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shinyrhinestones · 7 months ago

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Youthful Hearts

Part five

Series summary: Readers new around town, and therefore doesnt know the place or people. However, she ends up befriending the most chaotic people she could find.

Billie Joe Armstrong X Fem!Reader. Set in the 90s.

Warnings: mentions of alcohol & drugs.

Here are the other parts

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Things were finally taking off. Things were finally happening in your life at where you had moved to.

You'd be lying if you said that you never worried about being lonely for all of the years you were gonna stay. You really didn't know how long you were gonna stay when you didn't know if you were gonna grow to love living here. But you might. For now you finally had weekend plans. Plans you could look forward to while you also had school.

Something to look forward to when you get off for the weekend. In class you were constantly drifting off in your mind to the gig you'd been invited to. Apparently he had his own band. You wondered what kind of music they play, what instruments do each of them play? What's their band name? Why didn't you even ask that in the moment..? Oh well the weekends gonna be very lively.

You had made sure to look your best, just the way you like it. As you were getting yourself ready, you felt like butterflies were flying around in your belly and normally that would tell you it was because you were nervous. But you could tell it was a little different this time. Exactly what you couldn't actually tell. It was more just a feeling.

Well, hanging out with three foreign boys was quite nervewrecking in its self. Maybe just a little more when the one who invited you, was a somewhat attractive young man. It felt weird.

You had written down the adress Billie gave you, and had yet again to make sure you could find your way there. However, made it and you really hoped that you weren't late nor too early there. You weren't sure if you could keep conversation flowing if you were early. As summer was dying down as August reached its end, you walked through the struggle of the wind constantly throwing your hair around. But you managed and got to finally enter the pub, where no wind was bothering you.

Your eyes scanned the pub but didn't get to get a good look before someone placed their hands on your shoulders with a whisper yell at you:

Boo!

Your jumped and quickly turned around, as you felt your heart skip a beat. You lightly shoved the person without seeing who it was but saw it was the tall man you had seen Billie with the other times. He laughed at you and looked behind him to see that the green haired guy had caught up to him by now. Your eyebrows furrowed as your eyes kept going back and forth. His eyes wrinkled at the sides and his smile was wide. You may have smirked just a bit. The tall one lightly hit the other man on his chest. You stood with your hands in your pockets, really just watching them laugh at your reaction. You shook your head and let out a breath as if you found them just a bit funny but at the same time ridiculous.

"Sorry about them." You heard a voice behind you yet again. You turned your head and saw Billie. His hair shined underneath the lights of the pub, and you found it cute. He had actually been laughing along with the two other boys, and you could also see it on his face that he had found it funny.

You rolled your eyes, still with a smirk on your face. "Yeah yeah it's alright." You shrugged. He let out another short laugh, that rang through your ears. You had just arrived and yet the laughter was already taking off. "Oh right, I'm Mike." The tallest one said as his laughter started dying down. He pointed to the man beside him and talked yet again. "And this is Tre Cool." Now you weren't gonna lie, that name caught you off guard. You must admit it is kinda bizarre. But finally their faces had a name too.

"Hi. Uh, I'm Y/N". It was a little weird considering the fact you didn't know if Billie had said much about you. But you felt introducing yourself to them only made sense. "Oh yeah, we know. Hi Y/N". Tre said. This might've been the first time you heard him actually speak rather than just laugh. His voice was so loose and almost childish. It was a funky voice. Explaining it is weird. Your eyebrows raised just a bit, and you looked back at Billie who was standing next to you. He looked at you with a crooked smile.

You found it kinda funny how you didn't know their names, yet they knew yours. Well, you know their names now. But it took a good minute. "Oh okay, well thats only good now I guess." You let your eyebrows fall down back into its relaxed state and you shrugged. "Yeah, Billie's been snitching." Again Tre opened his mouth. You laughed, 'cause his sentence didn't make sense. Snitch? Is it even possible to snitch on someones name?

You shook your head and rested some weight on one hip. You were getting a little tired of standing in place. Mike reacted similar to you. "You idiot." He laughed shortly and tapped him again. "Just say he's mentioned her." He then said, and was looking at Tre only. Tre put his arms up in defense and raised his eyebrows. "Hey go easy." While they were talking you noticed all the commotion around. It was quite late and therefore the pub had gotten quite a handful of guests. A lot of chatter and clinking could be heard loud and clear, all around you.

You sighed deeply and looked back over at Billie, who was looking at the stage behind you. You turned your head over your shoulder to get a glimpse of the scene aswell. It wasn't all that big, but it was enough for three people you thought. Some equipment was already set up, and you wondered if it was even ready yet. You looked back at Billie, and he was gazing at you. You were caught off guard and felt your face heat up. "What's up?" He let out casually.

"Uhm.." You really didn't know what to respond. You weren't all that good at talking to new people, and especially not boys. Mainly because you weren't that used to being around them all that much. Most of your best friends had been girls. You looked off to the side of the ceiling, to see if you could maybe fish something up from the corners of your mind.

"What do you mean?" There were plenty of better things you could've said. And somehow thats what you ended up saying. Your looked at him confused, but you were more confused at yourself than him.

His smile was small, almost invinsible. Your fingers were figdeting with each other, as you stood before him. "The stage. We're playing there tonight in like thirty minutes." He diverted the conversation just a bit. You nodded. "You nervous?" He rubbed the back of his neck as you asked him. "Just a bit. We've got our ways to calm the nerves before shows though." He shrugged and let his arm fall down to his side again. You nodded and looked over at the other two guys. They were half in their own talk and half listening to you and Billie's. They looked at you both a little weird. Like an unsure look in their eyes.

"Billie, maybe we should go get the rest done? The equipment." Mike chimed in and now he was rubbing the base of his neck, like he was nervous or worried. You adverted your gaze between the young men and felt off. Maybe you shouldn't have went.

But then again you were quick to turn on the flip side instead of letting go, and give more chances.

Billie nodded, and the three young men left after telling you their gig started soon. You decided to go over by the bar and sit. You hadn't really prepared yourself for this moment. For sitting by the bar all to yourself, 'cause you either came early or Billie had made you arrive early. You sat down and rested both elbows on the wooden counter. Your left hand going up to touch your foreheard and rub gently.

Your fingertips slowly moving along your warm skin, as you closed your eyes for a second. "You good?" A new voice sounded infront of you. You look up with wide eyes at first. "Yeah." You reply as you let your hand fall down again. The bartenders smile widened as he saw your actual face after you moved your hand out of the way. "Good. You looked stressed for a minute there." He was so chill but somehow energetic, and perhaps you had to be when you worked around mostly drunken people. "No, it's alright." You shrugged and he left to take care of some orders. It made you realize how you probably should relax a bit and try to have fun again.

While the wait you had gotten a soda for yourself, and inbetween chatted with the bartender. He had noticed how every now and then you would let your eyes scan the stage. "Yeah, a bands playing tonight." He mentioned and his arms were resting on the counter. He was leaning his arms up against the counter flashing a long and big tatto on his left arm. You had to admit it was kinda cool.

"Yeah." You curtly said. You bit your bottomlip, and wrapped your hands around your bottle. He observed you, like he was trying to read you. Maybe he could tell you weren't in a totally good mood, like you wished you were. You couldn't exactly point out why, but it was probably when Mike started to act concerned that you started to feel weird.

"They're called Green Day. Some punk band I think."

He just answered a bunch of questions you have had in mind since Billie Joe invited you here. You don't know why you didn't ask him earlier. Or why he didn't tell you. Maybe he was busy.

"Oh really?" You finally cracked a smile again. That's when you noticed the bartenders eyes light up. "Yes. I hope they're good." He smiled. You took a sip of your bottle and right as he said that you smiled and giggled after sinking. "Yeah, I hope they're good too." Your eyes must've been sparkling again.

The young looking bartender had to dissapear as more customers came rolling in. The lights dimmed and you looked up at the stage, as all the boys were ready, and started introducing themselves.

You smiled lightly at them. You loved how intimate the free concert felt. How close the music was to you, and how you feel it under the chair you were sitting on. Even if you didn't much about punk or the music genre you truly did enjoy their perfomance and music. And you don't think you were the only one.

Multiple people were swaying along, bobbing their heads or really focused on their performance. Watching and smiling. You noticed how you were tapping your foot atleast. All three of the boys seemed to really get lost in their music on stage, and it was quite cute.

You were met by the three boys down by the bar a few minutes after their gig. Billie did keep his promise, and got you a drink. You weren't gonna say no to free drinks, and you hoped that Billie had clean intentions. Why would he wait until the second time meeting you to try and connect with you, if he was purposelly trying to hurt you? However, that doesn't automatically mean that he couldn't have bad intentions. It was confusing and you knew you couldn't trust any of them just yet. But they were funny. They cracked jokes all the time, and bickered half of the time too. It was entertaining you must admit. "So you're Green Day?" You asked with a crooked smile and a glimmer in your eyes.

The bots chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, that's us." Billie pinched the edge of his nose before taking a sip of his own drink. "Care to explain the name?" You giggled. The alcohol might've done that to you. Their name was a colour next to the day. That was a little silly, but not that you hated it.

Mike's eyes looked panicked. He was switching his stare between you and Billie somewhat fast. You watched him carefully, and then looked back at Billie. He was staring at his drink with an unreadable smile. Tre opened his mouth after sipping the rest of his drink. "It's weed." His tone was always direct and a little loud, and it shocked you how he said it so playfully yet carelessly. You froze for a second before a small breathy laugh escaped your lungs. You sat up straight, not sure how to handle the information. You didn't do drugs for good reasons. And you didn't hang out with people who did drugs anyways, because you just never seemed to be in that kind of enviroment. You also didn't know how much you'd wanted to be around people who you couldn't count on because of the effects of drugs.

And how most people do it to escape reality. What reality were they escaping from? Maybe none. You didn't know, you'd technically just met them.

"Oh." Was all you let out as you just stared numb infront of you, at your drink. Billie was looking at you, you could feel it, but you didn't look back at him. You wanted to avoid his gaze at all cost.

You were afraid to mess something up, more than you maybe already did. Which is funny cause in a way you didn't want to be around people who did drugs, but at the same time you found them funny. Ugh. Why did it have to be so weird?

And what other drugs could they be taking? You stood up and looked at Billie for once. "Yeah, I'll see you around. I have work tommorow, so I should probably get going." You explained as chilly as you could, and pointed with your thumb to the door, as you grabbed your summer coat. Looking at Billie felt a little strange. The emotion on his face wasn't all too clear. He looked weirded out yet nonchalant.

However, the two other men were see through. Tre looked completely careless and calm. Wasn't that surprising now, was it? Mike however looked shocked. Worried and at unease. You smiled weakly at them before heading towards the exit. You pushed the door open and turned right. But before you could go straight ahead down the path, a voice called out.

You recognized it and turned around. Billie must've lit up a cigarette inside the pub before something made him follow you out. He exhaled some smoke as he walked up to you. His eyes were a little hooded and you could still see those bags under his eyes, while you both were standing by a lamp post.

"Are you okay?" Perhaps, Billie found it just as difficult to read you, as you struggled to read him inside. You were basically hugging yourself as you shuffled your weight on your feet. You let out some air, and let your muscles make you smile. It was half fake, and half real. You found it sweet that he had followed just to see if you were okay. You nodded softly. "Yeah, I'm alright. I'm just tired and I have work tommorow." You actually didn't. The school library is closed on weekends but you didn't know what else to say. He tilted his head as he took another drag of his cigarette, while you were talking.

He looked around at the cars by the pub before looking back at you. "You're walking home?" He furrowed his eyebrows. "Yes. When you're studying there's not a lot of money for a car." You let out a breathy laugh. You couldn't lie and say that you weren't interested in him. If you didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore, you would've kept your response short and vague. But you didn't.

He cracked a smile and nodded as he looked briefly down at the ground. "Yeah, that's very true." He looked back up at you again and his eyes were squinting slightly. You figured it was because the sharp light from the lamppost right next to you both.

"It's dark, are you gonna be alright?" You knew it was dangerous to walk home alone in the dark. It was also dangerous during the day, but the risk was worse at night. You swayed slightly and ended up shrugging. "I don't know. I don't live to far from here." You almost whispered, becoming really tired.

"I'll walk you, if you don't mind?" He lifted an eyebrow and you moved your mouth muscles to the side, as you thought about it for a while. You kinda did want him to but you also didn't know him that well, and you don't know how safe you felt with it.

You shook your head. "I think I'm good, Billie. But thanks." You said. He nodded and bend his head down again, staring into the ground. "That's alright. Give me a ring sometime." His voice was a mix of carefullness and at the same time a little playful. He waved at you and headed towards the pub again, and you stood and stared until he was out of sight. You stood and swayed, and looked down onto the pavement, lost in your thoughts once again. You didn't know what to do now. What to think. How to feel.

You just wanted to go home.

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A/N: Uhm okay not that wild but its something...share your thoughts and I'll be working on the next chapter. Also sorry if some of this doesnt make sense its 3 am rn...Bye bye !

#green day #billie joe green day #billie joe armstrong #mike dirnt #tre cool #punk #fic #fics #fanfiction #fanfic

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slayerdurge · 6 months ago

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Tag Game: Top 10 Albums

I love tag games, but I'm always hesitant to start my own. (Which doesn't really make sense, 'cause, I mean, they gotta start somewhere, right? 😂) So I decided to start one!

Anyway, I've seen a ton of these going around about music, and I was thinking, we've all got our favorite songs, but it's a rare and beautiful thing to find an entire album where you can vibe with every (or almost every) track. With that in mind...

