Howard Stark. Im supposed to believe that the you married the Director of Shield and you didn't wax poetry about the amazing woman that diegned to marry you every damn day of your life? This woman on her deathbed told you she lived a long and fulfilled life and that you should move on to have the same happiness as she and you did what? That he wouldn't have dismantled every last bit of Hydra. That he would just let Natasha and Tony die because of that shitty delusional grape? The disrespect STEVEN the disRESPECT! I am a Stony stan for sure but hell if I don't respect Peggy Carter. So yay steve gets his happy cis gendered ending but what about the rest of em?

[honey-piggy]

i've been good princes!! thank you! i've been feeling down this past week or so for some reason unknown so i've just been surviving it :)) oohh this is abrupt but do you listen to brockhampton?? fallout is a single-player game set in like a post-apocalyptic world and this leaves people to live in vaults but you enter outside the vaults (gasp!) & each fallout has a different story but that's as much as i can say without giving away too much without spoiling the game. it's a lot-- -honey anon (1)

–lot of like kinda free roam, and you can do some pretty cool shit when completing the story and side quests. I really enjoyed Fallout 3 & New Vegas i’m excited as hell for Fallout 76 bc it’ll be multiplayer!! & it just seems interesting. also what really gets me is the soundtrack bc whenever I hear Frank Sinatra it’s just instant Fallout vibes now, it’s just so relaxing and fun imo lol && red velvet is SO good have you ever tried blue velvet ??

Can I just say, whenever you call me princess, my insides just fucking melt, it’s the sweetest thing 😩🤧

But awh :( baby, I hope you feel soon! Remember your self care: drink lots of water (a glass first thing in the morning is the perfect start to the day), get an app for brain training! It helps keep your brain sharp and works on your cognitive skills and all that jazz, it’s really good to do in the morning too, helps you start the day with a kick! Make sure you eat proper meals and the right kind of snacks. Make sure you get between 6-9 hours of sleep, no more and no less. Too much sleep is just as bad as too little. Meditate, I don’t practice but a lot of people swear by it. Pamper yourself! Face masks, a long bubble bath or even just a long shower can really help. (Also I heard peeling and eating an orange in the shower is meant to be good for you? Idk how..) 

If all else fails, a nice cup of tea and a Studio Ghibli movie should do the trick 💋

I don’t listen to brockhampton, what kind of music do they do? As for fallout, that actually sounds like a game I’d like to play, I actually read a book like that called Wool but I can’t remember the authors name. I’m a hoe for post-apocalyptic stuff. So is it like Destiny gameplay but with The Last of Us kind of theme/concept? I might just go and watch some playthoughs/streams! Your enthusiasm for video games has me so soft, Honey 🤧

I had no idea blue velvet existed, please elaborate on this divine sounding cake 

[become-the-story]

FIC RECOMMENDATIONS

So Here it is finally ! I will class them by genre and in no particular order of preference, tbh all of the things that will be listed down below are pure gold ! (under a cut because it’s gonna be soooooo long lmao) 

I did include au’s in the categories, but I decided to create an AU category anyway, just to put, well my fave ones, like the concept y’know

                                 SMUT (first things first imirite)

@tayegi : Okay so tbh just read all of her stories ? Like every each of them are amazing af, but let me tell you my faves :

Suga, Last Nite An amazing zombie!au

Taehyung, CodeName: Shadown Cat  I’m a sucker for au and this secret agent one got my heart

Suga ft Jungkook, Cobalt and Charcoal  this one got me shook af

 Equilibrum (m but not every chapter) a multiple chapters story, it’s amazing plus guess what ! It’s centered on Jimin & Jungkook yas

And of course, last but not the least, the legendar In Bloom with a beautiful Werewolf!au centered on Jungkook

Jimin, Fuck, Marry, or Kill, He ain’t only the cute little pup he looks like

New rules, fratboy!jungkook, you’re welcome

@exobtssmutimagination : ofc when it comes to smut this is basically my reference blog lol ! Sadly they’re on hiatus right now, but if you go to their masterlist, you have a lot to go through ! Once again, basically all of their smut is great mate ! But here you go for my faves :

The better lover (pt1) An amazing serie (4 parts I think ?) starring the maknae line !

Caught red handed PET NAMES ! A nice smut with our pervy leader Namjoon !

A little fun during rehearsal not really a smut, but yeah who could resist Hoseok after seeing him rapping ?

@an-exotic-writer : Same goes for Missy, tbh her masterlist is a mine of gold, there’s a lot, like a lot of things whenever I’m bored I will read something (plus her masterlist looks really cool like) Here we go for the faved :

Smooth as fuck, Hoseok, well everything is said in the title lol, oh and gangster!hobi is hot af

Sidewalk sugar, what can I say, I’m weak for Jimin, and even more when he’s a sugar daddy

it’s a win win for you & me possessive Jin in a ceo!au

@freehoseoksdick : Friends with benefit I don’t even have the words lol just go read it especially if yo’ure a Jimin hoe like me

@jungkxook : Bad!boy Tae, if onlt this doesn’t make you want to read it, then idk what to tell you lol  Runaway

honorable mention for @hobibliophile and her RA!Jimin smut ! eheh

                                                     FLUFF

@hobibliophile : My fave non-smut from Jules !  Shades. A fluffy encounter at the beach with Kook !

@noir0neko : I probably should have mentioned them in the smut section, but I preferred listing on their cute little floof stories (but def go check their smuts too, same for Jules !) Bonne nuit. Look ! French ! lol basically Jiminie helping you fall asleep and it’s rly cute

@park-jimeme : Okay so I discovered her blog because of the Grim Reaper serie, and all I wanna say is THANKS whoever reblogged it and made me see this ! so here we go for my faves fluff :

Gang!bts basically a fluff gang!au with Jin !

Vlogger!au, Vloger!Taehyung is just too cute

Secret to tell, you have great news for Hoseok, your husband

@exobtsimagination : yeah they don’t only do smuts amazing right ?

Perfect Date With J-Hope , the title says it all !

Your Eyes Are Like … , this one’s really cute, it’s with Namjoon and all people wearing glasses should read this !

Teaching Jimin English , once again the title says it all, it’s rly short but rly cute lol

@freehoseoksdick : Starlight a floofy youtubeur!Jungkook thingy 

                                                  ANGST

@park-jimeme : once again because yeah what can I say I just love everything she writes so...

It’s over, a nice angsty serie with Suga, but dw the fluff is there in the end lol

Grim Reaper serie, it’s like a mix of every genre, there’s mostly angst, there’s fluff, there’s smut, there’s supernatural, this serie is awesome you must read it ! Oh and there’s ot7, but it’s centered on Namjoon and Suga !

Gream Reaper side story J-Hope’s one & Jungkook’s  those got me shook forreal and they are sad af. I love these, so nicely written omg

I Need U!AU, I think she made one for each member, but I only read Jimin’s so far, and yeah, well, just as the Mv it is... *sobs*

Cheater, basically in this Jungkook is an asshole and Suga is the nice guy

@btschronicles : I don’t know much about the writer since I discovered this blog recently and only got to read The depth of us, which is with Jungkook who is so oblivious it hurts, literally, but I’m sure all of their stuff is nice !

@bee-tea-ass, same, I don’t really know anything about the writer I randomly found this, and damn. I’m Okay, well clearly you guessed it, it’s not okay and it’s with Jimin THIS SHIT GOT ME ON THE VERGE OF TEARS ! I love reading stuff like this when i’m already sad af ! 

