#I got that 'johnny's story' comic for christmas

[luci3skydi]

I repurposed the text for this from an a/b/o fic wip that I’ll probably never post, but it really goes to show how much space comics require: all three of these pages were one written paragraph originally. Which is below:

(I changed the text a little.)

Meta rant under the cut (not necessary to understand the comic):

So there’s this quick moment where Daniel offers a handshake to Johnny right after the sucker punch in the beach fight. He says, “Okay, man, now we’re even, huh?” angling for some sort of truce, but he keeps his right hand raised in a fist, protecting his face. It’s quick, but this moment says a lot about how Daniel and Johnny function within and react to the world around them. 

Daniel offers the handshake, but is that only because he’s losing? He knows the fight’s inevitable as much as Johnny: he’s got the fist up. The fist is sincere. But is the handshake? As far as Johnny’s concerned, there’s only one path forward that makes sense: they finish the fight. But Daniel offers nonviolence, equilibrium as an alternative. It’s a baffling move.

Does Daniel actually believe they can end this here? Right after he landed the first real hit? Is he dumb? Or is this just plausible deniability in front of Ali (‘see, I offered him an out! I’m the good guy!’) Is it a taunt, like Johnny probably sees it?

It reads like an ill-fated attempt to save his skin, doomed to fail, but he tries it anyway. He’s got his pride and his world view (“well, it wasn’t his, was it?”) and someone to defend, so he doesn’t back down, but he can also try to turn this around (and maintain the moral high ground) by letting Johnny decide: the hand of friendship, or the way of the fist. If Johnny chooses peace, well hallelujah! But if he chooses violence, hey, Daniel’s still a good guy. The guy who got beat on, yeah, but for standing up for what is right. Daniel has moral clarity in spades and the strength and spunk to defend it. 

Johnny really doesn’t have that same strength in identity and purpose that allows Daniel to adapt and prosper (when he’s not beset on by enemy forces) in life. Johnny’s plans at the beginning of this movie are so heartfelt and good and simple: he’s got one year to make it work, and that’s what he’s going to do, make it work. But the second he’s faced with Ali snubbing him and Daniel standing up to him, he throws all that out thoughtlessly. Because what he does and who he is are not the same in his brain. He molds himself into a Kreese clone to get friends, success, and a girlfriend. And that’s worked until recently. But his life is built on shaky foundations. (Enter Daniel “Bull in a Bonsai Shop” LaRusso.)

I think the difference between Johnny and Daniel is that Johnny only ever sees one path forward, he’s rigid. And Daniel’s flexible, he can see outside of what is supposed to happen, to what he really wants to happen. How he thinks the world could work, if people weren’t so hung up on pride and selfishness and how they’re supposed to be doing things. I think that’s why Johnny and him clash so badly in Karate Kid: Daniel is a disturbance to the natural order. He is a destabilizing element to the balance of Johnny’s universe (he questions Kreese!). He is another way to live and be happy outside of the narrow confines of masculinity and ‘might is right’ that Johnny has built himself up around. He thinks outside the box. And that makes him a freak and a twerp and an enemy. It makes him something dangerous to be crushed. 

This choice between the open hand (‘open hand’ = karate, and in this metaphor; Miyagi’s karate, violence as a last resort) and the fist (‘the way of the fist’ = Kreese’s karate, violence as first response) is really a choice between Johnny’s plans to better himself, and his need to assert his dominance and win. And he chooses violence, (self) destruction, and essentially to lose everything (and for what? Pride? Kreese and the Cobras’ approval? Somehow winning Ali back by doing exactly what she doesn’t want him to do?) 

In Cobra Kai Johnny’s a ‘I’m just giving it to you straight, this is how the real world works’ kind of guy, and one of his big character growth things is realizing that it doesn’t have to be that way, he has the power to make it different. Kreese’s Cobra Kai doesn’t have to be his Cobra Kai. He can let things go. He can fight for Robby (I mean, he doesn’t, but he could.) He can move forward and improve and even lose without it killing him. Karate Kid Johnny doesn’t have that awareness, he only has one view (Kreese’s view) and that is ‘if a man confronts you, you strike first, strike hard, no mercy, sir.” So that’s what he does. And he doesn’t think twice about it. 

So when faced with this choice he chooses poorly, and he doesn't even see it as a choice in the first place. He takes less than a second to consider it. He fails at the first hurdle, and he doesn’t even realize it. 

[dreddedwheat]

Back to the Dredd-tomes: Judgement Day

Okay, so-!

Brief introduction: I used to have a previous blog that focused on my youthful fanboyism of the 2000AD and Judge Dredd universe. A few misstimed clicks a year or so back and that all got nuked, and it basically killed my enthusiasm for writing stuff up, since I lost a metric ton of amateur analysis, fan-mixes and other stuff that most people would usually forget.

There was a lot of back and forth with good folks like @judgeanon (who I credit with helping support what is a vanishingly small online discussion around Dredd and 2000ad in general), which is now sadly mostly lost. Usually for the better with my more immature antics, hence the fresh start and fresh name to go with it.

However, after a Christmas filled with a sudden surge of - probably ill-informed - Dredd buys, I decided to get back into things. That means actually talking about the comic that was formative for me as a fan of both comic-books and fiction in general...

JUDGE DREDD

And where better to start than the biggest, the meanest, and the best/baddest (depending on who you ask) Dredd epic, JUDGEMENT DAY. (Spoiler warnings, images courtesy of the 2000AD site and Google Search.)

So, let's get into a basic overview of this contentious Dredd epic...

The Story so far: Judge Dredd is a law-enforcer in Mega-City One, a massive post-apocalyptic metropolis. As a Judge he's authorised to deliver instant sentencing on the spot, no jury or court necessary. He's judge, jury and executioner, and he is the law, but you probably already knew that.

Johnny Alpha is a Strontium Dog, a mutant bounty-hunter that wants to break free of life on an increasingly anti-mutant Earth. Taking on the bounties no-one else will touch, he utilises his unique 'Alpha Eyes' to see through walls, sense other people's intentions and more. He always gets his man.

Alright, now that introductions are out of the way, let's get into it. For the uninitiated, a Dredd 'epic' is a pretty standard description for a big summer storyline. This all started with the "Apocalypse War" back in the eighties, a storyline which defined not only Judge Dredd but also British Boy's comics.

For American fans, and British comic readers of a certain age (like me) it's hard to imagine a time when most British comics were simply lukewarm re-treads of the same adventure stories you'd read in the fifties, sixties and seventies. Of course, not all of these were bad - far from it - but like many things in Britain during the eighties they were a victim of a stuffy, uptight and squeamish society.

2000AD proved to be a seminal title in many ways, mostly in introducing borderline graphic violence, mature storylines, cynical themes and more complicated heroes. Judge Dredd, a tyrannical authoritarian supercop who nonetheless has strong principles and heroic intentions is the most emblematic of that.

However, for most of his lifetime Dredd had been a relatively straightforward and heroic figure. And although a direct criticism of this was not far away - in the form of the Democracy Now storyline - the Apocalypse War was perhaps the first time we saw Dredd on a firm backfoot.

The lantern-jawed hero was put thoroughly on the defensive when the Sovs, a pastiche of Soviet-era Russia, attacked and destroyed a large portion of Mega-City One. It was a grand war story depicting the Judges of the city waging guerilla warfare and culminating with a particularly chilling page where Dredd retaliates using the Sov's own nukes, obliterating hundreds of millions of people.

Yee-ikes, even nowadays this is vicious stuff. Now imagine this in a mag that's being sold next to "The Beano" on shelves and you can imagine why this was considered such a definitive storyline.

But, okay, why am I telling you this? Well, put simple, Judgement Day is a result of the inherent love that writer Garth Ennis, best-known now for titles like The Boys and Punisher Max, had for this storyline. At least that's the prevailing thesis put forwards by people like JA, God knows that online discussion of Dredd is hard to come by no matter what.

Regardless, this should set the stage. By now, Mega-City One has fazed many crises and successive near-extinction events. Most recently - at the time - Necropolis, where the Dark Judges (we'll get into them) invaded and took control of the city's Judges, attempting to carry out their campaign of omnnicide before being narrowly halted by Judge Dredd, McGruder, Cadet Giant and the everlovin' Psi-Judge Anderson.

So, stage-set, where does that lead us?

Judgement Day is, in simple terms, Dredd vs Zombies. Pretty cliché now, but back in the 90s this was still a fresh and rather bloody concept. And regardless of what one thinks of Ennis' writing, the art is stunning and graphic, with Dredd mainstay Carlos Ezquerra taking center-stage. Although I'd argue that Dean Ormston is at least second-best if not better, with some mouthwatering - pardon the pun - depictions of flesh-eating zombies cribbing from giallo films.

Judge Dredd - and the rest of his post-nuclear world - suddenly face an overwhelming undead assault from the necromagus Sabbat. Resurrecting billions of corpses, Sabbat wages all-out war on the Mega-Cities, and all seems lost until the arrival of Johnny Alpha...

Alpha and Dredd had already met in the story "Top Dogs" where Johnny and his partner, the time-displaced viking Wulf Sternhammer, narrowly escaped capture by the lawman. Naturally, they don't get on too well.

Regardless, Alpha proves instrumental in helping Dredd - and a coalition of international Judges - finding and destroying (or near-enough) Sabbat in a bloody showdown in the Radlands of Ji, a part of post-nuclear China.

In-between we have lavish set-pieces of Dredd and his fellow Judges fending off hordes of the undead, flashes to other parts of the globe and other judges playing their part, as well as fantastic art throughout.

So, what's the problem?

Well, the main issue is that, as JA pointed out in his own posts on the storyline, Judgement Day is very much a 'blockbuster' event. And sadly, it's as close as 2000AD has ever gotten to emulating the American comics ideal of the big crossover event. And NOT in a good way. Although you couldn't criticise it for being slow-paced and overwrought, it has many issues that mark it out for fans.

For one, the storyline - as I only recently found out - ran consecutively in both 2000AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine, the latter a solely Dreddverse-focused publication. Now, obviously, the issues with asking people to buy two magazines, monthly and weekly, aside this also meant that the fairly fast-paced movie-style storyline was constantly being broken up.

Add onto that the ridiculous stakes ("Billions of people are dying! Planet Earth is on the brink!"), an at-times-confusing tone (Sabbat's zombies performing a Disney-esque musical number during the climactic showdown), the destruction of various international Mega-cities - few of which we'd even had the chance to know - and the borderline fanservicey pairing of Dredd and Alpha, and we have a recipe for...not a disaster, but something that's a bit of a messy moment in the Dredd saga.

Because, yes, Dredd's story has been continuous, and while not concrete generally the broad-strokes have always been pretty solid (usually a tweak to a character's origin or what they said and did here, but stuff like the Apocalypse War is almost untouched). Judgement Day really feels like a moment where a lot of potential areas of the world like Brasilia, Mega-City Two and others were, quite literally, nuked off the face of the Earth. We also saw some interesting side-characters gored under the zombie hordes, such as Oz Judge Bruce and Judge Dekker.

Basically, Judgement Day slammed the door shut on potential plotlines, was shaky in terms of the publishing angle and overall had more of an overwrought Hollywood blockbuster than intense action-thriller. It also came hot on the heels of Necropolis, and arguably was part of a quick-succession of world-shaking crises such as Inferno which, as far as I can tell, numbed readership going into the 2000s.

Sabbat also stands as quite a weak villain. He rarely appears until the finale, and his backstory - a downtrodden teacher's pet turned murderous necromancer - may be an amusing reference to the aforementioned "Beano" but it's also a bit of a silly one for someone who's meant to be our big, brutal bad-guy, and not in a good way. He's not a bore to read, but sometimes his moments of simpering arrogance can undercut what is essentially an apocalyptic moment for the world of Dredd.

However, even more frustratingly, Judgement Day is also a massive stepping-stone in terms of the-then current Dredd plotline, making it very hard to ignore. It effectively marked Chief Judge McGruder's last major heroic moment, the first time we saw Judge Hershey take up the mantle of Chief Judge and perhaps the most definitive Alpha/Dredd crossover.

I think it's a testament to the overall high-quality of major Dredd storylines that Judgement Day holds up as well as it does. But it also bears all the hallmarks of something that would work well in a vacuum, but which has a messy place in continuity. I'd loved to have seen a non-canon take on this, perhaps allowing us to bring in characters like Wulf Sternhammer - who was sadly offed before this storyline was written - into the zombie battle royale.

There's also some usual holdovers of poorly-aged stuff that was endemic to British comics at the time. Hondo-City, Ciudad Barranquilla and other areas get equal billing but some traces of their stereotypical origins remain. This storyline did go some way to fleshing out the wider world - as much as it obliterated it - of Dredd.

Yet I can't deny that, in the moment of reading, Judgement Day is enthralling. It's pure, gorey action and fanservice. I just wish it didn't cast such a shadow across later stories, and that it hadn't taken so many interesting places and people with it in the process.

Picking this story up, you know what you're getting, and if you're along for the ride...you'll have a hell of a time.

As it stands, Judgement Day is a weaker entry writing-wise but still well-worth picking up for the art and general premise alone. If you're a new Dredd fan and want something a bit lighter than the commonly-cited "America" storyline, this is a fine way to get into the fast-paced and more action-focused content of 2000AD without needing much forward knowledge.

FIN

[survey--s]

619.

Did you get enough rest last night?  No, but that's my own fault because I knew I had to be up early and still decided to stay up on my phone until gone midnight lol.

What was the last thing that kept you awake?  The dog snoring.

If you have pets, do they sleep in your bedroom at night?  Archie does, but the cats stay downstairs at night otherwise they chase each other around like idiots over the bed at 3am.

Can you sleep with background noise or does it keep you up?  It depends - quiet talking is generally fine but I generally prefer silence or just the white noise of the fan.

Do you ever take naps? Do you take long naps or little power naps?  I only really take naps if I'm sick or have a really long day at work. They're normally less than an hour long.

What helps when you have trouble sleeping?  Watching random stuff online.

Who was the last person to cook you a meal? What did they make?  I honestly don't remember. Neither of us are really big cooks.

Who was the last person you cooked a meal for? What did you make?  Probably Mike when we had a roast dinner on Christmas Day lol.

Who is your female celeb crush? (If applicable)  I like Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried. Also Meryl Streep in a weird, non-sexual way lol.

Who is your male celeb crush? (If applicable)  Johnny Depp.

Tell me about an interesting article you’ve read recently.  It wasn't an article really, but a story about a YouTube family who have been arrested for child abuse and neglect. It turns out loads of people (other family and viewers) have been trying to alert the authorities for years but nothing happened.

Do you have a favorite Marvel character?  I have no interest in supheroes.

Favorite DC character?  ...

Do you read comic books?  Nope.

Has a horror film ever actually scared you? Which one(s)?  Yeah, The Others really creeped me out the first time I watched it, hahah. I was underage though and decided it would be a good idea to watch it alone in the dark LOL.

What was the last horror movie you saw? I have no idea, it's not really my favourite genre.

What was the first horror movie you remember seeing? What did you think of it?  I don't remember. The Ring, maybe? I can't remember what I thought of it, it was over two decades ago now.

Name a few historical figures you find interesting. Why?  Nah, I don't have the energy for that right now lol.

What is your favorite historical film and why?  I don't enjoy historical films.

Do you usually enjoy historical films?  No.

Name a sequel film (any franchise) you like better than the first film. Why is that?  The later Harry Potter movies are all better than the first ones - with the exception of Goblet of Fire which is just awful, lol.

Which do you find most interesting: Greek, Roman, or Norse mythology? Why?  None of them, to be honest.

Which tale from whichever mythology you listed above do you find most interesting?  ----

Do you collect anything? What was the last item you added to that collection?  Jumpers and wax melts. I got some more wax melts a couple of weeks ago but I don't tend to buy new jumpers until about October-time each year.

Do you have any houseplants?  No.

How do you like your tea?  Milk with two sugars.

Who is your favorite Muppet?  I find the muppets incredibly annoying.

What is your favorite type of bird?  Penguins. < Yes. <--- same! Plus owls.

Which streaming platform do you use the most, if any?  Spotify, Netflix, YouTube, Prime. I use them all equally.

What is a skill or useful piece of knowledge you wish you’d learned sooner?  How to de-escalate a panic attack.

What is your favorite vampire movie?  None of them, lol. They're not really my cup of tea. I did watch the first two Twilight films but let's be fair, they were awful.

Your favorite fictional couple?  Monica and Chandler from Friends.

Do you have a favorite historical couple?  No.

Have you received any good news recently?  I wouldn't say it was GOOD news, but Mike is off work on Monday which makes my first day back at work a lot easier than it would have been otherwise, haha.

Have you learned anything new recently?  Nah, nothing's coming to mind anyway.

[subbyfoxelf]

[comic review] william gibson’s alien 3 (2018-19)

written & illustrated by johnnie christmas

first of all, can we make this kind of thing more common? where we actually get to see alternate versions of a movie officially released in some form? because i would love to see what bryan singer’s x-men 3[1] or joel schumacher’s batman triumphant[2] or rian johnson’s episode ix, etc etc, would have been. that reminds me, i should check out the batman ‘89 comics. but i digress.

so, obviously with something like this the first question that comes to mind is whether you prefer the movie we actually got or this one. i actually like alien 3 quite a bit, but when i heard the original idea for alien 3 involved space communists i kinda figured there was a decent chance that i’d prefer that? like, even a terrible portrayal that villainized them could be enjoyed from a camp standpoint and maybe even reclaimed and fannoned into something awesome. but if this comic is anything to go by, it turns out the space communists a) weren’t even that heavily involved in the plot, and b) were just kinda boring. sad times.

it’s also nice that newt and hicks get to actually be characters in this instead of being killed literally during the opening credits, but ripley spends most of the story in a coma before being unceremoniously dumped into an escape pod (presumably launched directly toward the next movie). it’s just weird. what a weird choice. obviously i want hicks and newt to get to be actual characters with actual stories, but given a choice between that and ripley getting to be a character with an actual story i’m obviously going to pick ripley?

so, yeah, i’m actually super glad that we got the alien 3 we got instead of this. i know a lot of people think it would have been better, but i’m afraid i just don’t see it. i’m still super glad they did this, though. again, the general concept of adapting abandoned versions of movies into a less resource-intense medium so we at least get to see what the story would’ve looked like is a super tantalizing one, and one i’d very much like to see more of.

b-rank

notes

1. yes, he’s allegedly an asshole sexual predator, i didn’t say i wanted to see him make money off of the venture. which might not be legally possible. but whatever, i’m already making unreasonable demands, i might as well ignore how capitalism works in the process.

2. that one would probably be a bit harder than others considering schumacher’s tragic passing.

[hamueltobin]

behold! i didn't see any otgw icebergs, so i made my own :)

if you think i should add something, lmk!!

Explanations under cut :)

First layer:

▪︎Beast!Wirt au - very popular au in which Wirt stays in the Unknown, possessed by the Beast to some extent.

