#feel like the general mood is that the band and co are glad they can rest now but also sad that the adventure is over

[nicoscheer]

[bellewintersroe]

okay i'm glad! then i'm sending this in if you ever get back in a BoB mood, but no pressure :)

can i request headcanons on how some of them would react (i was thinking mainly Liebgott, Roe and Speirs, but absolutely feel free to add anyone you want too like Luz or Malarkey) if the Easy company gets dispatched in a town near the sea/has to sleep in a beach or similar, and the sweet and kind nurse that is always dispatched with the second battalion (who everyone is crushing on ofc hahaha) as soon as all the high ranks are gone just, takes off her uniform (so she is like in her bra and underwear) and just bolts it towards the sea, calling for the others to join her and play around in the water, because she just loves the sea that much?

i just thought something fun and light could be cute, since the boys definitely need some fun time :)🫶🏻

heyyyy omg so sorry it’s taken so long to reply but thank you thank you thank you for your request! I love this idea sm!! I have altered it slightly to make it more realistic (don’t ask why cos I bend the rules all the time) but I hope these head cannons are okay!!! &lt;3 <3 <3 <3

Band of Brothers x Nurse!Reader Headcannons

General HC’s for 2nd battalion + some more men reacting to their well loved nurse having some fun in the water.

So first let me set the scene, you’ve all just been told you’re being shipped back off to the pacific and morale has somewhat dropped again.

theres so much anxiety snd tension in the air that nobody really can unwind, so after one particularly gruelling training session, 2nd battalions nurse decides to have a little fun…

It’s a boiling hot day in Austria, the lake looks so inviting, and she’s such a sweetheart she just wants to boost morale. All the men absolutely adore her, if they don’t have a crush on her they find her endearing and a comfort to them.

“fuck it.” She mutters, stripping off her uniform as she runs closer to the pier, dropping each piece of clothing behind her.

One by one all the men’s heads turn and then suddenly begin whooping and whistling in excitement. Joe Liebgott:

Stunned to see you stripping off, in fact he remains frozen with his jaw dropped for a few moments. He’s so used to seeing you all covered up and oh my god boobs.

“Close your trap, Joe, you’re trapping flies.”

wouldn’t take much convincing to get in, I think he’d be super playful with you, splashing you and dunking you.

deffo splashes you a little too much, but when you’d jump on his back and he feels the press of your boobs against his bare back- uhhhh his brain turns to mush.

“It’s so nice, isn't it Joe?”

“Uh- yeah, so nice…” deffo gets a boner.

Eugene Roe:

Maybe a lil different scenario, I feel like if there was a group of you he’d probably sit on the side watching and laughing in amusement.

he’d watch you strip off and immediately avert his eyes out of respect but ohmygodogogososo he’s blushing- he hasn’t seen a woman like that for years.

you’re already super close, so to be able to have downtime together creates something more… intimate.

if you’d jump in at the end of the day, the sun setting when it’s just the two of you I don’t think it would take much convincing to for him to get in the water.

you’d float further back from the surface with a smirk as he undressed, jumping in and purposefully splashing you.

would be a little more shy, especially if there’s more men around, but the second you joke about how he might need to give you cpr and the kiss of life he’s smirking and acting all cool and omg.

his hands would snake lower and lower down onto your butt and everybody would be none the wiser around you guys if there was others there.

who knew Roe could be such a flirt?

Ron Speirs:

Now this guy being your literal superior probably wouldn’t linger around to see you, 2nd battalions own nurse, strip off to go for a swim whilst all the horny men giggle like children from the land.

he’d deffo know he had to be more respectful, but let’s change the time a little, it’s just after the German army surrendered, you’re both wasted.

Rob asks you like ‘so what were you doing in the water the other day?’

You’d tell him in return you were just having some fun and he should’ve tried it. Ron, in a celebratory mood, and captivated by how fucking beautiful you are just thinks ‘fuck it’ and makes the decision to go on a ‘walk’.

You end up pushing each other into the water.

for a moment you’re probs shocked that this is literally Captain Speirs you’re swimming with, but things get… heated and there’s no time to think about being intimidated.

you’d deffo probs have the hottest, spontaneous sex with him in the water lmaooo.

George Luz:

You just know this man would be the first one to jump in with you OMG.

he’d be so excited like finally, somebody’s just as fun as he is…

Probs like that kid on holiday that takes it too far and dunks you to the point you’re so out of breath.

I feel like you two would physically play fight to playfully drowning each other. Would be chaos central and anybody who tried to come near you would get a face-full of water.

Don’t be surprised if you wake up the next day with bruises.

kinda sweet tho, you’d lay on the beach together the same night and he’d be all sweet, apologising and checking he didn’t take it too far?

Don Malarkey:

Everybody knows Don needs this time to unwind and just have some fun.

for the first time in months he feels more like himself, the two of you already have a very close bond so it makes you both so mutually happy to the see the other so care free.

I think he’d be laughing like crazy, probably throwing you off the dock and then jumping in after you, cos even tho he’s playing around he doesn’t want to be too rough with you.

would happily shove any of the other men in the water so that the two of you are left standing on the land together.

When he see’s you in your wet bikini oh my godddd- his brain turns to mush and he practically avoids even making eye contact with you he’s that nervous.

when you sit on his lap later that evening he’s done for.

he’s a little stunned cos you’re always so sweet and innocent… but it feels like a dream come true for Malarkey.

[willmelon]

i don’t usually do this but i feel Compelled to do a liveblog/review of Mouth Dreams so here goes

Please don’t read this if you haven’t heard the album yet as it’ll spoil Everything

(i’ll admit the idea came to me After i listened to Just a Baby so these first ones are gonna be relistened reviews)

first we got Yahoo. what can i say about this song? neil starts off Strong with incredibly sustained notes and just one phrase, in typical neil style. and he makes it work in so many different ways! honestly didn’t expect myself to get so attached so fast but that’s just the way his magic works ig. when the hoooooooos harmonise it almost brings tears to the eyes. i would love to see a group of choristers singing this with another guy on an electric keyboard. what a cold open. 9/10

of course then we go on to the titular track, the dimension of sound, the dimension of imagination, the dimension of doors. rod serling narrates the intro in his traditional monotone as the warbling twilight zone theme plays in the background. i tell ya i was actually Screaming when the track finished and he dropped the title! it may not be a song per se, sort of like Blockbuster from Mouth Moods, a ‘filler track’ if you will, but the effort in those fifty seconds cannot be ignored. it just goes to show once again how Good he is at what he does. 6.5/10

oh lawd, my favourite so far, Spongerock. reading the title i had absolutely No idea what to expect. the goofy goober song from the movie? winner takes all from band geeks? i was pleasantly surprised to find myself tapping out queen’s distinctive boom boom CLAP as the song progressed, and i was in complete Hysterics the whole way through, chanting along with the kids as the pirate encouraged me to sing louder. it’s such a beautiful fit the way they mesh together, and it’s one of those mashups that you listen to and think ‘why has nobody done this before?’ but neil is on a higher plane of existence than us and Knows where it’s at. you’re never the same after you’ve listened to Spongerock. 7.5/10

Just a Baby, where i stopped to begin this thing, is a melancholy song, which i’m not usually a fan of. i admit i don’t know the original song so i kept quiet until the last chorus or two. it’s the yang to the yin of Wow Wow from Moods, another sentence-mixer that was like a full Bop and barely gave you time to catch your breath. in Just a Baby you begin to empathise with the singer as he regales confusing times of his constant youth, including the time his mother (a train) shot a man in cold blood. it’s a powerful ballad, and it’s got a tasteful amount of justin bieber adding backing vocals to the chorus. i may have to deduct a few points cos the lyrics are gonna be hard af to remember. 7/10

ok next up we got Superkiller. this one’s totally blind! i’m. ehhhhh okay not diggin this one very much. ok that say something once line being repeated was comedy gold but talking heads are just like. kinda tuneless tbh. i’m glad he’s trying to lassoo it together with u can’t touch this but it’s kinda falling short tbh. i wouldn’t skip it but it’s not as memorable as the previous ones. 5/10

starting Get Happy. i’m not gonna lie i think i Know what this is, there are only so many options after all. i predict it’s a mix of “get dancin’” by disco-tex and the sex-o-lettes and “happy” by bahrrel williams, and i really hope that ain’t the case cos i Love the first one but despise the latter. oh well let’s see if he can pull it off. sounds like village green by the kinks so far lol uhhhh i have no idea what to make of this. okay i feel like i’m gonna like this after all. hey it’s got memorable lyrics at least! is it gonna get faster? or just more bassy? yknow maybe i was too critical at the start, but i had no idea what to expect. this is a feel-good pop song and it’s definitely making me feel happier than i was when i was listening to Superkiller. 7/10

Ribs? wtf do i expect from a song called Ribs lmao another song i’ve never heard of IH IT’S EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE TH WORLD OH YEEEEEEEEES omg i Love this song i sing it to myself when i’m walkin my dog cos his little paws click-clack on the pavement to the exact rhythm of the song omg i’m in Love! another one with odd lyrics but i think after a Lot of repeat listening i’ll be able to properly croon along to this one omg! it reminds me of Best from Mouth Silence in that they’re both about products, only instead of folgers in your cup it’s about chili’s baby back ribs omg neil you’re Perfect! how come more advertisers haven’t contacted you for a product placement deal?? 7.5/10

next we got My Mouth. welcome to? who knows let’s hit play. ooooh minor key. is this a real song? it sounds like oney singing a cover of something. oh That’s the gimmick? 2:30 long i hope there’s something else tbh cos otherwise it’s gonna get pretty thin pretty fast. mm not a fan. the weakest so far imo especially after Ribs blew me away. definitely a bad dream. 3.5/10

Aerolong don’t fail me now! okay see This is how you do a mashup. I DON’T MISS YOU BABAY AND I DO WANNA MISS A THING THAT’S GOLD!! this is just a song about saying bye to your ex lmao i love it. wish it was longer though. 6/10

Sleepin’ here we go! ok in the youtube version the first half of this song is just silence so that wasn’t fun. gee this one’s only moderately better than My Mouth i’m feeling very shortchanged. 4/10

what to expect from Aamoorree? hopefully this one’s another jam but...okay i’m likin this one. it’s Fun and isn’t trying too hard! it’s just a drunk dean martin singing about pizza pie on karaoke night, what more could you ask for lol. 6/10

Where Is My Mom? by the p-p-p-pooo-oo-ooo-oooool of course. i don’t recognise the other song but it’s decent. i’ve listened to slowed-down songs before (the sludgefest chipmunks albums lately) and this one’s kinda ok. not a fan of the ending but points for effort ig. 5.5/10

Fredhammer ay? might there be some peter gabriel in there? undoubtedly. yup there it is lol ok now bring in the flintstones? oh ig that’s fred durst? mm not totally feeling it so far but censoring he** was funny lmao HEY THERE’S SEINFELD i’m wheezin that was a good way to end a song, well done neil. 6.5/10

here goes Limp Wicket. i’m on the edge of my seat. and Again i’m disappointed. is this a bunch of ewoks singing some kind of star wars song? or is it jarjar? either way this is Not a good song. it probably wasn’t before he mashed it up but this wasn’t an improvement. bringing in Fredhammer didn’t help this song much at all, in fact i think it brought both songs down actually. last one was a 7/10 but i Have to dock it points now that it’s a two-parter. as for this one? i’m being generous cos the limp bizkit song was good. 1/10

Cannibals runs for 4 minutes. PLEASE don’t let this be a repeat of the last one. i get that miners can’t dig up gold every time but don’t just show up with a bunch of rocks and iron pyrites yknow i’m just gonna start. i don’t want to be angry at this album. i recognise that sound in the bg! from a cyriak vid i think. thx comin in. loooooooong drone. ugh UGH there are Too many lucid dreams on this album. starting to regret liveblogging this cos i Loved the other three mouth albums. this one’s just falling flat again and again. 3/10

here comes The Outsiders. there is NOTHING to say about this. 1.5/10

come on Johnny. okay that got a laugh out of me, not many songs start with a booing crowd like that, is that meta? wouldn’t put it past him tbh. ah i’ll give it a 5/10, for a kinda filler song it wasn’t too bad.

Closerflies, this has gotta be gold. PLEASE. intro’s goin on for a little too long...mm having never heard the original version of closer i gotta admit i thought it’d be faster, like the one used in Rollercloser in Silence. this version seems very sloppy and sluggish, especially the bassline. 3/10

Nightmovin’ i’m not expecting much OH good intro oh YES now here we go. this is a good one, it’s got clear lyrics and a catchy tune, i’m liking this one more and more by the second. cuts off weird but it’s going into the next one. so i’m gonna leave the rating out of this one and see how it is after the next one.

Whitehouse i’m holding my breath. mm it’s Good but not great tbh. criminal that the last one was half as long as this one. think i’m gonna give both of these songs a 5/10 i doubt they’ll be anyone’s favourites. the title is a nice little joke too i respect that.

Wah! what’s neil’s obsession with using wannabe as a source lmao! it’s another decent one but nothing memorable again. 5/10

Pee Wee Inc i’m expecting big things. good intro I’M IN LOVE okay this is Much better than i imagined it’d be. did he use the radio edit of feel good inc? this is a heck of a way to bring it back to the gold stuff and i wouldn’t be surprised if this is what neil’s head sounds like all the time. 7/10

on to 10,000 Spoons. not sure what to expect from the title. okay this is a Nice one i think. throwback to the likes of Just a Baby with the two songs and the sentence mixing and it’s Good. and really 10,000 spoons is So ironic anyway, don’t you think? 7/10

oh another song called Mouth Dreams? an extro? that was Weird lol ok the intro i wasn’t too keen on, def not as much as the intro, but i got to appreciate it as it went on. like Rlly appreciate it i was beginning to reflect on what a journey i’d been through tonight, especially writing it all down. felt very poetic. and then WHAM, out of nowhere, after being gone for 23 songs, all-star came Back and How! gotta give this one a 7.5/10

keep the train rolling Brithoven! i can hear faint bits of instruments in britney’s song in the back of her audio which sound like a mistake but knowing neil.......yah lmao. this song’s kinda like Promenade (Satellite Pictures at an Exhibition) from Mouth Sounds, i liked what i heard. very nice. 6.5/10

the final song. we’re gonna be hit one more time for Ain’t! and i have NO idea what i’m in for! in the hall of the mountain king eh? is this like a way of looping around to the first song of the first album with classical music? ok the snoring’s a nod to Bustin i’m sure lmao funny anyway. i thought i heard a hey now in there but i must be going nuts. wouldn’t call it a grand finale but it is what it is. 5/10

now the question that must be asked - was Mouth Dreams trying to make a point? was there a reasons so many songs were of lower-quality than previous albums? perhaps it’s just a matter of taste, or perhaps it’s as rod said back on track two, that this album is a doorway into another dimension, and the further you progress, the more mind-rattling, brain-melting concepts you come across. the album gets an average of 5.5 which is kinda disappointing. don’t think i’ll be listening to the whole thing again. thanks for reading!

[purplesurveys]

474

Tumblr makes the spacing kinda weird by the end, idk why but I hope it gets better for everyone else who wants to take this haha.

ONE - HI THERE! It’s an intro!

What do most people call you? Robyn. In what month is your birthday? April. What country were you born in? The beautiful but politically miserable Philippines. Do you have siblings? How many, if you do? I do; I have two. I’m the eldest, but they aren’t that far off from me. Who do you live with? I’m still studying so I’m living with family for now – mom and dad, a sister and a brother, and a dog. I really want to move out in the next couple of years though.

Are you in a relationship? Yes. Do you go to school? As I said, yes. I’m in university but I’m supposed to graduate next year. What mood are you in right now? Well, I wrapped up my internship last week and my entire weekend was booked with stuff I did, so now I’m just super glad to be home and bum around after all that hectic-ness. I just had 8 hours of sleep and am feeling pretty well-rested right now. What does your shirt look like? I’m wearing a big-ass gray Knicks sweater that’s like 3 sizes bigger for me. What’s your zodiac sign? Taurus.

TWO - Your Appearance

If you could have plastic surgery on any one body part, what would it be?Boobs. They’re so abnormally small that I’m tired of having to waste what would have been completely bomb outfits just because of my chest.

Are you satisfied with your hair? It could have less baby hair, honestly. But I’m fine with it for the most part.

Do you have a hitchhikers or a straight thumb? It’s a straight thumb. My left pinky is quite crooked though.

What colour are your eyes? Dark brown.

Do you have any tan lines? No, I haven’t gone to the beach in a while.

How old do people usually think you are? I just asked this question to Gabie last week and she said that I look 15.

What about your appearance do you get complimented on the most? Face and my overall figure.

Are you comfortable with your weight? Sure, but it’s always worrisome when I get to the lower 90s.

Do you have any piercings or tattoos? Where? Yeah, just the basic earlobes piercings that my parents got for me when I was a couple of months old.

How tall are you? I am 5′1″ and a half. I’m shorter than 5′2″, that’s for sure.

THREE - True or False

I love winter. Neither true or false as I have never experienced snow. I think I’d love it though.

I have eaten meat in the past five days. True. Filipinos eat meat a lot.

I have painted a room in a house. False. My mom is so controlling over adult things like that so she hired people to do it to all our rooms.

I can whistle. True. I learned pretty early.

My keyboard is black. True-ish? The buttons are black, but the spaces between them are silver.

I have never bought something off an infomercial. True. My mom would be so furious because it would be her money anyway.

I own a snuggie / would like to own a snuggie. False.

I bite my pens / pencils. False. I do bite my straws though.

I wear glasses / contacts. True.

My nails are painted right now. False.

FOUR - Childhood Memories!

What was your all time favourite movie as a kid? THE GAME PLAN, without a shadow of a doubt. Watched that shit everyday through third and fourth grade. My runner-up would be High School Musical.

Do you still have your first pair of shoes somewhere? Doubt it. My mom isn’t big on memories like me.

Did you have anything you always dragged around the house, like a blanket?Nope. I did use my parents’ blanket as a cape some days, and other days it would be a gown train and I’d pretend I was the Queen, but I wouldn’t drag it because it would get dirty.

What toy did you play with the most? I was always into grownup stuff so I always got kitchen appliances, dollhouses, etc. I once had toys that mimicked a pizza restaurant and it had a pizza roller and it was super fun for me haha. Once I got a pretend cash register though it was game over for all these bitches.

Did you ever bring your favourite toys in the bathtub? We didn’t have a bathtub, but yeah we would bring in our toys when we would shower.

Did you used to take baths with siblings/cousins? ^ Ooh, barely missed it. Yes, we did.

Are you still friends with your best friends from long ago? A handful are still my best friends. I keep in touch with most of my batchmates from my high school because we’re all close and we’re family and there was generally very little drama – and if there was, it was easy to let go.

Do your parents ever tell you stories about how cute/silly you were? They have several stories, but I was mostly a quiet kid who didn’t like getting in trouble.

Did you go to the park often? What was a typical outfit for the 5-year-old you?Blouses with a girly pattern, denim jeans, and Nike rubber shoes. The top always has to be tucked in.

FIVE - FAVOURITES

Actor/Actress: Kate Winslet

Singer/Band/Both: Beyonce / Paramore

Chocolate: Reese’s

Toothpaste: ??? Whatever we have at home I guess?

Picture of yourself: Nah man, not doing that here.

Pair of sunglasses: I don’t have a favorite.

Vegetable: Broccoli!

Sandwich: Monte Cristo

Aspect of nature: Waterfalls

Word to say: “Literally”

SIX - Love Life ;)

Who was the first person to ever ask you out? No one’s ever asked me out before. Although I think that dude from one of my classes in sophomore year intended to…but I dunno. We were paired up together for this class and he wanted to spend time with me in a coffee shop after our work was done; I didn’t feel comfortable just being by myself so I told him in advance that I was gonna be bringing Gabie…never heard from him ever again :/

What does your ideal date consist of? Dinner somewhere nice (Italian or Japanese) should be enough for me.

What’s one thing your partner must be able to accept about you? I get sad and I’ll need loooooooong stretches of time alone some days.

Does your ideal person have any special talents? She can paint and draw. She doesn’t really share these with other people but she does with me.

Do your parents like the person you’re with? (Or the last person) My parents liked Mike and were convinced something was happening between us lmao. They don’t know about my relationship with Gabie yet.

Do you like pet names? Yes when it’s just the two of us. Publicly, I control myself, cos I know it annoys me when other people are too showy/vocal. Like I don’t call Gab pet names when we’re out with friends; and when we’re out at the mall or whatever, I’m not very physical other than holding her hand.

What is your age range? Same age. I can’t imagine dating someone younger or older, but then again this is because I haven’t had any other experience.

What is one attribute that your ideal partner must have? Sincerity.

When was the last time someone seriously said “I love you.” to you? This morning.

Have you ever been in more than one relationship at a time? No.

SEVEN - The wonderful world of the Internet!

What is your most used website? Probably Twitter. It’s the first thing I check everyday.

Do you play any online games? Other than playing on Y8 when I was younger, no.

Which chat program do you use most often? Messenger.

Facebook vs Myspace- which is better? I haven’t used Myspace in a hot minute, so I’ll go with Facebook.

Is there someone you met online that you’d like to meet in person? Yes, I’m still waiting to meet Aliyah. Girl is in BGC every single day but I can’t seem to grab lunch or dinner with her!

Have you ever sold something on Ebay or Craigslist? No.

Have you ever gone on Chatroulette? Or Omegle video? Yeah, when I was like 12 and curious about the Internet haha.

Are there any videos of yourself on Youtube? I don’t think so.

Mac or PC? Mac.

Have you ever Googled your name? I’ve Googled my username before, but not my name.

EIGHT - This or That?

Twilight or Harry Potter?

French fries or potato wedges?

Liquid ortape white out?

Digital or film camera?

Nail clippersor nail scissors?

Rock, paper, or scissors?

Beard or mustache?

Knee high or ankle socks?

Hockey or basketball?

Mr Clean or sponge and ‘the other leading cleaning product’?

NINE - Be cool, stay in school!

