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starryse · 3 years

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Stranger From The Café

13 Days of SVT Christmas- Day 2

Joshua x Reader

Christmas au, fluff, slight angst in the beginning, no warnings

3.4k

They say Christmas is the most magical time of year. The snow falling acts as a beautiful scenery for pictures with your loved ones, Christmas dinners allow you to spend time with family and friends, and the music and gifts all symbols of the love you have for each other. Christmas is the one day a year where you forget everything, all your struggles and worries are out the window as you spend time with the ones you love.

Unfortunately for you, you weren’t one of those lucky souls.

“Y-you’re breaking up with me?”

“I’m sorry, y/n. Things were just getting boring between us. Besides, Haesul is-“

The tears threatening to spill suddenly haulted at that. Your eyes snapping up to stare at the man in front of you, “Haesul? The same girl who you said was just a friend?”

Your now ex shifted in his seat, eyes drifting to look outside the window instead of at you. His hands fiddled with the spoon in his empty bowl, the metal clinking against the glass. Oh, you understood now.

You folded your arms against your chest. “She was never just a friend, was she?” The man bit his lip, shaking his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but God forbid would you sit here and listen to anymore of his lies.

“Just leave, Seojoon. You don’t have anything to explain to me, we broke up, remember?” And at that, the raven haired man stood up, slipping his jacket over his shoulders, leaving without a single trace but the couples bracelet you two wore that now sat on the café table.

You let out a shaky sigh, propping your arms on the table, hiding your face in your hands. You sat there for a solid 10 minutes, soaking in what just happened. Your boyfriend, of 2 years, broke up with you over a woman he claimed was just a friend. The day before Christmas for Gods sake. You groaned into your hands, probably receiving weird looks from the customers around you. Not that you cared, the only thing on your mind was the prick you unfortunately spent two long years- time you can’t get back.

Sure he wasn’t the best boyfriend, let alone man, but he at least made you feel wanted. When you were stressed from work or class, he always found a way to take your mind off it- need be it was typically through going clubbing (something you weren’t fond of but did it anyways). You couldn’t say you’ll miss him as your boyfriend, but you’ll miss the feeling of having someone. Your own person who you know will love you and be there for you through anything. Now who do you have?

You weren’t ready to go home, then you’d face the reality of the fact you’ll be spending Christmas alone this year. Your family lived in the states and your friends were too busy with their own significant others. Not that you need a new partner or even just a one night stand, but you could use somebody to be free with, to be happy and careless all at the same time.

“Hi, do you mind if I sit here? You seemed pretty glum and I’m kind of by myself too, haha”

You lifted your head, hair falling in front of your eyes. Moving your hair away from your face, your vision cleared to see a good-looking, young man in front of you. He resembled a cat the way his eyes were sharp and looking into your own. Though his smile had a whole different vibe, his teeth looking like that of a rabbit. Your heart started beating just a little faster at the looks of the man, he truly was someone you would fall in love with at first sight.

Finally clicking that he asked you a question, you quickly formed incoherent words, “u-uhm yeah go ahead.” Really y/n? Smooth.

The mans smile widened, his head nodding in appreciation as he moved to sit in front of you. The male leaned forward, sitting just a little closer to you instead of leaving an awkward space. You quickly reached across the table, moving the dirty bowl and silverware that sat in front of him. He seemed pleased, offering a quiet thank you.

“I’m Joshua! But you can call me Josh, or Shua”

You smiled for the first time since you had been left alone in the café, “I’m y/n”. Joshua grinned, eyes crinkling at the corners. Cute. “Nice to meet you, y/n. I’m sorry I just kind of shoved my way over here”. You waved your hand out, the smile not leaving your face, “no it’s okay, truth be told I was kind of alone too” Joshua’s smile faltered a bit, his head tilting to the side a bit, “may I ask why? You don’t have to tell me of course!”

Meh fuck it.

“Myyy boyfriend, well now ex, just dumped me. Like 10 minutes before you got here” you weakly smiled, though it probably looked a little frightening in his pov. His eyes widened, his mouth opening then closing, “oh shit, wow, I’m so sorry y/n. That’s kind of a dick move of him to do it right before Christmas” Joshua swore at himself, seriously Josh? Way to overstep your boundaries.

You laughed, agreeing with the boy. “It was a dick move, huh? And the worst part-“ Josh leaned it, a huh leaving his lips, “it was because of a bitch he swore was just his friend” The raven haired man oohed, his face wincing at your words.

“What a classic douchebag move, wow. I’m sure he doesn’t deserve you, y/n. You seem like a great person” you blushed at that, face heating up at his remark. Stuttering over your words, you went with just smiling and looking away towards the waitress who was coming your way.

The blonde woman stood in front of your table, asking if there was anything she could get you or the cheesy man in front of you.

“What are your best Christmas drinks right now?”

The waitress pondered, looking at her notepad, “well we have peppermint egg nog, those are pretty good if you’re into mint. We also have double chocolate hot chocolate, which is basically chocolate milk hot cocoa instead of white milk”

Joshua took notice of the way your eyes lit up when she said chocolate, smoothly telling the waitress he’d like two double hot chocolates. You glanced at Josh in confusion, “two?” The male nodded his head, folding his arms in front of him.

“Mhm. I saw your face when she brought up chocolate, so I went on a whim and figured you’d like one too”

Is this an angel Gods sent your way in remorse of the way your poor, sad excuse of life has turned out?

The double hot chocolate was now your favorite drink, you ending up drinking both yours and Josh’s (he didn’t like the sweetness). The sun had started setting, meaning the café was going to be closing soon. The last 2 hours were spent bullshitting with the newfound friend in front of you, your mind completely forgetting the fact you had been dumped and Christmas was indeed tomorrow.

Josh kept you distracted, his witty jokes making you laugh and forget all your problems, all while his pretty face kept your attention on him. You could say you definitely weren’t ready to leave the café. Leave Josh. Do you ask him for his number? Is that creepy? I mean you’ve only known him for 2 hours, he’s still a stranger, and you were always told stranger danger. But damn, if every stranger looked and acted like Joshua, then danger was your middle name.

“This might be a little weird, but could I have your number? I swear I’m not trying to have sex with you, I know you’re literally just going through a breakup.”

Oh, well that solves that problem.

You laughed, already passing your phone to the stuttering man. He thanked you, sending you a message to let you know it’s him. Your phone dinged, signifying you for his text.

From: stranger from café

This is Josh! :)

You smiled at his choice of name, mumbling a cute to yourself. Unbeknownst to you, the smug male in front of you heard the comment, his cheeks turning a shade of pink.

That night after you had returned back to your quaint apartment downtown, you quickly shot Josh a text. Eagerly waiting for his response, you distracted yourself by making your favorite Christmas dish in the meantime.

The sound of your phone dinging in the living room caused you to stop in your tracks. You quickly tossed the oven kits on the counter and ran to check your phone. Why were you so excited, you just met him today?? Huffing, you unlocked your phone, your gaze immediately landing upon your text messages. His contact name popped up, following with a line of messages he responded with. You read through the messages, your eyes bulging at the last one:

From: stranger from café

Would you wanna spend Christmas with me and my friends tomorrow?

Your heart started beating fast, fingers quickly typing an

“Id love to” in response.

You were ready to get no sleep tonight.

Morning came faster than you anticipated, not that you could complain- it was Christmas! Though more importantly, you get to spend it with the cute stranger you met at the café.

You raise yourself from the comforts of your bed, vision still blurry from sleep. Normally you’d stay in bed, wake up whenever Seojoon decides he wants to be up, and do nothing but sleep and watch movies all day- not the most extravagant way to spend Christmas. Today was a change of pace, and whether the urge to vomit was excitement or nervousness you’ll never know. You yawned, stretching your arms over your head, before standing up out of bed and beginning to get ready.

After the process of fixing yourself up enough to not look like a gremlin, you were finally on your way to Joshua’s house. Your palms were sweaty as you knocked on his door, nerves running through your body. “Just be cool, y/n. He’s just a cute guy you met at the café and just happen to maybe think it was love at first sight, no biggie. Confidence bitch, confidence!”

“Did you just call yourself a bitch?” Your head popped up at the sudden voice, eyes locking with said cute guy. You chuckled nervously, muttering a no. Joshua ignored your nervousness, laughing instead and inviting you inside.

As soon as you entered the apartment, your nose was immediately met with the smell of honey glazed ham and freshly made bread. You followed Josh to where you were assuming is the kitchen, eyes mindlessly lookijg around his place. “Mingyu, this is y/n!” You softly smiled, waving at the tall brunette in front of you.

Mingyu walked over, wiping his hands on the apron he wore around his waist,

“Hi I’m Mingyu! I mean you kinda already know that cause he already said it, haha” you giggled, responding with an it’s okay as he smiled at you. You looked behind Mingyu, seeing the cause of the strong food smell when you entered. Your eyes widened, mouth opening just a tad, “holy shit, did you make all this?”

Mingyu‘a cheeks grew pink, eyes twinkling in happiness as he nodded his head in confirmation. You stood in awe, there must have been food to feed at least 20 people here, how did one man make all this? You looked back at the blushing man who’s hands were behind his back as he swayed side to side, “wow I can’t wait to try everything, it looks really good, Mingyu!”

Mingyu’s chest puffed, his cheeks becoming even redder than before. Oh my God he’s like a puppy, you thought.