▪︎Bad End Friends - Crossover AU of Beast!Wirt teaming up with Ice Finn from Adventure Time and Bipper from Gravity Falls; sometimes other 'bad end' au characters are thrown in such as a glitched Gumball from TAWOG

▪︎Irl Copies of the For Sara tape - Limited copies of the For Sara tape were sold at two points. They have yet to sell for a third time. (🤞🤞🤞)

▪︎Tome of the Unknown (pilot) - The Pilot of the series. Can be watched on YouTube.

▪︎Wirt Staying in the Unknown - In a scrapped ending, Wirt was to stay in the Unknown, saying that facing your real problems was scarier than staying there.

▪︎Mystery Kids - Crossover AU with other child-late teens aged characters from sources based on mysterious and supernatural themes such as Gravity Falls and Psychonauts.

▪︎Quincy Endicott's grave - Quincy's grave can be seen in the graveyard that Sara and the others are hanging out in.

▪︎Original Beatrice Voice Actress - Beatrice had a different VA in the pilot, Natasha Leggero. Melanie Lynskey voices her in the actual series.

▪︎The Woodsman's Daughter is Named Anna - The comics have several issues focused on his daughter, in which her name is revealed to be Anna.

▪︎Jason Funderburker's Ax Murderer Story - At the gathering in the graveyard, Funderburker is telling a story about a man with an ax; this story is believed to have influenced the existence of the Woodsman.

▪︎Full Versions of Songs in the OST - A handful of the songs are cut down for their appearances in the series and can only be heard in full on the OST. The most notable example is Old Black Train , which is actually 2 minutes and 15 seconds long, but is only in the series for about 15-20 seconds.

Second Layer:

▪︎Sara is named after the Fleetwood Mac song - Listen to it here :) it is notable that it includes lyrics about "drowning in a sea of love" and that Sara is "the poet of [the singer's] heart."

▪︎OTGW Reanimated - a reanimated project for the first episode. Got taken off of YouTube, but can be viewed on Dailymotion.

▪︎Baby Wirt Audio - In the For Sara cassette, there is a small section of audio that can be heard in about the middle of the recording of Wirt's father talking to him as a baby.

▪︎Funderburker/Funderberker - The two Jasons's surnames are spelled slightly differently to avoid confusion.

▪︎The Brothers Never Ate or Needed to Rest - Although Greg expressed being hungry, neither of the boys actually ate anything (outside of one spoonful of bland potatoes and inedible items such as dirt and leaves) and never laid down to rest, only sleeping when night came.

▪︎Book on Interior Design in Wirt's Room - In Wirt's from, a book on interior design can be seen laying on the floor, backing up the knowledge he displayed when analyzing the interconnected mansions.

▪︎Mad Love was Based on a Dream - The plot of Mad Love came from a dream that Pat McHale had about house hunting. In the dream, while exploring one of the houses being shown, he ended up wandering into someone else's home.

▪︎Beatriceoftheday - A blog dedicated to our lord and savior Beatrice, known for its strange shitposts and intense praise of the titular bird girl.

▪︎Wirt is Jealous of Greg's Popularity - Shown in the Circus Friends issue of the comics, Wirt is jealous of Greg's ability to make everyone laugh and have fun. This may factor into his dislike of his brother.

▪︎Greg was Feeding Fred at the Tavern - At first watching, one may be confused as to where all the food Greg was gathering went, why Fred was wearing lipstick and why he was refusing to talk to Beatrice. Shown in a deleted scene, this all explained, as Fred tells Beatrice that he didn't talk to her because Greg was feeding him.

▪︎Elijah Wood Voiced the Crazy Driver - Exactly what is says on the tin, the nutty driver was voiced by Wood.

▪︎Cloud City is Heaven - A popular theory that Cloud City actually represents Heaven.

▪︎Greg is Greg Universe - A headcanon/theory that has mostly died out that Greg is the same Greg in Steven Universe.

▪︎Bee Beatrice - Beatrice was originally cursed to become a bee, but was changed into a bluebird to match better with the seasonal autumn theme.

▪︎Pat McHale Voiced Wirt's Voice Crack - Wirt's voice crack when asking the Beast Are You? was actually done by McHale, not Wood.

▪︎The Other Actors Harassing Elijah Wood When Singing Wirt's Song - In order to make the performance as awkward as possible, the other actors were asked to yell and demand Wirt to sing. This can be heard in the episode.

▪︎Come Wayward Souls Has the Same Melody as O Holy Night - The song shares a cadence with "O Holy Night", and can be sung to its tune.

▪︎Black Turtles Origin/Purpose - No one knows why the black turtles exist, and McHale has said that they're just one of the unexplainable things of the Unknown.

▪︎Anna Never Left the House - In the aforementioned comics, it is shown that Anna had never left the house, living on her own until the Woodsman's return.

▪︎Sailor Suit Greg - Greg originally wore a sailor suit, but was changed later on to his current, Johnny Appleseed inspired outfit .

▪︎Beatrice Missing Being Able to Flip People Off - In the Art Book, Beatrice's introduction states that one of the reasons she hates being a bird is because she no longer has hands to flip people off with.

Third Layer

▪︎Jason Funderberker is Visually Based on a Teen Pat McHale - As seen here, Funderberker was designed after McHale.

▪︎Babes in the Wood is Based on an Old Alice in Wonderland Cartoon - You can view the original 1923 cartoon here! Starts at 4:25.

▪︎Wirt and Sara are Dipper and Mabel's Parents - A popular AU/hc where Dipper and Mabel of Gravity Falls are the future kids of Wirt and Sara.

▪︎The Tune of Wirt's Song is Improvised - In addition to the aforementioned harassment, in a further attempt to make the performance as awkward as possible, Elijah Wood was not given a tune to sing, only the lyrics.

▪︎Wirt's Costume Origin - As said in the art book and on his tumblr, Wirt's cone and cape come from an attempted rock and roll persona from McHale's teen years.

▪︎Greg is Based on Pat McHale's Son - It has been claimed that Greg is based on McHale's son, but Greg existed before him. The similarities are simply coincidental.

▪︎Old Scratch - The original name of the Beast.

▪︎The Beast Killed the Woodsman's Wife - Shown in the comics, The Woodsman's wife was mortally injured, with her attacker implied to be the Beast.

▪︎Wirt and Greg Staying in the Unknown Until Christmas - Another scrapped ending, in which the brothers stay in The Unknown until Christmas, with their absence unexplained.

▪︎Tome of the Unknown (original plot) - Early concepts had the Beast ( then known as Old Scratch as mentioned earlier ) scattering the pages of the titular book for the brothers to collect. Each page would come to life and the brothers would explore each story.

▪︎Dante's Inferno Comparisons - Check out these videos for full analysis!

▪︎Wirt Panty Shots - In the aforementioned Circus Friend comics, Wirt dons a dress as part of a disguise. Later on, he rips off the bottom half off, revealing that he is wearing bloomers.

▪︎The Beast's True Form was Inspired by Trypophobia - As stated in the art book, The Beast's hole-filled appearance was inspired by Trypophobia, the fear of many small holes.

▪︎The Fight is Over is About Drowning - Give the lyrics another read.

▪︎The Beast Last Minute Design Change - The Beast had a very different design, and it was changed into the current one at the last minute.

▪︎Gnome in Cloud City Representing Wirt - Many people believed that the Gnome with the lantern in cloud city was a parallel to Wirt, or a glimpse into his future. However, this was debunked.

▪︎Send Me a Peach - This song is included in the ost, but isn't in the actual series.

▪︎Fred and the Highwayman's Backstory - The comics expand upon the story of Fred the Horse and his involvement with the Highwayman.

Fourth Layer

▪︎Babes in the Wood Title Origin - The name of this episode comes from an old story of a pair of children getting lost in the woods, dying, and being buried in leaves by robins.

▪︎poorlydrawnotgw - This was a blog created during the poorly drawn series meme period. It consisted of poorly drawn and very strange shitposts and has since been deactivated. I was a part of it as mod Goopy Wirt and only have a handful of images saved from it.

▪︎Read and Listen Book Lost Audio - A read and listen book was created, with the book being read by Greg's Frog, who would stop every now and again to talk about being a frog. The pages can be found online, but the audio is currently lost.

▪︎Skinless Witch - A scrapped episode concept involved a skinless witch that kidnapped Greg and rode him like a horse.

▪︎Gentleman Burglar Wirt - A scrapped concept in which Wirt breaks into a woman's home, who is charmed by this young man who has come to visit her.

▪︎Animal Transformation - It was originally planned for Wirt and Greg to be turned into a bear/dog and a duck and remain that way for several episodes. This was later used in the comics.

▪︎The Unknown is influenced by Wirt's mind/interests - The Unknown is influenced by those who walk in it, in this case, Wirt. This includes the old timey mystical nature of it, as Wirt has been stated to have an interest in old folk tales.

▪︎Good Guy Beast/Black Train Scrapped Concept - In an earlier draft, the brothers were on a train, heading to what they assumed was death. They jump off, ending up in the Unknown. The Beast tries to get them back on the train, which turns out to be heading back to life.

▪︎Evil Woodsman - At one point, the Woodsman was intended to be under the influence of the Beast and tried to sabotage the brothers's attempts to return home.

▪︎Lorna Reading the Tome of the Unknown in the Epilogue - In the epilogue, Lorna can be seen reading the titular book from the aforementioned scrapped plot.

▪︎The Beast was Originally the Devil Himself - The Beast was first designed as a devil-like character, the aforementioned Old Scratch.

▪︎The Brothers Never Went Home/The Hospital is Part of The Unknown - a theory based on the fact that the edges of the screen are still blurred at the end of chapter 10, the rushed narration, and the lack of consequences of nearly drowning.

▪︎Beatrice Seeing Wirt Nude - In one of the comics, Beatrice accidentally sees Wirt while he is washing his clothes in the river.

▪︎Sara is a Descendant of Lorna - A theory that Sara is a distant relative of Lorna.

▪︎Exists in the Same Universe as Clarence and Home Movies - The most well known piece of evidence is the overhead shot of the town matching the town that Clarence is set in. Wirt and Greg also have a cameo in another episode, and one of the final episodes shows Brendon Small of Home Movies runs a movie rental store in the town, connecting all three series together.

Final Layer

▪︎Beast x Wirt - Also known as Poetree.

▪︎Candycone - Greg x Wirt.

[fandomfriend]

This is my first lyric comic! Just in case, tw for blood, murder, and really unhealthy relationships, I guess?

I’m not sure how well these will load, as this is my first time posting pictures on tumblr, so here’s hoping tumblr doesn’t crunch the quality! If it does, maybe I could try to repost? Idk.

This is a lyric comic using the song “This is love” by Air Traffic Controller. The characters come from the Vargas AU made by @zarla-s, and it is absolutely fantastic! If you want to know more about the AU or the story it is based on, zarla explains it pretty well, so check out their stuff! 

I tend to ramble, so I’m going to put the comic and the rest of my spiel under a read more, for the sake of not making a huge post that’s annoying to scroll past. XD

For the sake of not reposting the chorus multiple times, I put it and the bridge together at the end, but the rest is in order. If anyone is curious about my design choices, feel free to ask. If anyone wants to redraw this better, also feel free! I know it is super messy and amateur-ish, but I was inspired to make this after I saw Zarla’s post mentioning the idea!

This took quite a while to make, and I actually intended to post this yesterday, but I think the day after Christmas is probably close enough. (,^~^)

Small note, I’m sure someone will probably notice similarities between some of my art and ones zarla posted. It’s probably most noticeable with the angel, tbh. But yeah, that was kinda on purpose? I don’t draw much, even though I enjoy it, so I’m not great at things like perspective and proportions. So, I used zarlas art as a reference for poses, trying to get close-ish to the original art without outright tracing. Then once I got more comfortable drawing the characters, I branched out more, like with the dancing scene. (^w^)

Any text in light grey/white is Edgar singing, dark grey is Scri, red is Nny, black is Nny and Scriabin, and for one scene the orange to red gradient is the waste-lock parasite speaking. I hope I did alright and kept it all mostly in character!

(Also, may I suggest “Mr. Fear” by siames as being sung to Edgar by Scriabin? It just feels like it fits.) 

(I own nothing but my own drawings, the Vargas AU and fic are Zarlas, and the original story is from “Johnny the Homicidal Maniac” by  Jhonen Vasquez.)

[popculturebuffet]

Of Moons Millionares And Mothers Part 4: The Outlaw Scrooge McDuck! Or No, I Didn’t Forget An Episode

Hello all you happy people.. and as you can see by the title no I didn’t forget an episode despite Della’s debut comes before this. It’s kinda important. But Kev who comissioned this retrospective requested I take a look at Della’s appearances in IDW’s tie-in comic first, as it was the only look we got at her personality before her debut, see how it compares, similar to him having me do her only major comic appearance. I was more than fine with that, but it meant due to something I had planned for June I had to shuffle things around a bit episode wise. 

See like I did for Goofy last week, to surprising applause from one PATICULAR source for one PATICULAR review

I’m not putting that there to toot my own horn so much as I still can’t believe that fucking happened and have to keep reminding myself. 

Point is since Donald is also my boy and I have even more to pull from for him, I naturally decided to give him a weeklong birthday celebration too. And the comics.. just fit too well for that. We never saw Donald before a combination of life beating him down and loosing Della took ALL the fun he did have adventuring out of it for him. We’ve seen him be awesome and adventure, the show gave us plenty of that, if not as much as i’d of liked. But we never saw him at his peak, only at his valley and then his new peak. Kinda like how if you only saw Keanu Reeves in Johnny Mnemonic and John Whick and missed his other peaks with the first two Bill and Teds and Matrix. He was also damn good in Parenthood. Good movie, great tv show, wish he’d made a cameo in the latter. Or Steve Martin, Or Rick Moranis. My point is part of his story there is missing so it felt only right to put the filling of it in his week.

So i’m jumping ahead an episode: this one now, the comics next week, and THEN whatever happened. It dosen’t really wreck the flow of things too badly as this episode dosen’t removely involve Della and her episode while excelent was built to work in isolation, likely so they could slot it wherever needed after christmas. 

Okay good. So moving on this episode... the episode came out of the concept for another episode that never happened: Scrooge would tell the kids a story, they’d make revisions and due to some magical mishap of the week they’d end up rewriting history with them.   They ended up reworking the basic concept: Scrooge still tells a story to one of the kids, in this case Louie and they kept one or two of the changing up the story gags just in a diffrent context, but the made it more a direct homage to the Princess Bride, a grandfather telling his grandson, both things metaphorically but still, about a story the Grandson has no intrest in and slowly gets invested in as he goes. Did it work? Do I still like this episode? Find out under the cut!

Our story begins at the mansion. Louie is watching Ottoman Empire... which begins a running gag/mini-arc for the season as it turns out Randy has left the show leaving Johnny to his own devices and bitter about the whole thing. For some reason the crew didn’t hire someone else. I mean... personally i’d go with Al Borland. Let him just take over the show.

Scrooge comes in being generous.. well the Scrooge version of generous as he had some misprinted buisness cards and figures Louie can write his company name on them.. which Scrooge has forgot. I’d drag him for this.... but my own short term memory is notoriously shoddy. I take a while to remember peoples names and can sometimes forget what I was just told to do 2 minutes ago.  So I won’t be throwing stones in this glass house. 

Louie however claims he’s given up. And while Scrooge guesses legit things his latest idea didn’t pan out, a sociopath with a chess motif spent months driving him back to alcoholism, he found out he was a robot and left the company, he had to fake his own death so his scietnests could bring him back to life, you know normal stuff. But no being Louie.. there was like four people at the patent office. To which I laugh as, in getting a new photo ID, I stood for over half an hour socially distanced  You suck child. 

Jokes aside though I do like this as it’s something we all knew would happen at SOME POINT. Louie has some drive in him.. but his inherent laziness holds him back. Can relate. So of COURSE he’d quit at the first obstacle at some point and it’s a miracle he made it through the entire last episode without bailing.

Frank and Matt did make the wise decision thoguh to NOT make this an entire episode. Louie’s lazy shctick only works in small doses: it’s why this arc and his focus episodes are more focused on his grifting and shortsightedness, with only this one and great dime chase focusing on his laziness.. and even then the latter focuses more on the grift. It NEEDED to be in the arc.. but unlike Louie’s other faults it just isn’t something that’s easy or fun to build an episode around. 

So instead Scrooge decides to tell Louie a tale from THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SCROOGE MCDUCK. Speaking of which if Disney is all in on this whole making mini series thing... make a Life and Times series. Either bring Frank back and simply make a version that fits into this continuity, and fills in the gaps we didn’t see, with the easy wraparound of him telling his daughter the full life story from his perspective, or do a straigther adaptation of the comic.. and still bring frank back because come on. The show DID do flashbacks and rather good ones, this one included... but we never got to find out how certain major milestones went and there’s PLENTY of room within what they’ve told already to tell new stories. Plus.. I want to see Hortense dammit. I’m still bitter about that, especially since i’m highly convinced it’s Disney’s fault.  I do bring up Life and Times for a reason though as my current retrospective of it just so happens to be in this period of Scrooge’s life: CLOSE to making his fortune in the Klondike, but still a ways off on other gold rushes, though with some key diffrences we’ll get into as we go. 

So in this period Scrooge is already hardened, tired of people and untrusting, and still working to make his way square, this time settling in the small town of gumption working his claim. After falling in a rockslide he meets Sheriff Martial Cabrera, who in Life and Times Fashion, is Fenton’s ancestor. This comes out of something Frank always had in mind about Fenton’s history: he comes from two long lines, one of Lawpersons the other of mad scientests, with his career as Gizmoduck being the logical combination of both. I think it’s neat, giving him a rich family history of his own and also neat to have his ancestor be an upstanding POC Dork too. 

Marshall is also played by Lin, who does a great job here, not only pulling off a southern accent, but managing to give Marshall simliiarties to fenton, his cheerieness, obliviousness and sense of justice while still making him diffrent, even more naive and far more bound to the law and what society thinks is right.  Scrooge naturally hates him, but begrudingly lets the man save his life and shares some beans with him. As it turns out Marshall was inviting Scrooge to the town meeting as Scrooge has largely isolated himself as you’d expect, and he wants his miners to be in on the big shot coming to Gumption to help it. The “Miners” part though is what sticks with Scrooge as he’s been working this claim for some time, and demands to know who the hell thinks they can jump in and cash in on his hard work. 

Yeah not a huge suprise to him. Though Louie is upset as he dosen’t want any mushy stuff with ol dpeople While Scrooge as ever denies being attracted to Goldie, which is also as convincing as ever, he also has a valid point that leads to the best line of the episode and what i consider to be Monihan’s best comedic line delivery series-wide Scrooge: We weren’t old then! Louie: It’s impossible to picture you young.

I never fail to laugh at that. Especially since he’s not even being a dick for once it just comes off like a genuine kid reaction. So Scrooge brushes it off. As an aside the two hadn’t even met yet in the comics, but this change, like the other massive one coming up is one I feel still works: since Goldie is scrooge’s rival as much as his lover here, it only makes sense Dawson wasn’t even the first time they met and they have  a long history of stabbing each other in the back, something that would later be brilliantly used in “The Forbidden Fountain of The Foreverglades” as it’s backbone and to question if they really could keep going on like this forever. Spoilers they could not. 

