#jani venture

[cultureconnoisseurs]

On August the 15 1969, the Woodstock Music & Art Fair took place on a dairy farm in Bethel, NY. Over half a million people came to a 600-acre farm to hear 32 acts (leading and emerging performers of the time) play over the course of four days (August 15-18). Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, the Who, Janis Joplin and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young were among the line-up. Woodstock is known as one of the greatest happenings of all time and –perhaps- the most pivotal moment in music history.

Joni Mitchell said, “Woodstock was a spark of beauty” where half-a-million kids “saw that they were part of a greater organism.” According to Michael Lang, one of four young men who formed Woodstock Ventures to produce the festival, “That’s what means the most to me – the connection to one another felt by all of us who worked on the festival, all those who came to it, and the millions who couldn’t be there but were touched by it.”

By Wednesday, August 13, some 60,000 people had already arrived and set up camp. On Friday, the roads were so clogged with cars that performing artists had to arrive by helicopter. Though over 100,000 tickets were sold prior to the festival weekend, they became unnecessary as swarms of people descended on the concert grounds to take part in this historic and peaceful happening. Four days of music… half a million people… rain, and the rest is history.

[erikahenningsen]

🎲 Kiss Roulette! 41 please :)

40. An impulsive kiss

41. A kiss out of spite

Janis is talking to some girl.

Janis went to go to the bathroom ten minutes ago, and now Regina has just spotted her talking to some girl by the bar, while Regina waits patiently at the table in the corner that they have claimed.

Regina makes the herculean effort to give Janis—and this girl—the benefit of the doubt. She sets a time on her phone for three minutes, which is totally generous, not to mention more than enough time for Janis to tell this girl with the bleached tips and tattoo sleeve that she is happily taken.

Regina tries not to stare directly at them for the full three minutes, and fails—but it's the effort that counts, doesn't it? She looks at some spot above the bar where she can still see them out of the corner of her eye, and takes deep breaths in through her nose. She feels itchy all over, like if she just sunk her nails into the skin on her arm she'd feel better, but she settles for gripping the edge of the table.

The girl touches Janis's arm right as the time goes off, and Regina is out of her seat so fast she leaves her drink abandoned on the table, but it doesn't matter. She strides with enough purpose through the crowded bar that people part automatically, maybe assuming that she's experiencing some kind of emergency.

And, honestly? She kind of is.

"Janis," Regina says, almost breathlessly, when she reaches them. She had spent all of her time watching them thinking about ways to insult this girl's outfit, her hair, her stupid button nose that crinkles when she laughs at something Janis said, and now that Regina is here in front of them, she has no game plan.

"Oh, hey," Janis says—casually, like she isn't the first domino in what could very well end in murder.

The girl turns to Regina with such an annoyed expression that, before she can think it through, Regina grabs Janis by the front of her shirt, pulls her in, and kisses her.

It's a bit more forceful than intended, their noses bumping and teeth scraping in a way that Regina hates for a moment, but once Janis relaxes a little, it's good. The surprise has allowed Regina to take immediate control of the kiss in a way that doesn't happen very often, because Janis's love language is annoying Regina, but Regina relishes in having the upper hand, at least for the moment.

Regina tilts her head so their lips slot together, Janis's bottom lip in between both of Regina's, and runs the lip of her tongue over it at the same time she slides the hand not clenching Janis's shirt into the back pocket of Janis's low-slung jeans.

Kissing Janis never gets old in the way kissing Aaron or Shane immediately did, butterflies fluttering to life in her stomach before venturing outward into her chest, her limbs. The hand that wraps firmly, possessively, around the back of her neck doesn't help.

Distantly, Regina is aware of the girl huffing loudly before storming away. Her mission is accomplished, but she still takes a couple extra minutes to press their bodies impossibly closer, wishing they weren't in a public space so she could back Janis up against the bar, but Regina has been kicked out of enough establishments to know where the line is.

"What was that for?" Janis asks when they finally part.

Regina wrinkles her nose. Does Janis not know? "That girl."

"What about her?" Janis looks completely lost.

"The one touching your arm? She was totally hitting on you," Regina says shortly.

Janis stares at her for a moment before bursting out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Regina asks, immediately irritated by not being in on the joke.

"Babe," Janis says, smacking Regina's hand away where she pinches her side. "She's in the pottery class I take on Saturdays. She's totally straight."

"Oh," Regina says, doing a quick internal check to see if she feels bad about the show they just gave Janis's friend. She doesn't. "Well, she shouldn't be touching your arm in a bar anyway."

Janis raises one eyebrow. Regina hates when Janis does that. It's a reminder that Janis is amused—not intimidated—by her.

"Or you could just act normal in public," Janis says. "Like,even just a few days a week."

"I do act normal in public," Regina says, crossing her arms.

Janis raises a hand to her mouth, slowly wiping Regina's lipstick away with her thumb. Regina's eyes track the movement, and Janis notices and smirks.

"Sure you do."

[ghoulinpieces]

𝑽𝑨𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑹𝑰𝑪 𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑨𝑵𝑻𝑰𝑪𝑰𝑺𝑴 ✦ 𝑫𝑹𝑾

╰─➛ vampires surely couldn't exist. & surely, you wouldn't know one personally. so, obviously, no, your boyfriend isn't a bloodthirsty monster... right? so then why was he so odd?

❪ cw: a tad suggestive at times. brief mentions of drugs and overdosing. blood, obvi. arguing. kinda angsty, i suppose. fluff for the most part. a little rushed at times, mb. ❫

❪ ghoulie speaks !! first full fic i'm posting and it's lowkey a little shitty but it's okay. it's severely unedited so just ignore that, and happy spooky season babes <3 ❫

Growing up comes with fears. Whether that be the dark, or heights, or even stupid things that don't exist such as the boogeyman who sits all night under thousands of kids beds, terrorizing them into sleeping earlier, tucked in tight, as to avoid him.

These horror stories are told to you from a young age. From parents who need their kids to listen or older cousins who think it's hilarious to see the scared look on that poor six-year-olds face when they're told the story of why you hear howling on a full moon.

Some kids grow out of it, others don't. Either way it's all fictional superstition, isn't it? No need to be scared of that.

Not when there were very real things to be scared of, such as the spider crawling above the toliet that you were calling your trusty boyfriend to kill.

You were by the door, slipper in hand. He was on the couch, remote in hand. Looking for the perfect horror film to make you cringe when he faintly heard you call his name, jumped up the second time you yelled.

"What?" He approached you, noticing the slipper. He let out a sigh, smiling when you looked at him.

"Kill it." You frowned, "Please, I really gotta go and I can't." He laughed, palm outstretched for the slipper you immediately put in his hand.

"You know... we have two bathrooms. You don't always have to use this one."

"Okay, and? My pads are in this one.. what's the point of using that one when I have everything here?" You leaned on the doorframe, watching as he pushed the slipper against the creepy crawly on the wall. He made a face when you mentioned the pads, as if he was making a mental note of your time of the month. He was always weird on your period.

"Rest in peace, Charlotte." He shrugged, wiping it up with toliet paper.

"Stop doing that! You make me feel bad!" You laughed, hitting his bicep. He had begun referencing Charlotte's Web whenever this situation occurred. He thought it was the funniest thing seeing you cry over the helpful spiders death when you call him to play exterminator in your own home.

He laughed, "Relax. I mean, it's just a spider with friends and family. Wife, kids, a dream." You hit him again as he fixed his hair in the mirror, his freckles prominent in the bathroom lighting before finally walking towards the door.

"Get out." You giggled, "You're an evil man, Danny. Starting to think you don't have a soul." He sighed, his smile dimming a bit.

"Oh, if only you knew... hurry up in here. I wanna watch that new Saw movie." He smiled, closing the door. That was odd, wasn't it?

His words seemed so serious, too serious to be playing along. Maybe you're just overthinking, I mean... what could've he had meant?

But you've been noticing a lot of strange things lately. Ever since you had offered for him to start spending weekends at your place since he's always complaining about his roommate, plus he's barely at his own place anyways, and after much hesitation, he obliged. You've seen more and more of the things he thinks he keeps well hidden.

You've always noticed how he talks very vintage like. Not as in 18th century vintage but just like he's a kid from the 60s with no cares and the only thing he was looking forward too was Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin at Woodstock. But that was explainable, he likes old things, has an old soul.

But, something not so explainable is that he often ventures out at night, late when he thinks you're sleeping, and doesn't return till hours later, hair messed with and slightly out of breath when he snuggles back up to your form. Hands always cold. You swore you saw blood on his lip one time.

You've left your mind gone wild with explanations of that. Cheating always at the forefront but Danny could never do that. Not with his kind heart and his puppy eyes that worship you. His praises and actions that he reserves for you and you only.

You're not even sure if he sleeps at all. You're quite the insomniac yourself but even then you end up passing out of exhaustion. You've never seen him sleep.

He also doesn't eat garlic, can't be in the same room as it... odd but not the most strange.

You smile as you walk out the hallway and into the living room, your female pitbull cuddled up with him. You named her Rhiannon, it had been the song playing in the adoption center when you met. "Aw, aren't y'all just the cutest. I love that she loves you now." You scrunch your nose, bending over to kiss her snout.

