#some j-town content for the kids

[fruchtchen]

지저스 크라이스트 수퍼스타 (2022 - 50주년) - 마이클리 (지저스)

Jesus Christ Superstar (2022 - 50th Anniversary) - Michael K. Lee (Jesus)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CpQaN6iPWQM/

#지저스 크라이스트 수퍼스타 #지크슈 #마이클리 #jesus christ superstar #jcs #michael k. lee #having quote the greatest frolic of my life through michael lee's instagram #some j-town content for the kids #두 유 노 jcs is in fact the only show i've seen for which i did not get the program book #because... it wasn't for sale yet...... #and i was too much of a FUCKING COWARD to go back to seoul just to buy it later...................... #this i regret #i didn't know my brain chemistry was being permanently altered at the time #마이클리 내 사랑 #my man jc

[carionto]

Wisdom is to seek the experienced

Your typical dimly lit bar, closing hours. Few folk still remain, fewer still conscious. The door chimes to a sprightly young man, though his eyes echo decades of witnessing the grim reality. He orders a beer, sits down next to a passed out man in his late 50s, hand still gripping his last shot glass.

The young man prods the old guy awake.

"Tell me, what do you know about Old Man Henderson?"

"What? That's an urban myth. A fairy tale. Ain't no such person ever existed. Scram, kid."

"We believe the contrary. Correction. We don't believe anything. We know he is real."

"That story is over a thousand years old. Wouldn't be the first time some fools mistake a work of fiction from three apocalypses ago as fact."

"There's more to it than that. We know that you are connected."

At this moment, the young man takes out a small binder of documents and splays it in front of the old guy. Images of excavations of an old town hall. Unidentified dirt and ash samples. A heavily damaged pilot's license. Used cigarette butts.

And a list of names, dates of birth and death, addresses throughout their life, occupations, relatives. Seemingly, no connection. And at the end of the list a Mr J. Drenshaw - the old guy.

"We know you know these people, all of them. Ever since the incident Old Man Henderson was involved in, there has been an unbroken chain of people who studied and learned everything about him and what occurred. And you did your best to erase everything from all records but your own.

Well, the one thing the first to whom this knowledge was passed on to did not do was to cremate their mentor. Instead, they received a burial at sea. Somewhere in the middle of the Pacific from a plane. Forever lost to the world, beneath endless waters and unknown beasts of below.

Or, so it would have remained, had it not been for that little explosion that has doomed our world. Among the debris the OCC cleared was a tiny, damaged microfilm. Unable to restore its contents at the time, it was stored alongside the innumerable relics recovered from the disaster, and promptly forgotten about.

Until my superiors learned of something... odd, and we got to work searching for the loosest of ends. The rest is technical details. In short - you, Mr Drenshaw, have known about the reality of the Old Ones ever since your mentor exposed you to this secretive knowledge you've been safekeeping for the last twenty eight generations. It is no longer your exclusive club.

We need your help understanding what Cthulu is, what it wants, what it can do, and most importantly - what we can do about it."

After a long pause, J. Drenshaw looked at his empty shot glass, at the young man, to the floor, and sighed.

"The reason we kept it from everyone is because you can't do anything about a being like that. That's the point."

"Old Man Henderson did do something about it."

"He was a nutjob. One of a kind."

"Still just human."

"Bah. It wasn't even the full might of anything Greater."

"Even a fraction was still a part of it. We can expand upon that."

"What do I even get out of this? Cuz I'm telling you, it doesn't matter how many Supernovas you throw at Cthulu. The material realm doesn't bother them in the least."

"It doesn't have to be a hostile relationship. Our experiences with the Galactic Coalition, despite a rocky start, show we can communicate with anyone."

"Aliens and Old Ones are not comparable. Can an ant negotiate with the Moon? That's a bullshit idea and you know it."

"We found an individual who contradicts your belief."

At this statement, the young man shows Mr Drenshaw a picture of a young woman, barely out of her teens, but even through a simple image Drenshaw can see in her eyes there is... knowing.

"Okay? That your girlfriend? Good for you."

"That is Cintra Valkeim. Though it proved difficult to ascertain, we believe she made contact with Cthulu."

"Thought you didn't believe in anything. Couldn't get her to confess?"

"We're still working on the specifics, but we do know she died several times. Either by negligence or lack of interest in us 'nothings', her resurrections left marks on the cellular level."

"Nothings..." Drenshaw slowly repeated the word, as if something finally clicked.

"That is how They view us, yes?"

Mr Drenshaw finally looked back at the young man, took a deep breath and simply said:

"Yea...

Fine. I'll talk to this Cintra. Alone. After that I'll decide if it's worth a bother to help you lot."

"Those are agreeable terms. Shall I take you to her now or...?"

"Fuck no. I got a raging headache and I need a nap. Just cuz you got my curiosity don't mean this hangover is suddenly gone. Leave your number, I'll call you in a few days. Gonna do my own investigation."

"Understandable. Here are my contacts."

Mr Drenshaw takes the card, looks at it, and bemusedly puts it away.

"Fuckin' hell. Bunch of jokers you are. Alright, I'll be sure to ring you up, Mr 'John Smith'. Now get outta here, you've ruined my nap long enough.

HEY, BARKEEP! GET ME SOMETHING THAT'LL KNOCK ME RIGHT BACK TO SLEEP!"

#humans are space orcs #humans are space australians #humans are space oddities #humans are deathworlders #humanity fuck yeah #carionto #story #cthulu #it's all connected #sorta #i don't know what i'm doing #but i'm doing it #slowly and sporadically #probably inconsistently too #but whatever

[daughterofadeadman]

The Bonds That Tie:

Head cannons 18+ 18+ 18+ 18+ 18+ 18+

Bc there is literally no fucking content for this book series and I love the fucking characters so much. Some of the head cannons are horny some are just really sad. Spoilers for sure but if you don’t know what I’m talking about it might not spoil anything.

The Bonds That Tie by J Bree

Gabe

He loves the idea that everyone knows his bond wants him.

If he could get away with it he would 100% show everyone in town just how much his bond wants him iykyk

He LITERALLY asked if he could eat Oli out on the back of his motorcycle 😭😭 he doesn’t care if it’s in public

I also think he loves when Oli wants to fuck more than one of them at a time. It’s like a competition in his brain.

He wants to be the one to fuck her the best. He wants her to crave him just as he craves her.

I also think it hurt him the most when Oli disappeared. Everyone else already had some type of trauma before that but Gabe didn’t. He literally had a full on break down when he found out she was gone. Plus he was only 14 when it happened.

Gabe didn’t know what it was like NOT to be loved. Everyone loved him so why was it that his bond, the one person who would love him above all else didn’t want him? That broke him.

Atlas

It feels out of character for me that Atlas is covered in tattoos. He comes from a very wealthy family. And he is like indestructible. So I think they were a form of self harm for him.

Like he’s this self assured asshole rich kid that can do or say whatever he wants bc there will never be any consequences. Except he doesn’t think anyone really loves him.

It’s not until he understands what his mother did for him does he understand and she loved him in the only way she could.

When Oli disappeared I think it solidified in his mind that no one would ever really love him. And that’s when I think he found a way to start getting tattoos. And that shit would have to hurt like hell bc, like I said indestructible. So a little needle isn’t gonna do it.

Gryphon

Gryphon fucks. That’s not even a head cannon that’s just fucking cannon.

This man. This man I stg.

While I know Gryphon knows Oli doesn’t belong to him, I also know that when he is fucking her he wants her to forget that.

This is a man who asks her who her pussy belongs to and if she answers wrong he makes her regret it.

Also he is into her leaving marks. He wants the rest of the bond group to know just how much she likes fucking him. And he does know bc he can literally read her mind.

Plus I think when she was still living in the dorms, even though he trusted Gabe to walk her home and keep her safe, he sat out in the parking lot or hung out on the first floor with the security guard to keep her safe.

Okay not just to keep her safe he was also so fucking scared she would run away again and he couldn’t live with himself knowing she was out in the world and didn’t want him as much as he wanted her.

North

The reason North is so mean to her when she first got back is because she hurt Nox. Not because she left him. He can deal with people being mean to him, hating him, but his brother doesn’t deserve that no matter how big of an asshole he might be sometimes.

The reason he thinks she’s a gold digger is bc the only women who would look past the monster of his bond were women who wanted his money. Why would his bonded be any different?

The night they went to the dinner party together he let himself pretend that it wasn’t fake. That he could kiss her whenever he wanted to. That he could hold her hand and she wouldn’t pull away. That she wasn’t acting. That every night she could be his and love him like he couldn’t love himself. That they could be a normal bonded. But when she looked at him with hate in her eyes he was reminded that she wanted to run away again and wouldn’t tell him why. That is the reason when she asked for them to stop at a store he ignored her. If she couldn’t love him then he wouldn’t love her.

But it was so hard. He loved everything about her. He used all of his resources to find out her favorite drink and food. He had contacted every school she had ever went to, every friend she had ever made and asked countless questions in hopes of finding her when she left. If there was anything to know about Oleander Fallows, he knew it. But it didn’t help him get her back.

Nox

Nox didn’t want a bonded. After what had happened in his childhood he didn’t need one at all. He didn’t want one to mirror his parents either. Maybe if he didn’t have to share a bonded with North like his mother and her sister (North’s mother) had he could have given it a try.

But when they got the results back that his brother shared his bonded with him, his heart sunk. Would history repeat itself? Would they be doomed to the same cycle of torture?

Nox wanted to run. He wanted to get as far away from the news as he could. So when he heard that Oli had run the first thing he felt was relief. The second? Sadness. Regret. Longing. And then he settled in anger.

How dare she not want him? How dare she be bonded to him and not want him. Nox felt abandoned. He felt the terror and trauma from his childhood come creeping right back in. So he decided to hate her just like he hated his mother.

He replaced his hatred of one bonded for another.

After a few years of hating Oli and being glad she was gone, she came back. He watched as it destroyed his family once again and he decided that they would all be better if she was gone again. He wished she would just disappear. So instead of being sad that she didn’t love him, that she didn’t want him, that she didn’t care about him, he was angry. So angry he couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t eat. Couldn’t breath. That’s why he started drinking. To be drunk was to be numb. To be numb was to be safe. With her back he knew he would never be safe again.

Oleander

I think Oli’s first kiss was with Nox in the hallway after the tacteam scene and it makes me so mad for her. I hate that scene with Nox so much it made me hate him.

When Oli got away from Davies i think she made up scenarios about each of her bonds. She saw their pictures when she was in the hospital at 14 and their ages so she made up whole lives for all of them. At 16 she decided what Gifts she thought suited them best and what nicknames they might give her. She loved them so much without ever meeting them.

Oli was sure she would die without ever meeting her bonds and she was okay with that as long as it meant they would always be safe.

When she was 14 she was most excited about meeting Gabe and Atlas when she found out they were to be her bonded bc they were the same age as her. Then Nox and Gryphon because 19 isn’t that old but she wasn’t excited about meeting North because he was 24 years old. And that was just gross. What would they even have in common?

When the tacteam found her in the cafe she was excited to see her bonds for the first time but also so fucking scared she couldn’t breath. She never wanted to hurt them.

The first night in her dorm room she cried. She cried so hard she ended up passing out. She cried for all the time she wasted on the run bc what was it for if they were in danger again? She cried for her parents and she cried for herself because she could never have them. She could never love them the way she wanted to because she had to leave them again. She cried so hard and for so long she almost didn’t wake up for class. Her eyes were swollen and her nose was runny.

Oli had a diary where she wrote down all of their last names with hers just to test them out. Oleander Draven? Oleander Shore? Oleander Bassinger? Oleander Ardern? She decided that they would just have to take her last name because she was the central bond. Oleander Fallows sounded best after all.

#the bonds that tie #j bree #North Draven #Nox Draven #Gabriel Ardern #Gryphon Shore #Atlas Bassinger #head cannon #Oleander Fallows #FMMMMM #RH #reverse harem #bond #bonded #soulmates #smut #light angst #talks of trauma #tw cursing

[myangelhaven]

This is my recommendations of JISUNG fics! It will be updated once in a while for new stories I have read. Hopefully the links work (lemme know if it doesnt)

Credits to the authors!! All informations written are taken from the authors' post and has not been modified. Reminder that some fics are NOT for minors, so please read the key and avoid 18+ contents.

HAPPY READING!!

KEY:

[❀]: fluff [𖤓]: angst [☄]: sad [☾]:smut [⟡]:smau [✮]: my favs

˖⁺‧₊˚ ˚₊‧⁺˖✮-------------JISUNG--------------✮˖⁺‧₊˚ ˚₊‧⁺˖

ONESHOT

ten things han jisung says when he thinks you’re asleep by @soobnny [❀] NEW

Rule breakers by @ppiri-bahng [❀][𖤓][suggestive][pining] NEW

reader isn’t the angel everyone thinks they are

A perfect disaster by @jae-bummer [❀] NEW

Your bias confesses through text message while sitting next to you.

Red-handed by @straykeedz [❀][☾][fwb] 1.2k NEW

Han Jisung pounding into reader over the kitchen counter and getting caught by Lee Know and/or Bang Chan.

Not that innocent by @straykidshoe [❀][☾] 1.3k NEW

Seven minutes in heaven with the music major, the [by all that mattered] rumoured virgin. You assumed that you would need to teach him how to do everything- and if not that, then leave the stuffy closet needy and wet. But what happened is much different

You're still a traitor by @skzonthebrain [𖤓][☄][nonreciprocal pining][fwb] 1.4k NEW

"He broke the rule of not sleeping with anyone else, but you broke the rule of not falling for each other."

the accuracy of philosophical aphorisms by @skazoo [❀][crack][vampireau] 2.6k NEW

ok, you're tired, but you're sure those two floating, glowing, red orbs(?) are staring right at you.

Talking body by @hyungszn [❀][𖤓][ratedM][mutualpining] 2.8k NEW

The downfall of womankind (read: you) is a trim waist, tan skin, and a delectable belly button.

You Lose If You Get It First by @jinxhallows [❀][☾][idolau] 3.2k NEW

The heat by @hwanghyunjinenthusiast [❀][☾][✮][aphrodisiac] 3.6k NEW

When your roommate brings home a bag of strange cookies, you two don't think much of it. Assuming whoever sold them to him was lying about them containing an aphrodisiac. You both quickly come to realise that you were very, very incorrect.

The night we met by @jisungsjheekies [❀][𖤓][soulmateau] 3.6k NEW

Soulmate connection: born with a tattoo of the date you first meet your soulmate - Y/N’s is 22/09/19

It's a scream, BABY! by @tyunphoria [𖤓][☾][✮][ghostface] 3.7k

when you thought you finally escaped that psycho who calls himself ghostface . . . think again. he always finds you.

Lucid dream by @changbeanie [❀][𖤓][vampireau] 4.7k NEW

You keep on having the same dreams about the same person every night. What happens when the boy in your dreams is the new kid in town?

Resurrected by @changbeanie [❀][𖤓][☄][zombieapocalypseau] 4.2k

In the year 2193, humans are in threat of extinction. In order to preserve what is left of humanity, the government set up a sanctuary. However one day, you found yourself in one of the restricted areas. What will happen to you now? Are zombies really what people claim them to be?

Bad guy by @jl-micasea-fics [𖤓][☾][fwb] 4.4k

He’s the classic bad boy, the one you shouldn’t want but can’t get enough of. It’s only too late you realise, you should have listened to the words of warning from your brother.

Rebound by @yoongihan [❀][☾][✮] 5k NEW

Recently broken up with and cheated on, you decide to go to your first frat party and see what is so appealing about sex with a stranger.

Hopelessly devote by @straylightdream [❀][𖤓][☾][wolfau][f2l][mutual pining] 5.7k NEW

his life changed unexpectedly and he’s attempting to cope with the inner turmoil he faces as he accepts the beast living inside him.

Glow by @j-0ne25 [❀][☾][bff's brother][frenemies][substances] 7.3k NEW

It’s finally time to celebrate your birthday and the atmosphere is beyond belief – until your best friend’s annoying little brother shows up, having one specific plan on his to-do list: you.

Acquainted by @ch4nb4ng [❀][𖤓][☾][e2l][fwb] 7.7k

Jisung was the repulsive, totally arrogant drag racer from your area. You were the mechanic aways willing to fix his bike, but that wasn't the only interactions the two of you had shared.

The bet by @chvnnie [☾][3some] 8.2k

hyunjin and jisung make a bet. the prize? you.

On my mind by @staytheword [❀][𖤓][☾][✮][roommatesau][mutual pining] 8.6k NEW

You and Jisung are stressed over your upcoming exams. You need to clear your heads, but you can't find anything that works. That is, until Jisung suggests watching porn together.

