#oh and i DID NOT like the number of fever fans in the audience

[the-physicality]

what is there to even say

i didn't have a good feeling going into this one

i was /very/ optimistic in the first 5 minutes and at half time

i got too excited when i i thought dt was gonna get 20 again

dt and bg are literal game changers . point leaders and 2 of 3 ending the game in positive +/- [9 and 13 respectively]

cc didn't get a triple double thank god

we're gonna end the season at .500 i can tell

why are the 3s not falling. p a i n

the techs and who was and wasn't involved was funny

when copper bg and dt stay /out/ of foul trouble good things happen

[boreal-sea]

"Stop telling people to encourage the cop inside their head...you do not need to be careful" "I can write tentacle noncon of my favorite character all day long" Ahh. It's always about finding ways to justify rape, isn't it? Fantasizing about rape absolutely makes you a bad person, and definitely tells a lot about your character. If you can masturbate to it, you're definitely okay with it to some degree. Studies show men exposed to rape porn are more likely to believe women enjoy rape and that it's not that big of a crime, especially if the victim shows a positive reaction to it. Fictional acting doesn't change the fact that your orgasm is real. These things DO affect real life. So pathetic.

"Fantasizing about rape absolutely makes you a bad person."

No it doesn't. Thoughtcrime is not real. I just imagined a random person getting stabbed right now, just to do it. Didn't make me a bad person.

I see you quote studies about cis men watching rape fantasy porn. But did you know that the women in those videos aren't actually being raped? They are actresses. They are playing a role. I notice you also don't cite any studies about cis women who enjoy rape fantasies. Do the studies show that these women also think real-life rape victims secretly enjoy being raped? And how do those numbers change when you involve trans people, including binary and nonbinary trans people?

I'm sorry but statistics about a single demographic of humans just isn't very convincing to me, especially when that demographic is cis men. Y'all always act like they are the only demographic that matters when it comes to sexual fantasy, and that's super weird to me.

And I'd argue that the idea that real-life women secretly like being raped is not caused by porn, but that the trope itself is a symptom of the patriarchy. That said, I don't think rape fantasies would disappear if the patriarchy disappeared. Because again, "this woman secretly enjoyed being raped and ravaged" is not exclusive to porn catered towards cis men. It's literally an entire romance novel genre written by and catered towards women. In this case, the reader is placing herself not in the position of the offender, but that of the victim. One could argue that these novels, because they reveal the inner thoughts of the character and how much she's actually enjoying the rape, are even more harmful than porn movies, since at least in the movie, we aren't 100% sure if the character the porn actress is playing is actually enjoying it, since we're not privy to the character's thoughts.

Hey - do you like horror movies? Do you think the writers, directors, crew, and actors are trying to justify violence? Do you think the people who made Friday the 13th all want to murder teenagers at campgrounds? Do you think the fans who watch these movies and delight in the violence and laugh at it are all secretly serial killers? Because I don't know if you're aware of this, but horror movies are very fun, and audience members do typically enjoy the murders.

What about the hit TV show Hannibal? Do you think the people who made it think cannibalism is ok? The show really glorifies cannibalism, rolls it up in a mixture of horror, eroticism and elegance. The main character Will is an incredibly unreliable narrator with regards to Hannibal, because he's partly in love with Hannibal, partly terrified of him, and literally suffering from a brain fever half of one of the seasons. But you're supposed to root for them anyway, you're supposed to be so swept up in their fucked up romance that when Will "betrays" Hannibal, you're supposed to feel heartbreak, and when they finally murder someone together and then plunge off a cliff in blood-soaked ecstasy, that's supposed to be a moment of elated victory.

What about Oldboy? You must HATE this movie - it depicts alcoholism, kidnapping, mind control, and torture. Oh yeah and incest. Is Oldboy trying to justify incest? The ending is kinda vague on what happens to the two main characters, after all.

What about action movies where the hero kills dozens or maybe hundreds of nameless characters on his way to kill the main villain? Are those movies trying to justify violence? They're definitely glorifying the violence.

And me? My noncon fanfic? I'm afab. I still identify as female. I've been into noncon since long before I came out as transmasc. I was finding things like men being tied up fascinating even in my teens, before I ever learned what bondage was.

There was a statue of some colonial guy with his hands tied behind his back in a museum. I stared at that statue for a really long time. Another time during this same age, we watched a Zorro movie, and Zorro was standing there very heroically, all tied up, and I found the scene very moving. Then, again in high school, a buddy was playing Metal Gear Solid. At one point in that game, a robot with long tentacle-like robot arms grabs one of the main characters, Raiden, and squeezes him and thrashes him around a bit. This time, the feelings I felt were definitely erotic.

I had never seen porn at that age. I did not know what bondage was. I didn't know BDSM was a thing. But I still, naturally, all on my own, found bondage erotic - and bondage can have elements of noncon to it. It certainly did in the fantasies I was experiencing. That's because these fantasies and kinks are natural human things. It is NORMAL to find this shit erotic.

Now. If you're watching porn that features rape fantasies and you start to believe that real-life people might secretly enjoy actually being raped, then you need to stop watching that kind of porn. But that applies to anything. If you watch a bunch of horror movies and start to think that maybe, murder is actually good, then you should probably stop watching horror movies. I'm not saying media can't affect people. But I AM saying that's not something that happens to everyone, and I am saying that most people are fully capable of consuming media in responsible ways.

Fictional rape is not about real people. I absolutely do want to justify the continuation of fictional depictions of the taboo and the forbidden, because these are perfectly normal fantasies that humans have had probably for our entire existence.

[rainydawgradioblog]

LCD Soundsystem: A call to the dance floor for a third decade

LCD Soundsystem emerged in the heart of the indie sleaze era and are coming up on the 20th anniversary of their debut album. After watching their documentary “Shut up and Play the Hits”, I thought this was yet another band that I was born a bit too late for and to be dancing in their audience, but I was happily proven wrong. 

I took a trip to LA a couple weeks ago to see them at the Hollywood Palladium and it was worth every Delta mile used. Although the band has been in an on and off relationship since 2011, they are continuing to tour and release new music, like “x-ray eyes”, which made the security line at SeaTac substantially more entertaining to be in. The palladium is such a classic venue, large but intimate, and has hosted big names for decades now. I had no idea what to expect but I was ready to dance, and that’s all I did for 3 hours. The music is so infectious that you have no choice;even the people with their arms crossed couldn’t help but dance  at some point. I was especially excited to see LCD Soundsystem  live because I’m a huge fan of the Talking Heads and their “Stop Making Sense” show , and have found a lot of their sound and dynamic on stage to resemble a modern/2000s version of this iconic 70s/80s rock band, coincidentally also from NYC. 

Anyway, now more about the actual show. As I entered the venue, I thought I entered a fever dream. I soon got sent deeper into this delusion by the openers, who practically sent me to another dimension. The entire stage was set up: a synth 2x the size of the piano, an LED lit drum kit, 2 keyboards, and probably more that I couldn’t register in my head. Distracted by my excitement of wanting to witness “Losing my Edge” live, two extremely colorful women came on stage, dressed like they were straight out of nintendo. One was wearing a large, orange furry hat, the other something equally as obscure and bright. Right when they started playing some enchanting whistling sounds, I looked to my left and noticed an increasing number of people dressed in brightly colored outfits, and an octopus. I felt like I suddenly got transported from the palladium to this folklore storybook. Along with the octopus then came fish, eels, and jellyfish, all being guided back and forth in front of the stage. Their songs blended electronic beats with a whimsical flair, infused with a powerful dose of feminine sexuality that just put the entire audience into a trance. 

This mysterious fairytail opener I later found was from London, they call themselves Mermaid Chunky. The most memorable song was definitely “chaperone” which was also the only one I could recall of Spotify, because I was definitely put under a spell. They were the most obscure, yet perfect opener for LCD Soundsystem to captivate the audience with the music. 

Now the main act: at least six people filter onto the stage, each taking their place at a different instrument. Then, James Murphy steps front and center, grabs the mic, and instantly electrifies the crowd with a surge of energy. They start with “Get Innocuous!”, warming everyone up for “I Can Change”, from This is Happening. I was really impressed with this being the last performance in LA towards the end of the tour. The energy was definitely still there, amplified by the music itself. Even though the music doesn’t age, James Murphey admitted they definitely have, and had to comically take a couple bathroom breaks during the set. That never broke the movement though, especially when they played “Movement” right after. They got a good amount of songs from each album, playing “oh baby” and “tonite” from american dream, then their new, and very much addictive, song “x-ray eyes”. Then to “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House”, foreshadowing when they played “Robot Rock” by Daft Punk in “Losing My Edge” after singing “I was the first guy playing Daft Punk to the rock kids”, both from their debut album.

Towards the end they played “Dance Yrself Clean”, which I definitely did, and after felt like my body had absorbed every beat reverberating from the amps. They slowed it down with “New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down” to finish the show off with “All My Friends”, both from Sound of Silver. When they finished, I didn’t know what to do with myself, I was speechless, starstruck, dazed (and confused), all of the above. I felt so lucky to be in such an immersive experience filled with innovative artistry and production. I definitely recommend diving into their discography as a good pick me up, or even for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Overall, LCD Soundsystem live is everything you could imagine and more.

-Kimeeya <3

[bxllafanficc]

¡Skate/sing your hearts out! (Yuri Plisetsky x reader)

(part seven)

Part one. Masterlist!

Summary: After last year's cancellation of Figure Skating Grand Prix, Yuri Plisetsky finds himself unable to bring out his inner skater after a year of doing nothing but enjoy life like a regular teenager. That's when you enter the picture; We Are Voice Grand Awards's currently hottest competitive vocalist come first place two years in a row. Just like the other competitors of Grand Prix, it turns out that Victor and Yuuri faces the same issue. With an arrangement between Victor and Yakov, they agree to travel to Japan and hire you as a mutual coach for Yuri and Yuuri to help bring back the emotion into their performances like before, maybe even more intense than ever. Yuri however, who's never experienced issues with his coaches before, for some reason finds this one particularly difficult to coexist along with in their (reasonably) odd partnership. Warnings: none

*Yuri's POV*

(Next week)

A week had passed by in a rather slow pace. Yuri's recovery seemed to never end when it had just been a few days. But those days were spent sleeping and eating, using his phone and sleeping some more. Mostly he had no one to talk to since everyone were busy with their own lives. Especially (Y/n) who had to keep her inner performer alive at all times. Her coach came with the idea of hosting a smaller gig where (Y/n) would perform about two or three numbers for the people of Japan. It was planned out as a small nightclub gig at first but the numbers of interested in Japan rose over the charts and well... (Y/n) said that she didn't want to let anyone down. Though her coach was apparently hesitant into taking more than a hundred people. 'Three numbers are too little for a concert.' They said but the people of Japan insisted on paying for the price a concert ticket anyway.

(Y/n) had told him this two days after his fever started. He remembered it made him scoff at how she decided the ticket would only cost a quarter of what a normal concert ticket would then. He had told her it was a ridiculous way of thinking.

He barely saw her after the first day of his fever. The way Yuri had taken a hold of her hand and fallen asleep... She waited until he woke up. Well, not exactly waited. She fell asleep at the edge of his bed.

And since that, the two of you barely talked during the days. They barely even met before she went to bed because she spent every waking hour to practice her numbers with her backup dancers. She still made you breakfast when she head the time though.

Yuri's glad it would soon be over and he could go back to normal. Everyone had been attending to him like he was some child and he felt like a huge burden. He had told Victor that he wished (Y/n) especially wouldn't just dismiss his attempts at doing things on his own just because he couldn't get out of bed with single effort. 'Right, she told me about that! You fell on your face right after while trying, didn't you?' He had replied.

So... yeah... Yuri wanted things to return to normal real fast. Yakov had promised him that he would get to start his session with (Y/n) as soon as the music for the program was set. And that was what Victor had been helping him with a couple times. It was hard to find something he wanted to use. Everything felt overused and boring. Just another performance. Yuri didn't want it to pass as that. He wanted to stand out and earn his gold medal for real just as last year. Now was also really the year of improvement so the music had to be well thought through. He was certainly going to take advantage of having a coach for emotional performances with him this season as well. Meaning, his free skate program was already set to be something hurtful and strong. Not love, he already did that. Something far more serious. He wanted the audience to cry after his performance. Everyone should be bawling. Yakov, piglet, Victor and even (Y/n).

Most important of all, no one would be expecting him to do a program with such deep meaning. Because he was one to avoid it in the past.

His short program should be something upbeat and flashy. He wanted the choreography so intense that he'd be coughing up blood at the end of the performance, if that was possible. So the music had to make the pulse of the audience rise when hearing it. Meaning, the music would be in the rock genre. And he already had just the song for it.

This performance would show off his skills and flexibility as well as the importance of his stamina since the entire program would be non-stop step sequences and jumps throughout almost the entire music. Since he intended to be in better shape than ever before before the competition started, he felt no point in holding back on anything. If he played it safe, then what was the point?

"Ah! Good morning Yuri! I come bearing gifts!" Victor busted the door open with his foot and stumbled inside the room, balancing a tray in his hand. The tray was set down in front of him and Victor sat down at the end of Yuri's bed.

"Where's (Y/n)?" Yuri was truly surprised to see Victor being the one to bring you the breakfast today. It had been her until now. And he hadn't even seen as much as her face today since she left so early.

"Ouch. I'm replaced already? I can't go on knowing I'm not your favorite anymore, you know." Victor put a dramatic hand to his forehead and fell backwards onto Yuri's legs. The tray with the breakfast threatened to tumble and Yuri made an effort to stabilize it. It was bacon and eggs with apple slices. A part of him felt a little sad that the slices weren't in the shape of stars...

"You were never my favorite, old man. And you didn't answer my question." Yuri picked up the fork and pointed it towards the man slopped unto the bed end. He ignored the sad pout he received and took a bite of the apple cut into pieces. Each slice were to large and it didn't even taste the same even though they were of the same apples like yesterday. The eggs were decent and the bacon slightly undercooked. Victor's efforts to cook for the household during the day were appreciated of course. But there was no wonder why (Y/n) stood for the head of the dinner at days when her schedule wasn't as crazy.

"She's practicing like mad. Called her dancers to say that she would be starting a few hours ahead of time because she got an energy boost. She wants the show to be at her best efforts possible."

"I haven't even seen her today. How can she practice like a maniac when she's probably already learned her numbers flawlessly?"

Victor was watching Yuri with a funny look. Probably wondering where all those questions came from.

"I think the show is a way for her to relax."

Say what? Going out of bed before sunrise and coming back from practice just mere hours before midnight could never be considered relaxation. Yuri would never be able to pull that off. That was an insane view of the word relaxing, definitely.

"The steam and demands from her competition in We are voice are currently lifted off her shoulders like heavy weights, you know. This is probably just fun to her. She doesn't have to compete with anyone. I think it gives her a sense of relief."

Yuri stopped eating and thought a little extra on what Victor said.

Yes. She was always stressed in every video where a fan or a nosy reporter came out of nowhere and started recording. Yuri had seen those videos. Especially the one where the random person happened to record the exact moment her mind broke down and she had a breakdown in front of a large crowd. Now there was no denying that Yuri sees (Y/n) as the most weirdest and ridiculous being alive. The way she is so determined to get her way and how much she cares for strangers she's never met. Yuri kind of still consider the two of them to be strangers, even after two weeks being with each other on a daily basis. Her eyes are also too intense for anyone to be up close with to her face and as if that wasn't enough, she's also a morning person and that's already a big warning sign to stay away from a person.

But even though he had had this mental conversation with him many times. Even though he agreed that he disliked her; he couldn't help but being captivated by her performances.

It felt so weird seeing her cry like that just minutes before her performance and then watching her going on stage having the time of her life. There was no doubt she loved her fans and performing on stage but that was one of those moments where Yuri really got to see the mind behind the happy smile. It was the first time he had seen her crying or feeling a negative emotion. It's still the first but he got a taste of her irritated self not so long ago.

It made Yuri think about her performance that day. It was a remarkable song filled with sheerness and excitement and her eyes were still wet with tears as she got up on stage.

"Remember (Y/n) performing 'Animal' during the acappella collaboration sequence?"

"Yes! One of my favorites. She was so happy on stage that day." While it had been true that she found happiness, it's not to ignore how broken she felt right before. 'Animal' by Neon Trees (A/N: listen to the Glee version of the song for the best acapella dynamic!) Was one of (Y/n)'s best performances, according to Yuri. He had watched it on repeat just this morning. There's really nothing special to the song in itself. It was the way she delivered every word and tune with such bravery after her internal battle like that. Her emotional response has always been on point but this particular song was something completely real and touching with her tears glistening in the corner of her eyes the entire performance. The tears of sadness had been replaced with joy and she had genuinely just been having a great time with the acapella group at her side, cheering and jumping around on stage with stars in her eyes.

'Oh, oh

I want some more

Oh, oh

What are you waiting for?

Say goodbye to my heart tonight'

The chorus were always his favorite part. Maybe it was the interpretation of the love-hate relationship the words of the lyrics intended. (Y/n) was belting out 'what are you waiting for' with such passion even though it was hardly a difficult song to perform.

'Here we are again

I feel the chemicals kickin' in

It's gettin' heavier and

I wanna run and hide

I wanna run and hide'

The short verse got him every time. The way her eyes watered at the end and then were immediately blown away by the chorus once again. The way she let go of her sadness and let her happy thoughts consume her. No, she let the song consume her and gave the song a completely different touch never done before.

Yuri had lost count of the time he'd watched it and he knew the choreography and song in and out by now. It was mainly intended for the purpose of studying her expression and getting some kind of inspiration for his music choice. He wanted his theme of his music choice for the free skate program to be 'to let go'. If there's any theme harder than love, then it's letting go of the thing you love. And not just what you love. Letting go to be able to love as well. Whether it's love for yourself or another person. There are countless interpretations and that's what (Y/n) had performed that day, with no intention whatever of doing it in such a way.

"I have... I have chosen the music for my program. At the inspiration of t-that performance."

Now don't get Yuri wrong. He'd never admit it to anyone that (Y/n) had been an inspiration to his free skate. He would probably had figured out the idea anyway, it would just had taken a little longer. And her performance was his own way to interpret it so he'd been the one to come up with the decision anyway. So in a way, she didn't have anything to do with it. And his choice of song would be far more intense and heartbreaking than anything Neon Trees could produce. And so Yuri told Victor about his music choices even though he had no clue why he put that kind of trust into the man.

"Those are some really clever choices when combined with your own vision. I'm almost a little jealous. Maybe I should just hire (Y/n) as my coach myself. It seems like it did wonders for you already!" The man laughed and patted Yuri on the shoulder.

"Nonsense. She hasn't began coaching me yet. She had no part in this." Yuri pushed away the empty tray to make room for sitting up and crossing his legs.