Louie ends up stopping the story because he dosen’t want prospector talk and we get David Tennant’s own best comedic line reading as he tries to do modern slang. TRIES being the key word. Louie wiselygoes back to the old timey talk.

So the two naturally are at each other’s throats with Goldie having already bought up all the dynamite. So the two spend what’s likely days working at it, Scrooge working hard while Goldie casually tosses explosives around like she’s the Mad Bomber What Bombs at Midnight. 

Eventually though Scrooge DOES strike Gold, as does goldie.. the same nugget in fact that’s utterly MASSIVE... and quickly excivated bringing both to the surface and face to the man who stole their hard earned gold, John D. Rockerduck. 

Rockerduck is another barks creation, a rich rival of Scrooge’s he only used once, likely because he retired not long after the story. Suprisingly though unlike the MANY, MANY one off villians Scrooge fought Rockerduck caught on and overseas ended up being Scrooge’s arch enemy instead of Glomgold and getting fleshed out in the process, being a younger rival willing to spend.  Don Rosa further added contrast by giving him the backstory of coming from a wealthy family in life and times, as opposed to Scrooge and Rockerduck’s own father Roger who worked for every cent they had.

Despite his popularity it still took till this series for Rockerduck to hit animation. Though I CAN see why: with the original series they already had Glomgold and really DIDN’T need him, and Scrooge really didn’t have any major starring roles in the 30 years between series. He didn’t vanish but with Scrooge not being in the drivers seat, there was no reason to bring in a rival let alone a brand new one. By contrast, Fethry, the other major comics only character the series brought in this season, COULD’VE very easily been brought in at any time, as donald both starred in Quack Pack and was one of the stars of House of Mouse/Mouseworks, they just chose not to. 

Rockerduck was, like MANY characters in this versoin of the series massively overhauled, only keeping his outfit, background of inerheted welath and smugness:  John is now his father’s age during this time period instead of a child, his suit is now white, and given his new time period he now has a unique modus operandi: he goes to small desperate towns like this, buys them up, takes anything of value and then flees on a rail. Despite liking how Rockerdcuk was in the comics.. I do LOVE this reinvention: with Beaks taking up his old spot as a younger rival, Rockerduck needed a new gimmick and having him be a stylish, entitled conman still fits the character like a glove while updating him to better fit the larger rouges gallery this series gives scrooge. It also nicely contrasts him with Scrooge’s modern-ish rival and 80′s/90′s style buisness scumbag glomgold: Both are flashy, are willing to spend tons of money for their schemes and have the common decency of a trump, but while Glomgold is all force , arrogance and ill thought out schemes, Rockerduck is far more cunning, manipulating people and situations with all three of his major roles in the series having carefully thought out plans.. but usually with some glaring hole he didn’t think of due to arrogance versus the 80 holes in Glomgold’s plans he didn’t think of because he simply dosen’t think period. 

Rockerduck is also part of an intresting concept by Frank: that Scrooge had a major rival in every era. Rockerduck in the prospecting days, Glomgold in the 80′s and 90′s and Beaks in theory and Bradford in practice in the 2010′s, with likely some other scumbags inbetween we simply never got to meet. 

Now I will admit it took time to warm up to this Rockerduck on the whole.. but not because he was bad. Rockerduck is awesome here and John Hodgman, whose always awesome, is unsurpsingly great here, having just the right combo of genuine wit with genuine twit. But it was more “why the FUCK did you strand him in the 1800′s?!”. That last complaint as you all well know ended up evaporating and he returned via shoddy cryogencis for plenty of Season 3 and likely would’ve come back again for Season 4 had it happened, as FOWL outside of BRadford and Heron were still around by the end of the finale, just defeated for now, and likely would’ve simply gone their seperate ways and blended into the Rouge’s gallery. 

So Scrooge is naturally pissed while Goldie’s natrually angling to steal the nugget, and Rockerduck explains he bought the town, and thus the mineral is his.. despite Scrooge having a legit claim to it since he found it first. Rockerduck however isn’t impressed and Goldie, in order to try stealing it  herself, manipulates the two into a scrap. Scrooge EASILY beats the asshole in a hilarous scene as preppy boxing simply can’t outdue genuine grit and badassery while Jeeves, rockerduck’s butler, catches Goldie. Jeeves is also from the comics and heavily reinvented here, as he’s now an even more massive oddjob from james bond. 

Our heroes, well hero and Goldie anyway, end up in Jali as a result since while what Rockerduck did is fucked, like most coproaate assholery it’s technically legal and the person he screwed over thus gets even more screwed over by the law. It’s then .. Johnny shows up as Louie’s watching his show.. and watching some guy get eaten by an ottoman. Oh and frank confirmed he’s dead. I didn’t think i’d see a man get murdered by an ottoman on a children’s cartoon but here we are. After Scrooge forces Louie back into a story he CLEARLY has no intrest in at the moment, Scrooge convinces Goldie to work with him with a valid point: they both equally love gold and hate assholes like Rockerduck. They also find another person in the cell with them, Gyro.. and not an ancestor either, though it would’ve been nice to see Ratchet, this is our Gyro, simply stranded in the past and locked in a cell for what Frank said are charges of sorcerey. 

Scrooge of course plans to break out and get his gold back.. with Goldie pointing out MAYBE don’t say that while the guy who put them in the cell is right there. Marshall isn’t really bothered though as Rockerduck’s already on a train with the giant nugget. Gyro ends up bursting Marshall’s bubble: as I mentioned Rockerduck’s modus operandi is swindling small towns of resources and leaving them to die, something Gyro knows since by the president Rockerduck’s reputation of being a fucking asshole is infamous. Marshall takes a second to realize maybe since he’s never heard of Ogdenville or North Haverbrook he really has been conned.

Scrooge, now further inscensed and wanting what’s his, decides to plan a heist. Again time and place. He has a crew with Gyro and Goldie, he just needs to break out.. only for Marshall to voluntarily let the three out and offer his help. When Goldie is understandably skeptical, Marshall points out that his town’s well being and what’s genuinely right is more important than the letter of the law and he’s on board. 

So with that Scrooge’s plan begins and naturally it’s a great one: he and Goldie will dress up as high society types and inflitrate Rockerduck’s car to get the keys to the gold, while Gyro and Marshall will use some fancy gizmo Gyro whips up to procure the gold.  Goldie is skeptical Scrooge can pass for a rich man and is plesantly suprised and even more pleasantly aroused by his fancy digs and vice versa. 

But there’s no time for love Dr. Jones, as Gyro unveils his plan: Rocket Rocking Horses. They’ll use these to get on the train. His plan A was just as cool but also far more of an animal rights violation... by modern standard. By 1800′s rules the only violation nof an animals rights is if you killed it for a reason toher than “tastest good” , “to make stuff”, “It looked at me funny”, “it slept with my wife” or “it tasted good after I shot it for looking at me funny then sleeping with my wife” 

So with that our heroes set out to rocket rob a train back to the future part 3 style. Well that involved an 80′s car instead of rocket rocking horses but still, credit someone else actually remembers that movie. So with that Scrooge and Goldie make it on board. 

Meanwhile Rockerduck is being exactly as plesant as you’d expect: bragging about the thrill he gets from swindling people, having a guy thrown off for understandbly questniong the human cost and then railing a waiter out for a feather in his soup and for having soup available in the first place. Huh so that’s what people like Tucker Carlson did before they had cable news to lie-scream into. Neat. 

Meanwhile Marshall and Gyro prepare their side of the plan but Gyro’s general inablility to get that not everyone, especially a cowboy from a century or two before, is going to get how to work stuff and ends up knocking him out. Marshall does prove to have some of his descendents genius though and quickly cobbles something together to get to the gold on time: STEAMPUNK GIZMODUCK ARMOR. Hell.. yeah. It has a neat design too. 

Back at the train Goldie and Scrooge enact a plan on the fly: both sneak in and Scrooge tells her to do what she does best.. leading to her blushing. Goldie he dosen’t want you to peg him in a train car... he didn’t bring the old timey dildo with him. You gotta think. No he wants her to be “an annoying diversoin” and she throws a song together. And HOLY SHIT I forgot Allison Janney could sing, this woman’s talent knows no bounds. So while Goldie kills it, a nod to her saloon routes from the comics, Scrooge takes care of Rockerducks...

Energy to swipe the key. Getting the gold turns out to be more difficult as Jeeves is already there and a fight insues, with the odds evenend once goldie joins in, and our heroes winning out.. for a second anyway, but long enough to get the gold to Marshall. Not long enoug however to escape as Jeeves grabs both mid jump. I do love how Scrooge gets out of this though: He simply uses his head and his own background, pointing out Rockerduck likely dosen’t appricate a working class man with jeeves and offering him the gold chunk. Sure it’s a bribe.. but it’s  a well meant one, and one from a man who almost never gives up a dollar for anything, let alone gold. So with that our heroes are released and the most Rockerduck can give out is an “ah dang”. Granted he’d freeze himself so he could fight them again, but there are probably several more adventures before that anyway. 

For now our heroes seemingly win... only for the Gizmosuit 0 to short circuit, forcing Marshall out and our heroes off and blowing up the gold.. to Louie’s sorrow as he’s finally getting into it. Turns out though things still worked out: our heroes DID loose the gold as it was.. but the various flakes from the explosion ended up in gumptoin’s river. The town now has a gold rush on it’s hands free from rockerduck. Scrooge and Goldie exchange words, though Goldie exploits the moment between them to whack scrooge on the head. Some things never change. 

In the present we find out how it panned out for the two of them, pun intended: Goldie got away with some of the gold of course while Scrooge didn’t find much, but still made off decenly by starting a panning company. But neither were Rich.. and this makes Louie wonder what the point is if getting rich is just an endless moutnain of obstacle and setbacks. Scrooge’s real point was this: that it IS worth the effort, you need to put some in and can’t just give up, and that you have to decide which kind of person you want to be: a conman like rockerduck, a shifty operator like goldie or an honest worker like Scrooge. Gyro then picks then to come back to the present, with Scrooge slowly relaizing “Oh yeah that was Gyro.. kinda obvious in hindsight. “ 

Scrooge REALLY should’ve thought that speech through as we end our episode with one hell of a sequel hook: Louie caling up Goldie to mentor him.. and her implicitly agreeing because it will defintely tick Scrooge off.

Final Thoughts:

I really like this one. It has great pacing, a neat setting and as always Janney and Tennant have phenominal chemsitry, so giving them another episode opposite each other was a no brainer. It’s a fun old west romp. It’s also good character stuff, with Louie getting his drive back.. but only because he might of found another short cut, and the bits where his talk clashes into the story are inspiried, especially the Scrooge slang bit. Tennant is a masterful voice actor and I hope after this and final space he keeps going with it. 

Next Time: Well I already went on about it but we dive into the old school trio’s past comics style. Will it be underwhelming PROBABLY. 

Next Time on this Blog: IT’S PRIDE MONTH BITCHES. 

If you really enjoyed this review, consdiering becoming a backer RIGHT HERE.  Even if you can only kick in a buck it not only helps but gets you access to exclusive reviews, my discord, and to pick a short when I do a shortstacular, my celebration of a character from the theartical short’s day’s birthday. You also help me reach stretch goals: 20 has some duck reviews with monthly darkwing duck reviews and 2 Ducktales mini as well as a brucey bonus Danny Phantom: The Ultimate Enemy review, while 25 will have me reviewing 3 MORE disney movies (The Recess, Proud Family and best Kim Possible Movies), and allow you the backers to pick a review. And the best part is like this review EVERYONE, wether you can afford to pay or not, gets the review. So if you end up liking this review and want more, hop on.  And if your consdiering becoming a 5 dollar backer and thus helping meet my next goal automaitcally you not only get a review a month but if there's a reward down the line you'd rather swap one of the current ones for the 20 dollar tier with let me know. If it's within reason i'll gladly do it.

[traincat]

I’ve read Waid and Hickman’s FF runs and am currently reading Zdarsky’s 2 in One. I’m planning on eventually reading the Lee/Kirby run. Can I ask, what other runs would you recommend? Is Claremont’s good? Sorry for bothering.

I LOVE Waid and Hickman’s Fantastic Four runs, and Zdarsky’s Marvel Two-In-One was excellent to the point where one of my lingering disappointments is that Marvel brought the Fantastic Four back in a way that prematurely cut off Zdarksy’s 2n1. I know I said I wanted them back but wow did we all get monkey’s paw’d on that one. Zdarsky did really excellent stuff with both Ben and Johnny and the multiverse hopping was honestly fun and interesting. Lee/Kirby is also, in my opinion, just a really terrific run -- it lays the groundwork for not only the future of the Fantastic Four but a lot of big concepts for the Marvel Universe in general, and I think it holds up really well by modern day storytelling standards. Lee’s sense of humor works well with the retrofuturistic vibe and Kirby’s art is always wonderful. In particular I think it’s interesting to look back on The Galactus Trilogy (Fantastic Four #48-50) as the granddaddy of all event comics, for better or worse. 

Claremont -- okay, I love Claremont’s run, let me start off by saying that. Claremont’s run follows on what is in my opinion one of the worst periods of Fantastic Four canon, and I mean bad to the point where the literal canon at that point was that to get things back on track the Fantastic Four had to be put in a bubble universe. Claremont’s run kicks in one or two issues after their return to the main Marvel universe and it’s so fun. I think Fantastic Four is one of those series that kind of flourishes in adversity and Claremont’s run starts off with the Fantastic Four trying to regain their footing in a world that had assumed them dead, their Baxter Building gone, living in a warehouse property. Claremont, in my opinion, also has one of the best if not the best handle on characterization for a lot of key Fantastic Four figures, including Johnny, Reed, and Sue. His Ben is also very good, but I think Ben in particular tends to be an easier sell for a lot of comic book writers -- the outcast, the gruff man, the comic relief. He’s easier to identify with than Reed, the Smartest Man on Earth, or Johnny, defined by his youth and beauty and queercoded since the ‘60s, or Sue, by sheer factor of being a woman. So I think a lot of writers identify with Ben first and foremost and put the most love and care into his depiction, whereas the others are a little easier for them to leave by the wayside. Which isn’t a bad thing -- I love that one of the most beloved comic book characters is also one of Marvel’s few canonically Jewish characters, but there is a wealth of truly excellent Ben canon in comparison to the other three. Especially with Johnny, there’s no one else who has written for Fantastic Four who has put nearly as much thought and detail into Johnny’s relationship with his powers, both the positive and the negative, as Claremont has, even reworking the origin story from Lee and Kirby’s joyous scene of Johnny flaming on for the first time into a deeply traumatizing incident -- being sixteen and traumatized and bursting into uncontrollable flames. 

(Fantastic Four v3 #11) There’s also a lot of women in Claremont’s run! A valid criticism of Fantastic Four canon is that by its initial core team makeup it tends to be lacking in female characters compared to some other big Marvel staples, but Claremont brings in a ton, from Reed’s college friend and fellow genius Alyssa Moy (who has been done dirty by pretty much every other writer who’s ever touched her, including Waid and Hickman) to multiversal bounty hunter Bounty to the most platonic of Johnny’s gal pals Caledonia to Valeria Von Doom, a “time dancing” teenage incarnation of the baby Sue lost back in Byrne’s run, who sets up baby Val’s eventual return. Claremont is also king of Reed vs Doom setups -- if you haven’t read his Fantastic Four vs X-Men miniseries, I highly recommend it, and he brings a lot of the two sides of the same coin energy from that into his Fantastic Four run. 

The downside of Claremont’s run is that the plot is always there and always running and I could not explain half of it if you paid me. Things certainly happen! Like all the time! For seemingly no apparent reason! Stuff gets set up and then it’s not resolved and now we are in Latveria! I don’t think this is necessarily all that detrimental -- the run is still massively fun and the characterization is always fresh and interesting. It’s just that sometimes you have no idea what’s going on and you have to roll with it. And then sometimes you do know what’s going on but in the way where you know Claremont was just writing it because it’s his kink. Which is like, whatever. As authorial ids go, you can pretty consistently do worse than Claremont’s, I’ll give him that. So I do recommend on it the whole, as long as you’re not going into expecting the kind of plots either Hickman or Waid brought the book. Claremont’s is kind of like “stuff happens and it’s either weird or fun so just don’t pay too much attention to it.” 

Aside from Claremont, I feel like I generally like far more Fantastic Four runs than I dislike -- but also I don’t hate Millar’s run, which is honestly bad, so it’s possible I’m just very forgiving with the Fantastic Four. I really like Robinson’s run, which is the last run before the Great Fantastic Four Drought of 2015-2018. It’s short, self-contained, and devoted entirely to one story, so it’s pretty tightly written, with good characterization and some very shiny art by Leonard Kirk. Straczynski’s run is decent enough for the fact that it intersects with Civil War -- I think he does his best to get into the heads of the characters re: their actions in Civil War -- and it leads directly into Dwayne McDuffie’s run, another brief one where Black Panther and Storm take over for Reed and Sue. Very fun. Marvel Knights 4 is also a fairly recent run that’s got some strong moments in it, although I feel it’s a little inconsistent in its handling of the characters. It’s still fun, though. For an older, longer run, I like Simsonson’s -- the art is very dynamic, even if the storyline kind of gets too involved with itself. 

(FF #337)

I recommend Byrne’s run with the caveat that there’s plenty to dislike about it and plenty of reasons to avoid it, not the least of it being Byrne himself as a creator and a person. It’s heavily sexist in how it deals with Sue, it retcons a huge age gap into Sue and Reed’s relationship, and Byrne’s early departure sets up my all time least favorite Fantastic Four story. (Though that one is Roger Stern and later Tom DeFalco’s fault.) It is historic as Fantastic Four runs go, though, and there’s a lot in later runs that’s built over it or references it or borrows from it. So it’s a rec with a lot of caveats and I also understand why people might give it a skip -- I think it’s more important for an understanding of the greater body of Fantastic Four canon and the impact it had than for the actual run itself. I do think Byrne has some very interesting subtext with Johnny, although it never come to fruition, and while his Sue falls victim to a lot of sexism, I really like what he does with the character of Frankie Raye, who like poor Alyssa Moy I don’t think has ever gotten really good treatment ever since.

I have mixed feelings on both Millar and Fraction’s runs, not in the least because I think they end very similarly -- and that Millar did it better, which doesn’t say great things. Millar’s run is kind of like a trashy popcorn flick version of Fantastic Four; it’s not actually good, but I can’t say I don’t like the terrible eldritch monster in Scotland Christmas arc (Fantastic Four #564-565) and I’m sort of into future Sue. Fraction, on the other hand, takes a space road trip and makes it boring, which is the greatest Fantastic Four sin of all. He’s one of the rare writers who I think actually writes a bad Ben Grimm -- not the least because his run goes out of its way to try and label it Ben’s own fault that he was transformed into a monster. I do really like his FF (just the initials) though. 

