#his theme song is California love and y’all can fight me

[ayyyy-le-simp]

Okay okay okay

Im back at it again

So we had many many people hear me out and agree with me on cad bane (cad babe) so I’m confident someone will listen to me on this one

But before we start: hiii cad bane nation how are you guyssss

Okay okay so hear me out

NO LIKE PLEASE BRO OMG

HES SO FUCKING ICONIC LIKE I BE EXCITED WHENEVER HE SHOWS UP CAUSE I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT THE EPISODE IS GONNA BE FUN AS HELL

Him and Jack sparrow would be great friends

And yondu from guardians of the galaxy as well

They would serve

I can’t tell if I wanna be a part of his crew or if I wanna fuck him ngl

NO LIKE I HOLLERED AT THAT SCENE

[bubblestheraccoon]

Music Mixes

Lumberjanes “Arts and Crafts” Program Field

Treble Maker Badge

“Some Risks are worth the Reward”

Music fuels the mind and thus fuels creativity. A creative mind has the ability to make discoveries and create innovations. The greatest minds and thinkers like Hildegard von Bingen, Barbra Strozzi, and Florence Mary Taylor all had something in common in that they were constantly exploring their imagination and creativity. As a Lumberjane it will be vital that we not only enrich our minds, but enrich those around us. Music is just one of the many mediums that can create an empowering environment, it is one of the few mediums that can be enjoyed at any time.

Finch’s Notes:

This post is based on a section from the bonus content from Lumberjanes: To The Max Edition Volume One. I did not create these playlist, their titles, or the blurb at the top of the post. If any of the links are wrong or broken, or if I should add any more disclaimers for song content, please feel free to let me know!

*D-Slur Warning.

**Only version of the cover I could find on youtube, here’s a version of song without the extra audio but it’s on a Russian website that overwrote my adblocker a little bit so visit it at your own risk. Here’s the song it was covering if you want that instead.

***Could not find cover on youtube. Link instead goes to band camp.

****F-Slur Warning.

Fox Fight Jams! By April!

Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks

Bad Reputation by Joan Jett

Run the World (Girls) by Beyonce

Northshore be Tegan & Sara

Woo Hoo by The 5 6 7 8s

Wilderness by Sleater-Kinney

Wolf by Now, Now

Spin Around by Josie and the Pussycats

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Theme

Jet Pack by Dog Party

Pirates by Jenny Owen Youngs

Dance Apocalyptic by Janelle Monae

Bamboo Bones by Against Me!

Push It by Salt-n-Pepa

I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift

Up All Night by One Direction

Roar by Katy Perry

Eye Of The Tiger by Survivor

Say You'll Be There by the Spice Girls

Ribs by Lorde

Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks (”Best Song Ever”-April)

River Adventure Mix of dooooom by Mal

I Was An Island by Allison Weiss

Shark In The Water by V.V. Brown

Let's Submerge by X-Ray Spex

Eyes Open by The Gossip

Rebel Girl by Bikini Kill*

Giant Kitty by Shonen Knife

I Won't Follow by the Secret Someones

4Ever by The Veronicas

Sk8er Boi by Avril Lavigne

Take Me Away by Fefe Dobson

Borne On The FM Waves by Against Me! & Tegan Quinn

Ain't It Fun by Paramore

3 Small Words by Josie and the Pussycats

Anchor by Letters To Cleo

That's Not My Name by The Ting Tings

Independent Woman Part 1 by Destiny's Child

Crush by the Sleigh Bells

Oh! by Sleater-Kinney

Tropical by Plumtree

Rhiannon by Best Coast or Fleetwood Mac 

The Con by Tegan & Sara

The Competition by Kimya Dawson

Cave Tunes by Molly

I Have Confidence by Julie Andrews

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

Tightrope by Janelle Monae feat Big Boi

Just A Dream by Taylor Swift

Heartbreak Dream by Betty Who

Corner of the Sky by the Jackson 5

Valerie by Amy Winehouse

I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston

Call Your Girlfriend by Robyn

Let It Go by Idina Menzel

Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations

Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash

Jolene by Dolly Parton

Rock ��n Roll High School by Shonen Knife

Don’t Save Me by HAIM

The Cave by Dia Frampton**

She Keeps Me Warm by Mary Lambert

This Is For by Ingrid Michaelson

Cut It Off by Mal Blum

Smash Into You by Beyonce

Jen’s Perfect Camp Mix by Ripley

Gravity Falls Theme Song

Summertime by Audra McDonald

Strong Enough by Kina Grannis

(You’re So Square) Baby, I Don’t Care by Cee Lo Green

Waterfalls - TLC

Just A Girl by No Doubt

Nobody Knows Me At All by The Weepies

I’m Beginning To See The Light by Ella Fitzgerald

Bad Girls by M.I.A.

Spice Up Your Life by the Spice Girls

Magic To Do by Patina Miller & Ensemble

***Flawless by Beyonce

Come On by Josie And The Pussycats

Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey

Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles

Jo’s really rad! Mix by Jo

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Theme

Androgynous(Live) by Joan Jett and Against Me!

Tous Les Memes by Stromae

Sunshine by Rye Rye feat M.I.A.

L.E.S. Artistes by Santigold

What About Your Friends by TLC

Just One Of The Guys by Jenny Lewis

Melody by Kate Earl

Red Cape by Priscilla Ahn

No Wow by The Kills

I Found You by Tilly and the Wall

Do You Remember the Morning by Kid in the Attic***

Cheerleader by St. Vincent

Concrete Wall by Zee Avi

You Can Count On Me by Panda Bear

Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac (”<3″-Jo)

Don’t You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds

Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie

Oblivion by Grimes

Q.U.E.E.N. by Janelle Monae and Eryka Badu

Rapid Decompression by Against Me!

Roanokes Rule: The Mix[!][!][!] by April

Rattlesnake by Saint Vincent

Transgender Dysphoria Blues by Against Me!****

Amazon by M.I.A.

Another One Bites The Dust by Queen

Art-I-Ficial by X-Ray Spex

Separate Rooms by Now, Now

What’s Mine Is Yours by Sleater-Kinney

Sci-Fi Wasabi by Cibo Matto

Tennis Court by Lorde

Son Of A Preacher Man by Dusty Springfield

Dreams by Fleetwood Mac

Desire Lines by Deerhunter

Hot and Cold by Ex Hex

White Daisy Passing by Rocky Votolato

Misguided Ghosts by Paramore

For The Best by Gregory and the Hawk

The Hymn Of Acxiom by Vienna Teng

Capture The Flag by Broken Social Scene

From A Shell by Lisa Germano

Rosie’s Turn

Feeling Good by Nina Simone

Annabelle Lee by Sarah Jarosz

Terrible Things by April Smith & The Great Picture Show

You Can’t Be Told by Valerie June

Wild Geese Blues by Gladys Bentley

The Day Is Short by Jearlyn Steele

One Dime Blues by Etta Baker

Hard Way Home by Brandi Carlile

The Devil’s Paintbrush Road by The Wailin’ Jennys

To The Bone by Okou

Panic Cord by Gabrielle Aplin

Cups (You’re Gonna Miss Me) by Lulu and the Lampshades

Crayola Doesn’t Make A Color For Your Eyes by Kristin Andreassen

Complimentary Me by Elizabeth & The Catapult

Blue Spotted Tail by Kina Grannis

Sorry About The Doom by Slow Club

You Know I’m No Good by Amy Winehouse

From Texas: Big “D” by Julie Andrews & Carol Burnett

Finch’s Notes Cont:

Hi! I made this post to avoid work. But mostly I made this post because Lumberjanes is something really important to me, and these playlist are a part of my enjoyment of Lumberjanes I don’t see people talking about a lot! So I decided to make a post in order to share them with y’all. I remember hunching over my phone making a spotify playlist (here, though it’s missing a few songs that aren’t on spotify) while on a trip to California in the summer of 2018 when I first got into Lumberjanes. I probably listened to these songs while I made my first ever Lumberjanes fanart. These mixes helped me to discover artist I really love, like Janelle Monae and Mal Blum. I hope you enjoy them as well!

Other notes: Sk8r Boi is crossed out as that is the way it appears on Mal’s playlist. Also, I tend to shy away from music videos as a personal preference, so that’s why there are so few included on this playlist, though I’m sure many of these songs have beautiful music videos. I might reblog this post in the future with some youtube playlists of these mixes, but if you want to find them yourself there are a lot of playlists of these songs made on youtube already! Or you can make your own playlists using this post. 

And, just for fun, have one final Lumberjanes themed music recommendation:

Lumberjanes by Various

[sinceileftyoublog]

Riot Fest 2021: 9/16-9/19, Douglass Park

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Much like Pitchfork Music Festival earlier this month, this past weekend’s Riot Fest felt relatively normal. Arriving at Douglas Park every day, you were greeted by the usual deluge of attendees in Misfits t-shirts and dyed hair, the sound of faint screams and breakneck guitars and drums emanating from nearby stages. The abnormal aspects of the fest, at least as compared to previous incarnations, we’re already used to by now from 2021 shows: To get in, you had to show proof of vaccination and/or a negative test no older than 48 hours, which means that unvaxxed 4-day attendees had to get multiple tests. Props to the always awesome staff at Riot Fest for actually checking the cards against the names on government-issued IDs.

For a festival that dealt with a plethora of last-minute changes due to bands dropping out because of COVID-19 caution (Nine Inch Nails, Pixies, Dinosaur Jr.) or other reasons (Faith No More/Mr. Bungle because of concerns around Mike Patton’s well-being), there were very few bumps in the road. Whether Riot Fest had bands like Slipknot, Anthrax, or Rise Against in their back pocket as replacements or not, it very much felt like who we saw Thursday-Sunday was always supposed to be the lineup, even when laying your eyes on countless “Death to the Pixies” shirts. Sure, one of the fest’s main gimmicks--peeling back the label on Goose Island’s Riot Fest Sucks Pale Ale to reveal the schedule--was out of date with inaccurate set times and bands, and it still would have been so had Faith No More and Mr. Bungle stayed, since Fucked Up had to drop out last minute due to border issues. But the festival, as always, rolled with the punches.

The sets themselves offered the circle pit and crowdsurfing-inducing punk and metal you’re used to, with a few genre outliers. For so many bands of all styles, Riot Fest represented their first live show in years, and a few acts knew the exact number of days since their last show. For every single set, the catharsis in the crowd and on stage was palpable, not exactly anger, or elation, but pure release.

Here were our favorite sets of the festival, in chronological order.

WDRL

Last October, WDRL (which, amazingly, stands for We Don’t Ride Llamas) announced themselves with a Tweet: “y’all been looking for an alt black band,, well here you go”. A band of Gen Z siblings, Chase (lead guitar), Max (lead vocals), Blake (drums), and Kit Mitchell (bass guitar), WDRL is aware, much like Meet Me @ The Altar (who, despite my hyping, I couldn’t make it in time to see) that they’re one of too few bands of POCs in the Riot Fest-adjacent scene. Their set, one of the very first of the weekend during Thursday’s pre-party, showed them leading by example, the type of band to inspire potentially discouraged Black and brown folks to start punk bands. Max is a terrific vocalist, able to scream over post-punk, scat over funk, and coo over slow, soulful R&B swayers with the same ease. The rest of the band was equally versatile, able to pivot on a dime from scuzzy rock to hip hop to twinkling dream pop. Bonus points for covering Splendora’s “You’re Standing On My Neck”, aka the Daria theme song.

