saturn return

[k4rmic]

#𝙺𝟺𝚁𝙼𝙸𝙲 ;  music is never loud enough . you should stick your head in a speaker . louder , louder , louder .   ( a dependent muse for supernova penned by pepper  )  

slater katz ;     bio. / introspection. /  threads.  

[solvcky]

once one of the liveliest corners of the party, the balcony had cleared out for the britneys' set, and now it seemed everyone was too busy clambering up the band's asses to find their way back to it. luckily, that left the space wide open for yewande's drunken, pensive taking. "the place to myself!" she cried drunkenly over the london sky, arms outstretched until a noise caught her attention. startled, she whipped around to put on her newfound pr face, a bubbly grin with hands cinched demurely behind her back. her face fell, some mix of relaxed and disappointed, when they saw slater. "i mean, there does appear to be a fire escape, but i wouldn't recommend it. front door's probably the best move anyway, i've been watching and you've got loads of fans waiting for you down there." they smiled toothily at slater, no indication of their dismay. perhaps the label had made the right move giving her the pr relationship after all; she wasn't a bad actor.

[k4rmic]

SLATER BLINKS AT THE SHIFT , brows arching slowly as they stare at the other deadpan for a moment . it's a beat before they're blinking as they fully register her words . " yeah ?" they take four steps over to the fire escape , instrument calloused hands resting on the railing as they lean over it to take a look . the route looks rickity as fuck and the chances of a railing collapsing and them breaking a limb is high . slater curses low . " fuck , man , that's a death trap ." they pull back with a distasteful twist of their features , huffing out a small breath . " bullshit ..." it's with that that slater pushes off the railing and moves promptly to leave , making their way all the way back to the balcony door before their eyes land on her a second time then , narrowing thoughtfully for a beat as they glance over her before , " were you just yelling by yourself ?" they ask bluntly , brows pulling down in bewilderment . " like over the railing or whatever ." another beat of thought . " you high ?" it's an honest question . it's quickly followed by a tilt of their head . " crazy ?"

[tokaireyes]

narrowed eyes land on slater as they cross paths once again . v doesn't care much for the dig , but regards the other more with curiosity than annoyance . she's sure she's not the only one wondering about just how the britneys got that performance slot , though her theories pull from her own distrust for the label rather than the animosity fans have already started displaying online . for the most part she didn't really care , but now dnd was unsurprisingly getting dragged into the narrative and that's a surefire way to get on v's nerves . her eyes follow the gesture towards the bartenders and it induces a roll of her eyes in response . with a cross of her arms , she shrugs at slater's question . ❛ i've heard worse , ❜ is what she comes up with first . ❛ did you enjoy your performance ? ❜

[k4rmic]

SLATER'S BROWS ARCH AT THE COMMENT , not in surprise or even incredulity , but perhaps in something resembling amusement . " heard worse , huh ... " slater replies as they squint at the bartender's behind the bar , watching as they scramble about as they wait half impatiently for their drink . their jaw shifts thoughtlessly , " alright ." the words are accompanied by a shrug . after all , slater knew the performance was good , knew they were good . asking what v thought was really more to see what she'd say than anything else . you could tell a lot about a person from that alone . " i enjoy every performance ." slater replies simply at v's question , moving to pull their sunglasses back up on top of their head to watch the bartender's more intently because where the fuck was their drink ? the hell ? their brows furrow . " i love performing and i'm good at it ." the bluntness of the reply is distracted as slater reaching glances at v with half interest to add , " if i hated it i wouldn't be here . why ?"

[trcublemakr]

the britneys candids

@charxma @k4rmic

[k4rmic]

WHO : slater & tati ( @charxma ) WHEN : post - performance ! WHERE : the kickoff party !

