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keep-the-wolves-close · 1 year ago

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Steady Heart

Chapter 1: Bad Things Are Comin’

When a sudden death happens at the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, Stella Daniels is forced deeper into the world of her employer, John Dutton. It’s much further than her experience from just working with the horses and being an extra wrangler when needed. Now Stella, her brother Ryan, and her best friend Kayce; her employer’s youngest semi-estranged son, have to navigate finding their place within the ranch’s not-so-clean dealings and the challenges that come their way.

Pairing: Slow-burn Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

Rating: M? (Still figuring out the rating system) (might eventually be M anyhow)

Warnings: Violence, mentions of blood, character death, grief, panic, language because I mean let’s be honest we’ve all seen the show lol

Word count: 3,803ish?

Stella Daniels breathed a sigh of relief as she leaned backward on a fence in a round pen belonging to Grand Springs Ranch. She was lending a helping hand to her good friend Olivia. Olivia helped run the broodmare portion of her parent’s ranch, and this year the broodmares were giving both women a run for their money. There had been so many speed bumps this year.

Olivia sidled up beside her to join in the viewing of a new broodmare prospect. They wanted to see her movement, her temperament, and also talk to the current owner about her AQHA titles. The usual things they looked for in a good broodmare. Olivia and her parents were very strict with things being ethical and not just breeding to breed. Stella respected that.

The mare in question was a pretty little chestnut thing, spunky and only 6 years old. Stella enjoyed watching her graceful lope. The mare had a bit of an attitude, but that wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. She had been taught well when it came to horses and getting temperament under control. She had faith she would be able to have this girl right as rain in no time. She tapped Olivia’s arm and gave a nod of her approval, to which Olivia agreed.

Stella fixed her glasses and saw movement out of her peripheral. She looked over to see one of the full time hands rushing toward them with a concerned look on his face.

Olivia’s eyebrows scrunched together, “Tim, what’s wrong?”

“There was a phone call from the Yellowstone for Miss Stella.” Tim looked almost nervous.

“Was it Ryan?” Stella pushed herself away from leaning on the fence. “Is he okay?” Ryan would occasionally send a text, but always knew she might not have her phone. He only ever called the barn phone in an emergency when she was here.

“Something big happened. He said to tell you he’s fine, but they need you home right away.”

Her eyes glazed over as she unfocused on everything except her rising heartbeat. Her mouth dropped open as her breathing started to come out in shallow puffs. She didn’t feel when Olivia first grabbed her arm, but it was like she had been electrocuted the second she realized Olivia’s hand was there.

“Liv, I gotta go!” She bolted for the barn to grab her things.

Olivia responded, telling her to go, family comes first; her part of the job could be worked on at a later time, but Stella never heard those words as she ran as fast as her feet would take her.

She didn’t hear anything until she got back to the Yellowstone. As soon as her SUV tires hit the gravel of the ranch, Stella sped up to the main house. Seeing the flurry of activity happening there, she figured that would be the best place to start. Her SUV was barely in park before she hopped out and ran across the grass desperately searching for her brother. There were news vans, reporters, police, EMS, and livestock police all crowded around in the front yard.

It was at that moment that her hearing came back all at once. The chatter from every direction was disorienting. Her eyes were looking but not seeing. Every face was blending in with the next one. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, quicker with each passing second.

She pushed her glasses up while calling out, “Ryan!” Not caring who would look in her direction. “Ryan!!” She hollered out again, sounding more panicked than the first time. Multiple heads snapped in her direction. Lloyd spotted her through the mass of people and moved quickly to her. He grabbed her by the arm gently and guided her to the porch where it was a little more secluded. He knew he had to get her focus. If he didn’t, Stella would raze the whole ranch to ground looking for her brother.

“He’s finishing up something in the house, but he’ll be out soon. He’s okay.” He made sure to try and keep direct eye contact with Stella, trying to keep her glued to the porch. She continued to look around trying to peek at every face that walked by them. She had to physically see her brother to accept that he was alright.