Joyce Manor

Joyce Manor’s self-titled debut is classic. The best part of it as an album play-through at a festival? It’s so short that you can hear it and you’ll still have half a set for other favorites. So while the bouncy “Orange Julius”", “Ashtray Petting Zoo”, and ultimate singalong “Constant Headache” were set highlights, the Torrance, CA band was able to burn through lots from Never Hungover Again, Cody, Million Dollars to Kill Me, and their rarities collection Songs From Northern Torrance. Apart from not playing anything from Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired (seriously, am I the only one who loves that record?), Joyce Manor were stellar, from the undeniable hooks of “Heart Tattoo” to the churning power chords of “Catalina Fight Song”. After playing “Christmas Card”, Johnson and company gave one final nod to the original fest cancellation, My Chemical Romance, who were slated to headline 2020, then 2021, and now 2022. If you ever wondered what it would sound like hearing a concise punk band like Joyce Manor take on the bombast of “Helena”, you found out. Hey, it was actually pretty good!

Patti Smith

Behold: a full Patti Smith set! After being shafted by the weather last time around, a sunglasses-laden Smith decided not to fuck around, leading with the inspiring “People Have The Power”, her voice as powerful as I’ve ever heard it. Maybe it was the influence of Riot Fest, but she dropped as many f-bombs as Corey Taylor did during Slipknot’s Sunday night headlining set. After reluctantly signing an adoring crowd member’s copy of Horses, she quipped, “I feel bad for you have to cart that fucking thing around.” It wasn’t just the filthy banter: This was Smith at her most enraptured and incendiary, belting during “Because The Night” and spitting during a “Land/Gloria” medley, reciting stream-of-consciousness hallucinogenic lyrics about the power of escape in the greatest display of stamina the festival had to offer.

Circa Survive

“It feels good to dance,” declared Circa Survive lead singer Anthony Green. The heart and soul of the Philadelphia rock band, who cover ground from prog rock to post-hardcore and emo, Green was in full form during the band’s early Friday set, his falsetto carrying the rolling “The Difference Between Medicine and Poising Is in the Dose” and the chugging “Rites of Investiture”. While the band, too, can throw down, they’re equally interesting when softer and more melodic, Brendan Ekstrom‘s twinkling guitars lifting “Child of the Desert” and “Suitcase”. Ending with the one-two punch of debut Juturna’s introspective “Act Appalled” and Blue Sky Noise’s skyward “Get Out”, Green announced the band would have a new record coming soon, one you hope will cover the sonic and thematic ground of even just those two tracks.

Thrice

Thrice played their first show since February 2020 the same day they’d release their 11th studio album, Horizons/East (Epitaph). To a crowd of fans that came to hear their favorite songs, though, the Irvine, California band knew better than to play a lot of the new record, instead favoring tracks like The Artist in the Ambulance’s spritely title cut and Vheissu standout “The Earth Will Shake”. Yeah, they led with a Horizons/East song making its live debut, the dreamy, almost Deftones-esque “Scavengers”, and later in the set they’d reveal the impassioned “Summer Set Fire to the Rain”. But the set more prominently served to emphasize lead vocalist Dustin Kensrue’s gruff delivery, on “All the World Is Mad” and “in Exile”, the rhythm section’s propulsive playing buoying his fervency. And how about Teppei Teranishi’s finger tapping on “Black Honey”?!? Thrice often favor the slow build-up, but they offered plenty of individually awesome moments.

Smashing Pumpkins

William Patrick Corgan entered the stage to dramatic strings, dressed in a robe, with white face paint except for red hearts under his eyes. He looked like a ghost. That’s pretty much where the semi-serious theatricality ended. The Smashing Pumpkins’ first Chicago festival headlining set in recent memory was the rawest they’ve sounded in a while, counting when they played an original lineup-only set at the United Center a few years back. It was also the most fun I’ve ever seen Corgan have on stage. Though they certainly selected and debuted from their latest electropop turn Cyr, Corgan, guitarist James Iha, drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, guitarist Jeff Schroeder, and company more notably dug deep into the vault, playing Gish’s “Crush” for the first time since 2008, Adore’s “Shame” for the first time since 2010, and Siamese Dream barnburner “Quiet” for the first time since 1994 (!). Best, every leftfield disco jam like set opener “The Colour Of Love”, “Cyr”, and “Ramona” was quickly followed by something heavy and/or recognizable, Chamberlin’s limber drum solos elevating even latter-day material like “Solara”. At one point, Corgan, a self-described “arty fuck,” admitted that years ago he would have opted for more experimental material, but he knew the crowd wanted to hear classics, the band then delving into a gorgeous acoustic version of “Tonight, Tonight”. And while Kate Bush coverer Meg Myers came out to sing Lost Highway soundtrack industrial ditty “Eye”, it was none other than legendary local shredder Michael Angelo Batio who stole the show, joining for the set closer, a pummeling version of Zeitgeist highlight “United States”. Leaning into the cheese looks good on you, Billy.

The Bronx

Credit to L.A. punk rock band The Bronx, playing early on a decidedly cooler Saturday early afternoon, for making me put in my earplugs outside of the photo pit. Dedicating “Shitty Future” to Fucked Up (who, as we mentioned, had to drop out), the entire band channeled Damian Abraham’s energy on piercing versions of “Heart Attack American” as well as “Superbloom” and “Curb Feelers” from their latest album Bronx VI (Cooking Vinyl). Joby J. Ford and Ken Horne’s guitars stood out, providing choppy rhythms on “Knifeman” and swirling solos on “Six Days A Week”.

Big Freedia

The New Orleans bounce artist has Big Diva Energy, for the most part. After her DJ pumped up the crowd to contemporary Southern rap staple “Ayy Ladies” by Travis Porter, Big Freedia walked out and showed that “BDE”, firing through singles like “Platinum” and “N.O. Bounce” as her on-stage dancers’ moves ranged from delicate to earth-shaking. At this point, Freedia can pretty much do whatever she wants, effortlessly segueing between a cover of Drake’s “Nice For What” to “Strut”, her single with electropop DJ Elohim, to a cover of Beyone’s “Formation”. Of course, the set highlight was when she had volunteers from the crowd come up and shake and twerk--two at a time to keep it COVID-safe--all while egging them on to go harder. Towards the end of the set, after performing the milquetoast “Goin’ Looney” from the even-worse-than-expected Space Jam: A New Legacy soundtrack, she pulled out the beloved “Gin in my System”. “I got that gin in my system,” she sang, the crowd singing back, “Somebody gonna be my victim,” a refrain that compositionally not only leaves plenty of room for the thundering bass but is thematically a statement of total power--over sexism, racism, the patriarchy--even in the face of control-altering substances.

Les Savy Fav

During Les Savy Fav’s set, lead singer Tim Harrington at various points--*big breath*--went into the crowd, deepthroated an audience member’s mohawk spike, found a discarded manikin head with a wig on it, revealed the words “deep” and “dish” painted on his thighs and a drawing of a Red Hot on his back, rode a crowd member like a horse, made a headband out of pink tape, donned ski goggles, surfed on top of a door carried by the crowd, squeezed his belly while the camera was on it to make it look like his belly button was singing, and referred to himself as a “slippery eel.” Indeed, the legend of Les Savy Fav’s live show starts and ends with Harrington’s ridiculous antics, as he’s all but out of breath when actually singing dance-punk classics like “Hold On To Your Genre”, “The Sweat Descends”, and “Rome (Written Upside Down)”. We haven’t heard much in terms of new music from Les Savy Fav in over 10 years--their most recent album was 2010′s Root For Ruin--but I could see them and the extremely Aughts genre in general become staples of Riot Fest as albums like Inches, The Rapture’s Echoes, and !!!’s Louden Up Now reach the 20-year mark. Dynamic vocalists, tight bands, and killer grooves: What’s not to love?

State Champs

This set likely wins the award for “most immediate crowd surfers,” which I guess is to be expected when you begin your set with a classic track 1--album 1 combination. “Elevated” is the State Champs number that will cause passers-by to stop and watch a couple songs, the type of song that can pretty much only open or close a set. And because they opened with it, the crowd immediately ramped up the energy. It’s been three years since the last State Champs full-length, Living Proof, so they were in prime position to play some new songs. As such, they performed their bubblegummy “Outta My Head” and “Just Sound” and faithfully covered Fall Out Boy’s “Chicago Is So Two Years Ago” (releasing a studio version earlier this week). But the tracks from The Finer Things and Around the World and Back were, as usual, the highlights, like “All You Are Is History”, “Remedy”, “Slow Burn”, and set closer “Secrets”. At the end of the day, it didn’t entirely matter: The crowd knew every word of every song.

Bayside

Putting State Champs and Bayside back-to-back on the same stage made an easy decision for the many pop-punk bands at Riot Fest. Bayside’s been at it for twice as long, so the breadth of their setlist across their discography is more variable. Moreover, they’ve thrice revisited their discography with acoustic albums of old songs, so even their staples are subject to change. They provided solid versions of Killing Time standouts “Already Gone” and “Sick, Sick, Sick”, Cult’s “Pigsty”, and older songs like their self-titled’s “Montauk” and Sirens and Condolences’ “Masterpiece”. For “Don’t Call Me Peanut”, though, they brought out--*gasp*--an acoustic guitar! It was a rare moment not just for one of the most popular pop punk sets but the festival in general, a breather before Vacancy shout-along “Mary”.

Rancid

“Rancid has always been anti-fascist and anti-racist,” said Tim Armstrong before the band played “Hooligans”. It was nice to hear an explicit declaration of solidarity from the street punks, reminding the crowd what really matters and why we come together to scream and mosh. The band expectedly favored ...And Out Come The Wolves, playing almost half of it, and they perfectly balanced their harder edges with more celebratory ska songs like “Where I’m Going” from their most recent album Trouble Maker (Hellcat/Epitaph). My two favorite moments? The breezy, keyboard-laden “Fall Back Down” from their supremely underrated 2001 album Indestructable, and when they asked the crowd whether they wanted the set to end with “Time Bomb” or “Ruby Soho”. “We have 4 minutes left, and it’s disrespectful to play over your set time,” said Armstrong. It’s easy to see why Rancid continues to make an impression--instrumental and moral--on touring bands new and old.

Run the Jewels

The brilliant hip hop duo are masters of balancing social consciousness with the desire to fuck shit up for fun. Live, the former tends to come in between-song banter, the latter with their actual charismatic, tit-for-tat performances of the songs. However, Run the Jewels also are probably the clearest live performers in hip hop today, Killer Mike and El-P’s words, hypersexual and woke alike, ringing in the ears of audience members who don’t even know the songs. (Looking around, I could see people smiling and laughing at every dick joke, nodding at each righteous proclamation.) Some of the best songs on their most recent album RTJ4 (Jewel Runners/BMG) are perfect for these multitudes. Hearing both RTJ MCs and the backing track of Pharrell Williams and Zack de la Rocha chanting “Look at all these slave masters posin’ on yo’ dollar” on “JU$T” as the rowdy crowd bounced up and down was the ultimate festival moment. For those who had never seen RTJ, it was clear from the get-go, as Killer Mike and EL-P traded bars on “yankee and the brave (ep. 4)” that they’re a unique hip hop act. For the rest of us, it was clear that Run the Jewels keep getting better.

