#principal bolan

[mapsontheweb]

Regions of Current Age Pakistan before Invasion of Alexander

Alexander the Great's military campaigns in the Indus Valley (modern-day Pakistan) involved significant engagements with local territories, kingdoms, and their rulers. In 329 B.C., Alexander conquered Qandhar and encountered Indian tribes for the first time, marking the beginning of his interactions with the complex political landscape of the area. By 327 B.C., he had crossed the Hindukush Mountains, capturing key fortifications such as Astes Fort and massacring 7000 Indians at Massaga of Assakenians. His conquest continued with the siege and capture of Aornos in December of the same year.

During his campaigns, Alexander encountered various powerful entities in the region. The Buddhists, particularly in Sind, were influential, with prominent temples in Multan and Alore. Despite the power of the Buddhist monks, the Brahmins played a significant role in resisting Greek advances, inciting rebellion among local rulers such as Sambus. This resistance led to notable conflicts, including the defeat of Poros in 326 B.C. and the collapse of the Mallians in 325 B.C. The Greek conqueror’s interactions with these local powers highlight the complex and multi-faceted nature of the region's political dynamics.

Alexander's campaign in the southern Punjab in 326 B.C. was marked by the defeat of the Malli and Oxydraki principalities, followed by the liberation of the rivers Hydaspes, Acesines, and Indus. His naval fleet, consisting of 2000 warships, played a crucial role in these operations. The submission of Musicanus, the chief of upper Sind, who paid homage to Alexander to avoid destruction, further exemplifies the mix of military might and diplomatic engagements that characterized Alexander's approach. The appointment of Peithon as the Governor of Sind and the dispatch of Krateros with an army via Bolan Pass were strategic moves to consolidate Greek control over the region.

The period following Alexander's departure saw significant turmoil. In 325 B.C., revolts in Patala and other regions, such as the rebellion of Sambus and Musicanus, were brutally suppressed. Alexander's forces, led by his generals, employed severe measures, including mass executions and enslavement, to quell these uprisings. The death of Philippus, the Satrap of Upper Sindhu Valley, due to internal jealousy among Greeks and Macedonians, underscores the tensions within Alexander’s administration. These events reveal the fragile nature of Greek control and the persistent resistance from local rulers and populations.

Alexander's death in 323 B.C. marked a turning point, as his empire was divided among his generals. Despite the fragmentation of his empire, Sind continued to be governed by Peithon, reflecting the lasting impact of Alexander's conquests on the region. The strategic and administrative decisions made during his campaigns had enduring effects, shaping the political landscape of Sind and its neighboring territories. Alexander's legacy in these regions is a testament to the complex interplay of military conquest, local resistance, and administrative governance that defined his rule.

[cantsayidont]

VELVET GOLDMINE (1998): Stylish but deadening Todd Haynes '70s glam rock homage, a CITIZEN KANE riff following reporter Arthur Stuart (Christian Bale) as he investigates the fate of glam star Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), who faked his own on-stage murder and disappeared 10 years earlier.

As Arthur chases after people who knew Brian, including the star's estranged ex-wife Mandy (Toni Collette) and his one-time lover/muse Curt Wild (Ewan McGregor), flashbacks reveal that Arthur himself once hovered on the fringes of the glam scene, longing to be part of its hedonistic atmosphere of genderfluid gay sex without ever quite committing (although we eventually learn he did have a brief groupie tryst with Curt). In other hands than Haynes', this might have been poignant, but neither Bale's wooden performance nor the thin script provides any more reason to care about Arthur (about whose present life we're told almost nothing) than about Brian, Mandy, or Curt, whom Haynes treats more as extensions of the sets and wardrobe than as three-dimensional characters; an Oscar-bait scene where Mandy laments giving up her girlhood for Brian seems like an excerpt from a completely different movie.

Obviously, the film's principal claims to fame are its production design and the opportunity to see its skinny white British stars naked and snogging, but once the McGregor peen has been brandished and the snogging dispensed with (and awfully perfunctorily, even for 1998), the rest barely qualifies as "wispy." Dramatic stakes are nonexistent, and with so many layers of emotional detachment, even its most decadent moments are less involving than just watching some old music videos or documentary clips. As in other Haynes projects, the look and feel of the period is lavishly if superficially reproduced, but after about an hour, you may feel like you're suffocating in the display case. The soundtrack's pastiche glam rock songs are so vacuous they border on parody, and you gain nothing by recognizing the various story elements Haynes borrowed from the lives and careers of real glam rock stars like Bowie and Marc Bolan. CONTAINS LESBIANS? You must be joking. VERDICT: A collection of gifsets in search of a story, characters, or a reason to give a shit. As disdainful as I am of fanfiction, I must concede that you'd probably be better off just putting on some T. Rex and seeing what AO3 has under "Velvet Goldmine."

[misschanadlerbong]

Chapter 13 pt.2 - Fuck Patriarchy

Summary: Graduation ceremony and saying goodbyes.

Warning: Violence and swear words.

Word Count: 1.7k

< Previous

Finally, graduation day arrived, and graduation became more important when students voted you as the valedictorian. You wanted to give a perfect speech that would provoke a feeling of enthusiasm and motivation in the audience. There was just one thing that you were not allowed to say, Principal told you explicitly to not use any offending words. So, you spent days preparing for the speech which gave you an excuse to not talk about the fight Clay and you had on the night of Prom.

The fight could have led to the breakup but not if you do not talk about it. All you both did was pretend as if nothing happened and figure things out on your own. It created a distance between both of you, but you were still officially together.

You reached school with Tony, and Jessica, and met Charlie and Alex at the school gate. Justin and Clay were going to come together. Everyone stood in the hallway talking about how they will miss everyone and what they are pursuing after they graduate.

“I am going to miss you a lot, Alex.” Said Charlie holding his hand.

Alex pecked his lips and said, “I am going to miss you too Charles. But we have all summer, and you are graduating next year you can come to my college, and we can have a lot of fun together.”

Suddenly a boy came behind Alex and wrapped his hand around his shoulder. “Aww aren’t you guys the sweetest?” he mocked.

Alex threw his hand off his shoulder pushing him and yelled “Fuck off, Monty!”

“Fuck you, Alex! You fucking faggot!” growled Monty.

“No, Monty you’re not man enough.”

Everybody was shocked at Alex’s reply and started clapping at his sassiness. But Monty became furious and took a step toward Alex intending to hit him. You came in between and drove him off by your hand.

“Back off Monty.” You demanded.

Monty smirked and said, “At least now I know what your hand feels like against my chest,” you removed your hand from his chest with disgust on your face. Before you knew Clay came from behind and punched Monty in the face and howled “That’s my girlfriend you are talking about dick.”

You never saw Clay this angry before. You were supposed to worry but instead, a smile took over your face seeing your protective boyfriend. Monty started to retaliate and with him, his other friends also joined the fight. You came out of the battle zone and leaned beside a locker to watch. Jessica asked, “Aren’t we supposed to stop them?”

“No, if we go in there, we will end up getting hurt and I don’t think they are going to stop. You know what they say, never break up a dog’s fight.” You suggested.

“You have a point.” Jessica agreed.

The students were divided into two groups on one side it was Clay, Tony, Alex, Justin, Charlie and Monty, Scott, Bryce, Diego, and Luke on the other. Clay took it up with Bryce. All these days when he wanted to beat the shit out of him, he finally got the chance. “How…dare you… touch my…girlfriend” yelled Clay in intervals while pushing him with force.

Unfortunately, Clay was not strong enough to fight him all by himself and ended up getting punched by Bryce in his eye. Out of nowhere Zach came in between and pushed Bryce against the locker throwing limitless punches at him.