“Stella, look at me!” Lloyd said sternly and shook her to grab her attention. “Your brother is alright. Come with me.”

She finally allowed herself to catch her breath. She trailed closely behind Lloyd, hot on his heels, to the large section of the porch by the front door. He had her sit in one of the chairs, and asked her to stay put. He wasn’t sure exactly how long Ryan would be, but he would be coming out the main door. Stella was in the perfect place to catch him the second he walked out. Lloyd knew Ryan would be glad to see his little sister.

With a numb expression she asked, “What the fuck happened, Lloyd?”

“Some of the herd moved onto tribal land.” He took a deep breath, trying to figure out how he was going to continue this explanation.

“Oh shit, no.” Stella’s shoulders dropped as she whispered.

“Well, both groups butted heads and here we are.” He wasn’t trying to be vague, but he also didn’t want to drop too much on her at once. Especially about Lee.

Stella knew that both groups didn’t always get along, but she never imagined it coming to something that required this much attention from police and news alike. She rubbed her fingertips on her palms trying to get feeling back. Ever since she left Grand Springs her hands had been numb.

Movement from the front door startled Stella into action. She hopped up from the chair and made her way quickly to the door, weaving through livestock police as she went. Kayce and Jamie came out of the house. Kayce, her best friend of 12 years, looked rough. When Stella saw the blood on his shirt, her heart nearly jumped from her chest.

“My God, Kayce!” She rushed over to him to try and get a better look. “Are you okay?” There was a mumbled, “‘m fine, Stell.” He grabbed her hands before she could touch his shirt. Knowing she would thank him later. He gave her hands a squeeze while taking a deep breath to ground himself. Almost as if he was using her as a tether.

Light brown eyes met darker brown. She finally saw the sadness that resided there. Her eyebrows scrunched together and she tilted her head to the left, and wordlessly asked what happened. His eyes dropped and his shoulders looked heavy. Stella’s breathing picked up again, worried by whatever change may be coming. She nodded to Kayce, knowing this was a conversation for another time.

“You’re brother should be right behind me. Go get him, and we’ll talk later.” He squeezed her hand again and let go. More people coming out of the house prompted Stella to give his arm a quick squeeze and move toward the door.

Her eyes locked on her brother, “Ryan!” She propelled herself forward and gripped him in a tight hug. Now that she could physically see that he was okay, her blood pressure started to return to normal. Ryan was her rock. She wouldn’t even dare to fathom the consequences of not having him around.

He squeezed her back and moved them off to the side. He held her tight. Primarily for her, but it also gave him solace because she was safe back here at the ranch.

“Let’s go down to the bunkhouse where it’s quiet. We gotta talk.” He needed to tell her about Lee.

Stella sat forward in the chair bracing herself on her knees. Her brother had just told her Lee was gone. She felt like she was going to vomit. Lee and herself hadn’t been as tight knit as she and Kayce, but she had known both of them since she was 14. He had taught her just as much about horses as Kayce. Hell, they partnered together to train the horses for the ranch. She was flabbergasted. Speechless. She struggled because that very well could have been her brother.

She took deep breaths to keep the nausea down, and placed a hand on her forehead. She pushed her glasses back up her nose and sat back swallowing the lump that was lodged in her throat. She felt guilty for even thinking that, but she also understood the look that Kayce had given her on the porch fully now.

There weren’t any tears being shed. Ryan was concerned, but then remembered that his little sister didn’t like to cry in front of people. Not even him. If she did, it was because she had no control anymore. He didn’t know how she dealt with human death. Animal death? He had seen her deal with it a thousand times over because of the ranch. The work on a ranch doesn’t stop unfortunately. But the untimely passing of a friend? He was worried about how this would go.

“Were you with them?” Stella cleared her throat.

Ryan bit his lip and nodded. “I was a few feet away, and then I got swept off to the side dealing with something else and Kayce was alone with his brother.”

