#and the audio balancing on the ads has actually hurt my ears a few times because they're so fucking loud and sometimes have these really

[daxite]

i appreciate this podcast/audio format but holy fuck some of these editing and addition decisions have been really annoying to sit through

[nickgerlich]

Making Music

I love me some good music, and have been to far more than 100 concerts in my life. Nothing beats the energy that emanates from artists performing their craft, because it is a symbiotic relationship. We feed off them, and they feed off us. The ringing in my ears today is probably testimony to maybe a few too many concerts through the years, but I harbor no regrets. Those were good times, and I guess you could say I earned every decibel of the current discomfort.

For live music lovers everywhere, perhaps the greatest fallout of the COVID-19 era has been the cancellation of concerts and tours. I haven’t been to a concert since last December, when I made my annual trek somewhere to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra for the holiday season. Never mind that it was my 18th time to see them. They are that good, and I will do whatever it takes to enjoy another 2 1/2 hours of sonic bliss.

Bands and artists are in a world of hurt these days, because about the only ways to earn a living are through live performances and the merchandise sales that accompany them. There’s no money in streaming plays on Spotify, which amount to a fraction of one cent each time someone summons your tune. With revenue-earning opportunities nil, bands and artists have had to prove their agility like everyone else and try to find a way to make ends meet.

Like how Blackberry Smoke, Joe Bonamassa, and others have figured out by offering livestream events. No doubt they were inspired by this last summer’s Garth Brooks concert that streamed to 300 drive-in movie theaters across the country.

Streaming events offer benefits to artist and fan alike. For example, a three-concert pass for Blackberry Smoke, at which the band will be playing three different sets across the fall season, is only $60. This is a bargain for someone like me, who would otherwise spend many hundreds, maybe even thousands, to travel a long distance just for a show. Add in the fact that no one is counting how many people will be in my living room, and this becomes the equivalent of packing a bunch of friends in the trunk of your car to go to the drive-in.

The artist has an opportunity to play before fans and sell merchandise, even though those sales will have to be online. Better yet, they do not have the expenses associated with a tour, such as the revenue share with the promoter, bus rental, driver, fuel, and everything else that goes with life on the road.

I must admit that Blackberry Smoke is one of my favorite bands, and Joe Bonamassa my favorite guitarist. I have seen Blackberry Smoke five times, including once in Amarillo and the balance all over the US, and Bonamassa also in Amarillo. They put on amazing shows, and while I love listening to their music on Spotify, it’s just not the same as hearing the ad libs and improvs that separate the studio from the stage.

And that may be the only disconnect between a livestream and a live concert. Even though Blackberry Smoke’s concert producer guarantees a front-row seat, my living room will never be the same as standing down in front and actually feeling the music being made. I don’t care how loud my system can go, it won’t be the same, and it will be like just another Zoom meeting.

Nice to see you, but it sure would be nice to shake your hand. Or least a fist bump.

I am sad that Trans-Siberian Orchestra completely scuttled their 2020 holiday concert tour, and did not (yet) announce a livestream Christmas event, because I would have gladly purchased it. With concert tickets more than $80 apiece, I’m sure I could have saved a ton of dollars for my family to enjoy a show at home, even if it isn’t quite the real thing.

As for Blackberry Smoke and Mr. Bonamassa, I will definitely pay my way for them to visit my big screen. It’s the best all of us can do right now.

And until the day is safe for us to party again, just keep making music. Because we all need something to sing about.

Dr “Can You Feel It?“ Gerlich

Audio Blog

[sassycassie-s-series]

Newsflash 3

Chapter 3 - Black Holes

By: SassyShoulderAngel319 ( @sassyshoulderangel319 )

Fandom/Character(s): The Flash - Barry Allen/The Flash and OC (Heather Astra)

Rating: PG

Notes: (Masterlist) I am such a space nerd!