The Gories

It felt a little weird that legendary Detroit trio The Gories were given the first set of the final day--I’d have thought they’d have more draw than that. No matter what, they provided one of the more satisfying and stylistically varied sets of the festival, showcasing their trademark balance of garage punk and blues. Mick Collins and Dan Kroha’s guitar and vocal harmonies were the perfect jangly balance to Peggy O’Neill’s meat and potatoes drumming on “Sister Ann” and “Charm Bag”, while folks less familiar with The Gories were treated to their fantastic covers of Suicide’s “Ghost Rider” and The Keggs’ “To Find Out”. Smells like time for the first Gories album in 20 years!

FACS

I thought it would be ill-fitting to watch a band like FACS in the hot sun, early in the day. Their monochrome brand of post-punk seems better suited for a dimly lit club. But the hypnotic nature of Brian Case’s swirling guitar and Alianna Kalaba’s slinky bass was oddly perfect in a sweltering, faint-inducing heat. Just when you thought you might fade, squalls of feedback and Noah Leger’s odd time signatures picked you back up. Songs from their new album Present Tense (Trouble In Mind) such as “Strawberry Cough” and “XOUT” were emblematic of this push-pull. And everything from the band’s red, white, and black color palate to their lack of stage banter suggested a cool minimalism that was rare at a festival that tends to book more outwardly emotional bands.

Alex G

On one hand, Alex G’s unique combination of twangy alt country and earnest indie rock makes him an outlier at Riot Fest, or at the very least a mostly Pitchfork/occasional Riot Fest type of booking. On the other hand, like a lot of bands at the festival, he has a rabid fanbase, one that knows his back catalog hits, like “Kute”, “Kicker”, and “Bug”, as much as if not more than hyped Rocket and House of Sugar singles, like “Bobby” and “Gretel”. Backed by a band that knows when to be loose and when to tighten up--and the instrumental chops to do so--Alex G was better than he was a Pitchfork three years ago. He still sings through his teeth, making it especially hard to hear him on louder tunes such as “Brick”. But when the honesty of his vocals combines with the dreamy guitars of “Southern Sky” and circular melodies of “Near”, it’s pure bliss. 

HEALTH

The formula for the LA industrial noise band has pretty much always been Jake Duzsik’s soft vocals contrasting John Famiglietti’s screeching bass and pedals and BJ Miller’s mammoth drums. Both in 2018 and Sunday at Riot Fest, the heat affected Famiglietti’s pedals, which were nonetheless obscured by tarp. Or so HEALTH claimed: You wouldn’t know the difference given how much their sound envelops your whole body during one of their live sets. Since their previous appearance at the festival, the prolific band has released two new records on Loma Vista, Vol. 4: Slaves of Fear and collaboration record Disco4: Part 1. Songs from those records occupied half of their excellent set, including battering opener “GOD BOTHERER”, “BODY/PRISON”, and “THE MESSAGE”. It was so wonderfully loud it drowned out K.Flay’s sound check drummer, thank the lord.

Thursday

Last time Thursday played Riot Fest, Geoff Rickly was battling heroin addiction, something he talked about during the band’s triumphant late afternoon set on Sunday. He mentioned the kindness of the late, great Riley Gale of Power Trip in extending a helping hand when he was down and extended his love to anybody in the crowd or even the world at large going through something similar. To say that this set was life-affirming would be an understatement; after 636 days of no shows, Rickly was at his most passionate. He introduced “Signals Over The Air” as a song the band “wrote about men beating up on women in the pit,” that a record exec at the time told them that it wouldn’t age well because he thought--no kidding--sexism would eventually end. Rickly’s voice, suffering from sound issues last time around, simply soared during Full Collapse’s “Cross Out The Eyes”, No Devolucion’s “Fast to the End”, and two inspired covers: Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” and Texas Is The Reason’s “If It's Here When We Get Back It's Ours”. The latter the band played because TITR guitarist Norman Brannon’s actually on tour with them, though Rickly emphasized the influence the NYC post-hardcore greats had on Thursday when they first started. Never forgetting where they’ve come from, with self-deprecating humor and radical empathy, Thursday are once again a force.

Devo

Much like the B-52′s in 2019, Devo was the set this year of a 70′s/80′s absurd punk band with some radio hits that everybody knows but with a swath of die-hard fans, too. It’s safe to say both groups were satisfied. You walked around the fest all day wondering whether the folks wearing Devo hats were actual fans or doing it for the novelty. By the time the band actually took the stage after a career-spanning video of their many phases, it didn’t really matter, because it was clear the band still had it, Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale’s vocals booming throughout a massive crowd. They ripped through “Peek-a-Boo”, “Going Under”, “That’s Good”, “Girl U Want”, and “Whip It”, which caused the fans waiting for Slipknot (and presumably some Devo heads) to form a circle pit. And that was all before the first costume change. Mark passed out hats to the crowd, fully embracing converts who might have only known “Whip It”. The feverish chants of “Uncontrollable Urge” and synth freakouts of “Jocko Homo” whipped everyone into a frenzy. And the band performed the “Freedom Of Choice” theme song for the first time since the early 80′s! I had seen Devo before, opening for Arcade Fire and Dan Deacon at the United Center, but the atmosphere at Riot Fest was more appropriately ludicrous.

Flaming Lips

“The Flaming Lips are the most COVID-safe band in the world,” went the ongoing joke, as throughout the pandemic they’d give audience members bubbles for their bubbles to be able to play shows. The normally goofy and interactive band scaled back for Riot Fest. Before launching into their traditional opener “Race For The Prize”, Wayne Coyne explained that while the band is normally proud of where they come from--Oklahoma City--they’re saddened by the local government’s ignorant pandemic response and wouldn’t risk launching balloons or walking into the crowd because they might be virus spreaders coming from such an under-vaccinated area. To his and the band’s credit, they wore masks during the performance, even when singing; Coyne removed his only when outside of his bubble that had to be deflated and inflated many times and that sometimes muffled his singing voice even more than a mask. Ever the innovative band, they still put on a stellar show. Coyne autotuned his voice on “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1″, making it another instrument filling the song’s glorious pop melodies. Less heavy on props, the band favored a glitchy, psychedelic setlist that alternated between beauty (”Flowers Of Neptune 6″, “Feeling Yourself Disintegrate”, “All We Have Is Now”) and two-drummed cacophony (“Silver Trembling Hands”, “The W.A.N.D.”). They’ll give a proper Lips show soon enough, but in the meantime, it was nice to see them not run through the motions.

Slipknot

Apart from maybe moments of Slayer, I’ve never witnessed a headliner at Riot Fest as heavy as Slipknot was. Even the minor ethereal elements present on their most recent and very good album We Are Not Your Kind, like the chorus of voices during “Unsainted”, were all but abandoned live in favor of straight up brutality. Sure, there were moments of theatricality--Corey Taylor’s menacing laugh on “Disasterpiece” and pyrotechnics in sequence with the instrumentation on “Before I Forget” and “All Out Life”--but for the most part, Slipknot was the ultimate exorcism. Taylor’s new mask, with unnaturally circular eyes, seemed like it came from a particularly uncomfortable skit from I Think You Should Leave. They bashed a baseball bat to a barrel during the pre-encore performance of “Duality”. And the songs played from tape, like the gasping-for-breath “(515)”, were designed to contrast Slipknot’s alien appearance with qualities that were uncannily human. For a band whose performances and instrumental dexterity are otherworldly--who else can pull off tempo changes over a hissing, Aphex Twin-like shuffling electronic beat on “Eyeless”--the pure seething emotion on songs like “Psychosocial” and “Wait and Bleed” shone through. Like Smashing Pumpkins, and like so many other successful Riot Fest headliners, Slipknot abandoned drama for pure, unadulterated dirt.

[pinetrce]

BASICS.

FULL NAME: Mason Noah Pines NICKNAME:  Dipper (and variations of Dipper, usually from Mabel), Puppy (Gideon only), Pine Tree GENDER: Male. HEIGHT: 5′2″ AGE: 21 in current default verse ZODIAC: Virgo SPOKEN LANGUAGES: English

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS.

HAIR COLOUR: Brown. EYE COLOUR: Brown SKIN TONE: Fair ACCENT: Californian? Is that an accent? He’s from roughly the same part of CA as I am, so if we have an accent, I can’t tell DOMINANT HAND: Mostly right; he’s slightly ambidextrous, but not naturally. He’s worked to train his left hand into being more “usable”  POSTURE: Not great; his lack of confidence really shows in how he holds himself TATTOOS: Technically, one. For now. He has a sigil on the inside of his wrist to protect against poison and toxins.

CHILDHOOD.

PLACE OF BIRTH: California HOMETOWN: Piedmont, CA MANNER OF BIRTH: Natural birth; born with umbilical cord wrapped around his neck FIRST WORDS: "Uh oh”. He also made “Ma” and “May” sounds a lot; his mother insists he was saying “mom” but he was more likely trying to say “Mabel” SIBLINGS: Mabel, fraternal twin, older than him by 5 minutes PARENTS: Mother and father, both still alive and still living in California PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT: High up until the time he left for Oregon, but not in a good way. They were overbearing and, once he started getting into trouble post-Falls, very controlling. Since moving away, he’s tried his hardest to cut contact with them entirely, though it’s not been entirely successful as of yet.

ADULT LIFE.

OCCUPATION: Freelance monster hunter/exorcist/mystery solver? He doesn’t have a “real” job at the moment, but people in town do often compensate him for his help with the supernatural CURRENT RESIDENCE: Gravity Falls, Oregon. Formerly the Mystery Shack, but currently living with Gideon CLOSE FRIENDS: Pacifica Northwest RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Approaching his 2-year anniversary with Gideon CHILDREN: None unless you count their pets FINANCIAL CLASS: Lower-middle, probably? Though his boyfriend and best friend are both wealthy and would probably happily provide anything he needed for him if he asked them to, he just doesn’t like asking. DRIVER’S LICENSE: Yes, but only recently obtained. He’s a very new driver CRIMINAL RECORD: Arrested about a year ago for assault and battery when he started a fight with a former security guard who had robbed Pacifica. The man ended up not pressing charges. Also got into trouble a few times when he was younger but they were all very minor things and expunged from his record when he turned 18

SEX AND ROMANCE.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION:  Homosexual ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Homoromantic. PREFERRED SEXUAL ROLE: Bottom/submissive most of the time RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES: Actually a huge romantic at heart. Can get very clingy, both physically and emotionally, and has a very poorly-hidden jealous streak

MISCELLANEOUS.

CHARACTER THEME SONG: "All That’s Known” from Spring Awakening always makes me think of him for some reason? It’s not a full fit but it makes me think of him, idk. Sorry, Dipper, you deserve so much better than to be linked to Melchior in any way. Also there’s a really good fan song written for him, “My Home”

HOBBIES TO PASS THE TIME: Reading, video games, DD&MD, anything he can do to occupy his hands (LEGOs, building models like Gundams, etc) MENTAL ILLNESS: Depression, anxiety and PTSD are the big ones he’s aware of. Undiagnosed bipolar (possibly bipolar II) disorder. PHYSICAL ILLNESS: Non in particular. Often suffers from exhaustion but that’s due to lack of sleep and other proper self-care rather than any physical illness. He looks kind of frail, being as small as he is, but he’s surprisingly resilient. LEFT OR RIGHT BRAINED?: Both FEARS: So many, y’all. So many. Biggest fears are, of course, Bill Cipher and harm befalling his loved ones. SELF CONFIDENCE LEVEL: Pretty low. It’s starting to improve, but it’s a slow, uphill battle, my guy. VULNERABILITIES: Physically, his small size can often work against him, as can his poor self-care; he sleeps little and often badly, so he’s prone to severe exhaustion. Emotionally, his low self-esteem would be fairly easy to exploit. And, of course, the people he loves; Mason would do anything for the people he loves, and that’s something that can be a strength or a vulnerability, depending on the situation

Tagged by: @blindxeyed

Tagging:@llamanorthwest @thewiddlestwampire @foronceimactuallyinnocent (if y’all want)

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh S2 Ep 21: Hey, It’s a Party, Lets All Get Kidnapped!