You were always happy seeing them get along. When you first had Danny over, she had barked nonstop. She had even snapped at him, wouldn't let him near her or you. Which is odd considering she's the sweetest dog on Earth. She's never bitten anyone or even tried to, she's loves people, especially ones you're close with.

Odd she didn't like the man you're inlove with. Oh, well, she does now. That's all that matters, right?

Danny gently wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you onto his lap as you shivered from his cold touch.

He is always freezing.

For a man like Danny, you'd expect him to always run warm. Just like a human furnace, instead, he's the North Pole.

"You okay?" He knows you're okay, just like he knows why you're cold. Of course he does. He's managed to cover up the truth by telling you he has low iron.

You simply nod, grabbing the throw blanket from behind him and snuggling closer to him on his lap. He smiles softly as he starts the movie, setting the remote down before holding you tighter. You moved your legs to be touching Rhiannon, just to let her know she's not forgotten.

It's the simple things you do that make his heart ache, make him yearn for a forever with you. Yearn to be able to grow old and watch your grandkids play in the backyard. Yearn to be able to tell you the whole truth.

But he can't. He wouldn't do that to you. Let you know there's a limited time frame between your love before he has to move cities to keep his charade going. He must rather suffer with that knowledge alone then break your heart before it's time. Or break his when you inevitably fear him.

Oh, how he curses his soulless body for loving you so deeply.

Perhaps he should've gone with the twins to Nashville, he thinks the distraction of them would've kept him from falling inlove.

✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦

It was sunny out, far too sunny for an October sunday afternoon but you weren't complaining. Danny was outside, playing with Rhiannon while you were in the kitchen, knife in hand, apple on the plastic plate you've had for far too many years.

He had offered to cut it for you but you declined. He does so much for you, the least you could do is cut your own fruit.

But even then, you always were a klutz. You grip on the knife had slipped, sending the blade straight into your middle finger as you, stupidly, tried to catch it. "Fuck!" You hissed grabbing a paper towel to wrap around the wound.

"What happened, are you okay?" You jumped as Danny appeared behind you. He's always been freakishly fast, Rhiannon just now approaching the kitchen and she was running.

"Jesus, fuck! Don't sneak up on me like that." You sighed, "Sorry, sorry... 'm fine, just cut myself." You frowned watching as he picked up the knife and dropped in the sink, his body tensing when you mentioned the cut. He shouldn't... it could go horribly wrong, he knows that... he does it anyways.

"Let me see." His voice is so soft you could cry, hand outstretched for yours which you give gladly. Winces escaping you as he looks at the cut, blood pooling slowly from the broken skin. His jaw clenched and eyes zeroed in on it, "You scared me, y'know, thought something worse happened."

"I'll be fine. Sorry I scared you, it just fucking hurt so bad." You sigh, he shook his head.

"Don't apologize, you hurt yourself. You're allowed to be as dramatic as you want." He smiled softly, looking up at you making a face at him. He smiled wider to which you smiled back before looking back at your finger.

"Shit, Danny, it's bleeding. Can you go get the band-" You cut yourself in shock when instead of doing what you had asked, he wrapped his mouth around your finger and sucked the blood away.

His eyes never left yours, it was strangely erotic. You just blinked at him, breathing quite heavily, "Never thought those fingers would be in my mouth in a different context." He just barely whispered, kissing the cut that had stopped bleeding. The cut that was barely a cut anymore and instead skin somewhat stitched back together.

He's panicking. He shouldn't have done that, what normal person does that? He just fucked everything. Fuck, there's no excuse or reasoning for that... blood kink? Wouldn't be too far from the truth. He ran his tongue over his teeth, panicking further when he feels the slight poke of his fangs.

You just laughed in slight disbelief, reaching up to kiss his cheek, "Thank you for helping me."

He laughed, "You gonna let me finish cutting it for you?" He hid his face by turning around to find another, clean, knife.

"Have at 'em, baby, I'm done. I'm injured." You sigh dramatically, walking over to kiss the base of his neck and wrap an arm around his waist, "Just so you know, and not to be weird here... that was strangely sexual... kinda hot" He laughed loudly, his eyes crinkling.

"You liked watching me suck your blood? Really? That's what does it for you?"

"Hey, you can suck my blood anytime you want, Dracula." If only you actually knew what you were saying.

"Might take you up on that, weirdo." He nudged you with his elbow. He wouldn't. He'd never do it, too risky. He could kill you. He's not too good at self restraint.

✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦

Nights were always your favorite with Danny. Ever since he started spending nights over, your nighttime routine had been weaved along with his.

The two of you had learned to dance around each other in the bathroom. Maneuvering around one another so you get to your toothbrush or facial cleanser.

You were in the middle of scrubbing your teeth when Danny finished, putting the toothbrush he bought down at CVS to keep at your place in the cup. He leaned against the counter, watching you with the softest look on his face. He was a goner when it came to you, especially to the domesticity of your time spent together.

"Why you lookin' at me like that?" You smiled softly, looking over at him.

"Like what?" He laughed.

"You know how you're looking at me." You shook your head, putting your own toothbrush away.

"Like I love you?" He smiled, his arms wrapping around you, "Like you're the best thing to ever happen to me? Like I couldn't imagine never knowing you?"

Despite the blush on your face you laughed, and grabbed his arms, "Come on! Now, you're just bein' cheesy." You leaned your head back against his shoulder as he looked at you through the mirror, his own head resting ontop of your shoulder.

"Thought you liked cheesy." He kissed your cheek, his hands tightening their grip ever-so-slightly for just a moment before loosening.

"I do but sometimes you take it so far." You smile, walking out of his grip and grabbing his hand.

"There is never too much cheese." He sounded offended and it made you smile wider, "You think there's such thing as too much cheese?"

"I know there's such thing as too much cheese now get in bed. I'm tired."

With you cuddled up close to him and fast asleep, your arm around his waist and Rhiannon on his other side, her snout on his stomach, he decides to stay in that night. He can miss one night.

He hates leaving every night, to leave you in an empty bed that's cold for hours on end, but it's the only time he can get away long enough to do what he needs to. He wishes he didn't have to, he wishes he could stay wrapped up in you and your arms. Or at the very least he wishes he could sleep, he wishes for a lot of things.

But, when you're like Danny, most wishes can never be granted. And if they can, certainly not without a price. A risky, dangerous, scary, price.

✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦

Perhaps you were bored or perhaps your Twilight binge had rotted your brain, but you were knees deep in vampire facts.

You were definitely bored.

You were simply curious as to what the original folk story had about vampires, what had been added over time for the sake of storytelling. First clicking on Reddit, horrible but what else would you use? But then, you started to notice that too many things stated seemed quite familiar.

You couldn't remember who it had reminded you of... it was annoying you if were honest.

Cold skin. Nocturnal. Freakishly fast. Doesn't like garlic. Little to no eating. Obviously likes blood.

But then, there were things that counteracted it like them burning in the sun and having no reflection. He loved to look in the mirror and he practically lived in the sun.

He... oh shit.

It was Danny. He fit every description.

You began to look more into it, going on odd forums and weird websites that seemed like they were created for the weirdos of the internet and everything you saw reminded you of him more and more. He fit everything. It was quite scary. But, it's just a coincidence, right? Vampires don't exist, right?

You'd just have to pay more attention than you already do the next time you see him.

✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦

The week had came and gone since that night but you hadn't heard from Danny in days, you were worried. You had no one to call to see if they knew about his whereabouts. Sure, he had friends. Work friends. They rarely spoke outside of his job.

Sometimes you think you're the only one he hangs out with. He's a bit of a recluse but you can tell it's not by choice, he's far too much of a social butterfly and outgoing in public to be this lonely in a city as big as yours. Another odd thing about him. You might just start making a list. After you find him.

It wasn't like him to disappear, not like that. He always returned within the day. It's been radio silence since Monday morning when he left. He had even missed your date that was planned for Wednesday, ignored all your messages and calls while you sat at the book store, browsing alone.

You had considered going to his place after that but... he didn't necessarily allow you there.

It was never explicitly stated that you were banned from his home but he never invited you over, always made an excuse why you couldn't come in, never had you pick him up from his complex.

#7 on the list of things that make him odd and another reason to the possible vampire theory, but they don't exist. You don't even know why you're entertaining the idea.

So, maybe he is cheating. It explains the late night departures, you never spending time at his place. There's not much to go off of but... it's the most sane explanation you could think of.

You wouldn't believe he was a vampire. Fuck what all those sketchy websites and forums and reddit posts said. Vampires are not real.

But, oh, how it pains you to think of him cheating. To think that every moment between you two was an act, that every praise and act of service wasn't true, that he pleases other women in the dark of their bedroom the same he pleases you. That he doesn't love you.

You two had been together for a little over a year and you were madly inlove. He was your gentle giant and it pains you to think he could be someone else's as well. Maybe that's why he hesitated so much when you brought up the weekend stays, he had someone waiting for him back home.

