#because like part of what makes glee songs stand out is the harmonies

[satellitesunset]

thoughts on Clarity (GCV)? 🤔🤔👀👀

a 6.5/10, it's not bad by any means, but it's unmemorable and forgettable which in my opinion, is worse.

[bluesylveon2]

My My, I Could Never Let You Go

Summary: Sasha Zoe just wants her dad to walk her down the aisle. There is only one problem: she doesn’t know who her dad is! Sasha invites 3 men in hopes of finding out which one is her father. What could possibly go wrong?

Pairings: Levi x Hange, Sasha x Niccolo, and other background relationships

Disclaimer: This is a Levihan Mamma Mia au. This fanfic is inspired by Mamma Mia which is directed by Phyllida Loyd, written by Catherine Johnson, and uses music from the pop group ABBA. Attack on Titan is a manga/anime series written by Hajime Isayama and published by Kondasha

A/N: Sorry for the wait! Next chapter might take a while. I have finals starting next week and then I’ll be done soon! 😁 Now back to our regularly schedules programming...

***** - listen to Super Trooper here (go to 0;07) to get an idea of the scene. 

Need to catch up? Catch up here!

Ch 9: Super Trooper

Sasha dances on top of the table to her heart's content. She dances along to the song Moblit plays while her friends, now in party clothes, were hyping her up below. 

As the song ends (ironically, it was the same song the guys sang to her earlier. She is a big ABBA fan), Sasha lets herself go and falls back so her friends can catch her. She laughs with glee as her friends cheer for her performance. 

Sasha's bachelorette party was held in the hotel's courtyard. There was some space for dancing and a bar to get drinks. Of course, no boys were allowed except for Moblit. Hange had approved for Moblit to be the DJ for the night. He only agreed to it just as long as Sasha's friends did not force him to become a male stripper. 

Hange and her band were preparing behind the stained glasses French doors for their big performance. This performance was a callback to their old days when she and her girls used to perform together. They had even dressed the part!

Sasha's friends set her back down on the ground safely as Moblit taps his mic to get everyone's attention.

"Ladies and no gentlemen! Except for me, of course." Moblit gestures to himself before continuing.

"Presenting for one night and one night only-" he gestures to the French doors, so the girls can take their attention off of him.

"Because that's all we got breath for!" Nanaba yells from behind the door. Everyone laughs. 

"The world's first girl power band," Rico yells out from behind the door with excitement to hype the crowd. Some smoke starts to appear behind the doors. 

Sasha screams with excitement and shakes Mikasa, who was the closest to her.

"Hange and the Survey Corps!"

Moblit plays the piano as Hange, Rico, and Nanaba enter in their 70's-inspired outfits. It looks just like the ones they used to wear from the old pictures Sasha saw of her mom's room. Meanwhile, the bachelorette party squeal with excitement as Hange's band takes position. Hange was front and center, Nanaba was to her left, and Rico was to her right.

Hange taps the beat with one of her block-heeled boots on the stage. All three members of the Survey Corps raise their left arm to point up to the sky, look up at the night sky, and begin to sing the first line.

Super Trouper lights are gonna find me.

But I won't feel blue.

Sasha and her friends laugh at how ridiculous her mom and her aunts sounded without the accompaniment.

Like I always do

'Cause somewhere in the crowd, there's you

Hange looks away to glance at Sasha and gave her a quick wink. 

Sasha looks at her mother expectantly and with amusement. There was an awkward silence as no music played, and Hange's band was still in position.

Hange, noticing the silence, looks away to look at Moblit. She motions for him to play the song.

Moblit, realizing his mistake, presses the button on the speaker to start the performance. The melody to Super Trooper begins to play. Sasha and her friend cheer as Hange get back to position, so the band can go to their signature pose. 

*****

She raises her hand up and looks up at the sky. Rico turns around, so her back faced Hange. She leans back a bit and raises her microphone up to her lips to pretend she was singing. Nanaba copies Rico's position, except she faces the opposite direction; her back was facing Hange. 

Hange brings her arm down as she sings. Rico and Nanaba face the crowd and move to stand next to Hange. All three of them begin to sway and move their arms to the beat.  

Sasha and her friends laugh and clap along to the performance. Occasionally, Rico and Nanab would sing along to add harmony and more vocals. 

The trio then raises their right arm to the sky and brings it back down to briefly touch their heads. Rico and Nanaba move to face Hange as they sing along. Hange would also turn to face her best friends one at a time to make it look as though she was singing to them. Eventually, the trio stands in front of one another, leans back slightly, and moves their left arm back while holding out the note before literally jumping into the refrain. 

---

"Are you sure this is where Gelgar said Sasha's bachelorette party is going to be?" Erwin asks with a hint of uncertainty.

Mike laughs a bit, but it could have been drowned out by the music and the cheering nearby. Who knows if the guys would be able to hear each other the closer they got.

"Of course. Sasha is pretty famous on the island, so word gets around easily. Plus, she practically invited the whole island."

"Yeah. Sasha practically invited all the girls on the island." Levi adds with a hint of annoyance. He can hear the singing nearby and can recognize her voice anywhere. It reminded him of the times she used to sing to him. Hange's voice would help him fall asleep.

"Relax, Levi," Mike says reassuringly as they climb up the steps to the plaza. "Sasha would be happy to see her dads at her bachelorette party!"

They stop at the very top step and watch Hange's performance.

"Hey, look at them go! It seems her friends never lost their talent either, especially Nanaba!"

Levi looks at Mike and raises an eyebrow. "You know them?"

Mike laughs. "Of course I do. I met all three of them together," he says with amazement as he watches the performance. 

"It seems as if Hange never lost her singing talent after all."

Levi glares at Erwin, who stood behind him. Erwin, noticing Levi's glare, chuckles now that his uncertainness is fading away. It was as if he could read Levi's mind.

It seems that Hange's singing has started to calm him down enough to laugh at how silly Levi looked.

"Sometimes Hange would sing while I played the guitar. This song is actually our song." Erwin says without breaking his gaze from Hange singing and smiles. 

"It does bring me back." He adds with sincerity.  

Levi's heart skips a beat as he heard Hange sing. It was a lot different from earlier when he heard it from a distance. It was in person this time. Levi can even see the big smile and the bright eyes Hange had as she sang. It reminded him of the times he would fall asleep on her lap as she sang to him and played with his hair. 

Call him a lovestruck fool, but Levi always slept better every time Hange sang to him. 

Heck, Levi could even say with 100% certainty that he was falling for her all over again.

---

Hange continues singing and dancing with her friends. She has not had this much fun in a long time, and she can tell from Sasha's face that she was enjoying it too. In fact, Hange was having too much fun to notice Levi, Erwin, and Mike approach the plaza. 

She dances to the song's beat while adding some arm movements and stomped her boots to create an effect. Sasha and her friends cheer from below.

Like I always do. 

Hange places her hand on her forehead and scans the crowd.

Cause somewhere in the crowd, there's you. 

It was only for a brief second, but her light brown eyes met with Levi's steel gray ones.

Hange's eyes widen with shock and a little bit of hurt. He was not alone! Erwin and Mike were with him too!

Nevertheless, Hange steps forward to sing her solo while trying her best to look normal. She did not want to freak out on stage and have Sasha meet her dads. She glances over at Levi, praying it was a dream.

It was not. Levi was still there.

This time he was smiling.

Great. Just great.

Hange ends her solo with a silly dance to bring up her excitement and keep Sashas's attention solely on her. The crowd loved it! She steps back to join her band. 

The Survey Corps sing the refrain while pointing towards the sky in front of them, bringing their arms down and repeating the process all over again. They stop in the middle of the refrain, and Hange glances over at Levi again.

They were still there!

She scoots close to Rico and subtle grabs her arm before doing the same with Nanaba and brought them close to her. 

"Look, look, look, look," she says while pointing her head towards the men off to the side. She then spins around so Rico and Nanaba could see who she was looking at. The song continued to play in the background.

Oh no! Nanaba looks at the men in shock.

Why are they here at the party? Rico questions.

Rico briefly places her microphone away from her mouth. "Stay calm," she whispers loudly enough to get Hange to hear.

Nanaba imitates Rico after Rico goes back to performing. "Act normal," she whispers as well.

Both of them tried their best not to speak loud enough for both of their mics to pick up.

Meanwhile, Erwin was smiling at the performance, Mike was dancing a bit to the song, and Levi even was dancing a bit too. Just not as much as Mike.

Hange glances over at Moblit before getting back into position with the girls. Moblit, noticing the distressed look on Hange's face the entire time, turns to where she has been looking at this whole time. It did not take long for him to figure out who the three men dancing in the corner were. He had heard enough stories and helped comfort Hange when she was sobbing alone in her room to know who was who. It was a secret between the two, and Moblit was ready to take Hange's secret to his grave.

They stick their hand out to make a one and move their head in the 1 position on a clock before repeating the refrain. They move in a circle on the stage, stop to look at each other briefly, and place their hands in the center before moving it up together. 

Hange made sure to step up in the front and give Sasha all of her attention as she sings the song's last note. Rico and Nanaba sang the rest in the background before giving their final pose.

Everyone in the audience cheers for the performance, even the guys who everyone could hear cheering loudly from the back.

"Excuse me!" Moblit's voice comes on from his spot next to the stage. Hange and her friends head back inside to get changed. "This is a bachelorette party except for me. Moblit. Thank you!" he finishes before changing the song.

"That's the asshole," Levi whispers to himself without thinking about it and glares at Moblit. 

Erwin and Mike laugh at Levi. They can hear the jealousy in his voice. Levi wants what Moblit has: a life with Hange where he can watch Sasha grow up. No responsibilities or worries. Just peace.

Moblit, although he cannot hear him, feels a shiver go down his spine. He turns around to find a short, bored-looking guy glaring at him.

That must be Levi; he sweatdrops before returning to the music and praying that Levi stops glaring at him. 

Levi tsks in annoyance and starts heading out. Mike and Erwin steer in a different direction towards the bar.

Sasha follows Levi out to wherever he went. Meanwhile, all the girls in Sasha's bridal party watch as Mike and Erwin head towards the bar area. They huddle up and put their heads together to create a plan.

"We need to do something before Mike and Erwin leave," Hanami panics.

"We need to think of something now," Mina adds.

Historia thinks long and hard for a solution. What is something crazy they could do without raising suspicion? Suddenly, an idea pops up in her head as she listens to the current song Moblit was playing. It was bound to work 100%.

She silently thanks Sasha's love of ABBA songs and for hosting many karaoke nights at the hotel. The girls could sing ABBA songs with their eyes closed.

She smirks and clears her voice. Everyone stops discussing to turn their full attention to Historia.

"Ladies. I have a perfect idea,"

---

"Why are they here?! Do they want to ruin Sasha's wedding?!" Hange yells out in frustration.

"I thought you were keen about this wedding," Nanaba asks in a calm tone.

Hange takes a deep breath to calm herself down. "I just don't want them to spoil it." she sighs.

"They have no right to show up like this. What have they done for Sasha? Huh?"

"Hange. They didn't know she existed." Nanaba reasons with her. They continue making their way back to Hange's room. 

"Well, they didn't need to know. I did so well with Sasha all by myself, and I refuse to be muscled out by an ejaculation!"

---

Erwin and Mike were getting some drinks at the bar since Levi had mysteriously disappeared from them. They decided to stay for a bit until Levi comes back, but far away from the party. They could still hear the music, though.

Except the music was progressively getting louder, and it was not from the speakers. They can hear female voices heading in their direction. 

Both men turn around to find all of Sasha's bridal party walking towards them while singing the song. The girls start running towards them the moment Erwin and Mike turn around. Different girls grab both men and start pulling them into the dance floor.

Mike was excited to be surrounded by so many girls. This was life for him. On the other hand, the feelings were not mutual for Erwin. He just wanted to get a drink! Now he is getting dragged onto the dancefloor! What a rollercoaster of a day.

Except the girls did not drag them onto the dancefloor. The girls push Erwin and Mike against a pole and surround them. They tie up the men's hands behind the pole and begin their second operation. The first operation was to locate the men and tie them up. They proceed with the second part, although Levi was absent. This part was a bit more intimate. 

It was all a blur for Erein and Mike. They could not tell who exactly was feeling them up, running their hands across their chests, or even tell who was pushing up their clothes. Mike enjoyed all the attention he was receiving; Erwin was flustered and heating up.

This was definitely a strange day for everyone.

---

Sasha stops running when she finds Levi leaning against the wall, looking out at sea.

"Hi."

Levi notices Sasha's voice, leans back, and faces her. "Hey."

He clears his throat. "I think I should explain to Hange that I come in peace." he starts walking up to where Sahsa just entered from.

"Oh no." Sasha stops Levi by placing her hands out in front of him. "You should wait until she has a few drinks first, really." 

Levi nods in agreement. "Good idea."

He looks around the place and thinks back on their interaction in the boat. The fact that he never came back or how Sasha was a prodigy with weapons. He chose to speak about the latter. The first topic can come up another time. 

"That story about you being a natural at archery…." He trails off and looks at her dead in the eyes. Her eyes were obviously a different shade of brown, but it reminded him of Hange.

"Why don't you pursue it? You could even participate in events such as the Olympics?"

Sasha looks away nervously and raises her hands up before dropping down on her sides. She sighs.

"I have enough to do here." 

"Is that really your dream? Running the villa with Hange?" Levi asks. He could recall when she first met Hange. She was a woman with huge dreams. All of it was driven by her curiosity and intelligence. Yet, it was not evident for Sasha's case. 

Sasha shakes her hands out in front of her with frustration. Why wasn't Levi getting it? It was so obvious why she wanted to stay. 

"She just can't do it by herself."

"But she has Moblit." Levi counters.

"She just can't. Please understand that." 

Levi sighs. He was not getting through to her at all. Yet, Levi still thought back to Sasha's memory from earlier. He chuckles a bit.

"What's so funny?" Sasha asks with some curiosity. Ah, there it is. The Zoe curiosity lives on.

"You know, my uncle once taught me how to use a knife. Apparently, he worked in one of the intelligence agencies in Germany when he was young. He thought it was a necessary skill for me to have. Of course, I managed to excel in it, but my mom had a heart attack when she noticed me practicing it with my uncle. I always made sure to keep a pocket one if any situation goes south." 

He walks to stand where he was initially. He turns around to face Sasha. "I even taught it to Hange before. I mean, she trusted a stranger pretty easily, but you never know if things ever go south. You have to be prepared." 

He looks up at the sky and smiles at all the fond memories he had of Kalokairi.

"I always wanted to come back here…."

"What kept you from coming back?" Sasha interrupts him. 

Levi looks at Sasha and gives her a sad smile. Her eyes soften up after seeing Levi becoming vulnerable in front of her. 

"What has your mother said about me?"

"She never mentioned you," Sasha confesses. She watches for Levi's reaction but finds nothing.

Finally, he sighs. a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Sasha?"

"Why am I here?" He asks. He began to doubt his purpose here now that Hange wants nothing to do with him.

Sasha was ready to speak when the door from her mother's room opens suddenly, startling the two down below. 

"I need some air!" they both hear Hange's voice cry out.

She immediately ran off and out of sight as if she was never there.

Levi looks up at Hange's room. His eyes linger at Hange's disappearing shadow. He felt a strange but somewhat familiar feeling in his chest. 

He knew what he had to do, and he can't leave just yet.

---

Hange, Rico, and Nanaba all flop on Hange's bed in exhaustion. Nanaba was lying next to her, while Rico's boots were next to Hange's head. 

"Somebody out there is out to get me. I bet it's my mother." Hange says while glaring at the roof as if it decided to bring Sasha's dads back into her life.

"Wasn't she a ray of sunshine?" Rico adds sarcastically. 

Hange feels a sudden burst of determination. She needs to get them out now. She begins by attempting to untangle herself from her friends. 

"Oh no, you don't!" Nanaba exclaims and pins Hange down.

"If you go in there guns loaded, there's gonna be questions," Rico says as she attempts to get up but fails. It's all because of the dang boots!

"Help me out of these boots!" she complains while lying on the bed. Hange and Nanaba make a move towards the end of the bed to help. 

"All of your yoga made your feet bigger." Nanaba comments, and Rico groans in annoyance.

Suddenly, Nanaba gets serious and pulls on one of Rico's boots. "Listen up. The plan is to get all the guys drunk tonight-"

"Uh-huh," Hange says and pulls on the other boot with the same force as Nanaba.

"-and then tomorrow, Rico and I will keep them distracted."  

Rico shoots up from the bed and raises her hand. "Dibs on Erwin!"

Nanaba rolls her eyes. "Of course, you would say that," she mumbles. 

---

Erwin luckily manages to escape the crowd of girls by crawling under the table to escape. Sasha's bridal party had finally untied him and Mike from the poles and brought them somewhere else to dance. Erwin last saw Mike dancing on top of the table with some of the girls. He was having the time of his life.

Sasha ran back to the party just in time to see Erwin escaping from her friends.

"Hi," she sighs in relief.

"Hello," He greets back. He was still traumatized from earlier.

Sasha grabs Erwin's arm and seats Erwin at the barstool. 

"You ok?" she asks as she sits down as well. Erwin's hair was a bit disheveled, his shirt was unbuttoned and untucked to reveal his chest, and he looked a bit flustered. 

Erwin sighs instead. He reaches over to a nearby pitcher and pours himself a drink.

"I'm surprised Hange has a grown-up daughter." He confesses and briefly glances over at Sasha.

She leans one elbow against the bar and faces Erwin. "Do you have any children, Erwin?" 

Erwin chuckles. "Well, I only have my dogs, Hiroshi and Romi. They are staying at a friend's house right now." 

"I'd love to have a daughter. I'd spoil her rotten," he adds with a smile and takes a sip of his drink. 

That caught Sasha off guard. She didn't expect Erwin to say that. She opens her mouth to speak but closes it instead. She imagined what life would be like if Erwin was her father. How he would spoil her, shower her with much love and attention.

Erwin notices Sasha's silence. He briefly turns around to look at the crowd before turning back to Sasha.

"Is your father here?"

"I don't know." She admits. Erwin looks at her with confusion. Surely her own father should be here for his own daughter's wedding, right?

"I don't know who my father is." she clarifies.

Erwin's eyes widen with shock. He opens his mouth to ask more questions, but one of Sasha's friends grabs her and brings her back to the dance floor. He could only watch as Sasha's figure disappears into the crowd.

