#also german music today that's a new one?

[iceclew]

Quiz night with the crew is so perfect for absent minded doodling :) So it became some more soft blorbos, and then I was like, laying some colour down and then BOOM shiny sun layer and finished.. xD

(I guess because my mind doesn't get the chance to overthink, since it's to busy with guessing, it sorta feels easier to just draw)

also a very obvious song choice today with AnnenMayKantenreit

[nyancrimew]

Kolladderall, the band of my wife (@sajjji) released a new single AND music video today for their upcoming album CHAOT*INA (coming out next week). go check out the music video and lmk if u can spot me (the song is in swiss german but there are english subtitles available on the video)

the song is also out on bandcamp, soundcloud and spotify (and most other streaming services)

and in the further album release rollout there are two upcoming Kolladderall shows for which i will also be playing a DJ set each!

the first one is next friday (the 3rd of may) at the Cafete in the Reitschule in Bern:

and then exactly a week later on the 10th of may is the album release party at the Rümpeltum in St. Gallen, where i will be djing the afterparty (either until i run out of songs or everyone has left :p)

[rivalsforlife]

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection Announced

At the Nintendo Direct today, news I have been tirelessly waiting six years for arrived: The Ace Attorney Investigations games are coming to all modern consoles! This includes Ace Attorney Investigations 2 (now officially known as Ace Attorney Investigations: Prosecutor's Gambit), after THIRTEEN YEARS of being a Japan-exclusive game!

Now everyone gets to experience Debeste Ace Attorney games! ... The Winner Ace Attorney Games!

Key Information

The collection is coming out on September 6, 2024 to the Nintendo Switch, PS4, XBOX One, Windows, and Steam. It will be available in Japanese, English, French, German, Korean, and Traditional and Simplified Chinese, with new voice dubs. Most of the information in this post will be coming from the official website, which you can check out for more details.

The reveal trailer is as follows:

There's lots of information here, so let's break it down:

New Features

Since these were originally Nintendo DS games, there's a massive jump in graphic quality to HD! This includes a new interface for Logic, the court record, and redone full-body sprites. But if you prefer the classic look, the AAI collection will let you swap between the sprite styles:

Similarly to the Great Ace Attorney Chronicles and 456 Collection, the AAI Collection includes story mode, dialogue history, a gallery containing concept and special art, and music including orchestral arrangements of the soundtrack.

You can also change the in-game soundtrack to rearranged tracks! This applies to Confrontation - Allegro, Confrontation - Presto, Objection 2009, and Pursuit - Chase Down The Truth (commonly known as Lying Coldly) with and without the intro.

Pre-Order Bonuses

Much like the AAI tracks, AAI2 arranged tracks can play in game, but these are currently restricted to pre-order bonuses (though this might change in the future). This includes Confrontation - Allegro 2011, Confrontation - Presto 2011, Objection 2011, and the intro and non-intro versions of Pursuit - Uncover The Truth (commonly known as Wanting To Find The Truth).

That's all on the English side, but much like the 456 collection, Japan has a physical collector's edition called the Mitsurugi (Edgeworth) Checkmate Set. This includes an arranged mini-album of songs by other composers, and new album art by Tatsuro Iwamoto.

The new songs include "Objections of Different Eras" (seemingly a remix of Objections 2009 and 2011), "Raven that Pursues The Truth" (remix of Kay's theme), "It's Time for Action!" (remix of Gumshoe's theme), "Howling Echoes" (remix of Lang's theme), and "Unveiling the Truth" (remix of the Pursuit songs).

This collection also includes a diorama set:

The set has two backgrounds (the rooftop of the Grand Tower and Edgeworth's office), and has standees of Edgeworth, Kay, Gumshoe, Franziska, Lang, Gregory, and... Verity and Eustace.

Which is a good segue into:

Localization Differences

Since most AA fans will be familiar with the fantastic AAI2 fan translation, the new names will likely be an adjustment for all of us. Characters in AAI (like Kay and Lang) will not have their names changed, just characters that were previously exclusive to AAI2.

Known name changes include:

Yumihiko Ichiyanagi / Sebastian Debeste -> Eustace Winner

Hakari Mikagami / Justine Courtney -> Verity Gavèlle

Tateyuki Shigaraki / Raymond Shields -> Eddie Fender

We also know that Manosuke Naito / Horace Knightley's new last name is Knight, and Gai Tojiro / Ethan Rooke's last name is Rook, which isn't much of a departure from fan translation names. We also know that Mikiko Hayami / Nicole Swift's new last name is Lloyd. I will provide updates on more names when they become available!

Regardless of your feelings on the new names - it's going to be an adjustment for everyone used to the fan translation that has been around ten years now - let's all keep in mind that despite the new names, the characters behind the names will be the same. And personally, as a massive fan of AAI2, I think the adjustment will be worth it if it means that more people get to experience my favorite ace attorney game for themselves.

With this announcement, all canonical ace attorney games have been ported to modern consoles and given an English translation. As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, this announcement is thirteen years in the making for AAI2! This is an unprecedented time for the popularity and accessibility of Ace Attorney.

(All we need now is the Layton crossover...)

Thank you all for joining me in this excitement and I look forward to collecting and sharing more updates as they arrive!

[dqrciedaily]

baby arsenal, arsenal wfc x teen!reader

a/n: y/n is so younger me coded minus the fact that she is german

also promise more fics coming soon x

-

y/n y/l/n, the sixteen year old rising star of not only the german national team but also arsenal women's football club, had seamlessly transitioned from the bustling streets of cologne to the vibrant city of london. her two older brothers, max and louis, had started her passion for football from a young age, sculpting her into the strong defender she was today. they always had her in the garden with them having a kick about before urging their father to let her go for trials at the local club, which deemed to be extremely successful.

arsenal had scouted y/n whilst she was playing for fc köln. three weeks later her and her parents were signing papers and organising living arrangements as well as the school situation. they settled on her living with lia as well as her attending the local school in the area.

as the first initial weeks passed, her once shy demeanor melted away, replaced by a vibrant personality that charmed everyone around her. she had also very quickly picked up the name ‘baby arsenal’ from fans and soon her teammates had started calling her that too. kyra and y/n had almostly instantly became friends, pulling y/n out of her nonexistent shell within two weeks, along with victoria, teyah and laura, y/n settled in quickly.

one friday evening, y/n found herself invited to a party by her school friends. eager to fit in with the english teenage life she hastily accepted. embracing the opportunity to get to know her new friends in a different environment, as well as allowing herself to fully relax since moving to the foreign country.

ignoring the cold english weather, y/n slipped on one of her favourite backless black dresses and a pair of her friend’s high heels, that her long legs definitely weren’t accustomed to. many pre drinks later they arrived at the party at nine pm, the minute the group of girls arrived at the party they were straight into the open arms of their other friends. music was blaring as y/n slowly let herself relax, she couldn’t even remember how many new people she had met.

however, the temptation of the party proved too intoxicating, the drinks flowed freely, and before she knew it, the world was slowly tilting on its axis, spinning out of control as she succumbed to the intoxicating haze. the party deemed to be a bit boring now that it had reached past eleven pm, so on her unsteady feet y/n managed to walk out the party and onto the side walk. with her vision blurred and her balance faltering, she fumbled for her phone and dialed kyra’s number, interrupting what was supposed to be a cozy game night for the rest of the team.

"ky! oh my goodness i can’t believe you picked up, i have so much to tell you!” y/n giggled into the phone, "there were like so many pretty girls here tonight and i’m bloody freezing over here. i also had so many drinks! oh and I can't get home. oh and have i ever old you how much i love you! ich liebe dich ky ky…"

throughout the phone call kyra switched it onto speakerphone meaning that everyone could hear the state y/n was in. without hesitation, steph, one of y/n’s self-appointed team mums sprang into action. definitely breaking some speed limits as she rushed to y/n’s location, she found her disoriented but relieved to see she was still standing. quickly getting out the car she wrapped an arm around her guiding her to the

upon their arrival back to lia’s house, leah, kim, lia, beth and steph gathered around y/n, their concern evident in their expressions. "y/n," kim began, her voice gentle yet firm, "you can’t be going around getting drunk, especially at sixteen! what were you thinking?" but before kim’s rant could continue leah placed a hand on the skippers shoulder, “you're young, and we understand that, but you have to be responsible, especially considering the position you're in.” kim nodded her head in agreement before saying, “you're part of this team now, and that means holding yourself to a higher standard than this.”

with a deep breath, she nodded in acknowledgment, her resolve hardening with each passing moment. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "i'll do better, i promise."

with that kyra, stina and laura lead her upstairs. the high heels long forgotten in the hallway as steph urged her to take them off after watching her stumble around in them. laura mumbled soothing words in german as she slipped an oversized t-shirt over y/n’s head, letting the dress fabric pool at her ankles. stina handed laura shorts for her whilst kyra rummaged around in the bathroom for makeup remover.

with tender care, kyra removed the remnants of makeup on her face, before stina tucked her into bed with gentle hands. laura laid the dress over the back of her desk chair as y/n’s eyelids drooped with exhaustion, her body finally catching up with the events of the evening as she sank into the embrace of her plush duvet.

kyra brushed a stray lock of hair from y/n’s forehead, with a final exchange of reassuring smiles kyra, stina and laura bid her goodnight, their footsteps fading into the distance as they left her to sleep. alone in the quiet of her room, y/n closed her eyes, a sense of peace washing over her as sleep overcame her senses.

but just as she began to drift into slumber, a soft knock sounded at her door, and lia entered, her face lit up by the soft glow of the bedside lamp. In her hands she carried a glass of water and a small packet of tablets, her expression one of concern and care.

"here you go, y/n/n," lia said softly, her voice a whisper in the stillness of the room. "drink this, and take these tablets. they'll help with the headache in the morning." she sat down on the edge of the bed, placing a hand on y/n’s leg, rubbing soothing circles on it. “they’re not mad at you i promise maus. let’s just keep the drinking on the cool for now, okay?”

y/n accepted the water and tablet with a grateful nod, as lia got up to leave the room she turned off the bedside table before whispering “schlaf gut maus.” the door closing behind her, the room going pitch dark allowing y/n to finally drift to sleep.

[alleannaharris]

Today's Black History Month illustration is of Josephine Baker. She was a world famous entertainer, WWII spy, and activist.

Freda Josephine McDonald was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1906. Her parents were both vaudeville performers, but Baker would have to take on odd jobs to help support her family.

At the age of 15, she ran off and joined a dance troupe from Philadelphia. She also got married, took her husband’s last name, dropped her first name and started going by the name Josephine Baker. After acting and dancing in musicals, she moved to New York City and was soon performing at the Plantation Club where she became a crowd favorite.

In 1925, Baker went to Paris to dance at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in La Revue Nègre. When the Revue closed, she was given her own show and her career skyrocketed.

She was the first Black woman to star in a motion picture and one of the first Black entertainers to achieve acclaim on screen and stage.

Baker became a citizen of France in 1937. When the Germans occupied France during WWII, she worked with the Red Cross and the French Resistance by transporting confidential information by writing with invisible ink on her sheet music. She was awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor with the rosette of the Résistance.

Baker traveled many times to the US to participate in the civil rights movement. She was the only woman who spoke at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1968.

Her time at home forced her to confront segregation and discrimination that she didn’t experience overseas. She often refused to perform for segregated audiences and club owners were forced to integrate for her shows.

She continued to perform until her death in 1975, during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of her Paris debut.

I’ll be back on Monday with the last illustration and story!

[fakescenariosbeforesleepblog]

Die Katze und die Maus.

Pt.2

König had a bad day, a bad mission, he was captured by your team, meanwhile your first encounter with a KorTac member is an unforgettable experience, his little games have you asking for more.

Warning ⚠️: spelling and grammar errors everywhere, translator for the German words, long read, there's no physical description about the reader so this could still work for a female or gn reader?, credits of this image go to the Pinterest user: Keira.

By the way, 🩷Thanks🩷 to the people who asked me a second part of this story, I hope you like it. I had much fun writing it.✨

📢 Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters nor do I claim to own them. I do not own any of the images used nor do I claim to own them.

You think you're becoming paranoid, lately you feel eyes on you all the time, on the other hand you've been very lucky in your missions, you don't believe in superstitions but you started to see König's knife as your lucky charm, even your friends made jokes about it.

«... y/n practically sleeps with that goddamn knife!» «Y/N kisses that knife when no one is watching her»

Of course you pretend it's not funny but in fact you're still thinking, even dreaming about the owner of that knife.

Your captain was not pleased but also not upset with König's escape, at least now they have his name and a short physical description, not very specific, you only described his eyes and scar. You shut your mouth when they asked you how you knew about the scar and the color of his lips.

Your lieutenant, ghost, he doesn't seem happy either, he gets clearly annoyed every time Soap or Gaz and Price make a comment about your new friend.

Of course you tried to talk with him about it but his excuse is always the same «i should have stayed in your place and that guy would be dead now and we wouldn't have to listen how he made you weak so easily».

He always leaves a bitter taste in your mouth when he talks about König like that, you feel like you failed your team. In the next missions after that he drags you with him and you do your best to prove you're in the right place.

