#Perth night 1

[lifemod17]

ANZ leg of the Unreal Unearth tour kicked off tonight AND WE GOT THE PARTING GLASS!!!

🎥: kelsey_smiler | tiktok

RAC Arena, Perth, night 1 || 11/05/2024

[guzhufuren]

Short breakdown of 19 QLs from GMMTV 2025 lineup

trailers: playlist link

Dare you to death

joongdunk investigating crime and murders

Head 2 Head

keensea cursing each other out as Bad Buddy 2.0 but they are rich, in fashion school and one of them magically saw visions of their shared future

Burnout Syndrome

dewoffgun in a love triangle (or poly please). Dew is a fortune teller who reads Gun's future from his palm. Gun becomes a hired double for Off because Off doesn't want to go to meetings himself. Gun is an artist and draws Off in nude lots. dewoffgun as a messy love triangle of weird coworkers

Whale Store xoxo

milklove as a depressed grocery store keeper and her flirty regular customer who is a teacher and a repairgirl. side couple exes who get back together junemewnich

Only Friends Dream On

spinoff of Only Friends. jossgawin, earthmix and ohmleng are in a messy love hexagon on a theatre play set because all of them want someone who wants someone else in that 6 angled shape. Boston is back and hopefully here to fuck all of them. Earth as director, Mix as actor, Ohm as musician, Leng as actor, Joss as actor, Gawin as costume designer, Neo as Boston the play's photographer

That Summer

winnysatang: after being found guilty of a crime Winny gets sent to the countryside and finds unconscious Satang being washed ashore. Satang has amnesia and later turns out to be a prince. side couple Mond and Ryu

My Romance Scammer

ohmfluke and juniormark in a gay marriage scam show. two brothers Junior and Ohm make two high standing men Mark and Fluke fall in love with them in order to deceive them, marry them in 1 month and get their money. after rich dudes' lawyer tells them the divorce will cost them losing half of their assets if scammers don't sign special asset-saving divorce papers, it becomes a battle of who will outwit the other and which one will fall in love

Melody of Secrets

forcebook in a mystical horror with gore. Force is a criminologist assisting the police with murders, Book is his ex suffering from memory loss and no remembrance of who Force is. Jan as the sheriff and Boun is also there

Love you teacher

perthsanta as established boyfriends. Perth is very bad at being a primary school teacher and only works as one because his boyfriend Santa is a teacher too and is very good at it. Santa gets into an accident which causes him part time amnesia and reverts him back to a state of his 7 year old self half of the time. Perth has to regularly deal with taking care of a 7 year old (man)child which was his most hated thing to do

MU-TE-LUV

7 love stories about fortune. keensea as high school rivals who are destined to fall in love. queer group of kathoey friends played by Fluke, Neo, Yacht and Lego are serving looks around their high school and decide they also want to meet men so they make prayers to a mother's spirit about sending them some. ohmpleng as rival buddhist temple gangs' enemies to lovers. and some hets

Cat for Cash

firstkhao in a cat cafe bl. First is a debt collector and gets a power of talking to cats from a debtee who dies during his visit. when the deceased debtee's son Khaotung comes to sell the shop, First convinces him to keep the business running and become business partners. they fall in love in the process with their laps full of cats

Girl Rules

messy dykes and lesbian wrongs the series. girl version of Only Friends with namtanfilm, milklove and viewmim. Namtan is a director, Love is her coworker stylist and they have a one night stand. Film is Namtan's ex. Milk is a model and pursues Film and Love. Milk isn't Love's type. View claims to be straight but Mim seems to be set on breaking her egg. it's horny, messy and blissfully gay

Boys in love

all fresh faces in the sweetest most precious high school bl ever written. a top marks student has to tutor a zero braincell student who falls for him immediately and flirts relentlessly. a different loverboy who just got rejected falls in love at first sight with a dimply cute new student. papangpodd as teachers who are shipped by everyone at that school

My Magic Prophecy

jimmysea falling in love in countryside while danger is looming over them. Sea can see the future and starts having visions of his friend's older brother Jimmy. Jimmy is an ER doctor who gets targeted by someone and has to quickly disappear and lay low for some time. Sea brings him to countryside and they gradually fall in love. side couple franctee

A Dog and A Plane

taynew in a deeply silly crack bl. Tay's friends get in trouble and he offers New to make it up to him himself instead. New asks him to find out if his flight captain boyfriend is cheating. he is, but he pays Tay off to keep it quiet and shenanigans proceed. Marc accuses the side piece flight attendant Poon of being an asshole. all branded couples fall in love

Me and Thee

pondphuwin in a mafia-ish bl. shady billionaire/mafia Pond who was raised on corny mafia soap operas pursues model Santa, but photographer Phuwin gives him a piece of mind regarding manners and consent, so Pond asks him to teach him how to pursue Santa correctly. Santa's not-boyfriend Perth is upset. Pond learns more about Phuwin, falls in love and starts an extravagant pursuit. Est is very handsome as a bodyguard butler

Wu

nanisky bl or a bromance that surely looks like a bl. a fortune teller Sky offers a failed athlete Nani to be his assistant. their meeting was predestined and they have a string of fate tying them together

Memoir of Rati

greatinn period bl. Great and Inn meet while watching the same street play in early 20th century. Inn works as a translator for a westerner and a teacher of french for thai bureaucrats. Great is a noble who sweetly romances Inn, but the familial expectations come into the picture. aouboom side couple where servant Boom secretly beats his master Aou in an underground fight

Ticket To Heaven

geminifourth bl by P'Aof set in 1996. young protege of a pastor Fourth and a defiant boy who lost his faith Gemini. Gemini moves into the seminary area to be guided back on the right path after his mother went to jail. young love, repression, homophobia, catholic guilt, and the love defying everything

[covenists]

✦ BAD IDEA, RIGHT?, O. PIASTRI

what if the break up wasn't really called a break up since the night he called it end?

₊˚⊹౨ৎ ⋆｡✦˚‎

Y/N'S iMESSAGE

Y/N'S iMESSAGE

INSTAGRAM

yourusername

liked by sabrinacarpenter, and 168,737 others

yourusername perth 🛫

view all 12,625 comments...

username THE HECK U DOIN IN OERTHHH

⤷ yourusername looking at squirrels being romantic and eating my afternoon snac

⤷ sabrinacarpenter no way that you're there just because of a pair of squirrels eating a spaghetti

⤷ sabrinacarpenter OH-

⤷ larray i told you so

username WAIT WHAT ARE YOU GUYS TALKIN ABOUT

⤷ emmachamberlain iykyk👹👹👹

username wait oscar's house is in perth...

⤷ username it's HIS family's house, not his. his apartment is in london

⤷ username dang is she going straightforward to come back with his mom and having a mini reunion

⤷ username oh yeah i miss nicole, oscar and y/n's video together 💔😞

username bUT WHAT DOES THIS MEAAANNNNNNNNN

TWITTER

Y/N'S iMESSAGE

INSTAGRAM

yourusername

liked by carlossainz55, dixiedamelio, and 478,512 others

yourusername morning motivation

view all 32,729 comments...

username WHOS THAT MAN Y/N TELL US

username can't wait for your new song

username WHAT IS CARLOS DOIN??? carlossainz55 explain

⤷ carlossainz55 i'm just liking the post, nothing more🤷🏻

username damn he's cocky

⤷ yourusername i know i love him🥴

⤷ josephinearon ‘LOVE HIM’ explain pls

⤷ username yeah who's love him in question...

josephinearon i have a bad feelings...

⤷ username same actually

username if there's anymore news or signs, i'mma glueing my answer to oscar. period.

landonorris i thought you were at oscar's place?

this comment has been deleted

username OH SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIT

username the cat's out of the bag i guess 🤷‍♀️

username oh so... 🫢🤭

Y/N'S iMESSAGE

yourusername

liked by honeymoon, josephinearon, and 437,820 others

yourusername red galore 🟥

view all 27,180 comments...

username OH MAMIIII

username could be chase atlantic's actress for their new song👀

scuderiaferrari Roses are red, violets are blue, you are an icon.

⤷ username not too bad, ferrari, but you can definitely improve that poetic skill (and your car)

charles_leclerc not usually in red for the whole week but i'll take it.

mclaren NO Y/N THIS ISN'T YOU

⤷ scuderiaferrari yes this is her👺👺

⤷ landonorris calm down you two

username ferrari and mclaren fighting over her is not on my bingo

⤷ yourusername same

username y/n orange era when?

⤷ landonorris yeah when?

oscarpiastri added a photo to their story!

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

yourusername added photo to their story!

OSCARPIASTRI'S DIRECT MESSAGE

landonorris replied to your story!

landonorris: dinner date huh? 😏😏😏😏

oscarpiastri: you know it

maxverstappen1 replied to your story!

maxverstappen1: are you wine drunk or something?

maxverstappen1: are you trying to poison her with all that wine?

oscarpiastri: WHAT? NO!

yourusername

liked by oscarpiastri, and 749,102 others

yourusername happy early valentine🌹

view all 39,640 comments...

username WHOSE HANDS IS THAT Y/N

username why is oscar on the liking...

⤷ username damn it's real

username OSCAR IS THE MYSTERY MAN?

⤷ username it's never been a mystery, hes just there

username if he treated you like before, believe that i'll come to his room at 3 am

⤷ username certified creeper / her defender

username Y/N HONEY WHAT HAPPEN WITH YOUR PROMISE ON NOT GOING TO GET BACK WITH YOUR EX?

⤷ username she really said that the promise has been expired.

yourusername

liked by oscarpiastri, caileespaeny, and 1,949,552 others

yourusername bad idea right is now available on every streaming services! 💜💜

👤: oscarpiastri

comments on this post has been disabled

Y/N'S iMESSAGE

TWITTER

₊˚⊹౨ৎ ⋆｡✦˚‎

TAGLIST @queenofmanydreams @muglermami @4limq @avengers-assemble123456 @cabbyhabs @meowtastick @4mula-1 @miarabanana @amel1ee @dinosushilun1 @auggieblogs

[absolutebl]

12 Favorite Thai BL Branded Pairs Active Right Now

Based on screen chemistry and personal taste entirely (not projects, rolls, characters). Some of your favorites will missing from this list (sorry not sorry). September 2024, not responsible for pairs getting busted up after this moment in time.

I would watch more from any of these boys even if I've disliked their previous work and am likely to continue to do so.

1 FirstKhaotung

2 JoongDunk

3 YinWar

4 Perth & Talay - YES STILL!!! I HOLD OUT HOPE!

5 TutorYim

6 JimmySea

7 MosBank

8 TayNew

9 G4

10 SailubPon

11 BillyBabe

12 GreatInn

MaxTul would make this list, but I think they're unofficially busted at this juncture, Tul seems pretty much out of the biz. And if he went back to BL most everyone would likely demand Mew.

Others that I'd pull but I don't think my own rules allow me to: JeffGameplay, BoomPeak (YES THEM), BoyTod (Ghost Host), BossPeter (Starhunter). Frankly GreatInn might not stick either.

Never Pair Branded

But not officially busted either. So I want them to do another show together. Some of these are pretty obscure, so I put in origin shows.

BeverTee - 21 Days Theory

BoomHaii - Chains of Heart

BossPre - Destiny Seeker

BrightNonkul - I Feel You Linger in the Air

PokeTongue - Star Hunter boys

BoatKenji - My Secret Love

Poom & Up - My Stand In

NohPeter - Oh My Sunshine Night

KunKiak - The Promise

OppNut - Secret Crush On You

JuniorFluke - To Be Continued

TT - Triage

PoohFiat - Top Secret Together

BoatJame - TharnType 2

JumpBoom - You're My Sky

I'll watch but I'm not invested

EarthMix

OffGun

PondPhuwin

ForeceBook

KristSingto

ZeeNuNew

MeenPeng

BounPrem

OhmFluke

DaouOffroad

MaxNat

KarnNut

PavelPoom

BossNoel

FortPeat

MileApo

Honestly I am always happy, if not gleeful, to see pairs busted up, but I do still have favorites. And I would feel a little twinge if any of those 12 were seperated permanently.

(source)

[khaylin27]

Down Bad

pairing: daniel ricciardo x reader

series: the tortured poets department

synopsis: daniel's childhood best friend, y/n l/n, has always been by his side no matter what. over time she started developing feelings for the driver but it was one sided love.

warnings: one sided love, mentions of depression and suicide

author's note: i knew this song was for daniel because of the tiktok edits of this song with him 😭 hope y'all enjoy!

Did you really beam me up? In a cloud of sparkling dust Just to do experiments on Tell me I was the chosen one

You and Daniel grew up living next to each other in Perth, Australia. Your parents were close with Daniel's so it was obvious you two would be close. Your family would spend weekends supporting Daniel in his karting and Formula 3 days.

Once Daniel got into Formula 1, he would invite you to races. You would always say yes because he was your best friend and you had feelings for him. Of course he didn't know because you didn't want to distract him from getting a World Champion title.

Every time you were invited to a race, Daniel would take you to F1 events. He would beam you up as his girl friend. Not the girl he was dating but a girl that he's been childhood friends with.

It hurt you so much when he would tell people you were just friends. You wanted to be more but you didn't want to distract him from getting a World Champion title. You were in a cloud of sparkling dust as you ignored the questions people asked about you two.

