#the last concert during act my age

[atleastpleasetelephone]

Bde who has a really strong praise kink and gets turned on from it......

A/N: I've combined this request and one for soft dom reader with Elvis together into this story. Thanks for both! Also I love praise kink so I am weaaaaak for writing him like this. I went for 77 BDE for this one.

Good boy

Pairing: BDE x Older soft dom!Reader

Word count: 1.9K

TWs: Age gap (reader is 15 years older than Elvis), praise kink, use of mama in a sexual context, angst, Elvis cries, smut.

You’re almost a little nervous tonight, though you’re not sure why. It’s not as if he’s going to see you, let alone pick you out of everyone in the crowd. He doesn’t know you’re here, how could he? You’d be surprised if he even remembered you, it’s been so long since you last saw one another. And in the meantime you’ve moved to Charlotte, which is where he’s playing the final date of his tour. You’ve seen a lot about him in the press, read a lot of unkind comments and looked at a lot of unflattering photos. He certainly looks different to the young man you met in Memphis, full of boyish enthusiasm, with his floppy hair and puppy dog eyes. But you look different too. You were in your mid-thirties then, and obviously you’re much older now. Life has been relatively kind, though you’re divorced and you never had any kids, you’ve kept your figure and your hair has greyed in streaks that almost make you look distinguished. Your best friend told you that you should dye it, women of your age dye their hair she’d said, but you don’t care. You’ve never been one for doing what women of your age are supposed to, or you’d never have dated a man 15 years your junior. And you wouldn’t be at a rock concert now. 

When you eventually find your seat you’re much nearer the front that you’d imagined, and when he comes out in a beautiful white jumpsuit with what looks like feathers embroidered on it you audibly gasp. From the moment the music starts and he starts to move you’re captivated, memories of your time together flooding back to you just watching those hips. During Love Me you watch women elbow their way to the stage for scarves and kisses, and suddenly your legs seem to be taking you out of your seat too. You don’t expect to get to the stage in time, or for him to see you, you’re just acting on impulse. It feels a little like he’s hypnotised you, and you don’t have any choice in the matter.

And then he sees you. To begin with, he just sees an attractive older lady, well put together, waves of dark brown hair streaked with white. But as he bends down to ask if you want a scarf or a kiss, there’s something familiar in your face, and he thinks he must’ve met you before. 

“Have we met, honey?” He asks, wrapping a scarf around your neck and using it to pull you towards him, since you’d been too stunned to answer his first question. 

Your brain eventually kicks into gear. “We’ve done more than that,” you whisper, letting him kiss you gently. 

“Is that so?” He’s still trying to place you, his brain is slower nowadays and he’s tired. So tired. But he keeps you there, in the hopes he’ll remember or you’ll tell him. 

“You were my good boy, back in Memphis.”

Elvis is relieved he’d kept the mic far away from you both when he hears those words. He’s hit by such a powerful wave of memory it almost knocks him onto his ass. He blinks rapidly and then stares right into your eyes and you see that he remembers you. He whispers your name softly, and you nod. 

“Don’t go anywhere after,” he says quickly, seeing the sea of women gathering around you. “Someone will get you.”

You spend the rest of the show in a daze, thinking about his lips, the way he looked at you, the words he whispered like a plea. Don’t go.

***

You don’t go and someone does come and get you, and then you’re jammed in the backseat of the car between Elvis and one of his goons. The journey is mercifully short, and he holds your hand the whole time, a little smile playing on his lips. You’re relieved when he takes you into his suite and dismisses everyone else. Standing there in the middle of the room, still in his jumpsuit and belt, he looks both beautiful and incredibly tired. He looks down at you and sighs softly. 

“I-I can’t believe it’s you.”

“I can’t believe you remembered me.”

“Are ya kiddin’? ‘Course I do.”

You smile at one another as you keep standing there, taking one another in. After a few moments you decide to take control. 

“Why don’t you get comfortable? Take those clothes off, have a shower.”

He hums and fiddles slightly with his sleeve. “Ummm, mama…”

Your smile grows at the pet name. “Go on, I’ll sit with you in the bathroom.”

His breath catches in his throat thinking about you seeing him the way he is now. “Ah… I…”

“You want to be a good boy for me?” You ask, your hand on his face as you look into his eyes.

For the first time in a while, Little Elvis stirs at your words. “Yes, mama,” he whispers. 

“Off you go then.”

He nods and walks slowly over to the bathroom. You set the water going and check the temperature, and then sit on the side of the bath as he undresses awkwardly. 

“Your show was so good,” you coo, and he looks up. 

“Really?”

“Mmm yes. And you looked so good in that suit.” 

He lets the jumpsuit fall to the floor and you catch a quick glimpse of his semi-erect dick in his little white stage pants before he obscures them with his hands. He blushes as he asks you if you really thought that. 

Standing up, you put your arms around his neck, tugging his head down so you can whisper in his ear. “Yes, and you look good enough to eat right now too.”

His adorable, bashful smile lights up his face and he kisses you quickly, impulsively. You feel blood rushing between your legs and you smile back at him again. “And if you’re good you can have everything you want.”

He barely suppresses a little moan at those words. Doing what you told him to was one of his favourite things, when he was young and just getting famous. The way you told him how good he was filled him with warmth. He bathed in your praise, all your affirming words and gentle touches, and right now it feels like it’s exactly what he needs, after this long and gruelling tour. Stepping into the perfectly warm shower, he sighs as he washes away the grime of the performance. He finds himself in your arms on the bed, cocooned in just a robe as your nails scratch his sideburns, digging in and making him almost purr. You’re wearing one of his pyjama tops, it’s long on you but you’ve taken your panties off and he knows your bare pussy is under there. He looks at your long legs on either side of him. 

“Mama, you’re so beautiful.”

You kiss his temple as you blush a little at the compliment. You’re not immune to praise either, even though it’s his thing. Knowing he still wants you after all this time is a little dizzying, knowing your age doesn’t matter to him, the time that’s passed since you last saw one another doesn’t matter either. 

You’d discovered his love of praise almost straight away. He was so young and eager to please, and you taught him how to please you in a thousand different ways. An enthusiastic learner, he loved you instructing him, moving his head and then telling him when he’d hit the perfect spot. And the way you spoke to him afterwards. That was probably his favourite part. He would get so hard just from licking you out and you telling him he was a good boy that sometimes he’d cum before you even touched him. 

“Thank you, baby. You wanna make mama feel good?”

He nods quickly, almost scrambling to turn around to face you. You giggle, and the sound makes you feel like a young woman again. Instructing him to lie on his belly, you carefully lift the top up, exposing yourself for him. He groans at the sight of you. He’s seen a lot of pussies by now, but he could still have remembered every inch of yours without looking, he’s mapped it out with his tongue so many times. He crawls closer and his big hands spread your thighs, open-mouthed kisses trailing down the insides of them, just the way you used to like. 

“Yes, baby. I love your kisses.”

He keeps kissing, between your legs now, making you moan. His thumbs spread your lips as he dives in, making out with your pussy like he used to make out with girls when he was young. 

“Oh. That tongue feels so good.”

His hard-on presses against the bed as he keeps going, tongue dipping inside you, nose nudging your clit. 

“Yes, baby!” 

Pleasure buzzes in your veins as he carries on, worshipping you and tasting you. You need a lot to get turned on these days, but he brings back so many memories that you can feel yourself giving in to it. Bathing in the feeling, enjoying the journey. 

Once he thinks he’s got you good and wet, he moves his attention to your clit and slides a long finger inside. 

“Oh!”

“Is it good, mama?” He mumbles against you. 

“So good, baby. Oh you’re so good for me. Fuck. You’re gonna make me cum so hard baby. All over your gorgeous face.”

Another finger slides in beside the first, and he curls them to hit the spot he remembers inside you as he continues to work your clit with his tongue. The way you’re talking to him is driving him crazy, his hips are rutting into the bed just like they used to. 

“Oh fuck… yes…” 

You grab his head, pulling his hair a little as you push him onto your clit harder, feeling yourself teeter on the edge of oblivion. And then you’re moaning, and everything disappears in a blinding flash of light as your orgasm slams into your body. 

He licks you through it, trying to still his hips and stay patient. Waiting for you to tell him he’s done a good job. 

“Oh, my good boy,” you sigh, desperately pulling him towards you. 

You rearrange so his back is against your chest again, your hand on his belly as your eyes close and you savour your dizzying high. 

“Am I still good for you, mama?” 

You slowly reopen your eyes and look down at him, his blue eyes brimming with tears. 

“So good, baby. Best I’ve ever had.”

He turns his head as he closes his eyes again and a tear escapes down his cheek. Your heart aches for him. You don’t have to ask to know that he’s tired, that this wasn’t the life he thought he’d have, that he's just fulfilling obligations now. 

“You want mama to make you cum, baby?”

“Yes please,” he whispers, eyes still closed. 

Reaching down, your hand snakes around him. His breath hitches at the feeling, and he moans the moment you start to move slowly, up and down. 