The only Fantastic Four runs I can say I really truly dislike are Tom DeFalco’s and Dan Slott’s, which sort of unfortunate because DeFalco’s is both long influential (I have no idea why because it’s honestly terrible like in terms of storytelling) and because Slott’s is happening right now. DeFalco comes onto the book on Fantastic Four #356 and stays on until Fantastic Four #416, at which point Marvel hit a literal retcon button to get out of the mess he’d made. (This leads into Fantastic Four v2, which is largely skippable -- it’s basically a mid-90s retelling of a bunch of early Fantastic Four stories that leads back into the FF heading back to the main universe.) DeFalco’s responsible for the Skrull retcon in the JohnnyAlicia marriage and for dragging that out for over 50 issues, the entirety of which feel like he was writing without a plan or outline or literally anything, and I have never felt like a comic book was attempting to gaslight me through its own incompetence or refusal to commit to things it set up itself as badly as I do with DeFalco’s run. (I like other non-Fantastic Four Tom DeFalco runs. I just hate this one.) Dan Slott’s run is just 25 issues and counting of badly written emotionless unfunny pages blandly stapled together and I so badly want Marvel to kick him off the book for its own good.

[gmariam19]

This is no drabble - this is a one-shot! Here is my 2k Secret Santa fic for KrampusKink2020 Week Four featuring both prompts - toys and toys. 😇 I almost want to apologize as I feel like it’s one of the more ridiculous things I’ve written for these two, and it kind of goes on and on, and then there are some really bad lines at the end. . . but well. Maybe that’s the point? Utter ridiculousness? Enjoy and thank you for reading! 😊

Secret Santa

Beaumont Kin opens his gift first and finds the newest action figures from his favorite comic.  He guesses they’re from Jess, and she happily drinks her whiskey shot since he was right. Her gift is a model airplane to go with her growing collection, but it’s not from Rey, and Jess drinks again for being wrong. Maybe it’s a good thing they are all at home on Zoom this year; at this rate, someone is going to end up under their own table instead of under Finn and Poe’s. At least Jess has Jannah to make sure she gets to bed.

Rey received a large shipping box and pulls out a gift bag just as big—actually, it looks like a garbage bag with a red bow. She finds a large stuffed animal and squeals as she throws her arms around the life-sized wolf. “I think it’s from Jannah!” she says.

Jannah shakes her head and mimes taking a shot. They’ve all got them lined up and ready to go. Rey frowns. “But you know how much I love wolves! You got me one last year!”

“We all know how much you like wolves, Rey,” Finn tells her. “It’s why you’re living out in the middle of nowhere. Now drink.”

Rey shrugs and hugs her wolf again, completely nonplussed by the jab; solitary living out west suits her more than anyone Finn knows. Or maybe she’s still getting over the bad break-up with Ben Solo. She does her shot—probably tequila—and gasps at Jannah to go next.

Jannah opens a Nerf bow and arrow set. She tears into the packaging and starts shooting it around the room until there is a loud crash and a startled meow. Jess and Jannah dash out of view of the camera, laughing.

“She hit Ivee!” Jess tells them as she sits down again. “She’s mad, but okay.”

“So who do you think it’s from?” Rey calls. She’s cuddled up with her stuffed wolf and drinking a glass of wine now.

Jannah returns to the screen and studies them. “Well, I want to say Poe because he’s such a kid at heart, but that’s too easy. So I’m going to say Rose because she’s smart and sneaky like that.”

Rose shakes her head. “Wrong on both accounts!” Poe laughs. “Drink twice, my dear!”

Jannah pulls a face, but she does both her shots, choking them down as Jess claps her on the back.

Rose opens her gift next, a new strategy game that she’s been talking about for weeks. “I love it! And Beaumont can’t wait to play it with me!” Kin groans, and Rose bumps him off their sofa with a grin.

“Who’s it from?” Rey asks.

Rose leans closer to the screen, pretends to squint at them all. “Finn!” she announces. “Drink!” he tells her.

She does a shot of dark rum, and Finn is up next. He is sitting on the floor with the couch behind him. Poe is lounging next to him with a whiskey sour, and there are several vodka shots lined up on the coffee table. If they have shots left at the end of their Secret Santa exchange, they’ll make toasts to the terrible year that was 2020.

Finn’s box is wrapped in black and red paper with a beautiful gold bow— not particularly festive, but well-wrapped, elegant, and mysterious. Finn has a funny feeling about it and glances up at Poe, who is watching closely and clearly holding back an impish grin. Which means he either knows what it is and who it’s from, or he got it himself.

Finn rips the paper off and finds a fancy shirt box. The theme was toys, but this looks more like clothing. It would be just like Poe to break the rules. Poe has a bit of a clothing kink, Finn is starting to suspect, and if it’s clothes, he can be sure it’s from Poe.

He pulls apart the tissue paper inside and stops. Stares. Looks up at the computer, then at Poe, and back down at his box. He can feel the heat rising in his face.

“What is it?” asks Rey. “Finn! Show us!”

“It’s from Poe,” Finn says, without pause—and without taking it out of the box. “And that’s my final answer.”

“Show ‘em what it is!” Poe says, and he’s laughing as he leans in to kiss Finn on the cheek. He picks up a shot and winks. “Or I will.” Finn watches him swallow, looks down at his gift, thinks…what the hell. Maybe two can play this game.

He pulls out a long black vest…a red silk sash…a soft velvet eye patch. A miniature plastic sword with a small bottle of rum.

There is dead silence on the computer screen, until Rey falls over laughing, literally kicking her feet in the air. Rose covers her mouth as Kin snorts, while Jess and Jannah start asking a dozen questions at once. Finn lets them have their fun, then decides to have some of his own. At Poe’s expense.

He takes off his sweater and pulls the vest over his t-shirt. Ties the sash around his waist (even though he knows perfectly well that’s not what it intended for) and puts on the eye patch, then opens the bottle and takes a long swig while he brandishes the sword. He can feel Poe watching. Good.

His friends are screaming with laughter online. Finn feels utterly ridiculous, and he sort of hates it...until he looks at Poe, whose eyes are wide, his lips slightly parted, and is he breathing quicker? Finn knows that look, because he knows exactly what turns Poe on. And it seems Poe really likes pirates, so Poe can sit there and suffer just as much as Finn.

Finn winks, and Poe’s mouth falls open a little bit more. Totally worth it.

“I hate you,” Poe murmurs.

“You love it,” Finn whispers back.

“Pirates, Poe?” Jess asks. “Really?”

“Is it a Johnny Depp thing?” Rey asks. “I bet it’s a Johnny Depp thing.”

Poe shakes his head. “Fine, keep your secrets,” says Jess. “But open yours now, it’s the last one. Maybe you got matching outfits.”

Poe makes a rude gesture before reaching for his gift. It is a small box, and Finn has been trying to figure out what it could possibly be since it arrived in the mail. The agreement had been to exchange toys this year, because they were all feeling old and sorry for themselves after so many months at home. It seemed like it would be fun, and why not turn it into a drinking game too? They are all both young enough to play with toys and old enough to drink—perfect.

But Finn has that feeling again. There’s something about Rey…she’s focused on Poe, but also trying hard to look casual. Too casual. He watches her as much as he watches Poe open his gift.

It looks like a jewelry box. Poe opens it, slams it shut. Looks wide-eyed at Finn and then bursts into laughter and falls over, rolling on the floor. Everyone asks what it is…except Rey.  Poe tosses the box to Finn.

“Show ‘em,” he wheezes. Finn opens it and tosses it right back to Poe.

“No way,” he says. “I already got this hot mess.” He gestures at his pirate outfit, and Poe sits up, still laughing.

“Well, it’s from Rey, that’s for sure,” he says. Rey finally looks at the camera.

“How did you know that?” she demands.

He leans in. “Because you are not as innocent as you look, sweetheart.”

She grins, and it is that sly grin Finn loves about her, when she steps out of her comfort zone and surprises them all. She nods and takes her shot.  “We did say we were exchanging toys,” she points out.

“What is it?” Jess demands. “Come on, Poe. Show us!”

“You really don’t wanna know,” Finn tells her.

“Sure she does,” Rey says. “Go on, Poe. Show her.”

Poe shakes his head, but he’s laughing again. “I will get you back for this, you know. No matter how far out in the wilderness you decide to move!”

“You’ll have to find me,” she throws back. “Now show them!”

“I have a plane. Do another shot and I will.”

“Do one with me,” she counters.  So they both drink, and Poe picks up the box. Finn leaves the picture. Grabs a shot and downs it himself, earning a smile from Poe. And a wink.

“I saw that!” Rey exclaims. “You love it!”

“Well, I’ll find out soon, I hope,” Poe replies, and he holds up the cock ring Rey gifted him. Everyone dissolves into laughter again, and Finn joins them, because it is pretty damn funny. And it’s from Rey, of all people.

“Thank you,” Poe says. “And Finn thanks you as well.”

“Hey!” Finn calls. “I got my own weird sex gift, thank you very much.”

“Oh, that’s what the sash is for!” exclaims Jannah, and everyone falls apart again.

They reveal their Secret Santa identities to those who guessed wrong, then finish their shots making toasts and telling stories. Everyone pours a few more, and an hour later, they start to sign off, bleary-eyed but feeling warm and happy from the time spent together, even if it was onscreen.

“Enjoy your gifts, boys!” Jess calls before she and Jannah leave. Rose and Kin wave goodbye, no doubt to try out Rose’s new game. Rey is grinning like a cat at Finn and Poe.

“So,” she says. She finishes another glass of wine, and her nose is red.

“So,” Poe drawls. He puts his arm around Finn’s shoulder.

“Gonna try out your new gifts now?” Yes, she’s had more than a few.

“You think I haven’t been waiting all night for this?” Poe jerks his head toward Finn, who took off his pirate outfit a while ago. Poe frowns. “Where did my pirate go?”

“Your pirate is ready to board the ship,” Finn murmurs, then glances up when Rey bursts into laughter. “Sorry, Rey. But I think it’s time we turn in.”

“Have fun!” she sing-songs, humming a bit of a pirate song. Finn joins her as he reaches toward the computer; Poe’s hand is already roaming along his thigh.

“Merry Christmas!” he tells her. “We’ll talk to you in a day or two!”

“Merry Christmas,” she says. “Love you both!”

They tell her the same and log off. Finn picks up Poe’s gift box. “I can’t believe her, sometimes.”

“That was definitely an unexpected surprise,” Poe agrees.

“Yours, too. A pirate outfit? Seriously?”

Poe shrugs. “It was for fun. I got you something else for tomorrow.”

“I hope it’s not a wizard costume.”

“Space wizard, maybe.” Poe smiles and leans against Finn’s shoulder with a happy sigh. Finn teases his lips against Poe’s ear.

“You ready to head back to the ship and rock the boat? Because my peg leg isn’t the only hardwood around here.”

Poe smirks as he turns and starts trailing kisses down Finn’s neck. “That depends. You ready for me to shiver your timbers?”

“If you don’t, I might sentence you to walk my plank.”

Poe stops, sits up, and makes a face. “You know, pirate pick-up lines are not as sexy as I thought they would be.”

Finn grabs the red sash, wraps it loosely around Poe’s wrists. “You sure you don’t want to be my prisoner, mate?”

Poe’s lips curl up at that. “As long as you wear that eye patch, captain,” he murmurs.

“We’ll take turns,” Finn whispers. Because Poe would make an exceptionally handsome pirate as well, he thinks. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

“Oh, but I’m definitely trying out my gift first,” Poe replies, helping Finn to his feet. They share a leisurely kiss before making their way to the bedroom, where they spend hours exploring the new possibilities of cosplay and cock rings.

[daggerzine]

Ray Farrell on music and his time at SST, Blast First, Geffen and many more.

Ray Farrell has had a lifetime surrounded by music. First as a fan as a young kid and then eventually working for a series of record labels. He’s obviously a fan first and foremost as you can tell by reading below. It also seemed like he was there at the beginning of some major music scenes happening.

I had met Ray very briefly at one of the A.C. Elks hardcore shows that Ralph Jones put on in Atlantic City in the Summer of 1985 though Ray doesn’t remember it (honestly, a bunch of us were standing in a circle and chatting so I’m not even sure if any proper introductions were done).

Anyway, knowing some of the record labels that Ray had worked for I wanted to hear the whole story. I contacted him and shot him some questions and he was more than happy to elaborate and let us know where he’s been and where he’s going.  Take it away, Ray!

 Where did you grow up?

RF-Jersey City and Parsippany, New Jersey in the 60/70’s. I have two younger brothers.

What did you listen to first…classic rock or stuff earlier than that?

RF-Rock wasn’t classic yet. My earliest memories of music are my parents’ modest collection of 45’s and grandparents’ 78’s. My mom had a handful of singles on Chess and Satellite (pre-Stax)  that she said fell off a truck. We rented our house from a family connected to the mob. The records probably came from them. My mom and her sisters often sang Tin Pan Alley era songs at family gatherings. Harmony was encouraged!

Some records I heard as a toddler stayed with me forever. Lonnie Donegan’s “Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor?” is a skiffle classic. Chuck Berry’s “Guitar Boogie” and “Last Night” by the Mar- Keys are still favorites.  I remember being spooked by the overblown production of the “Johnny Cash Sings Hank Williams” e.p. on Sun Records. In the mid 60’s, my mom had top 40 radio on in the house unless my dad was home. When I was in kindergarten, a high school neighbor in our building babysat me for a couple hours after school a few days a week.  Her girlfriends came over regularly. They listened to a lot of doo-wop, which I still love today. The babysitter and her friends taught me how to slow dance, even though I wasn’t nearly a full grown boy. J

My best friend in 7th grade was a Beatles fanatic and we immersed ourselves in decoding clues to the “Paul McCartney Is Dead” gimmick. That was a brilliant scam and a fun short term hobby.  It was a deep dive into The Beatles music as a junior music detective.  By the time I started buying records, The Beatles were on their way out.

I happily lived for many months on only three albums-

CCR’s “Bayou Country”, Iron Butterfly’s “In A Gadda Da Vida” and the Beatles “Sgt. Pepper.” I joined the Columbia Record Club. I got the first twelve albums for one buck. That was a popular scam.  Those first twelve records shaped my taste because they were the only records I had. I didn’t know what to order but I chose very well in retrospect. After that, I bought a lot of records. I didn’t smoke, but many of my friends did. A carton of cigs cost the same as an lp- 5 bucks.

I learned in 7th grade that if I knew the songs that girls liked, we would have something to talk about. Girls loved Tommy James and The Shondells and The Rascals. I still do! I had a wider range in music taste than most of my high school friends. Everyone in my extended circle loved the Stones, Neil Young and the Allman Brothers. In a tighter circle we were into David Bowie, Lou Reed, Sparks, Todd Rundgren etc. I loved Mountain, Led Zep, Hendrix, Budgie, The Kinks, Alice Cooper, Sabbath. At first, The Stooges seemed too deep and serious for me. A little scary because I thought if teenagers felt like this all over the world, I’m doomed.  I bought the album with “Loose” and played that song for weeks before listening to the rest of it. The girl next door had Iggy’ s “Raw Power” album the week it was released. When glam rock was happening in England, there was a weekly NYC radio show that played the Melody Maker Top 30 singles. I was fascinated by T.Rex, Slade, Hawkwind.  I don’t recall if prog rock was a tag yet, I knew that I didn’t like songs that rambled on for more than 7 minutes. There were exceptions of course- some King Crimson, Yes, Mahavishnu. I was impressionable. Radio station WBAI hosted “Free Music Store” concerts with local acts. One show was a keyboard  group  called Mother Mallard that had banks of synthesizers on stage. They were similar to the music of Phillip Glass and Steve Reich, who you would only hear on that same radio station. I talked myself into buying their records, but it took years to comprehend them. I was too young to be listening to such serious stuff. I played soccer and ran track for a couple years. During meets at other schools, I made friends. At parties I heard Issac Hayes, Bohannon and James Brown records. Brown was all over top 40 radio. Rhythm guitar was my jam! Soul and funk records were best for that. I spent many nights listening to AM radio. The signal travels farther at night, so I’d listen to stations far away. It didn’t matter what kind of music it was. Some of my relatives had short wave radios. I was more interested in radio production than short wave content. The production quality has not changed much since then.  It often sounds like broadcasts trapped in the ether for the last 30 years.

 While I was in high school, it was common for local colleges to host rock and jazz concerts for low prices, sometimes free. The schools had to spend the money sitting in the student union coffers.   There was a live music club in my town called Joint In The Woods. The venue began as a banquet hall that doubled as a meeting hall for Boy Scout Jamborees and the like.  When it became the Joint, it was a disco. The first night of live music was a show with Iggy & The Stooges. The regular disco patrons were pissed!  The guys were mostly goombah’s in Quiana print shirts and bell bottoms. Three or four guys smacked Iggy around after his set.  Sure enough, he played Max’s Kansas City the next night as if nothing happened. Because of this club, touring bands were suddenly playing in my town. Badfinger, Roy Wood’s Wizzard, Muddy Waters. The NY Dolls were scheduled but didn’t show up. Springsteen was often an opening act. The N.J. legal drinking age had just lowered to 18. It was a great time. I was still in school, so I wasn’t staying out on weeknights.

I was determined to learn NYC music history by hitting all the Greenwich Village clubs and talking to the owners and bartenders. It didn’t matter what kind of music they specialized in- I was into the vibe. There were occasional scary nights parking near CB’s or jazz spots in that neighborhood. Folk music was on FM radio at the time. A high school friend booked a local coffee house called Tea & Cheese. Mostly locals and ambitious tri-state artists. Martin Mull, Aztec Two Step, Garland Jeffries. Some of Lou Reed’s touring band, The Tots, played there.  I went to all kinds of record stores, mainly those that sold rock imports and cutouts. I was fascinated by the street level buzz of a record. In ’74, I heard dub reggae for the first time. The only stores to get that music were in Queens because there was a strong West Indian community there. It may have been the “Harder They Come” soundtrack that got me started. There was a “pay to play” radio station in Newark - WHBI. DJ’s had to buy their airtime. Arnold “Trinidad” Henry had a weekly show playing new calypso and reggae. He was more into calypso than reggae.  A lot of calypso was political and comical. Arnold was fascinating! There was often a personal crisis he’d talk about on the air. My favorite incident was when he said that his life had been threatened during the program, so he locked himself in the studio.. Someone called the cops. They convinced him to unlock the door. He just wanted more airtime.  Arnold played the first reggae dub track I’d heard- full dub albums were a new concept at the time. Most dub was found on the flipsides of reggae 45’s. One of the shows sponsors was Chin Randy’s Records in Queens. I trekked out there by train to buy my first dub records. That was a trip! Randy Chin’s family went on to start VP Records.

 What was the first alternative/independent music you got into? How did it happen (friends? older siblings?)

