#that includes a new song called high in California

[neptunesgrl]

Things that my redacted favs do that are true because I said so

SWEETHEART, LASKO, GUY

SWEETHEART:

- Calls Milo angel in private, had a couple drinks and it ended up slipping out in front of the pack. David looked very confused for the rest of the night and proceeded to call SH in the middle of the night to say “what do you know”, “what did they (Angel) tell you”, etc. Angel found it incredibly amusing.

- Drinks scotch. Rarely, since it makes Milo uncomfortable. They had it in their apartment once and after they’d learned of his father’s struggle with it, they made sure to keep it out of sight when he came over. Hasn’t bought a bottle since they moved in.

- Reverse pick-pockets everyone. Hates when people make a big deal out of apologies or big emotional things. Their way to avoid it is to make silent apologies. Often but not limited to leaving a couple hundreds in their wallet, cause we all know SH makes bank.

- Nicknames for Milo include: Mi, angel (as previously mentioned), hun/honey, babe.

- Takes the NYT crossword incredibly seriously and looks forward to it more than they’d like to admit

- Raised in New England. Hopes to move back if they decide to have kids, that is until they gain their powers, and need to move back to Dahlia.

Side note: Their child listening to ‘California’ by Chappell Roan on full blast in their room and giving SH war flashbacks

- Has gained a slight NJ/NY accent from Milo. Slips out when they get mad. Specifically with the words: ‘jackass’, ‘told her (so i told ha)’, ‘off (awf)’, ‘call (just cawl me)’, etc.

LASKO:

- Constantly holding Dear’s hand. At first, it was difficult for him to initiate, but once he realized it was the least embarrassing thing he could ask for, it became habit. Sometimes Dear slides their thumb to his wrist to check his pulse when he’s nervous.

- (UNEMPOWERED AU) Dear is an EMT. Sirens used to startle and disturb Lasko, now he finds comfort in knowing Dear is getting to save people (corny and tooth rotting fluff ik)

- Once, Lasko wore Dear’s fleece that went with their uniform since they’d left it at his place and it was too cold to go out without one. It took him 10 minutes of pacing at the front door to go outside and grab the food he ordered. Just in case someone on the 2 second walk down there would need medical attention and thought he could help since he’d be wearing the EMT jacket.

- He owns every single PJO book and shamelessly reads them at least once a year. He’s in the Zeus cabin (obviously). Grover’s his favorite, because in his words, “he’s the only one worried about the logistics.”

- ‘Guilty as Sin?’ is THEIR SONG. I will not be taking any criticisms at this time or ever. It’s just the lyrics about feeling guilty for thinking about the other in that way. Like are you kidding me. ‘I’ve screamed his name, building up like waves’ DEAR WE KNOW ITS YOU IN THE WRITERS ROOM.

GUY:

(these are mostly fem leaning i am so sorry)

- Watched The Real Housewives. Insists Jersey is peak, Honey agrees. They take the finales very seriously. Honeys favorite is Margaret, Guys favorite is Melissa. He insists Honey and him are exactly like Joe and Melissa. I have RHONJ brainrot save me.

- Uses a sleep eye mask from dollar tree that says ‘nap queen’ on it. Found it in Honeys childhood bedroom.

- Raised in NYC (Brooklyn), insists he knows how to use the subway and always gets lost. Honey cracked the code within 2 days.

- Had headgear in high school. No further explanation. That’s it. That’s the HC.

- Child of…

🥁

🥁

🥁

dddiiivvvooorrrccceee!!!! i’m projecting He is so Chandler Bing coded don’t lie.

- Somewhere down the line, he’d like to write a book about him and Honey. Whether they work out or not. Very “You were a wonderful experience” / “You were…everything.” coded. Can you tell that not only am i awful at it, but I hate angst?

- Love letters EVERYWHERE. On dressers, in nightstand drawers, on the windshield of Honeys car, this man will find anywhere to put one of the many notes he has written gushing about his partner.

☕️📰🤍

This has been in my drafts for so long I feel emotional posting it. Please take good care of my baby.

[cathuniverse]

.

[tanadrin]

Imagine that a century or two from now, the eastern half of the United States is conquered by the Canadian Empire, its intelligentsia deported, its land colonized by Canadian immigrants, and its remaining people mostly gradually absorbed into a Neo-Canadian identity. The West reorganizes, developing a new political and cultural center, and comes to regard itself as the "true" United States, with the remnant culture of the East (by now much changed by Canadian rule) as representing an unchanged tradition stretching back to the time of George Washington. The holdout western half is subsequently conquered by the Reformed Mexican Empire, and while most of the population remains in situ, its elite is taken to Mexico City. There, for three or four generations, they do their best to maintain their distinct American identity, focusing on the American "civil religion," the distinctive political ideals and cultural features that mark them out as Americans, and come up with a new way of interpreting their history that allows America to be a perennial idea, something not directly physically tied to the territory of the United States, which no longer exists. They compose a body of historical works based on Washington Irving's rather fabulistic approach to early American history, the half-remembered popular versions of the stories of Columbus and the Pilgrims, the First Thanksgiving, even the Revolutionary War. They don't have access to the original texts anymore--let's say this is all taking place in a post-Collapse North America where long-range travel and communication is difficult and a lot of history has been lost--but they do their best. They append to these books, or include in their text, of history a copy of the Constitution, big chunks of the United States Code, and Robert's Rules of Order.

Subsequently, the Empire of Gran Columbia invades, conquers southern and central Mexico, and its Emperor lets the captive Americans go home. They return north, mostly to California, find that the version of American history and civics that is remembered there isn't the same as the version they have (not that the Californian one is correct--the Mexican Empire has suppressed English-language education and high culture in its Aztlani provinces), and set about reforming and reorganizing the Western States (as they're now called) to be more in line with the forms they brought back from the exile. In the meantime, other bits of important literature start being kept in libraries next to copies of the received histories: some bits of early American literature, like Hawthorne, the Song of Hiawatha, some highly abridged Herman Melville, Thomas Paine--heck, even some John Locke, and quotes or fragments from Shakespeare. Some traditionalists now argue the capital of the United States has always been located in San Francisco, and that Washington, D.C. only because the capital later, under the influence of Eastern heretics.

In the following centuries, the Western States retain their independence for a time, but eventually become a secondary battleground for a lot of other empires--the Mexicans, the Canadians, the Pan-Pacific Federation, and so forth. American culture remains distinctive, insulted in part by its unique traditions, though now everybody speaks Future Spanish, and only learns English to read the old texts. In this period additional material, including later compositions, continues to accrete, forming a distinct body of sacred American scripture, although it does not exist in a single canonical form. Attempts to reconcile distinct sources, like more literal and historically-grounded accounts versus the simplified narratives of figures like Irving, produce hybrid texts that sometimes are full of internal conflicts.

Oh, and through all this, some institutions of American government like the Supreme Court still function, although their rulings only apply to Americans, and there isn't much in the way of a federal bureaucracy.

Finally the Great and Sublime Brazilian Potentate conquers most of the Americas, sets up an American client state that roughly coincides with the heartland of the old Western States (California, Oregon, most of Washington and Nevada), and allows the Americans to elect their own President (subject, of course, to Brazilian approval). During this period, an apocalyptic street preacher from Los Angeles claims to have inherited the authority and power of George Washington, and is executed by the Brazilians; his later followers point to the prophecies of Emperor Norton, and out-of-context bits of a Quebecois translation of Moby-Dick and some Mark Twain stories to say no, really, he was George Washington. Inexplicably, a version of this religion becomes the dominant faith of the Brazilian Empire before it collapses. But long before then the American state in California fails, crushed when it tries to revolt against Brazilian rule; the remnant Easterners likewise dwindle down to only a few hundred souls living in a village in Alexandria, Virginia. Centuries from now, as the descendants of the descendants of the Brazilians colonize Mars, they will point to the sacred Americanist scriptures, the Neo-Americanist narratives of their prophet's life, and the letters written by the early leaders of Neo-Americanism, and say, "all of this was written by the spirit of George Washington, and is free from contradictions." Meanwhile the remnant Americanists, who have been writing about Americanism and how it applies to their everyday lives in the centuries since, and whose commentary has formed around the copies of the last editions of the U.S. Supreme Court Reporter (SCOTUS managed to outlast the final American state by a hundred years or so) plus the thoughts of the remaining Americanist community in Mexico, continue to regard their traditions as the unbroken and unaltered practice of American culture, politics, and ideals as they existed since the Revolutionary War.

This is, as far as I can tell, approximately how the Bible was composed.

[theunderestimator-2]

Hector Penalosa as captured by Melanie Nissen back in 1977 while performing at Larchmont Hall, Los Angeles, with The Zeros, a band of high school teenagers from Chula Vista, CA, who helped create the first wave of punk rock in Southern California (photo included in the photographer's 2002 "Hard and Fast " book with photos previously published in Slash Magazine as well as some never seen before).

cheunderground.site/ : "The Zeros, often referred to affectionately as the “Mexican Ramones,” cannot only justifiably lay claim to being San Diego’s first “punk” rock group but also can brag about being one of the first punk groups in the US. In a brief but brilliant career highlighted by some classic recordings as well as shows with the Clash and Devo, the Zeros played the first big punk shows in both Los Angeles and in San Diego as early as 1977, when they were still high-school students (…) at a time when greater San Diego was both indifferent to and unimpressed by counterculture movements of any kind. Zeros guitarist and lead vocalist Javier Escovedo hails from a musical family… His brother Alejandro founded San Francisco punk band the Nuns, whose pinnacle was opening for the Sex Pistols in their legendary final concert in 1978 at the Winterland, and, was the family member with the most influence upon his musical tastes. Zeros guitarist Robert Lopez and his cousin, Zeros drummer Baba Chenelle grew up together listening to music and learning to play the guitar and drums, respectively. Baba and Hector met in PE class at Chula Vista Junior High School on April 4, 1975, the Monday after KISS made its first appearance on Burt Sugarman’s “Midnight Special.” “I told this kid I had seen this band on TV with a bunch of makeup and platforms,” Hector remembers. “Baba said, ‘Yeah, man, they’re cool. I have three of their records, so I’ll bring ‘em tomorrow, and you can check ‘em out.’ Baba turned me on to a lot of cool music like Aerosmith, the Modern Lovers and the Velvets, and we became friends,” says Hector. Hector decided to switch to bass so that he could eliminate his competition. He began teaching himself to play bass using three albums as guides: “The New York Dolls”; the Dolls’ “Too Much, Too Soon”; and John Lennon’s “Rock and Roll.” During this time, Javier and Robert, who were students at Chula Vista High School, were playing in a band called the Main Street Brats, covering Standells, Seeds, and Velvet Underground songs, alongside Javier’s originals like “Main Street Brat,” “Siamese Tease,” “Wimp” and “Don’t Push Me Around.” They recruited Baba to be the group’s drummer, and later that year, when they needed a bass player, Hector was invited to audition at Javier’s house in Chula Vista. “I didn’t hear from them for a long time afterwards,” Hector remembers. “I finally asked Baba about it, and he told me that they weren’t sure because they thought if I joined there would be too many Mexicans in the band! They were looking for a blonde guy.” The band had now become the Zeros, a nod to a line by Lester Bangs Javier had read in Creem magazine: “I don’t wanna be a hero, I just wanna be a zero.” Founding members of the band Robert Lopez & Hector Penalosa reunited to form The Zeros ’77 and will be performing on a mini So-Sal tour on 17 Sept. in LA, 21 Sept. in San Diego & 22 Sept. in Long Beach. (from 'Getting Nowhere Fas't, a book on the '76-'86 San Diego scene by Ray Brandes of The Tale-Tell Hearts)

(via)

[sbrown82]

THE FULL HISTORY OF THE MICK JAGGER & MARSHA HUNT (A.K.A. “BROWN SUGAR”) RELATIONSHIP!!! (PART 1)

First, some background on the model, singer, actress, novelist, playwright, activist, icon, 60s goddess, and the woman who inspired one of The Rolling Stones’ greatest hits, “Brown Sugar”, Marsha Hunt. She is often described as London’s own Josephine Baker and is celebrating her 77th birthday today!:

Marsha A. Hunt was born on April 15, 1946 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is the youngest of 3 children. Her mother, Inez “Ikey” Hunt, worked in an airplane factory during World War II, and her father, Blair Hunt Jr. graduated from Harvard and became one of America's first Black psychiatrists.