“You’re so perfect. So gorgeous. So sexy. So good at making me feel good. I love everything about you, baby.”

You tell him all that and more, softly into his ear as your hand works him. Another tear sneaks down his cheek as you touch him and praise him, the feeling in his chest overwhelming. When he finally cums he calls out your name, and more tears spill from his eyes. 

“I love you, mama,” he whispers. 

Wrapping him tightly in your body, you kiss his face. “I love you too, baby. I’m glad we found each other again.”

***

Taglist:

Please let me know if you want to be added or removed:

@vintagepresley @arg-xoxo @from-memphis-with-love @msamarican @blursedblegh @returntopresley @eapep @everythingelvispresley @i-r-i-n-a-a @sissylittlefeather @arrolyn1114 @jhoneybees @cattcb @polksaladava @lookingforrainbows @jkdaddy01 @ccab @epthedream69 @lustnhim @elvisslut @pomtherine @that-hotdog @ladelinee @angschrof @fairybloodsucker @deltafalax @makethemorning @elviswhore69 @ilovequeen978 @wildhorseinkansas @pocketfulofpresley @dkayfixates @iloveelvisss @kxnnxy @presleyhearted @lvrdollep @nebulamorada @iloveelvis2

[pleasantlyinsincere]

BRAVO September 1967 Shortly before his death Brian Epstein admitted to BRAVO-employee Thomas Beyl: The boys are everything to me

His face was white. His grey suit seemed to be too big. His shirt collar was opened widely, the black tie hanging crookedly of his neck. Brian Epstein had met death. He came from his father's funeral. That hot July day I met Brian Epstein for the last time. Six weeks later he was dead. As I was taking the list up to Brian's private office, I was desperately thinking about what to say to him. I knew Brian had been very attached to his father. I knew this loss must have rattled him deeply. There rarely had been a conversation with him, where he didn't mention his 'Daddy'. I didn't feel comfortable in my skin. Even though Brian had promised me once: "Whenever you come to London, come and see me. I'll always have time for you." It had always been like that. But now?

[...] Brian met me at the door. "Hello, Thomas! Do you want something to drink?" That afternoon I met a completely different Brian Epstein. I was startled when I saw him. He seemed broken and like he had aged years. He stood up from his office chair laboriously. He reached his hand out towards me. It was limp, his handshake without strength. "nice to see you, Thomas", he said. "Have you seen the boys? Have they come back relaxed from Greece?" He tried to act as natural and friendly as usual but he was a bad actor. Brian was quiet for a while, then he said: "I know why you came. Nice of you. But let's not talk about it. Please." On Brian's desk stood bottle of whiskey, next to it a glass. It was empty. Absent-mindedly he puffed on his cigarette and regularly his gaze would drift towards a big painting of his father on the wall. I felt out of place and was about to say goodbye when Brian said: "Stay for another moment. I want to tell you about a dream that finally seems to be about to come true. I'm planning a movie with the bullfighter El Cordobes, the dancer Nurejew and the boys. Cardobes and Nurejew have already accepted. I just have to convince the boys of my plan." The big dream was buried with Brian Epstein on 30 August 1967 on the jewish graveyard of Fazackerley, a suburb of Liverpool. Like so many great dreams of Brian Epstein, who had wanted to become an actor - and never became one; who wanted to write plays - and never wrote one; who bought a theater - and never staged one; who loved Mozart and Beethoven - and became manager of a beat group; who looked like a successful stock broker - and was at home on the stage of the pop world.

It was 26 June 1966. BRAVO-Beatles-Blitztournee. 7000 fans are screaming their throats hoarse inside Hamburg's Ernst-Merck-Halle. They are waiting for 'their' Beatles, who had come back to the place their careers had started after four years. It's just minutes before the 'returnees'' concert. A security guard addresses me: "Are you Thomas Beryl? You have to please come outside. There is a young guy in front of the main door, who has been trying to come in for half an hour even though he has no ticket. He claims he is the Beatles famous manager Brian Epstein. He thinks we're stupid." I rip the dressing room door open, calling to the Beatles: "Wait a moment. They aren't letting Brian in." The Beatles double over with laughter. "Once again", chuckles Ringo. John shouts after me: "Tell him he should get a belly befitting of his status, so that people recognize him as a manager!" The 'young guy' was indeed Brian Epstein. During the concert he said to me: "Look at the boys. I have never seen them this happy on stage. It has to be an amazing feeling to return to where you once have started small. That's when you really realize that you've made it. Frankly - I am a bit jealous because I wasn't with the Beatles during their first Hamburg stays." He watched his boys beaming faces - and beamed along with them.

No, Brian Epstein wasn't a typical manager. He preferred to wear suits in muted colors and subtle ties. His luxurious London apartment proved his exquisite taste. Brian loved antiques and chose with great care and knowledge. His appearance was quiet. For a manager he was modest and shy. Brian kept in the background so much, that sometimes the Beatles didn't even realize when he was missing. But still Eppy - as the boys called him - belonged to them as five fingers do on a hand. And Eppy was the thumb. Brian didn't like to hear such words. "No, no", he denied. "I am not the fifth Beatles but the Beatles' number one fan." Similarly he fended off the claim that the Beatles had him to thank for fairy tale career. "The boys would have made it without me", he told me. "At least I have just as much to thank them for as they do me. I'm known as a successful manager and have a big enterprise. But I was only able to do that because four electric boys became my friends."

The boys have a different opinion. John: "Without Brian we would have gotten out of our greasy leather jackets too late and the Queen would have never invited us to her palace. No one but Eppy was ready to help guys like us financially. Without him we would have been stuck in basement pubs. When he proposed to become our manager, we thought he had a screw loose. That's how little we believed in ourselves." George: "It was our luck that the Epstein family shop was so close to the Cavern, else Brian might not have found us. Then it would have been good night, Beatles!" Ringo: "I owe everything to him. Without Eppy I would never have become a Beatle. He was the one who acquired me." Paul: "Without Eppy the Beatles wouldn't exist anymore. There was a lot of truth to the rumors that we were breaking up. We had a few crises within the group. So heavily that we were about to go our separate ways. It was Eppy who repaired the cracks. He was our friend and we trusted him endlessly." The Beatles trustee is dead. His short, hot life ended 27 August 1967. John, Paul, George and Ringo didn't attend his funeral. They respected his biggest wish even after Brian Epstein was dead: He never wanted to be the center of their performance.

[slut4celebs]

Collision Course

Gracie Abrams x Soccer!Reader

Word Count: 1,110

Trigger Warning: N/A

Synopsis/Request: I would say that this was just a long blurb of headcanons based on this request: "can i request something for gracie like maybe soccer player reader x gracie" I will be very honest and say I'm not much of a soccer girlie, but I tried my very best. I love you!

If you're looking to make any fic requests, please drop them here.

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Every day, people come into our lives and change the course of our realities. For (Y/n), it was Gracie. She met her at a party hosted by one of her UCLA soccer teammates. The craziest part about going to any UCLA party is that there is always a chance a celebrity or child of a celebrity will be there. Gracie Abrams was both. As the daughter of JJ Abrams and an up-and-coming singer, she was one of the “VIP guests.” Out of everyone at the party she could’ve chosen to speak to, however; she chose (Y/n). The freshest face of UCLA soccer team, a new starter that no one knew too well yet as the school year just began.

When imagining her life three years later, (Y/n) only imagined her senior year filled with stressful classes to be finished and last games to be played. What wasn’t originally in her deck of cards designated for her future was living with a beautiful girl she would call her girlfriend while being actively scouted and training for the US Olympics Women’s Soccer Team, but here she was; doing all of those things. If it wasn’t for her beautiful girlfriend, Gracie, she would’ve been completely burnt out. However, Gracie was the kind of girlfriend who helped keep her organized and made sure she ate three meals a day while getting the proper water intake. She even slipped daily protein bars in (Y/n)’s book bag and gym bag, which she always appreciated.

In a sense, Gracie Abrams wasn’t just (Y/n)’s amazing and talented girlfriend, she had made herself (Y/n)’s watergirl, cheerleader, and biggest supporter (and occasionally, nurse). Vice versa, (Y/n) was Gracie’s biggest supporter, attending every concert and traveling with her any chance she could. (Y/n) made sure Gracie drank water, ate food, practiced her vocal rest and warmups before and in-between shows.

They wouldn’t say their relationship was easy. In fact, at times, it could be really difficult. With their schedules not always on the same path, leaving them separated more often than they would like. Additionally, being in a public relationship made everything a little harder. They were constantly being picked on and prodded about their relationship, whether they were on or off, which they always made it a point to say they were still together without divulging too many private details that were just not the reporters’ business.

