#it's a fun program for him it's a fun program for me the moose is there that's all that matters

[raininyourblackeyes]

Everyone should have done what I did when Ilia's program was over: went to eat cream pumpkin soup

[nhlclover]

𝐉𝐔𝐌𝐏 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋 | 𝐆𝐀𝐁𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐔𝐋𝐓

summary: now that gabe's back in town, new feelings arise potentially changing the relationship between the two of you.

warnings: pure fluff

word count: 2.05k

Summertime was your favorite. It involved days on the lake, hours spent in the sun, and evenings around a bonfire with friends. Most importantly, it meant that Gabe came back to town.

Throughout your life, Gabe spent his winters travelling throughout the States, playing hockey in Michigan at the program and now at Boston College. But during the summers, he was yours to cherish.

Gabe had been your friend for as long as you could remember. He was a constant in your ever-changing world. He was the one who would challenge you to races when you were young and let you win (a secret you always knew even though he professed you beat him fair and square). He was also the one who knew all your secrets and dreams, he could practically read your mind. Summer was the season when the two of you could pick up right where you left off as if no time had passed at all.

This summer felt different, however. It felt as if something had shifted. You couldn't pinpoint when your feelings had changed, but now, every moment with him felt charged with new emotions. The realization had been both exhilarating and terrifying. Nerves ran through you as you wondered if he didn’t feel the same way. Yet, the possibility that he might filled you with a nervous kind of hope.

Despite getting in late the night before, Gabe didn’t waste any time checking in with you. It was a perfect summer morning, with not a single dark cloud in sight and the slightest breeze that made sure you didn’t feel like you were actively melting when you stepped outside. You lay in bed, still in your pajamas, your phone pressed to your ear. Gabe’s familiar voice came through the speaker, butterflies fluttering in your stomach as he spoke.

“Listen, I’ve been craving some ice cream so how about we hit the ice cream shop in town?” he suggested, his voice warm and full of energy.

"That sounds great," you replied, trying to keep your excitement in check. Just hearing his voice made you smile uncontrollably. "What time should we meet?"

“How about noon?” Gabe asked. “You’re no doubt still in bed.”

“It’s the summer, you can’t expect me to be up at six in the morning,” you argued. Gabe chuckled, his laughter sending the butterflies into flight again. “Noon sounds good, I’ll see you then.”

“Perfect, see ya soon,” Gabe replied, hanging up the phone.

As you put the phone down, you couldn't help but lie back and replay the conversation in your head, savoring the sound of his laugh and the way he said your name.

Arriving at the ice cream shop a little past noon, your heart raced with anticipation. The place hadn’t changed much; it still had the same checkered floors and light pink walls, exuding a nostalgic charm. The bell above the door jingled as you entered, its sound a comforting reminder of countless summer days spent here. Standing by the counter was Gabe. He spotted you immediately, his face lighting up with a bright smile that made your heart skip a beat.

"Hey, you," he greeted, pulling you into a hug. “How’re you?”

“‘M good, how’re you?” you ask.

“Better now that I’m here,” Gabe replied. You knew that he meant Sherbrooke, but part of you couldn’t help but wonder if he also meant back with you.

“What flavor are you feeling today?” Gabe asked.

“Mmmm… I’m thinking French vanilla,” you said.

“Oh come on, pick a fun flavor,” Gabe said, poking your side.

You squirmed away, a small giggle escaping. “Fine, fine. I’ll try moose tracks.”

“That’s better.” Gabe smiled.

“What’re you getting?” you asked.

“C’mon… you know me,” Gabe said.

You rolled your eyes, knowing Gabe was ordering strawberry ice cream as always. As you got your ice cream, you picked a table by the window to sit and catch up. As Gabe talked about his experiences in the States, you found yourself mesmerized by his animated expressions and the way his eyes lit up. You were content just watching him, soaking in the sound of his voice and the comfort of his presence.

You listened as he told you about his new teammates, specifically about his goalie Jacob who he swears you’d get along really well with, the different parties he’d gone to, and all the away arenas he’d loved to play in. You caught him up on the hometown drama he’d missed, as well as how your individual university experience had been.

“So, any new guys in your life I should know about?” Gabe asked, leaning back in his chair.

You chuckled softly, knowing that Gabe was the only boy who’d caught your eye the entire year. You shook your head. "Not really. What about you?"

Gabe looked at you for a moment. “There's someone, but I don’t think she knows how I feel.”

You raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Why haven’t you told her?”

He shrugged, a playful smile tugging at his lips. "Maybe I'm just waiting for the right moment to tell her."

You felt your heart skip a beat, wondering if there was a hidden meaning behind his words. “Well, don't wait too long. You might miss your chance.”

Gabe's eyes met yours, and for a brief second, it felt like time stood still. “I won't,” he said softly, his gaze never leaving yours.

Your breath catches in your throat as you consider his words. You almost feel taunted by the vagueness of his answers, which are just enough so to give you a flicker of hope that they might apply to you.

“I've missed this, you know. Just hanging out, talking about anything and everything.” Gabe admits softly.

“Me too,” you agree.

Silence washes over you, the afternoon sun beaming in through the window beside you. The sunlight catches strands of his light brown hair, giving them a shimmering effect.

“Let's go somewhere,” Gabe says.

You chuckle, amused by the brunette's inability to sit still for a moment. He stands up, stretching his arms above his head, and throws away your now-empty ice cream cups. “Where?”

Gabe shrugs, a playful glint in his eye as he thinks for a minute. “Mini-golf?”

A flood of memories rushes back as you realize he’s talking about the old mini-golf course in town, the one you’d visited countless times during your childhood.

You nod in agreement, and soon you’re both on your way. The walk is filled with the kind of easy conversation that flows naturally between the two of you, mixed with nostalgic anecdotes and shared memories. When you arrive, the mini-golf course looks almost exactly as you remember it, though a little more worn down by the passage of time. The once vibrant greens are now faded, and the paint on the whimsical obstacles is chipped and peeling.

As you pay and step onto the course, a familiar sense of excitement washes over you. The course might be in disrepair, but the fun and competition it promises are as alive as ever. Gabe grabs a putter and a bright orange ball, handing you a bright pink one, the combination mirroring the one you’d always chosen through childhood.

You began, and with each hole, you fell into a comfortable rhythm of teasing and playful banter. You’d tease Gabe whenever he missed a shot, while he feigned outrage whenever you got a lucky shot. Every laugh and taunt feels like a step back in time, yet with an undercurrent of something new.

Every brush of fingertips when he’d collect your ball for you, or shared look when one of you made a particularly good or bad shot, carries a weight that wasn’t there before. The lighthearted jabs and teasing comments are laced with a tension that neither of you acknowledges out loud. It’s in the way Gabe’s eyes linger on you a moment too long, and in the way your heart skips a beat every time he smiles at you.

You’re used to Gabe kicking your ass when you played, but you’re surprised to find yourself tied in shots as you approach the final hole. It takes Gabe two shots, and he flashes you a cocky and triumphant grin not believing you could get it in less than him.

You line up your shot, but your mind is more on the boy standing beside you than the game itself. You watch it roll and hit off obstacles haphazardly before rolling softly towards the hole and dropping in. Gabe is next to you in an instant, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you into a celebratory hug. You feel your feet lift off the ground as he cheers for you. When you’re finally back on the ground and Gabe pulls back, you notice his eyes searching yours as if he’s looking for something, though you can’t name it. For a moment, it feels like he might say something more, but then he just smiles and drops his arm from your waist.

“Congrats to the new golf champion.” he smiles softly.

You curtsy, allowing Gabe to take the clubs back to the front desk. From the mini golf course, you wandered down the main street, exploring quaint shops and reminiscing about old times. You found yourself leaning closer to him, your arms occasionally brushing against each other. The simple act of being near him made your heart race.

As evening approached, you decided to have dinner at a cozy little restaurant on the edge of town. You chose a table on the patio, where they could watch the sunset. The conversation continued over dinner, not running out of topics to talk about. The undercurrent of tension was there, but it was comforting, like something inevitable yet right.

After dinner, you walked to the nearby park. The sky was now a tapestry of stars, and the air was cool and refreshing. You found a bench and sat down, Gabe draping his arm around your shoulders in a gesture that felt both protective and intimate.

You leaned into him, goosebumps painting the exposed skin on your arms and legs. The comfortable silence was broken only by the chirping of the crickets and the rustling of the leaves from the breeze. It felt like a perfect summer night as a sense of calmness enveloped you as you sat with Gabe.

Gabe shifted slightly, his fingers tracing soft shapes on your bare shoulder. “You know,” Gabe said, breaking the silence with his soft tone. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately.”

You turned to look at him, your heart beginning to pick up its beat. “Oh? About what?”

He took a deep breath, his eyes locking onto yours. “About us. About how much I've missed being around you, how much I miss this.” He gestured between the two of you, his expression earnest. “You're not just my best friend. You're…”

Gabe’s voice trailed off, but you recognized the weight of his words. “Gabe I-” you started, but he interrupted you.

“Let me finish, please,” he said softly. “I… I haven’t said anything till now because I was afraid of ruining what we had. But not saying anything is killing me. I spent the last year in Boston thinking about you all the time and I realized that I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

You felt your lips curve into an uncontainable smile, your heart swelling with joy as the words you’d been dying to hear came out of Gabe’s lips. “I feel the same way, Gabe,” you confessed, your voice barely above a whisper. “I've been so scared of saying anything because I didn't want to lose you.”

Gabe’s face lit up with a mixture of relief and joy. “You have no idea how happy that makes me,” Gabe said, his voice trembling slightly. “I’ve wanted to tell you for so long.”

You felt Gabe’s hold on your shoulders tighten as he leaned in, pressing his lips to yours delicately. His lips brushed against yours tentatively. The kiss was soft and sweet, filled with the emotions that both of you had kept bottled up for so long. Your hand slid up to his face, cupping his cheek softly. When you finally pulled away, both of you were breathless, your foreheads resting against each other.

[invisibleraven]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

dragging them out to every restaurant or store to get the free drinks or birthday benefits sounds like a Greater Polyphantoms Polycule thing

"Where do you want to go for your birthday babe?" Alex asked Willie.

Willie lolled his head back, humming in thought. "I dunno, got any suggestions?"

"We should go to Cheyenne's!" Luke exclaimed.

"The steak house?" Flynn asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Dude, I'm a vegetarian," Willie retorted.

"You don't have to get the steak," Luke explained. "They have lots of shellfish options if you're eating fish right now."

"I am not," Willie replied.

"Well... if you tell them it's your birthday they give you free cake! And sing an awful song while you wear a hat with moose antlers!" Luke argued back.

"Okay, see you should have lead with the free cake and the silly hat," Willie said, rubbing his chin. "You know any other places I can get free stuff for my birthday?"

"Probably," Luke said with a shrug. "I only know about the steak house because that's where my dad went on his last birthday, and my mom got pictures of the hat."

"I can check to see a few places," Flynn offered. "It'll probably be apps and desserts."

"That sounds sweet, thanks honey bunny," Willie replied, blowing her a kiss.

"Pity that Reg and Jules are stuck in the studio," Alex sighed. "Now it means I have to reign you all in myself."

"They wanted to do their stupid country album, they miss out," Luke said, crossing his arms, a pout peeking out. Alex just rolled his eyes at that-they had offered to have Luke join them, but he refused, so now they were off in Nashville for a few weeks, and he was here without them.

"What about Carrie and Kayla?" Flynn asked. "Will they be back in LA by then?"

Willie shook his head. "Dirty Candi is in Tucson that night, playing for all the cowboys."

"Guess it's just us four then," Luke replied.

"You know that they're probably only going to give me the free stuff right?" Willie asked. "Since it's my birthday?"

"I mean, you could share," Luke grumbled.

"I know how your brain works," Alex says, staring Luke down. "They will check if you say it's your birthday too."

"Ruin all my fun," Luke sighed, rolling his eyes. "I still vote for the moose hat."

"Oh we're so doing the moose hat," Willie assured him. "Flynnie? Anywhere else?"

"Let's see we've got Applebees, Denny's, oooh Sephora!"

"I'll get you a cute eyeliner," Willie promised her.

"Ta, also Starbucks."

"Well coffee will definitely be first," Willie said with a nod.

"You need to sign up for a few rewards programs," Flynn said, holding out her hand for Willie to hand over his phone. She was the best at coming up with fake emails for them to sign up for stuff like that.

"Alrighty, we have a game plan," Alex said a little while later, easing himself back onto the couch.

"Sweet, can't wait for my birthday now," Willie said with a grin.

