#this is literally the basis of their dynamic and the career pack

[cloverskentwells]

cato and clove: we keep our circle small 💯 not by choice though, people do NOT enjoy being around us.

[georgierre]

Can we hear about the george fic?

HI ANON THANKS ANON FOR ENABLING ME YOU HAVE FREED ME FROM MY CHAINS

okay so i've wanted to write some sort of fic about george feeling wonky about his career in f1 for a. LONG time. i have outlines for different fics — one where it's an introspection on his bitterness towards lance, one that's more like perfect blue where loses grip on his identity, one that's dialogue heavy and bojack-inspired with existential conversations — but none of them really Clicked and it just ended up becoming drafts on my shelf.

then, i had a very like. peculiar idea of george running away impulsively. like, he outright Quits and fucks off somewhere because he doesn't want to pursue f1 anymore. i have this planned after george has 2 world championships, because i want george to realize how empty he feels after reaching his peak (first win). like, the depression is Real, he really can't find anything worthwhile in f1 and feels trapped and overwhelmed, so he just goes "fuck it!", packs up and isolates himself from everyone.

(i'll put this under the cut because it is Long + intro to the first chapter is here too!!!)

the fic is actually HEAVILY inspired by daremebyday's fic "for all the honest world to feel" with is drag race rpf of trixie and katya (this is an rpf friendly space yes) wherein trixie hits a mental low, lies to her manager about needing time to write an album, then just rings a random friend to bunker up away from LA. it's such a raw and sad and just Real fic, probably one of my favorites (drag race writers are no joke) and i wanted to adopt some of the story elements of it (think of it like, i'm making an au with this as the basis) but some of the central themes and character introspection are much different. i don't intend to plagiarize anything, i promise, but some events and characters will mirror the original fic.

in my fic, george leaves after the imola gp, packing his bags and heading for london. he has no particular plan. there, he accidentally bumps into nicky who is still studying in the london business school, and he allows george shelter for as long as he needs. these two are two sides of the same coin in my potential fic, but for how, you'll just have to wait til i make it. the main reason i picked nicky as george's roommate and main Bestie for the fic is bc 1.) the dynamic seemed interesting since they both have experienced being stuck in the worst possible team in f1 for two years but having to act like nothing's Wrong. i am a SUCKER for two people stuck in bad situations they have to make do in, especially when they become good friends just because they have no choice. 2.) since george is literally throwing away his f1 career, i thought nicky would be an interesting guy to volley with because he chose to study instead of pursuing driving elsewhere.

other factors of this fic include: this is a georgierre fic! because i like georgierre! they're not gonna be the central theme of the fic until like, a while, but if george and nicky are like two sides of the same coin, george and pierre are sort of like narrative foils. in the fic, george doesn't bother informing pierre about running away because he knows pierre wouldn't run away with him. it's not toxic per se but pierre is everything george thinks he's not, and it hurts for him to think about it. pierre's definitely not doing okay though my god, imagine your favorite person in the world cutting contact from you without saying anything. no closure no reassurance no whatever, just gossip about how george somehow ended up with nicky, and you're thinking about what you possibly did wrong

the fic is definitely inaccurate in a sense that, i don't think george can legally do that without fucking up sponsors and contracts and whatnot, but if it's any consolation, toto has picked up on george's defeated mannerisms a year early, so he IS responsible for george being allowed out scot-free. toto's not mad, maybe frustrated but not mad, and the one thing he tells george is that, the only time he will be disappointed is if this decision of his amounts to nothing. if it turns out george was just wasting this privilege of being let out, toto will never allow him back into merc.

so, central theme! george has to figure out what he wants to do. he's literally pressured into making his impulsive little run away scheme something worth it, which is HEAVY, because george is not mentally okay either. he explores it through going around london, talking to nicky, ignoring all the messages from colleagues and family, blah blah.

i have the first half of the fic already outlined, but the second half i still need to work on. the first chapter, though, is finished, and i can give u all a LONG sneakpeak of it (aka the intro):

[The moment George picks up his new iPhone and heads home, he knew it was over.

There's not much of a difference between this phone and his old one. When he turns it on, it displays the default, aurora-like backgrounds Apple utilizes, and it dawns on him for the first time that, he's really doing this.

He adds important contacts from his previous phone, then downloads all his necessary apps which, actually, is not a lot, since he doesn't plan on redownloading any social media. There's the obligatory WhatsApp (although he doesn't bother syncing his old account), Puzzledom (he needs something to keep his jittery hands busy), and Spotify.

Once he manages to find a radio of upbeat songs, he gets packing.

All his clothes are hastily pulled from his hangers and tossed like basketballs into his luggage. All his toiletries are put into little ziploc bags he conveniently prepared last night. He funnels in a couple of pens in a small pocket inside his backpack, then his diary and important documents. He doesn't clean the mess he's made as he fumbles around, too invigorated with this unique kind of adrenaline he's feeling.

Finally, he gets his old phone. He opens up his Notes and copy pastes a few messages he's made days, even weeks before, into some WhatsApp chats.

To his coworkers,

I know this is incredibly sudden, and I apologize, but I won't be racing anymore. Don't worry, I'm not going to kill myself, nor am I going to do something else crazy like join a cult. I am just going away to self-reflect. Please don't send anyone after me, nor look for me yourselves. 

Thank you for everything. George Russell out.

To his friends,

I'll disappear for a while— I need to settle some new realizations I had. Not any stupid ones (I know what you're thinking Lando), more life-changing ones. I'm not going to do anything crazy like murder someone (again, looking at you Lando), but I'll get back to you all in a couple of weeks or months. I hope you understand, and bye for now.

To his family,

Hi, I'm very sorry for how sudden this is, but I'm going to take an indefinite time off from everyone to find myself. I won't do anything crazy, and I'm not getting abducted, don't worry. This is none of your faults, and I promise I will get back to you soon. 

To his team,

I know this is going to be a huge hassle for all of you, but mentally and emotionally, I cannot continue racing. I am not going to do something horrible, don't worry, but I'll be going away. Please don't look for me.

I need this.

I hope whoever replaces me does well. Thank you to everyone for everything you've done, especially Toto. I wouldn't be here without you all. But respectfully, I feel like I'm missing something, and I'm going to find it. I hope you all can understand, and I hope that I see you again someday.

