#Especially since my city has like 1 actual music venue & from what I can tell a lot fewer hardcore fans

[vriska-serketboard]

Whoever etched “Boston hardcore” into the sidewalk near my city center I love you and we need to get married immediately

[iphigeniacomplex]

How does one get into the local punk scene?

Like if I lived in Montréal for example how do I find the local scene

so sorry for the late-ish reply! this is a really good question, and i've been sitting on it for a while trying to figure out what all i want to say. necessary disclaimer is that despite my love for punk music i'm not myself a punk---i don't personally interact to a great extent with any kind of local music scene due to my autism. when i went to see bikini kill i had to take two days minus school to recover from the overstimulation. plus i'm under the legal drinking age & don't have a fake id (a lot of shows in my country are at alcoholic venues), so that's the perspective i'm coming at you from. i do not claim to be an expert, all of this is observation-based, mainly drawing from my experience looking into my local drag scene. anyone who has more of an experience than i do, feel free to rb with comments!

1. pay attention to flyers

there are a few places i frequent (some record stores, used bookstores, comic and game stores, and a couple coffee shops) that people tend to put flyers up in, so if you're looking for how to find the local scene paying attention to flyers is like my #1 suggestion. i see a ton around the city just hanging around on poles, too. if you're doing more of an underground show, there's a limited amount of ways to get the word out, and flyers are the most tried-and-true of those. (plus, once you go to your first venue, there will probably be flyers there for future shows, so it keeps on giving.)

2. the internet is your friend

i know montréal was a hypothetical, but just by googling "montreal punk scene" i'm already getting recommendations for venues and local bands. most of these aren't super contemporary, but i trust your research capabilities. if there's a band in your city that plays the kind of music you're aiming to get into (punk, in this case) and they're available on social media, follow them. you'll get updates on where they're playing next, as well as other bands who may be doing a show nearby, since most local artists support each other. same with venues! word-of-mouth is obviously ideal, but in a situation in which you don't know anyone, social media & message boards are the next best thing. i don't personally use bandsintown, but i know some people who do, so that's probably worth looking into as well.

3. go to shows

even if it's someone you don't know. especially if it's someone you don't know. if it's a bigger band, pay attention to openers, too. at least in my city punk shows are pretty cheap, so even if you don't end up liking the bands that play, you'll get an opportunity to meet people who can tell you more. this is some advice i've learned from being involved in local horror communities, which is a different vibe, but still: when you're offered an opportunity, take it! a splatterpunk writer recently offered to mentor me, and even though i don't primarily read splatter, you better believe i'm taking that shit, you know? a foot in the door goes a long way.

4. keep yourself safe

especially if you're underage. especially if you're visibly a member of a vulnerable group. this isn't punk-specific, this is life-specific. there are going to be assholes, and no amount of no-true-scotsmaning is going to make there not be assholes. there is no scene you will ever enter, music or otherwise, that is going to be 100% safe, so get acquainted with the specifics. in general, don't get swayed by posts on here that say punks are like inherently safer people. don't get loose with safety just because you're excited to be there. use common sense and protect yourself. people who are actually in the scene will have better specifics on this, listen to them.

thank you for the question! i hope this was helpful! if i got anything wrong, please correct me. <3

[pink-flame]

Juke Bodyguard AU Pt.3

Here it is! The third and final part of the Juke Bodyguard AU inspired by your requests from the trope game. I reserve the right to do a standalone in this universe at some point but this wraps things up nicely for now. Enjoy! 

Part 1

Part 2

Bodyguard AU + Love Confessor (Character A confessing their love for Character B to Character C)  

Julie was used to change.

Bad change like when her mom got sick and she had to learn who she was when she couldn’t see it reflected back at her through her mother’s eyes. Bad change like when music felt like a stranger and everything she had ever wanted seemed suddenly pointless.

Good change like when she found her way back to it with a vengeance, Alex and her dad and Reggie and Carlos and Flynn refusing to give up until she started chasing her dream again. Good change like when against all odds those dreams actually started coming true, the record deal, and the hit albums and now her first national tour, a new city every night.

What she wasn’t used to was waiting for a change that didn’t seem to be coming.

She had been so sure after what she now internally referred to as “the flu incident” that things between her and Luke would change. That their vaguely flirty dynamic would transition naturally into more flu incident level expressions of affection and then a love confession, marriage and 2-3 obnoxiously good looking babies. Not right away on those last two or anything but still.

And yet here they were, three months and 24 shows later, and they were right back in vaguely flirty territory. Only she was finding it harder and harder to flirt back now that the realization that flirting was all it might ever be started to sink in.

And maybe that was the way it was supposed to be.

After all, he was her bodyguard. She was technically his boss.

She was a strong, independent woman with a thriving music career. She didn’t need some floppy haired boy to complete her life.

Didn’t stop her from wanting him though.

She didn’t bother to go to Alex for advice since he was firmly on what he had taken to calling “Team Juke”. Reggie wasn’t much better, asking her if Luke was there every time she called and never believing her when she told him she was alone. So she did what she always did when she needed someone to tell her the harsh truth.

She called Flynn.

“Look, girl, I haven’t met him but I’ve seen him on tv hovering behind you so I get it. He’s so your type. But he’s not real. He’s a fantasy you can get invested in because you know nothing will ever come of it.”

“It could,” She grumbled into the phone.

“Are you planning on confessing that you’re madly in love with him any time soon?” Flynn countered pointedly.

“I can’t,” Julie answered quickly. “Not when it’s so obvious he doesn’t feel the same.”

“Then he’ll always be a fantasy. He’s like air.”

Julie sighed.

“Cute air.”

“You wouldn’t have called me if you weren’t tired of feeling like this,” Flynn insisted. “I’m not going to let you get your heartbroken. And right now you’re on tour with Luke. So the key is avoiding those big, beautiful, dangerous eyes.”

And as much as the idea of avoiding Luke, eyes and all, seemed ridiculous when he was literally paid to follow her around, she knew she had to give it a try.

Because Flynn was right.

If she couldn’t have him then she couldn’t let him consume her life.

She was sure she would get a great song out of the situation one day but for now she just needed to pull back a little until she could see him as just a coworker she was friendly with. She could do that. Right? Of course she could. She was Julie Molina.

Only it was easier said than done.

Because Luke did not seem to take the hint.

She came stumbling off the stage after a particularly epic encore, vision blurry from the blinding lights, every muscle weak from hours of exertion, yet feeling incredible. At least she was feeling incredible until she tripped over her own unstable feet and Luke was right there, like he always was, to catch her. His hands latched onto her forearms gently, steadying her even as he grinned directly and dangerously into her eyes.

“You ok there, Boss?”

Julie managed a nod, the pounding of her heart combined with the still echoing roar of the crowd leaving his voice sounding far away and yet annoyingly clear.

“They were loving you out there,” He told her in that specific, Luke way. “You were amazing, Jules. Insane, spectacular, rad!”

This guy and his insistence on using slang from two decades ago. She definitely didn’t find that endearing.

She had to stick to the plan.

Julie ducked her head and pushed back from his grip gently at the same time.

“Thanks.”

She glanced up just long enough to see a confused and slightly hurt look on his face before she pushed past him and headed towards the green room, Alex falling into step next to her.

“Are we going to talk about why you just kicked that helpless puppy over there?” Alex asked.

Julie punched him in the arm.

“Keep your voice down, he’s right behind us! And that helpless puppy is literally the very capable bodyguard tasked with keeping me alive, so.”

“So you admit you kicked him,” Alex responded in a completely unhelpful manner.

“Ugh, shut up,” Julie groaned, glancing back and catching Luke’s eager eyes for a split second before quickly facing forward again. “I have a plan.”

“Flynn has a plan,” Alex corrected. “A stupid plan that she never would have suggested if she had seen for herself how crazy he is about you.”

“Has he said that?” She turned her head towards her best friend sharply.

Alex tilted his head.

“Not in so many words but Julie…”

“Then we stick to the plan.” She interrupted determinedly.

Alex sighed.

“Idiots, I’m surrounded by idiots.”

A couple of weeks later, Julie was starting to think he was right.

She had been doing her best to keep her relationship with Luke strictly business and it was somehow more exhausting than the two shows a week and all the time spent trying to sleep in a tour bus cot. She pretended to be busy when he offered to work on a song. She said she was tired when he tried to get her to join him for a beer with the roadies. She pretended she didn’t see him trying to catch her eye during the thousand little moments during the day when she had grown used to making eye contact with him to laugh at something Alex had said or roll their eyes when her manager tried to talk her into something completely dumb.

It was exhausting.

And the thing was it wasn’t even working.

Because every sad, kicked puppy look (as Alex called it) he gave her only left her more distracted and in more emotional turmoil. Part of her was a little mad at him. How dare he look so hurt that she wasn’t playing their usual game when he clearly didn’t want anything more? She wasn’t just a convenient outlet for his excessive flirting energy. But mostly she was just mad at herself for thinking that this ludicrous plan could ever work.

She had thought he was trouble since the moment she met him.

And she was definitely in trouble now.

It was the night of the last show of the tour and they were back in LA to finish things off. Flynn was too sick to come (ironically she thought she had the flu) but Julie’s family were out there in the VIP section. Even Reggie had come down from San Francisco to catch the show.

Julie was feeling oddly nervous for some reason. She had grown up dreaming of playing the Orpheum. It was the smallest venue she was playing on the whole tour, her manager had tried to talk her out of it, but she had insisted it was the Orpheum or nothing. Reggie and Alex had taken her to so many shows there when she was a teenager, it’s where she had discovered rock. Somehow even after everything she knew it wouldn’t fully feel like she’d achieved her dreams until she played there. It was time. Only she had finally made it there and she felt like she was going to throw up.

She wanted desperately to seek Luke out so he could tell some dumb joke to distract her or give her one of his borderline too intense pep talks. But she wasn’t doing that anymore. In fact she had insisted he go take his break now before the show, promising not to leave her green room just to keep herself from giving in to the urge.

“You doing alright there, Jules? You look kind of green.”

Julie spun on her heels and barreled directly into her big brother’s arms.

“Oof!” He huffed as she knocked the air from his lungs, his arms still coming up to wrap around her despite his shock. “You ok?”

“I’m fine,” She told him, her voice muffled as she buried her face against his chest. “It’s just that it’s the Orpheum and you know what that means to me, and the whole family is here to see me play and I’m so nervous and I’m missing Mom and I’m totally in love with my dumb bodyguard.”

Reggie pushed her back by the shoulders until he could see her blotchy face.

He reached up to ruffle her hair affectionately.

“First of all, Flynn and I totally called it,” He said with a smirk. “And Alex swears the two of you have taken ten years off of his life with your stupidity.”

“Alex talks too much,” Julie grumbled. “And Flynn is the one who told me to stay away from his annoyingly pretty eyes to begin with.”

“That’s only because she wants you to be happy. So do I by the way. And this?” He waved his hand to indicate her current state. “I hate to break it to you, Jules, but this isn’t happy.”

Julie sighed as her shoulders sagged and all of the fight went out of her at once.

“I know,” She said defeatedly. “But what am I supposed to do? I can’t force my feelings on the guy especially when I’m his boss. That’s creepy on top of being pathetic.”

“Funny,” Alex broke in from the doorway. “That’s exactly what he just said to me.”

Julie just gaped at him for a few long seconds while Reggie and Alex exchanged amused yet exasperated looks.

“Wait...what did he say exactly?” Julie finally managed to get out.

Alex rolled his eyes.

“Oh you know, ‘What did I do? Why is Julie mad at me? I’m so in love with her do you think she figured it out? Did I come off as a creep? Do you think she’ll have my babies?’”

Julie felt her mouth drop open.

“Dude!” Reggie protested.

“Ok, so the last part was more implied than said directly,” Alex admitted.

“But he said he loves me?” Julie asked hurriedly.

“Yeah,” Alex confirmed. “I’ve been telling you he does for months by the way, but nobody listens to me.”

Julie ignored her best friend’s statement and sprinted for the door.

“Where are you going?” Reggie called after her.

“You go on in ten!” Alex added frantically.

“I’ll make it!” She shouted back without slowing down.

She ran down the hallway, dodging makeup artists and promoters and so many people she’d wanted to impress just a few minutes before. There was only one person she wanted to see at that moment.

Julie kept going until she found the exit that led to the alley outside and burst through it. Luke felt caged in if he was inside for too long, something about living in a garage for a year as a teen. He stuck by her side and did his job perfectly but any chance he got she knew he could be found breathing in the fresh air and feeling like his lungs could fully expand. Sure enough, there he was, leaning against the probably filthy wall humming some song that she knew would be amazing if he ever really gave it life.

He stood straight and took two steps towards her as soon as she emerged from the door, a look of concern immediately taking over his features.

“Julie? What are you doing out here? You’re about to go on…”

She closed the distance between them and stopped just a half step closer than she normally would, her sudden proximity shutting him up for a moment.

She just looked up at him for a few seconds, just to enjoy it after weeks of denying herself. He broke the eye contact first, chuckling awkwardly as he looked down briefly.

“What?”

“Can you do me a favor?” She asked seriously.

He answered instantly.

“Anything, Julie, you know that.”

“Tell me what you just told Alex.”

His face drained of color, almost ghost like in appearance.

“He promised he wouldn’t say anything,” He mumbled.

Julie shrugged.

“He probably wouldn’t have if he hadn’t walked in on me telling my brother pretty much the same thing.”

Luke’s eyes widened comically as he took in her words.

“You told your brother that I did something to make you hate me and that I don't know what it is and it’s eating me up inside?” He asked in confusion.

“I told him I love you,” She said bluntly, all the bravery she had inherited from her mom giving her the nerve. “And that I’ve been trying to distance myself from you because I didn’t think you felt the same.”

“That’s...that’s...Jules, that’s crazy!” He exclaimed, bouncing a little to emphasize his words. “I’m head over heels, crazy in love with you. Always have been.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” She asked softly, managing to step even closer to him.

His eyes softened as he reached down to tuck one of her curls behind her ear.

“Because you’re my boss, and you’re totally out of my league. You’re this super talented, total force of nature. I mean you’re Julie Molina and I’m…”

“A big fan?” Julie interrupted, raising one eyebrow teasingly.

Luke froze.

“How did you…”

“I’ve been in your apartment, remember? When you had the flu I snooped a little. Sorry. The fact that you have my first album on vinyl is one thing but to have a cd of my first EP is really impressive. I didn’t know hard copies of that still existed…”

Like groaned.

“Ok, ok. You got me. I didn’t want you to think I was a pathetic fanboy, alright?”

Julie grinned.

“Isn’t that what you are?”

Luke smiled softly down at her, brushing the back of two fingers over her cheek.”

“Only for you, Boss.”

Julie instinctively stretched onto her toes, raising her face towards his, her eyes starting to flutter shut…

BANG

They sprang apart and spun to face Alex who had just emerged breathing heavily into the doorway behind them.

“You know no one is more Team Juke than I am but Julie you are going on in 2 minutes!”

“Oh crap,” Julie said. “I’m coming.”

Alex shot her a skeptical look.

Julie glared at him until he sighed and disappeared back inside.

“Team Juke?” Luke asked.

Julie giggled, already backing towards the door.

“Don’t ask. I’ve got to go but later we should talk about your future with the company.”

Luke’s eyebrows shot up.

“You’re firing me?”

Julie grinned.

“Well, I think we both might find your current duties a little too distracting. I think I need a stoic, middle aged man built like a linebacker. But we’ve been looking to hire a new songwriter to help me with the next album if you know anyone who might be interested.”

Luke grinned back.

“I might.”

He bit his lip and stared after her with those big, beautiful, dangerous eyes.

He was such trouble.

Julie ran back to him wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning up to a plant a quick kiss on his lips, pulling back before he could fully register what she was doing.

“Hold that thought,” She whispered with a smile before turning and running back through the door and towards the second dream come true of the night.

She was Julie Molina. She was about to play the Orpheum. She was in love with her bodyguard.

She was in trouble and she couldn’t be happier about it.

[elisabeth515]

(Some) Greek Gods as Historical Figures

So some days ago I secretly logged back into Mythology and Cultures amino and I stumbled across post of casting historical figures as the gods from Greek mythology. Of course, I hated it, so I made my version of this.

