#part of it is his actual singing like it's very emotional. it's not polished or clean and that's to its benefit really

[daz4i]

they put smth in dazai's character song. like some drug that makes you sad. i know it.

#it's SUCH a good depression song guys. next time you have a breakdown put it on. maybe read the lyrics too. really enhances things #part of it is his actual singing like it's very emotional. it's not polished or clean and that's to its benefit really #and there's this melancholic piano and low tone acoustic guitar? but the slightest upbeat piano underlying things too to add a hopeful bit. #(<- doesn't know anything about music but likes to pretend he does) #if i ever learn more abt music properly i might analyze some choices made with these songs bc they're very interesting #like how atsushi's song is super upbeat and fun and sounds hopeful then the lyrics are like. ''life sucks and i feel aimless'' #how akutagawa's song is surprisingly mellow and. stable isn't the word but like. not erratic?? argh idk the english words 😭😭 #anyway yeah . lost track of the original post oops sorry

[snowyh2o]

Was listening back through the Hazbin Hotel songs again and I noticed a really cool detail in how each of the characters sing. As some of you might’ve noticed, during Hell’s Greatest Dad Lucifer is very audibly taking in many deep breaths before each lyric, while in contrast you can’t hear Alastor breathing at all. And I wondered if this was a trend with Alastor’s character (intentional) or if it was just due to different singing styles (unintentional). And I have come to the conclusion that the lack of audible breathing on Alastor’s part is very intentional.

Of all the songs and characters that sing, the majority of them do have audible breathing, which is particularly loud when they’re visibly out of breath, panicked, emotional, excited, etc. the big exceptions are Husk, Alastor, Carmilla, and Angel Dust.

With Husk we never hear him audibly breathing. This might be due to the nature of the songs he features in, where Loser Baby’s slower duet gives more room to breath silently than a fast paced one like Hell is Forever. But I think it’s a good hint of Husk’s control over his breathing/singing. He’s a gambler, he likely has one hell of a poker face and knows how to present himself as calm and in control regardless of what he’s feeling, and that’s showcased in how he sings.

It’s the same situation with Alastor. Regardless of how he was feeling during Stayed Gone or Hell’s Greatest Dad, we never hear him breathing. He’s presenting himself as calm and in control of the situation, even as the song devolves into a yelling match in Hell’s Greatest Dad. He keeps up his no audible breathing during his part in Ready for This, though it’s a little hard to tell if Rosie’s breathing is covering up any audible breathing he’s doing. The only time we hear Alastor audibly breathe is during his solo in Finale/The Show Must Go On. Where every single line is followed by a deep and harsh breath. It’s also the only time we see him drop his mask and visibly have a mental breakdown. I’m what little he sings with the group, you can’t hear him breathing anymore, but that might just be because he gets like, one line before the finale of the song.

Carmilla is an interesting one. During Respectless, you can’t hear her breath at all, but you can hear Velvette taking multiple audible breaths. If we equate no breathing to controlling themselves in the situation, then we can interpret that as Carmilla trying to keep her cool about Velvette showing off the angel head she brought to the meeting, and not let anything slip. In Whatever it Takes, Carmilla starts the song by taking many audible breaths before each line, implying she’s letting her guard and control down for Zestial. Out for Love has her breathing silently again. I’m not too sure what it could mean character wise aside from her being calm and in control of the training session.

Angel Dust is also super interesting. During the start of his solo song Poison, you can’t hear any audible breathing from him. And it makes sense, coupled with the visuals onscreen, Angel Dust is trying to make himself feel like he’s in control of his situation and what’s happening to him. It’s not until the very end of the song, where his voice starts breaking that we hear him audibly breathe, because he’s not in control of his situation and he couldn’t keep pretending that he was.

Tl;dr: within the songs of Hazbin Hotel, how a character breathes between lyrics, silently or loudly, is being used to further build their character and give the audience a sense of their emotional state. Also, the breathing makes it feel more like the characters are actually singing and it’s not just a cool polished sound track for the show.

#hazbin hotel #Alastor #alastor hazbin hotel #husk #husk hazbin hotel #Carmilla #carmilla hazbin hotel #angel dust #angel dust hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel songs #hazbin hotel song analysis #stayed gone #hell’s greatest dad #finale #the show must go on #poison #loser baby #whatever it takes #respectless #out for love #ready for this #hazbin hotel analysis #hazbin hotel meta

[difeisheng]

continuing my obikin moulin rouge au thoughts: i have a very specific image of anakin as the young sparkle-eyed dreamer who loves freely and deeply and sometimes too much for his own good chasing the revolution of freedom and beauty and truth from city to city (don't tell me skywalker isn't the most ridiculously romantic surname), and he finds himself in paris with no plan to his life until fate finds him and he winds up sitting by the polished stage watching the most handsome, graceful, charismatic man he's ever seen flirt his way through crowds of men and women alike and by the gods can he sing. obi-wan for his part doesn't think much of himself, he had thoughts of being something more than this once but he thinks he's past his prime and there's no other path for him that leads away from this place. so he entertains, he tells people the empty honeyed words they want to hear and tells himself it's not his place to want anything more. this is the world he knows.

except later that night anakin finds himself in obi-wan's chambers pretending to be a poet or writer or what-have-you to help his friends, and he's not the best at coming up with the right words when he needs them but obi-wan is looking expectantly at him and him alone, with all the intensity of a sun. so anakin panics, he just opens his mouth, and out comes a song. they're not his verses, just someone else's words put in his mouth. he's got no idea what he's doing, but anakin's as honest as he'll ever be as he sings, because he knows that regardless of the scheme this might be his only night alone with the man he's certain he's falling in love with. he'll give it his best shot. and obi-wan stares back, awestruck; people see him as a talent and a commodity and a pretty thing to adorn their beds for a night or two, but anakin is living a life with the reckless hope that obi-wan had to temper in himself years ago. he's just a boy, wearing his emotions on his sleeve for obi-wan to read like a book, and he thinks from anakin's sweetly earnest smile that this young fool might actually love him. but even as obi-wan tells himself to focus, to restrain himself and not reach for dreams outside his gilded cage, already he wishes it wasn't just his transactional job to please anakin and say he loves him back

#at the time im queuing this it's just past 1:30am idk how coherent it is lmao #but i needed to just get this out #idk who zidler the duke toulouse etc would be yet but obikin in the moulin rouge would be a goddamn scene #every obikin fic is pretty much the elephant love medley already hehe #star wars #complementary halves of a single warrior #anakin skywalker #obi-wan kenobi #obikin #ashton originals #moulin rouge

[khozmoh]

𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑹𝑨𝑪𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑶𝑼𝑻𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑬.

origins + family.

full name:  czcibor jakub stilinski

date of birth:  april 8

age: 27 ( verse dependent )

social class:  working.

parents: noah stilinski + claudia stilinski. ( ✝ )

siblings:  miecz stilinski ( younger twin brother )

physical + appearance.

height:  6′0″.

weight:  82 kgs | 180lbs.

distinguishing features:  several facial moles / beauty spots and facial scars.

hair color:  dark brown.

eye color: whiskey brown.

what do they consider their best feature?: his hands. he’s been complimented on his hands before, and he likes the way they look. on himself they’re pretty much the only body part he doesn’t feel uneasy looking at.

style of dress/typical outfit(s):  casual streetwear, a lot of hoodies, tracksuit pants, and sneakers. he dresses for comfort and practicality, often in neutral colours or muted blues and greens. he generally dresses himself in clothes that are a little big for him.

jewelry? tattoos? piercings?:  he wears a ceramic ring and a vial necklace filled with mountain ash. in his thirties he gets several fine line and black out tattoos.

do they work out/exercise?:  yes, and quite often. cosmo uses exercise and working out to manage his emotions, to give himself an outlet, and to combat chronic pains and stiffness from his desk job. he runs in the mornings and at night, he also has mma three nights a week, and he lifts weights or does odd work out routines at his desk while working to keep up his blood flow.

belief +  intellect.

level of self esteem:  in terms of physical appearance, emotional regulations, and sociability, his self esteem is incredibly low. his self esteem in regards to his intelligence and ability however, is very high.

known languages: fluent english, intermediate polish, and introductionary american sign language.

gifts/talents: he has a knack for software and technological engineering, these things have always just made sense to him, and he has a fairly good singing voice. he is also a very good skateboarder, fighter, and knife wielder, though these are skills that he’s practiced and trained in.

how do they deal with stress?  he exercises, often excessively. he drinks, also excessively. he sleeps around, a little more than he should. he gets into fights, a lot more than he should.

what do they do when upset?  his coping methods for stress and when he’s upset are the same. he’ll exercise to work out his emotions, or he’ll drink until he’s numb, or he’ll use sex as a means to make himself feel better, or he’ll fight to take his emotions out on his opponent.

believe in happy endings:  it’s less about believing in happy endings, and hoping for happy endings. against his better judgement he wants people to get happy endings, even if he doesn’t necessarily believe that it’s possible.

how do they feel about asking for help?  he hate’s asking for help, he feels like a burden, he feels useless if he can’t handle or do something himself, he has a very hard time admitting that he even needs help. he’s trying to get better, he’ll reach out most often to his father and to stiles for a little verbal assurance but he still struggles to accept actual help.

optimist or pessimist:  pessimist.

extrovert or introvert:  introvert.

leader or follower:  follower ( though more often a loner, he doesn’t want to lead, but he doesn’t mind going solo and being only responsible for himself )

makes decisions based mostly on emotions, or on logic?:  logic, he struggles with his own emotions and prefers to rely on fact and practicality. however, if the situation involves someone that he is incredibly close to, he will let his emotions dictate his actions.

spontaneous or planner: he prefers to plan for crisis situations, work and long term life decisions, emergencies, offense or defense strategies, as well as any kind of intimate social event such as job interviews, work related presentations, formal debates or arguments etc. however, in regards to his personal or casual life he is much more likely to make snap judgements and decisions, react impulsively and be spontaneous. if he’s got the day off, is hanging out with a friend or partner, he’s more likely to go with the flow or do something based on his emotions and desires.

thinker or doer: doer. while cosmo is usually the kind to think before he acts, he doesn’t let himself stall from making decisions by losing himself in the process of thinking, theorizing, or planning. he prefers to be practical and active in his problem solving and life in general.

organized or messy: organized.

worrier or carefree:  worrier.

artistic?: a little. he doodles himself, but he appreciates art a lot. he enjoys going to museums, visiting local artistic galleries and exhibits, or just admiring the street art of san francisco.

mathematical?:  very. cosmo finds a lot of comfort in numbers and by extension statistics and hard facts, these things don’t lie and while he understands the limitations of relying solely on mathematical equations, he still prefers to rely on it rather than emotions or behaviour.

sex + intimacy.

current marital/relationship/sexual status:  single ( rp dependent )

sexual orientation (is it something they question or a secret):  bisexual, he doesn’t question it and it’s not a secret. he came to terms and accepted his sexuality in high school and has always been fairly comfortable with his attraction to all sexes. while he doesn’t necessarily publicize his sexuality, he makes his attractions known if he deems it’s appropriate and safe to do so.

views on sex (one night stands, promiscuity, etc):  he’s allosexual, very pro-sex and sex positive. in general he thinks people should be able to explore their sexuality free from judgement so long as it’s safe for all parties involved. he’s fairly encouraging when it comes to exploring and experimenting, he’s also very unfazed about discussing intimate details about sex and his sex life after the fact, though he generally doesn’t name names. he participates in one night stands fairly often and has only had two serious relationships while he was in college. they didn’t work out, and cosmo has not made an effort to attempt another serious relationship.

ever been in love?:  no. ( rp dependent )

do they fall in love easily?:  no. he’s very reserved and guarded over his emotions, especially feelings of trust and love. he needs to know the person deeply and trust them intrinsically before he’ll fall in love. though there are aspects of people that he can love ( like someone’s bravery or someone’s kindness ), he finds it very difficult to fall in love completely.

do they desire marriage and/or children in their future? he desire’s marriage if it’s with the right person. he thinks the ideal relationship, the ideal happy ending, is to find someone that he can spend the rest of his life with, who he can meet at the end of an aisle, who he can openly and publicly confess his love and devotion for. but he views this as more of a fantasy than an actual possibility in his life. as for children, he has never imagined himself as a father or a parent. he doesn’t consider himself a safe person to be around children due to his sight, and he’s afraid of passing his sight onto a child of his own. he wouldn’t wish his abilities on anyone, least of all a biological child.

thoughts on public displays of affection?:  he likes it, though he does get embarrassed and can become easily flustered when he’s participating in public displays of affection. he’ll generally present as being resistant to the act but in truth, he deeply enjoys it and will enthusiastically reciprocate if given a little nudge.

how do they show affection/love to their partner?:  acts of service and quality time. he will spend time with them, he will invite them places, take them out places, go on adventures with them, or just hang out in the same vicinity. he’ll also do things for them, these could be big things like helping them move house, renovating a bathroom, clearing their student debt, threatening a person that is harming them. but it’s also small things, making them meals, bringing them water, massaging their back/feet, making them cups of tea or coffee, doing their dishes or clearing their tables of rubbish etc. cosmo’s a caretaker.

relationships.

social habits (popular, loner, some close friends, makes friends and then quickly drops them):  he’s a loner with some extremely close friends from high school. he doesn’t make friends quickly, it takes a long time to befriend cosmo and almost longer before he actually considers someone a friend.

how do they treat others (politely, rudely, keep at distance, etc)?:  he’s very blunt, curt, and somewhat rude with people in general. he can come across as disrespectful and irritable. however, if someone treats him kindly or respectfully then cosmo will generally mirror them, thought it’s somewhat out of character for him and it doesn’t come nearly as easily. he’s a lot more friendly and encouraging with people that he’s close to.

argue or avoid conflict?:  generally, he’ll argue. he likes being right, and he likes everyone knowing that he is right. he is also very assertive and confrontational, he doesn’t let a lot of things slide, and he isn’t afraid of conflict.

secrets.

dreams: in general he just wants a house and a dog and to be financially comfortable. to pay off his family’s debts and mortgage, to keep his dad alive and healthy for another 3 or 4 decades, and make sure his brother isn’t getting into trouble alone.

greatest fears:  his dad or brother dying. bodies of water such as ponds, pools, rivers, lakes, and the ocean. even filled bathtubs or sinks can set his teeth on edge. he’s also deeply afraid of bringing something extremely dangerous into their world.

biggest regret:  trying to kill himself. cosmo is deeply, deeply ashamed of attempting to take his own life, he feels extreme guilt and struggles to reconcile the act, believing that he needs to make a significant impact on the world to make the pain that his father and brother suffered worth it. he also deeply regrets not seeing and stopping the nogitsune. he blames himself for stiles’ possession, believing that if he hadn’t tried to hide so much from his abilities that he could have prevented the possession or at least pulled the nogitsune from him sooner.

