#i mean the holiday special

[blade-that-was-broken]

In I’m Still Here, how does brotherly bonding go?

I assume that for branch and JD it would be more fun and maybe even easy for them than it would anyone else.

But how would everyone else fair with each other?

Okay so… I did have a mini series sequel that I partially planned but with my burn out I’m not sure if I’m going to write it. Hopefully but unclear.

Floyd and JD are still into music. Since Floyd straight up stays in Pop Village to help out with JD, they spend a fair amount of time with each other, especially in the beginning times. Floyd gets to see some of the songs he's written over the years (even the secret notebook with all of the sad songs...). Since Floyd spends more time with him, he gets to see a bit more of the memories JD and Branch have, hearing stories, seeing the things John made, even things about other troll tribes, etc. etc. Although Floyd knows about the other types of trolls, he doesn't really know anything about the tribes themselves so hearing about their music and culture IN their territory is interesting. They eventually write some songs together too as well as JD tries to teach him a thing or two; perhaps about wood carving or knitting or something.

JD and Bruce are dads in their own right. And parents... they really love talking about their kids. And since Bruce has recognized that JD came back and intentionally started parenting Branch at a young age, he has no qualms about calling it out and talking about it. It takes a while for JD to actually talk about it with Bruce because he does not want to put Branch in that position - although Bruce gets into the position of knowing how both JD and Branch feel and is sworn to secrecy about it from the both of them - but it happens. JD and Bruce talk a lot about Branch and Bruce's kids, things they did, dumb things they did, etc. etc. JD doesn't really talk about the time after what happened when he thought Branch was dead, although he's said a few things, completely off the topic of Branch in that instance (about the other trolls he's met, his life in Lonesome Flatts, etc.) but it's often very specific with no room for talking about anything else. They also cook. Bruce owns a restaurant; JD is resourceful and a pretty good cook himself, so they talk about recipes and food sometimes. When JD gets better, they cook together a bit. Bruce also teaches him to surf. JD might teach him something in return but I'm not sure what yet.

JD also makes little funky blankets and carved figures for all of Bruce's kids. He's got a lot of time on his hands doing nothing while recovering from both the talent draining and the physical injuries.

Clay and JD... this is hard. For a while after everything that happens, Clay straight up avoids John. He has come to the very real realization that he has such a hard time remembering good memories and he's ashamed of it. He is still angry and he has no idea what to do with it. Now granted, he's not JUST angry at John, he's just so angry and he has no idea how to deal with that and he's got some feelings about it.

Moment to Be Real was a WHOLE rollercoaster of emotions for everyone - but especially Clay - when it came to their relationship and history. And with the whole thinking he's dead and then him not being dead but then almost dying again and now JD has to go through a heck ton of recovery... it's just a whole thing.

So, it takes a bit for Clay to even... like have any talk with John. He's got a lot of feelings and not all of them are just him being angry AT John, either. Eventually, however, they do talk and they do start to try and rebuild memories and faith in one another. Surprisingly, Clay learns a lot of outside survival skills from him. One wouldn't think he'd be interested but considering their history, it just kind of becomes a thing. Clay isn't super outdoorsy in the way that JD and Branch are and a lot of his survivalist stuff is within the confines of the Golf Course, but JD teaches him some things. At first it's kind of accidental, little things and comments. It takes Clay a while to really wrap his head around the fact that JD isn't really being critical; he's just kind of telling Clay how things worked for him/what he's figured out over the years. And JD isn't... he's not the best when it comes to socialization and Clay figures that out. He's a smart cookie... when he doesn't have anger and bias clouding his judgement.

Otherwise, John does take up reading while he's recovering, since it's one of the few things he CAN do and since Branch and Poppy both like to read, he's got material. Eventually, he joins Clay's book club, although was a little taken back by the whole more "hugging and crying" rather than actually reading. He takes things a bit literally sometimes. The two of them become surprisingly close, but it takes a while since they both have a lot of time to get through, issues, feelings and understandings of one another.