Marsha was raised in a middle-class neighborhood mostly by her mother, aunt, and grandmother who had roots in the deep south (Mississippi delta) and who she’s described as an “extremely aggressive and ass-kicking independent woman.” Her father committed suicide when Marsha was 9 years old (but she never found out how or why).

After moving out west to California with her family, she graduated high school at the top of her class and later attended UC, Berkeley in the mid-’60s where she wanted to study psychological anthropology.

While at Berkeley, she became friends with a slew of interesting people like activist Mario Savio and Huey P. Newton, who later became one of the founders of the Black Panther Party.

[TOP LEFT: Marsha’s mother Inez Hunt; TOP RIGHT: Marsha’s father, Blair Hunt Jr.; BOTTOM LEFT: Marsha at her home in Philly with her father & siblings, Pamala & Dennis; BOTTOM RIGHT: Marsha’s high school graduation photo in 1964.]

Even though she thrived academically and was very involved in student activities, she became bored with college life and wanted to experience life outside of the country and pursue her real passion – music. In early 1966, she sold her car and some books, and trailed off to London with only $1.83 in her pocket.

Around that time, London was THE city to be in, and was even dubbed “Swinging London” for being the epicenter of art, culture, fashion and of course music, especially due to the popularity of famous acts like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

When Marsha first arrived, she slept on the floors of mutual friends, took odd jobs (including one as an au pair), and even appeared as an extra in Michelangelo Antonioni's box office hit film, “Blow-Up,” which also featured the British rock band, The Yardbirds.

SHOCKINGLY, in that same year she actually saw The Rolling Stones in concert for the first time during their UK tour at the Royal Albert Hall in London because she wanted to see Ike & Tina who were the supporting act on the bill. Girls were going crazy over the Stones, but of course, she was more impressed by Tina’s show-stopping performance! (Purrrrr 💅🏿)

[LEFT: Marsha in 1966; RIGHT: The Rolling Stones performing at the Royal Albert Hall in London with Marsha in attendance.]

After roaming the city, making new friends, and trying to find steady work, Marsha ended up auditioning for a blues band fronted by British blues musician, Alexis Korner, who was looking for backup singers. Coincidentally, he was the exact same guy who gave The Rolling Stones their start back in 1962. Later on, she was offered another backing gig for Long John Baldry’s band, Bluesology. John is also a longtime friend of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

Though she loved music and worked really hard at it, Marsha always claimed that she was never a good singer. People in England just assumed she was because they thought all Black Americans had talent.

She then lived with English blues singer, John Mayall, who actually wrote a few songs about her including, “Marsha’s Mood” and another song coincidentally called “Brown Sugar”. Around this time, she became good friends with the founding members of Fleetwood Mac, famed British artist Kaffe Fassett, and keyboard player for Bluesology, Reg Dwight (a.k.a Elton John).

[LEFT: 19 year old Marsha sporting a wig in London; RIGHT: Marsha with a young Elton John].

Around the time Marsha broke things off with John, he was also putting a new band together, which included a young guitarist named Mick Taylor, who showed up at the audition without a guitar. He later became another good friend of Marsha’s.

In late 1966, Marsha met musician Mike Ratledge from the British rock band, Soft Machine. At the time, she was having trouble getting a visa extension to stay in England, so the two got married on her 21st birthday. She later claimed it was a marriage in name only as they were not romantically involved and “never held hands and never kissed".

[LEFT: Guitarist Mick Taylor & John Mayall in the mid-60s; RIGHT: Marsha’s “husband” Mike Ratledge of Soft Machine.]

That same year, Marsha’s hair started to fall out from using chemical relaxers, and after wearing wigs for a while, she finally cut it all off and vowed to never straighten it again. Hence, why she started sporting her iconic afro hairstyle which made her quite a showstopper in London.

In 1968, she found luck when she was cast in a buzzy new rock musical with an ensemble cast called “Hair.” The musical became an instant hit in London’s famed West End. And even though her character “Dionne” only had two lines, she suddenly became the face (or the hair) of “Hair”. The show was a huge success, and also became quite a sensation and a social landmark because it highlighted controversial subjects like drugs, casual sex, profanity, nudity, and anti-war rhetoric. While there, she met another close friend, actor Tim Curry.

[BOTTOM: A poster of the hit musical “Hair” that debuted in the Shaftesbury Theatre in the West End, 1968.]

Her life completely changed overnight and she instantly became a PHENOMENON, attracting wide media attention. In fact, after the musical’s opening night, the editor of British Vogue sent her a huge bouquet of flowers and wanted her to pose for a photo session, which ended up being a 4-page spread with a written profile. Marsha was also the first Black woman to appear on the cover of Queen magazine as well.

[LEFT: Marsha pictured as the first Black woman on the cover of Queen magazine; RIGHT: Marsha photographed for British Vogue in 1969.]

She immediately became a sex symbol, celebrity, and the face of the “Black is Beautiful” movement, which was already taking over America in the mid-60s. This helped her snag lots of modeling gigs and everyone wanted to photograph her. (I mean, sis was booked & busy!!!)

[BOTTOM: More of Marsha’s most iconic shots. *The melanin was melanating, 4C afro was on deck, eyelashes poppin’, lips bussin’...she was a *bad bitch*!!!]

In March 1969, she signed a contract with Track Records, the same independent label that also repped the British rock band, The Who and Jimi Hendrix, as she later said, “There was one luxury that London celebrity afforded me: the freedom to be myself without a single apology for my gap, my freaked-out hair, my brown skin, my slave-class ancestors or my radical views.” 

Around this time, she also had a short-lived love affair with Marc Bolan, the singer and founder of the English rock band, T-Rex (even though he was much shorter than her 😂.)

She scored a few minor hits during her underrated music career with singles like a cover of T-Rex’s “Desdemona” and her debut single, a cover of “Walk on Gilded Splinters”. 

[BOTTOM: Marsha performing the T-Rex cover “Desdemona” live.]

The record soon went to the charts, and that spring, she was asked to perform on various shows, including a popular British TV program called, “Top of the Pops”. During her live performance on the show, the tight bolero suede top she wore nearly came undone and partially exposed her breasts, a wardrobe malfunction that gave her the reputation of a “bad girl.”

NOW…Here’s the part y’all have been waiting for. Get your popcorn. Y’all got it? Ready? Good!!! 🍿

After her performance aired, Marsha soon received a phone call out of the blue from Jo Bergman, the then secretary for The Rolling Stones on behalf of the band’s frontman Mick Jagger who was actually watching the show live, asking her to pose semi–nude for a publicity photoshoot to promote the band’s new single, “Honky Tonk Women”. She said, “The picture was going to be of a girl dressed like a sleaze bag standing in a bar with the Stones and they wanted me to be the girl.”

[BOTTOM: Marsha performing "Walk on Gilded Splinters” on ‘Top of the Pops’ in May 1969. This was also the exact moment Mick Jagger first laid eyes on her!]

Marsha, who was not a Stones fan, was already established and didn’t really need the extra exposure. She later declined because she had her reputation to think about and said she “didn't want to look like [she'd] just been had by all The Rolling Stones.” She also claimed, “The last thing [Black women] needed was for me to denigrate us by dressing up like a whore” among a band of white men.

ENTER MICK JAGGER:

When she tried to get in touch with Mick to say, “thank you, but no thank you”, he later returned her call in an attempt to change her mind and even suggested he come over as he was very intrigued that a girl would turn him down.

Mick then showed up at her apartment around midnight as she claims, “He was framed by the doorway as he stood grinning with a dark coat ... He drew one hand out of his pocket and pointed it at me like a pistol. His silly 'Bang' was precisely the icebreaker we needed to get over my ungracious hesitation before I invited him in, not sure how to salute a notorious rogue who rings me just before midnight and suggests he pop round on a pretext of loneliness.”

They talked for HOURS, well until the sun came up about any and everything from music to social issues and politics, and according to her, Mick “made me squeal whenever he used Melanigian slang (aka Black vernacular/AAVE).” 🙄����🏾‍♀️

Marsha didn’t really find Mick physically attractive at first, stating, “He wasn't beautiful or even striking” however, he was boyish, open, direct, yet seemed quite awkward and shy. She found it a relief that he was nothing like other musicians she’d known or the image the media had portrayed him. He was incredibly charming, intelligent, funny, radical, and straddled the racial line, much like she did. She also quickly noticed that he had a penchant for Black women, as he claimed “They [Black women] just do something to me”.

The two of them had a lot in common and just clicked right off the bat. And things eventually turned hot as they ended up having sex. From there, they embarked on a passionate, but very private, deep romance and year-long affair, at a time when interracial relationships weren’t widely accepted yet.

Marsha didn’t expect to hear from him again, as he had a wide selection of women to choose from, but surprisingly, Mick wanted to see her and talk all the time, mostly because she was great to look at and he could count on her. Marsha said, “He knew that I adored him and that he could depend on me…he realized I respected him as I respected myself.”

Mick’s friend and interior designer Christopher Gibbs once said often when he dined with Mick, women who had slept with him would come up to the table and “he’d have absolutely no idea who they were.”

[LEFT: Mick photographed at the ​​Shaftesbury Theatre in London to see the new musical “Hair” for the first time; RIGHT: Marsha performing in the show.]

1969 was a very rough year for Mick. He was having trouble with his band The Rolling Stones (which he was practically running by himself) because the founder and guitarist, Brian Jones, was becoming increasingly unreliable and spiraling out of control due to his deep drug addiction and legal troubles that led to him having difficulty getting a US work visa to go on an upcoming tour. Mick’s personal life was also a mess because his long-term girlfriend at the time, pop singer Marianne Faithfull, was also a very serious (and sloppy) drug addict, who often embarrassed him and became more dependent and difficult to be around. Things had gotten so bad between them, their relationship grew to be strictly platonic by this time.

Mick and Marianne were quite destructive together and often found themselves in legal troubles due to drugs. Marianne was also quite messy as she previously slept with Mick’s bandmates Brian Jones, Keith Richards, and even left her husband, John Dunbar, for Mick who was dating Black soul singer and former Ikette, Pat “P.P.” Arnold, when they first met.

P.P. also later claimed in her autobiography “Soul Survivor” that the three of them would often engage in drug-fueled threesomes much to Mick’s delight. 

[BELOW: Soul singer & former Ikette, P.P. Arnold, who dated Mick from 1966-1967.]

While in London, Mick was still messing with P.P. who later became pregnant with his baby in 1967, but they both agreed to have an abortion, partly due to his growing relationship with Marianne.

[BELOW: Mick arriving at a courthouse with his then girlfriend, singer Marianne Faithfull in 1969.]

Marsha on the other hand, was stone-cold sober and didn’t do any drugs (NOT ONE), which was like a breath of fresh air for Mick, though he dabbled with hashish, LSD, and marijuana among other drugs himself. But unlike those around him, he was able to control his habit.

Even though their relationship quickly turned sexual, they were really, really close friends. Mick often retreated to her home to relax, he told her all his secrets, his troubles – he just trusted her. He was completely enamored of Marsha, who many describe as warm, intelligent, sensitive, funny, and very easy to talk to. He liked that she didn’t go gooey-eyed and weak-kneed in his presence like most (white) women/female fans did. Instead she had a crisply forthright manner and was almost quite “butch”. The Rolling Stones then manager was even quoted as saying that Mick was “obsessed” with Marsha as she was very exotic, and he even gave her the nickname “Miss Fuzzy” due to her afro hairstyle.

Ironically, Marsha enjoyed their well-kept relationship and is one of the only people who often calls him Michael instead of Mick, to distinguish him from his Rolling Stones rockstar persona.

Since Marsha was a fellow recording artist, they were able to be seen together in public without any arousing suspicion—in any case, London still had almost no paparazzi. They would often go to the same parties or events, even with Mick’s girlfriend there, and no one questioned it.