" DID YOU SEE MEI'S FACE WHEN WE WERE UP THERE ?" the question comes not long after they've shut the door to their ride out , the door to the vehicle cutting off the cries of fans with the kind of abruptness that almost makes the absence of sound louder . slater is currently slumped in their seat , taking off their sunglasses and promptly tossing them who knows where into the car for them to discover later . " the lights were too fucking bright . i couldn't see the look on their face ." they glance out of the tinted window with a squint as they look for rock , knowing that she herself had gotten separated from tati and rock after the performance but that the intention to meet at the car and get the fuck out of there had been a semi unspoken agreement . but they probably should've spoke about it a bit to like — confirm a time or something . slater's grin grows even as they scan the world outside the window , a glint in their gaze that can perhaps only come from competitive spite . " bet it was fucking good though ..."

[k4rmic]

WHO : slater & yewande ( @sodublin ) WHEN : post - performance ! WHERE : the kickoff party !

THEY NEEDED A SMOKE . desperately . it was a bad habit . well , not the smoking that was already a lost cause but the need to have one to form coherent thought was kind of a pain in the ass . and yet the itch is there at the tips of their fingers , stubborn and persistent as slater tries to make their way deluge of 'congratulations' and 'you guys were amazing's and find their way to the nearest exit . a feat that would no doubt be easier if slater wasn't still teetering between high and sober , but they do their best with what they've got . and upon setting their eyes on a door slater makes a beeline towards it , receiving pats on the back and awestruck looks that are quite soundly ignored as they make their way to that exit and push —  only to blink hard as they near collide with someone , taking a step back in surprise that is quickly followed by a startled , " the fuck ?" slater's brows furrow as their eyes fall on their company , a glance that is quickly deviated as slater glances around at the space around them and determines that they are on the balcony . their expression scrunches . " shit , this isn't the exit ."

[k4rmic]

WHO : slater & v ( @onlyrivas ) WHEN : post - performance ! WHERE : the kickoff party !

" WELL , IF IT ISN'T OUR FAVOURITE BARTENDER ." the words aren't technically a dig . they probably can and will be taken that way , but for the moment slater's post - performance decent mood is in full effect . while the crowd isn't as big as they would've liked and the circumstances weren't the best , there's still the buzz of that high in their blood stream , real and thrumming like a heartbeat in a way that's always been hard to ignore . it's a part of what makes performing so good for them . it makes their disposition briefly almost lighter as they arch their brows v's way , as they jab a thumb towards the guys behind the bar currently fixing their last drink of the night . " i hope you know these guys are currently coming for your gig ." she looks over v then , gaze thoughtful as her brows go high again. " you enjoy the performance ?"

[cstleinhllywd-deactivated202601]

Although she hadn't been in the spotlight for long, the tour kickoff felt like a start for something brighter. Hadley lapped up the attention she was receiving, being seen along with her fellow bandmates as one of the leading ladies. Confident and methodical in her approach, she glittered alongside the best of them. When the Britney's took the stage, her mood kind of dampened. Sure, they were the headliners, but some type of bitter feeling crept in, something she knew all too well when battling for the spotlight. She hoped no one noticed her slip out during the final song, heading to the bathroom to touch up her makeup, or maybe to pout. She hadn't thought she'd been in there long, but hearing the sound of a lock tick, she feared she'd catch someone enjoying themselves a bit too much or finally breaking from the crowd, carefully inching out from the other vanity. She hadn't expected the brunette to notice her, but caught their eyes in the mirror. Stepping a few inches left, she let out a dramatic sigh as they finally acknowledged her.

"Sorry, I didn't think anyone would be in here with the impromptu concert-" she started, before she recognized Slater as the face, a laugh, maybe disbelief or annoyance leaving her lips. "But I'm guessing you needed a minute after it all?"

