#if i had a catchy name for it maybe id try it

[la-principessa-nuova]

i did it last year bc i hadn’t heard about any of the bad stuff going on with them yet

and i’m glad i did it once but without a name behind it that i can proudly be like “yay i did the thing” after i couldn’t be bothered to do something like that this year

plus it’s just not where i’m at right now

although part of me is looking at the date now and thinking “but could i hit 50,000 if i start now”

idk 🤷‍♀️ i also lost a lot of motivation towards it anyway when i found out there was a lot of stigma around doing it (i’m talking even before the AI stuff and the forum moderator inappropriate behavior issues), but also i got some motivation because seriously fuck anyone who stigmatizes someone and their work just for making use of a gimmick to convince themself to get writing done.

like yeah a lot of low quality stuff comes out of it but also like those are people who just wrote their first book because the challenge helped them, and their first book would have been shit whether they did it through a challenge now or waited 10 years and kept putting it off, and it’s good that they wrote it now.

so idk if i’ll try something this year but it’s probably inadvisable for my mental health.

Okay so it's been a few years now and I'm ready ask. What the FUCK is NanoWriMo

[madameaug]

Reunion

Pairing: Hoseok x Nala

Author Note: Nala is a plus-sized woman. So while there is no fc plus sized women will be selected to show outfits. Also she's dyed her hair a ginger color. So yeah :)

Club Carnival did not disappoint. The music was catchy, rotating between hip-hop and reggaeton. The vibrations could be felt outside when Hoseok was handing his keys to the valet. The exterior was upscale. Red carpet, security carrying firearms, and who looked sharp in their crisp suits. Hoseok flashed his ID before the two men parted, allowing him to enter.

Hoseok noticed the sweet smell in the air. Most clubs he went to had a pungent smell of must. He was pleased. It was clean, another check in his mind.

Hoseok, nicknamed Jay by many celebrity friends, was among the expected guests of honor. Hoseok a game changer in the fashion industry. Four years ago, he launched a clothing line that rivaled many other luxury brands like Gucci, YSL, and Prada. He was a businessman looking for new ventures to invest his money into. The entertainment business was lucrative and showed signs of paying off. But he had a philosophy. Before signing any checks, he had to ensure the venue met his standards. He had to trust management and trust that they can manage a club. As anything attached to his name, he saw himself liable for.

Hoseok is a thorough man who gained lots of respect for it. He exchanged brief pleasantries with the friends he spotted. He hoped to find Seokjin, the man he spoke to on the phone. Hosoek stood on the edge of the bar. He sent a quick text to Seokjin, letting him know he arrived.

From a distance, Hosoek knew his sense of style made him appear standoffish. He frequently wore dark shades that hid his eyes, often wearing muted colors, and rarely smiling in pictures. Nevertheless, those who truly knew the man knew he was approachable. Willing to always assist those in need. Taking a look around, I observed the clubgoers. Many in cocktail attire, dancing freely. The dance floor was spacious and far enough from the bar to not feel overstimulated. Even standing on the bar's edge, he could hear the bartender take an order from a customer. It was genius.

Seokjin: Thank you for waiting. I'm stuck in traffic and will be late.

A grunt slipped out of Hoseok's mouth. He read the message, shaking his head. Tardy manager? Hoseok remembered that little fact in the back of his mind. Now, since he was playing the waiting game, he supposed he could divulge in the club atmosphere. After all, it was a Friday night, a typical way for young adults to let off some steam.

Ordering a strong whiskey beverage, Hosoek sipped, swaying to the music. The song was a classic throwback. A song from his b-boy days in high school. His muscles remembered every movement of choreography. Dance was his first love. A talent that he wished he discovered much earlier. Who knew where he would end up if he devoted the same hours to his clothing brand, to a dance studio. Hmm. Maybe even becoming one of the greatest dancers in the world. Wishful thinking. He finished off his drink, returning his glass to the pair. Rolling up his cuff links to dance when he saw a woman in the corner. She stood alone, her back facing to him. She occasionally turned, showing half of her face. Her mouth moving a mile a minute, Hoseok could tell alone by her body language that she was not in a good mood. Maybe the strong whiskey wasn't in his blood stream right now he would have migrated tot he dancefloor. But the little voice in his head was compelling him to go over.

"Is everything alright?" He spoke clearly, trying not to startle the woman.

Her slicked-back donut bun sat perfectly on top of her head. Wavy pieces shaped her face, dangling beside her lips. She nodded her head at Hoseok.

"Okay, just get here as soon as possible." She sounded defeated before hanging up the phone.

"Yes, I am, thank you." She said, looking into her bag and shuffling around in it. The woman in front of him missed his taken-aback 'shocked face'.

"Nala?"

"Whose asking?" That caused her head to pop up. Her face mirrored Hoseok.

"Hoseok? Oh my goodness! So good to see you." She embraced the taller man in a hug. Breaking out of the hug, she looked Hoseok up and down.

"And you look good."

Hosoek smiled, returning the compliment. Nala also had a good sense of fashion. She could always follow trends yet maintain her own identity, never truly 'copying' someone else. Even six years later, that part about her stayed the same.

"I knew the ginger hair was familiar."

"Oh, you know me, if it ain't broke, don't fix it." She smoothed down the bun. Her stressful phone call was now forgotten. Hosoek was a pleasant and well-welcome distraction.

"Are you busy? I-"

"No. Nope, not busy." Taking her arms in his, she walked Hosoek toward a private section. Laughing at her eagerness, Hoseok allowed Nala to lead him to a section in the club. The area was in a well lit spot in the club. Not toward the discarded hooka smoke, but with a second-floor view of the dancers below.

"Soooo what have you been up to?"

The conversation between them flowed naturally. The six years of no talking didn't make it feel awkward or stale. Nala was charismatic, witty, and most importantly herself.

"It was humbling having to move back home. I tried to stay in the city longer, but jobs weren't hiring. So I started working as a secretary at a medium-sized record label. Hours weren't great, but the money was good so I couldn't complain.

One random day, I was delivering a stack of contracts for my boss to sign when I saw my neighbor in the office signing some papers as well."

"Your neighbor."

"Yeah him." Nala looked around the club, before pointing at the brown-skinned man with blonde locks. He was standing at the center of the floor, rapping. A shiny chain around his neck.

"Lil durk is your neighbor?"

"When we were kids. He was just as surprised to see me. He gave me his business card for his record label, he was looking for someone to manage his friend Von and it was kinda history ever since. With much better pay too."

"Good looking out." Hosoek looked back in the direction of the rapper. Another rapper stood beside him with locs, slightly taller than Durk. He was interacting with the crowd, holding the hand of a female fan. In a similar fashion, a chunky chain with a large 'O' around his neck.

Seokjin: I apologize again. I'm five minutes out.

The notification reminded Hoseok he wasn't visiting this club for leisure fun. He was here to network and expand his business partners.

"Do you have to go soon?" Nala questioned, picking up on the minor shift in Hoseok's mood.

"Yeah, I'm supposed to meet with this Seokjin guy about potentially getting into the clubbing business."

"Oh you're gonna like Jinnie. He's sweet, corny, but sweet."

Nala stood up, and Hoseok followed suit. "May I have your number?" Hosoek asked. He peered over the second floor to see Seokjin enter the club's doors.

"Yes! And let's take a picture, too. I'm glad I saw you." Hoseok, slightly bent down, got in frame. He used his signature 'no smile' pose. Nala snapped several pictures.

"Okay, now don't let six more years go by before we hang out again." Nala joked but was very serious. She would put more effort into ensuring that they would keep in touch, no matter how far either of their work took them.

"You have my word."

[trolagygirl2022]

please I cant count how much 2 baddies and 1 porsche makes me cringe in fact any song that mention brand name or car name, just gives me the ick it seem kinda childish or overdone. even lisa song I think shes more good at fashion and conceptual based imagery than coming up with actual flow. flower is more my fave song in comparison bc i can listen to the whole song of jisoos with ease so its more pleasant for my ears to take

money for exampke was harsh to listen to except for that one segment that i think is the viral part of the song "my money moves" and so on was my fave bit. so in a way i do get why songs go viral for just that one part however i wish i could like the whole song rather than just one aspect of it and songs a getting too short for me to fully get into it. sometimes i also find skz music quite harsh on my sensitive ears. i want to love them as a group and i think theyre so funny and adorable / talented to watch as a whole but their songs just dont hit my vibes at all, currently ateez are my main loves but even their songs dont always hit and i think its more so the production (sorry joong i just dont like autotuned vocals in songs ok it only works for some instances not all of them. also im still waiting for more san solo stuff)

my problem with kpop as a whole is generally groups are getting too young thus so is their songs and its genuinely hard for me to find actual need to hard core stan a group if theyre like teens to early 20s bc i have such a huge age gap from them, come on kpop dont be like stale bread... and as older or same age groups go into military i kind of have to find someone else to follow in the mean time or i tend to find im prefering older music than current modern i guess tiktok related music.

my qualm with general music today compared to older music is i think i like how organic older music is or was in comparison, it was more naturally made than a computer made song not that they arent talented at what they do it just doesnt always vibe with me or sometimes the lyrics can be really off when u try to read them in english yet at the same time i get why these songs go viral but its not for the simple pleasures of listening to a good quality song. i think kpop when it sees what someone else is doing is popular someone else tries to replicate it instead of bringing something new or fresh in i actually think its terrified of being too individual and not standing out or not being viral

its kinda why ateez caught my attention and the mfs did just that (if only they had been an older age group sighhhhhhhhhhh) i love their concepts and overall talents oml theyre such an endless group with not having too many members (sorry nct but i forget ur names after the first 5 members ok) like theres often bits of songs i will skip but then i feel bad for not liking the entire song or thinking what i wouldve done or added differently to make it sound a better song or what english word i wouldve switched and so on just so it would rhyme better maybe thats what kpop lacks i like that it includes some random english lyrics but it often make no real sense to me

not like how id feel if i listened to green day or another familiar song where i already get the gist of the lyrics that have slightly better flow than some korean songs theyre not all bad its just not often as hit of a song as they might think it is if thst makes sense? sometimes it do be just the name or face of idol that make the song more relevant than what it deserves peekaboo is good example of nice flow and high note mix so is some of nct earlier songs or even jopping is catchy song as a whole its more listenable than their latest.

sorry for rambling hehe.

Idk but I LOVED money, I think it's better than Lalisa. Yeah I know it's not the best lyrically but it's too catchy, plus the dance is so fun! But yeah, I agree with you a lot. I like SKZ as a group but some of their songs are a bit too much for me. My favorite songs would be Domino, LALALA and Miroh. I think that their older work was better than what they're pumping out. (Sorry but their album with 5 Star was not it 😵‍💫 it was too obnoxious to my taste). Sure LALALA can be found obnoxious but idk, I think it's at a minimum, plus the instrumental is so freaking good! Yes I love ATEEZ!! I think they are a good example of more "unusual" songs that keep it to a minimum. The system is becoming like McDonald's, cheap stuff that don't leave you feeling the best after and takes your money (that's why Wendy's is better 😛). The NCT part is so true 😭 I usually listen to their songs if there is a part that's catchy but the rest of the song can be... well!

[musicarenagh]

Get to Know JusKolMeAl: The Hip Hop Artist Redefining Modern Beats JusKolMeAl has been in this game for some years now, and I tell you he is doing well. His new music release Other People’s Money is attracting attention, and rightfully so. You feel an old school vibe merged with modern trendiness. What sets him apart? Or maybe it’s just his flair for combining true, familiar words with striking beats that have you bobbing your head. Overall, tracks like “Progress” and “Cheat Code” are insanely catchy but also have some depth. They submerge themselves in the joys and struggles of real life, offering you a bit to contemplate while you nod your head. However, JusKolMeAl is not only about music. He is a versatile individual, trying his hand at video editing as well as cooking. He’s all about connecting with his fans and spreading positive energy everywhere he goes. So, what's next for JusKolMeAl? He has scheduled a few shows and is going to release some music videos.But one thing's for sure: He is here for good and ready to conquer the Hip Hop community. To his fans, JusKolMeAl has one message: thanks for rocking with him. He is thankful for the love and support, his journey has just begun. Therefore, fasten your seatbelt and be prepared for a bumpy ride provided by JusKolMeAl. It's gonna be epic! Listen to Other People’s Money Ep below https://open.spotify.com/album/2z1QYwts6clv18yYAsWOQS Follow JusKolMeAl on Spotify Soundcloud Instagram Facebook Twitter Youtube Tiktok What is your stage name JusKolMeAl - pronounced Jus Call Me AL Is there a story behind your stage name? My name is Alfred. In my early hip hop years, I changed my name several times. I did a show one day and when the MC asked me my name, I told him, "Just call me Al". He got up and said, "coming to the stage, Jus call me Al! I tore up the stage and the crowd started chanting, Just call me Al. It stuck with me. Where do you find inspiration? I don't find inspiration, inspiration finds me. I have been many places amd seen many things. When I get the feeling to create, I just do it. What was the role of music in the early years of your life? I have been around music my whole life. My cousins, my parents, all had a musical background. My mother used to sing in a group, my family all Dj'ed or played instruments. In my hometown, me and my peers grew up competitively in music. Its always been around me. Are you from a musical or artistic family? Yes. Mother was a songstress, cousins and aunts were all musically inclined. Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry? My cousin, Kenny first inspired me as a kid watching him and friends on the turntables. My friend Tim "Real" Davis of RMG studios really taught me the studio side of things. How did you learn to sing/write/to play? My writing/verbal skills came from reading a lot of Dr. Seuss books growing up. He was my first lyrical teacher. What was the first concert that you ever went to and who did you see perform? I went to a Melba Moore/Freddy Jackson concert at a park near my home. How could you describe your music? A modern era take on that old school boom bap feeling of the 90's Describe your creative process. I have 2 or 3 stages that I go through. As a producer, I have my times when I am strictly making beats and concentrating on sound. Then I have my lyrical stage when I am walking around or driving around just rapping in my head to whatever i'm hearing. Then I have my studio time when I put it together. Some of my songs may go through 2 or 3 different beats or restructure before I say, OK, thats the one. [caption id="attachment_53987" align="alignnone" width="1500"] As a producer, I have my times when I am strictly making beats and concentrating on sound.[/caption] What is your main inspiration? Myself. I realize that if I don't inspire me, how can I expect to inspire others. What musician do you admire most and why? Bette Midler. The way she controls a crowd by simply being herself. She always intrigued me.

Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career? Certainly. My experiences and my life in general has evolved, therefore my content and flow had to follow suit. Who do you see as your main competitor? My internal being and mind. I am constantly in competition with myself. My goal is to make sure that everytime I release music, someone tells me, "This is your best work". What are your interests outside of music? I love video editing, cooking, video games and acting. If it wasn't a music career, what would you be doing? I don't know, I do a lot and I always focus on achieving great things. I'm following my dreams on every level. What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music? Learning how to navigate the social media aspect of things. I'm a in-person, outside kind of guy. Having to rely on people I've never met or trust people i've never seen still spooks me out. If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be? Better pay for streams. https://open.spotify.com/artist/0rGsBhWdeNcaYJIHNIn2Um?si=Rp_Ap56xTvK4Cff-iOtO0w Why did you choose this as the title of this project? This my first project that involves me using other producers. I usually produce a few tracks or tap into my circle of other producers. This project is all beats that i've aquired from other producers. What are your plans for the coming months? I have some shows coming up. I also plan of making a few videos. Do you have any artistic collaboration plans? I'm always open to work with others. I usually let fate decide that one. What message would you like to give to your fans? I love y'all and theres nothing y'all do about it! I appreciate you for apreciating me.

[mosylufanfic]

By Any Other Name

Because I’m basically obligated to do a rock star AU at some point, right?

Send me a prompt for Nano!

By Any Other Name

Jyn liked this time of day in the Kyber, the grubby little bar she co-owned with her best friend. Early afternoon was a dip where the hardcore drinkers and the lunch crowd had all cleared out or been cut off, and the after-work crowd wasn't in yet. She used the time to catch up on paperwork and put on her favorite music. 

"You like this song?"

The voice came from the end of the bar, where their one customer of the moment was drinking a draft beer and scribbling on what looked like staff paper. A starving songwriter, she concluded, a dime a dozen in LA. 

"It's all right," she said, because it had only taken her the first shift as a bartender to realize that some guys would take a statement as innocuous as "this is my favorite song right now" and translate it to "please, take my body at your earliest convenience."

"It's just, you're singing along."