RF-The term “punk” as a music style hadn’t been coined yet.  I vaguely recall equating “punk” with the great “Nuggets” compilation or something Greg Shaw might have writ in Bomp Magzine. I didn’t identify labels as independent. I knew that if the label design was simple and the address was listed, it was probably a small company.  There were plenty of record stores carrying obscure stuff.   I bought import records from a few NYC stores. I took the bus in until I was old enough to drive.  One store Pantasia, was up in The Bronx. I went there one Christmas eve day to get the import of the second Sadistic Mika Band album. The clerk talked me into buying the harder to find first album as well. He said it sounded like Shel Talmy produced it. I knew who that was and it was a revelation to talk to somebody in a record store at that level. That is what a record store should be! I read Phonograph Record magazine, Bomp and Trouser Press regularly.  Patti Smith and Television self released their debut singles- those are the first “indie” records I bought, followed by the first two Pere Ubu singles.  I remember hearing the Modern Lovers’ “Roadrunner” from the Bezerkley Chartbusters comp on WFMU and thinking that there must be more music like that. It was refreshing.

Seeing Patti Smith and Television perform at CBGB’s changed my life. I connected the dots. I had BÖC albums on which Patti had co-writes.  She had a poem insert in Todd Rundgren’s “A Wizard, A True Star” album. She read a Morrison poem on a Ray Manzarek lp. She wrote for rock music mags with distinctive style. I read a brief story about her in the Voice and went to see her do her annual Rock N’ Rimbaud show. Shortly after that she and Television played CBGB’s for six weekends in early ’75. Both bands were really great. Patti didn’t have a drummer yet. Richard Hell was a big inspiration to me.  He looked cool. He played bass like he just picked it up the month before. That was a new concept.  Television changed bass players in the middle of the residency. Television was the first band I saw with short hair and they dressed like teenage delinquents circa 1962. The CBGB’s jukebox had a good number of 60’s garage records. In my head I conceived Television  to be inspired by that music.  Made sense to me- Lenny Kaye, who assembled the “Nuggets” comp,  is in the PSG. When I went back to see Television headline, The Ramones opened. Seeing The Ramones again, Talking Heads opened. It seemed like the streak of seeing great new bands would not end. They were distinctly NYC sounds. They could not have merged anywhere else.  I remember avoiding the band Suicide because I didn’t think the music could be good J. Bands like Tuff Darts, Mumps and The Marbles opened shows but I wasn’t thrilled by them. A CBGB’s band that doesn’t get mentioned much is Mink DeVille. They wore matching outfits like they were playing a low budget Miami dive in 1962J.  The club still had the small corner stage. The p.a. was ok and the bands had small amps. The music wasn’t loud in a “rock” way. You could sit at a table right in front of the band. Although we consider the club a birthplace of punk, the club showcased local bands that had been around for a while. I think the club upgraded the p.a. once before building the big stage. I realized at that point that when a band was great or at least interesting live, the records were basic documents of the band’s sound.

What was your first job in the music scene/industry?

RF- Before realizing I wanted to be in the business, I hounded import mail order guys on the phone about non-lp b-sides and albums that weren’t released stateside.  I was fascinated by the process.  Why were some records not in stores even though they had local airplay? My dad did not listen to much music, but he had an army buddy that made a living in Al Hirt’s band. He came to our house once. He gave my dad a copy of John Fahey’s “After The Ball” album, which he played on.  I liked his stories about the session man side of the business.  Fahey treated him well.  I was generally shy, but when it came to music I would approach anyone I thought I could learn from.  I heard horror stories about the music biz in NYC but learned later that those were a mob related labels. At the time, I thought the entire NYC music biz might be that way. I planned to move to California anyway.   In high school, I go-fer’d at local Jersey radio stations and talked my way into meeting a few top FM radio dj’s. I thought I wanted to be a professional dj, but my dad wisely talked me out of that. The itinerant radio jock life would not be for me. It was a racket.

In ’76, I took a long low budget cross country trip with my high school sweetheart.  Along the way, I stayed in Memphis for three weeks with a cousin who was stationed at the Millington naval base.  Got a job at a hip movie theatre that served liquor.  I found Alex Chilton in the phone book and spent an afternoon talking with him. I wasn’t yet legal drinking age in Tennessee. It amused him that a fan showed up in his town who was not old enough to drink.  En route to Cali, Tulsa, OK was on my route to find Shelter Records and studio , but it  shut down and the label moved to L.A. At the time, Dwight Twilley’s “I’m On Fire” was a radio hit. I didn’t think there were still bands like that. Twilley was from Tulsa, but had moved to L.A. by that time.

When I arrived in L.A. I visited small label record company offices. A few offered me jobs or references. I spent two weeks crashing at the Malibu house of a distant family friend. I didn’t want to live in L.A. but I was encouraged by the opportunities. I got a job at the famous record store- Rather Ripped in Berkeley, CA.

 Patti Smith told me about Rather Ripped before I left Jersey. In ’75, she and her band went to California for shows in L.A. and Berkeley. The northern Cali shows were set up by the store. She did a poetry reading there. This is well before “Horses” was released.  I bought a couple records from the store’s Dedicated Fool mail order service. They had a monthly catalog on newsprint. Thousands of records in tiny font.  Every record was described with a few words. This is 1976 and punk rock was just getting started. I worked as a prep cook in a charcuterie associated with Alice Waters’ famous restaurant Chez Panisse. The proprietor knew the record store owners. I wasn’t actively looking to work there, but I talked about music all day every day. They fast tracked me for an interview. Because of a scheduling mistake, Tom Petty interviewed me for the job. His first album just came out and “American Girl” was close to being a hit single. The band came to the store before a local show. Tom overheard the owner apologizing for not being able to do the interview, so he offered to conduct it.  It was great. I knew all about his label, Shelter Records.  I deliberately avoided talking about The Ramones and Patti Smith because punk was new and against the grain.  At the end of the interview Tom told the owners that if he lived in Berkeley, he’d buy all his records from me.  The store owner still had to interview me formally the next day, but I knew that I nailed it.

 It was owned by two dynamic gents that were connected to Berkeley society and Bay Area journalists. They weren’t typical record store guys. They celebrated the 70’s in the moment. They held court with well known music scribes, musicians, dj’s. They were good friends of The Residents. Perhaps my strangest story is meeting The Residents with the Rather Ripped owners at a S.F. Irish bar that specialized in Irish Coffee’s. I had only recently heard of the group, so I was not cognizant of their marketing myth.   At the bar, we were with our girlfriends and wives. One of the Residents tried to convince me and my gf to go back their place for a hot tub session.  I laughed out loud and said “geez, what a bunch of hippies”! We didn’t go. In retrospect, I should have gone on the condition that they wore eyeball heads in the tub. At that time, The Residents rarely performed live, but they did in 1975 for the store’s birthday party. The early Bezerkley Records (Jonathan Richman, Greg Kihn) was distributed to stores through Rather Ripped. Their office was a few blocks away. At the store, each employee had unique music taste and expertise. Pop music was changing rapidly with a new energy. Some of us were tapped into it.  We all had to know the key new releases in every genre because we were tastemakers. Major labels would beg us to do window displays for new releases. But if they could not find a store employee that liked that artist, it was no go. So, no Pablo Cruise window display.  We weren’t against major labels, but we put a lot of energy into selling the ton of music that we loved. Our focus was on imports, indies, promos and cut outs where we could get a good price mark up.  We had a rare record search service with customers all over the world. We’d find rare records through trade-ins and by combing record stores all over the state.

There were a few import distributors, but they weren’t hip to many small run U.S. independent releases. That was understandable because bands didn’t often press enough records for a distributor to get excited about. In other words, why spend half your day hunting down records that were only pressed in small quantities. Just as they start selling, you’re out of stock. There gonna sell a hell of a lot more Scorpions’ picture discs!   As always, some distributors financed exclusive re-pressings of records that had momentum. The only way to get records like Roky Erikson’s “Two Headed Dog” single or The Flamin’ Groovies’ “You Tore Me Down” 45 was directly through mail order.  I wrote to label addresses listed in Trouser Press and fanzines to buy direct in order to sell them in the store with no competition. Major label sales reps didn’t prioritize us  because we didn’t shift bulk units of the hits. However, we were so plugged in to the lesser known artists that we were a good place for record companies to try and start a buzz. We could swell 50-100 of a record that all the other stores sold a handful of. Bands showed up at the store while touring.  Springsteen bought Dylan bootlegs from us by mail order. Patti Smith’s manager Jane Friedman used the store as a home base when Patti and John Cale came through the area.

Berkeley is in the East Bay of the S.F. bay area. A few months after starting at Rather Ripped, I realized that the city had a rich music scene well before punk /new wave started. There was Fantasy Records, a well known jazz r&b label but best known for CCR;  Arhoolie, Solid Smoke, Metalanguage;  the contemp classical labels- Lovely Music and 1750 Arch; folk and blues labels like Takoma and Olivia. Of course, bands like Chrome and others started labels to release their own music. Ralph Records was started by The Residents, and they began signing bands.  Rather Ripped was also a center for improv, electronic and meditation records.

In ’77 or ’78   I joined the nascent Maximum Rock N Roll radio team. This was well before the magazine. In the early days there were weeks when we didn’t have enough new punk records to fill the two hour weekly show. Tim Yohannon was all about energetic, real rock n roll, so he filled in the program with records by Gene Vincent, The Sonics etc. BTW, Tim applied green masking tape to the three closed sides of every record he had. He gave me a Mekons double single  he decided he didn’t like. It was in a  gatefold sleeve that he sealed shut with his green tape!  Sometimes he re-designed the cover art…never for the better. He made his own pic sleeves for 45’s that didn’t have them. Bands would stare at their own records in bewilderment. Tim was archiving the records of the entire punk and hardcore movement worldwide.

Eventually, Tim brought in Ruth Schwartz, and Jeff Bale as co-hosts- both great people.  Jello Biafra was a frequent guest. Tim assembled the “Not So Quiet On The Western Front” lp and later organized syndication for the radio show. I remember hearing the first Disorder ep and thinking -this is the future! J  It was exciting. But soon, most hardcore records sounded alike to me. It was like- “Do you want more fries with your fries?” I went to plenty of live shows without knowing a lot about the bands playing them. I was happy when the fashion trended away from jackboots to sneakers…getting a boot kick to the head in a stage dive could be brutal.  I didn’t see a lot of skinhead violence at shows, but I know it was changing the scene.

San Francisco and Berkeley were important music centers, activist meccas as well as creative artistic and intellectual hubs.  Yohannon had history as an activist. He identified with public protests for causes & social issues.  For many teenagers, punk rock was a rite of passage. I think it changed a lot of kids’ lives for the better.  The overriding message was to be civically aware of what is going on around you and what affects your life.

 Tell me about your time at Arhoolie Records. Where was it located?

Rather Ripped’s owners had a falling out and the remaining owner just wanted to sell records and antiques with his wife. He moved it to a nearby city. Just before the store closed, he told me of an open position at Back Room Distribution, a division of Arhoolie. It was in El Cerrito, a small town north of Berkeley. Chris Strachwitz, the owner of Arhoolie is a legendary record man. He recorded many of his early blues albums with a tape recorder in his car.  He owned the legendary Down Home Music store in the same building.  Separated by partition behind the store was Back Room.  It was an indie label distributor for blues, folk roots music. Rounder Records was still a new label at the time. I gotta admit, when Rounder issued The Shaggs “Philosophy Of The World’ I was in seventh heaven. I worked primarily for the distributor, grooming to be a sales rep but I spent a lot of time in the store.  At first, I didn’t yet relate to blues and country music. But there were a lot of touring artists in those styles making a living. It was a strong network of clubs, fans, radio shows and press that fueled it. The store had an incredible selection of obscure 50’s/60’s rockabilly and garage band comps. The Cramps were my favorite band at the time.  The rockabilly comps  mostly on a the Dutch White Label, were treasure troves of insane songs.  My heart was in new music- whatever you wanna call it, punk, new wave, art music. That’s the business I wanted to be in.  I used my time to learn more about distribution operations. The people that worked at Arhoolie and in its community were fun music heads. There were a lot of good musicians among them.  It was a great time to live in Berkeley.

What was next, Rough Trade and CD Presents? Was that in San Francisco? I went to that Rough Trade store a few times and it was an amazing store.

I knew folks from Rough Trade UK because I bought imports from them to sell @ Rather Ripped. When they wanted to open in the U.S. they contacted me, but at the time the wage was low and there wasn’t enough space to work. I was interested in working in the distribution division, not the store. They speiled something about it being a socialist business.  I stayed at Arhoolie for a little while longer.  In the meantime, I was offered my own weekly late night radio show on Pacifica’s  KPFA in Berkeley- same station as Maximum Rock N’Roll. I took over a show called “Night Sky”, an ambient music program. My interim program title was “No More Mr. Night Sky” until I settled on “Assassinatin’ Rhythm”. The station’s music director was a contemporary classical composer closely associated with avant -garde and 20th century music. A major segment of my show was for industrial, post-punk and undefinable music. I hosted a few live on- air performances with Z’ev, Slovenly and Angst among others. Negativland’s “Over The Edge” program started on KPFA around this time. KPFA was 100,000 watts of power with affiliate stations covering the Central Valley down to Fresno and Bakersfield.

 When the time was right, I moved to Rough Trade’s U.S. distribution company in Berkeley. The record store was in San Francisco. We distributed a lot of British records sent by Rough Trade UK, often in small quantities.  Rough Trade US was set up to press and distribute select RT and Factory records by Joy Division, ACR, The Fall, Stiff Little Fingers, Crass. It was cheaper and more effective to press in the U.S and Canada. I also distributed some U.S. labels but there was one Brit on the staff that hated most American music.  On top of that, it could be a dangerous place to work. One of the staff was importing reggae records and weed from Jamaica to our warehouse. The local connection was shot on his porch shortly after he picked up a shipment! I was lucky to spend a few days travelling with Mark E.Smith of The Fall. He loved obscure rockabilly and garage band records. I was able to return to Memphis for a while to prep the first Panther Burns album for release. Tony Wilson of Factory put up most of the money to keep RTUS going. He was a brilliant character, but I learned from talking with him how not to conduct business. I often got sample records from bands that wanted distribution. Pell Mell’s “Rhyming Guitars” e.p.  was the start of my long association with the band. I enjoyed selling records to stores all over the country. I learned about local scenes, records, fanzines, clubs and college radio stations everywhere. Making these sources connect for touring bands and record sales was exciting. Because Rough Trade is British, we had the benefit of connections with club dj’s. We pressed and promoted New Order’s “Blue Monday” single on a shoestring budget.  For a long time, it was the best kept secret from the mainstream.  I left Rough Trade for Subterranean Records ( Flipper etc) for a spell while working in a record store. The guy that put up the money for the record store ran guns to Cuba through Mexico. Thankfully, not through the actual store.  I booked Cali shows for Panther Burns, The Wipers, Sonic Youth, Whitehouse.

Who owned the CD Presents label? I remember that Avengers compilation.

It was owned by a lawyer, David Ferguson. He had a recording studio as well.  I didn’t understand why he wanted to run a label. He did not have an ear for music. But we did release a Tales Of Terror lp!  He almost released a DOA album that I thought the band would kill him over. Many years later I got into a fist fight with one of David’s employees in a limo ride shared with Ferguson and Lydia Lunch. We fought through the window separating the driver from the passengers. I would love to recreate that for a film. Good times!

My main role there was to set up the first Billy Bragg record in the U.S. Billy’s manager was the legendary Peter Jenner and both were great to work with. They were using CD Presents as a stepping stone to a major label. In the meantime, I knew a few people at SST. Joe Carducci is an old friend. He was pitching me to move to L.A. and work there,  but I resisted for a while. I had just met the woman that I knew would be the love of my life. I didn’t want to move to SoCal. Joe gave me an ultimatum. He sent three advance cassettes that convinced me to go- Meat Puppets’ “Up On The Sun”, Minutemen’s “Double Nickels” and Huskers’ “New Day Rising” That’s an excellent recruiting strategy. I later married the love of my life.

On the side I booked shows for bands I loved. Gerard Cosloy asked me to book Sonic Youth first northern Cali shows. I also booked shows for The Wipers and noise band Whitehouse

Was SST Records next? How long did you last there and what was that like?

I was there for three years. “How long did you last there?” sounds like I was biding my time :)   I’m often asked about my time with SST.

Carducci hired me to do PR. That meant publicity, college radio, regional press. Video was a valuable promo tool. MTV’s “120 Minutes” program was a great way to promote our records.

In 1987 we put out more records than Warner Brothers. By that time, I hired people to help.

I’ve done a number of interviews about SST. If you have specific questions, shoot. I recall that my social life was almost entirely with my co-workers and bands on the label. I was nearly oblivious to music from other labels. I was a big fan of Dischord and Homestead. Metallica, COC, Voivod and the Birthday Party/Nick Cave were my non-SST staples.

I think around this time I had met you briefly in NJ at one of the Elks Lodge shows that my old friend Ralph Jones put on. Were you living in NJ at that point or just visiting?

You’ve mentioned that before and I don’t recall the specific show. I moved out of NJ permanently in ’76. I came back for annual summer visits to NYC, north Jersey and Philly. Some high school friends went to Upsala College, then the home of WFMU. On my first visit back in ’76  I met Irwin Chusid and R. Stevie Moore. Some high school friends were connected to Feelies before they took that name.

Was Blast First! next? I met Pat Naylor once and hung out with her at a show and she was really sweet.

Yeah around the time I left SST, the folks in Sonic Youth called saying that they had left as well. They wanted me to be involved with Blast First! in the U.S. I knew Paul Smith because he released their albums in the UK. Blast First UK released a number of Touch N Go and SST records. The label was a division of Mute which had a  U.S. deal with Enigma. My job was almost entirely “Daydream Nation” promotion. It was so much fun to be able to go deep  with one album. We issued Ciccone Youth shortly afterward, which augmented the overall Sonic Youth story.  The only other active touring band was Band Of Susans and on a limited level, Lunachicks and Big Stick.  It was only one year of work before Enigma cut Mute/Blast First loose. I went on Sonic Youth’s Soviet Union tour and I had a few memorable meetings with Sun Ra. David Bowie called a few times asking about recording studios that Dino Jr and Sonic Youth used.  Bowie had a brilliant idea to record Suicide’s “Dream Baby Dream” with Glenn Branca’s large guitar group. We tried following up on it but Bowie was immersed in Tin Machine and other projects.

Was it on to Geffen then?

Yes, Sonic Youth had good meetings with the label. I had recently met Mark Kates who was championing the signing.  He suggested that I come in to meet the entire company. He brought my name up with David who said, “we need someone like that here”.

I had fleeting thoughts that working for a major was “selling out”...punching corporate clock. I wanted to apply what I knew on a larger scale.  

What was that like, working for a proper major label? Was David Geffen still involved?

On my second day there, David called me into his office. He is down to earth, street smart. Like many of the best in the biz, he didn’t have an attitude.  He had met with the Meat Puppets. He sensed that Dinosaur Jr. was important. I reminded him that I was not hired for a&r.