Chapter 1

Previous Chapter

^^^^^

A week passed. I tried to make two videos a week—one on Tuesday and one on Friday—so I'd made one a few days after the one with Barry in it. My viewers were still mildly freaking out and begging to see more of him. Every time I walked into the crime lab in the morning, I'd greet him with a smile that apparently said, “I know something you don’t know,” because he always asked me what was up.

On the week mark, I strolled into the lab and flopped into my desk chair.

“You’ve got that look on your face again,” he remarked.

“What look?” I asked.

“The look of ‘I know something that makes me smile every time I see you.’ What’s up?”

I shook my head and pulled a file folder towards me. “Nothing. Just, everyone on my channel really loved seeing you.”

“That was a really funny video by the way—and not just the parts with me in it. You're really good at telling stories and keeping me captivated,” he offered. I felt my ears grow warm and my whole face probably turn pink.

“Thanks,” I mumbled. “I'm making another one after work today if you’d like to join.”

Barry gave me a surprised look. I instantly backpedaled.

“I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to but—”

“Heather. Relax. I'd love to. What are you making?”

“Well, my subscribers know that I'm a science nerd and a total space geek, so some of them have been asking me to explain a little bit about some space stuff. I thought I'd start easy and talk about black holes.”

Barry snorted. “I love that you call black holes the easy part.”

I blushed again. “Well, once I explain what the Event Horizon and singularity are and how they distort the fabric of space, I figure it’ll be easier to explain that most galaxies orbit a supermassive black hole and all the rest. Get the big complicated topic out of the way so I don’t get too many questions. Though if I get questions I can't answer, I’ll direct them to Crash Course Astronomy…”

“Heather. I'm just teasing you,” he put in.

We went about our business for the day. We had a bunch of cases to get through. Barry was faster at getting through them than I was, and I had no idea how. I kept my back to him most of the day since our computers faced away from each other and couldn’t fathom how he finished so many so fast.

^^^^^

“Good evening Sailors, it’s Friday! And since I don’t have a boyfriend or a date tonight, I'm here with another perpetually single friend—one that you guys have been begging me to bring back on this channel since his first appearance last week. Internet, please welcome Barry back!” I exclaimed, moving slightly closer to the edge of the frame so Barry could come in with a big smile. He threw his arm around my shoulder and I put my arm around his waist so his momentum wouldn’t knock me over.

“Hey guys! I'm back!” he greeted with an energetic wave.

“And today we’re going to do some science. Everyone here knows that I am a massive nerd and I love science, so a bunch of you have been asking me to explain some topics about space. Barry and I decided we’d work together to give you guys some science, since as I said last time Barry was on here, he’s pretty much the smartest man I've ever met,” I explained.

Barry squeezed my shoulders. “As always, Heather, you're the nicest girl I know.” He smirked and looked down at me, finally taking his eyes off the camera lens. “Shall we then?”

“Let’s do it.”

“So what are we talking about today, Heather?”

“Well, Barry, we’re going to talk about black holes! Welcome to Astra Astronomy!”

Barry chuckled. “Your last name is so perfect for this,” he commented.

“I was just meant to be a science nerd,” I joked.

There was a moment that I'd edit out where I bent down out of the frame and popped back up with the white lab coat costumes I'd borrowed from my older sister—she and her husband had been mad scientists for Halloween last autumn—and handed one to Barry.

We pulled them on and he grabbed the notes on a clipboard I'd written down when we’d been having lunch earlier at the lab.

“Where should we start, Dr. Astra?” he asked, faking being formal.

“Oi!” I teased. “I'm not a doctor—and neither are you!”

“Sorry I was just trying to be funny,” he mumbled.

“Yeah but sometimes people on the internet can't take jokes and think that everything is serious. Not saying that happens all the time but when it does… oi.”

“Okay. Where should we start, Heather?”

“I was planning on starting with the Event Horizon because no one seems to know what it means but they’ve all heard the term in sci-fi movies,” I answered. “The Event Horizon is the point in a black hole where the escape velocity—that is, how fast something has to be going to escape the force of gravity—exceeds the speed of light.” I glanced over and up and Barry. “I'm going to add visual aids later over this like right here or so.” I pointed to the empty space between our heads vaguely.