"Hey Y/N," Daniel calls your name. You were currently watching the mechanics fix Daniel's car. "Do you mind if I hold you like this?" Daniel puts your back on his chest as he wraps his arms around your waist.

You blush by this interaction. Daniel has never been this close to you before. "What are you doing Daniel?" You giggle to hide your blushed cheeks.

"Just doing an experiment on you." He smiles at you while the cameras are on you. Daniel then kisses you on the cheek. "You're the chosen one." He whispers in your ear so the media couldn't hear what he was saying. You laugh at his whisper while he continues holding you like this.

Show me that this world is bigger than us Then sent me back where I came from For a moment I knew cosmic love

Later that day, Daniel won the Monaco Grand Prix. He was so happy about winning that he ran up to you and kissed you before going on the podium. You were happy at the moment because your best friend had won and kissed you. That high of happiest ended when Daniel did his post-race interviews.

"So Daniel, we saw that you kissed your best friend before going onto the podium. Are you and Y/N finally dating?" The interviewer asks Daniel.

Daniel smiles before he answers back to the interview. "Great question," He laughs and continues. "No we're not. It just felt right in the moment. She's my best friend and will always be that. She's always supported me through my F1 career and my passion to win a World Championship."

At the moment your whole world came crumbling down. It showed you that F1 and him winning a World Championship was bigger than your relationship with Daniel.

After the post-race interviews were over, Daniel went to his driver room to change into normal clothes. He then sees that you're crying. "Why are you crying Y/N?"

"You know you're a big jerk Daniel." More tears start falling as you continue to explain. "This whole weekend you've been playing with my feelings and I was thought you were trying to imply that you have the same feelings I do. But then you embarrass me to the whole world saying we're just friends."

Daniel watches you as tears continue to fall down your face. He didn't apologize or even comfort you. Instead he changes and leaves the room to head to his Monaco apartment. That night you decided to fly back home not wanting to celebrate with Daniel after his Monaco win.

For a moment you knew cosmic love, but it ended you being sent back to where you came from.

Now I'm down bad crying at the gym Everything comes out teenage petulance "What if I can't have him" "I might just die, it would make no difference."

ynfan @/yourusername posted an instagram story earlier today at the gym with taylor swift lyrics as the caption. she hasn't posted since daniel publicly embarrassed her by kissing her before stating in an interview that y/n was "just a friend."

user1 the taylor swift lyrics 💔

user2 SHE WAS SO DOWN BAD FOR DANIEL 😭

user3 is teenage petulance shading daniel for his insolent behavior during the monaco gp weekend?

user4 i think she did. daniel was publicly being affectionate to her this weekend to then saying she was "just a friend." friends don't do that to each other.

****

After the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, you've been hitting the gym nonstop. You would listen to Taylor Swift songs and cry while running on the treadmill. Once you got home to your Melbourne apartment, your mom called you to see how you were feeling.

"How are you feeling Y/N?" she asks while you were cooking lunch for yourself.

"I feel like I'm dying," You tell your mom with all honesty. "I've always supported Daniel even when I started developing feelings for him. I hoped that maybe he would feel that same way one day. But not having him in my life makes me want to die. It would make no difference." You start crying as you express your feelings to your mom.

"I wish I could hug you right now Y/N." The flight from Perth to Melbourne was 3 1/2 hours. "Your father and I hate seeing you get hurt by Daniel. We all thought you two would fall in love."

Down bad, waking up in blood Staring at the sky, come back and pick me up What if I can't have us. I might just not get up, I might stay

A couple hours later, you woke up from a nap to a nasty blood bath in the media.

f1news DANIEL RICCIARDO CONFIRMS HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH CHILDHOOD FRIEND Y/N: During the Canadian GP weekend, the Australian driver was asked about Y/N. Her absence in the paddock has been noticed since the driver wasn't happy throughout the weekend. Ricciardo says "Y/N and I are not on speaking terms at the moment. I guess what I did really hurt her." The driver says with no remorse.

user1 who wouldn't be hurt if their childhood friend/crush just friend zones you while playing with your feelings?

user2 daniel please fix this 😭 i need you and y/n to be together again 🙏

user3 was monaco gp the last we'll ever see y/niel 😢 it didn't seem like he wanted to fix what he did.

user4 what if we don't get y/niel ever again 💔

****

After seeing that instagram post, you didn't feel like getting up. Daniel had no remorse for what he said to the press. You stayed on your bed the rest of the night crying over Daniel.

Did you take all my old clothes? Just to leave me here naked and alone In a field in my same old town That somehow seems so hollow now

Since your weekends were already reserved for when Daniel had races, you decided to fly back and forth to Perth to visit family. Every time you land in Perth it gelt like Daniel had taken your clothes. The old you. You felt naked and alone because you and Daniel would always come home together.

As you walk around the fields your parents owned. It felt so hollow without Daniel. You two would always walk around your parents' fields talking about the future. Daniel would talk about him winning multiple World Championships while you talked about starting a family with a certain man. He didn't know but that certain man was Daniel.

I loved your hostile takeovers Encounters closer and closer All your indecent exposures How dare you say that it's -

Coming back to Perth overtime became easy for you. It didn't bring you sorrow anymore instead it brought you happiness from all the memories you made with Daniel.

Every time you would go swimming in the ocean, it would bring you closer and closer to the memories you had with Daniel. All the times Daniel had some accidental indecent exposures. You two would laugh when someone saw Daniel being 'indecent.'

It felt wrong to say that it's over. But you were finally healing from the one sided love you had for Daniel.

I'll build you a fort on some planet Where they can all understand it How dare you think it's romantic Leaving me safe and stranded

yourusername I'll build you a fort on some planet Where they can all understand it 🇦🇺🌊🦘

user1 MOTHER WHAT DOES THIS MEAN!?

yourfriend are you in perth? since when!?

yourusername yes i am ☺️ i reserved weekends a while back for other things but i ended up back home! yourfriend we need to hang out soon! we have lots of tea to catch up on. yourusername of course 💗

danielricciardo you look so romantic 😍

user2 how the hell do you think it's romantic leaving y/n stranded for months!? you haven't publicly apologized for your behavior to y/n. user3 and he seems like the person who wouldn't apologize privately as well.

Down bad (Like I lost my twin)

What if I can't have him (I'm done bad)

yourusername down bad like i lost my twin

taylorswift you're better off without him now

yourusername that's right @/taylorswift 😌🩶

user1 MOTHER CHOSE VIOLENCE TODAY

user2 they were my endgame 😓

user3 it's truly over when mother agrees with mother tay 😭

Down bad (Waving at the ship) What if I can't have him

danielricciardo down bad, waving at the ship - archives venice 2022

user1 DANIEL CHOSE VIOLENCE AS WELL

user2 we all know this archives post was an excuse to post y/n

user3 HOW CAN YOU POST Y/N BUT NOT EVEN APOLOGIZE TO HER!?!?

user4 god i hate men 🙄

tagged: @omgsuperstarg @splaterparty0-0 @2pagenumb @c-losur3

[earlycuntsets]

pt. 1

parts (2, 3, 4)

earlycuntsets.org website sources - where I got all my mcr pictures

first of a series. due to tumblr limits on how many links you can post. this full idea will be continued on future posts. for now here's 2002- 1/2 of 2007. this is pictures. will make a separate post for youtube/recordings.

been needing to fully source my website so here we go! wanted to share with other kool mcr fans.

old fansites/website appearances:

most popular - theimmortalityproject.com

mcr's old website [2002, 2003, 2004, 2005]

magazine scan archive - mcrhollywood.blogspot.com

more mcr flyers here than anywhere - theydrewblood.blogspot.com

gerard pic/interview 2003 - artsucks.com

show pics:

(8/18/2003 & 04/28/2004 washington dc, 08/20/2004 gillette stadium foxborough ma and 06/13/2004 baltimore md) - brokenvoices

(09/13/2004 & 01/21/2005 birmingham academy) - blackvelvetmagazine.com

(rainbow montreal 01/06/2003, kool haus toronto ca 02/10/2003, salle lx montreal ca, 08/25/2003) - junkedcamera.com

(bottom of the hill sacramento ca 1/23/2003) - sacramentomusicarchive.com

I do not know this show, 2003 - idolize magazine

04/03/2004 majestic theater detroit mi - schwegweb.com

05/07/2004 bakersville ca - rocksandiego.com (kira olsson-trap)

10/13/2004 kansas city mo - grrphotography

03/11/2005 taste of chaos cobo arena detroit mi - schwegweb.com

03/13/2005 taste of chaos st louis - grrphotography

03/16/2005 td waterhouse arena orlando fl - jencray.com

03/20/2005 st paul mn - shatterthelens.com

07/16/2005 fairgrounds, salt lake city - trent nelson

08/07/2005 warped tour orlando fl - jencray.com

08/08/2005 warped tour verizon wireless lot charlotte nc - josh hofer

08/12/2005 warped tour tweeter center camden nj - musicmattersmedia.com

11/01/2005 wolverhampton civic hall, wolverhampton england - blackvelvetmagazine.com

03/17/2006 emos austin tx - brooklynvegan.com & andrewkendall

10/26/2006 webster hall ny - dontbescene.com

11/15/2006 nottingham uk - blackvelvetmagazine

1/21/2007 big day out gold coast australia - kylie keene

03/25/2007 cardiff - blackvelvetmagazine.com

07/03/2007 helsinki - deadflowerphotography

flickrs (show pics):

7/25/2003 farmingdale ny - gaelen harlacher

08/16/2003 toronto ca - allfalldownphotography

I do not know this show, 2004 - joel

01/13/2004 night and day cafe manchester uk - tony woolliscroft

04/28/2004 cotton club atlanta ga - mike white

06/15/2004 mr.smalls theater, milvale pa - scapularemix

08/20/2004 gillette stadium foxborough ma - futurebreed

10/26/2004 roseland ballroom nyc - alyssa

01/30/2005 cologne germany - johanna bocher

07/02/2005 warped tour piers, san fransisco ca - laurentertaining

07/06/2005 warped tour pampano beach fl - internetpirateradio

7/28/2005 warped tour quebec city, quebec @ the pepsi colisée parking lot - alec hartman photography

08/05/2005 warped tour st petersburg fl - todd cynic

08/10/2005 warped tour nissan pavillian va - jessica

08/13/2005 warped tour nyc ny - christine natanael

08/23/2005 underworld london uk - sammi hills & lauren siohan

09/02/2005 &09/03/2005 rock in idro milan italy - matteo galli

09/13/2005 station park providence ri - katie o'keefe

09/15/2005 columbus ohio - stacy chambers

09/20/2005 st paul mn - matt birhanzel

10/14/2005 tweeter center camden nj - kristin

03/17/2006 emos austin tx - nicole herbst & allison7821

03/19/2006 recording academy san fransisco ca - james

05/12/2006 sun god festival la jolla ca - sam litvin

08/06/2006 nyc - heather marie ryan

08/25/2006 bramham park leeds uk - dancelike.hell

10/12/2006 virgin megastore london uk - stephen kallao

10/28/2006 & 10/29/2006 voodoo festival new orleans - mandi & voodoo music

10/31/2006 house of blues hollywood ca- veronica murietta

11/09/2006 e-werk cologne germany- sabrina & himychemicalromance

11/21/2006 milano italy - rodolfo sassano

1/24/2007 brisbane austraila - conradpayton

2/04/2007 perth australia - richard giles

03/04/2007 denver co - selene locke

03/07/2007 las vegas nv - heather marie ryan & pamela zabala

03/11/2007 anaheim - scarlet lark

03/21/2007 brighton england - peter hill

04/21/2007 seattle wa - steven friederich

04/22/2007 ft lauderdale fl - heather marie ryan

04/28/2007 williamsburg va - andrew s

05/05/2007 east rutherford nj - maria newman & mimie7981

05/01/2007 toronto ca - liz lulu

05/20/2007 vancouver ca - amy sept

05/21/2007 seattle wa- ciera walters

06/08/2007 leicestershire uk - sara bowrey

06/21/2007 bilboa spain - patriciana

06/23/2007 madrid spain - juan the fly factory

06/24/2007 lisbon portugal - mario guilherme

06/30/2007 hovefestivalen tromoya norway - kim erlandsen

07/08/2007 naas ireland - james quinton

07/25/2007 seattle wa - ciera walters

livejournals:

04/04/2004 bottom lounge chicago il - mechanical_riot

05/11/2004 san francisco ca - from strawberyxlove

01/05/2005 newcastle university england - open_heart_zoo

03/06/2005 daytona ohio - xxmeansyourhxc

03/10/2005 taste of chaos cleveland - dyanna

04/07/2005 barrowland, glasgow uk - elite_cru

part 2 here

[bitethedevil]

Strange Bedfellows (Lae’zel X Raphael): Chapter 1

Link to this fic on AO3

Summary: Lae'zel stayed on the Material Plane after the defeat of the Netherbrain. She vowed to rid Faerûn from Vlaakith's filth. She found plenty of allies to aid her cause, but not many people stand a chance against the ruthlessness and efficiency of the Gith, and she soon finds herself struggling.