                                         FAVE AU’S (any genre)

@jiminniemouse‘s stripper!Jimin, surprise surprise (m)

@jungblue‘s Gryffindor!Taehyung  Under the Cloak (m)

@an-exotic-writer Wolf!Suga Salvation (fluff [?]) | Photographer!Suga My muse my love (m) | cop!Hoseok Maybe | FallenAngel!Jimin fallen for you (fluff) | ChildhoodFriend/college!Taehyung mine then, mine now (fluff)

@freehoseoksdick‘s CEO!Jimin, SILK (m; fluff; angst) a must, like go read it now, beautiful serie that must be finished by the time you see this | Blackout (every genre tbh)  post-apocalyptic!au

@jungkxook ZombieApocalypse!AU centered on Jungkook, to this is amazing tbh Hiraeth (m; angst)

@jungblue Purge!AU The purge not finished yet, but the 4 parts that are out are amazing !

@btssmutgalore Stripper!Jimin (well kind of) hm how did I not find about this sooner tbh like yes yes yes Sin City (m)

@perpetually-jungshook Werewolf!AU Jungkook centered I’ve been craving for supernatural AU’s and this one didn’t disappoint, sadly it isn’t finished, but you can definitely look forward to the next parts !  Without You: Bloodstone

That’s it ! I might add stuff whenever I find new ones ! ♥

[davidrwashington]

DAWN Richard (D∆WN) - Redemption (Album Review)

“Redemption (Intro)”

This song reminds me of something from the Lion King. I wouldn’t necessarily say the super theatrical part where Rafiki raises the newborn Simba to the rest of the Animal Kingdom, pretty much hailing him as the new King and heir to the throne of his father Mufasa. Rather, it seem as it is an overall celebratory piece, feasting collectively as equals, enjoying life. Like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeRck6JLhw8 .

This also reminds me of those celebratory dances in Africa, where it goes on through the night and the villagers feast upon a campfire on, similar to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34ennb3rhdI . This is where it’s near pitch black, and the only light is the roaring campfire from feast they have prepared.

This intro definitely seems like the celebration of a King and/or Queen, such as Dawn herself. Though this King and Queen’s celebration is also in aappreciation of their tribe in all that they’ve done, whether surviving a war such as the story through DAWN’s trilogy from GoldenHeart to your Redemption, or being great and monumental African folk in their existence, woven into the legacy,  into the continuance of the beautiful African culture and lineage. This intro really makes you think of your roots,  celebrating who you are, in your black excellence of just being you. You truly feel like you’re home in your motherland, and DAWN is shining ablaze, reflecting off upon your cocoa butter brown melanin skin, as the Sun God/Solar Deity whispers in your ear, “you are the one,” all of you.

“Love Under Lights”

One of my favorites of the album. It kind of reminds me of a fusion of “Calypso” and “Billie Jean” from Blackheart and “Gleaux” from Goldenheart. DAWN is the queen of transitions and sequencing, and ‘Redemption’ is no different. This song flows perfectly from Redemption. “Redemption (Intro)” is the warning call that the celebration is starting soon, and “Love Under Lights” is the beginning of this massive celebration.

I love the narrative of this woman that DAWN sings about, like “Billie Jean” (as I mentioned about the songs it reminds me of a fusion of). Which reminds me of the visuals of “Billie Jean.” You can imagine some beautiful, free-spirited, rebellious (in her individualism), woman walking into LA streets (Whether Los Angeles, Louisiana, or any new city) and exploring this new place, the culture and what is has to offer. She spends a day exploring this mysterious city, shopping on Melrose or the streets of New Orleans, sitting in the park taking in the beautiful weather, nature, and people. She goes home to change into a new spunky outfit, then hits some nightclub where it’s pitch dark and you can’t see a single person. But… you get glimpses of pulsating disco lights, as everyone parties it up, enjoying the atmosphere. Maybe someone is dancing on her, or maybe she’s dancing by herself living off of the energy of the music and the collective energy of the high-on-life souls in the nightclub. I love how DAWN sings,

“she was elevated, she was a fan of the niggas that kept her motivated, she said she fuckin wit Drake, I said King Kendrick….I guess we’re just Kindred spirits. And I will never never lie to you, I think you are the truth, I think I’d like to do some things to you, our love is cooool…it’s coooool….”

You’re not sure if she’s singing about herself and to this woman directly, like a dialogue of a relationship, or if she’s a narrator, observing the woman. It keeps you guessing. It shows you how open DAWN is, in her music, in her perspective, and what world she lives in, encompassing everyone.

“Black Crimes”

This track reminds me of “Billie Jean x Dance.” The reason is reminds me of “Billie Jean x Dance” is because of the transition from “Love Under Lights.” The story and content of this song also reminds me of the story of “Billie Jean, ” and puts me in what I would imagine the visuals would be when I think of this song. As DAWN sings, “Love crimes, high cost, we’re doing time, we’re sentenced to life…,” doesn’t that remind you of the story of “Billie Jean,” more so a continuation of that song?

“I’m a Rollin stone, I really can’t stay I know I gave you pussy but das cause yo test look great I’m like an assassin, leave without a trace It’s the mess you love when you all in my face” “Billie Jean trill impaler like a fate I never stay too long on my own grade And if you’re lucky, 2023 Send that prenup to my new legal team No counting sheep up in a city full of thirsty hoes”

Doesn’t that sound like Love Crimes of High Cost? The beat kinda reminds me of her infectious, high-on-life track “Wake Up” as well, but more mellow. Though not exactly, because DAWN is always giving us something fresh and new.  However, this track is similar to “Wake Up.” I am glad that this is similar to “Wake Up” because that’s my jam. So anything in some kind of vein of it, would immediately entice me. Around 3:01, she changes the flow of the track with some kinda sound effect on her voice, with the new apocalyptic-like alarm she introduced around 2:17. I love stuff like that because you don’t get bored with the track because the pace is not all the same.

On this album, instead of Dawn’s vocals being the lead of each track, it’s more so the production that sets the setting, that builds into the story of the lyrics that she sings. So the production is the beginning, middle, and end, more specifically: the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. Which is something artist rarely do. Another great track.

“Voices”

I love this track. I had been searching for the track DAWN had previewed, accompanied to her new work as a curator for Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim”.That song is everything. I searched all over the album to see if the track was there. This track, along with “Lilies” were the tracks I thought it was, but wasn’t. The beginning instrument playing is just EVERYTHING. It’s not over-the-top. Sometimes less is more, and in this case, it is definitely more. I’m not a musician, so I don’t know exactly what instrument it is, but it’s dope. All I have to say is, that brass instrument, the horn, whatever it is in the beginning, is dope. This is goldmine of the track.

