#these would be excellent spotify playlist names

[pityroadart]

Here's my piece for the @mcspirkevents Big Bang! I was paired with the excellent @twinkboimler and their fic Jim Kirk's Guide to Delivering the Goods, which you can find here (E, AOS McSpirk, 60k)

Summer just started, and Jim is bored out of his mind. The courses he needs to take aren’t being offered until the second half of the summer, so he has an entire month to bother his roommate Bones. At Bones’ suggestion to get a job, Jim fixes up a motorbike and starts making deliveries to people in town, including a cute Vulcan professor named Spock. But when Jim is beaten up while making a delivery, it’s Spock who delivers Jim back to the apartment he shares with Bones. After the meet-cute from hell, Spock and Bones start dating… and so do Jim and Spock. With neither roommate aware they’re both dating the same man, there’s only so long that things can go well for them before the other shoe finally drops.

Also as part of my Big Bang offerings, I made a fic playlist (below) — partly a love letter to McSpirk, partly a love letter to myself and Fletcher's overlapping music taste.

Thank you again to Fletcher @twinkboimler for working on this project with me, it's been an absolute joy!

Until the Birds Return on Spotify

Tracks and choice lyrics below the cut (contains vague spoilers):

Astronaut | Future Crib

I wanna be an astronaut Fly into space I wanna see Mars from Venus I wanna go to that place And if you come with me They'll be room in my ship I'll take you up there with me It can be just you and me

Afraid of Heights | boygenius

I never rode a motorcycle I never smoked a cigarette I wanna live a vibrant life But I wanna die a boring death

Day by Day | Old Sea Brigade

Time and time again, I think I'm falling through space And I wake up in my bed just sweating in sheets

... Then I think of you growing old and it breaks my heart

Factories | Autoheart

When you found my body by the lake You wasn't sure if I was still alive

You and Your Friend | Snake River Conspiracy

Must we go run through our lives with our eyes closed To the loving happiness that we can share I think I'm in love with you and your friend

My Gal, My Guy | Darlingside

My (guy) he's the bluest ocean, (he) Waits under the bluest sky for me I belong to (him) When I'm in the water

Santa Fe | Autoheart

Heaven sent You were like a present I should not have kept A sticker on your forehead saying 'breakable And I broke you bad

Coat on a Hook | The National

Two days, we're still not talking You're the opposite of an open book Come back for me

Top to Toe | Fenne Lily

So I'm changing all my days To make your nights It's just not right

Pigeon Song | Patrick Wolf

Now the pigeons gather 'round my feeding hand And we talk 'til the evening fades I have learnt how it goes What you wait for never shows And what you least wanted, holds you down like a stone

Hornets | The National

But I don't wanna leave And I don't wanna hide I just don't wanna run Into you tonight

Tea, Milk & Honey | Oh Pep!

If you stick with me, I'll make sure your time is all right If you don't understand where I am now, it's better if we leave it

The Spiritual | Jukebox the Ghost

We might have kissed a bit too soon I could feel what was coming and I didn't mean to hurry you I just knew that time would find our fingers linked, through and through Forgive me, I'm human too

Bike Dream | Rostam

Two boys, one to kiss your neck And one to bring you breakfast Get you out of bed

Don't Go | Yazoo

Can't stop now Don't you know I ain't never gonna let you go

Jenny | The Mountain Goats

I hopped on back of the bike, wrapped my arms around you I sank my face into your hair And then I inhaled as deeply as I possibly could You were sweet and delicious as the warm desert air And you pointed your headlamp toward the horizon We were the one thing in the galaxy God didn't have his eyes on 900 cc's of raw whining power, no outstanding warrants for my arrest

Old Old Fashioned | Josh Ritter (Frightened Rabbit cover)

Oh let's get old fashioned Back to how things used to be If I get old, old fashioned Would you get old, old fashioned with me?

[jake-g-lockley]

Gentle Sutures (Marc Spector x reader) 

Masterlist | Spotify Playlist | Wanna be Tagged?

A/N: This story is for my dearest @softieekay thank you for being there for me <3 Warnings: slight hints of past abuse, but the rest is fluffly fluff flufffff

Word count: 1.4k ☾ .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Marc Spector was head over heels in love. He had been standing in one spot for god knows how long, staring at you while you worked. Never in his life was he accustomed to so much calm. If his alter did not sign him up for volunteering, he would have just been sitting at home, sulking as usual. Now all he wanted to do is walk over to you and tuck the beautiful coil of hair that frames your face behind your ear, not that it bothered him, he just wanted to touch you, feel your skin under his fingertips. "It’ll only take a second, auntie." you said, the biggest, most purest smile gracing your face.

Marc grew to love that smile in the past few months travelling around with you. You are a junior resident, always keeping to yourself but you lit up the whole woom whenever you interacted with patients. In the times that he spoke to you, or gained the courage to approach you, he found out that all you wanted in this world was to help people in need. He knew from the way you would treat them, you would definitely become a world class doctor.

Marc watched as your dexterous hands drew blood as quick as ever, even before the patient got a chance to wince.

"Are you a nurse, my dear, your blood drawing technique is excellent! '' the patient exclaimed.

"Oh no, auntie, I am merely a doctor. "You smiled shyly.

"Well, coming from a former nurse, you make an amazing doctor, my dear!" the patient said, taking ahold of your hand.

Marc could tell that you had a faraway look in your eyes, just for a few seconds before snapping out of it and squeezing the patient's hand back. Your eyes suddenly met Marc's as if you knew he was watching and Marc swore his heart nearly stopped when you gave him a small smile.

"Marc, I think it's time for you to walk away and stop gawking at her like a lost pigeon, mate." Steven suddenly said, making Marc blink and turn on his heel comically, almost running into another volunteer.

“That one’s handsome.” your patient tells you as you snickered at the confused army man.

Your eyes widened and you covered it with a gentle scoff.

“I don't date who I work with, auntie." you say sticking a plaster on the patient's arm.

"But you're thinking about it." the patient says with a sing-songy voice. as she gets up and you roll your eyes playfully.

Truth be told, you thought Marc Spector was one of the most interesting human beings you're met. Whenever you had the chance to look into his eyes, you knew he had been through a lot. You felt like you wanted to unlock every single secret behind those eyes but at the same time you wanted to help him forget all of them.

You watched as Marc stumbled around for a while, mumbling to himself. You watched as a little boy toddled up to him and started pulling on his housers. Marc turned and startled himself but knelt down next to the boy and smiled.

You felt something pull at your heartstrings as you watched Marc interact with the boy. Your hand immediately found your necklace as your thoughts dived into your past. You strained hard to keep the thoughts at bay but it only made you tremble. you pulled the chair behind you and slumped on it, the horrible yelling filling your head and ears.

You didn't realise you had your head in your hands and that you were not breathing until you heard your name. You lifted your head and your eyes met big brown ones which were full of concern and worry.

Marc tucked your hair behind your ear and cupped your face in his hands. You found yourself mimicking the breathing he was making you do and soon your heart slowed and you calmed down. You closed your eyes and leaned into Marc's touch as his thumb stocked your cheekbone.

"Sorry, I don't know what came over me. '' You whispered, but Marc was already shaking his head gently.

"You have nothing," Marc's thumb wipes the tear dripping out of your eyes, " to be sorry about.

You sighed and nodded, your hand caressing Marc's hand  that was so ever gently cupping your face.

☾ .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

You looked up at the sky and sighed as you placed your kindle aside. You felt better now, but you kept imagining Marc's beautiful brown eyes calming you down. You breathed in, the salt in the air filling your lungs with warmth. The rhythmic cadence of the waves echoed like gentle sutures, delicately mending the fractures in your tender heart.

"You don't look like the beach kind of person, you know. "A deep Chicago drawl suddenly interrupted your thoughts.

You gasped as you turned to your left, big brown eyes and tanned skin meeting your sight. The eyes widened slightly and the person moved back slightly.

“Sorry, sorry, you scared me for a second. Too stealthy dude!” you chuckled, clutching your chest.

"Force of habit." the army man gives you a gentle smile and scooches closer.

The both of you sit in silence for a while, listening to the sound of the waves and watching the sky print its own masterpiece as the sun sets over the horizon. The silence was comforting, and Marc's presence was more than a warm blanket that you had been expecting all your life.

You were the first to look away from the sunset.

Marc was absolutely stunning in the evening glow. You found yourself smiling at the way the corners of his eyes pinched as he gazed at the view before him. The hook of his nose and his plump lips made the blood rush to your face.

“You done gawking yet, doctor?” Marc smiled and turned to you.

“I was not gawking” you scoff, which made Marc belt out a laugh.

Suddenly, Marc’s hand was on your face. He plucks something from your face and shows it to you.

“Eyelash.” Marc turns his whole body towards you and looks at you with a twinkle in his eyes. “Make a wish, sweetheart.”

You bit your lip and closed your eyes. You wanted nothing more than to just have peace and quiet. Your life has been loud and scary, a little quiet would be all you need to heal. Peace would mend your heart and god knows where you would ever find it, but you wished with all your heart.

With that, you blew and felt warmth fill your heart.

“Hey.” Marc whispered .

You slowly open your eyes to see Marc looking at you with a dopey, boyish look on his face.

“You are an amazing door, you know that?” He says, cupping your face with his left hand, his right reaching for yours that were on your lap. 

“And you're gorgeous.” you swoon, your brain misfiring the second you leaned into his touch.

“Woah, where did that come from?” you say, pulling slightly back, but Marc held you in place.

“You are exceptionally gorgeous too, sweetheart.” Marc quips and gives you the most dazzling smile.

Nothing could have prepared you or Marc for how you reacted next. You leaned in and placed the softest kiss you've given anyone on Marc's lips. You pulled yourself back almost immediately, your hand flying to your lips as you watched a bewildered expression creep up Marc's face. “Oh god Marc, I’m so sorry, I don’t know why I did that, don’t know what’s happening-”

“Shut up and let me do that again” Marc cut your jabbering off instantly.

With a lurch, Marc pressed his lips to yours and you felt your body give way as your hands gripped at his shirt, falling and pulling him down with you. You deepened the kiss and Marc groaned into your mouth. When you both finally broke apart, you were out of breath and Marc pressed soft kisses on your neck until you came to.

