#pop rocky mag

[allshadowylined]

A-ha

For Pop Rocky Magazine, 1986

⚠︎ No photographer credited, found on Pinterest

[skeedelvee]

Carry On Countdown Day 13 - Lyrics

For this year's COC I've decided to put together daily fic rec lists! Let me know if you find any new favorite reads from these <3

For todays prompt I've gone with fics that prominently feature music and lyrics

All I Ever Wanted was the World by @facewithoutheart

Rated E, 30,152 words

Simon finds himself at the Wank of England, Vauxhall’s infamous gay pub. Ruled by drag queen Baz Pitch aka Tyra Fangs, and staffed by lovable queer misfits, many lost souls have found themselves within its dark walls. But Simon’s not just another lost soul, and Baz is more than the sparkling gowns he wears as armour, and together they may build something better than a place to grab a pint.

Only Creatures by @emeryhall

Rated E, 88,073 words

After Simon dumps Baz in the San Diego airport, Baz tries to be normal about it. He finishes up at LSE, gets an MSt in poetry from Oxford, dates a few men, fucks around. Then he gives up and retires to the Scottish Highlands to cultivate his “Rick Rubin beard” and “Unabomber vibe.” Everything is going just bloody brilliant. That is until Fiona shows up with some unexpected news. Oh yeah, and a porno mag featuring his ex wearing nothing but wings and a tail.

Ride 'Em Cowboy by @wolfywordweaver

Rated M, 9,673 words

Before going on a months long trip to the Midwest with his father for business, Baz is dragged to a strip club on a Cowboy Themed night for one last hurrah by his friends Dev and Niall. It just happens that at the club he meets Simon Snow, a stripper that shakes his world and makes him want things that he think he can't have. Except, maybe Simon wants those things too.

Across the Universe by @sillyunicorn

Rated T, 8,815 words

School has started, but where is Baz? And where did this cat come from? Simon searches for his missing roommate, learns to love the Beatles, and finds comfort in his new furry friend. And maybe, just maybe, what he’s been looking for has been here all along.

Take On Me by @basic-banshee

Rated T, 49,589 words

Baz Pitch is an overworked uni student who -- between his heavy course load and his shifts at his aunt's bookstore -- is stressed all the time. There are expectations on him to follow the family footsteps, and he doesn't want to deal with that right now. His aunt Fiona's bookstore is his one oasis in this (except for on poetry slam nights) and he's glad to have her -- even if she does come with her own brand of crazy. But when Simon Snow, a lit student with a short temper who's trying to distance himself from his bad history, starts working at the bookstore, Baz's life gets infinitely more stressful. Amidst bad poetry slams, author signings, getting locked in storerooms and gaining a (unwanted) roommate, Baz comes to realise that Simon Snow is so much more than he's prepared to take on.

✨Gratuitous self rec✨

In Just Seven Days (And Six Long Nights) I Can Make You a Manahhahaan! by me! @skeedelvee

Rated T, 30,109 words

Reccing this one again because I messed up and forgot I was saving it for this day's prompt before

The Popped Cherry shadow cast is in dire need of a Rocky. Simon Snow has a week to prepare for the role. The person enlisted to help bring him up to snuff? None other than the show's star (and Simon's roommate), Baz Pitch.

If you have any recs that fit the prompt that I've missed, feel free to leave them in the comments! There's plenty of gaps in my reading so there's a good chance I may not have read it

Also I've had a hard time finding if some people are here on Tumblr, so if you know someone who hasn't been tagged, feel free to leave that in the comments as well <3

[bluesrocknrollingstones]

Mick inside the Pop Rocky mag

[frankbedbroken]

frankcore august 2024 update!!

already more than halfway through september lmfao i suck at this. regardless, here's some musics! this time around there's a Lot of art pop and trip hop related projects, fair few bits of electronic here and there, as well as some tracks in the more experimental end of hip hop and some more guitar-centric stuffs.

in regards to art pop (and other adjacent pop styles, sort of): jenny hval's moving, literally larger-than-life euphoria on spells, martha skye murphy with need and its more solemn and slowly enveloping atmospheres, the ever experimental hakushi hasegawa with a cut of his latest project featuring dizzying blends of jazz, pop and psychedelia, and jessica pratt stealing the show on an a$ap rocky track of all places to be featured in. as for the rest of the pop and r&b on the list: tinashe presenting an ambient-esque r&b piece somewhat in the line of oklou's galore, your-favourite-artists-favourite-vocalist cecile believe's soaring synthpop, strange blends of laidback r&b and pop vocals with latin-american soundscapes and some electronic touches courtesy of argentinian producer / vocalist moro, a cut off mag bay's newest project (solid! not my favourite from theirs but i'm more partial towards their shorter-form material anyway), and a great cut of dnb-infused k-pop from bebe yana.

the trip hop and downtempo related cuts here come from firstly james k and hysterical love project, both of them bringing curious blends of trip hop and ambient pop as well as some more influences from dream pop in the case of the hlp track; ms ray's signs in comparison is a bit cheerier, taking a bit more of inspiration from sophisti-pop and the sunnier side of downtempo, similar in a way to avalon emerson's sandrail silhouette, which is also a great track. on the other end of the spectrum, jabu and chester giles deliver a very nocturnal and dubby piece built mostly on giles' spoken poetry laid atop the somber, looming sample loops. the rest of the electronic sounds here are somewhat varied: a sickeningly short burst of "rally house" courtesy of aesthetic-extraordinaire and extremely versatile producer nuphory, a classic ukg cut from todd "the god" edwards complete with his signature micro vocal chops and rolling grooves, a distorted, club ready flip of sugababes' 2000s hit "round round" courtesy of uk-bass-sensation-that's-sweeping-the-nation duo two shell, a delightfully catchy and satisfying footwork banger from underground producer username, and jazzy and glitchy drum and bass sounds from xploding plastix.

in terms of hip hop, we've got poppy yet aggressive delivery from slayyyter and tommy genesis atop hard-hitting trap knocks, a bouncy, speaker rattling, hyphy-esque beat from ivy lab, and nana フリーク版 by chilean artist akriila, off of her debut album epistolares, which has solidified as a very close second to brat as my album of the year, partly because of cuts like the above mentioned, an extremely hard-hitting industrial hip hop banger (in a way, similar to iglooghost's coral mimic also from this year) with a defiant edge to the lyricism and delivery. i really could've picked pretty much any track from that record, it's that good imo, check it out if a varied ride consisting of club-ready perreo, poppier sounds of drum and bass and even some chilean folk for good measure sounds like a thing you'd be into.

to wrap up, the things i haven't mentioned yet: a curious blend of baggy-esque indie rock with r&b vocal delivery from tama gucci (artist whom i've always adored their voice and whose output is super underrated imo), classic midwest emo with a bit of a twee edge from everyone asked about you, dreamy hypnagogic pop from chanel beads with a bit of a similar vibe to the mica levi track from last week, and the third single off fontaines dc's romance (much like mag bay's album, it's pretty solid, though i feel like it dips a bit in quality by the second half, aside from the closer ofc).

tube it!!

[a-table-of-fics]

The Man from Utah, Chapter 7, Draft 1, Part 26

He jumped, clutching onto one of the MAG’s ribs. Slowly, he dodged efforts to push him off and clambered to the spine. It was wrapped in wires, and Liam was soon able to trace them to the visor.

He couldn’t see the plugs or the black box which presumably led to the payment data, but he could at least sever cords. Being careful to avoid the obvious power cord, he started severing wires. He was quick to pull caps out and cover up the wires before they could shock Mac’s MAG or himself; some habits never died. Soon enough, all that was left was the power.

The visor on the MAG flickered before the light faded entirely. Immediately, he went from flailing to reach Liam to flailing in general.