What subject are/were you best at? It’s always history, or social studies in general.

How old will you be when you graduate high school / how old were you? I was 18 when I graduated.

Isn’t there that point in the year when you stop caring so much? Yep, it’s usually when you’re a senior.

Do/did you have any really cool teachers? In UP? Absolutely. There’s a lot of shitty profs, but the cool ones are way too hardcore.

Who is/was your most strict teacher? Sir Ruel in my old school. Old man was and is such a fucking loser. Once had a comment about my breasts and I never forgot about it. Also kicked me and a bunch of other kids out of his class in fifth grade because we didn’t have crayons. He actually got booted by the school for a year because a parent complained about him, but he came back after.

Where do/did you sit at lunch? In high school, the cafeteria was too crowded so my friend group would hang out in our classroom, since most of us were classmates. Right now, lunch just depends on my schedule and where I happen to be by noon.

What do/did you do at recess? Catch up on homework I skipped the night before.

There’s always that one kid who no one really knows, right? LOL, yes.

Is/was your cafeterias food actually any good? It used to be good. Then they kind of hired this company to start making the meals starting junior year and the food was never as good again.

Do/did you have a stereotypical school, with all those cliques and such? You can say that. We had popular party kids, smart but still cool kids, soccer players, the basketball players who all turned out gay, kids who kinda just hovered in the middle, and those who were kinda brushed to the side were the theatre and anime kids.

TEN - Randomly Platypus.

Do you like your toothbrush really wet when you’re brushing your teeth? Not really wet. I just make sure I’ve put it under the running water before applying the toothpaste.

What song are you currently obsessed with? Not into anything at the moment.

What was the stupidest dare you’ve ever done? I hate dares, so I don’t do them haha.

Do you enjoy playing with tape? No?

What’s one word/phrase you say too much? LITERALLY. Which is a problem because most of the time, the things I associate the word with aren’t literal.

When was the last time you went trick-or-treating? 2017.

What did you last use a knife for? Haha, my orgmates were cooking up lunch and I volunteered to chop up the onions. Fun fact: First time to use a knife, ever.

When you open a pack of gum, why is everyone your best friend? Because gum is always a good idea.

What has been on your mind way too much? Completing my requirements for internship so I can submit them as early as possible.

Did you actually enjoy my survey? Sure. Categories are always fun.

[punkscowardschampions]

Ali & Carly

Ali: . . . – – – . . . Carly: ? Carly: nodded on your phone Ali: OG 🍑📞 Ali: nah save me Carly: it's pretty lemme just grab a 💄 really quick Carly: what's up baby? Ali: you are and I need distracting Ali: got band practice and I really have to Ali: missed the last two so she's dead moody Carly: go solo ill play a tambourine for you Carly: until you get famous anyway Ali: we'll get you those noise cancelling headphones they give to rockstars kids Ali: then you just gotta close your eyes n shine Carly: aw Carly: you're a 🍑 Carly: but before then I know how to sweeten up rockstars Carly: lots of jd is 🔑 yea so ill swipe ronans & its a party Ali: know that'll go down a treat Ali: almost as good as the ego stroke of calling them rockstars Carly: y you asked me its a not so hidden talent of mine Carly: strokes where needed Ali: 🎨 Ali: alright monet Ali: I'll try not to make it completely boring Carly: i have to take 5 to finish up here or he'll be dead moody Carly: so he's all you have to be more fun than Carly: & whats more boring than a horny lad when ur not feeling it Ali: easy Ali: I remember being that bored Ali: less memory more reliving but shh Ali: all fun and games yeah ✌ Carly: yea Carly: he gets it over quick tho some go & go without getting u anywhere Carly: ha Carly: ive got a home to go to sometimes boy Ali: he's very considerate like that Carly: i wont share it w him too big of a word for rn Carly: wheres this practice @ Ali: 'course not Ali: all he needs to hear is biggest and best Ali: memory serves Ali: in one of the other's garage Ali: so punk rock Ali: I'll come meet you Carly: long as he can call me a slut & I make the right noises it dont matter what I say Carly: thats every lad on here Carly: k well he's done so direct me Carly: u dont wanna meet me outside here Ali: if that's your jam, go off Ali: you mean you don't trust me not to 👊 your mans 😏 Ali: I started walking, call me a pessimist, Ronan 🤷 Carly: yea u kno for a good time call any of these caravans Carly: the old lady w the gnomes is a dark horse like Carly: i don't want u to see me looking this way ty ronan 💘 Carly: so rough about everything Carly: him & u ha Ali: she's living my dream, I remember her Ali: the pink trailer, like Ali: shoulda been going to see her if not you Ali: 🤡 Ali: you alright? Ali: you need a sec or Ali: idk, anything else Carly: her cats are living my dream Carly: lying in the sun all day, getting fat Carly: being loved whenever they ask Carly: i need a drink but im taking all of his its k Ali: duh Ali: only had it slightly better in ancient Egypt, like Ali: forever goals Ali: we'll drink it on the way Ali: need to see where to put their fingers Ali: not code for gay shit but like Ali: also Carly: theres lots they can have some as promised Carly: he owed me for all the 💊 Ali: you're sweet Carly: we can get your gf ☕ to dump it in thats the adult thing to do Carly: trying to make her happy not more mad Ali: she's 17 Ali: she just fronts a good game Ali: suppose one of us should Ali: #badgirlfriend Carly: ur the best wife tho Carly: ive missed u Ali: 😚 Ali: comments like that are why I've deffo missed you more Carly: aw Carly: comments like urs r why ill make today really fun for u Ali: 💚 Ali: we can make anything a party yeah Carly: yea Carly: but u gotta help me carry these drinks to cos i think my wrist was broken from all the coaxing that boy needs when hes been on it Ali: ugh, the struggle is so real Ali: though if you use that as an ice breaker they're all gonna look at you blankly Ali: fucking lesbian priviledge amirite Carly: i bet at least one of them's hurt their wrist trying to get a girl off Carly: half who go to our school r so uptight you need to check for sticks Carly: catholic guilt be like Ali: 😂 real Ali: but you gotta be on my side Ali: already outnumbered Ali: team bi for the day okay Carly: so i can talk about masturbating with my grandma's jesus cross or i cant Ali: you can Ali: that's a story whoevers company Ali: 'cept grandma, obvs Carly: punk rock enough? Carly: if theyre all as scary as ur lesbian im shotgunning more beers Carly: bag of recycling before we even get to the garage Ali: when she cares about the 🌍 Ali: 😍 Ali: they ain't, if we're being real Carly: dont want the earth to die Carly: its so pretty Carly: & fun Carly: k i wont have every can Carly: before we get there Ali: 👼🌟🌈🍓🐰👸 Ali: you Ali: and I'm literally just 'round the corner hold on Ali: not dragging my feet 'cos of you babe Carly: ur too sweet Carly: are you the singer & the guitarist or do they make you just do one cos youre too big of a 🌟 Ali: got it in one babe, I'm relegated to guitar #2 most the time Ali: at least you can own the stage more when you ain't so Carly: ill tell them you need to be 1st guitar & lead singer you're too talented for it to go to waste Carly: its sad Carly: but its cute that youre in a band together Ali: you wanna be backup baby? Carly: yea but i cant 😢😢 Ali: you can when it's just us though Ali: you're too pure for rock n roll anyway Ali: their brand of Carly: how you said that makes me think i need to drink more Ali: it's a good thing about you Ali: just saying though, my voice will be fucked by the end of this Carly: ill get you some 🍯 baby Carly: you can be 👼 again in no time Carly: church ready Ali: only if you coming with Ali: 😈 Carly: only if we do some more sinning first Carly: make it worth the walk Ali: naturally Ali: how we do Carly: k Carly: are all the band dating each other or just you two Ali: 😏 more and more apparent how straight you ain't tbh Ali: currently off again, I think Ali: they've all dated each other though, every which way you can combo it Carly: i have met a lesbian before ur rescued me @ that party Carly: been hit on by lots Carly: i kno they like to date in circles & all kinds of other shapes Ali: I bet Carly: aw don't be jealous Carly: i didnt like it Carly: ur my fave Ali: I'm not Ali: am glad I ain't giving off those predatory vibes though Ali: good to know, like Carly: you give off the best vibes Ali: 👼 energy, baby Carly: 🌟💙 Ali: let's hit 'em with it Carly: yea Ali: after she can drive us to a decent shindig 🤞 Carly: me & a car full of gays Carly: ronan will be in a mood ha Ali: always a bonus Ali: also always in a mood Ali: they really would get on if she could get over the whole man hate vibe Carly: ill bring him to the next rehearsal Carly: he thinks hes got what it takes Ali: 😏 Ali: I'll put my money on Mar Ali: poor boy Carly: steals my 🎸 every time he comes over Carly: i cant be impressed that you can play 2 chords baby boy I'm sorry Ali: 😩💦 Ali: even as relegated #2 I can do more than that Ali: promise Carly: me too & im only groupie #1 Carly: he still tries to teach me tho Carly: so boring Ali: 🙄 Ali: what a dickhead Ali: he just wants to be behind you to 'position' your hands, boys love that shit don't they Ali: I know how to play pool too so get off Carly: we should play my da taught me Carly: make some money & have some fun Ali: I'm down Carly: k Carly: cos i need to buy more 💊s he really did eat them all Carly: 😢😢 Ali: Babe Ali: I know a reliable lad Ali: invite him Ali: make it a party Carly: yea me & him been up since i saw you last how long ago was that? forever it feels Carly: be more fun away from site Ali: damn Ali: how the other half live Ali: I feel like I haven't had any fun since I last saw you Ali: get enough to take the edge of your comedown if nothing else or that'll be rough Carly: i wanted to invite u my baby but u kno how he gets Carly: hates that weve met Carly: ill make you feel good now promise Carly: hes had too much of my time Ali: worried that Imma tell you horror stories like you don't know him? Ali: backatcha 💚 Ali: swear Carly: yea he thinks my head's empty Carly: just a body like Carly: not that weve done school for years together or anything Carly: i kno i dont always go but boy come on Ali: you're miles ahead of him Ali: he only acts like he reckons that 'cos he don't want you coming to your senses and binning him off proper, like Carly: ur lil bro writes & reads better Carly: but hes a smart lil cutie Carly: what am i gonna do move the caravan in the middle of the night? no wheels is there Carly: stuck as fwb til he gets married his wife finds out & comes for me Ali: yeah he likes you too Ali: always chatting on when you coming 'round again so you know Ali: better hang some more, for his sake Ali: I know you got locks Carly: aw i love him Carly: always wanted a lil bro but my rents dont fuck no more so that ain't happening Carly: unless my dad knocks up someone younger Carly: u kno id lock myself out & end up round there Carly: ha Ali: lil blue pills don't fail us now Ali: ick Ali: should go to casa flamenco Ali: don't think she'd steal your stash Ali: oldies always have their own, the real good shit too Carly: that what ur calling it Carly: ill steal hers Ali: exactly Ali: 😍 #babe Ali: ronan who Carly: i do go older but not sure i could handle peeling back the wrinkles Ali: weak 😉 Carly: you seduce her for me, thats love Carly: & you wanna be under her anyway Ali: 'scuse you Ali: I'm happily married Carly: me too Carly: pimping me out to the older generation wasnt in the vows were it Ali: could've been Ali: you know how creative I am Carly: yea i do love that about you Ali: I 👀 you Ali: [runs up and takes some of the shit] Carly: [unnecessarily long hug moment because always] Ali: ['it does feel like forever'] Carly: [just rambling on about how much she's missed her & like all the compliments for how she looks/what she's wearing etc cos again always] Ali: [lbr she'd go all out for rehersals even so it would be a look, Ali lowkey fixing Carly up whilst checking 'cos was concerned but not gonna make it a Thing tm] Carly: [save her Ali she looks like shit rn & your gf don't need to be seeing her like that] Ali: [finishing by kissing her nose 'cos that is a thing] Carly: [😳 but really happy obvs & another hug cos they really have missed each other so] Ali: [walking and talking baby] Carly: [& letting Ali catch up with all the drinks Carly's had] Ali: [giving her the lowdown on the other bitches who are clearly not as scary as kstew] Carly: [you'd think she's not listening because 1. state of her & 2. how distracting Ali is in her lewk but she is] Ali: [is like soz it's boring but I'll make it fun] Carly: [she's like its not you're just pretty & also I'm saving you & making it fun] Ali: ['not about to beg but please do'] Carly: ['knew I should've locked that down in the vows' cos being flirty with it] Ali: ['too late now babe, 'less you make me wanna renew'] Carly: [is just like yeah okay will do, soz kstew but we know its true so] Ali: [turning up to your function, imagine kstews face oop] Carly: [Carly handing the booze out cos she's a babe while kstew talks shit on her by pulling Ali aside like we said] Carly: u want me to go? Ali: [Ali tryna explain but also being kinda over this mood like why can't she be here, u lowkey know why but you know] Ali: no Ali: don't Ali: I'll sort it Carly: k Carly: [Carly just drinking a little bit too hard cos the vibe is wrong & her anxiety don't need this thank you ladies] Ali: [just walking away and being like okay come on let's start 'cos can't argue if you're playing] Carly: [pissing about on some spare instruments while they're setting up cos awks] Ali: I've text the lad Ali: reckons 10 minutes 👍 Carly: 💙🌟 Carly: ty Ali: [ooh crimson and clover 'cos joan did it and it'd be a sexy moment so blatantly directed at carly] Carly: [Carly literally 😍 harder than her gf is, oops] Carly: [& so many compliments as soon as the song is over before kstew can get a word in, god bless] Ali: [gently/not being a patronizing dick with it showing her dance moves and stuff like getting her involved without being like you have to perform now lol] Carly: [k stew fuming like now the WARM UP is done we should play OUR songs we all know the type like excuse you everyone is having fun especially my sweet baby angel] Ali: [being like oh but I just learnt this song it's got a good bass bit we should do that, overruled lol] Carly: [has to go with it cos no argument she can make that won't sound petty as hell and not trying to look like that bitch in front of the squad] Ali: [doing electric feel for the gay sexiness] Carly: [Carly even more into it cos a song she knows cos lets say she don't know the glory of our cat song just because so its such a moment okay bye] Carly: [Marlene calling a 🚬 break immediately after cos fuming & that can also be when Drew comes] Ali: [as if you weren't fuming enough there's how a man here 😍 at your woman, also giving them droogs] Carly: [meanwhile Carly ain't noticed cos sharing a 🚬 with the prettiest & least intimidating lesbian perched on her lap like so cosy....way to kill Ali babe we know she's special but let her know please] Carly: [hops off to get her drugs but still a moment] Ali: [these other girls just stirring the pot rn lmao] Carly: [that girl being like you should come out with us & Carly's like yeah cos she's pure] Ali: you know this one's flirting with you too, yeah? Ali: 😏 Carly: ha Carly: shes nice Ali: yeah Ali: pretty cute Carly: u kno the dealer wants to fuck you tho yea Carly: hes pretty Ali: obvs Ali: his hairs a bit naff but yeah Carly: ur gf is gonna drag him out by it Carly: let me slip him my number first ty Ali: lol 🙄 Ali: better you have his, no Ali: 💊 Ali: idk why she's the fun police today Carly: k good idea Carly: [goes to get his deets] Carly: she's so mad Carly: u gotta love me more when shes not around Ali: i ain't done nothing Carly: shes jealous of me like i am of her Carly: two girls one 💙 Carly: [lowkey flirting with Drew before he gets thrown out] Ali: hmm Ali: maybe you can duel Ali: [helping herself 'cos they clearly got enough to go around 'cos Drew's easy lol] Carly: 😢😢 Carly: you want me to be killed Ali: don't be silly Ali: not very gentlemanly of her, she'd never Ali: for someone so punk she loves following rules you know Carly: y u like her or y ur bored? Ali: [casually loling at her phone like what you think] Carly: [a moment of eye contact soz kstew] Carly: y dont i kno this lad? Ali: idk Ali: he wasn't always that cocky Ali: maybe his pubes came in Carly: ha Carly: ill find out Carly: gotta b known as the school slag not the girl who pissed herself on the stage Ali: more catchy Ali: I get it Carly: u only remember our wedding day i kno but it tends to stick in everyone else's memories Carly: a day of bad vibes Ali: I remember you but not like that Carly: hope its not worse Carly: how you do Carly: [casually taking too many 💊 to deal with the bender she's been on with the gypsies, you know Drew will remember her like this] Ali: nah Ali: you were cute Ali: and nice when all these random english kids showed up Carly: cos you were cuter Carly: im always nice to the pretty ones Ali: 💘 Ali: s'a good line walsh, you get it off him n all Carly: 💔😢 Carly: i love you i dont need him feeding me those kind of lines Carly: we gotta crush some of these tho its gonna take forever to kick in Ali: only joking baby don't be sad Ali: [comes over and helps 'cos why not kstew already furious her band practice has descended into anarchy] Carly: [using a shoe she's wearing for once to crush pills casually but stops to put her head on Ali's shoulder cos is sad lowkey] Ali: [gives her top of the head kisses] Carly: [is smiling again & telling her how much she missed her again and all that good gay content while Marlene fumes in the distance] Ali: [whispers like sorry for the bad vibes and I am gonna fix this 'cos she knows it's been fucked but realistically don't know what she's doing about it yet 'cos where do we stand] Carly: [kisses her on the forehead cos that big brain always thinking & worrying & she know] Carly: u wanna 👃 or 👅? Ali: 👃 Carly: yea dont want a numb mouth Carly: no fun Ali: probably would help my throat but kinda 'bout that smokes and drinks a 40 a day vibe so Ali: soz to my nasal cavity in advance Carly: the 🍯 is coming as promised Carly: [puts enough powder in her hand for Ali to snort, how intimate excuse them like she could have used her own hand or any surface Carly but go off] Ali: you're sweet enough darling Ali: [soz kstew just gals being pals 'cos obvs returning the favour and 'holding her hair out the way' aka stroking it] Carly: [when you more about that intimacy than the drug you're trying to take] Carly: aw Ali: [moment being ruined by some kind of unignorable strop moment from marlene clearly so she has to go and have an argument brb] Carly: should i go now? Ali: wait for me Ali: please? Ali: outside if you like or whatever, I'm being selfish but Ali: I ain't staying either Carly: k Carly: [is outside quietly singing a little mash up of both gay covers while she waits, just little bits of lyrics she likes from each lol] Ali: [not tryna drag this out and clearly we can't let it get to let's break up point so] Carly: lets go have some real fun Ali: [when she comes out, resting her arms on her shoulders and spinning her 'round and 'round like let's go] Carly: [is loving life again bye bitches] Ali: ['we can do anything we wanna' means now but also like always] Carly: [is buzzing because her life is literally so stagnant already like what a welcome premise & hugs her cos that's what she wants to do, always gotta be touching] Ali: [and hand holding] Carly: [complimenting her AGAIN as they going along cos she's a really good singer tbf so] Ali: [chatting away 'bout the kinda music she wanna do and what the band is about and starting her own etc but also about how pretty Carly's voice is and how it's too precious for the stage anyway] Carly: [okay but after they've nerded out over music Carly be like 'wait for me' runs into a shop really quick & buys Ali some honey for real cos she that nerd & presents it to her really happily wrapped in her headscarf or something cos again nerd] Ali: [you know how buzzing and touched she'd be 'cos also that nerd, being like you're such an angel and imma get you something so special etc] Carly: [Carly like you gotta eat it tho & opens it right there like she gonna drip it into Ali's mouth if she don't how gaaaaaay, steals some with her finger too obvs cos cute but also accidentally sexy all the time] Ali: [winnie screeching in the distance] Carly: [gets a phone call from her mum & answers in this state cos no fucks given on either side & then turns to Ali like my turn to take you to a family bbq cos I think the contrast would be hilarious so we should but not now cos give them some alone time @ god] Ali: [is down 'cos she's not a snob unlike someone we know rosalin and she'd be lowkey about it 'cos any excuse to spend time] Carly: [ronan will 100% be there cos hilarious like you gotta fight him Ali tbh] Carly: [just rambling about how much she loves Ali rn though cos always] Carly: 💙🌟🐝👼🚀 Ali: [backatcha and dropping the charity shop plan] Carly: [is so down obvs like little kid levels of excited] Ali: [running thru the streets of dublin like babes] Carly: [god fucking bless] Ali: [charity shop crawl so wild like leave 'em be world] Carly: [like how pure that they think of cat lady Ro & kstew would never bitch] Ali: [probably making friends with all the nice old ladies in there/horrifying the old bitches tho too lol] Carly: [this is why Carly makes my heart hurt cos she'd wanna be friends but would probably horrify lol] Ali: [tbf they are high] Carly: [as per again let them live peeps its summer] Ali: [should steal something but like something really tiny and silly 'cos sinning and stealing from a charity shop is pretty bad in a cute way somehow lol] Carly: [but leaving shoes behind or something cos barefoot life so the universe is balanced] Ali: [and ali would buy stuff for 'em both but making sure carly knows this ain't THE gift 'cos wants to swag that lol] Carly: [okay but can they also come back to buy homewares for the caravan when she gets her own thanks bye] Ali: [absolutely, just window shopping rn how you do like 'when I have my own place' but saying we 'cos #married] Carly: [Ali can actually get one of the actual things when cos its still there, oh my heart]

[snowpatrolfanclubbrazil]

The band formed while at university, spending almost a decade as part of the Scottish guitar underground.

But then something remarkable happened: they starting selling records. And more records. And even more records.

Enjoying an incredible second wind, Snow Patrol became part of the fabric of everyday life, their songs beamed out of car stereos and shop windows across the land.

Before something curious happened. Removing themselves from sight, Snow Patrol took five years to construct new album 'Wildness', five years spent battling demons and exploring fresh paths.

Clash writer Johnny Rogerson speaks to Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody to find out why...

You were at Pinkpop festival over the weekend, how did that go?

Yeah it was great, that was our third time playing Pinkpop and we were on before Pearl Jam. It was a beautiful day as well. Getting to play on the same stage as one of the band that influenced us to begin with. Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden were the three bands that made me want to be in a band in the first place.