“That was …” “Absolutely amazing, just like you.” Marc gazes down at you, admiring the way your hair is splayed around you like a halo and the light of the sunset making your skin glow. Marc lays down next to you pulling you closer to him as the both of you stare into each other’s eyes as if you were searching for something. “What now?” you whispered, your heart preparing itself to hear the worse from Marc. “You don’t need to worry about what is next, my angel, just be in the moment.” Marc’s words curled around your scared heart, encasing it in peace like no other. “I’m glad I found you.” you say, tears forming in your eyes.” “I’m glad I found you too sweetheart.” Reblogs are appreciated ~~ Tagging: @fandxmslxt69 @randomnessfangirl @bodhisattva11 @marc-spectors-wife @nyotamalfoy @steven-grants-world @whatsliferightnow @minigirl87 @wonderfulboiledcoldpotato @alexxavicry @autismsupermusicalassassin @flordelalunas  @euphoricosmo  @sky-robin @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @sugarpunch-princess @violet-19999 @swiggy-needs-mental-help @ghostheartbeat @kierramofficial @ryebreadsworld @your-voice-is-mellifluous @absolutelybloodyhopeless @mintpurplemnm @britishscum @spookyysilverr @bubblezuku @cookielovesbook-akie @mandoloriancookie @pimosworld @thewintervalkyrie @anonymously35 @nerdreader @marylovesdilfs @jakelockleysdoll @pigeonmama @sarveshishwarishsuta

[angelkiyo]

haikyuu characters as romance tropes + songs in my playlist ❀

a/n - this was a thought i needed to get out..! i love music n i love haikyuu soooo. i also did a series similar to this but w actual one shots but tbh compiling them is smarter ngl. totally fw the spotify linked in my nav btw :0 — unedited drabble/thought piece

——“ they just can't reach her, princesita inalcanzable / le rompieron el cora, pero nunca se la perdió" (igual que un angel, 2023) - after years being your friend, getting friend-zoned for so long and finally getting a chance to date you, they're whipped and put you on a pedestal. they know all that you've gone through regarding relationships and would want nothing but your happiness. they're the immense green flag you need and would treat you with nothing but respect, sending you notes in class, and making you little bento boxes filled with their cooking, sending small poems that remind them of you but then again, you deserve it. you're as sweet as sugar and in their eyes, you're an angel on earth. they don't know when their feelings for you started, but when they finally confessed to you, it was the happiest they've felt. you've been their “other half” for so long that all your mutual friends have been telling you to get together, so imagine your friends' reaction when they see you and them on a date one random day, hand in hand and with your head on their shoulder as the two of you sat waiting for the bus back to your place.

best friends to lovers : kageyama tobio, BOKUTO KOTARO, ojiro aran, IWAIZUMI HAJIME, SHIMIZU KIYOKO

——"only like myself when im with you / nobody gets me like you” (nobody gets me, 2022) - both of you strive for excellence, only really wanting to achieve the best academically and on the court during gym class. it's obvious how strong your rivalry with him is, that even your friends jokingly tell you "just kiss already" when you already do. the two of you would be taking little secret rendezvous when you're supposed to be studying to be at the top of your class and staying up after his volleyball practice when everyone leaves. it felt thrilling as no one knew about your relationship (after constantly bragging that you didn't need a significant other). but once your grades began to slip, you couldn't risk losing the source of validation you've gotten to know for so long. you still had your ego and your pride to maintain, and he understood. he understood more than anyone which is why you felt yourself so emotionally attached to him. leading the both of you to enter an almost endless cycle of attempting a secret relationship while also trying to achieve validation from academic success.

rivals to lovers (and rivals again) : shirabu kenjiro, KITA SHINSUKE, tsukishima kei, sakusa kiyoomi, KUROO TETSURO

——"i burn for you / and you don't even know my name" (close to you, 2024) - after accidentally adding them on social media from quick add (due to mutuals from school), you find yourself in a predicament. you're from the same school and know of them, but know that you have never talked to them. you've never even interacted with them at all in real life. though, for the past few weeks, they're earned themselves the title of a talking stage, staying up until 3 in the morning sometimes, just to talk to you. you two would play valorant or whatever video game you’ve been wanting to play and last hours on video call, sharing playlists and being mutuals on everything. although, talking for so long caused him to be a little bold, flirting with you a bit. you're in different classes yet every time you have a break in class, you talk to them, sending snaps of what you do and so does he. so when you finally have your first date in person, you panic and in all honesty, he does too. what if you two don't get along? what if you thought he was weird? your first thought was that he's very handsome, that's for sure. though, it felt that all you really needed was to just talk as you've gotten past the digital barrier and had natural chemistry in real life.

online love : kozume kenma, SUNA RINTARO, miya atsumu, TENDO SATORI, terushima yuji

——"no one's ever good enough / i want a love like i've seen in the movies" (like the movies, 2021) - you met them at a barnes and noble during a regular day after school. you’ve always been a hopeless romantic, longing for love between the pages of a romantic comedy book or film. so when you bumped into them, books in hand, it felt like a spark between you two. the two of you ended up exchanging numbers to talk more, then meeting up and talking / hanging out in person (a date in your opinion). being in a relationship with someone else who also understood the want to fall in love “romantically” felt amazing. every time your school would have a game, you’d go and cheer them on from the sidelines, wearing his spare jersey. good morning texts, gift baskets for monthaversaries, huge love letters, and frequent dates felt too good to be true, and it was. you can always expect them to have heart eyes and only for you, as well as listening to your rants and theories surrounding different romance novels and films. especially your thoughts on the concept of the meet cute.

meet cute : AKAASHI KEIJI, yamaguchi tadashi, sugawara koshi, OIKAWA TORŪ, miya osamu, SEMI EITA

[randomvarious]

Chicago House Playlist

Alright, folks, here's something that's been a long time coming: a playlist of house tunes that came from the city that gave birth to the global phenomenon in the first place, and also kickstarted the whole evolution of electronic dance music as we currently know it. When house music began, most dancefloors had moved on from disco to a mishmash of post-disco, boogie, hi-NRG, dance-pop, synthy funk, electro, freestyle, and a whole lot of other stuff, but there was something different that started to brew itself into a movement during the mid-1980s among a predominantly black, gay crowd in the city where disco had first been symbolically murdered in 1979.

And eventually, it became known as house music, named after both The Warehouse, the place that the genre's godfather, Frankie Knuckles, would have residency, and the posters that would be hung up to advertise the venue's events, which referred to 'house parties' and 'house music.' The Warehouse would open up in the late 70s and close in the early 80s, but in 1983, Frankie would open up his own club, The Power House, which would then change its name to the Power Plant, and then change its name again to The Music Box, after another legendary house DJ, Ron Hardy, would take up residency there.

So, a lot of this playlist channels the greatness of some of those halcyon Chicago house days. And so much of it is just pure, primordial dance music bliss; lighthearted, unserious, super fun, revolutionary grooves. There was an amateurishness to a lot of it back then that gave it a significant level of goofy charm, and that's something that seems to have gotten mostly left behind as the music continued to grow into the 90s. Songs like "Move Your Body," by Marshall Jefferson, which opened with this rich and clanging, jauntily unpolished piano rag of sorts, was so infectious, and his plainly bad, but passionate singing voice that would follow that iconic intro couldn't help but be adored too. And the song on this playlist that currently comes after that one, "Love Can't Turn Around," by Farley "Jackmaster" Funk & Jesse Saunders, is in much the same vein, as featured vocalist Darryl Pandy goes over-the-top berserk to start his second verse, making for another song that you really just can't resist 🥰.

Another total favorite of mine on here is one that was produced by Frankie Knuckles himself: "Let the Music Use You," by the Night Writers, which is a near-eight minute masterpiece that has a divine, string-pad-and-bell-laden beat that immediately shows you why Frankie was revered as such a master of his own craft. And that beat gets paired beautifully with Ricky Dillard's soft and tender, heartfelt vocals too.

And then there's Kevin Irving's "Children of the Night," which features his excellent, soulful voice on a beat that combines string pads with prickly electro stabs, and was made by Larry Sherman, the founder of the most important label in the history of Chicago house itself, Trax Records, which has also caught a lot of flak over the years for its shady business practices.

A couple more notes: first, be forewarned that the track that starts this playlist is another tremendous classic, "Mind Games," by Quest— which features the voice of Liz Torres and some great and dreamy freestyle-type synth work—but even though it's on Spotify, it is, unfortunately, pretty damn scratchy. Luckily, I was able to include a much cleaner version on the YouTube version of this playlist, though 😊. And second, I like to keep these playlists as chronologically ordered as possible, but I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out when Screamin' Rachael's "Bip Bop" was actually made. It has an aggressive male rap vocal on it that's reminiscent of Turbo B's on Snap!'s "The Power," so it could be from that early 90s period, but I really don't know. So I just put it at the end, where it will stay until I one day possibly figure out when it was actually created.

This playlist is ordered as chronologically as possible and links are provided below to songs that have been posted about previously in order to give them more context:

Quest - "Mind Games" Marshall Jefferson - "Move Your Body" Farley "Jackmaster" Funk & Jesse Saunders - "Love Can't Turn Around" On the House - "Pleasure Control" Housemaster Boyz - "House Nation" Ralphi Rosario - "You Used to Hold Me" Night Writers - "Let the Music Use You" Dalis - "Rock Steady" Kevin Irving - "Children of the Night" Bam Bam - "Where's Your Child?" Paul Johnson - "3rd Dimension (Remixed by Armando)" Screamin' Rachael - "Bip Bop"

And while there are some incredible moments in that Spotify playlist, I still have way more Chicago house music to show you in the YouTube version. Some tracks that stand out in this bonus crop are the first one, the silly and campy "Undercover," by Doctor Derelict, which has about 3,500 plays on YouTube across a couple uploads; another one from Frankie Knuckles, which is a rare remix of his very popular "Baby Wants to Ride" that has ~31.6K plays, and features some political opining from vocalist Jamie Principle, and even a detouring interpolation of "America the Beautiful" in its second half (😆); and then one from a later era of Chicago—'99, to be exact—called "Testing & Balancing," by Jimminy Cricket, aka James Curd, that has around 170 plays and liberally samples from Al Green's soul classic, "Love & Happiness."

Doctor Derelict - "Undercover" Jungle Wonz - "The Jungle" Steve "Silk" Hurley - "House Beat Box" On the House - "Ride the Rhythm"Libra Libra - "I Like It" Paris Grey - "Don't Make Me Jack" Liz Torres - "Can't Get Enough" Frankie Knuckles - "Baby Wants to Ride" On the House - "Let's Get Busy" Mister Lee - "Come to House" Jimminy Cricket - "Testing & Balancing"

And this playlist is also on YouTube Music.

So, with the Spotify version of this playlist, we currently have 12 songs that total an hour and 16 minutes, and with YouTube, we're at 23 songs that total 2 hours and 24 minutes. Clearly, there are a whole lot more goodies in that YouTube one.

And if you want a Chicago house playlist that's a bit shorter, I have one that's made of stuff that's solely from the 80s too.

1980s Chicago House: Spotify / YouTube / YouTube Music

Enjoy!

More to come, eventually. Stay tuned!

Like what you hear? Follow me on Spotify and YouTube for more cool playlists and uploads!

[endereies]

FUCK IT - MATT STURNIOLO - PART 6

Spotify Playlist:

Pairing: Matt x Oc

Contains: Growing up with parents who make her feel isolated, what happens when she meets Matt. A person who introduces her to new people, new experiences and new feelings.

Requested?: no

Author's notes: I'm finally finished with school for the break so I should be updating a little quicker over the next 2 weeks.

Word Count: 3265

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

“Is this something we are meant to do?”

“Fuck it.”

“Okay, so, we submit this on Monday and we still have four scenes to analyse and then two exam questions to go through.” Matt mumbles as he places his back down next to me in the library and unsheathes a load of sheets, more are crumpled than ones that aren’t. The amount of them excelling the more meetings we had after school.

“We can get that done in a weekend, right?” My voice tainted with uncertainty. I had got to the library fifteen minutes before him so all my work was already displayed out in front of me with scribbles of different coloured pen one each of them.

“right.”

We were a little bit behind in our project since the majority of our meetups end in us just talking about random things or playing music with our home equipment. I would borrow Chris’s old guitars which was covered in a metallic red with black strings. The picks he bought matched perfectly dividing the red and black shades with lines of silver. Matt’s drumkit was similar to the school’s own designs yet on the base drum was the name ‘sturniolo’ in a faded midnight blue. Each drum fastened with the same blue wrapped around them. He had custom drum sticks too, fading from the original beige wood to a dyed neon-blue. The vibrancy capturing my attention every time, I bet he knew that to with the amount he’d smirk at me when he noticed me staring.

