#so many great songs were robbed

[goldencherriess]

Eurovision, you did it again... You disappointed me once again.

Me basically the whole time the jury votes were announced:

[pamouche]

If I was able to choose, I’d choose you. Because you’ve always been my number one since the start.

- ayan to akk (in the first trailer of THE ECLIPSE)

[harrowscore]

a few days ago i (re)watched the 25th anniversary concert of les misérables and. oh god. i forgot how much this musical did éponine dirty

[firstofficerkittycat]

moffat shouldve hired me at age 10 to make amy and roryd relationship make sense due to the crack in the wall eating their lives and make river kill the doctor OF HER OWN VOLITION ON PURPOSE for tryna stop her killing hitler and make them fall in love by um fuckig uhhhj getting to know each other and id make the doctor cry more for thinking hes god and make clara not be ableist and give her way more of the good scenes that expand on her personality instead of just "yeah shes a teacher" and id make the doctor not destroy courtneys life for no reason and id give danny time to unlearn his troops r heroes shit but apart from that he's perfect and id put davros later in the season and kill clara in witches familiar where it wouldve been thee most descusting soul destroying dalek continuity timeloop of the century and id have a scene like 3-5 episodes after mummy on the orient express where perkins is seen leaving the tardis with the doctors sparkly little shirt on and id have bill never be told to calm down ever and have her OWN THEME PLAYING WHEN SHE IS SAVING THE WORLD SPECIFICALLY EXTENDED FROM 1:32 AND NOT TWELVES THEME AND NOT HAVE HIM BE LIKE OMG I SAVED THE WORLD WHILE SHE WAS LITERALLY RIGHT THERE SAVING THE WORLD but moffat said no ur ten. and now my name is megamind

moffat should of hired me to protect clara from him

[earlycuntsets]

My Chemical Romance's Ray Toro talks new album Danger Days

Ray Toro rocks out during a My Chemical Romance concert in Taiwan, 2008. © Nicky Loh/Reuters/Corbis

Intense? Oh yeah. Toro puts his hair into his playing. © Joel Auerbach/ZUMA/Corbis

With the upcoming release of Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys, My Chemical Romance are intent on building on the success they enjoyed with 2006's multi-platinum The Black Parade.

Already the album's first single from Danger Days, the memorably titled and positively bouncy Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na), is making a serious dent at radio. And the album as a whole is a joyride of exuberant, slamming rock that leaves a listener little time to catch one's breath - a far cry from the dark-tinged themes and musical soundscapes that made up The Black Parade.

Getting there wasn't so easy, however, for the New Jersey-based band, which consists of singer Gerard Way, his bassist brother Mikey, along with guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero (drummer Bob Bryar departed earlier this year). Throughout 2009, the group worked with producer Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine, Bruce Springsteen), desperately trying to reinvent themselves and capture magic...to no avail. At the beginning of 2010, the band made the painful (and no doubt costly) decision to shelve the album and start all over again, this time reuniting with Black Parade producer (and newly minted Warner Bros Records Label Group Chairman) Rob Cavallo.

"It was a hard decision to scrap the record we had made with Brendan, but in the end it was the right decision," says Toro "Nobody was feeling quite right about what we had done. There was no joy in the record. It had nothing to do with Brendan. We were the problem."

The difficulties in recording Danger Days the first time, is there anything specific you can point to?

"We were just burnt out. The touring schedule on The Black Parade was very hectic, and it probably went on six months longer than it should have. When we started talking about what the next album should be, we saw The Black Parade as the enemy - it was a big, theatrical rock record, and we were wearing the costumes and stuff. We wanted to go the other way.

"So we spent 2009 writing and recording and trying to do a real stripped-down record. I remember distinctly, whereas in the past I would have laid down a bunch of different guitar tracks, harmonies and stuff, this time I said, 'No, I can't do that.' After a while, it started to feel like I was going against my nature."

Did Brendan ever say to you guys, "This is good, but it's not great?"

"He was really trying; he did the best he could with us. He knew things weren't clicking, and he'd try to rally us. I remember he said, 'Hey, on some songs, I'd love to hear you do what you did on The Black Parade.' Because there wasn't any of the harmonized guitar parts or the stacking that I usually do. He was trying to get us to make one record, and we wanted to make something totally different.

"Musically, we wanted to go back to our basement. But just because we wanted to do something different didn't make it easy. In many ways, we felt as though we were holding ourselves back creatively. We were going through the motions. Some of the songs were good, but we weren't happy with all of them."

Did any songs from the original sessions make the finished album?

"Yeah, but we recut them. There's Bulletproof Heart, Party Poison and a song called The Only Hope For Me Is You. Those songs always excited us, so we weren't going to lose them."

Having worked with Rob Cavallo on The Black Parade, I assume he was the natural choice to come in after you tabled the first attempt at Danger Days.

"Rob's always been one of our biggest cheerleaders, and he and the rest of the guys at the label totally backed our decision to start over again. Originally, Rob came in to work on some mixes and see if he could help things along, but before long it became clear what we had to do.

"With Rob, we got the band back. We got out creative energy back. I think one of the problems with the sessions with Brendan was, we had already decided what the album should sound like, and in hindsight, you really can't do that. You have to let the music speak and be what it wants. We found our sound again, and it was exciting."

The record seems like a stark contrast to The Black Parade. It's more hopeful and upbeat.

"It's weird. That wasn't the goal at any point. I think it was just how we were feeling in the studio once we got back on track with Rob. In 2009, the record was kind of strange, and not everybody in the group was sold on what we were doing. Once we got going with Rob, like I said, our spark came back. So maybe that's why it sounds, you know, the way it does."

As a guitarist, who are your influences? Who did you listen to early on?

"Really, my biggest influence was my older brother, Louie. He was awesome, man. He was 17 or 18 when he started playing. I shared a bedroom with Louie and my other brother, Ed. And I just remember being in bed and hearing Louie play the guitar till all hours of the night and into two in the morning. He was great.

"That's how I first got into the guitar, from hearing and watching Louie. He was into Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Hendrix, Metallica, Motley Crue - a lot of classic rock with some metal thrown in. So I got into that stuff as well. He helped me out a lot. He had a stack of Guitar World magazines - I'd go through them and look at the tabs. Then I got more into guys like Jeff Beck and David Gilmour."

How did you develop your style into what it is now?

"I think it's a mixture, the classic rock and then more metal bands. Megadeth, Pantera, Metallica, Iron Maiden - I think I have more of a faster-riffing, minor-key kind of thing going on. Then, as I got older, I got into punk bands. So I mix it up: I love the attitude of punk, but I love the precision of a lot of the metal players."

With influences such as you mentioned, what kind of practice schedule do you adhere to? Punk players are more about vibe and spontaneity -

"I know what you're getting at. I definitely used to practice more. I think I found that the best middle ground is one where you're hitting your notes and feel comfortable on the fretboard, but you still want to leave room for attitude and freshness. Listen to a guy like Stevie Ray Vaughan, who's one of my favorites. He's a flawless player, but you hear the heart and soul there - he's reacting for the moment."

How did you come to join My Chemical Romance?

"It's funny. Gerard said that I was the best player he'd ever heard, which kind of floored me. I don't think that's true, but it was nice that he would say that. I didn't have to audition or anything. We were friends, so he already knew what I could do. I think he knew that I was always trying to push myself as a player.

