#WHY DID THE SONG HAVE MARI SAY SHE WAS PROUD OF SUNNY

[photosyn]

When you're scheduled to call your friend but then you breakdown over an omori fansong.

[emma-is-swaggy-and-epic]

Hey y'all, just got back from watching the rest of manlybadasshero's omori lets play and i thought i'd share some of my thoughts about the game! (NEEDLESS TO SAY, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!)

So let's get one SUPER ULTRA MEGA BIG thing out of the way first, i would've 100% enjoyed my experience a lot more if i wasn't such a huge scatterbrain and spoiled the big twist at the end for myself. Though in my defense i kinda wasn't expecting the game to get so popular so quick when it first came out, i first heard of the game through manly and i thought it was just another obscure indie game like what he always plays. Aside from that though....I LOVED IT!!!!! It tugged at my heartstrings with it's accurate portrayal of mental illness and the heartwarming moments between sunny and his friends, it really reminded me of my own childhood in a lot of ways. I've found myself relating to all the characters in some sort of way, especially aubrey. Idk....just the way she lashed out on others throughout the game really spoke to me in a weird way......either that or it's just because i like rebellious characters in general (the fact that she has a pet bunny is a plus for me, i love bunnies!)

Ngl, i don't cry to video games often....i'm pretty sure the only games i've ever cried to are undertale and pokemon sword but even then, i was crying about pokemon sword because i was proud of myself for completing the game....and honestly, i'm glad omori is one of those games that make me emotional like that...even if i already knew sunny killed mari, even if i already knew basil killed himself in one of the endings. Though that could also be because my dog wouldn't shut the fuck up while i was watching the last few episodes and i was just stressed out about that

If i had to pick: i feel like i prefer headspace over real world, i was an undertale kid back in the day so i love me some quirky characters and fun worlds! Though tbh i feel like omocat WANTED her players to like headspace more since she explicitly said at one point that she specifically wanted to make omori a game so that people would be able to FEEL what sunny was feeling (that's the best way i can explain it i guess) that being said; i'd say my favorite characters are aubrey, spaceboy and recyclepath. I've already said what i've wanted to say about aubrey earlier but aside from that, i think she's really cool and VERY me-core! Same goes for spaceboy, i'm a huge sucker for bright colors and space-themed characters. Not to mention recyclepath is a really unique character, i've never seen a character based ENTIRELY on recycling before! Plus his coat and glasses remind me a LOT of oliver tree and i mean....hey, i like songs like alien boy and life goes on lmao

Ngl while i DID get the endings spoiled for me, there was still a lot of stuff that was a HUGE surprise for me! Like BRO I HAD NO IDEA KEL AND HERO HAD A BABY SISTER!!!! I mean....i DO vaguely remember someone mention sally in a youtube comment section but i had no idea what they were talking about and i was kinda just confused (iirc i may have even thought that kel and hero having a sister was just a weird dream i had) but i mean hey....as the youngest sister of 3 siblings who was born when my mom was in her 40's myself, i appreciate the representation! /hj

I actually first got into omori because a good friend of mine was into it, it started when he changed his pfp on discord to basil and we had a really short conversation about the game afterwards. A while later i saw an omori edit in my youtube rec and i thought "oh yay it's that game my friend likes! Let's watch it!" And the rest, as they say, is history! Dunno why the fuck it took me a whole ass year to finish the damn playthrough though

Speaking of which, i DEFINITELY wish that manly showed the hikkikomori route bosses in his playthrough. Seeing thoses cutscenes of the slime girls creating roboheart, mutantheart and perfectheart REALLY got me pumped to see the boss fights! Oh well....

All in all, omori is a SPECTACULAR game and i'm glad i decided to check it out! 9/10!

[minghellafine]

Full interview below.

The first thing Max Minghella does when he joins our Zoom call is ask me about the weather. It wasn't just a conversational cliché though, he really wanted to know what it was like where I was. I tell him I'm in New York City, where spring can surprise you with a day that's colder or warmer than it looks. This particular day was chilly. "I'm always cold," he interjects, "I'm reptilian. My body finds a way to keep me cool." He shivered as he spoke, sitting in his sunny backyard in Los Angeles wearing a T-shirt. I checked the temperature right after our call. It was 80 degrees in L.A.

Despite any discomfort, Minghella is just really happy to be at home. Unlike the millions of people who spent 2020 in quarantine, he was working on season four of The Handmaid's Tale throughout the spring and summer."I'm sort of jealous of people who have this moment to pause and reflect," he says soberly. "Even with all of the trauma it's caused and all the things that obviously were detrimental, I know a lot of people who've had big life changes in the past year."

He acknowledged, however, that creating something in a time when everyone wished they could escape was ultimately a lucky thing. "There was a ubiquitous sense of gratitude," he adds.

Outside of the global pandemic, the dynamics on set had shifted — this season, his co-star Elisabeth Moss (or "Lizzie" as he affectionately calls her), was a director. "She was amazing on set," he explained. "Just very in control and it ran super smoothly. When I saw the episodes she directed, it just kind of blew me away. Her style — it's very cinematic and it really underlines the sci-fi elements of the show. It has a real kind of scope and confidence to it. I think she's a real filmmaker."

RELATED: Marvel's New Face Danny Ramirez Has the Range

Minghella's character Nick has an interesting arc this season too –  he's realizing his role as a senior member of the Gilead ruling class, but also still in love with June [Moss]. It's a complex character that challenges you as an audience member. He is the brooding love interest, and while you may root for him and June to be together, you also have to see him for what he is: an architect of a world that kidnaps women and uses them for childbearing.

What made the previous three seasons of the show even harder for viewers to digest was the fact that people so badly wanted to believe there could be a good guy defector — maybe even Nick — in a room full of bad guys. During those years, many people felt that the dystopian elements of the show were reflective of the nationalist agenda being put forth in the United States by the Trump Administration. So much so that a group of protesters famously wore Handmaid costumes to protest anti-abortion bills and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings. Without saying much about the parallels in the show — other than chalking them up to "pure coincidence," Minghella felt the Handmaid's Tale, whose protagonists are anti-Gilead, are "on the right side of history."  He added diplomatically, "Ultimately, I'm most proud because I think it's really great fiction."

I get the sense that the pursuit of "great fiction" is something that consumes Minghella. He's someone who appreciates art (he got his big break in 2006's Art School Confidential), and his parents are Anthony Minghella, the late award-winning director of The Talented Mr. Ripley, and actress Carolyn Choa. He loves details (see our earlier weather conversation). Even the way he talks about Los Angeles has a story-like quality. He tells me about how he knew when the city became his home after a feeling he got driving past the Silver Lake 7-Eleven. As he told it, I pictured it like a scene in an indie movie starring Zach Braff.

