#olivia slayed as usual

[moonlight]

OLIVIA COOKE AS LEA DELEON

Naked Singularity (2021) dir. Chase Palmer

[covenists]

✦ LIKE AN UNKNOWN SIGN, C. LECLERC

sometimes, hidden love without sign is just unknown

req: Maybe a smau for Charles Leclerc x Reader but he’s with Alexandra and everyone wants them to like get tgt and she like posts stuff that’s like telling him to break up with her and at the end he breaks up with Alex and they end up tgt

fc: olivia rodrigo

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yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, lailahasanovic, and 520,143 others

yourusername 🥦🌱⛳🍵☘️

👤: nbcsnl

view comments...

username damn green looks good on you

astonmartinf1 😌☘️

username oh no aston martin commented, does this mean...

⤷ username nah don't

username your performance was good omg wish i was there😭😭

tatemcrae wish you were here

tatemcrae miss you real bad

⤷ yourusername miss you too baby<3☹️☹️

username okay laila i can tell, but charles i don't know

⤷ username laila and mick are her friends, she definitely know charles and vice versa 🤷🏼‍♀️

⤷ username but still bcs it's quite sus

lailahasanovic that fur coat is top tier i want it

⤷ yourusername same honestly😭

username poor alex she deserves better☹️

username he should've be with her fr i mean HIS INTERVIEW???

⤷ username he's a fan alright, and so do we

⤷ username DON'T U UNDERSTAND HIS FEELINGS FOR HER IS NOT JUST A FAN THEIR WITH IDOL SORT OF RELATIONSHIP

⤷ username y/n belong to charles. period

username i'm hoping that she's aware with these comments and ended up making a crazy songs about alex and building a tons of gossips around the paddock. it's gonna be so much fun oml

louispartridge grinch

⤷ yourusername elf

scuderiaferrari 🥴❤️

⤷ username ok fuck now ferrari commented i know it's complicated

yourusername added to their story!

caption: he ain't wrong, this kinda looks like a grinch. thanks louispartridge for the reminder.

replying to: yourusername 's story

still with louis?

replying to: charles_leclerc

you know there's nothing between us

and how about you and alex? are you still with her or something?

seen

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yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc and 781,290 others

yourusername i only speak truth 🗣️

view comments...

bradmondo slaying natural look as usual

⤷ username i thought it was brad pitt for a sec💀💀

username new album when?

username new song when

username she's so stunning

username mother slayed as always

florencepugh i miss our kitchen fight😔

⤷ yourusername sameeee😭😭

louispartridge you forgot your sunny

⤷ yourusername i already edit it on photoshop

⤷ username omg louisy/n interaction is real😍

⤷ username IT'S JUST A SINGLE (1) INTERACTION AND YOU SAID THEY'RE TOGETHER????

⤷ username say that to yourself shipping y/n and charles

⤷ username you see how charles is here now huh

⤷ username what she just a random selebgram

⤷ username WDYM RANDOM SELEBGRAM??????????

lancestroll hey come get your man he won't answer my call after last night

⤷ username what last night

⤷ carlossainz55 lancestroll you know she has a private account right?

⤷ landonorris nothing happened last night, everyone goodbye

⤷ username that's not a proper goodbye and you know it lando

⤷ username something happened and twitter are still cold...

⤷ yourusername 😐

⤷ landonorris how about we set up a barbeque party?

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yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, carmenmmundt and 470,511 others

yourusername babysitter for hire

view comments...

username i know but we need a break up song rn

username tell me she's in love and hiding it (she's bad at hiding her feelings)

liked by charles_leclerc

username but tbh i don't believe if her album is about love. and if it is, some songs are definitely about her prev break up

username can y'all just enjoy her content?

username petition for taylorswift to invite her to be in eras tour

isahernaez mi linda hermanita😍🥰

sabrinacarpenter can't believe you bought the american girl

⤷ yourusername should've bought the british girl then

⤷ sabrinacarpenter monaco girl

comment has been deleted

⤷ username what the fuck i'm heading to twitter rn

username what is this sabrina and y/n???????? having a conv without starting a war??

username SABRINA AND Y/N NATION WHAT ARE WE FEELING NOW?

irisapatow the bff cupcake is true but there's no me, so i claim it as a false

⤷ yourusername no u no probs 😎

⤷ irisapatow 🖕🏻

username after she release sour, i think it's time to do sweet yourusername?

⤷ yourusername i'll do bitter instead.

username charles with alex, there ain't no way

⤷ rachelzegler please take the truth

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yourusername and vogue

vogue aspiring singer y/n l/n is sharing her thoughts about her newest single, ‘all-american bitch’ and about her rumoured love triangle between the formula one driver, charles leclerc, and enola holmes actor, louis partridge.

view comments...

iamrebeccad pretty baby 🤩

⤷ username now rebecca's here, is this not enough for yall to think that charles is with her rn

⤷ username c'mon that is innocent, she just supporting her💀

username YESSSSS VOGUE NOTICED‼️‼️🗣️🔥

username mother is back photoshooting y'all

username charles break up with alex challenge

username pls just be with charles

username wdym she's great with louis

username MY LIFE HAS BEEN RESTORED

username Y/N AND CHARLES Y/N AND CHARLES Y/N AND CHARLES Y/N AND CHARLES Y/N AND CHARLES

username she's literally so stunning omg

charlottesiine 👑

⤷ yourusername no u 👸🏻

⤷ username mothers interacting

⤷ username green light from cha everybody

⤷ username she literally said like, "just get him girl"

sabrinacarpenter added to their story!

caption: what a (real) american bitch should look like:

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charles_leclerc and meta

liked by charles_leclerc, zuck, and 148,790 others

meta charles_leclerc and our camera glasses is going out karting in los angeles🥳🏁

view comments...

username literally 🤓

username akshually ☝️🤓

username he is not maxplaining so relax

carlossainz55 you see the early comments? AJAJAJAJAJAJA

⤷ charles_leclerc i tried my best and you just be like this? what is this kind of teammate

yourusername hello you standard office worker

meta pretty nerdy✨

username NOT YN SAYING HE LOOK NERDY TOO😭😭

username but he looks so good in it tho

username y/n 🤝 carlos = saying he looks nerdy without saying he looks like it

username girl wym is that🫵🏻😭

username who's p1?

⤷ landonorris a W meta worker

⤷ charles_leclerc lie

⤷ landonorris no no don't try, because i'm there too

⤷ yourusername beaten by a morker

⤷ charles_leclerc it's not him, and what is a morker

⤷ yourusername meta worker🤓

f1wagsupdate

f1wagsupdate charles rumoured (second) girlfriend, y/n, is seen leaving a local cafe in los angeles yesterday with a mysterious man with a tan hoodie and a sunglasses. sources said that she is keeping her relationship strict with privacy.

view comments...

username she's off with louis and now she's with another man?? why is she so childish?

username how old is she why is she looks so damn short?

username bet it's louis they're reconciling

⤷ username keep dreaming girly i'll wake u up

username nonono it's charles i know

username GOD WHY IS IT ALWAYS THEM BOTH PLS GUESS FOR ANOTHER

username for the love of god she hasn't breaking up with louis yet pls stop

username god forbid her to have a male friend

username they WERE friend PLEASEEEE😭😭

username literally manifesting that it'll be charles

username but if it's charles, what abt louis? will he get his own sad album?

⤷ username i think it's charles who will get the song/album

username get over it guys she's literally a child

username she's mature enough to stay with one especially when it's THE louis partridge

username idc with the rumours but she looks good with her fits

⤷ yncloset slayed as always

username no but shush do you realize charles' partnership with meta is also in la

⤷ username SHUT UP DON'T MAKE ME THINK ABT IT🫵🏼😭😭😭

⤷ username wait yeah but idc i don't want to trace the line

joris__trouche added to their story!

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yourusername is added to their story!

caption: what the fucks happening

[discoveredreality]

intro post <3

don't mind me editing this like every single day lol

my dm's and askbox is always open if u want to talk <3

anons are welcome too <3

also if u want to make new friends i am right here pls say hi im fucking lonely😭

anyways

BELOVED MOOTS <33333 (everyone is tagging them and this is fun)

this in no particular order just whoever pops up on my dash or smth idk. not every moots just the ones i actually know lol. ok so

@im-ur-sleep-paralysis-demon THEY'RE AMAZING LOVE THEM SM IF U DON'T FUCK OFF BECAUSE OMG KJHLGJKFJHLKYFJHKJGL

@ma-lan13 HELP MY BESTIE IRL GOT TUMBLR OMG OMG. AND SHES ACTUALLY USING IT WTF?????? ANYWAYS SHES THE BEST <333

@bloophasarrived SHE'S THE SWEETEST AND SO WONDERFUL. HER PERSONALITY SPARKLES AND OMG SHE'S SO FUN AHHH

@marylily-my-beloved I LOVE HERRR WE HAVE THE BEST CONVERSATIONS. SO NICE AND EASY TO TALK TO. AND WHY DOES SHE KNOW ME SO WELL <3333

@im-just-here4853 my vent buddy omg we just vent to each other i love her so much idk what i would do without her <33

@im-on-crack-send-help TWINNING IN LITERALLY EVERYTHING. SAME MUSIC TASTE. SAME TASTE IN FOOD. IN DRINKS. IN THE WAY WE THINK. WTF. ANYWAYS SHE'S MY POOKIE I LOVE HER <333

@the-gay-skeleton-in-ur-closet THEY'RE THE BEST OMGGGGG and they're nice and cool and shit <333333 i'm quoting myself it's fine AND LIKE SO NICE AND GOOFY AND EVERYTHING OMG

@cubemagnet somene i met on a random post and now we occasionally team up to correct grammar lol 🤓🤓🤓 anyways she's amazing :D and everything she says is so iconic like isjflsrijglruhglsuglijrsg

@book-girl4eva SHE'S AMAZINGGGGG. IT'S SO EASY TO GOOF AROUND W HER I LOVE IT. SHE ALWAYS SLAYS SO HARD. EVERYTHING ABOUT HER SLAYS. idk if you'll see this but this is for u pookie <3

@mil-pinterest-sss-here-i-am ??? questioning why we're moots. but he's literally so nice. literally will be my therapist and help me w maths because that shit is impossible 😭

@dandelionflowery omg literally so kind and everything all the time. so fun fun reading their fics and doing shit together omg

@sweetwarmcookies16 OMG RIJGDJFGIJFGIF THE BEST I LOVE PLAYING GAMES TOGETHER AND TALKING AND EVERYTHING. ALSO AN AMAZING WRITER

idk brain isnt braining ill add ppl as i go along

moodboards made by my lovely lovely moots <3

so far i only have one here cause i forgot to link the previous ones whoops 😭😭😭

about me

i'm ari. she/her. nicknames welcome. go wild. dude/bro/girl/literally anything is also fine. i use 'lol' and '<3' too much. minor. literally the biggest procrastinator and so disorganised i dare u to find someone worse than me. i'm indian but i live in australia. bengali/north indian idk. band kid :D my pinterest is here. PLEASE DM ME IF U WANT TO. I NEED FRIENDS. IM AWKWARD AND BAD AT MAKING CONVERSATION BUT STILL PLS 😭😭😭

personality/star sign or whatever

according to the mbti test here i am an istp-t. i am also a cancer. i found out my sun, moon and rising signs and the marauders version and i wrote it down and lost it so then i redid it and i lost it again so i can't bother at this point someone help me :(

time zone

Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) i think?? SUCK ON THAT AMERICANS AND WHOEVER ELSE EHHEHEHHEHE ;LSDJFSFJIJFDJF;LJ

my music taste

i love taylor swift, conan gray, olivia rodrigo, sabrina carpenter and honestly a lot of other stuff lol. also love bollywood music.

favourite books and authors

i love reading and i'm usually a really fast reader lol. i love harry potter (fuck jkr tho), kotlc, chetan bhagat books, the inheritance games, agggtm, literally all of karen m. mcmanus's books, the divergent series, pjo and hoo, lorien legacies, the selection, powerless, soc, girl in pieces, dictionary of lost words and bookbinder of jericho, all the books by amish, and a bunch of other books.