Mick would often pop into some of Marsha’s studio sessions with her band White Trash, and everyone around would be in awe of him.

Later, after officially firing Brian Jones from the band, Mick and the rest of the Stones were in desperate need of a new guitarist. Marsha promptly suggested her good friend, Mick Taylor (Yes, Stones fans – thank Marsha Hunt for that one!), as a replacement for Brian just days before he was mysteriously found dead (he sadly drowned in a swimming pool at his home) on July 3, 1969.

Additionally, when Mick sought a replacement for Jo Bergman, the secretary who handled all The Rolling Stones affairs, Marsha also suggested her friend and tour manager, Peter Rudge - (The same guy responsible for getting the Stones all those huge tours in massive stadiums. Again, thank Marsha!)

Two days after Brian’s death, the Stones played a free concert before a crowd of over 250,000 people in Hyde Park, London, which was previously planned to debut their new guitarist, but turned into a memorial/funeral for Brian. Mick invited both Marianne (who looked a hot ass mess and was in withdrawal from heroin at the time), and Marsha (who showed up looking sexy af with her titties bustin’ out of her buckskin suit) to the concert, and rudely and distastefully opened the show with a song called, “I’m Yours and I’m Hers.”

[BELOW: Mick & Marsha at The Rolling Stones tribute concert to Brian Jones in Hyde Park, London on July 5, 1969.]

Marianne who sat on the other end of the stage with her 4-year old son Nicholas and the other Stones wives/girlfriends, actually saw Marsha that day as she was placed right above the stage in the scaffold VIP section at the request of Mick so that he could look at her while he performed. She later said, “I saw her [Marsha] you know. And she was stunning…If I’d been Mick in that situation, I might have done exactly the same thing.”

Mick arrived at the concert with Marianne that afternoon, but left with Marsha and spent the night at her place where they made love.

A day after the concert, Mick kissed Marsha goodbye, and flew with Marianne to Australia to shoot a biographical film they were both cast in called “Ned Kelly,” based on the infamous bushranger. However, Marianne who was reeling from the recent death of Brian Jones and a horrible miscarriage just a few months earlier, overdosed on 150 Tuinal barbiturates while traveling with Mick, and fell into a coma in their hotel room.

[LEFT & RIGHT: Mick & Marianne arriving in Australia to film “Ned Kelly.” Marianne slipped into a coma just hours later from an attempted suicide.]

At the last minute, Mick was forced to film the movie without her, but phoned and wrote to Marsha, who was extremely frantic and worried about his mental health and emotional well-being, almost everyday. She was scared that he didn’t have the stamina to deal with yet another crisis. He sent Marsha over 10 handwritten letters (some even written on the same headed stationery paper of Chevron Hotel where his girlfriend just tried to kill herself) about his deep feelings for her, his experience filming on set, being in the Australian outback, his new interests, the historic day of the moon landing of 1969, future career plans, his regret at missing her performance at the famous Isle of Wight Festival, and other aspects of pop culture (including “John & Yoko boring everybody…”). The letters also reference the recent death of his former bandmate Brian Jones, Mick’s increasingly difficult relationship with Marianne, and another letter even had the full original lyrics for The Rolling Stones song “Monkey Man”, which was later rewritten.

Mick’s letters also went on to mention the foul Australian winter weather and an unpleasant virus that swept through the film unit, a fire that destroyed most of the film’s costumes, along with various other accidents – including a prop gun that backfired in his right hand. He was just having a real shitty time. So, he found solace writing to Marsha.

His letters to Marsha showed how pensive and romantic he was. He said things like,“I feel with you something so unsung there is no need to sing it...” and “If I sailed with you around the world, all my sails would be unfurled.” He also thanked her for being “so nice to an evil old man like me”. And in another steamy note, Mick promises Marsha: "I will kiss you softly. And bite your mouth too."

[RIGHT & LEFT: Mick’s private letters sent to Marsha while filming “Ned Kelly” in Australia during the late summer of 1969.]

Mick also celebrated his 26th birthday while filming in Australia and Marsha sent him a huge package of books (which he loves) and albums, including her friend John Mayall’s record “Brown Sugar.” Along with his gifts was a note stating how she missed him desperately.

While still trying to rehabilitate his hand from the prop accident, Mick toyed with a new guitar he had and started work on a song he had in his head, which was partly inspired by Marsha and that he initially titled “Black Pussy.” He decided that name was a little too direct and changed it instead to “Brown Sugar” with the lyrics:

[Verse 1]

Gold coast slave ship bound for cotton fields  Sold in the market down in New Orleans  Scarred old slaver knows he's doing alright  Hear him whip the women just around midnight 

[Chorus] 

Brown sugar, how come you taste so good?  Uh huh Brown sugar, just like a young girl should

[BOTTOM: Recording of “Brown Sugar” by The Rolling Stones later released on their Sticky Fingers album in 1971.]

Mick later confirmed in a 1995 Rolling Stone magazine interview that the song is a double-entendre: “brown sugar” being the street name for unrefined heroin and of course also meaning his seemingly equal addiction to having sex with Black women. The song was a huge commercial success and ended up becoming a huge #1 hit around the world, making it one of the Rolling Stones’ best-selling records to date.

[TOP: A movie poster of “Ned Kelly” which was released in June 1970; BOTTOM: Mick with his guitar composing “Brown Sugar” during filming.]

While Mick was still filming overseas, Marsha was booked to perform at the iconic 3-day outdoor concert, the Isle of Wight Festival on August 30th, 1969. At the time, it was the biggest open-air concert in music history and she was the only woman billed to perform. She was there alongside acts like The Who, Joe Cocker, and even Bob Dylan who hadn’t been onstage in three years.

Mick told her in a letter that he was so proud of her and promised her that he was “there in my head and in my heart.” Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and his wife Shirley, and Jo Bergman were also in the audience watching Marsha perform.

Marsha also made headline news as she wore custom-made leather shorts to which the press ran with and by the next fashion season, short shorts were featured in every fashion magazine. She was the first person to popularize “hot pants”.

[BELOW: Marsha performing with her band White Trash at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1969 with members of The Rolling Stones looking on in the audience.]

After Mick came back from Australia, Marsha was offered a part in a film called “Welcome to the Club” which is a comedy about three Black USO performers sent to Hiroshima in the 1940s to entertain the troops on an all-white base. The film was being directed by Walter Shenson, who had produced The Beatles' films “A Hard Day's Night” and “Help” and shot it entirely in Copenhagen, Denmark.

She was also asked to fly back to London to shoot another cover for American Vogue which was shot by photographer Patrick Litchfield. (They‘d never had a Black woman on the cover before.)

Mick began touring in America again, his first since 1966, and with the number of girls he had access to, she knew he was keeping himself busy on and off stage.

[LEFT: Mick on stage at Madison Square Garden during the Stones’ 1969 tour; RIGHT: Marsha filming “Welcome to the Club”.]

He even started a short-lived relationship with yet another Black singer and Ikette Claudia Lennear, as well sparking up a fling with Devon Wilson, a notorious rock & roll groupie and the girlfriend of Jimi Hendrix who famously wrote the song “Dolly Dagger” about their affair.

[LEFT: Mick arriving at Madison Square Garden in November 1969 with Devon Wilson; RIGHT: Mick backstage at the same event with singer Claudia Lennear.]

But on December 6, 1969 - everything changed dramatically when an 18-year old concertgoer was stabbed and killed during the Stones’ free concert at the Altamont Speedway in California by the Hell’s Angels Motorcycle Club, who was the band’s security. Members of the Hell’s Angels blamed Mick for the incident and subsequent to the concert, put a hit out on him and threatened to murder him. This marked the third major tragedy to happen since Mick and Marsha met each other.

[BELOW: A scared Mick looks on as 18-year old Meredith Hunter is stabbed to death by the Hell’s Angels in front of the stage while the Stones performed at Altamont Speedway.]

Marsha stayed with Mick after the chaos at Altamont, which the media dubbed “The Death of the ‘60s”. By this time, he had officially split up with Marianne and moved Marsha into his house on Cheyne Walk where she helped him to transition and readjust his life. It was then their relationship intensified!

This is around the time she got a chance to know some of Mick’s friends who lived on the same road, including Keith Richards and his girlfriend, actress Anita Pallenberg, who just had a son, but was hooked on heroin. She thought they were both nice, but they’d visit or show up unannounced to their home all the time. Their hard drug-taking also scared Marsha, so she kept her distance and didn’t voice her opinion. 

She also met Mick’s parents, Eva and Joe Jagger, along with his little brother Chris who was a bit of a hippie and had just returned from India with his American girlfriend. They both had no work, no money, and nowhere to stay, so Marsha kindly gave them a job, one included painting her new apartment.

That Christmas, Marsha got Mick a puppy and Mick, for the first time, told her that he loved her.

Marsha was in a good place. Opportunities were coming to her fast, she had a new apartment, and she was in love with Mick. She had newfound stability and independence. 

In January 1970, they were having dinner at the celebrity hotspot restaurant Mr. Chow’s when Mick said that she’d be a good mother and that they should have a baby together. Prior to this Marsha thought she was just another girl he fancied, as he was a notorious womanizer. But the talk of having a baby made her feel special to him. Her feelings for him were so deep that she also claimed, “I would have died for him.”

She knew Marianne miscarried around the same time Keith Richards’ son Marlon was born. Mick also missed family life with Marianne’s son Nicholas, so wanted to give having a baby a second try.

This fool literally made Marsha take out her birth control and IUD coil, they proceeded to have sex like rabbits, and when she found out she was 3 weeks pregnant, she told Mick who was ecstatic.

Marsha literally said to him, “Listen, if you’re not ready and you changed your mind about this, it’s okay.” She was totally ready to get an abortion. But he assured her that it was what he wanted and he was happy.

They had their first argument when it came time to naming their baby. Mick wanted a boy who he could send to the prestigious Eton School (the all-boys school where Prince William & Prince Harry attended), and he proposed that they call the baby ‘Midnight Dream’. Marsha wasn’t having it and even said, “Imagine sticking your head out of a window to call your child home and yelling, 'Midnight. Midnight! Time for tea.’”

She'd known that he and the band were leaving England for tax reasons and moving to France in the coming year. The Stones were also gearing up for their upcoming European tour.

Even though she loved Mick, he was young and she claimed she was “all for Mick doing his own thing”. They were supposed to be the sophisticated embodiment of an alternative social ideal — parent-hood shared between loving friends living separate lives.

This was around the time of the sexual revolution and people were exploring different types of relationships. Marsha didn’t find gratification in being “Mr. So and So’s” wife, plus Mick wasn’t the marriage type either. He was the type of guy to get up at 2pm to start his day - so marriage was sort of off the table. Though, unbeknownst to Marsha, Mick has thought of proposing, she claimed their relationship “thrived off her being supportive” and she loved to see him “run free”. And since she grew up in a matriarchy, the ideal of a man and woman living together seemed nice but unnecessary. They agreed that Mick would be a good absent father while he made his music and toured with The Rolling Stones, and Marsha could still have her own life and career. It was all very modern!

Marsha also feared that her association with Mick would crowd out her own identity. She didn’t like the limelight because it was a discomfort. She also never wanted to be known as Mick Jagger's girlfriend (can you blame her? So many of his girlfriends tried to commit suicide). Like him, she wanted her own independence.

By June 1969, Marsha told her band and the press that she was pregnant, but did not give up the name of her baby’s father. However, one little clever ass reporter actually found out it was Mick Jagger and threatened to print it. She thought of suing but asked the Stones PR team to link him to another girl. She managed to get through her pregnancy without a media frenzy or being linked to Mick even though they had stepped out together many times, and he was ready to have it reported. 

While Mick was away touring in Europe, his phone calls got less frequent. The tour was a bit crazy, and although Mick invited her to go to Paris, he knew she'd refuse – she didn’t want to get caught up. But he told her he was lonely and had met someone in Paris that he was taking to Italy. Her name was Bianca. She was Nicaraguan and spoke little English. Mick didn't mention her again, but after the tour, Marsha knew that she had moved to his house in England. 

