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theaterism · 3 years

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At this time, poor Fox would receive yet another letter in his pocket. "Remember me? Damian. Anyway, my brother Beau and I are having a party for Halloween on the 22nd - I know, I know, it's a little early, but things get kind of wild on Halloween around here. We live in an actual haunted house, you know. Anyway, you're invited - I'm inviting Wren, too. Hope to see you there!" And, encased in the envelope, was another penny.

This was a day when words blurred and shifted too much for Foxtrot to decrypt them, but immediate suspicion crept over him when he opened the mysterious envelope and a penny slid into his palm. Charlie confirmed his guess when she read the letter aloud to him. Damian. Foxtrot’s brow creased. True, the man had bought him a meal once, but he’d also assailed him with an entire cabinet-full of pennies and catnip. An impressive prank, but still — Foxtrot still hadn’t found the best way to dispose of the coins. He had also failed to shake the catnip from that sweater, and the theater kitten had claimed it.

Even so, the letter’s contents caught his attention in seconds. Curiosity and anticipation swirled in his chest. A Halloween party on the 22nd. In an actual haunted house. Wren would appreciate that, Foxtrot thought — seconds before learning Wren might appear as well. His interest in attending doubled.

“You’re going, aren’t you?” Charlie’s voice broke through his thoughts. A smile had spread across her face. “It sounds wonderful. Haunted and everything.” A box of caramel popcorn rested beside her. She popped one in her mouth, then added, “I might take the invitation and pretend to be you if you don’t go.”

“Right, well, I will go, so maybe don’t do that.”

“Maybe I’ll sneak inside anyway.” She narrowed her eyes at the letter as she folded it along different angles. “What’ll you wear? For your costume.”

Foxtrot hummed, tugging a string on his jacket. “Same as last year, probably? A scarecrow, wasn’t it? Haven’t got anything else to wear, so—”

“That’s entirely untrue!” Charlie looked appalled. She flicked a piece of popcorn at him, which he barely blocked in time. “You look like a scarecrow on your own most days, and you’ve got all the spooky theater costumes to steal from. Pick something else.”

Irritation simmered within Foxtrot at the scarecrow comment, but he stifled it and scoured his imagination for better ideas. “A… ghost?”

An exasperated sigh escaped Charlie. “How are we related? Can’t you be a tiny bit more creative?” The letter had turned into a paper airplane, and she sent it soaring across the theater’s attic. Victor sat on his bed, reading. The plane struck his head. He rubbed the sore spot and shot Charlie a betrayed glance, and she muffled a laugh and apologized. Her words spilled out in a rush when she turned back to Foxtrot. “What if there’s a costume contest? There might be medals and prizes and things. Or maybe they’ll stop you at the door if your costume’s too shabby. Or banish you.” She gasped, her eyes wide. “The ghosts might even curse you if you don’t impress them, and I bet they’d be offended if you dressed like a ghost.”

“Look, I’ll figure it out, alright? I’ll go through the theater costumes. I swear it.” He faltered. “But… the letter didn’t say it was a costume party. What if I’m the only one who shows up in something odd? You’d be the first one I’d take revenge on.”

“What sort of Halloween party isn’t a costume party?” Another flicked popcorn. He couldn’t dodge fast enough this time — it hit him on the forehead. “Wear a costume,” she instructed him. “A proper one, and a different one from last year. Or I really will steal the invitation and pretend to be you.” Her brows raised. “I’d make a much better Foxtrot.”

The real Foxtrot rubbed the caramel from his forehead and glared at her. “Rude.” It was a challenge, though. Refusal wasn’t an option. “Fine. I’ll get a different costume. A new, proper one.”

“Ask me if you haven’t got any ideas. Or ask one of the costume designers. Or—” The paper airplane hit her shoulder. She spun toward Victor. He still seemed focused on his book, though a faint smile showed on his face. Charlie gave a low, accusing hum, then faced Foxtrot once more. “Or ask Vic. Or Wren. Or… Damian, wasn’t it? The one who wrote the letter?” Foxtrot had briefly explained who the man was. “Or an audience member, or— or someone, I dunno.”

Foxtrot grabbed the paper airplane. Turning it slowly in his hands, he raised a brow at Charlie. “You’ve got loads of confidence in me, haven’t you?”

Charlie grinned. “You aren’t hopeless. But I refuse to share my best ideas with you. The invitation’s still mine if your costume’s dreadful enough.”

“That means you’ll sabotage it somehow if I ask for your advice, so I won’t ask you.” Still, he set the plane aside and extended his hand. “Winner gets half the other’s candy as well. Then we’ve got a deal.”

After a beat of hesitation, in which Charlie scanned his face for deception and found none, she shook his hand. “Deal. Half the candy means a proper split as well, not the candy you’d toss away anyway. Right?”

She’d guessed one of Foxtrot’s backup schemes. Still, the boy sighed and nodded. “Right.”

#castelleve #(AGDGDGD THANK U FOR THIS… MY REPLY GOT SO LONG AND SO DUMB…………)#(i adore writing the siblings’ dynamic a bunch tho so like agsgd)#(they are SO chaotic sometimes and charlie NEEDED to turn it into a Big Deal)#(but fox is excited!!)#(now he needs to find a better costume tho and he’s Bad at that agsgd)#(also damian including a penny in the envelope… i’m crying………)#|☆| inbox #|☽| foxtrot ( clever fox )#|☽| charlie ( nice rabbit )#|☽| victor ( gentle bear )#|☆| ic

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oneboxofmatches · 3 years

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This is a request I did for the amazing @strawberry-caffeine -- she’s been so kind to me and it was an absolute joy to do this request!

A few things: With the length of the request, while I still included friendship matchups, I decided not to write out descriptions/explanations along with them. To (hopefully) make up for that, I put the #1 friendship choice in BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS with two other bonus characters I think you’d be good friends with in regular bold type (except for the Harry Potter: Marauders era because there aren’t many choices haha). I hope this is okay!!

Here we go!

--Supernatural--

I romantically pair you with…

JACK KLINE

You’re good at hyping your friends up? Please give this boy all the hype in the world -- he needs it.

Seriously though, one (out of many) of the reasons Jack loves you so, so much is how you’re able to talk him out of a slump. His constant doubts and insecurities regarding his identity plague him often, and the fact that you’re willing to both listen to him pour his heart out and still find a way to reassure him means the world.

Jack’s also still getting the hang of the whole “talking” thing, so you helping him along when a lull in the conversation arrives makes him feel supported.

Not only does your helpful nature benefit Jack, but it’s also one of his favorite traits of yours! He believes in a kind, just world and consistently seeing that from you never fails to bring a bright smile to his face.

Whenever you bottle up your feelings, however, Jack is admittedly at a loss at first. Though it would take patience, turning these moments into teaching opportunities will help him become more in tune with emotions over time.

During these moments, all he wants to do is help -- even before he really understands what’s going on. He’ll ask you what you need and rush to assist in any way he can. He hates seeing you hurt, it’s as simple as that.

Jack loves being around you because he learns so much, and you’re just as eager to teach him. Together, you learn to appreciate the little things in life because you both bring such different perspectives to the world.

Overall, the kindness you show Jack from the beginning is what drives your relationship, and he makes it his goal to make sure you know how loved and appreciated you are in return.

As a friend, I think you’d best be matched with…

CASTIEL, Garth Fitzgerald IV, Charlie Bradbury

--Harry Potter--

In the Golden Trio era, I romantically pair you with…

NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM

Honestly, Neville’s insecurities may make him feel a little intimidated by you at first. Thoughts like, “How could someone as friendly, energetic, and spontaneous as her ever love me of all people?” are pretty common in the early stages of your relationship.

Of course, you help Neville understand fairly quickly that you aren’t going anywhere. Because you’re so good at reading and interpreting emotions, you’re able to assist him with addressing these doubts head-on. These personal conversations are what truly solidify your trust in one another and serve as the strong foundations of a powerful bond.

Also, Neville really appreciates your ability to keep a conversation going. He sometimes struggles with this himself, but he’s relieved he doesn’t have to worry about these shortcomings when it comes to you. Talking with you just comes naturally.