“You ruined my fucking life” howled Zach.

“All this because you didn’t get to fuck Y/N? Because I got to her while she was still dating you? Huh, Dempsey? She didn’t fuck you because you are a fucking pussy ass bitch.” Teased Bryce.

Zach got more furious and punched Bryce harder this time leading his nose to bleed. “Yeah, right. At least I didn’t get punched by Y/N like you did multiple times. And for the record, you couldn’t fuck her either.” Said Zach returning the favor.

Before the fight could escalate more Principal Bolan and the school counselor came in between to stop the fight and shouted “Stop it, everybody! It is a good thing you cannot get suspended now. Proceed to the ground for your graduation ceremony, everyone now!”

Everyone stopped and started walking towards the school ground for the ceremony. All it took was just one intense argument to release all the stored anger these boys. Clay walked towards you stretching out his hand for you to hold it.

“That was fucking impressive Jensen.”

“Thank you!” Clay chuckled lightly.

“You know you are gonna have a blue eye tomorrow, right?” you raised your eyebrow.

“Would you love me less if I did have a blue eye?” asked Clay.

“Eh, well…” you teased him and shrugged while chuckling.

You all assembled on the school ground. The ground was sunbathed with malachite green and bright yellow color, and the audience stand was decorated with the school’s official blue color. You all put on your blue gowns and caps and settled yourselves into the arranged seats in front of the stage. Above the stage hung a huge blue banner that said, ‘Congratulations Liberty High Class of 2023’.

The ceremony started with the principal’s welcome speech and then everybody was called up on the stage one by one to receive the graduation certificate. After the certificate distribution, Jessica as the Class president was asked to give a speech. Her speech was eloquent, engaging, and confident and had a spark of feminism in it.

After the class President, it was the valedictorian’s turn to enlighten the audience with her words. Hence, you climbed up on the stage to the podium and adjusted the mic according to your height.

“I came to this school with a lot of aspirations and hopes. Switching to this school has been a meaningful change in my life, I learned a lot during my time here. I made new friends, met new people, found love, and made new enemies,” you paused as the audience laughed at your ‘enemies’ point. “Halfway through the year, I thought I will not be able to survive this high school phase. It’s so hard to wake up every morning not knowing what challenge you will face today in school; would you get good grades? Would you be able to keep up with the trends? Would you be able to satisfy your parents? Will your friends remain your friends? High school is hard to survive but I am living proof, we all are. We survived high school. Struggling through all the challenges breaks us into pieces but we must pick up those pieces and create a new you, the unbreakable you. I wish you guys all the best for your life ahead…And yes as our president said, ‘fuck the patriarchy’.”

Hearing those last words your principal frowned and sighed and was forced to clap. The audience burst into a round of applause and a few parents including your parents even gave you a standing ovation. To mark the end of the ceremony everybody threw their caps in the sky. The sky got filled with blue caps flying into the air. The view was spectacular.

You climbed down the stage to meet the gang and Jessica came from behind announcing “We survived high school ya’ll bring it in.”

“Nah I don’t do hugs.” Said, Clay.

“Oh, come on Nerd, don’t throw tantrums.” You said dragging him into the group hug.

Clay wanted to talk to you about something so after having coffee at the Monéts with everybody you both climbed up to the cliff to enjoy the beautiful sunset whilst talking.

The view from the cliff was magnificent the evening sun cast long mysterious shadows on the ground. The setting sun's slanting rays gave the sky an orange tinge. The cliff was Clay’s special spot, whenever he felt sad or felt a need to be alone, he came here. You have been with Clay a couple of times to just enjoy the sweet air against your skin and cuddle up on the wintery nights.

You put your head on Clay’s shoulders and said, “Hey Clay, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“I wanted to say something too about the fight we had, I guess we should talk.” Said Clay with a concerned tone in his voice.

“Okay, you go first.” You said sitting up straight and making eye contact with him.

“I am so sorry for storming off that night. I got too angry and feared I might say something that could have hurt you. So, I am sorry for that. But the thought of losing you was unbearable, and I thought about it. I think you can love people and still let them go. So, Y/N I love you, and I let you go, go live your dream. And you know if we happen to meet after a few years and are still single then maybe we can find a way back to each other.”

“Aww Clay, do you want me to cry? You are such a drama queen.”

“You wanted to say something?” inquired Clay.

“Yes, a couple of days earlier I received a mail from Stanford University, and guess what? I got in. So, I am sorry Clay Jensen you are stuck with me for a little longer here in California as I decided to go there.” You said with a cheery voice.

“But what about your dream college?” asked Clay.

“Clay, I did a little reflecting and realized that you are the best thing that has happened to me this year and someone told me that if you love someone hold onto them. Do not ever let go of them. Clay, you made me happy, if it were not for you, I don’t think I could have gotten any better after all things I have been through. So, I am never letting you go. And for the record, your mother offered me the summer internship, so I will be assisting her in her legal clinic.”

Clay’s piercing blue eyes started shining and a grin took over his pretty face adding a blush to his cheeks. You leaned in and planted a sweet kiss on his lips.

“Ouch” cried, Clay.

“Oops,” you said realizing the cut he had on his lips due to the fight. You rested your forehead against him and then hugged him while the sun set down on the horizon.

THE END.

A/N: I want to thank you all for reading this book and giving it so much love. I hope you all enjoyed it and it was worth the read, thank you so much, I love you all.

Shower your love by liking and commenting on the post. Refrain from copying, plagiarism, or posting on any other platform.

THANK YOU!!!

P.S.: I also upload on Wattpad @immafreakingmoonstone, feel free to check out my account :)

[maximuswolf]

What band reunions could happen but never ever will...

What band reunions could happen, but never, ever will... Meaning all members are still alive and capable of playing music. What are some bands that could reunite, but almost certainly never will? Here's the ones I can think of. Who am I missing?Uncle Tupelo: Although Jeff and Jay do pretty much hate each other, the problem with this reunion is that there are not enough fans to justify a promoter paying what it would probably take to make the reunion happen. It would make a small amount of people very happy though.Jellyfish: Once again, this would make a small amount of people very happy, and superfans would pay anything to see it, but like Uncle Tupelo, a promoter such as Bonnaroo or Coachella would not pay the amount of money it would take to justify the members doing it simply because they are not a festival headliner. Furthermore, Andy Stermer is an eccentric creative who has no respect for his former bandmates musical talent, and has made enough money in his other projects.Skid Row: This one would be worth millions to the band and promoters alike, however, the two principal songwriters, Dave Sabo and Rachel Bolan hate Sebastian Bach so much that they have declined monumental offers to do a reunion. Rachel Bolan once said "I would rather live on actual skid row than be in a band with Sebastian Bach".White Lion: Singer Mike Tramp would do it tomorrow, but principal songwriter Vito Bratta left the music business more than 30 years ago and simply does not care. He also lived a humble life, saved all his money, and doesn't need the proceeds from a reunion tour to be happy.Honorable mention to the below because I don't think it's fair to say 'never' in regard to these. I think these reunions will eventually happen, if only for one show festival type performances.OasisWhite StripesTalking Heads Submitted August 24, 2024 at 08:24AM by SistersAndBoggs https://ift.tt/6sPXt9u via /r/Music

[rutaalrocknoticias]