It's why we planned on staying in the library to finish the project, hopefully none of us get distracted. That’s if Matt stopped tapping his pen on the table.

“Matt.” My tone is stern as I frown still facing the pages of my book. He was too distracted in his ‘mini-concert’ that I grabbed his wrist firmly, which made his pen fall out his hand and onto the wooden desk below him.

He stammers a little as I glare at him and raise an eyebrow at him.

“The fuck did I do?”

“If you keep tapping that fucking pen on the desk, I will snap it in half.” I hold eye contact until I’m finished speaking and I let go of his wrist, watching his circulation fade back.

“And yet, you can do it all the time.” He smirks at me again and I retort by scoffing.

“When I’m in class and have nothing to do…you haven’t written anything for 10 minutes.”

“Normally by now we are playing music at our houses, this is a long ass day and this is only making it longer.” A sigh escapes my lips and I drop my pen, lean back for a moment and fold my arms loosely across my chest.

“Okay. If you work with me until six, I’ll buy you lunch all of next week.”

“Ain’t no way, you aren’t serious.”

“And you can get whatever you wish, no matter the cost, doesn’t even have to the food on campus.” I interject him by cutting him off and leaning closer over the table.

“Fine. Deal.” He holds out his hand in front of me and I look up at him with a blank expression.

“What are we, in 6th grade? I’m not shaking your hand.” I roll my eyes to him to just pick up my pen and start writing again.

“Damn, you’re no fun.”

“No…I just happened to hit puberty.” I click my tongue inside my mouth

I feel his glare on me before he continues to work on the papers in front of him. I take out my small white case and take out one of my headphones and pick up my phone to play some music in to them. I don’t bother checking what playlist I click on and immediately blast heavy dubstep into my ears, loud enough to make Matt pay attention to me again and giggle when I jump from the volume. I spam the volume control and turn it down rapidly until I can tolerate it. Matt immediately looks away from me, trying not to laugh when I hold my gaze on him for a few seconds.

-

“Is it nearly six, Alyia. My hand is fucking cramping up.” Matt whines for the fourth time in ten minutes.

“Like I said two minutes ago, no. Besides you have yet to finish of that question and it’s been nearly thirty minutes.”

“I don’t understand how you’ve been writing for that long without taking a break.”

“I want to get this finished; I don’t exactly want all this effort to go down the drain. I’ve stayed up too many nights for this.”

“Really…?” His voice filled with concern as his smirk and joke-filled demeanour faded quickly.

“What.”

“I would’ve done more of you asked me to…you didn’t have to stay up for any of it.” I interject him before he can continue

“Matt. I have more time than you, the project’s getting done. Does it really matter?” I look up to him, dropping my pen for the first time in a while.

“Of course it matters, you need sleep Alyia.”

“I also need this project done.” He sighs and rolls his eyes at me, returning the glares I’ve been giving him all night.

“Promise me you’ll relax after the project is due and let me finish off the last two questions.”

“You really like your promises, huh?” My page fills the silence as it crumples, getting caught on itself, making me purse my lips as I try to fix it before continuing to write.

“Alyia.” He grabs the pen out my hand and places it far from my reach and I narrow my eyes at him again. “I mean that, let me handle the rest of it and get some rest. Please.” I raise my eyebrow at him.

“I’ll sleep appropriately, fine, but I’m writing the last question. You can happily take the other one if you so desire.”

“Thank you. I’m not having your sleep decrease because you don’t want to ask for help.” His words make me raise my voice at him.

“What do you mean by that.”

“I don’t recall me stuttering. You have been sacrificing your sleep because you didn’t want to ask me to do a little more work.” He leans in to me, as if he is mocking me and I scoff.

“Not true.” My words mumble, subconsciously knowing he is right.

“Whatever, look it has gone six now, c’mon. We can work on this later on.” He shuffles papers together and stuffs them into his bag, lacking organisation which makes me stare at his back with a slightly shocked expression.

I follow his actions, however, and with a heavy sigh I put all my work in a pile, putting the sheets in between two books to keep them straight.

“You want to hang out later or something?” He slings his backpack over his shoulder and looks back at me.

“Hang out, me and you somewhere. I would recommend my place but Nick is there with Chris and Madi.”

“I know a place we could go if you want? I haven’t been there in a while so I don’t know how overgrown it is.”

“Wait wait. Did you say overgrown, what kind of fucking place is this.” Matt waits for me to catch-up to him and I walk slightly faster so he doesn’t have to wait so long.

“Amery Grove? There is a line of old houses at the back that people kind of forgot about, maybe like twenty years ago? I’m not sure.” Matt gaze falls to me as I start to ramble, simply listening to my words.

“Well, anyway, about two years ago a few of my friends and I decided to fix a few of them up during the summer. We didn’t decorate or anything but we cleaned old furniture and threw out what we didn’t need. While it wasn’t the prettiest, we hung out there a lot.”

“So, you just went to abandoned buildings and fixed them?” He keeps walking and opens doors in front of me as I keep talking. When he does, I quickly walk through them and turn to face Matt, proceeding to talk with my hands.

“Yeah, it was fun, even if our skills were mediocre, it made for good hangouts and a few parties.”

“You go to parties?” He gives me a side eye and I roll my eyes in response.

“Not as much anymore, I went when I had more friends to talk to and less schoolwork on my back. Maybe at some point…”

-

“Cmon you are slow” I drag out my words and groan as I get more excited, wanting to jump up and down to reduce the amount of energy but instead I shake my hands around.

“Jesus Alyia, I’m just putting our bags in here, I’m not carrying all of this across the Grove.” He arranges the bags in the back seats like some real-life game of Tetris. After another minute or so he finally shuts the car door and locks it.

“Okay I’m done, let’s go.” He puts his keys back by his belt and returns to my side.

“I haven’t been here in a while, so no promises on how clean it’ll be.”

“I’m sure it’s fine.” He smiles at me briefly before focusing on walking through some reasonably tall grass.

The trail I normally use is more overgrown than what I used to walk through so as we walk, we use old trees to climb past different areas and our feet to stamp on brambles and stinging nettles. It is pitch-black outside by this point so we are using our phone’s flashlights to guide our way through the trail. Leaves hang down from nearby trees and I start to wish I brought my jacket with me.

I place my feet onto a tree stump and try to climb over a fallen branch, but when my weight switches feet, I slip on some moss and fall backwards from the stump. My phone drops from my hand and the flashlight goes into my eyes, making me close them. I place my hands back to support myself for when I hit the floor but I never do. Instead, a tight grip snakes around to the side my waist and upper back, slowly pushing my body back to stand straight.

“Woah woah, are you alright…” I open my eyes to see Matt looking down at me with concerned eyes. I can barely make it out since he dropped his phone and its flashlight instantly to catch me. His chain dangles above my face and once I stand up properly, he uses one of his hands to push his hair back, keeping the other on my waist.

“Uh huh…” I regain my focus and brush myself off and pick up our phones from the damp grass. “Thanks”

“Of course,” He takes his phone back, brushing off the debris, continuing to walk ahead of me and over the branch I just slipped on. “You need to be more careful, sweetheart.”

It’s that fucking nickname again.

-

“Here we are!” I run ahead of Matt and smile bright at the few houses on a quiet lit up street.

“Its still the same…” I smile to myself, remembering how I used to run around here.

“Yeah? I think it looks fucking awesome.” He circles around me looking at the few houses, clearly seeing a difference between the ones I fixed up and the ones I left.

“Really?”

“Really. Y’know…maybe one day we could fix one up?” I turn my head a little too quickly to face him, who was already smiling at me.

“You wanna? Like, for real?” He simply nods to me before walking off to look at one of the houses closest to us.

I run to catch up to him again and I grab his wrist to show him inside one of the houses. The inside walls occasionally spotted with carvings of names and dates, ripping through worn out wallpaper. Unfinished projects left abandoned, mostly within the kitchen. I pick up an old and now rusted hammer and spin it around in my hands, recalling the last use of it going towards a leg of an old chair that lay on its side next to it. A bittersweet smile covers my face the more I venture the house, with Matt always following right behind, dragging his fingers across old cabinets and cupboards.

“you guys did so much work in here…” He picks up old projects that remain unfinished and analyze them one by one, awe showing within his eyes. “Why did you ever stop this?”

“We stopped being as close I guess...nothing personal to one another, just different schools and points in our lives. I still have contact but no one really talks as much anymore.” I quiet my voice and sit down on one of the chairs and put down the hammer.

“None of us ever took that personally, we just drifted. Miss it all like hell though.”

Matt stays quiet for a moment, just looking at me with slight pity.

“That’s a shame, especially since nothing even happened that you could’ve changed.” The distance between us closes as I stand up again but I simply keep walking towards the bottom of the stairs before I slowly walk up them.

Matt pov:

I follow her up the stairs, stepping where she did in case any areas are weak enough to break, but once I put that focus into the decor upstairs, I stand still. The upstairs was so much nicer, covered in intact wallpaper and furniture that made it seem like someone actually lived there. More carvings were decorating the walls and less tools were on the floors. I take in more of what’s around me, admiring the hard work.

Hearing the stories about her old friends make me smile but also makes me wonder why she is more closed off to people now.

We start to wonder around the different areas that she decorated and I admire the craftsmanship and efforts they put in to it.

“We can chill up here if you want?” Alyia points to a balcony that is guarded by a wooden fence, a few old chairs are stacked up and leant against the glass door and I walk through.

“Can I ask why you took me here, not that I hate it or anything. Just…if this place reminds you of your friends, why bring me here.” Alyia’s face falters slightly and I feel bad for bringing them up.

“This place has many memories but I feel stuck whenever I come here, and I love this place. I don’t want to come back here and feel self-pity when I see those carvings on the walls.”

“I meant it by the way.”

“Meant what Matt?” I look up at her before looking over the edge and down onto the weakly lit street.

“Fixing a place up with you, could be fun.” I smile at her before looking back over the edge and laying my arms on the wooden fence, trying not to apply a lot of weight onto it.

“I have no idea if any of the lighting still works properly, a few faulty lights here and there but nothing major enough to set anything up properl-“

“So? We have already walked through here in the dark easily enough, besides we don’t have to come here only at night.”

I turn back to look inside the house but my vision is slightly impaired from looking at the street lights too long. I change my point of view and glance down to my phone to check the time.

9:24pm

“Shit, it’s kind of late, do you parents want you back at a certain time?” I message Chris and Nick an apology after seeing the copious number of texts and missed calls.

“Uhm no, I can be back whenever” She trails off and I remember the phone call she had at my place.

“Oh…is she not home again?” I receive a small nod in return.

“You can stay over if you want to?”

“No, it’s okay I have things to do anyway…” She avoids eye-contact with me but I try not to question anything

“Alright then, should we head back, I’m being attacked by Nick so much” I see her smile as I finish speaking and just stands up and starts to walk back to the stairs.

-

“Just here, okay?” I turn the wheel and look through my window for any parking on the edge of the road.

“Yeah, this is perfect, thanks again” She thanks me for the millionth time tonight.