Use the remainder of my salary to make up for lost net worth. It should be enough. I calculated.

And to Pierre,

I'm sorry. This is not your fault.

I love you.

After a long press and a sigh, George's old phone vibrates violently as it finally shuts down. He thinks he saw a part of Pierre's name displayed in his notifications.

He still brings the phone with him, just in case.

With a suitcase and backpack on hand, he skims different available flights out of France, selects one headed for London, and books a taxi to the airport.]

[pale-silver-comb]

So I know absolutely nothing about Leverage except what I've been seeing you post lately and I have to admit you're making it look tempting to watch! Can I ask what are some of your favorite things about the show/reasons you would suggest people watch it? And is there really a poly relationship that is canon?

Okay. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. I am going to do my best not to just “asdfghkjl” at you and answer coherently.

In a nutshell, Leverage is about 5 people. 4 are criminals (Parker, Hardison, Eliot and Sophie) with different and unique skill-sets and 1 is an ex-insurance investigator (Nate) who, at one point or another in his career, has tracked down (or at least attempted to) the other 4. The whole show is essentially: man reluctantly reforms 4 criminals to use their criminal powers for good and 4 criminals move into man’s life and stubbornly refuse to leave because, goddammit, now they have morals. 

I’ve got a lot of favourite things about the show but the main ones are as follows:

1. Found family. And I’m not talking about loners who come together to fight crime and happen to co-exist to the point where they realise they happen to have found themselves a family. I mean, Nate and Sophie are the Drunk Uncle and Wine Aunt who somehow become Mom and Dad to 3 beautiful criminal children. Mom and Dad love their criminal babies and the kids love them (as well as each other, but we’ll come to that in a moment). You get amazing family moments such as: Mom and Dad packing the kids lunch before sending them out to kick corporate greed’s ass; Mom and Dad giving the kids ridiculously expensive and personal Christmas presents causing their most Grumpy Kid to go very very quiet and soft as he runs off to gleefully play with his new murder toy; the kids interrupting Mom and Dad’s big Movie Style Kiss to ask if they can please keep their new underground layer and huffing and puffing when Dad tells them no.

2. Found family: the OT3 edition. To answer your question, the OT3 is indeed canon, confirmed by the creator. Now, usually, “confirmed by the creator” infuriates me because most of the time it’s a way for a creator to be seen as “progressive” without doing anything to actually be progressive. That isn’t the case here. The OT3 are built up carefully and while it is obvious the creators didn’t originally intend for all 3 of them to become a relationship in the romantic sense, by mid-season 5 we are given a very clear picture of where Parker, Hardison and Eliot are heading in their relationship. There aren’t any kisses at the end to signal this but there are solid marriage vows in not only one but two episodes. (And by marriage vows I mean literal equivalents of marriage vows: “for better or worse” and “’til death do us part”. I’m not even exaggerating). The OT3 also doesn’t need explicit romantic narratives to convey how much they love each other. Their love is laced through the whole show, from the way they teach each other things to the way they respond to each other and work as a unit. The way they fiercely protect and admire each other. Like someone once said, if you need characters to kiss or say I love you to let the audience know they love each other, you are writing them wrong. 

Aside from that, each of the parings in the OT3 are just. Gah. They are so well done, with friendship being the solid basis for them all. The creators never expect the audience to assume anything about them or fill in the gaps. They give us their relationships on screen and reference many things off-screen to show us how these relationships continue to build in between episodes.

Hardison and Parker are a canon couple and date in the show: it’s approached slowly and they are so goddamned sweet. They are basically every fluffy slow-burn trope with a healthy dash of mutual pining in the mix. They are basically that quote “love is patient, love is kind”. (I would like to add their romance never becomes the focus of the show or overrides the importance of any other relationship they have with the other characters, especially Eliot.)

Hardison and Eliot are the Old Married Couple and from day one are already bickering and looking at each other/making comments that are found in every UST fic ever (not to mention Hardison has a very good knack for making Eliot grin like a little kid, when usually he’s basically an Angry Little Chef Man). They argue, they play, and love each other plain as day. 

Parker and Eliot are more subtle but every bit as wonderful. They have an unspoken connection and understand each other on a level no-one else can. Parker and Eliot are not good with giving themselves over to affection for different reasons (and Hardison plays a central role in helping them realise it’s okay to want it and have it- that boy has endless patience) but there is something so beautiful in the way the two of them come together on their own and develop their own special bond that works for them. Parker and Eliot are that trope where the characters don’t need to speak to understand each other perfectly. They just do. Their love language is a lot of the time non-verbal but speaks volumes. (Parker also likes to annoy the hell out of Eliot and Eliot....just.....lets...her. Because he’s soft. The softest, grumpiest boy.) 

I could go into so much depth for each pairing and their dynamics as a 3 but that's for another post.

3. Subverting stereotypes. There is the occasional hiccup in the show regarding stereotypes but ultimately, Leverage gets an A+ when it comes to writing characters and making them 3 dimensional people who are not defined by certain characteristics or events. Nate could so easily fall into the White Man Pain trope where he uses the trauma of losing his kid as a reason as to why he is entitled to act like a dick. Nate is a dick but he doesn’t use his pain to excuse it and I appreciate that. Hardison is a black man who is soft and nurturing. Easily the most empathetic and patient of the group. He’s nerdy, an actual genius, and has the biggest heart of all the characters. Nate is maybe the glue but Hardison is definitely the heart. Media’s usual aggressive, amongst other, racist stereotypes can fuck right off. Parker is canonically autistic (I am sure this was confirmed by one of the creators) and she is not defined by it. It’s not written as some kind of singular personality trait. It’s part of what makes up Parker but it’s only one facet of who she is and not once is her actions, thoughts or feelings treated like a joke. Sometimes people don’t understand why she does and says the things she does but it’s met with patience and fondness over the course of the show. Equally, it’s not met with over-caution. Parker is just Parker. No-one tries to change her. The other nice thing is Hardison, who always makes sure Parker knows she’s amazing because of who she is and not in spite of it. Finally, Sophie is in her 40s. She’s not treated like she’s past her prime. Ever. She’s sexy, smart and never is she pitted against or compared to Parker (who is younger) for anything. Sophie is amazing and there’s never even a conversation of “I may be older but I am still *insert adjective typically associated with younger women here*”. Sophie is possibly the first female character I’ve ever seen who isn’t just unapologetic about her age but has never had to apologise for her age. It’s a non-issue and that’s that. The women on the show are written so well, right down to secondary characters and it’s beyond refreshing.  

