#the a minor chord is also so fucking scary

[enha-stars]

“dear adonis” is such a fucking terrifying line

#okay i know i’m canadian #but i’m on kendrick’s side bro #ion like drake 😭😭😭 #have i been to drake’s house? yeah #but is not my homie pls #BRO IS GETTING EATEN ALIVE ITS INSANE #HOW DO U XOME BACK FROM THIS? #the a minor chord is also so fucking scary #kendrick is terrifying pls #j cole is so smart for tapping our early #AND METRO LMAOO SO UNSERIOUS PLS #drake #kendrick lamar #metro boomin #j cole #enha!me

[yashaslionett]

Thank you @omniscientwreck for the tag. Here are my 15 Questions for 15 Mutuals!

1. Are you named after anyone?

Birth name? No. The name I go by now: hell yeah☀️

2. When was the last time you cried?

Well I’m reading Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters right now and I cried this afternoon when I got to a certain point in a character’s flashback.

3. Do you have kids?

Nope.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

No, almost never. I speak very genuinely and have a tough time discerning when other people are using sarcasm.

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

I’m not gonna lie- I am way too freaked out about making sure I’m staring at their eyes the proper way to notice much about them.

6. What’s your eye color?

As it was called when I was younger: poop brown!

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

Not a huge scary movie fan so Imma say happy endings. My real preference is sad foreign movies or movies where they beat up Nazis (Inglorious Basterds my beloved).

8. Any special talents?

I used to have relative pitch! My piano teacher would have me turn my back, then he played a note/chord, and I could guess what it was (for example: F# minor.) But I haven’t had access to a piano in a while so I don’t know if it still holds true. :(

9. Where were you born?

Copying in the fashion of the person who tagged me- 600+ miles from where I live now.

10. What are your hobbies?

D&d, gay yearning, rock climbing

11. Do you have any pets?

Nope, but I have been researching getting a snake!

12. What sports do you play/have played?

Basketball and softball, and I suppose rock climbing if that counts?

13. How tall are you?

5’9” (in true dude fashion, I am rounding up ever so slightly 😉 but I would have been an inch and a half taller than 5’9” if I didn’t have a Seriously Fucked Up spine.)

14. Favourite subject in school?

Math and english. Which is hilarious because I did not study either of those in college.

15. Dream job?

Doing whatever I can to make the world a better place. It would be fun if that was through my music or my writing. Making a positive impact on the people I care about is also a priority. 💕

Any mutuals that want to- consider this your tag!

#this was fun #thanks for the tag!

[septicfag]

GETTING INTO PUNK MASTERPOST 

Want to get into the punk subculture, but a bit intimidated by it?? Here's a little list of tips and tricks for getting into the scene!!!  [especially if you don't know any punks in real life, or aren't particularly close friends with any punks online either]

THINK FOR YOURSELF!!!! this is so important, you cannot be punk and NOT think for yourself, before accepting anything you have to think it through for yourself!!!!

DON’T BE RACIST, XENOPHOBIC, SEXIST, HOMOPHOBIC, TRANSPHOBIC, FASCIST. ETC. you cannot be part of a group of radical free thinkers as a bigot. If you are a bigot you are not and will not be welcome in the punk community

INFORM YOURSELF ON CURRENT ISSUES. Work to figure out what you think about current issues because (as stated before) its punk as hell to have your own opinions

LISTEN TO PUNK MUSIC. You don't have to listen to anything you don't vibe with, but trying out different genres of punk and listening to some of the big names will help you understand and share something in common with more “seasoned” punks.

TALK TO OTHER PUNKS. most of us are really nice, especially if we know you're trying to get into the scene! You can always interact/talk to us! most of us know how it can be a little scary to break into the scene and are willing to talk about our experiences!

TAKE YOUR SELF EXPRESSION INTO YOUR OWN HANDS. to whatever extent you can make/modify clothes for yourself. add patches and pins or paint on clothes [use fabric paint or acrylic mixed with fabric base for a cheaper alternative] ITS 100% OKAY TO WEAR YOUR MODIFIED CLOTHES EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT "DONE" YET! FUCK FAST FASHION!!

LOOK AT PUNK FASHION. there have been around 50 years of punk fashion, so find some you dig and base some of your modified clothes off of it (I'm really into 80s punk looks so I normally look like I crawled out of CBGB [famous punk bar in NY] during its peak years). Staples of a punk look are clunky boots or skate shoes (converse or knockoffs), band shirts, and battle jackets! Punk “fashion” is based on DIY and practicality. (it should be noted punk clothing also has an emphasis on being safe for moshing/protests, so normally no HUGE spikes and impractical shoes and super loose clothes)

GO TO SHOWS! ESPECIALLY LOCAL SHOWS!! going to shows in your local area is a good way to get into the scene. if you're underage or live in assfuck nowhere it's completely fine to not travel hours or get kicked out of a venue halfway through the show, so feel free to wait until you have a good chance to go to one. If you're in an area with a local scene, going out to local shows is a great way to meet and support other punks! [suggestion by @juggernaut-is-a-metalhead]

Some other notes

YOU CAN BE ANY RACE OR GENDER OR SEXUALITY AND BE PUNK, PUNK IS NOT JUST FOR WHITE CISHET MEN! PUNK HAS ALWAYS AND WILL ALWAYS BE AN INCLUSIVE SPACE FOR EVERYONE WHO’S SICK AND TIRED OF BEING KICKED AROUND BY ANY/EVERYONE!!!

YOU CAN BE PUNK AND MENTALLY ILL, YOUR MENTAL ILLNESS DOES NOT CONTROL YOU AND WHAT YOU WANT AND WHAT YOU BELIEVE EVEN IF SOMETIMES IT FEELS THAT WAY! It’s also completely fine and valid to not want to go to shows/protests or be confrontational if you have a mental illness or honestly just don’t feel comfortable or safe doing so. 

YOU DON’T HAVE TO HAVE PIERCINGS OR TATTOOS TO BE PUNK! If you’re underage or just don’t want to or don’t have the money, it’s okay to not have body mods and it doesn’t make you any less punk. 

we really don’t like bootlickers (basically people kowtowing to authority and authority figures)

we're anti-authority 

a lot of us are atheists or at least have a distaste for formalized institutionalized religion

we kind of mind our own fucking business as long as the business isn't hurting us or others

there're a lot of anarchists in punk but you don't have to be one, there are also a lot of social democrats

we DO NOT hurt or harass people who don't deserve it (ie. kids, people who have nothing to do with whatever we're fighting against)

there're not really hard and fast rules that’s a big thing with punk, only you have power over yourself (”no authority but yourself” is a popular quote coined by anarcho-punk band, Crass)

Quick and basic punk genre breakdown

proto-punk- the punk before punk, this genre is comprised of 60s and 70s bands with a less refined sound than mainstream bands at the time, however, they normally didn’t have much in common. Bands like The Velvet Underground fall into this genre.

70's - punk begins to emerge as a genre people argue about who was actually the first punk band a popular choice is Ramones

80's- LOTS of punk potential here, 69.69% of "classic punk" bands are 80's punk

90's- ska started to emerge and punk was seen as skater music a lot of "classic punk" was also 90's 

ska punk- based more on reggae, seen as skater music, normally has fun trumpets!

riot grrrl- feminist punk (just being an all female punk band doesn't make you a riot grrrl band, there’s a sound to it as well)

folk punk- punk but with different instruments and less 3 chord riffs

post-punk- punk but more modern, normally is a bit softer than "classic punk"

hardcore punk- punk with screaming, kind of sounds like black metal, but with anarchy

pop punk- punk but it sounds more pop-y (hotly debated what is and isn't, its kind of a dumpster fire)

garage punk- punk but EVEN less polished [this is my favorite genre]

THERE ARE MORE GENRES THAN THIS, THIS IS JUST A VERY FAST OVER-VIEW. Punk has about 1000000 different sub-genres so only the most popular and well known are included here! 

