#a title of my own devising! not a song lyric or title for once

[cloudbattrolls]

In All I Am, Retrace Me

Jikiro Takami | Present Night | East Alternia

This drabble is preceded by Ready Set Go.

It hadn’t been much of a send-off.

He hadn’t really been in the mood for anything big and flashy, not with looming consequences staring him down like a storm front.

Akiote, Sanata and Kuusek had gathered in front of the estate, along with Jamie. Botani had been elsewhere, tending to some migratory birds. 

He’d wished someone could come with him, but Hanabi had been very firm that he would be taking enough of a risk with his own life. A living troll would be in far more danger.

God, it all sounded so insane still, despite the planning they’d done.

Jamie had prodded him in the belly after the staff had left - no surprises there - and told him he’d better bring back a souvenir as proof, or he was going to suspect this was a giant prank after all.

Jikiro had fired back that Jamie might as well try to prove he’d get over Velour while he was gone, if they were bullshitting each other, and a brief slapfight had ensued before Hanabi scolded the pair of them and nudged the two men apart. 

They’d exchanged grins, Jamie’s razor smile to Jikiro’s less sharp but equally as smug one, but a quiet inkling of fear wriggled into his heart; the worry that this would be the last time he ever saw his kismesis alive.

He kissed the cobalt suddenly, passionate yet not rough as so many of their kisses were. Jamie returned it, then broke away and remarked that if Jikiro was going to be sentimental he was going to leave.

The tealblood had flipped him off and promptly turned around, starting his miles-long hike to the place he had to reach to enter the demons’ land.

Why do I have to walk the whole way to the entrance? He’d asked Hanabi weeks ago, lying on one of his couches as she explained how he’d have to get there.

It is tradition, she’d explained. In ages past, we had only beasts of burden and our own feet. The journey to the entrance was part of the payment needed to enter. The experiences you have along the way will prepare you for what you will see on the other side.

Well, the walk was pretty so far, ginkgos and camellias scattered everywhere; he’d nearly reached the base of the mountain. He wasn’t sure what mystical experiences he was supposed to be having to prepare him for whatever magical hellscape awaited him.

He’d seen some birds and a few other trolls. That was it.

If anything it was time to stop for lunch. The foothills were close, and he’d need energy before he scaled them. 

Jikiro found a fairly even spot on the grassy ground and rolled out his picnic blanket, one he’d inherited from Himari that had dolphins printed on it. Himari loved dolphins, for some reason. Jikiro didn’t get it, but his interest in animals mostly lay in which ones could be used to make ink.

The tealblood took his basket out of his sylladex and set it down, taking out two sandwiches, a big bag of chips, and a container of salad. 

He set out his plate, silverware, and napkin and was just about to take a bite of a sandwich when he realized he was being watched.

By a small, strange-looking creature eyeing him intently, sitting on the edge of his blanket.

The animal had fur of a rich deep brown, with a small, hard white spot between its eyes that looked almost like bone. Unusually colored eyes, too - they reminded him of opals, or the iridescence of oil.

Its paws - no, its hooves - were black, and its tail was almost like a hoofbeast’s and a lizard’s combined: long and scaly, but with great lengths of darker brown hair coming off of it. 

Jikiro could feel the magic coming off of it, plain as the moonlight on his face.

He smiled, and tore off part of his sandwich - it was fresh tuna - offering it to the creature with a carefully outstretched hand. 

The thing sniffed at it…and snapped it up so quickly he almost lost a finger.

“Whoa there! Enthusiastic, huh?” Chuckled the midblood, starting to eat himself. “Guess I can’t blame you.” He said between bites. “Everyone knows what I’m like when I don’t get enough to eat. Can’t do anything with me.”

He swore the creature gave him a skeptical look, which he matched with an amused one of his own.

“Yeah, yeah, everyone’s a critic.” He said, good-humored. 

The animal finished quickly, barely leaving any crumbs, and looked at him expectantly as he chewed on his own sandwich. 

He sighed. “Really? I gotta eat too, you think I run on cotton candy and dreams?”

It merely tapped a hoof expectantly.

Jikiro reluctantly scooped out some chips into a bowl for it, and thought to pour it a small teacup of water as well. It went for both with enthusiasm, and he hoped that was the end of it as he ate his own food.

Except, once again, it looked at him with those colorful eyes and clearly expected more.

“Okay, seriously, enough.” He said, annoyed but trying to keep his time still somewhat neutral. “Look, I have to keep going into the mountains, then face a demon. I don’t mind sharing, but that’s what’s at stake here. I need to keep my strength up.”

It looked him up and down. With a swirl of light bright enough he shut his eyes, a rush of air came that signified something much bigger now stood across from him.

As he opened his eyes, Jikiro knew the beast that stood across from him, but only from paintings and carvings. This was a figure from Hanabi’s stories, passed down from the Inkblade herself.

He bowed his head in respect.

“Kirin.”

“Young Takami.” It said, voice cool but not disdainful. “It’s been a long time since one of your kind passed this way. Once I would have been greeted with bounteous offerings.”

“That’s all the bounty I got.” Said Jikiro bluntly. “I need the rest of my food for the trip back. I’d give you more if I could.”

It studied him, large deer-like ears flicking.

“You have good taste in food. Create a flavor you treasure, and if I am satisfied, you may pass.”

Jikiro thought. He’d already given it part of his meal…but what of dessert? 

He grinned, remembering the montblanc he’d worked on with Sanata for Viltau, back when they’d still been courting. The indigo had teased him with an indirect kiss, and he’d eaten a bunch of the cake in revenge.

The sweetest thing had been how much his love had enjoyed it, though, all teasing aside. 

The tealblood took out some ink - he needed to consume some himself, but it would also be a useful thing to enchant to hold the taste. Delicious chestnuts, baked meringue…he could imagine that night, see the delight on his matesprit’s face at the cake made to look like his mansion.

He closed his eyes and felt his magic flow; he didn’t need symbols for this.

He poured the memory of flavor into his ink, opening his eyes again, and felt it settle. He offered the small bottle of black liquid to the creature, reaching out as it was taken from him by telekinetic magic.

The kirin tilted the container so it could drink, and took a few mouthfuls, swallowing and considering.

It nodded.

“You shared this with someone you love, and it was beautifully made. You may continue.” 

“Thanks.” He said with a smile, drinking some ink down himself.

The creature turned and ran off, disappearing almost too quickly to see.

A short time later, Jikiro finished his meal and packed up his blanket and basket. With everything secure in his sylladex again, he kept onward. 

The wind picked up, flurrying around him, and despite how resistant he was to the cold now, the midblood still shivered. His hair threatened to come undone from its ponytail and he squinted, trying to avoid the flakes of snow now flying around him from getting into his eyes.

Snow? Where had that come from? The sky had been clear except for a few wispy clouds. Now it fell thickly, accumulating in drifts as he watched.

His teeth chattered, and he took out ink to draw a quick warmth spell on his skin before he froze, his finger dripping dark liquid that froze as it broke off.

A cold hand rested on his shoulder.

There was almost no weight to it, but the sheer freezing touch was almost painful - he knew that if it had touched his bare skin, he would have blisters, possibly even a frozen burn.

Jikiro knew better than to turn around. He stayed perfectly still. 

A billow of icy breath coated his hair and neck.

The ink maker often breathed and fidgeted out of habit, because he preferred to feel more alive, but now he quieted his whole body, becoming as solid as a stone.

After a minute (though it felt like an eternity), the hand lifted from his shoulder, though he knew he still mustn’t turn his head.

Some stories said yuki-onnas should never be looked at directly. Some stories also said they hated to be alone, that they liked to steal wrigglers…

He forced his cold body to move, his limbs to bend and push through the snow despite the ache. He dragged his heavy feet through the fluffy white flakes, feeling them pour into his shoes. He forced himself to ignore it, to kneel down and start packing snow together. His hands were basically numb, but he ignored it. He was dead. It wouldn’t do him any lasting harm.

His attempts were clumsy at first, and he dropped some snow, scattering it into the wind. Yet after a few false starts he grew accustomed to the cold around him and the cold of his body, regaining dexterity and molding the ice crystals into a small, roughly troll-like form. 

He took out ink once more and quickly drew before it froze. A simple symbol - one he’d had cause to practice with lately alongside his new apprentice.

An illusion. 

The snow troll took on the appearance of a real troll, a wriggler. 

He looked away from it, and pressed onwards. He gritted his teeth, hoping his offering would be accepted. 

He waded through what were now deep drifts, straining with all he had. He squinted against the cold gusts…

…and between one breath and another, it all vanished.

As if he’d never been cold at all.

No snow. No wind. He could see the moons again.

He breathed deeply, grateful, and said a quiet word of thanks for his freedom. 

Jikiro walked onward. The hills were right there - he’d start going up them in minutes, and then it wasn’t long until he’d find the entryway Hanabi had mentioned.

A terrible cry swept through the night. He went rigid.

Nue.

The cry came again, and a great dark cloud of smoke appeared overhead, then swept to the ground and coalesced into a creature - a monkey-headed tiger with a snake tail, and the faint patterns of…a tanuki.

He shivered, in a different way as he had from the cold.

The nue did not move. It was eerily still, only its penetrating gaze giving any hint it lived. 

Even as it spoke, its mouth barely moved, the words out of sync.

“I have no challenge for you, Takami. Only a warning. If you go this way, there is more than the demon waiting for you. You are watched. The eyeless face knows you, and it will never forget. Death is not always a shield as it is against phantoms.”

Jikiro frowned. The creature was very flat and to the point, no taunting or mocking. It regarded him a moment longer, then began to turn into a cloud again.

“What do you mean?” He finally managed to ask.

“It happened in the pines, Takami. That night you died.”

Then it fully became dark vapor again, and whirled away into the night.

Jikiro sighed. Goddamn omens. 

But he knew better than to ignore one personally delivered to him. He’d have to investigate this later.

The rest of the trek was almost suspiciously quiet. He saw a few trolls - some camping group - and waved to them. They waved back - mostly young trolls, lowbloods and an oliveblood. A deer lusus and a rabbit lusus chased each other playfully. He smiled. It was good to get reminded that life went on, no matter his worries.

Finally, he reached the shrine. Well. It wasn’t a shrine trolls had made. It was a place of scattered stones, of maples and sugarplums, but anyone with the slightest magical sensitivity could feel the buzz of its power. 

He approached the three trees in the center. He wasn’t even out of breath, he realized uncomfortably. 

He should be…but of course, he didn’t really have to breathe. He’d rather act alive. Yet his body didn’t seem to want to obey him.

The ink maker drew in a deep one anyway, to steady himself. No matter what waited for him, he didn’t have a choice.

He closed his eyes, and stepped through the arch made by the the intersecting branches.

He opened them to a dark, warped land. Trees grew in twisted shapes, and no stars hung in the sky. There was only one dim, ruddy moon. No animals rustled, no wind blew. The air was dank, smelling somewhat of rot, of dust and forgotten places.

It was too quiet. Far too quiet. Where were the demons Hanabi had warned him about?

Why was the ground covered in thick, dark swaths of…something?

He kept walking, trying not to think of how time would be passing much faster back on Alternia. 

He felt traces of magic. Magic that felt like��almost like his, but different. A Takami’s. How could that be?

The dark swaths were some sort of dried liquid, he saw as his eyes adjusted. Ink? Okay, he guessed that made sense. But why so much of it?

Where had all the demons gone? He took out his ink again, ready to draw, but he saw nothing.

Then - finally, a troll-like figure in the distance.

He grinned in relief. Even if it was just a demon, at least it was something.

The figure didn’t move as he approached, and he realized it faced away from him. He felt…he felt death from it, yet not the same kind as his. This was no undead. 

This was a corpse, somehow upright and not decayed, its long gray hair streaked with white. One of its large, pointed horns had a crack in it, in a way that seemed almost familiar to the tealblood.

Its clothing was faded and tattered, clearly very old. It had obviously been here a long time.

He sighed. Great. Back to square one.

The ink stains began to move, writhing on the ground, and Jikiro swore in alarm as they ripped themselves up and arced through the air, all heading toward - the body. 

What?

Yet it was unmistakable as the ever-familiar scent of ink filled the air, almost choking, and the ground became clear as all the dark dried substance became liquid again and rushed to somehow be absorbed and contained by the dead thing before him.

A pause. A moment of silence, tense as the man who waited, ready to defend himself at a moment’s notice.

The corpse turned its head all the way around, with a terrible squelching, cracking noise.

Jikiro’s undead heart missed a beat.

He beheld a face he’d seen a thousand times before, in history books or murals, in a statue, in paintings, carved into rock. A face that had been nearly as familiar as his own, a constant companion throughout his whole life.

Jikiro stared into the filmy teal eyes of the Inkblade, Tsuaki Takami.

[insanityclause]

When coronavirus closed the theaters on March 12, there were still 16 shows left to open in the Broadway season. Audiences will get to see some of them later, others probably not — but what of the more than 20 plays, musicals and miscellaneous offerings that had already faced the press? It seemed unfair not to celebrate them, so on Friday, just after it was announced that the Tony Awards will not go on as usual this year, we sat down (in cyberspace) to devise a Tonys of our own. Naturally, we made our own rules.

BEN BRANTLEY Well, Jesse, even in a season that’s 16 plays short, there’s still a fat if imbalanced roster of intriguing shows. Have we ever before had such a preponderance of jukebox musicals that might qualify for Best Musical? The good news is that some enterprising minds managed to inventively retool the genre you once described as the “cockroach” of Broadway.

JESSE GREEN The cockroach has evolved! “Jagged Little Pill,” “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical,” “Girl From the North Country,” “Moulin Rouge!” and — since we’re playing by our own rules here — even “American Utopia,” the David Byrne show that was deemed ineligible for the real Tonys, are all jukeboxes, all worthy and all eligible for ours. Maybe not quite all worthy.

BRANTLEY Perhaps it’s appropriate then that the last show to open on Broadway was the most unorthodox of the “jukebox” shows. I use quotation marks here because that label seems too confining for “Girl From the North Country,” the Irish playwright and director Conor McPherson’s work that uses the songs of Bob Dylan to imagine life during the Great Depression in Duluth, Minn. The more I think about “Girl,” the more innovative and haunting it seems to me.

GREEN For me it took some time, and the show’s move from the Public Theater to Broadway, to appreciate how McPherson was deploying the music in this musical. The songs do not function the way songs normally do; they never address the situation at hand, and sometimes even contradict it. Yet in that gap, poetry grew.

BRANTLEY For me, “Girl” deals with the ineffable and unsayable through song in a way that makes it the most religious, or at least spiritual, show on Broadway. I have found this aspect of the show stays with me, as an oddly comforting reminder of the hunger for communion in this time of isolation. But moving on to matters closer to profane than sacred, what about another mold-breaker in a very different sense: “Moulin Rouge!,” based on the Baz Luhrmann movie about la vie bohème in gaslight-era Paris.

GREEN Here was a case where the gap between the story, such as it is, and the musical materials — found pop from Offenbach to Rihanna — did not produce poetry. For me it produced a headache.

BRANTLEY Ah, I had a swell time at “Moulin Rouge,” and I thought the far-reaching songbook became a kind of commentary on how such songs form the wallpaper of our minds. And then there was “Tina,” which was more business-as-usual bio-musical fare, although illuminated by a radiant, cliché-transcending performance by Adrienne Warren as Turner.

GREEN The creators of musicals really offered a sampler of ways to respond to the jukebox problem. “Jagged Little Pill,” built on the Alanis Morissette catalog, made the smart choice of abjuring biography and instead attaching her songs to a new plot (by Diablo Cody) that grew out of the same concerns and vocabulary. Or perhaps I should say “new plots,” because it is not shy with them. There are at least eight story lines.

BRANTLEY To be honest, this was the show that gave me a headache, because it was so insistently earnest in its topicality and, even when it was trying to be funny, humorless. So, of the new musicals (and we haven’t touched on “The Lightning Thief,” your personal favorite) what would you give the premature Tony to?

GREEN The one that wouldn’t be eligible: “American Utopia.” Joy and sadness bound to each other through David Byrne’s music and Annie-B Parson’s movement: What else do you want from a musical, even if it’s just a concert?

BRANTLEY I loved “American Utopia.” I think, though, I’d have to go with “Girl From the North Country,” but I wouldn’t have predicted that after seeing it in London two years ago. I find more in it every time I revisit it.

GREEN Despite all the Best Musical possibilities this truncated season, only one, “The Lightning Thief,” had a new score. Yet most of the offerings sounded new anyway, the result of terrific arrangements and orchestrations. I’m thinking especially of Justin Levine’s magpie-on-Ecstasy song collages for “Moulin Rouge!,” Tom Kitt’s theatricalization of post-grunge pop for “Jagged Little Pill” and Simon Hale’s excavation of the deeply layered Americana in Dylan’s catalog for “Girl.”

BRANTLEY Here, I’d have to say it’s a tie between “Girl” and “Moulin Rouge!,” each a remarkable accomplishment in a very different way. As for best revival, the undisputed winner is Ivo van Hove’s divisive revival of “West Side Story,” but that’s because it is, remarkably, the only musical revival so far.

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GREEN I liked “West Side Story” better than you did, Ben, perhaps because I wasn’t reviewing it. I lapped up the new things it wanted to show me (while also hunting for the old things it wanted to hide from me) and didn’t worry about the elements that laid an egg. (“Gee, Officer Krupke.”) Its evocation of innocence and hopelessness felt more like real life now than I’ve experienced in previous revivals.

BRANTLEY I concede the point intellectually. But the acid test for me with theater — and musicals in particular — is how much it makes you feel. And to borrow a lyric from “A Chorus Line,” for the most part “I felt nothing.”

GREEN I admit it was odd that there were no obvious breakout performances in “West Side Story” — which brings us to our first lightning round. Who wins our Tonys for leading actor and actress in a musical?

BRANTLEY Best Actress: Adrienne Warren, for “Tina” (though Karen Olivo in “Moulin Rouge!” is pretty fab, too). Best Actor: Jay O. Sanders in, perversely, a non-singing role in “Girl From the North Country.” You?

GREEN Same. I think we are having a socially distanced mindmeld. Will that also be the case with the nine new plays and four revivals that opened before March 12? With one exception, the revivals were not as thrilling as the full slate promised to be.

BRANTLEY For me, the winner is Jamie Lloyd’s spartan, merciless revival of Harold Pinter’s “Betrayal,” which brought harsh clarity to the work’s emotional ambiguity.

GREEN And ambiguity to the play’s harsh formality — its semi-backward construction. It was certainly the best “Betrayal” I’ve seen, yet I hold out some love for the revival of “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune,” which in retrospect turned out to be a farewell to Terrence McNally, its author, who died last week. I felt that Michael Shannon and Audra McDonald did it, and him, justice.

BRANTLEY It was certainly a reminder of his shrewdness and compassion. I was perhaps a little too conscious of the Acting, with a capital A. But it was a welcome addition to the season. For Best Play, we have a far more varied field, no? I suspect we’ll agree on the winner here, the season’s great iconoclast.

GREEN Yes, “Slave Play,” by Jeremy O. Harris, wins on sheer disruptive energy, even before considering its intelligence as playwriting, its knockout production (directed by Robert O’Hara) and its fearsome challenge to renegotiate race in America.

BRANTLEY But for all its shock value, what made it a wonderful play — as opposed to just a bracing exploration of dangerous ground — was its heart. By the end, you felt so completely the pain of its characters, all trying to navigate the perhaps insuperable hurdles of interracial relationships.

GREEN I think “The Inheritance” wanted to be that kind of play, too: a story of intimate relationships yet also a gay manifesto with the multipart heft of “Angels in America.” It got the heft, anyway; “Slave Play” ran 120 minutes; “The Inheritance,” 385.

BRANTLEY “The Inheritance” certainly gets points for ambition — and for the fluidity of Stephen Daldry’s production. And might I put in a word for the prickly comic abrasiveness of Tracy Letts’s “Linda Vista,” a lacerating anatomy of toxic masculinity disguised as brooding charm?

GREEN I liked what “Linda Vista” wanted to do but found it flabby. Perhaps straitened times demand slender plays. Certainly, the other new drama I greatly admired was whippetlike: Adam Rapp’s “The Sound Inside,” an existential mystery wrapped in a literary one, or vice versa. Among other things, it allowed Mary-Louise Parker, as a Yale writing instructor, to deliver a Tony-worthy performance. And now that “How I Learned to Drive,” the other play in which she was set to star this season, has been postponed, she doesn’t have to compete against herself. Is she our winner?

BRANTLEY I am going to declare a tie between her and Laura Linney, who gave a very subtle, and emotionally transparent, performance as the title character of “My Name Is Lucy Barton,” adapted by Rona Munro from Elizabeth Strout’s novel.

GREEN I buy that. But let’s not forget Joaquina Kalukango in “Slave Play,” Eileen Atkins in “The Height of the Storm,” Zawe Ashton in “Betrayal” and Jane Alexander in “Grand Horizons.” It was a very strong semi-season for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

BRANTLEY And for Best Actor?

GREEN The real Tonys decreed that Paul Alexander Nolan was eligible for his “supporting” role in “Slave Play,” but in my Tonys he’s a strong candidate for “leading.” Still, I’ll go with Tom Hiddleston, in “Betrayal.” Or at least he wins in my newly invented category of Best Use of the Lack of a Tissue. His facial leakage was Vesuvian.