---

Erwin sat with his hands covering his face. A few minutes had passed since Sasha left, and everything was beginning to come together. What if he was Sasha's father? He was too conflicted to notice the footsteps heading his way.

"Give me two tequila shots. One for me and one for this guy." he hears a female voice say. His head shoots up, ready to decline the offer but stops. Sitting down where Sasha last sat was a woman with long brown hair and blue eyes. Her hair was half up, half down, she wore a simple blouse and some shorts, and she also wore sandals on her feet.

She notices Erwin's stare and turns to him with a smile. Erwin looks away and blushes from embarrassment. 

The woman laughs instead. She extends her hand out for him to shake.

"My name is Marie Fournier, and you are?"

Erwin extends his hand out to shake Marie's. "Erwin Smith."

The bartender comes back with the shots. Marie grabs her and holds it out in front of Erwin for a toast.

"Cheers." she smiles.

"Cheers," he says with a small smile. Erwin tries to hide his earlier conflict from Marie.

"So how do you know the Zoe's?" Erwin asks after the both of them drank the shot and set their glasses down on the bar."

"Well, we went to the same college and for the same major. I was more of an acquaintance with her, but we still kept in touch after I moved to Canada. I consider myself lucky that she invited me here since we weren't that close."  

She looks at Erwin with a smile. Erwin was taken aback by it. There was a dormant but familiar feeling growing in his chest after seeing Marie smile at him.

"She is a nice person, though. I came here once before for vacation. She showed me around the island and even brought Sasha along too."

Erwin felt another feeling in his chest, and he slightly flinches in his seat. The shock and realization of what if Sasha was his daughter. It seems Marie does not notice any difference in Erwin.

"So how do you know Hange?"

Should he tell her the truth? Maybe a short and sweet version?

His eyes briefly glance over at the bartender walking by. He is going to need some more drinks first.

---

Hitch drags Sasha from the bar and pushes her to dance onto a table to dance with Mike.

"Hey!" Mike cheers once Sasha joins him on the fun. Both of them start dancing together.

"This is fantastic! How did your mom get money to buy this place?"

"She was left some money by an old lady she looked after before I was born," Sasha yells back with all the music and the dancing happening at the same time.

 "Alexandra, that I'm named after."

He looks at her suspiciously. "My grandma Alexandra?"

"I guess?"

"I always heard she left her money to her family…" his voice trails off.

Suddenly, everything hit Mike like a tone of bricks. His grandmother, the hotel, Sasha…

He looks at Sasha, who was still dancing and smiling at him.

"How old are you?" he needed to know.

"I'm 20."

That was the final piece of the puzzle Mike was missing. He stops dancing and looks at her with shock and panic.

"Will you excuse me for a minute?" He looks around his surrounding with confusion, shock, and a bit of disappointment. It's not that he is disappointed at Sasha, but himself. What kind of dad (if he actually was) was he for missing out on 20 years of his daughter's life?

"I'm sorry," he says and leaves Sasha, who stands there with sadness flashing in her face. She was determined to get to Mike again. She runs off to chase after him.

---

"Mike!" Sasha calls after Mike, but he continues walking down the steps and towards the shore. 

"Mike, wait! Why did your grandmother leave my mother money?" She asks as some tears began to fall down her face. Mike was running down the steps, and it was hard for Sasha to catch up.

"I don't know. What do you want from me?" He replies hastily without turning back and quickens his pace. Mike was too confused with everything that he decided to run away instead of confronting Sasha. Sasha can feel her heartbreaking even more now.

"Mike, please!" Mike stops moving. "All my life, there's been this huge unanswered question., and I don't want any more secrecy!" she cries out, and her voice begins to crack. She can feel tears now that began to blur her vision and some snot running down her nose. 

Mike turns around to face Sasha ultimately after hearing her voice crack and the sadness in her voice. Although the only light source was moonlight, Mike could see the tears staining Sasha's face and her body shaking a bit. He felt guilty for making Sasha cry.

Sasha was ready to ask the age-old question. "Are you my father?"

"Yes. I think so." Mike says immediately. He has all the pieces to the puzzle, except he sounded unsure. He looks at Sasha's face. The same face that has Hange it in and him. He is not running away from his problems. He looks at her with determination and smiles.

"Yes," she says softly that it was almost hard to hear it.

Sasha smiles and laughs with pure joy. More tears were running down her face, but it was tears of joy and not sadness. She felt relief rush into her body because she has now found her father—the man standing in front of her, Mike Zacharias.

She smiles brightly at Mike. The smile Hange always had. "You know what comes next?"

"Oh, you're not telling me you have a twin sister, are you?" Mike asks lightheartedly.

Sasha shakes her head and laughs lightly. She steps closer to Mike.

"Will you give me away tomorrow?"

"Give you away?" Mike asks with a bit of perplex.

"No! Our secret until the wedding." 

Mike laughs. He has been on many adventures all of his life, and now life presented him with a new one. He may have missed the first 20 years of Sasha's life, but he was not going to lose more. Especially with something as big as his daughter's own wedding.

Mike smiles and opens his arms out for a hug. Sasha immediately runs in and gives him the biggest hug she's ever given.

"Of course. I will do it for you." He whispers and plants a small kiss on the crown of her head. After all, giving Sasha away tomorrow is the least he could do for her. 

Sasha smiles as she rests her head against Mike's chest (or more like her dad's chest). She felt a rush of emotions today from happiness, sadness, and fear. It did not matter to her now that Sasha found her dad and was not letting him go. She felt whole as the new father-daughter relationship began to form between the two. She finally has everything she could ever dream of.

Sasha was now experiencing another form of happiness. A form she was missing for 20 years.   

©: This is where I insert all rights reserved stuff. This story belongs to me. Do not modify or republish

Big father reveal!!!!! 🥳

Yeah I know Moblit is the only guy at the bacholrette party, but I needed him to do something lol

Marie is now here!

Erwin’s dogs names are the names of Levi and Hange’s Japanese VA’s

[unironically-glee]

Cory/Finn Moments that I love from the Glee Soundtrack

July 13 -

In honor of Cory's anniversary, I went through and listened to a bunch of the songs he was featured in, and took note of some of my favorite moments. Add on if you'd like, I didn't come anywhere close to getting all of them! I love his singing so much, and I miss him.

Note: This is in no way ordered. Was very much listening on shuffle.

All of the Bye Bye Bye/ I Want It That Way mashup but specifically when he first joins in it makes me crazy happy

Then when the music stops and he comes in with “You are… my fire… the one… desire...” for the second time. Losing my mind.

OH GIRLL you STAND BY MEE

In Stand By You:

Second chorus my Beloved

“When the night falls on you baby - “

First in the recurring theme of me loving the way he pronounces “baby” in songs

Don’t go breaking my heart:

“So don’t misunderstand meh”

“A singer in a smoky room”

I Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore:

“And I’m getting closer than I ever thought I might”

Actually the whole chorus.

I love the way he enunciates in this song

Everything about his part of The Scientist

ALL of Losing My Religion

One of my favorites from him

But I wanna highlight “That’s me in the corner. That’s me in the spot...light…” because I adore it.

“With every waking hour, I’m choosing my confessions!”

“oh no I said. too. much.”

“That was just a dream - That’s me in the corner.”

God, he sounds good on this song.

His part in A House is Not a Home.

I forgot how good One was??

From the moment he joins in.

“One Love, One Life.”

The tone of his voice is incredible

“Did I disappoint you? Or leave a bad taste in your mouth?”

“Carry each other… Carry each other”

I’ve Gotta Be Me, my Beloved

No, it didn’t hit me the first time I listened to it, but this is one of my other favorite solos

“I won’t settle down, I won’t settle for less!”

“I’ll go it alone. That’s how it must be. I can't be right for somebody else if I’m not right for me”

Unrelated by aww the dancing

3:10 when the music picks up?? Amazing, that whole ending

His Damn It, Janet is real cute. I love how he takes what sounds like uncertainty in the original and turns it into legitimate adoration.

The TONE of his VOICE in Hello, I Love You!!

“Did you think you’d be the guyyyy, to make the queen of the an-gels sigh”

When he hits the higher version of “Hello”

“And I saw Julie falling -”

All of She’s Not There. So underrated.

Every time he says “Baby” in You’re Having My Baby. The scene itself? Awful. I couldn’t even watch it because the second-hand embarrassment was too strong. However? His pronunciation is adorable and I love him.

The way he first breaks up Jessie’s name in Jessie’s Girl.

I’m coming out right now to tell you that Don’t Dream It’s Over is one of my all-time favorite Glee covers. Something about it is so pretty and soothing and Cory’s voice is a huge part of that. 10/10 I listen to this on repeat when I’m sad.

The first moment he joins in during Homeward Bound/Home brings me to tears every time. It’s right on the music swell and his face when he walks in and hugs Quinn? I feel everything.

His first line in You’re the One That I Want?

“I’d better shape up!”

The way he cuts the end of the phrase short makes it sound so peppy and cute.

The harmonies of Roots Before Branches make me emotional.

[alphabees-writes]

21, 22, 35, 36

21) Best friendship trio?

One Three Hill baby!!! Kurt, Elliott, and Dani!

Honestly, I don’t hate Rachel or Hummelberry the same way most people I follow do. Nor do hate Santana or Kurtana. But I do hate the needless understudy drama in season 5. Literally, it broke my heart - all the adorable Pezberry friendship moments built up to THAT, and it just felt like a betrayal, with Kurt caught in the middle and suffering for it.

That being said, the idea of those three meeting up to get away from it all and just... starting their own band? Powerful stuff.

22) Least favorite friendship?

Puck and Artie. At its core, the idea has a cute dynamic behind it, but they’re both just assholes.

35) Top 3 solos?

3) As If We Never Said Goodbye - Kurt. This was just... UGH!!! CHRIS!!! Some of his best, most beautiful vocal work. Plus, the true joy on Kurt’s face while he sings to the club? Them, all ecstatic to see him??? Adorable. This song just makes me feel GOOD.

2) Try A Little Tenderness - Mercedes. Amber could straight up kick me in the teeth and I’d say “thank you” so long as she performed this number while she did it.

1) I’m Still Here - Kurt. This one just makes me emotional as hell about his character. He goes through so much shit, and he triumphs through all of it! All of his friends show up to support him through it, plus Burt being there, mouthing along to the words??? AHH!! That little detail just makes my heart stop. Anyway I love my beautiful baby boy Kurt Hummel and he deserves the world, as far as I’m concerned this is his anthem.

36) Top 3 duets?

3) Honestly I’m not even sure if this one counts, but the harmony between Sam and Ryder in You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ just? Gets me? Every time? Like, as a stand-alone song.

2) River Deep Mountain High - Santana & Mercedes, because... duh? It’s just a flawless performance. Emotionally, it doesn’t add much, and watching Mr Schue be creepy in the middle drags it down - but it was just a phenomenal bop.

1) Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy - Kurt & Rachel.

This one is a favourite for a lot of reasons. I’ll be the first to say I despise Lea Michele, but I love the way she sounds singing classic songs, and Chris’ voice is ALWAYS gorgeous of course.

Then, the idea of this as a mash-up for them? Excellent. Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand? The glamour? It just suits their characters so well, like, whenever I hear it I can’t help but think about how much Kurt and Rachel both would have enjoyed singing it!

I have a headcanon around it too. I know, I know, here in Kurtbastian tumblr we’re all meant to be presidents of our own “booo I hate Rachel club,” but while I hate a lot of the things she does, I don’t hate her. I like their friendship, despite the parts of it I don’t like. And I, for one, am convinced that whenever one of them is feeling down, the other will start singing their part of the mash-up until the other one is compelled to join in.

And then, let’s talk about the moment that leads to this duet? It resonates with me, big time. Duets is a high-point for Rachel - her relationship with Finn is going well, she’s happy, Sam’s just agreed to be in the club... she’s on top of the world. And then there’s Kurt, who had his chance for an honest to God friendship with another guy that wouldn’t be tinged with bad-taste gay jokes or lingering homophobia stolen from Finn. Plus, his own dad telling him he just has to live like that for a while. (I have a lot of feelings about Burt in this episode.)

What I’m trying to say is, essentially, Rachel had nothing to gain from singing with Kurt. The competition was done, they could all go back to solos if they felt like it - but for once, somebody recognised that Kurt was hurting, and reached out to him. They just wanted to make him feel more at home in glee club - not in spite of anything, either. I was a pretty lonely kid, and I can’t even begin to fathom how much it would have meant to me if somebody had just said, “hey, you look lonely. Do you want to do an activity we both enjoy together?”

That got way longer than expected, but... yeah! Thanks! If anybody has anything else they’d like to ask, PLEASE do, I’m really enjoying sharing my glee takes today ❤️

(Also tagging @justsomelostcarkeys in hindsight bc I want her to see the last answer specifically)

[lantern-inthenight]

Playing the Vocals (series)

Chapter Three: Power and Control

Pairing: Josh x fem!Reader Word Count: 1430 Warnings: Language, pettiness A/N: Alright y’all, it’s here already!! I’m on a roll with this one, so hopefully I’ll have Chapter 4 up soon (cause that’s where things get turned up to 11 hehe) Also, get ready to stan Miss motherfucking Michaels. Eternal thanks to @sparrowof-thedawn for proofreading this for me <3

Summary: Josh and Reader are competing vocalists at a music college. They are each trying to win a competition as soloists, but their advisor tells them they can only win as a duo. They begrudgingly become partners, but find that they may have bitten off more than they can chew.

You actually looked forward to practice that Friday. Your short conversation with Josh had given you hope that you might actually be able to get along. You almost felt a kinship with him, even if that kinship was founded only on your shared tastes in music. But still, talking to him had been kind of pleasant.

It was nice while it lasted.

“See, this-- this right here is why I can’t stand you!”

Your shout echoed through the music room, and was bounced back to you with an equally-scathing insult from Josh.

“Well, at least I’m not a control freak!”

Miss Michaels sat at the piano looking tired. You and Josh were in the ninth or tenth round of a shouting match that started five minutes ago. You stood several feet apart, your shared copy of the day’s song (“Almost Paradise” by Mike Reno and Ann Wilson) laying abandoned by the wayside.

“Are you sure about that, asshole?” You shot back, prompting a white-hot glare from Josh. Miss Michaels stood up, exasperated.

“Alright, you two, stop it now.”

But you and Josh were oblivious to her interruption. You got right up in his face, which was slowly turning red to match your own.

“You’re the one that just had to sing louder even though the harmony is supposed to be obvious in that part of the song! But no! You just couldn’t let me have it!”

“Why the hell would I? The harmony should never be louder than the melody!”

“Well, that one is!”

Josh opened his mouth with an angry reply, but your argument was stopped dead in its tracks by a sharp, ear-splitting whistle. You both turned to find your instructor standing next to the piano with a small, metal whistle perched between her lips.

“Jesus,” Josh hissed, as you each placed hands over your ears. Michaels lowered the whistle and clasped her hands in front of her, looking unimpressed.

“When I ask you to be silent, you will listen respectfully. Is that clear?”

You and Josh glared at one another before nodding with matching frowns.

“Aren’t those made for dogs?” You raised an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Miss Michaels replied matter-of-factly. “But I find they work rather well for students, too.”

You and Josh could do nothing but stand there, looking indignant.

“Quarreling like children is not going to win you this grant,” Miss Michaels chastised.. You looked at the floor guiltily, unwilling to look at Josh. The heat radiating off him spoke for itself.

“We’ve already determined your voices are more than compatible. But the two of you need to learn to complement each other and recognize each other’s strengths,” Michaels continued, walking up to you. “...instead of constantly competing. Because that will get you nowhere. Is that clear?”

You and Josh made similar disgruntled noises of admission. Miss Michaels reached for the whistle in her pocket, pulling enthusiastic “Yes ma’am”s from both of you.

“We’ll meet again Monday,” she declared, turning back to the piano. “Take this weekend to... gather yourselves,” she instructed, frowning at you both over her glasses.

“And next week, you will both receive lessons on power balance and control issues.”

With that, she was off. You stood there, mouth open. Josh folded his arms and sighed. When you looked up at him, he looked like he wanted to say something. But you didn’t give him the chance. You turned on your heel and left, fighting tears of frustration.

This was a massive mistake.

…

Upon leaving the rehearsal, you had called Emily to vent. She listened patiently as you ranted about the day’s events. When you were done yelling into the receiver at no one in particular, she gave you a half-hearted encouragement. But the best thing she could offer was to get you drunk, which you readily accepted.

So the following evening, you put on your tightest skirt, paired with a flowy blouse that you left unbuttoned a little further than it should have been. Emily and your other friends whistled at you when you got in their car, which made you blush. But you were secretly proud of yourself.

It was a glee that left you the moment you walked into the house party to see Josh laughing with a bunch of his friends in the living room.

Emily noticed you glaring, and followed your gaze to the opponent on the couch.

“Oh, shit. I’m sorry, dude, I didn’t know Matt invited him.”

“It’s fine,” you replied, shrugging. “Let’s just drink, okay?”

“Fine by me.” Emily grinned. She led you to the kitchen, where a makeshift bar had been set up. Every surface was covered in plastic cups, mixers, and various bottles of alcohol. You elected to mix some Fresca with the first kind of vodka you could find, handing a cup to Emily before making one for yourself.

You managed to dance for about an hour without event, effectively ignoring the presence of Josh and his brothers. But after several drinks, Emily’s wild side had come out to play. She ended up wrapped around one of Matt’s friends on the armchair, leaving you to your own devices.

...

You were sitting on the landing of the staircase, looking out over the party and mourning the emptiness of your cup. You were zoned out enough to not realize that Josh was approaching until he was right in front of you.

“Hey,” he greeted, looking a bit nervous. You felt a small sting of sympathy, which wrestled with the pang of annoyance that came at the sight of his face.

“Hi.”

“My brothers are completely wasted, whereas I am only a little wasted,” he explained. “Do you mind if I join you?”

You answered with a nod, and fidgeted with the hem of your skirt as he sat down next to you. It was a narrow staircase, and the sides of your knees brushed. You ignored it, and chose to continue people watching.

“I’m sorry about yesterday,” he began. You looked at him sideways, a little surprised. Was he actually trying to be nice? What happened to the asshole you were used to dealing with?

“I just figured I’d take the lead since you missed your cue,” he added, causing you to roll your eyes.

There he is.

“I wouldn’t have missed my cue if I didn’t have to be staring at your stupid face,” you snapped. Josh gave you a smirk, that goddamned smirk.