Public display of affection by @bugeater101 [❀][𖤓][☾][✮][e2l] 8.7k

You hated Han Jisung. Despite being one of numerous students in a prestigious academy, it felt like he was the only student who challenged your intellect. And it annoyed the hell out of you. He was just as smart, just as talented, and just as competitive—but he didn’t put in a single ounce of work to get where he was. The worst thing about him? The fact that you were wildly attracted to him. 

Catfish...? By @seungminheart [☾][rockstarau] 9.2k

What is more embarrassing than matching on Tinder with a catfish pretending to be rockstar Han Jisung, number one heartthrob of the decade? Probably discovering that the catfish isn't a catfish and actually is, in fact, rockstar Han Jisung. Whoops.

Alien by @j-0ne25 [❀][𖤓][☾][chf2l][fakedatingau][alien/demonau] 10.9k NEW

Spawned at the age of thirteen—on his mission as a spy on planet earth—Jisung is made to build a bond with a human, quickly developing a tie of friendship and trust. On his 25th birthday, he is supposed to bring said creature to his home. But there’s a problem—by now, he has fallen hopelessly in love with you and there’s only one way to escape the awful mission: you need to return those hopeless feelings.

Lover, lover, set me free by @hanniiesuckle17 [❀][𖤓][✮][badboyau][bet][povswitch] 13k NEW

Jisung is one of the biggest players on campus. When Hyunjin bets him that he can’t get into the coldest girl on campus’s pants, Y/n gets unknowingly thrown into the ordeal. While doing his best, Jisung unconsciously starts to fall for this girl who means more to him that he is willing to admit to anyone- even himself. 

Volcano by @astraystayyh [❀][𖤓][✮][e2l][slowburn] 13.2k NEW

you've never gotten along with han, your mutual prejudices ruining any prospect of friendship between you both. but you slowly realize that you are more similar than what you originally thought- your darkness recognizing his, and his light yearning for yours.

"I'll take care of you. It's rotten work. Not to me, not if it's you."

SERIES

Your Lover Who Will Never Change by @thepixelelf [❀][𖤓][soulmateau] 16 parts (written)

A soulmate story told in moments.

Sunshine by @svngbins [❀][𖤓][⟡] 19 parts

y/n’s only secret is that she’s in love with her childhood best friend, jisung. the only problem? y/n’s other best friend, aerin, has a not-so-secret crush on jisung.

Don't shoot me by @staysuki [❀][𖤓][⟡][✮] 25 parts

two detectives go head to head in a battle of wits and stupidity. who wins? who loses? perhaps you both do.

Number neighbour by @softyn [❀][𖤓][⟡][fanboyau] 30 parts

Jisung has been a fan of y/n since he can remember, what will happen when y/n posts her new youtube video texting her number neighbor who turned out to be Jisung?

Friends without desire by @skzhua [❀][𖤓][⟡][exes2l] 40 parts NEW

where minho being a dumbass led to meeting him again.

⠄･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄more to come!⠄･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄

☆-------------------skz masterlist-------------------☆

#skz masterlist #han jisung x reader #skz recs #jisung recs

[eddiethedeppressing]

THIS IS ALL ABOUT ME :D🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🧚‍♀️

[Btw welcome to the blog of Chaos >:3]

I’m a minor :) so ,20+ , please go away:3

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

I’m transgender,genderfaun,bisexual? And asexual!

I use He/They/xe/bee/fae/void please use them( i mean it🤺🤺/j)

My names are : Edward ,Eddie , Felix and/or shark :D ( please use them all :3 or you could choose one ☝️:]

Btw my birthday is on the 28th Nov >:3

KIT CONNOR ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈

I’m a therian :/ and my theriotypes are : Red fox , border collie and robin !

I am mentally ill :( i have depression, ed, social anxiety, anxiety, separation anxiety, sh addiction and probably more .

🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️

I know how to skateboard ( i am absolutely shit at it ) i also have an electric guitar that I don’t know how to play :D

I am not good at school. lol

🦕

I have a GAY friend group

❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙

There is a king ruling my country ( *cough cough im British 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

C-PTSD

I hate my mum.

Rhincodon Typus 🦈🩵🩵🩵🐋

TV SHOWS I LIKE: BNA , Rick and morty , heart stopper , the owl house, gravity falls, star vs the forces of evil , HEATHERS, Bluey, Bee and Puppycat , Kipo and the age of the wonder beasts , Hilda , Helluva Boss , I am not okay with this and tadc . I am planning on watching Good Omens it’s just I don’t have time:)

🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸

Musicians/bands I like :cave town , Noah fincce, mother mother , the wallows , TX2 , girl in red , TV girl , Clairo, Alex g , cults , Good Kid , Melanie Martinez, Oscar lang ,Sum 41, Madeline Mae , AC/DC and Jack Stauber.🫧

I’m neurodivergent: I have ADHD and autism lol🧍‍♂️

The founder of bread sluts🍞🥐🥨

I REALLY like animals . I even remember some scientific names of foxes a red fox is called ‘ vulpes vulpes ‘ and an Arctic fox is called ‘ vulpes lagopus’ . Pretty cool eh?

🌈🌈🌈

I have sensory processing disorder😭😭

Sagittarius :D

I have a BILLION teddies/plushes hdjdhevgshshshsjsjsjsbsnjsjsjdjdjdnsvsgsghshsudjbckjsfwvjdodgwcsjcidggebskxjsfsgsmdj:))

I also really like flowers, I have millions of drawings and fake 3D ones . My parents don’t trust me with real flowers so they give me fake ones :|

🌱🌼🌸🌺🌹🌷🥀💐🌾🍄🍁🍂🍃🌿🌲🌳

I’m in your walls

My favourite colours are BLUE and YELLOW

OMG JAKE AND JOHNNIE AAAAAAA AND SAM AND COLBY AAAAAAAAAAAAAA ( I’m not one of Sam and colbys creepy fans like I don’t want them to fuck me , I just like their content and Humor )

PLACES I WANT TO GO: Florida , Australia, Tokyo , Paris and Germany :D🇺🇸🇦🇺🇯🇵🇫🇷🇩🇪

Please don’t be a dick.

Have a good day :D🧚🧚‍♀️🧚‍♂️

Bread slut😊

#Spotify

[dangerous-advantage]

throughout usagi yojimbo, there is this running theme of fatherhood, with usagi generally enjoying interactions with kids. if possible, he tends to seek them out (this is just as adorable as it sounds, btw)

as somebody who has long been iffy about the subject of kids/kid fics and media with a big focus on this, i'm surprised to find just how much i like sakai's exploration on the subject.

so, i've decided to delve into (a part of) why i think this works so well for me. for this, i'm focusing on UY issue #54: the return of the lone goat and kid.

(beware spoilers <3)

(caption: a cropped image of the cover of usagi yojimbo issue #54.)

within this issue, we witness the return of the lone goat and kid, betrayed samurai turned legendary assasin mercenary, with his young son, gorogoro.

i immediately liked these characters when first reading, not only because of the general badassery that they tend to exude, but also because they are very autistic-coded (/pos /lh), and gorogoro is depicted as non-verbal.

(note: he could be very young, but i'm fairly certain he just prefers not to talk, and saves his words for very specific occasions. either way, i love him a normal amount totally definitely /j.)

seeing their return was a welcome surprise, and though usagi and yagi are very autistic when interacting (/pos), usagi's soft-spot for kids plays a big part in their relationship, having saved gorogoro from falling to his death the last time they crossed paths.

even more welcome of a surprise was the plot and focus on gorogoro and usagi's relationship. i love to see usagi allowed to just... hang out with kids. you can tell he really enjoys doing it w/out the story putting a huge emphasis on that fact, which is part of why i enjoy it so much.

(the kid in question.)

now, to break this all down nice and simply, sakai's comics are generally so well done that i think you could just read the comic yourself and glean the same idea, probably in a better, more meaningful way than i can explain it.

but i've already committed, so here we go.

when we first meet gorogoro, he's being chased by a bunch of henchmen who intend to use him as bait for the capture of his father (being a very, very, very wanted man. er, goat.)

usagi stumbles upon him being threatened by one of the few other rabbits in this series and proceeds to suplex him after his hat is ruined. after that, we get the first good-parent-role-model-usagi moment:

(usagi participates in 10 out of 10 parenting/responsible adult behavior. to avoid writing this out ten million more times, i will simply be referring to this phenomenon as usagi being 'father material.')

he (re)introduced himself, puts himself in the (well-earned) position of "trustworthy adult" and then tries to figure out where tf yagi is. gorogoro, of course, does not speak, but instead of pushing him for an answer, he comes up with a conclusion and offers a solution.

usagi: "i guess you two have been seperated, huh. well, it's dangerous in these woods. there could be more of those guys around."

usagi: "there's a town not far away. your father will have an easier time finding you there."

he then invites gorogoro to come with him, saying he can escort him to the town. gorogoro seems unconvinced.

this might be the point where a lesser protagonist would try and convince/force the kid to come with them, or even manipulate them in some way (i.e. offering false promises/reassurances or just straight up lying.)

usagi, however, is not a lesser protagonist.

(several more panels of father material usagi content.)

quick side tangent: you could argue this is somewhat irresponsible, but i disagree.

usagi has met yagi and gorogoro before, and he knows that gorogoro is a smart kid. he doesn't have the full story for why gorogoro is here. for all he knows, gorogoro is on his way to meet up with his father somewhere farther on in the forest.

the point is: he doesn't try and make a decision for gorogoro or try and coax/force him into making one. he instead treats him like an equal and offers him the choice of whether to follow him or not.

when gorogoro doesn't seem to actively seek his help, he walks away, giving gorogoro full reins of his decision while also respecting an unspoken boundary that gorogoro has made.

(though, to be fair, he did assume gorogoro would follow him-- an assumption that paid off.)

("i see you decided to come along after all.")

what's important here isn't that his guess paid off, it's that he allowed gorogoro to make the decision. not to mention, he still hasn't quite figured out how to best work with gorogoro, as is showcased in the following panels:

(usagi participates in ableism /j /lh /not serious)

usagi is shown to be "good at kids." he gets along with them, and they tend to like him in turn. but that's not just an innate talent (though aptitude to kids does play a big part of it.)

he invests in positive relationships by treating children not as we often see/think of in parent-child or adult-child platonic relationships, but by treating them like equals. simply, he offers them the same respect he would offer anyone else.

which is so fucking important.

anyway, they get to the town and go to an inn inside, where usagi buys gorogoro food. once again, he exhibits king and father material attributes.

gorogoro doesn't look interested in eating the food. this is the exchange that follows:

and then:

(the 'king shit' in question)

now. let's break this down.

usagi offers food, but gorogoro is distrustful. he employs a tactic that may have worked on other children to try and convince/reassure gorogoro that eating it is fine. gorogoro is, in fact, unconvinced.

then, instead of getting irritated, or continuing to try and (unsuccessfully) convince gorogoro the food is convinced, he uses what he's observed about gorogoro/what he knows about gogoro's life to understand what he is actually saying.

he does not force him. he doesn't get annoyed. when he calls him 'weird,' it feels less like an insult and more like a neutral observation, one that he then uses to better work with/communicate with gorogoro.

('does [he] know kids or what,' indeed.)

in the space of two pages, usagi was able to figure out how to better work with gorogoro, not by changing gorogoro, but by changing his methods.

his outlook is not the one we see depicted in much of modern media-- "the parent is always right, and the child must do as they are told."

instead, it introduces a sense of respect, and therefore trust, into their dynamic. i thought i could only get something this good from roald dahl's matilda, but of course, i should've known to never doubt stan sakai /lh

this of course, isn't the end (but we are close!). a bunch of plot stuff happens, and in the search to reuinte gorogoro with his father, usagi ends up on a bridge, with enemies after gorogoro's head (and associated reward) flanking either side of it.

gorogoro, while still maintaining his distance/boundaries, shows that he trusts usagi by running behind him when threatened.

not only that, when usagi orders him to stay behind him (for reasons of protection,) he does so and continues to do so. because usagi has earned his trust, he feels comfortable entrusting usagi with his safety, where he was less comfortable doing so at the beginning.

(the bridge show-down, with the addition of usagi's killer clapback of a line. 10/10, i laughed.)

there's only one other moment i want to mention, but despite how small of a detail it is, it's what got me thinking about this whole thing.

after usagi realizes he's been flanked on either side and will need to fight his way out in order to keep gorogoro safe, this exchange happens:

one of the very first things usagi must have noticed is the silent boundary that gorogoro put up, one that he's been maintaining this entire time. he prefers space-- i.e., he would rather not be touched, at least not without permission.

in this scene, a lesser protagonist would have snatched gorogoro up by the arm, let loose some feral battle cry, and then rushed all seven henchmen using only one arm.

usagi is not a lesser protagonist.

he takes a moment, however small, to communicate his intentions to gorogoro. "i need to carry you" doubling as a silent question: can i carry you?

while he probably would have had to either way, usagi already built up trust between himself and gorogoro. so, gorogoro obliges.

and then usagi single-handedly (literally!) fights his way through seven guys.

ok, well, that's not quite true-- yagi, the 'lone goat' of the duo (more like G.O.A.T -- yes, i have been waiting for a time to make that godawful pun, and no, this is not an appropriate time, but i had to make it. you don't understand /j /nsrs) shows up on the other side pushing gorogoro's cart, and also contributes to the slaughter.

which leads to this epic, two-page panel:

(its so good ITS SO GOOD--)

after this, the story is wrapped up, the kid is returned to his goat, and usagi and the lone goat and kid go their separate ways (for now.)

as you can probably guess, this depiction of platonic child/adult relationships is very, very important to me, not only because i feel we need more of this in the general media, but also to me, specifically, as a member of the neurodivergent community.

seeing a character that i genuinely like respecting the unspoken boundaries of a nonverbal child character means a lot to me. whether he meant it to be interpreted this way or not, it really feels like we get to see an autistic character having different needs/wants and not being shamed for that by the narrative.

this is only one aspect of what makes usagi yojimbo so great, but it showcases some of the many details that sakai uses to create a well-paced, interesting, and engaging narrative.

gone are the annoying, one-dimensional kid characters and the terrible tropes that usually follow them. instead, sakai treats the children in his characters the same way that usagi treats them: as people, characters that have motivations and reasons and that deserve time and respect as well.

as i stated before, i have long shied away from kid-related stories, especially those with younger kids. but lemme tell you. UY has won me over.

i would happily pay away my livelihood to read 700 more panels with usagi toting around a 6-month-old while he talks about conspiracies with the town inspector (see: usagi yojimbo issue [blank]: [name]), or usagi letting the kid of the family he's staying with admire his blades [insert comic here.]

sakai just gets kids, and now when i'm faced with the question of: is this an example of positive parenting/guidance?, i just ask myself, "would usagi do that?"

and it answers my question.

bonus: usagi and yagi being absolutely not in any way incredibly autistic at each other during The Exchange.

(note: their smiles in that end panel make it all worth it, i think.)

