#modern talking Songs all sound the same. but they do hit.... but also i just eat up 80s music so

[forestlion]

diddi und die starken männer

#i was gonna say something else. but i wont #german stuff #modern talking #modern talking Songs all sound the same. but they do hit.... but also i just eat up 80s music so

[spookysteddie]

Studio Sessions

18+ MINORS DNI

Modern!rockstar!Eddie x influencer!fem!reader

Series masterlist here

cw: voice recording during sex, reader gets insecure, studio times, fluff, flirting, pet names, oral (fem! receiving), unprotected penetrative sex, creampie, dirty talk, reader gets what she wants.

wc: 3.6k

a/n: this got away from me... I hope you all enjoy it! Feel free to send in requests for these two if you have them!! ALSO: this is the last post for them I'll have with a tag list... it's so much work and not that I dont love y'all ( I do) it's just hard. I hope y'all still love me and understand ❤️.

...

Is it normal to miss someone you just met? 

Is it normal to go on a few dates, sleep over their house like every night and still miss them immensely when they're gone? 

You and Eddie have spent every moment together since that first real date. Has he asked you to be his girlfriend yet? No. But you really don’t like to think too far into that one because then you’ll spiral, which is no good for anyone.

It didn’t matter too much. You knew it didn’t matter and you knew that he wasn’t fucking anyone else because he was either in your bed at night, or you were in his. I mean he could be fucking other people during the day, but you doubted it. 

Back to the missing him part. It feels weird to miss someone who is a few feet in front of you, who you can literally see. But here you are, Eddie standing on the other side of some glass gathering things, and you miss him. You can’t help your thoughts from wandering back to if he feels the same way. But also, why would he? Men don’t act like that, right?  

“Sweetheart, you ready?” Eddie's voice cuts through the fog of uncertainty. 

You nod, a small smile playing on your lips. You were in the studio with Corroded Coffin, getting to watch their recording process. Eddie is right, there is something missing from a few of those songs, but you’re unsure if your voice is what is missing. You’re willing to try, though, still honored every agreed to this.

Eddie sets you up, putting headphones on you so you can hear the music. “Okay, sweet angel, don’t get too close to the mic because it can cause the sound to get a little weird. Got it?” 

“I got it.” You grin up at him. He kisses you sweetly, your body growing hot. 

He leaves, going to stand outside the booth with the rest of the band and his producer. He gives you a thumbs up, smile lighting up his face. He’s been more than excited that you agreed to do this. 

You hear a count before the music starts, you quickly look down at the lyrics sheet in front of you. When you get the cue you start, turning on the most bedroom voice you can manage, eyes locking with Eddie’s as you speak. “Mine, be mine. Love me. Never let me go.” 

You smirk at him as he squirms, his friends hitting his arm. You aren’t sure why it makes you happy to watch him squirm but it does. You let out a laugh, real and loud, instead of saying your next lines. 

The producer perks up, cutting off the music, “oh my god, that was amazing! I need more of those.” 

You feel your face get warm, a small and shy giggle leaving your chest. You don’t hear Eddie enter the room, but you can feel him. His energy calling to yours. You hum, not caring that they’re still recording you. 

He pulls your headphones off, “great job, sweetheart.” 

“Thank you, baby.” You lean in kissing his lips. It’s quick, just enough to get a taste of him. “This is a lot of fun. I like this!” 

“You sounded very beautiful.” 

You giggle, looking up at him grinning, “I was just talking.” 

He kisses your forehead and whispers to you, “no. You were using that voice you use when you’re desperate for me to fuck you.” 

You freeze, looking up at him. He’s looking at you with that sexy smirk on his face, making your stomach flip and clit pulse. God, he’s so hot when he’s doing absolutely nothing, dressed in black sweatpants and a sweatshirt, dressing comfortably for the long day in the studio. You could kiss him, right now. 

No, scratch that, you could fuck him right now. You would if there weren’t six other people looking at you. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” you whisper, winking up at him. 

He kisses you quickly, leaving you wanting more as he pulls away. “Ready for the next one?” 

… 

You’ve been here for 8 hours. 

Between adding little snippets of your voice, the band recording the rest of their songs, adding background vocals and putting in instruments, it takes a while. And you are tired. So tired in fact that during their last two songs, you fell asleep on the little couch in the studio. 

You know this because you’re woken up by a soft voice and a hand brushing your hair out of your face. 

“Sweet angel? Hey, baby.” You know it’s Eddie's voice based on the softness and sweetness he reserves only for you. 

You stretch, groaning just a little as your joints crack, “m’sorry for falling asleep. Didn’t mean to.” Your voice sounds small and a little crocky with sleep. You cover your mouth as a small yawn slips out, “s’cuse me. I’m sorry.” 

He laughs, kissing your free hand, “don’t apologize. We had a long night and early morning. Could’ve gone back to my place and slept?”

You shake your head, “mm-mm. Gotta be supportive. It sounds great and your fans will love it.” 

His grins widens, lips meeting your knuckles. He looks tired too and you sort of regret keeping him up most of the night. Well, actually, it was a mutual thing. You’d tried getting him to go to bed but he just ‘couldn’t get enough’ and then when you tried again, while he was still inside you and growing soft, but the second he shifted, you were pushing him on his back and riding him. See, mutual. 

“I’m glad you think it’s great, sweet girl. But you won’t upset me if you go home.” 

Home. The word clangs through you and makes your head spin. It shouldn’t because he definitely didn’t mean anything behind it. It was his home so of course he’s called it just ‘home’ and you are for sure overthinking it. 

You shake your head, both to clear it and to answer him, “no. I can wait. How much longer?” 

“Like another fifteen minutes? I just need to listen to that last take and the boys need to add some background stuff. Then we can go.” His thumb is rubbing along your knuckles, his touch soft even if his hands are calloused. 

“I’ll wait.” 

And you do, this time staying awake. You post some instagram stories, making extra sure to mute it so you don’t spill a single note. Everyone loves the little insights to your time with Eddie, his fans enjoying seeing a different side to him. Of course, your parents still aren’t happy. 

You haven’t spoken to them since that phone call. You don’t need their opinions and Eddie has yet to be a bad person when it came to you. 

In fact, he’s good at planning dates and making sure no one follows. Blocking the paparazzi from getting unflattering photos of you. Sending you with security if needed. He cares. He cares more than anyone else ever has. 

It feels nice to date someone who doesn’t see you as a ticket to their fifteen minutes of fame. Who didn’t look at you as a way to further their own career. Sure, Eddie was more famous than you were, something the press loves to point out. But in some way you were on the same level. It was more than refreshing. 

“Ready?” 

You look up at his brown eyes and nod, letting him take your hand to help you up, your coat already in his hands. 

Once you both are ready to brave the slightly chilly weather, he takes your hand and leads you out. “There’s going to be people out here okay? Just so you're prepared.” 

You grin, looking over at him, “I am prepared, Eddie. I know the cost of dat- um, being seen with you.” 

If he catches your almost slip up, he doesn’t say anything. He just smirks, squeezing your hand as he opens the doors to the outside. Cameras flash and people scream, you’re practically blinded by the flashing bulbs. It doesn’t last long though, Eddie helping you into the car before getting in himself and closing the door, the sounds of screams muffled slightly.

“God, I love them but the screaming kills my ears,” he presses his finger to his ear, blocking it slightly before releasing it. 

You giggle, raising a brow, “aren’t you used to it? You hardly wear your ears on stage.” 

It was true. Eddie had this habit of taking out the ears he wears on stage, usually used to help keep beat as most artists can’t hear the music coming from the speakers. 

He shrugs, “ya aren’t wrong but I feel like I’m far enough away that the sound doesn’t hurt that bad? I really should keep my ears in so I don’t like lose my hearin’ before I’m 32.”

“Should hear it from the crowd,” you tilt your head slightly. “I had to get little ear plugs after the first time I saw you guys live. My ears rang for a few days after and I was yelling cause I couldn’t hear.” 

His eyes get wide, “that sounds awful. I should get ya some custom ears so you can hear what we’re doing on stage.” 

That makes your heart flutter a little, the fact that he wants you to hear all they do. “I don’t think I could deal with the metronome ticking.” He looks at you, “how do you know that happens?” 

You playfully roll your eyes, scrolling through your phone till you find a post you liked a little bit ago. “This. It’s a video of what Taylor Swift’s sound like inside. It was very interesting.” 

He watches it, three times actually. And then he giggles and scrolls, some familiar music starts to play and you already know what he’s looking at. Your face flames as you move to take your phone back. Unfortunately, he’s faster, moving so you can’t grab it from where you sit. 

He scrolls again, “you like these edits of me?” His tone is teasing and you feel like you’re going to die. He was never supposed to know you like thrist traps of him, most of them to his own songs. 

“E-Eddie give it back,” you plead with him. 

But he shakes his head, scrolling again and again and again. “These edits are actually really good. M’impressed. I also think it’s cute you like them.”  

You finally reach your phone, tugging it from his hands, “it’s rude to go through someone's phone, Eddie.” 

He fake pouts, “awww, are you embarrassed baby?” 

You don’t say anything as he coos at you because you are embarrassed that he saw those. But fuck, he looked so fucking hot in those edits. They make you feel things deep inside you, things you’ve used your vibrator to take care of. 

He leans forward, his hand reaching out and cupping your chin, forcing you to look at him. “Don’t be embarrassed, baby. I think it’s kind of hot you have those liked.” 

He pulls you closer, his lips meeting yours in a sweet, soft kiss. That feeling comes back, the one with a voice that questions why he hasn’t asked you to be his girlfriend yet. It’s been some time and you spend a lot of it together. You don’t want to push him, to make him look at you as needy or too much or annoying. That’s the last thing you want. You’ve heard it enough, from boyfriends, from your parents, from the people in your comment section. And the last thing you wanted was to hear it from Eddie. 

He breaks the kiss, his eyes scanning your face. Fuck he knows. 

“Are you okay?” He asks you with worry in his eyes. It kind of makes your chest hurt to worry him. 

“Oh yeah! I’m fine. Just… tired.” 

But, of course, he sees right through it, “no. You’re in your head. Come on… spill it.” 

You can’t. You want to express to him how you feel, to ask him to not waste your time. If he isn’t interested in you then you need him to tell you that so you can move on. But you know he is interested, you just sat and recorded bits for their album for fucks sake! He calls you sweet names and listens to what you have to say. He fucks you in a way you’ve never been before. He’s in tune to you and your needs, so the idea he doesn’t want you is absurd. 

But… “nothing. I just have that photo shoot coming up and I’m just nervous. It could make or break my career.” 

Half truth. You were nervous about the campaign. It could make or break your career if you didn’t do a good job or if people didn’t like it. 

He looks like he doesn’t believe you but he doesn’t push you further. You wish he would. 

… 

Eddie’s lips kiss along your chest, nipping a sucking sweet marks into the skin there. Marking you. Owning you. His hand moving up to tease your breast while his mouth sucks on the neglected one. 

His phone is set up beside you, the little red dot indicating he’s recording. It definitely catches the gasp you make as he works your chest, but he just feels so good you don’t think about it. 

He asked you six times before hitting record if you were okay with this, him voice recording. And you were, truly. He wanted your moans for his music but wanted some variety in there. So, he’s recording the entire round of sex. You’d be a dirty little liar if you said it didn’t turn you on. The idea that he’ll have this on his phone and in his music. Your moans immortalized on tape? It was hot as fuck. 

Eddie swaps sides, eyes meeting yours as he licks and sucks and bites. It hits you right at your center. He was hot as fuck, actually. Looking slightly feral as he kisses down your body. You can’t take your eyes off of his when he settles between your legs, putting them over his shoulders to give him more room. 

 “God you’re so wet for me, sweetheart,” he runs a finger through your slick, making you moan. “So pretty. Was so hot watchin’ you today.” 

“But I-” he licks up your slit, cutting you off what you were about to say. 

He sucks on your clit, making your back arch. It was insane to you how well he knew your body. He’s learned every dip, every curve of your skin. He’s learned exactly how to drag deep moans from you with his mouth, tongue and cock. Memorized them. He did it quickly too. 

“B-but I didn’t really do anything.” He slips two fingers inside you, stretching you out. “God! Fuck that feels good.” 

He doesn’t say anything, just laughs and curls his fingers. Eddie knows exactly what he’s doing, turning your brain off with every thrust of his fingers.

“J-just like that, baby! Oh god, don’t stop.” You can feel the orgasm building deep in your belly, your whole body growing hot as you squeeze his fingers. “M-more. Eddie, I need more.” 

He adds a finger, the burn from the stretch feeling incredible. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. Oh my god.” You don’t even know what you’re saying, just a babbling mess. This was typical when it came to the way Eddie worked your body. He’s the only one who’s worked you like this. 

Your orgasm hits you, mouth dropping open as your back arches on the bed, “Fuck! Fuck, fuck fuck!” 

You ride it out with Eddie’s help, his fingers slowing and his mouth coming off your clit with a soft pop. And when he finally removes his fingers, sucking them between his lips and moaning, you feel empty. You need him to fuck you, to feel him inside you. 

“Taste so fuckin’ sweet, baby. Just can’t get enough,” his voice drops a few octaves and you swear your heart stutters for a moment. 

“Please…” you whine. 

It hits you then that he is fully clothed and you are as naked as the day you were born. The dynamic is hotter than it should be, you might need to talk to your therapist about that. Or not. That’s an issue for another day. 

He pulls off his shirt, stomach flexing with the movement, “please what, angel?” 

His hands pull at his belt, tugging it through the loops before meeting the same fate as his shirt on the floor. Your tongue sticks to the roof of your mouth and you forget the English language for a moment. He pops the button on his jeans, sliding the zipper down as he waits for your answer. 

You manage to find it, “please fuck me. I-I need it.” 

He slides his jeans and boxers down his legs, his hard cock bobbing free. You squirm, licking your lips while your eyes rake over him. You need him, need him in many more ways than just sexually. You need him as yours, need him to love you. You can see the life you’d have if he called you his. Your babies would be beautiful thats for fucking sure. 

You don’t really have time to think further on it because Eddie slides inside you, his lips meeting yours and swallowing your moans. He tastes like you, cigarettes and weed. An odd mix but you love it anyway. 

“Shit, pretty girl. This pussy feels amazing. S’like you were fuckin’ made for me.” 

Your heart pounds and you know he can feel it, you can feel his. “I-I was. I was m-made for you, Eddie. Made for you” You kind of don’t mean for it to come out, but it can easily be brushed off as heat of the moment dirty talk. 