This mission is very different, undercover mission, all the team is wearing a suit and tie, you, of course, are wearing a dress, not so provocative but at least it is distracting enough to capture the attention of your Target.

You and the captain are walking around looking for the man. Ghost, Soap and Gaz are also around, sitting in the bar, close to the bathroom, close to the principal door.

- If we separate perhaps we can find it faster.

- it's alright, we have time enough, dove.

You smile at him nervously, not because you're nervous, it's just that you don't feel comfortable wearing this kind of clothes, you're accustomed to your uniform and boots.

- You look good, kid.

- Thanks captain, oh... There he is, our target. Let's go.

Both walk to the target, price pretends he's getting drinks while you're waiting, the man approaches you smiling brightly. Both are exchanging words, price joins with the drinks and a hand appears between all of you. A tall man in a black suit, his hair is bright and wavy, then you notice something very familiar, blue eyes and a scar on the lips, silently asking your hand to dance.

You give a quick stare to your captain and he nods, he's too busy trying to make the target finish his drink that he didn't notice who is this guy, while you're walking to the dancefloor you try to look for your other teammates, alerting them but no one's at the sight. Once the music starts, you feel his big hand in your back, the butterflies in your stomach are like crazy inside you but you're trying to play it cool.

- Are you spying on me, König?

- Nein, at least not today Schätzchen (sweetie) my target is in this party too.

- Not today? So in fact you've been spying on me. Who's your target?

You're looking around to find someone who can be a possible target but everybody looks very normal.

- Many questions. I have one for you.

- Go on.

- Where's your boyfriend, Mäuschen (little mouse)?

You stare up at him, clearly surprised, he smirks mockingly.

- Don't try to fool me, schatz, the guy with a skull mask.

- He's not my boyfriend.

- Ahhh, that will make it simpler then.

You're still not understanding what he is trying to say.

- If he was your boyfriend, I was thinking about... You know, eliminate him from the equation, but now you're telling you're single, it's simple.

- Be more specific, König.

- Mäuschen (little mouse), when I said the game started, I was talking about flirting, this is my way to say I like you. I've been keeping an eye on you and seeing your jealous friend dragging you around with him so you don't stay alone, made me think you were with him.

- What if I don't want to play to flirt?

You're trying to dare him, He gets close to your ear, his lips almost touching your skin.

- I know you're lying meine Liebling, I can hear your heartbeat getting faster, your skin shivered when i touched it and your eyes had a nice bright as soon as you discovered it was me and you've been licking and biting your lips since we're here, is Meine Mäuschen (my little mouse) silently asking me to kiss her?

Now both are face to face, your lips and his almost touching, you feel your desire running through your body, invading you, he's smiling, he knows very well what you're feeling. Unfortunately the moment breaks when Ghost appears, clearing his throat, you give a step back, observing both men. König's smile doesn't disappear, he fixes his tie, blinks an eye to you and kisses your hand, then he leaves. You feel like your brain is floating in the air, the sensation of his lips on your hand, Ghost brings you back to reality when he puts his hand on your shoulder.

He asked you if you knew who he was because you and him talked for several minutes, you denied it, your argument was you were merely being friendly with the guy. The mission was successfully, your team obtained the necessary. All of you were leaving when you saw König again. You're walking behind your teammates when someone takes you by the arm, dragging you to a small service closet.

Without wasting time, König smashes his lips with yours, both were hungry for each other, melting. His arms around your waist and hips, your hands around his neck, you can't say how long the kiss was but you knew you would have to find a good lie to justify your absence. After a small pause he cleans your messed lipstick with his thumb. You feel like a teenager, hiding things from your parents but it's exciting, the adrenaline he makes you experiment with is addictive.

- You're losing the game, Meine Liebe. You're being caught easily.

- Perhaps, I like to be caught, perhaps the 'maus' is captivating the 'katze' so it can fall in the trap.

Both smile at each other, you fix your hair, his and his tie, you leave the place first, to your surprise, Gaz is waiting for you outside, he hasn't seen you so you take off your shoes and break the heel of one, that was your lie, you disappear because you went to the bathroom and on the way your heel broke.

You and your team are in the truck, ready to leave when an explosion and fire started, right in the location where you were. Your captain doesn't waste time waiting orders, he makes all of you go back to the place, everybody take the necessary to fight, there's people running, screaming and some other shooting at them, Soap and Gaz are responding to the attacks, defending the hostages, the captain is evacuating while you and Ghost are inside looking for more people.

Ghost catches one of the enemies, he instantly asks who they are looking for, hitting him while you're checking no one approaches you, this man doesn't say a word, ghost simply gives him a headshot.

Both run through the halls shooting at any enemy, sending some hostages out. You can see a soldier running to the emergency stairs with a woman.

«I have the Target, colonel! Call the helicopter! We're on the ceiling!» «All units! Extraction in 10!»

- Ghost! The ceiling!

You start shooting at this stranger who's dragging a woman by her arm, this woman doesn't look scared or worried, her expression is completely the opposite of afraid. You stop for a few seconds contemplating if the intervention of you and your team is actually a good decision, perhaps KorTac is doing a rescue mission, your internal debate ends when your lieutenant yells at you to continue.

You're finally in the ceiling, ghost is behind you both are receiving and shooting, the boys are at the ceiling from other building, supporting as snipers, you're running to the hostage while Ghost is fighting with some men, the helicopter lands in the middle of the disaster, you see König again, he's already wearing his black combat clothes, helmet and mask, he's inside the helicopter with some ropes, some men start to climb, you don't see someone approaching you behind, but only feel the pain on your thigh, the bullet is there burning your leg, it didn't hit any important or vital artery but somehow got stuck. «Bastard!» you yell, turning quickly and shooting on his head, you let your body fall on the ground «I'm hurt!». You look up at the helicopter, König is looking at you, he's worried, his eyes say everything, but it would be too risky to go down there to help you, he's also very distracted observing you when a bullet hits his shoulder.

Following the direction where the bullet came from, you see ghost with a sniper, pointing at him, without hesitation you stand up, your leg is burning in pain but you're more worried about König, he's covering his shoulder and helping another soldier to get inside the helicopter.

You have to do something quickly to distract ghost who apparently hasn't seen or heard you. You throw out a flash grenade close to him. It works, the light makes him fail the shot, the bullet passes just at the side of his head. The helicopter leaves and you quickly sit, repeating you're hurt, apparently nobody saw your little trick, you're biting a piece of cloth and the handgrip of your own knife while you're extracting the bullet from your leg with König's knife and your hand, Ghost runs to you still confounded for the grenade but instantly starts to help you with your wound.

Once at the base, you're with the medic attending your wound, Ghost is there keeping an eye on you, you're talking about how you receive that bullet when Soap appears with a phone on his ear, he says something to the person in the phone and then handles it to you.

- Y/N, your dad has been calling you like a thousand times.

Your dad? You and your father don't talk frequently, it's impossible but perhaps it is an emergency.

- Hey dad, what's up?

- How's your wound Meine Liebe?

That's not your father's voice. Your anxiety invades your body, soap and Ghost are looking at you, exchanging looks between them, you have to relax if you don't want them to ask what's going on.

- Oh...dad, listen It's not the right time, the medic is attending me.

He laughs.

- Mine injuries had been attended too, anyway. just tell daddy if you're okay.

- Well... (You don't know how much that word 'daddy' made you blush, you can bet he's enjoying it) it hurts. What about you?

- It's not bad, I've been worse. Danke (thanks) for saving me.

- No problem. well... As I said, I'm busy right now, can you call me later, dad?

- I'll do it if you send a little kiss to Daddy.

- Okay, then... Don't call me back.

- At least say 'goodbye daddy, love you'. Come on, say it, sei ein gutes Mädchen (be a good girl).

You roll your eyes but not because it's annoying, it's because you're feeling that sensation in your stomach, that warmth between your legs, you can't understand why he has all this power over you, you're not complaining, you like that.

- Fine. Goodbye, Love you daddy.

He laughs again and you hang up the phone, sighing loudly and with a huge silly smile on your face, Soap erases that smile as soon as he talks.

- Is that how you call to your dad? God, my girlfriend calls me Daddy... Now I won't get horny with that ever again.

- Ah... Ewww? Shut up, Soap.

He's talking about how strange it is for him to hear about your 'daddy' and you, while Ghost insists him to shut up, the medic is in silence but she wants to laugh, you're sure. Then your phone rings again, a text.

«Scheiße (fuck), I could get used to that nickname, call me like that and I'll fell under your trap, kleine Maus (little mouse)» K.

Once again you're smiling, he's funny, charming, he's so fine, so fuckin' attractive, he's intoxicating and it's hard to not fall for him.

[jokeroutsubs]

Yugoslavia and yugo rock

Joker Out’s new song, Šta bih ja, was inspired by yugorock! Not sure what that means? JokerOutSubs has got you!

‘Yugo rock’ or ‘Yu rock’ is rock with some elements derived from traditional/ethnic/folklore music, as well as other musical genres, including blues, country, reggae, jazz rock and rockabilly. They were added to appease the public, since rock itself was considered a western influence. 

Rock music in Yugoslavia became popular in the sixties. Before that, after the second world war, partisan songs were more popular. This is music associated with resistance groups that fought German occupation across Yugoslavia, Italy and other parts of Eastern Europe. However, in 1956, the Cominform (a coordinated body of communist parties across Europe, designed to keep all communist governments following Stalinist principles) was dissolved. After this point, the connection with the Soviet Union was severed and music tastes began to change accordingly. 

With influences from the west, rock music started gaining popularity. At first, musicians only sang covers of foreign songs (as closely to the original as possible) but in the sixties, bands such as Indexi started making original music. In the seventies, Bijelo dugme were formed and became incredibly popular. At the same time, Parni valjak were also rising to fame. However, the ‘new wave’ of Yugo rock was said to be started by a group called Buldožer.

Some characteristics of New Wave were more political lyrics and taking inspiration from punk. The most famous New Wave bands in Yugoslavia were Azra, Idoli, Prljavo kazalište, Električni orgazam, Psihomodo pop and, in Slovenia at the time, Lačni Franz, Buldožer and Pankrti (an interview with their singer Peter Lovšin can be found at    • [ENG SUB] Bojan Cvjetićanin about roc...  ). 

A second New Wave generation from Belgrade emerged in later years. Among their representatives were Partibrejkers (formed 1982). They combined the blues with British R and B, rockabilly and classic rock and roll. 

In 1982, the groups Ekaterina Velika and Disciplina Kičme (Disciplin A Kitschme) were established, contributing to the second New Wave generation, along with Slovenian group Videosex (formed 1983) with singer Anja Rupel. One of their most famous songs, a cover of 'Zemlja pleše,' can be found at    • Videosex - Zemlja Plese - The Original

The New Wave was characterised by a burst of creativity and activity in the music scene across the region, with many artists emerging and creating excellent music in a short period of time. Many have drawn parallels between the New Wave era and today, where in Slovenia many young bands are gaining recognition. This parallel is only strengthened by the fact that Joker Out, one of the most successful young bands in Slovenia today, have a song named Novi val (New Wave). 

The socio-political significance

Yugoslavia (1918–1992), a federal republic, was made up of six republics (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia). Despite the differences between the republics one could argue that the pop-cultural identity was so strong, having influence that went beyond government control and the ability to connect people through the region, that it could be named as the seventh republic. Besides sport, yugorock was one of the last connecting links within a  country that was drifting apart in a variety of areas, including economic. 

Important yugorock bands 

Bijelo Dugme: Considered by many to be the biggest Yugo rock band, Bijelo Dugme were formed in 1974 in Sarajevo. They were the biggest trendsetters in rock music at the time. They had a huge influence on Joker Out since their earliest days as a band. In the 'Kofi brejk' interview Bojan shared that the first concert he ever attended was by Bijelo Dugme, and they were also mentioned several times by Joker Out as having had a big influence on the whole band. In addition, Joker Out covered two of their songs, ‘Selma’ (Radio Koper, 32 min) and ‘Djurdjevdan’ (Belgrade concert, 3.11.2023). You can check out some more of their songs on our playlist linked at the bottom of this post!

Plavi orkestar were formed in 1983 in Sarajevo and had a rich career with eight albums, releasing hits such as ‘Ako su to samo bile laži’, ‘Lovac i košuta’, ‘Odlazim’, ‘Bolje biti pijan nego star’, ‘Suada’ and many more. Some media outlets, like Jutarnji list and Mladina have compared Joker Out’s style to theirs, and Bojan also mentioned Plavi orkestar as one of the bands that influenced him.

Parni valjak are a Croatian band, formed in 1975 in Zagreb. They had many ‘evergreen’ hits, including ‘Sve još miriše na nju’, ‘Jesen u meni’ and ‘Zastave’. In the Carpe Diem series, when asked whom they would listen to forever if they could only choose one artist, Jure chose Parni valjak. At Arsenal Fest in 2023, Bojan interrupted an interview to sing along to ‘Jesen u meni’ as they were playing in the background! 