dni

idk the usual?? if u think ppl arent valid or you're literally an asshole. honestly you all can go get stuffed. idgaf

tag games and shit

yes you can absolutely tag me. i love tag games and chain asks. sometimes i may not get to doing it but i usually will and it makes me so happy when i'm tagged lol

tags

i don't post that much stuff so i don't really have mulitple tags for my posts. anything or any shitposting or thoughts will be tagged #ari's shit. for asks it's #ari gets an ask?

fandoms!

i'm literally obsessed with drarry but i'm mostly part of the marauders fandom. i'm starting to make my way through all of the marauders fics. i love love love hermitcraft. i'm an ethogirl literally who doesn't love etho?? also really into trafficblr. i literally love six of crows so much like omg. desperately trying to get through the magnus archives im only 8 years late haha i also love kotlc sm. (team foster-keefe forever!) i'm low-key in love with keefe sencen cause omg. aaaand also a bunch of other shit but those are the main ones idk bro

i'm bored and this is too long already might as well add more so here are a bunch of userboxes :D

and that's all not because i have self control but because there is a limit to images per post 😭😭😭 i literally had to delete some of my aesthetic images for this soooo

all the above photos are not mine, i got them off of pintrest.

my profile pic is obviously from the makowka picrew here

the beautiful dividers are linked here. these are by @saradika-graphics she is a literal star these dividers are so good

IK THIS IS WAY TOO FUCKING LONG AND I KEEP ON ADDING SHIT MORE SHIT SO IF U ACTUALLY LIKE READ TO THE BOTTOM THIS HERE IS FOR U LMFAO ILYSM <333333

[kylegallners]

yes would love a tutorial please bc i struggle w coloring for the most part

ok SLAY! i promise coloring isnt as daunting as it may seem<3

i'll just walk u through the process of what i usually do!

we're gonna be using this very cute pic of olivia rodrigo!

as of late, i always start with a levels layer!

i move the little white square to the left to brighten the highlights/pic as a whole (how far to the left depends on how dark ur original image is! bcuz this one was kinda dark, i moved it pretty far!)

i move the middle gray square to bring back depth that you lose when brightening an image, aka im increasing the contrast

i move the little black square to dark the shadows and darker parts of the pic!

with the levels layer, you're basically just changing the lighting of ur image!

next i used a curves layer to brighten the image even more! this is optional and i dont always do it, but i wanted to make things pop!

next i use the selective color (which changes only certain colors in an image, instead of the entire thing like you'd get with a hue/saturation layer) bcuz the picture is yellow as HELL

bcuz i was trying to make it less yellow, i went to the yellow tab, and moved the yellow slider! i moved the slider to the left to subtract it basically!

bcuz that didn't entirely remove the yellow tones, i did the same thing but only the "neutrals" tab, which effects the entire pictures color, not just a certain one

bcuz the blacks/dark tones now weren't as dark as i wanted, i then went to the blacks tab and increased the black!

lastly i just increased the vibrance to make the colors pop! (i usually do this after my levels and curves but i forgot and its all the same in the end fhhfh)

here's the original pic and the colored one side by side so u can see the differences!

let me know if this was unclear and if u have any more questions!! i hope this was at least a little bit helpful <3

[arisenreborn]

5 Character Associations - Olivia

EMOTIONS/FEELINGS:

Proud determination and defiance. Eschews tradition, sometimes with a childish petulance. (Nevertheless, perhaps hypocritically, loves traditions that let her dress up and have fun.)

Charismatic; positive and friendly, she seeks to protect and uplift others, naturally drawing people to her

Confident, sometimes to a fault. She pursues her path and what she believes is right without hesitation - (if she hesitates, she's likely to spiral into one doubt after another...)

Passionate. Very much of the "go big or go home" sentiment: Work Hard, Party Harder. She wants to experience everything fully, no half-measures, nothing half-hearted.

Has deep-seated hurts related to emotional abandonment and not being good enough that really ought to be addressed but she'd rather just keep working herself raw to prove herself than sit too long to do the hard emotional work.

COLOURS:

sapphire blue

emerald green

blue goldstone

iridescent opal

amethyst purple

SCENTS:

lavender & honey - (her bathing go-to's)

the fresh green scents of vermund's wilderness

wheat & oxen - (she spends a lot of time in the fields outside of Vernworth)

new - new leather, new steel, most everything she's wearing has a scent of 'newness' to it, fresh bought and yet to be tested.

iron & fire - (she spends a lot of time around the smithy)

OBJECTS:

Necklace of elven make - said to be an heirloom of an ancestor, she was the only one in this day and age to care for it.

Tramont family amulet - denotes her as a member of the family, despite kind of being disowned.

Wolf fang - while she has many of these, this one she had crafted into a necklace - it was the first 'gift' Emrys gave her.

Crow mask - for masquerades or skullduggery, it is equal parts beautifully ornate and alluring, and frightfully forbidding.

Hand mirror - Made of pewter and engraved with ornate birds and flowers, it was a gift from her younger sister when she left the family estate.

BODY LANGUAGE:

Open - almost dangerously so. Any drill instructor of the knights would reprimand her for being so lax. But she's quick like a spring to respond, and thinks that 'laxness' is what better enables 'flexibility'.

Flowing, each step feels like a dance. She turns to someone calling her name and smiles, waving, as the sunlight dances around her - like a moving image of some princess from a storybook.

Almost princely, charming, bends and yields around the object of her attention, gently guiding touches as if leading a dance.

White knuckles. Her whole body tenses seeing soldiers beat down on civilians. Nostrils flared, cold resolution in the eyes. She sees the solution, and acts without remorse.

A dull look in her usually shining, lively eyes, a slouch in her shoulders. Only one person sees it, behind the closed doors of their abode. Tired, so tired of fighting and constantly trying to prove herself and- and then it's quickly gone. The light sparks anew, and she presses onward. She isn't doing this for herself, after all.

AESTHETICS:

swords & shields - to protect, not just to defend but to slay

fresh fruit with honey

beautiful, fancy dresses of many colors

bloody knuckles, bruised cheeks, a cut lip, circles under the eyes

shimmering goblets of wine & glittering masquerade halls VS overflowing mugs of ale & raucous, crowded taverns

SONGS:

Florence + The Machine - King

The Oh Hellos - Second Child, Restless Child

Laura Marling - Hope in the Air

Beyoncé - I Was Here

Florence + The Machine - I'm Not Calling You A Liar

[isablooo]

Happy Twelfth Night!

Here are some Viola/Cesarios to celebrate! I've rambled a bit about the play and these different versions below~

Although it may not seem particularly festive to modern audience, the title of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night actually references the twelfth night of Christmas (marking the coming Epiphany), with some scholars theorising that it was first performed on the 6th January 1601 for Queen Elizabeth's Twelfth Night celebrations. Christmas in the Elizabethan period was associated with revels, misrule and inversion of the social order - where servants were the masters for the day and children could be crowned mock-bishops. Therefore, the play's deconstruction of social roles, particularly gender roles, would have come across as very christmassy to Elizabethan audiences.

Johnny Flynn and Anita-Joy Uwajeh's perform as Viola/Cesario in my two favourite performances of Twelfth Night: the 2012 and the 2017 Globe performances! I think they both showcase polar opposite styles of adapting the play and how they can both shine: the 2012 production is more traditional in that it reproduces much of the original performance context (Elizabethan setting, all-male cast etc) but is very watchable and honestly hilarious. Mark Rylance as Olivia especially is a highlight - he is so very elegant but is also able to make Olivia on par with the other characters in terms of comedy, despite her usually more serious role. You might recognise Johnny Flynn as Mr Knightley in Emma (2020) but he also slays hard as Viola! The 2017 production, on the other hand, showcases the strengths of modernisations of Shakespeare - I actually saw this one in person in 2017 as I was doing Twelfth Night for A-level at the time, and it was just unforgettable! The setting is shifted to 1970s Scotland and imho translates a lot of the original elements in ways that would resonate in a similar way for contemporary audiences- with songs, dance numbers and some hilarious added dialogue/quips. Even the comic characters (Sir Toby Belch and co) who are often hard to translate for modern audiences were hilarious and I found myself excited to see them come on stage. A huge stand-out is Le Gateau Chocolat as Feste, who has an incredible voice. Having a drag performer play Feste is honestly a great modern analogy as she's a performer who takes tips, is able to question social norms with her art in ways that allow her to be the most insightful character, and is also inkeeping with the play's exploration of gender. Of course, Anita- Joy Uwajeh was absolutely fantastic as Viola too. You can watch recordings of both productions on the Globe-player if you're interested!

I couldn't find anywhere to watch the 2009 Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth Night starring Anne Hathaway as Viola/Cesario but honestly I just wanted to draw her anyway <3 In the last few years a promo shot from this production became a really popular 'draw your OT3' meme which I myself have indulged in - it'd be cool if there was a way for more people to watch this given the resurgence of interest!

[findingtarshish]

WHO IS THIS HARMONY? LET'S FIND OUT!! 💗🌈💢👁️🌌👪📎📎

ALRIGHT TIME TO BECOME AND UNSKIPPABLE CUTSCENE First off, if you'd like to learn about Harmony, here's her character sheet That said I've updated it uhhhhhh a lot since so just dm me if you want the link to the actual doc

NOW. AHEM.

💗 GROWING HEART - if they have a crush, is it noticeable? what changes when they're in love?

Harmony falls in love easily and often. She finds it very hard to hide her affection, and generally confesses pretty fast. She presently has a wife, Olivia, a girlfriend, Ekaterina, and a boyfriend, Elliot, and she usually feels warmest and safest when she's with them.

🌈 RAINBOW - what advice would they give to their younger self?

The funny answer is "Don't date that guy" to avoid the whole sitch with her ex-boyfriend. Her real answer would probably be "Go home from school early on September 17th, 2008" in a misguided attempt to prevent her mother's death, the trauma of which has shaped her later childhood and much of her adult life.

💢 ANGER - what are some habits they have that will take some getting used to?

Her consensualism, probably. She is fanatically consensualist, and is very judgemental toward anyone who feeds without consent. If she catches you alleycatting, she will probably try to convert you to consensualism. She did this to her wife (originally a bagger) before they were married.

👁️ EYE - what colour are their eyes? do people notice their eyes? is there anything special about them (shows emotion easily, literally magical...)?

Harmony's eyes are a very dark grey, and sometimes look like they're black.

🌌 MILKY WAY - what was the inspiration behind your oc? what was the first thing you decided about them?

Harmony was my first VTM character. She was initially heavily inspired by Silas Reed, from LoadingReadyRun's Actual Play Not A Drop To Drink: Vancouver Island By Night, which was one of my first exposures to WoD. The idea was to create a diplomatic Kindred that stood at the crux between Anarch and Camarilla, the sort of person that would be called on to mediate talks between sects; as I developed her more, she ended up choosing violence, and her focus on her consensualism became much more important.

👪 FAMILY - what is their family like? what is your ocs relationship to them? does your oc have any siblings?

EXTENDED. She has: Her wife, Olivia, whose sire they killed together (The couple that slays together stays together, yknow); Her sire (and girlfriend) Ekaterina/Katherine; Her mortal stepdad, Keith; Her mortal sister, Melody, who is also a mage (Discovering this was a funny scene); Her grandsire, Ceridwen, whom she idolizes; and her older blood sibling, Cayetano, whom she has a... complicated relationship with. She is intensely loyal to her family (except Cayetano) and will do anything for them.

📎PAPERCLIP - a random fact. (x2!)

1) Harmony is an antiquarian and book conservationist by trade. She specializes in commission work for preserving personal artifacts, and in work for Kindred libraries- if your Book of Nod is falling apart and you need it repaired or a facsimile made, she's your girl!

2) Harmony has a plushie named Baffie (short for Baphomet) which her sister gave to her while she was in the hospital when she was 15 (it's a long story that even her character sheet doesn't really get into). Baffie is a brown vampire bat with little fangs- ironically, her sister's special interest is vampires, ever since she was a kid, so much so that she's writing her undergrad thesis on Dracula. Finding out that vampires were real was an experience for her. Finding out that her sister was one had her apoplectic.