If he did, she wasn't there. You had hesitated multiple times before finally knocking on the apartment door, you waited about a minute or so after hearing a dog bark before deciding to just leave. Maybe nobody was home.

But then the door swung open, his roommate on the other side. You had seen photos of him. He was tall and skinny, long brunette hair with a bit of a wave to it and downturned eyes accompanied with an amazing bone structure. "Oh, hello." His voice was a bit raspy, not too much but enough to notice.

"Hey... um, is Danny here?" Your voice was timid, you felt odd showing up out of the blue. Even odder and uncomfortable when his brows furrowed together in confusion.

"No... he isn't. Do you know him?"

Oh.

You realized you were staring when he tilted his head, "Oh, yeah... yeah I do. He's um... I'm Y/N. His girlfriend." You wanted to curse yourself for sounding so scared.

His face fell before his jaw clenched and his eyes widened, whether that be in panic or anger, you weren't sure, "You are? Well, he didn't tell me he was seeing anybody... I'm Sam." He reached his hand out and when you took it, all you could notice was that he was cold too.

"Yeah, he's... he's told me about you." You smile softly when he nods.

"I'd hope. I only live with the man." He laughed, quite stoner like, "He's never mentioned you. I can see why, you're quite gorgeous. No wonder he wants to keep you a secret from me." Lie. He knows why Danny never told him and he knows it's not because of how gorgeous he finds you, "How long have you been seeing him?"

"For like a year or so..." You sigh as his face falls, "Kinda odd he never mentioned me, huh?"

"Oh, yeah. Really odd." He shrugged, "But, yeah, he's been down in Nashville since Monday. He returned home from wherever it is he spends his weekends, which I assume is your place? He left that afternoon, a family emergency popped up. I couldn't go, I mean, I have a dog to feed. Can't leave her all by herself." He laughed.

"Since Monday?"

"Yeah... I gather he didn't tell you? Missed whatever it is you had planned Wednesday?"

"Did he tell you about it?" How could he tell Sam he had a date but not about you? You were starting to regret this, you just wanted to go home. Maybe you could distract yourself with terrible Netflix romcoms.

"Not really. All he told me he was busy on Wednesday but I just assume he must've cancelled once he left..." Sam tilted his head, "Quite cruel he didn't."

You frowned, "It is, isn't it? Um... if you hear from him at all.. can you just tell him to give me a call?"

"Oh, yeah, of course." Sam will, but he can't promise that he'll tell Danny he can keep seeing you. It's far too dangerous, not just for you but for them too, "You have a nice day, Y/N." He smiled, you smiled back though it had to be forced.

"You too, Sam." The interaction did more harm than good, you felt odd and off balance as you walked away. More saddened than anything. What was Danny hiding from you? Why was he hiding you? Were you some dark secret?

You were taken out of your memory revisit when you heard a knock on the door, Rhiannon barking as she you shushed her and stood.

You sighed when you opened the door. Your gentle giant standing with sunflowers in hand, fiddling with his necklace and his short curly hair moving when he looked up at you. You were relieved he was alive, pissed that he disappeared and showed up with flowers.

"Hi." He breathed. He thought you looked radiant, he always did. You could show up covered in dirt and mud and slime and he'd happily clean you off while complimenting how beautiful you are, "Got you flowers... sorry that I missed-"

"Where the fuck have you been?" You cut him off, hand on your hip as you eyed him.

Shit.

He's heard that tone before. He's seen you use it on the phone with your mother when she's pissed you off, and he's seen you use it with Rhiannon when she won't listen. You've used it hundreds of times, pissed off beyond belief, he's just never been on the receiving end.

"You disappear for fucking days, ignore all of my texts and my calls then you show up like everything's fine? With fucking flowers?" You sighed, pushing the door open with more force than necessary, "Get in, I'm not arguing with you in the middle of the hallway." He quickly obliged. If there's one thing he's learned about you when your mad, it's to listen.

"Baby, believe me when I say I am so, so, sorry I missed our date and didn't call. I was going too but I had a family emergency and it just slipped my mind." It's not a lie, but it's not the whole truth. The truth would involve exposing him and the twins to you, he couldn't do that.

Now, he sounded genuine, but the anger that seeped itself into your bones refused to leave that easily.

"It slipped your mind to call me and tell me you were going to Nashville? What? Did it also slip your mind to tell your roommate I existed, Danny?" He tensed up, eyes wide, once you mentioned Sam.

"You went to my apartment? You talked to Sam? Why would you do that? What's wrong with you?" He knew he fucked up when the words left his mouth and you frowned,

"What's wrong with me? Are you shitting me, Danny?"

"You know I didn't mean it like tha-"

"You were gone for fucking days! I didn't know where you were, not one fucking call or text in eight days! What did you expect me to do?!" You snapped, you were not going to be painted as the one in the wrong for caring, "He at least had the decency to tell me where you were!"

"What did you tell him?" You wanted to scream, that's what he was worried about? "Y/N! What did you tell Sam? Did you tell him we're together?"

"No, I told him I was a fucking alien from Mars looking to probe your brain. Of course I told him we're together, why wouldn't I?" You sighed, arms crossed. Danny looked tense, scared. You've never seen him like that.

"Because I'm not supposed to be seeing you... I'm not... I was never supposed to be even talking to you." He sighed, rubbing at his forehead. You just felt more confused and hurt.

"What the fuck do you mean? ...Danny!" You exclaimed when he didn't answer, "Are you... are you cheating on me?"

"What?"

He looked bewildered, maybe even hurt you'd think that. You regret asking but what was were you supposed to say? You two were on opposite sides of the world, he was in the light and you were in the dark. You needed to know.

"Are you?"

"No, baby, no. I'd never, I... even if I could I wouldn't." He sighed, frowning. He walked over to you, grabbing your biceps softly, "I promise you, I would never. I love you and only you, where would you even get such an idea?"

"Are you shitting my dick? Do you think you're good at hiding shit? I know you sneak out in the middle of the night for hours, Sam didn't even know about me and now you're saying you're not supposed to be seeing me." You sigh, dropping your arms which he immediately grabbed your hands. And you let him, "What the fuck is going on with you?" He sighed, looking down at the ground before back at you.

"Listen, I can't tell you-" You scoffed, taking your hands back and going to walk away before he grabbed your arm and turned you to him, "You don't know how badly I wish I could, but, please just trust me when I say it's for your benefit. It'd be dangerous for you to know." His hands grabbed your face, his fingers gentle as they cradled it, thumbs brushing your cheeks.

"What are you in a gang? I can't... I can't be with you if you're hiding shit from me, Danny." You frowned, "You can't just keep lying to me."

"I know but... it's better if I do." He whispered. He didn't want to lose you, ever, but maybe it is for the better.

"So you're fine with me walking away? You're okay with losing me?"

"No, I'm not but I can't tell you the truth."

"You'd much rather I break up with you than tell me?" You couldn't believe it, it seemed like a such a stab. It was worse for him though, he knew he was going to lose you but he thought he had at least another three years with you. At least he'd be able to get over it now rather than mope about leaving you behind when him and Sam move down to Nashville to be with the twins, "I can't fucking believe you, Danny. Seriously. What is so fucking bad that you'd rather lose me than just be honest?" You weren't sad, not at that moment. You wanted him to fight for you instead he gave up as if it was a battle he could never win, which in his eyes, it was.

"Y/N..." He sighed, "I'm sorry."

"You're not sorry, Danny, don't act like you are. Jesus Christ, you don't even care! Do I really mean that little to you? Like seriously, did I ever matter?" You scoffed, taking a step back.

"You mean everything to me, Y/N, and you know that. Do you seriously think I don't care?" He seemed hurt that you'd ever think that but what else were you supposed to think?

"You're not showing me otherwise." You frowned, "Just... just tell me!" You exclaimed, opening you're mouth to speak before he beat you to the finish line.

"I'm a vampire! Okay? I'm a fucking nocturnal blood sucking monster!"

Is he... is he serious? ...Does he think you're that fucking dumb?

You can't help but laugh loudly, putting your head into your hands. He's scared out of his mind, he doesn't know how you're gonna react. He just knows he can't lose you this early, he needs you. He's an addict and you're his heroine.

He's quite literally the vampire and he considers you to be the blood.

"I can't believe you. Are you fucking with me? Like... are there some hidden cameras here?" You look around to emphasize your words while he stares at you, "Jesus, fuck, Danny. Y'know-"

"You don't believe me?" He seemed shocked, as if he didn't just say he was a vampire.

"Of course I don't believe you! Vampires don't exist!" You exclaimed, "You seriously much rather fuck with me? If you're cheating, the least you could do is tell me! It'd make this a whole lot easier!"

"Make what easier? You're seriously gonna leave me? Even after I told you the truth?" He seemed in disbelief. He swears, if he had a heart it'd broken like a dropped vase. Shattered. Pieces scattered around the floor that he'll have to pick up one by one and try his best to glue and tape back together but inevitably fail because he'll be missing the key part. You.

"You're not telling me the truth, Danny!"

