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tastesoftamriel · 4 years ago

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What kinds of foods were you not expecting certain races to enjoy? Like, things you thought for sure the Altmer wouldn't eat EVER, but they actually do?

There are certainly a surprising number of culinary irregularities all Tamrielic races have, despite the overwhelming number of picky eaters (Skyrim and Valenwood, I'm looking at you). These are some of the ones which caught me off-guard...

Argonians

Traditional Argonian cuisine is known for being spicy and a whirlwind of flavours, so the mildness and complexity of foam frog soufflé was not what I expected! In terms of taste and texture, it's comparable to the classic Breton orange liqueur flambéed soufflé. The naturally-occurring foam generated by foam frogs is whipped with coconut milk and scuttlebloom nectar, then gently baked in delicate clay ramekins in a traditional stone oven. It is then sprinkled with a bit of coconut sugar, and drenched in sweet banana liqueur before getting blasted with a Flame spell right at your table! Don't think you can try this at home though- this recipe takes a lot of skill to pull off, and is considered one of the most impressive dishes in Saxhleel cuisine. And yes, it's Breton-approved, but don't tell them that the frog foam is actually residue from mating and is filled with tadpoles.

Breton

On that note, the Breton kitchen is full of surprises! It's well known that High Rock gastronomy is very focused on sit-down meals and the correct use of cutlery, so finger foods aren't very traditional, even among the common folk. It blew my mind when I first visited Daggerfall and found taverns and market stands selling Orcish kebabs! These messy, enormous rolls have been downsized (and underfilled) to suit Breton tastes, but the strongly spiced goat meat, frost mirriam yoghurt sauce, and tasty radish balls are true to the original! You'll even find nobles sending their butlers out to procure a hot kebab for them to eat out of view of the public eye...it would be mortifying if somebody saw a drop of chili sauce dripping down a noblewoman's chin!

Bosmer

Green Pact Bosmeri food isn't known for its sweets, so the very existence of meat-based desserts was initially baffling to me. A Valenwood favourite is the boiled pudding, which is made from eggs, milk, suet, and cricket flour, and sweetened with imported sugar, sweet condensed milk, or candied fruit. As such, these dense puddings are sometimes known as Falinesti Forbidden Fruit, and they're sometimes decorated to look like large oranges, apples, or coconuts for the shock factor! And if you're curious to try this strange but tasty dessert, you'll be pleased to know that a new recipe is coming soon...

Nords

I admit it, Skyrim cuisine can be a little bland compared to the food of most other races, but this little gem is a dish most outsiders don't know about- Akaviri casserole. I don't know if it's actually Akaviri in origin, or if somebody just thought it sounded exotic, but it is deceptively spicy, and not in a way most Tamrielic people know it. Its key ingredient is frost peppercorns, which grow at high altitudes in Skyrim and around the Druadach Mountains, are coveted by alchemists, but also pack a serious punch in any dish. While regular chilis have a sharp burn, frost peppercorns leave a numbing, tingly feeling that spice masochists love. Anywhere from a couple of peppercorns to a whole fistful of them go into a casserole dish with an eidar cheese sauce, venison, juniper berries, and vegetables like potatoes and carrots. In other words, it's just another Nord dish...but painful.

Redguards

I mentioned a while ago that Redguards detest moldy or fermented foods, due to the close association with rot and death. There is an exception to this however, and it's surprisingly something that's served in every Hammerfell household: fish paste. Similar in taste to the Imperial garum, fermented fish paste is literally made from leftover fisherman's offcuts which usually have been left out in the sun all day. Rather than leaving the scraps to the vultures, at the end of the day they're shovelled into stone amphorae containing gods know what (it's a closely guarded secret) and are left to ferment for two days in a cellar. Of course, there are plenty of posh Redguard fish pastes on the market with Abecean longfin caviar, but this is first and foremost a food of the common people, with humble (if slightly gross) origins.

Imperials

I've always loved the predictability of Cyrodiilic cooking...until you find something like barbecued minotaur ribs. Ribs aren't anything surprising, but Imperial ribs are usually tender, delicate lamb or faun. Eating is a serious, dignified affair, so this is a completely astounding defiance of customs. Minotaur meat is a rare delicacy, and they're normally basted in a red wine, honey, and mustard sauce, and grilled on flaming coals. The end result is a meaty, sweet mess, and definitely just as undignified to eat (if not moreso) than the Breton kebabs. If you're willing to get your hands dirty and abandon haughty Imperial decorum, you've found a carnivore's dream.

Khajiit

Gryphons can be dangerous pests to the Khajiit living outside city walls in Elsweyr. When they've snatched enough sheep or wounded people, villagers will often band together and hunt the responsible gryphon, and eat it at a communal feast. A successful gryphon hunt is a cause for celebration among Khajiit, and is seen as a good omen and blessing from Hircine, the Hungry Cat. The reason this is fascinating to me is that gryphons are sort of like a cross between turkey and beef in form and taste, and no other race eats them. After it is plucked, gryphon meat is hacked into chunks and distributed by the clan chief between households, who then cook and share it with the village. Gryphon dishes range from red curried gryphon with saffron rice to a simple roast gryphon with moon sugar.

Altmer

It's an industry joke that cooking for High Elves is like trying to milk a kagouti; it makes no sense, they're probably going to get mad, and it's impossible. Imagine my astonishment, then, when I learned that even haughty Summerset is not immune from the delicious clutches of...macaroni and cheese. They'll opt for ingredients like cave-aged, 80 year old vintage indrik cheddar or authentic Cyrodiilic buckwheat orrechiette, but I was shocked that this humble dish was a treat that's well-loved in Summerset, despite its lack of technical complexity. It's a rare treat though, because all that cheese grease is bad for the Altmer complexion!

Dunmer

Nothing is particularly surprising from the old guard of traditional Vvardenfell cooking- after a few kwama eggs and guar steaks, you get the general idea. What I do find surprising is the emergence of Skyrim Dunmeri cuisine. It's been a couple of generations since the refugees fleeing Morrowind settled in Solstheim and largely Windhelm, and those born in Skyrim have developed a cooking style of their own. Based on traditional Dunmeri dishes like crab meat and scuttle, you'll find local ingredients used as substitutes. Apparently, the juices from Nord pickled herring makes the perfect substitute for kwama egg whites...I'll leave it at that.

Orcs

It's known that the radish is an Orc's favourite vegetable, and it's served tender, crunchy, baked or raw in any Orcish dish under the sun. Radish tea-sandwiches are therefore one of the more confusing foods I've come across, though they're mostly served by Wrothgarian and High Rock Orsimer. Soft wheat bread is buttered and layered with horseradish chutney, raw radish slices, and cucumber slices. They're cut into dainty triangles are are usually a snack food, though other races view them as canapés served at high tea or parties. However, when I asked an old hearthwife on Betnikh about radish tea-sandwiches, I was threatened a beating because it was embarrassing, and to tusk off and find some mammoth. If you never hear from me again, you know who got me.

#the elder scrolls #tes #world building #Worldbuilding #Asks #long post

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mrneighbourlove · 4 years ago

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Band of Pirates: Ch 1. Next Stop, Hyrule

“Captain. We’re coming up to Hyrule now.”

“Aye. That’s good. Our pursuers? They catching up?”

“We’d have to ten minutes into shore before they’d catch us.”

“Ok. Redd. I’ll watch the little ones. You need to go up to the crows’ nest and fire and S.O.S flair towards the shoreline. Hopefully the rich land of Hyrule can give us assistance. Or Captain Corsaire if we were actually right about his location.”

“As you command Captain.” The Gerudo on the small ship scrambled about. They were not about to go extinct here.

On the shoreline of Hyrule, fishermen were working hard to become acquainted with the new Lorliedian refugees. This new union of traditional work and magic for wishing was taking some work. Coming around a corner they saw a ship on fire.

“What the-“

A viewers moment was cut short when he saw an emergency flare go off. Quickly, he rushed to find any sailors that could assist.

Corsaire was rather enjoying his new occupation. King Ganondorf and Queen Zelda had presented him with the task of building Hyrule's first navy. He was now the Admiral of the Hylian Navy. It was rather strange to think this was part of the condition of him marrying Orana. First, he had to give up piracy, second, he had to command their navy, and third, he has to present himself as an honorable man to their daughter. Supposedly, he passed the test with flying colors... or either the elder blonde prince was pulling his leg. The man liked to have a bit of faith in Orana's intimidating family. Of course, he was able to barter for his crew as well. Rat worked in the smithy with Asakonigei and helped teach the rookies how to wrestle. Acrobat was tasked with making rope for the new ships being built. Pockets aided Orana in running her animal sanctuary. Mojo and Juju both decided to run the trade routes, that way, the brothers could stop at the Firdosa Islands and see their family more often than not. Bomba oversaw the production of gunpowder for the canons. Everything was running smoothly...

Until someone started screaming fire.

The newly promoted Admiral hurried down the docks, seeing the ship on fire. Ordering the sailors left and right, he managed to take out one of the recently constructed ships, the Siren's Allure, to the one calling for help.

When the Allure came close, a bell was furiously run by a young Gerudo woman with gold trimmed hat and long flowing red hair. “Everyone jump aboard! Everyone jump aboard! Scarlet! Get your ass out of the nest!” Smoke was everywhere and fire was starting to take apart the integrity of the ship.

Corsaire maneuvered the ship close enough for the women to come aboard. He had his sailors lay down thick boards to where some could walk over to the deck. A few swung from ropes and others had the agility to jump from ledge to ledge. "Those of you who need a medic head below deck! Those of you who are fine and dandy, do a head count! Make sure everyone is safe!"

Scarlet jumped aboard first. Finally, Adda joined them. With three Gerudo babies attached under her arms in slings. “Make way!”

Once everyone was on board, and he had confirmation, Corsaire led his ship back to the bay and docked it. "... now you're a face that I didn't expect to see around these parts." He addressed Adda. "I have to admit, it's pretty ballsy of you to come into port after what you did to the Danjuran Prince."

“Prick had it coming. I really mean it when I say it’s good to see you Captain Corsaire.” Looking around, the man could see she had a significantly smaller crew this time around; 11 woman in total.

"I hate to sound all doom and gloom, but what happened?" Corsaire asked Adda point blank. "Your ship is now at the bottom of the sea, your crew is severely diminished, and---" A wail from one of the babies interrupted him. "... you're a mom?"

Adda smirked, hiding something deep down. “Where’s Rat? Need to ask him something.”

Corsaire sensed trouble. "He's not here. At least, not at the moment." Corsaire motioned for the ladies to follow him. "As Admiral of the Hylian Navy, it is my duty to ensure you are cared for, as far as injuries and a place to stay for this night. Then, you will be on your own. I don't know what you are going to do since your ship went down in flames, but I'd advise against you stealing one of these unless you want a bullet."

“Admiral of a navy? Who’d ya fuck to get that position?”Adda teasingly tapped his crotch before looking back with a glance at her crew to see how they were holding up. “Perhaps you can send the reptilian marauders chasing us to hell for an old friend, eh?”

"I married Princess Orana Dragmire." Corsaire swatted her hands away from being too touchy. "And unfortunately, I am not to engage any other ships in port unless said ship fires upon us first."

On que, the monsters did just that. “Corsaire. There are some people that’d commit genocide to have me dead.”

Outside, a pirate ship of Dinolfos and Aerolfos screeched with bloodshed as they were motivated on by their leader, Captain Eltontor. “Leave no ship unsunk! I’ll see that redheaded Siren singing her last swan song on this day!”

Grumbling under his breath, the Admiral started barking orders left and right. While the Hylian navy was just getting started, the defenses in the port were top notch since that incident with the kraken. It was not long before a barrage of cannons was firing upon the ship.

Adda directed her ladies to help dismantle the lizards in any way they could. Joining Corsaire up on the bridge, she handed her babies off to him. “Excuse me. I need to do something personal.”

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Corsarie rushed after Adda, stopping the woman in her tracks. "There's no way in hell I'm watching these brats." He handed the kids back to the pirate. "And you can't step foot out of the port without risking being arrested."

“Mother fucker, yes you will!” She shoved the babies back, and this time, one of the Gerudo pirates held Corsaire firmly to hold him in place. Grabbing a rifle from one of her crew, Adda looked down the scope, scanning the chaos on the monsters ship. Aerolfos were being shot down or snatched up by one particular and hungry dragon in the sky. The rest of the lizards were running about to exchange cannon fire. When she saw Eltontor a deep wrath boiled in her soul, icing her concentration.

“The fleshies are no match for us! Concentrate fire on—— ZIIIP!!!”

A single bullet from Adda traveled across the sea between them and went in and out the crocodile’s right eye and brain. With a wet slump the monster went down, bringing more chaos to his crew. Snarling, Adda thrust the gun to one of Corsaire’s men. It was a start, but not the source of her anger. “Die yee bastards.”