“LA” feat. Trombone Shorty

Dawn’s favorite track on the album, and one of mine. It almost took the title as my personal favorite, but there are too many dope tracks on the album for me to pick just one. The production of this track is everything, and as few lyrics as there are, they hit extremely hard. It’s like something my counselor said about me, “David doesn’t say much, but when he does, it has an impact.” The few lyrics Dawn sings on this track are so powerful:

“These LA streets are killing me” “It’s wavy cause this shit don’t matter MJ on the radio, so we blast that , MJ on the radio” “We thought we was above it all ‘Cause the difference is Wayne was a hot boy”

To me this song is about, police brutality, being racial profiled, and just the struggle of being black in our current society. As powerful as the production is, this track puts you in a place to think about what she’s singing about. You think about it, but at the same time, you drown it out and sweep off to another dimension. The way this song starts out, I can’t even explain it to you. All I have to say is this song is like a true Symphony. This reminds me of something that could really be a hip hopera, and some musical on Broadway. As a play, it transitions into a scene where there is an uproar and outrage, with riots on the streets, as everyone is running everywhere, watching as some fellow blacks are killed. However, we are reminded that there is strength in numbers, as blacks are standing up against the police to protect their brothers and sisters, and some get away under the protection of their fellow black brothers and sisters. It’s like there’s some kind of martial law, such as this moment pictured above.

And this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGbGj82SQrE

The electric guitar string breakdown and the KEYBOARD SYNTH at 2:51-3:01, and then again around 3:37-4:11 is so epic! Especially the keyboard synth. But to me that’s the rising action, but the true golden moment of the track is the ending, the Trombone Solo with Trombone Shorty. It is absolutely EVERYTHING!

DAWN has said over time, how she likes to play with her voice with auto-tune and different elements of sound effects, which gives a unique flair tracks, such as this one. She has also mentioned how she’s heavily involved with production and how important production is, especially in telling of the story of a song, how it can stand alone. That Trombone solo at the end ,Man… that is just something that we will never hear from mainstream artist these days. DAWN the QUEEN of what music truly is, from every different sector. This track is the definitive example of when music is Golden, in every spectrum. This a true collective effort, where not one thing is necessarily the lead, every piece is the lead. Though the Trombone is the strongest, every element in this song gets to shine.

“Interim (Interlude)”

DAWN and these interludes! Dawn is the artist that will make an interlude so great. This is not just an interlude, it’s as strong, if not stronger than a full track. Her interludes will make you want a full track, as you’ll be mad at her for not making the interlude a full track because you don’t want the hypnotic, mesmerizing epicness to end.

Interim reminds me of some ‘Darkness before Dawn’ like moment. Like when someone has died, a warrior has died, but you know you have to go on. Like something out of “Maleficent” or “The Huntsman: Winter’s War.” Like that falling action. It’s like the moment where you think everything is fine, and you’ve won. Then, suddenly one of the main characters, either the main character in the story everyone knows and loves, or you as a viewer, who has grown to love, is instantly killed. In that moment, this is what “Interim” gives me. Like that moment of betrayal, think of Ciara’s “Paint it Black.” Such as this moment:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZJS99fPN7M . It also reminds me of  “Tide” (The Paradox Effect)” a song exclusive to the Vinyl edition of Blackheart, which there’s a video of it on YouTube. Interim:

“Light, You stimulate sight , And make everything expand Can you see as I have, Can you truly love it, Under the light?”

Does that ring a bell with “Tide”?:

“Under your gaze, feel your pull,  Every night my waves grow, Crushing past the rocky view.”

“Day moon - I am your tide, your light gives me life. Day moon, day moon.”

This songs perfectly transitions into “Renegades,” and I do mean perfectly! It sets the tone perfectly.

“Renegades”

The 1st single of the album, to replace what “Dance” was supposed to be. This song is song is a slightly dark, dance anthem. Not dark as in like negative emotions, just not bright, like some bubblegum-summer tune. It makes me think of some Urban (more black people) West Side Story, with more grit and grunge.

I see a scene late at night, where DAWN and a group of dancers are in black, short leather jackets, and jeans and you get a low-angle shot of DAWN and her dancers to introduce them at the beginning of the clip. The camera then tilts up from their feet to their knees, or a wide angle shot, that’s kind of close-up showing from the waist down of DAWN and her dancers. Next the camera zooms out to reveal the scenery of some European-like streets and village where there are vendors on the streets, and from building to building, it’s about enough space for two people to walk through the streets. This song to me is reminiscent of “DANCE.” It’s very Urban EDM to me, like when the synthesized keyboard comes in (the more EDM part), and then when the horn comes booming through with the bass underneath, with that beat dropping. It’s that ass shaking urban-sauce that we love and are accustomed to.

“Lazarus”

“I watched my soul rise up, Rise up, rise up” “My ignorance is a human thing My ascension is a spirit thing I can be both in the same I didn’t change… I became” “I watched my words rise up Rise up, rise up They slept on the rise up Rise up, rise up”

This is definitely the Redemption. It’s like that moment that you look back on your life. After all the turmoil, heartbreak, broken friendships and relationships, like flipping through your Senior yearbook, old Facebook photos, you realize who you were in those moments. The things you experienced, the mistakes you made, you realize who you were, and you were makes you realize who you are. You smile at your quirky, individual self, and through your imperfections, you are still perfectly you. You have truly risen. This is one of my faves of the album.

“Tyrants”

“Tyrants” to me is the flip-side of “Lazarus.” “Lazarus” is the risen, realizing the good in the darkness, the embarrassing and awkward moments of your life. “Tyrants” is that song that you listen to late at night and think about a breakup or any struggles you’ve faced in your life. You get kind of sad and you may tear up, and realize all that you’ve went through. It’s that outer dimensional track. You ever had those moments and you say, “I wish I could be alone with me and my music?”, “If it could be me, my music, and space, and no one else… I’d be fine.” Okay, this is that song. Visualize an IMax theater, but just big enough to house you, and enough space for you to get a good look at the 360-view screen, that has a slideshow of videos and photos of your life. Though it’s not an actual I-Max theater, it’s a dimension displaying your life moments.

On the flip-side, another perspective is being in love or having a crush, and you want to just see that sparkle in that person’s eyes, you’re just admiring their glow. The lyrics:

“Lemme see your eyes I wanna see them glow I wanna see how far Your power goes They’ll all be scared Never understand Our power glows The light expands”

Also puts you in the mind of Tide: The Paradox Effect, in how DAWN is singing her narrative to the moon and how it gives her power and life,

“Day moon - I am your tide, your light gives me life. Day moon, day moon.”

This track can be taken so many different ways, and the narrative could be targeted to man, inanimate object, or other. “Tyrants” is a beautiful and simple track. It’s one of those late night walks, realizing the beauty of music, getting lost in your memories and the music. Another fave of the album.

“Vines (Interlude)” feat. PJ Morton

This song is reminds me of a track that you’d play when trying to do some kind of seductive dance for your lover. When I initially heard the song, I thought it was some issue, lost in translation of downloading the track, because dawn was stuttering in like slurred speech. But then I realized that this was for dramatic effect and emphasis of the track. It’s like where she sings, “water falling down,” like her body has went numb and she’s just wet, lol. This is that kinda song where you’re like, lost in love. Like when you have so much of a crush, or are so love and/or attracted to someone, that whenever they’re around, you get super awkward and are like a loss for words. Or maybe it’s through social media; you can’t even respond to their messages, it takes you week to give a simple reply. But this song is much more sexual and seductive to me. This is definitely in the R&B lane, a nice seductive slow jam. People not into the EDM sound, probably could find themselves at home and in comfort of this song.

“Hey Nikki”

This is the part of the album, where things start to slow down, as the trilogy concludes. Hey Nikki is like an Ode to Janet Jackson, as DAWN sings,

“Hey Nikki I know you want to see me Do all the things that I do to him If you’re nasty..”

