#All Nations Drum Group

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

The Ronettes - Be My Baby 1963

"Be My Baby" is a song by American girl group the Ronettes that was released as a single in August 1963. Written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector, the song was the Ronettes' biggest hit, reaching number 2 in the US and number 4 in the UK. It is often ranked as among the best songs of the 1960s, and has been regarded by various publications as one of the greatest songs of all time. Ronnie Spector (then known as Veronica Bennett) is the only Ronette that appears on the track. In 1964, it appeared on the album Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes; the only studio album by the Ronettes (credited to "the Ronettes featuring Veronica"). Produced by Phil Spector and released in November 1964 through his label, Philles Records, the album collects the group's singles from 1963–1964. In 2004, it was ranked number 422 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

"Be My Baby" has influenced many artists, most notably the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, who wrote the 1964 hit "Don't Worry Baby" as a response to "Be My Baby". Many others have replicated or recreated the drum phrase—one of the most recognizable in pop music. As for the opening drum beat, drummer Hal Blaine stated, "That famous drum intro was an accident. I was supposed to play the snare on the second beat as well as the fourth, but I dropped a stick. Being the faker I was in those days, I left the mistake in and it became: 'Bum-ba-bum-BOOM!' And soon everyone wanted that beat." Sonny Bono and Cher were among the backing vocalists. Cher stated in a television interview, "I was just hanging out with Son [Bono], and one night Darlene [Love] didn't show up, and Philip looked at me and he was getting really cranky, y'know. Philip was not one to be kept waiting. And he said, 'Sonny said you can sing?' And so, as I was trying to qualify what I felt my … 'expertise' was, he said, 'Look I just need noise – get out there!' I started as noise, and that was 'Be My Baby'."

The song appears in the opening sequence of Martin Scorsese's film Mean Streets (1973), and the 1987 film Dirty Dancing. The song appears in a fantasy sequence involving Kamala Khan in the Marvel series Ms. Marvel, in the second episode "Crushed". In 1999, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2006, the Library of Congress inducted the Ronettes' recording into the United States National Recording Registry. In 2004, it was ranked number 22 on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time", where it was described as a "Rosetta stone for studio pioneers such as the Beatles and Brian Wilson." In 2017, the song topped Billboard's list of the "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time".

"Be My Baby" received a total of 86,9% yes votes!

[mj1343]

The Fallout Show, The NCR, Vegas, and Taking a Chill Pill

Fallout Show spoilers hi

i knew when i saw they were going to touch Shady Sands people would get angry regardless of what they did and i totally 100% understand being upset with the treatment of that location and the choices of writing that it took to get there but i genuinely do not understand the sentiment that Vegas is noncanon all of a sudden

Shady Sands is where the NCR formed and the first capital but they do not exclusively exist there. We know by New Vegas the NCR holds a lot of territory, and has territories they want to claim in the future:

'Hayes: "Sure can. The NCR was founded from the survivors of one of the great Vaults. We started as a small settlement called Shady Sands. We now consist of 5 states, that make up the greatest nation since the Great War."'

'NCR history holodisk: "Founded eighty years ago, the NCR is now comprised of the states of Shady, Los Angeles, Maxson, Hub, and Dayglow. Approximately 700,000 citizens are pleased to call NCR home."

In fact, we SEE a small sect of NCR remnants IN THE SHOW. I know a small group of people does not equate an entire nation but just the fact people are still fighting under the flag means they are not magically game ended forever and it is VERY overzealous to assume the ENTIRE NCR was housed in Shady Sands as late as 2277 when we know they were incorporating new territories before AND AFTER 2277

On the 'Vegas is a desolate nuked wasteland' front, i also genuinely do not understand it because, shockingly, locations IRL are larger than they are in the game!!!! The Strip in New Vegas is what, two cells? and one road with 4 casinos on it? The irl Strip is a 4 mile stretch of road that can have anywhere from 30 to 50+ casinos depending who you ask and over 100 casinos in all of Vegas easily. I understand they flash the Lucky 38 and the New Vegas sign to get excitement built but we have to look at scale a lot differently in the show than in the games. There are many scenes (which i have criticized) that are completely empty deserts for miles to see. Hell, the scale of the Vaults is different because they need to actually function as a building and not a location in a video game.

Yes. We see a few dead securitrons in the ending. You know where else you can find dead securitron? Littered about in the hit 2010 role playing game Fallout New Vegas. This is not a sign of desolation. This is a sign of some wasteland asshole killed a few. There are no people on the strip because this is supposed to drum up intrigue and tease a second season. We Do Not Know what has happened in Vegas. There could be hundreds of people on the strip and we just dont see them because they wanted a moody shot with no one in it. We have no idea. But you want to know what i can reasonably assume? it WASNT NUKED. because SHADY SANDS WAS NUKED AND ITS A CRATER AND YOU CAN STILL SEE EVERYTHING IN VEGAS STANDING. This is a post apocalypse franchise that, for better or worse (mostly worse) prides itself on Not Fixing Things from 200 years ago. A broken building or sign in New Vegas at the end of the show Does Not Mean New Vegas is completely removed from canon.

I know. I know you guys cannot be happy with anything Bethesda touches. I know you refuse to just take a breather for a moment. And i understand and entirely agree nuking a notable location from the original games is dirty. i am not giving Bethesda credit. There was some good in the show and some bad. I Understand. But this show has not decanonized New Vegas in any way and i truely do not understand the outrage from this point of view specifically. You can be angry about anything else. i know i cannot stop you if i wanted to. You will always find something to be mad about. But PLEASE think critically about this for a moment

[copajay]

how to write a love song

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

masterlist

taro has been heavy on my mind for the last 24 hours and i’ve always wanted to write a fake dating fic so here we are

summary: you have been a solo idol under SM for years now. unfortunately, you’ve seen a decline in your popularity in the last year. sm’s newest boy group, riize, on the other hand, is blowing up in korea and overseas. in an attempt to generate buzz around your upcoming album, your company sets you up in a PR relationship with riize’s shotaro. (not proofread)

date: 04/07/24

scenario themes: fake dating, idol!au, lowkey grumpy x sunshine lmao

idol: osaki shotaro of riize

concept: fluff, angst-ish

warnings: swearing

word count: 5.3k

"fucking hell." you curse to yourself, alone in your private studio. you were looking at the sales for your last mini album. this was the lowest number you've seen since your debut. flopping onto a chair, you opened up youtube to check your streams, then spotify, then naver, and so on and so forth.

you were beginning to become obsessive, looking to numbers for validation. you put your phone down, sighing. looking up at the wall in front of you, you were greeted with your debut poster.

you were so young, so passionate. you didn't care about streams or sales, you just wanted to share your art with the world. feeling a bit ungrateful, you began to gaslight yourself into feeling better: it's not like the figures were that low, and many artists would kill to have half of what you're complaining about.

it didn't work. you felt even more like shit. somewhere along the way you fell in love with stardom. you became used to high-end brand endorsements, sold-out stadiums, and paparazzi everywhere you go. life has changed a lot for you in the last year.

you got so caught up in everything that you haven't been able to produce as much music. and if you're being honest, the only music you have put out hasn't exactly been your best work.

you initially stood out since you were an idol who didn't dance or put on flashy performances but instead wrote and composed captivating songs with meaningful lyrics. this attracted the attention of a nation, and later on, you developed a global fanbase. a fanbase that is currently fighting for their lives to defend your shitty mini-album.

somewhere along the way, you lost your spark. your lyrics which used to be about raw emotion and life experiences now seemed out of touch and cliche. your instrumentals had so much care poured into them, with most of them containing your own playing of the guitar, piano, drums, and more. now, they were created electronically for the most part by multiple big-shot producers.

you followed the formula for success, so why weren't you reaping the benefits?

your phone screen lit up, notifying you of an email sent by your manager:

RE: Staff Meeting

Y/N,

The numbers aren't looking too good. We need another drop, and soon. We’re having a meeting and you can show us what you came up with so far. We brought in the PR team and they're going to share some ideas with us. The meeting's at 6, don't be late.

you glanced over at the clock. it was 4:44 p.m., which means you still have an hour and 16 minutes to come up with something to show your team.

no matter how hard you tried, you just couldn't come up with anything. it used to come so easy to you. your love songs in particular were always so easy to write, and guaranteed hits at that.

unfortunately for you, being in love is nearly impossible when you're a full-time idol. between hectic schedules and invasive fans, you can't find the time or place to catch feelings for someone.

before you knew it, it was 5:50 and all you had done was mope about how hard it is to make music. packing your belongings, you headed out of the studio and made your way to the SM company building.

once seated at the meeting, you were greeted by your manager and the PR professionals he invited. "so, y/n. we're looking forward to hearing about any progress you might have made for the album." your manager encouraged, smiling at you.

"i... don't have anything," you admitted. the room was dead silent and you were holding yourself back from cringing at your own words. "I was hoping we could maybe just look at a couple of demos?"

"y/n, that's what we did last time, and it clearly isn't appealing to the fans. they want your music. we need the finished album from you by next month." your manager stressed.

"i know, i know. i'm working on it." you muttered. clearing his throat, your manager looked to the PR team, "since there's no new music for us to listen to, i guess you guys can take it from here."

"right, thank you." an unnamed woman in glasses began, "we were thinking of creating a fabricated relationship between miss l/n and another idol here at SM. his group is having a comeback around the same time you are."

you were about to protest before she cut you off, "the relationship doesn't have to go on for long, just until you release new music. it'll generate buzz and people will be more likely to tune in if they think your songs are about him. just consider it." she pleaded.

"who is it?" you questioned, still apprehensive. "shotaro from riize. the group is still recovering after a member of theirs has gone on hiatus following a scandal free seunghan until it's backwards. the two of you are close in age and he's been an idol for a few years now so he's perfect." she persuaded. you saw your manager nod in agreement in the corner of your eye.

"isn't dating as an idol a scandal in itself?" you argued. "yes, but you would generate more good exposure than bad. fans online have been talking about how good of a couple you would make for a while now." your manager butted in.

great. so you're not only going to get death threats from delusional fans but also affirm crazed shippers' beliefs. as badly as you wanted out, you really did need more attention on you as you were preparing to come back. besides, any publicity is good publicity, right?

"fine." you agreed begrudgingly. "wonderful! shotaro has also agreed, we'll have another meeting tomorrow at 10 a.m. with the two of you to go over everything." the lady exclaimed, clasping her hands together excitedly.

smiling politely, you excused yourself and left the room. your manager rushed after you, stopping you from leaving the building. "y/n, listen. I know this is all probably really uncomfortable, but I think it'll be good for you." he insisted.

good for streams, maybe. "i'll be fine. it's only a month, right?" you smiled. "right." he affirmed, patting you on the back before walking in the opposite direction.

once he was out of sight your smile immediately dropped. you made your way out the doors of the building preparing yourself for the lonely commute home.

despite being surrounded by fans and paparazzi constantly, you felt pretty lonely most of your days. you rarely had time to see your friends and family, and you didn't have any group members to share the burden of loneliness with.

making your way to the parking lot, you bumped into an energetic figure, causing your keys to drop. the two of you bent down at the same time and your heads collided. stepping back, you looked up at the stranger that had just made your already shit day even shittier.

he picked up your keys first before standing straight and looking back at you. laughing, he handed them over to you, apologizing for the inconvenience.

to your surprise, it was shotaro. the man you had to act like you were in love starting tomorrow. he had incredibly soft features and the brownest, biggest eyes that you could get lost in forever.

"hey, I recognize you!" he chirped, "I was told you would be at the meeting tomorrow for..." he trailed off, the air between you suddenly awkward.