(note about early punk: 70s and 80s punk sometimes included slurs in music or wearing hate symbols such as swastikas, this was because at the time a lot of punk forerunners subscribed to the idea that wearing/saying things employed by bigots would take power away from them, this idea was largely abandoned by the punk community as they made their way into the 90s. Now in the 20s punks wear lots of anti-hate symbols either coined by the punk community or lifted from other sources) 

(2nd note, concerning inflammatory or ironic statements: a big part of punk culture and lyrics is using purposely inflammatory or heavily ironic statements, one way to figure out if the sentiment in a song is actually meant to be harmful or angry and not ironic is to look up the lyrics/band. As a rule of thumb if they’re an actual punk band that’s listened to by actual punks, it’s irony 99.8% of the time)     

Some bands (almost) every punk has at least heard of:

Bad Brains, Bad Religion, Black Flag, Blink 182, Choking Victim, The Clash, Dead Kennedys, Descendents, Green Day, Leftover Crack, Minor Threat, Misfits, NOFX, The Offspring, Operation Ivy, Pennywise, Ramones, Rancid, Sex Pistols, Social Distortion

[lifted off r/punk on reddit]

Some ending tips:

don’t feel embarrassed to look up lyrics or the sub-genre of a punk song/band, it's a way of learning! also don’t feel embarrassed to look into punk history, it shows you’re genuinely interested in the message and culture!

listen to punk compilation albums! they have some amount of fame in the scene in and of themselves (such as GIVE 'EM THE BOOT [VOLUMES 1-5], PUNK ROCK HALLOWEEN [VOLUMES 1-2], and BARRICADES AND BROKEN DREAMS)

check out entire record labels! you can find a lot of cool bands that don't get a lot of attention. here's a good masterlist of punk record labels, but if that's too daunting, Fat Wreck Cords, Epitaph Records, and Discord Records are very well known. [suggestion by @juggernaut-is-a-metalhead]

It’s completely fine to not have a lot of money to spend on records or supplies for DIY clothes. Punk has an emphasis that your clothes and shit don’t have to be “pretty” they have to be functional. 

for DIY patches/pins you can put ANYTHING you want on them, song lyrics, rallying cries, dates, sayings, literally anything you want, every punk has some weird shit on their patches. 

don't feel pressured into doing anything you don’t want to do, there is/was a group of punks who are "straight edge" meaning they didn’t drink or do drugs or stuff like that (more common in the 90s/00s)

seriously don’t be afraid to interact with other punks!! we're a bit rough but generally harmless if you don’t suck!!

it’s 100% normal to also have nonpunk interests, don’t feel like you have to give up anything you love to be punk.

You don’t have to listen to any of this to be punk, being punk is doing what you want to do because you want to!! This is just a compiled list of tips for anyone not sure where to start!

PUNKS NOT DEAD

[feel free to correct me if I’ve gotten something wrong! my DMs and asks are always open if you want to hear more of my punk hot takes or want to talk to someone about punk or punk adjacent shit!]

#punk #young punk #punx #young punx #wholesome punk #getting into punk #punk tips

[minor-locrian]

ranking the modes

1) phrygian. it’s sad in this really evocative way; the primary feeling is loss. that minor 2nd also just sounds cool

2) dorian. mysterious, pretty, very versatile. i love to walk down that upper tetrachord.

3) aeolian. it’s common, but that’s because it’s nice! cool space-y feel. if modes had bloom this would have the most tasteful amount.

4) locrian. really interesting! can sound either quirky/weird or incredibly bleak and apocalyptic. really depends. i like it either way!

5) ionian. not a lot to say about this. i feel like it represents the bright/beautiful side of nature. dorian would be the entirety of it. and then phrygian is the scary parts. 

6) mixolydian. discount dorian with a lame dominant 7 tonic. dorian is to mixolydian as wood is to particle board. maybe useful if you are writing for some kind of racist jungle fantasy quest (”retrieving the golden idol of the primitive savages for your king” sort of deal) or rock and roll, where it can be actually good; otherwise useless.

7) lydian. fuck lydian. i hate lydian. you know when the sun is so bright, you get a headache? imagine what that’s like on venus. so many toxic chemicals in the air, you are probably on fire. so close to the sun, you would probably be on fire in any case. (don’t quote me on that, i am not an astronomer or a biologist.) lydian is the sun; your ears are a spaceship taking you to venus. pull a van gogh before you are blinded by the shitty augmented fourth and resultant vomit-worthy chord progressions. this is venus, so now your vomit is on fire, congratulations! fuck lydian.

#major modes #music theory #phrygian mode #dorian mode #aeolian mode #locrian mode #ionian mode #mixolydian mode #lydian mode #rant #fuck lydian #i hate lydian

[dearophelia]

a (probably incomplete) list of warnings for Sabrina

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was delightful, but also has a lot of things that I know are not-good content for some of my friends, so I have compiled a list.

(spoilers below)

I’m happy to give more detail about anything, and if there’s anything not listed that you want to double check about (like I said, this is probably incomplete), just ask!

It’s horror, so horror tropes should be expected (jump scares, scare chords, things in mirrors that weren’t there a minute ago, gore, blood, general creepiness). 

I personally did not find it scary. Occasionally creepy, and at times deeply unsettling, but never truly scary. YMMV, but if you know my feelings on horror, you can probably get a good “is this going to make me sleep with the light on” vibe from that statement. Mostly I found it immensely campy, and I enjoyed Miranda Otto utterly failing at an unnecessary American accent.

Things that are present throughout the series (episodes 1-10):

Demons and related activity, including possession (both short-term and long-term)

Hazing and bullying

Hanging

Nonbinary/trans/queer characters being called slurs or derogatory terms; it’s made clear from the context that this is unacceptable and the people using those terms are assholes

“Half breed” and other fantastic racism

Voodoo dolls

Cannibalism (mostly in reference/implication, except for episode 7)

Weird camera work (edges of the shot are skewed or blurred quite a bit; it’s not your eyes or in your head, it’s some asshole in post-production)

Creepy teacher/student relationship (not sexual or romantic; it makes sense in context, but it’s creepy and literally nobody calls this out)

Spiders (regular-sized)

Satan is a monstrous goat man and he shows up a lot

Things people were eating just fine get dropped to the ground and are now covered in maggots (I think this only happens twice: once with an apple and once with a glass bottle of milk)

Episode-specific:

Episodes 1 & 2 (it didn’t occur to me until after episode two that some of my friends would want to watch this and should probably be warned of a few things, so I don’t remember which episode these things happened in)

Implications of sexual assault and harassment of female students

Physical assault of a canonically and explicitly nonbinary character

Reference (not on-screen) to sexual assault of said nonbinary character (in the context of bullying)

Thoroughly useless male authority figure

Unreality/mindfuckery as retribution for all of the above (non-permanent)

One instance of said mindfuckery includes a lot of spiders. A lot. A lot

A fucking horrifying scarecrow

Memory manipulation (non-malicious)

It’s not a cult, but it’s cult-ish

Episode 4:

Explicit demonic possession, including bodily contortions

Episode 5:

The “nightmare demon gets inside their minds, makes them all think they’ve broken free but they really haven’t” episode

Torture

Body horror

Facial horror

Cannibalism

Quite a bit of very explicit gore

This episode was a disaster and completely unnecessary, you could skip it and be fine

Episode 6:

Spiking someone’s drink with a love potion (the person doing the spiking is not the person who’s in love with the person whose drink it is). The love potion literally never comes up again, and the resulting relationship appears to be completely normal and not the usual love potion stalker disaster (I have a lot of anger for the existence of this scene because it’s totally fucking unnecessary; with like six seconds of script editing they could’ve had the same relationship just as happily without the rapey overtones). 

Episode 7:

Cannibalism is basically the entire plot of this episode (she wants to be eaten, if that helps?)

Truth serum (of sorts)

Explicit and gory on-screen cannibalism

Suicide (both on-screen and referenced)

Episode 9:

Reference to past childhood assault (perpetrated by other children); implied to be sexual in nature

Said assault is referenced somewhat unfortunately, as a “leave this person alone or I’ll tell everyone about it” tactic

Came back wrong

Episode 10:

Pet death (pet murder by owner, actually)

Two minor female characters of color die

The very last scene is a pretty effective jump scare (the one moment in the entire series that trended genuine scary for me; still didn’t make the cut, but tried really hard), and then immediately cuts to black and the credits 

Important list of good things:

The nonbinary character survives

The nonbinary character is played by a nonbinary actor

The cat survives

All main queer characters survive

All main non-white characters survive

All main characters survive, actually

No on-screen sexual assault

No love triangle

#oph texts #(yes rebloggable)

[ssfoc]

Miss You: Drunk and Sober

Miss You is Louis Tomlinson’s second official single from his first album. Songwriting credits:

The song’s producers are Julian Bunetta and AFTERHRS.

Since there isn’t yet a music video, the times I will refer to will be here. 

Louis has discussed the background for the song, that it was written at a time in his life two years ago, when he was partying every night and realized that he missed “a person.” His recent interviews with Eagle Radio, NRJ France, Smallzy (Nova), BBC Radio 1 (Nick), Pop Buzz have all focused on the sonics of the song, the guitar-heavy, thick quality of the instrumentation, the rock sound, the anthemic pop chorus. Listening to the song carefully, both musically and lyrically, yields some surprises in interpretation. These are my own opinions and are in no way definitive. 

The song opens with the percussive, pressured repeated eight notes in the guitar, reminiscent of pop punk bands, especially Green Day’s “Brain Stew.” Louis sings the opening verse offbeat, in a syncopated “speech-rap-singing” that touches on the influences of The Streets, a pressured, manic vernacular, heavy on his Yorkshire accent. The feeling of being off-kilter, not-quite-right, is emphasized by the odd accentuation of the syllables in the lyrics:

Éverything is gréat Everythíng is fúcking gréat

The odd accentuation on the second syllable of “Everything” alerts the listener to the sarcastic and unreliable nature of the lyrics; it’s a musical way of telling us that everything is not fucking great. 

This is underscored by the jarring harmony of the guitar at 0:09, when the harmonic progression doesn’t resolve to the expected tonic (the home key, I), but goes to an augmented I chord (a similar harmonic shock opens Back to You, when the very opening chords go to a major VI chord instead of a minor vi). I think of this musical deviance as a little joke, the way that Louis’ ◟̽◞̽ has crossed-out eyes instead of a normal smiley face. It’s sassy, a bit scary, cute, dangerous, with a hero in the middle who is possibly damaging or damaged. 