Had she been? Damn. Bodhi referred to her singing voice as the unholy love child of a rusty gate and a cat in heat. "Sorry."

He laughed. "No, it's fine." He had a nice smile, wide and bright, with dimples. Cute.

Also a dime a dozen in LA.

She shrugged and hit the buttons on her laptop to save her most current schedule. "It's catchy," she said. "I guess I do sing along when it comes on the radio."

The song ended and another began, with no deejays jabbering in between. And it was the next song on the artist's newest album. 

He raised a brow.

"Fine! The whole album's on my favorite playlist at the moment. It's good. All right? That what you wanted to know?"

He lifted both hands in a peaceable gesture, laughing again. "I’m not trying to interrogate you. That's just my favorite song from the album. The one you were singing along to."

“Yeah? Even though it's not the one that's the big hit or whatever?”

"That one's good too," he acknowledged. "But 'Built on Hope' is just - I like it better."

"Yeah."

He held out a hand. "Joreth."

She shook it briefly. "Liana," she said, giving him the name she went by behind the bar, to deter creepers and scammers. 

"Liana, that's pretty. What is that, a flower?"

"It's a sort of vine," she said - also her usual answer. "A strangling vine. It kills trees."

He laughed. "Killed any trees today?"

"Sadly, no, but the day is young."

At the other end of the bar, Bodhi cleared his throat, loudly. She glanced at him, saw he was doing the bottle count, and figured he'd just had a frog in his throat. 

"He's playing tonight, you know," Joreth said, pointing upward at the speaker. "Cassian Andor."

"Yeah, I heard. I've got to work. Plus tickets are an arm and a leg."

"Surely no more than a hand."

She grinned. "Whatever body part I'd have to give up, it'd be too much. Anyway, those big stadium shows aren't for me. All lights and screaming and shit." She shuddered. "Gives me a migraine."

He tipped his beer toward her. "I'm with you there. He's got another one tomorrow. An acoustic set at a little club."

That was more her speed. But she eyed him suspiciously. "What are you, his manager?"

He laughed again. The way his eyes crinkled was not something you often saw in LA, where wrinkles were the horror of half the town and the bane of the other half. "Something like that," he said. 

Bodhi cleared his throat again, louder. 

"Spit or swallow, Bodes," she called out to him, and turned back to the guy at the bar. "Well, if I'd known, maybe I would have scrounged up whatever favors I needed to go. But it's probably too late now."

“You never know.”

The door opened and a tall skinny man in a suit that cost more than her car came in. 

"ID," Jyn said automatically.

He eyed her. "I assure you I am of age, and anyway, I'm not here to imbibe." He marched up to Joreth. "You," he said balefully.

"Hi, Kay," Joreth said.

"You are late."

"I told you I was going to work on songs today."

"I thought you meant in your hotel room like a reasonable human being, not in some grimy dive bar."

"Hey," Bodhi and Jyn said in concert.

"It's not grimy," Joreth said. "It's very nice. Good beer." He drank the last of it and set his pint glass down.

Bodhi, who was in charge of ordering, looked mollified. Jyn narrowed her eyes at Kay.

Kay ignored her. "Come along."

"Hang on." Joreth swiped a line across the middle of his sheet music, wrote a quick string of notes, and a phrase, and then folded the papers into a leather portfolio and got up. "See you around," he said to Jyn, and left with his - friend? Minder? Captor?

Bodhi sidled up. "Do you remember," he said, "how as your lifelong best friend, I'm contractually obligated to let you know when you're being a human disaster?"

"What was disastrous about that?" Jyn asked, opening up her schedule, then remembering she'd finished it. Although if Shara couldn't get babysitting again - "We were talking about music."

"You were talking about Cassian Andor."

"Is this a don't-talk-about-dudes-with-other-dudes thing? Because if bringing up a pop star is a violation, that's awfully damn fragile."

Bodhi threw his hands in the air. "You were talking about Cassian Andor with Cassian Andor!"

"What?"

"And he was into you!"

"His name was Joreth,” she mumbled, still stuck on talking about Cassian Andor with Cassian Andor.

"Sure," Bodhi said. "And yours is Liana."

"But he - " She waved her hand in front of her face. "He had a beard. And a ball cap."

"Right, right, yeah, I forgot. Multi-platinum pop stars are physically incapable of growing facial hair, and putting on a ball cap when they might not want to be recognized."

She goggled into the near distance. "Oh my god, I'm a disaster."

"Well, I tried," Bodhi said.

She shoved him. "By coughing? What happened to sending me a text?"

"Your phone's dead. Again."

She picked it up and found it dark. "Oh, yeah."

He shook his head. "Seriously, there's no helping you."

The bar phone rang and Jyn reached for it. "The Kyber."

"May I speak to Liana?"

"Speaking."

"I represent Cassian Andor. He'd like to invite you to be his special guest at Club Yavin tomorrow night."

Jyn hung up.

"Scammer?" Bodhi said.

The phone rang again. "I assume we got disconnected," the person on other end said disdainfully. Now she could identify the voice of the tall skinny guy. "As I was saying, Cassian Andor would like you to join - "

"Yes, I heard you the first time," she said. "Is this a joke?"

"No joke, I assure you," said the rather bored voice. "Cassian is presently sitting across from me in the limo, making faces and gesturing wildly - "

"Kay!" said a strangled voice. 

"It is very distracting. Are you coming or not? If you leave him in suspense, he might have an aneurysm, and he has to play a show in five hours."

A groan loud enough for the phone to pick it up.

"Let me talk to him," Jyn said. 

"I am capable of giving you all the information you need - "

"Cassian," she snapped. "Now."

A minor scuffle, and then the voice of Joreth - no, Cassian - came over the line. "Hi."

"This how you get your jollies?" she demanded. "By picking up strange women in bars who don't recognize you?"

"It helped," he said. "Liana, I - "

"Jyn," she said. "It's Jyn."

"Jyn," he said. "And I'm Cassian."

"Yeah. Yeah, I figured that out."

"Well, what do you think? I'll send a car so you don't have to fight traffic, and we can get dinner after. Or drinks - or - "

She pursed her lips. "I dunno. It's been a long time since I went and saw a guy play guitar in a club. I might have something else to do."

Bodhi grabbed the phone. "She's coming. You can pick her up here. What time? Great. She'll be ready." He hung up. 

She punched him. "Bodes!"

"That was no time to play it cool, Jyn. You have a date with Cassian Andor, and he's totally into you." He looked thoughtful. "Also, pop star or not, he might be as much of a human disaster as you are."

FINIS

[putschki1969]

「KEIKO First Live K001 ～I'm home～ 」First Impression

1.Be Yourself: Live instruments sound so much better here than in the studio version but Keiko is quite shouty and out-of-tune during some parts (mostly the chorus). Maybe not the best start but hey, I still enjoyed it. 2. 始まりは | Hajimari wa (Beginning): Better than the studio version imo but overall pretty similar. 3. Ray: Definitely better than the studio version. A lot more ooomph if you ask me. By now KEIKO is really into it and not as shouty as she was for “Be Yourself”. Unfortuantely they kept those weird electronic sounds from the studio version in the live back-up track. I had hoped they would get rid of those.

MC:She greets everyone at the venue and watching at home. She hopes we will all have a great time. Next up is a song that hasn’t been revealed yet.

4. 溜め息の消える街 |Tameiki no Kieru Machi (A Town Where Sighs Disappear): New song for the album. I like it but it’s not my favourite. From what I can make out, the lyrics are lovely though. Love the rainy vibe

MC:Keiko loves how the following song opens up wide sceneries. She has always liked that about songs so after consulting with all kinds of people, she decided to pick this song for herself even though it’s quite different from all her other songs. It’s actually the oldest song among all her pieces.

5. 茜 | Akane (Madder Red): A very traditional sound with some Chinese elements I think. Kinda like Wakana’s Kinmokusei but not quite as good imo. But still, I am blown away, such a beautiful ballad. Fits Keiko’s voice perfectly. LOVE IT (just a few tiny little off-key moments but nothing too bad)

MC: Self Introduction. 10 years of Kalafina and vocalist at YK’s lives. Some promotion for YK’s upcoming live. For the next section she wants to cover some songs that she has sung during YK lives in the past.

6. 宝石 | Houseki (Jewel): The musicians don’t do a good job here, the drums in particular sound quite out of place and borderline grating to my ears. Or is it just me? Keiko is providing lovely and solid vocals but imo they aren’t quite on par with the FJ performances I have seen in the past. 7. 風の街へ | Kaze no Machi he (Towards the Town of Wind): This one on the other hand is absolutely FLAWLESS imo, KEIKO hits every note and I just love how she chooses to sing her lines. It’s different from her old style so I don’t think you can compare it to those FJ performances from the past. But it does remind me of the more recent performance I saw during the YK live in Taiwan. The musicians also sound much more balanced here.

MC: Keiko talks about the venue being in Shibuya which is a very important place for her. She would come here weekly during her time in school since she took voice training lessons here. At one point she heard a song by Yutaka Ozaki at Shibuya Scramble Square and immediately fell in love. During her time in Kalafina she would always name him as the artist that has influenced her most. So of course she has to cover one of his songs for this live.

8. I LOVE YOU (Yutaka Ozaki Cover): This made me cr even though I have never heard this song before. You can tell KEIKO feels strongly about his music.

MC: Introduction of musicians & reading some comments Bass.目黒郁也 Ikuya Meguro (she loves his solo in Kaze no Machi he) Key.ミトカツユキ Katsuyuki Mito (he sings a bit in Hajimari wa) Gt.和田建一郎 Kenichiro Wada (Hajimari wa, Tameiki no Kieru Machi) Dr.北村望 Nozomu Kitamura (she met him at the PrincessPrincipal live)

Everyone is going crazy about Kacchan (the pianist) in the comments. She shows off her haribo gummies and M&Ms in the clear bottle. Lots of fans are having dinner while watching the live which Keiko finds super cool. She had steamed buns for breakfast. I love that she is wearing her super old boots that she used to wear back in her Kalafina-days (during live-house encores in particular). She chose an outfit in which she feels relaxed. Keiko wanted some up-beat songs for her live so the following two were chosen quite quickly.

9. エンドロール (End roll) : So the bracketed lyrics are backing vocals provided by herself. No guest vocal unfortunately. Either way, a really good song that gets everyone hyped just as promised in the tweets. Reminds me of a song but I don’t know which one. I guess this is Keiko’s “Ongaku”, maybe it even reminds me of that? 10. Change the World’s Colour: Her deep voice is back!!! Combined with a super high vibrato voice during the bridge (just wow - that singing style is gorgeous, reminds me of her singing in Sans Toi M’amie). Btw, for a second there I thought she was gonna sing “Mata Kaze ga Tsuyoku Natta”

MC: She talks about her countdown tweets where she wrote down some lyrics of the previous two songs and was teasing everyone with some hints. Keiko probably wouldn’t have chosen those two songs if it hand’t been for this live stream concert. She thanks everyone for waiting so long for her return. She is super grateful to be able to hold this live.

11. 命の花 | Inochi no Hana (Flower of Life): Stunning! As gorgeous as the studio version but much more impactful.

ENCORE: Album Release =>  December 2; It was planned for autumn but it ended up being winter. She apologises for letting us wait. Her excitement when she mentions that YK has written a song for her album and Kore-chan has provided the guitar playing is so freaking cute. She is the most precious human-being on this planet.

12. 七色のフィナーレ | Nanairo no Finale (Finale of Seven Colours): my first thought was that it sounded kinda futuristic XD Also, you can definitely tell it’s a YK song but it really fits Keiko’s solo style. Love it, a super catchy tune, the chorus in particular. And those lalalas!!! *is dead* 13.& 14 Double Encore Synchronicity & Nohara  (Venue ONLY): Wish I had been there T_T

»——————⋆◦★◦⋆——————«

Can’t wait to rewatch the archived version. My faves (in no particular order) were probably Ray, Akane, Kaze no Machi he, I LOVE YOU, End Roll, Change the World's Color, Inochi no Hana and Nanairo no Finale.

You CAN STILL BUY tickets so be sure to SUPPORT KEIKO! It’s totally worth the money. The live lasted about 1 1/2 hours, pretty short but an okay length for a first solo live I would say. The audio and video quality are great and now that the live is archived till September 13 you won’t have to deal with any streaming issues. Find my TUTORIAL here. Keiko sounded fine for the most part but occassionally she was a bit out-of-tune. She is really straining her voice with this new singing style. It’s a bit of a hit and miss I feel. But I think she will eventually figure out how to sing her songs in the best way possible. Wakana did the same thing.

Now I am gonna try to order the live goods. Will let you know whether it works or not. EDIT: Okay, I couldn’t do it since the payment needs to take place on delivery...Stupid methods from the dark ages...Need to find another way to get my hands on the goods.

»——————⋆◦★◦⋆——————«

Based on her past experiences, an original album which expresses a "new KEIKO" with various sounds will be released on December 2nd!! A special song written for KEIKO by Yuki Kajiura - a legend within the world of anisong - will be included in this album. It’s titled "七色のフィナーレ | Finale of Seven Colours" and the lyrics are written by KEIKO!! Release date： 2020/12/2  Title：to be decided 【CD Contents】 ・命の花 ・Be Yourself ・Ray ・始まりは ・七色のフィナーレ and others (a total of 10 songs)

https://avex.jp/keiko-singer/news/detail.php?id=1085854

»——————⋆◦★◦⋆——————« 

Hikaru’s reaction tweet after watching KEIKO’s live stream concert.

I had a great time filled with lots of fun and happiness. Looking forward to the album!

[popculturebuffet]

Toons for Our Times: Star Vs: Demoncism

Halloween Havoc BEGINS! And with Tomtober this same month, i’m taking another of my on and off looks at Tom! Tom tries to tackle his literla nd figurative  personal demons the natural way: by having a creepy anti-demon cult that’s never explained suck them out of his body. For some reason Star has a problem with this. We also get Ponyhead in a robe, the wonders of reflectcor and free toys from the toychest for being such a good boy. Face your demons under the cut. 

Welcome boys, ghouls and that bootiful technicolor rainbow inbetween, to halloween havoc! MUAHAHHAHA.  You might be wondering a few things. What the hell that is, isn’t that also the title of a bunch of old wcw pay per views, and have I gone insane. In order it’s usually my catchy term the past two years and this current one for my binging of halloween films and logging and reviewing them on my leterboxd account, but I decided to expand it to here since while it’s not my first halloween on here it’s the first both reviewing animation and planning ahead, I decided why not reuse a good title here.  As for the wcw thing.. well yeah. It’s a great title, neither WWE, who I think still owns the copyright, nor WCW”s Heir Apparent AEW are using it right now despite being one of the best recurring Pay-Per-View titles either promotions had. Maybe not in actualy MATCH QUALITy but that name.. it just sings to me so i’m using it for my weird blog. I’m not making any money of this so why not. And as for my sanity that left a long time ago. So prepare for a month of ghouls, ghosts, goblins, lichs, scooby doo parodies, long forgotten characters, and some suprises and pies of all sizes. THIS... IS....

So to start us off, every year my pal @jess-the-vampire​ does a monthly event known as tomtober, a celebration of all things tom lucitor. And since I started hte tomtropsective for that and still am behind, I figured why not celebrate that, and the fact I can’t draw so I can’t do day 1 as a chat or anything, by continuing the tale of everyone’s faviorite teen demon.  Thankfully unlike last time, or next time wink wonk, there’s not a TON of other plot stuff to fill in. There is one important bit not to this episode but to the series as a whole: Eclipsa is here, since Moon trying to screw her out of the deal she made backried once toffee actually died... as did you know keepiung him alive instead of dealing with eclipsa being free and having the comissoin to back her on it. Nice job moon. Real nice. So yeah Eclipsa’s around.. dosen’t effect this episode but given tom’s involved in two of the biggest plot important episodes in the show, AND one deals with the direct fallout of one of those episodes i’m probably going to have to cover her soon to get to more tom anyway so might as well prepare for that now. 

So yeah this episode’s entreily a straight line from last time and opens picking up on the end of that episode: Star is calling tom wondering when their gonna get that Cornshake. Thankfully she gets an answer. Unthankfully.. it’s from a VERY sweaty ponyhead. 