"I had this sort of pathological obsession with movies from birth. [My mother] worked for the British equivalent of the Motion Picture Association, so she would watch three films a day. By three or four years old, I was just kind of an obsessed movie person." It's his favorite movie, Beverly Hills Cop ("I think I saw 100 times by the time I was eight years old," he says) that inspired another big role he was working on during quarantine: Minghella stars as a detective opposite Chris Rock in the Saw franchise spin-off Spiral: From the Book of Saw.

"The movie was so serendipitous for me. I feel like I almost manifested it in my life," Minghella muses. "There's a line very early in the movie where we're investigating these crime scenes and we come to a grizzly one. My character looks nauseous. Chris's [character] says to me, 'Are you okay?' And my character says, 'Yeah. I mean I'd been dreaming about this since I was 12-years-old.' And that was a very kind of weird line because it's just true."

Now at 35 years old, Minghella is feeling settled. He is still a "film nerd" that gets giddy with each new opportunity, but he's less anxious about the results. Next thing on his list? Vacation.

"I'm hoping in May once the movie comes out I can run away somewhere."

Read on for his cheesy would-be campaign slogan, his fast-food weakness, and the time he escaped a tornado while working on a film with Blake Lively.

Who is your celebrity crush?

Mary Tyler Moore.

What's the last thing you do before you fall asleep?

I listen to 1950s radio shows. Usually Dragnet. I was researching a project in that period briefly and got sort of into the radio culture of that time. And now I find it incredibly soothing.

Favorite villain?

Hans Gruber.

Describe a memorable dream.

I had a recurring nightmare as a child in which my grandmother turned into a cat. So Tom Hooper's Cats was very traumatizing to me.

First album you ever owned?

My mother bought me the Top Gun soundtrack on audio cassette.

If you were required to spend $1,000 today, what would you buy and why?

I would do anything to help a distressed dog.

If you ran for office, what would your slogan be?

Some kind of tacky pun using my first name. "Take it to the Max," or maybe "Max on, Max off."

Name one place you've never been but have always wanted to go.

Easy. Japan. I went when I was one, but I don't think that counts.

What's the most uncomfortable outfit you've ever worn?

I did a film called Art School Confidential and I had to wear a beret and I found every moment of it truly humiliating. I remember being completely traumatized by it.

Describe your first kiss.

My first kiss was at a bus stop. I was 14 and I lied and told the girl that it wasn't my first kiss, but I think it was probably immediately evident that it was.

What's one dish you're always tempted to order if you see it on a menu?

There are so many things. That's the sad answer. French fries is the truth.

Favorite on-set memory?

I did a movie called Elvis and Anabelle with Blake Lively like 100 years ago and we shot in Texas. There was a tornado one night that forced us to evacuate the set and we had to sort of drive off in a hurry. I put on this song by The Knife called "Pass This On" in the car which is very dramatic and cinematic. The tornado was sort of in pursuit of the vehicle while we were speeding away. And it was just far enough that it wasn't life-threatening, but also a radical visual. That's one of my favorite life memories.

The Handmaid's Tale season 4 premieres on Hulu April 28, and Spiral: From the Book of Saw hits theaters on May 11.

Photographs by Emily Malan. Grooming by Sonia Lee for Exclusive Artists using La Mer. Polaroid Photos by Max Minghella. Special thanks to Polaroid. Production by Kelly Chiello.

[lillian-tiger]

Challenge || The Sorting Test 

What is your real, birth name? Any nicknames? When and where were you born?

Lillian Marie Tiger - I mean I will happily accept Princess as a nickname, sadly only Nibs uses it. People... I was born November 15 1997 pretty sure my mother gave birth in Paris on one of their lovely trips around the world. 

What is your Myers-Briggs Personality Type? (If you don’t know go here this question is optional.)

Entrepreneur ESTP-T

Do you have a nickname? What is it, and where did you get it?

Princess, or just Princess Lilly. Either or, I’m a princess regardless.

What do you look like? (Include height, weight, hair, eyes, skin, apparent age, and distinguishing features)

I’m about 5′3, 135, slender and fit (thank you dancing). I have dark hair, brown eyes, and I’m very tan. Most people think I’m a lot older than I really am. Which is nice when using my fake I.D. 

How do you dress most of the time? Do you wear any jewelry?

I typically try and dress up a little. Even if it’s ‘casual’ there is still some sort of spark that shows I’m still here for business and to make your head turn. Sometimes I’ll be in cute work out cloths, because well.. they’re cute. 

What don’t you like about yourself? What kind of things embarrass you? Why?

My knees kinda bend inward a bit too much. Um.. not a lot really embarrasses me. I typically just embarrass others. Not of purpose of course, it just kinda happens sometimes.

In your opinion, what is your best feature?

I have really nice, toned legs. I know they’re no long, but I mean they’re pretty fit looking legs.

Where do you live? Describe it: Is it messy, neat, avant-garde, sparse, etc.?

I live in a flat in town. It has my room, and a spare room for anyone that wants to get away. It’s pretty simple, and always clean. A lot of teal and rose gold accents everywhere. It’s my favorite place in the world. 

What is your most prized mundane possession? Why do you value it so much?

My father gave me my mothers wedding ring. I keep it in the back of my jewelry box. It’s the only thing I have of my mother before she walked out. 

What one word best describes you?  

Princess

Familial Questions

What is/was your family structure like? (i.e. are you adopted, how many siblings, pets, etc.)  

It used to be great till I was about 7. My mother just up and left us, and my father just pushed himself into work, and me with any dance instructor he could find. Private schools, and everything else. So. It’s just a shit show now. My father is a credit card.

Who was your father, and what was he like? Who was your mother, and what was she like? What was your parents marriage like? Were they married? Did they remain married?

He was my best friend, and not he’s just a stranger. My mother and him obviously are.. not together anymore. Divorced, and he remarried some idiot who’s probably my age. Haven't really met her - or got to know her. 

What are/were your siblings names? What are/were they like? (If you have siblings)

n/a

What’s the worst thing one of your siblings ever did to you? What’s the worst thing you’ve done to one of your siblings? (If you have siblings)

n/a

When’s the last time you saw any member of your family? Where are they now?

My dad gave me about a twenty minute visit for Christmas. That was nice.

Who is your closest friend(s)? Describe them and how you relate to them.

The Lost boys. I don’t know all the details, but I at least know they’re in the same boat with me. Nibs would have to be my absolute closest. He’s seen the most, and knows more than anyone else in my life. 

Childhood Questions

What is your first memory?

I can remember hating the heck out of peas. I mean I don’t even know if it’s a memory, it’s just a video I’ve seen a million times. It’s not like I actually remember it.

