#okay yeah so far the music. banger

[unknownarmageddon]

btw you should listen to the no pants dance by nsp

the lyrics are a little strange but the vibes are immaculate

on it boss 🫡

[pebblezone]

About to serve absolutely abysmal cunt

[deeply-unserious-fellow]

I've seen a lot of people comparing Huskerdust to a healthy version of Stolitz and it's kinda got me thinking... Staticmoth as the evil fucked up version of Fizzmodeus.

THINK ABOUT IT!!!!! The parallels between Val and Ozzie are obvious. Like that man wants to be Ozzie so bad it's insane, from the way he dresses to the way he decorates to straight up OWNING A ROBO FIZZ, Val clearly wishes he was the embodiment of Lust. But are there parallels between Vox and Fizz? Actually, surprisingly yeah. They're both showmen, like aggressively so. They're very public figures, with their face all over every product in Hell(albeit Vox is doing it a lot more purposefully then Fizz). Fizz's antagonism towards Blitzø is actually pretty reminiscent of Vox's towards Alastor(except Fizz and Blitzø have a lot more baggage lmao), and they even share some aesthetic similarities! Specifically the colors of Fizz's robotic limbs matching Vox's overall color scheme. Which speaking of robots, that's probably their biggest similarity overall: they're both partially made of technology. I hesitate to say cyborg because Idk how much that applies to Vox, since object heads aren't typically classified as cyborgs as far as I know, and we don't actually know how much of Vox is organic(also cyborg is just one of those words I have an inexplicable dislike of Idk-), but like. Think cyborg I guess. Like Vox is a LOT more of a dick and probably doesn't have a very tragic backstory? Maybe? Unclear. But the similarities are undeniable.

Okay, now that individual parallels are out of the way, how could their relationship to eachother parallel Fizzmodeus? Starting with baseline aesthetics: they got the height difference. It's not as dramatic as Fizz and Ozzie's but TO BE FAIR, Huskerdust are the same way(their height difference is obvious, but not as massive as Blitzø and Stolas'). Staticmoth is also very buisness-partners-with-benefits and some hints at deeper feelings, which is how we were introduced to Fizzmodeus. I don't think Val and Vox feel the need to hide their romantic feelings? But tbh it could go either way we haven't seen much of their dynamic yet. That's kinda where the similarities I could spot find because see previous sentence, so let's move onto the differences!

I think a good way to breakdown what makes Staticmoth toxic Fizzmodeus is actually by bringing Alastor and Blitzø back in to compare and contrast how Val handles Vox's rivalry with how Ozzie handles Fizz's. In Radio Killed the Video Star, the only reason Val tells Vox that Alastor is at the hotel is to piss him off. He clearly enjoys Vox's reaction, and keeps egging him on. Teasing him about it. Which like, friendly teasing between partners is well and good, but Val is clearly just doing it cause he wants to see a fight and doesn't care about how distressed Vox is about this. Vox goes off on his own and sings a fuckin banger, gets publically humiliated, causes a massive blackout. Val doesn't really do shit to help him out, just kinda sits there and. Idk watches? Unclear what the other Vees are actually doing because most of Stayed Gone takes place in funny TV land where Vox is capable of bending reality to his whim for the sake of visual interest. But what Val is actively doing during the musical number isn't important so who cares. What's important is that he egged Vox on, convinced him that confronting Alastor right then was a good idea, and then just sat back as Vox got so pissed off he had a meltdown. Which I SWEAR I'm not trying to dramatize this scene it just sounds really fucking bad when you write it all down from this perspective. I think it's also worth noting that all of this is DIRECTLY AFTER Vox did the exact opposite for Val, calming him down so he doesn't make a fool of himself in public.

Meanwhile compare that to how Ozzie handles Fizz and Blitzø's relationship. During House of Asmodeus, once Fizz realizes Blitzø is there, he starts publically roasting him about how shitty his love life is. Ozzie encourages him, and even gives him a little congratualtions in the background when Verosika joins in for changing the subject, but the difference here is that House of Asmodeus takes place in a much more controlled environment, so it's less likely either of them will have to face consequences for being assholes. There's also how Ozzie's encouragement is just a lot more genuine. Like "yeah babe, go insult that guy who traumatized and abandoned you whoo!" rather then "hey hey look there's that guy you hate. You should go fight with him lmao show him who's boss." Then there's the ending. At the end of both Stayed Gone and House of Asmodeus, Vox and Fizz eat shit and die. Don't worry they're both fine like immediately after, but while in House of Asmodeus Ozzie immediately rushes over to Fizz to make sure okay, we uh. Do not see Vox interact with anybody but Alastor in the direct aftermath of his eating shit and dying, which is fair because he's in his weird little gamer cave. Then we skip straight to the Vees having a meeting to decide what they're gonna do about Alastor, and we don't really know what any of them were doing in the interim between the end of Stayed Gone and the meeting, so uh this part of the comparison kinda falls flat. But again something worth noting is that Val just straight up. Does not care about Alastor during the meeting scene. He's sitting there bedazzling his fucking gun BY HAND with school glue and rhinestones, not even paying attention to the meeting, despite being the one to get Vox all riled up about Alastor IN THE FIRST PLACE.

In short: Val encourages Vox to fight Alastor without thinking it through, doesn't bother to help out during the actual fight, and then immediately stops caring the moment the fights over. Meanwhile Ozzie, while encouraging Fizz to pick on Blitzø, backs him up the whole time, and while still supportive of his boyfriend, doesn't actively encourage Fizz to do things that would get him hurt. Ozzie also supports Fizz by refusing to let Blitzø have an Asmodean crystal because he knows Fizz wouldn't like it! Which is the exact opposite of pissing your partner off on purpose so you can watch a fight!!! And if that isn't enough evidence for you, then uh. I guess you could compare how Val treats... just everybody around him, really, with how Ozzie does(but that's more individual character analysis than relationship analysis). Or you could talk about how fed up with Val's shit Vox clearly is in comparison to the mutual support of Fizzmodeus. Or how. Val throws a glass at Vox. And breaks his phone. And then Vox has to scream in his face to get him to listen-

Idk how to end this so uh. DEMON ATTACK RAH!!! 👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹

[cinamun]

cin i need all your thoughts on the new kendrick album

Friend, do me a favor, send this same ask in like 2 days. I have to formulate an expert opinion and that takes days of listening

*adjusts glasses*

First and foremost, this is classic California sound right here! Wacced out murals is hard as fuck and that beat is SICKENING. It feels like into the mind of a madman but then morphs into a straight head banger then he addresses lil wayne, and REITERATES how he is the fucking GOAT of all this shit "fuck a double entendre I want y'all to feel this shit" in other words, it ain't that deep, just vibe with him.

Next squabble up got us all c-walkin in our bedrooms and ready to fight a bitch. Every good album needs a track like this. Luther comes in with the BOMB ASS SAMPLE (yes, this shit was perfectly done) of a BOMB ASS CLASSIC ASS SONG and you just vibe out because the beat hits you in the chest and luther's voice just rocks you, plus he brings SZA back from wherever the fuck she was? WITH THE HARMONY!! This is such a beautiful song and my favorite so far.

Man at the garden? BITCH I DESERVE IT ALL and its the force in which he says it that makes it a mantra. Repeat that shit in the mirror to yourself in the morning. Everyday. Bro really said his intentions were pure so all the fame this year, all the grammy nods, the superbowl, the anthem (not like us), ALL OF IT he deserves! I fucking love that shit. He already told us to be humble, but you don't have to be humble about SHIT YOU DESERVE OKAY??? A better life for his momma, a close relationship with God... he breaks down why he doesn't have to be humble about his wins! This feels so good to listen to because he's fucking RIGHT.

Another c-walker in Tv Off, shit bangs, period. WE SURVIVE OUTSIDE ALL FROM THE MUSIC! He starts playing with his voice again and I love that. Can't stand a monotone ass rapper.

Peakaboo and gnx have a beat that I can't WAIT to play in my truck. Imma just go to the store for no fucking reason tomorrow so I can hear how it really sounds.

So yeah, those are my initial thoughts after listening most of the afternoon and evening but imma let it marinate a few more days. Definitely feels like a continuation of what we heard this Spring - serious scary beats with sick lyrics with a few dance tracks sprinkled in. One thing is for sure, the album just feels like Compton.

[numberoneredriotfan]

Just wanted to put some of my favorite shots from Wiege here since I'm so not normal

THIS IS CANON THEY GOT MARRIED AND LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER AND HYUNA WAS ALIVE YUP THAT IS TOTALLY WHAT HAPPENED MM NO DOOMED TOXIC HETERO IN THIS HOUSEHOLD.

Okay but seriously this is such a beautiful frame and the implication that they get to live happily in another life... ough... my heart...

Sua...

SUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-

I wonder if this implies that originally Mizi was supposed to wear the white dress and Sua was supposed to wear the black one. It would make sense, since white feels more like a Mizi color than it does Sua and vice Vera. But that's just me speculating. Anyway, Mizisua crumbs my beloved <3

I love this frame because it shows the brief moments of happiness the kids experienced in their horrible situation. Or perhaps the childhood bliss and ignorance to what they would face when they grew up. Moments of fleeting happiness that we as the audience know could never last forever. Fuck.

I just thought this frame was silly. Those silly goobers. I miss them so much :')

OUGH HE LOOKS SO HAPPY. Real though if I saw Hyuna I would have the same reaction.

The difference in their expressions here...

Mf quit smiling like that I'm trying to hate you/j

And then... yeah. Also, would like to point out-

His album cover... Vivinos you sick son of a bitch.

Honestly, Wiege might be my favorite music video so far. It was wonderfully made, the animation was just stunning, the song was obviously a banger but the orchestra during that one sequence was just. Incredible. Overall it was amazing and heart wrenching, as expected from Alien stage.

Anyway! Can't wait to see Mizi's crash out!!

[peachhcs]

So in the semester recap, you put in the comments of Hannah’s post Gabe saying “is it casual now”. I want to know what Gabe’s reaction to Chapel Roan for the first time would be. I feel like he would be so confused at first, then Emma would have to explain it to him.

HAHAHA yes yes emma would be playing one of her playlists in her room and when chappell roan comes on gabe is like ?? knee deep in the passenger seat?? is it casual now??

au masterlist

gabe was always for listening to new music, especially emma’s because he wouldn’t lie, she did have some good artists in her shuffle. she got him on sza, tate mcrae, tyler the creator, and even sabrina carpenter which the guys definitely chirped at him for but he didn’t care when the music was good.

today, emma said she had a new playlist on as they studied in her room. there were some new songs catching the boy’s attention in the mix of the songs he’s heard before and so far, he was vibing with all of them.

apple by charli xcx? banger. “brat” summer? gabe didn’t really get what that meant but he liked the music emma put on to get him to understand.

the next song quickly caught his attention. he was pretty sure he never heard whoever was singing before, but the lyrics were quickly perking his ears up as the artist sang “knee deep in the passenger seat and you’re eating me out. is it causal now?”

“wait, what is this song?” he finally spoke up and emma snapped her gaze to him from her desk.

“huh?”

“who’s singing about getting eaten out in the car??” the boy was a bit shocked to say the least and then emma finally realized what was playing. she quickly giggled.

“ah, we’ve finally made it to chappell roan. i think she’s a new artist for you,” the blonde grinned.