Note: Of course, this is going to have quite a lot of Napoleonic figures, since I am more familiar of this period, but please do reblog this post (or tag me on another post) with the hashtag “#mythical figures as historical people” and add some more of your historical figure Greek God fancasts!

Note 2: this post is for entertaining purpose, and just me introducing some guys to y’all and I am not a historian myself and hopefully you all would still like my takes😅

1. Zeus - Louis XIV of France

First and foremost, I shall introduce the king of gods featured in Greco-Roman myths. You may ask, why don’t I cast Henry VIII of England? Well, my reason is very simple: Henry is far from accurate to Zeus in actual myths.

To be honest, Zeus has a more “absolute power” energy in it, and Louis XIV totally has rocked it (like that iconic line “l’état, c’est moi (I am the state)”). Well, Henry also has that kind of energy but everyone only remembers his six wives and the uncountable number of bloodshed (not to mention Catherine of Aragon is a much better fighter than him—got this from Horrible Histories OwO)... Anyways, Louis XVI is basically a Zeus.

2. Hera - Catherine of Aragon

This brings to Catherine of Aragon herself. She’s a total Q U E E N and if you have watched “Six” the musical you already got what I mean (like, being the wife who married to Henry the longest). There’s also the early warlike aspect in Hera (featured in Homer’s works) that Catherine has it as well (at least you know that she’s getting more victories than Henry if you have watched Horrible Histories season 6, in the episode with Rowan Atkinson playing Henry VIII (which is sad because I want Ben Willbond to play him—he iconic to the HH fandom)), making her a great casting of Hera.

Hera, in my opinion, is a very strong woman who has to take Zeus’s shit and I could totally understand why she took revenge on the girls that Zeus has slept with—but anyways, hopefully you guys would like it :3

3. Aphrodite - Pauline Bonaparte

This is half-self-explanatory, really—just look at that statue she posed as Venus, the Roman equivalent of Aphrodite.

Pauline was famed for her beauty in her time, also a big chunk of scandals from her affairs (which bugs her big brother Napoleon, a lot). Nevertheless, despite her big spending habits and a great sexual appetite, she always helped Napoleon in some surprising ways (like she sold her house in Paris to the Duke of Wellington to get the funds for Napoleon).

Just like Aphrodite herself, Pauline harnessed her beauty very well. Thus, I rest my case.

4. Apollo - Joachim Murat or Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria

(Warning: long content ahead)

Firstly, let me briefly introduce them because you guys might not know them much.

Joachim Murat was a marshal of France, also one of Napoleon’s brother-in-law, grand duke of Berg and Cleves from 1806 to 1808 and the King of Naples from 1808 to 1815. After the wars, he attempted to escape yet was caught and executed in 1815 in Pizzo, Italy (if you have read of Alexandre Dumas’s “Famous Crimes” you might know him—by the way no one has cut his head off and sent it to that big nose King Ferdinand).

For those who have watched “Elisabeth” or the “Sissi” movies, you might know Franz Joseph I of Austria already but you might not know much about himself besides being the husband of the (in)famous Empress Sisi (ie. Empress Elisabeth of Austria). He was the Emperor of the Austria from 1848 to his death in 1916—one of the longest reigning European monarchs in history. During his reign, the empire had been through a lot of change, most notably, the creation of Austria-Hungary. Nevertheless, he was also the Emperor who started World War I and he died of old age in the midst of the Great War.

For Apollo, I’m not casting musicians because this is quite overdone. I rather want to shed a light to the other arts that he represented in Greco-Roman mythology. This makes me want to draw a parallel to Joachim Murat as he was also a great sucker of classical literature. Plus, he also was known to be a flamboyant dresser (his nickname was “the Dandy King” by the way), also the designer of the uniforms of the Neapolitan army (with an excessive amount of amaranth, perhaps his favourite colour). Really, everyone just sees him as a great flamboyant himbo but in reality, he’s iconically badass in the battlefield as the First Horseman of Europe. Well, also he’s known for being extremely good with women even though his wife Caroline was fierce as hell. So, in my opinion, he fits the image of Apollo that we know.

However, you guys might feel surprised why I picked Franz Joseph for Apollo. Well, he really... was a rather mediocre ruler in my opinion, and perhaps our most memorable image of him was the senile emperor who signed the declaration of war to Serbia. Nevertheless, he was a well-liked man among his subjects, at least to some old citizens of Austria-Hungary telling future generations. Besides, culture flourished in Vienna under his reign—with notable figures like Sigmund Freud, Ludwig Wittgenstein and Erwin Schrödinger. Despite the series of unfortunate events which made the empire started to crumble, Austria-Hungary arguably has its cultural importance in Europe. Sounds like what Apollo would do if he’s a ruler, somehow.

Well, enough of his political achievements, let’s talk about his private life... which was probably the actual reason why I picked him.

Enter Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria, the Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, also known as Sisi.

On a side note, Marshal Louis-Alexandre Berthier of France, Prince of Neufchâtel and of Wargram, was Empress Sisi’s grand-uncle in-law via his marriage to Duchess Maria Elisabeth in Bavaria

Absolutely love Pia as Elisabeth in the musical so please don’t mind me using a gif from this :3 ((also, “Elisabeth” spoiler alert

Franz originally was to marry her sister Helene (nicknamed Néné), nevertheless, on the first meeting in Bad Ishl, he has fallen for the young Elisabeth, head over heels—making him defying his domineering mother, Archduchess Sophie, for the very first time. Elisabeth also liked him and did not expressed her refusal either, so they got married in St. Augustine’s Church in 29th April, 1854.

However, the marriage was not well. Sisi was not accustomed to the strict Austrian court especially Archduchess Sophie (also she was not really a fan of intimacy). Poor Franz was rather helpless in situations between his mother and his wife, and eventually, Sisi chose her freedom over her duty as Empress, traveling around the world. They two briefly went back together during the Austro-Hungarian compromise, yet she was constantly not there. Eventually, Sisi was assassinated by an anarchist named Luigi Lucheni during her stay in Geneva, Switzerland, and Franz was devastated over her death (“she will never know how much I love her”).

To Franz, he loved her so, but he really didn’t understand her needs. Even though he had countless mistresses and female companions in Vienna, he still missed his wife. I say, he was really unlucky when it comes to love. Like Apollo himself, he dated countless nymphs and humans, but a lot of his notable relationships did not have a good end. (Probably Cyrene was the most lucky one, yet she also has chosen to be left alone after mothering several children with Apollo.) For this, I picked Franz Joseph as Apollo.

5. Ares - Jean Lannes or Michel Ney

As usual, for those who don’t know much history, I shall briefly introduce my babeys these two great soldiers.

Jean Lannes was one of the marshals of Napoleon, known for being one of Napoleon’s closest friends and his fiery personality, and is considered one of the best marshals of the 1st French Empire. His finest moments including the Battle of Ratisbon in which he led his men to storm the well-guarded city with ladders (hence his nickname “ladder lord” in our very humble Napoleonic marshalate fandom :3). Sadly, he died of the wound he received in the battle of Aspern-Essling in 1809.

Michel Ney was also one of the marshals of Napoleon, known for his extreme valour (yep, he is known as the “Bravest of the Brave”). As you might know, he was one of the marshals who was in Waterloo, yet, his finest hour was during the retreat from Russia in the disasterous 1812. Sadly, he was arguably the most prominent victim of the White Terror under the second Bourbon restoration, executed in 1815 (**I am not accepting any kind of conspiracy theories of my babey survived and died in America😤).

Speaking of Ares, I have a lot of things to say (that’s my dad ;-; no jkjk). He is really not that bloodthirsty idiot who casually hates humans. Well, he’s more like a fiery dork and a man who was very faithful to his lovers, and fights very well (by the way also one of the best dads). So, the bois that come into my mind are automatically two of the most courageous marshals of France.

Lannes, if I have to get him a godly parent, it would definitely Ares. He resembled the god a lot (also I sometimes imagined Ares as a smol bean with dark hair), probably looks the most like Ares himself. He got that fiery temper, that faithfulness to his wife Louise, also being a very courageous fighter in the field—well he literally was like, “NO LEMME STORM DAT CITY *grabs ladder*”.

There you have it, my big bro our ladder lord Jean Lannes who can pull off a perfect Ares.

Ney is like a slightly introverted (and mature) version of an Ares person. You can guess his temper already through his famed auburn hair, and indeed despite his shy exterior his temper sometimes was a bit explosive, and a bit impatient (which was somehow one of his fatal flaws). He was a great fighter, known as a skilled swordsman in his youth. And you all know how brave he is in his famed epithet. Michel Ney is purely badass (and C U T E) you know (and he needs a lot of hugs because he has really been though a lot in the wars, and was a possible case of PTSD which was shown in his arguably suicidal behaviour during the battle of Waterloo). That’s why I casted him as the Greek god Ares OwO

//

And there you have it, my interpretations on the Greek gods via people in history. I originally would like to include more but somehow I realised that I have written too much about my picks. So, if you want to add more, reblog this post or tag me on the post you made on this topic (and please use the hashtag “mythical figures as historical people” so that I could look into your choices via the search bubble on this app🥺).

Last but not the least, I hope you all lovelies like this, also have learnt something new via my brief introductions on some historical people. Have a great day!

[anambermusicbox]

September 29 Day Countdown (27/29): 2021/01/15 Interview with iFeng Entertainment 凤凰网《非常道》

(11:20) Interviewer asks whether he’s more affected by hurtful words or kind words; Zhou Shen then goes on to talk about his relationship with his fans:

ZS: After all, I’ve now debuted for 6 years now- (*more subdued*) my skin has gotten thicker. Before, hurtful words had a very big impact on me. I’d see these words and think (*gasps*) What did I do wrong? Why do they have to say this about me? Do I have to change something? If I do this differently would they not say this about me? 

But later I realized, no (*waves his hand dismissively*) To them, the people that don’t like you, as long as you exist, they won’t like you. So before, I would be affected a lot more by hurtful words, but now its about 51% and 49%, with that 51% being the hurtful words. But I’m working on flipping the percentages. This way, I think, I’m also doing right by the people who support me.

Interviewer: I think there are actually a lot of people who like you. (*ZS bows and thanks her awkwardly*) The other day, I was online and saw your fans professing their love, fussing over you. (*ZS laughs*)

ZS: Oh that’s right, because- a few days ago, I was doing a performance and- I don’t know if this is just what this fan says to singers they like, but they said (*cups hands around mouth*) (*extremely high pitched shout*) “Rest for a bit!! You’re tiring!!! Yourself!!! Out!!!!” (*laughs*) (T/N: It was after he filmed the winter-themed Happy Camp with the Onmyoji movie cast; there’s a video of the exact moment—super hilarious, I’ll put the link in the notes.) [...] I want to tell them, I’m doing fine here, don’t worry—I can take care of myself.

Interviewer: I think the way they talk to you is quite 没大没小 (referring someone to being disrespectful and talking to someone their senior the same way they talk to their peers; Zhou Shen looks quite shocked at her choice of words) They really treat you like (ZS, interjecting: a friend) someone they can throw jokes at, a kind of idol that is very close to them. How do you view the relationship between you and your fans?

ZS: Oh, I really don’t know. To be honest, I really don’t know. [...] Even now, sometimes I think they’re quite stupid. I say this because, sometimes, even if it’s just to see me sing one or two songs, they’ll stand outside the venue waiting for four to five hours on a harsh winter day. I feel really bad for them. But it’s like, to them this is one way they feel that they can give me strength, and I can’t tell them not to, because that would hurt them even more. 

So sometimes I look at them and think, oh look at this stupid group of people, so idiotically supporting me. This kind of stupidity is really quite touching. I want to put forth my best effort to reciprocate what they do.

(14:55) Interviewer: “Do you have moments where you feel pretty rotten?”

ZS: Oh, too many. (Interviewer: Tell me about it, from the past to the present) Wow. Okay then we have to delay the program recording scheduled next (*laughs*) there’s a LOT. I mean, since my childhood, my classmates unintentionally- it was really unintentional, they didn’t have the maturity to know that their words would be hurtful. But to me, they were very hurtful. But you can’t blame them for it, because they didn’t understand anything at the time. (T/N: no you can totally blame them for it, you’re just a nice person shenshen)

And more recently, as an artist, I had my own “cold bench period.” I felt like, I was working so hard but no one was willing to listen to me sing. Not only that, I felt I didn’t have a way to be heard. Because there was a period of time when I didn’t really have any work and, wah, everyday I felt so purposeless; I was just a rain cloud, I was so discouraged (*laughs*)

Interviewer: What about now, now that you’re so busy?

ZS: If I’m tired, I’ll be happy because I’m happy that there are stages that *want* me to sing on them. [...] I worked so hard to stay in this profession because I wanted to be heard by others, and now that this day has finally come, with so many stages I can sing on, why wouldn’t I go?

(16:40) Talks about how he doesn’t mind labels, because that how someone remembers you; ZS: “I saw this one comment I really liked, this person was saying they always thought there were two Zhou Shen’s—a male one who was funny on variety shows, and a female one that sang deep emotional songs—until one day they watched a show and realized, what?? It’s one Zhou Shen???”

(18:30) Interviewer: As I’m conversing with you, I can feel very relaxed, very happy—that’s the feeling you give people. (*ZS bows and quietly thanks her*) But I know from looking at your past that your childhood was quite lonely. What makes you be able to still be so warm—that is, to go and bring others... happiness. 

ZS: I think it’s because I’m really fortunate. Because... (*looks up in thought*) I... I grew up in a very remote mountainous village, but I’m really fortunate to have so many opportunities—coming into the city, being able to learn and come in contact with all the culture I love, and later even being about to devote myself to a career I love. I feel very fortunate.

And I know that, when you feel extremely alone, if you suddenly feel something like a beam of warmth, the joy or the kind of hope that can bring—when you receive it, you’re so happy. I think, I want to do that, if there’s a possibility I could have the honour to do that for someone else. I think it’s so important.

(21:00) Talks about his parents:

ZS: Even now, my mom and dad are still wanting to- still are running their small business that they love; I think it’s very laborious. I keep telling them, you both are getting older, you should take advantage of your age and go relax, enjoy yourselves. They say, no, we want to take some burden off of you, to which I’m like eh? (*leans over and covers mouth to whisper*) Mom you’re losing money every year. *laughs* 

Especially with the pandemic, their lifestyles have had the most obvious impact. Because they’re not like the younger generation that can continue doing things online. All they’ve known is getting up early to open their storefront, staying there until it’s time to close at nightfall.

Interviewer: (21:55) Your parents, before they didn’t support you going into music. What about now?

ZS: They think it’s great now. But they worry because they feel they have no way to help me in this career. [...] They once said- I asked them something like this one day, how they want to help me now. They said they can give me their storefront. I told them, then don’t help me (*laughs*) Because I’ve used to help them watch the store all the time growing up! I used to be doing my homework at their storefront. Ever since I was little, I’ve always really disliked doing business. So I felt like, oh mom dad, no. 

I’m really lucky. Even though my mom and dad don’t have very high education—it’s really quite low to be honest—they still chose to understand me. I’m very grateful to them.

(1:45) Interviewer asks what his first job was:

ZS: After I graduated from high school, my first job was selling phones. (Interviewer: Were you standing all day?) Yup, standing. [...] (Interviewer: So you have experience in the workplace?) Well, to be honest, I didn’t converse with people much in my so-called workplace—I have a very introverted personality; I’m not too fond of or good at talking to people.

Interviewer: Would someone who doesn’t like to talk to people be able to convince people to buy phones?

ZS: That’s why I didn’t sell any. (*bends over laughing*) You really had to say it so directly. (*laughs*) Zhuang-laoshi, you’re an accurate judge of people! (*gives her two thumbs up*) (*Interviewer laughs*)

(3:30) Interviewer tries asking him a question related to emotional intelligence (”qing shang”, 情商) but gets her words mixed up and says romance instead (”qing chang”, 情场); ZS: “Well, if we’re talking about romance, that’s an area I don’t have much experience in (*gets up and pretends to leave*) (Interviewer, laughing: To be honest, that’s the thing I really want to ask about.) Zhuang-laoshi, I really don’t have any experience with romance (*laughs*)

Interviewer: Okay what I was going to ask is, do you think EQ is important in the workplace?

