#the reckoning (2003)

[illiana-mystery]

The Reckoning (2003)

[casquecest]

Tagged by @kuningatar !

So these are songs in which I've recently been interested (anew) (mid 90s-2000 version):

"Lux Aeterna" - Clint Mansell (performed by Kronos Quartet)

Kid, I've been in love with this composition since 2000. I remember hearing it during a commercial (and my friend LOVING it) for the third (I think) LOTR movie, and was like,'BEG YOUR FUCKING PARDON BUT THAT'S FROM 'REQUIEM'!' Get fuckt, LOTR.

2. 'Glycerine' - Bush

Seeing Bush live again last week reawakened my love for them. While I favour other songs of theirs, I'm putting forward 'Glycerine' here cause it was such a MOMENT in my youth.

3. 'Street Spirit (Fade Out)' - Radiohead

When a closing song on a record just. fucking. HITS. You could count on Radiohead to serve you the licks AND the video in the 90s (back when the music video was an art form and not an advertisement for things other than the band).

4. 'Tonight Tonight' by Smashing Pumpkins

Did you know that, while shooting this video, they had a hard time finding costumes cause 'Titanic' was in production, and it had gobbled up all the turn-of-the-[19th]century garb?

My favourite off this record (and it's such a blinding record), and easily my favourite video off it if only because of the aesthetics. I've never seen Smashing Pumpkins live, and I'm bereft for it. "The more you change the less you fear" still sticks with, and informs, me. It's really just such a hopeful and inspiring song. "D'you believe in me as I believe in you tonight?"

5. 'Zombie' by The Cranberries

A song that REALLY introduced me to politics beyond the US when I was a kid. I was kindergarten-age when the Berlin Wall fell, a child during the Gulf War. War really was an abstract to me as an American kid, and something that didn't affect me (as I thought then), and this song, coming out as a single when I was 11 or so, started bringing awareness to other's struggles. War, to a kid!Nic, was something that happened in places that didn't remotely resemble the makeup of the US. We were far too advanced for that, obviously 🙄.

[tgmsunmontue]

It's not who you know 3/4

YEAR 3 - Non-angsty Nepo!Baby Bradley and his years at the USNA and his head-in-the-sand approach to the nepotism and the fact that he ends up being known as the guy with the two hot dads instead...

YEAR THREE - 2003 - PART 3

                Bradley’s time in San Diego is now numbered in days rather than weeks and Tom helps him pack for his first extended stay on a cruiser. Tom wonders if his name was even put into a hat for a place on a submarine; unlike his relationship with Man and him, it’s no secret that Bradley wants to fly. If a carrier had been an option he’s pretty sure Bradley would have gotten that. He’s seen Bradley’s report though, knows he’s excelling in all areas, clearly determined to succeed and he’s so proud. Of course, Bradley still needs to take part in the standard summer activities, despite having grown up and having them happening around him constantly, getting dragged across the country to attend various things in his shadow.

                “You know I’ll be visiting the USS Princeton while you’re onboard.”

                “Yeah yeah, I promise not to have to be thrown overboard for insubordination.”

                “No, that wasn’t… I was more thinking that you might find yourself hearing things about me which are going to make you want to pop someone in the nose.”

                “Like what?”

                “Oh god, all sorts of shit. People think I don’t know what they say behind my back but trust me, I know.”

                “I haven’t heard anything!”

                “You’ve not done any active service yet. Fresh greenie not even a proper upperclassman yet. You’ll hear stuff.”

                The expression on Bradley’s face is equally angry and annoyed and Tom holds back a groan.

                “Bradley, I’m serious. You’re really going to have to hold back if you get angry. Don’t worry about my honor okay. You’ve spent the last couple of years pretending you don’t know me and Mav at all, don’t blow your cover over something stupid that doesn’t matter. You understand?”

                “Yeah. Thanks Ice. And thanks for going along with this whole thing, I know it probably feels a bit stupid some days, but it’s really nice knowing that the friends I’ve made are my friends because of me you know, not because of what connections I might have.”

                “Yeah kid, I get it. Fair warning they might feel pretty pissed when they do find out though.”

                “Nah, I’ve picked good friends. I reckon they’ll understand.”

                “Okay. Now did you need anything else? I know Mav has been riding you hard about your flight hours…”

                Mav of course has made the most of whatever spare time they’ve had and ensured Bradley built up his flight hours again so his license doesn’t lapse. Tom doesn’t think there are going to be very many other upperclassman with as much flight experience as Bradley. Talk about being overqualified. However he also knows it makes for a damn strong application so he’s supported Mav in his undertaking.

                They say goodbye to Bradley on the porch, tell him they’ll see him onboard when he’s mixing with the enlisted personnel and Tom wishes they could watch him board, feels like it’s another milestone he’s going to miss. Reminds himself firmly that he’ll see him again onboard the same damn ship and he’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future to wave Bradley off on deployment.

…             …             …

                He doesn’t punch anyone, didn’t even need the warning, wonders what Ice thinks people say about him. He’d heard them talk, but nothing more than him being brass and being very cool-headed in times of crisis. It’s all been pretty benign stuff really, and no-one had stopped talking when he entered a room or anything.

                For the first time ever he puts up a photo of Ice and Mav beside his bed. It’s weird, but he can see why people don’t see Admiral Kazansky. He’s got a few copies of the photo, Slider having printed him off a bunch in thanks for forwarding him the electronic file and that is probably going to come back and bite him in the ass at some stage. Now he’s back in Bancroft, preparing to help with Plebe Summer, this time older and not being expected to have to deal with people yelling in his face while not reacting. It’s going to be a cake-walk in comparison to two years ago and he’s looking forward to it.

                “You’re not meant to be in here,” Bradley says, seeing Natasha at the end of his dorm bed.

                “I was sent to collect you, I have permission,” she says, hand waving away his concerns. “Let me look at that photo. Holy shit… I thought your first dad was hot, but your other dad? I mean… wow. I know I told you I like girls more than boys, but these are the type of boys that I prefer…” she says, tapping the photo. “Huh. Maybe it’s just men and women, because to be honest I don’t find anyone here very attractive.”

                “Gross,” Bradley states, because he’s very firmly kept the company of his own hand when he’s been on base. His summers are probably a lot wilder than Mav or Ice think they are, but he tries to make use of every night he has home once they’re

                “To you maybe… pretty sure you’d find my brother hot.”

                “If I did, I wouldn’t tell you!”

                “That’s because you’re repressed.”

                “Rather be repressed than find either of my dads hot thanks!”

                “Okay. That’s fair. And you probably won’t be too ugly once you grow into your face…”

                “Wow, you really know how to flatter a guy…”

…             …             …

                Plebe Summer starts and Bradley throws himself into being the best role model he can. He knows that in the future some of these people will be his peers, maybe even be his superior, but right now they have to get through what he still considers the hardest summer of their life. Of course hardly anyone drops out, the selection criteria is far too difficult and physically rigorous to make it something someone would easily just drop-out from without serious consideration first. There’s friendly competition and even friendlier encouragement, the brigades working together.

                There’s one guy that keeps catching his eye and he’s not sure if it’s deliberate on the guy’s part, somehow magically putting himself nearly always in Bradley’s line of sight. Or whether he’s only got himself to blame, eyes just drifting to watch. Either way he’s really fucking horny and the guy is hot. Not that he will do anything, but it doesn’t stop him thinking about it.

                “Now there is a guy who doesn’t need to grow into his looks…”

                He silently agrees.

                God what he wouldn’t do to get his hands on him.

                Ah well. His own hands on his own body and his mind on another it is.

…             …             …

                “Do I have a sign on me that says to tell me if you’re gay? Or a lesbian? Or bisexual?”

                “Um… not literally. But there is the common knowledge that you have smoking hot dads and therefor okay with the gay.”

                Bradley groans.

                “I had another guy come out to me today. No reason. Just to tell me. Also he said he thinks we’re cute together.”

                “Ew.”

                “I just nodded and smiled.”

…             …             …

                Michael Williams sighs. It’s the second… complaint? Notification? Information? Tips? Regardless, they’re both about Bradley Bradshaw’s relationship with Natasha Trace. They’ve been spied coming out of rooms together, otherwise small, dark, empty rooms like the store rooms. Fraternization. Actions unbecoming. Fuck. The kid wants to be treated like all the other kids, he’d be getting pulled into Mack’s office for a dressing down, short and sharp. Both of them would be.

                Part of him wants to, still a little ticked off at the whole stunt Bradshaw is pulling. He’s not familiar with him outside of watching him last year, seeing a whole raft of his superior officers watch as Admiral Kazansky toured the campus dressed as a civilian. But also Bradshaw is good. He does everything well, more than well. And he’s cheerful and helpful and encourages the underclassmen and there had been no fault in any of his behavior.