“That’ll cost you extra!” he exclaimed. “You disconnected my network, but I estimate that will be at least six hundred more on your balance!”

He soon stopped flailing, stepping back as Dan got a good slice on him.

“Of course, we also accept repossession… Of your G03-LM… or your skin!”

He took another swipe, knocking Liam straight off.

“In this case, I can take both!”

ObjectiveState==SURVIVE: 180

He raised his arms in preparation to pulverize Liam, but before he could even try to slam or try to block an attack from Dan, he heard tires screech over the gunfire. He turned just in time to be slammed by an ObduraCorp van.

A few giant ribs flew every which way as the MAG’s feet dug into the ground. He latched on to keep himself upright, sending rocky ground flying. He tried to punch against the van, but there were very shallow dents at best before the van went into reverse, parking right next to Liam.

“Need a lift?” asked Doto as the doors popped open.

[louisvuitttonn]

A$AP Rocky and Naomi Campbell for Pop Magazine, 2016

[abybweisse]

have you heard of the manga earl cain? i just read the plot summary on wikipedia after someone compared it to black butler, it is from the 90s and is REALLY similar, victorian-era manga featuring an orphaned earl with a mysterious butler and estranged evil brother. the ultimate enemy is also doing creepy experiments to revive the dead ("deadly dolls" that thrive off of human blood). there was also a circus storyline. i wonder if yana was inspired by it???

Earl Cain/Godchild vs Black Butler

⚠️ Long post ⚠️

Well, the original Earl Cain series was published, split between two related shōjo mags, between 1991 and 1994. Actually, it was published in those mags under four short, separately titled series… then split between five volumes and later referred to, collectively, as Earl Cain. Yana Toboso turned 10 in 1994, and it’s possible she read the series, though it probably would have been a few years later.

Both mangakas seem to have been inspired by historical Victorian England, as well as British and European literary giants (Hans Christian Andersen, Lewis Carroll, Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, Arthur Conan Doyle, etc… and at least in Kaori Yuki’s case also Kafka) and pop culture (various movies, games, and manga/anime). Yana Toboso seems to incorporate more folklore, in general, while Kaori Yuki (to the best of my knowledge) focuses on vampires, zombies, and biblical stories. Yana-san incorporates all that plus quite a bit of Norse, Japanese, Egyptian… and some Celtic mythologies. Both of them also eventually toured England (particularly London) to do some research, though Kaori Yuki didn’t do her tour of London until she was working on Godchild, which wasn’t premiered until October 2006. Idk about Kaori Yuki, but Yana-san now has someone on her team that helps with historical research.

Was she inspired at all by Kaori Yuki’s early works? Perhaps so. But I personally think that Kaori Yuki was possibly later inspired by the quick successes of new series like Black Butler to return to her old series with a sequel called Godchild, which, as I said earlier, didn’t show up until October 2006. Running these series neck and neck, but with one in a shōnen mag and the other in a shōjo mag, they could have been picking each other’s brains, for all we know, though Kaori Yuki must be her senior by roughly two decades… at least, since she’s been active since about 1989. (Yana-san was born in 1984, while Kaori Yuki’s birth year is not publicly known.)

There are some important distinctions to make between Black Butler and the (combined) series Earl Cain, along with its sequel Godchild.

Black Butler is basically from the viewpoint of the butler, not the young master. The demon-turned-butler is canonically the titular and main character, and “Ciel” is merely one of a presumably long line of contractors. We learn so much about this contract because it’s pivotal in the demon’s long life. It’s ongoing, so we don’t know what the demon does afterwards, but this kid isn’t his first master; it’s just a particularly interesting contract. The demon has been named after a dead dog, and Sebastian happens to be a common name for butlers in Japanese stories set abroad, like England. Earl Cain is the titular and main character of his stories, and his butler is surprisingly loyal… for turning out to be a Deadly Doll. Also, the butler’s name comes from Riff Raff, a character from Rocky Horror Picture Show. 😆

Cain is at least 17 in his two series, whereas our “Ciel” is 10-13, nearing his 14th birthday, for the duration of the demon contract. We get various flashbacks of the twins all the way back to their birth, when “Ciel’s” birth is a surprise.

Cain eventually kills his own abusive father, whereas “Ciel” is trying to avenge the deaths of his entire immediate family, as well as the abuses he and his twin brother suffered at the hands of people they didn’t really know (but who largely ran in the same circles as their father). Our “Ciel” is currently fighting the Aurora Society and Undertaker, but his main goal is to figure out and defeat whoever planned and/or carried out the attack on Phantomhive Manor. And that wasn’t Undertaker, since he’s obsessing over his own losses when the Phantomhive family was attacked. It’s also not likely to be Vincent, having somehow faked his own death, as Undertaker has no reason to mistake those ashes as Vincent’s. Vincent, by all accounts, is very dead… and extras like “With Father” and the “Akuma6” chapter just emphasize he’s not alive and somehow faking his death.

Cain has multiple brothers and sisters, as well as half-siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc… and his father is very abusive. The stories are extremely convoluted, and Cain’s eldest sister turns out to be the most manipulative one of all, even having controlled their own father, who is (oddly enough) named Alexis. 🤔 Our “Ciel” and real Ciel only have each other, as far as real Ciel is concerned, but they also have cousins, aunts, and uncles. Their uncle Alexis seems to be the most oblivious of the bunch, but he’s also probably the nicest.

It’s hard to tell from the somewhat confusing wording of the Wikipedia entry on Cain’s stories, but Cain’s eldest sister appears to also be his mother? Incest is a common theme in the stories of his adventures. So is abuse from their father. Ciel’s parents are not related (at least not closely!), and they genuinely love each other and their children. Vincent and Rachel are gently manipulative of their sons but not the least bit openly abusive.

Cain’s own father, Alexis, is the one creating the so-called “Deadly Dolls”, and it’s ultimately because he’s trying to revive his eldest daughter, who had apparently died by suicide, as an end to her growing insanity. In Black Butler, it’s a reaper (136649/Undertaker) who is creating the “Bizarre Dolls”, though he might turn out to be the twins’ paternal grandfather, Cedric. And it’s confirmed that even Undertaker’s current experimentation with real Ciel’s corpse (and the others) stems from his loss of previous heads of the Phantomhive family, like Vincent (who would be his son, if he’s Cedric) and Cloudia/Claudia (who would be the mother of his children, if he’s Cedric). This part is arguably the biggest similarity between Earl Cain (and Godchild) and Black Butler.

Alexis (from Earl Cain) creates and runs Delilah, the secret society that makes the Deadly Dolls. Undertaker uses the Aurora Society to achieve many of his goals, but I don’t know if he created it. Meanwhile, Black Butler’s Alexis seems oblivious to quite a bit, but he openly destroys Bizarre Dolls on the Campania and seems disgusted by their mere existence. Black Butler also has a mysterious group called Osiris, and we don’t know who runs that… at all. Could be the queen — or John Brown — for all we know. Another family among the Evil Nobles? Something Undertaker started? Someone from a competing country, like Germany? 🤷🏻‍♀️ And what mysterious group convinced Undertaker to test out his Bizarre Dolls as “animal weapons”? 🤷🏻‍♀️ 🤷🏻‍♀️

The timelines are completely different.

The other big comparison is that both Earl Cain and Earl “Ciel” Phantomhive solve various mysteries, with Cain focusing on murder mysteries, whereas our “Ciel” does whatever assignment the queen gives him… as well as things that might help him reach his own goals. It often involves murder, but not always. The biggest difference here might be that Queen Victoria is a decidedly minor character in Earl Cain. While she (or John Brown) could still turn out to be the big baddie in Black Butler.