[accirax]

Valentine's Day is fast approaching on the set of DRDT... sounds like time for a sequel! 💕

[strangertheories]

Discovering fandom as an autistic person can be the best because you can meet lots of fans who passionately discuss their opinions on your special interest but can also be the worst because some of those opinions are different to yours.

[wishbonedean]

If I saw these messages on my brother's phone and saw how much he's worrying all by himself, I too would playfully mock him about his hubris and reaction to ghost pepper jerky, just to give him something else to think about.

[lock-my-feelings-in-a-jar]

Russ Ballard producing Daltrey's album

1975 Interview

Russ Ballard has something special. Call it professionalism, the sure touch, luck, talent, a mixture of the lot if you like, but everything he's involved in seems to turn out pretty good, even when it's something completely new to him, like record producing.

When he was fourteen, he wrote his first song and sold it to The Shadows after having had the sense to demo it after their style. Having mastered the guitar and scored quite a bit of acclaim for his playing, he turned to keyboards and now nobody hearing him play would think he hadn't been brought up on them. Argent reached the height of their success when he was with them, he gave Colin Blunstone a monster hit with I Don't Believe In Miracles and now Ride A Rock Horse is enjoying considerable favour. Its producer? Russ Ballard! The man, wearing his customary shades, exudes an air of quiet confidence. He can afford to. He's well respected as a musician and as a writer and he's now in a position many people could envy. After all, a singer of Daltrey's calibre doesn't call up just anybody and say "How about producing my album?"! What is really surprising is that Roger should ignore all the established record producers in favour of Russ, who has only ever produced one album before in his life and that was the solo one he made after leaving Argent.

How did his new role come about? "Well, I worked with Daltrey on his first album, played a little drums and piano on it, but I didn't produce that one, just put in some ideas. He must have liked them because when he was planning his second, he just asked me if I wanted to do it." Russ explained. In an issue of Beat dated April 1966, Daltrey himself described his voice in pretty disparaging terms. "I don't have a good voice, no-one needs to tell me that. I'm a screamer with a group and I'm happy. I'm not worried about my voice, though, it is developing and I can notice the change." He also added "I'd get a real kick if I could have a proper girl vocal group backing." It's taken nine years, but now he's achieved what he hoped for, a voice which no-one can deny is pretty exceptional, and backing singers led by Marsha Hunt, care of Russ Ballard! "I was involved with everything." said Russ. "Going through songs with him, deciding what musicians should be used, who would be good for this and who for that." For a reluctant producer, who admits that "I'm not really into production, even though it's a creative thing, I'd rather be an artist." Russ had some pretty definite ideas as to his treatment of the album. "I deliberately kept his voice well up because in so many recordings I've heard of Roger, he's been immersed in sound. He's got such a powerful and such a good voice which contains many aspects that people haven't heard before. What I set out to do on the album was to expose all those voices for the first time. I don't think it is a good thing for a producer to put his own standpoint on an album, the most important thing is to project the artist." Russ thinks that Daltrey's film work has given a lot more confidence and he also found getting to know him has radically changed the concept he had of The Who. "Many people would imagine Daltrey as an ego tripper, but he's not in the slightest. Before I got to know him well, I was under the impression that The Who were Pete Townshend's baby. But speaking to Roger, listening to his ideas, I think that a hell of a lot of his ideas must have always gone into The Who, a lot more than people think."

It was originally Roger's idea to record an album of his early influences. Then he changed rock horses in mid-stream. "By then we'd already recorded Walking The Dog and that Beachboys sounding song, so we were lumbered with them." The second idea was to project the different sides of Daltrey's voice in a collection of mixed rockers and ballads, including three songs of Russ's, Come And Get Your Love, Proud and Near To Surrender. "We didn't actually discuss the point but I felt he wanted to make a heavier album than the one we'd originally planned. Yet not totally heavy, but a record which would compliment the heavier stuff with lighter stuff. Right from the very first session when he sang the first song I could see his voice was so much better, I feel it's improved tremendously since the early Who days even though I think he had a good voice in 1964."