[k4rmic]

SLATER'S BROWS ARE FURROWED AS THEY TRY TO PLACE THE FACE BEFORE THEM . not their strong suit , in all honesty but everyone had their talents . a fan ? it wouldn't be the first time , honestly . slater's fans always did have the habit of being more than a bit rabid . but that's not it , is it ? slater's eyes narrow in a squint . it's not until the laugh that the face is placed , that slater is able to fully register her between one blink and the next . it's probably the bitterness that does it , that slips things into context in a way little else would . after all , slater would know the look of jilted competition anywhere . she's sure seen it plenty . the realization colours their gaze as their brows raise , and before they can think better of it ( or perhaps tati or rock could think better of it on their behalf ) a huff of laughter escapes them as well . " ... oh , you're pissed ." slater acknowledges in something close to amusement , their gaze flicking over her with newfound interest . their rare grin is crooked , eyes lit with a fire that only victory can bring even as they shrug and move to finally turn that tap off . " that's fun ." slater moves to wipe at the water on their jaw with the back of their hand , nodding belatedly to say , " but yeah , i did . it was hot as fuck up there ." it's then that slater meets her gaze in the mirror , brows arching as their jaw shifts in an attempt to smother their mirth . even still the question leans towards smug as they ask , " you like the show ?"

[k4rmic]

WHO : slater & hadley ( @cstleinhllywd ! ) WHEN : post - performance ! WHERE : the kickoff party !

THE PERFORMANCE IS A SURPRISE . not entirely an unpleasant one , but a surprise nonetheless . while slater would never give up the opportunity to perform , or the opportunity to win , the whirlwind of it all was dizzying in a way that was more due to intoxication than anything . it's that dizziness that brings her to the venue's washroom , door locked behind her without a thought and feet on a one track path to the nearest sink . it's with force that the tap is turned on the coldest it can go , and with similar firmness that said water is splashed repeatedly over their features . in all honesty , they're quite sure temperature does more to sober them up than anything else . at least they're sure of that until they life their head to see a woman in the mirror like a scene from the shining . a drop of water falls down the bridge of slater's nose . they stare . " the fuck ?" slater blinks hard . the girl is still there . a wet hand pushes their hair back from their face as they turn to face her and confirm that she is in fact real . their brows furrow in bewilderment . " how long have you been there ?"

[k4rmic]

WHO : slater & rock . ( @trcublemakr ! ) WHEN : post - performance . WHERE : outside the kick-off party .

" THAT WAS FUCKED UP ." the words are mumbled as slater blows out a stream of smoke from between their lips , their expression still pinched from their performance even now that they were out of it . the alley beside the venue was blessedly empty for now , and while slater is sure the paps would love to catch her having a casual fucking smoke with rock of all things they're glad the fuckers aren't here so that they can actually think . and think they are as they take another drag , as they process it all passed the high that they've been riding since they took whatever it was in their pocket . they're not sure if it was the performance or the cig that was sobering them up . maybe both . " that was fucked , right ?" slater turns to rock with the question , their eyes narrowed in annoyance that will likely only build as time goes on . " having us perform like that out of fucking nowhere . what the hell ?" a drag , long and hard before slater is blowing a stream of smoke out of both nostrils . it's only after another beat of silence that they're arching their brows to add , " glad it was fucking us though ." they shrug with admittance , brows still knitted together as they scoff . " if any of the rest of those assholes instead i think i'd have to march into supernova myself ."

[trcublemakr]

rock opened their mouth, ready to have some comeback, but then a a second later they closed it because they really couldn't think of something that would be worse than slater willingly making a tiktok. maybe forcing them to sit down and have a civil conversation with mei or to go the entire tour without arguing with tati. but if they said either of those, they weren't sure if that would just start slater up anyway and they really didn't want to risk it when it was their job to keep slater in line. so instead they just shrug, "i don't know but i'm sure i'll think of something eventually," they chuckle lightly.

it truly was a wonder how such different people have been able to stay in a band together for so long. rock loved social media, they loved posting for their fans. hell, if it wasn't for them, the fans would probably go crazy from the lack of content from the other two members of the britneys. it was like pulling teeth to get slater to take pictures with them that weren't required by the label. fifteen years of friendship and probably only a handful of pictures to show for it. "you make it seem like i'm asking for your first born child just to take a picture with me," they joke, bumping their shoulder into slaters as they move closer. "yeah, here is fine. i won't post it, just for me," they clarify. there were bound to be plenty of pictures going up online of tonight, they don't need to add to the fire. they hold up their phone in front of their faces, screen pointed at them so they can make sure it's lined up. "smile!" they say before hitting the button with their thumb.