4.) It’s just fun. The show has a “monster of the week” type format. Except instead of a ghoul or a ghost, the monster is some corrupt wealthy and powerful individual or organisation. The show draws on real-life individuals to do this and therefore closely parallels real-life people and events. It addresses important political, economical, social and environmental issues while at the same time remaining fun and light-hearted. The characters constantly get the chance to play dress up and by GOD do they have fun with it. You get to watch Eliot beat up bad guys in the most delightful of ways, usually after a witty non-sequitur and with a weapon you’d never think could be a weapon. The dialogue and back and forth between the characters is everything. And finally - my favourite thing- the team can never resist striking a dramatic pose after they’ve taken down the bad guy, making sure the bad guy sees them. I mean, they COULD just walk away, satisfied they’ve taken the person down, but nope. They gotta be dramatic bitches 24/7 and pose like they are models for every single month of this year’s Criminal Calendar.  

5.) Competence Porn. So. Much. Competence Porn.  

Honestly, I could list a thousand reasons for why Leverage is amazing but to list them would to be spoiling so many amazing moments you’d get to discover for the first time on your own if you do choose to watch it. It’s the kind of show you can watch with an eagle-eye and sink your teeth into. But it’s also the kind of show if, you would prefer, put on in the background for something entertaining while you do something else. Each episode is about the job at hand but it’s made up of so many moments between the characters that show how much the creators and writers care about them. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll do whatever it is you do when something Soft and Wonderful happens that makes your heart melt. I am so beyond grateful for Leverage. It’s everything I always wanted in a show. Nearly every show I’ve watched in the past 10 years has disappointed me in some way, usually either because the writers run out of steam or characters who I love are treated poorly or given some kind of unnecessary “shock value” arc. Leverage doesn’t do that. Leverage is what it says on the bottle. Fandom isn’t something I joined because I needed canon fix-its. Fandom only enhances and celebrates an already excellent canon. 

[alwaysahiccupandastrid]

The Odds are Never in Your Favor - Information and Characters

From the Treaty of Treason:

In penance for their uprising, each district shall offer up a male and female between the ages of 12 and 18 at a public “Reaping”. These tributes shall be delivered to the custody of The Capitol, and then transferred to a public arena where they will Fight to the Death, until a lone victor remains. Henceforth and forevermore this pageant shall be known as The Hunger Games.

Some things to know about the AU:

This is a Reddie Social Media AU; the story is told via text messages, twitter, etc. As aforementioned, the main pairing is Richie/Eddie, though there are other side pairings, and all of the Losers are featured prominently. 

This AU is NOT canon with Suzanne Collins’ series, but rather in a universe of its own. As such, the rules/history are slightly different.

Side characters from Collins’ work either make appearances or are mentioned, such as Finnick Odair, Haymitch Abernathy and Mags Flanagan. There’s no exact number Hunger Games given, because I couldn’t be bothered working out much beyond the Losers winning back to back, and because this isn’t canon to Collins’ work anyway beyond using a few characters.

Coriolanus Snow is still President of Panem; there’s rumors of potential uprising/rebellion, which makes him uneasy and as such he is going to be taking certain steps in order to reassert his control of Panem.

For the purpose of this AU, the Losers aren’t the same ages, though they’re still friends and within the same age range: all of them are 17-19. It was impossible to make them any younger because otherwise there was no way all of them had won even back to back games. The only other way would have been to have Bill/Stan/Bev all win their games at like age 12, which wouldn’t be realistic - possible but not likely.

Similarly, the Losers are not all from the same district (I’ll go into their districts in a minute) - again, it would have seemed unlikely that the same district would win five or six years in a row, especially if the district wasn’t a Career District. In Collins’ series, the Districts don’t really interact with one another, except for those who are part of the games obviously - in this AU, the rules are more lax regarding this, and it’s possible for people to visit other Districts, especially those within close range of each other.

In this AU, the Losers all knew each other previously and met via one another; as I said, for this AU, inter-District friendships/relationships are more lax and travelling is allowed. Fill in the gaps however you want.

Because the characters are age 16-19, there will NOT be any sexual content. Some of the characters are 18/19 or even older, but because I’m using the younger Losers, it’s strictly PG-13. There may be jokes or references, but nothing anymore explicit than what typical teenagers may say from time to time (and we’ve got to remember that Richie has a Trashmouth, so there’s that too)

Side Note: The reason I have decided to use the child!Losers and not the adult ones is because a) THG is 12-18 year olds, and b) the whole idea of the horror of THG is the fact that literal children are being forced to fight to the death. Using the teenage cast is therefore the obvious choice in order to convey the brutality of it.

This goes without saying really, but this AU will contain violence and child death - the Hunger Games is a competition where children aged 12-18 compete and kill one another. As such, there’ll be mostly descriptions of violence/gore, and on the rare occasion a possible photo of a horror encountered in the games. Basically, anything that’s typical in THG series, it’s happening here.

What are “The Hunger Games”?

Every year, one male and one female from the twelve districts, all between the ages of twelve and eighteen, are selected via a “Reaping” to participate in a compulsory televised battle royale death match called The Hunger Games.

A Reaping takes place in every district before each Hunger Games, where the tributes of the upcoming Games are chosen. Each district's escort randomly chooses the name of one male and one female tribute from two separate glass balls. Those picked are then the official tributes for the upcoming Games.

To be qualified for a reaping, one must be at least 12 years old. Once of age, a potential-tribute's name is entered into the reaping one time. The entries are cumulative, so when a possible tribute is thirteen, their name is added one more time. This continues until age 18, when a potential-tribute's name is entered 7 times, or more if they apply for tesserae.

Tessera (plural: tesserae) is a form of voluntary food rationing, offered by the government of Panem to people in the districts. If a family is struggling for food, children between the ages of 12 and 18 - those eligible to participate in the Hunger Games - can sign up for tesserae. A single tessera is worth one year's supply of grain and oil for a single person, collected on a monthly basis. The child may also claim further tesserae for as many members of their family as needed.