His publicist sent her an invite to the premiere of his corny movie, “Ned Kelly,” but he didn’t show up. He also invited his parents to the event and it was there she realized that the bastard didn’t tell them that he had a baby on the way. Mick hardly lavished praise on his parents and even once told the press, “I owe them nothing. They are my parents, that is that…but there are no dues to be made by me to them!”

By her third trimester, having a baby became her whole reality and his passing fancy. He started to forget that the baby was HIS idea. 

Despite Marsha carrying his child, practically all references to her and the baby were quickly airbrushed out of his life. Chris O'Dell, Mick’s PA in the early ‘70s was even quoted as saying, “I never remember him talking about their child. In fact, I wasn’t aware of a baby being around at all. It was almost like [his first child] didn’t exist.”

Marsha was put in a difficult position because it was too late to go back and sometimes he’d phone her like nothing ever happened. She claimed his mood would change so quickly, he was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. She also said, “I've discovered that he can burn hot and suddenly cool to below zero.”

She started to worry that he didn’t care anymore, so, she tried to squeeze in any and every piece of work she possibly could to hold her up during and after her pregnancy (tv shows, photoshoots, etc.). She also volunteered at a local mental-care center in the autistic unit caring for a 12 year old boy to keep from feeling useless.

[BELOW: A heavily pregnant Marsha performing in late 1970.]

At the same time, Mick also did a lot of peculiar interviews, either stating he wasn’t interested in having children or flat out dissing Marsha. During a 1970 interview with London’s Daily Mail newspaper he even said, “For me, life has always got to be on the move and exciting. I love kids, I really do…but it’s not something I’m thinking about.” He of course failed to mention that Marsha was expecting their first child.

[BELOW: Mick during an interview referencing Marsha & his unborn child in 1970.]

Once it was time for her to give birth, a hard-up Marsha was ashamed and reluctant to ask him for any contribution because he never once offered. Mick ultimately gave her a measly £200 to get by, which came with a note saying “I know I haven’t done right by you” and he also “loaned” her a ring he always wore.

She had initially planned a natural home delivery to keep the press at bay and because it was the “it” thing to do at the time, but was told by her OB-GYN that her baby was in danger and that she had to go to the hospital the next day. 

On November 3rd, she dragged her own luggage and hailed a taxi to the hospital only to be told there weren’t enough beds. Panicked and scared, she went back home quite sure she was going to die from an unassisted childbirth.

When she went back to the hospital the next day for an induced labor, she checked in with her married name “Ratledge” to protect herself (and Mick). On November 4, 1970 after hours of labor, she gave birth to a girl she named Karis and phoned Mick first and then her mother. That day was the first time Mick actually told his now girlfriend, Bianca, that Marsha and his baby existed.

While waiting in the maternity ward, the nurses also forgot to feed Marsha who was so hungry. But being on The National Health, she didn’t complain.  

When she checked out of the hospital, Mick sent a bouquet of red roses,  a miniature muse figurine for the baby, a silver spoon, and some cheap Indian earrings for Marsha. He “dropped by” two days later to see his baby but was in a hurry to be somewhere else.

10 days later, he paid another rushed visit, but she eventually took him to the side because she wasn’t in the mood to entertain his detachment.  And she was kinda like, “Hey! What’s up with you? Why don’t you call or come around more often for the baby” trying to get some genuine reaction out of him instead of keeping her at bay with the polite chitchat bullshit, in which he snapped and yelled at her, “I never loved you” and told her that she was “mad to think that he had”. Of course Marsha, hormonal, stitches still in, burning and all, did not expect for him to stab back and immediately started to cry, which only made him more angry. The piece of shit even had the audacity to threaten to take her newborn baby away from her if he chose. She stopped and in a stern voice said, “Try it! I’d blow your brains out!!”

In that moment, the loyalty she had for him was gone. She had no choice but to push forward and tried to find as much work as she could to support herself and her baby.

[BELOW: Marsha & Mick after the birth of their first child Karis Hunt in late 1970.]

READ ‘PART 2’ HERE!!! ☕️☕️☕️

[ttexed]

Larry Williams - She Said Yeah

‘Larry Williams (May 10, 1935  January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Williams is best known for writing and recording some rock and roll classics from 1957 to 1959 for Specialty Records, including "Bony Moronie", "Short Fat Fannie", "Bad Boy", "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" and "She Said Yeah," which were later covered by British Invasion groups and other artists. John Lennon, in particular, was a fan of Williams, recording several of his songs over the course of his career. "Bony Maronie" is listed as one of the Top 500 songs that shaped Rock and Roll. 

Williams lived a life mixed with tremendous success and violence-fueled drug addiction. He was a long-time friend of Little Richard. As a child in New Orleans, Williams learned how to play piano. When he was a teenager, he and his family moved to Oakland, California, where he joined a local R&B group called the Lemon Drops. In 1954, when he was 19 years old, Williams went back to New Orleans for a visit. He began work as Lloyd Price's valet and developed a friendship with Little Richard Penniman, who was recording at the time in New Orleans. Price and Penniman were both recording for Specialty Records at the time. Williams was introduced to Specialty's house producer, Robert Blackwell, and was signed to record. 

 In 1957, Little Richard was Specialty's biggest star, but bolted from Rock and Roll to pursue the ministry. Williams was quickly groomed by Blackwell to try to replicate his success. Using the same raw, shouting vocals and piano-driven intensity, Williams scored with a number of hit singles. Williams' three biggest successes were "Short Fat Fannie", which was his first hit, reaching #5 in Billboard's pop chart, "High School Dance", which also made #5, and "Bony Moronie", which peaked at #14. Both "Short Fat Fanny" and "Bony Moronie" sold over one million copies, gaining gold discs. Several of his songs achieved later success as revivals by The Beatles ("Bad Boy", "Slow Down", and "Dizzy Miss Lizzy"); The Rolling Stones ("She Said Yeah"); and John Lennon's versions of "Bony Moronie" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzy". 

 Williams had been involved with underworld activity since his early teens, and had reputedly been a pimp before he ever recorded music. After 1957 Williams did not have much success selling records. He recorded a number of songs in 1958 and 1959, including "Heebie Jeebies", with band members such as Plas Johnson on tenor sax and Alvin "Red" Tyler on baritone, Barney Kessel on guitar, Gerald Wilson on trumpet, Ernie Freeman or Williams himself on piano, and Earl Palmer on drums. He was convicted of dealing narcotics in 1960 and served a jail term, setting back his career considerably. 

 Williams made a comeback in the mid-1960s with a funky soul band that included Johnny "Guitar" Watson, which paired him musically with Little Richard who had been lured back into secular music. He produced two Little Richard albums for Okeh Records in 1966 and 1967, which returned Little Richard to the Billboard album chart for the first time in ten years and spawned the hit single Poor Dog. He also acted as the music director for the Little Richard's live performances at the Okeh Club. Bookings for Little Richard during this period skyrocketed. Williams also recorded and released material of his own and with Watson, with some moderate chart success. This period may have garnered few hits but produced some of his best and most original work.  

Williams also began acting in the 1960s, appearing on film in Just for the Hell of It (1968), The Klansman (1974), and Drum (1976). 

 In the 1970s, there was also a brief dalliance with disco, but Williams' wild lifestyle continued. By the middle of the decade, the drug abuse and violence was taking its toll. In 1977, Williams pulled a gun on and threatened to kill his long-time friend, Little Richard, over a drug debt. They were both living in Los Angeles and addicted to cocaine. Little Richard bought drugs from him, arranged to pay him later, but did not show up because he was high. Williams was furious. He hunted him down but ended up showing compassion on his long-time friend after Little Richard repaid the debt. This, along with other factors, led to Little Richard's return to born again Christianity and the ministry, but Williams would not escape LA's seedy underworld.'

 SOURCE: Wikipedia 

[dungeonsandblorbos]

Campaign/Character Intro: The Orphic Uprising and Amazonomachy, feat. Nina Grayson

Status: Completed System: Cypher

About: These were two continuous arcs that together formed the first campaign with my university TTRPG group. It was a homebrew story set in the world of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, following a small group of simultaneously inept and hyper-competent demigods from Camp Half-Blood on their various (mis)adventures. Out of character, we called ourselves the Confusion Crew due to the sheer absurdity of some of the shenanigans we got up to. It was delightful.

Genres: Urban fantasy, YA Rating: Teen General content warnings: strong language, mature humor, immature humor, fantasy violence, teenage protagonists, second-hand embarrassment. Posts may not be tagged due to the generally mild nature of most of this campaign's content. Tags: #confusion crew, #nina grayson

story and character details under the cut

The Story

The first arc, The Orphic Uprising, was a short and sweet 10 session wonder. Our story began with a simple game of Capture the Flag gone horribly wrong as Camp Half-Blood was invaded by a skeletal army and a beloved NPC was killed. In the aftermath, we received a prophecy:

Children of Night and lords of the deep Conspire together in the midnight keep. When the twice born God is lured and bound beneath, The impossible is tasked to the daughter of the laurel wreath; The islander shall face the Cyprian boar, And beauty's blood shall open the door; The forgotten son of Spring shall be returned. Through faith and song life can then be earned.

Once the party is determined, we're given the keys to an old model of the Sun Chariot and immediately set course for California and the Underworld.

The second arc, The Amazonomachy, ran almost three times as long, a whole 27 sessions over the course of about 9 months. It's set roughly a year after the last arc, and began with a simple game of Capture the Flag against some visiting Amazons that went horribly wrong when the Amazons turned it into a full-blown raid on Camp Half-Blood. Apparently, the new queen of the Amazons somehow got it into her head that, just as the Olympians overthrew their parents, the Titans, it was high time that we, the demigods, overthrew the Olympians, and she didn't want Camp Half-Blood getting in the way of her mission. Our intrepid heroes from last summer, together with two new unlucky campers who happened to be in the wrong right place at the wrong right time, sneak out of camp and set about sabotaging the Amazons' efforts. And if they fail to do that, well, they can still stop the queen from becoming a new god and killing the old ones . . . right?

The Blorbos

I played Nina Grayson (depicted above), who was an incredibly skilled gymnast, modern dancer, and rock climber—and why wouldn't she be? She's a daughter of Nike, literal embodiment of victory. How could she be anything but the best? Failure was simply not an option for Nina, and while she preferred to avoid failure honestly, the fear of it was so strong that she had no qualms about fighting dirty or playing tricks if that's what it took to win. She was impulsive, headstrong, extremely determined, and nigh-unkillable, with a mean right hook and a poor sense of self. She wasn't very good at making friends, but lucky for her, the rest of the party didn't leave her much of a choice there, and by the epilogue, she had more emotional support than she knew what to do with! Nina was a menace both in and out of combat because she put all her points into strength, speed, durability, and dirty tricks, and nothing into charisma or smarts. Truly, a himbo lesbian queen (literally, in fact, because I think she ended up canonically becoming the queen of the Amazons in the epilogue). Iconic himbo acts of hers included solving a hidden object puzzle by punching a horse statue in the face, getting set on fire and putting it out by drenching herself in monster blood, solving a locked door problem by punching the lock in the face, splitting the party to play double agent without telling her friends she was only fake-betraying them, and solving a vengeful goddess issue by punching her in the face so hard it temporarily killed said goddess. At some point she also acquired the nickname Larry?

Her two best friends were Chuck Hickey, an appropriately chaotic son of Dionsysus who grew up on his grandparents' vineyard, played by my lovely husband @somethingclevermahogony, and Beatrice Starveling, an incredibly musically talented and equally exhausted daughter of Apollo who made Orpheus look like a chump, played by the incredibly artistically talented @hamletphase (who I think has commissions open rn!). These three were part of both arcs, and I love this trio dearly. For the second arc, we were also joined by the iconic bromance duo of surfer dude Cameron "Murph" Murphy, a son of Epimethius ("god" of hindsight) who got himself into a lot of chaos but somehow always had the right tool for the job, played by the fantastic @ostrich-runner, and wannabe fuckboi Bryce, a totally not bisexual disaster son of Eros. And last but not least, there was our team pet Hops, a funky little alcohol grain demon who looked like if a cabbage patch doll was an actual baby-shaped root vegetable. We fed him illegally acquired beer and Chuck carried him around in a baby björn, or occasionally threw him like a football at our enemies and used him like an Entangle spell. Only the best food and enrichment activities for our darling grain demon!