"Oh, but it seems like you learned a lot by ogling her all day long though." The smirk Yuri received made his teeth grit and his ears flush.

"I-i wasn't ogling her!"

"Then what were you doing exactly? I heard 'Animal' playing for a good 30 minutes from the wall connected to the room beside yours." Victor laughed at the startled freeze of The Russian Punk.

Okay fine. Maybe he went overboard with the video. But a new problem had seemed to appear now as he admitted defeat.

Yuri now had a witness that would have to be taken care of somehow. He leaned forwards and gripped the collar of Victor's shirt in a tight fist. The glare of daggers shot forwards onto the smiling man.

"Tell anyone about it and you're gonna have to reconstruct that pretty nose of yours. That's a promise,not a threat."

"Trust me! You won't hear a peep!"

[acklesforlife]

Happy Birthday Danneel Ackles!

It’s Danneel Ackles’ birthday, so we thought for our continuing celebration of Supernatural Spring Break week, this was a good time to both wish her a happy birthday and share the rather amusing story of one of our first times meeting her.

There have been a few memorable times since, including the party celebrating ‘Supernatural Day’ in Austin with Mayor Adler, which was just plain fun and an opportunity for some real conversation.

And I’ll be forever touched that Danneel wanted a copy of Family Don’t End With Blood (and how incredulous she was that Jensen actually had a chapter in it!) and that she has read our other books too.

The actual first time we met Danneel was a long time ago – at the after party following the premiere of indie movie Ten Inch Hero, which was at a club in LA back in, I think 2008. We all left the premiere and walked over to the club, invited by director David Mackay – the cast and the audience all together.

We had a lovely little chat with Danneel there about the film, met screenwriter Betsy Morris who’s still a friend today, and asked actor Matt Barr (now of Walker) to watch the rest room door while I in desperation used the men’s room because there was a huge line at the women’s. (He was lovely about it and it makes me laugh now every time I see him as Hoyt).

It was a momentous party, what can I say?  After that, my co-author Kathy and I interviewed David over a three hour brunch in Vancouver for the first book we were working on, and mentioned that we’d love to chat with Danneel  too. To be honest, we didn’t really think that would happen. But a few months later, while we were in LA for the Supernatural convention, we got a call from David.

I’ll let some excerpts from our second book, Fangasm! Supernatural Fangirls, take it from here…

… he let us know that Danneel Harris had actually agreed to an interview too. This prompted some hyperventilating and a rush of euphoria that left us grinning like fools. Jensen Ackles’s girlfriend was going to meet with us? Really? David had given Lynn’s cell phone number to Danneel so that she could call us tomorrow, the same day the boys came back to town. SWEET.

Given the pattern of the weekend so far—great things happening and then going horribly wrong—we should have known what was coming.

[On the Sunday of the convention, while everyone was in a fever pitch of excitement over Jared and Jensen being there] Lynn was obsessively checking her phone. “Noooo!!” she gasped. It was the plaintive moan of a beast in distress.

Kathy assumed that Lynn was passing a gallstone from the sound of it.

“No reception!” Lynn said, wide-eyed.

For Kathy, who hates phones (really, what doesn’t Kathy hate?) this didn’t seem like a big deal. The world really is too connected anyway. An hour out of cell phone reception seemed like a welcome respite, an opportunity just to enjoy the moment.

Lynn wasn’t as philosophical. “What if Danneel calls?”

Kathy honestly didn’t hold out much hope that this would actually happen—a yellow on the threat scale at most—so she wasn’t concerned.

Lynn was taking up her slack by flailing around, banging buttons on her phone as if somehow this would jolt it into action. “How can there be no cell phone reception in LA??”

Lynn had a point. We’re reasonably certain that there is cell phone reception in the Arctic Circle, but there was not a bar to be had in a hotel in LA. LA!! The town where everyone’s people are calling everyone else’s people, where iPhones are accessorized to coordinate with the day’s outfits, where a missed call can ruin a career. Jared and Jensen distracted Lynn for the duration of their time onstage, but as soon as it was over Lynn made a bee line for Jared’s girlfriend, Sandy (the woman sitting in front, wearing a hoodie so no one would recognize her—except Lynn apparently). Lynn wildly explained our dilemma to the stunned and probably scared actress. It was a good thing the Men With No Necks (MWNN) were only being paid to guard “the boys” or Lynn would have been face down on the carpet.

While Lynn was doing this, Kathy was pretending that she did not know Lynn.

Sandy was sympathetic, but didn’t know if she’d even see Danneel. Lynn thanked her for the sympathy and moved on to the next person who might be able to help. She attempted to enlist convention photographer Lizz, to no avail, and finally Creation owner Adam.

“I’ll try Lynn,” he said, sounding slightly exasperated. “But I’m kinda running an entire convention here.”

Thwarted again, Lynn pulled out all the stops. During her Jensen photo op, she stopped everything to explain the situation to Jensen himself.

“Hi, Jensen,” Lynn said, hoping that her voice wasn’t sounding too shaky. “We have an interview set up with Danneel today for the book we’re writing on fandom, and she’s supposed to call us, but I don’t have any reception on my phone, so I’m afraid she won’t be able to.”

The photo-op process screeched to a halt, and the room fell silent. Photo ops, you see, are not a place for conversation. They are highly valued by fans, who pay top dollar for the privilege of standing next to a celebrity, and they are relentlessly organized. The entire experience lasts about twenty seconds, and during that time you’re expected to say hello to the celebrity, smile, perhaps get an arm around your back or lean into said celebrity’s very firm bicep, and then move the hell out of the way and let the next person crowd in for the next picture. The photo ops allow no room for deviation. So when deviation happens, no one is very happy. The photographer wasn’t happy. The other fans weren’t happy. And the MWNN looked ready to move into swift and potentially lethal action.

Not that any of this stopped Lynn. “Can you put us in touch with her?” she continued, oblivious to the threatening stares all around her.

“Oh right, the interview,” Jensen said.

Lynn just nodded, though inside she was stuck on “OMG Jensen knows about our interview and our book, ohmygodohmygod.”

“Maybe she can email you,” Jensen continued. Then the conversation abruptly ended as Lynn was grabbed unceremoniously by the back of the neck and “escorted” from the photo-op room. Uh oh. She hadn’t experienced that feeling since being a two-year-old caught trying to get away with her baby brother’s coveted teddy bear. Lynn was most definitely in trouble—and even worse, she’d made no progress in getting in touch with Danneel, who didn’t even have our email address!

Lynn, ever the intrepid researcher, was not deterred. She thanked the Man with No Neck for his assistance and got right back in line for her next photo op, the “sandwich” photo (as in sandwiched between Jared and Jensen, which is vaguely dirty and thus very popular). As Lynn walked up, Jensen immediately tried to continue their conversation.

“So do you want to . . .” he began, while Jared looked confused. After all, the celebrities know the no talking rule as well as the fans.

Lynn held up a hand defensively. “Shh, I’m not talking to you. I totally got in trouble for it before,” she added, as the MWNN hovered threateningly.

Jensen laughed. “I got in trouble too,” he protested.

We doubt the MWNN were involved.

“Can Danneel get us her email?” Lynn managed as she was once again “encouraged” to leave the room as quickly as possible.

There was no time for an answer. Damn. Thwarted again. We were disappointed, but Lynn was relieved that she wasn’t escorted out of the entire con (the specter of the Flying Fangirl from Asylum still looms large at these events after all). We were still feeling like an interview with Danneel had been too good to be true anyway, so we tried to swallow our sadness and settled in to watch some of the other guests. Midway through the next panel, Lizz the photographer came out into the audience and passed us a note—from Danneel. It just said, “Send me an email, love danneel” and included her email address. Being a bit clueless about the popularity of smartphones in 2008, we figured this meant that she wanted us to get in touch with her later for an email interview. We were disappointed that we wouldn’t get to talk to her in person but incredibly excited that she’d given us her email address. We wandered back outside after the panel and tried not to be too miserable about the Danneel interview not happening that day. We were hanging out in the hallway chatting when photographer Lizz suddenly appeared and yanked us away in the middle of a sentence with an exasperated, “Come with me!” She led us down a small side hall.

We still weren’t entirely sure what was going on. Were we in trouble again? Had the MWNN decided to kick us out after all? Moments later, Danneel emerged from the side door, introducing herself with a smile. Somehow we managed to compose ourselves and smile back. Apparently Jensen had facilitated the interview after all! Danneel suggested that we all grab some coffee, so we headed upstairs to the hotel’s Starbucks, where Danneel insisted on treating.

Coffee in hand, we went back downstairs to start the interview. Danneel suggested that we go backstage to talk, and then came a weirdly symbolic moment. The very same Man with No Neck who had tossed Lynn unceremoniously out of the photo op for daring to speak to the talent now held back the curtain to the backstage area, solicitously helped Danneel and us step over the various wires and cables snaking across the floor, then closed the curtain behind us to seal our crossover. The irony wasn’t lost on us.

Kathy whipped out her trusty voice recorder just as she had done for every other interview we’ve conducted, turned it on, and . . . nothing. We were interviewing Jensen Ackles’s girlfriend and there was NOTHING. It wasn’t the batteries, which had been checked and rechecked. Kathy tried to maintain some semblance of professionalism. She would quietly figure out what was wrong and then she would just as quietly fix it. Deep breaths. Okay, the recorder was FULL. Not to worry. She excused herself, leaving a confused Lynn to entertain Danneel.

First the cell phone, now the voice recorder. Sunday turned out to be the day technology failed us. This, for Lynn, is an everyday occurrence. For Kathy not so much. She loves technology. She embraced the Internet years before it got pretty, she used a “portable” PC to write her doctoral dissertation (portability is of course a relative designation—relative to muscle mass and stamina), and she gets gleeful over the prospect of using every new toy her university has to offer. So yes, technology was her friend. Until it wasn’t.

While Kathy dashed upstairs to grab her laptop (wishing that she could grab a shot of tequila), Lynn attempted to keep up a conversation with Danneel without actually asking any of our carefully prepared interview questions. Without a recorder, there was no way she’d remember a damn thing that was said—so that left small talk as the only option. Luckily, Danneel and Lynn connected over their mutual love of writing, swapped college stories, and then Lynn (as always) managed to talk about her children. Danneel proved herself a great listener. Minutes went by—lots of them—and Lynn realized to her horror that Jensen and Jared were almost done with their autographs. After that, it was off to the airport—and we would lose our interviewee to her boyfriend as she left with Ackles. Where was Kathy???

Finally, shortly before Lynn had moved on to telling Danneel about her daughter’s first steps, Kathy returned and hurriedly tried to download everything onto the laptop while time quickly ran out. Come on!! All Kathy could focus on was how long it was taking for everything to download. That and the rising nausea that threatened to overtake her. Lynn, in desperation, started asking the interview questions (which, since they weren’t recorded, are lost to posterity—and to this book).

Suddenly Jared Padalecki walked by, meaning that autographs were over and people were getting ready to leave. We despaired of a recorded interview, heartbroken over the squandered opportunity. And then, quite unexpectedly, Jensen Ackles was standing there, smiling and saying hello. Even more improbably, he held a fluffy white dog in his arms. For a moment, Kathy was sure this was all part of the nightmare, because fandom at the time had no clue that Jensen even owned a dog. Icarus, however, was quite real—and quite fluffy. Icarus was almost as excited to see Jensen as we were—he’d apparently been whining backstage every time he heard his owner’s voice during the Q&A. We hugged Icarus while Jensen hugged Danneel and tried to talk her into riding with him to the airport. All Kathy heard in those words were that it was too late—she’d blown it.

Danneel, however, had other ideas. She blew Jensen off. No wait. This part can’t really be happening either. More of that dream? Kathy was contemplating poking herself with a sharp object, sticking her finger in a wall socket, anything to jar herself back into reality. This was surely just her own anxiety-ridden psyche toying with her. Must be. Who says goodbye to Jensen Ackles so that she can talk to US?? But Danneel really was excusing herself to say good-bye to Jensen, Icarus happily following, with assurances to us that she’d be right back to finish the interview. Kathy gathered together the few shreds of sanity she still had, sorted the problem, and figured out how to record directly onto the laptop.

Danneel returned, true to her word, and the interview finally began. We relocated to the “green room,” the cloistered room where the guests are confined between stage appearances. The green room, as we were well aware, is a private space—more or less a “No Fans Allowed” clubhouse for the celebrities. We immediately felt like imposters, occupying a space where we clearly shouldn’t be. The room offered a small banquet of food, a bit of which we gratefully sampled, and a table stacked full of fans’ gifts for “the boys.” The coolest of these was a hairdryer that looked exactly like Dean Winchester’s favorite gun—and yes, it actually worked!

Danneel, of course, was quite comfortable in the green room and turned out to be very good at making us comfortable as well. Lynn asked questions. Danneel answered. Kathy breathed. Everything was going to work out just fine. Somewhere the unicorns of fandom were neighing happily.

And then the laptop went dead.

Kathy again tried to be unobtrusive as she flailed around trying to find an outlet. No point in making a bigger fool of herself, right? Sooner or later, though, it became apparent that she was in need of assistance and everyone, including Danneel, was up and scouting for an outlet, crawling under tables and moving furniture to do so. Danneel, we decided, had the patience of a saint. She never lost her sense of humor either, shrugging off our apology for keeping her from accompanying Jensen to the airport by wryly noting that “Jared would have been in the limo anyway, it’s not like we could have made out on the way to the airport” and jumping up to knock on wood when we asked her about the possibility of marriage.

In the midst of all the sitcom mishaps we did manage to carry on an interview…

You can read the rest of our misadventures (and the interview itself) with Danneel in the book, but Kathy and I left that day with a respect and affection for Danneel that has never faded.

Jensen posted a photo of her plunging a clogged toilet today for her birthday, and I laughed because it makes it clear that she’s still as genuine as she was that day she got down on the floor and crawled around looking for an outlet right along with us.

I’ve had the opportunity to chat with Danneel several times since our hilarious interview, and I think most people who have run into her at the brewery would say this too – she’s not afraid to be real.

I’m so glad Danneel was able to be part of Supernatural as a cast member before it ended, but really she’s always been part of the SPN Family. Happy birthday, Danneel – thanks for keeping it real!

–Lynn

Source: [x]

[asthmark]

❝ comfortable ❞ l.mk

synopsis → “oh, i’m mark. mark lee.” he gives her a lop-sided grin, reminding you of a high school boy. the kind you would have a crush on.

word count → 3k

a/n → instead of admitting to the fact that this has been in my drafts since october what if i just said i was watching superm interviews and got inspired.. would anyone believe that??? anyway superm on the ellen show was a fever dream lol

your leg bounces nervously as your makeup artist touches up your look and you stare at the tv screen in anticipation. you were finally making your television debut. you knew you were blessed for the wonderful opportunity, especially for how new you were to the music industry.

you had started like nearly every other artist; posting covers on youtube. these were well received and gained a good amount of views and likes but your career really took off when you began creating original content. every time you would release a single, it would make it on the trending page thanks to your growing fanbase and exposure to the general public, who seemed to like you. soon enough, requests to interview you whether it be on radio, tv, or magazines were high and, thanks to your managers, you found yourself in los angeles, backstage in a studio, waiting for the ellen degeneres to introduce you to her live audience and thousands of viewers at home.

“don’t move so much, miss l/n,” the woman trying to apply your highlighter comments. “you’re smudging your makeup.”

you force yourself to sit still as you apologize. “sorry. pre-show jitters.”

the woman smiles, emphatically. “i understand, sweetheart. i would be nervous too.”

you’re quiet for a moment, debating if you should continue conversing with her. “can i be honest?”

she hums as she dabs a beauty blender into your cheek. “go ahead.”

“i am so nervous that i’ll mess up or say something stupid. the only thing close to an interview i’ve ever done was a q&a on my youtube channel. and at least i could edit stuff out then.” you huff. “if i make some kind of mistake on my tv debut, my career will be over before it even started.”

“well, think of it this way,” she says. “you went from a moderately popular youtube channel to the ellen show. that doesn’t happen for no reason. there are people out there who really admire you.”

you chuckle in disbelief. “it’s crazy to think about people actually wanting to see me. i still can't believe it.”

she giggles, softly. “they know there's something worth seeing.” at seeing your small smile, almost as if you were barely realizing your own star status, she laughs. “you seriously gotta wake up, girl. you’re famous!”

you smile at her, finding humor in her words. “thanks for the wake up call.”

you both direct your attention to the tv placed backstage that broadcasted what was happening on stage. you listen in to ellen’s monologue as she tells jokes and addresses current topics. before long, there’s a knock on the doorframe. you half expect a staff member to let you know that you’ll be on soon but instead you hear a quiet, “hello?”

you and your makeup artist both turn to the boy standing in the doorway. he's wearing a black jacket paired with dark, ripped jeans held up by a belt. he goes to bow, then remembers that korean etiquette does not apply and decides to wave as a greeting instead. you reciprocate the gesture. he stands with only one foot inside the room, almost as if he’s too polite to enter without being given the okay.

“did they send you to get your makeup done?” the woman who had done yours says.

he nods. “they said something about concealer and bb cream, i think?”

she smiles. “yeah, it’s basic stuff. come on in. what’s your name, dear?”

“oh, i’m mark. mark lee.” he gives her a lop-sided grin, reminding you of a high school boy. the kind you would have a crush on.

“well, mark lee, i’m lily. i’ll be doing your makeup, making sure you look pretty for the cameras.” she motions to you. “i'm just about done here so i’ll be right with you.”

“okay, thank you.” he shuffles in, his eyes glued to you and you hold his stare. he nods, a wordless greeting as he settles in next to you. in return, you throw up a peace sign and he smiles at your casual behavior.

“you know what? somebody used all the setting spray. i’ll be right back, i’m just going to steal some from my co-workers.” with that, lily darts out of the room.

it’s pure silence between the two of you until you spark conversation. “i didn't get to introduce myself but i'm y/n.”

“i know,” he responds, quickly. “i'm kind of a fan, actually. i mean, it’s practically impossible to not be. you’re all over the place. especially with the new single you dropped... which is a bop, by the way.”

you smile at his simply-worded praise. it was a nice switch up from the professional reviews you received from critics. “that’s so cute. i’m honored.” you miss the way mark’s ears turn slightly pink at your words. “but enough about me, what do you do, mark?”

“oh, me? i’m in the k-pop scene.”

you hum. “that’s a good genre to be in. which group?”

“right now i’m promoting with superm, it’s kind of like a side project. but originally, i’m in a band called nct.”

you lean forward at hearing the familiar name. “nct? as in, nct 127?”

mark’s eyes light up. “yeah! you know us?”

you nod, enthusiastically. “oh my god, yes! you collabed with ava, right?”

“we sure did. are you guys close?”

“i help her write lyrics sometimes.” you lower your voice down to a whisper for dramatic effect. “i wrote the chorus to ‘sweet but psycho’.”

the way mark’s jaw drops is almost comedic. “no way! that song got her famous, dude!” his lips curve into a playful smirk. “just because of that i’m gonna have to get you in the studio.”

you return the mischievous look. “is that a promise?”