“Josh I love her already, please keep her around”

Now you were the blushing fool, thanking Mingyu. Meanwhile Josh stood there watching the exchange, happy to see his friends were getting along. He smiled at Mingyus comment, “that’s the plan, Gyu”.

Josh continued to show you around his place, introducing you to his friends along the way. It was then you later realized why Mingyu had made so much food. Each of the boys seemed insanely sweet, some hyper and loud, but sweet nonetheless. You understood why Josh was friends with them, you would be too.

The two of you had made you way to the living room with everyone else, making small talk (or in this case loud talk because holy shit, 13 guys in one room is chaos) with the boys. You had gained a liking towards the youngest, maybe it’s because you were closer in age, but he was probably your favorite so far- other than the cute man-puppy you met earlier, of course.

“Let’s play a game!” The one you presumed to be Seungkwan suddenly announced, moving to stand on his knees.

Agreements were heard around the room, including you and Joshua. Seungkwan began to explain the rules to the best of his ability, separating everyone into teams of 2. Lucky for you, you really hoped at least because your competitiveness was no joke, you were paired with the raven haired boy.

The point of the game was simple: you and your partner were to complete each mission successfully, all while trying to be the first to complete it. Whoever finishes first the most amount of times, wins the game.

Let the games begin

“Oh my God again??!”

You fell to the ground hand cupping your mouth, tears threatening to spill as Joshua stood on the other side of you, laughing his ass off at his members' yell of frustration.

“I mean seriously people?! This is the 4th game you’ve won in a row!!” Chan’s cries were as loud as the music blasting over the tv’s speakers, his body crouched on the ground while his hands ruffled his dirty blonde hair in frustration.

You grabbed the towel on the table next to you, wiping the vaseline from your face as you stood up.

“Okay I think we have a clear winner- team cat eyes wins!” Seungkwans announcement caused you and Josh to scream victory, arms clinging around one another as you jump around. The rest of the boys watched, sourness from losing etched over their faces- especially the poor maknae who was currently having a mental breakdown on the plush carpeting.

Josh unwrapped his arms from your shoulders, stepping back to stand by your side. You could feel the sweat drip down the back of your neck, body completely exhausted from the last 2 hours of playing against the 13 competitive boys. The stickiness of the Vaseline was still evident on your cheeks, the makeup you had thrown on in the morning completely melted off. You patted Joshua’s shoulder, him turning his head to look at you, “where’s the bathroom? I’ve gotta get this Vaseline off”

“Ah it’s right down the hall, I’ll show you!”

Joshua smiled, heavy breaths leaving his mouth as he guided you. He flicked on the switch, the overhead light lighting up the bathroom with a soft orange glow. You thanked him, sitting on the counter as went to grab you a towel.

“Here ya go” he passed you the towel, going to sit on the bathtub next to the sink. You ran the towel under the faucet before beginning to wipe away the gunk that was sticky on your skin. Josh tapped his fingers on the tub, propping his feet against the side, “the guys love you”

You glanced over at him in the mirror, rinsing the towel before continuing to wipe your face, “what can I say, guess I’m loveable” Joshua laughed, his face scrunching up forming whisker-like lines next to his nose. “I can’t say I disagree.”

Your face was warm, and not just from the constant rubbing of the harsh towel. Joshua’s words had no intent other than pure friendliness- you knew this; but you couldn’t help the pink that spread against your cheeks. You suddenly forget that you’ve know the boy on the tub for a short 24 hours, your brain already working so many future scenarios that involve him.

You simply shook your head, a soft smile appearing on your face. You placed the now dirty towel next to the sink, turning to face Josh. “Ready to re-join the circus?” The man snorted, nodding his head, as you both exited the bathroom.

It was nearing midnight, meaning your Christmas festivities were coming to an end. The boys had left about an hour ago, leaving just you and Josh.

The sky was a dark grey, the streetlights highlighting the area with specs of white as the final Christmas snow fell. The coat Josh let you borrow was keeping you warm, but the boy currently huddled against your side made you content. Your hands were covered in a thin pair of white gloves, a to-go cup of cocoa from the same café you met Josh at currently being coddled in between your hands.

You looked over at Joshua, his face settled in a small smile as he watched the cars below pass by. His fringe was sprawled flat against his forehead, the cream colored beanie he wore covering the rest. You scooted closer against the male, his head turning down to look at you. Your head nuzzled against his shoulder, face being squished against his puffy coat.

“I’m really glad you came, y/n”

Joshua’s voice was gentle, his own gloved hands reaching up from its previous spot behind your back, fingers lightly moving your hair behind your ear. His hand cupped your cheek, constellation filled eyes looking into your own, “Would you hold it against me if I kissed you right now?”

You leaned forward, softly placing your lips against Joshua’s. Your noses pressed together as he moved his lips back against your own, soft breaths slipping through the small gaps. Your lips slowly detached, a thin layer of saliva the only thing keeping them together as you rested your forehead against his. “I think that was an answer, what do you think?”

Joshua smiled, “I think I’m gonna need a more solid yes or no”

“Oh yeah?” You grinned back, your lips already going to press on his own, his hands pressing against the small of your back. He pulled back, a soft pop sounding in the air from the disappearance of your lips against his.

“Ah see now I understand, thanks for clarifying”

You laughed, head leaning back while Joshua watched, his own laughs leaving his throat. A sudden gust of wind blew across the rooftop, your hair flying against your face. Joshua shivered, hands pulling you up from your spot as he stood up, “Wanna head inside? I have a soft bed and warm clothes with your name on it.”

“Does the soft bed come with a cute, shivering boy?”

Josh snorted, kissing your forehead before tugging you along with him towards the rooftop door, “the cute shivering boy goes wherever his adorable, shaking girl is”

True to his word, the change of clothes Josh let you wear were indeed warm. The clothes smelt of light cologne, the old UCLA sweatshirt long against your body, sleeves falling to the middle of your palm.

You currently sat against his beds headboard, Santa Clause playing on his tv. Layers of fuzzy blankets were covering your lower body, pillows propped against your back. The Christmas lights you found in the corner of his closet were currently strung against his walls, you insisting that you put them up.

The sounds of the movie were faded in the background, yours and Joshua’s laughter much louder in comparison. Pieces of cheddar popcorn were scattered on the bed and floor due to the failed attempts of tossing them into each other’s mouths.

“I think-“ you laughed, “I think this is the most amount of fun I’ve had on Christmas ever- actually scratch that, that I’ve ever had in general”

Joshua smiled, his hand pulling you tighter against him, “and I think I have to agree”

#kpop #seventeen #svt #carat #seventeen fluff #Christmas #13 days of svt christmas #seventeen angst #seventeen scenarios #seventeen fanfics #seventeen drabbles #Joshua Hong #joshua fluff #joshua drabble #Joshua au #svt au #joshua x reader #literature #café

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teenage-mutant-ninja-freak · 4 years

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Lividity

Mob boss! Donatello x fem! reader

Summary: After a long night drinking you get approached by a shifty stranger who asks you if you want any work doing things below the law. It’s only after you agree that you realise exactly what you signed up for. You are captured by the turtles and tortured by Donatello himself for information.

Warnings: torture (graphic), NSFW, Stockholm syndrome, alcohol mention, mentions of murder, blood, gore

((A/N I’ve never written anything like this before so it’s a first for me. Just another warning, if you don’t like blood and gore, don’t read this))

It was a Friday night in up town New York and you were sat drinking and bitching to the bar tender at your local place- The Crown and Thistle. It was a smoking bar so a heavy fog hung above the heads of those who were reveling and dancing, simply celebrating life in that dimly lit bar. You couldn’t, however. Your last 30 bucks had been spent on the 5 beers sitting before you and you had to admit that you were beginning to feel it, your head felt like it was doing somersaults without your body’s permission and you could tell you were swaying side to side.

“It’s not fucking easy to keep a job, you know what I mean, Jack?”

“It’s Josh” the bartender curtly replied

“Whatever. I just mean, if I wanted some 9-to-5 bullshit that just further stuffs me into this capitalist system that only values me for my labour and doesn’t even want to give me a fair wage, I would go and work for my father but, that’s no life!”

Your conversation had picked up the attention of the man sitting next to you, he leaned in a little to catch what you were saying better.

“And I’m not a 9-to-5 kinda gal’, you feel me?” you slur to Josh who had long since stopped listening

The man at your side places a tequila shot in front of you, he had messy black hair and was wearing an expensive looking leather jacket with studs on the shoulders. He looked like he meant business.

“So, you’re looking for work I hear”

“What’s it to you?” you hiccup

He smiles at you making eye contact and gestured for you to take the shot sat before you.

“Let’s just say I know something that pays well and shouldn’t be too hard for a pretty girl like yourself. I get the feeling that a girl like you must be good at getting into places she’s not supposed to be”

With that, he explained his proposal; you were to seduce the Turtle boys who were a infamous mob family in upper New York, considered some of the most suave and dangerous men in the city, and retrieve whatever information you could back to him. He never gave you a name, only a time and location to meet as well as your first half of 3 grand. ‘Easy money’ you thought

Their house was disgustingly exquisite, they had a courtyard, rose thickets lining the driveway, as many cars as you could count, 3 swimming pools, hand crafted Venetian statues who’s eyes seemed to follow you around. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to go renegade and decide to break in instead of following the creepy guy at the bar’s advice, but you were no whore and you weren’t going to let him pimp you out to 4 turtles just for some information. You would find it your own way. Besides, you resented them. Crime only ever got you a night in a cell or flirting with a cop to get out of it, for them it was a lavish lifestyle. Of course, the turtles weren’t criminals in the eyes of the law, no, to the cops these boys just ran a luxurious hotel empire which supplied them with riches beyond anyone’s imagination. What was going on behind the scenes was another story, however. Guns, drugs, women... You name it and they sold it to every gang member in New York.