"And I still am. I love searching for new lines and parts. Every song is a challenge. That's what keeps me excited. For instance, there's a song on the new record called Planetary (GO!), and I had to try to figure out how to make the guitar sound like a keyboard or a synthesizer. What I ended up doing was using an Electro-Harmonix POG, which is one of my favorite pedals. It's sick - you have all of these octaves to play with. So I found some great sounds to use there.

"On a song like Save Yourself, the playing is more precise, with heavy palm mutes on the verses. The solo is more of a pentatonic thing, kind of like what Kirk Hammett might play. So exploring all of those aspects but trying to keep it fresh and with a bit of a punk spirit is what keeps me going."

Two guitar bands are funny animals: one guy can't do what the other guy does. Do you find that you have to change your style or hold back in any way to play with Frank?

"No, not at all. I love playing with Frank. Our styles are very distinct. He's much more melodic than I am. If you listen to him, he's always harmonizing with or backing up the vocal melody. His guitar is more like another lead vocal. I guess I'm the 'lead guitarist' per se, but we're always swapping roles. Sometimes he does little leads on the choruses. He so free. He's got an energy that I find very inspiring."

In the past, you've played Les Pauls pretty exclusively. Are those still your go-to guitars?

"Yeah, definitely. But I'll tell you, recently I had the chance to play one of Jimi Hendrix's Strats. Totally mind-blowing! This guy, Jimmy from Mates Rehearsal Studios in California, has one - I had shown for practice, and I didn't have a guitar to play. So Jimmy let me play this Hendrix Strat that he got from Jimi's old guitar tech. The thing was beat to shit, but it was the best-playing guitar ever. I played it for a year - Jimmy let me use it in the studio. Man, I loved that. It was fucking awesome!

"Live, I'm still a Les Paul guy, but playing Jimi Hendrix's Strat really got me interested in Strats and other guitars. In fact, I'm in desperate search for the ultimate Tele to play. If I can find one, I'm there."

Lastly, let me ask you about your drummer situation. You recently got a new guy in…

"Well, not really. My Chem is a four-piece, and we're going to stay that way. We've been playing with Mike [Pedicone], who's a good friend of ours. He's terrific, but he's not an official member. I think we're going to stay a four-piece."

11/18/2010 joe bosso with music radar ray toro interview

[postpunkindustrial]

Plasmatics – Pier 62! VHS tape.

Here is the VHS Tape of in the Fall of 1980 The Plasmatics blew up a pier or blew stuff up on a pier.

Here is guitarist Richie Stotts describing it to journalist Joel Gausten from his blog

“We got a permit from New York City to film a movie, and we were gonna do it on the Pier. We built a stage out there. A real freakin’ stage. It was five feet high and made of plywood, which cost a lot of money. Then we built all phony stage amps and stuff. Even the guitars we played were not really real. Then we went to the studio and recorded the songs we were gonna play. The recorded them without the vocals, because Wendy was gonna sing live. Then we had to get a PA system out there to play the music. Then we had a ramp going off the stage, and behind the stage was the end of the pier and the Hudson River. In the meantime, we didn’t tell New York City that we put posters all around saying that there was going to be a free concert by the Plasmatics. Then we invited Chuck Scarborough and those characters from ABC, NBC, CBS to come down. We did a press release. So we built the stage a couple days before. I built part of that stage, hammering the freakin’ shit in. We built a drum riser, got a cheap drum set, threw it up there. The plan was for us to do the songs, and Wendy would go to the front of the pier, get in the Cadillac, drive the car at us and go up the ramp. Then we’d jump off the stage, everything would explode and the car would hit this barrier in the back. It was a real Cadillac, and we wanted to use that for our next show. We buy these cars, and then we’d drive them to the show and blow them up. Later on, we got a great pyro guy named 'Pyro Pete,' but before him we had a guy named Rob. We didn’t know much about pyro, but Swenson thought Rob was taking care of it. And all Rob did was have 10-gallon tanks cut in half under the stage, and he just poured gasoline in them. This was not what we expected. If the fire department had seen that, it would have been all off. There was a tiff before the show, because we were all nervous. It was wild, because so many people came. My parents actually came to this thing. We rented a helicopter, so we’d come down in the helicopter. We came down and it looked like Woodstock. It was just jam-packed. The police department was there; the fire department was there. It was really exciting, and really exciting because we didn’t really have to worry about playing because it was already taped. (laughs) We went down there, and we played these songs and it was great. Wendy goes and gets the car, drives the car up the stage, jumps out and everybody’s fine. The car goes up the ramp, but doesn’t go up the ramp the way we thought it would. The whole stage blew up, the gasoline tanks worked…but the car just kept going and went right into the river. The whole thing was great!”

You can get the video from my Google Drive HERE

[joesalw]

Not her coming out with an album with a long ass title. She wants to be Lana so bad. SZA was robbed for AOTY, Kelly Clarkson was robbed for best pop VOCAL album (I mean, c'mon now).

Scammys are constantly snubbing Black creators in the major categories. Only 3 black women have won AOTY in the 66 years of the Grammys existence. Two of those albums were cover albums of mainly white acts ( Unforgettable...with Love by Natalie Cole and The Bodyguard Soundtrack by Whitney Houston). The last BW that won AOTY was Lauryn Hill's "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" which won 25 YEARS AGO.Even Mariah Carey hadn't won this category. What baffles me the most is the fact that the most awarded artist in the Grammys history hadn't won a single one AOTY and only has 1 (ONE!) award from the big 4 (Record of the year, Song of the Year, Album of the year and best new artist). She'd won it for Single Ladies. Out of all the hit songs she has, that was the only one that got awarded (imo one of her worst songs).

Renaissance got snubbed last year. And this year we see a tendency of streaming artists (Ariana's newest song comes to mind first) following the Renaissance's sound and house music's becoming trendy again. The Grammy voters even said 'We didn't vote for Beyonce on AOTY because she's won too many already'. Too many my ass. This woman's won only one Grammy outside of the genre category. And the genre categories they put black and brown people in are truly outrageous. No matter what they do, no matter how many new sounds and sub genres they invent, they will always be boxed into R&B and Urban categories. I mean, her country song from 'Lemonade' album 'Daddy Lessons' got snubbed in the country category and got rejected a nomination for being 'not country enough'. Bitch, please. From the first five seconds it's obvious to even non-country listener that it in fact, is a country song. And people that vote for this stuff are supposedly professional musicians and music experts. These same people box The Weeknd's music into R&B categories when he's clearly making pop music.

Jay-Z's speech was just a cherry on top for me. After Swift in her acceptance speech said that " I want to say 'thank you' to the members of the recording academy for voting this way but I know that the way that the recording academy voted is a direct reflection of the passion of the fans" while smugly polishing the Grammy, this man went on stage to get his lifetime achievement thingy and completely obliterated the same institution that Swift was ass kissing just a few minutes prior. He went on and said: " We want y'all to get it right. At least get it close to right. And obviously it's subjective because it's music and it's opinion based. [About his wife] She has more Grammys than everyone and never won AOTY so even by your own metrics that doesn't work. Think about that: the most Grammys, never won AOTY. That doesn't work. Some of you are going to go home tonight and feel like you've been robbed. Some of you may get robbed, some of you don't belong in the category. *everyone gags* No, no. When I get nervous... I tell the truth. But outside of that, we got to keep showing up. And forget the Grammys for a second, just in life, you gotta keep showing up until they give you all those accolades you feel you deserve, until they call you chairman, until they call you a genius, until they call you the greatest of all time". To me that sounds like "POC have to work twice as hard to get half as far". Not a big Jay fan but the speech was great. I'm sure he got his ass whooped on the way home for saying that.