"yeah." you added dryly. "well it was nice meeting you." you pushed past him. "nice meeting you as well!" he called out, enthusiastically waving.

he's so sweet it's sickening.

maybe you're being a bit of a bitch, but your life feels like it's falling apart. stepping into your car, you took a moment to breathe before starting it and heading home.

the next morning, you wanted nothing more than to rot in bed, but your annoyingly loud alarm reminded you of your impending meeting with shotaro. you didn't see the harm in getting a few more minutes of beauty sleep so you hit the snooze button and drifted back off.

unfortunately, those few minutes turned into an hour, and the next thing you know, you had twenty minutes until your meeting. panicking, you rush to wash your face and get dressed, sprinting down the stairs of your apartment.

once you're seated in the car, you're greeted with a blaring sign: empty tank. just your luck. you have under 10 minutes to get to the SM building and it's a twenty-minute walk from your place.

you checked the bus schedules frantically but none of them seemed to come in time. mentally cursing yourself, you began running in the direction of the company building.

there was no way you were going to make it in time. but this was better than nothing. after about 5 minutes of sprinting like your life depended on it, you saw a familiar face in a car waiting at a stoplight: shotaro.

you don't know how you managed to bump into him yet again but you couldn't really afford to care at this moment. knocking on the window lightly, you saw him look at you shocked.

he rolled down his window, "are you okay?" he asked, slightly freaked out. "i'm so sorry i promise i'll explain but could you please let me in because the light is about to turn green." you begged.

he stared at you shocked for a few seconds before you practically yelled at him to let you in. unlocking the doors, he watched you jump in. he definitely thought you were crazy.

and you couldn't blame him either. looking in the window, you saw your reflection for the first time since you left home: sweat beading on your forehead from running and your hair frizzy and half out of your bun.

while putting together your appearance as best as you could, he coughed loudly, "you said you were going to explain...?" he cautioned.

"right. I slept through my alarm, my car ran out of gas, and I was planning on booking it for the interview since there were no buses available either. oh, and sorry again for scaring you." you rattled on.

you expected him to react like most people if put in this situation: slightly annoyed but accepting of the situation.

he simply laughed. "well then I'm glad you ran into me!" he cheered with a genuine smile on his face. what the hell was his problem?

you knew idols would put on cheery, cute personas for the camera, but you never met someone so honestly enthusiastic. you would be lying if you said it wasn't refreshing, but it felt too good to be true.

you arrived at the building within a matter of minutes. "thank you, once again." you turned to shotaro once the two of you reached the elevator. "no worries." he smiled.

you’d be lying if you said he wasn’t extremely handsome, and his kind demeanor made him even more attractive.

you caught yourself staring at him intensely, suddenly feeling nervous in the cramped elevator alone with him.

he kept trying to make conversation but you were completely zoned out, only being able to focus on how good he looked in his oversized black sweater.

your eyes kept nervously flitting between him and the elevator door, and you were beginning to sweat. has he always been this hot?

after what felt like an eternity, the elevator door opened and you practically sprinted out, making a beeline for the conference room. never have you been more relieved to see a room full of PR professionals.

you and shotaro sat down a safe distance away from each other. you’re not sure what overcame you in the elevator.

you haven’t had any romance in your life for so long that every little thing gets you flustered, including being alone in a small space with a good looking man.

“thank you both for coming today.” the same woman from yesterday greeted. “if you don’t mind, we’d like to walk you through the month-long plan of your ‘relationship’” she shared, using quotation marks.

“firstly, we want the two of you to be spotted out together. going to cafe’s, the movies, even just for a walk. hold hands, hug, kiss if you feel like it.” you couldn’t help but look at shotaro for the last bit and you were shocked to see he was already looking at you.

“we’ll call on paparazzi and companies like dispatch to ‘catch you in the act’ and post your photos online for people to catch on.” she continued, nodding at a man next to her.

“then we’re going to make an official announcement on behalf of the company that you two are officially dating. you know, ‘the pair are getting to know each other and we would appreciate your privacy bla bla bla’” the man said, far less professionally.

“right. you two will continue your outings for another week or so after and then you come back, and we will make a statement on behalf of the company that you have broken up to focus on your schedules. how does that sound?” the lady wrapped up.

“sounds good to me.” shotaro replied coolly. “yeah, um, sounds good.” you sputtered, a bit overwhelmed.

suddenly, you heard a loud ping on the woman’s phone. she looked down and looked up again between you and shotaro, “well, it looks like you two have already set the plan into motion.” she chuckled.

looking closer at her phone, you saw an online article showing pictures from just an hour ago of you in shotaro’s car titled “y/n and shotaro: potential lovebirds?”

what the hell? how did those photos get out so fast… and when were they even taken?

although you were growing increasingly anxious about your lack of privacy, you had to admit the PR team knew what they were talking about, people were going insane over the article.

“since you’ve already been spotted together today, you might as well go on a ‘date’ later in the afternoon to seal the deal.” an older man opposite you added in air quotes.

you and shotaro simply nodded in agreement and before you knew it, the meeting was coming to a close.

grabbing your bag, you prepared to speed-walk out of the room and avoid shotaro until your inevitable ‘date’ but he seemed to have other plans.

“wait up, y/n!” he hollered, catching up to you. “i know we’re kind of being forced to hang out, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy each other’s company!” he began, “what’s your favorite coffee shop? mine’s-”

“look i appreciate you trying to make light of the situation, but this is just a marketing strategy, nothing more and nothing less.” you cut him off, “let’s just go to the bakery across the street, make lovey dovey eyes at each other, and go our separate ways, yeah?”

his smile faded a bit which made you feel guilty, but he recovered quickly and nodded, following you out the company building.

once you arrived at the bakery, you tried to seem as interested as possible in whatever shotaro was talking about, but your brain was still foggy from the hectic morning you had.

“anyways, what about you?” the singer excitedly asked, “…what about me?” you repeated through gritted teeth, forcing a smile in case any cameras were on you.

“i was asking if you started preparing for your new album.” he smiled. “oh. um, yeah.” you shrugged, avoiding eye contact.

“you know i’m a big fan of your music,” shotaro started, “i loved your debut album, i listen to at least one song from it every day.” he shared shyly.

well great. now you felt even more bad for being so unnecessarily rude to him. softening your demeanor, you replied with “thanks… i really liked ‘get a guitar’, too.”

his eyes lit up upon you mentioning his track, which you took as a sign to continue, “but i can never get the dance quite right.” you added, grinning.

“i can always teach you!” he beamed.

“that would be nice-”

“oh my GOD, is that shotaro?” a stranger gasped, causing both your and shotaro’s heads to snap in opposite directions.

even though you were technically trying to get caught, old idol habits die hard. dating scandals are every idol’s biggest fear: an entire dedicated fanbase turning on you just for experiencing romance? true nightmare fuel.

“and i think that’s y/n with him! why are they here together?” another stranger spoke up. you and shotaro swiftly picked up your belongings and left, worried you’d attract more attention.

“i’ll-um-see you, bye.” you mumbled with your head down as shotaro gave you a small thumbs up underneath the table.

the two of you set off in different directions and you began dreading the long walk home. you were wearing a mask and a beanie, which meant your chances of getting recognized were pretty low, but they definitely weren’t zero.

however, you loved walking through seoul, especially this time of year. the weather was nice, and the streets were bustling. you used to love brainstorming song lyrics and melodies during walks.

deciding to take advantage of your situation, you racked your brain for any potential lyrics.

nothing.

how could you have lost all your creativity? did your songwriting talent just disappear? how would you get it back?

doubts filled your mind as you realized you were already halfway home and failed to come up with a single verse.

maybe you were lacking inspiration. your life was filled with romantic endeavors prior to your debut, which filled your mind with several ideas for new songs.

but you seemed to have forgotten all of them, and as cheesy as it sounds, you might have forgotten how it feels to be in love as well.

nearing your apartment, you felt a vibration in your pocket. taking out your phone, you opened up an email from your manager:

Re: Dating News

Hello Y/N,

Seems like your bakery date is already going viral on SNS. A pair of fans spotted you two and uploaded a photo of you sitting at a table together. Keep up the good work.

[1 Attachment]

clicking on the attachment, you saw a screenshot of a tweet exclaiming ‘RIIZE SHOTARO AND Y/N L/N ON A DATE???’ with a picture of the two of you smiling and sitting across from each other at a table.

it freaked you out how happy the two of you looked in the photo, almost like a real couple.

shutting off your phone, you couldn’t help but smile as you entered your apartment, maybe shotaro was starting to grow on you.

in the next few weeks, you and shotaro would go on several public outings, getting spotted almost immediately.

before you knew it the two of you were the hottest topic in k-pop, headlining several media outlet articles and trending on social media.

you would periodically receive correspondence from your manager and PR team praising you for how well you were pulling the stunt off.

although you wouldn’t admit it, you were really starting to enjoy shotaro’s company as well. the two of you began texting until late hours at night and planning ‘dates’ without instruction from your team.

you’d be lying if you said you weren’t starting to feel a bit attached to him but you reminded yourself that this was simply a work thing. besides, it’s not like he’s interested anyway… right?

you couldn’t read shotaro at all. he always had a sweet smile plastered on his face and seemed excited about everything and anything.

weirdly, you felt your writing ability start to come back slowly as well.. but it obviously has nothing to do with shotaro!

it’s just a coincidence that you draw on your memories of him to come up with lyrics; that you describe his mannerisms to a T in your potential choruses and scribble about how he makes you feel in your notebook on your off-days.

yup! definitely just a coincidence.

“y’know i used to love these growing up,” shotaro shared as the two of you stood at a street food stall indulging in dango.

“you must miss japan a lot, huh?” you asked, staring at the side of his face. his expression faltered slightly.

“of course i do, but i’m glad i chased after my dreams. it sounds cliché but it paid off. i get to do what i love, even if i’m hundreds of miles away from home.” he replied softly.

you don’t know what it was, but in that moment you wanted nothing more than to kiss him. you stared at his lips for a few moments before he caught on.

“do i have something on my face..?” he questioned, raising a finger to wipe his mouth.

you leaned in, centimeters away from touching your lips with his when he stepped back.

shit. way to go, y/n.

“sorry, i just- i don’t think we should…” he stammered,

“no, i’m sorry. i don’t know what came over me. we-i should go.” you said awkwardly, biting your lip.

you headed off before he could reply, mentally cursing at the world and wanting to crawl into a hole and die.

how could you let your guard down like that and embarrass yourself?

that night, you didn’t receive a single text from him like you usually do, so you tried reaching out.

no response.

every time you contacted him afterwards or tried to set up another ‘date’ he would flake last minute or respond dryly until he full-on ghosted you.

you stopped heading out together and your manager seemed content with it as you had already generated enough anticipation for your comeback.

the next time you saw him would be at a company meeting, discussing the end of your ‘relationship’.

you zoned out the entire meeting, barely hearing anything coming out of anyone’s mouth. you focused on trying not to look at shotaro and keeping your thoughts preoccupied so you felt less embarrassed just being in his presence.

your manager briefed you on the contents of the meeting afterwards, sharing that all you had to do was release a joint statement that confirmed you were now broken up.