The next thing to decide on was the overall sound and the arrangements. Ex-Shadows drummer Tony Meehan was the man who worked on these. "I decided to make the sound quite sparse,-" explained Russ, "- rather than over-producing it. Some people just don't know where to stop. I decided that if a song called for piano and nothing else, that's what I was going to do." (Hence Phillip Goodhand Tait's beautiful slow rocker Oceans Away with the composer on piano.) "The most important thing in an arrangement is the song. If it's a good one you should be able to sing it with no backing at all and it should still sound great. If it's not, no matter how many extras you add it won't work." Russ reckons that having been in bands himself definitely helped him as a producer, enabling him to put himself in the artist's shoes. Yet he doesn't think he'd like to produce his own next album entirely alone. "When I was in Argent I found being produced by somebody else was very frustrating because I could tell people were veering away from the original ideas I'd had for my songs. That's why I decided to produce my first solo album, which turned out a bit of a mixture because I had a backlog of work to get out of my system. My next album will be slightly deeper, not so light-hearted. I hope to be co-producing it with Muff Winwood, whom I really admire because he's got such a good ear and can really make a musical point."

At the moment, Russ is doing very well with songs of his which are being covered by other artists. One called Heartbreak, has recently been recorded by Olivia Newton-John and yet another is currently being recorded in L.A. by Stevie Wonder's band. Russ has got a new band together consisting of the ex-drummer from Curly, Alan Wickett, bass player Tony Lester and guitarist Alan Skates- "He really does!" joked Russ. He's got three weeks booked in E.M.I. Studios to get the album done. As for his producing career, it looks like Ride A Rock Horse may be his swansong. What if Roger asks him to produce his third album? "Well… if I want to do what I want to do, that is, sing, play, write and record, I just won't have time to produce anybody." said Russ. There's nothing like getting out when you're on top!

[theforestknowsmydreams]

Not limiting what is and isn't important enough to put in my calendar has made life so much better because what do you mean Sugar and Apple share a birthday? And flatboi's birthday is the same month as well? Fucking superb

[mel-loly]

-Happy Easter..💛

[thatrobotkid]

On this day, 20 years ago, the RJ episodes, “House Party” and “School Newspaper”, premiered at 11:00pm on the 5th night of the new “Fridays”

Fun Facts:

The newspaper in the title for “School Newspaper” has a headline of a robot invading a school, and said robot is RJ. This is a reference to how creator, Greg Miller, jokingly said that the show would end with RJ taking over “Terminator” style

In the scene in “School Newspaper” where Principal Madman is in the teachers lounge, Mr. Mitchell (Sickness) and Mrs. Kavendash (Scantron Love), make non-speaking cameos

When RJ breaks into the school at night in “School Newspaper”, he references “Dick Tracy”, a detective character from old 1930s comics. He even dawns a stereotypical detective get-up.

In “House Party”, RJ reveals his middle, and full, name. His middle being “Electro”, and his full name being “Robot Electro Jones”

[tapdancingdalek]

I can’t believe they went to all that trouble to rob us of David Tennant in Jodie Whittaker’s clothes by having them magically change mid-regeneration only to have him just. Immediately go back into the TARDIS for a scene change.

Like, if they were really so determined that he Must Not Look Silly for an entire episode, they could have had him change clothes off-screen.

[sskk-manifesto]

The best 68 seconds in anime history (and a 22 minutes 32 seconds of prelude to that, I guess)

[solalunar-eclipse]

@teamxdark happy birthday!!! I'm sorry I haven't been able to make you any gifts in a while...hopefully this one makes up for it. I've done my best to write everyone in character, and I hope that you enjoy reading someone else's writing for Team Dark (Hotwing ver.) ^ ^

“I have to do this…for all the people on this planet…for Maria!”

Shadow was floating in space. Somehow, he could breathe just fine in spite of what should have been a crushing vacuum, but he hardly noticed—his attention far too fixated on what was happening right in front of him to even consider it.

Rouge hovered a ways away from him, her fur blazing silvery-gold in lieu of her usual white coloration. She was staring up at the ARK, the space station a hazy blur when contrasted against the light emanating from her form.

Shadow felt his legs dimly, wanted to sprint towards her and scream at her to stop, but he couldn’t muster the strength to move. He couldn’t do anything at all.