Rules: List your top 10 favorite albums, and (if you want) include a brief description for why each one made it onto the list. Then, tag 10 (or however many you want, really) others to do the same.

Tagging: @merge-conflict, @fereldanwench, @halliserres, @milkywayes, @illusivesoul, @ghostoffuturespast, @luvwich, @kirschewine, @mirandaputsherbestbuttforward, and @andrewknightley.

My 10 Ten Albums

#1 Coral Fang (2003) - The Distillers

Reasons: Every few years, I rediscover this album and remember that it's my favorite album of all time. Brody Dalle's voice is harsh, deep, raspy, melodious, and emotional. The instrumentals are high octane and immersive. This album is a beating heart to me. It's feral.

#2 Fantastic Planet (1996) - Failure

Reasons: Failure's my favorite band of all time. My favorite album from them is Fantastic Planet. It's industrial, grunge, and shoegaze all in one package. With a sci-fi theme to boot, and a otherworldly soundscape. This band is extremely underrated. They really should be up there with the other greats of the 90s.

#3 Bleed Out (2022) - The Mountain Goats

Reasons: I think this is the newest album on my list, which is kinda funny. John Darnielle is my favorite songwriter of all time. His lyrics are deeply wonderful and quirky and disturbing. It's hard to pick a favorite album by The Mountain Goats, but the dark, violent, and insightful film noir theme of this one really does it for me.

#4 Light Me Up (2010) - The Pretty Reckless

Reasons: I haven't listened to this one in a bit, but it's mostly just because I've heard it about a billion times since I was 15. It's an iconic part of my teenage years. Taylor Momsen is literally my favorite vocalist of all time. Her voice never fails to impress me.

#5 With Teeth (2005) - Nine Inch Nails

Reason: It was hard to pick my preferred NIN album because I've never heard a song by them that didn't instantly rewire my brain and become my new favorite song. Actually, it was a toss up between this and Year Zero. If you asked me a different day, I might pick Year Zero. But I think this one has more songs that are top NIN songs for me. It's nearly a toss up though.

#6 Live it Out (2005) - Metric

Reasons: This is one of Metric's older albums, back when they had a more garage rock sound, although they still went pretty heavy on the electronic elements and they had the same dystopian sci-fi themes they do today. I prefer it to their newer stuff mostly just because of the heavier sound.

#7 Live (Secrets of the Lost Satellite Tour, Spring 2007) - Ken Andrews

Reasons: Ken Andrews is the lead singer of Failure, my favorite band. This does have some of the same songs that are on Fantastic Planet, but it also has some of Ken's solo work. It's a very atmospheric and dreamy album, and the fact that it's live and you can hear the crowd sometimes and the way he talks to them adds to that.

#8 So You've Ruined Your Life (2003) - Get Set Go

Reasons: This is Get Set Go's first album, and it's always been my favorite, even though I love Mike's newer stuff too. He's not as pop punk as he used to be, which is why I prefer it, but his outrageous and obscene lyrics are exactly what they used to be. This is the same guy who wrote a song about wanting to have sex with dinosaurs. A very explicit song about wanting to have sex with dinosaurs. He's ridiculous.

#9 Brand New Eyes (2009) - Paramore

Reasons: Some people would probably say I'm a fake Paramore fan, because I don't really care for any of their new stuff. It's not bad or anything, it just doesn't appeal to me on the same level that their first three albums do. I do love Riot! for its extreme energy and emotional highs of anger and joy, but Brand New Eyes is better for me thematically. I love the lyrics about growth and change and independence.

#10 xx (2009) - the xx

Reasons: I don't think I've ever heard duets better than what Romy and Oliver can do. The way the lyrics overlap, the way they finish each other's words. They do things with the concept of a duet that other groups just don't. The soundscape is very lowkey and chill and almost kinda highbrow in a weird way. Like, I feel like this is the kind of music that professional musicians list as their favorite music, if that makes sense.

#spotify #tag games #music #hope you all enjoy this if you decide to participate!#no pressure to anyone tagged ofc

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ourshadowstallerthanoursoul · 1 year ago

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An audience with... John Paul Jones

(from Uncut, April 2010 - link)

You’re stuck on a deserted island, you have one instrument you can bring. It is: a) piano, b) bass or c) mandolin? (Gary Attersley, Ontario, Canada)

Oh… that’s horrible! I’ll probably get Hugh Manson – the guy who builds all my bass guitars – to build me some monstrous instrument that encapsulated all three! Hugh and his brother Andy Manson once actually designed me a triple-necked guitar with 12-string guitar, six-string guitar and mandolin on it! Andy also designed a triple-necked mandolin. But I guess if it really came down to it on a desert island, it would have to be the piano, because you can do so much on it. You’re a whole band. The bass is not much fun on your own.

John, it’s so good to see you so engaged with today. Any advice for old farts who can’t move on? (Andrew Loog Oldham)

Who are you calling an old fart? I dunno, Andy, you tell me! Ha ha. He’s done a good job of staying up to date. Andrew, of course, gave me the name John Paul Jones. I was John Baldwin, until Andrew saw a poster for the French film version of John Paul Jones. I thought it ’d look great in CinemaScope, as I wanted to do music for films. I imagined it saying “Music By John Paul Jones”, over the whole screen. I never realised then that he was the Horatio Nelson of America!

I know that you’ve been getting heavily into bluegrass lately – who are some of your favourite bluegrass artists of all time? (Ryan Godek, Wilmington, Delaware)

Apart from Bill Monroe, you mean? Oh, there’s loads. I’m friends with the Del McCoury band, I love that style of classic bluegrass. I love Sam Bush’s Newgrass stuff. And of course there’s Nickel Creek, Chris Feely, Mike Marshall. I love it all, really. One thing I like about bluegrass is that you don’t require amplifiers, drums and trucks. You can pull an instrument out of a box and get on with some instant music making. I carry a mandolin around wherever I go. I also like the fact bluegrass musicians play more than one instrument. There’s a tradition of them swapping instruments. In bluegrass bands I swap between double bass, fiddle and banjo.

One Butthole Surfers anecdote, please? (Dave Grohl)

Ha! I was brought in to produce the Butthole Surfers’ 1993 album, Independent Worm Saloon. I guess it was to give it a heavy rock vibe, but it didn’t work like that. They were actually incredibly hard-working in the studio, but I do recall running up a phenomenal bar-bill at the San Rafael studio. And then there was Gibby [Haynes, Butthole Surfers’ frontman] and his… eccentric studio behaviour. Gibby did one vocal take shouting into his guitar. He held it out in front of his face and screamed at it. Ha! He was trying to find out if it picked up through the pick-ups, which it kind of did. And that was pretty good.

How’s the violin coming along? (Sean, Berkshire)

I started about three years ago. With the guitar, or the piano, you can sound OK quite quickly. With the violin, it takes much longer. Once you get past the first six months of scraping, of muttering to yourself, “What is this fucking horrible noise on my shoulder?” you get the odd musical bit, and you think, ‘Oh, this is starting to get good.’ And you continue with it for a while. I’m getting into country fiddle playing, Celtic folk songs, a bit of swing. Basic stuff, but very satisfying.

Why not record a second ‘Automatic For The People’ with REM? (Franz Greul, Austria)

They haven’t asked me! But doing the string arrangements for that album was a great experience, actually. They sent me the demos of their songs, and we went into a studio in Atlanta, with members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. They were great songs, something you can really get your teeth into as an arranger. And I’ve been good friends with them ever since.

How did you first meet Josh Homme? And is he still a notorious party monster? (Rob Hirst, Kippax, Leeds)

Well, I think we’ve all calmed down rather a lot. Dave introduced me to Josh at his 40th birthday party. It was a ridiculous themed place where they have jousting with knights. As Dave said, it was like somewhere you’d have your 14th birthday party. Or maybe even your 4th. Anyway, Dave sat Josh and I together for a blind date. Which was reasonably embarrassing for both of us, surrounded by people going “prithee this” and challenging each other to duels. But we survived the trauma and went into the studio the next day, and just started jamming. And I knew immediately it was going to be something special.

If Them Crooked Vultures had Spice Girls-like nicknames what would they be? (Paul Jones, Liverpool)

Dave would be Smiley Vulture. He can’t stop grinning. Josh would be Slinky Vulture. He’s a slinky kinda guy. And I’d be Speedy, I guess. Or Jumpy. So there you go. Smiley, Slinky and Speedy. Or does that sound more like the dwarfs?

I remember you being a pretty funky bass genius back in the day! What memories do you have of those sessions? (Donovan)

The sessions with Don and Mickie Most were great, because we were given a free hand. I usually got leeway, because I was the sort of Motown/Stax specialist, so producers in the mid ’60s would get me in for cover versions of American records, and none of them could write bass parts convincingly enough, so I was London’s answer to James Jamerson, I guess! And I was certainly encouraged to get kinda… funky when I worked with Donovan.

How did it feel to see Jimmy Page and Robert Plant venture off in their own project in the ‘90s without mentioning a word of it to you? (Danny Luscombe, Hull)

Oh yeah, I was pissed off about it. The surprise was in not being told. It’s ancient history now, but it was a bit annoying to find out about it while reading the papers. It came just after Robert and I had been discussing the idea of doing an Unplugged project. Then I’m on tour in Germany with Diamanda Galás, I turn on the TV and see Robert and Jimmy doing it, with someone else playing all my parts! I was pissed off at the time. You would be, woudn’t you? But… it’s all in the past, isn’t it?

Did you listen to much work by Josh Homme or Dave Grohl before you were contacted in relation to joining Them Crooked Vultures, and if so, how did you honestly rate it? (Ralph Ryan, Lisronagh, County Tipperary)

I did like the Foo Fighters and Queens Of The Stone Age, before I’d met either of them. There’s a tendency for people – especially musicians from my generation – to say that there has been this terrible decline in musicianship, that today’s bands haven’t got the chops, blah blah blah. But that’s not true at all. There’s always some people for whom technique on an instrument isn’t necessary. They can get their ideas across without being able to have the chops. But Josh really does have the chops, he just doesn’t feel the need to flash them about all the time. In fact, there were a few riffs he gave me that I had to simplify, because they were bloody difficult to play. I really had to work at it, where he could just flick it off. He is an astonishing musician.

Were you serious when you told Peter Grant that you wanted to jack it in to become choirmaster at Winchester Cathedral? (Brian Fisher, Manchester)

Ha! That was a tongue-in-cheek joke, although I was serious about leaving Led Zeppelin in 1973 unless things changed. But Peter did sort things out pretty quickly. What kind of choirmaster would I have made? A bloody good one! Listen, any way that they’ll pay you for making music is just the best situation in the world. I’d do it for nothing. I don’t care what music it is. I just love it all. The rubbing of notes together. I love it all. I would be very passionate about whatever I decided to do.

What was the worst session you ever did as a jobbing session player? (Adam Burns, Castleford, West Yorkshire)

I generally have fun memories of that time. I’d criss-cross London playing two or three sessions a day, going between Trident and Olympic and Abbey Road and Philips in Marble Arch, you know. You’d be backing Shirley Bassey, Cat Stevens, Lulu, whoever was paying you. The worst experience was a Muzak session. With Muzak sessions, the music was deliberately boring. I distinctly remember one session where I embellished the bass part a little bit, just so that it wasn’t so boring for me to play. They said, “No, you can’t do that. Any interest in the music will distract people’s attention from when they’re meant to be eating.” Or standing in a fucking lift. For fuck’s sake! So I was like, “OK, thanks, bye!”

#john paul jones #jonesy #led zeppelin #robert plant #planty #jimmy page #pagey #john bonham #bonzo #60s #70s #70s rock #70s music #rock music #ourshadowstallerthanoursoul

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wheelercore · 2 years ago

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Was there ever confirmation that Dream A Little Dream of Me was Victor's favorite song? It has a personal meaning to Victor after the Creel murders, because it is what the "angel" used to lure Victor out of his vision, but I don't believe it was ever hinted that it was an important song to him beforehand. Which I just find to be interesting. Especially considering the fact that the song was not playing in the scene when victor woke up, meaning that this "angel" had intentionally played this song specifically. And frankly, its referenced too many times for it just to be a random song.

Which,,, the pianos, all the pianos. Pianos seem in important, idk.

The piano in the Wheeler home. Still unknown who's it is but it was played at some point in s1 so I imagine it isn't just there to be there.

Piano in the Creel attic (doesn't seem to belong to the Creels) and I also believe down in the living quarters.

When music is introduced as a method of healing the mind, in the background the only instrument we see currently being played is the piano and it plays over the whole scene. There is also a guitar which...

There is a guitar in Mike's room. A guitar and a piano in the wheeler home, and again, the only two instruments clear as day in the Penthurst listening room.

And just. If I had a nickel for every time Mike and Ted were paralleled to each other in s4 I'd have... a lot of nickels actually. So I wouldn't be surprised if that was Ted's piano, I mean they have shared serial killer references in s4 for fucks sake.

Funnily enough, the one think that makes me certain that it is an intentional Mike references is just the sheer amount of music references about yearning and pining for someone far away emotionally and/or physically (Will): Red Sails in the Sunset & I'll See You In My Dreams (1924) & Dream A Little Dream of Me & Moonlight Serenade.

Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams isn't necessarily a romantic song, but it does follow the same theme of hoping for the best despite the darkness/sadness that encroaches. Which is a bit interesting if you recall Alice calling the Creel home a "dream" and a "fairytale".

Dream= love, optimism, and light. Nightmare= darkness, pessimism, and trauma.