ZS: Super important! For one thing, every workplace involves getting along with people, and part of the way you interact with people depends on your EQ.

Interviewer: But some people say that part of EQ is a skill, a means to an end—would it come off as insincere to others?

ZS: ?? (*blinks*) Can you give me an example?

Interviewer: Like for example, if I compliment you like “oh you’re such a great person (*half-hearted clapping*)” when I don’t truly mean it.

ZS: Oh that was so insincere (*makes faces*) (*Interviewer laughs*) I’m starting to question myself (*laughs*) I don’t think that’s a problem for me though. That’s why you shouldn’t force compliments. I think it’s important to be genuine with what you say—then people won’t think you’re being fake. If people think you’re being fake, that in itself already isn’t a display of good EQ. Be sincere, but try your hardest not to hurt others.

Interviewer: I want to ask another question-

ZS: Is it about romance? (*laughs*)

Interviewer, joking: We’ll talk about romance in a moment.

ZS: no nO NO LET’S NOT DO THAT (*laughs*)

(6:10) About how Zhou Shen didn’t expect to get along so well with everyone else in “An Exciting Offer”《令人心动的offer》:

ZS: On the first episode, every time I put in my own two cents, I had to work myself up just to speak up. My heart rate was through the roof, it was like- (*takes a deep breath*) (*raises hand*) “Laoshi? (*exaggerated suppressed panic*) Can I aSK a quESTION? (*pretends to look back and forth between the others*) (*Interviewer giggles*) I think this is just like, you see, I believe in the workplace, people who are have this personality-” How was I supposed to converse like this? (*laughs*) 

So that was how I was for the first two episodes, but now in the later episodes, I got used to just casually interjecting whenever I felt like it. It was quite wonderful. The other teachers were very approachable, very friendly—it felt like, something you imagined before, but when you really are in such a group, it was like, oh this kind of goodness is something that actually exists. You feel very fortunate, very happy.

(8:50) Interviewer asks ZS if he ever lacks confidence; ZS replies that, even now, he’s not very confident:

ZS: Every time I’m on stage I get extremely extremely nervous. I’ll fear that, I won’t live up to the expectations of those who want to listen to me. But I’m slowly learning to- to get along with, to come to terms with this nervousness.

Interviewer: Then this year, you would’ve been so nervous all the time. Have you counted how many performances you had just this year?

ZS: I haven’t counted, but Shengmi, they compiled them all together and, excluding the ones that aren’t aired, there were over a hundred. Every single one of them, I’m behind the scenes like- (*makes loud deep-breathing-for-anxiety-reduction noises*) But I can’t let people see that so- (*dissolves into laughter*)

[fyexo]

200924 20 Questions With SuperM: The K-Pop Supergroup On Their New Album & Becoming ‘Like Family’ With Each Other

Last year, SuperM notched a huge win when their self-titled “mini album” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The K-pop supergroup -- which consists of members of EXO, SHINee, NCT 127 and WayV -- had generated a huge amount of buzz before releasing a single track thanks to its star-studded lineup, and with the No. 1 bow, SuperM was off to an explosive start.

With Super One, the group’s first full-length out Friday (Sept. 25), SuperM continues its positive momentum. The hopeful, hook-stuffed album allows all seven members of SuperM to shine, while also expanding the group’s pop aesthetic and finding the right balance between singing and rapping. Songs like “Wish You Were Here,” “Better Days” and lead single “100” demonstrate SuperM’s dexterity -- and even though it’s still uncertain when their global fans will be able to see the songs performed live, the collective sounds prepared to put on an eclectic, wide-ranging show with these tracks.

Ahead of their new album’s release, the members of SuperM answered 20 questions about their musical backgrounds, leaning on each other during the pandemic, the highlights of Super One and more:

1. What’s the first piece of music that you bought for yourself, and what was the medium?

BAEKHYUN: An Avril Lavigne CD. I really liked her music when I was young so I remember going to a CD store with my brother to buy her album.

2. What was the first concert you saw?

KAI: I remember I went to my first concert when I was 16 years old. This was Usher’s concert when he came to Korea. Seeing him perform onstage inspired me to work harder towards my dream to become an artist like him. I still can’t forget the energy and the vibe of people around me and remember wanting to perform on a big stage like that.

3. Who made you realize you could be an artist full-time?

TAEMIN: My mom was the first person actually. When I was very young, she saw how much I enjoyed singing and dancing and encouraged me to audition. Since then, I started moving towards my dream to become an artist and performer. She helped me discover my passion at an early age and encouraged me to do what I love, and for that, I’m forever grateful.

4. What’s at the top of your professional bucket list?

TAEYONG: I just want everyone I work with to be happy, and work together for a long time. This includes not just SuperM members, but also the rest of the staff and the team behind the scenes that make it all happen!

5. How did your hometown/city shape who you are?

MARK: I think everyone is influenced by their hometown and where they come from. It’s really special to be a K-pop artist and perform in front of fans in Canada, where I’m from. When we performed in my hometown during the world tour earlier this year, it was such a significant “homecoming” moment for me. Canada always has a special place in my heart.

6. What’s the last song you listened to?

LUCAS: The last song I listened to is Justin Bieber’s new song, “Holy.” It’s a great song to listen to when you are feeling tired. I listen to it on repeat when I’m on the move during the day and it puts me in a good mood.

7. If you could see any artist in concert, dead or alive, who would it be?

TEN: I would choose Michael Jackson, because I always regret that I didn’t get to see him perform onstage live. I look up to him as an artist, and I’d love to see him sing and dance live at one of his concerts.

8. What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen happen in the crowd of one of your shows?

MARK: Well, one thing that happens at every show is how emotional I get seeing the venue packed with our fans. Before going onstage, I always take a peek at the audience from behind the curtain, and it’s hard to describe the exact feeling in words but it feels surreal — too good to be true, almost. Especially for a standing audience, it’s not easy standing for hours straight in a tight space, but their energy never goes down. I never feel tired onstage because of them. It’s still pretty crazy to me to see and feel their energy every time. I miss them!

9. How has the pandemic affected the way you’ve created music in 2020?

BAEKHYUN: The process of creating music, writing and recording songs, was pretty much the same. However, planning the album promotion during pandemic was a little different, since everything had to be done online. We had to think of fun and unique ways to interact with our fans, from creating our own reality show to holding livestream, AR tech-based concerts. We have a lot more creative content in store for our fans, so stay tuned!

10. What was your reaction to SuperM’s mini album topping the Billboard 200 chart last year?

KAI: Everyone was super happy. We put our heart and soul into the album and worked really hard on it, so in a way, we were looking forward to the results. When we saw that the EP hit number one on the chart, it was one of the happiest moments of our career.

11. What’s the biggest difference, creatively speaking, between last year’s mini album and Super One?

TEN: The mini album was more about introducing SuperM and our SMP-style performances, whereas for Super One, it shows more of our different musical styles and really brings out the dynamic qualities that we possess as a group. So, to put it simply, Super One is the completed version/look of SuperM. Also, what was important for us when creating this album was to include a message of hope and deliver that positivity and strength to listeners. Music can really lift your spirits when you’re feeling down, so I hope people find healing and happiness while listening to our music. That would make us very happy.

12. Why did “100” make the most sense as a lead single?

TAEYONG: “100” is all about speed and energy, so it’s the perfect single to showcase SuperM’s power as the opening act of Super One. It also helps convey the message that we are always moving forward at full-speed, giving our 100% in all we do.

13. What’s one song on the album that you suspect will be a big fan favorite?

LUCAS: I think fans will like “Better Days.” It’s a nice ballad song for a great start to your day. It also contains a message of comfort and empathy to help get through these difficult times. We hope our fans can feel the warmth of this messaging through our vocals and fluid rapping.

14. How has the group bonded during what’s been a wild 2020?

TAEMIN: We’ve been through a lot and have always been there for each other through thick and thin so naturally, we’ve gotten very close. They’re like family now. We didn’t have to “try” to become close, it just naturally happened -- as if we were destined to be in the same group.

15. SuperM has been part of a massive year for the global expansion of K-pop. How does it feel to see so many K-pop songs, albums and artists setting records?

MARK: This makes me really proud. I remember growing up in Canada, a lot of people at my school didn’t know K-pop. It was mainly just popular among Koreans. Now, so many people all over the world know about it and K-pop is getting so much attention. I feel honored and proud to be a part of this movement. Bringing the two cultures closer together and building that bridge through music is such a historic moment, and I can’t wait to contribute more to it and create great music for listeners worldwide.

16. What’s your go-to song that you’ve been singing along to lately?

BAEKHYUN: These days, I have Eric Benet’s “Still with You” on repeat, so I’ve been singing this a lot lately. This was one of my favorite songs in high school, and ever since I started spending more time at home, I’ve been revisiting some of my old favorite playlists. They bring me back to that moment when I was in school, aspiring to become an artist.

17. What movie, or song, always makes you cry?

TEN: This always changes, but when I can empathize with the characters in a movie or connect with the emotions in a song, it makes me cry. I recently cried watching the animated film, Grave of the Fireflies. I watched this for the first time when I was young, but re-watching it as an adult touched me in a different way.

18. If you were not a musician, what would you be?

LUCAS: If not a musician, I’d probably be a firefighter – a job that saves other people’s lives is truly inspiring to me. But if not a firefighter, I’d definitely choose a career that make people happy, just like what I try to do now through music and performing.

19. What’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?

KAI: I would tell my younger self to take care of yourself and stay healthy, because health is so important! I would also tell him not to be so hard on himself and enjoy the ride as a young teenager. This is the time for having fun and trying different things! Back then, I was so focused on my career and working towards my dreams that I didn’t spend a lot of time doing “regular teenager experiences,” which I wish I did more of!

20. What’s your message to fans who have been supporting SuperM -- and waiting for this album to arrive?

TAEMIN: It’s been almost a year now since our debut, and we are incredibly grateful to have so many fans cheer us on. We put our heart and soul into the album knowing that our fans have been waiting for a long time. While we’re sad that that we can’t meet them in person, we hope they can feel the positive energy through our songs and performances.

Jason Lipshutz @ Billboard

[bestruction]

Congrats on your 100!! You totally deserve it☺️ im very happy for you and im sure that number will grow much more in the the future bc you totally deserve it🤍

I saw the matchups event and i wanted to participate so here i go!! My name is Elena, im a 18 bisexual, with a preference towards guys, Spanish girl with an INFJ personality, im also a Taurus sun, a Taurus ascendant and an Aquarius moon. The three things i like about myself are probably my empathy, my attempt to be kind to others and how quickly i think and three things i do not like are how much I overthink everything, how insecure i am and my stubbornness. My love language is a bit of everything thanks to my mom who is literally a walking love bear, but if i had to say one it would be acts of service, i love taking care of those around me, even professors. My biggest turn on on someone is probably if they are funny, make me laugh and im yours, also i love self confidence and being able to admit your mistakes. I can not stand when those who im talking with are narrowed minded, rude to others or too selfish, i also hate when guys just wanna do the do with you and not try to get to know you. My pronouns are she/her. I love travelling a lot, im a tourism student, but i also enjoy going to museums, walking through big cities, listening to music, watching movies or shows, bowling, doing creative things, learning about history and baking, that makes me feel so relaxed, also i like doing yoga and working ou sometimes. I want a fluff modern au bc i aot universe makes me very sad :(

My perfect would be a picnic, if it includes any form of pasta, cake or a charcuterie board even better, on a nice city park im a summer month, we would play cards games and listen to music while laughing and quoting memes and vines and later on we could take a walk while talking about anything and just enjoying each others company. I would also describe my fashion sense as parisian, my fav disney princess is Merida and my fav show Modern Family.

I hope this is enough!! If not please dm with any questions you have, im always open to chat too, i love talking to knew, nice, people😁 i hope you have an amazing week/month/year and that those followers keep growing, please hydrate yourself and stay safe💖

I ship you with...

Connie Springer

Elena, you are so sweet that I had to choose someone who could respond to all your sweetness at the same time. Because you're a double Taurus, the idea came to me that maybe you are stable in your affective and romantic relationships. So, of course, you would want someone who was also. Connie recognized his mother in the form of a titan, sided with Mikasa and Armin at the Battle of Trost, and in the most recent season showed how much he cares for his friends. He values the bonds he has. That's why I matchup you with him.

You would probably meet at a museum. He would have gone to a college homework and you to look at the works of art. Seeing you paying attention to one of the paintings made him ask what you understood because he couldn't understand anything. He would watch you explain with patience, and it'd leave him speechless. (because from the way you write I got the impression that you are the type of person who can explain something without making the other feel stupid for not knowing). From then on he would ask you about all the works in the museum.

Guess what? He's a Taurus too. This is a great combination, full of sensuality, fidelity, understanding, and affection. Taurus is a sign of the earth element, stable, calm, ruled by Venus, a planet related to love and pleasure. Therefore, the relationship has everything to be quiet, deep, and lasting. He's kinda dense, but when he notices your insecurity he will dedicate his time to worship all of you.

He’s always telling you how much you mean to him. How much you’re beautiful. He's your personal hype man. In all of your photos, there’s a comment of him saying things like “YOU’RE TOO GORGEOUS FOR THIS WORLD” or flirting with like he’s not already your boyfriend. When he sees how much you take care of everybody around you, he feels like he doesn’t deserve you and gets full mad if someone tries to take advance of you.

While you overthink, he tends to be more impulsive, which helps to balance the relationship. If you hyperventilate, he makes you laugh to relax and unwind, and you help him to think and calculate things more seriously when necessary.

He's also a man of acts of service. He's always helping you here and there. Especially since he thinks you tend to care for others so much that you forget about yourself. When you completed 1 year of dating, he took you to a park in the city center. You rode all the toys, and he will deny it to the death, but he was scared to death of the roller coaster. When you two went back to his apartment, he would surprise you with a picnic in the living room illuminated by candlelight. It was not an open field with flowers, but he would have made your favorite dishes (Actually, ordered because he would have set the kitchen on fire trying to cook the noodles).

[probableelf]

Detroit recap 3/8/20

Ok, I promised a couple people a concert review for last night so here goes. Set list, pictures, a couple of videos, and whatever my sleep-deprived brain can remember under the cut.

We (me and @clarwyn​ and our cousin) got there about an hour ahead of doors, and there were only a couple people outside, which was surprising until we got to the front door and found that they were actually lining people up inside, which was nice! Turned out there was about one full row of people in front of us and we ended up in the second row, dead center. Really, really cool spot—I think closer would have just been harder to see the whole stage.

They are still using the Gypsy intro, which has good energy to it to walk (or run, if you’re Marty) out to. The first song was Dead, which kind of tickles me for some reason. Like ‘Here’s an introduction of what we’re *really* about, folks.’ Then we got the self-titled track, and warmed up our dance moves with Twisting (I can still twist.) We Want a Rock was the first song that hit me hard as a ‘everybody is singing this and I’m singing it and they’re watching me sing it and it’s both weird and good’ moment. I get a lot of those in the second row, apparently.

They took a talking break and, as usual, were very, very funny. I’m going to get these out of order but I think this was where Flans asked Linnell if he’d been out and done anything that day, and Linnell said he’d basically just napped because it had been a long drive from Chicago. He was happy that he had coffee, which he’d made with a paper towel instead of a filter but it was not bad.  Flans said he’d been out sleeping in public places, and then stressed that he was not a heroin addict. Linnell agreed that they were not heroin addicts but pointed out that “only heroin addicts have to say that. Thank you for coming to our intervention.”

More Flood tracks next, I thought they followed the feel of the album really closely on Minimum Wage (kind of amazing for a sample-based track). Hearing Aid got some excellent Kaoss Pad action as I recall. All very cool. Particle Man got the Main Squeeze pulled out, of course, and they are using the Sun Ra breakdown (“Triangle Man take off for the planet... Venus!”) and making a proper deal about it; Curt gets to stretch out a little on that one and it’s fun.

Here’s the video I took for StillooB, complete with intro banter: pardon my inability to hold still for this song (I was kind of trying to sing quietly along, in the hopes that there would be a contingent of us in the front who know at least some of the words, because I think that could be as funny for them as the song is to us; luckily my singing isn’t audible on the video!)

