#now i have to listen to angels and airwaves

[excitementshewrote]

We need a distraction!

And I'll be your distraction ... with a new poll! The "Best Business Name" poll.

Everyone get ready to laugh at these gems for the next few days. I hope you'll enjoy it :^)

[wetbloodworm]

jessica, teyanna, brady

[eggcats]

Radiodust/Radiohuskerdust fic where Alastor has the ability to know and remember ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that's been played on any radio in hell, since he's arrived

(He also has the ability to control what people listen to, but forcing people to listen to his radio show is uncouth and Vox levels of desperation, so he doesn't. However, he DOES prevent anyone else from using his airwaves during his scheduled showtime, because it's rude otherwise.)

Angel discovers this one day when he's lamenting about some song being stuck in his head that he heard on the radio, like 2 weeks ago, and after he hums part of the melody Alastor just starts playing it for him. And Angel is like "?????? what???" While Alastor is just like "My dear, I know everything that broadcasts over my airwaves, this is child's play."

Angel is suspicious, his entire mood is

And so, a game begins where Angel will hear a song he's POSITIVE Alastor would have never listened to, and then he quizzes Alastor later to see if he can still guess the song. So far, Alastor has never not played the correct song Angel is thinking about. (Angel could always lie, but that's outside the spirit of the game, so he never does.)

Eventually it develops into Alastor immediately guessing which song Angel will ask him about, leading to confusing most other members of the hotel when as SOON as Angel walks into a room Alastor is in, he will play some music and Angel will yell "goDAMMIT SMILES GIVE ME A FUCKIN' SECOND FIRST!"

The only time Alastor starts getting the songs wrong is when Angel, seemingly out of the blue, starts only listening to love songs. He's unsure what changed, but it seems like Angel is determined to only make Alastor play love songs for him now.

Therefore, Alastor becomes convinced that Angel is trying to figure out how to confess to Husk his feelings. And despite not being good with those feelings himself, he offers to assist in his endeavor since he's known Husker for a great deal of time. (If the idea makes Alastor kind of uncomfortable and sick, it's simply because soft emotions do so, and NOTHING about Angel no longer giving him any attention. Clearly.)

(You can choose your own adventure, but I like to go with the radiohuskerdust angle personally.)

So, with the radiohuskerdust angle, it's funnier if, by this point, Angel and Husk are already dating. And so now Angel has to deal with the guy he likes trying to set him up with his boyfriend. Husk is absolutely no help, he finds it hilarious. (This is all the more exasperated by Alastor seeing Angel complain to Husk about this situation, and try to ask for advice on how to tell Alastor that the love songs are for HIM, and Alastor assuming his advice is working.)

[hypequeenves]

ALASTOR RADIO SHOW

So this has been sitting in my brain for a really long time. I've made about a 50 minute video on what Alastor's Radio Show might sound like. Because I am who I am I've also put some references to Vesper in there, because of course I did. The full video is will be up on YouTube https://youtu.be/zWNpshsogiQ?si=0Ct8ygRoAYF1-f4u , but it’s quite long so here is some of my favourite clips and also the ones pertaining to Vesper's story!

INTRO:

SUBTITLES: Ah, good evening, my devilish comrades! It's been an eternity since I last graced the airwaves! What with those celestial attacks and constructing a spiffy new studio, I've been positively swamped. So, do pardon my absence from our nightly rendezvous. But fear not, for I've returned with a vengeance, ready to regale you with tales that'll send shivers down your spine! But before we delve into the depths of the night, let's ponder a question that's been buzzing in the back of our minds: Is VoxTek Angelic Security as impenetrable as it claims? Or are we merely being hoodwinked by the corporate demons? Fear not, my friends, for we shall uncover the truth. But first, let's kick off this evening with a toe-tapping tune, "Let the Good Times Roll" by the incomparable Louis Jordan. So, let's not waste a moment more, shall we? Or as they say: Laissez le bon temps rouler!

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YOU SAID YOU WANTED TO BE ON THE SHOW? TW: Screaming, Crying, Someone is in PAIN BEWARE! (Also, I can't tell if its cringe or not)

SUBTITLES: The song slowly comes to an end, when the mic goes hot again you can hear someones panicked breathing along with Alastor humming. There is the sound of a knife hitting the table and then a scream. ALASTOR: Quiet now dear - You’re ON AIR. Can you be quiet for me now? VICTIM: mhm... ALASTOR: Yes? VICTIM: Yes. ALASTOR: Good. While I finish up with our distinguished guest here, let me deliver you a delightful ditty, that is just the perfect amount of ironic considering our current company. Here is "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" by the sensational Bessie Smith. The breathing gets more intense until they scream, but their scream is cut short as the mic goes cold again.

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AIRWAVE ALERTS w ALASTOR!

SUBTITLES: Wasn't that just the most delectable interruption. Well as promised: Here is Airwave Alerts with Alastor. There seems to be a string of murders in the Mafia and Weapons District of Pentagram city! You heard me right, murders! It seems that the perpetrator is using angelic bullets to take out their targets. And although I would like to stake a claim on these murders, I cannot take credit for another's work. While the culprit remains a mystery, where they seemed to have acquired the weaponry is not. Unusually Carmilla Carmine has seen fit to stay silent on the topic. One would hope that she would be able to make a public statement soon.  Ah, while you mull over that jaw-dropper, let me serenade your senses with a tune that'll have you tappin' your toes and hittin' the road in style! It's none other than "Route 66" by the legendary Nat King Cole. So sit back, relax, and let the smooth sounds of this classic take you on a ride down that ol' highway of dreams!

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UPDATE ABOUT CHARLIE:

SUBTITLES: Ah, listen up, denizens of the infernal realm! It's time for a little update from the Princess of Hell itself. Seems our friend Charlie Morningstar has taken matters into her own hands, bless her devilish heart. She's put forth a petition for those brave souls willing to stand tall in the face of the next extermination - should it come to that, of course. Now, I hate to rain on anyone's parade, but our heavenly counterparts up above have been keeping mum on the matter. And let me tell you, my dear fiends, that's not exactly music to our ears! But fear not, for there's a glimmer of hope yet! If you're ready to lay down your very essence to defend our infernal home from these angelic invaders, then you best hotfoot it over to the Notice Board smack dab in the centre of cannibal town. Sign your name with pride, for in unity lies our strength! (slightly less enthusiastic) Or something along those lines. With that obligatory bit of unpleasantness addressed, my dear listeners, it's time to lighten the mood and spread some cheer! This next tune is dedicated to none other than our beloved Charlie Morningstar, the beacon of hope in this dark and dreary place. So kick back, relax, and let the melodies of "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin wash over you. Remember, my dear souls, even in the depths of Hell, a smile can work wonders!

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GOSSIP ABOUT VESPER:

SUBTITLES: Well, well, well, my curious listeners, have I got a spicy tidbit for you! It seems our resident pop sensation, the one and only Vanessa LaBlanc better known by her stage name Vesper, has been spotted gallivanting around town in the company of none other than Asmodeus, the King of Lust himself! Now, isn’t that a twist? It's been a hot minute since the Cardinal Sin of Lust graced the Pride Ring with his presence. So, what devilish plans could he be concocting with our delightful Vanessa? Ah, my dear sinners, the plot thickens! But fear not, for yours truly will be keeping a close eye on this tantalizing tale. So stay tuned, my friends, for the juiciest gossip this side of Hell. Up next the weather! But before we delve into the forecast, let's soar among the stars with the timeless crooner himself, Frank Sinatra! It's time to let the velvety voice of Ol' Blue Eyes serenade us with "Fly Me to the Moon." So close your eyes, let the music carry you away, and dream of celestial delights as we prepare for the weather—though, as I suspect, the forecast may indeed call for a storm of scandal!

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If you made it this far - if no one has told you today, you're amazing!

[bloodnikki]

“What are you reading?”

“It’s smut about my personal life.” Esme cocks her head to the side. “But I don’t see how this is sexy? You, I’m sorry you are in this, but you are fixing the buttons on my sleeve while I hold my breath.”

“Are you not the same person that showered me in kisses for assisting you with a mic setup?”

