#it's titled almost was their always and I've got the chorus written out but everything else is a mess LOL

[dancing-to-architecture]

10 of 1001

Today's album: Meatloaf - Bat Out of Hell (1977)

The Loaf arrives!

Now, here is an album cover that I've always thought looked cool as hell since i first saw it in my dad's milk crate full of LPs, but i never got around to actually listening to it (mostly because i was really into the Beatles at that point in time, specifically Sgt. Pepper, incidentally another one of the album covers of all time, and not long after my Beatles phase came the phase i call "the total collapse of my parents' marriage" which led to a distinct and immediate lack of access to any part of my dad's record collection from then on).

Okay, unnecessary family history corner is now over, time to start Loafing.

Right off the bat, before I've even hit play, i have to notice: 7 songs, 46+ minute runtime, which means that the average song length is over 6 minutes. Now, something like this can be as much a positive thing for me as a negative thing.

On the one hand, there's been The Doors' tiresome meandering and King Crimson's acid jazz (in that 'it's about the notes you don't play', and no notes were played for like 3 minutes), but on the other hand I'm also fairly into post-rock and i have, on multiple occasions, referred to a 20+ minute long song by Godspeed You! Black Emperor as "a banger". (Rockets Fall on Rocket Falls is a killer, fight me.) Then i remembered that this is Meatloaf, the King of the Power Ballad, and also that Paradise by the Dashboard Light is roughly 174 minutes long.

Bat Out of Hell-

This intro fucking rules! Goddamn, that piano player should be chained to a wall somewhere for pounding on those keys that hard.

Some really great lines here "nothing ever grows in this rotting old hole/

And everything is stunted and lost/

And nothing really rocks and nothing really rolls

And nothing's ever worth the cost." PREACH.

Man, so much happens in this one song. It's a love song, it's a one night stand song, it's got the sudden and violent death of the narrator/pov character in the opening song of what i was led to believe was a three-album rock opera-lite... Hell, I've written legitimate short stories where less plot happens than within this song.

You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)-

To know me is to know that I've offered my throat to much more dangerous things than the wolf with the red roses.

Kind of a repetitive chorus, but it's only 5 minutes long, how is *anybody* supposed to tell a story in that short of an amount of time? :V

Heaven Can Wait-

So i was *almost* in this play in high school and- oh, this is a different thing.

"And all i got is time until the end of time" is a great line.

Okay, for real, who was the pianist on this album? (Aside: Bat Out of Hell was composed by Jim Steinman, who has *one hell* of a Wikipedia page, and the piano played by Roy Bitten of the goddamned E STREET BAND. Wait, also mixed by Todd Rundgren? Hot damn, no wonder this is like the 6th best-selling album of all time.)

All Revved Up with No Place to Go-

Well that's some Springsteeny as FUCK horns there, huh?

And to be honest with you, Mr. Loaf? No, i don't really know what that's like. Most of the time I'm put into situations with little to no revving whatsoever, and it's infrequent that i really desire a place to go, especially if I'm already home.

The middle breakdown about drawing first blood just feels strange and kinda out of place to me, but i am Not a person who wrote three albums with combined 100 million units sold, so my opinion is just that.

The faster end right after that kicks some ass, though.

Two out of Three Ain't Bad-

Well the title is regarding what might be the most depressing sentiment i can think of.

And then the second verse starts and it stays sad, just in a dramatically different way. Sad in a "okay, yeesh, get over your old flame already, dude, you said it yourself, it's been YEARS" kind of way.

Like Stephen Stills said (7 years before this album came out): "if you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with", because this? just ain't it. Open up your heart a bit.

Paradise By the Dashboard Light- I've heard this song a number of times throughout my life, and i don't think i ever clocked just how insanely horny it is.

I guess i never really thought too hard about the lyrics, mostly because the last time i heard this song it was on the radio and i was still a kid. The baseball announcer part is kinda clever about it at least.