Then the Grammys have proven him right by celebrating white mediocrity by giving Midnights AOTY. The outrageous thing is, only three Black women have won AOTY, she now has four. And many talented black people don't have a single one. The bodies of work that transcend genres, cultures and languages. The bodies of work that have much better musical components and lyrical content. The bodies of work that can stand the test of times and sound fresh and new even 10 years after their release. Artists that aren't afraid to step out of their comfort zone, experiment with genres (Whatever Swift calls 'experiments' don't go outside of the pop genre (Country-pop (Red), synth-pop (1989, Lover), electropop (rep, Lover), acoustic pop and alt-pop (Folkmore)). Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, TLC, Missy Elliott, Usher, Kanye (his artistic side), Alicia Keys, Lil Wayne, Frank Ocean, and many more black music creators deserve their flowers. They are the ones that are inventing new shit and setting trends in various genres of music, they are the ones that put the most effort into their presentation and live performances. I'm sick and tired of the major showbiz institutions overlooking black, brown, asian, indigenous excellence. These people deserve to be rewarded for their hard work in the same capacity these institutions reward white (anglo) people. I'm sick of people celebrating white mediocrity and overlooking art of different cultures, ethnicities, races.

Now she's gonna be insufferable for at least another year. I've been listening and enjoying her music for the past 5-6 years (not a fan but a casual listener) for the lyrical content of her songs but she's not a poet in any way. Lana's been a staple for me in that regard. And the fact that she dragged her on stage to have that "Adele to Beyonce" moment just gave me the ick. I wouldn't be surprised if Swifties are taking Jay-Z's speech as a sub for TS's wins (haven't gone on twitter yet). I mean, if the shoe fits. Also wouldn't be surprised if she herself took it as a jab to her ego. She's also clearly drunk and possibly on some ❄️ (just my opinion). The only deserved AOTY she has is the Folklore one. And don't get me started on her EMMY win. The fact that a visual masterpieces like Lemonade and Homecoming lost to Carpool Karaoke is absolutely absurd to me. Also the fact that her visual album for her "Lion King" project wasn't even nominated when every single one of those in the category were comedy specials is especially infuriating (If anyone's interested, some of the music videos are up on Youtube). And Swift comes along and swoops up hers in a bullshit category with no actual nominees? Nah, things don't work like that. Or at least, they shouldn't.

Anyway, SZA and Lana were robbed. Victoria Monet's won Best New Artist, Miley got her first win, Phoebe Bridgers went home with the most wins of the night and everyone only talks about Taylor Swift. I'm patiently waiting for the tower to fall. She desperately needs a reality check. This drunkard didn't even acknowledge Celine Dion who handed her the award. I mean, she didn't even look at her. But proceeded to have a cringe and unnecessary handshake with Jack Antonoff. You're in a professional setting, behave like an adult and save those handshakes for the afterparty or do it behind the stage after giving a speech. She proceeded to drag Lana on stage to the point where she was trying not to fall. At this point I'm convinced that swifties have brainwashed her into the thinking that the nicest thing she can do for someone is grace them with her presence. Ana Clara's family serves as a great example.

Her hair was a miss, she looked like she was wearing a wedding gown and the black gloves didn't help. Her make up made her look old. Her accessories were excessive and tacky and it looked like she was also wearing hip pads, shoes were giving late 00s-early 10s. Overall, fire the whole styling team. You're a global superstar that's a billionaire and you look cheap as fuck.

TL;DR : She shouldn't have won. Lana and SZA were robbed. She once again made the night about herself and her narcissism peaked in the moments where she'd accepted her awards. Black creators are criminally overlooked. She ass kissed the grammy voters and Jay-Z shamed them just a few minutes later and was right. She needs to get rid of her stylist, hair stylist and make up artist. Another drunk award show. Beyonce should have at least one AOTY. Sick and tired of people celebrating white mediocrity in show business.

Sorry for the long ass paragraph, just felt like it was a safe space to vent 💜

you guys can vent all you want. I'm here for it🤏

[sirenlulls]

satellite → r. keating (b. skeetz)

pairings — robert keating x fem!reader

summary — what bobby skeetz would be like as your annoying boyfriend <3

spinning out, waiting for you to pull me in. i can see you're lonely down there. don't you know that i am right here?

i feel like you'd be a long-term relationship (like teenage years long term)

ik they went to some fancy all boys school so let's say you went to an all girls school near theirs that would often go on trips together (pls tell me that wasn't just my school that did that)

either that of you'd meet through extra curriculars or overlapping friend groups

EITHER WAY met when ye were young (13-14) and got together when ye were 16-17

tbh most people thought you'd only last a few months bcs it was a teenage relationship after all but you're so chill with each other that it became very clear very quick that ye were just different

major "my girlfriend's my best friend" vibes

because of that, every inhaler fan knows you

you're no longer referred to by your name

you're just "mother" now

it's low-key a problem

like in any of your instagram posts or cute little tiktoks, at least half of the comments have a silly little inhaler pfp and are calling you mother

anyways

he's so annoying

definitely a very playful relationship

mocking eachother and all that

telling anyone else (outside your friendgroup) to fuck off if they do the same

he himself wouldn't be very public with the relationship

like you wouldn't be the face of every instagram post but you'd be in a story every few weeks and you'd pop up in the middle of a photo dump here and there

the inhaler_on_tik account however....

fans play where's wally with you in the tiktoks

usually hiding in a window reflection or the hem of your jacket poking into frame

enough to know you're there

you'd be best friends with all the fans

gigs are your opportunity to make new friends

they all adore you

so many fan tiktoks from gigs just have you dancing away with them

they'd bring you flowers <3

but yeah even if bobby himself doesn't post you a lot, fans would get pictures of you two together and they'd be so cute 😭

most of them are taken before gigs when he's helping you out of the bus or ye're walking into the venue together

but someone got a picture of you two once at some silly little market in spain and you were looking at flowers and he was looking at you

they posted it to tiktok and you asked them to send it to you

it was your lockscreen for a bit x

BIRD BINGO!!!

if you're ever traveling without him, you'd take pictures of any birds you pass and send them onto him

i really need to make sure it's known that he'd be annoying

like imagine you're just lying in bed, reading or on your phone, and he just bellyflops on top of you

no warning

no escape

you're trapped

i said the same in my eli headcanons but i don't really get spooning vibes from him

no matter what way you fall asleep, at least some part of him will be touching you

whether he's full on wrapped around you or just got an arm thrown over your torso

it helps him sleep better

you're best friends with the band ofc

i mean, you practically grew up together

you and rob never have a moment of peace with them on tour

you could be curled up in bed, and all of a sudden, elijah's busting down your door and lying down beside ye to tell you about a new song idea

you finally think you're free for a moment having a smoke by the back of the bus? nope, ryan's there now purely because he wanted to annoy ye

josh is nice on ye though (not really) (he makes fun of ye all the time) (he's my little pookie bear angel) (he can do no wrong)

they love having you around

and even if you leave the tour bus to get some snacks and come back to them trying on your dresses and robert doing josh's eyeliner you love having them around too

you're starting to get the mother thing

they do feel like you're hyperactive little children

bobby skeetz, the man that you are, you'd be a great boyfriend

[kyokikia]

