#smoking w**d during the concert is crazy

[librarisxng]

can't believe doyoung told his fans to take a shower after the concert. I would be humiliated if an idol from my favorite group told me that.

[okaybutlikeimagine]

I need brother!billy to be protective of Johnathan bc hey that's his brother now Tyvm and only he can mess w/him 👀 and Johnathan is just Exasperated™️

I. LOVE. THIS. AND I COULDN’T AGREE MORE.

{TW: Q-slur used once}

Kay so i really just am so interested in how Billy and Jonathan’s relationship would work. I’ve talked about this before but i absolutely headcanon them as smoking weed together like, weekly at least. They just enjoy the energy of the other and the virtual silence that they’re able to slip into comfortably (i also kind of headcanon Jonathan as being an empath who probably doesn’t know it.)(so like, he’s super affected by different energies)(we don’t have to get into this though) 

They don’t really hang out often, but they talk every now and then when they’re at the other’s house and it’s always amicable enough and surprisingly far from awkward. Billy never fucks with Jonathan at school and Jonathan enjoys being invisible for the most part, so he very much appreciates it. Jonathan used to get SUPER nervous about playing music too loud when Billy was over at their house bc he knows the boy is a music fanatic too and doesn’t want to hear any more shitty opinions on his music taste (even though he has some choice words about Billy’s own taste in music). this doesn’t stop Billy from giving Jonathan shit about it though whenever he hears his music playing.

and as they get closer to each other and talk more, Billy gets brattier and more mouthy. He swipes at Jonathan’s hair in front of his face and calls him “Beatle” and asks if he can see through “that curtain”. He taps the boy’s back and tells him to straighten his back out bc “you’re already short enough, you’re losing some valuable inches standing like that.” The first time Billy hears about the extent of the fight he got into w/ Steve (Steve and Jonathan and Nancy are all on good terms at this point, Steve just mentions it in passing as a joke), Billy puts Jonathan in a headlock and ruffles his hair and asks about the “fighter” in him.

but Billy is never hard w/ Jonathan, necessarily, bc he knows Jonathan has dealt w/ shit. Jonathan doesn’t have a dad around. Will nearly died and in fact was said to have died like, less than 2 years ago. They had a fucking funeral for him and everything. He had to watch a crazy as fuck monster possess his brother. Their family is poor and struggling and Jonathan works hard as fuck, way harder than a teenager should, so Billy knows the boy is tired and doesn’t need to be given more reasons to be. Plus, Jonathan is pretty damn passive during every encounter of theirs; he just takes it and gives Billy a tired but ultimately amused huff.

When Joyce and Hop get married and Jonathan and Billy officially become brothers, they get even closer. They smoke and talk more. They share similar music tastes like Bowie and Queen. they talk about relationships and sexuality and little siblings and shitty parents and… pretty great ones. They have long talks out in the woods around their house and they sit in the cold and smoke joints and Billy puts Jonathan in a headlock like, once a week with the excuse of “keeping you on your toes, John Boy!” When Jonathan is feeling a little less passive, he’ll pull at a curl on Billy’s head that’s noticeably longer than the others and say “Your mullet has a tail” or “your mullet’s tail is looking a little ragged, I think you missed it w/ your hairspray”

They make weird jokes that aren’t funny to anyone else and they laugh muted quiet laughs that would probably confuse anyone other than them and then Jonathan’s car breaks down and Billy drives him to school while they’re trying to figure out what’s up with it.

It’s then that Billy notices people fucking w/ Jonathan.

Bc he just doesn’t hang out w/ Jonathan at school. They leave each other alone bc that’s what they prefer from each other. That’s just the relationship they have.

But as Billy is waiting in his car, singing along to Zeppelin, he sees Jonathan walking up, followed by a few guys he’s never seen before. He figures it’s just Jonathan’s friends when he notices one of the boys reach out to grab at Jonathan’s bag strap. Another one tries to knock the books out of his hands. Billy flares up immediately bc who the fuck are these guys and what are they doing to his brother?

He gets out of the car, walking around to greet the group right as they’re talking about Jonathan being a “drugged out freakazoid” who’s “probably queer and just using Nancy as a beard.”

Billy leans up against the Camaro and clears his throat, fully ready to throw hands.

“Hey, assholes. What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

And the boys are very clearly freaked, but they try to keep it cool.

“Oh, you need Hargrove to come to your rescue-?”

“Hey.” Billy demands, smacking his gum in the most intimidating manner possible. “It’s Hopper, dipshit. And either you shut the fuck up or I kick your teeth in. Your choice.”

The boys grumble, and nearly run away. Jonathan has his head down, trying to slink his way into the Camaro while Billy asks:

“Do they always fuck with you like that?”

“C’mon, as if you didn’t know-”

Billy doesn’t like that answer. He grabs Jonathan’s wrist before he can open the door and gives him a serious as hell look.