Ellen Foley CRUSHES her part of the duet. It's like the power-belting is a competition between her and Loaf, and she's gonna get that fuckin gold, come hell or high water.

Also just saying, ladies, if you ask someone if they love you, and they say "uhh, get back to me on that one, i gotta sleep on it"? They don't, and they won't. Don't waste your time.

But that last line is still pretty hilarious, all said and done.

For Crying Out Loud-

Okay, if this album and the two after, the trinity of bats into and out of hell, are all supposed to be like one continuous story throughout, then this song's placement right after Paradise is incredibly darkly funny.

Also, do we really need the image of meatloaf's turgid hog ripping through his jeans, twice? in one song?

(It's not so explicit, but you tell me what "can't you see my faded Levi's bursting apart?" is regarding, because while Meatloaf was a bigger dude, i really don't think he's talking about splitting the seam on the ass, and there are definitely other rhymes for "heart".)

Also, another false ending with 3 minutes left in the song. These songs wouldn't be so long if you stopped *trying* to end them and just ended them, man. (I'm being facetious here, but only kinda.)

Overall, a really good album. I can easily see why it sold so many copies, but i was honestly expecting it to be a bit heavier, given how hard that cover art goes.

Favorite Track: Bat Out of Hell! That intro, the economy of storytelling within (it's. so. much. plot!), the piano is on fire, all in all just one (bat out of) hell of an opening song.

Least Favorite Track: initially, i was gonna say You Took the Words, mostly for the repetition at the close of it, but actually sitting down and reading the lyrics to Two Out of Three Ain't Bad REALLY killed that song for me. It is bad, and you should feel shame.

#1001 albums #dancing to architecture #meat loaf #bat out of hell

[firewoodfigs]

and if this is the long haul, how’d we get here so soon? 

summary: And this, this is the part that he’s rehearsed the most. The part where he says his thanks and lists out the names of everyone who, in one way or another, became embroiled in his lifelong goal. He’s always imagined commending Hughes and Havoc and Falman and Breda and Fuery; Grumman, the Armstrongs, and Scar and Miles; the people from Xing; and Alphonse and Edward, too, for their services, with a special tribute for Hawkeye. It was her who made all this possible, after all. It was her who made sure he never strayed from his path, her who had very nearly followed him to hell when he’d strayed. And he never would’ve had the courage or conviction to keep going down this path of atonement without her by his side. 

(He’s always imagined that she’d be by his side, during this moment. That she would be there either as his wife or as Vice-President, and he would proudly show her off to the rest of the world, giving credit where it’s due.) 

Roy simply lists all their names. 

-

or 

the one where almost becomes their always 

[written for royai week day 3 and 4: valediction / communiqué]

tags: angst, heavy angst, heartbreak (is our national anthem and we sing it proudly, or so tswift said), songfic, chess metaphors, based on a Taylor Swift song, song: coney island, if you know how the song goes... then u know how it goes..., idk how to tag this other than to say that this is probably the saddest thing I've written (so far), PTSD, references to depression, alcohol abuse/alcoholism

7566 words | part of the folklore//evermore series 

#royaiweek21 #royai #royai fic #royai fanfic #angst #that's it that's the tag #reblogs and comments are always deeply appreciated ;v; #don't kill me LMAO #no spoilers but I listened to back to December and all too well in rapid succession and got hit with the feels #almost becomes their always is a ref to a song that I'm writing atm :') #it's titled almost was their always and I've got the chorus written out but everything else is a mess LOL #looking forward to making music again tho and jamming w my friends!!! yay!!!

[sincerelyasomebody]

Past Meet Present || Mario Martinez

(GIF Credit: @merakiaes)

A/N: This hasn't been proofread. It was written in a rush. Don't hesitate to correct me on the Spanish translations. 

Pairing(s): Mario x Reader ▪︎ Angelica x Mario (past relationship) ▪︎ Martinez Family x Reader (platonic relationship) 

Summary: Ex girlfriend meeting the new girlfriend.