BRANTLEY He was superb — and a reminder of the cathartic value of the tears of others in theater. Of course, there’s so much to cry about now in terms of opportunities lost this season. But I’m not writing an elegy for, or even a definitive summary of, this season yet. It will be fascinating to see how it reincarnates itself, won’t it?

[darklesmylove]

wicked games ch. 3 | jurdan

check it out on ao3 as well!

Jude's P.O.V

"You're up."

The sound of Vivi's surprised voice floated into the kitchen, hopefulness and a touch of suspicion edging her tone. I didn't look up, my vision filled with stacks of scribbled plans, some crumpled and tossed to the side and others spilling over with scrawled writings scratched in bleeding ink.

"I am up, astute observation Vivi," I hummed, rubbing the back of my hand across my tired, burning eyes before scribbling another idea onto my list.

"Why are you writing like a madman, what is all of this shit?" she frowned as she walked to the edge of the table, her eyes casting over my stacks of papers in relative distaste. I dimly felt the wicked, crazed grin involuntarily crawling up my mouth as my attention flickered up to her.

"Planning on how to best kill Cardan Greenbriar."

Her lip curled slightly in disapproval. "I can't believe you would even think about trying to go back, Jude, there's so much the mortal world has to offer. Less murder and stupid Faerie politics, for one."

I snorted, waving my hand in a dismissive gesture.

I didn't have a chance to focus back on my papers before Oak came bouncing into the kitchen spouting unintelligible lyrics to some mortal world pop song. He stopped short when he noticed me sitting at the table, his eyes going wide. "Jude's up! Jude's up!" he promptly ran over to me chanting, throwing his tiny arms around my neck and hanging on me with painful enthusiasm. Begrudgingly, I put down my pen in favor of hugging him back, ruffling his silky hair with a weakly genuine smile.

Oak was another reminder of Faerie that stung horribly, and as much as I didn't want to admit it, I had undeniably been avoiding interacting with him. Though to be fair, I didn't interact much with anyone.

But as of today, my days of moping were over.

Inspiration had struck in the dark hours before sunrise, and I had subsequently stayed up all night devising the best strategy to find a way back to Elfame so I could murder my supposed husband.

"What cereal today, Oak?" Vivi asked with a sigh, seemingly having given up on our conversation in favor of a more forgiving subject. Oak slid into the chair next to me, pouting his lips and swinging his short legs back and forth in thought for a brief moment.

"Lucky Charms!" he finally determined with a lopsided smile, slapping his hands on the table in excitement and for added emphasis.

"What about you, Jude," Vivi raised a brow as she plucked the bright red cardboard box from the cabinet and placed it on the counter. I shook my head dismissively, my stare dipping down as I turned my attention back to my papers.

"Choke him to death with his stupid crown?"

Oak was suddenly over my shoulder, his small voice holding a mixture of fear and confusion as he read my scrawled words aloud.

I quickly snatched the paper away, clearing my throat as Vivi shot me a withering glare. "Really, Jude?" My shoulders lifted in a half shrug, though I shuffled my papers into a crude stack before pushing them out of Oak's line of sight. Truthfully, that was by far one of the tamest plans I had devised. "Eat up Oak, we're going to be late for school," Vivi placed Oak's bowl on the table in front of him before turning her attention to me. "Would you like to come, Jude? I could use someone to help me grocery shop afterwards." The proposition made my lip curl. I had gone to the mortal store 'Target' with her once before. Needless to say, I hated every second of it. The mortal world was obnoxious and loud and tiring at best.  

Though if I really thought about it, I would have readily used the same descriptors for half the people living in Faerie.

But at least I had power in Elfhame. In the mortal world I was nothing, just another insignificant speck roaming the face of the earth with no purpose or meaning to life. I was nothing here.

The queen of nothing.

My teeth clenched together so hard it felt as if they might shatter from the pressure.

Oak hugging me good bye was a dim sensation, the sound of him and Vivi leaving the apartment a million miles away.

The pen was snatched up from the table again in the span of a blink, a fresh set of new ideas of torture and humiliation spilling over in my thoughts.

I was going to make the King of Elfhame pay for what he had reduced me to. What he had taken away from me.

Preferably with his life.

***

Jude's P.O.V

I didn't know why I had done it, why I had gone to Vivi's stash of liquor and drank through her stores as if it was my last night to live. Maybe it had something to do with catching a scent not unlike someone I loved and loathed with every fiber of my being. Maybe it had been my eyes burning with angry, exhausted tears as I came up with the hundredth new idea for how best to kill that someone. Maybe it had been the thought of what he was currently doing, who he was currently laying with.

Regardless, several empty bottles later I was sprawled out on the floor of my room, something between laughter and sobs spilling from my lips in between drunken hiccups as I stared listlessly up at the ceiling.

What would I say to him when I inevitably fought my way back to Faerie? What would he have to say for himself?

Maybe I would carve out his vocal chords before he even got the chance to speak. It would be decidedly much easier that way, to not have to hear his carefully crafted lies and manipulation ever again.

My fingers lazily crawled down my side, slipping out the kitchen knife I had come to keep strapped to my leg, a pitiful replacement for my daggers. Grasping its grooved handle, I held it above me, watching the light glint off of its sharpened blade with drunken fascination. My vision blurred in and out, my skin buzzing with heat. Another wild laugh formed on my tongue at the thought of what Cardan's face would look like when I found my way back. I would relish his terror, savor it, feed off of it. For once, he would be the one cowering, and I was going to enjoy every single second of it.

The moment of satisfaction was short lived as a wave of unbearably warm nauseousness passed over me. My eyelids fluttered as I groaned, pressing a hand over my mouth to stifle the vomit that was threatening at the back of my throat. I was sweating and feverish, alternating between blissful and miserable as the world tilted around me in a haze of sickening dizziness. It baffled me how Cardan did this every day, how he enjoyed it. Or maybe this was just another side affect of being drunk for mortals that the Fae never had to endure. The thought was bitter on my tongue.

"Jude?"

My heavy eyelids struggled to look up at the dim sound of Vivi's voice, her form blurring in and out of focus where she stood above me with her hands pressed on her hips.

"Hey sis," I greeted, slightly slurred as I absentmindedly reached for the last half empty bottle of vodka.

"I guess I can't be mad that you're finally acting like a normal teenager for once," she remarked mildly, though my intoxication wasn't quite strong enough to make me miss the mournful edge to her words.

"But I don't want to be normal." I felt the frown creep up on my lips of its own accord.

She snorted, bending down and starting to gather the bottles littering the carpet around me like some sort of shrine. The thought made me giggle briefly. "Jude, all I've wanted is for you to find happiness in yourself, outside of their world," she sighed, "I know I can't understand what it's like living there and not being one of them, but the point is that you never needed to be. You're Jude Duarte, the fiercest person I know. Being exiled doesn't take that away from you, neither does being normal and living powerless in the mortal world."

If I hadn't been drunk, I dimly suspected the words would have ignited a spark of anger. Instead, a lump grew in my throat in response.

The words teased at my tongue, anxious to be voiced aloud.

I just want to feel like I belong somewhere. With someone.

My mouth snapped shut around the admission even as Cardan's face flashed through my vision, making my nausea increase exponentially.

"I'll try harder, Vivi, I promise," I mumbled, exhaustion firmly working to press my eyelids closed.

She laughed in soft amusement. "Okay, Jude. Enjoy sleeping while it lasts, you're going to have a nasty hangover tomorrow."

Something unintelligible parted my lips in response before, promptly, I passed out.

***

Cardan's P.O.V

Cardan's mood was sullen, to say the very least. The festivities going on before him were in full swing, the people collectively intoxicated to a level that normally would have delighted him in witnessing the chaos that it elicited. But no drink has touched his tongue tonight, no nevermore graced his lips. He had remained painfully sober for quite possibly the first night since he had exiled Jude, and not for no good reason either. Orlagh was pressing for marriage again, threatening him in passive aggressive manners to make Nicasia his consort. Nicasia was currently gazing at him from across the room, conversing with Locke with her graceful arms haughtily folded over her chest. There was no denying she was beautiful, yet somehow she still paled in comparison to Jude. Jude, the mortal.

His mortal wife, that is.

No one knew of her status, of the deal they had made or of the consecration of their marriage. He had kept the information locked and guarded in the depths of his heart. Regardless if it had been what he truly desired, the move had been a political one. With her exiled and holding the title of queen, it insured the crown couldn't be stolen from him. It insured that she was protected as much as he was.

Even still, he knew he was lying to himself when he silently insisted it had nothing to do with his having feelings for her. Even as much as he so desperately wanted to, Jude Duarte was a weakness that he couldn't seem to deny anymore. His sleepless nights and empty bed could attest to that.

"Cardan." His eyes flickered up, slightly startled as he brought his focus up to Nicasia. She had crossed the room without him realizing it, and was now standing in front of him with ice blue eyes narrowed.

He couldn't hold back the contempt in his sneer. "I prefer to be addressed by my title."

Her body visibly tensed, her elegant hands curling into fists as he leaned back, crossing his legs and lazily gesturing for her to continue. "High King," she ground out, as if it physically pained her to admit she was inferior in status, "I request time for us to speak alone. My mother would like me to relay information regarding your imminent marriage." It took all of his pitifully low amount of self control to keep from jeering at her.

I already have a wife. Fuck off.

Instead, he twirled his thumb around his stacked rings in thought, turning his attention to the bare finger where a ruby formerly sat. His free hand lifted to brush against the edge of his crown, a charade of an absentminded movement, but purposefully arrogant. "Many have been pursuing my courtship and I have turned them down, what makes you think you are special, my dear Nicasia?" She reddened, making a smirk curl at the corner of his mouth.

"Maybe because I have the Queen of the Undersea behind me," she bit out, though it obviously wasn't the answer that had sprung to her mind first. She had wanted him to want her.

He fell into quiet contemplation for a brief moment. As much as it amused him to antagonize her, the question at hand was much more complex than throwing insults back and forth. His stare instinctively flickered to the right, where his seneschal had once stood by his side day in and day out. Jude would have known what to do.

Her absence had quickly made him realize with increasing urgency that he had no idea how to run a kingdom by himself. He was standing on shaky ground as it was, finally making an alliance through Nicasia would have been the smartest decision.

And yet, he couldn't make himself accept. The idea repulsed him so intensely it was mildly unnerving.

"I am currently considering my options," he settled on a rather ambiguous response, a political one, really. Neither confirming or rejecting. But it wouldn't suffice for long, and they both knew it.

Nicasia's scathing stared raked over him once, twice, before she nodded stiffly, twirling on her heels and promptly stalking away. His crown tipped slightly askew as he leaned his head back against his throne. The tedious game of politics was going to drive him mad, if it hadn't already.

"High King, there's been reports that Orlagh is starting to get impatient," the Roach appeared silently from behind him, the report low and hushed. Cardan's eyes follow Nicasia's path until she disappeared into the frenzied crowd of drunken dancers.

"So it appears," he sighed, pressed two fingers to his temple. A headache was quickly beginning to throb there, an insistent and irritating ache.

"The council is displeased with your indecision," the Roach continued impassively, doing well not to hint at his own feelings on the subject.

"Tell the council the High King says to kiss my ass," Cardan grumbled, sinking further into his seat. The Roach nodded before retreating back into the shadows, though Cardan could have sworn he caught the soft sound of his laugh.

He lifted his hand, summoning an attendant to his side in a few brief seconds.

"High King?" the boy promptly asked, his voice high pitched and breathless.

"Get me the best wine you can find, and some nevermore while you're at it," he ordered before he could think better of it. He hadn't been sober for a night in weeks, months even, why stop now? The thought made a miserable chuckle form on his lips. He didn't hesitate as a goblet appeared in his hand, downing the contents as easily as if it were water before swiping a generous amount of gold over his lower lip. This was the only way to dull the pain, to forget the sharp knife of agony pressed between his ribs and lodged into his heart.

There was only one thing that could really stop this hurt, but he knew painfully well that the only solution was one that he couldn't have, getting back the woman he could very well possibly never see again.

***

Jude's P.O.V

"Get pop tarts for Oak, he likes those for breakfast," Vivi murmured as she looked over the different types of bread with entirely too intense contemplation. My feet dragged just slightly as I walked down the aisle, swiping a box of strawberry flavored ones before tossing it into the cart.

True to my drunken word, over the past week or so I had made an effort to least act as if I was adjusting to mortal life. Grocery runs, coming along in the morning to take Oak to school, afternoon walks through the park, I had endured it all. And when I wasn't moping, I had to admit it wasn't the worst thing in the world not to have to worry about everything I ate killing me or possibly being stabbed in the back at every turn. It was normal, comfortable, but still agonizing in its monotony. Like the taste of Faerie fruit, living in Elfhame had left me addicted, always wanting more.

But maybe that was the key. No matter how much I tried to fit in, no matter how much power I wielded, maybe it would never be enough.

The thought was haunting, I shivered as I pushed the cart through the aisles, trailing behind Vivi's long, confident strides. "Do you want any candy, Jude? You could use some sweetness to balance out your bitter disposition," she smirked slightly, making an overdramatic, sweeping gesture to the wide array of brightly colored packages spilling over on the shelves.

"Coming from the household cynic, thats rich," I rolled my eyes, though not before snatching a package of hard caramels and tossing it in. It was one of the only crystal clear memories I had from before Madoc stole us away, eating hard caramels with Vivi and Taryn and sticking out out tongues to see who's would melt away the fastest.

The thought of Taryn made my jaw clench. Every single one of my memories with her were tainted now. Hollow, bitter, stained black with betrayal.

What was she doing now in Elfhame? My hands clenched, fingernails crushing into my palms. Probably celebrating her and Madoc's successes, spending nights with Locke. It was likely I didn't even pass through her mind anymore.

I hadn't realized that Vivi had moved on to the next aisle and an unfamiliar face was standing in front of me until the person waved his hand in front of my face, letting out a nervous laugh.

"Oh, sorry," I cleared my throat, blinking several times to bring myself back to reality. He flashed me a slightly lopsided smile, dirty blonde curls falling into his eyes as he shifted nervously on his feet.

"No its fine, um, I just wanted to tell you that you're really pretty," he laughed again, cheeks flushing slightly. My mouth parted as surprise tingled at my fingertips before it snapped shut just as quickly.

Come on Jude, you're gaping like an idiot. Say something you dumb ass.

"Well, thanks, I guess," I stiffly replied.

He blinked, his cheeks reddening even further at my dry response. "Ah, sorry, I usually don't do things like this but, you know, I just, wanted you to know," he ran his fingers through his hair nervously.

My wariness melted away slightly at his hopeful smile. I guess this was what flirting was like between normal, mortal people.

"Yeah, I get what you mean," I flashed him a commiserating grimace, hesitantly meeting his hazel eyes. "Don't flirt much?" he asked with a hint of playfulness. "Oh, so thats what this is," I raised a brow with just as much teasing to my voice. He blushed harder.

For some reason, it made something inside me warm with an unfamiliar feeling. Happiness? Comfort? It was bittersweet, and brought me back to painful reality with a violent jolt.

"I don't want to lead you on, I just got out of a... complicated relationship," I almost physically cringed with the words, "You seem nice, but it's just really not a good time for me."

He wilted slightly, his eyes falling to the floor in thinly veiled disappointment. "Oh well, okay. Thanks for the conversation then, it was fun while it lasted." He stuffed his hands into his pockets, flashing me one last crooked grin. I silently watched him trudge away, my body frozen as I stared after him.

For this first time since being humiliated and exiled, I actually felt.. good? Maybe 'not miserable' was a better way to describe it. But still, it felt like a glimmer of hope. That maybe, just maybe, I could fit in, I could have a life in this world.

"Jude, come on lets get going, we have to pick Oak up from school," Vivi peeked her head back into the aisle from the next row over, completely oblivious to what had just transpired. I curled my lip in projected irritation. "I'm coming." She shook her head slightly, rolling her eyes and disappearing back down the next aisle over.

As I followed her, I couldn't help but smile.

***

Cardan's P.O.V

"I'm going to go see her, and you can't stop me," Cardan slurred, attempting to push past the two individuals, again to no avail. The Roach and the Bomb shared a look that was mildly infuriating as they continued to block his bedroom door, making Cardan scowl in response. "I'm the High King, and I order you to move," he growled, the menace behind his words slightly diminished as he swayed heavily on his feet, almost stumbling before steadying himself with a hand against the side of his desk. His fingers tracked thick gold across the wood, the bright color catching his attention for a brief moment before he forced himself to focus again.

"With all due respect, your highness, you are intoxicated and not in your right mind to make this kind of decision," the Bomb firmly spoke, crossing her arms and planting her feet.

"I don't care, I want to see Jude, I miss her," Cardan insisted, his head spinning. His thoughts were a mess, blurred and muffled, but one of them managed to stand out with stark clarity.

He didn't care about plans or strategy or politics any more. He wanted Jude back.

And he was going to go get her.

"Cardan, do you realize you might not like what you find when you go to see her?" the Roach raised a brow, the question plain but not unkind. Even so, it left him reeling with a wave of pain and hurt, so strong it almost brought him to his knees.

"She wouldn't move on so fast, she-" The words died on his lips, his breath hitching as if he had physically choked on them. The thought of her happy, without him? Not that she had been necessarily happy with him, but...

"It's been a month, and you betrayed her," the Bomb softly reminded him.

His heart ached for a fresh bottle of wine, to drown the horrible feeling currently hollowing out his chest. "I'm tired," he sighed, eyes fluttering shut for a moment. Both mentally and physically, with equal parts exhaustion and misery. He ached for the familiar feeling of Jude shoving him rather roughly under the sheets, a typical occurrence back when he was under her control and she was still his seneschal watching over his every drunk and reckless action.

"How about you go to bed and I'll teach you another magic trick in the morning," the Roach offered, stepping forward and cautiously placing a hand on Cardan's shoulder. Cardan smacked his lips, running his tongue around in his entirely too dry mouth.

"Fine," he relented rather reluctantly, limply allowing himself to be promptly dragged back toward his grand bed. Despite its luxury, it still looked less than inviting without Jude in it. The mental image of her sprawled out on his sheets was ingrained into his vision with permanent clarity.

He fell onto the bed, world still spinning in a dizzying haze as he buried his face into the soft mound of a silken pillow. Dimly, he recognized the sound of murmurs of relief between the Roach and the Bomb before they walked out with nearly silent steps.

His eyes snapped back open almost immediately.

He was going to get Jude back, and no one was going to stop him.

***

Jude's P.O.V

"I'm going with Oak to a playdate, do you want to come?" Vivi asked, letting out an annoyed huff as Oak bounced on her arm, repeatedly yanking on her sleeve.

"I think I'll let you endure that hyperactive ball on your own," I eyed him pointedly with a soft laugh, to which Oak stuck his tongue out in response.

"Rude Jude, Rude Jude," he chanted obnoxiously, making me roll my eyes.

"I'm sorry Oak, you're the picture of sophistication, pardon me." I smirked as he paused, most likely trying to figure out if I was being sarcastic or not.

"I accept your apology," he sniffed, turning his nose up just slightly in an adorable parody of regalness.

I stifled my snicker, instead pressing my lips together in a smile as I nodded.

"It seems stupid Fae politics followed us here after all," Vivi rolled her eyes, snatching up Oak's restless hand and pulling him into her side.

"Hey, he answers to me, I'm the queen, remember?" I sarcastically spoke, ignoring the twinge of hurt that the words brought me.  

"Whatever, Queen Jude, King Oak, I don't care, you're in my world," she raised a brow, "We'll be back tonight, okay?" I waved my hand in a lazy gesture of understanding and dismissal, sinking down into the couch and letting my attention be captured back up by the tv as they promptly exited, the door slamming definitively behind them.

Another mindless game show was on, though for some reason they didn't seem to irritate me nearly as much any more. Weren't we all just waiting to get our lucky break in life?

My thoughts wandered to Dain, to my induction into the life of a spy. To driving a knife into my hand. To killing for the first time. To having control over Cardan. To becoming the Queen of Elfame, only to have it all ripped away from me merely hours later.

I had thought that Dain noticing me had been my lucky break. A far cry from conventional, to say the least.

My teeth found my lower lip, slicing into it as I bit down hard.

Did I even want any of that any more? However surprisingly, I had found some sort of semblance of happiness here. There was still a gaping, jagged hole torn from my soul at what I had lost, but maybe it wasn't so ridiculous to think that it could heal one day, at least with time. It had been a little over a month, maybe in a year I would have rebuilt myself already and found some new goal to pursue just as relentlessly.

A sharp, insistent knock broke me away from my thoughts.

I groaned softly as I forced myself from the comforts of the couch, running a hand through my hair as I trudged to the front door. Another loud knock that made me scowl in annoyance.

"Chill out, it's been three seconds," I groused, unlocking the door with a soft snick and swinging it open.

The figure on the steps look wildly out of place, gilded crown of gold and jewels crooked and falling to one side of his brow, ruffled, silken dress shirt unbuttoned all the way down his chest. I couldn't stop my mouth from falling open as I met his coal black eyes.

"Hello wife," Cardan grinned.

tags: @highqueenofelfhame @daddycardan @barrowmare @lazyperfectionistteen @brittpetersen @greenbriaars @thequeenofeveything @drublackthorns @sleepingfancies @feysandmaraudersdramatic @thomasscresswell @courtofdreamsandterrasen @nxyatr @totallyamazingasshole @starlightfound @jeanval24601 @city-of-fae

[mebediel]

Tagged by @toooldforthisbutstill!

when did you last sing to yourself?

Yesterday, I think.

if a crystal ball could tell you the truth about anything, what would you want to know?