what he/she/they most wants to change about his/her current life?:  he wants to live closer to his family, he is deeply lonely without them.

likes + dislikes.

hobbies: reading, skateboarding, training, geocaching, going to concerts or viewing live performances, exploring cities, visiting museums, art galleries and exhibits.

indoors or outdoors?: indoors.

favorite color: mint leaf green.

favorite smell:  morning dew, the forest after rain, eucalypts.

favorite and least favorite food: mint chocolate chip is his favourite food, his least favourite is shrimp or prawn, the texture just does his head in.

coffee or tea?: coffee.

favorite type of weather:  sunny. he likes the feeling of the sun on his face, he likes the warmth and will generally feel a lot more at ease when it’s sunny.

favorite form of entertainment:  live music, even if he doesn’t know the artist, he’ll always enjoy live music and seek out performances in the city or elsewhere. he’ll also stop to listen to musical buskers in the street, and will usually leave a generous donation.

how do they feel about traveling?: he’s not a big fan, mostly because he’s usually travelling alone for work and it’s usually by car. while he does enjoy exploring new places and new cities, he would find it more enjoyable if he had someone to share in the adventure.

what sort of gifts do they like? he doesn’t have much of a preference when it comes to gifts, even joke gifts. he appreciates them all. they mean that he was being thought of, even if the gift isn’t something that he would generally use or like, the idea that someone even sparingly thought about him enough to get him something will make him cherish it.

drugs + alcohol.

thoughts on drugs and alcohol:  he’s an excessive drinker and an occasional drug abuser, however, he avoids the hard stuff such as cocaine or heroin and will typically not engage with those that are regular users. 

do they smoke? If so, do they want to quit?  he socially smoked in high school but it never became a habit and he dropped socially smoking fairly quickly as well. he couldn’t deal with the smell that lingered on his clothes and in his hair.

have they ever tried other drugs (which, what happened, consequences):  he’s experimented with some drugs, weed, acid, shrooms, mdma, ketamine and rohypnol. he had an extremely bad reaction to the acid and shrooms as it caused a complete loss of control over his sight and he couldn’t tell the difference between his hallucinations, reality, or what his sight was picking up on. he ended up being attacked by multiple entities and spent the better half of his night running and the rest of the night hiding out in an abandoned construction site. 

do they have any addictions?:  outside of verses with @volatilehearted, cosmo has a bit of a drinking problem. i wouldn’t consider it a fully fledged addiction, but it’s pretty close.

other details.

most important/defining event in life to date: being committed into psychiatric facility because no one else remembered that he had a twin brother and then breaking out of said psychiatric facility by ripping a hole in the fabric of his reality.

daily routine:  it’s a pretty standard routine, he’ll get ready for work, go to work, finish work, go home, work some more (either on work he didn’t finish or on g1itch cases), rinse and repeat.

typical saturday night:  if he’s not working, he’ll usually go out for a drink, visit a bar that has live music, and find someone to spend the rest of the night with.

what is home like (messy, neat, sparse):  small and neat. cosmo’s a bit of a neat freak, everything has their ordained place in his apartment and he doesn’t like mess. it’s reasonably cozy, and it definitely has a lived in feel to it due to his personal belongings and collections of merchandise, art, and comfort items like beanbags, posters, rugs, throw pillows and blankets.

pets?: if not, do they want any?:  he wants a dog but his current living arrangements don’t allow pets. when he moves back to beacon hills he gets a rescue pitbull named moo because of her black and white coat that looks like cow print.

can they hold their breath for a long time?:  no, he can only hold his breath for an average amount of time.

do they know how to swim?  technically. he learned how to swim when he was younger and if push came to shove, he could keep himself and someone else afloat. however, he hasn’t had to swim since he was a child, so his technique would be very sloppy and uncoordinated. he would also be having a severe panic attack the entire time.

can they cook (if so, how well and do they enjoy it)?: yes, and he’s a really good cook. he taught himself and he enjoys cooking for others, less so for just himself.

tagged  by :    seen on @salvatoraes <3 tagging :    @gggno ( mo ),  @zloslwy,  @volatilehearted,  @moontched ( cora ),  @witchaotics,  @pretteeth​,  @dvarapala​,  @lighthouseborn​,  @loetise​,  @rosewiltd​,  @luxoned​,  @soulvalor​ ( cassia ),  @scarfwere​ 

#. DASH PROMPT . › mirror reflections . #fun love these things

[redhatmeg]

Yo, people! This is the second time in my life - after Lucky Luke: Go West! - when Polish dub impressed me so fucking much.

So there is this movie Suicide Shop (Le Magasin des Suicides) and it’s an animated black comedy. Not for kids, at all.

Now, if you’re a Pole and see this poster, with those names, you probably going to facepalm. Because most of those people aren’t professional voice actors, no, they are stage comedians (Joanna Kołaczkowska, Marcin Wójcik, Robert Górski, Artur Andrus), singers (Czesław Mozil, Magdalena Kumorek) and various celebrities (Figurski was once a radio presenter).

In fact, there are lots of voices from stage comedians known from cabaret (here meant as a form of sketch comedy) that for a really long time had a renessainse in Polish TV. Especially Kabaret Moralnego Niepokoju (Cabaret for Moral Distress) and Kabaret Ani Mru Mru (Cabaret Hush Hush) were (and to some extend still are) very popular. But right now people are kind of sick of cabaret because there’s hardly anything new there and the sketches aren’t as funny as back then.

Seeing this cast, I thought it was just the typical joke casting, because hey, this is a black comedy, let’s hire sketch comedians!

But, boy, was it a pleasant surprise to hear them. I was recognizing the voices (especially Górski, Andrus, Wójcik, and hell, even Mozil) and they weren’t distracting; in fact, they perfectly suited to the grim and bleak world these people live in.

And it’s best exemplified by the songs they sing. Here is my favorite song from this movie:

The guy who sings it is Michał Cieślak (the guy he talks at the beginning is played Robert Górski, his teammate from Kabaret Moralnego Niepokoju) and nowadays I mostly know him from more light-hearted stuff. But this song actually reminded me that he can sing and he can be dark. In fact, I remembered this old song from Kabaret Moralnego Niepokoju’s repertair:

(This is a song about a rushed wedding and it has an ominous aura. Górski is the one who sings and Cieślak is one of the dancers.)

Actaully the more I think bout it, the more I realize that many of those comedians are good singers and they had done darker stuff in their career. For example, Lucrecia Tuvache is vocied by Joanna Kołaczkowska from Kabaret Hrabi (Cabaret Count) and I remember the sketches of this cabaret to have a black comedy vibe.

(Here Kołaczkowska sings an overdramatic song of a woman who got dumped. It sohuld be noted that the violinist is from Mozart’s Group - a cabaret which’s sketches rely on music jokes like this one.)

And see in Suicide Shop she sings a very melancholic duet with Michał Wójcik, who’s is mostly know for his phisical comedy and he sings Mishima’s part in a quiet emotional way I’ve never heard him sing:

Oh, oh, and one other thing.

Here’s Artur Andrus:

And he vocies this guy:

He basically looks like Andrus in animated form. I don’t know who casted him but they were a genius.

Long story short, I’m in awe with this movie’s Polish dub.

#suicide shop #tw: suicide #polish dub #kabaret moralnego niepokoju #kabaret hrabi #kabaret ani mru mru

[mineofilms]

Sjálfssöngurinn

In the realm of heavy metal and hard rock, few voices have resonated with as much power and emotion as that of lead vocalist of Slipknot, Corey Taylor. Shrouded in mystery and adorned with several differently distinctive masks over the years, Taylor has captured the hearts and minds of countless fans worldwide, inspiring the two generations of future metal singers, as well as pissing off just about everyone else alongside him or inside the business. Taylor has earned a reputation for his commanding stage presence and his ability to convey raw emotions through his music. With a unique blend of aggressive screams and melodic vocals, he has carved out a distinct sound that sets him apart in the world of metal.

Corey Taylor has been labeled by many as the greatest rock/metal vocalist of our generation. He has also been labeled by those same many as egotistical, selfish, an asshole, prick, overexposed, overrated, a narcissist and even a thief to some. All by which are subjective except for narcissism. That is a real definitive mental disorder. People use the word out of context more than it is used in pop culture correctly in today’s culture. Taylor is known for his outspoken nature and sometimes, a lot of the times, controversial statements. He has been involved in public feuds with other musicians, made provocative remarks, and expressed strong opinions on various subjects. This outspokenness can polarize opinions and lead to dislike from those who disagree with him or find his attitude abrasive. This last part here is important if he actually is a narcissist or not.

I agree with his musical tastes and even a lot of opinions about music in general that he will share for the most part. I do not dislike him for his style, his singing or even his contributions to the metal community as a whole. However, much like the late 90s and early 00s Phil Anselmo, vocalist of the legendary metal band, Pantera; where all of a sudden Phil would get extremely outspoken and say either disrespectful and/or outrageously incorrect things just to trigger either other people, groups of people (minorities), other bands or the media. I suppose some believed that is what metal was/is? To be an asshole 111% of the time, all-of-the-time.

At some point after “IOWA,” officially Slipknot’s second and heaviest record from 2001, Corey Taylor began to adapt these same traits. Much like in the movie Billy Madison where the Principal tells Billy after a long rant; “Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.” That just because Corey Taylor is this big figure in metal, music, and will say something that sounds polished, articulate and intelligent, mind you he writes songs, that just because he will use witty banter doesn’t mean that banter is correct, rational, respectful and we should all bow down to the God of Metal Vocals.

Context and Intentionality go very far with me. So I will think about what Taylor says in whatever quote of the week is and ask, what was the intention of that and in what context was this in? Most of the time I just find what he has to say as just triggering garbage, even if some of it has merit. That, he isn’t trying to make a point or answer the question, but just to be egotistical about it. That his opinion is not an opinion, it is fact and if anyone doesn’t agree we are shit for asking. That is how I have always seen the man, as a man and not just the singer for Slipknot. Musically, well, vocally, what he has done for the industry has set the standard for metal vocals for the next 25-50 years. That can be debated. However, unlikely to be matched or proven to be untrue. I have never felt anything humble coming from the man. He doesn’t seem at all thankful for his good fortunes in music. I have always felt like all us fans are just dollar signs to him. That he doesn’t care about the community parts, he only cares about the industry parts. Those are the parts that enable his ability to keep making money.

Slipknot came on the scene with two crazy albums followed by watered down versions of their style, gaining more popularity with most, but losing some along the way. I was never a Stone Sour fan. I just didn’t care for what they were doing. It sounded like watered down Slipknot with no samples and more traditional percussion work. Would have been fine with an E.P. here/there, but to make this a real side project or band with records and touring completely turned me off. Slipknot, as previously stated, love the first two records. “IOWA,” from 2001, is probably one of the most influential metal records to come out, ever… Are their heavier records? Are their better records? Are there more famous metal records? Yes to all three, but “IOWA” is timeless. We are talking modern day metal. What is happening now, right now, in the now. “IOWA” sounds just as much 2023 than it does 2001. One or even many cannot say that about a lot of rock or metal records that people will call “most influential.” Even Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid.” As great as it is. It sounds the time period. Metallica’s “Black Record.” Same, deal… Even Pantera’s “Vulgar Display of Power” all sound the time period it was released in.

After “IOWA” I could not find another Slipknot song I could like till "Psychosocial," 2008. “The Devil in I,” from 2014. After that "All Out Life," 2018. The last record from the band where just about every song was a banger was "We Are Not Your Kind," 2019. Between all that and after this there is nothing I like from the band. Considering the man is a vocal legend in both music and specifically metal music one would think there would be more out there that I would find favorable. Nearly a 30-year career and only a fraction of what the man has created I can give praise about. Where the rest of it in my opinion is [insert whatever Corey Taylor rant/quote talking shit about someone else and ad almost no context to it just to get a reaction.]

I have been saying all this for 20+ years now. I like the singing talent, but can do without the egotistical tough guy in a metal band attitude. My inflated expectation of the man is I thought he would be more humble. More trying to help local bands or help other really heavy bands that may have trouble getting people to listen due to that heaviness. I expected Corey Taylor to be more positive considering this is the man’s career aka luxury in life. Some of the things he has done to hurt other artists, even fellow band members will never be ignored by people who care and pay attention to things like that.

This Whole Blog is Subjective Here.

It is my opinion based on what I have read, seen, over the years from the singer since I first heard of Slipknot in 1997. Yes, I knew who they were before they were signed to RoadRunner Records. A lot of people who were into underground metal knew who they were. I was a huge fan of the band till “Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)” from 2004 was released. When this hit I was majorly disappointed in the band sonically. I did not like the record nor did I jump on the FM radio bandwagon when they started getting radio play. Back then getting heavy bands on the radio basically meant the band at one time was heavy, but soften it up a bit to get on the radio to sell more records. In Slipknot’s case this style change killed the band for me and from that time to now where I am overly critical of the band’s music and find very little I have been able to honestly love. 2018-2019 was a great year for the band. They released a track in 2018 called, "All Out Life," and it is a real banger of a song. Gets you moving right away and really is a culmination stylistically and sonically of what the band used to sound like before RoadRunner signed them all the way to the “IOWA” years. 2019 the band released the record "We Are Not Your Kind." Just about every song on that record reminds me of those older days of Slipknot where they were the heavy metal standard. Be it MTV popularity through the Nu Metal years to the birthing of metal subgenres like deathcore and metalcore. A return to form, but their last record in 2022, “The End, So Far” is the worst hunk of crap I have heard since Volume 3 and their new single “Bone Church” is an ok track, but seems more like a song for a Rob Zombie movie by Rob Zombie or something. It doesn’t really have the sound but it is ok. The fans that love everything Slipknot will like it, but it sounds to me like something Rob Zombie would do.

This BLOG stems from a social media post where everyone was praising Corey Taylor for being such a cool dude. I do not know this. I do not know the man personally, but I did become interested in why people in general seem to love the guy, while all that I have seen from him makes me not want to support him much. Me being such a metalhead I do not deny the talent and what he has done for metal; but at the same time I will call a dick a dick. If I see a little dick, hopping around from group to group and just saying rude and challenging things and then not respect a counter to that –that we all should bow down to this little dick jumping from group to group being insulting AF, at what point is someone, anyone gonna say something about it?

I didn’t really wanna do a timeline of the guy of everything he has done and said, but rather just explain myself and where my logic is on the subject. Basically, someone asked me why I didn’t like him, as they all did. Well, this is why. I have never once seen Corey Taylor respond to something where he wasn’t talking down to them or us. At some point, ya gotta be decent, right? To someone, anyone, everyone? I don’t know mannnnnnn… Just something about that abrasive attitude all of the time, not some of the time; but all of the time. I do rather appreciate a witty response to a possible nonsense question or loaded question. Hey, I could have this all wrong and Corey could just be a dick to those because that is what they are expecting of him. They ask, what don’t you like about rock music today? And his response would make sense, but I just feel this is an excuse so he can exert his egotistical attitude towards others.