“i’m just so shocked she’s singing about that,” gabe said and emma raised her eyebrow.

“why? sabrina carpenter sings about wanting to get pregnant because she’s just so in love.”

“okay well that’s different.”

“is it?” emma and gabe stared at one another for a second as chappell sang the chorus again.

“what does it even mean? knee deep in the passenger seat? is this about a situationship?”

“i mean, like yeah basically. like is it causal when you ate me out? is it casual that we’re doing all of this relationship stuff?” emma explained the song and gabe slowly started understanding.

“brave of her to write a song about it,” he hummed.

“true but it really gets the girlies and the gays so, she really knew how to hit deep,” the blonde grinned and gabe chuckled.

“i guess so.”

“just wait until we get to her entire discography. it gets intense” emma winked before returning to her schoolwork.

gabe didn’t really know what that meant but he quickly learned when the next four songs in the shuffle were chappell roan and emma made him dance break to hot to go.

[bittermedicinespitter]

my honest thoughts about tmagp 1-5 (written whilst listening)

tmagp 1 - first shift

i like alice !! she seems so cool so far.

THIS is what y’all meant by martin and jon are trapped in a computer??

i guess lena is like this universes elias? i guess alice is also this universes georgie?? and sam is jon??

i have forgotten half of the characters names already

im definitely gonna forget what the OIAR is called. also, redcanary? canary in a coal mine? tcw reference?

does this episode EVER END???? jesus fuck every single time i thought it’d end it kept going

i like the intro/outro music! its a lot more threatening than tmas.

tmagp 2 - making adjustments

dracula???

wow there are.. a LOT of categories

sam is so me

gwen’s lowk mean but i understand why

yeah i DEFINITELY understand gwen

therapy!!! wooo!!!

okay so she’s.. not delusional? in court-ordered therapy?

IS THIS A STATEMENT??? DO WE HAVE OUR FIRST STATEMENT??

instagram and hashtags mentioned im ill (in a bad way) (i HATE it when hashtags are used in ANY media.. at least it's not a book!)

is it bad that i thought ink5oul was a real brand??

okay get that tattoo daria (i forgot her name twice already)

…evil tattoo? by evil artist?

ofc they’re playing dubstep

symbols you don’t recognize.. probably evil symbols or something

okay yeah that tattoo did SOMETHING to you

ink5oul is gonna come up again aren’t they?

is the painting changing her face???

okay so basically evil tattoo makes you paint evil art that changes how you look

oiar crew returns!

banger advice alice

every gwen clip makes me understand her more

luke. probably gonna come up again soon

magnus institute mentioned !!

EPISODE FINISHED!!! FINALLY

tmagp 3 - putting down roots

i’m hungry (this has nothing to do with the episode)

colin!!

why IS alice here. is this apart of her job?? (i did NOT realize collin was fixing her computer. i thought it was just like. a regular computer)

i like colin. he is very

MARTINNN!!!

i thought the read alouds were rare,, do they like automatically record or smth??

i’m not paying attention AT ALL 🔥🔥

ooh drama with collin..

“you’ve made a powerful enemy tonight 😈”

i still, unashamedly understand gwen

tmagp 4 - taking notes

oohh restricted files..

magnus.. protocol.. i think i’ve heard that somewhere!

okay sam get AWAY from the magnus protocol (heh..)

starkwall??

GWEN!!!!

ELIAS!!!

stop being such a hater gwen :(

ugh shut up jonah

“to you i leave my violin!” 🤓

“this last fortnight!” 🤓

idc about your spooky violin i hope it eats you vase style

okay so spooky violin plays spooky music without being played and made your tutor kill himself??

burnt meat from english guy who speaks german?? i don’t even care if the meat is Scary Meat youre gonna get some sort of disease

Eviler Scarier Violin that Hurts You?

“i have cut my fingertip upon the string!” 🤓

Evil Scary violin that Makes You Play Bad?

i think this is a skill issue atp.

bye bye fingers!

why are you giving Finger Cutting Violin to your nephew

flesh violin that eats anyone’s fingers. okay.

so classical grifters bone, basically.

ALICEEE

me and my girlfriend??? what the hell are alice and gwen

“ta ta gwendoline darling! ciao!”

what the hell is right

tmagp 5 - personal screening

hi lena

is colin turning into s2 jon??

lena this is INSANITY wdym

“the problem will resolve itself” lena youre just as bad as elias

“that.. is paper! it’s made from trees!”

JONNNNN

“welcome to my twisted mind 😈”

h-h-h-h-HALLOWEEN 2????

“bye !!!”

let me guess—Evil Tumblr User recommends Evil Lost Media Horror Movie that Probably Kills You

Evil Contest lets you into Evil q&a with Evil Guy

ENOUGH with the ko-fi page

livestreamm

finishing a whole bucket of popcorn before a movie starts is crazy (or maybe im just an american)..

okay so Evil Lost Media has Your Memories for Some Reason

okay damn that was a quick one

[sugar-and-spite]

finally watched the vengeance saga and i am being so, so normal about this. spoiler rambles below the cut. i watched a bunch of different animatics for most of the songs so there will be comments about both the actual songs & official animatics, plus the other fan animatics i saw

not sorry for loving you

first off. CALYPSO. MY GIRL. i'm so glad jorge did her right with this song. i remember adoring calypso in the odyssey, and while epic definitely put her in a more manipulative and antagonistic role than i remember her having, she has a reason. i felt like love in paradise kind of rushed her entire character and i'm so glad she got fleshed out more here.

while she is being manipulative, i definitely don't agree with the people saying she's doing it on purpose. she's been alone for a hundred years, of course she'd be lonely. also like. she's literally never known any other people to know whether she's being manipulative or not, so

also i watched the most animatics for this one and calypso being skinny feels so weird to me, she's at least chubby imo

also extremely funny that jorge got gigi to animate for this one for the stream. gigi being known for having the best circe saga animatics and jorge is like "hm you know who i want to animate this other woman who's manipulating odysseus?" incredible.

and there's this which i said to my bf:

dangerous

"six hundred men, six hundred dead under my command, 'cause i had one goal in mind... [silence]" OKAY YEAH I DIDN'T NEED MY HEART. FUCK.

HERMES IS BACK, BABY!

ximena natzel has the best hermes animatics, the official hermes is good but ximena's is better, if you haven't seen ximena's animatics for "wouldn't you like" and "dangerous" go watch them NOW

they canonized the fluffy winions, i'm not even sure who first came up with that design for them (mircsy was the first one i saw) but they're wonderful and amazing

hermes is just amazing and all of his songs are amazing and this is amazing (can you tell i have a favorite song from vengeance saga)

i love that they also included actual sirens in the official animatic!! the birds with women's faces, those are what sirens actually look like in the myths and mermaid-sirens are more common to see nowadays but it's not The Og, and i'm so so happy they used og sirens (this made me giddy in the same way all the "ruthlessness" animatics with horses in them made me giddy, little-known myth details my beloved)

the callbacks to "keep your friends close"! both musically and lyrically! and the callback to "wouldn't you like" with hermes going "don't thank me" and "good luck!" jorge is always on point with the callbacks

charybdis

took a couple listens for me to really vibe with this, it's kinda filler but that's fine they can't all be bangers

someone pointed out this is the only song we have so far that's 100% solo odysseus with no background vocals or other characters so that's neat

feels like this could've been longer? or fleshed out more? it feels kinda abrupt. but there's gotta be some losers they can't all be winners

get in the water

i need to hear this sung by a woman right now actually so i can be equally bisexual about the original and a female cover.

honestly i don't think i had a single thought in my head through the entire song besides damn. holy SHIT. holy shit this one is good. this is so fucking good.

i lied i had a singular coherent thought (on the second watch): it's subtle, but i think there's a musical callback to the end of "god games" during odysseus's part. when he's begging poseidon to let him go, the music is really similar to when athena begs zeus to let him go at the end of "god games."

six hundred strike

hoooooooly shit. oh my god. what the fuck. not to be bisexual but -

(hottest odysseus has ever been)

he has the power of (the wind) god and anime on his side

with the power of friendship and this jetpack he found -

the callbacks

"you can't kill me." "exactly." HOTTEST ODYSSEUS HAS EVER BEEN

NEXT TO MY WIFE

oh my god. holy fuck. oh my god

anyway this has been rey's (lack of) thoughts about the vengeance saga thanks for joining me i'm so, so normal about this musical

[mamaladeskies]

What's Drake Doing? And Other Thoughts

Wa Gwan Delilah

So Drake just dropped 'Wah Gwan Delilah' and it's not receiving much love from twitter.

Aubrey's Angels are liking it though, claiming it to be satire.

Not every one of the Angels liked it though and they were quickly labelled as not being fun at parties because sometimes "it ain't even gotta be deep I guess"

I listened to the song and I thought it would have been okay if the autotune was not present which I guess is part of the satire. Still, the autotune was so bad it made it hard to concentrate on what was being said. A second listen is out of the question. In fact, as I write this I am trying to forget what the song was about.

I'm kind of debating between this and Sexxy Red's 'U My Everything' which caused worse ear damage.

But Why Did Drake Put Out Such a Song?

Why would he ruin 'Hey There Delilah' like that? 😭

Is he just trolling Kendrick? Kendrick called out Drake in numerous instances for not being himself; a Canadian with a middle class background who's not about the "tough" life he seems to glamorise. Kendrick even went as far as imitating the Toronto accent to put his point across!

If Drake is trolling Kendrick, I don't understand why he had to do it this way. Why! Rapping over the BBL Drizzy beat would have been okay, but on that Sexxy Red's song? And this Delilah song with that God awful autotune? "every antic is feelin' distasteful"

Dude think about your passerby fans. The one's who like your pop songs and don't mind that you cosplay being gangster or the fake accents, the ones who play you in clubs because of the catchy tunes, the ones who give you those streaming numbers you like. They won't get that you're "cheesin', fam".

Mind you, I don't like Drake. Matter of fact, I hate that dude. Before, I didn't care for him, he wasn't on my radar like that, but then he dissed Meg and I had a valid reason to HATE (I didn't know about the grooming allegations then). ☹️

I tried to get into Drake's stuff when 'If You're Reading This it's Too Late' came out but his music wasn't for me.

The few songs I've enjoyed of his I can count on one hand and only one, 'Fucking Problems', ever made it to my playlists and that I can largely attribute to how nice a group effort it was, Drake is really good with the melodies.

Yeah, I don't like him BUT crodie get up!!

But, like in a way that makes sense.

As many of Aubrey's Angels have pointed out, Drake is in a damned if he do, damned if he don't situation. What I personally refer to as "if it's not the consequences of my actions".

If he had taken a break, he would have been trolled for being silent.

BUT if Drake had come out with a banger... what then? If he came out with a banger that broke #1 he would have still been trolling Kendrick. In fact, he should have made one that ensured everyone dances and waves their hands for a decade to come.

Let's wait and find out, he's going to be in Camila Cabello's Album so maybe that will be his big come back? Though I've seen him being trolled for this collab, as it is playing into the allegations of him being a culture vulture because he chose to work with Camila who did some racist stuff in the past, right here on Tumblr, and I just love how the internet never lets her forget.

Did Drake Really Lose?

Drake lost on the internet. Though both he and Kendrick have been accused of serious stuff, (domestic violence and grooming), the internet is very keen on hating Drake. Do I secretly love it? No, I'm very publicly in love with it, let's never let the Drake hate go.