“it’s easy enough, you mostly leave it to the social media managers. just send them your virtual signature and be sure to post it on your instagram as soon as possible. got it?” the man asked.

you nodded wordlessly with your head still in the clouds. for the first time in a long time your mind was filled with new ideas for lyrics, ranging from lovestruck to heartbroken to enraged.

you opted to walk home that day, even taking the longer route, furiously typing in your notes app and recording several voice notes on the way. you must’ve looked insane to everyone else around you but you didn’t care.

if you couldn’t get your mind off shotaro, you’d at least make it work in your favor. that night, you wrote an impressive 10 drafts of different songs, staying up until late and getting up early the next morning to head to the studio.

you drowned yourself in your work, hoping you’d forget about the boy whose presence was still all around you in both your thoughts and lyrics.

eventually, you refined and recorded all 10 songs, ready to release them in your new album.

shortly before your album announcement, you posted your official ‘breakup’ statement, feeling empty as you tapped on your screen.

you never would’ve predicted the somewhat annoying and yet incredibly charming guy that you were forced into a relationship with would haunt you this much.

you even found yourself looking through old posts and articles about the two of you, reminiscing on your time as a fake couple.

it stung knowing it was completely one-sided, and it stung even more knowing you could’ve still had him as a friend if you didn’t stupidly act on impulse.

you saw him here and there entering and leaving the SM building and the two of you would share a polite smile and bow before rushing off.

the response to your breakup announcement was unprecedented, and the amount of people heartbroken for the both of you took you by surprise.

riizeandrealize: ‘love isn’t real after all 💔💔’

y/n4eva: ‘at least we know the new album is gonna hit’

y/ntaro: ‘NOOO MY PARENTS’

tarosho28: ‘awww… so that means shotaro’s single again? 😁’

scrolling through the comments absentmindedly, one in specific caught your attention:

user1129399: ‘she always seemed more into him than he did. he’s probably the one that broke it off’

you felt hot with rage, what does a stupid netizen on the internet know? and why is their comment making you so upset?

maybe because they were partially right. you obviously were more into him or he would’ve been more receptive to your humiliating attempt at a kiss.

your album was set to come out in a week and you had a set track list recorded and ready.

and yet, you felt compelled to add one more song.

you went to work immediately, writing so fast your words were barely legible but you could read it perfectly fine.

you wrote as intensely and specifically as you could about everything—from your first encounter to your last. you tried to keep your other songs vague enough to avoid any suspicion on shotaro’s part about the subject of the lyrics, but you didn’t care anymore.

you were in love with osaki shotaro and you needed to express it in the only way you know how.

“are you insane?” your manager’s voice boomed over the line.

“it’s already recorded, and i have the backing vocals done too. i just need one more day to get the production team together and it’ll be done and ready to add to the album.” you pleaded.

“fine.” he sighed, “this better be worth it.”

“it will be.” at this point you weren’t sure if you were assuring him or yourself.

this was your most personal and emotional piece of work yet, and you were worried shitless about what response it would receive.

luckily for you, it did amazing on the charts and with your fans. in fact, your fanbase almost doubled in size and you were experiencing even more success than you were already.

unluckily for you, you still felt like shit.

your life felt empty without shotaro in it and no amount of fans, cameras, or praise could fill that void.

as you were preparing to go out onto stage for a music show, you ran into a familiar figure heading out of the green room.

of course it was none other than the one person you have been thinking about nonstop for the past month, wrote an entire album about, and the same guy who probably cringes every time he hears it play on the radio.

you gave him a polite smile before rushing towards the hair and makeup room.

“wait. y/n, can we talk real quick?” he began nervously.

fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfu-

“y/n?” he repeated, snapping you back to reality.

“yes. of course.” you responded, trying to sound as collected as possible.

“i-uh listened to your new album. it’s amazing. i loved track 11 the most.” he smiled softly, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

of course you liked that track, it’s obviously about you.

“thanks! is that all?” you rushed, preparing to sprint away at any moment.

“no! honestly, i wanted to apologize for the way things ended.” he confessed,

you knew how this was going to end. he was going to give you some bullshit excuse for ghosting you instead of just telling you he wasn’t interested and waste 5 minutes of your time.

but you don’t have 5 minutes to waste. you need to get up on stage and sing about how bad he hurt you.

pathetic, but at least you’re self aware.

“save it. i know you don’t feel the same way and that’s fine. but you could’ve at least told me. you didn’t have to shut me out, I thought we were friends at the very least.” you exploded, suddenly feeling a burst of adrenaline.

“but y/n-”

“and i’m not in the mood for excuses. you had a month to think of a good excuse but i guess there just isn’t one. you know i just hope you can take this experience and learn to never do this to some other girl because-”

“y/n you’re not listening to me.”

“why should i? you didn’t bother listening to me when i called you all those times. and about track 11, yes it’s about you. the whole fucking album is about you and i bet you already knew that-”

your petty rant was cut short when you felt something press gently against your lips… but he definitely wasn’t kissing you.

oh my god. did he just physically shush me? he carefully removed his finger from it’s place in front of your now-closed lips.

“did you just shush me?! have you lost your damn mind-” you began again,

“y/n!” he practically yelled, now gaining the attention from several staff members.

“i know what i did was shitty and I’m sorry. you’re right, i shouldn’t have ghosted you. but it’s not because i didn’t feel the same way. i’ve loved you for a while now.”

your jaw dropped, along with several eavesdropper’s jaws throughout the now dead-silent hallway.

“i was scared that you didn’t see me in that way but when i found out that you did… i panicked. i was too scared to tell you how i felt and i know i’m an idiot for it.” he looked down. “i’m not going to beg you to take me back or anything, but can we at least go back to the way we were? friends?”

“y/n, you need to get to hair and makeup NOW! you’re running out of time before your performance!” a staff member called out before you could respond, dragging you away.

well great. now you have to pretend everything’s alright and sing a little song on stage when your whole world has been flipped upside down.

as you sat in the makeup chair, you pondered over what would happen if you did agree to start over with shotaro, would you be happy?

before you knew it, you were on stage facing a crowd full of people staring right at you. you usually wouldn’t mind, you’re an idol after all. but the whole situation was just overstimulating you.

luckily the backtrack began playing before you could overthink and you were able to escape from reality for a few minutes to sing and perform.

you missed this feeling. you missed staying up writing, listening proudly to your new music you poured your heart into, and giving your all on stage every performance.

at the end of your song, the crowd erupted into cheers. you looked onto all the banners with your name and face plastered onto them gratefully.

whether you liked it or not, shotaro brought your spark back. yes it caused you immense pain and suffering, but it also gave you moments of joy, including the one you were experiencing right now.

once you wrapped up, you headed backstage, surprised to see shotaro standing by the monitor. was he watching your performance?

“i made up my mind.” you announced, walking up to him.

“are you sure you don’t need more time?” he asked, nervous.

“you’re a dumbass for what you did,” you started, noting how his face fell, “but i’d be an even bigger dumbass to pretend i don’t want to be with you.”

the contagious smile you’re used to seeing slowly reappeared on his face, causing you to slowly smile as well before you quickly corrected yourself.

“but… i want a proper apology. maybe you could give me one at the bakery tomorrow morning?” you mused.

“it’s a date.” he responded warmly.

[workingclasshistory]

On this day, 23 July 1967, one of the biggest rebellions in US history occurred in Detroit, following a police raid on a bar in a poor, majority Black area in the early hours of the morning. Black and white residents fought police in the streets and looted goods while snipers took potshots at officers from windows. Police, National Guard and US troops retaliated with outright brutality and intense violence. By the time it was over, more than 40 people were dead, 7,000 arrested and over 2,000 buildings destroyed. General Baker, a Black auto worker at the Dodge Main assembly plant in Hamtramck said that he and his colleagues "learnt from the Detroit Rebellion… When the Detroit Rebellion took place, and the National Guard and 101st Airborne was sent in, and they imposed curfew, if you got sick, you couldn’t go to the doctor. If you got hungry, you couldn’t get no food. But if you had a badge from Chrysler, Ford or General Motors, you could get to the police line, the National Guard line, the army line, all of them to take your butt to work. The conclusion we draw from that was that the only place in this society that Black people had any value was at a point of production. That’s why after the rebellion, we turned all our efforts into organising inside the plants." The following year, Baker and others formed the Dodge Revolutionary Union Movement (DRUM), part of the League of Revolutionary Black Workers. Learn more about the group in episodes 61-62 of our podcast: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e61-the-league-of-revolutionary-black-workers-in-detroit/ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=666624525510766&set=a.602588028581083&type=3

[moineauz]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐃'𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐗 ( rockin'roll ! )

"and if you don't love me now, you won't ever love me again."

★ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐃'𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐗 / the 70's rock band that took teyvat by storm

ISSUE 01. Everyone knows who The Sunbird's Six were. Their songs revited through the nations: tender and ethereal with each poignant verse. Yet, the group of six showed they could sing verses of ardour while thirsting with unrequited rage that tore souls apart in one sitting. Their debut and only album ‘Vermilion’ was hypnotic and utterly divine. It was a mosaic of winsome pieces that were put together to make one gut-wrenching album that you ultimately ugly cry to.

SO WHO WAS THE SUNBIRD'S SIX? Comprised of four founding members from Mondstadt, one from Snezhnaya, and the other from Fontaine, we get a cast of Teyvat's most talented musicians. Specifically, Diluc Ragnvindr as lead guitarist, songwriter and vocalist and ( Name ) St. Laurent as lead vocalist and songwriter. The duo bewitched the throng and perhaps themselves with both their flaming allure and vocals. Youth of the 70's wanted to become ( Name ) with all her charm and freedom while some fans died to get a strand of Diluc's hair alone. The other members include Jean Gunnhildr on keys, Rosaria on drums, Kaeya Alberich as bass guitarist, and 'Childe' as rhythm guitarist.

ISSUE 02. Yet, as The Sunbirds Six became a renowned household and rock name, their disbandment remains unknown- until now.

★ 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐃𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐗

Kaeya Alberich ( bass guitarist ) : Ha! We were good... too good.

Rosaria ( drummer ) : Back then- things were simpler. You wanted to play? Grab an instrument and fucking play. That was our original motto... until things started getting messy. And by messy I mean Diluc and Childe. Maybe even ( Name ) too. *Sighs* Actually, all of us. But, you can't write an album like 'Vermilion' without going through all that shit.

Jean Gunnhildr ( pianist ) : When the four of us first came together, we were decent. We all loved playing- some more than others- but we were okay! *Smiles slightly* But, if you're going to go beyond the walls of the Ravginder basement- we needed more.

Childe ( rhythm guitarist ) : Do I sit here? *Laughs* Oh okay. When I was invited to join the band- I said, "Okay, my partner will join too." and of course, there was zero objection cause you don't find a musician like ( Name ) anywhere... a small part of me selfishly wishes that she [ ( Name ) ] said no when I asked. *Laughs* But who am I kidding? I'd go through all that again and again... even if it meant dealing with Diluc-

Diluc Ragnvindr ( lead guitarist ) We only needed another vocalist, a female one. So, we found one.

Kaeya : I was the one who told him we needed a female vocalist and I found her and Childe.

Rosaria : Rockin' roll is not serious till you really add whatever emotions ( Name ) had in the mix- and that's exactly what she did.

( Name ) St. Laurent : *Smiles sweetly* It was ugly, so ugly. However, bygones be bygones. It was only rockin' roll.

Diluc : It was not just rockin' roll.

★ ARTISTS AND OTHERS. Diluc Ragnvindr, 'Childe' or Ajax, Jean Gunnhildr, Rosaria, Kaeya Alberich, Zhongli, Lisa, Neuvillette, Albedo Kreideprinz, Xinyan, Pantalone, Rosalyne Lohefalter and more.

UPDATES AND POSTSCRIPT. Updates at least once a week (subjective to change). Female pronouns and vocal references.

