#verse

[unproduciblesmackdown]

Mordecai probably lives in an apartment or something, but my first thought when you brought up the Caves on that post was that he won’t tell us because he’s been living in the Caves the Whole Time. Even tho he’d hate the slime mold.

yeah a Whole Damn House would be a bit much, and probably not as useful for the nightly bootlegging related goings on: see, freckle needing to stand around waiting for a ride before he can go shoot people. whereas mordecai can show up to the maribel hotel on foot, or at least have started out somewhere he could get a cab or whatever....and this is probably the closest to any relevant Living Situation Glimpses

someplace with a bed, and one with an art deco headboard....a modern style, so it's neither Antique nor unfancy enough to have less identifiable stylings at all. like just by guessing surely he lives in some apartment that's unassuming enough to live unassumingly in, with whatever alias, so something large & fancy would be unhelpful....plus if he's gonna be fairly rigorous in his domestic upkeep, it wouldn't really help to have a huge place, even if for the same reasons it wouldn't be too small (or old or otherwise unpleasant; hard no to slime mold, slime, or mold....) and like re: the rotating aliases, maybe he moves places fairly regularly for good measure, been at this like, a decade....tl;dr probably has some apartment/s that's roomy but not huge, nice but not Fancy fancy, at the nexus of practicality, resources, and preferences

but it's important to think about "what if mordecai's been living in the caves the whole time" b/c that's funny lmao

[blueiight]

Coming slowly to know his evil, or being catapulted into it ... was all the same. I wanted none of it finally. And, deserving nothing better, I closed up like a spider in the flame of a match. And even Armand who was my constant companion, and my only companion, existed at a great distance from me, beyond that veil which separated me from all living things, a veil which was a form of shroud. (IWTV, 1976)

[fangirlandtheories]

Do you remember when we used to sing?

Eddie is away on tour while Steve is taking care of their daughter a few hours away. Too bad she can't fall asleep without her special bedtime song...

--

Steve’s brows pinched together as the cries grew in pitch and volume, almost drowning out the familiar click of ‘Hey it’s Eddie, call me back or don’t, I’m not your mother.’ from the speaker of his phone. 

He had shifted from frustrated to desperate as he glanced over at their daughter, red faced and snot nosed. Bedtime was a solid hour past due and didn’t seem to be looming any closer. 

“It’s okay, sweets, we’ll call him again.” Steve soothed as he ran a hand down the toddler’s back. 

“Daddy!!!” She screamed again, choking with the effort of her sobs, as she squeezed her eyes shut. It had been love at first sight for Eddie and Steve when they had met Rayne’s mother. She was young, just turning 20 in the fall, with curly blonde hair and big brown eyes. She was looking for someone who wanted a baby that couldn’t naturally have their own and the agent connected the dots for them. After several months, little Rayne was theirs.

“I know,” Steve muttered as he pulled up Eddie’s contact again. Eddie had taken a break from touring after the adoption of their daughter but had recently started back up. It started off pretty well, the excitement of getting to have a Dad weekend with Steve pulling her through, but now the newness was gone and all little Rayne Munson-Harrington wanted was Eddie. 

Eddie usually found weekend gigs but had found a week long slot in a club in St. Louis that promised great publicity and even better payment, so Corroded Coffin hit the road and Steve held down the fort with some help from Robin and Wayne. They were obligated to babysit, she was named after both of them afterall, and he was grateful because work had been taxing enough without adding a feisty 4 year old to the mix. 

A flu bug was sweeping it’s way through Hawkin’s Elementary and it spared no casualties in Steve’s kindergarten classroom. He spent the day trying to keep the class from putting things in their mouths and making sure everyone washed their hands, sending a child or two home after seeing the greenish pale tints of nausea pass over their faces. He knew that he’d have to deal with kids puke at some point, especially as a parent, but he’d like to avoid it at all costs. 

“Pick up your phone you ass.” He hissed through clenched teeth, rocking the inconsolable girl in his arms as he dialed again.

***

Eddie first felt the familiar jolt of vibration in his back pocket  just after the first chorus. The second time was just a few verses later. He smiled into the microphone as he continued to sing, ignoring his phone. The third time was in the bridge of the song, a particularly terrible time to take a call as Eddie’s hands were preoccupied with his guitar. The fourth time happened in the final notes of the song. The fifth during the applause. Eddie frowned as he pulled the device from his pocket, ignoring a glare from Jeff.

“Hey guys, you won’t believe this but my husband is facetiming me right now. This is like the fifth time he’s called so I’m going to answer, everybody be quiet and let’s see how long it takes him to remember that we had a later show tonight.” Eddie laughed as the audience silenced quickly. Steve’s irritated yet grateful face popped up on the screen seconds later.

“Hey love…” He crooned with a cheeky smirk.

“Your daughter is very upset with you.” Steve ignored the affectionate nickname. 

“Why is she my daughter whenever she’s mad?” Eddie rolled his eyes. “Is she alright?”

“She’s been screaming since 8:30 Eds.” Steve ran a hand through his hair and blew out an exasperated sigh. “She’s refusing to sleep until you do it, that’s why I’ve been calling.”

“Steve I’m um…” Eddie glanced nervously at the audience in front of him. “Kind of in the middle of something.”

“Yeah I wanted to be relaxing right now too but our kid needs her dad and since he’s five hours away the very least he could do is sing her the damn song so that we all can get some rest.” Steve squinted at him. “You’re being weirder than usual. Are the guys there with you?”

“Yeah the guys are definitely with me.” Eddie ignored Gareth’s snicker. “Can I call you-”

“Edward, so help me God, sing the song so that she can go to sleep.” Steve interrupted. “Look at her.” Steve turned the camera to the distraught little girl and Eddie’s heart clenched.

“Hi angel, I hear you’re a little sad.” He frowned in solidarity with her as her lip stuck out. “No, don't cry, it’s okay Ray Ray.” She howled louder, tears popping from her wet lashes. He winced as he lip quivered, his resolve wearing down to nothing. He glanced over at Gareth, leaning over to whisper to him before looking back to his phone.

“Alright fine, let’s sing it, yeah?” Eddie placated. “You’re breaking my heart Bambi.” The wide eyes and long lashes practically gifted the nickname to her. He glanced back at Gareth who gave him a thumbs up before looking at the audience. “Daddy’s band is going to help him sing it, is that okay?” Rayne whimpered as she nodded, snuggled into Steve’s arms as he held the phone in front of her.

“Wait, are you on stage right now?” Steve leaned forward. “Shit, I’m sorry babe, I didn’t mean to interrupt the performance.”

“You couldn’t interrupt if you tried.” Eddie smiled. “Isn’t that right?” Steve could hear cheers from the audience. “We love our rock and roll family here and we honor our traditions, most of all the bedtime song. Ready boys? Sing along if you know it, our most honored guest is in the audience tonight and would love to hear you guys.”

With that, Jeff  played the opening notes on the guitar while Gareth tapped out the beat with the rarely used tambourine. The bass thumped along to Eddie’s singing, and though it admittedly wasn’t their usual style, the band loved Rayne like she was their niece and they would play anything to make her happy.