Just because someone, a group, model, celebrity or news network deems a thing to be wrong, bad, evil doesn't mean they themselves are correct, good, right... This opinion was not written by or with the help of AI productivity tools. Less than 60% of ALL web traffic is human... So who exactly are we ALL catering to???

Sjálfssöngurinn (Icelandic) The Egotistical Anthem by David-Angelo Mineo 5/26/2023 1,968 Words

[adhdo5]

1, 2, 3, 6 for both of them?

1. if one of their friends was jumping on a bed and asked your character to join them, would they?

Both of them hard yes. Aktare Loves situations and would love to show off the new backflip meta she's invented. Rosencrantz hard "why not". He would probably eat shit immediately but he'd be fine so

2. would your character carry around a tiny bath and body works hand sanitizer? if yes, would it have a specific scent?

Rosencrantz would adore hand sanitizer for anything but he'd carry around a normal sized bottle I think and it would be unscented because he unironically likes it. His incense smells like licorice and disinfectant canonically so if you gave him actual hand sanitizer he would appreciate it. They put alcohol in a gel huh? That's crazy

Aktare however is definitely the target market for this but xe hates how hand sanitizer makes xer hands feel so while she would enthusiastically steal hand sanitizers with funny scents by the handful she wouldn't end up carrying any around

3. does your character paint their nails? do they wait for them to dry fully afterwards?

Aktare does when she gets xer hands on the material to! Xer nails grow quickly so when she's staying somewhere with access to nail polish xe can do it a lot. She is awful at waiting for them to dry though

Rosen doesn't do it on his own steam but Aktare wanted to prove xer skills so she painted his nails abt it because if anyone can sit there not using its hands for 5 hours it's Rosencrantz. It was a good day

6. what parts of your character’s voice/manner of speaking are distinct, if any?

Aktare I've actually not played at a table in a long while, and her voice I'm still kind of wrangling, but where I'm at with xer, I think the most notable thing is the range. In one man band fashion xer vocal range is quite wide (I think lower than mine– she can get down to at least a countertenor and up to a nice mezzosoprano), and while xer speaking vc is very bright and brassy, her singing or storytelling voice is much darker and fuller – it's very much a fundamentally different register like she's just making the sound differently bc xe learned that as a particular tradition. She gestures in a way that Looks very flamboyant and expressive but is also generally intentional/presentational (one of the big Gestures is lashing her tail against the floor or smth else, to get attention or punctuate a point); most of xer gestures are On Purpose as opposed to smth that just happens. She still does them when more relaxed (she finds it fun and it's not like unnatural just intentional + it helps xer get her point across) but also rocks/sways back and forth more and tenses/untenses up (actual stims). She also speaks w/ a cadence with Specific Emphases, so you can Follow her better, like a PSA with keywords bolded; this is both smth she uses/learned for storytelling and song and smth xe just uses in conversation.

Rosencrantz was always more emotionally subdued + had some degree of blunted affect, which became more pronounced after he died; it's mixed in with a dose of emotional blunting and of intentional apathy/detachment but even most of what breaks thru those gets blunted to varying degrees – this is most evident in body language (he's generally very still, gesturing very little and fidgeting not at all; all of his movements Look intentional and heavy/stiff. One of the only gestures he does for emphasis is Looking Over At You; again it's got a noticeable weight and clunk to it, almost rolling eyes or head over at you. Otherwise he tends to stare off into space, his drink, the floor, the opposite wall, etc) but also in tone. On the whole it just gives like he doesn't want to move unless he has a reason to, and he processes this as mostly "not caring enough" to vary his tone/pitch of speech, but were he to try to do so, he'd struggle with it

His speech cadence is also monotone w/ him not really pausing In sentences (at commas etc); this would make him hard to listen to/droning, but his sentences tend to be pretty short/to the point. Introduction script of "I'm Rosencrantz. I'm a cleric." is so iconic to him in particular I'd b remiss not to mention it; in general though he tends to drop words, especially subjects, except for emphasis

#I didn't actually intend to make them foils in speech . Anyway Aktare is very intentional in her conversation #But that intention is also factoring into appearing natural; Rosencrantz is the opposite

[sneakykpopblog]

Waxing poetic about BTS’s voices:

Jungkook’s was the first I thought of, it just sort of occurred to me one day and started this whole thing. His voice is like clear water. It’s so otherworldly beautiful that sometimes I don’t realize there’s a person singing at all, and it’s just part of the song, so it’s like when you can see down through feet of water and still see everything perfectly, and if not for way the light dances, you might not even know there was water. It’s so smooth, too, and the way it goes up so effortlessly feels like when the sun shines through calm water. Higher notes also sound cold to me, so it’s very cold clear water. And it feels like you could just kind of sink in it and float there and be the kind of calm that happens when you swim underwater

Then Jimin’s I thought of right away, too. His voice is like crystal. I can’t explain it super well, it just is. It’s delicate and light and it *sparkles* when he’s singing sort of in the back of his throat (it sounds like, I don’t know vocal technique) Sometimes it actually sounds like if you gently tap something made of crystal, but mostly it sounds how crystal looks. Clear, and somehow razor sharp the way the light reflects off it

Then there’s Hoseok’s. His is like a very specific memory I have of laying on a sun-warmed boulder and absorbing all the warmth from it and feeling so relaxed and nice that it was like melting. Particularly his singing voice, it’s so warm and comfortable. The boulder was orange sandstone, and I think that suits him. He’s an orange kinda guy, personality-wise, and his voice has a cool sort of raspy sound. So Hoseok’s voice is like orange sandstone full of sunlight? I guess so. Some of these would sound really weird if I just made a list

Seokjin’s voice I think is like the wind. At times it feels like the softest breeze that barely ruffles your hair on a warm night. I think that’s one of the most comforting things there is. It’s all quiet and still, with just the gentlest touch. Then when he really sings hard it’s more like when you’re somewhere high up and the wind is blowing strongly past your face, and it’s the perfect time to feel big emotions, which I tend to feel if Seokjin is singing

This might be the most cliché one, but Namjoon’s voice sounds like honey. He has such a deep voice, and the feel of it is like the way honey moves, smooth and unhurried. Even when he’s rapping incredibly fast, he doesn’t sound like he’s rushing, and everything will end up exactly where it needs to when it’s time. His voice also has a warm, rich sound, like the color of honey, too.

Then Taehyung’s, which took me almost as long as Yoongi’s to figure out because he has a few really different ways of sounding depending on the song. I settled on the idea that his voice is like light reflecting off different things. When he sings higher, it’s like light glittering off water with all kinds of little ripples, all sparkly in the sun. His regular voice is like a reflection off very still water, all smooth and glassy and incredibly soothing. And his Singularity voice is like light, probably firelight, reflecting off highly polished wood

Yoongi’s was the hardest to think of one description for because he does the most different things with his voice, but I think the best way to describe it would be like a thunderstorm. His low voice is like thunder in the distance, the kind that makes you feel so sleepy and nice, with how rumbly it is. His “normal” voice that he uses the most often is like rain: not really a low sound but not a high sound either, just there but so exactly what it should be that you couldn’t imagine it any different, and I suppose the fact that he’s usually rapping with it makes it sound even more like individual little drops falling at different times. Then when the song gets crazy, it gets to be more and more of a storm and he’s just doing all kinds of cool things all at once, especially that voice-crack squeak thing, which really does feel like a flash of light

[rainydawgradioblog]

Welcome to Groupie! (The Carson Elliott Post)

Welcome to the inaugural post, which officially marks Groupie as part of the RDR cinematic universe! Yes, this humble (two-issue archive) zine has entered the digital realm with 100% less paper and at least 50% more risk of potentially exposing my identity on accident to the musicians I review. Ultimately, good art is not without its risks, and good music reviews/comedy/online dating experiences are not separate from this rule. Here at Groupie, we choose to take those risks (like the shitty terminally-online version of Indiana Jones) because we believe that, at the end of the day, everyone deserves a fan! In this new form of the zine, we’ll still be reviewing musicians from a pool of people I have matched with on different dating apps (Tinder, Bumble, Hinge) and give them the feature that they deserve, along with including a “tasting-menu” playlist so you can give their music a try.

With that all being said, the artist we’re reviewing today is Carson Elliott:

When I matched with him, I was immediately shocked because my first thought when I saw his profile was, “hey, isn’t that the guy who did the ‘Say So’ cover on Tiktok” and indeed, I was correct! That is him! Along with doing other short covers of songs like “Hopelessly Devoted to You” and “Let’s Groove,” Elliott has a solidly sized discography of original songs available for streaming on most music platforms. I’ll admit I was briefly starstruck when we first started chatting, but it did not go far because of two major reasons:

1. I absolutely hate texting. 2. Around the time we had matched, I was starting to get very tired of dating apps as a whole (this will be a consistent theme in many other posts).

Transitioning away from my eventual soft ghosting of Elliott to actually reviewing his music, it is the same way in which dating apps have left me slightly dissatisfied and wanting more that his discography also makes me feel. It’s full of the kind of pop music that is sleekly polished but inoffensive. While he genuinely puts in the work to make the auto-tune of the talkbox pulse with some emotion, there’s a lacking of variety in the surrounding track to his singing that ironically makes the songs seem more robotic than the autotune itself. For example, from his newest EP, “Simple Stupid,” the track “Anywhere” is a toy robot-type love ballad, while “Panic” is a dive-into late night anxiety. The themes could not be more different, but the same cannot be said about the actual songs. Objectively the music is catchy, and I don’t find any annoyance with it (I’d like to note my heavy bias of having been an intense Vocaloid listener in elementary school). Still, I would love some sound variance in the songs that could align with the variety of actual themes in Elliott’s work. After all, if your songs all sound the same, it begins to feel like you’re extending your cover work to your own stuff.

Tying everything together: Do I desire to listen to Elliott’s EP in its entirety again? No. Would I match with him again if given the opportunity? Yes! I believe passion is the sexiest trait someone can have. While I can’t always guarantee that I’ll like someone’s music, if they’re into making it, then I’m pretty fucking into them too.

! KEEP SWIPING AND REMEMBER THAT EVERYONE DESERVES A FAN ! - Groupie <3

[uwuwriting]

Bakugou, Shinsou, Todoroki, Dabi and Shigaraki checking out their s/o

Request: Pretty pls hcs for Shinsou, Shoto, Dabi, Shigaraki, and Bakugou getting caught checking out their s/o? thank you! - anonymous

Pretty boys you’ve got there sweet anon. Pretty boys with a capital P. Love yaa. 💖💖💖

rules

warning: some suggestive thoughts, swearing

Bakugou Katsuki

-Bakugou doesn’t like showing his feelings. 

-Like to no one. 

-Not even to you sometimes.

-So when you started to officially date you understood why he would want to keep our relationship a secret.

-He was good at keep it that way.

-Like really good.

-You got no extra attention or special treatment, he never lost his poker face around you and would never NEVER stare at you.

-So you never really checked on him to see if his eyes wondered to ...places. 

-Today your skirt had ridden up your thighs while you were bouncing around the room along side Mina.

-Your favorite band was coming near you guys since they were on tour and you both were ecstatic. 

-The skin of your thighs looked so soft and plum who wouldn’t stare?

-You did mind when people stared at you but now dealing with your excitement was a priority. 

-Your boyfriend had gotten excited by something else though. 

-His eyes were glued to your thighs, his red orbs following your every movement.

-Kaminari and Kirishima were telling him something about Mineta but he couldn’t focus on them. 

-His head was constantly turned to you to the point that Kaminari had to shake his shoulder to get him to look at them.

- “Yo what are you looking at?”

-His head was again turned to you his eyes widening only by a fraction while he mumbled something to the two boys. 

-Kaminari followed his gaze and his own jaw dropped for a moment before a smirk formed on his face. 

- “Well he IS drooling over Y/N like a dog.....”

-At the sound of your name on Kami’s lips, Bakugou’s attention was fully on the boys his right eye twitching at the comment. 

-He let out a snarl and raised his hand creating a few small explosions. 

- “And what if I am drooling sparky boy?? She wouldn’t mind me looking anyways.” 

- “And why is that Bakubro?”

-His smirk widened as he said proudly. 

- “Because she’s my fucking girlfriend.”

-Way to be secretive Bakugou.

Shinsou Hitoshi

-Baby doesn’t want to show his true emotions to the outside world. 

-Heart been broken too many times.. *isn’t that how the meme goes?*

-He shows it to you because you are HIS and he adores you. 

-He knows you won’t hurt him so he gives you his all.

-Such a sweetheart OMG!!!!!!!

-While you two are in school grounds there is not many things that would indicate that you two are together. 

-People would have to watch closely to see the sings of your relationship. 

-How he sits really close to you during lunch. 

-How you tend to come to school sporting his hoodie during cold days. 

-It’s all cute and fluffy but so so on the down low. 

-Yall are out on a date and you decided to go to the arcade.

-You convinced him to have a dance off with you and now you are both sweaty and panting while you are jumping up and down to the rhythm of ‘Party anthem”. 

-Shisnou kinda gave up after a while and he is now just staring at you. 

-You on the other hand are giving it your all trying to get everything right. 

-You are sweaty and feeling gross which is not cute at all since you are on a date but he promised you ice cream if you beat him with a significant difference. 

-You are not letting this slide. 

-Hitoshi’s eyes are on your chest that is em...going along with your jumping. 

-He is stuck and he is already dreading that you’ll look at him and call him out.

-But he can’t stop. 

-He really wishes you were at your dorm right now, the things he would do. 

-His blush is getting darker as his thoughts are getting dirtier by the minute until the music stops and you are left panting. 

-There’s another thing to add to the list of things to add to his small fantasy. 

-You notice that he has been silent for some time now and you try to meet his eyes but you see where they are glued. 

-Waltzing up to him you leave a kiss to his cheek and another right under his ear, making him shiver. 

- “Stop being so dirty we will be back soon.” 

-Winking you walked out of the arcade leaving a very turned on Shinsou behind. 

Todoroki Shouto 

-Baby boy is slow.

-Yall aren’t together yet.

-He really can’t understand what is going on whenever you enter the room.

-His heart starts to race, his palms get sweaty and he has a weird tendency to smile. 

-He wants to be the reason you are laughing. 

-He wants to talk to you non stop.

-He wants to be around you 25/8, 366 days a year. 

-But he doesn’t understand why this is happening so he just plain out ignores it. 

-You have a massive crush on him so it kinda hurts when he doesn’t take any hints. 

-You dress up just a little bit while you are out with your friend group since he is part of it. 

-You cook for him.

-You offer help or ask for help with studies.

-But nothing. 

-You were chilling in the common room.

-You were spread out on the couch, your t-shirt exposed your stomach as you were hanging half off the actual couch and just a pair of short shorts underneath. 

-Shoto was coming back from his father’s agency, his nerves were everywhere and his mind wouldn’t shut you out. 