"You're just saying that because you already know what Alex got you as a gift," Flynn teased.

"Wait, we're doing gifts this year?" Luke asked. "I thought we agreed no big presents until the birthday was a significant one with everyone's to keep track of."

Alex shrugged. "I saw it and I had to get it. So it's not really a birthday present, more so a present I'm making Willie wait until his birthday to get."

"Fair enough," Luke replied. Then he leered at Willie. "So what is it? I know if he's making you wait it's something sexy."

"And I'm out!" Flynn exclaimed. "See you losers tomorrow for the celebrations."

"Night Flynn!" the guys called, and she waved as she went out the door.

"So what is it?" Luke asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"You can use it with us if you want," Alex replied. "If you're a good boy."

Luke shivered and grinned. "You sure it's not my birthday?"

"Fairly certain," Willie replied. "But you sure are a gift."

"Thanks," Luke replied, then his face arrested. "Hey!"

"Don't worry babe, we'd never return you out," Alex assured him. "Now come on, it's our turn to make food and we can't have breakfast for supper again."

Willie shook his head as he watched the boys go off, and lay back on the couch, already wondering how much he could offer the restaurant for the moose hat.

[thorntonkrell-blog-blog]

How long was Captain Kangaroo on television. Was the Captain intended to be a grandfather figure? Why was it so popular?

Captain Kangaroo was on television for thirty years until 1984. The show was originally intended to be a grandfather figure for children and it was popular because of its wholesome, educational content as well as its lovable characters. It was also one of the first programs to be presented in a magazine format, with a variety of segments such as cartoons, interviews, and music.

Who were the lovable characters on Captain Kangaroo?

The lovable characters on Captain Kangaroo included Mr. green Jeans, Bunny Rabbit, Mr. Moose, Grandfather Clock, Dennis the handyman, and Dancing Bear.

who was Tom Terrific?

Tom Terrific was a cartoon character on Captain Kangaroo. He was a young boy with a magical hat that allowed him to transform into different superheroes. He was often accompanied by his sidekick, Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog.

What is the relationship between Captain Kangaroo and Howdy Doody?

Captain Kangaroo and Howdy Doody were both children's television programs that aired during the 1950s and 1960s. While they had similar formats, they were created by different production companies and had very different characters and storylines.

What was the story line for Hody Doody?

The story line for Howdy Doody followed the adventures of the titular puppet character and his friends. Every show featured a variety of segments, such as a circus, western, or mystery. Howdy and his friends would go on adventures, solve mysteries, and help people in need.

Who were the main characters on Howdy Doody?

The main characters on Howdy Doody were Howdy Doody himself, Clarabell the Clown, Buffalo Bob Smith, Princess Summerfall Winterspring, Chief Thunderthud, and Flub-a-Dub.

What was Flub-a-Dub on Howdy Doody

Flub-a-Dub was a puppet character on Howdy Doody, who was a friendly alien from the planet "Blooville". He was often seen helping out the other characters and providing comic relief.

Who was Mr Bluster on Howdy Doody?

Mr. Bluster was a minor character on Howdy Doody. He was a grumpy old man who lived in the nearby town of Blusterland and often tried to spoil the fun of the other characters.

What can you tell me about the Radio Show Big John and Sparky

Big John and Sparky was a popular children's radio show that aired from 1943 to 1956. It was about two friends, Big John and Sparky, who went on adventures and solved mysteries. The show also featured a variety of other characters, such as a talking dog, a talking car, and a talking parrot.

Where did the phrase Plunk your magic Twanger, sparky come from?

The phrase "Plunk your magic twanger, Sparky" was the signature line of Sparky the parrot on the radio show Big John and Sparky. It was used to introduce each episode and was often chanted by the show's audience.

What was the theme song for Big John and Sparky?

The theme song for Big John and Sparky was called "The Big John and Sparky Song". It was a lively and catchy tune that featured the lyrics "Let's go, Big John and Sparky, let's go, let's go!"

What show had Tdeey Bears on Parade for tis theme song?

The show that had "Teddy Bears on Parade" as its theme song was Captain Kangaroo. It was used to introduce each episode and featured a variety of teddy bears marching in a parade.

[suchalonelysunflower]

“Mine. Yours. Ours” (l.h)

Pairing: Luke Hemmings X Reader

Summary: You and Luke decided to keep your relationship a secret. But what happens when he accidentally let it slip?

Warnings: The reader uses she/her pronouns, sorry if I make anyone uncomfortable with that, it was not my intention. Besides that None! Pure fluff and maybe some mistakes (English is not my first language, I’m sorry, I’m trying and I will get better)

Word Count: 1.8 K

Author’s note: My first Luke piece just in time for his birthday! I struggled to find inspiration for this, but it came out of nowhere and I’m really happy with the result, hope you like it too 💕 Remember that all comments, reblogs and feedback are welcome! I will love to hear your thoughts on this! And you can find my other fics HERE. Thank you so so much, happy Luke Day! 🦋

“Good luck today, bub 😊💕”

Luke must’ve read that message time and time again in a matter of minutes, making it hard for him to erase that cheerful grin out of his face as he quickly typed a cute response. He was glad that his band mates were too busy in their own little world to notice and tease him about it.

But if he was being honest, he didn’t mind at all. In fact, everything his mates said about him was true: he was an idiot in love and he wasn’t afraid to show it, at least with them he wasn’t.

You both came to an agreement to keep your relationship a secret for the time being. Knowing how the media worked, Luke didn’t want to expose you to that so soon but, even though you said you were okay with it, he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty and insecure. He notices the way you would frown when you had to pull away from each other in public, making it seem like you’re just friends or when you couldn’t hold his hand or kiss him in the middle of the street. If he could, he would show you off to the entire universe, shouting from the top of his lungs how happy and in love he was with you.

But he was scared, he didn’t want to lose you if all of it became too much for you, however, he knew that maybe one day you’ll get tired of all the secrecy and leave. He couldn’t blame you either way, but he’ll be devastated without you.

Scanning the text over and over again, Luke’s butterflies quickly became insecurities. He felt his stomach drop at the thought of not being with you and an urge to hold you as close as he could, just to make sure you’d still be there.

“Mate?” Ashton called for his attention.

Luke lifted his head and noticed that he was the only one left in the van. Shoving his phone on his back pocket, he ducked his way out of the car and onto the parking lot of the radio station, ready to face yet another day of countless interviews and promos.

One of the producers of the program was already waiting for them, escorting the band around the building and giving a few pointers to take into account. Luke wasn’t really paying attention to her, in his head he was still curled up in bed next to you, cuddling until one of you caved into their need of a morning coffee. He left today with the image of you peacefully sleeping under a mess of tangled sheets, wanting nothing more than to stay next to you a little longer.

“Hey guys!” The host said, snapping Luke out of his happy thoughts “We just cut to break so you’re on for the next bit. Nothing too crazy, just a few questions and a little game if you’re up for it”

“Sounds good” muttered the boys as they sat around the table adjusting their mics and headphones.

“Hey. You good, man?” Ashton whispered to Luke “You seem to be drifting into elevator mode again”

The blond man nodded “Just got my head somewhere else” but before his friend could ask where exactly, the classic gingle of the station resonated in their headphones, letting them know that the interview was about to start.

“Welcome back everybody!” The cheerful voice of the host filled the room “I’m here with the biggest band no one's ever heard of, the Australians who took on the world by storm in 2012 and haven’t stopped since, selling record after record and stealing the hearts of everyone around them. Everyone give up for 5 Seconds of Summer!” The crew around the booth clapped and cheered “Welcome, guys. Thank you for being here”

“Thank you for having us” Luke answered.

“Great! I wanted to talk about…”

It was always the same. One or two questions about their personal life, more questions regarding the album or the single, what are the plans for the tour, what city are you most excited to visit.. the boys knew it all and they knew how to handle it, always bringing the same charisma and easiness to it as they do in their everyday life.

The host was very fun as well, bringing up a few laughs and inside jokes among the four Australians, making it much easier for Luke to relax and enjoy the moment and for his mind not to drift constantly to you.

“Okay, now before you guys go. How about we play a game?” The host announced, pleased with the agreeing sounds of the band “We are going to go around the table and I’m going to give each of you a few prompts and sentences that you would have to answer as fast as you can, no more than 3 seconds. That sounds right? Okay, who wants to go first?”

“I can go first” offered Michael from across the table.

“Okay Michael, you have 3 seconds on the clock. Ready? And,,, The thing I could never live without is…”

“Internet”

“The person who I would call to hide a dead body would be…”

“Moose” he said, earning fits of laughter across the room “What? I wouldn’t trust these guys to hide a body! At least Moose can dig!”

The game went on like that for a few minutes. Each answer more crazy than the last, making everyone laugh and tease each other afterwards.

Then it was Luke’s turn, being the last one on the table he had all eyes on him.

“I’m kinda nervous” he laugh into the mic.

“Don’t be, it’s just a game! Now, ready Luke?” The frontman nodded “My guilty pleasure is…”

“Love Island” he answered, trying to hold a giggle as he heard his band mates laugh “What? You’ve seen it too!”

“Didn’t we all at some point? Okay, I want to do a collab with…”

“Yungblud, definitely”

“The person who makes me the happiest is…”

“Y/N”

His eyes winded as soon as your name left his lips. He looked around and saw with panic in his stare as the laugh of his mates died down, each of them slowly realizing what the blond man just said, creating a silence that covered the room like a cloak.

A million emotions ran through his head in the matter of an instant. Cursing himself for letting it slide so easily, throwing away all the effort you put into keeping it a secret without even realizing it until it was too late. But at the same time, he felt an overwhelming sense of freedom and happiness, like he could finally let go of that baggage, leaving it behind forever.

“Y/N?” Asked the host who quickly catches up “Is that..”

“That’s my girl” Luke said as he took a breath “The person who makes me the happiest man on earth for sure”

“Well this is news for everybody!”

“Well yes, we wanted to keep it on the downlow for a while but, she’s the love of my life, mate. Couldn’t keep it any longer”

Luke smiled at the thought of you, not even trying to hide it. The secret was out, and he was fine with it, happy even! Happy that he could call you his in front of everyone. His eyes skimmed around the room and he was relieved to see smiles plastered onto his friends’ faces.

“It was about damn time” Calum said. Making everyone laugh again.

When the interviews and promos finally ended it was late into the evening and Luke went straight home. He would be lying if he said that he wasn’t a little bit scared of how you might take the news. He was a lot scared. What if you didn’t want this? Would you leave him? What if it became too much for you to handle?

A million questions ran through his head as he opened the door. But he felt all of his fears went away as he heard the music coming out of the kitchen.

You were listening to Taylor Swift whilst making dinner for the two of you, singing softly along the music and not really noticing Luke leaning against the kitchen frame. He watch with soft eyes as you swing and dance to the beat, audibly sighing as he took you in, falling in love once again, just like every night.

It wasn’t until you both heard Petunia’s little bark that you broke out of the spell. You turned around to see Luke kneeling down to give his little doggy a kiss and pat her head.

“Hey baby!” You greeted him as you turned the stove off “Dinner will be ready in a few I just need-“

“I talked about you today”

You froze. He what?!

“You- you what?”

Turning to face him. You saw his tall figure walking towards you with a smile drawn into his face. Once he was fully in front of you, Luke wrapped his arms around your waist, softly looking into your eyes for any sign of discomfort or hatred.

“They asked who makes me the happiest person in the world,” he lifted his hand to caress your cheek “and I couldn’t think of anyone else that wasn’t you, because there isn’t one. So I said your name”

You felt your eyes start to water, your smile growing as the feeling of butterflies filled your stomach “So that means…?”

“The secret is out. No more hiding, love. The world needs to know that you’re mine and I’m yours”

Happiness came over you as you lifted your arms and brought them behind Luke’s neck, pulling him closer until your lips met. Melting in his gentle touch, you opened your mouth to deepen the kiss, feeling as if a thousand sparks covered your bodies. Muttering “I love you’s” and sweet nothings into every kiss, allowing him to be yours and you to be his.

Luke pressed his forehead to yours, kissing the tip of your nose as you softly giggled. “I love you” he said, looking into your eyes “I love you and I’m so glad I can tell the world that I’m in love with you, Y/N”

“No more secrets, Luke.” You sighed as his lips traveled down your neck “Though, I have to admit that sneaking out was fun while it lasted”

“Hmm, naughty girl” he muttered against your sweet spot. Making you quietly moan under his touch.

“God. I love you”

He brought his lips to yours once more, smiling into it as he heard the familiar tune of your favorite song play through the speaker.