Congratulations on the new album, you put on Twitter that this is the one you’re most proud of, how come? With this album, I gave everything I could give. With the previous albums I thought that I couldn’t give more but this is the one where I gave everything that I possibly could have given. I had quite a few breakdowns in the middle of it and there were many times when I thought I was never going to write another song again.

I had epiphanies and all kind of incredible things happen and all kinds of terrible things happen during the making of this record. It was an extraordinary thing to be part of. I don’t know whether I’d be able to do it all again the way it was done and I hope I never have to go through it again in the way it was the last time, but it taught me a hell of a lot.

In some ways, it taught me how to not go through it again but in terms of the outcome, it’s certainly the album that I am the most proud of. It feels true not trite.

What was the catalyst for the new record?

The record generally, is based around trying to find a calmness, in an uncalm, crazy world. That’s what I was doing in my own life. I didn’t know I was but, I was trying to find my way in the dark, looking for a light switch that I only found when I stopped drinking, but that was only two years ago. That’s why this record took five years to make. Generally, when records take five years they become garbled, you’ve usually overthought it. What happened was I was trying to get my own life on the straight and narrow at the same time as making a record, which is impossible.

It was only really when I stopped drinking, two years ago, that I was able to start to write with clarity. So, the idea that this was a five or seven year record is slightly misleading, it was a five year, seven year journey of discovery to figure out what was going on with my life and the album just happened to take place during that.

‘What If This Is All The Love You Ever Get?’, is this one of the moments where you’re reflecting on the past five or seven years?

Yeah in some ways. The genesis of the song was really about a few friends of mine who had been getting divorced, a lot of people going through a lot of hurt and hard times. I’ve not be divorced but I’ve had long term relationships and stuff, it’s basically me saying I’ve been in the wreckage too, I’ve been in the ruins, come over and we can help each other. It’s a song about trying to appreciate the love we have when we have it but it’s also about sharing your hard times with the people that you love. Trying to figure them out on your own is a bastard.

This record aims to answer questions, rather than ask them like your previous questions, despite the song title being a question, this feels like one of those tracks where you do answer some questions, do you feel that’s fair?

Yeah, the verses ask a question, but the chorus gives a reasonably good answer.: let’s share this pain, let’s share this hurt. ‘What If This Is All The Love You Ever Get?’ in itself is a question but built into it is an answer. Do you want this to be what defines you? Are you going to let this slip through your fingers?

There’s a lot more acoustic guitar on this record compared to the other Snow Patrol records…

Yeah, there’s a quality to the acoustic guitar. It’s not an acoustic album but the acoustic guitar brings not only a cooler sound but also a percussiveness and an extra layer of rhythm that an electric guitar doesn’t have as the microphone doesn’t pick up your actual playing.

It was a fascinating thing to try and use the acoustic guitar in as many ways as possible rather than playing the electric guitar and using all kinds of pedals to make it sound different. It’s like, there you go you’ve got one weapon now use it in as many different ways as you can. It keeps the brain ticking over and made me think a lot more about how I was playing and the rhythms I was choosing to play. The rhythms on this record are a lot more adventurous than we’ve played before.

You’ve also tested your own voice on this record by using more falsetto vocals throughout…

Yeah, I never thought about having to sing them live every night! Yeah, same with the acoustic guitar though, I was trying to do as many things with my voice that I hadn’t done before and push myself. There’s a lot of songs that I’m singing in a range, sometimes even full voice falsetto which is not something I’m particularly known for. I’m singing in a range and a power that took me a long time to get comfortable with. These are not one take vocal tracks, these were me trying and trying and trying. Garrett Lee has the patience of a saint, so he does.

Jacknife Lee has produced your last five records, what makes you continue to use him?

He’s got a lot of dirt on me. No, he’s just a genius, he really is. There’s no other word for it. He’s the best producer working in music at the moment. He’s not just a producer, he’s a co-writer, a co-conspirator, a track builder. I’ll bring a song to him and he will help build it. He plays every instrument too, he’s one of those guys, one of those bastards. So he can build a track and we have a look at it and actually being able to see a track form in front of your eyes is a hell of a thing.

Some producers will tell you things like I want this song to sound a bit more purple or make everyone swap instruments. He’s like, let’s get in a place where you can be inspired and then let’s work hard.

You’ve got a huge tour of America with Ed Sheeran coming up, then you’re back to the UK and Ireland for the arena dates, how excited are you to get back out there playing shows?

I can’t wait. America’s going to be great fun. We took him on tour in 2011, we were playing theatres and small arenas, playing to between three and six thousand people and now we’re playing stadiums on his tour so he’s repaid the favour in ten-fold but we’re very grateful to him. Then we’re back to the UK and Ireland and we can’t wait.

Going away for seven years you’ve no right to come back and expect to play arenas. We’re just blown away and completely over the mood by the response. You can’t be arrogant and think things are going to fall back into place again. It’s not going to be like it was because a lot of time has passed but to be able to get to back to arenas is an absolute joy.

- - -

We had a resurrection in 2003 that not many bands get to experience. It’s very rare.

- - -

It’s 20 years this year since your debut album, what’s been the highlights?

We started the band in 1994, so next year will be 25 years and we’re arranging some interesting things for the quarter century. The reason why we didn’t release anything in the first four years was because I was at university and my mum would’ve killed me if I’d have left early! We’ve been very blessed. Playing the biggest show in Northern Irish history, 42,000 people, that was something very special. Getting to headline so many festivals and our own arena shows.

Selling 15 million albums too. The first 10 years we released two albums and got dropped. We sold 14,000 albums in those first 10 years and so we weren’t expecting to be a million selling band never mind a multi-million selling band. We never thought that’d happen so that’s been a massive highlight.

I guess to have a second career, we’re kind of on our third career now, but to be dropped by an indie and then signed by a major, that never happens! We had a resurrection in 2003 that not many bands get to experience. It’s very rare.

Finally, let’s go back to 2009 V Festival when you stepped in for Oasis, what goes through your head when you receive that news?

It’s funny, that was the first thing I thought of when you asked about the highlights but I didn’t say it because we were deputising, so I thought maybe it’s not quite our moment it’s someone else’s moment that they bestowed upon us. That was the best gig we ever did. That was the most extraordinary night of our lives.

In the morning I woke up to missed phone calls and text messages and everyone was trying to tell me Oasis had split up and you’re headlining, asking me if I felt the pressure? I was thinking to myself, well yes, I may well be crushed into a diamond at any point. Walking onto that stage I’m just glad people couldn’t hear my knees clanging together I was terrified thinking, these guys are going to be pissed off because they were expecting to see Oasis and they’re not there.

We walked onto that stage and the reception that we got was just unbelievable and everybody sung every word and they treated it as if we were a headline band. We played some Oasis songs as an encore, so they got a little bit of an Oasis fix. There was loads of other bands saying that that was the best gig they ever saw and that’s how it felt to us.

But it’s rare when you do a gig like that and people agree. That night everybody was like that’s the best gig we’ve seen in a long time. That was an amazing night, it’ll be very hard to beat that.

- - -

- - -

Snow Patrol's new album 'Wildness' is out now.

Words: Johnny Rogerson

[franeridart]

WHOA BLACK CLOVER HAS AN ANIME NOW I GOTTA GO WATCH IT

Well, only the first episode for now but yeah!!! I can’t wait for my favs to show up aaahhhhhh!!!!!! 

Anon said:Omg, Kirishima, please teach me how to put on eyeliner, your eyeliner game is on point! (Seriously, tho, I love how you draw their eyes and how you draw Kiri in general. He seems so soft. Damn, Bakugou, I'm jealous that you can cuddle him)

THANK YOU!!!! And Kiri has really really pretty lashes in the manga too, doesn’t he? Bakugou too! They have seriously pretty eyes I spend a lot of time trying to get that right when drawing haha still not as good at Horikoshi tho after all, but what can we do~

Anon said:Every time I get a notification you posted something I get extremely happy! That's what your drawings did to me. How can one be so talented.

SOB thank you so much!! You being happy makes me happy so it’s happiness all around!!! What a good!!!

Anon said:Heey!! So I've been wondering... if Aizawa used his quirk on Hagakure would she become visible?? (Btw love your art)

Oh my what a question, I was actually talking about this not too long ago with a friend! And the conclusion ended up being that if her invisibility is a permanent mutation he can’t, but if she can turn it off at will then probably he can too! Right now we still don’t know how exactly Tooru’s quirk tho, so we can’t be sure which is the truth! (I like to think she can turn visible if she wants, but that’s just an headcanon with very little basis haha)

Anon said:Your erasermic art has blessed me 4ever thank u

NAH thank you for liking it and letting me know, man!!!

Anon said:I DIDNT KNOW YOU SHIP ERASERMIC OH MY GOD but seriously you're one of my favourite artists and the fact you like pretty much all the same things as I do is so amazing to me and it makes me so happy because I know that you may draw more of it in the future and I'll get to see more beautiful art if that makes sense lmao thanks for creating stuff 👌👌

Hahahaha yeah it’s one of my top ships in the fandom! Also the only one I read fics for aside from krbk I love them A LOT (and it’s all thanks to my sister who directed my attention towards them a long time ago now, thank you sis) so yeah I’ll definitely draw more of them in the future!!!! And thank you so much for liking my stuff!!!!!

Anon said:Hi! I just want to say I love your headcanon of Aizawa becoming a mentor/role model to Bakugou! Thank you for introducing me to that idea!

YOU’RE MOST WELCOME I’m just a huge huge huge fan of the Aizawa&Bakugou interactions and how much Aizawa cares for him and how much Bakugou respects and trusts him in return, so!!! I’m mostly just pushing on that canon stuff hahaha

Anon said:HORY SHEET BOYO THAT ERASERMIC SHIT IS GOOD SHIT

THANK YOU FRIEND!!!

Anon said:i came to love erasermic thru kiribaku tbh. like i saw erasermic fic in the kiribaku tag on ao3 and i read it for the bg kiribaku (kirishima was such a good boi in that fic ngl) and i was like hey erasermic isnt bad. then i saw your art of them comparing them and i was like hey this is good shit 😁👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌 keep it up pal

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ll t r y !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :O

Anon said:Do you think Kyoka and Katsuki could get along? Over their like for punkrock maybe, and their gayness. Kinda like Todoroki and Momo's talks about their tiny crushes.

WHY YES ANON I think they could be the bestest of pals, I’ve actually drawn them together now and again cause I like the idea of them being friends so much - a list of some of the things Bakugou and Jirou do together:

make fun of Kaminari (Kaminari feels attacked and liked it better when Jirou was convinced she didn’t like Bakugou)

share music recs and go to concerts together (when it’s big ones they particularly care for they stand in line The Whole Day and at first it used to be sorta awkward but now being together makes the hours fly)

mutter sass and snark under their breaths to themselves in class and without meaning make the other snort or have to hide an actual laugh (they sit next to each other in class did you know that that’s my fav thing tbh)

say “god, I’m so fucking gay” and answer “mood” whenever Kirishima and Momo, like, exist or do anything equally outrageous

sit next to each other with their phones in hand in silence and at the same time look up with an intense/bored/obviously-judging-sero-come-on-look-at-them expression whenever anyone walks past them (they’re actually playing bullshit app games)

play bullshit app games in co-op or having each other as friends to earn more rewards cause they have a No-Judging policy going on between them that makes sharing this sort of otherwise embarrassing stuff with each other okay

Anon said:Hi!!! I love your art and I just wanted to ask....what band were you referring to when you said Mic named him after the band "eraserhead"? Could you possibly be talking about the filipino band "Eraserheads"?

Yeah!!!!! Tho I’m sorry to let you down anon, but I haven’t actually ever heard much from them (justttt one song two days ago cause I got curious) - I found out about them while looking up the movie!

Anon said:I love how you draw mic with his hair in a bun. It's super cute

THANK YOU!!!! But I can’t really take the merit for that, since that’s how he actually wears his hair (more or less) when he doesn’t gel it up for his hero costume!

Anon said:What is your favorite kiribaku au? :D

Oh boy, I sort of love everything and anything I’ve ever seen/read tbh, I’m a HUGE AU lover!! At the moment to anything with the fantasy AU (and dragon!Kiri is always a super welcome plus) is gonna make me go :O !!!!!!!! hahaha so maybe that, who knows! It’s for sure the one I think about the most!

Anon said:Hellooooo i love your art so much? Especially the bakushimas oh my god (also do you plan on drawing more soul eater *coughs*-deathstar-*coughs* in the future?) Have a good day!!

THANK YOU! And I dunno, maybe! If inspiration strikes, why not!

Anon said:hey guess what i just did... went through your ENTIRE art tag (all the way back to the knb and one piece), i found it really cool to see how your art has developed and see what your fav ship is at a certain time (and how you always come back to bokuroo)

Ah man thank you for spending all that time on my blog hahaha I wouldn’t say I always go back to bokuro though? It’s more like... whenever the manga brings the bokuros back I’m ready to start hyping all over them again hahaha my bokuro periods always happened while they were doing things in the manga, after all~

Anon said:u said u couldnt draw iida, lie of the century. i lvoe u

AHHHHH I’m glad you liked him!!!! I spent lotsa time on him in the past month or so trying to get a grasp on him, so I’m really seriously happy it seems to have paid off!! to quote Todoroki

Anon said:where’s ur faq i’m on mobile

SORRY maybe you already noticed but I added the link in the description! 

Anon said:have you ever thought about if eri-chan can... erase her own quirk?? and would how they might handle it

Actually that’s the first thing I thought when Mirio got his own erased... well, it still depends on what exactly Eri’s quirk does? We sorta assumed she had the same quirk as Chisaki, but they aren’t actually related so who knows? I sure hope she can fix the damage done on Mirio, tho!

Anon said:I ADORE YOUR ART SO MUCH OH GOD HAVE A NICE DAY FRAN

OH MY GOD THANK YOU I HOPE YOU HAVE A NICE DAY TOO!!!

Anon said:Usjeiwiwj oh man, i love cats, my cat relates to urs big time ajsjehej

Cats are such a mess and I love them with all of my heart to be honest hahaha

Anon said:Do u have any, idk idea about traitor!Kaminari? I just imagine how would others react? I think it's hella sad, and still Denki never wanted this, something just go wrong in his life and it's breakin my heart... ARGH, sorry for interrupt you with something like that...

It’s okay, don’t worry about that haha but I can’t say I find the theory possible in the least, so I haven’t really spent time thinking about it at all? I mean, I can imagine it would be full of angst and regrets and a lot of tears and anger mostly from his close friends, but since I just can’t believe this theory I can’t say I have anything specific I can give you on this orz sorry!

Anon said:Who's get jealous and possessive between bakugou and kirishima?

Actually I dunno man, are they possessive and jealous? I feel like they both would like it when the other told them stuff like “I’m yours” or “you’re mine”, but being there complete and utter trust between them they wouldn’t actually be jealous or act in a possessive way... does that make sense? At most I think they’d be insecure in the beginning of their relationship, but once they managed to make it clear that yes, you’re the one I want, no one else, just you then they would have little to no problems in that sense haha

Anon said:So many people seem to misunderstand bakugou and I just really like how you portray him. Good characterization and good art! 💖✨

SOB THANK YOU !!!!! this means the universe to me oh g o d s!!!!

Anon said:Wait!! This isn't your main blog? Omg how did I not know this. What is your main blog (if you're willing to let people from this blog follow it haha)?

AHHHH yeah I have a main one this one is just for my doods!!! the main is @franeridan, if you wanna follow it! I’m mostly just crying over bakugou and kirishima and complaining a whole damn lot about... everything, tho hahaha

Anon said:I'm not the anon but u know the concept that kiri n Baku would meet when they were younger and when Baku was more... violent? (i know that's not the right word, I'm not a native speaker sorry!) Like I think kiri could actually make Baku less of a bully? Considering how much positive impact he had on his personality AFTER it already developed (like idk if this ask makes sense? What do u think?) ◇ (btw putting smth like ◇ was a genious idea ty, idk if u remember that ask tho?)

Yeah yeah yeah yeah!!!!! Actually I’ve been thinking about this A LOT in the past couple of days and my conclusion ended up being that the key would be either for Kirishima to know Bakugou since they were really young OR for him to not attend Bakugou’s same middle school? Like, if they developed their personalities together, having someone like Kirishima around since they were kids could have made Bakugou develop differently, but if we go with the “they met in middle school” scenario then I think Kirishima would have had the same sort of...soothing? Effect on Bakugou only if Bakugou didn’t see him as a threat to his dream of being the only kid from that middle school to enter UA. Well, a scenario in which they had known each other since they were small young babies and Bakugou reached middle school going “the only one from this middle school to enter UA is gonna be me and Eijirou”, that would have been hella cute wouldn’t it hahaha growing up with a notion of us instead of just me would have changed Bakugou a lot, I’m pretty sure :D

[lizzysnotes]

tiers 2-6 (gonna keep updating this post as i add new peeps so check back ;D)

HENRY ADAMS (36) tom hiddleston * taken by kate aa Occupation: Software Designer  Relationship(s): Clara Neville (girlfriend), Amelia Foster (ex-fiancée), Victor Glass, Frederick Cordel (best friends)

ten years ago, henry was gonna marry amelia but she broke it off soon after they got engaged

so that was fun

she broke his heart!!!!!

didn’t think he would ever love anyone ever again but then he met clara!!!!

they’ve been dating now for a few years and henry!!! loves her so much!!!!!

kinda been toying with the idea of asking her to marry him but he’s so terrified of being hurt again he’s not sure he can do it

he’s been dragging his feet at every new step in their relationship b/c he’s so scared to move forward

suPER SMART and has his own startup company that’s become pretty successful 

the type of dude who holds doors open for girls 

willing to take calculated risks in his business ventures but not so much with his heart 

GILLIAN CARTWRIGHT (27) jennifer lawrence * taken by lizzy Occupation: Relationship(s): Lucas Cartwright, Hannah Cartwright, Sarah Cartwright, Allison Cartwright (sisters), Samantha Thomas (best friend), Nicholas Gray (friend/interest), Nathan Yates (sister’s boyfriend/unsure of), David Carter, Joshua Gordon, Rebecca Taylor, Shannon Ryan, Eloise Ryan, Patrick Nolan (friends), Margaret Gray (irritant/brother’s girlfriend) 

jill helps keep the family grounded in reality 

their dad was just found guilty of money laundering and tax fraud so he’s in jail now and he and their mom are going through a messy divorce after more than thirty years of marriage 

lucas likes pretending that none of this is happening 

hannah likes to think that it’s going to be okay!!!! and that’ll he’ll be proven innocent!!!! and everything will go back to normal 

sarah likes to be dramatic about it

allison likes to be angry

also everyday they seem to find out more horrible things that he’s supposedly done, so that’s fun 

on top of it jill’s recently developed feelings for her best friend’s boyfriend

so that’s fun

sometimes thinks that maybe he feels the same way but she would never, ever act on those feelings!!!!!

pretty worried about her sister’s new relationship with nathan yates

she seems super happy but she’s wondering if they are getting too serious too quickly and is afraid she’s gonna get hurt 

super private, super practical

SARAH CARTWRIGHT (26) emma watson * taken by kate aa Occupation: Relationship(s): Lucas Cartwright, Hannah Cartwright, Gillian Cartwright, Allison Cartwright (sisters), Nathan Yates (boyfriend), Joshua Gordon, David Carter, Shannon Ryan, Eloise Ryan, Patrick Nolan (irritants/friends), Margaret Gray (enemy), Madeline Cordel (best friend) 

feels!!!!!! emotions!!!!!!!! deeply!!!!

wears her heart on her sleeve

everyone in the room knows exactly how she’s feeling at any given moment

can sometimes be a drama queen honestly 

super high energy and giddy when she’s happy

sulky when she’s sad

loves to experience things!!!!! loves to travel!!!!! 

hasn’t ever really dated anyone b/f b/c she has supER high expectations

tbh they are probably a little unrealistic

reads too many books and watches too many movies

was kinda in a bad place after her dad went to prison and her parents divorced

spent a lot of time in her room and taking long walks and generally just feeling brokenhearted by it all 

has def been in a better mood since meeting nathan tho!! 

when she met nathan she was just so!!!! swept up by him!!!!!

seems to understand her more than anyone else she’s ever met 

can be a little self-centered and impatient at times but her heart is def in the right place!

loves watching the rain

can tell that david is interested in her and she’s flattered by she wishes he move on so they could just be friends 

thinks with her heart not her head

CATHERINE CLARKE (32) gal gadot * open Occupation: Relationship(s): Natalie Clarke, Emma Clarke, Sophia Clarke, Teresa Clarke, Cecilia Clarke (sisters), Mark Carter (friend), Sebastian Cordel (interest), Brian Clarke (cousin)

basically raised her sisters

her mom died when she was 12 and while they still had their dad, he wasn’t the same afterwards

Wine Mom

not ~technically a mom but has it down

says lots of loud and embarrassing things about “her kids”

“i’m a cool mom” ~ cate,

“no she isn’t” ~ lia

AGGRESSIVELY WANTS THEM TO GET MARRIED AND BE HAPPY

sorta feels like it is too late for her???

plus if any guy comes around and tries to get with her she waves them off b/c she doesn’t have time for that

kinda lives vicariously through her sisters and is a little too pushy whenever a guy shows the slightest interest in them

(also lowkey always had a crush on sebastian cordel even tho she knew he hated her and when he got married it secretly crushed her)

honestly has been talking of nothing else but the wedding between joesph cole and emma ever since he breathed in her general direction.

lia is her joy, emma is her pride

loves the middle girls, too, but isn’t as close with them

can be a little dramatic sometimes

needs to know where all of her peeps are at all times so texts them all a lot

EMMA CLARKE (30) emilia clarke * taken by kate aa Occupation: Florist Relationship(s): Catherine Clarke, Natalie Clarke, Sophia Clarke, Teresa Clarke, Cecilia Clarke (sisters), Mark Carter (best friend), Alexandra Cole, Rebecca Taylor (friends), Joseph Cole (interest) Brian Clarke (cousin)

when her cousin brian needed a place to crash, emma was quick to offer the couch to him!!!!

natalie was less happy about it but she let it happen

emma has been the perfect hostess and caters to his every whim!!!!

she’s so nice to him that he doesn’t really wanna leave

(it has been a year)

but that’s just who emma is!

she’s sweet and kind and caring and the word no isn’t in her vocabulary

she’s the “back up mom”

has helped cate mother the other girls but in a much quieter, more helpful way

less in ur face about it. quiet, kind, considerate

sees the good in everyone (even when it isn’t there tbh)

such heart!!!! eyes!!!!! @ joseph cole but too shy to do anything about it.