As soon as the pirate had Corsaire in her hold, guns were drawn. Every single one of Corsaire's men had pistols lined up to fire, pointing at the heads of the Gerudo women and Adda. No one would touch the Admiral. Most of the men were convicts given a second chance thanks to the Admiral. A few he had rescued from a bad situation. Others, he gave them a job when no one else would. He had built his navy on loyalty. "... Adda. I'm going to very politely ask you to cease this nonsense and let my men and women handle this." Corsaire stated calmly, trying to avoid a shootout. "I don't want anyone else hurt."

Adda didn’t budge at the guns in her face as she lined up her shot and fired for the kill. Once she had her carnage satisfied, she relaxed. “Sorry. Girls. Stand down.” Adda gently took the three babies back, closing her eyes to rest for a moment. “That was something personal I had to do.”

"Personal or not, you need to think rationally in these parts. You're not on your ship, in charge of things, anymore." Corsaire gave her a fair warning. "And you need to think of the safety of your kids first."

“Well, that’s why I sought you out actually.” When someone shot to close to her girls, causing one to cry, Adda put all herself control into not kicking the man in the ass. “Can- can we go somewhere safe? Inland preferably?”

"Unless you want to get arrested, I'd advise you staying at the Rickety Inn in port." Corsaire told Adda, but looked at her crew. "All of you. And you," He pointed to Scarlet once more. "If you punch Seer like you did last time, I'll kick your ass."

“Arrested?! I don’t have any bounties in Hyrule!”

Scarlet flinched, not wanting to give rise to any more problems. With the fighting settling down, she took hold of one of the babies. “No sir Admiral sir.”

"Bounties or not, Danjur has close ties with Hyrule and if someone recognizes you, it will cause trouble. Don't make me regret being nice to you." Corsaire handed Adda a small pouch full of rupees. "This should be enough for you and your girls. I'd advise you be looking to move at first light."

“You owe use more than that.” Adda frowned as she glanced at the amount of rupees she got.

"The Rickety Inn knows me; they'll give you decent boarding for all of you in double beds for 50 rupees. Give them my name and that's money for food. Cheap grub there, I can feed my whole crew for 30 rupees." Corsaire scoffed, opening the bag, showing her. "It's three gold rupees, you ingrate. There's enough left over for the little ones to get diapers and such, and a few of you need new clothes." He gestured to a few of the women who were wearing rags. "I'm missing an arm, Adda, not blind."

“It’s not money you owe me. It’s a better place to go.” She had to play this card now or she might lose the opportunity. “Our first mates made a baby together.”

"...!" Corsaire was surprised by this news, but he took it with a grain of salt. "Listen, I'm not trying to insinuate names here, but you told me yourself that your girls have slept with multiple Voes." He was not going to be part of this argument. "I can put a bug in Rat's ear, but that's all. I don't want any trouble near the castle. The Rickety Inn is as good as it is going to get for now, until I can find out that all of you won't be arrested, shot at, or just thrown to the dungeons."

“And Scarlets the biggest maiden on ship. Trust me, it’s theirs. Maybe you can throw a good word for me towards the Queen and King. Probably got information they can use.”

"I will see what I can do, but I have very little power in the courts of royals, even though I married their daughter." Corsaire looked at the tiny girl that Scarlet was holding, yawning widely with those adorable eyes fluttering shut. "For now, for the love of the sea, please lay low."

~ At the Rickety Inn, Adda and her crew finally had a moment to catch their breath after a few weeks of chaos, hell, and death. An hour of reflection, tears, a few screams, and silence. For Adda, in private, she hurt the most. She lost her treasure, her power, but most importantly, her family. 80% of her crew, gone in a flash.

After breast feeding her babies, she found the woman gathered in the mess hall. Although they had the whole port to explore, they didn’t want to leave one another. Hinkel, Robertta, Freddy, Jasmine, Claire, Zaranna, Sabrina, Foster, Miranda, and Scarlet. They were all that was left.

A somber mood filled the air. Adda adjusted her hat, and gritted her teeth. She was their leader. It was her duty to uplift them. “Ladies... stand up.” All the Gerudo did so, their attention on her now.

“I’m sorry. I failed you. I was supposed to lead us to promise and glory. And I failed you.” Grabbing a pint of beer, she started to chug it down. “We lost our family in the power struggle. Lost it to some fucken nightmare beasts of hell.” Slamming the glass down, she looked them all deep in the eye. “But they made one mistake. They didn’t kill us all.”

The women glanced around each other, nodding.

“We Gerudo know death. We embrace it. Because we’re warriors. And better, use pirates know glory.” Her tone rose, and she pointed around the room. “As your Captain, your Chieftan, and your friend, I promise you this. Those bastards might have won today, and they might sneer at us and enjoy the spoils tomorrow, but there will come a day where we shall have our revenge! We will tear fiends apart, and carve our own empire to glorious salvation! So, I say this, a toast! A toast to our fallen sisters! And promise that in this lifetime, we will see them avenged!!!”

The stupor the Gerudo were in was replaced by adrenaline. With a mighty cheer, they raised their fists to the sky. As drinks were ordered around, they began to have a celebration the port would never regret of drinking, songs, and hope.

It was not long after news ran wild in the ports, that a few crew members of the Sea Witch decided to see some familiar faces. "LADIES!!!" Bomba kicked opened the door to the inn, slicking back his hair. "Who missed me?!"

"Bomba, shuddup." Rat bonked the young man on the head with his knuckles. "Be a-nice, these ladies have just gone through a-hard time."

"I think they might be looking for something hard."

"BOMBA."

"Let him have his fun, it's been ages since he probably got laid anyway." Seer remarked dryly as Corsaire led him into the Rickety Inn. "And pray tell, why did you bring me here?"

"I told you, because Adda's brood is here." Corsaire told his brother-in-arms. "I thought you might like to see her---damn it, I thought you might like her company again."

"Nice, Cap'n."

"It's Admiral now."

"I doubt Adda even remembers me." Seer was not too full of confidence. "Well, we'll find out, won't we?"

"And you thought I'd miss this shit-show?" Orana hung on the back of her husband's shoulders. "Friends of yours from back in the day?"

"Friends with bene-HMPH!!!" Bomba was silenced by Rat's hand over his mouth. "Just acquaintances."

Some the Gerudo actually smiled seeing the runt again. “Bomba!!!”

Scarlet paused her dinner seeing Rat, quick to set her food down and walk up to him. Seemed she had some more confidence now. “Mousa!”

"See? Dey remember the hot stuff." Bomba remarked with a smug smirk. "Couldn't get enough of me."

"They remember the short stuff." Seer snorted. "Short and to the point."

"Hey! I'mma fun-sized all over!" Bomba huffed indignantly. "You's just jealous."

"Sure, jealous of a pint-size."

"Get ya head outta the flour clouds, you's know I'mma good at what I do; making a bang in two different ways." Bomba chuckled with a grin. "In the canons and in the bed."

"... remind me how you put up with him all these years, Cap'n?" Rat asked Corsaire with a roll of his eyes.

"I contemplate homicide everyday, but remind myself of the benefits of having him around." Corsaire mused as Orana stood at his side. "These were the Gerudo pirates I told you about."

"It's odd seeing more Gerudo women... well, so many in one place." Orana admitted. "We honestly thought Cass might be one of the last."

As soon as Scarlet obtained Rat's attention, the ex-gladiator smiled. "Aye, there's me pretty lassie."

“Pretty?” Scarlet blushed, trying to not to become timid. “I missed you a ton you know.”

Adda smiled ear to ear and gave a hardy laugh when she saw Orana. “Rrrr! So, you’re the fine lass that broke through this fool’s heart ey? Pleasure to meet you. I’m Captain Adda. But if you don’t like titles, we can go by first names.”

"Course you's pretty." Rat assured her. "Buffest, prettiest, strongest lady on the ship." "The crew calls me Missy Orana, my subjects call me Princess Orana, and my husband calls me Spitfire."

Orana shrugged her shoulders with a laugh. "You can just call me Orana. I have too many titles."

“Well you really are a spitfire. Join us. Was about to have my first drink of the night.” Scarlet, grabbed Rat by the hands and pulled him in for a kiss. “Can you follow me Mousa? I got something important to show you.”

"Oh, no, no, no, I can't drink, not tonight." Orana declined. "I have to check on my newest addition; a female Molagani tiger. She got caught in a poacher's trap and lost her back hind leg. Got to make sure she gets acclimated to the sanctuary."

"NRRRROOOOORRRRWWW!!!"

Mahaan was never too far behind his mistress. The huge Molagani tiger chuffed as he walked into the inn, earning a few startled looks before Orana scratched his head, earning a purr from the creature. He flicked his tail, watching the people around him closely.

"And, of course, take this big baby home. He's been mooching off the fish vendors all day."

"Nyaaaah."

"Yes, you have."

"Mrrrow!"

"No, you've had enough."

"Mew!"

"No, be good."

"Nnnnrrrnnn."

"Don't worry, he's a softie. Most of the time." Seer patted Mahaan's head.

"To show me?" Rat repeated. "What to show me?"

Adda sulked throwing a friendly arm around Orana. “Listen, to put a long story short I lost all my drinking buddies. Heard rumours of a Gerudo legend that out drank Corsaire muttered amongst many a sailors in just the last year! I don’t suppose that would be you?”

"Indeed, that was the grand 'Missy Orana', my crew deemed her, and she had her head stuck in a bucket for the whole next day." Corsaire snickered, earning a scowl from his wife.

"It was the only way I could get him to take me to the kraken's nest and he procrastinated that task too." Orana pouted.

“Have just one drink with me? Chicken if you don’t.”

"Classic guilt trip and reverse psychology move, but I'm passing." Orana kissed Corsaire on the cheek. "Don't be too long. You have a meeting with Ralnor and Covarog tomorrow to discuss the expansion on the north side of the port."

"Urgh, don't remind me." Corsaire groaned. "Your brothers don't like me."

"My brothers are just overprotective."

“Booooo.” Adda tossed Orana a rupee with a wink. “I’ll save my drinking till you’re ready then.”

"You really shouldn't drink anyhow, Adda," Orana reminded the woman. "Alcohol can go into breastmilk." She tipped the pirate's hat down as she waved goodbye to her husband. "See you later for dinner."

Finally taking Rat to a private room, Scarlet fumbled with the hotel keys. “Think it was this one.”

Rat, on the other hand, was wondering if Scarlet had something romantic planned.

Opening the door to the room, Scarlet completely blindsided him. Picking up a sleeping baby, she held her close as she approached Rat. “Mousa. I’d like you to meet your daughter. Revy.”

Rat was expecting any bedroom activity, and a baby was the last thing on his mind. Jaw slightly agape, he tried to think of what to say. He was speechless. Logic told him that the Gerudo ladies liked to sleep around and he should be skeptical. Though, he did not think Scarlet was the type to lie. That was more of Adda's game.

"You... you's serious? Not pulling me fish hook?"

“I am. I really, really am.” Scarlet lightly shook with excitement. “Would like to hold her?”

"... she's... she's so tiny." Rat looked unsure of himself. "Me hands awful large. I don't want to hurt her."

“And mine aren’t?” Very, very carefully, Scarlet placed Revy into Rat’s arms to be cradled. She slept like a pearl.

"Scarlet, me's going to be honest with you. Me's never had a... childhood. A good one." Rat carefully used a single finger to brush some of the little one's hair from her face. "Not sure if I's going to be proper father material."

“Hey. Half my life I’ve been a pirate. Not the safest life, but I had a family with my crew. I grew up around mothers of all kinds. I can pick up the slack.” Scarlet paused for a moment. “Do you want to be a parent with me?”

"If... if we's going to be parents, then we's need to do this right, Scarlet." Rat told the Gerudo woman. "A mama has to be there for her child. She can't go off galivanting on the high seas. You understand what it means if you want to be a-parent with me?"

“I do.” Scarlet looked down at Revy, a sad look on her face. “I don’t have anything to gallivant to Mousa. Even if I wanted too...”

"I suppose, what me's saying is you are gonna have to a-put this wee one first," Rat stated, trying not to sound too harsh. "Not Adda."

“Well, Adda’s got her twins to look after now.” Scarlet snickered at the thought. Was still surprising to her that Adda wanted to keep them.

"Twins?" Rat repeated. "I's... assuming Seer is not the father?"

“No. He’s not. They ain’t blue.” Carefully, Revy was placed back in her cradle with her blinds closed. “You didn’t answer my question. You want to help me raise our daughter?”

"Course I do. Yet, like me said, I's wanting to do it proper." Rat then asked her suddenly. "Marry me."

Scarlet had her arms around his waist, but her face was blushing with surprise. “Just like that?”