Remember Janet famously says “Janet, Ms. Jackson if you’re nasty.” DAWN always has this narrative where’s she talking about this woman who is a sexual creature, comfortable with her body and her sexuality, who is always in power and in control, not falling under the spell of guys and their penis and their manipulation. Instead it’s like she’s this Praying Mantis or Black Widow, getting what she wants, using the guys for something like sex, making her money and moves, then moving on, just like those insects. Though it’s not saying the woman needs the guy or is always using them for sex, but she’s just not submissive to his wants (or needs), while succumbing to mediocrity by not meeting her needs. She’s a QUEEN and her title will not be of lesser value, because QUEEN is SHE. SHE is a ruler, a powerful being that demands respect and will builder her utopia.

“Hey Nikki” is a chill track that you’d probably listen to when you have nothing else better to do with your day, those bored moments. You’d probably chill to this track, and write, sit and think, catch up on some intellectually stimulating articles online, or read a book.

“Sands”

“Sands” picks up perfect where “Hey Nikki” left off. Sands is one of those reflective tracks. It’s that moment that you put your whole life into perspective.  It reminds me of that introspective, reflective nature of Blackheart tracks, like “Swim Free” (Minus the upper tempo dance beat) and “Projection”, and Goldenheart tracks like, “Ode to You” and self-titled “Goldenheart.”

DAWN sings reminiscently,

“Pictures on the wall, Remind me of all…the shit that we lost… It ain’t right, but that’s right.” “When we were young, we were dumb, we were too young… we were young…”

“We didn’t know that everything would come falling down, we didn’t know everything would come crashing down….”

We know better now, but we wish we had done better, seems to be the thought that comes to mind as DAWN sings this. We were simply “too young to understand.�� We crash and burn, and that’s life. We wish we could’ve made better choices, but we must roll with the punches and accept that we can’t change what has already happened. The song closes with fading echoes of DAWN chanting, as the grand piano takes leads and closes the chapter into the next interlude.

“Lilies (Interlude)”

I think this has to be my favorite track of the whole album, and it’s only an interlude. If you’re already a fan of DAWN you know her interludes are life. They are not to be overlooked. They are stronger as, and potentially stronger than most singles.

I love how this track transitions perfectly from “Sands.” It continues that Grand Piano, Dramatic, Phantom of the Opera instrumental, and brilliantly transcends into the EDM beat.

This track is rather interesting, it’s like a response to “Sands.” Like the redemption of “Sands.” She sings about her past, like Sands,

“Yellow lilies light..the house where we used to live where we used to go, when we was all wrong out there we watched them grow, like our lives, they grew everywhere And now it’s old and they’ve withered…” And her redeeming response, “And so I let ‘em go, let go…”

So though she made mistakes, when she was a kid playing in the sand, fumbling, all wrong out there, she bloomed and blossomed like a lily from all her mistakes. She grew, she got bigger and better, and she let her mistakes go. She let them stay in the past and wither away, as she evolved into the Queen that she is. No need to hold a grudge and regret the many times she tripped over her own two feet in the sand, over the war that she battled and the mistakes she made. It’s time to accept the light at the end of the tunnel, and walk into your shine. The grass is always greener on thee other side.

This song is that uplifting beautiful track that you listen to, to deal with your issues. Yell, scream or what have you, accept them and come out smiling because battle scars are things only warriors acquire. It’s because you’re human, but you’re also a warrior. God only puts on you what he knows you can handle. So be happy that he has accepted that you are powerful beyond means and words/ He has given you this mission, as his shining warrior.

It’s like the Marvel movies of Thor, he went through so much darkness and destruction, but through it all, he still remained because he had purpose, to change the world, for a brighter future.

“The Louvre”

The commencement. The weeping willow, saddened, violin strings at the beginning, a perfect opening to a commencement of the journey of this roller-coaster of the wars fought through this trilogy.

This song is truly beautiful. DAWN is all about full productions, very cinematic and theatrical. All of her songs sound like they could be apart of some epic Broadway show. That music that receives high honors from well-respected vets in all spectrums of music, but art overall. So like songwriters, people who write sheet music, screenwriters, music directors of symphony orchestra’s, she has that sort of quality. Everything she does it well thought out and intricate. Production and instruments are always the core of her music. They are always a balanced lead with her vocals. There are no 2nd fiddles in DAWN’s music, every part shares the limelight.

This song comes to mind as a commemorative song of the dead. Remembering the greatness of those who died before you, and all the beauty, peace, and happiness they brought to so many on their journey. This is a celebration of all their good, that is now engraved in history, that can now be told as a part of their legacy. Think in the mind of Lazarus:

“I watched my soul rise up,” “My ascension is a spirit thing.” This is the celebration of that spirit, the war it battled, and now it’s time to rise, rise over to the other side, where the grass is greener, and the sun always shines bright as the beauty it is, as DAWN coos “Ooh…you’re a work of art.”

Legacy never dies. DAWN can now take her bow. She is confident about the mark she’s left on this world with this magnifico heart trilogy. She will always be remembered. This song to me is that statue that you put up as a monument to celebrate the warrior’s legacy. You’re a work of art, you’ll always be remembered for your great efforts, we will never forget you. We will always look up to you and the greatness you have bestowed upon us, “Ooh… you work of art.” DAWN, you are ART.

“Valhalla (Outro)”

“Escape, run away with me Escape, to the open dreams Where rebels are the majority And my color isn’t minority Escape, ooh Escape, ooh”

There’s a fork and the road, and it’s your choice. What are you gonna do?

This reminds me of that moment at the end of some action flicks, such as Captain America: The Winter Soldier. After the war is won, with the losses that had to happen in order for the victory of the team takes place, it’s the bigger picture, of the betterment of humanity and the world outside of the hero.

There are paths. Are you gonna continue being the rebel fighting the good fight? Potentially always being alienated in some way shape or fashion, like Superman in “Superman V Batman: Dawn of Justice.” Through all the good he did, humanity still looked at him as a monster throughout the movie. They questioned his fight, his heart, and his soul, because he was different. Similar to Michael Jackson, all that positive he did to better humanity, songs like “Black or White” to fight against discrimination and hatred against one because of race, or songs like “They Don’t Care about Us,” where he speaks out about the music industry and evils of the world. This is where MJ shinned the light on that fact that he was still being pointed out as a pedophile, crazy, self-hating, and made fun of his skin conditions and plastic surgery.

The unknown is often questioned, is it good or is it bad? Often it is deemed bad. Superman’s mom told him in the movie Superman v Batman, you can get out while you can, you don’t have to fight for humanity. Or on the flipside how Captain America was asked at the end of The Winter’s Soldier movie to escape.

So… what is DAWN gonna do? Is she gonna fight the good fight? The fight to break through adversities, in music (narrow genre labeling, her ability to bend genres, better quality in music), misogyny and sexism, homophobia, racism, culture appreciation, etc., as the great Urban indie icon (in the great words of ‘The Dope Avenue”)? Or is this it? Is she done with the good fight? Though now she has an army, not just of her, but many other rebels, now the rebels are a minority. They are now hearts that she has acquired along the way, and still they rise (as Maya Angelou would say).

The Outro is perfect, and so simple. The synth harmonies with DAWN’s androgynous lower register, that she so famously loves and brilliantly layers with auto-tune for such a more cinematic, hauntingly mesmerizing effect. In all it’s glory, it is every bit of lovely. This is definitely an epic ending of a made-for-Broadway play, something like the end of the “Blood Brothers” play. An Epic end to not only an epic album, but this epic journey DAWN’s has taken us on, that is bigger than just music. Making the statement that, music itself is bigger than life.