Luke took a step back, adopting a straightened pose as he bowed in front of you, offering you his hand “Dance with me, love?”

You giggled as you took his hand and placed the other one in his shoulder, letting him put his hand on your lower back and guide you through the living room in a dance that was so enchanting it felt like a movie. You laid your head on his chest as he swayed you around the house, feeling his heartbeat close.

All of your fears and doubts, they all went away. You both knew that, as long as you have each other, everything will be fine.

[beanie-beebo]

Call for Action

Series Summary: You finally get your dream job, but it comes with a cost.

Warnings: Description of panic attack

Masterlist

Chapter 4

Over the next few days at work, Jared tailed you and Jensen like a schoolgirl. Asking you both for details of the date and how things were moving for the both of you. Not that you minded of course, at least at first. After a while though, it was a little annoying.

When he approached you on the fourth day in between sets, you couldn't hold back your annoyance.

"I just can't seem to get rid of you, can I?" You asked.

"Nope! As long as you're with Jensen, you're stuck with me." Jared said with a knowing smile.

"Awesome." You said, causing Jared to burst out laughing.

"Thought I heard your annoying voice over here." Jensen teased. "What's up guys?"

"Do you even have to ask that one?" You asked.

"You're right, I probably don't." Jensen said. "So, are we all game for hanging out in my trailer later on?"

"What for?" You asked.

"Just to hang and watch the show. Sometimes Jared and I will surprise the fans and livetweet, it's kinda fun!" Jensen said.

"Uh yeah sure." You said.

"Definitely count me in!" Jared said, elbowing Jensen.

"Dude shut up already!" Jensen said.

The exchange caused you to giggle; it wasn't hard to tell that the two of them had been close for a while. They reminded you of one of your few friends back home, Sue. She would always tease you every chance you got, and you loved her dearly. You occasionally talked with her now and again, but had grown more distant due to your deteriorating mental state. You wondered if you should try calling her up this week, just to shoot the breeze.

---------

Around 10 o'clock that evening before your late night shoot, you had made your way to Jensen's trailer. You took in the cool night air with a deep breath, feeling small jitters all over again. Somehow, you were more nervous to hang out with both guys alone, than you were with just Jensen. It could have been the fact that Jared's essence was slightly intimidating, despite how outgoing he was.

Despite how he was acting around you and Jensen, you were growing to like having him around. Even though at times he intimidated you, he was mostly like a giant moose. He was always flopping his giant legs everywhere, and he tended to be the life of the party. You guessed his nickname on the show had something to do with that, although you had no idea.

You knocked on Jensen's trailer door and waited until he opened it up. He smiled and let you right in, the light pouring in from inside. The TV filled a moderate hum throughout the decently sized space; Jared was sitting on the long L-shaped couch on his phone. He looked up when he saw you walk in and grinned genuinely.

"'Bout time you showed up!" He said.

"Sorry, had to wrap up the last scene. It's not like I have a job or anything." You said with a light smile.

Jared stuck out his tongue at you and glanced back at Jensen, who was making his way to sit on the couch.

"He really likes you, you know." He whispered.

"Oh wow Jared, I couldn't tell." You responded snarkily.

You paused for a moment and reflected on what he said. You figured he liked you, or he wouldn't have asked you on a date. But Jensen liked you, maybe even more than you knew.

"Alright fellers, let's settle down and watch some Supernatural. Huh?" Jensen asked, rubbing his hands together.

You smiled at his dorky Southern drawl and nodded, still awkwardly standing by the couch. You were unsure if you were allowed to sit on the couch, seeing it was all white and definitely not cheap.

"Here, sit." Jensen said, ushering a hand to the couch.

You quietly followed his request, sitting right next to Jared. Jensen sat down next to you, sandwiching you in between them. It made you feel pressured and slightly awkward for some reason, so you took a deep breath. You were instantly hit with both of their colognes, which was oddly comforting. Just as you were thinking of another distraction, the program began.

"You know, I don't even think I was working here yet when this episode was being made." You commented.

"Makes sense. Usually post production takes a few months." Jared said, sipping lightly on his alcoholic drink.

Even though you had practically watched at least an episode unfold already, it was all together different watching it on screen. It made you realize how truly special your job was.

Throughout the episode you watched as the two of them live tweeted certain scenes, teasing each other and poking fun at the episode in general. You followed along with both what was on the TV and your phone in amusement. It was like a live commentary, only better. The fans are what made it even more fun with their own comments. There was so much freaking out and animosity between everyone. There were even a few times when you commented with your personal twitter, just to add to the chaos.

No one knew you yet, but it was just how you had wanted it to be. Sitting in between two friends and watching everything unfold from the comfort of your own little bubble.

By the time the episode had ended, you had begun to grow tired from sitting for too long. You let out a quiet yawn and leaned further into the couch, letting it swaddle you.

Jensen looked over at you upon hearing you yawn.

"You look beat, want to take a nap?" He asked.

You looked at him like he had grown a second head. "Jensen, we have to work in a few hours."

"Doesn't mean you can't catch some shut eye before then." He said with a shrug.

You hummed. "Good point. I'll go back to my car then, so you two can finish doing what you have to."

Just as you made a move to get up Jensen caught your arm, sending tingles up to your shoulders.

"No, stay. More time to sleep instead of walking back and forth, right?" Jensen said, smiling sheepishly.

Jared looked between the two of you and made a scene of getting up from his position on the couch.

"I'll take this as my cue to leave." He said, groaning as he got up. "Have fun you two."

"Shut up." Both you and Jensen chimed.

On his way out from the front hallway, you heard Jared cackle causing you to roll your eyes playfully. You looked over to Jensen and instantly began to blush upon realizing the two of you were finally alone together. Jensen had apparently caught on as the blood rushed to the tips of his ears.

"Your choice, do you want to lay here or in my bed?" Jensen asked.

Your stomach flipped at the thought of being in his room. With a surge of confidence, you decided to take the second option. You had needed some quality rest, after all.

Jensen led you to the trailer's decently sized bedroom before heading briefly to the bathroom to change. While he was in there, you sat down on the bed and took a glance around the room.

The bedroom was mostly bare except for a few pictures staggered on the nightstand. They seemed to be of his family, all with smiling faces. You smiled; a family man, how perfect.

Not even a few moments later, Jensen emerged from the bathroom clad in pajamas. You couldn't help your lingering eyes from the bulge in his boxers; you gulped hungrily. Jensen noticed your reaction and smirked.

"Like what you see sweetheart?" He teased.

"Um." You paused, trying to recollect your thoughts. "Sorry, just tired. Guess it's time to hit the hay."

Jensen chuckled. "Sure..”

He pulled up the comforter and got underneath beside you. You blushed and looked away for a second, not used to the close contact.

“This is okay, right?” Jensen asked, not fully settling himself in just yet.

“Oh, uh.. Yeah. We’re dating, right? So.. yeah.” You stumbled.

He smiled and pecked your cheek, taking you by surprise.

“See you in a few hours, sweetheart.” He said before turning away from you.

You knew it was too soon, but you had just realized how much you had craved human contact. You just wanted to be in his arms, held until you fell asleep. But you had just met, and you didn’t want to scare him off by being too needy. You resisted the urge to ask him for the favor and turned away from him; it wasn’t long before you succumbed to a well needed rest.

-------

Your eyes slowly opened to unfamiliar surroundings, causing you to stiffen in fear. You had no idea where you were or how you had got there, and your inner system was slowly boiling into panic. You were just about to get out of whose bed you were in before you turned your head to a familiar face, Jensen. Everything slowly came back and you exhaled. Thankfully, Jensen had slept through your mini freakout and remained undisturbed. While he slept, you took a moment to observe his features.

For once Jensen had looked relaxed, cute even. His few wrinkles were smoothed out, especially around his eyes. His freckles and dark circles were more prominent since he had removed his makeup. If you had the time, you would count and kiss every one of them.

Speaking of time.. You turned over and flipped your phone rightside up, almost gasping when you saw it was close to when you had to be called onto location. Without too much consideration, you nudged Jensen probably a little too roughly until he began to wake up. He deeply inhaled and rubbed at his likely crusty eyes.

“Ugh, what time is it?” He asked, combing through his hair absently.

“Time to get up and head to set, that’s what time it is.” You said, smiling at Jensen’s adorable ‘I just woke up’ face. “Sorry I had to wake you.”

You barely held back a chuckle and made your way over to the standing mirror in his room. After fixing a few strands of hair and deciding you looked good enough, you turned around to Jensen looking at you dopily.

“What? You just gonna sit there or are you gonna get ready?” You asked, smiling widely.

“You’re beautiful.” Jensen said breathily.

“Huh?”

“I said,” Jensen paused and made his way over to you. “You’re beautiful.”

Here the two of you were again, inches apart with a magnetic force seemingly pulling you together. He looked down at your lips, you stared at his. The force was even stronger now, neither of you being able to resist it. Slowly you were closer and closer until your lips softly locked as one.

It had been a while since you had kissed anyone, so you were playing on unsure grounds. But Jensen held and guided you throughout the whole process. It was like learning to walk again, only more exciting and rewarding. He was gentle; a whisper in your ear. Your insides lit up like the fourth of july; you had missed feeling so alive.

After a few moments he broke the kiss and gazed into your (y/ec) eyes, not once looking away. Staring into his eyes, all you could see was love. You smiled warmly and pecked his lips before grabbing your phone off the nightstand.

“As much as I would love to continue more of.. this, we are needed on set in about twenty minutes.” You said, collecting your things.

Jensen seemed completely dumbstruck for a moment before visibly shaking it off. “Good point. Later?”

“Definitely.”

[ashintheairlikesnow]

Whumptober Day 4: Caged

CW: Referenced whump of a minor (sorry, Trainee!Chris), brief implied noncon of a minor reference, noncon touching (of adult), referenced pet whump, referenced bruising, referenced dubcon/noncon of adult

John Ferrick and B (referenced, unnamed) belong to @moose-teeth and is used with permission

“Hey, Manning, look at this.” Luke waggled his phone - standard company-issue, big enough to be more a tablet than a fucking communication device, but the company paid, and they didn’t care if Luke had a few game apps installed on the side. 

Connor glanced up from his own lunch, where he was picking at “shrimp fettuccine alfredo”, which at least got the pasta and sauce right, but contained the three smallest shrimps that Luke Petrus had ever seen. A side salad, some garlic bread, and Connor’s usual bottle of made-at-home iced coffee completed the meal.

This was why Luke volunteered for overnight multi-day shifts and got to have his little studio apartment down in the long-term halls. He ate whatever the fuck he wanted. Which, granted, was mostly nachos and cups of soup, but the point still stood. 

“What is it, Petrus?” Connor sounded bored, but he mostly sounded like that all the time these days. Moping around like he had a stick up his ass, and Petrus kind of missed the fun Connor Manning, but whatever. Some of the handlers got that way after a while, and they’d cycle through the fucking mopery and come out the other side, in the end.

Or they’d quit.

Or pop up in a white shirt and shorts.

“Look at the stupid shit my trainee’s doing right now.”

Connor didn’t even perk up a little at that, and his eyes shifted away, looking across the bustling cafeteria, eyebrows furrowing just a little. Petrus shifted in his seat and turned to look as well - he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, just a few handlers and Ferrick from Acquisitions in line for lunch. He sighed and turned back. 

“Come on, Manning, try to look like you have a well-paying job with great benefits for five minutes, huh?”

Connor blinked, looking back at him. “Uh, yeah. Right. Sorry. I’m just…” He waved his fork near his head in a vague gesture. “Not having the best week.” He shifted a little uncomfortably in his seat. “What did you want to show me?”

Luke grinned, flashing bright teeth. “My trainee. Look at him.” He handed over the phone, pulled up to a live view from the camera installed in the corner of the ceiling of his current favorite trainee’s room.

Connor’s nose wrinkled in disgust. “Fuck, this is one of the underagers. You know I hate that shit, Petrus. Fucking sick.” He handed the phone back over, but Petrus only pushed it back.

“Nah, forget about that. Just look at what he’s doing.”

The short little trainee, drowning in the white t-shirt and black shorts, and with his shock collar cutting apart the pretty line of his neck, was pacing. 

His coppery hair shifted in the constant cold air blowing into the room from unseen vents as he moved - a few steps from end to end and back again, over and over, stepping one foot carefully in front of the other, heel-to-toe, heel-to-toe. There was no sound to the video, but Petrus knew if there was, the boy would be counting, one step two step three step four step, in his low voice, stammering through the words. 

The stammer was cute, but he’d get rid of it before the prospective took him home.