While tesserae is vital to many families in the districts, it comes at a heavy price: In exchange for this extra food, the child's name will be added to the reaping balls an additional time for every tessera claimed that year. These entries are also cumulative, so if tesserae must be claimed year after year, the chances of being reaped can increase dramatically, depending on the number of people that must be fed.

The Characters

Richie Tozier (District 3)

17 years old

Best friends with Stanley Uris, who won the Games four years ago

His parents, while not incredibly wealthy, have enough that it means he doesn’t have to sign up for tesserae every year. As such, his name is only in the bowl a total of six times.

He deals with discomfort and fear by making inappropriate jokes/comments, which people either find charming or irritating (depending on who you ask)

Hopes that someday he can maybe be an entertainer like Caesar Flickerman - Flickerman’s interviews are the only bright spot of being forced to watch the Games each year

Has a crush on Eddie but won’t admit it

Eddie Kaspbrak (District 4)

17 years old

Lives with his mother, Sonia, and he doesn’t know that she’s been putting him in for even more tesserae than he thought

He can’t wait to leave District 4; it’s a Career District, and he doesn’t fit in - he hopes that he can move one day, preferably to District 3 where Richie is

His mom wouldn’t let him train - any training or skills he has have been developed behind her back and away from her, in secret.

Because he’s from District 4, he’s an extremely good swimmer, like the rest of his District - and he actually enjoys it

He hates watching the Games every year, even before he was eligible to be reaped - it’s his worst nightmare to be picked

Has a crush on Richie but won’t admit it

Bill Denbrough (District 6)

19 years old

Was the first of the Losers to win the Games; was reaped when he was only 13, and during training he acted inconspicuous/weak so as to not attract attention, then hid for the majority of his Games. He won by escaping up a tree from a Mutt attack.

Has a younger brother, Georgie, who is now 9 - his biggest fear is that Georgie will be reaped when he’s 12-18.

Because he was the first of the group to win, he’s unofficially the leader and helps the others with mentoring duties since he has the most experience

Is dating Audra Phillips, who he mentored during her Games. He still wonders if she faked her crush on him during her Games in order to get Capitol sympathy.

Stanley “Stan” Uris (District 3)

19 years old

Is best friends with Richie Tozier, though he pretends to find him annoying - that’s just their dynamic

He won his games aged 14; his arena had electrical currents/circuit traps scattered, and he was able to avoid them due to his knowledge of technology from growing up in District 3. In the last days of his Games, he used his knowledge to bait the remaining few tributes into the traps so they’d be electrocuted

Is dating Patricia “Patty” Blum, and fears that she’ll be reaped (and that he’ll have to mentor her). He’s hoping that once she’s no longer eligible to be reaped for the Games, he can ask her to marry him someday.

Beverly Marsh (District 8)

18 years old

Survived her Games aged 14 in a winter wasteland arena by grabbing a bag with a thermal sleeping bag and coat during the Bloodbath, then used her knowledge of textiles to scavenge and create shelter/line her clothes to keep warm. Killed one tribute right at the end when she was attacked, but for the most part survived just by outlasting the cold.

Has feelings for Ben Hanscom but it’s complicated...really complicated

Wants to be a fashion designer someday - since District 8 deals with textiles, she already has pre-existing knowledge and skill

Ben Hanscom (District 5)

18 years old

Won his Games aged 15; the Careers didn’t consider him a threat due to his size, and so he was mostly left alone. He survived by scavenging and keeping on the move, and when food in the arena became restricted by gamemakers, he lasted the longest without food. 

Has taken up poetry in his time since winning the Games in order to have something to focus on

Has a crush on Beverly Marsh and is trying to find a way to tell her of his feelings - though he’s also nervous about admitting it to her

Mike Hanlon (District 11)

18 years old

Won the Games last year aged 17; survived by scavenging, hiding and hunting for food, and left snares to trap the other tributes to weaken them. Only killed last few tributes, a Career pack, in self-defense.

The year he was Reaped, his name was in the bowl forty times due to the tesserae he had to sign up for in order to feed his family.

Because he’s the freshest out of his Games, he’s still dealing with survivor’s guilt - the last thing on his mind is relationships right now

This is his first year mentoring, and he’s terrified he’ll mess up - he doesn’t want to feel responsible for the death of more people

Other Characters

Patricia “Patty” Blum (District 3)

18 years old

Is dating Stanley “Stan” Uris and is very supportive of him; she understands how difficult mentoring is and knows that he did what he had to to survive during the Games

Is good friends with Richie Tozier - her, Stan and Richie are often seen hanging out in District 3 together

Wants to be a teacher someday

She’s honestly very kind and sweet, but she’s tougher than she looks - you have to be when you grow up in this world.

Audra Phillips (District 6)

18 years old

Won her Games the year after Beverly, aged 15; she survived by getting a surplus of sponsors who sent her everything she needed - food, water, medicine etc. Killed two people - one in revenge after they killed her alliance partner, one in a final showdown that she barely won and that left her bloody, bruised and beaten

Is literally a darling of the Capitol; she knows how to play the game and use their attention to her advantage. She doesn’t like it, but she does what she needs to in order to survive.

Is dating fellow Mentor/Victor Bill Denbrough; he mentored her during her Games, and she had a crush on him. This actually worked in her advantage during her Games - the Capitol love a good love story, and they went nuts when she whispered Bill’s name/wished aloud that she could see him

Insiders/News Pages

The two key accounts to follow during the Games? The official Hunger Games Updates account, of course, and Caesar Flickerman. You truly do not need to follow anyone else when it comes to updates, gossip and entertainment!

Official Hunger Games account - live updates on Reapings, parades, training scores, interviews, tribute casualties and what’s going on in the arena. Also gives updates on Victor Tours and mentor activity. This account is very professional and mostly-unbiased.

Caesar Flickerman - Caesar’s account. Tries to be unbiased, but this is all his own opinion, so you might see a slight focus on certain tributes or alliances. Caesar knows all the gossip of the Capitol and the Games - he’s your guy to go to for the juicier, more personal stuff. This account also posts clips and transcripts of tribute interviews.