[drippeddaily]

Album of the Year #11: Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.

Album of the Year #11: Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.

Artist: Kendrick Lamar

Album: DAMN.

Listen:

Spotify

Apple Music

Tidal

Google Play Music

Background by /u/King_CornShucker

As the dust settled following one of the most important hip-hop releases in recent years (2015’s To Pimp A Butterfly), all eyes were on Kendrick Lamar. This jazz and funk infused masterwork was both socio politically fierce and introspectively vulnerable, typifying Kendrick’s (familiarly) conflicting nature. The album’s strength spilled into the subsequent year’s untitled, unmastered., an EP of compiled demos originating during the recording sessions of TPAB. Together, these works established what Lamar had been working on perfecting since 2011’s Section.80. and 2012’s good kid, m.A.A.d city: his ability to craft a lyrically impressive body of work dense with storytelling and concepts begging for repeat-listens.

But as Kendrick said in his late-2016 interview with Rick Rubin, “It will always have some type of DNA in my music. But me as a person and just knowing who I am, I grow, I’m like a chameleon.” And nobody knew what to expect, especially after producer Syk Sense called the beats in consideration “some of the hardest shit I’ve heard.” He also described the sounds saying, “It’s not like the jazzy tape you would think, it’s like...fucking Memphis. It’s LA, it’s Memphis.” In an interview with The New York Times, Kendrick prefaced the topics he was exploring by saying, “We’re in a time where we exclude one major component out of this whole thing called life: God.”

But all the guessing was suddenly interrupted by the March release of “The Heart Part 4”, an exciting single concluding with the line, “Y’all got ‘til April the 7th to get y’all shit together”. The day came and Kendrick Lamar’s fourth studio album was available for preorder. It was soon announced to be DAMN., a fourteen-track album featuring Rihanna, Zacari, and U2, as well as a talented line-up of producers such as Mike WiLL Made-It, The Alchemist, and 9th Wonder.

Review by /u/King_CornShucker

The album begins(?) with “BLOOD.”, an eerie introduction where Kendrick tells a story over a mellow instrumental produced by Bēkon and Top Dawg. Bēkon’s bone-chilling vocals kick off the song, offering what seemingly comes to be the album’s thesis,

Is it wickedness? Is it weakness? You decide. Are we gonna live or die?

These lines carry a listener-hooking sense of mystery that leads into the story. To summarize, Kendrick is taking a walk when he encounters a frustrated blind woman who appears to be looking for something. Soon, he decides to help but is then killed by the woman as a result. This macabre climax is abruptly concluded by a gunshot. While “BLOOD.” is basically a bare-bones introductory skit, I believe it shows Kendrick’s ability to craft artistic brilliance beyond just rapping. A clip of FOX News reporters criticizing the lyrical content of Kendrick’s “Alright” epically transitions into “DNA.”, which is literally the hardest song I’ve ever heard. Kendrick begins by proudly listing both the good and bad in his history and heritage that makes him who he is. The entire first verse is an aggressive yet honest analysis of his personality and beliefs (“And I’m gon’ shine like I’m supposed to, antisocial extrovert”), as well as his current accomplishments (“At 29, I’ve done so well, hit cartwheel in my estate”). An intense, bass-heavy beat crafted by Mike WiLL Made-It carries on for the first verse until it halts into the bridge, featuring a clip of Geraldo Rivera condemning hip-hop’s effects on African-Americans. In response to the FOX News comments sampled here and previously on “BLOOD.” regarding “Alright”, Kendrick said this:

How can you take a song that’s about hope and turn it into hatred? The overall message is ‘we’re gonna be alright.’ It’s not the message of ‘I wanna kill people.’

This sample paired with Kendrick’s repeating of the words, “I got loyalty, got royalty inside my DNA”, bring on an incredibly aggressive and in-your-face beat switch. Kendrick’s second verse is urgent and even angrier than his first. The passionate delivery of these apocalyptic lyrics (“Tell me when destruction gonna be my fate”, “Look up in the sky, 10 is on the way, sentence on the way, killings on the way”) gives the song the feeling of a grand finale, even though it’s basically the first song. The last line of the song is “Sex, money, murder-our DNA”, saying that these sins are in our blood. It is a very intentional moment, as it helps introduce the album's biblical theme of sin, and the punishments we face because of it. Mike WiLL Made-It reportedly created the second part of the instrumental after Kendrick rapped the second verse a capella. He stated:

Just imagine him a cappella rapping the second half of “DNA.” and I had to build a beat around that. I didn’t want the beat to just sound like a regular boom-clap, boom-clap. I wanted that shit to sound just as crazy. I wanted it to sound like he’s battling the beat.

Which he clearly accomplished. Not only one of the album’s highlights, “DNA.” is in my opinion one of the best songs of Kendrick’s discography.

The next song is “YAH.”, and the first thing we hear is the album’s debut appearance of legendary DJ and rapper Kid Capri. His inclusion gives off a classic mixtape vibe, calling to mind older eras of hip-hop.

New shit, new Kung Fu Kenny

Introduced earlier on Mike WiLL’s track, “Perfect Pint”, Kung Fu Kenny is a new nickname mentioned numerous times on DAMN. whose motif is seen in videos for the album as well as other promotion and concerts. It is inspired by Don Cheadle’s character from the 2001 film, Rush Hour 2. The most noticeable thing on “YAH.” is the sudden and drastic tone change. In contrast to the previous track’s intensity and unwavering confidence, Kendrick sounds forlorn and paranoid. Kendrick is rapping slowly and melodically over strange and smooth production by Sounwave, DJ Dahi, and Top Dawg.

Buzzin’, radars is buzzin’, yah yah, yah yah, yah yah, yah yah, yah yah

This hypnotizing chorus is a bit unclear in meaning, but it seems to be about his awareness. His “radars” are detecting who is untrustworthy, which connects to the paranoid lyrics (“I got so many theories and suspicions”, “My girl told me don’t let these hoes get in my head”). “Yah” may be in reference to Yahweh, the Hebrew name of God used in the bible. In verse two he raps about struggling with temptation even though he believes God is real and curses those who are unfaithful. The repetition in the chorus could be a calling out to God for help or forgiveness. <My cousin called, my cousin Carl Duckworth said know my worth, and Deuteronomy say that we all been cursed

This is the first we hear about Deuteronomy, a book of the Bible commonly referred to by Hebrew Israelites, people of colour who believe the Israelites are their historic ancestors. Kendrick’s cousin subscribes to this belief, and we later hear him on “FEAR.” educating Kendrick on the Book of Deuteronomy, detailing the curses that await the disobedient. This is a recurring and apparent theme of DAMN, from the album and song titles to the lyrical content.

Next up is “ELEMENT.”, which reverts back to a style more reminiscent of “DNA.”.

New Kung Fu Kenny! Ain’t nobody prayin’ for me! Y’all know what happens on Earth stays on Earth!

Kid Capri kicks off another track, with some strange lines that are very recognizable at this point. He had this to say when asked about them:

To tell the truth, I never asked Kendrick the meaning of it. I said what I said and I never asked him the meaning. He told me to say that part.