The trainee turned and walked back the way he’d just come, toe-to-heel-to-toe-to-heel, until he hit the wall again. Then turned around and repeated it. Covering every single inch of tile along the floor, from one side of the tiny room to the other, before he started it all over again. His hands were twisted into his shirt, kneading and pulling at the thin cotton. His head jerked to the side on occasion, bumping into the wall, in a rhythm only he understood. 

Petrus snorted, while Connor only looked at it, almost blankly. “Pacing like a fucking tiger at the zoo in his little cage.” Luke’s voice dipped into affectionate warmth. “He’s gorgeous, right? Pretty little thing, now that I fixed his little defiance problem, and so eager to-”

“Stop.” Connor snorted, jabbing his fork back into his pasta.

“You can’t tell me he doesn’t look good like that.”

“He looks like a fucking teenager, and I stopped thinking high schoolers looked good when I stopped fucking being one, you perverted piece of shit. On the outside, someone like you would be in prison.”

“Oh, and you wouldn’t, you fucking rapist?”

Connor sat back, pale except for bright red spots on his cheeks. “Yeah. Yeah, okay, good point. Maybe we should all be in prison.”

“Manning, that isn’t… Jesus.” Luke sat back, staring slightly wide-eyed, caught off-guard. “I just don’t see why you give a fuck if he’s under eighteen.”

Connor glanced up, and there was a weird spark of anger in his dark eyes that made Luke oddly uneasy. “Because I don’t go for that, and you know it. When I was-… it doesn’t matter.”

“You’re right, it doesn’t. 499’s got energy like you wouldn’t believe, you’re missing out. Although it’s a pity watching him wear himself out. Hate to let him get it out in there when he could be using it correctly on my training table.”

Connor handed the phone back over, shrugging, his eyes back on the line over on the other side of the room and not on Luke at all. “Then go fucking train him, Luke. Stop showing me underagers, you know I hate that shit. I don’t think we should do that, I don’t want shit to do with it. The Director made a monster fucking decision and-”

Luke leaned forward, voice dropping into a hissed whisper. “Jesus Christ, Manning, shut the fuck up, you know it gets back to her when you talk shit about her ideas. She was the one to introduce the program-”

“And it was gross, and a fucking mistake. Gross as fuck.”

“Oh, like you’re so fucking innocent. Sanctimonious asshole.” Luke pocketed his phone, swallowing against a mix of defensiveness and residual unease. “Keep your holier-than-thou shit to yourself if you know what’s good for you.”

“I don’t give a fuck who hears me, let them go pass it along to the Director. I don’t give a fuck. All of this… no. I don’t care about it anymore. I just… I just don’t.”

“Then quit. It’s a free fuckin’ country - leave if you hate your job so much.”

“Yeah, I fuckin’ well will.”

“When?”

Connor’s anger died, all at once, and Luke was struck by how much he looked like one of the pets, in that moment - haunted and uncertain. Luke wondered what the fuck was wrong with him these days. Connor had been a top handler once, always cheerful, always smiling - now he was calling in sick all the time, acting like this in public where anyone could see him do it… criticizing the Director, for Christ’s sake. 

“As soon as I can,” Connor said, in a low voice. “As soon as I fucking can. As soon as he’ll sign off on my baby.”

“Your what-”

“Don’t make me look at that poor kid again, Luke.”

“That poor-… he’s a fucking pet like the rest of them, Manning. You should talk to the company therapist or something if you’re feeling like this.”

“And have the Head of Training Operations hear about my fucking feelings? No fucking thanks, Luke.”

“Yeah, well. I’m going to go wear the shit out of that trainee. Get your fucking head on straight, Manning, before someone important notices it’s crooked.” Luke pushed himself to his feet, thumb rubbing over the camouflage phone case, frowning in thought as he walked away.

John Ferrick’s lunch tray dropped onto the table next to Connor with a clatter and Connor jumped, keeping his eyes down, red flaring in his face. “What the fuck was that, Manning? You and Petrus don’t chitchat.”

“He wanted to show me his fucking trainee. You know how he is.” Connor picked at his food, not looking up as Ferrick settled himself comfortably into the seat next to him. He tensed when Ferrick’s hand slid over his thigh, rubbing into the inside through the fabric of his work pants. “Ferrick, stop it-”

“Try again,” Ferrick said, smugly, sliding his hand up even higher, pressing hard into just the right-

Connor hissed through his teeth as Ferrick’s thumb pressed into a bruising set of teeth marks. “Shit. Fuck, Ferrick-”

“What, already? I didn’t wear you out during our ‘poker game’ last night?” Ferrick began to rub in circles over the bruise, around and around the spaces where his own teeth had dug so deeply into Connor’s skin that you could probably use dental records to identify who did it. “You want me to stop, use your fuckin’ manners.”

Connor’s teeth ground together audibly. “Please stop, sir,” He managed to spit out, barely moving his lips, in a whisper.

Ferrick’s hand shifted back to pick up his own little plastic fork. He’d chosen the vegetarian option, black bean cakes with salsa and sour cream, and hummed happily. One of his favorite cafeteria meals, really. “Better. Maybe I’ll let you see your dog later, if you keep being so polite.”

“I can’t wait until he’s ready so I can tell you to fuck off as I drive the fuck away,” Connor muttered. 

Ferrick just smiled. “You’re not going anywhere until I’m damn good and ready to let you go, Manning, and you know it. Not if you don’t want me to declare your fucking dog too broken to be fixed… or let the Director know about your hot little pain problem.”

Connor swallowed, and honestly… he wished he could start pacing right now, too.

There was more than one way to be caged.

[verobatto]

Destiel Chronicles

Volume LXXXVI

It was a love story from the very beginning

Lovers Separation (Part II)

Hi my friends!!! I bring to you another meta from season 12, this time a very meaningful episode, because it showed another foreshadow of lovers separation. Ugh, and tonight's episode... Like... Okay.

I will start now before crying all over hehehehe.

Gwen and Marcus: a love tragedy

The episode starts with these two lovers, having fun in the woods. But, pay attention to their wardrobe.

Marcus is wearing blue (Castiel) and orange with a tone of beige, just like the trenchcoat. And Gwen is wearing Green (Dean).

They sat quietly to enjoy the evening...

The tent is a mix of green and blue (Destiel) and Castiel mirror seats in a green chair while Dean's mirror seats in the blue. The colors and the scene are pointing at DESTIEL, so, what is about to happen, will be a foreshadow of Destiel tragedy at the end of the season.

Now... The dialogue here:

GWEN: I’ll miss this.

MARCUS: I’ll miss you. And I get it. I mean Washington has the best veterinary program in the country. You got in. I mean, you have to go. But people make this long distance thing work all the time, right?

Dean's mirror is not using the words correctly, Green should say I WILL MISS YOU. But is Marcus (Castiel's mirror) the one who says words correctly. And the long distance lovers is talking about the separation too. Is a blatant Destiel scene.

After this, we have Marcus going for more wood, and Gwen finds the ring in one of his boyfriend's gloves.

This ring represents the bond, but also, it represents like the Locket in the previous episode, the Destiel mixtape. Is a visible sign of their romantic love for each other.

Then, the tragedy, because Marcus (Castiel's mirror) dies.

The words I should say

Dean and Sam arriving to the crime scene, and the mixing dialogues...

[Sam and Dean exit Baby at the crime scene, Sam talking on the phone to Mary, Dean talking to Cas]

DEAN: Oh, really?

SAM: Oh, that's great, Mom. Oh.- No, we're -- we're fine. We, uh...

DEAN: - It sounds like somethin'.

SAM: Yeah. Love you, too.

DEAN: All right, Cas. Let us know.

Why they mixed these two phone calls? Just like the mixing scenes Berens likes to write to show a point, this time, Perez mixes two chats. In which Sam ends the phone call with 'I love you too' to Mary, and Dean with 'All right. Let us know.' So, Sam is foreshadowing Dean's journey into expressing the L word, first to Mary, second to his Dad, third to Sam and the family that is TFW, and last, but truly very meaningful, the I LOVE YOU to Castiel.

Why? Because Cas already said it, but Dean didn't answered I LOVE YOU TOO, those are the words Dean needs to say.

Pay attention now to Gwen's house...

She's dressed in green again, mourning Marcus. The coaches are red and blue, (Destiel again, but red showing Dean's anger after Castiel's death).

She explains she tried to kill the hellhound with an axe. This weapon represents anger too.

And then we have this scene between Crowley and Lucifer:

Gif set credit @amal-albuloshia

This represents revenge, and ANGER, and is a foreshadow too for Dean and his crusade to kill Lucifer, saying yes to AUMichael. Because is Lucifer the one who will kill Castiel, and is Lucifer the one that haunts Sam.

But, returning to Gwen, and the words Dean should say... We had the car scene with her and Sam and this dialogue:

GWEN: I... [ Sighs ] I don't think I even know what “okay” means anymore. Marcus… going camping was my idea. I took him out there even though I knew. I knew it was over. I liked Marcus. He was sweet and kind. And he loved me. [inhales deeply] More than I ever loved him. More than… If I'd just told him… If I… Why couldn't I just tell him the truth?

SAM: Gwen...

GWEN: Yeah, but I didn't. [Voice breaking] I lied. I lied to make things easier. I… I'm sorry. I… We should go.

Regrets, the words she didn't say, she loved him. But she lied to herself she didn't to give it an end, but Marcus wanted to be with her. So she regrets to say those words. The same occurs with Dean. Dean couldn't said the L word back to Cas. Why? Because he is not ready, he keeps pushing his feelings down, repressing them. But he will learn how, slowly. Gwen is here Mourning!Dean, just like that widow in 11x15.

Sam lying to Dean vs Cas lying to Dean

We had Dean saying thank you to Crowley because he saved Cas, that meant a lot, the same way Benny saved Castiel in Purgatory, Dean shows gratitude.

At the end of the episode we had Cas lying by the phone to Dean, and Dean suspecting something was wrong.

Gif set credit @shippershell

Castiel hates it, he doesn't like to lie, and mostly to Dean, but Dean feels deep inside something nos off with him.

Now... The scene in which Sam admits he's working with the BMoL caught my attention because Dean forgives him immediately.

DEAN: Well, okay.

SAM: Okay?

DEAN: What do you want me to say? Do I like it? No. Do I trust them? Hell, no. But you're right. We work with people we don't trust all the time. I mean, hell, I just Liam Neeson'd it up with Crowley. So if you wanna give this a shot, then… [ Scoffs ] Fine. But the minute-- and I mean the second-- something feels off, we bail.

SAM: Yeah. Of course. Deal.

The way Dean immediately forgives his brother and the way Dean won't forgive Castiel in 12x19 shows us the difference between FAMILY LOVE and ROMANTIC LOVE. Is because in the first, is family, and in the second, it hurts more because ranting reasons.

To conclude

This episode, just like the previous, talks about separation by death of two lovers. Is the foreshadow of the incoming tragedy at the end of this season.

Shows us too regrets, because Dean didn't said the words he needed to say, but it also starts the L WORD JOURNEY, our hunter will start soon.

I hope you like this meta, see you in the next one!

Tagging @magnificent-winged-beast @emblue-sparks @weird-dorky-little-deana @michyribeiro @whyjm @legendary-destiel @a-bit-of-influence @thatwitchydestielfan @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover @lykanyouko @evvvissticante @savannadarkbaby @dea-stiel @poorreputation @bre95611 @thewolfathedoor @charlottemanchmal @neii3n @deathswaywardson @followyourenergy @dean-is-bi-till-i-die @hekatelilith-blog @avidbkwrm @anarchiana @dickpuncher365 @vampyrosa @authorsararayne @mybonsai1976 @love-neve-dies @dustythewind @wayward-winchester67 @angelwithashotgunandtrenchcoat @trashblackrainbow @deeutdutdutdoh @destiel-shipper-11 @larrem88 @charmedbycastiel @ran-savant @little-crazy-misha-minion @samoosetheshipper

@shadows-and-padlocked-hearts @mishtho @dancingtuesdaymorning @nerditoutwithbooks @mikennacac73 @justmeand-myinsight @idontwantpeopletoknowmyname @teddybeardoctor @pepevons @helevetica @isthisdestiel @dizzypinwheel @jawnlockwinchester @horsez2 @qanelyytha

@destielle @agusvedder @spnsmile @shippsblog @robot-feels @superlock-in-the-tardis @superduckbatrebel @2musiclover2 @madronasky @anon-non2 @cea1996

If you want to be added or removed from this list just let me know.

If you want to read the previous metas from this season, here you have the links.