I still see way more in common between Black Butler and Nintendo’s Mother series, particularly Mother3. Characters, timeline, actions, etc. are much more deeply paralleled between Black Butler and that game series….

[cyberstarlope]

Star Strike and/or Roller Brawl headcanons?

I’ll do my best~!

Star Strike:

✧ although some find her mysterious look intimidating, she’s actually very outgoing

✧ she has a partial solid body under her gloves and robe that stops above the neck and below the waist

✧ that being said, she loves making jokes about having no hands or crumpling to nothing when she takes her robe off cause she loves seeing peoples’ expressions

✧ her and enigma aren’t of the same species(?) but they have a similar composure and came from adjacent realms so they talk sometimes about their lives before skylands

✧ it’s no exaggeration when star says she has no intention of going back home; while there are parts she misses on occasion, she had a rocky upbringing and ironically feels like she fits in more in skylands more than she ever did in her home realm

✧ also, don’t try looking for that banishment spell, it was destroyed when she beat kaos’ ass on sight

✧ she also has an amazing lie detector radar that she uses for both skylanders related work and also just to mess with people sometimes

✧ she’s closest to enigma, smolderdash, pop thorn, hoot loop, riptide, and deja vu

Roller Brawl:

▼ despite her punk-like attitude, she is very understanding and caring at heart

▼ having five older brothers, she was often babied growing up which grew more annoying as she grew older

▼ she actually originally got into roller blading as a sort of rebellious activity (undead versions of sports tend to be a little intense) but ended up falling in love with the sport and kept up with it

▼ becoming part of the undead roller derby league was a dream come true and she kept at it for many years

▼ after kaos fell in love with her, and had her brothers captured by drow when they resisted, she left the league to search for them

▼ her journey landed her in an unfortunate accident, which also introduced her to the skylanders

▼ her mission was put on hold, healing from an amutation as well as processing the trauma, but she was still adament of being part of her brothers’ search party

▼ noting her skills and determination, she was given a propasition- and a new pair of literal roller blade legs designed by mags herself

▼ roller has since found her brothers and greatly enjoys her work as a skylander, helping others through the kind of hardships she went through

▼ she is closest to cynder, hex, freeze blade, night shift, and chill

[littlemusicreviews]

200 Best Songs of the 2010s

200. Neon Indian – “Annie”

199. Hop Along – “Somewhere A Judge”

198. Empress Of – “Standard”

197. Mitski – “Townie”

196. The 1975 – “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)”

195. Jessica Mauboy (feat. Ludacris) – “Saturday Night”

194. Sheer Mag – “Worth The Tears”

193. The Range – “Florida”

192. Tove Lo – “Disco Tits”

191. Jamie xx (feat. Young Thug & Popcaan) – “I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)

190. Florence + The Machine – “Queen Of Peace”

189. School ’94 – “Common Sense”

188. Majical Cloudz – “Heavy”

187. Years & Years – “All For You”

186. Sleigh Bells – “Sugarcane”

185. Britney Spears – “Man On The Moon”

184. Miike Snow – “Bavarian #1 (Say You Will)”

183. Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors”

182. Taylor Swift – “Cruel Summer”

181. Animal Collective – “FloriDada”

180. easyFun – “Blink”

179. Kacey Musgraves – “Dime Store Cowgirl”

178. Lykke Li – “Gunshot”

177. Lana Del Rey – “Ride”

176. Elliphant – “Not Ready”

175. Phoenix – “Chloroform”

174. Kim Petras – “Hillside Boys”

173. Natalia Kills – “Free”

172. Chelsea Wolfe – “After The Fall”

171. Sky Ferreira – “One”

170. Charli XCX – “You (Ha Ha Ha)”

169. CHAI – “Feel The Beat”

168. Lim Kim – “Awoo”

167. Justin Bieber – “Sorry”

166. Liz – “When I Rule The World”

165. Normani – “Motivation”

164. Teyana Taylor – “WTP”

163. Mac DeMarco – “Passing Out Pieces”

162. Sam Smith – “I’m Not The Only One”

161. Icona Pop – “Light Me Up”

160. Jessie J – “Domino”

159. Phantogram – “Don’t Move”

158. Miguel – “Adorn”

157. Susanne Sundfør – “White Foxes”

156. Kero Kero Bonito – “Picture This”

155. Crystal Castles – “Celestica”

154. Alexis Jordan – “Happiness”

153. Sharon Van Etten – “Your Love Is Killing Me”

152. Solange – “Losing You”

151. Washed Out – “All I Know”

150. Caribou – “Odessa”

149. Beyoncé – “XO”

148. Georgia – “About Work The Dancefloor”

147. Jamila Woods – “Blk Girl Soldier”

146. Empress Of – “When I’m With Him”

145. A$AP Rocky (feat. Skrillex) – “Wild For The Night”

144. Dreamtrak – “Odyssey, Pt. 2 (A. G. Cook Remix)”

143. SBTRKT (feat. Little Dragon) – “Wildfire”

142. Avril Lavigne – “What The Hell”

141. Cults – “Oh My God”

140. Alvvays – “Archie, Marry Me”

139. Kacey Musgraves – “Slow Burn”

138. James Blake (feat. Bon Iver) – “I Need A Forest Fire”

137. Charli XCX (feat. MØ) – “3AM (Pull Up)”

136. Sir Babygirl – “Pink Lite”

135. CEO – “Illuminata”

134. Katy Perry – “Teenage Dream”

133. Japanese Breakfast – “Rugged Country”

132. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Cut To The Feeling”

131. SOPHIE – “Bipp”

130. Charli XCX – “Vroom Vroom”

129. Katy Perry – “Wide Awake”

128. A. G. Cook (feat. Hannah Diamond) – “Keri Baby”

127. Julianna Barwick – “Vow”

126. Sleigh Bells – “Comeback Kid”

125. Hatchie – “Sleep”

124. Ke$ha – “Die Young”

123. Blanck Mass – “Please”

122. B.o.B (feat. Hayley Williams) – “Airplanes”

121. The Wonder Years – “Passing Through A Screen Door”

120. Sevdaliza – “Hubris”

119. Tobias Jesso Jr. – “How Could You Babe”

118. Kanye West (feat. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver) – “Monster”

117. Joanna Newsom – “Anecdotes”

116. Purity Ring – “Stranger Than Earth”

115. Vampire Weekend – “Unbearably White”

114. Local Natives – “Heavy Feet”

113. Last Dinosaurs – “Andy”

112. fun. – “Some Nights”

111. Danny Brown – “Ain’t It Funny”

110. Neon Indian – “Polish Girl”

109. Regina Spektor – “The Light”

108. Rhye – “Open”

107. Lana Del Rey – “Brooklyn Baby”

106. hellogoodbye – “Finding Something To Do”

105. Bruno Mars – “Just The Way You Are”

104. Bon Iver – “Holocene”

103. CHVRCHES – “Clearest Blue”

102. Mount Eerie – “Seaweed”

101. Fiona Apple – “Werewolf”

100. Edward Maya (feat. Vika Jigulina) – “Stereo Love”

99. How To Dress Well – “Words I Don’t Remember”

98. AlunaGeorge – “Your Drums, Your Love”

97. LIGHTS – “Banner”

96. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – “Home”

95. Kendrick Lamar – “The Blacker The Berry”

94. Starfucker – “The White Of Noon”

93. Everything Everything – “Regret”

92. Two Door Cinema Club – “Undercover Martyn”

91. Bombay Bicycle Club – “Shuffle”

90. Marina & The Diamonds – “Oh No!”

89. Ed Sheeran – “Castle On The Hill”

88. Lykke Li – “Sadness Is A Blessing”

87. Julia Holter – “Feel You”

86. Real Estate – “Talking Backwards”

85. Tame Impala – “‘Cause I’m A Man”

84. Passion Pit – “Constant Conversations”

83. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu – “PONPONPON”