This juxtaposition between anxiety and realization, between drunkenness and clarity, between right and wrong, is set up from the very opening of the song. The verse is pressured, manic, rushed; the voice sounds anxious, worried, despairing, in denial, accompanied by bare-bones instrumentation. In contrast, the chorus is gorgeous, drawn out, soaring, crawling out of stupor, ascending toward epiphany, filled out with synth keyboard, drums, bass, sounds effects and voices. The verse feels lonely and alone. The chorus is filled with his people – literally, as we will see. 

Even though the song is about something that everyone can relate to, the regret over bad decisions, the songwriting is actually very sophisticated. It sets up all these expectations of conflict and sadness, in a song that sounds uptempo and happy. The song puts a happy face on something so sad that it’s almost nightmarish – sounds familiar to Louis’ life, doesn’t it? 

Going back to the lyrics, it’s interesting to note the words in the verse that are accentuated by the beat:

Stars, ceiling Smile, faking 

Do they remind us of anything else Louis has written?

Feels like you’re Standing on the edge Looking at the stars And wishing you were them.

Or maybe this song:

Hope you’re wearing your best clothes You can’t bribe the door on your way to the sky Breaking through the atmosphere And things are pretty good from here

Miss You’s lyrics set up a contrast between the anxiety/ debauchery of the present, and a dreamscape where real pain has been taken away, up above, in the heavens. There’s also a pun here, where Hollywood friends are also the Hollywood stars one stares through. The pauses between “such a good” and “time,” and between “I believe it this” and “time” let us know that the singer is still telling us a story he himself doesn’t believe in. The use of the word “ceiling” lends a claustrophobic feeling to the song, of being hemmed in by the roof, musically represented by the percussive drum and bass beats and the monotone quality of the melody. The song tells us that what looks like a dream is, in actuality, a nightmare, and the song is where the two collide. 

In visual form, the “stars” in Louis’ songs remind me of actual stars and actual skies, which he himself has captured, along with captions of being asleep, too early, almost awake, etc.:

The stars make him feel small and alone. Louis is wealthy, living in luxury, surrounded by stars, and yet feels alienated and alone. He is telling a story awash in alcohol, partying, denial, and trying to forget. 

Tuesday night, glazed over eyes Just one more pint or five

And all these thoughts and feelings Just one night if you don´t need them I´ve been checking my phone all evening

The pre-chorus, “Tuesday night, glazed over eyes,” is an example of text painting. Contrasted to the lyrics before, these words are sung at half speed: they’re twice as slow. They feel like molasses being dragged out, glazed over. So clever! The sentiments are very similar to this:

Night out and it’s ten grand Headlines that I can’t stand No sleep and we party ‘til morning ‘Cause nobody cares if you’re boring

The “story” that Louis tells is mirrored in the song’s very clever production. As mentioned before, Louis is rightly proud of the production here. Again, I will refer to times by this video.

What we hear at the very beginning isn’t the opening guitar beats. If you listen carefully, it’s actually a split-second whirlwind synth sound, reminiscent of the WAWA sound when movie scenes swirl into a dream sequence. It tells us that we are about to enter a story/ dream/ nightmare! The background instruments also slowly bleed in, one at a time, sometimes slightly off beat, to sound not-quite-right. For example, listen to the synth sound at 0:12, just before the drums come in. It’s barely noticeable, but it sounds like electric water swirling down a drain, a woo woo woo sound that might actually be some digitally distorted vocals. 

Vocal harmony sneaks in on the “day” of “Tuesday night” (0:23), a place you wouldn’t expect (because it’s off beat). On “eyes” a hovering, wispy synth sound is heard in the background, which, again, could be a distorted human voice (eerie!). 

A new part of the song has new instrumentation: at 0:33, the electric acoustic guitar strumming announces the pre-chorus, “We’re dancing on tables, ‘til I’m off my face.” As the hero in the story gets up to dance on the table, the melody also climbs up and up! The notes mirror the motion described in the song; they go up, then slightly down, then up again– like climbing a ladder or a chair. 

At 0:39, we hear the first distorted human voice, (a lower voice than Louis’), saying a vocal effect, sounding like, “Louis” or “ugh.” When Louis sings, “We’re singing ‘til last call, and it’s all out of tune,” there’s the AHH sound effect that sounds like a large crowd in the background. Then at 0:55, just before “Shit, maybe I miss you,” there’s the sound effect of a light switch clicking. Click! Eureka! It’s a moment of epiphany, a lightbulb-over-the-head moment. 

When the second verse is sung, the guitar accompaniment is different this time. There is a guitar riff on the off-beats, also climbing up a scale, at 0:58 (signaling that the song is building up). Another funny vocal effect happens at 1:07. The song gradually gets thicker, more pop and less punk, when violins come in at 1:20. At 1:25, “or five” again has that ghostly, synthetically distorted human voice doubling as harmony. We hear a “Hey!” at 1:29, which sounds female to me, like a companion with the hero in the club (or a club-goer). At this point I’m wondering whether other people in Louis’ life have contributed vocals to the song. Could the “Hey!” be coming from Lottie, who often accompanied Louis to clubs and kept an eye on him? Could it signify her voice (or someone’s) trying to get him under control?

Could the people saying “Louis” be friends who were with him at the club, like Oli? Who knows. I think we are supposed to have the impression that Louis is surrounded by multiple people. Voices drift in and out of the song, but none of them are the person he misses. We hear someone say, “Louis!” again at 1:34, sounding distinctly like Harry’s voice. Again, the funny sound-pun, “And it hits me when the lights go on,” – click (1:51)– silence (lightbulb moment) – “Shit, maybe I miss you.” At 1:56, with the lyrics “say I’m sorry,” we hear Louis’ distinct voice singing, “I’m sorry,” like a character in the background enacting out his story. Another example of this text painting is on the lyrics “They say ‘it´s life, give it time, there´s no need to worry,’” (1:58) where the harmonizing voice drags “worry” down.. musically enacting the worry. Another female “Hey!” at 2:09. The song ends with a huge anthemic chorus, big background sounds, many harmonizing voices, violins, drums, bass, the whole nine yards. 

The dream/ nightmare winds down at the very end (2:53), when Louis is again alone with a synthesized keyboard, sobering up, and then, silence. 

Even though the lyrics use a colloquial, straightforward diction, the songwriting and production on Miss You are actually professional and sophisticated. Although I would like to hear the layers of sound to be a bit cleaner, I think it was so clever and so well-done. It’s Louis’ best song so far, a really memorable, good song. Kudos. 

#Miss You interpretation #Miss You analysis #Miss You song interpretation #LT1 songwriting #3 december 2017 #my lyric interpretation #my songwriting #Louis songwriting #lt1 songwriting

[yuanfenbd-blog]

YUANFEN FEST ROUND 1: GUESS WHO'S

The long wait is over! After two weeks of posting, our first round is finally wrapping up but before anything else, let's play a little game! Try to guess who among our talented pool of authors wrote which fic! We gathered a diverse collection for this round — from college AUs, to coming-of-age fic, to supernatural themes among many others! But if you read enough fic or know a particular author, surely there must be some whose writing struck a chord or seemed familiar with you.

Can you make enough guesses before we post our reveals? See our master list below!

♡ DAY 1 ♡

Red Sunset Glow by anonymous

T | 35.7k

If someone had told Kyungsoo that all it takes to shut Baekhyun up—and, maybe, get over his fears—is one simple, one scary kiss, maybe he would have tried it sooner. Maybe.

Hop in, I can take you there (Follow the path to my heart) by anonymous

E | 12.2k

Baekhyun, who doesn’t believe in love at the first sight, meets a cute guy called Kyungsoo while visiting his grandmother on the countryside and he thinks that Kyungsoo might be the one. The only obstacle is that Kyungsoo is a cucumber farmer.

Let Me Care, You Deserve So Much Better by anonymous

M | 8.4k

What Kyungsoo sees in the newly acquainted Baekhyun is someone who deserves a lot more. Baekhyun doesn't see it himself, but Kyungsoo is about to change everything he's ever known.

(Oh!) I Can't Stop by anonymous

E | 4.9k

Baekhyun and Kyungsoo are roommates, Baekhyun’s had a big secret crush on Kyungsoo since forever, Chanyeol and Jongdae are questionable friends. Well.

♡ DAY 2 ♡

I Could Be The One To Set You Free by anonymous

M | 20.8k

(fake dating!au) Actor Do Kyungsoo thinks that he is too good at leaving love, but Idol Byun Baekhyun teaches him otherwise because loving someone can be simple.

a cataclysm of minor proportions by anonymous

M | 6.6k

Roommates!AU. Kyungsoo finds a kitty on the streets on his way home and brings it to their apartment to take care of it, but apparently Baekhyun is afraid of cats?

If You Like Me, Say You Like Me by anonymous

M | 3k

It shouldn't be so difficult for Baekhyun to figure out his Kyungsoo problem, not that he has one.

it don't run in our blood by anonymous

M | 14k

When crown prince Kyungsoo learns he's been betrothed to someone since before he was born, he has a hard time trying to adjust to the idea before his fiancé arrives at the palace. It doesn't help that his husband-to-be defies all his expectations - but in the worst or best way?