What was your favorite toy?

Jump rope

What was your favorite game?

Uno

Who was your best friend when you were growing up?

Dumb, Dumber, Dumbest, and just.. well... bigger than est. Kidding, the boys were the only real stable friendship, and longest. 

What is your fondest childhood memory?

Taking dance lessons. I was so talented, and my father used to never miss a single performance. Without a doubt he was my biggest fan. I couldn’t have asked for anyone better to cheer me on. I was the lead in a spring showcase, and he just looked proud.. 

What is your worst childhood memory?

The day my mother left. 

Adolescent Questions

It is common for one’s view of authority to develop in their adolescent years. What is your view of authority, and what event most affected it?

Eh, I mean I respect them I guess. I never really had authority. I’ve been living on my own for awhile now off my fathers money. 

What “clique” did/do you best fit in with? (Royals, Dark Royals, Wallflowers, Bookworms, Punks, Hipsters, Rejects, etc.)

Royals, I mean hello - Princess. 

What were/are your high school goals? What were/are your uni goals?

High School - get offers to dance academy's - which I mean I’m one of the best here at the university. While I’m here? I just want to get a degree that I know is fit for me. Dancing is everything, but I want to do something with it then just preform. One day I won’t be able too and I jut want something at that point. So probably the schooling to teach it. 

What is/was your favorite memory from adolescence? What is/was your worst memory from adolescence?

My favorite was the first time I got drunk. I think that’s close to everyone's. The classic high school party were the music is horrible, and the place is crammed with a bunch of people who can’t handle their alcohol. I could, clearly. The worst? Watching everyone on mothers day. One in particular though where someone just kept asking about my mother, and just kept going. It was the first time I punched someone. I mean that part was amazing, but just.. that fact alone. 

Do you own a car? Describe it. If not, describe your dream car.

I have a white 2017 Mazda CX-5  - it gets me around, and it’s solid black. 

Occupational Questions

Do you have a job? What is it? Do you like it? If no job, where does your money come from?

No, I don’t work. I mean I get lessons to people? but I don’t really charge. I just get all my money from my dad.

What is your boss or employer like? (Or publisher, or agent, or whatever.)

n/a

What are your co-workers like? Do you get along with them? Any in particular? Which ones don’t you get along with?

n/a

What is something you had to learn that you hated?

I’m sure any job I have that’s not dancing I would just hate everything about whatever I was learning. 

Do you tend to save or spend your money? Why?

Spend, Spend, and Spend some more. Why not? I mean it’s sorta my dad’s love.

Likes & Dislikes Questions

What hobbies do you have?

Partying and Dancing. 

What bands/artists do you like? What song is “your song?” Why?

I love anything main stream. Whatever is on the top 100 is typically whatever I’m blasting and dancing around too. Currently Zane’s new hit my favorite at the moment. My song of the sweet.

When it comes to politics, do you care? If so, which way do you tend to vote? If not, why don’t you care?

I don’t really follow them, honestly.

What time of day is your favorite? What kind of weather is your favorite?

Nighttime, it’s typically when cities come alive and the best people are out on the run. Weather? Sunny, I love a good beach day, or days were I can wear cute sun dresses. 

What is your favorite food? What is your least favorite food?

My favorite food is chicken wings, and my least favorite... oh man, mushrooms.

What is your favorite drink? (Coffee, Coke, Juice, Beer, Wine, etc.)

I’m weak for Coke as awful as it is for you. 

What’s your favorite animal? Why?

Tigers without a doubt. They’re majestic, beautiful and powerful. Much like myself.  

Do you have any pets? Do you want any pets? What kind?

I don’t have any pets, but I’m really thinking about maybe getting some fish, or something to live in that flat with me.

What do you find most relaxing? (Not as in stress relief, but as something that actually calms you down.)

Yoga. Without it I would be biting peoples heads off.

What’s a pet peeve of yours?

People that think they’re better than me, or just have a huge stick up their ass. Like live a little. 

Would you consider yourself straight, gay, bi, pan, or something else? Why?

Mmm, I mean I’m mostly with guys, but I’m not against having some lady love either. I’d say I’m Bi. 

Sex & Intimacy Questions

Who was the first person you had sex with? When did it happen? What was it like? How well did it go? (If your character is sexually active, if not, skip this question)

My first time was with a senior my freshman year. He was perfect, it was perfect, I mean it wasn’t romantic, but it wasn’t horrible. His name was Jake, football, jock, perfectly toned. I mean nothing came from it, but he also wasn’t an ass to me afterwards. He’d still wave and say hi in the hallways.

Do you currently have a lover/crush? What is their name, and what is your relationship like? What are they like? Why are you attracted to them?

That’s cute, no. That’s how you get your heartbroken. Maybe I have a crush? I don’t know, what does a crush even feel like ? I mean I found someone I wouldn’t mind getting to know? 

Describe the perfect romantic partner for you and describe your perfect date with them.

Someone I can be completely myself with. I can break all my walls down, and they know how to make me laugh. They have to be able to keep things interesting. I think laser tag would be a cute date. Tag you’re it, maybe casually make out somewhere in the field, who knows. I have to break a few rules. 

Do you ever want to get married and have children? When do you see this happening?

I do. I don’t see it happening for a very long time from here. 

What is more important – sex or intimacy? Why?

Intimacy, I’ll let you know when that day comes where I find that though. 

What was your most recent relationship like? Who was it with? (Does not need to be sexual, merely romantic.)

Uh... some dude from high school. It lasted a week, and obviously wasn’t that important since I don’t even remember his name. 

What’s the worst thing you’ve done to someone you loved?

Told them I didn’t love them. 

Drug & Alcohol Questions (if your character’s a drinker/does drugs, if not, skip to numbers 5 & 6)

How old were you when you first got drunk? What was the experience like?

I was 15, and it was amazing. I mean the hangover was hell, but it was everything you think your first high school party is going to be. I became very well known after that... FOR GOOD REASONS. I just knew how to handle my shots well. 

Did anything good come out of it? Did anything bad come out of it?

I mean that’s how I met Jake, so I say that’s some good. 

Do you drink on any kind of regular basis?

Yeah... I’m pretty bad with it. 

What kind of alcohol do you prefer?

Tequila baby.

Have you ever tried any other kind of “mood altering” substance? Which one(s)? What did you think of each?

Just the beautiful green... maybe E once. just once. I mean I did take some pills .. a little bit ago. 

What do you think of drugs and alcohol? Are there any people should not do? Why or why not?

I’m not here to judge anyone. Not before I can handle myself. 

Post-Powers Awareness Questions (For those who have powers)

When did you go through when you gained your powers? What was it like (in your opinion)?