“Oh my god, he was alone? That’s the second time that’s happened to him.”

Ryan knew she was talking about Kayce’s mother and how that whole situation went down. She felt horrible that Kayce had to face that by himself.

Stella knew she would probably cry later on when she was by herself, but she couldn’t even drum up a response to her brother. Other than the occasionally quiet whispered, ‘what the fuck.’ She could understand the disagreement about the herd, and knew things could get rash at times, but her mind was blown that it came to this kind of firing point.

It had been quiet for about five minutes with her staring at the wall where the sink was. “You still with me?”

Stella slowly moved her head to look at Ryan. “Hmm?” She said softly. The energy slowly drained out of her the longer she sat there. He came over and sat next to her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in sideways.

Ryan comforted her. “Stay with me Stellee.” She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, letting out a big breath, trying to pretend she was anywhere else but here.

It was quiet for a few moments. Ryan would occasionally rub Stella’s arm. Since he wasn’t sure how far her reaction to the loss would take her, he treaded lightly. He didn’t know if she would react now or later, and he definitely didn’t want to come up on her breaking her hand through a wall.

“I’ve gotta go find Kayce.” Stella started to move restlessly before she got up.

“Yeah, but don’t you think he would want space?”

“If I know anything, space is the last thing his mind needs. And I know he hasn’t been home yet, so he doesn’t have Monica here. I can’t just sit by, Ryan.”

Ryan sighed. His little sister could be one of the most endearing people. If someone had a problem, she refused to let them carry it alone. He was worried one day her back might break.

“I’m gonna go back up to the big house. He’s probably still there.”

Now that the activity had quieted down, Stella poked her head in through the front door. She ran into Beth sitting in the living room, looking very much like she needed to catch her breath. When Stella entered the room she looked up from her long gaze.

“Funny how everyone else employed here knocks, except you. Why is that?” Stella breathed out a sigh at the accusation from Beth. She knew Beth was just in defense mode and didn’t mean to spit fire at her. They got along for the most part.

“Beth… I haven’t knocked on this door since I was 15. I wanted to come check on everyone.”

“There’s nothing to be done except wait for the plan. You know that. You came here to check up on my baby brother, didn’t you?”

“Well, he is my best friend. And you and I both know that being alone is something your brother doesn’t need right now.”

“And you thought you would swoop in and be his savior, huh?

“Not a savior. Just a shoulder.” Stella was getting frustrated.

“Beth, leave her alone.” Kayce’s voice came from behind them. He came from the hallway toward the back of the main sitting room. He nodded toward the porch and Stella did a 180 to make her way around. He placed a hand at the small of her back as he directed her to keep moving. There was a small zip up her spine at the contact. Her back tensed.

He wanted to get them both out of the room before his sister could spit more grief. Stella shook her head and squeezed Beth’s shoulder quickly as they walked by and back out the front door.

Kayce sighed. “I’m sorry about her.”

“You should know by now you don’t have to apologize for your sister. I would have been worried if she hadn’t responded like that.” They shared a chuckle.

Stella seated herself on one of the chairs by the little table. Kayce made himself comfortable in the other. They both gazed out at the vast ranch. They zoned out and let the silence embrace them. Today was chaotic for both of them, in different ways, but tiring nonetheless.

“How the hell did a feud about some cattle that wandered through a broken fence produce this end result? Like, how did we get here Kayce?” Stella was very confused. She hadn’t been on the ranch when the arguing had started about the cattle, land, and who owed the livestock.

“I mean, I understand that it’s a very tender subject about land and all, but…,” she didn’t really know how to continue. Thinking about it made her brain hurt. She sighed.

“My head is spinning too.”

Stella whispered. “Is it selfish if I say I’m glad you’re still here?” Stella adjusted her glasses as she moved her eyes away from him. It was quiet as both of them contemplated her question. Her admission. In a way it was selfish, but he understood the sentiment she was trying to get at.