SIDE COMMENTS. I love rock so let’s combine both. (If you genuinely understand the song reference in the beginning you are my friend now). Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, Florence Welch, the ambient sounds of the 90’s (Mazzy star and Mojave 3), Daisy Jones & the Six and of course the 70’s. Warnings will be in each chapter.

WHAT DO THEY SOUND LIKE? Here is a playlist of the previous artists and more to give you a feel!

★ 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍 / the album , track 01

expect occasional changes to the track as the story develops

PREFACE — who are you? WILD CHILD — don't stop the music!

Vermilion

Stay Around (or not)

Reverie

Don’t Look Back Now

Runner Up

Tell Me You Love Her

Bright, Young, Woman

The Voices

White Lies

Visceral

Underneath My Skin

Valberry

Gone to Waste

Shoot Your Shot

From Afar

Dawn’s Shadow

In Leather and Faux Fur

Two for Two

My Monoceros Caeli

Deep Six

INWARDS NOT OUT — tell me, how have you been honey?

TAGLIST. @aphrodict @tragedy-of-commons @tipheeweefee @nyoomiin @https-mika @stvrdew @kascar-chronicle if you are interested in becoming part of the taglist, then drop by through an ask!

[formlines]

Medicine Drum

Joe David

from the website: ‘Medicine Drum‘ – The Drum has been part of every culture on earth, prominent at one time or another. For our native people the drum represents the heartbeat. It is believed that the inside of an actual long house represents the inside of a whale. The large beams and planks of wood representing the spine and ribs of a whale, while the drums are considered its heartbeat and the songs represent the spirit of the whale.

Drummers are known to congregate and play individual hand drums together. The use of a single drum was traditionally isolated to a few groups, such as the Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwakiutl), who are known to have used a single wooden plank struck by multiple players. As in other regions, the drum is used to begin and to mark certain points within a song. Some indigenous people of the Northwest Coast utilize the drum to indicate the presence of spirits. For example, a tremolo created by rapidly striking the drumhead can be perceived as an audible manifestation of a spirit being’s presence. Aside from use within the potlatch setting, drums are employed by shamans—powerful individuals who have the ability to move in the liminal space between this world and others, communicating with spirit guides. Many of the musical instruments used on the Northwest Coast can be associated with shamanic practice. Often, a physical representation of a shaman’s spirit guide is carved in the form of a rattle or whistle, as an effigy used to invoke the spirit’s power.

The Native Symbol or Totem Eagle is known as “The master of skies” and is a symbol of great significance. He is believed to be the creature with the closest relationship with the creator. By soaring great heights, he can travel between the physical world and the spiritual world. He is said to be a messenger to the creator. Unlike the raven’s ability to send messages down, the eagle sends messages and prayers to the Creator. If an Eagle was seen during a Prayer session it was a sign of having a prayer accepted If a prayer needed immediate attention from the creator an eagle feather would be held up towards the sky. Although every part of the eagle has separate and significant meanings, the Eagle as a whole signifies focus, great strength, peace, leadership and incredible prestige. The wings of an eagle symbolize the balance and co-dependency between females and males, and how each gender must work unitedly in order to achieve harmonious results. The eagle feather plays a substantial part in religious and shamanic practices and ceremonies. The feathers were only allowed to be worn by people who had earned the privilege. For example warriors that had done extremely well in battles would have a feather rewarded to them. The eagle feather transmits strength; it gives the ability to speak honestly from the heart, without hurt or anger. The middle vane in the feather symbolizes the path that every man walks in their life time, and every barb that comes of the middle vane symbolizes the choices we all have in life, and that every choice we make is attached to the middle or main path that we take. Eagle down is scattered in entrances as a friendly welcome when people of great importance come and it is also often used in dances. Besides being a member of many different clans, every descendant from the Northwest Coast First Nations belongs to either a Raven or Eagle Clan. The membership is always defined by which clan the individuals mother belonged to.

The Moon lightens the darkness of the night and is known as the guardian of the earth at night and the night-time protector of humans. Moon is a symbol of power and was traditionally used to show prestige. Full moons are credited with providing direction, vision and guidance. He signifies height as a sign of status. The Moon has the ability to change our moods and thoughts.

The Moon was the exclusive crest of only a few of the highest ranking chiefs. Northwest coast First Nations legend tells us of the Raven who is said to have released the Moon into the sky. The stars are pieces of the Moon that flung off when Raven threw it into the sky. An eclipse was said to be a Codfish trying to swallow the Moon. In order to prevent this, a bonfire was set with green boughs to add smoke. As people danced ceremonially around the fire, thick smoke rose to the sky causing the codfish to cough and spit out the Moon. When the people saw the Moon appear at the edge of the mountain they would drum to bring the Moon higher into the sky.

[sniperct]

Once again, this is why voting matters, voting will always matter.

A group also already got enough signatures before this ruling to put abortion rights on the ballot in AZ this november.

Abortion, Birth Control, IVF, Surrogacy, the Civil Rights Act and more, its all on the line this year. At the local, state and national level we have to send the Republican Party to the same place the Whigs went: Oblivion.

I have been beating this drum since the 2010 midterm disaster and the Tea Party, and they've only gotten worse since then. They're only going to get worse from here on out.

[daecheonsa]

[ SONG SASUNG ] has seen his face on many lineup speculation threads. Having trained under six previous record labels, Sasung's put his entire youth into trying to make it in the industry, but seems to have been cut without fanfare each time. While a couple of fans have clung onto Sasung, eager to support him from the very beginning of his journey, it's difficult to remain interested with little more than a few selfies, most of which from years ago, to go off of. His inclusion in the WARRIOR performance was met with something akin to humour - he's not seriously still trying, is he?

NAME : Song Sasung. BIRTHDAY : October 13th, 1998. ZODIAC : Libra. HEIGHT : 187cm. NATIONALITY : South Korean. HOMETOWN : Changwon, South Korea. POSITION : Assumed Leader, TBA. (Vocal Line) FC : Nam Yoonsu.

[ OMORI SHOGO ] seems to be a fresh trainee under Ohjang Entertainment - who knew anyone was still stupid enough to sign there? Despite the fact there's not much to dig up on him beyond some old selfies and clips of him singing in choir, Shogo's drummed up the most support of anyone so far; primarily in thanks to hard-carrying the vocal side of the WARRIOR performance. The only member with absolutely no existing preconception, Shogo best represents the potential of the group. In a strange sense, he's the easiest member for fans to invest in, based on all they know. A pretty face and a blank slate, perfect to project boundless expectations upon.

NAME : Omori Shogo. BIRTHDAY : March 30th, 1999. ZODIAC : Aries. HEIGHT : 173cm. NATIONALITY : Japanese. HOMETOWN : Fuefuki, Yamanashi, Japan. POSITION : TBA. (Vocal Line) FC : Hamada Asahi.

[ SHIN HWIHUN ] had his first viral moment at the age of two, smiling wide and waving down the lense of a paparazzi from the hip of his mother, legendary vocalist Na Younghwa, as she hurried past with a baseball cap pulled over her eyes. Inheriting his mother's face and her star quality, the cameras' love for Shin Hwihun could only be rivalled by the people's. There was a quiet expectation for Hwihun to be a star one day; a demand for it, really - until two years ago, when Na Younghwa was found guilty of possessing narcotics. Hwihun found himself viral again when he cropped up in WARRIOR. This time, the tone was different, but the expectation the same; he'd be just like his mother.

NAME : Shin Hwihun. BIRTHDAY : August 8th, 1999. ZODIAC : Leo. HEIGHT : 183cm. NATIONALITY : South Korean. HOMETOWN : Seoul, South Korea. POSITION : TBA. (Vocal Line) FC : Kim Younghoon.

[ GU YONGHYUNG ] has proven the most recently familiar face to be revealed in WARRIOR. in 2019, Yonghyung was revealed to the public as a contestant on the show nextUP, where he served as Ohjang Entertainment's only representative. Yonghyung performed well on the show, staying within the top ten throughout the competition until the final round, where he ranked in 12th, missing out on the opportunity to debut by one place. Still remembered fondly by the shows most avid watchers for his boyish charm, serious approach to music and playful temperament, Yonghyung's taken a handful of small gigs since his stint on the show, including modelling and radio show hosting. Most notably, in 2023, Yonghyung appeared in a BL webseries, giving him one thing none of the other boys can boast: a record of previous employment in the entertainment industry.

NAME : Gu Yonghyung. BIRTHDAY : November 4th, 1999. ZODIAC : Scorpio. HEIGHT : 175cm. NATIONALITY : South Korean. HOMETOWN : Ilsan, South Korea. POSITION : TBA. (Rap Line)  FC : Mark Lee.

[ JUNG KIJUNG ] first appeared online in 2016, only fourteen years old at the time. Kijung grinded away at an underground rap 'career' for four years before he signed to Ohjang Entertainment in 2020. Then, his three mixtapes, countless freestyles and half-finished songs uploaded to Soundcloud, and all video footage of the endless club performances he'd given were silently scrubbed from the internet, the only evidence of his hard work now traded underhandedly via google drive links and discord servers. A small section of Kijung's fanbase survives, but it had been so small to begin with that, until netizens began digging after the WARRIOR video, most people didn't know all of that wasted hard work existed until it was gone.

NAME : Jung Kijung. BIRTHDAY : January 9th, 2002. ZODIAC : Capricorn. HEIGHT : 171cm. NATIONALITY : South Korean. HOMETOWN : Seoul, South Korean.  POSITION : TBA. (Rap Line)  FC : Kwak Jiseok. 

[rushingheadlong]

A (possibly) previously-unseen article about 1984

At least it's new to me :) Very interesting to see the band described as a "psychedelic" group, and there's some nice bits here from Brian and Tim too!

Originally printed in the 17 February 1967 issue of the Middlesex Chronicle. (Open in a new tab for better quality)

Pop Notes by Ray Hammond

(Image caption - The 1984 pop group, left to right: Tim Staffell, Dave Dilloway, Richard Thompson, John Garnham, and Brian May.)

Futuristic group

What will pop music be like in 1984? One group who thinks it has the answer to this question is based in Twickenham and called, of course, "1984".

The group comprises vocalist Tim Staffell, who lives in Teddington, bass man Dave Dilloway, from Whitton, lead guitar Brian (Brimi) May, from Feltham, rhythmist John Garnham, from Teddington, and drummer Richard Thompson, from Hounslow. They are all 19 years old except John, who is 20.

I talked the other evening to the boys about their group, their ideas and their plans for the future. "The psychedelic music is certainly here to stay," said Tim. "It makes more of music than mere sound, it makes it a whole and complete art form."

On stage

The boys told me about their stage performances. Dave said: "We use everything in our act, including things like shaving foam, and plastic bricks that we throw around." Dave, as well as playing bass, also rigs lighting to the group's requirements to provide the "psychedelic experiences".

Although the group have been playing for over a year - is [sic] was founded first at Hampton Grammar School - the boys have only recently had enough experience and equipment to become serious semi-professionals.

Last month the group won an area semi-final at Croydon in a national talent search, and it is now awaiting news of the national winners, who will have the chance of a test recording for a major record company.

There are problems that stand in the way of success though. Four of the group are students and in consequence they have not got unlimited time and money to give to group work. Brian stated his personal ambition as being "able to play well enough to respect ourselves," and while this sentiment is echoed by the rest of the group, it was obvious that big success is the wish of most members.

The boys show their many talents on stage. Brian made his own guitar (the product is amazing. It is in many ways superior to the mass-produced instruments, and has a wiring system that Brian has built and designed). All stage electronics are handled by Dave.

New ideas are always formulating in Tim's mind, although he is keeping quiet about some which he calls "the most revolutionary."