“Kid, I’ve already said it’s okay to drive you places.” I finish parking which makes the car tilt slightly as it reaches over the curb.

“Goodnight Matt.”

“Yeah, goodnight.”

The drive back to my place was quite bleak, even when I turned aux on, none of the songs fit the mood I was in. Whatever that mood was. I just focused on the road ahead and the way the lights shone through my windshield and lit up areas in my car like a mini disco. I sigh when I hit another red light and pull the cable from my phone and I resort to the radio music. It immediately blares and I turn it down quickly to a volume quiet enough for some background audio.

I should hate you – Gracie Abrams

It was already half way through the song but I let it play none-the-less, letting the calm guitar fill the car. The quiet and soft vocals relaxed me and I was able to take a deep breath that didn’t result from frustration.

I notice the song fading out just as I pull into the road that I live on so I turn the radio off completely as to not ruin my mood, but as soon as I step inside it gets dampened anyway.

“Oh my God, Matt. Where were you!” I drop my keys into a small bowl and I instantly get bombarded by Nick’s concerned voice.

“Out.”

“Out? Is that all you have to say. You said you were revising the project until six and then you would be home. It is nearly half ten and this is the first we have heard from you!” he starts to exclaim and honestly, I can’t blame him for the way he is acting

“I went somewhere with Alyia…that’s all. I guess we lost track of time.” I mumble quietly, knowing I’m in the wrong but I’m not going to apologize for having a good time.

“I’m not saying you can’t hang out with people, just let us know, okay? It could be three am for all I care but as long as I have some form of communication. You had us worried…” Nick takes a deep breath and looks down to the floor.

“I’m sorry, I should’ve said something…Where is Chris?” I try and change the subject to lessen the amount I get yelled at.

“He’s asleep upstairs, he wanted to wait for you but he was exhausted after hockey so I refused to let him.”

I look up to Nick and give him a tight-lipped smile, feeling guilt twinge inside briefly.

“You better go have a shower or something, you’re covered in dirt, Matt.”

“Yeah, I will…sorry again.” Nick simply hugs me tight.

“It’s alright, just don’t let me stay up again.” He punches my arm lightly and we smile at each other.

© ENDEREIES 2024

@melliflws @axolotllover225 @yuhayeee @st7rnioioss @sturn-bugz @sturniolosmind @worldlxvlys @patscorner @breeloveschris @y0urm4m @bernardsbendystraws @junnniiieee07

[norel-ravenclaw]

21st Century Time Travel Headcanons

Fandom: Ikemen Prince (otome game)

Featured characters: All

Genre: Shenanigans and Chaos

Rating: sfw

Word count: 555

Description: These are my thoughts and opinions on what they might do, what are your thoughts?

WARNINGS: | none? | mxw |

Clavis - He walks around writing down all the amazing tech and medicine to research and take back to recreate in Rhodolite. Bicycles? Bicycles. (Also up all night watching prank videos)

Chevalier - SOMEONE TAKE THIS MAN TO A BARNES & NOBLE. The Kindle app is a must.

Nokto, Licht, Gilbert, Clavis, Yves, (and one time) Sariel - Mistaken as cosplayers. Varying responses ensue.

Keith, Sariel, Licht, Yves, Rio, Luke, Chev - Love quiet hours traveling by train in the countryside. Reading, watching you sleep on their shoulder…

Clavis, Gilbert, Jin, Leon, Silvio, Nokto - Enjoy the chaos, energy, and challenge of traveling densely packed cities. It feels like an adventure.

The Bros - modern sports? sports cars? motorcycles? music and dancing? Enthralled.

Licht & Yves - Go to a concert hall and are astounded by the grandeur and new feeling of modern orchestral music (and both cry throughout.)

Gilbert & Chev - Would figure out technology (including Google Scholar) in an hour and spend the rest of the time researching 10000 topics.

Luke - Joins a save the bees rally. He buys everyone t-shirts that he forces them to wear.

Rio and Silvio - Spend half the time watching telenovelas

Yves - Modern recipes and cake/pastry designs would probably be fascinating to him. He cries when you sign him up for a cooking class with a professional baker.

Leon, Jin, Nokto, Clavis, Gilbert, Luke - love rollercoasters

Nice!Keith, Rio, Yves, Licht - hate them

Chev, Sariel, Alter!Keith, Silvio - might be persuaded to go if you wanted to, entirely to watch your reactions (Although Silvio is secretly terrified)

Jin, Silvio, & Sariel - Go to every winery they find. They single-handedly save one small vineyard from going under with a huge purchase and some excellent business advice.

Clavis - From the moment I was introduced to this gremlin, I have been cursed to judge every single meme I come across: Would Clavis like this? Imagine this loser’s glee spamming incomprehensible nonsense to everyone (and airdropping them to strangers to watch their reactions).

Licht, Sariel, & Keith - Have never been so at peace after discovering relaxing instrumental playlists on Spotify.

Jin & Nokto - Discover they love modern music and let you take them to a rave. Life changing.

Chevalier & Sariel - Are far too happy to use the silent mode on their phones. Everyone curses them when there’s emergencies (Clavis purposely got on the wrong train again).

Jin wanders into a martial-arts class. Walks out three hours later beloved by the kids and the teachers.

Rio & Luke - Goes to animal shelters and names all of them. Tries to smuggle out a puppy. Does not succeed. There may be tears.

Silvio - Loves NYC. In a different life he would have been born there.

Clavis - Comes across a street caricature artist and spends a gleeful two hours having them draw everyone from pictures off his phone.

Nokto, Jin, Leon, Silvio - Inflict their ignorant selves on helpless clubs every chance they get. Imagine them trying to learn how to dance???

Gilbert, Silvio, Sariel, Nice!Keith - Love museums. Gilbert asks the employees disturbing and inappropriate questions. Clavis is obsessed with the science museum. Begs to go back several times.

Who would be the best dressed? My guesses? Silvio, Yves, Chev, and Sariel would turn heads for sure.

IMPORTANT ADDITION: Who would love 80’s music the most?

Virtually all of them - Enjoy your efforts and excitement in explaining everything to them as much or even more than they are fascinated by it all themselves.

[laylajeffany]

Hi! As you can probably guess, I completely love Chaos, and I have a few more questions. Thanks for the playlist by the way, it’s been all I’ve listened to since you linked it. Sorry for all the questions, I’m just curious.

1) In the Spotify playlist, the first song is “Sea, swallow me”. Is that song referenced somewhere in the fic, or does it just give off a general Chaos vibe? I’ve been trying to remember if it was mentioned somewhere but cant recall. As an additional Note, it is my new favourite song, so thanks!

2) You mentioned that all the OCs appearances are physically based on real people. Who are Dr Zypher, Emiliana and Holly-Jane based on? Is Emiliana based off of Eva Green, because thats how I imagine her. You’ve done an excellent job with the OCs, they’re just so perfect.

3) When you describe clothing, do you make them up in your mind or doe they actually exist? I get that some, like the custom ordered dresses in the latest chapter, must be made up, but are some of them real? Do you have some Pinterest board with all of their clothes just to keep track? 😂

4) How do you find time to write? I write 1000 words for my fic every day, and it takes me about an hour. 50K chapters in 2 weeks is a miracle. Do you sleep?

I’ve probably forgotten a question or two, so I hope you don’t mind if I ask more in the future😅

Thank you for all you do, I’ve never been so invested in a fic before. Just remember to relax and take breaks when you need it, don’t force yourself to write on 2 hours sleep!

I am happy to answer questions about Chaos for the Fly, the writing process, and other fic/writing related things. Thank you for your interest! 1. I think I referenced near the beginning somewhere that Wednesday had discovered some music on her own outside of classical when she accepted an algorithm to suggest songs for her. It had been 80s imports of some kind - and that was probably the one that I had in mind, even if it wasn’t mentioned specifically. There’s probably a few songs that weren’t actually mentioned by name but were alluded to in the fic - meaning I didn’t say the title in dialogue, but had something playing in the background for myself, and there you have it. 2. You have opened a VERY DANGEROUS can of worms with this question, lmfao.

You are a dead ringer for Emiliana! That’s Eva Green, 100%, the ONLY person who could play the role. It would be like a touch of Penny Dreadful for the out-of-her-damn-mind demon possession vibes, but mostly, just as herself (she’s cray and I love how socially awkward and accidentally funny she is in interviews) not so much Vanessa Ives. Eva Green has worked with Tim Burton a ton of times and wouldn’t even need a single line of direction in this role. Emi is SO easy to write because she is pure chaos both in physicality, mentally, her linguistics, her magic, and personality. I honestly think she’s one of the characters I’m saddest isn’t real because she’d fit in to drive Wednesday absolutely MAD as her big bird. I have a feeling we’re not going to explore Raven lore in S2 and the two of them trying to figure out their powers together, after Emiliana spent half her life suffering alone, has been some of my favorite parts of the fic to write. I always write scenes with Emiliana the fastest. Her love of Beanie Babies and bad influence is entirely, too much fun. Her voice is so easy and she will never truly understand American idioms. 

Dr. Zypher is AMY ADAMS, because GAY-ME, for Amy Adams. She’d absolutely crush the role, the fact that she doesn’t have a closet full of Oscars is just despicable (6 time nominee bro). SHE HAS THE VOICE OF AN ANGEL and I don’t think anyone ever lets her sing enough in movies. Put this woman in some broadway revival of an old musical and you’ll catch me personally saving the economy from collapse by taking the train up to see her every weekend. She's so adaptable and different in any role, and I just feel like she’d volley SO WELL with JO’s Wednesday. She's a professional who understands character layers that sweet and angsty Josie requires.

Dr. Holly is Emily Blunt plucked right from the Jungle Cruise movie in terms of how she’s styled but a far cry from her character there with her boldness - even if they would likely have competing career ambitions. ALSO HAVE YOU SEEN EMILY BLUNT IN ALL THE SUITS IN THE NEW NETFLIX PAIN HUSTLER MOVIE? I’m deceased. This is a ghost writing. Holly is really in the story 1) because I needed a plot line for Larissa, post-transformation, that didn’t involve Wednesday and was TRAGIC but beautiful and could GO SOMEWHERE, and2) we REALLY do need something to stabilize the molecular structure of shifting-type Outcasts, and 3) it helped give some context as to how desperate Larissa was to hire Normie "Thornhill" and why she took that chance against her usually better judgement- so there she was! Emily Blunt is a CLASS. ACT. In everything she does and I imagine her in a scene with Gwendoline COULD NEVER exist because it would be too powerful, solve all the world’s problems, and capitalism would break, societies would collapse. It could never happen. It wouldn’t be safe. Here’s her glow up, from fresh-out-of-the jungle, to letting Larissa buy her some new clothes and maybe letting her hair down every now and then, to nerdy botanist bombshell, at the New Nevermore Network, helping her girl rebuild things to be a more fair society for Outcasts. GORGE. 