“I’m not really up to talking just yet, Stell. After I come back for the —,” he halted trying to figure out how to avoid saying the word funeral, finally ignoring the word all together. “We can talk then, okay?”

“I understand.” She pushed her glasses up. “If you or Monica need anything, please let me know and I’ll get it to you guys with lightning speed. Okay? Even if you need someone to take little man for the day or something.” He gave her a look that only the two of them seemed to understand. They stood and bear hugged like their lives depended on it. She knew it would be a few days before he would actually talk. Stella would wait as long as he needed her to.

Neither of them let go for a short minute. They knew that once they did, cursed reality would set in again. For this short span they felt like they were kids again without a worry in the world.

Stella murmured softly, “I’m so sorry this happened,” as she released him from the hug. He nodded, giving her one last glance before he made his way back inside to gather his things to go home.

"Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried... " the Father's voice faded as Stella scanned the crowd of people that had come around for Lee’s service. Everyone from the ranch was there and accounted for amongst other people that knew the family. The only one missing was Kayce. Her eyebrows pulled together. She looked at Monica, and she gave Stella a quiet shrug. He couldn’t have been far. There’s also no way he would have missed his brother’s funeral. She tried to be nonchalant about looking around, but she made eye contact with Beth who gave her a pointed look with a raised eyebrow.

Stella rolled her eyes slightly and kept looking. Not far off she saw a horse that just stood in place. It wasn’t completely out of the ordinary, but from the looks of it, the horse was a mustang. In these particular hills of the ranch property, the most you would find would be a quarter horse if one got out of its designated pasture. Maybe an Appendix or two. No one, that she was aware of, had brought a horse with them today, however.

Just barely above the high grass up at the grave sites, she could see a dirty blond head move back and forth. There he was. She looked to Monica who nodded her permission and Stella silently exited the group. She knew that if anything, Lee would have wanted her to go over to his brother. Lee always joked that they were each other’s Huckleberry. Attached at the hip, and where one was the other was surely not far behind. Most certainly to “fuck some shit up, cause some chaos and leave” as Lee would have said.

Stella’s fond smile at the memory faded as she got closer and heard sniffling coming from Kayce. Her face softened and her heart bled for him. She sat down beside him. The horse paid her little attention, but snorted in acknowledgement and went back to grazing as she folded her legs beneath her. Kayce glanced at her from the side.

When he realized it was her, he turned slightly and made eye contact. Stella pulled her lips together in a small smile, and kept her eyes gentle. They simultaneously leaned toward each other, shoulders touching, as they looked forward. Stella reached over and rubbed his back.

She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and pulled him close sideways and rubbed his arm to offer any sort of comfort to him while they sat there. They both pretended that they were anywhere else, at any other event than his brother’s funeral. She couldn’t believe this had happened, and she felt helpless that she couldn’t change it or do anything to make the hurt less, other than what she was doing right now.

They both heard as the Father finished his sermon, but they remained seated. Even when Stella felt eyes on her back, she stayed. John surveyed the pair closely. That girl, well woman now, had been there through the thick of almost everything for his youngest son since she and her brother showed up on the ranch 12 years ago.

At first, John had been hesitant to have an extra child on the ranch. Especially with his new young wrangler being her parental figure. She turned out to be a great kid, who would pull her own weight and then some. He slowly started to come around to the idea when Kayce started to put up a fight for Stella and Ryan.

She also was the first to throw knuckles when anyone, or anything, came for his youngest. John would swear that she would throw herself in front of a bullet for Kayce. Hell, she threw herself in front of grizzly for him once. Evelyn would have liked her. John couldn’t even begin to think of ways to thank her for keeping Kayce grounded along with Monica’s help. He cleared his throat and came up beside the twosome.

“He's one hell of a horse.” They heard from Stella’s right as John seated himself next to the pair. Stella removed her arm from Kayce’s shoulders, but remained quiet. She wasn’t a part of this conversation.