You got down on all fours and crawled along the side of the house when you saw a light on in one of the rooms and kept crawling until you found and open window.

“Idiots” you muttered to yourself

shimmying your hips and climbing through the window you land surprisingly delicately for someone as drunk as you are on the other side in what appears to be an office. There were filing cabinets and a desk with 3 computer screens and a monitor on it. You began your work, rifling through the drawers and files to find anything that looked like it could be useful. The room smelt of cigar smoke and Gucci men’s cologne which was a shockingly manly and desirable scent. With no luck finding a paper trail you decided to try your luck at the computer. You weren’t a stranger to hacking and so you figured this couldn’t be too difficult if they were dumb enough to leave a window open it’s hardly like they would encrypt their technology, right?

That’s when you heard it, footsteps coming down the hall quietly but fast. Someone obviously didn’t want you to catch on that they knew you were there. You hid behind the desk and covered your mouth with your hand to steady your breathing, maybe if you just stayed still they would walk in and go away. The door flung open and you could hear footsteps walk slowly over to the desk where you were hidden. ‘Shit’ you thought. A dry laugh echoed through the room before, in a flash, you were pulled off your feet by your hair and were hanging in mid air, face to face with Michelangelo. He was grinning at you, the sick bastard.

“Found ya’“ he mocked.

He dragged you out of the room by your hair, kicking and screaming the entire time he pulled you through the halls of their vast mansion until he reached the living room where his brothers sat around drinking and smoking.

“I found a new toy, Donnie!” he practically trilled.

The one in purple didn’t look too impressed, he just kind of stared through you with a blank expression that was hard to pinpoint what was going on behind those eyes.

“It’s a shame, she’s pretty” he finally said

“For now” Mikey corrected.

And that was how you ended up here, tied to a wooden x that was nailed up to the wall, half naked and bleeding at the mercy of the one and only Donatello mutant turtle.

You try and thrash your arms as he ties you down, there’s no way he’s getting you without a fight but it’s no use, the bonds are fixed around each of your limbs and you are well and truly stuck.

“There’s no use struggling” He states blankly “these are Tautline Hitch knots, the more you pull, the tighter they get.”

Great, so now you were getting a lesson from a boy scout as well, who the fuck knows about knots? You pull at them anyway but he’s right, they simply get tighter and the rope stings your delicate flesh turning it a burning red colour from its roughness. You make a sound of discomfort and Donatello simply looks right through you.

He turns his back, for a moment, to sort out some things on a table that’s in the corner of the room. You take this time to get a good look around. The floor and walls are all lined with plastic white tarps and certain chains dangle miscellaneously from the ceiling. ‘You’re fucked. This is a torture room and Dexter over there is going to fuck you up 5 ways from Sunday’ you think to yourself. Some more clanging comes from the corner as he pulls a meat cleaver out of the bag and places it on the plastic wrapped table. You gulp.

You watch the muscles on his back as he lifts heavy chains from another bag and places them on the floor next to him, he’s quite the specimen. Tall, around 6′7 and he’s lean but muscular as all hell. His shirt can barely contain his biceps and his thighs are just to die for. ‘You can’t can’t be thinking about this now’ you snap yourself out of it but still watch him because you can’t help it.

Eventually he turns back around and is holding a pair of pliers in his left hand and a large hunting knife in his right.

“Now, I think I know what you’re going to pick, but I figured I would ask anyway. Do you want to tell me who you’re working for and what they sent you here to do? Or do you want to get hurt?” there’s a chilling coolness to his tone. Not a single sign of stress or anxiety that he was going to have to hurt you, if anything, he seemed almost bored.

You owed nothing to the foot clan but that wasn’t why you kept your mouth shut. This was obviously a trick, everyone knew what happened to traitors when the Turtle boys got their hands on them and you had a chance of making it out of here alive if you could work a little charm on him.

“Where would be the fun in that?” you reply

He tilts his head to one side as if in thought and then continues towards you, knife in hand. He drops the pliers at your feet and brandishes the knife, making a slit along the seems of your black skinny jeans and t shirt in order to remove them. Now, just in your bra and underwear, you felt deeply exposed but, in a very strange way that you were almost ashamed to admit to yourself, you liked the power play here.

“If you wanted me naked all you had to do was ask nicely. I would’ve done it for a handsome guy like you”

Donatello gives you a wry smile before taking one step back and then lunging forwards fist first to punch you in the face. His fist connects with your jaw and you can hear your teeth scrape against each other in your mouth from the force of it. He has a solid right hook, you’ll give him that. It takes a moment for you to come back to reality but once you do, you look him dead in the eyes and spit blood into his face. This produces a genuine smile from him, one that screams “I love it when they put up a fight”.

He wipes the bloody spit from his cheek and takes a few more steps closer to you until you’re almost nose to nose and he places the blade of the knife of the knife at the base of your neck. He drags it down slowly and you can feel it scrape into your collar bone as he pulls it closer to your sternum, you mewl in pain. This wasn’t the worst thing you’d ever experienced but it certainly hurt. Thick droplets of blood begin to roll down your chest and soak into the material of your bra, turning it from a beige to a muddy red colour in patches. Donnie retreats to he table and picks up a container of something white. He picks it up with his hand and rubs it into the cut on your chest. ‘Salt’ you quickly realise and it stings like hell you make a “Gah” sound of pain and he doesn’t flinch, he simply returns the container to the table and picks up the pliers he left at your feet.

Donatello takes one moment to remove his blazer and roll up the sleeves of his shirt, he commands a lot of authority with this action and you watch intently.

“Why not just take it off completely, I wouldn’t any to get blood on that lovely shirt of yours” you tease.

He looks up at you with no expression but you think you can see a hint of amusement in his eyes. He sets upon you again and pins your nose shut forcing you to open your mouth to breathe, that’s when you feel him slide the pliers in and get them gripped around one of your lower back molars. You scream out in pain as he shakes the pliers side to side to leverage out your tooth, your mouth filling with a coppery taste you know all too well was blood. You try to bite down to stop him but the metal of the pliers won’t allow you to close your mouth at all and before you know it the tooth has some loose and he’s ripping it from between your lips.

He stands back and looks at the tooth with a sense of accomplishment.

“Tell me who sent you” he commands once again

“Look” you begin “As much as I’m enjoying our time together....” a thin bead of blood slips from your mouth and drips down past your chin “you know I can’t tell ya’ that. No matter how handsome you are or how much you hurt me”

“Hmmm” he replies simply.

Donatello walks forwards and places one hand under your chin to lift your head up to look at him

“You’ll tell me eventually, sweetheart” He places a chaste kiss on your lips and when he pulls away you can see you’ve left a small drop of blood on his mouth which he just licks away without another thought.

He continues his work for what feels like forever but the clock in the corner of the room tells you was only 3 hours. Pulling off your fingernails, cutting you, taking a few more teeth and all the while rubbing salt into the wounds. You were in agony and hung your head down with exhaustion.

Lifting you by the hair, Donnie holds your head up to look at him once again and with his other hand caresses the tear stained skin of your cheek with so much tenderness you almost feel like he’s going soft on you but know that’s not possible. He looks into your eyes and the corner of his mouth lifts up into a half smile.

“We’ll continue this tomorrow” he says

“Bored of me already? Amateur” you stutter out through heavy lips. He had really fucked you up in your short time together.

He places a lingering kiss on your lips which you return before pulling away abruptly and leaving the room. ‘How the fuck am I gonna live through this?’

_____________

It’s early the next morning, at least, you assume it’s early as Donatello walks in yawning and stretching with that just showered smell to him. You had barely slept, being tied to a giant wooden x that was upright on a wall didn’t make for comfortable sleeping but you still smile brightly as he walks in the room.

“Morin’ handsome” you chirp. He may have broken your body but you were never going to let him defeat your spirit. That was your one form of rebellion against him, your positive attitude.

He approaches you and begins to stroke your hair, his head tilted to the side a little to get a better look at you. You know you look like shit, your face must be puffy and swollen from the teeth he took out, your eyes are bloodshot and you’re caked in blood and sweat; there’s no way you look cute right now. None the less, he smiles at you and gives you a gentle kiss on your temple before turning away. Still with his back to you he says

“You know, we can end all of this now if you just tell me who sent you”

You snort in response, “And miss out on this horror film experience? Never”

“As you wish, I do like it when my toys have a sense of humour. It’s usually the first thing to go when when I start cutting”

You wince when he says this but he doesn’t see, luckily. You know you’re in for a world of pain but his company is... Strangely comforting. You don’t like that you enjoy having him around.

He turns back to you holding a knife and you huff. He approaches and places the knife in your mouth with the blade touching the skin of your cheek.