-Your soothing voice was there when his father yelled at him that afternoon and even though you weren’t there you helped him get through the day.

-So when the poor thing walked through the door and was met with you hanging off the couch in such a suggestive position, his mind ran wild. 

-He couldn’t stop the blush that irrupted on his face as his cheeks and ears became the same color as his scar. 

-He almost choked on his spit when you giggled at something on your phone. 

-Midoriya came through the door next and was shocked when he saw his friend beat red and eyes wide. 

- “Todoroki-kun are you alright?”

- “She’s hot- It’s IT’S hot in here.”

-You turned at his voice, sitting up as your shorts rode up your thighs ever so slightly. 

-Todoroki saw and he couldn’t take it any longer, covering his red face with his hand as he mumbled a small ‘excuse me’ and left the room. 

-He certainly had an image that would get him through the night.....

Dabi

-Salty boy™.

-Him and Tsukishima would have been best buds I swear. 

-He is VERY vocal about his attraction to you. 

-Like legit non stop flirting even after you are exclusive.

-Compliments, dirty remarks, dirty promises, dirty actions, dirty dirty dirty things in general. 

-He won’t hesitate to make a dirty remark in front of the rest of the league. 

-He has NO shame whatsoever. 

-Look he finally grew the balls to make you HIS okay?

-He wants to show off. 

-But he knows when to not look at you like he wants to devour you. 

-He is respectful of Kurogiri so he isn’t a horny bastard while he is around. 

-But one day he slipped. 

-His hold on his horniness snapped. 

-Poor guy. 

-Actually scratch that poor you, you are the one who is gonna get it rough later so yeah. 

-You had just returned from a mission that had gone sideways.

-Your clothes were ripped and your pants were half burned off. 

-Your pretty face had smudges on it and you looked exhausted. 

-Immediately you went to take a shower not letting Dabi ogle at you.

-When your shower was over you came back downstairs and order a strong drink, rubbing your temples in an attempt to ease your headache. 

-Your hair was wet and sticking to your shirt making it wet and Dabi could SENSE that you weren’t wearing a bra. 

-That’s his sixth sense. 

-The shirt was black so nothing showed. 

-That’s why you couldn’t understand why Dabi was giving you that smirk and glancing down your shirt. 

-You rolled your eyes at him and shoved him away from you only for him to grip your waist and set you on his lap. 

-He left a kiss on your neck and smirked as you shivered. 

-His eyes were right on your chest since he could see EVERYTHING from this angle.

-That’s when Kurogiri stepped back in the room, the drink you ordered in hand. 

-He almost YEETED you off of him as a blush bloomed on the few patches of unscathed skin that he had. 

-Kurogiri *being the Nomu he is IFHOQOASB I RUINED IT* didn’t really respond to the position you were in. 

-He just gave you your drink and went back to polishing the shot glasses. 

-Dabi wanted to crawl into a whole and die even though Kurogiri said nothing. 

-Poor guy every thought and scenario he made about that night was out the window. 

-He cuddled you to drown his shame. 

-Bastard..........

Shigaraki Tomura

-I dare you to try and make him check you out in public. 

-Sure he might stare at you ass in the DIM LIT bar yall are staying in but that’s just because no one can see his eyes. 

-He is beyond shy when it comes to these matters and unlike Dabi even after you are together he wouldn’t stare at you like a crazy person. 

-He is very very careful with his glances and calculates when would be the right time to stare. 

-Meetings are easy.

-You all are sitting down so how hard could it be to keep his horny side in check?

-Well most of the time is easy. 

-You are usually wearing your civilian clothes which are very casual and comfy. 

-Nothing is showing and nothing really makes him want to rip your clothes off. 

-He wants to cuddle at the sight. 

-The problem appears when one day you had to go out on a mission and were called into an emergency meeting by Shiggy. 

-Your costume is um... sexy to say the least. 

-Everything you are wearing is hugging your body in all the right places and the mask you wear shades your eyes just right. 

-You look seductive as hell. 

-Shiggy rarely sees you in your villain costume. 

-He sees you while you are getting ready and might make a comment or go for a quick round. 

-But now it was unexpected. 

-He didn’t remember you were to go on a mission. 

-Totally forgot. 

-So when you come down and since all the seats are taken you have to stay standing, Shiggy is in trouble. 

-His eyes won’t leave your thighs and he can’t really form coherent words.

-Dabi is drooling over you and so is Toga. 

-They keep pointing out how good you look and how sexy your costume makes you. 

-More than you already are. 

-Shigaraki has to really one up his self control and not cancel  the meeting and drag you to the nearest closet. 

-He’s so disoriented during the meeting. 

-Kurogiri points it out after the meeting ended and you left for your mission. 

-Shiggy had the darkest blush the LoV had ever seen and he had to leave the room. 

-Took a cold shower afterwards. 

-Waits for you like a lost puppy..... which turns feral once you step into the room. 

TAG TEAM AY:

@iwaqchan​ @the-arcana-fan-fic​ @angelwritings​ @axerrri​ @reinyrei​

#bnha bakugo katsuki #mha bakugou #bakugou x reader #bakugou #bakugou fluff #bakugou x you #bakugou x y/n #shinsou x you #shinsou x y/n #my hero academia shinsou #shinsou fluff #shinsou x reader #shinsou hitoshi #todoroki shouto #todoroki shoto x reader #todoroki x reader #mha todoroki #shouto x reader #dabi #dabi my hero academia #dabi x reader #bnha dabi #shigaraki x reader #shigaraki x you #shigaraki x y/n #shigaraki fluff #my hero academia shigaraki

[likeshipsonthesea]

I don’t know if you take requests for nurseydex fics... but if you do the song “omg did she call him baby” by Beth McCarthy screams a heartbroken Nursey when Dex has a girlfriend

i like really can’t do genuine heartbreak but i CAN do angst that ends happy, so here’s my best shot :)

Nursey’s got a red Solo cup in one hand and a plastic champagne flute in the other and it’s sometime after three but before five and he is definitely not thinking about her or him or them together when he looks up between one sip and another to see the telltale blue hair reflecting the murky spotlights of the basement.

Nursey squints. He could be making things up--his brain is nice like that-- but he doesn’t think he’s imagining things. She’s got very distinctive hair, Dex’s--girlfriend. It’d been rather disappointing, actually, the blue hair. The whole thing had been easier to deal with when he’d been picturing some light-haired brunette going for an economics degree who smiled like a mom at soccer practice. Someone who Nursey could reasonably dislike on grounds of, like, predictability.

But no, Dex had to bring home a blue-haired physics major with a nose ring and good taste in music and the ability to out-argue Shitty while polishing off Bitty’s pie, i.e. perfect. Even Lardo couldn’t pretend like she wasn’t awesome for Nursey’s sake. Even Nursey can’t pretend like Amanda isn’t awesome for his own sake. She’s just so--so--

Nursey squints.

So-- making out with some random girl in a blouse at a frat party.

What the fuck.

Nursey is about two margaritas and three years too deep to be dealing with the emotional ramifications of catching the girlfriend of his best friend (who he’s also kind of sort of possibly maybe totally in love with) macking on some consultant for Goldman Sachs or some shit in the basement of arguably one of the worst frats at Samwell. This one doesn’t even have good music, Nursey’s only here to get drunk without the possibility of Dex calling Nursey Patrol and helping Nursey up the stairs and saying nothing about the poetry Nursey spills or the way his hands linger.

(Fuck does Nursey hate Nursey Patrol, fuck does he hate how much he loves it.)

Nursey downs the rest of the champagne flute--which was probably mostly orange juice at this point anyway-- and hands the red Solo cup to a freshman gearing himself up to talk to a cute boy a few feet away and then Nursey gets the fuck out of dodge. He manages to get a better look at the corporate recruiter Amanda is cheating on Dex with (and really, if you’re going to cheat on Dex, you’re really going to pick a chick in a blouse that probably has opinions on the stock market???) and if he hadn’t been sure before, the distinctive tattoo on Amanda’s shoulder proves that it’s really her.

(“Tattoos? Tattoos? I have tattoos.” “I know you do, Nurse.” “They’re really nice tattoos.” “I know they are, Nurse.”)

Emerging from the basement and then the frat house itself is instantly sobering. The chill from winter hasn’t quite left the air at night and Nursey wraps his arms around himself and doesn’t think about how Dex chirped him about not wearing a coat before he’d left. The frat isn’t far away from the Haus, thank god, but it is slightly farther when he turns left instead of right and then has to a backtrack a bit, but he still gets back in under ten minutes and he can still feel his hands, so overall, a win.

Attempting to get into the Haus quietly is a lost cause, given its one thousand year old floor and the fact that a ladybug could fart in the kitchen and wake up the guys in the attic. Still, Nursey gives it the good college try, which is why he’s creeping ridiculously through the living room when the light turns on suddenly and he screams, much to the amusement of Dex, standing in the kitchen doorway.

“Fuck, dude, what the fuck.”

Dex just smirks in that horribly attractive way of his. “How was the Psi-U basement?”

Nursey thinks of blue hair, washed out in the lights, Amanda’s hand on that girl’s cheek, the way Dex smiles when he’s around her. “Fine,” Nursey says, swaying.

The amusement falters and Nursey wishes he could figure out a way to keep the smile on Dex’s face the way Amanda does. Dex takes a step closer. “Are you alright?”

Nursey shakes his head violently and takes a step back, a step farther away. This is the part where he says yes, yes of course Dexy-darling, I’m right as rain, what about you? This is the part where Dex rolls his eyes and loops his arm around Nursey’s waist, his warm side pressed into Nursey’s. The part where they go upstairs, where Nursey writes his best poetry that he’s too embarrassed to write down when he’s sober, where Dex tells him to sleep well and lingers outside the doorway long enough for Nursey’s breathing to slow and then the floor creaks and Nursey knows he’s gone and wishes he’d held on just a little bit longer--

“Nursey, what’s wrong?”

Nursey shakes his head again. He means to say nothing, he means to say, I’m going to bed, he means to-- “Amanda, she--”

The concern turns to alarm. Why can’t Nursey ever make it better? “Is she alright? Did you see her? Is she okay?”

Nursey shakes his head again. He can’t seem to stop doing that. “She’s fine, she--she--” He swallows, and it’s sticky, cloying, citrusy and sweet on the back of his tongue. “She--there was this girl, she-- Amanda, she--”

Dex won’t stop frowning, concern knitting his eyebrows together with three short wrinkles, and Nursey has wanted to smooth them out with his fingertips every time he sees them since sophomore year, and he shouldn’t be doing this, shouldn’t be telling Dex this while he’s drunk, shouldn’t be telling Dex this at all, but he’s Nursey’s friend first and Nursey has to believe he’d tell Dex regardless of the love thing, he must--

“She was kissing some girl. In the Psi-U basement.”

The wrinkles smooth out. The amusement returns. Nursey--he can’t make sense of it over the ringing in his ears. Why is Dex smiling? Did--did Nursey do that?

“Did she look like a lawyer?” he asks, and at Nursey’s confusion clarifies, “The girl Amanda was kissing. Did she look like a lawyer?” Nursey nods dumbly. Dex’s smile only grows. Nursey is so, so confused and also more in love than he’s ever been. “Finally. I just won fifty bucks.”

What the fuck. “What the fuck.”

Dex laughs--laughs. “The girl’s name is Tammy. She graduated last year and moved to Boston. Amanda’s been in love with her forever, and I bet her that she’d get with Tammy before I--” Flush appears high on Dex’s cheeks, the soft pink one that means embarrassment and Nursey imagines would taste like cherry pie against his lips.

Nursey is--still quite a bit drunk. He needs--clarification. “You--you bet your girlfriend that she would get with her friend at a frat party?”

Dex’s nose scrunches up in Nursey’s favorite way--the same way it does when he’s trying to write humanities essays, the reason Nursey always says yes when Dex asks for help. “Girlfriend? Did you think Amanda was my girlfriend?”

Nursey remembers the start, hearing about Amanda every other day, then every day, then it was, sorry I can’t come, I’m meeting Amanda at-- and then one day at Annie’s, a girl with blue hair and a sharp grin yelled Babe! from across the room and planted a kiss on Dex’s cheek, her hand lingering on his shoulder, sipping from his coffee cup, getting him to smile like that--

“Well, yeah.” Nursey’s head is spinning and, for the first time tonight, not from the gin. “Is she--is she not?”

“Oh God, no, she’s so fucking gay, dude.” Laughter twinkles in Dex’s eyes. Nursey is drunker than he’s been since freshmen year of high school when Shitty snuck in some of his dad’s hard liquor and the janitors found them on the roof singing Disney songs at the moon. Dex’s girlfriend is gay. Dex’s girlfriend isn’t his girlfriend. Dex is--is smiling at him like he smiles at his girlfriend who isn’t his girlfriend.

“Oh,” Nursey says, dazed, “chill.”

“Oh wow,” Dex grins, leaning into the doorframe, “I can’t believe you thought--and you thought telling me my girlfriend was cheating on me at 3am while shit-drunk was a good idea?”

Nursey says, “Hey, honesty is important, and I’m not--” He stops. He remembers something. He squints. “Wait. If you bet 50 bucks on Amanda getting with Tammy, who did Amanda bet you would get with?”

The cherry pie blush is back. Nursey takes an absent-minded step forward. The room feels so much lighter now that Dex’s girlfriend isn’t cheating on him. The distance between them feels so much sillier now that Dex doesn’t have a girlfriend.

“Ah, well.” Dex rubs at the back of his neck, all country bumpkin sheepish to ask his sweetheart to the dance, and--and--

“I’m the sweetheart,” Nursey realizes with the kind of crystal clarity only afforded by the most copious amounts of alcohol.

Dex’s eyebrows furrow, those sweet little wrinkles appearing between them, and Nursey takes two long strides forward and presses his thumb into them. Dex goes cross-eyed trying to watch, but moves his eyes to meet Nursey’s after a moment.

Nursey grins, likely a bit sloppy from the gin, but he can’t find it in himself to care at the moment. “I’m the sweetheart,” he repeats, beaming.

Dex tries to repress the smile at his lips. “You’re not a sweetheart.”

“Yes I am,” Nursey sings, listing forwards. “You like me.”

“You’re an asshole.” Dex’s smile grows. Nursey watches its progress and sways.

“They’re not mutually exclusive,” he says, tracking the pink lips as they spread, revealing teeth and--and tongue and--

“I hate that you can still say mutually exclusive when you’re this drunk.”

“I’m not that drunk.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhmm. See, I’ll prove it.”

“How do you plan on--”

If Dex’s mouth weren’t so preoccupied, he might say that the taste on Nursey’s tongue is a good indication that he is in fact fairly tipsy, but as it is--well. He’s got other things to do.