While his verbal communication can use some work, Neville is one of the best listeners to have on-hand when it comes to any problems that arise in your life. Someone’s pushing you to your limit? Neville has all the patience in the world to let you rant so you don’t have to bottle up your feelings. Need to talk through solutions to personal issues? He’ll give you his undivided attention while you work your way around to an answer, providing feedback if you ask for it. Feel the need to ramble? Neville will not only listen, but he’ll actually take a genuine interest in whatever it is you’re talking about.

While he otherwise second-guesses all his decisions, Neville surprisingly really enjoys venturing on unplanned, impulsive adventures with you. A favorite for the both of you is exploring areas on the grounds or in nature. You’re usually the one to charge ahead, excitedly talking while Neville hangs back a few steps. He takes in his surroundings, sure, but mostly he’s just watching you and simply feeling happy from the joy you radiate.

Speaking of things you love to do together, gardening is near the top of the list! One of Neville’s deepest passions is botany, and he doesn’t share his knowledge with just anyone. Seeing you take a true interest in your shared garden gives him all the warmest, fuzziest feelings imaginable.

Overall, you’re the one to bring Neville out of his shell, and he’s the one who takes time to listen to you. You bring out the best in each other, and your unbreakable bond makes the two of you fiercely loyal until the end.

As a friend, I think you’d best be matched with…

LUNA LOVEGOOD, Nymphadora Tonks, Molly Weasley

In the Marauders era, I romantically pair you with…

REMUS LUPIN

You want to talk about one of the most understanding and patient individuals out there? It’s this one.

While Remus isn’t always keen on discussing his own emotions, he is very astute when it comes to sensing the well-being of others. Whether you’re burnt out, overwhelmed, on the verge of a breakdown or something bad just happened to happen to you that day, he knows.

Having people like James and Sirius as friends has taught him both how to tune in to the ramblings of a hyper person as well as how to utilize selective hearing. Remus realizes that he never wants to use that second skill with you. Unlike his friends (who he loves very much, mind you) he wants to take in everything you tell him.

It’s this active listening that makes Remus an excellent gift giver. A majority of the things he gives you are from offhand comments that you don’t think twice about making in the moment.

One of Remus’s absolute favorite things about you is the way your eyes light up when you talk about something you’re passionate about. He finds this trait so endearing, and it’s an easy way to make him smile.

Caring for you when your thoughts are traveling especially fast becomes second nature to Remus. Whenever he knows that he’ll see you, he always has at least one outlet (pen/paper, alcohol marker, etc.) for you. He’s also more than fine with you drawing something on his hand if you’d like -- he loves watching you work and he also gets to walk away with something that can remind him of you!

Remus also excels in history, reading, and writing, so I can definitely see many conversations between you two that revolve around these subjects. Also, after both of you complete your own essays, I believe proofreading and/or discussing each other’s work would become a habit of yours.

Overall, the shared ability to read and interpret emotions as well as the simple wish to care for one another draw you two together to form the sweetest couple around!

As a friend, I think you’d best be matched with…

LILY EVANS

--Marvel Cinematic Universe--

I romantically pair you with…

PIETRO MAXIMOFF

Pietro was first drawn to how easily you can hold a conversation. He recognized immediately how easy it was to joke around with you once you warmed up (which didn’t take long -- Pietro’s somewhat gifted with the power of easy conversation himself). You both felt comfortable around each other relatively quickly.

Yes, Pietro’s known for his impossibly quick movements, but no one stops to think that this requires impossibly quick thinking. While Pietro has had some time to grab somewhat of a hold on his abilities, he still struggles with thoughts that just move too fast for him. You show him some of your tactics for dealing with this, and it literally changes his life.

Up until that point, your interactions had been mostly fun and rather lighthearted. But helping Pietro in such a thoughtful way and relating to him on a level that no one usually can made him see you in a different life. That’s how he knew he loved you.

This can be a chaotic relationship at times to say the least.

Many of your conversations can hardly be followed because you often build off of each other’s energy. While your quick minds are often on the same page, a third person might not be able to keep up.

Pietro does NOT hesitate when it comes to standing up for you. As soon as he learned about your people-pleasing habit, he took it upon himself to be on guard for anyone who could possibly take advantage of you. While you may find it hard to say no, Pietro has no problem stepping in and telling someone to back off.

You might feel as if he goes a little overboard with this sometimes, telling him that it “wasn’t right to be mean to that person.” He’ll just glance at you, shake his head and start up a lecture (albeit not a harsh one -- he really does care about you!) about asserting personal boundaries.

Pietro and his ego LOVE compliments, so you can expect a welcome reaction to each one you give him.

He’s also a big fan of going on spontaneous trips, discovering different parts of the world side by side.

But he’ll also settle for getting to hold you while you two talk about your day.

Overall, Pietro has no problem matching your energy, and you both want nothing more than to discover the adventures life has to offer together.

As a friend, I think you’d best be matched with…

VISION, Thor, Tony Stark

--Hamilton--

I romantically pair you with…

JOHN LAURENS

John has a lot of respect for someone who manages to include everyone, so it’s no wonder you caught his eye.

First impressions already told him you were friendly and empathetic, but discovering the more energetic and spontaneous side of you? Yep, he was in love.

Both of you have always had a desire to help people, so being able to do that with someone who shares the same passion and energy feels special. You’re more than a couple; you’re a team.

Whenever John’s troubled by what’s going on in the world, it doesn’t take him long to turn to you. He’s one of the most stubborn people alive when it comes to admitting he needs help, but all he knows is that talking to you seems to relieve him of some of that load (please be patient with him!!).

Meanwhile, he knows you have your own ways of coping with racing thoughts so he feels comfortable giving you space when you need it. If what you need is a person to listen, however, he’s there in a heartbeat.

Serious topics aside, you two just know how to have fun! Between your friendly personalities that naturally draw others in and your impulsive natures that (most of the time) lead you to exciting experiences, you make so many mutual friends! Sharing a group of close friends -- surprise, surprise -- brings you and John even closer.

Overall, you and John can always be found by each other’s side when facing whatever comes your way, good or bad.

As a friend, I think you’d best be matched with…

PHILIP HAMILTON, Marquis de Lafayette, Peggy Schuyler

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hey-have-you-heard · 4 years

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Hey have you heard these 50 songs from 2019

I really enjoyed this last year so going to give it another go for ‘19. I put quite a lot of thought into what actually a ‘song of the year’ for me when I was first constructing and then heavily editing the playlist that came to be my Top 50 of 2019. I think the most important thing is that above all it’s a track that I’m glad exists, sometimes this is because of the songwriting or composition, sometimes the performance, sometimes the lyrical importance and sometimes just because it sparks joy.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6bFJOjL8b8Zc2s5r1oJbsk?si=UJdqSXOTR3SQ8D3IwcmV2g

Explanations for each tracks inclusion below the fold…

100 gecs - 800db cloud 100 gecs channel a mix of Crystal Castles and Sleigh Bells with a Death Grips level appreciation for noise. It’s an absolute rush and that outro is just absurd.

Natalie Evans - Always Be Natalie Evans soft melody and sing song vocals are sublimely sweet on this heartfelt track of lost love, longing and nostalgia.

Petrol Girls - Big Mouth “If you fight back or disagree you’re the one with the fucking problem” this hits home, hard. Big Mouth is a rallying cry to speak out against oppression and discrimination, to raise you’re voice and be heard, not to be controlled.

Charli XCX ft. Lizzo - Blame it on your Love Charli has a midas touch when it comes to pop, combine that with Lizzo who has just about been the most fun thing in music this year and you’ve got a 10/10 banger.

Poppy - BLOODMONEY Poppy’s music just keeps going further down the rabbit hole. Originally playing with blending elements of nu-metal with bubblegum pop, she now seems to have transcended genre altogether to create whatever BLOODMONEY is, it’s absolutely ridiculous and I love it.

Body Hound - Bloom Get on that GROOVE! So proggy it hurts, this track from Body Hound is a technical wonderland of metamorphosing rhythms, gargantuan riffs, and just the tastiest of chord progressions.