NATALIE CLARKE (28) alicia vikander * taken by lizzy Occupation: Editor Relationship(s): Catherine Clarke, Emma Clarke, Sophia Clarke, Teresa Clarke, Cecilia Clarke (sisters), Elizabeth Martin, Mark Carter (best friends), Christopher Ellis, Virginia Ellis, Alexandra Cole (annoyances), Brian Clarke (cousin/annoyance), Dominic Young (intrigued), Arthur Ellis, Joseph Cole, Xavier Quaine (friends)

doesn’t take life too seriously

laughs at everything

kinda cynical

wishes chris would stop trying to talk to her

lives with her sis, emma

emma is hands down her fav sibling

loves all of them but honestly rolls her eyes/is frustrated with the other four a LOT. so thankful for everything that catherine did for her growing up but is glad to be out of the house

can be kinda judgemental of other ppl???

impulsive, stubborn, outspoken, vivacious, loving

her cousin brian is currently crashing on their couch b/c emma said he could stay as long as he needs while he finds a new place

emma is so nice to him that natalie is afraid he wants to stay forever

natalie was nice to him at first but it’s been almost a year and now she’s 1000% done w/ him

SOPHIA CLARKE (27) dakota johnson * open Occupation: Relationship(s): Catherine Clarke, Emma Clarke, Natalie Clarke, Teresa Clarke, Cecilia Clarke (sisters), Brian Clarke (cousin), Mark Carter (friend), Xavier Quaine (interest)

awkward turtle?????

the 1 who blends into the background the most of all the sisters

says the wrong thing always

likes to spend her time reading books and with her cat

when she doesn’t know what to say, she just says her favorite quotes????

doesn’t??? always??? make ???? sense????

her headphones are always in

will never hear u if u try to talk to her

can do The Thing where she walks and reads at the same time

talks more to her cat than people

1 time someone was being super annoying and she just hissed at them and they went away

half in love with xavier quaine but they’ve never actually spoken

TERESA CLARKE (25) daisy ridley * open Occupation: Relationship(s): Catherine Clarke, Emma Clarke, Natalie Clarke, Sophia Clarke, Cecilia Clarke (sisters), Brian Clarke (cousin), Mark Carter (friend), Adam Vaughan (interest), Penelope Quaine (friend)

tess is a mess

not ready to Adult

spends too much time hanging out with lia honestly

still lives at home w/ no sense of direction re: her future

kinda immature. doesn’t know how to stop giggling <33333

her greatest life achievement is her twitter followers

also knows how to take flawless snaps

adam once gave her a ride in his car and she’s been <3333 eyes at him ever since

CECILIA CLARKE (20) natalia dyer * open Occupation: Relationship(s): Catherine Clarke, Emma Clarke, Natalie Clarke, Sophia Clarke, Cecilia Clarke (sisters), Brian Clarke (cousin), Mark Carter (friend), Dominic Young (interest)

so! spoiled!

kinda wild.

cate literally cannot say no to her

their mom died when she was born so cate is the only mom she’s ever known

a prime example of what happens when a 12 year old raises you tbh

obsessed with boy bands and reality tv

spends too much time at the mall chasing boys

tess is lia’s bff

they do everything together

the older sister she aspires to be

the only sister who seems to constantly be enjoying herself and for lia that’s just #goals

has a HUGE crush on dominic young

he’s old enough to be her dad but that isn’t stopping her

BRIAN CLARKE (32) zach woods * open Occupation: Relationship(s): Catherine Clarke, Emma Clarke, Natalie Clarke, Sophia Clarke, Teresa Clarke, Cecilia Clarke (cousins), Virginia Ellis (boss), Elizabeth Martin (co-worker/interest), Samantha Thomas (ex-girlfriend), Damon Napier (thinks they are friends but they aren’t)

confident, conceited, awkward, suPER ANNOYING

got out of a long term relationship with Samantha Thomas a year ago

when they broke up, she got the apartment and he went to crash with his cousins, Emma and Natalie

a year later and he’s still living there

they’ve been so nice to him, he doesn’t want to leave

(when i say they, i mean emma)

works for virginia ellis and is at her beck and call 24/7!!!!!!!!!!

the gary to her selina meyer

thinks she’s the greatest person in the world and would speak her praises for dAYS

once she made a comment that brian should date elizabeth and now brian is dETERMINED to win her over

JOSEPH COLE (34) julian morris * taken by lizzy Occupation: Socialite/Philanthropist Relationship(s): Alexandra Cole (sister), Christopher Ellis (best friend), Evangeline Ellis, Natalie Clarke, Genevieve Quaine (friends), Emma Clarke (friend/interest)

energetic and social and loves doing!!!! things!!!!!! and meeting people!!!!!

a puppy in human form

he’s a good boy :)

his sister and bff chris are less likely to want to join him in his ventures but that’s!!! okay!!!! all he has to do is smile at them and they will come grumbling along <3

often gets evangeline excited too and when the two of them are eager to do something, alexandra and chris follow

joe is so!!!! nice and kind to everyone he meets

he has a lot of money and just wants to help everyone!!!!!

does a lot of charity work and lives pretty simply even tho he’s super wealthy

his heart stopped the first time he saw emma clarke!!!!!

he likes her so much he doesn’t know what to do about it

feels like she probably doesn’t like him in that way tho

his sister keeps trying to talk him out of it and it isn’t helping

she says he can do better (but joe knows that isn’t true)

ALEXANDRA COLE (33) felicity jones * open Occupation: Socialite Relationship(s): Joseph Cole (brother), Christopher Ellis (interest), Evangeline Ellis, Emma Clarke, William Cordel (friends), Natalie Clarke (rival)

~*~EYE ROLL QUEEN~*~

honestly hates most of the people in this town

cANNOT STAND people who are “uncultured” (aka poor)

has perfected being passive aggressive

glamorous, ambitious, strategic, well-educated

conniving, petty, sly, critical

has had her eye on christopher ellis since they were kids

has remained single in trying to catch him

hasn’t ever seen him super interested in anyone before so she always thought she had a chance until natalie clarke came into their lives???

alexandra: um no

doing her best to turn his attentions away from her but also pretty confident that natalie is only a passing fancy

does love her bro to pieces tho!!!!!! sometimes thinks he’s a bit of an idiot b/c he’s nice to everyone but y’know

LYNETTE COOPER (29) holliday grainger * open Occupation:  Relationship(s): Leon Foster (boyfriend), Victoria Foster (”best friend”), Adrian Neville (interest), Juliana Foster, Amelia Foster (rivals), Madeline Cordel (friend)

knows that the fosters are struggling financially, but has faith that it will one day be restored

literally doesn’t care about any of them, least of all leon, but is sticking it out in hopes to being the next mrs. foster

knows how to stay on leon’s good side (literally just compliments him all the damn time

does the same thing w/ victoria tbh 

had a thing for adrian neville but he straight up rejected her and it broke her heart so badly that she’s decided she doesn’t want anything to do with love

hates to see him constantly with juliana

but even she can see that he still loves amelia

amelia used to be her fav of the fosters but now she hates her too 

LENNOX DAVIS (32) theo james * taken by kate aa Occupation: Socialite Relationship(s): Elena Greene (secret girlfriend), Andrea York (friend/flirtation), William Cordel (best friend), Simon York (friend), Charles Lawrence (annoyance)

secretly dating elena greene whom he’s loved literally from the first day he ever met her!!!!!! 

but she’s just a waitress and his parents want him to marry someone “better” so he’s pretending to be interested in andrea york 

does genuinely like her (but he doesn’t love her) 

his parents are so thrilled by the fact that he might marry into one of the founding families!

eventually planning on telling his them that he’s in love with elena tho

but he knows that they will cut him off financially when he does 

so he’s secretly getting his life together so he can be ok w/o their help 

super charming and charismatic!!! 

literally can charm his way into anything

tries to distance himself from elena in public and is sometimes a little too mean to her

doesn’t realize that some of the things he says really hurt her 

enjoys his sense of humor and thinks he’s hilarious 

CHRISTOPHER ELLIS (39) tom hardy * taken by kate aa Occupation: Relationship(s): Evangeline Ellis (sister), Arthur Ellis, Virginia Ellis (cousins), Joseph Cole, Adrian Neville, Sebastian Cordel (best friends), Alexandra Cole (friend/annoyance), Natalie Clarke (interest), Dominic Young (enemy)

broody, quiet, reserved

doesn’t want to meet new people

the light of his life is his bff joe and his sister eva

both of them drag him to do things he doesn’t want to do but does anyway

(he grumbles about it but lowkey enjoys it mostly to see them happy)

has a thing for natalie clarke but messed it up b/c he was trying to talk to her and instead he just was mean?????

someone help him????

he has poor social skillz

he was childhood best friends with dominic young but stopped after he realized how much of an asshole he is

loves his cousins!!!!

honestly rolls his eyes at virginia a lot and doesn’t always listen to her input but he loves her all the same

adores arthur and the two have been friends for ever

can be kinda old fashioned and arrogant sometimes

the king of holding grudges

super generous!!!!!! and kind and intelligent

VIRGINIA ELLIS (35) michelle dockery * taken by kate aa Occupation: CEO at Ellis Enterprises Relationship(s): Arthur Ellis (brother), Christopher Ellis, Evangeline Ellis (cousins) Brian Clarke (right hand), Elizabeth Martin (employee), Adrian Neville (security guard/interest), Sebastian Cordel (friend), Amelia Foster (best friend)

can be super overbearing and domineering

took over her father’s business when she was twenty-six after he passed away and would NOT TAKE ANY SHIT from anyone

a lot of strong ~miranda priestly~ vibes honestly

“details of your incompetence do not interest me.”

“by all means move at a glacial pace. You know how that thrills me.”

eyebrow game is strong.

wants The Best for her cousins which isn’t always actually the best???

inserts her opinion even where it isn’t wanted

brian is her right hand. (and when i say right hand, i mean personal slave).

tbh he’s kind of the gary to her selina meyer???

has had a thing for adrian for years but would nEVER say anything b/c she feels love is a weakness and is instead v mean to him????

LEON FOSTER (38) luke evans * taken by lizzy Occupation: Socialite  Relationship(s): Victoria Foster, Juliana Foster, Amelia Foster, (sisters), Antoinette Caron Cordel (ex-girlfriend/interest), Lynette Cooper (girlfriend)

a DRAMA QUEEN

he and victoria kinda spent all of the family money and now they are dirt poor

pretending to still have money for the sake of appearances but they barely have too pennies to rub together

saying that their large ass mansion is under renovations so that’s why they are slumming it in this tiny apartment but the reality is that they are selling their home 

doesn’t really like lynette that much but she is constantly telling him how good looking and smart he is so he keeps her around

eventually means to dump her for a rich chick but she’s a great ego booster for now

has a gold medal in vanity

doesn’t??? know???? how they are going to solve the problem of “no money” but looks to amelia to solve it

“not my problem” ~ leon

“it actually is ur problem” ~amelia 

AMELIA FOSTER (32) keira knightley * taken by lizzy Occupation:  Relationship(s): Leon Foster (brother) Victoria Foster, Juliana Foster (sisters), Jonathan Fox, Lynette Cooper (irritants), Oliver Collins, Sebastian Cordel, Adrian Neville (friends), Henry Adams (ex-fiancé/interest), Clara Neville (friend/rival), Virginia Ellis (best friend) 

amelia @ her siblings constant: god why

does her best to keep this crazy family together???

her older siblings spend money constantly!!!!!

and now they have nothing

amelia is the only one who actually has money b/c she got a job but she does NOT have enough to support her siblings during their financial crisis but they are kinda expecting her to 

she doesn’t wanna turn them out so she’s letting them live @ her place temporarily/trying to get them back on their feet but it is nOT easy 

ten years ago she was going to marry henry adams but she backed out soon after they got engaged

they were so young and she was scared 

tbh she broke his heart 

never ended up dating anyone else b/c she never found anyone better

misses him every day

now he’s with someone else and super happy and she’s happy for him but she still loves him a lot 

JONATHAN FOX (36) michiel huisman * open Occupation: Conman Relationship(s): Juliana Foster (girlfriend), Andrea York (interest), Damon Napier (cousin)

a chameleon!!!!!

super adaptable 

not actually rich but pretending to be

doesn’t realize that juliana is also pretending to be rich???

both dating each other for money the other does not have

#awkward

came into town with the plan to date andrea york to con her out of HER money (which she actually has) but developed some actual??? feelings???? 

so he changed his plans and now he’s just wasting his time

comes off as a nice guy, but isn’t really??

would sell u to satan for a corn chip

NICHOLAS GRAY (36) chris evans * taken by kate aa Occupation: The Family Disappointment/High School English Teacher Relationship(s): Margaret Gray (sister), ----- Gray (brother), Samantha Thomas (girlfriend), Gillian Cartwright (friend/interest), Sebastian Cordel, James Walker (best friends), Hannah Cartwright, Sarah Cartwright, Allison Cartwright, David Carter, Mark Carter (friends)

probably has some kind of super powers b/c he’s able to make his bff sebastian smile 

truly a rare and impressive talent

has always been super laid back and chill

has a great working relationship with his students!!!

knows how to motivate and interest them

makes learning fun! 

(can get a little awkward sometimes tho b/c it is pretty obvious that like half of the kids have a crush on him but can you blame them?) 

a great sense of humor

currently dating sam thomas

cares about her a lot but has recently developed feelings for her best friend jill

it’s not great 

has plans to break up with her but doesn’t want to b/c he knows if he does, he probably won’t see jill anymore

pus he doubts he and jill will ever get together since he dated her best friend so ??? 

[aghostpost]

Special Affair (Bruce Wayne x Reader)

A/N: Remember like a month or two or however many ago when I was on a jealousy kick? c: This is just a little intermission snack for some Bruce/HANK (I MISS HIM) requests I’m workin’ on~ ♥

Word Count: 1936

“Again, I can’t express enough how thankful I am that you all came here tonight and how supportive you’ve been. I just wanted to remind everyone that the charity auction will be ending shortly, so don’t forget to place any last bids while you still can! Enjoy the rest of your night.” I stepped away from the mic stand and went back to all of my guests. I was hosting a sort of thank you dinner for Gotham Outreach, a non-profit organization myself and some college friends started to help the youth of this city. It was also the celebration of our first year running and I couldn’t have asked for more success for a starter organization.

 I was enjoying a laugh and champagne with my co-founders when I noticed a guest freeing himself from an older set of donors. “Bruce Wayne… I haven’t seen you all night, thought my invitation got lost in the mail.”

 “I was stuck in meetings all day but made sure to carve out my evening for this very special occasion.”

 I smiled. Never for a moment did he fail to be charming. “You know Mr. and Mrs. Dunham?”

 “They were long time friends of my parents. I grew up around their grandson.”

 “I see.”

 “This is an amazing turnout. I believe congratulations are in order.”

 “Thank you, thank you. Yeah, it’s beautiful isn’t it? I never imagined things would be this great.”

 “And I see some of the kids you’ve helped here.”

 I shook my head and looked around the event hall. “No… We all helped them. Everyone here, every donation, every helping hand. We all changed their lives.”

 “Y/N?” I turned around at the sound of my name from a vaguely familiar voice to see the face of an old friend.

 “Oh my G- Teddy??”

 He laughed and reached for a hug. “It’s so good to see you, Y/N!”

 “Yes yes, it’s been so long! Oh my goodness!”

 He turned to Bruce before extending his hand. “Bruce Wayne, a pleasure to meet you.”

 “Oh my gosh- Bruce, this is Tedd- I’m sorry. Dr. Theodore Durant.”

 “Nice to meet you, Dr. Durant.”

 “Please, call me Theo. The pleasure’s mine. It’s not everyday you get to meet Mr. Wayne Enterprises himself.”

 “I thought you were still in Syria?” I cut in before this became a boys club meeting.

 “I was up until two days ago when I remembered I had a very important charity event to attend.”

 I rolled my eyes. “Please, tell me you didn’t stop saving lives for champagne in Gotham.”

 “Champagne in Gotham with a very dear friend. Congratulations, Y/N.”

 “Thank you, Teddy.” I felt my face burn and took a sip from my champagne glass in attempt to hide any visible redness.

 “Saving lives?” Bruce asked, eyes suddenly staring dead into mine. If I wasn’t red before his stare would surely do the trick.

 “Oh, umm- Teddy’s busying himself lately doing some Doctors Without Borders work overseas. His latest venture was in Syria.”

 “Doctors Without Borders, that’s amazing. What kind of work are you doing?”

 “Pediatrics,” Teddy answered. “You know in another life, this one would have been right beside me doing the same thing,” he spoke, pointing his glass in my direction.

 “Oh no no. You see, I thought I could handle pediatrics until I thought of another more suitable way I could help out children.”

 “And here you are today…” The way Teddy spoke those words…  I looked at him and it seemed like he was in absolute awe of me. I wasn’t used to people being in awe, being proud of me. It was an unfamiliar but amazing feeling.

 “So you two… met in med school?” Bruce questioned.

 I snapped out of my haze, looking at him. “No, we met in undergrad school. We started dating a little ways through our second year.”

 “Oh. You two dated previously?”

 “Yes, but ended it after about five years and some change. Teddy was completely swamped getting prepared for med school and I was working with the co-founders here trying to plan the future of the Outreach. Two very busy times in both our lives, it wasn’t fair to either of us to try to carve out time for a relationship.”

 “I see. Admittedly I’m familiar with that unfortunate predicament.”

 “Billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, relationship struggles? I wouldn’t believe that if I saw it with my own two eyes,” Teddy said before chuckling, shaking his head and drinking from his glass.

 “Trust me, it’s not as easy as some think.”

 “Teddy’s been generous enough to donate and send families in need of help to the Outreach. He’s been a great help, even all the way across the world.”

 “Well Gotham’s home. I don’t have to be here to want the best for this city. The best for you… Besides, you know my upbringing; I wish I had a Gotham Outreach when I was coming up-”

 “-Oh please, because you just turned out so terribly-”

 “- Hey, just because I turned my coal to diamonds doesn’t mean I didn’t wish I had more help along the way, alright?” We laughed together, Bruce silently huffing a laugh to himself before Teddy parted ways to make his rounds. He was only in town for a short while and had more familiar faces to catch up with, and while he insisted I refused to hog his time to myself.

 I shook my head to myself. “I can not believe he actually came. I thought it was wishful thinking sending him that invite, thinking word would ever get to him…”

 “Don’t think you’re worth the trip?”

I rolled my eyes and made my way over to the bar to grab another glass of champagne as Bruce walked with me. “He came here for the same reasons everyone else did: to support the Outreach.”

 Bruce nodded to himself. “Perhaps. Then again, maybe he gets a little lonely all the way in Syria…”

 I laughed. “Sometimes it shocks me when you let your sense of humor come out to play.”

 “Oh, am I joking now?”

 “What is it, Bruce? You wanna be the only handsome philanthropist in my life?” I teased.

 “So you think he’s handsome?”

 I laughed again. Of course he’d ignore the fact I was calling him handsome, too. “Here,” I said as I handed him a glass of bubbly, also grabbing one for myself. “Have a glass of champagne, maybe two. Loosen up and enjoy yourself, okay? I’m gonna go personally thank a few more people, check on the auction. You owe me a dance before you leave, you hear me?”

 “Well, can’t end the night without a dance, can we?”

 I grinned as I slowly backed away from him before turning around to tend to some of my other guests. When the time came for the winners of auction bids to be announced I took to the podium with the other co-founders and called names. As I walked down the stairs of the stage to return to the party, my partner Micah made his way back to the mic. “What better way to top off a beautiful evening of charity than to say that not only have we met our goal for tonight, but we are nearly twelve grand over! That being said we’re very grateful and are closing donations for the night; of course, any donations after tonight can be received through the Gotham Outreach website...” I listened for another second before hearing a familiar name. I looked around the room, at everyone applauding, before finding Bruce sipping from his glass. Once we made eye contact I made my way over to him. He rested his glass on the bar before I grabbed him by the hand to pull him to the floor for the dance I told him to save for me.

 We stared at each other and said nothing as we swayed side to side to the music the live band was playing. At least, we said nothing until he smirked and said a polite congrats to me.

 I shook my head and rolled my eyes. “Thank you, Bruce. And you can relax now. You know he brought a date, right? She had an emergency surgery and had to leave shortly before we ran into each other.”

 “A date when he clearly came to see you? What a fool.”

 “Well he wasn’t the one that donated an absurd amount of money to score some extra points with me. I know you didn’t bid in the auction, and I heard Micah mumbling your name after announcing we reached our goal. I’m sorry, we far surpassed our goal”

 “What you call absurd I call the least I can do.”

 “Now you should be ashamed of yourself, Bruce Wayne. Using a time like this as an opportunity to strut like a peacock.”

 “I don’t know what you’re talking about; I was moved by a good cause.”

 “If we’re being honest, a charity event isn’t the worst place to have a pissing match...”

 “There we go, finding the silver lining.”

 “Jokes aside, you know money doesn’t impress me. He’s donated just like you have, and you’ve both helped in other ways, too. This isn’t a who does it better contest, especially when you’re both so great at different things.”

 “Who said I was trying to impress you? I’m just as interested in helping Gotham’s youth as anyone here.”

 “You know, I’m in such an amazing mood tonight that I’m gonna choose to believe that.”

 He smiled. “I’m glad to hear it. Now how good of a mood are we talking?” he mumbled after dropping his voice an octave or two, leaning closer to me.