#(fair warning: this is *long*) #i'm giving in to the hyperfixation #when my uy sideblog is presentable i'll rb there #for now this is fine #usagi yojimbo #uy #miyamoto usagi #usagi yojimbo analysis #usagi miyamoto analysis #uy analysis #as you can tell i am very normal about this character #long post #tw long post #analysis #undescribed #i meant to make those captions accessible but i wanted to just get this out there before i lost motivation #so i'll come back in later and add actual descriptions haha

[magicmindless]

Please please please! Taylor or chuck hcs if you havent yet <3

I’ll do Chuck another time but for now:

A HC List but it’s just Taylor

Gaymer/j

- A restless yet ambitious fellow. He likes keeping himself busy with fun events and hanging out with friends. Very extroverted

- Has ADHD and unfortunately went through the “gifted kid to burnout” phase in his life. He wasn’t diagnosed until he entered college

- Had strict parents who always expected him to do well in school and was seen as a remarkable student, but later got burnt out due to the pressure put on him

- Video games were always an escapism for him growing up. Though his free time was limited, gaming always helped him get through rough times and even make new friends

- Took care of a stray dog when he was little and called it Luigi. His parents didn’t let him have it but he secretly took care of it whenever he showed up at his house. He was an old stray so he died after a couple years. He really wants a dog but has yet to find the time to adopt one

- Had some online friends growing up. Most of them he’s lost touch with completely, but he has a select few he still talks to occasionally

- Cameo is one of his longest-lasting online friends. They friended each other in a gaming lobby in an MMO game when they were teens and later talked through other sites like Skype (or whatever it is in their world) and now they hang out irl

- Like any gamer Taylor has had his rage quitting moments. When he was younger, they were a lot tamer but only because his parents would get mad at him for being a nuisance but he lets it all out now. The worst thing he did was impailing the tv with a broom by throwing it like a javelin

- Met Chuck as his dorm mate when he was attending college as a computer science major. After they both graduated, they decided to still be roommates to save on rent

- Knows how to rollerblade and is sometimes seen doing it on the sidewalks of Tastyville. He’s pretty good at it though he’d be lying if he said he hasn’t almost been run over in the street before because of it

- He can’t be productive unless he’s listening to music. In canon his favorite music artist is DJ Honey Buster (Hugo), but he’s not that picky. He’s even a longtime follower of Simone’s Lofi channel

- Has heavy footsteps whenever he walks or runs, and they’re so loud he’s gotten noise complaints from his neighbors, so he has to have carpet all over the floors to be quieter

- Good luck trying to get through to him whenever he’s listening to music. You’ll have to yank his earbuds to snap him out of it, which he hates people doing to him

- A horrible sleeper. He gets around like 5-6 hours of sleep at most every day and is fueled by energy drinks. Chuck has to be the one to get him to sleep sometimes

- Likes to do late-night convenience store runs to get snacks and instant ramen along with Chuck. It’s just fun and the town at night is very quiet and calm… unless Dynamoe is on the loose I guess

- After college Taylor and Chuck both had their own issues to work out which did affect their friendship for some time. This included the fact that they were crushing on each other but didn’t wanna ruin their friendship

- It was a hard thing to come to terms with, but one night alone in their apartment, Taylor took initiative and confessed and now they’re dating

- Huge retro nerd who loves collecting games and consoles from the 90s and such

- He’s the one guy at the arcade going absolutely ham on Dance Dance Revolution (or stomp stomp whatever it was called) and attracting a crowd because he’s that good at it

- Once got so many tickets playing arcade games that he got a roomba from the prize booth as a joke since he didn’t know what else to do with his tickets. Though later, him and Chuck grew attached to the Roomba and named it “Sir Robert the First”, even giving it a little top hat and putting googly eyes on it

- Not a content creator, but he’s a reoccurring person in Tohru’s gaming streams. It was totally on accident, they were playing a shooting game where people were in teams and he just happened to be in Tohru’s team. They made a pretty good duo so Tohru friend requested him and now he sometimes appears in her streams whenever he has time

- Used to be pretty hardcore into roleplaying back in the day. Especially loved DnD. The classes he usually gravitated towards was the bard or the sorcerer

- Used to have a side-hustle as a game tester for indie game creators. You wouldn’t think he’d quit doing something like this, but game-testing was too structured for him (it’s more about interacting with the game in super specific ways and stuff to make sure everything works out)

#papa louie #papa louie headcanons #flipline studios #asks #anon #papa louie taylor

[magnoliabutters]

• THE DEMON’S STRONGHOLD •

pairing: eddie munson x (he/him) reader

summary: nothing beats your first day at hawkins high. you meet your guide, munson, along the journey

warnings: 18+ content, minors dni, adult language; fluff comfort, bullying, reader nicknamed "j," heavy petting, fist fight, pb&j?, slight eddie dom, disgusting cafeteria food, peer pressure, etc. 

word count: ~2.8k

reblogs to sweet boy eddie 🫣🤘🏼

• the banished ones • part one •

note: why hello there! welcome to a new series! here’s some explanations of my thought processes for this first post. we are set in around 1983/4, when eddie was a wee lad with his own dm ♥️

It’s your first day at Hawkins High. Why your family decided to move out of Chicago and into some random ass town in Indiana, you’ll never know. Let alone that they moved the summer before your senior year. Well there goes all those happy senior memories you have with your friends before graduating and never speaking with them again.

You walk through the halls of your new found school. The first thing you notice is the entire student body wearing a collection of bland colors, as if no one’s wardrobe had been updated in the past five years. You stuck out like a sore thumb - not only as the new kid, but now as a highlighter standing amongst all the pale colors.

A sigh escapes you as you accept the daunting fact that this is going to be a shit year and an even shittier couple of weeks. You continue to walk through the halls, searching for your locker. As you walk, you catch the eyes of many strangers. You watch as they makes side comments to their peers. They were always just out of earshot. Suddenly, you bump into someone.

"Dude, watch it!” the blonde boy yells, pushing you away aggressively. You look towards him in disgust. He seemed a bit too young to be the asshole of the school, yet here he is - making a scene in front of everyone. His entire crew hyping him up as they hide behind his back. “It was obviously an accident. Calm the fuck down,” you say, rolling your eyes.

As you begin to walk away from the interaction, the boy grabs onto the back of your shirt. “What the hell are you wearing?” he spits out. “You look like a lit up clydesdale!” His band of idiots laugh alongside him. You stare back at him. “And what the fuck are you supposed to look like?” you say with a monotone. The laughing quickly stopped. 

The boy walks closer to you. You keep your stance tall and strong. You have dealt with pricks like him before. He gets closer to your face and grips onto the front of your shirt. You raise your chin and look down towards him. He says in a whisper, “Don’t ever fucking talk to me like that again, bitch. Watch your bitch ass.”

He loosens the grip on your shirt suddenly. You brush off the wrinkles he left behind. He walks off with his rag tag team of douches. You instinctually say under your breath, “Bite me.” And yet, this boy must have supersonic hearing because here he is throwing a punch. 

His fist slammed into your jaw. His movement was too unexpected that you weren’t prepared to defend yourself. Your body follows along with the inertia of the punch. Your tongue immediately runs over your teeth, insuring that they were all still intact. You raise your arms up to protect your head, just in case he tried to swing again when you were down.

Before you knew it, you heard a sarcastic, condescending tone appear within the hallway. A voice you have yet to hear. “What the fuck are you doing, Jason?” the stranger says. “Get the fuck out of here, Munson,” the boy retorts. He shifts his feet towards the stranger, as opposed to you. “Unless, you’d like one too?” The stranger gave off a laugh. “You’ve made your point. We get it - you’re cool, don’t mess with you, you’re rich, don’t touch me with your poor hands, blah blah blah,” the man says sarcastically. You slowly place some distance between the boy and yourself. Your arms begin to lower and your torso begins to raise. 

You watch as the boy, Jason you’ve learned, is face to face with this stranger, Munson. You assume to show off some kind of bullshit high school dominance. You look towards the stranger but couldn’t see much with how close together they are. You could only see brown curly locks, frizzed to the sky. You note that he was wearing a white shirt with black sleeves. There was a red icon in the middle that you could not discern. At least his taste in fashion is interesting.

“Back the fuck up, boy,” Munson demands sternly and slowly. You continue to watch, alongside everyone else in the hallway. Your mind is so focused on what is going on in front of you that you barely feel the pain emanating from your jaw. Jason grinds his teeth, but backs off. Surprising, you think to yourself.

The bell begins to ring an obnoxious, high-pitched sound that almost makes you cover your ears. Jason walks through Munson, hitting his shoulder as he passes. Munson takes the hit, falling a few steps back. All you care about is that you can finally are able to look at his face.

Munson’s eyes are something of your dreams. His deep brown irises, somehow both hardened and soft. They resemble chocolate and happiness. His pale skin looked beautiful against his thick, long, dark hair and pink lips. You notice his fingers are full of rings. The top of his forearm inked with bats. 

Those eyes you’ve been staring at suddenly peer back at you. You weren’t at all prepared to make eye contact. He starts to walk your way. “Hey, you okay?” he asks with sincerity. “Yeah, I’m fine.” As you speak aloud, a wave of pain shoots through your lower cheek. You wince, reaching your hand to your jaw. “You sure?” he laughs as he asks. You grin and nod your head, “Nothing I haven’t dealt with before. I’ll be okay.” 

Munson puts his hand to your shoulder, gripping onto it. It almost hurt, but his eyes are fixed down the hallway. “I’m glad to hear it. I’ll find you around at lunch.” His eyes return to yours. He looks you up and down in a way that makes your heart skip a beat. “That really is a lot of really bright colors, dude.” He pats your shoulder once more, shaking his head with a laugh, and walks away. 

You take a deep breath. What a way to start the day, you think to yourself. You move your jaw, making sure nothing is actually damaged. It’s definitely going to hurt like hell for a bit, but it’s something you know you can bear. If you even thought of leaving now, that asshole will think he actually did something here.

Fortunately, it appears this school isn’t all bad. You got to meet this incredibly, handsome boy. You were saved by him. Although truthfully know that if he didn’t show, that Jason kid would be knocked on the floor so hard he’d be crying for his mom. Still, it was nice to be “saved” for once.

You reach into your back pocket and pull out the crumpled school schedule that the front office gave you. “Okay, so English first,” you whisper to yourself. “Room 103.” You look towards the classrooms within the hallway. They’re all littered within the 100s. You start following the hall until you reach 103.

Opening the door, you are immediately faced with the teacher and all the students in their chosen desks. One desk in the front remains unoccupied. You turn your wrist to read your watch. You note that it was barely 8:05am. What the hell? No one’s ever fucking late here?

You awkwardly raise your hand to wave, “Hello.” The teacher looks your way and waves you in. Before you are able to take a seat, the teacher squeals in that upsetting, cheerful tone, “You need to introduce yourself first! What’s your name?” You stop as though you were a deer caught in headlights. You look back at her, half of your backpack laying on the desk. One of its’ handles still wrapped around your shoulder. 

“Um, my name is y/n, but people call me J.” You continue to settle into your desk, but slow down as the teacher walks towards you. She gets excited, asking, “Why do they call you J?” You can’t help the rolling of your eyes. “They just do.” The teacher clears her throat as she rifles up her excitement once again. “And ... where are you from?”

You thin your lips, expressing annoyance throughout your face. You hear snickering from the back row. “I am from Chicago,” you say emotionless. “And why did you move to Hawkins?” The teacher asks, making her voice as exciting as possible to grasp the attention of your fellow classmates. You deadpan, watching her attempts. “Because my family moved here,” you say. She smiles and claps her hands together. “Wonderful! Nice to meet you, J. My name is Miss Barry! Today, we are going to discuss ....” She continues to speak, but you are too busy disassociating and waiting for the moment when you can go home. 

You endured three different classes before you were able to get to your lunch break. You sat through two additional introductions to the class. One teacher had you stand up in front of the class as he sat down and watched. Hawkins High is proving to be more irritating than you could have possibly imagined.

You think back to that one girl in AP Chemistry. You were so thankful for her. She was way too busy being a “know-it-all,” answering all the questions, that the teacher didn’t have the time to randomly call on you.

After 5 minutes of searching once class had ended, you are at your locker. You open it, finally being able to unload all the books you had been tirelessly carrying. You close your locker and sling your backpack over your shoulder. You unintentionally let out a sigh as you find comfort in your backpack again. 

On your voyage to find the cafeteria, you notice someone wearing a white shirt and black sleeves in the hall. You then realize the younglings behind them were also wearing it. You make it a point to analyze the shirt’s icon this time. You see a red devil with yellow ears and large horns. There’s a sword on fire and some spiked thing floating about. You see dice, but they are in a shape that you do not recognize.

You read quietly, “Hellfire Club.” The font chosen seems close to the covers of the cassettes your dad likes to play for you and your sister. Your subconscious demands your body to follow this group. You nonchalantly overhear them discussing a “campaign” that a certain “Todd” created. They were going to start it sometime this week. You note that they seem extremely excited. 

You walk through a set of double doors into a bustling cafeteria. Your hearing is overwhelmed by the many conversations occurring. You take a look at all the tables and the kids sitting in them. You see the line for the food. It is pretty long for some disgusting food. You see the cafeteria lady slopping some meat substance onto kids’ burger buns. She has no emotion within her face whatsoever. You shutter, disgusted by the food.

You begin to imagine how long that meat substance has been out. You try to guess what kind of meat is in it by its looks but you had absolutely no clue. This made you even more disgusted. You are pulled from your train of thoughts when you hear a loud, obnoxious laugh from an entire table at the other end of the room. You recognize the white and black shirts, somehow now a beacon of light in this cruel world. You notice that they are all wearing the same shirt as though it was a uniform. No originality, you make note.

You see a sudden movement from the table. Munson creates exaggerated, huge gestures to tell you to walk his way. He had spotted your clueless ass. He sits in the middle of a table with two other boys at his side. You follow his lead with a loss of appetite. The laughing begins to increase in volume. As you approach, you see Munson stand up suddenly and slam the table three times. “Hey! Hey! Hey!” he yells. The group becomes silent. You watch with wide eyes, unsure of what the hell was going on. 

“Hey guys,” he says gently. “This is my friend...” He stops with his hand extended towards you. He slowly turns your way. He whispers to you, leaning closer into your space. “Aye, what’s your name?” You whisper back, “It’s y/n, but friends call me J.”

Munson clears his throat as he nods. “This is my friend, J! He’s going to be joining us. Welcome my new friend, boys!” The group abruptly began a cheer with laughter. The man at the head of the table providing you with a firm welcomed shake. You oblige, still completely confused. 

Munson sits back down. He leans into the ear of the boy next to him. He shifts closer to the end of the bench without complaint or hesitation. The group naturally begins their own individual conversations. Munson pats the newly unoccupied bench seat beside him. You slowly walk over and take the seat.

Pulling out your water bottle, you place your backpack in between your feet. He continues to observe you, in a way that your very aware of your own movements. “No food?” Munson says, with some crumbles tumbling out of his mouth. He attempts to catch what is dropped, but he is not fast enough. “No, I don’t know how I feel about the caf food,” you say unsurely.

Munson follows your eye line towards the cafeteria line and lady. “Ooo, yeah. That’s a good call. Sometimes Miss Margery over there can be a hit or miss. And you don’t want to deal with a miss on your first day,” he says with disgust. 

You nod, agreeing with him nervously. You take a sip of your water. Munson watches you as you do. “Hey, have some of my food. My uncle Wayne makes the best PB&J’s. He adds fluff to it.” He says, handing you the other half of his sandwich. “No, no, its okay. I don’t want to take your food,” you say, putting your hands up. “I appreciate the offer.”

Munson’s eyebrow raises in suspicion. Almost as though he was offended by you denying his offer. “Do you even know what ‘fluff’ is?” You smile, confused by the intensity of his question. “Not really, but that’s not why I won’t take your food,” you answer with a laugh. “Try it,” he says sternly. Your eyebrows furrow. You’re confused why this man is trying to make you eat his fluff. “Common, try it,” he says again, lifting the sandwich closer to your hands. 

“Okay, okay,” you say, holding the sandwich. His deadpanned face immediately switching to a huge smile as he claps his hands together to get rid of his crumbs. His smile almost makes this entire awkward interaction worth it. A smile so big that it resonates throughout his face. It is something you find yourself wanting to see for the rest of your life. 

“Why do you want me to have this fluff so bad?” you ask. Munson turns towards you. “Because no one denies the fluff,” he says without affect. You look at him, even more confused. You keep your eyes on him as you take a bite. His excited eyes just watching you.

The taste of jelly rushes your mouth. You taste the crunch from the peanut butter. Then, you taste some marshmallow? But somehow this marshmallow, peanut butter, and jelly comes together to make an unexpected delicious combination of taste. Your eyes grow wide. With your mouth still full, you mutter, “What the hell?” Munson laughs, getting more excited. “It’s good, huh?” You nod slowly, still expressing confusion with a hint of wonder. 

As you take your final bite, the man leading the table slams his hands down and stands up slowly. You jump at the sound. Why does this club like to slam their hands down so much? “Alright, boys. As you know, our next campaign starts on Friday. It’s called, drum roll please,” he says as he nods towards the two sitting closest to him. They immediately drum roll their hands against the table’s surface.  “‘The Ruins of the Demon’s Stronghold,’” he announces with a loud booming voice. All the boys at the table began to snicker and express excitement.

Munson is gripping onto his friend’s shoulders and shaking him wildly. You look around at everyone’s reaction, unsure of what they are talking about. Suddenly, you hear, “Munson, you are J’s guide. You are to help him in his first campaign.” You turn towards Munson. “Wait what?” Without responding, Munson stands and nods his head. “I will make sure he is ready, Todd.” He and Todd sit down slowly. 

Todd’s demeanor quickly changes. In a higher pitched tone, he says, “I’m so excited for you guys to hear the storyline! I think I really nailed it for my last year.” The boys sitting across from him responded and snickered in encouragement and excitement. You, again, turn towards Munson. “Can you explain what the hell is going on?” He smiles, “You just joined the Hellfire Club.”

You shake your head, “Woah, woah woah. What the hell is the Hellfire Club?” Munson grins, placing a hand on top of your thigh. You look down at his hand in shock and back at him. “It’s the best thing that has ever happened to you,” he says softly. He gives your thigh a squeeze, despite having his eyes completely fixed on you. His confidence is astounding. You feel a bit of white heat flood down to your stomach. 

And just like that, the bell rung its annoying alarm again. You immediately place your bottle back into your backpack. His hand now removed from your thigh. As you raise your eyes towards Munson, “I’ll meet you at the auditorium at 6. I should have your shirt by then,” he says with a smile as he steps out of the table bench. “What shirt?” you say, but Munson was already gone. You turn towards the others, but they are deep in conversation with each other or packing up their food. 