Who wrote the Voynich Manuscript and what does it say?

what is the greatest accomplishment of your life?

Oh, that’s hard to answer. So far, my greatest accomplishment has been graduating university without imploding, but hopefully I’ll surpass that accomplishment soon!

what is the first happy memory that comes to mind, recent or otherwise?

Rather recent one: getting accepted into grad school :3

if you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living?

I’d probably quit my job, decline my grad school offer, and move back in with my parents/travel around the world saying goodbye to people and places.

do you have a bucket list? if so, what are the top three things?

I don’t, but here are three things I’m making up on the spot:

1. Learn Shanghainese,

2. Get published in the academic world,

3. Get published in the fiction world.

describe a person close to your life in detail

My sister:

Short-medium height; long, long brown hair; brown eyes; heart-shaped face.

Analytical, artistic, broad-interests, sometimes awkward and self-conscious, often opinionated and argumentative.

do you feel you had a happy childhood?

Overall, yes. There were definitely a lot of rough spots, and I regret the ways I acted back then, but I wouldn’t trade any of the bad experiences for the world because they’re part of what made me grow into who I am now.

when did you last cry in front of another person?

Literally today on the train in front of a bunch of strangers lol.

pick a person to stargaze with you and explain why you picked them

The friend occasionally nicknamed Egg (he is not on this site) because (1) he knows astronomy and I like stealing knowledge from people and (2) we used to do that in college sometimes and it would bring back good memories.

would you ever have a deep conversation with a stranger and open up to them?

Yes, and I’ve done this before.

when was your last 3am conversation with someone, and who were they to you?

I think in December, and they’re a college friend in a different city.

if you were about to die, and you could only say one more sentence to one person, what would you say and to whom?

"Thanks, Mom, love you.”

what is your opinion on brown eyes?

They’re great, they’re pretty, and I need them to see.

pick a quote and describe what it means to you personally

“All wishes are not idle, not in vain

fulfilment we devise - for pain is pain,

not for itself to be desired, but ill;

or else to strive or to subdue the will

alike were graceless; and of Evil this

alone is dreadly certain: Evil is.”

- JRR Tolkien, Mythopoeia

The poem as a whole is important to me, but this passage in particular I think encapsulates the idea that (sub)creation is an act of hope and defiance in a dark and painful world.

what would you title the autobiography of your life so far?

Not Lost, I Promise

what would you do with one billion dollars?

Pay for education (mine and others), build homes (mine and others)...I don’t really have a conception of how much a billion dollars can pay for, so I guess the rest can go to various charities.

are you a very forgiving person? do you like being this way?

I would like to say that I am, but I don’t think that’s my judgment to make. How forgiving is “very forgiving”?

would you describe yourself as more punk or pastel?

Punk

how do you feel about tattoos and piercings? explain

Cool on other people, but the idea of altering my body wigs me out.

do you wear a lot of makeup? why/why not?

No, I don’t wear any makeup. I never thought that I needed it, and now I’m not patient enough to learn + I break out when I do + it would take too long in the morning + I save money by not wearing it.

talk about a song/band/lyric that has affected your life in some way

CORNY BUT Switchfoot’s “Live It Well” from their album “Where the Light Shines Through” made me cry my third year of college. It helped me change my attitude toward a lot of things that were going on that year, which in turn helped me be more understanding and act more respectfully toward the people around me.

list the concerts you have been to and talk about how they make you feel

Erm, I haven’t been to a lot of concerts honestly. I went to a TobyMac concert once and a Switchfoot/Relient K concert. I tried to go to a Mitski concert with my roommate but we got the date wrong so we’re trying again in a couple months. I like them! I don’t think I could go to a concert alone, though.

who in the world would you most like to receive a letter from and what would you want it to say?

A specific medieval professor (Geraldine Heng). “You are smart and not dumb :)”

do you have a desk/workspace and how is it organised/not organised?

I have one of those corner desks from IKEA. It’s not super organized...there are books on the shelves/all along the top, and the rest of it is covered in papers and stationary and random stuff. Part of the problem is that I need more drawers/organizational furniture, but I don’t want to buy anything until after I move to a new place.

what is your night time routine?

Collapse onto bed, go through tumblr/emails, pet cat, force myself to get up and brush my teeth/shower, crawl back into bed.

what’s one thing you don’t want your parents to know?

All of my political views. They already know some of them and the result hasn’t been the awesomest.

if you had to dye your hair how would you dye/style it and why?

Hmm maybe some ombre of purple or red. I think it’s pretty. I can’t dye my hair easily because it’s so dark, but I don’t want to bleach it.

pick five people to go on an excursion with you. who would you pick and where would you go/what would you do?

My sister, my three childhood friends, and one of my college friends...lets call him Potato. We’re all pretty different, but the combination of the five of us would mean that there’s enough overlap in interests that no one would have to do any activities on their own. And I’d pick Japan because (1) one of the childhood friends is currently living there, and (2) it would be cool to take a couple weeks to explore the different aspects of historical and modern culture there.

name three wishes and why you wish for them

1. That I were better at abstract analysis. So that I could analyze better,

2. That I could memorize things better. Faster language acquisition + know more facts/poetry,

3. That I had more time in the day. Get more things done.

what is the best halloween costume you have ever put together? if none, make one up

I made this really janky Glunkus costume once and it worked out pretty well. It was a joke on the “sexy cat lady” costume...you see a girl in pleather and cat ears and then she turns around and her face is just a void with teeth.

what’s the worst thing you’ve ever done while drunk or high?

I’ve never been drunk or high, but the number of dumb things I’ve done while sober is still pretty considerable.

if you’re a boy, would you ever rock black nail polish? if you’re a girl, would you ever rock really really short hair?

Sure, why not.

what’s your starbucks order, and who would you trust to order for you, if anyone?

My Starbucks order is literally just a tall chocolate milk or a tall Chai, depending on my mood. I’d trust anyone with that order...it’s pretty hard to mess up.

what is the most important thing to you in your life right now?

Learn all the things and learn them well.

Tagging:

@paranormal-paralegal, @ashinypenguin, @molybendium, @pekasairroc, @mnmdash...anyone else who wants to do this?

[cryingalexanders]

Original French Concept Album:

show starts in Montreuil-sur-Mer with "La Journée Est Finie" as the opening number

"Demain" is the end of act1

"Epilogue: La Lumière" is the finale. it ends quietly by fading out

iconic songs such as "J'avais Revé d'une Autre Vie", "La Devise du Cabaretier", "Donnez, Donnez", "Rouge et Noir", "À la Volonté du Peuple", "Dans la Vie", "Le Coeur au Bonheur", "Demain", "Noir ou Blanc", etc are written

Original French Production:

largely the same, just more songs. it's a sung-through from the beginning

new songs include "La Nuit", "Fantine et Bamatabois", "L’accident de la Charrette", "Comment Faire", "La Mort de Fantine", "L'air de la Misère (Reprise)", "Le Guet-apens", "L'intervention de Javert", "Te Souviens Tu du Premier Jour", "La Casse de la Rue Plumet", "Sur la Barricade", "Javert Sur la Barricade", "Valjean Sur la Barricade", "Jean Valjean Se venge", "Il Vivra"

Original London Production:

"Work Song" re-uses "Donnez, Donnez" to become the opening number. the prologue about the prison and the encounter with the bishop is added

"What Have I Done" reuses "Noir ou Blanc", "Come to Me" reuses "La Lumière", "Confrontation" reuses "Donnez, Donnez", "On My Own" reuses "L'air de la Misère"

equivalents of songs from the French production are created like "Lovely Ladies" from "La Nuit", "Who Am I" from "Comment Faire", etc

new songs are expanded material from French concept album/production such as "Drink With Me" from "La Nuit de L'angoisse"

completely new songs are written such as "Stars", "Bring Him Home", "Dog Eats Dog", "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables"

the English lyrics change a lot of the original meanings of the songs around, sometimes they have completely different titles ("Mon Prince Est En Chemin" vs "Castle on a Cloud" and "La Faute à Voltaire" vs "Little People")

"Finale" has a reprise of "Do You Hear the People Sing" which uplifts the tone of the ending 

later English versions:

"I Saw Him Once" is cut, "Little People" is moved to after "On My Own", the brand new songs are cleaned up

French Revival:

French versions of the new songs such as "Le Bagne: Pitié Pitié", "Pourquoi ai-je Permis à Cet Homme", "Sous les Étoiles", "Mon Histoire", "Comme un Homme", "Fureurs Cannibales", "Tourne, Tourne", "Seul Devant ces Tables Vides", "Mendiants à la Fête", etc are created

some of the original French lyrics are kept

[doomedandstoned]

Finland’s KAISER Dazzle With  Fuzz-Soaked LP, ‘1st Sound’

~By Billy Goate~

Album Art: Marie Bergeron

What a way to get over the hump of the mid-week humdrums -- with an advance listen to what is sure to be one of the most rocked-about records out of Finland this year. I speak of '1st Sound' (2018), the brand spankin' new spin from Helsinki stoner metal trio, KAISER.

1st Sound is nothing short of a rock 'n' roll odyssey. Pex (bass), RiQ (drums), and Otu (guitar, vox) have bottled up a lot of inspiration since their self-titled debut in 2014. As I shared in our previous feature on the band ("Chasing Kaiser"), my discovery of the Helsinki trio dates back at least a year or two prior when I randomly happened upon a single of theirs on Soundcloud.

Bringing every weapon to bear, every piece of potent artillery in their arsenal, Kaiser have devised a salvo of a battle strategy. 1st Sound is a blistered attack of stoner-fuzz and sludge metal that will keep you on the edge of your seat (if indeed you can sit still while listening). What really makes it work is Otu's vibrant singing range that more than once reminded me of the late Chris Cornell, Keith Gibbs from LA heavies Sasquatch, or even Olli "Otu" Surrmunne from Altar of Betelgeuze.

Wait just a darned a minute... Stop the presses! I think I've just made a connection. I can't believe I didn't see it sooner!

Unless it's an incredible coincidence, the powerful voice of Otu in Altar of Betelgeuze and Kaiser are one and the same! This didn't hit me literally, until I was writing this review. I mean, it makes sense, right? Both bands are from Finland, though admittedly, there can be more than one metal singer by the name of Otu. Really, I can't believe I didn't see the connection sooner than this. Altar of Betelqeuze's 'Among The Ruins' (2017 - Transcending Obscurity Records) occupied prime real estate on Doomed & Stoned's Heavy Best list last year. To be fair, the band didn't alert me to this revelation, either. "That's usual for us, the weedheads," jokes bassist RiQ when I confront him with my discovery. Well, in any event I now have yet one more reason to be excited about Kaiser. Otu's vox take both bands to another level of excellence in a scene that has increasingly become saturated by a carnage of riffs. This I can definitely come back to for second helpings!

Among the highlights for me were "Desert Eye," which serves up a fierce ride through the barren wilds, kicking up plenty of sand and gasoline fumes as we attempt escape from the Devil's Hand. Delicious, Kyuss-esque low-end and intricate bass play characterizes this track.

Another standout moment for me came with "Earthquake," which is solidly on the metal side of the "stoner metal" equation. This was actually the song that forced the Altar of Betelgeuze connection for me. I'd just never heard Otu belt loose like this in Kaiser before. It's a fearsome sound that reverberates through most every song on the album.

Mark Friday, May 25th, on the calendar. That's when Kozmik Artifactz/Bilocation Records releases Kaiser's 1st Sound to the world. In the meanwhile, you can listen to it all right here, right now on our bitchin' lil blog!

Give ear...

1st Sound by Kaiser

Track By Track:

A Kaiser Guided Tour Through '1st Sound'

After our last chat with Kaiser, I thought it would be a good time to check in again with the band. Specifically, I was interested in knowing the significance of each of the songs on the new record. As usual, I find their frankness refreshing and occasionally hilarious. (Billy)

HIGH OCTANE SUPERSOUL

This is about how you can (or should) conquer yourself, not living in fear under other people's rules and requirements. You're the star in your life, so you do what you wanna do. There might be some allegories of things that have happened in past, present, and future. The songwriting process is not that special, it's just full of riffs that have been brewing in our pocket for years.

DESERT EYE

This is a compilation from our "travels" that we used to do around the "world" -- do not ask about those you might get lost, too. The writing process is the same, just old riffs butting together.

WE BLEED FOR THIS

This used to be song about intercourse, but then we discovered it's about our songwriting processes in the rehearsal place -- full of lightning, fire, overwhelming joy, and king ideas, but there is also similarity to how this world turns over. I don't know, you people decide.

VOIDMASTER

Everyone should go into this place once in a lifetime: deep, deep down into yourself with nothing around -- no sound, no thoughts, nothing. The song was written like four years ago.

OUROBOROS

This is like a brain fart by force, you know. Our producer said that we need some more songs on the album and this came like in just a few hours. We personally don't like this song that much, but don't mind if it's there. Someone could like it. It’s a pretty cliché story about the circle of stupidity that is humankind -- like a snake who eats his own ass.

INTERMISSION

This is a song. The only song that our bassist had to write.

EARTHQUAKE

This is the very first song that Kaiser had written. It was Otu’s, some old riff that we cultured a little. Then one day, I was in the hangover of my life and this bounced into my head in the same beat as my headache, so I wrote these lyrics and it's about hangover -- THE hangover.

FUZZ OF FURY

One word: Bruce Lee!

KING OF HORIZON

This is little bit similar to "High Octane." Think about how you should live in these end times -- you decide. It's more or less about our owns lives, but you can also build your own vision about it -- you choose the story.

GALACTIC CRUSADE

This is the second song we composed, because our producer said that we needed more songs. I was thinking about a slow song, because we don't play those that much. I did this main riff at home and was little scared ("Will the guys judge me and kick my ass with this unmanly riff?"), but they liked it and when we continued the writing, it crowed more and ended quite effectively. The song itself is about something that ends and you start it from beginning, only to screw it up all over again. Sound familiar?

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[bthenoise]

Comedy During Quarantine: Jarrod Alonge Talks New Deathcore Parody Album, Children’s Book and More

In a time where pretty much everyone needs a good laugh or two -- or three or five or 100 -- comedy is becoming more and more essential. 

Doing his best to provide some comedic relief in a time of need -- because really, tiger memes can only be funny for so long -- is YouTube jokester and Warped Tour funnyman Jarrod Alonge.            

Known for his hilarious online videos poking fun at pop-punk and metalcore bands plus creating his own parody music under monikers such as Sunrise Skater Kids and Canadian Softball (oh and don’t forget his non-parody, very serious and very kickass band CrazyEightyEight), Alonge is looking to share his wit in 2020 with a multitude of projects.    

Starting with a new children’s book about how to properly mosh and then a deathcore album covering some high-level health issues, the multi-talented entrepreneur and his newfound media company will be very busy this year.      

“Taking on excessive work is actually a weakness of mine,” admits Alonge. “I’m currently a little overwhelmed, which is why this deathcore album is coming out so late and why my other albums have been delayed for over a year.” 

“Most of 2019 was spent building the foundation of Boketo Media,” he adds. “But now that everything is up and running, my projects should start coming to fruition sooner than later.”  

To read more about what the hardworking entertainer has up his sleeves for 2020, be sure to check out our Q&A with Alonge below. To pick up some recent Boketo Media releases, including How To Mosh: A Beginner’s Guide To Crowdkilling, head here. 

Comedy can obviously be a huge sense of relief for people in times like this. Is there any humor you've turned to lately to help distract you from everything going on? 

JARROD ALONGE: My wife and I started Schitt’s Creek the other night, so far it’s been a good escape from everything. Aside from the occasional funny YouTube video or surfing memes, I usually distract myself with video games. Let’s just say I’m progressing in Animal Crossing: New Horizons a little too quickly…

For you personally, do you find that it's a hard time to be funny right now? Or are you able to laugh at things when times are tough?

It really depends on where the humor is placed. I laugh and have fun every day, regardless of the circumstance, and I actually find it very therapeutic to make jokes during difficult times. I do feel a sense of duty keeping my audience entertained considering how many of them are younger and have trouble processing current events without feeling overwhelmed and anxious. I DO have a hard time navigating politics with humor though, especially in this “post-truth” era. Most jokes are crafted on a mutual understanding of an issue but the current political landscape is so blatantly screwed up I usually just get too frustrated and end up spending my meme-minutes lecturing internet strangers.

A recent example of you sharing your humor amidst everything going on is your deathcore parody track "Coronaviscerated." How do you feel the overall reception of the song & video has been so far and how quickly were you able to write that track?

The “medical PSA” concept of the album was actually a year and a half in the making. That specific song originally covered sexually transmitted diseases but I made the decision to scrap those lyrics and cover COVID-19 instead once the pandemic started picking up. I knew the music video would be more popular than others considering the coincidental timing, although I wasn’t expecting it to pass a million views so quickly. My original career path was actually in healthcare so I genuinely DO feel good having the opportunity to educate the public with actual scientific facts. I guess my degree is finally paying off.

You're planning to release a full album with your deathcore band Vermicide Violence titled The Praxis of Prophylaxis. What lead you to write a full deathcore record as opposed to different genres like your previous album Beating A Dead Horse?

Like Friendville by Sunrise Skater Kids and Awkward & Depressed by Canadian Softball, I see the album as another spin-off from Beating a Dead Horse. I should note that this is my first comedy album with outsourced instrumentals. Usually I either write the songs myself or co-write with another producer but the instrumentals on this album were devised completely by Lee Albrecht, a producer based in Grand Rapids. Considering the complexity of deathcore music, it takes a big burden off my shoulders.

Do you find that it's hard to get certain jokes across with deathcore songs when the lyrics aren't as easily understood?

It’s pretty much impossible to understand screaming lyrics unless paired with a lyric video. Screaming in deathcore is particularly difficult to comprehend, which is why every song on this album will be released with lyric videos. Luckily some stuff just sounds hilarious even if you don’t know the lyrics. I made sure to make each mix sound as stupid as possible.

One of the other many projects you've been working on is your new sort of children's book How To Mosh: A Beginner's Guide To Crowdkilling. Where did the idea to write a book come from and how much fun was it to create it with your sister?

My career as an entertainer has partially been defined by “hmm, I bet I can do that too.” At first it was just YouTube sketches but I got bored and gave music a chance. That ended up being a good decision. Earlier in 2019, I thought the same thing about publishing a funny children’s book. My sister does graphic design on this side so she was the obvious choice for illustrator. We used to draw together when we were kids so it’s funny seeing everything come full circle like this.

What was the most challenging part of the book? Was there anything you wanted to include but couldn't?

It came together surprisingly easy. By the time we were done we were baffled there was a completed book in front of us. If anything, getting it printed and shipped was tedious. I included just about everything I wanted to include but I do have other jokes and gags I’m saving for sequel books in the near future.

Lastly, your company Boketo Media has been very busy since you started things early last year. Other than your own releases, what else do you have in store for 2020?

SO MUCH. Too much. Taking on excessive work is actually a weakness of mine. I’m currently a little overwhelmed, which is why this deathcore album is coming out so late and why my other albums have been delayed for over a year. Most of 2019 was spent building the foundation of Boketo Media, but now that everything is up and running, my projects should start coming to fruition sooner than later. I’m currently working on three other albums, two video games, a handful of web shows, a nonprofit and a plethora of other things I’ll probably never get around to starting. We shall see! 

[frankiebones]

CALL IT A MANIFESTO by THOMAS KELLEY

CALL IT A MANIFESTO: Frankie Bones’ Techno Classic Still Rhymes to the Future

“It Started In Detroit / But I Had to Exploit / The Way I Hear It! / Techno House Is the Sound / From the Dance Cult Underground / I Know You Feel It!” —second verse from Frankie Bones’ ‘Call It Techno,’ June 4, 1989

Before the last hurrahs of the 20th century, from the first Gulf War to the Monica Lewinsky affair, a Brooklyn rebel laid down words for a movement that was short on them. Scrawling them on paper, he devised a message with the force of a freight train, giving it a rhyme and flow that struck across the distance: “Detroit,” “exploit,” “techno house,” “sound,” “dance cult,” “underground.”

But who was this Frankie Bones? There’s no way of answering that without the word “techno” and everything it means. Techno of the past. Techno of the future. Techno, now. His story, which encompasses the American journey of breakbeat grafted to the metronome — the hybrid of polyrhythm and the 4/4 beat — that would define dance music from jazz to rock, disco to electro, onto hip hop, house, techno, rave and “EDM,” evolving without end, is critical to understanding the direction of Western music.

He was a white hip hop kid whose father was murdered by a black man. He was defiant and never afraid to speak his mind. And so, in 1989, he declared his love for a mixed up sound. He wrote lyrics that talked about a new beat that was so strong it was all he could talk about. He described how it was mutating and where it was going. He put his finger on the wire.

He could do that because he knew the shock of loss. Techno was his salvation: Frank Mitchell, who became “Frankie Bones,” survived tragedy through his love of black music, and that’s how he made it his own.

Now, almost thirty years afterits initial release, in honor of his enduring contributions and the fiery urgency of Bones’ career, Carl Cox’s Intec label picked Bones’ landmark anthem ‘Call It Techno’ for a remix E.P. The new edition, which came out in November, includes a sleek, commissioned remix by Bones, along with interpretations by hotshots Raito and Carlo Lio, plus a heavy filtered b-side: ‘Light It Up.’

To understand what was going through his head when he created the original, Ghost Deep talked to Bones about the deep varied currents and rocky urban places that inspired his words (see the full Q&A below).

