#"Jug Band Music"

[filosofablogger]

♫ Lovin' Spoonful Week Grand Finale ♫

Well, folks, once again we’re wrapping up a fun week of music, this time by the Lovin’ Spoonful.  I’ve had a lot of fun with this one, and I hope you have, too.  But wait … it isn’t over yet!  As I always do at the end of a week-long tribute, I am playing several that I didn’t get around to in the first six days … no lyrics with these, just a brief snippet of background/trivia and the music! …

[daystilchristmas]

Favorite Christmas Specials Countdown #4

Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (1977)

First Aired: December 4, 1977 on CBC

Favorite Quote: “Got to expect cold weather this close to Christmas!”

The next 3 specials are all tied for 2nd Place in my countdown. It was really hard to decide which position each would take. For my family watching Emmet Otter together on Christmas Eve is one of our favorite traditions. I think that Emmet and Ma’s desire to buy each other the perfect Christmas present is relatable and shows how much they love each other. The music is top tier for the Muppets and “When the River Meets the Sea” is one of my favorite songs ever. I really think this is a piece of art and hope that you all give it a watch this holiday season.

[motivationalcats]

Don’t be afraid of your passion. -Cathy Caprino

[bubbl3sworld]

The hardware store (Belch Huggins x black! reader)

“Y/n!!” 

She groaned hearing her name get shouted through the house, it was her second day spending the night at cousin Mike house, or farm rather. And so far, she hated it. She slip the covers over her face, trying to ignore her grandfather shouting her name. Just when he stopped, footsteps were heard leading up to the room she was sleeping in. She balled herself up further in the bed, hoping for no one to come into her only safe space.

It wasn’t until the door creaked open was her cover blown

“I know you’re up Cuzzo” It was Mike, you could tell by his voice. 

Y/n removed the covers, sitting up slowly. Her eyes dragged up to his face, giving him an annoyed stare. “What does that man want now?” She asked reaching to fix her bonnet only to feel that it wasn’t on her head.

 “It’s on the floor” Mike points out smiling, “He wants you to go get some things from the hardware store since you can drive” She leaned over to pick up her {color} bonnet. “Mike you don’t got no friends to take you? Back home I always got a ride somewhere” She shakes off the bonnet before putting it on the dresser. “That’s what happens when your home schooled” She rolled her eyes, ‘It’s not my problem he’s a loner’ She thought 

“Well, it sounds to me that you and granddad got personal problems. Tell him I’m still slumped” Mike sighed shaking his head seeing the girl’s head hit the pillow. “Come on Y/n, you’re lucky enough that granddad ain’t making you work” She grumbled curses under her breath, damn that man. “The least you can do is run into town!” “Goddammit Mikey, Fine! Give me like, an hour. I wanna shower” Mike nods, leaving the room for her to get ready. “God I want to go home already” She got up and opened the dresser drawer to grab a shower cap

~

“Listen hear girl, you only going to the hardware store!” 

Y/n hums as she skillfully laid her edges with the toothbrush in the bathroom, barely hearing the old man yell at her. She knew she had more plans then just to go to a damn hardware store, like seriously. If she wasn’t going to be confined in the house, the least she can do is explore. 

“Are you listening to me Y/n!” Y/n sits the toothbrush on the sink, grabbing her black bandanna and walking out the bathroom. She laid it across her edges and went into the kitchen. “Of course granddad” She replied, sarcasm hinted in her voice. “Now what am I exactly going to the hardware store to get? Sum bolts or sum?” Leory shook his head at the girl as he handed her the keys

“My tractor needa oil change, I need you to go grab oil, spark plug, and a wheel” Y/n eyebrow furrowed at the mention of a wheel. “A wheel? Like a Wheel Wheel? The wheel for that big thing?” Leory nodded much to her annoyance. “Grandad, how am I supposed to get it in the back of the pick up?” She whined. Leory laughed, dismissing her by waving his hand. “Figure it out girl!”  Y/n walks out, grumbling to herself. How the hell is she supposed to get that big ass wheel in the back of the truck? She walks outside to the driveway, unlocking the door and starting up the car. “Hey Y/n!” She looks over her shoulder to see Mike running over to the old truck. “What do you want brat?” She teases with a smile, her smile soon dropped seeing him rubbing the back of his head. “I forgot to say, If you see a blue trans am stand clear. You do not want to get in their path” Y/n rolls her eyes, putting the her foot on the brake as she shifts the gear into drive.

“You think I’m scared of some white kids? Boy please. I’ll be back!” Mike backs away from the truck, watching her pull out of the driveway and down the road. 

~

Y/n spent the first hour searching for the store, Leory didn’t even give her any directions to the store. “At least this town is nice” She shrugs as she circles the block once again. A honk behind her made her check her rear mirror, only to see the car pulling up next to her. She looks over to see a man rolling down his window, she was hesitant to do the same but did follow suit. 

“Aye, you lost?” Y/n blinks, getting a good look at what she could see of him in his car. He was wearing a band tee and a yellow hat, he also had a bandanna that matched hers on his wrist. “Yeah” She finally replied leaning out the window. “You know where the hardware store is ‘round here?” The boy chuckled, clicking his tongue in amusement. “I’m actually headed there right now, you down to follow?”

“Hell yeah” Y/n cheered seeing him take his foot off the brake and move forward. This might be easier then she thought

~ 

As the strange boy in the blue car promised, he lead her to the hardware store. She missed the place by a mile given where it was at. Y/n parks the car, taking the key out of the ignition. She got out to greet the boy who led her to the place, to at least say thank you. But she saw him already walk in the store, she sped up to meet him. 

“Hey!” She smiled tapping him on his shoulder. He turned around and looked down at her, man he was tall. “You seriously walked off before I could thank you dude” That word felt funny coming out her mouth but she rolled with it. “I mean, It’s the least I could do after seeing you aimless circle the block” He chuckled, the both of them began talking and walking together

“Oh, so now you throwin shots?” She laughed as she watched him look up on the shelves. “If the shoe fits princess” Her heart slightly jumped hearing him call her that, but yet she was slightly freaked out. “Oh shut your mouth” He laughed as he turned back to her. He scanned her up and down before his eyes landed on her shirt. “You like Metallica?” Y/n looks down at her shirt, she forgot she had this old thing. 

“Yeah, what about it” Y/n questioned as they walked to the next isle. “I didn’t know that someone like you likes that type of music” She rolls her eyes at that sentence, somethings are too good to be true. “What? A black girl like me can’t listen to ‘your’ type of music?” She said doing air quotes, the boy rubs the back of his head. “I never really said that, but alright” “But you were implying it” She counters. “What’s your name, white boy?” “White boy?” He questioned picking up a pair of pliers. “You’re white, are you not?” She teases glancing at the shelf, her eyes landing on a big jug of oil. 