Though she is not the only one who is struggling: Raphael has been left crownless, and he has angered the Lich Queen herself with his actions. He is in desperate need of assistance from someone who knows how Gith work and think.

Author’s note: I give to you: the cursed ship of Raph'zel (or Hell Frog, if you will). You're welcome and I'm very sorry. It makes sense to me. Both Gith and devils are lawful creatures, though still in very different ways...and I like to put characters who would hate each other's guts in a box and shake it violently <3 Also: the part about Raphael and Vlaakith and a certain object isn’t something I made up. You can find the slate in the Astral Plane.

I would strongly suggest that you read this on AO3 because there I have included a little Gith dictionary at the end.

After the defeat of the Netherbrain, Lae’zel had ventured out to wipe out every Vlaakith stronghold on the Sword Coast. She had vowed that she would not stop until every sarth and kith’rak had been defeated. She had found plenty of new allies to join her cause. People who she grew to trust and who she could call ‘friends’.

They were, however, not as efficient as her former group of allies. Her new friends were capable fighters, but no one else but her was Gith, and they stood little chance against the warriors who had trained all of their life. In the beginning they had been lucky and wiped stronghold after stronghold, but now, she was beginning to lose more people than they managed to kill. Morale was dwindling fast.

This time she had lost two dear friends when they had tried to storm what they thought would be a small camp. They were caught off guard and they only barely made it out alive. They had regrouped in a nearby tavern after.

“Lae’zel…” Tasar said in a gentle voice from beside her. “We couldn’t have known, so stop blaming yourself. Olyssa and Perth knew the risks and they still insisted to go in first. They wouldn’t want you to beat yourself up for it like this.”

She lifted her head to look at the elf. Tasar was a capable ranger and the one out of the group that always managed to stay positive no matter what. Even he looked like hell with the blood in his blonde hair and the tinge of sadness in his green eyes, even though he tried to hide it.

He was being strong for her and despite her appreciating the thought, she did not appreciate the gesture. She was not to be coddled. Though there was no reason to snap at him. No reason to make a bad mood worse. She only made a grumbling noise and turned her focus back to eating again.

She looked around the room. Her companions were dealing very differently with what had just happened. Murnum and Gulmin, the two twin dwarven paladins were drinking in silence. Grace, their tiefling bard, was drunkenly talking to strangers at the bar. Vincent, their human wizard, had been staring at a map and picking at his food for a good half hour by now. Tasar was still just staring at her in worry. It annoyed her to no end.

“We will set up camp soon,” Lae’zel said to those around the table. “Whoever is sober will keep watch. We will leave tomorrow at first light.”

Murnum and Gulmin took a gulp of their ale at the same time at her words, wanting to avoid being the ones to take the night watch. Vincent nodded a bit without ever taking his eyes off the map.

“I’ll take the first watch,” Tasar piped up. “You get some sleep tonight, Lae’zel.”

She gave him a short nod before going back to tearing apart the piece of chicken in her hands. Her eye twitched when she heard Grace’s high-pitched drunken laughter from somewhere in the tavern.

“Someone is talking with your girl, Vince,” Tasar said and looked at Vincent.

Vincent briefly looked up from the map to look behind him at the highly intoxicated tiefling woman. He sighed and looked back at the map.

“She is not ‘my girl’,” Vincent mumbled. “Let her drown her sorrows…We all mourn differently.”

“Mhm,” Tasar hummed and leaned over the table. “It looks like she’ll drown in that fancy lad’s brown eyes if you don’t do something. Come on, Vince…you like her. You should say something.”

“You should mind your own business, Tas,” Vincent retorted with a tightlipped smile.

They kept talking. It was irking Lae’zel how they could talk about such trivial matters when two of their friends were dead. They had lost many people, but it was angering her how desensitized they were all becoming.

There was one more high-pitched laughter from Grace behind her over the bickering of the two men, and that made her snap. She hammered her fist down into the table. The sound of it and her fiery gaze was enough to silence the whole table.

“Tasar, go out and scout for a place to camp,” she ordered cooly and then turned around. “Grace!”

Grace turned around two tables away from them with a lazy smile on her lips. Lae’zel froze for a moment when she saw who she had been talking to before her eyes narrowed at the man. A wide smile spread over Raphael’s face and his eyes lit up in recognition when he spotted her.

Lae’zel stormed over to them. She made a sharp gesture towards their table to Grace.

“But—”

“Now,” Lae’zel hissed at her.

Grace’s face was like that of a child that had just been told ‘no’, but she complied. She smiled politely at Raphael before moving to their table as she had been asked to. Lae’zel stared down Raphael.

“Lae’zel of K’liir…” he said with a charming smile. “Fancy seeing you here. One would expect that you—”

“No,” Lae’zel interrupted him with a sharp gesture. “No talking. Leave.”

Raphael’s smile got slightly tighter at getting interrupted.

“Now, now…” he said in a low tone. “There is no reason to get so defensive, my dear. My grievances are with your former leader, not you. Whyever, would I harm you for the sins of someone else? Perhaps—”

“I will harm you if you ever speak to one of mine again, chraith,” she warned coolly.

Raphael chuckled at that, though it was a cold sound. He did not like how little he was in control of the current situation. Lae’zel was not Tav, and she would not give him the time of day.

“You have grown quite sentimental, it seems,” he said. “How unlike you. Though I suppose it is only natural with how your little crusade is progressing…I hear that your allies are dropping like flies…”

Lae’zel walked away from him. She went outside to retrieve something from their packs. When she came inside again carrying the Orphic Hammer, a few of her allies got up from their seats. They only saw her carrying a big hammer and walking towards a man in a very determined manner, so they looked prepared to fight.

She dropped it at his feet. Raphael did not look particularly impressed. He glanced down at it with a bored expression and then smiled lazily at her.

“I was wondering what became of it,” he purred. “Is this supposed to bribe me to stay away?”

“Yes,” she said in a cold tone with a small smile and narrowed eyes. “If that is insufficient, perhaps a sword through that horned skull of yours might persuade you. I don’t deal with devils.”

“Ah, I see,” he said with a smirk. “You merely get others to do so for you, isn’t that so?”

Her hand moved to the hilt of her sword in warning. This was not the day to test her.

“Don’t forget who is responsible for you ever getting your hands on that silver sword of yours and who assisted you in freeing your people,” he said and then made an expression as if just remembering something. “Or, of course, who now owns your dear Tav’s soul because of it. In a fair world, would it not be yours instead, Lae’zel?”

Lae’zel drew her sword and the whole tavern fell quiet. Raphael looked at her with that grin of his and then at the patrons around them. He glanced down at the sword and then took one last look at her face.

“See you soon,” he purred and snapped his fingers.

The patrons gasped when flames danced around him, and he disappeared. He left the Orphic Hammer behind.

A few days passed. Lae’zel was seated on a bench a bit outside camp while she watched her companions train. She was eating her second lunch while looking at the map beside her, planning their next move.

“Does it get tiring?” she heard Raphael’s voice behind her, making her pause her chewing. “Eating enough for two simply to stay alive in a realm that you were not made for? Your body disagreeing with you constantly as it is dealing with a world it has not adapted to? And, worst of all, aging…”

Lae’zel finished chewing, placed the bowl of food beside her on the bench and reached behind her for her sword. She grabbed the hilt and pulled, but felt Raphael’s hand on hers, stopping the movement.

“Tsk tsk,” he tutted. “I only wish to speak with you. Just a little talk between former unlikely allies, and then I will leave you alone for now. I promise.”

“G’lyck,” she groaned in annoyance. “Speak if you must, devil, but do not expect me to listen to your mindless chatter.”

Raphael moved the map that was sprawled over the bench to sit down beside her. He crossed one leg over the other and leaned his arm on the backrest as he looked at her.

“I have always admired the Gith,” he said. “They are without a doubt one of the worst mortal races to make deals with, but I admire them all the same. In truth, your societies are not much different from those of the Hells.”

She stared at him with a blank expression.

“It is clear that you have failed in all of your dealings with Gith if you begin by insulting them,” she grumbled. “We’re not the same.”

“No?” Raphael asked. “We both believe that strict adherence to order, laws, and hierarchy will uphold our societies and cultures, do we not?”

“A devil might be orderly compared to a demon, but a devil’s order is nothing short of chaos.”

“For an outsider with no real understanding, perhaps,” he mused. “We wield order like a sword, and like a sword, it does not need to have pretty adornments or modifications to serve its purpose. As long as it works. I am sure a pragmatic woman like you would agree.”

“A sword, yes…A curious metaphor for someone who does not know how to wield one.”

“Pardon?” Raphael said, sounding slightly offended. “I am perfectly capable with a sword. I have fought in the Blood War, same as any devil.”

Lae’zel gave him a dismissive gesture and took a bite of her food.

“You are a bard,” she said once she was finished chewing.

“Of some, as I am sure you are aware, use swords,” he said in a slightly annoyed tone. “I am still quite proficient with a rapier even though it has been centuries since I was last on the battlefield, I can assure you.”

“You would call a rapier a sword?” she asked.

“It is,” he said. “I have never seen much sense in hacking and slashing away at a target, when one well-placed thrust could do the trick. I do, of course, know how to handle a longsword as well.”

She shook her head and finished her bowl of stew. She folded the map and put it in her pack.

“I am returning to camp,” she said. “I do not have time for chatter about your lack of martial prowess, istik.”

His eyes narrowed at her and his nose was wrinkled in annoyance when she started to walk away from him. Lae’zel discarded the bowl into a bucket and drew her sword as she walked towards her tent. Raphael appeared in front of her in a flash of fire.

“I will talk, and you will listen,” Raphael grumbled. “We have a common goal, you and I. You want to rid Toril of Vlaakith’s influence, do you not?”

Lae’zel sat down with her sword in her lap and looked up at him with a bored expression.

“You do not care about the liberation of the Gith,” she said. “You cared about the Crown of Karsus. I do not have it. Leave.”

His jaw clenched and he looked around as he noticed the stares he was getting from her companions who recognized him from the tavern. Lae’zel raised a hand as to dismiss them from taking action and kept cleaning her sword.

“I would not waste my time here if our interests did not align,” Raphael said in a low voice to her. “Your little merry band here are not suited for the task they have been given. I could lend you assistance. Soldiers whose sole life purpose is to fight.”

Lae’zel looked up at him again. She studied his face. His tone was off.

“You are afraid,” she said as if it was simply fact. “Why?”

His already sour expression soured further at the accusation.

“Careful, Lae’zel,” he warned in a dangerous tone. “You do not want to make an enemy out of me. Especially when I might prove to be your best ally in this little endeavor yet.”

She got to her feet, sword still in hand.

“Do you think me so naïve, devil?” she asked. “Do you think that I would give my soul for an incompetent group of devil soldiers? We have nothing more to discuss.”

“I am not asking for your soul, you stubborn child,” he hissed. “I am asking you to do what you set out to do and kill every last trace of Vlaakith’s vermin on this plane. I am asking you to—”

He was interrupted by the loud sound of Lae’zel’s silver sword getting sharpened on the grindstone. He saw red. He grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and snapped his fingers.

Lae’zel’s eyes were furious when she saw that she was in the House of Hope. She grasped for her sword, but it had not been transported there with her. A flash of fire danced around Raphael as he took his devil form. His wings spread out behind him and his eyes bored into hers as he adjusted his clothes and schooled a smile onto his features.

“Please, take a seat,” he said in a dark but calm tone and gestured to a chair at the table.

Lae’zel did not budge. She stared him down from where she was standing.

“You will send me back,” she hissed. “Now.”

“No,” he said in a warning tone. “You will sit down. You will behave and you will not leave the Hells before you have listened to every word I have to say. That can take minutes, hours, days, and it is entirely dependent on your behavior, my dear.”

She gave him a low growl of discontent before dragging out a chair and sitting down.

“Speak,” she ordered sharply.

Raphael sat down in front of her and crossed one leg over the other as he studied her for a moment. He would not be rushed in his own home.

“Did you ever wonder why I had the Orphic Hammer in my possession?” he asked.

She just kept staring at him with narrowed eyes, waiting for him to get to the point.

“I suppose not,” he said. “You and your dear friends were no doubt too busy at the time to ask the right questions. Had you done a little digging, you would have learned that you, in a sense, owe your miserable lives to me.”

She raised an eyebrow. There was a glimmer of something in her mind. An inscribed Githyanki slate that they had found in the Astral Plane. It depicted Vlaakith and a devil making a deal for the Astral Prism.

“Continue…” she hissed.

Raphael smiled at her.

“Come now, Laezel,” he said. “One must know a lock intrinsically in order to make a key to said lock, do they not?”

Her suspicions were proved correct, and she felt her blood boil at the revelation. Her nails dug into the armrests of the chair. She wanted to kill him.

“You made the Astral Prism…” she said in a fiery tone. “You helped Vlaakith enslave Orpheus, and you ask for my help! I should drive a sword through your skull for what you have done!”

Raphael held out a hand in a gesture to calm her.

“And I helped free him as well, did I not?” he countered. “It was business. I made most of my fortune from that deal, but I did not enslave your prince myself. Your former queen did. I did however make the Hammer as an insurance policy after I saw the mess she made. It was merely a question of time before her little scheme would be discovered.”