Despite the consistent pressure, their collision course towards each other was no mere accident, and the two of them came to learn that. They were fated to be together. Destined to be in each other’s life, cheering each other on from the crowd. Gracie, in (Y/n)’s jersey, making sure to show all the love and support she could. Gracie wearing (Y/n)’s number on her cheeks, cheering the loudest on the sidelines. (Y/n) wearing all of Gracie’s merch, sharing all of her songs. (Y/n) with her unlimited praise and compliments. The both of them make sure to send good morning and goodnight texts on busy days, with ‘I love you’s, making sure that they both know they’re thinking about each other, even though they can’t talk.

The acts of service shared between the two are very important to each other. It doesn’t end on the little texts or selfies when they can’t talk. It doesn’t end when they’re cheering each other on during games and shows. It extended far beyond that for them, into their home life. They make sure to provide constant support for each other at home and away from home.

For starters, on game days, Gracie will prepare protein heavy meals for (Y/n). Eggs, turkey bacon, and avocado toast. Then, she will fill her water bottle. She will make sure to double check her girlfriend’s jersey is cleaned and that her cleats are in her gym bag. On concert days, (Y/n) will make sure that Gracie has a quiet morning that starts off with some tea, yogurt with berries, and some water for when the tea is finished. She will make sure that Gracie’s day goes as smoothly as possible.

Gracie will be the first to admit that dating a soccer player isn’t the easiest task. Mostly because of all the bumps and bruises that (Y/n) comes home with. This means that she is always prepared for first aid, kits being in her purse, car, and in their apartment. It doesn’t help that (Y/n) is generally a very clumsy person. This means that she often comes home with scraped knees just from a jog. However, a plus for Gracie would be how toned her girlfriend is. (Y/n) does a lot of weight training with the team, and Gracie is in love with her strength. Another plus, she genuinely enjoys watching her girlfriend play soccer, the giant grin on her face when she kicks a goal, the way she’ll look into the crowd, for Gracie, and blow her kisses.

As for (Y/n), the biggest struggle for dating a singer were the fans, unfortunately. They were amazing and she loved them, but some took it too far. The hate comments always got to her, but she tried not to discuss it too much with Gracie. However, the brown-eyed girl wasn’t blind and could see how they affected her girlfriend. (Y/n) wouldn’t give up Gracie for anything though. She loved that Gracie was following her passions. She loved the excitement on Gracie’s face after she writes a song and shows her. Not to mention, the way her girlfriend absolutely lights up on stage. It’s magical to (Y/n), and she could get lost in the girl’s grin as she performs. 

(Y/n) and Gracie collided together and they formed a bond in the universe, sharing one galaxy full of the stars they created. Despite all of the outside noise and commotion, they were lost in their own universe. They were made for each other, fated and destined to be together. (Y/n) knew this to be true because every time Gracie looked at her, she could only see the stars in her eyes and the way that every time they touched, it felt like it was only them in their own space. They had far surpassed any basic form of love, falling deeply into each other, being absolutely enamored in each other. They were in love, and nothing could or would ever change that. They had crashed into each other way too hard for anyone to ruin that for them.

[nogenderbee]

♡˗ˏ✎*ೃ˚ 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕚𝕕𝕠𝕝 ₊˚ˑ༄

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ anon request: hiii!!! can i request akito and rui with a idol s/o that has breathtaking vocals/high notes?

ty sm<3!

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Hello! Yeah absolutely! I kinda combined being idol in general with vocals to make better headcanons so hope it still fits what you had in mind! Hope you like it <3

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ fluff

Affiliation with @virtualbookstore

✧ the moment Akito heard you, it was like bursy of motivation for him, especially if you didn't knew each other yet

✧ but if he first heard you when you were dating or knew each other already... he was honestly a little bit jealous of how well you sing even tho you're the same age as him

✧ but the jealousy only lasts for a little while, luckily he starts seeing your skill as something to take pride in

"That's my lover for you. Doing amazing like always. NO I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHIN-"

✧ you're now his personal motivation to try his best and become better singer so he can proudly stand next to you one day

✧ but he also realizes it's lots of stress, when you're seen as someone who never missed a note, you can't really allow yourself to do that even once

✧ he's also in singing career so he'll definitelt support you and exchange little tips with you on how to not ruin your throat

✧ he likes having karaoke nights when you don't have to worry, and loves seeing when you accidentally break a note and don't care to cover it up because it only shows how comfortable you are with him, and so is he

✧ though when he initiates singing battle... you're always winning... well that's one more date on him for you! He'll get back for that one day, don't you worry

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@bleachtheidiot @akitosheart @yulikesminori @toyaswif3y @miya-akane - come get your pancakes lover!

✧ Rui is proud to call himself your biggest fan! Sure, some people may argue with him but he doesn't care as long as in his and your eyes, it's him who's your biggest fan

✧ hope you're comfortable with giving private concert because he'll definitely ask you to sing to him as he finally takes a nap you had to convince him to take

"Y/N... a little song? You can't just dedicate song to me and then not sing it when we're in private! Please~ I'll be soundly asleep if you do that~"

✧ but he also ceres for your throat so if he hears smallest cough, he's there with water and medicine in case you'd want some

✧ sure, he sings as well but not as often... his group is really more focused on acting, so he may not know this much about singing

✧ definitely listens to your playlist when you're away or with him- prepare mentally to hear your voice because he'd never skip your song unless you ask him to

✧ also loves karaoke hangouts but will understand if you won't want to, it's nice to take a break from singing too after all...

✧ be doesn't care if you accidentally break a note on stage, during song or on karaoke hangout, he'll still admire your vocals as much as he did before, if not more

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@bleachtheidiot @akitosheart @yulikesminori @toyaswif3y @bl4cktourmaline @infernoram @superstar-ethereal - come get your crazy inventor~

[mitamicah]

Gig Report: Ruisrock Festival July 7 2024

Sunday July 7 2024:

Here follows my experiences with Käärijä and Joker Out at Ruisrock Festival, Roussalo Turku on July 7 2024.

To make a long story short me and @jaarijani had decided to camp at Rossallo camping (the officially camping site of the festival) which gave us a lot of grievances so we'd only put our tents up a bit after midnight the day before. None of us had good quality tents and it was said to rain early morning sunday.

I had had a few drops of rain pierce the tent when it began raining at 5 am while poor Cass had had her tent soaked! Safe to say we were not happy campers when security and police went around asking us to put our tents down or fasten it closer to the ground since the weather had warned against strong winds.

We went searching for a charger and I saw a helicopter take off at one point (that I later learned very possibly was the very same helicopter that had Käärijä, Häärijä and Joost in it!!!).

We went to the festival grounds with one of the earliest busses at 12 to meet up with @teal-skull, our saviour, that had brought us breakfast (not the last time they’d save our behinds). When entering the festival grounds, we quickly went to queue for Käärijä that’ll be the second act on the mainstage after Blind Channel (flashback to my birthday concert!). We got to meet whole new sets of people that I haven’t seen in ages (hi @i-wasnt-ready-for-this! Hi @korre!) or never interacted with in public before such as my fellow Bojere QPR shipper @flananjan and – I am still sort of awestruck about this one – @lemon-h4!! I had not made stickers today, so I drew quick doodles for everybody on post it notes. @carpblu had made me Häärijä-Hojan-Hoost bracelets and @formulalakana a Denmark Guy one (for context I recommend checking out my gig repport for Backas) and I honestly treasure these so much!!!

I was pleasantly (with capital P) surprised and relieved with how well the queueing went for Käärijä – the security respected our number system and let us into the limbo space first. Here we watched Jesse while screaming along to HHH and Rouska played from a little speaker. Then the security would follow us using tape (so nobody could run) to the barricade in groups of 40-50 people at a time. Having number 34 I managed to get barricade at one of Finland’s biggest festivals(pictured) next to Skull, Aniina, Cass, Caro and Bendo.

Käärijä made another homerun show especially lifted by having Erika Vikman join for Rouska and later Joost join for the first ever performance of Trafik! (me and Bendo had been wondering why Häärijä wear a blue suit out loud and only conclude that maybe we’d see Joost a second before the backtrack began playing). I filmed the whole chaos yet given I was just behind the photographer I didn’t get all the best angles but it was still so much fun!! (Only soured by an entitled teenager ripping the setlist out of the hands of the person that had actually been handing the setlist and then the teenager’s mother shouting at Caro for calling her daughter out).

After that amazing experience we went to join the already assembling Joker Out crowd in the tent and unfortunately that meant being present at this horrible DJ set (I tried to make a joke at one point asking if this was the music straight people were into) the insulted my insights. After that and because I may not have eaten enough during the day I hit the wall and my blood sugar drained drastically, so I had to sit down. Cass went to ask for some water by who ended up being Vita (Cass didn’t realise not even when she was interviewed about ŠBJ which made them way calmer than they’d been otherwise). I tried my best to drink the water (it was sparkling, and I hate sparkling water with a passion) and got some glucose from Cass yet I still feared I may pass out. But as soon Joker Out went on, I felt instantly better (probably the dopamine) and enjoyed the rest of the concert just fine.