Diamond Dogs celebran 30 años de rock n'roll en 12 conciertos de aniversario

22 DE MAYO. WOLF, BARCELONA 23 DE MAYO. CLAMORES, MADRID 24 DE MAYO. ROCK & BLUES, ZARAGOZA 25 DE MAYO. LOCO CLUB, VALENCIA 26 DE MAYO. LEMON ROCK, GRANADA (SON EG) 27 DE MAYO. LA GUARIDA DEL ÁNGEL, JEREZ 28 DE MAYO. BABYLON, LEÓN 29 DE MAYO. GARUFA CLUB, A CORUÑA 30 DE MAYO. FACTORÍA, AVILÉS 31 DE MAYO. ALDEAROCK, ALDEA DE SAN MIGUEL (VALLADOLID) 1 DE JUNIO. AREATZA MUSIK & BEER, AREATZA 2 DE JUNIO. OCTAVO ARTE, SEGOVIA (WIC)

“Alguien debe mantener vivo el ‘rawk’, y los Diamond Dogs lo han hecho consustentemente mejor que nade en los últimos 20 años” Captain Sensible (The Damned)

“Los suecos Diamond Dogs son una de las bandas más ‘cool’ sobre la tierra” Wilko Johnson “Tocamos muchas veces con los Faces, y créeme, Rod y los muchachos tuvieron noches buenas y noches malas, pero Diamond Dogs son realmente como los Faces en las noches brillantes” Dan McCafferty (Nazareth)

“Una combinación de Mott the Hoople, el glam británico de 1973, la ELO de la era Roy Wood, el primer owie y los Faces. ¡Diamond Dogs son así de molones! Una voz rugosa y humeante mezclada con un piano honky tonk y guitarras seductoras. La atmósfera cálida trae el aire de los años dorados, y la energía de las canciones y la interpretación aseguran el rock para una nueva generación” Benny Andersson (ABBA)

Treinta años no son nada.

Quién les iba a decir al vocalista Sören “Sulo” Karlsson, el teclista Henrik “The Duke of Honk” Widen y el guitarrista Anders “Boba Fett” Lindström cuando fundaron Diamond Dogs en Katrineholm, Södermanland (Suecia) en 1992 que seguirían llevando el rock n’ roll por todo el mundo tres décadas más tarde.

Sulo y Honk siguen al frente de los perros de diamante, con Boba, miembro de los Hellacopters desde 1997, dedicado a la banda mandre, siendo Sulo el compositor principal y Honk el líder artístico. Los preceptos de la banda apenas han cambiado desde entonces; rock n’ roll influenciado por el rhythm & blues británico de los 70, los espíritus del glam, el boogie, las melodías de taberna y la suciedad y el desparrame de una fiesta pirata en la que la tripulación estuviera formada por Bowie, Marc Bolan, Elton John, los Faces y los Stones.

Sus shows energéticos les han llevado a compartir escenario con todo el mundo desde Ian Hunter, Dogs D’Amour, The Cult, Hanoi Rocks, Iggy Pop, Dan Baird o The Quireboys a lo largo y ancho del globo, siendo España una segunda casa para ellos donde, como la mayoría de bandas de aquel boom rocanrolero sueco del que surgieron, siempre han gozado de una fervorosa legión de fans. Sin embargo, lejos de la explosión de high-energy que abanderaban la mayoría de sus compatriotas, ellos siempre optaron por el sabor a whisky añejo del rock n’ roll clásico. 

Y aquí siguen, en sus trece, con un nuevo disco bajo el brazo, ‘About The Hardest Nut To Crack’, y metidos de nuevo en el estudio junto a la leyenda de la guitarra Chris Spedding para grabar un álbum de tributo al inmortal Little Richard.

Y lo más importante, esos treinta años tendrán una celebración especial, con 12 conciertos en España en mayo de 2024, en los que interpretarán de cabo a rabo su disco más celebrado, y un clásico de su tiempo, ‘Too Much Is Always Better… Than Not Enough’ (2022), además de muchos otros clásicos y sorpresas de su repertorio.

El rock ha muerto, ¡larga vida al rock!

[elisaenglish]

Look, here’s the thing. There should be more of us here. And lately, I have been thinking about why they’re not here. I have a history of causing trouble with my speeches. Principal Bolan actually had to approve my speech just so I wouldn'’t make trouble. But that was a month ago. And my life has changed since then. But don’t worry, I’m not causing any trouble today. Because I just want you to hear me. Some of you circulated a petition this year, demanding I be removed from office. Saying that I was a one-issue president, and I had made my point, and I should just shut up. Well, no girls signed that petition. So, news, boys, our point is far from made. And we’re not shutting up. But you are right about one thing: I am a one-issue president. I’m a one-issue person. I spent the last couple of years angry. Hurt. Scared. But I’m not gonna do that anymore. I’m gonna focus on my one issue.

Which is love. Oh, what? Does talking about love make you embarrassed? Is it girly? What? Because it’s the thing. It’s the only thing. It’s easy to hate. It’s easy to fear. It’s goddamn hard to love. But it’s not optional. It’s essential. It’s life or death. I challenge you. Love each other. Do it. Do it better. Now and every day. I love you all.

Oh, and fuck the patriarchy.

[yaradelacruz]

What do you think you’re doing?

[justinsjensen]

[mybiggayships]

The principle needs to get what’s coming to him for allowing all of this to continue at his school. he didn’t even look at the files mr. Porter gave him. 

[kinzelee94]

13 Reasons Why Reaction: Episode 4

TAPE 2 - SIDE B

The amount of times Clay accidentally hurts himself I swear… lol And again! He just ran into a fucking parked car.

—Tyler Down— —Subject of tape 2B—

“What on earth is a ‘cum dumpster’?” “Well, sir, I assume… well, it could be a guy or a girl, actually.” “Oh, Jesus Christ. These kids, they can’t even spell, and they come up with this shit.”

“Why aren’t you entering the costume contest?” “Because I’m not wearing a costume.”

Oh Jesus, that daydream….

And now I’m crying…

Did Clay send the pic to everyone? Or just the ones on the tapes? Cause yeah Tyler kinda deserves payback but it’s just continuing the cycle, so that’s never a good thing.

[shrimpsicality]

The "Happy Birthday Gang": HBG's birthday scheme exposed

By Nerdi

------

A birthday scheme? What's that? I hear you ask.

Well… I've previously been sworn to secrecy, but now I'm finally able to tell you all about HBG's greatest scheme yet.

And why 'scheme'? It's just a nicer word than scam.

Let's start from the beginning.

Nearly a month ago, a Class 9B student interrupted a particularly boring assembly by announcing that it was his birthday.

Mustard (not 21), the student in question, recounted: "You and I both know how much the teachers love birthdays; they stopped to wish me happy birthday, sing the song, blah blah blah…"

Sources tell me it was not, in fact, his birthday that day.

"No, it was!" Feinberg, who's leaning over my shoulder to check what I'm writing (and make sure I don't call him bitcjslfglg–), says. Well, it's usually Fulham who proofreads my things, but I guess today I'm getting the help of Fein instead.

So, you know, if the quality suddenly becomes drastically worse, that's what happened. Getting someone who (still) doesn't know what an adjective is to proofread your work almost never ends well.

"Geo let him pick his birthday," Fein explains. If anything embarrassing about me gets posted on his Twitter today, it's fake and you should block him. "He changes it every day."

Of course, making an entire school sing Happy Birthday was a complete, deafening mess, but it took a little over five minutes and completely derailed the assembly, so mission accomplished, I guess?

Now, the other siblings couldn't let a discovery with so much potential go to waste.

The next day, two other siblings celebrated their (totally real) birthdays: Zylenox from 10A, who managed to use up an impressive seventeen minutes by convincing his Physics teacher he didn't speak English and wanted the class to sing the song in increasingly obscure languages; and Punz, who pulled the birthday card in all of his classes, wasting more than 30 minutes combined.