Im curious, do people even write for uta? Do people like uta at all?? If you cant tell, she's my favorite female character! I dont see anyone talking about her 😭😭

i might write for her if someone requests it (when requests are back open) but she might be the only one piece female i would ever write for so, sorry for that

Has anyone else on here watched film red? I wanna talk about it with someone because its one of my favorite movies, currently listening to new genesis as i speak (ado's singing was HEAVENLY in the movie)

Ado's singing is so heavenly, and she honestly captured the supposed greatness of uta's voice PERFECTLY. I watched the movie in sub so i couldnt hear amalee dubbing uts, but honestly, i listened to amalee's covers of the songs, and i think the dub watchers were robbed from hearing amalee's covers. She covered all the songs PERFECTLY! She did the spell part of tot musica perfectly aswell and i adore Amalee's and Ado's works so much!

SPOILERS UNDER KEEP READING FOR ONE PIECE: FILM RED

I think she's a little crazy but i love her a lot, what she did in the movie is honestly justifiable. I love her design so much, i wanna cosplay her but i got my bills to pay 😭 i'll do it once i get extra money tho, anyway, i feel so bad for her because for years she thought that shanks had abandoned her but turns out she was manipulated into singing tot musica by the people of Elegia 😭 i feel so bad knowing on how much she probably blamed herself for what happened but it wasnt her fault at all

Shanks is so selfless i swear, the way he just chose to take the blame instead so uta wouldn't blame herself and so she could make other people happy with her voice aswell 😭♥️

Watching uta descend into madness, as her mental health and physical state reach its absolute lowest was so heartbreaking (but the movie was so cool to watch!)

As you probably know, the wakeshrooms cause the person who eats them to stay awake until they die, and makes them more aggravated and brings out their negative emotions more, so i can see why she became more deranged as the movie went on. i feel so bad for her she deserves better 😭 i see why she was driven into madness after meeting shanks after all those years

Being kept on that island for so many years mustve been so depressing, so she was in a bad mental state most of her life. Kept alone, isolated with the entire world other than Gordon, not knowing anything going on in the world is so sad

I can see why she hates pirates so much, seeing as she cares so much about her fans (that she would trap them in the sing sing world just so they wouldnt have to deal with pirates anymore and for a 'new era' which she had good intentions with, but honestly it wasnt that great of an idea) she had the idea that all pirates were bad, and seeing all her fans sending her video mail about it probably amplified her hatred.

I took notice on how by the time uta had to sing tot musica, she was in her absolute worst mental and physical state, some of the words were linked together some words were messed up, i think ado captured on how much of a terrible state uta was in by the time she was forced to sing the song perfectly, i adore ado's singing in film red so much

I might've misunderstood uta honestly, i might've done her wrong in this post, i also realize this entire post is a rant but oh well i honestly just wanted to talk about her, anyone wanna tell me their thoughts on film red?

[wormdebut]

!!!!! 6 for the wrapped blurb? A way to honor the song that didn't quite make it 🕯🖤

Hi there Vec! Six on my Spotify Wrapped was You Only Live Once by Suicide Silence. This one was actually super difficult for me to figure out, but We did it! Enjoy!

----

It's your heart that's beating inside that keeps us alive.

----

"Hey, Steve?" Eddie whispers, from his hospital bed and Steve freezes. He was headed out for the night. He wonders if Eddie remembers.

'Hey Steve--Make him pay.'

He's got to right? Steve hasn't stopped remembering it.

Steve whips his head around--no he's not eager to keep talking to Eddie. Leave him alone.

Eddie smiles. It's a small thing, but its been a week and half since--everything. Steve has thought about a lot of things. He's talked to Robin about a lot of things. It's been a week and a half since Steve Harrington carried Eddie Munson out of the upside down, hanging on by a fucking thread.

It's been two days since he opened his (very pretty) eyes and Steve is struggling.

Steve inhales, letting out a quick, "Yeah?"

That soft smile on Eddie's face, grows. He's still healing, but it's good to see him smiling. "I'm glad you made it out okay, Harrington."

Steve doesn't love that. Simply because, he's about to walk out of here, on two working legs. He's about to walk out of here, and go to his big as hell, empty fucking mansion and Eddie is lying in a hospital bed, with tubes all over his body, hooked to far too many electrical devices and Eddie is telling Steve that he's glad he's alright.

And yet-- "I'm glad you made it out okay too, Munson." Steve returns Eddie's smile.

Eddie cocks his head. "I'll see you soon?"

'I'll be back tomorrow', Steve thinks. He doesn't say that though. He just nods his head once. "Yeah, Eds. I'll see you soon."

——

Things are fine. Eddie keeps coming over to Steve's house--of course he does. Steve keeps inviting him. Steve just can't get over the fact that Eddie keeps saying yes.

They're doing what they usually do, these days, lounging by the pool--absolutely not swimming, thank you very much--smoking weed and just existing.

Steve is quite happy with the way things are going. He just wishes he could fucking say something. Anything.

Eddie pulls him out of his thoughts.

"Does it ever get any better?" Eddie asks and Steve raises an eyebrow. Eddie continues, "Living with knowing? Knowing that there's a real actual hell just--underneath our fucking feet? Knowing that people are as evil and twisted as I always thought they were? Knowing that the people of Hawkins are safe because of a bunch of teenage nerds? Does it--" Eddie pauses, turning his stupid (very pretty) wide eyes up to meet Steve's "--ever start making sense?"

Steve stares back into Eddie's eyes for a minute--he is high, leave him alone--before shaking his head.

"Better? No, I don't really think so--but, you have people who know what you do. You have people who went through what you went through. We stick together. Does it get any better? I don't really think so--but, it does get easier."

Eddie's face goes soft, his smile is that sweet thing again and it makes Steve's heart, ache. "Having you makes it easier I think."

Steve feels the color that rushes to his cheeks. "Yeah, well--you've got me."

——

He's going to go insane. It's been three months and things with Eddie are fine. They are fine, and nothing is changing and--well--except for--okay…so maybe they--Look. Listen. Eddie is a tactile guy and Steve does not mind. Maybe they cuddle on Steve's dumb couch everyone in a dumb while, but that's--Eddie isn't making any moves, and Steve doesn't know if he should--and--

And and and--

"Rob, I don't know what to do." Steve whines over the phone line.

"Oh my god Steve. I leave for the weekend. The weekend, Steven Augustus." She sighs. She has to go pulling out the pretentious middle name. Cool. Great. "Just--" she sighs, "just talk to him--or--"

"Or what Robin Evangeline?" Steve fights back. Robin has a pretentious middle name too.

Robin scoffs. "Okay, first of all? That's fuckin' rude. Point B? Just--I dunno--kiss him about it or something."

Steve laughs--cackles really. "Oh yeah, I'll just kiss him real quick and it should fix everything right?"