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 15/07/2023 (Taylor Swift’s ‘Speak Now - Taylor’s Version’)

Content warning: Hoes

For a sixth week, Dave and Cench sit on the UK Singles Chart throne with “Sprinter”, and welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

As always, we start with our notable dropouts - songs exiting the UK Top 75, which is what I cover, after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40, and man, this was a bizarre week, and for stupid reasons. The UK Singles Chart has a rule called ACR in which the streaming data of songs are considered less valuable to the chart after three weeks of decline and it seemed like this week was a heavy hit for many songs thanks to ACR more than natural dropouts, and since it wasn’t a particularly busy week - when it would be if you didn’t have the second arbitrary rule of the three-song limit, since Taylor Swift would have charted many more deep cuts - tons of songs that weren’t really gaining spectacularly and stick around on Spotify ran up the charts in response. As a result, most of the chart movement here is pretty much artifical, but regardless, we still say farewell to “Give it to Me” by Matt Sassari, “TMO (Turn Me On)” by Luude and Bru-C featuring Kevin Lyttle, “Maria Maria” by TECH IT DEEP - bad week for EDM remixes of 2000s pop songs, I suppose - “Heaven” by Niall Horan, “Rush” by Ayra Starr, “Karma” and “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift, “Forget Me” by Lewis Capaldi and “Seventeen Going Under” by Sam Fender.

Now what’s always infinitely more interesting are what’s filling in the gaps - our returns and notable gains. Okay, maybe I should change that “always” to “usually” because this was a disproportionately good week for the bottom-feeders and older songs that I thought people had been over with by now. We see returns for older songs like “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac at #75, “Bad Habits” by Ed Sheeran at #73, “Chemical” by Post Malone at #72, “messy in heaven” by venbee and goddard. at #71 and “Riptide” by Vance Joy at #64, as well as boosts for “I Ain’t Worried” by OneRepublic at #63, Goddamn ���Mr. Brightside” at #62, “I’m Good (Blue)” by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha at #61, “Boy’s a liar” by PinkPantheress at #60 and “Die for You” by The Weeknd at #50. To be fair, however, we do see a lot of newer or current hits taking advantage and rising to the occasion with “Mona Lisa” by Dominic Fike and Luke Combs’ cover of “Fast Car” returning to #70 and #64 respectively, and D-Block Europe getting “Side Effects” to return to a new peak of #53 thanks to their album, which we’ll get to later. Outside of that, we see gains for “Dance Around It” by Joel Corry and Caity Baser at #65, “UNAVAILABLE” by Davido featuring Musa Keys at #57, “Eyes Closed” by Ed Sheeran at #55, “Don’t Say Love” by Leigh-Anne at #54, “Say Yes to Heaven” by Lana Del Rey at #47, “Closer” by Bou featuring Slay at #39 - that’s two samples of Robert Miles’ “Children” in the top 40 now - “Relax My Eyes” by ANOTR and Abel Balder at #37, “Talibans” by Byron Messia at #31, “So Much in Love” by D.O.D at #24, “How Does it Feel” by Tom Grennan at #17, “umean” by Gunna at #12 and “Popular” by The Weeknd, Playboi Carti and Madonna at #11, with “0800 HEAVEN” by Nathan Dawe, Joel Corry and Ella Henderson making its way into the top 10 at #9.

This week’s top five on the UK Singles Chart consists of “(It Goes Like) Nanana” by Peggy Gou at #5, “Who Told You” by J Hus featuring Drake at #4 - expect a boost next week with the album - “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift at #3, no doubt helped a little bit by the residual catalogue streams from the Speak Now re-recording, “vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo steady at #2 and finally, of course, “Sprinter” at the very top. Now for our pretty small bunch of new songs, starting with some newcomers and ending with some big names.

NEW ARRIVALS

#69 - “What it Is” - Doechii

Produced by J. White Did It and Brian Kennedy

We only have five new entries on this week’s chart, with three of them being connected to big album releases, but the first two are songs from up-and-coming artists making their debut to the UK Top 75, though not the chart overall. Firstly, we have Doechii, a rapper from Florida signed to Top Dawg Entertainment, most known for handling SZA and Kendrick Lamar. She’s had buzz for a while, especially with her songs “Crazy” and “Persuasive”, neither of which I found very impressive, but this new song appears to be her real breakout hit. Initially, she needed the help of a Kodak Black-assisted version, subtitled “(Block Boy)”, but it turns out that after both versions were released, the solo rendition is what most people prefer because... I mean, even if the song was terrible, what wouldn’t you pick over Kodak Black? It does help that the song - that being the solo version, which I am assuming is the charting version - is pretty good, with J. White’s signature piano stabs sounding a bit off against the weedy guitar interpolated from TLC’s “No Scrubs” - it hit #3 in 1999 - but that very much seems to be the point. It’s a kind of rough-around-the-edges beat about a rough-around-the-edges guy, with the main conceit of the song being that every thug needs a good girl and vice versa, and I honestly couldn’t care less because the song doesn’t deliver its content in a particularly interesting way, mostly because I don’t think that’s what Doechii is pre-occupied with here. Instead, she spends most of her time sing-rapping incessantly catchy hooks until they are ingrained into your head, and it matters very little what she’s actually saying when every verse, pre-chorus and bridge is just as much a refrain as the actual hook. She’s dripping with charisma, especially in the call-and-response chorus with the gang vocal that gives it a really old-school element contrasted with the modern trap beat. The slinkier acoustics in the second verse are what mostly won me over with this, but what really clinched it wasn’t the bridge or the final chorus, even if the backing harmonies and bass are both pretty sick there, but instead the outro where J. White provides a chant of his own like he’s the Timbaland to Doechii’s Aaliyah, before commanding the beat to ride out. This isn’t anything spectacular but it’s a good throwback jam with a lot of groove that proves Doechii as potentially a force to be reckoned with personality-wise. Just avoid the Kodak Black version.

#59 - “Super Shy” - NewJeans

Produced by Frankie Scoca

NewJeans are a K-pop group but this isn’t here from stan sales. Nope, NewJeans actually get most of their success from streaming, probably because of their more timely mix of R&B and dance-pop being more palatable to the general audiences than the real maximalist nonsense that can occur in BTS or BLACKPINK songs. The songs I’ve heard are generally okay, but nothing special, yet this Powerpuff Girls-inspired cover art almost convinced me before the song started playing. I like The Powerpuff Girls. Cartoon Network series aside, yeah, this is good too. Scoca starts the track with soaring, airy synths and a classic breakbeat rhythm, and whilst I think I’d honestly prefer the track if it kept to this lowkey atmospheric drum and bass vibe, this is still K-pop and NewJeans do not let that happen, as we get a Jersey club pivot with a bilingual rap verse before the breakbeats come back in for the admittedly weak pre-chorus, and whilst the chorus basically absolves the song of any wrongdoing due to sheer quality, the song could really do without that first verse, as it can’t function properly with any interruptions to its natural flow and detailed production that reminds me a whole lot of the Japanese speed garage and future bass I was listening to for a while in the last two years, except on a less dynamic and more chill resonance. This thesis is proven by the fact that the song continues as normal afterwards and drifts off into a pretty dreamy carpet ride, so the first verse really just sticks an awkward dagger in the flow of an otherwise pretty gorgeous track. If Sweet Female Attitude were still making songs today, I wouldn’t be surprised if they came out with something like this. Check it out.

#48 - “Potential” - D-Block Europe

Produced by Eight8, Sean Murdz and Harry Beech

Ah, our favourite boys are back - as if they didn’t debut a song in the top 10 last week - with their newest album DBE World, which debuted at #6 on the Albums Chart, and since they released two singles already, we only get one new track debuting, with the general public choosing this cut, probably because it got the video treatment. DBE songs are a complete coin-flip but I was admittedly kind of surprised by this beat. We have a very melodramatic piano loop that never fully settles into a trap fizzle, instead having a stop-and-start rhythm that leaves Young Adz, in full Auto-Tune croon mode, sounding baffled, and finally, we’re back to my favourite mode of D-Block Europe: unintentionally hilarious. Adz’s flow, full of flubbed rhymes and desperate inflections, trails off in each line, with him nearing his falsetto often and… yeah, I like this one too. Apart from it being kind of funny - Adz being incredibly confused by the idea that despite all this girl’s friends being “hoes”, she is not one, made me laugh - the mix is pretty bad, as is expected, but it creates a cloudy, messy, kind of Drain Gang-esque liquid feel to the track, especially during that chorus which may be the best DBE have ever written in regards to melody and delivery, Adz swooshing perfectly into a fast-paced intimate flow when it starts and bursting into a more energetic delivery, before resorting back into a cowardly melodic falsetto, which fits the uncertainty and instability of this “loving” relationship that can’t separate itself from external factors of DBE’s lives, mostly the fame and crime as one would expect. Young Adz’s second verse is actually a great introspective anecdote, and Dirtbike LB as always sounds devastated, with his moaning ad-libs barely completing his half-finished sentences, emptying all of his flexing so it sounds depressing and honestly kind of pathetic, which given the vulnerability of having Adz sing the chorus with the beat mostly cut out at the end, even within all the machismo and flexing, is probably the point. Maybe I should check out that album because both this and “Pakistan” are some of their best ever songs.

#15 - “Enchanted” (Taylor’s Version) - Taylor Swift

Produced by Christopher Rowe and Taylor Swift

What a surprise. Taylor’s re-recording of her 2010 album Speak Now is #1 on the albums chart, and we have two songs from it debuting, with the only surprise here being that she didn’t get three, mostly because “Cruel Summer” is just that strong. Maybe it says something that all three of Taylor’s charting hits are from the previous decade. Anyways, I’m not particularly big on Speak Now and I’ve yet to listen to the “new” From the Vault tracks, but the album, which originally peaked at #6 here, does feature one of my favourite ever songs from Taylor, “Mine”. It was expected to chart but at the last minute, we got “Enchanted” instead, largely because whilst the song was never a chart hit, it accumulated fan favourite status over the years and has had several close-to-charting viral moments on Spotify and TikTok. I always feel like I go on a spiel when I talk about Taylor on this show so I’ll try and keep these two simple - the original “Enchanted” is fantastic, with its dreamy country guitars and one of Taylor’s most powerful early performances, as well as story-telling that hits in the original but even more so with the pathos of modern Taylor, as the song is concerned with both public reputation and more importantly, attaching oneself to a specific moment in time and never wanting to let it go. The first and final choruses in the original “Enchanted” hit like a truck and the entire track is a clear highlight in her catalogue. Don’t even get me started on the strings or the cooing bridge, it’s just an excellent song in all regards. Does the re-recorded version do it justice? Of course, as for once, the more mature voice lends a great deal of experience as well as fear to the song, and whilst the guitars have gotten scratchier with the mix more echoed, this doesn’t fully lessen the impact or more importantly weight of the song… but it still does. The mixing was of its time in 2010 but there’s a reason why it was mixed like that in 2010, and it turns out that 13 years later, it just hits harder without all the refinements, which is kind of insane because the original song is already pristine, yet I feel like especially on the second chorus, the new production from Christopher Rowe dampens the impact, even if the strings sound a tad more opulent. It is kind of picking hairs here, and really, this has been my problem with all of the re-recordings so far, but this is still an excellently written, composed and performed song, and there’s not much wrong you can do with “Enchanted” regardless of who you are and when and how you do it, so whilst I don’t think it’ll stick around - it’s six minutes after all - I’m not complaining it finally got its time in the Sun.

#6 - “I Can See You” (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault) - Taylor Swift

Produced by Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff

These “From the Vault” tracks occasionally step on gold with songs like “I Bet You Think About Me” with Chris Stapleton but for the most part, these were outtakes, demos, B-sides, etc. for good reason, and on both Red and Fearless I found not much to praise when it comes to the bonus pieces. Can the same be said for “I Can See You”? Well, first of all, the surf-rock guitars are absolutely not what I’d expect from this era but the clipping riffs are about as sizzling as you’ll ever get with Taylor, and whilst I’d prefer more distortion on Taylor’s voice and in general, just to make this as noisy as possible, the switch in the chorus to wistful country pop is a pretty effective contrast to the more playful verses. This is probably one of Taylor’s hardest-rocking songs, and also one of her sexiest in terms of content, and whilst it’s perhaps not warm enough to sell it fully, it embraces the teenage rebellion angle to great effect. With that said, it’s a bit too long, perhaps? We don’t really need the “You Belong with Me”-esque bridge, and the final chorus isn’t nearly as cathartic as it should feel compared to the previous refrains. Maybe that’s why she cut it - it does feel like it runs out of most of its steam halfway through. Regardless, we still end the week with a pretty good song, even if again, I don’t expect it to last.