So that was my own personal hell. Anyways she’s so.. sweaty.. GAHHHHHHH, because she’s keeping a secret and much like me she can’t keep her mouth shut about something she wants to talk about for very long, so we find out what she knows: SHe ran into tom who swore her not to tell Star he was getting a Demoncisim. Which suprises me.. not the demoncism thing the fact Pony would actually listen to anyone else.. Star included. LIke it’s the one thing about this episode that dosen’t quite fit: She’s such a selfish, toxic asshole, though Jenny Slate bless her makes her at least entertaining at times but even she has limits, it just dosen’t track she’d care what Tom thought unless we saw it for ourselves. Pony is ONLY capable of carring about star so while I could see tom framing it as for her own good, it’d be nice if the episode just came out and said that. It’d also be nice if we didn’t get sweaty ponyhead because that’s probably someone’s fetish and I.. OH GOD. 

Okay now i’ve mentally snapped from that revelation, Star lasso’s pony when she tries to escape, and we find out the demoncism is pretty self explanatory: A cermony that removes demons from one’s body.. and given tom is you know, a demon, this could end bad. So with no idea where it’s being held and it going on now, giving them little if any time to figure it out, Star suggests going to pony’s ex.. she dosen’t remember which one and apologizes for how bitchy that sounded, but we find out it’s Seahorse, Pony’s love intrest for the rest of the series and a hardcore emo rocker who even made her a song.. which is just him destroying everything and screaming. Eh i’ve seen people in emowear do far dumber. 

If those are m and m’s their pretzel. Trust me I’m a professional lardass, I know my delcious candy coated choclates. Anyways our dynamic-ish duo head to Seahorse at his job at a relfectcor store, basically a phone store, and is basically a hollowed out shell of a human being with no real personality or free will of his own.. so THAT’S how we got Ted Cruz. Ponyhead natrually breaks down when he dosen’t recognize her at all, which is one of the few time’s i’ve actually cared about her feelings: I mean having your ex just.. forget you exist.. tha’ts rough buddy. I feel bad for her.. I didn’t know she had emotions. I thought her heart and brain were both a black hole.. mostly becasue I thought ponyhead’s hearts and brains were the same organ. Star does however manage to get the map they need to Tom. 

Our heroines find the Demonicsim site and a bunch of creepy guys in robes iwth red glowing eyes.. who are never explained honestly. More on that in a minute. So ponyhead distracts them with one of the greatest  gags in the series history

I mean just.. look at it. The way the robe drapes, the way her nose sticks out much like a certain penguins, the way she decides to distract everyone with petty minute like voting on robes.. it’s fucking great. I may not like pony a LOT but she can be really damn funny> The issues that she often isn’t funny enough to ofset her jackassery. Here though even with my jabs at her.. she works and I like it.  So Star confronts Tom, wondering AGAIN if this is another half assed tactic to win her back.. and her flip flop attitude with tom is starting to annoy me. It fits her personality, and don’t get me wrong as i’ve made abudnatnly clear in past reviews his actions in blood moon ball and ESPECIALLY mr.candle cares were super not okay, so i’ts okay NOT to forget how badly things went last time when your considering getting back together with someone. It’s NOT okay however to hold it over someone’s head forever like any moment their going to snap back into being a manipulative doucheweasel when they’ve left you alone for around 8 months.. and Id id my calcualtion. The timeline of the show is pretty solid up to season 4: Season 1 was star’s 1st semister at echo creek academy, season 2 was her second and as it turned out final one, and season 3 covers Summer , fall and part of next spring. Though again how another summer dosen’t happen until towards the end of season 4 is dumb and I’ll probably rant about that at a later point. Point is since MCC was at the start of season 2, that means it happened around say january or feburary, with Demonicsim probably happening around say march. So he’s left you alone for around 8 months, silver bell ball included. It’s unfair to assume he’s still schemeing when he let you go months ago. H’es made it obvious via his .. everything he’d take you back in an instant, he’s just being patient and not pushing it because he’s no longer as big an asshole, and trying to be respectful. Cut him a break.  Thankfully this gets put down quick with Tom explaning he wants to be better for himself: Like last time he was inspired by her trying to be better herself, and wants to.. but as we’ve established.. he dosen’t know HOW to be nice or a better person. He wasn’t raised in an enviroment that was really condusive to that as nice as his own parents are. Their the exception to the underworld being mostly dicks not the rule, as we’ll see next time. I.. can relate with my own issues with anxiety , depression and, yes, anger. I too have trouble keeping it in and hate feeling bitchy all the time or depressed and just want it to stop. I think anyone with a mental ilness just wants it to STOP to be gone and to be able to live a happy life. But there’s no magic button that fixes your issues, your traumas or your mental health like that. No pill that can fix it just ones that help ease it down to managable. And as i’ve learned the hard way YOU have to work at it, YOU have to make the effort. There’s no easy way out. And while Tom thinks htere is here, it’s very clear it’s a huge risk, and Star’s right that he shoudlnt’ go thorugh with it and that he could seriously hurt himself. But Tom’s in pain and just wants to be happy, to be normal, to be not angry anymore and I gotta tell you if , even if it was risky, there was a way to cure my depression or anger issues or anxiety, not my atuisim tha’ts part of me and not something that needs a fucking cure just more understanding and awarness, but if I could cure those other three things? I would. It’s paart of me sure but it’s a part of me I HATE. So I understand why tom’s doing this even despite the danger: because he’s at his wits end, desperate and this will help he hopes.. it can’t get WORSE, so why not? Evne if he’s wrong here i’ts hard not to understand why he’s so stubborn about it , for me at least.  Star leaves, and takes Ponycloak with her and they go to punch trees: Both to relive and because Pony hates tree. Probably because she went to tree court once and they tried to send her to tree jail. 

I mean she’ll probably get thrown back in there for this but still. Anyways the exerocisim comes. And NOW we can talk about this cult and.. while I understand why they never came back, they were really only necessary for this, I wish they had. I mean a mysterious cult with the power to restrain someone as strong as tom, acess to anti-magic chains the ONLY time we see something like this outside of the comission, and a hatred of demons includign referring to Tom as “Son of the blight” meaning they clearly hate and would destroy Wrathmelor if they could, yet also function as a perfectly legal orginzation the comission or the lucitors themselves haven’t swatted yet. There’s a LOT to unpack here they never did. The leader is also hliarious alteranting between creepy overlord and your dentist after a long apointment as a kid. But the ritual begins and it .. dosen’t go well with tom getting glowy blue lines and thrashing about.. just like me when i watched Ridciulous 6. I also felt my soul was leaving my body but that was just wishful thinking. The cultists run and star runs back to Tom and we get a truly powerful and romantic scene. Unable to free him, Star just.. holds him and is there for him as he goes through this. If she can’t help him she’ll be there for him. And it’s really touching.  We then cut to the hosptial tent at the cult, where the leader goes back to dad mode. Tom feels .. well worse, he just had surgery, as someone who had a tooth yanked out last month I can relate, and is suprised to see only one tiny soul demon as the sum of his anger. But it turns out, NOPE, being you know, the son of a rather powerful demon with a rather pwoerful b loodline, he’s FULL of them, and it woudl take 13 years to do this.. and tom’s naturally bummed because no one wants the equipvlent of having a wisdom tooth pulled a week for over a decade. Also because he now can’t get better.. but Star gently reassures him he’s already on the right track just by wanting to. As I said with most mental issues.. there’s no easy way out but it can get better if you put the work in and tom realizes.. there’s no quick way out after all. Just a long road.. but h’es not alone on it anyomore. But he at least gets a tiny demon in a jar and a toy out of the toychest for being a good boy.. and that’s nto me making shit up that’s the actual episode with him and star taking pinwheels and holding hands to Ponyhead’s annoyance. Which okay yeah they had a bad time last time I get tat Pony.. but your the last person to question ANYONE’S life decisions. Still I wish we’d had ane pisode of pony growing to accept them so we at least know WHY she’s so against it but oh well. 

Final Thoughts: This was a good one. Is it hte best the show’s put out? Probably not as the first part drags slightly but the second half at the demoncisim is just good character stuff, good comedy, and has a good payoff. I honestly like this way more on the second watch.  Though part of that is the context of the time: I admitted to being a starco shipper and having her get back with tom just felt like your standard “put a character in a relationship to complicate the main pairing” bullshit I always hate at this stage. Before anyone relaizes they like each other? Sure but at this point it was clearly just to drag things out. However with Marco getting progressivley worse and the two having good chemsitry.. I grew to like em.. and by the season finale, I just shipped all three together, before pivoting to marco and kelly. This couple grew on me for reasons w’ell geti nto as we go, even if it ended bad for reasons we’ll again get into. Oh we’ll get into them. With a knife. But yeah overall a great episode with a great concept, good character stuff, and some REALLY fucking funny gags. The show is damn good at comedy and I forget it sometimes. Next time we look at Tom, he’ll be in the background as Marco tries to help Kelly with a breakup. And sometime this month we’ll be looking at the halloween special which i’ll be watching for the very first time! So stay tuned, stay safe and Happy Halloween. 

[incorrecttwoset]

Lesson time with Dani:

I think the thing we all learned here today is classical music is still very, VERY much alive. And that pop could be a pretty iNtEreStInG way to indoctrinate introduce people to classical music. I've been listening to a bunch of pop lately and honestly? It was a WEIRD experience. I kept getting befuddled by the amount of music there was (3 minutes of catchy beats is nOTHING against a half hour of intense musical dialog, argument, and passion) and the repetitiveness and simplicity of it (like dude wheres the motif? Is the motif your beat? Why is it playing the same thing over and over? Huh?). But, its still good music. There were a couple outliers too, that really gave me an experience. (Check out seasonal feathers by hitoshizuku it broke my heart) Look, what im trying to say is- classical and pop are both amazing genres of music that can do incredible things and I'm just happy that they can coexist together in one... piece? Of music. (My opinion might be a lil different compared to my lesson time on their other vid but hey people change)

So, lets get on with the songs!

Road to Kingdom - T. O. P. (Covered by Golden Child) and Swan Lake - Tchaikovsky. I... honestly, I didn't hear it at first. The electro music covered up much of the phrase. (please forgive my horrible usage of musical terms im just a kid thats really into classical music, in still learning how to understand and appreciate it everyday mkay?) Well, that's what I thought at first but I guess the transition from electro pop to singing along with classical jarred me so much that I had to listen to it a couple times before catching it. Anyways, the singing kinda vibed a lil with the music but when they changed singers or went a higher key, it started loosing that (already really loose) connection because even though I knew the tchaik would go higher, the singer went higher in a different key and it felt pretty weird and strange like what Eddy said. But overall, id listen to it. ...which isn't really that high of praise since I listen to everything (oh man... the days when i could still rap eminem's rap god to perfection...)

Shinhwa - T. O. P. and Swan Lake - Tchaikovsky (again). I'm not mad at them for using this a lot actually. I've been trying to watch the ballet on youtube but my classical music listening and appreciation and understanding skills are not yet that refined. (Aka i was already a goner when aCT ONE SCENE TWO WAS STARTING. Sigh, i need more training... and more Inside the Score) aNYWAYS- To quote Eddy, oh tHATS SO WEIRD. I literally said it at the exact same time as him lol. But like seriously thoooo. I thought it was gonna like, transition to the piece but like. No. They're just... singing to the tune. I mean like, you can't ruin perfection you guys but like- add a tune? Or something of your own? That isnt just lyrics? Ah shit, now I cant stop imaging playboy!Tchaik ugh. Thank you for making my brain run a mile a minute and being the reason why I won't be sleeping for a couple hours.

Top Dog - Topp Dog and Symphony in G Minor, No. 25 - Mozart. When I heard the first notes of the piece, I reacted the same as both of them. Aka, i recognized it but I forgot the name. As you do with classical music. I've always wanted to download and listen to that piece. Maybe this is a sign... Anyways, the piece here really just vibed with the song ykno? I think its because they decided that they didn't want to overpower the piece by slapping their own music on top but like... they accented and accompanied and complimented it without the spotlight being stolen from them. They brought their own little twist to it and I feel like thats why it works so much. But, I still prefer the orig because it isnt just tHREE MINUTES LONG. (cue airhorns and fire emojis) But its a great combo overall. 10 out of 10, would classical again.

Jimin - Lie and La Vida Breve - Manuel de Falla. Honestly, to me, i feel like literally anyone could come up with that tune. Its like, a really fast beat. You know how almost every basic piece of music uses dun dun tss as a beat? Its kinda like that to me. Because, speaking from my own personal opinions here, fast beats sound nice and that doesnt necessarily mean that it was inspired by a fast part in a piece. Or maybe Jimin listens to classical. WhO kNoWs?

Cherry Bullet - Hands Up and Beethoven's Fur Elise. That "EeeEeeeh" part made me laugh out loud the first time i watched this vid. It still jarrs me like oh my god what the heck why. Dude, they literally just slapped that part into different parts of the song and im- you didnt need to give me more reason to be sick of the opening of Fur Elise. I feel like if I listened to that, the opening is gonna be stuck in my head forever. At least they didnt repeat the "EEEEEE" thing. And honestly, id love to agree with the bois on this one but like... the opening of the song itself broke me im so sorry im so hung over this one detail gOD.

Gfriend - Summer Rain and Schumann - Dichterliebe. All i can say in this part is... Thank you editor-san for adding in that one detail those precious boys missed. But, as ive only seriously gotten into classical recently and therefore arent familiar with a lot of composers works, i can only hear the influence in the beginning instrumental of the song. So uh... might give it a listen for detail. But, i probably wont.

And, oh yeah is it just me or do they seem really tired? Or just... kinda out of it in this one? Because at the end, Eddy was just kinda... playin around with ding ding while Brett carries the energy for the both of them. Hope theyre not stressed but if they are, i hope they get some much needed rest and energy. I also wonder what was up with yesterday. Aka, they didn't post a vid yesterday and i got cONCERNED. I just hope theyre alright.

[dannyphantomtransfemau]

Grave layers of misunderstandings chapter 9

[trying a different writing style for this chapter] 

[7:00 P.M Saturday, October 16th, 2004]

Danielle: has entered the chat. The New girl in town: Danielle Has Changed their user Name to The New Girl in town. Tucker: Has Entered the Chat. Ya Boi Tucker: Tucker has changed their user name to Ya Boi Tucker. Sam: has entered the chat. Gothic Royalty: Sam Has Changed their user Name to Gothic Royalty. Jazz: Has Entered the Chat.

The New Girl in town: hey jazz, whats your catchy new user name going to be?

Jazz: Do I really need one?

The New girl in town: Yes!

Gothic Royalty: Yes!

Ya boi Tucker: Yes!

Jazz: ok, ok, sheesh so many exclamation marks. :I

MyDopamineNorepinephrineSerotonin❤️: Jazz has changed their user name to MyDopamineNorepinephrineSerotonin❤️.

The New Girl in Town: knew you would go with something totally nerdy, but my god why is it so long and what does it mean?

Ya Boi Tucker: I get the reference/joke

Gothic Royalty: I think i Might get it, but I'm not sure.

The New Girl in town: Great I'm the only one in the dark here.

Gothic Royalty: hey I said I only might get it.

The New Girl in town: well I guess that's better than nothing.

MyDopamineNorepinephrineSerotonin❤️: it's a My Chemical Romance joke, and here I thought my little sister was cool.

The New Girl in town: I AM COOL!, this day just keeps getting worse :(

MyDopamineNorepinephrineSerotonin❤️: What's Wrong Sis?

Gothic Royalty: you remember how we said we didn't know how far this wish went? well, we found out today, EXACTLY how far it went.

MyDopamineNorepinephrineSerotonin❤️: OOF, that's rough, ill bring some chocolate by tomorrow, hey tucker how you holding up, I'm sure this is way worse for you.

Ya Boi Tucker: this is the worst wish ever granted, I just wanted to understand girls NOT BE ONE!. the chocolate is appreciated.

MyDopamineNorepinephrineSerotonin❤️: did Sam explain to you how to put on a pad?

Gothic Royalty: yeah I showed them, I had to really lay into Tucker about it, Sorry Tuck but it was necessary Hygiene is important even if it's for a body you hate.

Ya Boi Tucker: I understand and I appreciate you caring but I can't help being a little mithed, more at the situation than you.

Gothic Royalty: That's Fair.

The New Girl in Town: hey jazz how are mom and dad doing?

MyDopamineNorepinephrineSerotonin❤️: their a little worried but no more then usual amount they do when your not around, Oh i have something for you and tucker, sam you can use it too if you want that is.

The New Girl in Town: What is it?

MyDopamineNorepinephrineSerotonin❤️: it's an app that will pair you with a local therapist, and it's all through text.

The New Girl in Town: ok why do I need therapy?