Reason why I said on the internet is because people at work still play Drake in the cafeteria and no one got it when I played 'Not Like Us'. If I have to hear 'God's Plan' one more time...

Drake kind of lost the streaming war. Drake in general is one of the most streamed people ever, he always tops the charts and when Spotify wrapped comes out I am always disappointed to see he is a lot of people's number one.

But before 'Euphoria' and shortly after 'Like That', I remember listening to 'Good Kid Maad City' and Kendrick was at 62M monthly listeners, now he's at 78M, he's broken a bunch of records that were previously held by Drake with his diss songs and his albums are charting again.

Drake, on the other hand, his new songs are being trolled, even his pre-beef songs are not doing very well with daily streams, he hasn't lost listeners though but he's not gained many new ones.

Everyone and their grandma seemed to listen to 'Not Like Us'. It was being played in Brown weddings, a bar mitzvah and an Anime Convention with the crowd actually singing along. One month later it is still going strong. Mind you Aubrey's Angels were saying Kendrick's songs are not bops, but not many are bopping to 'Family Matters'.

Why Did Kendrick Win the Rap Beef?

Kendrick won! This is not just a biased opinion of someone who has loved his music since I saw his performance of 'The Blacker The Berry' during the 2016 Grammys, but also as a Drake hater. 😊

What I expected from this battle is for Drake to win, not because he's the better lyricist but because I thought it would be a popularity contest and Drake is more popular.

So Kendrick won because he is the better rap artist, he read that man to filth, he had a better strategy, he had a better understanding of his opponent, and he crafted such a good narrative on 'Euphoria' that predicted where this beef would go:

Kendrick dropping 'Meet the Grahams' less than an hour after Drake pushed the red button with 'Family Matters' and Drake not understanding 'Mother I Sober' in 'The Heart Part 6'. Here is where Drake lost me.

Okay he lost me with the you're short and have small feet in 'Push Ups'. "Drop, drop, drop, drop" was catchy though, I admit. Drop, drop, drop, drop that album Kendrick!

Kendrick did his homework, quoting "remember" and "it's too many options" but Drake didn't. Kendrick basically spilled all his trauma in 'Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers' and gave Drake free ammo that he didn't use.

Clearly this is why Drake is not on that conscious shit, he doesn't have the literacy for it.

Drake made fun of Kendrick's fiancé for being lightskin in 'Family Matters' instead of calling him out for cheating with a white woman. Then Drake said Kendrick's son is lightskin when clearly he is not.

The lies! Let's not even start.

He could have gone harder on Kendrick for working with Kodak Black, who has an ugly history and really hates (Black) women, and Dr. Dre who has a history of domestic violence then tied it together with his own accusations that "they hired a crisis management team to clean up the fact that you beat on your queen". Someone teach Drake how to craft narratives.

Lastly, he should have focused on Kendrick alone, no one cares about your beef with Rick Ross crodie!

But Why Did Drake Lose the People?

Drake being a culture vulture, his grooming allegations and having Baka around have never been reason enough to incite deep criticism from the people before because we've seen how society loves to look away from such allegations, Kendrick's alleged domestic violence is being dismissed, such allegations are not even taken seriously in instances like for Chris Brown where there is undeniable proof.

So in Drake's instance, people are actually choosing to believe these allegations now.

And that's what I am curious about why now?

[pico-digital-studios]

Into, Across and Beyond!: Sonic Anniversary Broadcast

OMT!Mina: Is the equipment all ready?

OMT!Tails: Cameras live, microphone prepared, tracklist set...

Nine: And today's weather bulletin is set up. Seems like we're all good to go!

Mini Sonic: Excellent!

D-Sides Mighty: Okay. We're ready to start recording.

BK!Amy: We're going live in 5... 4... 3... 2...

OMT!Tails: Good morning, speedsters and music lovers, loud and proud from the Blur HQ, and you're listening to SEGAVerse Blur Bangers! I'm your host for today, Tails from Dimension MP-2021!

OMT!Mina: And I'm your co-host, Mina Mongoose from the same place!

OMT!Tails: And boy, have we got some exciting things lined up for today! Today is June 23rd, the official anniversary date for Sonic the Hedgehog, which kickstarted all of us, in a way.

OMT!Mina: A lot has happened in the past 33 years, and it's those 33 years that brought us as the Blur Gang together today. We've undergone a lot of adventures across different worlds in our image, and met tons of amazing friends in general!

OMT!Tails: Before we continue, I wanted to thank my fellow Blur Gang teammates in the recording studio today for helping set up the whole operation for us!

Nine: Heh, you got it, Tails! It's a pleasure to be doing this today with you all.

OMT!Tails: Now, you might be wondering; "Tails, why have you and your team started a radio station today?" Well, partly because of the anniversary, and also because of the radio venture the Sonic and Tails from Dimension GB-2024 have done. You guys, if you're hearing this, keep going strong with Spin Dash Radio!

Nine: That's why he came to me today. I set up the radio station since I finished preparing the Blur HQ for us, but it hasn't gone into use until today, in part thanks to all the craziness we endured in the last 8 months, and I'm happy to get it going! And so here we are, bringing you the music that keeps the SEGAVerse's heroes going strong over the years!

OMT!Mina: So, whether you're getting work or school assignments done, getting ready for a jog around your homeplace or just here to enjoy some fun music, we'll be sure to bring you on a fun journey of awesome beats together, all on SEGAVerse Blur Bangers.

EX!Alice: Okay. Let's get the song list ready while we wait for Sonic Prime to get here. This is our Retro Nostalgia Mix, right?

OMT!Tails: Yep! Now, before we get started, let's address the elephant in the room; Green Hill Zone won't be the first song you'll be hearing today. Just to subvert your expectations for once! Now, we're taking it back to the classics, but with some remixes from guys like Tee Lopes, Jahn Davis and Jun Senoue! You're listening to the one and only SEGAVerse Blur Bangers!

Go here for the Retro Nostalgia Mix!

OMT!Tails: Hey, everyone! Welcome back! Hope you all enjoyed that trip down memory lane so far.

Nine: Sonic's made it!

OMT!Tails: Brilliant! Come on up, Sonic!

Sonic Prime came onto the recording stage.

Sonic Prime: Hey, everyone! The original Sonic the Hedgehog here! Fastest thing alive, Blue Blur, speed demon, yeah, you get the idea. Thanks for inviting me onto this event, guys!

OMT!Tails: No problem, Sonic!

Sonic Prime: Heh, the popcorn on the way in was sweet! The chilli flavour's gotta be my favourite.

OMT!Mina: So, Sonic. We called you here for a small interview for the audience listening out there! Just a bit of a sum-up about how you've been doing as of late.

Sonic Prime: Ah, sweet! Not too different from the Sonic Takeovers on Twitter and TikTok, huh?

BK!Amy: C-Can we still call it that?

Sonic Prime: I'm definitely still calling it that.

OMT!Tails: Anyways! So, what's your latest outing been like?

Sonic Prime: Well, of all things, Eggy's been trying to stop me with these strange figurines of us and my friends and rivals. Not sure what he planned out about it, but it was quite the fun trip down memory lane, and I hope you guys out there will have fun checking it out on your mobile devices!

OMT!Mina: Sounds pretty interesting! How've your friends been doing back home?

Sonic Prime: Well, just the same as ever, of course. Tails, Knuckles and Amy have definitely grown a lot since I last saw them. Tails has been doing plenty of solo ventures, Knuckles has been seeing the world, and Amy's definitely been doing well in sharing her love to the world.

Mini Sonic: And I'm guessing Baldy McNosehair's barely changed much?

Sonic Prime: Eh, you could say that. Hey, didn't you say there was one region of Little Planet I somehow skipped out on entirely?

OMT!Tails: Dubious Depths, right?

Sonic Prime: Yeah, that's the one! Only thing I remember about it was avoiding a pit trap laid there, and I quickly got on my way after that. I'm sure the Time Stones quickly undid any meddling Eggman did there.

OMT!Mina: Mhm.

OMT!Tails: So, last question before we let you get back to your daily routine of running around; what kind of advice do you have to share to the audience out there?

Sonic Prime: Well, I say keep your will to achieve your aspirations high, fellow speedsters! The road to get there is a tough one, I'm not gonna lie, but if you believe in yourself and have the drive to overcome the hurdles in your way, you can do anything!

OMT!Tails: Excellently said, Sonic!

Sonic Prime: Well, guess that's my time to get back home!

Nine: I'll lead you back to the teleporter, Sonic.

Sonic Prime: Sweet! Thanks for the help, Nine! Stay cool, everyone!

They headed off.

OMT!Tails: Well, let's get started with more hearing from you guys and taking some calls. Whether you've got any questions, like we mentioned before, feedback or just wanna chat, now's your opportunity to dial in! You Tumblr/Tumblelogs users out there can use the ask system as usual, while anyone in the SEGAVerse can dial in using the communicator system. Our number is MP-211192. That's 2-1-1-1-9-2. And for anyone asking for donations to help over at Palestine in Earth-0, though we can't send anything over, rest assured that we've got you guys' back the whole way!

OMT!Mina: While we hold the line for some calls and asks, let's get going with some more music! For this next playlist, we're bringing in some alternate themes heard across the Floating Island, courtesy of Leliani Wilson and John Tay on two sides. Let's get right back to it on SBB; SEGAVerse Blur Bangers!

Go here for the Alt Angel Island Mix!

Nitro: You guys finished that mix of tracks?

OMT!Tails: You got it!

Nitro: Got our first caller for the day!

OMT!Tails: Sweet! Let's put them up on the TV!

BK!Amy: This one over here, right?

Mini Sonic: Yep, that's the one!

Amelia appeared on the screen.

Amelia: Hi!

Nitro: Heh, Amelia!

OMT!Tails: Great to see you, Amelia! How does it feel being on live radio?

Amelia: Feels pretty cool! You guys are doing well over there! I just wanted to say how much I'm enjoying the event so far!

BK!Amy: Thank you! I see that's Music Plant you're at right now.

Amelia: Heh, yeah. I've been looking after April and Feral for the day and thought it'd be sweet to say hi!

Nitro: Glad to hear it! Are they both doing okay?

Amelia: Of course!

OMT!Tails: So I heard you got a cat that accompanies you quite often, right?

Amelia: Mhm. Her name's Rose, and I've had her since I was a little girl!

BK!Amy: Aww, that's such a nice name!

Amelia: Thanks, Amy. I named her after my late grandmother, Rosemary Walten.

OMT!Tails: Rosemary, huh? I'm guessing you saw the tapes and files your mom had, right?

Amelia: Yeah. It's... really tragic how low the Bon's Burgers stuff fell when those who would've been my uncle and auntie got killed by accident.

Mini Sonic: Man, that sounds nasty. I'm sorry to hear that, ma'am.

Amelia: It's alright. I'm sure they would've wanted me to stay strong for their sakes, like how my mums did when they adopted me as a baby.

OMT!Tails: I'm glad to hear that, Amelia. Hope you enjoy the rest of the event today!

Amelia: Thank you! Bye, Chris! Love you~!

Nitro: Heh, love you too, Ami!

The call ended there.

OMT!Tails: Heh, that was such a sweet start. Well, time for a bit of a cool-off after all those exciting songs before. As fun as it is to have a blast from the past in our previous two mixes, it's only fitting that we shift gears into the here and now of music.