I had surprisingly a lot of voice left, and I am 80% sure I caught Bojan’s eyes at a few points. What I otherwise remember the best was the poor bird flying terrified around in the tent like a moth to a window and Bojan talking to the bird with a heartbreakingly tender voice (before jokingly saying he just pretended to talk to the bird to catch his breath). The setlist was great although in retrospect I missed Novi Val and of course Bluza, my beloved. I later learned that had I been more center or placed on the right side of the stage I could’ve witnessed Bojan hugging Jere at one point (all I saw was Häärijä’s yellow hoodie walking across backstage just before SSOL).

 I will say with both Joker Out and Käärijä I enjoyed their festival performances but missed the connection that you find at the smaller shows, so I am not sure I will go to many more festival gigs with them in the future.

Just before Joker Out had begun their set, I’d incidentally become keeper of @pianist-chan ’s book of memories so I’d had it in my back during the show. I didn’t realize at first why my bag was so light all of a sudden until it struck me, I’d missed the book (still feel horrible about that). This would turn out not to be the only bit of unluck we had this evening since Cass and I was ditched by the busses again, almost scammed by scammy taxies, had to walk down to the truck area to even find a yellow vest to ask for help before going to the camp site, packing our stuff and throwing out our tents in rage. Luckily for us we were able to find a solution making it so we didnt have to sleeping at the camp another night.

Trinkets from Ruisrock v

Camping bracelet

Baby Boo bracelet (not sure who gave me this so please let me know if it was you or you know who it was <3)

Demoni Scream bracelet from @glossykris

Bluza and Slaypose bracelets from @formulalakana

Häärijä-Hojan-Hoost bracelets from @carpblu

Denmark Guy and Are You bracelets (also) from @formulalakana

Clown Bojan and Clown Jere stickers from @i-wasnt-ready-for-this

Bojan drawing from @jaarijani

Jere drawing from @lemon-h4

Bojan drawing from @arachn11da

Khäärijä sticker and Bojere drawing from @flananjan

Bojan (in Malmö :3) card from Elmi (not sure if you are on tumblr)

Joker Out Ruisrock sticker from @korre

[taleofharrison]

AN: I wrote this ages ago and I randomly decided to expand on it lol and here we go.

Steve is a model, he moved to LA with Eddie the moment Eddie got his record deal. It was probably the easiest decision he had ever made, his parents still travelled a lot and his best friends had left Hawkins for college and other projects so he didn't anything left in Hawkins.

They lived in the cheapest apartment they could find near the record label's office, Steve got a full time job while Eddie had a part time job since he had to be free to record demos, talk to execs and essentially work towards releasing an album.

Eventually when the money became more steady and Corroded Coffin started making noise in the scene Steve got a part time job and started joining the guys on the studio and photoshoots. That's how he got discovered by a photographer who thought he'd look good in an upcoming fashion campaign and from that moment on Steve's career as a model just sky rocketed to the point he was considering acting too.

Steve became familiar to the fandom often being there and even could be found in music videos, he was as loved as the rest of the band was and Eddie couldn't have been prouder, that's why the decision made by their label of keeping his relationship private was devasting, hard and upsetting.

After the kiss at the sold out show, the press was crazy and fans connected all the dots. It made sense now why Eddie rejected all the groupies while it seemed like the rest of the group left the concerts with a different person every time.

Headlines were a mess. "EDDIE MUNSON OFF THE MARKET" "EDDIE MUNSON'S NEW FLING. DISCOVER WHO HE IS" "EDDIE MUNSON'S FIRST PUBLIC RELATIONSHIP: WILL THIS LAST?"

To the managers and PR team this was a mess and a crisis of sorts. The sex, drugs and rock&roll life they wanted to sell was broken. Eddie didn't give a shit though. He didn't pay attention nor care to listen to whatever the label had to say, it was his life and his career at the end of the day.

"You two" Greg, the manager spoke over the phone "have to give an interview together, make it seem like you got together during the tour"

The reporters from People magazine arrived to the their shared house in Beverly Hills. Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't a mansion. After growing in the biggest and emptiest house of Hawkins the last thing Steve wanted was a huge house and Eddie just wanted Steve to be happy. Their house had 3 bedrooms, enough to have Wayne or friends over a few days and an extra room for when they were ready for kids, it was perfect.

"How long have you been together?" The reporter asked once they sat in the living room.

"Straight to the point, I see" Eddie chuckled "since high school pretty much"

"Eddie!" Steve exclaimed. He had off script but it only took one look from Eddie to follow along "well he's a year older than me and I had already graduated when we got together"

"Well I was about to start my third try on my senior year, so to me we have been dating since high school" Eddie explained further "we got together summer of 85 while he was selling ice creams in the cutest sailor outfit"

"You said you wouldn't bring that up!" Steve groaned.

"I can't help it. That really caught my eye back then" Eddie "I have photos of that, do you want to see them?"

The reporter was caught off guard when Eddie suddenly addressed him, it didn't take much to notice that if they were together, they acted as if no one else was around them.

"Uh no, it's fine" he stammered "that's not the point of the article anyways"

"Thank you" Steve spoke again "so what else do you want to know?"

After the interview and the reporter left Eddie and Steve fixed themselves some snacks and wine.

"You went off script" Steve told him "your label is gonna flip"

"Yeah, well" Eddie said after taking a sip of wine "all I care about is finally getting to kiss you whenever and wherever I want"

Eddie leaned in for a kiss which Steve gladly accepted, he was so glad Eddie went off script.

"And just in time for the Grammy's" Eddie suddenly remembered "you'll be my plus one and we'll walk the red carpet together"

[octuscle]

Going back in time would be great but I was never into sports like the guys you've already transformed. I was in high school and in college a musician but left this track when I began working for my dad's firm to become the boss one day. I activated Chronivac to change the reality transforming into a young musician never working for my dad

Okay. Also with you: I can't guarantee with changes in your past exactly how you will change. You are 38 years old now, your father is still the absolute patriarch of the company, and when you will ever take the helm of the company is written in the stars.

Is 30 a good new age? And I'll adjust the eight years before that. No life with balance sheets and financial planning. A life of pure rock'n roll!

09:00 a.m. You roll into the company parking lot in your company car. You still don't have a parking space with the directors. You're still parking with the department heads. You curse your old man! But you finally have to free yourself from his dominance. As you walk across the asphalt of the parking lot, your footsteps become louder and heavier. Your penny loafers become heavy biker boots.

In the department head meeting at 10:00 a.m., one of your colleagues asks you how your concert was yesterday in the sports bar. For a year now, you've been performing there occasionally in the evenings with a few pals. You cover old songs from your college days. You answer that it was more crowded than it has been in a long time. You had your fun. And so did the audience, obviously.

When the meeting is over at about 11:00, you run into your father on the way to your office. He can't help but make disparaging remarks about your appearance. Boots, jeans, wallet chain. He says that one could be grateful that your shirt is white, clean and ironed. Otherwise, you would probably be assigned to the janitorial team rather than the management. You ask if he has taken a look at the figures for your department. Since you've finally given your creativity free rein, sales have also been running much better. Your father grumbles that he actually has to admit that, but that he still dislikes your appearance and your strange hobbies.

You have to get out during your lunch break. Sitting in the cafeteria with your colleagues and talking about sales figures would be a punishment for you. You get in your truck and drive to the diner. There you like to meet the other guys from your band and from other musicians who occasionally give concerts in the area. Plus, there's a damn good burger there….

At 2:00 p.m. you have to go back to your old man's company. As a sales representative in the field, you have a free hand as long as your figures are good. And your figures are among the best in the whole group. But your father simply doesn't trust creative people. He would have preferred it if you had started in controlling or production. But labs and offices crush you. You are at home on the stage and on the street. Some of your clients are amazed when they see you for the first time. They wouldn't have expected to see someone in leather pants on a Harley rolling into the yard when they made the appointment with the machine tool representative. But with your open manner, you usually manage to break the ice in no time. And it's usually only a matter of time before the contract is signed.

Your father's secretary grins when you sit down at her desk. She knows that your flirting is just an act. She knows your husband, the drummer in your band, far too well. But you know that it does her good when a real man shows up in her luxurious air-conditioned anteroom. And damn, you look hot in that black company T-shirt and leather pants. You've been trying to enforce sleeveless shirts as clothing. Would show off your hard-earned muscles better. But as tolerant as your father has become in the last six years, he couldn't accept that.

At 16:00 you are out of your father's office again. It makes you proud that he has a poster of one of your concerts framed above his desk. And he respects your career as a musician. Even though you work quite successfully as a sales representative for your father's company, your heart beats for your band. Nevertheless, you now sit down for another hour, write your reports and take care of your correspondence. And at 5:00 p.m. you roll out of the company parking lot.

You are 30 and have been the frontman of your band for eight years. It all started in your parents' garage. And now you are one of the greats of hard rock. Maybe not nationwide. But at least in your state. That's all you can do with the balancing act between your dad's company and the band. But hell, you and your band have fun. And your dad is happy. What more do you want!