Can the Sub_Bass speak - Algiers Word of warning, this is not an easy listen. A freefall tumble through genre and tone accompanies a stream of consciousness monologue full of racism, prejudice and political and artistic critique.

Elohim - Buckets Buckets is an onslaught of trap influences, emotional outbursts and aggressive distortion. I’m a big fan of this sound.

VUKOVI - C.L.A.U.D.I.A I know very little about VUKOVI as a band, but that riff is absolutely massive and this track has been a constant throughout my year on that basis alone.

Show Me The Body - Camp Orchestra Apparently more hardcore bands should use Banjos, because this is a damn good sound. Slowly building from a single bass line this track builds into a powerful demolishing force.

clipping. - Club Down Having thoroughly proven themselves able to do afro-futurist scifi on the Hugo nominated Splendor and Misery, clipping. now turn their considerable talents to horror core and unsurprisingly nail it. Daveed’s flows are tight as ever as he brings to life a decaying city backed by tortured screams.

Dream Nails - Corporate Realness YOU ARE NOT YOUR JOB. WORK IS NOT YOUR LIFE. YOU ARE NOT WHAT YOU MUST DO IN ORDER TO SURVIVE. Dream Nails are great and exactly what we need right now.

ControlTop - Covert Contracts This track positively bristles with an anxious energy. A fitting sound for the subject of the information overload we find ourselves locked into everyday.

Cherry Glazerr - Daddi There’s an icy coolness to ‘Daddi’, a disconnected sarcasm that falls away to reveal the anger and torment in the chorus, it’s a masterful bit of emotional storytelling through musical tone.

The Physics House Band - Death Sequence I Listening to Physics House latest release, the Death Sequence EP feels like a physical journey. This opener is a perfect example of this, as you’re plunged straight into a heady and disorienting mix of rhythms and counter-melody’s, the Sax guiding you through the turbulence until you land in a placid midsection, before that bass riff drags you forward through rhythmic breakdowns into an absolutely absurd brain melting saxophony and then it just keeps on going from there…

Witching Waves - Disintegration I saw WW back in the early summer, they were a bassist down so it was just a guitar and drums duo. They started with this track and it was one of the most pure punk things I’ve experienced, drummer/vocalist Emma Wigham bashing the absolute shit out of her kit . A great no-nonsense lo-fi banger.

Lingua Ignota - DO YOU DOUBT ME TRAITOR Another, not particularly easy listen here. DO YOU DOUBT ME TRAITOR is a dark and angry brooding track, building in intensity to release the primal rage, fear and horror of the abused. Its deeply chilling and instantly arresting. This track and the entire CALIGULA album stands as an absolute must listen.

Carly Rae Jepsen ft. Electric Guest - Feels Right I love the instrumentation on this one, those chunky piano chords and screaming guitar lift the track out and make it the highlight of an already great album to me.

Orla Gartland - Figure it out Dialing back the intensity slightly, Orla chronicles the frustrations of having to deal with someone in your life who you’re done with. The choruses burst forth in beautifully fuzzy explosions of noise. That vocal flair at the start of the final chorus is chef kiss.

Battles - Fort Greene Park Battles are at their best when they keep things simple. This is evident on 2019′s Juicy B Crypts which features some incredibly cluttered moments, but this just makes Fort Greene Park stand out all the more. A delightfully spacious piece of math rock, from some of the best in the business.

Dogleg - Fox Boy howdy, do I love me some midwest emo. Catharsis in musical form, it just makes me want to mosh my troubles away like I’m 16 again.

Tørsö - Grab A Shovel Tørsö go hard, I can appreciate that. An absolutely brutal track about the destructive power of depression and self-loathing.

“Pijn & Conjurer playing Curse These Metal Hands” - High Spirits “We were like, are we Pijn and Conjurer, or are we Curse These Metal Hands? I think we’ve settled with ‘we are Pijn and Conjurer playing Curse These Metal Hands’ …whatever that means!“ what it means is one of the most joyously triumphant pieces of metal music I’ve ever heard. Some of the guitar lines in this absolutely soar.

Lizzo - Juice Lizzo has won 2019, her message of self love, acceptance and body positivity has won her both critical and cultural acclaim and permeates her music in a way that makes it impossible to not love.

COLOSSAL SQUID, AK Patterson - Kick Punch Colossal Squid is the name given to Three Trapped Tigers drummer, Adam Betts’ experimental project. After a solo album of percussive wizardry Betts has now teamed with vocalist AK Patterson to give us something else entirely.

Evan Greer - Liberty Is A Statue Evan Greer uses the a folk punk sound to deliver an essay on the damaging influences of cis-normativity and social inequality. Of course I like this one.

Taylor Swift - Lover I wasn’t on board with this song for a fair while, but then I kept listening to it and kept coming back to it because of a roughly 50 second section which ties the track and the whole album together. Yeah, this is on here purely for the bridge, which is just beautiful.

Dodie - Monster Monster is an incredibly well written and delivered study on how perception changes with resentment and it makes me cry.

The Y Axes - Moon Moon is a delightfully dreamy piece of pop that glitters with infectious melodies, it’s lyrics a blissful embracing of cosmic nihilism, need I say more?

Ezra Furman - My Teeth Hurt My teeth hurt is a song about tooth ache, about that pain you carry with you everywhere and can’t get rid of, that ruins your days and and is one hell of a mood. Yeah it’s about gender dysphoria.

Nervus - No Nations Speaking of things being a mood, this track hits the nail squarely on the head.

Cultdreams - Not My Generation "Everyone ignores me Unless I’m on a stage talking Because they put me on a pedestal And pretend I’m just performing“ Lucinda Livingstone calls out the misogyny in our culture with a singular ferocity.

Lil Nas X - Old Town Road If there’s one song that’s dominated 2019 this is it right here. Who ever had the idea of putting that NIN Ghosts sample to a trap beat and cowboying over the top of it is an absolute genius.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Planet B It’s impossible to predict where King Gizzard’s sonic influences are going to take them next I doubt even they know half the time. Whatever they turn their hand to though they do it as if they mastered the sound decades ago Planet B is an all out thrash track with a strong environmental message.

Kesha - Rich, White, Straight Men Okay, I’m about to compare Kesha to John Lennon here but HEAR ME OUT… As ‘Imagine’ asked us to consider a world without conflict or capitalism, Kesha now posits that we should tear up our conceptions of our society based on its formation by a privileged group and imagine what kind of utopia could be built if we gave the underprivileged and minority groups a say.

Allie X - Rings A Bell The chorus here sounds like it could have been off Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories, and I’m all about that sound. Combined with Allie X’s dreamlike vocals make this a certified bop.

Poly-Math - Sensors in Everything Sensors in Everything is a beast of a track spanning over 14 minutes of absurdly dense prog. Having recently enlisted keyboardist Josh Gesner. Polymath make use of the new sounds and textures available to them, at times imitating a sort of Hammond sound not unlike John Lord to the chaotic maelstrom of noise.

Calva Louise - Sleeper Big hooks on this one. Sleeper has a confident swagger to it’s sound which stands apart for the bands previous work. It’s an absolutely huge track.

Slipknot - Solway Firth Slipknot didn’t disappoint after the tease of 2018′s “All Out Life”, following up with an album which blended old and new aspects of their sound to create one of their best to date. Solway Firth is a perfect example of this matching the punishing heaviness of Iowa with the melody driven sound of All Hope Is Gone.

Clt Drp - Speak To My Seeing Clt Drp perform live was one of my highlights of the year. The filthy guitar tones, powerhouse vocals tight as heck drumming and the _grooves. _Absolutely like nothing else I’ve seen. Just an incredible band that deserve so much more recognition.

Black Country, New Road - Sunglasses Black Country, New Road released two tracks this year and now I just want more. Dense wordy lyricism plays off against ever evolving instrumentation to present a raw cut of emotional storytelling.

Her Name Is Calla - Swan Her Name Is Calla are a band that have always been on the edge of my radar, my Dad is very fond of them and saw them live a couple of years ago, but never went back to relisten to any of their stuff, then they started an album with this. I was sold instantly.

black midi - Talking Heads Talking Heads (the band) are an obvious inspiration on this track. Both David Byrne’s vocal style and the Talking Heads penchant for sharp angular melodies are on show here. But given an extra ounce of chaos through Black Midi’s delivery.