“-In the misty morning fog with our hearts a-thumping” Eddie held the microphone in one hand and the phone in the other, beaming at the smile on Steve’s face. “And you, my brown eyed girl.” Rayne giggled and clapped, tears still on her cheeks but sadness having finally passed. 

***

Hours and miles away, Steve smiled as he shut the door to his daughter's bedroom, the nightlight softly glowing, as he hummed the song to himself. Tomorrow there would be a series of tweets about Eddie going soft and videos flying all around the internet, but for now, and for the first time that evening, the Munson-Harrington home was quiet.

[petervintonjr]

"As black America approaches the 21st century, our capacity or our failure to build a solid bridge . . . of works will determine whether millions of young blacks already with us or yet unborn will cross over into the new century, or fall into the abyss."

Another name you almost certainly didn't know: M. (Moses) Carl Holman, civil rights activist, writer, and poet. Born in 1919 St. Louis, Holman showed an early gift for writing, and at the age of 19 won a scriptwriting award from a popular syndicated radio program. He graduated magna cum laude from Lincoln University and went on to acquire Master's degrees from the University of Chicago and from Yale. While at Yale he published his first collection of poems, and began regularly writing articles for various newspapers and magazines on income inequity, urban poverty, literacy, and other issues important to Black Americans. In 1962 he taught English at Clark College in Atlanta, giving him a front-row seat to key events in the earliest days of the civil rights movement. As some of his students participated in sit-ins and the Freedom Rides, he found himself appointed to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, of which he eventually became deputy director in 1966.

In 1968 Ebony magazine named Holman as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans. That same year Holman published what is probably his best-known work: The Baptizin', a play which won first prize in the National Community Theater Festival. In addition to multiple collections of poems, Holman also published a definitive overview of the civil rights movement in the U.S., from 1965 to 1975.

Perhaps most significantly, in 1971 Holman was named Vice President of the National Urban Coalition. This organization had re-formed in 1967 in the wake of the so-called "long, hot summer" of racial strife and injustices. During this time Holman's singular talent for delivering quiet and polite, but still powerful, speeches came to the fore and he jumpstarted a great many local housing, education, job training, and economic development programs aimed at disadvantaged Black and Hispanic communities.

In his later years Holman forcefully addressed the issue of "dual literacy" for Black children --emphasizing that such students not only needed to be well-versed not only in the fundamentals such as reading, writing, and public speaking; but also in math, science, and technology. His 1988 obituary notes that Holman "had an uncanny ability to form a coalition out of the most diverse elements, and it was often said that the key to his ability to do this was the fact that he never appeared to have an agenda for himself."

(Teachers: Need some resources to engage your students this Black History Month? I'll send you a pile of these trading cards, no cost, no obligation. Just give me a mailing address and let me know how many students in your class. No strings attached, no censorship, no secret-relaying-of-names to Abbott or DeSantis or HuckaSanders.)

[isabellehemlock]

Kat's Catholic Commentary - Part (I've lost track)

My focus for this episode will be on Lestat's speech in his parting letter to Louis.

The purpose behind the letter may vary depending on when it was written (before or after Lestat knew of Louis’ plan of betrayal).  However, my focus is on the language used - specifically “the veil” - and why my Catholic senses were tingling.

But first - the disclaimer:

This is purely a fan meta/theory.  Even when I talk about character motivations with some certainty, remember it's just my take, not a fact-based declaration.  This helps keep things brief rather than saying "in my opinion" before every other sentence.

All points and takes are valid - this is just one of them.  I'm exploring one potential aspect of Lestat and Louis' relationship, not the whole picture or even trying to suggest it as the main foundation.

Also, there are frank references to the Catholic Church, its history, practices, sacraments, and some Bible verses.  If at any point you need to take a step back for self-care, please do.  Your well-being comes first.

Before diving in, I’ll share why I see a potential for a secondary meaning behind it because I’d like to add some weight to my personal fan theory that Lestat is conscious of how faith is still an integral part of Louis’ identity and how he might use it (however the purpose of this, I’ll leave to the reader).

Several moments in the first season, and some from the books (spoilers ahead if you’d like to avoid events after IWTV), reference Lestat and Louis’ relationship and his faith (and especially with a context of Catholicism):

The entire monologue at the end of episode one as Lestat declares his feelings for Louis in front of the altar.

Lestat’s monologue of Saint Louis (both as an off hand reference in ep 1 and the expanded version of Ep 2 that ends with: “You’re challenge every sunset St. Louis, and I’d have it no other way.”)

After Louis asks about Antoinette in Ep 3, when Lestat is describing the need for various forms of pleasure for “anything that wards off the dungs of the everlasting road we walk” - pauses to point out Louis’ form of pleasure as “Pleasures of the Good Book by the fire for you.”

And then in Ep 6, when Lestat arrives to gift Louis something from his favorite bookshop: “‘The Book of Hours.’  Extremely rare, 15th century.” - the Book of Hours, is also known as the Liturgy of Hours, or Divine Office, used by both clergy, religious and laity alike for daily devotions on a rotating cycle for uniform prayer.

And from the books:

In IWTV, Louis’ reference to following Lestat as a kind of personal Jesus: 

I allowed myself to forget how totally I had fallen in love with Lestat’s iridescent eyes, that I’d sold my soul for a manycolored and luminescent thing, thinking that a highly reflective surface conveyed the power to walk on water. 

“What would Christ need have done to make me follow him like Matthew or Peter? Dress well, to begin with. And have a luxurious head of pampered yellow hair. 

Later, in Prince Lestat, when they are reunited, Louis says (from Lestat's POV): 

He leaned close to me, and he put his hand on my arm. “ ‘Wither thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people’; and because I have no other god and never will, you shall be my god.”*

* This quote Louis is saying is from the Book of Ruth: She answered, "Do not be against me, as if I would abandon you and go away; for wherever you will go, I will go, and where you will stay, I also will stay with you. Your people are my people, and your God is my God.” - Ruth 1:16 CPDV

I’ve also shared metas and commentary on Tumblr and Twitter about Louis and Lestat's relationship to faith and the little nods I’ve picked up here and there (more on that below).  But this isn’t intended as a comprehensive summary, just a soft recap to add context for anyone wondering, “how did she read that in this scene?”

Now, onto the main point!  For anyone needing a refresher, here’s the letter in full:

In the event that you are reading this, something dreadful has occurred.  Which is not my own death, but rather, the fact that we both now exist in two different worlds.  Do not waste your life seeking revenge on the person or persons who did this.  Do not give them the satisfaction of the hunt.  Let treachery eat away at them from within.  And you, you go carry on with your living.  Know only this, mon cher: you are the only being I trust, and whom I love, above and beyond myself.  All my love belongs to you.  You are its keeper.  A veil will now forever separate our union.  But it is a thin veil, and I’m always on the other side, face pressed up against your longing.

Setting aside the beautiful writing, the language used, and the sentiments declared (it fed my Words of Affirmation love language meter well), my second thought upon hearing “A veil will now forever separate our union.  But it is a thin veil, and I’m always on the other side, face pressed up against your longing.” was what my Catholic senses were tingling.