The Masterlist will be uploaded soon and linked here!

[thefreshfinds]

Propelled by the vibrant energy, treasured ambiance, connectivity, heart drenched food and melodies intertwining with the Saturday afternoon clouds —

There I stood in the emblem of The Philadelphia Music Festival, starving for a bite of fresh talent and so I decided to fill my plate with only the best manifolds of visionary hip hop, pop, R&B, trap and rock but little did I know I was in for a feast!

*Credits to @_brandoncaptures_ *

The first to perform was Monica Joelle, a dynamic Pop/R&B songstress from Philly that strikes your heart hard like Cupid’s arrow with her orientally sweet voice and cherry dripped instrumentals. She effortlessly plucks you with relatable lyrics (whether it’s about sticky situations, love or having a crush) and that’s why no one can seem to get enough. Monica started off with songwriting / singing lessons and from there she has continuously bloomed into her own sound as an artist, writing pieces that show off her complexity through set-ups and syllables. The songstress has only been making music until December 2017 but prior to that she has always been performer whether it was for dance or theater. The first song she ever created which was “Never Forget You” which is your ordinary heartbreak song but still relatable (and surely a track she had the most fun making.) To prepare for the festival she took the living room as her stage — using the microphone and speaker as the components for an astounding set off in real life. And in the future? Monica plans on releasing an EP and shooting out singles. (she can’t give us a name as of yet but I’m sure whatever it is will reflect the bubbly aura she conveys on and off the stage) The date will be revealed before you even know it but don’t take the risk of missing out on it.. just make sure to follow @MonicaJoelle.

“I’m not going to stop, I’m going to keep going. Forget what the haters say” Monica says.

SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/monicajoelle

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/55UAah5w59sJuQyekaRswr?si=wKn4V9eeSJaIM8XJtvZFAw

Fun Fact: Her favorite slang is ��Jawn”

My favorite song? On My Mind.

The next performer to zazzle the crowd was conscious wordsmith, Teef. Teef is a laid back visionary from New Jersey (residing now in Philly) who puts your mind at ease through charismatic storytelling intertwined with a fusion of neo-soul hip-hop, concrete flows, very solid messages and speaker knocking beats that could make your head snap off your neck (literally). Resonated with A Tribe Called Quest, one could even say that he has their style down pat as he makes sure to transition a soothing ambience through the vibration of his rhymes and wit. Teef started his musical journey in 2015 after dropping his first project called “Hip Hop On Purpose”. He was always into music but this project was the pinnacle of his musicianship “I just stopped thinking about doing something and I finally just started doing it,” says Teef “I was very hesitant about becoming a rapper at first because of what was out on the mainstream. I don’t even rap about that stuff [being on the block, etc]. Then one day I performed at an open mic, people liked it, asked me to come back and since then I kept going.” Aside from spitting bars Teef also enjoys welding, reading informational novels, free styling and networking. “Earlier [before the festival] I was actually welding up a rail and it wasn’t even a joke!” Teef goes on to say “Genuinely I just love to be around people. [when asked about networking] I like being around other independent artist and feeding off of their energy and ideas.” To prepare, Teef didn’t do much but go with the motion of the [creative] ocean and sway his natural repertoire in the ears of the ones close by. “I picked my songs when I got here. But I don’t always put my set together until I get there.” Teef says “I just went with the vibes”. One song that Teef enjoyed making the most was his first song “Get Free” because it allowed him to showcase his style to other people. “It was really random. It was made at three o clock in the morning and I really didn’t have an intent but it just hit me out of the blue. I crafted it in my own way. It was the most memorable time for me. That’s why I consider it to be fun because it just happened.” Common to persona, Teef’s favorite slang is “coolin” and the number one person that he looks up to in history is Bob Marley because he brought people together (and even squashed beef between politicians). “He was all about the people and the community”. Teef is currently running a weekly radio show called “Most Slept On Radio” on 98.5FM (it covers the Philadelphia area). He also runs Table Talk with Teef on Tuesday’s.

“I’m just growing with my artistry”

You can follow him on

Instagram : @realteef03

Bandcamp : https://lateef.bandcamp.com/Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/artist/0wNgFnLMKH5Dui6DdHSoUK?si=We2MVY6jSE6eut8W_CQaGg

My favorite song? Strangers in the Night

Wafting their chantable ad libs through heavy marijuana smoke, this group’s sound floats smoothly to your ear canals. The next act, The Joint Cheefs allowed me to let my conscious free through their use of moderate boom bap and sharp witted lyrics… but to be more clear, I can say that this trio changes the high experience by implicating an old feel of New York rap through their wrap of rhymes *that solely support the 420 movement* and calm aesthetic. To begin Geo The Rican, Sonny Blue Note and Loud Pack Ralph formulated as a triad one day while working in their studio in the Bronx. “We are producers and engineers so the idea itself just grew organically” says Geo the Rican. They have been making music for some time but to get to where they are now they pretty much just smoked a lot (no pun intended) and became more personal with their music, putting their trials and tribulations through their rhymes and as a result they have been gaining a peak of listeners on a daily basis. To prepare for the Philly Festival they answered with “smoking weed” but ultimately it was through the power of fun. “We take the music seriously but we try not to take ourselves too serious.” they go on to say “We take pride in our sound far as recording and making it.”To separate theirselves from the rest, the Joint Cheefs actually live through what they rap about. “We’re in a lane that we want to be in. It’s not too crowded, some people might say it’s our own and we’re going to hot box all the way to the top.” Aside from their recent release of “Never Canoe” on April 20th 2018, the Joint Cheefs are currently working on their album “Jars” which will be on all platforms by November 31st. When it comes to favorite strands, Sonny Blue Note enjoys Indica because it helps him sleep, Geo the Rican chooses Sativa because it helps him stay focused and Loud Pack Ralph enjoys hybrid because he just wants to get high. Fun fact: Their favorite slang is between “BroGod” and “Deadass” because they love to pay homage to their hometown.