Very interesting that these two instruments are featured in this scene when Dr. Hatch discusses how music can actually help those who have a "broken" mind (Dr. Hatches way of referring to his patients, which is... uh), particularly if the song has a personal meaning to the person. Definitely adds onto the whole discussion on Mike's mental health but also we don't know if Dream a Little Dream of Me was a song that had personal value for Victor, and it seems like a far too important song for it just to be one and done like that.

However... a song, particularly a duet song like Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong's Dream a Little Dream of Me, might have personal value to two musicians. Maybe two musicians who were 14 years old only 2 years after the song came out (1950/1952)... a singer (Betty) and a pianist. Two musicians who bonded over feeling being "different".

And of course, the play in a play, The Dark of The Moon being about a witchboy who falls in love with a girl, wishes to be 'human' as a result, and ends up losing her after a particularly gruesome witch hunt by the religious town (which the witch hunt part of that is basically s4).

#my george!ted propaganda i know i'm right. I Am Right.#anyways ship georgebetty they mean the world to me. i know i said george is gay but he can be bisexual. as a treat.#they already mean the world 2 me betty u are so so so doomed by the narrative #TED WAKE UP. WHAT HAPPENED TO BETTY TED. HEY.#mike wheeler #ted wheeler #victor creel

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popentertainmentconcertreviews · 1 year ago

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Christopher Cross & Justin Hayward – Keswick Theatre – Glenside, PA – July 10, 2024

It seems almost a slightly weird lineup to put Christopher Cross and Justin Hayward on the same bill. However, this is the second straight year that the two have played the Keswick together, so something must be working right.

Cross is the early 1980s superstar whose debut self-titled album was a cultural phenomenon. Christopher Cross featured four top-40 hits: “Ride Like the Wind,” “Sailing,” “Never Be the Same,” and “Say You’ll Be Mine.” It also won Cross six Grammys, including “Song of The Year,” “Record of the Year” and “Best New Artist.” Cross followed up that album with quite possibly his biggest hit, the movie soundtrack song “Arthur’s Theme (The Best That You Can Do).” By the time his second album Another Page was released in 1983, he still had three top 40 hits: “All Right,” “No Time For Talk” and “Think of Laura.” However, the album sales were disappointing, and the writing was on the wall – he would never have another top 40 hit. Still, over the years he has been a popular touring artist, getting even more so in recent years.

Unlike the quick but explosive career of Cross, Justin Hayward was much more of a slow and steady win the day type of career. Hayward was the lead vocalist for The Moody Blues – an early prog rock band from the 1960s who ratcheted up the rock in the 1970s and eventually polished up their pop sound by the 1980s. Hayward joined the band for their second album, and sang on multiple hit singles from 1968 to 1988 – including “Nights In White Satin,” “Tuesday Afternoon,” “I’m Just A Singer in a Rock and Roll Band,” “Question,” “Gemini Dream,” “The Voice,” “Your Wildest Dreams” and “I Know You’re Out There Somewhere.”

Both very good, important musical careers, but somewhat different musically. Still, they worked surprisingly well together.

The opening act for the show was guitarist Mike Dawes, a unique player who showed how he could make an acoustic guitar sound like all sorts of other instruments, including a bass and a drum. Dawes did three technically proficient instrumental tunes, an eclectic original called “Boogie Shred,” and then tasteful covers of Van Halen’s “Jump,” and Gotye’s “Someone That I Used To Know.”

As Dawes started into his fourth tune, you couldn’t help but notice how much it sounded like The Moody Blues’ “Tuesday Afternoon.” Dawes continued playing as, without a pause, Justin Hayward’s band joined him, sliding seamlessly into the show’s second act with no delay. First up was former Moody Blues’ keyboardist Julie Ragins (she was with the touring band for the last 12 years that they toured from 2006 to 2018), who nailed the song’s distinctive piano line. Then multi-instrumentalist Karmen Gould (she mostly played flutes, recorders, woodwinds and tambourine) joined the song. Then, finally Hayward stepped in the slide zone and to the mike to recapture the angelic vocals that he had originally laid down about 56 years earlier.

In general, Hayward’s performances tend to be more acoustically based than his old days with the Moodies, although a few times Dawes pulled out an electric guitar to accompany some songs. Therefore, old standbys like “The Voice” and “Forever Autumn” (a Hayward solo track from the 1970s favorite Jeff Wayne rock opera War of the Worlds) lose a lot of the expansive majesty of the original studio versions, but at the same time they do gain a bit of intimacy.

Hayward dipped liberally into both his old band’s songbook and his own solo work. In fact, at one point he did a five-song medley of obscurities that even Hayward acknowledged was a strange grouping of songs, but one that he has used for years for practice that at some point he decided to just add to the setlist.

Of course, people were there for the hits, and they came out in strength as Hayward stormed towards the encore. First, he did a wistful version of his last truly huge Moody Blue’s hit – the melancholic 1986 pop love song “Your Wildest Dreams,” which still had a sweet innocence and propulsive catchiness. Then came arguably the wildest performance of night, a rambling and passionate take on the old classic “Question,” a song full of dramatic tempo changes, false endings and some truly shredding guitar.

Then Hayward slowed down for the band’s best-known standard, the majestic psychedelic classic “Nights in White Satin,” which still sounds undeniably gorgeous all these years later.

As his set started, Christopher Cross hit the stage with two of his bigger hits – although ones that may not have stood the test of time quite as well as his three or four standards. First off was the poptastic “All Right,” which still skips along spritely over forty years on from its chart run. And then, doubling down on the pop vibes, he and his band stormed through what is quite possibly my favorite song of Cross’ career, “Never Be the Same,” which is truly gorgeous and deceptively happy sounding with some really sad breakup lyrics.

Travelling with a pretty huge band (nine players including backing vocalists) there was some spectacular musicianship here. Particularly impressive were the jazzy keyboardist Jerry Leonide and saxophonist Andy Suzuki, who both stunned in their spotlight moments. However, everyone in the group sounded tight, including drummer Francis Arnaud, bassist Kevin Reveyrand, and backing vocalists Jewelee Peters, Lisbet Guidback, Julia Sarr and Stephcynie.

Not surprisingly, Cross did a wide cross-section of songs from his classic 1980 debut album, and not just the multiple hits the album spawned. (In fact, he didn’t play the fourth hit single from that album, “Say You’ll Be Mine.”) For example, the sweet and melancholy “I Really Don’t Know Anymore” still feels wonderfully yearning and pained. The sweet and just slightly salty “Minstrel Gigolo” and “The Light is On” also still feel like they would have also been hits in a more just world.

Of course, Cross had more than his share of hits in his heyday. About five songs in he did his all-time classic “Sailing,” which is a sweet and near-perfect view of living with nature. (Sadly, “Sailing” is probably as inadvertently responsible as any song for birthing the obnoxious and patronizing term “yacht rock” into public discourse.)

Two songs later, Cross pulled out his classic movie theme, “Arthur’s Theme (The Best That You Can Do),” which he dedicated to his recently passed old friend and collaborator Burt Bacharach. “Arthur’s Theme” is still a truly gorgeous song (although people still are trying to decode the line “When you get caught between the moon and New York City”) and it sounded grand here, particularly because of Suzuki’s stunning sax solo.

Cross closed things out with his two other biggest hits, the wondrous rock theatrics of “Ride Like the Wind” and then finished with his softly anguished tribute to a friend who had died, “Think of Laura.”

After seeing these two artists in the new millennium, maybe the whole idea of “Never Be the Same” will have to be reexamined.

Jay S. Jacobs

#Christopher Cross #Justin Hayward #2024 #Concert Reviews #Keswick Theatre #Glenside #Jay S. Jacobs #George Seth Wagner

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thebandcampdiaries · 2 years ago

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MXPX - Find A Way Home

Punk bands always find themselves in a rather awkward spot when they drop a new album. Inevitably, the fan base will be split in two sides. Those who want the band to keep dishing songs in the style they’re most known for, and those who want the group to embrace something different.

“Find A Way Home,” the latest studio effort by Washington state darlings MXPX, shows that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel in order to bring character and freshness to new music. The 13 songs on the record tap into the band’s roots, while also taking new twists and turns. The opener, “Not Today” kicks off with a fast tempo and lyrics about personal growth and being Ok with one’s past mistakes. There’s room for more melody on “This Is What You Told Me,” a track that feels like a roller coaster with some amazing staccato parts in the verses, and an energetic chorus.

“What I Tell Myself” follows along the same lines, bringing a swung feel to the groove and some classic Pop-Punk guitar riffs that wouldn’t be out of place on an early Blink-182 record. “Cautious Optimistic” lets the album breath with a mid-tempo vibe, before leading into the fast number “Excuse My French.” The song offers some whimsical lyrics and a tempo that is reminiscent of something NOFX could have pulled off on an album like Heavy Petting Zoo.

The song “Stay Up All Night” combines arpeggiated guitars with roomy drums and personal lyrics from Mike Herrera. This is a catchy, fun song, that’s a perfect prelude to “Ready To Rage.” As the title might imply, this is one of the fastest songs on the album, a throwback to “Panic” era MXPX, and a nod to the band’s love of Bad Religions. “Undone” keeps up the tempo with a fast skate-punk beat and a very melodic guitar arrangement to matches Mike’s vocals.

“Call Me” is a bit Green Day-flavored: the track is just a fun banger that’s meant to make you jump and sing along!

“Mountains To Climb” has a staccato intro that is reminiscent of bands like Lagwagon, while retaining MXPX’s unique stamp. “Sunrise” brings a airy, positive spin to songwriting, and it showcases incursions into something different: an instrumental was quite unexpected at this point on the album!

“When We Broke Through” is a nostalgic Pop-Punk anthem that feels like a celebration of the band’s legacy. Last, but not least, “Mistakes Will Be Made” brings an effect-laden guitar to the forefront, before diving into a fast and relentless punk song. The lyrics sum up the album to perfection: MXPX is a band that’s found its identity, but is not resting on its laurels. In fact, the Bremerton group continues to connect with people with songs that speak to their lives and experiences.

Check out our playlist for more music tips:

#mxpx #find a way home #pop-punk #new music #Spotify

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poguesofthebau · 2 years ago

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microscope

summary: steve wants nothing more than to ask you out. however, constantly being under the eyes of nancy, robin, dustin, and the rest of the kids makes it nearly impossible for him. read part two here :)

word count: 6.8k pairing: steve harrington x fem!henderson!reader

"you know, i've been hearing a lot of boo-hooing from you. you, steve harrington, who has the perfect solution to all your problems right in front of your face."

steve scoffed, rolling his eyes at his friend as he tossed a stack of returned films into a bin behind the counter. he internally grimaced as he thought about the fact that he'd be emptying that same bin back onto the shelves tomorrow morning, likely whilst having that same conversation with robin, both more or less against his will. "don't start with this again, robin."

"i'm not the one who started it! you did, with your gushy, lovey-dovey, pining, bedroom eyes every time you look at y/n!" her hands flailed around her as she spoke, dramatizing her words in that way only robin could. "seriously, i don't know how she hasn't caught on yet. because, of course that's not the only way you make your feelings totally obvious. every time you see her-- whenever your lives aren't in immediate danger, i mean-- she's the only person in the room you actually outwardly enjoy speaking to. you randomly bring her up in every other conversation. you call her sweetheart without even thinking about it. and don't think i don't realize that half the time you're at dustin's house it's for her. not to mention you haven't gone on a date in months, and not because you can't get one! it's like--" robin scoffed, a mixture of realization, amusement, and astonishment-- "it's like you've found the girl you've been looking for, but you're too chicken to actually ask her out!"

"first of all, the sweetheart thing? yeah-- that was one, maybe two times. second of all, there are only so many girls in hawkins. how do you know there's not a deficit of girls nearby that i haven't already dated?" robin tried to interject, knowing that his second reason was total bullshit, but steve raised his voice as he continued, preventing her from speaking. "anddd third of all! the rest of that can all be justified by the fact that y/n is my friend!"

"friend schmend. the two of you are going to end up together, i can feel it. mark my words, harrington!"

"i'll mark them if you stop repeating them," steve grumbled, returning to the task at hand as robin hummed in satisfaction.

"so there's really nothing going on? like... nothing, nothing?"

steve's day was becoming a miserable cycle. first it was robin. now it was nancy. he was beginning to consider going home and hiding from his remaining obligations for the day, but lucas was starting five in the basketball game that night, so he really had no choice. so there he was in the hawkins high gym, grimacing as his ex grilled him about the girl he was in love with. moreover, steve had thought he was secretly in love. apparently he hadn't been doing too great a job of keeping things under wraps. so not only was he going to have to spend another night with all of his friends pretending he wasn't in love with you, but he also had to listen to them as they threw it in his face that he was.

so, yes, steve was miserable.

"nothing is going on, nancy," steve stated flatly, eyes scanning the area near the entrance. he knew that if you showed up, she would quit it (nancy was one of the few of the bunch who at least halted her interrogations when you were around to potentially overhear). robin was a section over in the gym bleachers, clad in her band uniform and gripping her instrument, too focused on vickie's presence beside her to notice steve and nancy sitting so close-by. although he was currently missing the constant subject changes throughout conversations with robin, he was glad she was too distracted to join nancy in harassing him. mike was standing on the sidelines with lucas while he stretched, the boys laughing at something a grinning lucas had said. the rest of you had yet to arrive. in other words, there was nothing stopping nancy from taking her turn to question him about his nonexistent relationship with you. he was trapped.

he was also saving the seat to his right for you, fully prepared to face the repercussions of that choice if someone realized it too soon. regardless, he was praying you showed up before anyone else so he could avoid having to literally fight over the empty foot of space on the bench. regardless of where you ended up sitting, steve just wanted you there. he wanted to be near you, and to hear you laugh at dustin's silly basketball jokes, and to watch your expression shift from suspenseful to proud any time lucas shot and scored. he knew you'd turn to him and grin for no reason at some point, like you always did. he would be stunned by how effortlessly beautiful you were, but he'd just blush and grin back without a second thought. you'd make him happy in the ways that mattered. he could never be miserable with you there.