Warnings: children having no filter, fluff, language, slight angst; physical altercation, Tik Tok dances,

Word Count: 1564

- ♤ - ♡ - ◇ - ♧ -

Bonding with her boyfriend's little sister was beginning to take a toll on (Y/N)'s body. Luisa, a sassy energetic seven year old, had suggested teaching her Tik Tok dances for the Saturday afternoon. And who was she to refuse such a request. She thought after the second dance, the little girl would go and play soccer with her twin Luis in the backyard. But she refused to go until (Y/N) knew every dance she knew. The young woman had a newfound respect for the people who came up with Tik Tok dances and those who mimicked them.

Benee's Glitter paused mid-chorus, Luisa looked in her direction, "are you giving up?" 

"No, just n–need to take five." 

"If you take five, then you're a loser."

(Y/N)'s eyebrows furrowed, standing to her full height. "How would taking a break make me a loser?" 

She flicked her ponytail, "it just does." 

Not willing to argue with a child's logic, (Y/N) gulped some water down and tossed the bottle to the side. Gesturing to the young girl to change the music for the next dance. Savage Love by Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo played through the portable speaker, (Y/N) focused on following the movements of the seven year old girl in front of her. She couldn't help but smile as she was shown what to do with her hands. That part was easy, it was moving her hips that (Y/N) seemed to struggle with. 

"You gotta move your hips. (Y/N), h-i-p-s. Hips. Abuelita knows the dance and she's an old lady." Luisa shook her head, threw her hands in the air and called out, "abuelita! (Y/N) needs help. Show her how you move with your old lady hips!"

And with that the rambunctious child ran back inside the house, in the direction of where she thought her grandmother would be. (Y/N) heard a familiar laugh pop up beside her, followed by arms wrapping around her waist. With her head turned slightly, she was met with a kiss to her cheek. 

"Don't worry, bebe." Mario squeezed her hips and swayed, "I know you can move your hips." 

She laughed, "is that so?" 

"Yeah, but as a precaution let me help." 

With one hand on hers and the other on her hips, he began the famous dance. (Y/N) let him move her hands and then sway with her hips. When it got to the part of both her hands in the air, she made sure to put a little pressure in her sway. With a groan in her ear, she broke free from his grip.

She turned around and tapped his cheek, "thanks for the help, but now I've gotta –" 

"Nope, you're staying right here." Mario switched off the portable speaker, wrapped his arms around her body, lifted her up and carried her back onto the porch. He sat down and pulled her close to his chest. (Y/N) laughed, while adjusting herself so her legs hung over the armrest and her head was in the crook of his neck. She breathed in his scent and played with the collar of his shirt. 

(Y/N) had been set up on a blind date by her college roommate Carly. After getting dolled up and entering the restaurant she was told to go too, the twenty minute mark rolled around and her date was a no show. Embarrassed at being stood up, she left the establishment and was almost run over by a guy on an electric scooter. Mario had been the one driving it and immediately stopped to check to see if she was okay and to apologise. The pair went to a diner and exchanged numbers by the end of the night. (Y/N) had expected their budding relationship to be platonic, until he admitted his feelings during one of their hangout sessions. After a moment of shock, she revealed that he wasn't alone and she had feelings for him.

They've been an official couple since. 

However, this was the first time (Y/N) had visited where Mario had grown up and met his family. They had met briefly through facetime whenever she happened to be present while Mario was on a call. Meeting them in person was different. She got along with Ruben, Abuelita and the twins. It was Ruby and his mother Geny who were still weary of her. (Y/N) put it down to Mario's almost being a father fiasco. 

Yeah, he told her all about it. 

"Mario, I didn't know you were back." 

Sitting up, she looked straight ahead and found somebody on the opposite side of the fence. From the pictures Mario had shown her back in his dorm, it was Angelica. The girl he experienced many firsts with and most notably his first love. Mario had told (Y/N) all about him being friends with his ex girlfriend. She wasn't intimidated by her in the slightest. But that didn't mean she was going to be all buddy-buddy with her. She'd keep it cordial. 