Like reefs under the waves, each verse of ‘Call It Techno’ described a world within worlds. You had to hear it down below the flash. And then you could feel it— and know, that the future was here. Hearing energetic electrons pushing sound through the air at early raves, generated a cultish religiosity, filled with optimism about the great electronic unknown, a heady convergence of humanity and new technology.

And yet, for most of the world, it was a slow takeover. Mass hysteria had visited pop culture before in the form of Elvis Presley’s gyrating rock ’n’ roll and the “devil music” backlash, and in the form of Beatle-mania. But the “dance cult underground” was different. In America, it was a decades-long insurgency thumped out one renegade party at a time. Kicking off almost 30 years after the 1960s — during the height of the AIDS epidemic — it was more secret and more subversive than rock, moving unseen in the shadows.

Looking back on it now, few were ready for it. “The techno wave has grown / with a style of our own / direct from Brooklyn!” declared Bones. “Essential funk, kick and snare / make you feel it over there / out in London!” And the chorus: “We call it techno! / You can feel the bass! / Call it techno! / Techno bass, bass!”

You could hear the ferocity and fervor in his voice, cresting over the waves of hybrid sound, slinging fully formed ideas in street code with a common touch, set to the crunching breaks of hip hop and electro, the sensual groove of C + C Music Factory’s ‘Seduction,’ with ghostly synths hovering in like the fog.

With simple words and his “techno house sound,” Bones was addressing the emergence of a global underground. He was talking to London, and Detroit, and connecting the power cables near the Hudson. And he wasn’t going to take shit from no one.

Computer Noise And Pounding Bass / Hits You In the Face / Like A Hammer

And yet no one really knew how to talk about it. True, there were the visionary words of Juan Atkins on Detroit techno classics, like ‘No UFO’s’ and ‘Night Drive (Thru Babylon),’ both from 1985. Or the gospel call and response of Bernard Fowler on N.Y.C. Peech Boys’ ‘Life Is Something Special,’ going back to 1982 — “Can you feel it!?” — on to Chicago house anthems like Larry Heard’s ‘Can You Feel It?’ and Marshall Jefferson’s ‘Move Your Body.’

But the difference is no one had described the movement those songs inspired in stark international terms— a techno-social wave that would go on to sweep the world. The clues were just barely knowable, if not yet universal (read the full lyrics to ‘Call It Techno’). After the tumult of the ’60s and ’70s, Westerners were just starting to formulate feelings about the great leaps ahead, from the end of the Cold War to the Information Revolution to China’s economic rise to today’s cyber delusional storms. As life accelerated through the ’90s, the past seemed to recede with ever greater speed.

Until it didn’t. Today, the Cold War is back. The truth is on life support. And the shadows of the Great Depression linger in antsy brains. As Bones is fond of noting, the inverse of techno’s manifest destiny also applies: when the past meets the present, that’s when the future arrives.

The same year ‘Call It Techno’ went to press, the first internet service providers went commercial. Communism ebbed away in Eastern Europe. The Berlin Wall came down. The same day Bones put out his single, the Chinese government murdered and bulldozed students protesting for democracy in Tiananmen Square. At the other end of the spectrum, corporate control of Western music ensured pop vanilla from the likes of Rick Astley, Richard Marx, Skid Row and Milli Vanilli, ruled the airwaves.

The following year? Vanilla Ice’s ‘Ice Ice Baby.’

Imagine that. No, really. Imagine. Imagine if it was all “Word to your mother”?

If free-thinking people were to survive the transitions, AND transgressions, of the ’90s and beyond — into hacked identities and Russian brainwashing, from smartphone addictions all the way to real Fake News and Fake Intelligence (A.I. or otherwise) — then they would need an underlying context that reminded them how they got there and who they are.

For many, that grounding would be techno — the Music of Machines.

Bones brought a powerful subtext to that riddling context. A native son of New York City, he grew up next to train tracks in Brooklyn, tagging brick walls with his graffiti call sign, “BONES” (given to him for his wiry, skinny frame), crawling through subway tunnels, chowing down hot dogs at Coney Island, tearing it up at disco roller rinks, and mining records with every cent he got.

Once he became a man, he picked up the mic. His father died four years before he recorded ‘Call It Techno.’ He could talk about himself. Or he could talk about the city he loved. He could talk about his anguish. Or he could talk about the unifying beat at the heart of the world.

So he wrote five verses that gave voice to a critical moment in time, this New Yorker bringing a hip hop attitude to the techno dance party. He punctuated the emerging technological groove with a sense of mission. He told the story of rave’s birth, of cold cities giving harbor to the blues of former slaves, of a flash point in Europe, of Brooklyn crashing London in the cover of night.

We’re a long way from 1989. But sifting through the story on ‘Call It Techno,’ the same stakes have little changed and his defiance applies now more than ever. Asking the Johnny Appleseed of Techno about how his manifesto came to be, he explains the experiences and records that informed his style, and how “rave” was just revolution by another name.

GHOST DEEP: ‘Call It Techno’ talks about the Brooklyn style. Can you define what that style is and where it came from?

Frankie Bones: In 1978 and 1979, two iconic movies being Saturday Night Fever and The Warriors, were stories written for and about Brooklyn. But that being said, living in Brooklyn in the 1970s and 1980s was an identity crisis, a period of uncertainty and confusion in which a person’s identity is questioned due to a change in their expected roles in society.

That was Brooklyn Style. It wasn’t a style at all. It was more just about survival in the streets. If you claimed a style, you were going to be picked on and bullied.

An earlier Brooklyn film from 1974, titled The Education Of Sonny Carson,depicts this even better, and I only mention that because John Travolta was first appearing on a TV show called Welcome Back Kotter, also based in the same Brooklyn neighborhood Saturday Night Fever was based a few years later: Bensonhurst, Bay Ridge, Coney Island — our stomping grounds.

What else was going on in Brooklyn at that time that inspired you?

We moved into Flatbush, 982 East 38 Street to be exact, last house on the left of a dead end street, on August 7, 1973. Put the address in the search bar and you can see a small modest house. It was more beautiful back then. This was the same weekend Kool Herc threw the very first hip-hop party in the Bronx. I was seven.

But I began collecting records early on. Very early on. Because I lived next to railroad tracks and there was a flea market only a few blocks away.

This is hillarious, but the scene in Boyz In The Hood — “You wanna see a dead body?” — the railroad tracks next to my house were exact and the same. I never saw a dead body, but there were things. Things to explore, things to break, to light on fire. There is a sense of isolation on freight train tracks, especially in a city as big as Brooklyn. The World Trade Center was just completed. New York City was changing.

When those movies came out though, we lived our lives through those stories. We wrote graffiti. We did hip hop. Breakdancing. Our young friends also became famous years later. It was dangerous and yet exciting.

Who were those young friends who became famous and what did they become famous for?

They were mainly graffiti artists such as Ghost, Reas, JA, Kaves and my brother who wrote as Ven. They left a mark which lasted decades. Otherwise, producers like Omar Santana and Carlos Berrios, who did rather well in the music industry.

So that’s the emotional background to the song, this mixed up identity of New York City in the ’70s and ’80s. So what were you trying to capture in terms of the future with the song’s lyrics and vocal delivery?

‘Call It Techno’ was written after we first got the phone call to play at these big all-night raves in London. I worked with Northcott Productions: Silvio Tancredi (R.I.P.) and Tommy Musto.

They had just built a studio and office for their label, which became Fourth Floor, on 25 West 38th Street. We started making tracks every single day. We had a pressing plant. We were distribution and independent. I started working there in 1987. After one year and lots of releases, a weird trend became totally visible to us and us only: we were shipping more records to London than we were selling States-side.

This began in 1988. And it was my Bonesbreaks 2 where there was this massive paradigm shift. London was going through some sort of revolution in our eyes because the records magically just started to have a big demand in the U.K. and we wanted to know why.

Right, so the concept for ‘Call It Techno’ first came from that London connection?

Well, we get the phone call. We knew it was coming actually. I remember getting that offer to come and play in London. I had already had steady DJ gigs in New York, but they were talking about 5,000 people parties in London. With just DJs.

This was unheard of in New York City. New York had mega-clubs: Paradise Garage, Studio 54, Fun House, etc. But it never had multiple DJs per night. It just didn’t happen. You got “track acts,” live P.A.s performing. But unless you were Jam Master Jay performing with Run-DMC, you were not going to DJ in these clubs. They had one resident DJ only. And you had to produce commercial music to create a buzz.

We actually had already done that with freestyle and electro, but in 1987, house music became the sound and it had evolved through disco. The Chicago and Detroit styles were strictly underground-based and filtered to DJs who spent time in record stores.

So if this new sound was filtering into New York DJs over time, did techno need such a manifesto in your opinion? What were the thoughts you debated in putting words to what has often been wordless music?

The paradigm shift I mentioned was from Bonesbreaks 2 [1988]. We were just fucking around with these bizarre mash-ups, which were basically breakbeats and house and smashing TR-Roland 808 drum machines and the preferred Casio RZ-1 synthesizer, over us just mixing records and releasing them as DJ tools. Knowing that was way over the top for 1988 standards and hearing that our records were in higher demand than the previous Chicago and Detroit releases were in London, a bell went off in my head.

I went in and made a freestyle song using Detroit Techno sounds. I perform the song. Cut out the middlemen, who were actually young female singers who sang on our songs. I was quite successful writing popular freestyle tracks at the time. I did a ton of ghostwriting for Omar Santana and Carlos Berrios, who were also making big waves in their careers. And I always loved Egyptian Lover’s records from ‘Egypt, Egypt’ onward. 2 Live Crew. “I could do this.” No problem.

I didn’t actually ever have a problem writing hip hop songs. My only issue was being this kind of goofy white kid from Brooklyn who already knew the stakes well in advance. I knew in advance that I was going to London to DJ, and have an opportunity to have no limits and no boundaries.

‘Call It Techno’ was my way of arriving with a new passport and telling the Brits, “Hey, I get it.” You guys are some kind of “Dance Cult from the Underground and Techno House is the Sound.”

Tech-house? In 1989? Imagine that.

Hold Up / Wait A Minute / Let Me Put Our / Bass In It

Bones opened up Groove Records in 1990, a small record store in the multiethnic Bensonhurst enclave of Brooklyn, that focused on selling techno vinyl. It would later reincarnate as the long running Sonic Groove record store, in partnership with his younger brother Adam (known best as Adam X) and Heather Lotruglio (better known as DJ Heather Heart). Their business would go under following the cultural and economic aftershocks of 9/11.

But the year after ‘Call It Techno’ impacted dance floors, the future opened wide with a sense of possibility. For over a decade Bones and his crew would help lead the “dance cult underground’ in various capacities. Infamously, they jump-started the New York rave scene by throwing their gutsy “Storm Raves.” They cut bolt locks and set up speaker stacks in brickyards and train yards. They wired their gear into street lamps for power, jacking into the city’s electric grid, setting up a parallel universe of uncompromising music.

It was that same Brooklyn Style that Bones talks about — improvisational and risky. In the early ’80s, as is widely misreported, disco had “died.” But a only few years later, it came back as a robot. In abandoned warehouses across the Hudson and under bridges, the great cosmopolis, the Big Apple, got its “computer noise and pounding bass.”

Bones made good on the spirit of ‘Call It Techno.’ He captured, predicted and helped carry out its proclamations. But in many ways, New York just as easily could have stayed a hip hop town speckled with underground disco haunts — one without the pulse, the other without the boom.

It was that intersection that always caught his ear. He heard it in Afrika Bambaata and the Soul Sonic Force. He heard it in Cybotron’s ‘Clear.’ That intense connection to funk.

He loved electro and hip hop for their hybrid, diverse energy. He loved how they cut through barriers. When his father, who drove taxis for an extra source of income, was killed, it was the young Bones’ love of hip hop at a time when the city was seething with racial strife, that helped him channel his sorrow in a more hopeful direction.

It’s those shards of life and music that helped define his unique sound. He’s not only a DJ who conjures mayhem from the decks but who writes dark, wily records like 2017’s excellent ‘I’m Taking Control,’ and who can slam words over songs and DJ sets on the fly. He sees the world in terms of rhyme.

GHOST DEEP: The lyric “It started in Detroit / but I had to exploit / the way I hear it” pays homage to Detroit’s genesis of “techno.” When did you first hear a Detroit techno record?

Frankie Bones: The untold story of Juan Atkins, who I dearly respect, but what people never caught onto. ‘Clear’ by Cybotron. Juan produced it in 1982. Legendary Electro. Everyone knows ‘Clear.’ Clearly Juan has stated time and time again that he never heard ‘Planet Rock’ when he penned ‘Clear.’ He didn’t hear it.

I know Juan dearly for many years and he is an honest and truthful man. The can of worms opens when you read the record label. It says MIXED BY JOSE “ANIMAL” DIAZ — a New York DJ whose mix was modeled 100% to the mold of ‘Planet Rock.’ Find Juan’s original from the album. I always pay attention to detail. The original song sounded like an electro-funk song of its era, with no bottom end.

‘Planet Rock’ had changed everything and it was a New York classic straight out of the crate. The music was made in big session studios with big budgets. $150 an hour type stuff. It wasn’t made in someone’s bedroom.

So was that Detroit record the first techno record you ever heard?

Cybotron, yes, but Juan’s Metroplex records, which were electro and not labelled techno, fueled the fire all the way through, from 1982 on. It allowed me to realize there were people making these type of records outside of the New York electro scene: Miami, Detroit and Hollywood. We were making “Electro,” “Freestyle,” and “Breaks,” and most of it filtered through hip hop, where it wasn’t really taken seriously.

What is Detroit techno in your book? Where did it come from that is not often talked about, like the cultural strains that it evolved from?

Yes, I absolutely can, with an award from Detroit’s Metro Times newspaper giving me the 1999 Best DJ award for my four-year residency at Motor Lounge as an outside talent.

I was a natural for Detroit, being from Brooklyn. Mad Mike Banks from Underground Resistance and I have been dear friends since 1992, just because “I get it.” I wasn’t just let in. Detroit cats will test every single bone in your body before letting you just come into town and feel at home. Eminem had me so confused in 1999… He chose me to DJ his homecoming party.

But getting back to what “Detroit” is? It’s a people mover. Like the little train downtown that loops around in Downtown Detroit and doesn’t do anything much more than go around in circles in one direction only. Kind of like a record on a turntable. Motown left to California along with more than half of the city’s population. The ‘67 Riots ripped a hole into the heart of the city. The people who stayed worked for General Motors, Ford, etc.

I find most of the kindest, warm hearted people in Detroit. People who respect you for the character in your soul rather then the color of your skin. Their music was their only escape. The only way to have faith in the future in Detroit, was through music.

Without it, they would have not been able to survive.

So then on the Belleville Three — Detroit techno originators Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May — you call out Juan in particular on the record label sticker for ‘Call It Techno.’ Why did you call out Juan specifically?

There is no such thing as the “Belleville Three.” It’s a myth. But let me explain. It’s because I know Juan, Derrick and Kevin as individuals. They were on the same timeline, which makes them a trio. But not for one minute is there any “band” there.

I remember Metroplex when it was Metroplex. KMS [Kevin Saunderson’s label]. Transmat [Derrick May’s label]. I can go deeper into that with Fragile, Planet E, Accelerator, UR. I gave the shout-out to Juan because ‘Clear’ is clearly layered throughout ‘Call It Techno.’ I didn’t sample Kevin or Derrick on the record.

The thing is, there are so many different samples on the original track, you just hear layers of sounds, sometimes when you combine sounds, they cancel each other out, but if you go back and listen, it’s clear as day.

The label notes also call out Seduction’s (Clivilles & Cole) house classic, ‘Seduction.’ When did you first hear that record? Why did you choose to use that bass line?

The original mix of ‘Call It Techno’ says “House Mix.” The bass line was the preferred sound in NYC house music at the time in 1989. Todd Terry, Kenny and Louie [Masters At Work] were big on bass lines. C + C Music Factory [Robert Clivilles and David Cole] just kind of made anything underground into a pop success because they were a great production team.

So when I said “Hold up, wait a minute,” the bass line comes in as a friend. Like “this techno stuff is weird, I don’t like it”… I put the bass line in so you can calm down, not lose any mascara, so I can get into my next verse. I mean, I got five verses, which was a lot for any song.

Right, speaking of, in another great verse, the lyric “In the club or in your car / the sound will take you far / we know you feel it,” says a lot about the contexts in which you were listening to techno at the time. Were you playing mixtapes in the car? Were you hearing techno on the radio?

Mixtapes and car systems in 1989 were like peanut butter and jelly as a kid. It just made fucking sense. But in 1989, techno was not played anywhere in New York City. Not even by the most underground DJ.

Those who did follow Chicago Trax, did get their first taste through acid house. But again, talking about paradigm shifts, Todd Terry was instrumental in making house music popular in New York by sampling Chicago songs and old electro cuts, and making house cool for everyone in the streets. Prior to that, house music was a clique or a club. A camp even.

You had to be down with the people in the scene to be a part of that. That began to change in 1987.

The lyric “House was once innovative / but now we’re in a state of / acid”seems to be saying that acid house was a leap forward. You follow that“With acid house there was confusion / over a drug use illusion / but I don’t use it.” In respects to “techno” and “house,” where does “acid” or “acid house” fit in from your perspective?

We arrived to play at Energy in the U.K. on August 26, 1989, to find the largest event in its history currently in progress — where the 5,000 people expected became 25,000 people and “acid house” was all the rage.

Their media called these parties “Wild Acid House Parties” with kids going insane from doing LSD. Nobody was on LSD. Not one person. Ecstasy was pure MDMA and I would imagine that every single person was doing it because it was so freaking awesome….how bout dat?

The state of acid was the confusion between a Roland TB-303 Acid Box and the drug known as LSD. The ability to have a machine make sounds that made people think you were on drugs and once that happened, the innovation was gone. Chicago had already made acid house. They were moving onto 1990.

People like Hardfloor, Josh Wink, Richie Hawtin, Misjah & Tim, and Underground Resistance, gave the 303 a second life in my opinion.

So then I want to ask you specifically about the phrase “techno house.” What do you mean by that exactly? I bring it up because like “EDM,” these words have lost a lot of their meaning because the context has shifted so much.

“Techno House was the sound of the Dance Cult Underground out in London.” The U.K. birthright of rave was mostly house music. But they green-lighted techno with the arrival of the “Techno” albums that Neil Rushton put out on 10 Records (a label) before his Network label came to life.

But to appreciate real Detroit techno, as this British revolution was happening, was the biggest blessing of all. And when I use the word blessing, it’s the feeling of being in the middle of 17,500 people dancing to ‘Strings Of Life’ as the sun comes up at 6 a.m.

Then in your mind, is techno an American sound or a U.K. sound or a global sound? Or both, and how?

Techno IS the future. Maybe the future past by now. But I believe it was absolutely global. That being said, “It started in Detroit,” while exploiting what happened next.

And Now You See How We Rock / Without The Kid Down The Block / Party People

A cult is a closed community, as is a club. Whether we’re talking about Charles Manson’s murderous “Family” or Pink Floyd’s late ’60s psychedelic UFO club. When you get there, you close the door. You maybe even lock it. But the “underground” means something bigger. It’s not just a congregation or an inconspicuous place. It’s an idea, about the freedom of ideas, that undergirds the whole counter-cultural continuum. Anyone can come and go. The only constant is an obsession with the unknown.

For ideas to survive, they must find a wider audience. ‘Call It Techno’ was built to last in this way. Bones’ new remix rumbles deeper down. His voice is lower, but renewed with vigor. Twenty-eight years in his head, his words roll out with ease, un-rushed, tempered by the vision of someone who has seen it all. Drums trickle up to the sky like reverse rain. Bass wakes the primal spirit. It’s the dawn within the night.

Bones’ generation, Generation X, grew up in the shadows of the Baby Boom, from Vietnam to Woodstock to Trump. America sleepwalked. So when electrons woke kids up with loud synthetic bass, it revealed the power of disembodied funk. The question was, could they absorb it, and then express their innermost thoughts?

By the late ’80s, it all seemed to connect in a series of wild chain reactions. While much of the change pulsed from Silicon Valley and Washington D.C., in the form of technological and political change, musically speaking, even bigger explosions and tectonic shifts were emanating from Berlin, Tokyo, Manchester, London, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, and of course, New York City.

Techno was a cyber dimension on a par with the Web itself. It was open to anyone, long before Snapchat, Facebook or Cozy Bear. At its best, it was about the freedom of thought. It wasn’t mind control, even if its repetitive sounds worked with the efficiency of computer algorithms. Because its true genius was human. That was as clear as day in the hands of Bones. The continued relevance of ‘Call It Techno,’ both in its old and new forms, demonstrates how effective that contrast was, in teaching the oppressed how to face the future: Imaginations can always dance to a kind of clairvoyance — skeletal in its precision and voluptuous in its impressions.

And yet, 30 years into this revolution, it appears the world needs an anchor more than a cutting prow. Demographic silos and data clouds have whipped many of us into a kind of mass psychosis. Human nature is hardcoded and no robot can erase it, only take advantage of it. Still, the underground runs deeper in our collective O.S., the unconscious. When it comes to “techno house,” you have to go back to the era of MS-DOS floppy disks and vinyl-based “EDM” to locate today’s most important invocation.

In fact, the first vinyl pressing of ‘Call It Techno’ was floppy. It bends with gravity. As if it could turn to liquid — our grip on reality.