[k4rmic]

" LOOKING FORWARD TO IT ." slater replies replies , the usual sarcasm perhaps softened at the edges with a certain amount of fondness that maybe only rock has reserved . after all , it was always just a bit harder to be a dick to rock . mei , moderate difficulty , tati , easy as fuck , but rock has been a bit trickier to get into it with since slater was fucking fourteen . it was just fucking tricky with a motherfucker wouldn't bite back . something slater could swear the other was well aware of and now actively taking advantage of but -- whatever . they'll allow it . they liked them decently anyways . after over a decade there was really no taking it back now . " honestly , if you wanna do that instead they're all yours ." slater replies with a casual frown and shrug , head shaking a bit in easy acquiesce even as they allow rock to bump into them without protest . " don't even like the kid that much to be honest ." slater feels something in them relax slightly at whatever this was wasn't going to go online , which was a small mercy in the assurance that whatever this photo was wasn't going to end up with their head photoshopped onto a horse or something . or worse . at rock's instruction slater's middle finger is already up as the photo is snapped , smile too wide and unnatural in the fact that it doesn't meet their eyes , but they figure it works . " you starting a scrapbook or something ?" slater asks lightly after the flash has finally faded . a blink to fade the spots from their dilated eyes before the sunglasses are swiftly put back down . " fan page ?"

[appleciders]

“Kindred fucking spirits.”

“No. Her crazy’s a bit extra.”

[k4rmic]

@complcxities !

[tokaireyes]

at the sight of slater , it takes everything in v not to chug down the full glass of jack and coke she just poured . she takes a heavy swig instead , trying her best to look nonchalant ( incredibly tough for an incredibly chalant individual ) . ❛ drinking . that allowed ? ❜ she wasn't completely sure what she'd done to end up on slater's shit list , but she had an inkling ever since they'd started doing promo and she'd caught slater behind the camera rolling their eyes at her answers . determined to get through this interaction with as little grief as possible , she responds with a chuckle , though it lacks mirth . ❛ funny . ❜ another heavy swig . ❛ you here for a drink or something ? ❜

[k4rmic]

AN ARCH OF SLATER'S BROWS . " are you asking me for permission ?" a long look followed by a shrug , followed by a sarcastic , " sure , yeah . go for it ." slater isn't sure why the label would ask perhaps one of the most fluffy sunshine people they'd ever met to play at being so tough . maybe sadism . maybe for humour . after all , even slater thought it was near comical sometimes . doesn't mean it wasn't also kind of annoying . and if it was annoying for them , they can only imagine how much it pissed v off . and yet nothing was done about it . one thing slater can't stand is a lack of backbone . their eyes narrow at v's offer , incredulous as they offer a deadpan , " you're seriously making the drinks ." the incredulity in slater's expression doesn't wane . their expression twists . " you do know you can say no to shit , right ?"

[charxma]

"See that's like...way too many 'ifs'." and she knew they weren't joking either, what Slater meant Slater said. Their eyes were not refrained from an eyeroll, even if they were incredibly good at maintaining their facial expressions, Tati never did that in front of the other. There was never really any need. Slater disliked her to start with so their relationship was built on a foundation of raw honesty and not giving a shit. It served them both well now. "You're not 'not' the problem. I mean I got your back or whatever, but we literally just got the new PR chick and she is standing on fucking business so, if we have to wake up at dawn to have a meeting about media training and conduct again, I will put Nair hair remover in your shampoo. D'you even use shampoo? Or are you more of a...three-in-one sort of person?" the last bit made her laugh, as she downed another shot and brows furrowed.

"That bee wanted fuck that human woman." an offhand comment as they ignored the distinction between a recommendation and a simple mention. Tatiana had a bit of an obsessive need to dive into her friends likes and interests, whether they liked it or not. A poor attempt to somehow feel closer. There was period in their life they got really into competitive pumpkin rowing, otherwise known as pumping regatta, because her boyfriend mentioned placing third during a competition in Oregon. She still had a ton of outfits she managed to keep from days spent doing LARPING in NYC, a hobby she actually kept even after breaking up with a partner that got her into it. So much of their life was developed through others, there were times she wondered if anything was really just her own. "Anyways, Rock and I thought if any of us feel like shit or the night gets dull, we just get together and dip? Do our own thing back here? You down?"