Ah, it’s been a while since I’ve worked on these. I’m back from my cross-country travels, I’ve overcome my food poisoning because of said travels, and I did like 2 Inktobers so I’m officially allowed to quit and then never do Inktober again till the end of the month so now that’s over with, lets get back to Yugioh. Thankfully, Joey is here to recap for us what has been going on so far in the show, via a phone call to his sister where he literally started off the episode saying this line.

It is episode 21, Joey has run out of excuses, and the crew has decided that now is the time to finally find their friend who definitely is being tailed by a murderer with psychic powers.

Because no one wants to ever call the cops on this show.

I can see why Yugi and Grandpa might not, since Pharaoh may have done some criminal nonsense before he reformed at the end of S1 (I mean Season Zero isn’t not NOT canon) and I can see why Joey might not because bro mentioned that he had some sort of dealing with the mini-Yakuza or something in Season Zero (I look forward to that). Tristan already thinks he is a cop so I can see why he doesn’t either. But maybe Tea should call the police. She doesn’t work at the must-be-18-to-work-here-so-it’s-probably-a-stripper-joint-after-10-PM burger place anymore, she’d be fine. Probably.

I mean they did illegally invade a country last season and was complicit in the removal of that country’s leader’s right golden eyeball so like...yeah...

But now that Yugi has the company of three people inside of his head and Kaiba alongside him--who is always communicating with Mokuba on his jacket walkie talkie (like he went out of his way to make a jacket that has solely one function because it clearly doesn’t keep him warm without those arms--and the function is to call up his little brother and complain about the people who are two feet away and can hear him complaining about them), but this means Yugi actually has more people in his 2-person party than the other crew of 4 people. Anyway, he’s certainly not lonely.

But first we gotta throw Tea’s phone around and have some comedy hijinks.

(read more under the cut)

Tea x Cell Phone giving me more energy than Tea x Yugi but that’s actually true of every teenager and their intense relationship with their phone. Accurate. Hell, it’s true of me as an adult.

I also love how they throw this phone in our face just to remind us how neither Yugi has called Tea or how Tea could easily call Kaiba AKA the guy in charge who knows where everyone is, since he’s in their High School phone book, but wtv. We gotta first sort out who’s gonna pick up Serenity from the hospital although her bandages aren’t even off yet.

We’ve already clarified how dangerous this whole tourney is, and the fact that during these finals they might be ground zero for when the world might actually stop functioning entirely, maybe don’t throw your blind sister into the mix? Girl has enough problems right now. Maybe keep her in the hospital preemptively. Y’all are probably going to end up there anyway. She can book you a reservation.

I do appreciate the Tristan stance in this shot.

Anyway, sensing that the crew might actually do something, Bakura decides to show up and make some mad insane nonsense again. Ah, our wild card, Bakura, our Charlie Kelly.

Lol What? His big master plan is to feign an injury? (I’m assuming this is fake? But he’s also sweating a whole lot? Maybe they had a fight club behind the scenes that got edited out?) But you know, if you’re gonna try to sell a broken arm then wouldn’t you want to like...wear an sling?

Wtv, we’ve already learned from last season that literally all these people are the very worst boy scouts and would absolutely die in the woods. Apparently they would also absolutely die if they had to administer actual first aid rather than vague card magic. I was kinda thinking that Marik miiiight be a better scout from all his tomb runs, but from the looks of it he’s too busy being as incompetently evil as possible to learn how to tie a simple bandage.

Nice that Bakura waited until the moment Tristan left to start being shady again. I guess that Bakura also remembers that one time that Tristan hulk-punched him so hard - in the shadow realm where mere mortals should not be able to even move - that God-Mode-Bakura passed out for like 45 minutes.

I’m a little confused at how this at all works with Marik’s plan, since it’s really not that hard to abduct Grandpa, but o well, this was the plan they went with. They ARE teens after all, and teens kind of live by the mantra of “I dunno, it seemed like a good idea at the time.” I guess it’s less complicated than making sure he watches a haunted VCR tape.

So off Grandpa goes with Bakura, meaning Gramps is probably going to be a card or some other sort of lifeless husk in a few episodes or so. It was a good run, Gramps.

Honestly, Bakura should just heavily suggest Gramps just go back to work the counter of his Super Gonna Curse You Weasley’s Wizard Wheezly’s, you know, the shop he actually owns. That shop who’s name is canonically “Turtle Game” (good name for a card shop, really gets it across. Great business decision.) And really, it’s been 2 days since he’s stayed open past 9 AM. Does he not pay rent? He seriously might not, we do not know who’s the owner of that house/shop. For all we know it’s Yugi’s Dad who is........somewhere?......

And speaking of missing people, the two most direction-less folks in the universe decided to make this show even longer when they could have easily skipped like 8 episodes if they had just crossed the street. Instead, they’re going to backtrack back to the Shamu exhibit while somehow not overhearing Bakura screaming in his British(?) accent.

Sometimes I’m impressed by all the well placed irony in this show. Here come the two God-characters of the A-team. One has the infinite reaches of technology, the other has the infinite reaches of dark magic. They can do anything except navigate a map and find their friends who are within I assume a 10-block radius.

Now I know, I know, Namu’s an actual name people actually have. Much like Mary Jane. Or AceBluntz420. But forgive me, I am from California.

Also I just went down a rabbit hole of K-pop and the only song I could find that said “tree” enough times was “tree of Sephiroth” which was a pretty good banger but not what I was going for. Again, I’m stymied by my naive, elementary level K-pop education. One day I will be a master of K-pop but I am yet just a newbie with a couple of Black Pink and BTS on my Spotify.

One day I will know enough about Kpop to know which of the songs are about romance and which are about weed but alas, I just like looking at the pretty lights and the pretty colors and the fun dancing like a newborn babe.

But anyway, couldn’t help but notice - THAT’S the name he actually chose for himself, huh?

I mean I looked it up and Namu is also a Buddhism reference in Japanese and that’s probably what the show makers were going for, but safe to say, Marik is clearly not a Buddhist. He is literally in charge of a Pharaoh cult. Well, used to be. It seems like Marik’s just out to destroy his own God. He’d be the hero in really any other anime with motives like that. Hm.

Honestly, if it wasn’t for Marik wanting to vaguely rule the world I’d probably side with him completely, lets be real. Pharaoh is kind of a huge problem. And while I do like Pharaoh now, it took me kind of a while, and if Marik showed up S1 I’d be like “Yes, finally, please kill the already dead insufferable ghost.”

So, Marik decides to become friends with Joey and Tea.

This sure was a lot of work to become friends with Joey and Tea. Did Marik not realize that if they’re also buds with a guy who is possessed by a ghost, they might have low enough standards that he doesn’t need to jump through any hoops?

Marik could have just walked up and said “hey, remember me? From class?” and these two would have been like “yeaaaah” because it’s been so long since they’ve attended that they would have had no idea that he was never enrolled.

Anyways, Pharaoh’s arrived to scream at the top of his lungs about a bomb threat at a theme park.

Bummer that Mako Tsunami finished his act and I guess went back to his home island on the back of another whale he had parked outside the theme park.

Also it says a lot about what this town goes through that Yugi, shouting about how everyone’s going to die, doesn’t seem to perturb a single member of this audience. They’re just like “shaddup, I’m looking at the large dolphin.”

The total amount of time that Marik could handle being friends with Tea and Joey : maybe about 30 seconds.

Which makes you wonder why he even bothered with this charade, but maybe he just wanted to get rid of Bakura because that guys kind of a mess.

And then just when I thought it would never ever actually happen.

It happened.

I don’t recall any era where non flip-phones had little antennae. I think this was kind of before my time. Good. Finally something on this show that I’m too young for.

Jokes on this mook for thinking he could ever crush a Nokia with his shoe. Actually impossible. I’m sure there’s Nokias that have outlived being run over by a Jeep.

Yo my payphones never had digital minute indicators on it. You can even read the numbers on the numpad? And there’s no gum lodged in the coin slot? This is not how I remember payphones.

Yo second thought, maybe those are 33 seconds and not minutes? Eh, what do I know, I’m a millennial, I don’t really remember how those awful things worked. RIP payphones, you were always spooky and the worst. Like honestly if a ghost Pharaoh would live in anything, it would be a payphone. If you ever had to use a payphone with a phone card, then you’d understand that it’s more an unsolvable puzzle than any puzzle pyramid.

And I guess that Mokuba just felt left out, so he decided to leave his brother and just wander off by himself on a rooftop where there’d be no witnesses?

Mokuba, why are you on the roof? How does everyone in Domino have roof access? And is the internet so bad in this town that you must be on a roof to get any signal?

please admire the leg wraps on this guy’s ankles. They’re like high fantasy legwarmers.

*why ever duel with cards when you can freakin fly*

WOW, KIDS SHOW. That sure is dangling a small child off a helicopter!

And like, Mokuba just hangs there for a while--no joke, he’s just hovering in the background of every shot for kicks and I’m just like...how did this kid’s show get made????? The 00′s was a different time.

This past week I’ve been watching my older brother’s 5 kids and so I’ve been watching their TV shows and youknow The Descendants 2 would have been a very different movie with edgy, rogue helicopters in it. Though I will admit Yugioh could do with a couple more dance sequences. (and Yugioh might legit have better fashion than The Descendants 2, why the hell was Cruella DeVil’s son wearing bright red baggy capri shorts to a cotillion ball? Anyway, I’m putting Descendants on my “possibly recap this later” list.)

I get that the intern who was putting this scene together might not have known about the helicopter incident in the shot right before this when they drew in these people just on the street on their cell but mannnnnnn.

I love the implication that this happens so often to children in Domino that no one freakin cares anymore.

Reminder that Kaiba refuses to believe in magic and has no idea wtf is going on. Like he knows there’s some yummy cards he wants--that’s it. He doesn’t think this is the end of the world, he doesn’t think anyone here is magic. He just thinks Yugi is a super weird kid from Spanish class who's voice keeps cracking and that Marik is some sort of weird mafia boss. He was not expecting this tourney to become kidnapping central and I mean no one could have predicted this next part either.

...

So Marik’s plan, lets just walk through it.

These two loose to Kaiba and Yugi, then these two violently pass out, Pharaoh runs over and shakes up the fat one for a little bit, and then Kaiba and Yugi go to a theme park. These two guys intentionally lost and got beat up for no reason?

And then, he sends the same people who have Already Lost back to Yugi and Kaiba, to use a different deck than the one they used the first time?

Why not use this amazing deck they had the entire time the first time? Why are all of Marik’s plans so roundabout?

I mean I guess they had to lure these two to the roof but not really actually--once you beat Yugi in a game then boom the puzzle is yours so you don’t actually have to...whatever, they’re on a roof and and it’s edgy and it’s scenic and it’s gonna get real Jack Baur on us.

oh man this workaround to “but they never actually go splat because they die before they hit the bottom” which is infinitely worse than actually just falling down.