CR!Sonic: Yeah. I only just got here, but I felt it'd be fitting for us to start the next mix with my introduction. Running's great and all, but when I'm not doing that, I see myself on a beach or under a tree's shade chilling out and watching nature thrive. So this next mix will comprise of some more tranquil melodies, both from our games and from SEGA as a whole.

OMT!Tails: So sit back, relax and take a little break as we share the Relaxation Mix with you. And where can we do that, guys?

Nitro: Heh, only on SEGAVerse Blur Bangers!

Go here for the Relaxation Mix!

OMT!Tails had fallen asleep during the Mix, with OMT!Mina sitting next to him.

OMT!Mina: Heh, looks like those songs tired Tails out a little bit. I'd say we'll let him enjoy his nap while we continue the show from here.

BK!Amy: So, what's next on the agenda?

D-Sides Mighty: How about catching up on some of the newer Sonic and SEGA releases as of late?

Trip: Including the game based on the Starfall Islands?

OMT!Mina: Heh, yep!

CR!Sonic: Well, I'm sure many of you are no stranger to the upcoming port of Sonic Generations with that Shadow sidestory, right?

OMT!Mina: Mhm! With the Shadow costume Superstars Sonic got the other day, this is definitely the Year of Shadow at the moment.

Wacky: Too right. I'm proud of the guy for coming this far already!

Hog: What's so hype about Shadow, anyway? Well, aside from what I saw him pull off during EggOmega's madness.

CR!Sonic: Well, he's proven a match for any Sonic, sacrificed himself to stop the ARK destroying a world, and even pulled off attempting to redeem villains in different dimensions!

Hog: Now, that's pretty impressive stuff there.

Nitro: Isn't there also that new Super Monkey Ball game coming out on the Switch in a couple of days?

OMT!Mina: Ah, yeah! I really like how it's still respecting the roots of the stuff while not being a remaster of a prior game.

Wacky: Me too. The story's pretty neat as well, with all those cutscenes and dialogue to do with them. I'm looking forward to seeing how it comes along!

OMT!Mina: Me too!

BK!Amy: You know, why don't we have some more calming songs to continue the relaxation period?

OMT!Mina: Good thought. This time, we're gonna be picking some lo-fi beats from the SEGAVerse for this next Mix. Don't touch that dial, folks! Keep it with us on SEGAVerse Blur Bangers!

Go here for the Lo-Fi Beats Mix!

OMT!Tails: Hey, guys! Hope you enjoyed both those mixes. Heh, sorry I nodded off before. Anything important I missed?

CR!Sonic: Aside from discussion on the latest SEGA releases, nothing much.

OMT!Tails: Ah, well. This is definitely a fun endeavour thus far! I'd say we're really hitting our stride!

EX!Alice: Yeah. I'm still getting used to audio mixing, but this is absolutely fun! Who knew working under some pressure would be a bit more exciting?

Mini Sonic: And thanks to the support of our listeners out there, there's no telling how far we can get to.

OMT!Tails: With that, where do we go next for our event today?

Punching is heard to the right with Mr. Needlemouse trying to smash the piñata apart.

Mr. NM: Hah! Take that! You want some of this, mister?

OMT!Tails: NM? You found your way in here?

Mr. NM: Yeah. I heard you were all up here doing this, so I thought... why not?

OMT!Mina: Fair enough.

Nine: Don't tell me you've gone and smashed that vase in the living room again.

Mr. NM: Er, hehe... Whoops.

Nine: Rats. This is, like, the seventh vase I'm gonna have to replace. Next time, I'm getting one that's nowhere near as fragile as the others.

Mr. NM: So, we're celebrating the 33rd anniversary of the guy that inspired my design? Awesome! What are we doing next? A rematch with the Ring Racers?

OMT!Mina: Ah, yeah. That reminds me about the game's release based on them. It wasn't received all too well upon launch, and even with its patches to fix issues, people have still been bashing it for how technically-complex the vehicles are compared to your run-of-the-mill kart racers.

OMT!Tails: It's a shame, really. The game's been in development for a whole five years, and I get the contentions people had with it, but it didn't deserve that much backlash.

Mr. NM: Not even with the cheating CPUs and the difficulty of the... you know.

Nitro: Those points aside, the art direction is really good, porting Genesis levels into 3D no problem, and downgrading the Dreamcast levels with little to no issue. If anything, the single-player content made it more than worth the wait.

OMT!Tails: And the music as well! Speaking of which, this is gonna be our next destination; original music from some of the big Sonic fan games out there. Hope you enjoy this next mix, only on SEGAVerse Blur Bangers!

Mr. NM: That's the name of this thing?

CR!Sonic: Just roll with it, man. The mix is starting.

Go here for the Fan Creations Mix!

OMT!Mina: Man... These guys really have a good hand in composing original music for their Sonic fan projects.

?????: Wholeheartedly agreed there, Mina!

OMT!Mina: Wha-? Oh, Lilac!

Lilac: Greetings, everyone!

OMT!Tails: Hey, Lilac! Glad you could come along too for the big anniversary!

Lilac: Considering my past discovery of me and Sonic having those connected ties, this is something I couldn't miss out on.

Trip: You're always welcome here, Lilac!

Lilac: Heh, thanks, Trip!

BK!Amy: So, I take it you've been hearing the past mixes we've been throwing out?

Lilac: Yep. And I recognised the last one in the previous mix as being composed in the past by the lady who had a hand in making my game's soundtracks. That's why I decided to come straight here!

OMT!Mina: We're honoured!

Trip: So if you're a dragon, and I've been meaning to ask this for a bit, but are you able to breath fire?

Lilac: Well, that's a bit different. I'm a water dragon, so I'm not really capable of it. I'm really good at swimming, though!

Trip: Cool! I can breathe little fireballs out! Watch this!

She puffed and blew one into the air that went out very shortly after.

OMT!Tails: Woah! I never knew you could do that! Great work, Trip!

Trip: Heh, thank you.

Lilac: Well, how about another set of songs? Sonic himself has definitely inspired other developers to make their own games based on the high-speed he's often involved with, so I thought this next mix could be dedicated to any indie games that have top speed as the aim of their game!

OMT!Mina: That can be arranged!

OMT!Tails: Well, you heard it, folks! It's time to fire up our indie game music mix. Stay tuned into SEGAVerse Blur Bangers!

Hog: Comin' through!

Hog charged up a spindash to hit the piñata, only to crash into Mr. NM and cause them both to tumble to the ground.

Hog: Ow... Sorry!

Mr. NM: Aw, come on! >:(

Go here for the Indie Grooves Mix!

Lilac: Heh, what a trip down memory lane that was.

Mr. NM: "Trip down"? I'm still all in a tangle thanks to the tenrec over here.

Hog: You know, honestly, man, you do enough bad stuff in your dimension that it's warranted.

OMT!Tails: You had a whole 25 minutes to get yourself sorted out. Plus, you're a cartoon. Can't you flip yourself back into shape easily?

Mr. NM: Oh, yeah! (does so) Why didn't I think of that before?

OMT!Mina: I mean, any cartoon with those physics is capable of doing that.

CR!Sonic: Alright. So, we're nearing the end of the event now, and there's only one more mix we've got lined up.

OMT!Tails: Before we do that, though, it's time to give today's Gallop Lotto numbers a spin! Mighty, could you fire up the machine?

D-Sides Mighty: You got it!

He leapt into the Gallop Lotto warper as the lotto machine dispersed the balls that rolled around. The winning numbers were deposited out one-by-one.

OMT!Mina: Alright, folks. Today's winning numbers are... 04, 05, 2X and 03! And the winnings are 24 rings to whoever got the numbers today!

OMT!Tails: To whoever got those numbers on their lotto ticket today, congratulations!

D-Mighty came back out of the warper, landing safely down afterwards.

D-Sides Mighty: That should do it!

BK!Amy: Great work, Mighty! Alright, that just leaves our last mix before we wrap this up today.

OMT!Tails: You got that right! And for this last mix before we go to our regular broadcast period, we're gonna be focusing on some modern-day beats for you all to enjoy! Our Modern-Day Mix is sure to get the groove going to wrap up our event for today! It's our longest one of all, reaching 11 different tracks from the modern and Adventure eras! Are you ready? Only on...

OMT!Tails and OMT!Mina: SEGAVerse Blur Bangers!

Lilac: Here we go!

Nitro: Let's rock!

Go here for the Modern-Day Mix!

CU!Sonic and CU!Sonia arrived during the last song.

CU!Sonia: Woo! That was awesome!

OMT!Tails: Heh, hey, guys! Just in time to see the station in person!

CU!Sonic: Heh, I'm honoured. Sorry we couldn't get here before the event came to a close, but we really enjoyed listening on the way here.

OMT!Mina: Glad you had fun, Sonic!

CU!Sonic: Where's the other me's kids, by the way?

CR!Sonic: They stayed at home to listen to the radio, but they've both been rootin' for me today.

OMT!Tails: Sweet! Well, I guess that wraps up the main event. I know not all of us could be here for the event itself, but it was definitely a great time all around!

EX!Alice: We should definitely find a way to make more room for our radio station. More comfy seats, a green room for guests, catering from across the multiverse...

Lilac: And we could definitely invite some of our friends from the Quill Society to have interviews from time-to-time. Heh, Carol would be geeking out just thinking about being on radio.

Mini Sonic: Well, I'll be the first to say that this radio station experiment turned out to be a success!

BK!Amy: Absolutely! Trip: Yeah!

OMT!Tails: Wholeheartedly agreed! Thank you guys for joining us today, and we hope you enjoy the rest of the day with an even mix of different music! This has been Tails from Dimension MP-2021, having come to you live on SEGAVerse Blur Bangers!

Everyone: Bye for now!

Mr. NM: Be sure to tune into the next one, folks!

OMT!Tails: After our ad break, BK Amy will take over with our next programming block; Amy's Cooking Tips. My Amy will be joining her, too, once she makes it down here. See you then, everyone!

"This is SEGAVerse Blur Bangers! On FM, online and on your smart speaker!"

Happy 33rd Anniversary, Sonic the Hedgehog!

Other Songs:

Main Programme

Sonic Prime Interview

Starcrossed Lover Call

Upcoming SEGA Games

Ring Racer Discussion

Lilac's Arrival

Goal Post Near

Gallop Lotto

Wrapping it Up

[ninja-knox-ur-sox-off]

Ooo that exposure fic sound like shadow might be a bit touch starved huh. Thanks for answering the ask!!!

Also! Glad you Last of the Real Ones added to your brain rot hehehe!!!

Some more songs for your consideration:

Carry you home by Alex Warren

Dont Give Up on Me by Andy Grammer with R3HAB (original version is good, but I have a feeling you'll like the version with R3HAB)

Daylight by shinedown

The other side by All Time Low

Enemies by The Score

Run by onerepublic

They all either give me sonic and/or shadow vibes (at least the choruses in most of these. Some of the verses may not apply but eh).

That last one I've actually associated with Lmk mostly. but it also works well for sonic I think!