But there is something in the way he’s fucking you right now, something different. It’s slower than it has been, sweeter. Like he wants to take his time here, like he wants to feel every inch of you. His eyes shine with lust and something else, something he blinks away before you can decipher it. You have a feeling you already know what it is, because you feel the same way. 

“Yeah? You think so?” He lets you wrap your legs around his waist, keeping him close. “Think we were supposed to end up here?” 

You’re going to die if he keeps talking like this. He’s actually going to kill you. More so because you do believe in the invisible string theory. Everyone can say you’re going too fast, but you think your string is attached to him. Everything about him screams it in confirmation.

“Y-yes. I do.” 

He kisses you soft and sweet, adjusting slightly to hit that sweet spot inside you. You gasp into his mouth, hands coming up to his cheeks to hold him there while you kiss him. Again, it’s all slow and sweet and filled with emotion. 

“Glad we’re on the same page, baby.” 

He fucks you just a little faster, hitting all your sweet spots and making the coil in your belly twist tighter. “I- oh my god, Eddie.” 

He laughs, not straying from your lips, “I love when you pray to me.” 

Your orgasm takes you by surprise, a deep moan falling from your lips as your velvet walls squeeze him. It makes your head spin and you kind of feel like you’re going to pass out from how good it feels. You don’t, of course. 

“That’s it, baby. Such a good girl coming for me. My pretty angel.” 

“Y-yours.” 

He nods, “mine.” 

Mine

Mine

Mine

Mine 

The word cycles through your head over and over, making you clench harder around him.

“Fuck, baby. Gonna cum. Fuck fuck FUCK!” 

He spills inside you as he moans your name. It’s angelic when he does it and you’re gonna make him send the recording to you immediately so you can hear it again and again. He collapses on you, being careful to not crush you with his weight. 

“I s-swear on my life, you’re the best I’ve ever had.” 

You giggle, shaking your head, “i bet you say that to every girl you fuck.” 

He lifts his head, his face serious, “no. I don’t. You’re the first person I’ve ever said that to.” 

You just stare at him, not knowing what to say.

“Did you mean what you said? About us being made for each other?” He asks it quietly, like he’s afraid of anyone hearing him. Anyone but you. 

You swallow the lump in your throat. You can do this, tell him how you feel. Right? “I-I did. We fit together so well. Don't ya think?” 

Now it’s his turn to swallow, “I do… I meant it too.” 

You aren’t sure where this is going, but you hope to whoever the fuck is listening that it’ll go your way. 

“You did? You haven’t known me that long.” 

He shrugs, “so? You spend every night here, or me at your place. You get to know someone pretty quickly that way.” He laughs a little, pushing some of your hair out of your face.

Ask me 

Ask me 

Ask me

“I would agree,” you say as you run your fingertips up his arm.

“Would you agree to stay forever if I asked you to?” 

You hold your breath and nod. He gives you a look that makes you squeak out a small “yes.” 

A huge grin breaks out across his face, bright white teeth showing, “then stay. With me and be mine. And I’ll be yours. No more wandering around lookin’ for each other.” 

You blink away the burn behind your eyes, you cannot cry at someone asking you to date them, “n-no more wandering.”

#stranger things #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson x reader #stranger things fic #eddie munson #eddie munson fic #eddie munson x you #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson x female reader #rockstar!eddie x reader #rockstar!eddie munson #rockstar!eddie x fem!reader #modern!rockerstar!eddie munson x influencer!fem!reader

[healmydesires]

needy ꕤ (a.s)

kinktober 2023

prompts: breeding kink + overstimulation + lingerie

pairing: modern!anakin skywalker x sub!f!reader

summary: you surprise your boyfriend with your sexy ensemble.

genre: smut + fluff , tbh pure filth sorry! (mdni! 18+ only)

word count: 6,5k (actually 6,488 but hehe)

warnings/tags: pxrn no plot sorry <3, established relationship, sub!reader and soft dom!anakin because that’s my shit, breeding kink, lingerie, vaginal fingering, overstimulation, face sitting, oral!f receiving, slight daddy kink (sorry), dirty talk, begging, praise kink, size kink, creampie, some manhandling, unprotected sex (piv), multiple positions, after care but also… multiple rounds. lots of pet names.

a/n: FINALLY I’m doing a kinktober prompt lmaooo. I’m aware of how … late I am but! I’ve always wanted to join but I never have the time to actually do each day tbh so here is my one and only “submission” for this event. I hope you enjoy <3 could be read in the same universe as you’re my medicine. which you can read here.

dividers by @saradika <3 thank uuuu for making these 🫂

ao3 • masterlist

“Ani?”

The sound of his name echoes throughout your shared apartment like a siren's song. Excitement bubbles inside you as you wait patiently for him. Sweet and mischievous to the ears, Anakin drops everything that he is doing and starts following the sound of your soft voice.

“Sweetheart?” He says, his voice laced with confusion.

Once you hear the door creaking softly you look up, revealing Anakin in the doorway. All lights are off except for some candles placed all over the bedroom, illuminating the room with a dim light. It gives off a very intimate and warm feeling. You notice Anakin’s eyes finally land on your body, his breath hitching as he takes you in.

You smile mischievously at him, your right hand holding up your head while the other hand waves flirtily at him. Anakin gulps as his eyes widen as he keeps staring at you. Sitting up slowly, sliding yourself off the bed as you make your way to him swaying your hips side to side, hypnotising him. You chuckle as you circle his body once, then stand in front of him as you flutter your eyes up at him.

“Baby,” he breathes, his eyes looking you up and down.

The lingerie you’re wearing is a pretty baby blue set with turquoise and light blue flowers embroidered onto the lace. The cups of your balconette bra are pretty transparent unless it’s for the floral details at the top to the middle of the cups, barely covering your nipples. You can see his eyes travel from your chest to your waist as he takes in the elastic band, covered with the same lace pattern, of the suspenders.

His eyes linger a bit too long as he takes in the small thing that barely hides the curves of your ass. A matching thong, the elastic band sitting just below your suspenders. Anakin’s eyes wander from your covered core to your shoulders as he notices the baby blue see through robe with lacy details hanging off your shoulders loosely.

“What’s wrong big boy, cat got your tongue?” You bite your lip as you trace a finger up and down his chest as you continue to hold his gaze.

Anakin quickly comes back to his senses as his eyes glint with mischief while a smile plays on his face. “You’re right princess, you truly left me speechless for a second.” He says as his smile turns deviously. He circles your body as you follow his movements, taking a step back before you feel his hands on your hips, as your back hits the wall. “You are so beautiful, you never fail to mesmerise me.” Anakin whispers as his lips move to your ear.

Before you can speak his lips attach themselves against your neck, sucking and nipping at your skin. You whimper as you feel him lick up a wet stripe against your neck while holding your body closer to his. Heat travels all the way between your thighs at his touch and attention. As Anakin keeps practically devouring your neck you lose yourself in his touch.

“Ani,” you whine as you feel his hands play with the elastic band of your thong. “Anakin,” You breathe, and he responds by just humming against your skin.

“Fuck, you’re so sexy baby,” he says hungrily before he tries to pull your body closer to his again, leaning down to kiss you. His mouth envelops yours as you return his kisses. A small moan slips past your lips as his hands caress your cheek, then tilting it to the side as he traces small nips across your jawline, ending just by your ear. Your hips are grinding up into his and he slowly pulls away from you.

“I need you so bad angel,” he whispers, his lips ghosting over your neck, slowly moving back below your ear. Moments later his lips press soft kisses just underneath your ear, slowly moving down the column of your neck.

“Ani,” you whimper, surrendering yourself to him. He hums against your skin, feeling his tongue licking up a stripe of your neck, eyes fluttering shut and you tremble against him as a moan escapes your lips. “I need you too.”

The moment the words leave your lips, he lifts his head, his eyes glazed over, clouded with lust as he no longer holds himself back. His lips envelop yours in a loving but lustful kiss.

Anakin’s mouth moves, slow and deep. He kisses you like he has all the time in the world. You love the feel of his lips on yours, you could kiss your man all day. So soft and yet so powerful.

You part your lips slightly to catch your breath, inhaling slowly as you taste him and only him. His tongue sweeps across your lips making you whimper. The wet muscle wraps itself against yours a moment later, hot and wet and steady as he tastes your mouth and kisses you passionately.

Your tongues slowly swirl and dance against each other as your hands try to find purchase on his arms.

“Please,” you whimper. You don’t know exactly what you’re begging him for but you need more.

You feel your core clench around nothing and the lacy material becomes even more wet as both of his hands travel from your waist to your ass, squeezing it in his hands and pushing your body closer to his. You know your panties are ruined by now. You’re so wet and turned on. Only for him, always only for him.

You both continue to kiss each other languidly as he guides you to the bed. As you both fall on the bed his hands start exploring your body, his fingertips touching every skin he can reach. You feel yourself aching, the feeling in between your legs feels almost unbearable.

Your body is squirming underneath his as you’re becoming rather impatient. He traces one of his hands down, slipping his hand underneath the band of your underwear. Slowly, he rubs your throbbing clit once he reaches your pussy.

“So fucking wet.” He groans as his fingers explore your wetness.

You gasp, his lips devouring yours, swallowing all your sounds, kissing you with everything that he has. "That feels good doesn't it, kitten?" Anakin groans and rubs your clit faster. You buck your hips and nod quietly. "Use your words sweetheart," he taunts.

“Yes, daddy,” you whimper.

“That’s my good girl,” he smirks before your eyes flutter close.

Your mouth falls open with a small whine when Anakin slides his middle finger and index finger into your entrance, the long digits easily finding your sweet spot, which he immediately begins to play with. You feel your legs spread even more open for him at the feeling of his fingers pleasuring you. His tongue slips into your mouth after another gasp falls from your lips. Your hands wander to the back of his head pulling at his strands softly making him moan into your mouth.

“You’re so gorgeous. A fucking Goddess.” Anakin groans as his hand shifts, thumb settling against your clit to work it smoothly, and he thrusts another finger inside you slowly, curling his fingers forward with every penetration until your thighs shake. “God, I want you so bad.”

“You have me, always.” You whimper as your body trembles underneath him. So overwhelmed with the arousal and emotions you’re feeling right now.

His eyes burn holes into yours, lust written all over them. When he fastens his motions inside you, you moan out again and squeeze your eyes shut. That burning intense feeling, a tight coil in your lower abdomen making your back arch beautifully.

“Open your eyes for me baby girl, look at me.”

You open your eyes slowly, looking straight into Anakin’s intense eyes. That's what it takes to make the dam break. The burning hot feeling spreads all over your body, your body tingling, your hips moving on their own against his hand.

“Fuck, that’s so hot, I’ll never get tired of watching you come undone.” He says as his fingers slow down, slipping out of you to rub your slit softly, still helping you ride out your orgasm. “Such a good girl for me.”

As you feel your consciousness finally come back to you, you feel his fingers slip away from your heat. He pulls his hand out of your panties, moving it to his lips. He holds your gaze as he licks his fingers clean. You whimper and feel your core clench around nothing as you watch him.

“You always taste so good, princess. Speaking of,” A huge smug smirk spreads across his face as his eyes glint with mischief. “I really want you to sit on my face tonight.”

“Now?” You whisper with wide eyes.

“Yes, sweet girl.” He chuckles softly, before his fingers come to hold your chin, moving your face towards his. Your lips connect in a sweet kiss. You sigh into it, your eyes sliding shut as you bury your fingers in his hair. You whine as he pulls away smiling at you with a tender look in his eyes.

“You know I love you right?” He whispers as one of his hands strokes the soft skin of your cheek. You feel yourself melt instantly as you look into his eyes and the feel of his soft touch.

“Of course, Ani. I love you too.” You bite your bottom lip softly before you lean towards him to peck his lips.

As you both pull away, he starts undressing himself unhurriedly. He is way too slow for your liking which makes you whine impatiently for him. “Patience sweetheart,” he looks down at you with a huge smirk on his face while removing his shirt.

“Come here,” he crawls a bit up to the bed and quickly reaches down to remove his sweatpants leaving him bare, throwing it off the bed. You bite your lip as you look at his thick cock. You feel your core clench again, as it already begs to be filled. Anakin gives you an intense look making you reach up towards him.

You move towards him, sitting up and slowly straddling his hips. His hands are soon on your hips, squeezing the flesh. Anakin bites his lip as he smiles, moving your body closer. You then slowly shuffle forward until your thighs are resting on either side of his head. It’s a foreign position to you, because it’s one that you haven’t tried before.

“Is this okay?” You ask nervously as you look down at him. Anakin hums and blows a bit of warm air against your inner thigh, mouth ghosting across the skin.

“This is perfect.” He reassures you.

His hands, large and powerful, yet so very gentle, trace the skin of your thighs, inching higher and higher until they rest just below the plump swell of your ass. Slowly, he pushes your thong to the side, leaving your pussy bare for him. A small whimper leaves your lips as you feel his breath on your heat. Then, Anakin looks up as a teasing smile forms on his face, moving your body the way he wants you to be.

He licks a long stripe along your slit, coaxing a loud, broken moan out of you. His hands grip your hips, keeping you in place as he laps at you gently. You writhe against his lips, whining above him. Anakin takes the advantage he has on your body as he drags you down even closer to his face. He encircles your clit and sucks, pulling whimpering pleas from your mouth.

It’s heavenly addicting, the way his tongue slips between your folds and dips into you, working you closer and closer to your release within each passing second.

Anakin heaves in a breath as he pulls you up just slightly, “I want you to ride my face, you think you can do that for me baby?” He says as his eyes glint in the candle light. His smile is so inviting and you bite your lip as you nod your head.

Without another word he eases you back down on his tongue. His mouth instantly licks you up again. The hands on your ass knead the two cheeks as he begins to rock you forward, guiding your motions until you begin to move on your own. With each gentle sway of your hips, the headboard starts to knock against the wall, the noise mixing with the little moans you make out of ecstasy.

“Ah, fuck, daddy” you whine as you grind your hips a bit faster against his lips.

You shudder as his lips wrap around your throbbing clit, sucking lightly. One of your hands that was holding the headboard, moves to tangle in his hair, tugging softly as he moans against you.

You cry out as you feel yourself get closer to your second high of the night. You squeeze your eyes shut as you pick up your pace, unable to handle the unbearable pleasure you’re experiencing as the coil in your stomach is about to snap.