“Tell me who you work for and why they sent you” He demands again

You say nothing and he rips the blade from your mouth, splitting open your cheek in the process. It’s agony and you would clutch your face if your hands weren’t tied down. You didn’t understand how all this blood couldn’t make him queezy, You aren’t a pussy but the metallic smell alone was overwhelming. Blood pours down your face and chest and you begin to cry in pain. Donnie leaves the room for a moment and comes back with a bucket full of water and a plastic bag.

He places the bag over your head and you struggle to breathe a little, that is, until he begins to pour the water over the bag and you can’t breathe at all. It feels like your drowning and you begin to panic, shaking your head from side to side in order to get away from it but it’s not use. He takes off the bag and sticks your head down into the cold water where you splutter and gurgle. He lifts your head and out and looks at you.

“Tell me who sent you and what they wanted”

“You know, waterboarding has been illegal since 2009. You’re a very bad boy” you say breathlessly.

He responds by shoving your head back into the water where it overflows and turns a red colour from the blood pouring from your face.His grip on you is too strong and you can’t get your head out for air. That’s when everything goes dark.

When you wake again, Donnie is stitching up your face with expert precision.

“Why” you manage to get out

“Can’t have you dying of blood loss before you tell us what we need to know” he states in a matter of fact way.

The stitches don’t hurt as much as the actual wound but it’s still not pleasant. He places a hand on your opposite cheek and looks deeply into your eyes. His eyes are beautiful, golden coloured with thin black rings around the pupil. You get lost in them for a moment before returning to reality. Using his thumb, he rubs it up and down your cheek like a lover comforting you would and you sigh at his affection.

He leans in and kisses your wet lips so gently that your heart almost melts. These mixed signals he’s sending you are messing with your head. You start to get that feeling that maybe he does like you, but this is something that he just has to do to protect him and his family. ‘That makes sense, right? I mean, what wouldn’t you do for family?’ He takes a step back

“We could end this all right now if you just talk”

“But then I wouldn’t get to see that gorgeous face anymore” you splutter

Reaching out, he runs his hand down your chest between your breasts and over the cuts on your stomach until he reaches the hem of your panties.

“This what you want?” he asks

“Yes” you reply

He turns around and walks out.

_____________

Donatello wakes you up by walking in and the door slams shut behind him, you can already tell he’s not in a good mood. He wastes no time picking up a pair of pliers and coming over to you with them.

Normally he would say something to you, maybe kiss you but today he simply goes straight to your hand and rips off one of your few remaining fingernails. You scream in pain as he drops the nail to the floor and goes back in to get another

“No no no please” you beg

But your cries fall on deaf ears, he takes the nail of your ring finger on your left hand and rips it off in one pull. You cry out again.

He returns to the table in the corner, throwing the pliers down and placing his hands at either end on the surface of the desk. He bows his head.

“Rough morning?” you inquire still trying to calm yourself down from what just happened.

“Nothing that concerns you, just family shit”

He turns back around abruptly and walks towards you, his lips crashing into your and he kisses you passionately, his hand tangles in your hair as he does. When he pulls away you’re breathless.

“Let’s get started” He says.

He goes back into kiss you, taking a knife out of his pocket as he does and he slices along the bottom of your belly, you call out against his lips but he doesn’t retreat, he just keeps kissing you and cutting at will.

Finally, he pulls away again and looks you up and down, admiring his work.You can feel the blood dripping down your stomach and seeping into your panties and you stare at him with wide eyes full of fear.

Without missing a beat he throws a punch that hits you in the cheekbone, splitting the skin open and a trickle of blood runs down your face, you can already feel the swelling beginning to set in and he grabs your chin in his hands and looks at the cut

“That’s going to need stitches” He says as he places a kiss over it and begins to trail them down your face and onto your neck.

“I think I love you” you mutter but he says nothing.

You continue like this for another hour, cutting and biting and stitching you up and kissing all the places that hurt. He was like a demon from hell but you wanted him to like you so badly. Occasionally he would say something interesting to you or tell you how pretty you looked bleeding and crying but never much else.

You were falling for him and you knew it, but you couldn’t help yourself. Today was especially rough because of whatever was going on behind the scenes and he was desperate to take it out on you.

“I think we’ll call it a day” he finally says

You sign with relief, there wasn’t much more you could take but somehow he never ran out of ways to hurt you. He slaps you in the face and then places a chaste kiss on your lips before walking out.

_____________

It’s been 4 more days to your count of endless torture and gentle kisses. You’re going loopy in the head. You would do just about anything for this man aside from talk. You had had a few conversations. He always asked questions about your family and hobbies, even seemed interested when you brought up taking classes for veterinary school but, you never gave him what he wanted so the pain never ceased.

Today he walks in with his brothers. They all stand around you in their suits admiring his handy work.

“Is she dead?” Raphael asks

Your head is too heavy to look up at them but you are most certainly alive....You think. You have to be.

“This is your last chance” the one in the blue suit begins “last chance to tell us what you were doing here”

“Make this easy, pet” Donnie chimes in

“Or we start taking fingers instead of just the nails” Michelangelo cracks his knuckles

You can’t do it anymore. Your entire body burns with pain and you think the cut on your chest is beginning to get infected. They want you to talk so have it their way, at least when they kill you for it you’ll be free of this torture.

“I don’t know his name” you whisper.

They all come a little closer to hear you better and Donatello lifts up your chin to help you see them.

“I don’t know his name” you repeat “But he wanted me to meet him at 9:30pm at the bar The Crown And Thistle to tell him what I had found out about you. He’ll be there tonight. Dyed black hair, leather jacket with spikes. You can’t miss him” you barely manage to speak those final words you’re so weak.

“Take her down, boys” Leo commands

Raphael unties your legs while Donnie sets to work on your arms. Once free you collapse down onto him, wrapping your arms around his neck.

“That’s it, pet. It’s all over now”

You sink your head into the crook of his neck and pass out. __________

When you awake, you’re all bandaged up in a beautiful bedroom. There are fitted wardrobes along the wall facing you and a desk in the corner with a laptop on it. You can’t sit up but you know you must be in Donnie’s room. As if on cue, Donatello walks in, the sleeves of his light purple shirt are rolled up and he’s carrying a tray with a bowl of soup and cup of water on it.

He doesn’t speak to you, only sits down next to you and takes a spoonful of the soup and brings it towards your mouth. You haven’t eaten in a week so you gratefully take every bite he gives you before polishing it off with the water. It was nice, to be taken care of, especially by him. He leans in and kisses you so gently but you place your hand on the back of his head and hold him there to deepen it. You had been wanting to do this since day 2.

His hands trail down your body, missing all the gauze and bandages as to not hurt you and settle on your hips before he puts his tongue in your mouth and you accept it with a small moan.

“Just treat me like I’m made of glass” you beg

He responds by lying you back down and getting on top of you, his hand between your thighs slips under the material of your panties and begins to rub circles over your clit. This sensation is more than welcome after the days of nothing but pain from his hands.

He pulls away and removes your underwear with ease, tossing them across the room and onto his desk in the corner. You reach out for him again and he comes back down to continue your kiss, undoing his flies and stroking his dick as he does. He places himself at your entrance and looks into your eyes as if you ask for permission and you nod in response. Then he’s inside you thrusting slowly but deep into you at a gentle pace.

He brushes the hair out of your face, lightly tugging at one strand and rolling it between his fingers as to admire it before his attention turns to your chest. He leans down and takes on of your nipples in his mouth and begins to suck at it and nip gently with his teeth. You moan out and he doesn’t stop but goes from breast to breast to further the sensation. He’s so tender with you it’s a contrast from the last week but you don’t mind it. You have him now and are getting exactly what you want.

His pace quickens a little and you bite down on his shoulder to stifle your moans which he seems to enjoy as he kisses the top of your head. Your head falls back to the pillow and he wraps one hand around your throat while looking into your eyes and begins to squeeze a little- cutting off the blood supply to your brain.

“you’re doing so well” he praises in a low, raspy voice.

He pulls out and turns you over so your belly is down on the bed, it stings a little but you ignore it. You’re entire body aches in a different way now, now you’re aching for his touch rather than to be rid of it.

He gets between your legs and places himself back inside you, kissing the back of your shoulder as he does and you cry out as he fucks you harder.

You begin to claw at the pillows and sheets at the pleasure he’s causing you. You’ve never had anyone like him before and you never will again. He fills you so well that you want to cry and almost do, there’s such a mix of emotions going on inside you right now. Pleasure, pain, despair, hope.... But he keeps pumping into you and you’re beginning to get close.

You turn your head to face him and he kisses you with passion, expertly pushing his tongue in and out of your mouth and he tastes like whisky and cigarettes.

“Tell me what you need” He says as he ends the kiss

“I need you to make me cum, please please just do it”

He picks up the pace at that and you can feel the ball of tightness in your stomach release as your orgasm crashes over you and you nearly see stars. His thrusts get sloppy and faster as he nears his own release. A few moments later he cums inside of you and rolls over. You get close to him and rest your head on his chest and place your arm over his torso.

Donnie carefully pushed the hair out of your face and rests his hand on your cheek.

“I love you, Donnie” you say

“I know” he replies.

Fin.

#mob! au #mob au #mob boss donnie #tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #stokholm syndrome tw #blood tw #gore tw #violence tw #lividity #my fic

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topweeklyupdate · 6 years

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TØP Weekly Update #53: Out (7/6/2018)

This is it, boys and girls. The “hiatus”, as we’ve called it for the last 364 days, is finally, finally, finally over... probably. Let’s cover the week that was, and look forward to the new era that could be.