"Sorry." Rat was flustered himself. "Tis not the most appealing way to propose to a lady."

“I do. But ask me again when you can make it so.” Scarlet pulled Rat down for a deep kiss, pushing him onto the bed room. “Girls made fun of me for waiting for you. I think it was worth the wait.”

"Psh, dey's just jealous cause you's got a man that can lift you and dey don't." Rat boasted. "And taller too."

“I could lift you too you know.” Pulling her top off, Scarlet pressed closer. “You gonna rock the inn with me?”

"We won't wake Reveka?" Rat asked, glancing at the snoozing baby in the basinet.

“She’ll sleep like a rock. Now...” she kissed him slowly, taking off his shirt. “Indulge me.”

Down at the bar, Adda trimmed the rim of her rum, thinking about what Orana said. Damn it all, she was right. Talk about a great mental space to have kids. Noticing Corsaire and Seer sitting down at a table, she sat down with them. “Hey Seer. Long time no see.”

"Like I haven't heard that one before---oh, look! Free beer!" Seer quickly pointed in the opposite direction of Adda's voice to make her look. Then, he grinned like an idiot. "Got ya."

‘You are an idiot’, an inner voice in her head told her. Shrugging it off, she smiled at him. “Not fair. I can’t drink. And I really, really, really want to.”

"You have to make sacrifices for your children." Corsaire was surprisingly mature about the whole idea of kids, but he did not want to take care of someone else's brats. He did want children with Orana one day, but right now, she was barely into her twenties. It was difficult enough trying to get Bomba to behave, and he always had to watch after his younger sisters and brother when he was a teenager. "Get a virgin strawberry daiquiri and be happy."

"Who's the father, Adda? Did you meet someone?" Seer asked. "I overheard the girls whispering that you found a hunk."

“A perfect man and a demon he couldn’t control.” Adda smirked, playing it cool. “Couldn’t let someone who couldn’t keep a lid on himself around my babies, now could I. Bartender! I’ll take the virgins!”

“Damn right you will~” One of her crew replied, getting a hooray from them.

Seer was not the biggest fan of drinking. He absolutely refused to do drugs. He was hoping his captain would take him away from this... triggering area. Luckily, Corsaire was able to sense Seer's discomfort. After bidding the women farewell, he locked arms with Seer and escorted him out of the bar. Rat could find his own way home.

“Wait, hold up!” Adda ran out after them, with her non alcoholic beverage in hand. “Don’t you want to actually catch up?” Adda actually sounded desperate. Just for a slight moment in her voice, despite what her body language showed.

"Are you speaking to me or the captain? I mean, admiral?" Seer asked Adda, turning around at the sound of her voice.

“Both?... You Seer? I mean, lot has clearly changed for all of us since we last saw one another.”

"As much as I love to catch up, I need to get home to my wife." Corsaire told Adda honestly. "I work enough as it is and I don't want Orana to feel like I'm ignoring her." "That's fine, go see Missy Orana, I know she misses you." Seer assured his friend.

“And you Seer? You got some amazing knock out with all her shit in a box waiting for you too?”

"Heh, I wish, but I've been working in the castle's kitchen to save up money to buy my own place." Seer admitted to Adda. "So, if I stay, I'll have to leave in a little while. I prepare breakfast for everyone, so I can't be late."

“Ok....” Adda smiled with sadness in her eyes, then a deep burden hit her and she crashed. “I... oh fuck this. I can’t drag you both into my fucking mistakes. I’m sorry. No. Forget you heard that. I- .... Maybe tomorrow then. Get me that all clear to come inland Corsaire. It was good seeing you too Seer. Got some babies to look after.” Turning heel, she stomped away back to her room not too far away.

"You know if you want someone to talk to, I'll listen." Seer called after Adda.

"Seer, you shouldn't get involved." Corsaire murmured to him. "It's old news, you shouldn't concern yourself."

"She just wants someone to talk to."

"I'd like that." Adda took his hand, quickening her pace to lead him to her room.

"Whoa!" Seer was surprised by her sudden tug, but allowed himself to be led to her room. The people here knew him and there would be someone to help him find his way to the castle later. "I just have to be back in the morning, so I'm not goign to drink or such."

Closing the door, she turned around and kissed him on the lips. She wasn't touchy with her hands on his body, and it came across as rather sweet. "That's my way of saying hello again."

"...?!" Seer was definitely surprised by the kiss. He was not expecting that, or any affections. It had been a long while. "I... honestly thought you probably forgot about me."

"Hey. It's only been shy of a year. No one's been really as sweet as you. And you were the last sweet thing to ever happen to me."

"Now I think you're just flattering me." Seer chuckled, feeling slightly embarrassed. "That was a nice night."

"It was. With all that's happened, it'd been easier if I had your babies instead, I think."

Now that comment really made Seer blush heavily. "I... um... that... uh... thanks?"

Heading to the twins’ crib, Adda rocked them gently. "Seer. Do you have any history with kids?"

"I... sometimes helped the ladies who had children at the brothel." Seer admitted, not liking the fact that the ladies were usually referred to as whores. Most of them were slaves, and could not control their occupation. He heard one of the babies coo. "I was good at feeding them or rocking them to sleep. Most of them were hesitant to let me care for them since I could not see."

"I wish I had a good mother. Good sister figures in the crew, but never good parents." Adda kept the slow rocking up. "Seer. How much knowledge did Corsaire share with you about different pirate clans? I know this is a very big world, so I wouldn't be surprised if you don't know."

"I don't know much. I just know there's a few different ones that have their own area they lurk in." Seer thought about some of Corsaire's stories. "That reptile boss from that set of gambling joints, the Gerudo ladies, the Firdosan Islanders that like to raid other pirates and cruise ships..."

"... I lost the Wind Waker Seer."

"... you lost it?" Seer repeated. "... I have a feeling I shouldn't ask how, but I'm going to."

"Same way I lost my spot in the war. To that demon on leather wings. Terror of the Sky and Sea: Onslaught." Adda stopped rocking the crib, her body going stone still. "I was still learning how to use the Wind Waker. I heard word of an ancient stone tablet that could give me the right song to tear ships from the water. I would have one the war for the seas in with just a stroke of my wrist. But I had a fucking turncoat that betrayed me and gave my location away to him."

"Onslaught..." Seer had heard rumors of that horrid dragon around port. "I'm... sorry that happened, Adda. Though, I hate to sound like the voice of reason, but... should you really be fighting now that you're a mother?"

"I thought I could quell the fighting to give my babies a bright future. Instead, I had nearly all my people killed or enslaved."

"We all make mistakes, Adda, but the bright side of all this is you're alive, your babies are all right, and you brought the rest of your crew to safety." Seer tried to help her see the positive outlook. "I know you're feeling down right now, but the only way you have to go from here is up. Try to build a good life for yourself and your babies. Forget about being a pirate, and focus on being a mom."

"My whole life is being a pirate. I have crew to look after. You think Corsaire would abandon you at your lowest point?"

"I didn't say abandon anyone, Adda." Seer told her with a firm voice. "I'm saying, you have other priorities now. Take your sisters, find somewhere to settle down, and make a good living without being on the high seas in danger all the time. Corsaire would never abandon us, no, but he'd never willingly put us in danger either. Sometimes, it was unavoidable, but Corsaire looked out for us. Found us all jobs once he married Orana. We're all brothers to him. So do the same for your sisters. Let them be happy and you be happy."

"They'll be the most happy if I give them Onslaught's head."

"You sure about that? I'd ask them first." Seer sniffed the air a couple of times and then scrunched his nose. "Scarlet, for example. The one who broke my nose."

"You still on about that?" Adda looked at him, a wrath in her eyes he couldn't see, but could feel in her voice. "All of us agreed. We will do our part in killing the bastard and avenging our people. And I have a hunch that your Captain and the King of this land will want to help my quest."

"I'm blind, not deaf, and I rarely forget something that hurts. Had enough broken bones and bruises to recall." Seer heard the bitterness in her voice. "I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but for the sake of these little ones," The Direnor gently felt inside of the crib, brushing his fingers across the twins' foreheads. "I'd suggest you let it go. If this Onslaught is as nasty as they come, he'll use them against you. It's your job as a mom to keep your kids safe---hey now, I need that back." Seer told the twin known as Liz when she grabbed his finger. "Strong one, aren't you?"

"Even in her sleep, she likes you." Adda shook her head with a light sigh. "This Onslaught will come after me regardless. It's my duty to destroy him. As for my girls... I have to provide for them somehow."

"You could just ask the Lorleidian Queen for reinforcements instead of putting yourself at risk. Ask nicely. Humbly. Make your case." Seer stated, emphasizing the word nice. He knew how Adda could come across. "She has dragons, you know. And as far as providing for your girls, there's always help needed in restaurants. The Farmer's Daughter is the most popular joint on this side and needs good waitresses. The old matron watches the little ones in exchange for a few rupees while you work. It's not the best job, but it's good, honest work. She even has a boarding area for the girls that work for her."

"A waitress? So someone can grope my ass? I know how Hryule treats Gerudo. I won't take any less than a position under a royal umbrella."

"You honestly think they'll just let anyone into the castle?" Seer asked her dryly. "Let me guess, you want to guard the queen with that creepy Commander Klinge? Cater to Missy Orana? Play dress up with Princess Kanisa?"

"I don't know! All I know is I'm not some peasant. I deserve better! My girls deserved better! My crew deserved better!!!" Adda nearly roared, shaking her head with discomfort at the situation. "I don't have a lover, I don't have anyone from the outside who seems to want to help me!"

"Hey, hey, hey, shh, shh, you're upsetting the kids!" Seer heard the twins whine in their crib and gently shook the sides so it would rock. Once the whining ceased, Seer released a breath of relief. He could not stand crying, it always tugged at his heart strings. "I'm trying to help you if you'd just let me! Good gracious, woman, not everyone gets finery handed to them on a silver platter. You should know as well as I do that you have to work for it. I suggested what work I knew of, if working in a restaurant isn't good enough, then you can look for yourself." Fixing the blanket on the twins, the blind man then carefully started to walk in the direction of the door. "You're not queen here anymore, Adda. If you want my help, then give them my name at Farmer's Daughter. It's owned by Lon Lon Milk, a local farming ranch. It's a good place. After all, I should know," Seer said before he stepped out of the room. "I cooked there before I went to the castle." Then shut the door.

Adda sat fell back onto the bed. There were no stars in the night sky. Just a cage. Once again, the voice in her head fed her doubts. ‘No one will come to truly care for you’.

________________________________________________________________

It’s a brand new AU! Hope that you will enjoy it! @ridersoftheapocalypse and I made it in mind for our friend @s-kinnaly. That Adda-Seer ship you for you buddy. Will also be other retellings sprinkled in, so stayed tuned!

Next Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/633413002943758336/band-of-pirates-ch-2-game-plan

#AU #Legend of Zelda #Crossover #ridersoftheapocalypse #Captain Adda #Corsaire #Rat #Scarlet #Seer

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zarcake-writes · 6 years ago

Text

Naka

Hello everyone! Here’s a story about a bisexual female drider and a bisexual human woman. They meet in a time of need and fall in love. This story mentions some rather dark moments, but nothing is in detail. Check the warnings below.

Warnings: pregnancy, mention of birth, death of a spouse, death of children

The floods are horrible, the worst this region has seen in about half a century. Villages and small towns are wiped out, leaving behind nothing or the foundations of a few buildings. The orc stronghold in the area has taken in refugees, but even their mighty stronghold has experienced some damages. If people couldn’t get to the stronghold, they did their best to get to the human city. But even that growing city was being damaged by the rains.

Despite many attempting to flee and get to safety, many were not lucky. Humans, orcs, elves, goblins, and gnolls are all swept away by the water, never to be seen again. Families are left with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The pain of having to watch their homes and livelihoods vanish in a swirl of dark water was crushing, but at least they had each other. Others are not so lucky. Others are left alone in the wet, cruel world, screaming for the water to take them as well or begging for their loved ones to return.

You are one of the luckier ones. However, at that moment, you don't feel very lucky. After the flooding separated you from the people you were traveling with, you sought shelter in the woods. It was a miracle that you found something at all.

Sitting beneath a large rocky outcropping, you can only watch the pounding rain. It’s almost impossible to get comfortable. Your wet clothes cling to your skin and make you shiver. Starting a fire would be basically impossible in this weather. Your feet and ankles ache, and your swollen stomach makes it hard to sit in one position for long.

“We’ll be ok, little one. As soon as there’s a break in the rain, we’ll try to get to the stronghold. Even if we need to take the long way,” you said. Your hands travel over the swell of your stomach, a slight kick assures you that your child is ok.

When you wake, it’s morning. The air is cold and the sky is dark. The only good thing is that it’s stopped raining for a moment. Your large stomach makes it hard for you to stand. When you manage to pull yourself up, you take a few deep breaths and ready yourself mentally for the journey.