[bakumai]

byler fanfic recs !

favorite of all time !

force of gravity - oceanfruit

literally the best fic i’ve ever read tbh. it’s got slow burn, angst, fluff, all the good stuff you know? idek how to describe the emotions i felt while reading this but it was an amazing experience. definitely my #1 byler fic recommendation 🫶

one shots !

i’d love to see me from your point of view - unidentifiedblackthorn

Mike and Will get high on Jonathan’s weed and Mike has an amazing idea.

you know me better than i do - unidentifiedblackthorn

Will can't avoid Mike forever, and they talk about what happened the day they got high together.

the right idea - candlelitheart

the basis for this fic is loosely inspired by the scene where jonathan and nancy get together in season two because i think it's one of the cutest scenes ever.

kiss it better - beansie

Mike and Will, through the years and in between the lines of friendship and something more.

magnetic pull - pressedviolets

Mike gets drunk at a party and kisses a boy. Will catches them together and is understandably confused.

sweeter than candy - smpshift

where Mike realizes he's head over heels for Will at 3 AM and mindlessly rides his bike across Hawkins just to tell him.

garden song - bafflingyew

Will is rooted to the ground, heart pounding. He wants this. He wants this so bad, but he needs to know that Mike is sure. He needs to know that he’s serious. He needs to know.

home is where the heart is - snoosnoom (moonsooms)

Living in a shared apartment with Will is all Mike could ask for, except for the part where he keeps thinking about kissing Will in the middle of their kitchen.

what do you do now, will the wise? - rainbownixie

The party is playing D&D together and Mike, as the dungeon master, won’t stop trying to make the Paladin and the Cleric flirt. He’s basically making moves on Will through the game. Will is caught off guard by this, and doesn’t know how to respond to the following question:

What do you do now, Will the Wise?

Everything comes down to a simple roll of dice.

the wooing of will byers (and other mishaps) - softzombieboy

With El still in confinement and Dustin increasingly preoccupied the remaining four members group together. Lucas and Max are inescapably a couple now, which makes it a little awkward for Mike and Will as they are unintentionally tagging along on dates. It is especially uncomfortable because Mike keeps insisting that he and Will do the same romantic things as their friends.

a little of that human touch - poetic patron

Will wakes up from a nightmare and Mike helps in the best way he knows how: Cuddles. Which would be fine, except for the fact he's been trying to hide his feelings for his best friend since the moment he touched down in California.

are you happy? - twistedrocketpower

Hopper doesn't care that Will is gay. He doesn't care that Will is in a relationship with a boy. He only cares that the boy is Mike Wheeler, the bane of his existence. He wants to make sure Will knows what he's doing, so he has a little chat with his stepson.

a three step plan to make will byers fall in love - romeowrites

The party concocts a three-step plan to get Will Byers to fall in love assuming, of course, that he hasn’t already.

busy tone - spaceeggscreams

Mike calls Will after a bad day, hoping to get through to his best friend after he's moved away. Instead, he's confronted with a busy tone. He talks anyway.

defensive positions - on_the_rook_cliff

Will and Mike end up cornered and Will becomes protective while Mike becomes flustered.

yes this is a byler fic but i wrote it at 5am and couldn’t think of a title - lillajoba

Just two bros being totally platonic in a motel room.

dance where the rain won’t hurt us - venusperia

mike wheeler doesn't love art — he just loves will byers.

four lessons about you - lia (liastories)

A collection of four times where Mike discovered new methods to make Will feel safe in his company, including how his ‘Will voice’ was born.

are you still mine? - shoto_scribbles

How music brings Mike and Will closer than any trauma could.

more than anyone else - idkilike5sos

An imagining of what would've happened if Will had been at home when Mike and Lucas went to apologise after the fight in season 3.

i want to dance with somebody (somebody who loves me) - beanwithaq

It's the S2 snowball but everyone is actually gay. Including the girl who Will is dancing with and Jennifer Hayes. Who really wanted to dance with that girl

birds of a feather flock together - bundibird

"You know," Robin tells Mike, her voice low and calm and soothing. "You can like both girls and boys."

Steve jerks in his seat like someone slapped him.

"What!?" he splutters, and it comes out as something halfway between a yelp and a squawk.

I Never Find Out 'Til I'm Head Over Heels - orphan_account

Wherein Mike believes he’s being obvious, Will doesn’t know what he believes, and the pair of them could use a lesson or two in effective communication. Somehow all of this has both nothing and everything to do with five years' worth of school dances.

eyecatcher - smoosnoom (moonsooms)

While volunteering at the Hawkins' help center, it seems like every girl around has a newfound interest in Will Byers, and Mike doesn't know why he feels the way he does.

you had me for a minute there - delusionaltogether (Whyyyyy)

senior year in hawkins

sealed with a kiss - astrobi

Listen. No one should ever let Mike make decisions right after he wakes up from a nap, okay? Especially not decisions where Will is concerned. This is so not his fault.

Follow Your Heart 'Til it Bleeds - teej_318

Will and Richie spend the summer bonding over their feelings for their friends Mike and Eddie. Robin gives them some much-needed advice when they hang out at Scoops Ahoy.

you got a fast car - castlebyer

it's spring of 1989, will and mike are young and in love. loosely based on how the song fast car by tracy chapman makes me feel minus the sad ending bc who wants that ?

Down to the Heart - disaster_energy

Mike doesn’t actually think Jonathan’s doing it on purpose, but he's starting to have his doubts.

Or, 5 times Jonathan shatters the moment and one time he doesn't.

dance with me (I think I really like you) - borealisaurora

Mike feels sad after coming back to his dorm from a party, and he reveals to his roommate Will that he’s never danced with anyone before. Will decides to change that :)

(College AU set in the 80s!)

Sober Thoughts - idk_ilike5sos

After an awkward game of spin the bottle at a party, Will takes Mike back to his place and receives a drunken confession about the game.

Walk of Shame - idk_ilike5sos

Mike wakes up in Will's bed, hungover after attending a party the night before. It's normal. Everything's fine... then he remembers.

make me your future history - andiwriteordie

A story of Will and Mike’s past, present, and plans for the future, told in seven parts.

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? - BoNUKA5

It's the end of 1988, and Mike is determined to confess his feelings to his best friend, Will. He hatches a plan to confess on New Year's Eve, because what is more romantic than kissing on New Year's Eve?

that funny feeling - delusionaltogether (Whyyyyy)

"So you- you haven't, like. Kissed anyone, then?" Mike asks, fully aware that he should probably just quit while he's ahead but needing to know, suddenly, if Will has any sort of romantic entanglements that he's neglected to tell Mike about. He's not sure why, but there's something in his gut that demands to know, has some sort of sudden need to know if Will has kissed anyone that's not him.

If Will has kissed anyone that's not-

Wait, what?

or: Mike is jealous of himself.

you in my heart - soukeye

It was sundown. Mike finally had the courage to look at Will straight in the face, witnessing up close the rosy blush on his cheeks and his long eyelashes. Mike Wheeler is so lucky to have a best friend like Will Byers. So lucky it made his heart hurt. Is this normal? Is this what close friendship is like? Because never did he feel so much with Lucas and Dustin, his heart practically palpitating with the only thoughts clouding his mind being the boy staring at him so affectionately.

undertow - beansie

Will has never had his first kiss. Mike is happy to lend a hand.

in progress !

why would you ever kiss me? - aghostlybreath

When Eleven saves Will from Vecna she gets more than she bargained for when they wake up in the wrong bodies. Now to prevent Vecna from infiltrating the mind of his most perfect host the two of them must pretend to be the other.

i think we have a lot in common - teddythebear

Eddie Munson Adopts Will Byers because Gay Found Family is my favorite trope!

god, just kiss already! - californiasummer

5 times the Party watched Mike and Will uselessly pine after another + 1 time they did something about it.

as the world ends, i'll find my home in you - romeowrites

The end of the world was almost peaceful. And then the screaming started. 

OR

My version of Stranger Things 5.

a loserparty groupchat - heydorothea18

Mike refuses to tell Richie anything about his friends. Naturally, this is an issue because Richie feels the need to make his cousin's life torture. After a thorough Instagram stalking (with Bev's help), a group chat is created.

When It's Over - ikrannn

Mike Wheeler disappeared from his family's household in Minnesota due to a wolf attack two years ago. One year ago, he came back to them in Hawkins Indiana, where he met his Party and the Losers Club. Now, he hopes that he can survive the turmoils of high school and balance being inhuman on top of that.

OR, haha werewolf fic go BRRR

The Search is Over - ur_ur_ur_mom

Mike moves to Hawkins from Chicago and completely changes Will Byers life.

i'll be your quiet afternoon crush - heydorothea18

Mike hadn't planned on getting arrested on his last day of summer vacation, but at least the chief of police had a cute son.

In Max's mind, getting arrested wasn't that huge of a deal. Getting arrested alongside Mike Wheeler, however, was. And El- the chief of police's daughter- was the biggest deal of all.

Rock 'n' Roll - bylerisc4non

One fateful October night in 1995, Will Byers is dragged by his step-sister, Jane, and her best friend to a rock concert. That was just the beginning…

Or, it's the 90s, Will's in college, Mike's in a band, and there's some...tension.

The Webbing of my Heart - kindoffruityig

Will Byers was a normal 16-year-old living in New York. That was until he got bit by a radioactive spider which changed the trajectory of his mundane life. As Will experiments with his new powers, he finds that he can help people, and save them from the everyday crimes that happen around the city of New York. Juggling his superhero life and his normal life is no easy job so Will has to put his all into it. Through his adventures of being a superhero, he pushes away those that were once the closest to him and has to deal with the responsibility of keeping a whole city safe and also keeping up with his ever-growing pile of schoolwork. Will he be able to keep his identity secret? Can he fight off the dangers that are headed for New York City? The only way to find out is to read, so enjoy!

completed !

i hate accidents (except when we went from friends to this) - blackdeathmamba

five times Mike kissed Will, and one time Will kissed back.

A Box of Unsent Letters Under My Bed, All Addressed To You - adhd_bisexual_nonbeany

Mike Wheeler doesn't understand why he can't just put a stamp on the envelope and place the letters in the mailbox

ill add more as i read more ! if your fanfic is in here and you want it removed, just comment/dm me. :)

also keep in mind that if you reblog this, any updates i add after that won’t show up on your reblog. if you want to see if i added more fics just go to the original post !

last updated 12/30/22 (i swear imma update soon omfg 😨)

[fatefulfortune]

Welcome to Aurora Bay @aurorabayaesthetic, [ELLIOT WEAVER] ! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [NICK ROBINSON]. You must be the [TWENTY-NINE] year old [LOTTERY WINNER]. Word is you’re [GENEROUS] but can also be a bit [GLUM] and your favorite song is [END OF BEGINNING BY DJO]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [AURORA BAY DRIVE]. I’m sure you’ll love it!