Indexi were a Bosnian band, who were active from 1962 to 2001. They were extremely influential, with hits like ‘Svijet u kome živim’ and ‘Negdje u kraju, u zatišju’, and became known as the ‘pioneers of psychedelic rock and roll.’ In the Kurir interview, Bojan mentions them as one of his musical role models.

Ekatarina velika, sometimes shortened to EKV, were a Serbian band who were active between 1982 and 1994. They are considered one of the most influential artists in the yugorock scene, with popular songs like ‘Krug’, ‘Par godina na nas’ and ‘Srce’. In the Rdeče in črno interview, Bojan’s voice was compared to that of the lead singer in Ekatarina velika. 

Idoli were one of the most remarkable new wave bands based in Belgrade, active during the early 80's. They are regarded as one of the most outstanding and influential representatives of the Yugoslav rock music and their album 'Odbrana i poslednji dani' ('Defense and The Last Days') was voted as the greatest Yugoslav rock album of all time. During the Kurir interview, Bojan mentioned that ‘Ona’ was inspired by Idoli and their unique sound.

Songs Joker Out have mentioned 

‘Računajte na nas’ by Đorđe Balašević is a very important yugorock song in Joker Out’s history, as it inspired the lyrics of ‘Carpe Diem’. While ‘Računajte na nas’ (‘Count on Us’) is about a generation standing up and fighting for peace, Bojan switched the lyric to ‘ne računajte na nas’ (don’t count on us), meaning that you cannot count on them to join in with the ‘game of hatred’ pervasive in modern society. 

‘Kreni prema meni’ is a song performed by Partibrejkers, a Serbian rock band from Belgrade, known for their rebellious energy, both in sound and spirit. The band is still active and well received all over former Yugoslav countries. The song was covered by Joker Out at the Lent festival in 2018.

‘Sanjao sam moju Ružicu’ by Leteći odred was covered by Apokalipsa, Bojan’s former band, in 2015 during Vičstock Avdicija. Bojan also sang it at the Prulček bar with Buržuzija, Kris and Jan’s former band. Leteći odred is a Croatian pop band with a prosperous and successful musical career and performances for over 30 years.

In September 2016, Joker Out posted a setlist from one of their earliest gigs on their Instagram. It included three notable yugorock song covers - ‘Frida’ by Psihomodopop, ‘Motori’ by Divlje jagode and ‘Ne Zovi Mama Doktora’ by Prljavo Kazalište.

If you’d like to listen to any of these artists or songs, check out our curated playlist on YouTube or Spotify!

Sources:

Kregar, Tone, et al. Za domovino - z rockom naprej! Jugo rock: slovensko-srbske paralele. Muzej novejše zgodovine Celje. 2020.

Perković, Ante, and Lah, Klemen. Sedma republika: pop kultura in razpad Jugoslavije. Zenit, 2018.

[marimayscarlett]

'Rosenrot' turns 19 years old today 🎶💿

On the 28th of October, 2005, the fifth studio album 'Rosenrot' was released, about a year after 'Reise Reise'. The band worked with their usual producer Jacob Hellner in the El Cortijo Studio in Spain as well as in the Teldex Studio in Germany on this album, yet it has to be mentioned that the recording process for 'Rosenrot' was significantly shorter than usual and according to Till, the band felt kind of rushed. Seven songs were already recorded during the sessions for 'Reise Reise' and were left in their original form: Rosenrot, Wo bist du, Mann gegen Mann, Zerstören, Ein Lied, Feuer und Wasser and Hilf mir. New songs for this album developed out of already existing demos, and thus Benzin, Spring, Stirb nicht vor mir and Te quiero puta! were born and added to the list.

To the press, this album was announced under the title 'Reise Reise II'/'Reise Reise (Vol. 2)' in a posting on the official Rammstein website on the 24th of June 2005: Good news: Rammstein are already working on a musical successor, which is expected to be called "Reise, Reise ( Vol.2)". The management explained as follows: "After the production phase of the last album, there were many songs that had not found a place on 'Reise, Reise' at the time for dramaturgical reasons, but could now be finalised. It's nothing unusual . Just as 'Ohne Dich' came from the production time for the album 'Mutter', numerous songs have been waiting for more than a year to be perfected and are now to see the light of day. It's up to the band alone to decide which ones to release."

On the 17th of August 2005, the band decided on naming the album 'Rosenrot' instead and a day later, on the 18th of August, this was officially announced. The first song which was presented to the public was 'Benzin', which was performed by the band at a concert at the Wulheide, Berlin, on the 23rd of June, 2005.

To present the full album to world of music journalism, the band held an event in Paris to showcase the album through a sightseeing tour. Journalists were given a discman with the album and headphones during a bus tour through the city, covering the route from Place de la Bastille to the Seine riverside, where they could board a ship and interview the band members about the album.

Here's an interview with Olli and Paul in Paris. Olli talks for example about how 'Rosenrot' is a calmer record than 'Reise Reise' and Paul mentions how much sex and sexuality plays a major role in their music and in music in general:

Eight days before the official release of the album, listening samples (about one minute each) of six songs from the album were released online as part of the promotion for the album. These listening samples were also released as a CD.

The album debuted at number 1 on the German album charts in its first week and stayed in the Top 100 for a total of 41 weeks. Over 200,000 copies were shipped, reaching platinum status in the first week. It also achieved platinum status in Switzerland and gold in Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, and Finland. 'Rosenrot' reached number 23 in the "Top 50 Albums" chart of 2005.

As a cover, the band reused the Japanese cover of the 'Reise Reise' album. It depicts the US wind-class icebreaker (USS Atka) during an expedition under the leadership of commander Buster E. Toon; the picture was taken on 13 March 1960 at McMurdo Station, Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica, after it arrived there in a howling blizzard one day earlier. The print on the CD as well as on the DVD (with live perfomances of 'Reise Reise', 'Mein Teil' and 'Sonne') is designed to look like a hatchway of a ship.

The promotional pictures were taken by Mat Hennek. Flake had fallen ill with Mumps, which already prevented him from attending the Paris promotion, and as a result, he was also unable to participate in the photo shoot. He was replaced by his brother, which is why "Flake" (his brother) is always turning his face away from the camera or why it's hidden behind sunglasses or in the shadows.

Some more little facts about the album and quotes from promotional interviews:

Paul on the song 'Zerstören': We are basically holding up a mirror. The lyrics we written during the war in Iraq. We were interested in the parallels between a marauding pack of kids after a game of soccer who roam the street and destroy everything, and states which invade other states and destroy everything there. Our main thought was that there is no difference. We perceived it as boldness, that the Americans simply bomb a country and get away with it. At the moment George W. Bush is nothing else but another disgusting hooligan.

Olli on 'Mann gegen Mann': We don’t want to discriminate against gays. The song is more for gays. We simply wanted to take the weight off the topic and make it more natural.

as well as on the album name and cover: Actually, the album should be called 'Reise, Reise Vol. 2’. We quickly forgot about that title. Since we see the new album as an independent one, we needed a new title. That was a bit unfortunate, since the cover was already finished. So the ship on the cover picture is now called 'Rosenrot’ and everyone can think about what it stands for. Opposites? The cold world? Where has the love gone? No idea. But the ship does not symbolize the now and us as a band.

Till on the idea behind 'Benzin': One day, I actually watched a movie called Love Liza. It’s the story of a guy who loses his wife and his job and gradually becomes addicted to gasoline. He goes to gas stations and smells the pump. It’s a sort of tragicomedy. Many films have been made about addicts, but never about gasoline sniffers. I think that was the starting point for this song.

Olli on recording the album in Berlin: It’s the first time we’ve recorded in Berlin, at home, and I’m not sure, looking back, that it was a good idea. Our families living nearby, we might tend to look at our watches whenever we had a break : What am I doing ? Do I take the opportunity to drop by home ? As a result, we were necessarily less focused and it was almost impossible for us to be there 100%.

Schneider on 'Rosenrot' as the end of an era:  For me, this is the closing of a chapter for the band. Everybody needs a break, they need a bit of distance from this band and time to look forward and ask, ‘Where am I?’ And, ‘What do I want to do?’ We need to find other ways of being inspired.

additional sources: rammwiki, Rammstein history, affenknecht.com, navy.mil

[white-cat-of-doom]

how many versions of cats were released on cd? I have the obc and olc versions so I was wondering if you knew what other versions there were, and if possible where to find them :D many thanks!

Hello Anon,

There are eighteen cast recordings:

Original London 1981 (both 2CD full recording and 1CD highlights)

Original Broadway 1982 (both 2CD full recording and 1CD highlights)

Vienna 1983 (1CD highlights)

Budapest 1984 (1CD highlights)*

Australia (Sydney) 1985 (2CD full recording)

Japan (Osaka) 1985 (2CD full recording)

Hamburg 1986 (2CD full recording)

Amsterdam 1987 (1CD highlights)

Paris 1989 (2CD full recording)

Japan (Nagoya) 1989 (2CD full recording)

Mexico 1991 (1CD highlights)

Warsaw 2004 (1CD highlights)*

Prague 2004 (1CD highlights)*

Dutch Tour 2006 (1CD highlights)

Italian Tour 2009 (1CD highlights)*

Japan (Tokyo) 2019 (2CD full recording)

2019 Movie (1CD highlights)

Vienna Revival 2021 (2CD full recording)

*Non-replica production, if that matters

In addition, there are a number of promo CDs that include a handful of tracks from the casts at the time of release:

Hamburg 1996 (3 track promo, assuming audio taken from 1986 cast recording)

Japan (Tokyo) 1996 (3 track promo)

CATS 1998 Elaine Paige (3 track promo; 'Memory' included, and two other non-CATS songs)

Japan (Osaka) 2001 (4 track promo)

Madrid 2003 (1 track 'Memory' promo)

Moscow 2005 (8 track promo?, two versions; both have 4 instrumental tracks)

Dutch Tour 2006 (3 track promo, audio from 2006 cast recording)

German Tent Tour 2011 (3 track promo)

Of everything listed above, the only ones I do not own are the Madrid 2003 'Memory' promo, Prague 2004 cast recording (a very rare CD that was scrapped before moving to production, only test/promo copies exist), and Moscow 2005 (another very rare promo release, only found with the press packages). Who knows if I can ever get my hands on them.

In terms of where to find them, the OLC, OBC, and Vienna 1983 are still being produced today and can be easily found new online, through Amazon or eBay (or better yet, in-person at your local music store!), and so is the Budapest 1984 CD as well (at least from what I can tell, it is always readily available brand new from Hungary). The 1989 and 2019 Japanese cast recordings are also still readily available brand new from Japan through the Shiki webstore. The 2019 movie highlights is also very easy to find, considering it just was released. The Vienna 2021 recording is still available from the label's website (at 45% right now!), but they only ship within Europe.

All the others can be found second-hand to varying degrees of ease online (i.e., eBay). The 1980s cast recordings are not too difficult, with Hamburg being fairly easily found, but as you start moving into lesser known (and shorter running) productions, it becomes more difficult to find them. Some are extremely uncommon, and I purchased the only copy I have even seen go for sale throughout the years, and I am still waiting for the chance to get the few I do not have.

Happy hunting to you, Anon!

[blackswaneuroparedux]

What 'War and Peace' is to the novel and 'Hamlet' is to the theatre, Swan Lake' is to ballet - that is, the name which to many people stands for and sums up an art form.

Robert Gottlieb

It’s hard to believe that Swan Lake’s original premiere was seen as disastrous. When it first performed on 4 March 1877, at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre.

Tchaikovsky’s magical ballet tells the story of the doomed love of Prince Siegfried and Princess Odette. Prince Siegfried goes out hunting one night and chases a group of swans – one of them transforms into a young woman, Odette, who explains that she and her companions were turned into swans by the evil Baron Von Rothbart. The spell can only be broken if someone who has never loved before swears an oath of undying love and promises to marry her. The Prince declares his love to Odette and promises to be loyal forever.

At a grand reception at the palace, the Prince must choose a bride – but he can think only of Odette. Suddenly a fanfare announces the arrival of two guests - it is Odette! The prince dances with her and asks for her hand in marriage. But it’s not Odette - the mystery woman is the daughter of the evil von Rothbart, Odile. Odette has witnessed the whole scene. Too late, Siegfried realises his mistake.

Siegfried follows Odette to the lake and begs her forgiveness. She says she forgives him but nothing can change the fact he broke his vow. They decide to die together. The lovers throw themselves into the lake.

There are a few different theories as to how Tchaikovsky came up with the idea for Swan Lake. Though the libretto is based on a story by the German author Johann Karl August Musäus The Stolen Veil, many of Tchaikovsky’s contemporaries claimed that he was deeply fascinated by the tragic life story of Bavarian King Ludwig II - sometimes called the Swan King - who died under mysterious circumstances by drowning himself in a lake.

It is likely that Tchaikovsky chose Ludwig II as the prototype of Prince Siegfried. It is easy to tell that the composer clearly enjoyed working on the music for Swan Lake, as he wrote far more material than would ever be required. As a result, the version most commonly performed today is, in fact, an edited one, created after Tchaikovsky’s death and significantly shorter than the original work. 