Conclusion

Well, this was a great week, wasn’t it? I have barely any complaints with the vast majority of these songs, and I’d call at least two of them great, though I could see them growing on me even further. I would say my least favourite song here is probably “I Can See You” but even then, this week seems to have thrown a lot of what I love into my lap - fuzzy pop rock, throwback R&B, atmospheric drum and bass and a re-recording of one of my favourite Taylor Swift songs. Hell, even though I prefer the original, Taylor still gets Best of the Week for “Enchanted” with the Honourable Mention finding itself in the arms of D-Block Europe once again for “Potential”. With that said, I really, REALLY like pretty much all of these songs, and whilst I have my doubts, I hope they all end up lasting at least a few weeks. We’ll see how that goes though and time will tell but for now, thank you for reading and I’ll see you next week!

[strideofpride]

If Glee were still on air (heaven and hell forbid) what’s one post glee finale song you would love to see covered and one that you would never want glee to touch ever?

Okay this is the perfect ask for me, cause I admittedly spend a lot of time thinking “this would’ve slayed if they did it on Glee”. But those songs are usually ones that already existed when Glee was on the air so hmm…

I think Olivia Rodrigo songs on Glee would’ve slayed. I think Melissa Benoist’s voice would’ve maybe been the best fit, so I’ll go with Marley singing traitor to Jake. Oh and I’d love to hear Amber Riley sing like…any Lizzo song lol. She’d kill it.

On the other side, I mean there’s that infamous post about how we should all thank god Hamilton came out after Glee was already off the air lmao. I think the majority of the cast of Glee in general should probably stay away from most rap lmao.

Oohhh wait also. I admittedly don’t know Dear Evan Hansen songs. But I do know Glee would’ve done a Dear Evan Hansen episode. And it’d be god awful.

[athenian-rhapsody]

Depending on how much you squint, there's lots of those! I'm working under the assumption that you're being dragged into Commander, first, since that's the most popular format for newcomers, and is the best place to use a "pet card" of sorts. Vampires are the easiest: Olivia, Crimson Bride is my first choice; she want's to just absolutely run people over, and bring back anyone who dies in the process. Both her artworks are gorgeous, as well.

Olivia Voldaren herself benefits a slower gameplan, letting you turn other people's creatures into Vampires and take them for yourself. She doesn't slay quite as hard, though.

Those are the two most interesting Vampire Women in Black/Red (I don't much care for either version of Anje, just because their strategy is very narrow imo. Would be remiss not to mention them.) Depending on how far you wanna push the limits, Licia, Sanguine Tribune is an interesting lifegain/spend commander, and adds White mana which, as some have already mentioned, does a lot of what you might like. You can also just shove all of the other Vampires into the 99 still.

Demons- I will not lie, there are very few Demon Women. And only one of them is really "humanoid" and she has not a single ability. I guess Ziatora, the Incinerator could count? I don't think this really counts.

If we wanna stretch our definitions a smidge, Kaalia of the Vast is a lady with demon elements (among other things) that can let you summon lots of demons very quickly.

There's also a few Tieflings, which is probably closer to what you want anyways? Most notably, Karlach (as well as almost all the important BG3 characters) is here, and can be made into a hyper-aggresive sacrifice plan in B/R with something like Cultist of the Absolute or perhaps Agent of the Shadow Thieves. Any "Choose a Background" card isn't going to be very nuanced on their own, but getting a second Commander to build around gives them lots of directions you can take them, based on your Background choice.

Witches... I had to get a little creative with. They aren't their own creature type, usually split between Wizards or Warlocks, so I've used my best judgement. There's a few from Innistrad that are very witchy, but they don't seem like what you're looking for. Instead, consider Rowan, Scion of War. She's not so much a witch as a mage, admittedly, but she's in B/R and fits the goal of "Mess with life for value" very well. You lose a bunch of life to gain an advantage, and then cast very powerful spells for cheap.

We can sacrifice one of the two colors and replace it with green to get witchier®. By giving up red, we get Baba Lysaga, Night Witch. She wants to sacrifice lots of different types of cards (or just one card with lots of different types, if it's convenient), to get more cards to do it all again, draining out your opponents in the process.

If we instead sacrifice black, we get Agatha of the Vile Cauldron, who makes activated abilities cheaper based on her power. This can go lots and lots of different directions and half of them probably break the game. She also has a signature cauldron, which is great theming.

Lastly, by once again adding White instead, we get Dihada, Binder of Wills, who I'm pretty sure counts. She just wants you to have lots of legendary stuff, which is a great excuse to play a lot of fun cards.

Werewolves, sadly, have only one person who can reasonably build a deck around, and he's not a woman best I can tell. If you're playing with cool people, they might let you run a planeswalker as a commander, which would let you run Arlinn, the Pack's Hope or maybe just Arlinn Kord? I don't know which is better. You could also run them in the 99, but werewolves don't really line up with any sort of sacrifice gameplan anyways, so maybe not them.

Some bonus things- on top of lots of BG3 characters (minor spoiler warnings?), we also just got Doctor Who, which I am pretty sure is a series you like. If not, sorry, ignore the next chunk of text?

The Master, Multiplied is a B/R commander that can get very complicated if you let it, and is also maybe a woman by virtue of being everyone? I've watched the scene but I'm unqualified to comment on the gender identity of people turned into The Master.

Probably a better fit is Missy, with a very powerful first ability and a second ability to keep you fueled up (note: chaos ensuing is part of a spinoff format of sorts, but she's still strong without that doing anything).

There seems to be a lot of characters represented, so if you really like a specific character, especially a Doctor or Companion, they're probably here.

That's all I can come up with, I'm afraid. Forgive the extremely long and dubiously requested post, I suffer from Mental Illnesses. Hopefully this will have been of some help in finding a card to build around, or at least gives you a sense of direction. EDHREC and Scryfall are great places to look for other cards, if you know what you're looking for!

Sigh

So Sophie's getting me into magic the gathering

I've been using black and red decks

[honey-baeked-ham]

Olivia Hye - Butterfly

[c-crow-chatters]

Music headcannons.

Hi, it's me again.

I was a bit lost in tought when this popped out. So, please enjoy. Also, thank you for all your love on the last post. And I almost forgot, obviously an Modern!AU. Forgive any spelling mistakes again.

What kind of music they listen to?

Has a very flexible music taste. But most of the time, Indie or Pop. One day he's listening to the whole discography of Mitski, the other one is enjoying Lady Gaga.

Probably listens to Olivia Rodrigo a lot.

Dances when he's alone, or enjoys in a calm way melancholic lyrics.

If a movie is catchy enough, you'll see this man searching deeply for it's soundtrack.

Gently sways to jazz while cooking. Loves to hum melodies while taking the pastries from the oven. I think if he had the time to, he would open a cafeteria so he can listen to the songs that are lit in the moment while making desserts or pouring coffee.

His favorite song is probably: It's been a long long time by Harry James.

Oldies, pop-rock, or rock. Sometimes dance or metal. Doesn't mind trying new genres or music that is completely opposite of his usual mix. Often is being influenced by Sypha's choices of music.

No, Trevor, listening to Gorillaz every day doesn't make you that special, but you are to us.

If he's feeling a little blue, he'll listen to Artic Monkeys.

Would like to try and play the bass or guitar, but too lazy to actually go and take classes.

Doesn't like to burst the music out loud unless it's a party, prefers to use earbuds to listen. Sometimes he falls asleep while listening to some track and ends up losing an earbud.

Actually likes to slow-dance on the living room in a quiet evening.

His favorite song is Through the Fire and Flames by Dragonforce, but he keeps denying it.

Pop, dance and electro-swing queen. No matter what song, she'll make a bop out of it. Energetic dances all over. There's also Lo-Fi.

She SLAYS on Just Dance, or any kind of dance game. She very much enjoys them.

Yes, she also likes K-pop, really likes HIP by Mamamoo and knows the whole choreography.

Pretty much sings too. Madonna? bring it on! Britney Spears? of course, The Weeknd? yes.

Mostly songs that are lively, or full of rythm. She knows what songs are lit on the moment, and her playlists are variant. The playlist she made with Trevor is a constant mood swing. She keeps teasing him by how it changed from "Hips Don't Lie" to "Careless Whisper".

Her favorite song is Single ladies (Put a Ring On It) by Beyoncé.

This man's taste goes from Panic! At the Disco to videogames soundtracks. Alt rock, lullabies, Ambient.

While he does handmade jewelry he loves to listen It's raining somewhere else by Toby Fox.

He actually knows how to play piano basics. And flute lol, jk-.

Plays music on the studio or work, often searches for music for his pets too. He's more into the calm side of music, but sometimes explores other genres.

Alt rock goes from Radiohead to Fall Out Boy.

His favorite song is in between Doubt by Twenty One Pilots and Pompeii by Bastille.

Blues, Jazz, and classical music. He also listens to traditional music.

Definetly drinks tea or coffee while sitting on a big couch, letting Lacrimosa by Ludwig van Beethoven flow in the air.

Quiet, starry nights, watching the city from the balcony of his apartment, soft piano and bass in his phone or a small speaker. Meditates with calm breathing.

Most of the time listens while reading. He doesn't like to use apps, or so, since he has a gramophone and a cassette player; both are very old, but are very well cared of.

He doesn't like to dance, but will sway or rock gently if he's really into an specific song.

Has an alarm clock with The Four Seasons that wakes him every morning. A big Vivaldi fan.

His favorite song is Requiem: II, Dies Irae by Giuseppe Verdi.

[yakumtsaki]

Welcome, dear readers, to part 1 of the finale to the BackupKingdom2 saga! We’re in our final ambition now, let’s check how Liz’s post-divorce-bloodbath is going..

Oh yes, excellent. Our path to death-achievement-glory has been paved with so many executions that wherever I look I see npcs crying..

..comforting each other..

..and in Agnes' case, coming straight to Liz to.. ask for mercy for the populace I guess?? Bruh. I can't believe we even brought down AGNES, truly this is the saddest kingdom on earth. Amazing job, Liz, you've definitely earned your place in the tyrant hall of fame!

Now a lesser player would be like "oh, maybe we should chill a little on the insane tyrant thing, finish the Pirate/Noble arc cause we've been dragging this war out so the pirates/guildsmen would keep spawning and it should have ended like 20 quests ago" and true, we could just end it, we ran a very effective operation around here, shoutout to MVPs Donius and Bellinda and their 'seductive' legendary traits:

They bedded them and Liz beheaded them, the power of teamwork! So one could say that we should consider raising kingdom morale now because everyone is so depressed but I think, if anything, now is the time to ramp it up and go for some of the other morally questionable achievements! Like Machiavelli said, you should commit all your atrocities at once! What do you think, Liz? Ready to get atrocious?

-OH FUCK YEA, I’M ENRAGED, I DROPPED MY FIDDLE IN THE PIT AND NOW I HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE SERVANT TO GET ME A NEW ONE!! WHY DOES EVERYTHING ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME >:(

Aw I’m sorry Liz, but I’m sure you the upcoming suffering of your subjects will cheer you up!

-Ok motherfuckers, by order of the Crown aka ME -you hear that Rae?? ME, NOT YOU. God I want to execute you so bad, fucking ingrate, do you remember what rags you were wearing when I hired you??  

Let’s get this back on track, Liz.

-Right, so by order of the Crown, Magus Olivia and Spymaster Spainot are given COMPLETE LEGAL IMMUNITY to do whatever the fuck they want in the interest of earning achievements, so don’t you people come crying to me cause I don’t give one tiny chinchilla crap about your health and livelihoods. If you need me for something actually important, I'll be at the gates, executing anyone who doesn't like my fiddle playing.

-Oh man, this folksy peasant hat isn’t protecting my ears enough.

-THOUGHT I WOULDN’T HEAR YOUR LITTLE MURMUR, DID YOU  -YOUR MAJESTY NO I ONLY MEANT MY EARS WERE COLD -WELL ALL OF YOUR BODY’S ABOUT TO BE COLD NOW! CONSTABLE, THROW THIS PEASANT IN THE PIT

-Death marker? I hardly know 'er!

