#God I am SO HAPPY he's done! One month of nonstop work on him paid off

[starakex]

SONIC IS FINALLY DONE WOOHOO

Finally a childhood dream come true. I've wanted to cosplay him ever since I learned what cosplay was more than a decade ago...

[tgaoe]

“do you love me?” “only partly”

-a review of the Aubrey and the Three Amigos tour opener in Kansas City-

In the late 90s, in my early teens, I began attending concerts, almost exclusively Christian rock bands. Music, bands, and seeing bands play music, dominated my life. In the days, weeks, months leading up to an anticipated show, after school, before my parents got home, I would play a band’s CD—a live one if available—loud, and “perform” it in full alone in my room with a flashlight for a microphone, lip-synching, giving shout-outs to imagined fans, dancing around maniacally until pouring sweat. Last Sunday at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, for the 15,000 people attending the twice-postponed first date of a massive world tour, pop-rap superstar Drake Aubrey Graham—a grown man five months younger than me—did the exact same thing. Last Sunday night, I watched Drake do over an hour of Drake karaoke. It was adorable. It was Drake at his Drakiest, coasting on charm, giving minimal effort, getting away with it.

I love Drake. I love more Drake songs than I love songs by any other artist, by far. My meticulous Drake playlist, post-Scorpion, contains 96 tracks and lasts six hours and 32 minutes. If statistics equaled favoritism then Drake would be my all-time favorite artist. That said, Drake would likely not even make a list of my twenty favorite rappers, let alone general artists. But I love Drake still, and I think about him and enjoy his music disproportionately to how much the man and his work actually mean to me.  

I love Drake because he, or rather the character he plays—who is not actually a character, but is really him—is simple, but in a complicated meta way that circles around and in on itself. See, Drake is dork. He presents as hard, cool, svelte, smooth, but he knows he is actually a dork, we know he is actually a dork, we know he knows he is actually a dork, and he knows we know he knows he is actually a dork, and all of us together have this tacit agreement to accept this false narrative, to enjoy it because doing so validates the way we sing along in our cars alone to songs to which we cannot relate at all. Drake’s existence as a pop star makes it okay, in theory, for me, a 32-year-old white man who teaches elementary school—the dorkiest of dorks, to rap along with Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day” in my car on the way home from school, to pretend to be Cube, as long as I leave out certain words when I do it. Drake makes us feel like this is okay to do because it is what he does on the most massive scale. Drake is a theater kid playing a famous rapper, who also just happened to become the most famous rapper.

Drake’s show on Sunday manifested this idea. Tickets cost as much as $250. Mine cost $151.62 after convenience fees. This single performance netted Drake an estimated $2.25 million—I repeat, two million two hundred and fifty American dollars--and yet this man had the gall to perform without a band, without even a visible DJ. It was just Aubrey out there onstage—except during his three—THREE—extended breaks over the 100 minute set, one of which ate up a full 20 minutes while openers Migos sleepwalked through a surprise encore featuring several more of their dreary triplet trap tunes, sapping the energy from the arena until Drake finally, finally reemerged to begin “Blue Tint,” without Future of course. Well, Future’s voice was there, on recording, while Drake shouted over it.

Drake’s voice was also present on the backing recordings. In fact, earlier I posited the notion the evening was Drake doing Drake karaoke. That was not technically accurate. Karaoke tracks exclude missing lead vocals to make room for the amateurs’ interpretations. What Drake did on Sunday was more akin to what I used to do in my bedroom as a teenager, belting along with CDs. The backing tracks at this show were not backing tracks at all. No, they were the original album tracks, with all Drake’s original recorded rapping intact. Drake would rap over his recorded self roughly 40% of the time. The other 60% he would emphasize certain words, talk to the crowd, dance around the massive stage, generally act as a hypeman for himself.

I have seen dozens of large-scale touring rap shows, and I have developed certain guidelines for what makes a good one. First, and most importantly, an arena-touring rapper needs a solid live band, even if that band plays along with backing tracks. Organic instrumentation makes shows feel raw, real, vital in the moment, like something could go wrong. Last year I saw Chance the Rapper play for a crowd of 40,000, and even though his voice was shot due presumably to an asthmatic episode, the show was fun and good because his band played the music right there onstage.

A real, talented DJ can also suffice as long as the rapper(s) also meet the second guideline I will get to. A DJ that visibly flips records and scratches and mixes in real time can fill the void of a live band. Run the Jewels did this both times I saw them, and they are a titanic live act. Many others have made this work for me as well; Eminem, Wiz Khalifa, and, to an extent, Kendrick Lamar, whose monumental roadshow last summer deserves its own multi-thousand-word writeup.