“Hey. I didn’t.”

Jonathan pauses for a second before rolling his eyes w/ a small sigh and getting into the car, but the conversation is far from over.

“I’m serious, how many dickwads are saying that shit to you?”

“It doesn’t matter?” Jonathan says it like a question.

“Except it does. They shouldn’t be doing that-”

“I know you think you care but-”

“Shut the fuck up, Jonathan.” Billy is adamant but not harsh. “You’re my brother now, alright? We’re family. And that means I’m not letting dick wipes like that treat you that way. You don’t deserve that shit.”

Jonathan doesn’t know what to say but he gives out another sigh and looks out the window and thinks about when Billy didn’t care to get involved w/ Jonathan’s life and how much simpler it was then. but how this feels a tiny bit warm so maybe it’s fine.

And the following day at school, and for the rest of the week, and then the rest of the month, and then the rest of the year, Billy starts hanging out with Jonathan at school. When Jonathan isn’t w/ Nancy, of course, bc no one fucks w/ Jonathan when Nancy is around. But sometimes she can’t be there, so Billy takes her place in those times.

And at first it kinda feels like a duty; like he’s Jonathan’s body guard and Jonathan hates it. It feels like even more of a target on his back. Billy fucking walks him to class and to his locker and to his car and to lunch and will even sit w/ him at lunch if Nancy can’t. like, just imagine Billy strutting down the hall next to quiet, small Jonathan, fucking snarling at anyone who dares to give Jonathan a mean look. It’s just???? Weird and exhausting and Jonathan wants to be left alone.

But eventually, it becomes a lot more normal. Bc eventually, they become actual friends. They’re talking about concerts they wish they could see and the homework from last night and that new music video that was on MTV over the weekend. They talk about books and good weed and even better alcohol that Billy is always trying to convince Jonathan to try but that Jonathan keeps refusing bc he doesn’t really drink.

And Billy used to leave when Nancy would come by, but he’s started talking to her more and more and now they talk about the books they had to read for class and really, it’s just Nancy giving Billy the plot bc Billy was too anxious to sit and read it. But Nancy eventually ends up forcing Billy to read his own books and they actually have pretty in depth debates on the ethics of the characters. And then, when Tommy and Carol are being dicks, Billy will find a home at Nancy and Jonathan’s table for lunch where they talk about what the next John Hughes movie might be or how that episode of Family Ties was last week and what the new one will be tomorrow and no one fucks w/ Jonathan again and if they try to Billy growls at them and Jonathan is  T i r e d  but he’s tired w/ a smile and that’s all Billy needs.

Bc now he doesn’t feel bad about flicking Jonathan’s arm and goading him to “work out, you look like a twig.” with that smarmy smirk that makes Jonathan so exhausted

[theherblifeblog]

Spotlight Series: Emma Baron Founder of MilkWeed

Emma Baron is curating heirlooms that you will love forever. Tired of mass produced accessories she set out to create a space where artisans could create functional works of art that you would place in any room in your home. 

"Made by hand on Canadian land" Emma's company Milkweed offers pieces that are modern yet timeless. The company's obvious love for all things Canadiana is charming and heart warming and everything on offer is designed to age gracefully and last a lifetime. 

Milkweed is about beautiful objects made by hand & made to last.” Tell me a little bit about this philosophy

We're excited that Canada is leading the world in the cannabis paradigm shift. If we're going to be known for great cannabis, and we're already so gosh darn hospitable, then shouldn't we be able to serve it all up in style on Canadian-made accessories? A couple years ago we looked around the city and the internet to find accessories from local artists that were on that Kinfolk/Dwell/modernist tip, but we didn't find anything that fit.

We're big believers in shopping, eating, and smoking local, so we decided to jump in and fill the niche. You develop a relationship with dependable, handmade objects that you don't with disposable, mass-produced pieces. Plus, call us crazy, but we believe that people should be paid fair wages. Working directly with local artists, we know how the pieces are made and the effort that goes into them. Working with natural materials like clay, wood, and metal, we pay attention to the details that make an object stand the test of time, in both style and craft.

You’re from a small town in Northern Ontario, what was that like growing up? When did you discover a love for cannabis?

It's taken me a while to appreciate it, but Northern Ontario is a beautiful, wild and magic place. It offers so many kinds of adventures and bounties that are invisible to the untrained eye: secret patches of wild blueberries; wildlife scampering through your yard on the daily; crystal clear lakes; vast expanses of forests and fields. The other thing it offers is time and a lack of resources, which are the ingredients for creativity and problem-solving. I learned how to make and do things myself, and appreciate the effort that goes into handmade goods. I've been crafting and selling since I was 6, travelling with my mum and grandmother to one-of-a-kind shows across Ontario. I need to go home to stay for a bit and learn to weave with my grandmother.