From then on, every day marked another sibling's "birthday", sometimes multiple in different classes.

Lesson times were reduced by up to 60% in the first week, with an average of 2 in 3 students witnessing a birthday celebration in at least one of their classes per day.

Said Switch, student of Class 10B: "So I'm not gonna name any names, alright, but there's someone in this class that either has a ridiculous number of birthdays or lied their ass off, because I've had to sing Happy Birthday to them eleven times in the past month."

I'm not naming any names either, so all I'll say on that matter is that I'm surprised the teachers didn't notice.

In unprecedented news, K4yfour (not 4) has finally decided to grace the rest of the Debate team with their presence– only to announce that it's their birthday and immediately leave 'to celebrate' once more. K4yfour, please. Come back. Couri, Crookst, and Feinberg can't entertain us with their three-way rivalry forever.

As the month progressed, various students started claiming their birthdays, most more than once, wasting time and causing chaos.

I don't have the time or paper to list out everyone's contribution to this birthday scheme, but there are two more memorable ones I'd like to highlight:

Firstly, poor Illumina actually had his birthday last week, but nobody believed him. He nearly doxxed himself trying to convince people it was his birthday; it didn't help that his mother was listed as 'The Universe' on his birth certificate.

Of course, he still got a celebration, as did everyone else regardless of the legitimacy of their birthday claims.

Secondly, I have to commend Matthew Bolan, who came back to school after what feels like a hundred years and told the principal it was his birthday. The dedication to the joke is admirable.

That concludes this report on HBG's birthday scheme. I've been Nerdi, and– what do you mean, I don't have to do an outro?

[13-reasons-ideas]

Once a Serpent? Part 1

A/N: This is a Riverdale X 13 Reasons Why crossover. I stopped watching Riverdale when season 2 got weird. I haven't really kept up with the show since outside of promos. As a result, this won't really line up with much of anything in seasons 3-current. I know I usually have Monty be this great guy who changes for the girl but I decided to try something different this time. This story has gone in a direction I wasn't expecting. It won't be super different than normal for a while, but I will give content warnings where needed. Let me know what you guys think and if you want me to continue! As always, feel free to send feedback or Q&A type questions. And much love! - Em

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real people is purely coincidental. 

I found Nathan over by the river. He was staring out over the cliff. My black leather jacket was pulled around me tightly. It was a cold August. “Hey.” I called out to him, softly.

“Hey.” He didn’t turn around.

“Can we talk?”

“About?”

“What happened?”

“Not much to talk about, is there Kennedy?”

“Nate…” I started. “Please?”

“Fine.” He sighed, walked back closer to the trail, and sat on a rock. I watched him run a hand through his shaggy hair.

“I just found out last night. I was going to tell you today. I didn’t think it was something you should tell someone on the phone.”

“I just don’t get why you have to go. You’re an adult.”

“Because. I haven’t graduated and I have nowhere to stay here.” He opened his mouth to speak. “My boyfriend’s trailer doesn’t count.”

“Okay. When do you leave?”

“Three days. My mom needs time to finish her week. Dad leaves tonight.”

“You can keep the jacket until then.”

“Thanks.”

“Not doing it to be nice. You know that.”

“I know. But still. Thank you.” He merely hummed in response. “For everything.” I felt tears welling in my eyes. He knew me too well and, even if he didn’t want to, he opened his arms for a hug. I took a few steps forward into his grasp. He wrapped his arms tightly around me as I sobbed. I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to leave you. He shushed me and petted my hair. “I love you Nate.”

“I love you too Kenna.” His voice sounded small. I stepped away from him hhen I calmed down enough to breathe properly again. I couldn’t look at him again as I walked away.

Three days passed by in the blink of an eye. One minute I was starting to fold clothes, the next, I was staring at the jacket on my empty mattress. My room was full of boxes for the movers to take. The Serpent jacket stared back at me. It was almost mocking me. You knew this was a possibility when you got involved. “Shut up.” I muttered.

It was time for me to give the jacket back. Giving it up was almost harder than the breakup. It had become a part of me in the last two years. The thought of being without it made me feel cold. As hard as it was, I knew it didn’t belong to me anymore. So, I took a deep breath and picked it up. I didn’t put it on. There was no reason to make this even harder than it already was.

I pulled to the side of the road when I got to Sunnyside. I knew my car was safe on the side of the road because I was in Serpent territory. Walking along the gravel to his trailer, I felt a pit growing in my stomach. I could have given the jacket to Jughead, or Toni, or Fangs to give to him. No, you couldn’t. I had to see him one last time. The last time couldn’t have really been the last time.

“No, man. I’m all good.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. It’s not like we were going to work anyway.” Is that? Are they… are they talking about me?

“What do you mean?” Fangs asked. I stopped dead in my tracks behind a random trailer. I was far enough away that neither of them could see me.

“Kennedy is,” Sweetpea paused, “she’s the experiment. You know, try the pretty little rich girl from the North side. See how that goes. See what it’s like.”

“I wouldn’t say that. Look at Betty and Jug.”

“Kennedy is not Betty.”

“Okay?”

“Look. Fangs. Kennedy is the girl who marries the CPA. She buys a house with him in the suburbs with a picket fence. They have a couple or three kids and buy a golden retriever who loves everyone. She doesn’t marry the guy who’s in a gang. We are both better off for this.”

I was stunned. I didn’t know what to do. I knew I couldn’t go out there and make my presence known. But I had his stupid jacket. Jones. I ran back to the entrance of the trailer park and went around the other way to get to the Jones’ trailer. I still had a key that I was going to give back after I gave Nathan, Sweetpea, back his jacket. Leaving the jacket on the kitchen table, I grabbed an old envelope and a pen. This doesn’t belong to me. I wrote quickly. It was messy but I knew he would know who it was from and who it was for. I left the note and the key beside the jacket. Again, I couldn’t look back as I walked away.

My mom and I arrived in Evergreen County just in time for me to be enrolled in school before the first day of classes. I would be attending Liberty High School. From the second I walked in the door with my parents to sign my paperwork, I knew this school would be just like the rest. The walls were lined with permanent “do your best” posters and trophy cases at any given turn. The smell that could only be described as eau de jock permeated the halls.

The principal’s office was down the hall. I tried to hang back from my parents. “Ah, you must be the Campbells. Major Campbell. Mrs. Campbell. And Kennedy.” The man I could only assume was the principal, judging by his obviously fake charm and smile, greeted us. “Gary Bolan.” My dad shook his hand firmly.

“Matthew Campbell.”

“You can call me Heather.”

“Of course.”

“Kennedy, come here darling.” My mom called for me. I walked over to her wordlessly.

“Hi.” I nodded. I had done this plenty of times before.

I decided to take advantage of my few more moments of freedom and explore the school. They didn’t need me to fill out medical forms and make sure my transcripts transferred properly. The school was big. Much bigger than Riverdale High. Didn’t seem too hard to navigate though. The sound of weights clashing together caught my attention. I followed the sound and found myself standing at the open door of the fitness centre.

There was a boy working out. He seemed hyper focused on his actions. It was mesmerizing in a way. The boy was tall. Not as tall as Nate. Most people weren’t. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say maybe between six feet and six foot two. It was hard to tell since he was sitting down. His brown hair was damp with sweat. I watched him. Not in a creepy way. Just… observed. I could tell by his form and muscles that he was probably an athlete. Judging by his size, maybe football? Small beads of sweat trailed down his tan neck. I coughed suddenly and caught this mystery boy off guard. He set the weights down and turned to face me. His face was…. And the cheekbones. Kennedy. What? He’s pretty.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“No worries.” He stood up and used his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face. Those abs. Good Lord. I blinked quickly to keep myself from staring. “I didn’t realize anyone was still here.”