What do you think now of being magical? Is it cool, or have you been screwed?

Do you have a mentor? Who are they? How did you become their student?

Do you have any magical items? Where did you get them?

Think of a major event that happened during your training/initiation. What was it?

What is something you had to learn during your training that you hated? Why did you hate it?

Thoughtful Questions  

What about you is social? What do you like about people?

Almost everything about me is pretty social. I don’t like how people can be so judgment, or so .. annoying with their own ways. I like things to be my way - also when people don’t have humor. 

If a magical being, describe the color of what magic you use, is it of a light color, bold and bright, pastel and sparkly, etc.

Are you a better leader or follower? Why do you think that? If you think the whole leader-follower archetype is a crock of shit, say so, and explain why?

I am without a doubt a leader. No way I’m going to be following anyone and their steps. 

[stevekarma-blog]

John 4:1-26 A Samaritan Woman Meets Her Messiah

You're Not a Good Samritan - Your This One

C - This section is preceded by the conversation with Nicodemus and the Pharisees about baptism and the spirit and is proceeded by the Samaritan revival. Historically the Samaritans and the Jews were religious and ethnic enemies who hated one another and this discussion takes place at the Jacob’s well.

A - Look at the significance of wells and divorce in the first century.

p - Most people see her as the adulterer and not the abused.

T - Chrst gives to us that which sustains us and quenches the thirst from our souls. Main image is water. 

O - Come to Christ for the life giving Spirit.

R - FCF Inner thirst an only be satisfied in Christ RHF Brings an end to the endless search for that which will never satisfy. For her it was a relationship and maybe kids.

Therefore, when the Lord knew 

   that the Pharisees had heard 

      that Jesus made 

         and baptized more disciples than John 

             2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, 

              but His disciples), 

                   3 He left Judea 

                  and departed again to Galilee. 

Jesus did not want to give the Pharisees the satisfaction of undermining His or John’s ministry by setting them up as rivals in the same way that two churches in the same city setting up an Alpha course on the same night and the same time may negatively effect both and undermine both in the eyes of others. The fact that Jesus ‘did not baptise,’ Paul will later say that he ‘did not come to baptise,’ was probably so that people would not place too much importance upon it and believe that spiritual rebirth (the biblical term that is often used is ‘regeneration’) came about through baptism.  It is an outward sign of public repentance, faith and entrance into the Church.

4 But He needed to go through Samaria.

Practically He did not need to ‘go through Samaria’ in fact, most law-abiding Jews would have noothing to do with the ethnic half-breeds and heretics that were the Samaritans. Nontheless, ‘He needed to go through Samaria’ as this would be the place of His encounter with the women at the well and would be the place of a religious revival.  

5 So He came to a city of Samaria 

   which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground 

      that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 

          6 Now Jacob’s well was there. 

The well belongs to Jacob or Israel and was an ancestor that was claimed by both the Jews and the Samaritans the fact that it takes places near a watering hole is not biblical warrant to drop by the bar to pick up girls in the name of evangelism though (and I have heard this text used in this way).

           Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

Here we are reminded of Jesus’ full humanity. Jesus did not appear to be human, He did not pretend to be human and He was not half human.  He was fully God and fully man in one person, this is like a glass that is full of oil and water.  The components are seperate but contained within the one container.  In the noon day sun Jesus, who was halfway through a 120 mile journey from the region of Judea in the South and the region of Galilee in the North, was exhausted. 

7A woman of Samaria came 

   to draw water. 

The reader is supposed to wonder why this woman was drawing water alone, since the women would draw water together and why this women was drawing water in the noon day sun, the hottest part of the day. 

Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”

      8 For His disciples had gone away into the city 

        to buy food.

Jesus not only humbly served others but He humbly allowed Himself to be served by others.  In the missionary world this is sometimes called reverse hospitality which is when the missionary is not the one providing all of the food and health care and education but also a recipient.  This elevates the person providing hospitality like: Zaacheus, Mary/Marhta/Lazarus, Simon the Leper, Matthew Levi etc in the same way when the believer not only welcomes people to their home but allows them to bring something or help out with the dishes or will come to their home.  This can be difficult for proud people, like me, who like to give but do not like to feel indebted to anyone for anything.

9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” 

   For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

Relgious Jews had nothing to do with women or Samaritans in fact Jews and Samaritans hated one another in the same way that Sunni and Shia Muslims or Catholics and Protestants in NIRE in the 70s and 80s or Jews and Nazis in the 30s and 40s might.

      10 Jesus answered and said to her, 

         “If you knew the gift of God, 

Jesus was not only God’s gift to the Jews but to the whole world.  That is that He was the long awaited Jewish Messiah but He was also the long awaited Samaritan Messiah and is the long awaited Messiah of all peoples.  He is the Oliver Cromwell, the William Wallace, the Che Guerra, the Nelson Mandela, the George Washington, the Christian Ronaldo, the Ussain Bolt, the Gandhi that we have all been waiting for.  In fact, the reason why their stories fascinate us is because they are mere shadows of something more significant that came through Him.

            and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, 

              and He would have given you living water.”

John does something interesting here he uses the idea of dead water (meaning water from a stagnant source, the spring from this well had probably ceased or this well had always been a well that collected the rain from the rainy season) and living water (which is water from a spring or flowing water from a river).  He says that Jesus was comparing the dead water of life with the living water that comes from Him.

11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, 

   and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, 

     who gave us the well, 

        and drank from it himself, as well as his sons 

           and his livestock?”

Yet again we see that Jesus is misunderstood by those who are overly literalisitic with His words.  What if there were 2 ways to percieve the world, maybe that is too simplisitc too, but what if there was one way which was overly literlaisitic and one that was equally true but was more the langage of the poet or song writer and contained within it metaphor and word picture and symbol?  Well in Chrit these two ways or lens need to be alligned so that we might read His word not in a literalisitic sense but in a literal sense recognising shades of meaning and not dismiss it as ‘arty farty.’  Ultimately to understand the things that are revealed, revelation, we need the illuminating light of the Spirit - illumination.

13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,

   14 but whoever drinks of the water 

      that I shall give him will never thirst. 

        But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

‘We are all baptised by the one Spirit’ which means that Christ fills us with the same Holy Spirit that filled Him and the apostles which mean that the power that dwells in the youngest and weakest believer is unfathomable.  And that power is not just pragmatic, for the healing of the sick or so that one may be able to interpret dreams etc that power bubbles up in someone and becomes the source, or ‘fountain’ that leads to the life that is promised by Christ.  Abundant life in the here-and-now and everlasting life in the bye-and-bye.