Good luck with math class!!! Drink water and have a snack!! 🔫 <3

I’ma be so real I didn’t even think about that HECK. You know what’s so great? Shadow pre-stasis probably got loads of hugs from Maria, so the touch starved thing would be a totally new thing that he has no idea where it’s coming from—Dude I’m so predictably basic, I hear touch-starved shadow and my mind immediately starts whirling around like a malfunctioning escaped plane propellor. How about Touch-Averse Shadow? Shadow who got poked and prodded all the time and does NOT like anyone touching him but the people he trusts and horse are few and far between and HHHHH YEAH MAN I SURE DO LIKE THAT

Okay okay songs songs, I’m usually so bad with listening to groups of songs people send me my brain is not big enough to focus on more than one thing at a time but heck I’ma try

BOP?? BOP. Looked up the lyrics first and went mmm i dunno… then started the song and it has such similar vibes to Run It it’s a banger

OHHHH OH YOU RIGHT??? YOU RIGHT YOU RIGHT ALSO A BANGER OH THAT BUILDUP??? THE BACKGROUND BASE STUFF?? THE DROP?? YEAH YEAH YEAH I’M INTO THAT YEAH. This seems like it’d be a great song to listen to while writing and drawing and stuff actually bless

I like the piano in this one yo, even when it gets more intense later, i feel like this is a very relaxing song for me!!

I feel like I’ve heard this one before I just don’t remember when, oh I LIKE THE PRE-CHORUS PART AYO. Nice

L I S T E N I LOVE THIS SONG. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to Enemies by the Score. Ninjago, yeah? LEGO Ninjago? This is a Cole Ninjago song to me, big time. I’m crazy about it for him specifically, massively associated with himHGLKSJFSDF

So….. when i say……….. i had an amv wip…….. for this song……. When the first sonic movie came out….. when i tell you— hGLKJSFDSDF (my computer did a weird thing and i lost all my files) BIG TIME SONIC SONG THO AY YEAAAAHHHHHHH. I noticed I always sing another song over top of this one cause it fits together kinda neat in my head, even if the songs are actually in different keysHGLKSJDF anyway yeah yeah sonic song sonic song thanks for reminding me of it cause it’s a BOP. (LMK association is so valid honestly)

Thanks for the luck!!! Worry not! I am hydrating, and I packed a lunch along with some melted cookies!! And sourdough cause my mom recently decided to try it out and you know what homemade sourdough is where its at y’all feels like blacksmithing with how hot you gotta get dat oven, it’s DANGER AT YOUR FINGERTIPS ahem anyway thanks for the music <3 I have no guarantee I’ll listen to stuff that people send but I’m glad i was able to this time! This was fun!!

[a-bad-case-of-the-stephs]

Okay I sadly still haven't gotten time to listen to the full Steph playlist yet but YES YES YES FIONA APPLE AND THE MOUNTAIN GOATS!!! HELL FUCKING YEAH!! The vibe may not be fitting but another Steph song I absolutely adore is "still alive" by the spook school, literally the chorus is screaming "fuck you, I'm still alive!" And if that's not Steph then idk what is. I also can't think of a specific song but I often think of Steph when listening to Adrian Lenker? Especially Kerina but I'd need to listen to the lyrics a lot closer. Normally I just hear "you don't want me honey just cause I wanted you" and start banging my head against a floor thinking about Steph <3 erm Big Man by Juno Hasson is one but that's shameless plugging bc I know the artist of that song, lmao. OH BAD MOVE lich rally one of my fav bands, songs that make me think of Steph include: Family Secret, Sorry That I'm Not Better, and Outta My Head. And maybe The Verge. mm what else...Gofer by Yucky Disaster and potentially Running In Circles by Faith Zappa? But I'm not sure on that last one. This is so many omg I'm sorry 😭 but yes will hopefully FINALLY get time to listen to the complete Steph playlist soon but I'm loving what you're cooking so far

SO glad the playlist has been solid 4 you so far. There’s a strange amt of Fiona Apple songs which are just About Steph to me. Like ‘oh well’ particularly is just absolutely Steph like come on those lyrics were written about her.

Listened to still alive by spook school it’s literally a perfect Steph song.. it rly gives BW Road Home Batgirl to me, and generally BG2009 w the chorus.

Had to listen to Karina on repeat bc it rly does work so well for Steph.. yeah the line ‘you don’t want me just ‘cause I wanted you’ makes me a little sick. I am going to break Stephanie brown out of the narrative. Comic cancelled I’m taking her home. Even with the usage of ‘cause instead of “because” is such a classic Steph-Ism.

Gofer instantly clicked as a Steph song, also I just really liked it. Great mix of vaguely upsetting lyrics and a chipper tone. Which too is stephanie brown coded.

The Verge to me is totally Steph Bg2009, especially early on in the series while she’s still finding her footing and beginning to build herself back up from her lowest point. It’s also a banger, Rly like this one.

Family Secret as young Steph’s reflection on her mom’s addiction works so so well, and upsets me. Could also be abt Cluemaster and also Arthur’s abusiveness, but I really like how the lines ‘you’re all cold’ and ‘I don’t understand now why you wanna leave me alone’ can apply to how closed off and unavailable Crystals drug addiction made her especially when Steph was younger. Crystal and Steph’s relationship is so so interesting to me. Like there can be a lot of anger there, but like w everything else about Steph there’s also this over abundance of love and dedication.

Anyways thanks for sending Steph songs, I really liked them all, she makes me insane and crazy and I love her and also I love music so I’m always happy to have more Steph-like songs.

Also feel free to send me ur thoughts if u get a to finish the playlist! I’d love to hear your take / impressions, + any more other songs you might wanna recommend, but gen no pressure!

[mwexodusofficial]

Chapter VIII: Reflection

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(Music: "Sour", by GALXARA)

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Anya and Curly entered the lower floor of the terrarium, sifting through the crowds of partygoers- Curly's hand gently wrapped around Anya, who was following him with reminiscing ponderance and unmitigated thinking. The several speakers lined throughout the massive metroplex were booming a serious banger that was loud enough, yet not overwhelming to the ears like planetary clubs were; a surprisingly soothing auditory experience.

It was no understatement to say that Anya believed herself to be in some sort of hallucination- the concept of resurrection, seeing Curly in his original state, grappling with the last few hours of events... all of this had completely whiffed past her mind. Dying from painkillers was a major blow to her comprehension capabilities, and the lunatic events she was being bombarded with were no help to her mental recovery.

Curly, meanwhile, was nearing the point that Anya was currently in; a myriad of horrors, emotions, trauma, and memories ravaging his mindset and sanity. Yet he was able to stay focused, trying to find an isolated place where he and Anya could have some time alone- even if they didn't talk at all. Every step he took through the crowds of crewmates was another head-pounding, heart-stopping second of a sea of emotions sweeping around inside him like a maelstrom.

He needed somewhere quiet, somewhere isolated, with Anya.

"Heyo."

Curly exhaled in frustration as he heard someone call out to him, and turned to see-

J-I-M-M-Y-?-?-!-!

No... no, it was someone else, someone who looked eerily like that fucking monster. His face, hair, stubble and eyebags were almost identical, save for a short goatee and wary, calm eyes that were the exact opposite of Jimmy's.

"W-What is it?" Curly muttered in slight irritation. The Jimmy replica looked between himself and a younger, Middle-Eastern male with short-black hair and an intense gaze. 

"Just... wanted to meet ya. I'm Danny, and this is Ali."

He gestured to Ali, who raised a hand in greeting somewhat awkwardly. Curly looked between the two of them, waiting for some further reply.

"Okay?"

"I actually wanted to say," Ali prompted the conversation. "I can understand if you guys feel overwhelmed by all these people. I told Hawkes he shouldn't have shoved the recently Resurr-... ahem, Returned, into a giant metroplex full of people at the start."

Curly nor Anya were particularly disturbed about the surrounding crowds. If anything, it was far more soothing in contrast to the eerie, remote atmosphere of the Tulpar they'd spent years in.

"So, with that said," Ali continued. "If you need some space and privacy, head for the aesthetic observatory that's connected to the terrarium, it's a few stairs up and then take a right."

Curly was surprised that he had attained exactly what he needed from this man. He nodded gratefully.

"Thank you, Ali. We'll be off now."

With heavy eyes and a heavier mind, Curly gently pulled Anya further along, drifting through the masses to get to the terrarium. Danny and Ali watched them head off, silently forming their own opinions.

"I didn't know those two were a thing." Ali remarked, and Danny scratched his head.

"I sure didn't expect it, though it almost seems like a common trope. Captain and the medic? Yeah, this whole scenario could be a rom-com or drama show, for sure."

"A rom-com?" Ali questioned him. Danny narrowed his eyes in response.

"What, do you have some vendetta against funny romances? That's my favorite genre, sorry to tell you."

"Uh, no, it's more like what screams rom-com about a brutally killed/maimed couple that came back to life with massive PTSD?"

Danny shot him a look of confidence.

"Really? That doesn't sound like a hilarious romantic plot?"

"Maybe if you're deranged."

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

Curly had finally found the 'aesthetic observatory' after climbing a set of stairs with directions and opening a set of double doors on the 3rd level above the terrarium. It was a large, windowed view of the cosmos in a hemispheric, 360 direction. Chairs, couches and TVs were set up around the area, along with a few speakers for music. Curly morosely walked past a few sets of chairs, before setting on a couch with a view of the Staski Nebula; an ever-swirling, purple-tinged cluster of space dust, energy and stars scattered across its open and messy canvas.

Curly took a seat, finally releasing Anya's hand and exhaling with force. The mental toil foisted upon him was exhausting to his physical state, and he was sweating in no time. Anya's sanity and awareness had gradually recovered, primarily thanks to the copious drinking that released her mind from a mound of stress that spawned upon resurrection. She gazed around at her environment, trying to put the pieces together in her brain to slowly comprehend her surroundings.

Curly relaxed back on the couch, staring at the stars. He didn't want to immediately try and talk to Anya; he wanted to leave the both of them to silence for a while, to adjust and relax in this cozy and empty observatory. His eyes felt ever-tired, yet they would not shut and grant him sleep- as if his mind were holding him hostage, forcing him to confront all the horrible trauma he'd endured on that ship. He could barely think without revisiting the haunting memories; barely speak without reminiscing on his formerly-charred state; could barely breathe without remembering how torturous this simple action was only a day ago.

With little drive and overwhelming exhaustion, he simply slouched back and stared at the innumerable stars, nebulae and dark space spread across the observatory's wide range.

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(Music: "Dream Sweet in Sea Major", by Miracle Musical)

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Curly's thoughts were emptied. He found staring at the immortal cosmos to be an indescribably beautiful experience; he'd never gotten the chance, for months on end, to gaze out over the cosmos as he did here. It reminded him that life wasn't just cold, hard hell every moment of his life- even though it had overwhelmingly felt like it for as long as he could remember; the damage to his psyche had practically erased most memories of his past before the Tulpar's crash.

One thing he knew; there was nothing to go back to on his home planet. He'd become a freighter captain because the last of his family had died in the Thyrrian civil war twenty years ago. He'd escaped hell, and came back to nothing; and yet, he'd never felt more free in his entire life than now.

His guilt over the... what he did to his crew was overwhelming to the point of tainting his vision with infrequent memories of the horror he'd experienced. Yet simultaneously, his mind was akin to an open cage, a bird freed from the most cruel fate imaginable, renewed and reformed- reborn with a second chance he nor humanity ever thought possible.

He felt awash with the highest euphoria a human could conceive.

His body was fully reformed; his crew returned to life. Yet no matter how many miraculous or fortunate events he came across, it did barely anything to erase the past from his mind. Every passing second he had to fight off the memory of searing agony across his entire body; every second he was forced to re-center himself in this reality, to not suck himself back into the unthinkable terror of before.