"I am! I swear to God I am!" He was getting frustrated now too, you had never seen him so annoyed. If you weren't drowning in your arguement, you'd want him to take you then and there.

Anger looked good on him.

"Prove it!"

"What?"

You sighed, rubbing at your forehead, "You heard me, Danny. If you're really a nocturnal bloodsucker, prove it."

He scoffed, "How do you want me to prove that?" You rolled your eyes, "I'm not gonna start fucking running around here like I'm Edward Cullen." You scoffed this time. Did he have to be so fucking cute? And dumb?

"Your fangs. Show me your fangs." You stepped closer to him, hands on your hips. Watching as he sighed before opening his mouth, you waited a moment or two, just looking at a regular human mouth. But then, you gasped as his fangs began growing in. His teeth changing right before your eyes.

His eyes, however, were no longer the sweet brown you adore but instead piercing red. Scarier, sure, but his puppy dog eyes were still there and you loved it all the same.

"Believe me now?"

"But you don't burn in the sun... and you have a reflection..." You whispered, eyes wide and frantic.

"All myths." He shrugged as if he didn't just reveal that he was a blood thirsty monster, "Do you believe me?"

"Yeah.. yeah, I believe you." He smiled at that, putting his fangs more on display, "Oh my God... you don't... all those nights you disappeared, you weren't eating people were you? You're not gonna eat me, right?"

"No! Oh my God, no." He laughed a bit, his hands immediately shooting to grab your arms, "I feed off of animals. I don't... I never liked the idea of killing someone. I mean, I don't have to kill you to feed off you but..." He trailed off, shrugging.

"But what?" You tilted your head. You wanted to understand, you needed to, "You're afraid you'll go too far?"

"I have gone too far. One too many times." He sighed, "So, animals are the next best thing. They work just as well as people."

"You're a vampire." You laughed, the information fully settled, "Oh my God! Is that why Sam didn't know about me?" You frowned as he looked down at the ground.

"Yeah.. yeah, we made a deal we wouldn't going to get close to anybody here, let alone date them. Too many broken hearts, too many risks. Plus, we'd have to leave eventually." He sounded sad, telling you all this. And you couldn't help but hang onto to the leaving part, "But I just... I couldn't stay away from you even if I wanted too... you know that."

"You're gonna have to leave at some point?"

"Listen, I don't want to but... I can't stay forever. I mean, either way, I'm immortal... you're gonna grow old and blossom while I'm stuck being 24." He frowned, stepping closer to you. Your chest against his, "I promise you, if I could stay and give you the life you want I wouldn't even think twice about doing it." You just nodded, wrapping your arms around him.

This was going to take some getting used to.

✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦

It had been three months since that night. Things were the same for the most part but you could tell, the fact that you'll have to inevitably part has been looming over both your heads. You just decided to ignore it, live in delusion. It hadn't exactly worked.

You two had always been inseparable but even more so now. Constantly touching, constantly talking, constantly just being together. You still never went to his place, Danny claiming it's because he likes the privacy of your apartment, and something about Sam being a whore.

However, that didn't stop Sam from wanting to get to know you. Ever since he found out about you, he claimed you're all Danny ever talked about. He never realized just how little Danny talked before then. You've invited him over once or twice.

He'll come in, eat all your food, because apparently vampires not being able to eat human food is also a myth, something about how as long as they drink blood they'll be fine. He'll talk to you about whatever, whenever, as if you're old friends and be completely barefoot the entire time.

You've also overheard their little conversations once or twice, mostly about you. Mostly about how badly the break-up will hurt, the seconds counting down to it.

"Y'know..." Sam started, looking in your fridge, his tone immediately tensing Danny up. That's the tone he'll use whenever he's about to suggest something outrageous, "You could always turn her, wouldn't exactly be difficult-"

"Are you fucking crazy?" Danny exclaimed, accidentally slamming his water bottle down. Eyes shooting daggers at Sam, "Seriously, Sam? Do you know what could fucking happen?"

"Yes, I know. You have no restraint and you'll end up killing her which you know isn't true." Sam sighed, closing the nearly empty fridge and leaning against it, arms crossed.

You were currently standing in the hallway, trying your best to eavesdrop quietly.

"Isn't true my ass. Do you not remember Annie? Her death was my fault." Sam rolled his eyes, sighing. He always brings up fucking Annie.

On that note, who the fuck is Annie? He's never mentioned an Annie to you.

"Annie died because she was coked out and shooting heroine while you did it. She would've died either way from an overdose, you just sped up the process. Y/N isn't a fucking drug addict, she'll live." He wasn't wrong but Danny could never risk it.

"You don't know that, Sam."

"Yes, I do. You love her too much to ever risk hurting her, I know. But guess what? You didn't love Annie, not the way you love her, and Annie surely didn't love you, she used you for drugs and sex, man, and you know that." Danny did know that, but that doesn't make the blood on his hands wash away, "You think Y/N wants to lose you too?"

"No, I don't but guess what, Sam? I'm not ever doing it, no matter what. I'm not risking her life or taking away her fucking soul." Danny sighed, rubbing his forehead, "I can't... I don't want to. I could never forgive myself if she died, just like I could never forgive myself if I took her away from her life."

What life? You rarely talk to your family in years and all your close friends live in different states. Danny had been the one constant.

"Just because you didn't get a choice in the matter doesn't mean she shouldn't either." God, he hated when Sam was right.

"She wants to grow old and have a family, Sam, she doesn't want to move from state to state every three to six years." Danny sighed, looking down at the counter he was leaning on.

"How do you know that? How do you know that girl won't follow you to the ends of the Earth? 'Cause it's clear as day that she'll do whatever if it means you won't leave." Sam had grabbed Dannys water now, going to sip from it when you finally decided to walk into the kitchen. Saving Danny from the conversation.

"Hey, weirdos. What'd I miss?" You smiled, seeing Danny immediately soften at the sight of you. And you didn't miss the look Sam gave him either when you walked up and wrapped your arms around his waist.

"Nothing. Just vampire shit." Sam smiled.

"Yeah... just vampire shit, nothing interesting." Danny smiled, "I'll go get the popcorn ready if you wanna go put movie on."

"Sam... you wanna do that for me?" Thank God he took the hint and walked to the living room, both hands raised as he did. He usually complains whenever you imply you want to be alone with Danny, "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" He turned around in your arms, his hands resting on your face, "Got you in my arms."

You scrunched your nose at him which he kissed, "You're so cheesy. Go get the popcorn ready, Dracula." You kissed his cheek, leaving him alone in the kitchen when you walked away.

You'll bring it up another day. For now, you're enjoying all the time you have left with Danny... and apparently Sam.

[thelensofyashunews]

Lupe Fiasco Shows Off His Unmatched Pen in "Cake" Single From Upcoming 'Samurai'

Assembling assonant syllables into sumptuous literary stanzas, Lupe Fiasco has built a his reputation off the strength of his pen game. Proving that few emcees can touch him even 20 years into his storied career, Lupe shares "Cake," his new single. Over a head-spinning instrumental from Soundtrakk, Lupe flexes like only he can, putting together intricate internal rhymes and off-kilter metaphors to assert an important message: nobody has bars like him. Locking in with Soundtrakk's swirling melodies and satisfyingly old school percussion, the Chicago rapper asserts that he's colder than a Siberian winter, with the pen game of Kurt Vonnegut and a vocabulary large enough to make a computer lose memory. He spits: "Ain't no domino in my dominance, when I'm droppin' this/Janis Jop-a-lin drop-a-lets, it sound like the apocalypse/Mixed with Christopher Wallace's topics, on top a obelisk/This a cobbleous novelist, inside of my esophagus/Rhyme as primin' as Optimus and this sh*t tastes like chocolate cake." The single arrives with a stylish, stripped-down music video directed by Chris and Blaq of IMPAKT STUDIO, which finds Lu flexing on a soundstage as he spits his verse amidst the commotion of production staff around him.

"Cake" is the second single from Samurai, Lupe's ninth studio album and one of the most personal of his career to date. The upcoming album is produced in full by Soundtrakk, making it their second full album collaboration following 2022's DRILL MUSIC IN ZION, and the first album that Lupe and Soundtrakk worked on with their longtime manager, and 1st & 15th co-CEO Charley "Chill" Patton, since 2007's The Cool. The 8-track album is smooth, yet cerebral, brimming with ideas, but always radiating Lupe’s pure love for the art of emceeing and committing himself as a servant of the rap game. Last week, Lupe introduced the album by sharing the single and music video for its title track, "Samurai," praised by Rolling Stone, Complex, Billboard, HYPEBEAST, Clash, The Needle Drop, and more. Now available to pre-save and pre-order on vinyl, Samurai arrives in both physical and digital formats on June 28th via 1st & 15th.