“And now she wants your head for defying her,” Lae’zel replied. “Should I return to the Astral Plane, then I will make sure that every living Child of Gith will want the same thing for what you have done in the first place.”

“I have done what you say,” he said. “But as I have told you, our interests align. You need allies to your cause, not enemies. I am motivated to help you.”

“Chk,” she scoffed. “You are motivated to help yourself, devil.”

“You need all the help you can get, Lae’zel…”

“You need my help,” she said. “Or else you would not be here filling my ears with your drivel.”

Raphael’s fist hit the table so hard that she thought it might split in two. She looked at him with an unimpressed glare. He leaned closer to her with fire in his eyes.

“I am being hunted for sport by Gith on the Material Plane,” he said in a low, angry voice. “I have Tiamat’s dragons circling my home here. I would never have given you or your friends the Orphic Hammer to break your precious prince’s chains, had I known you would not keep your word. The Crown of Karsus was my insurance that this would never happen. Had Tav kept her word, Vlaakith would have been snuffed out long ago.”

Lae’zel sneered at him but that did seem to calm her down for some reason.

“It was not my idea to snub you of it,” she said.

“I know,” he grumbled. “I admit, I should have made the deal with you instead of her. A mistake that will haunt me for millennia.”

She huffed in response.

“I am offering you soldiers,” he began in a softer tone. “Some who will be from the Material Plane and others from here in the Hells. In return I am only asking for you to lead them. I will guide you, of course, but you will lead them. Laws prohibit me from directly interacting in such a manner on the Material Plane.”

“I will not do it,” she said and shook her head. “Find someone else.”

Raphael looked at her with the disbelief of someone who was absolutely certain they already had the deal in the bag.

“What do you mean you will not do it?” he asked.

“What I said.”

“I can’t ‘find someone else’,” he said in an annoyed tone. “You know how Gith fight, where they hide, how they think. You will fight them regardless and I am offering you help to do so. Why would you not accept?”

“Would I sign a contract?”

“Obviously,” he said impatiently. “Though it would only be a necessary formality. I have to abide by Infernal laws.”

“Then your offer does not interest me. I will kill every last one of them, and I do not need your help, devil.”

Raphael’s claws dug into the arm of the chair to the point that she could hear the wood creak, and his jaw clenched. He raised his fingers to snap.

“Perhaps you will reconsider once more of your new friends die to your incessant stubbornness,” he grumbled. “Insolent child…”

He snapped his fingers and sent her back.

[smellss]

Nudged - Sam kerr x singer!reader social media au!

summary: social media subtly is harder for some than others

notes: credit @chaosology @si’ve been obsessing over these and thought i’d try it for myself!

please let me know if you’d like to see a part two!

Part Two | Part Three

liked by taylorswift, florencepugh, y/ngirlfriendfr and 240,870

y/noffical: Can't wait to look out to the crowd and see my beloved green and gold, I'll be home soon mum 💚💛

viewallcomments

taylorswift: can't wait to be down under with you 🖤

tayschaibiccy: reputation 👀 (Taylor's version) (down under edition)

masiepeters: go girl go!

matildas: loving the green and gold ✨

y/nsmummy: matildas social media slaying as always

baby/n: mother is arriving home!!!!!

floscrockpot: Ill wonder if she'll be bringing home other mother?

baby/n: idk they haven’t posted together for a while i hope everything is okay

dailymail: we'll we've got a story for you 👀

liked by gossipgirl206, msmarypeep and 40,789

dailymail: wlw power couple Y/n L/n and Florence Pugh have supposedly been broken up for over a year! Close source says the 5 year relationship ended amicably but both women did not want to create a scandal wave of drama and decided to keep it quiet. It’s even been noted Flo is in a new relationship with co-star Cillian Murphy, whilst Y/n is keeping things let’s just say down under… 👀

viewallcomments

y/nsmummy: we’ll i don’t believe in love anymore 🔪🔥

floscrockpot: i knew y/n wasn’t good enough for flo!

taylorschaibiccy: ma’am people like you are the reason they didn’t post it and make it public smh

baby/n: mmm i smell something going on here…

goodwitchymas: wait they were dating!

liked by masiepeters, matildas, skeggs and 610,780

y/noffical: perth night 1 ✨ never been so grateful to be back in this beautiful place.

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masiepeters: my girls all grown up 🥺

y/nsmummy: I REPEAT SHES BACK I REPEAT

matildas: thank you for having us queen 💛💚

y/noffical: i hope you ladies enjoyed the show ❤️

baby/n: huh

hugmetightly/n: no because this is interesting

liked by baby/n, kerrsboot, tilliescup and 27,608

captainkerrupdates: Sam Kerr and the rest of the tillies spotted taking a break watching another Australian icon Y/n L/n’s concert last night in Perth.

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kerrsboot: how very interesting

baby/n: oh yes i do agree

sammy123: odd sam is not a very big pop fan…

y/nmummy: something tells me sam isn’t going for the music

liked by samanthakerr20, alannahkennedy and 240,800

optusstadium: Our Matilda’s warm up session this morning good to see a lot of smiles on our nations gems 💚 #FWWC23

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samanthakerr20: thank you for having us 💛

haleyrusso: ❤️

kerrsboot: what songs do our tillies listen to while warming up??

alannahkenndey: strawberry kisses of course

samanthakerr20: nonsense by y/n l/n 🔥

baby/n: uh sorry excuse me pardon what.

captainkerrupdates: 📸 📸📸

mackenziearnold: oh sammy

liked by samanthakerr20, baby/n and 80,890

y/nultimategossiper: Y/n’s interview with Vogue Aus today talking about her favourite sport and the Matilda’s.

mummy/n: they are so dating are you kidding me

kerrsboot: they could just be friends

sammy123: either way it’s nice to see two icons supporting each other

mummy/n: sam liked this post

kerrsboot: damn i stand corrected somethings definitely going on

samanthakerr20 started following y/noffical

y/noffical started following samanthakerr20

[sunsetkerr]

SAY HI! | s.kerr

summary: sam shows off your son to the crowd after her game against TPE.

pairing: mum!sam kerr x fem!reader

notes: something nice and short for my love @iinsertblognamee before I fall sleep, based on this image!

THREE GAMES, FIVE GOALS, one step closer to qualifying. sam has been having the time of her life in perth over this last week and a half. she finally got to come home to her family and friends again, and win three games of football; all whilst having her wife and son right there behind her. 

henry was only little, born just five months ago. he was the best thing to ever happen to you both and sam was absolutely obsessed with him. he had been to his first game at just a few weeks old, he got to watch his mum play in the matilda’s 0-1 victory against france. there was no doubt that henry would grow up to be football obsessed.

the girls finished their last game against chinese taipei, 0-3 with sam putting away a goal. sam tried to hold her patience as she signed everything and anything for fans against the barriers, but she really only wanted to get to the end of this particular section. "hey there little man!" because at the end of this section, was her son.

"did you miss me? did you see mum's goal?" sam reached out to take henry from one of her friend’s jasmine. she had been watching henry for sam all night long, her wife home too sick to leave the house. so, to give her the night off, sam brought henry to the game to sit with jas. 

"you should be asleep right now" sam propped henry up under her arm, bouncing him slightly. henry gave his mum a tired smile, but his eyes were still open wide because of the bright stadium lights. "you're so cheeky" sam rubbed his cheek. 

she noticed as the crowd began to film her interaction between her and her son; and sam loved to show off, especially her son. sam smirked a little before lifting her son up to the crowd, shouting ‘simba’ out to jas who was also filming the pair. as sam brought henry back to her chest, she noticed the studio’s camera just next to her, broading casting her and her son. sam knew you would be watching at home, tucked away in your bed.

"look, wave to the camera" sam reached down and gently grabbed henry’s little hand. "mummy's watching at home" she waved it up and down, smiling at her son. "say hi!" she whispered to henry, who was only fussing in response. sam chuckled as she realised him getting fussy with the situation he was in.

"aw, henry!" sam turned as she heard alanna’s voice. she had a big smile on her face as she came over and grabbed his little hand with hers. "hi baby" she cooed. 

"it's aunty lani!" sam chuckled, but henry wasn’t having it. sam watched as he jutted out his lip and began to cry. 

"awh, buddy" alanna pouted, “i’m sorry” 

"mm, you're so tired" sam brought henry down slowly so he was resting his head on her chest. "come on little mate" sam kissed his head a few times before turning back to the crowd, looking for jas. "i'm gonna take him into the rooms!" sam called out to her.

she was met with a thumbs up from jas before walking back through the tunnel with alanna, tameka following behind.

she cheers from the crowds only echoed through the tunnel. henry continued to fuss, only crying harder. "shh.. i know it's loud isn't it?" sam cooed, holding her hand over henry’s ear. "shh" she shushed him again as he wailed louder, "oh, buddy" sam pouted. sam entered the change rooms and tried her best to bounce henry back into a state of comfort in her arms. "you're so tired, it's too late for you" sam nodded softly, patting his back rhythmically. 

after a while, jas was let into the change rooms and offered to take henry from sam. "do you want to grab a quick shower before you head home?".

“nah,” sam shook her head, not handing over her son. “he’s happy, i think i’ll just shower at home. it’s really late, i don’t wanna keep him out much longer” sam explained, looking down to notice her son drifting to sleep as he listened to his mother’s heartbeat. 

“i’m gonna take my boy home and go see my wife” she smiled, looking down at her little world. 

[tmbgareok]

Big touring over the next three months! Australia! The UK and Ireland! US east coast! Best links at www.TMBG.com.

Hey everyone. John F. here. Normally, I would just speak this in a Vibe Report on YouTube, but there are too many important links here and too much granular information to not deliver it in text form! I want to bring everyone up to date on all these shows coming up, and the second shows that have been added where shows have sold out. 

We are in Australia starting in the beginning of October (!) and in the UK and Ireland in November (!) playing Flood shows where over the night we play all the songs off the LP. All of the shows are "an evening with" which means no opener/starts early, and we are joined by our 8-piece band. ADDED! 1 Oct Adelaide https://bit.ly/4aZS1eF 2 Oct Adelaide SOLD OUT 4 Oct Sydney SOLD OUT 5 Oct Sydney SOLD OUT ADDED! 7 Oct Brisbane https://bit.ly/qRl1At 8 Oct Brisbane https://bit.ly/3Li9hAD 10 Oct Melbourne https://bit.ly/s7Ez8q 11 Oct Melbourne SOLD OUT 13 Oct Perth SOLD OUT ADDED! 14 Oct Perth https://bit.ly/A3d5T

1 Nov Southampton https://bit.ly/PlQ92z 2 Nov Cambridge SOLD OUT 3 Nov London https://bit.ly/3UrQpDe 5 Nov Glasgow SOLD OUT 6 Nov Newcastle https://bit.ly/zZwQ8b 8 Nov Belfast https://bit.ly/3JUEEQV 9 Nov Dublin SOLD OUT 12 Nov Manchester SOLD OUT 13 Nov Leeds SOLD OUT 15 Nov Nottingham SOLD OUT 16 Nov Bristol SOLD OUT 17 Nov London SOLD OUT In December we'll be out with the Big Show Tour where we spotlight a different album each night of a stand. One show in each market will be a celebration of our John Henry album. That's 1 of 2 in Philly, 1 of 3 in DC, 1 of 1 in Brooklyn (!?!), and 1 of 2 in Boston! Which night will that happen? Time will tell...

12.5 Philadelphia SOLD OUT 12.6 Philadelphia SOLD OUT 12.7 Washington DC SOLD OUT 12.8 Washington DC SOLD OUT 12.9 Washington DC SOLD OUT 12.13 Brooklyn https://bit.ly/TMBG121324 12.14 Boston 1 https://bit.ly/TMBG121424 12.15 Boston 2 https://bit.ly/TMBG121524 AN IMPORTANT NOTE FOR FOLKS WHO BOUGHT TICKETS LAST YEAR –– THESE RESCHEDULED SHOWS ARE FOR YOU!

Australia and British Isle ticket holders: your current tickets are valid for these new dates. Be sure to have your ticket confirmation email AND update your personal calendars NOW to avoid confusion later. In cities where we play multiple nights (Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, London), your ticket’s original date MUST match the new rescheduled date. These shows are mostly sold out, and that guy at the door won’t take tickets for other nights.

SO BE SURE TO MATCH YOUR TICKET TO THE SPECIFIC RESCHEDULED SHOW. (Many of these shows have also sold out, and additional shows have been added so CHECK THE DATE ON YOUR TICKET and match it to this very complete bit of information.)