Letterbox was next and that I sang as gustily as I could, even though those are very hard lyrics to keep up with. Somewhere around then I experienced the Linnell Stare (TM) complete with grin aimed at my section of the audience and my second-row concert-going experience was fully complete. Gaaaaah.

EDIT 2: I’m not sure anymore which song they introduced this way, but judging from the setlist is was probably Lucky Ball and Chain; they told us they hardly ever did fadeouts on their albums, and in fact originally could have practically defined themselves as “the band that doesn’t do fadeouts”; however this song would have one.  Flans then told us he had heard a supercut of the endings of AC/DC songs, who also evidently didn’t do fadeouts; he then proceeded to show us on guitar how all the songs ended: *bam. Bam, bam. BAM.*  I looked this up and it sounds exactly how he played it:

https://dangerousminds.net/comments/how_should_we_end_this_hilarious_supercut_of_ac_dc_song_endings

After playing Lucky Ball and Chain, Flans admitted that he couldn’t remember what was next in the set, and while he went over to the music stand on stage right to check, Linnell said it started with a buzzer sound, and also that it was off of Flood (which was obvious, as they were playing a Flood-only set). Clarwyn and I had different but related experiences here, which I shall relate: I heard somebody quietly call out “Hot Cha”, and I was feeling bold enough so I shouted it quite a bit louder. Unbeknownst to me, she had also shouted something, which she told me after was “That narrows it down!” Flans, having checked his set list, returned to the front of the stage and pointed in our direction, saying something like “Oh, hey, talkative girl! I see they let you go out!” I am pretty sure I turned beet-red while frantically looking around me, absolutely sure he meant me (and hoping he didn’t, like, somehow recognize me as the social-media-happy over-submitter-to-their-tumblr I am!) She says she thought he meant her, though. After a couple seconds Flans apologized with a “don’t worry, that was a joke!” and they proceeded to play Hot Cha. It took me the length of that song to stop feeling totally embarrassed, but I managed to get over it by dancing and singing along to everything.

They finished out Flood (except Istanbul), and Birdhouse followed by Road Movie was a good ending, with the added middle verse in Road Movie that nobody seems to know yet (I couldn’t remember it even though I’ve heard it), and then the Flood set was over.  Flans informed us they were going to take a 15 minute break for the next 45 minutes (it was actually about 20).

Set two started as a quiet storm trio set, starting with Music Jail (very nice on acoustic guitar and accordion, plus Marty on the electronic kit). Apparently Flans has been writing “2018” on the set lists to mean 2082, which makes me laugh. (Also the song makes me laugh!) I think this was the one where Marty drummed on Flans’ guitar in a number of key measures with his mallets, and Flans said it was the first time they’d done that live, and it absolutely killed me, especially when Flans accidentally moved to far away and Marty had to really reach. Flans said people might not want to do that with their expensive guitars, and Linnell replied they might not want to do it with their expensive mallets.

EDIT: They introduced 2082 (I think it was this one) with a little segue about how they had tested the song in front of test audiences and found out that people like hyper-violent songs.  They also played Wicked Little Critta in this set and Linnell went back to the Kaoss Pad and keyboard for that, of course. He’s either getting pretty amazingly good at pitch on the Kaoss, or else he’s found a way to modulate the pitch through the keyboard at the same time, vocoder-style (I’m pretty sure I saw him doing the latter).

The crew struck the stage after the quiet storm to the tune of the Underwater Woman music video, which always kinda chokes me up. Ugh, those lyrics. And that bass line.

Further continuing my tendency to be a little choked up in the second set, they came back and played Wearing a Raincoat (!) next which I have never heard live before and which I have connected to on a personal level since I first heard it, for reasons. Oh man.

After that, more new and not-quite-new high energy songs followed and I danced my little feet off to Communists and waved my arms to increasing speed to Damn Good Times and sang my heart out to New York City even though I have never been there.

Curt Ramm played as good an Istanbul intro as I have heard before and we all tried very hard to scream at the right spots. I noticed he wiggles his eyebrows really hard when he’s trying to get us to do that. The Theme from Flood ended the set, which they informed us they had just learned was the optimal length for washing your hands. Flans thanked us for being a good audience, telling us that audiences that weren’t as fun were, in fact, less fun.

EDIT: No issues with the new Arturia MIDI controller, that I saw. Apparently the kinks have been worked out!  Linnell did brag about his new keyboard stand, which he said he got because people had been asking him how long he was going to keep using the old keyboard stand, so he got a new one that looks just like the old one (same color blue, at least, and still looks like a desk!)  He joked that he was storing his sandwiches in it.

They left the stage and we all set about clapping very hard to request an encore. After the usual length of time they came back, and we must have been clapping particularly hard at that point because Flans stopped us and informed us that the whole wait offstage during clapping was a bit of theater that they had instituted long ago so they would not look too nervous by running offstage and then right back on stage, admitting that of course they were nervous so it was all just theater anyway. “But that’s the nature of theater.” He also said something like “we’re asking you to give us something that isn’t actually good for us” which was a very humanizing take on the nature of applause and the performance/audience relationship, I thought.

I approximately died and went to Heaven when they brought out Fingertips for encore #1, and I managed to pull myself together in time to capture it on slightly less mobile video:

EDIT 3: I get no end of amusement watching the security guard’s face in that video, he does NOT look like he understands what he is listening to at all.

This was followed by Doctor Worm which is so. Good. Live.

They went offstage again, we clapped them back on, and Linnell asked “was that the full sixty seconds?” Then they played End of the Tour, which I got very choked up in, under what felt like some particularly intense Linnell-Staring, and which I was sure was the end of the show.

It wasn’t! They followed it with The Guitar, which is my absolute favorite thing to see live, period. Only one very tiny keyboard-playing hop from Linnell, like he tried it and decided it was rather too energetic a move at that time of night, but still fantastic. I did not take the same approach and dug for my reserves of bouncing energy for that song, because it was totally worth it.

Clarwyn got a set list from Marty, we grabbed a late fast food supper at McDonalds, got a bit turned around by our GPS and then drove our very long drive home.

Here is Clarwyn’s set list:

[artdjgblog]

Innerview: Ercan Ucer / Grafik Tasarim (Turkey) October 2008 Image: Giphy Note: Take #2 of a design magazine interview.

​0​1) How do you name yourself other than being a versatile designer? In the past year and a half I’ve come to realize that I’m not really a graphic designer. It’s definitely in there and will always be because design is a poison, like any vocation or skill can be. But, I’ve always approached the way I work as an artist first, and I don’t fancy myself an artist either. I am what I am, though I can’t always be so selfish. Am I an illustrator? I guess there is a collision of the three. Add this to a love for getting my hands dirty, plus a celebration of youth and American pop-culture mixed with Eastern European and post-WWII American Design – B.C. (Before Computer) and the product is me? “Versatile” is too defining of a word for me and way too classy. I simply like to say I make things. Each day is new and I haven’t a clue what I’m going to do. ​0​2) What is the relationship between marketing and your designing process at different areas? (poster, packaging, logo…etc) A design is a marketing tool, no doubt. I haven’t really worked on a large scale setting with this, but I have in terms of marketing on a small scale for rock concerts and prospective CD buyers. Though, a designer plays eye-grabber, a designer is not really a marketer, but I guess it helps to attract attention or sell something. I had friends in college who studied marketing as well as design and they’d probably be more equipped to answering this question. It’s an area I’m not familiar with other than thinking of ways to attract people to get excited for a musical group, a sound, feeling or expression by way of putting a stamp on a poster, CD or logo design. It is a marketing tool especially when working with a client. It certainly is not only what the artist-designer can bring to the “product” (Though, I do think this can apply at a certain larger level with selling something), you’re also working for somebody and trying to sell an image or an item. In the case of a show poster, you’re selling a concert venue or the place the poster is hanging or even the music scene and the city and environment. I think this can be a tricky walk. I’ve been fortunate to have some small success with great clients and great projects to where things work out well. I guess it helps that independent music graphics kind of start out in left field to begin with, to where they are approached more like an art project than a product? Though, I don’t think that the work should not limit itself to a certain kind of audience. I think it’s great when the work speaks to anybody. There are times though where things don’t mix well, whether under the weather by design, client-wise or consumer. It’s just part of the deal. The work isn’t always going to be a homerun. Another deal is the way people interact with communication in marketing. Today I find that technology has a lot to do with people getting information for a rock concert via social networking sites, musician, ticket and concert venue sites. I don’t think that something like the poster will ever be dead, but technology can almost make a poster feel second-rate, a collector’s keep-sake and more for show than for the actual show. Logos are very interesting when it comes to marketing for bands because they are generally slapped onto many-many products. I’ve worked with a lot of music-related designs, but I’ve also made logos varying from a lawyer to an internet-computer company to a church before. So, these different applications encourage me to find new ways to talk to other audiences who come searching for something that isn’t entertainment, but I approach these designs with the same techniques and tools I use with the music graphics. I try to give something unique, and of a new take, to get a double-take. ​0​3) Can you tell us about your working environment and your different feelings or extraordinary events that inspires you? Ever since I was a child growing up on a farm, my working environment has been outside and especially in my bedroom. Working environments also extended to anyplace I had my eyes open. I certainly believe in a home base or comfort zone of operations, but a lot of my more thorough processing happens while out and about and then I bring it back home with me to make. Currently I work out of a basement in my home. I’ve constructed a work space out of wood found in the street. I call it my “club house”. I love it down there despite my continual problem with having a work space that barely has room for me to work in! I collect and store a lot of things around me and still have a lot of my childhood things around me, along with piles and piles of supplies, research and things I’ve found or see the potential in for a future use. I have a mind-set that if I can’t use it today, I can easily use it in 50 years. I’m a major fan of extraordinary events and tend to find humorous and peculiar ones to be more my taste, and more-so in retrospect of the event. I feel to be blessed with a certain quality that attracts odd circumstances, or maybe it’s all in my head? Extraordinary has its own brand of “something”, but more often I find inspiration in places, events and things that are fairly run-of-the-mill and everyday ordinary for anyone, which can give them an added cushion of “extra” for me. On my website I’ve made a list of my history, the things that have been the everyday ordinary for me, but might seem very out of ordinary to others. It all depends on perspective and where you’ve been. ​0​4) When did you discover the impulse that led you being a designer? This impulse to leave behind a paper trail of some sort on my impression has always been kicking around in me. I didn’t fully know it at the time, but I believe it started when I was young as I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t doing or making something. It’s a large part of my make-up. Much of it has to do with my farming background and watching my Dad and his Dad and others always doing or working on something whether it was building fences, planting crops or tending animals. I also owe a lot to my Grandma, for her hands-on making skills and to my parents for allowing me to grow-up fully plugged into the American pop-culture of books, toys, music, movies, video games and sports. Now, I just feed off of my former self and continue to feed for the future. It’s not work to me when it truly works and I enjoy myself. ​0​5)  Is looking at life always from a different angel, the designer’s necessarily ego? Most any area of most any job, skill, talent, business doesn’t come without some ego hurdling. The ego is amped further within the arts. Inflated achievement comes with ease when your voice gets a little loud in a “scene” or beyond. I’d like to think I’m fairly grounded, but it’s hard not to feel the eggs weight the other side when I’m told I could be sitting on a couple of golden ones. Working a day job can help matters, but it can also be a nightmare with time management. I have to just tell myself that I am a man and a man who happens to make things. Still, that can be hard. It doesn’t mean that I’m better than somebody or am a “somebody” because I’ve found a certain something within me. I just enjoy my life and feel very fortunate to even know what I want to do with it. I think one needs healthy doses of reality and a whole heap of humor to make it too. Besides, I have no answers. If you know somebody with it all figured out, have them call me! What helps me is to find comfort and ease is venturing back into my child manner. I’m much more content and find peace when I’m either looking at the world through a certain lense that I might qualify for, or just making and enjoying the act of celebration in creativity. The moment I start to think too much about it all or answer questions, that is when it can get a little dangerous in the head. I’d like to think gaining wisdom through age and maturity helps. I know that my energy and will-power have died some, and of late I’m leaning on this as a benefit. I think I say and do some dumb stuff today, though I’m positive it’s a little less than yesterday! ​0​6) Can you inform us about graphic design’ s one of the important field, package design and your sketches? / Tell me about the sketching and process of packaging. There is a certain amount of image longevity that becomes attached to packaging. I’m not experienced in much more than musical CD packaging, but I think a long life span especially applies to this in the iconic halls of pop-culture, even on small levels. Though, that’s not the reason to put into making something and/or package something but if you can add some meaty eye candy, then so be it. I love poster design because there are endless possibilities to exhaust, many ways to work reach-and-grab-of-the-moment and intuitive, and if something doesn’t work all-around, it’s throw-away and will die soon like house flies. CDs are so different, at least for me, and they can be quite intimidating and intoxicating. Sometimes another designer’s great CD package makes me not wish to do another one, and in a good way! With my own process, I do a little bit of sketching, but more-so the process and evolution of the CD package is the sketching for me. If I’m rewarded with an ample amount of time to work on a CD I usually make it happen in three different sessions, or what I call “incubation stages”. This allows me time to sit on ideas and to come back to them with fresh perspective and clear head, to play or spin off ideas and avenues. When figuring out an image or “look” for an album, I like to at least digest the music or get a track listing. With the way in which I work, I tend to feed off of my day-to-day (sometimes minute-to-minute) emotional handy work. It can be a little strange though as I can easily obsess over wondering the what-might-have-been with something like a CD package or anything. I think that a CD package for me can be extremely different given what day I’m at. I do believe my best packages have come down on me at the last minute, intuitively and usually on the lowest of budgets. And I mean cheap, major cheap. 0​7) What are the benefits of making global designs for the designer? I love a body of work, one that breathes and not only serves as a timeline for the maker, but also for views and observations on life itself. Ideas that can extend globally even, throughout time. I think that a great body of work can extend to anybody, anywhere in the world. And even if it is for some other body like a client, it is always from its original body of the creator. Anything that goes global is still connected to that first breath of singular life. Due to technology, it’s so much easier today to go “global” with designs, even if one does operate on a small scale. I think it’s great to put the work out there, to share, even if it’s not marking up or wrapping up a popular product. In today’s fast-paced world of millions and billions of images and things flashing, it really does mean a lot that my meager things have made it in some strange little way. Even, if it’s just a grin or a double-take by someone looking at a little poster on a wall or in a magazine or a global internet billboard or world-wide magazine and book distribution. Though, a part of me still likes to keep some things to myself. And I’m odd because I personally don’t like to attract attention to myself with graphics on the shirts I wear or product logos on bags and things. ​0​8) Can you explain the relationship between marketing and designing? I’m not sure if I was successful, but I tried to answer some of this in question 2. With this one I’ll try to wrap it into the way that I work, to where my designs act as marketing tools for me, as well as the product they are pushing. Until recently I’ve never had to market myself in conventional practice. For the first six years my work itself was the marketing. Everything from a poster to a package and a logo has been on the same level with causing a “Trickle Down / Word of Mouth” marketing effect. And I’ve been fortunate to keep fairly close relationships with my clients due to a small industry I work in. These clients have brought other clients. For my first two years I was living and working with several bands in a house. I didn’t have to leave and would get new work constantly. At times I’d just make things before I was even asked. Some of the best marketing can come in poster making and that is how I started to gather some attention. Posters have a short shelf life in comparison to packaging and logos, so there is always a new one to tack up. And if a poster doesn’t succeed, then it’s easy to just make another one. It’s just a poster and practice is good. After a while people start getting curious and come looking for you. ​0​9) Does any of your designs have an unforgettable story? The “Whatever Makes You Happy” CD package design I made in my basement in June of 2002 for the band Elevator Division, is one of my most memorable moments. It was a special run of 250 handmade CD packages and my idea came at the last minute. I made an image of a hand shooting off its index finger like a missile that married the themes for the album perfectly, with reflections of war and failed relationships. It was the idea of shooting off one’s options and making decisions. It was fitting for the band-music but also for the national-world climate. Each one was hand-cut from cardboard and stencil sprayed and rubber stamped. Inserts were copied, cut, folded and glued. At the last mist of red spray paint, a crack of thunder shook the massive home’s foundation and I bolted from the basement and out the front door to a down pour of rain. I leapt off the front porch and slid head first down the front lawn embankment and into the street flowing like a river current. The drug dealing squatters of the home across the street were on their front step looking at the fire in my eyes and the red paint streaming from my ears, nose and mouth. It was a high much higher than that of chemical substance. -djg

[thelittlestcheshire]

Hello! I’m Katie, and this is my muse Ches. If any of you were in Luxor over the summer, you know this pain in the ass so I’m probably gonna do a quick “here’s where this brat was” recap at the bottom, along with anything I’ve changed between that Ches and this Ches! I’m really excited to be back, and I’m really looking forward to roleplaying with everyone.