"okay, well... do you want something to be going on?"

steve turned to nancy at that, brows ruffling as he eyed her. "what do you mean? nance, have you been talking to robin? because, seriously, she's nuts. like, out of her mind--"

"no, no, no," nancy interrupted. her hair swirled around her head as she shook it, further emphasizing her answer. "i haven't been talking to robin. i've just noticed the two of you spending more time together than usual, and... you would make sense together. i mean, she makes you happy, and you make her happy. it's pretty easy to see that much."

steve paused at that, eyes flickering to the door one more time before carefully selecting his next words. his tone was less harsh this time, having a better understanding now of what nancy had been trying to do. she was encouraging him. "we're just friends, nance. you're right about her making me happy, but we're just friends."

nancy started to respond, offering him some hopeful nonsense about giving it a little bit of time, but steve was no longer paying her any attention. his eyes had finally found what they'd been searching for, and the sound of his heart thudding in his chest suddenly drowned out nancy's voice. you were there, and you looked perfect. your outfit was nothing special, really-- he'd seen you wear the same thing plenty of times before-- but steve still felt a wave of awe wash over him when he caught sight of you, a smile creeping onto his face. you hadn't noticed him yet, your eyes beginning to search the crowd before suddenly turning to look at max, who'd walked into the gym with you. you laughed at something she said, presumably a snide comment about the jocks or the antsy crowd or whatever else max was unimpressed by upon arrival, and steve's breath hitched in his throat at the amused expression on your face. a second later, though, you found him in the crowd. your eyebrows raised when the two of you made eye contact, and your hand reflexively shot up to wave at the shaggy-haired boy. he returned the gesture, abruptly snapping out of his y/n-induced trance. when he glanced back at nancy, she had a smug, knowing look on her face, clearly entertained, but said nothing.

"hey there," you said, dropping into the empty spot that steve had been so ready to fight someone over. mike had parted ways with lucas and joined you and max on your walk to the bleachers, and they seated themselves in front of you as you greeted steve and nancy.

"hey, y/n. how's it going?" his tone was calm and balanced as he spoke to you, concentrating hard on remaining as nonchalant toward you as he would the others. he had to play it cool; nancy was watching.

you let out a puff of air, chuckling a little at the question. "as good as it could go, i guess. dustin's feeling particularly unruly today, so it's been an interesting afternoon. but little brother can't dish out anything i can't handle, so let there be basketball!"

he smiled at that, a laugh passing his lips as he fell into conversation with you. this was what he'd needed all day. just a simple, uninterrupted five minutes talking to you. "where is the little demon? no way he's missing this game when he told me i had to be here."

"bathroom. he was too busy torturing me with science facts to pee before we left the house to pick max up, and then he was too 'immobilized by the need to urinate' that he couldn't get out of the car and use max's bathroom. i don't think i've ever seen him move as fast as he did getting out of the car after i parked outside-- dusty boy had to go."

"maybe that's his karma," steve suggested, prompting laughter from both of you. "huge ego, tiny bladder."

a few minutes later, dustin was emerging from the hallways. he suspiciously squinted at steve as he walked in, having recently noticed that his best friend had been paying his big sister a lot of attention in the last few weeks. he had tried his hardest to remain calm about the situation, but he was already panicking. what was he supposed to do if steve dated you, somehow fucked it up, and you ended up hating him? how would dustin's relationship with steve fare if he broke your heart?

at the same time, though, he wanted you both to be happy-- or to at least get the chance to be happy. in fact, he would love for you to be happy with each other. two of the people he loved the most in the world ending up together seemed poetic in ways that dustin couldn't find the wording for. the best analogy he could come up with was a comparison to peanut butter and jelly, but he knew that was too cliche to voice. so he didn't mention anything, not you and steve or peanut butter and jelly, and just sat back and watched. some days he watched optimistically. maybe after today they'll realize they're perfect for each other. other days, he watched like a hawk, a childish urge to kick steve in the groin for looking at his sister like that festering inside him. i'm going to knock him out. i'm going to give him two black eyes-- that'll teach him a lesson. but he never did anything. just watched and waited.

in the last few weeks, watching without commenting had gotten more difficult than dustin ever expected. one advantage to being your brother and steve's best friend was that he noticed things some of the others might not. he saw steve taking extra long strides to make it to the door first, opening it for you as you continued rambling about some meaningless topic, any time the two of you were walking through a threshold together. he saw your eyes roll the slightest bit when steve mentioned a girl he'd gone on a date with a few months back. he saw steve waiting in his car to make sure you got inside alright after he dropped you off-- something he never did for dustin. he saw you smoothing down your hair before getting out of the car to sit besides steve at the basketball game. he saw how the two of you saw each other.

so instead of continuing to give steve dirty looks as he approached, dustin sucked in a breath of air, forced himself to change perspectives, and made some adjustments to his facial expression.

when he finished glaring at steve, his eyes locked with nancy, who returned eye contact and gave him a sympathetic smile. she understood being protective of your sibling, and she knew what the fear of losing steve felt like. but she also had a strong feeling that things would turn out going well for all three of you; at this point, your quickly-blooming relationship with steve had been a long time coming. of course, she couldn't communicate all of that knowledge through two seconds of eye contact, but dustin at least saw that she understood.

"hellooo, people!" dustin grinned at you, steve, and nancy as he seated himself between mike, whom he amicably bumped shoulders with, and max, whom he wiggled his eyebrows at. each of you acknowledged his arrival just before a whistle blew. lucas and four of his teammates made their way onto the court, and dustin felt a wave of relief upon having something else to focus on. "let's watch some basketball!"

"you did amazing, lucas!"

"oh, yeah! super graceful out there, just like i taught you. way to make me proud, kid."

you snorted, lightly whacking steve for somehow finding a way to make lucas's success about himself. "very humble, harrington."

nancy, mike, dustin and max followed close behind you and steve, congratulating lucas on the team’s win as they stepped up beside you. the game had ended 20 minutes ago, with hawkins securing the win. lucas had been granted some time to hit the showers and say his goodbyes to his teammates before meeting back up with the rest of you by the gymnasium doors. the school was far from empty, a plethora of people still lingering around the gym and in the parking lot, and the bustling seemed to comfort you all.

“okay, who's getting a ride home from me?” the kids began chattering over one another in response, and the only way you deciphered their chorus of answers was by mentally noting whether they'd pointed at you or steve. you'd chauffeured dustin and max on your way, and nancy, mike, and lucas had carpooled with steve, but lucas was now planning on riding home with you (assuredly to spend more time with max). in the bustle of the conversation, you heard mike say he'd left his bike at lucas's house the day before, meaning he'd be joining whoever lucas left with so he could get his usual mode of transportation back. this left steve riding with nancy, and you dropping off mike, lucas and max on your way home with dustin.

steve was still hyper-focused on behaving normally, resisting the urge to look at you with what robin had described as his "gushy, lovey-dovey, pining, bedroom eyes" too frequently. at this point in the night, he was regressing to the sullen mood that he'd begun that day with. he knew that he'd have to part ways with you within a few minutes, and that was enough to ruin his night. because of that, he didn't really care who he had to drive home, or that nancy would be his only passenger, or how your mood change entirely when you realized that nancy would be his only passenger.

you knew you should've held it together better. unbeknownst to steve, the kids had been on your back, too. dustin would quiz you about your day whenever you spent ample time away from him, prying until you coughed up every detail of any time you'd spent alone with steve. there had been one evening a few weeks earlier when max and lucas were on their way to use the pool at steve's house, and they'd seen your car pulling out of steve's driveway as they turned onto his street. dustin wasn't with you. the next day, max showed up at your doorstep to accuse you of being in a secret relationship with your friend. you thought you’d convinced her otherwise at first, but three weeks later she told you she was still waiting for the day you two “finally came clean.” nancy told you she’d overheard mike telling el over the phone that you and steve “still haven’t gotten together,” which then led to a very awkward conversation between you and nancy about how she wouldn't mind if you wanted to get with steve despite their history.

you knew what it felt like to be scrutinized in the exact same ways steve was, and you were just as antsy as him when they were around to observe.

you should’ve held it together better. but you slipped.

“okay, great. you and me, nance. all ready? let’s hit the road.” he dropped his hands onto her shoulders, beginning to steer her toward the exit when he was halted by your reaction.

what did you do in response to steve’s urgency to leave with nancy? you scoffed.

for a split second, you thought maybe, maybe, no one heard it.

unfortunately for you, everyone heard it. (admittedly, it was sort of loud. arguably more of a guffaw than a scoff.) steve froze, his hands falling from nancy's frame as he twisted back around to quizzically look at the source of the noise. the others followed suit, all peering at you before exchanging their own encoded glances with each other.

so... maybe 'slip' was an understatement. maybe you completely threw yourself under the bus, let the cat out of the bag, spilled the beans, all of it. totally exposed yourself. if they had an inkling before, they had proof now.

after a moment of tense silence passed over the group, steve looked at you, surprised and unnerved by the noise you'd made. he opened his mouth to ask if you were okay, but you were already moving on, turning to speak to dustin. “let’s go, little man. round up our passengers for me.” and you spun on your heel and walked out of the high school.

as you walked out, dustin immediately turned to steve, his finger extended until it was a mere inch away from steve’s face. “you,” he said threateningly. “you idiot! you absolute goddamn imbecile! son of a bitch!”

as dustin threw halfhearted insults at the older boy, the kids behind him groaned in mortification. “steveeeee,” max complained. “you’re better than this!”

lucas snickered, looking at max as he gestured to steve. “what makes you think he’s better than this? look at him! he has no clue what he’s done!”

“oh, he knows what he’s done,” dustin grumbled. “he’s done something to upset my sister. and for that, i might have to kill him.”

steve was just beginning to defend himself when robin came bounding down the halls, a duffel bag slung over her arm and an unknowing grin on her face. “hey! i’m so glad i caught you before you left! what are the odds you could give your old friend, coworker, fellow monster-slaying warrior robin a ride home?”

she tried to further explain the circumstances that led to her losing her original ride, but she was cut off by the kids' roars. they spoke over one another, and all at once robin heard, “oh, thank god!” “perfect timing!” “you’re a little late.” “jesus christ!”

her expression shifted to confusion, finally sensing that she was out of the loop on something. she looked to steve and nancy, opening her mouth to question the strong reaction from the younger crowd when steve cut her off. “yeah, i can give you a ride. c’mon, we were just leaving.” he looked pointedly at the kids as he made the latter claim, swaying them to keep their mouths shut for the remaining three minutes that they’d be together.

it was a fifteen minute ride from the school to max's house. the redhead was sitting in the passenger seat of your car, subtly glancing over at you every few moments as the three boys bickered in the back seat. she hadn't said anything since you started driving, but the backseat occupants had been whispering essentially the entire time. you had turned on the car radio when the awkward silence and coughing became too much to bear (which, to be precise, was within two minutes of the ride), and they'd immediately began to quietly theorize behind you.

during the last five minutes of the ride, the whispering intensified noticeably. you still couldn't make out their exact words, but all three of them had raised their volumes enough that you could decipher which voice was which. you'd had just about enough of their poor attempts to hide the fact that they were talking about you, and you were just about to give them a piece of your mind. before you reached your tipping point, however, max cleared her throat and spoke to you in her own low voice. "robin ended up going with steve and nancy, by the way," she muttered, mentally noting the muscles in your jaw slightly relax when you processed what she said. you threw her a grateful look, letting out a barely-noticeable sigh of relief. max paused, gauging your mood before adding something else. "you know he likes you, right?"

your eyes moved to the rear view mirror, peering at the boys' reflections to confirm that they were still preoccupied with their own conversation before responding quietly. "i know."

steve knew from the moment he opened his eyes the next day that it was going to be another day from hell. he groaned aloud when his alarm clock woke him up, his nose scrunching as he slammed an open palm on top of the machine to silence it. when his bedroom reverted to a state of heavy silence, steve tossed the same hand over his face, mentally recapping the events of the previous day as he prepared to get out of bed. "and you didn't go after her," he grumbled to himself, tossing the comforter off his body and shifting into a sitting position on the side of the bed. "god damn moron didn't go after her."

yesterday he'd had to listen to the girls-- his peers, people his own age-- question his relationship with you without any concrete evidence. today, he was going to have to fight for his life against dustin for ruining your night, disappointing you, not finally confessing his feelings for you instead of trying to run off with nancy, and whatever else dustin felt like drudging up in the midst of the singular discrepancy. worst of all, steve felt like he deserved it. he felt like shit for making you feel anything other than adored and appreciated, and he had already spent plenty of time beating himself up over it when he got home the night before.

no matter how he felt, he couldn't shake the anxiety he felt over you being upset with him. granted, he wasn't even sure that you still were upset with him-- maybe this only seemed like a big deal in the moment, and he was actually already forgiven-- but the uncertainty was enough to make his stomach flip a few times whenever he considered the possibility.

he knew he had to talk to you as soon as he could. he had a shift at the video store that morning, which was why his obnoxious alarm had sounded so much earlier than he would've preferred, but the next thing on his agenda for the day would be to find you and apologize-- grovel, if necessary, until he was sure you weren't harboring any hard feelings toward him. he'd probably have to hear a lot of commentary from everyone else before he got to talk to you, but he doubted anyone could be much harder on him than he was already being with himself. so he threw on his work uniform, blocking out a memory of the time you told him he looked "magnificent" in that green vest, and hopped in the car. just a few hours and he could talk to you.

it took the kids longer to show up than steve expected. half of him thought dustin might be standing at the front desk with his arms folded across his chest when steve walked through the door. but no, they didn't get there until three hours into his shift. he'd already restocked the shelves, rung out a handful of customers, and taken his thirty-minute lunch break by the time he heard the bustle of the 4 freshmen entering. the first coherent thing he heard was lucas's whisper, asking, "do you see him anywhere?" he popped his head above the shelf he'd been reorganizing in an attempt to pass the time, throwing the group a hesitant smile as they spotted him in the far corner of the store. when he joined them in the open area beside the register, steve opened his mouth to greet them only to be immediately cut off by dustin.