“i’m back!” lily announces, giving mark no time to respond. she gives no warning as she spritzs you with the bottle she had gone to retrieve.

you cough, choking on the mist. “no heads up?”

“sorry, dear. you’re on in two minutes, no time to waste.”

you feel a chill go up your spine. it was finally time.

mark nudges your arm. “you okay?”

“a little nervous.” that proves to be the biggest understatement of all time because in reality your heart is doing somersaults.

“hey.” you stare at him, his brown eyes boring into you. “you’ll be fine. there’s nothing to worry about. you got this!”

you smile at his words of encouragement. he cared about you and you find that your heart is pounding for an entirely different reason now.

“i'll be here to cheer you on while you’re out there and i’ll be back when you’re done to tell you how amazing you did, okay?”

you nod.

“now get out there!”

“well, we have a great show for y’all today,” ellen says, clasping her hands together, having just finished her monologue. “i mean, it’s always great but the exciting thing is we have two musical guests today.”

the audience that cheered wildly is shown on screen. you almost forget about the knot in your stomach when you see some people in the crowd wearing shirts with the cover art and quoted lyrics of your last single.

“i see you guys are ready so, without further ado... let’s get started. our first guest is a soloist who has made quite a big name for herself in such a short period of time. she currently has three singles on the billboard charts, her most recent music video is number one trending on youtube, and she has a new ep coming out soon. here for her television debut, please welcome y/n l/n.”

you walk out from behind the stage, a huge smile on your face. the crowd screams and you wave to them until your hands become too occupied hugging the hostess who greets you with open arms and a proud smile. once the hype dies down and your entrance music fades out, you take a seat, opposite of ellen.

“how have you been y/n?”

“amazing,” you respond, letting your hands fall neatly in your lap.

“and why is that?”

you sigh, wistfully. “everything has been going so well for me lately. i mean, i feel like all these doors are opening up for me all of a sudden. i think i finally made it.”

“you’re just barely realizing that?” ellen exclaims.

you laugh, along with the audience. “kind of, yeah. it just all happened so fast.”

“is there an experience that comes to mind where you finally realized how famous you are?”

you try to think for a few moments before your eyes light up. “okay so, i was at a mcdonald’s like, last month and i went through the drive thru and ordered some nuggets and fries. so, i pull up to the window to pay and it’s around 2 a.m. so the cashier guy is super out of it, like he’s not even paying attention to me. finally, he goes to grab my card and he gets a good look at me and just freezes. like, full on shuts down. so i ask him if he’s okay and he nods so i try to hand him my card again but he goes, ‘no, you’re famous, you don’t have to pay’. and in that moment i just knew.”

“hold on, pause,” ellen announces, dramatically. “you’re telling me that you have been nominated as artist of the year, gained over ten million followers on social media and made your national television debut but the thing that really made you say ‘wow, i’m famous’ was a couple of chicken nuggets?”

“ellen, c’mon,” you begin, seriously. “it was a twenty piece.”

“oh, well, that changes everything,” she says, playing along with you, as the audience erupts into laughter.

the rest of the interview goes smoothly, running on jokes and sarcastic energy. you discuss your young age (thus resulting in some of your baby pictures finally being revealed to the world), millennial culture (the crowd went wild when you explained terms such as netflix and chill to ellen who claimed she didn’t understand yet her sly smirk said otherwise) and your upcoming ep (that you would be giving a sneak peek of later on in the show).

you continue chatting once the commercial break is announced and ellen showers you with praises, commenting how young talent never failed to amaze her, although it did make her feel old. you get to thank the hostess and tell her how much you appreciated her sweet words and the opportunity she had given you before the crew is dragging you backstage so you can prep for your upcoming performance.

you’re greeted by a “that was awesome!” and a high five one you get backstage.

you flash mark a full smile. “couldn’t have done it without my hype man.”

just then lily walks in to touch up your makeup.

“and my hype woman!”

she just rolls her eyes and chuckles as she reapplies gloss to your lips. 

“seriously though, y/n. why did you have to be so perfect? the bar is all the way up here now.” to emphasize his point, mark raises his arm as high as it will go.

“hey, i only tried hard because you’re up next. you’re a hard act to beat, mark lee. i mean, you’re charismatic, charming, witty; basically every talk show host’s dream.”

he scoffs yet you see how he avoids your gaze, your compliments obviously flattering him to the extreme.

a staff member walks by, cutting your conversation short. “y/n, you’re back on in one. superm is on right after.”

you and mark turn back to each other, speaking the same two words at the same time.

“good luck.”

ellen introduces you again, only this time you hold a guitar and stand in front of a microphone once you’re back on the stage. you perform a never before heard song but judging by the roaring applause and standing ovation you receive by the end of it, it’s another successful hit.

you bask in the amazing response and then you’re ushered backstage for the last time. you catch sight of the staff placing more seats on the stage as you exit and you smile eagerly, knowing exactly what’s to come. you search the hallways for your new friend, hoping you can catch him before the show goes back on air. you’re almost about to give up when you hear your name being called.

you lock eyes with mark who stands a couple feet away, barely hidden from the audience’s view. even from where you stand you can tell he has a nervous smile on his face. you jog towards him and to your surprise, he envelops your figure without a second thought. in return, you tentatively wrap your arms around him.

“great job,” he murmurs, breath fanning your ear. “i really did cheer you on.”

“i’ll make sure to do the same.” you hesitantly pull away from his embrace, holding him at an arm’s length away. “go get ‘em.”

he gives you a determined nod and you watch him rush on stage, the audience’s wild cheering increasing. their energy didn’t fade once throughout the interview and just as you had suspected, mark was doing wonderfully. he clearly thrived in interviews; his awkward, boyish nature enchanting everyone in the studio, yourself included.

ellen crosses her legs and clears her throat. “so, i have to ask you something, you know, for the fans.”

the group leaned forward in anticipation, awaiting her next words.

“are any of you dating?”

the crowd released noises of amusement at hearing the very personal question. you can’t help but feel intrigued although you knew ellen has always been quite the invasive person. you watched as the seven boys looked around at each other, unsure what to say but before their silence can become suspiciously long, mark ends up taking the question.

“why are you always so curious about this, though?” he blurts.

the audience absolutely eats up his response, cheering at his bluntness. even you find it humorous, shoulders shaking with a chuckle. that’s definitely gonna become a meme, you think.

“it’s my job!” counters ellen. “why are you so defensive?”

the crowd is very responsive to ellen’s rebuttal, ‘ooh’ing in amusement.

mark’s silence only pushes the hostess to continue teasing him.

“does it maybe have anything to do with y/n?”

your smile drops. had she seen you two? you’re not sure why you feel so exposed; after all, you had just been talking.

ellen’s lips adorn a sly smile at mark’s stunned reaction. “you seemed to be getting very comfortable with each other backstage.”

the black haired male stumbles over his words before he gets a semi-coherent sentence out. “we just, um—we just met.”

“oh really? you two looked like you had known each other forever.”

mark chuckles breathlessly, eyes glued to his lap, obviously at a loss for words. ellen stares at him expectantly so he mutters, “i like making friends.”

ellen, the audience, and even some of the band members laugh at his response.

“well, i’m sure there’s a lot of fans out there that wish they were your ‘friend’.” her tone makes it clear she doesn’t buy his excuse but she prods him no further, instead turning to stare into the main camera. “when we get back superm will be performing their title track ‘jopping’. during the commercial break, please feel free to place your bets as to how long mark and y/n will remain ‘friends’.”

the camera pans to mark for a couple seconds; his ears are bright red and his cheeks are dusted light pink, his makeup doing nothing to help hide the blush. his eyes dart around, anxiously and then they cut to commercials.

you shake your head, smiling at the entire situation and just how big of a dork mark was.

you attentively watch superm’s two performances, eyes mostly glued to a certain rapper. you sit patiently in the makeup room, waiting for mark to return backstage so you can congratulate him but he never appears. you try to conceal your disappointment, even when lily enters the room, smiling brightly.

“well, the show’s over, doll.” she removes her makeup stained apron and glances at you as she places it on a nearby rack. “hey, why the long face?”

you stare at your reflection in the mirror, no longer bothering to hide your pout now that your frustration had been made known.

“you did great, if that’s what you’re worried about. just ask mark.”

“he left,” you mumble. “i thought i’d be able to catch him before he left and we could… i don’t know, talk a bit more? i just really—” you trail off.

“like him?” lily suggests, too loudly for your liking.

your head snaps towards her, eyes wide, only confirming your feelings.

“don’t worry, dear, you can say it. i won’t tell ellen,” she jokes.

you sigh and slump down in your seat. “yeah. i like him.”

“well, then, i have good news for you.”

you half-heartedly hum, allowing her to continue.

she waves a piece of crumpled paper in front of your face. you grab it from her, staring at it curiously.

“what’s this?”

she nods her head at it, encouraging you to find out for yourself. “open it and see.”  

you obey, unfolding the tiny item. your eyes struggle to read the words inside but if you squint, they become clearer.

please call, me i would love to become closer ‘friends’.

(xxx) xxx-xxxx

it’s mark btw :)

you can’t contain your smile at the cute little note.

“he’s adorable,” you say, mostly to yourself but lily audibly agrees.

“he ran into me as he was leaving and begged me to deliver that message to you. which reminds me, i’m supposed to let you know that he wishes he could have stuck around but his schedule is ‘crazy tight’ so he had to ‘dip’. his words not mine.”

you nod, grin widening. “thanks, lily.”

“my pleasure. nothing like young love.”

you give her a glare although it’s all but threatening.

she folds her arms, teasingly. “so, are you going to give him a call or what?”

you’re sure she sees the phone in your hand and the way your fingers press the numbers on the keypad, excitedly but nevertheless, you decide to answer.

“i’d be crazy not to.”

[mouse-fantoms]

An Opening Scene

Read on Ao3!

Basically Jatp is taking too long to be renewed so I’m writing how I’d like the opening scene of season 2 to go and no one can stop me

Another gig at Eats & Beats, was a whole lot better than another gig at their own garage. Ever since the Orpheum, they had been booking more and more gigs, some places even calling them themselves.

Julie was up there, in her element. On stage, playing her keyboard enterance. She was getting lost in the opening part of the song that her and Luke wrote together. The first one they were performing after they wrote Great together. This song especially held a place in her heart because during the writing process she was reminded of the fact that she could now touch her ghosts.

It was after the Orpheum, they had started writing this song. It still seemed like a fever dream, being able to hug and touch and feel the boys… it was a lot in the moment to take in.

Luke had his journal open to a partially blank spread. He had already begun writing a bit of lyric ideas on the page. After a few seconds of pondering if they could expand on any of them, Julie swiped the pen from his hand and began writing lyrics down that had come to her head. It was as they were passing the pen back and forth that she was reminded of the new information. Their fingers would brush passed each other as the pen changed holders. It was a nice refresher that the hugging, them becoming solid, wasn’t just a one time thing. She’d be lying is she said there wasn’t a light blush across her cheeks.

In the crowd, she saw her dad, Carlos and Flynn. Ray was snapping pictures, Carlos was enjoying the performance and Flynn was recording it. It was really nice that her dad knew about her little band now and that he always insisted on coming to their performances.

It wasn’t like every face in the crowd she would recognize. But the ones from school would stand out. Recognizing some of their faces as ones she’d see in the hallways. It could have been the stage lighting but she found herself staring at one audience member more than the others. The strawberry blonde wavy hair was familiar. Like if you were to put a pink wig on her she’d-

The audiences woah’s of amazement from seeing her boys’ entrance brought her back to the stage. She grabbed her mic and went to the center of the stage. Singing her part as her boys played their backup vocals then Luke taking the lead when it was his turn.

Ever since Stand Tall she was adamant about writing in more solos for Alex and Reggie in their music. Reggie didn’t seem to mind but Alex still needed some more convincing.

“You and Luke already kill it on your own.” She recalled him saying.

“We’d kill it even more if we add your voice into the mix!” She had answered.

Reggie had run it by her that Alex wasn’t one to “own his awesomeness” as he put it. She was optimistic that the drummer would come around eventually though.

For this gig, it was Julie and Luke doing their same Julie and Luke thing during the song. They so easily got lost in their own music. Hopefully her dad didn’t pay too close of attention to the mic sharing... that happened several times. It wasn’t her fault! He did the head nod! One had to come to him when he did that. However one of the times, he got a taste of his own medicine. His flushed face engraved in her mind forever. If he was doing things that weren’t in the rehearsal... it was fair game for her. It was of course all in good fun. It always was when all of them were on stage.

She finished off the last note, getting a roar of applause for her vibrato even before she was done. The standing ovation felt good. As soon as they all bowed her boys played their disappearing act and she said into the mic, “Tell your friends!” Getting the last claps and whistles of enthusiasm as she came off the side of the stage, she was immediately embraced.

“That was-!” Ray couldn’t find the words to describe his excitement as his chin was burrowed into his daughter’s curls.

“You don’t have to hug me after every performance.” She laughed.

A voice piped in, “Surprised you don’t do it.” She looked and saw the boys behind Flynn and Carlos. Alex’s tease was directed at Luke who was next to him then Reggie after him.

“Oh arh, arh.” Luke mocked laughter.

“Probably does it all the time during their writing sessions.” Reggie guessed.

“That is a good point they are in those quite a-”

“Really? We’re discussing this right now?” He didn’t seem to be a fan of his relationship with Julie being discussed when she’s feet away and present in the room.

Ray released his daughter. “She’d be so proud.”

She matched his warm smile, nodding, “...She would.”

“I should probably get some more pictures outside to show the venue.” He held up the camera in his hand then disappeared to gather his pictures. Thus, she was left with Flynn and Carlos along with the boys behind them. She noticed Flynn’s phone horizontal in her hand.

“Did you get it?”

“Every second!” She shook the phone for effect. “Again, doing really good on the whole eye contact thing.”

She rolled her eyes.

Carlos couldn’t help but notice the mic shares,“Was that the song I heard you up writing?”

“You heard us?” It was more so a statement than a question.

“You and your boyfriend aren’t necessarily quiet.”

“Carlos!” She began to scold, opening her palms in frustration. No matter how many times she would tell her brother Luke’s name, he still insisted on calling him ‘her boyfriend’.

Of course, he did it when Luke just so happened to be in the room one time. Before Luke.exe could fully combust, she explained that it’s just a little brother thing and that she’s sorry he does it.

Flynn put their hands on Carlos’ shoulders behind him. “Why don’t we go help your dad with those pictures?” She suggested.

“Hey Flynn,” Julie called before she left with her brother, “...you didn’t happen to see someone from school here did you? When you were recording?” She wondered if she was the only one who might have seen the strawberry blonde. Plus, Flynn of all people would notice the strawberry blonde in the crowd.

“Oh you saw the sweetheart too?” She smiled before she left with Carlos.

Sweetheart? Why did-? Well maybe she was. It had been a bit since-

“Boyfriend?” Alex was hung up on Carlos’ nickname for Luke.

“Since when did that little name start?” Reggie seemed just as intrigued as Alex was as both looked at Luke for a response.

“It’s nothing boys.” He put his palms up in defense. “It’s just a little nickname he has for me, probably has them for all of us.” His eyes looked across at Julie to help his case.

She, however, gave a smiled light shake of the head left to right which did not help his case at all.

“Oh well I-“ before Luke could try to continue to defend his case, with the questioned looks of Alex and Reggie staring him down, he was interrupted.

“Molina!” The smiley blonde unawarely interrupted the ghost via by standing right in front of Julie, where the ghosts were gathered.

“Oh!” Said an open mouthed Julie. “Nick! You’re here!”

“Of course! Wouldn’t miss a performance!”

“A fan?” Reggie smirked and crossed his arms, pushing his head back for a moment.

“Pff.” Luke responded, rolling his eyes.

“You’re the sweetheart that Flynn meant.” She realized what she said out loud. “Not that you’re not just that I thought she meant someone else.” She tried to save herself.

“You guys were just as good as when you were at the Orpheum.”

“Oh you were there?” Julie cocked her head curious.

He nodded. “Of course! I couldn’t miss Julie and her band at the Orpheum of all places. How’d you get that gig anyway?”

“Oh you know… they needed someone to fill in for Downslide, must have seen our video of Great and happened to call the right number.”

“You were amazing.” He spoke with high praise.

“Well, my band makes me amazing.” She had to give credit where credit was due.

“Your guys were insane as always!”

“I like this fan of ours.” Alex beamed.

“Your drummer and bassist were-“ he was interrupting his words trying to form the right ones to describe the two.

“Can see why you know him Julie. He’s good company.” Reggie recalled her saying his name earlier, which implied she knew him.

“Pff.” Luke let out a huff of air from his mouth that blew his bangs up for a moment. “‘Your drummer this, your bassist that.’” He mocked.

“Oh is Lukey upsetty he didn’t get a compliment?” Alex teased.

“But oh my god your guitarist!” The ghosts and Julie were suddenly very intrigued by Nick’s words. “Those riffs! Those chords! I- Wow.” He let out breathless.

“Yeah, he sure is something.” Julie found a response to Nick’s enthusiasm. “Thank you for coming and glad you liked us. There’s more to come where that came from.”

“I bet. Pretty soon you’ll have flowers and encores getting thrown at you guys.”

She laughed. “You can dream.”

“You guys are insanely talented Molina.” Nick left her with a final compliment and disappeared into the crowd.

“He was nice.” Reggie said once Nick left and Julie looked at her boys.

“He complimented all of us.” Alex appreciated.

“‘Those riffs.’ What does that mean? What does he even know?” Meanwhile Luke was stuck on the compliment he got.