He watched as she announced one final “Chaos Control!”, and the Space Colony ARK disappeared from his periphery—and Rouge began to fall.

Shadow still couldn’t move, even as tears began to well up in his eyes, even as Rouge plummeted towards the world she’d always wanted to visit in a trail of golden light. It was only once she was nothing more than a spark burning out in the sky below that he felt the muscles in his chest unlock.

Shadow screamed.

The sound echoed in his ears, one single raw sound of loss and agony and guilt all tangled together into a blend of pure, unfiltered grief, the likes of which he would never have made had he thought anybody else could hear him. Suddenly, though, gravity took hold of him as well with a lurch, sending him plunging down and crashing into the floor with a cry.

…the floor?

The black hedgehog blinked slowly, struggling to adjust to his new position. He was currently hanging half-upside down, his torso and head flat on the floor and his legs tangled in some sort of cloth. He looked up, and…oh.

He’d recognize that tacky beige ceiling anywhere. He was lying on the floor of his bedroom, in the apartment he shared with Rouge and Omega. Rouge wasn’t dead, she hadn’t even died when falling to the planet’s surface. As a matter of fact, she was currently paying a third of the rent for their shitty landlord who didn’t ask questions and let a robot live with them.

Shadow groaned quietly. Apparently, he’d fallen out of bed while in the middle of a nightmare. Just fabulous. At least he was able to get off without a sore spot on the back of his head, though he’d have to deal with the scratches his still-tense quills had made in the flooring at some point.

Since he was alone in his room, Shadow indulged himself in a bit of immature behavior and twisted himself to lie fully facedown on the floor. He hated these nightmares.

Yes, he’d formed a stupidly strong bond with Rouge within literal days of knowing her, all because she was kind to him. Yes, that bond was somehow enough for him to track her down across six months where she was presumed dead and to continue following her around even when she’d lost all her memory. His brain didn’t need to rub it in by reminding him of all the ways he was inadequate and couldn’t be helpful or useful to her, but it had elected to make that its full time job without his permission anyway.

So now he was awake before even the fucking sun, with the sight of Rouge falling to her almost-death seared into the backs of his eyes. Lovely.

Slowly, Shadow dragged himself to his feet, fully certain that he looked like death warmed over. He didn’t even make a cursory attempt to straighten his spines, his arms feeling too much like lead to bother. Instead, he shuffled out of his room and down the hall, hoping to grab himself a glass of water just so he could have something else to focus on.

He at least made an effort to tiptoe lightly around Rouge’s room so he wouldn’t wake her—she worked hard enough to earn money each day, she deserved as much sleep as she could get. Honestly, he was feeling pretty pleased with himself for his stealthy maneuvers (seeing as Rouge had her hearing cranked up to eleven, what with the bat genes and Ultimate Lifeform powers), and he kept it up as he walked through the living room, just so he didn’t disturb Omega either.

“SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG.”

Shit!

The jewel thief nearly felt his heart exit his body, jolting so violently it was a wonder he managed to get his hand over his mouth in time to choke down a scream. He whirled to face the now obviously awake robot, gasping for breath in an attempt to recover from the shock.

“Good fucking Gaia, Omega, what was that?” he hissed. “How long have you been awake?”

Omega’s eyes glowed red in the darkness, something that would have intimidated anyone who knew him less but just left Shadow distinctly irritated.

“I EXITED SLEEP MODE UPON HEARING A SOUND BRIEFLY IN EXCESS OF EIGHTY DECIBELS. SUBSEQUENT ANALYSIS SUGGESTS IT WAS PRODUCED BY YOU.” he informed Shadow, who glowered unhappily back at him.

“Yeah, well, it’s a good thing that’s none of your damn business then, huh?” he grumbled sourly, turning back to his initial mission of getting a drink. 

“I LIVE HERE. THAT MAKES IT MY ‘DAMN BUSINESS’, IF ONLY PERIPHERALLY.”

Shadow pointedly took a gulp of water in favor of answering, turning away to lean on the counter of the apartment’s tiny kitchen.

“VERY WELL. IF YOU INSIST ON BEHAVING IN THIS MANNER, I WILL BE FORCED TO RESORT TO DRASTIC MEASURES.” Omega announced, not sounding even the slightest fraction either reluctant or remorseful.