“Staring at my face a lot, mama?”

Previously, you would have been flustered at the unwanted pet name. But the vodka in your bloodstream willed you to face him directly with eyebrows raised.

“No. But you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

Josh scoffed, shaking his head.

“Please,” you continued, feeling braver. “As if I didn’t notice you staring my ass during my solo. Is that why you forgot the lyrics in that line?”

Josh was silent, and you felt a wave of triumph. You had gotten him.

“That’s what I thought.”

You moved to stand up, but Josh spoke up.

“You watch me, too.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve seen you staring at me, too,” Josh reiterated, looking at you with his chin lifted. You shrunk into yourself a little, turning red in the face.

“Well, yeah, you… have a… commanding presence,” you offered, struggling to find words that you wouldn’t regret.

“Oh, yeah?” He looked smug, and you wanted to punch him. So you stood your ground.

“Yeah.”

“Is it really so hard for you to admit you’re into me?”

The fucking nerve of him. You were speechless. When you scoffed and rolled your eyes, he spoke again.

“Fine, I’ll go first. I think you’re an incredible singer, and you’re insanely attractive.”

Wait, what?

You had to look at him, unsure if he was playing a cruel prank. But there was no lie behind the brown of his eyes. The tiniest bit of heat rose to your cheeks, and you couldn’t tell if it was the alcohol or something else.

“You’re attractive, too,” you admitted. Josh almost smiled. You should have left it there, but the vodka wasn’t done with you yet. The words were out of your mouth before your brain had vetted them.

“If you weren’t such an asshole.”

Josh’s almost-smile fell into a frown. His annoyance, you could handle. What was worse...he looked hurt. And it was your fault.

“Thanks,” he replied darkly, before getting up and walking downstairs. Leaving you alone on the landing to contemplate your mistake. You couldn’t help but be a little angry at yourself.

Monday rehearsal was going to suck.

End note: AHHH What did y’all think?? Please reblog with your opinions or comment below! What do you think will happen in Chapter 4?

Taglist: @kissthesun-fightthefire, @lover--leaver, @myownparadise96, @satans-helper, @songbirdkisses, @bluewillowmom, @sweetkiszkadreams,  @mountainofthesunn, @turntonightfirelight

[fire-toolz]

Infinity and “I”: An interview with Fire-Toolz

Sometimes you encounter music that opens your ears to new possibilities in such a way that your subconscious burns the moment of impact into your memory. For me, the most potent of these include an early adolescent exposure to the cyclic, minimalist bliss of Miles Davis’ In a Silent Way as in-between-set music at a neighborhood basement show, doubling over laughing with my sister on our drive to school at the vocal-sourced percussion of Björk’s “Where is the Line?”, and having my 19-year-old shit permanently rocked amid my (still) daily breakfast of eggs and oatmeal by the opening few tracks of Fire-Toolz’ Drip Mental.

At least to my ears at that time, the breakneck transitions between Mego-style avant-pop glitches, digitized metal skree, snapshots of vapor memories and scream-led dance pop offered up a vision of shape-shifting music that felt wholly new, almost sacred in its profane blend of styles and sound. “To me, that constantly shifting atmosphere and mood is the ebb and flow you perceive,” says Angel Marcloid, the face behind the Fire-Toolz moniker. “Lots of waves and conditions to pass through, but they all make sense to me … Ideas flow out of me with absolutely no effort made, my body records as many of them as it can and the song gets built in little bits at a time.” The idea of musical “sense” might seem at-odds with the free-wheeling, genre-agnostic sounds of a Fire-Toolz album, but sustained exposure breeds familiarity: By the time I rolled around to my third or fourth listen through Drip Mental, the chaos began to cohere into a logical world of its own.

If my ears grown more accustomed to the utter uniqueness of Marcloid’s art, so too does it seem that “Fire-Toolz” is becoming a musical language of its own. Every new release brings the euphoria of Marcloid’s music toward higher and more mind-bending plans, and nowhere is this more true than on Rainbow Bridge, Marcloid’s new album for Hausu Mountain. The music is distinctly Marcloid, taking the same hallmarks I found on Drip Mental and refining them into sharp gems. A monophonic hymn drives “⌈Mego⌉ ≜ Maitrī,” making for one of the most patient and profound Fire-Toolz composition to date. At the other end, “Rainbow ∞ Bridge” hurls in with synthesized black metal fervor before it combusts into a grooving, tuneful section of electronics. A soaring electronic guitar solo dominates the middle third, and the track eventually loops around on itself into the ear-splitting pulses and crashes of the opening. “It’s less stitching sounds together, and more like inventing gigantic puzzles made of both large and tiny pieces dancing around and overlapping each other, interacting with each other,” Marcloid says of this segmented composition process.

A standout sonic quality of Fire-Toolz’ music—on Rainbow Bridge and all its older siblings—is its embrace of the sounds, chord structures of new age, jazz fusion, prog and a host of other styles based around extreme musicianship, and exacting production. Born in 1984, Marcloid finds that many of these sounds are inseparable from the nostalgia of her childhood. “I wasn’t raised on jazz or electro-pop or adult contemporary or electronic music, but in the distance, there it all was—in waiting rooms, in the background of movies, at the mall, in TV shows, in educational films, in video games, in my friends’ parents’ vans,” she says. These musical encounters all share a sense of accidents. From muzak to soundtracks to chance encounters, Marcloid never supposed to take this stuff in.


Though that’s precisely the path she took, and Fire-Toolz takes a magnifying glass to these background sounds and exposes their inherent beauty and strangeness. “Because of the internet, and having the privilege of being able to access those sounds and use them creatively, I am living out my second childhood in a heartfelt, authentic way,” she says. This “second childhood” is an apt analogy for the giddiness that Fire-Toolz music exudes. These sounds and harmonies are familiar—some would argue overused and tired—but Marcloid approaches them with a renewed sense of optimism. At their core, these styles hunt for religious ecstasy and otherworldly piece, cosmic qualities that Marcloid’s art exudes with boundless glee.

These ideals of grandiosity that run rampant through Marcloid’s music also appear in the conceptual and philisophical framework surrounding the Fire-Toolz project. The track titles alone convey this sense of out-of-body msyticism. Through a combination of between cheeky, internet-based puns, dense transcendental philosophy and creative linguistic construction through the use of atypical spellings, punctuation and word structuring, Marcloid constructs a verbal world inside which her singular music lives. “Infinity and wholeness is a constant theme, but it is by default. It is a framework from which I operate,” she says. “I’m on a journey; steadily growing every day, until my body no longer works. I’m not even saying I’m getting better and better, but I’m always changing. I’m constantly falling, and there is no ground.”

Stand out examples of these constructions from the past include the warm, nostalgic hum of Skinless X-1‘s “In The Computer Room @ Dusk ☕” or the scattered sonic metamorphosis of “Fluids Come Together & The ‘I Am’ Appears.” On Rainbow Bridge, one of the most stunning realizations comes on “dEcRePiT φ PhOeNiX,” a track which Marcloid says  “is a direct reference to myself and evolution. A decrepit phoenix is kind of how I see my body-mind and personality. Always escaping from the ashes, sore and tired … But, a phoenix nonetheless.” With its wobbling chromatic synthesizer melodies and arena-ready drum slaps, the music presents a colorful foundation atop which Marcloid’s screamed vocals delve head first into this beautiful crisis of change: “Melted and melded and molding crashes / Illusion of self reduced to ashes,” she sings, highlighting the twin agents of destruction and rebirth that accompany any process of change.

While these ideas might traverse the breadth of Fire-Toolz’ discography, the new album places the themes in a more specific context. “For Rainbow Bridge, I felt like I had an enormous amount I needed to say and express; so many questions to ask, and expressions of energy I needed to release. I just make music with that in mind,” says Marcloid. Specifically, “the title references the pathway that our pets take when they leave us. My cat Breakfast, who passed away in December of 2018, is the talking point of the album. A lot of it is about her, or speaking to her.” Breakfast also appears on the album (as she has on a number of previous Fire-Toolz releases), creating a sort of living/lasting artistic tribute to the lost friend. In this light, the epic constructions feel even more special, as if the explosions of colorful sounds on Rainbow Bridge are paeans to Breakfast. The songs build towers that stretch toward the bridge in search of communication.


“Fire-Toolz has always been sincere,” Marcloid says. “Melodramatically sincere.” It’s this sincerity that’s kept me coming back time and time again after that fateful February morning encounter. Especially at its most bombastic and indulgent (see: the sing-along chorus of Rainbow Bridge‘s “It’s Now Safe to Turn Off Your Computer,” the neon, fusion-drenched guitar outro “Clear Light” off 2019’s Field Whispers (Into the Crystal Palace)), Marcloid’s music teethes with a sense of purpose and meaning. What might illicit chuckles of disbelief upon first encounter transforms into a beautiful sonic odyssey that offers more intruige and magic over time.

Like each and every Fire-Toolz album, Rainbow Bridge is a mind-bending excursion that blows up music into a cosmic, surreal land, and it’s only the tip of the iceberg: In the last year or so alone, Marcloid has put out equally incredible music through her Mindspring Memories, Angelwings Marmalade, Nonlocal Forecast and Path to Lobster Believers projects, as well as a number of mastering jobs (some personal favorites include The Car? and w i n t e r q u i l t 愛が止ま). A number of these projects (including Fire-Toolz) have future releases already in progress, and there’s a high chance I’ve even left of a name or two in this list. If this seems like this stretches the limits of what one entity can perform and produce, Marcloid suggests that there’s other energy at play: “Something tells me it’s not me doing it. ‘Me’ in the individuated sense,” she says. “It feels more like something I am a part of is doing it through me.” What form this ancillary force might take is unbeknownst to anyone save Marcloid, but let’s hope their fruitful collaborations continue for years into the future. We’ll always need more rapturous shock; we’ll always need more Fire-Toolz, ad infinitum.

-Audrey Lockie/Slug Mag

https://www.slugmag.com/music/interviews/music-interviews/infinity-and-i-an-interview-with-fire-toolz/

[ducktracy]

65. we’re in the money (1933)

release date: august 26th, 1933

series: merrie melodies

director: rudolf ising

starring: n/a

the final merrie melody and final cartoon by harman and ising at warner bros! i’ve mentioned it before, but they left because of budget disputes with leon schlesinger, who was notoriously cheap and the reason why looney tunes shirts didn’t go into color until 1942. they headed to van beuren studios and produced a few “cubby bear” cartoons, but contract issues rose and they left for mgm. they kept their cartoons and released them in the 40s. they also brought bosko with them over to mgm and made a few cartoons as a part of the “happy harmonies” series, but were let go in 1937 after running over budget. the two would separate in 1942 when rudolf ising went into the military, but reunited in 1951 and kept making cartoons up to the 60s. anyway, not much to describe plot wise here—a bunch of toys come to life at night and sing “we’re in the money”.

it’s night, and the department store is barren as we watch an old man lock up shop and shuffle around. man, i’d been watching miracle on 34th street and wayched a twilight zone episode with my mom about a department store, i wish they were still a thing, especially like how they were in back in this time!

this is a great setup, very moody and immersive as we get an inside view of the toys. it’s like we’re one of them, waiting for the watchman to leave. he eventually does, and a toy soldier shouts “WHOOPEE!” with glee as he darts away, climbing up some toy blocks and sliding down a violin, urging the others to join him.

overjoyed at their brief session of freedom for the night, the toys waste no time in following. a little bead toy repeatedly jumps on a bulb connected to a toy dog, making the dog bark with each jump.

in an unspoken cue, all of the toys assemble around various musical instruments. here comes the song portion! sure enough, they launch into an instrumental version of “we’re in the money” while the toy soldier conducts them. gags featured are a clown playing the keys of an accordion while two dolls push and pull and a toy soldier using an air pump to blow into a trombone while the other soldier slides it.

a doll sings “we’re in the money” in a gratingly high voice—i think i’ll just listen to the one from gold diggers of 33, no offense, dolly! there is a funny gag where she sings into a tuba, a deep, rolling bass substituting her falsetto.

all the clothes begin to dance: mannequins, hats, shoes playing jump rope with shoe strings... the toy soldier conductor jumps on the cash register and opens it up, and a few coins sing “we are the money”. gloves and clothes alike applaud the performance.

elsewhere, a little doll gets herself all dolled up (sorry) with some jewelry. she puffs out her chest and places a hat on her head, sauntering over to a mannequin. she croons “hello there, dark ‘n handsome. why don’t you come up sometime?” the mannequins applaud her mae west impression while another bead man toy plays “we’re in the money” on the xylophone.

the charlie chaplin esque mannequin from a great big bunch of you makes another appearance as he dances to the music and wheels down the stairs. love the animation! again, stair scenes always have my respect. he leaps off of an armchair and wheels himself over to a three way mirror, where he and his reflective counterparts give a lovely barbershop-esque rendition of “we’re in the money”. there’s a segment where pajamas dance along to the music and tap their butt flaps against hat boxes to the beat of the movement.

after more wheeling around and dancing, the mannequin makes his way over to a piano, or two, or five, or ten. he slides past an array of pianos, playing them all perfectly (only pausing to use a few hat mannequins as drums, including caricatures of laurel and hardy). he snags a trombone and plays a brassy, fun solo while the remaining mannequins around him give one last chorus.

caught up in the spectacle, the mannequin crashes right into a shelf full of hat boxes. he pops his head up from the sea of cardboard, giving a few last wimpy, tired notes on the trombone as we iris out.

well, that’s that for harman and ising! i think it’s very fitting that their last cartoon at wb is about money, especially since they left over budget disputes. it’s like a last goodbye—see ya! we’re off to bigger and better things! this was a very fun merrie melody. not much plot whatsoever, but it was very upbeat, happy, and energetic. the gags didn’t really stand out to me, they just felt more... present than anything. it’s obvious the focus was on the music. even after all these years of great cartoons, you don’t know what you’re doin! is still my favorite merrie melody, and possibly my favorite cartoon in the harman and ising period! i really like young and healthy, too. it gets stuck in my head constantly. overall, this cartoon isn’t the cartoon to end all cartoons, there are certainly funnier and more intriguing cartoons made by harman and ising, but it’s far from the worst. i think it serves well as a good farewell. i’d recommend it, just because it’s happy to watch and listen to!

link!

my next review will be a biggie: the day warner bros turned on its axis, and why a little buddy of ours is responsible for bugs bunny, daffy duck, porky pig, you name it.

[klaineship2]

TDB  Rewatch  Episode 6x06 What The World Needs Now

“You could be Peter Pan in, like, a retirement home production sort of way. I know a guy.”

This is probably the most old school music episode Glee has ever done. There are 8 songs and most of them are quite nice but mostly boring. The funny thing is that the name, Burt Bacharach, didn’t ring a bell, but I knew most of the songs, anyway.

After last week’s emotional roller coaster ride in an elevator, Kurt and Blaine’s story is put on hold to make room for Brittana and the ‘Rachel Berry Rebuilding Project’: Of course someone has to bring Rachel back on track because she is the most talented person in the world and it would be a crime if she didn’t sing on Broadway- yada yada....  I am tired of the ‘Rachel belongs on Broadway’ tune. At least this time it isn’t Kurt who has to do all the pep talk, because Mercedes has taken over his job. All Kurt has got to do is showing his support by standing in the background, looking gorgeous and singing some harmonies. But why do Mercedes/Rachel still diminish his part of coaching the glee club? Haven’t they already realized a few weeks ago that they are better when working as a team and that Kurt is at least as good and important as Rachel?!?

Crazy Glee goes into round three and now it’s about Brittany’s parents. They seem to be very loving and supportive but I can’t help but cringe everytime they are on screen. But Brittany and Santana have some very sweet moments and I feel for Santana. I am 100 % with Brittany when she tells Santana’s abuela off.

My favorite performances are Wishin’ and Hoping (that might have to do with 2 adorable angels on swings) It’s the last time Artie’s out of his wheelchair and it’s a shame that he doesn’t get a chance to show off his amazing dancing skills for one last time. But why does he look so awkward in that white suit? Is it due to the cut of the pants and jacket? Or is it because of the angel wings? He looks weirdly stocky (? the German word is ‘untersetzt’) which he really isn’t.

and What the World Needs Now because there is this sweet Klaine moment at the end, when Kurt opens the door for Blaine and they finally share a free and easy hug for the first time in this season - without the awkwardnes there has been before.

Kurt-Blaine Things:

“If the Olympics had a gossip event, Kurt Hummel would be Mark Spitz.”

Kurt wears a pretty brooch and I like his turtleneck wool sweater.

Other Things:

There seems to be some disagreement among Sam’s hairstylists. He has three different hair styles during the first 5 minutes and it changes with every scene.

Queso por Dos!

“Family’s like fuuudge. Mostly sweet with a couple of nuts.”

“Family are the people who embrace you with open arms, no matter what.”

@todaydreambelievers​

[lilyvandersteen]

How was the concert? I wann hear everything! :)

Long story short: it was AMAZING!!

Putting the rest of this under a read more, because I have a lot of gushing to do, and it will get looooooooooooooooong.

I got to spend most of my two days in London with @perfectanomaly, who is a perfect darling. Thank you, sweetie, for making me feel welcome from the moment I arrived, for making my nerves just melt away, for gently guiding me in the right direction any time I veered off (Yep, I have no sense of direction. At all.) and for the wonderful chats we had. I had a lovely time in London, and that’s in large part due to you. Safe travels home, honey, and I hope to see you again soon!

We met up with another Gleek, @misssnowfoxx, shortly before the doors were to open, and she was dressed as a very cute female Blaine - blazer, bow tie necklace and all. Just gorgeous!

Then, when I was queuing, I met @fionaroleplays and @sarkyblueeyes, both of whom were lovely, and talked to me about their past experiences seeing Darren perform. When we entered the building, I lost sight of them in the crowd, though - sorry for not saying goodbye!

In the concert hall itself, I got to meet @klaineunite, who was very sweet, and introduced me to two other Flemish girls who were sitting with her, and we chatted a bit about Lea because those girls were BIG Lea fans.

The thing is, @klaineunite and I both live in THE SAME CITY. And yet we have never met until yesterday, in London. Isn’t that crazy? Glee definitely brings people together, and I’m so thankful that it does :-)

But, anyway, you want to hear about the concert. Of course. Yes. Getting to that. *Happy sigh* Not over it yet. So not over it yet. I’m still just floating on air and pinching myself to check I’m not dreaming. Wow, that was a wonderful experience. Hands down one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to.