Julie shook her head at the stumped Luke finding him humorous.

~~~

“What does that even mean?”

“Are you still hung up on Nick’s compliment?”

It was just before noon, Luke was sat on top of the kitchen counter, his legs hung over the edge, as Julie happened to be making her lunch beside him.

“What does he even know?”

“He does play guitar.”

“Huh?”

“Nick plays guitar… that explains why he was so impressed with your playing especially.”

“Impressed? By me?”

“Nick complimented you. Take it as it is. When Sunset Curve played gigs, didn’t you guys get compliments all the time?”

His mouth knotted to one side, recalling. “We never stuck around that much after we’d play, there was always another one in line after us.”

“Then... I guess get used to them. We get comments all the time on our performances on YouTube.”

She looked up from making her sandwich at Luke to see his questioned look at the mention of something internet related.

“People like us.” She translated in terms he’d understand.

She saw him nod understanding then resumed her sandwich making.

Luke continued to be in his seat at the counter, Julie continued her sandwich making even when Carlos came into the kitchen.

“Kids and their technology.” Luke said at the sight of Carlos with his eyes glued to his tablet as he got leftover from the fridge as his meal of choice for lunch.

He put the leftover on the island and went to the drawer that was by Julie. His eyes came off the tablet when the drawer wouldn’t open.

“Huh?” He set the device down on the counter space behind him and tried to pull the drawer again.

“Julie help, it’s not opening.” He requested.

“Luke move.” She instead instructed. “Move so Carlos can get his silverware please.”

Carlos saw as the open jar by Julie’s sandwich making station suddenly almost tipped over but she caught it in time. She looked aggravated at the air beside her.

“Get off the counter please.”

“He’s on the counter?”

“He was.” She corrected. “Now try.”

He was able to open the drawer and get his wanted utensil with no difficulty this time.

“I’m no fun by asking you to move out of the way so my brother can get a fork?” She did an about face apparently talking to air.

“Okay…” He grabbed his meal and tablet off the counter, fork in hand that took more than needed time to get. “I’ll just leave you and your-” She shot him a glare knowing what words he was about to refer to Luke as. “You and your ghost to it.” He corrected.

He headed out the kitchen and into the living room. He was ready to plop himself on to the couch when Ray called from the computer.

“Carlos…” he said suspicious, “do you mind looking at these pictures for a second? I know your sister has a better eye for stuff like this but you’re right here.”

He set his items on the coffee table for a moment and went over to the computer to see what his dad wanted.

“These are from the other day.” He cycled through the pictures he had taken of his daughter’s gig.

Pictures of moments before she was on stage, when she was on stage at the keyboard, a few shots of the line outside the venue, just a supportive dad cycling through the pictures he had of his daughter’s gig.

“They all look pretty good.” Carlos saw nothing wrong with the images.

“Thanks but then,” he clicked on the mouse and the image flipped to one of the band, “there’s this one. It turned out… weird.”

The image was of Julie on stage, like the others, except it was only of Julie when Ray for sure knew it was one of when the band all was on stage. She had taken the microphone off the stand and gone to the center when the boys materialized on stage, like they did whenever they showed up all the previous times. Except, there was no guitarist, bassist or drummer, there were three floating orbs in their place.

“Doesn’t it kind of look like the pictures I took in the garage that one day? What did you say it was? Ghosts?” He tried to recalled.

“Maybe you need to check the lense on the camera.” He had to cover for his sister. She specifically instructed that no one else must know about the boys. If Ray did find out, she might blame him for blabbing he secret. “Didn’t we get rid of the ghost when he had his French dip recipe?”

“Aren’t you the ghost expert?” He started to become more and more suspicious.

“Yes.” He immediately answered. “As the ghost expert, when we had the French dip pretty sure we completed the ghost’s unfinished business. You probably just need to check the lense on your camera.”

He watched his son leave it at that and plop on the couch, finding it a little off that Carlos, of all people, dismissed his ghost claim. The pictures were more odd when seeing the video Flynn posted of their performance, the boys showed up fine.

Was it only in pictures when they showed up as orbs, which coincidentally looked like ghost orbs? Did the hologram making gimmicks do that? If they were holograms wouldn’t they show up on camera, not as orbs? Come to think of it, why was her band called Julie and the Phantoms, as in ghosts, to begin with? The more questions that swirled in his head, the more it hurt.

“How long has he played? How’d he learn? Does he-”

“Why are you suddenly so interested in Nick?” She let out a laugh finding Luke humorous again.

“Can’t I be interested in your friends?”

She raised her eyebrows at him.

His face dropped. “That’s not what I- I didn’t mean-” he cleared his throat trying to separate the misunderstanding of words, “I mean you know…” the wood floor of her kitchen suddenly seemed more appealing to the eyes, “a ghost and lifer… that wouldn’t really-“

“Yeah…” Julie trailed off understanding his words exactly. He looked back up at her. “It would definitely be an interesting little relationship.” The smiles were like the ones they shared when he first said that to her, warm and tender.

“So how long has he played?” He cut the moment off.

She rolled her eyes, smile on her face though. “I don’t know. Maybe as long as you. It would add to the two of you getting along factor.”

“Really? You think?”

“Yeah you both are kind of really similar.” She topped her sandwich off with a piece of bread and brought the plate over to the table, leaving Luke still in the kitchen.

“Wait,” he realized, “you’re not just saying that because of the bangs and guitar right?”

“No.” She let out. Or because of how I like/liked both of you. ...Maybe she had a type now that she thought about it. “You both-“

Her sentence was cut off by the doorbell ringing.

“I got it.” She called to her dad and brother if they happened to move to get the door, sliding out of the chair at the table.

“We’re both what?” Luke asked from the kitchen as she went to get the door not wanting to be left on a cliffhanger.

“You two are caring and extremely passionate about the things you love. You both are totally sweethearts too.”

“Oh.” He nodded as she grabbed the front door’s handle. “Wait? Sweetheart?”

She gave him a simple smile, he thought he saw a possible blush that matched the shade of her dress too. The simple coral dress that had black buttons up the front of it. She turned her head back to the front door when she opened it.

“Hi! Nick!” She greeted.

From where he was in the kitchen, Luke could see Nick turn his head, his blonde bangs moved with the turn, at Julie. Then he saw him hand a bouquet of blush flowers to her.

“Thanks.” She smiled when she received his flowers. “Why don’t you come in?” She invited the boy in as her ghost one was in the kitchen, anxious to see how this interaction would go between Julie and Nick while he was present. It would definitely be an interesting one, but for reasons neither would understand just yet. The perfect set up for another part of the story that had yet to be told.

[phoebe-delia]

please give me a rant on Cats ily btw

Hi nonnie! Omg ily too, thank you! And thank you for this ask, because ooohh boy do I have feelings about this adaptation.

First of all, I have a few disclaimers to make:

1. I love the actual musical. Yes, I know the show is very controversial--either you love it or you hate it--but I grew up on "Cats." I loved it, and the book of poems it's based on. So for those looking for a rant about the lack of plot or criticizing the show itself, this post isn't for you.

2. I'm not even going to address the CGI other than to say....that was a choice. I think the critics and social media have done plenty to criticize it, and I won't say more about that fever dream on 'shrooms.

3. There were two aspects of the movie I enjoyed: Jennifer Hudson singing "Memory" and Taylor Swift's appearance; though even the presence of my favorite artist of all time was not enough to redeem this movie.

And for you, nonnie, I rewatched both the trailer and The Rum Tum Tugger song. I will be sending you the bill for my therapy <3 ;)

Now, onto the good stuff.

I'll start with the casting. Something that a ton of movie musical adaptations do is stunt-cast big names to draw audiences because they're afraid that people won't want to see a movie musical. This happened in the "Les Miserables" movie, and while big-name choices like Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron-Cohen, and even Hugh Jackman had varying degrees of success, Russell Crowe as Javert was an obvious flop.

People like Jackman, Meryl Streep, and more recently James Corden have been cast in all these movie musicals because they're famous enough to get the average person into the theater. But, God, at what cost? I mean honestly, the only instance in which I think stunt casting truly worked was in the "Chicago" movie, which I firmly believe is the best movie musical adaptation ever made. (But that's another post.)

But please for the love of God can we start casting people with singing talent in musicals? Please? I'm begging.

Anyway, I digress. My point is: casting big names--even distinguished, incredible actors like Sir Ian McKellen and Idris Elba and Dame Judi Dench--will not save a movie musical from being shitty.

But here's probably my biggest problem: the acting itself.

Almost every single character was just the actor's personality projected into it. With the exception of the two previously unknown actors, it just felt like the characters were simply the actors dressed in costume and being a weird, exaggerated version of themselves. Little attention seemed to be paid to the actual characterization of the cats.

I think what hurt the most for me, personally, was Jason Derulo as Rum Tum Tugger. Oh, ouch, this one was painful because growing up I was a huge fan of the character. To be fair to Derulo, it is nearly impossible to follow in the footsteps of Terrence Mann. I mean, he played both Tugger and Javert in the original Broadway casts of Cats and Les Mis respectively--he's a musical theater giant.

But with Derulo, Tugger became...weaker and kinda one-dimensional. Rum Tum Tugger is flamboyant and funny, sort of like Elvis or Mick Jagger. He's larger than life, and Derulo just made him kinda sleazy without the high energy. I will say--his take on the iconic ending riff was good; he hit the right notes while still making it his own. Derulo is clearly talented, but I don't think he was well cast in this role.

Honestly, I think "Cats" should never have been adapted. Even if it pleased every die-hard fan of the show and did everything perfectly, it's so controversial and polarizing among theater fans that there's little chance that a non-theater fan is going to even see it--let alone enjoy it. The musical itself is kind of insane; it's an acquired taste, and it's not for everyone.

The moral of the story is, in my humble opinion, if you can't use the film genre and tools to enhance the story (or at least match the quality) then do a professional shot of it on stage, and either way, hire talented, diverse, unknown theater actors who can sing.

*sigh.* Alright, end of rant. Honestly, thank you nonnie this was cathartic. I think we can call it even on the therapy bill ;)

Send me an ask about Harry Potter, broadway/musicals, The West Wing, and/or Taylor Swift! Or just about life in general :).

Also, I have a playlist of my 99 most listened-to songs of the year so far. Pick a number 1--99 and send me an ask and I'll write you a fic based on it!

[aethelflaedladyofmercia]

Dennis

Welllllll this one got a bit away from me. I blame cabin fever (two days snowed in) and my angst addiction. Story 4 for @drawlight‘s advent challenge.

Couple of notes: Dennis, MA is a real place, and chosen for the setting because (a) it is the site of the first recorded commercial cranberry bog in America, and (b) it has a very silly name. It’s actually quite nice, if you manage to visit between the overcrowded tourist season and the completely dead off season, Crowley just has no patience.

Cranberry wine is not as common as the story might imply, especially in 1982. Crowley is drinking Truro Vineyard’s Cranberry Red from their Lighthouse Wine Series, which my parents are big fans of (it’s good, if you like red wines), even though that wasn’t available until the late 2000s. Bad historian, no cookie for you.

Thanks to @angel-and-serpent for reminding me about the wolf spiders.

04 - Cranberry (2,600 words)

Crowley sat on the four-poster bed, staring at the phone. The clock beside it clicked from 1:59 PM to 2:00. He tensed…but nothing happened.

Don’t panic. It’s not always exactly the same time. He tried to occupy himself by listing things he disliked about the hotel room.

The lighting room was atrocious, casting everything in a sickly yellow color. Even sitting alone, he wore his glasses to dull the glow a little. The bed was…passably comfortable, the quilt too stiff, the pillows far too flat. The carpet was worn, though only a little. The color scheme was too…green. He’d seen three ants, which might just be a coincidence, or the start of an infestation.

The phone rang, a sharp jangle cutting right across his nerves. 2:03 PM.

He scooped up the handset and said as casually as possible, “Yeah?”

And relaxed, smile drifting across his face that he’d never allow in a face-to-face conversation.

“No, I’m not too busy, Angel. How was your week?”

Slowly, he leaned back on the bed, stretching the coiled cord as far as it would go.

“Really? No. The audacity, coming in and trying to buy a book. What do they think it is, some kind of shop?” He listened another moment. “Aziraphale, I am taking this exactly as seriously as it deserves.”

He listened for a while longer, with an occasional, “Yeah. Yeah.”

“How are my plants?” He frowned. “Perfectly fine? They’re dropping leaves all over the shop, aren’t they?” Rolled his eyes and sat up. “No, I don’t care if it’s November, they know what’s expected of them. I’ve only been gone…” he sighed. “Twenty months.” He was really going to have to re-establish dominance when he got back.

“Nah, I mean, New York was great. Plenty going on there. We should – you should – yeah, I think you’d like it there.” He winced. He sounded pathetic. “Then two days ago, hey, congratulations, now on to the next location. But…I really think someone cocked this one up. No way this is where I’m supposed to be.”

“Dennis.”

He jumped to his feet. “No, not Dennis who, Dennis. It’s a town.” Pacing was difficult in a room this small. He almost immediately became tangled in the phone cord. “I have no idea who names a town ‘Dennis.’” He struggled to free himself without moving the earpiece. “Some bloody tourist place, beaches and sea food, only it’s the off-season.”

He kicked the last bit of cord off his leg – how had that even gotten there? – and flung himself dramatically into the armchair. It wasn’t as good without an audience.

“Now I’m stuck here, nothing to do, until Hell admits they made a mistake. Who knows how long that’s going to be.”

Furious scowl. “No, I’m not being… who even uses the word histrionic? There’s really nothing here. Even the hotel – you’ll never guess. Three stars.” He frowned. “You try it.”

“There is a cranberry bog.” He admitted sullenly. “Lots of spiders. I’m sure there’s something I can do with that.” Pause. “No, I will not behave myself, I’m a demon. And I was told to make trouble, not that there’s any trouble to get into here.”

He sighed. “Haven’t the first idea, they just congratulated me for something to do with politics or the economy.” Crowley pulled off his glasses rubbing at his eyes. “Come on, Aziraphale, you know that’s not how I work. I don’t even understand the economy. Supply-side whatsname, what’s that even mean? But Hell was really happy.” He shuddered. “Ah, I hope I don’t get a commendation. Then I’ll know it’s bad. It’ll be like the Spanish Inquisition all over again. Or the French Revolution.”

He smiled, twisting the cord around his finger. “No, I – you don’t have to. If you want crepes, I’m sure there’s someplace closer.” He laughed. “Yeah, now you mention it, they do still have the death penalty here, but I think you need something more than a bad outfit.”

He was running out of things to say. He tried desperately to think of something, anything. “Uh, any dinner plans?” Nodded. “No, that’s – that sounds good. I wish – I hope you enjoy it.” He knocked his head against the back of his chair. “Got some wine at the airport. ’S alright, I guess.” Nodded again. “Yeah. No, definitely. Talk to you next week.”

Crowley walked back to the bed and dropped the phone into the cradle with another sigh.

--

It was 2:07 PM and Crowley had the phone to his ear before the first ring even finished. “Yeah?”

“Not good, Angel. I spent days getting those wolf spiders to listen to me, and before I could enact my plan, they closed the bog for the season!”

He covered the mouth of the phone and scowled at the half-dozen spiders on his curtain. “Oi, you lot. Back in the planter or you can winter outside with the rest.” He glared until they had settled back among the spiny shrubs with small red blossoms. He would not be telling Aziraphale about his new roommates, or that the best option at the undersized plant shop had been a succulent called crown of thorns.

“No, it was going to be a great plan. All my plans are great.” He clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Well, that worked, didn’t it?”

He groaned and flung himself back onto the green quilt. “Of course I’m still in Dennis, where else would I be? I told them it was probably supposed to be Denver, but does anyone listen to me?” He pulled off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. “The worst is, they keep congratulating me on all the good work I’m doing.”

“No, Aziraphale, I don’t think they meant the spiders, either.” He picked up a newspaper – an actual, local paper, not one of the ones put out by Hell. “I’ve been trying to figure out what’s going on, but they don’t exactly get the New York Times here.” He flipped through the titles – Cape Cod Chronicle, Provincetown Advocate, The Register. He’d tried to get a few older issues, but everything was from the current month: November, 1982.

“Why would I go to a library?” Pause. “Ohhhhh. Mm, I suppose I can try that if I get desperate.”

Aziraphale asked a question. “Nh, ah, ok. So. Someone wrote this book about this huge secret satanic organization that, I don’t know, controls the world or something. Accused my side of…some stuff.”

He sighed. “If you must know. Torturing and murdering children.” Crowley sat bolt upright. “No, Aziraphale, obviously not. You’d know if it was true.” He picked at the seams of his black jeans. “I suppose you had to ask.”

“Well that’s the thing. We didn’t know anything about it either. So they sent me here to figure out what was going on.”

He flipped through the pages of the newspapers. “Not much, really. All in their heads, right? Didn’t even need to bother stirring it up, these things really take care of themselves. I’ve just been doing my usual, traveling to different cities, causing a little trouble.”

Giving up on the tiny newsprint, Crowley reached for one of the bottles of cranberry wine that the liquor store had had in abundance. “Well, that’s the thing. I can’t find anything in the papers, so that can’t be it.” He poured himself a glass. “Just…you know. Economic stuff. Banks. Taxes. I don’t know.”

He took a drink. “Mh. There was something, can’t find it now. Some men getting sick out in California. Hope it’s not another plague.” He laughed a little. “Hooray penicillin. Honestly, I’m glad to see the end of plagues. Lousy way to do things.”

Aziraphale turned the conversation to lighter things, and for a while Crowley sipped his wine and listened, learning everything going on back in London, what the customers had tried to buy now, and the angel’s dinner plans.

“Oh, you’ll like this. You know what next week is? Thanksgiving.” He poured the last of the bottle into his glass. “It’s like Christmas, only instead of presents, more food. Very American. The hotel’s serving it in the main dining room.” He drained his glass. “Eh, turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce. The usual. I probably won’t have any, you know, you’re supposed to celebrate with friends, but – yeah I thought you’d like that.” He smiled at the phone. “I’ll…uh, I’ll talk to you then, right?”

After he hung up, he noticed one of the spiders sitting on the floor next to him. “I thought I told you to stay in the planter.” At least they’d cleared up the ant infestation. He’d have to get some crickets in the morning.

The wolf spider waved hairy legs at him. “Oh, alright.” He let her scramble up his arm and settle on his shoulder. “But no wine for you. That’s all I need, bunch of drunk spiders.”

--

The phone rang at 2:01 PM. Crowley didn’t pick up.

Or at 2:10. Or 2:13.

It was 2:29 PM – long after Aziraphale had lost track of the number of times he’d called and hung up – when Crowley finally knocked the handset out of the cradle. “Wha’?” he demanded, slouched on the floor amid empty bottles of cranberry wine.

“’M celebrating, tha’s what.” The spider on his shoulder scurried down to settle on his knee instead. She was always nearby these days. “Cuz I know what Hell c’gratulated me for.”

He dug around for a bottle that was still half-full, drank straight from its mouth. “Not the economy. Well. Starts with that. Whole time I’m here, people been…losing jobs, banks closing. Did I notice?” He leaned his head against the bed. “No, s’pose not. But people…you know people.”