Vol. LXXV, LXXVI, LXXVII, LXXVIII, LXXIX, LXXX, LXXXI, LXXXII, LXXXIII, LXXXIV, LXXXV.

Buenos Aires, November 1st 2020, 8:15 PM

[ducktracy]

184. the woods are full of cuckoos (1937)

release date: december 4th, 1937

series: merrie melodies

director: frank tashlin

starring: mel blanc (owlcott, walter finchell, milton squirrel, wendell howl, fox, raven mcquandry), tedd pierce (ben birdie, tizzie fish, andy bovine), sara berner (polly gillette, canary livingstone)

this cartoon gets the honorable award of possibly being the most dated warner bros. shorts in its vast repertoire of cartoons. not to worry! this will be a fun cartoon to unpack—i love delving into the shorts that involve extensive research. learning something new is something that‘s very rewarding to me, and i hope it is to you, too!

a giant ode to the short lived radio program community sing (lasting from 1936-1937), the short chronicles a woodland radio show hosted by a variety of caricatured animals putting on various acts.

iris in to the ringing of a bell. a pudgy, bespectacled owl rings it as he stands illuminated by the moonlight, preaching to all of the woodland critters, ready to start the show. he introduces himself as “owlcott”, a take on commentator alexander woollcott. he “blandly announces” (his words, not mine) the introduction of the master of ceremonies, ben birdie--a bird caricature of radio personality ben bernie, “the old maestro”.

birdie’s caricature is not new to audience’s eyes. the caricature, along with a handful of others, is reused from friz freleng’s the coocoo nut grove from 1936, a short that is very similar in vein to this one. tedd pierce provides birdie’s suave, velvety vocals as he introduces the program, only to be interrupted by the nasally cries of mel blanc. out pops walter finchell, a caricature of bernie’s faux-enemy walter winchell, both of whom carrying a notorious (and fake) feud in the radio-verse. it was common for winchell to interrupt the smooth-talking bernie, either throwing pranks or remarks his way, to which bernie dismissed every time. indeed, a signature tashlin upshot angle reveals finchell dropping an egg on top of birdie, who blocks it nonchalantly with a handy umbrella.

art loomer’s backgrounds for the cartoon are absolutely gorgeous. they’re vibrant in color, very lush and painterly, but remain playful and sophisticated at the same time. they certainly serve as a highlight to the short. and, as always, carl stalling’s scores are a blast to hear--his sardonic, wah-wah rendition of “cause my baby says it’s so” is a jolly juxtaposition to the prior score of “love is on the air tonight”, the latter being the song’s cartoon debut. it would be reused in cartoons such as the daffy doc, whereas “cause my baby says its so” was heard previously in rover’s rival.

birdie introduces a clever squirrel caricature of milton berle, whose routine gets interrupted by a little parrot named polly. polly is a take on eileen barton’s character, little jolly gillette, who was portrayed as the daughter of the show’s sponsor. polly and milton go through their act together, polly bluntly (yet innocently) announcing “my daddy says ya gotta let me sing ‘cause he’s a sponsor!” you can listen to real recordings of their banter here!

volney white’s animation of milton and polly is lively and jovial, constantly moving. milton energetically introduces us to our next star, pointing in the wrong direction and fixing it last second as he gestures towards a bird caricature of country singer wendell hall.

even if viewers don’t recognize the bird’s counterpart, they will most certainly recognize his voice--mel uses his foghorn leghorn voice for wendell “howl”. of course, foghorn wouldn’t debut for another 9 years, but that’s another story. the animation of the raucous bird is fun to watch as he extends his neck and wraps it around in coils around the microphone stand. random? yes, but fun nevertheless.

perhaps even more commendable is the staggering crowd shot that succeeds wendell’s scenes. the crowd is mirrored horizontally, but that doesn’t lessen the blow from how claustrophobic it is. wendell asks the audience to get out their songbooks and turn to page “22... no, page 44. uh, no, uh, page 28. uh, 42, uh, 36, uh, 45...” 

wendell is transformed from an entertainer to an auctioneer, spitting out numbers at rapid pace as his crowd frantically tears through their songbooks. finally, he concedes. “oh, never mind. we won’t use the books.” off screen, the crowd roars in unison: “OH YES WE WILL!” with that, wendell is generously showered with a barrage of books, buried in the pile of rejected papers. the timing of the scene is comedically sharp and energetic, one of the more entertaining acts of the cartoon.

now, for the real song number, lead by goat and bear caricatures of billy jones and ernie hare (would a rabbit caricature be too on the nose?) respectively, animated by volney white. they march out onto the stage--er, tree trunk--and open the curtains to reveal a sing-along to the eponymous song. thus, the camera pans into the lyrics as everybody bursts into the all-too-earworm-causing song number. 

as the crowd, ben birdie and walter finchell all lend their voices to the song, a fox caricature of fred allen sings “swanee river”, clashing with the unity of everybody else. in a nod to friz freleng’s toy town hall where the same routine was executed, a little bunny excitedly coos “ohhhh, mr. allen! you’re singing the wrong sooooong!” the fox bursts into everybody’s favorite Mel Blanc Yell as he repeats a frequent ‘30s catchphrase: “WHY DON’T SOMEBODY TELL ME THESE THINGS!?”

featured in the song is a seemingly interminable cast of celebrity caricatures, all introduced as the camera pans across the screen, each lending their voice to part of the song. some puns require more effort than others (dick powell as “dick fowl” rolls off the tongue better than al jolson as “al goatson”). caricatures include: 

eddie cantor as eddie gander, sophie tucker as sophie turkey, w.c. fields as w.c. fieldmouse, dick powell as dick fowl, fats waller as fats swallow, deanna durbin as deanna terrapin, irvin s. cobb as irvin s. frog, fred macmurray as fred mcfurry, bing crosby as bing crowsby, al jolson as al goatson, ruby keeler as ruby squealer, lanny ross as lanny hoss, grace moore as grace moose, and finally lily pons as lily swans.

speaking of grace and lily, they’re both highlighted as they fight to out-perform each other, seeing who can sing the highest note. tashlin pulls of a rather intriguing camera move: as the pan settles on the two of them, the background changes. it’s a subtle maneuver, but smart thinking nonetheless--especially since the camera extends into a vertical pan. as both women fight to sing the highest note, their necks extend, both of them scaling high into the night sky, harmonizing on one final shrill note. they both crumple back into the stands, exhausted by their efforts. some fun exaggerated animation for sure--one wonders how much further this would have been pushed had this been tashlin’s second stint at WB rather than his first. his speed often rivaled, if not out-performed, tex avery’s.

birdie and finchell have a brief interstitial together before making way for a raven caricature of haven macquarrie (raven mcquandry). his sequence is almost jarringly short, but full of fun drawings and poses--the pose of him standing curtly with his arms crossed is awfully reminiscent of izzy ellis’ work under tashlin and later bob clampett in the mid ‘40s. mcquandry asks “do YOU wanna be an actor?”, parotting the name of his real life counterpart’s show so do you want to be an actor? the audience shouts “NO!” in unison, causing mcquandry to do a take and shrug dubiously. though the scene is only a few short seconds, the animation brings forth some much needed vitality.

next is a penguin caricature of joe penner, singing a hilariously out-of-tune rendition of “my green fedora”. the animation is reused from the cartoon of the same name (notice how he doesn’t have penguin feet!), which was also used in toy town hall. not a complaint, but more an observation--this is by far the most humorous performance of the song yet, sung by blanc rather than tommy bond.

another fun scene with some vivacious animation is a sequence featuring a mule caricature of martha raye (dubbed moutha bray), singing a cover of “how could you?”, which has been featured as an underscore in cartoons such as porky’s badtime story and its later remake, tick tock tuckered. raye’s large mouth served as prime material for caricatures, as we see here. the animation is snappy, fun, and vivid--she finishes her song by “swallowing” the camera, an old trick that beckons memories of the harman and ising cartoons of animation past. 

an interesting trend in the ‘30s WB cartoons is the trend of playing with the iris, whether it was the closing iris out or an iris in between transitions. tex avery would consistently play with the final iris out on his cartoons, whereas directors such as friz freleng and bob clampett would use one as a transition between scenes. here, tashlin uses the “swallow the camera” technique as a segue for an iris in, tedd pierce’s falsetto squeaking “hello folksies!” as we’re introduced to a fish caricature of tizzie lish, a character played by bill comstock on al pearce and his gang.

though tizzie has long faded into obscurity (as has the entire community sing radio show), it’s still quite easy to appreciate pierce’s vocals and mannerisms as he portrays the character. it’s always a joy to hear him doing voices for cartoons--he’s never been my favorite writer on the crew, but he was an excellent talent as a voice actor. his squeaky deliveries, matter of fact deliveries “mix them up... are you mixing? my friends say i’m a good mixer. are you? or aren’t you?” as tizzie haphazardly dumps food items and their respective utensils into a bowl and prepares the meal are nothing short of hilarious. the timing is very well executed and can be appreciated regardless of background knowledge.

after humming a pitchy rendition of “the lady in red” while waiting for her concoction to bake in the waffle iron, tizzie removes the homemade waffle and discards it, instructing the audience “now take the ‘wiffle’ out and eat the iron. you must have iron in your system. or should you?” thus concludes tizzie’s act, certainly heightened in hilarity by pierce’s vocals and timing.

for the final act, ben birdie introduces a possum caricature of louella parsons, the host of the radio program hollywood hotel, which served as a way to advertise upcoming movies by featuring guest stars enacting some of the scenes. here, we have caricatures of jack benny (as jack bunny, the first of his many reoccurrences), mary livingstone (canary livingstone), and andy devine (andy bovine).

tedd pierce voices andy bovine, whose voice burlusqued not only in this cartoon, but to a greater extent in friz freleng’s my little buckeroo not even a year later. devine, a western star, was notorious for his scratchy, shrill voice which was rife for comedic opportunity. indeed, this scene here with pierce’s vocals is nothing short of hilarious: 

the trio chronicle the prodigal’s return, in which bunny and canary coo over their baby son. out of the bassinet pops incongruously large bovine, who shrieks “HOWDY MAAAA! HI PAAAA!”, the sheer volume of his voice enough to blow both of his parents away and out of the scene. and, with that, the scene ends, red curtains colorized from porky’s romance marking the sequence’s end. short, sweet, to the point, and hilarious.

ending right where the cartoon began, the owl caricature of alexander woollcott bids us farewell, the iris closing in on the bell he rings as he exclaims that all is well.

like so many other cartoons i’ve reviewed, this is one that i slowly warmed up to upon rewatching it and typing out the review for myself. i didn’t entirely dislike the cartoon upon my first watch, but it’s undeniably dated and deserves its title as possibly the most dated cartoon. without further research, some of the jokes and caricatures (if not all of them) are difficult to appreciate. the animation has bursts of energy throughout the short, the highlights being the scenes featuring raven mcquarry and moutha bray, but otherwise remains relatively simple and conservative. tashlin does incorporate a few intriguing camera angles throughout the cartoon, but many other entries of his are far more cinematic.

however, despite all of that, this cartoon is not without its bonuses: art loomer’s backgrounds are stunningly gorgeous and rich, and as someone who loves the lush, painterly backgrounds of the 1930s, this is heaven to me. and, as i mentioned previously, tedd pierce’s scenes are great--the tizzie fish and andy bovine sequences are undeniable comedic highlights.

so, if you’re willing to dedicate time to put in the research for this cartoon, you’ll find it’s quite fascinating! i’m certain this was a much bigger gut-buster in 1937 than it is in 2020, but even then, this is a good cartoon for people such as myself who love to learn more information and seek out facts. as a result, i’d recommend it to people who fall into that category. if you’re just someone who wants a good laugh and a leisurely watch, there are more interesting cartoons that lie ahead. you won’t miss much by skipping it.

with that said, here’s the link!

[wrestlingisfake]

Hard to Kill preview

Kenny Omega & Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. Rich Swann & Chris Sabin & Moose - When Kenny Omega won the AEW men’s world title on December 2, he completed a long-simmering heel turn by forming an alliance with Impact Wrestling executive Don Callis.  Omega and Callis began showing up on both Impact and AEW programming acting like Omega is “the real world champion,” which irritated Impact world champion Rich Swann.  Omega also reunited with Impact’s men’s tag team champions, Gallows and Anderson, who had already been having issues with former champs Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley.