“The names Reggie, but my friends call me Belch” He watched as she picked up the jug of oil, a confused look appearing in his eye. Why would she need that? “Oooh! We friends just like that?” She grins holding the oil container in her hand. “Why they call you Belch?” An evil grin spread on his face, he leaned down to her to ear, Y/n backed away at this. “The hell you doin?” She asked slightly irritated. “Damn! Calm down, Does it look like Imma hurt you?” He saw how the girl gave him a sarcastic stare. “The sixties weren’t that long ago” Y/n started to walk out the isle, Reggie trailing not far behind. 

“Seriously, You asked why they called me Belch! I was gonna tell you!” Y/n rolls her eyes, how stupid does he think she is? “What? Were you gonna burp in my ear or sum shit?” Reggie fell silent, he cracking a half smile that made her laugh. “Oh my god, You seriously was gonna burp in my ear?” “What? Noooo I would never!” She couldn’t help but smile seeing him on the verge of laughter. “Okay, maaybe I was” “Asshole” Y/n shot back, reaching up to press his hat over his eyes. “Don’t do that!” He moved her hand, she laughs backing away. 

“You know where the spark plug isle is? I need one for a tractor” Reggie was a bit taken back by that, a girl like her is a farm girl? “Yeah uh, Next isle over” He said taking her over to the isle. “You a farm girl?” “Hell no” She quickly dismissed. “Im spending the summer with my cousin who happens to live on a farm” Y/n looks up at all the spark plugs lined up. “You a white male, pick which one would work for a tractor” “Just because I’m white doesn’t mean I know how tractors work but” Reggie reaches up to grab a plug, “This might work” He looked and saw how full her hands were with the container. “I’ll hold it for you” He reassures making Y/n smile.

 “So, Are you gonna tell me your name or what?” It went over Y/n’s head that she didn’t tell him her name. “I’m Y/n, I thought I told you my name earlier” She shrugs as they walked to the cash register. “Nah, I was hoping that you tell me sooner” Reggie smiles as they placed their things on the counter. “Hey, Can you ring me up one of those tractor wheels?” The cashier looks behind him grabbing the wheel and rolling it on the floor. “Get that for me Reggie will you?” Y/n said as she pulled out the cash her grandfather gave her. 

The two of them walked out of the store, Reggie rolling the wheel for Y/n all the way to the truck. “So tell me Y/n, You in a gang?” Y/n coughed, that question caught her off guard. “You do know that the black bandanna doesn’t mean your gang affiliated right?” Y/n watched as Reggie puts the wheel in the back of the truck, strapping it down to make it secure. “Not true” He said pointing to his black bandanna. Y/n rolls her eyes, of course the white boy thinks he’s gang affiliated. “Boy please, You ain’t White boy Rick” She cackles, “You probably have a close group of friends and yall probably started calling a gang” She saw how he rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes were avoiding hers. 

“Which, May I add, isn’t what a gang is. But you do you boo” Y/n walks over to him, smiling. “Thanks for your help today man, I had no idea how I was gonna get that wheel back there” Reggie lets out a laugh. “It was no problem, I was wondering why a girl was going to the hardware store” Y/n rolls her eyes, of course he had to talk about that. “I know stuff about cars” “Oh really?” Reggie challenged. “That Blue car over there, what type is it?” Y/n looks over at his blue car, squinting her eyes. “I don’t know the breed of cars, the hell I look like? You?” She laughed seeing him roll his eyes. “But I do know how to change a tire!” 

“Good enough for me” Reggie shrugs. “So, Are you gonna be in town tomorrow?” Y/n thinks, Mike did ask her a day prior to take him to hang with his friends. “Most likely, Why?” She asked, she leaned on the side of the truck. “How about I show you around town since your from the city, or at least I’m assuming” Y/n smiles, nodding quickly. “Better than sittin in the house doing a whole lotta  nothin, I’ll meet you here around twelve!” Reggie grins, “Yeah! I-I mean” He coughs, trying to die down his excitement. “Yeah, I’ll see you here” Y/n started to get in the truck, closing the door. 

Reggie had moved away and when she pulled out and went her own way, he mentally screamed. “Hell yes” He grins going to his car, he couldn’t wait to tell the guys. 

~

“What’s with your sudden change of heart and taking me to see my friends?” Mike watched as Y/n went through the closet to pick out some clothes for tomorrow. “What? I can’t just be a good cousin?” Y/n smiled throwing a shirt on her bed. “I didn’t know you actually had friends, like seriously I’d thought you were some loner weirdo” Mike crossed his arms, “Are you trying to throw digs at me? Like you aren’t the one who listens to heavy metal like you’re white?” 

“Music has no race, Mikey” Y/n hums picking out a pair of shorts. “I may or may have not met someone, and they wanna take me around town. Mind ya damn business” “Your business IS my business” She rolls her eyes. As she went through her closet, she could only think about what Reggie really had in store for tomorrow.    

[novocainesugar]

Music & Band asks!🎶

// music related asks for the local band nerd in your life //

Andante: if you could take a walk anywhere in the world where would you go

Stadium lights: practice in 105° heat or 40° cold

Vivace: something you're excited about right now

À deux: someone you'd duet with anyday

Allegro: introvert or extrovert?

Focoso: do you dip your fries into ketchup or spread it on top?

Dci: favorite drum corp concept/show this year

Drumsticks: favorite battery drum

Mallets: favorite keyboard instrument

Aria: ever been in love? Describe the feeling

Chords: name some people you're close to

Un peu: describe some little or mundane actions/behaviors that you appreciate

Pulse: describe your aesthetic

Hammer drop: what's a key that you like/ embody

Cantabile: a song that you could blast in your car 24/7

March: indoor or field season?

Motif: worst illness or injury you've ever had

Indoor: do you chew ice?

Trill: a quote that means a lot to you

Warm up jackets: what colors do you wear most often?

Medley: a movie you never get tired of

Cuivré: early bird or night owl?

Coda: 3 things you want to do before you die

Hornline: name qualities you find appealing in other people

Timbre: high/mid or low timbre?

Volante:

Shako hair: if you could dye your hair, what color would it be?

Baroque: favorite time period and why

Band bus: describe a favorite evening with your band

Vamp: a word or phrase you repeat often

Drillmasters: a clothing item you wear often

Altissimo: something you're afraid of

Sempre: do you want a tattoo? If so, of what?

Con fuoco: describe 4 ways someone could get closer to you

Band camp: describe a summer memory you won't forget

Bowstring: favorite string instrument

Lilt: a weird and random fact about you

Lucas oil stadium: dream travel destination?

Tutti: favorite mundane/ every day sounds

Water jug: beverage you drink often

Melody: 3 shows you've watched recently on netflix/ hulu

Football games: favorite pep song

Swinng: what time do you usually wake up in the morning?

Festival: favorite concert piece you've played

Soli: name a place you'd want to go with your friends

Jazz: go-to jazz/classical piece or album

Pencils: title of your autobiography

Performance: be apart of the audience or be a performer?