The pregnancy has slowed you down greatly, and without anyone to help you, well, it makes sense that you were left behind. You barely made it across the river by yourself. You’re not sure how you’ll make it to the stronghold alone. The forest can be dangerous on a normal day, with territorial naga’s, driders, and fae. Not to mention getting lost and the threat of getting lost. But the rains and the rising river has made everything so much more dangerous.

Once you’ve done your best to prepare yourself, you push yourself off the wall. The drive to save yourself and your unborn child fuels you. However, when you turn around and see what is standing at the edge of the clearing, you freeze. Your eyes go wide and you back up into the rock wall behind you.

The drider is huge, standing on long thin legs with a round back end. The human torso is female, with breasts and a flat stomach. Her spider body is a light brown with darker brown markings. You notice her human torso has similar markings. Two of her eight eyes are larger and in the center of her face, four smaller ones are beneath the two eyes, and the final two are above the two larger eyes. Her mouth, that makes you shiver. It looks human, but from where you stand, you can see the mandibles along her lower jaw.

You two stare at each other for a long time. She looks surprised to see you alone. She looks around the clearing like she’s expecting more humans to appear.

You are just terrified. You know driders are usually solitary, usually preferring to stay in their burrows or dens. It is well known that they can be very territorial. And being nearly face to face with one is enough to scare you.

It’s only when her human arms shift that you realize she’s holding something. She looks down at her arms, then up at you. She looks so desperate and scared.

“Can… can I rest there? Next to you," she asked. Her voice is low and raspy, and she sounds so tired.

You nod and gesture for her to come beneath the outcropping. When she steps forward, you see she’s limping. She can barely fit beneath the outcropping, but she brings her legs in and settles down. She sighs heavily and looks partially relaxed. It's then that you see what is in her arms. It makes sense that she would be out of her burrow and ask to rest with you.

“That’s your baby,” you said.

She looks at you and nods. The baby is a lighter shade of brown, its eyes are open and filled with tears. The hair on his head is a brownish red, where his mother’s hair is a much darker brown. You wonder if her hair is naturally like that or if it’s wet.

The baby whimpers and begins to cry. His mother soothes him and brings him to her chest. He refuses to eat and continues fighting, eight legs and two arms flailing about.

“Is he ok?” you asked.

“No. We… the river hurt one of his legs. I think it’s broken.”

“Can you show me? I worked with the healer in my village.”

The drider turns to you and gives you a long, hard look. Her eight eyes narrow slightly. They are so dark, but you don’t miss the way she examines you from head to toe. After a moment, she gives you a slow nod. She shifts the baby, then shows you his front right leg. It’s bent in an unnatural angle. The good news is that the rest of his legs are fine and very pliable. The baby’s leg bones are not fully formed yet.

“His leg bones are not formed fully,” you said.

She shakes her head. “No. He’s still very young, was the smallest of his clutch.”

The pain in her voice makes it clear what happened to the others. “I can set the leg, in a sense at least. That way when his bones begin to form fully, it will form the correct way. I need to find a straight stick and some wrap.”

She nods and watches you waddle off to the edge of the forest. You return a moment later, dragging a large stick behind you. The female drider easily breaks the stick. Her strength sends a shiver down your spine. As you remove the bark with a knife, you can feel her watching you.

“Can you give me some webbing? For the wrap?” you asked her.

She nods and skillfully pulls some silk from her body. It’s surprisingly warm and soft in your hands, but also slightly sticky. The drider helps you place the stick and wrap it around her baby’s leg. It groans in distress, but his mother soothes him. You’re glad she’s trusting you, something her size could easily harm you and your own baby.

“There. Hopefully, the little one won’t pull at it. When his bones begin to grow firm, you can remove it. If he has any other problems, I suggest visiting a healer.”

“Thank you,” she breathed. Her eyes are wet and her mandibles quiver.

“You’re welcome.”

You sit back and run your hands over your stomach. It has become a habit and a form of comfort. From the corner of your eye, you see her looking at you.

“You’re pregnant,” she said.

“Yes. Getting closer to the due date. I had hoped to be in the orc stronghold soon, but I got separated from the group.”

“Don’t human’s have families? And mates for help?”

“I have no family and my husband… he died. He was getting over a cough, but the rain and wetness made it worst. I couldn’t save him.” Your hand reaches for the wedding bands hanging from your neck. The thought of someone stealing his made you sick, so you took it before he was buried. As much as it hurt, you figured you could sell or trade it at the stronghold. Or give it to your child one day.

“I am sorry. These rains are taking everything from us, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, they are.”

“My name is Naka,” she said.

You smiled and introduced yourself. “What’s his name?”

“I haven’t named him yet. After I lost his siblings, I was afraid I might lose him too,” her voice was thick with emotion.

“No mate?”

“No. I think the rains got him as well. Or he fled.”

“I’m sorry.”

“My kind don’t usually take lifelong mates. He only showed up to my burrow to bring me food and water. I didn’t really want him around too much. He did help me defend the burrow from a rather nasty pair of nagas, though. He got hurt and I let him rest in there with and the clutch,” Naka said.

“He sounds nice.”

“He was.”

You both grew quiet for a while. As much as you wanted to stay and talk with the drider, you had to keep going. Your baby kicking inside you reminded you that they would be coming soon. And having a baby in the middle of the woods isn't something you want to experience.

“I have to go,” you said.

“The stronghold?” Naka asked.

“Yes. The chief is taking in those who are fleeing the rains.”

“How many people can fit in the stronghold?”

“I’m not sure. But I have to try to get there, for my baby’s sake.”

Naka nodded and stood up gracefully. She helped you stand, not making a comment about your weight or looking strained in any way.

“I will go with you. I doubt they’ll allow me in, but I can help you get there.”

“You would?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“You helped my son. I wish to repay the favor.”

Naka and you set off. Her baby was wrapped in a silk swaddle around Naka’s torso. His small legs would stick out, and occasionally his human hands would pop out. You imagined he was sucking on his appendages. Babies of all races were the same it seems.

The first day, you two traveled for most of the day but didn’t get very far. The three of you took shelter that night beneath a large tree, huddled together for warmth. Your attempts to make a fire was useless. You almost gave up until Naka gave you some of her silk to use. With the small fire, you, her, and her baby fell asleep together.

The next day, you two didn’t get much further. Naka was patient with you, always helping you over logs and up steep embankments. If you needed to rest, she stopped without complaint. When you began to grow frustrated and anxious with the lack of progress, she would distract you with a story or questions.

You learned that Naka enjoyed cookies. She scared a traveling merchant when she was younger and he dropped most of his supplies from his wagon. Her imitation of his screams made you laugh harder than you expected, plus the image of this giant drider snacking on cookies was cute. You told her so and she looked away, but you didn’t miss the smile on her face.

You told Naka about your old home and the small garden filled with herbs you kept. She laughed when you told her about the time a couple of orc children ate all the berries from your blackberry bush. Their mother was so upset, and their father made them help you around the garden.

The third day, she insisted you sit on her back and let her do the walking. By then, her legs didn’t hurt her anymore and she trusted you to be close to her child. He would watch you from his swaddle. Every time you looked at him, he would duck down and giggle. By the end of the third day, you three were much closer to the orc stronghold.

At night, you would start the fire and watch her baby while she would hunt. She managed to bring you some food each night, whether it was a rabbit or some berries. As you prepared your food, she always excused herself to feed her baby. You were thankful for that since her baby relies on both breast milk and food she would regurgitate. The thought of seeing regurgitated food made you sick.

During your time together, you found yourself liking Naka. Despite her size, she was quick and agile. Her laugh was always low and steady, even when she was close to tears. All of her was beautiful and so very strong. She easily pushed large objects out of the way and broke branches for you. If you need to be carried, she would. Most of all, it warmed your heart seeing her interact with her child.

It was on the seventh of traveling together that the worst thing that could happen in this situation, happened. You went into labor. The only good thing about it was that you two were traveling through an abandoned village a mile from the orc stronghold. You could see the outline of the hold, so close yet so far.

All day you had been uncomfortable and kept asking Naka to stop. She seemed prepared for your labor to start. When your water broke, you started to cry. Naka, with her soft hands and low voice, calmed you. She picked you up and carried you into the only building she would fit, a nearby barn.

She wove you a clean silk blanket to lay on and managed to start a fire. She helped you get comfortable, promising not to leave you. The contractions started out small and were far between, but after a few hours, they were getting worse.

The labor lasted about eight hours. Naka, who you had been prepared for this situation, talked you through everything. She praised you and promised everything would be ok. When the baby arrived, he was a crying and wet mess. Naka dried him with off with a clean rag, wrapped him in one of your shirts, and handed him to you.

You sob and hold him close to your chest. The first thing you think is how beautiful he is. He has his father’s curly hair and his dark eyes, but he looks to have your nose. Your son latches onto your breast and began to suckle, his small hands bunch up into fists and his eyes close.

Once Naka cleaned your legs, she curled her body around yours. She watched, with wide eyes, as your baby suckled. Her own son crawled out of his swaddle and watched you with wide curious eyes. His mandibles open and close, he looked excited. His head rests against your shoulder, splinted leg lay between you and Naka.

“He’s beautiful. Looks like he has your nose,” Naka whispered.

“He does. And his father’s eyes and hair. I wish he could have met his son,” you whispered.

“I’m sure he’s very proud of you,” Naka said.

You nod and look up at her with teary eyes. “I think he would be. Naka, thank you.”

She smiles down at you and presses a kiss to your forehead and both your cheeks. The feeling of her lips on your skin took your breath away. “There’s no need to thank me.”

“There is. You helped me, you helped us. Without you, we would still be in that forest.”

“Hush. You helped my son when he needed. And, I’ve come to care for you.”

The emotion behind her words struck you in the chest. You would be lying if you said you didn’t feel the same about her.

“I care for you as well, Naka. You and your son,” you whispered.

“I do not wish us to part.”

“Me either.”

“Good. Tomorrow, we shall face the stronghold together. Now, get some rest. I will keep us safe.”

You did as Naka instructed. Your eyes close and your body relaxes. The feeling of your son on your chest, Naka’s child against your shoulder, and Naka’s large body surrounding you made you safe. You were warm, for the first time in a very long time.

#exophilia #monster girlfriend #drider girlfriend #drider #wlw #also this story in on my patreon

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enz-fan · 6 years ago

Photo

Article by Margo Huxley - early days in Australia, 1975.

“On stage are what appear to be seven refugees from an op shop run by a lunatic asylum. They wear suits that are too big, too small or both at once. The singer’s hair is a frizz of tangles that falls over his heavily be-rouged face. He moves like a sped up movie of Charlie Chaplin doing an imitation of Harpo Marx - or is it vice versa? He comes on with a patter that sounds like ‘Waiting for Godot’ done by a music hall M.C.

Somewhere in the shadows lurks Groucho, complete with eyebrows and moustache, playing a Gibson electric guitar. Next to him, but only briefly, stands a fellow in a baggy brown suit from the set of the Godfather - he plays bass.

Round-faced and cherubic sits the drummer, almost hidden behind his kit, but visible enough to show that his suit too is certainly somebody’s cast-off.

A resurrected James Dean, white faced and hollow-eyed in a teddy boy suit of brilliant red, the pants of which are far too long and bag around the lower part of his legs, plays acoustic, electric suitar and mandolin.

The maestro of the keyboards - synthesizer, mellotron, string synthesizer and a piano that looks like someone has taken an axe to it, (and though electric, it sounds just like the real thing) - he is resplendent in tails, almost normal except that one sleeve ends at the left elbow and the other is about a foot beyond his right hand.

Then there’s this fellow just standing there, seemingly redundant in an ill-fitting pale blue suit, his head hanging like a broken marionette. Redundant that is, until he breaks forth with a pair of spoons in his hand, playing them against his head, his feet, his knees, anywhere. The rest of the time he plays slightly pixillated triangle, xylophone, bell-tree and tambourine to mention a few. Occasionally he strides up to a microphone, any microphone, to throw in a world or two of vocals.

Suddenly the demented action stops and the whole band stands in cameo stillness for a burst of electronic sound that fills the hall.

“Who are they?” a bloke in the audience asks his mate. “Dunno” the mate replies. “I think they’re Captain Matchbox.”

WRONG! This is Split Enz and as their name implies, they hail from New Zealand. Don’t be fooled. Just because they “dress funny” doesn’t mean they are like Captain Matchbox, skyhooks or - “Anyone who compares us with Roxy Music hasn’t heard Roxy Music” says Timothy Finn, lead singer.

Neither are they like Yes, King Crimson, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Beefheart, Zappa, Schonbert, Cage, Al Jolson, Scott Joplin, The Goons, Marcel Marceau, Monty Python or anyone else you like to mention. But comparisons are inevitable.