After we had finished chatting, the boys went back to their instruments and gave vent to several numbers.

Treatments

Standards like "Heatwave," receive a very original treatment, mostly due to the sounds that Brian coaxes out of his guitar. Jazz chords and electronic sounds add feeling and nuance to numbers that are often churned out wholesale.

Using two bass drums for a fuller sound, Richard's drumming, combined with the full bass riffs and the steady work of John, provides a firm basis for experiments in sound - an opportunity which is not wasted.

Whatever does happen to pop music in 1984, I hope that the teenagers then will have the chance to hear excitement of the type that is generated by "1984", one of the most forward looking groups today.

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

Zora Arkus Duntov saw a huge problem for GM, due to their lack of participation in the Hot Rodding community in the early 50's.

Check out this letter he wrote on the subject:

TO: Mr Maurice Olly, ADDRESS: Research & Development Section

FROM: Mr Z Arkus-Duntov, ADDRESS: Research & Development Section

DATE: December 16, 1953

SUBJECT: Thoughts Pertaining to Youth, Hot Rodders, and Chevrolet

The Hot Rod movement and interest in things connected with hop-up and speed is still growing. As an indication: the publications devoted to hot rodding and hop-upping, of which some half-dozen have a very large circulation and are distributed nationally, did not exist some six years ago.

From cover to cover, they are full of Fords. This is not surprising that the majority of hot rodders are eating, sleeping, and dreaming modified Fords. They know Ford parts from stern to stern better than Ford people themselves.

A young man buying a magazine for the first time immediately becomes introduced to Ford. It is reasonable to assume that when hot rodders or hot rod-influenced persons buy transportation, they buy Fords. As they progress in age and income, they graduate from jalopies to second-hand Fords, then to new Fords.

Should we consider that it would be desirable to make these youths Chevrolet-minded? I think that we are in a position to carry out a successful attempt. However, there are many factors against us:

Loyalty and experience with Ford.

Hop-up industry is geared with Ford.

Law of numbers: thousands are and will be working on Fords for active competition.

Appearance of Ford’s overhead V-8, now one year ahead of us.

When a superior line of GM V-8s appeared, there where remarkably few attempts to develop these, and none too successful. Also, the appearance of the V-8 Chrysler was met with reluctance even though the success of Ardun-Fords conditioned them to the acceptance of Firepower.

This year is the first one in which isolated Chrysler development met with successes. The Bonneville records are divided between Ardun-Fords and Chryslers.

Like all people, hot rodders are attracted by novelty. However, bitter experience has taught them that new development is costly and long, and therefore they are extremely conservative. From my observation, it takes an advanced hot rodder some three years to stumble toward the successful development of a new design. Overhead Fords will be in this stable between 1956 and 1957.

The slide rule potential of our RPO V-8 engine is extremely high, but to let things run their natural course will put us one year behind – and then not too many hot rodders will pick Chevrolet for development. One factor which can largely overcome this handicap would be the availability of ready-engineered parts for higher output.

If the use of the Chevrolet engine would be made easy and the very first attempts would be crowned with success, the appeal of the new RPO V-8 engine will take hold and not have the stigma of expensiveness like the Cadillac or Chrysler, and a swing to Chevrolet may be anticipated. This means the development of a range of special parts – camshafts, valves, springs, manifolds, pistons, and such – should be made available to the public.

To make good in this field, the RPO parts must pertain not only to the engine but to the chassis components as well. In fact, the use of light alloys and brake development, such as composite drums and discs, are already on the agenda of the Research and Development group.

These thoughts are offered for what they are worth: one man’s thinking aloud on the subject.

Signed,

Zora Arkus-Duntov

December 16, 1953

[couldawouldashoulda50]

Previous Chapters: Chapter One Chapter Two

A/N - To start, I truly appreciate the likes, comments, asks, and reblogs of this story and to anyone who just drops by to have a look. This chapter, which I have aptly named The Filler Chapter, is just that. I hope it helps tie certain parts of the story together. When I started writing this out, I didn't plan out chapters - it was just a long document that I ended up splitting into sections. I tried combining it with the following chapter but the next one is already quite long, as things start to get a little steamier between Loren and William.

No warnings that I can think of - maybe some profanity

Word Count: 2.6k

The next morning, Loren's alarm clock blared the repetitive, high-decibel beeping sound at 6:30. She slapped the snooze button, cursing at herself for not adjusting the alarm to later in the morning. Loren was facing a double shift at the group home on this particular Saturday, and she grumbled at the thought that she could have gotten, (and could have used) a few additional hours of sleep.

As Loren lay in bed, falling back to sleep proved futile due to the millions of things on her to-do list flashing through her head. As grumpy as she initially felt waking up early, the extra time allowed for a little more self-care, helping her ease into her workday.

Loren gradually rose and stretched as she walked into the bathroom. She went about her standard routine, feeling more alive and alert by the minute. She glanced out the bathroom window and although the weather seemed dreary and overcast, it was perfect for a relaxed Saturday morning to do something or nothing at all.

It felt like a good day. Loren felt light, happy, and truly grateful for everything she had.

Putting on the same cozy clothing from the night before, her memory suddenly flashed back to the previous day’s events and last evening's exchange with William.

Standing in the middle of her bedroom, Loren half groaned and half giggled recalling the conversation. She covered her face with her hands when she remembered certain parts of the conversation where she may have sounded more flirtatious than innocent. Between the wine, her tiredness, the adrenaline and giddiness while talking with William, Loren worried if her loose tongue and unfiltered words gave William an inaccurate perception of her.

Loren shook her head to release those thoughts from her mind. Regardless of whether she made a good impression or not - even how enjoyable the conversation was - William was extraordinarily popular throughout all of Leafs Nation, and likely had no time for the likes of her.

Once she finished making her bed, Loren grabbed her phone from her bedside table and made her way down the staircase towards her kitchen. Swiping the lock screen, she opened her text notifications and her heart nearly stopped when she saw William’s name.

Loren re-read both of William’s messages he sent the night before over and over again. Her mind was completely clouded in disbelief that he had actually reached out to her, asking when she might be free to get together.

She took a deep breath and looked at her shift calendar for the next two weeks, and much to her surprise, she had two days off in a row the following week.

Loren could hear the drum of her pulse in her ears as she typed in her text response to William, tapping send before she could talk herself out of replying. She tucked her phone out of sight inside a drawer in an attempt to avoid fixating on it.

She made herself a coffee and escaped into the larger TV room next to the kitchen. Loren figured if she wasn’t in close proximity of her phone, the distance would make her forget about the torture of waiting for a response. She mentally planned out the next few hours in her mind and then pressed ‘resume’ on the golf documentary that her dad suggested she watch.

Loren began to relax as she immersed herself into the Netflix program, but every so often, her mind would flash an image of William. She felt ridiculous as her stomach flipped at the thought of him. It had been such a long time since Loren had even thought about dating, and she felt completely out of practice. She tried to stay calm but as the day went on without hearing from him, she reminded herself to stay cool and detached, even though it was difficult not to allow her mind to wander back to him.

Later that day well into her first shift, Loren had all but forgotten about William or text messages or anything else to do with the world outside of the group home. As she set up the checkerboard for a few rounds with Gary, her phone vibrated on the kitchen counter. She rounded the table and told Gary she would make him tea as she entered the kitchen and grabbed her phone.

She couldn’t help but to smile widely at the text response from William. She could feel her body react to seeing his name on the screen; her cheeks felt white-hot as jolts of adrenaline travelled through her.

ok - perfect. let's say Thursday at 2 near my place. i'll send you the address

Loren held her breath and hoped her cheerful text message hid how excited (and confused) she really felt. After another quick exchange, William said he needed to get ready to leave, and asked if Loren would be catching the annual St. Pats game that night against Carolina.

She smiled and let out a tiny giggle, responding that she and Gary would be watching, and they would cheer as loud as anyone at ScotiaBank Arena. After Loren wished him a good game, she let out a long exhale and placed her phone down so she could wave some air towards her burning face.

Gary called out from the other side of the wall and grumbled that she was taking too long and he would die of old age before she got him his tea. Loren stepped up her pace and within seconds slid Gary's favourite mug in front of him. Loren grinned as she sat down beside him.

“Thank you, Loren” Loren chimed with sarcasm toward Gary’s unimpressed expression.

“Whaddy'a want, a medal? And stop being so chipper. It's annoying me,” Gary replied, making fun of Loren and her happy mood.

“OK you, let's just play checkers…prepare for an ass-whoopin’,” Loren said, feeling a bit smarmy.

Gary won every single game and he wasted no time in roasting Loren for playing so poorly. As the afternoon turned into evening, Loren positioned Gary in front of the TV for the Leafs game as she did every Saturday throughout the season. Gary was particularly excited watching the team come onto the ice for warm-ups since Loren had told him how popular he was with the players.

The Leafs began a scoring barrage in the second period, with one being a breakaway goal by William. Unfortunately, the Hurricanes pushed the game into overtime, and the Leafs succumbed to Carolina in a shoot-out.

With all the residents in bed and the initial overnight checklist completed, Loren stretched out on her makeshift bed for the sleep portion of the shift. She pulled up the post game media scrum on her phone and when William appeared bare chested and sweaty in the green ‘TORONTO’ cap, Loren let out a low and audible “holy fuck” as she watched William interact with the media.

After watching the presser, Loren continued to replay William’s interview several more times. She just couldn’t help looking at his face - his body…. and his chest hair.

As she turned her phone over and closed her eyes, the sting of negative thoughts bounced around in her head.

Get a grip Loren. That’s William fucking Nylander…a lot can happen before meeting him next week. He may just forget about you altogether….you cannot think you’re the only girl he’s talking to.

Instead of listening to the noise inside her head, she sent William a short text applauding his impressive goal, and even jokingly calling him out on his shirtless appearances, and that he had to know what a frenzy that puts his fans in.

Much to Loren’s surprise, William responded - he got the joke but teasingly responded that he has no idea what she’s talking about. The texting and banter ensued into the early morning hours, and reached into the days that followed. With a quick road trip to Philadelphia and Washington, Loren and William kept each other company from time to time during the odd hours that they found each other to be awake. As time went on, their quick chats often turned into long conversations, causing William to arrive late to the bus just minutes before it left without him.

In the days leading up to Loren’s get together with William, Kathy, her long-time coworker turned friend, noticed a marked change in Loren’s mood. Kathy remained silent as she watched Loren seemingly float and glide around the house as she completed all the daily tasks assigned to her.

Loren had always been pleasant, friendly, and easy to be around. However, Kathy always noticed, since their first shift together years ago, Loren’s shoulders were tense and weighted down, burdened with mistakes from her past.

Kathy could see something was definitely different with Loren.

As such, on their first shift together since the skate event, Kathy waited for the opportune moment to pry more information out of Loren. For their break, the women stepped outside into the damp and cold March morning with their hot coffees in hand. Kathy pulled out a cigarette and flicked her zippo in a quick motion, lit her smoke and took a long draw from the white filter. Both women shuddered from the frigid breeze and Loren wondered to herself why she continued the habit of accompanying Kathy outside for her smoke break, especially in the freezing temperatures.

“So….haven’t seen or talked to you in a few days. How is everything?” Kathy asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

Shit - her radar’s up Loren thought to herself.

Loren shrugged her shoulders. “Everything’s pretty good…and you?” Loren replied, trying her best to redirect the Q&A back to Kathy.

Kathy rocked back and forth on her heels, exhaling a massive plume of smoke into the air.