[autostrad]

[ID: 4 screenshots from a Wikipedia article that read, image one: “ August 1997 when Nutter was quoted in the british music paper Melody Maker as saying, “Nothing can change the fact that we like it when cops get killed”. The comment was...” (it cuts off here) image two: “In january 1998 Nutter appeared on american political talk show Politically incorrect and advise fans of their music who could not afford to buy their CDs to steal them from large chains such as HMV and Virgin, which prompted Virgin to remove the album from the shelves and start selling it from behind the counter.” Image three: “A few weeks later, provoked by the labour government’s refusal to support the Liverpool Dockworker’s strike, the band performed “Tubthumping” at the 1998 BRIT awards with the lyric changed to include ‘New Labour sold out the dockers, just like they’ll sell out the rest of us”, and vocalist Danbert Nobacon later poured a jug of water over UK Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who was in the audience.” image four: “ A mail-order EP , In Memoriam: Margaret Thatcher, was released on 8 april 2013. The CD had been recorded in 2005 and made available for pre-order on the group’s website, to be issued upon the death of Margaret Thatcher.” /End ID]

Chumbawumba based moments.

[jandjsalmon]

11 Questions Tag

I was tagged by the ever lovely @southsidesserpent  @theheavycrown and @bride-of-hobo (who stole like a million of my own answers so I stole a bunch of her questions. lol) - thank you, guys! <3

Post the Rules

Answer the questions given to you by the tagger

Write 11 questions of your own

Tag 11 people

First the questions from @southsidesserpent

1. Top 3 fic recommendations? (not top - just 3 I love)

La Petite Mort by @believe-that-you-can-my-friend

heaven help a fool who falls in love by @lessoleilscouchants

Bughead Bottle Fic #1: The Phone Call by MyMissus (oof1dficreally)

2. Are you more academic, athletic, or artistic?

I’ve always been more academic for sure.

3. Who is your favourite character on Riverdale?

Jughead Jones

4. Top 5 favourite songs?

Bizarre Love Triangle - Stabbing Westward Sleepwalk - Santo & Johnny Walkin’ After Midnight - Patsy Cline  Moonlight Serenade - Glenn Miller Orchestra  Starman - David Bowie 

5. Any allergies?

Only to Demerol.

6. If you were to meet two characters from Riverdale, who would you meet?

Characters? Kevin Keller and Betty Cooper

7. Opinions on Bughead?

Endgame. 

8. 3 of your favourite writers on Tumblr?

@ficmuse @itsindiansummer13 @shirlygallagher

9. fuck, marry, kill: Toni, Sweet Pea, Fangs.

F: Fangs M: Sweet Pea K: Toni

10. Name 5 things you like about yourself?

My laugh. That I’m passionate about stuff that I love. The way that I parent The sound of my own voice. (ha ha) That I care more about other people than I do for myself.

11. Anything you are excited for?

Hawaii in April for my husbandd’s birthday.

Now the questions from @theheavycrown 

1. If you were a character on Riverdale who was murdered crucial to the ‘conflict of the season,’ how would you have died?

Poisoned by Maple Syrup (it’s a frame-up to point towards the Blossoms... only plot twist - it WAS the Blossoms (because who would ever believe that a Blossom would actually use maple syrup))

2. We know Jug’s favourite toy, what do you think Betty’s favourite toy was growing up?

Caramel - her stuffed calico cat.

3. Name 5 things you think are in Jughead’s backpack.

His laptop. 

Whatever book he’s reading. 

His headphones.  

Photo of He and Jellybean at the drive-in

Phone charger. (I’m so boring - but this is what I can’t live without)

4. What is something that is accepted as normal in Riverdale universe, but stands out as absurd to you?

I’m stealing Chelsea’s answer here. The weather. 100%.

5. How do you think Jughead pays for all that Pop’s food?

I think Pop’s tells him it’s on his tab... but never keeps track of any of it.

6. If Veronica had a snapchat, what would her favourite filter be?

Flower Crown

7. What do you think Cheryl’s guilty pleasure food is?

Chocolate Cherry Milkshakes.

8. How do you think Vegas came to the Andrews household?

Fred brought him home to celebrate Archie’s first day of Kindergarten.

9. Bughead just had their first child, what do imagine they name it?

If it’s a girl - Juliet Elizabeth Jones.  If it’s a boy - Forsythe Pendleton Jones IV (but Penn for short)

10. First thought that pops into your head, headcanon of how Jellybean got her name?

Juggie saw her ultrasound picture and commented that she looked like a wee jellybean - and it stuck.

11. Bughead are getting married tomorrow. What do they dance to first at their wedding?

Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby - Cigarettes After Sex. 

and finally questions from the gorgeous @bride-of-hobo - thanks! <3

1. What are the core four’s college majors? Minors?

Archie: Music with an Education minor (but he’s there on a football scholarship) Veronica: Business with a minor in Philanthropic Management. Betty: Journalism with a minor in Communications Jughead: Creative Writing with a minor in Film Studies

2. Betty heads the Prom planning committee, because of course she does. And Toni joins, because she needs an extracurricular for her college applications. Three weeks later, they’re the only two people to sign up. So they have to choose the theme together. What do they go with?

Carpe Diem - and the decor is Roman columns and ancient ruins.

3. Veronica makes a Spotify playlist for Archie on their six month anniversary. What three songs are must-haves for her?

Florence + The Machine - Never Let Me Go 

Tom Odell  - Grow Old with Me 

Kodaline - High Hopes

4. Which character were you drawn to first when you watched your first episode of Riverdale? And why?

Betty Cooper. She was so inherently kind and helpful and a genuinely GOOD PERSON - and her heart is broken which I relate to and understand.

5. Name two platonic pairings - friendships, frenemies, enemies, characters who’ve never interacted but you want to see how they’d play off each other - that you think deserve more screen time.

They’ve interacted before - but minimally. Veronica and Jughead and their friendship/conflict deserve more screen time (with no lip action, obviously).

6. If it wasn’t spoiled for you before you watched Riverdale, who did you suspect killed Jason Blossom? 

Hal Cooper.

7. What is Jughead Jones’ senior yearbook quote?

To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.  -Friedrich Nietzsche

8. Betty has something inscribed in Jughead’s wedding band before he slides it on his finger on their big day. What does it say?

Pari passu  which means ‘With equal step’ in Latin (according to @mothermaple - it’s properly pretentious for Juggie. lol)

9. If you could pick any song for the Pussycats to cover, what would it be?

Bizarre Love Triangle.

10. Seriously, Archie has to choose between music and football. What’s it gonna be?

Music. But only after football gets him into college.

11. The ultimate question: Did Betty and Jughead make it to the bedroom? Or was their first time on the couch? (And if it was… did they turn off the TV?)