He said- “I don’t assign job titles. If you find something else you’d like to do here, you can pursue it ‘after 5pm’ ”. I found reissue projects like the Pere Ubu box and Raincoats catalog. I recorded a new Raincoats album.  I signed Southern Culture On The Skids, Garrison Starr, Skiploader. I assembled and recorded Rob Zombie’s Halloween Hootenanny comp. With Sonic Youth, I pondered making records with John Fahey and Townes Van Zandt. After ten years, it was time to move on.

Tell us what you do now, didn’t you get involved with digital music at some point?

Geffen Records was folded into Interscope in 1999 and I was bored with the limitations of the business as it was.  Digital music was gaining ground solely through illegal file trading on Napster. I knew there would be a major shift in the business moving to digital. I worked for the download site. eMusic.com, signing distribution agreements with labels. This was years before iTunes and YouTube. Major labels would not work with us because mp3 files are open source files that could be traded freely without control.  They saw eMusic as a facilitator of illegal file trading. Like marijuana use leading to hard drugs!  In the big picture, I knew that digital downloads weren’t “sexy”.  But at some point, digital music would develop into something easier to track and use. We skipped the major labels. The bigger independent labels understood that digital music would be the future.  It was a great place to be. I knew a lot of music, but I had no idea there were so many labels in every country. One label owner told me that I had the best  job in the world. I knew that to explain this new unproven music format it could be an uphill climb. So I took the time to research label websites for song samples. That way I could find common ground with label owners. There’s surf music in Brazil? There’s a young female cellist duo in Prague that make energetic music? There’s archaic royalty rules connected to opera arrangements? Bring it on!  It certainly changed how I listen to music.

It was a time when business rules and legal rights had to change in order to deal with digital income disbursement. For example, digital downloads could be sold by the song while royalty payments were based on album sales. eMusic was at the forefront of those changes. When iTunes launched, digital music was “legitimized”. Borne out of eMusic was RoyaltyShare which provides a royalty accounting platform for labels. It is now a division of The Orchard and I divide my time between The Orchard and RoyaltyShare.

Who are some current bands you are into?

A loaded question! I listen to a lot of new music. I spend a lot of time listening to records and cd’s in my collection. Of current artists,  I really like Steve Gunn’s music. I listen to the projects involving members of Sonic Youth.  Bill Nace, Kim’s partner in Body/Head is a guitar genius. Body/Head’s music is a cathartic experience for me.  London is lucky to have Thurston Moore living and working there. I think the music they make separately is far more exciting that what Sonic Youth would’ve made if still together.

Lately I’m digging Melenas from Spain, Hayvenlar Alemi from Turkey. Quin Kirchner is a Chicago based  drummer that put out a great jazz record in 2018 called “The Other Side Of Time”. I think he plays on Ryley Walker ‘s records.

Because I’ve spent so much time with the music of Sonic Youth, Branca and Rhys Chatham, I crave the occasional dive into instrumental symphonic guitar army and tonal stuff. Current favorites in that vein are Bosse De Nage, Pelican, Sunn O)))

Given the chance I’ll see any performance by Mary Halvorson, Ches Smith, Marc Ribot or Mary Lattimore.

It took me years to get it, but I’m now a big fan of Keiji Haino’ music.  Dean McPhee is a British guitarist I really like. I just bought a couple of Willie Lane lp’s on Feeding Tube.

I research music history and the development of the industry. There are historical and social components of every type of music by culture, country, time period. I love stories about riots at premieres of new avant garde works. I read a book about famous classical composers in the 18th Century playing home concerts (salons) where people are talking the entire time…but they are paid handsomely for the performance.   Streaming music sites and YouTube are vast repositories of music and cultural documentation.

Do you still make it out to many shows?

I go to two/three shows a month when I’m home and more when traveling especially NY/London. I start work early in the morning so I’m not out late often.  I understand why people see less live music as they get older. I’m done with music festivals. The Big Ears Festival is the only Stateside event that might inspire me to stand for eight hours.

I always hear music by new artists that I really like. I don’t always go to see the live show. Sometimes I hear a new band that sounds like a band  I liked 20 years ago.  I wouldn’t deliberately see a band that uses another band’s sound as a template.

 What are your top 10 desert island discs?

I cannot do 10. It’s 20 or nothing. If you say sorry Ray, it will be nothing. FineJ If I’m on an island, I’ll listen to the ocean waves and sounds of nature. If I’m relegated to a desert, I’ll listen to the blood coarsing through my veins.

Miles Davis- Kind Of Blue

Television- Marquee Moon

Peter Brotzmann- Machine Gun

Sex Pistols -Never Mind The Bollocks

Rolling Stones- Let It Bleed

Soundtrack – The Harder They Come

Billy Harper – Black Saint

Kleenex/Liliput- First Songs

Patti Smith Group -Easter

Hound Dog Taylor & The Houserockers- Houserockin’

Led Zeppelin- Houses Of The Holy

Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation

Elvis Presley- Sun Sessions

The Cramps- Songs The Lord Taught Us

Pell Mell -Flow

Procol Harum- A Salty Dog

Sibelius- Complete Symphonies

Lou Reed -Coney Island Baby

Meat Puppets- Up On The Sun

The Kinks- Kinks Kronikles

 “Hmm....Flow or Star City?”

 Any final words? Closing comments? Anything you wanted to mention that I didn’t ask.

I’ve been involved off and on with the artist Raymond Pettibon for a music project called Supersession. He has made records under this moniker before. This project began in 1990 and stalled for many years. We revived it a couple years ago. I play bass. Raymond wrote many pages of words and lyrics that he passed to the band, encouraging us to write music behind them. It’s different from Raymond’s other records because it is not improvised. Rick Sepulveda, our guitarist is a great songwriter and he wrote music for Raymond’s words. Rick sings a bunch of the songs because Raymond loves his voice. We did a  NYC performance in November that was really fun. So now of course, I’m thinking we should play monthly in L.A. We are nearly finished with the album that we recorded at Casa Hanzo, the San Pedro studio Mike Watt owns with Pete Mazich. Raymond is a brilliant man; fun and inspiring to work with. When I practice with Rick, he’ll often break into a cover song deep in the recess of memory. Like John Cale’s “Hanky Panky Nohow” ,Kevin Ayers’ “Oh Wot A Dream” or the Doors “Wishful Sinful”. We may cover a Harry Toledo song. It’s a blast.  I hope to have the album finished in July.

 Tav, Bobby, Pell Mell and Ray 

[music-wxtch]

hey hey hey! could you do a blurryface era tyler jospeh were he dates a satanic reader. thanks!

Contracted to the Darkness

a/n: in the beginning, the reader (female) is in eighth grade and then the story time periods to beginning of/summer of senior year of high school

Reader P.O.V.

I had just got home with my auntie from our little coven. As she tried to unlock our old, rusted door, I looked over to see a moving truck next door to the church. You see, me and my aunt live on a street with a bunch of catholic families and a church literally down our street. It’s so ironic because we are wiccans, “witches” of the dark Lord, Satan.

“Ah ha!” my aunt said as she got the door to open. “Come come now dear, I’ve got to make some macaroons for the High Priest’s wife”she said as she headed her arm out to let me inside. My Aunt Anastasia was a very sweet and kind hearted lady. She sometimes even reminds me of Aunt Hilda from the old comic book series, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch. I slowly put my homemade knitted hat on the coat rack and walked into the kitchen where my aunt was. “Hey Auntie…” I started, “did you see that moving truck near the church. I think I saw a family moving in with boxes.” She looked up from what she was doing. “No sweetie, but if you want to make your famous cookies to welcome them, I think you might just make some new friends” she said with a smile. HA! New friends? This woman sends me to a catholic grade school and then expects me to make friends. “New friends my ass” I mumbled. “Hey!” she yelled. It caused me to jumped a bit because she only yelled at me if I was in serious trouble. I looked at her and she rubbed her hands against her face and let out a sigh. “Look (y/n), I know it’s very hard to make friends, especially when you’re a wiccan and you go to a catholic school. I sent you there because I want you to make the most of you’re school work, which you are…” she began, “But I can’t fix the whole ‘religion’ thing.” She walked up a bit to hug me. “Just promise me you won’t get hurt. I love you and you know that” she said. I hugged her back. “Now let’s make some cookies for the neighbors” she said.

…………………

As I was walking down the street with a hot plate of fresh cookies in my hands, I heard a group of boys yell “Satan’s bitch”. I ignored them and kept walking down the street. When I got to the moving truck, a woman, who I assumed was the mother, came up walking to me with a smile on her face. I smiled and walked up to her, where we both met in the middle. “Hello there! You must be our next door neighbor I’m guessing” she said with a sweet smile. “Actually, I’m you’re neighbor from up the street…” I said, pointing to my house the best I could. “But um, yes, I am your neighbor.” I finished with a small chuckle. She laughed and called for her kids so I could meet them.

As they all came out, the kinda lined up in front of their mom; except for one. He had a red beanie on, black clothes, beside his socks which were red, and these chocolate eyes, you could get lost in. “This is Madison, Zach, Jay, and…” she turned around to grab the eldest child by the shoulders and move him in front of her “This is our oldest, Tyler.” she said. I said hi and then the little girl, ran up and stood next to me and said “Are those cookies for me?”. She had the biggest puppy eyes I’ve ever seen. I giggled a bit and told her “Well, they are for you, but there for your brothers too”. “Do you have annoying brothers too” she asked. “Actually no. I just live with my Aunt Anastasia. But I’m sure you can meet her soon” I said. “Where’s you’re mommy and daddy?” she asked. I was starting to get uncomfortable with that question, but then the neighborhood ‘Golden Boy’, Johnny Newsham came from behind me and said to her, “Well little girl…” he said as he put his arm around my shoulder, “Her daddy’s in jail and her mommy is dead. Isn’t that right (y/n)?” “Excuse me?” I heard the mother say, “I think you need to leave young man. Now.” Johnny put his hands up in surrender and walked away. She gently took the plate out of my hand and said “I’m sorry sweetie.”. She put a hand on my shoulder and thanked me for the cookies. “It’s fine really. I hear from it a lot at school.” I said trying to shrug it off. “Here, let me get Tyler to walk you home.” she said with a slight smile. I saw Tyler trying to help with the boxes and it looked like he didn’t want to be bothered. “No thanks Mrs. Jospeh, I can just go by myself.” “No no, sweetie I insist…” she said calmly “Tyler!” Tyler came running out of the house and stood right next to his mom. “Yes…” “Could you walk this nice girl home please?” she said convincing. He looked at me, up and down, then looked back at his mom. “Let’s go” he said out of sarcasm. As we walked home, I asked where he was he going to school.

“Queen Of Peace. You?” he asked.

“Same” I said quietly.

“Bet you have many friends there” he said sighing.

“Nope. Get bullied everyday. Same reason, same people” I said. He looked at me and them slightly smiled. “Me too.” We get to the front of my porch. “Wait!” I yelled before he started walking away. I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote my number on it. “Here” I said, handing him the paper. Then I held out my hand.

“Hi, I’m (y/n) (y/l/n).” I said with a smile. The boy chuckled and held out his hand. “Hello, I’m Tyler Jospeh”.

~One Year Later - Freshman Year~

Tyler P.O.V.

It was possibly one of the worst thing that could happen in high school; dances. The home-coming dance was coming up and I didn’t have anyone to go with. Neither did (y/n). But the beginning of Christmas Break in eight grade, we were best friends. So, maybe we could go just as friends; I mean, our families want us to go and be a little more social.

…………

“Hey (y/n/n)” I called out.

“Hey Ty, you ok?” she asked with concern. I swear, she had the cutest little face when she was questioning.

“Yeah… yeah, actually I wanted to ask you something,” I said. I really hopes this doesn’t screw anything up between us. “Did you wanna go to homecoming dance with me… ya know, like as friends and if you don’t we could go to that new Taco Bell or we cou-“ she placed her small finger between my blabbering lips.

“Sure, why not” she replied. Later that week, I’ve never seen anyone wear a black and red dress so perfectly.

~One and a Half Year Later - Summer of Sophomore Year~

Reader’s P.O.V.

“Oh no, Where are you thy Romeo?” I called out.

“Over here, by the Black Lake Juliet” Tyler said in a terrible romantic accent. I laughed so hard I almost fell to the ground. It’s been two years since Tyler found out about me being a wiccan, but he says that we all have demons and that I was brave enough to believe in them. We were currently playing in my in-ground pool in my yard. Hey, I might live in the creepiest house on th street, but at least I’ve got the biggest backyard. My aunt was on a ‘date’ with her boss and she trusted me and Ty to stay here and be safe.

Suddenly I was splashed out of my thoughts when a giant wave of water came hitting my face. “TYLER!” I yelled but laughed. He laughed, but soon had his head under water when I decided to dunk him under water. He got up and tackled me. We basically played around until we both got tired and went inside to get changed. This was life now, living by it’s fullest.

~One Year Later - Junior Year Prom~

Tyler’s P.O.V.

I had her up against the wall of her bedroom, silently moaning my name over and over again. I started leaving little marks on her beautiful (s/c) skin. Her hands went so high into my hair, she slipped off my red beanie that I wear mostly everyday. She kept tugging my hair repeatedly and then I had her jump. Her small, converse-covered ankles hooked together around my back.

I don’t know what came over me. First we went to the Prom as friends, like usual, but then a lonely asshole tried flirting with her. Me being me had to put an end to this bull crap. I walked up to them and grabbed (y/n) by her wrist. We walked out of that gym with lust in our system. I first kissed her in the car, and then had to focus on driving to her house.

But now we were here, only in our undergarments.

I think you know what happened next… *winks*

~One Year Later - Summer before Senior Year~

Reader’s P.O.V.

I got everything I wanted. A boyfriend, who didn’t care who I believed in, My Auntie being High Priestess at our coven, and happy life. Satan bless us all for our final year through the gates of High School.

[roguebotanist]

I’ve been playing around with talk to transformer today and thought it would be fun to extend a bunch of sim bios! I think someone may have done something similar recently, but I’m not really sure. Anyway, here’s every sim in Strangetown (bolded parts are their original bios). Long post ahead:

Loki Beaker

As soon as he perfects his latest invention, Loki is sure to get the recognition he knows he deserves. In the meantime, he keeps himself busy by trying to assemble a nuclear reactor out of common household items. During one of his experiments, he accidentally melts the family dog. Realizing that his so-called tools of destruction are so harmless, Loki gladly takes his pet back home and happily adopts it. Fearing that the strange creature will cause more damage if he is ever left alone, Loki goes to great lengths to keep it, including stacking hundreds of baby chicken eggs in the backyard.

Circe Beaker

Circe knows 238 different ways to make someone scream, and none of them are nice. She enjoys taxidermy and collecting coat hangers. She has a wonderful knowledge of names and an affinity for Hallmark, which is why all her books are centered around Christmas and spring holidays. This is particularly important to her, as her whole life is completely shaped by them. The children love to ask questions about things, and they are able to make up as many of the answers as they like. Do you have a huge embarrassment problem? One of Circe's known phrases is 'Where's the finger in your back pocket?'.

Sometimes in the garden, she prances

Nervous Subject

His hobbies include twitching and blinking a lot. He's also fond of travelling and baking. Along with the broad and meaty teeth of a canine, St George the giant groundhog has a day-old beard and a partial gingivitis – which is the inflammation of a plaque inside the teeth. His beard and gingivitis don't hurt his routine; they just mean he's a bit slower and a bit more circumspect.

That's because he's aged.

Olive Specter (yes, it gave her stats)

Olive will stop at nothing to get what she wants. She spends her time collecting mushrooms, sharpening sticks, and excavating her yard. As you might expect, she has a big appetite, and eats anything that she thinks is good enough for her. She's as much of a carnivore as you are, and is able to catch fish or birds at the least opportunity. She doesn't bother with plants, and prefers to live in areas full of food.

Alignment: Neutral evil

Hit Dice: 1d8+2

Speed: 30 feet

Ophelia Nigmos (this one is unsettling and strangely coherent)

Ophelia's hobbies include hypochondria and monitoring the air quality. She worries about the future... and the past... and the present. Especially right now.

Her past memories have become like mantras, repeating over and over in her head. They are the most important thing to her. This time, she's not sure she will remember them the way she did before. She's aching to go back and erase her past.

That which is most important to her--the things she left behind--has been forgotten. And nobody can help her. Nobody.

PT9 Smith

The only thing PT9 loves more than his lawn is his family. When he is not spending time with his children, he enjoys clipping coupons and staring up at the sky. Over the years PT9 has found his place in the aquarium world. He has helped educate people on different types of fish and he has hosted various education seminars for clients who have "fish stories" to share. In his spare time, PT9 enjoys spending time with his wife and his grandchildren.

Jenny Smith

Jenny loves having a career, but she wishes she could spend more time with her family, and maybe make some new friends. She really likes green. She wishes she had more friends. She wishes her mom would talk to her more often. She wishes she had nicer hair. She wishes her nose looked like a horse's. She has a lot of sympathy for humans and hopes to see one in the future. Jenny is a cross between a cat and a dog with a medium build, no special traits, but that means she's got a lot of muscle and a huge body

Johnny Smith

Johnny dreams of being the hero that rides in on a white horse, or at least a cool sports car. He'd go on to become the worst Superhero in all of space and time, which I guess is exactly what a normal, human teenage boy would do.

Jill Smith

When Jill closes her eyes, she sees dolphins. She has her heart set on becoming a deep sea welder someday. She loves dolphins so much, she's often put one in the trunk of her car and hit the gas to cheer her up.

"I love them so much," Jill declares. "I'm a Dolphin Lover."

Pascal Curious

No matter what happens, Pascal believes there is a logical explanation for everything. In his free time, he practices home psychoanalysis and collects conspiracy theories. He's become adept at opening jars containing creepy little bones or fragments of jellyfish, an odd skill in the world of ponysaurus hunting.

"I have been extremely lucky with bone fragments and that's not even being exaggerating," Pascal said.

Vidcund Curious

Serious and exact, Vidcund strives to fit the universe into a nice tidy package. He has an unnatural fondness for African violets. He is literally covered in them, from head to toe, if not technically. This is an odd love-hate relationship, a love-love and a hate-hate; that leaves us to sit and imagine the potential war between the vine and the earth.

Lazlo (”Twilight”) Curious

Not as studious as his older brothers, Lazlo got his degree in Phrenology. He likes to call phone psychics and spends hours trying to bend forks with his mind. His middle name is "Twilight" because his father was a vampire. He hates flowers.

General Buzz Grunt

The General likes to have his clocks set to military time. He used to enjoy barbershop quartet singing, but that is classified information. It's unknown when he fell in love, but it's possible that he was one of the first humans to understand the concept of love.

Tank Grunt

Tank Grunt wants to be just like his old man. He spends his days lifting heavy things, dodging imaginary bullets, and being bigger than the other guy, but deep down inside, he wonders if anyone really knows who he is. He hates it when his grandmother wants him to call her "Mama" and his grandma is pissed, and he just wants to stay in the dark and get away from the boring world around him. If he could just learn to love himself, he'd be unstoppable.

Ripp Grunt

Ripp totally doesn't care what you think of him. He is going to do whatever he wants to do, which is mostly what everyone else is doing. He has this whimsical desire to show off his tattoos, even though they give me nightmares (sometimes it feels like these tattoos are like a big torture device). He is hyperbolic and outrageous and uncouth and rude to the point that he's almost comical.