This Week’s TØPics:

“New” Music Discovery

The Last Message From Dema

The Return of WILD SPECULATION

Major News and Announcements:

On any other week, new music from Tyler Joseph would be the biggest news story. And... well, I mean, I guess it should be, so we’ll cover it first, but it really doesn’t feel like it. That’s really weird, isn’t it?

@ultrawafflehouse shared a unique piece of content with the world in the middle of the week. After a friend of a friend received an old Tyler Joseph mixtape from a local youth pastor trying to prove his street cred to the middle schoolers of suburban Ohio, Ultra discovered that two of the unnamed tracks were pieces of music that had never previously found their way onto the Internet.

One of the unnamed tracks is a slick instrumental with elements of some of Tyler’s other early works like “Two” and “I Need Something To Kill Me” on full display: i.e., an extremely promising but unfinished arrangement from an extremely talented novice with no training or experience and a dozen better ideas than this that he decided to actually flesh out. Little wonder it, like presumably most of Tyler’s work, never made it to the general public.

The other track, however, actually sounds like a full song. Dubbed “Going Down” due to the phrase’s repetition in the hook, the track fits in perfect with the general No Phun Intended/Self-Titled sound; passionately-sung heart-on-sleeve lyrics supported by a simple piano arrangement with some basic hip-hop elements thrown in. I’ll be real: I was not blown away by this song. The writing in general, particularly on the hook, is low-energy, all over the place, and stretches the metaphors real thin. Tyler’s vocal delivery is at peak teenage whine, and his bars in the sole rap verse seem amateurish and out of breath.

But I wasn’t expecting to love it- most of Tyler’s stuff pre-Self-Titled, and even some tracks on the first two albums, are clearly made by someone who has no real clue how to do the whole music thing. “Drown” and “Blasphemy” are the only truly great songs from No Phun Intended, and they were both repurposed later down the road when Tyler had a better idea what he was actually doing. I still think Tyler is a genius, but he was not born the songwriter and performer he had become by the time Fueled By Ramen signed him. I still appreciate tracks like these, but more as historical curiosities, stepping stones to what Twenty One Pilots would become with brief flashes of Tyler’s insightful introspection and genuine brilliance.

The biggest news of the week, as with last week’s update, was not new music, but updates from the world of Dema. To start, we got three updates from dmaorg.info on Sunday. The first was a gif of a creepy vulture slowly turning to camera. Not too much to derive from this one. There’s the iconography of vultures, aka the carrion feeders who consume the bodies of the dead left at real-world Towers of Silence. The vulture can be seen to “blink” with its thin transparent eyelid, aligning it with the fifth Closing Eye Lyric: “Nobody dreams when they blink.” This correlation is strengthened by the name of the gif itself: “i”.

The second post, another letter from Clancy, was much more intriguing. The letter contains some great prose, with Clancy describing how the bishops have robbed the denizens of Dema of their dreams using something referred to as “smearing” and pledging to not let them crush his hope. The references to nighttime and light connect it to the sixth Closing Eye Lyric, “remember the morning is when night is dead”. The image title of this update is “e_sr_eve_r.jpg” (”reverse” in reverse), and that’s reflected both the content of the letter and its organization- you can swap the order of the sentences, and it still makes perfect sense. But why this command to reverse? To what end? Hmm....

The answer to that comes in the third update, a simple smattering of yellow marks slipped out of chronological order in the middle of the list the list under the date of the band’s Grammy win. When laid over the Clancy letter, the markings for individual letters again spell out the word “trench”, which connects it to the audio clip from the previous Dema update, while the solid vertical lines highlight the phrase “We are banditos.” When you connect all these dots and reverse that audio, as several people had already discovered previously, it becomes pretty clear that Tyler is singing “We are banditos.” What does that mean? Well, hold your horses, kid, because the circled letters in the message spell out “end”. That looked like it might be it...

Until the gif that originally revealed the Dema site made its way back onto the main website. Many interpreted this to be the fulfillment of the last Closing Eye Lyric, “Now I just sit in silence,” due to the gif ending with the finale of the “Car Radio” music video, and a sign to the Clique to pay attention to the site if they weren’t already.

dmaorg.info finished its mission on Thursday with another rush of content. First, a photo of a vast desert with a single small figure possibly visible on the horizon. The image was simply titled “o_ut.jpg”. Not much else to say; once again, the big reveal was delivered to us by Clancy.

This letter is honestly the best fiction writing and world-building I’ve seen from Tyler yet, good enough to make me wonder if he’s been considering writing a Hunger Games-style YA series if this whole music career thing doesn’t pan out. Clancy lays out his plan to break out of Dema: since it will be impossible to sneak past the huge walls unnoticed, he plans to make a big commotion during the enclave’s biggest holiday, the Annual Assemblage of the Glorified, to distract the “watchers” and permit those from the “other side” to find a way in, then avoid being “smeared” by the bishops until the others can show him the way out. There are tons of great details and turns of phrase (”concrete coffin of a city”) and really cool moments (”They don’t control us” should sound way more cringey than it reads here.) They even snuck in a final hidden message message: following the dotted lines up the same number of rows as there are squares reveals one last “Wake up.”

The biggest takeaway from this letter, though, is how direct it is. It makes reference to it being “a year since the last convocation” and directly says that “by morning, everything will be different.” And, if you still didn’t get the message- *poof*. Within minutes of the Clique posting and dissecting these new posts, dmaorg.info was gone. They pulled the plug. The only evidence of the last few months of theorizing, speculating, and decoding will be on Reddit threads lost to the dust of time, as our thoughts become occupied with a whole different type of Twenty One Pilots content...

WILD SPECULATION:

As of the moment I’m writing this (7/6/18, 1 am PST), the band has not released any new music. I am not bopping to “Jumpsuit” right now. But something is totally happening within the next 12-24 hours. The only question is... what?

Well, I have zero information beyond the registration of the song titles “Nico and the Niners” and “Jumpsuit” and the implication that the songs will relate to this unfolding tale of Clancy and the Bishops of Dema. But I do have some theories/wishes.

First, I don’t think we’ll be getting a whole new album all at once. Twenty One Pilots ain’t Beyonce. They don’t have the clout (yet) for FBR to let them get away with dropping a full project with zero mainstream promo (also, there’s no other registered song titles, so nothing for at least a few weeks). I think that, in following the standard pop music tradition of the last few years, we’ll get two singles dropped on the first day (the aforementioned registered names), with a music video for one to tide us over, then a trickle of songs for two or three months before an album in time for the holidays. I suspect “Jumpsuit” to be the main radio-play single (I’m already picturing a prison break from Dema for the video), while “Nico” serves as the song for the fans that lays out more about this concept.

The thing that excites me most about the whole Dema idea is that, unlike the rather straightforward metaphor of Blurryface, the ARG content we’ve received so far has laid out an entire world populated with multiple named characters and concepts that we aren’t clear on just yet. Because of that, I think we might get quite a few songs (like, hopefully, “Nico”) that focus more on storytelling (and, also hopefully, killer soundscapes) than just affirming the importance of staying alive. I really hope “Nico” is, like, a nine-minute long rock/EDM opera that lays out all the different bishops’ plans and motivations while mashing genres in the classic TØP style. I really want to see Tyler and Josh push themselves artistically, and I think that what we’ve seen so far is really indicating that is the case.

A few more questions (and some speculation):

What other songs are coming? “Trench”? “Heavy”? “Banditos”? “Wake Up”? “Coconut Sharks: Requiem”? (No clue, can’t wait to find out.)

What will the promo look like? Will the band bother to participate in local radio interviews anymore? (Depends on how early sales go, I think.) Will they do any long-form/in-depth sit downs? (Rooting for Zane Lowe, but also hoping a mag like Rolling Stone that’s willing to put artists in the hot seat puts Tyler on his toes and asks some of the difficult questions.)

What can we expect of tour? (I’m calling amphitheater followed by arena shows, just like with Blurryface and a lot of the bigger FBR acts. Praying for more live musicians and maybe some theatrical stuff with Dema.)

What will the album be called? Dema? Silence? Tower of Silence? Iris [remember that, holy crap]? Blurryface 2: Electric Boogaloo? Hard to say (Probably the first one, let’s be real).

Will it be successful? (Almost definitely not as much as Blurryface. We’ll have to see how hard they focus on the Dema concept or an alternative sound, since radio hates weird.) Will it be good? (Yes. I was unsure for a long time, but I’ve got a really good feeling now. A really, really good feeling.)

Community Spotlight:

This is technically cheating, but I am part of the community, so I’m gonna write about myself today. Forgive me.

Last year, on my 21st birthday, Twenty One Pilots posted a shut eye and some mirrored lyrics on their social media and then, for all intents and purposes, disappeared. I spent my whole twenty-first year of life without ‘em (the irony is not lost on me), which was weird considering how much they had inspired and impacted me throughout high school and college.

I did a lot of stuff when I was 21. I graduated college. I got a new job. I made friends. I lost friends. I got in fights. I learned to let go, but not soon enough to spare someone I cared about from unnecessary heartbreak. I turned corners in my mental health, only to run into new walls. I listened to a ton of music. I grew up.