Name: Elliot Timothy Weaver Nicknames: Eli (preferred name), Ellie, E.T. Age: 29 Birthday: October 15th, 1994 FC: Nick Robinson Gender: Male Pronouns: He/Him/His Sexuality: Bisexual Height: 6'1 Blood Type: A+ Build: Medium Vices: Cannabis, Alcohol, Cigarettes Favorite Colors: Red & Orange

History

Elliot grew up entirely average. Greatness wasn't in store for the middle Weaver child. His older brother was a football star and his younger sister was a pageant queen and as a result his parents attention was usually used up in pursuing his siblings dreams. Elliot never minded much. His nose was typically buried in a book as he was dragged along for support to his siblings endeavors. As he grew up the more Eli branched out on his own. He found himself friends with the band geeks and nerds more than the popular crowd his family was drawn to. He was never prom royalty but he also never wanted to be and he was entirely content. He had a girlfriend whom he loved and friends who he could depend on, what more could he ask for? When Elliot graduated high school he decided to stick around in Amarillo. The town might be small but it was his home and after a few years at the local community college he got a job in auto insurance. He was still with the same girl from high school who he proposed to at the age of twenty-six after being together for ten years. Life was good for Eli and he saw his whole future ahead of. Marriage, a couple of kids running around, and a small house he'd call home, maybe even a white picket fence. All of that changed one fateful afternoon in August of 2023. Elliot came home on his lunch break only to catch his fiance with another man. He was heartbroken and the simple life he'd had planned for himself was ruined. The engagement was off then and there and Eli quickly spun downward.  Life had gone to shit. His fiance moved out (and in with the guy she'd been cheating with) and Elliot spent most nights drinking and wallowing in self pity. Things couldn't have gotten any worse and miraculous it didn't. Almost two months after his break up Elliot's life would change again. He was never much of a gambler but one night when buying cigarettes he decided to purchase a lottery ticket from the gas station. Never in Eli's wildest dreams did he expect to actually win but he did. 16.8 million dollars to be exact. His life changed overnight once again. His achievement became the biggest story to hit Amarillo history in the last 20 years and it seemed everyone who'd ever known Elliot was coming out of the woodwork including his ex.  Everyone put a bad taste in his mouth and after he'd been coerced into giving away nearly a million dollars to various different people in a very short period of time Elliot went into hiding. He could no longer trust the people closest to him as they all seemed to turn green with envy or fat with greed. His new found wealth made him incredibly lonely and forced him to outgrow his town he'd once called home. Instead Elliot decided to travel until he figured out where he wanted to call home next. That was how he wound up in Aurora Bay. He'd always heard the weather was nice in southern California and he figured it was as good a place as any to relocate for the time being.

Headcanons

Elliot's life is a mess. He's still recovering from his recent breakup over the summer and now that he's a millionaire he really doesn't know how to act. One minute he's celebrating and the next he's crying because his Spotify Wrapped playlist reminds him of home.

He is the embodiment of the meme "If I ever win the lottery I won't tell anybody but there will be signs". He doesn't boast about his wealth but he's definitely treating himself and is very generous with his money. He has been known to give 50% to 100% tips at businesses around town.

He's stopped doing laundry all together. Now he simply donates his clothes and buys new ones when he needs them. Laundry has always been his least favorite chore and now that he doesn't have to clean his clothes he won't.

He spontaneously drops twenty dollar bills around just to brighten people's days.

There's always a pile of packages waiting for him at his mailbox. Half the time he doesn't know what he's ordered because he's developed a late night spending habit whenever he can't sleep.

Elliot moved into a "small" mansion off Aurora Bay Drive. He's still furnishing it and frankly doesn't know what to do with all the rooms the home has to offer. It's slowly but turning into the ultimate bachelor pad while he saves at least one bedroom to be used as a guest room whenever his family comes to visit.

[shefanispeculator]

For every new star on the recording scene, there is at least one unheralded industry drone without whom that star might never have shone. In the case of Blake Shelton, who is about to receive his well-deserved Hollywood Walk of Fame star after more than two decades as one of country music’s best, there are probably more like a dozen heroes who made Blake’s incredible career possible.

One of those heroes is your humble Nashville correspondent, me. No, that’s the truth. Once or twice in your life the impossible hits you between the eyes and you need to be prepared if you want to turn it into pure sunshine before the inevitable eclipse drifts in.

One day in 1995 or 1996 I got a call from Jim Sharpe, then publisher of American Songwriter magazine.  He had found this big kid from Oklahoma, best singer he’d ever heard, would I like to come by the office to hear him sing?  “Why?” I asked. You see, I was trying to dodge what the gods were hurling at me.  I was done with the music business. I would just be a waste of this kid’s time.

But a week or two later found me in Sharpe’s office shaking hands with this kid, six-foot-four, great looking, with a big, black cowboy hat, big black Takamine guitar, a voice so huge it shook the walls of Sharpe’s office, and a laugh to match.

I was hooked, and soon we were writing songs together every Tuesday.

But nothing further happened until a couple from California hired me to run their music publishing company. We signed Shelton to a publishing deal. And then nothing more happened. I learned that he’d already been turned down by labels all over Music Row, talent be damned.

Now comes the big twist in the story.

I’m not the hero, after all.  The hero is a guy I’m about to call. Bobby Braddock has written or co-written many of country music’s biggest hits, including “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” “I Wanna Talk About Me,” “People Are Crazy,” “Golden Ring,” “Time Marches On” and “D-I-V-O-R-C-E.”  He also produces terrific demos and he’s always wanted to produce records.

The call goes like this:

“Hello, Homer (his phone name is Homer, and mine is Jethro). I’ve got something I want you to hear.” I’m holding an old microcassette tape recorder in my right hand, and a telephone receiver in my left. This phone call is high-tech. I push the recorder flush against my telephone mouthpiece and press the start button. Homer listens to Blake sing for a little more than two minutes.  When the tape has finished playing, Bobby speaks.

“The song is OK, but who’s that singer?”

“He’s 20 years old and we signed him a couple of months ago,” I reply.

“He sounds like a young Hank Jr. Can I meet him?”

The three of us met at Braddock’s house and Braddock and Shelton hit it off immediately. Braddock agreed to produce Shelton, and Braddock persuaded his publishing company, Sony/ATV Music, to pay for the session. That’s a big deal, to get a producer and publisher to put time and money into a session.  But the hard part is not cutting the session — it’s getting a record company to love the session and sign the artist.

Armed with the fresh recording, Braddock hit the pavement. One label at a time. Fortunately, in 1998, there were still a lot of record labels left in Nashville.

“I took Blake’s CD all over town,” says Braddock. “RCA showed some interest, but they passed. Arista Records showed enough interest to request a showcase, and we gave it to them, then they passed. I was running out of record labels. The last label I went to was Giant Records, an affiliate of Warner Bros. Doug Johnson listened hard. And he said yes.”

Now life got tougher. Braddock produced an album by Shelton. Virtually everybody at the label loved it. Braddock, Shelton and a whole lot of other people waited for the album to be released. And they waited. People wondered why they waited.

Then Debbie Zavitson, a stalwart of Giant Records’ A&R department, received a CD from publisher Jana Talbot of a special song called “Austin,” written by David Kent and Kirsti Manna. Braddock, Shelton and a handful of great session players went to Sound Stage recording studio on Music Circle South and cut “Austin” and two other songs. Braddock recalls that the label had picked another song for the first single, but he had sent copies of the session to several friends and they felt that “Austin” was the hit. He took this new information from “the people,” and, he says, convinced the label to go with “Austin” instead. Then they waited, and while they waited, rumors circulated that Giant Records might soon be closing down.

“It took Giant three years to put out Blake’s record,” says Braddock, his brow furrowed in puzzlement over the memory. “And it never would have gotten out at all, if it hadn’t been for Fritz Kuhlman!”

Braddock would later refer to Kuhlman as “the promotion man who committed mutiny.” Kuhlman had heard the rumors about Giant, and while he was not a powerful executive at the label, he did have the ability to send out copies of “Austin” to country radio stations all over the country. And that’s just what he did, because he believed in “Austin.” 

Stations began to play “Austin,” but Giant closed its doors anyway. By this time it didn’t matter. “Austin” was hot with or without a label. Giant’s parent company, Warner Bros., picked up the record and ran with it, and thanks to Kuhlman, “Austin” became a multi-week No. 1 country smash. 

Country music had a brand new star. Over the next two decades, Shelton would pump out hit after hit, and become a national TV icon on the worldwide hit show “The Voice,” as well as a member of the venerable Grand Ole Opry. I can’t help but think of the many heroes it took to make it happen for Blake Shelton.

Of course there’s Shelton, with all that talent, heart and personality. Then there’s Bobby Braddock, one of Nashville’s greatest songwriters, listening to hundreds of other people’s songs in search of that special one for Shelton. And Braddock in the studio, hour after hour, with some of the world’s best studio musicians, background singers and studio engineers, pursuing the perfect record. Then cruising from label to label, determined to find a yes among all the inevitable no answers. And then there’s me, playing a cassette over the phone to my friend Braddock, who I thought was a genius in a recording studio.

And gutsy Kuhlman, on his own, mailing out CDs on a wing and a prayer.

Lots of other heroes, too, braving the stiff competition: promoters, publicists, A&R people, bookers, roadies, managers — and nobody outside the business knows their names. It took a lot of skill and experience to make a music industry in those days, and I like to think it still does.

[jules-has-notes]

The Chicken Song — VoicePlay live performances

For this post, I want to let you do a bit of compare-and-contrast. Below are two performances of the same piece, two years apart. As with a lot of VoicePlay's more theatrical skit-songs, every iteration is a little different, and delightful in its own way. Especially in comedic numbers like this, "Elvira", and "Road Trip", where the guys are trying to make each other laugh almost as much as they're trying to entertain their audience.

Details:

title: The Chicken Song

original song / performers: American novelty song also known as "The Rooster" ; first two verses included in the New Christy Minstrels' "Bits and Pieces" medley (1962)

arranged by: VoicePlay

.

version 1

This video was recorded during VoicePlay's concert at The O'Shaughnessy theater at St. Catherine University during the 2014 Arts Midwest conference in Minnesota.

performance date: 19 September 2014

My favorite bits:

Layne playfully admonishing the videographer while clucking

Eli's tokyo-drift skibble at the end of each chase

"Anybody wanna milk me?" ::delighted pointing at the audience response:: "Oh, okay!"

"Big guy." ::patpat::

::half-heartedly points at his raised hand:: "’T’s’muh branch."

Eli's smug grin at Geoff's reaction to him taking over, "And an awful lot of it."

Layne, Geoff, and Eli's startled smiles at one audience member's distinctive laughter

Tony repeatedly trying to refuse his assigned role, only to get annoyed when the others don't immediately back him up. "C'mon!" 😠

"I don't think we have that."

Trivia:

Tony's improvised dialog, "Hey, my name is Maggie. Welcome to Matt's," is a reference to Matt's Bar in Minneapolis, where the guys had been very excited to go for a lunch of "juicy lucy" burgers before the show.

Since they were in Home Free's neck of the woods for the conference, the guys had a chance to catch up with Rob Lundquist and Tim Foust.

Tim live-tweeted the show in his typical wry fashion, including some arboreal appreciation for his fellow bass singer.

.

version 2

This performance was part of a benefit concert for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation hosted by the Alpha Epsilon Phi fraternity at Stanford University. Tony got stuck in Florida because of Hurricane Matthew, so their old friend Paul from Vox Audio agreed to pinch hit. Which made it even more chaotic than usual.

performance date: 7 October 2016

My favorite bits:

Layne shaking his tail feathers

Eli and Layne's little finger wiggle high-five

Earl and Layne cracking each other up with livestock jokes, then everyone giggling even more when Geoff calls them out on it

Eli laughing so hard he has to take a knee

::elbow bump::

Geoff asking the audience, "D'you guys know what Chiclets are?" only for Earl to immediately pull one out of his pocket

Paul accidentally skipping the second refusal gag and grumbling about not getting paid enough

::wolf whistle:: "Shaddup."

Eli doing his darnedest not to laugh at Paul's waitress antics, to the point of angling himself away from the rest of the group

Paul's incredible scream

Trivia:

The "California cow" / "happy cow" / "best cheese" banter was referencing a series of ads from the California Milk Advisory Board that aired in the early 2000s.

The Chiclets gum question was asked at least in part because that brand had recently been discontinued.

Young lads Layne, Earl, Geoff, and James May recorded a live audio version (without the waitress verse) for 4:2:Five's album "Time Machine" way back in 2004.

[proud-mama-joyce]

does this S4 song hint at S5 time meddling?

In the scene in 4:01 where Dustin and Mike are looking for a D&D sub, the song “Play With Me” by Extreme plays right after Dustin hangs up the phone: 

I think others have noted how the song itself is anachronistic for 1986, seeing as it was released in 1989. This would suggest it has additional importance as a song selection, since they’re usually careful about these details.