 I chuckled. “You’d like to know, wouldn’t you?”

 “If I were a lesser man I would have kissed you here in front of him and everyone else already, although that’s not to say I don’t want to…”

 “You know I’m not kissing you in public. The last thing I want is to be plastered on the front of a newspaper as Bruce Wayne’s next conquest.”

 “Fine, then kiss me in the car on the way to my place.”

 “Ever the Lothario.”

 “Always a gentleman first. You’re in such a great mood, I can only think of one way to finish this night... ”

 I sighed. “You make a strong argument, Wayne.” His grip tightened just enough for me to look up at him into his eyes, kind but something less gentlemanly lurking behind them. Something feral. I had to look away if I was gonna stick to that no kissing in public rule. “I can’t just leave them to wrap up here.”

 He brought his hand from my waist to my forehead before his brow furrowed slightly. “You know… I thought you were looking a little green, but now…” He nodded to himself. “Now I see you feel a bit warm, too. I think you may have had a bit too much to drink, don’t you?” The corner of his mouth turned upward a bit before he winked at me. I laughed and shook my head. Who would have thought, Bruce of all people telling me to play hooky and ditch clean up duty.

 “... Tell them you saw me dash for the bathroom, looking pretty bad, then come get me.”

 “I’ll text you when the car’s outside ready for you. Now go.”

 “You’re fun when you misbehave, Wayne,” I purred as I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth, backing away from him to head to the ladies’ room.

 “You haven’t seen me in action yet…”

[maybeillride-changemylife]

In the mood

(Just an excuse to shamelessly imagine Erwin & Levi meeting in the 1940s, really. For @popnographic and @brainindacloudz ♡)

The dancefloor is beautiful from where Levi sits, leaning on an elbow at one of the little round tables packed around its edges. Out here on the fringe there’s little light, giving plenty of opportunity for couples to canoodle, guys to laugh in raucous groups blowing off steam for the first time in too long, shy guys to nurse their beer and quietly rubberneck like him. The dancefloor is blazing in comparison, the old ballroom’s low-hanging chandeliers casting a glow over the sweaty, gyrating mass of humanity. Quite a sight.

He was out there himself just once tonight, dragged to dance by a woman who approached his table and demanded in broken English that he join her, as a friend giggled at her side. Liquid courage always did the trick; her breath was warm on his cheek when he folded her into his arms, warm with some too-sweet liquor, and her eyes were heavy, half-lidded, makeup blurry at the edges. Her voice was blurry too, murmuring drunken French nothings into his ear. The part of him that found a dark joke in everything laughed inside, at just how much she was barking up the wrong tree with him.

But he treated her right just the same, swaying them smoothly to the band’s slow number, throwing in a few gentle spins. As the tune wound to a close she wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him tight, and wouldn’t let him go for three more songs. Thankfully, he was able to escape when her even-tipsier friend pulled her off someplace. He was glad to return to his adopted table in peace, sipping a glass of cheap red wine and watching the show.

For this one night, he has nothing to worry about, no one to punish, nothing to fear. Pretty much nothing going on upstairs. It’s as close to peace as he can recall.

Then the band launches into that song, a Glenn Miller hit from a few years back, a far more innocent time. One of those tunes with a bouncing bassline that grabs your feet and gets them tapping, a whirling horn part that puts a big stupid grin on your face. One that makes you forget your troubles, almost forget there’s a war on at all.

And then Levi sees the man.

More accurately, he comes swaying side-to-side into Levi’s field of vision, leading some laughing woman and laughing back down to her. He’s practically a giant, for starters – over six-foot, easy, so muscular he’s packed into his uniform without an inch to spare. Between his height and build, and his white-blond hair glowing in the lights, he may as well have stepped off a recruitment poster. Screw Uncle Sam.

The tune builds to a happy crescendo, the crowd applauds up at the band, and the man makes a little bow to his partner. Levi is surprised when they split off from each other, the man striding away towards the big doors propped open on the far side of the ballroom.

Levi is up and after him without even pausing to finish his drink. When he makes it out the door he finds himself on a veranda, wide and long. It takes him longer than it should to find the mysterious officer, his eyes needing time to adjust to the darkness. The man is around the corner, tucked away from the noise of the band and the crowd drifting through the open doors. He’s tilting his head as he lights a cigarette. Levi slides up next to him.

“Can I get a light?” he asks, pulling his pack of Luckys out of his breast pocket. The man turns, eyes wide as if Levi managed to catch him by surprise. Then his face relaxes into a polite smile, one that’s all business and yet shoves him from just “handsome” into “matinee idol” territory. Levi somehow keeps himself from staring like a dope. But just barely.

“Sure thing. Feels good to get some air, doesn’t it?” The man flicks his lighter for Levi, cupping the flame with his other hand against the light evening breeze. His hands are so big – strong, their backs ridged with veins – that they cover his whole cigarette.

Levi pulls back, thanking the man with a nod. The man nods back and they turn to lean on the railing, side-by-side.

It’s a cool night, the waning moon a weak sliver in the sky above. Levi’s smoke is a point of heat in his hands. The silence between them stretches out for a while.

“You here with anyone in particular?” Levi finally asks, keeping his tone carefully neutral. The man’s cigaratte crackles as he takes a drag.

“Not at all. To be honest, I’m not a fan of these things. But when my CO drags me here it’s tough to say no.” Levi glances over; the man’s smile is rueful as he hunches over on his elbows. He glances back and gives Levi a raised eyebrow. “They argue it’s important to make an appearance, good for morale, all that. But I keep catching myself looking at my watch, waiting for when I can get back to base and put my feet up.”

“So, a real killjoy, basically,” Levi points out, heedless to the row of medals marching across the other man’s broad chest. He’s chatting with a general here, but there’s something about the privacy of their little spot, the vaguely conspiratorial look on the man’s face, that gives him permission to overreach.

There’s an off-script moment then, the man turning from the rail to look at him head-on, his gaze level and calculating. Levi stubbornly holds his position, pretending to gaze out at the empty street as if he doesn’t know the precise weight of the general’s eyes on him, moving from his profile down his own scrawny form in its own uniform, one leg casually crossed over the other.

The man breaks it, reaching his hand boldly into Levi’s willful little space. “Brigadier General Smith.” His cigarette bobs in the corner of his wide mouth as he speaks. “And you’re Captain…?”

Levi surrenders his hand without even bothering to pretend at coyness anymore, and Smith’s palm is smooth against his own, and pleasantly warm. As they shake – like they’re agreeing to a deal Levi hasn’t seen the terms for yet – he’s struck by the potential of these hands. How they might feel, smoothing down the length of his back, folding around his cock, holding his chin in place as this man leans in to take his mouth…

Levi almost forgets to answer him.

“Ackerman. Third Battalion.” Smith still hasn’t let him go, squinting through the smoke as if he’s trying to place him from somewhere. He wants to laugh, to tell his commanding officer to quit looking, if only he wasn’t seized by the same thought. Of course it’s possible that Levi’s seen him before at some function or another, standing like the ultimate soldier in front of them all and proving with his very presence that they’re all in good hands. But Levi doesn’t think so – there isn’t much cause for the Brigadier General to give pep talks to rank and file like him. He simply doesn’t have the time.

No, it’s uncanny, the way Smith is so familiar, all of a sudden. It’s déjà vu, the strongest Levi thinks he’s experienced in his life. And the other man looks like he’s feeling it too.

“Hmm. Third Battalion… I’ve heard good things about your unit, Captain. Best kill stats in the brigade.”

“Not that that’s anything to be proud of,” Levi retorts, hotly, stomping his butt underfoot, and Smith laughs, throws his blond head back and fucking laughs, as if he’s throwing all the rules out the window.

“Well, now I know why you’ve got such a squad, with someone like you teaching them. I almost pity the Germans. Almost.” And his grin is fierce, ruthless, a gleam in his eye that Levi can’t explain.

Then Smith leans in, fast and assured, and Levi’s senses are assaulted in a confusing rush – his cologne tickles Levi’s nose; his hand feathers almost teasingly across the softness of Levi’s buzzcut; his eyes are dark and wide; and his mouth is hot against Levi’s, tasting of smoke, an undercurrent of red wine.

Their kiss is quick – it’s madness to share any intimacy on a public street, no matter how deserted it is this late at night. Smith’s hair is still laquerred perfection as he pulls back, and Levi is grabbed by the urge (the need) to run his hands through. To see this powerful and controlled man all mussed-up.

“Can we get out of here?” Levi husks, his voice on the edge of failing him. Smith smiles down. It makes him look so young, like a teenage kid in costume for Halloween.

“I’ve been waiting for someone to ask me that all night,” he says.

[marauderingbad-blog]

Of Monsters and Marauders

We revised this one for better flow of dialogue! Our fics are co-authored, so it can get jumbled sometimes. We’re pretty happy with the smoothness now, and we’ll be editing the other chapters :). This is a story about how that night in the shrieking shack went down and the fallout afterwards.

PART 1/4

Read the Full Story on AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11590044/chapters/26048535

Since running away from home that summer, Sirius had not quite been the same. He had settled in just fine at the Potters’ and was truly grateful for their acceptance, but secretly he struggled. Although Sirius had felt alienated from his family for most of his life (and had always prided in this disconnect), the pain of rejection and abandonment gnawed at him. Surely, these were not entirely new feelings—in fact, they had been perseverative themes at the most ancient and noble house of Black. This particular instance of abandonment, however, had been deeper—more final.

It wasn’t the explosive argument concerning the inevitability of Sirius’ pureblood arranged marriage that precipitated his elopement; it wasn’t even being briefly put under the cruciatus curse by his father. No, Sirius had passed the point of no return because of what occurred after those few seconds under the curse. In a vulnerable, weak and sickeningly disoriented state, he had turned desperately to his mother for some glimmer of maternal sympathy. Sirius’ hopes, however, were met with Walburga Black’s ordinary rigid callousness. She must not have even batted an eye as she witnessed her sixteen-year-old son being tortured, thinking it some twisted lesson on obedience. She merely left him there. Sirius concluded then that to his parents, he would only ever be the Black Family Heir. And he left for good.

Inundated by his mixed feelings, Sirius became angry. All of the time. Several weeks later after the boys returned to Hogwarts he only felt worse. He had always been obstreperous to a point, but normally these traits and behaviours were far more manageable and subdued. Now, he skipped his courses regularly, failed nearly every exam purposefully, and frequently provoked magical and physical fighting with other students. Even his closest friends often found his temper to be intolerable. James included.

When Sirius had discovered that their sworn enemy was spying on him and his best friends to learn of Remus’ monthly disappearances, his acutely heightened irascible nature enveloped him. He had no interest in being outsmarted by a sniveling heap of grease--and so acted.

In mid-October nearing the end of the day before the next full moon, Severus Snape clambered out of the Slytherin common room looking suspicious. Having come so far as to identify the next date and relative time that Remus would disappear, he sought to gather more information. It was rather dark and lonely in the dungeons, with everyone beginning dinner, but Snape appreciated it. He had crept a few feet down the corridor towards the Great Hall before suddenly hearing the sound of someone wolf-whistling. Being on edge from his surreptitious endeavour, Snape was taken aback by the unexpected noise. He emitted an uncharacteristic shriek and leapt backwards with a certain spastic grace.

“WHO IS THERE” he boomed and whipped the light of his wand at the shadowy corner where the sound came from. The spotlight revealed Sirius, who was leaning coolly against the wall whilst artfully twirling his wand around his fingers.

“Black!” Snape hissed and rearranged his greasy hair in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. “..What do you think you are doing down here?! I will report you immediately!” He spat, continuing to keep his wand pointed in Sirius’ face.

“I didn’t know that you could dance, Sniv.” Sirius remarked mockingly, unfazed by Snape’s potentially threatening wand. “Perhaps I should attend Slughorn’s Christmas party after all...”

“And I was not under the impression that Potter’s pet could go anywhere without its leash,” Snape retorted caustically, staring up into Sirius’ grey eyes with marked abhorrence.

Irritation began to creep in and Sirius’ face twisted into a grimace. “Right. Let’s get on with this, then.” He went on with a cold impatience: “You’ve been following us. And I know why, I know what you’re after. I am willing to divulge essential information to you.”

Despite himself, Snape could not help but perk up with interest at Sirius’ words. After all, this mission had become an obsession of his. “And why, might I ask, would you do something like that?” His voice oozed with skepticism.

“Dunno, suppose you’ve caught me in a generous mood?” Sirius offered evasively with a mock shrug. “Anyway, I prefer to spend as little time talking to you as possible. Can’t stomach the stench.” He scoffed. “Shall I tell you or not?”

“How do I know that this is not some elaborate scheme or prank of yours and Potter’s?” Snape sneered.

“You don’t.”

“..Tell me.”

Sirius told Snape to go to the Whomping Willow after nightfall. He told him that if he pushed the knot in the center of the tree, an opening would appear, and there Snape would find answers. Before Snape could even open his mouth to press for further information, Sirius was already halfway down the dimly lit corridor.

Snape watched Sirius leave with a scowl for a moment before suddenly realizing something. “How did you know where to find me?” He called after him with his eyes narrowed. Sirius smirked to himself as he turned the corner, vanishing from Snape’s view.

Snape was too obsessed with bringing down James Potter once and for all to listen to his better judgment, which was desperately gesturing to all of the obvious warnings in this scenario. And besides, even if Potter and his band of morons were plotting something, Snape surely could handle it. Driven with excitement and curiosity, Snape ventured out into the darkness towards the Whomping Willow just as he had been instructed. Each step he took brought him more of a thrill. Finally, after all these years of being outwitted and publicly humiliated, Potter would get what he deserved. His greatest secret would be revealed and at last Snape could permanently wipe that smug expression from his face. Snape pushed the center knot and entered inside the passageway.

James knew Sirius well enough to know that the estrangement was eating at him, even if he denied it. They all knew it. While Sirius had always been prone to moodiness and acting out, there was something different about this--something dark and desperate. It left James feeling desperate in turn, desperate to help his friend, but he didn’t know how. James couldn’t conceive of what it would be like to have your own parents abandon you--James was his parents’ miracle child, the absolute center of their lives. James couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have anything other than that, and so he didn’t know what to say to Sirius, or how to get him to open up. All he could really do was just be there, but he couldn’t help but feel like that wasn’t enough.

These thoughts and anxieties churned in James’ stomach as he followed behind Sirius, next to Remus. Remus, too, was quiet as they passed through their secret tunnel, but that was to be expected. Even Peter seemed somber.

Once in the shack, Remus cringed as they waited, and again James was struck with the sting of watching another one of his friends suffer and not being able to stop it.

Remus shrieked and cried as his body contorted and stretched against his will into a different species entirely. It never got more bearable to watch, even after witnessing it countless times.

Feeling faintly guilty for his much easier transformation, James seamlessly transfigured himself into his animagus form, a stag, and was glad that Remus at least didn’t have to go through this on his own. Sitting in the common room while Remus went through this would have been undoubtedly worse.

As Prongs, James' thoughts became more instinctual. There was a threat before him, running towards him, and Prongs charged a tackled the wolf. The muscles' on Prongs' legs remained terse, ready to pounce, even as Padfoot tackled and rolled across the floor with the wolf.

Abruptly, the wolf stilled and turned towards the door, nose sniffing wildly. Prongs stilled as well--perplexed by the shift in the atmosphere. Then, he heard something moving below. James scarcely had time to think about what it could be before a figure emerged in the doorway--Snape.

Snape gaped as his eyes locked with the stare of a fully grown werewolf. The shock froze him in place and he stared into the dark abyss of the beast’s eyes, lost in horrific awe as it began to thrust towards him. Unable to defend himself or even move, Snape quickly came to understand that he was about to lose his life. He closed his eyes, awaiting the darkness…

James had no time to think of why Snape was here or how he could have found them. As Prongs, he charged at the wolf, trying to distract him, but he could not throw the wolf off the human scent for long. It easily threw Prongs off, knocking him clear across the room. Prongs saw that Snape continued to stand there, petrified. He knew that charging the wolf to get to Snape would be no use, and time was running out with each passing second. Heart hammering, James transformed back into his human form. Taking the wolf unaware, James was able to slip past the wolf, and push Snape out of the doorway. Petrified, James turned and found himself face to face with the werewolf.

Snape's eyes shot open and he realized that he was still in one piece because of James Potter. Without wasting another second, Snape scrambled off the stone floor and charged back out through the passage, his heart throbbing in his ears.

James stood face-to-face with the wolf; their eyes met and James’ mind went blank in sheer, blazing terror. For a second, he was transfixed by his fear, and a second was really all it would have taken for the wolf to rip his throat out.

The moment never came, however; Padfoot lunged with the full force of his muscular, canine legs straight towards the werewolf and sunk his fangs into its shoulder. He clung there as long as he could to give James as much time to run as possible.

The wolf emitted a howl upon Sirius’ impact (more from surprise than pain) and turned away from James in order to shake the massive dog from his shoulder. With a violent thrash, it slashed at Sirius’ muzzle and with a whip of its shoulder sent Padfoot flying backwards into the wall behind them. Padfoot hit the wall with a yelp.

~~*~~

James’ higher functioning returned only when Padfoot attacked the wolf. James could transform back and rejoin them--but then, he remembered what had just happened. He remembered Snape. Snape, who’d almost died. Snape, who could tell the whole school what happened in an hour. Spinning on his heel, James turned and bolted down the corridor, out of the shack.

Once outside, James continued running, he could make out Snape’s figure far ahead. “SNAPE!” James yelled, his voice still frightened and tinged with desperation. “WAIT! Wait!” James gasped, his feet continuing to pound into the grass after him, spurred forward by his athlete’s stamina.

Snape ran with focused adrenaline like he had never experienced before. He distantly heard James calling out to him, but his blinding fear propelled him forward—straight into the forbidden forest. He continued to run through the woods until the toe of his shoe got caught by the root of a tree--which sent him tumbling into the dark ground. Snape lay there, heaving in the darkness as he heard James’ footsteps near. “STAY AWAY FROM ME, POTTER,” he gasped, attempting to sound threatening, but he was too exhausted to even locate his wand in the leaves.

James easily caught up with Snape once he fell, the faster of the two by far. He panted and threw his hands up to show that he meant no harm. “Snape…” James said, looking down at him wide-eyed, face pale. As much as James despised this guy normally, he felt profoundly grateful in this moment that he was still breathing. “Are...are you okay?” he asked tentatively.

Snape gathered himself quickly, standing up so that he and James were now eye-to-eye. He was grateful to James for saving his life, but he was also filled with humiliation, rage, and terror-- And these clearly were the dominating emotions. “How dare you come and face me after that,” he said, his black eyes blazing. “After what you and Black pulled! I expected there might be some childish prank, but never anything so heinous! You all are more arrogant than I had ever thought. Do.not.ask.me.if.I.am.okay!” Snape’s chest rose and fell heavily, and even though he spoke out of anger, the fear remained prominent in his eye.

James’ brow furrowed at Snape’s outburst. “What do you mean what Black and I pulled?” he asked wearily. He had no idea how Snape had found their secret passage.

Although James genuinely wanted to make sure that he was okay and that he didn’t have any werewolf scratches, James also wanted to know how he’d found them and what he’d ascertained about the situation--namely, if he’d connected it to Remus. “How did you find the shack?” James asked.

“DON’T PLAY DUMB, POTTER” Snape burst, a shadow of color appearing on his corpse-like face. “I know you wanted me to go down that passageway looking for Lupin. You had Black come and tell me what to do knowing I would be too blinded to question it!” the vein on his forehead was throbbing and threatening to explode as he spoke to James. Clearly he was ashamed with himself for walking into a trap.

“I didn’t--I...wait. Sirius told you where to find us?” James asked, not willing to believe it.

Snape took some pleasure in the surprise in James’ voice. “I suppose you have less control over your dear pet than you thought.” he said with a small smirk and turned, beginning to exit.

“I don’t have any control over Sirius,” James said, but then tried to strangle the annoyance that was creeping up at the insult. “He told you?” James asked again, raising his voice over the wind as he spoke to Snape’s back. James knew he had confirmed just as much, but he needed him to say it explicitly--otherwise, James just couldn’t believe it.

Snape smiled to himself with satisfaction before turning back to James. “He told me precisely where to find Lupin. He came to me solely to provide me with that information. It’s almost as if he wanted me to die.” he said with bitterness.

James felt as if Snape had punched him in the gut. He didn’t want to believe what he was saying--but how else would he have known? James was sure he hadn’t been following them the whole time--they had the map, even, and he hadn’t been on there. James opened his mouth, then closed it again, unsure of what to say, what to think.

“I suppose you did give me what I wanted," Snape continued. "I had suspicions concerning Lupin, but never would I have imagined he was a werewolf. It all makes sense, of course. But knowing this certainly was not worth nearly dying for! And all thanks to you.”

Whatever color remained in James’ face drained as Snape made it clear that he knew exactly who the werewolf was. Unthinkingly, James reached out and grabbed Snape’s wrist, his eyes wide, pleading. “Severus…” James beseeched. “You can’t tell anyone, please,” he said. “I-I know we’ve had our differences, but Remus--Remus has never done anything to you. He’s stuck up for you--please. Don’t take this...this thing that we have out on him. If you tell anyone, you’ll ruin his life, his whole life,” James begged.

Snape’s lip instantly curled in disgust when he looked down to see James touching him. After listening to James plead, for a moment Snape looked at him thoughtfully. Although he believed James to have played a major role in this trick, he had just saved his life—which made Snape indebted to him. This he instantly despised.

“I won’t tell.” Snape said finally, after the silence.

James let out a sigh of relief, then shook his head. “I--thank you,” he said quietly, not wanting to push it or say anything that might make Snape rescind his words. He wasn’t entirely sure that he could trust him, but James didn’t really think Snape would say something he didn’t mean just to placate him.

“Don't thank me," Snape spat. "I am not doing this for you. Or for Lupin. I owe you nothing,” he said, before he turned, whipped his robes into James’ face, and headed out of the forest, back towards the castle.