In a previous meta I discussed how I viewed the scene of Louis’ turning as a nod to the Sacrament of the Eucharist (though I can also see the other fan theory of the Sacrament of Matrimony).  This furthers my idea of Louis viewing Lestat as a kind of personal Jesus.  Given the examples above, I believe there might have been some intention behind Lestat’s words to reach Louis on a vulnerable level through his faith.

But why would former Catholic altar boy Louis catch that meaning, and what would it mean to him?

In the Catholic Church, the Eucharist is veiled in order to symbolize the mystery and sacredness of the Sacrament.  The veil represents the separation between the divine and the mortal, indicating that the true essence of the Eucharist (Christ's Body and Blood) is hidden under the appearance of bread and wine (and it’s a practice that dates back to early Christianity, where the veil also served to protect the Eucharist from desecration and to enhance the reverence of the faithful during Mass).

As Catholics, we believe that Jesus, at the Last Supper, instituted the Eucharist, when He said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19).  He also said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you” (Luke 22:20).  They were declarations to emphasize the sacrificial nature of the Eucharist but also to serve as a message of hope - that there would be an intimate connection between Jesus and His followers, despite His physical absence after His death and resurrection - “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).  

Though death might separate the physical presence, the Eucharist provides a continuous, though veiled, connection with Christ.  This then allows the veil to symbolize hope and assurance that, while there may be a separation, it is thin, with the promise of a deeper, spiritual communion that transcends physical boundaries.

So, if Louis potentially viewed the Dark Gift as a kind of Eucharist that nourishes the soul, given to him through Lestat, then their spiritual interconnection and the nourishment it provided could continue.  His devotion to Lestat would not need to end.

I believe Lestat “I went to a monastery to become a priest” de Lioncourt, knew exactly what he was doing when he used those words to describe how interlinked they would remain.  

This furthered Louis’ (perhaps even subconscious) view of Lestat and Jesus - and himself as potentially Judas (meta here, and here), though I personally enjoy the view of Louis identifying with Mother Mary the most (visual reference and poem, art and another art piece here).

Whether intentional or not, or perhaps a completely different point that I read too much into (which can definitely be the case lol), it spoke to me on a deep level when I heard it.  I’d like to believe it did for Louis as well. 

[apopcornkernel]

i dont know if there's even a ppop presence on tumblr but i do also want to promote ALAMAT, a 6-member idol boy group from the Philippines. Its members comprise of Taneo, Mo, Jao, Tomas, R-ji, and Alas. They debuted in 2021, and their creative direction centers on championing the Filipino identity and culture through their music.

sorry that ^ was a copypaste but it's a very useful and concise copypaste LOL but onto my own promo:

(note: also most of these videos have english subs!!)

(extra note bc this issue always pops up whenever locals encounter alamat: mo is always wearing black hairstyes bc he is blasian and not bc he is appropriating from black culture hdfjhdf)

KASMALA, the inverted Tagalog word for "strong" (malakas), is the MV that really did numbers on social media iirc. The video direction focused on the "human zoo" in the St. Louis' World Fair of 1904 (which included Filipinos specifically Igorots), and a general theme of anti-Filipino racism by white people (who are represented as ominous figures literally dressed in all white)

personal opinion: the music video is great but i personally think they have better songs, music-wise. and i'm going to give you an example of that by introducing you to my ALL-TIME FAVORITE ALAMAT SONG!!!

ILY ILY, a transliteration of "Ili-Ili Tulog Anay", incorporates the melody and lyrics of the Ilonggo lullaby it derives its title from. The MV and lyrics both work together to portray the experience of being an OFW/having an OFW parent. OFWs, or overseas Filipino workers, refer to Filipinos who go abroad in search of jobs that have better pay, so that they can remit money back to their families in the Philippines.

personal opinion: this is their best song THIS IS THEIR BEST SONG EVER OF ALL TIME and lyca gairanod is such a perfect singer for this. her ethereal crooning really gave me chills the first time i heard it UGH

DAYANG, the term for the wife of a Datu, is one of their most earworming songs ever. It's a gorgeous love song and what I would recommend to newbies if they want to get into alamat <3

personal opinion: The MV is kinda ass because it's just a super long extended ad for DITO PH (in terms of story and also bc they really missed out on doing a vid that drew more on culture esp bc dayang is a historical noble title and they used tausug words and designs for the graphics an the dance itself already incorporated pangasik dance which is also from the tausug people LIKEEE?? they've always promoted other cultures of the philippines i know they can do it but because of CAPITALISM--). But the song bangs so severely, as a pop enjoyer this is peak pop for me.

OH I ALMOST FORGOT DAGUNDONG

DAGUNDONG, a song basically recounting the colonial history of the Philippines from Spain to America, is just so fucking good you should watch/listen to it rn. There's EN subs don't worry you won't miss out on the context. This is colonial rage it's so satisfying I still remember where I was when they dropped this.

personal opinion: FOREVER OBSESSED WITH HOW THEY SAY "dahil puso mandirigma di papakutsa di papapugon" you guys have no idea how much i sing that line to myself sooo satisfying. Instant earworm this song i swear.

OK ONE LAST one last and i'm done. okay.

MAHARANI, a Sanskrit term for the wife of a Maharaja (translated as "great queen"), heavily features singkil, a Maranao dance which uses bamboo poles like tinikling does. The song also uses SEAsian instruments like kanun, gamelan, and gangsa. Also BINI's Jhoanna plays one of the main characters here!!!

personal opinion: this is their most pop-sounding song, which i think is slightly carried by the video i'm sorryyy. it's catchy though!! and i looove the part somewhere halfway where alas starts his verse, singing it in a more spoken-word way

___

okay 5 songs is. probably enough. this post is already kinda long shdfjskdff but yeah. pls check them out if you can hehe <3

also ppop idols are just really funny. there's no concept of an idol image so they just tweet shit. alamat jao gave out his genshin UID after a fan tweeted about having co-oped with him in genshin, and then after that he started answering questions with the hashtag "#canceljao" making a lot of magiliws (alamat fans) confused, and then he posted a classic iphone notes apology like this 😭

i'll do a bini version after this my girls deserve more international hype. they occupy a more girlcrush pop genre but they're just as chaotic as alamat if not even more 😭 there are entire THREADS on twitter of them just being hilarious jdhfkshgf i love them so much

thanks for reading <3

[petersasteria]

Nonsense - E.P.

Pairing: Evan Peters x SabrinaCarpenter!Reader Summary: You mentioned him in your Nonsense outro. Did he listen to it? What was his reaction? How can you confront him when he's standing right in front of you at an after-party? Warning/s: none (i think), super fluff and some flirtatious banter A/N: Y/N is still Y/N in this one. The reader is just Sab in a musical way, but in terms of looks and everything, it's all you, babes <3

Words: 1055

Ever since you started your career, you’ve had the biggest crush on Evan Peters. Your paths have yet crossed, but you hoped that day would come sooner. Recently, your song ‘Nonsense’ has gone viral and for all the right reasons. It was catchy, it was flirty, and it was relatable to anyone who’s feeling this type of way for their crush or partner. Needless to say, it was a hit. When you announced your tour, all your fans were hyped up because they knew you’d be singing that song. What they didn’t know was that you’d come up with outros for specific cities you’ll be going to.