MyDopamineNorepinephrineSerotonin❤️: look being trans is hard, being forced out is harder and into a new body would make the previous stuff almost impossible to deal with, and I'm sure there is a lot of emotion in the superhero stuff you deal with too. and for you tucker I'm sure you would like to talk with someone about this, being forced into a gender that your not, that's going to hurt for a while.

Gothic Royalty: she has a point you know.

Ya Boi Tucker: I know, ill get the app

The New Girl in Town: ok ill try it, I do need to talk to someone about Dash.

MyDopamineNorepinephrineSerotonin❤️: why what happened to Dash?

The New Girl in Town: it's a long story, id rather not get into it, all I'm going to say is I saw something happen that i shouldn't have.

MyDopamineNorepinephrineSerotonin❤️: ok sis, i trust you to do the right thing.

Ya Boi Tucker: oh I contacted my parents and gave them a partial explanation of whats going on, but don't worry I didn't say anything about Danielle or her powers.

MyDopamineNorepinephrineSerotonin❤️: how did that go?

Ya Boi Tucker: their understanding but they want to take me to... ugh i can't even say it.

Gothic Royalty: let me guess, A Gynecologist?

Ya Boi Tucker: Yeah

Gothic Royalty: why?

Ya Boi Tucker: they just want to make sure everything is healthy there, and I understand their concern but just no... just no.

The New Girl in Town: Will they force you to go?

Ya Boi Tucker: Maybe, I don't know.

The New Girl in Town: well if they do, let me know so I can sneak you out of there.

Ya Boi Tucker: Thanks Danielle, but ill be fine if it happens. I'm going to head to bed. Ya Boi Tucker Has Left the chat MyDopamineNorepinephrineSerotonin❤️: me too. MyDopamineNorepinephrineSerotonin❤️ has left the chat Gothic Royalty: I'm going to bed as well. Gothic Royalty has left the chat. The New Girl in Town Has Left the chat.

[takerfoxx]

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Season 4, Episode 8, First Impressions!

Can’t they just have a good time for once?

So Boy’s Night Out is an episode that attracted my attention ever since it was announced. At first I was looking forward to the boys of the group going out to paint the town red in their solo episode (yes, even Swift Wind, because I do want to like him), but then I kept hearing rumblings that this episode might be a major game changer for the plot, so I figured that it would do the same as Princess Prom and drop a big twist that will kickstart the plot.

The truth turned out to be somewhere in between.

When we start out, things are just a mess. The Horde, having overrun the Salineas capital, is now trampling Bikini Bott-I MEAN the smaller settlements, and the princess squad is trying to at least evacuate everyone that they can. Unfortunately, though DT has been caught (and unfortunately is only referenced in this episode), the damage left in their wake has not been undone. Or maybe they aren’t really to blame for this. DT stirred the pot, sure, but the issues between Glimmer and Adora are of their own making, and are only getting worse. Plus, you know, Mermista’s kind of a self-pitying wreck due to her whole kingdom being conquered and her people slaughtered, captured, or at the very least driven from their homes, so that’s still a thing. 

So can you really blame the boys for wanting to just take a break for one night? Go out, get some space between them and the drama (and bloodshed and horror), have some fun, mentally decompress and all that? And hey, Sea Hawk and Bow always make for a great comedic duo (even if Bow isn’t feeling it at first). And also Swift Wind’s there, because he is now designated as my official punching bag. So yeah.

Still, we actually only get on actual scene of the boys out on the town (accompanied by a catchy number) before we find out what this episode is really about: dissolving friendships, and how hard they are to repair.

The big one is Adora and Glimmer of course. I mean, Sea Hawk hatched his whole crazy “Let’s kidnap ourselves!” scheme to make them reconcile. But at the end of the day, it still didn’t address the underlying problems, and they remain estranged. You know, I’d say I’m not worried because it’s a kid show so of course they’ll reconcile, but this show has thrown curveballs at me before, so...

Another broken friendship that is addressed is Catra and Scorpia. And as it turns out, Catra still hasn’t noticed that Scorpia left! And she still expected Scorpia to just show up to hang out when Catra did feel like spending time with her. It just goes to show just how much Catra took her for granted. She never actually expected for Scorpia to be driven away by her mistreatment. No, the ever-loyal Scorpia was just going to take her punches and always be for her in the end!

Well, as it turns out, her toxic behavior has consequences, and Catra has finally realized that she managed to drive away the only person that has ever accepted her unconditionally. That look on her face as she reads Scorpia’s note says it all. Will Catra finally, finally, finally have an epiphany on how bad she’s gotten, or will she continue to live in denial and double down on her self-destructive course?

All signs point to the latter.

At the very least, Sea Hawk got Mermista to snap out of her funk. I mean, don’t get me wrong, her sobbing to herself in the bathtub while eating tub after tub of ice cream was totally justified, but she still had a duty to her people. You know, this show has never really made their relationship clear. Are they like actually dating? I mean, Sea Hawk swoons over her pretty constantly, and there was that, ahem, Tunnel of Love incident, but other times it seems that he just think that she’s really cool and wants to be her friend? Well, whatever, they’re together again, complete with a rock remix of Sea Hawk’s shanty, so at least someone had a happy ending.

All that being said, the part that really got to me was Bow’s little breakdown. He’s had to be the glue holding everything for so long, the Superego to Glimmer’s Id and Adora’s Ego. He’s had to be the peacemaker, the one working extra hard to help other people work out their problems, and that’s just so exhausting! So it was kind of wonderful that the show acknowledged this and showed how much being that kind of person really wears you down. So I don’t blame Bow for cracking, and I’m glad that they showed that. 

Anyway, things feel like they’re going to really heat up soon, so here’s a few misc. moments that got a giggle out of me:

The songs in general.

All all sailors hate Sea Hawk because he burned their ships down too!

“Why do I hear the ocean?”

SEAGULLS!

As soon as I heard Admiral Scurvy’s name, I knew that he had to be a repurposed character from the original show. And I was right. And his old design...is kind of a lot.

Wow.

[ggukcangetit]

Long Tag Game

Thanks for the tag @ezralia-writes

tagging : anyone else

tell me the first song that made you stan your current fave group and why did your faves attract you so much?

first song by bts that i heard was probably IDOL but what made me stan them was probably Boy In Luv lmao. the aggression that all the liddol bangtan babies had in the Boy In Luv performance + Tae in orange hair growling.  yup that was it.

—

T W O

rule: answer the ten questions and write your own!

1) what’s your unrealistic goal for life?

idk if goals can be unrealistic lol. dreams may be unrealistic. but whatever. unrealistic goal 🤔 that i can change my sleeping and eating schedule in one fell swoop lmao idk

2) if you had known that we would be in a global pandemic, what’s one thing that you would’ve done before things shut down (if they have for you)?

that’s morbid lol. but i would’ve cleared my desk at my workplace. idk if i’ll ever go back and it has a lot of pictures of my friends and family there.

3) what’s an unconventional thing that you carry around with you when you go out?

okay full disclosure but im basically always prepared for a zombie apocalypse. so i carry a lot of things with me when i go out.

4) favourite type of plushies and why?

anything soft and not creepy looking idk???

5) favourite song right now?

Black Swan has been looping in my brain the last few days

6) something that you’ve always wanted to learn?

archery

7) tell a funny story about yourself (or just something that you’ve witnessed)

i was once asked to take my aunt and cousin around the city and we got tragically lost and this story basically never leaves me now lmao

8) headphones or speakers? why?

in public its obv headphones (what kind of question is that) but if im at home id always prefer speakers.

9) craving any food right now? what are you craving?

everything? lmao. but specifically food from home which i haven’t had in more than 6 months.

10) which music streaming platform do you prefer? why?

i use itunes because its there. but maybe changing to spotify soon?

My Q’s:

what was the weirdest dream that you’ve woken up from?

if you were an ice-cream flavor, what would you be?

if you could meet a fictional character, who would it be?

what dish/food/meal do you hate to prepare?

would you rather live in the mountains or at the beach? why?

what’s the first thing you see in a potential friend?

which is your favorite Sherlock Holmes adaptation and why?

if you could play one sport with a celebrity of choice what would it be? and with whom?

what makes you the most angry?

if 2019 was a color, what would it be?

—

T H R E E

rule: bold the statements that apply to you, italicize your aspirations, then tag nine people.

AIR ༉⋆͙̈

i have small hands / i love the night sky / i watch animals and birds when i pass them by / i drink herbal tea / i wake to see the dawn / the smell of dust is comforting / i’m valued for being wise / i prefer books to music / i meditate / i find joy in learning new truths from the world around me

FIRE ༉⋆͙̈

i don’t have straight hair / i like to wear ripped jeans and overalls / i play an organized sport / i love dogs / i am not afraid of adventure / i love to talk to strangers / i always try new foods / i enjoy road trips / summer is my favorite season / my radio is always playing

WATER ༉⋆͙̈

i wear bracelets on my wrists / i love the bustle of the city / i have more than one set of piercings / i read poetry / i love the sound of a thunderstorm / i want to travel the world / i sleep past midday most days / i love simply lit dinners and fluorescent signs / i rewatch kids shows out of nostalgia / i see emotions in colors not words

EARTH ༉⋆͙̈

i wear glasses or contacts / i enjoy doing the laundry / i am a vegetarian or vegan / i have an excellent sense of time / my humor is very cheerful / i am a valued advisor to my friends / i believe in true love / i love this chill of mountain air / i’m always listening to music / i am highly trusted by the people in my life

AETHER ༉⋆͙̈

i go without makeup in my daily life / i make my own artwork / i keep on track of my tasks and time / i always know true north / i see beauty in everything / i can always smell flowers / i smile at everyone i pass by / i always fear history repeating itself / i have recovered from a mental disorder / i can love unconditionally

—

F O U R

the ultimate tag: answer whichever ones you want to because there are a lot and then tag a few blogs you’d like to get to know better!

PERSONAL

name: cha

nickname: over here it is cha and cha only lmao

birthday: september

zodiac: virgo

nationality: Asian

languages: 3+

gender: Female

sexuality: Straight

height: 5′9

BLOG STUFF

inspiration for muse: movies/series sometimes make me super philosophical lol. plus i’d say people around me also inspire my creativity.

meaning behind my url: it is so hard to come up with a catchy bts related blog name D: but i wanted something with gguk because its super endearing.

blog established: 2 months.

followers: 84 i think 🤔 

FAVORITES

favourite animals: turtles

favourite books: a thousand splendid suns by khalid hosseini is still one of my favs

favourite colour: shades of blue

favourite fictional characters: i love sirius black lmao. also death from sandman

favourite flower: i don’t like flowers ew

favourite scent: coffee + freshly baked bread/desserts

favourite season: summer

RANDOM

average hours of sleep: 6

cats or dogs: both?

coffee, tea or hot chocolate: coffee (iced tho)

current time: 5.31 pm

dream trip: i really want to go to Seoul and Tokyo

dream job: i had a random dream of becoming a patissier. maybe i can do that later in life who knows.

hobbies: i’m bad at this. anything that i feel like doing at the moment i guess

hogwarts house: ravenclaw

last movie watched: the last thing he wanted (that anne hathaway movie on netflix which deserves to be thrown into the trash imo)

last song listened to: Yeah! by Usher

no. of blankets you sleep with: one

random fact(s): hmmmmmmmm i like to have something savoury after dessert. always wanted to be good at some sport. 

F I V E

10 things i can’t stop listening to

Black Swan - BTS

Yeah! - Usher

In Silence - Janet Suhh (It’s Okay to Not be Okay soundtrack)

December, 1963 - Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons

Friends - BTS

Filter - BTS

Shove It - Santigold

Boy With Luv - BTS

Mic Drop (Steve Aoki remix) - BTS

Airplane pt. 2 - BTS

[rikumorimachisgirl]

Okay, let's try this one more time. This story was given feedback by the talented @cailannuesugi and @voltage-vixen. Thank you, ladies, for your help and encouragement when I felt like giving up.

Title: Meeting the Mogul

Ikesen Modern Day AU

A/N: This is my first fic, so please don't expect it to be perfect. I also don't own Ikesen Nobunaga and the other characters except my OC. Cybird owns them.

This is inspired by the artwork I commissioned from @shrimpalompa 💕

With her eyebrows furrowed, Mia allowed her feet to drag along the length of Manhattan's busy streets. Despite the crowd of busy professionals hurrying to buy their lunches from the food trucks lined up along 50th Street, and the incessant honking of cars and taxis stuck in traffic, all she could think of is how badly she messed up her last interview.

The delightful scent of sauteed garlic and onions wafting in the air made her stomach growl slightly louder than usual. There was nothing she wanted more at that moment than to eat a nice gyro sandwich at Lil Zeus Food Truck, but with only fifty dollars to tide her over until she finds a job, she took a deep breath, turned away from the food truck, and continued to walk. She took one step after another, until the concrete pavement was replaced by a patch of green, and the sound of car horns was replaced by the catchy melody of a marching band practicing nearby.

Central Park was beautiful at this time of day - mostly because the afternoon crowd and the throngs of tourists don't frequent the place at this hour.

She sat on the grass, defeated. She had one shot at getting employed as a clerk in the prestigious firm, and she totally screwed her interview. "Seriously, who asks about the President's background during the interview anyway? " she wondered out loud still feeling bitter about her failure at the hands of Azuchi Inc's, Vice President of Human Resources, Hideyoshi Toyotomi. She sighed again, took out her mobile and typed in the keywords 'Nobunaga Oda, Azuchi Inc'. Pages upon pages of news articles about the President and CEO appeared on her screen, much to her surprise. As her finger hovered over one of the articles, she silently cursed herself for not having thought of doing this yesterday before she finally gave in and pored over the details on the mysterious mogul.

***

He watched her as she sat on the grass with her back turned to him.  He winced at the last thought; then again, she didn't seem like the type who'd pick out her dates online.From where he stood, it appeared like she was playing a game on her phone or browsing one of those social media sites his employees are so fond of... Or maybe checking out a dating site. Though she didn’t seem like the type to rely on other sources to help her find a date. His thoughts drifted to their first encounter yesterday, and he smirked.

In an attempt to avoid the possibility of listening to his Vice President of Human Resources' complaints about his decision to ride his bike to work, he opted to enter the building through the ever-busy and usually crowded Talent Management Hub. Donned in a black button-down shirt, which he wore untucked with a pair of dark denim jeans, he handed his helmet to the seemingly dumbstruck guard and made his way to the exit leading to the main lobby. Just as he was about to step into the main lobby, he felt someone grip his wrist tightly.

"Excuse me, where do you think you're going?"

He turned and saw a girl - not more than twenty-four if he had to guess - looking sternly at him while she gripped his wrist tightly.

He heard collective gasps around them, but she didn't seem to have noticed. From the corner of his eye, he saw one of the managers make his way towards them, but he stopped him before he could get any closer. The clock on the wall read 9:25 am, so he had a good five minutes before his weekly meeting with Marketing, but the girl holding on to him intrigued him so much, he didn't mind canceling. Just what was she trying to get at by stopping him, he wondered.

"Didn't you just arrive, Sir? You don't have an ID, so you must be an applicant, too," she said gently, as she tugged him to follow her to the waiting area. Still confused, he glanced at the other people who were quietly seated, trying to avoid his gaze. "It's unprofessional to cut the line, you know. Let's wait for our turn here."

He chuckled at the realization that she didn't know who he was. He decided to humor her by sitting beside her, but it didn't take long until she was called for her initial screening. It was at that moment that he decided they needed to hire her. However, when Hideyoshi dished out his infamous rapid-fire "Oda Fast Facts" on her, there was no doubt she wasn't going to be signing a contract with them.  The dashing dark-haired mogul frowned as he recalled the report he was given on the status of her application. He recognized potential when he sees one, and knew they had just let this one slip away. He left word that he was having lunch elsewhere, and took off with his Vice President of Operations following closely at his heel.

"You know what you should do next? You should buy that Lil’ Zeus food truck. Have you seen the line? It felt like ages before I got us some of these!" A familiar voice brought him out of his thoughts and he glanced sideways to see that his executive had just arrived carrying a gyro on each hand. "It's about time you got here. What was the matter, couldn't charm the ladies to get ahead? You must be losing your touch, Mitsuhide, " he teased.

The silver-haired executive smirked as he handed one of the gyros to his boss. "I'll have you know I snaked my way to the front of the line in less than 2 minutes. The cook ran out of oregano and they had to get a fresh batch." He paused for a second or two to take in the scenery before him. "So is there a reason you wanted to have lunch here?"