“It was 3:33 am. You had just lost that fight with Lucifer over hot water. Oh and the power had gone out.” Esme reminds him. “It was a very big deal that you agreed to help! Not only was it remarkably kind of you but I nearly was late for my show. Imagine how awful that would’ve been. I’d have died, simply died.”

“Yes, it was an awful morning.” Alastor head hurt. “And the earthquake too.”

“And the earthquake! I forgot all about the earthquake.” Esme smiles. “That was right after I started that grease fire.”

“You burned my kitchen!”

“I did not. It was a controlled fire that did no damage aside from the food and pan.” She pouts. “And of course, also it’s not your kitchen. It’s the hotel’s kitchen.”

“If I had known, I wouldn’t have assisted you.”

“Awww,” Esme laughs. “It strangely makes sense now why you helped. You didn’t know. Anyway! That’s widely different than buttons. My show is my life. You simply saved my whole life.”

“I see.” Alastor picks her top clean of flint. “And it was a very interesting thank you.”

“I already asked to be forgiven. It’s not like me to just ignore your personal space.” Esme reads more of the fanfiction. “Although this you seems to welcome such forward actions. I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

“Welcomed is a strong word.” Alastor places his hands on her shoulder. “It would be a word I use.”

“It would?”

“Yes, you may be the only person allowed.”

“Oh, really? Honest?” Esme’s beaming.

“Yes. Honest.”

“I’m so happy and excited. I could kiss you.” She moves to stand up. “I’ll go and just get it out my system. Oh! Angel-“

“Than kiss me.” He pulls her back down. He’ll be damned again if he lets her kiss someone else when she wants his lips. Esme was his girl after all.

“You kissed me.”

“I did.”

“I should slap you.” Esme whispers. “Some could call this assault.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“No, I wouldn’t.”

“Geez, you two are like an old movie.” Angel rolls his eyes. “But without any of the fun bits.”

“We could eat him.” Esme jokes.

“But you hate spiders.” He chuckles. “And he’s no meat on his bones.”

“Does he even have bones?”

“We could break him to see.”

“Charlie! They plotting murder again! And this time it’s me! Again!”

“Alastor! Don’t tempt Esme into murder she’s an angel! Charlie yells from a different room.

“Charlie! That’s not helpful! She’s the one that started it!” Angel shouts back.

“Hmm, you know just how to sweet talk me. But I have a show to do.” Esme boops his nose. “And you’ve a task too. “

“We could continue this later.” Alastor informs her softly.

Ten minutes later,

“HELLO! This is Esme, your heavenly hostess of the airwaves-“

“And Alastor! You’re favorite and all around unmatched Radio Demon-“

“Bringing you Crossroads! The only radio series airing in both Heaven and Hell.” Esme declares. “I know you wonder how I put up with this beastly man. I do it all for you my loyal and lovely listeners. It’s trying but-“

“Ah, truly working with an angel is a form of Hell on its own. Do you ever tire of that holy act?”

“Do you ever tire of pretending to be so cold and heartless? I heard you saved a lil lamb the other day.”

“I heard you stabbed a woman in a bar.” Alastor glares at her. Knocking his image means he gets to attack hers.

“Nonsense. Such nonsense.” Esme huffs. She slides a hand towards him and he takes it. “Now, if you’re done, I believe it’s your turn to start the show. I picked the main topic last week.”

[the-chaotic-scilla-aster]

I got tagged by @cranetreegang and thought, why not?!

Wallpaper:

The artist is Qinniart, I found her a long time ago, and she's been in my heart ever since.

The last song you listened to:

Merry go round - Smash into Pieces

Favorite Five Songs:

Love me Hate me - 7 days in Alaska

Hurts Sometimes - Slander w/ Johnathan Mendelsohn

Stay & decay - Unlike Pluto

Tunnels - Angels & Airwaves (prefer a cover version of this song actually)

Forgive me friend - Smith & Thell

Currently reading:

When I'm not writing, I've been slowly reading Three Dead Queens

Last Movie:

Mario (loved it could have used a few things but hilarious imo)

Last show:

I think it was a rewatch of That time I got reincarnated as a slime

Craving:

Home-cooked BBQ and blueberry muffins

What are you wearing right now:

A oversized shirt and woxers

How tall are you:

5'5" or 165cm

Piercings:

Ears

Nipples

Tattoos:

None yet, looking for a trusted artist

Glassed? Contacts?:

None, but I'm sure I'll need glasses soon

Last drink:

Horchata

Last thing you eat:

Spicy chicken tacos

Favorite color:

Dark moody colors

Dark blues

Dark greens

Current obsession:

My OC couple

My original wip book

Ominis Gaunt

I'm tagging @legacyshenanigans and @awkwardauthorwrites

love you, darlings, but I'm not letting you guys get by so easily.

[sarah-dipitous]

Hellsite Nostalgia Tour 2023 Day 148

The Reichenbach Fall

“The Reichenbach Fall”

Plot Description: Moriarty hatches a mad scheme to turn the whole city against Sherlock.

Oh, Jawnnnnnnnn. Glad you went back to therapy over it though

Ok yes. He’s been ungrateful with his other tokens of gratitude, but to humiliate the man by making him wear the deer stalker cap after he’s just brought you interpol’s most wanted? Come on…

It’s an EAR hat, Jawn

The “confirmed bachelor” lines were no accident and just blatant queer baiting.

Jimmmmm!! Jim my love

I…made this scene a VERY large part of my personality for TOO LONG. Now I’m just gonna sit back and enjoy watching this man bring a country to its knees (this part of The Thieving Magpie was my alarm for years, and I maintain that I was correct to have it. It’s way better than what I have now)

Who’s doing it like him, I ask you

Wiggling, squirming. Oh man. I had THIS on playlists too (the song right before Jim’s trial…when I say my WHOLE PERSONALITY…stayin alive was also my ringtone. Would you believe I’m divulging this lore SOBER?? Because I am)

Do not be yourself in this trial, Sherls, omg…

There’s a weird nostalgic pang of “god I wish that was me” when he asks the one courtroom worker (truly, I don’t know her job title) to slip her hand into his pocket. Maybe it’s just the Irish accent. It’s just for gum but he’s so slutty about it

I can’t look at this actress without thinking of her as Jen from the IT Crowd. She can’t be anything else in my mind. She’s forever Jen doing a bit in a costume in different places (this is going to take forever to watch if i keep pausing like this)

The Sheriarty is jumping out right now. You don’t describe someone you know is definitely listening and watching you as “a spider, a spider at the center of a web. A criminal web with a thousand threads, and he knows precisely how each and every single one of them dances.” YOU ARE LOOKING INTO HIS EYES AT HIS TRIAL AS YOU SAY THAT ABOUT HIM. Were I a consulting criminal, I would be so flattered by that description

Oh god…don’t make the jury hate you. Yeah. Of course he finds it impossible to not show off

This tea scene omgggg when he…is it really breaking into 221b if Sherlock is expecting him??

Every once in a while, I do get the glimpses of how these three shows got lumped together. Jim telling Sherlock he’s boring because he’s on the side of the angels is definitely one of those things

He’s got the best little speeches “no such thing as a private bank account now, they’re all mine. No such thing as secrecy, I OWN secrecy. Nuclear codes? I could blow up nato in alphabetical order. In a world of locked rooms, the man with the key is king, and honey, you should seeee meeee in a crown” (did I do an embarrassing amount of that from memory? maybe so)

Oh shit…i forgot the fairy tale stuff Moriarty puts them through…I mean, you gotta fill 90 minutes somehow (I want to sleep so badly…but I’m not even half way done)

I fucking hate how he treats Molly. She deserves better than him and this show. God…she thinks she doesn’t count…fuck. I hate it

Riiiight. He made it seem like the kidnapping was Sherlock’s doing so he could then solve it and he the hero. Just planting the seeds of doubt

Oh the Tale of Sir Boast-a-lot

When villains hijack the airwaves>>>>>> (my taste has not changed a bit in 10 years lmaooooo) I know in this case, he’s actually the cab driver, but he’ll do it later in the series. For now, we’ll just enjoy this nice little story Jim’s telling

You can’t outrun………oh, that was one of the assassins that moved onto baker street

It’s so weird that he’s doing exactly what Jim wants him to do…..