Found your pic @dustyraider

[f1ghtsoftly]

All The Women’s News You Missed Last Week:

9/9/24-9/16/24

US Reproductive Rights:

The Young Woman Making Kamala Harris’ Strongest Case on Abortion Rights

A judge strikes down North Dakota’s abortion ban and rules that access is protected

Missouri’s ballot will include abortion rights measure in November, court rules

More Women Had Their Tubes Tied After Roe V. Wade Was Overturned

Transgender/Gender Critical:

A look at Trump's 'transgender operations on illegal aliens' debate claim

Transgender New Hampshire teens can play for girls' sports teams during lawsuit, judge says

Sarah McBride is one step closer to becoming the first trans member of Congress

Greens hit with £90,000 bill after discrimination case

Graham Linehan 'subjected to discrimination in Belfast pub over gender critical beliefs'

US:

Trump says 'I hate Taylor Swift' after pop star endorses Harris

If Harris wins, she would make history. But she isn’t talking about that

A’ja Wilson becomes 1st WNBA player to reach 1,000 points in a season as Aces top Sun

WNY high school athletes, transgender advocates bring awareness to NY PROP 1

New York officials to release new renderings of possible Gilgo Beach victim

The anti-abortion activist urging followers not to support Trump

Trailblazing ballerina Michaela DePrince dies aged 29

Arkansas’ gov says Medicaid extension for new moms isn’t needed. Advisers disagree

Biden commemorates Violence Against Women Act as 'proudest' legislative win on eve of its 30th anniversary

She couldn't go to her daughter's graduation, so the hospital brought it to her

A venture capital grant program for Black women officially ends after court ruling

U.S. urges Israel to swiftly investigate killing of American woman in West Bank

Global:

Man accused of killing a Ugandan Olympian by setting her on fire, dies of burn wounds

Channel 4 will not remove alleged abuser from show

'Baby Reindeer' is facing a lawsuit — that didn't stop it from winning 6 Emmys

Kidnapped and trafficked twice - a sex worker's life in Sierra Leone

Couple accused of murdering teen to steal baby acquitted

'Lashed for a social media photo' in Iran

Olympic runner Cheptegei defied her violent ex. She lost her life anyway

Former prominent BBC news anchor gets suspended sentence for indecent images of children on phone

A union leader freed from prison vows to continue a strike against Cambodia’s’s biggest casino

Mother in Gaza longs for triplets in Jerusalem hospital

Princess Kate completes chemotherapy treatment for cancer

A Filipino preacher on the run from sexual abuse charges surrenders

Culture:

Profiles in clean energy: She founded a business to keep EV charging stations up and running

Hillary Clinton takes stock of life’s wins and losses in a memoir inspired by a Joni Mitchell lyric

Her piano concert was six years in the making. Then Puerto Rico's power went out

'I wanted to make a gay Clueless': Jamie Babbit on how her lesbian comedy But I'm a Cheerleader became a cult classic

'Criminally underrated': Why My Brilliant Friend is one of the best shows on TV

Jessica Pratt cracks open the sunny veneer of the California dream

Cooking for the most powerful person in the world

Rachel Kushner's new espionage thriller may be her coolest book yet

Want this emailed to you instead? Subscribe here.

As always, this is global and domestic news from a US perspective covering feminist issues and women in the news more generally. As of right now, I do not cover Women’s Sports. Published each Monday afternoon. 

I am looking for better sources on women’s arts and culture outside of the English-speaking world, if you know of any-please be in touch.

[accio-victuuri]

💟 yh family concert vlog cpns & some yibo thoughts…💭💬

thank you to yibo-official for feeding us with some content this weekend. it’s been kinda quiet since friday, so this is a sweet treat for everyone before monday comes in.

( excuse this very extra gif i’m using for this post. lol. i’ve just been obsessed w/ how yibo looks in this. the way he turned his head is so cute. soooo… ☺️ )

YBO is back. or the question is, did they ever leave? lol. ever since that news/rumor came out, together with the lrlg post, I was still 50/50. Because it’s hard to confirm things, especially ones that involve his career and what’s allegedly going on. However with the content that’s being released, from OnO to now, it has the same feel as the original YBO. who knows. I’m just happy, like everyone else, to see this kind of updates from his team.

Yibo is not really one to share much personal stuff anymore on his social media accounts so YBO is so important. Plus the fact that they regularly update their IG too ( remember to interact on their please! ) for us international fans gives them plus points in my book.

It’s also a relief to see the negative comments wind down to being non existent. I truly understand why some fans feel the need to complain, but ybo is not really that place. I personally don’t like the idea of acting like an anti in a space that represents yibo. that could just be me tho.

Anyway, I hope we get more! I wanna see the bts footage they have with BTF & One and Only! I feel like they spoiled us with HB’s 1 hour + BTS footage so we’re all expecting to get the same for BTF & OnO. BTF has some restrictions i guess with what they can share since some filming were done in military sites.

Now I wanna highlight this portion of the vlog, with WYB being in a good mood during the last part of the concert.

This was the part where some people were saying that he looked ‘unhappy’, implying that’s because he didn’t wanna be there / cause there are mostly bxgs who attended. however, this clip, and a lot of the moments on the blog told a different story.

He was obviously not dragged in there — crying and screaming to perform. He was invested with his performance. He looked happy to be with his professional “family”. It’s an example of some fans having their own biased interpretation with this event. I respect those who decided to not attend, it’s their choice and money. But it was really irritating to see them nag and bitch about those who decided to support yibo. Plus it’s their own money. They can spend it however they want.

Funny thing is, those big name accounts who were so vocal about being against Yuehua Ent. & attending — did in fact, attend the concert 😂😂😂 so yeah. It’s an age old story. Don’t believe big name accounts, especially on weibo. These KOLs that “lead” fan opinion can be very shady. At the end of the day, we’re all here to support WYB and his projects in the best way we can. 🙏🏼

=====================================

🍫🍦 TIME FOR SOME SUGAR/CPNS !!!! 🍭🧁

=====================================

The fact that the video is 8:05 minutes long which is an example of how kadian/numbers are important. Well, not all the time, but the team takes that into consideration. So if you see them pulling a 10:05, that would be very sus 👀

As usual, some editing similarities….

Again, editing similarities, even if there are so many could still be a coincidence but it’s fun to still pay attention.

Also the details in YIBITO. He has the apple watch! I will never get over the fact that this “detail” is being highlighted like this when it is a popular cpn among turtles and we always look for it.

Some also noticed this “….” Which we don’t know the relevance of, but it could be a clue that LRLG is from Bobo’s team. This is unusual for me, cause ellipsis are usually “…” right?

I’m taking it as a galaxy brain cpn 🌌

ZZ also allegedly got off work today at 19:22, and then ybo posts @ 19:36. Yes, WYB has his own team but since we CPN that their staff could overlap — this timing is interesting. Maybe it needed a final sign off from the other boss? 😂😂😂😂

SHOUT OUT TO BOTTLED JOY, cause WYB was seen using some during the bts. He also took one with him in the Thailand roadshow. So i guess it’s safe to say that he has a good relationship with the brand, despite what others feel about them. He wouldn’t be showing off if he wasn’t. I’m looking forward to his renewal with them and what new stuff & campaign will be in place. BXGs will surely be lining up to support.

-END

[fitzrove]

Hi, Fitzrove, I wanted to ask you, since you've been to the Perman Production of JCS; could you please tell a bit more about your opinion of the staging (strengths/weaknesses)?

I like your analyses of Elisabeth and would like to hear your opinion on JCS too :)

(On a sidenote - it's been a while since I've seen it - why is Mark cradling Oedo after the torture scene? 👀 I kind of didn't remember Pilates having a moment with Jesus there)

Hii!! Thanks for asking!

Omg disclaimer - my analysis is NOT going to be very good, this is the first JCS production I have ever seen and I first listened to any cast recording (the 2005 one) two hours before going to see it 😂😭

I think strong parts were: costuming (it's a concert but if the budget is limited I'd argue that nice simple "modern" costumes can look better than cheap historical costumes. Loved Marjan in a long flowy red dress, Oedo in all white - with a bloody crucifix shirt at the end - and the priests in black. Only one I'm not sure about is T-shirt mark, that was just kind of weird and was not giving much Pilate...), the torture scene w Oedo standing on a table and being pulled w strings on each arm (the table was like. the only setpiece but worked well esp with his acting), and the way the ensemble used the entire stage space during choreographies etc., and how soloists walked up and down the stage if necessary etc. The only thing that stood out to me as weird was the entire cast sitting down around the table at the beginning/prologue in the last supper position, like just chilling in the background while it was happening, that was a bit weird and awkward to me, like them just Being There not doing anything akdkfkfk.

And with the torture scene - the cradling part is during these lines:

And I thought it was very well done, it could've been more homoerotic though DJKFKFKF but I think it still worked! Was grateful that Mark actually remembered to act during that part 😅😁

Sorry I think this is a very bad reply 😅😁 I simply don't have a lot to compare to since I've only seen this one staging, and I was also struggling to remember what happens next because I'm not a Christian (I mean I am culturally but I left the church as a kid due to lack of belief, and haven't been to church or bible story lessons since age 11...) 😂😭. But overall I think it was an effectively staged concert version, there's no weird random choices happening like in some other concert productions we shan't speak of...