Just by the end of this day, he felt as if he'd fought through an entire war to reach this mode of relaxation and rapturous ecstasy.

"Curly...?"

Curly could barely bring himself to respond out of fatigue and anesthetic-like bliss, but he made an extremely strenuous effort to do so out of a bottomless love for her; a love he had only felt at the crux of her death and the renewal of her life. A love he was conflicted with, wondering if he was even deserving of this at all.

"Y...e...s?"

"...We had... flings... before. I know neither of us... thought of it as... anything serious. It shouldn't be... something I think about... this much. But..."

Curly felt compelled with monumental effort to raise himself from the couch, recomposing to look Anya in the eye when she spoke.

"Y...Yes, Anya?" He muttered with shivering hands and quivering lips, averting his eyes. It took everything in his mind and body to not crumple to the ground and sob inconsolably as he glimpsed the depth of her desolate eyes for even a second.

His heart nearly broke into a million pieces as he glimpsed her face again. Her eyes were sunken, filled with sadness, and anger, and disillusion. Her demeanor was slumped; she had given up on life, and was forced back into it without any warning. And without even needing to see it, he could tell her brain was in shambles, trying to pick its pieces back up and fit them together again. With every second she came to comprehend her new reality, the more she seemed to unravel at her core, forced to remake herself from scratch.

He couldn't bear to see her like this. His wish to bring her back almost seemed like a curse, the more he noticed her mental struggles. She managed to speak once more, after painstakingly composing her thoughts.

"...I'm really scared, Curly. I-I know I'm.. more safe than ever... but I can't stop feeling... terrified from head to toe. I want comfort, I want familiarity."

She slowly slid her hand across the couch, crossing her fingers over his hand. Tears gently streamed down her face as she muttered fearfully.

"I missed you so much, Curly. I was so afraid after the... the crash. I wanted to break down sobbing every time I entered Medical and saw you, crying in pain. But... but... why... why did you crash the ship?? Why did you-"

Pump. Pump. Pump. Pump. Pump-

Curly could barely hear Anya over the sound of blood pumping in his ears. Before he even realized it, a raging storm had wracked him with a cold, shivering fury filled with desires to murder Jimmy as violently as he could cruelly imagine.

"I didn't crash the ship."

Anya recoiled at his answer, skepticism playing around in her pupils.

"..."

Her silence was damning, and only poured gasoline on a massive bonfire of emotional turmoil.

"I handed the keys to him, and he crashed it."

Curly could barely get the words out, his throat choking on the apoplexy building up in his stomach. Anya's eyes averted to the ground, as if in deep thought. Curly could barely start to see her as his eyesight grew hazy with irrepressible malevolence.

"...I believe you."

Curly couldn't stomach Anya's comforting words, and stood up from the couch, grabbing a leg of the coffee table in front of them and hurling it across the room with hulkish strength and a hideous roar of pinpoint aggression.

WH-OOOOOSH-WH-OOOSH!

The coffee table spun like a disc, barreling with great velocity toward the wall.

CRACK-SLAM!

The coffee table dismantled on contact, leaving a considerably large dent in the wall and debris of wood, glass, and nails below it. The unnatural strength behind the throw was extremely obvious, shocking both Curly and Anya. Curly stared down at his hands, momentarily knocked out of his bloodlust as he tried to comprehend this newfound strength. He had only felt a moderate amount of strain in one-handing the coffee table.

What the f...fuck? He pondered incredulously, recalling what might have led to this-

Was it that fucking doctor? Did he... did he do something to me?

"C-Curly, that was... a little insane?"

"Y-Yeah..." Curly muttered, a resurgence of bloodlust and sadistic malice washing anew over his thought process. He could torture Jimmy like this. He could rip his limbs off and let him taste a moment of what Curly suffered. He caused him so much SUFFERING. He'd spent months thinking about everything, especially what he could and couldn't feel. The burns were so bad on his outer layer he couldn't feel any part of his skin; but beneath it, in the lower layers, in the muscle and sinew and tissue and bone, he could feel those burns. And they were awful. It was horrendous. Even now, recalling it, just recalling it- He could AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA still feel a drop of its terrible embrace.

| J-I-M-M-Y-Y-Y-Y. |

"Imma fucking kill him. I'm gonna fucking kill him. I'm gonna fuckin- Hah! Hah!" Curly muttered manically to himself, trying to release the pent-up rage and unsettling malice plaguing his mind. Anya stood up from the couch and walked over to him, cupping his hands.

"Curly."

Curly's frenzy somewhat realigned to lucidity, his lost eyes settling back on Anya's face.

"Curly... would you like to... to... go on a date?"

His mind immediately froze as Anya awkwardly posed the question to him- such a wholesome request didn't factor in immediately with his spiraling worldview, and only a few seconds later did he work out the words in his brain. His eyes immediately sparked with a fiery passion, his body filling with adrenaline and serotonin rapidly.

"Y-You... Anya...re.... real..ly?"

"Yes. Yes, I mean it. I... feel safe and comfortable around you, Curly. If I have to live... I want to live next to your side. When I was... when I was dying in Medical, I wanted to be next to you. I've.. I've come back. And I can't... I can't lose this feeling of... of comfort and security around you since."

Even though it was just a simple date, the conversation sounded more like a marriage proposal, and Curly's reaction was somewhat similar to receiving such news. He began to laugh in utter relief, wiping the tears from his reddened eyes and embracing Anya as gently as he would a mouse.

"Can we... walk around this place?" Curly whispered softly in her ear. "We'll... be here for a while, I bet. I... want to look around while... while it's nice and peaceful, and quiet." He pressed his face into her hair, exhaling and inhaling softly as he savored her familiar scent. Her strands of silky black hair ran across his face and cheeks, softly grasping at his skin. 

Love. Love. Love.

Anya nodded softly, nuzzling her face against his cheek. That familiar feeling of stubble scratching her face was more soothing than any therapy she could have received. Safety. That was the most prominent feeling in her. All those months on the Tulpar, she was in constant terror, fearing for her safety and life around the co-captain. It was like a mouse trapped in a cage with a dormant snake, constantly terrorized and panicking, exhausted and unsettled, unfocused and non-confrontational.

She had been in utter despair for such a long time, that she had hardly known any other emotions. After she'd come to in this ship, seeing Curly in his original state... nothing in any lexicon in the entire world would have been sufficient to describe what she'd felt. Absolute joy, peace, and transcendence. A deep, ineffable feeling- a state that touches the soul, the mind and body in its fullest expression of happiness.

An intense and inescapable expression of love that exuded from every fiber of her being, for Curly and the world around her. A sense of radiance, of profound bliss which had, slowly, over time, pushed back against the mind-rending dread and seared trauma of the past.

All those months in despair, on that ship, she had spent desperately trying to escape that fate. Trying to escape the sorrow and grief of seeing Curly in that state, the terror of the co-captain taking charge, the inescapable dread of knowing they were stranded in remote deepspace, destined to die.

Even in her final moments, locking the medical bay door and downing dozens of pills, she had been desperately, like a rat in a tightening cage, desperately trying to escape that reality.

And this was that escape. She had reached it. The reality she wanted. How could she not be the happiest person in the universe?

The closest possible word, to describe this feeling would have been...

NIRVANA.

"Yes, Curly. Let's walk."

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Elsewhere, three garrison officers were sitting in a security booth at the center of the ship, passing the time with infrequent chatter and momentary amusements. An ancient iPhone was connected to a set of 2150s-era speakers, blasting (Not A Beanie', by bbno$) throughout the large interior they were stationed in. Although they were given a loose directive to 'not drink or drugs' (that's exactly how it was printed on the directive), the three garrison officers had snuck multiple packs of beer from the terrarium for casual sipping. Most of the garrison officers stationed around the ship during the ceremony had done the same; even though they would have all day tomorrow to do the same thing in the terrarium.

"I'm never letting you choose the music again, Franz." sneered Corporal Wagner, the most senior among the three. "The duty of the aux-haver is to sense the music choice of the group and pick the compromise. This is the opposite of that, you greedy sumbitch."

Private Franz was half-ignoring him as he bopped his head rhythmically to the beat, trying to take a sip of his beer but spilling more than a few drops on his uniform because it was hard to drink while bobbing his head to the music.

"Listen, it's not my fault you have horrendous taste in music." Franz retorted rather casually. "The compromise is an average of all three tastes, and it just so happens that your music choice created an imbalance in that average because it's ass, and so we ended up with this."

"That is the most incoherent, nonsensical bullshit argument I've heard in the last two weeks from you. Yancy, tell him!" 

Wagner pointed at Specialist Yancy, who was chilling utterly in the chair- primarily because he'd just taken a couple of shrooms and was now in supreme bliss. Yancy shrugged as indifferently as Switzerland being asked to join World War II.

"I'm vibin'." He replied simply. Wagner's head dipped in disappointment.

"You unreliable sloth. Anyways, I'm picking the next one, since I clearly can't trust either of you to do it."

"Hey!" Franz pushed back. "That's not how the bet went! You lost, so it's lowest to highest seniority. Yancy gets to go next!"

Wagner cringed, then sighed.

"Ah, whatever... Alright, song's over, change it."

"Okay, damn!" Franz said with great offense. "What are you, a professional hater?"

Franz handed the iPhone to Yancy, who sloppily scrolled through the app and chose a song. ('Castle of Glass', by Linkin Park) starts ramping up over the speakers, paralleled by the audible groans of both Franz and Wagner.

"I can't possibly comprehend how an indie lover like you survived the centuries." Wagner snarked at him.

"Yeah, this shit ass." Franz voiced quite belligerently.

"First, this isn't indie, dumbshit, it's hard rock. Second, you are a whole ass, Franz. Your entire body... is one big pair of fuckin' cheeks." Yancy fired back with slurred words.

"I get cheeks, unlike you, Doofus Supreme." Franz replied.

"You're cheeks at 'Carrier Assault 2', that's for sure."

"That's an unfair analysis."

"How? Literally how? You placed 482nd out of the entire ship last tournament, broski."

"That was last tournament, bud. What was that, 4 months ago? I've been obliterating every challenger I got since then."

"Hehe, sure buddy. Whatever helps ya sleep at night."

"Tell ya what, when you've come out of your medicinal coma, you can challenge me and I'll soundly beat your ass from stern to bow."

"Challenge accepted, bitchboy."

"Alright, song's over," Wagner chirped in, snatching the iPhone from Yancy's hands and plugging in his choice. A few seconds later, ('Stuck In The Middle With You', by Stealers Wheel) projected from the speakers. Wagner sat back in his chair with a sigh of relief, and to the audible frustration of Franz and Yancy.

"This guy must have been cryo'ed from the year 2000 and never moved on from their music." Franz casually threw out scathingly.

"Hearing this has managed to increase my sobriety somehow, horrifically," Yancy groaned, much to the contemptuous chuckling of Wagner.

"This song perfectly encapsulates how I feel right now. Clown to the left, joker to the right, here I am, stuck with you retards until the celebration tomorrow."

"Oh, speaking of that," Franz interjected. "I heard from a maintenance friend of mine that a few of the Returned left the Captain's Suite and are wandering around the ship. You think we'll see them?"

"I... kinda hope so, not gonna lie." Yancy muttered. "I'd really like to ask some questions, and see how they talk and behave after coming back from the dead."