Comparisons are the direction with which we chart the waters of a new experience. In Split Enz music you fill find everything: classical and neo-classical; music hall honkeytonk and sleazy vaudeville; acoustic and electronic, with a blues and a boogie thrown in here and there; good ol’ rock’n’ roll; and just when you think they’ve done it all they hit you with a piano full of cool jazz, some Gregorian chants or calypso shouts for good measure.

These analogies are only signposts; the more you hear their music, the less you need them, and the more you come to realise that Split Enz create music that is individually theirs. Their lyrics conjure up nightmare visions, obsessions with madness and the macabre, woven out of cliches that spring at you with renewed vigour; phrases such as “time to kill”, “dead to the world” suggest sinister overtomes. Lines like “just hold me down if I have a fit... I think I’ll be all right... I’ll be normal someday”, “the rats are crawling up my back, it can only mean you’re coming back” are delivered with frenetic, demented mime that is more demonic than lunatic.

Some songs perhaps threaten to fall apart at the seams as style, rhythm and reference change and pile upon one another, but for the most part each song, as each performance, is carefully arranged.

“It’s a bloody orchestra.” one innocent bystander is heard to remark. And indeed ‘orchestrated’ is a better word for the music, and ‘choreographed’ a better word for the performance.

The taped Andrews Sisters-type music at the beginning with canned applause and the announcement “... SPLIT ENZ!”, the discourse on “how to get from A to B”, walking on an invisible conveyer belt going nowhere - the whole performance is a carefully planned sequence.

But not stilted, not unspontaneous. There are always new surprises even when, at daytime gigs they dispense with make up and stage clothes and appear as their normal selves. Despite the parodies and satires implied in their music - “Spoofs” is the word Timothy Finn uses - there clings to them an aura of innocence and naivety, like a Henri Rousseau painting.

This impression persists with them off stage. They are quietly spoken and polite. although their normal dress is somewhat - uh - eccentric in these days blue jeans and T-shirts, they are not the formidably intimidating maniacs they become on stage.

Timothy Finn, whose hair is no more manageable off stage than on, does most of the talking. Eddie Rayner of the keyboards is more relaxed, with a fresh-faced charm like the captain of the school cricket.

He joined Split Enz from Space Waltz, a group in which he earned much deserved renown for his wizardry on the ivories and electronic switches.

Jonathon Michael Chunn of the bass guitar has Byronic good looks that even his stage make up cannot hide, and Wally Wilkinson, moustache free from blackening and eyebrows normal is full of witty irrelevancies.

Emlyn Crowther, the man behind the drums, looks as Welsh as his name and smiles a lot. Noel Crombie is the owner of the chattering spoons. He is also the designer and maker of costumes, silent and forlorn looking, like a lost pup. And Philip Judd is reserved, almost disdainful, and stripped of grease paint, looks more like Rudolf Valentino than James Dean – that might be something to do with the scarf knotted at his throat.

Split Enz was formed about 3 years ago, but the present line up has only been together for about 10 months and work remarkably well. Timothy Finn and Philip Judd are responsible for the genesis of the words and music which the whole group then fashion into a final stage presentation.

They don’t like to talk about ‘influences’ – “The Beatles” says Timothy Finn without so much as a bat of an eyelid. And when you think about it anyone who plays music today can’t have escaped the ubiquitous presence of the Beatles. Anyway, Split Enz have admitted to liking the Kinds and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band. You can make what you like of that. It’s not a definitive list.

Their conversation is free of swearing and they don’t smoke, but have been seen to drink a beer or two on the odd occasion. They are naturally “un-hip”. They avoid words like ‘hassle’, ‘dig’, ‘gig’ and anyone in the group who makes such a blunder is gently offered alternatives like ‘bother’, ‘appreciate’, ‘job’.

Confusion occurs about their names – again because of their desire to reject the clichés of the pop world. They decided to take their second Christian names as first names which is why if you ever come across anything written about them in New Zealand, the names won’t tally. Sometimes they themselves forget and call each other by their old names, but the error is always quickly corrected.

However, some of them nationalistically flaunt the great New Zealand ‘eh’ on the end of their sentences. “That’s a great new piano we’ve just bought, eh” – not a question, a statement. But they are dropping the tag “New Zealand’s Top Band” and such like, which, while it is undoubtedly true, is just another cliché to be avoided like the plague (whoops, sorry).

Already their stay of three weeks in Australia has been extended to six in order to record with Festival in Sydney. The album will be produced by their manager Dave Russell and the cover design by ex art student Philip Judd. Out on Mushroom, the album will be a token of Michael Gudinski’s enthusiasm for this band.

They have been deluged with work, after an initially slow start in Sydney. They are the support act for the Leo Sayer Melbourne concert and have done an ABC GTK which was an immediate success. More than 60 phone calls came in after it was shown to ask who the band were – that’s some sort of record.

Up until this Australian tour, the group has always had plenty of time to recuperate from the last job and plan and prepare the next. But they are finding the rigours of touring with jobs every day or so, and sometimes more than one a day, very wearing. Any spare energy left over from the last performance must be channelled into preparing for the one following close on its heels.

Another result of the GTK spot was an approach from an ABC producer to do the sound track for a documentary called “Ten Australians”. In particular they are to back a sequence featuring the artist Sydney Ball at work.

Their plans for the future include a return to New Zealand for a couple of months, followed by a longer sojourn in Australia (amen to that), and depending on reactions to their album they hope to go to England…

Of course such an esoteric band does not have universal appeal, and being unknown in Australia, sight unseen, it’s even harder to win hearts and minds. They have great hopes that the album, plus their shows here and a bit of media exposure will make their return to Australia somewhat easier.

They do not appeal to the younger age groups – “they are no the audience we are really aiming at”. They got a poor reception at the Melbourne Festival Hall Skyhooks concert, where they were first on. The audience didn’t know and didn’t want to. (But I seem to remember once a long time ago, Skyhooks was an “underground” band). But at the Reefer Cabaret, at Unis and the Station Hotel standing ovations are the order of the day.

“There are many ways of saying goodbye:” Timothy Finn lurches into his pitch for the final number – limbs jerking, face twitching at the mercy of some drunken puppeteer; “Goodbye, Byebye, Adieu, See you later, Au revoir…” etc. “…SO LONG FOR NOW”.

Never fear, we have not seen the last of Split Enz. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is A Good Thing.”

#splitenz #1975

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wickerjulias · 6 years ago

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11 questions game

i was tagged by @jasonvtodd. thanks a lot em ❤

Rules: Answer the 11 questions you’ve been asked, nominate 11 other bloggers, ask your nominees 11 questions, let them know you’ve nominated them!

1. 24hrs till the end of the world… you can get to any place, to any person in an instant though.. where do you go, who do you see.. and why? phew we’re starting w a tough one i see akdfshkjsad i guess i would visit my internet friends first, esp bc i haven’t met a lot of them in person. then i’d grab my clostest friends, my sister and my cousin (w plus ones) and visit an adventure park. or a concert of our fav bands. or both. whatever makes them smile.

2. zombie apocalypse, who do you have on your team (rl buddies or fictional, your choice mates) teresa and jenny from work, my sister, my friends. between the bunch of us i think we’d come up w some pretty amazing ideas. plus, we have like 4 trained chefs in the team and someone who studied biology. (my fictional pick would be john wick and the gang from the magicians - a lot of chaos, but we’d have a solid chance)

3. five must read before you die books (or comics if you want) - runemarks by joanne harris - six of crows by leigh bardugo - the song of achilles by madaline miller - american gods by neil gaiman - the thief lord + inkheart by cornelia funke (couldn’t decide, sorry)

4. if you had the power to time travel to any point in history, where would you go and why? aaaaaah don’t ask me that, i’m historian. i’d split my body in so many pieces akjdfhskja my first instinct was to answer this question w the roman antiquity tho. i’d love to have a look around and see what the forum romanum (and other historic cities/buildings/sites etc.) used to look like. also to ancient mesopotamia bc heck yes!!

5. one thing you’ve done this year that you’re proud of? i mean, i didn’t directly do it, but i got promoted to deputy manager of the cinema i work at. which is like!! wow my boss rlly trusts me that much, huh? (or the 8 exams i wrote at the beginning of this year. i didn’t ace all of them, but i passed all of them and that’s what counts)

6. what’s something everyone loves, but you think is very overrated? that’s tough to answer. mostly it’s v popular artists on here. but that’s probably bc the music i listen to differs that much from the one everyone on tumblr seems to love. (i’m not gonna dive into which characters are overrated em, i wanna live - if you wanna know tho hmu and i’m gonna hit you w the salt)

7. going to get real controversial here (how you answer this, will possibly end our mutual engagement…) … pineapple on pizza… should it be on there? ... people who enjoy eating pinapple on pizza eat children (kidding, but that’s what my sis and i tell her bf when he mentions pinapple on pizza). i don’t really like ham on pizza to beginn with, and the combination with pineapple makes me go :/ so it’s a no from me

8. whats an album that is your ride or die? (or artist/band) i’m gonna name 3 bc that’s how indecisive i am. so here goes: - true view by stick to your guns - this album is an experience through and through and their texts are always amazing. you’re basically discovering yourself. plus, the reach for me: forgiveness of self is the most healing song ever - billy talent iii by billy talent - this is the album that made me fall in love with them and with going on concerts. i remember rusted from the rain playing on mtv and me saying: “i like this song.” my papa was kinda shocked, bc: “you listen to that kind of music?!” (right up to this moment i only ever listened to the jonas brothers, ashley tisdale etc.) - the sufferer and the witness by rise against - while it doesn’t include the first song of theirs i ever listened to, it features ready to fall and prayer of the refugee. two songs i love so much, i don’t even have words for it. they were my first open air concert ever and the first time i came close to a mosh pit lmao

9. apple or android? why. android. i only ever had android phones. i feel like the interface is more userfriendly and android phones don’t tend to break when you look at them the wrong way. but i’m not a fan of samsung either. very happy w my huawei lmao

10. advice you’d give to your past self at a time when you were struggling? take a deep breath and stay calm. look up to the stars at night and let them root you. the universe is listening and everything will work out the way it should. don’t try to do everything at once. small steps lead to your goal as well. (i still don’t have a solid advice for middle school when i was bullied but: you won’t be in this situation forever, you’ll meet so many great people who love you for the person you are. be yourself, even if it’s hard. you’re more than their cruel jokes. so much more.)

11. something you’re looking forward to? the impericon festival on april 19. i’m gonna see stick to your guns again, plus so many other great bands are gonna be there!! and i’m really looking forward to my trip to prague w my sister and two friends. it’s gonna be super amazing!!

nominating: @rizanmed, @vvondervvomaan, @edenforest, @austens, @feedingmyinsomnia, @zacksnyder, @benjiduun, @takingoffmyshoes, @canardroublard, @deducitetemporacarmen and @stvrklight

MY QUESTIONS

1. if you could have any pet (exotic or not), which one would you pick and why? 2. you’ve won a trip to a country of your chosing. where do you go to and what do you want to do there? 3. which skill(s) would you love to have? 4. if you chould choose any fictional character to be your mentor, who would you pick and why? 5. you get recruited to a ragtag team of heroes (any setting - fantasy, sci fi etc.). what’s the skill that gets shown in your introduction (video)? 6. what is your favourite folktale from the country you live/were born in? 7. which fantasy creature or cryptid would you love to watch or study? 8. which song(s) would be in a movie about your life? 9. top five ways to insult someone in your native language? 10. which movie would you love to watch at the cinema (again)? 11. what is the most relaxing sound you can think of?

#this was super fun to do #thanks a lot again for tagging me em!!#it was p hard to come up w some questions #but i also had fun thinking of them and writing them down #personal #food mention #long post

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chuckepisodes · 4 years ago

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Chuck vs. The Third Dimension Part 3

Tyler ended up taking you and Chuck to a night club. You were all hanging around the bar along with a bunch of other people. You held on tight to Chuck, as he kept an arm around you. You hated being around so many people. Clubs were never your thing. "First, a little liquid nourishment. Then, we'll get on to the heavy drinking." Tyler said as he poured you both shots. "Oh, um, you know, I'm actually more of a beer guy. Something amber complected?" "Yeah, I like beer myself and wine." " Not tonight, Chuck. I may be a rum-soaked narcissist, but I am also the best wingman you will ever have." "I don't need a wingman though. Girlfriend right here." he told Tyler, pointing at you. "Oh right. Well Drink it down, mates." You and Chuck looked at your glass and then shrugged. "See you guys in the emergency room!" Chuck yelled as everyone cheered and took a shot. It was a little strong for you and Chuck. Tyler's phone then began to ring and he answered. "Hello. Gavin, you old slapper. No, I'm with the rep from the label. Chuck! And his assistant I'm assuming?" You nodded. " Never heard of you two." He said, putting the phone down. "We've never heard of him." Chuck said quickly to cover it up. "He's never heard of you! No, never mind. See you later." he then hung up his phone and looked at everyone. "Who's for another drink?"