You squeal as Anakin plunges his tongue inside your walls. Massaging your inner walls, driving you insane as he sucks and licks with fervour.

“Aniii, I’m close, fuck fuck fuuuuck” You stutter out a loud cry as you throw your head back.

He increases his pace, tongue thrusting up inside you. Your body temperature is rising as you circle your hips faster.

“Please, fuck, Ani please, I’m close…”

His tongue slides out of your hole, attaching his lips around your throbbing nub. With one harsh suck on your clit you come with a loud whine, your vision turning white and your ears ringing as your whole body racks with such intense pleasure, you almost think you’ll pass out.

Gasping out his name, you tumble forward with your hands bracing the headboard, hips stuttering until the final waves of aftershock pass. Gently, he laps at your release until the overstimulation is getting too much.

“Always doing so good for me, always being such a good girl.” He praises you as he presses soft wet kisses against the skin of your thigh.

You tremble as you move a leg back over his body and shimmy down the bed, laying on your stomach, nuzzling your head into your pillow while you close your eyes.

You hear him chuckle before you feel his body close against yours. Opening your eyes you look up at him as he’s looking down at you laying on his side as one of his arms supports his face. Anakin smiles as he reaches up to touch the side of your neck, tracing his fingertips up and down.

You sigh against his touch and kiss his thumb as he traces it across your lips.

He leans his head down, pressing tender kisses against your shoulder as his fingertips move along your skin.

“I love you so much, baby.” He whispers in between kisses as he nuzzles his head between your neck and your shoulder. You feel yourself melt under his soft touch, kisses and attention.

“I love you too Ani.”

His mouth moves to explore the rest of your body, littering your body with his kisses. He then slowly manoeuvres his body on top of yours, right behind you. His hands travel along with his lips, caressing your skin in the most gentle way. Anakin leaves long and wet kisses down your spine, occasionally lavishing your skin with his tongue.

Little whimpers leave your lips as his mouth and hands travel lower and lower down your body. Instinctively you spread your thighs a bit more for him.

“So needy.” He chuckles softly behind you.

His hands come to hold your hips, pulling them up, your ass up in the air. He kneads the flesh of your cheeks before spreading them apart for him. Then, Anakin pushes your ruined underwear to the side again. You whimper, feeling his eyes on your wet heat as it clenches around nothing, aching and begging to be filled. Your body trembles with anticipation. You’re dripping again, so soaked for him.

“Please Ani, I need y—” your begging gets cut off by a high pitched whimper leaving your lips as Anakin’s mouth dives between your thighs.

He licks a long stripe along your slit, coaxing small whines and moans out of you. Anakin’s grip on your hips is strong, keeping you in place as he laps at you furiously. You writhe against his lips, whining and pleading for more.

His tongue is lapping at your lower lips. Squeaky, senseless noises come out from your mouth the more he applies pressure with his tongue.

“Fuck… I’ll never get tired of eating your pretty pussy. So sweet just like you.” Anakin murmurs against you before making out with your lips again.

You whimper as you tremble against him, overwhelmed all over again. Licking a long stripe along your slit and then his tongue swirls around your entrance, pulling a loud, broken moan out of you. You squeal as Anakin plunges his tongue inside your walls, instantly massaging and licking your inner walls. You writhe against his tongue as loud incoherent noises leave your lips.

“Ah, fuck,” you moan, squeezing your eyes shut as you move against him, unable to handle the unbearable pleasure you’re experiencing as the coil in your stomach is about to snap. His hands move to your ass, kneading the two cheeks as he lets you grind your hips against his face.

You fuck yourself against his tongue, whimpering loudly the more he thrusts his wet muscle inside you. The temperature in the room is rising dramatically the more he sucks, licks and thrusts inside you. As you try to move your hips faster against him you feel him grip your thighs, spreading them more for him, squeezing the flesh. Then one of his hands leaves your thighs to circle your little button with his thumb, driving you mad.

“Please, fuck Ani, daddy please, I’m so close—” you choke on your moan.

Anakin grunts loudly, he curls his tongue upward to brush your walls, you practically scream at his actions and you feel the coil snap when he applies more pressure to your clit.

You arch your back and throw your head back with a loud moan, as you see your vision turn white while you continue to grind your hips against him, trying to chase your release.

Gasping out his name, you grasp the sheets in your hands at the intense pleasure. Your pussy keeps clenching around his tongue as he continues to pleasure you. Your hips are stuttering until the final waves of aftershock have passed. Gently, he laps at your release until the overstimulation is getting too much.

“You did so well angel, you’re always such a good girl for me. I can never get enough of how good you taste.” He moans against you.

Your hands move from the sheets as you try to reach for his head, gently pushing him away from you.

With a light chuckle he pulls away. Your body slumps slightly forward with exhaustion but Anakin is quick to grip your hips, holding you in the same position. “Oh kitten, I’m not done with you yet.” He tuts.

“But Ani—” you whine. You dip your head down, resting your forehead against your pillows before feeling him pull at your locks.

“Oh no, we are far from finished.” He says, his voice sounding a lot deeper than before. “I’m sure you can handle a few more orgasms.”

You whine pathetically and moments later he releases the hold on your hair, then he moves to press wet kisses all the way up towards your neck.

“Remember our colour system?” He whispers as he spoils your body with his affection and you can’t help but moan beneath him.

You nod quickly.

“Sweetheart, I need verbal communication.” He halts his movements as he waits for your next words.

“Yes Ani, I remember. Green for yes, yellow for slow down and red for stop.”

“Perfect,” he whispers before he continues kissing your body.

You wiggle underneath him once his lips meet your neck, kissing the skin lazily. He then nuzzles his head between your neck and your shoulder.

Seconds later you feel his cock rubbing up and down your slit. You grip the sheets as he circles the tip around your entrance and you whimper as you buck your hips against him, wanting him to fill you up already.

Anakin grips your hips, holding you so you don’t make any movements any more. “Patience.” He groans against your ear as you try to wiggle your hips again, spreading your legs a bit more for him exposing more of your pussy.

As you continue to squirm against him, Anakin’s large hands squeeze your hips. His cock slides against your wetness once again as you try to move your hips. Your body trembles with anticipation, hoping he will finally enter you from behind. You feel your inner walls clenching around nothing as you move your hips against his, grinding your wetness against his dick, the tip nudging your entrance every now and then.

“Please, f-fuck. I can’t take it anymore. I need you to fuck me so bad. My p-pussy needs to be filled with your cock so bad. Please daddy fill me up. I need—”

With a loud groan he tilts your ass up for him as he manoeuvres behind you and pushes your legs further apart. “So fucking needy.”

A broken gasp leaves your lips as he finally slides the tip inside you. He gradually slides more of his thickness inside you and you tremble more underneath him. You feel his body moving behind you, sitting up against you, and you know his eyes are on your heat. He’s watching as your walls spread to begin to wrap around him, trying to accommodate his girth. The pressure of his massive cock deep within your walls overwhelms you while you clutch the sheets below you in tight fists.

“D-d-daddy…” you stutter and whine.

“I know baby, I know.” Anakin moans above you as he continues to push more of him inside. Your pulsing walls are wrapped tightly around his cock, occasionally clenching as your pussy pulls him in more. You feel so full already and you know he’s barely halfway in.

“Please, need more.” You whimper as you squeeze the sheets in your hands.

He groans at your desperate noises, losing his composure momentarily as he thrusts the last parts of himself inside you, filling you up to the brim, you moan as he halts his movements, finally inside you all the way. “Fuck, angel, you look so beautiful like this, taking me so well.” Anakin can’t control the words that leave his lips as his hips move, not giving you the time to adjust he quickly pulls himself out of you making you whine at the empty feeling. “Oh you’re such a needy kitten.” He groans before he thrusts himself all the way inside your pussy again.

A scream leaves your mouth as you’re trembling underneath him, you try to adjust to his size while your pussy keeps clenching around his cock. You push your head into the pillows as pathetic whimpers keep falling from your lips. You don’t think you’ll ever get used to his size.

“Such a tight pussy.” He groans as you continue to squeeze him.

A couple of moments later you signal him that he can move. Then his hips move, quickly pulling himself almost all the way out of your pussy before he shoves himself roughly all the way in.

“A-Ah daddy… oh my god—” you hiccup as he then moves his hips slowly against you. You cry out as he thrusts so deep inside you that it has your body slumping against the bed. His hands come to move to squeeze the flesh of your ass while he continues to move against you.

You feel his cock throbbing inside you as you tighten around him. He’s so deep, hitting your cervix repeatedly making your eyes roll back in your head.

“Fuck, you feel so good.” He grunts above you.

You let out a loud long moan, arching your back, throwing your ass back against him. Your pussy is still trying to adjust as it continues to pulse and squeeze around his thick cock. Anakin then thrusts his cock up to the hilt, hard, taking you in such a sudden and intense way it has you struggling to breathe. Your hands ball into a white-knuckle grip, clinging onto the sheets.

You want to savour the feeling of his throbbing cock as you pulse around him, want to remember both of your trembling breaths when he hits your sensitive spots, and you truly can’t wait to feel his hot cum fill your pussy.

The thought alone makes you squeeze your eyes shut, whimpering desperately as you picture it. As you imagine feeling the globs of white dripping out of you, stuffing you full of his cum, your pussy can’t help but clench around his thick cock repeatedly. You’re on birth control but the possibility of him being able to knock you up leaves you whining underneath him.

“Fuck kitten, what has you clenching around me so much.” He pants as both his hands squeeze the soft skin of your ass cheeks, spreading them apart as he stares at your pulsing hole taking his dick.

“The thought of you breeding me.” You whimper, biting your lip as you look shyly behind you.

Instantly, Anakin halts his movements as he looks at you in surprise. His eyes search yours as he seeks for any doubt or lies. When he finds none of that, his shaft jerks inside you, thick beads of precum coating the soft walls of your cervix. You close your eyes for a second as a desperate moan falls from your lips at the feel of it.

“Are you serious?” He questions. He takes a deep breath as you continue to look at him earnestly.

“Y-yeah.” You stutter as you look away timidly. “I just,” you continue with a whimper, “I can’t stop thinking of you fucking me full with your cum. I need it. Ani, you know I’m all yours. Only yours. Please, I need you so bad. My pussy needs yo—” you’re begging and you’re unable to finish your sentence as he suddenly thrusts roughly inside you.

You almost feel your arms giving out on you because of the force of his thrusts. Anakin’s hands are clawing at the sides of your hips, guiding you with him, and he leans down to place kisses on your upper back, his kisses travel down your spine, until he leans back up and just looks at you from behind.

“Fuck, baby girl. I need it too.” He moans as he fucks you with fervour. Your tight pussy clenches at his words, earning a loud growl before he smacks your ass.

“Daddy!” you mewl loudly.

“You always look so beautiful,” he continues, cursing when you purposefully tighten your walls around him again. “You look so pretty when you’re stretched around my cock, fuck, you look even prettier full with my cum.”

You nod vigorously as you continue to beg, “please, please daddy. Need it so bad.”

He then hits your spot, and continues to do it again and again, each hit spending a shot of delicious lightning to course down your fragile spine. Your mind goes blank as all you can do is focus on the feel of him stretching you, filling you up, so overwhelmed with bliss already.

Your hands continue to grip the sheets as he thrusts deeper inside you, earning whines and moans as you continue to cry out his name. You try to tell him, breathlessly, about how good he is making you feel. Tears collect around the rims of your eyes. Each spike sends you closer and closer to the edge.

Anakin picks up his pace again, thrusting into you quicker, harder, hitting the spot that has your body going numb repeatedly.

You claw at the sheets, burying your face into the pillow to muffle your screams. The air is all stuffy around you as Anakin’s hips move faster, moaning you try to push back your hips against his to take more of his massive cock. Your tiny pussy is so full of him, as it pulses and tightens around him, begging him to fill you up with his seed. Begging him to make your pussy even more full.

It’s so filthy, but it’s what you need.

Anakin moans at the sight of your pussy trying to accommodate him still, kneading your ass as he tries to bury himself more inside you, his tip hitting your cervix instantly. You continue to push your ass back into him, fucking yourself back against him. Your eyes roll back inside your head once again as you dig your fingers more into the bed, you mewl against your pillow at the overwhelming pleasure he’s giving you.

The noises that are spilling off your lips drive him insane, his dick throbbing inside you as you don’t stop tightening your walls around him.

“Daddy, fuck. Ani, please, I need you. I need more please, please.” You whine loudly as you move your hips along with his.

“Yeah? Do you need more?” He moans as he leans down to press kisses against your shoulders. “You love being filled with all of my cock don’t you?” He grunts as he slaps your ass once again making you cry out in pleasure. He continues his brutal pace as your moans grow louder and louder as well as the sounds of your pussy that keep meeting his dick over and over again. The sounds mix along with your desperate noises of ecstasy. “Your pussy is so tight and wet around me, begging for me to fill it up with my cum.”

“Ani, please.” You whine as your eyes roll back inside your head.

“What do you want, angel?” He groans while one of his hands reach around you to slip against your clit making you writhe against him as he applies pressure against the little bundle of nerves. The pleasure has the tension tightening in your tummy, dying for your release.

“Oh, please, more. Please, please faster, harder anything.” You squeak out in between moans. The wet noises of him easing into you over and over has your cheeks burning, realising just how wet and needy you are for him. “Please don’t stop.”

“Mm, don’t worry sweetheart, I got you.” He pants, as he reassures you. He grips your hips tighter as he picks up his pace once more. You try to catch your breath but from how Anakin is trusting inside you and the rubbing against your clit it feels almost impossible to do so.

You whine loudly as he hits your sensitive spot inside you again. You’re literally going insane, it feels so overwhelming and good.

“Fuck, daddy—” you choke on your moan.

“Does that feel good, my sweet girl?” Anakin asks as he leans down his body closer to yours, making him hit your cervix repeatedly. You whimper and tremble underneath him as you nod, he moans against your ear as he whispers close to you. “Does it feel good, kitten? That I’m about to breed this pussy?”

“Yes, daddy! Feels so good.” You whine as he continues to hit your sensitive spot and cervix. The tension continues to build up as the pleasure is becoming too overwhelming. You are crying out for him, your moans almost sounding like his name, and he moves his head down once again and licks your neck.

Anakin snaps his hips into you again and again, thrusting deep, causing you to see stars from knowing just how to pleasure you. Feeling like your head is swimming once again, you whine. “I’m so close, please, Ani,” you beg desperately. You only need one more little push, a little bit more attention to reach your peak.