You stand up and place your arms through your backpack. You step away from the bench, digging into your back pocket for another look at your schedule. You read that math, AP history, and science will be your last classes of the day. Then you can finally go home ... just to come back and meet Munson.

You shake your head, completely confused as to what had just happened. How did you join a club without even knowing it? Do guys normally grab onto another dude’s thigh in Hawkin’s? And how do you get him to do that again? You shake your head and sigh as you make your way down the hall to your next class.

note: more more more ♥️🥴 edited 06.12.23

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• series •

#Eddie x reader #eddie munson fanfic #eddie x male reader #eddie x male #Eddie munson #eddie munson fandom #stranger things fanfic #st fluff #stfanfic #stranger things #stsmut #eddie smut #Eddie Munson x yn #eddie munson x you #eddie the freak munson #eddie the banished #eddie the brave #lgbtqia #lgbtqplus #lgbtwriter #dnd #stdnd

[runningfrom2am]

the sea around us; pt.2 chapter three

Snowy saw no choice but to run- wondering if Rafe will ever understand that the pogues mean everything to her. JJ gets it though. JJ will always get it.

(jj maybank x f!oc)

(rafe cameron x f!oc)

warnings/tags: violence, drug/alcohol use, smoking, sexual content (if you squint), slowburn, brother’s best friend, (these tags are obv not exhaustive but regardless it’s pretty PG13)

wc: 2.6k

my masterlist

series masterlist

requests

*:･ﾟ✧*:･

It's only an hour or so before we make it to Key Largo, and Cole and Rachel are dropping us off at a gas station at the entrance to town.

"Okay, you guys stay safe out there, alright? And if you need anything let us know, okay? We only live an hour away." Rachel says with a smile as JJ helps me out of the car. "Here, I wrote down Cole's number for you guys..." She says, handing me a napkin with a number scribbled on it.

"Thank you so much, you really are too kind," I reply, putting it in my pocket.

"Thanks again!" JJ says with a wave as they pull away, before turning to me. "See? I told you we wouldn't get murdered."

I roll my eyes at him. "Oh yeah, whatever." I laugh slightly as we walk past the building and toward where we can see the beach and a dock in the distance. "Did you know pregnant women and girls are like, seventy percent more likely to be victims of that kind of shit? You upped our chances a lot."

JJ laughs. "I was just reading the room, okay? They had a car seat in the back, I knew they'd be more likely to give us a ride if they could sympathize. I wouldn't have said that to just anyone who pulled over." He explains.

"You are unbelievable." I laugh, shaking my head.

"Not to them! She was ready to set up a play date with a baby that doesn't exist." I roll my eyes a little at this. I do honestly think JJ will be a great father one day, he has issues with his dad, sure, but I know he would want nothing more than to be better than him. I need to stop thinking about this- we've got way bigger problems.

"Anyway," I say, just wanting to move on. "Getting to the Bahamas should be easy enough, but how are we going to find John B when we get there? It's not a small town, and they will be hiding."

"We'll burn that bridge when we get to it." JJ shrugs.

"That's not quite the way that goes, JJ." I say, laughing slightly.

"Well, same thing in this case."

We make it down to the harbor and see a bunch of nice boats and a few buildings, but we both immediately see a problem when there's a restaurant with some outdoor seating overlooking the water.

"Okay- okay... So here's our plan." JJ says and I can tell he's still thinking. He turns his hat and then faces me, grabbing my shoulders. "So, we're not gonna let go of this pregnancy bit. I need you to go up to that restaurant, and right before you go inside, you need to pass out. And you can't make it pretty. Make it real- then cry about the baby. Anything to get everyone over to you, all eyes on you."

I shake my head a little as I look up at him. "No, JJ, I can't do that are you kidding? How will that even help?"

"I'm going to run down and get us a boat, then drive it down that way and hide it, then I'll come back and get you." JJ explains and I keep shaking my head.

"Absolutely not, J. Don't leave me alone- we have to stick together. You said we'd stick together." JJ sighs a little at this as he moves his hands up to my cheeks. I don't know why this is freaking me out so much.

"Hey, it's okay, Snowy, this is so easy. This one thing and I'll never leave you again I promise, it'll be like five minutes, max." JJ insists, pushing my hair back behind my ears. "I'm not leaving you, I'll be back."

I nod a little bit and take a deep breath. "Okay, right, let's do this."

"That's the Snowy I know." JJ smiles. "We've got this." He pulls me closer and I wrap my arms around his waist.

He holds me until I pull away, adjusting my shorts quickly and pulling my bandana up over my head to hold my hair back. "I'll be back." JJ says, turning and walking down towards the docks, looking back at me and I give a quick wave before heading towards the restaurant.

I approach the doors slowly, stepping up onto the patio just as I see a server walking towards the door. "Hey, uhm, excuse me, can you get me some water, please? I'm not feeling all that well and, uhm.." I start and once their attention is drawn, I stumble a little like my knees are giving out, and he quickly catches me.

"Are you alright?" He asks and I shake my head a little bit. I notice now people eating are looking over.

"I- I'm pregnant, I think something is wrong, can I just get that water, please?" I ask as he slowly lets me down to the floor. He quickly runs inside and someone else is at my side. I look down at the water and see JJ taking off with a boat up towards the trees.

"We're going to call 911, okay? You're gonna be just fine sweetheart."

"No! No, I'm fine, I just need a minute I think." I shake my head, placing my hand over my stomach. "It's just this heat, I'm not used to it that's all."

"You're looking quite pale, here, take this." A woman says to me, handing me a damp towel that I assume she wet with a glass of water. She presses my cheeks with it and then holds it to my forehead just as the server comes back with a bottle of water and a couple of other employees.

"Thank you.." I mumble, trying to take deep breaths. I don't know how long I could hold them off from calling an ambulance. "I'm just not used to this heat." I laugh slightly, so they know it's not that serious.

"What's your name?" A different employee asks. I feel bad for that first server, I can tell he doesn't know what to do. He's around our age, he's just standing there watching and looking nervous.

"Summer." I tell him, taking the water bottle and taking a sip, making my hands shake slightly.

"Okay, Summer, are you with anyone? Are you here alone?" They ask me and I shake my head.

"No, no. My boyfriend is here somewhere, he was just parking I came to get us a table." I explain, looking down to see if I can still see JJ. I can't, which is a good sign.

"Okay. Alright, he'll be here soon, dear. Just stay with us." He says and I nod. "Are you from out of town?"

"New York," I answer. "We're coming to visit his mom."

"Okay, what's your boyfriend's name?"

"Jesse," I tell them, looking back down the water and seeing JJ sprinting out of the trees, and it's hard for me not to smile at that. He slows down as he gets closer, and I can see him plastering confusion onto his face. I can't even hear what everyone is saying anymore.

"Summer? Oh my god, honey are you okay?" JJ says, running up the stairs and to my side. I get butterflies in my stomach when he calls me that- or am I just sick about what happened with us? Could go either way.

I pull myself out of my stupid trance to respond. "Yeah, yeah I'm okay."

"Can we get her some bread or something? She's hardly eaten enough today." JJ says to the server and he nods, rushing back inside.

JJ puts his hand on my forehead, worry covering his face. "Oh, god, you are just burning up. I'll get you to a doctor. Can you stand up?" He asks and I nod a little. I take his hand and he helps me up, wrapping his arm back around my waist.

"Here, have some more water and we'll get you to the hospital." He insists, holding the water bottle up for me to drink out of.

The server comes out with a to-go container and JJ takes it as I grab the bottle from him. "Thank you so much for helping, I really appreciate it." He says, guiding me towards the stairs.

We head up towards the parking lot, taking a long way around to the boat. "Good job, Snow White. You should get an Oscar for that one." JJ laughs once we're out of earshot.

"Oh, thank you. You too." I laugh slightly, avoiding eye contact.

We get on the boat and JJ starts it up, steering us out of where we can't be seen from the restaurant.

"You doing okay?" JJ asks as we drive down now towards the Bahamas. "You've been quiet."

"Can we talk about something?" I ask, feeling bold apparently.

"Anything." JJ nods, taking a bite of one of the breadsticks we got at the restaurant.

"Uh, yeah, so... Sorry, I just feel weird about this." I shake my head, standing up to stretch my legs a bit.

"Relax, Snowy. It's just us." JJ smiles at me. God, the way his smile used to make me melt. I feel sick about it.

"I know... Okay, so I just want to know why you wouldn't talk about what happened with us... And don't tell me that you don't remember because I know that's bullshit." I spit out quickly, and he looks shocked but doesn't say anything at first. "I'm sorry, I know that was forever ago but I just-"

"It's okay, Snowy." JJ interrupts me. "That was not cool, I'm sorry."

"Okay, and?" I laugh slightly. "Was I really nothing to you?"

"You were never 'nothing' to me. You could never be 'nothing' to me." JJ shakes his head. "It wasn't like that- I just, you know that's how I am with that stuff."

"I know..." I sigh, taking a second to calm down a little bit. "You really hurt me, J. At that time in my life, for years, actually, you were my whole world. I loved you. I still do, it will just never be the same because of that."

JJ sighs and nods a little bit. "I never explained- that was fucked up. I'm sorry, but you have to know I never meant to hurt you. I wouldn't dream of hurting you." He says and I nod a little bit to myself, clearly, that's not true.

"You don't believe me, right." JJ says, nodding pointedly and turning back to watch where we're going. "But I swear that's true, and I know you won't get it but that's why I shut you out after that. I didn't want you to get too far involved with me in a way that could only have ended badly for all of us."

"Why would it end badly?"

"Because I'm me- Snowy. You deserve better. I know that. I couldn't do that to you. It was like the lesser of two evils. I regret it every time I look at you." JJ explains. "I'm so fucked up I couldn't suck you into that life."

I could cry. After all of that, after all the embarrassment and heartbreak I suffered at his hands, it was because he wanted to keep me out, after I was already all in. "JJ... You know I don't think that."

"That's the problem."

I take a second before I reply. "I know you don't think you're good enough to have that kind of relationship, to be happy and to be loved, but you should know I really loved you. And I know I could have helped you. I would have done anything to help you."

"Well now it's too late I guess," JJ says, and I can tell at this point he's disconnecting from the situation. "You've got your new kook boyfriend, and honestly you're better off with him now than you ever were with me. He'll treat you like shit, sure, but that money and all that gold will make it worth it, right?" He laughs, but he's obviously pissed off.

I sigh, I don't want to get into this with him. I know he'll never believe that Rafe will actually make me happy. "I think that's over now anyways, so, it doesn't matter."

"You'll crawl back to him." JJ says blankly, refusing to look at me now.

"JJ, you gave that whole schpiel literally seconds ago about wanting me to be happy and safe. You don't get to criticize how I do that after you broke my heart." I say frustratedly. "I don't want to fight- I shouldn't have brought this up."

"Did you ever consider it broke mine too?" JJ says, his voice now slightly raised. "I loved you. I still fucking love you, Snowy. I doubt I'll ever stop. I think about you all the time, I worry about you all the time. I am trying to hate you for moving on but I can't!"

"No, you're being mean..." I shake my head, feeling like I could cry. He can't dump this on me now, he had his chance.

"How am I being mean? You wanted to talk about this and I'm being honest."

"I gave you every opportunity in the world, J. It's not like my feelings for you were a secret. Don't tell me that you love me now, once I've found someone who will be honest with me." I say, trying to force back my tears. I feel worse about hurting him, but how could I have known? "I gave all of myself to you, I thought that we had something special, I thought I was different than some hookup for you and then you pushed me away and acted literally like it never happened. You took that from me. So tell me, how I was supposed to know that you loved me?"

JJ sighs, rubbing his head and killing the boat engine to turn back to me. "How could you not?" He says, gesturing towards me and stepping closer. "Everyone knows except you. You're so oblivious sometimes, seriously! Like, you're so deep in your own head that you can't see that when I say these things to you, when I literally hit on you, when I touch your hair and call you pretty and grab your hand every chance I get how could you not see that you mean everything to me? You're the most beautiful girl in the world and I beat myself up every day for having to lie to you like that."

I stare at my friend, shocked. I honestly shut it all out after we hooked up because I assumed it was all just a joke to him. I had to stop thinking about it like that so I wouldn't fall for it again. Part of me always thought he was just being cruel.

"I-I don't know, I just-" I start and JJ sighs, stepping even closer.

"Kiss me." He says, grabbing my wrist where my hand lays at my side. "Kiss me, and if you truly feel nothing I will try and let you go." JJ says, and as I stare into his blue eyes nothing else in the world exists. I already know how this will go, but I cave anyways.

I nod slightly, glancing at his lips quickly and then he's kissing me, holding onto my cheeks with his fingers in my hair. I wrap my arms around his waist and fully lean into him. In all honestly, I don't know if this feels right. Amazing- like something I've always wanted. The same way I felt when John B showed us the gold in the back of the Twinkie- when we realized we did it and our lives would be forever changed. We had won. But how did that turn out for us?

It's a painfully long time before I pull away, only to catch my breath. I look up at JJ, his cheeks are flushed, and he looks like he's waiting for something. Waiting for an answer.

I smile and I can't hold it back as I let out a giggle, making his lips turn up into a smile as well.

"Yeah?" He says, laughing slightly. I nod back, and he kisses me again.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･

ohhhh my GODDDD i love this chapter oops-

anywayyyy where my JJ girls at :))

taglist:@boo22sstuff @madelynie @username5786451@peachprairie@slut4drudy @sadfury @mutual-mendes @cecesrings (i also tagged some mutuals so message me or reply if you want to be added (or removed lol)!!)

#rafe cameron #rafe obx #obx fanfic #outer banks #obx #rafe fic #rafe cameron x oc #rafe fanfiction #jj maybank #rafe imagine #jj maybank x pogue!reader #jj obx #jj maybank fanfiction #jj maybank x oc #jj maybank x reader #obx fic

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Bengiyo Queer Cinema Syllabus

For those who are not aware, I have decided to run the gauntlet of @bengiyo’s Queer Cinema Syllabus and have officially started Unit 3: Faith and Religion. The films in Unit 3 are: But I’m a Cheerleader (2000), Prayers for Bobby (2009), Latter Days (2003), Blackbird (2014), The Wise Kids (2011), Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party (2015)

Today I will be writing about

Blackbird (2014) dir. Patrik-Ian Polk

[Run Time: 1:39, Available on: tubi, Google Play, Lang: English]

Content Warning: suicide via razor blade, reaction to family finding the body does occur on screen

Summary: A young singer struggles with his sexuality and the treatment of others while coming of age in a small Southern Baptist community. (from IMDB)

Cast: *Julian J. Walker as Randy Rousseau *Mo’Nique as Claire Rousseau, Randy’s mother *Gary LeRoi Gray as Efrem, Randy’s best friend * Isaiah Washington as Lance Rousseau, Randy’s father * Kevin Allesee as Marshall MacNeil, Randy’s eventual boyfriend

__

Alright, so I feel inspired to talk less about my own connection to this piece, as I do to talk about how this feels like the first film that truly dips in towards BL territory. Since this syllabus was designed as a warm up to BL, I think it is worth discussing how Blackbird established some of the tropes we have come to know and love-hate in BLs, especially Thai BL. 

First off, this film has a lot of singing in it. Now, that said, THIS BOY CAN SING. I do not begrudge shows for including singing, I just don’t think every single actor in GMMTV’s rolodex needs to be handed a guitar and a microphone and told to roam free. And I think it is quite rare that the BLs can actually justify the inclusion of singing, whereas here we are following a choir boy in a Southern Baptist church living in a small town. Singing church songs on your way to school seems like a perfectly reasonable and justified thing to be doing.

This in and of itself would not be enough for me to say this is the first proto-Thai BL style film I’ve seen on this list so far. 

But, if you are familiar with Bad Buddy or My School President then I need you to know that Blackbird includes…

GAY ROMEO AND JULIET 

Which, since I started at BL and am actually working my way back to it through the syllabus, is probably why I started looking at this piece as the first of the films that gave me an established foundation in the kinds of tropes that existed in (at least) Thai BL. All of which to say, Blackbird is about a boy struggling to accept his sexuality, in highschool, with his two other friends one of whom is comfortably queer, who is crushing on the straight boy who is in an essentially side-couple relationship. 

We get a kid who wants to be an actor, we get a student play, we get the main character finding someone else to fall in love with when he realizes that the boy he is crushing on cannot reciprocate, we have singing, we have guitar playing, and we have high school…with uniforms, AND A (dream sequence) GAY BOY CUDDLE PILE. 