Kayce sniffled at his dad’s words. “Yeah. Ain't got the breeding of your stud, but he has a heart.”

“I know. I saw.”

“He would have died for me. He almost did.”

John changed the subject. “You want to stay for supper? You can put him in the barn.”

Kayce sniffed loudly and stood. He carefully draped the lead rope over Stella’s lap and handed it to his father. “No. I brought him for you. You can put him in the barn.” She watched as he quickly left to catch up with his family.

“I can take care of him for you, sir.” Stella offered as they both stood.

John looked at her from behind his dark sunglasses and shook his head. “Thank you, Stella, but I’ll take this one up.” As he walked away with the horse, she pursed her lips to the side realizing she was alone. She looked back to the gravesite. She patted her legs trying to decide if she wanted to go back over. ‘By the time you’ve argued with yourself, you could’ve already done it.’ She rolled her eyes at herself and started walking over.

“Hey Lee. I’m so sorry this happened to you.” A little bird sang its song from high in a tree. Stella smiled sadly and fixed her glasses. She hoped it was Lee saying he was listening. She still hadn’t come to grips that he was gone.

“I’ll do what I can for the family, the ranch. To the best of my ability anyhow. Especially for Kayce. I know he was the favorite.” Stella forced herself to look at his place marker. “I guess you’ve left me no choice but to take over your spot as the lead for the horses. If your dad agrees to put me there.” It was a heavy decision, to choose to do nearly anything for the family. It could come with a hefty price tag, but the Dutton’s and the wranglers were all she and Ryan had.

She looked off to where everyone had gone and noticed Ryan was still waiting in the wings for her. “I should probably go catch up with everyone else, but I’ll be around again.” She brushed her skirt off and headed up to the big house on the hill. Everyone was invited for supper. She wasn’t about to turn down Gator’s food. Lee wouldn’t have wanted her to either.

After supper everyone had congregated outside to get some fresh air and talk amongst themselves. The wranglers had parted to one side and Stella stood next to her brother and Colby.

She could see John with Beth and Jamie. They stared off at the helicopter, speaking to each other quietly. Lloyd brought her attention back to the group when he asked her a question.

“I’m sorry, what Lloyd?”

“I asked if you were spendin’ the night, lil’ bit?” She yawned at the exact moment he asked.

“Yeah,” she laughed. “I probably should. I think my overnight bag from Olivia’s is still in my car.”

Comments, thoughts, and commentary is welcome! Just please be gentle lol. 🤓

#yellowstone #kayce dutton #luke grimes #ian bohen #ian bohen : ryan #kayce dutton fan fiction #yellowstone fanfiction #kayce dutton fanfiction #Steady Heart #SH Chapter One #finally lmao

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palettepainter · 7 months ago

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Have some random Zoot cousins headcannons cuz I'm bored and I have no clue when or how to show these headcannons off

-So semi inspired by the 2015 show, because I love the idea of Sam getting dorky crushes on people who are total opposites to him, but I think the idea of Sam having a small crush on Zephyr is cute. Zephyr is outgoing, confident, classy, chilled and flirty, most of which Sam isn't. This probably happens long after Zephyr left Muppets Tonight to persue her own career, but before her and Clifford got back together. Zephyr has no idea Sam had a crush on her because his flirting is so stiff/awkward that she never understood he was flirting (or trying to)

-Happens after the events of Hired Sparky, but Liv learns to speak a few different languages after she starts working with the band. She already knows how to speak bits of Portuguese and Cuban Spanish, but after working at the studio for a few months she picks up Swedish to try and speak with Chef better. He gives her tips over her lunch break

-Liv is terrified witless of heights. She can more or less handle airplanes, since she knows she's safe within the plane, but if she was to do something like rock climbing she'd politely, and very insistently decline