I was much later to the cannabis party than most of my friends. Not that I really lent credence to the war on drugs or had a super-conservative family, I was just busy with all the nerdy activities like student council, theatre, and band. I also worked part-time as a server during the school year, and in the summer I would work two jobs as a bookkeeper during the weekdays and at the restaurant on nights and weekends. It wasn't until the last few months of high school that I smoked my first joint. It was during a Metallica concert at the Winnipeg Arena, and it was... a bit much, if I'm honest. (Both Metallica and the joint.) My best friend and I still laugh pretty hard about it today. My love for cannabis came in university, where I discovered that I much preferred to relax at a party with a joint than with a drink.

Can you tell us what brought you to the cannabis industry? How did you get from Dryden Ontario to Milkweed?

People skills and a love of adventure. Working in the hospitality industry put me through a degree in arts administration, both of these fields trained me in aesthetics, organization, and persistence. As I became more comfortable with cannabis, I became increasingly less comfortable with the stoner stereotype, as I'm sure the majority of Canadians have. I've often worked (at least) two jobs since I was 14, put myself through a degree on my own dime, and always have a volunteer event on my schedule.

What inspired Milkweed?

Cannabis is a compliment to your day, something that gets you doing what you like to do. Whether that's kayaking, killing it at the weekly office creative meeting, painting in-situ at the park, the average person uses cannabis as a tool to facilitate doing what they like to do. Cannabis is the means to an end, not a dead end. We were inspired to create a new cannabis aesthetic as we didn't see ourselves in the products that were on the market. Many cannabis accessories are mass-manufactured, which inspired us to create a brand that was homegrown, closer to the heart and hands of Canadians.

We chose the name Milkweed for a few reasons. Firstly, we wanted a nod to the Canadian ecosystem,  and secondly, it conveniently contains the letters w-e-e-d in its name. We try to bring some wit and humour to the table, as they are great tools for breaking down barriers and opening up the conversation.

How do you find new artists to work with? What do you look for?

Our first priority when we're looking for artists is, of course, local goods. We'd love for our website to represent cannabis accessories from every part of Canada.

We tend to look for artists who aren't already creating cannabis inspired pieces, it helps bring a new perspective to the products. We work with them to create new objects that could sit in almost any room in your home, or maybe in your bag or as your carry-all that transports you to your next adventure.

Pieces with a story are important too - we're not looking to squeeze margins or fastest turnarounds from our suppliers. We want to support small entrepreneurs who are doing cool things that appeal to a broad variety of Canadians who will appreciate their work. Our products, we hope, will be a one-time purchase, to be used over with confidence wherever you may need them.

Do you have a favourite piece on the website? 

The Road Trip Kit is the anchor piece to the collection. It was a process to get it right, but a labour of love. Sourcing vegetable tanned leather is harder than you'd think! It takes multiple weeks longer to tan the hides with natural dyes. Feeling out just the right size for the pouch: big enough for your vape or phone in the long pocket, yet sleek enough that you'd carry the kit by itself on any occasion. The thickness of the leather needs to be just so - not flimsy or bulky. The kit represents everything we stand for: quality-made, durable, stylish goods with a history and a future.

What is your vision for Milkweed going forward?

We're emphasizing Canadian creativity, design, and local production in the emerging cannabis marketplace. We want for Canadian craftspeople to be involved this new economy, and we would love to have pieces from every province and territory in our collections. We look forward to collaborations with emerging brands from coast-to-coast-to-coast. We're also looking forward to collaborating with the rest of the world once cannabis legalization catches up. We love finding collaborators who share the same lenses of craftsmanship and quality, working with them directly to make objects with a sense of place and a story.

Are you excited about the end of cannabis prohibition in Canada? How do you think it might impact your business?

Yes, prohibition of cannabis has been a failure and we're glad to see it end for a few reasons. Once we're through the birthing pains, I think we'll start to see the emergence of a truly Canadian cannabis culture, and I'm excited to see what that looks like. It will be great for business when we can do social media ad buying, but working around the limitations has forced us to be more creative and sharpened our wits, so both sides of the grass are green. I look at LCBO's very popular 'Food and Drink' and I know it won't be long until we're there with cannabis.

If you were to offer one piece of advice to another woman looking to jump into this industry, what would you tell her?

Do it! There's plenty of pie for everyone. Find a mentor. Show up for things. Go to networking events, even if its shitty outside and you don't feel like it. The future of all industry depends on a diversity of thought, so your opinion definitely matters.

"Show up for things. Go to networking events, even if its shitty outside and you don't feel like it. The future of all industry depends on​​​​​​​ a diversity of thought, so your opinion definitely matters."  -- Emma Baron

Where can readers connect with Milkweed to learn more? 

Find us at Shopmilkweed.ca to get a look at the goods. Follow us on Instagram - we're all about getting out and exploring the world, and taking pictures of the fun and beauty along the way. Tag us, we'd love to see what kind of adventures you're up to.