82. Adele – “Someone Like You”

81. Calvin Harris – “Feel So Close”

80. You, Me, And Everyone We Know – “The Puzzle”

79. Waxahatchee – “8 Ball”

78. Grimes – “Artangels”

77. Florist – “Glowing Brightly”

76. Perfume Genius – “Mr. Peterson”

75. Sky Ferreira – “Werewolf (I Like You)”

74. Big Thief – “Forgotten Eyes”

73. Christine And The Queens – “iT”

72. Drake (feat. Rihanna) – “Take Care”

71. Autre Ne Veut – “Play By Play”

70. James Blake – “Retrograde”

69. Mitski – “Geyser”

68. Perfume Genius – “Hood”

67. Weyes Blood – “Movies”

66. Vanessa Carlton – “London”

65. Waxahatchee – “Air”

64. Crystal Castles – “Affection”

63. Charli XCX – “Boom Clap”

62. Bombay Bicycle Club – “Home By Now”

61. Vampire Weekend – “White Sky”

60. Big Thief – “Mythological Beauty”

59. Ariana Grande (feat. Zedd) – “Break Free”

58. Marina & The Diamonds – “Froot”

57. Kendrick Lamar – “Swimming Pools (Drank)”

56. Mayday Parade – “Stay”

55. Cee-Lo – “Fuck You”

54. Marina & The Diamonds – “Primadonna”

53. Sigur Rós – “Ísjaki”

52. Beach House – “Woo”

51. SZA – “Garden (Say It Like That)”

50. Wynter Gordon – “Dirty Talk”

49. Alt-J – “Breezeblocks”

48. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Want You In My Room”

47. Sky Ferreira – “Everything Is Embarrassing”

46. Ball Park Music – “It’s Nice To Be Alive”

45. Hundred Waters – “Wave To Anchor”

44. Florence + The Machine – “Never Let Me Go”

43. FKA twigs – “Cellophane”

42. Youth Lagoon – “Mute”

41. Ariana Grande – “Into You”

40. Of Monsters And Men – “Mountain Sound”

39. Björk – “Stonemilker”

38. Paramore – “Still Into You”

37. Future Islands – “Seasons (Waiting On You)”

36. Solange – “Cranes In The Sky”

35. Lorde – “Perfect Places”

34. Ball Park Music – “Coming Down”

33. Rihanna (feat. Drake) – “What’s My Name”

32. Perfume Genius – “Slip Away”

31. CHVRCHES – “The Mother We Share”

30. SOPHIE – “Immaterial”

29. Vampire Weekend – “Hannah Hunt”

28. Sufjan Stevens – “John My Beloved”

27. A.A.L (Against All Logic) – “I Never Dream”

26. Deakin – “Good House”

25. Beach House – “Silver Soul”

24. ANOHNI – “Drone Bomb Me”

23. M83 – “Midnight City”

22. Sampha – “(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano”

21. Lorde – “A World Alone”

20. Beach House – “Myth”

19. Sabrina Claudio – “Wanna Know”

18. Grimes – “Genesis”

17. Purity Ring – “Fineshrine”

16. The Wonder Years – “And Now I’m Nothing”

15. Beach House – “Sparks”

14. Hatchie – “Without A Blush”

13. Robyn – “Dancing On My Own”

12. Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris) – “We Found Love”

11. Alvvays – “In Undertow”

10. Nicki Minaj – “Super Bass”

9. Frank Ocean – “Thinkin Bout You”

8. Beyoncé – “Countdown”

7. Lana Del Rey – “Born To Die”

6. Deerhunter – “Helicopter”

5. Azealia Banks (feat. Lazy Jay) – “212”

4. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Run Away With Me”

3. FKA twigs – “Two Weeks”

2. Sky Ferreira – “I Blame Myself”

1. Mitski – “Your Best American Girl”

[disappointingyet]

Esto No Es Berlín (This Is Not Berlin)

Director Hari Sama Stars Xabiani Ponce de León, José Antonio Toledano, Ximena Romo Mexico 2019 Language Spanish (with English subtitles) 1hr 55mins Colour, some black & white 

Art goths vs the cult of Hugo Sanchez 

This is your classic subcultural coming-of-age story: boy meets new noise, falls for new noise and the fellow lovers of the new noise, and things get a bit messy. Boy – we can usually assume, and certainly can here – will then grow up to be the director of the film you are watching. 

It’s 1986, and we’re in México DF. Carlos (Xabiani Ponce de León) is a lanky, Pre-Raphaelite-looking teenager whose classmates seem primarily interested in dirty mags and rucks with rival schools. Carlos digs the centrefolds, is less fond of the fighting. He spends most of his time hanging out with best mate Gera (José Antonio Toledano) and gazing hopelessly at Gera’s older sister Rita (Ximena Romo, who has a definite Linda Cardellini vibe in this film). 

Carlos’ home life is not easy: his father is absent and his mother (Marina de Tavira, who played the mother in Roma) paralysed by depression, so he’s left looking after his younger brother.

Then, one happy day, his knack for electrical engineering means he can fix Rita’s band’s synth, and he and Gera get to tag along to their gig at Mexico City’s top underground new wave/goth dive. Pretty instantly, Carlos renounces his love for blues rocky dullards Ten Years After and plunges himself into the polysexual performance art/synth noise thing, alienating his former school chums by sporting eyeliner and Phil Oakey hair. Even worse, Carlos’ new pals are totally opposed to the nation’s big party – the 1986 World Cup.*

As is sometimes the way with these kind of films, the stuff the director seems less interested in – schoolkids being schoolkids – is stronger than the ‘cooler’ bit. The stuff at home and school could only be bourgeois Mexico City, the stuff in the club anywhere where people pretended they were at Warhol’s Factory or the Mudd Club. As the title suggests, that’s kind of what director Hari Sama wants to explore – scenes where everyone knows they are not where the rest of your world thinks it’s at, where you’ll never get see Einstürzenden Neubauten play, only a local band doing their dodgy approximation of EN, and yet everybody involved experiences things as intensely – likely more intensely – than if they actually were in London/NY/Berlin etc. It’s a subject that has been played around with quite a lot in recent times – I thought of This Is Memorial Device, David Keenan’s novel that provides an incredibly detailed and authentically messy (and often rather unpleasant) fictional oral history of the post-punk scene in Airdrie, Scotland (pop 37,130), whose participants are convinced they are miles ahead of what is happening elsewhere. 

Sama, though, has nothing particulary fresh to say on the subject. Like a lot of quasi-autobiographical works, This Is Not Berlin has a disappointingly conventional narrative shape. My adolesence didn’t fit a tidy three-act pattern – did yours? And so a reliance on cliches undermines any sense of authenticity. 

Maybe Sama’s best contribution to the film is on screen, not off – he gives the film’s standout performance playing Carlos’ favourite uncle, a man refusing to give up on the 1960s. The other bit of casting I like is Mauro Sanchez Navarro as Nico, Carlos’ art-scene mentor and possible romantic interest, whose face really would have fit in in West Berlin at the time.

Which reminds me that these are (unsurprisingly, considering how the country works) a fairly European-looking bunch of people. The characters in this film have two contrasting encounters with Mexico’s not-white majority: once when the band plays at an open-air punk gig out in the sticks (‘You’re the pretty ones,’ someone tells a bewildered Gera there), and once when they are being processed after being arrested. 

This Is Not Berlin is an absorbing, entertaining film, with added value if you have a taste for Latin American teen slang. I just wish it was a little less predictable, a little less rote. 