“Oh. My parents are just enrolling me now. We moved here a few days ago from New York.”

“Cool. And you are?”

“Oh. Uh. I’m Kennedy.”

“Montgomery.” He nodded.

[covinskyswhore]

Clay Jensen (season 1): Oh dear, I hope I did well on that test. Good morning Principal Bolan, how are you today? Today’s is going to be a great day! I hope no one finds out about the tapes and who’s on them.

Clay Jensen (season 4): Does it fucking look like I give a fuck? Shut your bitch ass up Bolan, fucking pussy ass bitch. Bryce and Monty are literally rapists. Fuck school, fuck the system! You can all suck my dick!

[marziblogsworld]

THIS SHOW WAS A MESS AND IT MADE ME A MESS. WELCOME TO THE REVIEW OF THE SERIES FINALE OF 13 REASON WHY.

Ok first thing first. I want to get something off my chest and that is, why I mean why is this school, this liberty high is still running, why this school not blacklisted or had a shortage of students after what everything happened from S1-S4. Like there was no series of people going to depression or 'high school shit' there were legit deaths. Death happened when students literally going around murdering other students. I mean this school went from trials to a murder investigation like i dont know but in my country thia school would have been closed by now or students would have withdraw from this harrowing place

SERIOUSLY METAL DEDECTORS, CAMERAS AND THESE TRAUMATISING DRILLS AND EXERCISES, and taking to apar where there is no fine line of morality or consicous. Putting these things doesn't show that you are helping them PRINCIPAL BOLAN it makes them think that they being watched. That these kids aren't to be trusted. I mean come on these are just kids. Sure messed up, but still kids. AND WHERE THE FUCK WAS MISS SHING!!!!!!. WHERE IS THE SCHOOL CONSOUSLLER IN ALL OF THIS SHIT!!!!,and dont you dare fucking tell me that she agreed to all of this bull shit.

*phew* i am like literally mad and angry over the whole school shit..... ANYWAYS! Talking about the whole story line of this series i feel like yeah it was good. I liked how they showed the aftermath of everything that happened in S3. Like i dont know about you people but for me the end of S3 was hard to digest and its good that they showed that even our characters are not A-Okay with all that they did.

I had high hopes for Winston Williams in this last season. I thought he will come with a full reckoning and tear down those ugly walls build around this squad and literally scare them i was let down. In the Start he was but then he was like kinda vanished in between and the JOCKS! took over,which brings me to my another rant.

Making shows like these,tackling things that are based on reality have responsibility to even show a number of possibilities of 'HOPE'. We watch shows like these because we resembles to what our characters going through or we had or have someone who was going through this and these shows should show a message that change is there and they should not think that this world is doom.13RW did some changes with girl power, standing up for what is right, raising a hand or a voice when something doesn't fit or is wrong so why couldn't they handle this jock culture. Why i always see jocks dunder and hot heads following like a flock of sheeps behind there captian and not have a voice. A change should be shown in them too that they are not heartless bitches. Liberty high put cameras to show that they protect there students but at the same time allowing those stupid Jocks to wear jackets that honour a fucking rapist infront of his victim which is totally triggering and unhealthy. He didnt fucking died or went to jail for BRYCE DEATH. HE WENT BECAUSE HE WAS A CONVICTED RAPIST and you are fucking HONOURING HIM!!!!!. I hate you Diego.There should be like a huge change in them since BRYCE was a jock and he was rapists. Monty was in the team too and he was convicted of sexual assult, there names, this team is like totally tainted and not raising a voice to clear there names and instead honouring them shows who you truely are.

I SAID ZALEX AND THEY HEARD ME!!. I got ZALEX and i dont care like in what way. I got it and it was AMAZING solid Friendship.

Recently watching Teen Wolf,loving 3B and then watching 13 Reasons Why and looking at Clay's condition all i have to say. NOGITSUNE! Is that you. Honey are you sure, you didnt travel into the wrong universe.

Okay now lets talk about the main part, that wraps this show under a neat little bow or in this case wrapping it carelessly and putting stapplers and glue and making it all yucky instead of a bow.

I mean like WHAT THE FUCK!!?!?. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK WAS THAT. The ending was bullshit and literally unnecessary. What was going on for the past 8 episode was amazing why did they have to put this. I mean why the Fuck would you want to put that shit there,only for shock value!!!!!!. I wanna know your reaction people. I wanna know what you guys feel,cuz i was angry and sad and upset and SHIT WE DONT WANT THAT. We fucking escape into our fiction world from our real one not to see that there is no hope especially when the world is falling apart when a ounce of love and hope is what we are finding right now, when everything is all bloody and messy and then you shove this shit infront of us. WAS IT JUSTIFIABLE?, WAS IT NECESSARY?. I think not. Moreover what kind of a message you shared that people like justin doesnt have a chance to do better, they will never survive or a person like Clay should not believe in love or mere the idea of it!! Because whenever CLAY JENSEN LOVE SOMEONE they leave him in one way or another and LIKE BULLSHIT WITH THE MESSAGE 'YOU SURVIVE'. So does that means that Clay jensen should just 'survive' and not 'live'. TELL ME PEOPLE I WANNA HEAR, IS IT JUST ME OR DO YOU PEOPLE FELT IT TOO. COMMENT BELOW.

Anyways. This show had many aspects and scenes that was triggering for alot of people out there, and if you feel like you wanna talk or rant even at my review i give you a full free chance to SPEAK UP! to say your heart out because i am hear to listen. BECAUSE WHOEVER YOU ARE, WHATEVER YOU FELT, WHATEVER YOU HAVE DONE. I AM WITH YOU because.....I LOVE YOU AND I HEAR YOU!!

#justindeservesbetter

#clayjensendeservesbetter

PS. sorry if it was too spoilery but i couldn't handle it.

[scottiereed]

Survivor - Scott Reed x Reader

((GIF is not mine))

Pairing: Scott Reed x Reader

Requested: Yes! By anon:

‘could you do an imagine where when the whole “I’m a survivor” scene plays out the reader stands up and Scott’s like proud of her as fuck and just a cute fluffy imagine? ❤️’

Summary: You stand up during Jessica’s speech 

Words: 1056 words

Warnings: talk about the clubhouse, the survivor speech

A/N: requests are open :)

13 Reasons Why Masterlist

You watched, nervously, as Jessica started to deliver her speech. You hoped that she wasn’t about to apologise for the homecoming game, as the Principal so desperately wanted. Perhaps it hadn’t been the best way of going about it but the fact that those things continued to happen in a school that had caused a young girl’s death was abhorrent.

Jessica spoke about how people needed to be accountable for their mistakes and that people needed to focus on healing. You realised she wasn’t about to apologise. It made you nervous, wondering if she was about to pull another stunt. While it was cathartic and healing for some people, it made you rather nauseous.

“The protest I led was an attempt to try to draw attention to rape culture in boys’ sports and throughout our school.” Jessica continued, and you looked down at your boyfriend Scott, who was sat with Zach, Alex and Justin. “And yes, I admit that the way I went about it wasn’t perfect. I’m sorry for how it all ended up. I really am. But making mistakes is part of being a survivor.”

Jessica looked over at Justin, who you noticed looked equally nervous and uncomfortable. “At first, you think you’re like permanently broken. But then, little by little, you start picking up the pieces, and you start realising what you’re making is a mirror. And the more of those pieces that you put together, the more you start to see yourself.” The words struck a chord with you, reminiscent of how you used to feel before Scott had turned up and unknowingly put your broken pieces back together.