ARE THESE ALL JUST WOMEN IN THEIR MID 40s THAT I HAVE A BIG LESBIAN CRUSH ON? YEAH, YEAH THEY ARE. There’s obviously more for staff at Nevermore and the Network but I have a solid 5k to get to writing still this evening. The rest of my OCs are pretty minor (well villain aside), and I don’t really care enough about any man to spend the time looking for pictures of /boys/. These are the 3 OCs that are featured the most, anyway. Some day I’ll find enough energy to do the rest. I have extreme face-blindness when I read, and the ONLY WAY I can thusly write an OC is if my beta makes a powerpoint presentation for me with an actor/ress in mind for me to visualize in the role. When I tell ya, she hit the nail on the head with those three above? Unbelievable.  Another favorite not-OC, but someone I HARDCORE RECASTED FOR THIS would be Granny Frump. We went from Margaret Hamilton (OG Wicked Witch of the West from Wizard of Oz) in the 1960s Addams Family, which is EXCELLENT CASTING, but to fit the more modern-era Wednesday 2022 adaptation, and to give a flair of the drama as to perhaps where Morticia “gets it from,” I decided to cast someone only two years older than Catherine Zeta-Jones to give that “Frump Homespun Magic” storyline some weight of ‘the potions and beauty charms work’ and went with a non-actress, for the aesthetics (though she could KILL IT her appearances are small), and that is the one and only, What Not To Wear’s Stacy London.

Like IMAGINE that matching vibe with CZJ’s Morticia? Stacy has similar build/some features in common, and with the all black hair BUT WITH HER SIGNATURE gray stripe? Iconic. (And that was also Grandpa “Clint’s” backstory last chapter, as in Stacy and Clinton’s dramatic saga. HEY - IF YOU DONT HAVE INSIDE JOKES WITH YOUR BETA in your writing, what’s the point??) Stacy’s voice and CZJ’s Morticia voice together would be SO GRATING and Wednesday would just be so in-her-element between them, I LIVE.  3. I usually just visualize what I’d want the characters to wear! I don’t often have picture inspiration - though sometimes I am writing and it says in bold highlight DESCRIBE THE DRESS - TRACEY FIND ME A DRESS, and she sends me some pictures to go through so I can just describe a garment without having to make it up. I don’t have a Pinterest I’d be willing to share. It’s just a binder full of women in a way that would probably unsettle most. 

4. I usually write about 2-2.5k an hour if that is all I’m focused on. I probably average 4-9k on a work day without a second job or social obligation after work, and the most I’ve ever written on a single day that I had no work, other ‘sponserbilities, or social plans was 21k. On an average weekend with like one thing to do during the day and some chores and relaxation time not writing, I probably go around 14-16k per day. At the same time I started this fic, I set a new year resolution to myself to only work my contracted hours, so with the exception of a few crazy times in the school year - like conferences - I work from 8:00-15:30 M-F, and I live a three minute walk from my school, so I don’t even lose time commuting. I also stopped working on weekday evenings on the side in August, and starting in 2024 will not be doing any extra side work at all. I don’t sleep great but I do try! :) Thanks for the questions! I've been meaning to give some faces to those 3 OCs. I strongly encourage you to print out pictures of them and post them on your fridge, you will be 100% happier if you do.

[andydrysdalerogers]

Undercover - One - Jake

Pairings: Jake Jensen and OFC Samantha Matthews

The Losers have made it back to their families and are out. Well, almost. A threat against the British crown needs to be handled and the CIA has tapped the Losers for one final mission. And they are sending in Jensen.

Jake Jensen hasn't been a civilian in years but now he's undercover to find out why his target is where he is and who he's after.

Enter Sam, someone who Jake doesn't expect and well, he didn't know he was looking for.

Can Jake handle his mission and falling in love? Especially when the truth leads to a bigger mission than expected?

*~* A Jake Jensen Story *~*

Author's note: this story continues after the events of the Losers. I may weave other characters into it but they are all minor.

The playlist is available on Spotify.

cover photo by me! Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Warnings: angst, death, smut, and a bunch of stuff a can’t say because it gives away the plot!

"Alight Losers, focus up.”  

Colonel Franklin Clay looked at his exhausted team.  It had been a long, few months, getting back from Bolivia, getting to Max and Roque’s betrayal of the team. They had just received their pardons, visiting the families that thought them dead and were now back together for their final debrief.  

Or so they thought.  

“We got tapped for an undercover ops,” Clay explained.  “It’s going to be a long one but the request is coming from an outside source.”  

“So not your typical ops.” Sgt. Linwood ‘Pooch’ Porteous commented while kicking his feet onto the desk in front.  

“Not this time.  One will be in deep cover at a company where the target works.  The mission is to recon and discovery of the target’s mission.”  

“Who’s asking?” Pooch flipped a pen in the air. Sgt. Carlos ‘Cougar’ Alvarez caught it and put it down shaking his head.  

“Dunno.  Our handler should be coming in…” 

“Right now.”  A tall, dark hair individual came in, suit, no tie, followed by another man.  “Nick Fowler, CIA director of Foreign Affairs.” 

“Clay.  That’s Pooch, Cougar, Aisha and… Jensen!” 

A blonde stood up from the snack table, licorice in his mouth.  He wiped his hands on his jeans and walked over.  “Hi!” 

“Great.  This is Inspector Harry Hart, British Intelligence.”  

“How do you do?” He shook everyone’s hand before clearing his throat.  “We would normally send in our own man but since our target is based in the US, we need an American to blend in.  We need someone who can also blend in seamlessly and get close to the target.”  

“That would be me,” Clay said.  

“Excellent.  And this is our target.”  He flashed a picture.  “John Fitzgerald. He is a former MI6, turned mercenary. He has been keeping low until just a few days ago when we intercepted intelligence that he is a threat to the crown. The King has been informed of the situation but is obviously not involved for his safety and the safety of his family.”  

“Shit,” Clay mumbled. He picked up the photo of the target.  “I know him.  We worked together 20 years ago.  I can’t go in.”  

“Who can?” Fowler asked.  

Clay furrowed his brow. “What company?” 

“It is,” Hart shuffled his papers, “ADR Diagnostics.  A tech company.”  

The Losers all swiveled their heads and looked at Jensen, who looked back with wide eyes. “What?” 

“Jensen can go in,” Clay said.  

Hart stepped forward.  “Name, rank and qualifications?” 

Jensen stood up straighter. “Captain Jake Jensen, masters in computer science and Data Analytics.” Jake started to sweat a little as Fowler and Hart inspected him.  

“Well, he does have the look of an IT guy,” Fowler commented. “What do you think, Inspector?” 

“Captain, you understand that you will essential be a civilian working undercover to find out what is going on with Fitzgerald?  There is not a timetable.  The faster you discover his motives, the faster you are out.”  

“Colonel,” Jake turned to Clay, “I thought we were out?”  

“They haven’t given us our papers yet Jake.  This would be our last mission.” Clay turned to the team. “It’s up to you.”  

“I’m in,” Pooch said.  Cougar tilted his trademark hat. Aisha shrugged.  Clay turned back to Jensen.  “The company is based near your family’s hometown.  You can stay near them and visit like normal since you do have to keep up appearances.”  

Home. Something that Jake had longed for.  His reunion with his parents has been joyful.  Especially since his cousin Savannah and niece Grace had been visiting.  Her husband and two other children had stayed home with the flu, which was a bummer but still.  

“Alright,” Jensen clapped his hands together.  “I’m in.”  

“Excellent. We will get you planted as a manager of an IT group.  You start a week from Monday to allow you time to get settled.  The apartment we have procured for you is in the town center and you should be able to walk to the office,” Hart explained.  

Civilian life.  

Not something he was expecting. But here he was, Captain Jake Jensen, IT guy. He stood in front of ADR Diagnostics and looked up. The weekend had been interesting.  His parents had been thrilled that he was going to be closer to home.   He settled into his loft apartment and set up his reconnaissance equipment to maintain contact with the team.  He was to check in every Friday, under the guise of drinks with old friends.  He had studied his target.  

Fitzgerald was a handsome man, loyal to the crown, until an accident killed his partner, and he went sideways.  He left the service, went underground.  The threat that brought him back into radar was interesting.  Fitzgerald was looking for leverage against the old King of England.  His Majesty, King Harold had just stepped down to his son, Anthony, his only child, in a swirl of worry as Anthony had not had any children of his own.  

Jake found it curious on the line of succession the next person would be Anthony’s cousin, Lewis, to inherit.  From what Jake found online, the people of England despised Lewis for his snotty attitude to the common people and his utter disdain for his uncle and cousin, so much as speaking out against them. What could Fitzgerald be looking for to hold over the old King? He must be connected to Prince Lewis in some way, Jake noted to himself.  

Walking in, he was greeted by his new supervisor. “Jake?” 

“Yeah, Jake Jensen.” He offered his hand.  

“Michael Anderson.  Follow me.”  

Jake internally snorted remembering his break into the last company.  He followed the man to the bank of elevators and went up.  

“So, Jake, you’ll be heading a team of techs checking for security for our clients. Your team is four plus you and you will be reporting to me.  We do a daily report due at the end of the day before you leave. You have to send that to Sam, my assistant.”  

Jake nodded along. “Cool. No problem.”  

Michael looked over Jake. “I know it’s your first day but lose the tie. We’re pretty casual here. Polo and jeans will do.  Fridays can be a t shirt.”  

“Sure.” Jake pulled off his tie and stuffed it into his backpack. Getting off on the 14th floor, Michael directed him to an air where five desks were situated.  “Guys, focus up.” Four heads popped up.  “This is your new team leader Jake Jensen. This is Fred, Dave, Rob and Pete, your team. Make him feel welcome and shit. I’ll check in with you guys later.”  

“Uh, Mr. Anderson?” 

“Mike, please.” 

“Right Mike. Uh computer?” 

“Right.” He pulled a laptop out of his own bag. “Email is set up and will have all your system logins. Sam should have emailed you your report instructions and everything you need. Have any questions, ask your team or send a message to Sam. Otherwise, own your team, Jake.”  

“Thanks.” Mike walked away and Jake turned back to the guys. “Hi.” He awkwardly waved his hand.  

“Sup, boss man, I’m Fred. De facto mouth of the team.  That Dave, Rob and Peter,” pointing to each guy. “Uh I’ll let you set up.”  

“Thanks. Just set up and you guys can tell me where you are.” Jake moved to his new desk and took out a frame. Pictured was his niece Grace with his cousin Savannah. They had lost touch for a few years when his asshole aunt and uncle cut Savvy off. Now she was married and happy and Jake got back in touch with her. A perk of no longer being dead.  

As he set his desk up, he looked up to see a beautiful brunette walk across the floor. Her long dark hair with blonde tip bounced with her curls in a sleek ponytail.  She wore an emerald-green blouse with dark jeans and heels. Jensen couldn’t help but stare. And then she looked up. Cupid lips, soft pink cheeks, cat eyeglasses framing big eyes with lashes. Her smile made Jake swoon. When she looked in his direction he ducked and moved to open his email. “Stupid,” he muttered to himself. No way a girl that gorgeous is single. He concentrated on the task at hand, reading the first email in his new inbox.  

From: Sam Matthews  To: Jake Jensen  Hi!  Below are your logins for the system. I’ve attached a sample excel sheet to use for your daily reports. Any questions, you can email or instant message me.   Welcome to the team Jake!   Sincerely,  Sam Matthews  Assistant to Michael Anderson  

Jake reviewed all the info given and then sat with his team.  But his mind never left the beautiful brunette. I wonder where she works, he thought to himself.  

Closer than you think, Jake.  

The day went smoother than he thought, ADR’s systems sophisticated but simple. He was able to catch up to where his team was at and log in the progress.  He caught glimpses of his dream girl as she walked around the office. Lunch time with the team was easy, the guys were really nice about inviting Jake and keeping him in the conversation.  But it was around three that Jake got his break.  He was headed into the break room for a much needed pick me up in the way of coffee. Making sure that he didn’t get lost, his eyes wandered around the floor before his reflexes caused him to dodge someone.  