First thing I want to say is that because it’s Lea & Darren together, you’re definitely getting value for your money. It’s like two concerts in one, and that’s not counting the opening act, I believe his name was Tom Spade, who sang with a girl called Delia, and their songs were lovely, so that was a nice extra surprise.

So, as I was saying, the concert ran really long. Lea and Darren sang for over two hours, and their energy never flagged, not even for a minute.

Both of them have such a galvanising presence. They had the crowd in the palm of their hand from the first moment to the last. There may have been people there that just came along with their daughters or girlfriends, but by the end of the evening, they were clapping and singing along just as enthusiastically as the actual fans. That’s how magnetic Lea and Darren are.

They started off by singing Broadway Baby, acting it out like they did on Glee, and really hamming it up. You could see so clearly that they were enjoying themselves, those dorks :-)

Then they did Suddenly Seymour. Of course Darren couldn’t recall what episode they sang this in on Glee, and of course Lea remembered PERFECTLY. Down to the outfit! She described the pink top and the skirt she’d been wearing that day on the Glee set, and Darren said, “Huh, was I wearing that?”, which of course cracked everyone up. I’m sure Blaine could pull it off, though :-)

The third song they did together was Falling Slowly and oh, that gave me chills, it was SO GOOD. Their harmonies are so beautiful on that song.

After those three duets, Darren started yawning and said he needed a nap (Ha! I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually DID take a nap!), so then it was just Lea left. And she chatted with us like we were friends, telling us what was in all the cups and glasses and paraphernalia that were on the piano just for her. No alcohol, though she confessed that after the show, she’d have a drink to unwind a little. No, it was tea and cranberry juice and water and a throat spray, if I remember correctly, which she said she all needed for as long a set as theirs runs. I believe her wholeheartedly. It’s a wonder they can keep singing like that night after night - they certainly don’t hold back. They give it their all.

She sang Cannonball first, and oh, she DID sound like a cannonball. Her voice is so powerful. She got the crowd to join in, too, which I loved.

Then she sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and the backdrop on the stage actually turned into the colours of the rainbow for that song - it was so pretty. And of course she nailed the song. She said she’d always loved it, but she’d never sung it in public before, so she’d practiced it so she could sing it in London. Just lovely.

And then we got another confession from her: that she was a huge Gleek, just like us. That got a big cheer, of course!

She asked us what our favourite Glee songs were, and she sang a few snippets - I remember a stanza from Poker Face and then a bigger part of Don’t Stop Believing, getting us all to sing along, and of course we did so with gusto!! Yeah, that was a goosebumps moment. And you saw her beaming at the response from the crowd and being so pleased that we were so in the moment with her and singing along. Wonderful.

That segued into Lea singing Don’t Rain On My Parade, and KILLING IT!! Oh, she really went to town on that song, and we rewarded her for that with a standing ovation, which was more than deserved.

Then she told us about being a huge Lady Gaga fan, and how she was sad she didn’t get to sing Edge of Glory on Glee, because it was one of her go-to songs to sing in the shower, etc. And she told a story about her strong connection with her grandfather, and apparently Lady Gaga had written this story for HER grandfather. I didn’t catch everything, but it was a beautiful moment.And then she sang Edge of Glory, and you could tell that it meant a lot to her, that song. So emotional.

As was the next one she sang, Glitter In The Air. Apparently, that’s one out of only THREE songs that Lea got to choose for herself to sing on Glee (the others were Make You Feel My Love and This Time). And she recalled seeing Pink perform this song live at the Grammys hanging in the air from just a piece of cloth, and she remembers thinking, ‘If Pink can do that, I can do anything I put my mind to’. Lea’s performance of this song was just as intimate and goosebump-inducing as it was on Glee, and I just LOVED it.

After that, she sang Run To You, and I squealed excitedly, because those were back to back the two songs I’d really hoped she’d sing, so I was thrilled. I know she can belt like the best of them, but where Lea really touches me is when she makes her voice soft and vulnerable and crystal clear, every note just hitting the right spot, and conveying so much emotion that it fills you to the brim.

The last song she sang on her own was a Christmas song, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.

After that, Darren came back on stage to loud cheering, and they sang another song of hers, Getaway Car, together. Again, their harmonies give me chills. They sound awesome together.

When the Getaway Car duet was done, Lea left the stage to Darren for a well-deserved break, and Darren sang Cough Syrup. Never one of my favourite Glee songs, because of the whole suicide scene playing out while Blaine was singing it - *cringe*. But hearing it now without any of those marring elements, only Darren on stage singing his heart out, redeemed the song for me. Thank you for that, Darren! Now I have better images attached to that song :-)

And then Darren asked us if we knew the song before we heard it on Glee. I didn’t, and many others shook their heads as well, but Darren said he’d always loved the band Young the Giant, way before he got to sing their song on Glee. Which led him to enthuse about how wonderful it was that Glee mixed up all sorts of music genres, and led him to become more proficient at singing musical songs, for instance, and how he loved that aspect of being part of Glee, and how it had shaped his musical career. “Look at this concert! Where else would you hear a rock song and then straight after a song from a musical?”

That segued into Darren singing Hopelessly Devoted To You. And devoted he was. Oh, he sang that song beautifully on Glee, but during the concert, it was even more heartfelt, more raw. He dug deep, and at times, it felt like intruding on a personal moment. It made tears well up in my eyes.

After that, he sang most of the songs from his Homework EP. Again, I was THRILLED, ‘cause I love those.

It was just Darren and his guitar for both Going Nowhere and I Dreamed A Dream, and during most of that, you could here a pin drop. Everyone was so in the moment, and Darren’s voice is SO beautiful on both of those songs, which have gorgeous melodies and lyrics that really speak to you. Yes, that was definitely one of the highlights of the concert for me. I’ve listened to those songs on repeat for I don’t know how many times, but hearing them live is so much better still.

Foolish Thing was on the piano, and a lot more vigorous than the softer songs that came before, and many people sang along. The crowd was so responsive, I loved that.

Then Darren told the story of how he’d written Not Alone while he was in Italy, and wanting to write a big ballad, and he mentioned that he’d used it for AVPM, which of course got a LOUD cheer from the Starkid fans, and he sang a snippet from Going Back To Hogwarts, and we sang along, that was fun.

And then he sang Not Alone, and oh, SO INCREDIBLE. You could tell that the song meant a lot to him. Again, he poured just everything into it, and it was an outstanding moment, with the audience singing with him and just feeling the vibe. Goosebumps. Truly.

But he topped that with the song that came after, which was Teenage Dream. He asked us not to sing along, and during the quiet part, we didn’t, but as soon as Darren started belting, there were people singing along anyway. I’m sorry about that, but luckily, it didn’t get to Darren, who really gave his all on this song, and it was so stupendous that we ended up giving him a standing ovation. For TD and everything that came before. Seriously, the guy is pure magic and had us all under his spell. So SO deserved, that standing O.

Then Lea came on again, and they did This Time, reminiscing about Glee again, dedicating the song to us fans, and then harmonising so beautifully that I got tears in my eyes again. I’m getting emotional again just writing about it.

The last song before the encore was Don’t You Want me, and they were so full of energy as if it was their very first, getting us to stand up and sing and dance along, which we did enthusiastically.

And then the encore was Make you feel my love. Without microphones, just their voices. An amazing moment, that made us feel so connected and so moved. It was only marred by an idiot shouting something somewhere halfway through.

That was the end, and then I went to my hotel with @klaineunite who was staying there too, and I was still half in a trance. It was so superb that I’ll be reliving it for days and weeks on end. What a wonderful experience. Truly spectacular, and my admiration for the both of them has grown exponentially. Lea and Darren are amazing, and deserve all the praise.

[topweeklyupdate]

TØP Weekly Update #62: They’re *Really* Back (9/14/18)

We knew going into this week that there was a real storm coming, and that was an understatement. Though the complete Trench album is still waiting to be released, it really feels like the band is back more than ever. 

This update is a novel-sized doozy. Grab your new merch, and let’s dive into it.

This Week’s TØPics:

A Complete Diversion in London Brings Trench (and a Flaming Car) to the Stage

The Boys Speak to the Press: Rock Sound and Alt Press Announce Special TØP Issues, and the Boys Hop Back Onto Radio

First Details Emerge About “Neon Gravestones”, “Pet Cheetah”, Clancy, Nico, and More As the Press Hear the Album for the First Time

Major News and Announcements:

The big one finally hit: after over a year, Twenty One Pilots returned to their home on the stage. They started making flex moves before the show even started. They arrived in London two days in advance, rehearsing and playing soundchecks into the night that die-hard campers could hear from outside the venue. They arranged for folks in Bandito uniforms to dispense 150 tickets to those that showed up at the box office.  The venue delivered food to the queue, and the Clique in turn donated their blankets and duvets to a local soup kitchen. Pretty darn sweet.

The real event was even sweeter. 

Twenty One Pilots did not quite pull out all of the stops for their first performance in over a year. The set was just over an hour, did not debut any never-before-heard songs, did not include any special guests, and mainly stuck to the skeleton of the Blurryface Era setlist. And you know what? There was absolutely nothing wrong with that. If anything, Tyler and Josh keeping things focused on dusting off the old gears and introducing a few new elements for the Trench era resulted in a tight and emotional return for today’s greatest band. (Shout out to Ohio Clique for editing fifteen different Periscope and Instagram Live streams together to make a cohesive concert movie.)

Highlights of the show include:

There were no screens present in the smaller venue, but the production crew did make sure to bust out a ton of other great production elements, including tons of lights and, most notably, the car from the  “Heavydirtysoul” video that bursts into flames at key points during certain songs- including, at one point, when Tyler was standing on it.

The Clique brought the production value in the crowd, too: beyond all the folks dressed up as Banditos and Bishops, you also had plenty of people bring in yellow screens for their flashlights and yellow flowers and petals to offer Tyler.

The setlist was pretty sensible, with the four new Trench singles plus all of the songs that you would have expected them to play at an old festival show (minus “Guns for Hands” and “Tear In My Heart”, no I’m not sweating, why?). It is interesting that “WDBWOTV” and “The Judge” were played, but I suspect that it was mainly to justify bringing out the ukulele for “Nico”; if there are more uke tracks on Trench, I would not be surprised to see one or both of these songs dip out of the regular rotation.

Tyler had to stop the show twice to help people out of the pit- it was that kind of show.

The show opened with Josh coming out on stage in full Bandito regalia, torch in hand, looking like a badass. After sitting down at the drums and playing a few simple sequences, a masked man with a bass guitar walked out on the stage, started playing “Jumpsuit”’s gnarly riff, and yelled for the crowd to “GET UP!” Awesome. Twenty One Pilots is back, mate.

Tyler stumbled over a few lyrics in “Jumpsuit” and “Levitate”, but he successfully played it off- only the most diehard fans would have caught that he wasn’t just pausing for breath or to hear the crowd.

Tyler actually yelled “Why’d you come, you know you should have stayed?” at the end of “Heathens”, and it sounded damn good. Hope it sticks for future shows.

Tyler’s “WDBWOTV” pre-speech was a pretty good inaugural address for the Trench Era. He let the rabid audience know that he had been watching them since before the concert (both literally and metaphorically), joked about needing to get back in “show shape”, and thanked London for being a home away from home for them. In gratitude for hosting them, Tyler even announced that they were adding a third arena show at Wembley and joked that Mark should tweet it or something (he did).

Prior to playing “Nico”, Tyler adorned a bright yellow jacket over his usual uke kimono; Josh helpfully banged the drums dramatically for every successful button.

Tyler and Josh did the handshake during “Nico”, because of course they did.

For “My Blood”, Tyler drew from the old playbook and attempted to direct the two halves of the audience to sing harmonies. It worked even better than it used to with “Doubt”, much to Tyler’s evident glee- his smile and little dance to everyone singing his new song back at him was probably the best moment of the whole show.

The Trees Speech was short and sweet, with Tyler promising that he’s written “pages and pages” of things he wants to say, but for now all he can say is that they’ll be coming back on the new tour with “things we’ve never seen before” and that the fans look so good.

#YellowConfettiConfirmed

In the last bit of major news: new merch (that Josh stitched himself, be nice) and a new yellow Trench vinyl that I’m sure won’t immediately sell out. Have fun spending your life savings, kids!

Other Shenanigans:

The band was active in other spaces this week, of course. After Zane Lowe broke open the floodgates last week, both Rock Sound and Alternative Press announced that they would release some exclusive Trench Era Content (tm). Rock Sound’s came in the form of a thirty-page mag featuring a lengthy 22-page feature comprised of the first interview the two bands gave together since before the hiatus, Tyler and Josh’s first full photoshoot in over a year, and tons of awesome posters and Clique art. It definitely is not available in any form on the Internet that I’m afraid to link to lest I get pegged for copyright and sent to jail. Highlights of this interview that I certainly haven’t read include:

Lots of typical Rock Sound purple prose, in which the writer goes off on more tangential metaphors than even Tyler Robert Joseph.

The reporter describes Tyler’s house as “quite stunning” (yeah, with that Blurryface money combined with Columbus real estate values, I should hope so).

Josh laughs at the memory of some of their old costumes. “Those suits were so hot,” he says, as if those heavy coats aren’t a billion degrees inside.

Tyler: “There’s something healthy about realizing that the world keeps turning. Sometimes it can feel like the whole world is revolving around you- I think we all selfishly get to that point. When you have those moments, when you stop and realize that even if you weren’t there those other people would be, it lifts a weight that can feel very heavy. It motivates you to want to come up with a reason why you’re here.”

Tyler says they cut out social media during the hiatus in part because “removing the ability to run straight to it was important. For me, writing music is the thing I want to run to when I feel compelled or inspired. Whether it’s frustration or anger or compassion, whatever it is that I wanted to express, I wanted it to live somewhere new. I didn’t want one drop of meaningful expression to live anywhere else.” Additionally, they did want to test whether the Clique would stick around, and even kinda hint that they wanted to shrink how crowded some of the rooms they entered were becoming.

We are assured, however, that the next “hiatus” will not be the exact same as this. Tyler: “Going away broke my heart. It hurt that we weren’t able to tell people why we had gone, but I’m an advocate of showing people what I’ve been working on rather than telling them how hard I’m working. [...] That said, though we don’t know what the timeframe will be or if we’ll take another break, the manner in which we left... we’ll never do that again.”

I’m just gonna leave this here: “He tells us also of the beautiful relationship he has with his wife, Jenna, and the role that she played in helping him unlock the words and the sounds that would form the basis of this new chapter; of the times he would hand her the phone while behind the wheel of his car to allow her to record anything from melodies to simple poems.” Yeah, will someone sweep up all the pieces of my heart that are just lying on the floor, that’d be great.

Tyler has long had the idea to tell a geographic story, much longer than since the end of the last cycle, and he didn’t always intend to tell it through music. “I feel like in our mind there are places we learn we shouldn’t go.”

Tyler says that there are lots of songs that he writes that never see the light of day because he has moved past the season he wrote them in by the time it comes to record them.

Rock Sound is positively glowing in its brief advance review of the album, saying it is undoubtedly the best project of 2018, “a labor of love”, “a varied, often spectacular collection” with some of the band’s all-time greatest moments. It will be even more sonically diverse than we’ve come to expect: “Morph” is described as “old-school R&B”, “The Hype” “anthemic indie-rock”, “Pet Cheetah” has “stomping beats and a fiery rap verse.” The highlight, though, is apparently “Neon Gravestones”, “a piano-laden spoken word masterpiece” with lyrical content that “will save at least one person’s life”. Damn.

Alt Press will also be releasing a 24-page cover feature on the band and were even nice enough to include a fun video ad from the boys. They’re so cute, and I’ve missed them so much. (Also, Tyler’s checkered pants are a quality meme.)

After the Complete Diversion, Tyler and Josh performed a mini-press tour. First, they gave five-minute interview with Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1 and an Instagram Stories AMA on the station’s account. Highlights of this quickie include:

Josh and Tyler joke that specifying the exact number of months they’ve been away sounds like a mother saying their kid is “14 months” instead of a year old.

Tyler notes that this was the first performance in a long time that they’ve felt truly nervous, as they could no longer rely on muscle memory to carry them through after the long break, particularly with the new songs.

Annie references her last interview with Josh, where he confessed to be nervous about whether the fans would return. When asked if the first show helped them overcome those nerves, Tyler replied honestly, “To an extent, yes.” They chuckle about it, but the implication remains thick: the dedicated fanbase certainly turned up, but there is no assurance that they’ll have long-term mainstream success in the future. They seem cool with that.

Tyler states that they chose London specifically to make their return because, besides Columbus, it’s the only city where they have played in every size of venue, from the Barfly club to the Ally Pally and everything in-between over the course of fifteen shows. That type of home atmosphere made it feel right to start the new era there.

Josh says they played a bowling alley in London once. He did not wear bowling shoes in the set nor when he bowled afterward, which, as Tyler points out, is very punk rock.

Tyler reflects on how this show represents years of preparation and practice teaching them how to “trim the fat” and master the tempo and flow of the concert to appear as confident as possible and bring the audience along for a well-planned journey.

“My Blood” is one of the most challenging songs for both artists to play, particularly Tyler, as he has to balance the difficult falsetto with keeping that bassline groovy and consistent.

The IG answers were mostly just the dudes trying and failing to answer basic questions like “Are you happy to be back?” and “What’s it like to be famous?” in as few words as possible without giggling, hugging, and tickling each other. Best Q/A: Why did they watch the Grammys in their underwear? “We didn’t have air-conditioning.”

South African DJ Rob Forbes from Radio 5FM also conducted a truly fascinating interview with the band, the first that dives into the lore and one that gives us even more of a glimpse into some of the future songs. Additionally, Mr. Forbes briefly posted the tracklist w/ time-codes, revealing that both “Chlorine” and “Bandito” go over five minutes- get hyped, kids. Highlights from this interview include:

When asked about Clancy, Tyler responds with a pregnant silence before asking how the the interviewer knew about him. DJ Forbes stutters an answer about having listened to the record, but Tyler replies that Clancy’s not on the record. All he does say about Clancy is “I’ve heard about him, and I know we’re from the same place.” What is up with your cryptic nonsense, Tyler Robert Joseph?

The band intentionally left the Trench Trilogy open-ended to be able to continue it in the future. Tyler did not mean to make the timeline confusing, but did note that its cyclical nature left it open for the Clique to pursue that interpretation.