Second guideline: rappers need to rap live with minimal backing vocal tracks, and along with that they need to be the only vocalists onstage and also know how to use a microphone. I have seen so many rappers scream into their mics with no regard for how torturous doing so sounds to the audience, and have three anonymous buddies onstage doing the same thing. I saw Odd Future twice and they were absolutely disastrous, a cacophony so intolerable that I left their Coachella set before they allowed Frank Ocean his allotted two songs. In hindsight I regret this given what and who Frank became, but that is a digression.

Third, live rappers need to be consummate, energetic entertainers, need to at least seem like they are happy to be there rapping for you. The Migos, who opened for Drake, were the antithesis of this. They had a live DJ(✓), but they moped around the stage oblivious of the audience, like they were at the supermarket perusing tv dinners. I am happy to report, however, that Drake met this third expectation, that, by sheer force of Drakery, because of Drake’s inherent Drakeness, the absence of a live band and the extensive use of backing tracks did not much matter. Drake’s show by its very nature was an exception that proved those first two rules.

Drake live is dork supreme, the epitome of his metacharacter. He triumphs as the sole presence on a huge stage in the center of a hockey arena in front of 30,000 eyes, fully living out the teenage bedroom fantasy of performing on a huge stage in the center of a hockey arena in front of 30,000 eyes. That he barely bothered to actually rap is rendered charming by the fact that the Drake we know on record is absolutely the kind of person who would do that, and it is why we love him. Walking out of the show, rushing back to my car to beat the throngs so I could commence the three-hour night drive home, I had the most bizarre feeling: I was satisfied by a total lack of satisfaction.

An early highlight of Drake’s set was a surprising rendition of If You’re Reading This relative deep cut “Know Yourself.” When the beat cut out before the chorus, the tension hung in the air, and then that massive EDM-like drop hit and the pit crowd went wild, as did Drake, galloping across the stage like a madman. The feeling was electric, screaming along with thousands of other people, RUNNIN. THROUGH THE. SIX. WITH MY WOES.

I wish Drake had done more songs from that era. He played 40 songs, but only one or two each from his first four LPs. He sounded best on hard rap tracks—“Free Smoke,” “Energy,” “Gyalchester,” new classic “Nonstop”—and worst on anything that required him to sing, because apparently Drake cannot sing live, even with autotune, to nobody’s surprise. The only time he audibly sung came during an anemic cover of Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You,” tacked onto the end of “Don’t Matter to Me,” naturally, and he sang it in a bizarre whisper. Drake cannot sing! Who knew!

Watching the crowd lose it for the hits was lovely, as was how Drake absorbed the love and fed it back to the crowd. He may have been acting—he was a professional actor first, after all—but Drake seemed genuinely surprised, or relieved perhaps, that the crowed enjoyed the show.  He saved the monster radio jams for the backhalf of the show, the finale lead-up a suite of unimpeachable chart-toppers; “One Dance,” “Hotline Bling”—including the video’s doofy dancing, which wasn’t that different than the rest of Drake’s dancing, “Fake Love,” “Nice For What”—which may go down as Drake’s greatest pop song, and “In My Feelings.” Arranging those five songs in succession is such a vaunt, a reminder why we all paid so much to be there, why we stuck it out through an interminable hour of Migos.

And then came the fake closer, “I’m Upset.” Look, I love “I’m Upset.” It is hilarious, unintentionally—but maybe not? —and that makes it great. But “I’m Upset” is not a closer, even if everyone present assumes an encore or three is inevitable. Drake mugged his way through the grievance anthem, left the stage, and came back out a minute later to bid us goodnight with what I assume would be a couple more tracks.

The opening synth lines of “God’s Plan” kicked it. The crowd roared. Drake opened his arms in full Jesus Christ/Scott Stapp pose. I could see the finale in my mind. We would all sing along with this jubilant new classic—she say do you love me I tell her only partly I only love my bed and my momma I'm sorry, hahahaha so funny and perfect and petty, so Drake—and then that four-to-the-floor kick/snare would start, each and every one of us suddenly awash in a wave of euphoria as Drake sent us out the doors with “Hold On, We’re Going Home,” quite possibly the greatest pop song of the last decade, an ecstatic moment we would all remember forever, a story to share with our progeny when Drake wins his third Oscar twenty years from now.

But no.

That did not happen.

We got silly to “God’s Plan”—see Drake=God in this equation, and I guess this was church?—and then… the show ended.