He’s unbelievably precious as Richard Brook. Insisting he’s a children’s storyteller, he’s on tv. It’s on dvd. You do almost forget that he’s a criminal mastermind for a second, except for that one moment when Kitty can’t see him and he has that look on his face as he glances at Sherlock

John and Mycroft have such a good dynamic. No matter if they’re on the same side, on opposing sides…it’s always a good scene when it’s just them

Uuuuggggghhhhhhhh, we’re starting with the roof of St Bart’s scene…will it be as good and heartbreaking as I remember?

Reader, it is. Jim’s lament about how easy it was to beat Sherlock, his best distraction for the monotony of staying alive. Oh, bby. Andrew Scott is such a good actor.

The fact that there was no code, that it was always a few of those threads that Jim made dance to send the world crashing down around them.

(I’m currently living in a world where his character didn’t get absolutely fucked over by the last episode of the series…………….so far(?))

I do like that Jim underestimates the importance of Molly. She still deserves better from everyone around her, but it’s nice that she’ll get SOME recognition in season 3

Pausing because I know what comes next and I don’t want it to…

Can we not just stay like this??? (Not if I want to make it a true full rewatch…)

I STAY a “here’s how [villain] can still live/be alive” girlie. I DO NOT CHANGE LMAO

Oh the phone call… “nobody could be that clever” “you could” I hate everything

Mycroffffffffft. Jawwwwwwwwn.

John at Sherlock’s grave is just…heart wrenching. Always and forever.

This is the best and highest rated episode of this show for GOOD REASON

[posttexasstressdisorder]

Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0g5Q91cZOhHEUWdmoS1C3N?si=89b7c7d59771476f

1

He was a survivor.

Until he wasn’t.

I won’t say he reinvented himself as much as Bowie or Madonna, then again Johansen was forced to, because nothing he seemed to do broke through, rained down cash.

So if you were a child of the sixties, you didn’t want to go into tech, never mind finance, you wanted to be in a rock and roll band. That was the highest goal. We’d all seen the Beatles, watched the scene mutate from the British Invasion to the Jefferson Airplane and Hendrix and Cream and we wanted some of that. The lifestyle, the fame…the women.

Now most people gave up. They couldn’t throw off their upbringing, couldn’t go all in on something with such low odds of success. Or else they played and realized they just weren’t that good. But some…some carried on.

David Johansen didn’t start as a scenester at the Mercer Arts Center, he worked his way up to that. From Staten Island to Manhattan. And in the mid-seventies, that’s where it was happening, New York City. Sure, there was the country rock scene in Los Angeles, inspired by the Byrds and culminating in the Eagles, but in New York it was dirtier. Everything happened late at night, whereas in L.A. everybody was already in bed. It was about being there, having the experience.

Or else being outside and looking in, as a result of the little press that leaked out.

Yes, there was this band playing at the Arts Center who dressed as women but everyone said were great. Then again, how many people actually saw them? This was not Max’s Kansas City, this was something new, something closer to the edge, the progenitors of punk, albeit inspired by the glam scene in England to push the fashion envelope.

Then the Mercer Arts Center collapsed. Just when the New York Dolls’ first LP was released, on one of the worst labels extant, Mercury. However, it was produced by Todd Rundgren, who was at the peak of his powers.

2

Now if you listen to the scuttlebutt of those who were there, in the band, Rundgren didn’t capture the excitement, the power of the Dolls on wax. We hear this all the time. Outsider band finally gets signed, they’re hooked up with a professional and when the album stiffs, it’s the producer’s fault.

But the truth is the Dolls’ first album was way ahead of the audience. It was noisy and in your face in an era where acts were growing their hair long and smoking dope and laying back. It was out of time, like in that Rolling Stones song. And it was still out of time when the Ramones pressed on, inspired by the sound. But then, punk exploded in the U.K. and it was fed back to us over here. But the truth is, punk didn’t really break through in America until Nirvana in the nineties.

So that very first album…

To succeed in the recording world you must have a hit. Something listeners can glom on to quickly, hopefully that radio will pick up on. But when Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released their first LP in ’76 it was seen as too outside, classified as punk, and success had to happen over in England before the band was embraced first in Los Angeles, and then across the nation.

“Personality Crisis”?

If you were a hipster, if you were a denizen or observer of the scene, you got it. But despite everybody being against the Vietnam War at this point, there was a clear line between those in the know and those outside. In most of the nation the FM airwaves were dominated by meat and potatoes rock. “Personality Crisis” could not be understood.

And there were a few more tracks on the debut that deserve mention, like “Jet Boy” and “Looking for a Kiss” and “Lonely Planet Boy,” but either you were in the know or you were not, and most were not, and didn’t care a whit.

I went to see the Dolls at their first L.A. show, at the Whisky, promoting the album at the end of the summer of ’73. The venue was not full. Hipsters were checking them out, but L.A. hipsters are laid back and even though Johansen and company gave it their all, it didn’t resonate, it didn’t convert those who were not already converted. You can take the band out of New York City, but odds are outside the metropolis most people won’t get it. And they didn’t.

But there was a second album, produced by Shadow Morton, whose credits were with the Shangri-Las and Janis Ian. And, of course, the Vanilla Fudge, but was this a good fit for the Dolls?

OF COURSE NOT!

But Shadow was seen as dark. And the Dolls were dark. And you’ll find people who love the second album, but it had even less commercial impact than the debut. I enjoyed “Stranded in the Jungle,” but most people didn’t hear the album if they even knew it existed and then the Dolls were done. Bands without commercial success implode. And that’s what the Dolls did. Leaving their legend and recorded output to be discovered by future generations. Then again, the legacy of the Dolls is akin to that of the Ramones, the music has become secondary to the image, of testing the limits, of doing it your own way.

But what was David Johansen supposed to do?

Go solo.

3

What you’ve got to understand is most failed rockers have no options. They didn’t graduate from college, if they even went. Their business skills are limited. Which is why they keep trying, believing ultimately it will all work. Otherwise, what was it for?

We thought Johansen had disappeared. It had been four years since the last Dolls album. He’d gotten his shot, the Dolls were overseen by Leber and Krebs, the biggest managers on the east coast, with Aerosmith already in their stable. The music continued to evolve. Dressing up in women’s clothing was passé, there was no room for David Johansen. Or was there?

Now Johansen was managed by Steve Paul, who had his own label with Columbia, Blue Sky. And when Johansen’s solo debut was released…

Timing looked good.

David had left the glam behind. He was a straight ahead rocker now. You could fit him in with Elvis Costello and the rest of the new wave, conceptually anyway. Then again, he had that New York attitude.

But that’s what made the music so great.

The album started off with “Funky but Chic,” delivering on all the promise of the Dolls. If you were a fan, this was an elixir, this was what all the hype had been about.

“I got a pair of shoes I swear that somebody gave me

My mama thinks I look pretty fruity but in jeans I feel rockin’

I don’t wear nothin’ not too fussy or neat

I just want somethin’ baby to be able to walk down your street

Hey come on baby, let’s get on down to the boutique

Let’s bring back somethin’ that’s a funky but chic, I said now”

This was the flip side of “Saturday Night Fever.” Fashion counted, but there was no slickness involved. And certainly no disco. But ultimately radio never bit, so “Funky but Chic” became a fan favorite.

But the piece-de-resistance was the closer, “Frenchette,” the best thing David Johansen ever did.

“You call that love in French, but it’s just Frenchette

I’ve been to France, so let’s just dance

I get all the love I need in a luncheonette

In just one glance, so let’s just dance

I can’t get the kind of love that I want

Or that I need, so let’s just dance”

It was a different era, just because you were not educated, that did not mean you were not intelligent, that you did not have insight, and a sense of humor.

But “Frenchette” was too sophisticated for the hoi polloi. Yet if you were a David Johansen fan… This was all you needed.