So seeing no other solution, they decide to endanger the lives of hundreds of people and play this exploding rooftop version of Yugioh.

I mean last season we sure did go through a lot of time trying to get Kaiba off a ledge of a tall building and now he’s just...back on that ledge. Well. OK then. These kids and ledges.

Really was a line in the show that Kaiba listed the only two things these guys have done wrong and it’s like--well they used the wrong deck the first time. That was probably actually a really big thing they did wrong. Also they could have kept Pharaoh in an infinite rock-paper-scissors loop but passed up on the opportunity. TBH these guys make a lot of mistakes but we’ve been over this before, Kaiba can only remember 2 things. Weird that this has become canon, but here we are.

I guess Kaiba suddenly remembered he had a grudge.

He forgot for a few episodes, but the grudge is back. He must have written it on the back of his hand “don’t forget you hate Yugi” and then when he went to  scratch an itch was like “OMG I can’t believe it, I forgot again!”

That bean.

Anyway, next week, on Yugioh:

Does Kaiba’s helicopters get into a helicopter fight with Marik’s helicopters and keep Mokuba dangling there the entire time? Does Joey get to throw a couple mooks over his shoulder like that time he took on 18 ruffians in a warehouse or will these ruffians be too ruffian even for Jo? Will Tea, after her hearts been consumed by darkness, and she becomes a nobody or a heartless or whatever, realize that she’s dating a dark wizard this entire time so it literally doesn’t matter?

Anyways, I mentioned K-pop so here you go, a moment of happy handsome boy Zen in this overwhelming world.

[the-raven-sisters]

Mini-Chapter-Monday

Title: The Rewind

Theme Song: Fiction by The xx

Word Count: 1,672

Warnings: language, angst

Characters: (OC) Harper Raven, (OC) Maisie Raven, (OC) Piper Evans, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester

A/N: We played around with a different way to do this one, so we hope y’all like it! If you have any questions, comments, or you just want to rant about Dean being a dumbass or Harper and Sam being too damn cute, please send us an ask!! -M&H

Chapter List | Extra Content | Character Roster

Harper’s fist collides with Dean’s jaw, the force sending him stumbling back; he barely catches himself from ending up sprawled on the wood floor. Sam swiftly wraps his arms around Harper’s waist, pulling her away from Dean before she could get another swing in. Harper struggles against him, but Sam’s grip only tightens, pulling her flush against him.

“Let go, Sam. I’m not done yet!” she protests. Dean stands up to his full height, staring at Harper with a surprised look as he rubs his jaw.

“Just give me a second to find out what’s going on here!” Sam says, still holding onto her as he waits for any explanation.

Harper doesn’t quit her struggle, but glaring at Dean, she replies, “He knows what he did. You son of a bitch!”

Sam groans, turning his questioning look to Dean now. Dean squirms under their undivided attention, flicking back and forth between Harper’s scalding glare and Sam’s exasperated bitch-face, not being able to decide which is worse. Sam finally asks the burning question.

“What the fuck did you do, Dean?”

Sixteen hours earlier

Harper takes one last look at her sister, rumpled hair, puffy eyes, but finally asleep and breathing evenly. She softly closes Maisie’s bedroom door, before heading straight back down the stairs to grab her duffel bag she hadn’t bothered to put away. Before she can get to the front door, Piper is on her.

“Where are you going?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back in a couple days. I’m not going to get into trouble.” Harper tries to vaguely explain. Piper, however, is not convinced.

“Right. You remember the last time you told me that?” Piper crosses her arm and raises an eyebrow, waiting for Harper’s next excuse. Harper stares at the wall for a silent moment.

“Alright, that’s fair, but this time, I promise. I am not going to get into any trouble… Dean is, but not me,” Harper quickly finishes, a small smirk forming. Piper sighs, long and loud, passing a hand over her face, then steps out of the way.

“I knew you’d understand, Red. Just don’t tell Maisie the last part about Dean.” Harper gives Piper a pat on the shoulder as she passes.

“You really think this is a good idea?” Piper asks as Harper opens the door. Pausing, Harper looks over her shoulder and gives a slight shrug.

“You and Maisie take care of each other while I’m gone.” And with a last, tight smile, Harper is out the door and bounding to her truck.

As she sets out on her sixteen hour drive to the bunker, Harper thinks about Maisie’s explanation and tears, those thoughts fueling her anger. Panic! At the Disco is the backdrop to her reckless driving. Her hope is that Brendon Urie’s voice would soothe her raging thoughts, but it only fueled them further. The one constant thought, throughout the long hours white-knuckling the steering wheel, is how much she is going to enjoy beating the shit out of Dean.

Now

“Wait, wait, you drove sixteen hours just to punch Dean in the face?” Sam let Harper go, her explanation distracting her from her primary motive, and she can see the incredulity written on Sam’s face.

“First of all, that’s not the point, and if you wouldn’t interrupt, you might know why,” Harper starts; Sam simply rolling his eyes. “But yes, I fucking did. No one hurts Maisie and escapes from my wrath,” she finishes with a dirty look in Dean’s direction.

“How does Maisie fit into this, though?” Sam throws up his hands, annoyed with having no idea what’s going on, outside of Dean apparently having been a dick and Harper being dramatically bitter. None of which is much out of the ordinary.

Twenty-one hours earlier

Harper waves the Winchesters off as they drive away from the Los Angeles motel; when the Impala is out of view, Harper glances around, searching for Maisie in the parking lot and finding her admiring the California valley. Or so it seems.

“Why didn’t you say goodbye to the guys?” Harper asks, as she nears Maisie. Her eyes go wide when Maisie faces her, and she sees the tears, coming faster than Maisie can wipe them away. Harper grabs Maisie, who falls right into her sister's arms.

“What- what did Dean do?” Harper asks as soft as she can manage, but tension still laces her tone. She runs her hand up and down Maisie’s back comfortingly as Maisie tries to gain her breath.

“I- I don’t know what went wrong. We were flirting like always, then… He kissed me and it was perfect, we were perfect. But then he just pushed me away and said we couldn’t do this? He said he wanted me to be happy but he wouldn’t even explain, he just walked away,” Maisie finishes in a small voice. Harper’s emotions are in as much turmoil as Maisie now; the sadness over her sister crying in her arms, and the anger at Dean for causing the tears are fighting for dominance inside her.

“I just- I felt it, Harper. What I haven’t felt since... Since Tommy. And I can’t- why did he just walk away?” Maisie’s voice breaks as she utters the question she can’t shake from her mind. Harper’s arms tighten around Maisie, her own voice failing her. Hearing how uncertain Maisie is, and the fact that Maisie brought up Tommy Fitz is giving her sadness an upper hand; Maisie hadn’t spoken of the tragedy that was her first love in years.

“Oh, Mais. Don’t you let that douchebag make you second guess yourself, this is all on him,” Harper finally finds her voice to give Maisie any peace of mind she can. Harper’s own peace of mind, however, is driving away from the reach of her fist as they speak. Harper adds to herself in an undertone, “And he better run.”

Now

“Who’s Tommy?” Dean ask quietly. Harper slowly turns to look at Dean, narrowing her eyes him.

“What’s it to you? You’re the one who walked away and broke her heart,” Harper spits.

“You’re the one poorly explaining why you drove sixteen hours to punch me,” Dean shoots back coolly.

“Fuck you.” Harper and Dean stare each other down, the tension in the room palpable. Dean is the first to break, simply walking away, which only angers Harper more.

“Yeah, walk away again, your best move,” Harper says to his back, her hands curling into fists. Sam is by her side suddenly, grabbing her hands, ready to hold her back again.

“I’m fine, Sam, you can let me go,” Harper says, avoiding looking at Sam as she tries to keep her voice even.

Sam shakes his head. “You drove sixteen hours to punch Dean, you’re not fine!” He pauses, letting out a long sigh. “Harper, you need to figure out a way to deal with your anger without using your fist.” Harper looks taken back by his words.

“How the fuck would I do that?”

“By talking about it,” Sam answers, releasing her hands finally. “How do you think Dean got himself into this mess? He doesn’t explain himself. At all.”

Harper lets out a heavy sigh as she glances to where Dean had disappeared. “Fuck…” she breathes out. “You’re right… I guess.” Her shoulders slump at her own admission, and she suddenly feels how tired she is.

“Why don’t you stay and get some sleep?” Sam suggests. Before she answers, Dean strides back into the room holding a beer for each of them. Harper is suddenly on guard again, shaking her head as Dean tries to offer her one of the beers.

“Thanks, Sam, but I’m too angry to sleep with him here,” Harper finally answers.

Sam sighs as Dean simply sets their beers on the table and gulps down his own. “Okay, but please stop somewhere and sleep or at least call me if it’s too much?”

“Yeah, okay, mom,” Harper scoffs, but gives Sam a small smile as she turns to go. Sam grabs her hand again and pulls her into a hug before she can get far. Harper lets herself melt into his arms only for a second, before breaking away, knowing if she lingered she would never leave.

Thirteen hours, plus a three hour phone call with Sam, later 

“So, Dean just sat there and let you punch him!?” Maisie asks, after Harper finally finishes her account of her visit to the Winchesters. Harper takes a sip of her second cup of coffee since arriving back at the Safehouse.

“Well, he couldn’t resist this smile.” Harper lifts her head from the couch armrest and shows off a cheesy grin. Piper can’t help her laughter at Harper’s tired attempt at a winning smile, but Maisie shakes her head, still confused.

“You just smiled at him until he let you punch him!?”

“No, no, no,” Harper groans. “It went like this...”

Sixteen hours and forty-five minutes earlier

Harper slams the door of her truck, the noise startling her slightly in her combined state of deliriously tired and recklessly angry. Making it to the large, metal door of the bunker, she pounds on it until her knuckles hurt. Five minutes pass before she is met with a wide-eyed Sam, gun in hand.

“Harp, what-” Sam starts to inquire about Harper’s sudden intrusion, but she only has her mission in mind.

“Where’s Dean?” Harper cuts to the chase, brushing past Sam and practically running down the stairs. “Dean!” she calls out, looking down all the hallways. In normal circumstances, she would have been awestruck by the place, but in her blind fury, all she could look for is Dean.

“What’s with all the goddamn racket?” Dean’s gruff voice comes down a hallway towards Harper. “What are you doing here, Harper? Come for a booty call?” He tiredly smirks.

Harper puts on her biggest, and fakest, smile, sauntering right up to him. Then, in a flash, her smile drops, her eyes burn, and she cocks her fist back...

[roarofadam]

you can also learn more in depth about Adam HERE. ♥

*NEWEST UPDATES ARE BOLDED & ITALICIZED* ( updated 4.24.2017 )

BASICS

Full name: Adam Belmont

Nicknames or aliases: ( – y’all sure love throwing “unstable” & “ a monster”  at him and I WOULD PUT THAT as much as my son believes it but i also love my son and that makes him sad/upset when people call him that SO its here in INVISIBLE INK )

Species: Werewolf

Gender: Male

Age: Thirty

Birthday: November 22, 1987

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Place of birth: Unknown

Place they currently live in: The West Woods of Charming, California 

Languages spoken: English, French, (can read) Latin

Native language: English

Relationship Status: Single

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Human

Height: 6’2

Weight: Roughly around 170 lbs.

Figure/build: Strong and top heavy.

Eye color: Brown

Hair color: Black

Voice: Usually rough and hasty. Sometimes harsh even. Prone to yelling when angry or provoked.