Drake and/or his keepers made the confounding, inexcusable decision not to play “Hold On, We’re Going Home.” Of the $151.62 I spent on the ticket, I would say roughly $102. 35 was to see that one song. I do not understand this choice, even a little, especially during a set that featured 16 songs from Scorpion, a record with but four great songs—well, five if we ironically include “I’m Upset.” Okay, six because “Mob Ties” is stupid but a grower. Yet, Drake subbed any of 10 mediocre Scorpion cuts in place of “Hold On.” Come to think of it, he also did not play “Marvins Room.” Or “Passionfruit.” Or “Best I Ever Had,” “Shot For Me,” “Take Care,” “Furthest Thing,” “Legend,” “No Tellin’,” “Back to Back,” “Right Hand,” “Portland,” or “Blem.” Drake had the audacity to karaoke 40 of his own songs and not one of those songs was the song “Feel No Ways.” Hey, Drake, guess what. I’m upset. With you. About this. But not really. But kind of. Eh.

The truth. The truth is that I knew how this show would go, that Drake would lip-sync or not even bother to lip-sync. I knew I would not be satisfied, because satisfaction is not what Drake is for. I knew that Drake could not possibly play all 96 songs of his that I enjoy. I knew he would favor the more recent material because that material is what is getting him paid right now. I knew the cheapest t-shirts would cost $45. I knew that the Migos would suck. I knew all this, but I still chose to pay to be there. I almost always go to shows to be present during them, enjoy them as they’re happening. But with Drake it was different. I paid to be there, not so much to see Drake, but to have seen Drake, to have actively participated in the summer of the year 2018.

A couple nights ago my girlfriend and I were chatting with some her neighbors on their porch, enjoying chilly mason jar margaritas after a long day of oppressive humidity. The conversation inevitably drifted to the topic of recent concerts, as most conversations which include me tend to do since I am unable to speak with a modicum of clarity about much else. The neighbors’ seventh-grade daughter heard me mention that I had recently seen Drake. “Drake… the rapper?” she said, giving me an incredulous look. Rather than dispute this child’s narrow genre classification, I said something like yep, that’s the one. This is all to say, I am now a person who has seen Drake, envy of middle school girls everywhere.

[caticorn61]

Forget-Me-Not Part II

Summary: You could never forget him, but what happens when an accident causes him to forget you?

Genre: Angst (Chanyeol X Reader)

Word count: 2566

A/N - MERRY CHRISTMAS!! I hope you all enjoy this!

Part One / Part Two / Part Three / Part Four / Part Five / Part Six

Beep. Beep. Beep.

At first the bright light of the hospital made your eyes ache but as they focused they felt like a miracle in and of itself. You were alive, to your surprise, and seemingly in one piece. You asked yourself routine questions, your name, your address. A sighed escaped your lips as you realized your sanity was still intact. You felt a little high, probably because of the drip in your arm. Your arm was set in a sling, your shoulder aching as you tried to move it. You wiggled your toes to check if they worked. All clear. Tears welled in your eyes. Your emotions from yesterday hitting you gradually, the realization of what had happened sinking in. You tried to raise your arms, but a sharp, intense pain, in your right shoulder prevented you from making it very far. You felt the bandaged area, unsure of what had happened, and sighed.

You laid back and closed your eyes, images or yesterday flashing dramatically across your eyelids. Chanyeol. His limp, bloody body, the last thing you remember and the only thing you could clearly see now, imprinted into you. You needed to know if he was okay. Was he alive? If so is he stable? Was he as worried for You as you were for him?

The door to your room creaked open slowly, Baekhyun’s eyes peering through the crack. You smiled and waved him in causing his eyes to widen.

“Oh my god, guys! She’s awake!” He yelled over his shoulder as he rushed to your side,“Are you okay? How do you feel?”

“Could be worse. My shoulder hurts like a bitch.” You say and try to sit up. “How’s Chanyeol?”

Baekhyun pushes you back, “He’s fine, he’s far better than you are. He woke up a few hours ago. I haven’t had much time to talk with him, the doctors have been examining him nonstop. With the way the car hit they are checking for head injuries.”

The others shuffled in one by one, Chen taking his seat to your left and grabbing your hand gently. Kai and Xiumin stood at the end of the bed and Kyungsoo stood in the doorway. You could feel the energy in the room shift. You felt warmer and safe knowing they were here.

“Sehun, Lay and Suho are waiting for Chanyeol in his room, they said they’d be down once they have news.”

“What happened?” You manage.

“A drunk driver hit you, mainly your side, it caused the car to flip and now here you are.” Chen said. “You have injuries to your shoulder mostly, they did surgery on it. Aside from that you have a pretty nasty cut on your leg and a few others on your thigh.”

You nodded. Chen drew calm circles around your hand and you noticed you weren’t wearing your ring.

“Where’s my ring?” You asked, your heart skipping a beat. You’d be damned if you had lost it.