Amanda Palmer - The Ride The ride is ten minutes of bundling up all your fears and anxieties of where we are and where we’re going and just, accepting them as part of the ride. Written off the back of a prompt from Amanda asking her fans what they were afraid of right now.

Kim Petras - There Will Be Blood Okay, let’s have some out of season spookiness. Love the squelchy synths on this, there’s a huge amount of energy on this track and with it’s commitment to the horror conceit it makes for a super fun bop.

Kate Nash - Trash Kate Nash’s sound is like bathing pure nostalgia,here she spins the toxic-relationship narrative central to her work to deliver a bigger story about humanity’s, quite literally toxic relationship to our planet.

American Football & Hayley Williams - Uncomfortably Numb The other side of the “midwest emo” coin. A melancholic song built on a soft bed of arpeggiated chords and clean harmonics, Uncomfortably Numb is a heartbreaking track of losing everything and of cycles persisting thorugh generations. Employing the clever metatextual trick of referencing Pink Floyd’s comfortably Numb to mirror the generational similarities.

Glenn Branca - Velvet and Pearls Disclaimer, Glenn Branca was a musical hero of mine, his approach to music and composition being solely responsible for influence a vast number of my favourite bands. Released posthumously, Velvet and Pearls is taken from a live performance by Branca’s ensemble and perfectly captures the sense of sonic disorientation, conjuring aural illusions through an assault of intricately crafted noise. It’s an exhilarating piece that should be played as loud as humanly possible.

Brutus - War The raw emotional strength of Stefanie Manneart’s vocals instantly made me pay attention when I first heard this track. Then the song exploded into a barrage of riffs and breakneck drumming.

Valiant Vermin - Warm Coke Another slice of throwback pop, Valiant Vermin proved with “Online Lover” how much of an ear she has for pop and has proven it once again with Warm Coke. Is a real good bop.

———

Welp there it is, 50(+1) songs, I had to limit myself to one track per artist in the main 50 because according to Spotify I listened to [checks notes] 1082 new artists this year. There are a small handful of tracks I wanted to highlight from the same artists though as they offer something quite different to the tracks in the playlists, so here they are quickly with 3 word descriptions.

Petrol Girls - Skye (dead dog, sad) Amanda Palmer - Voicemail for Jill (Talk about abortion) Ezra Furman - I Wanna be Your Girlfriend (Trans Torch Song) Battles ft Jon Anderson & Prairie WWWW - Sugar Foot (Batshit Prog Insanity) Poppy - Choke (Dark Minimalist Pop) Show Me The Body - Forks and Knives (Anxious nightmare punk) Lingua Ignota - CALIGULA (the whole album.)

———

Closing Statement

Cultdreams - Statement

There has been a shadow over the entertainment industry the latter half of this decade. Whether film, music, TV or video games, the late 2010′s are filled with stories of people coming forward to bravely tell their stories about being abused and manipulated by men in positions of power. The #metoo movement as it’s come to be known has been a powerful force in giving marginalised people a voice and the ability to call out oppressors and in starting the groundwork to root out the misogyny in the seats of power, but this is a battle far from won.

While there are thousands of stories out there I want to focus on one in particular.

In 2016 a number of women spoke out about various forms of abuse by a well-known musician in the punk scene. It’s now over three years later and this group of women are in the midst of a long fought claim of defamation from this musician. If this case goes through it sets a precedent for silencing marginalised voices in the industry. They have been fighting for so long and with no legal aid available for the case they have had to finance their defense from their own pockets.

This is where Solidarity Not Silence comes in. Solidarity not silence is a crowdfunding effort to help take the case to trial without the women bankrupting themselves entirely so that they don’t have to give in to this mans demands. You can read more about Solidarity not Silence and make a donation (if you feel so inclined) here: https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/solidaritynotsilence/

You can also follow them on twitter here https://twitter.com/solnotsilence

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talkoverfrenchfries · 4 years

Text

That’s exploration

Here’s another one. I was already making posts and figured to add another to the series while I’m here. Also, this part might be important for getting more invested into the story and my OC. Again, any characters other than my OC as well as the settings and such belongs already to Vivziepop or Vivienne Medrano!

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Zu was walking down the halls, taking in details of the wallpaper and furniture and pictures and other kinds of decor. He was entertained immensely taking in details of the place on his. All the craze from coming here at first have died down.

It was certainly something, avoiding Charlie’s straightforward, even almost pushy niceness, Vaggie’s tense and skeptical aggressiveness, Alastor’s cheerful torture, and Angel Dust’s rather persistent flirting.

Zu stopped moving when thinking of the last one. Then he shakes those thoughts away. Sure, Angel Dust is very attractive but it’s gonna take more than that for anything to happen. Although, he’s probably how Zu is still here. On the bright side, Alastor hasn’t really bothered Zu since that encounter.

However, before Zu can think more about it, he noticed something that grabbed his attention. He gasped, having noticed a trestle coffee table in one of the rooms. He crouches down, touching the engraving as he muttered stuff to himself.

“This is great engravings, all the hands and apples and snakes, it’s all very tasteful. Of course, the history of the medium of wood engraving evolved from the oldest printing technique, woodcut—which, in Western culture, goes back to the fifteenth century. This ought to be a huge wood block to make this coffee table. After all, a wood block is cut from a smoothed plank cut longitudinally from the tree trunk so that the grain runs in parallel lines to the block. Once the design has been established by cutting away the wood around the areas that will be printed, the block is inked with a small roller called a brayer. To print the block, a moistened piece of paper is placed on top of the block, along with a protective layer, called the tympan, and then put through the printing press. Alternately, a circular tool called a baren or even a spoon or the palm of the hand can be used to create enough pressure to print the inked block. Is this how the coffee table was made, though? Or was a different process used? How many kinds of wood engraving is there? Man, I have to look it up.”

“Hi! I’m Nifty! You’re weird and boring! You should probably stop with the fact spewing to get a girlfriend, no offense.”

Zu jolts out of surprise and turns to the new voice that just popped out of nowhere. Nifty was standing right there in her fifties attire and a big smile on her face. Two things about her surprised Zu more once the latter took in more of the sight of Nifty in front of him. The two things were Nifty’s petite size and the one eye right above her smile. Although, Zu got past the one eye pretty quick. It is a rather common sight to see on people down here in hell.

Then Zu realized what Nifty had said and got a little bummed out. He’s gotten used to being called boring but he never learned to like it.

Zu opened his mouth, wanting to insist that knowledge itself is never boring. However, Nifty swiftly proceeded to cleaning the coffee table that made Zu go on about some of the history of wood engraving. Just as quickly as Nifty started cleaning, she already finished and had left the room.

Zu let out a sigh of slight frustration. Then he says “of course, enthusiasm for the wood block in Europe in the sixteenth century. But it did get revived again in the nineteenth century. Hopefully, people will eventually get interested in learning things like how I do.”

Then Zu, placing a hand on the coffee table, helped himself up from the floor. Zu decided next to open a backpack that has the same design as carpet found in an arcade you’d see should you walk into one during the 80′s. He rummaged through it until he takes out a chocolate bar. Zu zipped his backpack closed, opened the bar wrapping, and takes a huge bite into it.

The sugary goodness and the taste only chocolate can have was enough to make Zu crack a smile. He continued on his way, wanting to take more of the hotel in his sight.

Zu was slightly happier here than anywhere else. If only because there’s not a lot of people here. That means there’s not a lot of bitches and douchebags to deal with. Zu thinks that maybe it’d be okay to hang out here. Charlie’s not so bad. Hopefully, her girlfriend wouldn’t be so bad; she just needs some warming up too. Although, Alastor is the biggest problem and the biggest reason to not check into the hotel.

Zu walks to the front desk and see someone there drinking bottle after bottle. He was a cat-demon with big, bright red wings. He also seemed disinterested as Zu approached the front desk. He wonders what kind of personality this perpetual drinker has. It’s important information to know in whether or not to check in. Granted, Alastor will highly likely be enough reason not to but Zu couldn’t combat well against his curiosity.