You, Chuck and Tyler already did quite a few shots by now. "Ladies, tonight, all the drinks... on the record company." You and Chuck just widened your eyes as everyone in the club cheered again.

You were all sitting around now, Tyler surrounded by all these women, and Chuck got you to sit on his lap as he held you close. "So I said, "I'll give you the dog for the trousers. " That's how I got the trousers." Tyler said, finishing off his story. He then looked over at you both. "Hey, Chuck. I'll tell you what you need." " Aspirin!" " A tattoo." " Oh, no, no, no! I'm not crazy about needles." " Ladies love a little bit of ink." "Yeah well not his lady. I love him just the way he is thank you." you said. " Whenever I do something amazing, you know, feed the starving, help the homeless, rescue some emaciated refugee, I map it out here on my body." Tyler said, sticking out his arms and showing you all his tattoos. " How do you know what they all mean?" Chuck asked. " Well, this here means... serenity. It's not... it could be bliss. I don't know-- Gavin, my manager, sorts it all out. You know, you got to kind of trust the artist." Two women then came over. Tyler immediately began to check them out as you and Chuck just looked over at them. "Are you Tyler Martin?" One of them asked. " Yes, I am. And this here is Chuck. And his girlfriend. Chuck is in my band." You and Chuck just looked over at Tyler, wondering why he would say that and Tyler just smiled. "Yeah... yeah, I'm in his band all right." Chuck said, putting on a British cockney accent. You gave him a weird look. "Drummer-- just laying the beats down. Like a little drummer boy. Come, they told me. Pa-rump-a-pum-pum." You tried so hard not to laugh and Tyler looked at him weird. " Um... you guys want to dance?" the woman asked. " Yes." " No." you and Chuck answered. " Yes, we do." " No, I'm not really a dancer, you know? Unless it's, like, some ballet or... but this isn't a ballet place." "Guess we're dancing honey." you said, as you got up and grabbed his hand. "Yeah with some hookers."

You laughed as you dragged him over to the dance floor.

" You know, I'm much better at ironic dancing." Chuck said as you and him danced together. One of the women was trying to join you both. " What happened to your accent?" the woman dancing with Tyler asked. " Sorry. I don't really have one."

As you all continued to dance, you and Chuck looked over at one of the women for a sec, who were both all over Tyler now, and you both flashed on the necklace she was wearing. They were bad news. "Chuck! Y/N! We got a problem. These girls want to take me upstairs and do despicable things to me and said you two could join. " "Tyler, Tyler, that's... that's not such a great idea." you said. " All the best nights of my life have begun with that very sentence." Tyler began to walk away with the two girls, motioning for you two to follow. "No. No." Chuck tried to warn. But it didn't work and you and Chuck had no choice but to go with them.

You were now all up in Tyler's hotel room and you and Chuck were still desperately trying to stop Tyler to do anything with those women. "So, I think we should maybe just head... " "Tyler, Tyler, I need to talk to you, buddy. " "In a minute, Charles." " No, no, it's very important." you said." We need to talk to you right now." " Ladies, I'm so sorry. If you just go make yourself comfortable right inside, then maybe we could have our talk, and then we'll join you in just a second. How does that sound?" The women went over and walked into the bedroom. "Thanks so much." he then checked to make sure they were in there and the door was closed. "Listen to me very carefully, Tyler. These women are very, very dangerous." "Don't worry. I always use protection. Good looking out." "That's not what he's talking about. We're begging you, just once, deny yourself this pleasure." "You're right. That's totally selfish of me." " Oh, good, lets go." Chuck said. " You two need this much more than I do." " No, no, Ty, no, I'm not talking about... Please don't, please..." But it was too late and Tyler pushed you both inside the bedroom and closed the door." Hey." Chuck said as you both turned to look at the women. " Where's Tyler?" "That's an excellent question. T-Tyler, Tyler just-- he stepped away for a second, but he's gonna be right back, I promise." " I guess you'll have to go first." "Go first where, go first what? Why-- where am I going first? Why do I have to be first? First is the worst, second is the best, and third... !" "I mean we are not even into this kind of stuff. We are not that kind of couple. We don't like to share." you added. The two girls began to take off Chuck's pants and then his shoes. "Oh, h-hi. Oh... Those are my shoes; I need those. I need those shoes, I need those shoes. I need those-- no, those are my pants!" "Whoa! If anyone is going to undress him here it's me." you said. " I think that you have overestimated my prowess as, as, as a lover and a man. Just looking at you, I can feel that you require a... a real rock star, so...sweetie?" Chuck said looking over at you and then you both tried to make a run for it. You both got out of the room and closed the door quickly. "Tyler!" you and Chuck shouted. Two knives then came poking out of the door and you jumped. You then both noticed that Tyler was gone. " What happened to not leaving your wingman?" Chuck said. "Where did he go?" you asked. "I don't know. How about you go down stairs and I'll go up?" "Okay! And be careful!" you shouted as you started to head down. "You too!"

You were looking around and couldn't find Tyler anywhere. But you did manage to find Sarah and Casey. "Sarah! Casey! Oh my God!" "Y/N! You okay?" Sarah asked, running over to you. "What happened?" Casey asked. "Long story. We got to go find Chuck and Tyler."

You got up to one floor and found Tyler. Casey quickly shot a dart in him, knocking him out once again. You then saw the two women coming out of the elevator and Sarah and Casey quickly went to take them down. You ran to the elevator and saw Chuck dangling outside the elevator. "Oh my God! Chuck?" "Hey! Hey! Lobby? Please?"

"What were you guys thinking?" Sarah asked you and Chuck as you all returned with Tyler back to Casey's place. " You know, I gave you clear instructions to keep him here. And instead you two take him to a nightclub?" "Interesting tactical decision there." Casey commented. " Well, time-out, listen, he woke up and we couldn't stop him. Okay, we don't have a knockout karate chop like you guys. That's not part of our skill set." Chuck said, defending you both. " Where am I?" Tyler asked as he woke up. He then saw Sarah and smirked. " And how was I?" "Mr. Martin, we're with the government. We're here to protect you." Casey said. "Wait, there was an elevator. Chuck, you were there. T-Two girls. One of them had a gun. I-It was pointed at me." " Tyler, Tyler, it's all right. Just like Casey said, we're here to protect you." you told him, trying to calm him down. "I need to call my manager." " No, Mr. Martin, I don't think that's a good idea because we don't know who's involved." Sarah said. " I have to call my manager." Casey decided to shoot another dart into him. "Good show." Tyler said before passing out once again. "Casey, what is wrong with you? ! You can't do that! You're going to give the guy brain damage or liver problems." Chuck argued. " Too late on both counts." You and Chuck looked over at Tyler and saw the tattoo on his back. You then both flashed. "I know why they're trying to kill him. I know why they want him dead." you said. " What?" Sarah asked. " His back, the tattoo on his back. It's not, it's not Arabic philosophy. It's actually a very clear message about a private reactor that's being built in North Africa. His manager is bringing in the tattoo artists. " Chuck explained. "Of course. He's a rock star, he travels the world." " Manager is using him to move secrets. Idiot never even knew what the ink meant." Casey said. "You know what, Casey? You're wrong about Tyler. He's actually a pretty good guy." Chuck said. "He's an idiot, Bartowski, just like you and L/N. Should have never left the three of you alone." "You know, Casey is right. I mean, you could have gotten yourselves killed. What exactly were you two thinking?" " What were we thinking? I'll tell you what we were thinking. We were thinking like we weren't spies. Okay?" Chuck said. " We were trying to have a little bit of fun, and we knew the second we called you two, it would all be over." you added. " But you two are spies, and you should know better than to put yourselves in a dangerous situation where I can't protect you." " Is it really so wrong for us to want a night off? We were having a really good time, too, until the assassins stole my pants and tried to kill me." "They tried to kill you?!" you asked. "Yeah when we separated to find Tyler." he then turned back to Sarah. "We've earned it. We deserve it. We deserve some time to ourselves and be a normal couple!" Casey then decided to knock out Chuck with a dart. He was annoying him more than you. "I'm losing consciousness." Chuck said before passing out. "Chuck!" you shouted, kneeling down on the ground beside him, trying to wake him up. "Casey!" Sarah yelled. " My ears couldn't take it. Either that or I shoot him." "Well that ruins our plans of going back to my place. Casey you are helping me take him back to his place now." you told him, angry. Casey just grunted as he went over and helped you.

The next day, you were all down in Castle, figuring out the next step with Beckman. "Your flash turned up good intel, Chuck and Y/N. The man you confronted last night is Achmed Gambir, a top foot soldier in a private army in North Africa. We've been trying to infiltrate their ranks for years. I want you to capture Achmed at tonight's concert. He's the key to bringing down this merc army." " What-- w-w-wait, wait, wait. You want Tyler onstage as bait?" you asked. "General, Mr. Martin knows there are people after him and he won't go on." Sarah added. " Well, then convince him." Beckman finished and then signed off. " Wait, no, no. No, no, guys, hey, this is way too dangerous. Tyler could get killed." Chuck said. " Those are nightmares tattooed on his body, Chuck. We have to take Gambir down tonight." Casey said. "Okay, okay, fine, fine, you go in there and tell him he has to put his life on the line because he was a pawn in someone else's game." you told Sarah and Casey. "He won't listen to us." Sarah said. " So you want us to do it? No, absolutely not." Chuck argued. " What do you mean no? We have orders." Casey said. "Guys, what is the matter with you two? This is about more than just taking a night off." Sarah said. "Maybe. Um, I-- you know, I'm a little off my game right now. I'm not, not really sleeping. I don't want to get into it. And Chuck has been a little stressed out." "Y/N, lives are on the line right now, and if Tyler doesn't help us, then he will never be free of those people, and if you don't help us, then Achmed Gambir gets away." " And the world becomes a more dangerous place." Casey added. " I don't know what happened to you, but this is our job-- not only to protect Tyler but the country and anybody else who needs protecting. We do whatever it takes no matter what. Did you forget that?" " That I definitely didn't forget." you told her. " We don't have time for this." Casey said, getting annoyed. " Wait. I'll do it. I'll convince him." Chuck said. "You will?" you asked, turning to look at him. "Yeah."

You, Sarah and Casey were all gathered around the computer as you watched Chuck and Tyler on the security camera. "Hey, man. You okay?" Chuck asked. "No. No, I'm not okay. Don't know where I am, how I got here, and someone's trying to kill me. On the plus side, your friend's tranqs are out of this world." " Yeah, it's one of his few good qualities." " I've never been in a situation like this before, life or death. Pretty much live my life avoiding anything this real." " It takes some getting used to. " "What do you want me to do?" " We would like for you to perform tonight at your special concert." " That's madness. People are trying to kill me." "Yes, and you can help us catch them. You can help the world, the entire world, by doing this, for real. You could go back to living your life again. One night of bravery for an entire life of normalcy. I can't even tell you what Y/N and I would give for that."

You looked down and Sarah looked over at you and then back at Chuck on the screen, feeling sorry for both of you.

" How do I know I can trust them? Your people?" "Because Y/N and I do. They're the best. We stake pur lives on it every day." Tyler looked down for a moment to think then back up at Chuck. "I got one thing to say. Hello, Cleveland." "It's Burbank." "Right. I'm dyslexic."