Absolutely not. First time was on that couch with the weather in the background. Second time was in the shower. Third time was in the bedroom. 

MY QUESTIONS:

What is the one book Jughead always carries with him in his messenger bag?

If you were singing karaoke with the cast of Riverdale, which song would it be and who would you sing your duet with?

What is your favourite article of clothing?

Where did you go on your best first date?

What is your favourite quote?

Best Advice you ever got??

Where will Betty and Juggie go on their honeymoon?

Bughead just had their first child, what do imagine they name it?

Top 5 favourite songs?

fuck, marry, kill: Archie, Reggie, or Moose?

3 of your favourite writers on Tumblr?

I tag: @mothermaple @aunt-imogene @bugggghead @billyeatyourgrapes @heytherejones @beanie-betty @stillscape @riverdalelovee @paperlesscrown @stark @flannelfogarty

[bughead-fic-request]

I would like to thank @leaalda for making these amazing banners.

This is an effort to spread the word about all fan fiction writers in our little fandom. If you would like to be featured or nominate a writer, please contact me. Please reblog this post if you can and check out some of @onceuponamirror work!

1. First things first, if someone wanted to read your stories where can they find them.

Ao3! url: onceuponamirror, same as tumblr. i also post on them tumblr at this point. no longer using FF, but it's got old ouat stuff.  

2. Tell us a little about yourself.

I'm Sarah, i work in a creative field (i always vacillate between how much i like talking about my work on my blog, because i like to keep careers and hobbies separate) and i live in the states.

3. What do you never leave home without?

A hairbrush! my hair is wild

4. Are you an early bird or a night owl?

The utterly terrible combination of both

5. If you could live in any fictional world which one would you choose and why?

HP universe, obv, as long as i'm not also a muggle in this scenario. i mean. magic. need i say more??

6. Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met.

I mean like, what is fame / it's a different barometer for everyone. for me, i met Regina Spektor when i was 16 and that was like touching god for that time of my life but wouldn't be now. More currently, i've met some artists/musicians that meant a lot to me, but like...feel like they might not be considered famous in the sense asked by this question.

7. What are some of your favorite movies/TV?

Parks and Rec and The Office for tv. and for movies: tbh, The Princess Dairies.

also, i was mostly an OUAT blog for the last 5 or so years, though at this point have a love-hate relationship with that show, but all those years still gotta count for something.

8. What are some of your favorite bands/musicians?

Right now i'm listening to a lot of Sade, Rhye, and Sylvan Esso but Belle & Sebastian are one of those bands i've listened to my whole life and never gotten sick of, so there's that.

i like a real range of eras though; lot of groovy 70s disco, a lot of 50s dreamy doo-wop, etc. just depends on my mood.

9. Favorite Books?

I read a lot of psychology/sociology books, tbh all about love by Bell Hooks are kind of the greatest thing ever written and I highly recommend it and right now i'm reading a book about cultural relationships with independence in America. i'm into it.

But honestly I need to read more fiction because this stuff can be heavy to read back-to-back all the time. I'm on the lookout for healthy romance fiction, but it's hard to find fun rom-com books that don't feel cheesy and filled with internalized "i'm not like other heroines" misogyny.

I also like a lot of Haruki Murakami's books, but after a while, they all become some morphed story of "The Missing Wife and The Mysterious Talking Animal that leads the character through the seedy underbelly of magical realism"

(if you've read his books, you know what i'm talking about) (but if you haven't: read them!) (Kafka On The Shore and the wind-up bird chronicle are both great!)

10. Favorite Food?

Nectarines!  

11. Biggest pet peeve?

People being presumptuous. drives me bonkers

12. What did you want to be when you were little? What do you want to be now?

I'm one of those really lucky people who is doing exactly what i wanted to do as a little girl as an adult with a career!

13. What are your biggest fears? Do you have any strange fears?

I get freaked out by being near edges of any kind, which is probably just vertigo in disguise. I also don't like swimming out to spaces wherein you can't touch down (if you've read my fic heart rise above, this makes an appearance)

I also hate daddy-long-leg spiders because i used to have nightmares about them poking my eyeballs out with their freaky ass legs

14. When you are on your deathbed what would be the one you’d regret not doing?

As of right now, i'm young, so i'm trying not to look at things with regret already, but rather as things to learn from as i go forward.

Okay… lets talk about your writing!

15. Which is your favorite of the fics you've written for the Bughead fandom?

Well, i've only written 3, and one was a oneshot. The Winged Beast was something that i helped me over a lot of humps I'd been blocked by before, but I think Heart Rise Above has been an experience that has been kind of innumerably personal in terms of my growth as a writer and as an individual.

16. Which was the hardest to write, in terms of plot?

Both mc-fics have had their trials and tribulations but reaching 30k words in The Winged Beast kind of made me realize that I could do sustained plot, though for me, that story is a lot more about plot. It was a challenge to tackle the heavy themes that came up. I wanted to get it right, do it justice, but also a lot of those topics are not personal to me, so i was scared to handle it appropriately.

17. How do you come up with the ideas for you fic(s)? Do you people watch? Listen to music? Get inspired by TV/movies?

I'm actually really inspired by Hayao Miyazaki as a storyteller, even though he's known for animation. He has this quote that i really love, so i'll just share it:

I told [Hayao] Miyazaki I love the “gratuitous motion” in his films; instead of every movement being dictated by the story, sometimes people will just sit for a moment, or they will sigh, or look in a running stream, or do something extra, not to advance the story but only to give the sense of time and place and who they are.

“We have a word for that in Japanese,” he said. “It’s called ma. Emptiness. It’s there intentionally.”

Is that like the “pillow words” that separate phrases in Japanese poetry?

“I don’t think it’s like the pillow word.” He clapped his hands three or four times.

“The time in between my clapping is ma. If you just have non-stop action with no breathing space at all, it’s just busyness, but if you take a moment, then the tension building in the film can grow into a wider dimension. If you just have constant tension at 80 degrees all the time you just get numb.” (http://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/hayao-miyazaki-interview)

Ma as a concept of breath within scenes is something i really consciously put into my writing. Both as in breaks wherein it's just a quiet, observed action---and as in, literally. My characters are always physically exhaling and sighing and breathing between speaking. like. constantly. probably to a fault.

I also try to explore this through pacing and structure of paragraphs, as well. bricks of text are not fun to read, so i break things up a lot more than i probably should.

I get into my writing inspirations with more detail down a few questions, but: i always set out with thematic structures in mind.

For example, i wanted to write the winged beast because i'm super excited by the upcoming "class divide/civil war" plot for season 2 and wanted to write a canon divergent serpent jug story! i also wanted to address "dark betty" because i thought there was a lot more nuance to the anger inside her, coming from a place of moralistic justice and disillusionment, and not just simplified into some sort of evil alter ego.