                Until now.

                He walks down the corridor to Admiral Kerner’s office, nervous as he knocks on the open door.

                “Sir. Do you have a moment?”

                “Of course, come in.”

                He does, closes the door behind him and notes the eyebrow raise and the lean back in the chair. He has his full attention.

                “Sir. I need you to do a favor and make a call to your friend Kazansky.”

                “Why, what’s happened?”

                “I’ve got two instances of fraternization for Bradley Bradshaw and Natasha Trace.”

                “And you want to do what? Tattle on him to his uncle?”

                “No, I was actually after guidance on how I should proceed. I would pull them both into my office and give them a stern talking to, and a warning. Is that appropriate?”

                “Bradshaw and Trace are the same rank Captain, it’s not exactly forbidden, just heavily frowned upon. The fact you have had two complaints tells me that this is more likely a case of sour grapes on whoever is complaining, so I’d be having a talk with them as well. But let me see if I can get Ice on the blower…”

                Michael will never understand naval aviators and their call signs, but he stands and waits as Admiral Kerner dials, then asks to be put through. Obviously whoever it is on the other end knows not to mess with one Admiral ringing another. He listens to the one-sided conversation and watches Admiral Kerner’s face with interest.

                “Hey Ice, it’s Sli. Yes, well, I didn’t think I’d be speaking to you today either. Look. Yeah. This is about Bradley. Did you talk to him about behavior?” Face curious, openly contemplative.

                “Okay, so you covered that with him. Then why are we looking at two instances of fraternization?” Eyes narrowed and considering.

                “No, it’s with a fellow midshipman. Also an upperclassman.” Serious.

                “Yes, I’m aware it’s not actual fraternization.” An eyeroll.

                “Yes, it is.” Face back to curious, speculative.

                “Oh. Huh.” Surprise.

                “I did think it was maybe a case of sour grapes, jealousy at his general capabilities and the fact that he’s generally well liked amongst his peers. Except by a couple apparently.”

                “Yes well, he’ll be fine. We’ll pull them in and give them a heads up. Both of them. Midshipman Trace is equally talented and capable.”

                “Yeah, was nice talking to you too. Will have to have a proper catchup when it’s not about work.”

…             …             …

                Jake isn’t sure what he has to do to get the guys sole undivided attention, but he’s not going to give up trying. He’s so good at everything, competent in this easy way that turns him on in ways he’s never thought were possible, and he’s a teenager and being horny is pretty much a permanent state for him. Except when he’s too tired to even think, which unfortunately for his first year at USNA is a whole lot of the time. Either it gets easier or people just learn how to cope with everything better because Midshipman Bradshaw makes it look easy.

…             …             …

                “Oh god, it was horrible. I can’t do it again. How do they do it?”

                “What are you talking about?”

                “Submarines! Going under the water…”

                “Uh…” Tom exchanges a look with Pete and opens his mouth. Closes it again. Bradley is back home for part of summer, having just experienced his first dive and he’s at a bit of a loss.

                “Bradley. Buddy. Uh. You realize you’re in the Navy right? And that has, uh, a lot to do with the water?” Mav says.

                “But I’m going to fly planes!”

                “Maybe he should have joined the airforce,” Tom muses.

                “You wash your mouth out right now!”

…             …             …

                “Seriously, if I was going to fuck around I’d do it somewhere far less obvious than the fucking storeroom!”

                Tom winces, because clearly Pete has heard the rumors about Bradley and Natasha Trace. God he loves the rumor mill of the US Navy, bunch of gossipers the lot of them. He hadn’t bothered mentioning anything, because he knew nothing was happening. Mav is of course mentioning it. In the worst possible way. Clearly having forgotten that Bradley came out as gay several years ago and that Natasha Trace is a woman. He’s going to need a coffee.

                “Bradley! What do you mean Bradley? Don’t walk away from me young man!”

                “You said we leave our ranks at the door with our shoes, so this conversation is over! And I said if!”

                “I know what if means in this house, and it definitely means something definitely happened!”

…             …             …

                “Do I even want to know?” Tom asks, taking a quiet sip of coffee.

                “Mav’s scared I might be having sex.”

                Tom raises an eyebrow, he’s fully aware Bradley’s been sneaking out for the last couple of years. He guesses Bradley’s now feeling mature enough to talk about it. Good.

                “Are you being safe?”

                “Yes.”

                “Good enough for me. Don’t get caught.”

                Bradley scoffs.

                “I learnt from the best remember!”

                “He got caught plenty of times,” Tom says dryly.

                “I meant you Ice.”

                “Oh.”

                It’s been a long time since he’s blushed.

PART FOUR

[redsamuraiii]

The Valiant Red Peony : Red Peony Gambler (1968)

Set during the Meiji era, RED PEONY GAMBLER stars Fuji as Ryuko Yano, the daughter of a gambler. When her father is murdered, Ryuko takes on a new name derived from the crimson flower tattooed on her shoulder – “Oryu, the Red Peony” – and sets out for revenge.

One thing I noticed about Japanese films is the use of flower names to reflect their character like in Shogun (2024) and Yae no Sakura (2013). Here, Red Peonies are flowers that can live over 100 years and thrive in cold winters, indicating that she survived the worst.

As mentioned in my earlier post, Asian films like Japanese films have always featured strong women who are feminine, gentle and caring with those they love and care but fearless, cunning, steadfast and a force to be reckoned with, against enemies.

There are numerous films such as this, Lady Snowblood (1973), Crimson Bat : The Blind Swordswoman (1969), Undercover Geisha (2003) & Ichi (2008), and anime such as Carried by the Wind: Tsukikage Ran (2000), Joran : The Princess of Snow and Blood (2021) & Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku (2023).

They inspire Hollywood shows like Kill Bill (2003), Blue Eye Samurai (2003) and Shogun (2024). Japanese films are underrated, especially the old ones that I feel it's wasted that most of these shows are not available on global mainstream sites for the world to enjoy and appreciate. But it's good to see people becoming aware of them.

[batsplat]

do you have a favorite bit of motogp gossip that you either want to know is it’s true, or you just enjoy as a stand alone piece, no need for further investigation?

one of those where I initially stared at and like. lost all motogp knowledge in my brain. and then stuff did come back to me. this is all very much low hanging fruit and I'll add to it when I remember more interesting/quirky ones. BUT here are some things I want to know:

y'know how casey randomly suggests in his autobiography that valentino was sabotaged in the 2006 title decider? so, personally, I don't really buy this, because 'why' and also 'casey girl you are SO paranoid' - though, sure, if given the option I'd like to double check if valentino had a dud tyre (completely plausible) and also if somebody really deliberately gave him one (?? casey idk about this one). but what I'm REALLY curious about is... there's a change in his autobiography?? like I've seen this book excerpt float around online and the text is different from what's in my book!! mine's from the paperback version so I assume there may have been some edits for that, so that would make it the newer version... but like. this is a real editorial change. check this out:

version posted on the internet, from the hard cover edition???

version in my book, first paragraph is the same

But as soon as the lights went out Valentino was in trouble. I was one of six riders to pass him on the first lap and if you watch the footage you can see how much he is struggling to even keep up with us. His rear and front tyres were just not working together and on lap five the front inexplicably folded and he went down, right behind me. I couldn't help but wonder how he could be having such problems with his tyres. Could he really have been stitched up? It seemed so improbable, but I remember watching that race back in the motorhome that evening and thinking, Welcome to my world, mate.

this isn't 'gossip' because I haven't found anyone else who has spotted this, but like? that's a substantive change? if my one really is the newer one? ...?

let's set aside the fascinating insight you get into casey's knotty and at times bizarre valentino rossi complex with him adding the line "welcome to my world, mate" (oh my god. please just take him to dinner. I will crowd fund this I literally just need to be able to listen in. casey come on CALL him I NEED you to do the dinner thing, YOU suggested it not me). like we're not going to even touch that. but if my version really is the updated one, then he's kinda softened his stance, no?? "convinced he was stitched up" to "could he really have been stitched up"

what happened?? who wanted this change? casey? an editor? did dorna give casey a call? did some poor bloke from pr have to politely ask whether casey could please not state in his autobiography that the most popular rider ever had had a title stolen from him by the establishment?