Considering that Swan Lake is currently the most frequently performed ballet in the world, it's hard to imagine that it was a failure upon its premiere, with near unanimous criticism of different production aspects. Critics were universally disparaging, claiming the production was indistinctive and forgettable. They disliked the set and the choreography, thought the orchestra and dancers were subpar, and thought Tchaikovsky’s score was too complicated. The dancers who performed in the ballet’s premiere also declared Tchaikovsky’s music was too rich to accompany their balletic moves, and simply too difficult to dance to.

Because of these distractions, the actual brilliant score by Tchaikovsky got largely overlooked amidst the chaos.  Although a few critics did recognise the virtues of the masterful score, it was considered far too complex for ballet, too “noisy” and too “symphonic”, resembling the grand, weighty music of Richard Wagner. Even the initial ballet dancers deemed the music too difficult to dance to as its density clashed with the fluid and graceful balletic movements.

One of the issues for the premiere performance was the absence of the Bolshoi’s prima ballerina, Anna Sobeshchanskaya. Sobeshchanskaya rejoined the production as Odette/Odile in April 1877 but insisted on making certain changes to the choreography and score. Two years later the original choreographer, Julius Reisinger, left Moscow and was replaced by Belgian choreographer Joseph Pater Hansen. Hansen set about re-staging Swan Lake, launching his new version in January 1880.  All 33 performances of the ballet between 1877-1883 sold out, attesting to the ballet’s increasing popularity amongst audiences.

A planned revival of the ballet in the early 1890s was cast into doubt by the death of Tchaikovsky in November 1893, who didn’t live to see the ultimate success of his ballet. Tchaikovsky had written far more material than was ever required, and after his death, Riccardo Drigo took on the job of revising Tchaikovsky’s score, with the approval of his brother Modest Tchaikovsky.

The revised and edited version – commonly the version of the score used today - is considerably shorter than the original, full-length work. It premiered on 15 January 1895 by the Maryinsky Ballet at the Maryinsky Theatre to overwhelmingly positive reviews.

Call it what you like - Dance of the Four Swans, Dance of the Cygnets, The Four Little Swans - but for me the pas de quatre from Swan Lake is one of the most iconic dances in one of the most iconic classical ballets of all time. It is a coveted role for a ballerina, one that requires technical precision and teamwork. The light-hearted Dance of the Cygnets involves 16 pas de chat performed by four dancers moving sideways in exact unison with their arms interlaced. 

I’ve always found its spirit of sheer innocence and beauty breath-taking to watch. I’m left with wonder restored and a distinct feeling of the flight of innocence coming back to rest in my hardened heart.

Video: Royal Ballet's Swan Lake (2018)

[foundtherightwords]

As the Sun Will Rise - Chapter 10

Pairing: Grunauer (Overlord) x OFC, Beauty & the Beast retelling

Summary: After losing most of his unit in a disastrous D-Day mission, Derwin Grunauer returns to his hometown near Miami, body riddled with scars and heart heavy with guilt, only to find his neighbors shunning him due to his German name. He retreats into his family mansion and remains there, unwilling to rejoin the living, until the day Alba Reyes turns up at his door with a basket full of warm bread. As the daughter of a Cuban immigrant, Alba knows something of being an outsider, and when she offers to work for Derwin as his housekeeper, it is not only to pay off her father's debt to the Grunauers, but also because she feels some connection to the reclusive young man. When that connection develops into something more, they must overcome both the town's prejudice and their own doubts to find happiness.

Chapter warnings: prejudice, PTSD

Chapter word count: 3.7k

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9

Chapter 10

The next morning, Derwin was in the kitchen making coffee when Otto jumped to his feet and scrambled to the back door with a happy bark. The door opened, then came Alba's voice, crooning, "Hola, Otto!" mixed with Otto's ecstatic whines. Derwin realized his hands were shaking and fought to keep a calm expression. Coffee spilled everywhere as he spooned it into the pot. Cursing under his breath, he reached for a towel to clean it up. What did he have to be so nervous about? She had been coming here almost every day for nearly three months; today should be no different.  

"I know, I know, I miss you too," she was saying to Otto, who was winding himself around her legs, making her stumble. Derwin rushed forward to help her up, only to realize, belatedly, that his cane was resting against the stove. He stumbled as well and crashed into Alba, knocking his forehead on her chin. Amid a rush of giggles and ouch and sorry and are you OK, Derwin's nervousness was forgotten, and by the time they had helped each other to their feet and started having their coffee, it felt like just another day.

They settled into a new routine. Alba still spent most of the morning outside, cleaning the debris of the storm from the garden. Derwin couldn't join her, but he would lug the gramophone to the sunroom or the porch, and sit there keeping her company through music. When she came inside to start lunch, he would join her in the kitchen. She taught him a few basic things like how to make rice and roast meat, along with some simple recipes that could be modified with whatever he had on hand. Derwin was pleased to discover he was a competent cook—it was a proud day when he managed to make his first pot of rice without it boiling over. Then, after they ate, he would help her wash up. In the afternoon, if there was nothing else to do, they would take the car down the drive and Derwin would practice changing gears and braking and turning. As Alba had predicted, he soon learned how to drive. But more than these accomplishments, he took great pleasure in spending time with her. Before, he'd been satisfied with staying in the study and knowing she was around; now, he realized he'd wasted all those days when he could've been with her in the kitchen or watched her work in the garden or sat next to her in the car, feeling her hand on his as she grabbed the wheel to stop him from driving into a ditch for sinking them into the swamp. He knew they were on borrowed time, and the more he allowed himself to be used to her presence, the loss would be that much harder once she left, but he couldn't help it. How could he return to his old world, cold and dark and lonely, once he'd had a taste of the sun?   

One afternoon, Alba brought in the mail as usual. One letter, with a Gainesville postmark and a University of Florida letterhead, made Derwin pause. He reluctantly opened it, read it, read it again, and eventually threw it down with a long sigh.  

"Bad news?" Alba asked, turning around from the shelf she was dusting.

"No, not news exactly. And not bad. More like... a dilemma. An offer." She raised an eyebrow, curious, so he picked up the letter and explained, "It's from my old professor at the University of Florida. He's putting together a project called"—he glanced at the letter—"Poetry without Frontiers."

"What is it?"

"He wants to translate poems from English into French, Spanish, German, Russian, Italian, and vice versa, and put them in a book. He hopes the universal language of poetry would bring people all over the world closer together after the—the war."

"And he's asking you to join the project?"

"Yes, he's asking me to pick a poem and translate it into German. Since I speak German. I imagine there's not a lot of us around." He meant it as a joke, but it came out rather bitter.

"That's great!" Alba said. "So why are you looking so glum? Glummer than usual, I mean."

He smiled at her teasing, briefly. "I don't know if I can."

"Why not? You always have your nose buried in those poetry books."

"Yes, but reading poetry is one thing. Translating it—essentially writing it in another language—is quite different."

She stopped dusting and sat down in front of him, fixing those enchanting green eyes on his. "If you don't try, how would you know?" He had no answer for that. She smiled. "And if I could translate that Jose Marti poem so beautifully, as you said, I think you can too."

When she was looking at him and smiling at him like that, Derwin felt like he could do anything. "Will you help me pick a poem then?" he asked.

Her smile widened. "Sure."

Derwin went to the shelf and brought down a few volumes. As he flipped through them, he watched Alba's lithe figure bustling about the study with the quiet efficiency he'd come to appreciate so much. Not for the first time, he wondered why someone like her would give him the time of day.

"You told me you don't plan to be a housekeeper forever," he said suddenly. "So what are you going to do after you're done here? Back to the bakery?"

"Well..." She paused in the middle of straightening a stack of books and thought for a second. "If I tell you, would you promise not to tell anyone?" she said, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

"Who would I tell, Otto?" he joked, but she was looking serious, so he sobered up as well. "All right, I promise. What is it?" He felt oddly happy that she was choosing to confide in him.

"I want to go to college," she said.

"Why is that a secret?" he asked, confused.

It took her a moment to answer. "Because my father doesn't want me to."

"Why not?"

"He wants me to take over the bakery. Actually, he wanted Raf to take over, but now that Raf is...  well, it falls to me instead. Never mind that Beatriz loves to bake and is much better at it than I am."

"Why don't you tell him that?"

"He wouldn't understand." She put the books down with a deep sigh. "See, during the war, I worked in a shipyard, building torpedoes to take down German U-boats. I was good, too. My supervisor even recommended me for an engineering program. But I couldn't go, because it was only available at some universities up north, and I couldn't leave Papi and Beatriz for ten months. Besides, designing airplanes and building torpedoes are fine and all, but I prefer to work with nature." She looked out the window and gazed at the swamps. "I want to see things grow and thrive. I want to see cypresses rise in the winter mist, I want to see herons and egrets wading amongst the mangrove, I want to see alligators sunning themselves on the river bank—yes, even the horrible one that attacked us," she added, grinning at him. With her flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes, she seemed lit up by some inner flame, looking more beautiful than Derwin had ever seen her. "And I want other people to see them too, see them for their beauty and splendor. Do you know they're setting up a national park in the Everglades? Imagine that! Miles and miles of untouched nature, protected and preserved by man, instead of being destroyed in the name of progress. I want to be a part of that." She glanced away, her flush deepening. "You think I'm having ideas above my station, do you?"

"No, not at all." He cleared his throat. "You know, the University of Miami has a biology program, and they just opened a marine lab too. You should enroll."

Her eyes widened. "Do you think I can?"

"If you don't try, how would you know?"

She tried to glare at him, but her lips quirked up. "All right, you got me," she admitted and went back to cleaning. "What about you?" she asked over her shoulder.

"What about me?"

"Do you plan to go back to college? Maybe finish that degree?"

The thought hadn't occurred to Derwin. Truth be told, he didn't see a point in it. His Army pension and the rent money he got from the bakery were just enough for him to live on, if he was thrifty, so why would he risk putting himself under more stress to get a degree and get a job? What kind of job could he do anyway? But what Alba said next made him change his mind. "Maybe we can go together," she said, a shy little smile hovering on her lips.

To go to college with her... to still be able to see her, even after she no longer worked for him.... It sounded too good to be true. Derwin reminded himself that, if or when Alba did go to college, she would meet new people, fun, exciting people, and she would probably no longer want anything to do with his gloomy self. But a part of him still hoped, and he said, "Maybe," smiling back at her. He was playing with fire, he knew, but the fire was too warm and comfortable for him to keep away.

***

After some consideration, and with input from Alba, Derwin chose Robert Frost's "Mending Wall" to translate. Professor Bauer gave his approval, and Derwin started working on it, laboring over every line with a care that bordered on obsession. He would read his translation aloud to Alba, and asked her whether the words flowed well together. Even though she didn't know German, she had an excellent ear for rhythm and music, which was why he trusted her opinion.   

For all the fun they had driving, cooking, and reading poetry together, Derwin couldn't help dreading their first excursion into town. About a week after she came back, Alba said over lunch, "I'm planning to go grocery shopping tomorrow, do you think you're ready to tag along?"

Despite her casual tone, Derwin's hand froze over his plate. Seeing his hesitation, she said, "If you're not feeling up to it—"

"No, I'm fine," he said quickly. "Where are we going?"

"Olson's. It's right across the street from the bakery," Alba replied. "They have fresh produce and the price is reasonable."

"And what are we going to do there?"

Alba looked amused, but she answered anyway, "Shopping, of course. Pick what you want, put it in a cart, and pay. Maybe chat with the cashier for a bit."

"And what makes you think I can't do that on my own?" he asked, stalling for time.

She gave him an exasperated look. "If you could, you wouldn't be paying Wendell's for their delivery service," she said. "Look, you don't have to go with me if you don't want to."

"I said I'm fine, didn't I?" After all that had happened, the last thing he wanted was for her to see him as helpless and useless.

Still, he spent the rest of the day writing up a grocery list and trying to practice potential conversations in his mind. He felt slightly ridiculous—a mundane activity like grocery shopping shouldn't make him this anxious—and was reminded of his first year in boarding school, when he'd had a single line in the school play, spent a whole week rehearsing, and still flubbed it on the night. He hoped nothing like that would happen this time. At least Alba would be there, and he could count on her to keep him calm.

Alba arrived early the next morning, and they drove into town. It was mid-morning on a weekday, so the store was relatively quiet—he was grateful to her for that as well. Derwin was aware of curious stares from the few cashiers and shoppers as he walked through the store, leaning on his cane with one hand and pushing the shopping cart with the other. But Alba was walking next to him, and occasionally their hands, placed side by side on the handle of the cart, would brush against each other, and the pounding of his heart would slow and he could breathe more easily.

"Good morning, Mrs. McLeish!" Alba waved to a gray-haired battle-axe, who nodded back at her and shot Derwin a suspicious glance. "Is Ted busy this week?" Alba asked. She turned to Derwin and explained, "Mrs. McLeish's son is a builder."

"He's just finished up a job in Coral Way," Mrs. McLeish replied, looking proud. "They need a lot of repair over there after the storm."

"If he has a minute, do you think he can come to the Grunauer house and have a look at the roof? It got hit by a big branch."