You can follow them on

Instagram - @thejointcheefs

Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/thejointcheefs/the-joint-cheefs-n-high-c

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/1DQg3ISncFAuWAdDhebBMc?si=Q-Lu8Xv9QP-pfqkDU9tflg

My favorite song: It’s a tough one. It’s between “N High C” & “The Art of Hotboxing”

Lights on (meaning the sunlight of course) and centered on the stage, the next act to captivate me was Almost Famous who reels his listeners in with a hook of merciless R&B and a fair amount of auto tune. Generally speaking, Mr Famous has the 2000 feel of soul mastered perfectly as he dashes platforms with a similar production that Ne-Yo or even Genuine would use. The difference between him and the artist mentioned though is that he adds his own twist of dominating words, making sure to switch it up through trap and pop (while also warning his mysterious lover from time to time that they could be replaced in a heart beat) But don’t assume that his heart is locked up in a cage, Mr Famous still has a soft side to him and shows it from time to time. To begin, Almost Famous started off his career as a background dancer for a mass of Philly artist. “Hearing them, I realized that maybe I should create my own music so I started writing, perfecting melodies and harmonies and going to shows.” Famous says. This West Philadelphian has been doing music for 4 years but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s slowing down. Almost Famous grinds hard through releasing new singles and it even shows through his stage presence! “[To prepare for the festival] I had a few shows coming up, so I just kept on rolling with my other ones.” says Almost Famous. One song that Almost Famous enjoyed making the most is “Options” because it was during a time when he had to walk to work in the midst of a strike. “I heard the beat and it was mine from there. If it wasn’t for the strike, it wouldn’t be what it is now.” Fundamentally, Almost Famous would collaborate with Jasmine Sullivan if he was given the chance because her song writing skills and singing is perfect. But the bonus? Jasmine Sullivan is also from Philly. Even though Almost Famous shows love to his hometown he is not too fond of the people who run the Philly Hip Hop Awards “About a year or so they dogged me out but now that I’m apart of a new record label, they try to follow my moves and the label I’m with [Spit It Out Entertainment].” Famous goes on to say. As for his opinion on DMX? He thinks that DMX is a legend. “I feel like he’s been through a lot and a lot of people try to discredit him.”

Almost Famous’ favorite slang is “you drawlin’. “ He also considers himself a morning person because that’s when he’s able to get the day started. His project “Growth” will be released in November. Almost Famous also wants to give a shoutout to Spit it Out Entertainment.

My favorite song? Options (but the other song title can’t be given out. I will let the fans know when “Growth” is on streaming platforms)

You can follow him:

Instagram - @almostfamous215

YouTube - https://youtu.be/ilkKpQ0X8us

*Credits to Brother IB Photography @brother_ib *

The next act to glide his angelic floetry to the streets of Philly was Mashich, an upcoming trap soul artist from Philly who keeps things interesting through a singsong vocal pattern and propulsive beats but to stand out from the other singers that took a part of the festival, Mashich graced the crowd with silver printed dance moves. Even though Mashich has been singing since he was 7, he started taking his craft seriously in the past year. He’s originally from Aiken, South Carolina but he moved to Philly 7 years ago. When it comes to his favorite slang from his new home, he says it’s “d*ckhead” or “f*ck out of here”. To prepare for the Philly Festival, Mashich practiced nonstop. “I’m really big on practicing so I utilized any free time and space I had.” Mashich goes on to say. “I blasted music from my speaker, went over the song and got my movements down. From there I was able to find a form that helped to present myself and my style.”To stabilize his vocal chords, he drinks a lot of tea and does a range of warm ups while making sure to sing out of his diaphragm. In addition, Mashich would collab with Daniel Caesar if he had the opportunity. “All of his music is super creative and how he keeps his vocal deliveries organized is really dope,” says Mashich “I could learn a couple of things from him.”What makes this crooner so different from others is the thing he plans on bringing an old school feel back to R&B. “I hope that through my unique songwriting and vocal structure I am able to push other artist to do the same” All in all he wants good fortunes for the human race. Because let’s face there’s more to life. Love is limitless. “Miss My Dawgs” is currently out on streaming platforms. Be on the lookout for his debut EP “Small Town, Big City” which will cover his coming of age story. Leaving his house and growing with Philly.

“Whatever you believe you can do, you can do that sh*t. You can much success and much love”

You can follow him on:

SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/mashichmusic/miss-my-dawgs

Instagram - @k.ing.tut

Last to wow the crowd away was Bronx native Captain DMac who “makes your neck stretch like an ostrich”. Ticking the spinal chords of those familiar with dancehall and pop, Captain DMac’s brush of sultry vocal play and enticing melodies took me back to a tropical island that effortlessly illuminates peace, love and good vibes towards it’s community. I couldn’t help but to move my hips to the vigorous, self pulsating beats to follow.

We [Luis and I] were instantly allured. We needed to find out more and so we did.

Captain DMac started making music when he was in high school. “I was doing songs for different environments and people or surroundings,” DMac goes on to say “Anything that would happen I would make a song about it. I would often recite Snoop Dogg’s “Drop it Like It’s Hot” [in that time period] too because he’s one of my favorite artist and then someone said “Hey you should make your own song” so I decided to try it. The first cover I did was “Dreams Money Could Buy” by Drake and ever since I have been creating my own songs.”His tracks are mostly embed with a homage to his culture and admirable women and when he spits, he SPITS. Before switching genres, Captain DMac was just an aspiring rhymester who made headlines with his hit single “Big Ol Booty” because of the line from the song “Stretching out her neck like an ostrich” (and it became so well known that it went viral on Facebook and Worldstar, gaining over 8 million views to date.) However, Captain DMac didn’t get the credit he deserved but eventually he was gaining more recognition and reclaimed what was his. A lot of people [A&R’s] saw his songs for what it is and not what it could be, but his close ones thought otherwise. “One day I was talking to my boy and he said “Yo you’re Jamaican you should really touch that dancehall scene because there’s a lot of American artist that are doing it.” and I said “You know what you’re right let’s try it. The first one I made was Hold (which received positive feedback) and from there I said to myself let’s keep creating these vibes.” says Captain DMac. “There was a lot of obstacles to get to where I am. I met a lot of good people, sometimes bad. But I continue to strive and I surround myself around people who also strive. They have to work hard towards what they want to get and that’s what my team does. We just trying to get it. It all starts with good music.” Captain DMac also says that “Just Me & You” was his favorite song to make, “I recruited my friend to do light vocals and in the end he sounded like Super Mario.” All in all what makes him unique from the rest is his pen game. “I can have multiple versions of one song”

Captain DMac will continue to touching the Dancehall scene & the people.