“But maybe we can start picking up those pieces of that mirror together, and we can finally see the truth.” Jessica looked around the hall and noticed the approving faces. “If you think that sexual assault doesn’t affect your life, you’re wrong. There are survivors all around us.” You shifted uncomfortably, starting to understand where Jessica’s speech was heading. “People you care about, who you never knew were suffering in silence. Let them know that you’re there to listen. It’s time for you to know the survivors in your life.” A roll of nausea overwhelmed you, and your heart dropped.

“To hear their stories and to know their voice matters.” Jessica’s arms dropped by her side, seemingly done with her speech. “My name is Jessica Davies, and I’m a survivor.”

Everyone broke out into whispers as Jessica looked around the hall. “My name is Casey Ford, and I’m a survivor.” You looked to your left and saw the outspoken girl from your Lit class.

“My name is Janelle Martin, and I’m a survivor.” A girl from your trig class.

Across from you, another girl stood up. “My name is Maggie Kim, and I’m a survivor.” You vaguely recall her from last years biology class.

The hall door closed noisily, and you noticed Clay Jensen enter the hall. His appearance had spurred another into action. “My name is Tyler Down, and I’m a survivor.” The boy shakily stated and your heart broke, no wonder he’d been so unhappy for the past few months. Students seemed to be more shocked that it had happened to a boy too. You found yourself feeling angry at their ignorance. Your confidence was slowly starting to build.

“My name is Lina Ochoa, and I’m a survivor.” Homeroom.

“My name is Sarah Stern. I’m a survivor.” Your home-ec class.

“My name is Robby Corman, and I’m a survivor.” The boy whose locker was next to yours.

“My name is Tanya Brown. I’m a survivor.” Your P.E. class.

You noticed Justin stand up near Scott and your heart broke again. “My name is Justin Foley, and I’m a survivor.” Jessica looked shocked, and so did your friends. But it gave you the confidence that you needed. If Justin could stand up, so could you.

“My name is Y/N Y/L/N, and I’m a survivor.” You felt the stares, and your legs shook. Justin shot you a shaky smile, and your boyfriend shot you a saddened look.

“My name is Stephanie Rodriguez, and I’m a goddamn survivor.” You were glad that the attention was drawn from you.

There was scattered applause around the room, and you fought against the urge to sit back down or flee from the hall. People continued to stand and state their name.

Jessica grabbed the microphone and stepped down from the podium. “To those of you who are still seated, I know a lot of you still have stories, but you’re not ready to share them yet.” Jessica looked around the hall, and so did you. You were slightly horrified at just how many people you knew that were stood up, we’re you really that blind? “And that’s okay. When you’re ready, we’ll listen. And we will continue to fight to make sure that no one is assaulted, harassed or abused at this school. We will not sit down. We will not be quiet. We will not rest until that happens.”

The applause started, and you noticed Principal Bolan began to applause with less hesitation than you thought he would need. Perhaps, he realised just how many of his pupils were suffering, or perhaps he realised that it was a losing game.

The assembly drew to a close and people began to talk to each other. You saw Robby talking to Tyler and Jess approached Justin. Scott came over to you and wrapped his arms around you. You took in the smell that was uniquely Scott and sighed, tears welling up in your eyes and wetting Scott’s shirt when they fell.

“I am so proud of you.” Scott murmured lowly, pressing his lips against your hair. It had taken you a long time to tell Scott that you had been one of the girls from the Clubhouse. Partly because it had been hard to talk about it and partly because you knew Scott had known about the Clubhouse.

You hummed lightly in response. “It’s shocking how many people we know who suffered like this.” Your mind was on Justin and Tyler, who had obviously been suffering in silence.

“We can all support each other now.” Scott squeezed you lightly.

Everyone watched in horror as Clay was arrested and you realised any talk about surviving would have to wait.

[idkhowbr]

Upset Magazine: "Durante toda a minha vida me disseram que tudo o que eu queria era impossível, mas aqui estamos nós"

Entrevista original: Ali Shutler para Upset Magazine (ed. 60 | novembro/2020) Tradução: equipe iDKHOW Brazil

Dallon Weekes conta a história de um dos melhores álbuns de 2020.

Inspirado pelos diferentes artistas de outro mundo que roubaram seu coração adolescente, a maior esperança de Dallon Weekes para o iDKHOW era introduzir o estilo de Marc Bolan, David Bowie e The Cure a uma nova geração. "Se não podemos ser sua coisa favorita, talvez eles possam ser," diz ele através de uma ligação pelo Zoom direto do estúdio em sua casa. Sendo um homem que não tem medo de deixar suas influências claras, ele acredita que a música é melhor quando é tratada como uma atividade popular. "Eu aprecio minhas coisas favoritas muito mais quando posso compartilhá-las com outras pessoas. É isso que essa banda é para mim."

Mas seu primeiro álbum, "Razzmatazz", é muito mais impactante do que abrir uma porta às coisas boas de antigamente. Esqueça a nostalgia, este é um disco sobre adversidade, sonhos de infância e se recusar a receber um não como resposta. Cheio de metáforas sobre ficar em isolamento, "este disco é sobre a frustração e raiva que vêm com não poder se comunicar com as pessoas," ele explica.

Adicione uma boa dose de escapismo, uma linguagem elaborada e feliz, e "Razzmatazz" é o álbum perfeito para uma pandemia. "Eu gostaria de poder dizer que o escrevi com a quarentena em mente, mas quem poderia saber o que vinha pela frente?"

Dallon com certeza não sabia — e também não é a primeira vez [que escreve para o álbum]. O primeiro álbum do iDKHOW era para ter sido gravado, originalmente, há anos, mas após a boa recepção de seu primeiros singles como "Modern Day Cain", "Do It All The Time" e "Choke", a banda colocou o pé na estrada para tentar acompanhar a demanda. O disco só foi terminado via email, este ano.

"Não é o melhor momento para lançar músicas, mas esperar ainda mais iria realmente me deixar louco. É bom estar aqui, independente do estado do mundo atualmente," diz Dallon. Os fãs do iDKHOW têm esperado há muito tempo, mas ele tem esperado há muito mais.

Quando tinha cinco anos, Dallon quis tocar violão. Ele nem sabia o que era um violão, mas tinha visto um na vitrine de uma loja de penhores e se apaixonou. Uma década depois, pegou um pouco do dinheiro que havia guardado, voltou na mesma loja de penhores e comprou um. "Minha família ficou muito desapontada por eu ter escolhido gastar esse dinheiro em uma total perda de tempo."

Como muitas crianças da classe trabalhadora, Dallon passou toda a sua vida ouvindo as pessoas dizer “para parar de sonhar e tirar a cabeça das nuvens.” Diversas vezes, foi aconselhado a fazer faculdade, arranjar um emprego, ganhar a vida. "Mas nunca houve um plano B. Para mim, sempre foi a música."

Ele "cresceu muito pobre, fazendo trabalho manual," ele explica, em Utah, e só podia viver seus sonhos de músico durante as noites e finais de semana através da sua, agora extinta, banda de indie-rock The Brobecks. Entretanto, quando Ryan Ross e Jon Walker deixaram o Panic! At The Disco em 2009, após o lançamento de seu segundo álbum, o divisor de opiniões "Pretty. Odd.", Dallon foi convidado para se juntar à banda durante as turnês. Após alguns meses, se tornou um membro oficial, ajudando a projetar a arte da capa do "Vices & Virtues" de 2011 e co-escrevendo a maioria das músicas do "Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!" de 2013.

"Eu só fui jogado nesse mundo de celebridades, dinheiro e fama porque o Panic! era uma das maiores bandas do mundo. Eu não fazia parte do mundo deles, mas estava orbitando," diz Dallon, que reconta sobre esses anos como um satélite no "Razzmatazz".