(Amanda asserts that they tied since it happened on the same night and only pays $25. Tammy throws in five more and a condom and they call it even. Nursey kisses away Dex’s protest and pockets the condom, much to Amanda’s amusement. Turns out, she’s even cooler when she isn’t dating the love of Nursey’s life.)

#nurseydex #dexnursey #check please #derek nurse #nursey #dex #william poindexter #my writing #sort of fic #ficlet #i wrote this instead of an essay #bc i make good decisions #also sorry it's like almost not at all based on the song #i don't do heartbreak well #i can do angst with a happy ending #or even jealousy #but no heartbreak #also also i am rather tipsy atm #so if there are any typos #no there aren't #cool? #cool

[mazhazalotofthoughts]

Fine line gender analyses let’s go:

I strongly believe this song is about H’s gender and his relationship with it. It could be about a lot of things but that’s why I hear the most.

“You’ve got my devotion, but man I can hate you sometimes” knowing the answers but knowing how much harder they can make things. He’s committed to being himself but sometimes that’s really hard to do, especially in his situation.

“I don’t want to fight you, I don’t want to sleep in the dirt” not wanting to hide who he is, his feminine side, but knowing that if he is open to the world there will be judgement. Sleeping in the dirt a metaphor for being cast aside and isolated from his fans, the industry.

“I’ll get the drinks in so I’ll get to thinking of her” knowing that alcohol makes his thoughts wander to his femininity more than when he’s sober. There’s less of a wall between his polished masculine side and his repressed feminine one. Drinking blurs the line between the two.

“Test of my patience, there’s things that I’ll never know” it’s frustrating for him to know that he’s never going to fully understand everything, that he’s never going to fully know all the aspects of himself, whether it be because he doesn’t have the space to or because his gender is just so complex it’s impossible to comprehend it all

“You sunshine you temptress, my hands at risk I fold” knowing that giving it to all that he is, he’s risking his career. It’s tempting because it’s all he wants, it’s alluring and shiny but comes with a price. The reference to gambling and a folding hand shows how high the stakes are for him.

“Crisp trepidation, I’ll try to shake this soon” he’s scared of what could happen if he were to ever come out, trying to convince himself it’s just a phase, telling himself that he’ll try to move on and push those feelings aside.

“Spreading you open is the only way of knowing you” is a reference to sex, that the only time he can actually explore his feminine side is through sex, a time where gender exploration is deemed acceptable and not as taboo. It stays in the bedroom, not crossing the line from sex to real life.

“We’ll be a fine line” given the album is named after the song and the album cover resembles the trans flag with Harry being the white, I think the fine line is a reference to walking between the gender binary. The middle ground between the two worlds. His feminine and masculine sides coming together to create something beautiful and expansive outside the binary constraints.

“We’ll be alright” We as in plural. I think he sees his ‘sides’ for lack of a better term as two separate entities with unique wants and needs. When he sings ‘we’ll be alright’ it’s him acknowledging that he can be feminine and masculine and be okay. It’s not going to change who he is, it’s not an earth shattering revelation, he’s going to be fine. His gender is just a part of him, it adds another dimension to who he is, and regardless of how he identifies, how he expresses himself, he and all that he is will be alright.

Fine line is such a powerful song. It’s almost a plea for understanding and acceptance. It’s emotional and raw and honest, the lyrics are brutal and real. He’s always said that while writing the album he had the conversations with himself he didn’t want to have before, he took the time to ask himself the tough questions. He came to a place where he’s comfortable with himself and he knows who he is. He’s accepted who he is and what that means to him. I think this song, combined with She and Lights up are very clear in their messages about gender and sexuality and self expression and what it means to love yourself for all that you are.

Personally, fine line illustrates my journey of gender acceptance perfectly. It voices the internal struggle and judgment, the hoping that it’s just a phase, the treating it like a dirty taboo, the temptation to let everything else go to hell to give in, the cries for understanding. It’s everything I went through. 6 long years of telling myself that I’m just a ‘manly woman’ that my envy of fit men was because I was attracted to them. 6 years of making excuses for myself just to realize I can’t anymore. Fine line expresses that struggle perfectly and I hope that H knows we see it and we hear it and we’re ready to embrace him, them, her, with open arms whenever Harry is ready.

#non binary #fine line harry styles #fine line album #fine line song #gender exploration #gender fluidity #nonbinary #harry is gender #harry styles #harry’s gender #harry’s house #fine line #genderqueer #hs gender #don’t come at me

[seasurfacefullofclouds1]

i would also fully agree with that anon if harry wasn't so petty and acted borderline jilted. I do think they are not very aware of each other carrers since last year. Everytime louis was asked about harry he replied in a genuine way and when he didn't knew what was going on with harry he would look genuinely a bit lost but not jealous when answering. Harry, on the other hand, has totally banned questions about them or when he was asked he never was man enough to give a clear and honest answer, plus he has been shitty af with zayn and that already says a lot about his character... i don't think Jeff, hshq and Harry do thing with personal reasons in 2022 but they would do anything to make harry bigger and richer, ANYTHING. Yes there has been some weird moves not to long ago but I wouldn't said from both sides. SORRY MY ENGLISH.

A friend forwarded me this post and this part is funny:

An artist talked about how he used a bot, bought his own concert tickets (sold out), then sold them on Ticketmaster and StubHub and made a $250,000 profit.

It is probably illegal to scam audiences like this, but Live Nation (who handle Harry’s touring and his merch) have absolutely conspired with artists to scalp the audience before, specifically, with Metallica.

With Harry’s performance at Wembley, the second night was likely already booked, and Harry’s team used the optics of scarcity to inflate demand. Meanwhile, bots buying these tickets will put them on the resale market for an immediate mark-up… doubling Ticketmaster and Live Nation’s processing fees (from first and second sales).

Nothing else has changed for [Harry] to suddenly be this "superstar". His music is still a trash dump on a hot day. Repeat Watermelon Sugar 27X's & here, have a Grammy? He still can't play guitar. When singing live, he still can't reach the notes. His voice is still a black hole where all feelings and emotions go to die as he yells. His "fashions" are still an embarrassment. He still can't explain his music/songwriting. His nail polish is an over-priced, poorly packaged money grab, just like his Kindergarten art class project merch. His opinionless personality is still a waste of time. Please. And people actually BELIEVE his numbers & success are legit and use them to berate and bully others online? Tragic.

And yes, to your point, anon. Harry acts in a spoiled, narcissistic, petty way.

#harry styles

[razorblade180]

Interdimensional Moms pt3

Part 2 right here! <-

Team RWBY continue their interesting chat about their respective worlds. After the emotional roller coaster that was Weiss’s, a bit of light hearted stories would be welcomed.

Yang:Okay, does anyone have some real feel good things to talk about for their world? Just run of the mill pleasant life?

Ruby:Guess I’m going last....

Yang:Oh no!

Weiss:We’ll circle back to you then. Blake, I guess you’re up.

Blake:Wouldn’t you want calmer stuff at the end?

Yang:Blake, I would very much like to go at least ten minutes without wanting to cry.

Blake:Hmmmm I can guarantee you like...six I think.

Yang:I’ll take it! Blake Belladonna, tell me about a world where you and Jaune Arc are happily married. How did such stars align?

Blake:You make it sound crazy?

Weiss:Blake, there’s list of people I could see you with. Now I’m not saying Jaune couldn’t be one of them, but he’d have to fight his way up that list.

Blake:You...that’s kinda fair. It’s a bit hard to explain really. It happened back at Beacon initially, or our bonding did. Some days his team was busy and I didn’t tag along for the crazy antics you three wanted to do all the time, so we occasionally bumped into each by circumstances. He’d go to the library for a book, I’d do training and he was there, or sometimes he’d knock on our door and not realize I was the only one around.

Weiss:Was he trying to sing to me?

Blake:That plan did show up at our a few times, yes. One of those times I asked him out of nowhere to sing the song anyways because I just had to know if it was any good. Hehe, it wasn’t sonically pleasing at times, but you could tell it was genuine. Eventually though...he just sort of gave up on you. It was actually a little sad to see, even you thought so. It was strange. Jaune was definitely stumbling through his flirting and it came off as childish, yet the day he gave up, it was easy to see his heart was breaking a bit. Like all his insecurities ate even the faux confidence away.

Yang:Ma’am, it has barely been three minutes and I’m getting sad about thinking of Jaune being sad.

Weiss:Yeah don’t tell me I broke his heart!

Blake:Whoops, sorry. It’s important though. Jaune kinda kept to himself a little more after that. He still chatted pretty regularly but it was easy to tell he dived more in studies as a way to keep his head clear, which lead to us being on a project together. I was the only person in our friend group that wouldn’t actively try to make him open up about how he feeling. At first I thought it was a bit rude when he told me that, but I didn’t room to talk when it comes to socializing.

Yang:One more time for the people in the back.

Ruby:I’m the back.

Blake:*smirks* I was very against socializing about my feelings at Beacon.

Ruby:Yeah you were.

Weiss:I couldn’t even ask if you slept well without a lukewarm answer sometimes.

Blake:I’m better now. That’s all that matters. Romance and feeling love is a personal thing and talking about it is uncomfortable. I think we both recognized that in each other during our project. Trouble is, there’s only so many conversation starters and small talk subjects. Talking only about the project was dry and eventually all the facts a person could say about themselves ran out. Favorite food, color, hobbies, etc. We eventually had to dig a little deeper into those topics. To our surprise, we actually more in common than we thought when it came to how we felt about certain pieces of literature and music.

Ruby:Awwww, bonding over smut.

Blake:*red* It wasn’t all adult literature! Some were poems and stuff. Even when the project ended, we began being less formal around each other and hanging out. We went to the bookstores we mentioned and he even got us tickets to bands I liked. It...it was nice. I never really got to have just a normal teenage experience before without it being political. He always felt bad about being average compared to everyone but average was so foreign to me that I welcomed it. I liked having a normal time out. It was a thing we all took for granted. Especially when Beacon fell.

Yang:Yeah, that probably put a real bind on your relationship.

Blake:Actually....we technically never officially started to date.

Ruby:What? You courted each other all of Beacon.

Weiss:Ruby, who the heck says courted? I’m a Schnee and even I have never used the word courted.

Ruby:Hush, I read a lot of bed time stories to a five year old.

Blake:We were a bit shaky on labels. Me for obvious reasons. As for Jaune, it’s really true about what they say about guys when they get heart broken.

Yang: “Never again.”

Blake:Hehehe, it’s funny to look back at it but he’ll tell you it’s a bit cringy. He was so on gaurd. I could tell all the time when he was mentally telling himself to not be excited whenever we hung out or I complimented him.

Ruby:Hey it takes guts to shift feelings to a teammate of your first crush. That could blow up in your face.

Blake:Yeah...about that. *looks at Yang* you...were another reason why nothing was official. You uhhh, we actually had some jumbled up emotions.

Weiss:*sarcastic gasp* You and Yang, liking each other? Who could’ve seen that coming?

Yang:Was it mutual or...

Blake:Very mutual. Also...intimate at times.

Yang:*red* Oh....yeah. Yeah that tracks.

Blake:That jumbled mess was only more confusing after you got hurt trying to rescue me from Adam. Meeting up with-

Ruby:Question, so was Sun just not on your radar?

Blake:Sun? We’re just friends. He’s cute and I’m glad he was there for me when I needed help but things between us were always pretty calm. I think he noticed how confused I was with other people in my life and chose to not add to it.

Ruby:Bless him. Please continue.

Blake:Learning about Salem and reconnecting with you all was a lot. I’d really been out of the loop and my Yang and I were on....shaky ground.

Yang:That’s what happens when you leave someone who’s been left their entire life.

Blake:Sigh...yeah. It was a trying time, but not with JNPR. It’s funny, Oscar and I also hit it off quite well from the jump. I think we were both glad to have each other learn on the craziness at once. Even with readjusting, Jaune and I fell back into a groove naturally. Instead of doing average things we day dreamed of the things we did. Once again we become this little slice of simple life in this crazy adventure. Still didn’t date.

Weiss:What is this, a slow burn!?

Yang:Weiss, you literally didn’t date your Jaune until Atlas.

Weiss:There’s a difference. I didn’t make any heart eyes at him until around Atlas. I say I may have been a little quick. These two were “courting” for over a year at this point.

Ruby:Stop making fun of me!

Blake:Well anyways, I wouldn’t say much was too eventful in terms of romance with world destroying things happening. Salem, she was way too much to deal with. Every move age did was calculated and unrelenting. Keeping our head above water wasn’t easy. In fact, it was boarder line impossible. Yang and I barely beat Adam after all.

Yang:How’d you two feel about that?

Blake:Relieved. Huge weight off my mind, and yet...a piece of me still wishes things never got so dire. At least now I know that in another world, things aren’t.

Ruby:Sounds like your world was put through their paces? You survived though.

Blake:Not conventionally. I gotta say, hearing the ages and how you beat Salem so far makes me feel more than a little embarrassed. To be frank, we didn’t have this grand battle that involved the entire world making a final stand. We had Atlas, and then we had Haven. With their might and a plan to gain more time, we managed to seal Salem in a vault.

Yang:*chokes on water* Y- cough what!?

Ruby:You put her in a vault!?

Weiss:Thah sounds harder than a last stand honestly.

Blake:No matter what way we looked at things, we just weren’t ready for her, so we locked her away until we were. Two years on constant defense from her followers and grimm until Ruby had trained enough to use her silver eyes and we were all strong enough.

Ruby:Two years!? How old was I then?

Blake:Twenty I believe.

Weiss:Hey, you beat mine by a year.

Yang:Not mine, I think we either tied or just narrowly beat yours by like a year. Honestly it hard to keep track of birthdays and stuff.

Ruby:Wow. No offense to myself, but that’s a little disappointing. I guess being the same person really doesn’t mean we were all at the same level.

Blake:Hey, my Ruby put everything she had into saving the world. There wasn’t a second she wasn’t trying her best to defend it!

Ruby:My point exactly. If that was her at her absolute best then by all accounts, she doesn’t hold a candle to me; at least back then anyways. But I have no reason to believe she would be at my level now.

Yang:Okay little miss prideful, care to tell us when you saved the-

Ruby:Seventeen.

The reaper took a long swig of coffee while the others processed that information. It took a her a couple of seconds to realize she may be acting just a tad bit arrogant.

Ruby:Uhh, sorry. I think I was tooting my own horn a bit there.

Weiss:Seventeen....why so soon?

Yang:Why? Don’t you mean how?

Blake:That’s....almost unbelievable.

Ruby:Really? I don’t think so. I’ll dive into it when it’s my turn but for now all I really gotta say is people needed help, and I was going to answer those cries. I bet your Ruby had a similar urgency in her, but for some reason or another just had different limitations. I got hurt a lot as a kid. Maybe an injury did more damage in one universe than another? Who can say?

Blake:I...wouldn’t know. Odd, I know if my Ruby heard this, then she’d probably be more than a little upset. Saving lives is still what she’s all about. I know when she put everything she had into fighting Salem when the day came. All that training paid off. Her skills were polished and her silver eyes eradicated the grimm essence in Salem.