I also have the habit of writing crazy long bios when I do bother to write them so there’s a tl;dr for that, also some wanted connections at the bottom. I love plotting so if you ever have any ideas, feel free to come excited scream with me here or on Discord! So without further ado ♥

TWs:  Gun Violence / Murder / Death (not by Ches), Blood, Abuse (Relationship), Cheating, Mental Illnesses, Drugs/Alcohol, Overdoses (also not by Ches / did not result in death)

Is that HAILEY CHESHIRE “CHES” ELSWOOD? Wow, they do look a lot like KATHERINE MCNAMARA. I hear SHE is a SEVENTEEN EIGHTEEN year old SENIOR who originally attended CARNIFEX Academy. Word is they are an ARISTOCRAT student. You should watch out because they can be IMPULSIVE and STUBBORN, but on the bright side they can also be ENERGENIC and LOYAL. Ultimately, you’ll get to see it all for yourself. [KATIE, 23, EST, SHE/HERS]

Last Edit: 8/26/2020

♥ basics; Full Name: Hailey Cheshire “Ches” Elswood Preferred Name: Ches Elswood Age: 18 Birthday: July 19th, 2002 at 03:22 am Sexual Orientation: Biromantic bisexual Relationship Status: It’s complicated ( @ Elliot ) Occupation: Student Nationality: American [with French dual citizenship] Ches’s Car

♥ classes;

Anthropology

Shakespearean Studies

Linguistics

Latin

Music

Advanced Sociology

Advanced Psychology

World History

♥ extracurriculars;

National Honor Society

Theater Club (Actor)

Concert Band (Piano)

♥ background; Place of Birth: Paris, France Hometown: Manhattan, New York, New York Health Issues: Borderline Personality Disorder and PTSD, not that she likes to admit to it, however. She’s also highly allergic to the Perciformes family of fish (tuna, mackrel, perch , and bass). While she’s okay with the  salmoniformes (Salmon and Trout), she really doesn’t touch fish outside of... literally salmon she makes herself since that’s all she trusts ok. ((Shellfish is fine though) Traumas: Watching her mother die (mugging gone wrong/shot to death)

♥ physical; Face Claim: Katherine McNamara Eye Color: Green Hair Color: Red Height: 5′3 ½” (not at fc height quick side note) Weight: 115 lbs Tattoos, Birthmarks, Scars, etc: Mole above her belly button, a few moles on her thighs, freckles and face moles. (Face Ref 1, Face Ref 2,  Body Ref 1, Body Ref 2) . She also has a tattoo now.

♥ zodiac;

Tropical

Sun: Cancer Moon: Scorpio Mercury: Cancer Venus: Virgo Mars: Leo Jupiter: Cancer Saturn: Gemini Uranus:  Aquarius Neptune: Aquarius Pluto: Sagittarius Lilith: Aries N Node: Gemini

Placidus Orb

I ASC: Gemini II: Cancer III: Cancer IV: Leo V: Virgo VI: Libra VII: Sagittarius VIII:  Capricorn IX: Capricorn X MC: Aquarius XI: Pisces XII: Aries

♥ relatives;

Father’s Full Name: Edward Valentine Elswood Father’s Status: Alive Father’s Occupation: CEO/Owner of a multi-billion dollar luxury goods conglomerate  (net worth of 50+ Billion in fact - in turn, Elswood kids do NOT bat an eyelash at prices) Mother’s Full Name: Julia Andrieux Elswood Mother’s Status: Deceased [shot by a mugger on the twin’s 8th birthday] Future Step-Mother: Rebekah Carroll (soon to be Elswood, watch this space lol) Step-Mother’s Occupation:  Siblings: 6 brothers and sisters (family page here) Elswood-Carroll Children Oldest to Youngest:

Logan Elswood (24)

Jamie Elswood (22)

Emmett Elswood (19)

Cade Carroll (19)

Jonah / Ches Elswood (TWINS)

Flynn Carroll (16)

Effie Elswood (14)

Ella Elswood (10)

She also has a niece named Isabella (Belle) who’s now almost 8 months (DOB: 07/10/2019). Belle belongs to her oldest brother, Logan (and Belle’s mother isn’t in the picture).

This is a link to the Elswood family page if you’d like to know more about her family.

♥ relationships; Ex-Significant Other(s): Probably a handful of people tbh, hit me up if you want this as a WC Reason for Separation: Stuff not working out, Ches getting bored before she got attached, so on - she’s a flirt tbh, it takes her wanting to get invested for her to stay Current Significant Other: N/A

♥ misc;

Hobbies and Talents: Ches’s main hobbies are playing piano and archery (she forever misses her bow and arrow while she’s at school), as these are also the two things that are best at calming her down. She has an intense love for acting, so it’s not uncommon for her to be one of the first people to sign up for auditions, and she tends to sing a lot so musicals are truly her shit. It’s not uncommon to see her in the library, reading a book late a night.

However, a talent she doesn’t exactly own up to often is her talent for forgeries and lockpicking. While she doesn’t use these skills as they’re intended for often, she does tend to practice them a lot, so she’s not rusty for when they are actually useful.

Pinterest Section // Musings Tag // Playlist (it’s an in general Ches playlist tho)

Ches speaks English and French fluently, her mother was born and raised in Paris so she learnt them both at the same time

DO NOT CALL HER HAILEY unless you really want to end up on her shit list, it’s her biggest pet peeve, she will glare at you for hours.

She’s the mom friend if your mom friend also goes “I HAVE THE BEST IDEA” and drags you into trouble. Literally, the one who frets over you and proceeds to get you into trouble.

This muse does what she wants, I just write it down I apologize always for her

Doesn’t really... seriously date too much because of past situations (Her older brother slept with the first person she truly loved) and she tries to avoid falling in love

That being said platonic I love yous are her shit, she loves her friends a LOT

Ches is very serious about her studying (and wanting to be among the best of the best because - this girl has Ivy league college dreams and she has no intents on fucking those up), so like expect her to do shit like read an entire textbook at the start of school and study at midnight when her insomnia is kicking her ass.

She’s a bit of a closet nerd - if you look under her bed she has a chest of comic books, she’ll just lie if you ask her about them

Ches left Luxor due to a family emergency in October, it was a really hard decision (and it was a really hard decision to come back). She is just now coming back to school.

She got her tattoo while she was away from school, using a forged note of parental consent in New Jersey.

♥ bio;

TWs: Gun Violence, Murder, Death, Blood, Abuse (Relationship), Cheating, Mental Illnesses

Growing up as an Elswood means two things, you have a lot of siblings and a lot of money. Her parents had decided to raise their children in Manhattan, New York, where they could keep a close eye on their multi-billion dollar conglomerate. Her mother, Julia, would take them on trips constantly too - when she wanted to get the children away from the hustle and bustle of the city they’d go to their vacation home upstate, or their private island, or even to visit their family in Paris. At that point in life, Ches was happy. She had a solid group of friends, she had the best friend she could ever imagine having in the form of her twin brother, she had a loving and warm family, and she had a parent who would tell her no.

When she thinks back to her life before the incident, it feels like a completely different story. A fairytale even, perfect and happy in every way compared to her life now. However, it wouldn’t last, after all, fairy tales didn’t exist and reality was a much crueler mistress. One could say Lin-Manuel Miranda described it best; “life doesn't discriminate between the sinners and the saints. It takes and it takes and it takes.”

Everything changed on her eighth birthday when her mother took her out shopping to get a present for twin brother Jonah at Palisades Mall. A man came up with a gun while they were in the parking lot and asked for all of their money. Julia Elswood compiled but she made one mistake, the simple utterance of “Cours, Ches” as she gave the man her purse.

Ches might have gotten out of the event alive, but not she was not unscathed. Julia Elswood was pronounced dead when medics finally arrived on the scene, her blood coating her daughter’s hands and clothing from Ches’s attempts to stop the bleeding. She might have survived the event without physical harm but she was never the same child she was before after that.

One day she had an intact family, the next day the Elswoods were in ruin. Her father completely shut himself out from the family, only coming out for birthdays and holidays. Her oldest brother stepped up as their parental figure, first starting out with homeschooling before he eventually dropped out to ensure his siblings were getting as much of his time as they possibly could. He tried his hardest to make the loss of their mother easier on the younger girls especially, given how young they were at the time. She helped him with the girls as much as she could (and overtime she slowly started filling the role as their second parent). Because of how busy the younger Elswood children kept him, sometimes Logan didn’t have the time to comfort Ches when she woke up in the middle of the night, haunted by their mother.

That was when Emmett stepped in. It wasn’t uncommon for him to sleep on her floor so he’d be there when she woke up terrified out of her mind, and he was there when she just eventually stopped sleeping like people tended to. Over time she realized that Jonah and her weren’t truly two peas in a pod the way they used to be, that Emmett was the only Elswood who truly got her. He wasn’t perfectly normal either, his thoughts and feelings were flawed like hers.

In a family that made her feel so broken at times, Emmett was a saving grace - a reminder she wasn’t alone.

Going to school in Carnifex was an easy decision when you felt so alone at home, at school she found a close group of people she loved and cared about - she felt less alone and less like her family were judging her, and when the feeling came up - she could always toss herself back into her schoolwork and pretend that maybe, just maybe, she was just a normal kid living a normal boring life. Family issues easily bred vulnerability though, and it was that vulnerability that was exploited not long before she was set to start Carnifex.

Long-distance relationships weren't’ supposed to be easy, but when she fell in love for the first time. At the time, she had thought she was as fucked up as she could ever be, that at this point she was just focused on healing the wounds her mother’s death had left in therapy and after that, everything would be fine. James Ruth quickly showed her how mistaken she had been, even now she doesn’t like thinking about everything he had done to her. She doesn’t discuss everything he had put her through in the time they were together nor does she have any intentions on truly discussing the worst of the abuse she endured while dating him and she was home - even in therapy. It did, however, have an effect on her, it made her terrified of truly falling in love with somebody again.  (Note: James is also a massive reason why she doesn't get along with her brother Jamie, the two Elswood siblings never recovered from Jamie sleeping with Ches’s boyfriend. It causes a good deal of tension in the Elswood home but Ches can’t just forgive him, her brother never even apologized for his actions, she wasn’t going to pretend he didn’t hurt her because her father wanted them to get along for his own sake. They were on the rocks before this and afterward, the tension just got a whole lot worse.)

Going back to Carnifex her sophomore year was a key factor in helping Ches get away from her relationship, and it became as much of a home for her than her actual home was the longer she attended. Sure, she still misses her younger sisters, she misses Emmett and Camellia, and she misses her friends in the city. She also dislikes just how restricted she truly is when it comes to Instagram and trying to grow her influence while she attends Carnifex. Networking had to wait until she was home and sometimes she questions why she decided boarding school was a good idea. And then Ches looks at her friends, at the education she’s receiving, and all the fond memories she’s developing. Carnifex, and now Luxor, was well worth the fear of missing out she feels. 

If you had asked her at the start of this school year, she would have told you nothing could have gotten her to leave school for any amount of time her senior year, she had spent the whole summer at Luxor (even after hearing about her baby niece, that meant a lot) - she finally settled in, she couldn’t imagine anything happening that would cause her to leave the academy. And then, on October 16th at two am in the morning, she got a phone call from Ella. Their oldest brother, Logan, had overdosed. While his drug addiction had never been a secret to the family, his relapse had been a surprise to Ches. Her brother had sworn up and down he was fine, that everything at home was okay. Going back to New York was a no brainer, her family needed her - and she needed them.

Logan, who’d been the closest thing to a parent she had since her mother died, almost died - she almost lost all the parental figures she ever knew. It was hard, getting adjusted back to New York City, she threw herself into her school work and did her best to fill the shoes Logan left open as he went through rehab, and then, adjusted back to being home. While she stayed in touch with the people she had at Luxor, she wouldn’t come back until her brother way okay - until she felt safe about leaving him with his daughter and their siblings without her as a backup. Coming back to school this time was really hard on her, the homesickness is worse than ever and she’s constantly trying to check in on her siblings (because mom!Ches is truly in full force and she’s trying to get it back down) but she’s glad to be back. She’s missed being at Luxor, a lot, so she’s glad to be back.

TLDR / quick important notes bio recap for rereads:

Ches’s mother was murdered on her 8th birthday in front of her

She was raised by her oldest brother, Logan, and is NOT close to her father really. She also helped raise her younger sisters and is very protective of them.

The Elswood she is closest to is Emmett, Jonah and her grew apart after her mother’s death.

Ches’s first real love was James (an NPC), they dated (entire)Freshman-(mid)Sophomore years, it was abusive (much more than Ches will ever discuss unless she gets majorly close to someone and they HAVE to know (cough still hasn’t happened though cough)) and Ches is now terrified of falling in love again. Her messy as fuck relationships & exes all start after this point.

Ches’s history at Luxor is pretty much in-tact, changes will be below in another section!

Ches left Luxor because of her oldest brother, Logan, overdosing. He is alive but she stayed in NYC until he was out of rehab / stabilized in order to take care of her younger siblings and her niece, Belle.

Notable Luxor Notes:

Anything relating to Thomas (for those of you who know what I mean) really hasn’t occurred, so if you mention it she’ll just be like “who?” This seems like the easiest course of action given how things were left off

Other muses of note I’m not going to account for are: Asher (more will be added as needed).

Ches isn’t a member of the Churchill Circle (I’m leaning towards was never one either just because the reasons she joined are no longer a factor so... she probably wouldn’t have ever joined)

If anyone wants to change history and/or keep it intact, feel free to dm me to let me know and I’ll update this accordingly. 

Wanted Connections:

Exes (when Ches dates it’s not for long, but she’s definitely the type to be like “I’ll go out with you” if asked and then... dump you if she thinks she’s getting too attached. So her exes are either on good terms, neutral terms, or they probably dislike her a lot)

Former friends with benefits - while Ches is no longer taking on new ones because of Elliot (and is starting to wean off her current ones), I’m always willing to headcanon past things!

FRIENDSHIPS  (I am weak af for a good friendship plot, never be afraid to be like “hey can our muses be friends” the answer is legit always yes)

Enemies (Ches can... be a lot so it’s not unlikely she’s pissed people off ok)

[justmeandmyinnermostthoughts]

Vacation Time Part 2: A Run and Rollerskates

A/N: Hope you all enjoy this. Since I’ve named the reader character in this one (Sorry, it’s important for something later on >.<) I’m going to do my best to keep the description of Celestial as basic as I can so that you all can make her look like whatever you want in your heads. 

I hope you all like it! Let me know what you think if you want. And if you would like to be tagged for this story. 

Part 1 ~ Part 2 (You are here) ~ Part 3 

Beep beep beep beep be-- 

The alarm cuts off as J rolls over and smacks it. He rubs his face with his hands, groaning, and sits up, stretching his arms out. He flips the blanket off his legs, intending to get up to prepare for work but then he remembers, “Right. I can’t go to work. I’m on vacation...” He thumps back onto the bed with a frustrated growl. He grabs his extra pillow and covers his face before yelling into it. He drops his hand back to the bed, leaving the pillow on his face. He’s asleep again before he realizes it. 

~ 

J slowly becomes aware of his surroundings again. Groggily blinking his eyes and rubbing at them. He turns his head to the side, squinting at the clock. 

10:25 am

J groans and sits up rubbing his neck. He hasn’t slept in this late in years. Guess he needed it. He throws the blanket to the side and shambles towards the bathroom. Maybe a shower will help wake him up. 

~

A little while later, J steps out of the shower and grabs his towel off the bar. After drying himself off he wraps the towel around his waist. He exits the bathroom and changes into some athletic clothes, a dark grey tank and navy shorts. After putting on his sneakers, J grabs a quick breakfast before heading out the door, phone and headphones in hand. 