When you arrived at St. Louis, Missouri, you were excited to perform. You’ve been there a few times and your fans from there have always been energetic and lively. When it was time to sing ‘Nonsense’, everyone cheered when they heard the intro. You were singing and dancing around and as you were nearing the end of the song, all your fans pulled out their phones and started filming. You smiled as you sang the outro:

This song catchier than chicken pox is

I bet your house is where my other sock is 

Woke up this morning thought I’d write a pop hit

How quickly can you take your clothes off pop quiz

Everyone cheered before your improv outro. You chuckled a little before singing:

You guys are like family, not strangers

The crowd here in St. Louis are all lovers

My crush is from here, hello Evan Peters

As soon as everyone heard ‘Evan Peters’, your fans lost it. It immediately went viral. All your friends knew about your undying love for Evan Peters and they weren’t shocked when you confessed your love for him via concert. You, however, didn’t think much of it. After all, he’s such a big, big star. He also doesn’t have social media, so you were pretty confident that videos of you singing that verse won’t reach him.

But boy were you wrong. So wrong.

Somehow someone sent Evan the video and he found it entertaining and flattering. He thought it was the end of it, but of course he was asked about it at red carpet events and interviews. Every time he was asked about it, he’d always give a hearty laugh or a bright smile, and he’d say, “I find it flattering that I’m still qualified to be someone’s crush. It’s really cute and endearing.”

“Do you think there’s a chance for you and Y/N to date?” The interviewer would ask. He’d chuckle, shrug it off, and say something generic like, “Maybe.” or “Who knows, y’know? We never know what the future holds.”

Both of you went on with your careers until you finally met the man of your dreams at one event’s after party. You saw each other from afar and waved to each other. You took a deep breath and asked the bartender for another shot before taking it for liquid courage to approach your crush. Luckily for you, Evan was already on his way towards you. You turned around and were surprised to come face to face with him. He gave you a cute dimpled smile and said, “Hey, you’re Y/N Y/L/N, right? I recently learned that the verse you mentioned me in was actually improv. I’m very flattered.”

“Aww! It’s something I like to do in every city I’m in. When I realized I was performing in your hometown, I immediately changed the last line.” You said to him before flashing him a big smile.

“Oh, that’s so cool! Can I hear the original before the change?” He asked nicely.

“Oh, sure! It’s supposed to go: ‘you guys are like family, not strangers, the crowd here in St. Louis are all lovers, I don’t mind what they all say, fuck them haters’.” You sang to him.

“Hey, that’s good too! I’m obviously biased now that I’ve heard the one with my name in it.” Evan cheekily said.

You didn’t know what came over you (probably the alcohol in your system), but you had this sudden burst of flirting energy. You smiled at him flirtatiously and said, “I can always put your name in every outro I do.”

He caught on and raised an eyebrow, “Really?”

“Yeah, but you have to earn it.”

“How?” Evan asked with a cheeky grin. You were surprised at your back and forth flirting, but you liked it too much to stop.

“Well, we have to date, of course.” You said to him, smiling. He nodded with a bright smile before saying, “I mean I’d ask you out, but I’d have to hear another improv outro to convince me.”

“Is that so? Lucky for you, I’m a genius when it comes to that.” You grinned. You thought for a bit and sang:

This song catchier than chicken pox is

I bet your house is where my other sock is

Woke up this morning thought I’d write a pop hit

How quickly can you take your clothes off pop quiz

We are at the Oscars after party

I can be so flirty and so classy

If you date me I can show you dirty”

He looked impressed and gave you a dimpled grin and an applause. “That was amazing! So, when are you free?”

Your eyes widened. To be honest, you didn’t think he’d actually ask you out. You thought it was just playful flirting. Little did you know you already got his heart and attention. You intrigued him and he wanted more.

“Well, I’m free this week. I’ll go back on tour next week.” You told him as he nodded. He grabbed his phone to check the calendar and asked, “Does Thursday at 8pm sound good?” You frantically nodded and he chuckled at your reaction.

“Alright, Thursday it is, then. Can I ask one favor?”

“Anything for you, handsome.” You winked, making him blush.

“That outro you did… Can you sing it live on tour? I kinda wanna hear you sing about wanting me in front of a crowd.” Evan smirked. This man will be the death of you.

“Like I said, anything for you, handsome.” You grinned, exchanged numbers, and parted ways, not wanting anyone to bring attention to the both of you… not yet, at least.

----

A/N: There'll be part 2 dw ;) hope y'all enjoyed this as much as I did writing it hihi

[scotianostra]

On September 5th 1750, the poet Robert Fergusson was born in the Canongate in Edinburgh.

Most of you will not have heard of Robert Fergusson, he suffered from ill health, physical and mental, during his short life, he passed away in barbarous conditions in Edinburgh's notorious Bedlam.

Doctor Andrew Duncan, the name might be familiar to those from Edinburgh, on finding Fergusson before being admitted to the "hospital" described him as being in a "state of furious insanity" he saw no choice but to have Fergusson taken to the city's Bedlam madhouse.Conditions at the Bedlam, which was attached to the Edinburgh Charity Workhouse behind modern-day Teviot Place, were notoriously awful. Patients were treated as inmates, locked in cold stone-flagged cells, with only straw for bedding.

Fergusson may have only lived for 24 years, the last of which was traumatic, but those short years not only inspired Scotland’s best-known bard Robert Burns and the writer Robert Louis Stevenson, it also paved the way for better treatment of people with mental health conditions thanks to the aforementioned Dr Duncan.

Robert Fergusson was born of Aberdeenshire parents in Cap-and-Feather Close, in Edinburgh’s Old Town, on 5 September, 1750. The street has since disappeared, having been demolished during Fergusson’s lifetime to make way for the North Bridge, many of you will have walked over where Cap-and-Feather Close, it is said to have been where the junction at the Tron Church is, the road that now takes you over North Bridge towards Princes Street.

After primary education in Edinburgh, Fergusson entered the city’s High School in 1758, attaining a bursary to attend the Grammar School in Dundee in 1762. Two years later, he enrolled in St. Andrews University. As a student, Fergusson became infamous for his pranks, having once come close to expulsion. Despite this riotous reputation, the poet’s education stayed with him, he moved back to Edinburgh to support his mother, after the death of his father.

He got a job as a copyist for the Commissary Office main concern was, of course, poetry, and on 7 February, 1771 he anonymously published the first of a trio of pastorals in Ruddiman’s Weekly Magazine. Originally he wrote in English but by 1772 he had started to use the Scottish dialect in the standard Habbie verse form - a form which would later be copied and made famous by Robert Burns, indeed this style is now called the Burns stanza, perhaps it should be The Fergusson Stanza?

Fergusson’s own muse was Allan Ramsay and, like the be-turbaned Ramsey, followed a bit of a bohemian lifestyle in Edinburgh, which was then at the height of an intellectual and cultural tumult as the nerve centre of the Scottish Enlightenment. He wrote a total of fifty poems in Scottish English and thirty-three in the Scots language, but it is for his remarkable exploits in the latter genre that he should be acknowledged and acclaimed. His poetic subject matter paints vivid accounts of the life and characters of ‘Auld Reekie’ and drunken encounters with the notorious Edinburgh City Guard of Captain Porteous, the ‘Black Banditti’ of ‘The Daft Days’.