As Snape left, James couldn't help but wonder who he was doing it for, then, if not for Remus. But then, of course, James thought--Remus was Lily's friend, too.

To Be Continued

[ecotone99]

[OT] Old school party

playlist

Where does this story belong? Instagram (not on that). Twitter (seems too long, and I don't tweet). Blogger (who blogs these days?). Snapchat? (please, i'm not 13). Whatsapp (I don't even know what that is). Facebook? (no good pictures and too long)... a story i wrote 25 years ago, and updated in 2007. Does this short story stand the test of time? I'll let you decide. But I did snap the playlist that was saved from the Saturday morning cleanup... and somehow I saved it for the last 30 years in my nostalgia bin. good times. "I wish there was a way to know you're in the 'good old days' before you've actually left them" - Andy Bernard. Excuse any typos. I don't feel like correcting any of them at this late moment.

308 stanton last updated: 20-jul-07

so it was decided. we would indeed throw a party at our house. we’d kicked the idea around for months prior, but nobody championed the idea, so it never came together. this time, we still didn’t have a champion for the effort, but we all kind of came to a zen-like calmness about the decision to go thru w/ it. while waiting in some incredibly long beer lines (really, more like beer circles, with the keg at the center of the concentric circles of folks waving their plastic beer cups) at the Green House, only 5 short blocks away from our house, we finally told each other enough times that we were sick of waiting in other people’s houses, while the beer-gods up front w/ the taps decide who drinks right away (young, good looking women who are friendly, and whoever lives there), and who waits (all males who aren’t actually living at the house or from the house guys’ hometowns).

there were a few party houses that had developed nicknames and that didn’t need directions or street names to go along w/ them. kind of like the ‘cher’, ‘prince’ and ‘madonna’s of the iowa state university campustown houses. we had the ‘gamma Gs’ (a fake frat / party house on lincoln ave). we had the green house (a mint green party house on knapp). we had the ‘pink house’. and we had ‘230 campus’ (a collection of apartments w/ loose keg policies, and plenty of opportunities for crashing parties). we had others, too, but they already have slipped away from my mind forever. the real question was: could we compete w/ the old established houses and get anyone to come to this new location? (‘old, established’ is relative, of course. in real years, their reputations were about 3 years old. but in ‘college time’, tho, it was like 2 generations, like 40-college-years. an eternity. legendary) what if we threw a party and nobody came? we had egos to protect. and our pocketbooks (stupid name... let’s just call em wallets) and we had so many unknowns that could ruin the event (a blizzard, a potentially mega-huge competing party, possible ‘barn dances’ the same night [but that’s another whole story there, the infamous isu ‘barn dances’. pay your $5, get on an old yellow school bus, get driven 15 miles out to the boonies to some guys barn, drink your guts in, puke your guts out, make the rounds and hit on all the women (who make up a HUGE 15% of the party, jump on a bus that leaves every 15 minutes back to campus, stagger home… yack in the bushes a few times if need be. well, i guess that doesn’t require a whole new story, just thick brackets] ).

so, we picked a friday 2 weeks out. it was the dead of winter, early on in the new semester, w/ only a cyclone basketball game as the only known conflict. 308 stanton avenue, ames, ia, 50012 had keggers before, but outside ones, in the summer, where the house can be locked down. this would need to be an entirely inside party (feb in iowa). and this would be a ‘blow-out’ party. or at least we planned for that. not just one (or maybe 2) kegs and an invite list of close friends and neighbors (no lockdown needed. no duct taping cupboards, couches in front of bedroom doors, turnaround the tv, hide the remotes and CDs, tape the fridge shut, etc. this would be a take no prisoners (unless they pony up the $3) kind. totally open to whoever moseyed by. we had connections to a ‘band’ (i knew a band member from honors program, who lived in the ‘pink house’ (cory S). roach (my roommate), knew another band member from same band from his hometown. yup, need quotes around that ‘band’ word. 4 guys who all had instruments. and different instruments! that’s all you need to be called a band. erik, corey, zit, and ?. they agreed to play for our party. that was a good thing. i either forget their band name, or they didn’t have one (yet). nirvana or some such. i’m sure they didn’t amount to anything. but who knows? this was unique enough that strangers would be tempted to go to a house party w/ an actual live band playing. at least we hoped. we reached a point of no return when we reserved the kegs on the monday before. how many to buy? and how many to put on reserve? we settled on getting 3 up front, and 3 on reserve. had to put down some ‘serious’ money for them, and for the tap deposit, and the keg deposit. we had to scrape the money together, tapping out atm cards and bringing back cans/bottles for nickel apiece, etc (pry about $150 which of course now doesn’t seem as much as back then, when we were all about 2-4 years into paying out w/out ever receiving anything back yet).

so, we all worked our contacts all week. we stopped by our old dorm floors to tell everyone to come, and have them announce it at their weekly floor meetings. we even (or at least i did, can’t speak for my roommates) put up signs in the bathrooms and hallway and den on the old floor, to make sure the message got out. told all my classmates in every class (even the ones who normally don’t party hop, which was most of them. chemical engineers just don’t party. even at college. at least most of em). on the engineers side of campus (the ugly, male-dominated side. all the good looking co-eds in education stayed on the opposite side of campus, safely away from us), after 3 years, its amazing how many people you recognize by just walking around between buildings, even at a huge school of 25,000. we were like jehovas witnesses or magazine sellers, we would tell everybody we knew (either by their names, or maybe just their faces) about friday’s party. by the end of the week (thursday), most people i told about the party would say, “i know, i know, i heard about it like 20 times now”. that was a good sign. but i took that to mean that my roommates and me had just told them about it 5 times each.

we over prepared for it, that’s for sure. i blew off friday afternoon classes (but i made it to my 8:00 AM p-chem) we cleaned the house up. big time. in the old forgotten corners, we found and cleaned out magazines and unopened mail that were 10 years old. we put away everything valuable or breakable. we duct taped our kitchen cabinets shut, which included our very valuable raman noodles and assorted tupperware for storing leftover pizza, as well as glass-glasses. we duct-taped the fridge. we decided to barricade the bedroom doors w/ couches. (our house had one big, open room, full of old couches, and bedrooms shooting off of it, so it wasn’t difficult to do it. of course, we kept finding reasons to need to go into the bedrooms, so we constantly kept ‘sealing’ and ‘unsealing’ all the bedroom doors all afternoon. we totally cleaned out the bathroom of everything but one lil roll of toilet paper. moved all CDs, tvs, remotes, anything we could move, we moved, to bedrooms. we picked up the 3 kegs, putting 2 in the basement, and tapped one for upstairs. that was just for convenience and until folks (hopefully) started showing up. then we’d move that to the basement, too. the basement was the darkest, stinkiest, mustiest, mildewy-est, centipede over-ran hole in the ground (literally) i’ve ever seen. perfect for the dispensing of beer. we actually had someone voluntarily live down there. doug, who was only charged $50/month (we all paid $112) for some unknown reason, agreed to those living conditions. he laid down industrial strength plastic over the cracked, crumbling, dirty cement / cement dirt, put in some clothes lines for hanging all the clothes he owned, and put a mattress directly on the floor. he would always be bringing up to show us the biggest, most disgusting bugs/millipedes/centipedes/roaches that he found in his sheets. and he always smelled ‘musty’ when he first put on a new shirt and came up from down the dungeon. but the smell eventually wore off, or at least we got used to it. how HE got used to it is beyond me.

by 4:00, we were ‘ready’. the house looked so different.. so… clean. it put us in a goofy mood. a nervous mood. we had put the tv away, so the only thing we could do is listen to the stereo, play some darts, and wait. and drink. and wait. we were sitting on 3 full, cold kegs, slowly warming up. but we all just kinda sipped. it was gonna be a long night. even roach sipped. didn’t think that was possible for him to do. gotta pace ourselves. the band showed up, w/ their stuff. that was cool. it was one of their first ‘official’ gigs. they were playing for free, which was worked out beforehand. they were just glad to get top-(and only)-billing. and they told all of THEIR friends and ‘groupies’ to come, too, i assumed, or at least hoped. they found the most sturdy part of our floor to set up (which was a challenge. the floor was mushy, uneven, and spongy to the step almost everywhere. their amps and speakers were damn heavy, and they didn’t care about damaging our floor, they just didn’t want their expensive (rented?) things getting hurt as they fell thru the floor and landing on doug’s bed, or at least tipping over.

earlier in the week, we had recruited what we called (and in our defense, what everyone else in our world at ISU called), the ‘beer wench’. pry the most important person at the party. the pivot person. the go-to woman. except for any cops that may show up. the beer wench doled out the glasses, acted as a ‘bouncer’ to keep out high-school lookin kids, made sure nobody brought in their own glasses, but most importantly, collected the money. 3 for guys, 2 bucks for women. NO EXCEPTIONS. we knew if we had tried to collect the money ourselves, a few things would happen. we’d lose interest, we wouldn’t get beer in a timely manner ourselves, we’d get sweet-talked by our girl – friends (not just girlfriends, but … oh, i’m sure you understand) to not have to pay, and we wouldn’t be able to ‘mingle’. i can’t believe i forgot her name already�� it’s only been 10 short years. cherry? lampy? i’ll come back to the name.. i’m sure i’ll wake up tonite at 3:00 AM shouting “April! April!” good thing the wife is in tampa. the B.W. was tough as nails, actually enjoyed being a *itch. and loved being in charge. getting her to help was the key, in hindsight, to a good party.

i remember the 5 of us (burk, woody, roach, doug, and me (aka homie – a name carried over from the dorm floor days of tone loc, when everybody was “me and my homies”) {scrappy and rebar minus doug would be the next generation to live there w/ us, but weren’t quite yet} standing in our empty house, nervously asking each other if we thought anyone will show up. we had no idea. oh, sure, we hoped, and we estimated, but what if only 17 folks showed up. hope they’re thirsty. and rich. we were a jangle of nerves, even tho we all tried hiding it.

luckily, at around 6, some folks started trickling in. some old dorm friends, duke and shu, came waaaay too early. i was the one who named duke, duke, back in the dorm days, cuz his name was john wayne H. that name stuck; John Wayne, The Duke. nobody knew him as john, and even as i write this, john sounds goofy… he was duke. wonder if that name stuck to him after college? pry not. folks like fuzzy from the roommates’ hometowns, and girlfriends, and some more stragglers started arriving, who we told to come early to drink before it got too crowded. and then, at about 7:30, the floodgates opened! this wasn’t new york city, where you went out at a stylish 11:00. here, you ate, then put on and up your party hair (for the flock of seagulls-type women), got together and started the night ASAP. in fact, you pry started right after classes on friday (F.A.C. Friday After Class drink specials. did any other campus have FAC bar parties?) like dime-a-tap-beer specials, the kind the city cops were always complaining about.

a crush of people started showing up, flowing in like a river. we moved the 3rd keg to the basement. the money started flowing in, and the beer flowing out. the volume picked up. we had achieved CPM. (critical party mass). the only thing that could extinguish CPM was running out of beer, or a visit from one of ames’ finest. plenty of beer was available, and the police stayed away all night. it was a sweet feeling being the giver of one of these, finally. barging to the front of the beer line (circle), and commandeering the tap. being able to fill up the young, nubile women’s glasses ahead of the obnoxious guys who i didn’t know. it was taken for granted that one must yield the power of the tapper to the owner of the house or his designated delegate upon request. all that power in one guys thumb. it was intoxicating. (or maybe it was just the beer. ok, it was definitely just the beer). the Beast. Milwaukee’s Best. cheapest stuff available. the basement, for the first time ever, actually was getting hot in the dead of winter. usually, our house stayed at about 65 degrees during day, and pry 50 or 55 at night (some mornings, and i don’t think i’m remembering this wrong, i could actually see my breath <insert bad breath jokes here>) doug had barricaded his ‘room’ off w/ his mattress and rope. it was still holding.

the band wanted to start warming up. the public enemy on the stereo was killed. it wasn’t like the opening of a U2 concert, let me tell ya. it just kind of ramped up… slowly.. so slowly.. guitarist tuning and playing some licks that were maybe recognizable. mic checks. random drumming. then, no friendly banter from the lead singer erik, welcoming us, or saying it was great to be at 308 stanton, ames. just the start of their first song of their first set of their first gig ever. and maybe it was just the beer (ok, most likely), but they sounded okay. i recognized their songs. they had the place rockin. people were actually dancing to them, and everyone was facing them. it was cool. i’m sure the band was into it, jammed into our corner, the throng pressing in on them.

during their first break, roach convinced me to help him w/ a ‘beer-ee-oaky’ song. put loud public enemy back on the stereo, and we would help chuck D belt out the verses using the band’s sound system. trust me, it sounds better when i type it than it sounded. i think we were unceremoniously escorted away from the mics by erik, to much applause.

i took a break to go across the street to 307 stanton. (aside: while co-op-ing (interning) at quantum chemical in lil old clinton/camanche, iowa, i looked for some off-campus housing for my return to State, i hooked up w/ roach, et. al who had found the house available at 308 stanton ave. unbeknownst to me, the future wife to be, B, had also been house hunting w/ some of her grrrrls. when she told me she found a house at 307 stanton, i thought she was pulling my leg (or pulling something). but nope. either she did some great detective work to find out where i was gonna live, and made sure she was close enough to be able to harass me, or it was serendipity. of the 25,000 student living quarters in ames, she picked the one 100 ft away. anyway, that led to “us” directly. 307 vs. 308. goofy how life works out. had she picked 230 campus ave who knows? i may be w/ one of becky’s roommates (hopefully not the goth i hate men patchouli wearin’ black dressin’ greasy hair unwashin’ coppin’ attitude liberal, pasty, pierced scary one w/ the 2 cats). anyway, becky (nee rebecca) was planning on being fashionably late to our party, and she was putting the finishing touches on her ‘party hair’ / peacock / bend over, hair spray your bangs, stand up. repeat, along w/ her friends/roommates maria and kelly. while at her house, at the upstairs windows, it was the perfect vantage point to take it all in over at 308. folks streaming up the sidewalks in waves, nay, armadas, from all directions, some carrying glasses (hope the BW confiscated em) and every time our front door opened, a huge plume of steam/smoke just poured out into the february night. really billowed out, like there was a fire inside. most of it was just hot, sweaty, humid air hitting the feb. cold, cuz there wasn’t many smokers there. it was somethin. wasn’t many cars out front, just a smattering (everyone lived walking distance to everything. one block off main campus street, in between everything, was 308). i loved that scene. was anxious to get back in the middle of it.

the peacock finally ready. getting back to the party, fighting our way thru the folks milling or waiting or getting cooled off or yacking or relieving or whatever, katie (kate! katie! the bw’s name! too lazy to correct it up there in the story, tho) was at the door, doing the her job better than anyone in the business. in fact, when i came back in, she was in distress. she looked relieved to see me. she immediately moved a couch and pulled me into the barricaded room (witte’s room) right by the door. i wondered why. here’s why: she then started pulling money out from every pocket and fold and sock and who knows where else. it was unbelievable. mostly crumpled ones, but a few fives and tens. damn! and she said that roach and burk had already cleaned her out a few times already. wow, a bed full of money... several inches high. i rolled it all up like the big shots do in the casino movies. ended up as a thick can-sized wad. and stashed it in witte’s backpack. never to be seen again. (nah, we all pooled all the money together in the ‘morning after’). thanked kate for her services, but told her it was only 10:00 and people still want glasses. went to the basement to freshen up the glass. some folks were relieving themselves in the way back corner. i started yelling at them, until i realized doug was back there, too, and it’s his room, so who was i to stop em? “hey! doug SLEEPS there! oh, hi, doug... nevermind. carry on”

near the beer, along w/ the countless plastic cups being held up, this one guy was actually holding up a sandwich tupperware, jockeying for position towards the tap. he had been drinking out of THAT. after working my way over to him, and trying to make him feel as stupid as he looked, i kindly suggested that he go buy a cup from kate and put back our favorite tuna sandwich tupperware. he was trying to tell me that that’s what they gave him at the door. i don’t think so. however, everybody’s attention quickly turned to the old 2 X 8 wood planks without railings that made up our stairs. roach was bounding down them, backwards, loudly, w/ a full keg tumbling right behind him. he was trying to hoist it down gently, but lost his footing. the keg landed on his left leg at the bottom of the steps, snapping his bone right at the upper ankle. ouch. first, he thought he’d drink thru the pain, and sat upstairs having folks beer him, sitting like a mafia don w/ his captains. finally, the wuss went to the hospital, got it set and casted, and actually made it back before the party was over. now THAT’s dedication. true anecdote.... actually, everything here is true... at least through the beer fogs of time. was too passé to have anyone sign the cast, but just put his casted leg up on a table, and folks kept his glass full.

upstairs, the band was working through their set list for the second (third?) time, but nobody cared. the game was to try to figure out the song first. sometimes, it took a few seconds (or minutes). burk then brought out his snake, Monty, the python. a big ball python about 7 feet long. coiled it around his neck, chomping on a big stogy ala schwartenagger. big guy was burke. played football as a freshman, i think. gave it up (or it gave him up) chicks dug the snake. and he passed it around to em. the snake loved squeezing necks. it was a huge, heavy thing, but always very sedate and nice. the heat inside the house was intense. crammed shoulder to shoulder absolutely everywhere. must’ve been 300 folks there. more kegs needed. someone already had picked up the 3 reserves, but we needed more. i enlisted duke and shu, along w/ becky (‘rebecca’ wouldn’t be born for another 5 yrs). <sermon time. yes, i realized i shouldn’t’ve been driving, but of the bunch, i was in the best condition. sorry as i was>. also, luckily, it wasn’t too far away. about a mile on slow city roads, w/ stop signs or lights every block. so, w/ 2 kegs in the trunk, and a few more in back seat, and w/ them sitting on em, and the back end almost riding on the tires, it was a precarious voyage back. had to break off some of the benjamins (oh, wait... i mean jeffersons and lincolns in cold cash, homie!) but we received a hero’s welcome back at 308. well, ‘we’ didn’t, i guess, but the beer did. hundreds of dry coeds and guys, having only drunk 1.50 worth, or 0.0 worth, or 5.0 worth, but still! a dry house! oh, the horrors. we had borrowed a second tap from someone earlier in the night, so the beer was disappearing quick. almost too quick.

a gaggle of chemE’s even showed up, and were off in a corner, in a tight group, looking shell-shocked, sipping their beers. maybe this shouldn’t have been the first party to invite them to, because everything was to the extreme. not for the timid. we (roommates/me) worked the crowd w/ pitchers of beer, whenever we got the chance or felt altruistic. i always started in that chemE corner w/ a pitcher and worked out from there, so they wouldn’t have to fight their way downstairs into the most aggressive beer circle i’d ever seen. tempers usually didn’t flare up, tho, even tho folks got spilled on, pushed, crushed, stepped on, because it was just par for the course. expected. and most everyone knew everyone else, or at least knew somebody who knew somebody else. no beer-rage here.

finally, the band wrapped things up (no encores, thankfully). they did an impressive job, and certainly didn’t embarrass themselves or our fine house’s reputation. back to the stereo, back to public enemy and other old school hiphop (and for roach: milli vanilli, who still liked that damnable trashy cd even after they were discredited as pop-induced lip synchers). and his milli vanilli posters and milli vanilli do-rags and ripped t-shirts and autographed 8x10 glossies? oh, c’mon! well, not really. he was more into new kids on the block. some young lil freshman-like girls thought nothing could be better than some garth brooks and some ac/dc, and that new rap *hit had to go. they kept trying to break into roach’s room to change the music. bad idea. they were escorted out. really annoying. “no! we want garth! not this rap sh**!”

after cleaning out katie (the BW) one more time, i made an executive decision. (actually, i think i ran it by whoever roommates i could find, just to make sure they agreed) i gave the band some playing money. 20 bucks apiece. of course, they weren’t insulted by the paltry sum. rather, they were thrilled at the unexpected windfall, which looked bigger than it actually was, via the delivery method of handing them crumpled, uneven, mismatched fists of cash. this was their first paying gig. they stuck around to see if any ‘groupies’ appeared, but nope, just the same friends they always party with. the band was always high on my pitcher refill list, too, right behind the circle of cowering chemEs.

people started filing out after 11-12ish. not a mad rush, but the direction was certainly out, not in. some pizzas should have been ordered w/ part of the windfall, but nobody got around to it. katie gave up the glasses job. we insisted that she take 20, or 40, or whatever a handful of wet, badly folded, mismatched bills was worth, because w/out her diligence, we would have not cleared half of what we did.

i didn’t have the energy or incentive to un-barricade my room, and chose instead the quiet, warm, dry, smoke-free puke-free, noise-free environs of 307 to crash for the night. i guess the fact that becky-the-big-party-haired-woman was there may have had something to do w/ that decision, too, tho, in retrospect, but actually not too much. even if sister ezekiel (a short, warted, mean nun in full nun-wearables) from my from 2nd grade teacher/nun had been in 307 instead of becky, i STILL would have went there.

the next morning was a bit surreal. walking back over to 308 mid-morning, still in a groggy/drunk mode, i couldn’t help but notice a few things. someone had written a big “NO BEER” with lipstick, on our house siding, right by the front door. kind of like a scarlet letter, scaring away would-be late partiers who heard about a great party too late. or maybe someone from inside kept getting woken up by folks wanting to ‘party’, and thought that sign would keep them from knocking. the front and side yard (and i’ll try not to be too graphic here) was a mixture of melted snow, and plenty of once-ran-through beer remains, as well as ample evidence of mass-indigestion. the bottoms of our house and nearby cars had all the salt and mud washed off them, many times over, in nice little ‘golden arches’. mcdonalds would be proud.