"Por anos, toda energia criativa que eu tive foi direcionada ao Panic!, mas tinha que ser filtrada por uma lente que incluía pessoas de rádio, produtores e outra meia dúzia de pessoas. No final de tudo isso, a ideia original acabava sendo diluída para ter maior aceitação ou a mensagem era mudada. Era muito difícil lidar com isso, mas não era nada que me fizesse chorar até dormir todas as noites. Continuava sendo um ótimo trabalho de qualquer forma," ele adiciona, mostrando ser sempre grato por poder viver uma versão de seus sonhos.

"Se você quer muito algo, então o impossível é apenas uma questão de tomar uma decisão."

Em 2015, Dallon voltou a ser um membro apenas de turnês do Panic!, escrevendo em seu twitter que ainda tocaria baixo, mas não contribuiria mais criativamente para a banda. No próximo ano, ele fundou o iDKHOW com seu ex-parceiro de The Brobecks, Ryan Seaman, e em 2017, saiu do Panic! para focar em seu novo projeto.

"Eu tinha sim algo a provar com esse disco. Durante toda a minha vida me disseram que tudo o que eu queria era impossível, mas aqui estamos nós. É graças ao trabalho duro e um pouco de sorte, mas se você quer muito algo, então o impossível é apenas uma questão de tomar uma decisão."

Pela primeira vez em quase uma década, Dallon estava apostando em si mesmo. "Não existia nenhum objetivo quando começamos o iDKHOW. Não existia outro propósito além de nos divertirmos."

Para ter certeza de que a banda teria espaço para tocar, no primeiro ano do iDKHOW, a banda fez shows secretamente, e Dallon e Ryan negavam seu envolvimento. "Nós sabíamos que teríamos que admitir o que estávamos fazendo às pessoas, e que assim que fizéssemos teria um fluxo enorme de pessoas aparecendo [por causa das bandas que fizemos parte antes]. Mas nunca quisemos tirar vantagem disso. Não queríamos fazer sucesso por causa de outras pessoas. É inevitável que as pessoas digam 'você só está aqui porque você tocava naquela banda’, e essa realidade não está perdida em nós. O que queremos fazer, no entanto, é fazer essa banda tão separada e honestamente quanto possível, com o máximo de credibilidade que pudermos administrar."

Até hoje, o iDKHOW faz de tudo para se destacar do que está por aí. No palco, Dallon usa pontos de glitter em seu rosto inspirados em Marc Bolan simplesmente porque não fazia isso antes. "Isso foi só uma coisinha para separar estar no palco com o Panic! e estar no palco para mim mesmo." E no estúdio, se uma música começa a soar muito familiar, eles pisam no freio e tomam outra direção.

"Ainda tentamos fazer o máximo que podemos para manter esses mundos separados," diz Dallon, antes de admitir que isso é algo difícil de se fazer "quando você fez tanto criativamente para outra banda que suas impressões digitais ainda estão ali."

Entretanto, não é só a sombra de bandas antigas de que Dallon e Ryan (que tocou bateria com o Falling In Reverse) estão tentando fugir. Como uma banda de duas pessoas, todos estão apenas esperando para comparar o iDKHOW ao Twenty One Pilots, Royal Blood ou Death From Above. Por causa disso, "nós, ativamente tentamos evitar similaridades, seja sonoramente, visualmente e esteticamente em tudo que fazemos. Tentamos nos manter os mais únicos possível."

Quando a banda tocava ao vivo, Dallon costumava pegar um ukulele para tocar algumas músicas em versões acústicas, mas isso só aumentava as comparações ao Twenty One Pilots. Agora, ele tem um violão tenor de quatro cordas para esses momentos. "É só um detalhe que pode nos deixar a um passo de distância do que outra banda está fazendo."

Assim como dar espaço para seus empregos durante o dia, aqueles shows secretos também permitiram o iDKHOW descobrir o que raios estavam fazendo. "Já fazia muito tempo que eu não ocupava aquele papel principal no palco, sob os holofotes, que tinha esquecido essa parte de mim", diz Dallon.

Levou um ano inteiro tocando em segredo e todo o "1981 Extended Play" para "descobrir minha própria voz como um escritor." Agora, olhando para o passado, o single de estreia "Modern Day Cain" não parece muito certo. Claro, as mesmas performances rock-glamourosas podem ser encontradas no "Razzmatazz", mas ele "ainda estava com a mentalidade de escrever para outros artistas." 

Soprando as teias de aranha e calçando seus sapatos de frontman, o álbum de estreia do iDKHOW não se intimida em dizer exatamente o que está na mente de Dallon. "Como há muito tempo não tenho tido a oportunidade de escrever sobre essas coisas, acho que tudo saiu de uma só vez. Tem sido catártico."

"Existem poucas coisas que eu odeie tanto quanto o velho clichê de sexo, drogas e rock'n'roll."

Na superfície, "Razzmatazz" soa alegre e otimista, mas logo abaixo disso, torna-se realmente emocional. A macabra "From The Gallows" mostra a banda ansiosa para agradar com Dallon cantando "for you I'd die, or kill myself, whichever makes you smile," enquanto a impetuosa "Leave Me Alone" exige espaço. "Go fly a kite until you're tangled in the hanging tree," Dallon fala com rispidez.

"Essa parece ser a minha configuração padrão. Talvez eu tenha algum tipo de escuridão em mim e escrever músicas é uma forma de isso sair. Se for esse o caso, que assim seja. Parece uma maneira saudável de isso se manifestar."

Não apenas a frustração com a sua própria experiência em Hollywood, "Razzmatazz" questiona a enorme vantagem que as pessoas com dinheiro têm na arte. "Eu não cresci com dinheiro, e até por volta de 2014, eu ainda estava trabalhando regularmente enquanto estava em turnê com uma banda. Estou vindo de um lugar de onde a maioria das pessoas vem."

“Razzmatazz" explora a fúria e a frustração de como todo o sistema é injusto. "As pessoas se conectam com ideias como essa porque muitas pessoas da classe trabalhadora têm grandes sonhos, mas não têm a oportunidade de persegui-los. Muitas vezes isso é por causa de dinheiro, ou porque você não conhece as pessoas certas ou porque a sorte nunca lhes atinge."

"É bizarro pensar que lá fora, no meio do nada, algum garoto com um violão está escrevendo a melhor música que ninguém vai ouvir, só porque não conhece as pessoas certas ou porque a mãe e o pai não têm dinheiro suficiente para enviá-lo para cá. É uma pena que às vezes a luz acenda para as pessoas que não dão valor a isso."

Dallon viu em primeira mão. "Isso é realmente enfurecedor para mim. Há pessoas que tratam as oportunidades que têm como um brinquedo. Eles não respeitam a posição em que estão ou os fãs que possuem. Eles pensam que estão onde estão por causa de seu talento. É certamente maravilhoso ser talentoso — não estou falando por mim, sou um baixista — mas seu talento tem muito pouco a ver com estar na posição em que você está." Muito disso é devido ao privilégio.

Mas o iDKHOW ainda quer se divertir. E você meio que tem isso com um nome como "I Dont Know How But They Found Me", um título que captura todo aquele mistério inicial, mas que agora Dallon se arrepende um pouco. "Um bom nome de banda é Led Zeppelin, mas na maior parte, todos os nomes de banda são terríveis. Os Beatles, a maior banda de todos os tempos, têm um trocadilho como nome. Você apenas tem que aceitar o fato de que nomes de bandas são ridículos e não se importar."