I was seeing a lot of romanticization of the Southside serpents too, so it kind of turned into half of an exploration the cycle of gang psychology through classism; empathy but not rosy glasses. the fic kind of devolved into a story about drug epidemics too, at some point. idk. like i said above, heavy themes.

With heart rise above, it was the concept of time; how much we have of it, what we do with it, and how we handle the passage of it/marks left behind but i'll come back to that.

Tangentially to this original question, i think my training/career as an artist has had a pretty interesting impact on the way that i write. i'm a visual learner, and i see things so clearly in my head as moving scenes; as if i'm watching a movie of what i'm writing---but literally the whole picture. the music in the background to highlight the mood, the expressions on their faces as they happen, etc. it's also why i use a ridiculous amount of visual metaphors, i think, because i'm borderline obsessed with atmospheric graphics.

Idk if others do this too though, i haven't talked to a lot of other writers about process. (however if you'd like to, please please @ me, because that's my favorite thing in the world)

18. Idea that you always wanted to write but could never make work?

I think a multi-chapter (or, at least, more than 4) fic set in another era, or at least one that's pre-1900. I'd get too obsessed with making it feel relatable and readable but also being accurate to the history and getting all the facts right but also while really not wanting to write any "historically accurate" sexism/racism etc. so it just wouldn't work for me.

19. Least favorite plot point/chapter/moment you’ve written?

Hmm. i think if i could go back and do it again, i would add in a lot more at the beginning of The Winged Beast and move things a lot more slowly as jug and betty got to know each other.

That story was a lot of me testing the waters and getting back into the swing of writing while also pushing myself to write a multi-chapter fic, which I'd never successfully done before, so i definitely set a low bar in the beginning. I wanted to keep it to like, 12 chapters, so I think I rushed things at the start.

20. Favorite plot point/chapter/moment you’ve written?

Disclaimer: this turned into an essay and I'm not even sure I answered the question

I feel like overall my favorite plot point is just thematic structure. I know that's a broad answer to a direct prompt, but I'm gonna take this there anyway because I get pitchy about process. so! i set out to explore a few things in Heart Rise Above. One: the cycle of a person's greatest strength usually also being their greatest flaw.

(Betty as a person who is so giving, that she never gives to herself. Jug as the apt observer, who observes within his own life rather than live it. etc etc)

Two: thematically, I really, really wanted to explore time.

I wanted explore both jug and betty coming to grips with the identities formed by adolescence and whether or not those have had inhibitive impacts---as in, coming to terms with change. insofar as represented physically, as friends all start to head in different directions or make career choices, but also emotionally, as people start making the personal growth decisions for ourselves that force them to often choose themselves over work, family, relationships, etc.

Basically: the reflective transition from childhood to adulthood, and how when we reach our mid-twenties we're kind of forced to think about what has defined the last 20 years of our life vs. how we want to define the next.

(lmao I'm also definitely working through some personal shit, considering i'm turning 25 soon) (like, really working through something)

This is also why I set the story with such a specific time constraint: a very looming 3 weeks that sets the stage for the relationship tension. it makes them both question a lot of what they're feeling and whether or not their emotions are exacerbated by time, or the opposite.

It's also why I heavily have peppered the story with quote-un-quote timeless americana aesthetics (the one the tv show loves playing with: neon signs, vintage cars, etc) (and on my end, also doo-wop music that is equal parts lovely and sad and absolutely meaningless in terms of language) because i really want the story to feel stagnant because of while also ominously shadowed by time.

Also omfg i'm sorry for unloading this actual goddamn thesis on a very simple question. i'm a massive over-thinker and I love to talk about this kind of thing and i haven't had a chance to put these thoughts out in such a direct way so it just exploded outta me. I'm sorry, I know this was annoyingly winded.

21. Favorite character to write?

Probably Veronica. Jughead is fun too, and has the kind of measured angst vs. wry wit that is satisfying to parcel out in sustained character growth, but Veronica has that kind of silver tongued whip that lets me exercise a type of voice i would never otherwise get to.

I mean, who the fuck else would say, "just enough décolletage to make your mail-order love interest swoon" and get away with it?

22. Favorite line or lines of dialogue that you've written?

Betty tucks a damp, tousled strand of hair behind her ear. Jughead's eyes follow the movement.

This line was the last sentence of chapter 6 of heart rise above. It was this intensely visual scene in my head that I really wanted to read that way; while saying almost nothing but representing a major shift in their relationship. i'm not sure it sells without the context, but within the chapter I feel like I pulled it off, so I'm proud of it.

23. Best comment/review you’ve ever received?

writing-as-tracey and @village-skeptic always leave me the kindest, most thoughtful reviews that really makes me feel stupid kinds of happy inside. I put a lot of thought into my writing and when the little details I don't want to over-sell but not go unnoticed are picked up on, it means so much.

24. How do you handle bad reviews or comments?

I had a troll once, which is different. I just deleted it all but I think being able to handle constructive criticism is really necessary in all parts of life, so it's important to take those kinds of points in stride and not personally. we always can be better!

25. If you could change anything in any of your stories, what would it be?

kinda answered this in #19

26. What is your favorite story you’ve ever written? Any fandom?

Definitely Heart Rise Above!

27. What are you reading right now? Both fan fiction and general fiction?

Answered for the on-paper books above in #9, but as bughead fics, really loving the work of @lessoleilscouchants, @sylwrites, and @stillscape right now! but there's so much more to get to, I feel like I'm just barely scratching the surface.

28. Do you have an advice for writers that want to get into this fandom but might be scared?

yo idk, i was kinda lurking on Riverdale for months and then i just...started writing for it, without really accepting or realizing that indicated how much i liked the show/bughead. it wasn't until about 30k into The Winged Beast that i was like "ok ok ok I guess i'm here now" and actually started sharing my fics on tumblr too.

Also, I'm honestly not sure if this question was meant to be about entering fandom or entering writing, so i'm just gonna answer it as both i guess.

So, I guess that means my advice is, very ironically, to not think too much about metrics beforehand, and just start doing it, which, I realize, sounds completely at odds for how much i've talked about process and over-thinking.

What i mean is: get passionate about what you want to write, and write it for yourself. I’m encouraged by reviews to an immeasurable degree, but i'm telling these stories because i really want to explore certain themes or certain parts of the characters i love. if you're not doing it because you're excited by it, you just won't have the motivation to get through it, honestly.

So find out what it is you love about Riverdale, or about your ship, or about your fave character. then write that down, and then make a story around that. if your favorite part about jughead is that he pushes people away because he's afraid of getting hurt, write a story about why he is that way. etc

Ask yourself a lot of questions about what or who you like and why you like that. fandom is a really useful looking glass into ourselves and reflecting on what we're interested in or have gone through by way of analyzing what it is that resonates with us. turning that into fic is just a deeper part of that self-exploration. (again---i love psychology)

And comment on other people's stories! that really creates the sense of back-and-forth that builds a community. but i'm still poking my head around the fandom side of Riverdale/bughead and am more or less still living on ole hermit mountain, so there's a long learning curve and an individual way to do it.