“Nothing new with me - I’m good, hubby’s still alive…same old story,” Kathy said with a slight smirk, not allowing her gaze to stray away from Loren’s face.

Loren looked back at Kathy as silence hung in the air.

Kathy ran her tongue along her teeth, trying not to smile. Loren turned her head as she tried to stifle the smile that threatened to form.

“Look, you might as well just tell me what’s going on…I can see it. Even Gary can see it…”, Kathy replied with an air of confidence.

“See what?” Loren said, with a hint of defensiveness. She had not breathed a word to anyone about interacting with William. She felt she needed to covet that information, otherwise she was sure the whole meeting up thing with William would either blow up in her face or not happen at all.

“You just seem lighter - happier even. You’re a doll and I love you, but I’ve only ever seen you in whatever it’s called…self-preservation mode. Like you’re always got a distance about you…like there’s always a layer of sadness hovering over you,” Kathy said affectionately.

If Loren knew anything, she knew Kathy could draw water from a stone if she put her mind to it. She finally relented and explained that she and William had been talking since they first met, and she was heading into the city on her day off to spend some time together.

Kathy’s expression was a mix between mild excitement and a faint “I told you so”, when she reminded Loren that she had called it last week about her finding a hot-hockey husband.

“Whatever - Jesus, Kathy…,” Loren chuckled as tried to shake off the nerves that had settled into her stomach once again. “That’s never going to happen.”

◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈

Wednesday was the last day of the Leafs road trip ending in Washington. Although the conversations had been sporadic, William made sure he reconfirmed that Loren was still able to get together the following day.

Leading up to that same day, Loren had worked extra hours covering more shifts than originally scheduled due to a co-worker’s illness.  After a long and grueling week, Loren arrived home, flopped onto her mattress and with her clothes still on, she fell into a deep sleep on Wednesday evening.

Thursday morning, she awoke feeling rested and energized.  However, the nerves about Loren's upcoming afternoon with the Swedish hockey player had settled in, making her stomach feel upside down.  She went about her morning routine, but with her stomach in knots, she had completely lost her appetite.  She settled on a piece of dry rye toast and ginger tea to try and calm her insides.

She clasped onto the warm mug of tea with both hands, and paced around the silent rooms in her abode, thinking how time seemed to be ticking by torturously slow.

Annoyed with herself, Loren decided she had enough of the nerves and the twisted feeling in her abdomen.  She bounded upstairs to her bedroom, quickly changed into her warmest attire, grabbed her phone and her earbuds and left the house.  Once outside, it was sheer adrenaline that propelled her fast pace as she walked through her neighbourhood.

Walking along the streets lined with trees still barren from winter, Loren reflected on her journey to her current place in life, as she often did while exercising.

Loren’s pace matched the brisk, increasing wind speed of that spring morning. Winter had crept back into the southern part of the province overnight, and the morning wind chill hovered around minus seventeen degrees Celsius. Knowing she was meeting William outdoors for a walk with the dogs, she mentally selected each layer of clothing that she would wear to avoid freezing in such cold temperatures.

For all she knew, things might not go well. It might just be a quick walk with the dogs and then she heads home. Maybe the connection she and William had felt was fleeting and would evaporate once they met in person again.

When Loren had returned home from her walk, she decided she would simply get herself ready and begin the trek midtown to William’s affluent neighbourhood of Yorkville.  Loren had never been to the trendy area before and only had online searches for parking lots and directions to guide her. She didn't mind arriving long before William, calculating that she would get to their meeting spot at least an hour early, depending on traffic. Loren thought to herself that could use the extra time to calm her nerves. But then again, she knew the moment she spots William, her insides will crumble.

She pinned the sides of her long, layered hair up which showcased the warm caramel and blonde highlights against her rich brunette hair colour.  She rummaged through her seasonal drawer for an extra thick pair of mittens and a secondary pair of gloves, a thick knit scarf and matching toque, given to her as another Christmas gift.

She smiled at her reflection, Loren began to feel a little more confident. She no longer felt the same nerves that had been plaguing her earlier that morning.  Loren reminded herself she was not trying to impress or convince William that she's worthy of his company.  She just hoped they'll have fun and spend an enjoyable afternoon together.

After all, with everything she survived in previous years, meeting a player from the Maple Leafs should be a breeze. Loren managed her little world just fine (despite the low points where tears and exhaustion prevailed).  She found a world full of many women that work tirelessly at multiple jobs to make ends meet, rising above adversity everyday .  Loren learned from this collective of women and was grateful that had begun to rebuild herself into a solidly, independent person.

Loren pulled out of her driveway and ventured south on the busy Toronto-bound highway.  Win, lose or draw, it was bound to be an afternoon Loren would not soon forget.

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus - Old Town Road 2019

"Old Town Road" is the debut mainstream single by American rapper Lil Nas X, first released independently in December 2018. After gaining popularity, the single was re-released in March 2019. The rapper also recorded a remix with American country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, which was released on April 5, 2019. Both were included on Lil Nas X's second EP, 7 (2019). Dutch record producer YoungKio composed the instrumental and made it available for purchase online in 2018. It features a sample of "34 Ghosts IV" by the American industrial rockband Nine Inch Nails. The sample was placed behind trap-style Roland TR-808 drums and bass. Lil Nas X purchased the instrumental for US$30 and recorded "Old Town Road" in one day.

The song reached number 19 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart before the magazine disqualified it from the chart on the grounds that it did not "fit" the genre, sparking a debate on what constitutes the "definition" of country music. Though "Old Town Road" did not re-enter any country charts, both versions of the song collectively peaked at number 1 on the main Billboard Hot 100, remaining at the top for a record-breaking 19 consecutive weeks; the remix peaked at number 50 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart. "Old Town Road"'s overall run at number one is the longest in chart history, surpassing the previous record of sixteen weeks achieved by both "One Sweet Day" (poll #296) and "Despacito". One or more versions of "Old Town Road" have topped the national singles charts in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the UK, and have charted in the top 10 in various other international markets.

The song was certified diamond by the RIAA in October 2019 for selling 10 million total units in the US, the fastest song to be certified diamond. At the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, the remix featuring Billy Ray Cyrus was nominated for Record of the Year and won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Music Video. In September 2021, the song set the record for the second-highest certified song in history by the RIAA, at 16× platinum in the US - meaning it accumulated 16 million equivalent song units. The single has sold over 18 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.

"Old Town Road" received a total of 80,6% yes votes!

[thebrickinbrick]

Disorder a Partisan of Order

Bossuet muttered in Combeferre’s ear:

“He did not answer my question.”

“He is a man who does good by gun-shots,” said Combeferre.

Those who have preserved some memory of this already distant epoch know that the National Guard from the suburbs was valiant against insurrections. It was particularly zealous and intrepid in the days of June, 1832. A certain good dram-shop keeper of Pantin des Vertus or la Cunette, whose “establishment” had been closed by the riots, became leonine at the sight of his deserted dance-hall, and got himself killed to preserve the order represented by a tea-garden. In that bourgeois and heroic time, in the presence of ideas which had their knights, interests had their paladins. The prosiness of the originators detracted nothing from the bravery of the movement. The diminution of a pile of crowns made bankers sing the Marseillaise. They shed their blood lyrically for the counting-house; and they defended the shop, that immense diminutive of the fatherland, with Lacedæmonian enthusiasm.

At bottom, we will observe, there was nothing in all this that was not extremely serious. It was social elements entering into strife, while awaiting the day when they should enter into equilibrium.

Another sign of the times was the anarchy mingled with governmentalism [the barbarous name of the correct party]. People were for order in combination with lack of discipline.

The drum suddenly beat capricious calls, at the command of such or such a Colonel of the National Guard; such and such a captain went into action through inspiration; such and such National Guardsmen fought, “for an idea,” and on their own account. At critical moments, on “days” they took counsel less of their leaders than of their instincts. There existed in the army of order, veritable guerilleros, some of the sword, like Fannicot, others of the pen, like Henri Fonfrède.

Civilization, unfortunately, represented at this epoch rather by an aggregation of interests than by a group of principles, was or thought itself, in peril; it set up the cry of alarm; each, constituting himself a centre, defended it, succored it, and protected it with his own head; and the first comer took it upon himself to save society.

Zeal sometimes proceeded to extermination. A platoon of the National Guard would constitute itself on its own authority a private council of war, and judge and execute a captured insurgent in five minutes. It was an improvisation of this sort that had slain Jean Prouvaire. Fierce Lynch law, with which no one party had any right to reproach the rest, for it has been applied by the Republic in America, as well as by the monarchy in Europe. This Lynch law was complicated with mistakes. On one day of rioting, a young poet, named Paul Aimé Garnier, was pursued in the Place Royale, with a bayonet at his loins, and only escaped by taking refuge under the porte-cochère of No. 6. They shouted:—“There’s another of those Saint-Simonians!” and they wanted to kill him. Now, he had under his arm a volume of the memoirs of the Duc de Saint-Simon. A National Guard had read the words Saint-Simon on the book, and had shouted: “Death!”

On the 6th of June, 1832, a company of the National Guards from the suburbs, commanded by the Captain Fannicot, above mentioned, had itself decimated in the Rue de la Chanvrerie out of caprice and its own good pleasure.

This fact, singular though it may seem, was proved at the judicial investigation opened in consequence of the insurrection of 1832. Captain Fannicot, a bold and impatient bourgeois, a sort of condottiere of the order of those whom we have just characterized, a fanatical and intractable governmentalist, could not resist the temptation to fire prematurely, and the ambition of capturing the barricade alone and unaided, that is to say, with his company. Exasperated by the successive apparition of the red flag and the old coat which he took for the black flag, he loudly blamed the generals and chiefs of the corps, who were holding council and did not think that the moment for the decisive assault had arrived, and who were allowing “the insurrection to fry in its own fat,” to use the celebrated expression of one of them. For his part, he thought the barricade ripe, and as that which is ripe ought to fall, he made the attempt.

He commanded men as resolute as himself, “raging fellows,” as a witness said. His company, the same which had shot Jean Prouvaire the poet, was the first of the battalion posted at the angle of the street. At the moment when they were least expecting it, the captain launched his men against the barricade. This movement, executed with more good will than strategy, cost the Fannicot company dear. Before it had traversed two thirds of the street it was received by a general discharge from the barricade.

Four, the most audacious, who were running on in front, were mown down point-blank at the very foot of the redoubt, and this courageous throng of National Guards, very brave men but lacking in military tenacity, were forced to fall back, after some hesitation, leaving fifteen corpses on the pavement.

This momentary hesitation gave the insurgents time to re-load their weapons, and a second and very destructive discharge struck the company before it could regain the corner of the street, its shelter. A moment more, and it was caught between two fires, and it received the volley from the battery piece which, not having received the order, had not discontinued its firing.

The intrepid and imprudent Fannicot was one of the dead from this grape-shot. He was killed by the cannon, that is to say, by order.

This attack, which was more furious than serious, irritated Enjolras.—“The fools!” said he. “They are getting their own men killed and they are using up our ammunition for nothing.”

Enjolras spoke like the real general of insurrection which he was. Insurrection and repression do not fight with equal weapons. Insurrection, which is speedily exhausted, has only a certain number of shots to fire and a certain number of combatants to expend. An empty cartridge-box, a man killed, cannot be replaced. As repression has the army, it does not count its men, and, as it has Vincennes, it does not count its shots. Repression has as many regiments as the barricade has men, and as many arsenals as the barricade has cartridge-boxes. Thus they are struggles of one against a hundred, which always end in crushing the barricade; unless the revolution, uprising suddenly, flings into the balance its flaming archangel’s sword. This does happen sometimes. Then everything rises, the pavements begin to seethe, popular redoubts abound. Paris quivers supremely, the quid divinum is given forth, a 10th of August is in the air, a 29th of July is in the air, a wonderful light appears, the yawning maw of force draws back, and the army, that lion, sees before it, erect and tranquil, that prophet, France.