The upcoming Samurai is Lupe's first new album since 2022's DRILL MUSIC IN ZION, which earned critical acclaim from NPR, Complex, The FADER, and many others, including Vinyl Me Please, who wrote "At their best, Lupe’s bars are as visually and phonetically pleasing as popped bubble wrap." The product of a burst of thoughtful spontaneity, Lupe created DRILL MUSIC IN ZION over a short period, diving into a folder of beats sent by Soundtrakk and emerging with a fully-realized album in just three days. In 2023, Lupe kept busy by releasing tracks like "Wild Child (Remix)," a new version of his 2017 track created in collaboration with Chicago house luminary Vince Lawrence, and "Out There," an archival track from the 1st & 15th vault. The iconic Chicago native also settled into his position as a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he teaches "Rap Theory and Practice." Beyond music, Lupe continues to focus on the community organizations he founded, including We Are M.U.R.A.L, The Neighborhood Start-Up Fund, Society of Spoken Art, and his cross-cultural content venture, Studio SV.

Stay tuned for more announcements about Lupe Fiasco and Samurai in the coming weeks.

[justforbooks]

“He’d kill us if he got the chance.” Those words, spoken by a bespectacled, beige-suited young man (Frederic Forrest) as he wanders through Union Square in San Francisco with his lover (Cindy Williams), are secretly recorded by the surveillance expert Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) in The Conversation (1974). Their meaning, mulled over at length, becomes vital in unlocking the story’s mysteries. One of the key thrillers of its decade, Francis Ford Coppola’s film was also an eloquent expression of paranoia in a country reeling from Watergate.

Forrest, who has died aged 86, was the ideal actor to throw certainties into doubt. In The Conversation, he is bookish, furtive and opaque. The audience never becomes properly acquainted with him, though recordings of his voice and image are repeatedly offered up for our scrutiny so that the act of studying his expressions and intonations becomes central to experiencing the film. Without realising it, we channel a good deal of energy into deciphering his motives.

If we are never quite successful, that may explain why Forrest did not become the star that some predicted he would. He was a consummate character actor, too complex and mutable to be limited to any persona. This seemed to be a source of mild frustration to him. “I would like not to have to fit into somebody else’s story and have my scenes cut because I’m too strong,” he said in 1979.

It was in that year that he was seen in the two films which brought him closest to stardom. Working again with Coppola on the Vietnam war epic Apocalypse Now, based on Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Forrest played Chef, member of a platoon led by Willard (Martin Sheen), which ventures into Cambodia to kill the wayward Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando).

Forrest’s role here was nothing like his one in The Conversation, demanding instead a raucous, baffled bluster which is seen most demonstrably when he suffers a breakdown after a nocturnal encounter with a tiger. His wide, startled eyes, soup-strainer moustache and floppy hat with its upturned brim lent him a goofy, knockabout air. Even amid the film’s widespread carnage, his grisly eventual demise was strongly felt.

Also in 1979, he starred in The Rose, directed by Mark Rydell, whom he credited with teaching him how to “personalise” his acting through looseness and spontaneity. Bette Midler played a hard-living rock star based on Janis Joplin; Forrest was the sunny-eyed, straight-shooting Texan chauffeur with whom she connects emotionally and romantically. He received an Oscar nomination for the performance.

Coppola used him in two further projects. He was cast – or, arguably, miscast – as the dreamy romantic lead, a mechanic at the Reality Wrecking Company, in the ill-starred musical One from the Heart (1981). The movie was shot at crippling expense on glitzy sets designed to evoke a garish, heightened Las Vegas. He also played an automobile engineer in Coppola’s Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988).

He was at his most winning in Martha Coolidge’s intelligent teen romcom Valley Girl (1983), in which he was the adorably laidback manager of a health food restaurant whose daughter (Deborah Foreman) is dating a Hollywood punk, played by Nicolas Cage. That young actor, who happened to be Coppola’s nephew, may have stolen the show, but seeing the two men together made it feel as if Forrest was passing on the mantle of risk-taker to a new generation.

Born in Waxahachie, Texas, he was the son of Virginia (nee McSpadden) and Frederic, who ran a furniture business and owned greenhouses from which he sold plants to local shops. Frederic junior was educated at Texas Christian University, in Fort Worth. His acting ambitions led him to New York, where he studied under Sanford Meisner. After a stint in the army, he made his stage debut in the off-Broadway show Viet Rock in 1966, then had small parts in both the 1968 stage version and 1969 film adaptation of Futz, a comedy about a farmer in love with a pig.

His first major screen roles were in When the Legends Die (1972), in which he starred as an 18-year-old Native American rodeo rider – though Forrest was 36 at the time – who is mentored by a seasoned veteran (Richard Widmark); and the crime drama The Don is Dead (1973). He played the title role in Larry (1974), the factually based story of a man wrongly admitted to a psychiatric institution for 26 years.

He also appeared in The Missouri Breaks (1976), a western with Brando and Jack Nicholson, and played Lee Harvey Oswald on television in Ruby and Oswald (1978). He was twice cast as the novelist Dashiell Hammett, first in Wim Wenders’s wryly speculative Hammett (1982), which proposed that the writer was caught up in a real-life mystery that inspired him to pen The Maltese Falcon, and later in the TV movie Citizen Cohn (1992), where he suavely resists the efforts of the virulent lawyer Roy Cohn (James Woods) to intimidate him into naming names during the anti-Communist witchhunts.

Other films include Abel Ferrara’s Elmore Leonard adaptation Cat Chaser, Costa-Gavras’s war-crimes drama Music Box (both 1989), the tardy Chinatown sequel The Two Jakes (1990), directed by Nicholson, and Trauma, a rare US excursion for the Italian horror maestro Dario Argento. In the thriller Falling Down (also 1993), Forrest had a scene-stealing turn as a cartoonishly villainous racist in a Los Angeles military surplus store.

On television, he starred in Stephen Frears’s Saigon: Year of the Cat (1983), written by David Hare, and was part of the sprawling ensemble in the acclaimed western Lonesome Dove (1989). In the BBC2 series Die Kinder (1990), he played a private detective hired by a woman (Miranda Richardson) whose children have been kidnapped by their father. John Frankenheimer directed him in the US civil war drama Andersonville (1996).

He also starred in The Brave, the only film to be directed by Johnny Depp, and Wenders’s The End of Violence (both 1997). His final appearance was alongside Sean Penn and Jude Law in All the King’s Men (2006), a political drama adapted from the Robert Penn Warren novel previously filmed in 1949.

His two marriages, to Nancy Ann Whitaker (1960 to 1963) and the actor Marilu Henner (1980 to 1983) both ended in divorce.

🔔 Frederic Fenimore Forrest Jr, actor, born 23 December 1936; died 23 June 2023

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

[thosedaysthatwill]

For the violence ask : 7, 8, 18, 19

I love when you give me an opportunity to rant about things!

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

Sidney Crosby. Is there any other answer? It's bad now, sure, but I mean you had to be there during the heyday of Sidney is /all/ everyone talked about, posted about, wrote, all the time. Like every other fic, seriously, was Sidney (back then usually with Colby or Jack, or honestly anyone and everyone, even Mario, but then it was Evgeni all the time) and he was everyone's favorite player, the commentators were up his rear end, everyone thought he was the greatest thing since the sharpening machine, and that commercial about how the rink was his prom and all that. It was a while ago, and people that are newer and are annoyed with him /now/ don't know what it was like when he was /THE/ player, like the NHL revolved around him. It's different now, it's weaker, but it's still there, it lurks in the parts of the fandom that I don't dare venture into. 

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

That the so-called 'miracle' in 1980 is something to celebrate. I've gone on this rant, I will pull it up again, I will go on the rant again if I can't find my previous rant and anyone hasn't heard it that wants to. But it was NO FUCKING MIRACLE and it was not something to celebrate and it was a bunch of anti-Soviet, anti-communist, pro-Reagan-era-America BULLSHIT. It was propaganda, pure and simple. It was McCarthyism on skates! The poor underdog corn-fed American boys (not!) beat the huge professional Russian juggernaut machine (not!) because of Capitalism, Christianity, and Mom's Apple Pie, or something like that. It's gross. (They didn't even win gold by beating Russia. They won it by beating Finland, but that wouldn't make a good anti-communist propaganda movie.) And there is nothing I hate more in all of hockey. 

18. it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on...

All defensive defensemen ever. I shouldn't dive right from that into ranting about how people don't appreciate Esa Lindell enough (though they don't!), because he's not a /perfectly/ defensive defenseman (especially since John left and Jani is REALLY stay-at-home, it gives him more freedom to wander, but at least he does it responsibly!) but he at least plays DEFENSE which is more than I can say for some of the most recent Norris winners. Fandom seems to think that defensemen should score, and thus seem to celebrate those that do. But THAT IS NOT THEIR JOB! (this is getting to be another answer to number 8) So those defensemen that don't score, and actually do their damn job get overlooked by fandom, and the announcers, and it's a crime. The only GOOD DEFENSEMEN are the ones that DEFEND. So if they say "well he puts up a lot of points but his defense is his weakest area" and he has a D next to his name, he's BAD AT HIS JOB! Back to the answer, fandom is sleeping on Esa Lindell because he knows that his job is to defend. My favorite thing about him is that he's /very/ good at knowing where to be, he takes his spot and he guards the line. That's like 80% of what a defenseman needs to do (and NOT be down by the opposing net). It's kind of sad that I get super excited when he's perfectly positional because it means that SO MANY defensemen are not, that it stands out that he is. He also skates well, which is a requirement for a defenseman, and he doesn't try to score that much. This was a stronger rant when he was more defensive. I can hope he goes back to that.