Tyler is careful with choosing his words to describe Nico. He admits the whole thing is pretty confusing (his grandma asked him once, “What’s a Nico?”), but that was his intention: he wanted to give the Clique a lot to think about and discuss as a reward for waiting so long. He does seem to confirm that Nico is Blurryface, or at least an aspect of him that represents how much more familiar Tyler has become with the nature of his own insecurities as he writes about it.

Tyler denies that the final verse of “Neon Gravestones” has a specifically political bend and actually sounds a little offended that something so important to him could be cast in that light. No idea what that means, I need to hear this song.

The interviewer says that Tyler calls his “Pet Cheetah” “Jason Statham” within the song itself in a fun rap verse. Tyler laughs and says that came from an inside joke between him and Josh that he was excited to bring to life. I am SO confused, you have no idea.

Tyler says that they had plans at one point to come to South Africa for a show that fell through at the last second, but that they’re still interested in going at some point in the future.

Additionally, the music production interest site Mix did a small spotlight on the producers behind Trench. We already knew that Paul Meany was handling main production duty; Darrell Thorpe, whose credits include Radiohead, OutKast, Paul McCartney, and Foster the People, joined him as an engineer while the band captured the album’s drum tracks at United Recording Studios in LA, the only studio they used outside of the one in Tyler’s home. It’s always cool to see the dudes who bring the band’s music to life, but, to be honest, the best part of this short little article is Tyler’s dad socks in the photo.

Oh, and music video director Andrew Donoho told Billboard that he can’t spoil the album or Tyler will burn down his house. So... yeah, okay, moving on.

Chart Performance:

After its first full week of sales and streaming, “My Blood” secured a debut at #16 on the Billboard Bubbling Under chart ranking the songs that have yet to reach the Hot 100. The song gains at all metrics, and according to some industry sources like Headline Planet, it is receiving a concentrated marketing push to pop and adult contemporary markets that its predecessors have not. “Jumpsuit” continues to fade, but its run was respectable, and I remain optimistic about Trench’s commercial prospects going forward, especially in the midst of this hype wave.

Whew. That was a long run. Congrats to everyone who made it all the way to the end. We’re so close to Trench, you guys. Keep powering through. Stay alive. And power to the local dreamer.

|-/

[ourfavcanadianshawn]

No Feelings Allowed|S.M|Chapter Eight {maybe its time to just forget} Final Part

Last Chapter|Masterlist

A/n: I made this album cover edit for this part to give you guys a idea of how it would look hehe. So enjoy the last and final part of No Feelings Allowed. Thank you guys for all the support on this series. Love you all! Its sad that it has come to the end:(

word count: 2144

prompt: shawn and y/n have some unfinished business that they decide to…tend to

“Why do we keep playing this game like there are no feelings involved, when in the end that’s all there’s ever been?” { @i-see-you-mendes }

“Geoff, I need to.” Shawn brawled, his eyes narrowed at Geoff in disbelief, his breath became heavier. “I thought you would be rooting for me.”

Geoff exhaled harshly before turning off the sound board, “Shawn, we just finished this album. I just don’t think it’s best to also get a girlfriend right before the promotion tour then the world tour. You know any other time I would be right in your corner, cheering you on with my pom-pom’s but right now, work comes first…”

Shawn’s jaw clenched along with his knuckles in attempts to keep himself from lashing out on his friend.

“Geoff, I’m asking you this in the way of a friend not a damn co-worker,” Shawn sneered as he felt his muscles become more tense. “You will never get it, will you?”

“Shawn, I want you to focus on your music and be happy before you focus on love,” Geoff leaned onto the sound board and straightened his eyes at Shawn.

Shawn squared his shoulders and leaned down to Geoff.

“You don’t get to decide that! I get to! Me! I don’t even care if she doesn’t feels the same, I just need her to hear the songs…” Shawn bite, repeatedly jabbing Geoff in the chest with his fore finger. “I am stating that I have to do it, it wasn’t a question.”

Shawn growled, pushing off of Geoff and heading for the door.

“Why do you want to do this Shawn?”

Shawn stopped walking and spun on his heel, “because. Because I know if I don’t let her know or at least give her some kind of hint before I leave on another world tour for a year, I will lose her.”

“Maybe you won’t.”

“But what if I fucking do! Huh? I could not stand myself until I actually try, Geoff,” Shawn pleaded, his shoulders trembled with anticipation weighing them down.

“Okay, the party will be tomorrow night at your place…” Geoff nodded to Shawn.

“Thank you. I promise this won’t be a bad thing,” Shawn patted Geoff on the back with a rough hand.

“Hey, she is the reason we’re going on this tour right?”

Her lips were painted in a rich burgundy hue as her figure was hugged and decorated by a jet black dress that made Shawn feels like wax in the presence of it. A trap he could never escape.

It seemed time froze as they made eye contact, her eyes were cold and blazing with a uninterested emotion. A stare that could easily make them mistaken for strangers, two individuals that didn’t care to know and or learn the history of the other.

The hair on his arms became erect as she showed some courtesy by tossing a small uplift in her lips towards him, without making it seem too absurd.

Shawn delivered a raise in his cheeks to her, hoping to get a more prominent response out of her instead of a faint smile.

Her lips fell back into a straight line as she redirected her stare back to the floor, walking to Megan and Matt. She leaned against a unornamented pale white wall.

“Attention everyone!” Andrew, Shawn’s manager called out, “we want to welcome you all to Shawn’s fourth album release party! It took a while but it’s done and ready to be shared with you folks tonight. So in a couple of minutes we will start the listening, enjoy yourselves.”

Everyone clapped in harmony as Andrew finished his speech and went off to talk to Manny. Shawn turned his head back Y/n, but she had vanished from the wall.

Both of his caramel enriched eyes were converted into chambers of worry and distraught. The brown orbs scanned the apartment in desire of finding the one woman of his wishing.

A gentle sigh glided down from his parted lips when he saw her leaning on a brown granite counter with a glass of wine in her hand.

His chamber of worry turned to a meadow of glee and determination.

“Hey,” he begun as he leaned on the wall next to her, thinking very carefully before he spoke as if he was scared he may scare her away like a deer stuck in headlights.

She lowered her glass away from her lips and her eyes shifted to his gaze, “hey.” Her voice seemed pained as she forced a smile, making his determination began to ripple away.

“I didn’t think I would see you here…”

“Oh should I leave? Because I can…” She began to head for the door. Her heels clicked a couple times against the wood before being stopped by Shawn’s hand finding its way to her wrist.

“No! I want you to listen to the songs…please?”

“Why did you write more about me?” Her eyebrow raised at him. Her reply caused his determination to build once more. A devious smirk made its debut on its stage, his lips.

“I’ll let you be the judge of that.”

Her eyebrow stayed raised as she swirled her wine around the glass.

“Okay everyone, this is the last song on the album and also is going to be a single. Shawn how about you say a few words…” Geoff called up Shawn while pulling him in front of the huge crowd of people.

“Okay…uh hi everyone. So if you don’t know, I write songs on things I witness and real personal experiences,” Shawn averted his eyes to Y/n, who was next to Karen at the moment.

“Writing music to me is like writing a diary. Writing things you will always remember. Writing lyrics is like reliving your most loved and hated memories. To write songs, you need to have a muse…” His eyes stayed locked on Y/n’s as he smiled at her, “….I have had the same muse for the past four albums…because…because my muse will never stops giving me amazing moments. I appreciate my muse and so enjoy this song…this is called Games…”

A light rattle of a guitar started to burn through the speakers as a faint piano began to play.

“Heart tied in knot. Breaking apart. What can I say? You took my breath away?” Shawn’s voice rang through the speakers as delicate as a newborn baby being rocked.

“I’ve never been a romantic. I don’t even know what brought me to say it. How the hell did this happen, baby? You had to go and drive me crazy. They told me that this would be easy,” Shawn’s eyes stayed locked onto Y/n’s face, studying it to see any reaction to the chorus.

“It’s like mixing fire and ice. It’s somethin not right. Why are we playing this game like there are no feelings involved? When in the end that’s all there’s ever been? Darling, is this just a game? Cause I don’t want it to be just a game. Is it just game? Maybe somethin more? Win or lose? Baby, me and you? How’s it gonna grow? Or should I just go ahead. Go ahead. And let it go,” her eyes tracked over to him and he just smiled while averting his vision down to his shaking legs.

“Our friends don’t even believe us. The game is just a cover up they say. So what if it is? Let the games begin. Anything to keep it the same,” a stronger bass came in as Shawn’s voice became more raspy and prominent.

“I only did this to prove. I did not have feelings for you. But darling, I was only lying to myself. Maybe I just need some help,” Shawn wasn’t even listening and didn’t even notice the song was coming to a close.

“Honey I’m burning. I’m crashing. All bruised. How the hell can I say I love you? We’ve played it ear by ear. Baby I’ve known you all these years. And you have yet to show any signs. So maybe it is time. Maybe it’s time. To get up and get goin with my life.”

“Maybe this is a goodbye. Baby, is it just a game? Just a game. Do you feel the same. Feel the same. How am I supposed to talk when I want to. When all that will ever come out is I love you,” Y/n placed her focus on the ground as the chorus played again.

“Why are we playing this game like there are no feelings involved? When in the end that’s all there’s ever been? Opponents or friends?” Everyone began to smile as the song came to the end.

“Baby dive right in. Let me know. So I can go. Or let it grow. All these thoughts runnin through my head. Are we friends or more? Just stop. Darling, I’m ready to surrender. My love will be nothing but tender. Baby me and you. A friendship just like glue. Will it grow or should we just let it go?” The words surrender and friendship were nothing more than hints, and she seemed to get them. Her eyes were clouded with tears and that’s when she excused herself.

“I’m sorry, I need to go.”

“Wait Y/n!” His voice pained and panicked as he raced after her out the apartment. His eyes starting to become cloudy themselves and not wanting to lose hope.

“Two fucking days Ian. Two fucking days…I am leaving for tour tomorrow without her…” Shawn slammed his hands down onto his friends kitchen counter as he turned a fiery red. Every angry emotion he ever gained starting to combust and run through his veins.

“Shawn just calm down, she will turn up.” Ian  soothed, his hands finding Shawn’s shoulders to pat them gently.

“How do you know that? I poured my heart out into every song on that damn album. I feel so mad at myself. Pursuing to tell her, even more angry at myself for not running after her,” Shawn weeped, clutching his hair tips in his palms. “I will never write a song about getting the girl, will I?”

“Shawn–“ “I never will because I failed at getting her! I failed…and I will never even get to settle this dumb bet,” he grumbled.

“Maybe I should just forget about—“ “YOU WIN!” A harsh scream came from the other side of the room.

Both boys heads snapped up in the direction of the voice and found a young Y/n.

“You win Mendes. You win. I am so fucking in love you that it hurts. Your humor, your smile, your god damn eyes. It’s all like a fucking drug that I don’t want to get rid of..go ahead have whatever you want…call me when you’re done,” she screamed, yanking the cork off every emotional she had bottled up for Shawn.

“Wow…congrats man. You won the bet!” Ian hopped up, slapping Shawn’s back.

“What the fuck? Does everything you hear go in one ear and out the other Ian?”

“Maybe–where are you going?” Ian yelled as Shawn took off out the door of the cozy apartment.

“I’m going to do the most cliche thing of my life…” Shawn pointed to his friend and slammed the door, dashing to save his bleeding heart.

“Good luck.” Ian nodded.

“Y/n wait!” Shawn gripped onto her waist and spun her around.

“What?” Venom poured from her throat as her eyes narrowed up at him.

His eyes studied her face, every feature. Noticing how tense every muscle was and how alert she seemed.

The brown orbs of his looked over her head and looked out into the distance before chuckling.

“You want to be a asshole, eh? I don’t have time for–“ “Y/n, I figured out what I want…” Shawn gravitated his gaze back to her face.

“What could you have possibly wanted that fast—“ She felt something on her lips, something she missed. Something they both craved.

His hands caressed her hips as she crafted head. Both of their lips remedying the other from all the feelings they had built up and stowed away.

“I choose you,” he pulled away after a few seconds, watching her eyes open and become dilated. His cheeks became flustered as his heart rate sped up. “I will always choose you…I love you.”

“So we’re together now? ” She queried, holding onto his biceps. Her chest rose heavily, still trying to grasp oxogen in her lungs.

“Bet?” He sent her a smile as he beamed down at her. Her cheeks still a pink and his lungs breathing in heavily.

“Don’t you dare start that again,” she clapped her hand against his muscular chest as he clasped his hands onto her lower back.

“Oh love. What fun we’re gonna have being all boyfriend and girlfriend, eh?” Shawn whispered into her hair before kissing it gently.

“Just shut up,” she giggled, cuddling into her new beaus chest. She mimicked Shawn’s Canadian slang, staring up at him, “So much for no feelings allowed, eh?”

okay before we go, I just wanted to say thank you to a couple accounts for showing love for this series and helping me out:

@i-see-you-mendes @mendesau @artsymendes @rosesformercy @pinkanddepressed so thank you guys! Until the next series, P

[askguyslikeus]

((thank you to guest writer @actualbird !!!))

See the thing about Evangeline is that it's pretty much as old as Jeremy and Michael's entire friendship. Probably older, actually. Evangeline, of course, being the minifridge in their dorm that houses the Jeremy’s fantastic stock of Mountain Dew Red.

It was passed down into the Mell household from a distant relative before landing in Michael's basement for prime snacking purposes. There, high on sentimentality and weed, teen Jeremy and Michael named the fridge after roughly an hour of scrolling through baby names while Evie ("Holy shit," Jeremy remembers saying to the ceiling. "Evie can be its nickname. That's so cute. Evie.") kept watch in the corner.

They take Evie with them when they go to college ("Ohana means family," Michael had said. "And family means no fridge gets left behind.") and it's been smooth sailing ever since. Evie doubles as a bedside desk. Evie's fridge door is home to various post its, three weird magnets, and the loving “P1” sign. Evie's soft, steady hum rings out through their dorm without fail.

Well, without fail until a few weeks ago when Evie's hum sputters from a constant thrum to an erratic buzz. Jeremy didn't think it was a problem because Evie was still refrigerating and a good smack usually set the it back on track for a few hours, but when the smacking stopped working, he just gets used to the weird buzzing beat. At one point, Michael says he could probably make a sick song from the beats, but before he can help Michael record Evie, Evie makes a final, desperate, pathetic sounding thunk.

The next day, Evie is nothing more than a lukewarm cupboard filled with equally lukewarm soda.

Which is how they end up at a Target that weekend, staring down at the overwhelming magnitude of the kitchen appliances section. Jeremy, in the face of an entire aisle of minifridges, feels uneasy. Out of depth. Intimidated. Out of everything he's faced in his life, right now, slowly walking past fridges that look cooler than he is, this feels like war. Which it absolutely isn't but the connotations of buying a fridge seem monumental at the moment. This is a life milestone. Buying a fridge.

Jeremy says none of this. Instead, he looks at a fridge, turns to Michael, and very intelligently says, "Fridge."

"Fuck, man," Michael nods sagely, placing a hand on Jeremy's shoulder.  "They sure do."

They indulge in maybe three seconds of solemn eye contact before Michael breaks, his poker face splitting into a smile before turning into straight up cackles.

"Shut uuuup," Jeremy rolls his eyes, trying to shove Michael but he slings an arm around his shoulder, still snickering.

"Nah, dude. Do you have like, any other wise words to tell me?"

"Yeah, two. 'Fuck' and 'off'." Jeremy sticks his tongue out because he's like five, whatever. "Look at the fridges, dude. We have to pick a fridge."

"We have to pick a fridge," Michael repeats, but his words have a rhythm to it. Jeremy's seen this happen enough to know what'll happen next.  "We have to. Have to pick a fridge," Michael says, bobbing his head to the beat he's making. Michael can turn anything into a jingle. Jeremy once read him the ingredient list on a box of Nerds and he turned it into a theme song. Dextrose, sugar, malic aaaaaacid, corn, corn, corn syrup. It was awesome. It was catchy. It was stuck in Jeremy's head for days. "Gotta pick a fridge. A fridge. A fridge." Michael croons, turning his gaze to Jeremy. "Because we are---take it away, Jer."

"Uhhhh," Jeremy thinks, hoping real hard that he doesn't just say 'fridge' again. "Fffff--" he says. Fuck. Salvage the situation. "Fffffridgehunters. We are Fridgehunters."

"Oh, shit, that sounds rad.” Michael grins, high fiving Jeremy. “Fridgehunters. Hunting for a fridge.”

For the lack of anything better to do, Jeremy adds some harmony. “Hunting for a fridge,” he sings before realizing they do have something better to be doing. “Dude, we can’t be singing about hunting for a fridge if we aren’t even looking at the fridges.”

“Compelling point,” Michael says valiantly. “But consider that, for some reason, I feel really intimidated by all these fridges.”

“Oh, thank fuck. Me too.” Jeremy sighs in relief. “Inheriting fridges is one thing but like, getting one? Choosing one? We’re going to die here.”

“No. No we won’t,” Michael says, suddenly determined. He lets go of Jeremy and stomps to a nearby fridge. “Come on, Jeremy. Let’s fucking do this. For Evie.”

They both look at the fridge. Jeremy reads the, what, the fridge stats (?) printed on the little card on the door. “These sure are words.”

“Yep,” he pops the ‘p’ and offers nothing more. They’re going to die here.

Jeremy belatedly realizes this all is ridiculous, but this is never a surprise. He'd be more worried the day he and Michael sit down and do something sensible and serious. Jeremy says, "We should've brought somebody else with us. An adult."

"We are adults," Michael winces. Yeah, he knows. Terrifying concept.

"An adult-ier adult," Jeremy explains, before he backtracks and realizes that they know nobody who fits that criteria at all. "Or just anybody who'd be helpful. We should've brought Rich."

"That would be entertaining, but not helpful." Michael opens a nearby fridge for no apparent reason, seeing as he’s looking at Jeremy and not the fridge. "Though, he'd make a great backup singer for the Fridgehunters theme. Have you heard him beatbox?"

"I mean, I've heard him choke on milk, so close enough." Jeremy looks into the fridge. It's got some heavy compartment stuff going on in there. Advanced shit. Too advanced, so Jeremy closes the fridge.

"We could've brought PJ. She seems like she'd know how to...fridge."