♡ DAY 3 ♡

Revisions by anonymous

E | 11.3k

It wasn’t as if liking Kyungsoo was a big secret; like it’d be out of character or weird for him. He was out and Professor Do was a fairly liked, and lusted after, instructor on campus. Still there was something unsettling to Baekhyun about making it concrete, even for a moment.

Limes and Coastlines by anonymous

M | 28.3k

Answers submerge when you've faced the eye of the storm—thus, Kyungsoo stood on his toes, nearing the ledge, gazing into the dark, deep end. Close to pulling back, closer to falling in.

Love is Forever (Your Forever is All That I Need) by anonymous

T | 76.8k

"I’ve never felt forever when I kissed someone. Have you?" Baekhyun heard himself whisper, voice as gentle as the first notes of a lullaby meant to tame a child’s fear and lure them into a gentle slumber filled with nothing but sweet melodies to dance around with instead.

Winter Heat by anonymous

E | 23.5k

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun somehow, conveniently, get trapped together in a snowstorm and are forced to survive. Easier said than done since they can't stand each other.

♡ DAY 4 ♡

Engraved in Your Heart by anonymous

E | 28.2k

Highschool!AU where Baekhyun, high school bad boy and leader of a street gang, falls in love with a social outcast, the blind kid, Kyungsoo.

Be Careful What You Wish For by anonymous

M | 7.3k

Baekhyun didn't expect Yixing to suddenly go out of town and ask him to house sit. He also wasn't expecting to find and break a cool looking crystal orb in his attic. He especially wasn't expecting a man named Do Kyungsoo to appear of it and give him a hard time. That's for sure.

redamancy by anonymous

M | 4.5k

Oddly, he feels like he’s on a ‘time out’, the kind that children get from their parents when they do something bad and have to reflect about it in the corner. Except, Baekhyun is a grown up man and Kyungsoo is supposed to be his bandmate-cum-boyfriend.

Pen Me Down by anonymous

M | 7.7k

“I would rather kill a panda.” “You’re terrible. They are endangered!” “That should tell you much I hate the idea of kissing him then.”

♡ DAY 5 ♡

Penny for your Socks by anonymous

M | 5.2k

Baekhyun didn't expect his soulmate to be so unfashionable; Kyungsoo knew his was an asshole.

Another Dream Away by anonymous

T | 15.9k

For years Baekhyun has dreamed of a dragon prince, living out his everyday life within the confines of the dragon realm. What he hadn't realized was that the dragon prince dreamed of him too.

he says hello when he leaves, goodbye when he arrives by anonymous

M | 10k

Who would have thought summoning a fifth level demon to win a singing contest could have such interesting consequences? Certainly not Byun Baekhyun.

Simmer, Sizzle, Savour by anonymous

M | 8.7k

Kyungsoo just doesn't know what to do about his student from hell.

♡ DAY 6 ♡

Sick and Sweet by anonymous

M | 2.3k

Kyungsoo gets sick on a Sunday and Baekhyun’s there to help him get well.

On top of the world, we are together by anonymous

Not Rated | 5.9k

Everything is going right in Kyungsoo’s life. He never thought it can get even better, until Byun Baekhyun came along.

My One and Only by anonymous

E | 19.8k

Hybrid!Baekhyun just loves his human so much, which is why he tries to be happy for Kyungsoo's relationships, even if they make his poor heart hurt so mysteriously much.

You and Me (Equals World War 3) by anonymous

G | 14.3k

Baekhyun and Kyungsoo are rival singers, until their labels decide to debut them as a duo for a project. Cue pranks, awkward meetings and bickering galore. But in the end, could their shared passion for music and the fact that they may have more in common than they thought, be enough to overcome their rivalry?

♡ DAY 7 ♡

true blue by anonymous

E | 25k

With things going sharply downhill at the newspaper, Kyungsoo has two options. One: He could lose his job and say goodbye to his journalistic career entirely. Two: He could do his best to ruin Byun Baekhyun's reputation. The choice, in his opinion, is obvious. Or he thought it was, at least.

Trouble at the Sandbox by anonymous

G | 23.7k

Kyungsoo didn't plan on going to the park. He also didn't plan on meeting Baekhyun.

The Janitor's Closet by anonymous

M | 3.2k

“Hey fat ass, do you really have to block the hall?”

“I’m not sure if that’s my problem when there’s enough to go around.”

“Pfft! Says the guy who can’t even hit a basic falsetto note!”

“That literally has nothing to do with this conversation and at least I can sing!”

Jongdae sighs as he closes his locker. Kyungsoo and Baekhyun throwing argument after argument at each other.

“They have to be fucking.” He says. “There’s no way two people that are always this irritated with each other but always together aren’t fucking.”

Chanyeol let’s out a laugh. “No way.” He looks down at Jongdae who looks up at seriously. His face falls. “No way!”

Soul Ink by anonymous

M | 26.6k

Baekhyun’s favourite past time is to pretend to work whilst day dreaming about the new tattoo artist.

♡ DAY 8 ♡

The power of a crush by anonymous

M | 2k

Kyungsoo gets crushed.

Stay By My Side by anonymous

Baekhyun didn't want a bodyguard but Kyungsoo showed up to work anyway. Maybe he doesn't mind it as much as he thinks.

hear my story, set me free by anonymous

M | 9.4k

Kyungsoo just wants to get the job done and go home to his dog, but Baekhyun has other plans. Alternatively, where Baekhyun and Kyungsoo pry open each others' hearts and lay their stories out for display.

Drifting Lights by anonymous

M | 10.6k

Librarian Do Kyungsoo and intern Yixing have gotten quite a number of complaints of damaged books. After a bit of detective work, they found one common clue - they’re all missing page 241.

♡ DAY 9 ♡

Breath of the Forest by anonymous

G | 12.3k

Baekhyun wants to explore the forbidden forest on the edge of town. He leaves Kyungsoo and enters the woods by himself, forcing Kyungsoo to run after him before he gets hurt or in trouble. The only problem: Kyungsoo has asthma.

Tug of War by anonymous

E | 30.2k

Baekhyun feeds off of affection... literally. Without affection and love, he will wither away. Enter Kyungsoo, the last man Baekhyun should fall for, the man that drains the life from everyone he touches.

Words of Fate by anonymous

G | 3.5k

How is Kyungsoo supposed to find his soulmate when his only clue to lead him to them is the word written on his wrist that no one could understand?

say you won't let go by anonymous

E | 3.4k

“What’s the safety word?” Kyungsoo asks. “Dracarys,” Baekhyun replies.

♡ DAY 10 ♡

As Easy as Breathing (In, Out, In, Out, In Out) by anonymous

M | 39.9k

Falling in love with Baekhyun was just like breathing - easy, natural. It was everything else that was hard. (A Howl's Moving Castle AU)

Did someone say cute? by anonymous

M | 2.4k

Baekhyun is crazy for cute things, and Kyungsoo is super cute. He falls head over heels, low-key obsessed and melting inside whenever Kyungsoo does something especially adorable. Kyungsoo refuses to believe he's cute though.

leave me breathless by anonymous

M | 8.4k

If Baekhyun had the chance to call the police on someone so handsome he knocks the air out of his lungs, the perfect time would be now.

kissing the devil by anonymous

M | 10.1k

A cry rings in his ears and all Baekhyun's struck by is the familiarity.

♡ DAY 11 ♡

Count On Me by anonymous

M | 8k

Kyungsoo happened to discover not the El Dorado but a key to deepen his connection with Baekhyun through the latter's secret tumblr dashboard.

under the same sky by anonymous

G | 21.9k

It's what Baekhyun liked to call their story: a love that transcended the summer. Includes but is not limited to: lunchboxes, Thursdays, a wall painting, postcards, and sunrises and sunsets.

Kiss Me, Tell Me by anonymous

T | 9.2k

Kyungsoo never expected to have his ass dragged on a challenge. He had no idea what to do next.

good to love by anonymous

E | 24.8k

Between Beijing and Tokyo, Kyungsoo finds a stranger, and perhaps so much more.

✐ AUTHORS ✐

Agrippa

ambrosiaplease

anon_nim

babychocosoo

baekdsooshi @ AFF

Bbaegi

cabbages

cheesenim

crownjules

Daphnean

dosmilkshake

encoru

endboss

fadetomorrow

foxxlight

heartshapedlips

jkl_401

Junchenny

kissmebaek

kozens

kumo_is_kumo

kynqso

lady-serendipity (jenzz)

lispkid @ tumblr

london9calling

marcel

mochified

quebaek

reihino

sehnsvcht

SmilingTeresa

subduedblue

sunsethue

taegyungie

taeyeons

UNCONQU3R3D

vavole

wisteries

X_yehet_pcy

yibaek

Yifanning

zannen

#baeksoo #baekdo #obaek #baeksoo fics #guess who #exo fics #exo fic fests #yuanfen fest #yuanfenbd #yuanfen

[mizuurei]

Im sorry, but I need to geek out over the music in WKM for a hot minute.