19. you're mad/ashamed/horrified you actually kind of like...

Back in the day this would have been 'anyone wearing a Habs jersey'. I was /in love/ with Sheldon Souray back in the day and that was a secret because he was a Hab (but /oh/ what a defensive defenseman, and what a shot! I taped my stick like his because I was cool) and my friend from Montreal sent me an autographed poster (which I did frame and hang up, and I sent her a Patrice shirt). But the Habs rivalry has really become weak over the years, it's not even fun to hate them anymore. There are other teams I hate so much more, so I wouldn't even be ashamed of liking a Habs player, if I did. So I can't think of anyone or anything I'm /ashamed/ of liking. I mean I like some kinda weird stuff but I'm kinda weird, and I'm not ashamed of that. I'm kinda at the age where I don't really /get/ ashamed of what I like because fuck it I've been around too long to care. I wish I had a better answer for this one. 

THANK YOU FOR ASKING! 💜

[kwebtv]

Susan Gaye Tolsky (April 6, 1943 – October 9, 2022) Television and film character actress.   In 1967, she made her television debut on the sitcom The Second Hundred Years. Within a year, she earned a main role on the ABC comedy Western series Here Come the Brides (1968–1970) as Biddie Cloom.

In 1971 she gained wider recognition as a regular on the variety series The New Bill Cosby Show (1972–1973) on CBS. Following several guest roles on television throughout the 1970s, Tolsky was part of the main cast on the syndicated sitcom Madame's Place (1982–1983) in the role of Bernadette Van Gilder.

Tolsky ventured into voice acting in the 1980s, beginning with Annabell on Hanna-Barbera's animated series Foofur (1986–1988). She continued her career in voice-over in the next decade with recurring roles as Aunt Ruth on Bobby's World (1990–1998), Binkie Muddlefoot on Darkwing Duck (1991–1992), and Aunt Janie on Pepper Ann (1997–2000). She also provided guest voice roles on a number of Disney Television Animation productions. Tolsky's most recent credit is the Disney Channel animated comedy series The Buzz on Maggie (2005–2006), where she voiced Mrs. Pesky.  (Wikipedia)

[fbenvs3000w23]

Nature Interpretation Through Music

Using music as a means of interpretation is no new concept. The protest songs of the 60s and 70s provide a clear example of people using music as a hugely successful means of mass interpretation. This music reached a vast audience of change-thirsty youth, mobilizing them against the time's social, political, and environmental issues (Covach & Flory, 2018). The power of music as an interpretive force is undeniable, but how does this apply to our discussion of nature?

Well, if you consider music to be a combination of vocal or instrumental sounds combined in a way that produces beautiful form, harmony, and emotion, then wouldn’t nature be the purest and longest-playing symphony? Music is everywhere in nature. It’s in the rustling leaves, the whistling wind, the chatter of animals, the pattering rain, the billowing thunder, the trickling water, the crashing waves, and the sounds of footsteps.

Additionally, nature is everywhere in music. It’s in the sounds of instruments, the rhythm/ tempo, and the topic of lyrics. Nature inspires music. Take “The Four Seasons” by Antonio Vivaldi, for example. Each concerto in the series represents one of the four seasons. If you listen to these concertos, you will hear representations of flowing creeks, singing birds, barking dogs, buzzing flies, storms, winter fires, and frozen landscapes, to name a few. “The Four Seasons” may be one of classical music's most obvious direct expressions of nature. Still, many others work off a similar premise, such as Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune,” which translates to “Moonlight” in English. Such representations of nature are also not limited to classical music. “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong is a great example from late 1960s R&B, and “Summer Breeze” by Seals and Crofts is an example from 1970s folk rock. Lyrically, many songs have nature-related themes and inspirations. There is “Sundown” by Gordon Lightfoot, “Bobcaygeon” by the Tragically Hip, “Where do the Children Play” by Cat Stevens, “California Dreaming” by The Mammas and The Pappas, and the list goes on.

Music doesn’t have to have nature in its theme, lyrics, or instrumentation to inspire thoughts of natural landscapes in its audience. Music triggers a part of our brain that helps us to remember (Baumgartner, 1992). I’m sure you all have specific songs that trigger memories of natural landscapes from your past. Likewise, I can recall many songs that transport me to places in nature. Despite growing up in the age of iPods and Apple Music, I listened to most of my music through CD players. Thus, many of my transportive tunes were, instead, transportive albums. Most notably, every song in the “Cheap Thrills” album by Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin swiftly transports me back to the summer of 2016. I would lie in the back of my truck in the middle of the hay field or bomb around on my dirtbikes, all while repeatedly listening to the album.

I compiled a Spotify playlist of some of my favourite nature-related music. Have a listen. Who knows? Maybe you'll find your new favourite tune!

References:

Baumgartner, H. (1992). Remembrance of Things Past: Music, Autobiographical Memory, and Emotion. Advances in Consumer Research. 19. 613-620.

Beck, L., Cable, & T. T., Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting Cultural and

Natural Heritage for a Better World. Sagamore Venture.

Covach, J., & Flory, A. (2018). What’s that Sound?: An Introduction to Rock and its History. W.W. Norton & Company. 

Gray, P. Krause, B. Atema, J., Payne, R., Krumhansl, C. & Baptista, L. (2001). The Music of Nature and the Nature of Music. Science. 291. 52-54.

[janisurstemostrespectedtrade]

Janis Urste  Elevating Business and Banking Consulting Through Expertise and Innovation

Janis Urste has carved a name for himself as an influential figure in the world of business and banking consulting. Over the years, his deep expertise, innovative thinking, and hands-on approach have helped countless businesses and financial institutions thrive in an ever-changing landscape. With a focus on strategic planning, risk management, and operational excellence, Urste brings unparalleled value to his clients across the globe.

Building a Foundation of Excellence

Janis Urste’s journey in the business and financial world began with a strong academic background in finance and economics. Early in his career, he developed a keen understanding of financial systems, banking operations, and the economic forces that drive markets. This foundation allowed him to excel in various leadership roles in banking, corporate finance, and strategic advisory services.

Urste's experience in corporate environments exposed him to the challenges that both established organizations and new ventures face in navigating today’s complex financial ecosystems. Over the years, he has honed his skills in financial analysis, capital markets, and business development. This multifaceted expertise enables him to offer comprehensive solutions to his clients, whether they are multinational corporations or small enterprises.

Tailored Business Consulting Solutions

One of the hallmarks of Janis Urste’s consulting approach is his commitment to creating customized solutions for each client. Recognizing that no two businesses are the same, he takes the time to thoroughly understand the unique challenges, goals, and market dynamics that impact each organization he works with.

Urste’s business consulting services cover a wide range of areas, including strategic planning, market analysis, financial forecasting, and organizational restructuring. His approach is rooted in a deep analysis of both internal and external factors that influence a business’s performance. From identifying growth opportunities to addressing operational inefficiencies, Urste’s solutions are tailored to drive sustainable growth and long-term success.

For many of his clients, Urste’s guidance has been instrumental in transforming their businesses. Whether it’s a startup looking to establish a foothold in a competitive market or a large corporation seeking to optimize its operations, his expertise has led to measurable improvements in profitability, efficiency, and market positioning.

Expertise in the Banking Sector

Janis Urste is particularly renowned for his work in the banking industry, where his deep knowledge of financial regulations, risk management, and banking operations has made him a trusted advisor to many financial institutions. In today’s highly regulated and competitive banking environment, Urste’s ability to provide innovative solutions is invaluable.

His consulting services for banks encompass a broad range of areas, including regulatory compliance, risk management, digital transformation, and operational efficiency. Urste’s deep understanding of global banking regulations ensures that his clients not only remain compliant but also develop risk management frameworks that safeguard their assets and reputation.

One of Urste’s standout contributions to the banking sector is his focus on helping financial institutions navigate the ongoing digital transformation. As technology reshapes the financial landscape, banks are under increasing pressure to adapt their operations, enhance customer experiences, and implement new technologies. Urste guides his clients through this transformation by helping them adopt digital solutions that improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance customer satisfaction.

Digital Transformation in Banking

Urste is a strong advocate for the adoption of digital technologies in the banking and financial services sector. As the world moves toward a more digital economy, he understands the importance of leveraging technology to remain competitive and meet customer demands.

In his consulting work, Urste helps banks implement cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and data analytics. These technologies enable banks to automate processes, improve decision-making, and offer personalized services to their customers. By embracing digital transformation, Urste’s clients are able to stay ahead of the curve in an increasingly competitive and fast-paced industry.

Furthermore, Urste emphasizes the importance of a customer-centric approach in digital banking transformation. He works closely with banks to develop strategies that enhance the customer experience by offering seamless digital services, such as online banking platforms, mobile apps, and AI-driven customer support. His insights help banks not only retain their current customers but also attract new ones in a digital-first world.