*[NOT REALLY A SPOILER] If you have seen the film, and are wondering about the 68/86 slogan, in the run-up to the 1968 Olympics, hundreds of students were killed by government forces in the historic centre of Mexico City in what is known as the Tlatelolco massacre. 

[rockrevoltmagazine]

Interview: Heather Hellskiss of The Damed

The Damed are a powerful three piece punk outfit out of Hollywood.  They are currently tearing up the Los Angeles club scene promoting their debut self-titled album and upcoming videos.  Here is Heather Hellskiss vocalist for The Damed. 

Who are the members of The Damed, what do they do in the band, and how did they get there?

On guitar and lead vocals is me, Hellskiss, Watts on drums and Suze on bass and sings backup vox. I started the band and have been playing with Watts for a long time and we have a strong musical rapport and really trust each other. This is my first project with Suze and we share the same political views and like a lot of the same bands. We all just vibe off each other very well and also share a silly sense of humor.

The Damed is a fairly new band but you’re already getting some traction.  Do you think that it’s solely based on the solidness of your new album or are their other creative factors in play?

The album says a lot of things both musically and lyrically. And we do not hold back. There is time spent getting the right guitar sounds/fxs and we really tried to capture our rawness on this album. We are not one specific genre and I think that keeps things interesting.

For people who haven’t heard your music before can you describe the songs of The Damed?

Intense, gritty, melodic, bittersweet.

Your debut release is a very political, but yet personal album, why did you go that route and what are some of the stories behind the songs?

Personal is the only way I know how to be. Songwriting is a release, so I write about what impacts me in my life. ‘Equal Pay Day’ is about the gender pay gap. ‘Extreme Vacancy’ is about how we interact in this internet age and ‘We Are the Proof’ address the #MeToo movement.

Is there a balance when recording of being too rushed versus being given too much time and what is that balance?

It can be a tough balance. But if you don’t have a lot of money you don’t have the luxury of being given too much time. So, you have to crank it out in a few days. It’s very punk rock, haha.

When writing, do you start with a rhythmic, melodic or lyrical idea? Please give an example of a specific song’s first spark of an idea and how it was developed into an entire song from there. 

Usually melodic. In Little Ship I liked the juxtaposition of these 2 guitar riffs I was working on and smashed them together into 1 song. It felt like rocky waters. It created a visual of a ship and definitely the music alone tells the story of a rocky relationship.

Do you have any particular song off the new album that you enjoy playing live the most?

Escape from The Shadows is a real erratic noisy song where we just go off and get crazy on stage. I like that there are no rules and we are just being uninhibited.

What other types of punk (horror, skate, pop) do you enjoy listening to and will you ever venture into those sub-genres?

Post-punk and no-wave mainly. We already starting incorporated some elements of no-wave into a new song and definitely want to maintain our post-punk flavor.

Have any members of The Damed had professional musical training or are you all self-taught? If you’re self-taught how did you keep yourself disciplined through the years to elevate your skill level?

I took piano lessons when I was pretty young and have taken some guitar lessons, but I am mainly self-taught. Feel is more important to me than skill. The need to write/play kept me disciplined. Also, I tried to learn guitar solos I would never play in my own music to improve my skill and also help me think outside of my box.

So how does your own music influence you as a person and does it help you through your day-to-day life?

It definitely gets me thru my day-to-day life because I emote through music and these songs represent my beliefs and states of mind.

If you could pick a song that you wish you wrote what would it be?

“Don’t Stop Believin'” is the first song that popped into my head. “Bizarre Love Triangle” was the second song.

How do you physically and mentally prepare for a performance?

I usually go thru the set on my acoustic guitar to warm up, take it easy if possible, no big meals/dairy (not good for singing) and just prepare for the show like writing out the set list, packing up my gear and things like that.

What are the goals for The Damed for the rest of 2019 and beyond?

We are working on some music videos, a small west coast tour, new songs, record our 2nd release and hopefully make some sort of impact on society.

Is there anyone you would like to give special thanks to for helping you out in life and music?

My partner Melissa for being so supportive of our music and reminding me of my strengths when I am not feeling them.

Anything you would like to add?

I can’t believe we can’t teleport by now.

https://thedamedband.bandcamp.com/releases

Interview: Heather Hellskiss of The Damed was originally published on RockRevolt Mag

[officialleehadan]

Neutron Star

 “She isn’t gonna last long like this,” Ice said thoughtfully, watching the screen intently. Projector kept her hand on the screen, her eyes unfocused as she projected what she was seeing onto the screen for the rest of them. Her Powered vision followed the lightning Elemental as she paced despondently through the parking lot of an abandoned strip mall. Ball lightning bounced along around her and crackled through the air, leaving bright streaks behind them. Here and there shards of metal vibrated madly and stuck together in her wake. “She’s ramping up faster than we did.”

“It’s ‘cause she don’t know to burn it off,” Inferno commented, shoulder-to-shoulder with his counterpart, a wall in his own person between Ice and everyone else in the room. “Gotta do something with all that juice. If you don’t burn it off, it eats you faster.”

Sweetwater considered that. She hadn’t known how the two Elementals handled themselves before they met up. Certainly the Hero Alliance was tracking them, but not closely, and every now and then they would drop off the map.

Apparently it was because they were finding ways to exhaust themselves into psudo-dormancy.

“I used to sleep in industrial furnaces,” Ice was saying, not knowing his words mirrored her thoughts. “Tried a volcano once. Spent almost six months in Yellowstone before the park rangers started to notice me.”

“I went way north,” Inferno supplied with a shrug, although the way he pulled Ice against his side suggested that there was more to the story. “Worked for a while, until it didn’t.”

“So what do we do about her?” Hardball had a stupid name and a worse attitude, but he was also relatively immune to electricity, being an electrokinetic himself. With any luck, the lightning Elemental wasn’t already too powerful for him to handle.

Sweetwater had fifty bucks on him getting fried within four minutes. Ice thought it would take less than two and put three hundred where his mouth was. Inferno just laughed and refused to bet with either of them.

“Any chance her opposite has popped up?” Ice asked, tracing a finger over Inferno’s arm. His finger steamed and Inferno smiled in a way that was a little too intimate for the rest of the room. “If not, we’re gonna need options.”

“We might be able to come up with something do her to charge up for us,” Sweetwater suggested. She looked over at Hardball and bit her lip. She wasn’t good enough with technology to have a real solution, but Hardball was and might have answers. “Hardball?”

“She’s heading up into the Rocky Mountains,” Hardball observed curiously and leaned closer to examine Projector’s scratchy vision. “Why there? She’s been causing blackouts. Is this her way of being nice?”

Sudden understanding washed across Ice’s face and he cursed colorfully even as he shoved a nearby tech out of his chair.

“Snowflake?” Inferno asked dubiously, and leaned over Ice’s shoulder. “What’re you looking up?”

“The Rockies are high in ferrous material,” Ice said slowly as his eyes skimmed over the detailed readouts. “Our lightning bug isn’t a lightning bug, and she’s smart. She’s making a faraday cage for herself, far away from anyone.”

“She’s trying to contain herself,” Hardball followed, although he looked somewhat disappointed that he didn’t get to try his luck against the Elemental. “That something like you two? Will it be enough to slow her down? Lightning’s got a long reach.”

“She isn’t a lightning Elemental,” Ice said distractedly, typing so fast his keyboard seemed to be buzzing. “She’s an electromagnetic Elemental. The reason she’s causing blackouts is because her heartbeat is causing EMP pulses. The lightning? That’s just a side effect.”

Sweetwater didn’t understand a word of what Ice was saying, but he certainly seemed intent, and was heading towards frantic faster than he ever did unless he and Inferno were separated. “Ice, I need human words here.”