Cause like HOLY SHIT. DAN. OMG. There is some good shit in there. I’m mostly going to talk about the songs that Dan’s posted tutorials for to his YouTube channel because I can actually look at all the notes and chords and do some theory analysis (and forgive me if any of my analysis is wrong; I’ve only taken a few semesters of theory and I’m trying my best to remember everything we ever talked about).

BUT BEFORE I GET TO THAT, HOLY HECK DOES THE UNDERSCORE HELP SET THE MOOD.

I mean, I’m just looking at the very beginning of episode 1. The transition when the DA enters the house, the climb up and around the A-major chord creates this sense of being swept up into Wonderland. AND GUESS WHAT? THANKS TO MARK’S EXPLANATION LIVESTREAM, WE REALIZE THAT OH HEY! THAT’S KINDA WHAT HAPPENED. As soon as we entered that house, we were sucked into it’s “realm” so to speak. And the music reflects that.

AND THAT’S PARTIALLY WHAT MAKES AMAZING SOUNDTRACKS AMAZING. There’s a reason certain soundtracks are more memorable than others. Memorable soundtracks not only have big, catchy, main themes, but they are also able to communicate ideas and themes in both the main tracks and the underscore. AND DAN DOES THIS IN SPADES THROUGHOUT WKM.

I’m going to look at episode 1 again. The music almost acts as our emotional and verbal response to characters. Jazz piano in the background for Damien reinforces his sophistication, charm, and trustworthiness. We’re happy to see him and fully prepared for a fun night playing poker.

The sudden modulation to heavy low notes and the tense, quiet tremolo when we meet the chef immediately classifies him as scary, intimidating, and quite possibly explosive.

Then the change to the Butler. The immediate threat seems to be gone as we no longer have a large, angry man thrusting a ladel in our face, but that residual shock is still there (hence the ringing bass notes). And then we get these high pitched dissonant chords when the Butler hands us our drink and tells us to “enjoy our stay.” This sort of musical cue is typical in a murder mystery setting, but it works so god damn well. It immediately makes the Butler untrustworthy even though he hasn’t done anything particularly suspect yet (you know besides a slightly ominous line and eyebrow raise, but even that’s questionably ominous). And that makes sense considering the trope of “the butler did it” in murder mystery stories.

It’s so easy to write off how important the underscore is in big projects like these! Because it isn’t necessarily obvious (by design of course), but credit is due where credit is due. AND DAN DESERVES A LOT IF RECOGNITION! He created such an appropriate atmosphere for the entire mini-series.

NOW TO THE POINT THAT MADE ME WANT TO WRITE THIS ENTIRE POST IN THE FIRST PLACE: the ending song to the entire series.

(Again, forgive me if any of my analysis going forward is wrong; it’s been two semesters since I took a theory course that had to do with tonal music, so I’m kinda rusty in my analysis. Also fair warning, lots of Roman numerals ahead.)

Oh my god. How fucking appropriate. This piece (EDIT: known as “Who’s There 2” composed by Peter Sanberg with a section arranged by Dan (thanks to @corruptedmetadata for reminding me about this :D)) really helped elevate the ending of WKM to new heights emotionally. The song is so effectively simple. It’s mostly arpeggiations and sustained chords in minor. So we immediately recognize this scene as a somber, tragic moment (but it’s also a little bittersweet because there is a major chord or two in there).

But do you want to know what my favorite part of this entire piece was? The last chord.

Oh. My. God. The last chord is simply two Cs an octave apart plus the fifth of the scale, G. This is called an open fifth chord. A “proper” chord is supposed to have at least three different notes, normally the root of the chord, the third and the fifth. The open fifth has two: the root and the fifth. The lack of a third in the open fifth leaves the chord feeling hollow, albeit powerful. Our ears still recognize the notes as a chord, but it sounds like something is missing.

In WKM, this open fifth chord also acts as the final chord of the final cadence of the song. This is the chord that is supposed to signify the ending of the song. And it does! Sorta. The cadence seems to be a plagal cadence (IV-I instead of V-I). The plagal cadence does provide a form of resolution, but not a very strong one because it lacks a leading tone. Normally a plagal cadence is a device used to extend the tonic chords (which it does slightly earlier in this same song; the IV chord goes to the I chord before leading back to a VII chord). But by ending the song with a plagal cadence, it makes the resolution weaker, leaving the listener unsatisfied and thinking “there has to be more than that.”

So this last chord is an open fifth chord and part of a plagal cadence. So why does that get me so excited? Why does that make it my favorite part of this entire beautiful last song? BECAUSE IT FITS THE ENDING OF WKM SO GOD DAMN WELL! The fact that the song ends in a plagal cadence reflects the ending. While the story of WKM was technically finished, the audience was left with a plethora of questions and the sense of anticipation. A plagal cadence technically ended the song, but the resolution was so weak that the audience got the sense that this wasn’t the end. If I were to use one word to describe how I felt after watching all four chapters of WKM it would be hollow. Hollow in the sense of being emotionally drained and sad beyond all belief. The open fifth chord is a hollow sound.

TL;DR- The WKM ending is sad enough as is. But the ending music and the theory behind it adds an extra layer to the ending that just makes it all the more sad. AND I LOVE IT.

So everyone just take a minute to recognize what an AMAZING job Dan did with the entire soundscape of WKM. I highly doubt that Dan was writing/picking the music he wanted to used based on any of the music theory that I prattled on about above this (“Ah yes, let’s find a song that ends with an open fifth chord; that’ll really make things sad!” No. That’s not how it works; you find/compose stuff you think sounds appropriate). But nonetheless, he picked the music he did and performed it gorgeously. Having the theory reflect the ending is just a cool added bonus for me that I thought others might find interesting too.

#wkm #Markiplier #markipliergame #markipliertag2 #who killed markiplier #wkm music #ugh I had a bare bones explanation of this that I liked better but I lost it #I feel like I got lost within all the technical jargon and now why I love Dan’s music isn’t clear at all #but whatever #there’s music theory behind the songs that just really helps mood and I just love Dan’s musical direction in wkm #music theory

[in-exo-stable]

what do you think of the vocal techniques of BTS EXO and VIXX? who are some of your faves?

//cracks neck herE wE gOO

disclaimer: I am not a professional vocal trainer or of that sort I just love singing and beautiful talented men

ok so between BTS EXO and VIXX overall EXO has the strongest technique among its vocals overall. Let Me Explain.

For EXO’s Vocalists (i.e Kyungsoo, Jongdae, Baekhyun, Junmyeon, Minseok, Yixing), they have good vocal training (props to the vocal trainers tbh they know what they are doing). They usually don’t strain as much (esp now!! so much improvement from the MAMA era!!!) and their notes are well supported. Kyungsoo imo has the best technique, and he knows his voice well. His runs are usually clean and his high notes aren’t strained. His chest and mixed voice are well developed. (does anyone have kyungsoo’s head voice :( I can’t seem to find any but probably only suho knows how to use it properly too…but he tends to be a little on the airy side for his chest and mixed) Chen is a close second….tho his rocker super extra self likes to hit notes that he can’t fully support yet and instead screams the notes out and strains. I hope he takes care of his voice :( Minseok has the best musicianship…as evidenced by his flair when singing and his ear for really hard diminished and augmented chords and minor chord progression harmonies (listen to Forever as the most recent example no wonder he does most of the harmony work for exo). As for my son Zhang Yixing…..he really is an allrounder…..he has good vocal technique and support and good connection voice…..great ear for harmonies….also super SUPER steady…..but his vocal technique is more of a jack of all trades but master of none. He adapts well to whatever song is thrown in his way but its not as obvious as the other vocalists.

For BTS’s vocalists (Jungkook, Jimin, Taehyung, Seokjin), they have a wider discrepancy. For me at least, this is always a source of annoyance because Seokjin and Taehyung have the cleanest technique but barely get any singing lines…..and Jungkook and Jimin who have great tone…but not much support gets the most lines. Seokjin has a great chest voice, a well connected mix voice, and an occasional head voice thrown in. His chest/mixed range is very developed….in fact I would say he is the strongest singular vocalist of all three groups. He hits all of his notes with great support and such a pretty tone ;;;;; He does tend to get very nasally when he tries to push out too much air  “for more emotions” but honestly it doesn’t detract much from his vocal colour. Taehyung has a great vocal range…..unfortunately not one that is very well supported on both ends…nor does BTS songs give him vocal lines that are ACTUAL singing lines……his chest voice is actually very well developed and its honestly a shame since lets the sound actually reverberate through his chest. Plus! he has great musicianship has evidenced by him molding his voice to suit the actual music. IS THIS ME TRYING TO SAY TO GIVE SEOKJIN AND TAEHYUNG MORE LINES YES. YES THIS IS. GIVE MY SONS MORE LINES. thank you this has been a PSA (this is not me bashing jk or jm…they have great tones just not that great a vocal technique esp when there are better 👀….both jk and jm tends to sing from their throat and doesn’t really bend their voices to suit the songs, but the other way around….which surprisingly works bc they have a great timbre and tone but like……give some love to seokjin and taehyung too pls) on a side note: hoseok has a shocking ear for harmonies what the actual fuck what can’t that boy do

For VIXX’s vocalists (Hakyeon, Taekwoon, Jaehwan), have decent vocal technique. Surprisingly Hakyeon has the best vocal technique since he isn’t usually considered as a main vocal. He has an excellent and connected head voice (listen to Higher than Me and his cover of Nandemonaiya). He also has a great chest voice and he knows his voice well, so he doesn’t strain notes…he just avoids them which is easy since he isn’t a main vocal and it isn’t expected of him. Plus he has great support so its always a pleasure listening to him tbh. Jaehwan actually has the best musicianship (as well more demonstrated thanks to his many stints on singing shows) among all the three groups.  He knows how to mold his voice to suit the tone of the music, he LISTENS and never overpowers neither the song nor his duet partner…which is fucking hard to do…..PLUS he has a great ear for pitches its a little scary esp since he says he doesn’t have perfect pitch………he does tend to strain sometimes when he hits high notes tho :( pls take care of your voice son…. As for Taekwoon, he has a really good timbre and tone, but he has the poorest vocal technique among the the three groups…which is really such a shame since I love his voice so much :( he likes to strain and when he isn’t…he sings from his throat which isn’t great if he wants to keep singing for a long time. However!! I do hear improvements and thats good bc I want to hear his voice for a long time tbh.