4

But the follow-up, 1979’s “In Style,” co-produced with Mick Ronson, missed the target. It’s not that it was bad, it’s just that none of the tracks stood out and deserved attention. And honestly, if you were a fan, you were disappointed.

And in 1981 there was another Blue Sky album that got even less attention.

But then came the live album, “Live It Up.”

Sure, it had “Personality Crisis,” even “Stranded in the Jungle” and “Funky but Chic” and “Frenchette.” But despite the greatest hits lineup, it was the covers that delivered, and finally resonated with radio programmers, hip radio programmers in the city.

The Animals were a sixties curio, they’d been forgotten, but Johansen brought them right back with a medley of “We Gotta Get Out of this Place, “Don’t Bring Me Down” and “It’s My Life.” A killer trilogy. Then again, just “Don’t Bring Me Down” is enough to seal the deal. Johansen was a modern day Eric Burdon. With the same darkness and attitude. Man, was that medley great… It killed at the Roxy when I saw him. Yes, David Johansen still couldn’t sell any tickets. By this time many knew his name, but not many wanted to pay to see him.

The other gem on the live album was a cover of “Build Me Up Buttercup,” long before it became a movie staple later in the century. Johansen sped it up and added attitude and then…

That was it. There was another studio album, on indie Passport. And it was the heyday of MTV and there was no place for David Johansen.

So he reinvented himself as a lounge singer, the antithesis of his previous incarnation out on the ledge. Then again, Buster Poindexter had an edge. It was all a joke. Or was it? There was even a hit, “Hot Hot Hot,” that penetrated the consciousness of America, everybody knew it.

But most didn’t know who David Johansen used to be.

5

And to survive you’ve got to have relationships. David leveraged his to secure acting roles. He was a man about town in New York City, you saw him on TV, never mind movies. He was staying alive, which is the hardest thing to do as a musician.

And there were the lounge shows. And ultimately a Dolls reunion. Yes, some of the audience had caught up with what had happened decades before. But even though there was a new album, this was nostalgia. Because people grow up. And you can try to suspend disbelief, but you can’t. You can be young and dangerous, but very few can be old and dangerous. David Johansen grew up. And so did we. But since Johansen had morphed, just hadn’t repeated the same damn formula, he continued to be thought of, to be hip, he had a place in the firmament.

And then he died.

6

Music is a hard game. Sure, you hear about the money of the titans. Billy Joel could lose it all and then make it back.

But most people don’t make it in the first place.

And we all need money to live.

Most of Johansen’s contemporaries faded away into irrelevance, or died. But he soldiered on, figuring it out along the way.

Will he be remembered by the masses?

I don’t think so. I doubt he’ll be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, unless it’s in some special category.

But if you were there…

You were paying attention to the scene. I went to see the Dolls in ’73 because that’s the only way you could experience them. There was no TV, never mind internet. There was just a little bit of press.

And there were those of us who lived on the edge, who needed to know about the new acts, who had to check them out. And some of them broke through, and a ton of them did not. But still, we have our favorites.

Despite the brashness of his character in the Dolls David ended up beloved. And I think he knew that.

The circus lost another act yesterday.

But if you were there, you’ll never forget David Johansen.

[ieatsurveys]

100

What’s the most worthwhile thing you’ve done in the last year?I quit working and healed.

What foods make you want to gag?Peas.

Do you consider yourself to be organized?Not at all.

Have you ever made out with someone?Plenty of times.

What time do you get sleepy?Depends. Like, last night, not until 2am.

What music do you listen to?Worship music, heavy metal, R&B, lofi.

How old were you when you started to walk?I have no idea.

Which member of your family do you get along with the best?Plenty.

What cheers you up when you’re sad?Being with friends.

What do you sleep in?Sweatpants and t-shirt, or an oversized t-shirt, or naked. Haha. There’s really no predicitng what I’m feeling that day.

Have you ever tanned topless?Nope.

Wear jewelry?I do not.

What’s something you’ve been told you’re good at?Writing.

How much can you eat?A lot, haha.

What’s the furthest away you’ve ever traveled?Xi’an, China.

Are you a cat or dog person?I love cats <3 

Have you ever done drugs?Just weed.

What does your room look like?A little bit disheveled. Not too bad, though.

Recommend a really amazing book.I’m reading “The Teacher” by Freida McFadden and I’m obsessed.

Recommend a really amazing song.Litost by X Ambassadors. 

Recommend a really amazing movie.The first one that popped in my head was The Sound of Music, heh.

Who’s your favorite actor/actress?Anne Hathaway, Julia Roberts, Will Smith.

Have you ever run away from home?Yes.

Do you exercise ever? Not anymore.

Do you like your hair, the way it is and the color?Not anymore.

Do you have any friends named Baloo? Or is he just in the Junglebook?I do not.

Are you a Disney movie fan?I have Disney+, but if I’m not feeling nostalgic, I won’t watch it.

Do you eat seafood?I love seafood.

When was the last time you cried?Two days ago.

Do you have good working habits?I used to :( 

So where the hell do you want to go in life?Work with Deaf children.

What are your boundaries?I have a lot. 

What are some of the funniest things you can think of?Hm.

What are two quirky little things about you?

I hate the word quirky. Save that for the millennials. That said, if I'm alone eating potato chips, I first lick the spices off the chips and then eat them. Also, I talk a lot in my sleep. → Yikes. I am a millenial, so I’ll answer ;) My whole personality is dork, so who knows.

Are you claustrophobic?Yes.

Do you like getting wasted?

I like the social-tipsy phase the most, but not wasted.--> Yep.

List three things that you look for in a friend.Loyalty, authenticity, kind.

Do you prefer Angels and Airwaves or Rihanna?Angels and Airwaves.

What religion are you, if any?I’m a Christian.

If your house was on fire (and your family escaped), what would you save?I live by myself in an apartment, so….me. I have no pets or roommates.

Do you have any sash belts?I do not.

What do you have on right now? Include everything, nail polish, makeup, etc. An oversized t-shirt and underwear. I don’t have anything else. Does caffeine make you hyper? It does not.

[suckitsurveys]

What’s the most worthwhile thing you’ve done in the last year? I went to a bunch of comedy shows and concerts last year and honestly had one of the best summers I’ve had in a while.

What foods make you want to gag? Nothing, really. There’s a few things I don’t like but it doesn’t make me gag.

Do you consider yourself to be organized? Yes, I do.

Have you ever made out with someone? Yes.

What time do you get sleepy? Always.

What music do you listen to? A buncha different stuff.

How old were you when you started to walk? A little before 1yr.

Which member of your family do you get along with the best? My dad.

What cheers you up when you’re sad? Kitties, watching TV, my husband, food.

What do you sleep in? Tshirt and undies usually.

Have you ever tanned topless? Nope.

Wear jewelry? Yeah, earrings and my nose ring mostly. Sometimes chokers and necklaces and bracelets.

What’s something you’ve been told you’re good at? Planning stuff.

How much can you eat? A lot.

What’s the furthest away you’ve ever traveled? SLC I think?.

Are you a cat or dog person? Cat.

Have you ever done drugs? Just weed.

What does your room look like? It’s cozy and taken over by cat trees lol.

Recommend a really amazing book. Nah.

Recommend a really amazing song. I’m really into Olivia Rodrigo right now so anything by her.

Recommend a really amazing movie. Wet Hot American Summer.

Who’s your favorite actor/actress? Paul Rudd, Aubrey Plaza, Will Arnett.

Have you ever run away from home? No.

Do you exercise ever? I do. I’ve been going to the gym every day except Wednesdays when I do an in home work out.

Do you like your hair, the way it is and the colour? It needs to be dyed again already. I wanna do something dark again before I go to NYC.

Do you have any friends named Baloo? Or is he just in the Junglebook? I don’t know anyone named Baloo.

Are you a Disney movie fan? Sure, I have ones I like.

Do you eat seafood? Yes. I LOVE seafood.

When was the last time you cried? I think I got teary eyed over a tik tok the other day.

Do you have good working habits? Hahahahahah I’m literally doing this survey while I’m at work. And the other day I almost missed my time to clock out because I was talking to someone.

So where the hell do you want to go in life? I don’t know.