Scars: He has plenty of these, however most are from various fights from others in times past. One of the larger ones he has, however, came from an confrontation with Gabriel Morrow. It’s located across his upper shoulders. The scars probably wouldn’t be so bad if  Adam hadn’t been so rough and stubborn trying to tough out the pain and trying to take care of it himself instead of getting help to properly take care of the wound

Preferred style of clothing: Adam has a very loose style of clothing. Once upon a time ( before the curse ) Adam took great care in being clean and presentable. But now he just puts on what he has available to him. He prefers being comfortable and has favorite sets of just about everything. Some of those sets are usually worn out and very rough looking.

Wolf

Appearance: Because of his size he has a build of a fighter and a protector.

Height: roughly around 7 feet

Eye Color: Brown

Fur Color: Black and Dark Brown

Rank: Alpha

Pack Members ( “The Castle Pack” ): Curtis Bonnet (Beta) 

CONDITION

Allergies: Wolfsbane, mistletoe, rye, and mountain ash. Silver and/or mercury can be fatal if he isn’t careful around it.

Physical disabilities or illnesses: Unable to control his shift, normally triggered when he’s infuriated, frustrated, and angry.

Phobias: Failure to protect the ones he loves. (because he does care even if you never think he would )

PERSONALITY

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Negative voice(s) in head: “Why would anyone help me?” “Everything they say about me is right.”  “Will i make it worse?” “No one will ever believe me.”  “Will I hurt them?” “Do I really want to be here?” “Am I getting in the way?”

Distinctive habits: Frown/scowls a lot be it unintended or intended. Balls up fists as his stressant went getting pent up or angry.

Different selves: ( The way your character will act depending on the people he/she is with. )

– With Strangers - Adam is standoffish, and particularly avoids contact with any stranger. He’s quiet, usually glaring at them, hoping that they get intimidated enough to just go away and leave him alone. If he has to deal with them, he’s sarcastic and harsh. Sometimes unintentionally.

– With Friends/Pack Members - He’s a bit more open with his friends and those he knows. That grumpy demeanor and attitude never goes away, but since he’s more comfortable with them he’s willing to let his guard down and is a tad bit kinder. (But not without a irritable huff or frown)

– With Enemies - Adam doesn’t go out looking for fights and definitely won’t willingly pick one. If provoked, actually, his first instinct is to get away or remove himself from the situation before he gets worse–for the own person’s sake.

Likes: Reading books, appreciating art, his own company (for the most part unless it’s any of his close associates), silence, being loved, classical music, birds and bird watching, horses, Shakespeare, books.

Dislikes: Being stared at, romance novels, strangers, threats being made at him, Gabriel, injustice, being disturbed, smart phones, being judged, stubbornness.

Goals: To live in peace in Charming despite the curse’s affliction. He’s unstable and doesn’t want to hurt anyone. Hence his isolation to keep himself away from others.

Dreams: Of regaining control of himself, his temper, and wolf form.

Fears: Never being able to control “The Beast” that is his wolf form and hurting someone he deply cares about.

Favorite things:

Animal: Birds Movie: The King’s Speech, The Sherlock Holmes series Color: Red or Dark Purple Flower: Roses Food: Oatmeal, breads, chicken nuggets, sweets  (he loves sweets it’s the worst™) Shakespearean Play: Hamlet TV Show: Downton Abbey, Sherlock

Least favorite things: Pop music, social media ( mostly because he doesn’t know how to use it )

ABILITIES

Talents and skills: Stealthy, fast reader, is very intellectual thanks to an expensive education.

Supernatural talents and skills: Ability to shift and take on a full wolf form. Enhanced senses, powerful strength, and agility.

WORK

Level of education: He’s gotten his education from a unknown source, but he is quite educated.

Current job title and description: Page at the Charming Library. He simply shelves books, returning them to where they belong. He’s very content with this.

COMBAT

Peaceful or aggressive attitude? - Aggressive as heck. Adam rushes in with all of his power and might, his anger and rage fueling that power within him.

Fighting skills/techniques: Adam has always been a close combat fighter unless wounded or hurt.

Weapon of choice: Teeth, claws

Weaknesses in combat: Mostly he’s fighting alone so that’s both a strength and his weakness. He has no one to catch his back, so if he were to be outnumbered he’d have a huge disadvantage. Also he’s mostly offensive, wanting to severely harm his opponent for the utmost advantage.

Strengths in combat: Adam is stealthy and relishes in sneak attacks and finding areas his opponent would think he would dare go for. He’s been in plenty of fights so he quickly can analyze movements and predict some attack strategies.

FAMILY, FRIENDS AND FOES

Mother: Deceased

Father: Deceased

Siblings: None

Best friend(s) ACQUAINTANCES: Isabelle Lin, Curtis Bonnet

Other significant friends: Finnick Perez, Tiana Jones, Marie Chat, Kanga Lahey

Rivals or enemies: Gabriel Morrow

OTHER

Quote or quotes:

“Vincit qui se vincit” - latin phrase. ( It translates to “He Conquers Who Conquers Himself.” It means that a person who overcomes his weaknesses or failings, who is able to control his emotions and actions, wins life’s most important battle )

“He who makes a beast out of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.”

❝HE who delights in solitude is either a W I L D  B E A S T or a  god.❞

❝ Ce n'est pas votre combat.” - “ I’m fine, this is not your fight”

❝ Ce n'est pas dans les étoiles de maintenir notre destin, mais en nous-mêmes.” (It is not in the stars to maintain our destiny, but in ourselves. )

Theme song:

Waltz of the Damned - From Kingdom Hearts 2.5 ♥ ♫ 

Disturbia - Rihanna ♪

[violet--minds-blog]

Awesome Queer Media to Check Out!

Piper Gibson | March 20, 2017

Sorry for the absence (school is kicking my ass but what else is new) but I’m back with another list! This time, I’m cataloging some of my favorite pieces of media with LGBTQ+ characters and plotlines. Of course, nothing is perfect, and all these shows/books/movies/etc. have their problems, but I still think they’re pretty damn cool.

1. Check, Please!

What is it: A webcomic

Who makes it: Ngozi Ukazu 

Why you should read it: Queer boys who play hockey! Lots of pie! Discussions of mental illness and drug abuse! An ensemble cast! Comedy and drama in one! Slow-burn, healthy, communicative, gay relationship!! Confirmed happy gay ending!!! Most of my friends know that I love this comic with my whole heart, and it’s really easy to see why. There’s a character in it for everyone, and they’re all easy to relate to and care about. Personally, I relate so hard to Jack having anxiety and trying to navigate his life and career in the intersection of being mentally ill and queer. No spoilers, but this comic includes the best queer relationship I’ve ever seen portrayed. Don’t get discouraged by the hockey-- I knew nothing about the sport going in and it really doesn’t stop you from enjoying the comic at all! Currently in Bitty’s third year and gearing up for more spring updates, Check, Please is a master of storytelling and will make you laugh and cry. Read it here!

2. The Get Down

What is it: A Netflix Original series

Who makes it: dir. Baz Luhrmann

Why you should watch it: Almost the entire cast are people of color, it’s set in the 1970s and focuses on both the dying out of disco and the arising hip-hop scene, and the performances are incredible. You see this world through young Zeke’s eyes, a complex and talented kid looking to be a part of something bigger than himself and for a community to fall back on. No matter what’s going on, the story never lets you forget these characters are in the middle of the South Bronx in the seventies, fighting for a way out of poverty, strict religious family, or gangs, all while holding on to their passions. The music and the performances of these young actors are what sold me immediately. The queer relationship in it (I won’t spoil it) is lovely and gentle and blooms very naturally. The story, the characters, and the music are the focus, and if you’re like me, you’ll be hooked immediately. The second season just came out this month and it’s incredible but holy shit so intense. Catch it on Netflix!

3. Carry On

What is it: A young-adult novel

Who makes it: Rainbow Rowell

Why you should read it: Did you read Harry Potter and think: “Wow, Harry is super bi. Wow, he’s pretty obsessed with Draco. Wow they could be friends if Harry was sorted into Slytherin WOW THEY COULD EVEN BE MORE THAN THAT!” ...Okay, well this is the book for you. Set in a magic school more different from Hogwarts than you’d think, Simon and Baz are roommates that hate each other. But things are complicated when you’re the chosen one and you think your roommate might be a vampire and there’s an evil something out for you. It’s like Harry Potter except different and more queer people and people of color. Plus a happy ending that’s so, so much better than that “17 years later” shit. If you like gay magical boys and ass-kicking best friends and plot twists, you’ll definitely enjoy this.

4. Fourth Man Out

What is it: A 2016 movie

Who makes it: dir. Andrew Nackman

Why you should watch it: If you’ve been searching your whole fucking life for a queer rom-com like me, this’ll make you immensely happy. The story centers around Adam, who comes out to his mostly clueless friends in his twenties. They’re all a little uncomfortable and shitty at first, but they all grow and learn and by the end of the film have created the kind of caring and casual atmosphere any queer person hopes for when initially coming out to friends. The movie explores those awkward first steps after coming out, including online dating and homophobic neighbors, in a comedic yet respectful way. It’ll make you laugh and it’ll make you care a lot about Adam-- his puppy-dog face just makes you root for him from the beginning. Watch this if you hate that more comedies don’t center around queer themes, and then please recommend me more!!

5. About a Girl

What is it: A young-adult novel

Who makes it: Sarah McCarry

Why you should read it: Okay, maybe you should read the first two books in this series first, All Our Pretty Songs and Dirty Wings, but I read this one first and I think it can stand alone pretty well. There is an abundance of queer people of color in this, a beautiful, mythological storyline, a girl/girl romance, and a main character you’ll fall in love with. This book is so gorgeous to read and so rewarding, and I couldn’t put it down. In fact, I’m due for a reread... good thing I just impulsively bought all three of these so now I OWN THEM. Please, please give at least About a Girl a read, though-- the lyrical, soft nature of it was so incredibly healing and I can’t tell you how much I loved it.

5. Moonlight

What is it: A 2016 film

Who makes it: dir. Barry Jenkins

Why you should watch it: First of all, if you haven’t been following the mess that happened at the Oscars with La La Land being announced incorrectly and this film winning Best Picture, where have you been? I saw this rather recently, I’ll admit, but it blew my socks off. This film is so completely centered on the experience of black queer men, and allows them to be so honest and tender, so complex and multi-faceted, in a way we haven’t much seen in mainstream media so far. We know why this is-- mainstream media is overwhelmingly white, overwhelmingly straight, and wants to put down and silence differing experiences as much as possible, making Hollywood a boring and homogeneous space. But Moonlight has broken through and shown that when these stories are told, and they are listened to, something incredible can happen. 

6. Ask the Passengers

What is it: A young-adult novel

Who makes it: A.S. King

Why you should read it: Holy shit, y’all, I loved this book so fucking much. I reread it a little while ago and it still punches me in the gut just as hard. The book centers around Astrid, a teenager navigating her sexuality, her family, and suffocating small-town life. She’s a philosopher at heart, so nothing comes easy, especially not love-- it’s not as clear-cut as her other queer friends may think. This is a really honest portrayal of figuring out sexuality and Astrid is such a lovable narrator that you just want to bundle her up and let no one else hurt her. The book hit close to home as a queer girl who spent a lot of time figuring out my identity and what it meant to me personally. If you have a similar story, prepare to get emotional.