^^^^^

Barry sat next to me on my sofa as I edited the video. He had his legs crossed under him and a mug in his hand that I'd given him full of hot chocolate. Rain was pounding outside—Central City spring—and he was helping me out. My laptop was balanced on my thighs and I was scrolling through Google Images looking for good pictures of black holes and diagrams to help make our points.

“This is so cool,” Barry commented. “Honestly. I've seen all your videos since you started making them and wow you’ve already improved so much.”

I smiled and felt my ears grow warm. “Thanks,” I mumbled.

“Also we did science on the internet. How cool is that? It’s like… you're Bill Nye…” he trailed off.

I snorted. “Me? No. You’re YouTube’s Bill Nye,” I teased. “I'm just that guy with the deep voice behind the camera that makes sarcastic comments. ‘Now the sun’s up there!’—‘Hopefully.’” Barry laughed as we kept editing.

“Is this really how you spend your Friday nights?” he asked curiously as I finally found the right picture and put it on over the main screen of the video.

“Yup. That’s what happens when your family all lives in Keystone and you live here with no friends and you're too independent and smart to make most guys interested in you. I scare guys off pretty easily so not too many dates for me!” I joked, being ultra-sarcastic to hide the fact that I was actually a little hurt inside that I never got asked out. “Truth is, it’s mostly my fault, I don’t ‘put myself out there’ or try to get guys to be interested.” I put my headphone in one ear and gave Barry the other bud. “Here. It’s easier to hear where the audio begins and finishes this way,” I offered. He took it and plugged it into his ear.

“Oh you use the weird kind! The squishy ones.”

“Yeah, the hard ones really hurt the inside part of my ear and the big over-ear kinds hurt because my ears stick out too much and they press my ears against my head. Which aches after a while.”

“Hmm. I'm sorry.”

I shrugged and went back to editing, moving it frame-by-frame to cut out some awkward pauses. I was so focused on what I was doing, I almost didn’t notice that Barry was still there. I put in some boring, generic vlogger music where I felt it needed to go, my little channel “logo” between the main body of the video and the outro bit where I wished everyone well and promised to see them soon.

Once it was done, Barry and I watched it to make sure I hadn't missed anything and added one of our bloopers to the end after my farewell of “See you in the stars, Sailors!” It was us laughing, bent double, clinging to each other’s arms to stay upright, after Barry made a bad pun.

“Oh no, I sound like Cisco,” Barry complained sitting next to me.

I snickered.

There were several moments of non-silence as we were waiting for the video to render. The quiet was filled by the rain on the windows and the occasional low rumble of thunder. I was letting the editing software render the frames with additional images over the main video or different transitions while I stood next to my big living room window with my own hot chocolate mug in my hand.

Barry got off the sofa and moved to stand next to me. “I love lightning,” he remarked.

I smiled. “Me too.”

Next Chapter

[silly-little-nerf-header]

@katsudon-fatalexeros My writing partner

He spent a good deal of time staring at himself in the bathroom mirror this morning. A few ideas rolling around in his head but none of them seemed to match up. Yuri was busy at the rink practicing, their pup being lazy on the unmade bed and he wrinkled his nose. "Pair skating." He let the words roll off his tongue as he tilted his head and watched the words fall from his lips once again.

Yuri had been trying to decide between programs perhaps for next year, but his heart couldn't settle on a theme. Viktor usually joined him by now, but if he was tired Yuri would practice alone. He was thinking to much and it ended up leaving him crashing to the floor with a bad jump. Shaking his head he sighed and moved off the rink grabbing a phone and texting Viktor."Hey!"

The phone buzzed on the table beside the bed, halfway through getting dressed as he picked up up. 'Hello. I am on my way to you.' A little smile at the end. He petted the pup on the head, grabbing a cd on the way out with a smile of his own. 'I have an idea but I will tell you all about it when I get there.'