-I can't remember the name of the video, but the Mayhem did a guess the song by it's lyric video, and there's one part where Zoot is sleeping against Teeth. It's super cute! So I like to think that all the Zoot cousins will instinctively lean against a surface or person when they're especially sleepy

-Raph does modelling at a local art school, he's very body comfortable, advocate for denim shorts and crop tops

-Penny, Raph and Zoot are the only cousins who smoke (though Penny doesn't smoke anything other cigarettes and only when she's especially stressed). Laser tried a cigarette once from peer pressure and coughed for ten minutes, he's never touched one since. Zephyr and Liv have never smoked in their lives

-I have no idea when I'm going to get the chance to show these off since they're so random, but I made full names for the cousins, they might change later:

Olivia (Liv) Mayfield Grayson / Zephyr Francine Smith / Raph Lopes Riberio / Penny Colette Hernandez / Gavin (Laser) Matthias Hernandez

-Penny and Laser are the only cousins to grow up with a single parent, their dad. Nothing bad happened to their mother, their father and her were just never married before they where born

-Laser is the one who gives peoples the most nicknames

-As well as being a DJ who plays a lot at gigs, Laser knows how to play the bass and drums. He taught Penny how to play the drums when she was in her late teens to help her try and channel her anger on something creative. Penny these days doesn't really play so much anymore but she can still drum out a decent solo

-Due to his job that requires him to play a lot at raves and night clubs, both very noisy environments, and his time when he was learning how to play the drums, Laser's hearing can be pretty bad at times. It's not so bad that he's deaf, but it's not as sharp as it was before he became a DJ

-All the Zoot cousins have a weird power that they can't explain. Zoot's we've seen in Muppets Mayhem but as for the others, Liv has "Spidey sense", though she's somewhat oblivious to it. Whenever she dodges something she otherwise wouldn't have seen coming she kinda blacks out and goes on auto pilot, before blinking back to reality. Zephyr has the ability to censor swears by standing near people who happen to be swearing, a little black box appears over their mouth with a pairing beep and everything. Lasers power is Onomatopoeia, he can make comical 'BAM/YEAH/BOOM's appear behind him like a comic (if anyone points this out Laser plays dumb cuz he finds it funny). Penny is a telepath and can talk to people in their head. And Raph can teleport, like Liv this is also something he's kind of unaware of. Sometimes he'll fall asleep on the sofa, and find himself in his bed when he wakes up, or he'll think about food, blink, and then he'll be in the kitchen. Raph, as well as the rest of the cousins, have learnt to not question their bizarre powers

-All of the cousins are flexible. Liv took up gymnastics as a hobby during school, she picks it back up again when she starts working with the Muppets. Laser knows how to break dance so naturally he's got to have a lot of upper body strength and know how to do sudden flips and spins. Zephyr is a dance teacher and so does routine stretches for warm ups before and after her classes. Raph does yoga and meditation as a hobby. Penny tried meditation for a bit but found out boxing was a better stress reliever for her, she does stretches as warm ups

-There aren't many people on the Muppets which the Zoot cousins hate, but Penny isn't too found of Rizzo and Pepe

#Muppets #The Muppets #Zoot cousins #Liv #Zephyr #Penny #Laser #Raph #Headcannons #Muppet OC

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turkishdclights · 7 months ago

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hello! thinking about picking up a few extra 1x1’s over discord! i literally love chatting back and forth, sending headcanons, making pinterest boards, finding insp/musings with my partners. looking for someone who can be a little more active and just as enthusiastic about our plot and characters as i am! i write muses of any gender, and will be happy to write against any gender as well!