Strategic Risk Management

Risk management is at the core of Janis Urste’s consulting philosophy, particularly in the banking and financial sectors, where managing risks is essential to long-term success. Urste’s expertise in identifying and mitigating financial, operational, and regulatory risks has helped numerous clients safeguard their businesses against unforeseen challenges.

In his consulting work, Urste develops comprehensive risk management frameworks tailored to each client’s specific needs. These frameworks address a wide range of risks, from market volatility and liquidity risks to operational inefficiencies and regulatory compliance issues. By taking a proactive approach to risk management, Urste ensures that his clients are well-prepared to navigate both anticipated and unexpected challenges.

Urste also recognizes the evolving nature of risks in the digital age. Cybersecurity, data privacy, and technological disruptions are becoming increasingly significant concerns for financial institutions. Urste helps his clients stay ahead of these risks by advising them on best practices for data security, implementing robust cybersecurity protocols, and developing contingency plans for technological disruptions.

Thought Leadership in Finance

In addition to his consulting work, Janis Urste is widely recognized as a thought leader in the fields of business and finance. His insights on banking trends, economic developments, and global markets are frequently sought after by industry publications, financial forums, and corporate leadership teams. Through his speaking engagements and written contributions, Urste shares his knowledge on the future of banking, the impact of digital technologies, and strategies for business success in a rapidly changing world.

Urste’s thought leadership extends beyond traditional consulting and industry forums. He is also committed to mentoring the next generation of financial and business leaders. Through educational initiatives, webinars, and one-on-one mentoring, he helps aspiring professionals develop the skills they need to thrive in the competitive world of finance and consulting.

Commitment to Client Success

At the core of Janis Urste’s consulting philosophy is his unwavering commitment to client success. He approaches every engagement with a dedication to delivering tangible results. Whether it’s improving profitability, reducing operational costs, or enhancing compliance, Urste’s focus is always on creating value for his clients.

Urste takes a hands-on approach to consulting, working closely with leadership teams to implement the strategies he recommends. His involvement doesn’t end with delivering advice—he remains actively engaged throughout the transformation process to ensure successful execution. This level of dedication has earned him the trust and respect of his clients, many of whom continue to rely on his guidance for years.

Conclusion

Janis Urste’s contributions to the fields of business and banking consulting are vast and impactful. His deep expertise, forward-thinking approach, and commitment to innovation have made him a trusted advisor to businesses and financial institutions around the world. As the financial landscape continues to evolve, Urste’s insights and strategies will remain essential in helping his clients navigate new challenges and seize emerging opportunities.

With a career defined by excellence and a dedication to client success, Janis Urste is undoubtedly a visionary in business and banking consulting. His ability to merge traditional financial wisdom with cutting-edge technologies makes him a leader in shaping the future of both industries.

[rocknbolan]

Jani Lane and Jeff Pilson went on an ao3 venture, it did not turn out well

Yeah I uh... looked, too and hoo.

This was not a wine for drinking.

This was a wine for laying down and avoiding.

[atomxmedia]

TechEagle Secures Funding For Drone Delivery Expansion In India

Leading participant in the rapidly expanding drone logistics business in India, TechEagle, has fueled its ambition to transform last-mile delivery across the country by securing a significant bridge funding round. Co-led by Navam Capital and Inflection Point Ventures (IPV), the investment shows that investors are very confident in TechEagle’s creative use of drones for logistics.

Prominent Investors Back TechEagle’s Vision

Prominent figures in the Indian business scene participated in the investment round. Alongside current investors Venture Catalysts, Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma participated in the round through his investment business VSS Investco. TechEagle is positioned for strategic growth and national expansion thanks to this combination of seasoned industry professionals like Ajoy Khanderia, founder of Gramin Healthcare, and Tushar Jani, co-founder of BlueDart Express.

TechEagle Takes Flight with Indigenous Drone Technology

TechEagle is an expert in Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations, which allows it to use its fleet of “Made in India” drones to carry out autonomous deliveries. Thanks to this technology, TechEagle’s drones can fly farther than their operator can see, increasing the efficiency of long-distance deliveries across a variety of geographic regions. Serving a distinguished clientele that includes the World Bank, several state governments, and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the business has a proven track record.

Revolutionizing Last-Mile Delivery

As stated by Vikram Singh Meena, the company’s founder and CEO, “our vision at TechEagle is to revolutionize last-mile logistics with indigenous drone technology.” Meena emphasizes the company’s commitment to expanding its clientele, building larger drones, and maintaining its position as the front-runner in Indian drone logistics.

Capitalizing on a Thriving Market

The timing of this cash infusion is crucial for the drone delivery sector in India. The government has recently liberated the airspace through initiatives and regulatory changes, which has accelerated the sector’s expansion. With its proven technology and seasoned leadership team, TechEagle is well-positioned to take advantage of this momentum and establish itself as a major player in the Indian drone logistics market.

Read more: Marketing News, Advertising News, PR and Finance News, Digital News

[ilopisara]

14.03. 21:05 | Ilo Pisara vs Fiilis Hockey 4 - 5

Ladies and gentlemen, gather 'round for the latest saga of Ilo Pisara's valiant yet vexingly variable ventures on ice. Our recent face-off against Fiilis Hockey was like watching a group of penguins trying to fly; ambitious but fundamentally flawed. We managed to net 4 goals with just 14 shots! That’s not strategy, folks; that’s throwing darts blindfolded at a pub after one too many. VETOJA HYVÄT HERRAT! Seriously, if we had fewer shots than an introvert at a networking event. Mikko Hirvonen seemed to think he was in an archery contest rather than a hockey game – hitting the target every time but only letting loose 11 arrows. Meanwhile, Jani Saari and Teppo Winnipeg were more generous giving away the puck (27 times combined!) than billionaires pledging donations on social media. Our historical rollercoaster from glorious victories over Nilkkarallit hc and TamiCorner to being schooled by Wesu Esports shows we're as unpredictable as Wi-Fi in rural areas - sometimes you get full bars, other times it's like communicating via smoke signals. Let this be our wake-up call: either sharpen those skates or start practicing curling because right now our aim is about as accurate as predicting weather by reading tea leaves. Onward Ilo Pisara—may your future endeavors involve less flailing and more prevailing!

[jolenes-book-journey]

A Widows Dilemma in Cuba by LJ Green

A Widows Dilemma in Cuba by LJ Green – part of the Misadventures of Janie and Diane Series – A Novella published in 2024. A widow ventures to the tropical paradise of Cuba for a vacation with her niece. Reunited with a former friend of her husband’s, her heart gets involved. Will she get a second chance at love? Diane and her niece, Janie, have been traveling together, saving political figures,…

[sufferfly1]

Growing Contract cleaning services Market : An Analysis of Trends and Drivers

“According to the research report, the global contract cleaning services market was valued at USD 352 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 590.26 billion by 2032, to grow at a CAGR of 5.54% during the forecast period.” Polaris Market Research has unveiled an updated report on Contract Cleaning Services Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report, By Type (Window Cleaning, Floor & Carpet Cleaning, Upholstery Cleaning, Construction Cleaning, Others); By End-use; By Region; Segment Forecast, 2023-2032 that provides a thorough analysis of the market status with the best facts and figures, definitions, applications, and the latest developments across the globe. The report assesses the industry structure based on Contract Cleaning Services Market size, segments, source, distribution channel, and major regions. It scrutinizes the latest trends in the industry and studies their impact on the overall market environment. The market has evolved swiftly in recent years and has made a remarkable contribution to global finances in terms of growth rate, Contract Cleaning Services Market share, and revenue generation. Get Sample PDF with Report Insight @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/contract-cleaning-services-market/request-for-sample Top Key Players:

ABM Industries Incorporated

Jani-King International Inc.

ISS Facility Services

Inc.

Anago cleaning systems

Bonus building care

Buildingstars

Sodexo Group

Mitie Group plc.

Pritchard Industries Inc.

Vanguard Cleaning Systems Inc.

Cleannet USA

Coverall

Stanley Steemer International Inc.

Cleaning Services Group

The ServiceMaster Company

LLC

This analytical study report provides information on significant aspects of the market, such as dynamics, key demand and price, technology trends, and detailed profiles of key players, industry revenue, and regional segments analyzing the Contract Cleaning Services Market based on SWOT and Porter's Five Forces models. Details of segment markets by type, application, and region have been covered in this report, with historical data presented in metrics of sales volume, revenue, and growth rate.

Key Offerings:

Industry Dynamics

Contract Cleaning Services Market Segmentation

Market Size in terms of Value and Volume: Current, Historical, and Projected Data

Industrial Trends and Developments

Competitive Landscape

Opportunities in the market

Strategies and Products offerings of Major Players

Strategic Recommendations for the new entrants

Production and Consumption Analysis by Regions

Growth Prospects with Revenue Estimations

Main Findings and Insights

The next section gives a detailed description of the key drivers, restraints, growth opportunities, challenges, and risks in the market. Further, the development status and future Contract Cleaning Services Market trends are tracked in the report. The supply chain and cost analysis in the report are both explained in-depth. Through technological innovation and advancement, the product's performance will be further optimized, expanding its use in downstream applications. Additionally, readers will find market dynamics and consumer behavior studies as essential data for understanding the market.