Yuri saw the text and just gave his own silent nod in response. Moving off the ice and to a small station that offered food, he was starving but only paid for a bottle of water. Soft smile on his face has he scrolled through Viktor's Instagram account pictures of them but nothing that showed them has more than friends. That was okay for now

He had been doing a great deal of thinking, about them and their relationship, about how people would react. Well, most of the important ones already knew and they were overjoyed. He had slipped into the rink, Yuri was most likely taking a break and the cd was popped into the audio system. A soft flow of music filled the arena as Viktor took to the ice

Yuri finished his bottle of water before moving back, those fiery optics calmed to coppery brown. Something about Viktor skating had always brought a calm to Yuri. Perhaps it was how the older male seemed to make every move a work of art, resting against the rink chin held by one palm

He was a little rusty, really out of practice but his movements were so perfectly in tune with the music, with the emotion. A spin and he was facing Yuri with his arm outstretched toward the smaller male. Panting breathes but he was calling for Yuri to come onto the ice as the music slowed and he knelt

Yuri moved his lithe frame no longer pressed to the side of a rink, but on the ice with Viktor. Palm and slender digits lightly grasping Viktor.  There was something special about what they had, Yuri loved him with every fibre of his being

He brought Yuri's hand to his lips, gracing it with a light kiss before he twirled the smaller male to where his back was against his chest. His hand gently trailing down his arm before his own wrapped around his waist and they started to move Pair skating was not something he ever attempted in his career,  his own failures brought him down why would he wish to doom another. Seamless skates gliding against the ice has Yuri kept his balance with the other male

"Lift." It was a quiet word against his ear before Yuri would feel himself lifted into the air still being twirled around before lowered so close to Viktor's own face they might have kissed. A wide smile on his lips before he took his hand and that skated around one another. Pair skating had a lot of fast paced moments

Yuri was at first slightly lost, and yet somehow he felt like that added to what they were doing the confused step sequence of Yuri. The sure warmth of Viktor it seemed like a pair skate after all, his body moved with fluid grace. The soft break of their palms has he moved backwards and followed into a spread eagle

As Yuri did his spread eagle Viktor was in the middle of him doing a toe spin. The moves seemed to match one another before the spin turned into a full body as he rose, opening his arm once again as the music slowly started to come to a draw. Panting breathes and a wide grin upon his lips

Yuri was once more pressed to the older male's body, but he held no heavy breathing more to his stamina than anything. A smile placed on his features has he leaned up, but before it could land he gave a sad smile and moved back towards the exit."Shall we go home Viktor?"

He was confused by the way Yuri was acting and made a not to ask him about it when they were home. Grabbing their things, lacing their fingers together, they walked home mostly in silence. Viktor's mind racing with what exactly could be wrong with his beloved

Yuri didn't seem to keep the touch of the other males palm to his own, ignoring the passing looks. In his home while not exactly okay the town was to deserted to cause them problems here it always seemed to blossom. Inside and alone Yuri placed his skates away next year would come soon and they still hadn't made any plans

"What is wrong?" Once he had shut the door behind them and placed his own beside them, the question rang out as he crossed his arms. He wasn't use to this cold shoulder treatment from Yuri. He'd always been so warm and affected toward him

Yuri turned a soft tilt to his head, has if he wasn't sure what Viktor meant."There's nothing wrong Vitya, just no public displays. I had to think not to kiss you."It was his own small frown that now took his face

His own brows seemed to nit together for a moment. "I wouldn't have cared if you'd kissed me and there was no one around, beloved." His tone almost sounded hurt but it quickly faded

Yuri wasn't trying to hurt Viktor and the fact he saw actual sadness to the other male's eyes made him feel horrid. Gaze cast down has he played with the soft fabric of his track suit, he had wanted to kiss the other male he just didn't want to be a problem to Viktor

"You aren't a problem." He smiled softly as he walked over to stand in front of him. "You aren't softly burden or a bother. You're the man I hope to send the rest of my life with."