“The doctor gave it to me to hold onto.” Baekhyun said as he pulled it from his pocket. The small band was in pristine condition. “Where did you get this?”

“Chanyeol gave it to me on our date.” A small smile grew on your face. You didn’t want to tell them of the engagement yet, not in a hospital bed. You wanted to tell them with Chanyeol but it killed you not to explode with the excitement you held. These boys were your family, they would be just as happy as you.

But you waited. You waited with them, discussing a lan of action. The two of you were to stay with them in the dorm again until you were capable of living safely on your own, since you worked with them and can’t drive with your arm impaired, they concluded this was the wisest plan. They had already talked it out and paid your rent for the next month.

“Thank you.” You say, “for everything. How did i get so lucky to have you all as my family.”

Chen’s lips curled sweetly, “You’ve always been there for us, how could we not be here for you?”

A doctor strutted into the room, eyeing you as he introduced himself. “Glad to see you are awake. You gave us a bit of a scare but you will be okay.” He shined a light in your eyes and examined your wounds. “You are not to use your shoulder for at least two weeks, at which point we will examine you again and see your progress. You will no doubt need physical therapy for it but you should make a relatively full recovery.”

A wave of relief came over the room, the others relaxing a little.  

“How’s Chanyeol?” You asked.

“He’s suffered some fairly minor injuries, his left wrist is fractured and he has a concussion, but nothing substantial. We are looking for any injuries to his brain function, memory and the like. He’s shown some issues in remembering little things and was a bit slow to recognize some of his members but time should heal him up. In fact he should be out of his final test if you would like to see him.”

You nodded and A nurse wheeled in a chair for you. Butterflies piled into your stomach. All you wanted to do was run to him, to hug him and never let him go. You knew he would hate not being able to work, you wanted to be there with him and help him through this.

Baekhyun pushes your chair, he made small talk as you made your way to him. You could hear it in his voice that he was worried.Chanyeol is his best friend, and one of yours too. To see either of you like this would eat him, even if you were going to be fine. You fidgeted your thumbs, the doctor's words weighing heavy on your mind. Even though he had reassured you, you needed to see him alive and smiling for the bloody picture to be replaced.

Chen pushed the door open and you heard them greet each other. The others followed closely after, you and baekhyun making up the tail end. You felt your heart skip when you saw him. Cuts and bruises splashed over his perfect face, his wrist in a brace but a smile never leaving him. He talked happily with the doctor and Suho, relaying New information between them on the tests and the results. From what you hear they won’t know anything for a few hours.

His eyes landed on you and he smiled. It was different. You couldn’t pin point why, but it made you nervous.

“Who’s this?” He asked innocently.

—

You shuffled into your apartment. You took a deep breath, having to continuously remind yourself that it was a necessity. Chen threw the keys into the counter and disappeared into the bathroom.

You looked all around your apartment mindlessly, as if you were searching for something, some form of comfort and reassurance that this was a dream and you were alive. You hadn’t felt alive in days. Not since then. You replayed the moment over and over and over until you fell asleep, every time your heart broke a little more. Each breath you took felt like salt in your already seething wounds. Every look you gave him dripping with fear and hurt but he never saw it. He didn’t look at you, not the way he used to. You avoided him when you could, party by choice and partly because the doctor wanted the two of you to rest. Despite this,the doctor also wanted you to be around him. He gave you guidelines to follow in order to help him remember. Be around him, take him to places he went with you but never verbally tell him. He didn’t want to force he memory since this is such a big part of his life, it could interfere with his overall healing.

He had explained that this can happen in patients who have suffered from a brain injury while in an accident as traumatic as this. His brain shut down everything related to the whole situation and forgot it. He didn’t remember the day, the car, the place. He didn’t remember you.

The doctor told you that in time he would most likely remember. He couldn’t tell you how long it would take and if it will come all at once or piece by piece.

You hadn’t seen Chanyeol since yesterday. Baekhyun had the duty of bringing him home from the hospital this morning and getting him settled into the dorm. You and Chen had the duty of packing your stuff and retrieving a few of the things Chanyeol kept here.

You say down at the counter and breathed in again. Mixed smells tumbled around you. Coffee, cologne and small subtle hints of life danced with them. Your eyes landed on the forget-me-nots he had given you, the petals wilting slowly, a few of them littering your countertop. The irony of them leaving a bitter taste in your mouth.You fiddled mindlessly at your ring, the metal almost burning its presence into your skin. You weren’t sure what to do with this small piece. You admired it again, an ache pounding in your chest as you remember the meaning and words that came with it. How could something made with so much love being so much pain?

“What see you thinking about?” Chen said as he took a seat beside you.