[taiarchive]

Q&A l The Academy Is… bassist Adam Siska

19/11/2009 by Kelina Imamura of The Daily Orange

The day before The Academy Is… hit the Schine Underground stage as the headlining act for the semester’s second Bandersnatch Music Series concert, The Daily Orange spoke with bassist Adam Siska. Siska talked about high school stereotypes, collaborating with Andrew McMahon and the future of the band.

Imamura: So, ‘Fast Times at Barrington High’ came out; what inspired the band to write an album about high school life after many years had passed?

Siska: I don’t know. I would never say the album is about, really about high school. I think that just the setting for the imagery and the songs are metaphorical for situations in real life and you can draw parallels to being in high school.

Imamura: You and William Beckett (the lead singer of The Academy Is…) went to high school together. What was your relationship like back then?

Siska: Yeah, we did. I knew him through my older brother, who was three years older than me, and we just hit it off, started talking about bands and sharing CDs, going to record stores, going to concerts and we talked about wanting to start our own band, and in 2003, we did. And we’ve been doing this ever since.

Imamura: What high school stereotype would you say you were? Stereotype-wise, who were the other members of the band?

Siska: I think I would have fallen into the stoner type. I guess people thought I was a stoner, but I wasn’t a stoner at all. I never smoked weed in high school (laughs). Everyone was under the impression that I was a stoner because I was so far out there. William was like the quiet one. Before anyone was ever called emo, he was the emo kid. People just didn’t know what it was yet. Mitch thought he was gay. Mike Carden, he was on the swim team and he was the captain of the debate team. So I don’t really know what stereotype that is, he was pretty talented. And our drummer, Butcher, he went to art school, so he was an art school student. And Michael, our guitar player, dropped out of high school.

Imamura: How often do you play for a strictly college audience? How will the upcoming show at Syracuse University differ from your larger shows?

Siska: I think the majority of our fan base is high school or college age. We love playing to college students because I would be in college now if I wasn’t in the band. It’s interesting to come on campus and play shows for people. We’re excited to share our music. I have a feeling it’s going to be a fun show.

Imamura: What song is your favorite to play live and why?

Siska: I don’t really have one. On this tour, I’ve been really enjoying playing a song called ‘Classifieds’ from our first record. We haven’t played it in years and just started playing it again on this tour. The response from the fans has been awesome.

Imamura: Recently the band has transitioned with its image and sound. What sparked this? How would you classify the new stuff?

Siska: I wouldn’t classify it as a new sound. It’s just songs from The Academy Is… And I don’t know if anything really sparked it other than time and circumstance. As you grow, things change. Ideas change, and the band kind of progresses as we go.

Imamura: You just released the EP ‘Lost in Pacific Time.’ What was the inspiration for that?

Siska: ‘Lost in Pacific Time’ was a collection of ideas we had during the writing process of the last album. The inspiration, there were songs that we wrote during the last record and some we wrote on tour and the inspiration was totally personal. So we just wanted to put our five songs and surprise our fans with an EP. I don’t think anyone even knew we were making it, so that made it kind of fun to say it was coming out next week and people were a little confused. We like that. Whenever our band is coming out with a new record, you see ads everywhere and they’re kind of shoving it down your throat. With the EP, you could download it if you want.

Imamura: On the EP, the band collaborates with Andrew McMahon of Jack’s Mannequin. He recently played a show here. How was it working with him?

Siska: He’s the best. He’s been a friend of ours for about five or six years now from when he was with his first band, Something Corporate. He’s taught us a lot about being a passionate performer and songwriter, and we’re always thankful for that. And he’s a great friend. It’s just fun to work with him, and we might as well keep doing stuff with him.

Imamura: Are more episodes of TAI TV on the way?

Siska: I wouldn’t say it’s ended. We’re just taking a break from it to focus on writing music. If you’re trying to do too many things, like creating podcasts or videos for the Internet, stuff that can take time away from you’re trying to spend bonding as a band. We did do TAI TV for so long we decided to take a break from it to just be the band that we are, no gimmicks or anything. Just music. And I wouldn’t say it’s died. We have fun with it.

Imamura: You’ve been consistently touring for a few years now. How does that affect the band’s dynamic?

Siska: Last night we played our last day on the fall tour. We ended this tour on a really good note, but we’ve been out for two months and things can get a little crazy. You can get at each other’s throats a little bit. Being around 12 people for two months, it can get a little crazy. It’s going to be nice to have some time away from each other when the tour ends, and when we come back we’ll be really excited and happy to see each other.

Imamura: What do you enjoy doing during your off-time while on tour and when you’re home?

Siska: I’m going sailing right after this tour. I just like relaxing and getting some quiet time. The road can get a little rough. When I’m on tour, I just read a lot of books and stay in my basement. But if the weather is nice in Chicago, I’ll go outside.

Imamura: What’s next for The Academy Is…? I heard rumors of the band taking some time off…

Siska: Yeah, we’re going to take a little time off. We’re just going to see how much time we need to make our best record ever. Then we’ll come out with the new record and be out on tour before you know it.

[glorious-blackout]

My Year in Gigs

Seeing as we're nearing the end of the year, I thought I'd look back on the amazing shows I've been lucky enough to attend in 2023 and resurrect my Post-Concert Depression with a definitive ranking 😅💚

Eurovision Semi Final One - Live Show: Absolute dream-come-true experience. Loved every minute, the crowd was so kind and supportive towards every act, and I got to see most of my faves steal the show and advance to the finals 🥰 

Muse (Dublin) : My second Muse gig of the year was even more of a blast than the first! Absolutely nothing could have prepared me for the joy of finally seeing Butterflies and Hurricanes and Apocalypse Please live 😭 

Queens of the Stone Age: Josh Homme arrived onstage, called us all crazy motherfuckers, expressed a sincere desire to get fucked in the ass by a Scottish dude, then called his guitarist a 500-year-old vampire before flirting shamelessly with him. 10/10, no notes. Oh yeah, and the music slapped too.

Käärijä: Half hilarious stand-up show, half incredible party with insanely fun, energetic songs. One of the most enjoyable gigs I’ve ever been to and I would pay good money to fly to Finland solely to see Käärijä play a gig on his home turf. 

Muse (Bellahouston Park): My boys were incredible as ever and I had a genuinely great time at this gig, but it gets demoted a little due to the torrential rain cutting our setlist short and making me ill 😅 Would have been an easy third place had technical difficulties not robbed me of the chance to see Verona live... 

Go_A: If you’ve never been to a Ukrainian Folk-Rave before, I can highly recommend it! Go_A were simply phenomenal with great energy that had us dancing all night. Highlight of the show was Ihor delivering a badass flute solo while Kateryna went backstage to recharge her awesomeness. 

Sparks: These guys have been making consistently excellent music for decades and still have more energy and enthusiasm than most young bands could ever dream of possessing. Such a wonderful set filled with amazingly quirky songs both old and new. 

Joker Out: It says a lot about the high quality of shows on this list that I’ve had to rank these guys so low. In any other year they’d be a clear contender for top three! The energy from both the band and crowd were insane, the boys were clearly in awe of having a venue full of Scots singing along with them in Slovene, and I need the Demoni scream injected directly into my veins 😈 

Arctic Monkeys: This ranking has almost nothing to do with the band themselves who delivered a great show, but looking back on it I’ve just had to accept that I wasn’t having a good time during a large chunk of this gig. The crowd in my section were rowdy to the point where I couldn’t hear or see anything and I was wasting all my energy trying not to get shoved. My depression was also playing up to the point where I was struggling to get excited over songs I dearly love and I just felt unwell and burnt out all night. The second half was a definite improvement as we’d moved to a calmer area by the time they brought out The Car songs, but by the end I was just exhausted and desperate for home. Would see them again in a heartbeat in a more intimate indoor venue, but I think I’ll avoid any of their big stadium tours in future 😅 

Busted: Honestly, I had a much nicer time at this gig compared to Arctic Monkeys. The nostalgia alone of singing along to ‘Thunderbirds Are Go’ at the top of my lungs is always a special moment. But I can’t pretend for a second that Busted’s music comes anywhere close to the quality of Arctic Monkeys’ recent output, so they’re a very reluctant last place on my list of generally incredible gig experiences 😅 

Best Support Act: Nova Twins by a country mile. I may have fallen slightly in love with Georgia and her incredible bass skills. It was easy to see why Muse invited them on tour because they seemed so at-ease in a massive arena 😊  

Here's to (hopefully) more amazing gigs in 2024! I'd love to hear about some of the great shows that you guys attended this year as well 🥰💖

[yourkimjaejin]

When I See You Again

The twenty members of NCT were gathering to practice for their all member concert, NCT Nation. On and off through all their schedules the members had been adding extra practices to get ready for the show. Today, all twenty four members were supposed to rehearse Resonance and the new version of Black on Black. But their leader informed them, he let the members of AG off the hook. 