Adelaide! The show booked originally on 8/10/23 is now on the 2nd of October

Sydney! The show booked originally on 6/10/23 is now on the 4th of October

Sydney! The show booked originally on 14/10/23 is now on the 5th of October

Brisbane! The show booked originally on 4/10/23 is now on the 7th of October 

Brisbane! The show booked originally on 5/10/23 is now on the 8th of October 

Melbourne! The show booked originally on 15/10/23 is now on the 10th of October 

Melbourne ! The show booked originally on 7/10/23 is now on the 11th of October 

Perth! The show booked originally on 11/10/23 is now on the 13th of October

London! The show booked originally on 5/11/23 is now on the 3rd of November London! The show booked originally on 18/11/23 is now on the 17th of November

[quodekash]

I didnt get enough sleep last night but its not my fault qtoey fuckin kissed

hes literally the most babygirl in this entire show

HIM FRANTICALLY CLEANING UP I LOVE HIM SM

I love this more than I can ever possibly describe

it's so silly

so goofy

HES SO GOOFY

they should kiss again I think

babes your voice just got three octaves higher, do better at lying next time

who the FUCK is this guy and why is he being introduced in episode 7 of 16 (apparently 16??? it's wild that this show is supposed to be 16 episodes long (according to mdl?) cos we're not even halfway through the show and 2 out of 4 of the main couples have officially kissed, and 1 is officially together. which is insane when you think about how msp is 12 episodes long and tinngun didnt properly kiss til thE END OF THE LAST FUCKING EPISODE)

(no im never getting over this, they COULD have counted 67 FUCKING TIMES throughout the show and they fucking DIDNT)

anyway this guy is probably gonna be a main part of the drama that's gonna go down in order to keep this show long enough 😭

why cant we just keep the light and fluffy show as it is and keep spreading joy and dopamine straight to my bones

two adorable little munchkins standing next to each other

theyre my sons

THAT LITTLE GIGGLE I CANT

whAT rEAlLY???

he asked if he could hit on you, then asked if he could KISS you, AND THEN YALL FUCKIN MADE OUT IN A HAUNTED HOUSE

AND THEN WHEN YOU SAW HIM TODAY, HE MADE SILLY KISSY LIPS AT YOU

so I suggest you all give up on this "plan", and change to this real plan: march up to him, ask him out, plant a kiss on his cheek, take your fuckin artist easels and canvases to a fuckin beach at sunset, paint and make out

oml pun's an astrology girlie

HOLY FUCK ITS HAPPENING

what the fuck no why does it look like its gonna get angsty, I cant do this :(

dont make me watch toey sob, I dont want that, I want them to make out again :((

im so confused dude why is he so angry

I genuinely dont get it

I mean im watching at 2x speed so I can get through this quickly so I might've missed some dialogue somewhere or smth, but still

why's he angry

idk why he's angry but I do know one thing: satang is too fucking good at portraying anguish

im too tired to process words so im not entirely sure what he means but I think it sounds poetic so we're gonna go with that

(ahem) THATS SO BEAUTIFUL WTF

WHAT THE FUCK

brb just gonna rip my fucking SOUL out

"its like im sitting in a vast grassy field with a gentle breeze under a bright sky" OKAY WTF ARE THE GMM WRITERS READING MY TUMBLR POSTS OR SMTH

THATS LITERALLY HOW I DESCRIBED THE WAY WIN PROBABLY FEELS ABOUT SOUND

its why his heart doesnt beat fast for sound, he just doesnt have that kind of crush, its more of a relaxing crush, like a gentle breeze

ill fucking find the post if I can

I literally wrote an extended metaphor poem combined with a fic about it

what the fuck dude

if they're watching my posts then why havent they given us my satang and perth siblings agenda yet

and where is the markford series

gmm I know you're looking at this, answer my fucking questions guys

I LOVE THEIR FRIEND GROUP SO FUCKING MUCH DUDE

they all just make me so happy 😭😭😭

okay but he didnt know you were milk frappe boy when hE FUCKING MADE OUT WITH YOU IN A HAUNTED HOUSE

theyre holdin hansssss

is what I think and want to happen about to happen

that wasnt grammar but its fine

THEYF CYKING END IT THERE??

BUT HES ALL PUCKERED UP

HES READY

ALSO THEYRE IN A SCHOOL HALLWAY AND IT WOULD BE REALLY FUNNY

WTF

I HAVE TO WAIT A FUCKING WEEK TO FEEL JOY????

COME ON MAN

oh fuck yes next week theyre goi g to a volunteer camp

volunteer camp episodes are always comfort episodes so thjis is gonna be GOOD

PUN DID IT BC HE WANTS QTOEY TO SPEND TIME TOGETHER??? BRO HE'STHE WINGMAN OF ALL TIME

well anyway I just wanna see qtoey kiss again :(

ill rewatch that one scene in the meantime

buhbye for now my friends, see yous next week

[cataclysmiceuphemism]

Monkees Crash Course Part 1

@longing4yesterday was interested in getting some Monkees info SOOO I'm making a lore dump post. This is really just focused on their OG run as a foursome, so 1966-1969ish, stopping when Peter quit the band. I'll be posting a part 2 as well, Tumblr was getting pissed and won't post it altogether.

The Important Players

Davy Jones

December 30, 1945 – February 29, 2012

Personal History: Davy was born in Manchester. Initially he had dreams of becoming a jockey, but was encouraged to go into acting and eventually ended up in the role of the Artful Dodger in Oliver! This is ultimately what led him to moving to the USA and getting noticed for a role in The Monkees.

Role in The Monkees: There are effectively 2 lead singers of The Monkees. Davy is one, best known for singing 'Daydream Believer'. He's also the 'cute one', and was the one primarily marketed as being a heartthrob of the group. With his history in Broadway, he sings most of the songs that put focus on belting/projecting. Although Davy isn't particularly known for any instruments (in the show he's relegated to the maracas more or less) he is also an adept musician and could play the guitar and drums.

Personality: Davy has a bit of a duality to him. A health nut who smoked cigarettes. Sweet but scrappy. Kind but mean. Has the most noticeable ego about him: He was performing in Oliver! as the Artful Dodger on Ed Sullivan the same night as The Beatles. He watched them perform from the wings and later told Mike that he 'might like to do' what they did. Oodles and oodles of confidence! Witty and charismatic. He's probably all told the one who's the most critical of the other Monkees, though he also clearly has love for them. Some of this is obvious and sincere bitterness and some of this is having a biting, stereotypical 'British' sense of humor; there is insult even in quite a few of his lighthearted/joking comments about the other guys (i.e. calling Micky 'Skilletface' because he has a flat nose/looks like he's been smacked in the face with a skillet).

Davy fact: Davy continued his love of horses despite giving up on his jockey dreams, and in 1996 won his first race, on Digpast, in the one-mile Ontario Amateur Riders Handicap at Lingfield in Surrey.

Micky Dolenz

March 8, 1945 -

Personal History: Micky was a child actor on the TV show Circus Boy in the 50s. During that time he was a bit of a celebrity and would go to fairs to play guitar and sing Purple People Eater. Definitely had some social struggles as a result, as he was tutored/home schooled during this time, then skipped grades, then ended up repeating a year in high school when his psychiatrist told his mom he needed to work on connecting with kids his age. He was beginning to go to trade school to become an architect when he auditioned for The Monkees.

Role in The Monkees: Micky is the second lead singer/voice of The Monkees, best known for singing 'I'm a Believer'. Was effectively volunteered into being the drummer because no one else wanted to do it. However Micky is a very energetic showman, and Mike later reported that he offered to take up the drums himself so that Micky could 'get out there'. Due having Perthes disease as a child that left him with chronic hip pain, his drum setup is different so that he plays 'right handed' but 'left footed' to play the kick drum. Marketed as the 'funny/crazy' one.

Personality: Micky is bouncy, puppy-dog friendly, overly energetic and extroverted in public, but quieter and more thoughtful/interested in chemistry and building things in his downtime. Goofy/slapstick sense of humor. He's generally very positive/loving towards all of the other Monkees, and MUCH better at the PR of being diplomatic about the things that obviously left him bitter about the other guys than any of the other Monkees are. Very expressive and emotional. Definitely the one with the best social reputation of all the other Monkees, and has continued friendships/working relationships with a lot of the people he knew 'back in the day'.

Micky fact: Micky is part Chickasaw and in the late 60s he got a letter asking for help because 3 Native Americans had been arrested for fishing a lake that they had always used. He paid their bail (iirc something like $3000?) and received a painting in thanks.

Mike Nesmith

December 30, 1942- December 10, 2021

Personal History: Mike grew up in Texas. He was aimless for a while and joined the Air Force, but pretty quickly realized he'd made a mistake in joining and was fortunate enough to be able to get discharged. He worked as a hootmaster at the Troubadour and was struggling with a new family to support when he ended up getting cast on The Monkees.

Role in The Monkees: Guitar player. Song writer. Singer (when it came to country tunes) Within the TV show, Mike was effectively the leader of The Monkees, and this wound up being true in real life when he went to bat for their musical integrity.

Personality: During the run of The Monkees, Mike was often called 'The Smart Monkee', though this was never really meant positively. Surrealistic, dry sense of humor. Within the TV versions of themselves, Mike was often placed as a de facto leader of sorts. This is something that wound up carrying over into the real life world of The Monkees. Mike is the Monkee that definitely gets the most hate for reasons that are justified and reasons that aren't really. Mike was very strong willed and contrary and funny, and also very insecure. His insecurity led to him shooting himself (and the other Monkees) in the foot when it came to their public image pretty often, as well as tearing apart his relationships the same way.

Mike fact: Mike got super into World of Warcraft. He ended up reassessing after he had to go to work for a few days and came back online to messages wondering if he died.

Peter Tork

February 13, 1942- February 21, 2019

Personal History: Peter was born in Washington but moved to New York and was a part of the folk music scene in Greenwich Village. He was working as a dishwasher at the time he landed a role on The Monkees. After Stephen Stills was declined due to his crooked teeth, he recommended Peter for a role on The Monkees. Reportedly Mike also recommended Peter for a role due to his musical talent, as he was working as a dishwasher at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach and was known around the local nightclub circuit.

Role in The Monkees: Within the show, Peter was classed as 'the dummy', but this wasn't true in real life. Outside of the show, Peter was the one who was able to play the most instruments. He was designated to the bass guitar since the others couldn't play it, and most often played piano or organ on the other songs (though the other Monkees did play piano on some of the tunes). He also taught Micky how to play the drums.

Personality: Peter was the one who got most into the 'hippie movement' in the 60s. Free loving, pot smoking, all that jazz. He was known as the 'orgy organizer' and often a nudist who had people floating in and out of his house at all hours of the day. He gave his money/items freely to a fault and was taken advantage of in this regard during The Monkees first run. He also ended up losing quite a bit of money due to breaking his contract to quit The Monkees-- all in all he was the most against capitalism but also likely the most negatively affected by it within the band due to his strong opinions and his willingness to give to others. Though The Monkees were all on the same page to varying degrees politically speaking, Peter was the most vocal about the political process and talked politics often. Peter was diagnosed quite late in his life as having autism.

Peter fact: Peter briefly worked as a teacher in the 70s teaching English, social studies and music at two private schools in the Los Angeles area.

Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson

The guys behind The Monkees, created Raybert productions and produced some awesome shows an movies. Personally I don't have too much to say about these guys, though I think most Monkees fans hate their asses lol. The opinions on them as people are relatively mixed in general and from The Monkees themselves-- a mix of heated comments (both on personality and because of The Monkees being fucked over contractually) and gratitude. A lot of it depends on the decade you find the quote from. I do think they cared a lot more about money than any of The Monkees as people while pretending to care more than they did because they wanted to use The Monkees' own interests to cater to the crowd they were selling to.

Donnie Kirshner

Don Kirshner is 'The Villain' in The Monkees story. He was 'The Man With the Golden Ear' and was in charge of hiring songwriters and determining what songs got pumped out. The Monkees ended up booting Donnie and gaining more creative control.

Quote from The Wrecking Crew Facebook page:

"In the early 1960s, Kirshner was a successful music publisher as head of his own company, Aldon Music, which later was sold to Screen Gems-Columbia Music. . He later became president of COLGEMS, a subsidiary of the COLPIX label, in 1966.

Kirshner was hired by the producers of The Monkees to provide songs to accompany the television program. Kirshner used songwriting talent from his Brill Building stable of writers and musicians.

The formula worked phenomenally well – the singles "Last Train to Clarksville", written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, and "I'm a Believer" written by Neil Diamond and the first two Monkees albums were produced and released in time to catch the initial wave of the television program's popularity.

After a year, the Monkees wanted a chance to play their own instruments on the records. They also wanted more control over which songs would be released as singles. The matter reached a breaking point over a disagreement regarding the Neil Diamond-penned "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" in early 1967. The song's release by Kirshner as a single without Columbia Pictures' consent, led to his dismissal."

Kirshner planning/releasing songs without The Monkees involvement led to a very explosive fight, most notably between Kirshner and Mike. This fight was documented in Micky's autobiography like this:

Cut To:

Int. Kirshner’s Bungalow — Night

The four Monkees, Donnie Kirshner, and Herb Moelis (a Screen Gems lawyer) are in attendance. The boys have just arrived and pleasantries have been exchanged. The atmosphere is tense. Everyone knows what’s coming, and no one is looking forward to it.

Micky is lounging in a chair, dreading the inevitable. Peter is standing against a wall with his arms folded. Davy is doing his nails. This time it’s Mike who’s pacing like a caged tiger.

Donnie has four Gold records stacked up on a table. He picks them up and hands them to the guys. He grins a big toothy grin.

DONNIE

So, here they are guys. Your sparkling new Gold records! Congratulations!

MICKY

(feinged enthusiasm)

Great!

DAVY

(feinged enthusiasm)

Great!

PETER

(no enthusiasm)

Hummph!

MIKE

(ominously)

When is the next release scheduled?