"No reason, " the dark-haired debonaire responded, his carnelian colored eyes sparkling with mischief as he stared at the girl whose back was turned at them once again. "I see, " Mitsuhide said, thrusting the other gyro at him. "Good luck, boss. I'll see you at the office." He flashed the young executive a dazzling smile before he turned and made his way towards the unassuming girl.

***

"That's funny, he has no pictures, " she mentioned, after opening yet another news article about the mysterious Nobunaga Oda - the sixth since she started - and there still wasn't any photos of the man in question.  

"Usually that’s the case when the person's not very good looking."

Startled at the sound of his voice, she jumped and turned around. Standing a few feet away from her was the man she met in the interview. Though she still didn't know his name considering she never asked in the interview, and he never introduced himself. Today, he was wearing a white button-down shirt, which was still untucked and a pair of khaki trousers. She never noticed how attractive he was until today - more like a model, with his tall and well-toned physique, which was evident in the cut of his clothes.  

"It's you, " she said. 

"Yeah. Me, " he replied. "Had lunch?"

"Yes, " she nodded, but her stomach wasn't having it. Her face flushed red as soon as her stomach growled. 

He snickered. "You know, I happen to have an extra gyro."

"Do you always happen to carry a spare gyro around?"

Her retort made him laugh, as he really didn't see that coming. "Did anyone ever tell you that you're hilarious, " he asked. He plopped down beside her in the grass and handed her one of the gyros. "And to answer your question, I carry them around in case I get lucky and see a pretty girl who is in desperate need of lunch." 

"My hero, " she smiled. "Thank you for this. I'm Mia, by the way. And you?"

He shrugged, ignoring the fact that she had introduced herself. "So, what were you doing on your phone, looking for a date or something?"

"Of course not, " she said, as she munched on her sandwich. "I was curious to see what Nobunaga Oda looks like."

"Why would you want to know how he looks?" 

She took out her phone with one hand and showed him the search results. "See these? I've read six articles about him, and not one of them contained any pictures of him. Isn't that strange?"

He scanned the titles and frowned. "Maybe he doesn't want his picture taken." 

"Why though? I think he's amazing. I mean, he's not even from here, yet he made a name for himself and he's been helping boost Japan's economy even from offshore. He's made a name for himself in a place where people least expected him to. His achievements are known all over Japan, and that's why I wanted so badly to come to New York and work at Azuchi Inc."

He cocked an eyebrow at her passionate response. It sure wasn't the first time he's heard people sing praises about him and his organization, but it felt different hearing it from someone who had nothing to gain from sharing this with him because she absolutely had no idea who he was. 

"Speaking of which, whatever happened to your application?" It was her turn to ask. For a moment, he almost forgot that she thought he was an applicant, too. She cleared her throat. "What's the matter? You know you don't have to be embarrassed if you didn't make it. I mean, I didn't -"

"Why did you fail?"

She frowned. That was twice he ignored her questions, yet he had the gall to ask her such a rude question. What kind of person is he exactly, she silently wondered. 

"If you're done trying to assess whether I'm trustworthy or not, would you mind answering my question?"

Rude. This man was just plain rude, she concluded. "Why do I need to answer that?"

"Because I gave you a sandwich, " he said, as he lay carelessly on the grass with his hands behind his head.. "And because you look like you're going to tell me anyway."

She sighed. Well, he wasn't wrong, she thought. "I suppose it was it because I didn't know a thing about the President and CEO of Azuchi, Inc, " she said, hanging her head low. "Except for his name, I didn't know where he came from, what his philosophy was, his advocacy, why he prefers to drink tea from Japan…"

"Don't you think that information is useless?"

"I used to. I'm not gonna lie that I felt really bad after the interview with Mr. Toyotomi. I felt bad because I thought those questions he asked me were ridiculous, " she said, as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "But I realized something while I was reading through the articles about Nobunaga Oda. I now understand that Mr. Toyotomi only wanted to make sure I knew and understood Mr. Oda's vision because it is only when you understand that you can actually contribute to that vision by working hard. I didn't really know that this morning, but now, I'd do anything to get another shot at that interview."

His eyes never left hers as she spoke, and with each topic, he found himself more and more entranced by her - perhaps it was the way her face lit up and her hands moved as she spoke about the things she was passionate about, or her wistful smile as she stared at the lake in between topics. He was captivated, so much so that he hadn't noticed that time has gone by until he felt his phone vibrate. 

Frowning, he took out the sleek gadget from his pocket and was briefly surprised. It was 3:00 pm - way past his supposed lunch break. Hideyoshi would have a fit, he silently thought, smirking. 

Sighing, he sat up and brushed the dirt off the back of his shirt. "As much as I'd like to stay and talk some more -"

"You have to go, " she said, cutting him off. She watched him quietly as he straightened his clothes up and ran his hand through his messy black hair. She had never been so drawn to a person before, but there was something about him that spoke to her - maybe it was the way he listened to her like what she was saying was important or the way he challenged her opinion every now and then… or even the way she saw her reflection in his eyes when he smiled. 

The light clapping sound that resonated in the air as he dusted off his clothes faded, and she suddenly felt her heart grow heavy - like all three weeks worth of homesickness had finally kicked in. 

"You look like you're gonna cry, " he teased, as he stood and offered his hand out to her. "Are you gonna miss me?"

"Am not, " she replied while he pulled her to her feet. "But did I get you in trouble?"

"I'm late for a meeting. Nothing I can't handle, " he winked. "I'm just gonna tell them that I met an interesting girl in Central Park."

"You make me sound weird."

He snickered. "Okay. How about I say a cute girl held me hostage?"

"They're not gonna believe you, " she replied, her face turning slightly red. 

"Here, " he said, handing his phone over to her. "Let's take a picture, in case they require proof."

"And make me the laughing stock of your team, "she retorted but allowed him to take a picture anyway.

"They wouldn't dare laugh, " he assured her as he checked their picture and smiled. "This is a good picture."

"Yes, it is." She peered at his handsome face in the picture and smiled.

"I don't like having my picture taken because I always seem to look strange, but I like this one, " he smiled back. "Well then…"

"Yeah, I guess this is goodbye."

"I'll see you tomorrow at 8."

"What? Here?"

He laughed, and the rich sound tickling her ear. "At my office, silly. Tell Mr. Toyotomi I sent you there. He'll be able to give you an orientation, " he said casually and then turned to leave. 

"Mr. Toyotomi - as in the guy from Azuchi, Inc? I'm confused… Whom should I say sent me, " she called out as he started to walk. 

"Oh. Tell him I sent you, " he turned to face her once again and exaggerated a bow. "Nobunaga Oda. I never told you before, but it's a pleasure to meet you, Mia. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

Her heart pounded loudly in her chest as she watched him disappear in the distance, she almost failed to notice a new text message that read: 

'We are pleased to offer you the role of Assistant to the CEO. Please report to Mr. Hideyoshi Toyotomi's office at the 41st floor of Azuchi, Inc tomorrow at 8:00 am sharp. - Mitsunari Ichida, Director of Talent Management.'

End. 

[chimcharstar]

1-50 ho

you got it ho

1. What’s your favorite candle scent?

I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED. ive been Purchasing various smelly candles for my gay divination activities, and i have a few nominees. i first thought of the candle i have now, a pink one with a very sweet vanilla smell, i love very sweet smells because it makes me think of candy which i tend to try to fill my inner void with. however im going to go with the first candle i bought, a dark orange one with a citrus smell. citrus scents are my next favourite and specifically this one reminded me of curiously smelling candles at my piano teachers apartment when i was very young. 

2. What female celebrity do you wish was your sister?

idk. ive been listening to her lion king stuff lately. dont judge me i needed to hear remixes of lion king music i was lost in that sauce in high school. and i just think shes neat. i dont think she would aggressively make me feel bad about everything, UNLIKE SOME PEOPLE

3. What male celebrity do you wish was your brother?

Look……. i really don’t know???? what is the criteria?? do they need to be like my siblings? dare i criticize my arguably criticizable siblings by picking out my ideal siblings? if i pick an ideal sibling, what does that say about what im lacking in my life? do i pick celebrities i hate so theoretically my family shames them into becoming silent and self-defeating

4. How old do you think you’ll be when you get married?

50. i think im going to have to figure myself out for a long time, and achieve some personal goals first. thats my excessively confident prediction and PERHAPS educated guess

5. Do you know a hoarder?

nnnnnoooooooo????? not a real, cant function because of hoarding hoarder. i can see in a few family members, including myself, liking to hang onto things that maybe become sentimental/unnecessary clutter but that sounds like something many non-hoarders experience?

6. Can you do a split?

lemme try one sec

NO

7. How old were you when you learned how to ride a bike?

Idk maybe 7? Or 11? i think my parents taught me at a children age and then i started biking for fun like, later, like pre middle school?

8. How many oceans have you swam in?

1. i dont really remember swimming in an ocean but i may have faded childhood memories of salty water and seaweed

9. How many countries have you been to?

2… i went to idaho for a band trip… my dad really doesnt like travelling

10. Is anyone in your family in the army?

HAHAHA

NO. ACTUALLY YES. but its funny because the specific brand of christianity we are supposed to be is super pacifist so ive heard. but then i remembered one dude apparently who joined the us military?????? it seemed like it was… an unusual choice. i dont really know anything else about this guy, not even his name

11. What would you name your daughter if you had one?

🙏 *inhale* buddy. oooooohhffffff i want to say something gender neutral honestly. i dont want to rock the boat being unconventional or something but im just thinking of all those years trying to live up to a feminine name

12. What would you name your son if you had one?

same i guess… why have i never thought about this????? was i preoccupied naming myself.

13. What’s the worst grade you got on a test?

hmmmmm hmmmmm trying to unlock the vault. i think i remember a 1 or a 0 on a math quiz. i think i got 30% or something very very bad (i dont even want to know) on my last english exam, but to be fair, i was having such a bad mental breakdown my professor did an intervention

14. What was your favorite TV show when you were a child?

like a very very small child? i was obsessed with the save-ums (?!?!?) for some reason. i would sing the anthem… no. theme song? i dont know. i guess it was catchy and there were lots of fun characters. OHHHH I SEE WHATS WRONG

ITS BECAUSE WE ONLY HAD A TV TILL I WAS LIKE 5 OR SOMETHING. what are you cultured people watching as children? what are the shows? 

15. What did you dress up as on Halloween when you were eight?

>:(

My Halloween experience:

i dont even remember i probably had some kind of fairy wings? i think i remember fairy wings. we went to one (1) house. later on, since we werent allowed to go trick-or-treating, we were each allotted a certain amount of candy, and if we ate more than a designated amount per day, we were in trouble and wouldnt be allowed anymore. i do remember getting in trouble for this. i think i stole someones candy. sibling against sibling. finally we were allowed to go trick or treating, i went with my younger brothers and by then, was a teenager and felt too tall and really uncomfortable

LMAO I JUST REMEMBERED THAT LAST TIME WE WENT TRICK-OR-TREATING NOT IN A RURAL AREA, my dad drove us around in a van and watched us like a hawk i believe. it was very tense and methodical.

16. Have you read any of the Harry Potter, Hunger Games or Twilight series?

i read the harry potter series (I WROTE SIBLIGS LOL) more times than i could count while growing up. i read the first hunger games book and didnt fancy it for whatever reason, and i had an obnoxious twilight-hating phase.

17. Would you rather have an American accent or a British accent?

no

sometimes, though, im really genuinely worried about what accent i do have. im worried i read so much harry potter growing up, it rubbed off on me. when i was a server, people would ask about an unusual accent i apparently had, and once, when i was talking to a super british guy who called me luv at walmart, he was like STOP. WAIT. YOU HAVE A BRITISH ACCENT. and i was like WHAT UHHH BYEBYE AND HE WAS LIKE NO. I HEARD YOU. STOP and i was like that michael jackson meme where he covers his face running away and everyone else in the line was staring

18. Did your mother go to college?

i believe she went to a bible college where people put a grand piano on top of the roof. 

19. Are your grandparents still married?

all of my grandparents are dead.

…. hmmMMMM yow. ok. my grandparents who werent estranged stayed married for as long as either of them were living… however, my OTHER grandparents, i mean the fucking kidnappers, my abuser grandpa… remarried? when he was… really really aging. im judging him for it because i know what kind of person he was.

20. Have you ever taken karate lessons?

I WISH. my parents didnt seem to like that sort of thing (surprise). im interested in it now but… as usual… i feel like its too late, im too old.

21. Do you know who Kermit the frog is?

….. i… i thought i did… hes blessed… thats all.

22. What’s the first amusement park you’ve been to?

ಠ_ಠ 

*crickets*

how could you ask me this?

no wait! i went to the waterslides. then, later on, i was never allowed to go to the waterslides.

23. What language, besides your native language, would you like to be fluent in?

Spanish. ive been “intending” to learn for a long time, and a lot of people who have been really good influences on me and been genuinely kind to me speak it, id like to learn it

24. Do you spell the color as grey or gray?

grey

one sec

yup thats canadian!

25. Is your father bald?

on the top of his head, yes >:(

26. Do you know triplets?

no?

27. Do you prefer Titanic or The Notebook?

no? what is this straight stuff? i listened to the dramatic titanic song and felt nothing.

28. Have you ever had Indian food?

i guess so, at a friends house! i dont think otherwise ive gone to a restaurant and actually had indian food

29. What’s the name of your favorite restaurant?

*gazes tearily at my OWN FUCKING OLD WORKPLACE

the food was sO GOOD MAN. IT WAS SO GOOD. im just not saying because despite how stalkable i probably am already, i dont want to be specific

30. Have you ever been to Olive Garden?

no whats that

31. Do you belong to any warehouse stores (Costco, BJ’s, etc.)?

w

belong? whats bjs? whats a warehouse for?

32. What would your parents have named you if you were the opposite gender?

i decided at one point they would never tell me this and it was no use asking. i do know they almost named my brother a very fusty old fashioned name fitting in with the thomas the tank engine theme 

33. If you have a nickname, what is it?

G is the ONLY one i will accept so far.

34. Who’s your favorite person in the world?

:)

i……… hmmmm…. i really dont like picking favourites. each person in my life has a unique relationship with me (even though a lot of them arent very warm, trusting or close). because of unhealthy middle school friendships ive grown an aversion to ranking relationships as if they have material value.

35. Would you rather live in a rural area or in the suburbs?

rural, i think. i need nature in my life!!! but i also need to be able to have connections to people.

36. Can you whistle?

yes, but not very loudly or accurately

37. Do you sleep with a nightlight?

no, but ive always wanted a nightlight

38. Do you eat breakfast every morning?

ive started to, yeah! this morning i made a whole thing with bread and mushrooms and eggs, and coffee, and i ate it outside watching the traffic. im really trying to treat myself nicely you see. its what id do for someone else.

39. Do you take any pills or medication daily?

THAT

BOY

JUICE!

WELCOME TO MY BUILD A BOY WORKSHOP!

SHOTS!SHOTS!SHOTS!

and im really fortunate to be in pretty good health, and have access to things i do need

40. What medical conditions do you have?

I dont think… i actually have any. id say gender dysphoria but i think it was informed consent. (im VERY lucky)

im pretty sure there are SOME mental conditions running around undiagnosed. MY BRAIN IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY

41. How many times have you been to the hospital?

for myself? once… when i got hives and started swelling up all over, but otherwise was fine. i really wonder what that was. other times was visiting sick/dying relatives which has made me feel sad and apprehensive whenever i enter a hospital or smell the food

42. Have you ever seen Finding Nemo?

yes! i had a gerbil named nemo! 

43. Where do you buy your jeans?

D:

i dont … remember … really nowhere special i actually have yet to find some jeans i LOVE. sometimes there is a pair of jeans that sparks joy. i do not have such a pair

44. What’s the last compliment you got?

my sister said my pants looked good on me. they are actually their pants, which they left on the floor in my room for an unknown reason, and they want them back. of course.

but because im excited about it and want to brag, the real compliment was when i made borscht and my sister not only ate it faster than me, but wanted a second helping. and my roommate stuck his face in the steam and said it smelled good. hell yes. i put fucking cilantro in it. fcking beast mode.

45. Do you usually remember your dreams in the morning?

yes. theyre usually really emotional and symbolic. if ive been talking to my parents, theyre usually nightmares. ive been reading about dream interpretation for a long time to deal with some of the ominous images that can come up

46. What flavor tea do you enjoy?

red rose reminds me of wheni was little my mom would make really sweet sweet red rose tea for me (thats the kind she drinks all the time) and it brings me those good feelings. otherwise licorice spice really appeald to me for some reason.