"have you talked to her?" he drilled, a stern tone behind his voice to match the demanding look in his eye.

"no," steve replied hesitantly, not sure of whether or not the boy was planning on allowing him to elaborate further. his eyes darted around the small crowd before him, taking in max's curious gaze and the amused expressions lucas and mike wore before flickering back to dustin. the curly-haired boy was glaring at him expectantly, and steve rushed to fill the silence before dustin could yell at him again. "i was planning on going over to see her after my shift."

dustin squinted at steve, inspecting his face for any sign that he might've been lying. he found no evidence of falsehood, nodding slowly as he mentally lined up his next set of questions. as dustin was thinking, max piped up. "do you feel remorse? i mean, do you fully grasp the depth of what you did?"

"hey, i'm asking the questions here," dustin said pointedly to max. he blinked a few times, then turned back to steve. "well, answer her!"

steve stuttered a bit as he responded, surprised by the question despite how prepared for this confrontation he'd thought he was. "uh, i-- what-- well, yeah, i feel remorse, but it's not like i did it on purpose. it was-- i didn't mean to make her upset."

"you were drooling over nancy! literally rushing to get out of there when the only thing motivating you was the idea of being alone in a car with your ex-girlfriend! literally!"

"okay, when you put it like that, it sounds really bad," steve admitted dubiously, wincing at the reminder that you probably thought he had feelings for nancy again. "but that wasn't actually what was going on!"

dustin didn't seem to care what steve had to say to defend himself, simply moving on to address his second issue. "and not just that, but you've also been stringing her along for months now, acting all flirty and romantic and obsessed with her, basically going on dates all the time, and then denying that anything is going on between you two!"

"that is not true," steve contested.

"dude, that's kinda true," lucas interjected.

at the exact same time, mike added, "yeah, you definitely do all that stuff."

"we don't go on dates! we hang out! y/n would tell you the same thing-- because we're friends, and nobody is stringing anybody along."

"that doesn't explain why she got so upset at you wanting to spend time alone with nancy, though," max remarked. steve groaned at this, growing tired of talking in circles yet again about his relationship with you. max's eyebrows raised at the older boy, eyes slightly widening in a combination of false innocence and genuine interest. "i'm just saying."

"exactly! if nothing's going on with you, why is she so worried about you and nancy? and--"

"okay, fine!" suddenly steve was interrupting dustin, and all eyes were now expectantly trained on his noticeably fed-up expression. "you're right! i have feelings for your sister, and i'm pretty sure she has feelings for me too, but i haven't been able to ask her out properly yet because i have a bunch of people watching my every move and asking me questions about her and us at all times! so maybe if you would all stop breathing down my neck, then i would be able to figure out a way to ask her out without seeming like a total creep!”

silence fell over the group, all of them stunned that steve had finally confessed the truth. the kids hadn't thought steve would give his big secret up that easily, and even steve himself had intended to keep his emotions under wraps for a while longer. he at least wanted to tell you about how he felt before he told dustin. but, clearly, that was no longer an option.

just as it began to set in steve's mind that he'd just confessed his true feelings to dustin, max, lucas, and mike, the front door swung open and another person stepped foot in the store.

it was you.

"uh, hi everyone," you chuckled nervously when you walked in. you held a vhs tape in your left hand, the other holding the strap of your bag to secure it on your shoulder. the tension in the air was immediately apparent to you; it wasn't often that these kids were stunned into silence, so you recognized the expressions well. no one flinched to respond when you walked in, but they seemed caught when they saw you. steve, on the other hand, was visibly clenching his jaw and avoiding eye contact with the others. he was unmistakably distraught, and the tight-lipped smile he threw you as you entered did nothing to convince you otherwise.

you took a few steps toward them, just about to blatantly ask what you'd walked into when max spoke up. "hi y/n," she stepped in front of the others as she spoke, meeting you halfway between their position and yours. a second after she greeted you, her mouth moved again, releasing no sound. you made out what she mouthed clear as day: steve is mad. her eyes held a sort of amazed-but-apprehensive look, and it clicked in your mind what must've happened. dustin. max assumed you'd caught on then, subtly sending you another hint. "returning a movie?"

"yeah," you said, feigning a smile as your eyes flickered behind the girl. dustin had now snapped out of his stunned silence, obviously observing closely as you made your next move. mike and lucas seemed to be on alert, both glancing between you, dustin, and steve to see how the situation would unfold. "steve, you wanna help me out over here?" you nodded toward the counter in the center of the room, walking backwards in the direction as you gestured.

"uh, yeah," steve said, clearing his throat when he realized how low his tone was. "sure, i gotcha."

the two of you made your way to the register, steve's back to the kids as he stood across the counter from you. your eyes shifted to your little brother as you placed the vhs tape on the counter, watching as he took a step forward only to be physically stopped by max. words were exchanged between the two, and dustin gave the back of steve's head one final intense glare before moving to the opposite side of the store and fixating his eyes on a random shelf of films. thank you, max, you thought gratefully.

when you looked back at steve, he seemed to be lost in thought, already in the process of marking your latest rental as returned. you gave yourself a few seconds to just look at him. you could tell he hadn't brushed his hair when he woke up that morning because the hair on the left side of his head was flattened out in comparison to the rest. the first button on his vest was secured to the second buttonhole, something you would've laughed at on most other days. his eyes were the same brown as always, but the distracted expression behind them made you slightly uneasy. soon enough, your few seconds to admire the older boy had expired, and it was time for you to force him into a conversation. "so," you started, earning a glance and raise of the brow from him. "how's the shift going? running the show solo?"

he chuckled, shaking his head at your small talk. "yup, it's all me this morning. and, of course, i was running a smooth operation until the fiends showed up."

you shot him a pitiful smile. "i'm sorry about them. i told dustin to leave it alone, but he's--"

"obsessed with protecting you?" you nodded, and steve chuckled again. "yeah, i know. he always has been, and he always will be. i don't blame him. it's just-- agh, it's a lot sometimes, i guess." you could feel him thawing out as you fell into conversation, gradually easing back up after facing the turmoil that was your little brother. steve's mind seemed to shift then, almost as if he'd had a lightbulb moment within. "hey, you know, i'm sorry about last night, by the way. i didn't mean for it to seem like i was trying to get away from you, or get alone with nancy, or anything like that, because none of that is the case."

"you don't have to apologize, steve. i'm sure you've already had a hard enough time explaining yourself to dustin; you don't need to explain anything to me on top of that."

"no, no, i do, though," he insisted. as you talked, the vhs you'd entered with was resting beneath steve's palm, having long-since been forgotten. he turned his body to fully face you as he spoke this time, and you took a split second of that transitional time to mentally note the way his hand engulfed the tape. you almost lost all focus in that moment, already starting to thinking about steve's hands, warm and big and firm, instead of his relationship with nancy or your brother's pestering or anything else. but when he spoke again, the tone of his voice had changed, and all of your attention was drawn back to the conversation. "it's been months of everyone else demanding an explanation for you and me spending so much time together, and the least i could do is actually give you an explanation."

"trust me, i get it. they give me a lot of shit too, for pretty much anything that involves you."

"anything and everything. like, if dustin sees me wave at you when i pick him up from your house, it's all i hear about for twenty minutes. any time max hears that you and i spend any time together she has to clarify whether or not it was a date. even nancy and robin do it. i mean, when we left the gym last night the two of them went back and forth the entire ride on what i could do to get you to forgive me. i honestly don't remember the last time i went a whole 24 hours without someone asking about you, or mentioning us, or calling me out on something. it’s just so frustrating. i mean, i spend months striking out with every dud of a girl i talk to, and then i waste a few more months with a bunch of chicks who i know aren't worth my time, and then i finally realized that there's this perfect girl right in front of me, and i can’t work up the courage to do anything about it because of the pressure from our friends and her little brother? kind of pathetic, if you ask me."

"the perfect girl, you say?" you smirked at him, his face flushing a little when you locked eyes.

"i-- yeah, the perfect girl." he smiled a little as he looked at you, feeling his own mood shift from anxious and overwhelmed to hopeful and optimistic.

"i don't know about perfect. maybe she's kinda cute, but perfect? seems like a bit of a stretch."

"no, i mean, i get that it's hard to believe and everything, but she's a total catch. she's drop-dead gorgeous, obviously, but she's also smart, and determined, and so caring. like, i don't think there's anything this girl wouldn't do to protect the people she loves. seriously, i've never met a girl like her before, and i'm pretty positive i never will again. she's pretty much one of a kind. yeah, she's perfect."

the nonchalant tone of his voice as he spoke confirmed to you that steve had calmed down after his interaction with dustin. more than that, you were shocked by the things he'd said. as you'd said to max the night before, you knew steve liked you. it wasn't like he did some superb job of hiding it from you or anyone else; everyone knew that steve harrington didn't waste his time hanging out with one girl for months if he wasn't actually interested in her. in all honesty, though, you hadn't thought it was as much of a true emotional attraction as a combination of loneliness and sexual tension. his never having made a move before was what you'd considered confirmation of that theory; he didn't actually care enough to risk his friendship with dustin, so he just left it alone. regardless of all the logic you'd used to justify your relationship with steve, here he was confessing that he had all sorts of feelings about you.

without noticing, you'd gone completely silent during your moment of realization. steve was looking at you with anticipation and a little fear, smiling nervously as he said, "sorry, was that too much?"

you laughed, shaking your head. "no, that wasn't too much. it's just kind of insane, you know? i mean, if you told me sophomore year that king steve would be calling me 'the perfect girl' one day, i would've laughed in your face. but here we are."

"here we are," steve repeated with a smile. "for the record, though, king steve is dead and gone. god, i hated that guy." he rolled his eyes as he spoke then, cringing at the memory of who he used to be.

"yeah, i can't really disagree with that. king steve was a dick. but i'm glad you're the steve that took over for him."

"well, this steve would really love it if you'd give him a chance. i might do dumb shit sometimes, but it's just because i get so in my head about what people think. but when it comes to you, i'm sick of worrying about what everyone else will say. i just--" he leaned forward, both elbows resting on the counter between you, and locked eyes with you as he spoke again. "will you go out with me?"

you could've sworn someone was holding a lighter to each of your cheeks in that moment. whether it was because of how hard you were blushing or how hard you were smiling, you weren't sure, but you could feel the heat spread across your face as you answered. you leaned forward as you spoke, too, placing your hands on top of his where they rested on the counter. "i would love nothing more, steve."

"jesus christ," steve breathed, letting his head hang low as he exhaled a chuckle and hid his face from you. when he lifted his head again, his face was just as pink as yours. "i didn't know if i would ever get the opportunity to ask you uninterrupted. even then, i didn't know if you'd even say yes!"

you squeezed his hands in yours, laughing at his confession. "obviously i said yes. what girl could say no to that hair?" you reached up and tugged gently on the hair atop his head, laughing when his nose scrunched in response.

steve grabbed the hand that had been in his hair as you dropped it back down, feeling another wave of relief and adoration wash over him. "i would come around the counter and kiss you, but your little brother is definitely still watching us."

you snorted at that, nodding. "you're totally right. and, unfortunately, the only way to get him to leave here is to take him with me when i go. so, instead of kissing me now, you can wait until later tonight when you pick me up to go out."

steve laughed, letting your hands slip out of his as you pulled away and started walking toward your brother and his friends. "i'll pick you up at 7?" he called after you.

"i'll be ready by 6:30," you shot back with a smile. then you moved a few feet across the store to find dustin, lucas, mike, and max huddled behind a shelf of vhs tapes, obviously struggling to eavesdrop on your conversation with steve. you fought back a laugh at the sight of them, cramped and clueless, before announcing, "anyone who wants to know what's going on with me and steve, leave the store now and you'll get your answers."

steve had never seen those four fools move so quick, and before he knew it, they were outside. he shot you one last lovesick grin as you waved goodbye to him with a smile. "see you at 6:30."

maybe today wasn't such a day from hell, after all.

#steve harrington #stranger things #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fic #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington blurb #steve harrington imagine #stranger things fic #stranger things fanfic #stranger things fanfiction

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nightfallsolace · 3 years ago

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Hi can you do Andrew, Luca and Mike reacting to their s/o being a drummer and they play heavy metal songs?