DON

Well… we think it should be in late February… or so.

PETER

(sarcastically)

Well, guys. I guess we better get into the studio and start recording some new tunes. Our tunes.

Donnie’s big toothy grin starts to fade. All you can see now are the tips of his fangs.

DONNIE

No, no. Don’t bother, We’ve already recorded some great new tracks in New York. There’s this one unbelievable tune by Neil Diamond… You remember him, he wrote “I’m a Bel…”

MIKE

(exploding)

What! You recorded new tracks in New York? Why the hell didn’t you talk to us first? It’s our names going on those records!

Whatever was left of the big toothy smile is gone and lost forever. It has been replaced by a thin, grim smirk.

DONNIE

Take it easy, kid. Why don’t you just be happy with this Gold record and…

MIKE

Look! Either we get total and complete control of all the recording and the releases or I’m quitting!

Donnie is taken aback; the grim grin is frozen on his face. Even the other three guys are stunned. No one thought it would come to this. And no one thinks Mike is bluffing. Mike doesn’t bluff. Suddenly, Herb Moelis, the lawyer, speaks up.

MOELIS

(arrogantly)

You’d better take a look at your contract, son. You can’t quit unless we tell you you can quit.

Big mistake! This is not something you tell Mike Nesmith, even as a joke, on a good day. Mike spins around to confront the squirmy legal beagle. There is fire in his eyes and a fury in his heart. His fists are clenched. The veins are popping out of his neck. He looks like he is about to explode all over this little litigator. Somehow he manages to maintain his self control..

He turns to the nearby wall, cocks back his fist, and plunges it into the thirty-year-old lath and plaster.

MIKE

THAT COULD HAVE BEEN YOUR FACE, MOTHERFUCKER!

With that he storms out of the seething room and into the cool LA night.

Fade out

To say the least, The Monkees didn't like Kirshner much.

Quotes from Don Kirshner on The Monkees:

Don Kirshner on The Monkees…

ON MIKE NESMITH: Though people say that Mike doesn’t talk much, he is actually very articulate. My wife Sheila and I spent a long evening in a quiet Hollywood restaurant having dinner with Mike and his wife Phyllis when I first met them. I noticed that he had a particular passion for salads. He told me about one salad that he makes with nuts in it. I had never had that, and I tried it later and it was quite good. Mike is very witty, and he told us a funny story about the time he literally jumped over a general’s airplane when he was in the Air Corps. He has the kind of humor that Andy Griffith has, but his style is unique and his very own. Phyllis is one of the sweetest girls Sheila and I have ever met. She is very friendly, very much a wife – and she adores Mike.

ON PETER TORK: I would say that Peter is the deepest of the boys. He is very literate – and he is concerned about motivation and justification. He likes to have serious conversations about music and other things. He always goes beneath the surface. Oddly, in contrast to his seriousness, he is one of the funniest young men I have ever met. He is also one of the finest guitar players I have heard around in a long, long time. Basically, he has a lot of warmth and sincerity, and he is very dedicated in all that he does.

ON MICKY DOLENZ: Micky is one of the most completely amusing and charming boys I’ve ever met. His great sense of humor surrounds him with a kind of aura of joy. Being with Mick makes you feel happy inside. He’s one of the most versatile singers I’ve heard. He has lots of drive, and his anxiety about putting out a perfect record pushes him to peaks of excellence. There just isn’t enough time for Micky to do everything he wants to do. He is always jumping around. I call him perpetual motion. He loves action and he picks up on everythings [sic] very fast.

ON DAVID JONES: I have known David for a long time and have had the rewarding pleasure of watching his career grow over the past several years. I have also been able to watch him grow as a person, and I am very pleased with the way David is maturing and developing, both as a performer and as a human being. David spent last Thanksgiving at our house and I realized how very family-conscious he is. He talks about his folks a lot and takes great care of his dad and family. He and David Pearl are close friends and it is a pleasure to be in their company. They are both very fine young men. David Jones knows where he is going. He is precise and he is very experienced for his age – in all areas. He is a loyal friend, and I know that no matter what rewards he may reap, his first concern will always be doing things for others. I consider David a close friend.

I'm including these because I think it gives a good idea of Don Kirshner's view. Even the compliments largely aren't complimentary and are rather condescending, backhanded compliments like 'literate' or 'articulate' that are more negative than they might be taken on their face.

The TV Show

As a quote from Stephen Stills: The casting ad for “The Monkees," The Hollywood Reporter, September 8, 1965. "I was just starting out as a songwriter and I had about 8 or 10 songs and they were so simple I thought they would be perfect. I just wanted to sell my songs. When I got in there I told Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider that I knew a guy who would be perfect. His name was Peter Torkelson."

Initially it seemed like the show wasn't going to be picked up. At its first pitch it was more formulaic to the time: There was a 'fatherly' role which ended up being cut, and was closer in tune with Leave it to Beaver type sensibilities. It was repackaged by Bert and Bob to be more improvised and more about the 4 boys on their own struggling to make it as a band without 'adult' authority.

The show lasted 2 seasons on NBC. It was an episodic show with no overarching plot beyond the idea that there's a band that's struggling to make the rent. The characters all share the names of the real life Monkees, so Mike Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork are the Monkees both in real life and on the show. Unique in that the four were taught improv techniques and were encouraged to improvise lines. Also unique in that there were 'Monkee Romps' which were in their way music videos where it was just the boys playing or running around while one of their songs played.

Monkees Screen Tests - About 20 mins of the boys as they try to land the role :)

Google Drive with all the episodes

Google Drive with all eps + DVD commentary tracks by the Monkees

TV show/music controversy:

So because The Monkees were a TV show band that became a real band, there was push-back that they weren't singing their own songs, that they weren't playing their own instruments, that they weren't actually a real band. They had hired song-writers like Boyce and Hart, they had guys like Don Kirshner who was specifically trying to make them marketable, they had The Wrecking Crew, pictured below, who were studio musicians-- so a lot of what was being done on their part was singing the vocals.

But at its core this is something that's a bit odd. The Wrecking Crew played on records of 'real' musicians. The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and many, many others, all utilized The Wrecking Crew to play on their albums. Even early on Mike was contributing to song-writing. And The Monkees played live almost immediately. Though their first stint was in promotion for the show and was a flop-- they played The Last Train to Clarksville on a moving train and as a result they and their instruments were being thrown all over-- they were very quickly able to functionally play as a band live. By their tour in 1967, they actually pretty largely got good reviews published in the paper; the 'bad' reviews were often more in the line of 'they can't be heard over the screaming children'. But if you go through newspapers at the time in the places they played, there's plenty of positive comments even outside of their audience--that is, middle aged men versus teen girls-- saying they were actually pretty good. So what's the deal?

Honestly a lot of it is probably The Monkees themselves, especially Mike himself. One member of the band the Association told The Wrecking Crew that the musicians' names wouldn't be on the record because "We don't want kids to know we didn't play on the record.". While there was some hiding of the fact it wasn't The Monkees playing, it didn't take long before The Monkees themselves were commenting on this. And Mike was the big dissenter on it.

Here's one comment from Micky in Minnesota in 1967:

Well interesting for me. As most of you have undoubtedly heard, it has been-- there's been a lot of hassle and everything about the Monkees playing our own music and, uh...Which took us quite by surprise. Since we we do and we did, and uh...The first the first records the first songs the first album anything we were just jamming together with a whole lot of people, trying to just put together anything, music whatever and then they came out and then everybody started criticizing us for not playing all the violins and not all the saxophones and not the 85 other instruments involved in making a big track or making big tracks or whatever, you know and rather than like learn how to play the French horn. We would call him a very expert French horn player. Like Vince Groza, for instance, who's like about the best, and have him do it but the wrath of Hell went down upon The Monkees and we all got together we all meaning just us four and just said and decided that for our own peace of mind and especially because people just didn't seem to understand we would transgress which means go backwards which is what we did in fact and pick up three guitars and a set of drums and say well if this is what you want, okay, we can do a lot of groovier things with other instruments, but whatever. It wasn't quite that deep or anything. Or that heavy.

But when we ended up having a lot of fun doing it. And the record that I'm gonna play now good bad or indifferent, you can judge yourself, is the first record the first really complete song that is just us four. We were really mad. We didn't even have an engineer in the booth or a producer. Nobody. We recorded it on a little Sony transistor tape recorder in a bathroom to get a groovy sound because we figured well if that's what they want to hear and they really are uptight about us not really doing it. We all sat down and concentrated on our energies and trying to come up with a foursome sound just out of our own thing and now we're back into you know, like doing things with electronic instruments. I have a electronic instrument set up, you know doing those kind of things and we're using, you know groovy guitar players and groovy horn players and groovy this players and groovy that players to get all kinds of different sounds and uh...But this is like in case none of you knew the first, you know, honest to goodness kind of Monkees song and it's really bad. I mean compared to other foursome sounds I think you know because we had like I think three or four hours a night for about a week to do it. Which is not a very long time at all, especially after you finished working on the set and we'd all run to the studio, just thrashed and wiped out and but determined to put out a record I really know just a song, you know our first song.

This is the song he is referring to.

Apparently the bathroom got good acoustics cuz it's not the only song they recorded in the bathroom for

Anyway....Micky's comment is, while hurt and emotional and marginally self-deprecating, relatively diplomatic: The Monkees are getting a lot of hate for not playing their own instruments. And yeah, they do hire outside musicians, because they're working 12-16 hour days shooting the show, and going on tour, and doing their own recording for the music with the vocals if nothing else, so if they did it all it's going to be rushed and it's not going to be as good as they could do it with 50 hired musicians. But they had a lot of fun recording their own music for Headquarters (the first album that was 'theirs' in terms of recording the sound/song choice/etc) and hopefully it still is a song their fans like.

Mike by contrast, also in Minnesota, told the newspaper that The Monkees weren't anything good and that they were pretty much just a stepping stone for the kids to get into real, adult music. Even when they were actively working on putting out their own music, Mike was putting out statements that was effectively that they were little kiddie music for babies.

This isn't to say it was all Mike's fault. (Probably). Songs like So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star by The Byrds were supposedly a swipe at The Monkees. Was this true, especially considering The Byrds, like I said, also used The Wrecking Crew? Including to the point that they largely didn't contribute to the music themselves on their first hit, Tambourine Man? Who knows. Peter at least told Rolling Stone that he'd never heard that:

No. Nobody ever said anything like that to me. I took it at face value. Maybe they thought about the Monkees, but “Get a guitar and learn how to play…” Michael and I had been playing…I’d been playing music of one sort or another from the time I was nine years old, when I began to take piano lessons. So that was for 14 years. Michael had been playing continuously for several years before that; he was a folki e. Micky played folk guitar, fireside guitar — you gave him a guitar, and he could play anything. Davy, who didn’t play any instruments, had been on Broadway. He was the American original Artful Dodger in Oliver, and that’s not nothing as a musical ability. Davy, too, when we said, “We need a bass player for this,” he said, “How do I play bass?” We said, “You put your finger here, and you pluck this string here at this moment,” and he was onstage with us playing bass in five minutes. He knew. Davy is one of the most fabulously musically adept minds I have ever met. You just don’t…that’s not nothing.

and they were also getting thanks on the albums of 'real' musicians like Buffalo Springfield:

So I don't know. While there was criticism in this regard, frankly a lot of it from the press was also eye rolling at the fact that the demographic for The Monkees was young girls and 'long-haired' people. There were also criticisms of drug references, what have you. The demographic plus the fact that The Monkees were primarily actors first, plus the fact they were 'hippies', plus the fact that Mike ESPECIALLY would run his mouth about these things really did nothing for The Monkees' public persona. This was also exacerbated that they got a bit of a 'diva' rep especially early on because Bob and Bert didn't want them to answer hard-hitting interview questions so that they wouldn't lose their mainstream appeal by getting political. There are articles of The Monkees 'refusing' to talk to the press; at the same time there are articles talking The Monkees up because they go out of their way to interact with their fans in ways that big names (including The Beatles) didn't. And there's quite a bit of positive press that they actually play well, that they shine when they're doing their solo and give a show worth the price of admission, etc.

While the reflection of what the press thought about The Monkees is often boiled down to digs about them not playing their own music, it was actually much more of a mixed bag at the time. And it was often exacerbated by The Monkees themselves, especially Mike running his mouth about it. Later on The Monkees by and large settled into seeing themselves as a 'fake band', that is, a 'television band', or maybe a 'band of actors', but in a way that is more positive than how they broached it in the 60s. The holdout on this stance was pretty much Peter, who seemed more in the vein of if they are capable musicians then the music is real, regardless of if they were only playing it because they were hired 'actors'. I personally tend to agree more with Peter's perspective of seeing them as both actors and a 'real' band than the other perspective of being actors who were hired to play music (despite the technical truth of the latter).

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

New SpaceTime out Monday

SpaceTime 20241230 Series 27 Episode 157

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NASA's Parker Solar Probe has made history flying closer to the Sun and travelling faster than any other spacecraft ever.

New lunar samples show the Moon was still volcanically active 2.8 billion years ago

New data from China’s Chang’e-6 sample return mission to the far side of the Moon suggests the landing site was still volcanically active approximately 2.8 billion years ago – far more recently than previously thought.