I swear to God, there is a scene where Marshall and Randy are watching the student film that Marshall created (that started out as one story and ended up being co-opted to instead focus on Randy, rather than the actual story they had been filming [hello Lomfon and Tien in La Pluie]) that plays so similarly to the Ongsa and Soon date in Episode 1 of Absolute Zero (one of two episodes of it I watched before dropping). They are together, on a blanket, at a school function, watching a movie, with their hands slowly creeping forward. 

Like, even the films in the coming of age section had some tropes that I recognized from BL, but I don’t recall them standing out as starkly as they do here. If you follow me, then you have been suffering the consequences of my Shadow brain rot, and even in that case (where I can’t yet qualify Shadow as a BL) I was noticing potential points of connection between Blackbird and Shadow around it’s themes. [which are about religion and queerness so like…go figure. Mainly that, when Claire catches Randy making out with Marshall in front of their goddamn house where anyone can see them (another check for the BL tropes), she calls in the pastor. 

The pastor who has the following conversation with Randy: 

Randy: “You think I’m possessed?”  Paster Crandell: “I think there is something lurking in you,” 

So let me drop another coin in the shadows as queerness bucket right now. 

What is so interesting to me about this film though is that for as much as I see the overlapping tropes between it and BL, complete with the kind of thrown together ending (imo) that I’ve come to find with a number of the BLs I’ve been watching. It doesn’t read like a BL to me. 

Like, if I had seen this film before I ever watched BL, I don’t know that I would have thought about it in relation to BL. I don’t know what vibes I get from BL, but Blackbird doesn’t give me those vibes. Maybe just cause it’s not the type I’m used to, but more likely, because of the severity of the consequences for some of these kids, and the cruelty at which they are shamed. Apparently, one of the minor plotlines of Blackbird is that Randy’s sister has been missing for 6 year, and as a result of her disappearance, Randy’s mother, Claire, has gone heavily in to her religion. So where before way back before Randy was born, Claire had dared her partner, Lance to kiss a boy. Now, she blames Randy for the disappearance of his sister. It is in a heated, emotionally intense moment, but for that moment Claire is so convinced that her missing daughter and all the pain and suffering that has happened to their family as a result is punishment for Randy’s sin of being gay. (Let’s not mention suicide is a sin, and Randy’s mother is perfectly happy to float the idea of killing herself at one point). 

More likely it is because I think this film is far more focused on follow the journey of Randy’s self-acceptance, and the decisions he makes around honoring his queerness and what that means for his religion, rather than a story about a boy who meets a boy and falls in love.

For/By/About 

Gay Trifecta. 

Blackbird is based off a book of the same name written by author Larry Duplechan, who is a gay man. The director of this film Patrik Ian-Polk is a gay man, and though he had a delay in making this film that required a recast of the main character, Randy, Patrik was able to find Julian J. Walker who is also an out gay man. Fun fact about Patrik, he was the creator of Noah’s Ark which is a show I have yet to see, but Ben has put on a number of lists. So I understand why this film may have ended up on the syllabus. I feel like this film is for gays in that I think if I Knew I was queer in in 2014 and saw this movie, I would probably need to hear the “God is love” style acceptance stuff. I think it is a testament to where we are now in terms of queer content that I can debate with myself about whether or not the level of cheese that comes from the Dad being cool with his son being gay being commentary to the straight audience about how queerness should be treated. But, I don’t think that is the case here, I think this is by and large a film for Black queer kids who are balancing on the edge of self-acceptance and their relationship to religion. 

Favorite Moment 

I am gonna cheat and say that I have two, but they’re technically connected so it’s fine. 

The first is a funny moment, which is when Randy, Efrem, and Randy’s dad are sitting in the waiting room of a clinic so Efrem can get STI tests done. I loved the way that Lance tried to broach the question about whether Efrem and Randy were a couple, and I loved the random confession from his dad that he’s kissed a dude before…with tongue. Like, it feels like such a real and funny moment to me, the random “I dabbled” confessions. 

The second, and the one that is actually my favorite moment, is when Randy asks Efrem if he is okay, for probably the thor time since he has seen him being thrown around at The Hill (where the gay boys in this small town in Mississippi go to fuck). And Efrem just can’t pretend anymore, and he breaks down for a quiet moment in Lance’s truck while Randy just holds him. I love that Lance gives them time, seeing what is happening, so that the boys can have a moment to just give and receive comfort, and that (and I think in part due to how chill Lance was about queerness) Randy and Efrem can just hold hands in the truck. I love love love love when boys get to be physically affectionate without it being perceived as romantic or gay. Which I know probably sounds counterintuitive because both boys are gay (but not dating), but it’s just like, a level of comfort that I feel like Randy would normally shy away from because he has been so desperate to appear straight. 

Favorite Quote

“Are you okay?” || “I wish you would stop fucking asking me that man, I’m running out of punchlines,” 

I said this when I was watching If It’s With You but I am such a fucking sucker for any character that masks their own pain, problems, or sadness behind a bright and happy mask. I loved Amane in IIWY, I loved Koichi in Eternal Yesterday, and I loved Efrem in this. I love that he holds himself comfortably, I love that he doesn’t make a big deal at all about the everyday traumas that his friends are subject to. Which is not to say he doesn’t care, and is to say that I feel like he is able to help make The Big Things feel manageable. Randy is struggling throughout most of the movie with the fact that he keeps having Gay Wet Dreams, he’s struggling with his own sexuality, and tossing his bed shets in the washing machine always feels (to me) like he is ashamed. Randy’s mother is in a deep bout of depression because her daughter has been missing for years and Randy often has to take care of her as a result.

These are, in my mind, Big Things, and I appreciate that Efrem can just come strolling on in to the house, laugh away the soiled sheets, come chatting happily with Claire even when she’s not responsive, and ask to finish off the cereal that’s in her bowl but that he knows she isn’t going to eat. I loved that he could give Randy a private moment to hang up more photos of his missing sister, but then turn around and start wrasslin’ on their walk to school. 

But I love even more that we see these moments where things don’t go so well for him, and how it chips away

Score 

7/10

I would have probably given this an 8 because some of the acting was not great, I didn’t like the rape fake out that they did, etc. But I feel like it’s quality tanked a bit at the end when Randy’s sister is found and when we get the Life Update from Dream!Marshall at the end. I feel like it served to undermine the severity of the situations at hand. That Marshall had killed himself after Leslie had killed herself, and he was given a two minute update about what the rest of his life was going to look like. Also, I am a Southerner and there was some accent work in there that felt too fake.

#queer cinema syllabus #bengiyo's queer cinema syllabus #blackbird #blackbird the movie #blackbird (2014)

[madmaxinealt]

Tears for fears - (Jonathan Byers x reader) [+17]

photo credit: @babygirl-jonathanbyers

-I was really excited about posting for jonathan, I'm kinda sad nobody else really gives him the type of attention he deserves along with a handful of the other characters. Charlie heaton is an amazing actor and has not only proved that in Stranger things but in many other movies as well. I really hope I can portray his character as well as he does in the show. :) -

Summary: You and Jonathan had been childhood best friends though, while you were busy gushing over hawkins "King" you were blind to notice your best friends undenying and unconditional love for you.

Warnings: TW!!! !Implied Abuse!, Angst, Arguing, Jealousy,Underage drinking!!(this is like season 1 plot a couple days prior to wills disappearance so Nancy,Jonathan and reader are juniors in highschool) Comfort, Confession, Fluff. (Let me know if there is anything else that I missed please let me know!)

Also there might be a part two to this which is most likely going to be a smut, I'll link it underneath this text when I do so. :)

It was a cold rainy day at hawkins indiana, Hopper had left without me this morning which resulted in running through the town making it a bit early absolutely soaked and hair ruined as if living in a trailer park bettered my situation with the glares around town. I didn't mind the small trailer just the thin walls and Hoppers one night stands with practically every woman in town including the librarian. It sometimes made me mad that my own father has better game then I do but then again ever since Sara passing and Mom leaving shortly after I'm just happy he found something better to do rather than hiding in his office at work getting hammered. Plus it gave me more freedom to be at the Byers Residence.

The Byers home has always been a second home for me, Joyce welcoming me in with impossibly warm hugs and delicious food. Will always wanting to hang out, practically looking up to me like some kick ass cool popular kid. Which I never was 'popular' but as if I'd tell any of the little rugrats that. But then there was Jonathan, we grew up together practically he was there for everything and was always right there for me a bit more than Barb was. And even when we got older our bond has gotten a lot closer, we can sit in a room full of silence and just be happy and content.

I ran inside of the highschool going to my locker and looking for a spare t-shirt to attempt to somewhat dry my hair. This really blows seeings I finally got a hang of the hot curlers that Nancy and Mike's mom had gotten me for christmas and I really thought I could get even some type of side glace from Steve Harrington. I know the whole school was head over heels for that dumb pretty boy ever since middle school really, though ever since I started to see him around town noticing what it was like behind closed doors. His father and mother never really cared for him and felt like he wasn't enough, Hopper would sometimes take me on the job knowing there wouldn't be anything above a couple drunks and house calls. One day the call came over the radio calling for him to scope out the Harrington residence, at first I was excited then heavily nervous because what was so messed up that they sent your dad over there? When the two of us arrived I waited in the car too scared to walk up with him to the front door.

Little 10 year old Steve Harrington opened the door, his beautiful chestnut locks in an absolute mess with a tear soaked face. Later I ended up finding out his dad gets a bit handsy when he kicks back a few too many beers. Though even before then I realized that Steve wasn't as popular as I thought he was. He was just like any regular kind around hawkins just with more of a reason to not stay in his house so I guess a part of me understood why he is the way he is.

Suddenly knocking me out of my thoughts i felt two warm hands hold my shoulders.

"y/n....y/nnn.. Hellooo? you in there?"

Jonathan Byers.

I kinda smile and move the shirt away from my face, my eyes almost immediately meeting his warm chocolate eyes which causes a million butterflies to swarm your stomach.

"Yeah yeah I'm here just soaking wet." I kinda snort through my words.

He gives a small side smile as he takes the shirt from me and barely touches my skin with the shirt and just wipes off any remaining raindrops that fell from my hair.

I noticed that Jonathan takes care of me like he does his whole household like I was a part of his home. He'd pick up double shifts so that joyce doesn't have to work too much overtime. He'd cover her with a blanket if she fell asleep on the couch. If Will ever was sick he was right there to make him soup, check his temperature and run him warm baths. If I ever needed him he'd be right there for me, we'd go into his room and give me a pair of bulky headphones so I could listen to whatever disc he slid in the music player the night prior. If I ever scraped a knee he'd be there to bandage it. And whenever my parents would fight he'd be there to hold me and tell me everything is going to be okay and was there through their entire divorce like I was right there for him through his parents.

I playfully shove his hand away. "Okay you're not my mom Byers stop touching my face." I ruffle my hair and pin some bits back away from my face. which caused him to roll his eyes. After I grabbed my books for my next few classes I shut my locker door and he walked me halfway to class, Jonathan was always the shy type even when it was just me and him though he is getting a lot better about his whole loner outcast thing going on.

"Alright I'll see you later okay?" He trails off his sentence as he nudges my shoulder. There's always a longing type look in his eyes with his hellos and goodbyes but it's nothing I can really put my finger on. I give him a small nod and continue my way to my class getting comfortable in the back of the class close to the windows. My brain starts to wander off more as class goes on. I knew jonathan liked someone it's always been pretty obvious that he did though he refused to tell me who even though he knew that I liked Steve there was like no winning with this guy. Though I'm putting solid money on Nancy Wheeler, he's always had a soft spot for her even though they've never really talked unless it was absolute life or death and plus Will was best friends with Mike her little brother. Plus I saw a candid picture of her hidden in his bedside table, I wasn't snooping though. He asked me to get him extra film from his room and I just so happened to have found the photo. I couldn't ignore the pang of jealousy and hit my chest.

Nancy Fucking Wheeler.

I never had a problem with her before though when we started to talk and become friends due to both being friends with Barb, We told each other almost everything so she knew about my little crush on Steve but I guess she failed to mention that he was making passes on her the whole time then the two started dating. And now I'm terrified she's going to somehow take Jonathan as well. I mean- I don't understand why I'm worried because it's not like me and him are dating and I know I don't like him. But still the thought of her taking him away and things never being the same scared me. I felt my eyes fill up with tears, before my mind can race anymore a paper ball gets thrown at my head.

I turned around and slowly picked up the piece of paper unrolling it.

East Bathrooms. Go in 5 10 minutes.

I looked up to see Tommy with his hand wrapped loosely around Carols shoulders. I sigh though I figured why not I have nothing better to do anyways and was planning to sneak over to see the little rugrats anyways. It was definitely the highlight of your day, and even though I saw them almost everyday they still got so excited to see me. Will and Dustin would run up to me and give me a huge hug Lucas would join in after but act all cool guy about it, Mike would be a bit too shy to hug me at first unless all the little dudes weren't looking. He's always been like that though, all shy but once you place that boy in front of a d&d board and he's all of it. That usually goes for all the boys though.

-10 minutes eventually pass by-

I go up to the teachers desk and grab a bathroom pass sneaking my bookbag out of the classroom with me and I go over to the east bathrooms. I waited around for a bit until i heard footsteps coming and I ran into one of the bathroom stalls and climbed on top of the toilet bowls locking the door. The footsteps were smaller more feminine, like they were flats. If I had to guess they were Nancy's, when I was younger for my own safety Hopper taught me how to track and become more familiar with my own surroundings. I started memorizing who wore what shoes, how heavy they'd step. I start to practice more at either the Byer's or Wheeler's house just because there was more than one person at their house.

I tilt my head to look through the cracks of the door looking at the reflection in the mirror, Nancy seemed a bit nervous but not the tense kind more happy kind of nervous. Maybe she's just meeting with Barb though that doesn't make any sense seeings Carol and Tommy wanted me to come here. Soon the hurry squeak on sneakers came close to the bathroom then practically burst through the door. Steve Harrington. Her knight in shining armour, what is he even doing in here it's a girls bathroom. Oh right it's a girls bathroom so the king feels like it's his place to simply walk in and out of here if he so pleases. And trust me when I say this, he wasted no time putting his hands on her waist and pulling her into the most intense kiss I've ever seen. I look away and hold my arms to my chest, the ache in my heart and stomach tore me apart. Why couldn't I just for once stop sticking to my stupid bubble and talk to him. If I would've talked to him before then maybe I'd be the one he'd be sneaking off the bathroom with and being wrapped in his arms. I know every girl probably says this but it's not fair, everyone else suckes onto him because he is attractive. I started liking him when he gave me a bandaid for my skinned knee when I fell into the road off my skateboard across the street from his house. I was 9 and he was 10, the only reason I started trying to learn how to skateboard was because I wanted more of a reason to stay away from home more and of course I almost sprained my ankle. But he made his way over to me in the road and gave me a TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle) bandaid and a small juice box and asked if everything was okay.

That meant the world to me, that small act of kindness. OF course my only responses to him were nods or shrugs but he understood what I meant.

"I love you so much Nanc'.." Steve spoke through soft pants.

Nancy laughs softly, "I Love you too Steve.."

-THUD...THUD...THUD..-

My ears rang loudly the only thing I could hear was my heart beat, I quickly covered my mouth not being able to swallow any of my tears any more. I've been able to master the whole silent crying thing due to Hopper having super hearing, but this kinda cry was different. I'm in so much pain but not the kind i'm necessarily used to, this burns my throat as if it's a scratching post for a million cats to absolutely wreck. My stomach is twisted into a million knots then snapping all at once and repeating that cycle over and over again. My chest burns like a hot stove top. He loves her. She loves him.

After they snuck back out of the bathroom I got off the toilet and went to the sink washing my face and drying it with the shitty sandpaper towels. I look in the mirror taking deep breaths calming the redness to my face, though everything aches the boys are probably wondering where I am. I slowly creep out of the bathroom only to sneak around the halls, once I see the doors I dash out once the bell rings and run over to the middle school playground area. I hide behind the bleachers then peak out to the side spotting Dustin's dorky little sweatshirt. I quickly snuck over there and put my hands on Lucas's shoulders and yell, "Boo!" all you hear is his girly scream and the rest of the boys laughing.

"Y/N!" the boys are quick to hug me though I notice one missing.

"Hey woah wheres Mike? Did he fake sick again or what?" I say concerned and heavily worried.

They all look at eachother and will weakly speaks,"I-It was Troy again."

"Yeah! It was that stupid big mouth! Mike was only trying to get him to leave alone.. until well.." Dustin speaks.

"Until Troy decided to shove him down and he hit his head on a rock so, but he should be back soon." Lucas says scratching at the back of his head.

I stare at the three for a moment before looking around, my ears ring again and I feel pure rage. These boys are like my life line I'd do anything for them. And when someone hurts one of these little nerds of course I have to go defend them.