47. How many pairs of shoes do you currently own?

LMAO UHHH…brb

six. because of social pressure.

48. What religion will you raise your children to practice?

i never thought about this kind of thing…. i really don’t know….. id just want them to know how to be kind to others and themselves and thats literally it. 

49. How old were you when you found out that Santa wasn’t real?

i was one of those edgy kids trying to spoil it for everyone. guess what other common fun thing my parents didnt do

50. Why do you have a youtube? 

i dont! so i dont know what this question means! :)

HOLY SHIT I MADE IT THRU HIGH FIVE 

[daggerzine]

The Dot comes before the Dash- the Danny Ingram interview.

You would see their names on the back of records, many for Washington’s DC’s Dischord label and you might see a photo every now and again, but don’t know much about them unless you were part of that scene (ie; see my previous interview with Chris Bald from a few years ago). Danny Ingram was another one of those names. I knew he’d been in some of the early Dischord bands (Youth Brigade, etc.) and knew he’d done a lot of other stuff but wasn’t exactly sure where, when or in what context (‘cept that I knew he’s a drummer). Fast forward to nearly a decade ago when I saw his name as drummer of a new Washington, DC combo named Dot Dash. Their guitarist/vocalist Terry Banks had been in some of my favorite indie pop combos, namely Tree Fort Angst and The Saturday People, so I knew I was gonna like this one (Hunter Bennett rounds out the trio on bass)! I’ve enjoyed all of their records, but this latest one, Proto Retro (released earlier this year on The Beautiful Music label) is really a special thing of beauty. Well-written rock-pop songs that are both heartfelt and fun (and catchy as hell). Back to Ingram though, he was one of the older punks on the DC scene and thus saw and heard a lot so grab your favorite beverage, your reading glasses and bathrobe and take a stroll both down memory lane and up ‘til the current day.

A man and his drums, 

 Were you born and raised in Washington, DC?

Yes – DC born and raised. Lived in SE DC until I was 12, then moved to Palisades (NW DC) where I met my life-long friend and future bandmate, Nathan Strejcek.

 At what age did you take up the drums?

I had a fascination with drums from an early age. I’d had a crush on my baby sitter, Irene, and her brother had a drum set. To impress her, I tried playing along with his Beatles records and such, even though my feet didn’t reach the pedal. It was a lost cause. But a dear family friend and neighbor in SE, Richard Spencer, nurtured my interest. I think he bought me my first drums. He played in Otis Redding’s band and achieved quite a bit of success with his own band the Winstons (he wrote the Grammy-winning song ‘color him father).  I was about 19 when I took up the drums in earnest – with the intention of being in a band. At the risk of repeating an oft-told story…I had gone to see the Clash at the Ontario theater and was hanging out in the narrow, upstairs ‘dressing room’ with the band and several other people. I was sharing a spliff and talking with Joe, Mick and (to a lesser extent because I had trouble understanding him) Paul. Joe asked if I played in a band – I told him I didn’t – but that my best friend did. He admonished me to get off the sidelines – to ‘do something – create something’ – and when Joe Strummer tells you to do something…well…you do it. Shortly thereafter I volunteered to join the Untouchables (their drummer, Richard, left for college). A few weeks after that we played our first show. This was probably in the fall of 1980.

 How did you come into contact with the Dischord Records folks? Were you a Wilson HS student as well? Yeah. I went to Wilson (briefly) and knew all the Dischord people before there was a record label (or a Teen Idles). Nathan and I were best friends and he, along with Ian and Jeff, started the label. We all grew up together and have been friends since early days.

 Do you remember the first person you ever met in the DC punk scene? What was your first punk show?

I was there at the outset and knew most-if not all-of the people before there was a scene, per se. I guess the first people I met who weren’t in our group of friends were Xyra and Cathy – they had a punk radio show at WGTB (Georgetown University radio) called Revolt into Style. Nathan and I used to sneak out of our houses and go down for their shows after our parents went to sleep. As for the first concert? Hard to say. I saw so many bands in those early days –one of the first was probably the Ramones in the fall of ’77. I worked at the Atlantis and at the 9:30 club when it first opened up – so I saw almost every show that came through the DC area for many years. Also, I was a smidge older…so coupled with my fake ID I was able to get into places like the Bayou as well.

Youth Brigade (Danny is 2nd from left)

 From what I know you’re a bit older than some of the other DC punks, were you there early enough to go to places like Madam’s Organ and the Hard Art Gallery?  (places I only know about from pictures, usually of the Bad Brains).

Tell me about how/when The Untouchables formed? Was that your first band?

…and please tell us about the origins of Youth Brigade?

I was born in 1961 – so it makes me a about a year older than Ian and Jeff and six months older than Nathan. I never really considered myself older. Now, Boyd and the guys in Black Market Baby were fucking old! Most of em born in the 50’s! J Seriously though – we were all roughly in the same age group – though I think Xyra (who was a bit older) referred to that initial scene (affectionately – not anatomically) as teeny punks or baby punks.  My first band was the Untouchables. As noted above, Richard had split and moved off to college. I was sitting at the Roy Rogers with Eddie, Alec and (I think) Bert as they lamented the loss of their drummer and the prospect of breaking up. I jokingly volunteered to take his place. They immediately said ‘yes’ despite my warnings that I’d never really played the drums. A few weeks later we played our first show. We hung together for almost a year before splitting up. After that was Youth Brigade. Nathan had been the singer of the Teen Idles – but when the band split, it seemed only natural that Nathan and I should start a band together. We’d been best friends for years and had very similar life arcs and musical tastes. We tried out a few guitarists (including Jason of 9353) and one other bassist (Greg) before finally settling on the line-up that most people know with Tom on Guitar and my old friend and former Untouchable mate, Bert on bass.  As for Madam’s Organ or Hard Art? I played at Madam’s Organ – and I was at the infamous Bad Brains show at Hard Art. I can’t remember if I ever played there…but it’s entirely possible. You would have to consult with Bert or Alec or someone whose memory isn’t a shambles.

 Madhouse backstage

Was Madhouse next? They were a bit different right? A darker sound.

I was in a few bands before Madhouse. I played in a band with Dave Byers and Toni Young (from Red C) called Peer Pressure. Tom Berard (scenester) also sang with the band for a while. We recorded a demo up in NY with the bad brains at 171A. We played a handful of shows but, like so many other bands of that era, split up and moved on to other projects.  I also played in a band called Social Suicide – great guys and a fun band (featured Joey A who went on to Holy Rollers). Also short lived – but we did record some songs for a local compilation ‘mixed nuts don’t crack’.  OH – I also briefly tried my hand at singing in a VERY short-lived band called black watch. This featured future members of madhouse (Brad Gladstone on bass and the mega-talented Norman van der Sluys on drums). The less said about this the better. Not because of the band – but because my singing can curdle milk at twenty paces.

I was starting to get a bit antsy with the way the DC scene was evolving – so my then girlfriend (Monica Richards) and I decided to start a band that was more rooted in post punk bands like killing joke, magazine and the monochrome set. That was how madhouse started. But unsurprisingly enough, there was no scene for this band, so we still played mostly punk and hardcore shows – but the direction we tried to take didn’t really sit well with a lot of new, burgeoning scene.  It seems, at least from afar, that you were willing to go in other directions musically (goth, etc.) whereas maybe some of your DC co-horts stuck to the punk rock thing. Would this be accurate? Did you get flack for it?

Yeah – I guess it was a bit gothy. Certainly, that was Monica’s m.o. I’ve always considered myself a punk – no matter what kind of band I played in. But this was definitely the beginning of stretching musical wings. And, yeah, we caught flack for it. But it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. Monica caught the most grief – and that is exactly why we both were getting put off by what the scene was turning into. I’ll just leave it at that. That said – my friends, the ones I’d known from the outset, were all cool. Otherwise I wouldn’t have spent some time drumming for Iron Cross with another life-long friend, Sab.

Strange Boutique (not ready to dine and (dot) dash) 

 Was Strange Boutique next? If so how/when did that band form and what was its history?

Yes – Strange Boutique (a name I copped from the Monochrome Set song/album) was next up. It was still Monica and me – but while Madhouse tried to straddle the punk scene with whatever it was we were trying to do – Strange Boutique basically said ‘fuck it’ and dove headfirst into what was certainly a more goth-punk-pop sound. The Chameleons, Siouxsie, Cure and bands of that ilk were really influencing us a lot and the quality of the band grew exponentially with the addition of Fred Smith and Steve Willett. -- I should pause here to note that I’ve lost a few friends and bandmates along the way – like Toni Young. But two hit particularly hard: Fred Smith – who was a true original. A crazy fucker. Much loved and much missed no matter how much trouble he got me into! And John Stabb – My brother in every sense of the word. Someone I loved until the end and who was a never-ending source of insanity, humor and energy. John and Fred were both unique spirits…and it’s just not the same without them.

Swervedriver- not huffin’ and puffin’ 

radioblue in black and white 

 Pardon my ignorance (I know it was some years) but was there anything between Strange Boutique and Dot Dash?

There were a few bands after Strange Boutique. I played in radioblue who, like strange boutique, were a band on the outside of the dc hardcore scene. They were more 60s-influenced indie pop (byrds, beatles, beach boys, buzzcocks). It led to drumming in a Mark Helm (a singer/guitarist in the band) project called Super 8 and playing on his solo album (on not lame records). I also started a band called King Mixer AGES ago with Steven Engel and James Lee (the bassist and singer/guitarist from radioblue). We still get together to this day, but it’s more like the monthly poker game: play some music, have dinner, hang out and catch up with old friends. We did put out a self-released CD years ago, but Dot Dash came along, and that has monopolized my time for the last seven years. I also played in Swervedriver for about a year, relocating to London for about ten months. It was an amazing experience. Adam Franklin (the singer / song writer) is the greatest musician I’ve ever played with. And as far as I am concerned Adam is in the pantheon of great song-writers of the last 40 years. Glad to still call him and my old swervie bandmates friends. A lifetime of memories crammed into a short period of time! When I moved back to DC from London at the end of 1992 I played in two more bands. The first was the criminally obscure UltraCherry Violet. They were definitely in the mold of swervedriver and some other favorites from that era. The band was Dugan Broadhurst and Dan Marx (who later played in king mixer). We played a handful of shows before I imploded. We got together a year after we split to record some songs for posterity – and those were ultimately released on Bedazzled records (a label I started while in strange boutique – but by now taken over by Steve Willett). There are a few songs on that CD that are among the things I’m most proud of as a musician.  I also played with my old running mates and brothers-in-arms John Stabb and Steve Hansgen (and Rob Frankel) in a band called Emma Peel. THAT was fun! We really clicked together musically – and we recorded a single on our good friend John Lisa’s label Tragic Life. The Avenging Punk Rock Godfathers! This web of connections is what led Steve to joining Dot Dash further down the road.  The last thing I did before Dot Dash was drumming in the legendary local mod band Modest Proposal, with old friends Neal Augenstein and Bill Crandall (who shortly thereafter was part of the original Dot Dash line-up). Steve Hansgen had played with Neal and Bill during an early incarnation – and he and I comprised the rhythm section for and MP reunion show.

Emma Peel (Danny is far right and that is the late, great John Stabb, 2nd from left) 

Do tell us about your current band Dot Dash? I think the records have been terrific. How did you meet Terry and Hunter?

Thanks for the kind words about the DD records. Right now, the band is a three-piece: me on drums, Terry Banks on vocals and guitar and Hunter Bennett on bass. Terry has been in almost as many bands as me – playing in a lot of indie-pop bands like Saturday People, Glo-Worm and Tree Fort Angst. Hunter was a veteran of the Stabb band among others.  I didn’t really know either of them before we started the band…but I knew of them from their previous band Julie Ocean (the band also had Jim Spellman of Velocity Girl on guitar/vocals and Alex Daniels from Swiz on drums). Julie Ocean released a great record on Transit of Venus – and they should have been huge. JO had planned to go on tour with a band called Magnetic Morning (that was my old friend Adam Franklin and Interpol drummer Sam Fogarino’s side-project), but drummer-Alex, bailed on the tour. So, that night at the Rock n Roll Hotel, Terry asked if I wanted to play drums in a new project with him and Hunter. I said yes – after consulting with my wife, Sally – but it actually took another six months or so to get rolling (I had already promised to do the Modest Proposal reunion). As it turned out, Jim was planning on leaving JO as well (taking a job in Colorado) – but when he came back he played briefly in Dot Dash (between Bill and Steve).  Dot Dash has been the most prolific band I’ve ever played with and the longest running active band. We’ve put out six CD’s on the Canadian label, The Beautiful Music. It’s run by an amazing guy – Wally Salem. I’m not sure that we would still be going without his love and support! Truthfully – I also do it for my kids (Noah 12 and Sam 16). I think it’s good to show them that you can do fun and creative things at any age. Sam has really taken it to heart. He’s been playing guitar since he was 10 and is already a better musician than I ever will be! He’s already formed and broken up his first band – and he filled in for Hunter (on bass) at one of our shows…picking up the songs with relative ease and aplomb. 

Almost forgot the Social Suicide pic (Danny’s the UK Subs fan)

What’s next for Dot Dash? Another record in the works? Maybe a tour?  I don’t know about touring. I think we would all love to do it – but because we all have demanding jobs, families and such – it makes it difficult to pick up and run off. That said, if the right opportunity presented itself (like going on a tour with a band we love) I think we would certainly consider it. We’ve been REALLY fortunate to play with some bands that have long been heroes/favorites: the Chameleons, Ash, Hugh Cornwell (of the Stranglers), the Monochrome Set, Stiff Little Fingers, the Dickies, DOA and so on – I think if any of them said ‘let’s do it’ we’d be packing our bags! As for another record? Well – we just released our sixth. And it is definitely the record I’m most proud of. Geoff Sanoff did an amazing job producing it – he also produces the Julie Ocean album – and it’s probably the best batch of songs Terry has written to-date.  We are always cranking out new songs – and already have a few in hand – but I think we want to enjoy the last release, Proto Retro, for a bit. 

Dot Dash with Sam on bass. 

What’s happening in Washington, DC these days musically? Any new bands we need to hear about? The great thing about DC is that it is like the Hydra of Lerna – every time a band breaks up, two new ones start up again! The scene has been regenerating for ages. And there are a lot of great bands still plugging away – The Messthetics with my old friend and Brendan Canty, Miss Lonelyhearts, Foxhall Stacks (with Jim Spellman), Nathan’s band the Delarcos, any band with Chris Moore (an epic drummer) such as the Rememberables or Coke Bust, Anna Connolly’s new project or the new project with Ian, Joe Lally and Amy Farina. Old or young – the scene here is still vibrant and vital.

 Any final thought? Closing comments? Anything you wanted to mention that I didn’t ask?

Obviously, most people know DC for the great music (bad brains, minor threat, fugazi, 9353, government issue, fire party, faith, rites of spring, tommy keene) – but to me, the best thing about it has been the friendships…which for me have been practically life-sustaining. You can’t have a great scene without great people – and to me the people I’ve known along the way simply are the best.

 BONUS QUESTION:  What are your top 10 desert island discs (I know some people don’t like when I ask this questions so I decided to put it as a bonus) Wow. Tough one. My top ten has about ten thousand records in it. So, it really is dependent on my mood at the time. I’ll try to throw it together…but if you ask on another day it might be a different batch. Because I’m old – I’m going to take the liberty of picking a baker’s dozen.  Adam and the Ants – Dirk Wears White Sox (original on Do It records) Art Ensemble of Chicago – Les Stances a Sophie J.S. Bach – Air on the G String Buzzcocks – Spiral Scratch ep (rip Pete Shelley) Chameleons – Script of the Bridge (or Strange Times) Miles Davis – ‘Round About Midnight Al Green – Greatest Hits Kinks – Something Else The La’s – The La’s  Punishment of Luxury – Laughing Academy Red Cross – Posh Boy ep Swervedriver – 99th Dream Zombies – Odyssey and Oracle

 www.dotdashdc.bandcamp.com

www.thebeautifulmusic.com 

(**all photos posted with permission from the Danny Ingram collection- if you took one of these please do let us know so we can credit. Thank you). 

Thank you very much Danny Ingram (from publisher/editor Tim)!

Dot Dash tearin’ down the house. 