The moment Mrs. McLeish heard the name "Grunauer", her hard-looking face hardened even more, her eyes becoming two pieces of flint. She looked Derwin up and down before answering. "I just remember, Ted's booked another job over in Sweetwater," she said coldly. "He won't be able to help you."

Alba frowned. "But I thought you said—"

Mrs. McLeish didn't let her finish. "And even if he was free, he wouldn't take a job there," she said. "My Ted didn't take a bullet in his leg in Sicily only to come back here and serve some coward who hid under his medic insignia!" Her words lashed at Derwin like a splash of acid, scouring away his skin and getting under his flesh, making his whole body burn with a shame that felt almost physical. The old woman obviously took malicious pleasure in it.

Alba lifted her chin, her eyes turning almost as hard as Mrs. McLeish. "I'm sorry he felt that way," she said to the old woman. "But I think medics are just as brave as soldiers, if not more, because they have to save others and not just themselves. If you can't agree, then I think you'd better get your baked goods elsewhere. Good day."

Without another glance at Mrs. McLeish, who had gone pale with anger, Alba walked off with the cart. Derwin scrambled to follow her.

"You've just cost your bakery a regular customer," he said. "You didn't have to do that."

"I know I didn't," Alba said. Her nostrils were still flaring, and she gripped the cart handle tightly. "I just can't stand it when people—" She took a deep breath. "Never mind. Let's just shop."

They got the essentials—milk, coffee, eggs, soap—while Alba kept up a stream of chatter, about the best brand of detergent, how the store-bought coffee could not compare to the home-ground coffee her father sometimes got from Cuba, how happy she was that sugar rationing had finally ended. Slowly, the sting of Mrs. McLeish's words faded.

As they reached the meat counter at the back of the store, Alba turned to Derwin and pushed the shopping list into his hand. "Why don't you get some ham and some mince from Mr. Olson, and I'll meet you out front? Oh and maybe a nice roast for your weekend lunches too." He spluttered a protest, but she'd already pushed the cart toward the fresh produce display, after giving him an encouraging smile.

Bracing himself, Derwin turned toward the meat counter. The store owner, Mr. Olson, a barrel-chested, ruddy-cheeked man, stood behind the counter looking at him with pale, impassive eyes. Derwin gave his order in a tiny voice. Mr. Olson picked up a giant ham and started slicing it in quick, practiced movements.

"You're the Grunauer boy, aren't you?" Mr. Olson said.

"Yes."

"Your dad used to come in here all the time." Derwin grimaced, waiting for the inevitable, but Mr. Olson only said, "Sorry for your loss."

Derwin couldn't think of anything to say, so he said, "Thank you."

"Haven't seen you though."

"I don't get out... much."

Like Mrs. McLeish, Mr. Olson ran his eyes from the scar on Derwin's cheek to the cane in his hand. The only difference was that Mr. Olson's harsh features then softened. "Where were you wounded?" he asked.

A tremor started in Derwin's leg and spread until it turned into a pounding of his heart. He'd practiced this conversation in his mind, he could answer the question. Yet why had his throat suddenly gone dry? "Normandy," he said in a whisper, barely audible above the hammering of his pulse in his ears. Perhaps if he said it quietly and quickly enough, Mr. Olson would move on.

No such luck. "Damn," Mr. Olson said gravely, shaking his head. "I didn't even know that any boy in the neighborhood was there. My nephew, he was in the Pacific at the time, same as the Reyes boy. It was bad though, wasn't it?"

In line! In line!

Sarge, there's nowhere to jump!

"Do you still talk to anybody from your unit?" Mr. Olson continued, not noticing that Derwin hadn't answered him. He wrapped up the ham and the mince. There were smears and splotches of blood on his white apron. It made Derwin feel slightly sick to look at them, but he couldn't turn away.

Grunauer, please...

He really was going to be sick now. His chest felt tight. His breath came out in short, shallow gulps. His hands were cold, palms sticky with sweat. Mr. Olson stood with the packages of meat and the blood on his apron, watching him curiously. Without another word, Derwin turned and limped past the shelves and cases of goods, past the astonished shoppers and cashiers. Mr. Olson was calling after him but he didn't stop, didn't even pay attention to the twinge in his leg until he was out in the sun and the fresh air—

No, not fresh air. The smell of exhaust fume hit him, slamming him back into the burning plane, and this time, there was no Ford pushing him out the door. He stumbled blindly, wildly, trying to get away, anywhere but there—

There was a screech of brakes, and Derwin found himself jerked violently backward. Someone was shouting—shouting at him?—while another person was apologizing. Then the scent of frangipani and vanilla replaced the exhaust fume, and the fog around him cleared and he heard Alba saying frantically, "Derwin? Are you OK?"

He had almost walked into traffic. She'd pulled him to safety just in time.

Alba led him to a bench outside of Olson's and helped him sit down. "What happened back there?" she asked. She hadn't let go of his hand, as if she was afraid he was going to bolt again. Derwin held fast to her hand, grounding himself by her sight, her scent, her presence.

"Nothing," he managed to say, as his breathing got back to normal. "Mr. Olson asked me about the war and it—brought back some bad memories, that's all."

"I'm sorry," Alba said. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left you on your own."

He shook his head. "It wasn't your fault."

"You want to go home?"

The thought of being in the car, with its smell of fuel and confined space, made his heart race again. "I think I'll walk," he said.

"You almost killed yourself last time walking into town."

"I'll go slowly."

She watched him for a moment, then she said, "How about this? I drive home, get my bike, and give you a ride back on the bike. Can you do that? Can you wait for me here for half an hour?"

"I don't want to be a bother—"

"It's no bother. Here." She stood up and pressed something into his hand. It was her handkerchief, a simple cotton one embroidered with an A at the corner. "To wipe your face," she explained. "You can wait in the bakery, it's cooler there."

He felt like he never wanted to go into an enclosed space ever again. "No, I'll be fine here."

Alba nodded at him. "I'll be right back." She loaded their shopping into the car and drove off, while Derwin remained on the bench, clutching her handkerchief like a lifeline.

The half hour crawled by. Derwin focused on his breathing and let his eyes wander up and down the street, watching nothing in particular, trying to keep his mind blank. He got some more stares from the lunch crowd, but thankfully nobody approached him. Eventually, Alba's familiar figure rolled up on her bicycle, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your chariot awaits, good sir," she said with a grin, patting the luggage rack on the back. Derwin climbed on, a little awkwardly, because of his leg and the cumbersome cane, and also because he had to hold on to Alba's waist to keep his seat. There was a bit of a wobble when Alba got on, but she soon adjusted to his weight and the bike rolled smoothly down the lane, toward the shelter of the swamp.

"This is just like when I was a kid, taking Beatriz to the soda fountain," Alba said, laughing softly. Sitting behind her, Derwin had to fight the urge to rest his head on her back. "Listen, Derwin, I know you said it's not my fault," she continued, oblivious to his torment, "but I think I may have pushed you too much too soon. You don't have to go with me into town if you don't want to. Just take your time and wait until you're ready."

At that moment, sitting so close to her, feeling the calm and quiet radiating from her, he felt invincible. And along with it came a sudden, intense desire to get better, to break free of this prison he'd built around himself. He would do it, not just for himself, but for her as well.

"No," he said decisively. "If I wait, I'll never be ready. I can try again."

Chapter 11

Here is "Mending Wall" by Robert Frost, in case anyone is interested.

Taglist: @kitkat80

[kai29haavertz]

It's About Time

WC: 3.5k

Summary: Your in love with your best friend, but he's in a dedicated relationship. Trouble ensues after a Chelsea game.

Genre: Fluff, light (if you could even call it that) angst, it's really hust two idiots pinning for each other.

fem reader, implied german reader but you can skip over that, it's like three lines referencing it.

Don't think they're any warnings, but it was horribly proofread so just keep that in mind.

The first time you met his girlfriend you didn't know what to expect. 

A part of you wanted her to be the best person possible for Kai. But another part of you, the small part of you that has loved him since you were kids, wanted her to be just even a little bit mean. Because then you could have justifications for your reservations towards their relationship. You wouldn't want to break them up. Even on the off chance she was mean, she made Kai happy. But at least you would have a justification and would feel better about feeling jealous of their new relationship. 

But that wasn't the case. 

When you met Sloane, she was anything but mean to you. She was the sweetest person and showed a genuine interest in your life, and that's better than any of his previous girls. But now you didn't have a reason to be disappointed about their relationship. How could you when she was everything Kai deserved in someone? She’s a gorgeous business owner who lived an hour or so from their hometown, sweeter than spice, and loved football. And on top of all that, his teammates adore her. When Kai invited Sloane to her first Chelsea game as a WAG, where you also met her for the first time, you could tell the boys loved her from the start. And it wasn't all of them thinking she was gorgeous, though some of those thoughts definitely were present in some of the teammate's heads. But regardless, they thought she was the best and perfect for Kai. 

Though after you first met Sloane, Kai of course had to ask for your input. He did that with everything, saying your opinion mattered the most to him. As much as you wanted to be the one in Sloane's position, you couldn't ruin their relationship, so you did the only thing you could do in that situation. 

"I adore her, she's so sweet and I think she's perfect for you." You assured him with a smile that didn't quite reach your eyes. But the lighting was dim at Ben's house so you prayed to anyone who was listening that he couldn't see through the facade you put up for him. You did think Sloane was wonderful, that wasn't a lie. You just wished it wasn't the two of them dating, but you'd lost your chance. There was a hint of something in his eyes, probably gratitude for your approval. He gave you a hug and whispered something in your ear, but you couldn't quite catch it over the loud music. You just smiled it off and hoped that was an appropriate enough response, you weren't in the mood to hear whatever he said. 

About six months later and their relationship is still going strong. Maybe you haven't moved on from Kai but at the very least you're able to keep your emotions in check. 

You’re at another Chelsea game. Only you and Sloane were here on Kai’s side today, which was a little awkward for you. Usually, his sister or mother were here and would act as a sort of buffer for the two of you. Especially since both Kai’s mom and sister have caught on at least a little bit about your slight crush on Kai. Thankfully, neither of them has really called you out on it besides a couple of comments and facial expressions here and there.  

But today it was just Sloane and you, and quite frankly, you weren’t sure what to do. Conversations between the two of you weren’t awkward per se, but they didn’t flow as if the both of you have been friends forever.  

Before the game starts Sloane suggests that you should get a drink with her. You both make small talk at the bar. You ask her about her business and how it’s going, and she asks you about the latest thing you’ve been designing for adidas. Like you said, she tries to take a genuine interest in your life and that makes it ten times harder to dislike them. It’s impossible. She flips her blonde face away from her head and has a more serious expression on her face.  

“So, you and Kai have been friends for a while, right?” The question catches you off guard. What prompted her to ask this? Have you been less stealthy about your crush? Or was she just curious. You had a sneaking suspicion that she wasn’t just asking out of curiosity. 

“Yes, we have. We met in primary school; we started becoming friends a couple months after I moved into the neighborhood. And I guess from there we just formed an unbreakable friendship.” You shrug it off, hoping that’s the end of that. You love talking about Kai but you’re afraid this conversation may soon turn into an interrogation.  

“Oh okay, that’s cute.” Sloane says off handedly and goes back to sipping her drink. It seems like she’s going to give the conversation a rest when a few minutes later she asks another question. “So, nothing has ever gone on with you and Kai?” You almost spit out your drink. You take a moment to assess her really quickly. Her green eyes are looking everywhere but you. You notice her perfectly manicured nails have almost a death grip on her drink and her hand is shaking ever so slightly.  

“Nothing has ever gone on between the two of us, at least not like that. We’ve just been friends our whole lives. No kiss no nothing.” You try to reassure her. She takes a deep breath, and she visibly relaxes.  

“Okay,” she says more brightly. She talks to you a little bit more about some problems she’s been facing with her business; but the game is about to start and neither of you want to miss Kai or his teammates’ play so she begins to meander her way to her seat.  

“I’ll be there in a moment; I have to take a phone call quickly.” She gives you a thumbs up as you start to walk away.  

Truthfully, you didn’t have to call someone. But you just needed one moment to regain yourself before you go out and spend 90+ minutes with Sloane and hope she doesn’t ask you another question about you and Kai. Nothing has ever gone on but the reminder stings sometimes. Especially with all the times you were close.  

 Last season at some event at one of his teammates' houses, you were both a little tipsier than you should’ve been. But it didn't matter at the time, you were both drunk off of happiness that Chelsea had won again, and Kai had scored a goal. You spent the entire night dancing and you two eventually went over to his house and spent the rest of the evening together. Before the two of you fell asleep you were watching a show in his bedroom with you snuggled up to his side and his arm draped over your shoulder. You felt so safe and protected and loved that in that moment, you swore you were going to pour all your feelings to him. He looked down at you and gave the softest of smiles and you were going to say something.  

 Of course the moment had to be interrupted by a phone call from someone. And that was the end of that. You couldn’t find the courage to do it when he got back so you pretended like you were asleep and left promptly the next morning.  

When you had finally composed yourself you returned to your seat next to Sloane and spent the next 90 minutes cheering for your boys in blue.  