Today, I turned 22. The irony of the absence of Twenty One Pilots aside, I’m so glad I had the chance to figure out who I was without this band by my side every step of the way. I learned that I could make it. And now I get to have them back while I continue to make it. How sick a birthday gift is that?

Power to the local dreamer.

|-/

#twenty one pilots #tyler joseph #josh dun #dema #hiatus #top weekly update #music

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obtusemedia · 5 years

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Top 25 Songs of 2018: Honorable Mentions

It’s year-end list season again! And with that comes my sixth annual top 25 list.

But before we countdown the best that 2018 gave us, here’s 15 songs that just missed the cut. Like in 2017, this year had more quantity than quality when it came to singles, meaning although there were only a couple legitimate contenders for the top spot, there were plenty of solid songs that I had to give a shout out to. So apologies to great acts like boygenius, Florence+The Machine and Childish Gambino (although he easily had the best music video this year) for just missing the cut.

Let’s get into it!

“Nobody” by Mitski

There are plenty of songs about loneliness, but Mitski turns that emotion into insanity on “Nobody.”

Her emotions ramp up and become more desperate throughout the indie-pop track, as Mitski’s pleads for companionship intensify. She wants to find love, but frankly, she also just needs human connection. And as the one-word chorus repeats into oblivion — “Nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody...” the situation becomes more and more helpless.

My main issue with Mitski’s 2018 album, Be The Cowboy, was that most of the short vignette-style songs weren’t memorable. That’s not the case for the manic, disco-tinged “Nobody,” which instantly became a standout in her impressive catalog.

“Heat Wave” by Snail Mail

I’m not sure what it says about indie rock that its most hyped newcomer is mostly copying the sounds of the ‘90s, but when the tunes are as good as “Heat Wave,” I’m not going to complain.

Nineteen-year-old prodigy Lindsey Jordan, aka Snail Mail, delivers with a simple love song perfect for lazy summer days. Jordan’s vocals are charmingly warbly and mesh well with the crunchy guitars that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Pavement album. It’s catchy enough for soccer moms and with enough alt-rock nostalgia to grab any indie rocker’s ear. There’s a good reason Snail Mail’s star has shot to the top this year among the Pitchfork set.

“Me and Michael” by MGMT

IT’S THE COMEBACK OF THE CENTURY!

That’s not even hyperbole: After they released three generation-defining classic singles, MGMT’s relevance disappeared after their 2010 album Congratulations intentionally alienated audiences (despite being pretty solid). Then, their 2013 self-titled album was straight-up bad.

But thankfully, MGMT decided to return to the synthpop jams that brought them success 11 years ago, while keeping their weirdo quirks intact. And it was a winning formula, as the bombastic single “Me and Michael” proves.

“Michael” is painfully ‘80s, from the glittery keyboards to the thundering drum machine beat. Yet, many of the instruments are off-key and frontman Andrew VanWyngarden’s hipstery vocals aren’t exactly Duran Duran-esque. And the clash of styles helps create a solid tune, the band’s best in eight years.

“Elastic” by Joey Purp

Remember how Azealia Banks used to pump out hip-house bangers like it wasn’t even hard? Then she lost her mind, and now “212″ is a relic of a better time.

Thankfully, Chicago native Joey Purp is picking up the slack, although he puts a much more minimalist spin on the sound. “Elastic” is a very simple, skeletal song, with Purp nearly mumbling over a steady, bouncing beat with couple vocal samples to liven things up. “Elastic” shows that when it comes to club bangers, you really don’t need to overthink things.

“Nameless, Faceless” by Courtney Barnett

Melbourne indie rocker Courtney Barnett’s second album, Tell Me How You Really Feel, had a noticeably more frustrated outlook than her 2015 debut. A prime example is the album’s lead single, “Nameless, Faceless,” all about the difficulties of being a woman in a world that treats them horribly.

Barnett goes after internet trolls during the song’s verses with the droll, snarky tone that made her indie-famous, but the chorus is where things take a dark turn. Paraphrasing The Handmaid’s Tale author Margaret Atwood, Barnett sings, “Men are scared that women will laugh at them ... Women are scared that men will kill them.” She then adds that she holds her keys between her fingers in-between her fingers to protect herself at night.

It’s a fearful song for fearful times, and more proof that Barnett is one of indie rock’s best songwriters.

“Electricity” by Silk City and Dua Lipa

Producer giants Diplo and Mark Ronson teamed up to create a perfect homage to ‘90s house. It’s bouncy, effervescent, and features one of pop’s best voices: Dua Lipa. The fact that a dance jam this perfect was only barely a hit in the U.S. is a total shame.

“After The Storm” by Kali Uchis feat. Tyler, The Creator and Bootsy Collins

I’m not typically an R&B guy, but I couldn’t resist newcomer Kali Uchis’ debut Isolation this year, especially its smooth throwback single, “After The Storm.”

Uchis glides over the off-key synth backdrop, expressing post-breakup optimism with ease. The sticky melody and relaxed vibe are helped out by a blast of smooth (if off-kilter) loverman shtick from Tyler, The Creator and some fun adlibs from funk icon Bootsy Collins. But this is Uchis’ show, and she barely needs to lift a finger to hold listeners’ command.

“Please Don’t Die” by Father John Misty

After releasing an overstuffed and underwhelming album last year, Father John Misty, AKA singer-songwriter Josh Tillman, decided to keep it simple this year, and I’m back on his bandwagon.

One reason for that is how blunt and personal his songwriting is again, particularly on “Please Don’t Die.” Tillman’s concept album God’s Favorite Customer focuses on the real-life story of how his depression caused him to hide out in a hotel for two straight months, and the heartbreaking “Please Don’t Die” tackles this scenario from the singer’s wife’s point of view.

She constantly reminds Tillman that his potential suicide won’t be a victimless crime during the soaring chorus, and he laments how his spiraling has affected her in the somber verses. There’s no snarky winks to the audience here — just Tillman nakedly depicting how his emotional chaos effected those around him.

“My My My!” by Troye Sivan

I never paid too much attention to Australian former YouTuber Troye Sivan. Now I’m regretting that choice, thanks to “My My My!”

Pure bubblegum pop doesn’t play much of a role in today’s music landscape, so it’s hard to call any version of that subgenre “modern,” but that’s honestly how I would describe this jam. It’s a slice of stuttering tropical pop with some indie and ‘80s flavor to it, and Sivan himself sells the tune like he’d been singing these types of songs for years in a boy band. I’ll be keeping tabs on Sivan from here on out.

“Light On” by Maggie Rogers

Last year, I was floored by Maggie Rogers’ unique blend of rootsy nature sounds with blue-eyed soul, particularly in her stellar single “Dog Years.” It seems like she isn’t fixing what ain’t broken, as “Light On” is a continuation of that sound.

Although it isn’t quite as transcendent as her early singles, “Light On” is still a quality power ballad, with a nice mix of acoustic guitar and organic synths, complete with a showstopping, melancholy chorus. Rogers still knows her way around a gorgeous melody, and I’m sure she’ll continue to fill her niche as the best music you’ll probably hear at REI.

“The Opener” by Camp Cope

Camp Cope have had it up to here with shitty men, and “The Opener” is a scathing indictment of the hypocrisy the trio constantly face.

Lead singer Georgia McDonald wails over a ‘90s alt-rock groove about sexism both in the dating world as well as the music industry. The latter is where she reserves her sharpest lines, going after men who’ve said her success isn’t her own doing, and being told to book smaller venues by the same guys who will “preach equality” in public. And of course, how do these men in power maintain their faux-feminist image? “‘Just get a female opener, that’ll fill the quota.’” Scathing.

“We Appreciate Power” by Grimes feat. HANA

If “We Appreciate Power,” the (as of writing this) brand-new Grimes single, was trimmed by a minute or so, it might have made the actual list. It’s a smidge on the repetitive side at its current 5:30-length.

But dear lord: This is a BANGER. As just about every critic has said, the production here is an aggro mix of Nine Inch Nails and Korn, complete with squealing guitars, a pounding, synthetic beat and some random screams thrown in the mix for fun. And yes — it works. Put it on during the next workout and see how fast you start going.

Throw in some legitimately creepy lyrics about artificial intelligence and totalitarianism and you’ve got a classic Grimes single. If only it was a bit shorter...

“Lake Erie” by Wild Pink

For a band from Brooklyn, Wild Pink are shockingly good at creating music that sounds like the sun setting on a Midwestern corn field.

“Lake Erie” is so close to The War On Drugs’ signature sound — heartland rock mixed with whispered vocals and shoegaze-y atmospherics — that I’d call it a ripoff, if it wasn’t arguably better than anything The War On Drugs has put out in a few years. It’s emotive, gorgeous and not too pretentious, like something Bruce Springsteen could’ve released 35 years ago.

“Noid” by Yves Tumor

No, unfortunately, “Noid” isn’t about retro Domino’s ads. It’s much darker than a claymation pizza mascot.

Yves Tumor’s art-rock track is fairly normal for its first half. It even has shades of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” in the lyrics wondering about the sad state of the world. Then, things get weird: the bass starts playing in a different key, the background fills with static and screams, and Yves Tumor keeps singing along, and his lyrics about being “scared for my life” start to seem less like a protest anthem and more like a horror soundtrack. It’s a chilling experience.

“Party For One” by Carly Rae Jepsen

Queen Carly releases another pop banger and you think it’s not going on my list? Come on, now.