The four girls had successfully wrapped the U.S. leg of their tour the same weekend Taeyong and WayV were in L.A. for Kcon. Taeyong had taken one look at the girls once they landed and sent them off to their dorm. 

But it seems they didn’t listen. 

“I thought I told you guys to take this practice off.” Taeyong looked at the last four members of NCT in exasperation. 

“And I said that if we were all practicing then all of us should be here. No matter how tired some of them are. Now aren’t you gonna welcome us back.” At Moxy’s word, all twenty boys were clamoring over each other to welcome back the members of AG. 

This was the longest time they all had been separated from their female members and it was a hard adjustment. Taeyong made frequent calls to Soonjae checking on every little thing, ever the leader. Yangyang wasn’t one to sleep with a stuffed animal but nobody in WayV questions the plush sheep that stayed on his bed after Hannah flew out. The dreamies made sure no one would forget they are eight during ISTJ promotions. 

NCT missed their girls. Sue them. 

The only one not rushing over to greet them was Dream’s lead singer Renjun. To be honest, after AG’s first show in Korea, He took advantage of the girls being busy to deal with his feelings a bit more. He always knew he liked Moxy but he didn’t know how much until that night. Where he saw her blossom in front of his very eyes. Renjun didn’t take his eyes off her the entire night. A fact that he members wouldn’t let him forget after Chenle caught him on video drooling during Fuego. 

He was in fact not drooling and you won’t get him to admit it. 

But when he finally came to his senses, Moxy and her members were jet setting off across the globe and Renjun was left in Korea. Now here they were. Moxy stood right in front of him with freshly sunkissed skin and a toned body that left the younger breathless. Renjun’s inner thoughts were acting up. He almost asked Jeno to slap some sense into him but he wasn’t that desperate. Yet. 

The blonde was so caught up in his brain, he noticed Moxy coming over a moment too late. Renjun was not ready for this. So when Moxy came closer for a hug, Renjun made an impulsive decision. 

He dogged her, awkwardly placing an one arm around her waist and pulling her in for a side hug before ducking away when Chenle and Jisung took up her attention. Badgering her for stories about their time in America. As if they weren’t there a couple months ago. 

What the hell was that, He thought while sulking in a corner when Haechan wandered over. 

“God! I did not know one of my best friends could be so pathetic!” Haechan slung his arm around the shorter wide shoulders, The impact moving them both forward a couple inches. 

“Hyuck-ah, I don’t need this right now.” 

“Actually I think you do.” The singer turned the two of them to face their noona reuniting with their older members. “Your love interest has been gone for months without a single call or text from you and all she gets is the most awkward side hug of the century?! Where is the romance?! Where is the drama? The moment where the star-crossed lovers, separated by time and space, finally get back to each other and can't keep their hands off of each other.” Haechan shook his hyung after every word. Renjun forcefully pushed away when the room almost started spinning

“Noona and I are not some soap opera for you.” Before Haechan could come up with a quip, their managers were calling them to their places. 

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

He really shouldn’t have expected less from his noona. As soon as their manager called for a break she wandered over to where he was, sat on the ground laughing at Ten and Kun’s bickering. She crouched next to him and tapped his shoulder. Renjun leaned his head over acknowledging her.

“Could we talk?” Moxy whispered in his ear. Without alerting anyone, the two made their way outside the small gym the group was using to practice their concert in. Renjun caught Donghyucks attention, signaling for him to cover for them. Renjun rolled his eyes at the kissy face he  made in acknowledgement. 

Say what you will about Donghyuck. Nobody supports their feelings more than him. Except for Jisung and Aurora. Those two are HUGE gossips. 

The two members turned a couple corners so nobody would try to spy on them coming to stop after a fourth left turn. They both leaned on the wall facing each other. Silence took over the hallway again. Moxy reached over and grabbed his hand, starting to play with his fingers. A habit the rapper did to gather her thoughts. 

It’s moments like this where Renjun couldn't help but fall deeper and deeper in love with the gorgeous person standing in front of him. Migyeong was physically attractive, even he couldn’t deny that. All the members were pretty sure most 4th gen idols have had or currently have a crush on her. But for Renjun, it was the dozens of quiet moments they shared together. Just two people existing in the same place at the same time. No talking required. They could read each other like books without saying anything. 

When Migyeong walked in for practice, Renjun knew she was tired because of the sleep still caught in her eyes. He knew Migyeong wanted to talk because she kept glancing over at him. Even now, he could see she had something to say but was trying to find less harsh words. Migyeong took a deep breath, steeling herself, before speaking. Letting her chocolate brown eyes bore into his. 

“Why—Why didn’t you call?” She uttered but before Renjun could respond, more words came flooding out of her mouth. 

“I mean, I called almost everyday while you were off on tour. But while I was gone, you didn’t.” Renjun noticed the water pooling at the edges of her eyes, blinking to keep it from spilling over. “I just wanna know if all my calling was bothering you. Cause if it was, I wish you would have told me. I would toned it down..” Before Moxy could keep rambling, Renjun wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into him.

“Woah, woah..shhh. Relax noona.” Renjuns hand glided up her back, settling on her neck. Gently, he guided her to look at him but her eyes weren’t open. “Look at me  亲 (Qīn).” Once her eyes opened, Renjun spoke. 

“First of all, your calls never annoyed me. They actually helped me keep going.” He paused, swallowing, “I didn’t call because I already know what it's like on tour. It's draining and for you, I knew it would be worse. Noona, you’re one of our biggest introverts. Too much time with people and you check out.” They both took a seat on the floor, Moxy laying her head on his shoulder. “When you're on tour, all you’re dealing with is people. Staff, dancers and fans on a daily basis. I didn’t want to add to that. And if I hurt you with my assumption then I’m truly sorry.” They sat in silence after Renjun finished explaining. Moxy resumed playing with his fingers while she let the words float around her mind. 

“I was tired…..all the time. Sometimes I would sit in my hotel room with the lights off and just stare at the ceiling.” Moxy moved away so she could face him,” But I would have loved to hear from you. You are the exception, Junnie.” 

“I got it. I’ll make sure to call next time. “ Renjun smiled when the rapper laced their fingers together. 

“That's a long time from now.” 

“What? Are you guys already getting ready for the next album?” 

“Naw, SM told us we were sticking with the original albums concept. We get a bit of a break before diving into the next series.” Moxy scooted closer, if that was even possible. 

“I missed you.” 

“I would say the same but I was always checking the reactions on twitter after each show.” Renjun smiled, finally getting Moxy to laugh at his own whippedness. 

“Really! What was your favorite one?” She asked as they both stood and made their way back to the practice room. 

“The night of your Dallas show there was one video. A woman posted her niece’s reaction to you entering the stage at the top of the show. She was like nine and as soon as your face appeared on the screen…tears. She just started crying and reaching for you. She was so precious.” 

“I think I remember seeing that.” The two entered back into the gym right as their manager called a return to practice. Before Moxy took her place for Resonance, She properly wrapped her arms around his waist tucking her head into his neck. Quickly, Renjun reciprocated. 

“Now that's a proper welcome back hug.” Moxy’s whisper plastered a goofy smile on his face.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I swear when my Moxjun muse hits, I have to write it down immediately. If this is subpar then let me know, I wrote this in two days!! I hope you enjoy!!

亲 (Qīn) is like “bae” in english slang. and Moxy doesn't know...

Taglist: @alixnsuperstxr / @1-800-call-ria / @sophrodite / @sunflower-0180

[forestdeath1]

Really don't understand why people keep saying that Remus didn't love tonks truly. I think he did but ppl around keep saying that he's coded as gay?

Hmm I think I'm not the best person to ask this because I have different views on the concept of love. I'm very open-minded about it and believe anything is possible in our world.

But I’m just wondering. What does true love means? Last year, my mate divorced his wife after 8 years of marriage because he realised he's gay (he's gay, not bi, because he said so. Period.) Did he not love her during those years? Or did he love her, but not truly? Where is the line between true love and "fake" love? Why is everything so simple in fandom? Life is definitely not that simple.

Regarding made-up "gay coding", it's really filled with a lot of bi-erasure. Bi-erasure is a reality, not a fiction, and it's embedded in our culture. Bi people are "not gay enough," so they are often overlooked (and also not straight enough). People often forget that a man can be bi, attracted 90% to men and just 10% to women or other genders. He doesn't become gay because of this. There are bi men who have never dated women or other genders, but they know they are bi.

And people often use the metaphor of lycanthropy-HIV for gay Remus, but this argument doesn't work because the HIV epidemic of the 80s was always associated with both gay and bisexual men. HIV is a story first written on the bodies of Gay and Bisexual men. So yeah, it’s bi-erasure. Moreover, "bisexuals have become the easiest group to blame in the spread of HIV between the gay and straight populations. Bisexuals have been stereotyped by straights as duplicitous, closeted men who participate in sex with other men and then bring home disease to their wives". Hmm... who in the books are accused of spreading disease to "normal" people? Isn't it the werewolves?