You chuckled dryly. “Chanyeol gave me this hours before the crash.” You said softly. “He took me to where he asked me out and asked me to be his wife.”

You looked at Chen as tears threatened to fall. His features softening as he traced your face, your name uttered under his breath.

“I was his fiancé for three hours. And now i am nothing to him.”

“That’s not true.” He said as he brought you close, “He is still there. He will come back. He might be dumb but the smartest thing he’s ever done was make you his girlfriend. Even he can’t forget the single smartest decision he’s ever made.”

You laughed and wiped tears from your nkw puffed eyes. “Just keep faith. He loved you more than anything and nothing will take that from either of you. He will come back.”

You sighed in silence. His words running through your head as you willed them to be true, to believe them even in the slightest.

Chen kissed your temple softly and patted your back. “Come on, let’s pack.”

You filled your suitcase with as many clothes as you could, picking out ones you could wear easily given your impaired shoulder. Chen finished packing before you did, everything Chanyeol left had fit comfortably in one duffel bag. It didn’t take long to get your things gathered either, mainly gathering enough to last you the next week.

By the time you for to the dorms you were more than ready to go to sleep. Your shoulder aching with every breath you took. You threw one of your bags into your bed,regretting insisting that you carried at least one of them. You massaged your neck, the tension only adding to your issues. Your head thumped, the pain in your body taking whatever energy you had left.

You sat on your bed and massages your temples, willingly you head to stop throbbing but to no avail. A tired sigh escaped your lips and you tilt your head back. You felt all of your emotions flying through your chest. You couldn’t pinpoint any single one, just one collective storm of confused pain. Is this what grief felt like? He hadn’t died, but yet it was as if your life was reset. You had lost your whole world in one night. The person you called home, your rock, he was your everything but to him now you were this person he was just supposed to remember. It wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t yours. It was the luck of the draw. Maybe god decided things were going too perfectly for you, maybe you did something and maybe it’s just how the cookie crumbled. It didn’t change reality but it didn’t stop you from trying to rationalize it.

You wondered what the next few days would hold. You wondered if those days would become weeks or if those weeks would become months or years. If they would become the new reality. You wondered if someday no one would remember what you had. The idea made you sick. You rubbed your face. God how long had it been since you showered? You opened your suitcase, deciding a shower would do you some good. You took out a loose shirt, forgetting a bra entirely,not wanting to try and get it over your shoulder, and picked your favorite socks and a pair of sweats.

You heard him as you walked out of your room. His stance comfortable and his aura as bright as always while he chatted with Suho about something he saw online. It was as if nothing changed.

“How are you feeling?” Suho asked quickly, his caring nature kicking in.

“Exhausted. I'm going to take a shower and sleep.”

“Mm, it’s open, do you need any help with your shoulder? I can call Lani.” He said. Lani was one of the other makeup artists and one of your closest friends. She was reliable in every way, always kept you up to date in the hospital and promised to cover your shift until you cold come back.

“She’s at work,” you said with a shake of your head. “I’ll be okay.”

“Are you sure?” Suho asked again, “i won’t be here Incase you get hurt, i have a meeting.”

“I’ll be here.” Chanyeol spoke up suddenly. You looked up in surprise. You honestly expected him to avoid you if anything. Suho looked at you, an expression you couldn’t read plastered on his face. “If she needs me she can yell and i can help somehow.”

Suho looked at you, waiting for your approval. He knew this whole thing had to be hardest on you. You knew he felt bad he had to leave.

You gave a small smile and nodded. “That’s fine with me.”

Suho relaxed a little. “Well alright then, I’ve got to get going. Call if you need anything okay?”

You both nodded and waved him out.

The two of you stood in silence. This is the first time you had been alone with him since the accident. The air around you was still. You avoided his eyes at all cost even though you could feel his on you. You knew if you looked at him you would break.

You shuffled in place, “Uh, I… better take a shower.” You stutter and strut awkwardly past him.

“Wait.” Chanyeol said, his good hand rubbing the back of his neck. You stop and turn to him, accidentally making eye contact. Your breath caught in your throat. His eyes were the same. He was the same. Somehow that hurt more. “I know that I’m supposed to remember you. I’m supposed to just remember on my own and i know no one can tell me anything about you. I’m doing my best to remember. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

—

[dfnews]

Episode Recap of "A Honeymoon and a Courtship"

aka, The Neverending Cycle

Season 3, Episode 7 - February 27, 2017

From TV Guide:"Jinger and Jeremy's honeymoon in Australia finally gives them some time alone after the excitement of their courtship, family obligations and wedding preparations. Meanwhile, back in Arkansas, another Duggar appears ready to court."