“Come for me kitty,” he whispers against your ear.

His fingers press down on your little button making you squirm underneath him. The coil then snaps after a few more thrusts, pleasure erupts in waves as heat overflows your body as you arch your back. Your ears start to ring from the overwhelming feeling. You can’t stop yourself from shaking as you come against him.

Anakin groans in your ear as your walls spasm around his cock, milking him for his orgasm, desperate for him to fill you up the way he promised.

He slows down his pace, but continues to fuck you through it. Once you’ve regained some of your consciousness and your breathing has slowed down, he pulls out, manhandling you, landing you on your back. You whimper at the sensitivity as moments later he thrusts inside again.

You struggle to keep your eyes open as he fucks you slow. “Look at me, my love.” He whispers before finally reuniting your mouths in a sweet kiss.

Anakin then licks into your mouth, soon turning the kiss more passionate. He looms his chest over yours, pressing his hands on either side of your face into the mattress. You whimper into his mouth. You keep your eyes closed as you find the strength to wrap your arm around his sweaty neck.

“Come on baby,” he says breathlessly, as he pulls back. “I want you to look at me.”

You open your eyes unhurriedly, staring right into his eyes as he smiles down at you.

“That’s my good girl.”

He then moves, gradually rolling his hips faster into yours, sensual and deep. He holds you close and continues to kiss you with a groan, and in that moment the world dissolves into only lips and tongues and harsh breaths and whispered “I love you”s and feverish skin against feverish skin and the heavy drag of him inside of you.

He hits your sensitive spot inside you again, and you make a strangled noise as you gasp and yank at his hair, throwing your head back at the waves of white-hot pleasure wracking your body again, forgetting everything other than his skin on yours and his cock filling you up.

Anakin is all you can feel.

“Aniii—”

The overwhelming sensitivity has you feeling close again, so close you can practically taste your orgasm, even if your mouth is completely dry from gasping his name over and over again.

Feeling your walls begin to pulsate erratically, Anakin knows you’re close again. All of a sudden, he pulls you even closer to him, something that seemed impossible, considering you’re already clinging to each other.

With every time Anakin thrusts into you, his pelvic bone drags along your clit, making you cry out his name in pleasure.

“A-Ani, please, I’m close,” you stutter out, your back arching as you push your hips into his.

Nodding above you, Anakin gasps and pants for air. “Fuck princess, me too,” he replies.

It feels like you are being ripped in half in the best way possible, your walls clenching and fluttering around his thick cock, causing him to let out some more strangled cries of his own.

“Please, Ani,” you whimper as you think about him filling you up and you tighten your walls around him once again. He gasps when you pulse around him, wanting him to spill his load inside of you, needing to see him fall apart.

One of his hands snake its way between their bodies to rub circles into your clit, making you jolt and scream. He turns his head, tucking it into your neck to swipe his tongue along the shell of your ear and whispers, “Cum for me, kitten.”

Mouth falling open, your muscles strain as you choke out a cry. And then you are gone, your eyes roll back into your head and your back arches high off the bed, as your world dissolves into pure ecstasy, coming for the fifth time that night.

“Ah fuck—“ he rasps, pushing himself up as he thrusts deeper into you, the head of his cock hitting your cervix again and again. “Are you gonna take my cum like a good girl? Will you let me fill you up until my pretty baby is messy, hm?”

You whine at his words, mouth dropping open in awe as you can barely open your eyes while you watch him, nodding tiredly as pleasure still courses through you. “Please, please.”

“Fuck, take it baby.” It washes over him instantly, hips stuttering into you as he grows desperate, eyes squeezing shut when he feels his cock throb inside of you before hot spurts of his seed splash along your walls, painting them in ribbons of white. The feeling makes you whimper, limbs limp on the bed as he shallowly thrusts into you, making sure you take every last drop.

His warm cum fills you up deeply, the mild heat of it settling deep inside you and causing you to squirm under him. Anakin pants as he lets his body slump against yours. His cock is still nuzzled deep within you, slowly softening as it keeps the cum from leaking out.

You bite your lip as you squeeze purposely around him. Anakin groans at the feeling, his large palms sliding up your sides in a soothing manner.

“Don’t do that.”

“Why not?” You giggle as your hands trail through his hair.

“Makes me hard again.” Your boyfriend mumbles.

“Hm, that’s kind of the point.” You continue to giggle.

Anakin chuckles as he pulls his head back, looking at you with a mirthful smile.

Your hands continue to play with his hair, feeling the damp strands slowly detangle as you take your time. “I was serious though, I’d love to try with you.”

“Try what?” He asks teasingly.

You tug at his hair playfully which makes him laugh. “You know exactly what I mean.”

You sigh dramatically as he continues to laugh.

“Alright, okay. I’ll be serious now.” He says, trying to keep himself from chuckling again.

You raise your eyebrow at him as you grin. “Sure.”

“Yeah, I’d love that too.” He whispers before he captures your lips in a deep kiss. You can feel his soft mouth smiling against yours as you whimper against him. You feel yourself melting against his embrace as he wraps his arms around you.

“Another round?” Anakin says cheekily once he pulls away, while he caresses your hips.

You giggle before he reunites your lips again. And as you both keep kissing each other languidly, you lose yourself in his kisses and affection.

The night is filled with your kisses, noises of pleasure and all the love you both share for one another.

It is safe to say that you both don’t leave the bed until tomorrow, late in the morning.

#fawktober2023 #anakin skywalker #anakin skywalker smut #anakin skywalker x reader #anakin skywalker fanfiction #anakin smut #anakin skywalker x reader smut #anakin skywalker imagine #anakin skywalker x you #anakin skywalker x y/n #anakin skywalker x female reader #star wars x reader #star wars fanfiction #star wars x you #star wars x y/n #star wars anakin #star wars #kinktober #kinktober 2023 #my writing #modern!anakin

[cannibal-nightmares]

everything everything is so awesome im glad someone i follow also likes them <3 thats all sorry i just love music

Never any apologies on my page 8D I can ramble about music incessantly, so thank you for your ask; I'm so glad to hear the same that you like them, as well! I've not organically met anyone in person who has heard of them, only friends who've discovered them through me or the wonders of finding shared-interest-mutuals on the internet. "Warm Healer" was my first Everything Everything song I had heard back in 2016-2017ishh; the tone of the polyrhythmic bass guitar INSTANTANEOUSLY hooked me in for good, then their interesting lyrical narrative was swift to follow suit... Also let's not ignore the madness of the fantastic cover art of "Get To Heaven," my god the colors, the design, the lines, the figure... And then, of course, the subconscious love for Radiohead (unknowing this was an element at play until around the release of "Re-Animator" when--to my knowledge--the band was more upfront about their inspirations and it all suddenly made sense).

Before the release of their lyric book, "CAPS LOCK ON," I had a list of B-sides and rarities, including stuff from Modern Bison, which featured Jonathan Higgs and Jeremy Pritchard from EE. On the list was/is "Wizard Talk," which has to be my favourite Everything Everything song on two points: Firstly, as much as Higgs loves to bend and snap vocal capacities with unimaginable peaks of falsetto + fast vocal cadences that leave their music uncategorizable to genre (and etc...), "Wizard Talk" is--in my opinion--unlike anything they've ever put out stylistically. "His voice sounds like he's playing marimba runs," I have repeated to friends over and over and over again, begging people to listen to this song. And then, secondly, comes the profound lyrics of this song. EE loves to play with elaborate metaphors to dance around politics, the state of the world, and social narratives, but "Wizard Talk" feels emotional on a level beyond their common frustrations, especially having been such an early track from the "Man Alive"(?) era, and also in contrast to the stark emotionality of "Re-Animator." Idk man. It hits hard. It's sad. It's hopeful. It's beautiful. You feel the character's defeat and his acceptance in that the hope he seeks is, will be, and always has been abstract in nature while he has spent so much time looking for a concrete and tangible handle to hold onto. It feels like their most vulnerable glimpse at what Jon really has to say. That song has meant a lot to me for a long time, so I am glad EE finally released (some of) the extras from "Man Alive" in the Deluxe re-release.

Ah, anyways, the B-side archive. Something something something, if I remember correctly, there's a few songs missing from the Man Alive deluxe release and even "CAPS LONG ON" is missing a few songs. I won't be cross-referencing this information right now, I'm in bed. Regardless, I will say that a song or two off of the re-release are completely different recording takes and mixes which I find of intruige (again, only if I remember correctly, I think it's at least "The Kids Are Obese" but dooonn't quote me on it..)

Anyways, what else... I've done a ton of art based around EE, some of which is lyrically inspired, others of which are direct tribute art to the band (including a piece to "Magnetophone"!) They're currently sitting at my third-most listened to band of all time, according to my LastFM page. I love them so very very much and I'm so glad you do, too; I hope your ask could maybe inspire others, as well ^^

Can't ask me anything about music and expect a short answer, heh, I still have so much more to say about EE. I am very passionate about music.

#anon #anon ask #everything everything #everything everything band #ask me anything #cannibal-nightmares rambles

[a-student-out-of-time]

The Eternal Endings Cast and History: The Down-Timers

//Hey everyone, Mod Bubbles here! I bring you some more of My Thoughts.

//Having gone through Danganronpa: Eternal Endings with my friend Timeline Anon, I can say it's one of the most unique and interesting fangans we've seen thus far. We had no idea how it would work, but somehow it really seems like it can.

//One thing that really piques my interest isn't just that the cast is in the afterlife, but the fact that all of them come from very different points in history. That's something I think is worth speculating on, especially with how it may play into their characters, both in terms of their places in history and the context from where they're from.

//There have always been small historical tidbits in DR, both canon and fangan, but Eternal Endings is the first one I've seen that specifically has real-world events playing a role here. Our protagonist, Krystal Willard, died in 2021, specifically referencing how the travel restrictions imposed during the height of the Pandemic were being lifted.

//This game specifically doesn't take place in the same timeline as the Hope's Peak saga, since the founder of the talent program is another figure altogether, but I thought it would be interesting to examine the eras each of them are from.

//As a bit of shorthand, I also decided to borrow some terminology from Eric Flint's Ring of Fire series (a great book series btw), where people from the past are referred to as "Down-Timers" and people from the present/future are "Up-Timers."

//This also just gives me a chance to talk about history, which I enjoy doing : P

//So, without further ado, let's get into it.

THE DOWN-TIMERS:

Zhao Ying (1903-1932)

Hailing from the furthest back in time is Zhao, a personal favorite of mine, who was the Ultimate Singer. Just from that time frame, she would've been around for the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Warlord Era, the rise of the Nationalist Government and the very early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. Just days before her death- on February 18th 1932- the Imperial Japanese conquered Manchuria and established the puppet state of Manchukuo.

There's also a bit of an anachronism with the PRC's flag being there, given that the design wasn't adopted until 1949, but that's probably for the benefit of a modern audience.

Anyway, Zhao is an entertainer and doesn't really make a lot of commentary on these conflicts. She's a singer, a dancer, and an actress, and had an upcoming role before her death. This is very interesting because the 1920s and 30s represented the emergence of cinema in China. The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple, a 16-part box office hit, was released between 1928-1931 and represents one of the first martial arts action films, but has sadly been lost to time.

Zhao was more than likely a silent film star, although 1931 brought the first Chinese sound film, Sing-Song Girl Red Peony, so it's possible her voice has been recorded as well. If I had to guess, Zhao probably lived around Shanghai, given that it was the center of the Chinese entertainment industry in this era.

One of the most overlooked aspects of Chinese history is that, while China itself was never colonized, it was forced to make Concessions to outside powers. These were pieces of territory in major cities like Shanghai, which were effectively enclaves of foreign territory that were exempt from Chinese law and provided a foothold for European Empires, America, and even Japan to exert influence and trade.

A byproduct of this is that many gangs and secret societies were allowed to operate with impunity in the Concessions, which resulted in prostitution, drug dealing and gambling being quite common. This probably explains why Zhao isn't a fan.

However, the saddest thing about the losses in Zhao's life? She was a mother.

Given that the photo says 1932, this had to be around January or Early February, meaning Zhao's boy, Wang Wei, couldn't have been more than 2 or 3. In-story, she's in tears over leaving her son behind and wonders if he'll even remember her.

Not to make the hurt worse, but given that Shanghai would be occupied by the Japanese Empire from 1937-1945...well, I'm going to hope that the poor kid and the rest of her family made it out.

Earnest Mikkola (1910-1945)

Speaking of World War II, Earnest would've been around for it and its prequel. Essentially the Indiana Jones figure of this setting, Earnest was a worldwide reputation as an explorer, having discovered new animals, plants and even civilizations. His expeditions took him quite a ways around the world, but it's his death that catches my attention.

See, Earnest is Finnish. I've seen some people worried that this means he was one the side of the Axis during the war, but this is a misunderstanding. See, just months after the Invasion of Poland, Finland was on the receiving end of an ultimatum from Stalin. Because he felt the border was too close to Leningrad (today St. Petersburg), he demanded Finland hand over some land to provide a buffer zone or else. The Finns said no, obviously, and thus began the Winter War.

To put it simply, while the Soviets ultimately got what they wanted, the Finns gave them a pretty bloody nose in the process. In just three and a half months, the Soviets suffered over five times as many casualties as the Finns and their international reputation suffered worse.

The conflict was also ultimately pointless, as Finland- while it didn't side with Germany- formed what was an alliance of convenience. When Operation Barbarossa took place, the Finns actually occupied much of the Karelia peninsula, even more than they had before. This lasted until 1944.

That's when Finland pulled an Uno reverse card and sided against Germany, starting the Lapland War, where the Finnish military tried to push all Axis forces out of their borders, and this lasted until April 1945, just a month before victory in Europe was declared.

How does this relate to Earnest? I guess it depends on where he was during the Lapland War, whether he was at home or elsewhere in the world, and whose side he was ultimately in favor of. Could that be why he was poisoned? It remains to be seen.

Yun Jung-Hoon (1936-1952)

Continuing with the war trend, here we have the first one to ask a historical question: local fly boy Yun. Even just from the patch on his shoulder, I could tell what his deal probably was before Krystal even spoke with him.

Sure enough, Yun here was a pilot in the Korean War. For those who don't know, Korea- which had been occupied by Japan since 1910- was divided along the 38th parallel North after World War II. The Soviets occupied by the north and established a communist government, led by Kim Il-Sung, while the Americans occupied the south and established a non-communist government lead by Syngman Rhee.