"Wrong," Michael opens the fridge again. "You see what I'm doing here? The weird nervous opening and closing this fridge thing?"

"Yeah?"

"PJ would open every single fridge in this aisle. And she'd do it out of glee," he shuts the fridge for emphasis. "Face it, man. Nobody's got it together. Collectively, I figure we could like, Voltron our way into becoming a singular functional human, but individually?" Michael pulls open the fridge door with a flourish. "Nah."

Jeremy nods, until he feels a literal lightbulb go off in his head. "Jake."

"Oh, fuck. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely,” Michael takes Jeremy by the shoulders. “We should've brought Jake. God, we're idiots. Jake could buy a fridge. Jake looks like he could put together IKEA furniture correctly."

"He's been doing that thing with the Rubik's cube." Jeremy says, moving him and Michael to a different part of the aisle, one with simpler looking fridges, hopefully.

"What, solving it?"

"Yeah."

"Who the fuck actually solves it?"

"Jake. He caught me staring and explained, like, algorithms."

"Burn the witch." He hears Michael mutter as they walk. “Dude, is it just me or are these fridges like--”

“Needlessly complicated? Totally,” Jeremy says. Thankfully, it seems like the fridges are getting more and more reasonable. “Evie was a good, cold cube. Probably from eighties, but still straightforward.”

“No nonsense whatsoev---FUCK.” Michael yells directly in his ear.

“Agh, holy shit, what?” He whips his head to Michael. Michael who is pointing at a fridge like it committed a murder right in front of him, but when Jeremy sees it, he understand. “No way.”

“Yes way.” Michael smiles, walking over to open the fridge. “Jeremy,” he says. “Same fridge.”

“Same fridge,” he murmurs in disbelief, looking at a fridge that was pretty much exactly Evie sans the bit where he hopes it’ll work. What are the goddamn odds. “So like. Evangeline the second?”

“You read my mind, man,” Michael crouches down to look inside the fridge. “But uh. Evie the second who is also the P1 fridge. So P1 the second? Player one two? Twelve?”

Jeremy crouches down due to peer pressure caused by literally one person and shrugs, “Don’t make us do numbers, Michael.”

“Fair enough,” Michael nudges Jeremy and raises a fist. “The Fridgehunters have a fridge.”

He laughs, solemnly tapping his own to Michael’s before saying, “I mean, technically, we haven’t bought it yet.”

“You’re ruining the moment.”

“We probably need to go find somebody and---”

“The moment, Jeremiah.”

“Reality, Michaelmiah.”

They do end up finding an employee, or rather an employee finds Michael mid-tackle and they try to make themselves presentable in under three seconds, scrambling from the floor and standing up. Because they’re adults. Who are going to get this fridge right here.

We wanna get this fridge, Jeremy thinks. What Jeremy ends up saying to the employee, “Uh, fridge.”

To his left, he hears Michael do a terrible job at holding in laughter, and Jeremy jabs him in the side with his elbow.

Just another day in the life.

[spaceorphan18]

Finding Kurt Hummel: New Directions (5x13)

Masterpost

5x13: New Directions

Welcome to the series finale of Glee… wait, this isn’t?  Oh.  Well okay then.  ;) 

While this feels very much like a finale, and in a sense, it is an ending, in a way, to the main series, I’m glad it’s not.  Because Kurt’s story and Klaine story really isn’t finished - nor does it get any more acknowledgement (well more than the previous episode), so I’m glad this isn’t the final wrapping up of the story.  But it did make me think – I think one of the sadder things about the later seasons is the lack of real arc for Kurt as an individual character.  Klaine will get a couple of arcs, but Kurt’s story post-Swan Song is very episodic – having beats here and there, but not a whole lot about his life individually.  And while I love the Klaine stuff and love a lot of what we got, I am sad that there isn’t more to it. 

I think also, Kurt feels like he falls through the cracks a little bit in these couple of episodes.  The previous episode highlighted all of the old characters, except Kurt gets shuffled to the side lines cause he didn’t fit into the bigger narratives outside his own going on in season 1-3.  And then he doesn’t fit in this one as much either, this being about the seniors and the group as a whole.  There are a lot of great Kurt moments in this episode, but there’s no story – and as a fan, I am a little sad to see that.  But I do wonder if, part of that, is because Kurt’s story always kinda existed outside of what Glee originally intended to do.  

CHUMS

Ah - the set up for Tina’s delightful fantasy sequence.  Blaine and Kurt run in to say they have good news – to which Sam replies that they got married and adopted Russian twin babies.  Um, wtf Sam?!? – I love the expression on Kurt’s face.  Though, man, I think an eloping story line probably would have been more fun than what we got.  No – Blaine just got into NYADA.  And Kurt, and everyone else, is super excited for him.  I kinda like the idea that Blaine opened his letter with Kurt first, and then they told everyone else.  

Tina is excited that they’ll all be going to New York together.  Sam is even more excited and whacks her with a trophy, and then we get one of the best fantasy sequences since they body-swapped.  

Well, damn Tina.  I don’t even care what this says about your subconscious, I am here for this. ;) 

We’re now in sitcom land that stars Tina, and the cold open has her walking in on Kurt and Blaine making out on the bed – something that we’ve sadly never seen up to this point.  Thanks, Glee, for finally giving us that ;)  

I find it absolutely hilarious that Kurt covers himself up (even though he’s dressed) as if he’s demur or something – when in reality (based on 414 and 514) we know that if you interrupt Kurt’s sexy times, he’s more likely to cut a bitch than act scandalized.  Sitcom Tina acts as though it’s gross – but let’s be real – she’s probably as turned on as the rest of us.  

Also, as a random aside, I enjoy the number of bunkbeds that are now in this version of the loft.  

So – we get our opening title sequence of CHUMS – the blatant Friends knockoff that stars Tina as Rachel Green.  I mean, they even recreate the opening sequence of Friends and I love everything about this – I wish there had been more, I wish they had done the names of the entire cast there.  Man, I just want to revel in this.  

This is one of those split second images that they flash through – and I just had to include it because I thought it was hilarious.  Anyway – sitcom!Kurt is having a ton of fun.  I’m guessing that was a great day of filming on set.  I mean c’mon.  

This particular sitcom doesn’t really have any plot – other than twenty somethings living in New York.  Huh – just like the real Friends!!  It’s also complete with kinda lame jokes complete with laugh track: 

Rachel: I’m never coming out of here. Kurt: That’s what I said when I was a sophomore in high school **canned laughter**

I do, however, love the running gag of Sam forgetting his clothes. 

The scene shifts to the diner (which was always a Friends-esque rip off) where Rachel laments about spray tans, Tina wishes she had Mike back, and Mercedes, Brittany and Puck show up to join them because now everyone works at the diner!  And Sam still doesn’t have clothes.  Man, I wish the show had done more fantasy sequences – or even a fantasy episode.  It would have been a lot of fun. 

I Am Changing

Can we take a second and just really zero in on these pants?  I mean – these may be the tightest pants Kurt has ever worn, and that’s saying something because he got himself into those gold lame pants that showed pretty much everything.  

Anyway…  the point of this scene is essentially Mercedes and Kurt trying to show Rachel and Santana that they can put old differences behind them.  And they do so by bringing up something that happened way back in season 2… 

Earlier that day, Kurt and Mercedes were eating in the school cafeteria.  Dudes.  Why?  Y’all are adults now.  Don’t eat that crap.  Anyway – Mercedes gets tots and just like but not really anything like season 2, Kurt tells her the tots are the greatest idea – and Mercedes shuts him down.  I find this moment freakin’ hilarious – because not only does it totally miss the point of the original episode - The Substitute - but the exchange between the two of them just cracks me up.  It’s still a shame that Mercedes and Kurt just don’t have much post-season 1.  

Also hilariously is when Kurt is recounting the event – he gets all excited about it, and over exaggerates – stating that they were at each other’s throats! I mean, we don’t know how long this tots argument went on, but I think it’s safe to say that Kurt is being adorably hyperbolic.  

I also love that Mercedes says she’s glad no one was there to see it – only for Artie to say that he was right behind them, and then Kurt goes on about how it’s horrible to see people you love fighting, and Blaine looks totally confused for a second, like – hey are we fighting? Oh wait, no this is about Rachel and Santana.  

So, they sing I Am Changing as a way to demonstrate that while you may be going different places in life, you can still rely on those good friends you’ve always had.  It’s blatantly there to show Rachel and Santana – yes, the two of you can still be friends.  ;) But it’s also a nice sentiment for Kurt and Mercedes, who have changed a lot in the past three years – and yet, their friendship, while very much in the background, is still firmly intact.  

So. Um.  Here’s what I’m gonna say about this.  Amber kills this song – it’s from Dreamgirls, this is totally her wheelhouse, and we all know she’ll later slay in this musical.  Chris, um…well, I don’t think this is his best song.  It’s interesting that – over the course of the show, his voice has dropped a little, and while he can still do all the high resister, I don’t think it’s as natural as it once was, and feels like it’s sitting in that awkward break place between low and high, and idk guys, sorry, I think had they changed the key lower a little, it’d have been fine.  I will say that when it goes into being a duet, and Kurt takes the lower harmony, it works pretty well!  

And, overall, I’m sad that during the show, the two of them had only two duets – cause their voices mesh pretty nicely.  

So yeah…  I’ll mention that during the song, Rachel looks sad and pensive cause she knows what they’re doing, but Santana looks pissed.  Man, she hates the meddling, lol. 

Beach Foam Party and Other Background Moments

So – I’m going to skip over the context of this, which is basically Holly finding absurd ways to bring music into the classroom, as well as tastelessly offensive impressions, and just talk about this random grouping of characters that they decide to be in this number.  It’s Kurt, Blaine, Rachel, Mike, Quinn, Puck and Will.  What do these characters have in common…uh, they were on set that day? I mean, there really is no reason for this grouping of characters, lol.  Whatever… 

I really question whether or not we needed Gwenyth Paltrow leading an 80′s-esque dance club number, but we did get Kurt and Blaine hilariously horrible dad dancing, so it’s partially worth it.  ;) 

I do kinda love that most of the high school students are standing on the sides going – wtf?!?  Cause yeah…  

Oh and more foam… 

Continuing on – the show wraps up a plot that I don’t think anyone outside the writers room, or the tabloids, cared about – and Rachel and Santana make up and decide to sing a song about it.  

It’s a nice song, and I like it.  So do Kurt, Mercedes, and Blaine who are jamming in the background. 

Everything’s gonna be okay, guys!! 

Or maybe it’s not…. 

Bypassing all the Puck and Quinn stuff – cause Kurt doesn’t have that many reactions, cause I don’t think he cares all that much (neither do I Kurt!) – Will goes on to say that that number is probably the last one to happen in the choir room.  It’s okay guys, it’s really not ;) But everyone is sad thinking about the end of glee club.  

And it’s weird, though, really – cause I mean for those in it, like the newbies, I think it’d be harder on them.  I feel like for Kurt – it’s like, okay this thing that gave me the only joy I knew in high school is gone, would be a little sad, but seriously, in real life – he’d probably have never come back in the first place…. 

The Time Capsule 

Hey! It’s the cast of The New Normal!

So, the kids all make Will (or Will’s son) a video talking about how great he is.  It’s kind of an eye-roll worthy premise, but despite it being about Will, I really kind of love everything about the video.  

Kurt’s little bit in the video is about how Will (or Glee Club) saved his life.  And here’s where I have slight conflicting feelings.  We’ll learn in 2009, and it’s been implied other places, that Kurt was suicidal before glee club started.  And I don’t doubt that the glee club did save Kurt’s life (and it’s nice to have canon confirmation of that).  The bit about Will being a big part of that…. eh, technically yes – he did create that space, so I’ll give that.  But I am ever so slightly eye-rolly at the idea that Kurt Hummel has any kind of lingering attachment to Will Schuester – especially when Kurt spent most of his glee club years looking at Will in disdain.  But, this moment plays nicely within the context that it’s given. 

On top of that – we learn that Kurt does want a family!  I do think the names being Hepburn and Tracey (nods to Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracey) is a bit of a joke, but I do think Kurt’s sincere in his admission that some day he’ll have kids.  And of course – there’s Blaine as his husband and… Quinn as the egg donor? I mean why not, it’s a hilarious beat.  And overall, I love this little sweet moment – of Kurt looking back and saying he’s got a pretty good life ahead of him.  

This is from the introduction of the video - where Rachel and Kurt are setting up that this is a video for Will’s kid, but I wanted to talk about the other stuff first… 

Kurt mentions that kids don’t know their dads until they’re older, and worn down with life, and I think it’s an interesting statement – and maybe it’s a slight nod to Kurt’s own relationship with is father, and about how as a teen - it’s strange cause it’s that time you are first learning your parents are really people, and that they may have been young once, too, and you can see first hand how weary life can make you.  Idk, just a lot of abstract thoughts in there. 

So.  We get our final reprisal of Don’t Stop Believin’.  And you know what?  This my favorite version.  Kurt comes out, second to Rachel, and sings the lines that Finn originally had.  And it’s not only a nod to Finn, but it’s nice to see just how far Kurt has come.  He was once another background player doo-woping with Mercedes, Artie, and Tina – and now he’s become (more or less) the male lead of the show.  Oh, bb, how time have change.  

I really do love everything about this song, though.  I like how they come out in cast order, starting with the originals, and expanding from there – and how everyone seems to get a little bit of the song.  And it feels as though it’s a song for all of them, and much more inclusive than the awfulness of the final scene in the previous episode.  This is, in a sense, a final curtain call (and the actual series finale, I think, reflects this moment).  

But I think, also, that this song, and these final few scenes, are really what makes this episode feel like a series finale.  A lot of loose ends are tied up, everyone is – forgive me for saying it – going in new directions.  This is the end of… season 4, of the show as it once was, and of what the show used to be.  And I’m okay with that.  The stuff that’s left – the Klaine story, Rachel’s career, etc, etc, is stuff for the two codas – those being the NYC arc and season 6.  

Glee as you knew it is done now.  

Graduation

But wait, there’s a little more! 

After 84 thousand years, Blaine is finally allowed to graduate? (Remember the joke that Brittany spinning during DSB finally turned time back on?  Can you believe it’s only been, technically, four months since I Do?!?)  And like us, Kurt is excited that his fiance is finally going to be joining him in the other place that is New York.  

And while one story ends, another begins - and I’m a little sad that that second story was so short…  But moving on…  ;) 

[anthonianrhapsody-blog]

Alpha and Omega

by Alain Abella and Sky Alminiana

Curtains up

All lights turned off; dark set-up

Narrator [voiceover]: In the beginning, there was only darkness, and darkness only prevailed; a deep black void into nothingness, where nothing ever sailed. Life [voiceover]: Let there be light! Narrator [voiceover]: Shouted an almighty voice; then the silence roared, roared as the loudest noise. A small tinge of white was suddenly in sight, a sign of light, Life. 

Life walks in from left side of stage; spotlight on her

Life looks around the dark surroundings; spotlight follows her Life: Hollow is the world, engulfed in darkness. This world desires beauty, and I shall deliver. It's time to shed the light. 

Positions herself in the middle of the stage

Creates ball of fire while saying the following:

Life: Untamed is this majestic star. The rays of light shimmering are endless. This eternal flame has the burning purpose to give light unconditionally to the ends of the universe – Sun.

Burst ball of fire into the sky; set-up sun

Life enjoys the wonders of the day

Night comes; dark surroundings

Life looks around looking confused

Life: Then it was night. Darkness prevailed once again, like life never has been. So I create the moon and the stars in the sky, to be the night light — be the one to guide you by.

With paint and paintbrush, paints moon and stars

Set-up with light Life: The horizon that has no limits to the naked eye. The sky shall serve as the glorious reminder that this world is beautiful. Exquisite in nature and tenacious to the open.

Gestures to the open sky Life: Mirroring the majestic sky is the grandeur wide open. It is where life will flow by — the sea is where it'll  happen. The waves crashing, the water is flowing; the sky that meets the sea is calling.

Gestures to create the sea

Sea is created Life: To complement the blue, I add another hue. Green patches on the brown land, where creations will take a  stand. Life is slowly forming, life indeed is growing.

Moves around and gestures to land

Life: To make the land rise and grow, I created the plants. These produce and perennial are to give color to the green grass and leaves. This greenery is to give way for more life to be weaved.

Plants and holds flowers Life: Such a wonderful world, however with no inhabitants. Summoned are the graceful animals! Roam the land and grow from the plants! Swim the sea and explore the depths of the oceans! Fly the sky and be where no one else has been! Be the life of this world.

Molds soil into animal figures

Animals come to life

Many animals are already present and acts out as the following:

Narrator [voiceover]: Amongst the superpowers of the animal kingdom, lies the innocent, the weak that seeks freedom. From a delicate and gentle flock it came, following the light of its creator, the lamb is the creation's name.

Life creates lamb; looks at it with pure joy and satisfaction

Spotlight to Life and lamb Life: Ahh Lamb, my favorite creation. I have overseen your growth. Since your first step, I was with you, my dear. During the beginning of your journey, I was there. The process of how you intake grass is simply satisfying to observe. You are so gullible; your slumber is so subtle. Mushy is your skin that is soft to caress with ease. The way you walk around making that sweet sound is music to my ears. Lovely are you Lamb. Your presence is only smooth and never dull. Now you have aged, past your prime, I was with you through it all the time. 

Lamb walks from left to right stage

Light – to –dark set –up

Lamb is gradually growing weaker and slower as it reaches the right side

Looks at lamb in full awe as it becomes weak Life: Now, my creation, what is this that you are nearing? You were once this beautiful, magnificent creature, gentle but full of glee; now it seems like your body is deteriorating, breaking, fading, slowly. My creation, what  have I done wrong? I gave you all the good, and sang to you all the pretty songs. My creation, who are you heading to? Come back to me — come back to where you came from. I gave you life, I provided you the light. How come you are still choosing the dark, where nothing is ever in sight? The stranger in front of you is unknown. You don't take his hand; can't you hear his fearsome tone? With a cry, the only words I can mutter are, my creation, why are you leaving Life?

Death emerges from right side of the stage

Spotlight on Death; dark surroundings Death: It is now your time, come.

Gestures lamb to come to him

Life: Wh-who are you? (very confused)

Death: I am Death. I am the Omega. I am the end of it all. Now, I come and summon the soul of this creature, and to the afterlife I shall have it delivered.

Life starts to cry

Life: But how could this be? A creature created out of love couldn’t just leave so suddenly. Why did it have to be so soon? You! You plotted my beloved’s doom!