“This situation is much, much worse than you thought,” Ice said shortly. “Electromagnetism is a Problem. Electricity is just the visible spectrum of electromag, but believe me when I say that she will make me and Inferno look like firecrackers if she ramps up much more, and she is going to ramp up more.”

“How so?”

“Anything that can hold an electrochemical charge will explode. Power supplies, transformers. Have you ever seen a transformer burst?”

“Yes?”

“Imagine that, but times a thousand. We’re talking millions dead within the week. If she goes more than a month, she’ll be the last living thing on the planet because everything else will be dead.”

“Okay,” Sweetwater was starting to understand what had Ice so frantic and fought down the urge to panic, because how could they face something like that? She leaned over to look at his screen. “Wait, why are you searching for Invisibles?”

“Invisibility is a side effect of the other side of Electro-mag,” Ice told her, and scanned through reports faster than Sweetwater could keep up. “Sort of. How much do you know about particle physics?”

“Next to nothing.”

“Right. Short version; her opposite isn’t going to be a Ground, they’re going to be a Negative to her Positive,” Ice said, and tapped the screen pointedly. The screen was in Chinese, which apparently wasn’t a problem for Ice. “This one. Reports of weird happenings. Colors changing when the lights go on and look weird, vanishing. Fading out into sepia. Right after that radioactive hotspots started showing up where they aren’t supposed to be.”

“Is there somewhere they’re supposed to be?”

“Yes, actually, but usually those spots don’t move, or we make them in plants. See here; they went though a hospital and left a string of critical meltdowns. Think Chernobyl, but the size of, say, the lead apron you wear when you get an ex-ray. But no one knew what was causing it. People thought it was a supervillain attack.”

“Was it?” Sweetwater was feeling decidedly stupid as Ice kept pulling up report after report. When he pointed absently to a map, Inferno began tracking the events. The made a meandering line across Asia and into Siberia where they tapered off into the occasional spot here and there, few and far between. “An attack?”

“Not an intentional one,” Ice said shortly. “But our kind, Elementals, the sick thing is that we never mean any of it. We need to find this guy. If they or Neutron go critical, they’re gonna wipe out the whole planet. He’s as bad as her. Maybe worse.”

“Neutron?” Sweetwater began typing orders into her phone, rallying the Hero community. They were going to need a lot more help.

“The not-lightning bug,” Inferno supplied a translation for his partner’s babbling. “She needs a name, and Neutron is what she is, same as I’m Inferno and Ice is Ice. Snowflake, they went up to the North Pole.”

“Looking for the EM energy there,” Ice said, and pulled up several coinciding satellite shots. “He needs something powerful enough to hold it off, even for a few more days. Hah! Found him.”

The pictures were beyond comprehension.

A tornado glowed on the screen, radiant orange fading into green, but it was blue that coiled into the inner rings. The tighter the spiral coiled, the more the blue faded to purple, and then to sickly red that somehow looked poisonous.

Radiation, painted in beautiful, glowing swirls across the northern sky, filtering down to the Elemental who was somewhere beneath it all.

“Get me a telepath,” Ice said shortly. “The faster we get him and Neutron together, the faster we save the world.”

+++

Opposing Elements:

Cold Front

Elemental

Rising Power

Neutron Star

+++

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[wftc141]

Voltron: Global Military Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism Unit-Chapter 6: And One Step Back

Minutes have passed and yet no response has been emitted from the team. Coran couldn't care less about the poor reception from the drones. Plenty of drones have had screwed them over for the past few years. He only cared about the status of Allura and her unit. The silence was starting to send doubt and concern through his mind. Gold stared at the laptop, tensed up, with Colbert sitting next to him staring at the screen as well.

"I don't like this, sir," he said. "Should we send a QRF?"

"No," Coran replied. "I have my concerns as well but it's best we give them some time."

"But we're not getting a bloody thing. No feed, no communication, nothing. How're we supposed to know if they're even standing?"

"Have some faith, Jem," Colbert assured. "If these guys are from Voltron, then they definitely know how to get back up."

Allura's eyes opened not without sacrificing her perfectly fine eyelids. It was hard for her to come to her senses with that loud ringing noise blaring in her ears, muting everything else outside. As Allura tried to pull herself up, the burning blisters and the stinging wounds pulled her down. She let out a tight groan, slipping back to the ground. Allura was unable to get back up without having to damage a wound. Down at a distance, she noticed her rifle intact but coated by flakes of sand. Lifting her forearm forward, she crawled her way towards her rifle.

Allura couldn't see anything through the cloudy smoke surrounding the area but she could hear faint sounds of gunshots echoing and bullets zipping back and forth. Her ears began to come to their senses, disorienting her in the process. She couldn't move. The noises were holding her down like a chain locked to her ankle. As Allura covered herself while panting uncontrollably hard, she heard someone or something call out her name.

She slightly raised her hands off her head and slowly looked up. A small shadow began to emerge from the smoke and shortly, a figure ran through the puffs. She watched as a large tall figure in a black shirt and a plate frame carrier approached her, slowly revealing a scar across his face.

"Allura! Allura! You okay?" Shiro shouted.

Just as her partner arrived, she was able to hear everything, despite the setbacks from the explosion. She nodded, unable to speak with her dry, chapped mouth. Through the roaring gunshots, Shiro gave her a bit of motivation to get up and moved away to provide covering fire. Once she overcame the pain and stood on her feet, Allura held onto Shiro's shoulder who had just went up to her to help her up. She looked around, bullets shooting past clouds and no sign of their attackers. They were sitting ducks at this point.

"We gotta go! Follow me!"

Shiro stepped out of Allura's way and they both ran together, heading towards another part of the village as bullets clamber after them. If they could pull this off without dying, it would be a well deserved favor.

Ever since the explosion set off from the village, Keith was pacing around, getting riled up and worried at the same time. Lance was keeping his cool as usual while setting his sights on the village with his scope. For the last few seconds, Keith had been muttering 'shit' for about a hundred times it was starting to annoy Lance.

"Hey, mind keeping your shit together, amigo?" He demanded. "We're gonna find them. I'm sure your girlfriend is still alive."

"She's not my girlfriend, asshole!" Keith snapped.

"Just saying."

As Lance continued searching for a sight of the team, he heard a faint sound of engine rumbling from below. He looked down and noticed a white Toyota Hilux with a black flag on the side mirrors pull up near the building. The doors opened and two Jihadists armed with rifles came out, uttering orders in Arabic. From what he's seen, these terrorists are unaware of their presence. Lance opened fire at them without giving them any chance to fight back. He managed to shoot one of them dead between the eyes with one bullet. The other scrambled behind the Hilux as the bullets penetrated the hood.

Keith heard the shots and needed no explanation on why Lance was shooting. They both made their way out of the building and approached the still running Hilux. The last jihadist popped out of cover and aimed his rifle, only to be put down by Keith with a bullet to the face.

The duo moved past the truck and made their way down to the rocky road fast. They arrived at the gate where two more jihadists stood near a white Land Cruiser. Just as one of them with a pistol noticed the duo approaching them with ease, he was instantly taken out in surprise by Lance. The jihadist with a shotgun heard the gunshot and raised his weapon towards them with absolute determination. Keith shot him in the leg, causing the jihadist to land on one of his knees before a bullet went through his head. The blood splattered onto the SUV's windows as the body slid against the door.

"Guess these assholes are too busy on the rest of the team." Lance said.

As Lance approached the broken gate, Keith distanced himself away from Lance and went up to one of the dead jihadists. He began to pat his pockets for something. Lance noticed him crouched near the body and rolled his eyes.

"Keith, of all the time we have, you seriously choose to-"

Before he could speak any further, he saw a walkie talkie pulled out of the body's pockets. Keith held it close to his mouth and cleared his throat.