I think it’s meaning is simple, saying you can’t bring anything with you when you leave Earth, whether it’s materials or relationships. When the first line of Kendrick’s verse is, “I’m willin’ to die for this shit”, following multiple repetitions of “I don’t give a fuck”, the sentiment exudes a sense of risk-it-all confidence. While the lyrical content alone on this song isn’t as conceptual as most of the tracklist, it’s still a highlight. Kendrick takes shots at his rivals and boasts his skill, sounding smooth and precise while doing it. At the end of his final verse are these lines:

Last LP I tried to lift the black artists, but it’s a difference between black artists and wack artists

His last LP To Pimp A Butterfly focused on self-love and empowering the black community. There is a much different tone on this song, where he puts his competition in their place. When asked about this line, Kendrick had this to say:

A wack artist uses other people’s music for their approval. We’re talking about someone that is scared to make their own voice, chases somebody else’s success and their thing, but runs away from their own thing. That’s what keeps the game watered-down.

James Blake, Sounwave, and Ricci Riera produced this sharp and menacing instrumental that features numerous beat changes. It perfectly pairs with Kendrick’s style throughout the song, similar to how “DNA.” sounded like a back-and-forth between Kendrick and the beat.

Kid Capri and a slowed down version of the chorus take us into the next song, “FEEL.” Another stark contrast from the song before it, this track is Kendrick’s most stripped down and painfully honest since “u”. It’s a dive into the pessimistic emotions Kendrick’s feeling, performed like the mic is his therapist.

Ain’t nobody prayin’ for me

The song starts with a sad line that is heard throughout the album. Even with all of the critical and commercial accolades, Kendrick obviously has feelings of loneliness. He gives the world all his time and energy with his music, but in his position, people are still constantly asking for something. They aren’t even close enough to be real with him, let alone pray for him.

I feel like it ain’t no tomorrow, fuck the world, the world is ending, I’m done pretending, and fuck you if you get offended

If these lyrics are any indication, Kendrick is not lying when he says he has a chip on his shoulder. During both verses on “FEEL.”, Kendrick denounces the world, going so far as to condemn his family and friends. Like “ELEMENT.”’s lyrical content, what you hear is what you get, with not much interpreting needed. But that is only to it’s benefit.

I feel like this gotta be the feeling where Pac was, the feeling of an apocalypse happening but nothing is awkward

Tupac, one of Kendrick’s biggest influences and role models, has shared the same feelings of depression, frustration, and paranoia that are expressed in “FEEL.”. He even had predictions of disaster and bloodshed at the end of Kendrick’s last album, from an interview which Kendrick said had “answers for today’s time and age”. The beat on “FEEL.” was produced by Sounwave, and features bassist Thundercat who appears on “LUST.” as well. Sampling Loopmasters' royalty-free Organic Future Hip Hop sample pack, it is a relatively simple instrumental. However, it captures the mood Kendrick was in lyrically, and is a perfect platform for him to vent over.

“LOYALTY.” is next, a radio-friendly song featuring Rihanna. It is sequenced well in the tracklist, as it is a very light track between two of the most heavy. They rap about loyalty, a quality shown to be very important to Kendrick through his career. Not only does he make sure those he surrounds himself with are trustworthy, he has made himself a good example of the trait. He is still with his fiancee, Whitney Alford, a woman Kendrick’s been dating since high school.

Tell me who you loyal to, is it anybody you would lie for, anybody you would slide for, anybody you would die for? (That’s what God for)

Kendrick said this release would be about God, but also exhibits a sense of being done with religion earlier in the album. We hear him sneak a line nearing the end of “LOYALTY.” that reminds us of Kendrick’s loyalty to God. To quote 2016’s *untitled 01”:

I made *To Pimp A Butterfly for You, told me to use my vocals to save mankind for You, say I didn’t try for You, say I didn’t ride for You

The beat was made by Terrace Martin, Sounwave, DJ Dahi, and Top Dawg. Bruno Mars’s song “24K Magic” is the sample, which DJ Dahi decided to reverse, change key, and add a third harmony to. It feels uplifting while still sounding slightly eerie and fitting in with the recurring “reverse” theme. While “LOYALTY.” is, in my opinion, the least interesting song on DAMN., it still has a lot going for it and definitely does not warrant a skip.

Bēkon kicks off another song, “PRIDE.”, a hypnotically depressing highlight of the album.

Love’s gonna get you killed, but pride’s gonna be the death of you and you and me and you and you and you and me…

Kendrick raps in this song and throughout the album about his difficulties with putting trust and love in people. But as he’s said in the past:

When are we gon’ understand we are put on earth to love?

He believes in the importance of love, but recognizes people will take advantage of this and hurt you. This 20-second intro is saying it will harm you in the flesh to extend love, but the original sin of pride could lead to damnation and the death of the spirit. Another chillingly honest track, Kendrick goes through his and the world’s imperfections, as well as the pride that’s making Kendrick bitter and numb towards people. His vocals change pitch throughout the first verse, perhaps to capture the out-of-body numbness he’s describing. The chorus of “PRIDE.” appears to be an admittance of his lack of love and empathy for others. He is cold the to the world because of his ego. As he raps about in the second verse, pride isn’t allowing him to own up to his own mistakes, so he blames others. The idea of “a perfect world” is hypothesized, and at the end of the song, Kendrick raps:

See, in a perfect world I’ll choose faith over riches, I’ll choose work over bitches, I’ll make schools out of prison, I’ll take all the religions and put ‘em all in one service, just to tell ‘em we ain’t shit, but He’s been perfect, world”

A perfect world would be completely fabricated because people will always sin. Kendrick puts God as the focal point once again, saying He is only thing people should strive for, as God is free of sin. Steve Lacy of The Internet produced the beat for “PRIDE.” on his iPhone using GarageBand. Another example of questionable production choices that lead to a sound working perfectly for Kendrick’s performance and subject matter.

“HUMBLE.”, the lead single of DAMN., is the complete antithesis of the last song. The slow, cold sound of PRIDE is opposed by the loud, quick flow of HUMBLE, with the music video even including imagery of fire. The title of the track is an interesting choice, because the lyrical content of the verses is very braggadocious and prideful. When asked by Rolling Stone if the chorus of the song (which repeats the command, “be humble”) was directed at himself, Kendrick responded:

Definitely. That’s why I did a song like that, where I just don’t give a fuck, or I’m telling the listener, “You can’t fuck with me.” But ultimately, I’m looking in the mirror.

Even with a party-friendly banger like this one, Kendrick pays attention to detail. Thematically “HUMBLE.”’s lyrics fit in with the other tracks, but in terms of tone, are a wild and boastful deviation from the majority of DAMN.’s eeriness and pessimism. The instrumental, originally meant for Gucci Mane, was produced by Mike WiLL Made-It. It features a driving, menacing piano and trap drums. After recording the song, it was agreed that it would be released on Mike WiLL’s album, Ransom 2, but Kendrick was convinced by others to keep it. It’s a good thing they did, because “HUMBLE.” is still a memorable and recognizable moment on the album.

“LUST.”, the second song named after a deadly sin, comes next. It is an examination of of lust, and critique of those living for themselves and falling into a cycle of sin.