It was a gentle furrow as they tried to recall what Slater's gestures might've insinuated, but it eventually clicked. She pulled out the necklace, "This one?" it was a decent choice, they were right. They picked the earrings themselves, new set to match the necklace. But she ended up not liking them so she took them off and reached for her vape. "Mei's gonna be there tonight," Tati treaded carefully, not looking over at them as she spoke, her focus was on her phone screen.

[k4rmic]

" IT WAS LITERALLY TWO ." slater's tone is deadpan as they arch their brows tati's way , their own eyes rolling in response to the expression on her face like some sort of domino effect . unfortunately , even years of proximity couldn't do much for incompatibility , and while some part of slater grudgingly has to admit that they perhaps function better with tati more than most other people , that doesn't quite mean they have to like it . their partnership felt like something that was welded into slater's skin more forcefully than voluntarily , a piece that irritatingly near perfectly fit despite their distaste and years of protest . and yet fit they did . and well too . they had the fucking decorated albums to prove it unfortunately . and now they were fucking stuck with her . forever , presumably . slater resumes their search for their lighter with renewed urgency . " if she calls a meeting just don't fucking go ." slater replies bluntly as they turn their jean pockets inside out before huffing and promptly beginning to look inside their boot . " i sure won't ." the boot is taken off and turned upside down . no lighter . jesus fuck . " and you're really going to talk about my shampoo when you probably use that vegan-natural-no-aluminum- tree- hugging -sun-salutation bullshit for deodorant ?" the look slater shoots tati's way is bland if not for the glimmer of amusement in the depths of their eyes . the finger they give tati is held high . " bite me ." a twist of their features as they move to pull off their other boot and upend it once more . the curse slater utters is quiet but sharp in annoyance at the search , a distracted huff escaping them as they begin to , quite seamlessly begin to look through tati's shit for a lighter instead . " and stay the fuck out of my hair ." " can't believe you're kinkshaming the fucking bee ." a drawer is opened , the contents squinted at . no lighter . the drawer is slammed closed . " kinda fucked up when you think about it . thought you loved nature ." another drawer is opened , glanced over , shut . " did you watch it sober ?" a squint tatiana's way as their eyes glance over her scrutinizingly before they're turning back to their task with a roll of their eyes , " because if you did you didn't do it right ." slater is in the midst of looking consideringly at tati's suitcase before their next words catch her attention , her gaze flicking to them to say , " considering i barely want to go to this thing in the first place , yeah , i'm down ." an arch of their brow . " we could also just fucking ditch . that's an option ." the implication that they ditch together is one that slater doesn't fully register in their search , ringed fingers carefully picking through tati's jewelry collection in hopes of finding a fucking bic lighter . or even one of those shitty novelty ones . matches . slater will take fucking anything at this point . this one ? slater's glance to tati is narrowed in bewilderment . " what ? no ." their gaze falls back to the task at hand distractedly . " the one you wore to that one after party with the — is this fucking mine ?" the ring glints in the lights of tati's room as they pluck it from her collection , her eyes narrowed as she turns the thing this way and that in effort to place it . it was either hers or it should be . the thick ring is being turned over in their fingers until the mention of mei , at which point slater freezes for a full second before , " ... i'm not fucking talking about them right now ." the narrow of their gaze is a palpable thing , their eyes hardening before the ring is tossed back into the pile dismissively with maybe more force than necessary . the clench of their jaw is tight as they resume their search for a lighter with perhaps more force than required . " mei can go fuck herself , how about that ?"