[witch-bastard]

Meet Will (the trumpet section leader)

He's really upbeat and really motivates the trumpets to do their best and is quite the built person. Very much an inspiration

He's a big dork, his girlfriend the tuba player tells. Plays DnD. Watches anime. Quotes old TV shows from nickelodeon.

Somehow, this gives him no trouble. Rarely does anybody not like Will, though it does happen.

Will has a favorite section. (He does love his section to bits)

It's the front ensemble. (His favorite section to ask for food, they're somehow more likely to have food in their bag than their music smh)

The front ensemble consists of five players, counting as the smallest section besides the trumpets.

The section leader: True Neutral Boi Berry

They're a force to reckon with. Does not give a shit that it's currently two o clock in the morning, they're going to get themself a fuckin cheesecake.

Will get someone else a Whole Cheesecake if they offer to pay for at least 70%

Acts like a shit guardian, but does care for the wellbeings of the people in their section.

Does have a slight addiction to berries. Hence their nickname, Berry.

Brings two water jugs to practice. Just guess what is in it.

In the next corner do we have Delilah.

Delilah has a thing.

Her thing is that her hair color changes from her mother's frequent hair experiements. And once learnt an entire language as a fuck you to people who said her English was horrible.

Likes to air drop memes during breaks, and usually inconvient photos. Such as ripped shrek.

Her part is usually either the percussion toys or the base drum and gong.

Loves to shred on the tambourine just try and take it from her.

Is a senior so she often times breaks down and plays sad songs on the somehow unattended marimba.

Up next is Mikey.

He is the number one bachelor in the LGBT side of band.

Is openly gay

Does fight people who, verbally or physically, mocks or bullies anyone in the lgbt, closeted or open.

Loves to play Megalovania

The sophomore who genuinely cares for the band

Has brought water balloons to the parking lot of the school on the hottest day and threw half of them at his section and the rest he gave back to them, and then proceeded to hand the drum majors water pistols.

That day resulted in a ban of water weapons (October 13th, 20XX)

The fourth front ensemble pal is Tyler.

She's the very much bi person who you can tell is bisexual.

Girlfriend is the tallest drum major, Maria

Her favorite show is Supernatural and is very much into theories and deep thinking discussion about life or the future

The junior of the section, a very nihilistic person because of their upcoming future as a senior.

Tyler is down into bringing pizza or pasta on days where it's not necessary or asked for. But people always end up eating whatever she brings. (Will likes Tyler's somehow infinite food stash)

Our freshie of the ensemble is that one person who has the healthiest snacks.

Is the healthiest tbh

Is organized so she often is seen talking to Berry who teaches her everything they can offer.

Is the go to person for events needing volunteers.

Enjoys watching live streams of kitties and puppies

Often has them propped on a stand for when she is stressed for learning new music.

Gives up halfway through and platonically cuddles with Tyler in the corner of the percussion room.

Has a massive crush on Lyse.

Really

It's huge

Tyler and Berry give her shit about it.

Totally will avoid being alone with her in the reasonably large band hall. Even if it inconviences her.

I really like this idea!!! I'll keep adding more about these boyos omg

A tv show in the style of The Office and Parks and Rec, but it follows a small town high school marching band

A friend and I came up with a vague concept of it at lunch, but hear me out

-the band director is this disgruntled middle aged dude who just wants to win one season -he pretty much hates his job and is planning to quit, but he’s determined to outlast the drama teacher -his worst rival is the drama teacher. It’s so bad that the band kids and the theater kids won’t even look at each other

-the siblings, Jack and Lyse -Jack is a junior (saxophone player) -he low key secretly wants to play the Clarinet -he’s the saxophone section leader and Can’t Fucking Handle It™ -and he’s so mad because he worked so hard for it, but the people in his section just suck -he would totally try to act like everything is fine, though -“being section leader … It’s great. I love what I do.” *later* “I swear to God if one more freshmen runs into me while marching I’ll put old reeds in their marching shoes.” -Lyse is a sophomore -she was supposed to be a saxophone player like her brother, but she got voluntold to play mellophone because there weren’t enough of them -she doesn’t really care, though, because she just wants to make it through without being noticed -but halfway through the marching season we discover that she actually really wants to be a theater kid -because she’s just trying to survive high school, she kind of gets run over a lot, but she’s secretly really salty and will stand up for herself if you push her enough -“I was best friends with Evan (president of the drama club) until freshmen year when I found out that he was the snake putting hot sauce in my mouth piece. And what better way to get back at snakes then by putting snakes in their back pack? … Jack says that sometimes I over react, and I’m starting to think that maybe he’s right.”

-the percussionists are pretty much elusive emo kids in a weird “inner circle” type thing with favoritism amongst drum majors -except for one named Brent -he’s real name is not Brent, but at this point everybody is to afraid to ask what it actually is or why he’s called Brent -the first time we meet him he blows vape juice in a freshmans face -the freshmen kind of worship him, and can often be seen fanning him and doing his bidding for no reason -he carpools with people and tells who ever is in the back seat that they’re “sitting in his children” -hardly ever even shows up -“I’m a senior, so I just kind of come and go. I’m only staying for them” *looks out at the freshmen all standing to the side staring at him*

-the freshmen do not speak -they can be seen running around doing weird things, but they never talk -one of the running jokes is that one of them will get a talking head, but when they open their mouth to speak they get cut off by an upperclassmen

-the other running joke is that every time someone in color guard hits someone or an instrument, Bret just throws his snare drum (or nearest instrument) at them -several freshmen have been thrown -every time it happens the band director stares into the camera and makes a tally mark on his clipboard -the clipboard is pretty much just tally marks and a note with a reminder to die

Feel free to add stuff! Make your own characters!

(It’ll be called Band Kids, by the way)

[davedimartino]

NEW THIS WEEK 07.13.09

It's a rock 'n' roll showdown beyond belief! 

In this corner we've got the brand new album by Daughtry, the shaven-headed rocker launched by American Idol whose previous album was a massive commercial smash!

 And in the other? None other than the Dead Weather, the new band featuring Jack White of the White Stripes--a band whose very existence seems the antithesis of the formulated pap regularly popularized by the monstrous American Idol machine!

 Who rocks the best? Who rocks the hardest? Whose free-spirited grasp of all that rock 'n' roll entails will resonate the most with the American Heartland?

I mean, like, aside from Gene Simmons?

 The Dead Weather: Horehound (Third Man) Considering the players involved--Jack White of the White Stripes, Alison Mosshart of the Kills, Dean Fertita of Queens Of The Stoneage, and Jack Lawrence of the Raconteurs--it's no wonder some people are calling the Dead Weather a great new supergroup! But two questions remain! First, what the heck is a "horehound"? Thanks to a well known internet encyclopedia, I can tell you it’s a common name applied to two flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae!  Black Horehound and White Horehound! And there's also a carbonated soft drink called Horehound beer! Wow! And finally, it's the name of the new album by the Dead Weather! Timely! But wait! What about the second question? Oh yeah! Is this album any good? Sure, thanks for asking!