Because the world forgets. Until someone picks up a microphone. Right now it’s champagne and tax cut kicks, to the backdrop of Charlottesville and Great Recession amnesia. The question remains the same, because we’ve been here before. Where is our humanity?

Engraved on a tombstone is a roller skate. It simply says:

“Miles Mitchell, Devoted Husband & Father — Forever in Our Hearts.”

He was taken away by a single bullet. Bones’ father was “cool as fuck,” he says. He loved rock, and he loved disco, he loved to dance, and he loved to skate. Bones never forgot. “Considering how many miles I have traveled through techno, I believe he would be proud.”

Miles’ son does a neat thing on his new remix. He chuckles as he did on the original, but this time calls out his production partner, Christopher Petti. He did the same back in 1989, like the hip hop M.C.’s of old, calling out the Brooklyn Funk Essentials crew, keeping it democratic.

That’s why ‘Call It Techno’ is timeless. We need words, even if it takes a generation to find the right ones, reconstructed within lines of concentration, mixed with grace, in a rhythm. And it can’t be lived through phones.

In a club or in your car, that series of images or memories forms ideas, put down on paper or in a song, pouring back out into psyches, before resolving into new letters and codes — core to you —like bones.

GHOST DEEP: Who is the “kid down the block” when you call out to “party people”? Why was it important to have an archetypal blocker to resist, to lead folks your own way?

Frankie Bones: Ha ha…It was actually aimed at Todd Terry, who actually did live down the block at the time. He had a very big impact on the industry in 1988 and 1989, and until I went to the U.K., I had felt that I wasn’t getting any respect in New York and when I did ‘Call It Techno,’ I switched up the style knowing I was doing that for London.

You rap about the “essential funk” of “kick and snare.” How is funk “essential” to techno? How are the “kick” and “snare” important? Is it about polyrhythm and syncopation?

Lenny Dee and Victor Simonelli were known as The Brooklyn Funk Essentials in 1988. They were hired by Arthur Baker, who was God to us as teenagers because of ‘Planet Rock’ in 1982. Arthur Baker basically made the 808 record of its era. It was the first time you heard an 808 kick like that.

As far as syncopation goes, it’s huge. It holds it all together the way your neighbors’ kids’ grunge band could never. Everything we were doing was essential to us, because we were carving our path into tomorrow.

A lot of my records back then were anything but funky, but sometimes the magic happened, like if you somehow could wear 12 different colognes at once and come up with a new scent, rather then have the TSA suspect you for being a person of interest for stinking so bad that you would have to be someone up to no good.

We were all over the place. We were into everything and everything electronic music had to offer.

The lyric “Computer noise and pounding bass / hits you in the face / like a hammer” is visually arresting. Can you describe how you came up with those words, and what is it about those sounds that make techno so powerful, both physically, musically and psychologically?

Yes. Working in Arthur Baker’s Shakedown Studios in 1988 was the first time I worked in a huge NYC studio, and the monitors in the main room had like 9" portholes that literally punched you in the chest so hard that it was like a stun gun. Then it dawned on me why Baker’s productions in 1983 sounded like the bass wasn’t part of the production, all treble. Like the first royalty check from ‘Planet Rock’ was delivered in this beautiful studio with a few kilos of cocaine to keep up with your production schedule.

I cannot confirm nor deny if this is actually true, and I’m not suggesting Arthur would ever participate in such shenanigans, as much as I would say the same for myself and my comrades.

You talk a lot about “bass” in the lyrics. It’s foundational. How was bass important to the creation of techno culture then?

I mean in layman’s terms and pun intended. If the music was the actual pick-up, the bass line was the guarantee you were getting laid. The bass is what made the chips of paint come off the walls, set speakers on fire literally and pretty much the reason the police arrive to close down the party. Because if you are not part of the bass line, then it’s a frequency that disturbs people.

It’s not just the sound but the timing. You have a great meter to the lyrics. What is that based on? Was that a rap rhythm you were inspired by? You’ve talked to me before about how much hip hop influenced you as a kid and teen. Why did it have such an affect on you?

“I wanna rock right now, I’m Rob Base and I came to get down, I’m not internationally known, but I’m known to rock the microphone.” ‘It Takes Two’ by Rob Base & EZ Rock pretty much was my first influence.

There was a second influence that some people may be able to figure out, but if I had to come straight out and tell you, I would have to kill you.

Back to Rob Base, I was about to be internationally known, with no clue how to rock a micro-phone, so I figured I better try before finding out the hard way. In the end, ‘Call It Techno’ became the anthem for the German scene, which can be checked on Youtube by searching for “We Call It Techno”.

There’s another thing you do. “The techno wave has grown / with a style of our own / DIRECT from Brooklyn” — It’s the way you emphasize “grown” and “own,” but punch it home with “direct.” It’s the same rolling groove with swinging hits on other verses. It’s incredibly effective. Why and how did that vocal style work its way into your performance?

If people have read this far, I would invite you to Youtube to search for a song called ‘My Heart Holds The Key’ by Marie Venchura. Omar Santana and I were making lots of Freestyle Music and by 1988, we figured out every little trick in the book to make popular music.

I wrote lyrics from a shoebox of letters girls gave me in my teenage years. I’d take a sentence and make it rhyme and turn it into a song.

The Marie Venchura record is virtually unknown to my catalog but it is so over the top in it’s final version, you can instantly understand I was good at wordplay before techno ever even became part of the equation.

What did you write the original lyrics for ‘Call It Techno’ on? Where were you specifically when you did?

House music really started to become popular in 1987 and 1988. Whatever techno tracks that came out were considered house also, but I knew about techno because I was buying a lot of Detroit labels and I knew a second wave of music was coming behind house.

I would have never even wrote ‘Call It Techno’ had I not know I was going to London. But it was kind of obvious that a huge scene was happening in the U.K. and I didn’t want anyone there to think I was just a house music DJ from New York. I did write the song in advance of itself. Like I had an instinctual vision of what was yet to come.

The Techno Wave had grown to about a dozen people in New York City at that point. I figured if twelve more people got into it at least I wouldn’t be lying. We were already producing music daily at our studio in Manhattan. Go in at noon and sometimes work as late as midnight, every day like having to go to work. I wrote the lyrics at home in a couple of hours.

I already had been writing songs for other artists for a few years so something like this, and me being the artist, probably took four to six hours to write the lyrics and the whole next day composing the tracks. It was done in those two steps, lyrics then music the next day. All in one shot.

So then what was it like to perform them vocally, your own words?

It was fun because I made it for the kids in London who really didn’t care if I ever spoke a word to them so as long as I played the music they liked from me.

Right, because what’s important about the human voice versus computer noise and pounding bass?

Identity. A song is a song and a track is a track. But sometimes it depends on who is listening and what they like.

What is different about the power of words versus the power of sounds?

That would be best answered between House vs. Techno. Most house music that is popular comes from good lyrical content. Techno relies on technology and futuristic sounds. But sometimes it takes different parts of both to be interesting.

You’re known for a bravado sound and persona. Where does ‘Call It Techno’ fit into that larger narrative inside you?

We started off this story talking about the movies of 1978 and 1979, which influenced me as a young teenager. New Yorkers are proud people, especially when you venture out into the outer boroughs. Whatever I did for DJ culture is a part of a great moment in time in a crucial part of its history.

Chicago historians will have a problem with what started in Detroit. Because what started has a bigger part in our history. The truth of it all is that it always was part of New York. Dance music was based in New York City.

It came through the disco era. We have the biggest part of DJ culture via hip hop and the discotheque era of the ‘70s.

[sarcastic--fantastic]

Olympics, Music, Broadcasting And A Sense Of British Pride

This will be a bit different from previous posts, but it’s something I’ve wanted to talk about for a while. This is a story set in the Summer of 2012, and focuses on music, animation and technology used by the BBC in their television programming for the London Olympics.

A Mammoth Preparation

(photo courtesy of LOCOG, photographer unknown)

Let me set the scene - it’s a cold wet Winter in the British Isles, preparations are well under way for the Games of the XXX Olympiad and the XIV Paralympics, more commonly known as the London 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games happening the following year in July. Venues are having their finishing touches added to them, the London Mayor’s office is planning transport links for the huge surge in visitors, athletes are training in their home countries to get ready for the Games and the BBC are laying out their plans for television and radio coverage. Before anything kicked off, the hype was big enough in the UK that they even made a mockumentary about organising the Games.

I don’t work in media (yet), I certainly don’t work in the BBC but I can have an idea about the huge undertaking that broadcasting the Olympic Games (in the British Broadcasting Corporation’s home country and city) must be. And for 2012, the BBC were going full out; they planned to broadcast all 5000 hours of sport across 27 channels including the red button, Sky, Freeview, Freesat and online.

There’s a lot to prepare like: what programming they’re going to have and what features they want to produce and what filming locations they will be at and which presenters and commentators they want and what additional visual and audio equipment they’ll need and all the hundreds of behind the scenes crew that come with that as well as additional systems they need to set up to facilitate such a large amount of television being sent over the airways. And a big chunk of the BBC’s coverage is live which adds a whole layer of complexities.

I could quite easily nerd-out on the audio-visual and broadcasting technicalities the BBC/OBS (Olympic Broadcasting Services) set up for the 2012 Olympics like suspending the BBC Parliament channel to make room for more sport and how the Games were broadcast in 3D across the world but that’s not the main focus of this post today.

A Song For The Olympics

The BBC isn’t new to this shindig - they’ve broadcast live coverage of every Summer Olympic Games since 1960. A small but significant part of this coverage is a theme tune and a title sequence, and that’s actually what this post is about.

In November 2011, it was announced that Elbow, an English alternative/indie rock band would compose the soundtrack for the BBC’s Olympic coverage. This is on the back of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, in which Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn (the musicians behind the British virtual band Gorillaz) produced music and animation for the opening titles.

"This builds on our recent tradition of using great British contemporary artists to deliver our music, as we did with Damon Albarn in 2008; and we reckon Elbow have a unique combination of credibility - hence their Mercury Prize - with a style that can be enjoyed by people of all ages." - Roger Mosely, BBC's Director of London 2012. [source]

"For our music to be sound-tracking it, there was a big feeling of responsibility but also we're just dead proud to be doing it. And strange as well with none of us really being athletic." - Guy Garvey, lead singer of Elbow. [source]

The BBC asked Elbow to come in and consult on composing the soundtrack. It’s reported they said: “if we asked you to do the Olympic theme, what would you do?” Garvey was told he had been invited along because of Elbow's 2008 single One Day Like This (an epic, anthemic, art-rocky track), which has been used on countless sport montages. Garvey replied: “Well, we can give you something similarly rousing. Something anthemic and bold. And we'd put lots of different parts in it for different parts of the coverage.”

And that is just what they did.

First Steps - Elbow (A.K.A. BBC London 2012 Summer Olympics Theme)

(First Steps cover art courtesy of Elbow and the BBC, artist unknown)

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj3_3vvHDwE

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Elbow-first-steps-lyrics

The track isn’t available on Spotify or officially from Elbow due to it being a commission by the BBC (of which royalties were waived in support for charity). Additionally, it was only released as a digital-download through selected retailers, none of which still seem to be selling it. So unfortunately this YouTube rip is the best quality I could find.

“First Steps” by Elbow is an epic 6 minute 21 second lasting tidal wave of sound that hits you with incredible emotion. The anthem was composed in secret by Elbow in Salford over the 2011-2012 Winter and recorded with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the NovaVox gospel choir in Spring. Although the full version lasts more than six minutes, it was intentionally composed to allow different clips of one or two minutes to be played during montages of winners or losers. Additionally 40, 30 and five second edits along with a title sequence were used throughout the BBC’s London 2012 campaign.

The first bars of it would be aired around the time of the torch relay beginning in May 2012, with the full work revealed near to the Olympic Games opening ceremony. A one-minute edit of the track, accompanied with video sequence (more on that later) was first shown on BBC One during half-time of the UEFA Euro 2012 final on Sunday 1 July 2012. A four-minute edit of the track was premiered on Chris Evans' Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2 on Friday 27 July 2012 (the morning of the opening ceremony). It was used in the opening and closing title sequences of BBC Sport’s Olympics coverage on the first and final days of the Olympics as well as throughout the Games.

"It should be just about the most heard piece of music in 2012." - Roger Mosely, BBC's Director of London 2012. [source]

"I've written something called First Steps. The song can be parents looking with pride at their kid walking for the first time, but also those hopes and aspirations - marvelling at what's going on, the human element of it - translates quite well to watching your finest athletes doing their very best." - Guy Garvey, lead singer of Elbow. [source]

It is in my opinion the perfect backdrop to an incredible event and an important time for the country as a whole. It’s so jaw-droppingly powerful and inspiring, it gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it and I have to commend everyone who worked on the track for such an accomplishment of music. Furthermore, Elbow are such nice chaps that they even waived all fees and royalites from digital downloads of the track in support of Children In Need (a BBC charity and annual fundraising telethon).

But this is only half the story, as while the music is incredible and served as brilliant theme/incidental/identity music for BBC Sport throughout their Olympic coverage - they still needed a title sequence.

Stadium UK - Red Bee Media (A.K.A. BBC London 2012 Summer Olympics Title Sequence)

(BBC Olympics 2012 wallpaper courtesy of BBC Sport, artist unknown)

Full Sequence (YouTube rip): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cVrjFlt4hI

Shortened Trailer (original quality): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ViLiXA0E70

“Stadium UK”, named for the concept (seen in the sequence) of a giant stadium encircling the UK with athletes preparing and competing in a variety of landscapes, was devised by creative agency Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe Y&R. The animation was created by Passion Pictures and it was produced by Red Bee Media in conjunction with the BBC and Elbow.

The anthemic composition and the accompanying visuals were intended to sum up the achievement of reaching the Olympics, the emotions of those who win and those who do not, and the coming together of the whole country to support the event. The title was inspired by a child of one of the band members of Elbow learning to walk during the composition of the song, symbolising the hope and achievement of the moment.

As previously mentioned, this “trailer for the Olympics” was first shown during the Euro 2012 final and many more times leading up to the Opening Ceremony. It’s hard to get across the collective hype that was being experienced in Britain before the start of the London Olympics, because for a lot of people it would be a once in a lifetime event that simply couldn’t be missed. Olympic fever was really was everywhere you went. In the news, on signposts, in casual workplace conversation, on banners in pubs. To be fair though, us Brits love a big ol’ national celebration, we’d done the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee just a month prior.

“Across the 17 days of the Games, some 24 million viewers watched at least 15 minutes of our Red Button service - and what was particularly gratifying is that all the different sports proved to be a draw for the audience, with each of those 24 'channels' receiving at least 100,000 viewers at some point.” -  Ben Gallop, BBC Sport Editor. [source]

I can say with some degree of certainty that this Summer in 2012 was one of the biggest, and uncharacteristically, happiest moments for the country in many years. Many people were still reeling from the 2008 recession, the coalition government was struggling to co-operate following the 2010 general election and resulting hung-parliament and just a year ago many major English towns were something akin to a war-zone during the 2011 riots. The Olympics were a distraction, and the relative importance of sporting contests can be argued, but what can’t be is how much of a mood-lifter it was for much of the population. This title sequence got people excited - it had a major impact as it showcased the best of Britain. It not only reminded people that some of our own athletes are some of the best in the whole world, but that the upcoming Games would be a chance to show the world all of the wonderful, impressive and sometimes strange things about the United Kingdom. And that was something to look forward to.

A Legacy For Decades

(Ellie Simmonds’ golden postbox photo courtsey of Express and Star news)

The impact of the 2012 Olympics continues to this day, mainly in the form of sport centres with signs that say “home of the 2012 Olympic [sport] events” and golden postboxes on the sides of streets emblazoned with the names of winning athletes. The BBC have long since scaled back their broadcasting following the conclusion of the Games although due to the huge and somewhat slightly unexpected huge popularity of their coverage, many features of those Games’ coverage that were being trialled for the first time were implemented in wider usage must faster than they would have been without the Games. Notably; Twitter and social media interaction, live-blogs on the BBC Sport website and additional Red Button live broadcasting, which has been re-used for basically every Wimbledon tennis tournament since.

Elbow’s music hasn’t been entirely forgotten either (I hope this post proves that). I heard it recently during the BBC’s coverage of the annual London Marathon, they’re certainly getting mileage out of it. And why not re-use it for future sporting events, the track’s emotion and feeling is just as applicable to something like the London Marathon as it is to the Olympics. Not mentioned up until now but there was actually an official song for the London 2012 Olympic Games called “Survival”, by another English rock band: Muse. It does deserve a very honourable mention as Muse are a great band and it’s a brilliant song, but it’s very different in style and I would argue is not what people think of when you ask the question “what was the music for the 2012 Olympics?”. There were also two soundtrack albums for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, but these are mainly live cover performances from those ceremonies.

To conclude, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games were incredible, and I get rather patriotic when talking about them. Bar a few controversies it was largely a huge success. Millions of people who were not able to attend events in person were able to be part of the action thanks to the impeccable British Broadcasting Corporation. Fantastic programming and coverage, great features and analysis and one stellar title sequence and music track. We all know the on-screen presenters but I don’t think the behind-the-scenes crew get nearly enough praise - so personally I would like to say thank you to those hundreds upon hundreds of people who worked thankless tasks so people like me could be a part of one of the greatest events this country’s ever hosted. And thanks to Elbow, for a work of musical genius, that continues to inspire and send chills down the spine of every hopeful athlete or just plain old regular person to this day.

Further Reading

A couple more things to mention before I close out this mammoth of a blog post (not many I promise). The BBC and Elbow produced a 10-minute behind the scenes video outlining the process of creating “First Steps”, which I highly recommend watching.

BBC Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/entertainment-arts-18960004/london-2012-how-bbc-olympics-theme-tune-first-steps-was-made

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5WfsWF4dfE

Additionally I do recommend this short VT featuring Benedict Cumberbatch, which was used to open BBC Sport’s Olympic coverage. He quite succinctly sums up many of my feelings towards the Games.

RadioTimes has a very lengthy article where they talk to Guy Harvey about First Steps and his Olympic thoughts, which you can read here.

BBC Sport Editor, Ben Gallop talks in-depth about the preparation and technology of broadcasting the Olympic Games in a blog post, which you can read here.

BBC Director Of London 2012, Roger Mosely, lists in detail the staggering TV output and staffing amounts for the summer Games in a blog post, which you can read here.

You may also want to the read the Wikipedia articles for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games and the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games for more information than just the broadcasting and BBC music I’ve talked about here.

Final note, I’ve only talked about the BBC’s Olympic broadcasting in this post. In the UK, Channel 4 (that’s the name of the organisation) have held the rights to Paralympic Games broadcasting for however many years and had their own idents and music.

Finally, if you did make it through to the end, thank you very much for reading. This took several days to put together and a lot of research (very easy to start going down rabbit holes), so I hope you learnt something and liked what I wrote. Comments appreciated. 

See you soon :).

[canvaswolfdoll]

CanvasListens: The Adventure Zone

The Adventure Zone was a tough sell to me, despite (and possibly because of) seeing it pop up as various artists I respect began getting into the podcast.

First off, despite my love of the hobby, I have a rather low tolerance for second hand accounts. Short stories focusing on a singular, amusing event is great. Multi-part text narratives are a no go. Likewise, I’ve always had difficulty getting into actual play podcasts, since most that I encounter don’t really put a lot of weight on actual entertainment over, you know, just putting a recorder in the middle of the table during the usual game night. So I listen to very few Actual Plays.

And by ‘few Actual Plays’, I mean One Shot (Which does a good job of rotating content and keeping the separate narratives relatively short and self-contained) and Campaign (Which started with good production quality, and already had my loyalty due to being a One Shot spinoff show.) I don’t even listen to rest of their network.

I’d made a couple attempts at Critical Role, but since it’s a continuation of the cast’s ongoing campaign (thus continuity lockout) and was confined to YouTube for years (thus I couldn’t really listen while driving, running errands, or doing chores), I just couldn’t force myself to be invested. And it’s cast is a bunch of Voice Actors! I love voice actors!

Basically, a bunch of the usual complaints I have about media accessibility.

Further, as Adventure Zone’s popularity began exploding, I admit there was a degree of resentment on my part. I’ve longed harbored a desire to have my own Actual Play show, and if the genre’s exploding now, while I’ve still got no concrete plans, chances are, once I do have my act together,[1] I’ll again be starting during the twilight period of the genre.[2]

Dang it, McElroys! Don’t you burn the fuel before I even board!

Still, it was becoming a talking point, and was a downloadable podcast, so it wouldn’t hurt to try. Probably drop it after an episode or two.

The first couple of episodes were not promising. Players were mostly newbies, with a lot of rules talk; they were running the adventure that comes prepackaged in the Starter Set, which means I had to sit through the session that I’ve literally either tried to run or play several times. And it never gets past the freaking bugbear.

So, of course, after completing that specific portion, the McElroys promptly leave the rails, lightly skip past Phandalin, so I didn’t even get to finally see what’s supposed to happen after the lengthy mechanic and battle tutorial!

However, that’s also the point Griffin began making the story his own, so I might as well keep listening as I eat my slice of pre-work CostCo Pizza.

That’s what the series mostly was. Background noise as I prepared for work. The first couple arcs were okay. Not amazing, but okay. The performers were good comedically, and they seemed to be having fun, so it was alright.

I was intrigued by the premise of the second arc. Train-based mystery, huh? Sure. I’m always game for playing with tropes. Griffin, and the players, were beginning to explore character voices, and the NPCs were getting livelier. I admit, I was a quick sell on Angus. The precocious boy detective being placed in the middle of a train mystery, perpetrated by a serial killer, with a rather maimed body is just the right balance of darkly inappropriate.