Fergusson began to suffer from depression in 1773, biographers have described his condition as ‘religious melancholia’, but regardless of whether or not that was the case, he gave up his job, stopped writing, withdrew completely from his riotous social life, and spent his time reading the Bible. He had heard about an Irish poet, John Cunningham, who had died in an asylum in Newcastle. That inspired 'Poem to the Memory of John Cunningham', and Fergusson became terribly afraid that the same thing was going to happen to him. Tragically, his dark prediction came true. In August, 1774, Fergusson fell down a flight of stairs and received a bad head injury, after which he was deemed ‘insensible’. His friend, the good doctor Andrew Duncan, had no choice but to admit him to Darien House "hospital", Bedlam, where after a matter of weeks, he suddenly died. He had only just turned 24.

I return to the fact that Burns was a fan and after Fergusson’s death Burns wrote of him, “my elder brother in misfortune, by far my elder brother in the muse.”

Fergusson was buried in an unmarked plot in The Canongate Kirkyard. On visiting Edinburgh in 1787, Burns paid for a headstone over his long-neglected grave, commemorating Fergusson as ‘Scotia’s Poet. I have taken many friends to visit Fergusson's last resting place over the years, mainly down to my late mother's love of Burns, but also because I love showing people around my home town.

The picture shows the statue of Robert Fergusson outside the Canongate Church, if passing go pay your respects to the man, who inspired Rabbie Burns, who, under different circumstances might have been lauded as our National Bard, if you like a wee whisky perhaps raise a glass tonight on what might have been "Fergusson's Night"

This few lines are from The Daft Days, by Fergusson, you will get the drift of Edinburgh being a comforting, hospitable place where they aren't afraid of a drink, which is a s true today as it was in 1772 when they were written.

Auld Reikie! thou’rt the canty hole,

A bield for many caldrife soul,

Wha snugly at thine ingle loll,

Baith warm and couth,

While round they gar the bicker roll

To weet their mouth.

[jazzstandardspoll]

Descriptions & Propaganda

Mack the Knife (Original title: "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer")

Composed by Kurt Weill , with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht (English lyrics by Marc Blitzstein )

Notable versions: Louis Armstrong (x), Ella Fiztgerald (x), Bobby Darin (x)

Propaganda:

Originally a last-minute addition to the German opera "Die Dreigroschenoper", it was translated into English in 1954 by Marc Blitzstein (it was translated beforehand in 1933, but that run of the opera was unsuccessful, and the 1954 translation is the base for most modern recordings). The following year, Louis Armstrong recorded a version of it in a swing style, and soon after Bobby Darin released (arguably) the most popular recording of the song, solidifying the murder-ballad as a jazz standard.

Additional neat little bit of information (cw mention of rape and arson): The 1954 translation is censored from the German version, as it removes the verses detailing rape and arson, and adds a verse naming several victims of Macheath. Lotte Lenya was the original star of the opera, and is mentioned by name in Louis Armstrong's recording during this additional verse.

St. James' Infirmary

Traditional

Notable versions: Louis Armstrong (x), Cab Calloway (x), Artie Shaw (x)

Propaganda:

i love how this song starts as a lament and then switches on a dime to such a cool, proud, almost bragging defiance of death. and of course that trumpet!! that trombone!!

imo this song exemplifies the rich tapestry of popular music and the links between the jazz standards, the blues, and the english, irish, and appalachian folk traditions. people sort of fight over whether this song is influenced by the unfortunate rake/rakes progress/young trooper cut down in his prime/etc., (musicologist a. l. lloyd’s theory) or not- there’s a whole book about it, “i went down to the st. james infirmary” by robert harwood.

but none of that really matters. if you love the blues and you love folk music this song is like a familiar hug, full of the themes and motifs you recognize but maybe can’t quite pin down. the mysterious origins are part of the fun. extra propaganda: if you know/love/have ever listened to “blind willie mctell” by bob dylan, this song is the father.

i like the way this one sounds but i also think it's historically/anthropologically pretty cool... it's part of the lineage of "the unfortunate rake" which also spawned popular folk songs like "streets of laredo" and possibly "house of the rising sun" (debated among experts but possible), but this one unlike those others was taken up by jazz artists starting in the 1920s and eventually came to be regarded as a jazz standard. fascinating stuff!

[thatslayer]

Always and Forever. That was the promise made, and yet the Mikaelsons have gone their separate ways. Klaus is rumored to have remained in New Orleans, but he so rarely leaves The Abattoir that no one knows for certain. The city thrives under the heavy hand of Marcel Gerard, and all is humming along smoothly until the ground starts to rumble beneath St. Anne's church. A new mouth of hell bubbling up power like a beacon, attracting vampires, demons and the forces of darkness.

Immortal Beloved is a casual panfandom group verse and discord server spanning The Vampire Diaries, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Teen Wolf, Supernatural (other like-fandoms welcome) and is vaguely set in the first two-ish seasons of The Originals. Plot-heavy group. Accepting canons and OCs are welcome and encouraged to join! Note: OCs must not have pre-established relationships with canon characters without prior discussion. Group is friendly and supportive! Contact @thatslayer or @phdinrage for info, or just add faithlehane on discord!

THE CAST

The Originals/The Vampire Diaries

Klaus Mikaelson ; @thisbloodlust Elijah Mikaelson ; @enduringlystoic Rebekah Mikaelson ; Discord Muse Kol Mikaelson ; @worthbeinggoodfor Finn Mikaelson ; @astormymind Stefan Salvatore ; @destroyedbyguilt Damon Salvatore ; @damonstevedore Bonnie Bennett ; @littlebennettbitch Katherine Pierce ; @bourbonandheels Marcel Gerard ; @onegativeandtequila Davina Claire ; ---looking--- Hayley Marshall-Kenner ; Discord Muse Jackson Kenner ; Discord Muse Kai Parker ; @sociopathicryanreynolds

Aya Al-Rashid ; Discord Muse

Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel

Buffy Summers ; @insufferablemonsters Angel ; @shanshu Faith Lehane ; @thatslayer Willow Rosenberg ; Discord Muse Xander Harris ; @strangeandoffputting Rupert Giles ; Pending Spike ; Discord Muse Whistler ; Discord Muse

Teen Wolf

N/A

Supernatural

Dean Winchester ; @pulledfromhell Sam Winchester ; @samattheend Rowena MacLeod ; Discord Muse

Grave Encounters

Lance Preston ; @demcnsinmymind

Percy Jackson

Lou Ellen Blackstone ; @nosestealer

Interview with a Vampire (AMC)

Lestat de Lioncourt ; Discord Muse Louis de Pointe du Lac ; Discord Muse

The OCs

Maria Gonzales (Vampire Slayer) ; Discord Muse Robin Clark (Human) ; Discord Muse Jedi Collins (Witch) ; @jedicollins Chase Preciado (Werewolf) ; Discord Muse Gael Morrow (Psychic Medium); @misfitpuzzlepieces Irina Rybar (Feral Revenant) ; @misfitpuzzlepieces

[speakeasyaoi]

Mitzi May x F!Reader

> Requested by anonymous | Mitzi makes me question my sexuality sometimes I won't even lie- I love her. She needs more recognition. She's wife material

PROMPT: N/A

After the fallout of her marriage with Atlas, Mitzi is a little desperate to find some way to fill that hole he left in her heart. Though she tries to cling on to the fleeting memory of her ex-husband to the best of her ability, finding someone new to take his place is a necessity for her to eventually move on, a necessity which you end up fulfilling. By the time you meet her, and even when you start a relationship with her, she's still rather attached to her previous marriage, in both big and small ways, but over time she'll gradually grow more open to her new relationship and start to move on from her previous ones.