I need some water, something came over me, way too hot to simmer down, might as well overheat

The first line in the song shows the lustful feelings (or thirst) Kendrick has. But it also introduces the spiritual side of the song. Reminiscent of “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst” from good kid, m.A.A.d city, Kendrick is using the need for water to symbolize man’s need for God. Verse 1 documents the daily routines of a man and woman and their vices. Kendrick’s delivery intentionally makes the events sound uninteresting and repetitive, in a “Groundhog Day”-esque cycle of trivial living. The second verse delves into an unexpected point of view. He criticizes those who were initially outraged about Trump’s inauguration for eventually accepting it and being silent. The bridge immediately after connects this to the theme of lust.

Lately, in James 4:4 says “Friend of the world is enemy of the Lord”

Kendrick quotes a bible verse to illustrate that accepting worldly ways and seeking worldly things is to reject God. The incredible instrumental was made by Toronto jazz and hip-hop trio BADBADNOTGOOD, Sounwave, and DJ Dahi. It’s smooth yet intense, and features a reverse drum sound similar to “Vibrate” by Andre 3000, a song with very similar subject matter.

“LOVE.” comes next, and is another contrast to the track before it. It is a relaxing and easygoing jam that is welcomed after the steamy and urgent nature of “LUST.” It features Zacari, a newcomer who was on both Ab-Soul’s and Isaiah Rashad’s latest albums. His vocals compliment the beat, making for one of the most enjoyable choruses or hooks on the album. The lyrical content is relatively simple, much like the other singer-assisted song on the album. It is Kendrick rapping melodically, most likely about his fiancee. The main producer was Teddy Walton with additional production credits to Greg Kurstin, Sounwave, and Top Dawg. Easy to digest and vibe to, “LOVE.” is a much-needed rest from the heavy substance in the tracks surrounding it.

After this comes “XXX.”, which features Irish rock legends U2 and production from DJ Dahi, Sounwave, Mike WiLL Made-It, and Top Dawg. One of the most captivating moments on DAMN., it is a three-parted rollercoaster of a song. Kendrick had this to say in an interview with Zane Lowe regarding the song.

It’s an idea of complete chaos and madness. Organized madness and controlled madness; us trying to control this madness.

It begins with Bēkon introducing one of the song’s topics: America. Then, Kendrick offers two analogies.

Throw a steak off the ark to a pool full of sharks, he’ll take it. Leave him in the wilderness with a sworn nemesis, he’ll make it.

Both are images of hunger and temptation, with the second line referencing the story in the Book of Matthew where Jesus, who had been fasting for forty days, is tempted by the devil. It is interesting to think what this imagery metaphorizes in the context of the song’s message of America’s controlled chaos and corruption. Kendrick then uses “Johnny” to personify youth in America that fall into temptation and end up in violence. This point of the song might be the most experimental on the whole album, with the beat cutting out in moments and old school hip-hop sound effects. The beat then explodes into the second part, which features sirens and heavy breathing to help visualize the rage and chaos present in Kendrick’s verse. It’s about a man whose only son was killed and calls Kendrick in drunken desperation for advice and closure. Kendrick, even though his “spirit do know better”, tells him that he would seek revenge. After the phone call, Kendrick attends a convention to talk about gun control. It is an admittance of hypocrisy, reminiscent of 2015’s “The Blacker the Berry”. In my opinion, the storytelling on this verse is more vivid and powerful than any Kendrick’s ever done. The last part of the song is relaxing and takes a broader view of the topic with an analysis of America. The beat has live sounding instruments and sounds of birds in the distance. Bono sings a bit of an esoteric chorus that concludes the track. This song is absolutely a highlight and one of Kendrick’s bests.

Speaking of highlights, “FEAR.” comes next. It begins and ends with the phone call Kendrick referred to in “YAH.”. His cousin Carl Duckworth speaks to him of his and other Hebrew Israelites beliefs, stemming from Deuteronomy 28. People of this belief commonly use this passage to explain why minorities like Africans, Latinos, and Native Americans have dealt with such hardships like slavery, poverty and disease. The inclusion of this is interesting as Kendrick doesn’t explicitly say he subscribes to this belief. I think the general message of God cursing us for our lack of faith is one Kendrick believes in, which is why it is such a central theme on the album. The concept of the song is simple, but the execution is incredible. Each of three verses has Kendrick taking the perspective of himself dealing with fear at ages of 7, 17, and then 27. At the age of 7, Kendrick felt fear from his mother’s severe threatenings. At 17, his fear was death, as the verse follows Kendrick going over hypothetical scenarios where he dies. Finally, at 27 (which happens to be the year he released To Pimp A Butterfly) his biggest fears were losing his wealth, being judged, and being forgotten. Verse 4 very neatly wraps everything up, and could have easily been the last verse on the album. He alludes to many of the song titles on the album, and summarizes his emotions as of late. The instrumental crafted by The Alchemist is, ironically; considering the song’s name, the most chill on the album. A faster version of it was momentarily present on “The Heart Part 4”. The bassline and background vocals brilliantly compliment the emotions in Kendrick’s storytelling, making for one of the best tracks on the album.

“GOD.”, which is in my opinion the strangest and most unexpected song on the album, comes next. It features a pretty simple beat by Ricc Riera, Sounwave, DJ Dahi, Cardo, Bēkon, and Top Dawg. On surface level, the song is basically a reminiscent, confident Kendrick going through his accomplishments. It has a spiritual tone of self-love and being above worldly things. But it’s eerie undertone mixed with the repeated line, “This what God feel like!” gives off a story of Lucifer vibe, which would connect to the theme of sin and pride found throughout the album. Regardless, “GOD.” is a very interesting song and one that has grown on me especially.

Concluding the album at track 14 is “DUCKWORTH.”, which is the last name of Kendrick Lamar. Originally titled, “Life is Like a Box of Chicken”, it plays as a sort of climax to the album. It’s top notch storytelling over soulful, ever-switching production of 9th Wonder. It begins with Bēkon just like “BLOOD.” did, which could play into the famous (or infamous) “reverse theory”. This theory suggesting the album has a different story (or “feel” as Kendrick said) when the tracklist is reversed lead to the recent release of *DAMN. COLLECTOR’S EDITION.”, which features, well, a reversed tracklist. The sample, Ted Taylor’s “Be Ever Wonderful”, takes us into the first verse. To summarize the story, Anthony, AKA Top Dawg, planned to rob a KFC. “Ducky”, who is Kendrick’s father, worked at this KFC and decided to give Anthony free chicken and extra biscuits. This decision caused Anthony to let him slide, which leads Kendrick hypothesize what could have been. This generosity caused a butterfly effect where Kendrick, Anthony, and Ducky “meet inside recording studios where they reaping their benefits”. It is a powerful, true story which beautifully encapsulates the message of the album. Kendrick’s hypothetical storyline where Ducky is too weak to be generous and Anthony kills Ducky out of wickedness leads to all of their demises. A gunshot is played which is followed by the sound of the album being reversed to the first track. It gives the album a cyclical nature, similar to that of “good kid, m.A.A.d city”.

To conclude, DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar is an extremely dense work of art, which justifies it being possibly my most listened to album ever (wow that sounds weird). Many people seem to consider it to be a poppy downgrade from To Pimp A Butterfly but I couldn't disagree more. While I might prefer TPAB musically, I would argue that there is just as much, if not more artistic depth to DAMN.. It is a ghostly, brooding, intense, honest, and artful installation to what is, in my opinion, one of the best discography runs in hip-hop. This is definitely one of the best albums of the year, and possibly the decade.