I’m not going to pretend like “Party For One,” Jepsen’s triumphant breakup anthem, is on the same level as her all-time classic singles. It’s the kind of bubblegum that she could write in her sleep.

But why penalize a perfectly great song just because the artist has done better in the past? “Party For One” might not be “Run Away With Me,” but it’s still a solid piece of synth cheese that no doubt makes Canada proud.

#top 25 songs of 2018 #pop #rap #indie rock

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thesinglesjukebox · 7 years

Audio

SAM HUNT - DRINKIN' TOO MUCH [5.33] What've we got here? Why, it's a CONTROVERSYBOMB!

Ramzi Awn: A bold experiment with a few good ideas, "Drinkin' Too Much" employs dark moments of candor to highlight a muddled mix. [5]

Olivia Rafferty: The heart and soul of country music is storytelling, which is why this track works so well. "Drinkin' Too Much" shifts the typical country subject of alcohol abuse to the context of sad man R&B, aka Drake's genre. The spoken verses contain a rawness that could only be conveyed with that style of delivery, and the lyrics themselves are so vivid. Lay this over a subtle blend of 808s and slide guitars, and you have a solid attempt to influence the direction of country music. Let the genre-mashing begin. [8]

Anthony Easton: John Prine, in a recent Rolling Stone cover story, spoke about how Dylan's Nashville Skyline broke apart country music for him (he was a folkie at the time): "Man, there's something there where their two paths crossed. My stuff belongs right in the middle." This is also in the middle: between soul and hip-hop, between the drinking and heartbreak of Nashville and the fame-wasted ennui of Kanye and Drake. But it's also at the bottom: the bottomed-out production, how Hunt trips over details, how he extends stories, how he never quite brags about his money, how his self-loathing bubbles up like swamp gas. It's the opposite of all those party songs, the opposite of Moore and Eldredge and Gilbert. It has a singular voice -- a songwriting voice, but also how he sings, a gravelly push that reinforces his production choices. It is the smartest thing he has done, and maybe the most heartfelt. [10]

Alfred Soto: I'm no country corn pone. I like electronic whooshes and the kind of manipulation of space more common on Drake or "Climax"-era Usher, but Sam Hunt can't even talk-sing without his sockless boat shoes tripping on his ill-lettered cadences. He comes off like a lunkier Chainsmoker, in the market for any hook that'll get him on the radio and laid -- two of his more admirable virtues. Find better songs, dude, and don't try so damn hard. [4]

Thomas Inskeep: This non-single posted on SoundCloud is the audio equivalent of a viral video, and like many viral videos, it's also essentially a journal entry set to music. Frankly, it's not up to snuff: this is him doing his rhyming couplets (he loves rhyming couplets) with a woozy rhythm track from Pro Tools or whatever. It also sounds a lot like a demo for Justin Bieber. Most of all, this is slightly creepy oversharing; I want a Silkwood shower after listening to it. [0]

Elisabeth Sanders: Everything about this is deeply embarrassing, and that's why I love it. While I can't pretend I like this as much as anything off Montevallo, it makes up for it with "I wish you'd let me pay your student loans," and I'd like to submit this as a great entry into a music category I'd like to call "voice-memo pathetic-wave." (The other artist in this genre is Mike Posner with his great, deeply pathetic album At Night, Alone.) The song approximates, sonically and with almost nauseating accuracy, the feeling of being just too drunk enough that the room is spinning a little, being very sad about something that might be your fault in a crowded place at 2 in the morning. BEEN THERE, SAM. [7]

Jonathan Bradley: In which Sam Hunt pens a letter to Montevallo's Courtney From Hooters On Peachtree and proves himself to not be country music's Drake, but rather its Mike Skinner. The hook is the weakest part; it doesn't resolve Hunt's thoughts but elides them. (The austere "8pm" take works better and is worth a point or two more.) There is frisson in a lyric that pushes too far past the fourth wall, threatening to combust as it reaches the event horizon -- for the non-country, non-rap examples to which "Drinkin' Too Much" draws nearest, look to emo acts like Cursive's The Ugly Organ or Say Anything's "Every Man Has a Molly." "Hope you know I'm still in love," Hunt closes, except it's a correspondence that is only intimate the way a performance is, and so his words are combustible as well as heartfelt. The sour sense that this song bears too much truth is its most compelling point but also its most repellent; Hunt is too casual in his exhibitionism. [5]

Will Adams: It feels right; we've reached the level of bleakness in our pop music that songs can now just be actual shitposts with first draft choruses tucked in. [3]

Katherine St Asaph: Did we need another country "Marvin's Room"? In every country review I keep harping on artists telling the same generic story addressed to the same imaginary sorority girl, but here's a lyric and addressee that are certainly not generic or imaginary, and I'm not sure what to think. If Sam Hunt's byline didn't scare off the traditionalists, the first vocoded note is almost deliberately scheduled to shoo away the rest (none of the subsequent vocal is so blatant), leaving a smaller audience of fans and an explicit audience of one specific, named girl. There's something inescapably creepy -- voyeuristically creepy for the listener, manipulatively creepy for the artist -- about this, this couple chords and a tirade. Most of his target demographic will hear this as romantic, but for those unfortunate enough to have been stalked, the details are so familiar as to be textbook: presenting her with his un-rebuttable imagination of her life, in which she stages the Everytime video every time she wants to cry, in which there's nowhere else in Georgia she can buy peaches, in which everything reminds her of him, or at least does now; reminding her of her debt while holding Montevallo money over her head; apologizing for boosting her profile while writing her name into a huge triumphant chorus; pondering "whether it's OK to lie" while careful to mention none of the indiscretions that got him there -- merely their consequences, which now seem unreasonable. Better to address this as fiction, then -- like most "autobiographical" songs by celebrities, somewhere between songwriting exercise and publicity stunt, because you don't cross over into pop and stay without some dating drama. What's left is slapdash: accurate-sounding candor spewed over a couple identikit country choruses, each piece well-crafted but only assemblable by a real-life happy ending. Which is the point, and the problem. [5]

Megan Harrington: Too much of my instant dislike of "Drinkin' Too Much" hinged on the preposterous way Sam Hunt apologized for (more or less) doxing his then ex-girlfriend, now fiancé Hannah Lee Fowler on his debut album Montevallo, only to turn around and close the song by singing her name. In case there were any straggler fans out there who hadn't quite put her identity together, I guess. It was incongruous in a way that grated on me until I realized that it was the perfect synecdoche for the song, one that indulges overwrought production as 40 as it was country and several different singing styles, including plain old talking. It's right there in the way he names her his first fan and then cheats on her, the way he dismisses her sisters as "matchmakers" but hopes her dad still prays for him. Real life is messy and filled with leaps forward followed by half-steps back, relationships are chaotic and confusing, and Hunt captures all of it, ending hopefully with a (sort of, he hopes) romantic pledge to win her back. And it (sort of, I think) worked? [7]

Crystal Leww: The first time I heard "Drinkin' Too Much," I did not like it. I did not like the 40-esque production, the sad sap lyrics, the way that Hunt called out his ex-girlfriend. Then I listened to the 8pm version, stripped of the production flourishes, and figured that it was just the production that was bugging me. The lyrics were sad, but they were so specific: peaches in Pelham, a hotel room in Arizona, and that devastating, heartbreaking "hope your dad still prays for me," a reminder that breakups are the deaths of families, too. I've never liked the comparisons to Drake -- Drake is someone who has clearly never been in an adult relationship with a real woman rather than a built-up image of a woman, but Montevallo and "Drinkin' Too Much" feel like they're about real adults who have genuinely loved each other and created lives together. I still like the 8pm version more, but I've come around on the full version. It's dramatic, but I appreciate the attempt to appeal to a broader audience, and it highlights that Hunt's lyricism shines through anything, even snaps and strings. [7]

Josh Langhoff: A prof used to tell us, "People who are sorry weep bitter tears." I don't buy Sam Hunt's sorrow. Nor do I buy that this song has a melody or a beat, that it has any connection to country or R&B, that this is the same Sam Hunt who did "House Party," or that picking peaches is anything but the pits. More schnapps! [3]

Katie Gill: Look, I'm sorry, I can't hate this. With the exception of that "I hope your dad still prays for me" bit, the verses are awful, not singing but the Sam Hunt Spoken Word Poetry Hour. They swing between endearingly hokey and the awful Nice Guy sort of patronizing that was the entirety of "Take Your Time." But the chorus is AMAZING. It's so silky and smooth, perfectly mixed, and Hunt shows that he has a halfway decent R&B(ish) voice. But the two never really meet. The transition between verse and chorus is awkward every time, as the buttery-smooth chorus butts up against the not very smooth speaking voice of Sam Hunt. [6]

Joshua Copperman: I keep singing this title to the tune of Twenty One Pilots' "Ride", attempting to remember what little melody this song has ("I've been drinking too much, help me..."). Until the bridge -- which would make a better chorus -- nothing is worth remembering: not the strings, not the drum machine, and especially not the single strum of guitar to signify that it's still country. What made "Marvin's Room" work was the honesty and subtextual self-loathing that Drake would spend the rest of his career distilling. This seems less stream-of-consciousness and more trying to write stream-of-consciousness, which rarely works as well and results in lines like "I wish you'd let me pay off your student loans." The dramatic piano ending makes clear Sam Hunt's lack of shame in copying Aubrey, but that just makes him sound even less authentic, even though the backstory contains more than enough drama for something genuine. [3]

Edward Okulicz: The first time I misheard the line as as "I'm sorry for making the album Montevallo," but this sketch wouldn't be a repudiation even if he were sorry for that. And it's really not that much more than a series of lyrical fragments and a chorus, but I find myself nodding along at some parts, and being frustrated at the lack of detail in others, and going to the "Personal life" details of his Wikipedia article to see the resolution. So that means it's fairly compelling for its limitations. [7]

[Read and comment on The Singles Jukebox ]

#Sam Hunt #Drinkin' Too Much

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shahzilnoormedia-blog · 7 years

Text

Case study

Conjuring 2

The Conjuring 2 is a 2016 American horror film directed by James Wan and written by Carey Hayes, Chad Hayes, Wan and David Leslie Johnson. It is the sequel to the 2013 film The Conjuring, and is the second installment in The Conjuring film series and the third in the franchise. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprise their roles as paranormal investigators and authors Ed and Lorraine Warren from the first film. The film follows the Warrens as they travel to Britain to assist the Hodgson family, who are experiencing poltergeist activity at their Brimsdown, Enfield council house in 1977 which later became referred to as the Enfield Poltergeist.