He will be dropping two EP’s very soon.

His single “Think About” ft Juanialys is out right now

Fun fact: His favorite slang is yerr

&

He is a boxers guy.

You can find him at:

Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/captaindmac

Instagram - @captaindmac

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/5p154fD2gshCzENn8a4W8b?si=YLJ645G7TEOZSWFjQuj47Q

At its best, Philly Music Festival will continuously flourish as a platform for artist on the rise.

It’s more than just an event, it’s a spot that’ll reign of harmony, inspiration and positive energy.

By: Natalee Gilbert 🌞

[geekmedium]

Amazing Spider-Man #243 is never gonna be in anyone’s top 10 issues/stories. It won’t even be in anyone’s top 50. Even if you do a best Roger Stern’s Spider-Man list, this won’t come close to the top. But this is without a doubt my favorite Spider-Man issue of all time.

Not that I think it’s the most action packed, or most emotional, or even all that impressive on an objective level. It’s essentially a day in the life of Spider-Man issue, without any big villains or fights, and a twist at the end I’ll get too. But in this story was everything I love about the webslinger as well as a personal connection I wasn’t expecting.

We start it off with Peter dealing with relationship troubles as Mary Jane re-enters his life at the wrong moment. As always, Peter tries his best, and even helps out a rival get his relationship sorted out. But as a result of his kindness, his own relationships become more complicated.

Amy completely disappears from the narrative after this, as far as I remember, but MJ is here to stay and keep Peter on his toes. In an interview with Roger Stern, he said he never wanted Peter and MJ to hook up, and just saw her as someone to come in and occasionally pull the rug out from under Peter. While I’m glad that didn’t come to pass, I think I can sort of see where he was going with that.

Mary Jane could provide a constant feeling of things being off balance or messy. She shows up in just one scene and she already makes a fairy complicated situation spiral out of control. And their history together combined with a genuine friendship would have been a case of having your cake and eating it too; Stern could keep Peter a free bachelor while also giving him someone who, depending on the story, either be a trusted friend he could confess too, or someone that shakes things up for drama. Again, I prefer Spider-Marriage, but I could see the appeal of this dynamic.

So with Peter’s personal life on the downturn he decides, like usual, to blow off steam by web-slinging. First making a quick stop to get help with a minor villain problem from last issue (that goes nowhere) from Curt Connors. While there, Spidey’s professor comes in and he is able to sneak a peak at his grades because he’s been having academic trouble, and is surprised to find that he passed the exam with an A. Elated, he bounces around the city in dynamic panels I wish we saw more of in his comics.

I’ll talk about this more down below, but I think so many people get obsessed with a miserable Peter, the plaything of misfortune, that they forget he gets win, on a fairly consistent basis. Of course sometimes people over-correct and make him a clown, but again I’ll talk about that later. 

Anyway all good things must end, and he ends up going to stop a somewhat mundane crime (it was a terrorist attack on the church). With little effort, he saves the day, and even gets thanked for his help, which is a welcome change of pace from the constant slander. Again, small victories. He develops picks for the Bugle, and with prospective money in hand, he visits Black Cat and contemplates his future both with her, and his general financial future. 

Other people have commented on this better than me, but Spidey’s sense of responsibility and duty doesn’t just come down to fighting villains. He feels responsible for those closes to him, and the next few panels where he debates his options are a nice encapsulation of that. John Romita Jr. has a nice trick where he uses several clocks around the city to show Peter contemplate for literally hours as he swings around. He isn’t just about to randomly do things, even if it’s to help others. He thinks it through until he’s almost neurotic from over thinking.

His mind made up, he goes to his college to make a request and the issue ends on this:

Here is everything I want from a Spider-Man issue/arc/run. Complicated relationships, love drama, interesting side characters with their own stories, action, a sense of fun and energy, and hard decisions. And that last one is most important of all, because that is what I think was essential to me ‘getting’ Spider-Man.

I liked Spider-Man, and thought he was a fun character, but I had never made a big connection with him. I bought into a lot of fandom opinion that Spidey is just a woe-is-me, kind hearted, light character. Someone to enjoy in a small bursts, but not on the level of other great characters I loved like Daredevil and, especially, Superman. But #243 changed that and I think it comes from the fact I was in the same headspace as Peter when I first read this.

I won’t go super personal, but I was coming to what I thought was the end of my college career, and to say I was anxious was an understatement. I felt I had no future, no prospects, and no choices. I was depressed. But when I read this issue, I was stunned. Peter was making a decision similar to mine, and grappling with the same problems and fears as me. And he made his choice and what’s more, he lived with it. The choice had ramifications for more than just an arc, or even Roger Stern’s run, it affected him for, both in-universe and out, years of time. But you know what, despite the problems it dealt him, he made the most of it. More still, that choice opened opportunities he probably wouldn’t have had if he made a different one. This was so different from other characters, comic or otherwise, that I read. It was more real. More relatable.

And it was at that point that I think I ‘got’ Spider-Man. He isn’t relatable in the sense he is exactly like you. Or in the sense he is always suffering, either comically or tragically. He’s relatable because he, like us, makes deeply human choices. 

All good characters are forced to makes choices of course, but his aren’t often on fate of the world stuff like the FF or Avengers. His choices are often things like who to trust and forgive or career and relationships decisions. And these choices can be tough and complicated in a way that other characters don’t have to grapple with. There aren’t usually any easy answers, and sometimes the consequences are genuinely horrible and unlucky. But like us, Peter has to deal with them the best he can and move on. 

And I think I love this more than any other aspect of Spider-Man. There is no real set status quo; he grows and changes and enters new areas of life. And sometimes it’s scary and unpredictable, but Spider-Man helped me realize you can keep moving forward. He made that decision in college, and he made a lot more after it. Decisions to get married, or where to live, or dealing with new people in his life, good and bad. And because he lived with those decisions to even middle-age (because I consider Spider-Girl semi-canon) I know I can too.

[ramrodd]

What moment during your military service do you feel changed your life forever?