faces i love: adam driver, oscar isaac, shay mitchell, eiza gonzalez, michael b. jordan, ayo edebiri, medalion rahimi, jessie mei li, janhvi kapoor, camila mendes, arjun rampal, jenna ortega, michael trevino, riz ahmed, literally anyone from twice, jeon somi, hasan piker, natalia castellar, naomi scott, tessa thompson, can yaman, justin baldoni, emeraude toubia, jeffrey dean morgan, robert downey jr., g-eazy, yahya abdul-mateen, summer bishil, olivia lopes, kiara advani, gabrielle union, diane guerrero, lizeth selene, simone ashley, samantha logan, alexa demie, michael evans behling

tropes i love: corruption, age gaps, forbidden love, celebrity plots, long distance, toxic dynamics, power dynamics, secret relationships, slow burn, enemies to lovers

like or message if interested. some specific ideas under the cut!

dylan arkan (hasan piker fc) - let me write my big jealous 6’5 twitch streamer himbo against your twitch streamer or influencer character in a secret relationship slow burn plot

tony stark (rdj) - i would love to write as or against tony stark with another canon MCU character, preferably may parker or helen cho. open to ocs as well

alexa cortez (jenna ortega) - give me any gender against alexa in a horror/witchy small-town inspired plot

zara rao (janhvi kapoor) - my fav muse to write, would love her in more forbidden romance plots as she navigates her strict family and cultural pressures

open to so much more! i don’t bite, please feel free to suggest things!

#discord 1x1 #discord 1x1 rp #1x1 rp #discord rp

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tooslowxlouder · 1 year ago

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#Olivia lopes

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niru13 · 1 year ago

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You Laugh, You Lose! - 2023

@5:59

#h3h3productions #ethan klein #Cameron grant #Sam Temple #Olivia Lopes #Leya Ayad #Zach Louis #Love H3 #LoveBot #YungFika #AB Ayad #Dan Swerdlove #video

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maaarine · 2 years ago

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“It’s @DeuxMoi, it’s all gossip.”

H3 Podcast: Olivia Explains Selena Gomez Drama To A Room Full Of Haters - Off The Rails #66

#h3 #selena gomez #hailey bieber #ethan klein #olivia lopes #zach louis #podcast

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lunapaper · 10 months ago

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Album Review: 'GUTS' - Olivia Rodrigo

I admit, I didn’t jump on the Olivia Rodrigo train right away.

I kinda dismissed her debut single ‘driver’s license’ as nothing more than a syrupy, overwrought pop ballad from a Disney star looking to break out into the mainstream. Even now, I’m still not the biggest fan of it.

But then came ‘good 4 u.’

While GAYLE and Leah Kate traded in generic nursery rhyme hooks and Travis Barker became the go-to guy for pop punk cred, Rodrigo rocked out. Like, really rocked out, offering up razor-sharp riffage and a true scream-along chorus that didn’t come straight out of a kindergarten classroom (or an eight-person committee to write, including a nepo baby).

Rodrigo’s sickly-sweet taste for revenge made GAYLE and Leah Kate’s respective odes to a scummy ex sound like a temper tantrum in the middle of a supermarket, declaring him a ‘damn sociopath’ while crying on the bathroom floor, almost relishing in the breakdown. Fuck, even the profanity is used to better effect.

It might’ve been a facsimile of Paramore’s ‘Misery Business,’ but it’s a damn good one, something Rodrigo’s peers didn’t seem to get. So much of a homage to the track is ‘good 4 u,’ that Hayley Williams and former Paramore guitarist Josh Farro even received writing credits on the track.

Rodrigo further proves herself a purveyor of fine angst on her second album. Where her 2021 debut SOUR was mired in ballads, preoccupied with the same bastard ex, GUTS reignites the bratty spirit of ‘good 4 u’ and other brilliant tracks like ‘brutal,’ amping up the snark in deliciously unhinged style while going straight for the jugular, offering wit galore.

One of the best examples of the this is recent single, ‘get him back!’ Recalling Best Damn Thing-era Avril with a side of Sleigh Bells, Rodrigo delivers her witty repartee in a disaffected drawl akin to Beck’s ‘Loser,’ flipping between both meanings of the phrase: One minute she wants to make lunch for her dirtbag ex, next she’s ready to deliver him an uppercut.