#Chuck Series Rewrite #Chuck #Chuck TV Series #Chuck x Reader #Chuck Bartowski #Chuck Bartowski x Reader #Zachary Levi

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kosa12-blog · 8 years ago

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Inside Chris Cornell’s Lifelong Struggle With Fame: The Soundgarden Frontman Battled Demons as He Became a Rock God

Ask anyone yesterday, and the answer would have been that Chris Cornell had seemingly survived the sort of demons that had consumed so many rock 'n' roll stars before him, including fellow founding members of the very Seattle grunge scene that birthed Soundgarden in the 1980s. So when people started to wake up this morning to news that Cornell had died at the age of 52, the grief that started pouring out from his fellow artists and legions of fans was palpable. A few hours later an autopsy confirmed that Cornell had committed suicide by hanging himself. And as the tributes to his musical prowess are written—his was considered to be one of the greatest voices in rock, a booming yet nuanced voice capable of leading a headbanging frenzy in a packed stadium and commanding silence with an unplugged ballad—the feeling of shock will be unshakable. After all, he died in the middle of a tour, hours after Soundgarden performed at Detroit's Fox Theatre. Only in hindsight does Cornell's final bit of creative license onstage, mixing in a bit of Led Zeppelin's "In My Time of Dying" with his band's "Slaves & Bulldozers," seem fraught with meaning. Celebrity Deaths: 2017's Fallen Stars Though it's unclear whether he knew about Cornell's tribute, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page tweeted upon hearing the news, "RIP Chris Cornell Incredibly Talented... Incredibly Young...Incredibly Missed." Sources told TMZ this morning that Cornell's wife of 13 years, Vicky Karayiannis, has been telling people around her that Chris had been showing no signs of depression, much less indicating he was suicidal in any way. Moreover, she reportedly said, it was unfathomable he would take his own life because he was so devoted to his three children, son Christopher and daughter Toni with Vicky and daughter Lillian Jean with his ex-wife, Susan Silver. And as far as any identifiable outward behavior went, that is often the case. Soundgarden, which had reunited in 2010 after more than a decade apart, was reportedly recording its first new album in five years. Audioslave, which Cornell formed with Tom Morello in 2001, played its first show together in 12 years just months ago for Prophets of Rage's political protest affair, the Anti-Inaugural Ball. Cornell even did a stage dive and was comfortably caught by dozens of outstretched hands. Also a noted solo artist, the rocker had also just contributed the titular track for the film The Promise, set during the days leading up to the Armenian Genocide. (His solo pipes were quite sought after for movie soundtracks, notably including Singles, Great Expectations, Mission: Impossible 2 and Casino Royale.) Last month he shared a photo from his trip to Greece, where he visited a refugee camp with the International Rescue Committee and brought his daughter Toni with him to the Vatican for a screening of The Promise. In 2015 when Cornell was on his solo Higher Truth tour, Toni joined him onstage at New York's Beacon Theater one night to cover Bob Marley's "Redemption Song," showing off her own impressively strong voice. (Asked what his advice would be if his kids wanted to pursue music careers, he said, "Make sure that it's inspired, that's your chief goal, 'cause I also believe that success comes from that.") Between Soundgarden, Audioslave and his five solo albums, Cornell seemed to almost never be not working throughout the course of his three-decade career. Though they had already been rocking out for a decade beforehand, Superunknown, their fourth album, put Soundgarden on the mainstream map in 1994, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and going on to sell more than 9 million copies. The haunting, doll-head-melting video for the smash-hit track "Black Hole Sun" won Best Rock Video at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards, and the band won two Grammys in 1995, Best Hard Rock Performance for "Black Hole Sun" and Best Metal Performance for "Spoonman." Musicians Performing Live on Stage But though Chris Cornell was the consummate rock frontman, from his scruffy handsomeness to his booming gravelly voice and magnetic stage presence, it was making the music that consumed him, and while he wholeheartedly appreciated his fans, he didn't love the scrutiny that accompanies fame or the expectations and pressure that goes with being known for a certain type of music. "It's about trying to step out of being patterned and closed off and reclusive, which I've always had a problem with," Cornell told Rolling Stone in 1994 nine months after Superunknown catapulted Soundgarden to the next level of success, explaining the meaning behind the song "I Day I Tried to Live." "It's about attempting to be normal and just go out and be around other people and hang out. I have a tendency to sometimes be pretty closed off and not see people for long periods of time and not call anyone." With Kurt Cobain's suicide on April 5, 1994, still fresh in everyone's mind, and fresh off the smash success of Superunknown, Cornell (who was a huge Nirvana fan but didn't consider himself a friend of Kurt's) also told the magazine that it was "hard not to be a little bitter" about the commercialization of Seattle as this whole grunge music "scene." "We lost good friends in the process," he said. "And all of a sudden you realize that it's turned into something that's considered a fashion statement. It's like mining. It's like somebody came into your city with bulldozers and water compressors and mined your own perfect mountain and excavated it and threw out what they didn't want and left the rest to rot. It's that bad." He continued, "All of a sudden you see it on TV, and people that you know and love are getting the wrong idea because of what they saw on the news. You can't help but think that somewhere, somebody's been robbed. And I don't even think it's me. I think it's everyone." "We've always been fairly reclusive and damaged," he said of himself and his band mates. Though Cornell considered Soundgarden a bit removed from the Seattle machine, he was proud of where the band came from. "But outside of the people that were involved with the Seattle scene when it was happening, the rest of the country and the world and probably a lot of the bands that play in Seattle now think that what the Seattle scene was about is Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Alice in Chains—guitar-based rock with punk influences and '70s influences. Period. End of story. And that's so far from what was going on." His perspective would evolve in the ensuing decades, but, perhaps rooted in his hard-fought beginnings to get his band off the ground, Cornell the singer-songwriter always felt somewhat at odds with Cornell the rock star. "I was always the kid who listened to records on my own, in my bedroom, spending hours focusing, always gravitating to deep album tracks and those weirder ones. That was kind of my thing," he reflected to TheStranger.com in 2015 while talking about whether he had mixed feelings about commercial success. "And if one of those made it on the radio, it was always a little bit surprising. The same way it was surprising to me when 'Black Hole Sun' was a single when everybody seemed to unanimously choose it as one. I don't think we thought of it as a song that would make it on the radio." Ultimately, touring as a solo artist, whether he was singing stripped-down versions of his songs that were his own, Soundgarden's or Audioslave's, helped him reconcile what could be misconstrued as his competing sounds. Going acoustic or thereabouts "brought it all together under one umbrella, and I started to feel like, oh, that's who I am," he said. "It's not a mystery. It's not a puzzle to solve. I'm this guy, and that's my entire history." Soundgarden broke up in 1997 and Cornell immediately got to work on his own solo debut, 1999's Euphoria Morning (16 years later he changed the spelling to the originally intended Mourning), then headed out on tour. But while he would later say that he never wrote—effectively, anyway—while under the influence of any substance other than coffee ("always my biggest vice"), Cornell's issues were starting to catch up with him. "Alcohol's the only drug that affects your entire brain," he mused in an interview years later about why being under the influence and writing didn't mix for him, as it has for many creative types. "It would do this one thing, I suppose, that's good for someone in terms of the expressionism, which kind of relieves you of your fear, and you become less inhibited. But then for me, for whatever some reason, the doors that need to open to where it becomes almost like I'm the conduit to something else, it's not just a construct—that just doesn't open up. I think alcohol dumbs, whatever that is, down...And other drugs too. Nothing ever made me more inspired, or more able or more capable as a songwriter. "It's not like I didn't try. I wrote things drunk before. I just made sure nobody every heard them or saw the lyrics," he laughed. "I would destroy it." Celebrity Rehabbers He went to rehab in the early '00s but didn't talk much about it until years later. "I went through a serious crisis with depression where I didn't eat a whole meal every day. I was just kind of shutting down," he told Seattle PI in 2006, talking about the period after Soundgarden broke up. "I eventually found that the only way out of that was to change virtually everything in my life. That was a very frightening thing to do, but it was worthwhile... " "But I felt there was something on the horizon that was going to be very big and I didn't know what it was going to be, but I felt like it was out there somewhere." Rehab "was something I didn't want to do and I guess I was intimidated by it. I thought I was smart enough and that it wasn't really necessary. But it got to the point where I had to do something." He told the U.K.'s Mirror in 2012 that rehab was inevitable, even if Soundgarden had initially stayed together. Cornell described his battle with substance abuse as "a long slow slide and then a long, slow recovery—but there was self-discovery too...For me it was mostly alcohol—from my late teens until my late thirties." One of the reasons that so many people were unaware of what plagued him was that Cornell barely missed a beat as far as his musical output went—a fact he acknowledged to the Mirror. "I came out of rehab," he recalled, "and immediately went on tour with Audioslave, sold millions of records and was playing in front of crowds of 10,000 or 20,000. It's not what most people go through. Most of the time, coming out of rehab people have a destroyed life, struggle to just work again and get a job. "I sort of had an identity sitting there waiting to be embraced. I was very lucky I was able to see that and not take it for granted. It helped me climb out of the mire. I saw how hard it could be." Shocking Pop Star Deaths Cornell met Vicky in Paris and lived in the City of Light for a time, at one point opening a restaurant (he had held restaurant jobs and worked as a sous chef in his struggling-musician days) called Black Calavados with his wife and brother-in-law while he was also making music with Audioslave. A few years ago, the Cornell family relocated to Miami. "I wasn't sure how that would work, being creative here, living here, writing here," he told the Tampa Bay Times about his new home in 2015. "But I just started doing that, and it seems to be doing great." Soundgarden reunited in 2010, but Cornell also continued to record and tour as a solo act. Asked in 2015 about changing the name of his 1999 album Euphoria Mourning to its originally intended, more morose spelling, he told Rolling Stone that the record company had preferred "Morning," thinking it would cause less confusion. "It was a pretty dark album lyrically and pretty depressing, and I was going through a really difficult time in my life," Cornell recalled. "My band wasn't together anymore, my marriage was falling apart and I was dealing with it by drinking way too much, and that has its own problems, particularly with depression...But mentally I wasn't together enough to really know what was right. So I went with 'Morning,' and it's bothered me ever since." His own struggles made him particularly attuned to the unsuspecting ease with which tragedy could strike those who seemingly would have more lifelines than most. Asked about the impromptu cover of "I Will Always Love You" that he sang at a fundraiser for Barack Obama in 2012 that was held a few days after Whitney Houston's death, Cornell told Vulture, "There are a lot of feelings in people who are stars who had an effect on a lot of other people. Anyone that suffers depression and addiction, as it relates to the entertainment business, often there can kind of be a cocoon [around them]. "Though you would imagine someone like that would have more resources to get better, it can often be the opposite. You're kind of enabled to continue whatever lifestyle it is. There's sadness to anyone that dies before their time, and specifically ones that seem to affect people in a positive way. It doesn't matter if it's Whitney Houston or a nameless, faceless person on the street. That's just as big of a tragedy for me." He was also very aware of the sad endings that had befallen so many fellow musicians, not least of them the ones who got their start in his hometown, such as Cobain and Alice in Chains' Layne Staley, who died of an overdose in 2002. And it seemed, including to those close to him, up until less than 24 hours ago, that Cornell was not facing down the kind of pain that can get the better of anyone, no matter how big the success or how loving the family. "There's something about losing friends, particularly young people, where it's not something that you get over," Cornell told Vulture. "I don't believe there's a healing process. How do you, really? In what way can you stop and say, 'Well, it's god's will.' I always thought that line I've heard a million times—twice as bright but half as long—is bulls--t. It's tragedy. I just carry all of that with me all the time. "All I can do, if anything, out of respect for my friends that are no longer here, is to do my best to lead a good life and and take advantage of the fact that I'm still around, take the opportunities I have that they should've had."

#Inside #Chris #Cornell’s #Lifelong #Struggle #Fame:#Soundgarden #Frontman #Battled #Demons #Became

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lonerangerinspace · 8 years ago

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Bellarke Fic Rec 2/?

[Part 1]

More Bellarke fics to share! Need something to get through the month long break. Lots of wonderful and creative authors in this fandom :)

Genres: Modern AU, Soulmate AU, Celebrity AU, Cannon Divergence/AU, Grounder AU, Historical/Fantasy AU

Modern AU

Better Winter Wrap It Up

Octavia drags Bellamy to a My Little Pony tournament. Bellamy is deeply upset about the whole thing, but then the girl running the tournament is really cute.

Ghost Watch: Season 3, Episode 4

“Hey guys, it’s me, Bellamy Blake, and tonight on Ghost Watch we’re going to be investigate a house owned by Clarke Griffin. Her roommates, Monty Green and Jasper Jordan, called us in to investigate their home. Now, you guys know that to prevent contamination and suggestibility, we don’t know anything about what has happened in this home or its history. But me, my sister Octavia, and our friend Nathan Miller aren’t going in blind, either. Our tech whizzes, Raven Reyes and Kyle Wick, will have our backs in the tech center. Welcome to Ark, Virginia. Welcome to Ghost Watch.”

And Tell My Name To Distant Ages

Trying to escape her past, Clarke accidentally stirs up a friendly but determined ghost. Luckily, local historian Bellamy Blake is there to help her uncover crimes of the past and present and bring justice to those who have been wronged. And if in the process she falls for him just a little bit - well, that’s just how life goes.

omoi ga subete wo kaete yuku yo (kitto)

Inasmuch as anyone can be prepared for a magical creature to appear in front of their eyes and tell them they need to help save the world from evil, Bellamy Blake is ready for it. Which basically means he has Hulu and Crunchyroll set up on Miller’s old Wii, and his little sister really likes magical girl anime.

vulgar when brought to light, vulgar the lie

Clarke goes into policing because it’s in her blood.

Soulmate AU

I should ink my skin with your name

Prompt: “Soulmate au where when you write something on your skin with pen/marker/whatever the hell you want, it will show up on your soul mates skin as well.” Or Tattoos, assholes, greek/roman mythology and everything else that could make Bellamy Blake and Clarke Griffin soulmates.