Buck Grunt

More than anything else, Buck wants to be a pet stylist to the stars. He spends a lot of time wondering why his father never seems to notice him.

"I want to have big hands and big feet, and I'm hoping I'm going to end up a couple of feet longer than my parents are," Buck said. "My Dad tells me a lot of things like, 'My son is going to be that guy who gets attention by the funnest side of you you've ever seen.' "

Cousins' health makes him optimistic about his prospects

Ajay Loner

To pass the hours, Ajay enjoys counting the grains of sand in his backyard. He may be about to blow his last few thousand, so he worries no more. "You can always count them. You just have to keep on keeping on," he says.

Chloe Curious

The complete opposite of her sister, Chloe just wants to meet new people and to have a good time. She can often be found daydreaming or chatting on the phone. She is very positive and has a creative mind, a big help when composing mean tweets. She always makes sure she keeps her emotions under control and is not too outgoing in social situations.

Lola Curious

Intelligent and focused, Lola knows what she wants and how to get it. She enjoys politics and telling those around her what to do. She keeps her enemies close and keeps a close eye on her enemies' backbones. Her love of Doctor Who and her interest in exploration drive her to travel the galaxy.

Erin Beaker

Erin spends a lot of time working on her psychic powers. Of course, she isn't really psychic, but don't tell her that. Erin's already a pro at picking out great dates with potential future partners. Nothing beats having a psychic date.

Kristen Singles

Kristen envisions herself as a world famous sports champion. She doesn't particularly care for Strangetown, but it's only a pit stop on her track to greatness. As much as she hates to admit it, her talent has never been in question, but that's not stopping her from strutting and parading around town in a T-shirt advertising her skills. She's no longer treating her sport as a game, but instead is obsessed with her prowess as a self proclaimed "muscle mom." 

[alwaysahiccupandastrid]

May I ask why you're so against rachel bilson? It's just that I know absolutely nothing about her and from and outsider persepctive she seems like a regularly nice person

Hi, yes! I apologize in advance, this is super long I’m afraid!

So first of all, I want to make it VERY clear that I don’t endorse sending hate to people, even if you despise them, and I am not intending to spam any social media she may have with hate because that’s simply inexcusable.

So here’s the thing: the whole thing just personally leaves a bad taste in my mouth because they had a sex scene years ago in a film that was directed by Bill’s ex-wife, Maggie Carey. It just really weirds me out because that was several years ago, and obviously I don’t know Maggie beyond the fact she’s a director and was married to Bill, but if I were her I’d be more than a little pissed off because I’d be wondering if my husband had been seeing this woman the entire time. I don’t think Bill is the type but I frankly don’t know him personally and who knows? It just seems a little tasteless in a way, but hey whatever.

Firstly, in literally every photo I’ve seen of them together - grocery shopping, golden globes etc, - they both look like they’d rather be anywhere else. Especially tonight, you can see in videos when they turn away from the cameras, their smiles vanish and they look (for lack of a better description) kind of constipated. I know Bill has bad anxiety so that could be part of the reason, I don’t know. But it looks like they’re not even trying - he smiled much more genuinely when with his ex. You can tell when someone is half assing their smile and when it’s genuine, especially in their eyes or the way they’re smiling.

I’ve been having a twitter conversation with someone, they messaged me wanting to talk about the whole thing, and I’ve been discussing it with them for a few days now. Disclaimer here that I already knew this person because I spoke to them about a month or so ago because their friend met PJ at a comic con and she (the twitter girl) was talking about it, so we already knew of each other before this whole ordeal. Recently, however, they’ve been telling me stuff and showing me tweets/photos/stuff about R*chel and, hey, maybe I’m only seeing what they want me to see? Who knows? I’m not saying my impression that I have of her is the correct one, just my own personal impression thus far.

The first thing we noticed was the sheer amount of paparazzi photos and news stories. I have never seen someone be photographed so damn often while out shopping - so far in the last week alone, RB has been papped near enough every day. No one gets papped that often by accident. The person I spoke with on twitter informed me that it’s always the same people (backgrid) and that she’s probably calling them herself. Not even the kids from Stranger Things/Harry Potter get photographed this much, and they are WAY more famous and in demand than her*. This week alone it’s been grocery shopping (w/ Bill), then going out to lunch with her friends, then shopping for furnishings, and THEN lunch with her mother. All in the same week. This isn’t just a her thing, it’s in general, but no one cares if actors are shopping for shit or going out to lunch with their mothers, it’s really not exciting or interesting. So yeah, there seems to be some question as to whether or not she’s phoning the paparazzi herself.

*I had literally never heard of her before being a fan of Bill so... 🤷🏼‍♀️ She’s definitely not as famous as the ST kids are right now

Also, it’s interesting that in the eleven years he was married to Maggie, and in even the last few years where he’s really started to pick up career wise, he has hardly been photographed by paparazzi in public. The only time I can think of is when he was filming IT Chapter 2 and that was because it’s a major film and they were shooting outside in costume. There could be more but I doubt there’s loads going around. So yeah, I find it kinda questionable that only now is he getting papped this regularly.

Not only do I think calling the paparazzi on yourself is vain and straight up thirsty for attention, but if that IS the case (and I’m not saying it is), it’s incredibly disgusting to do that whilst out with someone who has REALLY bad panic attacks and social anxiety. You can see it in his face that he’s pissed off and annoyed about it.

This person I spoke with also made some remarks regarding both of their kids with other people. Apparently the only time RB ever goes out with her kid is to get them photographed with her or something, and that she’s literally never with her daughter. This could be bullshit for all I know. I haven’t really researched her daughter because, frankly, that would be creepy and I also don’t really care about her enough to give a shit.

We know that Bill has 3 daughters, and it just strikes me as odd that he made a big fuss about how he only saw them 5 days in summer of 2018 (due to Barry and IT filming) and how he was crying over it, and “I’m going to spend more time with my kids 😭” but then...you get a girlfriend instead? And you spend time with them instead? And even when I first read the interview where he said about missing his kids, like...dude, come on. That’s your own fault, no one is making you stay away from the kids, you and your wife have joint custody. In comparison also to RB, who’s kid is seemingly papped quite a bit with her, I’ve literally seen maybe two or three occasions where one of Bill’s kids have been papped, like that’s it. And that’s how it should be frankly.

Back to the person I spoke with, they have a friend in Tulsa who was there around the time the two were spotted at Starbucks together, and here’s apparently the tea: Bill apparently got coffee alone quite a few times, she arrived in Tulsa, they got coffee, and then she left Tulsa after like a day. This person’s friend said that they weren’t holding hands, and they barely even looked at each other the whole time. This is a kind of “her friend’s brother’s wife’s cousin” thing and could be false, however. And I honestly think that if you’ve got 3 kids and you make a HUGE fuss over not getting to see them because of YOUR work schedule, then you should be spending Christmas with them and NOT with your new side chick. The same goes for RB - if she was in Tulsa over Christmas, why was she not with her own kid?

There’s a whole kettle of accusations that could or could not be true about both of them frankly; she’s using him to restart her career, he’s insecure and he’s being taken advantage of, she’ll probably get his kids papped, blah blah blah. This honestly could be total bullshit so who the fuck knows at this point. The whole getting together before awards season as well is so obvious, like so many couples do that for good publicity during this time of year and it’s frankly laughable. It’s the same kind of situation as the Alison Sudol/David Harbour situation two years ago - they stepped out together at the Golden Globes etc. And look how that turned out!

And, to be honest, I get feelings about people. You know how sometimes you just get a feeling about someone and you try to push it aside but it gnaws at you? Yeah. It’s not concrete evidence but I’ll be honest, 97% of the time I’ve found that if I have a feeling about a person, I’m at least somewhat right. I had a gut feeling when the whole nonsense about Johnny Depp and Amber Heard started, and even when I was abused and harassed over it, I knew my gut was telling me that it was BS because it just didn’t feel right. And it turns out I was right in that case because it’s now come out that Heard was abusing him and that she’s almost certainly been lying the entire time about being abused. But I digress, I’m not here to talk about that. I don’t know why but I get a bad feeling/vibe about RB and, hey, I could be totally wrong, nothing is ever 100%! But right now that’s the vibe I get and i tend to go with what that gut feeling is telling me.

And before the accusations of “you’re just a bitter jealous fan” come flooding in (as they inevitably will), I can promise you that is not the case. I make jokes about being thirsty and shit, but that’s all they are - jokes. Come on, I’m 22 next week, do you really think I want to hook up with a 41 year old with 3 kids?? 😂 And besides that, there have been MANY actors I either crush on or admire who are either in relationships or married, and because I’m an adult I can respect that. Hell, most of the time, I start stanning their partner too! There’s literally only ever been one occasion where I had a crush on an actor and didn’t like the person they’re (now) married to, and that’s because I didn’t like her as a person. I can respect that they’re married and I wish them all the luck, but given that it’s been nearly 9 years now and I still don’t particularly like her (and I don’t crush on said actor now), it’s definitely not a “fangirl crush” thing. It’s just that sometimes you don’t like certain people - maybe you disagree with their views, their behavior, or maybe you just don’t like the vibe they give off. You can’t like everyone, and you can’t be liked by everyone, that’s just how it is.

So, to conclude, I want to just make it clear that while I’m not a fan, honestly all the power to them, like Bill is a grown ass man, he can do whatever he wants with his life for all I care, he doesn’t need fangirls online rushing to defend him or baby him. As Mrs Brown from Mrs Brown’s Boys said... “it’s your life, love, you’re entitled to fuck it up however you please”. (I’m not saying he IS fucking up his life, on the contrary he’s doing very well for himself, it’s just a saying)

[gumnut-logic]

Lost in Space

Nutty’s Fandomversary Fic Five - Scott and Space for @riotraze

This is set in the Rain Universe, Gentle Rain specifically, and focusses on the relationship between Scott Tracy and original character Em Harris. The story behind Em Harris can be found in Gentle Rain. This story references a line from the epilogue of that story.

The lookout was deserted and as the sun disappeared, it grew dark and the city in the distance lit up in the yellows, white and oranges of street lighting, with the central business district standing bright as if a centre piece to the whole panorama.

“There is something about looking down at a city at night. All those lights, a home, a house, a building, a street lamp. All defying the darkness, outlining where we’ve spread, our impact on our environment, our determination.”

“I should take you up to Thunderbird Five and let John show you his view.”

She was staring at him. “Into space?”

He smiled. “Yes, into space.” A sigh. “Sometimes I forget that some things we do are not every day things.”

“The Tracys don’t do ‘average’.”

“What?” It came out as a half laugh.

“Kayo told me that the day I first arrived on Tracy Island. I have to say, she’s got it right.”

“I hope you don’t hold that against us.”

“Against you? No. You just have a little magic at your fingertips.”

“Magic.”

“Yes, magic.” She reached out and touched his face. “In more ways than one.”

A full listing of the Rain Universe stories which are Virgil/Kayo and Scott/Em can be found here.

I may add to this story in the future, it seems to be asking for more, but at the same time asked to stop where I stopped. I hope you enjoy it :D

-o-o-o-

Scott hated space.

No, that was incorrect. He didn’t hate it, he disliked it. He preferred the blue, the roar of rockets, the clap of sonic boom, the clouds, the Earth below and...speed.

In space, speed meant everything and nothing. With little reference, the fastest rocket, once it attains its cruising speed, may as well be sitting still for all the impression it makes on its passengers. Acceleration, sure, the Gs could crush you into your seat. Look out the window, though, unless you had a planet or moon in view, again, you might as well be standing still.

And the silence.

Outside the small pocket of air a spacecraft provided, there was no sound. No screaming rocket, no wind in his hair.

No, Scott disliked operating in space and for reasons that had little to do with its beauty and desolation.

But at this very moment, all of that could be ignored. At this moment, he loved it madly for what it could do.

Em floated free in Thunderbird Five’s central hub, sheer joy in her grin. John floated beside her, giving her his standard zeroG 101 speech. Scott sat to one side just happy to watch her happy.

From his initial random comment regarding a visit to Thunderbird Five, this moment was inevitable. Part of him just wanted to show her another aspect of his world, the wonder in his heart and soul that was International Rescue. Another part was the zeroG he knew would give her freedom she didn’t have under the influence of gravity.

And she took to it like a fish to water.

Em Harris was a zeroG natural.

Dressed in a specially made IR uniform spacesuit not unlike John’s, she dipped and spun and laughed amongst the holograms of his brother’s ‘bird.

Virgil had been the challenge in this little escapade. All the Tracy brothers had extensive space training thanks to their father, and Kayo may not bear the name...yet...but that hadn’t stopped their father from educating her either. On top of that, they were all extremely fit and healthy.

Em was healthy, beyond her ongoing concerns, but she was no sportswoman. Virgil was a worry wart and no doubt a little peeved he couldn’t come with on this little venture due to his own health concerns. Em and his doctors had yet to clear him for the stressors of space travel even now months after the incident at Christmas.

He was back on duty. After the bridge incident, Scott couldn’t keep him away from his ‘bird, but he was under supervision, lighter duties, and threats from his fiancee.

Cranky was an understatement.

But yes, there had been some reassurance sought to calm his brother’s ruffled feathers as to any concerns regarding Em’s safety in space. As for Scott, for once in his life, worry was not a factor. He just wanted to see exactly what he was seeing now. The elation on her face was worth every concerned frown Virgil shot his way.

There had been training, of course. Drills, safety concerns, and a ride in Thunderbird One that had him laughing at Alan until he had tears in his eyes.

Thunderbird One made for a great vomit comet, Scott manoeuvring her in roller coaster ups and downs enough to create that moment of weightlessness legendary for all space agency training.

His little brother had been dreading the mess that was inevitable with all first time zeroGers. Hell, even John had legendary stories of the puke fest in his training.

Scott was flying. Alan was training Em in the cargo bay and he was not looking forward to it. Scott hadn’t admitted it to himself the concern that was gnawing at the back of his throat. Em was strong, she could do this.

And she certainly did.

Apparently extensive experience with a hoverscoot gave you a step up in the zeroG game. Scott had her on visual while he was flying and apart from a few green moments and one unanticipated collision with the cargo bay wall, Em coasted through the training.

Alan was gobsmacked, Em glowing and Scott more relieved than he realised he could be.

The fabricators had been tasked with her uniform and here they were.

Em laughed and hugged John, the pair of them spinning slowly in the middle of the room. Scott snorted at his brother, the surprise on his face comical.

Em was obviously running on an adrenalin high. Scott knew she had been looking forward to today since he had mentioned the possibility. She had been literally beaming this morning when he helped her into her uniform. He had to admit to himself, dropping the white baldric with the IR insignia onto her shoulder had been a very intimate moment. It had been a surprise how much it affected him.

Perhaps it was too early in their relationship to consider the level of permanency that baldric and insignia represented, but god, his heart beat faster. His fingers brushed across the IR logo and down across the red cross below it.

Her had hands caught his.

“Thank you, Scott.”

He smiled just a little, but said nothing.

“I know how much you are trusting me. How much you have trusted me from day one. I won’t let you down, I promise. This opportunity...just thank you.”

He raised her hands to his lips and kissed her fingers. She didn’t understand. The trust, yes, it had taken him a long time to let his guard down. He doubted it would ever be fully down. But this? This trip? This was as much for him as for her.

He wanted to share.

He wanted to see.

He wanted to hold her as she discovered the wonder that was part of what had become his life’s work.

And now, to be honest, he was becoming a little envious of his middle brother.

“Now, now, John, let go of my gorgeous girlfriend.”

It was comical how fast John backed off.

Em laughed, and spun a little, mid-air. “Scott, I hugged him. He’s been a great help.”

The commander folded his arms across his chest and arched an eyebrow.

Something devilish sparked in her pale blue eyes and she grinned at him. “I hugged Alan yesterday for the same reason. Hmm, I’m pretty sure I’ve hugged Virgil on at least two occasions, though come to think of it, I may not have hugged Gordon yet. I must remember to do that when we get home. Then I’ll have a Tracy Hug Quinfecta.” Her grin was malicious.

John was smirking. .

Scott sent her a level-eyed glare. “I’d be wary of the Virgil hugging, Kayo is dangerous.”

She folded her arms across her chest, mirroring him. “Kayo and I have an understanding.”

That thought by itself was rather high up on the scale of terrifying.

“You were right, John. This is very interesting.” Eos broke the moment.

Scott redirected his glare to John. The smirk on his brother’s face needed removal. “Eos, what exactly did John say?”

“He said I shouldn’t kiss and tell, Commander.”

Damn, the kid was learning. Still glaring at his smirking brother, “Em, meet Eos, the other resident of this floating tin can.”

Em frowned. “I thought John was alone up here?”

She had given him the third degree the moment she found out the middle brother operated completely alone. It took him some time to convince her that John was absolutely fine and actually preferred the isolation. What he hadn’t explained was that John was never completely alone.

John’s voice was quiet. “Eos is an AI, an artificial intelligence. She helps me administer Thunderbird Five.”

Scott raised an eyebrow. Eos was so much more than that. He knew his brother considered her his daughter.

Em’s eyes widened. “Hello, Eos.”

“Hello, Doctor.” A pause. “Are you going to give John a physical examination?”

“That was the plan, yes.” Her eyes sought the source of the voice.

“Good. Make sure you examine his right shoulder. He wrenched it five days ago during the Zuchov situation, and again just yesterday during zeroG ball with Captain O’Bannon.”

Every eye in the room narrowed in on John. The shock on his face was almost comical.

Em arched an eyebrow over her lopsided smile. “Eos, you and I are going to be great friends.”

Scott had never seen John actually pale. He hadn’t thought it was possible for his brother to get paler.

Apparently it was.

“Eos!”

“Yes, John? Is your health not paramount?”

“Yes, but-“

“Doctor, I agree. We are going to be great friends.”

Em was grinning like a mad woman. Scott continued to glare at his brother. “Perhaps if you reported injury like you are supposed to, Eos wouldn’t need to report you.” There would be words later. It was unlike John to be so careless.

“Oh, Johnny, you are so busted.” Alan swooped into the room from TB3’s airlock.

“Don’t call me, Johnny.” It was automatic.

Em sobered and floated towards Scott. He reached out and snagged her, dragging her closer. She came willingly and curled under his arm. “Don’t worry, John. Eos and I will have a discussion about doctor patient confidence and reportable situations.”

“All injuries are reportable.” Scott was still frowning at his brother.

Her hand landed on his chest. “Scott.” He looked down at her.

Let me handle this. It was all over her expression.

His lips thinned. This was IR territory.

His eyes fell on the logo on her baldric yet again. It was he who asked if she could help out with the medical side of IR. After all, her eyes were often on Virgil and himself anyway. Today’s trip just gave them the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. John was due for his medical. Em was available and eminently qualified. She had even spoken with John’s doctor in New Zealand in preparation.

Pale eyes beckoned him.

Okay. He let his shoulders drop. Trust.