Ruby:Wait, she’s not dead?

Blake:No. Salem roams Remnant with Oz keeping an eye on her until one day she can finally grasp the lesson the gods wanted her to have.

Yang:That uhhh sounds risky.

Weiss:Yet oddly okay?

Blake:Funny, my Weiss said that too. Those two get checked on in secret. Can’t be too careful. With Salem beaten though, Remnant entered a state of...let’s call it average chaos. All in all, it’s way more peaceful but you know, people will be people. Downside about a secret war is you don’t get the unity of the masses. Atlas and Haven working together was still a great step in the right direction though.

Yang:Woah, I’m a little jealous. My world felt like a race against the clock. The pressure either broke you or made you harder than diamond, with most people crushing under it.

Weiss:Yeah. The tension and meet of extremes I had on the frontlines was beyond imagination. The unity was great, but to feel it on the battlefield against the odds was feeling with way too much adrenaline and stress. Can’t say I enjoyed it. I simply lived through it.

Blake:Well it isn’t like I had a walk in the park. But I guess in comparison, my experience was a tad more mellow. Still, people were lost and hurt. Oscar isn’t himself anymore, don’t have Penny, former classmates and a few enemies turned allies fell in battle. Family.... it took a bunch to get the plan of containing, then it took a lot more to do it. In a way though, the two years of training is time I can’t regret. It tested bonds, strengthening and reestablishing others.

Ruby:I take it since love couldn’t bloom on the battlefield, it bloomed in the training yards?

Blake:*red* You can say that. That’s when Jaune and I got serious. *frowning* But.....

Yang:We fell apart?

Blake:Yeah. I didn’t learn my lesson well enough the first time about the potential problems of dating a partner. Only difference this time was I felt like I was the one being cruel. We had gotten into arguments and apologized more than once. Your fear of being left and my own insecurities just kept butting heads. I’d cry, you’d cry, our friends would be concerned. Then the day came where you put it all on the line. You confessed genuinely how much you loved me and how you felt a bit jealous when it came to Jaune. I had never seen you look so vulnerable; letting your gaurd completely down. And though a piece of me loved you and wanted you in my life for ever....this sense of genuine comfort Jaune gave was something I want-needed for so long. So I did the one thing I didn’t want to do. I broke your heart. I hurt you again.

Yang:Sigh....*leans back in chair* Okay, let’s see how well I know myself. My eyes went red automatically, followed by tears. I lashed out at you angrily out of pain and embarrassment until I was probably blue in the face. But to take make things worse, somebody probably overheard. No matter who it was, I yelled at them too for trying to calm me down and then I eventually run off leaving everyone unhappy. A good old meltdown. Sound about right?

Blake:To the letter. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so distraught.

Yang:Of course not, I’ve never been in love before meeting you. I....did a similar thing with my Blake over the stupid Adam shit. *covers face* of all the things to be similar, it had to be my temper. Please tell me our team didn’t suffer too harshly?

Blake:The good thing about two years of training was it didn’t have to be together all the time. Team RWBY didn’t fall apart, but it didn’t feel comfortable either. Outside of missions, the four of us didn’t hang out as much. It was three at the most. Nobody pinned blame on me or Yang for it but it was obvious.

Ruby:I mean how can you blame someone for feeling sad or not in love with someone? Pointing fingers doesn’t do anything. However, I bet missions were rough.

Blake:Bumblebee was shelved. We did any other team up we could. When push came to shove, Yang and I did put feelings aside. Neither of us wanted our feelings to get anyone killed. That’s probably what kept us connected for awhile, especially with Salem. I don’t think we questioned each other when it came to watching one another’s back. Slowly, our relationship got a bit better. Until....we stopped speaking to each other altogether about a couple years later.

Yang:Wait, why!?

Blake:I got pregnant.

The three listeners’ faces scrunched up and they let in a sharp breath like they just got cut. No one had considered that bombshell.

Blake:Marriage was rough enough. Having Jaune’s kid and starting a family just...cut deep I guess. You didn’t make a scene or anything if that’s what you’re worried about. One day you told me “I just can’t do this” and exited my life. I wanted to keep you close to me, but you wanted to be closer. That was a thing I couldn’t do. Hehe, I can’t tell you how weird it is talking to you like this again.

Yang:So that’s it!? We just don’t see each other at all!?

Blake:Certain events and celebrations have us in the same room, but that’s all. Ruby is the only thing that regularly links us, but she’s busy living life too.

Ruby:Is it a good life?

Blake:The best. You’re the huntress you always wanted to be and a hero to many.

Ruby:*smiles* Really? That’s good. May she ride that high for as long as she can. Though I bet she wished she had a special someone to share that with.

Blake:Huh? Oh, you married Weiss.

Weiss:*red* What!?

Ruby:Aye, nice.

Weiss:Weren’t you upset about thinking of other people with Jaune besides you!?

Ruby:Yeah, but I won’t deny if I am going to be with someone that isn’t him, I’m very happy it’s the other special person in my life. I mean come on, the only reason we don’t get weird in your universe is because I married your brother and you already invited my sister.

Weiss:I mean...it’s mainly the brother portion. The second part...

Ruby:Weiss, that’s weird.

Yang:Eh...

Ruby:IT’S WEIRD! YOU CANNOT TELL ME OTHERWISE!

Yang:*sips coffee* Eh.

Blake:Anyways, Weiss, you’re running your company. The Schnee Dust Company was scrubbed top to bottom to remove as much corruption as possible. No department was overlooked. In times of money, there’s a notable decrease in how much the company used to make.

Weiss:Gee, I wonder if that’s because the other me is doing oh let me guess, paying all their workers and not cutting corners in safety?

Blake:The SDC people approval has gone up considerably, just so you know that too. Turns out people like it when the company they buy from have good morals.

Weiss:Am I happy though? I make time for my social life and hu- I mean wife?

Blake:Yea, you’re happy. In a way I think we’re all happy, but....

Yang:We’d be happier if we were all happy together? Yeah, that’s how it works. You’re only as happy as the most miserable person in a family or group; if you all care about each other that is. Ugh, I wanna punch the other me. I get how she feels but it’s fucking immature to just ignore years of teamwork and family. At the end of the day, team RWBY is a family! Can’t believe I’d runaway from it instead of figuring out...I don’t know! Something!

Blake:*small smile* Well if you feel that way then there’s no reason to believe she doesn’t. My Yang just struggles with it more I guess, but I hope she can come around one day. Not really for my sake, but for her own peace of mind. As well as Lucas’s.

Ruby:Lucas? Your son I take it?

Blake:Mmhmm. My strong and lazy young man. He got his father’s hair but my eyes and ears. I can’t think of a person who warms my heart quite like him. He acts uninterested in a lot of things, but his heart is so big.

Weiss:Ah, so he’s just you?

Blake:More or less hehe. Though I’d say I was passionate about things all my life. Lucas will sleep all day if he could and doesn’t like going out without a reason.

Weiss:Still sounds like you if I’m being honest. Teenager?

Blake:Seventeen, almost eighteen.

Yang:You said he’s need peace of mind too? I’m not...hostile towards him am I?

Blake:No, not by a long shot. On the occasions you two have meant, you were polite. It’s just he knows why you don’t visit or talk to me. That’s rough, knowing your parent’s closest friend stopped being apart of their life because you were born. I think sometimes he believes it’s actually his fault.

Yang:I really, really want to meet this other me and have a few words. She needs to know she isn’t trying hard enough. I’m proof.

Ruby:Yeah, but you’re only well off because the person that helped you get over Blake, was Jaune. Yeah she still can find love, but who that person will be would be uncharted territory for everyone.

Blake:Also I’m not entirely sure exactly if my Yang is even bi like you.

Yang:Sigh....

Weiss:Love.

Blake:Huh?

Weiss:As long as a person shows your Yang genuine love and a place in their heart where she’ll remain forever, Yang would fall for them. They just have to make it a point to make her feel like they’ll stay. Yangs are softies like that.

Yang:Wow, you an expert on me and all the versions of me now?

Weiss:No, you’re just a bleeding heart that’s super emotional. Let me guess, you fell for Jaune the moment you realized just how relaxed and vulnerable you could allow yourself to be around him.

Yang:*red*.......he holds me when I’m overwhelmed.

RWB:Awwww

Yang:Shut up! Blake, take the heat off me.

Blake:Not too much more. Lucas is a smart kid who generally stays out of trouble. Unfortunately, trouble finds him. Mainly because of his semblance.

Ruby:Don’t tell me...

Blake:No no, it’s not bad luck like your uncle, but Lucas can’t always control it so their similar in that regard. Premonitions, that’s his semblance.

Weiss:Like...the future? You child can see the future?!

Blake:Yeah. *sips drink* it’s terrible.

Ruby:What? That sounds so handy! Man, if I could someone fighting me before it happened, I’d be a monster on the battlefield.

Blake:Lucas isn’t a fighter. Well, he’s not aspiring to fight. He can fight, pretty dang well in fact.; but randomly seeing the future is not a gift. Imagine picking up a book and you suddenly know the ending, or watching a movie and you start seeing the middle of it right after you press play?

Yang:Ahhh, that’s why he’s lazy and unmotivated. His semblance is massive spoiler alert. Half the fun of new things is not knowing what will happen.

Ruby:Oof, you have a point. I’d be paranoid to no end.

Blake:To a point, he was. Ever since he was ten. Disasters happen at the drop of a hat. Lucas isn’t the kind of person to watch bad things unfold, so whenever it was possible or even if it was risky, he’d do whatever he could to prevent said disaster. But.....there’s only so much anyone person can do. There’s only so much information he sees. The constant strain and guilt that came from failing ate him up. The. There’s the incidents he’s seen that didn’t show him how it began or how it will end. *rubbing her hands* It’s bad...

Weiss:Hey, I...I’ve noticed your hands and frankly even your face are a bit....slim. Your skin isn’t as colorful as I’m used to either. Almost like it’s regaining color.

Blake:Hehehe.......I guess you were bound to notice of all people.

Weiss:Of course. I may not run a a company in my world but I keep tabs on my brother and have had my fair share of visits to a doctor. Why wouldn’t I notice.

Yang:So can we talk as if there are people who have no clue what’s going on?

Weiss:Blake has had one of two things happen to her. She’s either worked way too hard to the point she’s not taking care of her health, or she’s fallen very ill and her body is still recovering.

Blake:Yeah, it’s more of the second one, but probably because of the first one as well. Forwarding equality, I was overzealous with it. One day Lucas just started shaking and crying when he was twelve and I couldn’t understand why. Turns out he kept seeing me bedridden and unconscious without a reason. Day in and day out he simply cried and tried his best to get another premonition to learn more, but couldn’t. A week later I started feeling a little dizzy, and then blacked out after vomiting. At first I thought maybe I had the flu or something. Nope, a tumor.

Weiss:What?

Ruby:Blake!?

Yang:Oh shit, are you-

Blake:Perfectly fine! *smiles* I’m fine. Liver cancer, but it was caught early. No more tumor what so ever, but the meds and the entire process was really draining. Got sicker a couple of times. Not once did I feel like I was dying necessarily, more like...slipping? I felt myself getting drained. The whole time Lucas was so scared; blaming himself for not preventing this or knowing how to fix it. Though simply knowing he saw me like was a warning most people wish they got. I know I said seeing the future is terrible, but the scariest part through all of this was not knowing how it ended. Choosing medicine, doctors, surgery possibilities, it made me crack under pressure a little. I think he noticed that. I wasn’t sure if I picking an option that lead me dying or getting better. The stress alone may have killed me. Ever since then Lucas hasn’t been so outgoing.

Ruby:....

Weiss:....

Yang....It was already said, but there was no way this wasn’t going to get sad was there?

Blake:Take it from me, there’s joy in pain. So many people came to visit me when I was recovering. Even Yang dropped by for a bit. After I got out, I don’t think Lucas ever hugged me so hard. Jaune tried to stay calm through the whole ordeal but it was rough for him too. He was all but spent emotionally when I came home.

Weiss:I’m surprised Lucas didn’t become an older brother.

Blake:The last thing a recovering patient needs is a pregnancy, but as far as missing me goes...

Ruby:You can stop right there with that tangent.

Yang:We’ll talk about that in private. I wouldn’t mind that story.

Blake:*playfully rolls eyes* These days I try not to over do things. I’ve only officially been deemed completely cured for about a year. I can feel that I’m still not entirely up to strength. It’s fine though. It gives me an excuse for Lucas to dote on me a little. He’s a mama’s boy at heart. My biggest worries these days is peeling him out of this shell his semblance had put him in. At the very least I want him to smile like he used to and find away to live in moment when possible. His entire life is ahead of him. Hopefully he doesn’t see all of it.

Ruby:I guess too much of anything really is bad. Knowledge included. I hope things work out.

Yang:Me too. A happy life is something you definitely earned.

Blake:Thanks. That seriously means a lot, which is why I made sure to not end this on a sour note.

The happy faunus pulled out her scroll to scroll through pictures and her friends eyes lit up. The first one was a beach photo. This Jaune was different from what they were used to. He let his hair grow a little bit longer and the back went down his neck, but it was definitely still him. This jaune was pretty toned and went for a lean look than bulky like Weiss’s, but a tad slimmer. On his shoulders was an adorable toddler with wide amber eyes and big blonde cat ears. Both men were enjoying the sunset on the waves.

The next photo was more recent with Blake right in the middle of hopping into Lucas’s arms. Weiss noticed the girl still had on the hospital bracelet. She must’ve just gotten cleared. Lucas had grown like a weed. He was now roughly Jaune’s height. His hair was messy and looked like Jaune’s in his younger years. Also like his father, Lucas was jacked! His sleeveless purple shirt should off his biceps as they wrapped around Blake’s torso for a hug. His baggy purple shorts had black and gold trim through the seams and the shorts stopped right below his knees; but showed of his well defined calves. A smile of pure joy and what could’ve been a few tears were visible as he looked lovingly at his mother. It warmed all of the ladies hearts. Still, the girls also could tell under his eyes were a little dark. Lucas must’ve been very tired.

The final picture had to be the most recent. It was Blake and Lucas sparring. Both looked at each other with excitement and ease as their wooden blades clashed. Their clothes mirrored one another by being black and white kimonos. They even wore the traditional shoes and everything.

Weiss:Yeah, that’s your kid.

Blake:Damn right. Unfortunately that makes him a little too stubborn. But I guess that’s okay. Without a doubt, someone’s gonna break through that shell of his.

Yang:Oh? It sounds like you already know who?

Blake:Well....I have a hunch.

xxxxx

RING! RING! RING! Lucas’s scroll chirped, in the middle of the night. The boy let out a long, agitated groan of sleepiness as he rolled over in bed; reaching for his scroll on the nightstand to answer.

Lucas:Hello?