(casey was talking about valentino's stolen tenth BEFORE it was popular. he did it even before valentino did, bless)

"there are a lot of commercial interests in the sport" also didn't make the jump to the 'new version', mind you. did Big America get to casey

come on you guys have to admit this is an odd change?? does nobody else thing this is weird??

okay fine moving on

Did Valentino Literally Curse Sete

(like. not literally as in did he curse curse sete, literally as in did he say it)

(though if he did literally literally curse curse sete, I suppose I'd also like to know that bit)

the commentators in 2003 brno say so and I'm inclined to believe them, but I need to double check whether sete and valentino really were partying on ibiza together right after that very painful valentino loss at the sachsenring. such a fascinating little detail, that's not something post-2004 valentino does I reckon

I mean, look, obviously a bunch of things from that time period I want to have fact checked. including valentino's friend hearing sete say in late 2003 that valentino wasn't going to be smiling so much after joining yamaha. classic bit of gossip, did it actually happen though

I've referenced this a few times before, but y'know how valentino said that marc's manager alzamora told him after sepang 2015 that marc had been angry at valentino for killing his title charge? I just want. to know. if this conversation actually happened. I don't think valentino would pluck a lie like that out of thin air, especially something so specific about somebody on marc's team, and he has known alzamora for decades but like. maybe almazora just said something valentino misinterpreted? I just find this such a bonkers thing from alzamora if it's true that I would like it confirmed for my own sanity, you know?

yeah look I would like to know if marc really did get casey kicked out of honda, obviously I've discussed this before and it's very he said she said but yeah it'd be fun to know the truth

this is literally peak gossip because I can't find a source for it but I swear a journalist did say it: the rumour is that marc blocked joan mir from joining honda in 2019. like, I'm only including this because I was explicitly asked for gossip as I just cannot find where it was said... but it is something that is. out there. and... again, just curious. like I buy it, but also it could be bullshit!

on a similar note, did he ever make clear to honda he didn't want either vinales or rinsy on his team circa 2016? was it just a vibe in the paddock or was this an actual demand from marc?

speaking of!! the whole thing about alzamora basically rigging the moto3 teammate situation between rinsy and alex marquez to ensure the latter won the title that year. what was that all about, how far did they go there

switching to valentino now. this doesn't quite fit the remit of the question because it IS something I've investigated. and my conclusion is basically a big *shrug*

did valentino block casey from joining yamaha in either 2005 or 2006, and did he attempt to block jorge?

there are completely contradictory sources on the timeline here that do make me feel like there's a chance yamaha was just fucking with casey at the very least in 2006 and valentino had fuck all to do with it, which a recent interview from casey did actually hint at too... he made it sound like maybe yamaha was just using him to try to drive down the price of another rider (which would then presumably be jorge)

I just want to know! and the thing is, it was a matter of open paddock discussion that valentino blocked casey (jorge explicitly references it in in 2007), but something doesn't quite add up between what jorge, casey, colin edwards, articles from the time and lin jarvis have said on the subject! my current pet theory is that valentino blocked casey in 2005 from joining the satellite yamaha team in 2006 (weirdly casey doesn't really imply valentino was responsible for this one in his autobiography, but whatever) but NOT in 2006 (casey does imply valentino was responsible here, you see my problem). and yamaha was fucking around with all four of valentino, casey, jorge and edwards in late 2006/2007. but. yeah. I have unanswered questions

the entire 'alex marquez blocked from yamaha' situation.... again. something is off there. you know the story from late last year about how he was blocked in 2019 from joining the petronas team in 2021? this completely threw me, because there was an entirely different story about this YEARS back in 2018!! I initially assumed the two stories were about the same event, but it can't have been! one's him being blocked in 2019 for 2021, one's him being blocked in 2018 for 2019

from the descriptions of both there's also no confusing them. the 2018 story has to be about the 2018 contract cycle because that's quite literally when it was published, and the 2023 story has to be about the 2019 contract cycle because it explicitly references the space fabio would create by moving to the factory team for 2021, which obviously wouldn't make sense before fabio's actual rookie season. like they have to be about different stories

and in that same 2018 story, marc said that back in 2016 lin jarvis told him no marquez would be joining yamaha:

again, this was in 2018!!

plus, he did say back in 2016 that he'd spoken to jarvis, which kinda backs up this is a conversation that did happen and marc isn't just misremembering the timeline/lying (the notion of marc joining yamaha in 2017 is fantastic, what an absolutely horrendous idea):

now what marc says in 2018 about his conversation with lin jarvis is very similar to petronas yamaha boss razali saying in 2023 that he'd been told by yamaha no marquez was allowed at yamaha. suggests that this is a thing that did happen!!

but again... razali was told that in 2019... after marc had already been told the same thing three years before that, and the exact same deal had already been blocked one year earlier... does nobody else think this is weird?? like, I'm not saying yamaha hq covered themselves in glory here, but is it not a little strange the satellite yamaha squad had basically almost signed a contract with the younger marquez again without checking in with yamaha, just ONE YEAR after this same contract had already been blocked???

again this isn't actually gossip because I'm apparently the only person going ?? about this but I'll say it: ??

kinda been annoying me since december last year, like I know it doesn't matter but I'm just curious about it! why's nobody else talking about the 2018 story!

idk my best guess here is that petronas yamaha was faffing about and playing weird games with the factory team, that the deal was never as likely to happen as they made it sound to the marquez camp. zero proof, that's me spreading rumours yeah... time to create some of my own unfounded gossip

(also of course I'm curious if valentino did have any actual involvement in this. like if lin jarvis was telling marc this in the year of our lord 2016, I'm assuming valentino didn't have to explicitly say to jarvis that 'inviting marc to the team for 2017' wasn't exactly high on his christmas wish list. it is interesting that marc frames it as jarvis making this about. like. all the marquez's way back in 2016, and again, would this really have been on valentino's radar at the time? that feels a bit...? alex marquez was thirteenth in that moto2 season? would certainly be very... thorough for valentino to already have had that particular talk with jarvis)

(mind u there's a fun moment in a 2019 presser where valentino is sitting between the two marquez brothers and the younger marquez is being asked about his contract situation, the implication being he'd had a motogp deal and no longer had a motogp deal. and he's answering and marc's doing his freak stare and valentino is Right There sitting between them... I <3 mess)

man did valentino actually ever fucking block anyone from joining his manufacturer #notmygoat. I still think he didn't know about jorge until the deal was basically done, had nothing to do with the younger marquez, at most blocked casey the one time but then yamaha wasn't actually seriously intending on signing casey in 2006 and was just using it as a play in their jorge negotiations, which.... idk. bit disappointing if true icl. I hope he blocked someone, I'll say it

(also. okay. I don't want to sound awful here because I do have a lot of sympathy for baby!casey but. ignoring the morality for a second, I do LOVE the idea that valentino blocked casey from getting a satellite yamaha seat fresh off his 250cc runner up season because it would conclusively prove valentino did ABSOLUTELY rate casey!! like he didn't even want casey to come close to being his teammate!! not even a sniff at his data!!) (genuinely this is the rumour I'm choosing to believe, I know there's a chance valentino didn't successfully block anyone and was just a complete flop but I want the 2005 one to be true. it really adds something to the rivalry idk... like ugh valentino saw how dangerous casey was proper early when much of the paddock wasn't yet convinced... cute)

moving on

there was a rumour in 2015 that valentino approached dani after aragon to complain about how sturdy his defence was, like moaning about denying him points and shit. now, there's exactly one article about this in marca that is the sole origin point for the rumour, and it says that valentino also interrupted a honda party after phillip island to complain to marc. this does not match up at all with anything either marc or valentino have said since then - and would mean you have to believe that marc wasn't actually blindsided by that presser... also feels a bit unlikely we would have heard NOTHING from any other source if vale was really gatecrashing a honda party

of course, neither dani nor valentino have spoken about this supposed post-aragon 2015 meeting either, not even when dani was kinda accusing valentino of hypocrisy during sepang 2015, but I suppose you could say maybe dani's just not the type of guy to bring it up again. however.... I do reckon occam's razor kinda applies here and if one of these stories is bullshit then they probably both are, plus it's not like marca is exactly a neutral source. still would love to be certain!! instinctively I don't really think that's valentino's style at all, but of course it'd be intriguing if the story were true because it'd be a sign of how 2015 kinda messed with him. but I still feel 2015 is more about him falling back on past tools he'd mostly discarded - rather than, like, acting wildly out of character, which again... well, this brings us back to how that kind of behaviour isn't really valentino's style. basically, I don't buy it, but that's kinda why I am so curious about it? because I feel like it would be really interesting and quirky if he had actually done that. does this make any sense

speaking of, again this doesn't really count because I did kinda investigate it last year.... but you know when valentino in that podcast referenced a conversation with marc around the time of sepang 2015, where marc stared blankly at him? I have a hunch about when that conversation happened, want to know if it's right. this also isn't really 'gossip' because this is a conversation I'm having with myself but

y'know when bez was injured on the ranch late-ish last year? a bunch of journalists pointed out how hush hush they were about what actually happened to bez - like they repeatedly drew attention to that because god knows THEY love some gossip lol. which probably means nothing, but I'm curious what the journalists' theory here is, like do they think it was an embarrassing injury?? OR. look. I suppose the conspiracy theory would be that pecco caused it (obviously accidentally!!) and everyone at the ranch knew it'd be a terrible look if they admitted that because of the whole title fight situation. call me casey stoner because those dots are not real and definitely have not been connected

okay, you know how there were rumours in the spanish tabloids bez said some real ugly stuff to marc at valencia last year, and bez didn't directly address it but freaked a little and did a sort of blanket denial that he'd said anything that bad? I don't actually think he did tbh, but again. would just like to check!

while we're already on bez, there was one report that the switch to aprilia was partly motivated by marc to factory ducati. again, not entirely sure I buy that this would factor into his thinking beyond the obvious 'this means the route to that factory ducati seat looks even more closed than it already did' angle'.... it's very much down my list of priorities but I'd quickly confirm/deny it if given the chance yeah

that's all for now lol

[hotheadedhero]

Request Rules!