He nodded, watching the spider jump from one knee to the other. “Satanic Cult story just…keeps growing. Accusations. People in prison. Kids always in the middle. ’S not even real. Just. Panic. And then the other thing.”

He held out his hand, let the spider crawl across his fingers. “Said I was done caring, after the Black Death. You can’t… can’t care, you know? Plague’s gotta run its course.” He hadn’t ever really believed that anyway. “But this is… something new.”

He raised his hand and the spider clambered onto his head. It felt nice, little fuzzy legs combing through his hair. “Dunno. Something with… ’mune system? ’S bad. And…and no one cares. Aren’t studying it. Aren’t talking about it. Cuz of who’s sick.”

He picked up the bottle again, draining it, sweet-tart wine running down his throat. “’S what ’m s’posed to’ve done, y’know. Make ’em turn on each other. Cut off th’ ones who need help. ’S like I did in Spain…and France…”

He leaned his head against his knees, curling up beside the bed in his nest of bottles. “Nnhhh, ’f its nothing to do with me, why do I keep getting credit?”

Crowley couldn’t listen any longer. He let the phone tumble out of his fingers, onto the floor. Aziraphale’s voice grew louder, more insistent, then abruptly cut off.

Of course he’d hang up. Why would anyone want to talk to a demon who –

With a strange hum, something burst out of the phone, materializing in the hotel room very close to where Crowley sat. The pale figure stumbled on the wine bottles, then straightened his tartan bow tie and glared.

“Don’t you dare ignore me, Crowley.”

“I…how’d you…”

“Traveling through the telephone lines. You told me you’d tried it once before.”

“It was awful.”

“Not nearly as awful as your driving.” Aziraphale looked him up and down. “Look at yourself. You’re dressed like some sort of…teenaged ruffian. Why is there a spider in your hair?”

“’S fashion,” Crowley answered vaguely.

The angel leaned down and lifted the wolf spider, being careful not to hurt her legs. He watched the spider run across his palm. “And how long has he been like this?”

“Look, Angel, she just –”

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Aziraphale walked away, whispering to the spider. “Really? And you didn’t try to tell him – No, I suppose not. No, you’ve done your best. I’ll take it from here.” He set the spider down among the crown of thorns.

The angel still looked absolutely furious. “You could at least stand up instead of skulking on the floor like that.”

Crowley stumbled and tottered getting to his feet, and it wasn’t only because of the all the empty bottles.  Well, in a way it was.

“Angel, you shouldn’ be here –”

“I should absolutely be here. You’ve been on your own far too long.” He eyed the bottles. “How many of those are from today?”

“Nn. All of ’em. Housekeeping clears them out every morning.”

He tried not to notice the look Aziraphale gave him as the angel snapped his fingers, miracling the bottles into a neat row across the bedside table. “Now sober up.”

“C’mon, Angel, ’m fine.”

“Sober up. I’m not talking to you like this.”

The cranberry wine was a lot less pleasant coming out than it had been going in. And sobriety only made all the emotions he’d been feeling more clear.

Aziraphale watched the liquid pour back into the bottles, and when he was satisfied, jabbed a finger into Crowley’s chest.

“I don’t want to hear any more of this nonsense. You are not responsible for what the humans do, or believe, or ignore. That is their choice.”

“I know.” He sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. “I just…how can they be so cruel to each other?”

“Free will.” Aziraphale sat beside him, so close their shoulders just barely brushed. “One day an act of kindness that surprises even me, the next…”

“The next, they leave hundreds of people to die horribly, just because they’re different.” This wasn’t any easier to process sober. “Are you going to tell me this is all part of the Ineffable Plan?”

“Would that make you feel better?”

“Has it ever?”

“Then, no. I think I’ll leave it at that.”

They sat together in silence for a long time.

There really weren’t any words to make it better. Free will or not, Plan or not, sometimes, humans were the absolute worst. He didn’t know why, after six thousand years, it still hurt to learn that.

But it helped to know, from the pressure of one shoulder leaning on another, that at least someone else had never learned to stop caring.

“So, are you going to head back to London?”

“After coming all this way?” Aziraphale had run out of severe looks; he just smiled sadly. “I have a few healings left in my allowance for the year. I think I might…see what I can do out in California.”

Crowley nodded, and for once he was the one on the verge of a forbidden thank you.

“Before you go. I think the Thanksgiving dinner is about to start. I don’t suppose…”

“My dear, I would never turn down a feast.”

The demon quickly stood up, re-settling his glasses, manifesting something a little more sophisticated than the punk-inspired look he’d been wearing.

Aziraphale dug under the bed and found an unopened bottle of cranberry wine. “I’m looking forward to seeing how this tastes. Oh, it looks like a little lighthouse! Lovely.”

Crowley paused at the door. “You’re not going to be all weird and pretend we don’t know each other, are you?”

“I suppose not. Since this is supposed to be a celebration with friends.” He eyed Crowley suspiciously. “Don’t go being overly familiar just because I said that.”

“Me? I would never!”

[mrsunrepentantwarriorpriest]

28 from the book questions.

Rant about the first book that comes to mind. Sorry it’s taken a moment, but I needed a computer for this because oh, boy... A blank check to rant about a book. Have I got a few of those. 

I’m not going to pick a specific book because the problems I have are indicative of the genre as a whole and as such make most of the novels blur together into an amalgamation of pet peeves. To put on my sociology cap on for a moment: I find the behavior that surrounds and makes up human sexuality fascinating. Especially when it comes to traditional marriage roles in a post sexual revolution society with unprecedented access to illicit acts. I’ve been studying human sexuality for years and it amazes me the amount of misinformation that is rampant despite the fact that people are so open and blatant about their sexual preferences. We have piles of analytic software and lists upon lists of the most common internet searches, yet myths about human sexuality prevail. Tumblr used to be a prime example of the brutal honesty of people’s sexual preferences while also  continuing the worst of the misinformation.

So, I commonly read romance novels because they are in many ways the female version of porn and the more I’ve read the more I’m generally left with the impression the genre as a whole is a broken word generator stuck creating a deafening echo chamber. 

It doesn’t matter what type of romance I venture into: shifter, alien, alpha, paranormal, historical, urban, dark, etc. its the same damn word salad every fucking time. Especially when it comes to the best sellers of each sub genre. The best sellers for each sub genre are essentially the same damn books where the only thing that changes is setting. 

Now after a sense, the same could be said of pornography: same shit, different day. But what shocks me the most is that porn has a wider range of characters and character development that the average romance novel. I can name more strong female characters in porn than I can in romance novels. 

Because, every, single, damn, time, it’s the same female character across the romance genre as a whole: clumsy wallflower who doesn’t realize she’s model hot who is an irrational, emotional, train wreck. Doesn’t matter if you’re reading Twilight, Bearly Breathing, Blind Fury, Pretty Broken Girl, Shy Girls Write It Better, Fire and Honor, Hunting Beauty, Incubus Among Us, Indecent Therapy, Licence to Thrill, Powertools, Enemies, Rouge’s Honor, Dom X, SEAL’d Perfection, That Night, Wicked Beautiful, The Good Knight, dear lord it just goes on and on and on. To the point that I cannot keep any of the books straight because it’s the same damn character. 

I’ve also lost track of all of the times that the female protagonist is a struggling author trying to get her books published. I get that the prevailing wisdom is write what you know, but seriously? Nothing else has ever happened in your life that the only female character you can write is the clumsy wallflower author? 

It’s not helped by the fact that the guy is the same in every single damn one too. Tall, brooding, heart of gold, handsome, mind reader who always knows when “go away” means ‘go away’ and when it means ‘come get me’, can remember the most inane comment from decades ago because “everything about you is important”, always willing to apologize, even for imaginary offences, can tell his true love by first sight (or smell if it’s a shifter romance), and once he has even tangentially met his one true love swears off all other women. 

What makes all of it a thousand times worse is that no one can name a character to save their damn lives. So, so many characters named Belle, Beauty, Rose, Stone, Rock, Beast, Bear, etc. Call me crazy, but I’m not a fan of being beaten over the head with who the character is just in their name. I’ll forgive names like the Rowlings over the Lupins, but it’s seriously bad. It’s the worst in the shifter sub genre, but it’s still a problem across the board. 

And while we’re on the subject: dear lord not a single author in the genre seems to know how to title a book. I cannot even begin to number the amount of books I’ve read simply titled Beast, Beauty, Red, Rose, That Night, Enemies, Bad, Captured, Craving, Fever, etc. I get that half of these authors aren’t even capable of writing a female character that isn’t a Mary Sue, but come on. Some of them hired editors, publishers, illustrators. Not one of those people had a better name for your book besides making it the 5,832nd Beast on the shelves?

What really gets to me is that the “dark” sub genre is really just filled with men who are closer to actual human beings than the ball-less wonder in the majority of the genre. Men who don’t just beg to be forgiven because the female character imagined and offense. Seriously. I cannot count the times where one of the tender moments in a novel is where the female character has an insecure, jealous hissy fit over nothing and the guy, who did nothing wrong, apologizes and gives the chick space to forgive them for doing nothing wrong.  

I won’t say that I haven’t found the occasional gem that’s not a bad book and has a good plot, but they’re the anomaly. I have yet to find one of those books that I’ve genuinely enjoyed reach even the top 250 on kindle. 

The audience has already declared that they only want one book so authors simply churn out the same book over and over again, barely having enough decency to change the setting. 

And it’s just fucking sad when I have more faith in the structure and character dynamics of a porno than I do a novel of a certain genre. 

[artificialqueens]

i don't want to be alone anymore (branjie) -- frenchy

a/n: hi hi!! i want to thank you all for the love on my first part of this story, i appreciate that more than you know!!! i decided to give it a second part, though both can be read on their own. & yes i am running this billy joel song title theme with the names. ps. i can be found at alaskathunder on tumblr & also now at frenchys on ao3, where these will end up eventually, along with others, i definitely plan to write more things & pairings soon. hope y'all enjoy, angels!! <3

@Bhytes1: @VanessaVanjie I’m going to Starbucks you want something?

*****

Brooke wasn’t sure how they did it, how they proceeded to shamelessly flirt online as if their private kiss hadn’t even happened only a few nights ago. If it wasn’t for the video evidence, she could have sworn that entire night was a fever dream. Part of her almost wished that she didn’t remember it so vividly, that the way Vanessa touched her and kissed her with no audience wasn’t so detailed in her head. Wished she didn’t have to stop herself from smiling when she remembered it.

It was one thing remembering and thinking about the kiss – she couldn’t change that that happened, and that she didn’t stop it. If anything, she wanted it. She knew it was partly on her for leaning into it, and for getting upset that it hadn’t lasted even longer. She couldn’t blame Vanessa for that. But she could blame Vanessa for what she said.

“At some point we have to quit pretending like this is only for the fans.”

If Brooke thought she was over analyzing these social media interactions before, she was even more fucked now. She only assumed this is how the fans felt on the daily, trying to decipher everything, trying to figure out if this was all Vanessa playing into the contract or using it to hint at how she really felt. How she still felt.

It was futile to put any music on as she took her time getting into drag for the viewing party tonight, where she’d be joining Phi Phi O’hara in a screening of episode 5 – the Monster Ball. No attempts at turning up said music could stop her mind from being only focused on Vanessa, on the moment they shared, on the fact that she had to spend another night reliving the honeymoon phase of their relationship on a giant screen in front of an audience.

Just as Brooke anticipated, it was rough. No. Rough was an understatement. She was conscious of how often she gazed dreamily into the screen, star-eyed. Watching them kiss, and comfort each other, and not be able to predict their fate.

She didn’t expect anyone else to notice, too.

“Can I ask you something? Without you getting defensive?” Phi Phi asked after the episode and Brooke’s consequent performance, standing against the closed dressing room door. She kept her distance, her prodding question accompanied by a sensitive color in her voice. Brooke knew she was trying her best to sound open minded, borderline empathetic.

Brooke sighed. “Shoot,” she encouraged the other queen, but didn’t look up. Phi Phi’s second question was enough to warn her that this wouldn’t be a lighthearted conversation.

“If it wasn’t for the fans. Or the publicity, or the ratings, or the – you get the point,” Phi Phi cut herself off, presuming that Brooke heard enough synonyms. “Would you care?”

Brooke stopped fiddling with her bobby pin, blinking up at Phi Phi through the mirror. “What do you mean?”

“Would you be able to stop all this weird, mysterious twitter stuff tomorrow and not give it a second thought?” Phi Phi wasn’t sure if Brooke was just deflecting, or if she was really that far removed from reality and genuinely needed the simplifying. “Not miss him in your life?” At the use of ‘him’, Brooke knew this was deeper than just not having Vanjie as a fellow queen and friend. “I know it’s none of my business, but if you could see what I saw – the way you watched that episode out there tonight – you’d be asking the same thing.” Phi Phi shrugged, and Brooke hated her for it. She hated how easily Phi Phi could get into her head and understand. Worst of all, she hated how Phi Phi saw it her duty to confront Brooke about it. Maybe she’d thank her in the future, but for now she was brimming with frustration.

“I don’t know. I don’t know, okay?” Another sigh, this one inspired by her own irritation and defeat. “One second we’re flirting and both understanding that we need to stop it before it goes too far. The next we’re –” Brooke stopped, closing her eyes as to stop herself from admitting to Phi Phi what went down the other night. Was it even a big deal? As big as she was clearly making it in her own mind?

“You’re…?” Phi Phi lifted an eyebrow, coaxing Brooke’s frustrated rant. Feelings could be spared for the truth.

Brooke took a deep breath, steadying herself, hands planted onto the table. “We kissed. Like, actually kissed. And I don’t know what her intentions are.”

“Well, I recommend figuring that out. Maybe talk to her? You guys are clearly not on awful terms, how hard could that be?” Phi Phi pressed.

You have no idea, Brooke thought. “Yeah, I’ll try. Thanks, girl,” Brooke smiled at Phi Phi, hoping her appreciation was evident.

*****

She was thrilled to finally share the photos taken of her Monster Ball looks, looks that proved successful in the challenge. She was especially thrilled at the comments regarding her final look, the one that she had fabricated herself. A storm of tulle and black fabric, off the shoulder, with a snake wrapped tastefully around her neck. The more she looked at it, the more critical, but she would defend her win.

She scrolled through the comments, smiling at the sufficient compliments and praise. How would she ever stop being appreciative of everyone who appreciated her back?

Her finger stopped scrolling upon seeing Vanessa’s Instagram handle, a blue check verifying it wasn’t a fan account.

@vanessavanjie: Put my snake around ya neck

She didn’t know whether to like it, comment some orange heart emojis and move on or to roll her eyes after what had happened the other night.

She chose a third option.

If Vanjie wants to keep playing this, then fine. I’ll play along, she thought before hitting send on the comment.

@bhytes: @vanessavanjie haven’t we already done that?

Brooke barely had time to think about the repercussions of her remark before she received a text, shocked at the speed at which Vanessa saw the comment.

Vanjie: Careful there Brooky Poo

Vanjie: Don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea

Brooke felt her heart rate speed up with no gradual increase, immediately beating fast enough to shatter through her rib-cage and land across the room only upon reading Vanessa’s messages. She took a deep breath and typed, then retyped her message a few times, wondering if Vanessa was watching the dots disappear and reappear. Wondering if it was killing her just as much as it was Brooke. When did they turn into giddy teenagers again, instead of professionals with a common goal?

Brooke: What if i do?

She decided against adding a winking face to the end of her reply, but it didn’t stop her from immediately locking her phone and throwing it to her side. God, she needed a cigarette. And maybe a cold shower now. She’d revisit that idea depending on what her phone read next.

As if on cue, she heard the buzz of the phone ring through the bed. She took a minute to gather herself – or prepare herself was maybe the better way to put it. With a reluctance she could only blame on her fear of misunderstanding, Brooke let her hand approach her phone again. It was silly, she thought, how she could fear misunderstanding Vanessa’s intentions even after her initiation of the kiss making it fairly clear how she felt about them.

Vanjie: Oh

Two minutes ago. Brooke tried to ignore the way her heart dropped at the one-word answer; one she couldn’t even see herself replying to in a way that made sense. Maybe it was best left there, and Vanessa really was just adding a playful comment that held no substance.

She was moments away from plugging her phone in for the night and setting it aside with an air of defeat, when it buzzed in her hand. A message from Vanessa. She held her breath as she slid to open it.

Vanjie: You home?

She never exhaled quicker, and never replied quicker, either.

Brooke: Text me when you’re here.

Brooke couldn’t have anticipated what came over her to make her invite Vanessa to come over, if not beg her to come, following her last text with a sharing of her location and hotel room number. All she could do was thank the universe that they were in the same city, which was rare considering their consistent interviews, appearances and performances.

She didn’t think she had been this nervous about something since they first began seeing each other, minus possibly the night that the cast was revealed. And deep within she knew that perhaps her nerves were fruitless – what guaranteed that she and Vanessa would even do anything beyond talk? She wouldn’t dare get her hopes up based on an Instagram comment that was no different than their usual flirt-mance. But she also knew that she had to take this opportunity to confront this, whatever it was.

It wasn’t long before she heard a faint, yet urgent, knock on the door, though it felt like forever. Rolling her eyes, Brooke made her way to the door to the room, opening it with a look of counterfeit annoyance. “I told you to text me when you got here, bitch.”

“Shut up,” Vanessa was quiet, fondness diminishing the harshness of her words. “Can I come in or not?”

Brooke stepped aside, allowing Vanessa to pass her and enter the dimly lit hotel room. Brooke watched her for a moment, so caught up in the way she smelled and the way her hat sat backwards on her head in the most endearing way possible that she almost forgot to close the door.

“Don’t forget to put the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign out,” Vanessa called behind her, laughing to herself before taking a seat on the edge of the bed, looking up at Brooke, who followed her into the larger area. Vanessa’s laugh didn’t linger after seeing Brooke’s humorless expression. “I was kidding.”

“You have no idea how hard it was, Vanjie, to watch that episode up there. Phi Phi actually clocked me, y’know. The way I looked at you up there. No doubt some of the fans did, too. It was the hardest thing. You don’t even know.”

“You think I wasn’t watching the same episode? I never said it was easy for me, Brooke,” Vanessa didn’t let her continue, nor did she let the incredulous laugh leave her lips, in fear of making Brooke more upset. “I don’t like watching it either.”

“I think I’m confused,” Brooke didn’t mean to change the topic so abruptly, but this had been bugging her for days. “This was your idea. It was your idea to take a break – said you knew the ‘pressures that came with TV’,” Brooke’s immediate dive into the deep end caught Vanessa off guard. If she knew that her visit would turn into her own interrogation, she would have stayed home. “You were the one who said this wouldn’t work, Jose,” Brooke stood her ground, arms folded across her chest. Vanessa didn’t like the way she looked down upon her. Cringed at the way her real name was used. “Why the change of heart?”