???:Did you know you are mathematically more likely to choke on a hotdog than get attacked by a shark?

Lucas:....Serenity, who gave you my number?

Serenity:Your parents, and it’s Serendipity!

Lucas:Too many syllables. Also a bit ironic given who you are. With the way you act though, my name for you is better.

Serenity:Ooooo so we’re moving on to pet names? How forward of you.

Lucas:Five seconds before I hang up. Three...two-

Serenity:You’re late! You promised to guide me around the beach at twelve. That’s now.

Lucas:.....P.M. Twelve P.M. Serenity. Why in the world would I mean midnight!?

Serenity:It’s romantic and personal. Nobody else is around. I thought you were trying to use that Belladonna magic on me by acting all cool and aloof in the moonlight.

Lucas:.....

Lucas:Please delete my number.

Serenity:Not on your life, my whiskered bodyguard!

Lucas:Don’t have whiskers-

Serenity:If you don’t wanna move that butt of yours to hang out with a pretty girl in a floppy hat and sundress with a bikini underneath, that’s your loss. I’m still going for a dip.

Lucas:Do not go in the water when nobody is around.

Serenity:Pfft, I’m a strong swimmer.

Lucas:Sharks.

Serenity:It’s more dangerous to eat a hotdog.

Lucas:Sharks feed at night.

Serenity:Are you trying to tell me the statistics aren’t as reliable just because it’s nighttime.

Lucas:That’s exactly what I’m saying.

Serenity:Then you better move your butt just in case. Either you get a snack or the sharks do. Either way, I get attention.

Lucas:Difference is one wants to eat you.

Serenity:My goodness Lucas, oh brazen of you.

Lucas:......

Lucas:Tell the sharks I said hi.

Serenity:Okay! Byyyyyyeeeee! *hangs up*

Lucas:(She’ll be fine.)

..........

Lucas:*putting on shoes* This is bullshit. Who thinks midnight!? *walking down stairs* Can’t have a peaceful day or night....

Jaune:*watching tv* Hey Lucas, going some-

Lucas:I’m giving out your phone number to a homeless man the first chance I get! *walks out door*

Jaune:.....(Whatever gets you outside more.)

It took about fifteen minutes of aggressive walking for Lucas to wrap around to the back of his house towards their section of the beach. Where Serenity walked around humming and collecting seashells without a care in the world.

Lucas:The next shell you grab will have a crab in it.

Serenity:Huh? Oh hey you’re finally-ahhhh! Ow ow ow ow ow ow!

Lucas:Should’ve listened.

Serenity:Have a better warning!!!! It won’t let go!

Lucas:Pull it off.

Serenity:That’s hurt!!! Lucas, help!

Lucas:Fine, if you delete my number.

Serenity:*sniffling* Stop being mean!!! This really hurts, it’s breaking the skin. Isn’t a young and pretty girl’s tears payment enough!? I thought you were getting paid to-

Lucas:Oh my goodness! Okay, just shush. I’m too sleepy for this.

Serenity:You’re mean when you’re sleepy. At least your waking up voice sounds handsome though.

Lucas:Please....stop. Stop everything. *removing crab* Happy?

Serenity:No, you’re not happy. Also my finger is bleeding.

Lucas:Yep, looks like you can’t go swimming now for real.

Serenity:Eh, I lied anyways. I’m not getting in that water. There are sharks in that watery grave.

Lucas:So. Why. Did. You. Wake. Me. Up?

Serenity:....*red* I...don’t really, have friends here. Besides you. Umm *points to pail and shovels* sandcastles?

Lucas:*inhales*......I’ll get the water.

Serenity:*smiles* Yes! I’ll delete your number later.

Lucas:*red* You....can keep it of you really want.

Serenity:....Kek, okay Mr. Tsundere

Lucas:You can remove the next crab alone.

Serenity:Don’t joke like that! That was a joke, right?

Lucas:Welp that pail isn’t gonna fill itself. *leaves*

Serenity:What!? Lucas!!! You were joking right!? Right!? *looking around the sand* you’re a lousy bodyguard!

Lucas:Good, fire me.

Serenity:I...you....ugh!

Lucas:Cheer up, I’m happy now after all. *smiles*

Serenity:*pouting* This is why I’m a dog person.

#rwby #the void #jaune arc #ruby rose #weiss schnee #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #rwby knightshade #lucas belladonna #rwby ships #rwby premonition

[plush-rabbit]

I Want To Hear You Say It

Chapter 3: Claw Marks

Word Count: 3.5K

A/N: Listening to the FNAF timeline and thinking about that tiktok

Prev.

He dreads going to the hideout. He doesn’t want to think about what he's going to say, what excuse he’s going to make up that will keep everyone satisfied with his answer. The correct thing to have done on the journey home would have been to make up a believable lie but without the safety of numbers and the area that he was in- he had to focus on not getting caught- his mind too preoccupied with his surroundings to actually have time to think. 

His steps are heavy, short breaths that fill his lungs and leave in puffs, bones aching and he finds himself nearing the building. Dark in color, weeds sprouting from the edges, the color of the building, once something deep and polished, is now faded and dirtied with random tagging symbols that have long been washed out by the weather. He stands at the door, sky clouded overhead and a light mist that falls onto him and makes him uncomfortably wet. His stomach is full with chicken that you bought and shared with him. The hideout is dark, the windows boarded up and he can’t hear a sound coming from inside. No screaming, arguing, music, or singing. Tomura stands outside a hidden door and he takes in a deep breath, cold air chilling at his throat and making his mouth dry.

He walks inside; the door creaking as it announces his arrival to anyone who is willing to listen. His eyes scan around the old room, the floor solid underneath as he takes careful steps, hands poised and a deep unsettlement that settles in his bones as the stillness seems to place everything inside on pause. His mouth opens, his tongue coming out to lap at his lips, a passing thought flashes by that he should call someone’s name but as quick as it came, he denounces it just as quickly. He won’t risk calling someone’s name- someone could be listening in, the hideout could be abandoned and still wiretapped in case any wandering heroes had gotten lucky- no, he’ll walk around and assess.

He takes a careful step forward and then the room is bathed in a yellow light. His shadow stretches and distorts, elongating and he feels bare, his face naked and cold, immediately, placing his hand over himself in a mock attempt to mimic Father. His eyes snap up, hand already reaching forward with every intent to rid the possible threat until he lands on sun colored eyes. 

“Tomura-kun!” Toga says especially, her smile wide and a slight skip to her step as she walks towards him. “You are alive!” The way she says it makes it sound as if there were doubts. “Took you long enough to get back, huh?”  Her smile is almost teasing as she rocks back and forth on her heels. 

He gives her a disgruntled look, eyes narrowed and wants to snap a response towards her. His eyes meet hers where she does not falter, smiling sweetly at him with a certain glint in her eyes. “Where are the others?” 

Her smile falters, a hand at her side fisting at the loose material of her joggers. The hem of an oversized sweater spilling past the waistband of the joggers. “Sleeping,” she says with a tight voice and under the light he realizes that her arm is dusted in a purple bruise, dark in color as it spills to blue with a hint of sickly yellow. “Where were you?” 

He eyes the bruise, a scowl on his lips as he meets her gaze yet again. “Nowhere important.” Words get stuck in his throat, the bruise dancing in his peripherals, filling his mind with other unseen possible injuries. Her face is clean, free of any marks as she stands in front of him. She can stand; Toga is still standing in front of him. “The mission?” His nails dig into his skin, pulling at the old scars that have long closed up.

Her smile falls and he finds annoyance lapping at him. She shrugs, her hands spreading wide as she looks at him and her shadow dances along with her. “Went as planned. We were able to find a new location in case this one goes south but we did run into trouble while transporting the items.” 

“Trouble?” He takes a step towards her, eyes glancing behind her trying to find wandering movement that lies in the shadows.

“Spinner hit his head pretty hard so for now he’s resting. Twice went to find Giran so he can bring in some type of aid or something-” she waves her hand in a tired circle- “I didn’t really pay attention,” she finishes, her smile returning. “Anyways, now that you’re here, I’m going back to bed.” She turns on her heels, her hand coming up to cover her yawning mouth. She pauses as she steps to the other side of the entrance to the hallway. “Oh, by the way,” amusement has left her face, a thin smile on her lips that doesn’t reach her eyes, “your hands on your bed. You must have dropped them when we split.” 

He stands in the empty room, eyes growing heavy and anxiety grabbing at his insides. His collar is too close to his neck, wrapping around the base in a tight hold that makes it impossible to swallow, acid riising and leaving a tart taste on his tongue, heavy and sickening. “Thank you,” he whispers to an empty room with eyes glued where Toga stood just a minute ago. His hand spills from his face and falls beside him in a limp.

The doors that line the hallway and spill onto different ends are all closed, subtle chipped marks carved into the wood to indicate which rooms are occupied. His hair still smells of your shampoo, light and sweet. His clothes reek of what you used to wash them. His hand forms into a fist as he thinks about you. It’s a fleeting thought that he latches onto and soon enough he isn’t able to escape you from entering his mind. His hand wraps around the doorknob with a pinky raised as it twists under his palm. He enters his room as you enter his mind. True to her word, his hands are displayed on his bed, laid in an orderly fashion.

He stands at the edge of the bed, eyes lidded as he stares at the hands. Slowly, he grabs each hand, one by one, each placed back at their respective spots, a heavy weight that falls on him with each addition, a tight grasp that holds onto him with a promise to pull him down and suffocate him, the promise of false love and a mock hug as hands encase him. The last hand that goes on his face is held tenderly, the palm facing towards his face, an open strike that is welcomed and makes him feel calm, settling his nerves for just a moment. The hand is cold and heavy against his warm skin. The thick cartilage is tough- sturdy and unwavering- his fingertips flutter against the raised bridges, lowering until it reaches the metal end. 

His hands are nothing like your hands. 

He can almost feel your touch. It was light and fluttery, soft against his face. You held him with care, trying to calm him down when the first thing he had done to you was pin you down. You were nice to him. You told him that you had done it because you wanted to believe that you were a good person. His hand tremors, sliding past the metallic end, a light brush against his chest that stills as it reaches his stomach, clenching at the shirt with a careful grip, twisting the fabric in his hand. You quite literally picked him off the streets and gave him a temporary home. You gave him kindness that he hasn’t witnessed or felt in so long. You were kind to him- doting over him and making sure that he was fed. You washed his clothes and had calmed him down when he feared that he had lost his hands. Your hands held him together, grabbing at him and pulling him close to you. He sucks in his bottom lip, remembering the pull of your thumbs against his chin, the touch that you gave him that didn’t fill him with sickness.

He misses your touch. There’s a deep tug in his body. It pulls at him, tugging against his very essence and making him feel stretched out. His chest stutters, rising and dipping with lungs that expand and a heavy flush that warms his body. His eyes go wide, pupils dilating as he leans over, hand leaving his stomach and resting on the bed in a closed fist, the pads of the fingers dig on the top of his head, clenching as they squeeze his head with a painful grip.

He doesn’t need this right now. He doesn’t need you invading his mind. He can’t handle the thoughts and feelings that come with you. The need to see you. The need to have your hands replace the ones on his neck. He’s breathing heavy, wheezing over the bed, mouth gaping under the palm of Father, his heart erratic and mind wandering. He’s never felt like this before. He’s never had emotions this strong. The desire to see you is stronger than anything he’s ever faced- stronger than anything he remembers. He’s gasping for air, eyes watering and he stands straight, a hand placed along his neck as his nails etch themselves against him, sin bleeding out, hot and thick against his skin. 

-

The sun is setting, casting a soft orange glow across the city as you walk home. It’s quiet, your phone buzzing in your hand and merely swipe at the notification for the Discord chat that you’re part of but never engage in. The time reads back to you and you come to a slow, walking towards the edge of the building, standing against the corner with eyes trained on the time. 

You wouldn't call yourself overly paranoid. Sure, you've heard things that go bump in the night and hid yourself under the covers rather than go and investigate, you've slept with rather odd, sharp objects under your pillow and have practiced time and time again how quickly and quietly you can reach into your bedside drawer and pull out a pair of scissors. But that was in the past. You've grown past the need to hone your skills and now all you have for protection is an old stuffed bear with stuffing that has gone limp and dull. 

You stand at the edge of the alleyway, taking a few steps into the dampen area, clicking your tongue as you step into a puddle. There’s a deep feeling that washes over you, making you chew on your bottom lip and edge deeper into the growing dark area. You take a small step to the side, your head tilting as you search for any shapes that are too humanlike, looking for anything with soft, blue hair or a hint at it and with a final step, your phone buzzes your hand. It’s stronger- a phone call, you realize. Snapped out of whatever trance you had, you turn around and make your way out of the alley, frowning as the words “Scam Likely” is written on your phone. You click and pull at the red phone symbol, the call ceasing immediately and you walk in a crowded street.

Perhaps you should have given Tomura your phone number. Or had offered him a ride or insisted that he stay for another night. He didn’t seem well enough to leave- much leave the way that he did. You purse your lips, your pace increasing as you walk home, your bag patting lightly against your back. If you had at least given him your number then he could have called you or sent you a message indicating that he was home or at least safe. You let out a sigh, your lips pulling into a thin line. 

The trek to your apartment is short, your hands resting along the rail as you climb the steps, unable to stray from the memories of when you had to help carry him up the steps. He had only rested for a day- if you wanted to be generous- and had eaten only two meals and slept on a couch. He couldn’t have possibly been comfortable. Maybe if you had insisted that he stay another night then you could tell if he had been lying about any hidden injuries. But there was no dried blood when you checked the shower, no stain that had caught against the porcelain or carpet- it was clean. You fret over a stranger- the only facts that you know of are that his name is Tomura, he works in a bar, and he’s socially inept. You check the time on your phone- there could be a possibility that you can pass by the same area and see if he’s there or any trace of him- but no. You grimace at thought- it sounds too stalkerish, as if you’re waiting for him to arrive and if he is there by any chance, you don’t want him to feel bothered or- You gasp as you bump shoulders with someone, stumbling a bit and you're grateful you’re on a flat surface rather than the stairs. 

“Oh my goodness!” You raise your shoulders, pulling them close to you. “I’m so sorry! I wasn’t looking-”

“Hey, hey,” the person says in a calming voice and you close your mouth, stepping away as your neighbor comes into view. “It’s cool, don’t worry about it.” He stands tall in front of you, a soft purple hue of skin that darkens slightly at the tip of his ears. Spiky hair that jets out in multiple directions, a dark blue that almost shines blue and purple under the light covers his forehead in wispy bangs with two curled, ram-like horns that protrude from the side of his head, dark in color with silver highlights. “I wasn’t looking either-” they laugh, sending you a friendly grin that is quickly overwritten with concern- “Are you okay?”