Especially since Angus was there to solve the mystery in case the Boys were too incompetent.

Still, wasn’t too absorbed. I began swapping between TAZ Arcs and One Shot series. If I got too bored, I’d just drop TAZ, since podcasts are one of the few mediums I’m able to do so, since I can only will myself to consume them in limited circumstances (basically, while in transit, or some other activity that is physically busy but mentally void).[3]

Combat, however, remained a time for Canvas’s eyes to glaze over, and nothing of value to remain.

The Lunar Interludes were fun! Building comradery with a small community is what I’m about. Especially with their bunkmate, Pringles! Even though Griffin clearly didn’t want anything more to do with Pringles.

Poor Pringles.

Petals to the Metal is marked by many as the real turning point. I… liked it a little less than Rockport Limited? It started strong while the Boys were infiltrating a bank, and Taako has a semi-hypocritical moment I recognized from my favorite Pathfinder character, where this kleptomaniac wizard objected to Merle and Magnus taking time to rob the bank while supposedly saving it.[5]

However, this was followed by a sequence explaining the Mad Max race and infiltration to steal parts which… was actually kind of dull. The dialogue with the guards was great, but then it was long stretch of explaining a compound we’d never see again, and a large fight. Then there was a charming sequence where The Boys selected their animal motifs, with Taako getting an actually pretty nice (if meta) serious moment regarding his Mongoose mask.

Then the race itself was… a giant combat. Interesting enemy concepts. Still a giant combat.

The ending of the race, while exciting, didn’t carry much weight because I’d lost the thread due to not paying attention.

Then there was the final boss fight.

Petals to the Metal had a lot of combat, okay? I don’t enjoy combat!

However, music was beginning to be introduced, and it was pretty good. I was beginning to feel it.

Then the Crystal Kingdom knocked it up just enough notches for me to go ‘Huh. The finale’s coming soon? Better catch up.’ and gently set One Shot aside,[6] lean my head forward, and marathon with purpose!

The sound design continued to improve, to the point of being used to foreshadow the events of the arc. The events also helped highlight how the show creators were paying attention to and heeding the words of their audience. In a positive aspect, Griffin began reading out the lyrics of the song. And, in a bit of hilarious and spiteful worldbuilding, explains the origins of what were (apparently) the much discussed elevators.[7]

In retrospect, a lot of plot stuff happened in the lab. Weird.

It was a good arc for callbacks and call forwards.

Eleventh Hour, however, is my favorite arc. For some reason, I’m just a sucker for Groundhog Day loops.[9] Compounding this, Eleventh Hour was set in a small community of new characters, there was a mystery element, plenty of space for shenanigans, puzzles, ominous prophecy, and a well done tragic villain. Also, backstory for the three leads.

Oh boy, the backstory for the three leads.

I was a Taako fan until this arc. He clearly was the best character. However, as it turns out, Travis really did devise a solid backstory. A few quick early life scenes, then we’re shown he found happiness, won a happy ending already, and had it stolen.

Then Magnus showed his true strength of character, and I was sold. Magnus was my new boy. He’s great.

Anyways, episodes with ‘Finale’ in the title were showing up in the feed, and I wanted to stop spoiling myself, so I really had to buckle down.

Luckily, work kept putting me in the garden center as the season was in its death throes, so I had plenty of time to sit in a small hut with my phone and a pair of headphones. I’d begun actively looking for opportunities to listen to more, take longer errand runs to have an excuse to get through Eleventh Hour and more episodes.

It was a good time.

The Suffering Games however, was less good. Not because it was designed to be a miserable experience, which I naturally love. The sequence of events had a lot good character work, especially for Magnus. The Wheel of Sacrifice is an amazing concept once your players are high enough level, and Griffin does a good job narrating and describing what each sacrifice does.

Especially the loss of memories. Each one stung. And Griffin did a great job of making a few of the choices hurt in surprising ways; in particular, Merl giving up his unused Axe proficiency. What was originally a cop out, Griffin expertly weaved into a solid loss. Then Magnus was given a surprisingly insidious choice: losing the memory of who he had sworn revenge on.

Also a mercy, considering losing Julia might’ve been worse. However, narratively, that would’ve removed Magnus’s main drive and significant portion of his character. Remember, GMs, carefully consider how the threads are weaved before cutting them!

Plus, we also got a good demonstration of how close The Boys were when Taako and Merle agreed to take over the vengeance quest without further details. It’s important to Magnus, and now someone else needs to do it.[10]

Taako got off really light, as the only narrative sacrifice was his beauty, which Taako quickly rendered moot via magic.[11] Because we learned a lot about the other two, I wish Taako could’ve loss more.

However, the non-wheel of sacrifice parts were… well, they fell flat, and since there wasn’t space for any significant character interaction with someone outside of the party (even Cam got put into Magnus’s pocket), it was just gimmicky encounter after gimmicky encounter. It turned repetitive.[12] Prisoner Dilemma's don’t work if those on the other side aren’t emotionally significant.

Sure, looking back and examining it, a lot of interesting things happened. But sitting in the garden center, waiting for customers, it felt tedious. Not sad and emotionally devastating, just… eh.

Were I to replicate it, I’d probably combine the prisoner's dilemma and Wheel of Sacrifice, and make the players compete against one another. If you both spare the other, then you’re both given a choice between two sacrifices. If you’re forsaken by someone you spared, then you take both. And if you both forsake… I guess the GM just gets to decide which one you take?

If you want to up the ante in later rounds, offer to return something lost in later rounds if you forsake your partner. And if you want to twist the knife, have those spared choose the sacrifice for those they betrayed.[13]

Sorry, slipping into SepiaDice for a moment. Back to the review.

Reunion Tour was a good trip into the apocalypse, and final check in with a lot of the minor characters as everyone bugged out. Bad things are coming, and Madame Lucretia Director has a lot of secrets to be found.

Stolen century was... I don't know how I feel about it? There was a lot of backstory that needed to be conveyed suddenly, yes, but after the arc was concluded, I didn't feel like I'd learn much new about anything substantial. Nothing new about the world, since the places visited came and went so fast, that few left an impression.[14]

There were four characters for us and the players to get to know, but... Well, that didn't pan out too well. Of course, focus had to remain on the players, but ended up giving little room for Davenport, Barry, and Lucretia to develop. So, while it was an arc of vignettes, which is usually my jam, in this case, the vignettes were too small and delayed the plot so long, that I was just waiting for them to get on with it.

(Though, it probably didn't help that I was ill during the latter half of Stolen Century and the first two parts of the finale, making it kind of a blur.)

How to possibly improve it? Well, let's put the SepiaDice hat back on, I guess.[15]

First off, I wouldn't have changed systems, and not just because I hear about Powered by the Apocalypse so often I've become burnt out without ever playing it. Staying with 5e would've maintained a level of consistency with the rest of the series, and let the players use their experience to act the part of the well traveled people they are in the arc.[16]

Second, instead of a bunch of ten minute scenes for a handful of worlds, spend an episode on a world and do a one shot. Show them preparing to leave their homeworld, then the first world. Then do sessions covering the rest of the details that need to be conveyed.

Finally, integrate the other four crewmembers into these adventures. There's two viable methods: rotate through them as a sort of 'Guest NPC' (or Guest PC if they want to bring on temporary cast members). Or, let the players run two characters (Give Lup to Justin, Davenport to Clint, and probably Barry over to Travis) while Young Lucretia can be mission control until it's time to toughen her up.

So... that's Stolen Century, I guess? I'm having a hard time remembering specifics.

Story and Song was a good finale.

I don't get to play many endings. In fact, I’ve played only the one, and... it wasn't a good campaign to begin with, so it is what it was.

The Adventure Zone, meanwhile, did what every good narrative should do: give a cameo to everyone they practically can, tying up any fraying that may have occurred. That way, the audience gets a chance to see their favorite character at least one more time.

Then, for the players, they were split up, and given an epic scene that contributed to the final conclusion, and closed their character arcs (even if that closure involves an old running gag.)[17]

Afterwards, into the breech for a fancy final battle.

Finally, the epilogue. I don't want to spoil it, but I do wish to speak on the framework. Griffin handled the epilogue perfectly. First, he asked the players to describe where the characters are a year later, then pitched what he (Griffin) would like to have happened while making it clear the player got final say, before both were happy with where we leave Taako, Merle, and Magnus.

That's how you finish a game.

Suffice it to say, I may have started with a lot of reservations, but I learned a lot, and hope to apply it to my own games and projects.

If you enjoyed this... whatever I just wrote... maybe poke around my blog. I have other reviews and essays. Maybe I wrote something else you like. If you'd like to support me and my creative endeavors, I have a patreon! I like money.

Thanks for reading.

Kataal kataal.

[1] Heh, wordplay. [2] Though, to be fair, I kinda knew Sprite Comics were ignoble going into Nintendo Acres. Still, it had its charm. [3] This is foreshadowing to the fact that I ended up making a conscious effort to listen to the show while hanging out at home.[4] [4] I was also sick with a stomach bug at the time, though. [5] In my case, Trix was happy to loot a corpse the party found on the side of the road, but not the crypt they were dungeon delving. In my defense, the road corpse had his things by accident, while the items in the crypt were deliberately interred. It’s a respectability thing. [6] I’ll be back soon, don’t worry. [7] As someone who had a player try and call out a clock as anachronistic, I can understand how that could be irritating.[8] I solved it by just saying ‘this isn’t Earth, and there’s a wall clock.’ But different strokes, I suppose. [8] There was also an ongoing debate about whether sandwiches existed. I was in the ‘Sandwich like things likely existed before the Earl of Sandwich’ camp, but I never got around to dredging up the Good Eats segment. [9] Fair warning: if I figure out how to replicate Endless Eight on my actual play show, I’m doing it. Same session, on repeat. And you’ll have to sit through it. [10] This better come up during a live show! [11] It’s always annoying when a player does that. [12] You may ask, ‘Canvas, you hated the repetitive feeling, yet you want to emulate Endless Eight?’ Well, you see, I also deeply love meta jokes on the audience. And I’m just a little Chaotic-Aligned. [13] Obviously, you’ll need a mature game group to do this, and an emotionally satisfying conclusion. [14] One was the world of TAZ Nights, but since I find participating in the Max Fun Drive off-putting for unknowable reasons, I had no context to care. [15] Which is probably a giant paper mache D12 mask. [16] But mostly I'm just sick of Fate and ApocalypseWorld. [17] Especially if it delivers on that running gag's punchline.

[antaniashanae]

It’s Another Badu Birthday!

THEE most anticipated event, a holiday, and a celebration would happen on the evening of February 23, 2019!  It’s another Badu birthday! This will be my 3rd year attending the celebration and every year it gets more beautiful than the last. The first time I attended the event in 2017, I was still living in Indiana and I flew to Dallas for ONE day to join the festivities. I absolutely LOVE Erykah Badu!

If you’ve ever attended the event, it’s best to get there early. This year, I wasted no time. Arriving at nearly 3p, there was already a line formed. Doors didn’t open until 7p and the show wouldn’t start til 8p. I sat in my car, charged all of my devises until about 5:30p and made my way to a line that was already wrapped around the building. Thankfully, someone was “holding my spot” :-)

THE VENUE:

The Bomb Factory is located in Deep Ellum of Dallas, TX. This has been the venue for the event over the last few years. Upon walking into the venue, there’s a massive open space with a bar area to the right. There’s a balcony as well. The stage sits straight ahead where there’s a giant projector screen behind it. The slides are usually animated images of Erykah; there are some videos that play while she performs certain songs. Depending on whose performing, their stage name is plastered on it. I’ve even seen screensaver-like images that move so fast they make your eyes cross.

OPENING ARTISTS:

Previously, Badu has been known to give the stage to Dallas locals and even hip-hop legends like Scarface and Yasiin Bey (Mos Def). This year, there were two opening acts and a number of surprise guests. The acts included Houston rapper: Tobe Nwigwe. Hitting the stage in black basketball shorts, a black hoodie, Nike slides with tube socks. I thought.. This is pretty casual attire for such an amazing event–Nevermind me, because he blew the crowd away! Performing an ode to Erykah Badu and Dave Chappelle titled “I’m Dope.” The lyrics include, “My mama thought I was a joke, but Ms. Badu (Dave Chappelle) told me I’m dope. Yeah, I’m dope.” –And then...the unexpected happened. ERYKAH BADU surprised him on stage! How incredible is that?

Although, he and “The Originals” came out after the first group, the opening act would be another band out of Houston, Texas. They are called Khruangbin which is “Engine Fly” in Thai. This 3 person band includes a bassists; Laura Lee, a guitarist; Mark Spencer, and a drummer; Donald Johnson. They can also be seen on The Tiny Desk video series.  The 60s influenced, soul and psychedelia group, graced the stage in noticeably thick bangs, playing instrumentals of OBD’s “Baby, I Got Your Money” and The Luniz “I Got 5 On It.”

Keep up with Tobe Nwigwe:

www.tobenwigwe.com

Twitter- @TobeNwigwe

Instagram- @TobeNwigwe

Facebook- Tobe Nwigwe

Snapchat- @TobeNwigwe

Keep up with Khruangbin:

www.khruangbin.com

Twitter: @khruangbin

Facebook: @Khruangbin

SoundCloud: @Khruangbin 

ERYKAH TAKES THE STAGE: 

It’s after 11p and the Queen of Neo-Soul is going to grace the stage at any moment. I look around and The Bomb Factory is packed out! There’s not enough room for anyone to do anything, except breathe at this point. The air smells of cannabis and beer. The stage is full of fog and the slides on the projector come to a stop. The musicians take their places on stage, vocalists come in after them, and suddenly it’s quiet. Dave Chappelle is one of Erykah’s longtime friends. He’s been to every one of the parties since I’ve attended. He introduces her to the stage and mentions that the event is like a church he attends once a year. Despite the recent backlash Badu received for expressing her love for R&B artist; R. Kelly, it didn’t stop those who support her from celebrating with her. The subject is an uncomfortable one, but her stance is LOVE. Period. 

ERYKAH is here! Taking robotic steps to the mic, the crowd begins to scream. Erykah is wearing a dark colored jumpsuit and a cream top hat. She opens with “Hello” from the  “But You Caint Use My Phone” album she released in 2015. This is how she welcomes us into this mystical and psychedelic whirlwind we’re about to experience- I’d compare it to the Alice In Wonderland fall. When Alice goes to the hole and says “My.. What a peculiar place to have a party,” and she falls? I imagine my fall having a mix of Erykah’s music with a few echos of her advice in the background to avoid crashing? Too deep? LOL 

In her intro, she introduces herself with “I’m Erykah Badu, also know as Maria Manuela, also known as Badoula, also known as Sarah Bellum, also known as Analogue Girl in a Digital World, also known as Fat Belly Bella, also known as SHE ILL, also known as Maria Mexico” ...and 142 other Characters.

She performed a series of songs (in no order), including “Out My Mind, Just In Time” and “Window Seat” from the New Amerykah, Pt. 2: Return of the Ankh album. “Next Lifetime,” “Rimshot,” from the Baduizm album, and “Kiss Me on My Neck” from the Mama’s Gun album just to name a few. 

SURPRISE! 

Erykah is performing and is surprised with a 3 tier cake, followed by her friends and family coming to the stage. The concert sorta morphed into a jam session. Tobe Nwigwe and Dave Chappelle reappear on stage,  (THEE) Talib Kweli appears on stage as well (check out my blog on the Radio Silence Tour) Kweli performs “Get By” from the Quality album and “The Blast” from the Reflection Eternal- Train of Thought album. Everyone’s going back and forth with “Hot 16′s.” Like... this is dope. The vibe is so dope. This is where the show gets  a litter more special. Performances go from rapping to singing and Durand Bernarr is given the mic. Durand is one of Erykahs BGVs, but is an artist in his own right. He performs Bobby Caldwell's “What You Won’t Do For Love” while incorporating his own song, “Fuck N*gga Free” :-) #SaaangDurand 

Erykah Badu got the mic, continued singing the song, then Dave Chappelle got a mic, breaking the music. He gives a speech, stating he’s not a ‘church n*gga” and he starts singing “Never Would’ve Made It” by Marvin Sapp to Erykah.  Suddenly, the audience is a massive gospel choir. The lyrics include, “Never would’ve made it, never could’ve made it without you.. I would’ve lost it all, but now I see how you were there for me. I’m stronger, I’m wiser, I’m better, much better..” She sheds a few tears as he continues with the song. Like... Dave Chappelle was really singing! 

THE END: 

 A few noticeable faces graced the stage, including Willow and Jada Smith. Erykah Badu’s children; Seven, her son with OutKasts Andre 3000.  Puma, her daughter with rapper The D.O.C., and Mars, her daughter with Jay Electronica appeared as well.  The party came to a close with beautiful words from Erykah stating, “Don’t grow up, it’s a trap. Stay young, stay fresh, stay new, stay creative, stay loving, stay compassionate, stay honest. Don’t follow these other mfers, especially mad mfers!”—As her speech is interrupted by confetti. 

I’m so happy I could attend #AnotherBaduBirthday and I’m thankful for the gift Erykah shared with us. Thank you, Queen. Happy birthday! 

Enjoy the clips from the bash and follow me on IG: AntaniaShanae 

[creativeashproductions]

Travelin’ Soldier Part 5

Summary: Reader is currently deployed in the army to an undisclosed combat area. She has been deployed for nearly two years. Anxiously awaiting her return is her husband and brother as they film for Supernatural. Letter comes informing the family that she may not be heard from for awhile and soon devastating news comes. In italic bold in the story is lyrics.

Characters: husband!Jensen x reader, Jared x Reader (twins), Gen, Shepherd, Thomas, Baby Padalecki, and Misha

Words: 2550

Disclaimer: I do not own the title of the song Travelin’ Soldier by the Dixie Chicks at all even with the minor change of lyrics to fit the story. I simply thought it could be a little fighting. Not hate towards Danneel either, as this is simply fiction and not real. I do not own any songs in this either.

Warnings: possible swearing, war, mention of death, mention of torture, a lot of angst as usual, and fluff

Author: Caitsy

Tagging a few at the end. Send an ask to be tagged, or request something.

A/N:  Once more Ash and I want to thank you for supporting us. Also I was going to write this on Friday night but I was involved in a minor car accident so by the time I got home I was exhausted.

Master List

Prompt List

ASK US A QUESTION LIST

The box sat in the drawer most of the time awaiting for the time it would come out. It was huge decision that in his opinion was more heavier than asking someone not in her career. He lost count of how long the box was there but he knew it would be empty soon. He loved her, that’s for sure but it’s a huge commitment to ask someone who’s life is always at risk. She would find it if it was in their apartment so he kept it in his trailer in Canada. He held it in his hand playing with the box.

“Hey Jensen! They need you!” Jared exclaimed opening the door to his trailer. Jensen shoved the box back into the back of the drawer as a shocked Jared stood there, “Is that what I think it was?”

“Pfft no.” Jensen waved the question off, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh? Well that diamond must be something.” Jared raised one eyebrow. He crossed his arms leaning against the wall beside the open door. The cool breeze came into the trailer.

“Shut up.” Jensen muttered, “I haven’t asked your dad for his blessing.”

“Wow. You do know he’s been nervously waiting for when you’ll propose?” Jared asked, “My parents love you J. I swear they love you more than they love me!”

“Not possible.” Jensen mumbled picking at a loose thread on his character’s plaid shirt.

“I’m serious. You’re the first of my sister’s boyfriends that gained the entire trust of my family.” Jared sighed, “Since she first got news of deployment her boyfriend dumped her fast. They were dating for six months I think and he wouldn’t accept that she was more willingly to get her hands dirty than him.”

“I never knew that.”

“They weren’t serious.” Jared shrugged, “She tended to forget about him anyway. She couldn’t find a time to break up with him.”

“Oh.” Jensen nodded his head, “Should I video call your dad?”

“Yeah. After we kick some ass.” Jared teased leaving the trailer, “It’s going to be a fun episode to shoot!”

Jensen wiped his hands on his pants as he looked at the picture where he was kneeling in front of you. You two had taken a weekend getaway to the mountains so he could propose on the mountain with a physical metaphor. The picture was by their hike leader on the small mountain.

                                                         〰️〰️〰️

The wind was crisp on your cheeks as you followed the guide on the small trail, Jensen had his one hand in his pocket while his other held yours. It was cold but it was also warm with the sun out, it hit the snow making it seems like millions of small diamonds were buried there. You were looking around the mountain you had spent the entire morning climbing.

“This is gorgeous!” You breathed taking in the beautiful view.

“Yeah.” Jensen replied as you all came to a stop in front of the view.

The guide smile before stepping aside with Jensen’s camera he had snuck to him. You were confused on why you had stopped before your eyes met nervous green ones. Your eyes grew wide as your boyfriend dropped down to his knee.

“Y/N. I grew up with a dream of having a gorgeous, kind and loving woman I could call my wife. One I could call the mother of all my future children and the one I would spend the rest of my life with. I never gave it much thought on what she would do for a living or how she would look. All I knew is that she would be the most beautiful woman I would ever see. That dream took a backseat as my job grew more important.” Jensen said staring up at you.

“Oh my god.” You whispered shocked.