that was just a inkling of what the inside of the house had in store. in fact, it was worse than outside. the green matted shag carpet was barely visible under the broken plastic cups, cigarette and cigar butts, ripped up posters, overturned couches and cushions, some random bottles folks had brought in to tie (tide?) them over until the keg glasses could be filled, some wet rugs and pillows, muddied papers / newspapers and whatever else we didn’t lock up. the rug (that was visible) was soaked w/ melted snow, mud and spilled beer. witte was sleeping on a chair – apparently, he didn’t feel up to breaking thru his bedroom-barricade, either. as he was still waking up, tho, he was worried, and was mumbling about monty. the last thing he knew or remembered from last night, he had the snake, monty. and now, he no longer had the snake, and the snake wasn’t in its cage, and nobody has seen it after witte. so, ever so gently, we started digging for Monty. the snake needed to be found. somewhere. thankfully, he finally turned up in a couch, underneath the cushions, and no worse for wear (at least that we could see). we unwound him from the “C” wire cushion bottoms and returned him to his safe, warm glass cage. he needed to see a snake-therapist for months after this episode.

someone had tried running through a wall by the front door. they made it about half way through. if only i had the tools and know-how of sheetrocking then that i have now, i coulda done magic on that wall. however, a big, free poster for Bud (the bud girls.. remember them, in their ‘bud’ bathing suits written across 3 buxom babes and their underlying bud towel?) hid the hole just at good, and was a lot quicker, too. also, we had no running water. also, someone smashed the natural gas meters in the basement (why, we still wonder). also, the toilet was clogged and broken. the sink was clogged. the hot water heater wouldn’t re-light (someone must have saw it as a convenient ‘watering hole’ and of course every self-respecting guy needs to have a target in mind or have a watering post to help the flow). the main table we used for whatever (newspapers, phone messages, backpacks, groceries) was missing a leg.

but, oh, well, on the positive note, the party was a smashing success. literally. everyone slowly got up, and started putting the house back together. no radio. no tv. no stereo. no loud noises, period. the basement beer mud was thick, and smelly? damn! we all collected the money’s we had squirreled away (pockets, backpacks, hiding spots) and put it into a big pile. a very impressive pile. a foot tall, few feet across. wow. settled up the costs for the extra kegs, and tried to recount how much was given away, and to whom. i forget how much we each cleared, but it was a helleva lot more than we ever thought it would be. about 50 future keggor fees, i think. but we didn’t do it for the money. we did it just for the sake of doing it. with much of the proceeds, we set up a very healthy toilet paper / paper towel endowment fund for the house.. and we were the foundation chairs for this endowment. usually, we just traded in cans/bottles at a nickel a pop when we were way past desperate in the toilet paper arena. but now, we were now rich w/ paper! a whole semesters worth of no-worry bathroom visits.

roach’s leg healed no problem. (altho his car antennae got bent off, too, pry by someone steadying themselves against his car. shoulda got a portapotty out front). the plumber was called. gas company was called. the old pipes were used so much that rust had been shaken free and clogged it all up (or maybe all that bass from the band loosened it. the gas company guy (a young guy not too far out of college himself, or at least college-aged) took pity on us and installed all new natural gas meters for free. becky actually helped clean up, too. i remember that because she pulled the band’s song list out from the garbage and told me i should keep it. it was taped to the floor by the band so they would know the order of the songs, and could segue easier. it was written using a red marks-a-lot smeary, wet, torn, burned, but still barely readable. in fact, i think i’ll dig thru old college notes and memorabilia box under the ol’ steps and try to find that bad boy. too bad that band didn’t make it to the big time, i could auction off that piece of paper on e-bay for a fortune.

i had an interview w/ koch in wichita for that next monday, and had to leave sunday morning for the airport. i still wasn’t quite ‘regular’ and fully over the carnage from friday, but apparently i did okay anyway. i got the koch internship which led me to a full time koch job which then led me to 3m. so i credit that party a decade ago w/ putting me on the road to professional success. i highly recommend a similar career path for every collegiate. but just don’t agree to sleep in any basements, no matter how reasonable the rent. the top-dwellers paid $112 each. doug paid $50 in the basement cave. 4 bedroom + basement. 3 blocks from campus, 1 block from campus-town. house completely trashed when moved in. no security deposit needed. no lease terms. perfect house. we were last ones to live there. it was condemned and tore down the summer after we graduated. rebuilt an apartment complex on our old home. progress? i think not.

we had other parties after that first big blowout, but none were as big, crazy, fun, crowded, or as memorable as that first one was. we realized smaller parties w/ mostly people we all knew had lots fewer headaches than the free-for-all trash-the-house kind. Monty the python finally succumbed to the cold and unfriendly climate of a badly insulated house in the middle of iowa winters, and even though he had a heating lamp and rock, he didn’t survive the year. found him dead and cold and coiled up one morning. we had a snake wake in his honor, tho, where he would come out of his permanent storage location of our freezer, all coiled up, frozen stiff, right between the totino party pizzas, and grace the party goers w/ his presence. that was another good party. the snake-wake party. but all the rest run together. monty slowly degraded in the freezer due to all the handling and shuffling, parts of his skin shedding and peeling off into the freezer. and finally burk had to find a more permanent home for him besides intermingled in the pile of pizzas. (4 totino party pizzas for $3 at value-save-more-hy-vee grocery or whatever it was called)

prologue: about a year after graduating, i stopped by the old house on stanton ave, to see if i knew anybody anymore, and to see what they had done to our place (palace!). everybody was gone, a ‘condemned’ notice on the front door. weeds growing over all the sidewalks and driveway. that made me feel bad. what a waste of a perfectly good party house. they tore it down shortly after, and put up a new building in its place. so it goes. progress. moral of this story? is none. lessons learned? are none. when you’re living thru the middle of a crazy time like college, you take a lot of it for granted, and don’t even realize that it’s out of the ordinary to invite 300 total strangers into your house, have 6 hours worth of fun w/ them, and then they leave, never to see you again. and then the next week, you do the same exact thing at someone else’s house/apartment w/out thinking anything of it. what a time. gone by. gone forever. condemned to the dustbin of memories.

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[jazzworldquest-blog]

USA: Lauren Kinhan November 8th 8pm Red Room @ Café 939 Boston, MA

Lauren Kinhan Pays Tribute to Legendary Vocalist Nancy Wilson in Transformative Fashion on the First All-Standards Album of her Career  

CD Release Concerts: November 8, 2017 8pm Red Room @ Café 939 WBGO Live Stream Boston, MA Tickets & Info January 3, 2018  JEN Convention – Inspiration Stage – Dallas, TX January 11, 2018  Sheen Center of the Performing Arts, 7 pm Pre Show Talk with Elliot Scheiner and recorded band, and the showing of the “Making Of A Sleepin’ Bee” mini movie, 8 pm Concert, NY, NY 

CD Available From: CDBaby iTunes Amazon Autographed copies available at:  www.laurenkinhan.com  

A Sleepin’ Bee uses Wilson’s iconic collaborations with Cannonball Adderley and George Shearing as the starting point for a unique take on the tribute album  

“Every single song in this collection hits a sweet spot of a different sort, but the most pleasing aspect of the recording is how it uncovers the stripped-down, soulful side of Kinhan's voice.” – Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz  

“Echoes of the artist in her own voice, that’s what so lovingly resounds in the voice of Lauren Kinhan on A Sleepin’ Bee, her tribute to Nancy Wilson.” – Michael Bourne, WBGO  

“Her approach to the material is anything but conventional; with her big, flexible voice, Kinhan brings the passion of a soul singer to the improvisatory reach of a jazz diva.” – Suzanne Lorge, New York City Jazz Record  

"Her luscious, velvet voice is a good place to rest your weary head." – Ken Blanchard, Jazznote SD "A vocal tour de force" – Jazz Journal, Sally Evans-Darby

“Lauren Kinhan is a tremendously gifted jazz singer.” – Christopher Loudon, JazzTimes 

Whether on her own highly-acclaimed albums, as a 25-year member of the beloved vocal group New York Voices, or as co-founder of two diverse and inventive supergroups, Moss and JaLaLa, singer/songwriter Lauren Kinhan has always forged her own path as a performer, composer and improviser. With her latest, A Sleepin’ Bee (due out October 6 on her own Dotted i Records), Kinhan once again steers herself in unexpected directions with a new release that is at once the first all-standards collection of her career, a loving tribute to legendary vocalist Nancy Wilson, and unmistakably a Lauren Kinhan album – with all the unique perspective and idiosyncratic personality that has come to imply.  

If the sudden appearance of an album’s worth of standards in a catalogue dominated by original songs comes as a surprise, the process of its creation is just as atypical. While Kinhan spent much of 2016 conceiving, rehearsing and workshopping the project, the circumstances of the recording arose suddenly through the auspices of her alma mater, Berklee College of Music. The session suddenly became an educational opportunity as well as a record date, providing a small group of Berklee students the invaluable privilege of observing and engaging in a recording session at the highest level.  

First and foremost, though, A Sleepin’ Bee is a celebration of Nancy Wilson on the occasion of the genre- hopping singer’s 80th birthday. While Kinhan shares Wilson’s penchant for blurring stylistic boundaries, her choice of material focuses on Wilson’s early jazz albums, particularly her collaborations with Cannonball Adderley and George Shearing. Those recordings proved to be a jumping-off point for Kinhan, who utterly transforms these classic and obscure numbers with the help of pianist/creative partner Andy Ezrin and veteran producer Elliot Scheiner as well as a stellar band featuring bassist Matt Penman, drummer Jared Schonig and special guest trumpeter Ingrid Jensen.  

With three brilliant albums of her own songs under her belt, not to mention her game-changing work with three distinctive vocal groups and wide-ranging collaborations with singular artists from Ornette Coleman to Bobby McFerrin, Kinhan decided it was finally time to create an album more in line with the jazz tradition of interpreting

a book of standards. Of course, Kinhan has never been one to follow an obvious route, so the results quickly became something wholly her own. “I approached this project similarly to the way I write songs, except that in this case that creativity was expressed in the arranging and approach to the lyrics,” she explains. “I wanted to make an album that was inspired by Nancy Wilson but still conveys my point of view in the way that I think about, interpret and reimagine music.”  

The starting point for the project quickly became Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley, the 1961 album on which the 24-year-old singer was backed by Adderley’s incredible quintet with his brother Nat, pianist Joe Zawinul, bassist Sam Jones and drummer Louis Hayes. Kinhan had fallen in love with the album as a young girl searching through her parents’ record collection, enamored with both Wilson’s soulful voice and her elegant image. “I remember being 7 or 8, staring at the cover of this beautiful woman in a yellow dress and connecting with the songs, the arrangements and the bite of her tone. I know those songs like I know the songs of Carole King and Joni Mitchell. So revisiting them, they feel like a favorite cashmere sweater.”

The 12 tracks on Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley were evenly split between vocal and instrumental pieces, and Kinhan interprets all but one of the vocal tunes on A Sleepin’ Bee. To fill out the repertoire, she began delving into Wilson’s catalogue – only reaching 1964 before she had more than enough to work with. The remaining repertoire is carefully cultivated from Wilson’s early-60s releases, the bulk of it coming from The Swingin’s Mutual!, Wilson’s 1960 collaboration with pianist George Shearing.  

“In a way,” Kinhan says, “A Sleepin’ Bee is also a tribute to Cannonball and George Shearing and the fine musicians that played on the original recordings. The pairing of the voice and great players is what it’s all about. It’s never just about singing for me; it’s the whole creative spectrum of arranging notes and form, and connecting with the musicians.”  

Those elements are combined and rearranged in disparate and intriguing ways throughout A Sleepin’ Bee, from the laid-back swing of “Let’s Live Again” to the haunted melancholy of “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” whether stretching the melody like taffy on “Never Will I Marry” (parried by Berklee classmate Jensen’s darting trumpet) or finding a playfully bold character at the heart of the title tune. She effectively melds Nat Adderley’s “The Old Country” with Billy Strayhorn’s “Passion Flower,” and fully imbues “Born To Be Blue” with the remorseful mood inherent in its title. Kinhan’s vulnerable, stripped-down version of “Save Your Love For Me” completely reimagines Wilson’s iconic take – which Kinhan previously performed both with and for Wilson herself, first on a recording with the New York Voices and later with the Voices as part of Wilson’s 2004 induction as a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master.  

Perhaps the most surprising inclusion is Wilson’s debut single, “Guess Who I Saw Today,” whose lyrics haven’t exactly aged well. Kinhan puts a new twist on the tune not only with her sly vocal performance - which acidly comments on a song that frames its tale of infidelity with some decidedly Eisenhower-era social mores – but with an updated arrangement that makes the song her own, apart from Wilson’s quintessential version.  

“You better have a perspective on this song, especially as a woman who’s been an outspoken feminist my whole life,” Kinhan says. “It’s not that cheating is old-fashioned; it’s the way that the story is pitched from the beginning, drawing an outmoded picture of marriage where the woman stays home, does the shopping and dotes on her husband, who spends his day at work. To chew on those words was so strange - but it was also fun to hold that mirror up to society and look at its absurdity.”  

“(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am” was a fresh discovery for Kinhan in her research for the project. Despite Wilson’s recording having won a Grammy in 1964, it was not that version but a less ornate live rendition that grabbed Kinhan’s ear, and she takes a similar approach, powerfully singing with gospel-inflected soul accompanied only by Ezrin’s lyrical piano and Penman’s subtle bass. The at times inane lyrics of “Happy Talk” are sent up in a slapstick carnival atmosphere to close the album on a particularly offbeat note.  

Recording the album with multiple Grammy-winner Elliot Scheiner at Berklee’s state-of-the-art Shames Family Scoring Stage meant turning the studio into a classroom, a prospect that at first seemed daunting but that Kinhan quickly embraced. “The students brought a performance atmosphere to the session that was beautiful,” she says. “Normally recording sessions can make you incredibly self-conscious, often putting yourself under the microscope, but knowing there was an audience was really liberating. The students witnessed great players laying it down right in front of their eyes, and that made for an inspired environment. The added bonus of sharing Nancy Wilson's legacy with them was a Sleepin’ Bee we hope to have reawakened for generations to come.”

laurenkinhan.com

  ### 

Contact: Ann Braithwaite (781) 259-9600

Ann@bkmusicpr.com 

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[theworstbob]

yellin’ at songs, week thirty-six

considering the songs which debuted on the billboard hot 100 the weeks of 13 september 1997, 15 september 2007, and 16 september 2017

9.13.1997

1) "Honey," by Mariah Carey

You know, when I saw this was coming up, I started wondering why I didn't give "Honey" nearly as much spin as I give to other Mariah jams. 'Cuz I'll listen to "Always Be My Baby" on a cloudy day, I'll listen to "Fantasy" whenever the fuck, I give "Heartbreaker" a lot of love, but this song, I understood to be a classic, but it never quite tickled my fantasy, y'know? And it's not just Mase, though he certainly doesn't help, it's more that this is more mellow than the Mariah songs I've been into, more of a chilled-out thing and not a dramatic declaration of love. It's a simple, sweet ;) song, and I mean I shouldn't be grading this on the Special Mariah Scale (where every song is either an A or an Inspirational Balld), this honestly probably ends up being Song of the Week because it's still really damn good, we're just talking about a Mariah joint that doesn't make the Mariah Top 10.

55) "You Light up My Life," by LeAnn Rimes

...So this is late because I saw 10 Lil Uzi Vert songs and got discouraged. No one who doesn't want to should have to listen to Lil Uzi Vert. So I also dragged my feet on getting everything else written -- welcome to Sunday, September 10th, when I am considering after five days of trying to find a reason to justify piping that into my ears I'm realizing that at least Lil Uzi Vert has some sort of definable character which I've decided I'm not into. Am I thrilled to listen to a song called "444+222?" Absolutely not, that sounds Stupid, and I'm not sure why hip-hop is getting into the same Hot Topic Goth imagery even the goths were over in 2007, but at least there's a definable character there. I will come away from those ten songs (eh, fuck it, I'll listen to the album, I listened to Drake's whole bullshit) having learned something about Lil Uzi Vert as a person, and spending an hour with something I don't like is a more valuable experience than spending three and a half minutes feeling nothing.

75) "Jack-Ass," by Beck

I didn't like listening to this song but Beck wrote it himself and played all the instruments so that means it's a truer artistic statement with significantly more intrinsic value than anything else we'll be discussing today.

76) "It's Alright," by Queen Latifah

I looked up the film where this osng came from, just because I wanted to know what the hell Nothing to Lose was that it would get the "Not Tonight" remix and this song, and apparently the movie isn't very good, but it does feature John C. McGinley and Giancarlo Esposito in feature roles! The soundtrack also has a track from OutKast called "Everlasting," and I just, how does this film get an original from OutKast? What is this movie? Is this worth seeing? It doesn't look very good and I would have to pay to watch it but I need to see how this movie brought the "Not Tonight" remix into existence.

79) "Tubthumping," by Chumbawumba

This song is gloriously and loudly stupid, and while it's also shitty, it at least owns how stupid it is. It revels in its own inanity, and I dunno, I think it has a lot of pluck. It's a charming little ditty. I understand why people would enjoy shouting with this song.

86) "Legend of a Cowgirl," by Imani Coppola

You know what? I think "Honey" is a better song than this, but I'm gonna give this the Song of the Week title because I think Mariah Carey has enough accolades, and this is an incredibly impressive effort. Even without the video, you can get a clear sense of who Imani Coppola is as an artist from this song, hear what she intends to be, and it's really cool to hear a song this ambitious and distinct. I'm not gonna put it on the level of "Felton St," I don't think this is an essential forgotten classic, but this is the rare song that sounds like the artist and not the '90s, and given that I hadn't actually heard of Imani Coppola to this point, that's extremely impressive. Also I'm listening to a song called "Geeks" by Hailey Knox which Coppola evidently co-wrote, and it's pretty amazing, too. Imani Coppola! She's great! Anyway, let's listen to Shaquille O'Neal rap.

91) "Man of Steel," by Shaquille O'Neal, Ice Cube, B-Real, Peter Gunz & KRS-One

KRS-One on "Step Into a World (Rapture's Delight):" "Yo I'm strictly about skills and dope lyrical coastin/Relying on talent, not marketing and promotion" KRS-One on "Men of Steel:" "KRS-One is the nicest/Shaquille O'Neal definitely from Men of Steel" Still better than Kendrick's verse on "Bad Blood" tbh

92) "I'm Not a Fool," by Immature

When Immature came up a few months back, did we discuss the silliness of naming an R&B group made up of teens Immature? That's a terrible name for this boy band! I have trouble believing a serious emotional ballad from a group that reminds me at the top they're idiots. ...You're right, I wasn't making this criticism of Backstreet Boys, it's a '90s R&B slow jam, I've listened to heckin 40 of these, I am so incredibly out of things to say. I'm sorry. I tried to find an angle, but it’s clear I failed.

9.15.2007

43) "Wadsyaname," Nelly

Heading into this song, I recalled the era where Nelly was trying to be a throwback ‘50s-like musician. “Tiltcha Head Back” is one of the top songs of the era, and given that “Candyman” dropped earlier in the year, I thought we’d still be getting retro Nelly. ...No. No, that is very much not what happened here. We got Bland Forgettable Nelly. There is a reason I didn’t remember this song as strongly as “Tiltcha Head Back,” and that’s because it’s kind of the worst thing in the world. Like I’m not listening to the songs on headphones these week, I am blasting these through the speakers, and this is the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever played. And like I listen to Twitch streams and country music. I am more worried that people will think I like this song than I am people will think I’m a Trump voter.

73) "More Than a Memory," Garth Brooks

Can I talk about the video I found for this song? So Garth Brooks is one of few artists big enough to fight Google, and it doesn’t look like his music’s easily searchable on The Web. The only videos I could find for this song were covers and that video, which is just a dude pointing a camera at his dog for four minutes. It’s so beautiful. That’s the saddest dog in the world. I don’t know how the ending happened but the ending happens and it’s so perfect, this is such a good video, A+ YouTubing, sir. I am glad to be one in your march to a million views.

78) "Coffee Shop," Yung Joc ft./Gorilla Zoe

I knew I was gonna like this song when I saw a tuba in the background of the video thumbnail, and I knew I was gonna kinda love this song when the video began with Yung Joc making a real estate investment -- a wise decision, and it’s important that this video chooses to represent prudent financial transactions. And sure enough, this song is absolutely delightful. That is a hot Southern pop/rap beat, and Joc and Zoe are way more impressive on this song than they have been on their previous songs. The central metaphor is what it is, the song is basic as hell, but yo, I’ll take basic as hell over what I thought this song was gonna be.

81) "Baby Don't Go," Fabolous ft./Jermaine Dupri

I can kinda see how my mood would affect how I listen to this song. This is peak generic 2007 hip-hop, so on a bad day, I’d just be like “enh, whatever,” but this caught me on a good day, y’lknow? 1997 was pretty chill, 2007′s been good for us after the Nelly travesty, I’m willing to be charitable to this song, even if I didn’t actually notice it had ended until a CarMax ad started playing. Suitable background noise for this fine Sunday morning!

90) "Money in the Bank," Swizz Beatz

Well. ...Well. There went that. OH WAIT I DIDN’T REALIZE WE WERE GONNA PIVOT INTO SOMETHING AMAZING HOLY SHIT IS THIS PROTO-”FAMOUS” DID SWIZZ BEATZ JUST GIVE ME A TEST DID HE JUST SAY “IF YOU CAN’T HANDLE ME AT MY FIRST 90 SECONDS OF THIS SONG YOU DON’T DESERVE ME AT THE LAST 90 SECONDS OF THIS SONG” OK OK I GET WHY THIS SONG EXISTS YAS YAAAAAAS

93) "How Far We've Come," matchbox twenty

This is OK. I dunno, I don’t think the purpose of YAS is to give an extended defense of matchbox twenty, but I have always liked matchbox twenty, and I’m not gonna sit here and try to make some effort to be cooler than that. I’m nowhere near cool enough to try to pretend I don’t think this song is at least okay, nor am I cool enough that I can’t admit hearing this song about legacies and approaching the end of the world had some resonance with my fears for the present day. I’m a fuckboy in his late 20s who is sitting in an apartment listening to and being affected by matchbox twenty. Please listen to my Lil Uzi Vert opinions. They are amazingly valid.

96) "Livin' Our Love Song," Jason Michael Carroll

“Somethin’ like this just doesn’t exist/Between a backwoods boy and a fairy tale princess” I can think of at least 20 other songs where this exact thing exists. We’ll always have “Alyssa Lies.” No one, not even you, can take that away from us.