Omnia Dicta Fortiora Si Dicta Latina

A soulmate au, where you get a sentence in black somewhere on your body on your 18th birthday, and at at the moment you realize you love them, your soulmate will say the sentence, and it will tingle and turn silver. And of course Bellarke has the weirdest sentences.

Arrows of Fate

When the residents of the Ark turn 15 a silver mark appears on their bodies. One other person has that same mark. That person is their soulmate. Bellamy hasn’t found his match when he arrives on Earth, but when he notices the mark on his co-leader’s hip, he knows she’s the one. But he can’t possibly be in love with the Princess.

Cloud Diner

Clarke Griffin dreams about the same boy every night after her father’s death. He helps her through tough times and she returns the favor. There’s no way he’s real, right? A Bellarke Soulmates AU

‘cause you color me clear

Clarke is born without a soulmark. She becomes a tattoo artist to write her own destiny across her skin.

Celebrity AU

Coming Home To You

BFF prompt fill for: “Can you please act appropriately do you know just how many of your fuck ups I’ve had to cover up last week’ Celebrity and manager AU taken from cup-of-hot-coffee’s prompt list

Academic

Clarke is a semi-famous History Channel host who is teaching her first university class on Women Warriors. The first thing she notices is the manly man sitting in the back, silent. Then he starts arguing with her and never stops. Infuriating. Particularly when she finds out that he is the brother of her old college friend. The most infuriating thing is how much she wants him, but can’t have him, because he is her student.

We Can Make It If We Take It Slow

It’s been three years since Clarke actually saw Bellamy, instead of just interacting via texts and tweets, but that’s the thing about being in a franchise: they keep coming back.

rumour has it

Bellamy Blake and Clarke Griffin are sleeping together. Or so say the tabloids. (aka CO-STARS AU)

For Tonight, Let’s Just Pretend

Being on a variety show where she pretends she has a crush on Bellamy while pretending she’s not nursing an actual crush on Bellamy isn’t exactly Clarke’s best idea, but she can totally handle it. She’s an actor. It’s fine.

Cannon Divergence/AU/Post-Canon

The Post-Apocalyptic Guide to Raising a Hero

He’s not intentional - this child of theirs that everyone thinks will grow up to save the world- but he changes everything. He’s living breathing proof of those feelings they only deal with in the dark. He’s that little bit of light guiding them forward- away from the storm clouds, away from the smoke. He’s hope- and he’s theirs. Or, How to be Perpetual F**k-ups but Still Leave a Hell of a Legacy

Not With Haste

Post-canon: Long after they’ve saved the world, Clarke and Bellamy try to get their shit together. (Or, how Clarke comes to realize she might need a bit more than subtlety to get her point across.)

The Homestead

Bellamy and the remainder of the original 100 are assigned a new mission - one that will hopefully cultivate peace on Earth and peace in their hearts.

these are the days that bind us

Bellamy thinks he could do this forever, like they were the only two people on the Ground, Clarke’s lips and Clarke’s knees pressed into his hips and Clarke’s bright hyper eyes closed with him, her weight canted into him like she trusts him to catch her.

Son of Lycaon

From the ground Clarke can see that Amy was right; it’s not quite a wolf, but she doesn’t know what else to call it. The teeth are wrong, its spine elongated too much- it’s the stuff of nightmares, if Clarke had any room in her dreams for more horrors.

Grounder AU

Stars In The Water, Blood On Our Hands

The Ark knows that people have survived on the ground, but they don’t know anything about them. Now, with time and oxygen running out, information on these people will be what saves their lives. Clarke is sent down to spy on the grounders. She’s certainly not meant to fall in love.

Facing Tempests of Dust

Clarke Griffin has grown up in the perfectly controlled environment of the Ark dome, a city created to withstand the destruction of the world outside. Now, she’s been sent out with 100 other delinquents to try to survive on their own, but she knows the truth. They weren’t sent away for their crimes, but rather to buy time for others in Ark, as the city is failing. While Clarke struggles to lead her band of teenagers, she encounters a man with strange abilities and an offer she finds hard to refuse.

Turning Puddles Into Oceans

Prompt: Grounder Clarke finding a hurt Bellamy and taking him to her village to heal him.

Before Those Hands Pulled Me From the Earth

He comes alive to the sound of scraping. Around him the earth is warm and whispering. Wake up, it tells him. She needs you.

In My Dreams We Are Always Together

100 delinquents got sent to Earth and battled for survival against the odds. They landed in Trikru territory but that is not where they stayed. After weeks of battle and war, the Sky People finally lost. They were sent to a land far away, where a group of Grounders unlike any they’ve met waited for them.

Historical/Fantasy AU

the world was born in smoke and fire (and so were we)

The crown rests heavy on top of his head, eight pounds of gold encrusted with emeralds and rubies and a thousand tons of responsibility and duty. He can feel its edge digging painfully into the skin of his forehead, can already sense some of his curls getting hopelessly tangled around the prongs. He forces himself to hold still, understanding the importance and uniqueness of this moment. He is the first ever king not descended from royal blood. The first king to usurp the previous before his death, and banish him for crimes of inhumanity performed against his people. He is twenty-two years old, and the streets whisper his name. “Bellamy Blake,” Marcus Kane, his mentor and first advisor, intones, “King of Polis, Lord of the Stars and Protector of the Earth, you may rise.”

Between Me and My Lord and Kin

Lady Clarke wasn’t expecting her first assignment as a knight to be taking command of a refugee camp. It’s not exactly what she had in mind, when she became a knight. Bellamy Blake, refugee tailor and pain in her ass, wasn’t what she had in mind either. In a good way, as it turns out.

Tell Me No More Stories and I’ll Tell You No Lies

Octavia Blake steals a rose, and her brother goes to live with a beast.

anchor up to me, love

"Duty? You’ve kidnapped me from my home—" He held up a finger. "Kindly saved your life, which you still haven’t thanked me for." She ignored his correction. or the pirate au no one asked for

A Scandalous Proposal

A bellarke Victorian era one-shot. Clarke’s mother wants her to marry Lord Collins. Clarke has some other ideas…

#bellarke #bellarke au fic rec #bellarke au fic #bellarke fic #bellarke fic rec #bellamy x clarke #bellamy blake #clarke griffin #blarke #blarke fic rec #my fic rec #the 100 fic

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newbuginnings-blog · 8 years ago

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London, April 13-15, 2017. from top left: iraqi anti-deportation rally in westminster, big ben, the front room where i am sleeping, trafalgar square, walking along the canals in camden, and a shot of the marshes across the canal in clapton. ~ i arrived in london on thursday the thirteenth. before coming "officially" into the country i had to go through border control. the line for non-uk/eu passports strung back and forth for ages, the loud voices of eager american families blended with the melody of languages like chinese and hindi. behind me stood a tall middle aged man with a leather jacket and a british accent. he was in line waiting with his wife who i soon found out was from new jersey. i don't remember how the conversation started but for about thirty minutes we chatted in line about independence, school, gentrification, and music (the man used to be in a band that toured across europe in his day). when it came time to meet the border officers we wanted to exchange numbers and they invited me to visit whenever i wanted (they live in pasadena). the man at border control was patient enough but grilled me on the basis that i was a minor and if anything happened to me before i got to my friends on the other side of the airport, he would be responsible. my new friends waited on the other side of the border. "we will vouch for her!" shouted the man. they scribbled down their address and numbers and told me to give them a call, asking if i was sure i would be ok before bouncing. after presenting an official form signed by my mother and telling the border officer i would "find someone in uniform" if i ever lost my phone and wallet, i got through, national once again. ~ tamara and charlie live in walthamstow, an area in the north east of london that has the longest market in england (longest, not biggest charlie would emphasize). around the corner from the house is a turkish market and a chicken shop which they utilize frequently and fondly. when i first arrived, after a long ride in the tube back to walthamstow they immediately grabbed some beers at the turkish market and took me back to the house to meet their housemates. they are all extremely kind and funny lefties who i feel have treated me with lots of respect. i am used to having older friends at this point, but sometimes when the age gap is so large i can feel it effecting the way people address me. i don't feel that at all in this house, people are very genuine and sincere. the first night, charlie, tamara, their friend sohail and i went to a small iraqi anti-deportation rally. recently, iraqis have been being deported from england for the first time in a decade. the british government is also deporting and detaining many other refugees and migrants coming primarily from north africa and "the middle east." london has a huge presence of recent immigrants and refugees from turkey, syria, iran, iraq, afghanistan and pakistan. they organize themselves regularly to stop deportation. a complaint is that when white folks hold pro-refugee actions they are completely white, but those same folks don't show up to support at rallies organized by immigrant peoples. after the rally they took me to a weatherspoon, what they call "spoons" which is a pub chain (this particular location where they would apparently congregate after every demo that ended in parliament square). we talked about veganism and the way that racism is understood differently in europe/the uk/the usa. afterwards we headed back to a pub in walthamstow and met with the housemates again. i thought germans drank a lot of beer, but the real winner is the brits! i have no stomach for so much ale, because i get full after my first or second pint... maya told me that it is ok, after a while of being around the house everyone grows a second stomach just for beer. every one of the house mates has an interesting background--tamara is from nicaragua, chery is irish, ruairidh grew up in newcastle australia, charlie from st. louis, fran from italy but who grew up in china. i am having fun uncovering more about their stories and listening to them talk about their lives. i am fascinated that they have all ended up here together, through politics have met and started a household in london. when we got back to the house we all sat around eating ruairidh's homemade stew and playing instruments late into the night. ~ friday was the day of my gig at vinyl deptford. beforehand, we got free indian food at a stand on ucl campus, which apparently serves free food to hundreds of people, mostly students, per week (making food not bombs a bit secondary at protests). we walked along the canals marveling at all the different houseboats. we came along one that was a quaint book shop! we ran into cal coincidentally along the canal below the camden market (which tamara and charlie were devestated to see so commercialized and gentrified--they are tearing out a large portion of what used to be market to build a casino). the show in deptford was lovely. the venue is the small basement of the record shop, which was full of people (even if it was small, it felt full and warm). tamara and charlie were being so loving and supportive, and in between the sets leading to mine we would sit outside and chat with an eccentric nineteen year old named indigo who lives in manchester but came to see cal (and apparently never stops moving). i forgot to bring tapes to sell, but when it was my turn to go on it didn't matter much. the lighting made it so that i felt as though i was singing just to the people in the front row, which included indigo, cal, tamara and charlie. i am glad i impressed cal because they are experienced in show seeing and playing and are also the type of person who is deeply cool. they know what they like and they are very sincere about it. the other musicians were so great and roxy from furore was particularly kind to me after my set. a man who filmed the entire thing insisted that he wanted a tape next time i came through london (but refused to buy one online). some other person named mel gave me the contact info of a friend who has an international music collective she thought i would fit well into. indigo told me they want to get better at guitar after seeing me play. charlie and tamara were the most supportive of all, and the spirits were high as a large group of us drifted away from the venue. cal and their friends headed to a pub while tamara charlie and i went all the way back home to check on ruairidh who had just broken up with his girlfriend. their friend nina was over, who is really interesting. a few of us did md and we stayed up forever talking listening to great music. ~ saturday morning i woke up and finished reading assata's autobiography which is excellent: enraging and inspiring (nina named her cat assata apparently). i spent the entire morning talking with fran and nina and chery. even though nina had gotten sick the night before, laughter was abundant. cal came over after tamara and charlie woke up and we all got a full english at a breakfast joint in the walthamstow market. even though london is known for poor weather, it has been sunny and warm every day so far. yesterday was gorgeous, and after our mid-afternoon breakfast we walked past the reservoir and through the marshes. it is a magical walk because you go from a bustling london neighborhood into a park full of nature, absent the sound of cars. we sat along the canal for a while in clapton talking. it is so great that tamara and charlie and cal get along. but we all were laughing and having a great time exchanging the commonalities and differences of our experiences. after cal left to catch their bus back to leeds, we decided to go to a comedy show. best choice ever. the comedy at the bill murray was a free show, but it was packed with people and fucking hilarious. it left me asking myself why i don't go out to laugh more often? then i realized it is probably because a lot of this stuff isn't all ages, which is stupid. i haven't been carded in a bar since i have gotten here. that night we all met again at the pub in walthamstow, and after a while people came to the conclusion i should tattoo them all. after buying chicken and getting back to the house though, i started feeling sick and tired and took a nap and when i came back out everyone was gone except for ruairidh tamara and charlie. i am kind of glad because i was not in the headspace to give four people permanent body art. ~ easter sunday! fran is cooking an italian lasagna and a special dessert and appetizer. tamaras dad is coming to hide eggs and eat lunch with us. i am excited to chill the entire day and eat lots of food. london has been a wonderful time full of laughter and new friends so far.

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