~ 

The day was warm. Warm enough to be hot as J jogged down the path in Central Park. But, it was a pretty day with a nice breeze and the exercise was helping J clear his head. He rarely experienced moments like this nowadays. His days were normally filled with paperwork or negotiating with aliens or paperwork or making sure new refugees are settled or paperwork. The list goes on. J has to admit it was nice to get outside and go for a run without having to worry about anything. Maybe he should start taking weekends off like K does. 

J slows as he comes up to a water fountain. He takes an earbud out and looks around as he catches his breath. He catches the eye of a hotdog vendor across the green field and they nod at him. He returns it, knowing the man for what he really is, a member of the ‘cupid’ race from the planet Venus, then leans over to take a long drink from the fountain. J straightens up and turns to the left, the direction he was heading before he stopped. He places his earbud back into his ear as he steps back onto the path, missing the shout of warning as the music fills his ears again. 

A blur whips around him, bumping his arm as it passes. He jerks a step to the side in surprise. The blur, or person actually, falls to a knee, other leg out to the side, and the palms of their hands hit the sidewalk as they spin on the ground. The sound of scraping plastic meets J’s ears as he removes his earbuds, the person using the momentum of the spin to bring themselves back to their feet. They wobble a bit on their rollerskates as they regain their balance. 

“Holy shit, I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you. Are you alright?” J asks mortified as he steps closer to the skater. 

The person reaches up and unclips their helmet, removing it before looking up at J. He catches his breath at the pretty eyes that meet his own. “No, don’t worry about it. I’m fine. It’s why I wear the gear.” The girl grins, raising the hand not holding the helmet to show off the gloves she’s got on. They’re fingerless but have a plastic ridge that covers the heel of her hand. J glances at her elbows and knees to see she’s got protective pads strapped on there too. 

“Still, I should of been paying attention.” 

“Yea, but it’s alright. I was watching, just didn’t expect you to step back onto the path when you did. Didn’t get out of the way in time.” She shrugs. “And I guess you didn’t hear me shout at you?” 

J rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “No, I didn’t. My music is a bit loud.” 

The girl shrugs again. “It’s alright. I’ll let you get back to working through things.” She sets her helmet back on her head and starts to buckle it. 

J raises an eyebrow and grins, a bit confused. “Wait, what do you mean? How do you know I’m working through things?” 

The girl shrugs, adjusting the helmet so it sits right. “I find that the people who listen to music so loud they can’t hear anything else are usually the ones who are trying to forget a problem or are working through one.” She puts her hands on her hips. “So Mr. which one are you? The forgetting or the working through?” 

J’s head tilts a little to the side as he thinks about it, taking the opportunity to study the girl. He grimaces and shrugs. “Both I guess.” 

The girl nods in understanding. “That happens too.” She pauses, studying him as well. She then sticks her hand out for him to shake. “My name is Celestial Stargate.” J’s eyebrows raise and his lips begin to turn up in a grin. The girl shrugs, “My parents were hippies.” she tells him before he can ask. 

J nods, trying to fight his grin. “I see. I’m… J.” He takes her hand in his and shakes it. 

Celestial’s eyes narrow as she studies him a little longer before nodding and withdrawing her hand. “Alright, Bluejay. Want to continue my walk with me?” 

J furrows his eyebrows in confusion, his head tilting a little to one side and his grin still in place. “Bluejay.” 

She shrugs, “Your name is Jay and you seem blue, ergo Bluejay.” J chuckles but nods, getting the joke. She raises her eyebrows expectantly. “Well?” She thumbs over her shoulder. “Want to walk with me or not? You can tell me what’s on your mind while you do. Talking it out with someone helps sometimes, ya’ know.” 

J glances over her shoulder at the path then turns his attention back to her and her pretty eyes. He shrugs. “Sure, why not.” He grins and she returns the smile. She turns on her skates and starts a slow pace down the sidewalk. J falls into step beside her, switching his headphones off. “So, Celestial. What brings you out here at this time of day?” 

She shrugs. “You’re not the only one who’s working through stuff, Bluejay.” 

“Oh yea? Then where’s your music?” J jokes. 

She gestures around her. “Right here. The city is my music. The sound of life.” J raises an eyebrow and Celestial laughs. “I’m joking. My headphones died a few minutes before we ran into each other. They’re in my pocket.” She grins at him. 

He returns the expression. He’s just met this girl but she’s already had an effect on him. He likes her and her jokes and her smile and her eyes. Especially her eyes. He feels lighter, like a weight has been lifted a bit. He’s happy, he realizes. Happy to be joking with this stranger. Happy to not be alone, even if it’s just for a walk. 

“By the way. You can call me Cel if you want. Celestial sounds a bit stuffy sometimes.” 

“Cel it is then.”  

[shogikappa]

Rockin’ Pretty (Nintendo DS)

Rockin’ Pretty (Japan: Happy Star Band; Europe: Diva Girls: Making the Music) is a Nintendo DS band/music/rhythm game published in 2009 where you can choose between any of the 4 instruments the band members play and work your way through the different stages which offer new songs that can be unlocked.

I really love this game and there are several unique things about it. I’ve been looking for a game that lets you play as the various instruments in the band and this game delivers that, as well as music that’s instrumental (although the endings hint that the band isn’t actually an instrumental band, though throughout the game the music that’s played is all instrumental). Besides those, it also differs from conventional rhythm games that are in the style of say Guitar Hero, Synthesia (if you could call it a rhythm game), and Bang Dream where, instead of the music coming down as dots/bars down onto the horizontal line where you’re supposed to press buttons, the equivalent of “lines” in this game is spread out at various distances to mimic playing the actual instrument. The gameplay is played entirely using the stylus, and no buttons are used (though you can use the buttons to navigate menus and options, etc.).

The 4 members of the band are Mai (Japanese: Mahiru) on guitar, Kara (Jp: Kanami) on bass guitar, Mio on keyboard, and Reena (Jp: Riko) on drums. Although the US localization changed most of the names, at least their biography and looks remain intact, unlike the previous game, Princess on Ice, which, during localization, had the appearances of all characters completely redesigned for a “Western audience”. Anyway, onto the gameplay.

Just as a note, for each individual song, you can always choose between any of the 4 instruments to play (as well as the characters to dress up/equip instrument skins), so you aren’t stuck with 1 instrument throughout the game and can play the same song using all 4 before you move on to the next song, if you so wish. You get to choose between 3 difficulty levels for each song/instrument. Each song/instrument also has an autoplay mode where you could just watch the song being played.

The Instruments

Mai/Guitar

If you choose Mai, you get the guitar game. You’re allowed to choose your preferred hand so that the game reorientates. Anyway, there are 2 lanes which the music notes come diagonally down on. As you can probably already tell, depending on the colour of the blocks, when you actually pick will be different, so if the block is blue you need to pick when it reaches the blue zone on the lane, and so on. This creates a desirable (IMO) challenge that requires a little bit of calculation when a bunch of blocks of different colours come down in succession, which can happen more frequently when you get to higher stages. To pick, you place your stylus on the double-diamond-shaped thing between the lanes and slide it towards the side the block is on. Getting the precise angle can take minimal practice when you need to tremolo-pick (picking alternatively between the 2 lanes back and forth). The 6 possible zones reflect the 6 strings on an electric guitar, at least in my mind.

Kara/Bass

The bass is similar to the guitar game, except you have a single lane of 4 possible colour zones, reflecting the 4 strings on a bass guitar. Here, the main move, instead of sliding your stylus, is to simply tap the colour zone when the music block hits it, but there are also special blocks that require sliding, which the game calls strumming. Again, same calculation is needed when multiple colours come down.

Mio/Keyboard

Like Synthesia, but, a bit worse. I think this instrument can get quite unfair but good thing this is really just my main complaint of the game (otherwise I do quite love it). Lines come down and well, you tap the keys when the lines hit them. The unfair bit comes from how the lines often, in later levels, cover up lines that are below them (so you actually need to tap the key 2 times in a row but because the top line obscures the bottom line, you miss the 2nd tap). This becomes a game where you probably need some memorization to ace the song, although you don’t need to ace a song to complete it. Sometimes you’ll see multiple lines coming at the different keys simultaneously, which is when you need to slide your stylus across all the keys, similar to playing a glissando sweep on a keyboard.

Reena/Drums

Possibly my favourite to play and the one I do most well in, although I do prefer the guitar one for its creativity. The 4 circles essentially semi-simulate the crash cymbal, the bass drum, the snare drum, and well, that green one is rarely used so I don’t quite remember, might have been the high-hat/ride cymbal or so. Anyway, the notes slide in from the opposite side so that they always take the long way to get to the circles: the yellow and red notes always come from the right. Again, a similar calculation challenge presents itself when multiple notes of different colours come from both sides, although it’s easy (for me anyway) to get the hang of it when you focus more on the rhythm of the drumming than just looking at the notes. Some special notes require you to slide the stylus rather than just tapping.

Plot

Mai is a newcomer to this band Starlight that’s looking for a guitarist because their previous one dropped out. Mai and Kara are schoolmates, although they had never actually talked before. It looks like Mio and Reena are from the same school, but it’s not explicitly mentioned. Mio and Reena though don’t go to the same school Mai and Kara do.

Anyway, now a 4-member all-girls rock band, they start playing at different venues and enter the annual music contest Rockin’ Pretty (RP).

As you move one step closer to the finals, a new venue/stage is unlocked and 2 new songs become available, and you get a bit of progress on the little bit of story, if you wanna call it that (it’s pretty much dialogue presented in a visual novel style about them moving on but hey, it’s nice to see).

Music

The band plays a number of songs throughout the game. These are given by stage number below:

1. See You Again

2a. Heaven

2b. Prayer

3a. Good Morning

3b. Ambitious Ladies

4a. Your Eyes

4b. I Love You!

5a. Fluttering Heart

5b. Happy Sunday

6a. Fiery Glance

6b. Boyfriend

7a. Summer Fun

7b. Fight For Your Love

8. Rockin’ Nova

The music feels a bit mediocre. The tunes are not anything great, but I do enjoy this game enough to want to go back to listening to the music, but less so because the tunes are that great. The gameplay though, I think, makes up for it. The music ranges from softer pop-sounding music to something in the mid area. I wouldn’t say anything in this game falls under hard rock. Maybe a bit hard, but nothing too much.

Endings

There are 3 endings to the game. A good ending (which I unexpectedly got the first time round), as well as 2 normal endings. There’s no bad ending. There’s been various sources talking about how you get the good end. One page claims that you need to beat all songs on hard and do well in the finale which I can attest is not true cause I only played and beat 1 song on hard and yet I got the good end anyway. What is sure is that you need to ace the song in your finale (as any instrument), and just a normal performance would not do. And apparently the clothes/instruments that you bought also affect it, according to another source, but by that point I’ve really bought everything that you can buy so I couldn’t test it out. It’s a good idea to anyway, since your score caps at like 50000 or so. Your score is used to buy the girls new outfits, hairstyles, and instruments. Simply play a song and you’ll earn some points again, depending on your performance. The same source also mentions how you need to “get used to playing on Normal/Hard rather than just Easy”.

So I suppose the best bet is to warm yourself up on Easy, then move on to Normal (which is what I did), and buy outfits and instruments as you progress. After that, you can see all the endings depending on if you ace the finale or simply do average, and you’ll see the 3 endings. Maybe play one song on Hard like I did but I can’t say if it really changes anything.

If you only perform average, you’ll get 1 of the 2 normal endings at random. Good thing about this game is that you’ll see an ending each time you play the finale song, so you can check out all 3 endings at any point, but it does mean you’d have to sit through the credits every time you just wanna play the song.

Well of course the normal endings are well, you don’t win the contest. But as a character points out in one of the endings, making it all the way to the finals still means you put on a great show, even if you aren’t the best! After all, do you ever just listen to your favourite piece of music of all time and think your second favourite piece of music is not worthy? Another quote from the anime Sound Euphonium: music wasn’t originally intended for competition. And really, not to downplay the excitement of winning a music contest, but it’d have been lots of fun just to play music all around the city and make it to the finals, having your music be enjoyed by so many.

Anyway, even the normal ends aren’t too bad and they continue to play and keep on rockin pretty so hey, things are still good.

You unlock a photo studio where you can “take photos” of the band after you beat the game but the 3D models don’t exactly look that impressive. I’d rather have preferred a gallery for the endings I’ve unlocked but oh well.

Overall

Well I do very much love this game, especially since I came across it while on my music craze, hunting for band games and shows. And I got to live the fantasy of playing music with others a bit. My only complaints are that the keyboard game feels especially unfair and that the game’s a bit too short. If you enjoy a unique rhythm/band/music game, I’d say this one is worth checking out. Heck, I don’t really enjoy rhythm games but even I love this game because of the band atmosphere and the simulation (kinda) of playing different instruments. So maybe give it a go even if you don’t like rhythm games but want to play a game relevant to music bands.

[whenwomenrefuse]

I have never told this story before.

I have never told this story before.

It was the summer of finishing school, I was 19 years old and had a five-month-long holiday inbetween finishing the final exams for school and starting uni in October. Me and my friends drove to the next bigger city with the train, to go out, almost every weekend. We went on concerts and metal parties, and sure, we also drank a bit (In Germany the legal drinking age is 16 for beer and 18 for liquor), but due to the expensiveness of the drinks, it was never more than two, maybe three longdrinks. This may sound like a lot, but the way they are mixed there’s usually barely any alcohol in them. Therefore drinking three of these will still let you be almost sober. Also, my body had a pretty high tolerance for alcohol, and I’d really had have to drink heavily in order to get actually drunk. Additionally, I’d been having these exact two to three drinks every weekend for months, I knew exactly how many of them I could drink without an effect (1-2), I knew how many I’d need to drink to get slightly tipsy (3-4), and how much to get noticeably tipsy (5 and up). I was also used to taking a cab to the train station in the city (about 10 minutes), taking a 20-minute train ride and then a 10-minute walk home, in the village I lived in. I knew exactly at what point during the evening I’d have to stop drinking, to be sober when leaving for home. Since the parties only started at 10pm and the last train came at 1:30 am, I never stayed long enough to be actually wasted. What I’m trying to make clear is that while I was just 19 years old, I was used to alcohol, I was used to the locations where we partied, I had a close group of friends who travelled with me, I had self-imposed strict times when I left the party for home, and I knew exactly what I was drinking and how it would affect me. In short, I was partying and drinking responsibly.

Going out in a tight knit community such as the one we found ourselves in, due to our taste in music, it means you start to recognize the same faces in the venues you go to for concerts, for parties, for festivals, the people you stand in line with at the bar, are the people who organize the next show, who own the record label, who play in the bands. You start to know people and they start to know you. The older people look out for the younger ones, make sure they’re handling their drinks, make sure they know when to leave to catch their trains/buses etc. Girls and women have whatsapp chats dedicated to leaving the venue together, so that nobody has to go home alone. In short, I had a strong sense of familiarity and security with these people. Then that day came.

There was a concert, five bands from the wider region were coming to our city and playing a concert. The subgenres they played were pretty broad, and some of them were big enough to attract their own fans to the venue, people from further away and people who otherwise weren’t involved with the local scene. Needless to say it was incredibly full that night. The last band that played was one of our friends, so we had made plans with one of them, to spend the night in his flat, he had a big sofa and two camp beds, and his flatmate was out of town, so one of us could also spend the night in their room. At that point we knew him for months, and trusted him completely. And it wasn’t like we were only young girls in the group, we were mainly guys, and then me and two other girls. It was a 100% non-sexual sleeping arrangement, and everyone was aware of that. Before the show, we went to his flat to drop off our things for the night, and to help him transport his equipment over to the venue. Then the problems started.

You see, music scenes can be complicated, especially the underground scenes, and some subgenres and their fans don’t go well with each other. That night there was a mixture of a lot of different genres, which each had a mixture of people in the crowd. You had your leather jacket bruisers to whom music ended in the mid-80s, paired with super niche neo avantgarde experimental metal, just to name an example, and there were some tensions in the crowd. People were rowdier than usual, and some got ridiculously wasted. There had been some instances where security actually had something to do, prying drunkards from each other, before they could throw blows at the other’s face. I was still more or less new to the scene, having existed in the microcosmos of my home city for years, and never really gone out anywhere else. I wasn’t used to this in the way that I am now. I was uncomfortable, and I stopped drinking after my first drink. I quickly became aware of how sober I was, as everyone around me got increasingly wasted. One band from Dortmund got kicked out of backstage (sounds more prestige than it is – it’s just a backroom with a sofa) for “doing coke on my sofa”, as the owner put it. They riled up their posse and started having fights with the people who organized the show, culminating in the schedule being changed, so that they would play earlier than planned, just so they would leave as soon as possible. They didn’t like that at all, and you could hear the shouting from backstage inbetween songs.