“It’s not a change of heart,” Vanessa countered, eyes lit with a newfound boldness. “It’s the… same heart, just. Tired of hiding it. Which, we can keep doing it, we don’t gotta tell anyone anything. But, B,” she stood then, moving to take hold of Brooke’s hands, forcing her to uncross her arms. “I’m not a fan of us lying to ourselves, to each other.”

“Yeah? And when you tweet another flirty reply or comment something on my next live, then what? I’m not a fan of not being able to tell the real from the fake.”

“Tell me this is fake,” Vanessa was calm when she said it, her words and the way she slid her hand to the back of Brooke’s neck serving as the only preparation for the way she brought their lips together. Brooke couldn’t act surprised, like she didn’t anticipate this after their texts and intuition that what happened in that office wasn’t a one-off thing. Her expectation helped her react faster this time, without letting Vanessa end the moment before Brooke had a chance to take action. It was a much necessary continuation of what they didn’t get to finish prior to Vanessa’s performance.

Her frustration, her passion, her longing all charged Brooke into flipping their positions, hands on Vanessa’s shoulders as she held the shorter man against the wall she had been leaning against, prompting a whimper to pass between them from Vanjie’s lips. This was no sweet reunion kiss, but one that had been months in the making.

Brooke could feel Vanessa’s smile after they parted, nothing but heat in the space between them (or lack thereof), their lips still phantoms on each other. “I’m waiting,” she whispered against Brooke’s lips, all victorious smiles. “Tell me.”

“Didn’t you already try this the other day?” Brooke didn’t return her smile, but Vanessa could hear it in her voice.

“Worked, didn’t it?” She carded her hand through the barely-there hair at the back of Brooke’s neck, oblivious to how badly Brooke wanted to kiss that damn smirk off her face. “All you been thinking about, isn’t it? Our kiss?” Brooke tried to step back, though she still felt Vanessa’s hand on her, the other one now coming up to rest on Brooke’s waist. “Shit, I gotta say, though, I think I liked this one better.”

“Yeah?” Brooke cursed herself for the teasing spirit in her voice, but for some reason, she couldn’t help it. Something about Vanessa was electrifying, intoxicating her even after a year. Kicking all her resolve and purpose under the hotel carpet.

“Mhmm,” Vanjie’s eyes lay heavy-lidded, her hunger telling through her gaze. Brooke knew due to her makeup-free face that her bedroom eyes weren’t painted on deliberately. She also knew that she held the same ache in her own body, wondered if her own eyes were as teasing as her voice. “You wanna Instagram live this or somethin’?”

Brooke found herself laughing more at the way Vanessa’s suggestive voice didn’t match her sarcastic question rather than the implication itself. “Oh, fuck off,” she laughed under her breath, swatting Vanjie’s chest as gently as possible, her hand lingering there. They both glanced down at the contact, reminding Brooke of the way their eyes had been jointly fixed on Vanessa’s hand in the room at the club, mindlessly tracing patterns into Brooke’s leg. But there was somehow more tension now, the tension only slightly more comfortable than it had been before. Less fear, but just as much caution and the question of ‘What are we doing?’ not yet obsolete.

It was Brooke who leaned in first this time with little hesitance, hand spreading out more against Vanessa’s chest, twisting delicately in her shirt. Her kisses transferred from lips, to cheek, to jaw, then placing open mouthed kisses along the shorter queen’s neck, evoking a throaty moan above her.

“C’mere,” Brooke wondered if she only imagined the rasped whisper, and she blinked back up at Vanessa, who looked desperate. Brooke noted the way her tattoo was coated red under the flush on her neck and chest, only the top of it visible from under her black T-shirt. She noted the way Vanessa’s breathing was ragged. She looked so fucked, so in disarray, and they hadn’t even taken their shirts off yet.

Brooke’s stomach knotted at just the suggestion that she had that power.

Vanessa pulled her back up, hands coming to hold the sides of Brooke’s face and kissing her with a passion that they hadn’t yet reached before. It was a kiss that guaranteed to Brooke that this wasn’t a convenient fuck, or make out, or just Vanessa feeling lonely.

“I have a flight tonight,” Brooke broke between their kiss and their gasping for breath. “God, I’d give anything to stay here. You know that, right?” She studied Vanjie’s eyes, needed to know that Vanessa understood her intentions. She’d rather do anything than have to look at the pout she looked at now on Vanessa’s face.

“You could stay. What’s one flight?” Vanessa whined, pressing kisses along Brooke’s jaw, her knee pushing between the other’s legs. “I miss you,” she breathed against Brooke’s ear, arms enveloping the taller man.

“You know it’s not that easy. This isn’t stuff we can put off, not like we put off each other. I wish I didn’t have to leave you.”

Vanessa sighed and slumped back against the wall, a hand coming up to run through her hair after the other had lifted her hat off. The broken connection between Vanessa’s flushed face and body, and her disappointed expression, broke Brooke’s heart more than she thought it would.

“That’s cool. I said what I said, and I know now that you’re not so innocent yourself, Miss Brooke Lynn, just like I said so,” Vanessa pointed a finger into Brooke’s chest accusingly, her eyes sparkling with warmth. “Who’s right again? Miss Vanessa Vanjie Isabella Mateo Hytes. Bam!” With a snap of her fingers, Vanessa pulled away from Brooke’s grasp, sliding against the wall she had been held against and back towards the door. Brooke watched her gather her things – her phone, only.

“Where are you going?”

Vanessa turned back around, puzzled. “You said you got a flight tonight. I can’t come with you.”

Brooke mimicked Vanjie’s pout from before, sitting herself down on the side of the bed and extending her arms. “You said you missed me. You made it very clear. My flight’s not until later tonight. You can stay. Until then, I mean. I want you to.”

And who was Vanessa to refuse that invitation.

[sole-cuore-amore-e-droga]

Lithuania brings yellow fever to Rotterdam 2021

...okay...

...I feel the rhythm...

*swoosh*

...something’s going on here...

*another swoosh*

The music flows through my ve-e-e-ve-veins𝒔𝒔𝒔𝒔𝒔𝒔𝒔

---------------------

IT’S TAKING OVER MEEEEEE

oh NO IVETA WTF ARE YOU DOING HERE IN LITHUANIA REVIEW GO HOME

ARTIST & ENTRY INFO

‘Bout the fucking time I am gonna talk about our bois, eh?

The Roop formed somewhere in around 2009, back when the lead singer Vaidotas Valiukevičius probably felt like he needed to be in a band, after many years of twists and turns of being a solo pop sensation and then it all ceasing a year prior. In 2009 he did get to cross paths with the drummer Robertas and the guitarist Mantas, one of them not being very fond of working with a former pop sensation but eventually giving into it. They had a small start, kinda went nowhere, but in the end they did start get some gigs at some point, and the gigs were small. For a band existing for so long and needing recognition, something eventually happened and they ended up on the Eurovizijos 2018 with “Yes, I Do”, which is more closer to the band’s older repertoire, because of course, they hadn’t hit big with their new sound just yet.

And when I first heard it, I was mindblown how good and stylish did it sound??? Yeah, somehow, I would never have had this sort of expectation in my life that I would’ve been mesmerized by a band I’ve never heard of (but I’ve heard of its lead singer and his past career but haven’t thought of him in years), but it’s just nowadays the thing that happens to me, when artists I don’t have many expectations for by name just slay my existence. (Major paragraphs about one such act coming up on my last review before the 2021 final)

What clicked with me is that song has the undertones about overcoming depression, because Vaidotas was diagnosed with one a year earlier, and it’s coming from Lithuania of all countries... Lithuania, the fucking country that’s number 1 or at the very least top 5 in suicides in handful of categories. And I would’ve loved to see us send such anthem of hope and light for those in need of it, but alas... we preferred love story and husband on stage (who broke up with her anyway sometime later because mutual reasons idek). Not that I’m mad, but it left me miffed and clamouring for The Roop to one day make their big Eurovision break.

And they did! 2 years later we saw the group re-emerge in the new Lithuanian NF’s format, Pabandom iš naujo 2020, with a song that’s different to their usual back-then style, the sleek and quirky dance hit “On Fire”. All was swell and we were actually doing well in the odds and were many people’s faves, but once again, for The Roop it was not meant to reach their dream of reaching out to more audiences, for that Eurovision that they were going to was cancelled, but the panini didn’t stop them, and they still ended up becoming one of the biggest current Lithuanian acts, still getting gigs during the panorama and all that, and awarded for all they had to be awarded for in the Lithuanian Grammy’s equivalent M.A.M.A. This indeed was just the beginning for them. Oh right and they also won the German Eurovision event thingy in place of the real one. And got a silver plastic miniature of the Eurovision trophy. Life is fine.

Then they got a record deal with Warner Music Baltics, went to Finland to do some music work with another Warner branch, and that’s just a part of how “Discoteque”, their entry, was born. It’s a dancy upbeat song, and its lyrics are all about the freedom to dance alone. Nothing to do about quarantine eventhough the “alone”ness suggest otherwise, lol.

REVIEW

I was craving this moment ever since. Though, I kinda thought that the “Discoteque” title was weird on the first glance at the participants/entries list, and not because of it being written without an h. It’s because... The Roop? Going funky? Throwback-esque? After the modernity that “On Fire” was?? hmmm k show what you got mwah mwah xx

And then when it released, it hit me very unexpectedly. Like. Okay. This sounds weird. Very bass-driven, in a way. It has an opening monologue, and a clicking chorus with a KILLER INSTRUMENTAL SECTION???? The one where it makes their hands go crazy when it goes on???

There’s just so much that was put into “Discoteque” that makes it stand out. They even explained certain parts of their song in the music video’s description, like, the extremely syllabic staccato chorus harkens back to the Lithuanian folklore days the way the melody is sung, the bridge made up of odd beatbox noises is meant to symbolize the first human music to ever exist (possibly from mouth sounds), and there’s also this out of key tinkly tune on the bridge that I can’t help but note everytime I listen. As well as I like noting that moment when his voice glitches out in the intro before the verse, and the hi-hats clapping 4 times before the second verse stars. I just love me some little details.

The lyrics are somewhat simplistic, with still some grammar gripes (never heard a soul say “wounded soul” without indicating if it’s “a” or “my” wounded soul???), but at least somewhat better and less cliche than rhyming “fire” with “desire” WHO DOES THAT. But props to The Roop for simply just making people not mind that lyric (at least at large) and now we ended up with an OGAE voting winning song / contender with the “fire / desire” rhyme thrown in there. Mad respect lol. (Yeah and also not a huge fan of the “body’s shaking” line, I guess that’s just me that hates certain words/word combos or think they’re just too weird in context. Apologies)

No but for real, they have crafted and put down a LOT of details in this song, and not just it, but also the choreography (according to them, all inspired by their childhood) and the video (same inspirations as for the choreography), and the whole vibe, and the outfits, and the color scheme (predominantly yellow with purple backdrop and also checkered visuals)... every single thing was crafted out to perfection and I fucking adore it, and I couldn’t have wanted any other way. The MOVES are in THAT specific order they want, although hard to memorize in sequence though, no matter how many times the Roop taught us to dance like them. Also this finger fucker dance move which I still cannot practice without realizing mine are jerky:

No wonder you got them pointing at you, mister, shit’s hard to practice!

And the music video trajectory, oh the music video trajectory (that is still not uploaded on Eurovision’s Youtube channel for some reason. Has it got anything to do with Warner?). Okay, it starts with an “On Fire” callback, with the band leaving to their dressing room, and Vaidotas is by the mirror with his white turtleneck, while a riff begins and he just starts feeling the peculiarity and reveals his yellow suit, and everyone goes for a dance, firstly just with all of the crew that is back from last year (the three Roop members + dancers Marijanas and Miglė), then with a bunch of people in stylish bowl wigs, and then they go back to the dressing room for one final mirror selfie.

my absolute favourite moment is this though. ahh yeah go ahead and feel yaselves

Though I gotta ask, was this move really inspired by Arvydas Sabonis or did Arvydas Sabonis influence The Bangles to walk like an Egyptian first?

It’s yet another quirky song from them, in a somewhat less conventional but at the same time more conventional way. Might have taken me a little time to get invested in it a a bit more, but if it’s an instant success with audiences, I can’t fault them for it, absolutely.

Approval factor: Absolutely. I wanted them for a long time, I am not disappointed. Follow-up factor: Both songs from The Roop are amazing, and also, LRT trusted in them to participate in the next selection once it will be held, and so they did give in, and LRT appointed them an automatic spot in the NF final (which they haven’t done since 2008), and they won fairly and squarely with an unimaginably big amount of televotes lol. We love our Roops. So the follow-up is just as good as the previous entry, which I still sometimes do prefer and think it would’ve stood a bigger chance to win unlike “Discoteque”, but we’ll see, we’ll see. Qualification factor: lol this is like the surest we’ve been about our qualification in years. Now I don’t wanna last-minute jinx it or anything, but we do have a slick performance and a song that’s somewhat of a clicker at first listen, so yeah, there’s your reasons why we pretty much shouldn’t fail, even if as semi openers. (And mind you, the openers to Eurovision in the 2020s, at least the actually happening Eurovision! Sorry Sweden 2020, The Mamas at least started the 2020s for Melodifestivalen xx)

NF CORNER

Now, just because The Roop were the clear standouts of an otherwise so-so NF, doesn’t mean there hasn’t been any decent songs. Like for instance:

• Gebrasy - Where’d You Wanna Go? I’ve actually been slightly rooting for this guy ever since he didn’t go by his stage name yet and sang a song co-penned by Michael Schulte (yes, THAT Michael Schulte, apparently) in 2018, and now it’s just astonishing about the amount of recognition he received with his fairly competent pop ballad piece (if it wouldn’t have done a Jurijus this year) about what sounds like a road accident. Many people said that if The Roop weren’t in this year, he would’ve won easily, but if not for The Roop, who knows how else would’ve the lineup sounded?

• Gabrielius Vagelis - My Guy Sounds like a love song to a guy, is actually about your own personal cheerleader that you can call “my guy”, I guess... simple synthpop piece performed by a competent and yet also very underrated by the televotes every single year he’s competed in singer, with his constant fashion choices additionally bringing him down a slight notch. Also would be a nice future ESC candidate, who knows when though, because Gebrasy is the main focus first, I guess.

And a few other songs I kinda liked, but I don’t wanna go too much in detail about each.

NF CORNER (NON-COMPETITIVE)

Organization-wise, we gotta say that we’re getting towards a pretty neat and tidy organized NF ever since Pabandom iš naujo format had even started. Sure, there were some withdrawal dramas from before the lineup (one of them being Evelina Sašenko who represented Lithuania 10 years ago already), and also the pressure of The Roop ending up as automatic finalists, and making some competitors feel like their tries are not worth it when there’s an obvious elephant in the room? But otherwise, not much notable has happened.

Except interval acts. Some good fucking food. Each and every time. Lithuania’s refined talentry jumped out constantly. My faves were Sisters On Wire though.

Maybe they could bring the chilled out pop rock sound that The Roop tried to carry out in 2018? Who knows.

Also this guy called Voldemars Petersons sang his entry in multiple different styles, trying to give versatile genre roulette artists a run for their money. Good for him I guess

Also, manly tears on live TV

ANY LAST WORDS?

The Roop knows just how proud the nation Lithuania is of them tonight. If I know them right, they’ll stay cool, calm and collected before the show and manage to give out their best to bring Lithuania a certified final placing, and possibly a good final finish. I am grateful for them ever having had an opportunity to showcase themselves, and I will forever look back on “Discoteque” as one of the best we’ve ever sent.

SĖKMĖS LIETUVA!!! SĖKMĖS THE ROOP!!! LET’S DISCOTEQUE WOOOOOOOOOO 💛🖖💜

[justanothercinemaniac]

Epic Movie (Re)Watch #223 - Muppet Treasure Island

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: No.

Format: DVD

1) “Shiver My Timbers”

This is quite possible the strongest song in the entire film. The song written by Brian Mann and Cynthia Weil, combined with an arrangement by Hans Zimmer manes it fittingly epic. It creates an immediate sense of danger which is unique in a Muppet film, but it doesn’t go too far. It’s fun, filled with adventure & helps set up the stakes and tension of the film. I freaking love it.

2) Billy Connolly as Billy Bones.

Connolly’s role is brief yet important/memorable. He is able to blend Bones’ drunkenness and occasional frightfulness well with the Muppety fun which defines the film. A veteran comedian, Connolly fits the role like a glove.

3) Kevin Bishop as Jim Hawkins.

Bishop isn’t exactly groundbreaking in the role of Hawkins, but he isn’t bad by any means. His longing and sense of adventure are represented well by the child actor who fits almost as well with the Muppet characters as Tim Curry does (no one can match Tim Curry though). He’s a solid foundation the film is built off of.

4) “Something Better”

I don’t particularly LOVE this song, in fact I think it’s the weakest in the film. It’s not bad, I just find it incredibly cheesy. It tries a little too hard to be cute, acting as Jim’s “I Want” song. It does well to establish the different attitudes Jim, Gonzo, and Rizzo have towards the idea of adventure (as well as their brotherly relationship), but some of the moments just feel like they’re trying too hard to me. That may just be a personal thing though.

5) One of the most interesting things in this film is the brotherly dynamic Jim, Gonzo and Rizzo have with each other. Specifically: juxtaposing Gonzo’s enthusiasm against Rizzo’s fear leads to a lot of fun character interaction. Unfortunately it doesn’t get the focus I wish it did around the halfway point of the movie, but it provides for an interesting hook which explains a lot of the motivation for these characters. They’re looking out for each other.

6) I don’t know why I find this line so funny.

Blind Pew [stroking Jim's hair]: “Oh a pretty little girl is it? Yes, take me to Billy Bones, ma pet!”

Jim: “You've got it all wrong, there's no Billy Bones here, and I'm not a girl!”

7) I’m a sucker for fourth wall breaks and self aware humor.

Bill Connolly was actually the first actor to die in a Muppet movie (or play a character who did). He’s proud of this.

8) The pirate raid on the inn is fine. It’s a tad scatted and there’s better action later in the film, but it’s an important part of the story that gets in a few solid laughs through Gonzo & Rizzo antics.

9) Mr. Bimbo, the man that lives in Young Trelawney’s Finger, is a running gag in this film Frank Oz (the actor behind Fonzie Bear) initially hated. However, as filming went on it reportedly grew on him so much that it was one of his favorite jokes by production’s end.

10) Tim Curry as Long John Silver.

Without a doubt, Curry is the best part of this film. A Muppet fan for years, this is one of Curry’s favorite performances of his and it shows. The actor is just so totally committed to the part that he steals every scene he’s in. Wickedly charming and charmingly wicked, the actor is clearly having a ton of fun in the film which means we have a lot of fun watching him. Even if you catch him in the background of some scenes, he’s so freaking into it the entire movie is just elevated by his performance.

11)

Sam Eagle as Mr. Arrow [about the captain]: “Is he bad tempered!? The man is a raging volcano! Tormented by demons the likes of which mere mortals cannot fathom!”

This play with expectations versus reality, even if you know Kermit the Frog is coming, is actually remarkably funny and one of the best gags in the film.

12) Kermit as Captain Smollet is actually kind of interesting. From his initial introduction you get a sense that Mr. Arrow’s description of him may be a TAD more accurate than one might think considering he’s, you know, Kermit the Frog. This primarily comes through via his initial inspection of the ship and a seriousness he largely carries himself with until on the island. It’s kinda interesting.

13) “Sailing for Adventure”