Robin sighs. "I don't know Steve. You only live once--and honestly? The fact that you and Eddie for that matter are still breathing is pretty fucking phenomenal and--You just--you--life is too short to worry about the what ifs. Talk to him, kiss him, fuck him. I don't care. Just--do something about it."

----

Steve watches as Eddie slings his jacket over his shoulders. He's just gonna let him walk out of his house again.

"Hey, Eddie?" Steve breathes. Eddie turns, that soft smile--the smile Steve thinks is maybe meant for him--on his plush lips.

Steve takes a breath and then grabs Eddie's arm, pulling them chest to chest. He almost loses his cool when they lock eyes. Eddie's are wide and searching.

Steve is done searching he knows what he wants. He leans forward, crashing his lips to Eddies.

Eddie kisses back.

----

You only live once, so just go fucking nuts!

[black-arcana]

SIMONE SIMONS Says Upcoming EPICA Album Is 'All About Reinventing Yourself'

In a new interview with Mexico's Euphonico, vocalist of Simone Simons of Dutch symphonic metallers EPICA confirmed that she and her bandmates have completed work on the follow-up to 2021's "Omega" album. Regarding the inspiration for the LP's first single, "Arcana", she said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it was kind of a lot of things coming together. Rob [Van Der Loo, EPICA bassist] and I are, besides colleagues, we're also really good friends. And he had a deck of tarot cards with him. And I thought, 'Just for the fun of it, let's do a session. Let me draw some cards and then you explain to me what they mean.' And it was a very enlightening experience, I guess. The song, the music was also written by Rob. And then I came up with the idea, like, 'What if I write a song that's kind of inspired by the meaning of the tarot cards and the session that I had with him and what I think it meant for me at that time in my life and where I am now?' So, yeah, it's a very — how do you say? — soul-searching kind of topic, and that's something EPICA has been writing about for quite a while, but so far we haven't touched on the tarot subject. So I thought this could be a cool topic to integrate in the new album, which is all about reinventing yourself, like a rebirth, renewing yourself. So it kind of a cool thing to draw inspiration from."

Elaborating on the writing and recording process for EPICA's upcoming album, Simone said: "I think 'Arcana' was one of the songs that came together quite quickly. We had many writing camp sessions in Holland. We rented a house where we were meeting a couple times for, like, a week in a row, and we were all just sitting together. And Rob had also kind of a clear view of what he wanted vocal-wise, and then he just let me do my thing. And it went very naturally to write the lyrics.

"The vocal recordings [for the new EPICA album] took place in the summertime, which is a good time to do so because autumn [and] winter is a time when everybody gets sick," she explained. "So, for me, it's great if I'm in the summer in the studio, so I'm in a good shape or not running a risk of getting a cold and that it affects the voice, because I did have to record albums back in the day where I did get sick. And luckily you can't hear it. I know which songs are the ones. But it was a very smooth process. We worked together with the same producer, Joost Van Den Broek, who became a little bit like the seventh EPICA bandmember. And it's great working with him. Yeah, we were diving into all the little details and we were really concentrated on making the songs as a band together.

"I think people that don't know EPICA, they don't know that we don't live in the same village," Simone added. "We live, actually, in four different countries. So for us to get together and really work on the songs is tricky. And we started doing that already for 'Omega', and we really liked that, to clear our touring schedule, because we tour a lot and to really be there together and not everybody at home in their home studios. You get a total different result if everybody's there in the same room; you feed off each other's creativity, and that's very beneficiary for the songs."

Asked if there is a main songwriter in EPICA or if everybody contributes to the songwriting process, Simone said: "Everybody gets to write songs. And some songs, I think the guys did write demo songs on their own, because we all have our home studios, and when we were together in the writing camp, then we were sparring off ideas and sending each other the files, and then everybody was working on a random song at the same time. There was a funny moment where, I think, Coen [Janssen, EPICA keyboardist], Ariën [Van Weesenbeek, EPICA drummer], Rob and I were sitting in the living room area, but kind of far apart from each other, and Coen was working on a song and he thought he had his headphones plugged in, but it was running out of the speakers. And then we said, 'Oh, cool. That sounds great. Which song are you working on?' And he was, like, 'Oh shit, you guys could hear what I was working on.' So it was everybody in different rooms. Isaac [Delahaye, EPICA guitarist] was in the attic playing the guitar, and I had to wait until very late before I could go sleep 'cause he went on writing music, recording guitars until almost one o'clock in the morning. But it was a really lovely experience. And everybody gets to write songs and everybody gets to work on those songs. So, we all put our little own salsa on the songs. [Laughs]"

"Arcana" marked EPICA's first new release since "Omega" and the collaboration EP "The Alchemy Project".

The single is now available on all streaming platforms. It also includes "The Ghost In Me (Danse Macabre)", EPICA's recently released collaboration with Europe's second-most visited theme park, Netherlands's magical De Efteling, and their much-anticipated new attraction, Danse Macabre.

The previously released music video for "Arcana", directed by Remko Tielemans, can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Spain's Mariskal Rock, Simone stated about EPICA's upcoming album: "I'm so happy with the songs, I'm so proud how everything turned out and it's gonna be another amazing EPICA album. We added a couple of new elements, but also went back to the roots, the old EPICA. And yeah, I just can't wait for people to hear this.

"I loved 'Omega' and we toured so much with 'Omega' and had wonderful experiences, but then when you reach the end of a touring cycle, you start to get itchy and feel, 'Okay, now it's time to do the new album. Can we do it as good or maybe even better than the last album?' That's always the thing we strive for, ways to renew ourselves a little bit. And we feel a very strong spiritual connection also that it's our ninth album. So there's gonna be themes around the symbolic meaning of nine, the number nine."

Elaborating on the musical direction of EPICA's next album, Simone said: "The songs are heavy. There's a beautiful ballad, a very cinematic song, very uptempo, very doomy, melancholic and amazing, amazing power riffs. It's the most epic EPICA, I think, so far. Yeah, I think so. I mean, I'm feeling it. I'm very happy with it. I'm proud of it."

In November 2022, EPICA released "The Alchemy Project" through Atomic Fire Records. The EP was co-written and performed with diverse guests ranging from extremists like FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, Niilo Sevänen (INSOMNIUM) and Björn "Speed" Strid (SOILWORK) along with melodic masters like Tommy Karevik (KAMELOT),keyboard legend Phil Lanzon (URIAH HEEP) and Roel Van Helden (POWERWOLF) to a once-in-a-lifetime song with Simons, Charlotte Wessels and Myrkur.

Just one day after the release of its anniversary reissues "We Still Take You With Us" and "Live At Paradiso", EPICA celebrated 20 years of existence live in September 2022 at 013 in Tilburg, Netherlands, the same place where they played their first show (supporting ANATHEMA) back in 2002.

EPICA was formed by guitarist Mark Jansen after leaving AFTER FOREVER in 2002, and the band quickly gained attention outside their home country, taking big steps towards becoming the leading symphonic metal superpower they have long proven to be. After their ambitious debut "The Phantom Agony" (2002) and the surprisingly eclectic sophomore work "Consign To Oblivion" (2005),the road took them to new heights via their first concept masterpiece "The Divine Conspiracy" (2007) and their global breakthrough "Design Your Universe" (2009). 2012's opus "Requiem For The Indifferent", 2014's bedazzling "The Quantum Enigma" and "The Holographic Principle" (2016),cemented their reputation as not only one of the hardest-working metal bands in the business but also as one of the best. With "Omega", the final part of the metaphysical trilogy they began with "The Quantum Enigma", they reclaimed the throne without so much as the blink of an eye, amassing three million-plus streams during the first week of the album's release.