In the end, I decided to leave early. I wrote in the whatsapp chat if any of the other girls wanted to head to the train station together, but nobody answered. I waited for an hour, but nobody wanted to leave. Then 1am came, and with that my last chance to take the train. I asked once more, but still nobody wanted to leave. Walking alone in that part of the city, where all of the concert halls and clubs were, on a weekend, was a really bad idea. People got mugged and worse, one of my friends was mugged that summer, so it was just a security measure not to travel alone. I stayed. I went to the bar and ordered my second drink of the evening. Hours had passed since the first drink, and there was no way this one could have made me as drunk as I became.

I remember waiting at the bar for a long time. But that was okay, it was full that evening and I had all the time in the world (the second-to-last band were just finishing up their show, the band of my friend hadn’t even set up their equipment yet, I’d be stuck at the venue for at least another hour). One of the friends of the band from Dortmund was there. He noticed a patch on my jacket, we talked about Blackthrash, he offered to buy me my drink. I tried to decline, telling him truthfully, that I was more interested in girls, but he insisted, saying he didn’t want to buy me a drink because he wanted to get laid, but just because he liked me. It was a nice gesture, I didn’t really believe him, but accepted the drink out of politeness. I saw my acquaintance at the bar pour me the same drink I had had so many times before, there was no way she was responsible for this. She gave the drinks to him, he paid for them, offered me my drink and toasted with me. Then he asked if I wanted to go to the outside part of the venue for a smoke. I said sure. I felt bad that he had just bought me a drink. The whole time I was so fixed on him, I was so sure he had bad intentions, he came with the rowdy band, he was one the ones that had been involved with the small fights earlier, he had the look of a typical bruiser, long ratty hair, 80’s mustache, crusty jeans vest, bruised knuckles, and he seemed to be a lot older than me, that I started being hyperaware of what he did, if he was trying to slip something in my drink or lead me to a lonely corner, that I let my guard down for anything else. He wasn’t the problem. My friend, at whose place I was staying the night was.

My friend saw me talk to the guy from Dortmund, he came over instantly and started talking about how he was about to play, that the crowd was getting so much bigger than before, how awful the previous band had been and that’s why he stayed sober during shows, because he just loves music so much. It was a horrible mess of ego running wild, geared at pushing the other guy’s buttons. He was amiable enough to ignore the jabs and just talk on. Sometime during the conversation I handed my drink to my friend, just to tie my shoe. During that moment, the guy from Dortmund had turned his back to us, to light a cigarette against the wind, and I was tying my shoe. It must have happened then. When I got my drink back from my friend, it didn’t take long. I was ridiculously wasted within a short amount of time. The guy from Dortmund was friendly enough and took care of me, giving me water to drink and keeping an eye on me, but eventually he had to leave with the band from Dortmund (who had been kicked out for punching the owner of the venue), to head home, so he found the only person he knew to look after me, my friend.

My friend was about to play, and he took me backstage, propped me up on the sofa and started groping me, that’s as much as I remember, then my memories fail. But the memory was all hazy, it was difficult to tell if I had just dreamed it, or if it had actually happened. The next time I woke up was after the gig, hours later. The other bandmates had already loaded their equipment into my friend’s car and left with a cab for home, the owner of the place was already announcing his place would close shortly (venues in Germany have to close at 5am). I woke up with a spinning head. My shirt was ripped at the neckline and I had love bites all on my neck and sternum. I felt horrible and didn’t remember the evening as clearly as I do now. I still thought the guy from Dortmund was responsible for this. Especially since my friend was being so caring and friendly with me, and telling me how he had seen that the guy from Dortmund had apparently taken advantage of me in my supposedly drunk state. He told me my friends had gone home when they read my message in the whatsapp chat, leaving me alone with him. I believed him without further thought. He was sober, he was the friend I trusted, the guy from Dortmund was a stranger who had showcased his violent tendencies in the fights before. I went with my friend, never second guessing.

Still drowsy from what I had thought was drink, I fell asleep during the car ride to his place, and I had difficulty walking straight, when we went up to his flat. Instead of leading me to the living room, where the sofas and field beds stood, he led me to his room, claiming to “take care of me”. Then he closed his room door and said “There now, we’re home. No need to be coy”. I didn’t understand what he meant, and tried to ask him about it, but all of my words were slurred and I was ashamed of seeming drunk. He just told me to go to sleep in his bed, that it was fine, that he’d take care of me. Then he joined me on his bed, running his fingers over my face. I told him “no”, but he didn’t stop. I told him “I don’t want this. Stop”, but he pulled my head into a kiss. I tried to shove him off the bed and then he hit me, wrestled himself on top of me and ripped up my shirt completely. I started crying and asked him to please stop, please don’t, please leave me alone. But everything I said made him angrier. He pushed me down, whenever I squirmed he choked me. So I stopped moving. He tugged and ripped my clothes from my body and stuffed my underwear in my mouth. Then he turned me around and tied my hands and neck to his bed. I tried to fight him off, but I couldn’t. I was hazy and exhausted and my body froze up in fear. I had never been beaten before. If I moved, I choked, if I tried to scream, I choked, if I cried too loud for his liking, I choked. And so I just… lay there. And endured it. All the time he grunted about how I had to stop being so coy, how he knew I wanted this, how I had baited him with the guy from Dortmund, how I was his wh*re, how long he had wanted to do this, how he deserved this and so on and so forth.

When it was over he lay down next to me and smiled at me, telling me how good I was in bed, and if I needed aftercare. He pretended that this had just been some bdsm roleplay, but it wasn’t. He let me lie there, tied to to his bedpost, gagged, bruised and naked, unable to move, to talk or to scream, while he berated me on how consensual what he did had just been. But it wasn’t. I knew it wasn’t. He said things like “Oh, you should have told me you’re new to bdsm, this was just roleplay”. But I knew that wasn’t true. And when he finally untied me, I ran and never looked back.

I know I should have gone to the police, but I was 19 and stupid and thought nobody would believe me. I live in a conservative town, and just the month before there had been a big court case, in which there had been video evidence of a woman being raped, and her abusers had framed it as a consensual bdsm scene, and had walked away from court without a sentence. I was sure my situation would turn out the same. And all of his rambling about had gotten to me. I started doubting myself. I started believing that it had actually just been a normal scene for him. And I was so ashamed of myself. I had broken all of the rules I had been taught. Never travel on your own, never leave your drink unattended, fight your assaulter with all the power you can muster. I stopped showing up at the local scene, until I eventually moved away, for fear of meeting him. When I moved town, I finally mustered the courage to go out again. And I want to explicitly say that what happened to me has nothing to do with the music scene involved. I have met so many nice and good-hearted people running shows and metal bars, I don’t want to scare you away from this type of music scene. I just need to tell my story.

It’s been years, but sometimes I wake up in the night, still drowsy from sleep, and for a heartbeat my mind brings me back to that place. I can’t have sex the way I used to, I’m always always reminded of that night. But I never told my partners. I never told my friends. I didn’t even tell my family. That one night is eating away at me, every day of my life. And I needed to get this story off my chest. If there is one thing I can tell you is please, do all of those things you thought was not necessary or overdoing it. Know your alcohol tolerance. Be aware of how many drinks you can drink to reach what stage of drunkenness. As soon as there’s a deviation – tell your trusted(!) friends. Even if you’re sure nobody spiked your drink, it may have just been someone you hadn’t had your attention on. Never travel alone at night, and if you’re in a travelling group, stick to that group, even if you’re told “Oh, they went home early”. Call them. Just to be sure. If my friends would have been in his flat, it wouldn’t have happened. If you don’t know someone well enough and have to spend the night at their place, don’t do it alone. Especially at a distant friend’s place. Meeting someone at parties and being alone with them is vastly different. No matter how safe you feel in the venue you’re going out, even if everybody knows each other and there are whatsapp groups dedicated to women for going home together, don’t get lulled into a false sense of security. Know the people you trust and stick to them. If you’ve wrote to them that you’re going home, but you return to the venue instead, let them know. And lastly, the one I’m the most upset about, that I didn’t do. If you wake up in a venue like mine, there’s going to be staff at the bar, organizers from the concert, security staff at the door, people who sale the tickets, people who clean the toilets, just any staff member. If your memory is hazy, don’t let the people you wake up to tell you what happened. Find someone from the staff, tell them you were drugged and assaulted and that you need to LEAVE. Most staff of nightclubs and concert halls will bring to to a safe staff-only room, call you a cab, and make sure you can leave without your assaulter noticing. If you have no place to go like I did, because the train doesn’t arrive til morning, go to the police. Even if you’ve had bad experiences with them before, go to the police and tell them what happened and that you have no place to go. If you think you’ve been drugged, you can opt to make a test there. Even if you haven’t been drugged, just made drunk, you can find shelter for the night there, or they will sometimes even bring you home, especially if you’re underage. Even if you get in trouble for breaking curfew, or underage drinking, it doesn’t matter. Those are things that will trouble you for about a month. What happened to me will eat away at my soul for the rest of my life. Whatever you do, find help as soon as you notice something is wrong. Don’t wait, don’t let people tell you what you need. Tell the staff, tell the police. Get out of there.

[icarusatmidnight]

Novel Prep Tag!

I was tagged by @indecentpause to do this, so thank you! I get a bit distracted yesterday watching a certain music video and looking for pictures, hence why it’s a little late~ :D

Rules: Answer the questions and then tag as many writers as there are questions answered (or as many as you can) to spread the positivity! Even if these questions are not explicitly brought up in the novel, they are still good to keep in mind when writing.

1. Describe your novel in 1-2 sentences (elevator pitch)

Three twentysomething year old insomniacs attend an informal late night support group to deal with their magical trauma, or maybe become gods? The wording is pretty unclear.

2. How long do you plan for your novel to be? (Is it a novella, single book, book series, etc.)

I'm still not honestly sure. When I think about it, I always personally break it into Act 1, Act 2, Act 3 but I'm still not sure if those will be just acts with a single book or something more. o:

3. What is your novel’s aesthetic?

Modern magic, mundane magic, runes and signals littered as graffiti in subways, redcap blood drives on the weekend in the park, friendships are rad, failure as a positive, that good old city night life, curling up in diner booths at 3am because why the heck not, found families and getting better

4. What other stories inspire your novel?

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, definitely! I had this hazy vibe and the character for Icarus before reading those books but seeing how ...matter of fact and mundane magic was described in the books just clicked something in my head. I ended up tossing out the old half-plot it had, and by the end of month, I had this new one and much much happier with it. :D

Also, the Serenity Rose comic book series. I have a thing for near-god characters that still have really relatable issues and just want to live their mundane life. It's one of favorite ...tropes, I guess, and that series does it great. It also deals with growing past your trauma (working through your negativity, so to speak~) so, yeah! It's free online too and I'd highly recommend it. Fair warning though, second book is a fair bit bloody at times. 

5. Share 3+ images that give a feel for your novel

I will always love this gif and the whole scene in MIKA’s Make You Happy video (the whole video really) but the playful vibes of dipshit friends is like, Icarus’s core to me. ( ´͈ ◡ `͈ )

Also, just... a lot of Hydrae’s art especially her old Teen Wolf fanart (like the bottom left picture). Fun fact! I first created the concepts of Oleander and Daed when I was watching the first season of Teen Wolf, so seems pretty fitting I still draw inspiration from one of my favorite artists from that time. Her DnD art is amazing too! :D

MAIN CHARACTER

6. Who is your protagonist?

Oleander Thistle is the main-main protagonist~.

7. Who is their closest ally?

While he dearly loves Kingcup and Thyme, his closest ally is Daed and he will always be. They're known each other the longest at this point and Daed does have Oleander's best interest at heart and can look out for him without overstepping his boundaries either.

8. Who is their enemy?

I want to say Lund because it's Lund. But he doesn't really feature in the story outside of mentions and flashbacks, so it's probably easiest to say shitty societal stigmas and shitty coping mechanisms on a whole?? 

9. What do they want more than anything?

Oleander ...wants to know more about himself and his past especially how he survived losing his heart back when he was like six. He has some theories that make sense, but he's lacking some good hard facts about that. Not knowing actually causes him a fair amount of internal conflict that he can’t seem to rationalize away like he can with most other things.

10. Why can’t they have it?

The easiest to swallow answer is he simply lacks any way of knowing or finding out. Both of his parents are gone and Lund wouldn't know so unless someone has a time machine, his hands are pretty much tied.

The harder one is that Oleander is honestly terrified of finding out that he's not who or even what he thinks he is, so he doesn't try and lets his fears fester inside of him. Like, what even is he? Who can honestly survive having their heart ripped out of their chest still beating and live on without it being much of an issue? It's fucking weird. One of the ideas that refuses to leave him alone is that he's nothing more than a confused spirit possessing the corpse of a dead six year old, and what if that's true? He spent years trying to get his life back. What was all that for if he's even not himself?

11. What do they wrongly believe about themselves?

That he's not him, but that's less wrongly believed and more his worst fear, you know?? Wrongly believed is honestly more Kingcup and Thyme's areas, and that's part of why they like Oleander. The kid is pretty matter of fact and reasonable with his opinions especially about himself (or so it seems on the outside, and even then it’s the what ifs that drag him down). He's like their unflappable little rock! :D

Until, of course, he isn't. :’D

12. Draw your protagonist! (Or share a description)

I really love doodling Olly so thank you. ^o^! Fun fact, his natural hair is like a dark auburn brown. His original plan was to screw around with his hair for funsies for a bit while he was traveling with Daed, only for someone to tell him blonde was a really bad look for him one day in a grocery store. He’s spitefully kept it blonde ever since because fuck you too, lady.

PLOT POINTS

13. What is the internal conflict?

Outside of his ‘what am I’ conundrum which is his main internal conflict, he’s also figuring out how to better navigate the bitter raging sea of anger inside of him. He may want to know more about himself, but that doesn’t mean he’s completely a-okay with the years he spent under Lund’s control. The trauma is still real.

14. What is the external conflict?

They've all been burned and traumatized by magic, and instead of doing the more rational approach to healing like talk to a therapist, they ...do other things that are less helpful. There's also a massive social stigma to having been burned by magic so it's not like they actually have a lot of options at hand. :/ Starting Icarus is actually helpful in that regard because at the minimum, it builds a nice little support system.

15. What is the worst thing that could happen to your protagonist?

Oleander is screaming the worst already happened, what could be worse than his past?! But off the top of my head, losing his heart again would been such a devastation to him. Or, just giving up completely.

16. What secret will be revealed that changes the course of the story?

That's a good question. o:

17. Do you know how it ends?

There's plenty of bits and pieces that I know happen, but it's not absolute yet.

BITS AND BOBS

18. What is the theme?

Mistakes don’t have to define you. Recovery isn't a straight line, but it's possible. Found families are neat.

19. What is a reoccurring symbol?

We will see. I’m sure they’ll pop up at times. xD

20. Where is the story set? (Share a description)

Most of the story takes places in a small port city named Dead Leaves. Less of it takes place in the Inbetween and The Romneya Backwoods too, but Dead Leaves is the main spot. Like I said, it's smaller city but still thriving and lively. The Icarus verse has a slight solarpunky vibe to it so despite the name, it's very green with lots of parks and trees and plants. It's common to see ivy climbing up old buildings and rooftops to have their own little gardens. There's plenty to do with an ton of shops and venues and museums and old historical spots too. Its home to the ever famous Clove Archives that's a massive tourist spot for all to visit, and because of that, there's a few universities and colleges within the city too.