“Oh, er, yeah. No, I'm fine. Sorry about bumping into you again-” you step to the side, already waving a goodbye- “I’ll-”

“Wait!” He says in a rushed tone, spinning on his heels to look at you, a nervous chuckle spilling past his lips. “I, uh- Ha, sorry. So uh, did your friend go home?” He jerks his head to your door, eyes shifting nervously.

You blink at him, the moments with Tomura briefly forgotten as you strike conversation with your neighbor. “Oh, yeah. He went home last night,” you trail, the word “home” not feeling correct on your tongue. 

“Oh, really?” I uh- didn’t see him.” His smile is tense and his eyes widen. “Not that I was spying or anything. I had to pick something up from the pharmacy late last night and I noticed-”

“No, yeah. He left.” You give him a tight smile and edge backwards. “Listen, I have to go and put... something away.” You give him a final grin, toothy and forced. “Bye!” You wave a goodbye at him and promptly hurry to your door where you- thankfully- have no trouble opening it.

You shut the door, your back against the wooden frame, your eyes drooping and you slide slowly to the floor, bringing your knees up to your chest, wrapping your arms around your legs and resting your head on the spot that you have created. Your bag presses uncomfortably into your back, the items inside pressing into the faux leather and into your soft back.

You close your eyes, trying to hear the sounds of wandering steps, mouth pulling into a thin line, and brows knitting together. “Maybe I should have asked him if he saw him anywhere,” you mumble under your breath. You let out a bitter laugh, raising your head and resting it against the door with a faint thud. “Great,” you whisper to yourself, “now I’m thinking about him.” You exhale, letting your eyes close with a weak smile stretching across your lips. “Well,” you trail, slowly opening your eyes, “it’s out of my hands now. Best I can hope for is that he’s home safe.” You push yourself off the floor, wincing slightly at the movement. 

You flutter around the apartment, changing out of your uniform into something more comfortable, your hands aching and body accepting the weariness that it possesses. Your sock clad feet walk around the apartment, phone in hand, as you walk into the kitchen.

It’s a decent size, enough for things to be ordered in a way that makes it feel both cluttered and homely. The fridge is decorated in an assortment of magnets- new with vibrant colors and cute designs, old and faded, simple in design but something from long ago- pictures and various numbers and business cards placed on the surface. You open the fridge, food and ingredients inside but it’s too much work to actually prepare the food itself and wait for things to defrost. You close the fridge with a huff and make your way to the living room. 

You stand at the edge of your couch, the blanket that Tomura used is folded at the end of the couch. Your brows knit, a frown tugging on the corner of your lips. You sigh sadly and there’s a bitter taste on your tongue, thick and heavy, and you scrunch your face. In your hand, your phone gives a curt buzz- a message from your friends. Your mood brightens and you sit on the opposite end of the couch, away from the blanket, and curl up at the end, eagerly responding to your friends' plethora of messages that you had missed- and partly purposely ignored due to heavy thoughts- on your walk home.

-

You sleep on the couch, covered by a throw blanket, a deep blue color that covers your frame as you curl under, a stuffed animal in your grip with shiny black eyes that reflect the television, an assortment of colors played against the room, and reflecting in the eyes of your comfort object. You sleep soundly, undisturbed and protected by glass, watched and protected by a pair of crimson eyes, between the blinds. Tomura Shigaraki sits with his knees pulled up to his chest, thin scratches around his neck and a burning desire in his chest to reach forward and accept your generosity that you had given him. 

He’s confused on why he’s here. He's out in the open, Father on his face which would surely give away his identity- could that be why you didn’t recognize him, he wonders- and he’s outside like a stray animal, waiting by your door and watching you sleep. Maybe that’s why he’s back. You didn’t fear him and while fear is something that he really does long for, something that so undeniably means you have the upperhand in something, it was different this time. You sat near him, did his laundry for him and cared for him on the pretense that you wanted to be a good person. That’s almost laughable, really. You treated a literal villain as some wounded puppy and practically saved his life. Heck, if it was anyone else or maybe if you had decided to watch the news more often, he would’ve been found out and captured. You wanted to be a good person and because of that, you are good to him. 

It’s fascination more than anything. This odd sense of longing towards you, the way that your hands felt on him and how you fretted over him as he panicked- he places his hand over Father and lets out a breath. The air cool, nipping at him with a slight shiver, and he looks inside with blank eyes, remembering how it felt to be inside, the candy scented candle that filled the room and how overtly sweet it was when he woke up. You were nice to him, there didn’t seem to be a hero in sight, so the probability of you being watched over is fairly low- you were nice to him and you trusted him enough to know where you lived. His leg tremors, eyes narrowing through the gaps of the fingers on his face as he stares at your unmoving frame. His hand flutters against the glass, index resting followed by the other three, and his prints are left.

Your blinds are left open and he snorts at your lack of self-preservation. He can let it slide since your little home isn’t somewhere where people can easily see. But here you are, covered by a blanket that he hadn’t used- the one he touched remains folded at the end, untouched and your legs pulled away from it. He watches you for a long time, his phone buzzing with either notifications from his mobile games or those from the League. If he were to be frank, he finds it all so difficult. He’ll complete and fulfill his vision, he’ll lead his comrades into victory, But for now, he'll rest against your balcony, and watch you sleep.

taglist:

@dillybuggg @gladiatorandroid

#shigaraki headcanons #shigaraki x reader #shigaraki tomura x reader #tomura shigaraki x reader #shigaraki tomura headcanons #bnha shigaraki tomura #shigaraki tomura #tomura shigaraki imagines #yandere tomura shigaraki #slight #sorry for the shortish chapter #thoughts ran out #bye #love you #drink water babes

[cherry-interlude]

Lana Del Rey Unreleased Ranking (5)

This is a re-ranking of Lana's unreleased songs, after making a first a few years ago. This is all my opinion, which I don't mind anyone disagreeing with but don't come for me for it - honestly, I like every song, despite any criticism, and this ranking is very vague. It's based on objective and subjective opinion.

This is the fifth of five posts, with my favourites.

Wild One

Lana is nostalgic without the sadness, remembering how she’d shake it for Mike but is embracing her freedom. She lets country influence seep through her voice and her uncomplicated instrumentals – it would be an unsurprising addition to Chemtrails

True Love On The Side

Though simple in structure and lyrics, it’s more Lana’s grittier rock sound and her incredible vocals that make this one of my favourite unreleased tracks. Lana lets herself go and goes full pop rock chick for this track, whilst keeping in with her ‘other woman’ trope that makes the song still familiar despite its departure from her usual music.

Driving In Cars With Boys

Dripping in nostalgia, Driving In Cars With Boys makes you yearn for the kind of 1950s/1960s era Lana often laments over. Lana is a bad girl just having fun, doing what she pleases and giving in to her vices, and it’s this kind of song that is relatable in its escapism and desire to just do what you please. There are two versions, one with a more monotone chorus that matches the rest of the verses and another where Lana sings in a higher register, letting her cheerful, breezy love for driving with the boys shine through in her vocals.

Angels Forever Forever Angels

Perfect for Paradise, Angels Forever Forever Angels has that slow, rhythmic summer drive feel, a relaxed version of Ride which also has associations with the bikers that feature in both the music video for Ride and the lyrics to this unreleased song. It’s dreamy but grounded by Lana’s patriotic love for the grungier side of Americana.

Hollywood

It has a breathy chorus you could sing to, the feeling of a summer evening and blue skies. The ever building and dropping beat that keeps the song ticking as restlessly as Lana’s hopes and dreams gets me feeling pumped as much as her emphasised, dragged out “Hollywood” in the chorus makes me soothed. Lana is wishing for fame and fortune but it has the feel of an eighties American teen movie, iconic and deserving of a cult following.

Yes To Heaven

Hazy like a daydream, Yes To Heaven is made of sunlight and soft grass, closer to nature than the spotlights of Lana’s often alcohol-soaked, money drenched stages. Lana’s voice is tentative until it shimmers in the chorus, and though it was made for Ultraviolence, it wouldn’t be out of place on the shining beacon of hope that is Lana’s positive turn, Lust For Life.

Life Is Beautiful

This gorgeous song was intended for Age of Adaline’s trailer, and it’s been years of waiting for the full song to be released. Now we have it, it’s certainly worth the wait. Dreamy and soft, this track is a timeless classic that could underwhelm from it’s gentle feel but works perfectly well as a pure little love song.

On Our Way

Stripped back and with a country twang, Lana doesn’t add fuss and frills to this song, instead just crooning precisely how she feels in the kind of song that keeps you daydreaming for hours. Not even the smattering of her favourite imagery (Chevrolets and K-Mart lip gloss) overshadows the love that’s at the forefront of this track.

Never Let Me Go

Like On Our Way, Never Let Me Go has the country twang and stripped back feel that makes this a more subdued song, her lyrics shining even more. Lana’s additional strings layer this song well and her comparisons to the dangerous couple that is Sid and Nancy gives this track an edge, keeping it from being too frothy.

French Restaurant

A piano ballad, Lana strips back the hurt of Without You and dual dedication of Video Games to sing about how fame matters so little to her while she’s torn between two men. Her voice is beautiful and it does well to be so minimal in its production, her emotion driving the song clearly enough. Especially pretty are the backing vocals of the choruses, echoes of her thoughts that hammer home her broken feelings.

Trash Magic

Lana’s delicate and soft vocals help tie into the Lolita-esque character Lana often plays in her music. It has a similar feel to 1949, dripping with her delicious imagery, and wouldn’t be out of place on AKA Lizzy Grant. Lana is the fragile ‘daddy’s girl’ again in this song, and the sharp yet soothing music in the background sets the tone for a quiet trailer park night.

Us Against The World

Though fairly chilled out, Lana still hooks listeners with her characterisation of waitress by day/stripper by night, a dangerous girl tempting an equally dangerous guy. Lana drips sexiness in this song and though it’s not as exciting as some of her other unreleased pop hits, it is perfect for the Del Rey character.

Your Girl

Much like Caught You Boy, Lana is desperate for a man she can’t have but is instead a complete wreck. Lana just repeats over and over how she wishes she was this man’s girl, practically pleading after describing how she needs to be led off the stage from falling apart. Yet it’s still sultry, still passionate, and is topped off by her honey-like vocal demonstration in the bridge and the chorus.

Roses

Lana is the other woman with a twist – instead of moping about her man (Other Woman, Sad Girl) she is taking action. Fighting against him, not letting him go without making some noise and getting rid of his girlfriend, Lana storms into the song with a vengeful wrath and calls him out for his poor attempts at apologies. When this song first came out, I adored it, since it was the exact kind of strong-girl track I wanted from her with a great hook and all the right Lana-isms. Now, I still get that thrill listening to this song and its kick-ass fuck-you to the man she loves.

Playing Dangerous

The churning drums, the spoken verses and the coy vocals set this song apart from her others. It falls shorter during the choruses, the verses being the best parts of the track, but the way Lana interacts with the listener ultimately and is a more direct character of ‘innocent’ seductress who might actually be downright bad (arson is hinted).

Serene Queen

Lana is unbothered and unruffled, as collected as she is in Put Your Lips Together but this time with a definite Ultraviolence/Honeymoon feel. Lana is unshaken by the blazing guns, instead completely calm with her dangerous lover, questioning why he even has a problem in the first place. As it picks up in the chorus, almost smirking, it becomes one of her finer unreleased songs yet.

Ave Maria

This is just an instrumental but there’s something so beautifully haunting about it. It wouldn’t be out of place in a Hollywood movie, with shades of the Lolita soundtrack instantly coming to mind when it first starts. It even works well without singing, and I hope we get a full version soon.

Puppy Love

From the perspective of a Marilyn Monroe figure, Lana plays the teenage girl wishing for a traditional romance with her lover. It’s ever-so-adorable, harking back to the sweeter parts of the fifties, but there’s a sense of sadness throughout it. Under the surface of the puppy love is the reality that the references to Monroe do not forget her sadness, loneliness and ultimately her overdose. The tone shifts to such an unhappiness in the bridge, directly calling back to Monroe’s phone call shortly before she overdosed, twisting the song to something more melancholic.

Cherry Blossom

The lullaby that grew into the marvellous, completed Cherry Blossom is a lovely tribute to someone small and beloved. Though Lana doesn’t have children yet, the care in her voice and each of her heart-warming compliments and promises is still thoroughly enjoyable – and comforting.

Colour Blue

In a song that reminds me of the love/hate relationship of Norman Fucking Rockwell, Lana takes her time to question why she loves the men that she does and, ultimately, grow from it, beginning to want something different. It’s raw and personal, with a gushing chorus that is complimented fully by the guitar. This song is blue all over, from Lana's opening harmonisation to her abrupt, unhappy ending.

Paradise

This song is, of course, pure paradise. A summery beat, a flippant Lana simply enjoying her lover no matter how long she’ll have him for and her coos of “sick!” and “that’s dope!” make this into a tasty distraction fit for the sunny months. Her casualness in this track is fresh as well as the dance-happy music that she doesn’t often create in her albums.

Meet Me In The Pale Moonlight

Lana is the waitress with a crush in this bop of a track, trying to convince a guy to get with her instead of that “bitch”. Convincing she is, as she uses all of her charm, wit and insistence that there’s no promises behind her intentions to have a good time with him. It’s just a breath of fresh air compared to a lot of her music, not too heavy and perfectly polished. It’s self-assured as much as it is breezy, and calm as it is it’s still a riot to listen to.

Caught You Boy

A dream-esque confession of desire, obsession and pure, crazy love, Lana isn’t outright insane in this track (Kinda Outta Luck, Jealous Girl, Serial Killer) but she hints towards being slightly too attached to her beau and describing herself as an army of one. The song is sweet and flowery but there’s a sadness and danger to it that keeps it from being too sugary.

Fine China

Some of Lana’s best lyrics are in Fine China as she sings of her fractured relationship, unhappy wedding and many beautiful yet easily broken things. It’s a slow, unfussy ballad but her strong voice and stunning lyrics make it so much more than a throwaway unreleased song.

Thunder

What feels like a coming-of-age slow dance song but is ultimately a choir-backed break-up track. Lana’s lyrics are clever and her voice is the perfect complement to The Last Shadow Puppets, this combined work a sure hit that deserves some kind of release and recognition. Lana is frustrated but tender as she leads the song with plenty of presence.

Prom Song Gone Wrong

The fifties feel, the teenage romance, the warm and gorgeous vocals that switch from dreamily longing to a cheeky talk-rap suggest this is a song tied tightly to Puppy Love, except with a more hopeful feel to it. Lana is ready to leave and she wants her lover to come with her, and even if it’s a youthful mistake there’s no mistaking that the love she – and her man – feels is real. It’s a pretty dedication to the kind of head-spinning romance of younger years, though it has an edge to it. Lana’s choruses are desperate, her pleading genuine and the strange way the music builds and collapses right at the end give the illusion all isn’t the sunshine and rainbows Lana sings of – and hopes for.

#lana del rey #lana del rey songs #lana del rey unreleased #cherry-interlude