15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, 

   that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

This woman longs for this water as her shame and her string of failed relationships have never been able to satsify the inner thirst she has had she is like the gambler who thinks that the one big win or the drunk who will just have one more binge before giving up but no matter how much the one wins and loses and wins again and the other drinks and drinks and drinks nothing can satisfy the craving of their innermost being. Intectually, relationally, spiritually the thirst in our souls can only be fulfilled in Christ, when He and He alone is our single delight when if everything if stripped away would be nothing in comparison with His good pleasure.

  16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, 

      and come here.”

17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.”

Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 

   18 for you have had five husbands, 

      and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”

Although many preachers and commentaries would see this womn, in the words of Alister Begg as having had ‘5 husbands and a live in lover,’ I don’t think this is the case.  I say that because in this day a woman caught in adultery would be stoned to death and it was only men who were able to iniaite divorce I think we have a woman who was always a good looking girl the stunner from Sychar.  And not only was she physically attractive but she had a personality that made men like putty in her hands.  Maybe she married her childhood sweetheart and then he died, she is till young and still has her looks and her charm and maybe her second husband leaves her for another woman and the fourth because of the hard time his friends and family give him and the fith because she can bare him no children.  Until the final guy is happy to sleep with her or live with her but he is not marryng her. This is the young girl who served you at Boots, this is the one in your English lit lecturers, this is your cousin this could be you.  Not so much immoral, though that is maybe a art of it and Christ saves the immoral, but the lost and oppressed who have tried to fill the Christless void with actual or imaginary romantic relationships.

If I can only find me a Justin Bieber or Scarlett Johanson.

If only if I had a little girl who I could take to pilates or a little boy who I could take to the football.

If only I had genuine friends and a Church that loves me.

Look! It is not that I grudge you this, I want you to have this but you ask the people who wanted the same things and who got what they wanted and they will tell you honestly that although it was awesome, though for some the dream became a nightmare, it was unable quench the inner thirst within them.

19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, 

   and you Jews say 

     that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”

This woman does what we often do when the spotlight of conviction comes upon us by the Spirit she makes excuses.  What she says here is the context of the conversation is stupid.  This is the I would follow Jesus but I need to first figure out if I should be a Pentecostal or a Preysbetarian or if I perfer Gospel choirs or worship bands.  

 Some of you know enough by now to repent of your sins, place your faith in Christ, be baptised.  Some of you know that you should make covenant and serving in leadership.  And some of you should be training for the ministry, be setting up a Christian business, adopting or fostering or be on the mission field but you wont because you have excuses.

I heard of the American General Paton who was taking his men across a bridge while they being pursued by the enemy.  Something was holding up the men so the general got to the front of the bridge and found out that it was a donkey that was not allowing people to pass.  He took out his 9mm and blow the donkey’s brains out.  That’s what you do with excuses you destory them before they destroy you or God’s plan for you.

21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, 

   nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship,

      for salvation is of the Jews. 

          23 But the hour is coming, 

           and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit 

             and truth; 

                for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 

God cares nothing about beautiful and ornate and well functioning buildings - these are good things but not when they become more important than people.  So in some churches the philsophy is guard the church from young people and the local community or where the asethtics and the architecture becomes more important than the function.  This why the Puritans smashed the stained glass windows and tore out the statues because the good things had become god things.

But your car and your desk at work or the weight section of Lancaster House Hotel gym is just as sacred as this building.  Worship is nothing to do with the form but the person that you worship (God), the way that you worship (the spirit - one that is set ablaze by the Holy Spirit not bored and indifferent or mechanical) and the way that you worship (its true: it’s biblical, it is as revealed, it is the kind of worship that God delights in).

Not only are there some who do not worship God as the all-powerful all-loving God of the Bible but there are those that do not worship Him with their hearts abalze and their Bibles open.

You might be someone with a limited emotional spectrum.  Your steady Eddie, your cool, your controlled or your Spock your analytical and rational.  Well do the things that stir your affections.  Listen to the preachers, get the CDs of the songs be around the people who strangely warm your heart for the things of God.  Sit at the front so you do not have to put off by others, remember God looks on the outward appearance and God judges the heart and that Church is a place for people in all places in their spiritual journey and none.  In fact, let me deal with the flag waving issue.  Personally it is not my thing.  Unless we could make them look like they belong to an underground resistance movement or military unit but can I tell you something it moves the very heart of God so you wave those bad boys.

Or you might be someone who is content to have a shallow and superficial faith.  For goodness sake open your bible.  Learn, develop, grow, take notes, ask questions, read, watch listen, study.  The more you get to know of God the more your heart stretches and burns for Him.  Theology is not the enemy of passion but the enemy of ignorance, immaturity and ineffectiveness.  The more you love Him the more you will want to know Him.

24 God is Spirit, 

   and those who worship Him must worship in spirit 

      and truth.”

25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”

26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” 

Not only where the Jews waiting for the Messiah but so where the Samaritans in the same way that Buddhists are searching from freedom from suffering (well Jesus gives life and life in its abundance), in the same way the philosophy student is looking for truth (He is the way, the truth and the life) and in the same way that the work-a-holic financial investor is looking for peace (He is the Prince of Peace) and He comes not only to her but to you but what will you do with His offer.  Will you tear it up and throw it in His face or will you sign on the dotted line?

[noiseartists]

The City Gates: immeresed in sound

Hailing from Montreal, Canada, The City Gates are “an indie rock band inspired by the 80’s & 90’s shoegaze, post-punk and dream pop scene. The four-piece creates haunting guitars, eclectic and ethereal sound.”

The band’s line-up is:

Max - Vocals, Guitar

Frank - Guitars, Keys, Vocals

John - Bass, Vocals

Justin-Drums

Their musical work to date is:

Collapse, LP, April 2, 2013

Checkpoint Charlie, EP, October 14, 2017

Forever Orbiter, LP, April 27, 2018The City Gates

What is your music about?

I would guess that our music is about melancholy and nostalgia. It has something to do with the postindustrial and the cold war eras.

Tell us about the artists you have worked with.

We worked with several artists through the years, which is something that we like do. You can hear Krissy Vanderwoude from Whimsical on backing vocals on our song Echo Radio, taken from our latest album Forbiter Orbiter. She is also taking part of our Slowdive cover Catch the Breeze that we did for The Blog that Celebrates Itself Records. Krissy is a really talented and nice artist. We actually had the chance to meet her while Francois and I went to see this year Kalamashoegazer festival. Great times!! You can also hear sound engineer Chris Cline (who has worked with And you Will Know Us by the Trail of Death and The Foreign Resort) on keys on our song Dead Calm. Our dear friend DJ Dre, who was actually the lead singer of our guitar and bass player’ 90’s band called Dorchester, on our Lush cover that we also did for The Blog that Celebrates Itself Records

Finally, we also had our good old friend, producer and sound engineer Gautier on a few tracks on Forever Orbiter. We like this dude so much that he is now a full member of the band!