If you're only familiar with the North/South divide in the modern day, this is where it began. In the Spring of 1950, Kim lead an invasion to unify the country under communist rule, and because the South was militarily weak at the time, he thought it would be easy and conquered all the way down to an area called the Pusan Perimeter. Of course, America and a United Nations coalition force arrived to push them out.

They managed to push their way up to the northern border, where it seemed possible to conquer the North...only for the newly-established People's Republic of China to send hundreds of thousands of troops to support the North. They pushed the front lines south, where it stagnated around the 38th parallel for the next three years.

Based on his death date, if he died in battle, I'm guessing it was either in the First Battle of Hook or The Battle of Triangle Hill.

Yun also asks Krystal about the outcome of the war, but he decides he doesn't want to know and instead says he needs time to mentally prepare himself. I can't say I blame him, given that the war he died in was ultimately just a stalemate and technically never really ended.

Oumar Dembélé (1939-1969)

Another personal favorite of mine, Oumar is hilariously melodramatic, but also quite empathetic and emotionally-conscious dude. He's a relationship counselor and a published author, which is very interesting.

Oumar is Malian, and with that time frame, he would've been born when the country was under French colonial rule. At the time, Mali was called "French Sudan" and was ruled as part of French West Africa, a federation of eight colonies in the region. Mali and Senegal both achieved independence as the Federation of Mali on June 20th, 1960, although their status as a federation only lasted two months.

Even under French rule, there was a considerable divide between Northerners, particularly the Tuareg people, and Southerners. Under independence, the country's first president, Modibo Keïta, moved quickly to establish a single-party state, nationalized a great deal of services, and withdrew from the French Community in favor of closer ties to the Eastern Bloc, although economic problems lead to them rejoining the Franc Zone in 1967. He would later be deposed in a coup the following year.

This doesn't mean Oumar would've stayed in Mali, of course. In fact, I get the impression he probably moved to someplace like France to become as prominent as he had. This probably would've come in the wake of the Algiers War, when France saw many years of economic growth.

Oumar's death is also equally interesting and horrifying to consider, given that he was specifically crushed in a small venue.

This was a case of human crush injury. This is when a crowd of people is so tightly packed together (4–5 people per square meter/2.5 square feet per person), there's no room for them to move or even breathe.

The 1989 Hillsborough Disaster is a pretty infamous example of that, where 72,841 people compacted together in a stadium designed to hold just under 40,000. The result? 766 people were injured, 94 died and another 3 later died of injures they received. The crowd was so packed that even people who had died were still held up through the pressure.

Personal space is important.

Bonnie Clark (1959-1978)

And here's Bonnie, easily the saddest character in the game and I can't blame her at all. Out of all the Down-Timers, she's the one we actually learn the most about in her introduction. She has the vibes of an all-American girl, with a very fitting accent and everything.

She had a friend group that she frequently went to the arcade with, and she worked at a place called Don's Diner. How do we know? Krystal finds a picture.

"Now disgraced" in this context likely refers to Bonnie's untimely death. If any of you are familiar with the Terrible "Accident" PSA on workplace safety, you can probably imagine what happened. It's easily one of the most horrific ways to go, not gonna lie ^^;

Beyond that, there's not too much to really say with her in terms of historical context, given that she's a pretty archetypal small town girl, albeit much more pessimistic than many other examples. That could relate to how the 1970s were a difficult time for America, both economically and socially, due to factors like OPEC's oil embargo due to the Yom Kippur War.

That being said, it was still a time of significant social, scientific and technological progress, although for a teenager trying to make end's meet, that probably would've been a small comfort.

On a much lighter note, Bonnie got to enjoy some of the classic video games of the era: Pong, Space Invaders, Breakout, Death Race, Asteroids, Galaxian and many others.

Fernando Gomes (1958-1984)

And here we have our local himbo, Fernando. He's a pretty laid-back dude and his bio states that, while he's attained worldwide fame for his surfing skills, he prefers to stick around his home town and stay in the lifeguard job he's had since he was a teenager.

Even if you know history, it's almost easy to forget while talking to him that Fernando would've spent most of his life under a military dictatorship.

The Fifth Brazilian Republic, which was established after a coup on April 1st, 1964, was a brutally repressive government. Strong anti-communist policies, hard-line conservatism, political repression, mass censorship, curtailment of freedom of speech and the widespread killing, torturing and deporting of dissidents were all commonplace, particularly in the 70s.

So common, in fact, that the decade between 1968 and 1978 is also called the "Years of Lead."

Despite this, Brazil adopted a highly diversified and developmentalist economic model that helped boost their economy, and they developed the slogan "Brazil: Love it or Leave it." Fernando, ironically, seemed to adhere to that slogan given his love for his hometown.

Of course, Brazil would eventually return to democracy, but Fernando would fatally hit his head on a rock before he could see it happen.

Sonechka Morozova (1978-1996)

And another favorite of mine, Soneckha is our local magical weirdo, whose predictions of the future have been far more accurate than chance would suggest. She's also not disappointed that she's dead, but rather than she didn't end up as Queen of Hell like she wanted.

She's also very interesting in that, while she doesn't seem to play well with others, she'll respect you if you respect her in return, such as not giving her a nickname and understanding what a soothsayer is.

Timeline-wise, Sonechka would've been around for the latter days of the Soviet Union, the Chernobyl Disaster, the collapse of communist rule over Eastern Europe, the independence of the Russian Federation, the 1993 Constitutional Crisis and the First Chechen War.

It's not hard to see how, given that she has the ability to predict the future to a supernatural degree, she likely saw these events, and watching them play out probably shaped a lot about her personality and outlook.

My biggest question is how she wound up dying of hypothermia in the middle of the summer, as July is actually the warmest month in the country.

Petra Nightingale (1987-2006)

First introduced as "Scene Kid," Petra is definitely someone whose design would grab your attention. Her talent was a bit of a surprise to me, but her attitude, not to mention her sweet personality, really make her well-suited to caring for seniors.

Petra is English and would've been a 90's kid, so her time might've been spent with things like classic shows, crisp packets with prizes in them, Mr. Blobby and that time when the console wars were between Nintendo and Sega.

In terms of social and political history, the 90s saw the end of Margaret Thatcher's time as prime minister, the restoration of relations with Argentina after the Falkland War, the latter half of the Mad Cow Disease scandal and the Good Friday Agreement that brought an end to the Troubles.

Petra also mentions she's from Brighton, and during her childhood, she would've seen the city become much more prominent, which resulted in housing prices going up and a lot of people moving away. Would that have influenced her decision to start caring for seniors who couldn't afford to move.

I think the most interesting part to consider is that, as a senior caregiver, Petra has probably met a lot of veterans from Britain's various conflicts, from both World Wars to the various colonial conflicts to maybe even people who were in conflict with the IRA during the early days of the Troubles.

Not that I think it would've made Petra a judgemental person, as she seems very nice, but someone so young and very clearly quite lonely could have had her worldview shaped quite a bit by vets from these conflicts. I just think it's interesting to consider.

Vivian Wright (1966-2015)

Finally, the most recent Down-Timer and one from an era most of us are familiar with, Vivan was a Canadian teacher who was killed in a car accident. She's actually the first one Krystal meets after arriving, and we see that, while Viv is pretty nice, she also definitely has those anger issues.

I think most of us know what she would've been around to witness just before her death, but in terms of her adolescence, she would've been around for things such as Trudeaumania, civil rights for the First Nations, the many political tensions within Quebec and Terry Fox's famous attempt to run cross-country.

As the Ultimate Teacher, Viv probably has a lot to share on these topics, and I think it's interesting to consider how she could potentially be the one to help her fellow Down-Timers accommodate to the discoveries that came after their deaths. It's an interesting possibility.

//So there you go, some historical context for each of our Down-Timers, which I think could potentially play a role in their characters, arcs and motivations in the story. It's understandable that a lot of them probably have values that we today wouldn't agree with, but the same could be said of us and the Up-Timers, who deserve their own essay as well.

//This is also my way of saying "Go check out Eternal Endings, it's genuinely interesting and I want to see more!" : P

#mod talks #a student out of time #essay #danganronpa eternal endings #eternal endings #dree #Zhao Ying #Earnest Mikkola #Yun Jung-Hoon #Oumar Dembele #Bonnie Clark #Fernando Gomes #Sonechka Morozova #Petra Nightingale #Vivian Wright

[klarawouldrather]

Falling In Reverse's Watch The World Burn

Just an hour ago Falling In Reverse released their new single Watch The World Burn, alongside a killer videoclip. Ronnie Radke has said in the past that he doesn't like when bands anticipate their new releases, it takes forever and there is no joy or surprise in it.; he prefers just dropping new shit out of the blue when people aren't expecting it, and this time was one of them. I think it is safe to say we all agree with him.

This new song is perfectly coherent in sound and theme with their last two singles released in 2022: ZOMBIFIED, and Voices In My Head. Falling In Reverse have found the best sound for this new epoch, displayed for the first time in their hit Popular Monster, and Ronnie Radke has perfected the mix of the vocals and the song in general. I'm specially a fan of his pronunciation during the harder parts of the song, where he opens a lot the vowels. It is pure sound quality, can't get any better than this.

The structure of the song is pretty much the same one that their 2022 singles have, starting with a Trap intro, altho this time way longer than what one would expect -over a minute and a half-, but it fits perfectly. Then it follows into a short fast Rap section heavily inspired in Eminem (the main rapper Ronnie Radke draws inspiration from) going way faster than, again, one would expect. Finally it builds up and breaks into the modern Falling In Reverse metal sound.

I was beginning to think we weren't gonna hear from their new lead guitarist Max Georgiev; but we do atho not much, only some sweet sweep picking arpeggios. This is the first release of the band he participates in so the project was already cooked before he joined anyways. He fits perfectly in the band replacing Jacky Vincent who went on to focus on his amazing Neo Power Metal project Cry Venom. Both Jacky Vincent and Max Georgiev have a virtuoso classical and symphonic inspired playing style, the later having a beautiful album of classical guitar pieces called Exorcism Chapter One. The two current members of the band listed as co-composers are the also lead guitarist Christian Thompson (who joined Falling in Reverse in 2015 participating in Just Like You and Coming Home) and the bassist and backing and lead vocalist Tyler Burgess. We can also see in the videoclip one of the best drummers of the music scene, Luke Holland. He is not a permanent member of Falling In Reverse, but he's been participating with the band for over two years now.

During the metal part of the track Ronnie Radke builds up and climaxes in a harmonized high note just like in Voices In My Head, and the drop that follows frankly sounds the same as the one in that song. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is clear that these three singles are sisters just as the trilogy Losing My Mind / Losing My Life / Drugs. It is expected that two other songs will join Voices in my head, Zombified, and Watch The World Burn, in a 5 songs EP titled Neon Zombie to be released this year 2023.

The videoclip is full of pop culture references, with warlike imagery and the same concept of Ronnie Radke being some kind of destructive force in a wooden closed space, this time a church, just like as we see in the single that cemented their contemporary sound Popular Monster. I gotta say, my favourite videoclip of the ones in this development arch is Voices In My Head, but this one is specially epic and powerful just as the song is.

Thematically it feels like a synthesis of the other two songs of this afromentioned sisterhood of singles, it literally opens with "I got voices in my head again". Talks about trauma, needing therapy, depression, and aggressiveness like in Voices In My Head; and about being criticized and how supposedly "Nowadays everybody’s so sensitive" like in ZOMBIFIED.

Now this last faulty idea is based on a talking point of the hegemonic media and buffoons of the dominant class that aims to spread fearmongery about an imaginary cancel culture, like it is shit on the walls of a public bathroom. It is a shame that such a talented musician has fallen into this discursive tomfoolery: no Ronnie, teens on the internet are not coming for you, you can still choose to be a bigot on the internet if you so choose, people being called out on transphobia on twitter is not literally 1984, it is the bare minimum of accountability. It seems to me that victims that bite into this ideological trap are the ones with the thinner skin, thinking we are zombied cuz we don't tolerate bullshit.

Still, Watch The World Burn is one hell of a song that even copying aspects of their other two last singles, feels unique and full of personality. Falling In Reverse does not fail to deliver.

Grade: 9/10

XOXO

#falling in reverse #ronnie radke #emo #rap #rapper #hiphop #metalcore #emocore #music review #new song #watch the world burn #post hardcore #metal

[tonightillbeonthathill]

Bruce Springsteen: Not to change your mind but just to say I miss you, baby, good luck, goodbye

‘Bobby Jean … Well, I came by your house the other day Your mother said you went away. I miss you, baby.'

"The song was a breakthrough for Bruce in several ways. Its accents were more modern than his usual rockabilly and soul-fixated rhythms. Tallent’s bass chopped against Weinberg’s drums, while Bruce’s rhythm guitar and Bittan’s perfectly placed piano notes roiled up out of a virtual dance groove. The song surged but also almost floated. This simple, spacious music was the essence of rock and roll: effortless, joyous, deeply grieved. It was the sound they’d spent the summer searching for.

Bruce wrote the lyric as a letter to a departed friend, and he sang it with the same mixture of mourning, wistfulness, affection, and anger. His voice was open, “young,” showing no strain even as it hit a couple of awkward lines (e.g., “talking about the pain that from the world we hid”). The song is a one-way dialogue and, obviously, many of the details must have come from the circumstances of Steve Van Zandt’s departure:

“You hung with me when all the others turned away, turned up their nose We liked the same music, we liked the same bands, we liked the same clothes.”

But it was more than just Miami Steve that Springsteen’s singing sent away with this odd combination of reluctance and eagerness. In the end, as he sings lines that mingle love, grief, and rancor, Bruce might be singing to the old self burned up in the crucible and aftermath of Nebraska:

'Maybe you’ll be out there on that road somewhere, in some bus or train traveling along In some motel room there’ll be a radio playing and you’ll hear me sing this song Well, if you do, you’ll know I’m thinking of you and all the miles in between and I’m just calling one last time Not to change your mind but just to say I miss you, baby, good luck, goodbye Bobby Jean'."