"Oh, hey." Mario shifted slightly, (Y/N) hopped off his lap. He stood up and walked over to her. When he noticed (Y/N) hadn't walked beside him, he held out his hand behind him, smiling when she accepted and wrapped an arm around her waist when she was close enough, "this is my girlfriend (Y/N). Bebe this is Angelica." 

(Y/N) smiled and held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you, I've heard quite a bit about you." 

Angelica ignored her and continued looking at Mario, "So… how's your sophomore year in college been?" 

"Wow… okay, just ignore me then." (Y/N) muttered under her breath and retracted her hand, "bitch." 

This time Angelica acknowledged her. 

"What did you call me?" 

Not being one to back down easily, she replied, "a bitch." With her quick reflex, she grabbed onto the hand that was going to slap her, "gotta be quicker than that sweetie." 

Angelica pulled her hand back and glared, before focusing back on Mario. "¿Puedes controlarla?" 

"She doesn't need to be." Mario replied coolly. "She's her own person." 

(Y/N) scoffed, "of course I'm my own person." But, then looked in between the two, "wait, did she say something about me?" Looking back at Angelica, "care to elaborate?" 

"Why don't you go inside, (Y/N)." She pointed behind them, "Mario and I have a few things to discuss." 

Before (Y/N) could respond, her boyfriend beat her to it. 

"What do we have to discuss, Angelica?" Mario questioned. "No tenemos nada de que hablar." 

"I'd rather not discuss our personal business when someone else is present." 

"Our personal business? Our personal business ended the day I went back to college. We don't have anything –" 

She cut him off, "we have a history, Mario."

"That's all it is, history." He replied, "this is (Y/N) (L/N), my girlfriend. My present and potential future, Angelica. Yeah, we have history and I'll always be thankful for what we had… but, that's it. We can go back to being friends –" 

"What if I don't want that? What if I want to be more than that? What if I want to go back to us being together?" 

He shrugged his shoulders, "we can't." His eyes found (Y/N)'s and a smile graced his face, "I've got something good and I'm not gonna mess it up." He looked back at her, "one day you'll meet someone like I have too." 

(Y/N) pressed a loving kiss to his cheek. He responded by pressing one to her forehead. She let out a squeal as his fingers squeezed her hips. He laughed when she slapped his chest. 

Angelica watched their exchange with a mixture of hurt, sadness and anger bubbling up inside of her. She used to be in (Y/N)'s position and was looking forward to reclaiming the title of being Mario's girlfriend when he came back… only to be told by one of her girls that he was seen around town with a girl. She refused to believe that Mario had moved on, but the evidence was right in front of her. The difference between the last time she had seen him and right now was she no longer had a hold over him.

She couldn't do anything other than walk away. Rekindling her romance with Mario Martinez wasn't an option anymore. Like he said, they were history. 

The pair noticed her disappearance when they headed back inside to grab something to eat. (Y/N) felt a little bad for Angelica, but hoped she'd move on. Because she wasn't gonna play nice if Miss Ex decided to come around and get her boyfriend's attention. And if Mario allowed that to happen, she'd beat both of their asses. 

"Everything okay, mi amor?" 

She smiled and cupped his chin. "Angelica may have been your first love, but I intend on being your last," pecking his lips, she giggled, "until I pop out one of your big headed babies." 

"No babies!"

With an eye roll from her boyfriend and a headshake he yelled back, "It was a joke, ma." Before he turned back to (Y/N), "or it wasn't 'cause I'm in the mood to practice if –"

"MARIO!" 

"Another joke, ma."

- ♤ - ♡ - ◇ - ♧ -

Spanish Translation(s): 

Bebe - baby

¿Puedes controlarla? - can you control her?

No tenemos nada de que hablar - we have nothing talk to about 

Mi amor - my love

#mario martinez #luisa martinez #the martinez family #mario martinez x reader #x reader #reader insert #on my block #onmyblockfanfiction #freeridge #sincerelyasomebody

[tuesdayx]

So I thought it would be fun to do a song-by-song breakdown of our latest album Essential.