“Excuse me, sorry,” he heard and looked to see a flounce of curls walk away.  It was dream girl. He was about to say something when someone else caught his attention.  

“Pardon me, I just… you’re new.” A British accent hit Jake’s ears and he looked to find himself face to face with John Fitzgerald.  

“Yeah, hi. I’m Jake, IT.”  

“John, accounting.  Sorry, did you see a brunette pass by?” 

Jake stared a second too long at Fitzgerald and shook himself back to the present.  “Uh, yeah, she went into the elevator.”  

“Sly minx, she is.  You must know how that is,” Fitzgerald flashed Jake a rouge smile.  Jake swallowed and nodded unsure what to say.  “Well, I’ll see you around Jake.”  

“Likewise.”  

This guy? Jake shook his head as he poured himself a cup.  Dammit. Now I have to be all douchebag around this guy, he thought to himself as he took a sip.  Another voice startled him that he spilled his coffee a bit.  

“Is he gone?” 

Jake turned to see his dream girl in front of him. Her glasses were pushed up into her hair, showing off her big eyes that he now knew were brown with flecks of green and gold in them. She was chewing on her bottom lip, making it fuller.  Jake was memorized.  “Uh, yeah.  I told him that you went up the elevator.”  

“Thank you.  God, he just won’t take no for an answer.”  

Jake was captivated by her voice. It had a slight accent to it but barely noticeable.  “Sorry for my species.” He wrinkled his nose at the comment and went to leave, knowing he had just made a fool of himself.  

But then he heard it: her giggle.  “Thank you for apologizing.  I’m Sam, by the way. Sam Matthews.”  

Holy. Shit.  

His new boss’s assistant is his dream girl.  

And suddenly, being undercover was not so bad.  

NEXT

Taglist:

@patzammit

@texmexdarling

@slutforchrisjamalevans

@firephotogrl74

@tinkerbelle67

@before-we-get-started

@bunnyforhim

@alexakeyloveloki

@sunnyhummingbee

@whiskeytangofoxtrot555

@peaceinourtime82

@saucy-sassy-sparkly

@kmc1989

@kandis-mom

@lokislady82

[yvettecyrus]

┈ ⟡ ( 𝑦𝑣𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒 𝑐𝑦𝑟𝑢𝑠 ) !

name. yvette (eve) cyrus | age. 30 | 12/09 | sagittarius.

occupation. tracker. (hides her occupation as a writer) | single

British, born in London, England. raised in NYC.

sexual orientation. bisexual.

┈ ⟡ ( 𝑝𝚑𝑦𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 ) !

dark brunette, wavy semi-long hair and dark chocolate colored eyes. Slim fit athletic body (very flexible and quick, trained in the martial arts)

aesthetic lies in casual dark modern style, consuming of numerous leather jackets and anything lacking of color.

faceclaim: daisy johnson voice claim: lily collins.

┈ ⟡ ( 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 ) !

reserved an nonchalant, she’s guarded, maybe not as much as a loner as john wick but it does take a while to finally get her to open up. she gets flustered easily, which also comes along with her tendency to overthink.

she’s smart and calculated, easily finding ways around a problem because of her wit. she’s always willing to help someone help if they really need it, but is expecting something in return.

is seen working proficiently in her workspace; a bit of a perfectionist, she works only to deem in high success. I mean, she even graduated in an Ivy League.

Negative attributes. doesn’t usually empathize with others, seeming bitter and cold. People in her workspace have warned others to not interact with her, due to her guarded well being.

Positive attributes. Extremely loyal and is willing to do what needs to be done for the ones she loves. Has motherly attributes, black cat energy and listens to other since she usually remains quiet.

Weaknesses. easily jealous, mean, impatient and tends to get angered easily, avoidant attachment style.

Likes. Cats, being alone in her room work, music, having someone around that has the opposite personality of her ( creates a good contrast, she might seem annoyed at first but deep down she enjoys it).

Dislikes. Disloyalty, liars, anyone inefficient and narcissists.

🐈‍⬛🦢☕️. spotify playlist.

┈ ⟡ ( 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠𝚑𝑖𝑝𝑠 ) !

Relationships based on those she has already met.

John Wick: Acquaintance (started off as friends but due to busy schedules and work their relationship grew apart)

Winston: Mentor (helped guide her through the criminal underworld, training her and appointing her the job of a tracker).

Charon: Acquaintance (friend of Winston’s)

Chara: Pet cat (female black american shorthair.)

┈ ⟡ ( 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 ) !

Yvette Cyrus was born in London, England, to a British father and an American mother. Her parents moved to New York City when she was young, seeking better opportunities. Growing up in the bustling city, Yvette witnessed both the glamour and the grit of urban life. Her parents, although hardworking, struggled to make ends meet, which instilled in Yvette a drive for success and financial stability.

From a young age, Yvette showed a natural aptitude for martial arts, thanks to her father's insistence on self-defense training. She excelled in various disciplines, developing agility and combat skills that would serve her well in her future endeavors. However, her parents had dreams of her pursuing a more conventional career, perhaps in law or academia.

Despite their aspirations, Yvette found herself drawn to the shadows of the criminal underworld that lurked in the city's underbelly. While attending an Ivy League university, she secretly delved into the world of espionage and clandestine operations, honing her skills as a covert operative. It was during this time that she crossed paths with characters like Winston and Charon, who recognized her potential and offered her guidance in navigating the treacherous landscape of assassins and mercenaries, working as a tracker.

Upon graduation, Yvette concealed her true occupation under the guise of a writer, using her cover to discreetly carry out contracts and eliminate targets with surgical precision. Her reserved demeanor and guarded nature made her an enigmatic figure among her peers, earning her a reputation as a formidable but unpredictable presence in the criminal underworld.

Despite her reluctance to form close bonds, Yvette developed a mutual respect and camaraderie with figures like John Wick, who saw in her a kindred spirit burdened by the weight of their pasts. Their interactions were marked by a shared understanding of the harsh realities of their profession, tempered by moments of silent solidarity and unspoken trust.

They don’t speak too often, the both of them too equally busy to ever interact.

As Yvette navigates the murky waters of betrayal and deception, she grapples with her own inner demons, haunted by the ghosts of her past and the choices that led her down this path. Yet, beneath her stoic facade lies a fierce determination to carve out her own destiny and defy the expectations placed upon her by society and circumstance.

[koboldkatalyst]

Tagged by @thebreakfastgenie 🥰💚❤️

name: Grace. This is my first new url in over a decade so I don’t have a cute nickname.

pronouns: she/her

where do you call home?: Boston, Massachusetts. The site of the skyline makes me feel more at ease.

favorite animal: my cat Francesca.

cereal of choice: I would say Honeycomb Cereal but I think it contains gelatin and since I’m Muslim I can’t eat it anymore 😭. So- honestly corn flakes. I am easy to please with carbs.

visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner: I’m literally just going to steal Genie’s answer because yeah. I would say I learn by doing. My mom says I’m a visual learner, but really it’s just that I need instructions written down because my working memory is pretty poor. My auditory memory is excellent, I think because I have perfect pitch, so I use that for memorization a lot.

first pet: A pet that was just mine and not a family pet? A beautiful red beta fish named Mitchell. He lived for 5 years after I got him.

favorite scent: the smell of hot concrete after it rains.

do you believe in astrology: nope and I have become a total grouch about it. I really do kind of hate it now. I’m sorry but I’m just so tired 😭

how many playlists do you have on your music service of choice: I mostly only use my own personal iTunes account though I have a few Spotify playlists…my own personal iTunes I have 6 apparently- but I only use 3.

sharpies or highlighters: in the end, probably highlighters for overall utility, but sharpies are so pretty!!!!

song that makes you cry: 18-Wheeler by Alabama and All I Ask by Adele.

song that makes you happy: there are too many to choose from! The first one I thought of was Christie Lee by Billy Joel.

and finally, do you write/draw/create: I write a bit sometimes. I DM a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. I sing. I make TikToks because I can sing and act but I can’t draw. I knit.

@leia-connor-vas-serenity

Tagging: @goldenliartrash @ronearoundblindly @daisyssousa @docjen @lobob92345 @benedettabeby @retratospastel @agentmintea @redvanillabee @mydearprofessormcgonagall @reichenbannakaffalatta @praisedog @standingcowrrdly @faeriesaurus @raptoradapter @piperholmes @fishdetective

[kaciidubs]

Get to Know Me - K-Pop Stan Edition

Tagged by; @bethanysnow

Who is your favorite K-pop group?

Stray Kids! Currently these babies are my faves! They've completely swept me off my feet, which I didn't think was possible from how fucking fast it happened, but I've got no complaints~

Which member sparked your interest first?

Believe it or not, but Seungmin was actually the first member who sparked my interest! Specifically Maxident era Seungmin [as I was a Maxident era Stay], he was the one I would look out for the most when I started getting into them as a group. It was the dandy boy effect, what can I say?

Who was your first bias?

Truthfully it was a tie between Seungmin and Chan in the beginning, I loved these two so much I considered myself just double biased with them, but magically one day Chan turned out to be my main bias, and Seungmin lived up to the bias wrecker name [until a wild HyuniBini came along].

Now - Who was your first ever bias?

Mr. President Kim Namjoon, Rap Monster, RM, Joonie of BTS - my first ever bias and husband, I love him more than words can ever describe, him and the rest of the tannies have gotten me through so much back in early 2020 and I'll forever be thankful for them - I honestly can't wait till they come home!

Who is your current bias?

If it wasn't obvious already, Chan - aka Christopher, Chris, Chanstopher, Channie, etc etc - is my current bias! Though, I'd say my full lineup is Chan, Changbin, and Hyunjin - he's my ult out of the tier.

What makes them your bias?

I could list a lot of things, really - talk about how I see some of myself in the parts that he's shown to us - but I don't think I could ever come up with just one singular reason as to why he's my bias. I feel like I can relate to him the most, he's got attributes that I wish I had and because of that it just draws me in more because seeing him excel makes me believe that I could do the same one day. Something just clicks with him and I can't place my finger on it, he's just... there, and my heart's all "Yeah, he's the one."

Who is your bias wrecker?

HyuniBini!! These two are wreckers like no other and I don't know how I manage to survive them but I do! Of course, I love all the members, but these two can snatch me away at any given moment and I'm not mad at it at all.

Which member(s) are you currently obsessing over that aren't your bias/bias wrecker?

Yang Jeongin. Yang fucking Jeongin. Ever since he got that split dye with the curls for Rockstar era, I've never been the same - ALSO, him and his honey brown hair now?? The length? The FLUFF? He's a baby bread after my heart and soul.

When did you first discover this group?

Technically I first discovered them on September 24, 2020 [according to my spotify liked playlist] with B Me, but I didn't truly start stanning them until October 11, 2022. To be fair, 2020 was really the year I actually started getting into K-Pop as a whole; I became an Army March 13th, 2020 - without BTS I doubt I would've been a Stay for as long as I have.

Have you ever been to one of their concerts?

Sadly, I haven't, and I had plans to see them this coming Lollapalooza, but things happened and I'm crossing my fingers to be able to see them when they go on tour again.

What are some of your favorite songs by the group?