"أيها الإخوة ، لقد قتلنا اثنين من الكفار من الجنوب. أين البقية؟ (Brothers, we've killed two infidels from the south. Where are the rest?)"

Lance was a bit baffled at the way he spoke in a different language but he was still skeptical of whatever plan he had. Suddenly, an Arabic voice replied through static before cutting the feed. Keith wasn't really happy with the news and swore under his breath.

"They found two more of our own up ahead." Keith told him.

"Didn't know you speak Arabic, dude." Lance said.

"Yeah, and I'll tell you what I know once we find our team. Alive."

Keith attached the radio to his vest as the duo made their way past the gate and into the village of echoing gunshots and blanched smoke.

Pidge never liked calling anybody names but when she tried to grab Hunk who was knocked back by the explosion, she couldn't help but admit he had to lose a bit of weight. Her rifle ended up getting lost amidst the explosion.

"You're fucking heavy, you know that?" Pidge croaked as she pulled him up.

"Well, don't mind me. It's part of the tradition." Hunk sarcastically replied.

Pidge wanted to chuckle but her throat was too scalded to talk. Doesn't really help much when they're being tailed by radical jihadists who were catching up to them. They opened fire at them with Pidge using her pistol, although they both shot blankly thanks to the effects of being hit by a bomb. At this point, the duo decided to ditch their plans and run. As they reached down the hill, Hunk was trying to contact through his radio.

"Yellow Lion to Zero, do you read me? Over!" He panted.

Other than mind controlling static, there was nothing from them.

"Don't waste your time on it, Hunk," Pidge told him. "Those assholes must've hammered our signals."

Hunk hesitated for a moment before letting his hand off the earpiece. "Shit."

As the two continued their way down the hill, they hear footsteps close in from a distance. A group of armed jihadists with one wearing a balaclava and carrying a MAS-49, appeared from the corner of a house. Just as they saw the duo, the jihadists pointed their rifles at them. They were both considering to fight back but the chances of surviving are slim and besides, only an imbecile would be dumb enough to open fire at a group with automatic rifles while being the only two alive.

The pursuing jihadists caught up to them from behind, rendering them both outnumbered. They were all closing in, barking and bellowing while shaking their rifles at them. The duo tossed their weapons aside and raised their hands. Just as they did so, Hunk heard a whack and Pidge's body suddenly slumped to the ground. He spun around and saw one of the jihadist holding the rifle with the butt stock at the front. Before Hunk could act, the jihadist aimed his rifle where the muzzle faced directly to his nose. It was enough to freeze Hunk on the spot. As the rest of the group lifted Pidge's body up, Hunk was held with his hands behind his back and taken along with the jihadists.

Once they were certain they were in the clear, Shiro and Allura ran up to a large slab of cemented wall, with portions of it missing like it was bit off. Looked as if the terrorists blew up some of the houses. They were both desperate for a breather, they could feel their chest tightening even harder. So far, the pursuing attackers haven't caught up to them but it was only a matter of time before the duo can hold them off.

"What's your ammo count?" She asked as she checked her pistol's magazine.

Shiro checked his pouches which was empty. "Down on my last mag. You?"

"I'm on my sidearm now."

Allura looked around. Practically everywhere was a bad opening. None of the walls could provide cover since they all look like they were blown up.

"We're in a bad spot, we gotta get outta this shithole now." She said, wiping her smudged face with her exposed forearm.

"Yeah but we have no idea where the others are and the comms are down."

He had a point. They were on the verge of being screwed to a whole a new level. After a moment of silence, Shiro started chuckling. Allura looked at him in confusion.

"What the hell's so funny?"

"Still remember that one time you and me were in a situation as tight as this?" Shiro asked.

Allura paused for a moment before answering. "That was in Prague and the comms were perfectly fine."

"But we survived anyway. Those guys were well trained back then. If we can take those guys down, then we can do the same to them."

"That's bollocks and you know it."

Shortly, they heard footsteps closing in as well as chatter. It was for sure not their team since they don't speak Arabic. Shiro gave Allura a nod while holding his rifle tightly. She nodded back and retracted the slide of her pistol. Her eyes communicated with his. It was now or never. Just as they were about to pop out of cover, they heard a thump and sudden shouts from the pursuers. The voices ranged from shock and desperation and then sharp and abrupt silence. The thumps increased into a style of a drum beat. Shortly, everything went quiet and faint footsteps closed in. Shiro peered from the wall and squinted his eyes. In a distance, Keith and Lance approached them, going through the bodies of the pursuing jihadists.

Keith was the first to reach the commander. "Commander! Are you alright? Where's Major?"

"She's here," Shiro assured, just as Allura appeared from the wall. "How'd you find us?"

"We saw the explosion from the distance and we had to find you two."

"Well, we're thankful for that." Allura nodded.

"Indeed we are." Shiro said.

Keith nodded in acknowledgment. His face changed into concern as he looked around, finding something making. There was six people in total and currently there's four of them.

"Where's the others?"

"We were separated when that IED went off on us." Allura answered.

"This would be the better time to start looking for them," Said Shiro. "And if we can, find if any of the terrorists know the whereabouts of Haxus."

Without any more hesitations, the remainder of the team moved out and searched for the rest of the team. They made their way around the village where there was no sign of anyone, not even Haxus. The team headed towards the side of the village where they saw an exit from a distance. However, in front of the gates were two white Highlander's parked and the remaining group of jihadists moving Pidge and Hunk to the cars. Shiro opened fire at them first, managing to shoot one of the jihadists down and taking the rest by surprise. The jihadists took cover behind a line of crates conveniently placed in front of the cars and returned fire, prompting the team to take cover behind abandoned cars separately. One of them pushed Hunk down under the vehicles.

"الحصول على هؤلاء السجناء في الشاحنة! (Get these prisoners in the truck!)" Shiro heard one of the jihadists ordered.

The jihadists continued to rain fire at them, buying some time for two other masked jihadists to carry Pidge. Lance positioned his rifle on the boot of the car and fired automatic bursts for their heads. The two jihadists dropped to the ground like clockwork, loosening their grip on Pidge. Just before Lance could aim for the other four jihadists, the bullets ricocheted against the boot, causing him to duck under. Their firepower wasn't enough to take on the remaining fighters packed with heavy armory.

As the two jihadists dealt with the team, the other two forced Hunk into the Highlander and hopped in without skipping a beat. Keith heard the engine rumble, giving him a sudden motivation to look up to notice the car about to drive off. Despite being under heavy fire, Keith moved away from the car, clipping off a flash bang grenade from his vest. Shiro, who was beside him, tried to reach for him.

"Keith, don't!"

He slipped away from Shiro's hands and threw a flashbang at them. The explosion flashed heavily, blinding the jihadists. Keith shot them down and tried to shoot down the car. He only managed to graze the headlights and the car began to grow smaller until it was nowhere to be seen.

"Fuck!" Keith cursed, forcefully yanking the rifle down.

The rest of them watched in disbelief, including Lance. Hunk was taken away and it was Allura's only responsibility to make sure none of them were hurt. It was all tearing down into the drain.

Keith turned around and approached Pidge's unconscious body lying near the dead jihadists. Shiro crouched by her side while Lance and Allura kept watch. Keith called her name first before shaking her by the shoulders. Once Pidge finally opened her eyes, she instantly squirmed and wrestled her grip off Keith.

"Get off me! Get off me!"

"Easy! Easy, Kate! It's us!" He assured.

Pidge eventually realized and started to relax. Her chest heaved rapidly as she panted.

"It's alright. You're fine." Keith told her.