And on that note, Atlas's recent passing makes her take steps in her relationship with you much slower than she would in other situations. As much as she yearns to be close to you, it's a long while before she's able to shake off all that lingering guilt that comes with finding someone new in her life.

Mitzi feels the need to be a bit secretive about the fact that she's dating another woman--her business is already in shambles as it is, rumors and gossip about Lackadaisy's newfound owner being a sapphist* will only make her financial situation worse--but despite that, she's more than willing to be with you out in public in ways that aren't as blatantly romantic. She keeps you on her arm like a piece of eye candy, taking you out to the shops or to brunch or just walking around St. Louis and seeing the sights. Once she's warmed up to you, you're practically inseparable.

She loves dancing with you. She's more keen on more tender dances, like slow dancing, but in all honesty she's more interested in the intimacy of it then she is in following any silly rules or steps. She thinks it's rather endearing if you're a bit clumsy or not well versed in dancing, and guides you through it to the best of her ability.

In private, she's significantly more flirty and romantic than she'd be in the presence of a crowd, practically smothering you. She finds it entertaining to come up behind you and wrap her arms around your waist, kissing along your neck without warning to watch your reaction and leaving a trail of lipstick stains along your skin.

Despite it being a rather unintelligent business decision, she likes to treat you to the Lackadaisy bar on the house. ("On the house" being on Wick's tab. Not that he'd notice.) Her ideal date is something along the lines of spending a night alone with you and a bottle of fine alcohol, and once that's said and done, you're probably going to have to nurse her through her hangover in the coming morning. ...On the bright side, it only serves to make her even more infatuated with you.

After a long, tiring day at work, Mitzi likes to unwind by setting you down in her lap as she brushes and/or braids out your hair. It's a quiet ritual for her to just take a bit of a break every once in a while. She also enjoys doing your makeup for you and dolling you up in the morning.

Mitzi is a very praising partner by nature, and while words aren't her main love language, she's more than generous when it comes to petnames and compliments. She'll frequently call you 'sweetheart', 'dear', or 'honey', likely paired with a chaste kiss on your cheek or jawline.

She cherishes every little gift and bit of your attention you give her, and holds it very close to her heart. If you give her a peice of jewelery, she wears it practically daily (think of Atlas's pearl necklace), and if it's something else, say a practical item or article of clothing, she makes sure to use it at every opportunity she can. While she loves to be spoiled, smaller, more personal things warm her heart.

Other notes: *Sapphist in this case is historically accurate terminology for a women who likes other women- sapphic, queer or bisexual would be a more modern term of the same meaning. Or maybe it isn't that historically accurate. I don't really know

[amphibious-thing]

So lets talk about Franklin. Overall I liked it. But it wasn't particularly historically accurate. This is hardly an issue that's unique to Franklin, it's an issue with the genre in general. It's impossible to take people's real lives, with all their complexity, and compress them into a entertaining, well paced TV show while also being completely historically accurate. Things inevitably get left out, timelines get muddled, a dash of creative license can get out of hand all to quickly. Straight off the bat Franklin lets us know it's not too concerned with historical accuracy by just completely leaving Silas Deane out.

That considered I liked it. I really enjoyed Romain Brau's performance. The moment when everyone is laughing at d'Eon in the theatre and it cuts to a close up of her face, you can see her pain, but also her resolve, her strength.

We see this strength again in the conversation between her and Franklin.

However. They got her name wrong. I know pretty much everyone deadnames d'Eon but really?!? It doesn't make sense in the narrative at all. D'Eon is being introduced as a woman why would her deadname be used in this scenario. Just in case you haven't heard me say it a thousand times, d'Eon's name was Charlotte-Geneviève-Louise-Auguste-André-Timothée d’Eon de Beaumont, or Geneviève d'Eon for short.

The timeline also seems confused. In one scene Temple makes a bet on d'Eon's sex but historically these bets had pretty much stopped after d'Eon was declared a woman in both England and France. There had been a lot of speculation over her sex in the past but by the time she returned to France there seemed to be an answer; d'Eon was a woman who had disguised herself as a man. While there were certainly people who made fun of d'Eon, they made fun of her under the belief that she, to put it bluntly, had a vagina. In Franklin the jokes made at her expense rely on the insinuation that she had a penis and the satirical cartoon of d'Eon and Franklin having sex depicts her with a penis.

Historically there were rumors that d'Eon and Franklin were lovers but these rumors were based on the widely held belief that d'Eon was a woman. And woman was understood in a very cisnormative way.

The pamphlet History of a French Louse (published in French and later translated into English) follows the story of a louse who finds himself on d'Eon. The louse describes d'Eon as "a woman whose manners were so absurd, so masculine, and unsuitable to her sex". The louse is still residing on d’Eon when she goes to dine at Franklin’s place:

My heroine [d’Eon] left her seat to place herself close to the master of the house [Franklin], to whom she sung some verses of her own composing, which I should not have thought excellent but for that circumstance; however they were greatly applauded. I plainly observed his excellency express his gratitude to his Apollo by an ardent kiss, but without quitting his spectacles; at the same time he whispered in her ear, Shall it be this evening, my goddess?

While the pamphlet acknowledges that d'Eon had "appeared in the habit of a man, and wore the cross of St. Louis" it states that "she was a woman". Certainly History of a French Louse is mocking d'Eon and Franklin but the author clearly believed that d'Eon was woman.

Oh also they misgendered her in the credits!

[handeaux]

In 1905, Cincinnati Vainly Hoped To Double Its Population In Just Five Years

Talk about optimism! In 1905, the Cincinnati Post ran a contest looking for ideas on how Cincinnati could increase its population to 600,000 in time for the 1910 census, only five years hence.

Although Cincinnati was still a growing city – no census marked a decrease in our city’s population until 1960 – any notion that the population might top half a million, much less 600,000 was beyond ambitious. It was flat-out crazy. Still, the progressive Cincinnati Post [16 November 1905] persisted, announcing monetary prizes for the best ideas on how to achieve a population explosion in a few short years.

“If someone should start a 600,000 club in Cincinnati, it would become the biggest organization in the world. This is evident in the fact that every one in Cincinnati, and nearly every one in Southern Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia, would join it. Not only are the people of Cincinnati interested for the greater city, but those outside the city also.”

In the event that folks needed a little incentive beyond civic pride, the Post offered monetary rewards for the best ideas on how to increase the city’s population to 600,000 by 1910. First prize was $50, second prize was $25 and five third prizes of $5 rounded out the awards. From November 1905 into mid-January 1906, the Post published ideas as they arrived and interviewed city dignitaries about the ingenuity of the contest.