“I’ll admit when you told you were a soldier I was scared because it that moment I fell for you. It was that moment I knew you would change entire view on life. All the times you were gone I would bug the hell out of your family because they understood how it felt with you gone. Each letter sent and received elevated the love I feel for you. I could go on for years but I have somethings to take precedent over. Firstly my love for you is more profound than this view, more tall than this mountain, and more than strong enough to move this mountain if that’s what you wanted. You believe this view is gorgeous but it pales in comparison to you in the smallest way.”

The box opened to reveal a ring that easily caused tears to flood Y/N because it was the ring she had stumbled upon when they were looking at watches. Jensen had dropped his watch in the tub and it wasn’t able to work again.

“I promise to send you a letter each day you’re away from me. I promise to support you in every way I can and I promise to hold onto our love as tight as you hold onto my heart. Will you please marry me?”

“Oh sweet fuck.” You exhaled, “Yes.”

The click of the camera was loud as it captured the moment where all your love poured out of you.

                                                        〰️〰️〰️

You stared utterly betrayed at the person obviously in charge of her capture. The golden kind smile of Charlotte was now twisted and malevolent with no mercy. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail without a hair out of place.

“Surprise!” Charlotte grinned tilting her head to the side, “Isn’t this a wonderful surprise? I’ve been wanting to do this for ages! It was torture waiting until you were desperate for some light in the darkness.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t lie. My father sold me to a bunch of horrible people, I escaped with some help, and started my own little group.” Charlotte said picking her nails with a knife, “You should see that place! It’s a nice red colour but it’s more artistic and abstract with the pattern of splatters.”

“You’re insane!” You hissed raising your arms.

“Says you?” Charlotte chortled, “Who the hell trusts someone? Did you not see the hesitation in their movement at tossing me inside? Are you a soldier? You’re supposed to be preceptive aren’t you?”

“Sorry that halo was to bright to see the horns.” You snapped, “I bet you only have this because daddy didn’t get you the barbie you wanted.”

“More like he didn’t get me the right knife to carve up the bitch that gave me life.”

“Why the hell do you have me?” You screamed.

“I was younger I watched this soap opera.” Charlotte trailed off licking her lips, “There was this one character that was the reason I lived. Jensen Ackles. You stole him and I wanted him!”

You groaned shaking your head because of how insane she was.

“Imagine my surprise when I heard that a female soldier with the last name Ackles was near that town. I knew I had to have you.”

“Wow so original. Are you really blonde or did you follow the stereotypical physical appearance of a psycho bitch!” You exclaimed eyeing a gun in one the men’s hands, “Let me tell you how many other psychos with dark hair have come after me?”

“How many were psycho enough to kidnap a soldier of the US Army?”

                                                        〰️〰️〰️

Jensen had never gotten up so fast when the phone rang especially when it was Sgt. Michaels. He dropped to his knees as the grand amount of relief was too intense to stay up standing.

“We’ve found her.”

The entire room was filled with anticipation as tears flooded the man on the phone. Jared knew in his bones that his sister had been found and would be coming home soon enough. The relief was palpable and so profound it was hard to wrap her minds around it.

“I’m risking a lot by calling but the unit is now taking down the compound she was located at. The rest is top secret but I’ll keep you informed with what I can.”

“T-thank you.” Jensen sobbed feeling many arms wrap around him.                                                         〰️〰️〰️

The unit was stealthily moving through the property getting closer to the heart of the property where they knew the missing soldier would be. Using hand signals two soldiers swiftly strategically placed a quiet bullet in their heads. There was strict orders to take all enemies out and leave none alive.

The bodies were discarded in an empty building before they intentionally set off a bomb in the corner where many soldiers waited. Each hiding out in anticipation.

“Go check that out.” A female voice ordered. Three men came out of the building holding large guns and knives in multiple areas of their combat uniform.

Within seconds the men were placed in the same building as the other deceased enemies. The heat signature devise showed a woman of Y/N’s stature was inside leaning to her right as if something was hurting her.

Inside the building you threw your arm at the man next to before swiftly tugging the man in front of you as a knife was thrown. The knife embedded itself in the man’s should before bullets were buried inside the man. Using him as a human shield you acquired his gun before putting a round in the man beside Charlotte.

The click of the empty gun was heard before a swift kick sent a kick to Charlotte’s hand. The cracking of bones were heard as Charlotte winced. Strategically she pulled a gun sending a couple rounds into the already injured soldier.

“Ow! Fuck!” You hissed as the last bullet entered your body. It didn’t stop you from fighting to the death literally.

It didn’t deter you from gripping one of the remaining soldiers in the room by the neck and throwing him. Swiping his knife you were slashing your way to the girl stepping over the bodies laying on the ground.

“Why don’t we talk about this?” Charlotte asked backing away before you kicked out catching a man and yanking his head to the side. His dead body dropped on the ground with a sickening crunch.

“No.” You glared, “I am not talking about shit with you anymore, you’ve help me captive because of SOME STUPID CRUSH ON MY HUSBAND!”

Charlotte glared before steeling herself as you stalked up to the girl. You cracked your neck before the gun was pressed into your stomach. Charlotte smirked as she pushed the gun further into your stomach.

“Love.” She whispered into your ear, “I don’t crush like a pre-teen. I love like a real woman.”

“Yeah?” You questioned before kicking the front of her knee. Charlotte collapsed to one knee before you shoved the knife deep into her shoulder earning a loud scream, “Well that’s lovely to know.”

“I’m going to rip you apart. I’ll make you wish you were never born!”

“No, you have that wrong, I’m going to place every wound you all placed on me and more.” You hissed, “By the time I’m done with you, you’ll barely remember anything including me.” 
“Well it’s a damn shame we can’t come to an agreement on who’s going to lose.” Charlotte hissed back before shoving her own knife into your thigh and pushing you back. It was a mess of limbs as the gun was fought over.

The unit was just at the door when the band resonated throughout the area and the gasp went into the air. The rest of the men fell into line when everyone regrouped at the last building. Bodies were discarded in hidden areas as everyone went into position.

The leader kicked the door in calling out.

“Drop your weapons! I repeat drop the weapons and get on the ground.”

There was no one holding a weapon nor was there anyone standing. The occupants of the room were laying still on the ground in a large pool of blood that was growing at the second.

“Shit.”

                                                        〰️〰️〰️

The Padalecki and Ackles family were in the government building kept in a room while they waited for more news. Thy noticed Sgt. Michaels accept a call before the soldier went ridged.

“Are you sure? Injuries?” The man didn’t let a hint of emotion on his face as the conversation went deeper, “Dear god.”

Jensen’s heart dropped when the stoic man’s expression broke revealing a deeply disturbed and sick man. The pale parlour of the military man gave way to what was going to be some bad news and Jared’s strength was wavering.

“How long?”

There was a pause before the man solemnly nodded and turned his attention to the other people in the room.

“We have some news.”

“Well?” Jared exclaimed slamming his hands down on the table.

“The unit successfully took down all enemies but there was a fight inside leaning the unit to find three seriously injured people.” Sgt Michaels explained, “One we’ve announced to be the leader is a female along with an enemy soldier and Y/N.”

“Where is she? How is she?” Jensen exclaimed getting into the man’s face, “Where is my wife?”

“Currently in a combat hospital that was closest to the area.” The man stated, “Unfortunately it’s a classified location and you all are not authorized to even know.”

“I want to see my wife.” Jensen hissed.

“You have done enough.” Gen glared leaning closer to the man, “I’m sick and tired of this, if we aren’t authorized to know about the location then why the hell were we told about this entire mission?”

Sgt. Michaels shifted under the gaze of the woman before meeting her gaze holding back the answer. He had already put his papers in for retirement before he could get into more hot water with the army.

“I did this because that woman saved countless lives including mine.” Sgt. Michaels squeezed his eyes closed, “I met my wife when we attended a dance to get the soldiers minds off our duty. I never met someone like her in my life and I chased her for months before she gave in. We were married a year later. We had trouble conceiving and when we finally did she was kidnapped.”

Nobody broke the silence.

“Jennifer had resigned from the army when she found out she was pregnant but the day she was to return, one of the enemies had taken her.” Sgt. Michaels shook, “Jennifer was found a month later with her eyes gouged out and with little untouched skin on her body. Her stomach was opened with her womb removed.”

“Jesus.” Jensen groaned hearing the story.

“When I got back from confirming it was her. I was in my tent drunk and holding my gun in my mouth. I was about to pull the trigger than Y/N wandered into the tent asking on how to retire early.” Sgt. Michaels shook enough more as his body threatened to fall, “She stopped me in her unique way and promised to not tell anyone so I keep my job. I made a deal that when I found her I could retire.”

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[terryrayca]

20 Best Songs To Listen To While High

Before we embark on this list of amazing songs that are enhanced when under the influence of Medical Marijuana, please visit the best buy weed online Canada known as www.weed-deals.ca. Providing exceptional prices for both strains such as girl scout cookies strain and premium flowers that other cannawholesalers places just can’t beat.

Interested in improving your cannabis encounter with no additional work?

Sure, eating particular foods is one way. Playing various board games and video games is just another. Along with reading good novels, well, that is always soothing. But once you’re in the middle of this cannabis encounter, it is clear they do not supply exactly the exact same feeling as listening to audio, in other words, in case you’ve got the best significant songs.

If you’re interested in all of the Pseudo, armchair and REAL scientific details behind why music sounds better if your high, this is not the post.

Instead, here we breakdown the very best tunes to listen to while large, whether old or new, using a list that is updated regularly.

Ready?

10 Greatest Chill Songs to Listen to While stoned

1. Zedd — Happy Today

Even though Zedd Is famous for his huge space EDM monitors which may be observed at festivals year round, he could even lay down a cool tune that is ideal to float to.

‘Happy Today’ is precisely that, only sitting on a cloud and appreciating the second, a great high tune. Elderbrook — Hard to Enjoy

“I’m difficult to enjoy in the best of times. Oh, in the best of times”…

Who doesn’t feel like this sometimes? It’s easy to become wrapped up in life also have a thousand thoughts and theories happening in our mind at one time. It actually can be daunting and have a toll on our mental wellbeing. We need ourselves to be present and appreciate what is happening.

This might have gotten somewhat existential, but do not worry, it is just to easily install how’Tough to Enjoy’ from Elderbrook is a very excellent tune to listen to if high.

I will let you in on a little secret About me, this is in my top 5 favorite tunes of all time. While the record is ever changing, who knows perhaps one day it will fall to sixth, except for now being Medasin stirs a timeless ‘Daydream’.

Trust me once I say this,’Daydream’ is among the greatest tunes to listen to while completely sober, either way works!

Odesza — Sun Designs

Selecting just 1 of Odesza’s tunes is kind have a criminal action, yet, it needs to be accomplished. Even though’Sun Designs’ is Absolutely exactly what the doctor ordered, any time, any location, I recommend that you check out more of the work since it is devised to ease you into bliss — an ideal, high, higher tune really.

Even though Seinabo gets Loads of credit for this laidback groove,’Younger’ gets The remix it warrants by Kygo. And if there’s one thing I understand about Kygo, it’s that his songs are essentially made to smoke bud and revel in the sunshine.

Sure, it is not always shining outside, But if it is or not, your mood will be with ‘Younger’ playing in the background. It is a weed smoker tune that is certain to make you feel younger.

If you are Beginning to grab a vibe From the tunes on this listing, you are not in the incorrect. It might be the sunlight, it can be the simple fact that tropical home is almost always a fantastic option when rolling a joint, but one thing is for sure,’Jubel’ is a necessity in everybody’s lifestyle best substantial songs playlist.

Creating a feeling that looks like putting a hammock somewhere the sun doesn’t set. I for one understand that my bose speakers will probably be appreciating this particular vibe for a long, long time to come.

“Would you feel the sunshine? (you make it brighter( brighter)

Make it brighter for me personally

If sun comes shining on me

If you have ever wanted the most perfect tune to wake up and bake to, I have got it for you. ‘Brighter’ is the optimal approach to begin, bridge and finish, and anything could be in-between daily.

If you sensed an ephemeral breeze blowing off, with the color of palms trees each so slightly from the last tunes,’Indian Summer’ is the final action. It is essentially a sunset bottled up and packed for the masses.

If you have heard of Mura Masa Earlier, then you know his personality is ideal for a playlist full of tunes to listen to while high. The same as many other people, it is difficult to select just 1 song, but ‘Firefly’ stands at the top this time around.

While this list can go on for weeks (literally), we must wrap this up at a certain stage, and the following song is the nearest thing to resting your head on a cushion….that is, just to realize it is a cloud. Autograf — Fantasy

You have made it this way, so that may Only signify this record has struck a chord. To complete the first half, I wished to leave y’with a tune to wind down it. This high tune a part of a ideal setting to finish a very long day and shut your eyes .

‘Fantasy’ by Autograf is wrapped is just as the title says, a mild dream that gradually sets in and calms you from head to toe.

10 Classic Greatest Songs to Listen to While medicated

No need to worry, this listing is not About classical Mozart and Bach — that classical kind of music — that is not bad, since I really like some classical once the mood is perfect!

Rather, this section is about the Very good vibes and grooves which were overlooked, which have been lost in transit as a result of endless quantity of music being released nowadays. Only a couple diamonds in the rough, you can say.

I could have used a Lot of tunes to get The party begun, but this large tune begins this section just perfect. The Zombies have a special spot in my heart, and after listening to’Summertime’, I am certain that they will for you also. Steely Dan — Can it

There is not much to mention about Steely Dan’s ring that has not been stated already. If you know anybody over age 40 that likes to smoke ganja, they have probably got a couple of fond memories of Dan himself.

‘Do it Again’ has borderline psychedelic storms occasionally, and is ideal for virtually any event, whether you are not.

Doobie Brothers — Listen to the Audio

‘Listen to the Music’, seems Easy, does’nt it? I mean, what else are you supposed to do with audio? However, the question is, how frequently do you LISTEN to the audio, from the tune, voices, instruments and all the small sounds which go into creating a tune?

How often do you really really want to Listen to your tune, just to realize halfway through, that the majority of the tune flanked by and you do not recall hearing a damn thing. ‘Listen to the Music’ is a perfect reminder to only be current, whether it’s listening to music, reading a book, speaking to a buddy or just walking down the road.

“Thunder only happens when it is raining

Players only love you when they are playing

Say girls they’ll come and They’ll go

Once the rain washes you clean, you’ll know, you’ll understand”

These lyrics from Fleetwood Mac May be a number of the most well-known of all time. There is just something special about Stevie Nicks’ voice which can not be quantified. She will not blow you out of the water along with her large pitches, or drawn out vocals, but her soothing tone is certainly of the magic selection, making for an ideal tune to listen to while large.

‘yells’ is a classic with any means which could be left on repeat at the same time you smoke and roll a joint.

There are not many issues from the World that can not be solved using a doobie and a few refreshing and light music. Obviously, there’ll always be problems, but letting go of anxiety that has been a deterrent can make all of the difference.

If your neighbor will not cut their Hedges, once you get cut off while driving home from work, or if Janet from bookkeeping informs the same’ol story about how she left the casserole on the counter, it is time to throw the ideal high tune’Summer’. Life, in relation to virtually anything; a food that reminds you of a place, a smell that attracts you into a specific childhood memory — also for me personally,’A Horse with No Name’ reminds of those Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

Do not overthink it. Name is an excellent songs to hear when high — and who knows, perhaps you’ll start seeing a few of the links whom I’ve produced between it and the Alchemist…or perhaps you’ll begin earning links of your own!

Van Morrison and cannabis go together, such as, well, such as just Van Morrison and cannabis can. When listening to’Into the Mystic’ while sober or high , you can only help but wonder why youpersonally:

A) Have never heard of Van Morrison…and B) This song’s so brief!

If you recorded the several things that bring a smile to a person’s face, a harmonica would not be on this list. Is not a video with adorable creatures, or a kid doing absurd things, but if Neil Young is playing with it, you can not help but grin, thus rendering it a fantastic tune to listen to while high.

Thanks Neil Young!

“Some Folks call me the space cowboy, yeah

I wish I could say exactly the same, but sadly this is not the situation.

I am a joker

I am a smoker

I am a midnight toker

I get my lovin’ on the run

Wooo Wooooo

Now that is a more precise representation!

10. Grateful Dead — Ripple

If you are interested in discovering, possibly, the chillest set of individuals of ALL TIME, then look no farther than “Deadheads”. In brief, they flew across the countries after the Grateful Dead, A prominent choice and psychedelic group. Even the Grateful Dead’s influence in popular culture could be felt across the world, as can their laid back songs, which makes for ideal music to listen to while high. What Is Your Perfect Chill High Song?

Music is a never ending trip that Fills our souls with a power which has no rival. It has ability to make us proceed, to fill an area and change the whole mood of a scene is astonishing.

However, when you pair it with cannabis, and together with the very best songs to listen to if large, it is taken to a very profound level.

Stay tuned and check back frequently, for the budbox is on it’s way to the public and will be available for purchase before you know it. Get them while they’re hot!

I have given you my best list, so what is your best high music list?

As always, cheers.

And sharing is caring!

source http://www.thepalacevenue.com/20-best-songs-to-listen-to-while-high/ source https://thepalacevenue.tumblr.com/post/186741601846

[rosemalmbergca]

20 Best Songs To Listen To While High

Before we embark on this list of amazing songs that are enhanced when under the influence of Medical Marijuana, please visit the best buy weed online Canada known as www.weed-deals.ca. Providing exceptional prices for both strains such as girl scout cookies strain and premium flowers that other cannawholesalers places just can’t beat.

Interested in improving your cannabis encounter with no additional work?

Sure, eating particular foods is one way. Playing various board games and video games is just another. Along with reading good novels, well, that is always soothing. But once you’re in the middle of this cannabis encounter, it is clear they do not supply exactly the exact same feeling as listening to audio, in other words, in case you’ve got the best significant songs.

If you’re interested in all of the Pseudo, armchair and REAL scientific details behind why music sounds better if your high, this is not the post.

Instead, here we breakdown the very best tunes to listen to while large, whether old or new, using a list that is updated regularly.

Ready?

10 Greatest Chill Songs to Listen to While stoned

1. Zedd — Happy Today

Even though Zedd Is famous for his huge space EDM monitors which may be observed at festivals year round, he could even lay down a cool tune that is ideal to float to.

‘Happy Today’ is precisely that, only sitting on a cloud and appreciating the second, a great high tune. Elderbrook — Hard to Enjoy

“I’m difficult to enjoy in the best of times. Oh, in the best of times”…

Who doesn’t feel like this sometimes? It’s easy to become wrapped up in life also have a thousand thoughts and theories happening in our mind at one time. It actually can be daunting and have a toll on our mental wellbeing. We need ourselves to be present and appreciate what is happening.

This might have gotten somewhat existential, but do not worry, it is just to easily install how’Tough to Enjoy’ from Elderbrook is a very excellent tune to listen to if high.

I will let you in on a little secret About me, this is in my top 5 favorite tunes of all time. While the record is ever changing, who knows perhaps one day it will fall to sixth, except for now being Medasin stirs a timeless ‘Daydream’.

Trust me once I say this,’Daydream’ is among the greatest tunes to listen to while completely sober, either way works!

Odesza — Sun Designs

Selecting just 1 of Odesza’s tunes is kind have a criminal action, yet, it needs to be accomplished. Even though’Sun Designs’ is Absolutely exactly what the doctor ordered, any time, any location, I recommend that you check out more of the work since it is devised to ease you into bliss — an ideal, high, higher tune really.

Even though Seinabo gets Loads of credit for this laidback groove,’Younger’ gets The remix it warrants by Kygo. And if there’s one thing I understand about Kygo, it’s that his songs are essentially made to smoke bud and revel in the sunshine.

Sure, it is not always shining outside, But if it is or not, your mood will be with ‘Younger’ playing in the background. It is a weed smoker tune that is certain to make you feel younger.

If you are Beginning to grab a vibe From the tunes on this listing, you are not in the incorrect. It might be the sunlight, it can be the simple fact that tropical home is almost always a fantastic option when rolling a joint, but one thing is for sure,’Jubel’ is a necessity in everybody’s lifestyle best substantial songs playlist.

Creating a feeling that looks like putting a hammock somewhere the sun doesn’t set. I for one understand that my bose speakers will probably be appreciating this particular vibe for a long, long time to come.

“Would you feel the sunshine? (you make it brighter( brighter)

Make it brighter for me personally

If sun comes shining on me

If you have ever wanted the most perfect tune to wake up and bake to, I have got it for you. ‘Brighter’ is the optimal approach to begin, bridge and finish, and anything could be in-between daily.

If you sensed an ephemeral breeze blowing off, with the color of palms trees each so slightly from the last tunes,’Indian Summer’ is the final action. It is essentially a sunset bottled up and packed for the masses.

If you have heard of Mura Masa Earlier, then you know his personality is ideal for a playlist full of tunes to listen to while high. The same as many other people, it is difficult to select just 1 song, but ‘Firefly’ stands at the top this time around.

While this list can go on for weeks (literally), we must wrap this up at a certain stage, and the following song is the nearest thing to resting your head on a cushion….that is, just to realize it is a cloud. Autograf — Fantasy

You have made it this way, so that may Only signify this record has struck a chord. To complete the first half, I wished to leave y’with a tune to wind down it. This high tune a part of a ideal setting to finish a very long day and shut your eyes .

‘Fantasy’ by Autograf is wrapped is just as the title says, a mild dream that gradually sets in and calms you from head to toe.

10 Classic Greatest Songs to Listen to While medicated

No need to worry, this listing is not About classical Mozart and Bach — that classical kind of music — that is not bad, since I really like some classical once the mood is perfect!