This match was originally booked as Omega/Gallows/Anderson vs. Swann/Sabin/Shelley, but the day before the show Impact announced that “unavoidable circumstances” prevented Shelley from traveling to the show in Nashville.  Shelley’s last-minute replacement is Moose, who has recently been feuding with Swann.  For over eight months, Moose has been calling himself the “TNA world champion,” presumably to set up a “who’s the real champion?” match with the Impact world champion.  But that seems kind of silly now that Omega and Swann are kind of doing the same thing, but with more credibility.  So I was hoping they’d get Swann vs. Moose wrapped up before Swann vs. Omega got going.  I certainly wasn’t expecting Moose to be involved in this match.

Because of Omega and the AEW interpromotional angle, this may well be the biggest show Impact has run in years.  So Impact is motivated to deliver the best they can for whatever new audience this match will attract.  The big question is whether AEW is invested enough to send a few of their guys to appear on this show for a hot angle.  Any unadvertised AEW wrestler causing any kind of ruckus on this show will get people talking.  But AEW and Impact seem to be taking their time with this storyline, and they may not think now is the time to drop the next bombshell plot point.

To me, the likeliest finishes are a) Omega’s team dominates and wins to get more heat, or b) Swann scores the winning fall to set up an Omega vs. Swann singles match.  The best setup for that match would be Swann pinning Omega, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon.  But if they sell it like Omega’s team are the heavy favorites, and that Omega’s ego is bruised by an upset even if he didn’t lose the fall, then that can still work.  But then again, that was my gut feeling before Moose was added to the match.  Now it feels far more likely that Moose will turn on his partners or walk out on them, which could change the entire complexion of the match.  That uncertainty has me pretty interested in how things unfold.

Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan - This is billed as a “barbed wire massacre” match, so the ring ropes will be replaced with barbed wire, and objects wrapped in barbed wire will be provided at ringside to use as weapons.  Obviously, in this sort of match nobody is going to be disqualified or counted out. 

I can’t say I understand the storyline leading up to this.  Edwards and Callihan had a vicous feud following a 2018 incident where Callihan botched a spot and hit Edwards in the face with a baseball bat.  Then they seemed to go down separate paths, and then recently Sami and Ken Shamrock started picking on Edwards and his wife for some reason.  The idea now appears to be that these two will never be able to settle it, except that they both clearly put it all aside for the better part of a year.  In any case, they’ve run out of hardcore stips to use in their matches, so here we are.

I believe this is the fourth “barbed wire massacre” match Impact has booked.  The first two were on pay-per-view in 2005 and 2008.  The third was taped for television in 2018, but was only streamed on Twitch because it was “too violent for TV.”  I remember watching the first one (Abyss vs. Sabu) in 2005 and being too squeamish to enjoy the performance.  In matches like this you have to hope the wrestlers know what they’re doing and don’t go too far just to create a “moment.”  But with Callihan and Edwards, that doesn’t apply, so I just have to hope the match was taped in advance, so that if one of them was gravely injured we’d have seen reports about it by now.

Both of these guys are pushed as top acts in Impact, but Callihan always seems to come up short in big matches like this.  I can’t see either guy accepting defeat and letting the feud end.  But if this is really the final chapter, then I think Edwards needs the last laugh more than Sami does.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Taya Valkyrie - Purrazzo is defending the Impact women’s championship. Valkyrie held the title from January 2019 to January 2020--the longest single reign in the title’s history--but after losing the belt she spent 2020 preoccupied in comedy stuff with Rosemary and John E. Bravo.  So Taya’s doing the whole “you’ve only done so well as champion because I haven’t gotten around to facing you” bit.

I haven’t been able to get into Impact’s women’s division.  I suppose it’s because so many of the characters seem superficial and unserious.  Like, Purrazzo is presented as a solid in-ring performer, but outside the ring she’s the kind of self-absorbed chicken heel who plots with her sidekick to devise ways to duck upcoming challengers.  Impact is full of characters like that, but the women’s division in particular has almost nothing else.  Hell, Taya was playing that role when she was the heel champion.  So I can’t say I’m very motivated to see these two fight.  I also don’t really believe we’re going to get a title change at this point.

Manik vs. Chris Bey vs. Rohit Raju - This is a three-way match for the X division championship, so whoever scores the first fall over any opponent will win Manik’s title.  This story started with Bey as champion and Raju as his crony, but Raju was the one henchman in wrestling history who managed to manipulate his boss to his advantage, so Raju won the title from Bey in a three-way with TJP.  Raju was so worried about losing his belt to TJP that he arranged a stipulation where TJP could no longer challenge him.  Then Raju issued an open challenge answered by Manik...the masked man character originally played by TJP.  So now Manik is the champion and definitely not TJP, but Raju and Bey aren’t buying it.

I don’t really care who wins this.  Every time they do a multi-man match for the X title, they demonstrate that multi-man matches don’t settle anything, because there’s always somebody who’s like “Well I wasn’t pinned, so I should get another match!”  So if, for example, Bey pins Raju, you know it’s just going to lead to Bey vs. TJP and/or Manik later.  Except Raju is going to weasel his way into the situation, for another three-way.  (Unless Crazzy Steve is free that weekend, and it’ll be a four-way.)  There’s no direction here. The best thing that could happen to the X title (aside from retiring it as an obsolete relic) is if some AEW guys came in to fight for it.  And I don’t expect that to happen soon.

Havok & Neveah vs. Tasha Steelz & Kiera Hogan - This match is the tournament final to decide which team will be awarded the Impact women’s tag team championship.  The title was originally introduced in 2009, but a lack of interest in booking it properly led to ODB teaming with Eric Young to win the belts in March 2012.  The last title defense I can find was in May 2012, although it took over a year for Impact to officially abandon the championship.

I can see why Impact was motivated to bring the title back, since throughout 2020 most of their women’s roster was paired off in various alliances: Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary, Deonna Purrazzo & Kimber Lee, Kylie Rae & Susie, etc. But just because most of the women on the roster have a natural partner doesn’t mean there are enough women to fill out a tag team division.  I suspect these two teams are going to end up rematching a lot for the tag belts, while the teams they eliminated in the tournament go back to focusing on singles action.  If just having women’s tag titles automatically meant expanding the women’s roster and pushing more women, then that would be great.  But we’ve seen that it doesn’t work that way, not only in WWE, but also the last time Impact tried it.

My gut feeling is that Steelz and Hogan have more future potential, so I’d probably prefer to put the title on them.  But Havok and Neveah have the edge in size and meanness, and I could easily see Impact wanting them to dominate as the champions a la the Road Warriors.

Eric Young & Cody Deaner & Joe Doering vs. Cousin Jake & Rhino & Tommy Dreamer - This is being called an “old school rules” match, which is Impact’s way of saying “ex-ECW guys are in this so we want to say ‘extreme rules’ but WWE trademarked that.” Basically there are no count-outs or disqualifications.  Cody and Jake were a tag team until Deaner became obsessed with proving himself against Young; when he failed, he turned on Jake and joined Young’s group.  Rhino tried to help Jake out, but it wasn’t until Tommy Dreamer got involved that they were able to even the odds.  I’m pretty sure Young’s faction is just getting started and they are going to destroy the babyfaces here.

Ethan Page vs. The Karate Man - Page is one half of The North, which spent most of 2019-2020 dominating the men’s tag team division.  Karate Man is the alter ego of...Ethan Page.  So he’s fighting himself.  That’s always fun.

The backstory here is that the North struggled to recover from losing the tag title earlier this year, and Page grew increasingly desperate to convince Josh Alexander that they could regroup. The tipping point was when Alexander was wrestling Brian Myers and Karate Man interfered, causing Josh to get disqualified.  Page did a skit where he tried to get therapy from Karate Man, before they decided to fight instead.

The bigger story behind all this is that Page’s contract with Impact Wrestling reportedly expired at the end of 2020, so he’s technically not even with the promotion anymore.  Reportedly, this “match” was taped weeks ago.  Just because Page is a free agent doesn’t mean he won’t simply re-sign with Impact at any moment.  But this looks to be his swan song before he moves on...or the pivotal angle that sets up how he’s staying.

Obviously this is going to have to be pre-taped with Patty Duke Show special effects.  I’m not sure if that means it’ll be a ~*~cinematic match~*~ though.  They could do a weird brawl in a weird location like the Boneyard Match or Stadium Stampede, or they could just do it on the normal set in a normal ring and not do anything weird except the split screen effects.  I honestly don’t know what to expect.

Rosemary & Crazzy Steve vs. Tenille Dashwood & Kaleb with a K - Rosemary and Steve used to be in The Decay together years ago, and occasionally Impact remembers that and has them interact.  Tenille is formerly Emma from WWE, playing a stuck-up Instagram influencer gimmick with Kaleb as her personal assistant.  Rosemary already beat Dashwood in the setup to this match, and I don’t think Kaleb is going to last long against Steve, so I guess the weirdo babyfaces will triumph.

Josh Alexander vs. Brian Myers - This is scheduled for the pre-show.  As noted above, Alexander and Ethan Page had some issues that came to a head when Page caused Alexander to lose a match to Myers.  So Josh wants to avenge that loss.  It’s kinda funny to me that the serious match about wins and losses and professionalism is on the pre-show while the “Ethan Page beats himself up” comedy is on the main show.  But anyway, it seems like Alexander is headed for a singles push, so he might as well get that started with a win.

[honestsycrets]

*slams door open putting the knob through the wall, then gently closes it * Vikings Bois but like in Hogwarts houses also maybe their favorite part of magic/best subject? It's Cannon hogwarts has no arts/music programs so like r.i.p. Sigurd (again). I'm so lonely *pats rug by the fire* come wander down this train of thought with me.

So I’ve actually been sitting on this because I haven’t been in a writing mood but hey, headcanons are the best tool to play with! So let’s give it a go!

Bjorn is brazen as fuck, as we all know, so I only imagine him loving Defense Against the Dark Arts. For Bjorn, it’s a bit of a necessary class. One that he excels in and more often than not, uses his knowledge from.

Ubbe is expected to like the same things as his brother, Bjorn. While he may be good at Defense Against the Dark Arts– Care for Magical Creatures gives him an escape from his chaotic family. Learning runic scripts also amuses him, and so does herbology with Sigurd.

Hvitserk isn’t really one for school. He gets through it, sure, but he loves to play tricks along the way. Naturally, his favourite was super short lived and made him feel like crap. But fun crap. Apparating. But more importantly, transfiguration. 

Sigurd, my beloved asshole poodle, would love astronomy. I can imagine him loving things of the muggle world. So much so that he gets picked on a little bit by his other brothers– but maybe that’s why the high tower is so comfortable from him. It feels away from his world. His other favourites include herbology and care for magical creatures.

Ivar, like his oldest brother, loved Dark Arts. But apart from that– first year flying made him feel equal. More than equal. Free. His favourite? He enjoys potions. The class matches his wit– and he enjoys the prospect of making potions that some could only dream of. And maybe fucking with couples is fun.

@igetcarriedawaywithyou, @kylobien, @titty-teetee, @breathlessouls, @nejijjeoroo, @bcat1291, @readsalot73, @mslothbrok, @captstefanbrandt, @ailucascen, @michaeliskindahot, @cbouvier23, @naaladareia, @cbouvier23, @the-geeky-engineer, @lisinfleur,  @tephi101, @akamaiden, @ethereallysimple, @venusloviing, @happylittlepuppydog, @beyond-the-ashes, @slutforrpg, @sparklemichele, @alicedopey, @lif3snotouttogetyou, @noregretsandyeteveryregret, @dangerous-like-a-loaded-pistol, @deathbyarabbit, @unacceptabletatertots, @beyond-the-ashes (no sig), @babypink224221, @ivarandersen, @queen-see-ya-in-valhalla, @moose-squirrel-asstiel, @end-of-night, @gruffle1, @lol-haha-joke @arses21434,  @smileyparrots, @miss-artemis-wild, @two-unbeatable-beaters, @wonderwoman292, @wish-i-was-a-mermaid, @killerb00sdeath, @heartbeats-wildly, @boo20017, @acacheofstrange, @shaelyn102,  @smokealone, @shaelyn102 @laketaj24, @peaceisadirtyword, @ly–canthrope @cris101071 @daughterofthenight117 @unassumingviking @ladyofsoa, @inforapound @winchesterwife27 @feyrearcheron44@readsalot73 @squirrelacorngliterfarts @gold-dragon-slayer @medievalfangirl

[miafic]

They’d arrived later than they planned (everything took ten times longer with a child involved, Geoff would swear), so that meant that Geoff had to slip into a seat near the back of the church. The Woods had saved him a seat, but he wasn’t about to attempt to navigate through the crowd to find them. He barely had enough time to glance through his program before the lights were lowered and a plump, middle-aged woman appeared, using a microphone to welcome everyone to the service. 