1. The episode begins with a recap of the wedding because seeing it 30 times already wasn't enough. Jessa says in a talking head that Jinger told no one to visit for six months which seems to be a joke because Ben just rolls his eyes and says, "whatever'. I'm pretty sure she was joking. Of course Jim Bob will send his spies down there as soon as possible. In a talking head, the producer asks Jinger who is the next for a courtship and she evades the question as the camera zooms in on Joy. It was announced months ago that Joy was courting Austin. The Duggars all told Joystin how excited they were via video messages last fall. When there are video taped congratulations by Duggars you know it's serious. Why are the producers acting like nobody knows?

2. I have no interest in seeing the bed Jinger was deflowered in but there it is on worldwide TV. Two rumpled beds are seen in the background of a hotel room the newlyweds are staying at after the wedding. They talk about their free honeymoon trip to Australia and Jeremy starts with the inappropriate sexual innuendo talk, a la Jim Bob, which fundies seem to think is funny. I'm sure he doesn't care that it embarrasses Jinger, a la Michelle. Jeremy talks nonstop in this scene and looks very happy. Jinger is pretty quiet and just talks to push the discussion along. She looks kind of shell shocked. She probably hasn't been out of that hotel room all week.

3. They land in Sydney and Mr. Friendly chats away with the driver who picked them up. Jeremy badly attempts an Australian accent to kill time in a too boring show. They like their hotel room and that's about it. Jinger doesn't look as happy as she was before the wedding.

4. Back in Arkansasland, Austin Forsyth creepily shows up at the tin mansion in the dark.  He walks in without knocking and shows himself up the stairs in search of the Godbobber. He finds Mr. Jim Bob sitting in a messy closet. That closet must be the surveillance room where he has all his spy camera monitors set up to catch a boy who may want to masterbate or a girl who might sneakily try on a pair of jeans. They both act like this meeting is spontaneous but we all know this was just done for the cameras. Jim Bob's dramatic sigh after Austin mentions courting isn't going to win him any emmys. We all know that Jim Bob needed someone to wed after Jinger was done being used in order to keep the show going. Austin filled out the fifty page questionnaire and Joy is now set up for life with a kid who will treat her as a servant just as her parents did. Yay God! The Godbobber says "She will be surprised." If Joy is surprised then I don't think she is a willing participant. This whole situation stinks. The Duggars and TLC need to stop promoting the sex trade happening in Tontitown, AR.

5. Jeremy and Jinger are set up by the crew to play with boomerangs in a park. Then the crew arranges for Jeremy to get a didgeridoo lesson. Next it's off on a water taxi where Jinger gets sea sick and has to deal with Jeremy's dumb jokes and then it's zoo time. They get a private tour of the zoo and learn that a koala isn't a bear. That's about all they learned. I've known Koalas are marsupials since the 1st grade. Then they get to feed some kangaroos. *Get ready for this weeks game of "Show How Insanely Stupid The Duggar Kids Are!" The producers ask them, "What is a joey?" Jason, Jed and Jeer are dumb as rocks. Ben sort of guesses right and Jill looks to be the Einstein of the group because she read Izzy's baby animal books and actually answered a question correctly.

6. Joy accompanies her brothers and Austin to his parents family camp to do some fixin upping. They claimed to have known Austin and his family for 15 years but then Joy says in a talking head that she met Austin 5 years ago.  Which is it? A couple of the guys work on a fence as others do their usual nothing and just stand around watching. Joy is a good little servant and brings them all water. This bit of boredom is leading up to something evil.

7. Jinjer visit a fish market. They get set up with some guy who cleans fish and conveniently asks them if they come from a big family. I wonder how much they paid that guy to ask that question. I like how he snarkingly responded with, "No TV back home?" Jeremy wants to eat the raw fish but Jinger is hesitant. A few seconds later, someone has talked her into it and she eats a piece. Damn! She doesn't even get a choice about what she puts into her own mouth. Jason says he's adventurous but if he knows it's going to be disgusting, he won't go there. How does he know something is going to be disgusting if he won't try it. Jason, you are NOT adventurous. You're a chicken.

8. Jinger looks absolutely terrified to be driving with Jeremy on the left side of the road. Maybe because he never shuts up and is a distracted driver. Jeremy seems to enjoy scaring the crap out of her because he laughs hysterically as he drives faster after she warns him to slow down. They make it to a restaurant to get a cooking lesson as Benessa did on their European vacation. So when are Jinjer going to visit a museam? Maybe some famous landmark? The beach? Anything outside of Sydney? I guess they skipped New Zealand after the earthquake altogether. Jeremy embarrasses himself by repeating that dumb "Shrimp on the barbie" phrase. I'm not sure where that stupid phrase came from but I'm guessing from the Paul Hogan movie Crocodile Dundee. I remember it being very popular back then as a joke. The couple cook and make more lame sexual innuendo jokes and Jeremy talks nonstop barely allowing Jinger a word in edgewise. I am totally exhausted watching Jeremy talk. Most of the time he seems to forget Jinger is even there. I wonder how long Jinger will be able to deal with his mouth.