My personal fave vocals from this list are ksoo, jd, xing, sj, and hakyeon not surprisingly 

AS NOTED ABOVE THIS. IS. MY. MINE!!! OPINION.

#so basically #I love my beautiful sons #that is all #replies

[artificialqueens]

Mother, I've been fucking with the devil again (Ch.3) - Pumpkin

A/N: Hi guys! I know it’s been months since the last chapter and I’m SO sorry. I just hope that you still are interested in it. As always, I wrote it to have fun and for you as an entertainment, so don’t expect a masterpiece! Let me know what you think about it and how would you like it to continue. I always read your comments/questions and I uploaded this because some of you were asking about the next chapter, even if I was really ashamed because it’s been so long so… Yeah, your opinion is important! Hope you like it❤

What a fucking bitch, Sharon thought. A whole week had passed by since she fucked Katya, and the Russian still gave her some naughty glances when they ran into eachother. To be honest, she enjoyed the sex with Katya and she didn’t regret it, but that wasn’t the problem: Alaska was teasing, really teasing her. Sharon knew that It was too good to be real when Alaska had resignedly left her bunk the other night.

Alaska had now a new purpose: Tease her until she couldn’t help it anymore. She would rub herself against Sharon during the shows, in front of hundreds of people and under Michelle’s disapproving look. She was always by her side now on stage, taking her hand when she had the opportunity, and constantly interacting with her during Snatch Game, but Sharon had to go along with it since she was too polite to humiliate her in front of her fans. She even posted on Instagram a pic of them together in 2011, and everyone went crazy about the possibility of Shalaska getting back together. Sharon ignored her during a whole week, but after Saturday’s gig, she just faced it. All the girls were by the bar having a drink and she found Alaska all alone in the theatre’s dressing room, touching up her makeup.

“Bitch” Sharon said, sitting on the closest chair to Alaska’s.

“Thank you, nice to see you too, Needles” She ironically answered, still looking at her reflection in the mirror.

“You don’t deserve nice things, I know what you’re doing” Alaska stopped pressing compact powder on her forehead and looked at Sharon.

“And what is it?” She asked.

“Teasing me, treating me like if you cared again, but I know you don’t, you just want to feel that you’re more important than Katya to me” Sharon’s voice was getting louder, anger slowly running through her veins, while Alaska was so fucking calm.

“I don’t need to do that, I know I am.” She simply said. Alaska was so confident since All Stars 2. She wasn’t anymore that cute and insecure drag queen she used to be, now she was the powerful Queen of Snakes. Sharon, who used to be the loud one of the couple, felt like she was so weak by Alaska’s side now.

“OH, YOU KNOW YOU ARE?��� Sharon had started screaming, and now there was no turning back.

“Yes, I do.” Alaska said, holding Sharon’s stare.

“WHY WOULD YOU BE MORE IMPORTANT? YOU LEFT ME. YOU GAVE UP ON ME” Sharon shouted, and Alaska could see that she was definitely sad and choleric, both at the same time.

————————————————————–

Meanwhile, at the bar, Katya was biting the straw of her coke. Everyone was having fun and getting drunk and she wasn’t doing none of those. Since one week ago, all that came to her mind when she wasn’t on stage was Sharon. Sharon’s white eyes, tiny waist, and scary laugh. Aaron’s blue eyes, plump lips and perfect smile. She knew that she wasn’t falling in love, but she also knew that it was more than just a screw. It was the necessity of having someone special while touring, and Sharon was definitely special.

Other queens would just drink, but she couldn’t do that either, so she felt in a dead-end street. She was also scared of Alaska finding out, she had moved on, but she could be very possessive too. Katya was deciding whether if she should tell Sharon what she felt or not when she heard it: Voices screaming and shouting at eachother. As she had nothing better to do, she took her coke and discreetly went to the backstage area, expecting to find some crazy fans or Michelle yelling at the staff. The voices became more and more clear until she recognized Sharon and Alaska having an argument. She didn’t move forward anymore and stood there, just listening, the wall not letting her see.

“I DIDN’T GAVE UP ON YOU, YOU ENDED THE RELATIONSHIP, YOU MORON!” Alaska shouted, finally, not because she needed to, but because she was getting nervous.

“YOU THOUGHT THAT I WAS BAD FOR YOU AND YOUR CAREER” Sharon responded.

“AND YOU WERE! LOOK AT ME NOW! I’M SOBER AND FAMOUS!”

“FUCK YOU!” Sharon sounded so mad. A loud noise of crystal breaking into pieces and then silence, all silence.

Katya, who really appreciated Alaska after all, thought that Sharon might had smashed a bottle against Alaska, so she put out her head to see the scene and check if everything was alright. It took her some seconds to realize that they were actually kissing.

Sharon’s fists were menacing, but Alaska was tightly gripping her wrists so that they were hanging on both sides of Sharon, not really ready to punch. One of Sharon’s hands was bloody, and the broken mirror next to them definitely had something to do with it. Alaska passionately kissed Sharon, leaning over her. First it was just lips pressed together, but eventually they began to open their mouths and let their tongues meet like in old times. Katya saw how Sharon’s fists started to relax until they were completely gone, and she rested her hands on Alaska’s padded hips. Alaska smiled in the middle of the kiss, glad because Sharon had finally relaxed, and Katya felt a punch in the stomach. She wasn’t jealous, it was the other way around. Alaska was so happy, and Katya felt so guilty for feeling attracted to Sharon.

Sharon rapidly caught Alaska’s bottom lip and aggresively bit on it. Alaska whined between pain and pleasure and they began kissing again, but this time Sharon pressed her against the dresser. Sharon’s hands softly rubbed Alaska’s ass, wanting flesh but finding just pads. The younger queen threw her head back, revealing the pale and thin skin of her neck. Sharon slowly kissed her jaw before softly licking her lover’s neck with flat tongue. Then, she bit down on it and Katya could see that she was leaving red marks of her perfect teeth all over. Alaska moaned uncontrollaby, long nails scratching Sharon’s exposed arms.

Still with her head back, closed eyes and a smirk in her lips, Alaska grabbed Sharon’s wig and intentionally pulled it from her head all at once. Sharon made her feel wild and out of control like nobody else could. “Ouch!” Sharon shouted, before biting again the soft flesh of her neck. Katya giggled in the corner, feeling a bit deja vu from their experience on the couch.

Sharon slammed hard Alaska against the mirror, causing some minor cuts in her back from the broken crystals, and undressed the blonde, who groaned in pleasant pain. First, she carefully took off the tiny tank top that Alaska was wearing, revealing a perfect chest. Then, she took off her skirt until her lover was just in pantyhose and the large blonde wig. Alaska quickly took off Sharon’s dress with lustful eyes and shaky hands.

Katya knew that she had to leave in that exact moment, if she didn’t want to become a voyeur. She was crawling to the bar’s door, ready to leave the lovebirds alone, when she heard the very first chords of “Roar” by Katy Perry in the dance floor.

“No fucking way” She said, still on her fours. She had two options, that suddenly appeared in her mind, sketched like an UNHhhh episode’s edit. She could be a good friend, leave the couple alone, go to the bar and dance to the song that got her eliminated in Rupaul’s Drag Race, OR she could be a really bad friend and go watch her buddies fuck. In her mind, a sad Katya dressed like Hello Kitty danced, while by her side, Alaska and Sharon were happily making ‘combos’ while fucking.

She crawled all her way back to her privileged seat at the backstage and whispered to herself: “Choices”, sounding just like Tati. She slurped some coke through her straw and saw the couple get totally naked. “Here we go, Barbara” She murmured.

Sharon was finally Aaron, the only drag trace left on his body being his perfect makeup. He fell down to his knees in front of Justin. Justin looked funny, his slim unpadded figure mixed with his majestic big blonde wig and perfect mug. Aaron engulfed all of Justin’s lenght, causing him to moan immediately. He ran his tongue all over the head, making Justin tightly grip on his short bleached hair and swear loudly. Katya wished she had some popcorn.