Unveiling the uncharted Milky Way

Astronomers have developed a new stellar chart providing a more complete map of our Milky Way Galaxy.

The Science Report

Drinking tea or coffee associated with a lower risk of head and neck cancer.

Study finds that 1 in 127 people are on the autism spectrum.

A major breakthrough in energy storage technology.

Skeptics guide to grounding socks

SpaceTime covers the latest news in astronomy & space sciences.

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SpaceTime YouTube: @SpaceTimewithStuartGary

SpaceTime -- A brief history

SpaceTime is Australia’s most popular and respected astronomy and space science news program – averaging over two million downloads every year. We’re also number five in the United States.  The show reports on the latest stories and discoveries making news in astronomy, space flight, and science.  SpaceTime features weekly interviews with leading Australian scientists about their research.  The show began life in 1995 as ‘StarStuff’ on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) NewsRadio network.  Award winning investigative reporter Stuart Gary created the program during more than fifteen years as NewsRadio’s evening anchor and Science Editor.  Gary’s always loved science. He studied astronomy at university and was invited to undertake a PHD in astrophysics, but instead focused on his career in journalism and radio broadcasting. Gary’s radio career stretches back some 34 years including 26 at the ABC. He worked as an announcer and music DJ in commercial radio, before becoming a journalist and eventually joining ABC News and Current Affairs. He was part of the team that set up ABC NewsRadio and became one of its first on air presenters. When asked to put his science background to use, Gary developed StarStuff which he wrote, produced and hosted, consistently achieving 9 per cent of the national Australian radio audience based on the ABC’s Nielsen ratings survey figures for the five major Australian metro markets: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.  The StarStuff podcast was published on line by ABC Science -- achieving over 1.3 million downloads annually.  However, after some 20 years, the show finally wrapped up in December 2015 following ABC funding cuts, and a redirection of available finances to increase sports and horse racing coverage.  Rather than continue with the ABC, Gary resigned so that he could keep the show going independently.  StarStuff was rebranded as “SpaceTime”, with the first episode being broadcast in February 2016.  Over the years, SpaceTime has grown, more than doubling its former ABC audience numbers and expanding to include new segments such as the Science Report -- which provides a wrap of general science news, weekly skeptical science features, special reports looking at the latest computer and technology news, and Skywatch – which provides a monthly guide to the night skies. The show is published three times weekly (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and available from the United States National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio, and through both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

[onboardsorasora]

Enchanted AU: Part 36

Your eyes do not deceive you, its a new chapter! (which I started months ago and tabled). We're going back to irregular updates here-- mostly whenever I feel a vibe. If a new plot forms, it forms! I missed these two, happy to write them again.

Enchanted AU - Disney Princess Dan 1 | Part 35

Max placed his hand on Daniel's bouncing thigh as they sat in the back of the SUV. The skyline was a beautiful orange that reminded him of the smoke that followed him around the grandstands.

Perth was beautiful.

Joe had only given him a stern look in place of a shovel talk before shaking his hand. No doubt Grace and Michelle took care of that. Daniel had clutched Joe like his life depended on it and Max was able to see the absolute relief that fluttered over the elder Ricciardo’s face. 

Daniel seemed to get more and more nervous the closer they got to the family ranch. He'd begun biting his cuticles along with his leg hopping.

“What's wrong?” Max leaned over to whisper. Daniel jolted a little before smiling.

“I'm just excited to see everyone I think. It's like been so long.”

“They'll all be happy to see you, I think.” Max knew Daniel meant all the animals in his ‘everyone’ and he couldn't wait to maybe meet some of them. 

They arrived not too long afterwards and there was a flurry of activity. Daniel was scooped up into many hugs and Max was even enfolded into the bosom of an older woman who mumbled to him in Italian. She looked at Max's face this way and that from varying angles before she smiled beautifully as if satisfied.

“Nonna please.” Daniel came to save him, he muttered to the woman in Italian in a pleading tone and she only smirked at him and said something in what Max could only claim as an ‘i told you so’ tone.

“Don't mind her.” Daniel was blushing as he spoke, tugging Max out of the house by his hand. They exited through a door in the kitchen and Max saw that the land went on for kilometers. 

“Would you like to meet everyone?” Daniel asked shyly. Max threaded his fingers through Daniel's and brought the back of his tattooed wrist to his lips.

“I'd be honoured.”

Daniel led them through a side gate that separated a garden area from what seemed to be the greater farm. They didn't walk very far before they were immediately swarmed by a small herd of llamas, sheep and horses. 

Daniel took a minute to laugh and interact with the animals before tugging Max forward. He sang Max's introduction, and soon he was overwhelmed with animals trying to get his attention.

Max doesn't know how long they spent out there, going for rides with the herd. He was amazed at how excited the animals were to see Daniel again. It felt like the time in the glade in Monaco on steroids. Max watched as Daniel stroked the head of a foal tucked into his side, he smiled softly as they were presented with all of the new babies to ooh and ahh over.

If Max didn't know any better, he'd have thought they stepped into a Disney movie or something.

Grace stepped out onto the back patio with a grin and her hands on her hips. Daniel looked up from where he was nuzzling an alpaca and nodded. 

“It's dinner time I think.” Daniel murmured, reaching for Max's hand.

It took some coaxing and promises of more cuddle time for the animals to let them go. Daniel also promised to brush the horses before the night was over. 

“C’mon Mr popular.” Max teased, pulling Daniel close by the wrist. Daniel ducked his head in a blush and pushed Max's shoulder with his. 

“Did you– everyone enjoyed meeting you.” Daniel bit his lip nervously. He hoped Max hadn't been too overwhelmed.

Max kissed their joined hands. “It was lovely. Everyone really loves you.” Max said honestly. He only felt a little badly that he'd had Daniel to himself all this time. 

“I missed them as well. If I knew I'd have been gone for so long I'd have given everyone more kisses!” Daniel babbled. “I'll make sure to spend time with everyone before we leave for Melbourne.”

They stepped onto the back porch and Max pulled Daniel into his arms. He kissed Daniel's temple, smiling a little at the thought of Daniel coming with him to a race weekend. He was more excited than he realized, the anticipation of Daniel in his world– seeing him in his element was high. 

“I'll come with you.” Max promised, enjoying the beaming smile Daniel sent his way. It would be lovely, he knew. Any time spent with Daniel was.

[rhey-007]

𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 | P2

Daniel Ricciardo x Kubica!reader

Summary: After an unexpected event you finally 'announce' your relationship with Daniel.

Warnings/Tags: fluff, family fluff, car accident, driver reader, female reader

A/N: It's a short one just so you know. I changed Oscar for reader. And ofc the situation in completely made up. There's nothing more I can say, enjoy! 💞

Wordcount: 2312

Part 1

*＊✿❀🍊❀✿＊*

A few months passed since you started dating Daniel. You really couldn’t have imagined a better boyfriend. He was so sweet and charming, always ready to help you even when you didn’t need it, buying you various gifts even though you categorically forbade him – you didn’t like when he spent money on you without occasion or if it wasn’t food – but the man was too stubborn to give up, always wanting to see you happy and comfortable.

Everyone on the grid knew there was something between you from the moment you’ve met, instantly befriending one another, and they weren’t much surprised when they found out about your relationship.

The only ones that had no idea, but were pretty suspicious, were your fans. You always thought Daniel was a kind of guy to share his happiness with the whole world, but you were wrong. He kept your relationship secret much to your satisfaction, you wouldn’t like journalists and paparazzi running after you asking stupid questions about you and the AlphaTauri driver.

You’ve brought Daniel back home a few times, introducing him to your family. Your grandma took a particular liking in him, always asking when he would visit her. You couldn’t blame her though.

The first time they met she immediately put him to work and Daniel was more than keen on helping her, even though he couldn’t understand a word she said.

After that he became her favourite grandkid, making your brother Robert fiercely compete with him for that spot. But Daniel didn’t even have to try. He just flashed her one of his charming and genuine smiles and she was instantly pushing a few banknotes – which he never accepted, usually giving them to you or secretly putting them back into her savings jar – or food into his hands.

Robert and Daniel also formed a kind of bond. He always wanted a brother, eventually landing with you whom he wouldn’t trade for anything, but still felt the lack of brotherly rivalry. So when you told him about you and Daniel he was head over heals with the information.

Robert accepted him as a brother he never had, taking him out for a drink every time he could or taking him to boys night with his friends when he visited Poland.

Daniel fell in love not only with you but also your family, country and culture – secretly trying to learn polish and how to make polish food, to impress you and your close ones.

His favourite memory with them, was their first meeting on Christmas. You’ve managed to drag him all the way from Perth, where you spent the time after the racing season finally able to relax and have some fun, to Poland.

He chuckled when you warned him the winter might be really cold, not believing you, but the moment he stepped out of the airport, cold air and snowflakes hitting his face, he regretted not listening to you and not packing warmer clothes. Good thing you knew better and repacked his suitcase the day before your flight when he was asleep.

“I told you”

You and Robert snickered walking out after him and watching as he trembled.

"There you go buddy. Can’t let you freeze or our little gremlin will kill me”

You stuck your tongue out at your brother for the nickname but really appreciated him covering Daniel with his own coat.

“Jesteśmy!” (We’re here!)

Your shout vibrated through the old house as you walked inside, shrugging off your coat and hanging it up before running to greet your parents. Robert instructed Daniel further inside while he took your suitcases upstairs to your room.

The man looked around the rooms, surveying every smallest detail he could. Your childhood house wasn’t too big but was sure really cozy. Family photos hanged on the plain white walls along with pictures of Jesus and some saints, antlers were there too – were they real? Did your father or grandad hunt them? He had no idea but had to find out.

Soon, instead of following your voice to the living room he found himself in the kitchen. It was quite big, able to accommodate a long family. He has managed to let out a quiet ‘hello’ before your grandam started giving him orders not even bothering to check who it was.

Thanks to her hand movement Daniel was able to help her, taking some things from the highest shelves, opening a few jars and preparing the table for dinner. Apparently leaving him alone for a few seconds wasn’t the best idea.

A huge smile appeared on your face when you noticed him standing by the stove with your grandma, tasting the soup she made and giving her a thumbs up.

“See you already met grandma”

Your hand run up and down his back after you walked up to them, the man nodding happily, his arm wrapping around your wiast and squeezing it softly. Only then did your grandma realise the man was your boyfriend.

“Babciu, this is my boyfriend Daniel” (Granny)

“O kochanieńki! And I thought you were one of Robert’s friends! You could have said! I wouldn’t have put you to work!” (Oh honey!)

She grabbed his arm, pulling to the table and making him sit down, not lettiing him do anything for the rest of the evening.

Daniel sat the closest to her, constantly praising her cooking skills throughout the whole dinner, as he really enjoyed it.

You were surprised how good your family has received him and how well he found himself around them despite the language barrier.

The man couldn’t stop rambling about the dinner after you showered, laying on the bed and admiring him as he talked, you could literally see stars in his eyes.

“Daniel...”

A tired mumble got him out of trance and he looked down at you, sweetly snuggled in the warm covers barely able to keep your eyes opened.

“I’m sorry, I’m just so excited and mesmerized”

He said, finally laying down beside you and bringing you closer.

“Don’t be I get it...”

After placing a soft kiss to the tip of his nose, you hid your face in his chest and fell asleep almost immediately.

*＊✿❀🍊❀✿＊*

The next day was Christmas Eve. You expected Daniel to still be asleep when you wake up, as he usually would, but you were surprised not to find him beside you.

Quickly getting ready, you run down the stairs and heard the familiar laugh. You entered the kitchen to see your boyfriend once again helping your grandma along with Robert.

"Hi honey!”

He placed a chaste kiss to your cheek before instructing you to close your eyes and open your mouth. You hesitantly obeyed, softly parting your lips then felt Daniel place some food inside of them. Chewing it slowly you could hear your grandma and brother giggle, making you open your eyes.

“Did you like it?”

Daniel asked with a playful smile and you nodded.

“It was a herring with bread and pickles”

He answered the question you didn’t manage to ask, making you instantly want to puke. Looking confused between him and your family, you understood their giggles.

Apparently Robert bet Daniel that he won’t be able to make you eat, nor admit that the food you hate is actually really good. And he won, much to your dissatisfaction as all of them kept teasing you about this the whole day.

Daniel found himself pretty well in the chaos happening in the house, but preffered to stay in the kitchen where he felt most comfortable.

Eventually the dinner came and the man could meet the rest of your family. Your older aunts were amazed by the fact you pulled such a hot and polite australian, while your cousins’ kids enjoyed the way he played with them, not capable to say no to either of them even when he started to get tired.

Watching them play made your stomach flutter, cheeks cover in a soft blush and lips spreading into a smile. It was by far the best Chistams you both have ever experienced.

When the time for presents came, Daniel was the first one to receive his. Silence fell in the room while he opened the bag, everyone’s eyes watching waiting for his reaction, and revealed a beautiful sweater your grandma knitted for him. He pulled it over his head, tears filling his eyes until they fell down like waterfalls when he read the note left inside the bag.

“Welcome to the family Daniel”

It read. You hugged him tightly, the kids running up to do the same then the rest of your family joined in. From then on he was like a precious gem to all of them...