What are your boundaries? I have different ones for different situations/people.

What are some of the funniest things you can think of? certain SNL sketches or stand up comedian bits.

What are two quirky little things about you? I hate self-describing things as quirky.

Are you claustrophobic? Not really.

Do you like getting wasted? Not so much anymore.

List three things that you look for in a friend. Good sense of humor, similar values, ability to put up with my hyper-fixations hahahaha

Do you prefer Angels and Airwaves or Rhianna? Eh.

What religion are you, if any? I’m not.

If your house was on fire (and your family escaped), what would you save? My kitties, hands down.

Do you have any sash belts? No.

What do you have on right now? Include everything, nail polish, makeup, etc I don’t feel like listing everything.

Does caffeine make you hyper? I don’t think it does jack shit for me.

[independentartistbuzz]

JVKE RELEASES NEW REMIX OF GLOBAL HIT SINGLE “GOLDEN HOUR” WITH SB19

Today, multi-talented viral artist, songwriter, and GRAMMY®-nominated producer JVKE celebrates hitting 1 billion streams for the all-conquering global hit "golden hour" with a brand-new remix featuring the multi award-winning P-Pop boy group SB19, out now via AWAL.

Stream/download JVKE “golden hour (SB19 Remix)” HERE

Produced by JVKE, “golden hour” is a classic love song that highlights his ability to articulate the feelings of romance and beauty through his lyrics. The vivid imagery is backed by a complex instrumental arrangement of a piano and strings that builds throughout the track. The remix of "golden hour" combines SB19’s incredible vocal harmonies with JVKE's trademark production style, creating a stunning new bi-lingual version in Filipino and English.

On the release of “golden hour”, JVKE shared “This might just be my favourite song I’ve ever written. It feels like a pause in time, with all your attention on that special someone. the sun is shining... it’s your golden hour. I wanted to capture the emotion that you feel when you see something beautiful. That feeling is ‘golden hour’.”

Speaking on the remix SB19 noted, "It’s always fun collaborating with another artist - just like how it is when we, as members of a group, collaborate with each other. But it’s something else when there’s a collaboration of two cultures, which is what happened when we collaborated with JVKE. It’s really special how the embedded culture in each of us affects how we write songs and how we portray our experiences in a song, and we’re glad that we’re able to include some parts of our Filipino culture in this song.

We’re always listening to JVKE’s songs and we’re very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him.”

JVKE added, “SB19 are crazy talented. As an artist, when I open my art to others so they can add their own interpretation, I never know how I’m going to feel about what they contribute. With SB19, I was just blown away. I hope this isn’t that last time we work together.”

The original “golden hour” is already a smash hit single worldwide having amassed over 1 billion streams along with over 3 billion views across YouTube, TikTok & Instagram, a #1 spot on the Global Spotify viral chart and hit Top 20 on the Billboard Global chart. The track has also been flying high on radio airwaves around the globe including Top 10 on the U.S. Top 40 radio airplay chart. “golden hour” also hit Top 50 on the global Shazam chart, alongside official single charts in U.S., U.K., Germany, Norway, Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand, while also hitting #1 on both Shazam and Spotify charts in Malaysia and Singapore. “golden hour” is now certified Platinum in the US, Double Platinum in Australia, Gold in New Zealand and Silver in the U.K.

Cumulatively, JVKE has amassed over 2 billion career streams, an awe-inspiring 35 billion views of his music across social media along with an ever-growing global audience of over 23 million followers. JVKE’s 2020 breakthrough smash “Upside Down” generated over 200 million streams to date and 15 million TikTok video creations and spawned a Charlie Puth remix. His 2021 follow up track “this is what falling in love feels like” launched his career into the stratosphere, amassing over 390 million streams and 45 million views and reaching #33 U.S. Top 40 Radio. Last year JVKE recently released his stunning debut album, “this is what ____ feels like (Vol. 1-4)”,  a collection of songs written, produced, engineered, and recorded by JVKE and his brother ZVC that experiments with production, time signatures, tuning and style to create a truly unique listening experience.

JVKE also currently features on the international hit single “Angel” from the Fast X soundtrack alongside Charlie Puth, Jimin from BTS, Muni Long, Kodak Black and NLE Choppa.

JVKE has also featured as MTV PUSH global artist and appears prominently in the trending VOX documentary “We tracked what happens after TikTok songs go viral”. In addition to what the piece portrays, JVKE has been able to stand out amongst his peers and cut through the virality to establish himself as a true multifaceted artist on the rise.

SB19 is a multi-awarded five-member group from the Philippines composed of Pablo, Josh, Stell, Ken, and Justin. The “SB” in SB19 stands for “Sound Break,” which represents their aspirations of disrupting the music scene and bringing Filipino music and culture onto the international stage.

SB19 broke into the global spotlight as the first Southeast Asian and Filipino act

to be nominated in the Billboard Music Awards as Top Social Artist in 2021.

They are also the first Filipino act to land on the international Billboard Social 50, Next Big Sound Charts, and also remarkably hit #1 on the Billboard Hot Trending Songs with “Bazinga”. The band debuted in October 2018 with their single “Tilaluh”’ and quickly gained popularity with their second single “Go Up”. Since their debut, SB19 has amassed fans across the globe - known as A’TIN - and were recognised by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts as Philippines’ Youth Ambassadors.

SB19’s latest release “GENTO” debuted at #8 on the Billboard World Digital Sales Charts, ahead of the release of their new EP, “PAGTATAG!” in June this year.

[mxrobinhearts]

I haven't been tagged in this for a long time and a lot has changed so this could be fun :D

Relationship status: As of today, I've been with my girlfriend for 6 months

Favourite colour: Very hard to pick just one, and it's highly contextual for me. I tend towards highly saturated, bright colours, and I like strong contrasts and iridescence. Some specifics: the bi colours, IKB, phthalo green, hot pink

Three favourite foods: Nachos, spicy noodles, mozzarella salad

Song stuck in my head: Kiss & Tell by Angels & Airwaves

Last song I listened to: After Destruction by Descartes A Kant

Last thing I googled: "how to see if hdd is ssd"

Time: 11:59

Dream trip: I've never really been on a trip with friends, so that's something I'd love to do. I love the idea of renting a house together and having a nice time, pretty much anywhere.

Anything I want right now: To not be feeling under the weather, to have my girlfriend with me, to have more energy to do some creative writing, and a burrito.

No obligation tagging: @jonbutter @skullcapforager @somebody-called-me-sebastienne @despairlost @40doodles @anleva @dapling @digitanuki @dumpressa @marvellyous @jsands84 @eldritchzoe

Rules: Tag (10) people who you want to get to know better.

Thank you for tagging me @firstruleofmethclub!

Relationship Status: polyamorous and comically prone to long-distance crushes. I apologise to, like, half of my mutuals in advance

Favorite Colour: iridesecne, but I usually say green cos it's easier to spell. 🤦🏼

Three Favorite Foods: tamales, saag paneer/palak paneer, and a good healthy hunk of cornbread with some jam and honey on it.

Song Stuck in my Head: unexpectedly, Black Velvet by Alannah Myles

Last Song I Listened to: My Favourite Chords by The Weakerthans

Last Thing I Googled: "as the crow flies distance calculator".

Time: at the moment of answering this question, 7:39am

Dream Trip: I don't really dream of travel in the way thst I did before the COVID pandemic started. These days I mostly just wish it was easier and safer to go to the people I love

Anything I Really Want Right Now: too many Big Concept answers competing to be said, so I'm going to ignore them all and instead admit that it'd be nice to have a really good apple turnover about now, or possibly a bear claw.

Obligation-free tagging: @belovedgoofball, @saint-batrick, @lesbianbajoran, @horce-divorce, @taran-wanderer, @vaguelyethereal, @jensteed, @jennhoney, @femgineerasolution, @vinegartree and shadow tagging literally everyone else who sees this and wants an excuse to play. <3

[plenilune]

was tagged by @sandovers to do this meme; when u get this u have to put 5 songs 🎵 u actually listen to, publicly. then, send this to 10 of your favorite followers (non-negotiable, positivity is cool) ✨ LIKE JACQUI I am baffled by the wording of the meme -- are you trying to suss out Musik Sekrits and not the cool stuff everyone says they listen to all the time? alas, I am always happy to prove I'm the living fulfillment of the old don't-hand-the-trans-folk-the-aux-under-any-circumstances stereotype. anyway here's five songs I've been listening to a lot lately, some new to me, some old.