Among the celebrities interviewed about the initiative was Joseph B. Foraker, former governor of Ohio and current U.S. Senator from Ohio. He told the Post [15 November 1905]:

“Keep building skyscrapers. One can scarcely realize the great change that has come to the city. Why, from my window they are jumping up until the city is looking like an oil field. They are filled, too, just as rapidly as they are built. Make room for the people, and they will come along.”

Compared to some of the other ideas submitted to the Post, Senator Foraker’s suggestion was rather tame.

J. Louis Bunn, a house painter, suggested rerouting the Ohio River from Coney Island to Sedamsville southward into Kentucky, so that Covington, Newport, Bellevue and Dayton would be transplanted to Ohio and therefore become part of Cincinnati.

Frank Boies, a shoe-cutter, was convinced that closing all saloons on Sunday would do the trick.

Harry Dilg, an express delivery driver, lobbied for more championship prize fights being hosted by Cincinnati.

A contestant who signed his entry “Stranger” made a list of obstacles to Cincinnati’s growth. Would Cincinnati ever achieve 600,000 population? According to “Stranger”:

“Not as long as the Traction Company is not compelled to give the people better service. Not as long as the sweeping of any old rubbish, especially paper, off the sidewalk and into the street is allowed. Not as long as property-owners or their agents are indifferent to the appearance of property that has become vacant. Not as long as corporations are not compelled to think of others as well as themselves. The worst case of this kind will be found in the so-called ‘waiting room’ at the foot of Art Hill, sometimes called the Lock-st. Incline. W. Kesley Schoepf [president of the Traction Company] would not think of using it as a garage for his automobile, yet he expects patrons to ‘wait’ in there until one of his 5-cent carriages that you are compelled to stand up in half the time comes along.”

No newspaper contest, of course, would be complete without an entry from an adorable schoolgirl. The Post [28 December 1905] prominently blazoned the ideas of 13-year-old Gladys Schultz of Linwood, who wrote her contribution in verse:

“Annex all the villages in Hamilton County; Give all small manufactories a bounty. Exempt from taxation all chattels; Help the businessman fight some of his battles. Tax real estate all it will stand – The banker can lend a helping hand. Fill the Mill Creek Valley above high-water mark. Build factories thereon with space for a park. An underground railway, with a boulevard top, Our unsightly canal will make a beautiful spot. A union depot for all railroads to come in, Will bring 600,000 by 1910!”

The Post encouraged contestants to submit multiple entries and John Miller, a harness maker, complied by compiling 36 ideas into a single entry. Mr. Miller [11 December 1905] covered quite a bit of territory with his suggestions, ranging from the mundane . . .

“22. For Cincinnati to send a letter of thanks to President Roosevelt and Secretary Taft for the good they did in the last election.”

. . . to the idealistic.:

“36. Abolish capital punishment.”

Along the way, Mr. Miller lobbied for more monuments, an eight-hour work day, honest elections, free schoolbooks in the public schools, more parks along the riverfront and better service at the city hospital.

The winner of the big $50 prize was Marion L. Pernice Jr., assistant advertising manager of the Fay & Egan Company, manufacturers of woodworking machinery. His suggestion boiled down to essentially one word: Advertise! Pernice suggested that all goods manufactured in Cincinnati be labeled “From Cincinnati” and that only goods manufactured in Cincinnati be eligible for that slogan. All suburban manufacturers would lobby for annexation to Cincinnati to carry that prestigious mark.

Alas, the contest did not achieve its stated goal. Cincinnati’s population in 1905, approximately 340,000, reached only 364,000 in 1910. Evan worse, the census of 1910 marked the first time since 1830 that Cincinnati was not ranked among the largest 10 cities in the United States. It would be 1950 before Cincinnati achieved 500,000 residents and 60 years of population decline followed until an uptick in the 2020 census.

And yet, no serious discussion about re-channeling the Ohio River.

[forasecondtherewedwon]

lullaby for a rottweiler

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Rating: G Word Count: 1116

Summary: There isn't exactly a Protector's Handbook with a chapter on what to do if you find yourself trapped in Cerberus's mouth, so Grover decides to tackle the problem the best way he knows how: by singing the consensus song.

What Grover never mentioned to the others—what he never felt he had to confess might be a better way to say it—is that there’s a reason he was glad they didn’t take a plane to California. Another reason. A reason that has nothing to do with the three of them spending the flight huddled anxiously in the bathroom until lightning bolts blast the wings off and Percy has to save them with airplane toilet water. Which Grover, who may have dreamed that exact scenario on the train to St. Louis, doesn’t doubt Percy could have done. For the record.

The other reason he was happy not to take a plane is turbulence. He’s super not into it. Rough travel can be fun when it’s his hooves over uneven ground. It’s not even the worst, in terms of messing with his inner ears, to be on a bus during a Fury attack. Or on a train with a rampaging Chimera. A car being rammed by a Minotaur! If Grover were to explain, if he had to tell Annabeth and Percy, he has quite the portfolio of turbulent travel situations to use as proof that he’s fine 99% of the time.

Boy, it really feels like the gods are laughing at him for managing to skip the plane only to end up bouncing along in one of Cerberus’s three mouths.

This is a heavy dog, and he takes big leaps. Grover is lofted up against the solid roof of the dog’s mouth, then dropped back down on its warm, rubbery tongue. And the whole place stinks. Hades can’t get in here with a toothbrush every once in a while? It smells like Cerberus has been using the Styx as his own personal water bowl. (The scent is misery with base notes of the abandonment of all hope.) Numbed by the stench, all Grover can do at first is subject himself to a mental montage of the greasy diner food and convenience store snacks he’s been living on. Not even the good stuff, like soda cans and tins of peanuts with the peanuts dumped out.

What breaks through his fixation on the contents of his churning stomach is one word: bumpy.

Because he’s not really big on self-pity, Grover scrambles to his knees between bounds and does his best to brace himself inside Cerberus’s mouth just enough to feel like he has a little bit of control. Hey, he feels less nauseous already!

“Oh golly!” he shout-sings, and immediately regrets it; Cerberus cocks his head at the noise and jerks to a stop. Grover cringes as he’s tossed against the dog’s teeth.

“Sorry,” he says, softer. “I guess six ears are more sensitive than two, huh?”

Cerberus’s answering whine vibrates Grover bone-deep before the dog starts moving again—a jaunty walking pace that’s ramping back up into a full-out run.

“Let’s try this again,” Grover says to himself, getting situated between tongue and palate.

He clears his throat.

“Oh, golly, the road’s gettin’ bumpy ’cause I got me…” He considers the dark, reeking cavern in which he crouches. “…a hound dog who just won’t slow down. Oh, dear. When the heads are gettin’ bouncy, the trick to settled tummies is…”

Is??? Grover thinks, because it’s a lot harder to come up with rhymes when you’re lurching down the bank of the River Styx in something’s mouth than it is when you’re packing a bag at camp based on what you think your co-questers are most likely to forget.

“…a trip to singin’ town,” he picks up.