*＊✿❀🍊❀✿＊*

Few months later you were relaxing in your hotel room, after the arrival for the Belgium GP, sitting in Daniel’s lap and reading the comments and blogs about the two of you. Snuggling into his chest you sighed heavily, earning a confused look from the man. You looked up at Daniel at pretty much the same time he did at you.

"Should we tell them already? "

You asked quietly. He took a sip of his Heineken and changed the TV channel before responding.

"They already know"

Rolling your eyes you couldn't help a smile.

"Oh you know what I mean! "

You softly hit his chest which made him look down at you with a mischievous smile.

"Naaah... Let them suffer a little more~"

His words made you chuckle and shake your head. Well then your fans had to wait a little more...

Fortunately, or unfortunately, that ‘little more’ was really short. Your training and qualifications went really well, just as your teammate’s Lando’s, and you both were likely to be on a podium.

It was Sunday and everything went smoothly, for both McLaren and AlphaTauri so neither you nor Daniel needed to see each other until the end.

But the man came in anyway, just to make sure you were ready and alright, and also to steal a kiss as he believed that you were his lucky charm. He sneaked into your room unnoticed by the paparazzi or cameras and wrapped his arms around you from behind.

“How is my princess feeling?”

“Great, as always”

You responded with a warm smile then pressed your lips against his. He didn’t want to let go, even when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket – it must have been either Yuki or Franz trying to reach him.

“You gotta go...”

You mumbled sadly into the kiss and only then did he pull away, a soft pout on his lips. You stroked his cheek then kissed it quickly and pushed him out of your room.

“Good luck! I’ll see you later!”

First few laps felt like heaven, you were 2nd right after Max, but by the 10th lap there was something wrong with your brakes. You decided to brush it off, which was really stupid, as when you finally decided to inform your team it was too late.

You were too far to pit, driving too fast and not able to break. When you reached the first turn – La Source – once again, your car flew straight into the barriers almost crushing you inside.

You were lucky enough that nothing really happened, except your arm breaking. You haven’t really noticed it though, quickly hopping out of the car and waiting for someone to pick you up. Only when you were escorted to the hospital wing did you felt the huge pain when you tried moving it.

Daniel was in the middle of the track when he noticed the safety car join them.

“What happened?”

He asked Jodi who didn’t respond at first, making the man feel uneasy.

“Y/N crashed her car”

He soon heard Jodi say, his throat feeling dry.

“Is she okay!? I’m pulling over.”

“NO! You gotta stay on the track. She’s alright. Everything’s alright”

Jodi sighed rubbing his forehead then came up with and idea. The man knew Ricciardo was able to pull over and fuck the race just to be sure you were alive, and no one could stop him. Except of you. He called you, feeling relieved when Robert passed you your phone.

“He wants to pull over, you gotta tell him you’re okay”

He explained quickly before placing his phone to the microphone and turning it on, hoping he'd hear you.

“Ricciardo!”

Your voice sounded in his ear, a shiver running down his spine. He knew he was in big trouble when you called him by his surname.

“Don’t you even dare pulling over! You gotta win this!... For me...”

“Yes ma’am! I promise!”

And just as he promised he did. You couldn’t belive your eyes when you saw him overtaking Carlos and Max on the final stretch and win the fucking race.

While standing on the podium he moved his body weight from foot to foot, unable to focus, impatiently waiting for the ceremony to finish.

When the celebration came, Daniel has managed to sneak out and run with his champagne to the hospital wing, a few cameras joinging him as he run through the paddock reporting the whole situation.

He burst inside the room, cameramen after him, panting heavily. You couldn’t help a smile, seeing him all happy and sweaty from the race he’d just won.

The man couldn’t care less and captured your lips into a searing kiss in front of all the camera’s. Now the whole world knew your little secret. Robert shooed them away by the time you pulled away, then left leaving the two of you alone.

“I won... You saw?...”

Daniel asked quietly, sitting beside you and opening the bottle, then handing it to you.

“Of course I did”

Taking a sip of the alcohol, you quickly gulped it and gave it away before kissing Daniel’s cheek and smiling brightly.

“I love you... I’m so fucking proud of you honey...”

"I love you too"

[bellezaycafe]

Get Your Shit Together - Chapter 10

genre: 2024 and onwards AU, with the 2024 starting grid.

pairing: Romantic!oc x Lando Norris and/or Oscar Piastri. Platonic!oc x the whole grid.

warnings: angst. max being annoying. idiots in love (yeah its a warning, trust me)

Masterlist / Part 1

comments: this chapter it's pretty Sadie/Oscar heavy :) and I'm not sorry for how long it took me to write...

But [Lando] felt that he’d missed out on months with Sadie. It felt like he had lost time to catch up on.

Sadie, much to her own shagrin, felt similar. So she spent the next two weeks building a dynamic with five drivers.  

She’d given Max permission to share her number with any driver that asked for it; she received texts from Lewis and Daniel.

Max never insisted on anything more than he already had. A monthly check in that she was alive and okay. But Sadie felt less like her presence would put Max in danger with each passing day, and opened up to him more. It was only really about things she liked, movies, books and music, but it was a step.

Lewis had facetimed her almost immediately. He’d said it was too ‘see if she was lying to him’ with a concerned little smile. They spoke for hours, well into the night for Sadie. At one point, he’d insisted that she set the phone where he could see her walk around so he could be sure she’d healed.

Lewis, nearing 40, earned the title ‘Old Man’ when he said that Sadie should go and sleep.

Daniel earned the nickname ‘WA’s Bitch’ when he’d bragged about Western Australia to make her laugh. It had worked, even if Sadie had stuck true to her ‘Victoria is better’ opinion.

The Perth-born man had first contacted her to make sure she was okay. He didn’t thank her for what she’d done at Silverstone, everyone else had done that already and the older driver knew his friend was okay. He didn’t know if Sadie was and he’d made it a mission to make her laugh at any opportunity.

Sadie was one hundred percent sure that Daniel had figured out some details about her life that Max hadn’t. The older driver had more experience with Australian society and cultural expectations. But he didn’t ask and Sadie hoped he never would.

Lando, on the other hand, asked everything. He texted sporadically, at random times of the day or night in both her timezone and his. He sent her behind the scenes photos of anything and everything he was working on. Most of the time it was a silly photo of Max Fewtrell.

He wouldn’t send a large text, it would be six or seven small ones that culminated in his point or opinion on a topic.

Sadie never answered any questions she didn’t want to, and Lando respected that.

Oscar rarely asked anything, except for how her day was and if she was free to talk. His texts were consistent. Full conversations, rather than split by 4 hours like her conversations with Lando.

Her fellow Melbournian never asked about her past, but he would send her memes he found funny and links to instagram posts of cute animals.

For two weeks, there was a pattern. Sadie would text Max and Oscar about her life as it was then, like if her shift was bad or if her favourite regulars had come by the bar that day. She’d reply to whatever chaos Lando or Daniel had sent her and laugh at their antics. She’d call Lewis a couple times each week and talk about how her life had changed in the 6 months since Silverstone.

It was a nice pattern. Sadie tackled the more recent past with Lewis’ help, laughed about the present with Daniel and Lando, and thought of what she wanted after talking to Max or Oscar.

They were simple conversations but she was building some bonds with people she liked.

It was cracked by a simple question.

Sadie's faint smile fell to a frown as she realised how stubborn Daniel was going to be.

Sadie hoped she’d conveyed how serious she was. As far as she was concerned, there was no family to talk about and no family to spend Christmas with.

Sadie had no family.

Her phone chimed with another text from Daniel.

She did. 

Come to Monaco. 

Come to Europe. 

You don’t have to pay for a thing, kid. 

Sadie sighed and, opting to ignore Max, called Oscar. 

"Sadie? You've never called, everything okay?" he mumbled, obviously half asleep.

"Everything's fine, Piastri, calm down," she deadpanned.

There was a sigh of relief and a rustle of sheets on the other end of the line.

"Are you in bed? Mate, you're 23 and in bed by 10?" Sadie teased.

He'd returned to his mum's house for the holidays and had told Sadie as soon as he'd flown in. She knew it was an invitation to make plans, see each other face to face, but his ability to draw a crowd wherever he went nagged at her.

She heard his soft chuckle as he said, "I went karting today, I'm exhausted."

"Should I let you go then?" Her voice was still teasing but she knew she should let him sleep.

"No," he murmured. "No. I have nowhere to be tomorrow, we can talk."

"Really? No last minute shopping tomorrow?"

"Nah, that's all been done already."

"Organised," she mused.

“Yeah, yeah,” he sighed, dry sarcasm dripping from his voice.

But it changed.

“Sadie.” Sheets rustled and moved as he stood up and she heard him move about his room. “Why did you call?”

“I-“ 

She didn’t have an answer for him. Say nothing, her mind screamed. Say everything, something else argued. 

“Sadie?” 

“Relax, Piastri, I'm not in trouble.” She drawled, as if she had nothing to care about. “I’m bored and I didn’t expect you to be half-asleep by 9:45.” 

Her phone vibrated in her hand. A text from Max. Ignored. 

“Sure,” Oscar replied and Sadie knew he hadn’t believed her. 

But he didn’t ask again. 

Instead, Sadie heard the rattle of keys. 

“How about we meet? Go for a drive together and talk face to face?” 

“Now?” 

“Yeah.” 

What? 

As if spurred on by her silence, Oscar added, “I know a car park, we can swap into your car, or mine. We can drive around, and talk.” 

“Your car is a bright orange McLaren.” 

She could hear the grin in his voice, as he said. “It’s papaya.” 

“My point still stands,” she said through a laugh. 

“There’s always your car.” 

Sadie’s heart was pulled in two. Oscar was offering a distraction, and moreover, he was offering a tangible link in their friendship. But there was risk, and if they were seen, was she ready? 

“Alright fine, but don’t bring the McLaren,” she conceded. 

Her phone vibrated with the address, like Oscar had already typed it out. Maybe he had. 

--$--

Three hours later, Sadie was laughing so hard her ribs hurt. Oscar, cleaning the dashboard of Sadie’s car with a tissue, was apologising for spilling the lemonade. 

“Sadie,” he whined with another apologetic smile, “I’ll buy us more!” 

“No!” She laughed. “No! You’ll spill it again!” 

“Hey!” he cried, but he dissolved into a fit of giggles too. “You’re the one who said Alexander Hamilton was more famous than Lewis Hamilton!” 

Sadie laughed louder. “In America, I said. In America! Ask Logan!” 

Oscar pulled his phone out and texted the Williams driver, still giggling. 

“He’s going to agree with me,” Sadie added. 

She couldn’t stop her eyes while he wasn’t looking. Her gaze traced the swoop of his unkempt hair and the soft crinkle of the skin next to his eyes as he smiled. She watched the way his eyebrows curved and his gaze flickered between the different letters he was typing. 

She didn’t expect him to look up. 

Brown eyes met brown eyes. 

There was an unmeasured heartbeat, an involuntary pause. Laughter died, falling away to soft giggles and then silence. Loud, irrevocable silence. The only light was his phone, illuminating the absence of noise. 

But one thing was clear in a hundred different ways. 

A connection. A link. Something. 

 Oscar looked away first. 

“I know,” he whispered into the dark.  

He always does, a little voice whispered.

“Know what?” Sadie asked. 

“That you’re not ready. That you may never be ready.” 

She wanted to ask what he meant by ready. She knew what she meant, but did he mean the same thing? Sadie wanted to know.

She didn’t ask. 

“But either way,” he continued. The young driver’s eyes were firmly forward. “I’ve enjoyed tonight. Seeing you in person and seeing you laugh has been…urrm, well it’s been reassuring.” 

“Reassuring?” Sadie didn’t take her eyes off him. 

“I- we- we were worried about you,” Oscar said, an edge creeping into his voice. “Emotionally, I mean. You were so tense the last time I saw you and I know the trial probably made it worse…” 

His hand went to his hair, sweeping away from his face. It had grown again, into his eyes. A part of Sadie wanted to tuck the brown strands behind his ear. 

Oscar’s face turned, eyes catching her gaze again before he glanced down, like the handbrake was the most interesting mechanical marvel he’d ever seen. 

Sadie was going to break the new silence with some kind of confession, about what she wasn’t sure, when Oscar yawned. 

She laughed, and nudged his shoulder with a hand. “Come on, Piastri. Let’s get you home.” 

His smile, and that crinkle of skin next to his eyes, returned. 

The drive from the small lookout to the car park in which Oscar left his mum’s car was short. Sadie made conversation by asking about Oscar’s season. 

“I’m proud of you, you know,” she commented as he opened the passenger door. 

He paused and looked back at her. “Thank you. And thank you for congratulating me on Qatar.”  

“Max told you?” 

Oscar hauled himself out of her car, and turned back, leaning through the doorway. 

“Yeah, after some slight manipulation.” 

Sadie returned his bright smile with her own. “I bet it didn’t take much.” 

“No, not really,” Oscar confessed. 

With a wave of her hand and a tilt of her head, Sadie said, “go home, Piastri. Text me when you get there.” 

“Drive safe.”

“You too.” 

Oscar closed her door gently, waved through the window and walked to his mothers car. Sadie waited for him to enter it before she, once again, disappeared into the night.

___

let the slow(ish) burn, slow burn.

masterlist :)

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