The Conjuring 2 was released in North America on June 10, 2016. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed over $320 million worldwide. A spin-off film titled The Nun is currently in development, with Wan and Safran set to produce.

Producers

· Peter safran: He became a manager at Gold-Miller Co and stayed there until 1998. He then was a manager at Brillstein-Grey for five years, before he was named president of Brillstein-Grey Management in 2003. As president, he was made responsible for day-to-day activities of the department which had over 200 clients, including Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Adam Sandler, Nicolas Cage and Courteney Cox. His brother, Tad Safran, wrote the film The Long Weekend, which Peter produced. He left Brillstein-Grey in 2006, to launch The Safran Company, and took his entire client list with him. As manager, he has/is representing Sean Combs, Adam Shankman, David Hyde Pierce, Jennifer Lopez, Brooke Shields, and Jessica Simpson.

· Rob Cowan: Rob Cowan (born 14 April 1948) is an English music broadcaster and writer.Employed by music publisher Boosey & Hawkes for nineteen years in various capacities, his first record review was published in 1967. He edited CD Review for four years from 1985, and has also contributed reviews to Gramophone, Classic Record Collector and The Independent. He was a co-presenter with jazz and classical music writer Keith Shadwick on Classic FM CD review programme. In September 1992 he was responsible for early radio plays of what became a best-selling recording (with soprano soloist Dawn Upshaw) of Henryk Górecki's Third Symphony.

· James Wan: James Wan (born 27 February 1977) is a Malaysian-born Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer.

Wan is widely known for directing the horror film Saw (2004) and creating Billy the Puppet. He has also directed Dead Silence and Death Sentence (both 2007), Insidious (2011), The Conjuring and Insidious: Chapter 2 (both 2013), Furious 7 (2015), and The Conjuring 2 (2016).

Owner of the production company

· New line cinema: New Line Cinema is an American film studio that was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as a film distribution company, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of the Turner Broadcasting System in 1994 before Turner merged with Time Warner in 1996, and was later merged with its larger sister studio Warner Bros. Entertainment in 2008. Currently, its films are distributed by Warner Bros. They also produced The nightmare on Elm street.

· The Safran company: The Safran Company is a film production company that was founded by Peter Safran. The film company had produced Josh Peck and Alice Eve's horror film, ATM. The film company has also produced Paul Walker's movie after his death, Hours, and is producing Benjamin Walker and Teresa Palmer's lovely drama film, The Choice. His company has produced many films including The Conjuring, Chef, Annabelle, Vehicle 19 and Over Her Dead Body.

· Atomic monster productions: Atomic Monster Productions is an American film production company, founded by director James Wan. The company was founded in 2014 and is known for producing horror films such as Annabelle, The Conjuring 2, Lights Out and the upcoming film Annabelle 2.

· RatPac-Dun Entertainment: RatPac Entertainment (doing business as RatPac-Dune Entertainment) is an American motion picture production and financing company formed in a merger by producer-director Brett Ratner, his partner billionaire James Packer, and Dune Entertainment's Steven Mnuchin, which provides funds to a number of Warner Bros. films. The company is the result of a 2013 merger between RatPac Entertainment and Dune Entertainment, following a collapse in negotiations between Dune and 20th Century Fox – which led the company to close a deal with Warner Bros. instead, replacing Legendary Pictures as Warner's key co-financing partner. Dune had been co-financing Fox films since 2006.

Who Directed the movie ?

James Wan (born 27 February 1977) is a Malaysian-born Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer. Wan is widely known for directing the horror film Saw (2004) and creating Billy the Puppet. He has also directed Dead Silence and Death Sentence (both 2007), Insidious (2011), The Conjuring and Insidious: Chapter 2 (both 2013), Furious 7 (2015), and The Conjuring 2 (2016).

Budget

$40 million

Box office: $320.3 million

STARS

· Vera Farmiga as Lorraine Warren

· Patrick Wilson as Ed Warren

· Madison Wolfe as Janet Hodgson

· Frances O'Connor as Peggy Hodgson

· Lauren Esposito as Margaret Hodgson

· Benjamin Haigh as Billy Hodgson

· Patrick McAuley as Johnny Hodgson

Technology used

shot on ARRI ALEXA Camera, Leica Summilux-C Series Lenses. In The Conjuring 2, the main antagonist, Valak, takes on several forms while scaring the bejeebers out of the Hodgson family and the supernatural investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. One of those frightening forms is The Crooked Man, an impossibly thin figure inspired by the children’s nursery rhyme.

The figure came out so unnatural that audiences were convinced that The Crooked Man was CGI. He wasn't. In fact, he was played by Mama actor Javier Botet.

How was it marketed

Social media websites are great platforms to market a movie. On all the websites shown, the theme is kept to its original and conveys a imagine of uniformity. This reinforces the movies brand and marketing campaign by trying to make it instantly recognizable to audiences. Social media is also a great form of marketing outlet due to most of their target audience being a member in some shape or form. By releasing these pages, audience feel excited and can keep up to date with the trailers and hints towards to films plot.

Where and when was the film released

· UK 13 May 2016 (Frightfest Sneak Preview)

· Spain 28 May 2016 (Nocturna Film Festival)

· Argentina 7 June 2016 (Buenos Aires) (premiere)

· USA 7 June 2016 (Los Angeles Film Festival)

· Belgium 8 June 2016

· Finland 8 June 2016

· Norway 8 June 2016

· Sweden 8 June 2016

· Taiwan 8 June 2016

· Albania 9 June 2016

· Argentina 9 June 2016

· Australia 9 June 2016

· Bosnia and Herzegovina 9 June 2016

· Brazil 9 June 2016

· Chile 9 June 2016

· Colombia 9 June 2016

· Cyprus 9 June 2016

· Czech Republic 9 June 2016

· Denmark 9 June 2016

· Dominican Republic 9 June 2016

· Greece 9 June 2016

· Hong Kong 9 June 2016

· Croatia 9 June 2016

· Hungary 9 June 2016

· South Korea 9 June 2016

· Kazakhstan 9 June 2016

· Republic of Macedonia 9 June 2016

· Mexico 9 June 2016

· Netherlands 9 June 2016

· Peru 9 June 2016

· Philippines 9 June 2016

· Portugal 9 June 2016

· Serbia 9 June 2016

· Singapore 9 June 2016

· Uruguay 9 June 2016

· Bulgaria 10 June 2016

· Canada 10 June 2016

· Estonia 10 June 2016

· Indonesia 10 June 2016

· India 10 June 2016

· Cambodia 10 June 2016

· Lithuania 10 June 2016

· Turkey 10 June 2016

· USA 10 June 2016

The movie was released in Blu-ray and DVD format. James Wan, perhaps the premiere modern horror director (“Saw,” “Insidious”), makes graphically regal films that often exceed the genre’s visual conventions. His popular “Conjuring” films give him the opportunity to show that skill. With gorgeous period-piece settings, the general warmness to the coloring works as a nice counterpoint to the scares. While this newest entry doesn’t quite sidestep all of the clichés in modern horror (giggling children, creepy toys, red herring scares), it does askew some. The just-brainy-enough storytelling mixed with the super strong direction make it a distinctly solid studio horror trip. Based on “true events,” we find paranormal investigators Lorraine and Ed Warren traveling to the UK to study a peculiar and sinister haunting of a young, single-parent family. Along the way, some plot conveniences and illogical creature rules haunt the proceedings. Luckily, these are overshadowed by some fantastically creepy monster designs, including a boldly sadistic nun-figure and a terrifying rendition of the “Crooked Man” nursery rhyme, all underscored by effectively cool music and sound design. By now, Wan has proven he knows what he’s doing in the scare department. However, some surprisingly adept humor cuts through the horrific drama, allowing the themes of family and dangerous commitment to shine through. But what really makes the whole thing work are the people. In spite of the few plotting flaws, in the center of the story are characters you wanna root for. They are funny, loving, sympathetic and real; they are human-feeling people who make human-feeling decisions. With this beautiful control over tone and character, Wan feels only a step away from making a true masterpiece. Until then, this will more than do.

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