"If we do see them," Wagner commented, glancing between the two of them. "You best remember the recent directive."

The two of them nodded sincerely. After the revivals had been completed, Captain Hawkes had sent out a directive to every crewmate on board to prohibit themselves from speaking to the Returned while using any words implicating death or their past. His explanation had been detailed as such:

"The Returned are an anomaly both mentally and physically, as of now, which means all talks of death, mentioning the Tulpar, probing into their past, or otherwise using words that could cause a mental trigger are strictly prohibited. If you cannot reliably follow this directive, refrain from speaking to them at all or being within earshot of the Returned."

As much as they liked to joke around and do dumb shit, the garrison officers were wholly dedicated and loyal to their Captain. No matter their rank or years of service for the Argonaut, respect and loyalty was ingrained in every single crewmate, either by their seniors or by their own experiences with the Captain. It was a self-cultivating environment of order and discipline.

"Well, that aside," Franz dismissed the issue. "Have either of you stacked any bodies in the last month?"

"What kind of 'bodies' are we talking about here?" Yancy questioned him.

"So that's a 'no' from you, then." Franz replied dismissively.

"No, you stupid bitch, I want clarification."

"Clarify these nuts on your chin."

"You asked this last month, Franz," Wagner remarked. "Stop asking us about our sex life, you desperate whore."

Franz shrugged dramatically.

"Well, what? You wanna talk about the weather? Oh damn, it really looks nice outside! All that lack of oxygen and freezing environment sure makes for a perky day!"

"Unfunny, 0/10, not enough testosterone."

"Keep talking, I'll fold you like a FUCKIN' OMELET, BOY!"

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

(Music: "Achilles, Come Down", by Gang of Youths)

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Curly and Anya walked slowly, gently, through the corridors of the ship, hands clasped firmly with a life-bonded affection. It was quiet, much unlike the creaky and boisterous interior of the Tulpar; all the machinery and inner workings of this ship hummed so quietly it could have been interpreted as complete silence.

Hand in hand, foot by foot, step by step, love with love. Their actions felt shared, as if they were synchronized in an endless cadence of elegance and purity. They exchanged starry gazes; hands entwined like century-old vines. For every word they didn't speak, a thousand more were conveyed through their eyes.

Curly and Anya were both reveling in an otherworldly euphoria as they moved through the ship like gentle phantoms, admiring the sleek design and futuristic architecture. At times, they would nudge shoulders, stop, and hug each other for an indeterminate amount of time, basking in each other's pure-hearted joy and fluffy intimacy.

Curly released from the hug, softly grabbing the underside of Anya's hand and running his fingers along hers, her palm, her veins and wrist, her forearm and shoulder, admiring her as if she were the most perfect sculpture in the universe.

Anya was completely receptive to his every action; she felt as if their souls had grown close to one another, as if there were a piece of him with her, and a piece of hers with him. A shared spirituality that transcended the mortal feelings she held her whole life.

You are real, Curly thought in waves of continual relief as he traced her body, feeling contact with her skin and the blood rushing beneath it. You are more real than the world itself.

Curly moved his hands up to her face, gently palming her rosy cheeks and rubbing the outer cartilage of her ears. He felt magnetized towards her. Wondrous. Marvelous. Unspeakably miraculous.

His eyes grew closer to hers, closer... closer... until his pupils were only an inch from hers. An infinite yearning, curiosity, exuberance, exaltation, love.

Love, love, love~!

Anya felt compelled to raise her right hand, using her thumb to trace his lip, rubbing against the angel-white teeth concealed behind his gums. How could every part of a person be so beautiful, so enrapturing, so enthralling?

She rubbed the quill-like stubble of his beard, the rough yet soft complexion of his skin, the bridge of his Roman nose, those pristine and confident eyebrows, his curly, golden locks that mesmerized her the moment she'd first met him.

What an amazing world, She thought giddily, euphorically, serenely. Thank you, God. Thank you, God! THANK. YOU. GOD! The excitement failed to end, neurons firing off clanging bells of avidity to topple Curly to the ground and kiss him until she ran out of breath.

There they stood, admiring each other endlessly, perceiving one another as the most magnificent of paintings, the most arresting of gazes, the zeniths of perfection. 

"Curly..." "Anya..."

The perfect word was on their minds, the perfect word to say to one another. And yet, their mouths couldn't move. Their tongues wouldn't budge. Their bodies shivered with unknowing hesitation.

Say it. Say it, Curly willed himself. The deathly guilt of his past, what his actions and inactions did to her and the crew, muzzled him with untold regret and self-hatred.

Speak the word, Anya coaxed herself desperately. SPEAK IT NOW! 

The terror of possibility haunted her. The possibility that, as soon as she said it, this mirage of heaven would disappear, and she would be back in that unspeakable, horrible ship, seeing a maimed Curly writhing on the medical bed. She couldn't bear to exist if that was even a remote possibility.

To them, this was the most nerve-wracking, hair-raising, anxiety-inducing moment of their entire lives, for wholly separate reasons. 

To anyone else who happened to be watching -like the three security guards at the booth gawking from only a few meters away- this was an extremely socially awkward and disturbing sight to bear witness to. All three of their faces were contorted in bewilderment, concern and embarrassment. The initial shock of seeing this bizarre sight had disrupted their minds so rapidly they hardly had time to reasonably conclude these were the Returned mentioned earlier.

Rather rudely, Franz called out to them, unable to stand the awkwardness.

"Hey, uh, you guys? The, uh, private rooms are down the corridor, to the left."

The abruptness from Franz had momentarily knocked Curly and Anya out of their entranced states, craning their eyes towards the three officers. For a brief moment, Curly's mind had removed the all-encompassing guilt.

And for that very brief moment, Curly felt nothing from holding him back. He turned his mountainous gaze on Anya, her widened eyes returning the same.

| "Anya, I Love you!" |

Anya reacted with visible, animated shock, as if the words had reverberated throughout her bones and bounced around in her head. Propelled by his forward declaration, she grabbed his arms and clutched them as if he would fall through the world.

| "GRANT, I LOVE YOU!" |

Anya screamed the declaration of love, pulling him forward and pressing her lips against his.

A kiss. A kiss across lives, across time, across oceans of despair and astronomical units of terror. 

A kiss... just for Curly. For the man she loved more than life. 

A kiss... just for Anya. For the woman he loved more than existence.

Every second was alight with fire, blood, smoke, mud, explosions, fireworks, laughter, applause, nebulae, singing. Their worlds felt noisy, chaotic, dazzling, comforting, tranquil, colorful, magnificent.

Angels unfurled their wings to caress the many folds of their souls, soothing the experiences that tainted them, providing the bedrock of recovery that would purify their hearts, and lead them to the greatest future conceivable. The stars cried out their names, envious of the burning passion they radiated from their cores.

Not a single moment passed that faded in elation. The world became bright, its surroundings hopeful, its imposition welcoming. Their bodies felt light, their minds unburdened. It felt real. It was real. This love was more real than anything the universe could offer them. It was all they wanted. It was all they needed. Nothing. Else. Mattered.

What a dangerous thing it was, to Love.

...

...

...

The three officers, meanwhile, had slowly and silently gotten up out of their chairs and creeped towards the terrarium; this was a fantastic excuse to use the directive as a reason to leave their post; vestigial as it was on a ship this secure.

'But Captain, you said if we couldn't reliably follow the directive, we should refrain from speaking to them!'

The three of them cackled mischievously, heading to their barracks to change; it was common knowledge (even if it was forbidden by the Captain) among garrison officers that most of the seniority and leadership didn't care if garrison officers left their posts as long as they were not gunnery, bridge or engineering posts- the primary functions of a ship that needed to have oversight 24/7.

In other words, those poor bastards were forced to sit there while most other garrison officers snuck out from their posts to join in on the party. Franz felt a tad bit bad for them, but ultimately that empathy was dashed away in a second- he'd worked those positions before, and didn't recall any of the other garrison officers giving a shit.

Well fuck 'em, he thought to himself. I'm off-duty tomorrow, I'm doin' a fuckin keg stand tonight! YIPPEEE!!

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(Music: "MILLION DOLLAR BABY", by Tommy Richman)

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"I got a, uhhhh... uh... what game are we playing again?" Daisuke inquired drunk off his ass, holding the cards in his hands with confusion. He was promptly pelted by yet another round ice ball by an equally intoxicated Hawkes, who was starting to look slightly irritated. Daisuke fell back against the lounge couch as if he'd just been shot.

"This is the fifth time, Daishhhuke. POKER! WE'RE PLAYING POKER!"

Swansea burped boisterously, on the same level of non-sobriety as the two sitting to either side. He eyed his cards with deep concentration, focused on winning the game.

"I shuppose you cocks can't be bothered to shhhut up. Plaayyy your cards already, DAISUKE!"

Daisuke, sorting through all two of his cards furiously, promptly seemed as if his brain lit up.

"Oh! Oh! I have aaaaaa, uh, a Jack and a Queen!"

Hawkes facepalmed, being the dealer for this game. There was a noticeable red handprint across his face as he removed his fingers, and Swansea burst out laughing as he saw it.

"Daisuke," Hawkes said calmly, trying to conceal his frustration as sobriety crept back into his mind. "You don't reveal your cards to us until the river is finished. The river of cards here," He pointed to the three cards parallel to one another on the table. "These cards are paired with your cards if they are a winning hand. You can have all kinds of hands, like a straight, a pair, a royal flush, a four of a kind... I explained this about three times in the last hour... please..."

Daisuke stared at him, trying his best to comprehend what he'd just heard.

"...There's a river on the ship? Like a Lazy River?!"

Hawkes wanted to gouge his eyes out and pelt them at Daisuke with the force of a baseball pitcher. He steadied himself, exchanging Daisuke's cards with a new set and returning to his seat. Daisuke inspected his cards with the utmost scrutiny.

"...A six and a King."

"FUCK THIS GAME!" Hawkes shouted in outrage, upending the table and storming over to Roble. "GET ME MORE ICE BALLS, NOW!"

"NoOoOoOoOoOo!!!" Daisuke cried out, covering his head as he ran for cover behind the toppled table. Ice balls pelted the front of the table in a rapid-fire fury as Hawkes launched them one after another from the bucket Roble was holding. Swansea sighed, reaching for his wine glass on the end table to his right.

"You clowns can't even keep your attention for a simple game of poker."

"Heyyy, that's not true!" Daisuke slurred. "I tried my beesssst!"

"You have the attention span of a coked-up squirrel!" Hawkes accused him, grabbing another ice ball and throwing it just as Daisuke ducked back below cover. Swansea got up from the chair, moving towards the window that overlooked the terrarium and its attendees.

"Compared to that piece of shit, this place is... phenomenal." Swansea reminisced, softly swirling the wine in his cup as he referenced the Tulpar. "Shit, everything on here is just... appealing."

Hawkes tossed the ice ball he was holding back in the bucket and walked over to Swansea, staring at his subordinates below.

"It takes humans to know humans." Hawkes replied. "We aren't some cold, corporatist agency or a vicious, gloomy military federation. Our homeworld was built on solidarity and trust in our neighbors, our acquaintances, and our countrymen and women. We never forgot those principles, no matter what hardships we faced. After venturing across half the galaxy, I can safely conclude that we're likely the only nation with such luck. It's just a big, despotic hellscape everywhere else, with varying degrees of prosperity and oppression."