Currently closed! Here for more info

Here be the masterlist!

I currently accept headcanon/one-shot requests for 2007, 2012, Bayverse, and Rise. 2003 will be included once I've watched the show all the way through and refreshed myself (will later edit when that changes). Or, if you do want to make an 03 request, nothing plot-heavy

Be patient with me for I am a lowly worm trying my best. I'd like to adhere to a schedule but, unfortunately, my brain doesn't function well with routine. Whilst writing tmnt fics is my lifeline, it can be quite overwhelming, too. If you're waiting a while for your request, it's probably because of that or work but I will try my darndest to fulfil your wishes

Keep your requests simple-ish if you can, please. It's often quite difficult to follow through how I believe an idea can go if half the story has already been written for me

I hold the right to refuse a request should I choose to. This isn't anything malicious, sometimes I may just struggle with what has been asked of me

Where smut/18+ is concerned, I'm still a little nervous about uploading anything of the sort. That doesn't mean I won't give it a go, though. As long as you're prepared to deal with some potentially awkward writing XD

I love receiving fluff and angst requests! Nothing is too cute or too dark. I'm not past getting into something gory

This may seem like a weird one but I reckon I very much prefer to stick to human reader fics. Can't quite explain this one. Only that's how I always envision the circumstances when I'm writing

With 'reader' specifications in mind, I default to fem unless directly asked to write in gn. It's not that I don't think I could make a male reader but I definitely don't feel as confident

No Turtle x OCs, please. Just general reader stuff :)

I also won't write x child readers. The best way I can describe it is by explaining how I go about my process. I put myself in the reader's shoes during my writing to help me flesh out a story. It's probably why I also can't do male readers because it's a perspective I can't confidently replicate. The same goes for child readers, I'm an old lady who has forgotten what those youthful days were like 😭 At least, this is how it feels with my writing method, idk

No Tcest, which also means no poly x reader stories. I don't think I need to explain this one

(This may be edited along the way subject to any changes that I deem necessary at the time)

Finally, may everyone have fun and enjoy themselves on this board! We're all just here to enjoy the spoils of creation 💚🫶

[ruinofchimera]

People forget or are too young to remember that when Order of the Phoenix first came out, everyone thought Lily was exceptional because she was coming to the defence of some random slimy unpopular kid she didn’t know just because it was the right thing to do. Nobody theorized for a second back in 2003 that they were friends, let alone best friends, because they DIDN’T ACT LIKE IT. She pays no attention to him in that scene because she’s so dialled in to James even at his worst. People theorized that Snape had a distant crush. Obviously JKR wrote it that way in Book 5 to conceal the Snily connection because it needed to be a big mystery reveal in book 7, but that means she needed to make Lily’s behavior - the flicker of amusement and the bantering with James while her friend is assaulted - in the Book 5 scene work retrospectively from a characterization standpoint in The Prince’s Tale. And she makes it work by painting a picture of a shaky friendship that had turned toxic long before the Mudblood incident, and not just because of his Slytherin associations and the threat of the war. He doesn’t understand why she cares about her sister, she puts all the blame on him for them stealing Petunia’s letter. He minimizes the harm Mulciber does, she tells him that he’s supposed to show gratitude to his abuser for drawing the line at murder. We’re not meant to read it as this loving, warm, equal relationship that Snape fucked up in this one moment.

I won’t even bother to hide that your writing hooked me right away. I fervently crave insights from the time when the books were just coming out and people didn’t yet see the whole picture. I find red herring to be a rather delicious literary device, so it’s a pity that I can only imagine how the final twists of the series blew the minds of the audience. Unfortunately, I was still a child at the time, so my brain cells could not yet process the subtleties of the material. Therefore, my judgments were formed after multiple re-readings in adulthood, and by that time, I had been shamelessly robbed of the intrigue.

Many fanon trends take on deeper meaning after you lift the veil of how the material was initially perceived (being misled by the narrator until the very end and all). Taking this into account, it becomes clear where the claims of Lily’s heroism may have come from. Someone in a reblog of my previous post mentioned that even Harry, who held a grudge against Snape, didn’t find the display amusing in the slightest. On the contrary, he was terrified. So even if there was no evidence of Lily and Severus’s friendship to speak of at that time, Lily’s glorification is still dubious to me. But for some people that might be enough to plant the roots of her chivalrous nature.

I see it now. You explained incredibly well why people might have overlooked the red flags in Lily as a friend, given that they didn’t perceive her as more than a mere bystander during the incident. Unfortunately, though, I have very little faith that people still base their opinions on what they read many years ago. I mean, I reread the series just last winter, and I had already forgotten a lot of important details (for example, Lily trying to make Severus feel grateful that James had saved him). And some folk intervene in discussions about Harry Potter when the last time they touched the original material was more than a decade ago? Well, if they seriously rely on their—dare I say—ancient reading, it would be so absurd it would almost be funny. Why am I even surprised? Maybe I’m just jealous of their superior memory.

Whatever. Once again, your meta is a revelation to be reckoned with. I hadn't considered it from this angle before, my critical thinking is almost purring with an enjoyment.

[teenagemutantninjatrauma]

2003//

Oh, I just realized

Y’all remember the Triceraton invasion? And how they showed Donnie on TV while he was having the worst time of his life up to that point?

How many people do you think.. recognized a ninja turtle that they’ve seen before?

Like at that point the turtles hadn’t been involved in that much stuff, relatively speaking, but.. still, right? Still, there had to have been a few people who happened to see a screen and on it a familiar and hardly forgettable turtle face, right??

And I think this could lead to some neat interactions between the New Yorkers, like.. before this event it was just like “nobody is gonna believe me if I talk about a fuckin ninja turtle” but now… now it’s like.. less of a random topic to bring up, now it’s not a “in the middle of the night I got saved during a mugging by a giant turtle,” now it’s “hey so did that green guy on tv that the aliens used for ransom look familiar to you?”

And of course, 90% of the time, the response will be “just another alien,” or even “they must’ve confused another race for an Earth human, fuckin idiots lmao” but…

Do you reckon, once in a while, someone’s eyes light up as they hesitantly tell you that yes, they think they might’ve seen that guy before.

“Could’ve sworn his eye mask was red, though.”

“He was wearing swords.”

“Shared leftover pizza with him because he was dumpster diving behind my house.”

“Two of them dragged me out of a burning house. I thought I was hallucinating from the smoke.”

“I think one time I saw one of them roughhousing with a human? I thought at the time that it was maybe.. their little sibling in a superhero costume?”

Because I refuse to believe Donnie’s appearance on live television had zero impact.

Additionally, after a confirmation that you both saw them, that or you’re both going crazy and separately making up imaginary ninja turtles, a second part of the conversation starts:

“You think he’s okay…?”

[lordshroom]

I'm studying for my ecology exam and got distracted.

So natural selection increases favorable traits and decreases unfavorable traits in a population. Darwin and his birds. Survival of the fittest, yada yada.

In my notes, it's described as "favored individuals pass down their good genes to the next generation". And, being silly, thought of "Good Genes" from 2003.

And the two wolves inside me (the bio nerd and the English nerd) did a team-up, and now I'm must share their findings.

Before, "Good Genes" was just a fun, alliterative title that foreshadowed Donnie's transformation. But things get interesting when we put a "survival of the fittest" spin on the concept.

In any typical environment, an organism with a superb offensive and a strong defense, like monster Donnie, would be favored by natural selection. Hell, his brothers stand no chance against Donnie without the technology Leatherhead/ EPF provides. He's a force to be reckoned with, so much so that Bishop considers putting Donnie down when he escapes. Basically, this version of Donnie is an organism that can survive almost anything thrown at it.