Essential started as some rough demos designated for a side project in late 2019, which then became our largest album to date in terms of song selection. Many of the themes deal with learning to cope with the changing world thanks to Covid, with a perspective of someone who had to keep working at an "essential" job with no option of self-quarantine. I was happy to continue working and being able to pay my bills over the past year, but there was always elements of stress, fear, and tension lingering over myself and everyone else in my position.

So here we go; starting from the top let's look at the Songs of Tuesday X's 6th album Essential.

1. Jet Fuel Can't Melt Steel Beams: the title was a reference to the 9/11 conspiracy memes, which as stated in the opening lines, "has nothing to do with this song." Written in January of 2020 before Covid had made any significant impact in the US, the song touches on many themes which happened to occur throughout the year, such as [another] Californian forest fire (Australia too), new diseases (Covid), a riot (the BLM movement over the summer, which I will state everything that movement has been fighting for is 100% justified and the United States is in desperate need of Police reform, as does our political system which has remained inherently racist to this day.), Civil War (and exaggeration for sure, but the civil unrest and political division in our country will soon split us apart further), more corporate giants(companies like Amazon profited more from this Pandemic than ever before and have helped further the gap between the American working class and the top 1%). Favorite line: "I won't get philosophical, I only wanted your attention."

2. The Only Difference Between You and Me is a Sense of Apathy and Your Brand New Nikes: This song is a blithing criticism of the American political system. Our two party system has left Americans with a choice between "the lesser of two evils" and allows politicians with no true interest in our needs to rise to power. The use of 3rd parties as an alternative is a overly simple compromise that would only just begin to alleviate the problems created in our political system. Both of our main parties are considered conservative parties to the rest of the world, and any progressive measures that would benefit society and reduce the effects of climate change are considered radical and preposterous by politicians with financial stakes in our crooked system where corporatations hold control and the people are treated as fuel for an otherwise worthless currency. Favorite line: "Listen to the radio, they played my favorite song. Now I'm bored and wanting more."

3. Blame it on the Elves: the title is a reference to an episode of the Podcast "Lore" by Aaron Menke (i can't recall which episode, but you should check it out anyway because it's great listen.) An instrumental interlude inspired by ragtime music of the 1920-30's, with an edge of course.

4. Class of Dropouts: This song was written when I was 16 during my sophomore year of high school and was originally featured on my now unavailable album "trees" before adopting the Tuesday X monicker. I brought it back 6 years later because I loved how raw and punk it was. The lyrics are dorky but I decided to leave them as is, it's a cool track for high school stoners to blare and let out their teen angst. Favorite line: "Walking in on my friends fucking."

5. Polaroids on My Bulletin Board: This is a song about growing up. As a 22 year old (now 23) who decided not to go to college straight out of high school, I felt isolated from my peers in a way. By going into the workfield right away I sometimes feel like I skipped a few years and missed out on a lot of opportunities. I regret not leaving my hometown sooner than I did and chasing my dreams of being a touring musician in a band. More often than not I reminisce of my youth playing shows and getting into trouble, as I now feel old and out of place in a scene I grew up in. Favorite line: "I know what it's like to be alive, I know what it's like to live a lie."

6. Labradoodle Underpass: Going back on the theme of growing up, this is about my recent experience with shows as an adult. When I was a teenager I felt ambitious and ready for anything, and I would drop literally everything to go to the nearest show. As an adult I feel introverted and constantly anxious about the world around me. I've missed out on a lot of great shows due to my own self doubt's and anxiety. Now that shows have been canceled for over a year I feel even more regret by not appreciating them more while I could. Favorite line: "23 years and a lingering fear that anything could happen, why am I here?"

7. Some Shit: This was me trying to be modest mouse lol jangly guitars and half talking/half singing vocals describing the world around me. I guess in a way it was an exercise in writing character description and setting, but otherwise it's just a chill track that almost feels aimless at parts. Favorite Line: "it's just some shit I learned from a friend. Just some shit I learned when I was trying to prepare."