So Zu says “hi, there,” as he raises his hand and put it down, clearly some kind of waving gesture intended.

The only kind of reaction the cat-demon gave was pointing his line of sight towards Zu. Then the cat-demon resumed drinking. Zu had mixed feelings, being happy knowing that he might have trouble with the desk guy if he leaves him alone but upset because he never liked being ignored. Zu takes a deep breath and turned around.

I just have to get used to that. If I decide to stay, that is. I think I met everyone who’s in the hotel regularly. So let’s weigh pros and cons.

Zu sits down in a couch in the next room and thinks it over.

Benefits would be interacting with the nicest person I ever encountered in hell. Charlie may be a little much at times but she’s still someone I can definitely call my friends. The others are more okay than others, as much as they’re still jerkish. Now cons -

That’s when Alastor popped in his mind. The tour he gave Zu invoked powerful feelings of avoidance in him.

Damn, it really is hell here. Gotta put up with a shit ton of crap just get a smidge of pleasantness.

Zu was thinking hard that he didn’t notice someone sitting next to him. It wasn’t until he was being touched on the thigh that he noticed. Of course, it also made Zu almost jump off the couch.

It certainly made Angel Dust laugh, the person who had sat down on the couch. “You know, you’re cute when you’re a hopeless dork. You should consider yourself lucky.”

Oh shit, Angel Dust is still interested in me. If I’m right, then he’s interested in only one thing but I can’t give it

Still, Zu sat back properly on the couch, while muttering, “thanks.”

Zu put a little distance between him and Angel Dust on the couch but the latter quickly closed it. The look on his face showed his interest very clearly. Zu tried hard not to look at him while keeping an eye out for hands. He jolted when Angel Dust spoke, apparently being surprised by the talking.

“You know, this hotel may not be much but this place can still be pretty fun. How about you let me show you?”

Zu thought that Angel Dust might be another reason to stay. That way, he can witness how beautiful and alluring Angel Dust looks without it seeming as creepy. At least, not as creepy as it would be if Zu didn’t check into the hotel. However, not wanting to see Angel Dust’s disappointment was another reason to not check in.

Zu felt like he was gonna freak when he saw one of Angel Dust’s hands head towards his thigh again. Then there was an explosion in the distance. Zu felt curious about it and got up, heading outside. He didn’t notice Angel Dust’s expression of disappointment over his flirting seemed to have immediately been forgotten.

Still, Angel Dust follows Zu, somewhat curious over the explosion himself. Not to mention, he intends to hopefully hook up with Zu someplace outside the hotel, since he’s following Zu and everything.

Zu saw in the distance a random terrorist throwing bombs everywhere. He debates whether or not doing something about it. On one hand, Charlie lives in the hotel and so Zu would want to protect the place. On the other hand, Alastor is there and, maybe, if the place is wrecked, Alastor will go elsewhere.

As Zu was standing there and trying to decide what to do, there was a flash of white and pink going by him. Zu had noticed that and saw Angel Dust running towards the terrorist with guns ablaze.

There was a bit of a fight between Angel Dust and the terrorist. Zu was in awe in what he saw. Angel Dust was just standing there firing off his gun the whole time, nonchalantly dodging the bombs. Angel Dust managed to get some good shots in, enough to render the terrorist immobile. The whole time, Zu thought that Angel Dust seemed chaotic and powerful, adding more to the beauty the latter already had.

Zu was standing there as Angel Dust walked back, walking a kind of power walk as he held his guns over his shoulders with one pair of arms and the other pair of arms resting its hands on his hips.

“At least now we don’t have to worry about getting interrupted anymore. And this is where I’m crashing so I wouldn’t want some dipshit wrecking it. So,” Angel Dust said, as he tilted up Zu’s chin with one of his free hands, “where were we?”

“I’m checking in.”

That was all Zu said before wiggling his chin out of Angel Dust’s grasp and running back into the hotel and to the front desk where the cat demon was.

------

Also, the website link below is how I got the information I bothered getting about wood engravings. I also tried looking up different kind of woodcuts and engravings as well as designs of backpacks in the 80s and dialog and slang from the 40s. I hope I’m right. It’s way past 3 o’clock in the morning as I finished typing this and I’d like to go to bed sometime soon. My OC here is gonna be either tricky or insightful, if I’m using ‘insightful’ right.

https://museum.cornell.edu/exhibitions/end-grain-history-wood-engraving

#hazbin hotel #fanfic series #husk #nifty #oc character

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loving-jack-kelly · 6 years

Text

Psych AU

Jack

Is Shawn, obviously

Cop dad, troublemaker because he liked disrupting his dad’s authority, actually very smart but does his absolute best to avoid people knowing it

His dad figured out he had a photographic memory when they were like, watching a movie, and Jack called out a mistake that nobody believed was real until he rewound and showed them, and then trained him to be super observant

His dad really wanted him to be a cop and Jack refused out of principle

Never held a job for long because as soon as something else caught his eye he’d go for it

Usually squeaked by on stretching pay from a job for forever, living in a tiny apartment, and doing art commissions when he could get them

Is really good at reading people from what his dad taught him

A Chaotic Good in its purest form, he’s always trying to help people but gets in his own way with his antics

Davey

Is Gus

Jack’s best friend while they were growing up

Was very respectful of authority and balanced Jack out, until Jack got him in on his schemes and then they were the terror of every adult in town

Pharmaceutical salesman, knows so many medicines off the top of his head

Drive a Blueberry and Jack makes fun of it but actually loves the car

Lawful Good, always obey the rules unless Jack makes him do otherwise, has a hard time lying

Spot

Lassiter, obviously he’s Lassie guys

Head detective, very put together and capable

Solves cases all the time and hates that Jack also solves cases all the time

Acts high and mighty but really does care about everyone

Crutchie

Juliet, Crutchie is Jules

Shows up and Jack is instantly like oh boy that crush hit me over the head with the velocity of a 747

He’s a transfer detective who’s worked his whole life to get where he is despite being an amputee and having a prosthetic

Jack acts like his crush is a joke but means it 100%

Crutchie is very capable and kicks ass and hates being underestimated because it’s almost kept him from achieving his dream before

When he was first trying to get to be a police officer he almost wasn’t allowed into police academy because they thought his prosthetic was a hazard and it took him his entire time to convince them otherwise

Now he won’t let anything get in the way of his being the best detective he can be

At first Jack bothers him because he had to work so hard to get where he is and Jack just shows up and starts solving crimes without seemingly a second thought, but Jack grows on him

Katherine

Chief Vick

Is technically the interim chief but she’ll death glare anyone who calls her that because she deserves to be full chief and everyone knows it

Very skeptical of Jack and thus Davey but they are efficient and so she lets them keep working

Jack likes calling in tips to the police when he solves a case on his own because he thinks it’s funny that he can solve crimes from his couch that the police can’t

Eventually he calls one in and they call him in, he assumes it’s for like, reward money, but actually they suspect him in the case because he was right but it sounded like insider knowledge

He doesn’t want to admit he figured it out because of his observance and memory, but they’re going to arrest him, and he noticed the front desk cop was superstitious and so on a whim claims to be a psychic

Spot, the would-be arresting officer, is like, no way, that’s fake, psychics don’t exist

But Jack uses the things he noticed while waiting to be seen to “prove” that he’s psychic and everyone kind of starts to believe him because how else did he know so much about people he’d never met before?