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe

[lara635kookie]

I didn't even watch "WISH" yet because in my country it will only be available at january, but people are saying it's a bad cliche so I probably won't watch at the cinema.

The thing is, even though I am a hopeless romantic, not everything has to have romance. There are princess who are perfectly fine without a prince, like Mirabel, Elsa, Merida, Moana and Raya(I do kinda like the idea of Raya with a girl, just not Namaari). But we were so robbed of seeing Asha and the star boy(he is literally a staR so I don't doubt Disney would call him StaN or something like that, so his name is Stan from now on, I am gonna call him like that, is easier than star boy). Asha and Stan had the potential to be the next Tianaveen and Rapunzel&Eugene (I don't know their ship name). The concept arts are the cutest thing I have ever seen. Also "At All Costs" (bop) would have been a love song between the two!!! Them singing it man. The pain I will feel when I don't see them passionately sing it, very "I see the light" coded, in the actual movie. Somehow, now is not feminist for a strong female character to have a male partner by her side. Like...This doesn't make sense! You can be a strong female character and have a man at the same time! Have y'all forgotten Mulan and Shang? Anna and Kristoff? Ariel and Eric? Jasmine and Aladdin? (There are more examples and I could go on all day, but you got what I meant already) I hate Disney for throwing good ideas at the trash and playing safe just for money(like Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk said "it's a metaphor for capitalism"). And as the guy looked blonde with blue/green eyes in the arts I have seen, and Asha is a black latina, they lost the opportunity of having a biracial couple ACTUALLY DONE RIGHT (Pocahontas and John Smith don't count, he is a collonizer with the most common name in the world, she deserves so much better). Like, if the thing is show how inclusive you are by having a black latina female protagonist for little girls to see and feel represented in a good way, you could have increased that feeling by making someone fall in love for her. Little girls would feel like they are beautiful and desired/desireable in a positive way and that they worthy of being loved and love and be with whoever they want to be with, even someone who has a different skin color.

I am also mad because we could have seen Disney's first evil villain COUPLE with King Magnifico and his wife, the queen(still don't know her name, sorry). Can't you guys imagine the HITS, THE FIRST PLACE OF BILLBOARD HOT 100 WORTHY songs, they would proportionate us? Even if only one song, it would be enough for me. But someone thought having a female villain would be anti-feminist and they discarded an original and authentic idea, which is what Disney built its empire on the first place. Come on Disney minorities don't want to be portrayed as those unrealistic superior beings, they want to be portrayed as real human beings with emotions, struggles, qualities and flaws. Having an iconic female villain like you guys always had(like Maleficent, Cruella De Vil, Ursula, Mother Gothel, Lady Tremaine, etc) and set her up with an iconic male villain(like Gaston, Doctor Facilier, Shan Yu, Jafar, Hans, etc) it would have been top notch, god tier. King Magnifico and the queen could have been like the Gomez and Morticia of evil. You could address so many topics by it. Like the kingdom being ruled by evil would have been a great social critic of some politicians out there, for example. And we could have had an iconic final boss battle between Asha and Stan VS Magnifico and the queen.

Anyway, what I mean by this is that if someone has fanarts or just ANY CONTENT, of Asha and Stan, tag me, reblog this or comment, I don't care, just warn me, because they are my new obsession. I will also write a fanfic about this movie with these ideas, but only after I have watched the movie so until them, please feed my hyperfixation in Stasha (Star boy/Stan×Asha), I'm begging y'all

[erijuice]

appreciation post for the little mermaid (2023) 🧜‍♀️🐠🌊

i can still remember the massive global hype for the live-action little mermaid because it was one of the very few live-action remakes that had the potential to be something great.

in may 2023, all eyes, i mean ALL EYES were on halle bailey. she was the most perfect person to portray ariel. her operatic, otherworldly singing voice, her adorable charm, her youthful spirit, but also her feistiness and passion. she carried the right mix of sweetness and fierceness to play ariel. i'm so happy this movie gave her a massive boost in popularity, and people got to appreciate her wonderful voice and her spirit. i hope she gets to show the movie to her son when he's older!

when she first got casted, im not sure if i remember how i felt but i had this feeling of surprise, i was like "YESSS FINALLY HALLE BAILEY IS GONNA DOMINATE THE WORLD!!!". i've always known chloe x halle since 2016, so i was going to be ride-or-die for this movie, and for halle. taking on such an iconic 35-year-old character carried a huge responsibility, and i'm so relieved the disney fandom embraced her with open arms.

the first time i saw the movie in a theater, i was in awe of rob marshall's directing and the melodious amalgam of alan menken and lin manuel miranda's combined sounds. it was the very first time they've collaborated for anything! (and yes i'm still mad that triton's new song got cut from the movie).

now, the "part of your world" scene. holy god. where do i even start with this? this was FUCKING INCREDIBLE. it's a song that everyone can relate to in so many ways. when i first saw the scene during d23 expo night in 2022, i was completely floored. halle bailey perfectly balanced all these emotions of joy, curiosity, passion, anger, frustration and discomfort, wanting for things to change, desperate to leave her world behind. it was a passionate plea, a desperate cry for help. she was shouting it out into the universe, everything she wanted for her life and her future, and everything that made ariel as a character. one of the top tier movie scenes of 2023 for me.

im so happy disney casted another unknown actor in jonah hauer-king, his solo song "wild uncharted waters" was everything! the chemistry between jonah and ariel was just so charming and i cried big time, i almost wanted to jump out of my seat when they kissed. OH AND THAT SCENE WHERE ARIEL GOT ERIC TO PRONOUNCE HER NAME WAS JUST UGGHHHH SO CUTE.

daveed diggs was freaking hilarious as thomas jefferson in hamilton, he was the true comedic backbone of the movie (sorry awkwafina). his portrayal of sebastian was younger, more original, i love his version more. i also love the all the added lore in the movie, from the coral moon to the mermaids' siren songs to the brother-sister relationship of triton and ursula. you can learn more about the worldbuilding in the tie-in guide to merfolk book.

all in all, to me, the live-action little mermaid meant everything to me, as a black girl who loved the original animated movie since childhood, and as a disney fan who believed in this re-adaptation from the very adapation. in spite of everything, i still have some pretty high hopes for snow white. rachel zegler and halle bailey will always be my disney princesses.

GOD BLESS YOU ROB MARSHALL FOR THIS MASTERPIECE!!

[louisminyard]

From Rolling Stone:

The Untamed Heart of Liam Payne

Mourning the kid brother of One Direction

By Rob Sheffield

October 17, 2024

The first night Liam Payne ever did a headlining solo show, the One Direction song he sang was a deep cut: “History.” It’s not the most famous 1D song, but it’s one of their most direct statements about the bond they shared with their audience. Liam surprised the crowd with it on that first night, at New York’s Beacon Theatre in June 2018, complete with a video montage of One Direction over the years, as he sang, “You and me got a whole lot of history/We could be the greatest team that the world has ever seen.” For some reason, that’s the first song I turned to at the shocking news of Liam’s death on Tuesday. There are so many clips of Liam singing “History” in his solo shows, openly inviting the audience to celebrate that history with him. He always let them take over and sing the final hook by themselves: “We can live forever!”