8: Woe is the World: On the album this is a chorus snippet that barely a minute long (the full version is available as a bonus track on bandcamp, and it was actually a demo that turned out better than the final version.) I originally wrote this song when I was 15 with a different set of lyrics, but I came back to it while writing this album and re-wrote it to reflect my mental state and the world around me. Overall, just another melancholy track in a sea of melancholy songs. Favorite line: "you've never felt more alone than you do now, was everything worth it in the end?"

9. Then Why Was it Named Gideon?: the title is a reference to a line in Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour (my favorite series) and like the first track on this album doesn't have much to do with the song. "Gideon" is a simple love song, talking again about how growing up sucks but having the right person by your side can make all the shitty times worth it in the end. Favorite line: "it's time to move on, you're taking too long."

10. I am Here, I'm Looking at Her, and She is Beautiful: This song is entirely about the book "Perks of Being a Wallflower". That's it. Nothing else, let's move on. Favorite line: "Over Christmas I read them a poem about a brown paper bag and the boy who wrote it."

11. Try to Be a Filter, Not a Sponge: Like the previous song, this one is also mostly about "Perks of Being a Wallflower", but with elements of my own experience with toxic relationships. I like to think of it as the character Charlie's experience with Mary Elizabeth overall though. Favorite line: "She called my favorite book washed out trash, said I have no taste and I'm still too sad."

12. Lavender Spray Bottle: This instrumental dates back to 2017. I recorded the guitar part as a demo on my phone and forgot about it. Over time I forgot how to play the guitar part, so I used the demo as a basis and layered everything else on top of it. The title is a reference to a bottle of water with lavender essential oils mixed in that my ex used to fend away spiders in the house we lived in at the time.

13. Hindsight is 2020: I will admit, this is my favorite song on the whole album and was actually the last to be written and recorded. With a simple guitar part and layers of vocals, this song is a direct reflection of life during the peak of the pandemic. With curfews in place and rising case counts, I had to learn to cope with life at home during my late nights away from work. My partner was quarantined during this time and I reflected on the mental strain this put on her. Favorite line: "Don't go to work, you need the money but you're not happy when you're there. Sometimes life is so unfair."

14. I Don't Know How to Deal With Serious Emotions Without Turning Them into a Fucking Joke: the title came from a meme I found on my phone from high school. The song itself was about my own inability to handle serious emotions without coming off as sarcastic. In both the music and lyrics, the song starts as a simple confession before exploding into raw chaos. Favorite line: "it's so hard. I'm so scared, what have I become?"

15. Say Hello to My Little Friend: the last instrumental on this album. A short haunting tune that reflects the final two tracks. The title is probably a reference to Rambo or something, but I never watched it and I thought it fit the feeling of this song.

16. Minneapolis: What became one of the most emotional tracks on this song actually began as a joke. My partner was snap chatting a friend one night and they asked me to write them a song on the spot. So I improvised the first two verses and chorus of this song, referencing her going to school there at the time. I found I actually liked what I had written however, so I refined the track and changed it from a sassy country song into a melancholic lament of my experience in the twin cities and southern Minnesota. Favorite line: "I miss Camp Snoopy, and Paul Bunyon's log flume ride that went around the whole damn mall."

17. Before the Sunrise: the final song on the album is an intimate look at my relationship with my partner. Through past experiences i have become riddled with self doubt and always looking at improving myself as a person. With hopes that one day I'll be the person I'd like to be for mine and their sake, it's an optimistic tribute to my best friend. Favorite line: "the cycle ends until the sun rises again, you're my best friend."

Thank you all so much! Check out Essential and our other music on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple, and other places! I hope you all enjoyed this personal look at these songs that got me through the worst parts of 2020.

#tuesday x #emo #music #alternative #art rock #diy music #diy #midwest #underground #lyrics #essential #covid19