The standing queen bucked hard in the knelt’s mouth, enjoying Aaron’s plump lips and deep throat. Aaron was thirsty and he moaned while savouring the familiar taste of his ex. He felt so guilty, but at the same time he needed to fuck the jealousy out of Justin. Aaron left Justin on the verge of orgasm and pulled apart, tiny tears in the corner of his eyes from the blowjob. Justin knelt in front of his ex and they kissed again, this time recklessly, with crashing teeth and red, sore lips due to the constant bites. They reached for eachothers’ cock and pleased their correspondant lover, moaning in eachother’s mouth while their makeup smeared all over. They looked like art, Katya thought.

Katya was having so much fun, she found the couple especially attractive and despite her growing erection, she convinced herself to stay just as an spectator and nothing else. She was surprised by Aaron’s harsh voice telling Justin to bend. Justin immediately got down on his hands and knees.

“Fuck me hard, Needles” It wasn’t a request, it was an order. Even on her fours Justin sounded dominant as fuck, and Aaron was ready to take control over him.

“Of course, babe” Aaron said with a smirk, feeling powerful and placing himself at Justin’s entrance.

“Here comes the devil, Marty!” Katya told to herself in her Maureen voice. This was a hundred times more entertaining than the dance floor and she was the only lucky one who could see it.

Aaron slipped in his lover, balls deep, without warning, and Justin took it all at once. He moaned loudly as he slowly adjusted to Aaron’s big lenght. “Fuck” the older man said because of Justin’s tightness. He pushed back and forth into Justin mercilessly, causing him to grunt in pleasure.

Katya was mesmerized, watching them was art. There was something so beautiful in watching these two genderless creatures make love furiously. Aaron’s dominant nature reached its maximum while fucking Justin. Every muscle of his body was tense, eyes closed, parted lips, sweat covering his pale skin and his two huge hands possessively grabbing Justin’s small hips. Justin was definitely bottom material, but he was gorgeous and so attractive. Katya slowly admired his slightly more tanned skin and slim figure, covered by Sharon’s black lipstick and blood from the cut. He had his eyes open, but he wasn’t really looking at anything, he was lost in his own pleasure and his eyeballs looked like they were about to pop out at any moment.

Justin felt his own cock really hard against his lower abdomen but the brutal thrusts of Aaron didn’t let him reach for it, he had to rest both of his hands on the floor to keep balance. Every second that passed by he felt a growing blissful sensation in his stomach that he knew too well. He wanted to come so bad, he needed attention on his member but he couldn’t touch himself.

“Oh god, I fucking hate you” Justin said even if the position didn’t let him see Aaron. He obviously didn’t hate Aaron. He hated that there was still something animal inside them that craved eachother. He hated that they were fucking on the floor. He hated wanting Aaron but not being able to love him anymore. And he hated wanting to come so bad but not being able to do it.

“Me too. I hate US” Aaron said, wraping Justin’s wig hair around his hand and pulling it so hard that Justin had to adopt the perfect position, with both his head and butt lined up. He grunted to the mixed sensation of pain in his scalp and deeper penetration in his ass. “Fuck you” Justin said, his long pink nails scratching the grey ground desperately. He was overhelmed by the sensations he was feeling, both in his body and his mind. When Aaron’s tip reached his prostate he thought he was going to pass out from pleasure and desperation and his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

Katya typed: “I’m watching Madeline Ashton and Helen Sharp fuck” She sent the message to Trixie.

An answer was received immediately: “Who?” Katya rolled her eyes. Who else could she be referring to in the Bots tour?

“Sharon and Alaska, genious”

“WHAT?! Why? Where??” Katya smiled because of Trixie’s excitement and decided to answer to just one question.

“Amsterdam”

Now was Trixie who rolled her eyes in the United States. “Yeah but where?”

“Oh! Dressing room. On the floor. They’re BEASTS!!” Katya looked over the couple once again, who had started dirty talking, maybe to speed up the process.

“Send me a pic or it isn’t happening” Trixie dared to say.

“You know that if that picture goes viral Sharon will kill me with her bare hands. No way.”

“Well send an audio then.”

Katya wanted to please Trixie and she recorded a short 10 second-long audio where all you could hear was gay sex, groans and Alaska’s voice saying “Fuck me harder, Sh-!”

Trixie almost fell off her chair. She wasn’t believing one damn shit Katya was saying until that moment. “O M G” She texted back.

“I KNOW” Katya said

“People say Alaska’s wiener is huge.” It wasn’t even a question but Katya knew what Trixie wanted to know.

“Not even close to yours, Trix”

“AHHHH SHUT UP!!” Katya laughed at the fake offended Trixie. “Gotta go to work, ttyl” Katya smiled to the screen, texted “Love u” and looked at the couple again.

“Fuck I need to come. Touch me, Sharon” Justin begged, almost crying. Aaron tugged hard once again Justin’s wig and forced him to stand just on his knees, Aaron’s dick deep still inside him. Katya visually devoured the couple, Justin’s back pressed against Aaron’s chest, and Justin’s painfully hard cock that almost reached his stomach. Aaron, also on his knees, wrapped his arms around his lover’s torso, softly caressing his nipples and protruding ribs.

“Sharon t-” Justin sounded desperate and Katya was sure that she had never seen him so vulnerable. From beast to angel. Aaron wrapped then his hand around Justin’s cock base and whispered: “Shh, it’s ok babygirl” He squeezed it a few times causing the youger queen to moan and leak a bit of precum, he was so close.

“Fuck, Justin” Aaron said, trying to hold back the orgasm as much as possible even if all he needed to come was hearing Justin moaning. He energetically thrusted into his lover’s round ass while Justin desperately bucked into his hand.

They came and Katya almost screamed in thrill. Justin, despite his huge wig, had turned his head to desperately kiss Aaron. Aaron embraced Justin from behind with one arm while the other hand pleased the taller queen’s demanding dick. Justin, who was extremely flexible, rested his left arm on Aaron’s hips, while he tangled his right hand in the blonde’s hair. In this uncomfortable yet inviting posture, they merged in a dreamy kiss that ended with them moaning in eachother’s mouth and biting eachother’s lips.

Katya wanted to applaud. She was captivated. She wanted to watch the whole thing again. Or did she wanted to join?

One last loud moan from Justin and they both collapsed on the floor panting. “Fuck” Aaron whispered pulling out of Justin, lighting up a cigarrette and smoking it while laying naked on the floor. Justin slipped the cigarrette from Aaron’s fingers and took a drag. Then, he let out the smoke slowly.

“Bet Katyaaa doesn’t make you cum THAT wayyy” Justin slowly said, and Katya almost squealed. Alaska knew. Alaska knew about Sharon and her. Alaska knew and probably that’s why she was laying naked on the floor with Sharon, to prove herself she could do it again. Katya wanted to escape the room as soon as possible before they found her.

Aaron giggled. “You competitive bitch” he said, taking back the cigarrette from Justin’s hand to his mouth. They stared at eachother and Justin decided it was the right time to leave, before getting caught in Aaron’s blue eyes.

Justin took all his clothes from the floor and started walking away, wearing only the huge wig and long nails. When he reached the bathroom’s door he muttered a shy “Bye Shazza”

“Night Lasky” Aaron said, looking at the ceiling while smoking.

#sharon needles #alaska thunderfuck #katya zamolodchikova #shalaska #smut #pumpkin #rpdr fanfiction #katya x sharon #fucking with the devil #canon compliant

[thirtydaystil30-blog]

Day 27/30: The Holiday

Well we’ve reached the point in the year where I watch rom coms in the same loungewear for approx. 6 days in a row. Ten minutes into The Holiday and I was reminded why I love it so much: the deep recognition of how truly awful (albeit exhilarating) unrequited love is. You love it, you hate it, you end up crying about it on the subway. And in the bar. Also in the street. In the dressing room at TopShop...you know the drill. It’s enough to make you want to escape to an adorable cottage in the english countryside, replete with a judgmental terrier and mini cooper. 

It’s this trash feeling that led me to date online, which led to it’s own adventures in misery. And joy, which may be another post (oh who am I kidding, the misery might be one, too). 

ANYWAY. 

All of this leads me to the most recent #datingtruth I’ve come across, courtesy of Ask Polly.  Particularly this part: 

What if you don’t have to improve anymore? What if there is no way of measuring where you stand relative to other women? What if you’re beautiful and also a little ugly, gorgeous to some and monstrous to others? What if you are incredible and also scary, exciting and sexy and also a little bit too intense to tolerate? Because you are. We all are. And the guys who want more mystery, who want more quiet, who want a better body, who want more suspenseful waiting time between texts? Those guys can go chase one of a million self-made shadows, shiny ghosts that are always disappearing around the next corner, harpies who shriek in eerie minor chords that make every threatened, mystery-addicted dick for five square miles grow rock hard in milliseconds. We don’t want those dicks. We want to be complex and concrete and unnervingly real instead. We want to be monstrous and glorious and openhearted and deeply wrong. We are not publicists, and we don’t need to hire them, because we are not looking to draw in as many clients as possible, into the theater/the bookstore/the auditorium/our beds/our lives. We are not looking for the best possible human male specimen that we can find, one that matches our advanced degrees and our amazing jobs and our salt-of-the-earth friends. We are just looking for someone who makes us laugh and sees us clearly. When someone sees you clearly, PR, you won’t think of how many standard deviations you are from the norm. You won’t consider where your face falls on an objective numerical scale of beauty, if such a thing has ever existed. You will be sparkling and lit from within. You will have way too much to say and you will say it all, and he will ask you to say even more, drunk on your scary, idiotic, gorgeous, brilliant words and your delicious, unreal, elastic body.