But then Katherine hires him as a consultant for a case that they can’t solve because she figures he can’t do much harm when they’re about to lose the case to higher ups anyway

So Jack shows up to Davey’s job and is like, dude, I have a job and you have a job with me, let’s go

To which Davey responds, no way am I doing anything with you, your last five job attempts have been disasters

But Jack convinces him eventually and soon they have an office and a private investigative business

Davey constantly threatens to tell everyone that Jack isn’t a psychic but he never would because Jack really is solving crimes and they’re best friends

Jack flirts. With literally anyone. Even when it’s entirely inappropriate. Davey does his best to keep him in check. It doesn’t really work

Jack his sister just died don’t flirt with him

Jack her best friend is missing

Jack he’s the bad guy

Jack she is literally trying to murder us stop complimenting her form

Jack he

Jack she

Jack

He’s so ridiculously bi people genuinely think he’s joking like they think he’s straight making gay jokes because of the sheer number of times he flirts with guys and girls all the time

He does his best to seem as immature as possible, but he has a pretty high emotional intelligence

For a while, Crutchie is dating a guy who’s similar to Jack, which makes Jack sad because he wants to be dating Crutchie but Crutchie has never seemed interested

Eventually Crutchie overhears Jack talking to Davey about him and Jack says that he’s willing to just be friends if that means Crutchie is happy, only he wants to be happy too, and he can’t imagine being happy without Crutchie because he’s pretty much fallen in love with him over the years they’ve gotten to work together

And then Crutchie eventually gets together with Jack, after he gets out of his other relationship

Dating Jack is essentially dating both Jack and Davey because they’re always together

It also ends up being much like babysitting sometimes, because Jack gets into all sorts of trouble and Davey only does so much to stop him before joining in

Also when Jack proposes his speech (taken directly from Shawn’s proposal bc tbh it was an incredible proposal) goes like this:

Charlie Morris, I do not believe in love at first sight, because I didn’t even need to see you to know I wanted to spend forever with you. That didn’t make any sense. Scratch that. I have spent my whole life running from one thing to another, quitting and running and quitting and running and pretending that my destiny was to drive a wienermobile.

Davey: He was young and afraid of commitment.

That’s true. But I’m not that young anymore. And I’m also not afraid. Because when I’m with you, Char, I’m just fearless and unbreakable.

Davey: Like Samuel L. Jackson.

Jack: No, Samuel L. Jackson was the glass man.

Davey: Not emotionally, Jack, not emotionally.

Jack: Okay, dude, well dial it back just a teeny bit.

Davey: *choked up* Okay.

I know that I come with baggage, and a best friend who’s not going anywhere. Ever. But I promise you that from this moment forward the only running I will be doing is into your arms, and I will never stop holding your cold little hands or losing myself when I wake up in the morning and look at you and recognize how frickin’ lucky I am.

Davey: *in the background* Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, it’s happening, say yes, say yes!

Crutchie: Yes, yes!

Jack: Okay, well technically, you just said yes to Davey.

Crutchie: Well ask me, Jack!

Crutchie, will you marry us? Me? Mostly me? Even though Davey is always gonna be part of the deal and one day he’ll have his own Crutchie and we’ll be one big family and we’ll have dogs, all rescues, and kids, probable before we’re sixty. Just marry me so I can show you how amazing our life will be together?

Davey was crying by the end of it and Crutchie said yes, obviously, please do yourself a favor and watch the scene from the real show it’s cinematic genius.

Spot meets Race and for pretty much the only time in his life opens up easily and right away

And then it turns out Race is the criminal in the case they’re working on and Spot has to arrest him but he promises to wait until Race is out of prison and they end up together anyway

Now for the true reason this au works: the quotes. The dialogue. All of these are direct quotes from the show.

Davey: You named your fake detective agency "Psych"? As in "got you"? Why didn't you just call it "Hey, we're fooling you and the police department; hope we don't make a mistake and somebody dies because of it."

Jack: First of all, Davey, that name is entirely too long; it would never fit on the window. And secondly, the best way you convince people you're not lying to them is to tell them you are!

Davey: How do you just eat when there's a dead guy laying there?

Jack: What, is that rude? Am I supposed to share?

Jack: Good morning, detectives! Are we collecting donations for the policeman's ball?

Spot: We don't have balls.

Jack: I honestly have no response to that.

Crutchie: You're not hired. I can't pay you. If it turns out there's something to it, I'll make sure you get put on the case. That's all I can do.

Jack: Crutchie, I'm quite sure we could work out some kind of services exchange. You see I like to do some sketching myself and sometimes I need a model.

Crutchie: Huh! [gets up and walks from the room]

Jack: Was that inappropriate? ...Felt OK.

Jack: Don't panic. Those bites are consistent with a T-Rex bite.

Davey: You know that?

Jack: Yes, I know that. [shows picture of himself in the mouth of a T-Rex skeleton] I was banned from the Wyoming National Museum for that shot. The bruises didn't go away for a year, but it was totally worth it. It was my best screensaver ever!

Crutchie: Jack, how do you know this?

Jack: The same way that I know that as a child Spot wanted nothing more than a pony.

[They all look at Spot]

Spot: Oh, come on. Who didn't?

Davey: Anyone who wasn't an 8 year-old girl.

Spot: I hate snow globes.

Jack: Huh. That's strange, because my psychic sense told me specifically that snow globes didn't give you nightmares of being trapped in a clear ball with snow that burned your skin off.

Spot: Who keeps telling people I like snow globes?!

Jack: I don't think anyone's here.

Davey: How sure are you?

Jack: Fairly to pretty damn.

Jack: Davey, don't be a myopic chihuahua. I have a full-proof plan that solves the case and gives the Chief all the credit.

Davey: What is it?

Jack: Actually, all I have is the phrase "I have a full-proof plan." Beyond that, I'm wide open.

And so many more these are all from like the first three seasons of eight the whole show is like this it’s incredible and I love it

#psych #newsies #jackcrutchie #sprace #jack kelly #Crutchie morris #spot conlon #Katherine plumber #davey jacobs #newsies hc #race #racetrack higgins

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hekate1308 · 6 years

Text

Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now

More Siren!Cas Au. Enjoy!

Dean sometimes forgets that he’s human. Not in any dramatic fashion – he doesn’t try to snare anyone or explode people who annoy him or anything like that. No, he just automatically thinks of himself as part of the monster group of their suburban paradise, maybe because not only do mostly monsters live in their neighbourhood, but because...

Well... in a way, monsters are easy to get. It’s people who are difficult.

He’s reminded of that again when he’s trying to explain to Mr. Adler why it will take a while to get the parts for the car he wants restored.

Most days, he loves the fact that he could finally open the shop of his dreams. When he’s dealing with assholes like this, though...

“Mr. Adler, I have told you that –“

“Oh, Dean, sorry, I didn’t realize you were busy” Gilda apologizes, stepping into his office.

“It’s quite alright.”

And it’s then that Mr. why-can’t-I-have-my-vintage-Lamborghini-yesterday proves just how big of an asshole he is, mumbling “fucking fairy” under his breath.

Dean is about to deck him when Gilda asks gently, “Do whom do you address this insult, please?”

Adler stares at her. “What?”

“It could apply to both of us – to Dean because of his marital status, and to me because I am, indeed, a fucking fairy. In case of the latter – you should learn to treat others with more respect, yet I don’t care that much. If it’s the former... I suggest you leave the premises quickly.”

Adler stares at her, mouth wide open, before he all but flees.

“Nice one, Gilda” Dean says.

“I’m sorry if I scared off your customer.”

“Guy deserved it, and I still have the Lamborghini. He’ll be back. But what were you planning to do? Making buttercups grow around his feet?”

“Something like that” she answers pleasantly, but they both know the threats of a fairy are to be taken seriously at all times. They are not nature spirits for nothing.

It also means Dean is rather more important to Charlie’s girlfriend than he realized.

In the end, he invites Gilda to lunch.

That evening, Jody knocks at their door. Dean knows just from the expression on her face that Adler is enough of a bastard to –

“Sorry Dean, but there has been a complaint.”

As the only human Sheriff brave enough to take care of monster stuff, Jody has long been a respected member of their community. Dean lets her in.

“He called Gilda that?” she fumes after he’s explained. Dean nods.

“I’m not surprised. Guy’s a jerk. She put the fear of God in him, but that’s it.”

“Good to know. I’ll let Mr. Adler know what the police thinks of people who curse at innocent citizens.”

“I think” Cas says quietly after Jody has left, “It’s because we haven’t been citizens all that long. Fifty years ago, monsters weren’t even considered animals.”

“Yeah, but we weren’t even born then! This is ridiculous.”

“I wish everyone was as wonderful as you, my love.”

Dean blushes fiercely.

He’s gotten used to it, really. There are quite a few people who will stare and sneer and take jabs at him once they find out he’s dating a siren. Some of them assume that Cas keeps him around like a hypnotized pet to feast on, which... ew.