Tell us about some other bands you’ve liked or would recommend?

We met many great bands on tour through the years. I always like to play with the Danish darkwave/post-punkThe Foreign Resort. They sound really well and are great guys! We had a blast also with veteran shoegazers The Veldt. We had great time with the darkwave New Yorkers Blood Blush. Taiwanese band Manic Sheep were great people too! Likewise, I would add to the list Nothing, Heaters, Funeral Advantage and Haiku Salut.

That being said, Montreal has a great alternative music scene. I would recommend to give a shout to the 80’s-90’s darkwave/new wave Handful of Snowdrops. They are definitely in my top ten favorite bands list. I would also suggest Murmure, Calomine, Sarajevo & Moi, Wake Island, Room Control, Silver Dapple, Traces, Femme Accident, Videoville and La Mécanique. Non-Lieu and Morte Psiquica. They sound amazing! Our guitar player and I actually work on a “non-profit��� compilation that will be featuring several bands from that list. We intend to release it somewhere in early 2019. Stay tuned for more details!

What are your goals as an artist artistically/commercially?

Playing live shows, creating obscure music and to get hear much as we can, but that’s it!

Who would you want as a dream producer, and why?

We pretty like to get our things done by ourselves. Meanwhile, there are numerous great producers. I would say Butch Vig whose work involved Siamese Dream from The Smashing Pumkins and Dirty from Sonic Youth. I would also say Chris Hufford who has worked with Slowdive and Chapterhouse. Add to this list co-founder of Creation Records Joe Foster and, of course, Kevin Shields.

What are you trying to avoid as a band?

Doing interviews hah!

Explain your song writing process.

Most of our songs come up from live jams that we record at our rehearsal place. I think that the chemistry between each band members has something to do with our songwriting process.

For instance, if our guitarist François Marsan start a riff on the guitar, I see clearly how he wants to build the whole song and what I should do on my guitar parts. Rehearsals and creating new songs are things that I like a lot. Moreover, I cannot thank enough Jean-Sebastien for writing such great lyrics. It definitely makes a whole sense of what we create on the instrumental parts.

In 2017 there is no new or old music to a 17-year-old with internet access. Discuss.

There is way too many great music that has been made and it is now accessible since the arrival of the Internet. I remember my teenager years while we were spending our whole days in local record stores or shows trying to discover new bands, new sound and to discuss about music.

In the 90’s, there was also an amazing Montreal alternative TV show called Nu Musik with VJ Claude Rajotte. That is how I got heard about bands like Lush, Belly, JMC, Handful of Snowdrops and many more. Great souvenirs! That was kind of an art and much more fun to do that surfing through the Internet.

Why do you make the music you make?

We always loved 80s and 90s music. There are so many bands that has inspired us as musicians s in the like of My Bloody Valentine, Jesus and Mary Chain, Slowdive, Xsmall Deutschland, New Order, Joy Division, Pixies, Neil Young, Killing Joke, Trisomie 21.

Describe your palette of sound.

Bret Miller from Somewherecold magazine genuinely described our palette of sound: “The City Gates present a gorgeous mix of melancholy and euphoria as heard on the Joy Division-inspired “Echo Radio”, complete with Max Wingender’s throaty Ian Curtis-like delivery, “Checkpoint Charlie”’s impending storm of distant vocals and textured guitars, and the upbeat tempo of “Sad Sad Surf” that builds slowly, drawing you in until the shimmering guitars blast away the grey clouds to reveal a warm sunny day.”

By using guitars with lots of fuzz, reverb, and delay pedals, The City Gates can be described as a modern answer to Phil Spector’s infamous “Wall Of Sound”: intense, powerful, melodic, moody, textured, and raw.

We definitely have a crush on 80’s and 90’s alternative music such as post-punk, shoegaze, darkwave, cold wave and noise pop.

Which of your albums are you the most proud of? Why?

Forever Orbiter reveals the mixture or the sound that we like to create. It might be half post-punk, half shoegaze… who knows. But sure thing, it is alternative music. It was also nice to produce since few songs have been recorded live to had more “human” feeling to the sound we were looking for.

You are from Montreal. Extreme climate. How does it affect your music?

Indeed, our winters are pretty cold. Like now! It surely has an effect on our music. Maybe that is why we are into obscure music. Good point!

Find The City Gates:

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[persephonestourrp]

Samantha Evans | February 17 | 24 | Louisville, KY | Guitar for Divine Influence | Sabrina Smythe

[twitter bio here]

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@samevans: 

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♫ We need love, but all we want is danger ♫

Samantha Evans, usually referred to as Sam, was born on a cool February day in a hospital in Kentucky. Her parents, Dwight and Mary, were married for only a year at that point and didn’t have much money, but they swore from then on out to do their best to provide for their daughter.

No, Sam never had much money growing up, but she did have loving, devoted, and God-loving parents. Sam was baptized in their church after just a few weeks outside of the womb, and from that moment on, Sam was brought to church every single Sunday. As she got older, Sam would fight her mom a bit about what she had to wear -- why were dresses a requirement when the boys got to wear pants and run around in the mud in the break between Sunday school and the church service? -- but she grew up believing just as much in God as they did.

That was also how she first started learning about music. She asked her parents if she could join the children’s choir and it was there where she first started reading sheet music and learned what all those little dots meant. The music minister taught Sam so much and Sam soaked it up quickly, soon learning guitar under the kind woman’s (free) supervision. She seemed to be a natural at it.

And being good at something was a nice feeling, because Sam was never good at anything in school. No matter how hard she tried, Sam seemed to fail every single test at school. Math wasn’t too bad, but letters would always mix around in her head and she’d always get laughed at whenever she had to read aloud in class. Not only that, but she couldn’t concentrate, which often got her yelled at, and she even had trouble grasping how to tie shoes. Nothing seemed to make sense. 

When her teachers told Mary and Dwight that Sam was at a risk for repeating second grade, they took her to the school’s specialist. They knew Sam was smart, but something seemed to just get mixed up in her head. After lots of tests, they concluded that Sam had dyslexia. Her trouble with spelling and following simple tasks all seemed to make sense. She was so young, but Sam still felt a wave of relief at knowing it wasn’t her fault. She just had some wire lose in her head or some wires weren’t connecting or something like that, she couldn’t remember the metaphor the teacher told her. All that mattered was she wasn’t dumb.

Well, Sam knew she wasn’t dumb, but she still felt dumb, especially since her classmates saw her go to the special ed class she had for an hour every day. She wasn’t wildly unpopular or anything, but she definitely got mocked a lot. And it hurt. 