MUAHAHAHA I've been getting so many requests, it's absolutely amazing, I've now learned and researched on e v e r y idv characters including backstory, lore, and facts, so ask away!! <33

THIS IS LONG sorry i got carried away, i love them sm,

TW!! Cursing

Identity V Characters reacting to their s/o being a drummer that plays heavy metal songs

Andrew Kriess

-OK SO LIKE, i think Andrew would be the type of guy who listens to calming music, like lo-fi or ambient music,

-he never really considered listening to heavy metal, he had heard of the name, but never actually its song,

-that is until, you somehow managed to have a whole fucking drum set in match,

-it was LOUD, you had played War Ensemble by slayer,

-Andrew had been shocked by the sudden volume of the music which made him mess up a calibration, but it was fine since you still had the hunter stunned

-You guys ended up in a 4 man win

-what you had did in the match spread like wild fire among the survivors and hunters

-AND HOLY FUCK did you become the center of attention, mostly about the whole drum thing, on how it was even logically possible, but others asked on the music,

-You spend the entire rest of the day explaining to everyone on how you had done such an act

-(Don't you dare ask me for an explanation on how I don't know either its just game logic)

-After all of it you were e x s a u s t h e d so you went over to the kitchen to make yourself a strong black coffee with extra sugar, and went outside in the garden,

-you found Andrew there sitting on a bench by the flowers, and you approached him,

-The two of you sat in an comfortable silence, until you decided to initiated a conversation that is,

-you had asked him about what he did, and the details about him, he was hesitant to answer at first, but slowly began to open up,

-poor bbg thought you were going to call him weird for his profession and looks so he was hesitant to say so :((

-but did you? fuck no, you already thought his fit was rad as fuck and knowing about what his profession is made it even better,

-”Seriously? that's literally so cool!! tell me more”

-he was blushing, his reaction is absolutely adorable <33 the only other person he would talk with these things about were Aesop, so he was glad to have someone else who didn't judge him for it

-Gosh darn i lave this man so much

-In the end of such things a strong friendship bloomed between you two, Andrew had also taken a liking to heavy metal, and you had thought him how to play the guitar, and the two of you would preform songs together, (in private, he’s still shy <33)

Luca Balsa

-You see, i see this man being into rock and heavy metal, so instant vibing,

-He was downed in a match and was about to get ballooned when you started playing

-You were halfway through the song when you noticed that Luca was still there,

-you changed one of the lyrics to "run" and glanced at Luca, hoping he would,

-and thankfully he did, he ran away just as you had finished your song, and it was down to the last chiper,

-you had lost the hunter, and all the chipers were done,

-you were at the back of the map so you sprinted towards the exit, hoping that everyone had already escaped,

-but much to your dismay, you found luca being chased by the hunter,

-you swerved the hunters attention away from luca and towards you,

-you saw luca still wasnt running, why the fuck was he not sprinting towards the exit like any normal person would? Yeah sure you might might get chaired but you still could escape trough the dungeon, even if the chances are slim, there was still a chance

-instead, he grabbed you hand and schoked the hunter before wooshing towards the exit

-the two of you escaoed levaing a raging hunter behind

-after the match you wanted to confront the prisoner on why he didnt run, but he got to you first

-"hey why didnt you run asya when the hun-" "HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO HAVE SUCH A LARGE INSTRUMENT CONCELED SO WELL?? WHAT ARE THE MECHANICS? IS IT ELECTRIC? OR DOES IT RELY ON HINGES? TELL ME E V E R Y T H I N G"

-you had explained to him how you manage to have such a large instrument conclude, the mechanics, and how it was made, (NO ONE ASK ME HOW)

-He was fascinated by how it worked, noting down each and every detail on it,

-after explaining about your instrument, he had asked about what genre of music it was, and everything about it, which you happily answered,

-you told him everything from the music, how its classified as "heavy metal" the style, the history, the famous singers and bands, everything

-by the end of it all, he was in-love (with what exactly? ;)))

-Achievement Unlocked: Rookie Recruiter

-Punk Luca omg <33 (drawing this)

-Trough the power of Monster energy drinks and ear-raping music, the two of you formed a strong bond

-and sexual tension

Mike Morton

-He was walking past your room when he heard music playing

-curious, he peeked over the crack of the door, slowly opening it to get a better view,

-he stayed there the whole time listening

-when you finnaly finished you screamed with joy, you had been practicing that song for so long, and yoy finally perfected it,

-you trew your stuff around screaming with joy,

-clapping came from you door, and you looked to see the acrobat, Mike Morton standing there

-you shrieked out of suprise “WHY THE FUCK— HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN STANDING THERE???”

-He laughed and told you he had been there the whole time,

-your face flushed, “what if i messed up?? Didnt you think about that??

-He simply smiled and said ok, before asking if he gould go in

-you groaned in respond and answered yes,

-hear me out, despit mike being in a circus with all the boisterous music, I think he would enjoy music like, Orchestras and symphonies, but he would be open to other types of music

-he had mostlikely heard rumors abou the “magic drum set” but never reaaly saw it in person

-when he did doe he tought it was some magic trick, like the ones they did in the circus,

-but after the match you had explained it wasnt

-whenever your practicing or making a new song he would be there and listen, making comments and a pick up line evey now and then which would make you mess up

-dont get mad hes just having a bit of fun <33

-he wants to hear everything you play,

-i know i said he'd probably be into like, mozart or some shit but i genuinely think he would experiment with what music he listents to alot,

-if we were talking about a mordern mike he would be on discover weekly on spotify for new songs

-he would in my mind, do tricks to the music, idk why i think i do, i just do,

-helps you alot,

-might be into the aesthetic its a 50/50 chance

-but still, punk mike idk i like it

-you guys would most likely be causualy friends,

-hey maybe even more than that

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nushy · 3 years ago

Text

ready for part 4?

(you can find pt.1 here and pt.2 here and pt.3 here)

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader

summary: you are the new girl in town and Eddie is seeing something he likes. And you too. In this part we are having a talent show. Also the next one will have smut for sure. sorry, not sorry

warnings: a lot of spelling and grammar errors (sorry, english is not my native language), i guess cursing and strong language??

word count: 1.3K

..............................................................................................................................

Days were passing by, you got the job at the music store, and Eddie fulfilled his “threat” – every free minute he had, he spent it with you at the shop. And you couldn’t be happier – cause no matter how much time you spend together, you still had something to talk about.

Everyone was wondering when you two would confess your feelings for one another, Mike was always rolling his eyes, Dustin was complaining all the time how oblivious you two were. But you both were sure that the other one didn’t have feelings and that everything was completely platonic.

Of course everything changed one day. You were at school, strolling the halls with Eddie, when you saw a bright pink flyer at one of notice-boards.

“Who the hell does a talent show at high school?” Eddie asked with disgust. You, on the other hand, were intrigued.

“Come on, Eddie, it may be fun. Just think about all the grown-ups that would make a fool of themselves.” you punched his shoulder lightly, then you got a thoughtful look. “You know what? I will participate.” He immediately looked at you, wondering if you were joking. “Yeah, and I already know what I will be doing.”

“What? Punching basketball players?” he joked and you rolled your eyes “Whaaat? It is a good talent to show.” this made you laugh. It was indeed a good talent to show.

“No, although it is a good idea, I have an even better one. But I will need your band.” you said with a serious face.

“What for?” Eddie asked, confused.

“Oh no, it will be a surprise, I promise it will be a good one, but.. will you help me; will you lend me your boys?” Eddie couldn’t help but laugh at the way you formulated the sentence and maybe this was the reason he agreed. You did your happy dance around him and grabbed a blank form to fill so you could participate in the show. Eddie’s eyes were shining, he loved when you were happy, but at the same time he was really intrigued what would you do at the show. He brushed the thoughts off, he could always ask the boys, after all she was planning on using them for something.

But this part of the plan didn’t work as he thought. Apparently you were fiercer than he thought – Gareth and Jeff were a bit scared of you – you’ve told them that if they tell Eddie what you were planning for the performance, you’d just straight up smash each and every one of their music instruments, and then you’d shove the pieces down their throats. And man, they would not risk their instruments for anything. Eddie was a bit upset, cause you had more power over them than he had, but at the same he was really aroused by the idea of you, talking all those things to them. He could see you in his mind - your fierce stare, your deep voice, the fire in your eyes. He brushed the thoughts of you and accepted the fact that he had to wait one week to see what you had to show.

The week went by quickly, everything was totally normal, only the fact that whenever Eddie tried to bring the topic of the talent show, you would successfully avoid it or simply change the conversation. That was making Eddie even more curious and impatient. He has never been happier to be Monday.

The hours went by painfully slow. He hadn’t seen you all day, Gareth and Jeff didn’t know anything about you too. Eddie was a bit nervous. He didn’t even know why, but he was.

He was tapping with his foot, looking around the hall where the talent show was supposed to take place. Dustin and Mike were seated next to him, talking loudly and not even acknowledging his nervousness. The other boys were somewhere in the back rooms, preparing. According to the list, you and the band were last. Eddie had the feeling that you specifically wanted this.

The other participants were… bland to say the least – some dancers, cheerleaders, few tried to sing. Eddie was bored out of his mind. He was impatient. The fact that he hasn’t seen you all day and that he couldn’t even see you now was not helping. Almost 2 hours passed when the presenter announced the last performance. Eddie stood in the chair, concentrated on the stage. The boys were there, putting their instruments, tuning them. You were nowhere to be found. When everything was ready, the lights were dimmed. Then the music started. Eddie knew the song – Joan Jett – “Bed reputation”. He smiled, but of course, this was sooo you.

And then, you were there. On the stage. A guitar in your hands. A cool one. And you… Eddie took a sharp breath – he has seen you with those sexy small skirts but this was something different – you were with the smallest leather skirt he could think of and of course – with leather top with big cleavage. He could feel the heat and… he could feel the boner in his pants. Fuck. he shifted in the small chair hoping that no one around him could see it. Not that he hasn’t thought about you that way but it was always in the late nights, after you’ve left his trailer.

The music was perfect, you were perfect. And damn, you could play the guitar, how could you not tell him. But, as he thought, this was even better. The surprise.

“I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation Living in the past, it's a new generation A girl can do what she wants to do and that's what I'm gonna do”

You sang, the boys were playing, and, even tho Eddie didn’t want to admit it at first, you were a good band together.

“An' I'm never gonna care 'bout my bad reputation Oh no, not me, oh no, not me Pedal, boys!”

After the last words, you looked at the group of basketball players and flipped them the bird. They started talking shit. But a bit after that the song came to an end. You looked at them and loudly said on the microphone:

“This one’s for everyone that love to play a game where you toss a ball at a laundry basket.” and then you dropped the mic, making the worst noise ever. Everyone shrieked, but Eddie jumped on his feet and started clapping as loud as he could. You looked at him and blew him a kiss. His heart stopped for a second. Then you got off the stage and ran to Eddie.

“This was… wow.” was all he could said.

“We won’t win for sure, but at least we had fun.” you smiled and looked at the basketball players again. They were looking at you and Eddie and were talking about something. Not that any of you cared.

“How could you not tell me you could play the guitar. And, what’s more, is the guitar yours?” Eddie started with the questions.

“It is mine indeed, and… well.. I am not as good as you with playing, I only know this song so I don’t go around bragging.” You explained. The hall was silent, they were about to tell who won, but you were not interested. Both of you and Eddie were sat, but you didn’t want to be there any longer so you whispered in his ear: ”Wanna leave? The other boys will be fine; we are not needed here.” Eddie looked at you, it’s like you read his mind. He nodded and grabbed your hand. You left the dim hall and went straight to Eddie’s van and then to his trailer.

@tenderhornynihilist here you go, love <3

Also, I would like to thank all of you for the love!!!

#eddie x reader #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #eddie munson x you #stranger things #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson fluff

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neverbesokind · 3 years ago

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I've only heard of the beach boys in passing!! Tell me about them??

You don't know what you've done haha.

Basically, I took a semester-long class my junior year of college all about the Beach Boys. I did it because I liked the professor and I heard from a friend of mine that their music was enjoyable! I should have known that digging so deeply into a single band's history and work would send me into a deep pit of obsession.

There's so much to talk about but I'll go over some broad strokes and offer some song recommendations under the cut if you're interested!

The Beach Boys are generally known for their surf rock music, because that's where they began. They formed in California in 1961, and their original members were three brothers - Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson - , the Wilsons' cousin, Mike Love, and a neighborhood friend, Al Jardine. At the time, all of them were no older than teenagers, and the story goes that the Wilson boys' parents went out of town for a week and left them money to buy food. Instead of doing so, they opted instead to use the money to rent instruments so they could write their first song, Surfin'.

Ironically enough, none of the boys had any experience with surfing except for the middle Wilson boy, Dennis, but they all thought surfing was really cool and hip. When their parents returned home, the Wilsons' father, Murry, who had some experience in the recording industry, decided to try and get them a record contract, and the execs who heard them decided that getting a "surf band" would be profitable as surfing was a really popular youth movement at the time. Murry then became their manager.

Unfortunately, Murry was a ruthlessly abusive father, and his physical abuse may or may not have been the reason that Brian Wilson, his eldest son, was deaf in one ear. Regardless, his musical background meant all the Wilson brothers (and Mike) had a ton of experience singing together and playing music, and their unique blend of vocal harmonies set them apart. The fact so many of the members were related was also a huge part of what made their voices blend together so beautifully (people related to one another are more likely to have similar physical structure to their throats/voice boxes/etc, and thus tend to blend better vocally).

Brian was also very interested in constructing harmonies. As a teen, he would spend his time after school attempting to reconstruct the harmonies of the music he listened to on his piano, and when the Beach Boys signed a music contract he immediately took a sort of songwriting/creative role. He originally also played bass with the band as they toured, but he was dreadfully shy. During one flight on an early tour of theirs, he experienced a mental breakdown so acute that he absolutely refused to ever step on stage again.