Dave Marsh

Bobby Jean (London Calling: Live In Hyde Park, 2009)

Bruce Springsteen - Bobby Jean (from Born In The U.S.A. Live: London 2013)

#bruce springsteen #springsteen #Bobby Jean #songwriting #love song #love #rock #music #goodbye #friendship #i miss you #Youtube

[joemuggs]

Albums of 2023 part 4

RIGHT where were we? Continuing from part 3... Let's get through this before January is out shall we? Last stretch... Listening to this 10/10 LP I realised that the only real peer Kristin Hersh has is J Mascis: always different but always the same, always tapped into the eternal flow of weird, sad, America, always writing, playing and singing brilliantly year-in-year-out.

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭you can hear Ryuichi Sakamoto breathing on this 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Talking of always different always the same, Slowdive were built to age gracefully weren't they? Even so, though, it's pretty startling how they continue to do work right up there with their very best all these years later. Proper safety blanket of an LP this.

In a golden age for soul/R&B, Mahalia is royalty. She just keeps growing as an artist and this is easily her best album yet - perfectly hits that sweet spot between R&B, neo-soul and pop and just sounds *classic* from head to toe. World class.

I would watch the absolute shit out of the Tarkovskyan meditation on scale and emptiness that this amazing instrumental album by Vince Clarke would be the soundtrack for. The void staring back at you! ⚫️👀⚫️

Kerfuffle aside, Róisín was firing on all cylinders here. This doesn't have the deadly focus of Róisín Machine (what could?) - rather, like Hairless Toys and Take Her up to Monto, it takes time to unpack - but it's a sprawling wonderland of a record, brilliantly structured, and a fine addition to her immense discography. Interviewed her (pre kerfuffle) for the Substack...

It baffles me how consistently Loraine James is able to sonically express complex emotions that don't have names - and how she's able to use all the tropes of "cerebral" music, but smash the ivory tower and make it feel like it has purpose out in the world and is just a natural way to communicate.

Before, on her EPs, Yaeji built her tunes on house, hip hop or other recognisable grooves - but on her debut album, it's an explosion of everything. The confidence to transcend the myriad influences and create something so pop, so weird, and so singular is incredible.

Here's a weird one I only just came across as the year was ending. Mary Lovett, straight outta Norfolk, makes more unique, grown-up electropop: but this is mystical, insinuating, mischievous and very peculiar indeed. Feels like a subversive cabaret of the mind.

While we're on peculiar, grown-up, mystical Norfolk electropop - ah ok maybe more gothy postpunk with a bit of rave thrown in - Maria Uzor smashed it out the park with this. Makes me want to do really jerky interpretive dance in a room full of misfits - and made us want to shoot/interview her for the Substack!

Another artist who just grows with each release - Nabihah Iqbal hit new levels here. It's so deluxe, so poetic, so morning after the rave, really tapped into deep historical streams of New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Slowdive and co, but resolutely not retro...

I have listened to this Yazmin Lacey record SO MANY TIMES, it's just vibes upon vibes upon vibes, also I keep playing fantasy football with dream remixers for each song, also she radiated charisma and wit on stage at We Out Here. A star.

Amazing voice, amazing poetry, witty af ("dickhead blues!") yet stab you in the heart serious, ancient yet modern, lo-fi yet lavish, INCREDIBLE arrangements, absolutely staggering stuff from Kara Jackson.

This is both a deep, literate, endlessly fascinating songwriter LP that you can pore over endlessly, and taps into the very purest essences of house music - what more could you want? Interesting political / environmental / regional backstory too. AMCA absolutely rule.

In a year of phoned-in, arbitrarily-sequenced rap albums, CasIsDead's Famous Last Words stood out like a skinned thumb: this is an A-L-B-U-M album - with narrative, leitmotifs, a view on life that's the definition of "unflinching", gorgeous music, wordplay for days, and a finale that'll make your heart fall out... just stunning.

Almost forgot this was 2023 as Tuulikki gave me the LP at a festival in Oct 2022 - and I’ve had it on rotation ever since including in DJ sets. Modernist folk-classical composition for accordion +++ - really special and gets under your skin.

In a year riddled with great grown-up electropop / dance pop albums, Hifi Sean and David McAlmont were kings. This is what bittersweet accumulated life experience sounds like and it's WONDERFUL. Proud to have interviewed them both - Sean here / David here - for the Substack about it, and both were amazing value.

TWO stunning meditative records from Beirut coming up, both epitomes of Soft Music for Hard Times. First Mayssa Jallad on the new Six Of Swords label with an amazing dark but weightless singer-songwriter album - imagine a Lebanese Windy & Carl? A real experience of taking a step into someone else's dream record, this.

And then puppeteer (!!) Yara Asmar with mostly instrumental soundscapes which like the Jallad album exist in an isolationist dream space and are impossibly sad and lovely with glimmers of forlorn hope, laments for a broken world etc etc, just wonderful stuff. Also the THIRD appearance for Brighton's Hive Mind label in this list.

Another very grown up record! Ever-thoughtful Scrimshire was clearly in brooding mode in the studio, lots of darkness to this - but it's gorgeous too, and you know what, it's up there with Yussef Dayes as far as UK jazz versatility and ambition goes!

AND FINALLY!!!! 32 minutes of - yes - PURE PLEASURE. So so good, and so needed in bleak times, to hear Janelle Monae cutting loose with total fun and confidence like this, I just LOVE it.

That's it... 95 records. All have given me joy in the last year, and I hope some of them do you too.

#music #ambient #electronica #rave #acid house #electropop #dance pop #funk #soul #reggae #jazz #estonia #lebanon #rap #grime #singer-songwriter #club music #shoegaze #indie #idm

[chicknparm]

22 for your spotify wrapped

22. Casual - Chappell Roan

Oh thank GOD I get to talk about this I was really hoping someone would pick this one. No artist frustrated me more this year than Chappell Roan. So this will double as a review of a particular song but also venting my feelings about this artist and her reception over the last year or so. I'm gonna have to talk about a lot of outside stuff that doesn't have to do with the particular song, but hopefully you guys are used to that by now. I read a lot of Pitchfork in the early 2010s, I'm sorry.

Chappell Roan is very obviously going to be a star. Sooner rather than later. My introduction to her was on New Year's Eve in 2022. I was at a friend's house, and somebody showed me a few of her songs. Casual was among them, but we'll get to that soon. The most lasting memory of that first exposure is being drunk and dancing around a friend's living room to a song called "Femininomenon." It felt affirming and empowering and all of those buzzwords; dancing to a catchy beat and lyrics about how boys stink, dolled up and embraced and accepted and welcomed as Feminine. From what I can tell, this is the exact experience Chappell Roan wants people to have while listening to her music. It was basically the perfect introduction.

A few weeks later, I remembered Femininomenon while I was at work, and couldn't get the hook out of my head, so I hastily added it to my general playlist and queued it up. Friends, I know if this post ever breaches containment I'll be torn to shreds, but that song is Ass. I'm sorry, but calling something "camp" does not excuse bad creative decisions. If we are going to bring out the torches for Taylor Swift writing "in the pub we, are watching rugby" then I demand the same for "hit it like rom-pom pa-pom, get it hot like Papa John." It sounds like music for a Dreamworks Dance Party Ending if they made an animated adaptation of Drag Race. It is a testament to the power of Friendship and Alcohol that I ever enjoyed it.

Later, I listened to a few more of her songs, and found a frustrating and recurring theme. They were all better than Femininomenon by a considerable margin, but had very samey lyrics that felt like they were treading the same ground over and over again. It just felt repetitive. I dunno, it just bothered me for some reason. What were they about? Oh, well, you see, the thing is...um, well, about that, uh, ya see, what I'm trying to say is...*writes "I will not wade into Queer Discourse on a Spotify Wrapped review" 100 times on a chalkboard* Sigh. For an artist who I saw heralded as a "new queer icon" it was annoying that most of the songs I first heard were about how much dating men sucks! To be fair, she also does have songs about feeling liberated being with women, but hearing Femininomenon, My Kink is Karma, and Casual, all complain about men just reminded me that she may be a queer icon, but not for people like me. Much in the same way that I was put off by a girl in college saying I "couldn't understand Mitski because she writes about the quintessential experience of girlhood," I was also put off by the assertion that I must make way for a new icon, and give deference and reverence to a narrative that excludes me.

Wait, did I mention Casual there? Aw fuck! This was supposed to be a review for that song!

So uh, the thing is, Casual is basically a perfect reinvention of the classic lovelorn country song? Yeah, they play up Chappell's southern roots in a lot of her music and promotional material, but it comes through crystal clear on this song. The structure and melody feel exactly like the old country songs I'd hear at my grandparents' house, but the lyrics are youthful and conversational and explicit, with the chorus opening with "knee deep in the passenger seat, and you're eating me out, is it casual now?" The sleek, modern production keeps the song from feeling out of place among her other, more danceable singles, but the lyrics and vocals are still powerful and raw. I derided Femininomenon for having lyrics that boil down to "boys stink" but Casual feels like a genuine and specific grievance. It feels lived-in and genuine in a way that reminds me of Taylor Swift's "All Too Well," which if you know anything about my tastes or about Swift's fandom in general, you know that is a gargantuan compliment. Chappell's vocals are always a highlight when they're allowed to shine, but they fucking soar on Casual. When she hits the final "go to hell" on the second(!) bridge it feels so cathartic, and so earned, and feels like you just got done venting about a situation that had been eating you up for ages, which is precisely the tone she seemed to be going for. She fucking nailed it. This song is impeccable. I cannot say enough good things about it.

So why did I spend so many words bitching earlier? Well, for one, honesty. When she blows up even more, which she will, I don't want to pretend I was a Day 1 Ride or Die. I want the record to show that I have some Concerns. But the thing is, I opened this review by saying that Chappell Roan frustrated me. Not that she made me angry, not that she annoyed me, but that she frustrated me. That's because I found some aspects of her songwriting and presentation (and fandom but that's not her fault) grating, but I also saw obvious and undeniable talent. Even My Kink is Karma is a fine song on its own, but the sins of Femininomenon stain it too, in that the pleasure (explicitly, in the former) comes from talking down the shitty men Chappell has to deal with. Many of her other songs carry the even more egregious sin; corniness. While nothing as bad as Papa John, singing about "fugly jeans" and, uh, the entire bridge of Red Wine Supernova bring down otherwise good songs that are more concerned with sharing winks with a specific audience in a specific moment in time, than creating art that holds up on its own merit alone.

A couple years ago, there was buzz about a young up-and-comer named Olivia Rodrigo, maybe you've heard of her? She blew up with a gargantuan hit ballad filled with melodramatic teen angst and verses that were sung in cursive, years after that style became a punchline. "Well, this is a bit shit," I thought. But then when I listened to her album, there were a few tracks that I liked, most of them being more energetic with some pop-punk influence. "It would be cool if she went down this power-pop road, she's super well-suited for it," I thought again, though I assumed she'd try to chase Phoebe Bridgers in the Hunt to be the Heir to the Swift Throne. I think I was wrong on that one! From what I've heard of Olivia's newest stuff, she's bringing the shiny guitars and bratty/aggressive vocals to the forefront, and I really enjoy it! It is really nice to be pleasantly surprised, to be glad to be wrong about something.

That is why I'm hard on Chappell Roan. That is why I find the overwhelming praise irritating. Olivia Rodrigo received endless praise for one of her worse songs, and caught lawsuits and plagiarism allegations for one of her best. It is a goddamn miracle that she resisted the urge to double down on the sadgirl schtick. Chappell Roan has a terrific voice, biting lyrics, razor-sharp pop sensibilities, star presence that most would kill for, and can write hooks that rival the very best of my lifetime. The girl is money. Which is why it worries me that most of the praise I've seen for her focuses on such surface-level criteria. Quirky presentation, referential lyrics, and a crosshair on the current queer zeitgeist can certainly help your success and give you a few trendy tiktok audios. But she's got skills that can carry her forever, and no song in her still-brief discography showcases them better than Casual. In a few years, The Youth will inevitably laugh at what we now consider trendy. And Casual will still be a perfect song. If I live to be 100 I'll still be listening to it. I hope Chappell Roan makes me look stupid.

#ask meme #making this one unrebloggable because uh! #people would be mad! don't wanna deal with it!

[cowboy-robooty]

Let me show you the world of my hell hole of a playlist

Obviously I need to share the good word of the Sonic Vocal Tracks like dude i will make you sit and listen to all of them if i have to but my personal favorites are “This Machine” from Sonic Heroes, “Find Your Flame” and “Im Here” from Sonic Frontiers, “Live & Learn” from Sonic Adventure 2 and “I Am… All of Me” from Shadow the Hedgehog. They are a little more metal/rock ish sorry if my music terms are off but yeah you will be screaming you will be so pumped

Also literally just any track from any Lupin III media is so fucking good omfg. So Jazzy and upbeat you will feel so radical. My favorite intros are from Part 2 and also “Superhero” is a transcending experience I lives in my head rent free. Yuhi Ohno’s work is honestly just so good just skip immediately to his entire discography

Ok im sorry im a hardcore MARINA and Girls Love Shoes fan its just who i am inside. I need to come clean. Girls Love Shoes’ “Supamedicine” is my godsend its my holy grail. MARINA always drops bangers the people know her not much to say than that.

Also some random out of pocket ones. Any minecraft parody ever, any pop song from the 2000’s, animation meme songs that haunt you for life, the living tombstone and specifically She Wolf but nightcore. Just night/daycore / slowed down/speed up just to get a little cray cray.

Alot of my own music taste is just a bunch of Punk Rock and other random artists scattered about, sorry if you already listen to these guys </3 My entire playlist is a tonal nightmare its older than most average playlists. Been going strong since like 7th grade

DONT WORRY LOL MY PLAYLIST IS AIDS TOO ive had it since i got my first phone in 6th grade because i like to put all the songs i like ever in one playlist and hit shuffle on that ^_^

SONIC SHIT: I LIKED THIS. ROBOOTY WAS A FAN OHHH YESSS... DONT WORRY IDK HOW MUSIC TERMS WORK EITHER LOL BUT THIS IS GOOD. **nods head** ITS LOUD ITS GOT A VERY FULL SOUND I LIKE IT A LOT YESS!!!