One of my few complaints about these episodes was that Donnie's monster design could be used for any one of his brothers; it wasn't special to him. Maybe that's the point. Donnie is turned into a monster fit for violence and destruction, something so unDonnie that it fails to even resemble him. These "good genes" suck anything that made Donnie, Donnie out in favor of a monster.

Maybe the real good genes were his brother's perseverance and resolve to help Donnie at any cost. The turtles are strong, not because they're physically the strongest, but because they're a unit, a family. They're strongest when they combine their unique talents and work as one mind. Perhaps the good genes were the family we made along the way.

[raytorosaurus]

Am I going insane or did Geoff Thursday once say that Signals Over The Air was about gender fuckery and that he sometimes felt a sort of gender kinship with femininity/women? I swear I saw this on your blog months ago but I cannot fucking find it

yeah, you're probably remembering this specifc video, but it's a little more complicated and nuanced than that i reckon! gender and sexuality are themes on a lot of thursday songs, especially on war all the time, but remember geoff's talking about that from a 2003 rutgers-english-student perspective, where the terms gender and sexual orientation are a little more interchangeable than they are now, and 'sexuality' refers not just to sexual orientation, but to how each individual/couple approaches sexual relationships and the complex dynamics therein on a general level. he's actually talked about that quite a lot in early interviews - sorry, i don't have time to go looking for links now! but he's mentioned uncomfortable relationships with women who expected him to behave a certain way to 'be a man' etc, and feeling disconnected from mainstream gender roles and expectations. thursday (especially early thursday) also has a lot of themes of body dysmorphia, which is obvs something that resonates with a lot of trans people, even if it isn't a struggle exclusive to transness. but yeah, signals over the air specifically is explicitly about gender roles, sexuality, and not fitting into the prescribed cultural standards of those ('incandescent corsets draw us tight like wires/this is how it feels calling out but no one even hears [...] is this how it feels when you don't even fit into your own skin?/and it's getting tighter, every day I'm getting smaller/if I keep holding my breath I'm going to disappear' is sooo crazy man. as is alllll of tomorrow I'll be you...) and m. shepard from the same album is...okay i definitely need to go into this more some other time because that one is inspired by mathew shepard and madame butterfly (which he was a huge fan of) and is about like...identity as a performance, hiding parts of yourself out of fear, society's fear of individuality etc. it's so much man i love that song so much. geoff was also reading trans literature at the time by the way (and since then has been consistently vocal about and supportive of trans rights). so yeah these are definitely themes that comes through in a lot of thursday's music, and is intended to!

[illiana-mystery]

Hey Martin!

[dominickeating-source]

Cult Times Issue #90 (2003)

Mal Content

As armoury office, Malcolm Reed is all that stands between the Human race and war! Well, kind of. Dominic Keating explains why he's so pleased with the lieutenant's progress on board Enterprise so far. HEADING INTO Enterprise nearly two years ago, Dominic Keating sat down with executive producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga and expressed to them his concerns about playing Lt Malcolm Reed.

His greatest fear was that the ship's weapons and tactical expert would come across as "just this talking English head above the console on the bridge." If that were the extent of the part, however, Keating would learn to deal with it. "For the money, I'd do it," Keating says with a laugh. "But I did say, 'If you feel like writing something for me, I reckon that I can do it'. And you know what? They went away and did it. I've had some really fantastic episodes that I didn't expect to get, quite frankly. That's been terrific. I think I'm in a very luxurious position here. I'm not the main thrust of the show, so I get a lot of time off. But they know that they can wheel me out and give me some really good stuff to do whenever they feel they want that flavour in the show. 'And they're doing it enough for my liking. Speaking personally, I'm very thankful that I'm not Scott [Bakula, Archer], Jolene [Blalock, T'Pol] and Connor [Trinneer, Trip] because they're just in it every week. When we're shooting the show that's what they do; they're at work. They're there when I'm there and they're there when I'm not there. We're doing an episode now that's a big Archer episode. I'm going to do my day today and I think I've got one other scene that we'll shoot sometime at the end of next week, and that's it.

Right now, I'm in my backyard watering my plants and talking to you on my phone. It's beautiful outside. The sky is blue and the surf's up. It's a good life. What can I say?" Reed is steadily emerging as the show's enigma. He's got the most potential to be at odds with himself, much less the other characters on the ship. "I was talking with Brannon about that the other day, and he's quite happy that Reed is not a two-dimensional figure," the actor says. "Reed can be the charming guy, the really nice guy, and the dark guy, and he's been all those things already. They've engineered him in such a way that he still has a long way to go. I'm really pleased about that, I have to say.

The two episodes I've liked best so far are 'Shuttlepod One' and 'Minefield.' Those are the ones that come to mind. I thought 'Minefield' was a particularly good show for him. Wrapped up in his official capacity, I think you really saw a living and breathing human being and a man that has a sense of honour and duty and is fine with death. He's not just an automaton and a stiff upper lip Brit. I've said this in the past and it's still true, but they're also using him as a man of action, which was something else that I hadn't anticipated.

This season we had 'Marauders,' and we have some other stuff coming up this season in which I'm the 'drop-to-one-knee' guy. I did a huge stunt sequence recently, on a big action day, and I really like all of that. We've also seen Malcolm be fallible. I'm the guy who lost the communicator in 'The Communicator.' Nice episode for me, that. That scene in the jail with Archer, sharing a last private moment, was really telling to me. I wasn't particularly happy with the way it actually got shot, but that moment when he turns to the captain and says that he's not afraid, meaning that he's not afraid to die, was a really tender moment between the guys. "I also liked being so pissed off in 'Singularity.' That was a very interesting episode, wasn't it? Malcolm sort of invented the red alert system in that one. I'll never live that down. The red lights are on all the time now people are calling it 'Reed alert'. That has a nice ring to it. But everybody got a little annoying in 'Singularity,' and I quite liked that. I've heard from some of the fans that that episode pushed the envelope a little more than they're used to seeing on Star Trek. I'd quite like to see some more of that, getting a little risky.

I think that [the producers'] issue is they have a hardcore audience that knows what they like and they're used to seeing what they know they like. As much as you want to push forward and stretch the fabric of the show a little, you also don't want to piss these people off. But I think there's room, for instance, for one of the crewmates to become a bit of a wanker and not be completely likeable. And I think Malcolm would be a prime candidate for that. "Actually, the episode we're shooting right now is called 'The Crossing.' It's going to be rather fun, I have to say. I believe it's been revamped from prior Star Trek lore [dating back to 'The Cloud Minders' from the original series].

We get possessed, if you will, by these ethereal non-corporeal beings that have now found it necessary to find some hosts in which to house their spirits because, in their present form, they're dying out. They happen across the crew of the Enterprise and decide that we would make good genetic hosts, as it were. So we all get somewhat possessed by these of ethereal beings, and not all of us are thoroughly likeable. And the one that gets hold of me is quite the dandy, I have to say. It's been really fun playing Reed as this alien being for the first time, housed in a Human body. I had a lovely scene with Jolene the other night in which this being, dressed in clothes and housed as Malcolm, goes to her quarters. It was my second attempt to get the Vulcan into bed. "I came out of that scene the other night with Jolene thinking, 'God, I love acting'," Keating continues. "When there's a real juicy scene and it's got an attitude and it's not just perfunctory exposition about where we're at and how our hull plating is, I really like it. I like being stretched in that way. I would never complain if they just wrote a lot more of that for me.

In the meantime, as I say, I'm very happy with what they are doing for me and I enjoy the fact that I don't have to be there 16 hours a day, five days a week like Scott and Jolene and sometimes Connor. On and off set we're all really good friends, and I have to say this is a dream job with a dream cast and a dream crew. It's just a thoroughly well-oiled production. The people behind it are very accommodating. They'll always try to fit scheduling around some doctor's appointment you've got to make. So, what a fantastic family, I have to say. I will miss it sorely in five years' time. I know I will." Enterprise might very well be around five years down the road. It's performing respectably in the ratings. It's neither a huge hit at this point, nor a drag on UPN's Wednesday night schedule.

But its modest success, coupled with the utterly disappointing critical and box office reactions to Star Trek: Nemesis, the latest and presumably last Star Trek: The Next Generation feature, seem to suggest that the Trek flame is dimming a bit. "Unfortunately, Nemesis didn't do well," Keating acknowledges. "I haven't seen it yet. It's a shame I talked to Rick about it the other night, actually. I can tell he's crestfallen a little. And there was some worry around the [Enterprise] set recently, when all these articles started coming out on the coat-tails of Nemesis, about our plummeting ratings and blah, blah, blah, blah. I just had a long talk with Brannon about it, and he explained it very succinctly to me. He said that things have changed in the 15 years since The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager started airing. There are just a lot more choices out there now for people. TV is not the same animal that it was 15 years ago. You've got satellite dishes and 200 cable channels that very specifically cater to people's tastes. You're not going to pick up a passing audience like you might have 10 years ago, just because there was nothing else on. It doesn't happen anymore.