This song is remarkably fun, even if it is no “Shiver My Timbers”. It captures the titular sense of adventure well in a charming way, giving each member of the crew a chance to shine and for Tim Curry to show off some of his vocal chops (more on that later). It’s a strong call to adventure which a film based on Treasure Island needs. I dig it.

14) Roll call.

This is a fun extended sequence that delights in playing with audience expectations (primarily with Big-Fat-Ugly-Bug-Face-Baby-Eating O’Brien and then Angel Marie). You kinda just have to watch it to understand.

15) The distance that grows between Jim and his brothers Gonzo/Rizzo is never really explored in the film, it just kinda happens. I wish we’d developed that more.

16) While no Treasure Planet (man, I love that movie), there are a number of nice moments of sympathy and compassion between Long John and Jim. You understand they’re almost always supported by ulterior motives, but the more invested you are in their relationship the harder Silver’s betrayal hurts.

17) I always found the scene where Gonzo ENJOYS his torture really funny. Not sure why.

Polly: “This won’t work, he likes it!”

18) “Cabin Fever”

Without a doubt the most pointless song in the entire film. “Cabin Fever” does nothing to serve the story but instead fulfills the movie’s 99 minute run time. Having said that, its randomness and fun energy mean the number is actually incredibly enjoyable. It’s really weird but simultaneously really entertaining.

19) Remember how I said I love fourth wall breaks?

Clueless [from the brig]: “Hey Polly? What was that song that just happened?…You know, ‘Cabin fever! Ah!’ That.”

20) Gonzo is so freaking weird I love it.

Gonzo: “And my pants are filled with starfish.”

Rizzo: “You and your hobbies.”

21) This is me whenever I like the villain of a movie.

Floyd Pepper: “Hey man, I can’t figure out what side we’re on.”

22) “Professional Pirate”

As observed by Long John himself, this is Tim Curry’s main song in the film. His performance propels the piece from incredibly entertaining to rip-roaring fun. Again supported by the original composition by Brian Mann and Cynthia Weil, along with Zimmer’s arrangement of the pice, the number is one of the most surprising treats of the film. It just pulls you in for a great ride.

23) Long John taking Jim’s compass, knowing how much it means to him (since it’s all Jim has of his late father), shows how his greed outranks anything else. He loves the treasure more than he loves Jim, which is what drives their relationship apart.

24) According to IMDb:

Hormel Foods Corporation, makers of Spam, sued the film production company for making the name of a warthog character "Spa'am". Their suit was defeated on September 22, 1995. The judge noted that "one might think Hormel would welcome the association with a genuine source of pork."

25) Guys, it takes Miss Piggy 66 minutes to show up in this movie. It’s 99 minutes WITH credits. She’s in less than 2/3s of the movie!

(GIF originally posted by @marshmallow-the-vampire-slayer)

26) Long John going off on the pirates about using a page of the bible for the black spot is actually an incredible showcase for Curry’s talents. He’s so over the top and fun it’s just…man, I love Tim Curry.

27) Ah, Piggy/Benjamina.

Miss Piggy as Benjamina: “You know, I’m starting to see a pattern in the men I date.”

28) “Love Led Us Here”

While a poignant and well composed number, it doesn’t really feel earned by the film. Piggy’s been in what, 15 minutes of the movie so far? And we’re getting a grand love song for her and Kermit’s character? And then it plays as the backdrop of the pirate finding the treasure? That doesn’t really fit. I don’t know. I like it on its own I just feel it doesn’t fit with where we are in the movie.

29) Kermit’s face here gets me every time.

30) The final fight is pretty solid. Muppets aren’t exactly designed for action scenes. But even though it’s not a moment of greatest tension, there is an incredible sense of fun to it along with nice gags and surprises. Especially Tim Curry’s fight with Kermit the Frog is a standout moment in the entire movie because, again, Curry is just SO into it it’s hard not to have fun!

31) The final goodbye between Jim and Silver actually has a nice amount of poignancy to it, especially when Silver can’t shoot Jim and then Jim can’t turn in Silver.

While not the strongest theatrical Muppet film, it’s hard to go wrong with the franchise. Muppet Treasure Island brings the series’ trademark fun & whimsy to the classic story, with good songs and an incredible performance by Tim Curry. It’s just a genuinely fun watch.

[i-am-the-sage]

Jared Leto x Reader: The concert

Requested by @alexxx-barebone: “What about the reader being a singer, just like Jared Leto, and they're doing a duet of Stay by Rihanna, and they're really handshake, cute and kind of just singing to each other <3″

Hope you enjoy it! Links for the songs are down below.💕

Stay x Thirty Seconds to Mars

Conquistador x Thirty Seconds to Mars

Most people were standing in line to buy merchandise from one of the large trailers outside. Others ran around excitedly, some with neon war paint on their faces accompanied by colorful bracelets and necklaces. Everyone of them wore a bright smile on their faces, ready to see their favorite band live.

Music blared from your headphones as the limo drove around the building. Staring out the window you could see hundreds of people milling around the stadium waiting for the doors to open. Most were standing in line waiting to buy merchandise at the large trailers that had been set up.  

Watching everyone in front of the stadium made you think how lucky you were to be apart of such an amazing fanbase. The limo pulled up to the back of the building, hidden from where most of the fans we’re. You sighed as you waited for everyone to situate the best way to get you into the building without anyone seeing. You took your headphones off and stared out the window across the street; watching as more and more people made their way to the stadium.

When you got the call from Jared you were more than excited to do it. A chance to perform with him and surprise your fans at the same time, you couldn't pass up the opportunity. You were always dreaming of working with Jared and now it was finally happening.

Your were standing at the stove, waiting for the teapot to start to steam, humming your newest song when you heard your phone go off. phone went off as you were making lunch. There was a strange number on the screen but you decided to answer it any way. 

“Hello?” You attempted to disguise your voice.

“Hey (y/n), it Jared.”

‘Jared!?’ 

“Hey there!” You said in almost an excited squeal.

“So I have this really great idea to surprise everyone and I want you to help me out.” 

“Sure, what do you have in mind.” The teapot began to whistle, you ran back to the stove and took it off the burner.

“I want you to come and close the last show with me.” The water you were pouring into your mug spilled over the top as you stood there in shock. You jumped and set the teapot down when you noticed that the counter was covered in water.

“Are you serious, yes!” Jared went on to give you the details about the show and the venue, he told you that he would pay for your home and your airfare. You had only met Jared once but you've had the biggest crush on him since you could remember, you almost felt like you would do anything for him and you were certain that he knew it.

‘Could probably smell it on me.’

“Its definitely a possibility for someone that intense.” You said quietly to yourself, daydreaming about what being in a relationship with Jared would be like. 

‘Would he be that intense all the time?’

“We’re ready for you, ma’am.” One of the guards opened the door for you. The fans weren't supposed to know that you would be there tonight so you pulled the hood of your jacket up over your head to hide your face. Once you stepped out of the limo you sprinted for the backstage doors, surrounded by guards.

Inside you were escorted to your dressing room, a few doors down from the boys’ room. You snatched a bottle of water off of a table next to the door and looked around the room. It was a cozy little room, just enough for you to be comfortable. Your eyes stopped when you saw a bouquet of roses in front of the mirror. in front of the roses was a card addressed to you.

‘See you out there. —Jared.’

Smiling you set the card back down and picked up the small box next to it. Inside was a container of neon warpaint to wear during the show. Taking it with you to the bathroom you began to get ready for tonight’s show. In the bathroom was a small can of silly string and another note from Shannon and Tomo.

‘For the big finale!’

You put on a white muscle shirt with the triad printed on the back of it, black pants and combat boots. Lastly, you tied a flannel secure around your waist and walked over to the mirror to apply your war paint.

‘Certainly look like part of the Echelon now.’ 

You did a quick once over of yourself in the mirror before going to sit on the couch and wait for the show to start. The roses caught your eye again and you couldn't help but smile that he went out of his way to get you flowers.

‘What possessed him to get me these?’ 

There was a knock at the door.

“Come in.” You yelled. Jared walked in with a big childlike smile on his face. When you made a move to get up and greet him he held his hands up telling you to stay put.

“Well what can I do you for?” You leaned back on the couch and crossed your leg over the other.

“How about we all grab some grub after the show?”

“Yeah, of course!” Jared smiled again and then ran out the door to make it to the stage on time. Your cheeks began to heat up and you laid out on the couch, burying your face into the couch cushions. You rolled over and took the can of silly string out of your boot, making a mental note to spray him down and ask questions later.

‘Oh, he’s going to get it good!’

Laughing to yourself at the thought of Jared covered in silly string, you didn't notice when a woman poked her head through the door. 

“Its almost time.” You put the silly string back and took one last swig of your water before leaving the dressing room. The music got louder and louder the closer you got to the stage and you couldn't help but get even more excited. 

For a while you stood backstage watching to the crowd go wild with Jared as their leader, the relationship that Jared had with them was an amazing this to witness. You couldn’t help but admire the boys on stage, putting everything into their performance trying to give the audience the best show that could. They seemed to surge and calm at his command

Quietly you sang along to the music as you were handed your microphone. There were homemade signs and flags that waved in the air, giant beach balls and pool floats bounced along the top of the of the crowd. The lights went down on the stage and only a single spotlight remained on Jared.

“Now for this next song, I have something really special for all of you.” Jared’s voice rang through the stadium. Girls screamed at the sound of his voice, you rolled your eyes but you couldn’t blame them, it was heavenly whether he was singing or speaking.  

‘Showtime!’

Tomo dropped off his guitar and walked over to the keyboard that had been set up, hidden by the darkness. You shook out your hair and took a deep breath as adrenaline began to coarse through your body. Jared started to sing again and you saw the stadium light up as everyone rushed to turn on the flashlight on their phones.

“All along it was a fever!” The millions of tiny lights swayed back and forth to the rhythm of the music; it looked like Jared was singing into a sky full of stars. You stepped onto the stage, placing your hand on Shannon’s shoulder to say a quick hello as he took a small break. He smiled up at you then took a swig from his water bottle. Your hand fell from his shoulder as it was almost your time to jump in.

“I threw my hands in the air, said show me something… She said—“ 

“If you dare come a little closer.” You brought the mic up and sang out, finishing the line for him. You heard everyone in the stadium pause and then scream as you stepped out from behind Shannon and a spotlight fell on you as well. A smile spread across your face at the warm welcome from the audience. Jared turned and looked at with a brighter smile than his own fans had for him.

“Round and around and around and around we go.” Your voices melded together and floated out into the night. The triad behind you flashed to the beat of Shannon’s drums as you walked towards Jared. He stood at his microphone waiting for you to reach him, occasionally turning to the audience but he always returned to you.

“Something in the way you move.” You did a little dance that made Jared laugh mid note, he returned your dance with one of his own. The group in front of the stage smiled up to both of you as they sang along. Some of them had tears in their eyes as you and Jared sang to each other and some had cheek bursting smiles painted across their faces.

“Makes me feel like I can’t live without you…” You had finally made it to Jared. He pulled you into a hug not missing a beat in the song. Breaking from the hug you turned and began to sing to the fans directly in front of you while Jared stood next to you singing out to the entire stadium. You stood up and decided to go interact with another area of the crowd. 

“Ooo the reason I hold on.” Jared grabbed your hand before you could take a step. He pulled you into him and wrapped an arm around your waist, rocking you back and forth.

“Cause I need this hole gone.” You looked into each others eyes as you sang together. It seemed like the everyone in the stadium stopped singing just to listen to the both of you. It felt natural being so close to Jared, you  rested your head on his shoulder and continued to sing with him  You felt like you never wanted to leave his arm again.

“I want you to stay.” The crowd erupted again into a frenzy as the song finished, you stepped forward picking up the ends of your flannel and curtsied for the crowd. One of the beach balls flew up on stage, you and ran up and kicked back into the crowd. You knew what was planned next so when Jared looked at you with mischievous eyes you were more than ready.

“Are you ready?”

“Hell yeah” You said returning his look with a devious smile.

“Are you guys ready?” He yelled into the microphone, flipping his hair expertly over his shoulder. 

“Yeah!!” the audience screamed Jared nodded to Shannon and Tomo then looked back at you. He took your hand in his and raised them high above your heads. You smiled at the crowd as they screamed and jumped up and down in anticipation for the next song.

“ONE, TWO, THREE, GO!” You and Jared flew off of the stage as Shannon unleashed the beast. At the same moment the lights went off and the black lights kicked on making everyone in the stadium glow, neon confetti shot out over the audience making them go nuts. The two of you landed in The Sea of Echelon; they carried you along the length of the stage as you and Jared began to sing.

“This is a fight to the death…”

[sweetlittlelie48]

[Translation] 100% SKE48 vol.1 Fukushi Nao

This time it’s Don-chan, a die-hard fan who became member. Read this and you will understand both from fan’s and member’s perspective. 

I love how SKE management dares to choose this girl to be vice-leader.

Looking at young members in SKE right now....I can see promising future is waiting for them!!

Entering the group as draft 1st gen,

Becoming vice-leader of team E 2 years later…Fukushi Nao

From a supporter to a member and finally got appointed,

Only her can achieve these things

Don-chan who loves SKE48 more than anyone and the oath from her soul.

 I did it because I was a fan.

Let’s make SKE48 “DON!” (Boom!)

 The second time that my mind went blank

- This is a bit impolite but we never thought that Fukushi-san would become Team E vice-leader! We would like to know your vision on this, so we invited you here.

Don: Not that much. This is…*laugh*

- You are a former die-hard fan, but now you have the position in SKE48. That’s great, right? We would like to ask you to show us confidence as a leader a bit. Firstly, do you still remember the moment they announced this?

Don: For draft 1st gen in all 48group, 3 of us already graduated. Everyone said “the rest of you, do your best” At that moment, Matsumoto Chikako got her name announced as Team S vice-leader. I thought “it’s time for draft 1st gen!”

- That time you still felt like an audience.

Don: Yes. *laugh* Then, when they announced my name, I don’t remember much. Later, I heard from staff-san that the camera was shooting at me but I just disappeared from screen all of a sudden.

- You fell down.

Don: “it hurts as if I got punched in the stomach” *laugh* I realized this is how “my mind goes blank” feels like.

- How many times have you been like this?

Don: It’s 2nd time. The first time was when I got chosen at the 1st draft meeting. That time I thought “This evening, I’ll have Sano Ramen and just go back home”

- In other words, you already gave up, right?

Don: Suddenly, my name was announced. My mind’s gone blank. In the end, I didn’t have Ramen but Yakiniku *laugh*

- Celebrate with Yakiniku *laugh*

Don: From that time…though I once had experience of that feeling but when I became conscious again, leader-Suda (Akari) san was already there beside me. I was almost out of breath but everyone laughed! I thought “what are you guys laughing about!” *laugh* Maybe, it’s because I was an Wota before and now I’ve become vice-leader. This kind of reversal is funny, right?

- Of course, it’s funny *laugh*

Don: When they announced that (Saito) Makiko-san is captain, I already got a grip on myself. I felt “Oh Makiko-san is best!” but came to think about it, my name was also announced just a second ago.

- Anyways, feedback from audiences was great.

Don: After that, we sang the last song “Nakama no Uta” and went down the stage to tag with audiences. I heard they said “do your best” “If it’s Don-chan, it will be fine”. It made me feel even more that ‘it’s good to be in SKE48’, although I was still confused.

- It’s been a while now since the day of announcement. Do you ever think ‘why me’?

Don: It must be a joke! The day before, they just announced that AKB49 will be played again and I got a role as an Wota. That time, I already thought that it must be a joke. In the next day, I asked Yuasa-san  “Is this a joke?” He replied “Not at all! I just think that if someone, who was a fan, like Fukushi becomes vice-leader, she would bring something new to the group for sure” Though that time I thought ‘so that’s how it is’, but to think of it now, I still somehow feel that it must be a joke. *laugh*

- What does vice-leader usually do?

Don: At present, leading engine before Koen starts and representing members to say thank you after Koen ends. On the days that leader’s absent, I take charge. Sometimes, when I said “let’s review again, the first song is…” everyone was like “Don is about to start…” *laugh* Anyways, they might see me getting serious so they wanted me to relax a bit. It’s that kind of atmosphere. Seniors are so kind.

 Make history with fans

 - That night, you wrote in your blog “I want to build the group that’s full of passion”, expressed your confidence like that. Would you please explain about it?

Don: That’s right…in Sae-san’s graduation concert, I cried till no tears left. But then, Jurina-san said “SKE48 is in pinch”, right? When I heard that, my tears fell down again.

- Even though you felt that there’s no more tear left already.

Don: Yeah, because I felt “it really is so”

- So, Fukushi-san could also feel the crisis.

Don: What made me feel it the most was when we couldn’t go to “Kouhaku” Last time, before the show started, Nakanishi Yuka-san and Sato Mieko-san said “Let’s get on this stage again”. After both of them graduated, everyone tried hard but never thought we wouldn’t be chosen at the end. I feel very sorry to them.

- To rise above this crisis, what do you think we should do?

Don: I think all members should look through themselves again - what they think about SKE48. I want the feeling that we have at the beginning to return. We have to think of how we want the group to be, how we want ourselves to be. If everyone is determined, with these thoughts combined, our group will absolutely get more popularity.

- When is SKE48 “at their best” for Fukushi-san?

Don: It’s when they performed “Pareo wa emerald” in Kouhaku (December 2012). At that time, I had fever and took a rest at home, watching TV. Around “Kataomoi Finally” (January 2012), I could feel that it almost time.

- They also performed in Music Station.

Don: Fans were really fired up at that time, so members tried their best not to lose to their fans. In concert at Gaishi Hall (Sae’s graduation concert), I also felt like that. SKE fans are so warm and united. In LINE live recently, they also achieved 1,000,000 hearts target. Before the program started, we still talked like “Up until now the best record is only 600,000 - can we really reach 1,000,000?”

- From your experience, what is the cause of fans getting fired up?

Don: Because everyone thinks “I want SKE to be better”. No matter what, there are lots of Hako-Oshi, including me. Though my original Oshi is Jurina-san…but when something happens, everyone will come together and rise up.

- “come together and rise up” *laugh*

Don: I want this group to be supported forever. I want to make history with fans. If we can make them feel that “we are one”, it would be great.

- With this vision, how do you see 2016?

Don: There was a moment that feels really bad. The worst was before and after (Matsui) Rena-san graduates. Fans also asked “will SKE48 be okay?” That time, I also didn’t know what to do. But first, I had to do as best as I can. Once we did our best, then we can think of doing for the group. No matter how many years have passed, this is the only way…When I was thinking about this, I got vice-leader position. So, I will try to spread this group around more.

- When you think that you only have to do as best as you can, what did you do?

Don: I went all out for everything I do. Even just a little thing, I feel thankful for it. Never forget that I can be here today because I got chosen in draft meeting. Never forget the feeling at the beginning.