Contract Cleaning Services Market key players are presented along with their expansion plans, share, strategies, and business overview. In addition to this, their company profiles, sales figures, profit margins, and product and service portfolios are evaluated in the report. The chapter sheds light on the business expansion strategies employed by these players, such as mergers and acquisitions, product launches, collaborations, M&A, contracts, partnerships, and joint ventures. 

Inquire your Questions If any Before Purchasing this Report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/contract-cleaning-services-market/inquire-before-buying

How Will This Report Help you?

The report delivers extensive analysis in the form of figures, tables, charts, and graphs combined with an in-depth study of current and future Contract Cleaning Services Market prospects. It further allows readers to comprehend the competitive regional pattern by comparing the sales volume and revenue of the world's key regions. Import volume and export volume are evaluated on a regional level. Key statistical insights are presented in a straightforward manner that will users grasp the market's development patterns, crucial factors, and other loopholes which are expected to affect the market expansion.

Key Regions Covered By Report:

North America (United States, Canada, and Mexico)

Europe (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, and the Rest of Europe)

Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia, and Australia)

South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and the rest of South America)

The Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, South Africa, and the Rest of the Middle East and Africa)

The entire market industrial chain is examined in the research, from the important upstream raw materials and their suppliers to the midstream distributors and downstream customers, while taking the effects of global inflation into account. Finally, it predicts the market's future trends from the perspectives of various types, uses, and significant geographical areas. This study is a trustworthy source for market research that will greatly accelerate the growth of your business and increase its presence in the Contract Cleaning Services Market. Browse Additional Details on "Contract Cleaning Services Market" @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/contract-cleaning-services-market

Reasons to Purchase This Report

This research includes a thorough worldwide and regional analysis of the market.

It gives thorough coverage of every sector of the market in order to assess prospective trends, growth plans, and industry size projections.

The firm profiles of each industry player examine the industry portfolio, sales income, SWOT analysis, and current advancements.

Comprehension of the market's drivers, restrictions, and key small markets.

Analysis of collaboration and authorizing transaction trends can be used to identify commercial prospects in the market sales scenario.

The research analyzes how specific industry structures, ideas, or technological advancements may help with player promotion.

About Us

Polaris Market Research is a worldwide market research and consulting organization. We give unmatched nature of offering to our customers present all around the globe across industry verticals. Polaris Market Research has expertise in giving deep-dive market insight along with market intelligence to our customers spread crosswise over various undertakings. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our different client base present over the enterprises of medicinal services, healthcare, innovation, next-gen technologies, semiconductors, chemicals, automotive, and aerospace & defense, among different ventures, present globally.

Contact Us:

Polaris Market Research

Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.com

Ph: +1-929 297-9727

[doaneanddoanepa]

Learning from Jimi Hendrix: Why Every Musician Needs a Solid Estate Plan

The Legacy Lessons Jimi Hendrix’s Contested Estate Provides for Musical Artists

Jimi Hendrix undeniably left Behind an musical legacy still revered today. Yet While his guitar gently weeps from beyond, his bitter estate battles continue raging over 50 years later. The rock icon died intestate at just 27 without a will, leading to major asset squabbles no one saw coming.

As a lawyer who has counseled numerous creative clients on legacy planning over the years, musicians and artists in particular face specialized challenges. But with proper guidance tailoring estate strategies to their distinct needs, they can orchestrate smooth financial transitions rather than discord like Hendrix’s ongoing court drama.

Why Musicians Need Proactive Estate Planning

Entertainers and creators often focus intensely on their craft without pausing to contemplate later concerns around inheritance and asset control. But having no plan in place invitingly opens the floodgates for turmoil down the road after they’re gone. Those leaving behind lucrative catalogs must act to protect and direct their continuing upside.

The potential problems missing or inadequate documents present to this community include:

Losing out on royalty streams and relinquishing artistic property rights

Forfeiting authority to designate charities and causes to support

Family disputes from vague division of interests

Mismanaged trusts for minor children

But perhaps most damaging as Hendrix’s case spotlights are clashing heirs undermining legacy integrity through intellectual property exploitation and 'brand dilution. His sister Janie and adopted brother Leon have filed countless suits over the decades contesting against one another other.

They’ve authorized conflicting commercial ventures perceived as going against Jimi’s ingrained values all while paying themselves hefty percentages. Without appointed decision makers overseeing strategy aligned with his ideals, it’s a free-for-all.

I advise musician clients that planning for artistic properties requires special attention compared to conventional financial assets or real estate. We discuss options like setting up LLCs and trusts to retain control that standard will provisions don’t automatically provide for unique IP royalties and rights.

Key is conferring with an attorney versed in entertainment law on how to balance keeping your creative works actively monetizing for beneficiaries with avoiding the kind of posthumous money grabs sullying your reputation akin to those still dragging Hendrix’s name through court after all these years.

Securing Your Enduring Legacy Note by Contractual Note

While Jimi’s estate miscues can’t be undone, musicians and artists today still have opportunities to orchestrate their financial futures beyond taking a final bow out of the spotlight. I know contemplating mortality isn’t guitarist many creatives want associated with their name upfront.

But addressing the specialized realm of intellectual property estate planning now allows conducting your legacy on your terms, not leaving song publishing rights and creative licenses fate or the probate system. Meet with an advisor experienced dealing with entertainer-specific estate planning concerns.They will help compose protective plans so your final encore also gifts those inheriting your creations peace and prosperity instead of protracted legal grief.

The time is now to face estate planning tasks so the show can positively go on.

[captainmdhridoyhossain-blog]

[ad_1] Filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar takes a protracted, colourful have a look at motherhood in his melodrama Parallel Moms, starring Penélope Cruz. ELISSA NADWORNY, HOST: Filmmaker Pedro Almodovar has collaborated with actress Penelope Cruz on seven motion pictures within the closing 25 years, however getting the newest one made used to be difficult. "Parallel Moms" used to be filmed fully all over the pandemic. It tells an intimate tale about two ladies who give delivery the similar day. And critic Bob Mondello says additionally it is about different parallels - political ones. BOB MONDELLO, BYLINE: The movie opens with the shutter click on of a digicam. Janis, performed by way of Penelope Cruz, is a photographer taking pictures a magazine unfold on a forensic anthropologist. Because it occurs, his paintings excavating gravesites suits with a venture in Janice's place of origin. Right through the Spanish civil conflict, Fascists done their warring parties, together with her nice grandfather, and dumped their our bodies in unmarked mass graves. When Franco turned into dictator, the graves have been left untouched for many years. Town now desires them exhumed. She wonders if he'd use his affect to assist in making that occur. (SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "PARALLEL MOTHERS") PENELOPE CRUZ: (As Janis, talking Spanish). MONDELLO: After she explains, he says, sure, regardless that it's going to take time. Their dating, alternatively, heats up at the spot. And 9 months later, Janis is in a maternity ward, comforting a teen who stocks her room. (SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "PARALLEL MOTHERS") CRUZ: (As Janis, talking Spanish). MONDELLO: Either one of them, she notes, are unmarried moms. (SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "PARALLEL MOTHERS") CRUZ: (As Janis, talking Spanish). MONDELLO: "Mine used to be an twist of fate, however I am blissful," she tells the teenager. Ana's twist of fate... (SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "PARALLEL MOTHERS") MILENA SMIT: (As Ana, talking Spanish). MONDELLO: ...Was once a less-happy instance. However later that day, as each ladies give delivery, the enjoyment is shared. (SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "PARALLEL MOTHERS") CRUZ: (As Janis, talking Spanish). SMIT: (As Ana, talking Spanish). MONDELLO: Filmmaker Pedro Almodovar makes melodramas - exuberant, colourful - even this sanatorium ward has brilliant hues - and invariably stuffed with unruly passions. On this case, he is hitched the passions to girls, to circle of relatives and to curve after not-so-twist in a plot that places each Ana and Janice via a number of ringers. Cruz hasn't ever been extra essential. Almadovar turns out to unfastened her as no different director does. Newcomer Milena Smit comes throughout as wounded however more potent than she realizes, because the Almodovar regulars round her serve up the chaos of lifestyles. The name "Parallel Moms" is a little of a pink herring. Parallel strains by no means meet. Those moms converge in all kinds of abnormal tactics - their moms, too, together with Ana's far away, uninvolved mother who claims to be apolitical, a dodge that would possibly not fly in a movie intent on drawing connections between daughters in cribs and nice grandfathers in graves, no longer drawing parallels, simply connections, with moms ever on the middle. I am Bob Mondello. Copyright © 2021 NPR. All rights reserved. Seek advice from our web page terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for additional knowledge. NPR transcripts are created on a hurry time limit by way of Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced the usage of a proprietary transcription procedure advanced with NPR. This newsletter is probably not in its ultimate shape and is also up to date or revised at some point. Accuracy and availability might range. The authoritative report of NPR’s programming is the audio report. [ad_2] #Parallel #Moms #Almodóvar #hitches #unruly #passions #ladies