Favorite Lyrics by /u/King_CornShucker

I was born like this, since One like this immaculate conception

I transform like this, perform like this, was Yeshua’s new weapon

I don’t contemplate, I meditate, then off your fucking head

This that put-the-kids-to-bed, this that I got, I got, I got, I got-

“DNA.”

Now, in a perfect world, I probably won’t be insensitive

Cold as December but never remember what winter did

I wouldn’t blame you for mistakes I made or the bed I laid

Seems like I point a finger just to make a point nowadays

“PRIDE.”

Fear, whatever happens on Earth stays on Earth

And I can’t take these feeling with me so hopefully they disperse

Within fourteen tracks, carried out over wax

Searching for resolutions until somebody get back

“FEAR.”

Life is one funny mothafucka, a true comedian

You gotta love him, you gotta trust him

I might be buggin’, infomercials and no sleep

Introverted by my thoughts, children, listen, it gets deep

“DUCKWORTH.”

Talking Points

What hidden themes/meanings did you catch in DAMN. that could’ve been intentional?

What do you think the encounter with the blind woman in “BLOOD.” represents?

What do you think about the “reverse theory” that Kendrick co-signed?

Do you think Kendrick sacrificed quality to make the album approachable to the mainstream?

Did DAMN. live up to the standards set by To Pimp A Butterfly?

Favourite and least favourite songs, lyrics, and beats on the album?

What direction do you think/hope Kendrick will take with his next album?

Artist: Kendrick LamarAlbum: DAMN.Listen:SpotifyApple MusicTidalGoogle Play MusicBackground by /u/King_CornShuckerAs the dust settled following one of the most important hip-hop releases in recent years (2015’s To Pimp A Butterfly), all eyes were on Kendrick Lamar. This jazz and funk infused masterwork was both socio politically fierce and introspectively vulnerable, typifying Kendrick’s (familiarly) conflicting nature. The album’s strength spilled into the subsequent year’s untitled, unmastered., an EP of compiled demos originating during the recording sessions of TPAB. Together, these works established what Lamar had been working on perfecting since 2011’s Section.80. and 2012’s good kid, m.A.A.d city: his ability to craft a lyrically impressive body of work dense with storytelling and concepts begging for repeat-listens.But as Kendrick said in his late-2016 interview with Rick Rubin, “It will always have some type of DNA in my music. But me as a person and just knowing who I am, I grow, I’m like a chameleon.” And nobody knew what to expect, especially after producer Syk Sense called the beats in consideration “some of the hardest shit I’ve heard.” He also described the sounds saying, “It’s not like the jazzy tape you would think, it’s like...fucking Memphis. It’s LA, it’s Memphis.” In an interview with The New York Times, Kendrick prefaced the topics he was exploring by saying, “We’re in a time where we exclude one major component out of this whole thing called life: God.”But all the guessing was suddenly interrupted by the March release of “The Heart Part 4”, an exciting single concluding with the line, “Y’all got ‘til April the 7th to get y’all shit together”. The day came and Kendrick Lamar’s fourth studio album was available for preorder. It was soon announced to be DAMN., a fourteen-track album featuring Rihanna, Zacari, and U2, as well as a talented line-up of producers such as Mike WiLL Made-It, The Alchemist, and 9th Wonder.Review by /u/King_CornShuckerThe album begins(?) with “BLOOD.”, an eerie introduction where Kendrick tells a story over a mellow instrumental produced by Bēkon and Top Dawg. Bēkon’s bone-chilling vocals kick off the song, offering what seemingly comes to be the album’s thesis,Is it wickedness? Is it weakness? You decide. Are we gonna live or die?These lines carry a listener-hooking sense of mystery that leads into the story. To summarize, Kendrick is taking a walk when he encounters a frustrated blind woman who appears to be looking for something. Soon, he decides to help but is then killed by the woman as a result. This macabre climax is abruptly concluded by a gunshot. While “BLOOD.” is basically a bare-bones introductory skit, I believe it shows Kendrick’s ability to craft artistic brilliance beyond just rapping. A clip of FOX News reporters criticizing the lyrical content of Kendrick’s “Alright” epically transitions into “DNA.”, which is literally the hardest song I’ve ever heard. Kendrick begins by proudly listing both the good and bad in his history and heritage that makes him who he is. The entire first verse is an aggressive yet honest analysis of his personality and beliefs (“And I’m gon’ shine like I’m supposed to, antisocial extrovert”), as well as his current accomplishments (“At 29, I’ve done so well, hit cartwheel in my estate”). An intense, bass-heavy beat crafted by Mike WiLL Made-It carries on for the first verse until it halts into the bridge, featuring a clip of Geraldo Rivera condemning hip-hop’s effects on African-Americans. In response to the FOX News comments sampled here and previously on “BLOOD.” regarding “Alright”, Kendrick said this:How can you take a song that’s about hope and turn it into hatred? The overall message is ‘we’re gonna be alright.’ It’s not the message of ‘I wanna kill people.’This sample paired with Kendrick’s repeating of the words, “I got loyalty, got royalty inside my DNA”, bring on an incredibly aggressive and in-your-face beat switch. Kendrick’s second verse is urgent and even angrier than his first. The passionate delivery of these apocalyptic lyrics (“Tell me when destruction gonna be my fate”, “Look up in the sky, 10 is on the way, sentence on the way, killings on the way”) gives the song the feeling of a grand finale, even though it’s basically the first song. The last line of the song is “Sex, money, murder-our DNA”, saying that these sins are in our blood. It is a very intentional moment, as it helps introduce the album's biblical theme of sin, and the punishments we face because of it. Mike WiLL Made-It reportedly created the second part of the instrumental after Kendrick rapped the second verse a capella. He stated:Just imagine him a cappella rapping the second half of “DNA.” and I had to build a beat around that. I didn’t want the beat to just sound like a regular boom-clap, boom-clap. I wanted that shit to sound just as crazy. I wanted it to sound like he’s battling the beat.Which he clearly accomplished. Not only one of the album’s highlights, “DNA.” is in my opinion one of the best songs of Kendrick’s discography.The next song is “YAH.”, and the first thing we hear is the album’s debut appearance of legendary DJ and rapper Kid Capri. His inclusion gives off a classic mixtape vibe, calling to mind older eras of hip-hop.New shit, new Kung Fu KennyIntroduced earlier on Mike WiLL’s track, “Perfect Pint”, Kung Fu Kenny is a new nickname mentioned numerous times on DAMN. whose motif is seen in videos for the album as well as other promotion and concerts. It is inspired by Don Cheadle’s character from the 2001 film, Rush Hour 2. The most noticeable thing on “YAH.” is the sudden and drastic tone change. In contrast to the previous track’s intensity and unwavering confidence, Kendrick sounds forlorn and paranoid. Kendrick is rapping slowly and melodically over strange and smooth production by Sounwave, DJ Dahi, and Top Dawg.Buzzin’, radars is buzzin’, yah yah, yah yah, yah yah, yah yah, yah yahThis hypnotizing chorus is a bit unclear in meaning, but it seems to be about his awareness. His “radars” are detecting who is untrustworthy, which connects to the paranoid lyrics (“I got so many theories and suspicions”, “My girl told me don’t let these hoes get in my head”). “Yah” may be in reference to Yahweh, the Hebrew name of God used in the bible. In verse two he raps about struggling with temptation even though he believes God is real and curses those who are unfaithful. The repetition in the chorus could be a calling out to God for help or forgiveness.