7. One Day at a Time

What is it: A Netflix original series based off Norman Lear's 1975 series of the same name

Who makes it: Too many directors & executive producers to name! But if you’re a Norman Lear fan, he stayed on to be an executive producer for the remake.

Why you should watch it: The show centers around a Cuban-American family living in California and tackles topics like immigration, religion, sexuality, PTSD, divorce/separation, and more. Elena’s coming out storyline is beautifully and respectfully done and I really appreciate how realistic it is. This show will make you laugh and make you cry, but mostly, you’ll just fall completely in love with the Alvarez family and their story. And they’ve just been confirmed for a second season!! (GET ELENA A GIRLFRIEND!!)

8. The Real O’Neals

What is it: An ABC comedy series

Who makes it: Executive producer Dan Savage

Why you should watch it: Okay, I’ll admit, I have more problems with this show than the others-- namely its consistent biphobia and very few characters of color-- but besides the problems, it’s still hilarious and honest. In the very first episode, Kenny comes out to his conservative, Irish Catholic family in an... explosive way, and what follows is them all trying to figure out how to navigate his identity while still being religious. It’s important to see representation of queer people who keep their faith after coming out; it reminds us that religion and queerness aren’t mutually exclusive. Plus, I love Kenny’s relationship with his siblings, and the fact that his younger sister Shannon is the smartest and most put-together of them all. The show just finished its second season, and as of yet there has been no announcement of a renewal for a third season.

9. The Raven Cycle

What is it: A young-adult novel series

Who makes it: Maggie Stiefvater

Why you should read it: Holy wow, this book series is fantastic. I had no idea what it was about when I read it (because I read it for the gays...), but the story is complex and fascinating. Blue is our narrator most of the time, the daughter of a psychic who has no psychic abilities herself and who lives in a house with a bunch of other awesome psychic ladies. Her life has always been surrounded by magic, but it gets even more magical when she meets Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah, four boys who go to the near Aglionby Academy and are dubbed “Raven Boys” because of the raven on their uniforms. I’m pretty sure shit starts to get Really Actually Gay in the last book, but the entire series is fantastic and well worth a read. If you like ghost boys, dead kings, magical dreamers, and weird curses, this series is for you. It’s recently been announced that there will be a TV show based on the books, and there will also be another book series just about Ronan, so I’m super pumped for those cool things... Unless they ruin the TV show, in which case I will be incredibly disappointed. (In the meantime, though, you can read the first chapter of the first book, The Raven Boys, here!)

10. Yuri On Ice

What is it: An Japanese sports anime series

Who makes it: Creator Mitsurō Kubo, dir. Sayo Yamamoto

Why you should watch it: LISTEN, I’ve never finished an anime before this, because I’m not really that into anime. But this series is about figure skating, has twelve episodes, and is hella gay, so it’s not hard to binge it. (For the love of God, please watch the subbed version if you can, the dub voices give me nightmares.) The story is beautifully done, Viktor and Yuuri’s relationship is stable, loving, and realistic, and the portrayal of Yuuri’s anxiety is so important and made me cry in spots. Plus, it’s really funny and the competition scenes are thrilling as all hell. You can watch the series in literally a day, so what are you waiting for?? Binge it and then listen to the soundtrack on Spotify on repeat while crying, like I did.

11. Brooklyn Nine-Nine

What is it: A Fox-produced police sitcom

Who makes it: A million directors and producers, it’s a comedy sitcom

Why you should watch it: A diverse ensemble cast, comedy that isn’t at the expense of any marginalized group, complex characters, a stable gay relationship, Andy Samberg??? I love this show so much, y’all. To be fair, the main relationship is between a man and a woman, but the captain of the 99th precinct is an openly gay black man who’s in an amazing, loving relationship with his husband. And the relationship between Jake, the main character, and Amy (Spoiler! But you’ll see it coming from a million miles away, promise.) is one of the most delicious slow-burn plotlines I’ve ever seen. And as far as I know, the writers have no intention to break them up for “conflict” (cough cough New Girl cough). In an episode from the current season, a character called something transphobic, which was the first time I’ve ever heard that word on television, and I had to pause and look at my girlfriend in wonder, like “Did he just really say that? Oh my God??” Anyway. Please watch this show. It’s currently in its fourth season, just recently back from its haitus, so go binge it now!

There’s so many more to add to this list (Legend of Korra! Rock and Riot!! Etc etc etc!), but since you now have 11 new (or not-so-new) pieces of queer media to consume, I’ll leave you with that. Till next time!

[the-raven-sisters]

Chapter Five

Title: California Dreaming

Theme Song: Unsteady by X Ambassadors

Word Count: 3,538

Warnings: language, angst, panic attack

Characters: (OC) Harper Raven, (OC) Maisie Raven, (OC) Piper Evans, (OC) Quincy Carter, Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester

A/N: They be trippin’, road trippin’, with no chill -M&H

Read Ch. 4 and previous mini-chapters here and here!

Check out the Character Roster!

After an hour and a half on the road, Harper’s phone starts ringing for the second time in the last five minutes. Tired of hearing it go off, Maisie stops texting Dean long enough to answer the phone for Harper.  “Don’t,” Harper hisses as she glances away from the road briefly to glare at her sister.

“Oh, hey, Sam.” Maisie talks into the phone and shoots Harper a smirk. “Harper’s driving right now. She says she’ll call you back later.”

“Now, hang up,” Harper demands, hoping she will listen.

“Oh, she also says she loves you,” Maisie adds with a mischievous smile.

“Maisie! Hang up the fucking phone!” Harper’s grip on the steering wheel tightens as she grits her teeth.

Sam’s muffled laughter is heard through the phone, but does nothing to lessen the anger coursing through Harper. Maisie relents to her sister’s wishes, finally hanging up and placing Harper’s phone back in the cup holder. “Relax, he knows I was just teasing.”

“That’s not the point,” Harper counters. “Red, back me up here.” She glances in the rearview mirror to make eye contact with Piper in the backseat with Neptune and Gandalf.

“I agree with you, Harp,” she starts and Harper gives Maisie a pointed look.

“But…”

Harper’s smug expression drops. “But what?” she spits out.

“But you need to calm down. Sam knows she was teasing. No harm, no foul.” Piper leans forward, her head in between the sisters’ seats. Harper’s phone rings once again. “You have one voicemail and two texts from Sam,” Piper informs her with a smile, and Harper sighs heavily in response.

Maisie’s phone buzzes and Piper glances between the sisters. “When did you two get so popular?” she pouts, feeling left out. “You’re texting Dean, huh?” Piper nudges Maisie’s shoulder and tries to peek at the messages. Maisie holds out her phone to Piper.

“Yes, because I don’t hide my feelings.” Maisie gives a fake cough, looking at Harper who shakes her head.

“But maybe you should show a little restraint. These are sickening,” Piper groans, shoving Maisie’s phone back at her.

“See, leave me alone,” Harper shoots. But Piper shakes her finger at her.

“No, you need to ease up on the reigns there, Harp.” Harper ignores this, turning the music up on a Panic! At The Disco song, and going back to gritting her teeth.

Seven hours, five more voicemails from Sam, and two whole Panic! At The Disco albums later, the girls are hauling their bags up the stone steps to the house in which Harper and Maisie were raised. Home, sweet, San Francisco. Once inside, Harper makes it no further than the couch before collapsing. Maisie makes a beeline for her room, or more specifically her bathroom, because Harper “No, we’ll be there in thirty minutes, you can hold it” Raven had her about to burst. Meanwhile, Piper slips out of the back door, heading down to the beach with Gandalf and Neptune in tow. The ocean is where Piper feels most at peace; she never misses the chance to see it.

Rested from the long drive the day before, the girls finally make their way out to the mental health facility to visit their surviving foster mother, Quincy Carter. They check-in at the front desk before a nurse directs them to the visitation room where Quincy is waiting.

“There are my girls. Took you shitheads long enough,” Quincy says as they approach.

“Good to see you, too, Momma Q,” Maisie replies with a charming smile.

“We got here as fast as we could.” Harper takes a seat next to Momma Q, who raises an eyebrow in disbelief.

“As fast as you could? I could have died by the time you got here,” Momma Q scoffs and glances over to Piper. “At least you brought little Red with you this time. How’re ya holding up?” she adds with a soft smile.

Piper���s shoulders slump as her expression falters for a moment. “I’m okay.”

Harper and Maisie exchange a look of concern while Momma Q nods knowingly. “Take a seat, girls, and I’ll tell you about the case I have for you.” Maisie and Piper comply, taking a seat across from Harper and Momma Q.  

“That wasn’t just your excuse to get us down here?” Maisie teases, knowing full well the look she’ll get. Momma Q does not disappoint; raising her eyebrows and pursing her lips, she stares Maisie down a full minute before replying.

“I’ve done all the research I can from here, which isn’t much. But looks like we’ve got ourselves an Alcatraz ghost.” Harper runs a hand down her face, letting out a long sigh.

“You sure know how to pick ‘em, Momma,” Harper grumbles, earning her own stare down from Quincy.

“Oh yeah, you know how I love fraternizing with ghosts,” Momma Q retorts dryly. Turning to Piper, Quincy asks, “Is it your turn to question my sanity?”

“I would never, Momma Q,” Piper assures, slightly on the dramatic side with a hand to her chest. Quincy gives her a wink before delving back into the case.

“Now, there’s an old rumor with the locals I managed to catch wind of. Apparently, this place was built on the remains of a burned down cottage. They say it was caused by one of the escaped prisoners from Alcatraz that were presumed dead; though they never identified the second body. The first, of course, was the owner of the cottage. So, I’ve said my piece, y’all get to work.” Momma Q claps her hands together, but at the same moment, Harper’s phone happens to go off once again. Harper grabs it out of her pocket to look at the screen, before quickly setting it face-down on the small table in between her and Quincy.

“Who else are ya ignoring, besides me?” Momma Q quips. When Harper won’t meet her eyes and the ringing continues, Quincy snatches Harper’s phone from the table and answers. “Who is this, and why is Harper ignoring you the way she does her own mother?” She gives Harper a pointed look.

“Momma!” Harper grits her teeth, reaching to take her phone back, but Quincy swats her hand away easily.

“Uh, this is Sam. I’d love to know why she’s ignoring me.” There’s a confusion in his voice, and Harper clenches her fists as she hears Sam’s muffled response.

“Momma, hang up or hand it over,” Harper demands in a low voice.

“Sam, huh? Are you my daughter’s boo thang?” Quincy ignores Harper’s commands.

“No, we’re just friends, for fuck’s sake. Hang up!” Harper makes another failed attempt to grab the phone, while Maisie and Piper simultaneously shout “Yes!” over Harper’s denial.

“Is this a bad time?” Sam’s discomfort is palpable even over the phone.

“Sam, please hang up. I’ll call you later, I swear,” Harper begs loudly to be sure he hears her pleas.

“As you wish.” Sam concedes.

“Who is this joker?” Quincy hands back the phone; Harper snatches it up, checking to see that Sam had hung up.

“Why the fuck does everyone feel the need to answer my phone?” Harper’s anger has her pacing now. She takes a deep breath, trying and failing to calm herself down. “I need a fucking cup of coffee,” she mutters before walking away.

At Quincy’s insistence, Piper and Maisie say their temporary goodbyes and go in search of Harper so as to get on the case. A trip to the local library, and a search through the old newspaper archives, aided by Piper, turn up an article from 1937 featuring the suspected ghost and his victim. The information from the article is along the same lines as Momma Q’s story; though it gives them a few more essential details.