This lead to the relationship between Brian and the rest of the band that would persist for much of their most beloved work. The Beach Boys are known for their surf rock, but that doesn't characterize all of their work. Their most critically acclaimed album, Pet Sounds, came after Brian started staying back from touring and spent all of his time tinkering in the studio, creating intricate and complex harmonies and collaborating with lyricists to shift the band's focus from surfing, girls, and summer sun to his anxieties and worries about growing older and losing innocence.

When the rest of the band returned from tour, they were shocked and a little alienated from how different Brian's new work was from what they had been doing before, and it caused some strife between them, particularly between Mike and Brian. Mike felt that there was no reason to change from their surf rock origins - it was making them money and had drawn in their fans. However, ultimately, Brian won out and Pet Sounds released in 1966 to critical (but not really commercial) success.

Pet Sounds was inspired by the Beatles' Rubber Soul, which was an extremely conceptual album. Brian wanted to do something similar, and create an album that focused on themes rather than just being a collection of radio hits and filler songs, as albums tended to be at the time. As such, it's an album about growing older and the loves and sadnesses that come with it. It's an absolutely beautiful album, and if you listen to nothing else by this band, I would recommend it.

Brian felt an immense amount of pressure to create a follow-up to Pet Sounds, especially as rock critics began praising him as the "genius" behind the band. He began to conceptualize an album that was a whirlwind tour of the United States and included a full four-song suite to each of the four elements.

However, during this time the pressure was putting a strain on his already pretty fragile mental health. This was made even worse when his bandmates returned from the Pet Sounds tour again to begin singing what he had been working on and all of them, not just Mike, were completely alienated and concerned about how avant garde things had become. Then, problems with the record company not supporting his direction and his younger brother, Carl, becoming a conscientious objector when he was drafted to the Vietnam War, delayed the incredibly hyped release of the follow-up over and over again. Finally, he shelved the project entirely and went into a years-long depression, only barely coming out to work on the band.

That project, called SMiLE, would be raided over the years of Brian's depression, and many songs from it were released on the albums following. (In 2011, Brian Wilson worked with stage performers he was working with at the time to actually release an approximation of what the album may have sounded like had it been released as expected, and it's also a major favorite of mine.)

During Brian's absence, Carl Wilson took over as band leader and actually led the band through some really interesting work, including a more soulful rock album, Wild Honey, another favorite of mine. However, it wasn't what critics were wanting, as they expected more avant garde stuff like Brian had been making.

Anyway, I could go on, but that's the bare bones of their early career. There's a ton of other crazy stories, including the short time Dennis Wilson housed Charles Manson and his followers (pre-murders). Dennis was so scared of them he ended up moving out of his house because he couldn't bring up the courage to ask them to leave.

Both Carl and Dennis Wilson died young (of cancer and drowning, respectively). Nowadays, the "Beach Boys" is just Mike Love and some of his musicians after a legal dispute over the name. I don't like Mike Love very much at all, he's a huge Trump supporter and his direction for the band doesn't really represent what I enjoy about them. It's too corporate and clean, imo.

However, Brian Wilson is still alive and a representative of the more creative spirit of the band. He's my favorite member of the band (if you can tell) and his story of mental illness and creativity during a time when those things weren't very understood touches me a lot. If you're interested in his story, you should check out the excellent biopic, Love and Mercy. It's one of my favorite movies and explains his story pretty well, I think.

Here's some of my favorite songs of theirs:

"Lonely Sea" (An early track from theirs, decidedly in their surf rock days. However, I think this shows how much artistic potential they had so early on. It's so beautiful and aching.)

"Wouldn't It Be Nice" (Perhaps one of the most well-known tracks from Pet Sounds, this is a beautiful little love song about longing for a better future with the person you love.)

"God Only Knows" (Another well-known favorite from Pet Sounds, peep Carl Wilson's soaring lead vocal.)

"Good Vibrations" (This is basically Brian's magnum opus, and was supposed to be on SMiLE. It was released as a lead single before the album was shelved, and the story of its creation is fascinating all on its own, being one of the most expensive productions ever at the time. It's fantastic and iconic.)

"Surf's Up" (From the SMiLE sessions, and one of the songs dug up and released. It's so strange and poetic and winding. You should also listen to Brian's piano version, which shows off his crazy high singing talents)

"How She Boogalooed It" (This is a favorite from Wild Honey, so fun and silly. I can see why people were a little let down by it, as it's so much more simple, but I think it's super fun.)

#this got so long lol #thank you for asking about them tho I hope you enjoyed #i-would-cut-off-my-ear-for-you #asks #beach boys #the beach boys #shh gilly

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faggotwalkwithme · 3 years ago

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this has been sitting in my brain for The Longest Time and ive seen a lot of band aus of st already but. THIS ONE IS SPECIAL OK.

IT’S SING STREET... i make a few changes to the plot because i still want mike and will to be childhood friends though. also obviously eddie isn’t mike’s brother in this. also byler

so mike’s parents are getting a divorce because of financial issues and due to the fact that his mother has fallen in out of love. this means he has to move from a private school, to the all-boys catholic school down synge street. He Is Bullied. he meets dustin, who is a randomass boy who also gets bullied and he offers mike a three musketeers and now theyre besties. mike sees el/jane, the mysterious girl who nobody knows why but is always watching the school. he’s intrigued and likes this girl, so he walks up to her and proceeds to lie his ass off about having a band and says dustin is the manager. he embarrasess himself by singing take on me as proof

anyways now he needs to start a band because he asked el if she wanted to be in a video for his non-existent band. dustin suggests will. he can play pretty much any instrument known to mankind and is obsessed with music. mike is like ‘aw crap wait!! he was my best friend in like year 1!! i havent seen him since lol-’ and he sees will play all the instruments andd still hasn’t gotten over the fact of how much he’s grown and is like ‘oh boy i hope this doesn’t awaken anything in me!’

anyways will helps write songs and plays the guitar. they recruit lucas, erica and max too. erica is on the drums because i say so, max is on the bass because i say so and lucas is on the keyboard. because i say so.

eddie (nancy’s friend) takes interest in mike’s band and helps mike expand his music knowledge. jonathan too

this was soo unintelligible im sorry i swear i can make it look more attractive just let me do some drawing

#stranger things #sing street

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givehimthemedicine · 3 years ago

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Hi! It's quite random, but what do you think about theories about s5? For some reason, most of which I saw, were Byler related (nothing against them, I actually like the pairing) and most of them almost completely omitted El (having Will defeat Vecna with his powers - fire; she's nowhere to be found) and idk, but it makes me quite sad to see El almost completely eresed :( (sorry, had to ramble to someone... )

I don't think even the most rabid byler really thinks El won't play a central role in defeating Vecna, I think people are just focusing on the part of the show they find most interesting. (Or do they? I don't really follow it tbh)

El his the one they literally can't defeat Vecna without, but I think Will is being set up to be really instrumental as well. I don't know how I feel about him having powers, on one hand it would explain some stuff, but to me that would sorta muddy the whole thing about Mike being hung up on El's powers and... eh. I think he'll provide some crucial spy intel and he's gotta do something involving fire, but short of literally having inherent powers.

anyway Vecna-wise, it's hard for me to come up with any specific theories because there's still so much upside down lore they've withheld. I think there will be some key facts that'll make it suddenly pretty easy to guess the conclusion once we learn them in s5, otherwise they would've let us know more about it sooner.

my thoughts:

defeating Vecna has something to do with fire, although we literally already saw him be fully on fire and he still got away, so, a LOT of fire I guess. I'm convinced El is pyrokinetic and I see some evidence for the dragon theory. maybe Will controls a fire breathing dragon like Vecna controlled the mindflayer and they burn down the upside down, lol. I don't know.

some kind of time alteration shenanigans will be involved. this is hard not to execute stupidly, but they've given too many crumbs to lead nowhere

Kali has to come back. they invested way too much in her to never mention her again. El will have some kind of junkyard training montage equivalent where she teaches Kali to harness the power of love instead of hate

we find out the lab had Will in s1 and El tried to help him escape through the gate but then he got stuck in the upside down instead and she escaped through her Henry tunnel, and the reason she was so dedicated to helping him is that it was her fault he was in there. Will got men-in-blacked or something and doesn't remember this

El fights so hard she almost dies, fake dies, or symbolically dies (loses her powers permanently) probably in some very sacrificial way

Max wakes up early in the season, her bones have healed but she's still blind and paralyzed, and starts to navigate her new life as a disabled person in post apocalyptic hawkins with the love and support of her friends. but then as soon as Vecna is killed she's suddenly fully healed, that way they get to play her story both ways which ST loves to do

independent El, lumax, jopper endgame, maybe also byler and jancy but I don't care tbh

Joyce is the one who says "stranger things have happened" at the very end. fanon somehow decided it's Steve but that line belongs to Winona Ryder and I will not hear of anything else. it's in a slowly zooming out shot through the window like the end of season 1 while everyone is hanging out together. fight me

#givehimthemedicineasks #season 5 theories #clearly el turns into a giant fire breathing dragon like maleficent and burns down the upside down. wake up people

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unknown-jewel · 3 years ago

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Julie, Texas, and Hunter for your character ask meme :)

Julie:

Favorite thing about them

Her unwavering loyalty to the Burners and to Motorcity. It's not easy to go against the wishes of someone you love, even when you know they're in the wrong, but she does so every day, without a second thought. Because she knows it's the right thing to do. I love that. <3

Least favorite thing about them

I do get a little bit frustrated at her for not telling her friends who she really is. On the one hand, I get why she's cautious, but on the other hand, come on, they're your friends and you should trust them! Also, the longer you put off telling someone something important the worse it'll be when they do find out, so...

Favorite line

"I can't just sit back and let my father... Y'know if I don't try to help Motorcity then I'm no better than him."

BROTP

Her and Claire! I love their friendship so much!

OTP

You already know it's Jukebox! They're my everything! :')

NOTP

Texie. Listen, I like Texas, but in the bluntest possible terms, Julie deserves better.

Random headcanon

She's a great singer, and knows how to play a lot of different instruments. You can thank @snowbatmakesstuff for the latter half of that headcanon.

Unpopular opinion

Can't think of anything, honestly.

Song I associate with them

"Dead Mom" from the Beetlejuice musical.

Favorite picture of them

Texas:

Favorite thing about them

He's super funny!

Least favorite thing about them

That being said, he does toe the line between being obnoxious in a funny way and being obnoxious in an obnoxious way a little too often for my liking.

Favorite line

"You gotta stop thinking about what you didn't do and start thinking about what you're doing to save people now."

BROTP

Him and Mike. Their combined chaotic dumbass energy is off the charts. XD

OTP

Texas x Junior. They have messy, chaotic, on again, off again relationship energy and I'm here for it.

NOTP

See Julie's NOTP entry above.

Random headcanon

I like to think him giving Jacob the food truck in "Blonde Thunder" wasn't an isolated incident. I think whenever he goes out if he finds something interesting that he thinks one of the other Burners will like he'll bring it home, wash it, and give it to them as a gift. Trash goblin energy.

Unpopular opinion

I think he's the least interesting of the Burners. :/

Song I associate with them

"Victorious" by Panic! at the Disco

Favorite picture of them

Hunter:

Favorite thing about them

I like that his character can be really sad, or really funny, or both at the same time. There's a great duality and balance to him that I really like.

Least favorite thing about them

I kind of wish he'd been introduced/alluded to in the first season (before the finale). The fact that there's no mention of Emperor Belos having any living family members, or of the Golden Guard title being a thing at all in the first season makes his introduction feel kind of out of left field. More of a problem with the writing than with his character, but still.

Favorite line

"This is my grave! Want me to make you one too?"

BROTP

He and Gus have a really cute brotherly thing going on and I really hope we get to see more of it in season 3. :)

OTP

Huntlow is pretty cute.

NOTP

Lunter. His relationship with Luz feels more sibling-like than anything to me. And Luz is happy with her gf, thank you very much.

Random headcanon

Since he didn't have a phone (scroll, whatever you wanna call it) before "Any Sport in a Storm" he does not know how other people his age text at all. All of his texts are in proper English with perfect grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. He texts like an old man. XD

Unpopular opinion

Again, can't think of anything.

Song I associate with them

"This Is Home" by Cavetown

Favorite picture of them

#ask meme #headcanons #motorcity #julie kane #motorcity texas #motorcity headcanons #the owl house #toh hunter #toh headcanons #thanks for asking!#my post

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popentertainmentconcertreviews · 3 years ago

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Big Star – Ardmore Music Hall – Ardmore, PA – December 6, 2022

Perhaps you’ve heard the legend. An unknown rock band puts out a debut album on an imprint on of a record label more well-known for rhythm-based artists. The album gets good critical buzz, but only sells a handful of copies. The group releases a follow-up, which also barely makes a ripple. Members of the band split off, and the third release turns out to be essentially a solo album by the original lead singer.

The albums start showing up in record store cutout bins. They still don’t do all that well, but it seems that just about everyone who buys their records ends up starting their own band. And years after the band had broken up, they became a cult favorite band, beloved by a passionate base.

No, we’re not telling the story of the Velvet Underground. Well, okay it is the VU’s story, but it is also the tale of Big Star. The Memphis foursome, made up of former Box Tops lead singer Alex Chilton, guitarist Chris Bell, bassist Andy Hummel and drummer Jody Stephens, put together a sweet and spicy sound, mixing rock and swooning ballads and becoming one of the first power pop bands.

It has now been 50 years since the release of the debut album #1 Record, which has become considered a bit of a lesser-known classic, as did the second album Radio City. Guitarist Bell left the band to go solo after the release of Radio City, although his solo album I Am the Cosmos was not released until after his 1978 death in a car crash. Hummel also left the band after Radio City to finish college, eventually working for Lockheed Martin for decades before his death of cancer in 2010.