98) "Hate That I Love You," Rihanna ft./Ne-Yo

Call it the “Honey” effect: I understand this to be a great song, but I never feel quite motivated to revisit it on a regular basis, simply because it’s just mellow and subtle and all those things. This song is great -- I talk about the dearth of duets in modern music, but this is one of the modern greats, and it should be cherished for that fact alone, shouldn’t be judged so unfairly against... The only other Rihanna song I’m judging it against is “Umbrella,” I realize. Is this the second-best song in Rihanna’s entire catalogue? Am I gonna spend the rest of my life Rihanna did her best work in 2007? Team, I am worried I’m a “BACK IN MY DAY” fogey. I enjoyed a matchbox twenty song and I’m arguing that Rihanna’s past her prime. What is this. What am I doing with this post.

9.16.2017

31) "Jocelyn Flores," by XXXTENTACION 41) "Fuck Love," by XXXTENTACION ft./Trippie Redd 54) "Everybody Dies in Their Nightmares," by XXXTENTACION 77) "Revenge," by XXXTENTACION 91) "Depression & Obsession," by XXXTENTACION 94) "Save Me," by XXXTENTACION 95) "Carry On," by XXXTENTACION

Instead of listening to these songs, I’m going to link to this article.

39) "The Way Life Goes," by Lil Uzi Vert 49) "Sauce it Up," by Lil Uzi Vert 60) "444+222," by Lil Uzi Vert 79) "Neon Guts," by Lil Uzi Vert ft./Pharrell Williams 80) "Two," by Lil Uzi Vert 81) "X," by Lil Uzi Vert 92) "For Real," by Lil Uzi Vert 84) "UnFazed," by Lil Uzi Vert 90) "No Sleep Leak," by Lil Uzi Vert 92) "Dark Queen," by Lil Uzi Vert

So basically I put this album and then played an LttP rando, and then I continued playing the rando while two other albums played (heckin hookshot was in a dumb location), and now I don’t remember anything about these songs. Like, they weren’t unpleasant. Lil Uzi Vert isn’t as trash as I was anticipating, but there was nothing I was able to derive from his particular brand of dark trap that I couldn’t get from any of the billion other dudes making dark trap. Like, legit, “444+222.” Maybe I let a song title influence my opinion on the rest of the work, but that’s dumb and this music is dumb.

73) "What Lovers Do," by Maroon 5 ft./SZA

Like all Maroon 5 songs, this is acceptable

76) "Light it Up," by Luke Bryan

I am actually angry that this song called “Light it Up” dares to be mid-tempo. No. No, no, bro country, you wanna be about lighting it up, your beat should be lit. This is a bro country song about Snapchat and the word ‘truck’ is in the chorus and I can’t believe I managed to make time for this. How did 2017 win 13 weeks of this deeply stupid competition. Why was there a guitar solo? Why do these songs make time for guitar solos? What even is this genre?

97) "Tell Me You Love Me," by Demi Lovato

THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN “SORRY NOT SORRY” AND I AM BACK ON BOARD THE DEMI LOVATO TRAIN god damn like this week epitomizes 2017. Problematic people making shitty songs, miles of trap bullshit, not-unpleasant island vibes, awful country, and then a strong woman with a brass backing coming to save us all. My favorite genre of 2017 music is “young woman triumphantly belting over an army of horns,” and Demi Lovato has made my favorite version of that song yet. Hell yeah, man. I am incredibly into this. This single-handedly salvaged the 2017 leg, even if I had to put myself through a whole Lil Uzi Vert thing.

Who won the week?

Though I mean the whole Lil Uzi Vert and Luke Bryan of it all makes it impossible for Demi Lovato to win, like I’m not about to look at a 1997 that gave us “Honey” and “Legend of a Cowgirl” and say “No. XXXTENTACION’s such a broken beautiful soul.” It’s 1997.

Current standings: 1997: 13 2007: 11 2017: 12 Next week, I have no idea what any of the four songs 1997 has to offer are gonna be, we’re gonna talk about Alicia Keys and Britney and Good Charlotte from 2007, and oh boy new Tay Tay and Sam Smith so excited really can’t wait to sink into those f’real those are probably gonna be greaaaaaaaaaat songs i’ll enjoy forever Next week’s standings: 1997: 13 2007: 12 2017: 12 I mean what’s the point of pretending

[purplesurveys]

456

Got any nicknames that you rarely even use? Nah, my one nickname is used a lot. Nevermind what gender you ARE, what gender do you WANT to be? I’m fine being female. Do you ever feel ashamed revealing your age? Not at all, I get happier when I finally get to say it with one more added year. Probably because I’ve always wanted to break out of that long ass period of being a teenager and being overlooked and invalidated and all those rebellious blunder years as well. Working anywhere? No. I’m interning in a PR company starting next Thursday, though! What's your favorite thing to put in your mouth? Japanese or Indian food.

What about the worst? Accidentally-eaten raisins. Have any allergies? Nope. I’m just glad I’m not allergic to any food. One of my closest friends, Kate, is allergic to eggs, chicken, and meat; and a lot more people i know are allergic to seafood and I’m sooooooooooooooooo frustrated for them. Are you confident enough to reveal your height and weight? Sure. I don’t mind being tiny and I never really struggled with weight. What one personal rule you have that you want your surroundings to follow? I hate physical touch as communication. Holding my hand, hugging me too tight, resting your head on my shoulder, suddenly grabbing my arm...unless it’s Gabie, and to an extent Kate (cos she’s naturally touchy) and Angela, I get freaked out inside. When you get muscle soreness, where does it hit you the worst? Shoulders and neck could get pretty bad. What do your parents call you? Anak or ‘Nak, which literally means ‘child’ in Filipino; Robyn, and Byn. When they refer to me in a conversation with my younger siblings, I’m called ‘Ate,’ or the term for elder sisters. Something you just can’t stand no matter what? When someone scrapes their utensils onto their plate way too hard and loud. What’s something that people do that you love? When everyone bands together to help someone when they’re in trouble. Of course this doesn’t happen all the time, but it’s so easy to make me cry just by making me watch videos of this happening. How old were you when you first got to go on the computer? I was 3. My dad had Need for Speed on the computer and I still remember how it came with the legit steering wheel and pedals. If you have a blog, facebook, myspace, etc, how long have you had it for? I think I’ve had this one since 2016. I have another survey blog I got locked out from because I forgot my password, and I had that since 2012 or 2013. If you have a blog or website, advertise here: I’m posting this on my blog itself lmao. What age would you want to get married/did you get married? 27-29. Any lovers at the moment? I have a girlfriend, sure. When was the last time you had a crush on someone? Right now, but more intensely this morning haha. Would you say you're an emotional person? More than average, definitely. Have a kid or want to? Want them. Describe your hair style right now? It’s in a ponytail but I’ve had it on since morning and I’ve been on the couch the whole day so it’s a super messy one right now. A habit a lot of people around you notice you doing is? I don’t know if there’s a habit everyone tends to do, but they all seem to curse, if that’s counts as a habit. Favorite artist? Like...in general? Probably Hozier, he’s one of the best and most genuine artists/songwriters out there. And Hayley Williams. What's a fashion trend you would rather die than follow? Don’t Blame The Kids merch. Got any internet friends you've never met in real life? Yeah, my old internet friends - they all lived either in the US or spread out in Europe so I really could not meet with them ever. Right now, the ones I’ve never met are Aliyah and Gabbie. Do you chat with a lot of people on the computer or only few? It used to be a lot since I was super active in the wrestling fandom before. Nowadays my circle is kept to my high school batchmates and college friends. Your favorite person you know in real life is...? My girlfrienddddddddd. Are you a forgiving person? No. It’s kinda the unofficial personal rule I have with people: I will always give away my trust to anyone from the very beginning and will be patient for a very long time, that to fuck up hard enough to reach the point of having to ask for forgiveness is already like overstaying in my circle or my life in general lmao. What's a color that suits you the best? Black and maroon. For some reason green does too, but I hate green. And a color you just can't pull off/don't want to? Orange, gray, yellow. Based on your running speed, what animal would you be? I’d probably be like a cow hahaha. Got any hobbies? Sure.

Can you read in public? Only if I manage to be alone and end up in a quiet and comfy area in public. The noisiest I can handle is probably a busy coffee shop because at least the noise there is a bit therapeutic. Describe yourself when you were 6 years old? I dunno, really...I was friends with a popular bunch and we even made a dumb 6 year old thing we called the Bratz Club (because they were huge at the time), but there was also huge bitch of a bully not from the group who also always targeted me. I was still a big crybaby, and I threw a huge tantrum one time someone mistakenly told on me when I didn’t do anything, that my mom had to step in lmao. I was still pretty quiet but like I had enough friends and I even spoke on our moving up ceremony, so I think I was doing quite well. Right brained or left brained? I already forgot my psych lessons from two semesters ago, hah. How much sleep do you get usually? 6-7 hours is the average. Do you know your blood type? I don’t. What’s hilarious (and sad) is that I don’t think my parents know either unless they check my birth cert LMAOOOOOO. Whenever I have to fill out forms that ask for it, I ask my mom and she deadass says, “O+ is the most common right? Just write that one down” bye sis if I need a donation and I die that’s on her kksksksksks What's your favorite astrologic sign? I don’t care for and hate all of them. What month do you with you were born and why? April. Presumably because I was conceived somewhere in mid-July 1997, I guess? Have any large dreams you're trying to achieve? Sure.

One thing you would like to change about yourself? My anxiety. One thing you like about yourself? Work ethic. A type of personality you just can’t stand? People who say too many innuendos or are too green-minded. Your personality in one word would be? Uhhhh that’s hard to capture. I guess ‘shy’ is the word. Your appearance in one word would be? Chill.

What’s a talent you'd love to have? Playing the piano. The best prank you've pulled? I hate pranks, whether I’m the pranker or prankee. If I gave you ten dollars right now, what would you do with it? Save it. I’m out of money from drinking in two upscale bars last night lol. What if it was a million dollars? Probs get myself a nice dinner. A person or a thing you truly love from your heart? Girlfriend. A wish you have? More money. Pokemon, Digimon, GI JOE, Barbies or other? Pokemon. City type of person or country? Definitely the city. As good as the food is and as clean as the air is in the province, I don’t think I’ll last. Plus I was never raised in the province so I would miss the city life too much.

Ever take polls on the net? Yeah sometimes I’d take the ones I’d come across just for funsies or because I’m genuinely interested about the results. Any word that you love? Poignant. I thought it meant something nice and ~elegant at first; had no clue it was supposed to mean something super bittersweet. What's something you're obsessed about right now? Mukbang ASMR videos. If you had a typing battle, do you think you'd win? I think I would hahaha. Several semesters of rapid note-taking in college will serve me well. Favorite type of candy? Peanut butter cups, if they count. How often do you clean your ears? Every other day. Brag about something! I got a 2.00 in a class I genuinely thought I’d fail in. 2 isn’t a great grade at all but that class was SO AWFUL that I was dying of anxiety just to get a 3 this whole time. My instructor released the grades last night while I was at a club and I bawled when I found out. Something you find unhealthy about yourself? I eat so unhealthily and have no healthy habits AT ALL other than constantly drinking water. I don’t wash my face, never watch what I eat, never exercised a day in my life, all that neglectful jazz. Words of wisdom? I’m not really in a thoughtful mood rn to spontaneously think of advice. Are usually the one talking or listening to others? Listening. I hate having to be in the spotlight longer. Your reaction if someone told you you look 10 years older than your age? Honestly I’d be really flattered because I’ve looked 10 years younger my whole life. To say that I look 10 years older will just balance it out to mean that I look my exact age hahahahahaha Any favorite numbers? I don’t have lucky numbers but whenever I have to pick ones, I always say 4 or 23. Any weak spots? ???? Like in bed? Lmao my neck but I hope I understood this correctly. Do you really badly want anything right now? Money. Savings. But also iced coffee :( How much money would you say you have saved up? I literally have no money in my wallet and I can take a photo right now to show that I have absolutely no bills left. I get really irresponsible with money when I get a little tipsy and I got three Long Island Iced Teas last night :/ the last glass I bought when I found out my grade in that pain-in-the-ass class I talked about earlier, so it was technically an impulse celebratory purchase. Anything from your past you just want to forget about? So many events, my friend. So many events. What does it take to earn respect from you? None. I give everyone respect and trust from the very beginning, because that’s what they deserve. But the thing is I can very much take it away when it’s disrespected or abused. Where were you born? Somewhere in stinky Manila. How many people do you live with? 4. How do you cheer yourself up? Depends. It’s a different formula each time. What's something that makes you really stressed out? Internship. Have any particular standard you look for in a significant other? No. I’m a demi, so I’ll end up being attracted to someone because of who they are. I used to have standards but they were so limiting, so I just got rid of those. Ever had a friend that was someone completely opposite to you? Gabie. Ez. We couldn’t be any more different. Are you any good at science? I’m good in biology in particular and I’m okay in physics, but I hate chemistry.  Highlight of the day? Waking up to Gab because she slept over last night. Do you go on any forums on the net? Does Reddit count? What do you think of your voice? It’s okay. It’s not super annoying for me. A smiley face you use a lot? Just the classic :) Do you use msn-lingo? Not since 2011 at the latest haha. Got any secrets you honestly can't say to anyone? This blog. Well except for my sister who stays as the only person I know who knows about this, but other than that I wanna keep this as a secret safe space forever. Best horror movie? Oh wow I haven’t seen anything new in a while. It’s still a four-way between Scream, Cabin in the Woods, The Shining, and Carrie. Believe in voo doo? No. Think anything lives forever eternally? Uh maybe jellyfish? Tacos or Burritos? Burrito. I never liked tacos. The most annoying question on these surveys? Maybe the ones that didn’t use apostrophes when the questions needed them. Whats something you do when you're dead bored? Watch videos. Ever made a survey? Nah. What do you think of people who speak their mind? Brave. But they should also be careful to not be too comfortable about being blunt that they wind up an asshole. How do you act to people around you crying? I stop what I’m doing and listen to them, if they want to talk. What's something you've tried really hard at? Passing that bitch of a class I’ve mentioned for the third time in this survey. How do you say good byes? I just say a ‘bye,’ but if it’s a harder goodbye then I usually avoid the situation, because I cry easily.

[theshmaylor]

I meant to do real things this evening, but instead I spent 3 hours making a Tegan and Sara primer. Soooo enjoy if you want

Okay so Analise010 asked for a Tegan and Sara primer, but I didn't find any I liked, so I had to make my own. And then well...it became a lot. SORRY FOR THE EXCESSIVE LENGTH.  But also I'm lazy and didn't include photos, that was a step too much effort.

The Basics Tegan and Sara are a band. It feels weird to call them a band when it's just the two of them (plus whoever's in their backing band at the time), but wikipedia calls them an "indie pop singing duo" and that's worse, so let's go with 'a band'. They are both lesbians. No, they're not dating. They're identical twins. Their faces are incredibly similar so I don't know why I even have to say that, but a surprising number of people think they're dating, so. For a while it was very easy to tell them apart, but then Tegan took out her labret piercing, and their hair for the Love You to Death tour is more similar than it's been in years. But I think Tegan cut her hair sometime in the past few weeks, so hopefully it's simpler again. Sara has a narrower face than Tegan. You can also use their tattoos to tell them apart, but honestly we'll be here all day if I continue at this level of detail.  When they're preforming, Tegan always stands on the left side of the stage and Sara on the right (from the perspective of the audience). Both of them write songs, sing, and play instruments. Generally, they don't create together. They each write their own songs and then work together to polish and edit them. Whichever sister wrote the song is the one who sings lead vocals on it. They have EIGHT albums. So many! And as far as anyone knows, they're planning on making even more music.  We're gonna do this shit chronologically. 1. Under Feet Like Ours (1999) Listen, maybe don't start here. There are some gems to be found, but they were babies (only 19 years old!), and it shows. Plus, about half the songs also appear on their second album, so you won't be missing a lot.  It was initially released with the band name "Sara and Tegan" until they decided it sounded better the other way, changed it, and haven't looked back since. My fav tracks Clever Meals This is Everything 2. This Business of Art (2000) Again, about half the tracks come from Under Feet Like Ours and it was only released a year later, so it feels a little young too. But by picking the best bits of their previous album and adding in new material, it definitely feels like a step up. My fav tracks My Number Not With You Hype 3. If It Was You (2002) This is where we start to get a little less folky.  More pop-y, more electronic, and definitely more upbeat. More love and breakup songs, less undirectional teenage angst. My fav tracks Living Room - This is a Tegan and Sara CLASSIC. If they play it at a show, it's usually in the encore, and the entire room ERUPTS when it starts. Underwater I Hear Noises Terrible Storm 4. So Jealous (2004) This is kind of the beginning of their mainstream success. A lot more critical attention and some radio play for their singles. The first time I ever heard of Tegan and Sara was between this album and the next.  I was in high school and fell for them hard, and honestly they've been my favorite band ever since. My fav tracks I Was Walking With a Ghost - The White Stripes covered it, which honestly probably contributed to T+S's popularity a lot, but I think that fucking cover is awful Where Does the Good Go Speak Slow Fix You Up

5. The Con (2007) This is it. This is the album. This is the one that cemented their success and brought in many of their lifelong fans. And it's the reason I'm even writing this fucking thing in the first place. Today they announced The Con X - a tenth anniversary tour where they'll be playing an acoustic arrangement of all songs in album order, and I've been excitedly swooning about it all day, which is why Analise asked for a primer.

My fav tracks The Con Hop a Plane + Soil, Soil - two tracks that appear in that order on the album and you have to listen to them in a row. The mood change is just everything and so perfect.  I'm probably in the minority for putting Soil, Soil on my favorites list though, so do what you want with that... Burn Your Life Down Nineteen - listen, this probably isn't the best track ever, but it's so satisfying to wail along with. Great stuff at live performances Back In Your Head Dark Come Soon

(I know it's a lot, but count yourself lucky that I didn't just list the whole album)

6. Sainthood (2009) Getting even more electronic here! This was probably their most experimental album I think. It's also the first time they co-wrote a song, "Paperback Head".  That's not one of my favorite songs, but I'm glad they tried out something new.

My fav tracks Hell Alligator - which I mostly just love because Sara says it was inspired by Rihanna, which makes no sense to me when you listen to the song The Ocean Sentimental Tune Someday - for this one, I'm just gonna leave you with a quote the Autostraddle review, which imprinted on me very early after I first listened to it and now it's all I can think about every time I hear the song:  "At first listen, this track may sound like an anthem a garage band might   be inclined to write, one of those “fuck you, world! we’re gonna be   famous one day!” tracks – but IT’S NOT, and that’s partly why it’s so   great. This isn’t about how the world has wronged Tegan. It makes me   think of a 17-year old Tegan getting over a first relationship and   putting on a false bravado to prove she’s going to become something,   like she’s trying to convince herself rather than anyone else."

7. Heartthrob (2013) This is where people started throwing around the word 'sellout'. Which, in general, as a concept can just fuck off entirely. Yes, I think they were trying to reach for more mainstream success, but why is that a bad thing? More success = more chances to hear them live and a better likelihood of getting even more music. Plus, there seems to be this idea that musicians at the start of their careers have the most artistic freedom and are the most 'real', and after that they're doing what the record label wants. But that doesn't make any goddamn sense. Do you think 19 year old Tegan and Sara had any clue how to navigate the music industry and ensure that their artistic vision got out there? No. They've said in multiple interviews that they're originally piano players who were basically forced into the indie folk acoustic guitar thing. This album brings those keyboards to the forefront and they don't have to pick up guitars at all if they don't want to.  Plus, no matter the change in sound, the lyrics are pure Tegan and Sara. That's never going to change.

My fav tracks Closer - the music video is an amazing giant queer sleepover party and everyone should watch it I'm Not Your Hero Drove Me Wild How Come You Don't Want Me I Couldn't Be Your Friend

8. Love You To Death (2016) It's just over a year old and they're currently touring in support of it.  This is the album where (in addition to their songs about romantic relationships) they have some distance from some of the rough patches they've had as sisters over the years and can finally write music about that. White Knuckles and 100x are both songs inspired by those times. Plus, they made a video for every single song on the album.

My fav tracks Boyfriend - their queerest song to date, don't let the name fool you U-turn - oh god I love this song but the music video is terrible. Okay so it's not a terrible video in and of itself, but I don't like it at all for this particular song Dying to Know Stop Desire Hang on to the Night

Misc

Yay! You made it to the end of my babbling about each album, so do you know what that means? MORE BABBLING ABOUT OTHER THINGS. I'll try to keep it short though (mostly because I'm lazy and want to eat dinner soon)

- When they recorded The Con, they also filmed the entire thing and turned that into a movie with a 'chapter' (about 10 mins each) for each track. It is DELIGHTFUL and a great entry point for getting a feel for their personalities and learning more about them beyond just liking the music. A wonderful person has collected the chapters here and here

- Banter! A super important part of Appreciating Tegan and Sara is their concert banter. They talk more during shows than any other band I know of and a lot of it is fucking hysterical. It also feels like their way of setting boundaries, you know? They share so much and talk about things from their past very freely, which stops people from poking into their current personal lives more than they might otherwise.  Maybe at some point I will make a curated list of my favorites, but see above re: lazy etc. For now, just search youtube for Tegan and Sara best banters. You'll find plenty.

- Live screw-ups. There is always one song that Tegan can not remember the words to or play all the way through. As soon as she figures it out, it'll happen to another song (Admittedly, this is happening less lately as they play more festivals  and want to look good in front of randos who don't know much about them). Which leads to plenty of fabulous footage of Tegan fucking up a song and swearing. Sara also fucks up occasionally, but less often. Sometimes they power through, sometimes they restart, and sometimes they have the audience sing it.  And I can't explain why it's so adorable and precious but it just IS. Again, not gonna link to vids, but the song "Northshore" has some of the best because it's so fast.

And now I'm done typing for real this time :)