Given that, I think we're doing pretty well. We hold a steady five or so [each week in the ratings]. "We're in our second year, and by all accounts Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager had the same kinds of dips in the second year. So I'm not too fussed about it. From what I gather, from what I get at the conventions I go to, the fans who watch the show regularly love it. It's very popular with them. They like the characters. And, dare I say it, they certainly like me, unless they're all faking it massively. They paid to get into these conventions, so I sure hope they like me. And friends of mine who've followed my career, as it were, back in England and here in America, who necessarily wouldn't be Trek fans or even bother to watch this kind of show all that much, they adore it.

So there were a couple of weeks where I thought, 'God, are we going to get picked up? Is UPN going to exist?' But I'm over all of that now. I think we're safe." Production on Enterprise's second season will conclude in a matter of weeks, thus Keating is already thinking about plans for his off-season. "I am going to Australia to do a big, five-city convention tour," he reports. "I'm greatly looking forward to it, I must say. And that's about it, unless Steven Spielberg rings me up and says he has to have me in his new movie. Otherwise, that's it. I'm going to take five weeks off and go to Australia." Keating laughs when asked if there's anything else going on that fans should know about before he hangs up the phone. "No," he says in conclusion. "I think I've done my spiel! You've been a good sport about listening to me while I multitask. I'm just doing so many things. I've got to go to work in an hour, so I've been doing all these chores around the house. So you've helped me do my bit and I hope I've given you what you need.

Source: www.dominickeating.com

[freaxs-blog]

Today marks 8 years since the music world lost the iconic Scott Weiland, a true legend who left an indelible mark on rock history. At just 48, he was found in cardiac arrest on his tour bus, leaving fans in shock just before he was set to hit the stage with his band The Wildabouts in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Scott's journey in music began in the late '80s, and he quickly became a force to be reckoned with. As the lead singer for Stone Temple Pilots (1986-2013) and Velvet Revolver (2003-2008), his voice echoed through the generations.

From his humble beginnings to gracing the biggest stages worldwide, Weiland's musical career was a rollercoaster of passion and talent. One of the standout tracks from his time with Stone Temple Pilots is the timeless "Lady Picture Show." This song, like many others, showcased his incredible vocal range and songwriting prowess.

Let's take a moment to appreciate the magic of the 'Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop' album, where "Lady Picture Show" resides. Released in 1996, it's a testament to Weiland's ability to craft a sonic masterpiece.

Scott Weiland was an accomplished lyricist. His ability to blend raw emotion with poetic storytelling elevated his songs to another level.

Scott, your legacy lives on, and your music continues to inspire generations. Join me in honoring this rock icon by turning up the volume on your favorite Weiland track today!

[herrlindemann]

Sonic Seducer - February 2003, interview with Till

Thanks to ramjohn for the scans!

Till Lindemann doesn't like to talk. Since 1995, the Leipzig-born Berliner-by-choice has been sharing what he has to say with the lyrics of his band Rammstein, using his very own imagery to the music world, which is now taking notice around the world. There were almost never any explanations; Misunderstandings and misinterpretations, on the other hand, by the meter. His first volume of poetry, Messer, was recently published. Now we must speak. Plain text with Till Lindemann.

Probably only a few local bands of popular music have been misinterpreted, misunderstood or simply slandered to a similar extent as Rammstein, who already with their first album 'Herzeleid' more or less intentionally became the typical German problem child from supposedly violence-glorifying Leni Riefenstahl aesthetics meets Bodybuilding studio sledgehammer charm support Teutonic lyrics of the most morbid color and international mega rock stardom. One of the main people responsible: Frontman and lyricist Till Lindemann, who now gives an insight into collected poems from a good two decades in 'Messer' and who today, after many years of reluctance, publishes such as Der Spiegel, Focus, Welt am Sonntag, TAZ and similar speech and answer stands. Escape to the feuilleton or the real end of the cold (information) war?

Lindemann, the eternally misunderstood one.

« Neither of the two. The fact is that I very rarely and very reluctantly give interviews about my work. So many things have been overrated in the past that I actually don't feel like expressing myself anymore. But this time there are unfortunately not five colleagues who could represent me at this point. It's not that I'm still annoyed by any rumours, half-truths and strange interpretations, but I don't have to actively contribute to their creation. In the case of Rammstein, the success proves us right and makes us above any stupid accusations. There is this typical German calf-biting mentality of wanting to pee on everyone's leg. We now smile at this with a clear conscience. Certainly, with 'Messer' I make myself vulnerable again in a certain way. If the media are not able to reproduce my statements in the actual context this time either, there will probably be no more statements from me in the future. »

Clear words. However, one should be all the more free with the poems in 'Messer', which, roughly in the manner of Rammstein, express in their very own way Lindemann's fondness for explicit and metaphorical depictions of the primal instincts of violence, sex and death, which are often misunderstood, and thus express the millennia-old Reflect the engine of human development between plush pink prose and the gnarliest gutter expressionism in all its range. Lindemann, the versatile one. Strictly speaking, a rather unusual career that began in 1979 in the then workers' and farmers' state as the son of a writer from Schwerin with an apprenticeship as a carpenter and defined itself over the years through the intersections of carpenter and basket maker. Subsequent work as a gallery technician, drummer for the punk band First Arsch and ultimately Rammstein's lyrical and visual figurehead left their mark. Today: Till Lindemann 2003 - artificial figure or multifunctional personal union of musician, lyricist, lyricist, entertainer, rock star, artist?

“Definitely not an artificial figure. Basically, I see myself as a copywriter who is currently making the first steps as a poet. The whole book is a kind of flashback; a conclusion, a showcase. Comparable to the existence of a band that, after 20 songs, decides to immortalize the whole thing on an album. The publisher Gerd Hof and I made a selection from more than 1000 poems from a good 15 years, which we wanted to publish in Messer. Like probably every artist, I am to a large extent inspired by my environment. In a way, the texts represent a reckoning with myself, revenge on myself and also a coming to terms with myself. It doesn't matter whether this is caused by dreams, nightmares, films, books and just a walk. I'm actually a 24/7 receptive medium who usually has my notepad within reach. My type of texts is almost exclusively subconscious. When I sit down with the thought of writing something positive, something dark comes out of it anyway, because there seems to be some kind of automatic negative flow inside me. » Which in the final form of the text can of course not be enjoyed without the necessary, tongue-in-cheek and often neglected distance and, on closer inspection, does not want to deny certain (albeit dark) humoresque intersections with 1960s comedy icon Heinz Erhardt. ‘Herzeleid’ without sheet music? Lindemann does not play melodies. But he laughs and nods. And vowels aren't rrrrolled this time.

« That is indeed a very good paraphrase. Surely the lyrics are superficially characterized by violence and every kind of provocation. But a closer reading also reveals a latent, almost comic-like joke that most people go unnoticed. Although the lyrics are almost exclusively created subconsciously from a word, a vague idea or a story, I still leave a kind of back door open somewhere, so that you can usually still somehow smile about the lyrics. This is certainly most evident in the poem 'Big In Japan', which I wrote after visiting a night bar in Tokyo. There was an artist there who hung really enormous weights from his cock. It is well known that the Japanese aren't very well endowed by nature, but the whole thing was raised so big that the pastiche based on the Alphaville song was simply compelling. There is nothing more satisfying and interesting for an artist than creating friction, polarizing and observing the many different reactions. In the case of Messer, this ranges from fear to dismay to genuine pleasure. I'm sure I ask myself from time to time: what kind of monster did I actually create? But on the other hand, you also chuckle to yourself now and then and are happy about your little, dirty, black something. »

So willful provocation combined with negligently conjured up misinterpretation as a stylistic device to intentionally break a taboo? The name Rammstein was used more as a battle cry than as an elementary contextual component, and not only in the chorus of the debut single ‘Wollt Ihr das Bett in Flammen sehen’? Till Lindemann: Federal citizen terror. Enfant terrible. Gigolo of morbid eroticism.