Swansea chuckled wryly.

"You ain't wrong. Feels like I don't belong here- or more like, this whole situation feels like it doesn't belong in this universe. It's just... it's out of place from what I've known my whole life."

"I agree with you more than you can conceive." Hawkes assured him. "But I've learned to embrace it."

This time, he turned his whole body to face Swansea, who returned the gesture.

"There's a great change approaching humanity," Hawkes prefaced, his face wrought with grim and grit. "We may yet see utopias pop up all over the galaxy, as our ancestors intended and strived for. It's only a matter of time and action."

Swansea could barely describe the bond he felt to this giant of a man; it had been mercurial at first, but in a single day he'd gone from a feared captor to one of his closest friends. The primary reason behind that lied with the Captain himself; he practically gushed affection and friendliness towards him and the other Tulpar crew, as if he'd known them his whole life. It was hard to hold skepticism against someone who was so honest, brash, open, generous and reliable.

"I had a few questions, Hawkes." He changed the conversation. "A lot, actually. Your homeworld, how Curly looks brand new, what's happened across the galaxy since we... yeah. A lot of questions."

Hawkes stopped pelting the overturned table Daisuke was hiding behind to look at Swansea with an indifferent expression.

"Fire away." He replied. 

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

(Music: "Hell's Comin' With Me", by Poor Man's Poison)

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

Hawkes sat at the bar of his suite alone, swirling a glass of straight vodka in his hand. He stared at the swirling contents, pondering on the conversation he'd just had with Swansea and Daisuke, who'd left to go to sleep afterward in their quarters.

Both of them had asked more than a wealth of questions; about Canaris, about resurrection, the events of the last year, the state of their families- too many to recount in his head right now.

"You want us to start cleaning up, Captain?" Roble, the ever-reliable bartender, asked him, despite the fact that all the others had left to bed. Hawkes shook his head, downing the last of his vodka and placing it on the counter, tapping for a refill. Roble obliged.

"Not tonight. I want to wake up and be comforted by the sight of this messy place. I want to remember all the shit we did when I clean up."

Roble smiled, dutifully cleaning out a shot glass in his hands with a white rag.

"I'm sure this is probably the best day of their life. They got to see their crewmates again, got to party and drink- I dunno what those other two were doing, but it seemed like Swansea and Daisuke had a shitton of fun."

Hawkes nodded, satisfied with the day's work. There was a mound of stress he'd felt the entire time of causing or allowing some fuck-up to occur, but it went as smoothly as he planned-

"Still, I can't believe how much trauma they were carrying. I really can't conceive how one bastard can cause all of that."

||||||||||||||JJJJJJJJJJJJIIIIIIIIIIIIMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY||||||||||||||||||

"THAT'S IT!"Hawkes bellowed from the bottom of his lungs, gulping the entire glass and hurling it with monstrous might at the bulletproof window overlooking the terrarium.

CRACK-SMASH!

Roble was filled with a subtle horror as the rocketing glass slammed into the window, turning into particles and tiny shards of glass, leaving a sizeable crack in the thick-paned window.

This supersoldier can toss bullets?! He wondered in heightened fright.

I-AM-GONNA-HURT-HIM, Hawkes raged in his mind. I-M F-U-C-K-I-N-G D-O-N-E W-A-I-T-I-N-G.

He reached over the counter and snatched Roble's baton from his belt, with zero resistance from the officer in question. Hawkes then stormed away, grabbing the overturned table in front of him and dashing it to pieces across the room, kicking the hallway door completely off its hinges.

He could barely see his surroundings over the blood-red visage that tainted his vision. What unspeakable fire and fury. What great inordinate malice overtook his mind.

He thumbed his radio, nearly breaking the knob.

"Jazz here, is that you Captain-"

"GET THAT SCUMFUCK REVIVED AND DRAG HIS SORRY ASS TO INTERROGATION."

"Y-YES, SIR!"

Click.

His storming presence through the corridors was frightening to the unfortunate passerby who had to dodge around him or risk getting bashed aside. He was simply unable to contain the ineffable rage pouring from every pore in his skin. He needed to act. NOW.

Anger. WRATH. FURY! RAAAAAAAAAAGE!

CRACK! CRACK-CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Hawkes wailed the robust baton against the interior walls and ceiling, creating sizeable dents and cracks on every surface within his vicinity, terrifying onlookers and soldiers alike as he made a beeline for the Interrogation Room.

HE'S FUCKED. HE'S SO FUCKED. Hawkes' mind repeated fanatically. HE'S GONNA SUFFER LIKE JUDAS. HELL WILL BE HIS EXISTENCE. DEATH WILL BE HIS MERCY! PAIN WILL BE HIS COMPANY!

"Captain Hawkes-"

"WHAAAAT?!"

His shoulder radio temporarily went quiet as the receiver recoiled from the monstrous reply, then spoke again.

"C-Captain Hawkes, it's Wally. I have something to show you, it was from the ship, but you s-seemed so busy I wasn't sure when to-"

"Head to interrogation, Wally. Let me see it there."

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(Top art is credited entirely to @boygreythroat (Twitter handle), bottom art is credited entirely to serk8t (Reddit handle) | Beautiful artwork I felt I had to display here.)

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[amynchan]

*pokes head out*

Okay, so does anyone remember the basically Avatar the Last Airbender renaissance? Where everyone started getting back into it, and there was even a playlist of AtLA musical numbers?

Yeah, Balance helped me get through my thesis when I was near-on breaking down. It gave me sanity for much longer than I would have had without it.

So. Since then, the creator has dropped at least three bangers, Top of my School, Price of Perfection, and Saving Face. They are Great. She's auditioned for Canada's Got Talent and actually made it to the stage (I auditioned for AGT twice and got nowhere close, so the fact that she got that far is astounding and pretty cool).

Now, she's making a short musical film. As per the introduction of their fundraising page:

Hello! We are a team of student filmmakers from Cornell University studying film production, media studies, and performing and media arts. We are currently fundraising for Cornell University film project Silence. Written and directed by award-winning student filmmaker Katherine Lynn-Rose, Silence is a short film that explores familial love, connection, and culture through the lens of a musical film. As a team of BIPOC filmmakers, we hold a deep appreciation for narratives that authentically reflect our lives, experiences, and cultures, and it is our aspiration to bring such stories to light.

Anyways. Fundraising. She needs funds to get there, and they're aiming for 2k. So far, they've got $450.

If you can't donate, can you at least spread this? Absolutely zero shame (cause I think she'd hate that anyways). I just think she's really skilled and think it'd be cool if she and her team gets to make a film. I'd like to see how they communicate their vision.

Anyways, here's the link. Bye!

[donovankinard]

i am clancy.

"they say its old but theres just no proof" fjdsklfjdslkfjs holy shit

SEE I KNEW THAT WAS NICO

oh hes the Big Boss okay

"a miraculous power and a hijacked religion" jdfjklfjdslkfjdsklfjsdlk

did u kno my brain is melting

oH POPPY THATS WHERE YOUR BIO COMES FROM

wait. so he got nico to take him out

i knew it was nico in the car but thats still kinda odd

YES THAT WAS THE BANDITOS

so far ive been pretty much right i ate that

although that raises another question; why do the bishops not focus greater efforts on tracking down the banditos?

"they needed me, for something" yeah for banger music

wait wait wait wait wait so the entire s&i live is supposed to be the bishops forcing clancy to perform, as a musician, for the general populace? god fucking damn

wait so the bishops dont like nico either. good

i knew that was voldsoy fuck yeah

oh shit so he literally just. had the power of the bishops

i thought he was just vibing

kind of off topic but also his voice is so soothing and lovely

god fucking damn then

[ablatheringblatherskite]

top 5 musicals?

oh OH I LOVE THIS ASK THANK YOU, CHAOS!!

Okay so, from lowest to highest, so far, my favorite musicals are:

5. Tick, Tick, Boom!

Especially as an artist, I absolutely LOVED this film. It's like a love letter to all artists. Of course non-artists can love and relate to this musical, but there's just something special it has for artists specifically. Plus the CINEMATOGRAPHY?? the PERFORMANCES?? ANDREW GARFIELD???? THE SONGS???? UGH. PHENOMENAL

4. Hamilton: An American Musical

This is the only musical I've ever been blessed enough to actually see LIVE! And it was literally one of the greatest experiences of my life and made my desire to see musicals live EVEN MORE PAINFUL. BECAUSE THIS WAS WHAT I WAS MISSING OUT ON!! But yeah even if it's not at the top of this list I clearly still love this musical so much. This was one of my most powerful and longest-lasting hyper-fixations ever, and also the musical that actually really got me into writing fanfiction! So on top of the amazing music (my go to hip-hop and rap songs fr LOLLL most of my rapping ability comes from singing and rapping Hamilton with my siblings and cousins), performances, themes of LEGACY and FORGIVENESS??? AUGGHHH, i am also really grateful to it for awakening the writer in me.

3. Les Miserables

I remember when I first started listening to this I was like. How is there not a single MEH song in this musical??? It was literally banger after banger after banger LIKE BRUH. I also remember when I finally finished listening to the musical, it was when my family and I lined up all night for some basketball tickets. And I finished listening to the musical when I woke up really early in the morning for my turn in waiting in line, and I was screaming at myself not to cry because I was literally surrounded by people. But anyway yeah I love this musical so much and while it's not as deeply personal as Hamilton (at least not yet), I think it definitely belongs in this spot. Listen specifically the THEMES AND MOTIFS ARE WHAT MAKE ME SO FERAL OVER THIS. BUT ESPECIALLY THE THEME OF FAITH??? BYE I CANT HANDLE IT ASJDFHJLDAD

2. Newsies

While I think Les Mis is probably a better musical in general, THIS one is very personal. This is the first broadway musical i ever listened to, the one that got me into theatre musicals for the first time. IT ALL BEGAN HERE. This was also the first pro-shot I ever watched!!! And absolutely LOVE the songs DEARLY to this very day and still jam out to them every time I hear them, plus I LOVE the story and find it to be very relevant to people my age in particular. It's just so FUN and with AN INCREDIBLE story and soundtrack and the PERFORMANCES and DANCING AUGHHH and i love it so much i cant put it into words so here have Jack flipping someone instead

1. The Phantom of the Opera

I doubt ANYONE is surprised by this being at the top LOL. But for real, this musical just HIT THE SPOT. I don't know how or why BUT I JUST FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS MUSICAL SO FAST AND HARD and I can't explain it. But just--the MUSIC the STAGING the STORY the CHARACTERS?? HELLO?? ERIK IS LITERALLY ONE OF THE MOST WELL-WRITTEN CHARACTERS I'VE EVER SEEN IN A LONG WHILE. AND CHRISTINE MY BELOVED. and OBVIOUSLY . RAOUL . HAS MY ENTIRE ENTIRE HEART THIS IDIOT BOYYYY. and and RAOULSTINE??? UGHHH. And i love all the supporting characters too like they're so FUN lol. and anyway of course the SONGS ARE JUST INCREDIBLE, WHAT ON EARTH. And of course, most importantly THE THEMES AND MOTIFS. LOVE AND LUST AND OBSESSION AND UNCONDITIONAL VS CONDITIONAL LOVE AND RECKLESS BRAVERY AND AND AND GRACE????? AND KINDNESS??? HOO MY HEART BE STILL

Send me Top Five Anythings and I'll answer!!