The game told the same story as most of the other games this season. A scoreless tie for Chelsea as they continue to fall down the table. Despite it not being the result they wanted, the boys still wanted to go meet up at Ben’s place and hang out for a little bit. You and Sloane get a text from Kai in groupchat with the three of you inviting you to Ben’s place after.  

 Kai: I might be a bit if you two want to drive over, I’ll meet you there 

Sloane: Sounds good! 

“I can drive you over if you’d like. I know you drove over with Kai.” Sloane’s face lights up.  

 “Of course, thank you so much. I adore Kai but he’s going to be in a bad mood, and I’d rather not wait what could be an eternity for him.” You smile at her, and you lead her over to her car.  

 Ben’s girlfriend opens the door for the both of you.  

 “The boys should be here within the hour, make yourself at home, there are some drinks outside.” Laila offers it to you and Sloane. You grab some soda from outside and curl up on the couch scrolling through TikTok, waiting for everyone.  

By the end of the hour the Chelsea boys start to show up. Kai of course goes over to Sloane and says something in her ear before he makes his way over to you.  

“Not the greatest day at Stamford, was it?” He tries and jokes with you. You turn around and wrap him up in a big hug.  

 “Hey, you played amazing today, I’m sorry the score didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to.” You pull away from him, but he keeps an arm around your shoulder as boys start to talk about random things. It’s oddly intimate considering you’re not his girlfriend and he hasn’t let you leave his side yet. As Kai continues talking to Christian you see Sloane out of the corner of your eye, and you realize this isn’t fair to her. 

 “Excuse me, , I’ll be right back.” You get up rather abruptly and all but sprint past Sloane. She looks at you with something sad in her eyes.  

 You walk into one of Ben’s sitting rooms and shortly after someone joins you.  

 “Oh, hi Christian,” you say surprised. He takes a seat next to you. “Is there anything you need?”  

“When are you and Kai going to sort out your problems?” You almost choke on your drink.  

“I- what?” 

 “You heard me; you guys are perfect for each other and yet you always dance around each other,” he stated as you glare at him.  

 “I’m sorry, but where have you been? If he liked me so much, then why is he dating Sloane?”  

 “Because he thinks he doesn’t have a chance with you.” Your jaw tightens a little. This conversation is beyond stupid, and you do not want to deal with it. You go to get up, but he grabs your arm to prevent you from moving. 

“Well, I certainly don’t have one now because he’s in a relationship and no matter how much I love him I will not get in the middle of it. He is happy with her, and I won’t do anything to damage that.” Christian’s eyes widen at your declaration, and you realize what you said.  

 “I um- well,” you stammer incoherent nonsense.  

 “You guys deserve the world and I'm just so tired of you guys dancing around each other.”  

 “But he’s dating Sloane- “you start to argue.  

 “That relationship can’t last. And between you and me, I know Mason is trying to show that Kai isn’t being fair to Sloane,” he tries to reason with you as you slump back down on the couch. “Just promise me, you’ll shoot your shot when the time comes.”  

 “Fine, but if something bad happens I’m blaming it all on you,” you stated to him, and he just shakes his head at you.  

 “You can do that little German, but I can say with almost a 100% certainty that if they break up and you say something to him, the both of you will be so happy.”  

 He gets up to leave you alone for a bit.  

“Oh and little German? You would make a great WAG. But to be fair, you’re practically one already.” He sees your ears go bright pink at the statement and how your eyes shoot down to the ground to avoid his eye contact. He quietly laughs as he closes the door to leave you be.  

****** 

As the party comes to an end after a couple hours, Kai realizes he hasn’t seen you around since you went to one of the side rooms with Christian on your tail.  

“Ready Sloane?” Kai extends his hand to help Sloane up from the couch so they can get over to his place. He leads her to his car and the ride home is tense and someone could cut a knife through the tension.  

 “Sloane?”  

 “Just drive.” She responds curtly and goes back to staring out the window. After a few minutes she puts in her airpods to signal she doesn’t want to talk to him right now. As he pulls up to his driveway she rushes out of the car and punches the code into his garage. He takes a big sigh before getting out of the car, knowing what is probably to come for him.  

 He walks into his house and sees Sloane pacing around the couches in their living room.  

 “Sloane, love, sit down for me, will you?” She just glares at him before she takes a deep breath.  

“No and you know why? Because ever since we started dating you were attached to her hip, and I tried telling myself that it was just my imagination. And for a while I was able to believe that. But every once in a while something would happen between the two of you that would make me think otherwise.”  

 “Nothing has ever gone on between the two of us,” he tries to protest but the look she sends his way silences him.  

 “You don’t love me, and that’s okay. Maybe it took me a while to accept that but now I can because I just want you happy, and if that’s with her that’s okay.”  

 “Sloane, I love you,” he pleaded. 

“No, you don’t, you love her, but you don’t think you can have her, so you settled for me.” She snaps at him, not wanting to be hurt anymore. “It’s time you move on from me to her. And it’s time for me to move on from you. We don’t make sense together; we never did, and it took me too long to figure that out. But it’s not fair for any of us involved to continue with this relationship.” She starts to walk out the door and drops the keys to his and her house on the kitchen counter.  

“Despite the not so wonderful ending I am glad I met you.”  

“I’m sorry it had to end this way,” he admits dejectedly. “I never meant for it to happen like this.” She turns to face him in the entrance. 

“I am too, but at least we didn’t drag it out any more than it needed to be.” She opens the door and takes a few steps outside towards her car. “Oh, and Kai? Please talk to her, you two deserve your happy ending.” She walks into her car and drives off.  

 Kai stands there defeated but knows what he needs to do next 

**** 

It’s late. Almost midnight. And you can’t even begin to fathom who just pulled up into your driveway. Lucky for whoever, most nights you can’t fall asleep until close to 2. A benefit of being a night owl. While walking over you take a peek out your window.  

 “Is that Kai’s car?” You murmur to yourself while you walk to the door that someone just knocked on.  

 You hope it’s one of your friends and nothing’s wrong, not really feeling having to run an errand so late at night.  

 You open the door and sure enough, it is Kai at the front. Eyes cast downward, as if ashamed he’s here so late.  

 “Kai, to what do I owe the pleasure. Come in, I was just moving stuff around in the kitchen.” He shakes his head at you slightly.  

 “Leave it to you to remodel in the middle of the night.”  

 You wink at him playfully. “It’s the late-night tendencies.” He takes a seat on your couch and you finally take a good look at him and see something is wrong. His eyes look bloodshot, as if he’s been crying for the last hour. His right pinky is twitching back and forth, something he only does when nervous. A habit that he mostly grew out of, but clearly not enough if he’s doing it in your presence.  

 “Kai, what’s the matter?” He looks up at you as you slowly sit next to him. He buries his head in your shoulder, and you raise a hand to it and scratch his hair lightly. He sits there and you let him decide if he wants to talk, not wanting to pry.  

 “Sloane and I broke up.” He tells you after a couple minutes sitting in silence.  

 “Oh Kai.” He cuddles deeper into your embrace as you wrap your other hand around your shoulders. You coax him into lying down on the couch on top of you. It’s like the days when you were teens and would watch movies late on the weekends when you couldn’t sleep. He would tease you about being restless but cuddling with him would always make you fall asleep quickly.  

 You move your nails up and down his back to help him relax. “Do you want to talk about it?” You ask after a couple minutes.  

 “In a moment,” he mumbles into your shoulder. “Just wan’ to relax for a moment.” His accent is getting heavier, you notice. You continue to move your hand around his back in a soothing way for a while longer before he finally speaks up.  

 “We broke up because I wasn’t faithful.” You lightly gasp.  

 “You never touched anyone though,” you try to protest but he just shakes his head.  

“Not like that. My heart wasn’t in it, and she realized it.”  

He stays like that for a while longer, you look over to the clock and see it’s almost His breathing hasn’t changed so you know he hasn;t fallen asleep yet. With your heart in your throat, you ask the one question you’ve been dying to ask.  

“Why wasn’t your heart in it Kai?”  

“Schatz-” he starts to protest before you cut him off.  

“Kai, love, why wasn’t your heart in it?” 

He looks into your eyes before he takes a deep breath.  

 "Because I love you,” he admits quietly before his head falls down into your shoulder in embarrassment. “Don’t make me say it again,” he begs softly,softly, and you feel a tear run down your shoulder blade.  

“That’s a shame, because I quite like how those words sound coming off your lips. Especially when they’re directed at me.” You say quietly and his eyes shoot up.  

 “You mean,” he trails off slightly.  

 “Yes Kai, I love you too.” His strong arms wrap around you.  

 “Say that again, exactly like that. Like you mean it.”  

 “I love you, Kai. I don’t think you understand how long I've been wanting to admit that for.”  

“Not as long as me.” He presses a soft kiss to your forehead. “I’ve been waiting since we were ten.” You look at him in disbelief and his gaze locks with yours. He gives a sheepish smile.  

“So, you’ve been hopelessly in love with me since forever and didn’t act upon it until tonight?” You ask incredulously.  

“Thought I never had a chance with you,” he admits with a shrug. “And Sloane said that I should stop dancing around you and find my happy ending.”  

“I am sorry you two broke up,” you tell him with a hint of shame. “I never wanted to get in between the two of you.”  

“I am too, but it was for the best. And don’t worry about it, it wasn't your fault. It’s my fault for entertaining something that could never truly be.” He moves his head under yours and wraps his arms together around your frame, like he was a kid reaching for his teddy bear in the middle of the night.  

“Kai, I love you, but we can't stay like this the entire night.” He pushes you back down as you try to squirm out of his grip.  

 “Five more minutes Schatz, let me enjoy this.” You shake your head but give in.  

 “Fine, five more minutes then we’re moving to my bedroom. We have a lot more to talk about in the morning.”  

 “This is it right? We’re together?” He stares into your eyes, involuntarily giving you the puppy dog eyes. He leans into your touch when you stroke his hair with your hand.  

 “Yes, don’t worry, you’re it for me and I have no intentions of letting you go.” He lets out a shuddering breath at your confession. He leans in for a kiss on the lips. It’s tentative and sweet and slow.  

 “I love you Schatz.” 

“I love you too.” There’s a lot to discuss tomorrow. More reassurances to give on both of your parts. But for now, you can lay peacefully in each other's arms, without any worries.  

[elektrischemaidchen]

Lisztober #13: Richard Wagner

Lisztober #13: Richard Wagner

Let's put it kindly: We f****in hate Wagner, @franzliszt-official

So much so, that we've been working on this song for three months (!!!) in a row and had to keep censoring ourselves, so that nobody from Bayreuth would sue us. I was foaming at the mouth when I wrote the lyrics and it was twice as long. The current version is way more harmless, but still very explicit. I still feel pruned.

In the meantime, we've pretty much agreed that our Wagner-rant will be the first single from our new album. And that we will actually be travelling 5 hours to Bayreuth for a music video. I'll start puking as soon as I see the city sign. You'll be surprised.

The actual song is a beautiful two-part ‘in your face’ electropunk song, which we will unfortunately only be able to present to you here after its release.

So today we're simply playing you an EXCLUSIVE acoustic, heavily (!!!!!!) wine influenced version with wrong notes and creepy laughter, which we tried to distort in advanced and failed.  ( Also with a bit of a beat, otherwise it'll be too monotonous), Sooo we can all cuddle up to and hug each other in our hatred. (And this hatred has a long, long history, by the way: Coppelia and I met at the university, where the beginning of the song takes place. This also Weimar, everybody.)

But why do we actually despise Wagner?

Because he was a pompous, narcissistic megalomaniac. A two-faced, Janus-faced snake, a shitty anti-Semite of the worst kind who sucked everyone around him dry and then threw them away. Even Liszt. ESPECIALLY Liszt. A hypocrite before the Lord. And then there's the irony that his obvious gayass (Oh, come on! Ludwig II? Oscar Wilde? Any Wagner opera is gayer than a binge- marathon of „Drag Race“ with Strawberry Daiquiris) has constantly hung out with such Teutonic alphamales like Nietzsche. In short: A real-life-„Uriah Heep“, that not even Dickens could have thought up in a certanied f****ed up way.

And that's just Richard himself. There's also his work, which became the soundtrack to National Socialism and the all-time-favorite to all f****** Nazis, thanks to his zealous family. They all loved having ‘Uncle Wolf’, as Hitler was called at Wahnfried, around. „If I think of Germany in the night, I am jolted from my sleep.“ Thank you. Heine!

Then there is Cosima. Liszt's daughter, who later became Wagner's wife. Who had forbidden Franz to get any visits during the last days of his life in Bayreuth, but not at all for reasons of too much excitement, as one might think. Thanks to Franz's pupil Lina Schmalhausen, who stayed outside the house for days, we know: Cosima left the old man in his bed until he was sore, only came to check on him briefly in the morning and left him to moan and rattle alone at night. After all, there were more important things to do: the festival. A few hours before Franz's death, there was still a jolly supper for the Wagner family and friends. And oh, of course, a bust of Wagner at the feet of Liszt's corpse. Cosima refused him the last rites. Something was played at his funeral...right! Parsifal. Incidentally, no Wagner was present at the service. And the fact that Liszt was buried (there seems to be no English translation for the German word "verscharrt"...in German it's: Dig a hole and throw the corpse in, put some soil on it and continue on) in Bayreuth at all fitted perfectly into the marketing concept. They finally gained the last crown jewel missing from the collection of self-congratulation. Congratulations, you stupid, abusive, heartless, freakin bitch.