Will speaks, "Oh god here she goes again."

Dustin then speaks. "Should we stop her this time?"

Lucas's turn, "Uh nah this is more interesting." He waved his hands at the two.

I lock eyes on the target and charge over to him and shove him onto the ground as hard as i could only to snatch him back up again, "Listen here Anthony or what was that stupid nickname hmm.. Tony right? If I find out you messed with any of those boys again I will personally give you the biggest wedgie your tiny ass has ever received in your whole life." This wasn't the first tiny I had to threaten this kid because you know he never knows when to stop. After his whimpers and cries he nods his head which causes me to let him go and watch him scramble away. I guess it's a good thing it's the 80's and nobody could care less about parental supervision. When i finally stood up I felt arms wrap around the back of my waist, my fingers trace their wrist feeling a small familiar bead bracelet. Mike. I smile and kneel turning around, "Hey big guy." I wrap my arms around him rubbing his back, he only had a huge bruise on the left side of his forehead, I guess he fell face first or something?

I stuck around with these dorks until the dismissal bell, I wanted to limit any run in with the "King" or any of his servants or his Nancy. I held Wills hand and swung it around as we walked around the front of the school and just as Jonathan rolled up Will let go of my hand and go into the back seat as I climbed into the passenger seat completely quiet. Which of course was out of the ordinary since usually I'd climb into the car and be yelling and laughing with Will about some nonsense movie quote. Though thank god Jonathan isn't the pestering type as long as there's more than one person in the car.

Will reaches forward clicking on the radio and "Should I stay or should I go" By The Clash started to softly play. after a mile or so I relaxed into the seat falling asleep in the passenger seat being totally wrecked and drained. The scent of Jonathan's cologne definitely helped the case, I've always found it really easy to feel safe around him.

I couldn't tell you how much time passed before I found myself waking up tucked into Jonathan's bed, I look around not seeing any sign of the man himself before he walks in the room with a plate, "Oh good sleeping beauty is awake finally." I snort and rub my eyes sitting up slightly. "What time is it?" I say through a long yawn. He checks his watch, "Hmm..well its 5;30pm though it's still bright outside." I whine. My sleeping patterns have really been fucked up lately and clearly are just getting worse. He sits down at the end of the bed placing a small plate of fruits next to me, "You can sleepover if you want dinner is gonna be done in 30-ish minutes and plus I don't mind sleeping on the couch." I smile at him, he is too good for me. I pick up a strawberry chomping a chunk out of it before nodding, "Wheres Will?"

He clears his throat, "Sleepover at Mikes."

I smile widely, usually this meant sneaking a couple beers and sitting on the roof or in his room blasting music then acting completely sober by time joyce got in for the night though she's way too tired to notice our awkwardness. I climb out of the bed shoving the rest of the strawberries in my mouth and run out of the room while Jonathan groans and flops back on the bed covering his face. I search through our secret little stash in the kitchen cabinets and come back with a case. "And voila!- oh come on Byers! I had a shit day and would rather just drink with my bestest friend in the whole wide world and listen to Talking heads!" I dramatically lay my back on his chest looking up at the ceiling. I smile knowing full well that he'd only last a few minutes before giving me the victory. He grunts,"God fine just get off of me." He playfully pushes me onto the bed off of his chest. I laugh and sit criss-cross applesauce free two beers from the casing and throw one at jonathan.

After a beer and a half we are on his roof facing the woods with blankets under us as we laid back, we created a little safe spot up there a while ago so there's no chance in hell we are falling down there. The more comfortable I got the more touchy I got, craving his touch. My legs lay in his lap as my head rested on his shoulder, his arm lazily wrapped around my body supporting my back. Even when this man is drunk he still makes sure i'm the most comfortable.

He clears his throat before speaking, "LIsten I know you said you didn't want to talk about today but we are already almost two cans in and we are definitely not going to remember anything we talk about right now..though you really scared me today when I didn't see you in English even Munson was asking for you.."

I sigh and trace small shapes on his chest thinking for a moment before speaking, "Carol and Tommy were fucking with me again and threw a note at me saying to go to the east bathrooms and when I went Steve..and Nancy were there shortly after and they said they loved each other. Listen I know it's stupid and all I mean they are dating and he doesn't even know me and probably never will because you know i'm me..I'm not popular and clearly don't have the body..and I'm clearly not as smart as Wheeler." My eyes fill with tears as my brain start to race the longer he drags out the silence.

I hear his chest grumble and I look up at him, "Hm..?"

He coughs slightly, "I don't understand why you still go after that prick."

My brows furrow and I sit up taking my head off of him, "What are you talking about?"

He rolls his eyes and pulls his arm away from around me to pinch the bridge of his nose in annoyance, his whole stance changed from being relaxed to tense and overall angry. "Listen y/n it's clear that he is purposely not going to show you any ounce of attention- well sorry the kind of attention you want."

It feels like someone grabbed my chest and punched me square in the face. "You know what Jonathan you have no idea what you're talking about."

He laughs slightly, "Come on (L/n) he doesn't deserve a girl like you! All he does is use them because they're hot or would boost him in something. All so he can forget about his rich privileged problems."

Tears spill from my cheeks and burn like hot lava, there's a lump in my throat that I absolutely couldn't swallow. Jonathan was known to be very blunt and to the point with things but he never spoke upon my crush on Steve before. I slowly take my legs off of him, "Don't act like you know him because you don't and don't tell me who deserves me and who doesn't. You don't know anything about him-"

"Oh and you do? haha! God why can't you just open your eyes for once, there are good people out there for you.. clearly way better than stupid hair Harrington who would treat you how you should be treated.. which is so much better than just flat out ignoring you!"

I slapped him straight across the face then gasping slightly obviously I didn't mean to, "I..I hate you Jonathan Byers." It was a lie. I don't hate him. Maybe in the moment I did but I could never hate him. I tried to climb off the roof before he held onto my arm.

"He doesn't deserve a girl as smart.. kind and absolutely loving as you. I bet if you guys ever actually did date he'd only notice your appearances.. HE wouldn't notice how when you take your notes or even scribble you use the same red sparkly pen even though you have 30 other colors. Or how you've never been brought on a date before and you wanted to have your first date or first anything be as special or as magical as the dorky romance movies we grew up watching. Or when you're nervous or unsure about yourself you tap the tips of your toes on the ground or play with your jewellery." He sounded so confident in himself when he spoke yet he was so quiet like even though it was just us on that roof he only wanted me to hear.

I turned my head to him, he clearly wasn't done speaking but it all started to make sense now. Jonathan never had a crush on Nancy, he had a crush on me.

I opened my mouth to speak but just then we heard joyce's car roll, up on the gravel driveway. We were quick to climb down and back into Jonathan's room. I began chewing on the skin around my thumb, my mind absolutely racing of all the things he said.

Joyce calls his name and from the sound of it she was checking on dinner but before Jonathan could reach for the door I held his hand, "Byers wait-"

Once he turned to look at me without sparing an extra thought I leaned up with my other hand caressing the red mark on his cheek from before and leaning into his face hoping he'd meet me halfway and catch the hint. I needed to make sure he felt the way I think he does about me.

His eyes immediately met mine almost asking for permission in a way, I gave him a small nod and almost instantly his holds my face with both hands pressing his lips against mine. The world was put at a pause for a moment, my heart fluttered happily as my body started to melt into his. It's like my whole life I was waiting for this moment and now that it's finally happening, oh god does it feel amazing.

He slowly walked me backwards until I could feel his bed knock into my calves, he didn't break the kiss not once. And our lips danced beautifully against each other even without any music. He lays me back onto the bed all the while crawling over me still never breaking the connection between our lips. I slowly ran my fingers from his forearms all the way up to the back of his hair, running my fingers through his greasy locks. I made a mental note for later to pester him about taking a shower after dinner. Suddenly I feel his tongue slowly drag against my bottom lip, hesitantly I slightly open my mouth for him to deepen the kiss as he pleases. I felt like play-doh in his arms I honestly couldn't help it. One minute he is my childhood best friend and then the next we are making out on his bed. There's so many emotions coursing through my body right now it feels like i'm at a waterpark going down the most insane slide.

Our lips broke apart so we could have some chance to breathe Jonathan presses his forehead against mine, our noses gently bumping into each other. My lips felt so sore but I wouldn't mind kissing him until my lungs give out. His hands gently rub the apple of my cheeks and he starts to pepper soft and loving pecks from my lips, the corner of my lips, the tip of my nose, my forehead, my cheeks and slowly down my chin littering them all on my jawline then my neck. In between kisses he would say little praises like, "You're so beautiful" And other little compliments like that. I don't think i've ever felt this type of way with anyone before, I feel so full and safe with him and his little praises were sending straight butterflies to my stomach. I let out soft sighs from time to time before gently lifting Jonathans head to place a soft peck on his lips.

"You think we are gonna remember any of this in the morning?" I say quietly.

He hums softly, "I hope so..listen I know you said you hated me and all but I really don't want things to go back to how they were. I mean like you running off and chasing Steve around like a lost puppy waiting for a bone. I know it's weird..but I really want to work things out if there will ever be a me and you.. I know I can treat you so much better than he ever could. Just please think about it."

My heart ached for this boy, I gently pet his hair back away from his face and nodded agreeing with his statement.

The next morning.

I woke up pretty early after not being able to get a solid 5 hours in, I went and took a shower and threw on a change of clothes I had always kept over the Byers house just in case of emergencies. I brushed my hair looking into my reflection in the mirror. There are so many impossible things on my mind, one being I have a crush on Jonathan Byers even way before the kissing, two i remember every detail of last night's activities, three I'm so utterly terrified that if I agree to try things out with Jonathan that he's going to leave.

Slowly I creep back into the living room, Jonathan still insisted on taking the couch wanting to respect my space. I walked over and kneeled down in front of him and gently shook him, "psss.. Byers get up." He grumbles and turned around to face me, his hair was an absolute mess. I kinda giggle and run my fingers through his hair attempting to fix it. "Come on weirdo you need to shower so we can go and get your brother from Mike's." I only get a groan in response. I roll my eyes before grabbing a pillow and standing up whacking him with it which he flies up all wide eyed causing me to die laughing falling over on the ground. "Oh you're such an ass." He says tossing a pillow on my face.

After his shower I was already waiting for him in the car listening to music trying to calm my nerves, when we finally started to drive to the Wheeler's residence I finally got the courage to speak, "I want to try.." He glances over at me then back at the road, "What are you talking about?" Oh perfect he doesn't remember this will be so great for me, "Last night you wanted me to think about trying anything with you.. and well I thought about it and I do but I want things to go pretty slow if that's okay..? I mean if you really did mean what you said that is." I look over at him noticing his dorky smile that was spread across his face. "I was just playing with you of course I remembered. But are you serious about wanting to try?" I nod at him in response.

He smiles, "Well how do you feel about the movies later granted we'd be babysitting the boys but at least it wouldn't be so overwhelming for it to be just the two of us at the movie theaters." I melt smiling like an absolute dork before he turns on the radio gently tapping the steering wheel. I quickly lean forward to peck his cheek, thank you Byers.." In which in response he playfully nudges me.

Okay!! Finally finished with this fic lol, there will definitely be a part 2 sometime this month so be on the lookout for that!

#reality shifting #stranger things #shifting community #desired reality #shifting #steve harrington #eddie munson #jonathan byers #jonathan byers x reader #x reader #x y/n #stranger things fic

[showdafi]

Dear hip-hop,

Happy 50th. My earliest memories of music have to be special just for the simple fact I still remember them. E-40, EMPD, Scarface and LL cool J are some of the artists I remember my dad playing as a young kid riding shotgun in his Cadillac mobbing threw town, and altho I was just a kid and didn’t quite understand the content the energy was alive and flowing. I do remember the day it all changed. Scarface-it ain’t shit to me verse two, “man hold up/ I got too much beat in my truck! “ Boom!!!!! A hard 808 after that bar smacked the energy right into my entire body. It clicked. I herd music differently after that day and I wanted to hear more. My sister a few years older then me had already had her enlightenment because all she would watch were music videos. Until that day I never understood why she did but after that day I sat right with her taking in everything I herd and saw. She didn’t like that, in-fact I remember her saying why don’t you go play with your toys, but I didn’t care for toys anymore I wanted to hear face mob. I asked my father if he had any music I could listen to. This all happened around the 4th or 5th grade and he wasn’t about to share his spice 1 tape with me ( I had to steal those) but he did hand me a few cd’s EMPD’s greatest hits, LL cool J, cool Moe dee, Nas, a mix from his DJ friend fresh cuts (my favorite) and a Pete rock and Mc Lyte promo cd which was one song and the instrumental to that song. Just the beat. ……..to be continued.

#music #hip hop #50th anniversary #stories #reading #showdafi #rap #writer things #writers on tumblr #writing #virgo zodiac #fridayreads #writerscommunity #writers prompt #blogger #bloggers #pop #trending #Spotify

[aziraphales-library]

I would like to piggy back off the previous anon's comment and please request the classic's within the fandom 🙏

Sorry, I have no clue what previous anon ask you’re referring to. We have answered this, and other asks along the same lines, several times before. The fandom classics don’t really change, so please check out our previous responses here, here, here, here, and here!

A few, more recent, popular fics (that have been mentioned on this blog before!) that may become staple fandom classics are...

The False and the Fair by Princip1914 (E)

Growing up in the shadow of West Virginia’s Eden Mountain, Aziraphale Wright always expected to work for the family coal mining company. Anthony Crowley, the son of a down-and-out miner, was going to become a pilot and leave town forever. Now, thirty years later, neither of their lives have gone as planned, and an unexpected inheritance brings them back into one another’s orbit. Aziraphale hopes that they can move beyond their shared past, and a high school arrangement that ended in disaster, but he has secrets of his own that threaten their fragile reconnection…

Finished, July 2021.

This fic will occasionally be archive locked (I put all my E rated work behind a lock at various times due to personal reasons) but please don’t let that put you off reading it!

Old Vines by sevdrag (E)

A.Z. Fell, one of the most respected names in wine and food blogging, has been sent on assignment with his assistant Warlock Dowling to spend six months in California Wine Country. Under direction (by his boss, Gabriel) to use this experience to double his blog followers and write a novel, Aziraphale is both excited and anxious about the opportunity.

Anthony J. Crowley is the owner and viticulturalist of Ecdyses, a winery that unexpectedly fell into his lap eleven years ago when he hit rock bottom. He may be in debt, yeah, but he’s paying off his loans — and despite pressure from his lenders and their team of inspectors, Crowley has found a kind of contentment tending his little corner of terroir and producing extraordinary wine. Crowley’s old vines are the heart of his vineyard, and he’s never let anyone in.

Crowley finds Aziraphale intriguing; Aziraphale finds Crowley enthralling. Turns out a famous wine expert and an experienced viticulturalist can still learn things from each other. The summer of 2019 unfolds.

What We Make of It (Shotgun Wedding) by charlottemadison (E)

The important thing, Crowley tells himself -- the most important thing -- is Adam, his brilliant, creative, empathetic nephew. Being fourteen's hard enough; the kid didn't ask to deal with the weight of the world on top of it.

And if taking care of Adam means Crowley has to tough it out at a job he can’t stand, so be it.

And if Crowley's job means that Adam’s charming English teacher is NOT a romantic possibility, well, that's just how things go.

But the occasional drink with Aziraphale proves hard to resist. They frequent the same pub, so who can object to them saying hello? Briefly sharing a table? Perhaps a little conversation? The painful knowledge that it can’t be anything more -- not without somebody getting fired or sued or both -- well, that can't be helped.

Until Crowley stumbles onto a terribly reckless idea...

(This story was formerly titled 'Shotgun Wedding: sometimes a first date requires paperwork.' Some edits and updates to the text have been made as of Dec. 2021.)

- Mod D

#good omens #ineffable husbands #adult omens #mod d #human au #long fic #fandom favourites

[tunas-universe]

Aight so some stuff about my URS OCs :)

Tray

- INCREDIBLY nice and friendly, considered the Recon Squads “big brother” figure

- Was on the swim team in high school

- Can be a bit of a people pleaser, he isn’t very assertive

- An Ultra Beast handler, he does the work with catching and releasing Ultra Beasts and even feeds them treats!

- He TOTALLY gets to live a fufilling and happy life nothing will cut that short at all haha!

:(

Katlina

- Shy, reserved, and clumsy, yet is the team sweetheart

- Has a crush on Tray, they do end up together (for like an evening before KABLAM!!!)

- A stealth operative, however, she’s still learning the ropes and her clumsiness does not really help :(

- Comes from a rich family, and is the first Scout in it

- She changes after losing Tray, she becomes more secluded and more focused on finding who started the attack in the first place

Andrex

- A celebrity, he’s a model that is known for being on runways, pin-ups, the likes

- As a result of this, he’s pretty self centered and flamboyant at first. However, he does wish to build a relationship with his team.