O mundo pode saber seus nomes reais, mas a banda trocou esse mistério por outro. No "1981", havia um conceito vago de que o iDKHOW era uma banda de 40 anos atrás que nunca teve aquele momento de significado cultural que eles esperavam.

"Mas não queremos ter que fazer exatamente a mesma coisa duas vezes. Então, ao invés de apenas continuarmos com essa história, decidimos distorcer a narrativa um pouco no "Razzmatazz" e começamos a apresentar essa pseudo corporação governamental (Tellexx Corporation) que é uma metáfora para a indústria musical."

No futuro, eles podem acabar com esses conceitos completamente. Dallon já está pronto para lançar a favorita dos fãs, e cortada do álbum, "Mx Sinister" (que teve seu nome alterado de "Mr Sinister" para não promover qualquer tipo de violência contra as mulheres) e está brincando com a ideia de outra canção de natal, embora saiba que o tempo está contra ele.

Ele também tem um álbum e meio de novas ideias para o iDKHOW. "Estou encontrando momentos aqui e ali para trabalhar nas músicas, por que o que mais vou fazer?"

"Está tudo bem ficar triste, com raiva e demonstrar emoção."

Agora, porém, "Razzmatazz" aborda a maneira como a arte é fabricada e vendida como um produto. "Estamos apenas puxando a cortina um pouco mais dessa vez. É não é necessariamente o que você pensava que era."

Inspirado pelas narrativas de David Bowie em "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars" e dos Beatles em "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", o enredo fictício de "Razzmatazz" é "importante" ele diz "mas acabou sendo secundário na gravação. Eu quero que a música sempre seja capaz de se sustentar sozinha. Essa história é apenas mais uma camada de entretenimento para quem quiser mergulhar nela. E se você não quiser, está tudo bem." E também atua como uma armadura para Dallon.

"Estou cantando sobre coisas que são muito reais para mim, mas apresentá-las em uma narrativa ficcional ajuda a me proteger. Também me ajuda a dizer o que quero dizer sem ser explícito." No mundo cartunesco de "Razzmatazz", "você pode dizer o que quiser".

Se você está esperando que o álbum de estreia do iDKHOW sirva alguns shades, você ficará desapontado. "Não estou interessado em lavar roupa suja e não estou interessado em falar mal de ninguém. Há coisas muito reais que quero dizer e tirar do meu sistema, mas se isso custar a derrubada de alguém publicamente, não estou interessado."

Afinal, é um álbum positivo impulsionado pela empolgação. No estúdio, Dallon tentou de tudo em cada música para responder à todas aquelas questões "Mas e se ...?" ("felizmente, tivemos um produtor paciente, Tim Pagnotta"), e depois de uma vida inteira ouvindo que ele nunca iria conseguir, ou tendo que ficar à esquerda do centro do palco, há uma verdadeira confiança em "Razzmatazz".

Milhões de streams e compartilhar palcos de festivais com artistas como Twenty One Pilots e Billie Eilish fazem isso por uma banda, especialmente se eles tiverem apenas cinco músicas lançadas no momento. "Começamos tudo isso tocando para 30 pessoas, depois 100, 200 e, de repente, estávamos no palco principal do Reading & Leeds. Foi muito impressionante, mas da melhor maneira possível."

Por causa dessas experiências de validação, "Razzmatazz" usa aquelas influências bombásticas do Queen com orgulho. Dos vocais crescentes no impulso de abertura de "Leave Me Alone" ao sax matador que toca enquanto a faixa-título aumenta e diminui, é um álbum que não tem medo de crescer.

Em outra parte, Dallon fica piegas, afastando a raiva e falando abertamente sobre sua família. A lenta e dançante "Kiss Goodnight" é sobre a primeira noite em que ele conheceu sua esposa, enquanto a urgência sonhadora de "Need You Here" é antiga, iniciada anos atrás na estrada quando ele estava com saudades de sua família. Ele conseguiu que sua filha de seis anos de idade gravasse algumas palavras faladas para ele, mas ele nunca conseguiu terminar a música porque não conseguia ouvir sem chorar. Agora ela está na escola e canta pela casa. "Eu a ouvi um dia, e isso me deixou louco. Eu queria encorajar esse talento porque não foi algo que eu tive quando estava crescendo." Eles conversaram sobre revisitar a faixa e, resumindo, ela agora recebe 15% da publicação da música.

Apesar da nostalgia na qual o iDKHOW se esconde, sampleando programas de televisão da década de 1950 e com um amor por todas as coisas góticas-pop dos anos 80, eles são uma banda muito moderna. Eles falam no twitter sobre identidade, partem de nomes como Muse ou St. Vincent e se recusam a brincar com a ideia de serem estrelas do rock, apesar de seu bom gosto.

"Existem poucas coisas que eu odeie tanto quanto o velho clichê de sexo, drogas e rock'n'roll. Essa filosofia de "faça o que quiser" é uma forma merda de viver, porque não leva em conta as outras pessoas."

Embora as letras não falem sobre isso explicitamente, "Razzmatazz" defende estar o mais emocionalmente disponível possível. "Cresci numa época em que se você tinha sentimentos, você os mantinha presos, você não falava sobre isso e você nunca, nunca chorava. Isso é incrivelmente prejudicial à saúde. Só aprendi sobre o termo masculinidade tóxica há alguns anos, mas me ajudou a crescer como pessoa e como artista. Está tudo bem ficar triste, com raiva e demonstrar emoção. Eu chamaria isso de um álbum positivo só porque fui capaz de escrever sem restrições e sem nada governando minhas ideias."

"Não me considero um modelo a seguir; Eu certamente cometi erros"

Ele pode não querer ser uma estrela do rock e é apenas o frontman do iDKHOW por necessidade, ao invés de uma sede por fama, mas Dallon sente a responsabilidade de usar sua plataforma para dizer algo a seus fãs. Ele meio que deve a eles, afinal.

"Quando se trata de música, os jovens serão a maioria do público. Não me considero um modelo a seguir porque certamente cometi erros, fiz besteira e fiz coisas das quais não me orgulho, mas é por causa desses jovens, desses fãs no twitter, que me permitiram aprender e melhorar a mim mesmo."

"Nos últimos cinco anos, aprendi sobre coisas como discurso, pensamento e linguagem problemáticas. Sou extremamente grato por eles porque, ao longo da minha vida, senti que eu não era nada e não quero que ninguém se sinta assim nunca. Já fui culpado por isso no passado e tornar-me consciente é o primeiro passo para mudar isso."

"Se existe ignorância em minha vida, quero apontá-la para poder mudá-la. Sinto que, se houver alguma experiência que minha idade possa proporcionar a eles, eu quero tentar retribuir esse favor. O sentimento de responsabilidade vem dessa troca que tive com os fãs. Eles me ajudaram muito, e se houver alguma maneira de eu poder ajudá-los, seja por meio da música ou de algum tipo de interação, eu quero fazer isso. Sinto que faz parte do trabalho."

Do outro mundo e prestes a roubar seu coração com o caos carnavalesco de "Razzmatazz", iDKHOW é uma banda que teve que trabalhar pelo que tem. Eles nunca tomaram o caminho fácil, mesmo quando foi oferecido, porque isso significaria sacrificar um pequeno canto de seu mundo e esse é um preço que nunca vale a pena pagar.

Em vez disso, a banda é livre para fazer o que quiser, mas nunca às custas de alguém. "É importante lembrar que cada um de nós que tem uma voz — seja ela grande e para estádios, ou se você está falando com um clube cheio com duas dúzias de pessoas - é uma sorte incrível estar nessa posição. E eu espero nunca me esquecer disso."