Daughtry: Leave This Town (19 Recordings/RCA)  As the follow-up to a quadruple-platinum debut album, this album will ultimately tell the tale! Is Daughtry the greatest hard-rockin' thing since sliced bread or merely the latest in a long line of freshly-shaven flashes in the pan? Well, let's look at it objectively! By calling his album Leave This Town, he's implying that he's a rebel, an outsider, unwanted by the mass public because of the dangerous example he sets for a younger, more impressionable generation! Bolstering that claim is opening track "You Don't Belong" and its self-actualized follow-up "No Surprise." Man, he knows he's trouble! Additionally, his band logo has three curlicues in it! Yikes! As long as he doesn't do anything stupid like cover Lady Gaga or something, this dude is set for life!

Joe: Signature (Kedar Entertainment)  He's one of the best R&B singers in the business, he's well loved and respected, and yet…and yet…he didn't learn his lesson! His last great album, Joe Thomas, New Man, boldly added a last name to his great stage name, but he forgot it this time! As a result, everyday affairs most of us spend little time thinking about--like going to a clothing store and buying a suit with a credit card--are a considerable source of anguish for the man! Imagine how many times he must sign the credit slip and get questions about his signature! "Excuse me sir, but you forgot to sign your last name!" "Pardon me sir, but there's been a question about your signature!" Oh well! Maybe this new album will be a massive worldwide smash and they'll soon be asking, "Hey, aren't you the guy who recorded `Sex Girl'?"

  Adelitas Way: Adelitas Way (Virgin)  Boy did I get fooled! I get so many albums I just don't know what to listen to, but when I saw this album cover I said, "Wow! I've got to hear this babe sing!" Admittedly my lowbrow reaction was further provoked by a picture inside the CD booklet featuring the same woman standing out in the street in her underwear holding up a sign with her phone number on it! You never see that! So I called up the phone number and it was a trick! And she's not even on the album, it's five hard-rockin' Las Vegas dudes not nearly as photogenic! More proof that what happens in Vegas should stay in Vegas!

David Bowie: VH1 Storytellers (CD/DVD) (Virgin) Anyone who's forgotten the impact David Bowie has had in rock 'n' roll for the last few decades should greatly enjoy this packages, which in CD and DVD format presents the British singer's 1999 appearance on VH1's Storyteller series. With performances drawn from as far back as his '60s attempted hit "Can't Help Thinking About Me," the charismatic dude runs through "Life On Mars?," "Rebel Rebel," and even the sole great Tin Machine track, "I Can't Read"--exuding a warmth and dignity befitting a man now known as the single greatest artistic inspiration behind Lady Gaga! Yep, he was that good!

 Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros: Up From Below (Vagrant)  Featuring Alex Ebert, former singer with LA's Ima Robot--now there was a name!--these fabulous dudes have been described as a 21st century jug band crossed with the Polyphonic Spree and "this new band that everybody likes that I personally find boring"! Yep, nobody agrees! I actually think they're very good--I like their songs--and confess to never having seen them perform live, which has been described by others as "something special"! Quoting people is easier than actually writing! Buy this!

 (500) Days Of Summer--Music From the Motion Picture (Sire)  Some say this is a groovy movie, and this may be arguable, but few can contend that this collection of tunes from the likes of the Smiths, Feist, Carla Bruni and Hall & Oates is anything less than near-perfect! Featuring two Smiths tracks--"There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" and "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want," the latter also covered by star Zooey Deschanel's She & Him combo--this looks likely to be a 21st Century version of the ultimate John Hughes "date movie" soundtrack! Buy it, listen to it, go back and time and choose the "other road," return here much wealthier, then tell us what you learned!

 Discovery: LP (Beggars/XL) Hipsters of the world--I met them both last week on Ventura boulevard!--have been clamoring for this, the collaboration between Ra Ra Riot's Wes Miles and Vampire Weekend's Rostam Batmanglij, and rightly so: It is good! I like it better than their other bands! Filled with synth beats, catchy songs with hooks, and a well designed album cover--you know that matters--LP is available on CD, as a digital download, and on vinyl! Its clever name guarantees an exaggerated  sales figure by those dopey Soundscan computers, too! College was great!

Crosby Loggins: Time To Move (Jive) Apparently the winner of MTV reality series Rock The Cradle--I don't know for certain, as I was doing charitable work at the time instead of selfishly staying at home and watching TV!--this dude is the son of singing star Kenny Loggins and similarly talented! As always, very happy to see a younger musician focus on the act of writing, playing and singing music rather than getting caught up in the ephemeral world of insta-pop stardom! Curiously, just as fellow reality TV star Daughtry was asked to "leave this town," Loggins has been told that it's "time to move"! Why can't everybody just leave these guys alone?  

 Celtic Thunder: Take Me Home (Celtic Thunder) It's admittedly a new look for Zurich Switzerland's Celtic Thunder, who first came into prominence via their 1984 album Morbid Thunder! Though little here can match the best tracks on 1992 compilation Parched With Thirst Am I And Dying, the band seems well-preserved and literally sears through "Because We Believe"!  Look out, Venom!

[yahoo-puck-daddy-blog]

Eulogy: Remembering the 2016-17 Nashville Predators

(Ed. Note: As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue, we’re bound to lose some friends along the journey. We’ve asked for these losers, gone but not forgotten, to be eulogized by the people who knew the teams best: The bloggers and fans who hated them the most. Here is the good folks at Faxes From Uncle Dale, a Chicago Blackhawks blog, fondly recalling the 2016-17 Nashville Predators.)

(Again, this was not written by us. Also: This is a roast and you will be offended by it, so don’t take it so seriously.)

By Faxes From Uncle Dale

Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve come here once again to bur….you know what, it doesn’t feel right this time.

Because… is this really a funeral? In most ways, it feels like the Nashville Predators were born this spring. As we all know, you’re not actually a hockey town, or even a section of civilization, until Canadian hockey media discovers that you’re a better place to watch a game than a freezing barn in Guelph, if that’s even a real place.

Welcome to the big time, Nash-Vegas. You’re now officially on the sanctioned list for Globe and Mail writers to come and get drunk and fall down.

(Other areas on the list include Bob McKenzie’s lake house, Winnipeg and Tony Twist’s St. Louis-style hot dog stand. Congrats, everyone. You’ve made it.)

You got lucky in a sense, though. Because Canadian writers refuse to acknowledge that college hockey is an actual thing – heaven for fend any hockey player receive anything over 7th-grade schooling – so they didn’t know your entire repertoire is lifted from college hockey fans. All your chants and traditions, taken from boozed-up frat boys who couldn’t get tickets to their school’s basketball team. But that’s OK, good artists borrow, great artists steal and whatever you are turn octopi into catfish.