[lifeofclonewars]

Not a band kid but want to read the Marching AU?

Then I’ve got the post for you! This one! Here’s what marching band/DCI is all about in the simplest terms I can put it aka its time to channel my inner High Brass Section Leader During the First Week of Band Camp again. Also I'll try not to infodump too much, oops. I can guarantee it'll be long, though.

People who do know instruments and are looking at this for fun, enjoy. But be aware that I'm taking this simply so I may describe things in a way you disagree with.

First things first! What is marching band?

Marching band is a group of people who decided it would be cool to walk in a certain way so they could play their instruments and make shapes on the field, lol. If you've ever been to a football game, they're the musicians who go on the field during half time.

It has its roots in military bands, thus the uniforms looking the way they do and marching in time and always starting marching with your left foot. Bands have played for football teams for ages and the early 1900s was about the time they started to make shapes while they played.

Many high school marching bands compete against each other. Yes, there are even state and national level competitions! Other high schools just do "show bands" aka they don't compete, might go to some festivals, and are mainly there to help the crowd have fun. They also tend to be at least a smidge more relaxed than competition bands can be.

All bands involve a variety of wind instruments and a drumline. Many bands also have a colorguard and/or drill team that performs with them. More on them later.

DCI

DCI stands for Drum Corps International. A drum corps is a marching band with just brass instruments and percussion. DCI also has color guard members. Sorry, woodwinds. Specifically, DCI is an organization that has a variety of bands all across the USA. Throughout the summer, they put together marching shows and compete against each other. The season ends with nationals to see who did the best that year. It's an intense program, involving "touring" around to various competitions and quite literally eating, breathing, sleeping marching band. They actually have an age cap at 21 but if people, say, 22 or older wanted to keep marching there's the DCA which is similar but not the same.

(They've got a website and there's plenty of YouTube videos out there if you're interested in learning even more!)

Who's Who?

Band Director

The person in charge. They're the one that decides what the band will be doing and when. They teach music and marching and everything else in between. They delegate a lot of things to the band leadership (aka the people below).

Drum Majors

The people out there waving their arms. They're conducting the music to help keep the band together as well as marching at the right speed. They also help teach things and check that things look good. They don't march on the field itself, usually, though stuff they do can be involved in the show. The thing they stand on is called a podium.

Section Leaders

Each type of instrument is called a section. Section leaders guide the other people playing the same instrument as them. They will hand out papers, help demonstrate what the band director and drum majors are saying, run sectionals (aka moments where the band divides up into instruments to practice) and so on. They do a lot to help boost morale. Also, they're usually in charge of attendance, lol.

Squad Leaders

If there's a lot of people like in my college's band, sections might be split further into squads. In the case of my school, squad leaders help make sure everyone feels included. They also help pass out papers the section leader hands to them, run parts of sectionals, and help demonstrate. One of them will step up if the section leader is out of commission temporarily.

Marchers

A marcher is just another term for someone in the band who's out there performing. Since they're not, ya know, conducting with the drum majors or anything. Section and squad leaders are marchers with additional duties, basically.

How To March

Roll-stepping

Remember how I said marching bands step a certain way? That's called roll-stepping. Basically, it involves pointing your toes high so your heel hits the ground first. Then you "roll" your foot until your toes come off the ground. Repeat with the next foot. This is how bands can play without the music sounding like everyone's walking around.

Rollsteps come in a variety of sizes, the most common being an 8 to 5. That just means it takes 8 steps to get 5 yards, since 8 counts are common in music and there's 5 yard lines all over the football field. Roll-stepping also involves your feet hitting the ground at the correct time and on the right foot. Don't worry, it soon becomes second nature and you don't even have to think about it as you learn a new show.

There's also a fancy thing called a jazz run. I never learned how to do it in HS but I know it exists. It's a way to run while marching. Trust me. It's basically running on your toes and making sure the top half of your body doesn't bounce too much.

Where To Go

You might be thinking, "Okay, cool, I now kinda know how they march. But how do they know where to go?" Great question! Band directors have sheets of paper that are designed to look like the football field. On it, it has where everyone is supposed to be, how long in the music it'll take to get there, and so on. This is called a drill chart/sheet. These are given to the drum majors and section leaders as well, so they can help people find where they need to go.

Each marcher is assigned a designation based on their instrument. For example, I am T11 this year. This means that I am the 11th trumpet player. (For reference, we go to T39 this year.) The person to my right when we make a square might be T13, since they try to keep instruments in the relatively same spot.

That's not always the case, though! During our pregame show (aka when we play the fight song and the Banner and all that since this is a college marching band), I'm between H4 (H as in French horn) and R8 (R for trombone since the trumpets took T). So on and so forth with the rest of the instruments.

There's a sheet of paper for each shape made on the field until the entire show is clear. Marchers get a condensed version of this called a "dot/coordinate sheet" (since each spot you have on the field is a "dot" since that's what you look like from far away). Dot sheets only have your dots on them, though they do have how long each move is. You practice with help from the dot sheets until you memorize where you need to go and don't need to reference it as much anymore.

Different Directions

I'm gonna keep this one as simple as possible. There are ways to stand so you can still face front while moving sideways. You can also move backwards in a variety of ways. Some of these involve rollstepping while going backwards. Others involve being on the platforms of your feet. Either works, but it depends on the band director's opinion for which one a band will use. The main goal is to always face front, unless...

Direction of Travel Marching

Sometimes a move will be "d.o.t." (not to be confused with a dot). This just means that, instead of facing front, you face the directon you're going. At the end of this move, the marcher faces front again and continues on as normal.

If a d.o.t. move is particularly long, a single drum major will usually be on the back sideline to help everyone stay on beat. The other drum major(s) will stay in the front for when everyone moves back.

Music

Marching bands can play all kinds of music. I've done classical, jazz, rap, pop, rock, salsa, 80s hits, and more. Usually, you don't see a marching band have music on them as they perform on the field. At certain points while practicing, they will! Almost all music performed is memorized, but while learning dots, a marcher will have something called a lyre. This is a little folder that holds the music and attaches to the instrument. This allows them to write notes to help them remember where to go and when.

Basic Field Things

The side you're playing towards is called the front sideline. The other one is called the back sideline or back field. If you're gonna face the endzones, most band directors just say "face the endzones." There are also marks where they set the footballs to begin play. These are called hash marks. They're used to figure out where you stand, but otherwise aren't really relevant.

Instruments

Instruments used in marching band aren’t the same as the ones used for concert band. As I said, Drum Corps are made of brass, percussion, and color guard. Marching bands, on the other hand, also include woodwinds. The Marching AU is a sort of mix between both a drum corp and marching band organization, so it’s based on my experiences in marching band but set up with as much of my knowledge of drum corps as it can be.

In other words, it’s mainly based on what I’ve experienced but it’s only brass, percussion, and guard, no woodwinds. Sorry to everyone who wanted to see their fave play a woodwind in this AU. It's unfortunately not happening.

Brass Instruments

High Brass

High brass is called as such because they have higher ranges of notes they can play in the overall scheme of things. This is similar to violins, sopranos and tenors, and flutes, just specifically within the brass section.

Trumpet

Alright, we’re starting off with the instrument I play for marching band (no this isn’t biased, what are you talking about).

Here's a cropped version of me holding mine during a game day section group pic. Don't mind the scribbled out school logo:

Trumpets often are given the melody of the song, though they are sometimes given accompanying parts (like if you're playing a song that's on the radio that uses trumpets for small fanfares, you bet you're gonna be playing the fanfare instead of the melody for that song). Trumpets are easy to hear amongst the band since they are bright and high. I love it but some people are a lil biased against us because certain people really love playing high every chance they get.

Marching French Horn/Mellophone

Fun fact! I also play the French horn for concert band. However, for marching band, things are a little bit different. French horns, normally, have the horn face the back. But when you're on a football field, you need it to face to front. As a result, they made a type of French horn that faces the front to march with! A mellophone can also be used. For the sake of simplicity, they are pretty much the same, you just use different types of mouthpieces, amongst a few other small differences.

Bands who don't have marching French horns have mellophones and they sound very similar. They are good blending instruments aka they can play at the same time as a variety of instruments. French horns are grouped with high brass because they can play high, though they also could fit in with the low brass, depending on the song.

John Williams likes to use a lot of horn in his pieces, and not just as off-beats or long tones (what we normally get). Horn players like John Williams :)

Low Brass

Similarly to how high brass plays high, low brass is made up of instruments that play on the lower end of the range. In orchestras, instruments with similar ranges are cellos and basses. For voices, this is like altos and (also) basses.

Baritone

In concert band, we have something called a euphonium. It looks like a mini-tuba, in a sense. (Tuba and euphonium players, pls don't @ me.) Baritones are essentially the marching version of a euphonium. Or at least that's how it was explained to me. This is what it looks like:

Much like a marching French horn, the bell is facing front instead of a different direction (up in this case). Also, this picture makes it look small. It is not. It is twice as tall as a trumpet and twice as heavy. Sometimes they get the melody, but when they do, it can be tied to the rest of the low brass. They often play various accompanying parts or long notes.

Trombone

Trombones! The only brass instrument with one giant slide instead of valves (aka the button things) to press. They're pretty cool. Often, when the low brass gets the melody, these guys are loud and ready. They also play a lot of accompanying parts and long notes. They also have the ability to do something fun called a glissando which is kinda like when you brush your hand up and down a piano except it's a wind instrument.

These peeps also get to do something fun called a trombone suicide, on occasion. Don't worry, the goal is that nobody actually dies. It's just a cool trick that involves bending and twisting over each others' heads to wow people. I'm not describing it very well. Here's a link to CSU doing it about a decade ago to help: here.

Contra

The most massive instrument you'll ever see on a football field: a contrabass bugle aka the marching tuba aka a contra. These things are MASSIVE. Imagine a tuba. Now imagine carrying it all on one shoulder while marching. Boom. One of the most impressive things you'll ever witness and they're not even marching yet.

(This is the contra section from 2013 Carolina Crown aka one of the DCI corps.)

Many bands opt for sousaphones instead. They're the tubas that wrap around your body. Both my high school and college use them. But DCI uses contras, so this AU has contras. Go them! Much like the rest of low brass, expect them to be loud and excited when they get the melody. You can only play so many long notes before you go crazy. They deserve it.

Percussion

Percussion is split into two groups: drumline and pit. Some bands don't have a pit (like my high school). Most do, though, and we'll include them in this AU.

Drumline

For some reason, the most popular part of the band. Like, no matter what, if the drumline performs, the crowd goes crazy, even if they slept through the halftime show. Idk, it's odd to me. But drumline members are pretty cool.

There are multiple types of drums in a drumline: bass, snare, tenor/quads. There are also cymbal players. Basses are the only ones that come in different sizes. They also make slightly different pitches.

Drumline's main job is to help keep the band on beat and also to sound really super cool. They also get to do fun tricks with their sticks (or with the cymbals) because their instruments are attached to a harness that lets them use both their arms to play.

Pit

Ah, the pit. Sometimes also known as the front ensemble. The people in the marching band who are playing instrument but not doing any marching. Gotta love them. They play a variety of instruments you usually see in a concert band. Most of them tend to be mallet instruments (aka things like marimbas or xylophones or vibes).