She didn't pay attention to what he said. Pidge's was too busy looking around the area, noticing something missing. She looked at Keith who shared a glance of disbelief.

"Where's Hunk?"

Haxus, former army ranger turned Galra terrorist lieutenant looked down at his watch which was marked 19:52 hours, one hour over the suggested time.

"They're supposed to be here by now. What's taking them so long?" He murmured.

"Maybe they're a bit busy, sir?" His bodyguard, Bogh, standing next to him answered.

Haxus scoffed. "I wouldn't be surprised if it's actually the Voltron unit. Such amateurs."

Bogh didn't reply afterwards. He's probably one of the sane operatives he had met so far. Maybe Haxus should be surprised. Straight from the Special Forces Ranger Battalion, Bogh was one of his experienced teammates of his unit. The others weren't so steady but more radically influenced, especially the recently deployed Lahn from the Armenian Forces.

In Haxus' eyes, Voltron is just a ragtag team with a bunch of idiots and incompetent soldiers who think they're doing the world a favour by trying to ruin their plans. They don't even understand what and why they do this. His old army had the same ideas, probably the reason he decided to blow them and his brother up for the sake of joining the Galra Empire.

As they watch several armed fighters with equipment smuggled from their associates in Russia come and go, a white Highlander drove into the village. However, it was just one car. They sent more fighters to that location. Once the Highlander parked near Haxus, the fighters hopped out. Only two of their loyal ones, Barad and Fakhoury were present.

"What happened? Where's the rest of the team?" Haxus asked.

"We manage to ambush the western devils," Fakhoury answered while Barad lifted his ski mask off. "But they wiped out the majority of our brothers. We're the only two who survived but we were able to capture one of their men."

"Well, that's a shame but I'll take it. Show me the guy you caught."

Barad went up to the back of the car and pulled something out. Once he managed to get him out, Barad was holding a man with a beard in a beige t-shirt with rolled up sleeves, covered by a plate carrier. His face was smeared with dirt and bruises. Haxus raised an eyebrow in amusement and surprise mainly because of his looks. Barad pushed him onto his knees while Fakhoury assisted.

"Well, what a surprise you brought me, boys," he said, bending down and getting a closer look. "Never seen a Samoan like you in Voltron before. You're probably lucky to be here. What's your name?"

The man didn't reply other than glare at him. When he didn't answer, Haxus looked up at Barad, asking for his name.

"We heard one of his comrades call him Hunk." He said.

Haxus was rather surprised and found it funny. "Hunk? That's a weird name for a Samoan. What's your mother's name, is it Slab?"

The man, Hunk continued glaring at him. He seemed offended by his joke.

"Silent one, I see. Well, it's not like I'm here to have a joke with you. But I'm sure the commander will be delighted to see you. So until then…"

Haxus pulled out a magazine from the pouch on his vest and slammed it to his temple. Barad threw the unconscious body aside. "Get some rest. You deserve it."

The men stared at him, waiting for further orders. Haxus stood up while slipping his magazine back into his pouch.

"Put him in the cage with the women and get ready to pull out. We rather not let his friends catch up.

[nehistripesseattle]

Via Pitchfork Mag 7/2022, an in-depth review of Dirt. Part 1 Each Sunday, Pitchfork takes an in-depth look at a significant album from the past, and any record not in our archives is eligible. Today, we revisit a hard-rock colossus, one of the heaviest and bleakest albums to come out of the early ’90s Seattle scene. A few weeks after the notorious 1985 Parents Music Resource Center hearings, where the so-called “porn rock” lyrics of musicians like W.A.S.P., Prince, and Cyndi Lauper were debated before a Senate committee, the Seattle talk show “Town Meeting” devoted an episode to the issue of “obscene” pop lyrics. At one point, the host gave the floor to an 18-year-old audience member named Layne Staley, who at the time was fronting a local glam-metal band called Sleze, and offered a personal take on the manufactured controversy. “Our lyrics are all positive—we don’t use bad language or sing about drugs and sex,” he said, “but I just want the freedom to write about what I want.” Wearing blue-tinted aviators with his hair teased several inches above his head—the glam-metal look of the moment—Staley wasn’t nearly as high-profile as Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider, but his brief take echoed Snider’s PMRC testimony. They were both participating in a heated cultural moment when it felt like pop music was under direct threat of censorship by an ascendant cadre of cultural conservatives. Five years and a handful of band changes later, Staley’s first hit single with Alice in Chains stuck to that topic. The lyrics to “Man in the Box” came to Staley after dining with some vegetarian Columbia Records executives who explained how veal was derived from calves raised in tiny enclosures. “So I went home and wrote about government censorship and eating meat as seen through the eyes of a doomed calf,” Staley explained. • Photo from the Dirt photoshoot; Alice In Chains including Rocky Schenck at Rocky’s studio 1992. —————————————————— #nehistripesseattle #LSMS #LSMSAiC #aliceinchains #laynestaley #mikestarr #mikestarrforever #seankinney #jerrycantrell #the1loveaic #mikeinez #williamduvall #grungeera #1990s (at Seattle, Washington) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkKUbTMrS-2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[blacknpurplewarpster]

big-ultra-mags

Wow, that was easier than he thought. Now came the hard part.

keeping a long conversation with another bot.

<<Ah, i honestly wasn’t expecting you to pick up at this late of an hour, my apologies. But i’m glad you did. I have a few questions for you in regards to Earth..>>

The enforcer replied, leaning back in his chair, vents huffing softly.

<<You’ve been on Earth for a while, and i know that our race isn’t exactly on the greatest of terms with one another, But i really need to find a place to stay on Earth for a week or so with a….Partner of mine. Do you have any spots you can recommend us hiding out at?>>

<<I don’t recharge most of the time for various reasons. I’m you can say, a night-owl in human terms.>> He was a darker frame after all; the sense of blending in with darkness would consume him at times. 

Great. Earth came up. Just fine and dandy. Not that he’d mind, there were lots of Autobots on Earth. More like took it over. 

<<You’d be surprised. The humans are more resilient than we realize. They’re more afraid of us than anything because of our power and size. They don’t want war waged on their planet anymore, just like us. Without freaking out the population, I’d stay for the more rural areas. The Rockies are a good place--but its easier to maneuver with those of flight capabilities due to the steep altitudes and harsh conditions. I can’t actively give out Joe land because they’re not the most comfortable with other Cybertronians for various reasons.>> 

Skywarp thought on it for a minute. <<A lot of tropical areas are more populated, even islands. You see. Wherever you go, you have to be aware of Dire Wraiths and Fatal Fluffies--hell even Baron Karza if he happens to pop up somewhere. If you do, don’t engage and comm myself. My strike team will deploy since we protect Earth.>>

[hastybooks]

For the mash-up: Any pairing, Historical, summer camp

Historical at this point includes the 1990s, right? So neon colors and fanny packs and kids wearing sun visors non-ironically, and while I’ve never been to a summer camp, I have been one of those unfortunate 8-year-olds who had to hike through the Rocky Mountains foothills because this was before the internet and everything remotely fun and it was the only way to keep kids from whapping each other with those little plastic braid things they had made earlier in the morning.Now imagine-- Carter Hutton and Colton Parayko are in charge of making sure these kids don’t stray off the trails. Colton will require at least 5 gallons of sunblock because altitude is a bitch and gets called a nerd for worrying about things like water and How to Interact with the Wild Safely. Carter is the ‘‘‘‘‘cool’‘‘‘ guide who tells kids that if they stick their hands out the shuttle’s windows their hands will fly off and makes this believable. Both of them split a 12-pack of Coors Lights and a dirty mag after the kids get popped back into school buses and swear to never do a off-season like this ever again but skis are expensive and they gotta feel the powderrrrr as soon as October hits