Bisexuality is an often invisible identity. Heterosexual and homosexual communities contribute to bisexual erasure, acting in concert to protect a binary system that is complicated and disrupted by the possibility and presence of bisexuality. Contemporary cultural norms and “pop science” demonstrate the acceptance of two types of partner choice—heterosexual and homosexual—whereas the bisexual person is made virtually invisible. A historical analysis reveals that our modern categories of sexuality came into existence as recently as the 19th century, and that the selection of gender of object choice as the salient feature of sexuality was not accidental, but rather it developed out of pressure to reinforce the sexual binary between men and women. When a literary character engages in sexual acts with members of both sexes, the character's sexual orientation is most often interpreted within the framework of our hetero–homosexual binary, even by the queer community as demonstrated in an analysis of literary criticism surrounding Jeanette Winterson's Written on the Body and Radclyffe Hall's Well of Loneliness.  Read more

Well, overall I try to stay detached from bi-erasure in fandom. There isn’t much that can really hurt me now, including bi-erasure online, but bi-erasure in real life is part of my story. Bi-erasure exists not just in fandom (which isn’t a big part of my life and I only joined recently), it exists in real life too. I knew I was bi from the age of 13 (well, actually, around 14-15 I thought I was a lesbian because my only loves at that time were girls), and I’ve spent a big part of my life as bi. In the past, I felt ashamed in front of some lesbians and straights, as if something was wrong with me, but can I change my sexuality? I know some bi people who, because of traumatic past experiences, prefer to surround themselves with other bi people. Not to mention the myth of straight-passing privilege. Bi people are marginalised not just among straight people but also within the LGBT+ community. Bi, trans people or people of any other sexuality (+) are considered outcasts.

So, many people take a character who in the original story married a woman, and label him as gay, finding "evidence" for it. They say it's not bi-erasure. If this isn't bi-erasure, then what is bi-erasure?

As I've already said, I am open to any interpretation. And in one fanfic, I write Remus as gay. Because that's what I want. But I don’t find "evidence" for this. I just decided that he's gay, and I interpret the rest of his story through this lens.

[scotianostra]

The singer Lonnie Donegan was born on April 29th 1931 in Bridgeton Glasgow.

Donegan was born Anthony James Donegan, the son of a Scottish father and Irish mother. His father was a professional violinist who had played with the Scottish National Orchestra.

He moved with his mother to London at an early age, after his parents divorced. Inspired by blues music and New Orleans jazz bands he heard on the radio, he resolved to learn the guitar, and bought his first at the age of fourteen. He took his first name after a New Orleans blues singer he admired called Lonnie Johnson.

The first band he ever played in was the trad jazz band led by Chris Barber, who approached him on a train asking him if he wanted to audition for his group. Barber had heard that Donegan was a good banjo player; in fact, Donegan had never played the banjo at this point, but he bought one and managed to bluff his way through the audition. His stint in this group was interrupted, however, when he was called up for National Service in 1949.

In 1952, he formed his first own group, the Tony Donegan Jazzband, which found some work around London. On one occasion they opened for the blues musician Lonnie Johnson at the Royal Festival Hall. Donegan was a big fan of Johnson, and took his first name as a tribute to him. The story goes that the host at the concert got the musicians’ names confused, calling them “Tony Johnson” and “Lonnie Donegan”, and Donegan was happy to keep the name.

Donegan recorded a reworking of an American folk tune, Rock Island Line. Decca released the song in 1956, billed by the Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group. The record, with its talking sequences, homage to Americana, and fast train shuffle climax, became a major hit in Britain and America. Because he was paid a flat fee for the session, Donegan didn’t receive any royalty payments for his most popular and influential song until the label struck a new deal for him 40 years later. However, Rock Island Line made him a star in his own right and would remain his signature song throughout his career.

From 1956 through 1962, he enjoyed a string of 34 British hits including Puttin’ on the Style and Cumberland Gap, which hit number one in 1957, Don’t You Rock Me Daddy-O, which reached number four in the same year, and the raucous sing-along My Old Man’s a Dustman which climbed to the top of the charts in 1960. It’s not hard to see why Lonnie is regarded as the first real pop star, his fans included the likes of Lennon and McCartney, who’s first group, The Quarrymen were a skiffle group. he Shadows, the Searchers, the Hollies, Herman’s Hermits, Gerry & the Pacemakers, and Cliff Richard all began their musical lives doing skiffle.

As the swinging sixties rolled on Donegans hits dried up but he was always in demand for gigs at home and across the world, he also dabbled in a wee bit acting and his own song publishing business, his most popular song he bought the rights for being Nights in white Satin. In the 70’s he popped upon the occasional TV shows during breaks from touring, in 1972 Tom Jones covered one of Lonnie’s songs and it went top 5 on both sides of the Atlantic. As a performer he continued to record and lease unsuccessful sides to Pye, Decca, Black Lion, and RCA.

A 1976 heart attack forced Donegan into an uneasy semi-retirement in California. Two years later, Chrysalis Records organized an all-star recreation of his early hits Puttin’ on the Style. Produced by former British teen idol Adam Faith and boasting duets with Ringo Starr, Elton John, and Rory Gallagher, it was his last major-selling album. Follow-ups with respected session ace Albert Lee and Cajun-fiddler Doug Kershaw seemed to point him towards country music, but a series of heart attacks in 1979 ended his full-time career.

In later years Donegan made a series of guest appearances with old friend Chris Barber including a featured spot on Van Morrison’s Skiffle Sessions: Live in Belfast 1998. Just before his death, he returned to touring full time, exhibiting much of his classic verve and humour before standing-room-only crowds. Donegan died on November 3rd, 2002, in Peterborough.

[droughtofapathy]

The Gilded Age's Broadway Divas: Amber Gray (Bea)

While her Hadestown co-star Patrick Page is terrorizing workers' unions (as per usual), and her Comet co-star Denée Benton is the star of this show, Amber Gray gets one scene where she's terrorized by white men. As a restaurant proprietress, Amber enjoys an elevated place in society, all things considered. For plot reasons, Amber cannot enjoy this victory. Instead she gets manhandled and probably assaulted. Justice for her.

Amber Gray has enjoyed an eclectic career in the off-Broadway and fringe theatre spaces before making her Broadway debut in Great Comet alongside Denée Benton. She also originated Laurie in the pre-Broadway run of that reimagined Oklahoma revival of 2018, and has been Persephone in every iteration of Hadestown. She left Hadestown in 2022 after several years to join the Daniel Craig Macbeth happing just across the street. This last year, she has performed in the benefit concert of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris in Tangier, and now delights audiences as the vapid and tech-obsessed Claudia Bursik-Zimmer in Sondheim's final musical, Here We Are playing at The Shed through mid-January.

Her character is only ever referred to as "Bea" by the white man who gets physical with her, and IMDb incorrectly attributes her character as the one she played in The Underground Railroad so I don't really know what we're doing here. God forbid HBO put end credits that list everyone and their characters.

#1: "Charming," Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 (2016)

Released as a series of music videos on the show's youtube channel, this staging of Amber Gray's solo number is not what happens in the show, but it's fun, and fabulous, and I was obsessed. Amber's signature growl can be heard across her discography.

Playing Countess Hélène Bezukova, a "Queen of Society," she attempts to woo Natasha (played by Denée Benton) on behalf of her brother in this homoerotic little number.

#2: "Our Lady of the Underground," Hadestown (2019)

In a jazzy, capitalist critique adaptation of the classic Hades/Persephone & Orpheus/Eurydice myths, Hadestown is quite possibly Tumblr's most recognizable musical based on all the best musical polls that completely disregard-- You know, I won't get into it here.

Hadestown is a great musical. I've seen it twelve times (which was probably seven times too many, but 2019 was a weird time for me). Amber Gray is a marvel as Persephone, the disillusioned lush of a wife to Patrick Page's Hades. She was nominated for a Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. And I'm not mad about who won, necessarily, but I would have cast my vote in Amber's box.

#3: Here We Are (2023)

Naysayers turn away because I loved Here We Are in all it's messy, unhinged, utterly deranged glory. With the death of Stephen Sondheim, it will never be fully finished, and the second act is almost entirely bereft of music, but I still consider the euphoria of sitting in that first preview audience and hearing the first notes of that music one of the best experiences I've ever had in a theatre.

As Claudia, Amber Gray is serving cunt and there is no other way to describe it. Now, I don't have the time nor the room to explain the plot of this show. Because of its style and lack of traditionally formatted songs, it's unlikely Here We Are will get a cast album, or that the score will become cabaret hits. Thus, we'll just have to work with the bootlegs I've clipped.

Also featured in the show is Tony-nominee Michaela Diamond, who played a non-speaking shopgirl in one scene during Gilded Age's first season.

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