DISGUSTING!

What a completely insane, sadistic brainf****. I'll write another song about it. Maybe on the last day. I think I have something to process.

And yet, they all make the pilgrimage, the Wagnerians, to Bayreuth, sing songs together at Richard‘s grave, shed tears and lay flowers. All because of the ‘great’ operas and all that, of course. You just have to train yourself to forget.

Micdrop.

PS: Finally, I would just like to take up some cudos for Nike Wagner, the ‘outcast’. She is still keeping the memory of her great-great-grandfather alive. And I think she even looks a bit like him. Nike. We love you. Come back to Bonn <3

Lyrics:

My history prof(essor) Was a sweet guy But unfortunately there had been a problem With his love for Wagner For him, there was only Richard here and Richard there Although everyone knows How shitty that guy was Wagner! Persona non grata! it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for me listening to one of Wagner’s operas We just wanted to learn medieval studies Now we will be penetrated by Valkyries Wagner's ego Was enough for ten With which he could well To walk over corpses Wagner! Persona non grata! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for me listening to one of Wagner’s operas He was a mad Anti-Semite Who liked to f**** around with others He could not admit his own gayness And had to beg everyone for For money Wagner! Persona non grata! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than me listening to one of Wagner’s operas I puke over Cosima too Who unfortunately wasn't as cool Like her daddy was They trained Liszt to be a Their poodle And always  craved his fame Wagner! Persona non grata! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for me listening to one of Wagner’s operas All oft hem just Infatuated with themselves The worst thing: They buried Franz In Bayreuth You have f****ed up Nietzsche too After that he Dismantled slowly Wagner! Persona non grata! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for me listening to one of Wagner’s operas In Wahnfried Adolf was a permanent guest The memory of it Seems faded already You just have to keep the myth alive Fold your hands Above Wagner busts You’ll just have to train How to forget Then it will be easier To  mastr*ba*e to Lohengrin Wagner! Persona non grata! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for me listening to one of Wagner’s operas Richard, yo, if I were Your mistress on the hill I would give you a good Beating A good beating!

(Thank you.)

[theehorsepusssy]

wait who is this German visitor with the cowboy boots and whatnot

a recap

So we have this foreign exchange student from back in the 80s who has kept in touch with our family for the last 35 years and my parents stay with him when they go to europe or asia (hes an auto exec who lived there too) and vice versa. This guy also has BiPolar Disorder that he refuses to get medicated. His entire family and friends have parted ways with him over time because he wont get treatment and is probably the most annoying person the planet (in my opinion). His girlfriend is finally over it moved back to Japan. It sounds like his job might be gone too. So he decides to annoy the last people he hasand shows up on our doorstep for xmas. He proceeds to terrorize our family with a 24/7 grunting, screaming, stomping tantrum over the course of a couple weeks. I lock myself in my room and ignore him which pisses him off. He wears really loud beads on his wrists and reeks of cologne. (the house is absolutely ruined with the smell, we need to call some kind of professional cleaner. My mom threw away all the linens) He plays some kind of German Ska music that is truly the worst noise you will ever hear . He spend hours online trying to fuck/marry/kill some ukranian model/whore/catfish. He spends the other hours ordering around 40 pairs of shoes from Amazon. he ordered a bunch of shit from from europe and had it shipped here for who knows what reason. He bought an ugly picture of like a beer bottle at, i think, Powells for like $600 but its so big he has to ship it back and thats gonna cost over $700 in shipping. He ordered something from REI but wanted to return so my dad him directions to the one in clackamas but he ends up in the mall "where his real friends are." Explaining how his new friends make commission off the thousands upon thousands of dollars he is spending on tacky jewelry pisses him off and he moves out of the bedroom he has successfully turned into a Hoarders episode in 10 days and into a motel near his beloved clackamas mall. his flight out of the country was today but whether he got on board and made it is a mystery. we kept trying to be sympathetic and hospitable and nice and charitable and tried to explain he needs help but he is deep in delusion and denial and we are all out of fucks to give. Fuck him

[blacknwhitemood]

Back side:

Some details - behind the Iron Curtain:

Made in Hungary with the original price:

Catching Up With - inner paper cover:

Black Celebration with But Not Tonight at the end (USA edition):

Blue vinyl (German edition):

Violator in French and the new edition inside:

Duplicates:

This is my DM vinyl album collection - so far. I also collect 7" singles, you can read about it in another post. These albums released in the "original" year in different countries like West Germany, U.S.A., France, Yugoslavia and Hungary. It shows well the age of Depeche Mode that some of these countries are no longer exist.

Original DM LPs are rare if I don't want to order them from eBay for a fortune and uncertain delivery. I must be lucky - and I was. I bought them from a website where buddies like me sell their used items, a guy regulary sends me e-mails about his duplicates, I'm really appreciated. There is a second hand music recording shop not far from my flat, I remember I went there first time in October to buy MFTM in blue version (haha, now I know how rare it is). The shop was crowded, sellers were busy, I was a bit nervous. One of the customers asked loudly over the LP heap "So where is that Depeche Mode you talked about?" I turned there, he was given MFTM by the shop owner. "I leave it here for now, someone will really need it" - he said and I went to him for the vinyl "I was coming exactly for this album, I'm not kidding. I'm buying this" - we were laughing, the owner said this LP had arrived to the shop 17 minutes before I got it.

Or I just find them in my mother's potato cellar (!) where my sister left them in the early 90s: the Hungarian version of MFTM, and Violator by Virgin Records. I had to wash some black mold off them… I found the original price sticker from 1987 (280 HUF - today it would cost 15,000 HUF) and Violator has sticker at the front in French "L'album inclus Personal Jesus & Enjoy the silence". These were my first DM experience in my childhood when I was prepearing to a music high school and I learnt all of those strange songs on piano.

Unfortinately two important studio albums are missing yet from the 80s: one of my favourite, Some Great Reward, I'm sure we will find each other one day. I could've bought Speak & Spell but only the American version, too much differences, I prefer the other one. My Black Celebration is American too, that means you can find one more song at the end of B side, But Not tonight - this song has never released in Europe. I also love my Catching Up With, because the cover is wow (I mean hot), and the inner paper cover is full of photos, this way they promoted the band in the States. This singles collection released only in the USA, this is the American version of The Singles 81→85 with 4 differences. And I need SOFAD and it' singles, I'm afraid it's gonna be a difficult advanture.

Basicly I don't want to keep 2 or more versions of the albums, beside MFTM Violator is duplicated in a funny reason. I went to Müller shopping soaps and while I was standing in line at the checkout and I got a sight of vinyls next to puffed corn. "What if there is DM?" There was. Violator, new edition that you can order all of the albums in any time. This was my very first DM album, I just couldn't leave it there, my heart was beating loudly. After this I've decided to collect original vinyls only, because they have souls. Decades ago someone bought it and listened to is with joy and perhaps he or she was in love with someone and went to a concert or a flat party and they were dancing… When I hold these old, crumpled albums in my hand I can feel the past. It makes me so happy.

A Broken Frame 1982 Made in Yugoslavia (Jugoton)

Construction Time Again 1983 Made in West Germany

Catching Up With Depeche Mode 1985 Made in U.S.A.

Black Celebration 1986 Made in U.S.A.

Music For The Masses 1987 Made in West Germany (blue vinyl)

Music For The Masses 1987 Made in Hungary (Gong)

Violator 1990 Made in France (Virgin)

Violator 2016 (new edition - Sony)

[cetaitlaverite]

Why All This Music?

Masters of the Air - Rosie Rosenthal x OC

masterlist is linked here <333

18. Nothing to Write Home About

Freddie had decided to finish work early today. Now that she was leading the Corona operations at Thorpe Abbotts she could afford herself such luxuries. It had only been during the sleepover last night, when Millie and Jem had reminded her that for all intents and purposes she was now her own boss, that Freddie discovered all of the negatives which came with ranking so highly could also be balanced by positives. So, yes, she had a lot of stressful responsibilities, a big workload, and few moments of peace. But she also had her own office and no one to tell her she had to stay in it all hours of the day to toil over her work.

This afternoon, Freddie had a date with her music. She’d been neglecting it lately.

The officers’ club was empty this time of day. Most everyone on base would still be working - it wasn’t even dinner yet. So Freddie waltzed right in like she owned the place, Meatball trotting dutifully behind her, the book of piano sheet music Rosie had given her for Christmas in hand. She sat down at the piano while Meatball found a nearby chair to curl up under. 

The blinds were up, letting daylight pour in, and the club looked different this time of day. At night the warm lighting always made it feel so much smaller than it was. It looked big now. Almost lonely.

Carefully, reverently, Freddie lifted the cover off of the keys and ran gentle fingers over them, barely making a sound.

She had already looked over the various pieces of music in the book Rosie had gifted her. Whether he knew it or otherwise, he had good taste. She knew he wasn’t particularly well versed in classical music - jazz, on the other hand, he may as well have been the world-leading expert on - but maybe he’d asked the clerk in the shop for help. Though Freddie liked to think he’d picked the book himself. The music was beautiful and romantic and she liked to think of it as a love letter of sorts. A love letter in a language she understood better, even, than English or German.

The first song she played was Meine Freuden by Franz Liszt and Frédéric Chopin, and the challenge of playing a new classical piece for the first time was exciting. Her fingers wanted to stumble and her wrists wanted to flick, but the music poured forth from beneath her hands anyway, as endearing and unfamiliar as new love.

She had played through two different songs three times over each before she was interrupted.

“You’re supposed to be at dinner,” Rosie said from the doorway. He was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed and a fond smile on his face.

Meatball trotted over to him for attention, which Rosie gave him, while Freddie turned on the piano bench to look at him. “Oops?”

Rosie rolled his eyes but he was laughing quietly. 

“Time ran away from me,” Freddie told him, moving to sit sideways on the bench with one leg propped up on it. “The music in that book you got me is beautiful.”

“It’s beautiful when you play it,” Rosie replied.

Freddie laughed. 

“Come and eat something,” Rosie bid her next. “You can come back and play after.”

Freddie’s eyes sought the clock on the wall and she frowned. “Dinner only started five minutes ago. Let me wait until it calms down a bit in there and then I’ll come.”

Rosie tipped his head back and groaned playfully. “One more song,” he told her, petting Meatball once more before walking further into the room. 

Freddie’s smile lit up her face. “Really?!”

Rosie came to sit beside her on the bench and Meatball resumed his position beneath one of the chairs at a nearby table. 

“Okay,” Freddie said, flicking back to the first piece of music she’d been playing, “I’ve been practising this one. It’s not perfect, so -”

Rosie was laughing to himself.

“What?”

“Everything you play is perfect,” he told her, grinning. “Just play it.”

Her cheeks were engulfed in flames. She couldn’t meet his eyes anymore. “Okay.”

Rosie sat so quietly and so still beside her, terrified to interrupt her playing, that she almost forgot he was there. His eyes were locked on her fingers, following them across the keys, and every now and again their legs would brush against one another when Freddie used the pedal. It made the skin of her legs feel warm beneath her tights.

Freddie’s fingers slowed as the end of the song neared. She didn’t want it to end. After this, they’d go to the mess hall and be surrounded by noise and Freddie would sit with the girls unless her Corona wireless ops demanded she sit with them and she would be so far away from him. She didn’t want to be far away from him. She wanted to be close. Closer, even, than this.

But the song came to its end eventually. Freddie pressed down on the final key and the pedal longer than she needed to in a futile attempt to drag it out past its expiration.

“Beautiful,” Rosie murmured.

Freddie looked up at him to find a pink hue in his cheeks, his lips just slightly agape as he stared at her, now motionless, fingers. Slowly, he tore his gaze away from her hands resting on the piano keys and met her eyes. And slowly, a smile spread across his face.

Freddie smiled back at him. “Hi,” she whispered.

He grinned. “Hi, Fred.”

Her smile widened a touch. “I like the way you look at me,” she informed him quietly, because in that moment he looked so adoring she almost couldn’t bear it. His blue eyes were gentle and unspeakably fond. His smile was reverential.

“Sometimes I find it hard to believe that you exist,” he whispered back, an explanation of sorts.

It was so easy to get lost in him. In his eyes, in his smell, in his touch. In just the feeling of having him close. Sometimes she felt that he made the world a better place just by existing in it. He certainly made her world a better place just by showing his face there every now and again. How had she managed to go about her life without him?

“I exist,” Freddie assured him with a teasing grin.

Rosie’s eyes were on her smile. On her lips. “You sure?”

“Quite sure, yes.”

“I think I might’ve made you up,” he confessed. 

Freddie’s eyes dipped to his mouth as he spoke. To his lips. “Only one way to make sure,” she said.

His lips quirked up at the edges. “By pinching me?” he asked.

She shook her head just slightly, an almost imperceptible jerk of her head. Tilting her face up, as far as her neck would let her, she closed the distance between them until she could feel his breath fanning over her lips. 