Chilton and Stephens reunited in 1993 and toured on and off for many years until Chilton had a fatal heart attack, also in 2010. Stephens returned to his day job – running Ardent Records, the formerly Stax-distributed label that Big Star had recorded for all those years earlier. It seemed like Stephens would never play the music again, until he announced this limited 50th anniversary tour celebrating the band.

However, this isn’t just the case of a classic band touring with one surviving member and a bunch of kids young enough the be the sons (or grandsons) of the original artists. For the Big Star 50 tour, members of some of the most respected alt-rock bands of the 90s – and all Big Star fans – came together to make up the rest of the band. These included Mike Mills (of REM), Pat Sansone (of Wilco), Chris Stamey (of the dBs) and Jon Auer (of the Posies).

In fact, Auer (and his former Posies cohort Ken Stringfellow) had toured with Chilton and Stevens in the revamped Big Star on and off from 1993 to 2010, when Chilton died. They even did a 2005 album together called In Space. (Stringfellow is no longer involved with Auer or Big Star due to fall out from a series of 2021 sexual abuse allegations.) Therefore, Auer has been playing this music well longer than half of the original Big Star members ever did.

And the other new “band” members here obviously had the chops and the love for the music to make this show rock. There was also a guest appearance for this show on two songs by Adam Weiner, lead singer of the band Low Cut Connie.

The concert was split into two acts. First, they played the entirety of the #1 Record album – in order. Then after a brief intermission they came back and played a bunch of fan favorites – a great deal of which came from Radio City, but they also did some cool unexpected rarities – including a simply gorgeous version of Bell’s solo single “I Am the Cosmos.”

All five musicians (six if you count special guest Weiner, who played on two songs and sang one) traded off on lead vocals and instruments. Band favorites like “Don’t Lie to Me,” “Ballad of El Goodo” and “Jesus Christ” sounded fantastic, peaking with a stellar version of “September Gurls” featuring Mills on vocals.

Still, to this day, it’s a complete mystery that this band never became huge. At least we got the opportunity to bask in their stellar songbook for one more night.

#Big Star #2022 #Concert Reviews #Ardmore Music Hall #Ardmore #Jay S. Jacobs

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hopefullystillatheatrestudent · 4 years ago

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this might be a weird thought but the way jensen performs masculinity (and i KNOW it’s a performance cause like, have you SEEN the mockumentary?) is just.... so inherently queer to me lmao

ok. okokokokokok. you asked for this. i have a LOT of thoughts on this. it’s gonna be under a cut because i’m gonna be annoying and psychoanalyse a celebrity i’ve never met(and hope i never do) but trust and believe when i tell you i know what i’m talking about so

you want my opinion? here goes. there is absolutely no way jensen ackles is straight. i hear you, ‘how do you know that he’s bi? that’s invasive and creepy’ but may i counter that point by saying how do you know he’s straight???? why is the default for everyone heterosexual? that’s a toxic mentality to have; ‘oh you don’t know for sure so just treat him like he’s 100% straight just in case’ like....what? heteronormativity drives me wild i’m sorry

and also, um, just to, um, prove my point that this man is decidedly not straight™(i really don’t want to do this but like it has to be said) we KNOW he’s not straight because his d*ck has spoken for itself around misha, like, four times. I HATE SAYING IT!!!!!!! but, um, straight men don’t get aroused by men. ...do i really need to explain myself further???? that’s what i thought(and don’t give me the ‘it could have been for unrelated reasons’ or ‘that wasn’t a boner!’ crap because um good lord yes it was and misha caused every single one so no it wasn’t a coincidence i’m gonna move on before i collapse into myself like a dying star)

anyway, on to the topic at hand which is jensen and his performative masculinity. and it’s a juicy one.

after the unconscious amount of hours i’ve put into watching and subconsciously judging jackles, i have come to the conclusion that like, 90% of how he presents himself and talks and even moves is an act. it’s a facade. it’s a shield. he is not that person. it actually seems exhausting, because he tries to compose himself in this macho, manly, confident and effortlessly cool way, but he’s not that person he desperately wishes he was and wants to be perceived as. he’s on guard every second, even the slightest tilt of his head is like, pre-meditated in some way? if i’m going FULL body language analyst mode, i’ve noticed he has a certain posture he always shifts himself into, and it’s very ‘pursed lips, stoic faced, gruff voiced, square-shoulder, broad and manly’ but, not to be rude jensen, it kind of reads as a little kid imitating the adults he thinks are cool? oof i am going IN huh(it’s out of love though i promise)

he is trying to be this person at every second:

because that’s who he wishes he was, because that’s how he gets validation from the people around him that he looks up to; straight white guys. but to me, who he presents himself to be at conventions is just as much of a performance as this whole eye of the tiger bit is.

oh i should mention i know his body language isn’t naturally like that because how he naturally carries himself is actually pretty flamboyant? like he seriously must be toning himself down HARD

examples:

there’s no tension in his body here as opposed to the eye of the tiger gif. i’d describe it as...generally loose and free? he’s at ease when he moves like that and you can see it.

oh and dude!!! DUDE!!!! how could i not mention the fucking SPECTACLE that is his voice??? jensen. i watched season one. i know where your voice naturally sits. THAT IS NOT WHAT YOU SOUND LIKE. and there have been so many accounts of fans visiting jensen in his trailer and being surprised that his real voice is two octaves higher. again, his performance of masculinity is all encompassing. he can’t even talk normally because, in his mind, that’s a chink in his armour.

and, like you said, anon, this whole smokes-and-mirrors gong show of ‘i am the cool texan man’ is inherently queer. who are you trying to impress??? guys??? that’s pretty gay dude.(btw: gay[honorary])

i feel like i’ve already read this man for filth but i have to keep going bc i have so much to say

ok next thing i’m gonna talk about is how jensen says one thing but everything else about him tells us the exact opposite. another HUGE element of performative masculinity, ONE THAT DEAN WINCHESTER IS A MASTER OF. have i mentioned how dean and jensen are like mirrors of each other when it comes to their sexuality and queer identity??? because it is fascinating how everything i say about jensen also directly applies to dean.

allow me to introduce the grumpy face™. as in, the face he glues on when he’s enjoying doing something but doesn’t want to let anyone know it. and it’s ALWAYS when he’s doing something that could be seen as unmanly in any way. (and when i say manly i mean the ‘ideal’ version of manhood that doesn’t really exist but that jensen seems to be striving for[and dean too])

prime example is this video he did with daneel. the grumpy face™ doesn’t budge the whole time as he’s like,,,,playing an instrument and acting like he doesn’t want to bc i guess that’s too girly??? but i also find this video fascinating because the joke IN it is kind of that they’re both poking fun at him for being so insecure about playing a freaking flute. because, i mean, he gets into it, but he wants you to think he is not.

also this picture.

what is this. i hate them. jensen is smushing himself into misha’s forehead but noooo his face is telling us ‘i hate this’ because CLEARLY he does. also misha’s so happy ew gross

he does that face in photo ops with misha ALL THE TIME but how many times has he also literally asked the con goers if he can also have those photos on his phone too? because of course he actually loves touching misha and is actually a sentimental fool but he tries so hard to hide it and fails so spectacularly.

oh and this. and of COURSE this. actually let’s talk about the hitch kiss for a hot minute because it’s a perfect example of exactly what i’m talking about

(he is so transparent guys. he tries so hard but he’s so obvious.)

1. misha was never supposed to be onstage with him. so it’s a boldface LIE and OBVIOUS PLOY TO GET MISHA TO KISS HIM when he says ‘they’d like us to make out now’. but of course the way he says it is ‘oh my god can you believe what these crazy panel people are making us do haha but i mean what they say goes amirite’. same energy as ‘oh my god did you just dare us to kiss rn???’ ‘....no i didn’t’ ‘oh my god i can’t believe you’d ask that haha but i can’t say no to a dare lol’ it’s the SAME THING

2. the fact that he was in the worst mood before misha came onstage and FAKE KISSING HIM made him feel...SO?? much better? like not just a little better a lot better like, again, that says a lot, because if they weren’t dating he would not be in a better mood if misha kissed his cheek unprompted. bc that cheek kiss wasn’t a joke it was a genuine sign of affection and AHHHH

3. after the kiss happens. you know, the one that jensen actively leans into and is smiling like an idiot the whole time through and is quite clearly having the time of his life during....he says ‘well, that was uncomfortable’. .......my guy. um. i don’t know how to tell you that i do in fact have eyes and you are NOT pulling the fast one you think you are

like i’m so sorry jensen but i have you pegged. it’s literally no use.

god there’s so many instances of him doing this with misha specifically. the whole ‘ew gross lol’ but then everything about him tells us the exact opposite. like this(i hate this. how dare he say ‘he has though, hasn’t he?’ LIKE THAT?????)

so yeah my point with that is he really wants us to think he is one thing when he is the antithesis of what he’s trying to be. he really likes those things that he talks down about, and everything he’s loudly projecting is all to hide how he really feels. he went to a gay bar with daneel, for crying out loud. he wants to play a role in drag. he’s queer and he likes it. pov: you’re jensen ackles train of thought: ‘ok so i really like this thing that people might make fun of me for or call me gay for liking so if i just say ‘lol as if’ and make a grossed-out face they will be FOOLED. i am a genius. hey misha wanna blow on my ear lol i meAN GROSS EW’

i have two more things i want to talk about when it comes to this topic so PLEASE bear with me anon this is why you took so long to answer clearly lmao

ok so we’re now going to go over my favorite hot take of all time. which is ‘how do we know dean’s performing masculinity? because sam isn’t.’ only replace dean with jensen and sam with jared and oh my god do we ever have a case

jared is as STRAIGHT as they come. he is secure in that knowledge. and that’s why he is perfectly comfortable treating misha like this:

and not try to scream ‘i am not enjoying doing this!!!!!!’ at us. because he doesn’t care what we think of his sexuality like jensen does(because he has nothing to hide whereas jensen DOES)

something i found the other day that no one has brought up but i SCREAMED upon finding it is this one clip THAT I CAN’T FIND OH GOD but i promise i’m not making it up. i can’t believe i can’t find it guys it is gold. i need need NEED to talk about it. and if anyone knows what i’m referencing and can apply links in any way i will love you forever but here’s what happens off the top of my head:

ok so i’m a bit too braindead to explain it perfectly but um basically it’s a j2 panel and someone brings up magic mike and i think jared says ‘yeah i didn’t watch it’ and then jensen says ‘all the way through’. stupid joke. whatever. the joke is that jared is gay for watching magic mike.

and then i literally kid you not. jared gets this like ‘jesus christ ok dude? lol’ look on his face and then goes ‘projecting much, mr. ackles?’ and jensen gets a guilty look on his face and walks away. and jared did not say it as a joke. he was being dead pan and earnest. and jensen knew it too, he knew he was projecting. i wish i could show you guys the clip i promise if i ever find it i’ll link it but IS THAT NOT SO DAMNING FOR JENSEN????? like come ON. also proves my point that when you compare how they feel about watching magic mike. jared doesn’t care bc watching it just doesn’t interest him, but he also thinks that just watching it in itself doesn’t make you gay. jensen however.......has a different mindset, clearly.

‘projecting much, mr. ackles?’ is actually a great title for my next and FINAL section(we’re almost there folks) which is how jensen projects his insecurites about his own sexuality and relationship with misha onto misha.

i hope by now we’ve all seen this video of jensen impersonating cas. it is a blatant microaggression on his part. and like obviously homophobic. it’s like in his mind if he makes fun of them for being gay it makes them both less gay somehow??? it’s self-deprecation in a way??? let’s just tell it like it is: that impression was just jensen’s overt internalized homophobia rearing it’s ugly head. he does it a LOT too when it comes to misha.

i mean:

and that whole mess where he’s making fun of misha for being a bottom in their panel in 2016? ‘so you’re saying, like with football terms, there’s a handler and there’s a receiver heheheehe’ jensen you’re not exempt from being gay just because you know football terms lmao

oh and his OTHER impression of misha where he mocks him for...bicycling...because it’s not a manly enough sport??? jensen NO ONE else has ever thought this hard in their lives about what constitutes as masculine enough to be a sport before. that’s all you bud. we don’t find those jokes nearly as funny as you do. you are reaching, sir

the good news is that misha thinks it’s hilarious and knows it’s projecting on jensen’s part and will tease him endlessly for it. many stories come to mind, like that one photo op story where they’re literally dressed in rainbow banners and pride stickers but when misha goes to hold his hand jensen said something like ‘no way’ and then misha stepped back, put his hands on his hips and went ‘that’s the part that’s too gay for you???’ and jensen LOST it

or when that whole underwear thing happened(messy messY MESSY BTW) and then a fan asked a question about what dean and cas would do in rome and misha just said ‘when in rome’ and jensen makes a face like ‘are you serious’ and then misha says ‘you can’t look at me like that anymore, because of what you did!!!!!!’

OH and that whole story about when misha suggested they put jensen in the closet for that cat video....yeah um

and then when jensen was asked to do bisexual finger guns for a photo op and the con goer said ‘he looks bisexual here’ and misha literally said ‘oh he definitely looks bisexual here. i would say he’s actually closer to the gay side of the spectrum’ so..um...make with that as you will

OH MY GOD i’m finally done. wow. WOW. that was a lot. i hope i’ve blown your minds. ty anon i really wanted to talk about this and i hope you’re happy with the outcome!!!!!!

#cockles ask #sexuality spec #jensen is bi #anti rps for ts #cockles #liz answers #ok i have to admit it is crazy i have retained all this info #i hope someone appreciates it #my analysis #mine

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