Mixtape: OH, Neverending Story, Sorry I love you, Any, The Tortoise and the Hare, The Sound, Voices, Novel, Hello Stranger, Behind the Light, Cover me - their whole discography, honestly, but these are the main songs that make me feel like I'm going to a different universe.

Tagging; whoever made it this far and would like to do it! This was really fun~

[multifairyus]

Spicy Brelwyn Playlist Update

Tl;dr—What should the Playlist name be?

Disclaimers:

1. Idk how to make a post Mature/Explicit so uuhhh if you’re too young for this then like…don’t engage. If you’re a minor, I’d appreciate if you took a back seat in this discussion please and thank you!

2. I personally headcannon the whole “Early College” thing in Legendborn as just normal college. Sexy situations aside I think aging up the characters it solves plot contrivances and makes things simpler where the more complicated option isn’t terribly interesting. As such, the relationship discussed between Briana and Selwyn is between two adults. Moreover, while Sel’s demonia makes an ~appearance~ and influence, this playlist is meant to be conceptualized without the looming threat of him descending into demonia and subsequent blurring of the lines between “safe, sane, and consensual”, as is in Demonia’s Descent. So like…in my headcannon/playlist AU, the power of love makes Sel better at edging his demon? Yeah. Yeah? Sure.

…look, I’m not here to make this shit actually make sense with the plot. That’s for the lovely theorists, fix-it/alt POV fic writers and resource gathering fandom members’ forte. I’m here to provide the official soundtrack of Legendborn smut for those of us on the front lines when there was under 100 fics total on AO3 and for the new fans that will come when Book 3 is released. I do have an aspiration to take undue credit for one of playlist songs ending up in the Legendborn TV show—oh y’all couldn’t tell me NOTHINGGG. If nothing else, I just want people to enjoy and create fan works to the playlists, cuz this is my own kind of fan work 😊

Image from OpenMeDesigns

Aight now let’s get INTO ITTTTT

So, Of Our Own Volition had Brelwyn making love for the first time. The earliest one could theorize it happening (with a non heteronormative definition of sex) could be Into Orbit…tho personally? It’s when The Line was clearly crossed in Virgo’s Scorpio’s Groove. Immediately followed by Sel having a damn religious ascension with Submerge: Until We Become the Sun. We get some afterglow and end on a flirty, playful, even experimental note with We Might Even Be Falling In Love (feat. Bryson Tiller for my Spotify peeps). It’s all very saccharine and tender and sweet and I love it…

This is not that playlist. They are grown and fucking fucking now. We are getting explicit. We are getting kinky. I allowed myself like one and a halfish toxic song in this playlist, since there’s more than enough excellent but SUPER TOXIC relationship songs for the TLC trio, regardless if you’re OT3 endgame or Brelwyn endgame. …A Toxic OT3 playlist will come in due time, with my softboi hours (Brickel? Nickee? Brick?) Brick Playlist along side it as a palette cleanser.

But now? I want input for what a grown and sexy playlist would be for these two!I like wording and terminology from the book—“Everything in Between” isn’t bad but feels too wordy? I’m open to phrases from fics too, especially from who have published excellent Brelwyn smut already—you know who you are (because I tagged you cuz y’all’s work deserves more hype @sweetestblacktea @justbrainrot @thoughtfulbearpanda @ficnoire2 )

I will crowdsource opinions on kinks our lovely couple is into, giving or receiving, in the comments. For scientific reasons, of course. I’m a chemist irl, and I know chemistry when I see it! 👩🏾‍🔬🥵👌🏾😩

Onto my specific thoughts I think may be helpful to answer my query!

~*~*~*~*~*~

I think I wanna have transition songs like the instrumental tracks in O3V and DD. But my searches for “sexy violin” are not giving what I need it to.

An idea I have is to instead have shifts be denoted by a lil “Demonia Dip” as I call it. Not full on Act V of DD bad but like, compared to the rest of the playlist you’d be like “oh yeah it’s that bastard again” we’re talking For Your Entertainment by Adam Lambert and a reappearance of Tonight You are Mine by the Technicolors.

This is an R&B slowjams playlist for our protagonist and King Bree first and foremost… but Sel IS a white boy with THAT kinda playlist for his deepest, darkest desires…it’s only fair the cambion brain gets a few tracks, if only to signal “oh we are NASTY nasty now huh—“ Plus I let the white boy freak flag fly by starting off O3V with Sweater Weather. He can have a dip or two. As a treat.

Track Teasers (in no particular order)

F.U.C.K., Victoria Monet

Earned It, The Wknd (Often and Lost in the Fire are going to the top of Toxic playlist because I couldn’t add them in good faith with content or language I disapprove of in it 🥴 but the Wknd couldn’t NOT be in here)

Speechless, Buddy

Skin, Rihanna

A Muse, dvsn

Rope Burn, Janet Jackson

Teehee this is gonna be fun y’all 💖

Kthxbai

-Fairy

[eilinelsghost]

Sounds of Atandil

I initially shared part of the playlist in response to this ask, but I've realized I should just make a main post for it that I can keep updated as the series grows. The playlist is intended to go along with the Atandil series and includes one song per installment.

1. Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis || Ralph Vaughan Williams, Hallé, Sir Mark Elder So as I mentioned in the summary, this is basically the theme for the whole series. It has such a breadth of emotion and beauty in it, and it makes me tear up almost every time. I love this piece so much. And consequently it's really fitting that it's also the primary one associated with Part 1, since that is sort of the flagship installment of the series where all the philosophical framework gets laid out.

2. Gravity || Ludovico Einaudi This piece captures so much of the movement from Grief in All Her Guises. It conjures up the movement of the river in the opening scene, the butterfly that began the Quenya lessons, the laughter around the fire at lunchtime, the sound of Finrod's voice as Balan experiences it moving through him on the hilltop, the overarching movement of the stars dancing overhead.

3. Child of the Troubles || Andrew Simon McAllister Tragically this one no longer plays on Apple Music or Spotify, but I linked to the artist's page in the song title where you can stream it. This one is the partner track to Unfriends and Belen's run-in with the Laiquendi.

4. The Fall || Hans Zimmer Just such excellent Fen of Serech vibes here, especially the 2nd half. I literally listened to this one on loop while writing Ye Shall Render Blood and it is the whole mood of that installment.

5. Solringen || Wardruna The whole piece works well as the right feelings for A Shuddering in the Air, but specifically the chunk beginning at 4:44 was the underlying inspiration for the way they deliver the "oath of parting" in the burial rites at the end.

6. Night || Ludovico Einaudi Appropriately named musical accompaniment for Here in Our Frailty, which takes place all throughout the Longest Night. Additional excellent vibes as that sometimes the warbly effect on certain notes reminds me of the haunting ice sounds that I listened to on loop for the Finrod-has-a-freakout section.

7. Flora || Ludovico Einaudi Ok so apparently half of this playlist is just Ludovico Einaudi, but that's because his stuff is great. The peaceful vibes of lying in a golden field while your crush drops a snowdrop flower on your face and flirts while completely clueless are all over this one, so it's the partner piece to A Heady Fragrance of Honey.

8. Into Dust || Mazzy Star This is my ultimate doomed mortal/immortal relationship song. The only explanation needed here is honestly to direct you straight to the lyrics. It even references fading. Absolute perfection and the correct level of abject sorrow for In Memory Untarnished.

9. Citizen of Glass || Agnes Obel This one is just Correct for Vassal somehow. I'm pretty sure it is this line of lyrics that solidified it for me: Some let go and some hold on / There is no mistake / If I could wash all ill away / Tell me would you stay? But also it just has all the right feelings to it, if that makes sense.

10. Time Escaping || Big Thief Happy road trip music for the boys! Or. Well. Extremely depressing road trip music for the boys given the context and the song title and the mortality and um...god can't these two be happy for one second. Happiness I guess, much like the installment this goes with, is A Shifting Mirage.

11. The Path of the Fossils || Ludovico Einaudi He's back, folks! As I said - apparently half the playlist. But anyway, I love the recurring waves of impending emotion that continuously come back throughout this piece. It works so well with the barrage of feelings that both Finrod and Beren work through in Many a Dreadful Path. And in addition to that, the title plays very nicely with the shelf of memories and Beren's recollection of Emeldir telling him, “Know the path your forefathers set so that in such grounding you may see where your own should diverge.” 

12. Númenor || Bear McCreary I have...complicated feelings re Rings of Power (to put it mildly), but thankfully those have not killed how much I love this piece from the soundtrack. In fact, it's so thoroughly associated now with Balan's arrival in Nargothrond in Children of the Sun that I almost forget it very much belongs with something else.

13. Change || Big Thief So much of And Still the Light Returns is about each character navigating change in the other(s) or their circumstances that this just seemed appropriate. Also uh: Would you live forever, never die / While everything around passes? / Would you smile forever, never cry / While everything you know passes?

14. Stretch Your Eyes || Agnes Obel It took me quite awhile to land on one for In These Holy Waters. But about halfway through writing it, this song came on in an old playlist and immediately clicked. It's the movement of the water in the melody, the mingled mournfulness and defiance. The dark and the ghost / They dance so sweet and slow / Dug-out from below there / to damn the gods

15. Song with No Name || Johnny Flynn This album came out right as I was working on Darkly the Sundering Flood and I don't know that I could have found more perfect lyrics to sum up this whole installment than these: As I search for the solace the hills might give me / Heavy the tread of the dead on the way / The path in the rain, in the sun, won't gleam / And the ground is made with death and decay / And an echo of the ones who've walked before me / And joy for the ones who've walked beside me

16. Quene Note || The Henrician Consort Honestly? This one is vibes. I just really like it. It has all the tense melancholy I felt while working on No Gentler Pain.

17. Logos || Ludovico Einaudi Our guy returns again! I'm pretty certain that listening to this piece was what gave me the entire idea for this installment. The bit from 5:00 to the end is, well, no spoilers if you haven't read this installment yet, but it's the feral!Finrod bit.

18. River, Mountain and Love || Johnny Flynn & Robert Macfarlane Well this whole installment felt like a tone-break from the rest of the series, so why not also have a playlist number that feels the same? I am always and forever obsessed with this album. Won't you tumble and dance to the bluebell sea? / Won't you melt back down, won't you come home with me? / River fed all the ferns who unfurl in the old love of spring

19. Petricor || Ludovico Einaudi [Teaser for the upcoming installment.]

[autisticempathydaemon]

your match-up game looks like so much funnn so i'm gonna submit one for myself 💖

dragula by rob zombie …. i only rly discovered it like two weeks ago but it’s one i play a lot while working bc for some reason it helps me focus lol

just took a test and got nine, the peacemaker. idk much abt enneagrams 🫣

hmm yes but only when i’m feeling spicy. and they’re almost always about video games in some regard, like analyses or creepypasta deep dives yk?

i don’t think i ever had a REAL imaginary friend. i remember trying for a little while because i thought it’s what all kids were supposed to do, but i never like. Believed in it

sleep aid audios! lately it’s been redacted (i have a whole folder of faves on my phone lol) but before that it was asmrtists like gibi. sometimes i take melatonin too ‘cause it takes me ages to fall asleep 😪

i changed my name around late 2019 to angel when i was just coming into my nonbinary-ness; i took it from the video game borderlands 2! i went back to my given name in 2021/2022 but being angel was fun for a while <3

milo’s panic attack audio i think. i was just getting into redacted and starting from the top and it just made me feel so cozy and locked him in as a fave :’) OOH also the pack smash tournament!! i love multi-speaker videos and that one was so much fun

vincent ……. i’m so sorry i’ve tried three times to listen to his playlist but he bores me 😭 the farthest i’ve gotten is past adam, though i listened to his involvement in inversion and picked up with him after the summit

do video games count bc if so i can quote resident evil 4 2005 ALLLL DAY LONG it’s my favorite game ever. if not i’m gonna say lilo and stitch ‘cause that’s my biggest comfort movie

 HUXLEY. like dgmw i love his non-canon audios & he’d be just the sweetest boyfriend but i want to be his friend so baadlyyy i just need one good huxley hug and i think it would cure me

nooo when i’m sleepy i just get quiet 🫠 i’m not a big talker in general i think

blue raspberry slushie + honey bun OR dr pepper + chili cheese fritos. depends on my mood

recently ummm it’s been a playlist i made called violent devotion, which is basically just yandere-type songs hehe

aw man ok. so i was a big homestuck fan in my teens and i rly loved broadway karkat, & last week i discovered all my faves are on spotify :’) so i made a playlist of them and spent all weekend revisiting my past

HMM okay here’s some rapid fire facts: i’m the eldest of three, i’m a dog person, i’m an introvert,  i can be very stubborn (taurus 👋🏻), i tend to prefer video games over tv/movies, and overall personality-wise i relate the most to honey out of all the listeners!