She did her best to just focus on things that made her happy, though. Her special ed teachers got her into comic books, since somehow that stuff seemed to make sense in her mind since it was so linear. She continued learning guitar and going to church and she joined the school’s swim team. Eventually, when her little brother and sister were born, Sam helped around the house as best as she could.

As Sam got older, she got more friends at school and was actually pretty popular, but she would still often be found at home helping her parents with her baby siblings during her free time. Family was always so important to her, more important than most anything else, and she loved being around her kid brother and sister. Stevie and Stacie looked up to her so much and it was damn awesome to be seen as a hero.

Then a crisis hit. Her dad lost her job and they had to tighten their belts even more. Sam got a job delivering pizzas and saved up as much money as possible, eventually even selling her most prized possession, her guitar, just to try to help spread money around. And when it came time for her to apply to colleges, Sam didn’t even bother; it cost too much money to even apply, and she still didn’t feel smart enough to even go to one. She was going to stay in Kentucky, because, yeah, maybe her dad finally landed a well-paying job again, but getting Stevie and Stacie more money was much more important than getting into some dumb college. Her siblings would be better at the whole college thing than her anyways.

Well, her parents actually weren’t okay with that. See, they knew maybe college wasn’t the right place for their eldest child, but they knew that Sam wanted to see more of the world, and that after years of sacrifice, she deserved it. She could model, she could sing, she could even work as a minister, but she needed to get out of their small town in Kentucky and make a name for herself and have fun.

A year after Sam graduated high school, her parents presented her with a new guitar and gave her the keys to their old truck. Sam always had a home with them, but they told her it was time to find something new. As much as Sam would miss her family, she knew they were right and she needed to leave Kentucky. So with the money she saved, plus some extra her parents made her take, Sam took off for a new adventure.

♫ We team up, then switch sides like a record changer ♫

Of course, when thinking of places to go, the obvious destination was LA. It was sunny and full of big chances, right? So Sam drove that beat up old car to California, got a job in a Target, and looked for places to live. On Craigslist she found two other girls, Rachel Berry and Kitty Wilde, who were looking for a roommate. Sam fit all the requirements: a non-smoking woman with no pets who didn’t mind Rachel practicing her belting at home. Sam applied using free wifi at a Starbucks and after an interview the next day, where she provided first and last months rent, Sam moved right on into the new place. 

Of course, despite that bundle of money, the theme of her life always seemed to be money and the lack of it, and this was no different. It was hard for her to pay for food, car insurance, rent, her phone bill, and utilities, even with California’s higher minimum wage. She was normally exhausted whenever she finished work, and the only peace she ever seemed to feel anymore was when she went to church with Kitty.

One night, everything changed. A group of friends at work invited her to this club, and since she felt oddly energetic for once, she decided to go. It turned out to be a, uh, lesbian strip club? Sam didn’t even know those existed. And while she had debated her sexuality for a while, being surrounded by all those women definitely put some things into the light. And when her coworkers urged her to let loose and try out the amateur night challenge, she figured, well, why not? She wasn’t much of a dancer, but she was really attractive, and, hey, she couldn’t say no after she saw all the tips the amateurs were getting.

Sam hit the stage and, much to her surprise, made a ton of money. Like, more than the others. And when she got off stage, the owner actually handed her an application. Part of her was sure that this was all so wrong, but another part of her pointed out that God works in mysterious ways. So Sam filled out the application and started buying lingerie.

Sam was sure to tell her roommates this, and she was amazed at how truly understanding they were about the whole thing. Kitty was a bit skeptical at first, but they eventually talked it out, and Rachel just said something about “sex positive feminism” which Sam didn’t quite understand.

Of course, when her parents called, she just told them she was working overnight shifts at Target and had gotten a pay raise for the work. The idea of her parents knowing their responsible oldest daughter was taking off her clothes for work, or, worse, Stacey and Stevie finding out, scared her. They still looked up to her and constantly called her for advice. She didn’t know what she’d do if they found out about it. There was no way her family would understand.

Anyways, after about a year of working there while Rachel and Kitty went to school, things started to gel pretty well between the three of them. On one particular night that Sam had off, she started to play guitar. Rachel started singing along and Kitty joined in as well. Rachel suggested they start a band and while they all laughed at first, they soon found themselves planning it out.

See, Sam could play guitar and Rachel could play piano and was, of course, a singer, seeing as how she was majoring in musical theater. Kitty knew how to play drums after being forced into band as a kid, and she could easily afford to buy a new drum kit and take up some more lessons.

Before Sam knew it, the whole band thing became a reality. They started with some covers mostly, but Rachel soon started working with Sam on putting her writing to music, and the songs weren’t even half bad. Over the years they started to get some gigs and their songs improved even more. Once they got some solid songs under their belt, sometime after Kitty and Rachel had graduated college, Kitty got in contact with her cousin, Quinn Fabray, a member of The Sirens, and pulled some strings to get them an audition for their label.

With a lot of practice, they managed to actually pull off the audition and were given a contract and a manager and Rachel even got to collab with The Sirens. Their debut album, From Afar, took off with a lot of success, the numbers only increasing once they were signed up as The Sirens’ opening acts on their upcoming world tour. 

Oh, and the whole stripping thing? Sam gave her two weeks as soon as the record contract was signed.

However, she still has a creeping suspicion someone in the media will find out. And if her family, the people she’s worked so hard to make proud all her life, or her fans or her new friends ever find out, she’s not sure she’ll ever be able to forgive herself.

♫ The rumors are terrible and cruel, ♫

Kitty Wilde: One of the things that helped Sam get a place with her roommates was Kitty’s religious background. There was a Bible on their bookshelf, and Sam couldn’t stop herself from pointing it out and quoting some of her favorite passages. Kitty was thoroughly impressed. After that, they would wake up and go to church together every Sunday and the two often ended up discussing religion and what it all really meant together. Sam always thought her family was religious, but they definitely weren’t like the Wildes. Kitty still suffered from a lot of issues that came with such a repressive household, and Sam did her best to help by sharing her more loving version of God with her. Sam knows Kitty still feels some guilt over some of her supposed sins, but Sam has seen her make a ton of progress. 