I also find it *very* interesting that the guitar solo section of this song was also featured in a scene of the movie Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989). If you haven’t seen it, Bill and Ted are high school students on the verge of failing out of school when they are contacted by a man from the future, who tells them that the future of world peace depends upon their ability to pass their history project. (This is because passing school allows them to stay together to work on their music, which is destined to solve all the world’s problems.) Using a time-traveling phone booth, they travel across human history to temporarily capture famous historical figures to be involved in their presentation. At one point, several of them end up at the local mall and mayhem ensues ("Play With Me” starts at 0:49):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8UGAbAPPkk

Why I think it could be an intentional reference: 

The song wasn’t released yet in 1986, as noted above, yet they chose to use it in ST (and I believe it’s the only S4 song like this, but correct me if I’m wrong). While the lyrics “do you wanna play with me” are obviously relevant for Mike and Dustin’s scenes here, I think there might be more to this, because...

The song being “out of place” in time for 1986 could relate to the time-traveling elements of the plot of BTEE (...and ST?...whatever’s going on, we know that specific times/dates have been emphasized in ST, there’s lots of clock imagery/etc., and we already have direct Back to the Future references in ST)

“Play With Me” is used very memorably in BTEE - not only is it during one of the most chaotic scenes in the movie, but it’s used diagetically (meaning characters in the BTEE universe hear it) as a time-traveling Beethoven experiments with musical equipment in the mall

BTEE is a popular 80s movie, so it wouldn’t be an obscure reference for a lot of the audience of ST (and if there’s more to this connection in S5, it would fit in with the 80s nostalgia of ST)

When “Play With Me” is used in ST, it starts playing during the shot of the phone, and the use of the phone is integral and iconic in the time travel in BTEE

Phones in ST appear linked to several lingering mysteries (how did Will call Joyce from the UD? Why couldn’t Mike get through to the Byers family in California even before Joyce started her new job? Why does Joyce get mysterious phone calls in S2? How and why is electricity connected with UD-related phenomena?)

Other similarities include: 

high-school-aged unlikely heroes in both stories

themes of “saving the world”

this electrical storm imagery:

(above: electrical disturbances in stormy clouds before the arrival of the time-traveling phone booth. Could be coincidence, but I see some similarity with Mind Flayer/UD imagery.)

this line--probably nothing but I couldn’t leave it out: 

Right as Bill and Ted watch their future selves arrive in the time-traveling phone booth for the first time...

...Ted says, “Strange things are afoot at the Circle K.”

What I’m wondering now:

Could this reference support the idea that ST characters will be interacting with their own S1-4 timelines in S5? Aside from other ST-related reasons we’ve had to wonder about this possibility, Bill and Ted’s story includes scenes of them interacting with themselves in their current timeline as well as in the past. They’re seen giving their previous selves advice or placing items in convenient locations so that their plan can succeed. 

How does this possibility relate, if at all, to the fact that the UD was “frozen in time” on Nov. 6th, 1983? There are no explicitly stated alternate dimensions in BTEE, but if Bill and Ted had failed, they would have ended up in a different timeline, and this would have created a paradox. Could our characters be in a similar situation? How are time and alternate dimensions related in ST?

Is it significant that Mike is also shown in a phone booth in S4? (In the Nevada desert calling NINA.) If ST5 builds on BTEE references, are these scenes foreshadowing S5 roles for Mike and Dustin in particular, or the Party as a whole? 

Dying to know what anyone else thinks too!

[bizarrequazar]

GJ and ZZH Updates — July 02-08

<<< previous week || all posts || following week >>>

This is part of a weekly series collecting updates from and relating to Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan.

This post is not wholly comprehensive and is intended as an overview, links provided lead to further details. Dates are in accordance with China Standard Time, the organization is chronological. My own biases on some things are reflected here. Anything I include that is not concretely known is indicated as such, and you’re welcome to do your own research and draw your own conclusions as you see fit. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or additions. :)

[Glossary of names and terms] [Masterlist of my posts about the situation with Zhang Zhehan]

07-02 → A TikTok account called Ocean Zhang posted an extremely cringey video of Zhang Sanjian dancing with one of the ugly dolls they’re obviously having trouble selling. The account was found to have been made on 06-15 at an IP address located in Taiwan. The IP of the video was California. [source] Given how TikTok’s algorithm works, it’s best to completely avoid it.

→ Gong Jun made it to Jay Chou’s concert in Haikou and even got to sing with him! Videos: [1] [2] [Translation of their conversation] #Gong Jun Jay Chou chorus Hair Like Snow# got on Weibo entertainment hotsearch and #GongJun trended on Twitter.  Fan Observations:  -  He was wearing the Wooyoungmi shirt again.  -  Hair Like Snow was mentioned by Zhang Zhehan as one of his favourite Jay Chou songs, which he had sung himself at a school talent show. The album that it’s on, November’s Chopin, released on 2005-11-01.

→ Gong Jun posted a video of himself at the concert. Caption: “I’m! so! ha! ppy!”

(photo from the fansite Elaine&Pipi)

07-03 → The Legend of AnLe Weibo account posted a video of behind the scenes footage. Caption: “The boat of love makes waves at first sight?! Ren AnLe @Dear Dilireba made a bold move to Han Ye @ Gong Jun Simon, as if he heard someone's heart beating in disorder!” Shortly after, they also posted eight promotional stills of the main cast.

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted three promotional stills of Gong Jun in Legend of AnLe. Caption: “Qingming is like a sweet spring, Ye Ran is like a god, hope to meet with his highness @ Gong Jun Simon soon.”

07-04 → #TheLegendofAnle trended on Twitter.

→ Fresh posted a commercial featuring Gong Jun. (1129 kadian)

07-05 → The Instagram posted song lyrics.

→ Fresh posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun. (1129 kadian)

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted a vlog of him at the Jay Chou concert. Caption: “There is also a chorus without mic, and the enthusiastic audience @ Gong Jun Simon has a full record of the concert!”

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted a douyin of him singing at the concert. Caption: “@ Gong Jun Simon is confident! (We also have a solo cam!)” (17:05 timestamp and 1:29 long video, if you want to make a 51129 kadian out of that)

07-06 → The Instagram posted pictures of Polaroids. 

→ #ZhangZhehan trended on Twitter.

→ The teashop was fined 129k RMB for excessive packaging in violation of environmental protection laws, violation of food safety laws, engaging in food production they do not have a license for, and failure to correctly label food quantity on packaging, with Chen Bingjun (Chen Liying’s daughter) fined 11k RMB personally.

07-07 → Gong Jun reposted a post from Xinhua News in remembrance of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. Added caption: “Don’t forget the national insult, remember the history, and use the deeds of heroes and martyrs to inspire our generation to act bravely!” His studio did the same, added caption: “Follow the right path and strive for self-improvement. Always remember the spirit of the martyrs, and may peace remain forever!”

→ A photographer, Xie Huailiang, made a Xiao Hong Shu post reminiscing about a photoshoot he did with Gong Jun in 2016, saying that Gong Jun hasn’t been changed by the industry and is still very caring and hardworking. His post mentioned Word of Honor as the point Gong Jun rose to fame. Fan Observation: The photographer also previously did a shoot with Zhang Zhehan, and did not delete his post of this after 813.

07-08 → Another Zhang Sanjian TikTok video with content similar to the previous one.

Additional Reading: → Hidden Strike, the Jackie Chan and John Cena action-comedy that Gong Jun played a small role* in in 2018, is now showing in theatres in the US. It will be releasing on American Netflix on 07-28. *He is reportedly only in about the first 20 minutes. → Offline promotions for Legend of AnLe have begun. It seems it really is finally coming soon. 🤞 → Subs are finally being made for Go Fighting! season 9! At the time of this post the first 3 episodes are subbed. [playlist]

<<< previous week || all posts || following week >>>

[90363462]

The History of Kendrick Lamar and Whitney Alford, As Told By His Lyrics

By Matthew RitchieMay 17, 2022

Getty Images

Kendrick Lamar has never been shy about revealing details about his life: DAMN’s“Duckworth” and good kid, M.A.A.D. City’s“m.A.A.d. city” are just two of many moments where he’s gone deep into his personal history on record. And on new album Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers, the Compton superstar gets more vulnerable than ever before, revealing his personal journeys through therapy (“United in Grief”), fatherhood, daddy issues (“Father Time”) and his battles with generational trauma and sexual violence (“Mother I Sober.”)

But he speaks most candidly about his relationship with his longtime partner Whitney Alford. They’re childhood sweethearts who got engaged in 2015 and now have two children together—she’s been a constant in his life throughout his whole career. (She even sang background vocals on To Pimp a Butterfly, lending her voice to both “King Kunta” and “Wesley’s Theory.”) She’s everywhere and everything on this album, including the cover image, narrating on four tracks including “Mother I Sober” and “Father Time,” and telling Kendrick that he needs therapy on the latter. According to Lamar himself, she’s more than just his lover: she’s a grounding figure for him in times of stress and crisis. Kendrick raps more about Whitney on Mr. Morale & The Big Steppersthan ever before, but it’s by no means the first time he’s alluded to her in his music. What follows is a breakdown of her previous appearances in his lyrics.

“She Needs Me” from the 2009 mixtapeKendrick Lamar EP. The first love song Kendrick ever wrote is a parable about a flawless woman who is comparable to nobody else in the world. It’s classic and simple, mentioning his parents’ unabashed approval and her unyielding confidence in the way she carries herself. At the beginning, he insists that she needs him to be happy. By the end of the two minutes, he comes to the realization he, in fact, cannot live without her. Armed with a mountain of evidence of how she completes him, he can’t even imagine wanting to.

The timeline of Kendrick and Whitney’s relationship matches up with the track: Kendrick and Whitney were high school sweethearts who graduated in 2005. “Five years later, an accounting major, work at a firm/Abundance of paper, she got a career,” he raps at the beginning of the second verse–after high school, Alford attended California State University, Long Beach, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. While the rest of the track looks more to the future, it’s apparent that Kendrick had Whitney in mind from the outset.

“Determined,” a bonus track from the 2009 mixtape Kendrick Lamar EP. While Kendrick had striven to keep his and Whitney’s relationship shielded from the public eye, that has not stopped him from citing her as an influential figure in his rap career. In a 2014 interview with the New York Times, he called her the one person with the power to call him out on anything, whether in life or his career. “One particular young lady. She’s been here since Day 1,” Lamar explained.

On the bonus track, he gives a first-hand account of how “his girl” helped him stay the course during moments where his confidence failed him. As he shares his insecurities with her over a bucket of KFC, she shuts his doubts down immediately: “You know you the best boy, you gotta keep doing it/But don't forget when you do, just keep you in it/And never listen to what the industry say/Don't be a typical artist, be more like Jay.” By Kendrick’s own confession here, without her he wouldn’t be the man or rapper he is today.

“Growing Apart (To Get Closer)” from the 2010 mixtape Overly Dedicated. Kendrick gets surprisingly personal on Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, even going as far as to call out his “lust addiction” on the track “Worldwide Steppers” and talking about how his infidelity put pressure on his relationship. He alluded to similar transgressions in the opener from Overly Dedicated, rapping with melancholic honesty about the strain he’s putting on his girlfriend: “Meanwhile I’m in these streets with everybody, I’m trying to get it/And she know they got me, I watch her feelings watch me/As they staring with the saddest eyes of loneliness,” he raps.

“Buried Alive Interlude” from Drake’s 2011 album Take Care. This appearance could be considered the moment when Kendrick began the shift from underground darling to star. Money and success can do crazy things to your perspective, and here, Kendrick doubts his relationship. “The reason why my best friend say she loves me more than life/But I live a double life and need to let her go,” he raps, believing that he must cut her loose as the pressures of fame and wealth begin to materialize.

Billboard and The Breakfast Club in 2015 In a 2015 cover story with Billboard, Kendrick said his connection with Whitney transcends the need for a label. “I wouldn’t even call her my girl,” he says. “That’s my best friend. I don’t even like the term that society has put in the world as far as being a companion — she’s somebody I can tell my fears to.” Months later, following their engagement announcement, he doubled down on the devotion in an interview with The Breakfast Club, echoing the need to be loyal to the woman that’s held him down from the beginning.