"So Pale It Shone In The Night" - The Stranger. this is from his album Watching Dead Empires in Decay which I see as a sort of urban mirror to the unsettling rural soundscapes of prior album Bleaklow. you may also know the Stranger from his work as the Caretaker, where he plays a lot with memory and sense of place. I've been cycling around on a lot of half-formed thoughts about dying empires (huh, wonder why) and industry towns after the industry's left and cities and memory lately and this track sounds like -- waking up, or trying to fall asleep, in a thin-walled apartment in a massive apartment block, and the sounds of furnaces, of neighbours moving about, doing dishes, putting the kettle on, radio static, the traffic and the trains outside, all these sounds blur together, the sounds of life, but weary and a little melancholy. anyway I'm obsessed with this entire album but this vivid and tactile little soundscape is one of my chief delights at the moment.

"Are You Going to Leave Me?" - Isobel Campbell. old favourite song from an old favourite album, this arrangement of a traditional ballad that's zigzagged back and forth from the UK to Appalachia for centuries builds layer upon layer, verse after verse, in a way that's incredibly driving and haunting.

"gec 2 Ü" - 100 gecs. feels like every six months a different 100 gecs song I hadn't paid individual attention to before completely takes over my psyche and I listen to it on repeat for hours. love the way this plays with melodramatic glittery early 2000s style ballad format, like Angels and Airwaves crossed with a 90s chanteuse, similar to "xXXi_wud_nvrstøp_ÜXXx" but less eerie, warping and toying with the sound, just detached enough to be a little arch and playful, and then breaks into one of the most wrenchingly sincere and tender refrains I've ever heard. "you're sitting all alone / and you call me on the phone / and you say, I need love / can you get to me now?" I get shivers and my chest aches. yeah. that's what it's like.

"Walk Like A Motherfucker" - Ghost Funk Orchestra. I listen to this a lot on the walk to work, even though it is about being a sleazy con man who is maybe beginning to weary of the grift, and all I do is sell groceries for Jeff Be-- WAIT A MINUTE. anyway, Ghost Funk Orchestra is one of my favourite recent discoveries -- for one, they actually deliver on the vibes promise inherent in the name, and I've been burned by so many bands with cool names promising a specific weird and chewy atmosphere they don't bother to actually create. absolutely great spectral, jammable funk. also while the band is not local, their record label is run out of an old favourite record shop in Loveland, Ohio, whose catalogue Corey and I have been plumbing excitedly since we found out about them last month.

"Myth" - Julie Feeney. I rediscovered this album I used to listen to a lot in 2011 last year when I was going through my old last.fm stats (YEAH BABY) trying to find a couple of obscure lost favourites. it is! so infectious! anyway this song came up on shuffle recently and reminded me about Julie Feeney once again and now I keep returning to it. this feels like watching a creek bubble up, wildly playful and inventive, skipping stones, spinning dizzily, whispering secrets.

[sparkkeyper]

For @racketghost 's 13 Days of Halloween day 11: Haunt

***

Crowley isn't even aware of moving when it happens.

It's a month after the failed apocalypse and he's lounging in the front of the bookshop, scrolling through his phone. Aziraphale putters around nearby, reorganizing books and humming along to the radio. It's tuned to a classical station today, and Crowley moves his head just a little in time to the music. It's a slow day, lazy. Maybe if the weather holds they can go for a walk later in the afternoon. He reaches over and bumps up the volume slightly as the piece comes to a close, still scrolling one-handed through Twitter.

"If you're just tuning in, that was The Rite of Spring by the incomparable Igor Stravinsky. We'll have more classics from Russia in just a bit but first we'll make a brief stop in Germany with some Wagner, as requested by...

Anthony."

Every vein turns to ice and the next thing Crowley knows, his fist is through the radio.

The crash of splintering wood hits him almost belatedly, and then everything is still. The only sound in the silence is his own breathing, and as he realizes what he has done, it seems deafening.

Anthony. The word rings in his head, spoken too sharply, too accusingly. A bark. A command. A torrent of information and threats injected straight into his brain, leaving him blind and deaf and senseless until they see fit to release him -

He stares at his fist, embedded in the set-top. He doesn't even remember turning around.

Aziraphale is staring at him and what's left of his stomach drops through the floor. He wants to say something but he can't move.

His breath is too loud.

"Crowley? Are you...?"

"Fine," he manages, and it might be convincing except for the fact that his hand is still in the radio. "Everything's fine, why wouldn't it be? Just...just marvelous."

It can happen at any moment, of course it can, voices from Hell out of stolen throats barging into his life with no regard for privacy. It's just the same, he thinks hysterically. How had he ever been stupid enough to think that things would change at all? But even worse is the impulse to respond, an instinct so ingrained in him that there's a 'yes my lord' sitting low in his throat even now and it hurts behind his ribcage, and if he doesn't end the communication asap it might just break loose and he can't go back to that, he can't -

Aziraphale steps over and carefully works his fist free from the wooden splinters.

Crowley lets him.

He comes back to the bookshop like stepping out of a dream, and it's all the worse because he doesn't remember leaving.

It can't have been them, he realizes, humiliation flooding through him. Just a human DJ talking about a human listener. Some other Anthony.

"Shit," he breathes as the scrapes on his knuckles heal up. "I'm sorry, angel. I'll fix it. I...shit."

"I don't care about the radio, my dear." Aziraphale is rubbing his hands gently, as though to work heat back into them. Crowley realizes they've gone cold.

"It sounded like-"

"I know what it sounded like."

They stand there for a few minutes as Crowley tries to pull his brain back together. The voice he thought he'd heard keeps echoing in his head.

"It's too quiet in here," he says, almost to himself.

"We can talk, if you like." Aziraphale looks in no hurry to get back to his books. "Or I can put the gramophone on if music is still all right?"

"Music. Sure." Crowley swallows. Swallows again. "Gramophone is all right, yeah. Self-contained. Nothing with airwaves or a network." Nothing they can reach through.

"Of course." Aziraphale doesn't even let go of his hands as the gramophone begins to play. It's Handel's Water Music. A subtle reminder that it's over, that they've left the threats behind.

Crowley tries to shake off the chill but it does not go easily.

[yeojaa]

ANGELS & AIRWAVES (w. jjk)

He's never met you but you know how he sounds when he wakes up from a nap and his greatest fears.  You know the way he sings after a shower and that he could be mistaken for a dying seal when he's laughing too hard.  The best part?  You don't judge him for any of it - including the fact he's a filthy Widow main.  He might just love you.

alt summary.  Jeon Jungkook has a big fat crush on a girl he's never met.

pairing.  jeon jungkook

genre + rating.  fluffy crack.  general, for now.

warning / tags.  long-distance relationship, crushes, canon compliant (ish),  eventual happy ending, gaming, gamer!jungkook, strangers to lovers, friends to lovers, overwatch.  tags are hard.  :( 

reading.   n/a.  a three part one-shot.

word count.  ~2750

part ii.

JUNGKOOK’S ROOM Sunday, 15 March, 2020.  2:01 AM.   

He falls for you in between the tireless teasing, the laughter that sinks into his ears and replays like a highlight reel.  It happens when he leasts expects it, when he's got his face pressed into the velvet of Yeontan's fur and you're cooing over voice chat, whispering sweet nothings to the manic panic pup.  It comes in the moments he's not expecting it to, when he's frustrated and unbearable and you're as sunny as always, spilling yellow paint across the doors he tries to keep shut.  

Bit by bit, day by day, he finds himself thinking of you more. 

First, it's wondering what you're doing while he's half-asleep and on his way to the studio.  Do you look as tired as you sound?  What colour is your hair and how does it stick up when you've just rolled out of bed?  When you yawn, do you stretch like a cat?  He thinks you do, if the sounds you make are any indication.