She smiled just a little. “Now, I hear rumour this Thunderbird has a magnificent view.”

Scott caught John’s eyes and his brother pulled up the holographic controls of his ‘bird and slowed the spin of her gravity ring to a stop. “Eos, secure the ring until further notice.”

Gravity was something they could do without for the moment. He tightened his arm around his girl. She had her hoverscoot at hand, but the opportunity to move freely without it was too much of a lure to be denied.

John led them through the internal airlock out into the glass encased balcony of Thunderbird Five.

“Oh my god!” Em left his side, throwing herself at the view, her gecko gloved hands latching onto the smooth surface. She hand-walked to a spot where she could see the planet below clearly. “John, my god.”

Scott found himself grinning like an idiot. A nudge off a wall and he made his way over to her side. Australia, New Zealand and, ultimately, Tracy Island floated so far below. Em vibrated beside him. He reached out and caught one of her hands.

“This is real. This isn’t a photo or a video, I’m actually seeing this. I...I can’t believe it.”

It was a familiar sight. He had seen it many times before, but...her eyes were sparkling, shining with the glow of the planet below.

“You live such amazing lives.”

Out the corner of his eye he caught John dragging Alan through to the next partition in the ring. The door closed behind them.

His arm slipped around her waist as they hovered above the glass. “All the better with your company.”

She shot him a look. “Really? I thought we were past cheesy pickup lines by now.”

He sobered just a little. “Perhaps, if it was a pick up line, but I meant what I said.”

Her eyes widened and the shine in her eyes turned just a touch glassy. She shifted her mass enough to reach up and wrap a hand around the back of his neck.

Her glove was tantalisingly rough on his skin, her kiss contrastingly soft.

A breath. “Thank you, Scott, for everything.”

His only answer was to wrap himself around her and return that kiss. Her other hand grasped his waist and they were gently spinning in freefall.

God, a moment of simple perfection.

“Love you.” So much.

She was gazing up into his eyes, emotion in every line of her smile. That smile became a grin as her gecko gloves accidentally caught his hair and gently tugged it out of style. The grin became a giggle as her eyes latched onto the result. “Love you, too, flyboy.” Her kiss stifled his response as she purposefully ran her fingers through his hair.

His eyes closed in exasperated resignation.

This woman...

He was so lost.

In space.

And loving every minute of it.

-o-o-o-

[mamabearlarusso]

Keeping Appointments

I debated on cancelling again, given how things at work had changed, but then I'd never hear the end of it from Joey. He'd want all the details...including Johnny's address. I just couldn't handle another 'showdown' right now. So, I'm stuck in traffic on the freeway.

*clicks through radio stations* Nope. *click* Nope. *click, wipes tears*

Love hurts, Love scars

Love wounds and marks

Any heart not tough or strong enough

To take a lot of pain

*shuts off engine* (What?!...you've never cut off Joan before. Yeah, well, I'm here...so, that point is moot. Never used to be.)

Music is blasting inside, but it's not really overbearing. The place doesn't look busy at all, especially for a Friday. Just two out of a possible dozen chairs are occupied. Katy is sitting up front, reading behind the desk...and I'm instantly sent back in time.

"Hey, whatcha readin'...anything interesting?"

*looks up--a little distracted, but with a smile* "Oh, uh, hey! Just these comics that the boss keeps around."

*Sees Iron Man, Wonder Woman & Thor hardback volumes--even a couple Sandman volumes all in a stack, and the one Katy's reading at the moment...just so happens to be about the Bat Family* (Of course!)

"I don't really...they're just here, and when I get bored..."

*grins* "Hey, you don't have to explain to me. Been there, done that, Sister. Nice lookin' chair, you got there." *nods towards the back* "Is he here?"

*eyes widen with surprise* "Oh yeah! *hollers* Hey, boss!"

*hollers back* "Yo!"

"Your lady friend is here."

"Very funny, Katy!" *walks out from behind the curtain*

*playfully* "So, I'm not the only one wondering about Vicki, huh?"

*points* "You hush! *Turns to Katy* Where we at?"

"Batgirl paralyzed...by the Joker."

*Joey winces*

*mutters under my breath* "Of course, she is."

*Joey smiles and the subject is completely changed* "Okay, then...how you been?" *ushers me towards the back*

*sighs* "Two words: Mountain Magic."

"Whoa, you don't hear that too often...what's the terrain like?"

"I only had the cookie dough."

*pulls back curtain* "Pfft, well, there you go..."

"Two and half quarts of it."

*raises brow and whistles in respect, as he nods, letting the severity sink in* "Salty?"

"Pistachio."

"Nice! Syrups?"

"Three. This was all by myself...not to mention several fingers of Jack, I had before hand. I ended up falling asleep, so I don't know if I finished it all...but I made a pretty good dent."

"So, by all that, am I not supposed to already know the answer to my next question? Or do I pretend and ask anyway?"

*rolls eyes* "Yes...'Blondie' was involved. No...I don't want to talk about it, things are still...fresh and I just need time to think things through."

"Okay, but Babe, you do have--"

*looks away* "No. Don't call--he...*sighs* just, please--I know it's silly, but--"

"Hey, I gotcha. But, Mands, promise me that you'll--"

"--talk to someone. Yeah, I know...I will. I just have to stop...feeling so, damn numb first."

*nods* "Understandable." *sits there for a beat* "So, if you're numb, does that mean you won't even feel the needle?"

*rolls eyes* "Very funny, asshole! *back hands his chest* I'm not drunk off my ass, this time."

*Joey chuckles* "Oh boy, were you shit-faced! Too bad we didn't have camera phones back then. *thinks to himself for a minute and cackles* Man, you were a silly drunk."

*turns him around* "Would you get out of here, already?"

A little while later, he's working on my back again and it's quiet--sans the music and the needle. There's usually a comfortable quiet, between him and me, especially when it comes to this part--whether I'm in the seat or watching him work on another customer. There's a trust and a history built there that I could even feel, easing it's way back in last time. But now, the easy silence is allowing thoughts to pop up...thoughts that I had buried down deep and they only recently had the audacity to show their faces again.

*stares at the only thing I can really see clearly from this position, a picture on the wall...art that Joey most likely drew himself* "You know, that I'm sorry, right?"

*needle still buzzing as he keeps his eyes on his work* "For what?"

"For what I did to the family...to you...it wasn't right...total asshole move."

*turns off the needle and looks me in the eye* "Hey, you don't--"

*pointedly* "Yes. I do. Now, turn that back on, I wasn't kidding. I gotta get back soon."

*huffs, rolls his eyes and continues*

"I was being a selfish asshole."

"Well, you're being pretty bossy and stubborn right now, I don't think that balances it out?"

"Joey! After everything you guys did...you were always there for me. Your parents always gave me a place to stay, when it was too late to be out on my own. Your mom never let me go anywhere, without making sure I had enough to eat. I could always talk to you, when I didn't feel like talking to anyone. I don't know if I would have even gone to college, if it weren't for all of you encouraging me. No college means no business school...means no degree...no degree means no Daniel...no Daniel means no Sam and Anthony. No matter what's happened between me and Daniel, no matter how many times I feel like a failure as a mother, I'm not going to live in a world without my kids."

"Yah, Mama! Okay! You were an asshole, you happy now?"

I hadn't realized when the needle turned off, but he was waiting for an answer. "No. That's the problem, I feel awful. I mean, how can you even look at me right now?"

(With a complete straight face) "Because you're a paying customer." *his eye twitches and he starts smiling, as he puts the needle down, rolls his seat back and sighs* "Look...I'm not gonna lie. It hurt, pretty damn bad. But you know what Mom and Pops said?"

"I'm afraid to ask."

"'Growing pains always hurt, Mijo.' 'Everyone grows at their own speed and in their own way.' And, over the years, I've realized that you were ready for your next stage in life...we just weren't part of it."

"Joey, I--"

"Do I wish that we could've at least, had the Christmas card and kid pictures thing every year? You bet, I do. But there's no point in wringing my hands over the past. You're here now...giving me money to create my art on your skin for all time. *smiles mischievously* That's all that matters. *squints his eyes and winces* And, if by chance, I happen to leave a vengeful message on your back. Meh. Who cares, you'll never see it, right?"

*Laughs in spite of myself* "Joey! Don't you dare!"

"Then quit interrupting my art, Woman!" *buzzing starts up again*

We fell back into that comfortable silence again...like nothing happened. "So, about Vicky?"

"Just busy with work and the kids, Mandy, that's all. We'll work out a date and swing by."

"I'm thinking a weekend dinner, maybe a late lunch. I want her telling some good stories...gotta catch up on what I missed."

The drive back to the office, was painful--as expected--but it wasn't as bad as what happened when I got there. A mail carrier dropped off a thick Manila folder, with a big giant name plastered on the return address. Everything came rushing back at once, Robby mad as hell, the phone call at Johnny's, REALLY not wanting to have to deal with those damn doctors ever again. . .

As if on cue I got a call, with a look at the caller id, it was @drlivingstoneipresume.

[aswithasunbeam]

Of Camp Fires and Bear Attacks

[Read on AO3]

Rated: G

Summary: Summer 1801. While the Grange is being built, the Hamilton’s take a camping trip to oversee the construction and enjoy the riverside air. There's fishing, stories around the camp fire, and, of course, the odd bear or two. __ Just some fun, sweet Hamilton family fluff

Summer 1801

Eliza leaned back on her hands to watch the bright blue sky turn to a hazy purple. The breeze kept the worst of the summer heat bearable, rustling the light cotton of her dress and the blanket she spread out over the sand. Alexander’s arms wound around her torso from behind, squeezing her tight. She smiled, turning her head to the side as his lips found her neck.

“Papa! Papa, watch!” William shouted. “Watch me!”

Alexander made a contented sound deep in his throat and nuzzled her.

“Papa!” William insisted.

“Are these all right, Papa?” Johnny asked from the other direction, struggling with a bundle of sticks. “Jamie’s bringing more.”

“Put them over here, away from the water,” Alexander said, releasing her from the embrace to gesture towards the pit he’d constructed for their fire.

“Papa!”

“I’m watching, Billy,” he called.

William attempted a somersault on the soft sand near the water, but ended up in the river when he turned sideways. He stood up and held his arms overhead triumphantly, as thought he’d intended to soak himself all along. She heard Alexander squelch a laugh.

“Very good, son.”

Eliza noticed Johnny fumbling with the tinderbox. “Johnny,” she said, rocking forward to stand.

“I’ve got it,” Alexander said, already on his feet and moving to assist with the fire building. He’d been on top of everything all day, she considered, as he rushed over to their ten year old. He seemed to be delighting in the simple joys of parenting.

“Tent’s up,” Pip reported, skidding down the hill behind them with Alex and Angelica in tow.

Camping had been Alexander’s idea. The Grange, though beautiful on paper, was little more than a wooden frame, and the farmhouse nearby was cramped and stuffy. So, to enjoy the land and oversee the construction, he’d suggested pitching a tent for a week. They’d all been thrilled at the notion, the older children included, right up until Alexander had set them to work assembling the tent.

“Took you long enough,” Alexander teased. “At your age, I could get a tent up all on my own in ten minutes flat.”

“I think you were a little more in practice, what with the war and all,” Pip replied as he plonked down onto the blanket beside her. “Hi, Mama.”  

“Hi, honey,” she said. When he leaned against her, his head resting on her shoulder, she kissed the crown of his head and ran a hand down his back. Her sweet, darling boy.

A spark from the tinderbox caught on the kindling. Alexander nudged Johnny back a little as he fed the fire, keeping the blaze contained and tidy. The smoky smell mingled with the salt air on the breeze. “There now. We’ll be able to start cooking soon.”

“What are we cooking?” Johnny asked.

“Fish, of course. We spent all that time catching them. We wouldn’t want to waste them, now, would we?”

After spending the morning measuring out pathways for their would-be gardens, Alexander had piled the whole family into a fishing boat. She hadn’t been fishing since she was a girl, but he’d patiently refreshed her on the finer points of casting off, Johnny and William listening closely at his knee. She’d picked it up without much difficulty. In fact, she’d ended up catching four fish to his two.

“Good thing we have Mama to provide for us,” he’d joked good naturedly after fumbling a striped bass over the side of the boat back into the water.

“Fish?” William paused from shaking his hair out like a dog to fix his father with a skeptical look. “That’s all?”

“That's all?” Alexander repeated, comically scandalized. “What more could you want?”

“I have some crackers, cheese, and fruit,” she assured the boy, having anticipated some fussiness from the little ones over the menu.  

“I bet you were happy to get fish when you were in the army, Papa,” Pip said pointedly, sitting up and sending her a wink. She smiled at how well Pip knew his little brother. William adored Alexander’s war stories, and he’d seize any chance to be like his father.

“Yeah?” William asked, interest piqued.  

Alexander grinned at the ploy. “Oh, yes. We’d be ecstatic to have some fresh fish. Much better than army rations. Meat jerky and mealy biscuits can only satisfy you for so long.”

“Mealy biscuits?” Eliza asked with a laugh. Serving under General Washington, he’d just as often enjoyed fine wines and delicacies as army rations.  “Did you suffer from the scurvy, too, sailor?”

“Maybe,” he parried, pulling a face at her playfully.

Little Eliza toddled by, clutching something in her tiny fist. Eliza reached out to catch her shirt. “Sweetie, what do you have?”

“No.” Her new favorite word.

Prying the little fist open, she saw three twigs. “Are you helping collect sticks for the fire, honey?”

“No.”

She chuckled and freed her daughter to continue on.  “Alexander, incoming.”

He turned and held his arms out, lifting little Eliza high up into the air and producing a delighted squeal. The twigs tumbled back onto the sand, unmissed. The girl settled happily onto Alexander’s hip as he went about preparing supper. He assigned the little ones simple tasks to make them feel useful while he sliced the fish into filets and cooked them in the little traveling pan on the metal rack he’d placed over the fire.

The children did an admirable job on the fish he handed out, more for the novelty than the taste, she suspected. When they’d all finished, they laid back on the sand to watch the stars, the fire crackling merrily nearby. Eliza held their little daughter in her arms, the girl already fast asleep. William snuggled into Alexander’s side, and predictably demanded, “Tell a story, Papa.”

“Hm,” Alexander hummed, pondering over his memories. “How about the time General Washington ordered us across the Delaware?”

“Is that when you blasted off the King’s head with a cannon ball?” Johnny asked eagerly.

“That was just a portrait, Johnny,” he said with a chuckle. “And it was at Princeton, a little bit after Trenton.”

“I want to hear about blasting off the King’s head!” William demanded.

“I’ll get there,” he promised. “Well, it was freezing cold night in December when the order came down that we were to move our artillery down to the gunboats. The river was filled with ice, chunks so thick you could barely row through. We had to move quick and quiet as possible, so as not to warn the enemy of our advance.”

The children all listened with rapt attention as he related stories of marching through snow, surprising Hessians still sleeping off their Christmas cups, and then later, firing artillery into the College of New Jersey, beheading the image of King George in the effort. “And the Demos call me an Anglophile,” he noted wryly. “I’d like to know if Jefferson ever beheaded King George.”

Eliza noticed Jamie give a huge yawn. “I think it’s time for bed,” she said, nudging at Alexander with her foot. “It’s getting late.”

“Bed sounds like a good idea,” he agreed, yawning himself. “Come on, up we get.”

After encouraging all the children to stand, Alexander kicked sand over the dwindling fire and collected the blanket. They herded the sleepy children back up the hill towards the tent. She lit a lantern as they all dressed for bed and fought over space in the mounds of blankets arrayed on the tent floor.

“Uh-uh,” Alexander tutted when William tried to curl up on the stuffed pallet towards the back of the tent. “That’s for me and Mama.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m too old to sleep on the ground. And I like to hug Mama while I sleep.”

William scooted over grudgingly.

“I heard something,” Johnny said, pressing his face against the canvas as though he could see through. “I think something’s outside.”

“Probably a squirrel or a bird,” Alexander dismissed.

“It’s sounds bigger than a squirrel,” Johnny insisted.

Jamie sat up. “Maybe it’s a bear!”

“I want to see the bear,” William said, bouncing up with sudden energy.

“It’s not a bear,” Eliza said, though she shot Alexander a concerned look. The woods were close by. Could there be a bear?

Meeting her eye, he sighed. “I’ll take a look.”

“I’ll come,” Pip offered.

He slipped through the tent folds with Pip close on his heels, and she belatedly wondered what exactly they would do if they did find a bear hunting around their camp site. They both wore only a nightshirt, and they hadn’t brought the hunting rifle or any other kind of weapon for defense. Waiting tensely, she listened right along with the children.

She heard them whispering outside, voices muffled as they moved around the tent.

“What’s that?” she heard Alexander ask in a loud whisper.

Pip let out a shout as something barreled into the back of the tent, swiping at the canvas. Startled, she jumped back, then realized the roar was most definitely coming from her husband. She groaned even as she smiled. He thought he was so funny.

“Bear!” Johnny shouted, all too happy to play along.

Pip yelled from the side of the tent, “I think there’s another one!” He then let out a roar of his own and began swiping and rattling the tent from the side.

William squealed in delight at the game as he raced around, trampling over Jamie and Alex as he went.

Alex gave a great “oomf” as William pressed a knee into his stomach. “Get off.”

“It’s only Papa and Pip,” Angelica said, voice tinged with the disinterest of a teenager, though Eliza could see amusement dancing in her eyes.  

Little Eliza had woken at all the noise and commotion, and she watched with one eye open as William barreled into the tent where Pip was playfully swiping, shouting, “Bears!”

Crawling over to where Alexander was roaring, the little girl pushed herself up and took a run at the tent, pushing out with her hands. Eliza heard Alexander stumble backwards a step, laugh, then lower himself to push at the tent closer to little Eliza’s level. In a low, gravelly voice, he proclaimed, “I’m going to get you!”

Little Eliza giggled and looked back at her, grinning. Pointing at the tent, she said, “Papa!”

“Yep, that’s him. Your Papa’s silly, huh?”

She clapped happily and pushed back on the tent again.

At last, Pip and Alexander moved around to the front and stepped back inside.

“That was scary,” Pip said, grinning. “Those were some massive bears. I think we scared them off though, right Papa?”

“I don’t think they’ll come back any time soon,” Alexander agreed.

“You’re not funny,” Eliza scolded, though she couldn’t seem to wipe away the smile on her face. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Alexander said.

Little Eliza let out a tiny little roar and charged at him, still playing.

“Oh no, a bear cub!” Alexander cried, kneeling down to play with her. “How did a bear cub get in here?”

Eliza watched fondly as William jumped on his back to wrestle him, the three falling into a jumbled heap on the blankets. She plunged herself willingly into the mass of blankets and wriggling babies, tickling William until they could hardly breathe from laughing. Johnny dove in as well, followed quickly by Pip and Jamie, and finally Alex and Angelica.

Later, as she laid curled beside her husband on the stuffed pallet, she gently pressed her lips to his, heart close to bursting with affection for him. He responded lazily, not quite awake, and gave a sleepy sigh. She whispered softly in his ear, “I adore you.”