[trcublemakr]

rock has been trying for years to convince slater to do these dumb promotional things with them. of course they knew that wasn't slater's vibe but oh my god, how their fans online eat up every little glimpse of slater they can get. something about the angsty one who isn't online makes the fans go crazy. "oh please, there are so many worse things i could as you to do that would be far more worthy of dying over than filming a dumb tiktok with me," rock asked, rolling their eyes with a touch of playful understanding of their dear friend. they don't miss a beat as they watch a pill disappear from slater's fingers to their mouth, not much thought given on rock's end apart from the lightning fast planning to make sure slater doesn't do anything stupid tonight like they promised tati. "okay fine," they relent. "no dancing or lipsyncing. will you at least take a selfie with me to commemorate the start of tour?"

[k4rmic]

" LIKE WHAT ?" slater can't help but ask honestly , their features twisting in bewilderment at the concept that something could be worse than filming a tiktok right now . getting a tat , they would do . a piercing , they would do . weird drugs ? they'd do it . they can't help but feel like their boundaries are actually pretty flexible . the acknowledgement is accompanied by a mental pat on the back as they take a gulp from their drink , only for their nose to wrinkle at the mere mention of the word 'selfie' . it is after a long , hard look at rock that slater sighs , moving to set down their drink on the nearest surface which just happens to be a guy passing by with a tray . the look the waiter shoots them is one slater doesn't catch as they nod to say , " fine . this is my last one of the year ." preferably , at least . slater has no problem with starting the year strong . they move to put their sunglasses on top of their head to meet rock's eyes with their own dilated pupils , brows arched to ask , " where you want it ? here ?" a vague gesture around them .

[dailyflicks]

DAISY JONES & THE SIX — Track 8: Looks Like We Made It

[charxma]

pre-party, @k4rmic

"I know your capacity to give a fuck about appearances can only be observed with a NASA engineered modern sort of telescope, but if you could maybe not talk too much shit tonight that would be so so awesome. I'm gonna be drinking so I will not be putting out any fires, but I'll have those sweet indica gummies on me at all times so if at any point you feel the need to badmouth Taylor Swift or punch someone in the face please come find me, yeah?" she took another shot and slid the bottle their way over the messy kitchen counter. She had yet to decide what she was going to wear tonight, how they'd all get there, how long they'd stay. Tati wanted to talk about it, but they'd learnt long ago it was futile to plan out events that never, not once, actually went according to plan. "With that out of the way, I wanna talk about that movie you've recommended. I watched it last night and it is hands down the worst thing I've seen in months are you sure you're okay?" she tried to control a laugh, but a mixture of gummies, alcohol and a strawberry vape made it near-impossible to display amusement. "Come on, help me pick out some jewelry, I want to look hot tonight."

[k4rmic]

" IF NO ONE PISSES ME OFF ," slater mumbles around an unlit cigarette , searching their person for their lighter . they can't exactly remember where they put it but they're sure they put it somewhere . the pocket of their leather jacket is distractedly turned inside out , " or plays taylor swift at a fucking kick off party , then i won't have a reason to talk shit ." the pinch of slater's nose is pronounced at the thought even as they catch the bottle that tati has slid their way without hesitation , moving to pour themself a shot only to blink at the lack of shot glass and quite decidedly commandeer tati's with a mumble of , " you make it sound like i'm the fucking problem here ." the cigarette is pulled from the corner of their lips in favour of the shot glass , which knocked back smoothly and swiftly as tati chatters about -- movies ? the hum in the back of slater's throat something pleased at the taste as they put the glass down and quite immediately begin to pour another . " the bee movie is a masterpiece and you're a fucking snob ." the tone is deadpan as slater carefully turns the shot glass in a way that they hope will avoid tati's lipstick stain , cigarette poised in the divet between their ring and middle finger . " and i didn't recommend it . i said i watched it and then you watched it . that's different ." their brows furrow as tati finishes , bewildered as their gaze finds her . " you'll look fine without my help ?" despite the objection years of practice has let slater know that they should probably mentally prepare to help with the jewelry regardless . their tongue kisses their teeth as they gesture vaguely to their throat . " wear the -- " their fingers snap in an attempt to remember the exact words required to paint the picture . " you know , the one with the thing . makes your boobs look like that ." another , vaguer gesture towards their ear . " and then those earrings ."