Sometimes, he wryly thinks what Sammy would think of all this and smiles. The brother he walked out on because he wanted to study and was convinced Dean would only end up like dead... He certainly couldn’t have seen this coming.

Warm arms wrap around him. “I don’t like that look on your face” Cas whispers against his neck.

“You can’t see my expression.”

“The window... there’s a reflection.”

Dean chuckles. “My very own Sherlock Holmes.”

“My Boswell.”

He shakes his head. “I was just thinking about Sammy and Dad and... you know how it is.”

Cas nods. “My family stopped speaking to me as well.”

“I’m still very sorry about that. Cas, if there’s a way...”

“I have everything I could ever want.”

A thump on the roof. Dean rolls his eyes. “Even with –“

“Hello boys.”

“Crowley. What the hell were you doing on our roof?”

“Relax, it’s close to Halloween. Just thought I’d put up some extra protection. Excepting yours truly, of course.”

Of course. Life wouldn’t be the same without their demon neighbour being able to zap in whenever he wants.

“Good thinking.”

Halloween can be... chaotic. And by chaotic, Dean means even for them, and that’s saying something. There’s just something about having so many monsters and magic practitioners in one place that seems to make the pull of the night even stronger.

This year, it almost ends in tragedy.

At first, it’s fun. They throw a party – even Rowena attends it in a sparkling red gown – and they’re handing out candy to the monster and a few brave human kids who come to their door.

It’s about ten pm when Jody calls. “Dean, there’s something – I can’t explain it. But there are about three square inches in the street that have just – disappeared. There’s nothing there. As if one was blind...”

Dean listens carefully, then turns and explains the problem. Several enthusiastic voice pipe up, but it’s Rowena who calls out, “I know! It’s a soul eater. Takes the soul and leaves nothing. Don’t let anyone near it.”

“Good God” Jody mutters. “Halloween. Alright, will do. Could you just hurry, please?”

“Of course.”

“Hasn’t it been hundreds of years since the last soul-eater came to earth?” Crowley asks as he, Dean, Cas and Rowena stroll down the street.

“It has, but with the recent concentration of people like us all in one place... the world is turning into something more magical again. Normally I would be happy about it, but a soul-eater always means business.”

“How do we defeat it?” Dean asks.

“That’s the tricky part” Rowena says. “The spell has to be performed in the vicinity of the creature, but it would attack anyone who dares come near, unless...” She trails off.

“He has something else to snack on” Dean says flatly.

“Afraid so.”

“Let me guess. They like human souls the most.” Just his freaking luck.

“Don’t worry” Crowley says smoothly, “Yes, it will try and devour your soul, but that takes a while,. And I’ll interfere if there are any problems.”

“As will I” Cas adds quietly, “Although I wish you didn’t have to do this. What if I –“

“Sorry, Lorelei, it will feel that you have power over other souls, and if there’s one thing a soul-eater doesn’t like, it’s another predator.”

“I don’t prey on people” Cas insists.

“That may be” Rowena replies, “But you still have the powers. And the soul-eater will know that. You probably shouldn’t even go near it.”

“But Dean –“

“Hey” Dean says, taking his hand. “You heard Crowley; I’ll be fine. And you have to help Jody keep the humans away from that thing. It’s Halloween; there’s bound to be some trouble makers around.”

“I trust you, Dean” he says, drawing him into a kiss. “But if you don’t come back to me, I’ll have Rowena resurrect you so I can smite you.”

“You two break my non-existent heart. Can we go deal with this, please?”

“Yeah, yeah Crowley” Dean mutters, pulling back. “Way to ruin my dramatic hero exit scene.”

“There’s not going to be an exit, didn’t you hear me?”

“How do you three get anything done?” Rowena complains. “Now let’s go before we waste the whole of Samhain!”

For the first time, Dean wonders why she suddenly decided to spend the night with them instead of joining a coven for the celebrations. It must be some form of honour, a witch choosing to celebrate Halloween with you.

By the time they reach the street, the soul-eater – the nothing – has grown. Jody has organised several men and women to keep others away, a necessary precaution since “we’re all drawn to it. No one can explain it.”

“A soul-eater with snare magic.” Rowena clicks her tongue. “Castiel, you should definitely stay away. It won’t like your powers at all.”

Jody isn’t all that much in favour of their plan when she hears it. “I’m an officer of the law, I should –“

“Exactly. And you’re the only officer who thought to call us, who ever looks out for the monsters. If we want this to work, if we want humans to grow accustomed to us, we need people like you.”

“You’re human too” she says softly.

Dean grins. “Yeah, but I hardly count as one anymore. Just ask Adler. Just – Jody, we can’t afford to lose you.”

“And you’re expendable?”

“No, but I’m the only human here who has a lot of experience with the supernatural.”

She sighs and acquiesces. “If anything goes wrong, I’ll still shoot you.”

“Get in line, Cas already plans to smite me.”

The power of the thing, Dean muses as he steps closer, truly reminds him of Cas’ snare, back when he was still affected by it, but it’s not quite the same thing. A siren’s powers, whether they use them deliberately or not, are still there to provide them with food and leave the victim unharmed. Perhaps it’s all a bit... unethical, but it’s not evil.

This thing, however? There’s a malice buried deep in the call that makes Dean’s feet walk right up to it.

He takes a deep breath. Concentrate on the important things, Crowley said. Hold on to your soul.

Demon’s creeping in the shadows behind him, so the soul-eater won’t notice him.

And then he feels it. An almost indescribable sensation, as if something’s chipping away at his very core, as if things are slowly growing less important...

He shakes his head. The important things.

Quick. What’s important? His job. He likes his job. He thinks – he’s not entirely sure what he does –

No. Sammy. Sammy’s important. But then why can’t he remember where he is, exactly?

Quick, man, the important –

Important –

Something falls in front of his feet. Dean looks down.

A small black feather.

Feathers, Crowley’s voice says in his head, and there it is.

Cas. Cas, his boyfriend, the love of his life, the siren he’s going to propose to, he decided not so long ago. Their friends already agreed to help him...

And suddenly, it’s the easiest thing in the world.

Cas in the morning, eyes sparkling under his bed head, making coffee –

Cas, laughing as he watches the ghoul children play fetch on the street –

Cas, holding him close at night, writing stories on Dean’s skin –

Cas.

The sensation vanishes as suddenly as it has come, and Dean blinks, noticing Crowley next to him. “I assume the feather was your idea?”

The demon nods. “Thought you might need a little reminder.”

Dean clasps his shoulder. “Thanks, man.”

“Dean!”

He turns to find his boyfriend hurrying over and opens his arms to receive him.

“That was very brave” Cas says as he kisses him.

“Please, have you seen yourself?” Crowley grins. “Dean, you should be sorry you missed it – Cas felled a six-foot drunk body builder who wouldn’t listen.”

“I just did what I had to do.”

“And as always you were amazing” Dean tells him, “I’m sure of it.”

After Jody has thanked them, they return to the party, arriving shortly before midnight.

“Well” Dean says, getting them drinks, “No one can say we didn’t have a scary Halloween.”

“Yes” Cas answers, looking down. Dean frowns.

“Cas? You alright?”

He nods, looking up. “It’s just – Dean, if you hadn’t met me, you wouldn’t –“

“I wouldn’t be the go-to person for soul devouring if we weren’t dating, is that it?” Dean shakes his head. “You know what, sunshine? I’d face one of those things every day if it meant I get to keep this.”

He means it, too.

Cas looks at him, his blue eyes sparkling and, as always, full of love. “And I’d have my whole family denounce me again and again if it led to the same.”

“See? We’re well-matched.”

He kisses his boyfriend and thinks of the ring he’ll create.

#my writings #destiel #dean winchester #castiel #siren!cas #creature!cas #destiel au #crowley #rowena #jody mills

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buddyrabrahams · 6 years

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15 college football coaches outperforming their 2017 salaries

Sometimes, schools are fortunate enough to hire the perfect coach for their program — a figure who can take them to new heights and make them among the most successful in the nation. If they’re really lucky, they can get the coach to sign a pretty good deal — turning them into a national power for below market value.