Previous single ‘bad idea right?’ also dabbles in the sing-speak, Rodrigo once again succumbing to the greasy charms of an ex, much to the disappointment of her friends. But can’t two people just reconnect?

‘all-american bitch’ (which may or may not be a critique of the Disney corporate machine) offers up ‘Just a Girl’-esque commentary with a modern twist. Obliterating the soft, insecure everygirl we first got to know on ‘driver’s license,’ the singer turns motifs of retro Americana, like the Kennedys, soda cans for hair rollers and even The Craft into snark fodder, giving us one of the best rock tracks of recent years. ‘ballad of a homeschooled girl’ is sludgy and equally disillusioned, Rodrigo bemoaning the sheltered adolescence that’s left her socially stunted (‘I talkеd to this hot guy, swore I was his type/Guess that he was akin' out with boys, like, the whole night’).

Even the ballads have improved. ‘lacy’ toys with sapphic lust as Rodrigo seemingly both loathes and lusts after the ‘dazzling starlet, Bardot incarnate’ and her wily ways, the envy consuming her.

‘vampire,’ on the other hand, makes a lot more sense in context in the wider context of the album. I wasn’t feeling it upon first listen (It just builds and builds, and then... nothing?), but there is beauty in its melodrama: The aching vocals, the loping strings, the hint of glam rock bravado before strangely pulling back.

The track also echoes Rodrigo’s sheltered upbringing, the singer taking her breakup with the so-called ‘famefucker’ pretty hard, which – let’s face it – was never gonna be an affair to remember. Why would you even bother to dedicate such a gutwrenching ballad to this fuccboi in the first place, it’s more than he deserves!

Piano finale, ‘teenage dream,’ however, does give us a full rock opera crescendo, Rodrigo looking to the future and already feeling weary at the thought of ageing out of the Disney demographic.

GUTS falls back on the schmaltz of SOUR at times, namely on the atmospheric 80s pop of ‘pretty isn’t pretty,’ which, although pretty, treads well-worn territory with its lament of impossible beauty standards. Some of the lyrics also feel cliched and even absurd (‘skin like puff pastry,’ really? Is Lacy really flaky? Is she gonna crumble to the touch?)

And yet, Rodrigo’s sophomore record is an incredible triumph for a young artist, self-assured with a clear creative vision, her songs more than just a bunch of throwback jams. She’s a rather astute rock fan, professing her love for Sleater-Kinney, Depeche Mode and Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill in recent interviews. Delightfully kooky sonic touches, like the sing-speak and the vocal yelps on ‘love is embarrassing’ also add to the album’s charm, the kind of fun idiosyncrasies a soulless conglomerate like Disney would’ve tried to iron out.

Where GUTS really excels, though, is its focus on defiant and unabashed female rage. Like Alanis, Fiona and Gwen before her, Rodrigo is snarling and seething, presenting a sardonic, suffocating and sometimes soul-crushing view of womanhood in the public eye. I can’t wait for when she calls the world bullshit at the next MTV Awards.

She also follows in the footsteps of other artists like Hayley Williams and Billie Eilish in recent years who’ve centered their work around the beauty of female rage, stemming from sexism, heartbreak and mistreatment in the industry.

‘I’ve experienced a lot of emotional turmoil over having all these feelings of rage and dissatisfaction that I felt like I couldn’t express, especially in my job,’ she recently told the Guardian. ‘I’ve always felt like: you can never admit it, be so grateful all the time, so many people want this position. And that causes a lot of repressed feelings. I’ve always struggled with wanting to be this perfect American girl and the reality of not feeling like that all the time.’

Funny, fierce and free of any ego, it takes a lot of guts to release a record like GUTS as your second album, at a time when rock and even pop feel so sanitised and dull. I guess I’m now fully on board the Olivia Rodrigo train, toot, toot...

#music #olivia rodrigo #guts #new #reviews #albums #Bianca B

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