“LOVE.” from the 2017 album DAMN.Kendrick and Whitney confirmed their engagement in April 2015, following the release of To Pimp a Butterfly, and this track sounds like the result of years of maturing and working on a relationship. “Keep it a hundred, I’d rather you trust me than to love me/Keep it a whole one hund', don't got you, I got nothin',” he croons on the ballad, realizing the sentiment that he expressed back in 2009 remains true eight years later.

Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. This is Whitney’s coming out party, as suggested by the album cover, which features her sitting on the bed opposite him, holding the couple’s second child. The family that they’ve built is at the center of the album. Her presence looms large on the four tracks she features on (and even elsewhere), narrating as a guiding force towards the self-actualization Kendrick hopes to achieve. On the opening track “United in Grief,” she urges him to be honest as he embarks on his most personal project to date. “Tell them, tell 'em, tell them the truth,” she demands. The last time we hear her voice is on “Mother I Sober,” the emotional climax for Kendrick, closing out the trauma-laden opus. “You did it, I'm proud of you/You broke a generational curse,” she says calmly.

[sweetdreamsjeff]

An introduction to Jeff Buckley: "I would listen to anything: The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Judy Garland, Robert Johnson, Thelonious Monk, Bartk, Mahler. And I asked a lot of questions".

By Neil Crossley published October 17, 2023

From his soaring, unbridled falsetto to his sonic artistry, Jeff Buckley defied conventions and left a catalogue of songs that is timeless and unique

On the night of 29 May, 1997, six weeks shy of his 31st birthday, Jeff Buckley waded fully clothed into a channel of the Mississippi River in Memphis. He was carefully watched from the bank by his roadie, who had warned him repeatedly about the perilous currents. The roadie looked away momentarily to remove a boombox from the water's edge and when he looked back, Buckley had disappeared. Six days later, on 4 June, Buckley's body was discovered floating near the city's famed Beale Street area, by a passenger on a riverboat called the American Queen.

In the days and weeks that followed, all manner of theories were put forward. Had Buckley ignored his roadie's warnings and been drunk or stoned when he went into the water? Had the intense pressure of producing a second album as sublime as his first simply been too much? The coroner concluded it was accidental drowning but the theories continued. Whatever the truth, it was a tragic end for an artist who clearly had a great deal left to give.

Jeffrey Scott Buckley was born in Orange County, California in 1966 and was the result of a short-lived relationship between cult folk singer-songwriter Tim Buckley and Mary Gulbert. From the age of four, Jeff was raised by Gulbert and his stepfather, Ron Moorhead.

"My mum would play piano and cello all the time and my stepdad had great musical taste," recalled Buckley. "I would listen to anything: The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Judy Garland, Robert Johnson, Thelonious Monk, Bartk, Mahler. And I asked a lot of questions. Learning about music seemed effortless. I guess I must have had natural abilities. Looking back, it felt like instinct."

At five he picked up his grandmother's guitar and learnt to play it. By 13, he wrote his first song about a break-up with a girl. After graduating from high school, he studied at the Los Angeles Musicians' Institute and played in various rock and reggae bands, including a stint with dancehall reggae artist Shinehead. In 1990, he moved to New York and formed the band Gods And Monsters, a hip yet short-lived outfit.

Buckley began a solo career as a singer-songwriter, playing a borrowed Telecaster, in clubs and coffee houses in New York's East Village and building up a considerable following among audiences, critics and fellow musicians.

He was snapped up by Columbia Records and released the Live At Sin-é EP in November 1993. The EP was well received but the response was nothing compared to the rave reviews bestowed on his full-length debut album Grace, released in 1994. Unlike the EP, Buckley recorded the album with a full band, and collaborated on writing with guitarists Gary Lucas and Michael Tighe, which gave his sound fresh dynamics and textures.

It was a bold and stunning record, full of sweeping choruses and powerful arrangements. Buckley's brand of eclectic folk was distinctive and unique. As Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote in a review for AllMusic, "Grace sounds like a Led Zeppelin album written by an ambitious folkie with a fondness for lounge jazz".

In 1998, a collection of unreleased recordings called Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk, was released posthumously. Two live albums appeared in 2000 and 2001, and other compilations and live albums were released.

As always when artists die young, speculation is rife about what might have been - the stellar works they may well have gone on to create. But in his short life, Jeff Buckley forged a collection of songs that enshrined him as an astonishingly innovative and unique talent.

1. Grace - Grace (1994)

There's an unbridled feel to this title track, which sets the tone for the album with its soaring vocals, intricate guitar patterns and strident, cathartic feel. At its heart, the song is a celebration of life and Buckley's vocals are emotive and intense as he conveys a sense of wonder for the beauty of the natural world. "There's the moon asking to stay / Long enough for the clouds to fly me away / Oh, it's my time coming / I'm not afraid / Afraid to die".

Vocally and instrumentally, it's reminiscent of Radiohead, which is no great surprise as Buckley was an inspiration for Thom Yorke. As Yorke's friend Dougie Payne of Travis told Far Out magazine: "When [Radiohead] were recording Fake Plastic Trees, they were having trouble with it, and they couldn't get it to work. So, they went out to see Jeff Buckley play on the tour when it was just him and his electric guitar."

The band were bowled over by Buckley's performance. "Radiohead went back to the studio and Thom completely changed the way that he was singing and used that falsetto. You can kind of see the comparisons now. And that says a lot for how inspiring the show was."

Much of the track's strength comes from the live performance in the studio. This is a band at the top of its game, honed by relentless touring and capable of taking the music to real heights. This tight unit includes the formidable talents of co-writer Gary Lucas [a guitarist from Captain Beefheart's band whose instrumental Rise Up To Be formed the basis for Grace], Danish-American bassist Mick Grondahl and drummer Matt Johnson. By the end of the track, Buckley is screaming out the high notes as the whole sonic bombast builds towards a resolution.

2. Lover You Should've Come Over - Grace (1994)

The pain and longing of unrequited love is the focus of this hauntingly beautiful ballad written with Gary Lucas, which is built around Buckley's intricate fingerpicking. There's a dreamy, melancholic feel to the track, which features a sublime string arrangement from Karl Hans Berger.

Buckley's performance here is raw and intimate and the song really showcases the emotive feel of his vocals. It has become one of his most enduring and beloved compositions.

"It's never over, my kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder / It's never over, all my riches for her smiles when I slept so soft against her / It's never over, all my blood for the sweetness of her laughter / It's never over, she's the tear that hangs inside my soul forever."

The song runs to almost seven minutes, but it's so entrancing that you barely notice. Every syllable from Buckley sounds heartfelt and true. As ever, the chords and melodies veer to the unexpected. From the mournful organ in the intro through to the squalling jagged guitar and drum flams at the outro, this is perfection.

3. Last Goodbye - Grace (1994)

The second single from the album, after the title track, and a haunting ballad that became a belated hit in 1995. Here, Buckley mourns the death of a relationship and focuses on the pain of letting go. The chorus is soaring and anthemic, while tasteful piano and string parts add depth and texture to the song.

Even from his early solo coffee house gigs, Buckley chose to play an electric rather than an acoustic, a decision that added to his distinctively different style. Buckley mainly played a borrowed 1983 Fender Telecaster and a Rickenbacker 360/12, but also used several other guitars, including a black Gibson Les Paul Custom and a 1967 Guild F-50 acoustic. When on tour with his band, he used Fender amps for a clean sound and Mesa Boogie amps for overdriven tones.

4. Mojo Pin - Grace (1994)

Another song written with Gary Lucas (his instrumental is called And You Will) and dating back to the Live at Sin-é EP, the opening track from Grace and one that showcases his eclectic blend of folk, rock and soul.

High guitar note swells and harmonics enhance the beautifully haunting intro before Buckly's plaintive falsetto enters the mix. Sparse, fingerpicked guitar follows, forming a warm backdrop for the first few vocal lines: "I'm lying in my bed / The blanket is warm / This body will never be safe from harm / Still feel your hair, black ribbons of coal".

The lyrical premise of the song focuses on the 'mojo pin' in question being pulled from his heart, leaving him hurt and exposed. It's a restrained, tasteful arrangement, with smatterings of toms, bass and cyclical guitar picking. The whole ensemble continues to ebb and flow while Buckley's warm vocal falsetto glides and meanders across the whole.

5. Hallelujah - Grace (1994)

Written by Leonard Cohen and released on his 1984 album Various Positions, this track has been covered by artists such as John Cale, Rufus Wainwright, KD Laing, Myles Kennedy (with Jeff's Telecaster) and Regina Spektor. But it was Jeff Buckley's version that has really seared itself into the global consciousness.

It's a hauntingly beautiful cover, impeccably realised by Buckley. In his hands, the song attains a real fluidity, ebbing and flowing, quickening and slowing. Much of its power lies in its minimalism and sparsity. The only accompaniment is Buckley's guitar - his Telecaster - and this really enhances his breathtakingly emotive delivery.

His version has been perceived as sexual and Buckley once said it was "a hallelujah to the orgasm". But at its core the song is a soulful exploration of faith, love and what it means to be human. As April Johnson wrote in Singersroom.com in 2023, "Buckley's voice is both powerful and vulnerable, conveying a sense of longing and spiritual yearning that is both moving and inspirational."

Hallelujah is one of Buckley's most iconic and enduring tracks and has become a classic song in its own right. For many, it is the definitive version of Cohen's bitter lament about love and loss.

* "Chords are depictions of emotions" - 5 Joni Mitchell songs that showcase her guitar and songwriting genius

[t-tex-edwards]

T. TEX EDWARDS writes: 

Way back in the 1980’s, Mr. Mike Buck gave me a cassette mixtape he made called THE RUBBER ROOM, comprised of old C&W songs about murder, madness, jails etc. but mainly about murder. Nowadays it’s a whole genre of it’s own. But back then it was just tapes of weird old tunes that record collectors like Buck shared amongst friends.

I had a friend named Danny Whittington back in Austin with some recording equipment at his house & on a lark, I suggested we record some of those songs next time I was back in town visiting from my then-current home in Hollywood, California. That was how this album came about. What started out as a kind of sick joke turned into a semi-serious music project.

As it turned out, the songwriting on the most part was strong, the musicianship of the friends & friends-of-friends who were recruited was sure, & somehow my drug-sick, mumbled warbling fit right in & some minor magic was created.

Weirdo Austin artist Bob “Don’t Call Me Robert” Frye, another friend-of-a-friend was tagged with coming up with some coverart. Something along the lines of Porter Wagoner’s COLD, HARD FACTS OF LIFE (one of the songs included) & this fantastic creation of Bob’s was the lynchpin in convincing Long Gone John, indie record guy & collector of transgressive art, to release a vinyl LP of the project on his Sympathy For The Record Industry label.

Much, much later, after the century turned & I had moved back to Austin, Jeff Smith of Saustex Media, consented to re-releasing a CD version in 2007.

Which brings us to the present where I still have some of those CDs left to peddle to you here on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/155359257397

AMAZON BLURB:

'Pardon Me, I've Got Someone To Kill' is a re-issue of the classic 1989 Sympathy For The Record Industry release (also New Rose in France, 1991) by T. Tex Edwards & Out On Parole. T. Tex is a true Texas Punk pioneer dating from his work in the 70's with the Nervebreakers and his later Hollywood outfit the Loafin' Hyenas.  'Pardon Me,...' is a collection of obscure C & W 'murder' songs rendered in Edwards' singular style. Top-notch backing on the disc is provided by Austin Roots luminaries Mike Buck (Fabulous T-Birds, Leroi Bros.) on the drums, John X. Reed (Doug Sahm, Jesse Taylor, Lucky Tomblin Band) on a variety of guitars, and other lesser-known but equally talented weirdos. 14 tales about drinkin', cheatin', killin' and prison rendered in high Texan fashion for your listening enjoyment. Includes the previously unreleased 'Last Will and Testimony (of a Drinking Man) by Tex and the Affordable Caskets.

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