Many DCI shows will have a drumline and a pit feature (whether or not those are separate depends) because they're that cool. Sometimes, they bring in instruments not usually used in pit for added affect like electric guitars or recorders.

Here's the Bluecoats pit performing off-field. It looks pretty much the same thing on field, just with the rest of the band behind them.

Color Guard

Have you ever noticed people waving flags around on the field? That's the color guard! That's pretty simply what they do: dance and march with flags to the music the band plays. They can also use a variety of other things like sabres (aka fake swords), rifles (also fake, lol), ribbons, hula hoops, and whatever else the color guard director desires.

Sometimes instead of a color guard, there's a drill team. This just means a dance team that may or may not use pom poms. Other times, the color guard itself dances to the music. They are given additional roles to unfurl giant flags over the band at times and add a lot to the show.

(For one of my favorite guard performances, check out Drum Corpse Bride by The Academy. Here's a bad action shot of it:)

and now, onto...

Uniforms

Most band uniforms are pretty forward, even if they have silly names. You always have a base layer. This is usually something everyone has access to, such as a band shirt (that may or may not showcase that year's show) and some sort of shorts or pants.

Then comes the pants. Fun fact! They're actually overall-like things, and they're called bibbers. They usually zip in the front and have adjustable leg lengths.

Then comes the jacket. Pretty straight forward. Zippers are often hidden and depending on how complicated the zippers and various clasps to keep it closed and tidy are on it depends on how likely you are to need someone to help you zip up.

Many bands put pieces of fabric on the arms of the uniform over the jacket. These are called gauntlets. Yes, like the armor piece. Vague military history and all that. All bands will use gloves as well.

Next comes the hat. It's called a shako and the feathers that stick out of it are called a plume. The plume is detachable, so you can wear the shako without it. All hair must be tucked into the shako at all times it is worn. Don't worry, there's an adjustable string inside to help it stay on your head properly and find the room for hair. There's also an adjustable chin strap.

Marching shoes do indeed exist. They have a rounded heel to help you (supposedly) roll step better. They're very durable since they have to go through a lot, lol. When practicing, marchers just use tennis shoes, though.

Some uniforms have capes that'll attach. Others will have shakos that look more like helmets than hats. It all depends! That's the fun part. Drum major uniforms will also look different than the bands' uniforms. Often, this is with the color of the bibbers, but not always.

Color Guard uniforms are a lot like dance costumes, in a sense, with leggings. They can also use a type of marching shoe or jazz shoes. Their uniform will either match the show's theme or look similar to the band's uniform.

This is the Sand Torrents' uniform. It's pretty standard for a marching uniform. If you'd like to check out the shako and/or the rest of the uniforms in this AU, check under the marching au tag!

Miscellaneous Band and Music Terms

Call Time: The time you're expected to be there. For rehearsals, this usually means ready to begin warmups on the field. For performances, this usually means in full uniform

Drill: When used as "the drill" this just means the show and the specifics within it. Could also be used to refer to the drill chart. It depends on context

Visuals: Any fancy stuff added to the drill. This could be lunges, dancing, horn flashes (aka moving your instrument to a different angle) and so on

Horn angle: Instruments must be held at 10 degrees above parallel to help the sound travel better

Block: To be in block means to spread out on the yard lines to go over basics

Basics: Quite literally the basic skills of marching. These can be used as warm ups once they've been mastered. They're used to help make sure step sizes are right, that everyone remembers how to do different moves correctly and so on

Slides: How you stay facing front while marching sideways

Cleaning the drill: Making sure everyone's marching is looking good and making the shapes its supposed to

Parade Rest: Much like military parade rest, not quite attention but not at ease.

Attention: Ready to play at a moment's notice. This involves the top of wind instruments being perpendicular to the ground and hands in position to play

->->->->Without instruments, attention is having your right hand over your left with your arms at a 90 degree angle. This is how you march when you're learning the show without your instrument yet.

Horns Up: Bringing the instruments up into playing position

Horns Down: Bringing the instruments down from playing position and back into attention

Relax/At Ease: No longer being obligated to stand at parade rest or attention. Do whatever you want (within reason... please pay attention).

Competitions: Much like competitions for other events, bands are judged and given feedback. Awards are usually given for best overall, best sound, best marching, best drumline, and best color guard

Rehearsal: Practice time :)

Set: A lowkey way to call the band to attention ("You should be set"). OR the movement from one place on the field to another. Basically, a subset of the music

And that's everything! Thank you for reading this gigantic article of a post. Hopefully that'll be enough to get you through the Marching AU with some knowledge! And don't worry, it's not a quiz -- you can always refer back to this as you read.

If you have any further questions, feel free to ask! Whether as a comment, a legit ask, or a dm, I am always down to answer questions about marching band!

[en-girls]

ENGIRLS, also known as ENHYPEN GIRLS (엔하이픈 소녀들), is a fictional sub-unit of the ten-member co-ed group, ENHYPEN, which was formed through the survival show, I-LAND. The unit consists of the three female members of the group: Aiko, Blake, and Ruruka. They debuted on November 30th, 2020, with the song, 'Really Bad Boy,' as a part of ENHYPEN's debut EP, 'BORDER: DAY ONE.'

Despite their victory on I-LAND, ENGIRLS had a challenging debut because they were the only three girls out of the twenty-four female contestants to make it to the debuting team. Many fans, international and domestic, accused MNET of voting manipulation or stated that they should have debuted an all-boy group by choosing three other male contestants to take their place. This only increased when their debut EP was released, and they were introduced as a sub-unit, with both the girls and the boys having their own unit songs.

Regardless, ENHYPEN went on to have a successful debut and remain one of the top artists of their generation.

MEMBERS PROFILE

Kobayashi Aiko was born on January 17, 2002, in New York City, New York, to a businessman father and a stay-at-home mother. She is the second eldest of four children and the only one of her siblings pursing a music career. From a young age, she has loved music and can play different instruments, including the piano, violin, guitar, and drums.

Later, when she was five, Aiko and her family moved to Osaka, Japan, due to her father’s job relocation. While in Osaka, Aiko continued to pursue music, picking up vocal lessons and later being scouted by SM Entertainment in 2014. Despite her parent’s disapproval, she went on to train under SM for four years, becoming an SMROOKIE and later participating in the survival show Produce 48. She was eliminated in episode 5 of the show and continued to train at SM until leaving at the end of 2018 to join BigHit Music.

After that, she had a fight with her parents, who wanted her to come home to continue her education, but Aiko stood firm and begged for another chance to prove herself. She later joined I-LAND and made it to the debuting team.

— BASICS

STAGE NAME ; Aiko

BIRTH NAME ; Calista Kobayashi

JAPANESE NAME ; Kobayashi Aiko

BIRTHDAY ; January 17, 2002

ZODIAC ; Capricorn

BIRTHPLACE ; New York City, New York

ETHNICITY ; Japanese

NATIONALITY ; American

— CAREER

PROFESSION ; Idol

YEARS TRAINED ; 6 years

YEARS ACTIVE ; 2018 - present

LABEL ; BELIFT LAB

GROUP ; ENHYPEN

GROUP POSITION ; vocalist, dancer, leader (ENGIRLS) 

— PHYSICAL

FACE CLAIM ; Chisa (XG)

VOCAL CLAIM ; Chisa (XG)

DANCE CLAIM ; Soojin (soloist/ex-(G)I-DLE)

HEIGHT ; 167 cm | 5’5

BLOOD TYPE ; O

Blake Akiyama was born on December 18, 2002, in Houston, Texas, to a surgeon father and model mother. She is an only child because her mother had complications after Blake was born, which led to her being doted on by her family as the only female granddaughter. Despite this, Blake is a very humble girl because her grandmother, her father’s mother, taught her the importance of hard work and appreciation for those around her.

Blake has taken dance classes since she was four and excels in many different genres. She has a deep passion for dancing and has won many awards for local competitions. Her dance teacher at the time had nothing but praise for her and has stated that Blake is one of the best pupils she’s had the honor to teach.

Blake’s parents later divorced when she was eight, and her father received full custody of her because her mother wished to pursue her modeling career. Since then, her mother has been in and out of her life. At fourteen, Blake was scouted as a model and took on some gigs despite her father not wanting her to. Still, he allowed her in order to make her happy. Blake later stopped due to the mental and physical toll it took on her.

She was scouted online due to a dance cover she posted on her Instagram and joined SOURCE Music in 2018 until she joined I-LAND and debuted into ENHYPEN.

— BASICS

STAGE NAME ; Blake

BIRTH NAME ; Blake Akiyama

JAPANESE NAME ; Akiyama Chinatsu

BIRTHDAY ; December 18, 2002

ZODIAC ; Sagittarius

BIRTHPLACE ; Houston, Texas

ETHNICITY ; Japanese

NATIONALITY ; American

— CAREER

PROFESSION ; Idol

YEARS TRAINED ; 2 years

YEARS ACTIVE ; 2018 - present

LABEL ; BELIFT LAB

GROUP ; ENHYPEN

GROUP POSITION ; vocalist, rapper, dancer, face of the group 

— PHYSICAL

FACE CLAIM ; Harvey (XG)

VOCAL/RAP CLAIM ; Harvey (XG)

DANCE CLAIM ; AleXa (soloist)

HEIGHT ; 173 cm | 5’7

BLOOD TYPE ; B

Nishimura Ruruka was born on December 9, 2005, in Okayama, Japan. She is the twin sister of Nishimura Riki, also known as Ni-ki, and has two other sisters. Like her family, Ruruka has a passion for dancing and has been dancing alongside her siblings for as long as she can remember. 

Ruruka has taken gymnastics classes since she was four, alongside dance classes, and originally wanted to pursue an athletic career. However, when she and Riki were eleven, they joined the group SHINeeKIDS and performed with SHINee for many stages. Through that, she learned that she loved to perform in front of a crowd and wanted to become an artist like SHINee. When she and Riki left SHINeeKIDS, Ruruka picked up vocal classes.

Between the time of her departure from SHINeeKIDS and her auditioning for BELIFT, Ruruka did some modeling gigs and was the backup dancer for other artists. Later, both Ruruka and Riki decided to audition for BELIFT and joined I-LAND, both succeeding and joining ENHYPEN. 

— BASICS

STAGE NAME ; Ruruka

BIRTHNAME ; Nishimura Ruruka

BIRTHDAY ; December 9, 2005

ZODIAC ; Sagittarius

BIRTHPLACE ; Okayama, Japan

ETHNICITY ; Japanese

NATIONALITY ; Japanese

— CAREER

PROFESSION ; Idol

TIME TRAINED ; 8 months

LABEL ; BELIFT LAB

GROUP ; ENHYPEN

GROUP POSITION ; rapper, vocalist, dancer, visual, maknae 

— PHYSICAL

FACE CLAIM ; Cocona (XG)

VOCAL/RAP CLAIM ; Cocona (XG)

DANCE CLAIM ; Chungha (ex-I.O.I/soloist)

HEIGHT ; 175 cm | 5’9

BLOOD TYPE ; AB

templates i used was created by @enchanthings link to template

[ayeforscotland]

Is today (July 1st) a holiday or national celebration or something? Woke up to drums banging and pipes shrieking at 8.30am and then was late to work and had to run the whole way cause the buses stopped running cause of marches through the streets of Glasgow. Seen UK flags hung up everywhere in my neighbourhood. My coworkers didn’t seem to know.

I didn’t get a good look at who it was, figured it was maybe the orange vest people. I’ve heard them before but this is like all over the city and all day long.

That’ll be the Orange Order - they’re a far right sectarian group who hate Catholics.