« We/I don't aim to be misunderstood at any price, but on the other hand it's always very fun to watch how people get upset in this country and what waves this band is making. Otherwise, the tool of provocation is no longer as interesting for us today as it was after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Back then it was almost all about being as evil, provocative and bold as possible; just doing something new and wacky in German. Today it's about other things, the art and the overall result are our top priority. On the other hand, it's not my thing to interpret my texts in a great way and to give content a certain direction. It's much more exciting for everyone when people can make up their own minds about art such as pictures, texts or sculptures and the artist doesn't also have to be enlightened. I've found that many people have been disappointed in the real meaning of my lyrics since they've already made up their own minds and my final explanation must have seemed far more unspectacular than they imagined. Some things are better left unsaid... »

The specially made photos also play an important role in 'Messer', which show Lindemann in an unusual pose in the midst of a whole army of naked mannequins as an androgynous outsider - supposedly far removed from the self-chosen, superficial gloomy macho image of the muscle-bound pyromaniac on the prowl female prey. « The interpretation is completely free in the context of the poem/photo and vice versa. It is a very interesting experiment to see how the perspective on the poems changes with the help of the photos, what different variations are possible. There is no direct correspondence between the two art forms, but if you want, a small dialogue can be established. The pictures certainly show me from another side that you may not have known about me before... », but which, on closer inspection, reveal exactly the individual who, at its core, constitutes the true protagonist in Lindemann's work: the vulnerable one, looking for affection and security the craving oddball, the outcast freak, the sensitive love killer in search of fulfillment - there are many role descriptions in his very own personality pattern, potential misunderstandings always included.

[thisaintascenereviews]

10 Albums That Changed My Life: 2000s Emo Edition

For the past few days, I’ve been listening to an audiobook version of 2023’s Where Are Your Boys Tonight by Chris Payne, and the book chronicles the emo / pop-punk scene between 1999 and 2008. It’s about the rise and (unfortunate) fall of the genre’s mainstream success, but it metaphorically comes straight from the horse’s mouth. The book has interviews from loads of musicians and important folks from the “scene,” such as Pete Wentz, Patrick Stump, Geoff Rickley, Buddy Neilsen, Anthony Raneri, Hayley Williams, JT Woodruff, Chad Gilbert, Chris Carraba, Andrew MacMahon, and many others.

Because I’ve been listening to the book, I wanted to start a new series in which I talk about ten albums that changed my life, and I wanted to start with 00s pop-punk and emo. I was at the right age when emo broke into the mainstream, so a lot of the big bands at the time were like gods to me. Some of these albums aren’t necessarily some of my all time favorites, but I still love them. For all these episodes, I also wanted to include a “bonus pick,” where I include an album that’s a rather obvious pick, because it’s an album I love and talk about all the time. That way, I can talk about ten other albums that I may not have talk about as much.

The aim of this series is to highlight albums that are important to me, but these albums are in no particular order. I don’t rank these lists, because some of these albums aren’t necessarily more influential than another. Each one of these albums is important in some way, but I wanted to highlight them regardless.

Bonus Pick: Fall Out Boy - Infinity On High

For the first bonus pick, I wanted to start off with an obvious one. I’ve talked about Fall Out Boy’s third album, 2007’s Infinity On High quite a lot. This is the album that got me into music, and to make a long story short, I had listened to a few alternative albums beforehand, but I didn’t truly get into music until I heard that record. This isn’t the first album I picked up, but it was the most impacting one, because it truly blew my mind. This is still my favorite album, although it’s interchangeable with Michael Jackson’s Thriller, but this record really opened my eyes to how unique and awesome music can be, especially alternative, emo, and and pop-punk. I can say so much more about it, but this is the album that truly started it all for me. Little did I know that picking this album up at Target on the weekend of its release that it would change my life.

Fall Out Boy - Take This To Your Grave

I’ve had a tumultuous relationship with the first couple of Fall Out Boy records, especially 2003’s Take This To Your Grave. Back before I would just order stuff online, or download music on iTunes, I would only buy music through retail stores, like Target, Best Buy, and Walmart. I remember finding Take This To Your Grave at Walmart for $9 back in 2012, and while I was a huge fan of them, I didn’t know their early stuff too well, especially their debut. I picked it up, and I absolutely fell in love with it.

Take This To Your Grave is the record that introduced me to the early 00s pop-punk scene, and it was a scene that I only vaguely knew. I was a little too young for it, but hearing their debut was mindblowing. In retrospect, Take This To Your Grave is a hardcore album disguised as a pop-punk album, because it has the ethos and energy of a hardcore record, but the songwriting of a pop-punk album. As a kid in my late teens when I really sunk my teeth into it, and with the “defend pop-punk” movement being huge, this record (and many more like it) worked for me. The lyrics just spoke to me, but I’ve always been a sucker for Wentz’s lyricism.

Over time, however, my relationship with the album soured a bit, partially because my taste in music was becoming more removed from the current pop-punk scene (and reckoning with the fact that a lot of that scene was very misogynistic, including some lyrics on the first couple Fall Out Boy albums), so I wasn’t as into them, and I championed more of the later work, as well as some of the post-hiatus albums. It’s come full circle now, because I really love Take This To Your Grave, warts and all. This is a record made by kids that just loved hardcore and pop-punk, so if you look at it as anything more, it’s doing the record a disservice.

Paramore - Riot

My first experience with Paramore wasn’t with 2007’s Riot, but it was with 2005’s All We Know Is Falling. That was the first album I downloaded on iTunes, back when iTunes was just exploding, but I somehow lost the album (I think it was due to losing my first account, or my hard drive crashed, something like that). I listened to the album pretty soon after, but in between that, Riot was released. Riot is the album that blew Paramore up to the upper echelons of the emo and pop-punk scene, and for good reason. I’m pretty sure I got this album at Walmart, but this record was the soundtrack to the summer of 2007. It came out right before my freshman year of high school, so I played it a lot.

Between Hayley Williams’ vocals improving tenfold between the debut and Riot, their sound having more of a “mainstream” sound, and emo / pop-punk being at the crux of its popularity, this record came out at the right time. It was lightning in a bottle, but they were truly something special. This record has some of the best hooks and vocal performances of any band in that scene at this time, rivaling Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance (the scene’s two biggest bands at that time, arguably). This is just a monster of a record, and one of the most pivotal and important records from that time, and it’s cool to see people still talking about them all these years later. They just won the first Grammy earlier this year for their 2023 record, so it’s awesome to see that success pay off.

The Academy Is - Almost Here

One of the most underrated bands in the emo / pop-punk scene of the 00s is Chicago’s The Academy Is. These guys didn’t get their time in the spotlight, or at the very least, they skirted with fame at the same level as labelmates and friends in Fall Out Boy. It feels like highway robbery almost, because their sound was just as good. Their first two albums really changed my life, but for different ways. I wanted to focus on their debut album, 2005’s Almost Here, because this album is arguably the more influential album compared to 2007’s Santi. Santi was a more eclectic and interesting album, but Almost Here was more influential, because it was a big influence to the mainstream rise to emo and pop-punk.

Vocalist William Beckett is one of my favorite frontmen of the scene, too, and he has such a good voice, especially here. Almost Here is a really catchy, clever, and accessible emo record that surely should have been bigger, but oddly wasn’t. I don’t know what happened, other than that the scene was just too saturated. There were just too many bands out there, and that’s one reason the scene began to disappear from the mainstream. There were so many bands that were vying for peoples’ attentions, but Almost Here is one of the best records of that era that not a lot of people, at least outside of people who were a huge fan of the scene itself, have heard.

Bayside - The Walking Wounded

Contrary to the belief of what “elder emo” TikTokers will tell you, there are more bands in the scene than Fall Out Boy, Paramore, MCR, and Panic. The scene is so much bigger than what you saw in the mainstream, and a lot of it began in New York, including the band Bayside. These guys got pretty big in the early to mid 00s, even playing some late night shows (a lot of bands did, which was super cool), and they’re still around now, but they’re not on the level they once were.

My introduction to them was 2007’s The Walking Wounded, which was their third album, but I found them through an Alternative Press compilation of with an acoustic version of a song from that album. I picked up the album, because I really enjoyed the song, especially Anthony Raneri’s lyrics and vocals, and the album surprised me quite a bit when I heard a pop-punk album with heavier guitar riffs than your average pop-punk album. This remains my favorite album from them today, although their newest album from this year is great, too, and really reminds me of the inventiveness I heard on that record. It showed me that pop-punk can be both catchy and heavy at the same time, and the record still rules today.

Forever The Sickest Kids - Underdog Alma Mater

In the late 00s, a lot of the emo / pop-punk in the mainstream started to disappear, and popularity waned for that style, despite a few bands still being popular. Paramore, Fall Out Boy, Panic, and MCR still reigned as kings and queens of the genre. A new challenger emerged, at least in the underground, and that was neon pop-punk. Retrospectively named for its bright and colorful aesthetic, as well as how catchy and pop-focused the music was, neon pop-punk was the early 00s pop-punk fun-loving cousin that didn’t really take itself too seriously.