COMMENTARY:

I had what they call a “Come to Jesus” moment the second week I was in-country and up-country and waiting to hook-up with my platoon somewhere out in the woods north west of An Khe that caused me to abandon a military career. During an otherwise undramatic evening sit-rep at th Brigade TOC, my brigade commander began rant like Rush Limbaugh riffing on Title IX or the Homeland Security Secretary explaining the righteousness of child separation and it’s divine origins and I my literal first thought was Humphrey Bogart as Captain Queeg on the bridge of the Caine during a typhoon.

He didn’t force me out of the service intentionally. He never knew he had any influence on me. one way or another. I was a young platoon leader on his way to the front and on his front row with two other LT/FNG, both of whom were West Pointers from my Ranger class. This was just after Kent State for all you former street fighting men who avoided military service came to see the world differently after Kent State, as captured in Neil Young’s OHIO. Kent State scared the generation of red-blooded American men who had other priorities than military service and were scared shitless of going to Vietnam and believed in Woodstock as the great tribal celebration of ending the war by replacing LBJ with Nixon. Kent State was the generational reality check.

I literally had my orders for Vietnam in my hand when I heard about Kent State. I was working my way around Ft. Benning, getting ready to leave Dodge and head for Saigon. You take a stack of your orders from place to place and whatever connection I had with Ft. Benning, as military infrastructure, was disconnected and I carried the rest of the orders to Vietnam to complete the loop and get my travel pay in cash. I mean, priorities. And I knew from living cheek-to-jowl with the anti-war crowd at Indiana University, I suspected there would be some unhappiness expressed in various semi-coordinated street theater nation wide. I didn’t hear OHIO until I got a cassette tape as part of the introductory offer from the Columbia Record Club. “Tele ach Your Children” could be the theme song to the US Army Ranger School, if you see what I mean, and, of course, Kent State woke the anti-war people up to the fact that there isn’t any magic in ending wars and Nixon kept his promise, but it took another 7 years.

The SDS didn’t get the memo about realpolitik that operated beyond the finite boundaries of the Oliver Stone version of Vietnam At the time, I didn’t know there was an Oliver Stone version of Vietnam in the future, it was happening around me. I was playing my part in the Patriot Game.

The Cambodian Incursion was a brilliant strategic thrust that operated like an angioplasty in terms of Abrams influence on the battle space: we went into the NVA’s supply dumps and took it all away. Go watch the part of Ken Burns’s Vietnam talking about being on the Ho Chi Mihn trail as the Uncle Ho version of the Red Ball Express that provisioned Patton after the break out in Normandy. Only, the Red Ball Express wasn’t dealing with B-52 Arc Strikes. I mean, there were people who got used to it. And we took all that hard work and sacrifice away. And everything that came to Hanoi from the Soviet Union. The Camodian Incursion was the leading edge of the war of attrition against the Soviets.

And that was my frame of reference when I heard about Kent State, which, for anyone with a sense of the cosmic, was part of the karmic triangulation between the Zippo Monk and the assassinations of the Diem brothers and JFK. 4 dead in Ohio, for anyone who believes in the Bible at any level, in particular the Holy Ghost, the connection between them is inescapable. The Holy Ghost works with number all the time to open and/or employ communication with us on a personal basis. All this stuff was operating in my life before Kent State and it barely registered in my consciousness. Between Kent State and the moment that changed my life in Vietnam, I had checked out of Ft Benning, gone on leave to NYC and Puerto Rico for two weeks, then home to pack up and drop in on old friends and then Panama and Jungle Warfare School and then Seattle for another couple of days with my fiancee and then flying into Bien Hoa.

But it was in the back of my mind, along with the newsfeed about the Calley court martial, It was apparent at the time that this was a classic shit flows down hill in the Big Green Machine. I knew my future was my own version of Platoon, because I had been practicing Platoon in Ranger School and training other people in full scale role play.

And then this Colonel about the same age as my dad goes crazy and I have to confront a certain moral insufficiency in myself that forced me out of an Army career. It wasn’t this officer’s fault: it was all me, And I was faced with an existential dilemma requiring a choice between continuing to believe in the Big Green Machine and continuing to believe in myself and it was a no brainer: I stopped believing in myself and, in less than a year, I was out of the Army, except for a two Reserve summer camp in 1972, a year after I got back from to the World.

And it happened in the blink of any eye. I had run into an officer who literally had the power of life and death over me and he didn’t know what he was doing and the only way he was going to learn his trade included me. I had signed up for the combat: that didn’t bother me, but, if I was going to make a career out of it, I was going to have to deal with the politics of working for people who thought like him, like Mike Pompeo, spcifically, and I knew I didn’t have a chance. Disaster loomed,

It is impossible to overstate how fucked up the Army was at that moment at the rank of Major up to the Chief of Staff of the Army because of Tet 68 and the moral collapse of McNarama’s Whiz Kids at the political level. Colin Powell writes about it in his autobiography and the Burns’s film features it in the last episode. Between 1968 and 1973, the US Army ran like a well-oiled Trump White House staff.

So, I bailed out. There was no Plan B. But it followed me home aovernmentnd now, it’s putting middle schoolers in cages because the Trump people only understand prison systems and can’t figure out how to fix Puerto Rico because in is full of people like the people Trump is trying to keep out of America.

Still, it was a wise decision. The thing about Kent State that helps define the Oliver Stone version of Vietnam is that it was deliberate, a symbol of the Pig State slashing at its own people. If the draft hadn’t effectively come to an end, Kent State could have ignited general revolution from white kids. The National Guard had been gunning down blacks in places like Watts and Detriot, DC and Atlanta since 1963, but they were all looters and drug addicts and not the righteous voice of peace and love. And, now, 4 dead in Ohio, It’s the whole white priviledge, Black Lives Matter dynamic in a neat little package. Rookie soldiers, live ammunition and amped up protesters: what could go wrong? It was an accident waiting to happen.

My second thought on hearing about Kent State, just a flash of thought, the logical outcome of process theology, was that, if I had been the Company CO of that National Guard unit and determined to use lethal force, I would have killed everyone on that hill, It’s the nature of the profession of arms. The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in OHIO.

That’s one difference between the Oliver Stone version of Vietnam and my version of Vietnam. It’s why I bailed out.

In the blink of an eye.