[yesyesyoumae]

You’re at a party and the only person you know is Stevie

“I think you’re at the wrong party, 85 and a half”

Tagging→ @yesyesyoumae @streetsmartstevie

Location→ a really weird house party somewhere in NewYork City

Date→ August 25, 2018

Summary→ Based on the Meme Monday prompt Mae received:“You’re at a party and the only person you know is Stevie.”

STEVIE

Stevie wasn’t sure why she was at this party to beginwith. Most of her nights were pretty lowkey, just in case she had to run someearly deliveries. It was nice that she didn’t ever have to worry about workingearly shifts at the shop, but closing up was usually exhausting. Taking a sipfrom her cup, Stevie glanced around the party. A courier friend of hers hadinvited her to this, but she couldn’t find him anywhere. Which was fine by her,she was happy to drink their free booze and listen to their crap music.

MAE

Mae had always been the social butterfly. Sure, shestill had introverted qualities, but for the most part she didn’t mind beingaround people. Mae wasn’t sure whose party this was, or why she was here tobegin with, but a coworker from Gymboree had practically begged her to come tothis party and Mae couldn’t say no. However, she couldn’t find her coworkeranywhere and Mae didn’t know anyone at the party. For someone who begged Mae tocome for the sake of company, she surely lacked it. Mae walked around with adrink in hand, hoping to run into at least one familiar face.Mae suddenly caught sight of pink streaks and a grumpy face she knew well. Maesmiled. While Stevie wasn’t exactly her top choice to hang with, it’d have todo. Besides, they were getting somewhere and Mae was hoping to get Stevie tolike her. Because Mae wanted everyone to like her because why shouldn’t they? Maewaved at Stevie and felt her cheeks turn red when Stevie didn’t wave back. Thegirl hasn’t seen her, but that still didn’t make Mae feel any better knowingsome people caught Mae in this embarrassing act. “Should I leave? I should leave.What if this gets even more embarrassing? People won’t stop staring—shit.” Mae thoughtto herself, smiling tightly at the people around her as she stood around,unsure of what to do as she slowly made her way over to Stevie. “Hi!” Maesmiled. “Funny running into you here! I think you’re at the wrong party, 85 anda half.” Mae joked, chuckling at her lame joke.

STEVIE

Stevie was absorbed in her phone, thumbing throughInstagram as she reluctantly bobbed her head to the beat of the music. Okay,maybe the music wasn’t that bad. But, if they played some annoying pop song,she was outta there. Taking a sip from her cup, she continued to check out thevarious tattoos that some of her idols had done. Squinting at one of thepictures, she zoomed in to get a good look at the back piece one of them haddone. Damn, that was cool. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to get a back piecedone just yet, but this was giving her some ideas. When Stevie heard someonesay hello to her, she glanced up, startled. Her expression of surprise quickly turnedinto bored irritation as she realized that it was Mae, cheerful as always.“Hey, Gymboree. Isn’t it a bit past your bedtime?” She asked, takinganother drink from the red cup in her left hand.

MAE

Mae laughed at Stevie’s response and hummed. “Funny.”Mae nodded. “I’m actually 21 and perfectly of age to be here. Mentally I mightbe seven and three quarters.” Mae said, slyly trying to take a seat next toStevie but quickly realizing she was going to fail in being any kinds of coolwhen she nearly forward after some random guy pushed past her. Mae blushed asshe quickly took a seat next to Stevie and chuckled awkwardly. “You didn’t seethat.” Mae mumbled. “So,” she turned to Stevie. “You don’t seem like the partytype, what brings you here? Could’ve sworn it’s bingo night at the retirementhome.” Mae smiled cheekily.

STEVIE

Twenty-one? Stevie choked on her drink– what? Mae wasolder than her? It wasn’t by much, but still. “You’re 21? You’re beingserious, right?” Stevie asked. Maybe she was joking. She just didn’t seemlike she was older. Watching as some dude bumped into Mae, Stevie glared athim, “Watch it, asshole!” She called after him, but he wandered off,probably too gone to hear her. Which was just sad, the party hadn’t even beengoing for that long. “Nah, I saw it.” She said while Mae settled intothe chair beside her. Raising an eyebrow at her question, Stevie shrugged.“I like parties. I like alcohol and parties have that.” She saidbefore continuing, “But, I’m here cuz one of the other bike couriersinvited me. He’s cool and I actually like hanging out with him. Problem is, hedipped the second we got here cuz the girl he’s got a thing for is here.”Stevie said, choosing to ignore the retirement home jab. “What aboutyou?” Stevie asked over the rim of her cup.

MAE

Mae hummed and nodded. “Yup! Wanna see my ID?” Maeasked excitedly as she reached into her jacket for her wallet. “My abuela saysI have the baby face going. When I’m not wearing make-up I look like a 15 yearold, it’s nice.” Mae shrugged. Mae shook her head. “It’s okay. He probablydidn’t see. I’m tiny, so I’m hard to find.” Mae joked with a laugh as sheturned her body and listened to Stevie talking, taking a sip of her drink andhumming. “A coworker of mine from Gymboree begged me to come to keep hercompany but I don’t know if she ever showed up or she didn’t need me at theend. “Mae shrugged. “I know she came here for a guy she’s into—might’ve beenyour guy.” Mae chuckled. “That would be so cute. Kindaromantic, if ya ask me.” Mae shrugged, sitting cross legged on the chair. Maechewed on her lip for a few seconds before humming. “I like your shirt. It’scute.” Mae smiled softly.

STEVIE

Stevie shook her head, “I believe you, I guess.You don’t need to prove it to me.” She said, waving away Mae. Laughing ather comment, Stevie nodded, “I can actually relate to that one, Gymboree.I pretty much have to wear make up all the time or people don’t take meseriously. And hey, if you’re tiny, what the hell am I? You’re not that muchshorter then me.” She said, a bit peeved. She’d always been one of theshortest people around and it kinda sucked sometimes. Mostly because she had todeal with people thinking she was weak and stuff, just because she was a shortgirl. Listening to Mae’s story, Stevie let out a snort. “That’s somethingout of a rom com. That stuff doesn’t happen in real life. And, knowing myfriend, he’s just looking for a hook up.” She said. At Mae’s compliment,Stevie glanced down at her plain black t-shirt. “Uh… thanks. Walmartspecial.” She said, with a wry grin.

MAE

Mae stuck out her tongue playfully and laughed. “Whatabout you? 21 too? Or are you feeling 22?” Mae joked, singing the “22” likeTaylor Swift’s catchy tune. Mae shrugged. “Point is you’re taller and see theworld from a taller place than me.” Mae chuckled. “I like the name a lot, bythe way—Gymboree.” Mae smiled softly. Mae pouted. “Hey, you never know! I liketo think that life can be like a cheesy rom-com if we try hard enough!” Maedefended. “You can find love too even at 85 and a half.” Mae teased with asmirk. Mae blushed at Stevie’s response to her compliment and chuckled.“Walmart has so many deals, huh? I’m more of a Target girl myself.” Maemumbled. Mae felt a little intimidated by Stevie. Stevie was definitelyinfinitely cooler than her and Mae was just…Mae. “It’s still a cute shirt.”Mae said softly.

STEVIE

Stevie shook her head, “Nope, not saying.”She said, not willing to admit that she was younger than her. At least she hadthe advantage of being, what.. half an inch taller? What a privilege. Watchingthe people around them, Stevie snorted as she watched some guy get totallyblown off by a girl. He was shooting way out of his league, what did he expect?Glancing over at Mae, she frowned. “Well, guess I’ve gotta come up with adifferent name. What’s the point of a scathing nickname if you like it.”She said. Stevie leaned back in her chair, folding one leg over the other asshe relaxed. “Nah, I’m good. I’m just,” She paused, sniffing fordramatic effect, “not the same ever since The War.” Stevie laughed.Stevie watched the way Mae mumbled– she was pretty clearly embarrassed. Didthat make Stevie feel bad? No. Okay, well, maybe just a little. “Thanks.Your shirt is pretty cool too.” Stevie said, gesturing to Mae’s top.“It, uh, looks nice on you.”

MAE

Mae pouted. “Why not? Share! I won’t judge.” Maeassured with a smile. Mae shook her head. “No, we’re keeping it! Gymboree istoo great to get rid of.” Mae told her. It matched my identity completely.” Maenodded. “It’s here to stay.” Mae watched Stevie before bursting into a fit ofgiggles at Stevie’s response. Mae laughed way more than she should’ve, but itwas just too funny. “Speaking of the war was Captain Crunch your general orsomething? I always imagine Captain Crunch in this scenario.” Mae said with agrin. Some things Mae said sometimes made absolutely zero sense, but that wasMae in a nutshell: she made no sense. Mae blushed at the compliment, lookingdown at her top. “I like crop tops during the summer.” Mae hummed as she lookedaround and scrunched up her nose at a group of guys being obnoxious androughhousing with one another. This was definitely not Mae’s scene. Mae lookedover at Stevie. “I looked around the house already and they have an old, smallplayground in the backyard. That’s the coolest part of the house, honestly.”Mae told Stevie. “Wanna see?” She asked excitedly.

STEVIE

“Nah, I’m good. You’re just going to have to livewith the mystery.” Stevie replied easily. Mae’s banter, while a bit hardto follow, was funny at the very least. A small smile quirked against her lipsas Mae erupted into laughter. It wasn’t that funny, but at least Mae thought itwas. “Nope, he was in charge of the other division. I served under CaptainKangaroo. War was hell, but at least we were hoppy.” Stevie joked, amusedby the dumb pun. Stevie nodded– she hadn’t been lying that Mae looked good inthe shirt. She looked really good. Looking away, she finished off the last ofher drink and set the cup down on the empty chair to her other side.“They’ve got a playground here? That’s weird.” Stevie said, butshrugged. Standing up, she dusted off her jeans and nodded. “Let me get adrink first, but yeah. I’m down.”

MAE

Mae frowned. “That’s the worst thing I’ve ever beentold in my entire life.” Mae said dramatically, looking down and realizing shewas sitting cross legged while wearing a skirt and blushed as she stretched outher legs. “Whoops.” Mae laughed, shaking her head. Mae continued giggling atStevie’s ongoing joke and hummed. “Hoppy.” Mae giggled again. “You’re funny.”She told Stevie. “What about the division? I hope you had a good one. Who wasyour right hand person?” Mae asked, tilting her head with an amused smile. “Ihope you had Donald Duck in it. He matches you.” She teased. “Plus he wears asailor outfit so he had to be part of the war effort.” Mae pointed out. Maenodded. “It’s a weird house. They got a room of cabbage patch dolls too. Kindacreepy.” Mae scrunched up her nose before grinning when Stevie agreed andnodded. “I need a drink too.” Mae said softly as she stood up and fixed herskirt. Due to her large assets Mae usually had to fix her skirt since it rodeup so easily.

STEVIE

Taking a look down at Mae, Stevie quickly averted hereyes, suddenly very aware of Mae’s legs. She’d been raised not to stare atpeople, particularly when there was that much skin showing. She gesturedtowards the kitchen and continued speaking as they threaded their way throughthe other people who were in various stages of drunkenness. “I served onthe front line with Rin Tin Tin. Great guy, excellent nose.” She noddedseriously as she examined the bottles set out on the counter. Looking up, shenoticed a few girls bickering loudly in the hallway– that was going to endpoorly, she knew it. Nope, she didn’t want to have to make a return trip here.“Why do you say I’m like Donald Duck? I don’t have a speech impediment.”She said while she mulled over whether or not she should be polite or anasshole. Eh, she’d been polite enough. Grabbing the half full bottle of honeywhiskey and some cups, Stevie waited for Mae to fix herself a drink before shetilted her head towards the door to the backyard. “Cabbage patch kids?What the fuck even is this party?” She asked, confused. “This placeis weird as hell. I really wouldn’t be surprised if we were in some weirdalternate dimension or something.”

MAE

Mae followed Stevie, pushing her way through severaldrunken individuals. After a particular push, Mae reached out and clutched ontoStevie’s hand as they reached the kitchen. “Sorry.” Mae blushed. “I was beingcrowded.” Mae chuckled, still not having let go of Stevie’s hand beforereleasing it suddenly and blushing as she rubbed the back of her neck. Maehummed. “I bet he received plenty of medals and treats.” Mae smiled as shechuckled. “He’s grumpy like you. Always ready to argue and fight. It’s whatmade you a great soldier, Stevie.” Mae teased as she fixed herself a quickvodka mixed with lemonade—she worked with what she had. Mae followed Stevie outto the backyard, letting out a sigh of relief when the environment grewsignificantly quieter. Mae took a sip of her drink as she walked over to thesmall swing set and sat down on the tiny slide. “It’s a party I’m never comingback to.” Mae joked with a laugh.

STEVIE

Stevie was startled when Mae grabbed her hand andresisted the urge to pull away from the other girl. She didn’t really likepeople holding onto her, particularly when she didn’t know them. Luckily, Maelet go on her own. “It’s fine.” Stevie said with an indifferentshrug. The party was weird and crazy, so she couldn’t blame Mae for not wantingto get lost. “I’m not always ready to–” Realizing that she was doingjust what Mae was saying, she shut her mouth, fuming a little bit at beingplayed. She wasn’t that argumentative. She just liked playing devil’s advocate topeople’s dumb ideas. “I’m not grumpy.” Stevie amended her statementbefore taking a sip of honey whiskey straight from the bottle. “Yeah, I’mright there with you.” Stevie said as she tentatively tested the swingbefore sitting down. “How the hell did our friends even hear about thisplace?”

MAE

Mae smirked and took a sip of her drink when she sawStevie make her point. Mae shrugged. “I have no idea. I don’t go to a lot ofparties, honestly. But this only makes me want to go to them less.” Maechuckled as she took another sip of her drink. “Maybe our friends might besoulmates if they like these kind of weird parties.” Mae smiled. “Guess this isa rom-com after all, huh?” She smirked, tilting her head. Mae stared at Steviefor a few moments, taking in the girl in front of her. Stevie was definitely abeautiful girl, no doubt. Mae’s stare lingered longer than it should’ve and Maeblushed as she looked away and shifted her attention to the loose threadhanging on her skirt. “I saw a little of your tattoo on your shoulder.” Maenodded to Stevie’s shoulder. “What is it?” She asked, her eyes shifting back toStevie.

STEVIE

Stevie was a bit surprised by Mae’s answer– Maeseemed like the type who would like parties. Who knew. “Really? Why’sthat? Don’t like dancing and people getting all rowdy?” She asked, a wrysmile on her face as she took another pull from the bottle, enjoying thepleasant feeling of the alcohol that washed over her. “Nope, they’re notsoul mates and this is not a rom com.” She shook her head. Just thethought of it made her want to laugh. That sorta shit didn’t happen in reallife. And even if it did, it was stuff that happened to other people. At Mae’scomment, Stevie frowned and looked over at her. “It’s a couple of roses.No color, just black and white with shading.”

MAE

Mae shook her head. “No, I love dancing. It’sthe only reason I’ll even agree to go to a party.” Mae smiled. “But it’s onlyfun when I’m with people I know. Plus, I can think of so many other things todo than partying.” Mae nodded. Mae shrugged. “You never know. Sometimes the mostunexpected people wind up being your soulmates.” Mae told her. Mae wasdefinitely a hopeless romantic and firmly believed that somewhere out there wasthe love of her life just waiting for her to come and shake up her world. Maeleaned closer. “Can I see?” Mae asked with a soft smile.

STEVIE

Stevie nodded. That much made sense. Mae wasdefinitely the upbeat type so go figure that she enjoyed dancing. “Fairenough. What other things are better options than going to a party?”Stevie asked. She could already come up with a few ideas on her own; sitting athome playing video games, teasing the cat, going to a dive bar or a pool hall,exploring the city at night. Fun stuff like that. “Gross. You actuallybelieve in that kinda soulmate stuff?” She said, crinkling her nose at thethought of it. Soulmates were for people too interested in the idea of being inlove. Blinking in surprise at Mae’s request, Stevie shrugged. Because of it’ssize, there was no real easy way to tug down the collar of her shirt, so shesettled for pulling her t-shirt over her head. Twisting a bit so Mae could seeit, Stevie spoke up, “It took about four and a half hours for my friend todo.”