So the Constable npc has this little Billy Elliot subplot going, I'm pretty sure he has the 'drunkard' fatal flaw because he was always at the tavern so I had Bellinda try to hire him to perform in one of her plays just to see what would happen and it actually worked, and now he moonlights as an actor! It's cute but it also takes forever for him to come arrest people.

-THEY LOVE ME ❤️😁 -CONSTABLE WHATSYOURNAME, COME OVER HERE AND DO YOUR FUCKING JOB OR YOU'RE NEXT FOR THE PIT

-No one knows what it's like to be the bad man, to be the sad man, when someone dies😢

In the background you can see that Bellinda just got a pregnancy bump, it’s her lovechild with Donius, I for real can’t keep these two apart. Anyway, the time has come..

..to unleash Magus Olivia onto the populace.

-You know what, I'd rather not, this book is finally getting good and I'm sick of cursing peasants, it doesn't even drop their mood that much..

Oh no, Olivia my beloved, we're not cursing them, we're going for the 'Well Done' achievement!

-NO WAY.

WAY.

-Won't I be executed??

You have immunity! You can do whatever you want!! And, AND, once you complete it, because I know it's tiring, I'll give you a magic skeletal parrot as a gift!! Edward got all the materials for it while treasure-hunting, you'd think I'd let him keep it but that's not the kind of shop I'm running here.

-This is my face of pure, childlike happiness!

Good lord, it’s terrifying, please don’t look at me like that.

-Alright, time to roll down my sleeves so they look more sinister and do this thing.

You can do it, Olivia!

-Of course I can, save your reassurance for the flops that need it.

-I.. cast.. INFERNO!

...

-What?

I mean really, those are the words, "I cast inferno"? Can't you say something with more evil magical flair?

-Not when I have to cast it 80 fucking times I can't.

-IT BURNS, IT BURNSSSSS

Oh how the tables have turned, usually it's the witch that gets burned, huhu! Did you hear that, Olivia? Did you like my joke??

-Oh, it's beautiful!

Well it wasn't one of my best-

-Not you, you needy moron, the sight of burning flesh! I can't wait to do this 79 more times!

Alright, so everyone in the tavern has been turned into a chicken nugget, time to get some rest and check in with Spainot!

-Amazing news, Rodolfo, I just got royal permission to unlawfully lock up and interrogate whoever I want for the achievements!!!

-Darling, no offense, but aren't you a bit too shit at your job for that? -WHAT????

-FUCK YOU RODOLFO YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS OF MY SUCCESS -I WISH I WAS JEALOUS OF YOUR SUCCESS, THEN YOU'D BE SUCCESSFUL AND I WOULDN'T BE MARRIED TO A BROKE LOSER

-And then he says the only reason he hasn't dumped me is he doesn't wanna be a rando npc while Batshit Liz is on an execution spree, can you believe this bullshit? How can anyone be so hurtful??

-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA NO NO PLEASE DON'T HAVE THIS CHINCHILLA MAUL ME I'LL GIVE YOU WHATEVER YOU WANT

-How about you give me some marital advice, are you even listening?! Ugh.

That's right, while Olivia is inferno-ing the peasants, I've sicced Spainot on the nobility, specifically all those foreign diplomats that are always hanging in the reception hall, lagging up the place. We're going for the 100 interrogations achievement and we’ve installed a nice spiky torture chair right in the middle of the hall to save time! Now this is how we keep every stratum of society terrified enough to not realize that the person in charge is.. uh.. well you know:

-DANCE TO MY FIDDLE, PIRATE, DANCE!

-I AM!!!!!

-DANCE MORE ENTHUSIASTICALLY. ALL THE WAY TO THE PIT

After a couple days and several locations I feel we’re pretty close to 80 infernos!

I’d say we’ve burned a good 50-60% of the population at this point, everywhere I look I see singed townies-

-so we take this little barbecue to the palace because we’ve ran out of peasants and it’s time to start burning the foreign dignitaries. And it’s a good thing we do, because Olivia meets Nyrexis the Dragon!!!! 

Nyrexis is the human form of the dragon from a hilar quest where there’s a dragon in the kingdom and you can either befriend it or slay it, I had Bellinda befriend it:

So if you complete the befriend route of the quest, the human form of the dragon appears in town and is in love with whoever did the quest, in this case Bellinda. I am of course not about to waste Dragonfu on Bellinda’s basic ass, plus I feel Olivia is kind of a dragon with all the people she’s been burning so they have a lot in common! 

We dazzle Dragonfu with a coin trick! True magic at work.

-OMG IT WAS BEHIND MY EAR THE WHOLE TIME -I KNOW!

Good God, all of Olivia’s ‘happy’ expressions are terrifying, just don’t smile ever again, you’re too evil for it, you’re gonna scare the dragon away!

Or not!!!!

 AWWWWW 🐲❤️🔮

You know what, fuck it, let’s lock it down, when it’s right it’s right!

-Burn stuff with me forever?? -I WILL!!!!

-We are gathered here today, under threat of fiery death, to join two unholy abominations in holy matrimony. Yes, the irony is not lost on me. 

AW CONGRATS GUYS <3333 The wizard tower is so small and family un-friendly and Olivia is so unmaternal but come on, like I’m not gonna have her reproduce with a fucking dragon.

Back to Spainot, we’ve hit a slight bump, mainly that this Snordwich lord is proving fucking impossible to torture. 

-Um.. Are you enjoying this??? -Sure am, bad boy, but why don’t we take this somewhere more private already?

Wtf, stop sexually harassing the innocent person who’s torturing you! Does no one around here have any sense of humanity anymore??

-Come on, Spainot, throw some flesh-eating rodents at him! -I’M BUILDING UP TO IT, RAE, GAWD. No one likes a back-seat torturer!

-HA, who’s the loser now, Rodolfo? Rodolfo?? RODOLFO

Ya Spai I don’t know how to tell you this, but I’m pretty sure he left while you were interrogating, I haven’t seen him in like 3 days.

-WHAT. So Olivia completes one achievement and gets a dragon wife and a magic skeletal bird and I complete three and get dumped?!

Well what do you want from me, I don’t make the rules!

-YES YOU DO

Can we move on, please? And Olivia had a very rough go of it-

-she got burned in some rando quest and looked positively karma-stricken after, inferno-ing left and right while sporting this look! She deserves a magic bird!

Congrats on your success and 4 kids, Olivia! 

-I love this skeleton bird more than I thought it possible to ever love something.

-Gee, thanks mom. 

We had leftover bones so here, Spainot, you get a magic bird too.

-A bone parrot is little comfort when you’ve lost the only bone that matters! Why Rodolfo, whyyyyy!!!!!!!!!

Oh I don’t know, probably because you challenged him to duels 3 times a day?

-No, that can’t be it.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but you look like a man who has nothing to live for?

-Yea, I certainly don’t.

So you wouldn’t mind like, jumping into the pit multiple times so you can get the parts we need for the hardest achievement in game aka Legendary Doomsword?

-Rodolfo had one of those too, it was legendary and now that it’s gone I’m doomed!!!

Ok ya ENOUGH metaphors about Rodolfo’s absent penis, although they really are writing themselves. We’ll get him back! If you survive all the pit jumping that is. Join us next time for part 2: Legendary Doomsword!

[diyasgarden]

hiiii :) thank you amy for always stressing me out :p

✦ what you had for breakfast three days ago: I don’t eat breakfast 💔 so it was probably just some black tea if we’re being honest.

✦ last message you sent someone: “If I fail I’ll just throw myself out the window or infront of the bus. Simple as that!” (about an ochem quiz I have today)

✦ favourite brainrot word/trend: i love cunt and pookie. i say slay a lot irl too. i like quoting random tiktoks 😭

✦ favourite safari animal: HIPPOS FOR MOO DENG 💫✨⚡️⭐️🌟

✦ most fine actor/actress (in what time period): Josh O’Connor in every era, Olivia Cooke in every era but especially in the 2020s. Zendaya 24/7. Aishwarya Rai in the 90s and 2000s

✦ dark, white, or milk chocolate: it depends but usually dark over milk and white

✦ fav roblox game: obby on a bike but i only play when my beother forces me too.

✦ how do you feel about Australia: heartbreak HIGH 💜 (i am OBSESSED with that show)

Do you want to do this @senseofnewness Up to you <3

reblog trend/tag game but make it is actually interesting, made by yours truly @ myself (hashtag I’m awesome)

ఌ what you had for breakfast three days ago: smoothie or poached eggs on toast, i forgot

ఌ the last message you sent someone: “I’ll be there for around twenty minutes then”

ఌ favourite brainrot word/trend: brainrot versions of well known songs

ఌ favourite safari animal: giraffe

ఌ most fine actor/actress (in what time period): 2005 BRAD PITT

ఌ dark, white, or milk chocolate: milk

ఌ fav roblox game: dress to impress or mm2

ఌ how you feel about Australia: ITS AWESOME I LOVE AUSTRALIA! AUSTRALIAN AND PROUD!! FUCK YEAH!!

(no) PRESSURE TAGS: @julesssyy @rottenletter @reidsfavoritegirl @whitney23317 @willowsblanket @pearlzier @flowercrownsandtrauma

[alj4890]

Angst Prompt

Requested follow-up to One Fateful Night

Part 2: The Dark Before the Dawn

A\N Sorry again for One Fateful Night’s angst. This picks up right after and goes a little into the future for Liam and those that survived the earthquake. It gets pretty dark in places and is long, but I think it ends on a hopeful note.  

@gkittylove99 @darley1101 @krsnlove @kingliam2019 @texaskitten30​ @yourmajesty09 @mom2000aggie @ofpixelsandscribbles @twinkleallnight @lodberg @sweatyrysconnoisseur @motorcitymademadame

Masterlist

The rest of the unity tour was canceled. Unable to speak his reasons why he couldn't do it, Liam left that in the hands of his father and Regina. He didn't want to face the people without Riley by his side, without Drake standing steadfast, without Maxwell's unfailing optimism, without Hana's gentle support.

He had simply lost the will to fight.

Olivia had returned with him to the palace. Neville soon followed, insisting that he would do whatever Liam needed him to. Kiara, devastated by Penelope's death had retreated back to her family estate. Rashad was sent to Domvallier to recover from his injuries. Bastien refused to take time off and was doing his duties from a wheelchair.

Liam ignored all of it. He went to his chambers and remained secluded from the world for days. He refused entry to anyone who knocked. He simply sat there staring at the few mementos he had of those he had lost.

He flipped through the photographs Maxwell had insisted on taking of the three of them through the years. He paused at the few his mother was in, wishing she was here now to tell him how to move on from something like this. She had encouraged his friendships with Maxwell and Drake, knowing he would need them to face life in the public eye.

And now he would never have them again.

Setting the old album aside, he reached for the key chain Riley had given him the night of the Coronation. Thinking of that night and their confessions of love only to be so cruelly parted...his head dropped as he carefully set it back on the table. Next he picked up the pearl he had given her. The plans and hopes they had while meeting in secret. It had helped him through every moment he was kept from her side.

He then lifted the photograph Anna had taken of them for their engagement. Liam's fingers trembled as they brushed against the image of Riley. Her smile so warm. Her eyes so filled with joy.

Reaching for a decanter, he attempted to metaphorically drown his sorrows. In one night he had lost everything he had held dear. How was he to go on from this? There was no enemy to slay, no way to find those he loved and rescue them. Nothing. Nothing except funerals to attend. Nothing but giving them to the cold, unforgiving dirt.

All he had ahead of him was visits to graveyards. He knew his father didn't have much longer to live. It would be just one more loss in his already devastated heart.

Death was what his life had become. He had feared that when his mother was poisoned. Many a night he would wake up crying at the thought of being completely and utterly alone. This long forgotten fear rose up within him, showing that it hadn't been a nightmare. It had been a premonition.

Dropping his head in his hands, he sobbed into the void that had become his only companion.

*****************

Armed with a key, Olivia forced her way into Liam's room. With the first of the many funerals coming up, she knew she needed to get him prepared. The public would be looking toward their king, needing to see him standing against the worst life could throw at him.

Her steps faltered when she saw him. He was slumped over in a chair. Empty decanters sat in front of him, a few tipped over on the table with drops of whiskey spilled out.