LUPIN SHIT: DUDEEE I FUCKING LOVE THE LUPIN SOUNDTRACKS TOO!!! I FUCKING LOVE JAZZY SHIT ITS SO GOOD ITS SO FIRE I LOVE IT I LOVEEE WHAT LUPIN IS IN I ALWAYS DO BE PLAYING THAT LUPIN OPENING ON TAIKO!!!! I need to check out yuhi ohnos discography properly.... i always am slacking ok

GIRLS LOVE SHOES: i listened to supamedicine and it was pretty good! it was pleasant i was like **nods head** if my buddy put it on i wouldnt go "well... if you wanted to go to teen sex cove you couldve just asked 😏" but id be like **nods head in approval** and then continue talking about how my soundcloud almost got deleted for reposting yaoi christmas carols. anyways secret.. im actually not really a marina fan. like primmadonna and oh no is okay theyre like 5/10 to me but idk i just aint into her shit

RANDOM SHIT: IM NGL I DIDNT LISTEN TO A LOT OF MINECRAFT PARODIES BECAUSE THEY WERE PARODIES OF POP MUSIC AT THE TIME AND I HATTTTTEEDD POP MUSIC LOL. i think some are ok like dont mine at night but i cant really think of any others i liked. i still am not really big on modern pop in fact i kind of hate like a lot of it lol im a hater by birth 💔 I ALSO... **says this on the cross** HAVE HATED ANIMATION MEMES FROM THE MOMENT I WAS BORN TOO. i used to get so mad id be like THATS NOT A MEME!!!! THATS A SHITTY LOOPED GIF THAT HAS NO JOKES AT ALL!!!!! idk i never was an animation meme kid.... i always looked up to newgrounds animation and like people who made full mv parodies of vocaloid mvs or cola shake dance yknow but i liked those because i think theyre different from animation memes. its a completely different vibe and i think that comparing shit like burihamachi or the pappara baby boy thing to animation memes is like comparing manga and comics. theyre the same thing in principal but COMPLETELY different vibe yknow? anyways yeah i was a hater and refused to watch them in my lifetime... 💔💔💔 I LIKE THE LIVING TOMBSTONE THOUGH I LOVEE THE SONG CATS OUGHHH THATS SO GOOD.... i never listened to them a lot i only know like 3 songs lol so erm i dont consider myself a living tombstone fanboy since i think id be considered a poser 💔 LOOK IVE ALWAYS LIVED UNDER A ROCK IM ALWAYS SEVENTEEN YEARS LATE TO EVERY PARTY EVER!!! I NEVER EVEN LIKED FNAF I WAS INTO THE NIGHTGUARDS BUT DIDNT CARE ABOUT THE GAME THE LORE THE ANIMATRONICS I LITERALLY DID NOT GIVE A FUCK I NEVER WATCHED A SINGLE MATPAT VIDEO OR LISTENING TO ANY FNAF SONGS!! i was an asdf movie and newgrounds + niconico douga kid ermmmmm anybody like danjo danjo? anyways i do like nightcore! i love listening to nightcore of 80s songs ohh yes... i only listen to out of touch nightcore 😏😏😏

sorry for long tangents but yknow how robooty empire is. THE KING LOVES TO SPEAK! THANK YOU FOR THESE RECS ESPECIALLY THE SONIC SHIT I BE LIKE OHHH ME LIKEY 😍

#ask

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

NITA STRAUSS: 'The ALICE COOPER Touring Camp Is Really Like A Family'

ALICE COOPER guitarist Nita Strauss spoke to the WHMH Rockin' 101 radio station about her recently released single "Winner Takes All", featuring a guest appearance by the legendary rocker. The track is taken from Nita's upcoming sophomore solo album, tentatively due later this year via Sumerian Records.

Regarding how her latest collaboration with Alice came about, Nita said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The Alice Cooper touring camp, it's really like a family. I think a lot of people have this impression of legendary musicians like him that they're sort of unapproachable and untouchable, and Alice is the nicest and most approachable person in the entire world. So it didn't really feel like approaching somebody that was gonna say no; it was like I was talking to a friend. Alice has been really supportive of my solo stuff. He had me on [his radio show] 'Nights With Alice Cooper' when my first record came out. He obviously encouraged me to go out and tour with Demi Lovato and promote my own music and everything else. So I was really grateful that when we approached him with this song, he was totally eager to do it. I think he went into the studio in, like, two days and recorded it at his own studio in Phoenix. So it was a great experience all around."

Last month, Nita told the "Appetite For Distortion" podcast she "knew" that she wanted to do something with Alice for her next LP. "We have a lot of guests on the upcoming record," she explained. "There are some instrumental songs, like on the first record as well, but it's a lot of guests. And I thought, 'How cool would it be…?' — we all kind of put our heads together and thought, 'How cool would it be to showcase Alice's voice on very modern, heavy active rock kind of track?' 'Cause everything he does is sort of in that more classic rock kind of vein. Even the new music that he's come out with in the last few years has had that classic Alice sound. And I thought, 'Well, since we're not gonna get a song like this from Alice himself, let's bring a song to him. Let's make something for him.' So my first call was to Tommy Henriksen, who does a lot of the writing for the Alice project and the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES project, and I said, 'What key does he like to sing in? What's his vibe?' And Tommy gave me some options. And so we ended up dropping to a seven-string [guitar] and wrote this really mean heavy riff, like very driving, very get in your car and put the pedal all the way down and speed down the highway. And between Tommy and myself, we wrote the melody and the lyrics and sent it off to Alice. He loved it. And he loved it so much, and we sent it to him in Phoenix, and he was, like, 'Cool. I'm gonna go and record it.' I think he recorded it in his studio in Phoenix the next day, or within a day or two, was how fast it happened. And from there we were off to the races."

Nita continued: "The plan, actually, was not to release the song until the tour. We thought maybe we could just drop the song and show up on stage on the same day, kind of like old-school 'Wrestlemania'. But then, between his schedule and my release schedule and all the label politics and all that, [we decided to] put it out early, help promote the song, go out on tour and all that good stuff. So it all worked out for the best. The song had a super-strong first week, which is amazing. Alice sounds like a rock star, as always. And, yeah, I feel like it just went great."

"Winner Takes All" is the third song Nita has released featuring a star guest vocalist, the first being the enormously successful "Dead Inside" which featured guest vocals from DISTURBED's David Draiman and saw Nita become the first-ever solo female to have a No. 1 hit at Active Rock radio. She also returned to her instrumental roots last year with the release of single "Summer Storm", a fast-paced, emotive shred-fest. In October 2022, Nita dropped "The Wolf You Feed", an epic headbanger of a track featuring the insane vocal talent of Alissa White-Gluz of ARCH ENEMY.

#nita strauss #2023 interviews #Youtube

[thisaintascenereviews]

The Blue Stones - Pretty Monster I’ve got a confession to make, and it’s probably something that a lot of people already know about me, especially if you’ve followed my music taste throughout the years, it’s that I don’t really listen to modern “hard-rock.” I feel like that’s kind of a bad word, because most of it is really bad. When it comes to 60s, 70s, and 80s hard-rock, I love it. Hell, one of my favorite albums of all time is Metallica’s 1991 self-titled album, more so known as The Black Album, and that’s what it’s been named retroactively. I love hard-rock from yesteryear, but hard-rock from the late 90s to now just doesn’t usually hit me in any kind of way, and it’s because the genre hasn’t changed much whatsoever. A lot of bands have remained very stagnant, uninteresting, and boring. That’s why rock is supposedly dying, at least according to a lot of fans and rock artists, because hardly any bands are doing anything worthy of talking about. Every hard-rock band these days sounds like Breaking Benjamin and Three Days Grace, both bands who had a strong start but fizzled out quickly. I really like some of their early stuff, but their later stuff doesn’t do anything for me. It’s all the same, though, and a lot of bands don’t want to admit that. That’s why one of my favorite modern hard-rock / rock bands is Canadian duo The Blue Stones, and their brand of hard-rock, blues-rock, and R&B, of all things. These guys have been around since 2011, but they didn’t release their debut album until 2015, and it got reissued in 2018. They’ve still released two more albums, one last year, and it was one of my favorite albums of last year, entitled Hidden Gems, and their new album, Pretty Monster. Hidden Gems was just that -- an album that not a lot of people know about, but they should. Their sound is really unique, especially when it comes to hard-rock / blues-rock. They throw in elements of R&B, and some psychedelic-rock here and there, but it’s not too outwardly. They more so throw in some R&B, and it sounds great, especially when they have some grooves and hooks that definitely lean more into that. Hidden Gems really did, and it was a great little record. It had some great hooks, solid riffs (as well as solos), and vocalist Tarek Jafer has one of the best voices in rock that I’ve heard in a long while. I didn’t know what to expect with Pretty Monster, and truth be told, I didn’t know it was coming out until this past weekend, but I gotta say that it’s a good album. It’s not quite as good as Hidden Gems, and I don’t know if I’d say it’s one of my favorites of the year, but I really enjoyed it. They continue the sound they were going for on Hidden Gems, but they tone down the R&B elements a bit, as well as the riff-heavy blues-rock, and instead, this record has more of an alt-rock feel to it, as well as a more of a standard rock album feel. It’s not quite as “hard-rock” as their last album, but that’s not a bad thing. For starters, Jafer still has a really good voice throughout the record, and he’s got some great hooks, especially on songs like “Camera Roll,” “Don’t Miss,” and “No Angels,” even if the instrumentation is a bit lacking in spots, where they just aren’t doing too much. It shows up in bits and pieces, such as a solo here or an R&B groove there, but it’s not as blatant as their last album. This album is really short, too, only 35 minutes, so it’s a quick and brisk listen that never feels like it overstays its welcome. So many albums have that problem, but this one doesn’t. The lyrics are also pretty well-written, even though I’ve never been too enthralled with them, but they’ve always been good. This album is just a pleasant, smooth, and catchy little rock album that fans of the genre might actually appreciate, because it’s not a butt-rock album that sounds like every other band that you hear in that vein. It’s nothing that will blow you away, at least not to the degree of their last album, which is still a lot better, but this record is a good evolution. They leaned more into a rock sound, and toned down some of the elements that made them stick out, but they’re in their sound just enough to keep it interesting. I wouldn’t say this is one of the best albums of the year, but I might come back to this every once in awhile, especially if I want a good and quick rock album that I can jam to. Not every album needs to be super deep, or mindblowing, but sometimes they can just do what they’re supposed to do and move on. That’s what this album does, and I enjoy it for that, so I’m happy that I gave this one a listen.

#the blue stones #pretty monster #hidden gems #blues-rock #hard-rock #rock #indie-rock #royal blood #rival sons

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

The Symphonic World Music Festival and Sweet Dreams

After hearing so much about Sweet Dreams on social media and finding out that I was gonna be around that area, I couldn’t help but be curious about it. I have to say, now that I’ve gone to the place, it definitely lives up to the hype.

We’re hanging out in Sonibelle for the Symphonic World Music Festival to meet up with a couple of familiar faces. Clarry has been a regular performer there for the past couple years and Desi has made her debut this year. A lot of the acts at the festival are bilingual and/or fall into the world music category.

I think the biggest highlight of Symphonic World is being exposed to all kinds of different cultures and their music. A lot of the performers are known for taking elements of traditional and modern music to create something of their own and I’ve been really into that lately. I also enjoy the fact that many of these artists also incorporate their language into their songs too. Seeing and hearing all these artists embrace their culture and stuff - I really appreciate it.

Desi has been making strides since leaving Too Cool and going solo as a bilingual artist. She had talked about wanting to get back in touch with her Mexican roots, especially after her experience with Too Cool. Her time with the band - and that music scene in general - has been a mixed bag for her, especially in terms of how she was allowed to express herself as an artist, especially in terms of her heritage.

Not surprisingly, there were some people who opposed her new direction. Some thought that her incorporating Spanish lyrics and traditional Mexican music would alienate her audience and that she’s be better off sticking to mainstream pop music. However, Desi didn’t let that stop her from taking that direction. As expected, she lost some fans, though she doesn’t consider that a big deal considering that they aren’t her target audience, but gained a larger following, especially with the Latino community.

Among those naysayers were her old bandmates and even her ex-fiance, though they claimed it has nothing to do with her talent, more like from a commercial perspective. I kinda get what they mean but that kind of thinking is probably why Too Cool and The Shayne Brothers have fallen into stagnation. Like I get the appeal but at the same time both groups sound like they’re trying to be part of the Top 40 so their music, to me at least, sounds uninspired and formulaic. They had their heyday back then but now they’re just kinda there, sorta like out of habit or something. Do people still listen to their current stuff these days?

Since then, Desi has released an EP and album, both which shot the charts. She recently released her latest single, Problems and Excuses, a couple weeks ago and I’ve been listening to it a lot. Her next album, Sorry for the Trouble, will be coming out in the summer and I’m looking forward to it.

As an artist, I think Desi’s lyrics have always been her strongest point. It’s a shame to think about how she never really got to show that with the songs she co-wrote for Too Cool. It’s kinda telling that the songs she co-wrote were some of their bigger hits - and even then it seemed like the record label tried to downplay that. If she hadn’t posted her old stuff during her high school and Camp Musical days, the general public wouldn’t have gotten an idea of what kind of a songwriter she really is.

Now that she’s gone solo, she can finally show off her true talents and potential, not just as a songwriter but as a producer as well through various collabs with other artists. Her music has been described by critics as a blend of bedroom pop and classical Mexican music - the latter which she grew up listening to. She says that she wants to incorporate more elements from different genres and hopes that’ll open more people up to her culture’s music.

Clarry’s still going strong as an artist, her latest album Racing the Wind has been getting stellar reviews. She posted that she has some exciting projects coming up this year - the orchestra one she just teased not too long ago. I remember when she was just starting out and she’s come so far!

Of course, Jenny, Lyndi, and Louie are tagging along too. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the fam minus Ludwig. We haven’t realized how overdue we were for a reunion so the festival was perfect. Now for a camp event…well, we’ll get there when we get there.

Jenny’s still Clarry’s agent so not much has changed there. Along with being an agent for a handful of talents, Jenny is also an unofficial research consultant. She says there’s not really much to it in terms other than she just tags along with researchers on various projects, similar to what Ludwig does. It sounds interesting, especially when it’s about topics you find fascinating, not to mention all the traveling you get to do. Out of the cousins, Jenny takes after Ludwig the most in terms of being super intelligent and innovative.

As much as he wants her to be his successor, I don’t think that’s what Jenny wants out of her life. Though Ludwig is pretty popular, one of him is more than enough. It’s good to hear that he’s still up the usual antics.

Lyndi is currently going through a restless phase, which she said started after leaving Francois Viola. She was never really one to stick with one thing for long so it was kinda a surprise that she decided to stay with Francois Viola after graduating, so she stayed for quite a long time. Along with burnout and feeling stuck in a rut, Lyndi said another reason why she decided to leave was because things weren’t the same after Roselle’s death and Adrien’s departure.