The homeowner that fell victim to the supposed Alcatraz escapee, was a small-time photographer. The remains of both corpses were cremated. All of the photographer’s works and possessions were lost in the fire, except for a single camera, which has been designated as a memorial to the loss of life by that mysterious fire. As soon as the girls finish reading the article, Piper is up and heading for the door, but Harper and Maisie stop her instead of following.

“Where you going, Red? We still have to do more research on the prisoner,” Harper inquires. Piper gives her a puzzled look.

“Uh, the camera?” Piper answers simply.

“What camera!? This is no time for your photography obsession.” Harper is beginning to get irritated; she’s in no mood for games.

“The bloody camera that is the only remaining evidence from the house where two people were killed!?” Piper’s demeanor is equally exasperated. Maisie facepalms while Harper simply forms her mouth into a firm line.

“The bloody camera? Why are you talking like a British person!?” Harper demands, not ready to admit defeat. “Why are you two such idiots sometimes?” Piper shoots back, giving Maisie and especially Harper a ‘what the fuck’ look. Piper then turns on her heel and is gone in a flurry of flaming hair.

As the sky is thrown into a disarray of storm clouds, the girls make their way back to the mental health facility on Piper’s direction. Maisie and Harper go in search of the old camera, while Piper runs off to find Quincy, keeping them both out of the impending fight. As the girls jog down another corridor they can’t help but notice the goosebumps spreading along their arms and legs as the temperature drops. They prepare to speed up to a run but find no need as they reach the end of the dark corridor abruptly. Faced with two split corridors, the girls only need a second to assess and agree to each take one. Harper is met with an eventual dead-end, whereas Maisie comes to a small hollow with an enclosed window facing out towards the sea. The camera is sat inside of the enclosed area, pointed at the window.

Maisie looks for a way to get inside of the glass enclosing the camera, but just as her fingers find the coolness of a lock, a sudden flash of lightning momentarily blinds her. She jumps back as the accompanying clap of thunder pounds in her ears. She shakes her head, reaching once again for the lock, and her knife to jimmy it open. She only just misses the flicker of a pale figure before she is thrown against the far wall. The breath is momentarily knocked out of Maisie, but she never loses her grip on her knife.

As the ghost glides toward her and Maisie bides her time for the right moment, she notices that the ghost doesn’t look like the prisoner. Before she can puzzle over that mystery, the ghost is on her, and she lunges her iron dagger right at its middle. She jumps up and positions her knife as to ram it into the glass case. She pulls a packet of salt and a small travel bottle of lighter fluid from her fanny pack, shaking some of both onto the camera. Glass shatters, lightning strikes, and Maisie lights a match. Maisie whips around to the piercing scream of the ghost; catching a glimpse of its face in the light of the supernatural flames engulfing its form, Maisie realizes the ghost is not the prisoner, but the homeowner.

Harper suddenly appears around the corner, looking sheepish as she notices the flaming camera and shattered glass. “Sorry, I got lost. But, uh, good job, sis.” She starts to shoot finger guns at Maisie, snapping her finger, but upon seeing her sister’s expression, settles for thumbs-up instead.

“That’s lame,” Maisie retorts, walking away. Harper stares at the mess left behind by Maisie, and after a second of contemplation, decides to leave it and follow after her sister.

The girls find their way to Quincy’s room, making sure there is no more damage along the way. Finding everyone safe, they are ready to say their goodnights. Maisie and Piper start to leave Momma Q’s room, but Harper hangs back. “You two go, I’ll be out there in a minute,” Harper says as she tosses Maisie the keys to her truck. When Harper is finally alone with Momma Q, she begins pacing the floor, trying to decide how to approach the subject on her mind.

“So, how’s Arthur?” Quincy tries gauging the situation with a lighter question. Harper either ignores it, or is too caught up in her own anxious thoughts to even hear. “What’s going on?” Momma Q asks gently this time, before she pats the empty spot beside her on the bed. Harper shakes her head, continuing to pace.

She glances over to her foster mother and takes a deep breath, attempting to calm the anxiety. “I haven’t been sleeping well…” It’s quiet for a moment before Harper continues, “I think it’s partially because of Ellis and worrying about Piper, but…” She stops pacing and turns to face Momma Q. “I’ve started to remember some things about the night you found us.”

Quincy’s fingers gravitate to her bracelet, a gift from her deceased wife, Laelynn, and she subconsciously begins fidgeting with it. Harper notices the nervous tick, frowning at the suspicious realization. “What do you remember?”

“The burning barn. Trying to convince Maisie to calm down and get in the truck.” Harper looks down at the floor as the memory surfaces for a brief moment. She turns her gaze back to Quincy, a slight frown on Harper’s lips. “There’s more to it though, right?”

Momma Q nods solemnly. “You don’t know the whole story. It’s about your parents. And Maisie’s.”

Harper’s hands clench into fists, her fingernails digging into her palms. “I don’t want to know then.” She glances toward the door, deciding if she should simply leave to avoid hearing a tragic truth about her foster sister’s parents.

“I think it’s time you know.”

Harper bursts out of the facility’s doors, her mind reeling with unwanted information. Even the post-supernatural storm winds fail to cool her heightened temperature. She needs to talk to someone, anyone but Maisie or Momma Q. Her mind suddenly goes to Sam.

“Hello?” He answers the phone after a few rings.

“Sam, what are you doing?” Harper asks, exhaustion heavy in her tone.

“Keeping in touch?” He quips; she can hear the smile in his voice.

“Sam…” Harper sighs. This isn’t where she was hoping the conversation would go quite yet, but she takes it in stride, somewhat grateful for the distraction. Although, she could do without the banter.

This time, he responds seriously, “I’m trying, Harp, and you’ve been ignoring me. What’s going on? Did I do something?”

“No, you’re fine. I’m just… It’s nothing.” She closes her eyes, listening to the sounds of distant cars and the rustling leaves around her to try to find some semblance of calm. She isn’t ignoring him because of anything he did. She has been ignoring her own feelings regarding him, and taking it out on Sam himself.

Sam is quiet for a moment. “Do you really expect me to believe it’s nothing?” When Harper doesn’t respond, he continues, “I know you, Harp. Something is bothering you. But I understand if you don’t want to talk about it. Just know that I’m here when you do, okay?”

“Thanks,” she says quietly. She opens her eyes, clears her throat, and redirects the conversation. “So are you going to stop calling excessively now?”

“Are you done ignoring me?” Sam asks gently, as if trying not to upset her further.

Harper scoffs, but smiles despite herself. “Yeah, I guess…”

“Then I’ll stop... Also, I’m sorry,” he adds, confusing Harper.

“About what?”

“The excessive phone calls,” he jokes.

Harper shrugs. “I kind of deserved it.”

“Well, you didn’t deserve me ditching you back at Stanford. I’m sorry for that, too.” Harper stays quiet, wondering where Sam is taking this. “You haven’t asked why I never called,” he prompts carefully, trying to pull a response out of her.

“I don’t think I want to know.” Harper’s free hand clenches into a fist at the thought of where this could go. Her conversation with Quincy comes back to mind, and suddenly all the anxiety from moments before is rushing back in.

“I think you deserve to know…” Sam says, but Harper can barely hear him as she starts to pull the phone away from her ear.

Her heartbeat speeds up as her stomach twists into knots at the similarity of these two recent conversations. Maybe she shouldn’t have called Sam. Panic sets in, making it harder for her to breathe. “Ah, shit,” she murmurs as she sits down on a bench outside the facility’s doors. “Deep breathes,” Harper whispers to herself, her heart still hammering. “It’s just Sam apologizing, not some shitty family secret.” After a few deep breathes, Harper lifts the phone back to her ear despite her wildly beating heart. “Sorry,” she whispers.

“Harper, what’s wrong?” Sam’s voice is gentle with a hint of urgency, his concern noticeable.

“It’s nothing,” she says breathlessly.

“Please, tell me what’s wrong.” He’s trying to keep his voice steady, but Harper notes the underlying desperation. He’s trying to help.

She takes a shaky, deep breath, still trying to calm her frayed nerves. She thinks about playing off the moment, but Sam would see through it. “Just having a hard time calming myself down right now. It’ll pass, though. Don’t worry about me.”

“Do you really expect that to make me worry less?”

Harper lets out a weak laugh. “No, I guess not. I’ll be fine in a minute. Just talk to me about something. Tell me why you didn’t call. Anything to distract me, please.”

Silence falls between them for a second before Sam sighs, giving into Harper’s request. “Alright, uh, I was a dumbass twenty-two year old kid, and if I would’ve called you, it would’ve been too tempting to come back to Stanford.”

Harper stays silent as her hectic mind slowly processes his words. “I’m failing to see the issue with that.”

Sam takes a deep breath. “Harper, I had to go, for Jess. For my mom. There was too much unfinished business, and I had to deal with it.”

A silence stretches out between them. Harper looks down at her feet as she replies, “I understand. I don’t like it, but I get it.”

“Is that a hint of forgiveness I hear?” Sam teases, eliciting a little smile from Harper. She is finally starting to regain her composure again.

“Only a little bit, though. I can’t let you off the hook too easily.”

Sam’s laugh calms her down a bit more, her smile growing. “Yeah yeah, I’ll make it up to you, I swear.”

Harper looks back up, her eyes scanning the parking lot. “Oh, shit. I completely forgot about Maisie and Piper. I should probably go.”

“Are you okay now?”

Harper smiles a bit at the concern in his voice. “Yeah, I’m doing better now, Sam. Thank you.”

“Anything for you, Harp,” he replies.

In the background noise over the phone, Harper can hear someone making a whipping sound effect. “Is that Dean?”

“Yeah, he just walked by.”

“Did he make a... whipping sound?” Harper stands up from the bench, and slowly starts walking toward her truck.

“Yeah, he thinks you’ve got me whipped,” Sam scoffs.

Harper laughs, finally feeling like her usual self again. “Of course, you’re fucking whipped! You’ve got some making up to do, so you’re mine until all is forgiven,” she teases, and Sam lets out a groan.

“Not you, too.”

“No one to blame but yourself,” she says smugly.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Sam retorts, amusement clear in his voice. Harper smirks. “Yeah, lucky you. I’ll talk to you later.” She finally reaches the truck; Maisie and Piper sit in the cab, listening to music with the engine running.

“You better. Bye, Harp. Call me if you need to talk some more,” he adds, sounding more relaxed than he did at the beginning of their phone call.

“Thanks. Bye, Sam.” Harper hangs up and makes herself take a deep breath, before entering the driver’s seat of the truck. She’s quiet as she takes her position behind the wheel, refusing to make eye contact with Maisie or Piper.

Maisie and Piper share a look as Harper pulls the truck out of the parking lot. “So, you finally call your love?” Maisie asks from the backseat. Harper slowly shifts her gaze to look at Maisie in the rearview mirror.

“I’m not in love with Sam,” Harper deadpans.

Maisie grins slyly. “I never said Sam…”

“Ah, the first stage of love: denial. It’s okay, Harp, I’ve been there.” Piper tries to smile, but it quickly falls as she thinks of Ellis. Maisie catches the falling mood, and quickly redirects back to Harper and Sam.

“You’ve literally been in love with him since college, why are you trying to deny it now?”

Harper opens her mouth to respond but closes it almost immediately, unsure of how to respond to Maisie’s question. “I’m not in love with him,” Harper mumbles, as if saying it again will convince everyone, including herself, to believe those words.