The tumbler he had been using had fallen to the floor. The remnants of his drink had stained the Persian rug. His clothes were rumpled. Nearly a week's growth of beard had darkened his sunken cheeks. Dark circles under his eyes completed the look of a man trying to escape his tormented thoughts.

Olivia had to harden her heart. There had always been something about Liam that brought out an unusual softness in her. But that was not what he needed. He needed order. A purpose. Something to get him to step back out in the world.

Grabbing his shoulder she shook him hard.

"Liam!" She snapped in a louder than usual tone. "Wake up!"

He opened his bloodshot eyes with a slight groan. He weakly raised a hand to his head while trying to escape her unyielding grip.

"Get ready." She ordered. "We've got things to do."

"What things?" His hoarse voice cracked.

She ignored his question.

He forced himself to focus on her bustling about gathering his clothes before going into his bathroom. He could hear her starting a shower.

She returned with a determined set to her chin. "Hurry up." She pulled him out of his chair. "We don't have all day."

He stumbled forward, catching himself against a dresser.

Olivia bit her lip as she watched him painstakingly retreat into the bathroom.

Taking a deep breath, she bent to the task of straightening his room. Her gaze fell on the objects he had been using for his only source of company. Tears sparked her eyes when she noticed the photographs.

It wasn't fair. Liam might think he was the only one to suffer with his losses, but she was just as deeply affected. They had been her friends too. A family of sorts, one of her choosing after losing her own at such a young age. She couldn't help but depend on them. Maxwell had been the chipper, up for anything brother she wouldn't have thought she needed. Drake had been her sparring partner, always keeping her wit sharp for any upcoming altercation. Riley...

How had the one she never could quite see completely as her enemy become an actual friend? She had won Liam from Olivia, and yet...and yet Olivia had been grateful. If there was anyone in this world who saw and loved Liam like she herself had, then it was Riley.

And how could she not care for someone who did as Liam deserved?

It was all for nothing. Olivia was left alone once more. Perhaps even more so than when her parents had died. At least then she had been able to lean on Liam. Now he could barely function. It was now her turn to be the one he could depend on in their friendship.

He stepped out, pulling her from her thoughts. He stood there as if at a loss of what to do, whether he should even bother putting forth an effort.

Olivia brought him a jacket and held it for him to slip on.

"We'll eat on the road." She told him, giving him a push out the door.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"A few places." She told him. She glanced back behind her where Regina had remained out of sight. The worry on the Queen Mother's face eased some at seeing Liam out of his room. She nodded gratefully to Olivia before retreating in the shadows to report this small success to Constantine.

****************

Liam stared out the window as Olivia drove him through the capital. He ignored the people going about their day as if the world had not stopped. He didn't bother to focus as he used to on the state of the roads or on some of the older, historical buildings.

He simply didn't care. He figured it was only a matter of time before these things were taken from him too. The terrorists were probably lying in wait for when they could destroy the last of what had once meant something to him.

"I don't suppose you've spoken to anyone at the hospital." Olivia said, cutting through the oppressive silence.

Liam merely shook his head.

She waited in the hopes he would ask about Hana and Madeleine. She needed to see that the old, kind to a fault Liam was still there, only buried amongst his immense sorrow.

The silence stretched once more between them.

"I have." She said, fighting against tears of frustration.

He didn't move. He simply stared out the passenger window.

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Madeleine's recovery is slow yet steady. The doctors believe though that her fair skin will always be marked with scars."

Liam didn't even blink.

Olivia grit her teeth. "Hana though has not been having an easy time."

Liam stiffened somewhat at that.

Olivia pressed on. She was determined to get him talking. Hopefully once he started he could get rid of the despair that was destroying him.

"Her parents want to take her home to Singapore but the doctors don't believe she is strong enough yet." She swallowed down her own lump of emotion. "When she was told of...of..."

Liam finally face forward. "Told of everyone dying on us? Told that I had failed in saving anyone?" His bitterness slashed across Olivia's stuttered denial at that last one. "Told that her life would never be the same again?"

"Liam, you--"

"I don't want to hear it." He responded.

"You must!" She yelled, hitting her steering wheel in her anger.

Liam didn't flinch. He didn't act like he had even heard her.

"Hana needs you! Madeleine does too." She turned into the hospital parking lot. "We all need you to--"

"To what?" He roared. "Give more empty promises that we will get through this? That we will find our way back?" He jerked his seatbelt off. "I respect them too much to lie to them. The last thing they need is a broken man trying to rally their spirits." He opened the door. "Find someone else, Olivia. I'm not the man they need."

"You are!" She scrambled out, tears falling down her cheeks unheeded. "Liam, we all need you right now. Friday is the first set of funerals. We need you there to help us say goodbye."

Liam walked off without a word.

"Liam, please!" She pleaded, chasing after him. "Even if you can't speak during the service, let those of us who love you help you."

He paused before gently pulling his arm out of her grip. "I'm sorry, but I can't do what you ask of me." His bright blue eyes were filled with tears as he raised them to hers. "I'm done, Olivia."

"Liam, you're allowed to grieve." She reached for his hands. "Take as long as you need. But your friends and country need to grieve with you."

"They won't after I inform them of my decision." He took a deep breath. "I'm giving it up."

"Giving what up?" She asked.

"Everything. The crown. The throne." He looked about. "I'm leaving this country and moving somewhere that isn't filled with memories."

"You can't!" Olivia grabbed the lapels of his jacket, shaking him in desperation. "You can't let the terrorists win! We--"

"Why not?" He bit out. "They might be the right rulers for Cordonia. My legacy has been nothing but death. My brother gave it all up because the pressures were slowly killing him. My mother died trying to do what was right. My father gave up the crown because he is dying. I've done nothing but bring death and destruction to those I love the most." He gripped her wrists and wrenched them from his jacket. "I can't do it anymore."

"Yes, you can." She followed him when he walked off again. "Just try a little longer."

He laughed bitterly. "Try? Why? My reign is already marked with uncertainty. I'm a king without a queen or heir." He released a deep frustrated breath. "What's the point, Liv? Every time I try, I get knocked down. Losing...losing Riley, Drake, and Maxwell..." He shook his head. “It is too much.”

"Promise me you won't decide anything today." Olivia pleaded. "Please?"

He ran his hands over his face. He looked up as if for divine intervention before nodding. "I won't hold the press conference today."

"Good." She relaxed some. She knew now that she would have to fight him these next few weeks over his decision. The last thing she wanted to see was his giving up on his destiny in the midst of his grief.

Slipping her arm into the bend of his she tugged him toward the hospital.

*******************

"Come in." Hana called out.

She didn't want anymore visits from her parents but couldn't bring herself to tell them. Hearing that her marriage prospects were now completely gone due to her injury had done nothing but bring her further into depression. Did they not see that what she had lost was so much worse than the lower half of her left leg?

Her dearest friends, her best friends, those that knew her better than anyone on earth were gone.

And I didn't get to say goodbye. I didn't get a chance to save them. Nothing.

Olivia smiled softly at Hana. "I brought a surprise."

Hana sat up straighter when she saw Liam sheepishly appear.

A sob burst from her lips as she reached for him to hug.

Liam's Adam's apple bounced a few times as he struggled to swallow his sorrow. He couldn't ignore her need for comfort and hurried over to hug her. Olivia quietly stepped out so they could grieve in privacy.

"Oh Liam!" Hana cried against his shoulder. "I'm so sorry." She clutched the material of his leather jacket, wishing they would all wake up and realize this was nothing but a dream. 

"I'm sorry." He choked out. "I couldn't save them." His tears began to fall freely. "I failed them, Hana. I failed you. I failed everyone!"

She pulled back and gently cupped his face. Blinking through her tears she shook her head. "You didn't fail any of us, Liam. You saved me and Madeleine. Bastien. Rashad and--"

He clung to her. "What am I to do now? Hana, you know I can't face life without Riley. How can I go on after this?"

"I don't know." Hana hugged him again. "But you know Riley wouldn't want us giving up on life." She glanced down at her legs under the blankets. "No matter how hard it is, she would encourage us to keep fighting."

"Hana, Riley was my life. My heart." He lowered his head into his hands. "She was my strength to keep moving forward no matter what was thrown at us."

Hana reached from some tissues, sharing a few with him. "I know. She gave me the bravery I needed to tell my parents that I was more than a marriage prospect for some noble. Now..." Her breath hitched. "Now I don't know what I am or what to do."

Liam moved off her bed and collapsed in one of the chairs by her bed. "What are we going to do?"

Her hand found his. "We help each other. Isn't that what we would hope Riley, Maxwell, and Drake would do if they had lived and you and I had died?"

He wished that had been the case. Not Hana, but that he had been the one Death had come for. He would gladly switch places with them, anything to escape this unending ache in his heart.

He felt Hana's hand squeeze his.

He looked up and saw her trying to be brave for his sake.

Liam didn't know if he could. "I've been thinking of abdicating."

Her lips parted in shock. "Abdicating!"

"Everywhere I turn there is a memory of them." He explained. "I..." He gave up speaking.

"They wouldn't want you doing that, Liam." She reminded him.

He knew she was right, but he couldn't think of moving on as if his very heart had not been ripped from his chest.

"They say when a person loses a loved one that they should wait a year before making a big decision." Hana said, lacing her fingers with his. "Maybe that is what we both should do. My parents want me to go back to Singapore, and I've been tempted to so I won't be reminded of everything."

Liam slowly nodded. "I wouldn't blame you if you did move back home."

"I think what I need is to be with you. Olivia. Madeleine. All of those we still have." She tried to explain. "I need those memories, no matter how much they hurt, to help me heal."

Seeing that he didn't know how to take her advice she gently squeezed his hand again. "Why don't we wait on any decision and just try to get through these next few days."

He eyed her suspiciously. "Did Olivia tell you to say something like that?"

Hana felt her first laugh in over a week burst out. It sounded hollow, as if her body had forgotten how to make the joyful sound. "She might intimidate me at times, but no, she didn't put me up to this."

His lips curved somewhat before settling once more into a thin line. He knew from her words and Olivia's that no one would accept his abdication.

*****************

Madeleine did her best to look presentable. She picked up the small mirror she had insisted be left on the small bedside table. Her eyes touched on the angry, red scars gracing her face and head. Her arm and legs bore others that were long and jagged.

Taking a deep breath, she fluffed the hair that had not been lost in the deep gashes to her scalp. Refusing to give in to the need to cry over something she had no control over, she smoothed her covers and waited to greet her king.

Olivia had shared with her what he wanted to do. Madeleine knew what the fiery duchess wanted her to say and act when she saw him. But she thought she knew how best to respond.

With plan in place, she looked up when she heard a knock to her door.

Liam came in at her bidding him to do so.

He didn't pause in his walk to her bedside like so many did when they first saw the extent of her injuries. She felt her proud façade crack at that. Only Liam would be kind enough to pretend there was nothing unusual about her current hideous state.

Her own parents had handled it horribly. Her mother had been unable to look directly at her without bursting into tears. Her father had bemoaned the fact that she hadn't been able to trap either prince or any other well standing noble before her looks were destroyed.

Just what any young woman needed to hear when awakening from a near death experience.

Liam bowed over her hand while placing a kiss upon her scarred knuckles. "My lady, forgive me for not checking on you sooner."

Madeleine swallowed before asking him to sit. "How have you been?"

His red eyes lifted to hers. "How do you think I've been? I've lost three people I loved. The country lost them along with Penelope and her family. Portivira is destroyed. The Sons of the Earth burned the royal orchard." He slumped in his seat. "I've lost everything, Madeleine."

"Not everything." She corrected. "I know I'm not Riley or Drake or Maxwell." She grimaced at trying to find the right words. "But I am here for you in whatever capacity you need."

"Thank you." He replied automatically. "Your dedication to Cordonia is to be commended."

"It's not--what I meant--" Madeleine closed her eyes briefly when tears pricked her eyes. "Liam, I meant I will be there for you. As a friend." Her nose wrinkled. "As odd as that sounds, I am sincere."

He nodded once more. "Thank you."

They both sat there lost in thought.

"Do you," he cleared his throat, "do you think I should abdicate?"

Madeleine's eyes narrowed in thought. She knew her next words could possibly be the most important of her life.

"Have you done something that could or has harmed Cordonia?"

His eyes widened some. "No."