“Our young boys and girls are very excited to show you what they’ve been working on in Sunday School these last few weeks,” she told the crowd. “Thank you so much for encouraging them to be a part of this special service, and Merry Christmas to all of you.” 

This whole thing was slightly strange to Geoff; the only reason that Awsten had been involved in the pageant at all was because Otto told him about the first rehearsal, and Awsten promptly begged Geoff to let him sign up for the show. Of course, Geoff said yes. He didn’t see anything wrong with it. 

Everyone stood and sang as the organist played O Come All Ye Faithful. Geoff watched as the little shepherds wandered onto the stage, and then there was a candle lighting and another song. After that came the angels. Awsten had been interested in the sparkly, silver halos when Geoff first took him to the costume room, but he was soon excited to put his own outfit on and seemed to forget all about it. 

Another candle, another song, and then it was time for the wise men to make their appearance. 

Awsten and Otto paraded out side by side in the cluster of preschoolers, Awsten in a rich purple and deep red outfit, and Otto wearing bright orange and happy yellow. They listened obediently to what the narrator was saying, and then they all sang along to We Three Kings. 

After the song, while more things were happening onstage, Geoff noticed Awsten looking around with a sad little pout on his face. He smiled a little for a brief moment, but then the sadness came back. 

As Geoff continued to watch him, he realized that Awsten was scanning the crowd. Oh - Awsten was scanning the crowd for Geoff. Since he was in the back, Geoff lifted a hand and gave a brief wave. It was enough.

“-our lord Jesus Christ. Peace on earth-”

“HI DADDY!” Awsten cried gleefully, waving back.

The congregation chuckled, and Geoff turned bright red. He quickly made a shushing motion with his lips, but if he was being honest, the embarrassment had been worth seeing Awsten grin from ear to ear. 

When it was over, Awsten sprinted up to Geoff and threw his arms around Geoff’s thighs. “Didja see me up there? Didja see me?” he asked excitedly. 

“Yes, I did,” Geoff replied. He straightened Awsten’s little paper crown. 

“I was in the show!” 

“You most certainly were. I saw both you and Otto. You looked very nice.” 

Awsten pulled Geoff down so he could whisper into his ear, “I liked my costume the mostest of everyone’s!”

“I believe that I did as well,” Geoff agreed. 

“Your son is adorable,” a lady murmured to Geoff with a smile, and Geoff’s embarrassment returned.

“Thank you,” he said awkwardly, but Awsten didn’t even seem to have noticed.

“You stayed in your seat the whole time! I kept checking.” 

“Well, of course I did,” Geoff responded. “Where would I have gone?”

Awsten shrugged. Happily, he declared, “Nobody ever came to see me in a whole entire thing before! My old daddy never came, and Mommy always left in the middle. But you stayed!” He hugged Geoff’s legs again. “Thank you!”

Geoff’s heart ached. He lifted Awsten up and kissed his cheek. 

Awsten wrapped his arms around Geoff’s neck. “I love you.” 

“And I you.” 

Then Awsten wiggled, and Geoff set him down. 

“I wanna have a picture with Otto!” He tacked on, “Please!”

“Yes, that is a good idea. Let us go find the Woods; we are going to their home after this to help prepare dinner.”

“Yay!” 

------

After a whirlwind of photos and cooking and food and Christmas TV shows, it was finally time for bed. Geoff tucked Awsten in and said, “Did you have a nice Christmas eve?” 

“Uh-huh!” Awsten nodded. He was in brand new pajamas from Mrs. Wood, which were covered in reindeer - although Awsten insisted that they were called “mooses.” 

“Uh-member when-”

“Re-member when,” Geoff corrected gently. He leaned over Awsten to tug Oliver out from behind Awsten’s pillow where he wound up every morning. 

Awsten hugged the stuffed frog to his chest. “Re-member when I was in the Christmas play?”

“I do, yes.” 

“That was fun.” Awsten smiled and then quieted, the smile fading. 

Geoff watched his thoughtful face. 

“Are you proud of me?” he wondered.

“Of course I am. I am very proud of you, Awsten. You made a wonderful wise man.” 

Awsten smiled again. “You make a wonderful Daddy.” 

The simple words hit Geoff right in the heart. “Oh,” he whispered, “why... thank you, Awsten.” 

Awsten stayed down on his pillow but reached up for a hug. Geoff leaned down and gave one to him. 

In a whisper, Awsten asked, “You promise Santa’s gonna come?” 

“Yes. As I mentioned, I spoke with him personally.”

Awsten still looked doubtful. “He knows where our house is? For sure?”

“Yes. He wrote the address down with his magic pen.” 

“His magic pen?” Awsten repeated, wide-eyed. 

“Yes. He was sure to read it back to me so that I could confirm that it was correct. But he will not be able to come unless you get right to bed.” 

Awsten nodded hurriedly and squeezed his eyes shut. 

“Alright then,” Geoff murmured. He kissed Awsten’s forehead. “Goodnight. Merry Christmas, Awsten.”

Awsten opened his eyes again just a bit. “Merry Christmas Eve! I love you, Daddy!” 

“And I you.”

[kannra21]

I finally finished with route A and started to play as 9S⚙️

I need to say, I love hacking better than sword fighting.

It's not bc of 9S (ok it is, a little), but idk. Hacking experience is so much fun! You need to be fast and precise since the time is running out, making it much more challenging.

+ When hacking the robot's system you got to choose whether you want it to detonate, subjugate or you can also switch to remote control. It's amazing!

I love how you can control everything you want (well not moose, they aren't hackable 😅), you don't necessarily need to destroy you enemies when they can be usabe in so many ways.

I love playing from 9S' perspective bc of how much expressing and emotional he is. 2B is always concentrated on missions and fighting which is kinda lame.

I also noticed that his Pod has a feminine voice while 2B's Pod has masculine. It's funny how battle units are always female while scanners are male, for some unknown reasons they say. Scanners are so much more sensitive bc of their instincts to provide support. They need them to determine their battle unit's safety or lack of it so that they can help and protect them, that's the reason why they are programmed this way.

9S' Operator 210 is rly rude and bitchy. She makes me uncomfortable, let alone 9S. But he's OK with everything, he brushes it off. I know that she's acting this way bc she genuinely cares ab him and is tired of constantly seeing him die just like 2B, but I think that she should try to be a little bit nicer to him out of politeness. This woman has some nerve. 😑

Btw operator units are all female and they're working together in a Bunker, storing data from everything the battle units and scanners have collected since their arrival to the surface. I have an impression that most operators are lesbian bc they're always working together so it's hard not to develop feelings.

The truth is, androids can develop feelings for each other but this would interfere with sufficiency of their mission. That's why they're following the rule implying that feelings are strictly prohibited.

Scanners have hard time reconciling with that fact since they're so in tact with their emotions, which is a real drag.

I found it rly funny when Operator 60 wanted to invite the Commander on a date and she declined. 😂 What a fail. But how the heck does she know that the Commander's room is messy when she doesn't let anyone gain access to her private quarters?? Now that's odd.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that the game is super cool, especially from 9S' perspective.

For now I have endings A, H, L and G.

I'll try to get more.

[mtlreviews2020]

A piece-piece nyana review to J Bob’s Kool Hip Hop Theatre. By Rethabile Headbush

Jeff Tshabalala, better known as J Bobs is the Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner for Theatre and Seen Pha is a fresh salad of poetry, hip-hop, comedy and traditional dramatic arts. There is Simphiwe Bonongo’s unreal beatboxing, a random hip-hop “holla” here and there, KWASHA in “communicating” hip hop combos and J Bobs at the centre of it. Seen Pha is fun, it’s flavourful and is an experiment of where J Bobs is taking sketch work next.  

Chapter 6’s The Darkie Author is a reading, and discussion in response to Chapter’s 3’s The Money. The Whites. The Reviews. as Tshabalala puts it, “to talk about our problems on our terms”. The Darkie Author deals with issues in South Africa’s creative arts industry specifically the typecasting of black characters in White headed film, TV and theatre. It is also an insight into the direction he would like to take his work: taking the traditional theatre and “boom bap it – I’m gonna swag it up a little bit”  as he puts it, make it interesting, cool and happening, evident in his hip hop inspired poetic pieces.

Chapter 10: Catchy Sing along 1 is an example of this. Tshabalala parodies your gold- chain-wearing, narcissistic wannabe rapper, aspiring for fame – J Bhoboza who is presented to us, arms flailing, shades wearing, guarded by his almost but not so quite two-man entourage/bodyguards in Chapter 10. The songs are truly catchy – so catchy his bodyguards can’t help but join. This piece is an intro to J Bhoboza, the woman loving (or stealing), artist vying for fame and not so concerned with the real issues of our reality. He makes this clear in a line where he raps “You won’t catch me reading and my subject matter’s weak. You’ll never hear me reading or in a scuffed sneak”.

Chapter 10 is as funny as it is catchy, poking fun at your rapper, more concerned with image and stardom than current affairs and we see it continue into J Bhoboza’s Chapter 13: La Khot del Swag. Chapter 11’s Catchy Sing Along 2 features Deevision (KWASHA’s Dinsthitile Mashile). Here, Deevision raps her own swaggerific interpretation of claim to fame, focusing on the dilemma of choosing between studying and stardom which often feel separate. She shares in her line “I don’t wanna train – I was born a star”. In it, we see continued the parodical theme established throughout J Bhoboza’s pieces and songs.

Chapter 15 is the Ubhoboza Podcast (towards Mzansi Hip Hop theatre) presented by J Bobs himself as a 50-minute podcast, breaking down the ideas and inspiration behind the varying skits and sketches. He introduces Location, Lekayshini, Lokasie, a game show exploring modern vernacular language in South African townships or Kasi taal. It is evident that it inspires much of his writing style, as he draws on contemporary South African issues in his work. The podcast also includes the story and inspiration behind the character and persona, J Bhoboza inspired by the rap cyphering culture and rap style of Black cyphers in suburban Johannesburg.

The J Bhoboza rap features the two UBDope Bursary recipients, Sydney Ndhlovu and Tshepo Matlala who play J Bhoboza’s body guards. We also see them in conversation with J Bobs, discussing his writings The darkie Author and To Wits or to Vurtz?. Tshabalala briefly breaks down the methods he uses in his sketches and the way he used rhymes to address real and pertinent social issues in a playful, engaging, and entertaining framework. Chapter 9: To Wits or to Vurtz does the same, by introducing his personal experiences which led him to the piece-piece nyana skits and songs we see in Seen Pha. Here, he also reflects on his personal experiences and finding Black voices that inspire his work.

Chapter 5, 7 and 8 are songs ranging between rap and poetry from the Market Theatre’s KWASHA who are either responding or adding their own twists – as seen in Chapter 4’s Side Chick Makhwapeni performed by J Bhoboza. The J Bhoboza rap skit parodies issues of infidelity “side chick” relationships in our society. The songs range between 1 and 4 minutes and are produced by Nkululeko “Muchacho” Nkosi. Chapter 14’s Bheja S’jole, featuring Moose Goose and All Hit Wonder, is a song illustrating relationships revolving around the exchange between sexual favours and money – a theme shared with the Side Chick/Dick Makhwapeni songs. Chapter 12: These broken feelings, sung again by Moose Goose and All Hit Wonder, also features the talents of Mosie Mamaregane and Wonder Ndlovu of KWASHA. It is a one minute melodic interlude responding to and closing the Makhwapeni raps and songs. The two KWASHA members flaunt their vocal range in this chapter. KWASHA transform into various roles in Chapter 17: Location. Lekeyshini. Lokasie., poets, rappers and collaborative artists in various versions and adaptations of Tshabalala’s works, contributing their own verses and perspectives in response to J Bhoboza’s Makhwapeni raps with just as much swagger, energy, and flair as Bhoboza himself.

The L.L.L game show is introduced with a musical mix of song and rap sung by KWASHA and vocal special effects by Beats eMlonyeni (Bonongo). A few of the songs like, “bheja s’jole” and “bimba for you” are familiar to the viewers by this chapter of Seen Pha. Just like the songs, the game show is led by J Bobs. Location. Lekeyshini. Lokasie. brings relatability, play and engagement into live performance. Tshabalala experiments with another kind of “play” to motivate his inquest into finding new ways of presenting and sharing theatre. The games played in the show create awareness and celebrate the uniqueness of township modern vernacular (demotic) languages or Kasi Taal, usually characterised by the adoption of numbers or words from colonial South African languages – like English or Afrikaans – and used with very different meaning and context, amongst other traits. The Translation and Decode English games illustrate this well with examples like “nine nine”, “nerves” and “tiger” which can be generally translated to “on point”, “stress” and “ten Rands” respectively, as illustrated in the show. Overall, this game ties in well with Chapter 18: Victor and the Vernacs to Mogodu or to Haggis that is the Conundrum, which uses modern vernacular language and politics around naming and renaming in South Africa.