That is the magic you seek. It’s a sloppy kind of magic, one that does not require strenuous self-improvement. So: Do not refine your product-testing procedures. Do not edit and clarify your questionnaire. Do not sharpen the core message at the heart of your brand. Admit that you are a little odd (in ways that are neither adorable nor “quirky”). You will always care too much, and that’s not attractive to most people, because most people are really fucking weak and frightened. But seriously? Fuck them. Stop looking for hot, frightened guys because you think you’re scary, because you think you require another gold star, because you love an impossible challenge.

So I’m gonna (try to) go into my 30′s with that in mind: no refining, no manipulating myself. No reframing or hiding. Just me.  And, hopefully, an adorable cottage in the British countryside...and maybe a terrier or two. 

#dearpolly #thirtydaystil30 #day27 #datingtruth

[thebigcitynightsband]

Bus King/Busking/Night Moves

That’s a photo of me and my ex-gf. I just found it last week in my bag that Jamie brought to me from Burlington, thanks Jamie bro. Happier times, man. We’re still friends but we don’t see each other much. That’s a repeating pattern with me. Me and a gal will break up, declare an intention to stay friends, and then I be their friend while they work hard at vanishing from my life and into the arms of some dude who hates me cuz I’m still her friend. Happened with Jessica, happened with Courtney. Next time I’ll just do the sudden severance. Seems to work for other people.

Well, fuck. I’ve been struggling a little bit lately. Still sober, still pissing in a cup every day. My hours got cut at work for a few weeks but they’re back up to full-time next week, where they’ll remain until mid-December. I’m trying to save my apartment, need to find a roommate to take over the lease, which requires first and last, which I don’t have but I’m trying to acquire somehow.

A few days ago I went busking for the first time in about a year. Queen and University is my corner, northwest side. I like it there because you get a lot of 905ers coming out of Osgoode Station to go explore Queen West, people who don’t ordinarily see buskers, so they’re generous. I can only play for about three hours on an acoustic before my fingers start to hurt too much to play chords, and you average about six bucks an hour. I write a lot of songs that way. “Make It Mine” off the new album was written while busking last year and I came up with a few new ones the other day. It was a good day, actually. I woke up broke and without food and ended the day with a full belly and a pack of cigarettes and an Arizona Iced Tea. I felt content. So I’m gonna go back out there tomorrow. And probably the next day too.

My laptop died and I almost lost the record, but I was able to extract the files after a few days of feeling numb and worried. I really like our upcoming album, the songs have kept me good company over the past year, and the thought of losing the whole damn thing, save for “Fighting Ways” which is finished, and a handful of others, was a little scary. It’s not gone though. Sweet relief. BCN songs are like cockroaches. They find a way. Cue “Long Distance King” in your head as you read that last line...”we’ll find a waaaaay, we’ll fiiind a waaaaay.” Glory days. Before everything went to shit.

Hey, know what’s a great record? Break Up Break Down by Reigning Sound. Listen to the quavering, breathless delivery from Greg Cartwright on this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fWcZKZR3jg

Another great one off that record is called “Want You,” a really sad, pretty ballad. I’d like to make an album of Memphis ballads some day, in the vein of Break Up Break Down. We’ll call it Fuck Up Fuck Off or something.

I set up my keyboard tonight with a mind to do some overdubs tomorrow. I’ve been avoiding doing keyboard overdubs on the album forever because I’m a terrible keyboard player and it takes a really long time to get a single coherent take and I don’t have the patience that I used to. I finished “Night Needles” from A Steamroller Named Desire in a single evening, and that song has probably the most piano of any BCN song. I doubt I could do the same thing now. I’m older now and runnin against the wind, as Bob Seger would sing. Has sung, whatever. Running Against the Wind. I love that song. “Wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then” is a great line eh? Legend has it Seger wanted to cut that line but the producer told him how great it was, which it is. Oftentimes artists can’t recognize their own greatness. Years ago, when I was sixteen or so, I was trying to put together a set of acoustic covers in my bedroom. I remember doing “Leave It Alone” by Moist, which is pretty embarrassing now, but also “Against the Wind” and an acoustic version of the Smashing Pumpkin’s “Ava Adore,” which I was surprised to find has a very similar chord progression as “Against the Wind.” I mean, those two songs sound nothing alike, yet they’re very alike, chord-wise.

ANYWAY I’m rambling. Just finished an assignment for a client (I do people’s homework for them as a side hustle. Forty bucks here, sixty bucks there, it all goes into the giant hole I dug for myself the past few years.) I owe money to one guy who actually chased me this past January, up near Dovercourt and Hallam. I had to jump a couple fences but I got away. He’ll get paid soon enough. They all do.

I’m working on it man. Pushing against the tide. Runnin against the wind.

One last thing about that Bob Seger song: I’ve always thought that part where he yells “let the cowboys ride!” at the end of the song was stupid. Why couldn’t he have taken that part out? It’s so obvious that he was out of ideas and just mustered up the best open field imagery he could in the moment. Let the cowboys ride? Given the greatness that comes before that line, I can’t dismiss the song, even if it’s not as good as the immortal “Night Moves.”

A quick word about “Night Moves” before I go. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mRFWQoXq4c I honestly think it’s one of the greatest all-time vocal performances. There are three distinct parts in the song that always give me shivers. The first is that irresistible “summertime summertime” part @ 2:19. The second comes in that great breakdown, when the title changes from a sexual innuendo to a somber, forlorn musing on the passage of time and how time can move slower when you’re bored, faster when you’re absorbed and excited. Ain’t it funny how the night moves...when you just don’t seem to haaaaaaaave as much to lo-o-se. It’s that “have” that always gets me...just the way Seger gives it the perfect amount of witsfulness and gravelly gravity. Fuckin killer. Singing is always a fine balance between technical proficiency and emotional delivery, but on that line Seger’s 99% heart, 1% technique, and it still sounds incredible. To me, at least.

The last part is in the final minor descending refrain @ 5:04, even though it’s just Bob doing a bunch of “ooooohooohoohhhs.” It wouldn’t be as good if that vocal came over the main riff, but it doesn’t. It comes over the same chord progression as the chorus, that sad lilting minor key descent. Every time, man. Every time.

I’ve been trying to cover “Night Moves” since 2007. I don’t think I’ve ever got past the first chorus. I just can’t sell it. Those aren’t my memories, they’re Bob Seger’s. I never existed in the 1950s America he’s singing about in the song, the America of taking your sweetheart to the drive-in, cruising the strip, going to diners and pushing coins into jukeboxes. That wasn’t my adolescence. So it’s a tough one to sing. You have to know when you’re beaten. That’s part of growing up.

I don’t talk to my Dad anymore. He hates my guts and so does his girlfriend. It doesn’t bother me except for when I hear certain songs...songs like “Night Moves” or “Walking On The Moon” by The Police...first time I ever heard my father sing on the way to Owen Sound for a hockey tournament I was playing...it was the chorus, that “no way, chasing your cares away” part, and we had sunflower seeds and that was the night I fell in love with highways and movement and travel and all that Kerouac stuff I’d get obsessed with later, all those fuckin notebooks I filled with eager scrawling about road trips I hadn’t yet taken. I lost all those notebooks somehow, can’t remember maybe I tossed them all on purpose, kind of a year zero event. Too much in those notebooks was lines from existing songs. I remember one time going through an old notebook and seeing “the sea is foaming like a bottle of beer” and thinking I’d written it...nope...it was a Weezer song. I’d just scrawled out that one line hammered one night, drunk at 17, back when it was actually exciting to get drunk and not a sad chore like it later became.

I’m going busking tomorrow. I might not be able to do “Night Moves” but I can bust out “Against the Wind.” I ain’t licked yet. It ain’t over. I’m older now and still runnin against the wind. Let the cowboys ride or whatever.

Edit, PS: That was a really dramatic fuckin post. I’m sorry. For some much-needed levity, here’s a picture of me from last week. Some friends visited while I was in bed, and I came out to say hello still holding my book.  PPS: Hey, know another great Bob Seger song? “Still the Same,” especially those ghostly backing vocals in the second verse. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjDpKeiYxOU PPPS: Hey, know another song that has cool ghostly additional instrumental in the second verse? Bruce Springsteen’s “Downbound Train.” It’s not his greatest song and I don’t like Bruce’s overdone “blue collar accent,” the dumb slurring he likes to do in order to sound more like a mechanic making $20 000 a year, but that beautiful synth organ that comes in on the second verse is just heartwrenching, listen for it @ 0:49: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc_mv46NwT4 The organ has a pretty sweet solo for one-bar starting at 1:21. If I could get that organ tone, I wouldn’t put off doing keyboard overdubs, lemme tell ya son, I tell ya what.

#goleafsgo