"Do you no longer care for our people?" She asked.

"No, of course not." He muttered.

"Do you not wish to help them?"

"It isn't anything like that."

"So, your reason is something more selfish." Her green eyes hardened when they met his. "Like Leo, you decide to walk away when ruling becomes too much work."

Liam got to his feet. "It isn't like Leo's reasons! I lost the woman I was to marry. My best friends! Everywhere I turn I am haunted by what was and what could have been. How can I possibly fight Cordonia's enemies when I've lost my sources of strength?"

Madeleine sniffed dismissively. "Every person has lost someone that was their support. If everyone gave up when that happens then this world would crumble to dust."

Liam took a step back from her cold tone. "Madeleine, don't you--"

"Don't I what? Miss any of them? Are saddened by their deaths?" She allowed her sorrow to show. "Of course I do. I might not have been thrilled to be tossed over for Riley, but I would have had to be a blind fool to not notice what she did for you and Cordonia. The same for Maxwell and Drake."

Liam sat back down. "Then what do you think I should do?" He looked down while his bottom lip trembled. "Riley made me a better king."

"Then by all means think of her when you must make a decision." Madeleine told him. "Liam, for whatever reason, fate has placed you as King of Cordonia. You." She stressed. "We've all known you were the better ruler when Leo was our crown prince. It is a great burden, but one that you've never hesitated to carry."

He ran a hand over his eyes. "I wanted to do what I could for the country."

Her lips eased into an approving smile. "As all rulers should be." Reaching over, she patted his shoulder. "I know it won't be easy, but I can't think of anyone better to guide us into the future."

"I feel so lost." He admitted to her. "How can I guide anyone when I no longer have the ones who were my own compass?"

"You'll find a way." She said with certainty. "It may take time, but you will."

He sighed before running his hands through his hair. "I'm so sorry, Madeleine."

"For what?" She asked. "The earthquake was something no one could stop."

"I know." He stood up. "But I'm still sorry."

She nodded in acceptance.

Liam kissed her hand once more and promised to do better checking on her and Hana as he left her room.

Madeleine slumped back against her pillows when her door clicked shut. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she hoped she had somehow said the right thing to him.

Turning to bury her face in her pillows, she allowed the tears to be for herself, Liam, and those they had lost.

******************

That afternoon, Liam departed from Olivia and insisted taking a walk by himself. He went to the private beach and slipped out of his shoes and socks. Rolling up the cuffs of his pants, he began to walk slowly along the shore, allowing the waves to roll over his feet.

He flipped his collar up when the early fall breeze blew by, hinting at an incoming cold spell. He thought it served his mood perfectly. The summer that had once been his world had ended, bringing the cold cruel reality to crash down upon him.

His happily ever after had truly been a dream not meant for the real world. He should have known that he couldn't bring a fairy tale to life. It couldn't survive the cruelness of fate.

He continued his stroll while thinking of his visits with Olivia, Hana, and Madeleine. His conversations with them had only paused his decision. Even if he were to wait as long as Hana suggested before abdicating, what good would it do? He would still be unable to regain what he had lost.

"Liam?"

He paused and turned to see his father walking towards him.

"May I join you?" Constantine asked.

Liam gave a brisk nod before focusing once more on the waves lapping at his feet.

They walked on in silence for a spell. Constantine glanced every so often at Liam’s face, searching for any word that could possibly help his son.

"Who is next in line to the throne?"

Constantine stopped in his tracks. "Who is next in line?" His eyes narrowed in concern. "Why do you ask?"

Liam shrugged. "Shouldn't an unmarried, childless ruler know these things?"

"Son, you have your whole life stretched before you. Give yourself time to grieve and heal. Then--"

"My enemies are at the door." Liam snapped. "Even if I somehow survive them and whatever next hell Cordonia thrusts me into, I will still be without a wife or heir."

Constantine gestured weakly toward a set of lounging chairs. "Sit with me for a moment."

Liam's brief burst of anger turned to resignation when he noticed his father's trembles. Placing an arm around him, he helped ease Constantine down.

Liam took the chair next to his and focused on the ocean. He wondered how he could still find such beauty in it when it had been the final place Riley and Drake had lived.

"I'm going to abdicate, Father." He stated.

Liam was surprised by the silence that followed his declaration. He expected his father to be pleading with him to reconsider or furious for even thinking it.

Instead, he found his father looking more sympathetic than he had ever appeared before.

"I made the same decision when your mother was taken from me." Constantine admitted softly.

Liam's eyes widened. "You did?"

"Yes." He cleared his throat. "Your mother was everything to me." His gaze became distant as he was once again in the past. "She was life itself, my strength." His lips curved into a bitter smile. "She never held back her thoughts and opinions on how we should rule." He met Liam's eyes. "I loved her with my entire heart."

Liam ran his hands down his face. "What," his voice was raspy, "what made you decide to remain king?"

"I'm afraid it wasn't one out of duty or believing anyone needed me." Constantine admitted. "My reasons were purely selfish. I knew the only way to find the ones who took my Eleanor from me was to be in absolute power." His hand balled into a fist at the memories. "For years, vengeance kept me focused on my kingly duties."

"When did it change?" Liam asked.

"It was actually you that opened my eyes."

"Me?" Liam's brow furrowed. "What did I do?"

"You were ten years old." Constantine's lips curved into a tender, proud smile. "Leo was his usual, rebellious self. He had just turned sixteen and was supposed to attend his first official ball. He was trying to get out of it when he found out he would be obligated to dance with every visiting nobles’ daughter, regardless of how attractive they were."

Liam's eyes narrowed as he tried to recall that night.

"As I was walking past the ballroom, I heard your gentle, yet firm correction to his behavior. You were reminding him what a good prince was supposed to do. Be there for his subjects. Kind. Understanding. Sacrificial." He chuckled again. "It was just the slap to the face I needed."

Liam slumped back in his chair. "That ideal is meaningless."

Constantine slowly nodded. "If I had heard it after your mother died, I would have dismissed it too." He reached over and placed his hand on top of his son's. "Time doesn't necessarily heal all wounds, but it does help in how we view them." He swallowed. "There were years where the very thought of your mother brought me to my knees. Her loss was like a festering wound that never eased."

Liam knew that feeling all too well.

"But now, though I miss her just as much as I did before; my memories of her bring me comfort." He squeezed Liam's hand. "They make me grateful for every single second I was allowed with her."

Liam blew out a shaky breath. "Well, unfortunately I can't find and fight the earthquake that took Riley. I don't see the point in being king for revenge."

"True." Constantine nodded. "But Riley, Drake, and Maxwell believed in you. They went on the unity tour for you, for your reign to be successful. Not for themselves. Not for Cordonia. All because they thought you and you alone were worthy to be king."

Liam swallowed a few times as stray tears fell from his blue eyes. "I don't deserve it. I didn't deserve their faith or..." He huffed while wiping his eyes. "I'm not worth it."

"They would say you are." Constantine swung his legs to the side and pushed himself up. "You remaining king is a way to honor them and their efforts to help you be the best one you can be."

Liam pressed his palms to his eyes as a sob tore through him. When he felt his father's arms come around him, he buried his head against his shoulder while shaking with his cries.

Constantine gently rubbed his back while promising he was there for him. That he wouldn't have to go through this alone, that he had him, Regina, and those of his friends that had survived.

Liam clung to him, unable to speak.

Father and son clung to each other as the sun set.

********************

The next few weeks had Liam attending and speaking at the funerals of those that were no longer with them. He didn't bother to try and mask his heartache in front of his people. The nation was touched by his honesty and mourned with their young king.

Constantine and Regina remained by his side. Olivia and Neville traveled with him to each graveyard. Hana and Madeleine were allowed to attend some of the funerals. Rashad stuck by their sides, even helping to push Hana's wheelchair.

Seeing them each time he took the podium reminded him of why he was doing this. His father's words about honoring his beloved and best friends gave him the strength to speak of the type of people they had been.

He didn't know how he got through those first few weeks. Though it took a great effort, he forced himself to get back to his duties. Routine helped him remain focused on what he needed to do and gave him opportunities to continue to grieve.

The rest of the unity tour was canceled. Liam instead spent his efforts in rebuilding Portivira and in replanting the apple orchard. Out of respect and because he couldn't stand the thought of a ball without Riley, he canceled the rest of the year's planned balls and palace events.

With little chance to catch the king in a position that would bring about his downfall, the Sons of the Earth were soon desperate and making foolish decisions to attack during the daylight. Many were rounded up by Bastien's elite task force. Anton was found holed up in a long forgotten Nevarkis stronghold and died in a shootout with the king's guards.

After months of turmoil and uncertainty, Cordonia was once again in a state of peace.

Constantine lived long enough to see it come about. With his sons and wife at his bedside, he quietly passed away after telling them each how much he loved them.

Liam kept working. After two years, he hosted his first ball, an engagement one for Rashad and Hana. He had smiled and gave a sweet toast to the couple, all while remembering his own happiness he had once had with Riley.

As the years went by, he was able to think back on Riley, Drake, and Maxwell with a soft smile on his face.

Then the fifth year as king, he was approached by Madeleine.

"Liam, I think it's time for you to host another social season with potential suitors."

A denial rose to his lips.

She held up her hand to silence it. "I know, but you need an heir."

"There is already an heir. The throne goes to Olivia if I die."

"Liam." She huffed. "The crown needs to be stable. The people want to see you happy with a family." She shrugged her shoulders. "Cordonians are a sentimental bunch."

A family. That had been his heartfelt wish for years. Could he do that? Have one without his Riley?

"I will think about it." He conceded.

Madeleine smiled at him. "Good." She curtsied and left him alone.

Liam rocked back in his desk chair. He lifted his eyes to the ceiling.

"My love," he whispered. "What should I do? You were the only one I could ever picture myself marrying. Mother to my children." His brow creased. "Am I ready to try to find something that can’t possibly compare to what I had with you?"

He closed his eyes, wishing he could find the answer.

"Liam, dear?"

He opened his eyes and looked up at Regina.

She smiled warmly at him. "You fell asleep. Dinner is ready."

He apologized and rose to follow her out.

He halted mid step as the afternoon sun glinted on Regina's silver hair. The answer he needed was right there. He looked back up to the heavens.

His lips curved softly. "I understand. Though no one can ever compare to you, perhaps I can have the kind of luck my father had."

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 22/07/2023 (Billie Eilish, Troye Sivan, J Hus’ ‘Beautiful and Brutal Yard’)

Content warning: Brief mentions of gay sex and violence 

For a seventh straight week, Dave and Central Cee grab the #1 on the UK Singles Chart with “Sprinter”, and welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

As always, even on a busier week like this, we start with our notable dropouts, which are songs exiting the UK Top 75 - that’s what I cover - after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40, and this week, we say goodbye - unsurprisingly - to Taylor Swift’s re-recorded version of “Enchanted”, as well as “Area Codes” by Kaliii (yes, it’s three “I”s now), “All My Life” by Lil Durk featuring J. Cole, “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac, “Satellite” and “Late Night Talking” by Harry Styles and “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals. Not much of value was lost.

As for our returns and gains, well, we see some OCC scuffery in the first department as “Karma” by Taylor Swift re-enters at #32 thanks to the three-song rule switching out our Pokémon, but as for the notable gains, which of course are always infinitely more interesting... except for when they aren’t, and that’s the case with this week, as we see boosts for “What it Is” by Doechii at #63, Goddamn “Mr. Brightside” at #57 (yes, really), “Fast Car” by Luke Combs at #55, “UNAVAILABLE” by Davido featuring Musa Keys at #52, “Closer” by Bou featuring Slay at #32, “So Much in Love” by D.O.D at #17 and in the top 10, Gunna gets his first ever solo top 10 hit with “umean” at #7, and his first in general since he hit #1 with Internet Money, Don Toliver and NAV on “Lemonade” in 2020.

The top five of this week’s UK Singles Chart consists of “Who Told You” by J Hus featuring Drake at #5 - more on J Hus later - followed by “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift at #4, “Seven” by Jung Kook featuring Latto debuting at #3 and then of course, “vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo at #2 and “Sprinter” at the very top. Now we have a slightly chaotic week so let’s start grinding through our list of new arrivals here.