9. Back in Arkansas, where people drive on the right side of the road, the lazy ass Duggar boys, Austin and Joy hike to a rock. The boys all march Joy up to her doom. Austin asks her to court him. I'm sure Joy knew this was about to happen since the film crew has never invited Austin to appear on the show before so either he's going to ask someone to court or participate in a literal cliffhanger for next season episodes by throwing himself off the cliff. Now that would have made this show way less boring. Austin uses some spiritual abuse tactics on Joy by saying God is directing their path, blah, blah, blah. How can Joy turn him down after throwing God in her face. Joy accepts and then turns into another brainless courting Duggar girl who repeats the same exact physical standards as everyone else in her family. She's okay with a side hug from her God directed lover boy but hand holding is Satan's path to copulation. Jessa says this relationship will go fast because they've known each other forever. Five years?  Joy will most likely be having her first baby by age 20. If you're a praying person, pray that all of Jim Bob's grandchildren grow up to be Christ-like Liberals. Then grandpa Jim Bob will visit the rock for his cliff hanger.

The season is now over! Frontal hugs to all. Thank God for directing me to this page and not to an arranged marriage to some uneducated corporate tool.

[manekinekopro]

sit-down with graffiti artist pesky oner (Courtesy overtheedgebooks)

On this day, I get the privilege to dig into the mind of a dear friend, an entrepreneur and Los Angeles based Graffiti artistPesky Oner, well-known for her usage of colorful vivid characters; letters and dragons. But not only does she elaborate her skills on walls; she does some amazing body painting as well. For the first time ever she will sit down and talk about her lifestyle as well as fond memories of the Belmont Tunnel and where it all started. Enjoy every bit of it because let me assure you that it was a challenge to have her open up and speak about herself as an artist and her involvement in this Graffiti Art Movement; she is a very humble person and I admire that about her the most.

Early Years

Pesky Oner was born in Monterey, California at Fort Ord Army Base to mother from Costa Rica and father from Mexican-Filipino origin. At only months of age her parents moved to Echo Park, California where Pesky spent half of her life living there until the age of 16 when she moved to Cypress Park and eventually Highland Park which is where she still resides at the time.  Her childhood was influenced by both artistic parents as she reminisces on her mother painting and her father playing music. I must say that it is always inspiring to learn that the best traits and influences are learned by artistic parents as role models.  Pesky’s mother was the one that taught her the usage of colors and acrylics before she even entered kindergarten; she always advised Pesky to never copy anybody else’s styles. Therefore she took it upon herself to always stay original with her styles and characters. For Pesky, one of her early memories as her interest for art evolved at an early age. “I remember being young and in school I would always draw during breakfast and lunch breaks, I would always have a little crowd around me, watching me, asking me what I was drawing. I would always say the same thing: I don’t know, I’m just doing it. And then after being done some random person asking for it; while everyone else would be sad and mentioned that they also wanted it. It was nice!” (Pesky).

The Beginning of Graffiti

Her first interest for Graffiti began after she met Aone an ex-boyfriend of her sister, whom Pesky still sees as a brother till this day. So this was around the age of 12! Her sister would have to take Pesky along as she was younger more like a third wheel, so Aone would bring a friend to distract her while her sister was trying to kick it with her friends. Hahaha. “Those were the DTW’s and I always remember them “catching a grill” or “hanging a grill” and catching spots, I loved it! But it was more of a fantasy for me to do something like that; I was young and dumb so as I got older my sister was the one that had a strong influence on me because she had “real Graff Writer friends” from FCT that would always be doing pieces for her at the Belmont Tunnel along with BBQ’s and good times”(Pesky).