Funny how that works, the way you moaned about Sidney Crosby trying to turn Subban’s head into fish-guts but mocked Wings fans doing the same about Shea Weber doing the same to Henrik Zetterberg. And now you are Wings fans, except your projectiles make for better eating … by the fans of the team that just beat you, apparently.

You’ve become what you once abhorred. Still, you helped highlight how an entire country that is essentially built on this sport couldn’t develop a fan culture beyond, “Go Leafs Go!” So thanks for that.

Ah, but you were born in so many other ways this spring. Look at you, muzzling the NHL’s most galvanizing personality for the last two games of the Final. Just like the big boys! We look forward to you spending the summer poisoning the water around PK Subban with rumors of his teammates not liking him and fights with Peter Laviolette, before the big Subban-Muzzin trade of 2018. Don’t you love being a REAL team now? Soon you can employ a policy of only hiring coaches and GMs that speak “honkey-tonk” or “talk pretty.”

You grow up so fast. It was just yesterday you were happy to get into the playoffs or celebrating winning a series. And now you’re here blaming the refs for everything from your loss to the Titans continued mediocrity to the atrocity Kings Of Leon have become. Again, just like a traditional market. You are mere minutes away from Down Goes Brown making jokes about it every article he writes to mask his internal pain. You can almost see him doing a “Find/Change” from “Kerry Fraser” to “disallowed goal Game 6.” Isn’t being in the same house with Leafs fans now great? You should probably start tuning up your emotions for when Kevin Fiala wins a Cup somewhere else and brings it back to you after you chase him out of town because one writer saw him eat a pork shoulder once.

I suppose that’s the conclusion here. With everything you’ve been through, what we’ve discovered is your inferiority complex combined with a constant need to declare how special a fandom you are, conspiracy theories, your fear of personality with your players (and unveiled bigotry from your captain), terrible country music and barely middling rock bands to your underwhelming beer…you’re officially a Canadian city!

Since you are a Canadian city, let’s start by gushing over your nation’s proud son and Eugene from The Walking Dead look-alike, Ryan Johansen. Some have said this series would’ve turned out differently if Johansen was healthy. Others have said this playoffs was his coming out party and this is the superstar we all imagined he’d be. Actually, it was only Pierre McGuire saying all this, but we digress.

Before his leg internally combusted, the 24 year-old Johansen had his way with a beefed up Jonathan Toews and then whatever the things were that St. Louis penciled in as their top center. Was it Patrik Berglund? Was it Paul Stastny? Who could really tell for sure because we were too busy dipping our retinas into cyanide.

Then in the Western Conference final, he was matched up against 94 year old Ryan Kesler. Bravo to Ryan Kesler, by the way, for continuing to employ the same “get inside the opponent’s head, GRITSANDPAPERFART” style in the playoffs that has yet to work in his entire career. And kudos to the Canadian media for forgetting how common of an occurrence it is for Kesler to get ragdolled by a superior opponent every spring. We are already looking forward to next summer when he’s once again portrayed as a shutdown center, and once again getting eliminated after 6 games the moment he lines up against a center worth a damn. “BUT LOOK AT ALL THOSE POST-WHISTLE SCRUMS!!!”

[BUY SAM FELS’ NEW BOOK ON BLACKHAWKS FANDOM, ‘MADISON STREET STATION’]

Where were we? Oh yes. We were talking about the massive raise Ryan Johansen shall be expecting now that he’s proven himself against the giants of the Western Conference. Nashville, we hate to be the ones to tell you this but if Johansen saw himself as a $4 million player before he even won a playoff series, what do you think he’s expecting now? Surely, a good old boy from Canada would never hold his franchise to the flames. No sir.

Lucky for you, now you get to resent two of your top players as Viktor Arvidsson is also due a new contract. This is where the fun really begins as you get to microanalyze how much each is overpaid and taking away an opportunity from a middling ECHL superstar. Didn’t we tell you being a NHL city is a hoot?!?

But you had some Canadian hockey city tactics down before your great “spring awakening.” You stood by Pekka Rinne for years and years, even though he was terrible in the playoffs for… well, really quite a while. You told everyone we just didn’t understand, just like they do in Winnipeg. That the money he was being paid was quite worth it, we just couldn’t tell. We didn’t know what you knew, you claimed. And for three rounds, you probably felt vindicated, genuinely believing that Rinne had cracked the code at age 35 instead of “got hot for a few weeks there.”

But water always seeks its own level, you probably know that from your ice surface, and when you’re done building bomb-shelters to protect yourselves from the perceived threat of NHL refs, Gary Bettman, NBC, and Sidney Crosby, you’ll realize Rinne’s full-body dry heaves in Games 1, 2, and 5 cost you a parade.

A parade that every “country” star needing some PR would have glommed onto to appear as “one of the people.”

You’re basically the Kings fanbase after huffing paint for a week.

And really, let’s not pretend Carrie Underwood doesn’t spend every minute of attendance at Preds games wondering if she’d have to be there at all if she’d just gone the Taylor Swift route when she had the chance.

At least you’ll always be able to look fondly back on this season as the time you won two games in the Stanley Cup Final. Fans and media around the continent will be talking about this special run forever and ever. They’ll talk about how Sidney Crosby elevated himself to a top 5 all-time NHL player. They’ll talk about PK Subban being a distraction and too dancey and other thinly veiled casual racism. They’ll talk about how much Roman Josi actually sucks (which for some reason became a huge talking point amongst statheads during the playoffs).

We guess what we’re saying here is no one is going to talk about this run ever again outside of Nashville. The Predators were just another 2010 Flyers, 2014 Rangers or any one of the teams the Red Wings used to steamroll in the Cup Final season after season. An entertaining speed bump but a speed bump nevertheless. But hey, you beat the Hawks in the first round. The Canucks gave themselves a banner over it. At least we think they did. We stopped paying attention when they exited the NHL in 2013. Other teams to accomplish that are Arizona and St. Louis, who have gone on to dominate the league since. If by “dominate” we mean “definitely are a few dates on the schedule.” Welcome to your brethren.

One of our favorite jokes during the playoff run was Player X now has more goals the Chicago Blackhawks scored (3) in the entire playoffs. We also like the one where the Blackhawks won as many games as Nashville has had parades since 2010. Unless next week’s Jug & Fiddle Parade is somehow related to winning something that actually matters. And no we don’t mean Faith Hill’s “Best Record By Woman Who Is Just A Photoshop Airbrush” award from the 2013 CMAs.

To quote one of Nashville’s finest writers and one of the all time great Puck Daddy eulogies: How many Cups have you won Nashville?

The answer, we’re afraid is still zero.

Also your uniforms look like piss.

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