Sabrina Smythe: As much as both Sabrina and Sam pretend to only have met in the past year, Sam has known her for a while. Of course, neither of them knew each other’s real names, because, yeah, okay, Sabrina was one of Sam’s most frequent customers and not when she worked at Target, that was for sure. On one of Sam’s first nights, Sabrina was up front and center, handing her a large bill and giving her this look that gave her shivers. And while Sam was just “White Chocolate” to Sabrina and Sabrina was just “Big Spender” to Sam in her head, the two definitely saw a lot of each other at that club, often in private rooms, and sometimes a few things that weren’t completely club rules were allowed. At first Sam thought Sabrina didn’t recognize her; after all, Sam’s usual flannel and jeans outfits and bare make up contrasted to those skimpy outfits and glitter-coated skin back at the bar. But Sabrina talked to her in private and made it clear that she knew who she was. Sabrina tried passing them off to another manager, but it looked too suspicious and she ended up keeping Divine Influence under her control. Both of them still haven’t told anyone else their secret -- no one besides Sam’s bandmates and Sabrina even know about her old job -- and Sabrina is working extra hard at keeping Sam’s old job out of the papers for both of their sakes. She even got Sam’s old co-workers to sign confidentiality agreements. So now Sam just has to ignore the remaining attraction she has to her, which...hasn’t really worked so far.

Rachel Berry: When Sam first moved in with Kitty and Rachel, she bonded right away with Kitty. Rachel, however, was a different story. They didn’t fight or anything, but Rachel seemed a bit...weird around her. But then the band started and things seemed to work out well. They started joking around and having meaningful talks, just like she did with Kitty. Rachel even gave Sam a few moves to do at her job, which helped a lot. Of course, Rachel did them much better than Sam and looked much better doing them. Then again, Sam’s pretty sure Rachel would look great doing anything, but that’s another story. That story is only complicated by the fact that Sam has noticed Sabrina slipping Rachel away from the group, talking to her more, and even putting a hand on her back every now and then. Sam wants to believe it’s nothing because Sabrina went on a big rant about how they would all be professional. But, well, maybe Sabrina just isn’t interested in having an ex-stripper as anything more than that...

Blair Anderson: Sam met Blair a few times because of Rachel’s shows at UCLA, and they’ve gotten along pretty well. Blair’s so, so sweet, and she’s so good, too. Honestly, Sam doesn’t get how Rachel can give so many notes since Blair always sounds so great in rehearsal. Sam is sure to tell her that. And since they’ve been in rehearsals and all, they’ve actually become pretty good friends. Like, actually good friends. They’ve joked about taking over the #KittyKat videos and making BLAM Attacks or something dumb like that. Whatever, it would totally work. They have a lot of fun together and tend to just goof off in their hotel room and watch dumb movies and just have fun together. And if she’s noticed Blair might have a crush on her, she really hasn’t let it on yet.

Norah Puckerman: Sam has always loved comic books, Star Wars, video games, and various “nerdy” things. And as much as she loves Rachel and Kitty, neither of them really enjoyed talking about that stuff. So when Norah casually mentioned Mario Kart once, Sam asked her more about it and suddenly Norah was ranting at her about shells and banana peels and Rainbow Road. It was definitely something Sam didn’t expect from someone like Norah, since she was all smooth and cocky and all. Those talks turned into the latest Star Wars movies and the upcoming comic book adaptations and Norah’s huge crush on Gal Gadot. The two of them have since become peas in a pod and are often found talking about all of those things and Norah has even joined in on some of the impressions (though, really, she’s not as good at them). 

Marley Rose: With all the paired up promotions the two bands have done, plus the fact that they were going to tour together, it only made sense for both bands to get to know each other. As Sam started to get to know Marley, Sam realized they had a lot of things in common, such as growing up rather poor -- though Marley ended up having more stability once she moved in with her cousin. Still, they had a lot of fun talking and they developed a nice sense of humor between each other. Lately Sam has noticed that Marley is laughing at her impressions more and more, when normally people start laughing less. Part of her wonders if Marley has a crush on her -- and if she does, that really sucks because of, well, the whole Kitty thing.

Fiona Hudson: Fiona, much like Norah, is someone Sam has gotten along with really easily. They talk about comic book movies and junk food and music like they’ve known each other for years. And since Sam cares about family so much and can’t do anything about the Puckerdrama that Norah doesn’t know about, Sam is ready to help Fiona with Kat, which, okay, maybe she can’t do much about. Still, she’s willing to try, and she’s at least willing to listen. Oh, and having someone else who didn’t graduate from college on tour with her? It’s really nice. It’s nice not to feel like an idiot with someone, since, well, Sam tends to feel like everyone looks down on her.

Kat Hummel: Honestly, Sam really likes Kat. They don’t get to hang out that often or anything, but they’re definitely friends, at least in Sam’s book. And, hey, Kat loves her Bella Swan impression, so Sam does it whenever possible around her to make her laugh. Seeing as Sam gets along with Marley and Kitty, two girls Kat is fairly close to, she assumes the two of them are good enough friends. Sam can be a bit oblivious to what’s happening around her, but it’s not like Kat hates her or anything, right?

Jackie Puckerman: Okay, so, for a while, the only person who knew about Sam’s past job thing were her bandmates and Sabrina, and Sabrina was the only one who knew about how frequent of a customer she was. But then Jackie overheard a conversation on it, and now...now it’s hard. Jackie knows something so secret about her, but, okay, Sam knows a secret about Jackie as well, and it’s one she wishes she didn’t know. At all. Norah is her friend and she hates lying to her so much. She keeps trying to get Jackie to tell her since the guilt is honestly weighing on her so heavily and she just wants all the secrets out in the open. Or, well, at least Jackie’s. Hopefully she can keep it in until Jackie tells Norah herself, and hopefully Norah won’t be mad when she finds out that Sam knew. 

Santana Lopez: In all honesty, Sam doesn’t know what to make of Santana. She does her job well and, really, she’s kind of like Sabrina in a weird way, since she’s all about business and can be too honest for her own good. Well, at least now. But Sam hasn’t talked to her much. She just knows that Santana looks at her kind of weirdly. Sam is, of course, completely unaware that Santana knows about her past job as a stripper...

Quinn Fabray: Sam has always been insecure about her intelligence. Quinn, of course, has never had to feel that way, or Sam assumes so, because she’s really smart. And normally Sam wouldn’t be bothered by that -- both Rachel and Kitty are smart, after all, as is Sabrina and most of the tour members. But Quinn has this way of saying things that make her feel so stupid. For example, one of the first times they met, Quinn asked Sam where she went to college. Sam said she hadn’t gone, and the look on Quinn’s face said everything. Maybe it’s all in her head, but she feels like Quinn looks down on her and is always trying to teach her things that she already knows. Sam’s pretty, but she ain’t dumb, okay? Just because she didn’t go to college or she spells things wrong doesn’t mean she’s dumb, but she feels dumb whenever Quinn tries to tell her some new fact or corrects her grammar or spelling.

♫ But, honey, most of them are true ♫

What have you done so far with the money you’ve made?

[answer here]

Do you regret your former job?

[answer here]

JBI asks: Would you rather your band’s songs appear in a DC or Marvel movie?

[answer here]