Chapter 18 takes place at a Monday meeting between writers for the writing of The Darkie Author, a story written by J Bob. This pieces is read by the KWAHSA members and explores issues around the making of Black characters in White headed writing teams in South Africa. It highlights how White ignorance towards the Black South African experience influences problems such as typecasting- directly addressed in The Darkie Author. It poses the question of how problematic such structures can be in limiting the representation of Black characters in the industry and continues into another reading in Chapter 19: Victor and the Vernacs (Kale Tuesday). The reading is presented simply, we see KWASHA seated on high chair and Tshabalala at a desk between them introducing the piece, his signature pink suitcase in the background.

With Victor and the Vernacs, Tshabalala, the language and word-play wizard, uses his writing to bring colour to the members of this writing team especially seen through character, Victor. Victor’s expertise in his position as head writer is just as questionable as how he landed the job in the first place. Victor, played by KWASHA’s Joel Leonard, spends most of the brainstorming meeting being racially inappropriate and objectifying the women of the team. We see this in one line where Victor comments, “You okes like to think that everything is a mix-tape – my people say Pretoria, you lot tune Tshwane. My people say Grahamstown, your lot tune your khandas together and come up with Makhanda”, illustrating both Tshabalala’s strong and consistent theme in the political and social context of South Africa and his lovely play with words like “khanda” and “Makhanda”.

Seen Pha is an experimental mix masala of Tshabalala’s work made specifically for the vNAF stage. Tshabalala gave us a piece-piece nyana of everything, sharing his range as a creative, theatre maker and sketcher. Though numbered, the chapters do not follow an order and often jumps between different skits, songs, readings, and discussion. The way Seen Pha has been curated is to provide, what seems to be, musical breaks between text-heavy pieces, creating a satisfying and engaging rhythm for the audience. I thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment of the wordplay and relevance of both Victor and the Vernacs readings, the musicality and vocals of the Side Chick Makhwapeni 2 and 3 versions, the Ubhoboza podcast for its insight into Tshabalala’s process and The Darkie Author’s response to relevant questions around the structure and politics of South Africa’s creative industry. I am most interested to see all his experimentation and sketches establish themselves into physical pieces and see his idea of Hip-Hop Theatre come into a live stage realisation. You can find Seen Pha kwa J. Bobs anytime on the National Arts Festival website. Since the extension of certain vNAF programs, all 20 chapters are still open to watch at any time, on any day, for free until the 31st of August. Be sure to catch it when your data and Wi-fi bundles agree and pick your favorite piece-piece nyana combos.

[conciteque]

Kiribaku Month - Day 24: Video Games

Wordcount: 1274 words

@kiribakumonth2019

For something I’ve been super excited to write about, I sure am disappointed with the result... But don’t let my rambling stop me and get ready for some heavy plot!

I hope you’ll enjoy it!

Day 24: Video Games

If you asked Scanners what hacking and doing Scanner shit was like, they usually said it was similar to playing a video game. Obviously, the fuckers had no idea what a real, human video game even looked like, because Kacchan had experience with both, and the two had nothing in common. At best, it was like playing those old boring games that looked simplistic as fuck.

Kacchan preferred the more recent ones, the ones the pink haired resident tech of the Resistance liked to restore and tweak so the other androids could play them. It wasn’t something Kacchan thought he would enjoy, but Sparky had managed to drag him into a racing game tournament with the other extras one day, and he had to admit that it could be fun. Sometimes, when he had nothing to do, he found himself hoping that Sparky would force him to play. The idiot was terrible at it, and Kacchan loved obliterating him. His favorite thing, though, was watching Eijirou play, taking in the various expressions on his face; how he bit his lip and stuck out his tongue when he was focused, how he frowned when he was frustrated, how he kept leaning from side to side when his car was turning, his bright smile when he was winning…

Kacchan kept saying that nothing could compare to the thrill of a real fight, or a real race, but he had to admit that it was a nice replacement, sometimes. If the Scanners up in the Bunker could try, Kacchan wondered if they’d find Scanner shit as boring as he did. Probably not, since they were programmed to enjoy sitting still and solving shit, which Kacchan fucking wasn’t. Still, there was no way he’d let a fucking Scanner anywhere near his corrupted memories, so he had to do that shit himself, even if he didn’t enjoy it one bit.

He was almost there, anyway. He’d recovered almost everything, from his first meeting with the Resistance to the last time he saw Eijirou, including everything in between, such as the reason why he hated the Amusement Park so much, or his first race on a moose back. All that was left was what happened after Kacchan left for the mission where he lost those memories, and he was tempted to leave it at that because the memory files from this period were by far the most damaged. Kacchan didn’t know if it was because they were the most recent, but they were a fucking pain to restore and if he hadn’t been programmed to never back down from a challenge, he’d have given up long ago. Plus, these memories were filled with too much Deku and not enough Eijirou for his taste, so the reward wasn’t even worth the effort.

Kacchan growled in frustration as the last batch resisted him again, and reminded himself that the ultimate rewards would be worth it. First, he’d have everything restored, and second, he’d finally understand what happened during that mission.

He wondered if it would change him, the way some of these memories had. If suddenly, he’d feel ready to do shit that he wasn’t before, like how he’d only started being comfortable with taking off his blindfold after he’d unlocked enough memories of doing it. The old Kacchan and who he was now were slowly merging too, and he thought of him less and less as a separate entity, although he still felt the need to one-up the fucker from time to time, like last week when he’d finally said “I love you” to Eijirou, a feat that his previous self had never managed to achieve. Eijirou had almost fainted back then, and Kacchan had vowed never to do it again, but he was still fucking proud of himself and he could tell that Eijirou was pleased as well.

When Kacchan compared his current relationship with Eijirou to the previous one, it was obvious that things had gone a lot better and faster the second time. And none of it was thanks to him. It was all Eijirou’s work, as well as the other Resistance extras who remembered how to deal with him (for the most part, at least. He doubted that Sparky would ever learn how to fucking stop provoking him).

When he’d started restoring his memories, Kacchan was naive enough to think that he’d done everything right, the first time. Then, he found out that he’d fucked up even more, and yet Eijirou had still fallen in love with him over time. He didn’t know what to think about it. It should have made Kacchan more confident, but instead, he found himself wondering if Eijirou would have caught feelings a second time like Kacchan did, had their situations been reversed.

But there was no time to wonder, if he wanted to be done with this memory batch before someone sent him on another mission.

After the seventh attempt, Kacchan finally managed to access the damn folder and read the first file. It was another boring battle, apparently. Machines attacking suddenly, Deku being a reckless dumbass, some other Resistance members fighting… nothing worth the time Kacchan had wasted on it. The memory ended abruptly after the battle, and to his surprise, the next one only started a few hours later.

That was weird… But it made him even more eager to unlock the rest.

His enthusiasm fell soon after, as he started recovering the idle thoughts that plagued him after the battle. Kacchan couldn’t find what they were about, but he remembered the feeling, something strong and deep that was probably akin to… fear?

What the hell happened during that battle?

Kacchan kept working through those memories, which somehow had to be unlocked in chronological order, unlike the previous ones. It almost felt like someone wanted to guide him through them, and unlike the other memories, these were vague and it was clear that whoever corrupted those files had gone through this batch and deleted things. Kacchan didn’t know who the fucker was, but he didn’t like it one bit.

For who the fuck cared how long, Kacchan had to go through memories of boredom, fights, arguments with Deku, and that ever present anxiousness about something he couldn’t pinpoint. Then, he reached the last one, and his world shattered.

The fucker was him.

Whatever he’d seen back then had crushed him to the point that he couldn’t stand his memories with the Resistance, his relationship with Eijirou, or even his reluctant bonds with some of the extras. It got so bad that it affected his mission, and he decided to get rid of those memories; but he was too much of a coward to erase them permanently, so he just corrupted the whole thing.

Past him was such an asshole he’d done that shit without telling anyone. Past him had been such a selfish bastard that Eijirou’s feelings never crossed his mind. Clearly, the fucker had never had to deal with Eijirou’s pained looks, or else he’d never had done such a thing.

Fuck, how could he even do that?

This whole time, Kacchan had thought that his past self was the superior one, only to find out this shit? Not only was he no better, he was the worst! And he was the one Eijirou fell in love with?

Shit, would Eijirou even love him, if he knew Kacchan could do that? How was present Kacchan supposed to look him in the eyes, knowing what his past self had done?

They were the same android, so he was the one who… Fuck!

How was he going to tell Eijirou?

[callmeblake]

Vulture Hound Issue Seven Published  Oct 14, 2015

from issuu

Photo Credit: Kimberley Bayliss

Taken during Reading Festival August, 2015

Transcription of main article below the cut

FRANK IERO (THE VH INTERVIEW)

10/01/2016

Shane Bayliss

This interview was first published in VultureHound Issue 7

When My Chemical Romance split up in 2013, it was inevitable that some members of the band would move on to other projects. Gerard Way made his grand entrance at Reading and Leeds in 2014, bringing his unique indie sounds to the world, but former rhythm guitarist Frank Iero’s appearance on the scene was far stealthier.

We caught up with Frank as he made his début solo appearance on the Reading and Leeds stage.

First of all, I know you played Leeds back in the day with My Chemical Romance, but I’m sure this time will be a different experience for you. Are you looking forward to it?

I am. That’s the thing, every time you play any show it’s a different experience. You never know what to expect, even though you’ve done it a million times, which is one of the greatest things about doing what we do, but also one of the most terrifying things about doing what we do. But I’m very excited, I know as a kid hearing about the festival and reading about some of my favourite bands getting to play it, I had no idea what it was, because we didn’t have anything equivalent to that in the States. So when finally – however many million years ago My Chem played it for the first time – it was like “Holy shit. Now I get it and the legacy behind it.” Some bands don’t even get to play it once, let alone many times, let alone ever get to headline it and do it again in a different project, so the importance and the blessing of that isn’t lost on me. It’s really truly amazing, and I’m excited to get to do it again.

The album has been out a while…

A year actually on the 25th!

Now the dust has settled are you pleased with how the album came out and was received? It’s a very different project.

It is! It’s weird, I never expected to put it out. It was one of those things that when making it, it was truly just for me. When I met the people that wanted to put it out, and we signed the deal, actually putting it together was a bit of a daunting task because I never thought about any of it. So now looking back, there are a million things I would go back and do, do this differently or change that, but for the most part I wouldn’t change anything really when it came down to it. It’s definitely a moment in time, and I’m proud with the way that it happened.

You recorded everything bar the drums on the last record?

Yeah!

As the project goes forward, will it be a case of you doing everything (bar drums) again? Or has it become more of a band project?

It’s definitely grown organically, but as far as the recording process is concerned and what it is going to be like, I think it depends on the song. I don’t know if I would do drums, I played drums on one track and the other stuff was programming, I don’t have it in me to do that. As far as everything else, it’s fun! A lot of the songs started with me playing and stuff like that, and it made sense that I should. Honestly, I think it is going to be played just song by song.

When someone goes solo, as you have, there is often a case of the fans wanting to hear songs from the previous project. Did you ever have that? Were fans wanting you to play My Chem songs, or have they been respectful of Frank Iero and the Cellabration?

I think you always have that case of rubber necking, but for me nobody wants to hear me sing My Chem songs. I didn’t sing those songs and thank god for that. But yeah, nobody’s coming to the shows wanting to hear that because they won’t hear it.

I saw you caught a bit of Against Me! earlier, (we spotted him stood at the side of stage) any other bands you plan on catching over the weekend? Because you’ve got a day between shows.

Yeah I hope so, I’m going to try and get to Reading tomorrow and hopefully get to see a bunch of bands. I’ve never got to see Metallica before, I really want to see them. I want to see Wolf Alice, Alexisonfire I haven’t seen since we toured together like – Jesus Christ – a million fucking years ago. But yeah, there’s a lot of people on our day that I want to see to but because of doing press stuff I haven’t had chance to see, I want to see Moose Blood, like to see Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes. For Gaslight, I got to see a couple of songs but missed most of their set.

Sorry, that’ll be our fault.

Nah. It’s nice to be able to this kind of thing and talk to people I haven’t met before and have a New Jersey soundtrack in the background.

Huge thanks to Frank for speaking to us prior to playing his set at Leeds.

Photos: Kimberley Bayliss

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