NEW ARRIVALS

#69 - “Scoreboard” - Fredo featuring Tiggs da Author

Produced by Show n Prove

Okay, well, we have a pretty star-studded roster within this week’s list of new songs, so much so that most won’t need introduction and here we are with our first new song from UK rapper Fredo, with London singer Tiggs da Author tagging on for what is either a loose or lead single, though I’m not particularly impressed by this one. Tiggs has a really nasal voice that doesn’t mesh well when the hi-hats are going to be that high in the mix, leading to a song with much less low-end than I feel like it should have, and the constant interruptions and stutters made to the percussion and Fredo’s voice prevent it from holding a real groove either. Additionally, the flows across the board seem awkward, as if the producers decided in post that it should be more of a playful and energetic song than either had planned, especially with Fredo spending most of his first verse repeating ideas from a verse I’d already heard from him, and whilst he brings some energy in the second, the content is still more generic than usual for Fredo so honestly this is kind of a disappointment.

#49 - “INTOXYCATED” - Oxlade featuring Dave

Produced by DeeYasso and Spax

I was wondering when some of these Afrobeats singers from the past year would try their hand at second hits, and given Nigerian artist Oxlade’s collaborations with Stormzy, it makes sense that he’d hit up Dave for the UK hip hop crossover appeal when he gets his second chance at a hit. It also helps that this is pretty good! The atmosphere is a lot more looming than in your typical Afrobeats, and the sly guitar plucks feel more dynamic as they rest under a sliding bass and Oxlade’s very R&B-influenced delivery, which tends to slip into vastly different deliveries and bizarrely-mixed harmonies so effortlessly and quickly that it’s honestly kind of sloppy, or at least that is until the empty space in the chorus that grounds the song back to reality, as both Oxlade and Dave lament about a relationship gone wrong. Dave is very well implemented here, as whilst his verse is coated in ad-libs and backing harmonies from Oxlade that allow for some trade-off with each other, there’s generally less space in the mix thanks to the subtle rap delivery that leads to each little production detail being much more in the focus compared to when Oxlade is on the mic. I think the best way to describe this song is “glassy”, and I don’t think it’s completely convinced me, but this is still very much a good follow-up from Oxlade and I hope it sticks around.

#45 - “Overdrive” - Post Malone

Produced by Post Malone, Louis Bell and watt

So we get a third single from Post’s already under-performing damage-control kind-of-self-titled featureless pivot album which, if going by the other two singles, is shaking up to be exactly a 5/10, and maybe this one can pick it up into decent territory? Well, this took a few listens because this song is kind of painful and pathetic, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because Post mostly functions in that mode, but when edged against a Britpop backing of acoustic guitars and delivered predominantly in his upper register, it’s a bit hard to stomach on first listen and… man, this song reminds me of Comfort in Sound, a Feeder album I own but don’t particularly like because it is full of these kind of chug-along pop rock songs, wherein “uninspired” might just be the conceit of the whole album. There’s not much that’s unique to Post in this song apart from a fleeting reference to his tattoos, and I guess the whistling but that doesn’t last for particularly long and honestly doesn’t have much effect on the song’s progression, which just nonchalantly whittles through its own depression. It’s a snooze.

#25 - “Disconnect” - Becky Hill and Chase & Status

Produced by Chase & Status

So I’ll be the last person in a room to admit to liking Becky Hill, but I do like drum and bass duo Chase & Status, with this song debuting surprisingly high for both of them, especially given Chase & Status haven’t had a top 40 hit since 2013, so I was expecting at least something either out of the ordinary or genuine quality and... it’s drum and bass! She cheated! Chase & Status did an incredible job on the production here, with the wispy glitch and feedback screeches creating an oddly eerie vibe for a Becky Hill track, with her droning delivery about being stuck in a loop adding to that unsettled atmosphere. Then we set loose for the chorus, and oddly enough, Becky ends up functioning kind of like an MC with her percussive delivery on a minimal bass synth that devolves into a buzzing rave thrust over heavy breakbeats, as is the Chase & Status signature. The little creepy set of keys that plays over the drop alongside the sirens is such a good addition, and Becky - after an admittedly cringeworthy first verse - goes for an even more explicitly MC-esque tone on the second verse, which gives the song a very warm and reciprocal feeling unlike anything I’ve really heard from her. I’m sure 90% of why I like this can be attributed to Chase & Status but she puts up a fight here, and yes, I think for the first time ever, I can say that this Becky Hill song actually kind of bangs. Augh, I feel dirty just thinking about the prospect.

#24 - “Masculine” - J Hus featuring Burna Boy

Produced by TobIShyBoy and Levi Lennox

Sometimes, I like the three-song rule. This new J Hus album, Beautiful and Brutal Yard, debuted at #1 on the albums chart - congratulations - but it also has 19 songs, and 15 of them would have been in the top 75. Thankfully, OCC doesn’t make me have to deal with that - although it does mean I don’t hear as many of these J Hus songs as I would have because I’m not sitting through that album - so we get the two highest-performing new tracks right next to each other. This is “Masculine”, an Afroswing warning call to his enemies, with lush guitar strumming and kind of stiff percussion that allows for the darker atmosphere and really fat low-end to stand out, with J Hus and Burna Boy in particular being really clever and unique in their violent warnings, with that refrain from Burna Boy not just being smooth but genuinely convincing in its looming threat. I don’t particularly like the high-pitch vocal sample and it does lack a real hook apart from said refrain, with the actual chorus being more ignorable than it should be, so structurally, as a song, it kind of loses me, especially when J Hus gets pretty far outshined on his own record, but this is still pretty good.

#23 - “Militerian” - J Hus featuring Naira Marley

Produced by P2J and Stuart Hawkes

To quote a song you may be familiar with, Mr. Hus, who told you “militarian” was spelled like that? To be fair, the term isn’t common and seems to be referring to his fans, so he can decide how to spell that, I suppose, but it is slightly odd to call this song “Militarian” when it’s largely a pick-up song… and a great one at that. It teases the saxophone with little chirps amidst the tricky acoustics and flickering groove of the Afrobeats percussion in the intro and chorus, with P2J and Mr. Hawkes allowing for Nigerian singer Naira Marley, who already has a deep, rich voice and clocked-out delivery to completely mesh in. This means not only does J Hus stand out more but also that the song has this natural, effortless cool probably necessary for a song about picking up these girls that contains a line about how they have a connection like a WiFi connection. Sure, I’d understand why you’d need the song to sound cool to cover that up. Again, it is lacking in a really catchy hook, which I can’t even say about “Who Told You” and I don’t really like that song, but for a song that’s mission is to blend into the background and sound groovy doing so, it doesn’t do a half-bad job, especially with the vintage saxophone which is always an immediate way to win me over, especially when it undercuts Marley’s performance, who has an almost jazzy, improvised approach to his verse anyway. Hell, I’d prefer this song go further into the rich, jazzy details that it clearly has already. These two songs do give me a decent impression of that full album, though I have no idea how “It’s Crazy” fits in if the rest of the album is lush, subtle Afroswing, and I will probably never find out.

#21 - “Rush” - Troye Sivan

Produced by Styalz Fuego, NOVODOR and Zhone

Australian singer Troye Sivan is back with a… full-on house single, and that seems to be what the people wanted from him given this is his first top 40 hit since 2019, and his first solo one since 2018’s “My My My!”. I didn’t realise until now but I think I also wanted that sound from him, because this is one of those rare occasions where I can say I like a Troye Sivan song. This is mostly because of the sounds-like-a-sample he made with his producers that genuinely had me snooping around to see if it came from anywhere, but no, it’s an original vocal for this song seemingly - which means this may be the first episode in a while with no obvious samples in the new entries - and it sounds great, filtered amidst the washing-machine percussion to sound like a vintage funky house tune. The energy and sensual groove on this one is very organic and almost instinctual, with Troye’s lead vocal layering on top with his lazy, trickling inflections sounding as slippery as possible yet still lining up tightly with the beat, never missing a beat. Oh, and it’s about gay sex, and whilst I myself am not a homosexual man so I cannot confirm if this is an accurate reflection of the male-on-male experience, that chorus is pure euphoria so I could imagine that. Not that I am imagining it, I’m not particularly attracted to Troye Sivan or whoever his partner is. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course, it’s just that I’m not really interested in androphilia like that, and I’m sure you would understand, Troye, listen, it’s not you, it’s me--

#10 - “What Was I Made For?” - Billie Eilish

Produced by FINNEAS, Andrew Wyatt and Mark Ronson

So, the Barbie soundtrack is kind of a mess - I always would have preferred a cheesier Eurodance sound anyway, but where I thought Mark Ronson was going with funk-pop was fine, yet barely of the soundtrack actually has a cohesive sound, let alone any cohesive messages it wants to portray, but most of the songs ended up being pretty inoffensive or so garish they become pretty great. I mean, GAYLE samples Crazy Town on it so that should give you a taste. The one song that I felt did not really fit into the two categories was of course, the Billie Eilish ballad that has landed in the top 10, becoming her ninth song to do so, and whilst I have yet to see the film, if this is implemented in any way into the film, it has the potential to be a tear-jeker because this is incredible. Billie’s typical intimate cooing is uncomfortably close to the front of the mix whilst also having a more distant reverb added to its multi-tracked harmonies, presuming a simultaneous closeness whilst also dragging you far away from the “real” feelings behind each word. A lot of the lyrics could have links to Billie’s experience with fame, or really, the Barbie doll itself, but looking at human relationships through the idea of construction is pretty interesting as a conceit even separated from it, and I’ve always found the transactional nature of human response and communication fascinating, so this desperate approach, struggling to make sense of her own self-identity and what she’s feeling partly because she is forced to do so within the space of other people, really resonated with me. “I’m sad again, don’t tell my boyfriend - it’s not what he’s made for” is a killer line, and whilst the song is missing a bridge to fully insert that dagger into the tear ducts, FINNEAS’ typically minimal piano backing further allows for the dichotomy of distance and personal intimacy that essentially is the song’s ethos. Then of course, the fluttering synth strings come in, slinging themselves in the galaxy behind Billie’s vocal, and I feel like crying - thanks, Barbie movie! Nothing else on the soundtrack even comes close to this level of quality, but I’m glad the O’Connors found an outlet within to release this track because it is beautiful.

#3 - “Seven” - Jung Kook featuring Latto

Produced by watt and Cirkut

So, okay, Jung Kook, this is Latto. Latto, this is Jung Kook. Jung Kook will be your K-pop bad boy popstar for the next three minutes, and Latto, you will be his rent-a-rapper feature for that time. My buddies watt and Cirkut have made the perfect focus-tested pop-R&B beat for you too, it’s going to be great. Okay, well, I could joke about the manufactured nature of K-pop forever, but this is Jung Kook’s first real solo effort after a couple of stray singles released for soundtracks and… Charlie Puth albums, and is it any good? Well, no, of course not, but it’s not nearly as bad as a 2-step garage sex song by a BTS member could have been, leading to a pretty generic single that traces just about everything it could have and does it in a boringly competent way: the vaguely lo-fi acoustic guitar, a cute buzzing synth in the back, and a cheesy Craig David-esque chorus where he lists the days in the week because he’ll be loving Latto for all seven days of the week. Do they never get bored? Surely Jung Kook has a busy day at the office one week and just wants to sit on the couch watching Family Guy one day, or Latto has to monitor their kids at a birthday party they got invited to on another day. I’ll admit, it is insanely catchy and it’s still marginally funny for me to hear the BTS boys swear - I don’t know why - so there’s at least some amusement here but mostly this is in one ear and out the other, yet unlike most K-pop, I fully expect this to stick around. It’s on-trend, actually has some streaming traction and hey, I can even see it growing on me.

Conclusion

It’s not getting Best of the Week though, of course not. Billie Eilish snatches that easily with “What Was I Made For?”, as Troye Sivan slips in a surprisingly close Honourable Mention for “Rush”, though I may as well actually tie that with “Disconnect” by Becky Hill and Chase & Status. This was also mostly a good week, but I do have to give Worst of the Week to someone and sadly Post Malone gets it for “Overdrive”, which feels like kicking a puppy. As for what’s on the horizon, I suppose we’ll see the impact of that soundtrack, and God, the start of that Travis Scott rollout. That is for the 28th though, so thank you for reading, rest in peace to Tony Bennett and I’ll see you next week!