He tilted his face down for her, to make it easier. Smiled as he waited for her to cross the line for them. 

Freddie drew in a deep breath and let her eyes flutter closed. She pressed her lips gently against his and encouraged him into a kiss. 

It was slow, soft, just a little bit unsure. She’d never been the one to make the final push.

But Rosie was sure enough for the both of them. His hands found her waist and tugged her closer, and then even closer, until she found it would just be easier to sit on his lap.

Their lips remained attached as she moved to straddle him on the piano bench. His hands held onto the piano to make sure she didn’t knock against it. Then, secure and with better leverage, Freddie leaned further into him, twined her hands into his hair, and let herself revel in the feeling of finally, finally, having his lips against hers.

His lips moved slowly, his tongue even slower, and it made Freddie want to squirm. He smiled as if he could tell. 

And she was worried she wasn’t very good at it anymore. At kissing. She was out of practice. He was clearly very good at it - better, even, than she’d imagined. He’d clearly been underselling himself when he’d told her he’d kissed ‘a few’ girls back in America. But then again, he was twenty-six and gorgeous and smart and kind and brave. If he hadn’t been around the block a few times she would have been more surprised.

But when they finally pulled apart for air all of Freddie’s worries of inadequacy disappeared. There was something in his eyes as he looked at her which was even stronger now than it had been before.

He kissed her again. Lifted a hand to cup her cheek and tilt her face just a little bit closer to his.

She let out a whimper which she was immediately humiliated by, but Rosie only pulled her impossibly closer.

Until - 

“Rosie, I gotta talk to you about - you’ve gotta be fucking kidding me!”

Freddie was giggling even before she’d properly pulled back from Rosie. “Sorry, Jack.”

“Not more fucking sorry than I am,” Jack replied, lifting a hand to rub at his eyes. “Jesus Christ. This is a public place!”

“No one’s here right now!” Rosie argued. “How did you know I was here?”

“Pappy told me you were going to find Fred. I heard the piano when I was walking by earlier. Figured you probably heard it too when you walked by.” He huffed, seemingly annoyed to have had his attention diverted. “Anyway, if you two could maintain a sense of public fucking decency for five seconds, I was just trying to tell you, Rosie, that I gotta talk to you about the next mission.”

Freddie made no moves to get off of Rosie’s lap and he made no moves to make her.

Jack threw his hands up and sighed. “Fine. We’ll talk later.”

Rosie was grinning. “I’ll come find you after dinner.”

“Yeah,” Jack said, frowning as he looked at Meatball. “You do that.”

He turned and left directly.

Freddie tucked her face into Rosie’s neck and laughed. “If he had been five minutes earlier I would have killed him.”

“If he’d been five minutes earlier I would’ve helped you,” Rosie replied.

Freddie laughed again.

She let herself linger for a minute, with her face pressed to his neck, before deciding she wanted to see his face. Sitting up straight, or as straight as she could in his lap, she was greeted with a wide smile which didn’t seem to have slipped during the time he’d been out of her sight.

Too cute. How was he that cute? It should’ve been illegal. Unable to help it, Freddie leaned in and tucked her nose up beside his, shutting her eyes and then rubbing their noses together.

Rosie laughed softly.

Freddie pulled back just a bit and moved to kiss him again when her stomach rumbled, almost obnoxiously loud in the quiet of the officers’ club. 

Rosie gave her a look. “Dinner,” he told her, faux sternly. “Now.”

“One more kiss first?”

“One more kiss and we’ll be here all night,” Rosie replied, but he kissed her quickly on the lips anyway.

Freddie huffed out a laugh. “Dinner and then another kiss?” she asked.

He laughed again, standing up with her still in his arms when it became clear she wasn’t moving. “If you eat all of it then yeah.”

Freddie frowned. “You’re mean.”

He rolled his eyes. Just when he opened his mouth to retort, however, he banged his shin on the leg of the piano while trying to manoeuvre them both out from behind the bench. His eyes fell shut, his bottom lip got caught between his teeth, and a low hiss of air emerged from his mouth.

Freddie knew it must have hurt really badly. She also knew it was probably her fault for refusing to stand up herself. As such, she held in her laugh with all of her might, thanking god that his eyes were closed. 

When he opened them she tried to smooth over her features. She was sure she was red in the face from holding her breath.

“Ow,” Rosie said.

Freddie’s laugh all but exploded out of her.

“Shut up,” Rosie complained as he set her down on her feet.

Meatball started barking as he approached because her laughter was so loud and so uncontrollable.

“Sorry,” Freddie choked out. “It’s not that funny. I just -”

“Fred,” Rosie complained again.

“I’m sorry. I know it probably hurts so much.”

“It does.”

For some reason, that only made it funnier.

She delayed them a further five minutes while trying to get herself under control. Rosie threatened to throw her over his shoulder and carry her to the mess hall if she didn’t stop but eventually she managed to. But she caught him rubbing his shin as he let her past him out of the door and sputtered a laugh all over again, and was forced to enter the mess hall in fits of giggles.

Freddie was still talking about it in the officers’ club that night. And no one else found it even half as funny as she did, but she kept telling people about it anyway because Rosie went red and frowny when she did and she thought that was even funnier.

“Rosie, I have no idea why you put up with her,” Millie said at one point, when she’d already had to endure the story five times.

When Rosie chuckled quietly and shrugged, lifting his glass for a sip of beer, Freddie wrapped both of her arms around his free arm and hugged it to her chest. “I make it worth your while, don’t I, Rosie?” she asked, batting her eyelashes.

He glanced down at her and kissed her hairline. She knew he loved when she hugged his arm, not because he ever told her but because he always got all sweet and affectionate when she did. He could never deny her anything when she asked like this, and neither could he hold a grudge. 

Jem was sitting at their table, Meatball beneath her chair, and chewing on her nails. They were freshly painted a bright red so they must have tasted awful but she gnawed at them anyway like a child trying a lollipop for the first time.

“Feel like doing a shot, Jem?” Freddie asked, trying to settle her, to remind her that all of this was meant to be fun. Paddy had agreed to the dancing with wild enthusiasm and now everyone was waiting for Jem to decide she was ready. She could still back out if she wanted to but Freddie knew she wouldn’t. Freddie also knew she wanted to dance, really, she was just frightened. The same way Freddie had been frightened to dance with Rosie even when she’d wanted to, though the stakes were wildly different.

Jem nodded almost absentmindedly. “Yeah, alright,” she replied quietly.

Freddie knocked back the rest of her lemonade and stood, smoothing down her skirt. “Come, then, sweetness. Bar’s clearing out at the moment.”

Freddie and Jem waited for Atley’s attention quietly, Jem chewing on the inside of her cheek. 

Freddie smiled and wrapped both of her arms around Jem’s waist, squeezing her lightly. “Feeling alright, Jemmy?”

“Nervous,” Jem replied, glancing down at her.

“Normal to be nervous,” Freddie assured her. “Do you feel excited too, though? Even just a little bit?”

Jem finally cracked a smile, her eyes seeking Paddy clearly of their own accord because once they found her they flicked right back to Freddie. “Yes,” she admitted.

“Good,” Freddie decided. “You take your time on deciding when. We’re in no hurry.”

Atley served them their two shots of whiskey with a nod and a smile before moving onto the next patrons. Freddie and Jem linked arms as they tossed them back. “Liquid courage,” Jem declared, clearing her throat of the burn. 

Freddie grinned. “Feeling brave, are we?”

“I’ve spent my whole life being frightened,” Jem said. Her eyes, once again, sought out Paddy in the crowd and found her without even having to try. They softened when they caught her and stayed there, bright and fond. “Don’t feel up to it anymore.”

“That’s my Jem,” Freddie said proudly. “Shall I go and get Mils? I think the next song might be about to start.”

“Go put on a show, Fred,” Jem told her, laughing as she smoothed down her skirt and jacket sleeves.

Freddie grinned at her. “No one’s eyes will be on you, Jem, we’ll make sure of it.”

Returning to the table with a spring in her step, Freddie forewent heading over to her seat and instead rested her hands on the back of Millie’s and lent down over her shoulder. “Fancy a dance?” she asked, smiling wildly.

Millie turned to look at her, a similar grin on her face. “I thought you’d never ask.”

The eyes of the men at the table were confused as Freddie offered her hand and Millie took it, leading her to the dance floor. Pappy and Bailey both looked to Rosie, who shrugged, as clueless as anyone.

Freddie and Millie took their places front and centre on the dance floor just as a new song started up, upbeat and joyful. Freddie was taller so she took on the man’s role while Millie played the woman, and off they went, laughing loudly as they galloped and twirled and generally made fools of themselves across the floor.

Freddie noted Amy and Cecelia dancing not too far away from them, pressed close in case that’s how Jem and Paddy wanted to dance. They were grinning at each other as they went about their performance, joking with each other and tripping over each other’s feet, neither of them used to dancing with a partner the same height as they were.

A few of the Operation Corona wireless operator girls joined in the fun, dancing with each other the same as they would with a man. And before long Jem and Paddy were tucked in the middle of a sea of all-female couples, and if they were dancing slightly slower than everyone else, slightly closer, smiling at each other slightly fonder, who would ever have noticed? They were just one couple amongst many. Nothing to write home about.

The girls danced together for three songs total. Jem and Paddy left after that, Jem tapping Freddie and Millie on the shoulder as they headed for the door, smiling so wide her cheeks must have been hurting. It made Freddie’s heart ache with tenderness. She’d never seen Jem look so utterly joyful. 

Millie winked at Freddie and Freddie laughed as the couple disappeared out the door. The two of them would be back later, probably, but they would get their privacy now while everyone else was still at the club.

“Good on them,” Millie said to Freddie as they headed back to the table, arm in arm. “They’re getting more than I am, that’s for sure.”

“And me,” Freddie said with a giggle.

Millie nudged her with a roll of her eyes. “Won’t be long, Fred, and you know it.” When Freddie glanced at her she was inclining her head in the direction they were going and Freddie followed the gesture. 

There was Rosie, eyes on her. And there was no mistaking it. Bedroom eyes.

Freddie looked back at Millie with a roll of her eyes. “Don’t say anything.”

“I’m not.”

“Your face is saying everything.”

“My face always looks like this.”

Freddie scoffed but dropped it as they arrived back at the table. 

There was a fresh lemonade waiting for Freddie and a fresh beer waiting for Millie.

“You know, I think I like you, Rosie,” Millie said as she sat down and sipped at it.

Freddie leaned over and kissed his cheek in thanks for her drink. “He’s taken, Mils.”

Millie scoffed. “So am I.”

“Then mind your business.”

“You have fun?” Rosie asked, moving some of Freddie’s hair off of her shoulder and smoothing it down her back as she sipped her drink.

“Mh-hm,” Freddie hummed. “So much.”

“I’m a better partner than you, Rosie,” Millie taunted.

“You hear that, twinkle toes?” Milburn, Rosie’s bombardier, said, smirking across the table at him. “She thinks she’s a better dancer than you.”

Freddie sat up straighter. “Twinkle toes?” she echoed, starting to grin.

Rosie’s head fell back as he groaned. “Damn it, Milburn.”

“What?” Freddie asked, looking between the two of them with increasing intrigue. “Is there something I don’t know about?”

“I said no twinkle toes jokes in front of Fred,” Rosie said, tipping his head back down and shooting half-hearted daggers at Milburn.

For his part, Milburn only carried on smirking into his beer.

“Rosie’s an excellent dancer, Fred,” Pappy said from Rosie’s other side. “I’m surprised he ain’t shown you yet.”

Freddie’s eyebrows furrowed. “We dance together all the time.”

“But have you ever seen him dance solo?” Bailey cut in.

Millie was giggling from beside Freddie.

“Show me,” Freddie demanded, turning back to Rosie.

He groaned again. “No.”

“Rosie,” Freddie said, frowning.

“Fred,” he replied, sipping from his beer.

“I want to see.”

“No.”

“Rosie,” Freddie complained once more, dragging out the final syllable. She tried to wrap her arms around his bicep but he pulled it away, smirking down at her.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing.”

She pouted.

“Put on some Artie Shaw and he’ll show you,” Milburn commented, grinning as he watched their exchange. He was clearly thrilled with himself to have put Rosie’s foot in it for him.

Freddie turned to Milburn with her eyes all lit up. “I can make that happen,” she said.

“Once you see it you can never unsee it, Fred,” Pappy warned.

“Oh?” she asked, humouring him. “Will it make me change my mind?” Nothing could make her change her mind, she was just thoroughly enjoying watching Rosie squirm.

“Probably,” Bailey joked.

Rosie was dying a slow, painful death beside her.

“Another time,” Freddie said, finally putting him out of his misery. “For now, let’s dance together.”

Instantly, Rosie pushed his chair back and stood, then offered Freddie his hand to help her stand too. As he led her to the dance floor she snorted out a giggle and he cut his eyes at her. “What now?”

“Just thinking about when you banged your shin earlier -”

Rosie groaned. “Fred.”

She kept on giggling until he kissed her when they were dancing, right there in the middle of the dance floor. And then she was too enchanted to think of anything else.