“History” might seem like an odd way to kick-start your solo career, but it was a very Liam gesture — his way of keeping faith with everything that he, the band, and their fans built together. He honored the history they shared — but also the history everybody hoped he still had ahead of him. That open-hearted warmth was there in his songs, his voice, his effervescent onstage presence — that’s why so many people felt a deep personal connection with him, and kept rooting for him.

And that’s why the world is grieving for Liam Payne today, after the tragic and heartbreaking news about his death, after falling from a third-floor hotel-room balcony in Buenos Aires. He was only 31. The circumstances of his death are still mysterious. He was the 1D member who struggled most after the group ended. But something about Liam made it easy to hold out hope that he’d make it. He had a lot more to give, more history to make.

One Direction were a brotherhood — even when they were a troubled and pained brotherhood — with five very different personalities and aesthetics thrown together into an accidentally perfect combination. Liam always came on like the kid brother of the group, with his boyish air of vulnerability and eager-puppy live enthusiasm. He was the one who seemed totally guileless, wearing his heart on his sleeve.

That spirit was always there when he sang — you could hear something bruised and unguarded in his voice. In the 2013 classic “Story of My Life,” a hit he co-wrote, Liam sings the most pained lines alone: “She told me in the morning she don’t feel the same about us in her bones/It seems to me that when I die these words will be written on my stone.” As in so many 1D songs, the boys tell the story together, tossing the mic back and forth. In the video, there’s a childhood photo of Liam posing with his family, then morphing into the adult Liam, gazing into the mirror as he sings the key line, “Although I am broken, my heart is untamed still.” It’s a moment that encapsulates everything people loved and connected to about him.

One Direction were never just a boy band. They were a whole new paradigm for a pop group, and Liam was a crucial reason why. Instead of doing corny choreographed steps, they gave one another room to explore their individual voices. Niall Horan had his Irish folk-music affinities; Louis Tomlinson had his Brit-pop rock-star swagger, as if he’d just stepped off the Oasis tour bus; Zayn Malik quit to pursue his hip-hop and R&B style. As for Harry Styles, he decided to turn into Stevie Nicks times Bowie times the Stones times Elton times Joni, before taking off into his own solo stratosphere.

Liam seemed like the baby of the bunch at first, yet he became an ace songwriter, from the cocky pop punk of “No Control” to the heartache of “Fireproof.” When 1D made three of the all-time great pop albums in a mad rush — Midnight Memories in 2013, Four in 2014, Made in the A.M. in 2015 — they were often singing Liam tunes. He became a major creative force, co-writing gems like “Diana,” “Little Black Dress,” “Fool’s Gold,” “Steal My Girl,” “Clouds,” and “History.”

One Direction formed on TV, on the U.K. X Factor with Simon Cowell. As everybody knows, TV singing contests are never the start of a promising group — maybe with solo artists, you might get a long shot like Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood or Adam Lambert, but not groups. Nobody expected greatness from 1D — they didn’t even win X Factor. (Liam’s big solo songs on the show were the lounge standards “Fly Me to the Moon” and “Cry Me a River.”) Even people who loved their debut hit, “What Makes You Beautiful” — and everybody loved it — assumed these lads were just destined for a year or so of boy-band radio fun. But they built a unique bond with their fans. Liam always had his own exuberant charm live, a bit of a cheerleader, but intent on making a direct connection with the crowd. “You’re the greatest fans in the world because you all fell in love with a song called ‘No Control,’” Liam yelled at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, on 1D’s legendary 2015 tour, one of the best live shows I’ve ever witnessed. “You made it your own!”

Liam wasn’t the biggest One Direction fan in One Direction — that would be Niall — and admitted he often had trouble getting along with the others. But he was deeply attached to the group identity, and he was the one who had the toughest time moving on. 1D went on an alleged hiatus in 2015, a charade that dragged on for four years, until Harry finally came out and declared in Rolling Stone that the group was finished. Liam, unlike the four others, seemed confused about what to do next. “How do you go from there?” Liam asked in his infamous 2022 Logan Paul interview. “I still don’t know who I am. I replicate different people on a daily basis.”

THE LAST TO test his solo wings, Liam started on the wrong foot with “Strip That Down,” his unfortunate 2017 debut single with Quavo. He tried to dismiss the group, rapping, “I used to be in 1D/Now I’m out free/People want one thing from me/That’s not me.” He sang about boozing and grinding on groupies — two months after becoming a dad — as Quavo added the hook, “She gonna strip it down for a thug.” There are many words you could use to describe Liam, but “thug” wasn’t one of them. Yet he seemed to shrug off his debut album, with the title LP1, as if he’d already given up on it. His long-promised follow-up never happened, although he released the March 2024 single “Teardrops,” written with ‘NSync’s JC Chasez.

He had well-publicized problems with substance abuse. In 2022, he alienated fans with a disastrous (and drunken) Logan Paul interview, where he bragged that Simon Cowell built the whole group around him. “He kind of started with my face and then worked around the rest,” Liam said. “I’ve never told that story before.” He boasted that he was 1D’s most successful soloist, claiming “Strip That Down” “outsold everybody within the band.” (The U.S. Number One hit at the time was Harry’s “As It Was,” in the middle of a 15-week run at the top.) Liam wisely took this interview as a sign that he needed to go to rehab. But his troubles continued. He once revealed that he was terrified his son, Bear, born in 2017, might grow up to be a pop star. “Bear loves music, which kind of scares the crap out of me,” he told the U.K.’s Hits Radio Breakfast Show. “This job’s a bit scary … the amount of stuff that comes with it, you really have to be in it. So as a parent, you’re like, ‘This is a little bit scary, mate. I don’t know.’”

When he did his first solo shows as a headliner, in 2018, he was clearly touched by the affection from the crowd. “I’m so overwhelmed,” he said in New York. “I’ve missed that sound since I played with my boys.” He mostly sang cover versions, doing recent hits by Ed Sheeran, Pink, Zedd, and Charlie Puth. But the emotional payoff was “History” — the room erupted as he pleaded, “This is not the end! This is not the end!”

It was a vulnerable moment, for sure — he didn’t try to hide how much he needed those cheers. Yet it was also a profoundly generous moment — acknowledging that the fans were in the room because of their shared history, the same reason he was there. One Direction’s history is still expanding, as their music just keeps getting more influential and beloved, nearly 10 years after they split. There should have been many more chapters in Liam’s history. But that emotion he brought to “History” sums up everything people loved about him. Moments like this are the words that will be written on his stone. That’s Liam Payne as the world will remember him, and that’s the Liam Payne we’re all mourning today.