Then it's asking himself whether you might like the same things he does, from horror movies to carnival rides.  Would you hold his hand as you made the drop, stomachs leaping into your throats?  Would you scream?  Would it sound anything like that terrified pterodactyl noise you make when you're spawn camped by a Roadhog?  He doesn't consider the fact that he doesn't even know if you're in the same city and you'll likely never meet - bound to the servers of Overwatch only.  

He thinks about all the things he'd like to do with you.  Video game nights filled with butter-tipped fingers and spilled popcorn.  Walks with your family dog - Natto - you'd told him about, all fluffy white fur and dark teddy bear eyes.  Sunrises on the rooftop of his building, because you had the worst insomnia he'd ever seen and what better way to spend your endless waking hours than with him.  

Jeon Jungkook knows he'll probably never get any of these things, but he lets himself daydream anyway. 

Like now, for instance, as the two of you sit in another queue at 2 AM.  You just woke up and you've got that tell-tale rattle in your lungs, words sluggish and lacking any real intent.  He imagines you look the way you sound - tired and a little out of it, with barely opened eyes and sleep-loosened limbs.  

"How'd you sleep?"  He asks softly, crossing his legs beneath him and raising his arms high above his head in the same instance.  The bones of his body realign, ridges of his spine clicking into place when he knots his fingers together and pulls taut.  

"You know - the usual,"  you muse, apathetic.  It's always the same.  

He doesn't question it any further.  He had once or twice, when you'd first started talking and he'd noticed the way you were always up at inhuman times.  One grumbling response had told him enough - your schedule was what it was and no amount of remedying could fix it.  

There's a beat of silence before he hears rustling and then the loud, inescapable sound of an electric toothbrush.  You don't bother to mute your microphone, not that he minds.  He simply sits quietly, scrolling through his phone as you go about your "morning" routine.  

"How was your day?"  You're settled back at your computer, he thinks.  The acoustics sound far less like that of a bathroom.  

"I had the day off, actually."  He'd used it to edit some footage and record a cover.  He hasn't posted it to Twitter yet - there were certain times he was supposed to, to maximize visibility - but he's excited for when he does.  It's a song that's been stuck in his head for weeks, all thanks to you.

"Woah - you didn't work today?"  There's genuine surprise in your question, rounded syllables that pop off your tongue in an explosion of shock.

“Right?”  He laughs a little, short and sweet.

Despite his carefully crafted facade, there were certain plot points that just stuck, intrinsically weaved into his day-to-day whether he liked it or not.

His jam packed schedule, for instance. 

To you, it’s the result of stretching himself too thin between teaching at his friend’s dance studio (where he also apparently moonlights as a personal trainer) and working as a videographer for his media-involved friends.  Not that you know any of them.  No, no.  All the work he does is for the little guys - none of those big companies like BigHit or JYP.  Jungkook’s just your average Joe behind the camera.

“What did you do all day then?”  You’re still in awe, little flecks of wonder threaded throughout like glittering gold yarn.  

“Hung out.  Did some editing.  I’m kind of behind.”  That was an understatement.  He’s working on footage from six months ago, trying to get it out before they head on tour and he won’t have the kind of time he has now.  

“Probably spending too much time gaming.”  

“Yeah, probably.”  Not that he minds, or that he’d change it.  He savours the time you spend together, even if it has kind of messed up his sleep schedule.  

“Sorry not sorry,”  you quip, seemingly reading his mind.  

“You should be,”  he retorts with laughter that builds in his stomach and echoes out of his chest.  “I don’t think I’ve had a good night's sleep in weeks.”

If you hadn’t had this conversation a handful of times before, he thinks you might be offended.  Instead, he can practically hear you roll your eyes - imagines your optic nerve nearly severs with the intensity of it - and grins.

“Don’t kid yourself - you know I’m the best thing about your nights!”

You’re not wrong.  “You’ve been lied to.”

“I’m suing!”

“I’ll have my lawyer contact your lawyer.”

“Wait, what?” 

The two of you have done what you always do - talked yourself into a tizzy that has you both laughing, sound crackling across the airwaves.  It’s nonsensical and silly but it feels good.  Your bond shines with it, glitters prettily between you.

Thank god for Overwatch.

You return the conversation to a semblance of normalcy first.  “Did you listen to that song I sent?”

“Yeah.”  The briefest pause.  “It was terrible.  Hated it.”

“Oh, shut up!” 

“I’m kidding.  It was really good.”  Jungkook doesn’t tell you that he’s had it on repeat for the past few days, saved to the private playlist that’s filled with the rest of your song recommendations.  

“I know!”  You’re preening as if he’d just complimented you, clearly pleased by the praise.  He supposes it’s a pretty good endorsement regardless. 

“Got any more for me?” 

“I should just make you a playlist.”

He ignores the way his heart skips a very real beat, mimics the erratic rhythm of his fingers on his keyboard.  Because he’d absolutely love that.

“You should.”

“Really?”  You sound uncertain but maybe - just maybe - a little hopeful.  He might also just be imagining things, as he so often does with you. 

“Yeah.  Why not?”  It comes nonchalantly despite the rushing in his ears, the wave that threatens to drown him.  He can feel emotion in his chest - winged and distracting.  A kaleidoscope of butterflies fluttering away. 

You’re quiet for another second.  It feels like an eon.  “Okay, yeah.  I’ll start one and we can just add to it together.”

BIG HIT ENTERTAINMENT’S GYM Thursday, 26 March, 2020.  6:30 PM.   

“You sound like a meathead,”  you say, off-hand and disinterested.  

He loathes the grunt that squeaks past his teeth as he gently returns the dumbbells to the floor. Cue a generous chug of water and a near death experience when the liquid goes down the wrong pipe. 

Loud coughing crackles through his airpods before he’s addressing you.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re grunting like a caveman.”

If your first comment hadn’t offended him, this one does.  Jungkook scoffs, tonguing the interior of his cheek as his brow furrows.  Weights are returned to his hands, rotated above each shoulder as he resumes another set of presses. 

“Do you even workout anything other than your fingers?”  He’s making a conscious effort not to make a sound, breath exhaled sharply through his nose.  It’s harder than he cares to admit but he’s also not about to give you an excuse to tease him further.  You already had way too much material.

“Don’t shame me!”  You really don’t sound that indignant.

“So, I’m right?  You’re a big couch potato who’s just jealous of my hot body?”

Now you’re incredulous.  It’s one of his favourite sounds because it comes draped in laughter, dancing around his head in the form of cartoon hearts. 

“Did you just say ‘hot body’, Jay?”

“Maybe I did.  What of it?”  He sniffs - he’s picked it up from you over the months - and your amusement doubles, giggles crashing into each other in their haste.  

“You are so, so weird.”  There’s a tenderness in your voice that he’d like to live in.  It wraps him up like a hug, tugging at his feeble little heartstrings. 

“Weird and hot.”

“You can’t just say that!”

“Why not?”  If anything, you’re the one person he can say it to.  With you, it’s the funniest joke he’s ever made.  It’s playful and silly, with no rhyme or reason.  He doesn’t have to worry about it being misconstrued or held against him. 

“You just can’t!  Only other people can say it.”  You sigh dramatically, from your chest.  “Do I have to teach you everything?”

“Everything but being healthy, probably.” 

“Har har har.”  

He can tell by how the words roll off your tongue, muffled and lacking clarity, that you’re eating.  He wonders if you’ve made pancakes - you’d been complaining about craving them just two days ago.  There are no tell-tale crunching or slurping, so he knows it isn’t your usual double whammy combo of ramyeon and Choco Boys.  

“I’ll have you know I used to run.”  Something about the way you say it makes him believe you, even though he wants to mock you a little more.  

“In gym class doesn’t count.”

“I used to run with Natto, you ass!”  Okay - so that actually sounded legitimate.

“Why don’t you still then?”