- Defense Scout, he’s in charge of protecting the rest of his team from threats

- Dulse doesn’t like him initially :/ they start to warm up to each other though

- He grows more humble and giving after the incident, trying to carry on Tray’s legacy

Kasra

- From the Underground, she moved to the surface to pursue her education and dream job

- Is serious, witty, and doesn’t take shit. She has a softer side to her though, one that cares deeply about her friends.

- A Tech Person, observes her team from the sidelines and is the embodiment of behind the scenes. She calls for backup if needed, sends her team where they need to go, can see their statuses, etc.

- Saevi’s cousin

- Very close with Soliera and Katlina, is the brains to their brawn and beauty

Jacks’ Trade/ Vycas

- The “leader” of Team Vantablack after the former leaders passing (not the true one though)

- Is being manipulated HARD

- Is impulsive, an asshole, and incredibly chaotic. Trauma too :)

- Oh yeah and he’s also Dulse’s twin brother (bit of an overused plot point but you’ll see why this is relevant in a second)

- Wears a mask while leading to hide his identity from outsiders and his grunts, the mask has a Gemini symbol on the forehead (the teams whole thing is astrological signs so uh… THATS WHAT THE POINT OF THE MASK IS-/ j)

- His name is both a corruption of Vikas and has Castor, one of the Greek twin gods, incorporated in there

- A slut 👍

Diyana

- The president of the Megalopolis

- Is sweet, charming, and kind, her people love her.

- A descendant of Queen Eos, the ruler during the time period when everything went wrong

- Those who know, know

- Vycas is smitten with her, since she saved him during a very hard time in his life (not knowing her ulterior motives)

Yasmin

- Vantablack’s second in command, only rejected leadership after the former leaders death because of her past with leadership and how much she hates it

- Makes sure Vy doesn’t do anything stupid

- She also has a pretty unsavory backstory, having run away after her father died suddenly

- Her mother is still trying her damndest to find her

- Levelheaded and calm, but can be assertive when she wants to be

Saevi

- The mayor of the Underground

- Has a bad past with Diyana

- Was exiled from the Surface because of the incident mentioned above, nobody believed her about what she found

- Kasra’s cousin

- Is very well known around the town

- Can be reclusive and keeps to herself, but she cares a lot for her people and is content with what little light and what culture their area holds

Bonus! Zandr and Nadira

them with their kids :)

- Dulse and Vycas’ parents

- Incredibly smart, both were scientists working for UNIVations

- Nadira’s side of the family was larger, while Zandr has an aunt, uncle, and cousin

- Nadira was known for having an RBF, working herself to exhaustion, but was also cool and stern, she was softer around her husband and kids

- Zandr, on the other hand, was optimistic, was a problem solver, and was cheerful. He did have issues with expressing himself though and sometimes his face and tone didn’t match his feelings

- He’s also just like me fr (autism 👍)

- They both died in a freak work accident that traumatized the shit out of their twins :(

#ultra recon squad #original character #stop me please #my art #character bios

[nyarlathotep-thecrawlingchaos]

Here, have some content no one asked for!!

I got to looking through my old writing folder on my laptop, this is a short story I wrote quite a few years ago, in case anyone is interested in my original bullshit.

Horror with sci-fi elements. About 3.5k words.

No reason, just for the hell of it.

Harriet

Most residents in the lakeside mountain community of Harriet, New Hampshire, are amputees. That’s what my buddy Doug told me. This was at least a year after he initially told me he lost his legs in a car wreck when he was a kid, back when I still thought his name was Douglas J. Smith. You wouldn’t believe the shit he told me when he realized they were onto him up there. Hell, this is probably going to disappear pretty fast, too. Everything about Harriet goes up in flames sooner or later. From what I’ve heard about it, it wouldn’t surprise me if someone decided to send the town itself up in a blazing inferno one day.

Apparently the place has been quarantined for the past decade and a half, and security there is tight. I’m talking Area 51, Dugway Proving Ground tight. The airspace above it is restricted and you’re not going to find it just typing it in on Google Maps. If you’re lucky enough to find an old roadmap detailing the place, it’s not going to be in your possession for long. For all intents and purposes, Harriet, New Hampshire does not exist.

It’s not like you’d want to vacation there, anyway. Trust me.

Doug spent the last weeks I saw him gradually changing from the pretty chill double-amputee I had befriended in college a couple years earlier into some kind of paranoid freak. I tried to understand, I tried to be around for him, but he never wanted to tell me much. He told me he had been lying to me since he met me, that he had been lying to everyone. He went on to reveal that he didn’t transfer from a college up in New England, that I didn’t even know his real name. Of course, I ask him what the hell he’s on and why he isn’t sharing, but he wasn’t in the mood for joking by that point in time. He wasn’t in the mood for much of anything but locking himself away in his apartment and brooding.

The last time I heard from Doug, it was via email. I saved it to my email account and saved a copy to my external hard drive. The copy in my email account was gone when I checked it this morning, so it’s lucky I saved the back-up, because it may be the only written testament of Harriet, New Hampshire left in existence.

Some names and emails will be replaced or deleted for the sake of privacy.

#####

From: Doug <[email protected]> To: "X" <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, April 27, 2012 5:05 AM Subject: [ no subject ]

X,

You’ve been a great friend the past couple years. That’s why you came to mind first. Maybe I’m actually damning you by telling you about this, but it wouldn’t feel right leaving you in the dark. I probably won’t be here after today. You won’t ever be able to find me again, and you sure as hell shouldn’t look for me.

This is about my hometown. My real hometown. Harriet, New Hampshire. I grew up there, lived there my whole life. In fact, I never once left the town, from the age of five until the year we met. Not because I didn’t want to, no, but because I couldn’t. No one who was there at the time of the incident could. The only ones who could were babies, X. Babies. If anyone in Harriet had a kid, they’d be taken and put in foster care somewhere else almost immediately, given new names and identities. They were drug babies, or their single mother died and the father couldn’t be found, or their parents died in some horrible accident. I know, because that was my job. I came up with new identities for these babies that were being taken away from friends and neighbors I had known my whole life. I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t think they were better off never having to know about Harriet. No one needs to know about that hell.

I need to back up. It started back in the nineties. I was only five, but I remember it. It was 1994, mid-July. I was outside with my dad, stargazing. He was telling me about the constellations when he came across a star in Orion that shouldn’t have been there.

Then the star darted to Ursa Minor, next to Canis Major. It moved like you would not believe, X. It wasn’t like a shooting star. It moved with deliberation, stopping and starting, turning angles no aircraft I’ve ever heard of could manage. This had to have gone on for five minutes, this little white dot in the sky just darting back and forth overhead. By the time we realized it was slowly getting bigger, it suddenly increased in size tenfold, and we could see it was not a single light but rather a collection of lights. There was one big light, right in the middle, and six more lights surrounding it. It was still small, and those were the only distinguishable details.

There was a flash of light in front of us, had to be a few miles off from where we were. It was just a flash, didn’t last for any more than a second, and when I looked up again the small collection of lights was gone from overhead. My dad and I were out in a field behind our house, pretty far off from the house itself, and he decided then that it was time to head back.

Almost as soon as I stood up, I was knocked back down by a burst of wind. My dad only barely managed to stay on his feet. It had to have been as strong as a small tornado. The wind dispersed quickly into a gentle breeze, and my dad picked me up and carried me quickly back toward the house. Of course, once we were inside and I was safe and sound in my room, I was asking him ten thousand questions about what had just happened. He just assured me that everything was fine and told me to get some sleep. I snuck out of my room later that night and heard him and my mom discussing what had happened, and knew that everything wasn’t fine. My dad was scared. My dad. When you’re five and you think your parents are invincible, that isn’t something that settles well. I snuck back to my room and spent all night staring at the ceiling, wondering, terrified.

That was back when you could still find Harriet, NH, on a roadmap, no problem. The government is probably still in the process of confiscating older roadmaps of NH and the states in general that list the place. Maybe they’ve got all of them. I don’t know. All I did for those assholes was rename babies. Even that was too much for me.

No one can really explain what happened in Harriet after that night. Maybe some of the government officials that rolled in afterwards could explain, but those tight-lipped bastards didn’t give a damn about us. My dad and I found out that we weren’t the only people in town that had witnessed that light show in the sky, that a barn not two miles from our house had been blown to pieces in the spot that microburst originated from. You don’t even want to know what happened to the animals they were keeping there. I’m just glad I never had to see the aftermath in person. Hearing about it was enough.

Not long after, we started seeing these stones around town. They were flat, almost round but angular, and black in color with white veins, usually a thick white vein running straight down the center, all the way through. They didn’t seem unnatural, just…pretty little rocks. They were great for skipping across the reservoir. Pretty soon they were scattered all over town, and they caught the interest of geologists in colleges around New England. They were the first to be affected, working so closely and deliberately with the stones. The ones who survived were relocated to Harriet after the military came in and quarantined us.

See, most of the residents of Harriet, NH from around that point in time are amputees. The majority of those who aren’t are dead. I’m not sure if you’d consider me one of the luckier ones or not.

My best guess is that the stones were markers, that they held some kind of tracking device. I don’t know the exact details. No one really seems to understand exactly what they were. But once they were activated—that is, once they stopped being these pretty little black marble stones and became something else—they wreaked havoc on us. Maybe something those geologists did set them off, maybe they were set off remotely once they were spread out through the entire town. Whatever the trigger was, you sure as hell didn’t want to touch a single one of them afterwards. It didn’t matter if it touched your clothes or your skin. You were marked as soon as you came in contact with one.

It was maybe a month after the lights in the sky, after we first started seeing the stones, when I stepped on one playing outside one day. I felt a sharp pain shoot up to my left shoulder. Always the left shoulder. It wasn’t unbearable, a little like getting a flu shot, like a small bug was biting you, but it just didn’t go away. You’d find yourself scratching at it for hours on end, but it wasn’t that bad, not bad enough to tell Mom and Dad about and waste a trip to the doctor over. I figured it was probably just a bug bite.

Then my dad started complaining about a little pinprick in his left shoulder. Then a couple of my friends, some of their parents. It went from being a mild annoyance to an epidemic of mild annoyances, but an epidemic of anything at all is enough to draw attention. Doctors couldn’t seem to find anything at all physically wrong, and nothing abnormal showed up on the brain scans. Whatever this was, it seemed to be purely psychological. A psychological epidemic of mild shoulder pain. Nobody knew what the hell was going on.

A week later, we found out.

Out of the six to seven thousand individuals that populated the town, around nine hundred were affected. Out of the nine hundred effected, following the night of July 27, 1994, about five hundred survived, all of them with some degree of handicap. My dad and I were both among this first batch. You’ve seen me. My dad only lost one limb, his right arm. We were lucky compared to some who lost internal organs, had partial lobotomies as they slept that night. Some of them actually survived. This shit, it wasn’t done by some psychopath with a hacksaw. You saw me. No scarring. I may as well not have even been born with legs. That’s how it was for everyone; you couldn’t even tell if there was an incision made to take out the organs by the time they woke up the next morning.

The military rolled in the next day and locked us down. No one could enter, no one could leave, and there wasn’t a single news report about it. There was the occasional independent journalist who caught wind of it, thought they’d get a good story out of it. I saw a few of them get gunned down.

And you know what? It kept fucking happening. It would happen in spells. For a little while after the stones were inert again, just harmless pretty little rocks lying around everywhere. The military picked up quite a few of them, but there just seemed to be one hundred more lying around for every one they found. Then they would activate again, the shoulder pains would start in a new group of people, and about a week later, the same thing. There were fewer victims each time, since everyone was deliberately avoiding the stones, and it seemed like those of us that had already been affected weren’t susceptible anymore; but it wasn’t stopping, by no means was it stopping, and the military wasn’t going anywhere.

They started sending off kids not long after the second wave hit. Kids who couldn’t talk yet, kids who wouldn’t be old enough to remember, kids who hadn’t already been affected. Of course, I wasn’t old enough yet at that time to be of any service to the military, so I had nothing to do with them. The second wave, I was six. It was actually a few years before the next wave, but the military never left, because we couldn’t be allowed to leave the town and spread the word or, God forbid, take any of the stones anywhere else.

It was slow, it went on for years. My mom, she was so careful to avoid the stones, and that kept her safe until I was in my early teens. She wasn’t as lucky as my dad and I were. Her autopsy showed that her brain and spinal cord were gone. Just fucking gone, no signs of how they were removed, just like all the others. And I swear to God, the night it happened, I heard something in the house. Footsteps. Moving quickly, moving with some unknown purpose, down the hall. I managed to get out of bed and hurry to my door, but I was out cold the second I opened it, before I could see anything. I woke up on my bedroom floor, my door still open. I know there was someone in the house that shouldn’t have been there. I don’t know who the fuck it was, whether it was the military or someone else, something else, but something was there.

It was a few years later that I was forced into helping with security measures. Pretty much everybody of age and of sound enough mind was. They found out I had a creative streak, so they set me to writing new identities for children born in the town, so they could be sent off to orphanages and foster care with no questions asked. I hated it. I hated myself for it, friends and neighbors understood the position I was in but I knew they still resented me. They were trying to make us go extinct, getting rid of the youth and letting only the older remain and die there.

It went on for five years before I couldn’t take any more of it. It was either get the hell out of Harriet or die trying. I couldn’t bear to live in that place for any longer. I couldn’t take being their dog.

A few, very few people were allowed out of town in supply trucks, with military accompaniment. My dad was one of them. He had been in the military before I was born, navy, and he was well-trusted. He took that trust very much to heart and it took me a long time to convince him. It wasn’t until I gave him an ultimatum that he agreed to do anything, that I threatened to storm the perimeter with stolen weapons and either escape or die trying if he wasn’t willing to help me. I was desperate to get out of Harriet, even if it was in a body bag.

As it was, I wasn’t the only one that escaped. My dad got out and we decided to separate after the fact to make it harder on the field agents they deployed to find us; and there were a handful of people we gathered in secret as guerilla soldiers, who rode in the back of the truck. It took months of planning in the dark, in the basements and attics of a few different houses of a few of our makeshift militia. It was a stroke of luck that none of them panicked and reported our activities to the military, or a stroke of genius on my dad’s part. He chose everyone, and I guess having lived in Harriet his whole life he knew who was made of tough enough stuff to handle it. It was difficult, but it was manageable in the long run. We kept track of who worked what shift, who would be easiest to take out quietly and swipe weapons. My dad decided we would leave at midday in December, just before a storm was going to hit to make it harder on them to track us. It might be more difficult for us to get out, but he took the risk and it worked. He stole a uniform for me and we stuffed the pant legs and stuck boots in the bottom while I was sitting in the passenger seat; everyone else hid in the back, behind a row of supply boxes.

It went off without a hitch. When we were checked out they waved my dad on through and we drove out. We were supposed to drive five miles down the road and turn right, due north, toward a nearby army base, where supplies were waiting for us. There were two soldiers at the checkpoint. One came to my dad’s window, one to my window. He gunned his down like it was nothing, and I was sincerely afraid of him for one moment in my life. When I hesitated, Dad gunned down the soldier now reaching for his sidearm in a panic at my window, pushing me back against my seat with the long barrel of the rifle. He got out of the truck, put an extra bullet in each of their skulls just to be safe, got back in, and put the car in drive, turning silently to the left, due south.

We didn’t want to draw attention to ourselves by riding into town with a military supply truck, so we ditched it near the next town, a small city called Jasper, and we all parted ways there. That was the last time I ever saw my father or any of my neighbors from Harriet, and I always hoped it would remain that way. I guess it did after all. I guess that’s for the best. It means when they come and get me, it’ll only be me. I’m not putting any of them in danger. I know I’m probably putting you in danger right now. You need to hide, as soon as you read this, because it’s not worth trying to spread the word. Anyone who knows about Harriet is probably going to be doomed.

Someone’s knocking. I’ve got to wrap this up. If you’re going to stay out of this, you need to leave town. You were talking about leaving anyway since we’ve just graduated, so do it. Leave town. Change your name. Lose contact with everyone you know here. And for fuck’s sake, don’t you dare come looking for me.

Have a nice life,

James Douglas McMurray

#####

I didn’t heed his warning. I grabbed my laptop and ran two blocks to his apartment after I got his email and found the door hanging open, I found everything in disarray, I found his fucking wheelchair overturned in front of his computer desk and his computer smashed.

When I came back to my own apartment, it was completely trashed. They had been there. They were looking for me. I grabbed a couple bags of clothes and other essentials and found a cheap motel with wireless internet. That’s where I am right now. I don’t care if they know at this point. I want them to know where I am, because I’m going to fuck them over.