One of the most important albums of that movement, and while it’s probably not the first album that you could call neon pop-punk, Forever The Sickest Kids’ debut album, 2008’s Underdog Alma Mater, is a big moment for the genre. This album is catchy, slick, energetic, fun, and a little immature at times, but it also doesn’t take itself seriously and knows what it is. I always loved this record, because as catchy and synth-laden as their music, they had some good hooks and riffs to match. They were more than just a vapid pop-punk / pop-rock band, and this record shows it. They should have been a lot bigger, but they kind of fumbled the bag by releasing mediocre albums after and then just disappearing by the 2010s, so it’s unfortunate, but their debut is still one of my favorite albums from the scene.

New Found Glory - Sticks & Stones

Outside of Take This To Your Grave, I wasn’t familiar with a lot of early 00s pop/punk and emo, but where that album got me into that style of pop-punk, New Found Glory’s 2002 record, Sticks & Stones solidified it. Funnily though, this wasn’t the first NFG album I heard, that would be 2009’s Not Without A Fight, but it took me a few years to go back in their discography and listen to the album with their most iconic song “My Friends Over You.” This is easily one of my favorite 00s pop-punk records, and it’s kinda for that song alone. This record is so much fun, and it’s one of the first examples of easycore, where pop-punk and hardcore breakdowns met. You can hear it on this record a lot, and it’s awesome, but even after listening to this album for the first time in over a decade, I still enjoy it quite a bit.

Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends

Taking Back Sunday is one of the OG pop-punk and emo bands of the 00s, including New Found Glory, but I found their debut album, 2002’s Tell All Your Friends through word of mouth almost. This album was my all my favorite bands’ favorite album, especially in the 2010s “defend pop-punk” scene. Tell All Your Friends was a generation before mine, as I was too young when this record came out, but when I heard it, it blew my mind. I kept thinking, “This is what my favorite bands are influenced by? This is great!” There are loads of catchy hooks, one-liners, and mosh-ready instrumentation galore. These guys really helped to bring a new style of pop-punk to the forefront and you can hear the influence in a lot of records afterwards.

Panic! At The Disco - A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out

Panic! At The Disco’s debut album, 2005’s A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, is lightning in a bottle; this record could only have come out in the mid-00s. It has a really unique sound, especially for the time, but it helped to catapult emo to the mainstream. Hell, “I Write Sins” is one of the biggest songs from that era, and it’ll be a song that people always remember, let alone gets played at emo nights across the country. Fever is such an iconic record, but it’s also a unique and interesting album that showcases Panic wanting to aim higher in terms of emo and pop-punk. The album is split into two halves — an electronic first half and a baroque pop second half, but it doesn’t feel jarring or strange.

It’s funny, because I remember downloading only a few songs from this album at first on iTunes back in 2007. I found the band through the Alternative Press compilation I’ve mentioned over and over again. I heard a live version of album closer “Build God, Then We’ll Talk,” and I loved it. I ended up listening to the rest of the album sometime later, but Fever is still such an iconic and nostalgic album for me. It still holds up all these years later, too, especially for its unique sound.

MCR - The Black Parade

Talk about another nostalgic album, because The Black Parade is very much another album that defined not only my adolescence, but the entire scene during the mid-00s. Fall Out Boy, Paramore, Panic! At The Disco, and My Chemical Romance were the big four of the scene at the time, but The Black Parade is really what cemented MCR on that list. Their first two albums were a darker version of the emo and pop-punk sounds that came slightly before them, and during their rise, but The Black Parade was a new sound entirely. Dubbed the emo Queen, these guys made an emo rock opera that really justified that description.

This record is huge, expansive, melodramatic, fun, dark, poignant, and incredibly interesting in all facets. I just absolutely love this record. I don’t remember how I found them, because I found them at the same time as Panic and Fall Out Boy (Paramore came last, as I found All We Know Is Falling a bit before Riot came out), but I was obsessed with this record as a kid. It’s one of those rare albums that I can listen to as an adult and still appreciate what it does on a purely technical and artistic level, because there are a lot of nuances that I didn’t pick up back then. It’s easily their best album to me, despite how they only put one more and disappeared (they still haven’t put out another album despite coming back a few years ago), and it’s the one that I always go back to.

The Cab - Whisper War

For my last pick, I wanted to include another “neon” album, but a bit of an obscure pick. The Cab were a band that were heavily involved with Fueled By Ramen, as well as Pete Wentz’s Decaydance imprint, even including both Patrick Stump and Brendon Urie on the main single for their debut album, 2008’s Whisper. Called “One Of THOSE Nights,” the song showcased what they were all about, and they had a really unique R&B and soulful take on neon pop-punk. Their vocalist had a lot of range, and reminded me a ton of Patrick Stump, but I just fell in love with how catchy and groovy that album was (and still is). It showed me that pop-punk could utilize more outside influences, and while The Cab never got as huge as the bands that they clearly were inspired by, they had a rather dedicated following in the scene, but they just never got as big as they really should have.

[batsplat]

was reading your same age speculation post like “when will batsplat mention sete” anyways yay no curse for him. but at the same time he doesn’t get to be valentino’s primary challenger in that au for any amount of time. which is also sad. the tragedy of sete gibernau: his rivalry with valentino is what makes him but it’s also his downfall

ehehhe I felt baddddd about it because if I'm dismissing him then what hope does he have... but it's like. I think you can have someone who's a serious on-track challenger without being a rival rival? this is in no way meant as disrespect, but to me he'd kinda plays the role dani has canonically circa 2007 to 2009. especially in the first two title fights and especially especially in 2008, he's always there and is a genuine title contender, but... valentino's still just so all in on casey that it never even feels particularly close to feuding territory. takes a very specific set of circumstances to make valentino focus his attentions primarily on someone other than his main title rival

but yeah, with sete... I mean, in a way, isn't having valentino feuding with you a sign that you've 'made it'... it's the thought I kinda always have with casey when he implies valentino didn't rate him as a rider for years and years. like, 'look he wouldn't have spent so much time plotting your downfall if he didn't see you as a serious threat' is something I do very much believe, but I am admittedly also unconvinced whether that's an argument casey would be a big fan of. it's true though! casey, I promise you, he's not laguna-ing just anyone! you're special! and the argument with sete isn't dissimilar... sete said something in that three hour long podcast thing along the lines of 'but valentino was so good, he didn't even need to do all that' (in the context of jerez 2005)... and I reckon even sete is doing himself dirty there! valentino blew up that relationship with three rounds to go in 2004, only fourteen points in it. nobody would reasonably feel comfortable with that margin! and obviously, to get that competitive justification, you do need sete to be the primary title rival... you need him to be the guy valentino is completely focused on

and that's kinda like, the fun thing about sete's story, isn't it!! his rise to the top was so unexpected, so out of nowhere, obviously also heartwarming and a feel-good story for a bunch of different reasons, not least the manner of the welkom 2003 win... but it also meant he set himself apart, he marked himself as a target... and yeah, to some extent you can say that about any top rider, right, none of this would have happened if they hadn't made it to the top of the sport etc etc, they wouldn't have been involved in these feuds or painful defeats or any of it. but it's different with sete! his rise isn't about raw talent expressing itself. it's more ephemeral, more circumstantial, more fragile... kinda beautiful precisely because it could have so easily have never happened. and it's this process of becoming the challenger - not born to be the challenger, not being anointed, but instead rising to the task when he suddenly found himself in that position - that at the same time did basically lock in the manner of his downfall

it's an extra layer of cruelty, isn't it? everyone loves an underdog story - but if you're sticking your head above the parapet, you're the one who's going to get shot. and in the process, someone who sete had considered a friend became something very different. it's like you're running an experiment, right... if you suddenly flip the switch and turn a friend into a title rival, what happens next? can the relationship survive unscathed? what do you do when the relationship is attached to actual stakes, when you're suddenly in this situation where you're marrying envy and fear and anger and resentment and spite? and, let's be clear here, it affects both of them, it's not like sete is just a shrinking violet for three years while valentino's whipping out the garden shears. the few times sete crops up in valentino's autobiography, more often than not it's about something in 2003 where sete sure sounds like he's taking this competition business seriously. sete repeatedly complaining about having a worse bike, about not fighting on equal terms with valentino, being gleeful at the idea of valentino switching to yamaha, believing vale's certain to fail... and, look, yes - we don't know valentino is telling the truth here. but... well, y'know, when you think about how sete behaved at assen 2004, the way he wasn't maybe entirely innocent at qatar after all... I do more or less buy it I think. valentino acts in a far more radical manner, but both of them transformed that relationship

so yeah! it really is only sete's unlikely ascent plus valentino's focus solely on him that makes the whole thing possible... take away either and even if you get exactly the same on-track battles, the narrative that ties them all together falls away. no falling out, no feud, no curse... maybe in another life

going from 16th to 2nd one season to the next must be basically unheard of in the premier class, right, like who doe- wait a moment PECCO DID

what a dumb coincidence