I definitely write it with Boston in mind too, so yes~ c:

21. Do you have any images or scenes in your mind already?

I'm a super visual person so, oh god yes! Do I ever! So many scenes! One of my favorites involves Kingcup punching a wall and Oleander throwing up a wall. :D

22. What excited you about this story?

I just really like these characters, this concepts and the story I have so far. It honestly feels me with joy when I doodle and write about them and it's one of the first stories I've worked on that doesn’t really ever frustrate me either. I also just want to write a story about queer kids finding friendships, falling in love, dealing with the shit and learning from the lesser mistakes you make in your youth. Failure isn’t a death sentence, you know?

23. Tell us about your usual writing method!

I beat my ADHD down every so often and just write write write until it regains its strength? o: I’m gonna look into seeing a specialist this year to learn a better way because it doesn’t work well enough anymore. :l

Tagging: Mhmm. It said lots of people so @elliot-orion @loopyhoopydrabbles @mirror-of-too-many-books If y’all don’t want too, that’s totally cool too! :D And anyone else who would like to do it, please do it! I loved to see it! <3

[lunebinnie]

(1/11)Oh my gosh yesss I'm glad that you like long messages too because I talk way too much 😂 (And yeah about my friend and just hanging out w/ her more that's exactly what I was thinking 😂) It's actually kind of funny bc just yesterday I was hanging out at her house and her younger brother needed to go to Walmart and I was like 'I've been meaning to go to Walmart, I'll take you' and ofc since I have a bluetooth radio adapter the whole drive I had my Spotify going with some quality k-bops, lol

2)And as we were driving I noticed him kind of jamming and I was like 'Oh my god Mickey do you actually like this???' And he was Like 'yeah, these are some good bops 👍' I was shooketh. I had to go home before I had the chance to show him any music videos but he says he's open to watching some with me next time I see him. One way or another I'm going to turn someone in my social circle into a kpop fan you mark my words ☝ and then maybe we can team up and try to work on his sister some more 😂

3)I only started first getting into kpop last June so I'm still very new, but it's definitely super frustrating how so many ppl act like it's an inherently bad or cringey genre of music just bc it's kpop! The stigma is ridiculous! I also started out with BTS (lol) and since they're pretty popular in the US at least I was able to be like 'See, this isn't just a niche thing, lots of people know abt and like this group' but of course my dad still says 'Just cause it's popular doesn't make it good'

4)And I'm like? You're a band teacher, you of all people should understand that music doesn't have to be in your native language (or even have lyrics) in order for you to enjoy it, but go off I guess... It's the same with one of my college friends. They make fun of me for liking kpop but this is coming from some who still treats March 22nd (the day My Chemical Romance broke up) as a day of mourning. Like, no tea no shade no pink lemonade, MCR was a good band nothing wrong with liking them.

5)But like if you're 22 and you still haven't grown out of your emo phase do you really have room to pick on other people for their music taste?  🤷 Anyway that's the person who follows my main that I didn't want to know I had a kpop sb. I think I made it around July. Tbh it was pretty dead for most of 2018. But like I said I've started using it way more since I recently revealed that it exists, lol. Especially since that good good Astro cb 👏💗😩 But honestly Astro is such a blessing

6)Idk how I lived so long w/o them. When I first got into kpop I was planning on just sticking to BTS since the reaction to me being into kpop was so volatile. I was like 'I'm only into one group, ppl already are negative about me liking kpop so I'm just gonna stick to this and not become a full on multifandom fan' and then in Nov I accidentally let myself fall in love with Monsta X and that plan was foiled. And realizing I wasn't gonna be able to stick to just one anymore opened the floodgates

7)And I was like okay in that case, let's just start getting into *all groups* Lol. My story of getting into Astro was actually bc of my best friend's roommate (can you tell I have like one friend and my whole social circle kinda revolves around her? Lol) so this roommate when she heard me being sad about having no kpop friends was like 'oh hey, I'm kinda into kpop' and it turns out she didn't like very many groups and was one of the ppl who blah blah BTS is overrated, which ya know isn't ideal8)But I was just really desperate to have someone to talk about kpop with. And Astro was her favorite so I was like, okay I'll get into them so that I have something to talk about with her! So I started watching some videos and I fell in love with them pretty much instantly! And I was real excited bc #1 now I can talk about kpop with someone! And #2 this group is actually amazing? Bonus! ... And then they got in a big fight about their living conditions and the roommate ended up moving out RIP

9)So that didn't work out, lol (Your story about finding them during that internship sounds amazing though! Haha) But yeah, so this is my first cb too! And although I love them w/ my whole heart and would have loved to have them in my life even sooner what an amazing cb to be your first! The concept was wonderful, the album was excellent, the visuals were to *die* for. They worked so hard and I'm so proud of them and I'm so happy we got to see their work come to fruition and get them a win 🤧🤧

10)The dance practices though? You're so right omg 💗 Me and my Rocky bias *fully* understand 😂 All of them are such good dancers?? I never fail to be impressed. Of course you know who I always end up watching tho 👀 lol (̶i̶f̶ ̶I̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶h̶a̶l̶f̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶p̶r̶e̶t̶t̶y̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶R̶o̶c̶k̶y̶'̶s̶ ̶f̶o̶o̶t̶w̶o̶r̶k̶ ̶I̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶a̶l̶m̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶p̶r̶e̶t̶t̶y̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶e̶y̶e̶s̶.̶.̶.̶)̶ ̶ I also love how at the end they always pause all dramatic for a minute and then start screaming 😂

11)It's like? Amazing talent *and* dorky personalities? What more could you ask for? Lol. In regard to your last question though Unfortunately I also won't be able to see them 😔 I live in the smack middle of the US and since they're only going to coasts all of the venues are way too far away to get to. Esp since it's the school year and I can't skip class to drive cross country for a concert much as I'd like to (Holy lord I talked over twice as much?? Why am I like this?) Talk again soon! -ASA

Okay SO I’m very sorry I haven’t had the time to answer everything until now bc I’ve been busy studying for midterms and also I was a lil trashy today since my uni closed bc of freezing rain so I slept in but I’m glad that FINALLY everything got sent like damn tumblr you really don’t want us making friends huh. 

Yessssss I love the feeling of seeing someone else also get into the same interests! I’ve been pretty lucky in the sense that I grew up around mostly other asian americans, so kpop was never something that was considered super “weird,” like some people were into it and some weren’t but even if you weren’t you still would’ve been familiar with the more popular groups from when you were younger. Even now, I have a bunch of friends also into kpop (one of them is even my roommate) so tbh I was definitely the one in my friend group late to the party aha. Even my university hosts kpop nights at our bar and I’m pretty sure we have a kpop dance team as well? So tbh if I met someone new there’s probably like a 50% chance they’re into kpop or at least listen casually. 

Tbh I used to be a little bit judgy too but moreso because of the obscene amount of money I’ve seen some of my friends spend (no joke one of my friends has spent probably like $500+ on Loona stuff in the past month and a half and another friend bought like 5 copies of the same album for herself like damn idk how do you have that much money).

I also really don’t like it when people bash other people’s music tastes, since I feel like it’s something so personal? Idk but for a long time I used to be really self conscious about sharing my music with other people and even now I feel like that sometimes. For me after getting into BTS I kind of expected to get really into other groups since I was in Korea anyway and I was already listening to a lot of other artists casually. For me it started with NU’EST (fell for them immediately at the same concert that I saw Astro at) and then after was Astro, and then I just started slowly getting into other groups after that (even though I haven’t totally been able to get into Got7′s music they’re SO funny and I just kinda fell for their personalities  you know). 

I honestly think that they did such a wonderful job with this comeback too! I like seeing their concept evolve and mature but they’re not straying too far from their original cute concept so I feel like it’s a nice middle ground that’s very unique to them, you feel? Also I feel like the visuals especially and the execution of the whole plant concept was just done so well?? Even my friend who’s not in kpop was like “k idk who they are but that was the prettiest music video I’ve ever seen”. What are your favourite eras and songs? For me I’d have to say either the Spring Up or Baby era BUT right now my favourite song is probably Again/Should’ve Held On though tbh my mood and my tastes change like every few weeks loool. 

I have no idea why I tend to be most attracted to the dances rather than vocals or rap (maybe has to do with the fact that it’s something I’ve always wished I could do but have always been bad at lmao). But Astro’s stood out to me for the exact same reason! I just thought it was so funny seeing them all break character at the end because you really get to see how hard their choreos are and you get a glimpse of their personalities like damn, how can you not stan these dummies?

That’s really unfortunate that you won’t get to see them either :/ They’re also coming to the closest city to me but it’s on a Tuesday, but I *hypothetically* looked up flight prices and tried to see if I could get away with just missing a day of classes if I flew back in the middle of the night since I have some friends who did the same thing and drove down to Buffalo but I seem to have underestimated the size of New York State LMAO. But apparently my university’s too far from the airport so it’s “not realistic” (and also I’m hella broke from travelling to Taiwan and Japan while I was in Korea but that’s a minor issue ig). I hope we do both get a chance to see them live though! Who knows, after the success of this comeback I’m expecting a lot more cbs and world tours out of them ;)

[cartoonus-maximus]

I decided to fill out that one Monster High doll collector questionnaire for funsies.

Anyone who wants to see what my opinions are, click the ‘read more.’

Questionnaire by @cryptoriascollectiblog.

1) Introduce yourself and tell us how long you’ve been collecting Monster High dolls!

I’m Max (female), and I’ve been marginally interested in the MH line of dolls ever since they came out, but I’ve only been buying them for about 5 years now.

2) How many MH dolls do you have?

I own 23 dolls (if you count Sandy de Nile as a doll).

3) Is Monster High your favorite doll line? Why or why not?

To me, MH is on equal footing with Barbie. I like the MH characters, but I’m not a super big fan of their original fashions, and I’m just more pleased by Barbie’s clothes and hair styles. But, on that note, while Barbie is appealing and comfortable to me, I really appreciate how quirky and wacky the MH characters can look.

4) Who’s your favorite MH ghoul?

Frankie Stein, no doubt about it. I really like her visual aesthetics, and her face has always been super cute, and her color schemes go so well together, and agh, she’s so precious! Three of my dolls are Frankie and I love them.

5) Favorite Manster?

Definitely Jackson Jekyll. And I like him for a lot of the same reasons I like Frankie: colors, face, aesthetics, etc.

6) Do you own any dolls of your favorite ghoul and/or manster? How many?

Again, I own three Frankies, and I also own one Jackson. When I saw the Frankie/Jackson graveyard picnic 2-pack, I had to get it. I also have the ‘I <3 Fashion’ Frankie and the comic-themed reboot Frankie.

7) Do you own any playsets? If so which one(s)? If not, is there a reason?

No, I don’t. Playsets as a concept don’t really appeal to me these days.

8) Of the original main ghouls (including Ghoulia, Spectra and Abbey) which is your favorite? Got any dolls of them?

Ahem, Frankie. Aside from the obvious, I’m also a fan of Cleo, Draculaura, and Spectra. I have a Cleo doll (reboot family set) and I’m pretty happy with her.

9) Favorite character with only one doll release?

I wanna say Kjersti as my top fave (I’m a sucker for the little nordic gamer), but second tier would probably go to either Porter or Neighthan (I like their dolls, but not their characters).

10) Character with too many dolls (in your opinion?)

Depending on whether you see the baby siblings as actual dolls or not, I’m gonna have to say Sandy de Nile, who has had 2 releases, which was 1 too many in my opinion. It’s not like the two versions look drastically different or anything - only the torso got painted a little differently. That’s all. What’s the point?

I don’t know about the conventional dolls.

11) Any character you would’ve liked to see in a doll line that didn’t make it? (i.e. Lagoona in Sweet Screams or Draculaura in Power Ghouls, etc)

Lol, ‘Geek Shriek’ Holt would have absolutely killed me.

‘Dead Tired’ Howleen & Twyla 2-pack.

‘Sweet Screams’ Rochelle as macaroon and wafer cookies and hot cocoa.

12) Any ideas you would’ve liked to see in a doll line?

I would have rather they just expanded on some of the lines they started but only did like 3 dolls in.

But I would have liked to have seen a line that was just centered around gaming, where each character has a different game theme. Like, Cleo has a tabletop RPG theme, Ghoulia has competitive chess or something, and Jinafire or someone has a Candy Crush-like app game theme. I think that would have been a cool line.

13) Is there a “grail” MH doll for you? If so do you own it?

‘Little Dead Riding Wolf,’ and no, I do not currently own her. (I am such a sucker for Little Red Riding Hood, leave me alone.)

14) Thoughts on the cancelled Ever After High crossover?

I’m honestly glad they didn’t go through with it, because by the time they got around to seriously talking about it, I was so sure it was going to turn out really badly.

Besides, their choice of not doing it has given the fans the freedom to tell a crossover story in whatever way they choose.

15) Thoughts on the 2016 reboot faces?

I think they’re cute! I really like them! :-D

16) Thoughts on the 2016 “Monster Family” line?

It’s an adorable idea! And I’ve wanted other siblings for so many of the characters (especially the Wolfs and the de Niles) for such a long time now.

17) How bout the SDCC exclusives? What was your favorite? Do you own any?

I don’t own any. And honestly, I never paid that much attention to what doll was a San Diego exclusive and what wasn’t.

I think my favorites are super-fan Ghoulia, and the Whisp/Valentine 2-pack.

18) How about Amazon exclusives?

The special Skelita is very pretty. The family got her for my collector sister as a gift. She’s a very lovely figure.

19) Favorite Frankie Stein doll?

... I can’t choose. I love so many.

Of the three I own, I think the one from the graveyard picnic 2-pack is my favorite.

20) Favorite Draculaura doll?

I’m gonna have to say the ‘Dance the Fright Away’ reboot doll is my favorite Lala, with a close second of her ‘Classrooms’ doll. ‘Snow Bite’ and ‘Sweet 1600′ and ‘Sweet Screams’ are also really great.

21) Favorite Clawdeen Wolf doll?

‘Frights Camera Action’ Clawdeen.

22) Favorite Cleo de Nile doll?

The one from that 2-pack with Ghoulia that almost made it to Comic-Con but didn’t? Where Cleo is dressed in all her royal burial trappings? Love it.

23) Favorite Lagoona Blue doll?

‘Ghoul’s Night Out’ Lagoona.

24) Favorite Ghoulia Yelps doll?

Either the one from the ‘Mad Science’ 2-pack with Cleo, or the one from the ‘Scaris: city of frights’ line.

25) Favorite Spectra Vondergeist doll?

‘Picture Day’ Spectra, who’s both pretty and super spooky! A good combo!

26) Favorite Abbey Bominable doll?

Either ‘Coffin Bean’ or ‘Music Festival.’

27) Favorite Venus McFlytrapp doll?

‘Gloom and Bloom’ Venus.

28) Favorite Rochelle Goyle doll?

‘Freak du Chic’ Rochelle is super cute!

29) Favorite Operetta doll?

Either ‘Picture Day’ or ‘Monster Scaritage.’

30) Favorite Toralei Stripe doll?

I’m not really drawn to any of the Toralei dolls, honestly. But I do own one - the one from the ‘Fierce Rockers’ 2-pack with Catty, whose face I like but whose outfit I dislike.

31) Favorite Jinafire Long doll?

‘New Scaremester’ Jin.

32) Favorite Skelita Calaveras doll?

‘Monster Scaritage’ Skelita.

33) Favorite Howleen Wolf doll?

Her original doll, from the 2-pack with Clawdeen.

34) Favorite Twyla Bogeyman doll?

Either original or ‘Coffin Bean.’

35) What do you do with your dolls? (Display them, take photos of them, etc)

I usually just arrange them on a shelf in my room. I’ve also enjoyed designing and sewing outfits for them in the past, but I haven’t done that in awhile.

36) Is Monster High the only doll line you collect? Why or why not?

I co-own a Barbie collection with my sister, but MH is the most recent collection I’ve bought for.

37) Do you still collect Monster High dolls? (i.e. scour the internet and/or secondhand stores?)

I mean, if I happen to see one I like that I can afford, I might get it. But it’s not something I tend to go out of my way to look for.

38) There’s a lot of new Monster doll/toy lines out now: thoughts if any?

... Are there a lot? I honestly don’t keep track of toy lines that closely these days.

39) And finally, what’s your favorite thing about Monster High? Can be past or present!

I came for the puns and I stayed for the quirky aesthetics and outlandish character designs. And I’m still having fun with those things, even if Mattel and most of the fandom have all moved on (as evidenced by my fanarts).