So I consider a lot of factors when I do these, I swear I do. That said- you’re a Honey-kinnie but also a dog person? Who else can I pair you with but Asher?

Your personality types, in addition to your being an eldest child, hint to me that you’re a steadfast, reliable person and therefore an excellent foil to Asher who could use someone like that in his life to ground him. In contrast, I think his extroverted, bubbly nature would bring you out of your shell, endear you to the rest of the pack as the beta’s mate. Also, I think your love of video games and homestuck would really bring y’all together. (Out of all the boys, he’s deffo the most likely to be a homestuck.)

You’d have such a fun, chill life together, because Asher keeps it fun and chill, you know? I think Asher spends a lot of time wolfed out and with his big, dog head on your lap while you play video games. He jumps during the scary games and shifts back during co-ops so he can play with you. He comes home from a gig with either a honey bun or Fritos, because he wasn’t sure what the vibe was today, so he’ll eat whichever one you don’t want. You do 7/11 snack runs and compete to see who has the bluest tongue. It’s a great life.

Song:

Ooh, I'm in love/ It's a mystery/ When I see you out at night/ I start to get dizzy/ Before I see you I pick out some things to say/ Don't want to sound foolish and waste my chance away/ Oh, I'm not gonna make the same mistakes/ I'm not gonna run/ Just pick the boy you like

This song is peak Asher-vibes; do you know what I mean? Like, I think this is the kind of music he’d like, this sort of alternative indie pop rock sound. (Side note, the guitarist’s name is literally Darlin, so that’s a sign right there.) This song in particular is so fun and catchy; I can see Asher singing this at you incessantly no matter how long he’s already been your boyfriend.

Runner-ups:

Milo is a runner-up because you’re a dog person /hj It’s also because I would kill to watch him watch you play RE4 or any other horror game- that would be hilarious. Guy is another runner-up because, behind Asher, he’s the second most likely to have had a homestuck phase.

Read this post and send me an ask if you’d like a match-up of your own! 💌

[therecordchanger62279]

18 NEW PLAYLISTS

     I’ve been building more playlists for my iTunes file so that I can get more use out of my collection. It enables me to listen on the computer when I’m working, or at the exercise room when I’m working out. And it’s a great opportunity to mix and match artists, albums or styles so that all the music sounds fresh, and new. Context matters. And most music fits together far better than any radio programmer or Spotify algorithm would lead you to believe.

     Here’s the latest. The number of tracks is in parentheses.

1971 (283) 1972 (317) 1973 (377) An overview of each entire year in popular music. Most of it is Rock, Pop, and Soul but there's a sprinkling of Jazz, and Country as well.

Beg, Scream & Shout (144) The complete box set of the same name – a Rhino set of 144 great Soul singles of the 1960s.

Bill Evans (31) Sourced from The Complete Riverside Recordings box set, and The Best of Bill Evans on Verve. Three of Evans’ classic albums for Riverside along with an overview of his recordings for Verve.

Dexter Gordon (27) A collection of 70s recordings sourced from The Complete Prestige Recordings box (four of his best albums on the label), and closes with his Manhattan Symphonie album for Columbia.

James “Blood” Ulmer (50) A mix of 40 years of his recordings as a solo artist, and including the Music Revelation Ensemble, The Odyssey Band, and The Thing band recordings. His first album, Revealing, from 1977 kicks it off.

Jefferson Airplane (79) The first five albums complete, a selection of tracks from Bark, Early Flight, and the live Thirty Seconds Over Winterland, too. It closes with the 1989 self-titled reunion album.

John Wetton (80) Sourced from the excellent The Studio Recordings Anthology Vol. 1, along with his work with King Crimson, Uriah Heep, U.K., Asia, and the Steve Hackett Genesis Revisited project.

Laswell Mixes (18) Collects all three Bill Laswell remix albums of the works of Miles Davis, Panthalassa, and Panthalassa: The Remixes, and Carlos Santana, Divine Light - Reconstruction & Mix Translation.

Miles (Circle in The Round) (10) Straight recreation of the Miles Davis anthology Circle in The Round – a brilliant overview of Miles’ career with Columbia from 1955-1975.

Miles (Directions) (12) Another recreation of another Miles anthology from Columbia spanning his first 20 years with the label. This is not available on CD, nor is it available to stream, but all the tracks have been issued elsewhere since its 1981 release. I just brought them all together to recreate the album.

Miles Live (41) One of my better ideas, I think. This collects five editions of live recordings from The Miles Davis Quintet spanning the years 1960-1965. What makes it unique is that each of the quintets features a different saxophonist – none of whom is John Coltrane. Stockholm 1960 features Sonny Stitt, In Person Friday Night at The Blackhawk (1961) features Hank Mobley, Live at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival has George Coleman, Miles in Tokyo (1964) showcases Sam Rivers, and Highlights from The Plugged Nickel (1965) is with Wayne Shorter. Great opportunity to hear how the quintet evolved through the years, and how each of the saxophonists changed Miles’ sound.

Monk on Riverside (75) 12 Monk studio and live classic albums sourced from the massive 15 CD The Complete Riverside Recordings Box.

Northern Soul (124) Sourced from the Northern Soul box set, and The Decca Scene: Northern Soul CD. The best music from that uniquely British club scene.

Sonny Rollins (14) A trio of Rollins albums beginning with The Freedom Suite from 1958, The Bridge from 1962, and the Live in Graz, Austria November 12, 1966 trio set. Rollins in three different settings playing at his best.

Tacocat (25) Until a couple of weeks ago, I’d never heard this band. I picked up their first two CDs after hearing about them on a music podcast. Three girls and a guy with a girl group/pop/punk/alternative bent. Lots of hooks, and lots of fun. Reminded me of the 1980s indie scene before everything turned serious, and dark. NVM, and Lost Time are available direct from Sub Pop at very reasonable prices.

Virtuosos (132) Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Vangelis, John Paul Jones, Brand X, Steve Howe, Phil Manzanera, and Anthony Phillips – all great players collected in one place in a music clinic free for all. I wanted something different, so I brought great players together who really didn’t fit elsewhere.

I also split The Bangles playlist into a group list (89), and a side projects list (137). My two PJ Harvey lists are now three – the original albums (86), the demo albums (68), and a live only playlist (55). The 1969 (300) and 1970 (370) playlists were expanded by nearly double. The 1969-1973 playlists now total more than 1600 songs. Large playlists are best for genres, or year in music lists, and best heard on shuffle. Shorter playlists work better for artists, I find. The larger lists are films, the shorter ones work as snapshots.

[randomvarious]

1997 London Playlist

Back with another little update to a London underground playlist, this time for the year of 1997. This week we've got a trip hop beaut' from the one and only DJ Vadim, an electronic and alt hip hop stalwart who is originally from Russia but was raised in London. In May of '97, Vadim dropped an EP called Conquest of the Irrational, which was then followed up in Japan that same year with his third LP, U.S.S.R. Reconstruction (Theories Explained). '98 would then see the release of this album more widely.

On U.S.S.R. Reconstruction, you won't find an original version of "Conquest of the Irrational" itself, but what you will find instead is a similarly-titled song that was remixed by Copenhagen hip hop production trio The Prunes called "Theme from Conquest of the Irrational." This is a track with a lurking, sort-of cinematic 60s spy thriller vibe to it, which was a sound that definitely came back en vogue in the late 90s, as nostalgia for a retrofuturist cocktail lounge aesthetic became a little bit of a thing. And it has a pretty similar sonic palette to a song like Mos Def’s Yasiin Bey’s “Auditorium,” feat. Slick Rick too, which came out more than a decade after this tune, and was produced by Madlib. This remix also appeared on Parisian Kid Loco's excellent DJ-Kicks mix in 1999, and it currently has over 68.5K plays on Spotify.

DJ Vadim - "Theme from Conquest of the Irrational (Remix by The Prunes)"

And then for the YouTube update, we've got that song, plus one more that really can't be found on Spotify at all: a remix of Indiana alt rock/dream pop darling Lisa Germano's "Lovesick," done by London's own Trevor Jackson. Now, you may be more acquainted with Jackson under his Playgroup moniker, but before he ever donned that name, another one he used was Underdog.

And *the official version* of this Underdog remix is of way more of a trip hop bent than it is breakbeat, but the version that I’m supplying you all with this week is the one that appeared on that Kid Loco DJ-Kicks mix. This one appears to be blended with the beat from the preceding song in that mix, whose official version I can’t even find on YouTube, called “Culture Consumers,” by a short-lived duo called Tongue. Like much of the rest of that mix, this song makes for some truly heady and totally stoned trippery, but it also comes with some pretty dissonant guitar noise too! Currently hovering at around 72K YouTube plays.

Lisa Germano - "Lovesick (Underdog Rmx)"

And this playlist is also on YouTube Music.

So this update now brings us up to 13 songs on Spotify that clock in at a total of 84 minutes, and then on YouTube we've got 22 songs that run for a total of 147 minutes. And if you really want some of those underground London '97 goodies, you'll give that YouTube one a listen, because in addition to the Underdog remix of Lisa Germano, what you'll also find on there are a couple gems from incredible IDM artist Freeform; a version of Groove Armada's all-time chillout classic, "At the River," that appeared on a 2000 Fatboy Slim mix with it mashed-up with the drums from Underworld's "Born Slippy;" a hard-to-find house remix by Dimitri From Paris of acid jazz group The Brand New Heavies; and an excellently bouncy house remix of the gone-way-too-soon Wildchild's "Renegade Master" that was done by duo Stretch & Vern. All highly terrific stuff! 👍👍👍

And here's some more 90s London playlists for you too!:

1995 London: YouTube / YouTube Music 1996 London: Spotify / YouTube / YouTube Music 1998 London: YouTube / YouTube Music 1999 London: YouTube / YouTube Music

Next week, some future jazz!

Enjoy!

More to come, eventually. Stay tuned!

Like what you hear? Follow me on Spotify and YouTube for more cool playlists and uploads!