“You know you’re not allowed to shoot this place up, you signed the contract like the rest of us,” Shadow muttered. He refused to grant Omega the courtesy of eye contact, electing to remain facing the wall.

Omega whirred sharply, sounding almost as though he had scoffed. “YOU THINK TOO LOW OF ME, SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG. MY PROCESSORS ARE SUPERIOR TO ALL OTHERS, AND THEREFORE I CAN CALCULATE COURSES OF ACTION THAT DO NOT INVOLVE VIOLENCE IF I CHOOSE TO DO SO.

“AND BEFORE YOU ASK, THE REASON I DO NOT CHOOSE THIS MORE OFTEN IS BECAUSE IT IS, AS YOU WOULD SAY, ‘LAME’.”

“Oh yeah?” he taunted, finally turning around. “So what’re you gonna—” 

His words dried up in his throat, clogging it and making it difficult for him to breathe.

Omega had called Rouge.

“I don’t know what he told you, but whatever it is, he’s a filthy liar,” Shadow said instantly, nearly tripping over his words with how quickly he spoke.

“…so you didn’t have a nightmare?” Rouge asked him, her voice far softer than he preferred (than he deserved).

The hedgehog scoffed. “Psh, what, me? Nightmares? Since when?” 

“Then what was that scream I heard earlier?” she pushed, one eyebrow raised doubtfully. (So she had heard him after all. Dammit.)

“Um, I just fell off the bed, and it startled me!” Shadow explained—why did this have to happen so damn early? He wasn’t at his best in the middle of the night…

Rouge gave him a Look. “And why did you fall off the bed?”

“BECAUSE HE HAD A NIGHTMARE.” the traitor robot said.

“Omega I will actually sell you for scrap.”

Rounding the counter corner into the kitchen, Rouge stopped less than a meter in front of him. “Somehow, I’m inclined to believe Omega here,” she remarked dryly, clearly attempting to get him to snap back with his usual sass.

But he couldn’t. Not when the sight of her tumbling to the planet was still fresh in his mind.

“Believe whatever you want,” he mumbled.

“Shadow…?” Rouge moved a little closer. “Why won’t you talk to me about this?”

Shadow shrugged listlessly. “You shouldn’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” He attempted to summon up his usual cocky smirk, but only managed a ghost of the real thing. “You’ve already got enough on your plate, yeah?”

Suddenly, he was startled by a pair of hands landing firmly on his upper arms, holding him with a gentle strength that belied Rouge’s true power.

“Do you even hear what you’re saying?” she asked him, so visibly concerned he almost wanted to apologize just to get her to stop looking like that. “You had ‘enough on your plate’ trying to survive an alien invasion, but you tracked me down not once, but twice just to convince me to snap out of it and save everyone. Heck, you had ‘enough on your plate’ when it came to making me and Omega stop fighting long enough to survive, but you still somehow got us to actually team up so I could recover my memories when we’d been at each other’s throats seconds earlier.

“After all that, well���I’d drop everything else in a heartbeat to help you if I thought I could.”

Now it was Shadow’s turn to frown. “I didn’t do all that so you’d owe me.”

“I know you didn’t. You tried so hard to hide it, but I could tell…you were worried. And I’m worried now, so please, tell me what’s going on?”

Rouge looked so earnest. He’d only seen her like this a handful of times: when she was struggling with her memories, when she was standing up to Black Doom…when she’d thrown herself into the final battle against the Finalhazard…

He couldn’t look at her. Not now, not like this. “I know I wasn’t there when it happened, but somehow I still see you saving the ARK sometimes. And—and I can’t save you. When you fall, I can’t help.”

Rouge’s eyes widened. “Shadow…I’m so sorry. I should have known it would hurt you when I chose to do that…I was in a lot of pain and convinced myself that I’d already pushed you away, but that’s no excuse.”

“B—wha—of fucking course that’s a good excuse! I should’ve tried harder, reached out again, anything! I could’ve helped somehow!” he sputtered, visibly taken aback.