[bella-goths-wife]

Why cullen reader got her gift

In your human life, your uncle had been a traveler and collector of animals

From domesticated animals to exotic birds he had owned them

And as his only niece, you received many pets for your birthday

Even at a few months old animals acted strange around you

Birds would gather outside your closed window where your crib faced and your uncles pet dog would lay near your crib and growl at anyone it perceived as a threat

This pattern grew more when you had grown older

Your father once took you with your brothers to witness him hunt deer in the local forest

You were extremely distressed at seeing the deer in a panic and when it was shot down you screamed bloody murder as if you had taken the bullet yourself

Your gift only increased after your sickness with Scarlett fever almost became fatal

Carlisle would observe you from afar as you wandered the woods and one day he watched as you approached a wild wolf only to pat its head and send it on its way

This sealed your fate in Carlisle’s mind as he saw it as another sign that you must be turned

When you were turned and locked away, your gift was one of the only things that brought you comfort as you would bring the birds to your window to sing you songs to ease your sadness

When you were turned you gained the ability to control and communicate with animals

The negatives to that was you formed a connection with these animals so if they were put under distress or injured while under your control, you would feel it’s pain and fear

You quickly found this out when your family forced you to force a deer to approach them so they could feed, once they sank their teeth in you felt it as if it was your own neck

You preferred not to use your power to hunt animals as you didn’t want them to to experience pain or distress

Carlisle would take this as a possibly punishment for you so if you committed a grave error in judgement, he would make you take control of a small animal and would then kill it

You were given this power because your soul intertwined with the spirits of animals as if fate knew before you that you would be treated like a pet too

With this power your face slightly adapted to give your eyes a more wide, doe like look which always made you look even younger

You slightly disliked your power because you saw it as you robbing the animals of freedom, something you always craved

The Volturi had a great interest in your power, not for battle but for their entertainment

Jane and Marcus liked the songs of the birds you would bring to their windows

Aro and Caius liked to see you control giant beasts of animals and talk to them as if they were simple house pets

Alec enjoyed seeing your kindness and care towards the animals, it was rare for him to enjoy anyones kindness but your gentle nature made you an exception to him

Felix and Dimitri loved to have you help them mess with each other by using the animals to prank each other

Caius and Alec would love to see you use your power in battle but the others forbid them

You didn’t know it at the time, but your power would one day aid your escape and the start of your new life

Hope you enjoyed, my requests for cullen reader are open so feel free to ask anything

Love ya ❤️

[captain-lessship]

Phase One-Seven with 2D, Russel and Murdoc

Note: For 2D and Russel, the reader in gender Neutral (pan and bi kings) and for Murdoc, it’s fem reader (I am sorry but I can’t see him dating a man imo but you can simply read over the gendered head cannon if you want <3)

Phase One 2D-

You were a waitress at the diner where Gorillaz always got breakfast and he was smitten with you almost instantly and always tried to look his best when they went there, leading Murdoc to make fun of him for “preening like a lanky rooster”

Is a little shy and still shocked you even agreed to go on a date with him in the first place ( Having your eyes knocked in by a bastard bass player who shouldn’t be allowed to ever drive might put a damper on your dating scene)

Has a small amount of trust issues but slowly and steadily, he opened his heavily romantic side to you.

His love language is words of affirmation. He compliments you a lot and genuinely means each and everyone.

Is a classic man when it comes to pet names but when he gets drunk and such, he breaks out a special one: Painkiller. (Must be heavily intoxicated and has only happened once. He later yelled “Swiper, No Swiping” at a picture of a fix while walking home later that night)

Speaking of painkillers, you make sure he never takes too many at once and he won’t argue with you about it.

Phase Seven 2D

Twenty one years later and still going strong.

Has gotten to the point where he can’t sleep unless he’s beside you. 

He just feels so loved and protected by you.

Although he still sings your praises, he’s developed a taste for gifts he’ll know you will like. 

Has kept mementos from every one of your dates: movie ticket stubs, Photo Booth slips, receipts from dinners, little souvenirs from trips and key cards from hotels. They are stored in a converse box. He had made it his mission to protect it because it is essentially a time line of nearly a quarter of a century spent with you.

When he took you to Hollywood, you and him had a great time. Until you realized that you’re loving boyfriend was about to get sacrificed. That really killed the vibe of the getaway.

Phase One Russel-

You were the instrument repair person and he often stared at you while you were fixing his drum set. 

He asked you to watch a movie and the rest is history.

You both shit talk Murdoc in the privacy of your rooms. 

You two pretty much keep everyone else alive. (Which means you cut the crust off 2D’s and Noodles sandwich and don’t let Murdoc suffocate in his own smell while lounging in the Winnebago) 

One time you and him went on a weekend get away and came back to a kitchen with a scorched ceiling,    a broken water pipe and one less Murdoc eye brow.

He is definitely a Quality time guy. 

You and him have a ritual where you make your breakfast and sit in complete silence.

At the start of the relationship, you thought the silence was his way of showing irritation but really it was the opposite.

You’ve come to love the lack of words but surplus of radiating love from him.

Phase Seven Russel-

The relationship has gotten tough as of late due to his new hobby: staring at TV Static.

You get into arguments about it when he finally looks away

You are trying your best to kept it together 

You still spend a lot of time with him but you hate the feeling that you need to compete with fabled answers in blurring white, gray and black. 

After the events of the cult incident , he slowly started to return to normal, much to your joy.

Slowly but surely, your relationship got back on track.

Phase One Murdoc-

Heard you doing spoken word one night at a “weird hipster whacko bar” (his exact words) he was scoping out to potentially rob and thought you’d be a great song writer 

Talked to you about it, caught feelings after a month or so

attempted to kidnap you but you dropped a piano out the window on his head.

Just kidding.

It was a keyboard. 

After a week of shame and plotting, he did what only Murdoc could do: Try again.

You escaped being kidnapped once again but at this point, you had kinda gotten a crush on him. So you moved into his ‘house’ of Kong Studios to work on the song writing process with his magnum opus of a band called Gorillaz.

You became a hit with all the band members. 2D because you kept Murdoc from hitting him, Russel because you were great to talk to and cook with and Noodle because she was happy to have another girl around, even if you were a good twenty years older than her.

You and Murdoc are a surprisingly easy going and comfortable couple. Everyone has their quirks and it just so happens that yours doesn’t irk him and his doesn’t irk you. 

Sure there’s things you don’t like about him (the abuse of the singer, the kidnapping/ attempted kidnapping of people, Attempted Murder, Drug Possession, Driving Law Violations.) but you love him anyway.

Life has not been kind to Murdoc, which doesn’t give him an excuse but it gives an element of understanding. 

He is trying to change for you. He’s trying to be calmer, a tad nicer and more pleasant to be around and the effort is all you ever asked for. 

Alright happy time people, happy time.

Is very affectionate in the comfort of his home.

Prone to just laying a random one of his limbs on you while sitting down. 

You have matching upside down cross necklaces. 

Is a physical touch kind of guy, but on his own terms.

No very romantic in the regular but when he tries? Yup.. Mr. Darcy Material (Pride and Prejudice is the only movie that he doesn’t fall asleep during)

Phase Seven Murdoc-

Welp… When your lover of twenty one years starts a cult to take a demon to bed, there’s only so much you can forgive.

This caused a rift and you are very angry with him at the moment. 

But then, you got called to the hospital (You are 2Ds and Noodles Emergency contact) 

Of course you showed up.

What you then saw was the tipping point.

You and Murdoc are currently on a break. (Will resume after detailed apology and if you decide to do so.)