Lamb gasps to take in its final breaths

Life: NO! NO! This couldn’t be! I love all my creations equally; don’t take my love away from me! Haven’t you ever felt love before?! What kind of being are you? How can someone be as merciless and heartless as you?

Lamb dies

Death carries lamb’s soul; body lies on the floor; spotlight

Life hugs lifeless body of lamb

Life: NOOOO!!!!

Everything becomes dark

Sudden spotlight on Death

Death: Love? How could you say that I haven’t felt love?

Angry at each other

Life starts standing up and slowly comes up close to Death pointing at him while saying the following:

Life: Someone like you is not capable of love! Someone like you can not, and should not be loved!

Death is enraged

Death: Maybe you’re right; perhaps not, for beings like you believe that I am not worthy of it! I can go and be poetic and all about love but Life, this is reality! You can’t just utter the most flowery of words, and hope for it to last forever! Life, I am here! I am Death, and it is my purpose to bring your creations’ souls to the afterlife. I am Death, and death flows within me. You know what, Life? I envy you. Creations look up to you as if you were the best thing that ever happened to them. But me? They despise me. They despise even the slightest idea of me. They see me as the bad guy here. You know why? Because Life, you are a very beautiful lie; and I am the painful truth. And that’s reality.

Anger starts to subside to give way for understanding

Life: But why? Why do you have to take away all the things that I love?

Death: Because Life, it is their fate. I don’t kill your creations; I only guide them towards the afterlife. You just need to trust in me and understand. You are the start, and I am the end. Together, (holds hands of Life) we need to work hand in hand. The marvels of death are as just as marvelous as yours.

Set-up becomes dark; all lights turned off

Characters get off the stage

Narrator [voiceover]: Lifetimes and deaths have passed; a strong bond has been built. A connection of Life and Death, and everything in between. Working hand in hand, through understanding and perspective, friendship has been found and keen, maybe something else is there to be seen.

Lights turn on

Life and Death walking hand-in-hand towards middle of the stage

Life: Oh how foolish of me to say that you can not be loved, yet here I am, loving you, giving you the love you should have. I’m sorry for ever doubting you, my dear; I’m sorry you once became my fear. Oh the paradox of you and me, yet our love story is still a beautiful, wonderful, mystery.

Death: Now ask me again if I ever felt love before, I would tell you this: in your hands, I have never felt as alive as this before. And trust me when I say I love you, trust me I do. But, you know this can not be. Life and Death can only have so much with perfect harmony – not love, not relationships. Us pursuing our love for each other would only cause destruction to the world we know today. And I know both of us aren’t selfish enough to sacrifice the millions of lives founded on love just to push through ours. In this world, we get to know the places where we belong – the places where we need to be, to ensure harmony; and as much as I want for that place to be wherever you’d be, sadly, Life, my love, this beautiful, wonderful, mystery, would now become our beautiful, wonderful, tragedy. Goodbye, my love.

Characters get off the stage

Turn off all lights; dark set

  Narrator [voiceover]: And just as quickly as the day they met, the boundaries of the Alpha and Omega have been set. Being together would cause each other’s destruction; they love each other that much that they won’t let their world come to a halt. But leaving each other didn’t mean they can’t leave anything behind. Life and Death created an image that soon became the archetype of their love for each other; a fragment of themselves, a parting memory of what they should have – could have been. A creation most precious than any; a creation that is the start and the end of many. [gets onto stage and reveals identity] My parents – my creators could never be together, so they built me out of their love, the Alpha, and the Omega flows within me, and I would always be the epitome and greatest manifestation of Life and Death’s love for each other – Man.

Man stands in the middle

Spotlight on Man

Curtains down

--- end ---

[klaineharmony]

Klaine fic recs update

Hi everyone - I am still working on updating my Klaine fic rec pages. It’s a slow process! Trying to reconstruct links from four different sites (and figure out what’s made it over to AO3 and what hasn’t) is a lot of work. However, I’ve added some new things and found some new AO3 links, and so I wanted to give you all the list of what I have so far.

Warblers! Klaine fics

A Fine Frenzy and A Fine Frenzy: Outtakes by arainymonday. The New Directions and the Warblers experience new friendships, hookups, and breakups as they perform a musical rendition of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at a Renaissance Faire. Posted on FF.net. Also here on LJ.

Dalton by CPCoulter. Post-“Furt,” Kurt begins an entirely new chapter in his life at Dalton Academy for Boys. Blaine, Wes, David and the boys of Windsor House make his life, for better or worse, far more eventful than he imagined. It’s hard to say enough about this beautifully imagined fic, which is now over 400,000 words and has its own fandom. CP Coulter also has her own extensive Tumblr with updates, Dalton fics by other authors, and lots of additional info, which can be found here. Dalton is also on FF.net, here.

Klaine, As Told by David and Wes by Ultraviolet-Ink. When David and Wes do something, they don’t do it by halves. So when David suggests they document ‘Klaine’ in all of its entirety, it’s not going to be some half-arsed job - they’re pulling out all the stops. This was one of the first Wevid fics I ever read, and I laughed until I cried. Hilarious. Posted on FF.net.

Lantern by Salazarfalcon. The power’s out, and all the Warblers have is a single, flickering light that may or may not be a literary metaphor for one Kurt Elizabeth Hummel. Posted on FF.net.

Canon Klaine: one-shots, fill-ins, slight AUs.

Unless otherwise noted, links lead to AO3. If authors have multiple pseudonyms, they will be separated with a forward slash, e.g. aspiringtoeloquence/mybriefeternity.

A Hint of Blaine by OccasionallyRestless. The “Furt” wedding scene with a Blaine twist - When Blaine gets a call from the New Directions offering to let him help with a surprise for Kurt, he readily agrees. Cue singing, cute dancing and Klaine fluff. Posted on FF.net.

After Opening by Aeditimi Scriba. Artie notices an improvement in his leading actors as “West Side Story” goes into its second performance. Klaine and Finchel, Artie’s POV. Posted on FF.net.

And A Thousand Moments Like This by DaybyDay. Post-Original Song kiss fic. Fluff. Posted on FF.net.

Be It You Outside My Door by water_nix/the-water-nixie. 4x04 fix-it fic. Blaine’s instincts lead him to the right place at last. Posted on LJ.

Before You Met Me (I Was All Right) by purplehairedwonder. Without New Directions, Kurt never goes to Dalton to spy on the Warblers. For Blaine, life goes on… except for those strange moments he feels like something is missing.  This is an AU inspired by that “Glee Actually” promo with Kurt asking Artie, “Who’s Blaine?” during the dream sequence.

Blame It On Insecurity by sunandrainfic/rainingaces. Blaine does not like blaming things on alcohol. A conversation between Kurt and Blaine during BIOTA. This is one of the most poignant and insightful BIOTA fics out there. Posted on FF.net.

Blaine Anderson is Missing by lovely-sparkle. AU spec fic for Season 4 Regionals. The break-up is included. What will New Directions do when Blaine goes missing on the morning of the Regionals competition? And why is Blaine worried about Kurt? Posted on LJ.

Blessing by antarcticbird/Alianne82. Happy engaged boys and the world’s best dad. 5x01 reaction fic.

Blossoming by avaserenity. Post-“The First Time.” Burt Hummel’s perspective. He knows because he’s never seen anyone look at Kurt the way Blaine does. Posted on LJ.

Box by trufflemores. 3x09. “But what are you promising?” Blaine surprises Kurt with a special gift before Christmas break. Gap filler.

Call by trufflemores. 3x22. Blaine makes a special phone call after Kurt tells him about his NYADA rejection. Gap filler.

Can’t Explain (How the Wind Went and Pulled Me Into Your Hurricane) by ahmarionette. After the kiss in “Original Song,” Kurt gets Blaine to explain some of his swings in behavior since they met. Posted on LJ.

Captivate and Enrapture by trufflemores. 3x08 and 4x09. “Oh my God, it’s the Gerber baby.” In which Blaine sees Kurt lip-syncing during Harmony’s performance, and Kurt finally sings for NYADA.

Cheating by trufflemores. 3x17. “This is cheating, Kurt.” Blaine finds Kurt’s phone with Chandler’s texts. Drama ensues.

Convalescence by trufflemores. Quickie reaction fic to 4x07. Sometimes healing comes in unexpected ways. Blam friendship, with heavy Blaine angst.

Coping by trufflemores. 4x01. Kurt has been gone at college for months now. The New Directions’ newest member helps Blaine cope. Kurt/Blaine. Marley-Blaine friendship.

Counting Down the Days by skintightsocks. “It’s okay to be sad, you know,” Rachel says, petting at his hair. “You can pretend I’m Blaine if you want; I know we’re almost the same size.” It’s Kurt’s  first birthday in NYC, and he’s missing Blaine. AnderHummelberry friendship. Posted on LJ.

Enough by flaming_muse. 4x02. Standing there silently as Rachel works, Kurt wonders if he should say anything to her. He’s just not sure there’s anything else to be said. Klaine, HummelBerry friendship.

Epiphany by trufflemores. 4x12. Sam thinks he’s worthless. Blaine shows him otherwise. Sam/Blaine friendship.

Everything Changes by wowbright. The more Kurt thinks about Rachel’s yearbook message, the more he doesn’t know what to make of it. Finn does, though. (Reaction fic to “Goodbye” and "Rachel’s Yearbook Message to Kurt Scene".)

Fearlessly and Forever by missbeizy. 5x01 reaction fic. They hold court on a leather sofa in the common room where Blaine and the Warblers had sung “Teenage Dream” to a wide-eyed and very unsubtle McKinley High spy.

Finish Line by klaineaddict/iconicklaine. 4x01. Burt’s perspective on sending Kurt to New York. Originally posted on LJ; posted to AO3 by my request, for the Glee AO3 Fest. :)

Firsts by tweeney. 4x11. Kurt goes on a date with Adam, but his mind refuses to cooperate and decides to take a trip down memory lane to his first date with Blaine. Adorable and sweet fix-it fic. Posted on LJ.

Five Times Blaine Wanted to Kiss Kurt But Didn’t (and One Time He Did) by tweeney. Some S2 Klaine, missing moments and kisses. Posted on LJ.

Goodnight Sweetheart (Well, It’s Time To Go) by antarcticbird/Alianne82. Kurt and Blaine say goodnight on their third date after becoming a couple. S2.

Happy Days Are Here Again by klemonademouth. It had been eighty-two days since Kurt had been in Ohio. Eighty-two days since he’d touched Blaine. Eighty-two days since he’d held him against his chest and pressed his face into Blaine’s hair, inhaling the scent of sandalwood and pine. Posted on FF.net. Also here on LJ.

Hurry Up Please, It’s Time by lookninjas. This is technically part of lookninjas’ stripper!AU ‘verse, but it is really a reworked version of The Box Scene, and it is fluffy and lovely.

Hurt by foraworldundeserving. A “Never Been Kissed” missing scene. Kurt finally looked up, his eyes glassy, and Blaine had to stifle a gasp at the absolute terror reflected in them. “He snapped,” Kurt whispered. Posted on FF.net.

I Don’t Have to Tell You, But You’re the Only One by aspiringtoeloquence/ mybriefeternity. Takes place during the events of “Rumors” - 2x19. With all that’s going on at McKinley, Kurt misses his boyfriend more than ever. Posted on FF.net.

If This Ain’t Love Then What Is? by aspiringtoeloquence/mybriefeternity. "I mean, what would you do if Blaine proposed to you today?“ Takes place during 3x12 - Kurt’s thoughts. Posted on FF.net.

If You Let It Go by trufflemores. 4x04. “It’s an expression,” Marley explained. “If you love something, you have to let it go. If it comes back, it’s yours. If it doesn’t, it never was.” Blaine and Kurt’s phone calls post-break-up.

I Guess We Thought That’s Just What Humans Do by sunandrainfic/rainingaces. Missing scene from “I Do,” in which Tina and Blaine argue and work out their differences after the Vapor Rub incident. Posted on LJ.

I Love You More Than I Have Ever Found a Way to Say by lavender-love00. Kurt and Blaine after junior prom, S2. Adorable and sweet, awkward and romantic.

I’m Beginning to See the Light by normal_scaresme. It’s Kurt and Blaine’s two-year anniversary, and even if they aren’t technically together, Kurt still thinks they should celebrate. S4. Posted on LJ.

In Want of Magic by trufflemores. This story is how I found Truffles, and it is a truly amazing piece of writing. 3x01 - 4x01. “I just … I want my senior year to be magic.” Kurt knew that there would be challenges to overcome his senior year. Little did he know just how tumultuous it would be. Kurt/Blaine. Blaine as a senior. Minor canonical alterations, but otherwise canon compliant.

Initiation by WickedForGood13. The aftermath of Blaine’s first slushie facial.

I Thought You’d Keep Me Warm by water_nix/the-water-nixie. 4x04 fix-it fic featuring Sebastian. Sometimes the right push comes from the most unlikely of places. Posted on LJ.

It’s All Fiction by happyinchintz72. Follow on from 2x15 and their ‘non-conversation’. Kurt is frightened and doesn’t ever see how that will change… ONE-SHOT. Angsty fluff. Posted on FF.net. Also here on LJ.

It’s Not Unusual by gigi42. 4x21 reaction fic in Kurt’s POV. Kurt’s in survival mode, but the idea of Blaine is in everything he does.

It’s Time by trufflemores. 4x01. Blaine, after Kurt has left for New York.

It’s You They’re All Waiting For by missgoalie75. 4x02. Blaine tries to get used to the eccentricities of the new New Directions. Wonderful Blainetana and Brittaine friendship. Posted on LJ.

Journey’s End by the-cimmerians. 4x04 fix-it fic. After the break-up, Blaine flees Lima, and Kurt finds himself enlisted by the Andersons to help find their son. Kurt is as surprised as anyone that he agrees to go looking. Posted on Tumblr.

Kiss by foraworldundeserving. The now-famous, 234-chapter prompt fic that is equal parts fun, fluff, angst, and gorgeousness. While the kiss in “Original Song” was oh-so-beautiful, there’s millions of ways those two boys could have shared their first kiss. Posted on FF.net.

Kiss & Tell by impromptucoffee/engorgioblaine. Kurt and Blaine’s progression through the four bases. Originally a GKM fill. Awkward, sweet, gorgeous emotion and description. Posted on LJ.

Kiss Me Slowly by skitzzy. "He wasn’t even paying attention to the sky anymore; the only thing he wanted to see was the beautiful boy in front of him that no sunset in the world could ever compete against.” Posted on FF.net.

Last Night by Icicle Raindream. “The First Time” missing scene. Rachel and Blaine share a secret with one another backstage. Posted on FF.net.

Letting Go by trufflemores. 4x08. Kurt finally calls Blaine intending to end his relationship with him permanently. It doesn’t go as planned. Canon-compliant.

Locked Out of Heaven by trufflemores. 4x11. In which Blaine can’t have Kurt, and so he finds love wherever he can. One-sided Blaine/Sam, with mentions of Kurt/Blaine.

Memory by trufflemores. 4x10. “Who’s Blaine?” Kurt/Blaine. Sebastian/Blaine. A take off from “Glee, Actually,” in which we see what has become of the Blaine who never knew Kurt.

Memory by trufflemores. 4x10. “Who’s Blaine?” Kurt/Blaine. Sebastian/Blaine. A take off from “Glee, Actually,” in which we see what has become of the Blaine who never knew Kurt.

May Your Days Be Merry by manywingedescape/wingedescapes. 4x10, “Glee, Actually.” Kurt and Blaine have a discussion about love and life after Burt falls asleep on Christmas night. Posted on FF.net. Also here on LJ.

Need by trufflemores. 3x07. “I have to find Blaine.”

Never A Good War, Never a Bad Peace by foraworldundeserving. Finn and Blaine in S3. Nobody’s perfect. So under that logic, it was entirely unfair to watch certain people just float through life without so much as stumbling, and Finn wasn’t going to stand for it any longer. Posted on FF.net.

New Meanings by flaming_muse. 4x01. It’s with a little hesitation that Blaine pushes through the doors of the Lima Bean and breathes in the familiar scents of coffee and baked goods.

Oh, Whistle and Come to Us by purplehairedwonder. 4x08. Whistles had come to mean something both haunting and seductive to Blaine by the time the Warblers performed “Whistle” at Sectionals. This amazing story was written based on a meta post I wrote for fyeahgleemeta, and I am so flattered and awed by it.

One Fine Day and Catch the Wind by arainymonday. They had talked about their dads enough for Kurt to know three things: One, Mr. Anderson desperately wanted a straight son. Two, Blaine desperately wanted an accepting father. Three, Kurt had everything Blaine wanted. And they had talked about their families enough for Kurt to know three more things: One, the Andersons do not get along. Two, the Andersons are not happy. Three, Blaine does not feel loved by them. But Kurt had no idea it was this bad. Posted on FF. net. Also One Fine Day on LJ and Catch the Wind on LJ.

One More Night by trufflemores. 4x11. Once he starts thinking about Sam that way, he can’t stop. In which Blaine projects, Sam reflects, and lines dissolve. Explores Blam, but remains firmly Klaine. Kurt features fairly prominently. One-sided Sam/Blaine, Kurt/Blaine.

One Thing Kurt Got Right by abbypotter327. 3x22. Kurt takes his NYADA rejection hard, but he has Blaine to hold him together. Posted on FF.net.

Out of Control by trufflemores. 4x12. Sam’s on a downward spiral with the ‘Men of McKinley’ calendar. Blaine intervenes. Unbeknownst to him, he, too, is on a downward spiral that leads up to “Diva.” Blaine/Sam friendship.

Pamphlets by foraworldundeserving. 2x15, leading up to 3x05. Because as much as he wanted to, no matter how easy it was to stay naive and pretend that relationships never went beyond the touch of fingertips, Kurt had to face up to the facts and the truth. He couldn’t stay a baby penguin any longer. Posted on FF.net.

Perhaps by aspiringtoeloquence/mybriefeternity. 3x03. The aftermath of Blaine being cast as Tony in West Side Story - Blaine and Kurt aren’t exactly experts at this whole healthy relationship thing yet, but they try, and that’s half the battle. Posted on FF.net.

Pink Sticky Notes and Portable Hearts by hopewithfeathers. Post-“Dance With Somebody,” 3x17. Kurt and Blaine couldn’t talk out and fix all their sadness and insecurities in one conversation, so Kurt goes to apologize properly. Angst, fluff, and sexy times. Posted on FF.net.