Rather, this section is about the Very good vibes and grooves which were overlooked, which have been lost in transit as a result of endless quantity of music being released nowadays. Only a couple diamonds in the rough, you can say.

I could have used a Lot of tunes to get The party begun, but this large tune begins this section just perfect. The Zombies have a special spot in my heart, and after listening to’Summertime’, I am certain that they will for you also. Steely Dan — Can it

There is not much to mention about Steely Dan’s ring that has not been stated already. If you know anybody over age 40 that likes to smoke ganja, they have probably got a couple of fond memories of Dan himself.

‘Do it Again’ has borderline psychedelic storms occasionally, and is ideal for virtually any event, whether you are not.

Doobie Brothers — Listen to the Audio

‘Listen to the Music’, seems Easy, does’nt it? I mean, what else are you supposed to do with audio? However, the question is, how frequently do you LISTEN to the audio, from the tune, voices, instruments and all the small sounds which go into creating a tune?

How often do you really really want to Listen to your tune, just to realize halfway through, that the majority of the tune flanked by and you do not recall hearing a damn thing. ‘Listen to the Music’ is a perfect reminder to only be current, whether it’s listening to music, reading a book, speaking to a buddy or just walking down the road.

“Thunder only happens when it is raining

Players only love you when they are playing

Say girls they’ll come and They’ll go

Once the rain washes you clean, you’ll know, you’ll understand”

These lyrics from Fleetwood Mac May be a number of the most well-known of all time. There is just something special about Stevie Nicks’ voice which can not be quantified. She will not blow you out of the water along with her large pitches, or drawn out vocals, but her soothing tone is certainly of the magic selection, making for an ideal tune to listen to while large.

‘yells’ is a classic with any means which could be left on repeat at the same time you smoke and roll a joint.

There are not many issues from the World that can not be solved using a doobie and a few refreshing and light music. Obviously, there’ll always be problems, but letting go of anxiety that has been a deterrent can make all of the difference.

If your neighbor will not cut their Hedges, once you get cut off while driving home from work, or if Janet from bookkeeping informs the same’ol story about how she left the casserole on the counter, it is time to throw the ideal high tune’Summer’. Life, in relation to virtually anything; a food that reminds you of a place, a smell that attracts you into a specific childhood memory — also for me personally,’A Horse with No Name’ reminds of those Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

Do not overthink it. Name is an excellent songs to hear when high — and who knows, perhaps you’ll start seeing a few of the links whom I’ve produced between it and the Alchemist…or perhaps you’ll begin earning links of your own!

Van Morrison and cannabis go together, such as, well, such as just Van Morrison and cannabis can. When listening to’Into the Mystic’ while sober or high , you can only help but wonder why youpersonally:

A) Have never heard of Van Morrison…and B) This song’s so brief!

If you recorded the several things that bring a smile to a person’s face, a harmonica would not be on this list. Is not a video with adorable creatures, or a kid doing absurd things, but if Neil Young is playing with it, you can not help but grin, thus rendering it a fantastic tune to listen to while high.

Thanks Neil Young!

“Some Folks call me the space cowboy, yeah

I wish I could say exactly the same, but sadly this is not the situation.

I am a joker

I am a smoker

I am a midnight toker

I get my lovin’ on the run

Wooo Wooooo

Now that is a more precise representation!

10. Grateful Dead — Ripple

If you are interested in discovering, possibly, the chillest set of individuals of ALL TIME, then look no farther than “Deadheads”. In brief, they flew across the countries after the Grateful Dead, A prominent choice and psychedelic group. Even the Grateful Dead’s influence in popular culture could be felt across the world, as can their laid back songs, which makes for ideal music to listen to while high. What Is Your Perfect Chill High Song?

Music is a never ending trip that Fills our souls with a power which has no rival. It has ability to make us proceed, to fill an area and change the whole mood of a scene is astonishing.

However, when you pair it with cannabis, and together with the very best songs to listen to if large, it is taken to a very profound level.

Stay tuned and check back frequently, for the budbox is on it’s way to the public and will be available for purchase before you know it. Get them while they’re hot!

I have given you my best list, so what is your best high music list?

As always, cheers.

And sharing is caring!

via The Palace Venue http://www.thepalacevenue.com/20-best-songs-to-listen-to-while-high/

source http://thepalacevenue.weebly.com/blog/20-best-songs-to-listen-to-while-high

[hiramschmidtca]

20 Best Songs To Listen To While High

Before we embark on this list of amazing songs that are enhanced when under the influence of Medical Marijuana, please visit the best buy weed online Canada known as www.weed-deals.ca. Providing exceptional prices for both strains such as girl scout cookies strain and premium flowers that other cannawholesalers places just can’t beat.

Interested in improving your cannabis encounter with no additional work?

Sure, eating particular foods is one way. Playing various board games and video games is just another. Along with reading good novels, well, that is always soothing. But once you’re in the middle of this cannabis encounter, it is clear they do not supply exactly the exact same feeling as listening to audio, in other words, in case you’ve got the best significant songs.

If you’re interested in all of the Pseudo, armchair and REAL scientific details behind why music sounds better if your high, this is not the post.

Instead, here we breakdown the very best tunes to listen to while large, whether old or new, using a list that is updated regularly.

Ready?

10 Greatest Chill Songs to Listen to While stoned

1. Zedd — Happy Today

Even though Zedd Is famous for his huge space EDM monitors which may be observed at festivals year round, he could even lay down a cool tune that is ideal to float to.

‘Happy Today’ is precisely that, only sitting on a cloud and appreciating the second, a great high tune. Elderbrook — Hard to Enjoy

“I’m difficult to enjoy in the best of times. Oh, in the best of times”…

Who doesn’t feel like this sometimes? It’s easy to become wrapped up in life also have a thousand thoughts and theories happening in our mind at one time. It actually can be daunting and have a toll on our mental wellbeing. We need ourselves to be present and appreciate what is happening.

This might have gotten somewhat existential, but do not worry, it is just to easily install how’Tough to Enjoy’ from Elderbrook is a very excellent tune to listen to if high.

I will let you in on a little secret About me, this is in my top 5 favorite tunes of all time. While the record is ever changing, who knows perhaps one day it will fall to sixth, except for now being Medasin stirs a timeless ‘Daydream’.

Trust me once I say this,’Daydream’ is among the greatest tunes to listen to while completely sober, either way works!

Odesza — Sun Designs

Selecting just 1 of Odesza’s tunes is kind have a criminal action, yet, it needs to be accomplished. Even though’Sun Designs’ is Absolutely exactly what the doctor ordered, any time, any location, I recommend that you check out more of the work since it is devised to ease you into bliss — an ideal, high, higher tune really.

Even though Seinabo gets Loads of credit for this laidback groove,’Younger’ gets The remix it warrants by Kygo. And if there’s one thing I understand about Kygo, it’s that his songs are essentially made to smoke bud and revel in the sunshine.

Sure, it is not always shining outside, But if it is or not, your mood will be with ‘Younger’ playing in the background. It is a weed smoker tune that is certain to make you feel younger.

If you are Beginning to grab a vibe From the tunes on this listing, you are not in the incorrect. It might be the sunlight, it can be the simple fact that tropical home is almost always a fantastic option when rolling a joint, but one thing is for sure,’Jubel’ is a necessity in everybody’s lifestyle best substantial songs playlist.

Creating a feeling that looks like putting a hammock somewhere the sun doesn’t set. I for one understand that my bose speakers will probably be appreciating this particular vibe for a long, long time to come.

“Would you feel the sunshine? (you make it brighter( brighter)

Make it brighter for me personally

If sun comes shining on me

If you have ever wanted the most perfect tune to wake up and bake to, I have got it for you. ‘Brighter’ is the optimal approach to begin, bridge and finish, and anything could be in-between daily.

If you sensed an ephemeral breeze blowing off, with the color of palms trees each so slightly from the last tunes,’Indian Summer’ is the final action. It is essentially a sunset bottled up and packed for the masses.

If you have heard of Mura Masa Earlier, then you know his personality is ideal for a playlist full of tunes to listen to while high. The same as many other people, it is difficult to select just 1 song, but ‘Firefly’ stands at the top this time around.

While this list can go on for weeks (literally), we must wrap this up at a certain stage, and the following song is the nearest thing to resting your head on a cushion….that is, just to realize it is a cloud. Autograf — Fantasy

You have made it this way, so that may Only signify this record has struck a chord. To complete the first half, I wished to leave y’with a tune to wind down it. This high tune a part of a ideal setting to finish a very long day and shut your eyes .

‘Fantasy’ by Autograf is wrapped is just as the title says, a mild dream that gradually sets in and calms you from head to toe.

10 Classic Greatest Songs to Listen to While medicated

No need to worry, this listing is not About classical Mozart and Bach — that classical kind of music — that is not bad, since I really like some classical once the mood is perfect!

Rather, this section is about the Very good vibes and grooves which were overlooked, which have been lost in transit as a result of endless quantity of music being released nowadays. Only a couple diamonds in the rough, you can say.

I could have used a Lot of tunes to get The party begun, but this large tune begins this section just perfect. The Zombies have a special spot in my heart, and after listening to’Summertime’, I am certain that they will for you also. Steely Dan — Can it

There is not much to mention about Steely Dan’s ring that has not been stated already. If you know anybody over age 40 that likes to smoke ganja, they have probably got a couple of fond memories of Dan himself.

‘Do it Again’ has borderline psychedelic storms occasionally, and is ideal for virtually any event, whether you are not.

Doobie Brothers — Listen to the Audio

‘Listen to the Music’, seems Easy, does’nt it? I mean, what else are you supposed to do with audio? However, the question is, how frequently do you LISTEN to the audio, from the tune, voices, instruments and all the small sounds which go into creating a tune?

How often do you really really want to Listen to your tune, just to realize halfway through, that the majority of the tune flanked by and you do not recall hearing a damn thing. ‘Listen to the Music’ is a perfect reminder to only be current, whether it’s listening to music, reading a book, speaking to a buddy or just walking down the road.

“Thunder only happens when it is raining

Players only love you when they are playing

Say girls they’ll come and They’ll go

Once the rain washes you clean, you’ll know, you’ll understand”

These lyrics from Fleetwood Mac May be a number of the most well-known of all time. There is just something special about Stevie Nicks’ voice which can not be quantified. She will not blow you out of the water along with her large pitches, or drawn out vocals, but her soothing tone is certainly of the magic selection, making for an ideal tune to listen to while large.

‘yells’ is a classic with any means which could be left on repeat at the same time you smoke and roll a joint.

There are not many issues from the World that can not be solved using a doobie and a few refreshing and light music. Obviously, there’ll always be problems, but letting go of anxiety that has been a deterrent can make all of the difference.

If your neighbor will not cut their Hedges, once you get cut off while driving home from work, or if Janet from bookkeeping informs the same’ol story about how she left the casserole on the counter, it is time to throw the ideal high tune’Summer’. Life, in relation to virtually anything; a food that reminds you of a place, a smell that attracts you into a specific childhood memory — also for me personally,’A Horse with No Name’ reminds of those Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

Do not overthink it. Name is an excellent songs to hear when high — and who knows, perhaps you’ll start seeing a few of the links whom I’ve produced between it and the Alchemist…or perhaps you’ll begin earning links of your own!

Van Morrison and cannabis go together, such as, well, such as just Van Morrison and cannabis can. When listening to’Into the Mystic’ while sober or high , you can only help but wonder why youpersonally:

A) Have never heard of Van Morrison…and B) This song’s so brief!

If you recorded the several things that bring a smile to a person’s face, a harmonica would not be on this list. Is not a video with adorable creatures, or a kid doing absurd things, but if Neil Young is playing with it, you can not help but grin, thus rendering it a fantastic tune to listen to while high.

Thanks Neil Young!

“Some Folks call me the space cowboy, yeah

I wish I could say exactly the same, but sadly this is not the situation.

I am a joker

I am a smoker

I am a midnight toker

I get my lovin’ on the run

Wooo Wooooo

Now that is a more precise representation!

10. Grateful Dead — Ripple

If you are interested in discovering, possibly, the chillest set of individuals of ALL TIME, then look no farther than “Deadheads”. In brief, they flew across the countries after the Grateful Dead, A prominent choice and psychedelic group. Even the Grateful Dead’s influence in popular culture could be felt across the world, as can their laid back songs, which makes for ideal music to listen to while high. What Is Your Perfect Chill High Song?

Music is a never ending trip that Fills our souls with a power which has no rival. It has ability to make us proceed, to fill an area and change the whole mood of a scene is astonishing.

However, when you pair it with cannabis, and together with the very best songs to listen to if large, it is taken to a very profound level.

Stay tuned and check back frequently, for the budbox is on it’s way to the public and will be available for purchase before you know it. Get them while they’re hot!

I have given you my best list, so what is your best high music list?

As always, cheers.

And sharing is caring!

source http://www.thepalacevenue.com/20-best-songs-to-listen-to-while-high/ source https://thepalacevenue.blogspot.com/2019/08/20-best-songs-to-listen-to-while-high.html

[thepalacevenue]

20 Best Songs To Listen To While High

Before we embark on this list of amazing songs that are enhanced when under the influence of Medical Marijuana, please visit the best buy weed online Canada known as www.weed-deals.ca. Providing exceptional prices for both strains such as girl scout cookies strain and premium flowers that other cannawholesalers places just can’t beat.

Interested in improving your cannabis encounter with no additional work?

Sure, eating particular foods is one way. Playing various board games and video games is just another. Along with reading good novels, well, that is always soothing. But once you’re in the middle of this cannabis encounter, it is clear they do not supply exactly the exact same feeling as listening to audio, in other words, in case you’ve got the best significant songs.

If you’re interested in all of the Pseudo, armchair and REAL scientific details behind why music sounds better if your high, this is not the post.

Instead, here we breakdown the very best tunes to listen to while large, whether old or new, using a list that is updated regularly.

Ready?

10 Greatest Chill Songs to Listen to While stoned

1. Zedd — Happy Today

Even though Zedd Is famous for his huge space EDM monitors which may be observed at festivals year round, he could even lay down a cool tune that is ideal to float to.

‘Happy Today’ is precisely that, only sitting on a cloud and appreciating the second, a great high tune. Elderbrook — Hard to Enjoy

“I’m difficult to enjoy in the best of times. Oh, in the best of times”…

Who doesn’t feel like this sometimes? It’s easy to become wrapped up in life also have a thousand thoughts and theories happening in our mind at one time. It actually can be daunting and have a toll on our mental wellbeing. We need ourselves to be present and appreciate what is happening.

This might have gotten somewhat existential, but do not worry, it is just to easily install how’Tough to Enjoy’ from Elderbrook is a very excellent tune to listen to if high.

I will let you in on a little secret About me, this is in my top 5 favorite tunes of all time. While the record is ever changing, who knows perhaps one day it will fall to sixth, except for now being Medasin stirs a timeless ‘Daydream’.

Trust me once I say this,’Daydream’ is among the greatest tunes to listen to while completely sober, either way works!

Odesza — Sun Designs

Selecting just 1 of Odesza’s tunes is kind have a criminal action, yet, it needs to be accomplished. Even though’Sun Designs’ is Absolutely exactly what the doctor ordered, any time, any location, I recommend that you check out more of the work since it is devised to ease you into bliss — an ideal, high, higher tune really.

Even though Seinabo gets Loads of credit for this laidback groove,’Younger’ gets The remix it warrants by Kygo. And if there’s one thing I understand about Kygo, it’s that his songs are essentially made to smoke bud and revel in the sunshine.

Sure, it is not always shining outside, But if it is or not, your mood will be with ‘Younger’ playing in the background. It is a weed smoker tune that is certain to make you feel younger.

If you are Beginning to grab a vibe From the tunes on this listing, you are not in the incorrect. It might be the sunlight, it can be the simple fact that tropical home is almost always a fantastic option when rolling a joint, but one thing is for sure,’Jubel’ is a necessity in everybody’s lifestyle best substantial songs playlist.

Creating a feeling that looks like putting a hammock somewhere the sun doesn’t set. I for one understand that my bose speakers will probably be appreciating this particular vibe for a long, long time to come.

“Would you feel the sunshine? (you make it brighter( brighter)

Make it brighter for me personally

If sun comes shining on me

If you have ever wanted the most perfect tune to wake up and bake to, I have got it for you. ‘Brighter’ is the optimal approach to begin, bridge and finish, and anything could be in-between daily.

If you sensed an ephemeral breeze blowing off, with the color of palms trees each so slightly from the last tunes,’Indian Summer’ is the final action. It is essentially a sunset bottled up and packed for the masses.

If you have heard of Mura Masa Earlier, then you know his personality is ideal for a playlist full of tunes to listen to while high. The same as many other people, it is difficult to select just 1 song, but ‘Firefly’ stands at the top this time around.

While this list can go on for weeks (literally), we must wrap this up at a certain stage, and the following song is the nearest thing to resting your head on a cushion….that is, just to realize it is a cloud. Autograf — Fantasy

You have made it this way, so that may Only signify this record has struck a chord. To complete the first half, I wished to leave y’with a tune to wind down it. This high tune a part of a ideal setting to finish a very long day and shut your eyes .

‘Fantasy’ by Autograf is wrapped is just as the title says, a mild dream that gradually sets in and calms you from head to toe.

10 Classic Greatest Songs to Listen to While medicated

No need to worry, this listing is not About classical Mozart and Bach — that classical kind of music — that is not bad, since I really like some classical once the mood is perfect!

Rather, this section is about the Very good vibes and grooves which were overlooked, which have been lost in transit as a result of endless quantity of music being released nowadays. Only a couple diamonds in the rough, you can say.

I could have used a Lot of tunes to get The party begun, but this large tune begins this section just perfect. The Zombies have a special spot in my heart, and after listening to’Summertime’, I am certain that they will for you also. Steely Dan — Can it

There is not much to mention about Steely Dan’s ring that has not been stated already. If you know anybody over age 40 that likes to smoke ganja, they have probably got a couple of fond memories of Dan himself.

‘Do it Again’ has borderline psychedelic storms occasionally, and is ideal for virtually any event, whether you are not.

Doobie Brothers — Listen to the Audio

‘Listen to the Music’, seems Easy, does’nt it? I mean, what else are you supposed to do with audio? However, the question is, how frequently do you LISTEN to the audio, from the tune, voices, instruments and all the small sounds which go into creating a tune?

How often do you really really want to Listen to your tune, just to realize halfway through, that the majority of the tune flanked by and you do not recall hearing a damn thing. ‘Listen to the Music’ is a perfect reminder to only be current, whether it’s listening to music, reading a book, speaking to a buddy or just walking down the road.

“Thunder only happens when it is raining

Players only love you when they are playing

Say girls they’ll come and They’ll go

Once the rain washes you clean, you’ll know, you’ll understand”

These lyrics from Fleetwood Mac May be a number of the most well-known of all time. There is just something special about Stevie Nicks’ voice which can not be quantified. She will not blow you out of the water along with her large pitches, or drawn out vocals, but her soothing tone is certainly of the magic selection, making for an ideal tune to listen to while large.

‘yells’ is a classic with any means which could be left on repeat at the same time you smoke and roll a joint.

There are not many issues from the World that can not be solved using a doobie and a few refreshing and light music. Obviously, there’ll always be problems, but letting go of anxiety that has been a deterrent can make all of the difference.

If your neighbor will not cut their Hedges, once you get cut off while driving home from work, or if Janet from bookkeeping informs the same’ol story about how she left the casserole on the counter, it is time to throw the ideal high tune’Summer’. Life, in relation to virtually anything; a food that reminds you of a place, a smell that attracts you into a specific childhood memory — also for me personally,’A Horse with No Name’ reminds of those Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

Do not overthink it. Name is an excellent songs to hear when high — and who knows, perhaps you’ll start seeing a few of the links whom I’ve produced between it and the Alchemist…or perhaps you’ll begin earning links of your own!

Van Morrison and cannabis go together, such as, well, such as just Van Morrison and cannabis can. When listening to’Into the Mystic’ while sober or high , you can only help but wonder why youpersonally:

A) Have never heard of Van Morrison…and B) This song’s so brief!

If you recorded the several things that bring a smile to a person’s face, a harmonica would not be on this list. Is not a video with adorable creatures, or a kid doing absurd things, but if Neil Young is playing with it, you can not help but grin, thus rendering it a fantastic tune to listen to while high.

Thanks Neil Young!

“Some Folks call me the space cowboy, yeah

I wish I could say exactly the same, but sadly this is not the situation.

I am a joker

I am a smoker

I am a midnight toker

I get my lovin’ on the run

Wooo Wooooo

Now that is a more precise representation!

10. Grateful Dead — Ripple

If you are interested in discovering, possibly, the chillest set of individuals of ALL TIME, then look no farther than “Deadheads”. In brief, they flew across the countries after the Grateful Dead, A prominent choice and psychedelic group. Even the Grateful Dead’s influence in popular culture could be felt across the world, as can their laid back songs, which makes for ideal music to listen to while high. What Is Your Perfect Chill High Song?

Music is a never ending trip that Fills our souls with a power which has no rival. It has ability to make us proceed, to fill an area and change the whole mood of a scene is astonishing.

However, when you pair it with cannabis, and together with the very best songs to listen to if large, it is taken to a very profound level.

Stay tuned and check back frequently, for the budbox is on it’s way to the public and will be available for purchase before you know it. Get them while they’re hot!

I have given you my best list, so what is your best high music list?

As always, cheers.

And sharing is caring!

source http://www.thepalacevenue.com/20-best-songs-to-listen-to-while-high/