This was the beginning of Pesky’s real exposure to the Graff scene and as many remember, the Belmont Tunnel was the place to be when it came to bombing yards, many fond memories for a lot of Graffiti writers from previous generations as well as to becoming a historical landmark for new Graffiti generations to learn about. “I remember going to a “battle”, I can’t remember who it was against whom but that battle, that moment was it for me, right there! After that, I was going to Melrose and admiring Graff buying can control, hanging out with my generation of Graff writers at Virgil, Belmont and Franklin. Buying piece books and claiming to be a writer because I had some means streaks and my BF at the time would hit me up; whoever that may have been ha ha ha . But at this time yes, my art was Graff but just in books or would catch spots on the RTD’s”. (Pesky)

Shortly after she began getting up around her neighborhood and that was as far as she went during the first stages. She used to go to the Belmont Tunnel and hit up because she knew she could get away with it there. Pesky would search for scraps and hit up her name and would start doing small characters outlines on bridges, sidewalks and anywhere where she felt she would not get busted for. The Belmont Tunnel was at times a scary place especially for a female writer, she used to go paint and take her sister along and would have to be quick and get out of there before the sun would go down. Pesky mentioned that there were times that if some of the fellas were there; they would wait for her to finish up so she could get out of there safe. Such homeys that would do that for her would be Fearo, Pryer and Phib from UTI among many others that looked out for her.

I think I was about 21 years old when I finally said to myself that I needed to really start getting up!! So I talked my EX into going to the infamous “River” with me and I busted a dragon, it was really whack but not bad for my first real character piece, after that it was nonstop whether it was Belmont, Venice, an invite’ mostly Keo and Visions. Then I started to work at Crewest Gallery and meet all kinds of peepz and connects. Man One would take me to “hired walls” and show me techniques and I would help him do fill ins. I learned a lot from him and a lot of other peepz and legends I was getting to meet.” Pesky.

 Body Art Painting Phase

I call this my “body painting phase” this started when the Belmont Tunnel was literally taken from us. Body painting had always been something “guys” did on some random female as something sexual to brag about as a “flik” and show off their hoochies; it was never something I really wanted to get into but the only reason I did was because I had met some ladies that were in the process of making a Graff magazine called ��Piecez” a little group of cool chicks, it was Rosa, Chelly, Jessica Rabbit and Daniella. (Pesky) They had offered her a spot and article in their magazine but they wanted to know if she also did body painting; she was offered to do a section of body painting for the magazine. Once this picture was posted on MySpace, Pesky had both males and females making requests for her to paint them. Even friends and family wanted to partake in this new experience.  Pesky saw this as an opportunity to make money since she had previous experience in working on Halloween events and painting faces and what not. Body art painting became a profession for her while it lasted.

“Body painting was the thing to do, it started to grow and it really began to blow up, as Huskey Radio had shows on the regular and had me as a guest painter almost every week; it was fun while it lasted. But in my opinion it just blew out of proportion with the whole Graff scene, EVERYBODY who was anybody was doing it. Then it wasn’t fun anymore because it lost its class. So I said to myself either I make a career out of this or I abandon ship before it sinks. I think it sunk when I decided to paint a very muscular man at a graffiti event.  I think me and Ezo were disqualified because we never got judged or considered for a prize; I honestly think because he was a man. I don’t know I could be wrong but he never made it to the stage for judging. So after all that, I kind of just said I’m done, this is a man’s world anyways. Guys don’t want to see that but the females didn’t mind at all and that is what I was aiming for; I think I made my point!. It’s not just a man’s world. So anyways, I don’t really do it anymore but if I do is for a favor for a friend or getting paid at an event, that’s the only way I really go there anymore. -Pesky.

2007 to Present

So you might be wondering what Pesky Oner has been up today, well today is the year of 2013. She had countless art shows, live wall painting, live body painting and many opportunities to express her love for the arts in all mediums and venues.  She is well-known and loved by the Graffiti scene not only for her talent but her humbleness to the Graffiti sport.  “I am trying to get back into painting again; I had to settle down for a bit doing the family thing raising my 13-year-old, 6-year-old and 2-year-old. During home time I had begun doing more canvases with acrylics. Now I want to start using some different mediums like oils which I have never used before but willing to try. And maybe gets some more hands on air brushing and pin stripping. My plan is to go back to school and maybe have a nice career by the time I hit 40. So that’s my story. I just want to say thank you to God my kids, my family and Gordo, Fridge all my friends and acquaintances who have been supportive through this journey. Those of you that have had my back and still do! It’s because of you that I am ME! Because of all of you I will succeed, ha-ha thanks for the love and support! Pesky Oner.

We can all agree that we are all happy to see her getting back in the Graff scene, as she is gradually preparing herself for art shows and events; we are all eager to see what else she brings to light!. Thanks Pesky for letting me dig into your mind for a bit and share some special events of your life as an artist with us all.

Stay posted with me as I will keep you all updated with any of her on going projects coming soon to a city near you!

You can also follow her on her Fan Page on Facebook. Pesky Oner

https://www.facebook.com/peskyhttps://www.facebook.com/pesky.oner.7?fref=ts.oner.7?fref=ts

Monica Smiles Tobon

sit-down with graffiti artist pesky oner (Courtesy overtheedgebooks)