Play It Cool, Boy, Real Cool by aspiringtoeloquence/mybriefeternity. Pre-3x06. McKinley is where Blaine’s heart is… but he’d feel better if he spent more time with some of the members of New Directions. Posted on FF.net.

Please Don’t Come and Go by sunandrainfic/rainingaces. 4x04 fix-it fic. He doesn’t say these things, because how can you say those things to the boy you cheated on? Anything that had happened before is meaningless, now. It’s been blotted off the paper by the huge ink-stain Blaine spilled on the canvas. Posted on LJ.

Precipice by trufflmores. 4x14. Marley supports Blaine during a time of need, and Blaine has a realization about his relationship with Kurt. Takes place after the car makeout and during the wedding reception. Marley/Blaine friendship, Kurt/Blaine romance. Truffles wrote this for me after I asked for something with lots of Anderose friendship, and it is positively lovely.

Promises by bluecloudsupabove/ca_te. 4x01. Blaine sends Kurt off to NYC with love.

Put Up the Tree Before My Spirit Falls Again by water_nix/the-water-nixie. 4x08-4x10. Kurt has secretly hated Christmas since he was eight years old, and now that he’s living away from home he can avoid it with nothing but a little excess guilt. So when he calls to say he isn’t coming home for Christmas this year, Burt decides it’s about time he did something about that. It’s a good thing he’s bringing along a right-hand man. Posted on LJ.

Ready or Not by unwrittenfic/drunkonwriting. Kurt and Blaine come to Santana’s aid in the aftermath of the Finn and Santana situation in “Mash-Off.”

Remind Me To Forget by peanutmeg. Blaine’s moved on from Sadie Hawkins. He’s fine. It was years ago. But it seems that the past isn’t done with Blaine. Canon-compliant through 5x07.

The Run on Fumes series by idoltina. Canon divergent post-season three. When Blaine transfers to McKinley for his senior year, he finds himself paired with Quinn for a duets assignment in glee club and discovers that maybe they have more in common than he'd originally thought. Or, Blaine and Quinn become best friends.

Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall by flaming_muse. January 21, 2013. Blaine watches the inauguration alone in his house, a bowl of microwave popcorn cooling on the coffee table and a glass of soda fizzing gently by his hand.

Shooting Star by trufflemores. 4x18. AU spec. Blaine’s bad morning spirals rapidly downward when a gunshot is fired. Here there be Blangst. No character death. TW: shooting. Features Blam friendship and Klaine romance.

Sometimes It Takes a Storm to Calm a Storm Within by thefatesallow/comewhatmay. Another beautiful 4x18 reaction fic, in which Kurt and Blaine talk after the shooting and are on the road to mending. Background Brittana as well.

Something New by the-cimmerians. Post-4x14. Kurt and Blaine reconnect and being again. Posted on Tumblr.

Support by trufflemores. 4x13. Slight AU. Sick!Blaine. "If Kurt is a unicorn, does that make you a rhinoceros?" It's a very long week for Blaine Anderson. Features Anderose and Blam friendship.

Swallow My Heart and Flee by fallovermelikestars. Blaine Anderson comes to New York thinking the world is his oyster, overjoyed at the prospect of taking a bite of the Big Apple, moving into an apartment he and Kurt can call home and finally living the Manhattanite life together they’ve always dreamed of. But then Kurt gets an offer that he’s not sure he can refuse, the plans they’ve made are turned on their head and Blaine finds out that having a dream and living it are two very different things. While the first three seasons of Glee are canon here, it goes AU after 4x01.

The Art of Fixing Hearts by bluecloudsupabove/ca_te. 4x04 fix-it fic by the incomparable Cate, immediately following the confrontation in Battery Park. Also here on S&C.

The Key Series, comprised of ‘The First Steps" and “The Next Steps” by Fabrisse. This is probably my absolute favorite 4x04 fix-it fic. Blaine comes back to New York the week after “The Break-Up,” and talking, domesticity, and forgiveness ensue.

The Five New Voicemails of Chandler Kiehl by aspiringtoeloquence/ mybriefeternity. 3x17. Chandler Kiehl’s phone number finds itself in the possession of the members of New Directions. Who have a lot of feelings. Set after “Dance With Somebody.”

The Perspective of Age by flaming_muse. 4x10, “Glee Actually.”  If there’s one thing that Burt does know, besides how to take any car engine apart and put it back together running better than before, it’s his son. Gorgeous fic from Burt’s POV in which he muses about Kurt and Blaine, love, loss, and his relationship with his son.

The Plans That We’ve Made by aspiringtoeloquence/mybriefeternity. Kurt and Blaine are back in Ohio for the holidays, and it feels like the next few weeks could be important in so many ways. Posted on FF.net.

The Sparrow by wowbright. On March 8, 2013, at 3:42 p.m., the same calendar reminder pops up on both of their phone displays: “THERE YOU ARE - ANNIVERSARY in one week.” Kurt and Blaine do their best to cope with being broken up on their second anniversary. So poignant and sweet.

The Worst is Far Behind Us Now by normal_scaresme. Blaine calls Kurt after the events of 4x18. Lovely emotion and wonderful Anderson family moments at the end. Posted on LJ.

This House Doesn’t Burn Down Slowly by sunandrainfic/rainingaces. 4x01. It’s not the kind of “confronting what you’re afraid of” fear that got Neville Longbottom to win points for Gryffindor, or Diane Lane to dive into a lake and admit that she loves John Cusack. It’s the kind of paralyzing, one-wrong-move-and-the-snake-kills-you fear that boxes you in and turns out the lights and whispers in your ear, “Don’t make a sound.” Posted on LJ.

This Is It by impromptucoffee/engorgioblaine. AU for “Goodbye”; originally a GKM fill. Kurt gets into NYADA and Kurt and Blaine celebrate, all by themselves. Posted on LJ.

Till We Come Face to Face by the-multicorn/multicorn. They end up together at the Lima Bean, promises made over the phone at Thanksgiving long left behind. “I know the relationship between us is - complicated,” Kurt says. His hands are folded around the cardboard cup as if in prayer. “But I need to talk to my best friend. Can you do that?” Reunion fic, AU after 4x22. Also here on Tumblr.

To Love You Is To Need You Everywhere by undesirablenumber1/warble_on. 3x11. Blaine needs Kurt; a discovery reflected upon in Kurt’s arms. Blaine’s inner monologues on love and necessity and people who save you. Posted on FF.net. Also posted here on LJ.

Transference by flaming_muse. Kurt and Blaine’s relationship is complicated; other people (and objects) are much more simple. Transference is the phenomenon of unconsciously redirecting feelings about one person or object to another. Set before through soon after 4x17, “Guilty Pleasures.”

Two Years Ago Tomorrow by flaming_muse. The afternoon of the day after Kurt and Blaine’s first kiss. Set within 2x16 (“Original Song”) and written for the second anniversary of Kurt and Blaine’s first kiss. So lovely.

Unbroken by trufflemores. 2x17. "These three guys . . . beat the living crap out of us." Or, what happened that spring night at the Sadie Hawkins dance.

Waiting, Hoping by flaming_muse. 4x21. Blaine’s perspective during “Wonder-ful.” There he is, Blaine’s Kurt. Almost.

When the Lights Go Out, Will You Take Me With You? by narceus. AU spec fic for 3x02 and 3x03. Blaine moves to New York with Kurt, and it takes his parents months to notice he’s gone. Beautiful and heartbreaking.

When We Can Say Goodnight and Stay Together by antarcticbird/Alianne82. 3x12. Kurt and Blaine talk about Finn’s marriage proposal to Rachel while doing … other stuff. Absolutely sweet and adorable perfection.

Wherein Blaine is Well on His Way to Becoming a Crazy Cat Lady by water_nix/the-water-nixie. Kurt’s impending move to New York may be upsetting Blaine far more than he is letting on. Cue Kurt and a plan to help soften the blow. Absolutely hilarious fic with spot-on voices for the the boys and the old ND members.

Wrapped in a Bow by livehighnmighty. Adorable Box Scene reaction fic. Posted on LJ.

You Are Not Perfect … To Me by cinnamont. 4x04. Kurt calls the universe’s greatest Dad for comfort and understanding and gets a whole lot more. Or, Burt Hummel giving Kurt and Blaine a fatherly reality check.

You Touch Every Place in My Heart by bluecloudsupabove/ca_te. Alternative S4 Thanksgiving, where Blaine comes to NYC to surprise Kurt, with some loving and insistent help from Rachel.  Cate wrote this for me after talking to me for the first time, during one of the hardest periods of my life, and it is so gorgeous and sweet and perfect that it made me cry. Posted on LJ.

[pseudowoodo]

for your eyes only

fandom: glee pairing: blaine/sebastian words: 1852 summary: Sebastian shows up uninvited to the McKinley Sadie Hawkins dance. Seblaine Week 2017 - Day 2: Spies/Undercover

AO3 link

Blaine is ninety percent sure Sam decided they should tell Finn about the Warblers during the dance so that they’ll be wearing suits and have an excuse to act like James Bond. Which is fine - his Daniel Craig impression is really improving.

Besides, he’s happy to do anything that will distract him from the dance itself and Sam’s rapidly evolving conspiracy theories have been perfect for that. Sam Evans is probably the only thing standing between him and a full blown Sadie Hawkins meltdown and he thinks Sam might know it. Because seriously, Sam’s the best.

So when he pulls Blaine away from Tina, wildly announcing a huge breakthrough in the case, Blaine doesn’t think he’d actually found anything. Even after everything that happened last year, even after looking Hunter in the mildly deranged eye, some part of him clung to the belief that the Warblers were still who they were when he’d left them; the guys that had helped him through the fallout of the last Sadie Hawkins dance.

He should really know better by now.

Sam leads him to Trent, standing nervously in the hallway, and the mere sight of Blaine is enough to make him break and tell them everything. Sam was right. Glee Club could actually be back.

Which is how they end up in the locker room, talking Finn through all the evidence Sam collected like they’re reporting back from an undercover mission. It’s so serious Sam even forgets his Daniel Craig impression.

Trent gets called in as the final evidence, entering at their signal looking appropriately pale and dramatic.

“Blaine and I joined the Warblers together,” he begins somberly. “It was a band of brothers, a group joined by harmony and honor. But then Blaine left and-”

“And then I happened.”

As one, their heads snap to where Sebastian is standing silhouetted in the doorway. Blaine can’t help but appreciate the drama.

“How did you find me?” Trent stutters, horrified.

Sebastian rolls his eyes. “Please. You’ve been a nervous wreck all day, it was obvious something was up. When you left early, I followed you.”

“Don’t let him bully you, Trent,” Finn says, pulling off a surprisingly legitimate teacher voice. “He can’t stop you from testifying.”

“Bullying?” Sebastian scoffs.

“Testifying?” Trent squeaks.

“Yeah,” Blaine says gently, ignoring Sebastian and exchanging a look with Sam. “That’s what you’re here for, right?”

“I just wanted to talk to you,” Trent says. “If I go public with this then the Warblers reputation is ruined forever. Years of honorable melodies and harmonies, all forgotten.”

“The Warblers lost any honor they had the day I threw that slushee,” Sebastian says, sounding almost bored. He shrugs under all their shocked looks. “I don’t know why you assume I’m here to stop him. It’s not like I took the drugs either.”

“Somehow I don’t believe you,” says Finn. He may be a joke as an authority figure, but Blaine knows from experience he can be intimidating when he want to be.

Sebastian remains unfazed. “Shockingly, I’m the only Warbler on an actual sports team, and those tend to be more alert to steroid use than show choirs. Hunter decided it wasn’t worth the risk.”

“But you performed at Sectionals.”

Sebastian smirks. “What can I say, the other guys needed drugs to get on my level.”

Blaine bites back a laugh and Sebastian definitely notices, eyes flicking to him before he says, “Look, after everything I did to you guys, I thought it’d be better for everyone if I took a step back this year. But apparently, the Warblers will sell their soul to anyone with a decent voice and a vision, which I’ve gotta say, makes me feel a whole lot less special.”

“Wait, so… you’re gonna help us?” Sam says slowly.

“Yup. Congratulations, you’re going to Regionals. Not that you deserve to. I mean, Gangnam Style? Really?”

Finn has the decency to look a little embarrassed, but he recovers. “So you’ll testify? Both of you?”

“If Sebastian’s testifying I don’t think I really need-” Trent starts before catching Sebastian’s glare. Blaine throws in his puppy eyes for good measure and Trent wilts. “Yeah. We will.”

“Great!” Finn says, letting out a relieved laugh while Sam offers Blaine his hand for a discrete high five. “Now I just need to figure out how to report this.”

He gives Sam a clap on the shoulder and gathers up all the evidence they’d given him before leaving the locker room, apparently intending to start immediately.

“Thank you,” Blaine says, focusing his earnestness on Trent because it seems like he needs it more. He’s still very aware of Sebastian in the corner of his eye. “This means a lot.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Sam joins with a blinding smile and usual bounding enthusiasm. He looks at Blaine and says, “I should get back to Brit, tell her the good news. You okay here?” Blaine nods. “Yeah, go have fun. You deserve it.”

Sam smiles and heads out, stopping to put a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder and say, “Seriously, thanks man.”

Blaine sees Sebastian grimace and tries not to laugh.

“They’re all going to hate us,” Trent says sharply once Sam is gone.

“Relax,” Sebastian says with a roll of his eyes. “They’ll just assume I put you up to it.”

“You’re doing the right thing, Trent,” Blaine says. “The Warblers will realize that eventually.”

“I just hate betraying them like this.”

“Hunter betrayed the Warblers. You’re saving them.”

“Yeah, that’s what they said about Brutus,” Trent says miserably. He heaves a dramatic sigh. “It was good seeing you, Blaine. Hopefully next time it’ll be under more auspicious circumstances.”

With that, Trent makes his dignified exit, leaving Blaine alone in the locker room with Sebastian.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he testifies.”

“I’m not worried,” Blaine says truthfully. “It’s nice, what you’re doing for him. For all of them.”

Sebastian raises his eyebrows like he has no idea what Blaine’s talking about. “I’m doing this for me. Once Hunter gets expelled I’ll be able to finish my senior year in peace. I mean, you met him; he was barely tolerable before the roid rage.”

“Come on, just admit it,” Blaine says, teasing. “You love them.”

“Who, the Warblers? The Warblers would follow a potato if it promised them a Nationals trophy. They’re a Jonestown waiting to happen.”

"So it’s a good thing they got you looking out for them, huh?”

"Shut up, Anderson,” he says, mild.

Blaine jerks his head towards the door. “Come on. I’ll walk you out.”

They fall into step, taking their time as they make their way down the hallway.

It’s strange seeing Sebastian here. Blaine watches him unabashedly as he casts a critical eye over everything: the gum stuck to the floor, the bright yellow of the lockers, the graffitied club posters. The last time they’d been alone together they’d been walking the stately halls of Dalton and he’d been so full of guilt that he could barely look anyone in the eye, least of all Sebastian, who always seemed to see too much.

Funny how things changed. Just a few short months ago he thought he’d never be okay again. Now he knows he will. He might not be there yet, but it’s only a matter of time.

"So what’s with the suit?” Sebastian asks eventually. “Are you and the blonde bimbo just playing dress up again, because as good as this look is, I think I preferred the spandex.”

Blaine scoffs to keep from laughing. “I’ll have you know there’s a school dance going on. You’re welcome to stick around if you want.”

He offers without thinking, ingrained politeness kicking in automatically. He has a panicky hope that Sebastian’s reaction will be equally automatic, just a sneer and some comment about how spending too long in public schools is bad for his health.

But it’s not. He stops walking and considers Blaine for a moment before saying, “That depends. Do I get a dance?”

That’s how it went in the movies, he remembers. The spy ending up with the sexy informant. It makes him feel better, the idea that this is what’s supposed to happen.

"I think that can be arranged.”

It feels dangerous leading Sebastian into the gym, but that’s helpful, in a way. He doesn’t know if his heart is pounding because he’s about to dance with a boy at a Sadie Hawkins dance or if it’s because that boy is Sebastian Smythe. It’s easier, pretending it’s the second one. It might even be true.

"Is it normal for a school’s Glee Club to provide all the dance music?” Sebastian says, eyeing the stage doubtfully. “Could the school not do any better?”

"Hey, we’re national champions,” Blaine says with mock indignation. “And we work for free.”

“So am I going to get to hear you sing?”

"Sorry, you missed it.”

“What’d you sing? How bad should I feel for missing out?”

“I led an all male rendition of TLC’s No Scrubs,” he says primly.

Sebastian laughs, delighted. It’s a good look for him. “Wow, so really bad then.”

Ryder starts the next song, something slow. A dance for couples.

Sebastian offers his hand and raises his eyebrows. After a moments hesitation, Blaine takes it.

Logically, he knows there’s nothing to worry about. He’s knows he’s well liked, he even has the poll numbers to prove it, and it’s not like people don’t know he’s gay.

But it still felt safer dancing with Tina.

“You okay?” Sebastian asks, and looking up at him Blaine finds himself relaxing, just a bit. Because nothing about Sebastian has ever felt safe, and he’s never quite managed to care.

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

He catches Sam watching them from where he’s dancing with Britany, looking worried, and that relaxes him too, knowing that no matter what happens Sam will have his back.

Sebastian puts his hand on his waist and Blaine’s heart rate spikes, but no one seems to care. The only one giving them any dirty looks is Tina, which is deserved honestly. He’ll make it up to her later.

"You know, this isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be,” Sebastian says after a moment.

“Wow, thanks.”

“No, really. I can barely even tell I’m in a public school gym.”

“You took quite the risk coming here, huh?”

Sebastian ignores the sarcasm. “Yeah, well, you’re worth it.”

Blaine ducks his head, pleased despite himself. “I’m glad you came,” he admits.

"Me too.”

And then it’s just nice. Swaying back and forth with a cute boy at his high school dance. This was how it was supposed to be.

When the song ends Sebastian let’s go, putting his hands in his pockets. “I should probably get going,” he says. “Long drive.”

Blaine nods. “Okay. And thanks. For everything.”

Sebastian hesitates and seems almost nervous as he says, “I’ll uh, see you around?”

Blaine doesn’t bother hiding his smile this time. “Definitely. I’ll call you. We can get coffee or something.”

“Looking forward to it.”

It feels like the start of something. Something good.