“There was an incident once.”  You’re sipping on something - likely coffee with oat milk and two pumps of hazelnut syrup.  It doesn’t matter that it’s dinner time and most people would be winding down for the evening.  “Because of my insomnia, I’d run at odd hours.  One day, some weirdo stopped me while I was running along the river.  He didn’t hurt me or anything—”  A part of him thinks you’re downplaying it but he says nothing, only waiting for you to continue.  “—but he followed me home.  I made the mistake of telling my parents and they freaked out so…” 

“So no more running by yourself.” 

“Yeah, exactly.”

“I’d run with you.”  It doesn’t mean much, but it’s the thought that counts.  

“Thanks, Jay.”  

Not for the first time, he wishes he could hear his name - his real name.  Just once.

“JUNGKOOOOOOOOOOK.”  It eats up every ounce of space of the gym, filling the room with the resounding boom of it.  How it manages to be so loud, he’s not sure.  He wishes it weren’t.  There’s no way you haven’t heard it.  

Especially not when it comes again, deafening even to his occupied ears. 

“JUNGKOOOOK-AH!”  Namjoon now, right as the double doors fly open.

Jimin’s barreling toward the alarmed maknae as he shouts.  “WE’RE DOING A VLIVE!”

Jungkook feels like his insides are melting  - his internal temperature spiking with embarrassment and worry and something that chants oh no! over and over in his head.  The tops of his ears are burning, as is the column of his throat.  A quick glance in the mirror confirms his suspicion that he is, indeed, bright tomato red.

“Jay?”  You repeat once, twice, when he doesn’t immediately answer.  “Everything okay?”

He moves with a speed he doesn’t expect, weights unceremoniously dropped on either side of him before he’s tearing his AirPods out.  “I’ve got to go. Sorry!”

He doesn’t end the Discord call a moment too soon, Jimin upon him in the next instant.  The smaller dancer is draping himself across Jungkook’s shoulders, the widest shit-eating grin on his pretty face.

“Want to join us for a VLive?”  

“No.  I’m busy.”  

“Busy with your girlfriend?”  Jimin’s wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.  He only stops when Jungkook shifts aggressively, tearing himself out from underneath the other.  

“Not my girlfriend!”  

“But you wish she was!”  

He can’t deny that, so he doesn’t bother, instead seizing his discarded weights with an embarrassed scowl permanently etched into the planes of his face.  He’s reracking them - because god, he’s not an animal - when he notices Jimin making his departure, that teasing smile replaced with something soft and edging on concern.

“What’re you going to do when we’re on tour?”

Jungkook blanches then.  You’d become such an undeniable part of his everyday life that he hadn’t even considered what it’d mean when he was busier than now, unable to spend late nights gaming with you. 

But Jimn’s already gone, leaving him and his thoughts alone.

JUNGKOOK’S ROOM Friday, 27 March, 2020.  12:05 AM. 

It’s close to midnight by the team he logs on.  Realistically, he should go to sleep.  He’s clean and worn out and his bed is calling to him like a siren at sea.  But you’re sitting alone in the channel, streaming Overwatch for no one to see, and he can’t just leave it at that.

He needs to say goodnight, like he always does. 

“Coming for my title as Headshot God?”   The quip’s off his tongue before you have a chance to acknowledge him, your laughter the first thing he hears once he’s connected.

“I’ve been waiting in this queue for seven minutes.  Seven!”  

It’s really not that bad.  The rare times you’d both queue for DPS were nearly double that.  

“Patience is key,”  he teases, slumping into his chair as he watches you click through your Hero Gallery.  You’re cruising seemingly aimlessly, roving through the different skins for your mains (Mercy, Ana, Genji, Ashe).  The silence between you is comfortable, interspersed only by the occasional munching he can only assume comes from the carrots you seem to inhale.

For all the junk you ate, you were somehow also weirdly into vegetables.  

“Patience sucks,”  you retort, matter-of-fact. 

“You know what else sucks?”  

It’s a rhetorical question and he knows you know, but because you’re you, you start listing things off just to get under his skin.  “Spiders?  Undercooked samgyupsal?  Not having coffee?  Your jokes?”

If he weren’t laughing so hard, he might’ve given you shit for making fun of his comedic genius.  He really doesn’t understand how you think he’s the unfunny one when all you do is crack puns.  

“I was actually going to say me,”  he finally manages in between those high pitched cackles of his.  

“Wait, why?”  You’re used to him having witty comebacks.

Edge of enamel worries his bottom lip and Jungkook can taste cherry Chapstick and what would be bashfulness, if it had a flavour.  “For earlier.”

You scoff, your own tinkling laughter tearing him out from inside his own head.

“It’s okay, goofball.”

He appreciates how laidback you are, never holding anything against him.  Not even when he hangs up on you or accidentally spams you with memes when you’re trying (and failing) to sleep.  “No.  I’m sorry.”  He says it earnestly, with all the meaning he can muster.  

MATCH FOUND flickers across his and your screen and you’re loading into hero selection.  He knows you’ll be too distracted once the game starts, so he’s grateful when you laugh again, sweet as summer.  

“Nothing to be sorry about.  Just tell me everything’s okay and we’re even.”  

Inhale, exhale.  Try not to tell her you have the biggest, stupidest crush on her,  he tells himself. 

“Everything’s okay.”  And he means it when he says it, though they aren’t the words he wishes he could say.  

“Good.”  

You’ve chosen Genji,  He smiles to himself when you join voice chat and the rest follow, greetings filtering in from your team members.  

“Good luck.”  You don’t need it.  He still likes to say it.

“You have an early day tomorrow, right?”  Leave it to you to remember his schedule even when he doesn’t.  

“Yeah, pretty early.”  

“Then go to bed!  I’ll still be awake when you’re up.”  

He lingers on that fact - holds it tightly in his hands so it can’t slip away.  You’d be there in the morning, just like you always were.  Knowing that stirs those same butterflies in his chest, words stolen by the overzealous beating of their wings.

You read his silence like they’re your own thoughts,  “I’m always here for you, Jay.”  

“Goodnight.”

"Sleep sweet."

notes.  this chapter is set four-ish months following the first, in case that’s not clear.  :) 

tag list.  @teawithbucky​ 

[steveyockey]

it was earlier than he usually woke up but dean didn’t mind. after years of shitty motel mattresses and nights barely sleeping, ready to pull his gun at a moment’s notice for whoever came knocking, he cherished the luxury of blinking slowly as awareness returned to his body, taking in the man beside him who still had a hand snaked around his waist just as when they had fallen asleep, whispering until neither could keep his eyes open (“say it to me” “you’ve had me say it a dozen times now, dean” “so one more can’t hurt” “I love you” “you are never leaving my sight again”). dean brought his own hand to cas’s face, a motion both instinctive and new, at least outside the few times he hadn’t been able to help himself. he could feel cas take in a breath at the touch, hovering just on the edge of consciousness, pulling dean closer, humming lightly. dean watched him as he stirred, watched the lines that had set around his eyes and on his forehead deepen for a moment and then relax. he traced his fingers up to cas’s temple where he could see shades of grey mixed in with the black. cas opened his eyes as dean carded his hand down behind his ear.

“you’re getting grey, old man.”

“that… shouldn’t be possible.”

“well, angels aren’t really supposed to sleep either, last I checked.”

“never was very good at being an angel.”

“worked out all right for us. besides, I think it makes you look handsome.” he pressed forward to lay a kiss on cas’s forehead, holding his lips there for a beat. 

“I can still hear your prayers.”

he met cas’s gaze with narrowed eyes.

“I haven’t prayed since we got you back.”

“I know, it’s... I can hear the feeling, just before you say my name or when you’re looking for me. I…” cas glanced down into the small space between them, “I could always hear something. I just didn’t know what it was — I knew what I wanted it to be, but I couldn’t let myself believe it.” and with that dean pulled cas on top of him, cradling his head to his chest and twining the fingers of his other hand with the one cas had been using to hold them together.

“sorry for clogging up the airwaves.”

“I like having you there. I hope it stays like that. it used to make it hard, at least when I meant to be listening for other things. I could tune it out but I never did.” he turned his neck to look up at dean. “I don’t mind getting old. I just want to still be able to hear you. even when you can’t say it.”

“I will, cas. I still need —”

“I know. we have time, dean. and I believe it now.”