- Not only Rena-san, but Sae-san also graduated. We must bring enthusiasm back.

Don: I will walk forward with Makiko-san. In fact, I’ve been waiting for Makiko-san to be captain for so long! I even think “why wait until now!?”

- Hahaha, you are speaking as a fan or a member?

Don: Both. When she was Kenkyuusei, she always summarized things for others, right? So, she has image like “Talking about SKE48, it must be Makiko” She’s good at dancing, always taking care of juniors. Though she looks scary *laugh* but we need this kind of senior to lead us.

- Where SKE48 is heading now, do you know?

Don: Yes. When Rena-san graduated, I felt “this is bad…she graduated” but now, everyone’s getting back up and fight. Also, it’s a great timing that Jurina-san returns to SKE48 (cancel concurrency with AKB). From now on, SKE48 will be fine.

- The good thing in (Sae’s) graduation concert was new captain announcement. SKE48’s form became more visible. After that, how did members felt?

Don: After the concert, everyone got better from sadness. After Toyota Stadium (Rena’s graduation concert), we didn’t know “what kind of feeling should we have when we sing from now on” but Sae-san’s graduation concert was different. Those gloomy clouds just suddenly disappear.

- If you are one of Wotas in concert that day, how would you be?

Don: I would call out “Makiko!!!!!” with tears *laugh* If I were at home, I would be busy searching “Makiko” on internet.

- So, this is Wota side of you *laugh*

Don: Come to think about it again, it might be Sae-san’s power that could end so lively.

- I see. Because of Sae-san’s liveliness, it became like that.

Don: That’s why, even we also felt sad that she graduated but it turned to be happiness. Miyamae (Ami) san is also graduating, but she does in order to follow her dream, right? So, I’m very positive right now.

 Nagoya is home

 - Next, the event that needs power from fans.

Don: ….that’s right.

- Where’s your cheerfulness gone? *laugh* What’s your goal in general election?

Don: It’s a big chance only once a year to make people remember us. We can also see that there are fans supporting us. My goal is getting in the rank.

- When you were Wota, what have you voted for and how?

Don: I vote for Request Hour. I vote for election sometimes but, of course, all for Jurina-san.

- We know it though you don’t mention *laugh* what about group’s goal?

Don: Being able to make people feel that ‘SKE48 is really the best’ again is enough. Though number of members in the rank is important, what’s more important is “who get ranked”. Getting in the rank is one way to gain popularity, right? For example, you didn’t get ranked in pre-lim result, but you actually get ranked in final result.

Do you count yourself as one of them?

Don: Eh? Not really…for me, I’d rather think about who would be in Senbatsu. First, Churi-san (Takayanagi Akane) should be…

- You returned to your Wota-self again *laugh* A moment ago, you mentioned that “I want to build the group that’s full of passion” what if someone asks “what kind of group is that?”, how would you say?

Don: An earnest group.

- Sae-san also said like that.

Don: The group that head for the same goal. Leaping forward, never back down until we achieve it.

- You left Toshigi for Nagoya, how do you feel?

Don: Once I got here, I really do as I like *laugh* Now, Nagoya is my home. Sometimes, when I come back from Tokyo, I feel “Nagoya is best!” So, no matter it’s SKE48 or Nagoya, I want more people to like them.

- You became Nagoya girl already *laugh*

 Just like “Gyaban” (T/N: Uchu Keiji Gyaban)

 Don: Here, I also have a question to ask, why do you want to put out a special issue this time?

- We think that once Sae-san graduated, members became more united. At the time like this, we want to gather all SKE48’s thoughts in one magazine. So, we invited main members, who possess strong thought to bring SKE48 forward, for interview. We think Fukushi-san has that kind of thought.

Don: That’s right. Recently, I went with Umemoto Madoka-san for dinner. It was the day after she announced graduation. She asked me “Don-chan, what are you gonna do next?” since I don’t want to be in entertainment industry, I just want to be in SKE48, I replied “my goal now is to live my life to the fullest each day” If SKE48 grows, I will grow, too. Nevertheless, I just want to do my best for SKE48. Rena-san said to me once that “Don-chan, you need to protect your beloved SKE48” This is my biggest goal. Though, now, there’s only me who think like this, but from now on, I would like to have more comrades.  

- So full of passion, have you been like this since you were a kid?

Don: I like to watch “Gyaban” when I was a kid.

- “Space Sheriff Gyaban”!? That’s from the 80s!

Don: My dad loves it. And I really like the opening “farewell to tears, say hi to bravery”

- This is what SKE48 needs right now! Never thought we would find the most important thing here. Thank you for interview with us today.

[englishlistwords]

When one sets out to compile a list like the Top Ten Libertarian Rock Bands, one is faced with a few challenges:

Rock purists will object and say, “Hey, they’re not libertarian!” because most rock purists balk at libertarian ideas.

Libertarian purists will object and say, “Hey, they’re not libertarian!” because they refuse to touch with a ten-foot pole anything that could remotely violate the non-aggression principle.

There simply aren’t many outspoken libertarians in mainstream rock today.

My response is that sometimes people are libertarian by accident.  Wasn’t rock n’ roll born in an anti-establishment, anti-authority environment?  Even many leftist rock bands (i.e., nearly all rock bands) produce a lot of individual songs that could be libertarian-sympathetic, whether they are anti-war or anti-authority.

With that said, these are the top 10 libertarian rock bands, in no particular order.

1. Rush

The classic case of a libertarian band is Rush, whose influence and popularity is hard to overstate.  Rush are prog-rock royalty.  It’s hard to believe that their immense, progressive sound and musical virtuosity is produced by a mere three men.

Not only has Rush’s 40 year career made them a highly venerated rock band in general, but the main lyricist and octopus drummer, Neil Peart, was often inspired by the great classical liberal novelist, philosopher, and left-wing punching bag Ayn Rand.  That fact is apparent on several Rush songs such as The Trees (an allegory of smaller trees complaining about larger trees simply for being larger and hogging all the light), A Farewell to Kings (fairly self-explanatory), 2112 (an epic story of a dystopian future of absolute rule), Anthem (the same title as a Rand novella), and the hit Tom Sawyer (paints a picture of a rugged, Randian individualist).

2. Muse

The British-born Muse is one of the freshest, most popular art rock bands making music today.  They share several things with Rush: the same band member count, a mono-syllabic quadruple character name, as well as an affinity for “progressive” song-writing.  In addition, Muse adds a healthy dose of piano, synthesizer, pop-style melodies, and Black Sabbath-esque metal/hard rock guitar riffs.

Muse lyrics tend to be highly skeptical and critical of the established powers.  Lead singer Matthew Bellamy likes Henry George (a sort of Marxist on land-ownership, but libertarian on everything else) and “left-libertarianism”.

Looking at their music catalog, a non-aggression principle fan could find plenty with which to identify.  The 2006 album “Black Holes and Revelations” opens with a not-so-subtle attack on a political figure entitled Take a Bow.  Others like Exo-Politics, Assassin, and Knights of Cydonia have subversive/individual liberty themes.

The political rebellion increases on subsequent albums the Resistance and the 2nd Law (see the Uprising, Resistance, and Supremacy).

When we finally come to the album Drones in 2015, the civil disobedience is at fever pitch.  The album’s theme “drones” applies not only to the controversial unmanned aircraft used by the US military, but also to the idea that the average citizen or soldier could become an unthinking shell, doing whatever they’re told.  See songs like Reapers and Psycho.

3. The Kinks

You may be thinking, The Kinks?  The “You Really Got Me” band from the 60s?  That’s right, the Kinks.  It’s a little known fact that “You Really Got Me” is a subtle ode to overzealous police arrests.  While that is actually not true at all, there is a lot more to the Kinks than their biggest hit.

Much of the Kinks’ catalog is in fact dedicated to decrying the initiation of force, the welfare state, clandestine spying, or other big government woes.  There is perhaps no better example of this than “20th Century Man” on the 1971 album Muswell Hillbillies. Front-man and songwriter Ray Davies sings:

I was born in a welfare state fueled by bureaucracy

Controlled by civil servants and people dressed in grey

Got no privacy, got no liberty

‘Cause the 20th century people took it all away from me

And this was 1971.  Oh Ray, if you could see us now.  Actually, he can.  He is still living and still making music.  Hm, funny.  Anyway, there are some other libertarian gems on Muswell Hillbillies such as Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues, where Ray’s paranoia causes him to worry greatly – about things that are kinda true; and Here Come the People In Grey, a tribute to intrusive government workers.

Some other standout tracks from the Kinks on this subject would be:

Brainwashed, sung to a retired World War I vet who has grown dependent on and trusting of the powers that be

Some Mother’s Son, a beautiful, tragic ballad about men dying in war

Live Life, an exhortation to keep cool and do your own thing in spite of political upheaval and media sensationalism

Got To Be Free, an expression of longing to, well, be free

4. BackWordz

Though BackWordz is the newest band on this list, they are probably also the most outspoken and plainly libertarian.  Their mission is a sort of libertarian evangelization through the vehicle of Linkin Park-esque metal drenched in hip hop.  They are no joke, as their debut album “Veracity” charted at number 2 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.  This is remarkable for a couple reasons. The first is the fact they are an independent artist with no major label backing.  Another reason is that they are not the typical anger-infused, chest-beating hard rock band – as a sampling of their song titles shows:

Individualism, railing against collectivism and affirming the right of secession

Self-Ownership, criticizing the idea that the State can save us

Praxeology, a term developed by libertarian super-hero Ludwig von Mises, is the study of human action – has any rock band ever had Ludwig von Mises as the subject of a song?

Statism says: “I’m on a life mission to abolish all the government”

Democracy Sucks, the title says it all

One of the most radical bands to come out in a while, I look forward to seeing where BackWordz goes.  They have potential to hugely expand their audience with their high-quality production and song-writing.  Let the songs get a listener’s blood pumping first and once the lyrics start the sink in, perhaps some minds can be changed.

5. Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper is the father (not mother) of shock rock.  As his band was developing in the late 60s, Alice says:

…it was quite obvious that rock was full of idols and heroes, but there were no villains. I couldn’t find a villain in the bunch. I thought, ‘If nobody wants to play Captain Hook, I do!’

Not only did Alice Cooper cause parents with conservative values heartburn about his affinity for rebellion, horror film lore, and a creepy stage show, he might well also cause statists alarm.

He has an anti-political streak and says

I hate politics with a passion…I know people incorporate politics into rock n’ roll – and I think that the antithesis of rock n’ roll is politics. That would be like me singing the Dow Jones report.

He elsewhere says:

“If you’re listening to a rock star in order to get your information on who to vote for, you’re a bigger moron than they are. Why are we rock stars? Because we’re morons. We sleep all day, we play music at night and very rarely do we sit around reading the Washington Journal.”

(Note: it’s a separate question whether or not the Washington Journal contains good ideas.)  Not only does he want his music free of politics, but he has several gems that outright attack and lampoon politicians and the whole process.  His latest album “Paranormal” especially has some politically skeptical tracks, something any libertarian could appreciate.  Some standout songs would be:

Elected, about a pompous spotlight-phile running for office

Rats, could be how the elites and rulers see the populace

Lock Me Up, a taunt to those who don’t like what Alice has to say: “You can take my head and cut it off but you ain’t gonna change my mind”

Freedom, an anti-authority anthem for freedom of expression

Private Public Breakdown, about a politician who has lost his grip of reality (soooo, all politicians; Alice possibly has Donald Trump in mind)

6. The Interrupters

Remember the late 90s?  The Mighty Mighty Bosstones were skanking all over the radio, welfare reform had been achieved, and the President of the US declared that the era of big government was over.  Congress actually passed a “balanced” budget. The correlation between ska/punk and smaller government is undeniable.  Now, that connection has reemerged in the form of the female-fronted punk band, the Interrupters.

There is a very real chance that the Interrupters have a Ron Paul sticker somewhere on their gear, because their front woman, Aimee Allen, actually wrote Ron Paul’s presidential campaign song.  As you’d expect from someone with such good taste in candidates, many of the Interrupters songs center on the ideas of liberty.

Not only are the lyrics libertarian-friendly, but the songs are just plain good songs.  Chuck Berry style guitar leads overlay no-frills punk rock songwriting with rich vocal harmonies.  The melodies and progressions are so catchy, the only way your foot won’t be tapping along is if it is tied down by some oppressive police state.  Some of my favorites are:

Liberty, a pretty straightforward lament about the rights we are losing

Babylon, uses biblical imagery, encouraging listeners to “rebel against the kings of Babylon” – even mentions money-printing to the delight of Austrians everywhere

Can’t Be Trusted, celebrating the reasons for us not to trust the authorities

Take Back the Power, a pretty transparent message

Outrage, about the tendency of people nowadays to be constantly outraged about something, anything

7. Megadeth

One of the “Big Four” in thrash metal, Megadeth are heavy metal titans who have been head-banging since 1983.  Heavy metal is a genre whose imagery is rife with libertarian sympathies: oppressive tyrants, bloody warfare, rebellion against the ruling powers, and on and on.  Megadeth takes the prize for anti-state themes in their songs, in spite of frontman and former Rick Santorum endorser Dave Mustaine being politically nonsensical sometimes. (They also take the prize for “Band Name Most Likely Created By A Middle Schooler.”)  If we can look past the Santorum misstep, Dave comes sort of close to embracing libertarianism: “I probably [am] a lot more along the lines of what a Libertarian is”.

The title track of “Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying?” is a metal classic, and although it comes short of chucking the whole state apparatus, it raises some pertinent questions:

What do you mean I couldn’t be the president of the United States of America?  Tell me something.  It’s still “We the people” RIGHT?

Holy Wars decries wars of religion in which “brother kills brother.”  Symphony of Destruction chillingly warns of giving a dictator absolute control:

Take a mortal man, put him in control.  Watch him become a god, watch peoples’ heads-a-roll.

Dave and co. have really nailed it, though, on their most recent Grammy-winning album, Dystopia.  Track after track describe a tyrannical government coupled with a decaying society.  In addition, it’s right up there with Megadeth’s best albums.  The title track is about what you’d think, and includes the line “What you don’t know, the legend goes, can’t hurt you.  If you only want to live and die in a cage.”  Perhaps my favorite is The Emperor, a snarling punk outcry against the man in charge, pointing out what should be obvious (no clothes).

8. NOFX

Finding a punk band that appreciates private property is tough.  There are many who are great on criticizing the U.S. war machine (Anti-Flag, Bad Religion) or presidents with the last name Bush (Green Day).  These are noble things to be sure.  Sadly, there just are not any major punk bands that haven’t drunk the socialist Kool Aid (red Kool Aid, presumably).  NOFX is not too different in that respect.  However, they are right on several key issues: foreign policy (see We March To The Beat Of Indifferent Drum), freedom of expression (see Separation of Church and Skate), and freedom of speech (see Freedumb).  What sets NOFX over the top is their tribute to actual real libertarianism, The Plan.  In it they sing:

Call us libertarian, cause we do as we please Don’t need fear, or force, or farce to know morality Morals aren’t a substance you can shove in someone’s ear They’re basically a byproduct of, a mind thinking clear

Having come up in the 90s, it’s also refreshing that they don’t appear to buy into today’s identity politics.  Their songs are littered with rude, locker room humor, and they poke fun at all sorts of different demographics.  While this may cause some to take offense, at least NOFX do not advocate locking people in prison just for speaking.  Indeed, if the Social Justice Warriors ever take over (Lord, please no), expect to see NOFX albums at the top of the burn pile.

9. Thrice

Thrice has wandered the back alleys between the “metalcore”, “post-hardcore”, and “indie rock” sub-genres since 1998, and still going strong at the time of this writing. In a Thrice song, you can’t be sure if you might hear screaming, beautiful singing, acoustic guitar, keyboards, or face melting metal licks.  Themes of personal brokenness, relational challenges, theology, social evils, and distrust of the status quo fill lyricist/frontman Dustin Kensrue’s lyrics.  Kensrue doesn’t seem to embrace a particular political ideology, but admits “I would align with a fair amount of Libertarian stuff at times.”

You may be able to guess this from songs like “Blood on the Sand“, a condemnation of the US wars in the Middle East or “Under a Killing Moon“, a song about totalitarian leadership in search of “witches to burn.”  “Doublespeak” examines the tendency of people to not want to know the truth about “who pulls the strings.”  “Black Honey” shows the folly and futility of wars in the Middle East, comparing the US government to someone slapping a swarm of bees and wondering why they get stung.  “The Earth Will Shake” is an awesome, skull-pounding chain-gang spiritual about prisoners longing for freedom – and if the earthquake doesn’t topple the prison walls, this song will.

10. Bob Dylan

It would probably be folly to label Bob Dylan “libertarian,” as he is generally impossible to label. Dylan has unquestionably shaped popular music since the 60s.  A few years after he started playing folk, he exchanged his acoustic guitar for an electric guitar and started accompanying his beautiful, poetic, cryptic lyrics with rock music.  Outrage from many of his folk fans followed.  However, having heard this new sound, it occurred to the Beatles and every other rock band at the time that their songs didn’t have to all be about puppy love.  Dylan has taken so many forked roads in his career that no one (and perhaps not even he) can guess where he will go next.

Maybe it’s that whole “I do what I want” attitude that contributes to the streaks of liberty found in many of his songs.  Though his protest songs from the 60s are usually associated with the left, which was doing most of the protesting, libertarians can still latch on to:

Masters of War, a bleak condemnation of war profiteers

With God on Our Side, exposes the inconsistency of how cultures justify war, and who we choose for enemies and allies

Blowin’ in the Wind, his classic, hit song that asks questions like “How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man?” and “How many deaths will it take ’til he knows that too many people have died?”

Rainy Day Women #12 & 35, a lament about how people often want to “stone you” for minding your own business and doing your own thing

Man of Peace, a scathing blast at politicians and people in power: “Sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.”

I Shall Be Released, a beautiful folk/gospel ballad of a prisoner looking forward in hope to his freedom

Honorable Mentions

It’s a good thing that not all of the contenders would fit in a group of 10 – we need more libertarian artists!  So here are some honorable mentions:

LEAH, an independent artist who plays fantasy/celtic influenced metal.  She has a few songs that hint at her own personal beliefs, which are libertarian.

Tatiana Moroz is a singer/songwriter with a beautiful voice who worked with the Ron Paul presidential campaigns and is active in the cryptocurrency community.

Jordan Page is a singer/songwriter who campaigned with Ron Paul.  A hard rock sound and solid, liberty-themed lyrics.

Anti-Flag is a politically radical punk band – great on anti-war and government oppression themes, but not so great on private property.  Check out “Die For Your Government” or “911 For Peace.”

Incubus is a massively popular alternative rock band who rose to fame in the 90s.  Song themes include hubris in political leaders and thinking for yourself.

Thrash metal is back, and Havok brings the liberty message along with copious amounts of hair banging around.  Give a listen to “Give Me Liberty…Or Give Me Death.”

My ego is not so great that I would dream of being near the top 10, but if you’d like to check out my own libertarian music, my song “Send In The Tanks” could be a good start.