MAE

Mae hummed as she took a sip of her drink and thoughtfor a few moments. “Writing a song or two, playing with Duck, going outdancing, used bookstores, and the beach is definitely the best one. I love thebeach.” Mae smiled as she chuckled when Stevie scrunched up her nose. “Well yougotta believe in something, and I rather believe in something beautiful.” Maeshrugged. “I take it you’re not a believer of that kinda stuff?” Mae asked.Mae’s eyes widened when Stevie took off her t shirt and felt her cheeks heatup. “O-oh. Cool.” Mae laughed awkwardly, trying hard not to stare as much asshe wanted to. Mae cleared her throat as she stood up to get a better look atit. “I like it.” Mae said softly. Mae stayed quiet for a few seconds. “I likeroses.” Mae hummed. “Can I… touch it?” Mae asked, blushing at the request.Mae didn’t mean anything by it, but she was just curious about what it felt totouch a tattoo.

STEVIE

“Bookstores, huh? Wouldn’t have pegged you as abookworm.” Stevie said. She didn’t particularly like books much herself.After struggling through high school, she only associated reading with schooland that was something she just didn’t want to subject herself to.“Nope.” She replied, popping the P for emphasis. Believing in stufflike that was dangerous; it only set you up for disappointment in the future.Nodding at Mae’s comment, Stevie spoke up, “Yeah. I like flowers. Naturein general, but flowers are pretty.” She said. Glancing back at Mae,Stevie let out a long suffering sigh. “Sure, why not.”

MAE

“I’m all sorts of intellectual.” Mae winked beforegiggling. “My abuela was always short on money so she took me to the library asa way to make me feel like I was getting something so it just kinda stuck.” Maeshrugged. Mae pouted. “I’ll believe for you.” Mae told her. “I have enoughfaith for the both of us.” Mae smiled. Mae nodded. “Flowers are gorgeous.” Maeagreed. “I don’t know if I’m the nature type, though. I grew up in New York mywhole life. Not a lot of room for experiencing nature.” Mae chuckled. Maechewed on her lip. “Okay, grumpy.” Mae teased before tracing the outer part ofthe tattoo with her finger. “It’s beautiful. I’ve always wanted to get atattoo.” Mae mumbled. “Something pretty like this.”

STEVIE

“Uh huh. I don’t doubt that.” Listening toMae talk about her grandma taking her to the library, Stevie could relate.Money had always been short in the Evans household, so they had to make theirown entertainment. But, instead of books, Stevie had always preferred runningaround outside, getting into trouble. Just doing something.“Whatever.” Stevie said dismissively. She didn’t really need Mae’sbelief and neither did the world. Life wasn’t some kind of fairytale andbelieving that it was wouldn’t change anything. “Makes sense. I’m fromNashville and there was a lot of country around us.” She said. Squirmingat Mae’s touch, Stevie shifted away and pulled her shirt back on. “Ohyeah? What would you want to get?” She asked, always interested in hearingwhat people wanted to get

MAE

Mae nodded. “I don’t read as much as I use to. I reada bunch of picture books, though.” Mae chuckled. “I’m practically an expert.”Mae flipped her hair before laughing. Mae looked over at Stevie. “Who hurtyou?” Mae asked with a teasing smile. “Don’t be such a downer.” Mae moved herhand away and blushed when Stevie shifted away. Mae settled back down on theslide and thought for a seconds. “Okay, well, I’m Cuban. I grew up with myCuban grandmother and so that’s all I know. There’s a flower in Cuba that wecall ‘mariposa.’ It means butterfly. It’s the national flower and I’d get it asan homage to my grandma and where I come from. I’d get it somewhere like myribs if I was brave.” Mae shared with a soft smile.

STEVIE

“Of course you do.” Stevie laughed, shakingher head. Kids. Gross. Mae must be some kind of saint or a psycho if she couldactually handle being around sticky little toddlers all the time. Stevie barelyliked teenagers and she’d only recently grown out of being one. “I’m not adowner. I’m a realist.” She said as she cuffed the sleeves of her t-shirtso they lay tight against her biceps. She needed to do more arm workouts if shewanted to get that sleeve any time soon… Nodding, Stevie replied, “Iknow what a mariposa is. A dude at the shop I work out, he draws those a lot.But uh… hope you know what you’re getting into. If you’re a tattoo virgin,the ribs is a ballsy place to get tattooed for the first time.” She said,grimacing a bit. She’d seen plenty of people bitch out because of the pain.

MAE

Mae nodded. “And absolutely no one can compete with myrendition of ‘twinkle twinkle little star.’” Mae giggled. “Oh and don’t eventry to attempt to sing ‘itsy bitsy spider,’ I have the lyrics and handchoreography down to a ‘T’.” Mae shared with a proud smile. Mae loved beingaround kids. They were easier to be around than people her age. All they wantedwere simple things in life. As you got older, things weren’t as simple anymoreand adults demanded much out of each other. Mae took a sip of her drink. “Ithink love is a realistic concept. Even living some cheesy rom-com scenes inreal life. You just have to find the right person.” Mae argued. Mae flinched atthe thought of getting the tattoo on her ribs. “I know. That’s why I said if Iwas brave.” Mae chuckled. “I would also get a cute little tattoo on my anklelike a heart or a cute daisy. Maybe an ocean wave. I really do love the beachand there’s a love quote I really like that talks about the ocean.” Mae musedwith a soft smile. “I can see you’re so judging me.”Mae took a sip of her drink.

STEVIE

Stevie raised her hands, not wanting to provoke Maeinto singing anything. “Nope, I’ll trust you on that one. Don’t need toprove it to me.” She said before taking another drink from the bottle.Capping it before she drank more than she should, she set it down on the groundnext to her. Stevie knew her limits and if she wanted to be good to bike home,she needed to cut herself off now. “Sure, love might be a realisticconcept. But, the rom com kind of love isn’t real. It’s just some kind of…easily digestible version of love. Like, what happens to those folks after thebutterflies are gone?” She replied. At Mae’s other ideas for a tattoo,Stevie shook her head. “Hold on now, I’m not judging you. I don’t judgepeople for what they get. Usually. But, look,” Pushing her hair up andaway from her ear, she showed Mae the olive branch behind her ear, “Behindthe ear tattoos are about as basic as they come, so I’m not judging you foryour heart tattoo.” She let her hair fall back down, running her fingersthrough the tangled locks a few times. “Besides, it’s not as bad as allthe dudes who get barbed wire around their biceps.”

MAE

Mae laughed. “Were your kindergarten days not as greatas they could’ve been?” Mae teased with a pout. Mae finished her drink andlistened to Stevie’s argument. “If it’s real love, the butterflies won’t everstop. I don’t know, I think people get into a certain part of theirrelationship where they get too comfortable and don’t even try to maintain thesparks. So rom-com love is definitely possible if you make an effort to giveyour partner the feeling like they’re in one.” Mae retorted. Mae turned to lookat the tattoo and smiled. “Awww it’s cute!” Mae exclaimed. “I like it.” Maehummed before doing a dramatic sigh. “Wow guess I’ll have to hide my barbedwire tattoo. Have you seen these bad boys?” Mae took off her jacket and flexedher arms. “I think they need two barbed wires.Make it a metaphor. My arms are high security prisons. They’re hard to escape.”Mae threw a punch into the air before laughing.

STEVIE

“No, they were fine, I think. I don’t reallyremember kindergarten. Does anyone?” She asked, hoping that most peopledidn’t have those memories. It’d be just like her to be one of the dumb littlekids who didn’t remember when they were five. Seeing that Mae had finished herdrink, Stevie leaned back and held up the bottle of honey whiskey, “Youwant any of this?” She shook the bottle, letting what little was leftsplash around the sides of the glass. “Sure, whatever you say.”Stevie said, not wanting to argue with Mae on this. It didn’t really matter,Stevie was happy with being single. It was nice and neat that way, not havingto worry about what someone else wanted. “Thanks.” She said beforequirking an eyebrow at Mae’s antics. Unimpressed, she tilted her head.“Barbed wire tattoos are already a metaphor. Like, they’re a pretty strongsymbol for Jesus. You’re not some born again Christian, are you?”

MAE

Mae shrugged. “My abuela said I cried my first day.”Mae chuckled. “Did you? Or were you always a toughie?” Mae teased. Mae lookedat the bottle for a few seconds. She hadn’t had much to drink and she wasplanning on taking an Uber back home. Mae reached out and took the bottle.“Thanks.” Mae said as she opened it and took a sip of it. “There’s nothing likethe satisfaction of legally consuming a drink. I know I won’t get in trouble.Which is good.” Mae chuckled. “Unless I streak—which I won’t. I’m not drunkenough.” She laughed. Mae hummed. “Agree ti disagree?” Mae looked at Stevie.“Or tired of this debate? Because…I was right?” Mae smirked. Mae giggled atStevie’s unimpressed look. Inside, she was feeling a little upset that shecouldn’t seem to get Stevie to like her, but she’d keep trying anyway. “I wasactually raised Catholic. And my metaphor is way better. I don’t think Jesusdigs the edginess of the tattoo.” Mae chuckled.

STEVIE

Stevie shifted on the swing. “I dunno. My folksjust dropped me off, no real fanfare around it. Actually, Sam might have walkedme to school. Like I said, I don’t remember much as a little kid.” Shereplied. Nodding as Mae talked about legal drinking, Stevie just kept quiet.“None of the above. You obviously have your thoughts, I have mine, andneither of us are changing our minds.” Stevie looked at Mae and shook herhead, “Fair enough, I guess. Don’t trust me, the one training to be atattoo artist.”

MAE

Mae hummed. “I’m an only child, so I only had myabuela.” Mae shrugged. Mae shrugged. “Fair enough I guess.” Mae mumbled beforechuckling. “I think you’ll make a great tattoo artist.” Mae said. “Maybe youcan do my first tattoo.” Mae offered. “I don’t know when I’ll do it, but whenthat time comes, you can put those skills to work.” Mae chuckled as she drank alittle more from the bottle. “I hope I don’t have a hangover tomorrow. Thelittle munchkins won’t be very kind to it.” Mae laughed as she leaned back alittle.

STEVIE

“Gotcha.” A part of Stevie was curious as towhy Mae didn’t mention a mom or a dad, but she figured it was best not to pry.She didn’t like It when people poked their noses into her family life and, whenboth of her sisters were practically living in the same neighborhood… it washard to avoid. Leaning back in the swing. Stevie looked up at the hazy New Yorknight sky. She couldn’t see a single star, just some planes. Gross. At Mae’swords about tattoo, Stevie slipped out of the swing, landing hard on her ass.“No, no, no, no. I’ve had enough people ask me to do that. I’m nottattooing you. Particularly not if it’s your first one.” Stevie said asshe scrambled back to her feet. Dusting grass from her pants, Stevie glancedover at her. “Jesus, why would you go party if you knew that you wereworking with gremlins in the morning? That sounds awful.” She said, notrealizing how rude her tone was.

MAE

Mae looked at Stevie and raised an eyebrow before nodding,putting on a soft smile despite the comment hurting her feelings a little.“You’re right. I should probably…go. Now. Yeah.” Mae nodded as she stood up,dusting off her skirt and clearing her throat. Mae didn’t know if her presenceor not was wanted by Stevie, but she didn’t want to stick around to annoy her.She’d find a way to get Stevie to like her—somehow. “Cool seeing youand…uh…cool party.” Mae nodded.

STEVIE

Stevie watched as Mae stood up. Rubbing the back ofher neck, she shook her head. Ah shit. She’d fucked things up, hadn’t she? Footmeet mouth, that was something that she really needed to get into her head. “Yeah…see you around sometime?” She asked. Stevie wasn’t sure why it botheredher to see Mae go like this, but it did. Stevie didn’t want her to feel likeshe didn’t like her or anything.

MAE

Mae smiled and nodded. “Yeah, maybe I’ll see youaround.” Mae said softly before getting on her phone and ordering an Uber. “I’mgonna—yeah.” Mae gestured to her leaving before walking away to the front ofthe house while contemplating what it was about her that made her so unlikeableto Stevie and what Mae could do to fix that problem.

[dablesretrospective]

2009 - DAN - Magic Mountain

The next release I put out on Slackerpop Records was in the early Fall of 2009: my new lo-fi psychedelic punk band DAN’s first album “Magic Mountain”.

The impetus for this was I had recently got kicked out of my cousin’s house after a major argument and asked to never come back. So I did the logical thing: moved back in with my parents out in Fountain Inn which sucked. Living with my parents pretty much killed my ability to record anything because they wouldn’t put up with the loudness for too long, so I started spending a lot of time at my buddy Sid’s house, hanging out in the basement of his parent’s house, where we could be loud most of the time so I started jamming with him and his roommate Clayton. They were two unemployed stoners, living rent free, so it was perfect for me to come over pretty much anytime I wanted and smoke up and play music. “The Basement” was a stinky, cat-infested, no air conditioning, hippie dungeon. At least 50 different people came through that place and got fucked up and jammed with us during the 2 years that they lived there in whence we recorded 3 full DAN albums. The original idea was that each song should be short, maybe one or two riffs, and be over before the listener can realize that we suck. DAN was our excuse to get high or drunk as hell and try to make each other laugh. The quality of the recordings wasn’t so important as the desire to just play music and joke around trumped it. So from July-Aug 2009 we had cranked out 25 tracks of hippie punk madness. The most amazing one to me is the last one “Television Rots The Mind Yet Again”, in which all we did was hold a mic up to the tv and flipped the channels and the result was amazing. The cover art is from a real shampoo magazine ad I saw online. It is meant as a parody of sexist bands who put naked women on their album covers, as a shallow way to try to sell more copies. We thought what's more sexist, shallow, and stupid than putting JUST the boobs on the cover? Don't show her face, or anything else at all, just the tits...that way, it's guaranteed to sell! When we released the album on myspace in Fall 2009, the following is what we wrote for DAN’s biography.

DAN is three stoned guys armed with a Tascam 8 track, a drum machine, and a few guitars and microphones who strive for the most obnoxious sound they could possibly make. It's dirty punk rock with all the fat cut out. If you don't get it, then go fuck yourself. Let me clear some shit up right now, DAN is not anyone in the band's name. We are named after John Goodman's greatest role of all-time, Dan Connors from Rosanne.

It all started mid 2009 when a local freaky musician known as Dables got together with the punk/funk/lofi psychedelia weirdness of The Albino Porch Monkeys and over many bong hits and beer cans, potato chips, and camaraderie, the three guys: David Walker, Sid Id, and Clayton Marx decided to form a new band.

This brings us to the two DAN mission statements:

1.) We aims to piss you off. We want you howling at the sky in anger and turmoil after listening to DAN. We want to upset the rest of your day with horribly catchy racket that you can't get out of your head no matter how hard you try. We want your ears to bleed and we play LOUD AS FUCK.

2.) We aims to write whatever the hell we want. If we want our songs to be 6 seconds long, then by god we will write a 6 second song about titfucking. We heed to no religion, sex, orientation, race, or culture. We hate them all and we think those who don't laugh at themselves sometimes are assholes! We will never be censored for any reason, despite those who may think so. They can suck it! We will write whatever kind of genre we will feel like, we will fart in microphones and call it music if we see the need to do so, which is a good idea and we should put fart songs on the third album.

———————

Released September 5, 2009

Part 1 of "The Basement Trilogy" Recorded in Simpsonville, SC in Sid's Basement in the Summer of 2009         All music written and performed by DAN All tracks recorded and mixed by David Walker

David Walker - guitar, vocals, drum machine Clayton Marks - bass, vocals Sid Id - lead vocals, keyboards Our buddies who helped on “Magic Mountain”: Jeremy-we used his expensive 7 string guitar on Tracks 7 & 8 Adam,Zach,Justin,Shelby-made vocal noise on Track 16 Keller-inspiration for the bands featured in Track 23

1.Quantity Over Quality 2.Waffle House 3.God, Jews, and You 4.Adam Sandler is A Punk Bitch 5.All We Did Was Cry 6.The Duke of Huffing Paint 7.Soda Came Out My Nose 8.I Love God 9.Gay Balls 10.Track 10 (This is) 11.All My Heroes Overdosed on Drugs 12.The Naked Ugly Truth 13.Pittsburgh Massacre 14.Token Reggae Song 15.Puck Feter Frampton 16.Zach’s a Bitch 17.You Put Me on The Spot 18.Never Goin’ Outside Again 19.Playing With A Bag of Weed in My Pocket 20.Les Go Get Hi 21.Stuff and Things About Items 22.Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide 23.The Following Bands Suck 24.Tree Squirrel 25.Television Rots The Mind Yet Again

Music videos for this album can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/user/theboognish

Download this album for free at: https://danband.bandcamp.com/album/magic-mountain