I’ve heard that management over there hasn’t been the same since, even more so after Adrien, the other co-founder, left last year. I guess it’s safe to say that the studio’s future looks kinda shaky with so many people leaving. However Rika doesn’t think it necessarily means that things will go downhill from there - they said that Adrien wouldn’t have decided to leave if he didn’t think the studio would survive - it’s just that things will be different. Still, they said to take that with a grain of salt, which makes sense because they aren’t in that business, and they only said that not to confirm or deny anything, but more to stop others from spreading unnecessary rumors and speculations. The other cousins - Beatrice, Noel, and Elowyn - shared the same sentiments.

Right now Lyndi’s focusing on streaming and editing videos, both which seem to have become her main thing while jumping from one thing to another. She finds that she really enjoys being a streamer, though it’s not really something she wants to do full time, or at least not yet. It’s too early to tell since she’s still relatively new but she’s hoping to expand on that if more opportunities come. For now she just wants to mess around until she finds something that works best for her, which can really only be done by trial and error.

Her streams have been fun to watch and she’s hoping to interact more with that community. I know that she did a couple with Raiden and Qingmei and those were a lot of fun. I think Raiden’s trying to get Atsushi and Aymn to join her - no word on that yet but they’re down for it. Atsushi’s pretty chaotic so he’ll keep things lively. Don’t know too much about Aymn other than he’s pretty chill and super casual. Alexi and Cheyenne are other contenders as well as Sara - though out of the three, Sara doesn’t stream regularly while the other two aren’t strictly related to gaming - but they have similar interests so it works. Lyndi follows Cheyenne so she really hopes they can do a stream together one day.

Louie has joined the Coloratura Jazz Band as a cello player last year and he’s been enjoying that. A couple years ago he wouldn’t have imagined that he’s be playing the cello long after high school. He picked it up in elementary school only because he didn’t want to do sports and found himself enjoying it a lot. Then after graduating high school he kinda dropped it, mainly because the college he went to didn’t have an orchestra and he just didn’t have the time. And then he picked it up again after dropping out, doing various gigs Jenny found for him as well as helping Clarry out.

The music festival was a lot of fun, especially seeing Desi and Clarry on stage. All the other acts were cool as well - a few I’ve heard of, most who are new to me and worth checking out. I’ll definitely return in the future to enjoy more music. Maybe I’ll see a few more similar faces there next time!

After the festival, we stuck around Sonibelle for a bit, mostly to go sightseeing. By chance we found out that Sweet Dreams wasn’t too far from here so we decided to check out what the hype’s all about.

All I know is that people started posting about the candy shop online, raving about the sweet honey drops and rainbow pastel aesthetic. It’s a relatively new store that opened about a year ago and has been gaining a lot of traction on social media. Aesthetics wise, I can see the appeal - pastel kawaii rainbows - there’s definitely an audience for that.

There’s a huge variety of sweets they make, the most popular being sweet honey drops, which are shaped like teardrop jewels. The honey that’s used for the candies are from the bees the owner keeps, making it extra special. Everything is handmade and original, which adds to the appeal.

The sweet honey drops were pretty good, though they’re a little too sweet for my taste if I have more than one. I see why they’re popular, especially since you can’t find anything like that anywhere else. Not to mention that they come in a cute shape, which is on brand for them.

Everything else we tried turned out good too. I’d say I like the bow tie candies the best, mostly because they look pretty. The taste reminds me of those fruit candies in a tin, which are good since they’re not too sweet and don’t have that artificial taste - the latter I can say for everything else we tried here so that’s another plus for me. Second favorite is the caramel hearts because caramel’s good and heart shaped things are cute. Of course, the caramel’s original and freshly made too.

So overall, I’d say it does live up to the hype in terms of aesthetics and creativity. I like cute pink and pastel things so it’s a win for me. As for the candies, I’m not the biggest sweet tooth, so I found everything good but in small portions, like the honey drops. The price is good considering how everything is handmade and locally sourced, meaning it’s totally worth it in terms of quality. In other words, Sweet Dreams is worth checking out in my book, 10/10 would recommend.

Read on AO3

#animal crossing #animal crossing pocket camp #Diary of a Junebug #headcanon ramble

[sweetcatastrophex]

multifaceted me

i miss the chaos of it all  the unruly moment after impulsive moment  a fuzzy socks late night coated with honey laughter melted chocolate chips on our fingertips a rapture of belly laughter from the other room and we cried out  in joy  i miss falling asleep by accident, too early  and creating with abandon. trusting my fingers, never doubting my mind  knowing the process but just knowing  feeling the intuition of it all letting the words flow outward from within me, carefully chosen combinations  i miss doing what i want in the moment that i want to do it  and i resent my imagined limitations. modern reminders of insecurity these lessons forged in my brain that test me, prod me poke me til i’m blue in the face forcing me to recollect. to be steadfast in my foundation, revisit my roots like a brief vacation  a coming to  a remembering and i think. like camus told us we should  we reflect i miss stumbling in the dark on a wooded trail i miss studying the stone carvings in the walkway at whitman’s house i miss the anticipation before my violin teacher would speak  and the praise and the criticism and the growth of it all  i miss the spontaneity of the youth. a camping trip with the girls making handwritten letters and listing our inside jokes  i miss the songs that made me yearn for a magical future  and stoked something within me that makes this passion i miss the nose piercings and the clashing egos and the heartache  the scribbled notes under bedtime pillows or on restaurant napkins  the music, the books, the questions, the arguments, the invigorating conversations the pages of my journal alive and dancing with emerson, whitman, thoreau quotes but also sprinkled with warsan shire, aztra tabassum and andrea gibson reciting my favorite ts eliot poem to anyone who would listen  caring for cold blooded pets and talking to turtles  thinking about the pyramids and the people i met in the red sea  did they like to meet me?  i miss the caring. the opposite of this apathy that knows me well and who has taken up residence at my sister’s house i miss the red hair and the humor of it all. there to be embraced or ignored. i’ve learned it’s really up to you i miss the thrill. meeting new people and learning about the planet  running into the same strangers over and over again and knowing their faces finding my friends in a crowd. sleeping on the floor after too much jager  i miss the free time and the movies. the novelty of first times.  i miss the jumping into freezing cold pools every morning and being alone with my thoughts and running miles and miles and still being alone with my thoughts i’ve considered many things and have formed many opinions and i’m grateful i miss interpreting ray carver however i want and visiting weird museums  i miss getting in trouble for taking so many pictures with my camera  and developing photos in chemical baths and embracing the inevitable imperfections i miss the alone 3 ams, reveling in the silent stillness thinking it’s the perfect time to write poetry i miss the confidence, the polka dots and patterns  the mismatching and experimenting and seeing what fits  the trying and the mistakes the moons and the suns, the printed photographs, the tree sap incense i miss the glitter of the moon over the water  and wondering about later, romanticizing i miss the scratching sound of the ice  i miss the colors, the glints of light that hit all the parts of multifaceted me  most of all  i miss me

#11.29.2021 #poetry #poem #fragments #me #multifaceted me

[themizzcandy]

65th GRAMMYs 2023: Best R&B Performance

The 2023 Grammys are coming soon, and nominees have been announced. What better way for me to kick off this blog than to review the nominees in the R&B categories? Let’s see what & who got nominated, let’s talk about my predictions, and then let’s stay tuned on February 5th to see if I’m right.

Spoiler: I’m usually right.

“Best R&B Performance: This Category recognizes excellence in a performance by an R&B solo artist, collaborating artists, established duos, or groups.”

Virgo's Groove - Beyonce

Let me start off by stating the obvious: Beyoncé’s Renaissance album is a work of sonic art.

Virgo’s Groove is one of my favorites on Renaissance. Produced in part by The-Dream, its driving bass and complementary synth sounds create an old-school groove that incites movement. The change in cadence of the lyrics allows the song to give different flavors every few bars, while keeping the backing track fairly constant. The “baby come over” section evokes a different mood than the “right here, right now” section, for example. Then the icing on the cake is the pretty falsetto runs at the tail end of the song. Overall a lovely song and a great contender.

But it isn’t the only great contender.

Here With Me - Mary J. Blige ft Anderson .Paak

All love and respect to Mary J., and we love Anderson .Paak (although, I have some suspicions about how his features on everybody and their mama’s projects might have dampened the vision Bruno had for Silk Sonic, possibly leading him to pull them from all Grammy categories this year.. but that’s another story for another time).

But I have to be honest. I don’t know if I understand why this particular song got nominated. The lyrics are cool: a metaphor on performing arts to describe an ideal relationship of sorts. “I make the features and do all the casting/Who gon’ direct me with all them theatrics?” Clever. The track is also really smooth and mellow, shout out to producers. But vocally and melodically this song doesn’t do much for me, especially in comparison with other songs in this category.

Hrs & Hrs - Muni Long

Yoouurrssss, miiiiiiine… oouuurrsss!

Muni Long has been around for a while as a writer and singer, previously under a different name, but this is the first song I heard performed by her. And I was soooo impressed. This isn’t a songwriters’ category, but I’m in love with the way this song is written. Her vocal performance is also beautiful; I don’t recall a recent R&B song with as many riffs and runs all throughout the song like this. The soulful track and sultry vocal complements the story of being totally enamored of a good man. This song is classic R&B at a time when more experimental and new-wave sounds are dominating the space, and I’m 100% here for it.

Me? Big Lucky Daye fan.

Candydrip? Incredible album.

Anybody with a life notices the Halfcrazy sample as soon as this track starts, and that already wins you over. Shoutout to D'Mile on production. The juxtaposition made by sampling this classic and adding Lucky’s more modern take on soul makes for a song that’s both nostalgic and present at the same time. And this is saying a lot, because many of the songs today that sample early 2000s hits do so in a really lazy and generic way (that’s also another story for another time; lazy sampling). In addition, Lucky gives us the modern cadence that mimics today’s R&B/rap fusion, but infuses it with an actual ability to sing. He’s giving us infectious melody in the verses and range in the chorus. This song is R&B perfection and the most successful marriage of past and present I’ve seen this year. Genius.

Jazmine THEE Sullivan.

This song has everything: incredible vocal range, unmatched vocal agility, a soaring chorus, a heart-felt heartbreaky story told by the lyrics, plus - and this is important - it’s a waltz. Just like Hrs & Hrs, a waltz just adds to the soulfulness of an R&B song. Nobody can cover Hurts Me So Good and do it any justice; this is A Jazmine Sullivan song, period. So in terms of performance, it is a 10/10. My only source of confusion is why this song isn’t in the traditional R&B category; that seems like it would’ve been more suitable.

Who should win?

This one is hard for me to predict because this category is completely stacked. I’m gonna try my best..

I’m giving the Grammy to Lucky Daye - Over. The combination of the sampling, vocal performance, slight rapping and lyricism makes this song a really perfect concoction of past, present and future.

My very close 2nd is Hrs & Hrs; it is quintessential love and tenderness with gorgeous melodies.

My very close 3rd: Virgo’s Groove. Because groovy, because Beyonce. But there’s a je ne sais quoi that the first 2 have over this one.

We’ll see what happens!

#music #r&b #grammys #Spotify

[ithisatanytime]

Bladee & Ecco2k – The Flag Is Raised (slowed + reverb)

anon asks “how do you know when god is trying to tell you something”

 ill give you a shorter answer and a more involved answer, because it will depend on where you are in your faith. ill start with the short answer by saying understand that god is the author of your entire life, and everyones life and everything that exists, there isnt a single mote of dust that will float past your eye that he didnt create to float past your eye in that instant. so just listen, and also pray, and when you pray understand that you are talking to the best friend you have ever had, ive seen so many people pray like robots and as though its some great chore, i even had a very mechanical prayer “dear god please forgive me for my sins and please bless my mom and my sister etc etc.” it sounds nice but its very sterile and god knows the desires of your heart, he knows literally everything and he wont be fooled, he already knows your desires before you ask them, so just pray and then pay attention. if you feel hes telling you to do something and you arent sure, pray on it honestly, hes not your probation officer hes your heavenly father, and he had us call him father for that reason! he knows you will sin, he knows your desires and your fears but most importantly he loves you incomprehensibly. imagine a father of a baby boy or girl, a toddler, a father filled with love and joy at his little toddler, will this father judge the toddler by the same measure he would judge his peers? of course not! this is grace, and this is only a human fathers grace imagine how much more grace a heavenly father would provide. serendipitous events, or things that just jump out at you, a phrase, an advertisement, a song lyric, even a mote of dust floating past your eye at an opportune moment, if you are listening i promise you hes speaking to you THROUGH your entire life, remember hes the author of it. to summarize just listen, now thats the short answer or the simple answer.

  the longer answer, the more complicated answer, is you should read the bible, specifically the king james bible, and read the entire thing from cover to cover, twenty pages a night or whatever you can reasonably do, the important thing is when you are convicted in your soul, or when you read things about god that you dont understand that just dont hit you quite right, DO NOT QUIT, read the entire thing and read it without preconceived notions from any church or modern religion. the first time i read the bible i read it in under two weeks, i believe it was under a week, because i was on fire. but i had tried in the past as an atheist just to have said id read it, and i never finished it, i got to the parts where god acted in ways that were contrary to my human understanding and quit, but when i did actually read the entire bible i was shocked and the stark contrast from what organized religion says god is and what he says he is, the fundamentals the very foundations of modern christianity are not biblical, the truth of god is beyond anything, its truly something, whereas organized religion whether pagan catholic or heretical protestant is a very narrow and frankly bizarre interpretation of scripture, if it all possible read the bible, if you read harry potter and the goblet of fucking fire you can read the bible its not much longer than that and its much better in my opinion, just do not STOP, read it to the end. you will understand gods nature only when you’ve finished the book. you will be convicted at times, you will wonder if god hates you for the sin in yourself its revealing, and by the end you will know that god loves you and you are completely redeemed, and reconsiled to god, meaning you can speak to him in TOTAL confidence and candidly and with pure honesty and he will listen with a love that is beyond human understanding and he will speak to you everyday, constantly. also dont worry if you feel like you arent understanding parts of the book, or you are so bored reading begats and long descriptions of tabernacles and temples and arks, just read the words and keep going, your soul is being prepared by the word like a garden thats been overgrown with weeds, the weeds are pulled the soil is turned, to prepare it for the planting of a good seed, the bible is the tool of the gardener to prepare the soul and the bible is also the seed. 

#youtube