“You did help me, in the end. And don’t say anything about doing it sooner!” she insisted, cutting him off just as he opened his mouth to speak. “I was determined to fight until I was worn down. You came for me at just the right time to make sure I could find myself and rebuild my life.”

Shadow scowled, still doubting her. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

“Can’t I do that and also have it be the truth?” Rouge asked.

“…what do you mean?” 

The bat smiled faintly at him. “I care about you, Shadow, of course I want you to feel better. That doesn’t mean I have to be lying.”

“Oh. Um.” He blushed nervously, reaching up to brush his quills back in an unconscious movement. “You…you care about me?” he asked, in the smallest voice possible.

Rouge looked a little awkward in the face of such a raw moment, but continued onwards regardless. “I did ever since I met you, I think. It just took a while for me to realize it…and then once I had, no matter how hard I tried to deny it, I couldn’t stop.”

Shadow’s face fell. “So you don’t actually want to feel that way?” He sounded pathetically lost and confused even to his own ears, and his insides twisted harshly with shame.

“No, no, that’s not it at all!” Rouge said hurriedly. “It…felt like I was betraying Maria, at first. But after a while, I realized that she would want me to keep living—and more importantly, I wanted to keep living. And I wanted to do it with you and Omega.”

“I APPRECIATE THE INCLUSION.”

Shadow rolled his eyes, and Rouge half-smiled. “Anytime.” 

She turned back to Shadow, and then, almost hesitantly, held open her arms to him. 

He felt his eyes burn with unshed tears as he practically threw himself into the hug, reveling in the feeling of being held with genuine care by another. Rouge was here, she wasn’t dead, she was here and holding him and liked him.

“…ttle br…Shadow.”

“Huh?” His ears flicked upright, too late to properly register what Rouge had said. “I didn’t catch that, what’d you say?”

When he pulled back to look at her more closely, he saw that Rouge had started to blush a light green, and was biting her lip nervously. “Back on the ARK…before everything…Maria used to call me her Little Sister Rouge. I got older than her eventually, though—weird genetics stuff, you know—but she didn’t call me Big Sister until…that day.”

Shadow didn’t need clarification as to which day she meant.

“Lately, I’ve been thinking, and I want to—I’ve started, in my head…saying “L-Little Brother Shadow.” Rouge explained, her voice and posture stiff with discomfort.

That was the final straw for the young hedgehog, who promptly burst into tears.

“Ah—Shadow! I’m sorry, are you okay?”

“Y-you really wanna c-call me that?” he gasped, in between sobs.

“Only if you’re alright with it,” she reassured him, pulling him into another hug and wrapping her wings around him as well.

“I—I am.” He gave himself a minute, just taking some deep, shuddering breaths. Then he added, still crying a little, “…can I call you ‘Big Sister Rouge?’”

She froze for just a moment, before swallowing thickly. “I’d like that a lot.” she confessed, sounding as though she might shed a tear or several herself.

They stood there in the kitchen together for a long moment, just holding each other and resting in the newfound security that was their love made obvious. Eventually, Shadow did stop crying (after feeling a few drops on his head that had made his throat tighten all over again), but he didn’t let go just yet, reluctant to potentially ruin the mood.

Then, of course, it was ruined anyway.

“MIDDLE SIBLING OMEGA DEMANDS PARTICIPATION IN THE HUG.”

Shadow felt his stomach lurch, looking up at Rouge to see if she’d be upset with Omega’s brazen co-opting of her special words. Instead, however, she looked amused more than anything, a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth despite her still-damp eyes.

“Very well. Come on…Little Brother Shadow.”

And when his Big Sister Rouge said that, before pulling him into a hug pile on the floor with Omega (and lots of pillows and blankets), well.

How could he ever say no? 

[mossbabie]

🗻

[sketchlm]

This NPC is really fucking chill for someone that just walked into a murder scene.

[strawberrus0da]

Does anyone else just feel kind of empty when holidays come around

[can-of-pringles]

I'm surprised I haven't seen Red x Mokey in the tags

[chrrywvea]

listen i'm pretty sure i'm like 95% into women but

jude law in "the holiday" (2006) will be the death of me