See, I disagree with Doug. I don’t think this is something that needs to be kept quiet, I think the word needs to be spread. If everyone knows it…well, the government can’t kidnap everyone, can they? I’m posting this on every forum I can find before they find me and I hope everyone who reads it will repost it. Everyone needs to know about Harriet. Doug was a great guy, best guy I knew, and the best way I can think of to immortalize him is to spread the word. Tell everyone you know about Harriet, New Hampshire. I’m doomed, I know that, but if this spreads like I hope it will then no one else will have to be, not ever again.

I want you to let these bastards know that we mean business. I want them to know that Harriet isn’t their dirty little secret anymore, that the world knows what they’ve been doing to these people. I want them to know that they have lost.

I hear knocking. I guess I only have time to post this here before I have to go greet them.

Spread the word, and remember Harriet. Remember Doug.

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 09/09/2023 (Kylie Minogue, Kenya Grace, Tion Wayne/Nines)

Content warning: Discussion of death and some sex references

Doja Cat dethrones Olivia Rodrigo at #1 on the UK Singles Chart, with “Paint the Town Red” becoming her first ever song to top the chart. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

As always, we start with the notable dropouts, which are songs exiting the UK Top 75 (that’s what I cover) after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. This week, we say farewell to “On the Radar Freestyle” by Drake and Central Cee, “FE!N” by Travis Scott featuring Playboi Carti and Sheck Wes - kind of - “Pakistan” by D-Block Europe featuring Clavish, “How Does it Feel” by Tom Grennan, “Everywhere” and “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears, “Kill Bill” by SZA, “Another Love” by Tom Odell and finally, “Riptide” by Vance Joy. And stay out.

Always infinitely more interesting are our notable gains, which this week includes “Party All the Time” by Hannah Laing and HVRR at #57, “DNA (Loving You)” by Billy Gillies featuring Hannah Boleyn at #54, “I Remember Everything” by Zach Bryan featuring Kacey Musgraves at #50, “Rave Out” by Turno, Skepsis and Charlotte Plank at #41, “Feel It” by Jazzy at #35, “Bittersweet Goodbye” by Issey Cross at #23, “Rush” by Troye Sivan at #22 thanks to a remix featuring PinkPantheress and Hyunjin of Stray Kids (it’s alright), “Asking” by MK and Sonny Fodera featuring Clementine Douglas at #14 and finally, Fred again.. and Obongjayar get their first top 10 hits as credited artists with “adore u” - even if I’m not a fan of the song, still happy for them at #9.

Our top five on this week’s UK Singles Chart is pretty standard: we have Peggy Gou’s “(It Goes Like) Nanana” at #5, “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish at #4, “vampire” at Olivia Rodrigo down to #3, “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift at #2 and of course, “Paint the Town Red” at #1. Now off to look at our interesting list of new entries.

NEW ARRIVALS

#75 - “HONEY (ARE U COMING)” - Maneskin

Produced by SLY and Rami

As soon as I saw this title, I had my concerns about this Italian rock band dipping into incredibly unsexy “I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE”-esque territory, but whilst the double entendre may still be there, the song is more about sheer adrenaline… and it goes hard as balls. I’ve never been a fan of Mr. David’s nasal delivery, but he rides the riff pretty effectively here, even going into a falsetto he can’t even really hit for the purpose of just having chaotic fun, which seems also to be the reason for the switch between a slimy sing-songy flow in the chorus and its ending screech. The riffs here are infectious, with some great subtle overdubs in the verses, and once again, Ethan Torchio on the drums does a lot to keep this song’s momentum going with a basic but propulsive drum pattern that hits heavy in the chorus and plays really well off of the nastier bass as it rattles around the mix during that post-punk-esque bridge. I do wish the final chorus had a better build up than the smash-in technique it goes for here, but this still kicks a decent amount of ass, even if it’s not all that interesting or unique for this band.

#73 - “Back on 74” - Jungle

Produced by J. Lloyd

It is incredibly painful to see a song called “Back on 74” debut at #73. So close. Anyway, Jungle are a real unique group - you could call them a soul group, an electronic music group, but I don’t think they can effectively be pigeon-holed really. They’re probably best described as a funk group active since 2013 and consistently snatching top 10 albums in the UK. It was of no surprise to see their latest, Volcano, peak at #3 there but it is a bit of a surprise to see them on the singles chart, this being their highest-peaking song in the UK Singles Chart ever and first since 2014’s “Time” which peaked all the way down at #94. I’ve yet to listen to that album yet, but this is a great cut with Lydia Kitto on lead vocals, keeping in a breathy, sometimes clipping higher register amidst a rolicking groove and cute acoustics that exemplify probably the most appealling part of this song to me: sincerity. It’s a nostalgic-feeling jam with seemingly the best intentions with each little vocal harmony, especially when the guys join in on the second verse with Kitto or provide that deep-pitched “oh-oh” doo-wop lines during the chorus. Kitto has some really flailing vocal riffs here too, poking out of the mix kind of desperately in a way that reflects that mantra of “let it go!” The warm synth keys, almost reminding me of Tyler the Creator in how they replicate what would be a brass instrument in an older song, come in later and really seal the deal for me, trickling down until… the song just kind of ends, abruptly, and slightly disappointedly. We do return for a soulful acoustic outro consisting mostly of vaguely psychedelic improv, but it doesn’t feel like a substantial conclusion to a song with so much drive. Otherwise, I mean, it’s still a good ride to hop on, just could have found a better destination. I would be surprised if this stick around too but, hey, I wouldn’t be complaining - it’s rare that something like this ends up even this high.

#72 - “Miillion Dollar Bill” - Beyond Chicago, Majestic and Alex Mills

Produced by Beyond Chicago and Majestic

This is a bit of a deep cut, guys! For context, “Million Dollar Bill” is a throwback-sounding disco and funk track by the legend Whitney Houston herself, released in 2009 and produced by Alicia Keys and her husband Swizz Beatz, yet somehow not ending up sounding in any way modern. This is probably a good thing for Whitney, as her performance here and the instrumental she’s on has never felt perfectly right to me; she still had the pipes in 2009 obviously, but she approached the song in a way that didn’t feel as youthful as it should, as proven by Alicia Keys’ fresh-faced backing vocals that kind of just make me wish she kept the song for herself. It’s also just kind of a boring song, with very little up its sleeves other than relying on sheer belting prowess from its lead star. Regardless, as the lead single from her final album, it still peaked at #5 in the UK, and is clearly remembered enough for a remix by UK DJs Beyond Chicago and Majestic, who you may know from his remix of Boney M.’s “Rasputin” which peaked at #11 just a few years ago. Now on one hand, this song does what the song should have always done, increased the punch of the percussion and picked the pace up a bit. On the other hand, we no longer have the iconic Whitney Houston and are stuck with the completely serviceable - most of the time - Alex Mills, who covers the song without the subtlety that Whitney inherently brought at times in that original version. That’s mostly a good thing when it comes to the incessant French house flip that this song has, still maintaining a replicated version of some of the original, more organic percussion for the pre-drop but going all-out elsewhere on basically digitising this single. I’m still pretty torn on it - it makes the song what it was probably written as, with little regard to who it was written by or for. It slaps harder but less interestingly, it’s got more vocal leap but less personality. It’s structurally completely fine so it’ll function in a club, and I guess that’s this song’s only real purpose so I’m sure it can be a fully ignorable version of a pretty uncommonly-brought-up single from the tail end of a legend’s career.

#65 - “I KNOW ?” - Travis Scott

Produced by OZ, Coleman, Travis Scott, Buddy Ross and BBYKOBE

When listening to UTOPIA, this song may have been the track that exemplified just how much I was bored and frustrated by Travis, as this entire song seems like an exercise in testing patience. It’s plopped right in the middle of the album, between the mysterious Beyoncé-featuring “DELRESTO (ECHOES)”, an aimless, wandering lecture on how to lose all momentum, and the album’s attempt at a grimy banger, “TOPIA TWINS”, so the link between the two complete opposites kind of needs to be substantial, or smooth or at least effectively transitional. This is a piano-led stodge with distorted and time-stretched samples placed in and out as haphazardly as possible to connote “experimentation”. This could potentially fit into a hypnotising, drugged-out atmosphere as Travis has often fell into before but the layers of synth aren’t there, the vocal samples cut in and out, including his own ad-libs which are mixed interruptingly loud, and he has twenty girls sucking him “like bisons”. Regardless, the mindless repetition is enough to make this a catchy song, and hence a fan favourite that has lasted way longer than I expected in terms of its streaming traction. It’s not offensively bad like many other cuts on that album, or even all that frustratingly boring like the rest of it given its shorter runtime, but it’s still just about as worthless.

#53 - “Demons” - Doja Cat

Produced by d.a. got that dope

This series has for the most part always been “all about the music, man”, even if I do often get political or make off-hand comments about scandals. The one thing I tend to avoid - half because I just don’t care enough and half because it accentuates that musical focus - is the music video for a song. I will rarely ever watch a video for a song, genuinely, and this hurts several songs that I end up reviewing. This was a bigger deal from the mid-2010s and earlier, dating back to the 1980s, where videos were a big event that often came with the song to create cultural phenomena, but it’s not like we’ve had a “Thriller”-level match of phenomenon single and cinematic video since, well, maybe “This is America”? Music videos are a lot less important it feels nowadays, at least in the Anglosphere, and I bring this up because the video for “Demons” seems like it was made completely in conjunction with the song. Doja’s teeth-grinding yelps aren’t as villainous without the cloned pitch-black devils echoing them, the trap metal beat from d.a. got that dope of all people doesn’t blast as well without the knowledge that it’s the endless soundtrack to this helpless woman and her kids trying to escape the demonic creatures, and Doja’s sing-songy cadence sounds childlike without the condescending looks and that typewriter scene that practically explains why the second verse’s flow is so awkward. I’m not a music video reviewer though, I review songs and yes, surprise, surprise, I still like this. The horror movie strings are immediately punctuated by a shoddily-mastered bass and maniacal laughter from Doja, who cuts off her own gasping-for-air ad-libs with creepy empty space that is even more noticeable when the stiff beat seems like it should be doing more to cover her minimal, nursery rhyme verses. I’ll admit that the hook gets a bit stale, but the sarcastic pettiness and gross sex bars in that second verse increase the theatrics in a very typically unsubtle way that ensures this won’t fade from memory anytime soon. I’m dying on a very risky hill here, but hey, if Baby Keem needed to be a woman rapping over slasher film soundtracks all this time for me to like him (her?), then Doja found the formula before he could get to it.

#46 - “Last Time I Saw You” - Nicki Minaj

Produced by Hendrix Smoke, ATL Jacob, Bak, Frankie Bash and TooDope

The Queen of Rap is back with her sequel to her debut, Pink Friday and just like the original, there are sugary tacked-on pop singles. This particular one is a bit of a new lane for Nicki though, considering it’s a slow synthpop jam, held together by a ringtone lead synth and some of the worst straw-sounding drums I’ve ever heard on this kind of production backing a harder backbeat that actually functions, perhaps a bit more than Nicki’s mush-mouth singing that is still quite limited, even if it’s far from a bad performance, and coated in enough reverb and Auto-Tune to drown out many of the flaws. In fact, this restrained, kind of muted singing fits pretty well for a song about regretting being not as close as she could in a relationship before it ended. The rap verse may not really take the restraint angle, and it’s not exactly a good verse for Nicki’s standards, but it functions basically as a guest-rap verse on her own song, which is a cute decision, and doesn’t distract much from the song’s flow. In fact, on repeated listens, I began to really like this. Content-wise, the song is just vague enough to reflect any relationship, but does make it clear that it’s not purely romantic, and makes some leads toward it being about her late father, with her struggling to complete the sentence “I killed it”, which resonates with me particularly because there’s always a sense of guilt and loss that you weren’t the perfect person for someone when that person close to you dies, and being as closed-off as Nicki as in this performance, not really wanting to talk about it, was my instinctual reaction too when my father passed. The bridge is what really sold me on this though, with that speck of ambiance amidst all the backing vocal layers, a distant electric guitar signifying his death, before Nicki observes the stars in a nostalgic interpolation of Madonna’s “Lucky Star”, naming her father as the first star she notices in the sky that night. Then the vocal and synth layers continue to pile up, repeating mantras of sentences, whilst the drums transfix into this jerky Jersey club rhythm that never fully comes to a conclusion, just fading into a drumless chorus that is honestly pretty beautiful, especially with what sounds like a subtle male backing vocal harmonising with Nicki on the first line of that final hook. I… may have just talked myself into loving this one. I’ve got to stop doing that.

#43 - “AMEN” - Tion Wayne and Nines

Produced by Smokey.jam and GUSTO

The two grit-voiced UK rappers team up for a collaboration that makes all too much sense and yes, whilst it is mostly a Tion Wayne song with a Nines guest verse, Nines still must have injected some fury in Tion here considering how he comes in with a lot of violence here, making his typical pop culture potpourri of references just that more fun. He’s over a pretty nasty beat too, blending shuffling boom bap drums with an eerie acoustic loop and some gorgeous female vocals standing airily in the back of the chorus. The call-and-response with the choir in the chorus is a brilliant choice to make this song anthemic, and to my surprise, Nines doesn’t really mess it up either. He comes in as sloppy and conversational as he’s always been, but his lowkey basically-just-talking flow is a nice respite from Tion’s aggression and he occasionally sounds smooth even. As a whole piece, this may not be perfect - it’s not exactly the most potent either have been - but it’s a great pumping rap banger outside of the trap and drill subgenres, which I feel like we’ve been missing lately. Hell, if this whole G-Unit revival sound in the UK is going to bring songs like this, I can’t be too upset at Digga D for helping start that.

#20 - “Strangers” - Kenya Grace

Produced by Kenya Grace

This one kind of came out of nowhere, especially for a top 20 hit, but this is Kenya Grace, a singer from London with just a few songs out as of writing, and this is her massive breakout hit, “Strangers”, which I see as a more futuristic and cinematic version of what PinkPantheress has been doing, replacing her more vintage-sounding samples with a plastic 80s synth and ominous vocal loops, whilst keeping the rhythmic, wistful delivery. Sadly, the chorus really doesn’t hit here, as it’s just two extended, kind of awkward lines with that “uh-huh” mantra filling in the blanks. Interestingly, just like PinkPantheress, the song feels unfinished, but in a completely different way, not that there’s a great song that just needs a proper emotional climax, but in that this song feels like a template for what could be a brilliant track, and never gets there, which is especially annoying since it uses the momentum of a drum and bass track to propel itself, which makes it incredibly unsatisfying when nothing aligns together as it should. It’s a good effort but I’m more hoping for a more realised follow-up than listening to this one anytime soon.

#19 - “Tension” - Kylie Minogue

Produced by Duck Blackwell and Richard “Biff” Stannard

And from a singer who was a practical unknown until recently to perhaps the most established and no-introduction-needed artist in this list. The second single and title track from her upcoming album, is “Tension” going to live up to the big comeback of “Padam Padam”? Well, perhaps it won’t be a similar phenom, but it applies a similar formula with the robotic repetition and bordering-on-cringeworthy lyrics amidst a slightly bubblier production than the last single, going for a 90s piano house lead and very fizzy synth bass plucks following every angle of the mix, even in the intensely-filtered pre-chorus which is practically a call-and-response, but with Kylie’s heavily affected cooing that eventually transforms into this completely unrecognisable glitched fabric mixed sloppily onto a slap house rhythm as the bass dominates the mix until what is practically a drop-within-a-drop, that brings in a freaking sick bass guitar line and releases a lot of airier synth soundscapes. The second verse has some fantastic choir-like backing vocal layers, and the rest of the song’s progression just continues to overwhelm in a way that seems set to establish Kylie’s sexual and pop culture dominance. As she’s basically a mystical figure in pop at this point, this new practically alien futuristic house sound that’s minimal in idea, maximum in execution, is a sound I really love for her. It actually brings her into the modern pop scene a lot smoother than you’d think, because it incorporates elements of her existing stage and media persona. This is great - silly, but not bordering on stupid like “Padam Padam” - instead, it’s just fantasical and out of this world in a really gripping way.

Conclusion

What a good week. There are only three songs of nine I wasn’t a fan of and even then, they’re far from terrible. Travis Scott does end up with Worst of the Week for “I KNOW ?”, but a Dishonourable Mention isn’t needed. Instead, how about two Honourable Mentions for “Back on 74” by Jungle and “Last Time I Saw You” by Nicki Minaj which was very close but does mean that Best of the Week goes to Kylie Minogue for “Tension”. There was a lot of good stuff this week though; I’ve yet to listen to Olivia Rodrigo’s newest but I hope she brings some of that same quality next week. As for now, thank you for reading, rest in peace to Steve Harwell and I’ll see you then!

#uk singles chart #tion wayne #nines #kylie minogue #kenya grace #song review