Here is a list of 15 college football coaches who have earned their salary — and then some — in 2017.

Scott Frost, UCF ($2 million)

Frankly, it’s only a matter of time before Frost gets his big payday. For now, he’ll have to take solace in the fact that he has UCF unbeaten and climbing into the top 15. The quality of their opposition has been limited, but the Knights have handed Memphis the only loss they’ve suffered all season. An unbeaten campaign for the Knights is well within their each. No wonder at least one power conference team — and probably more — are eyeing up Frost for a bigger job.

Brian Kelly, Notre Dame ($1.6 million)

There were rumors that Kelly’s job wasn’t secure at this time a year ago, but those have certainly subsided. Notre Dame’s blowout loss to Miami hurt, and it more or less ended their College Football Playoff hopes, but the fact that those hopes existed in the first place is a credit to Kelly. The Irish are still in the top ten, and deservedly so. Kelly comes he’s surprisingly cheap for the Irish, working at a comparatively paltry $1.6 million compared to his big-name counterparts, though it’s uncertain if he earns additional money from other endorsement-type deals.

Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma ($2.1 million)

Riley inherited a very strong team after Bob Stoops abruptly retired in June, but it’s still not easy to walk in as a first-year head coach and maneuver your team into College Football Playoff contention. That’s exactly what Riley has done. The Sooners sit at 9-1 with their Playoff future likely in their own hands. Riley deserves a lot of credit for taking on a task that couldn’t be easy and passing the test with flying colors. After all, despite his experience, Stoops himself never managed to take Oklahoma into the final four.

Matt Campbell, Iowa State ($2.1 million)

Campbell’s Cyclones are a modest 6-4, but they’ve been a giant thorn in the side of the Big 12’s major contenders all season long. First they went to Oklahoma and handed the Sooners their only defeat of the season. Three weeks later, they beat then-ranked No. 4 TCU. They had every chance of making it three of three against the cream of the crop, with only a controversial call preventing them from taking Oklahoma State to overtime with every chance of winning. Keep in mind that Iowa State was 3-9 last season in Campbell’s first season on the job.

Mike Leach, Washington State ($3 million)

With a win over in-state rival Washington next weekend, Leach can take the Cougars to the Pac-12 championship game. Even if that doesn’t happen, they’ve already enjoyed an impressive season and beaten both USC and Stanford. If not for a pair of disappointing losses, they could even be in the playoff conversation. Leach only barely makes the top 40 in terms of salary, but the results have been, on the whole, very good. It’s been 15 years since Washington State was this relevant nationally.

Paul Chryst, Wisconsin ($3.2 million)

Bret Bielema and Gary Andersen both turned their successes at Wisconsin into other jobs elsewhere, and it hasn’t gone well for either of them. Chryst, meanwhile, is on the verge of taking the Badgers to heights they haven’t achieved in a decade, if not longer. He has Wisconsin sitting pretty at 10-0, already having clinched a spot in the Big Ten title game and in full control of their College Football Playoff destiny. They haven’t received their toughest tests yet. Michigan looms, and if Ohio State wins out, they’ll be the foe in the conference championship. But for a salary barely in the top 40 of NCAA coaches, Chryst is giving Wisconsin all the bang for their buck they could ask for.

Mark Dantonio, Michigan State ($4.4 million)

A year ago, people were questioning whether Dantonio had lost his magic. The Spartans were 3-9, had fallen far behind Michigan, and appeared to be in their most chaotic place since the coach took over a decade ago. Now, the fact that Dantonio still has the Spartans in the hunt for a Big Ten title is nothing short of a miracle. They beat Michigan and Penn State, and while a blowout by Ohio State demonstrated just how far they still have to go, the fact that they were able to play that game in November for control of their own Big Ten destiny is remarkable.

Gus Malzahn, Auburn ($4.7 million)

Malzahn was another coach whose job status didn’t seem completely secure last year, but now Auburn is well-positioned for a run at the College Football Playoff. An Iron Bowl win over Alabama would put the Tigers in control of their own destiny after they thrashed Georgia last week. Malzahn is fairly well compensated at $4.7 million, but he has Auburn ready to go toe-to-toe with the Crimson Tide once again. For the Tigers, that’s worth its weight in gold.

Mike Norvell, Memphis ($1.9 million)

The Tigers are paying Norvell less than $2 million a year, and he’s delivered them a shot at an AAC title. Central Florida is the only team that has beaten them, and if they handle their business, Memphis will get a second shot at them in the conference championship game. Norvell himself will probably be a candidate for some coaching openings and is in line for a pay hike sooner rather than later. For that reason, Memphis will have a hard time holding on to him.

Gary Patterson, TCU ($5.1 million)

Patterson makes a pretty penny — his salary is in the top ten — and yet it could be argued that he still doesn’t get enough appreciation. Patterson was able to smoothly take TCU from Conference USA, to the Mountain West, to the Big 12, in the span of 15 years without missing a beat. The Horned Frogs have once again gone toe-to-toe with the big boys in Oklahoma and found success. They appear to be in line for their third double-digit win season since joining the Big 12 for the 2012 season. Even if the playoff probably isn’t happening this year, Patterson deserves a ton of credit.

Mark Richt, Miami ($4 million — reported)

Did anyone have Richt turning the Hurricanes around this quickly? Miami is firmly in control of their own Playoff destiny now, and the opportunity to enter the field unbeaten is very real. After 10 years in the relative wilderness, the Hurricanes are indisputably back — just ask Paul Finebaum — and a blowout of Notre Dame has the optimism at a new high. Richt is reportedly making $4 million at Miami, but you can bet that to the school at this point, he’s priceless.

Kirby Smart, Georgia ($3.8 million)

The Bulldogs can still make the College Football Playoff, but they’ll have to win-out and beat Alabama or Auburn in the SEC title game. Still, in only his second season in charge, Smart has Georgia tantalizingly close to a shot at the championship. Georgia couldn’t always say that under his predecessor, Mark Richt. Smart has breathed new life into the program, and it says a lot that they would have a very real chance against the Crimson Tide if that matchup were to happen.

Charlie Strong, South Florida ($1 million)

Strong more or less had to reset his coaching career after his unsuccessful spell at Texas, but he was fortunate enough to find a pretty soft landing at one of the country’s better Group of Five programs. South Florida still has a chance at an AAC title if they can overcome UCF, and their 8-1 season is impressive by any measure. The fact that Strong is doing this for only $1 million (he comes cheap thanks to his Texas buyout) is even better. He’s proven quite the value for the Bulls in 2017.

Dabo Swinney, Clemson ($8.5 million)

Just to prove how good of a coach Swinney is, consider that Clemson lost an incredible talent in Deshaun Watson, and has still managed to remain in contention for the College Football Playoff. With Kelly Bryant at QB, Clemson has beaten the likes of Auburn, Louisville, Virginia Tech, and NC State — the latter three on the road. All four teams were ranked in the top 20 before Clemson got done with them. They’re headed for a collision with Miami in the ACC title game, and a third straight Playoff appearance is well in site. A team that was once always on the brink of greatness but couldn’t get over the hump under Tommy Bowden has become one of the best and most consistent programs under Swinney’s watch.

Nick Saban, Alabama ($11.1 million)

Death, taxes, and Alabama Football. There are few things guaranteed in life, but Nick Saban having Alabama contending for a national championship each year is among them. Saban has been at Bama for just over a decade. He needed just two season to get them competitive and went 12-2 in his second season in Tuscaloosa. Since then, he’s never won fewer than 10 games in a season, nor lost more than three. He’s won four national titles, has reached No. 1 in every season since ’08, and finished each of the last 10 seasons ranked inside the AP top 10. His relentless pursuit of excellence has resulted in Alabama bringing in strong recruiting classes every year, restocking their coaching ranks, and being well-prepared for every single opponent. Several SEC coaches losing their jobs because they simply cannot match up to him. Saban may make a lot of money, but just being able to know that the team will contend for a national title every single year is worth any price for Alabama. This season could mark their third straight trip to the national championship game.

from Larry Brown Sports http://ift.tt/2yKwCEe

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