Percy and Annabeth never let him get to verse two (where you say nice things about each other, building goodwill on the path to consensus). Cerberus hasn’t spat Grover out or tried to swallow him, so, honestly, after having his friends interrupt his debut performance, he’s taking it as encouragement to keep singing. He claps a hand against his opposite arm steadily until the words come to him. It’s weird but either he’s matched his claps to Cerberus’s footfalls or the dog’s running to his beat.

“Oh, Cerby, you’re good at bein’ grumpy, you make a great guard dog, your fur’s all black and brown.” The last one’s more of an observation than a compliment, and Grover winces, hoping Cerberus is more affected by his happy tone than the exact words.

“Good boy,” Grover sings, not meaning it. “You don’t need to run fast. (In fact, slower’s prob’ly better.) A trip to singin’ town.”

His eyes widen as, miraculously, Cerberus slows. Grover lets his clapping trail off. The dog stops, he sinks. Though it feels like this mouth-elevator has reached the ground floor, he’s not opening up to let Grover out. Suddenly, a snore rumbles through him. Seems like it’s probably now or never; Grover wriggles out between Cerberus’s huge teeth, getting a thorough slime bath as he pushes past the dog’s slobbery jowls.

He's relieved to see Percy, but he directs his first words at Cerberus: “You are a bad, bad dog!”

And he is a good, good singer, he thinks, even after he realizes Annabeth has literally scaled the side of Hades’ hound to give the dog neck scritchies. And maybe Percy helped too, fearlessly standing his ground in the path of the charging dog. Three heads are really better than one! Grover glances sideways at Cerberus. Three heads are better in some circumstances.

There’s not much time, so he listens to the others’ plan, using the shoes to lift Percy off the ground and fly him up the cliff. But the dog’s getting restless; Grover can hear growling noises that do not indicate peaceful slumber. After a harrowing minute of separation and a squeak of the red ball, Annabeth joins them at the top of the cliff. She launches the ball and Cerberus gives chase. The three of them stand there for a moment, breathing hard. But Grover just can’t keep it in.

“I GAVE YOU COMPLIMENTS!” he shouts after the dog. “YOU DON’T JUST ATTACK A GUY AND HIS FRIENDS RIGHT AFTER THE CONSENSUS SONG!”

Still outraged, he turns to his friends.

“What was that thing the Oracle said about betrayal again? Percy?”

But Percy isn’t listening, so Grover looks to Annabeth for support. The scrunch of her eyebrows and the slant of her mouth say she has no idea why he’s bringing up the consensus song right now (and why would she? Grover doesn’t mind that a ride in Cerberus’s mouth is one part of this quest he experienced alone). Regardless, Annabeth pats him on the shoulder.

“Yuck,” she says, withdrawing her hand and staring at her drool-slicked palm.

Grover sighs.

“Yeah. Tell me about it.”

[crowsandmurder]

I'm adding TWELVE new characters, but it will take me a few days to get all their bios and verses up. But, they are available, if you understand them.

Alex Karev (Grey's Anatomy) - Justin Chambers

Alfred the Great (rped from @aelfred) - Ferdia Walsh-Peelo

Clay Morrow (Sons of Anarchy) - Ron Perlman

Dan Scott (One Tree Hill) - Paul Johansson

David Silver (Beverly Hills 90210) - Brian Austin Green

Derek Shepherd (Grey's Anatomy) - Patrick Dempsey

Jesse St. James (Glee) - Jonathan Groff

Louis XIV (Versailles and some Historical influence rped here) - George Blagden

Mark Sloan (Grey's Anatomy) - Eric Dane

Noah Puckerman (Glee) - Faceless

Palpatine (Star Wars) - Ian McDiarmid

Triple H (WWE) - Paul Levesque

They are all available on my carrd, in addition to the rest. I'm just still adding bios and verses for them.

[alwaysbeyondhope]

Chess at The Muny

(no read more breaks I’m too old for that nonsense)

So it’s not a secret that I love Chess. Florence Vassy is my all-time favorite musical theater female lead. Chess is my favorite musical. I’m so in love with the music, I love the doomed romance of Florence and Anatoly. And some of my favorite musical theater loves (Carolee Carmello, Helen Sjöholm) have played Florence.

I traveled to St. Louis on Friday to see the show Saturday night. I ended up getting a last minute ticket to see the show again Sunday night (because I have no chill and because I’m so in love).

The show was FUCKING AMAZING.

Apart from a few cut verses and altering song order, Chess at The Muny was very similar to the West End / 2008 Royal Albert Hall layout. It was a fully staged show, not a concert, and it was brilliant.

What I absolutely loved was the almost complete absence of a book. Chess has always struggled with a good, solid book, but I really don’t think it needs one. Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus make some of the greatest music in the world - let that music come through. With Tim Rice’s lyrics (and Björn’s assistance - Tim did not write those lyrics on his own) the show is best performed in a rock opera style.

The Muny knew and understood this. Dialogue was brief - some spoken instead of where it had been sung in other versions, some dialogue inserted in just the right place to get the point across - but nothing that relied on a book to move the show forward. It doesn’t need it.

The venue is gorgeous for an outside amphitheater. The stage included a revolving checkered square with stairs and risers. There was a huge screen at the back and two thin screens on either side of the stage. Those were utilized so well - the thin screens showed the hand fidgeting and coughing, etc during Chess #1, while the main screen showed the actual match. There were minimal set pieces - wooden boxes on wheels to be used as chairs / airplane seats / furniture.

The cast was just amazing. Phillip Johnson Richardson plays The Arbiter, balancing the no-nonsense role with the dance moves and swagger that the part requires.

Tally Sessions plays a wicked Molokov, pulling strings and not pulling punches. Rodney Hicks is a perfect Walter de Courcey.

Jarrod Spector was Freddie, playing the petulant man-baby with some legit childhood trauma. His Pity the Child was wonderful - the right amount of self-loathing and pity and bitterness and anger, without being too sympathetic.

Taylor Louderman was Svetlana. I’ll admit that seeing her Saturday night was a little underwhelming for me - I didn’t think she shined as much as I wanted her to with Someone Else’s Story, but she got me with I Know Him So Well, and I thought her performance Sunday night overall was better than Saturday. The back and forth with I Know Him So Well brought things back for me.

John Riddle was Anatoly. I knew nothing of him going into the show. He absolutely blew me away. Where I Want to Be was powerful. Anthem was gut wrenching and gorgeous. And I’m very jealous of him for getting to kiss Jessica Vosk the way he did during the show.

And Jessica Vosk…Jessica Vosk. I knew little about her before the cast was announced, and then I had to go searching for her to vet my Florence. Because Florence is so precious to me, so important.

I knew Florence was in good hands with Jessica when I heard her recorded Nobody’s Side on her album Wild and Free. I was not disappointed this weekend. Jessica Vosk as Florence was EVERYTHING I wanted her to be, especially for my first time seeing Chess live.

Jessica’s Florence was jaded and professional and intrigued by Anatoly and touch-starved and bitter and angry and Nobody’s Side had just enough longing and punch in it.

They shortened the song - cut out the last verse after “never waste a hot afternoon” which meant they cut the long “don’t forget the best will go wrong” rift which is my favorite. But there’s a break earlier which gave JV an impressive vocal rift there - similar to what’s on her recorded Nobody’s Side.

I will always be partial to the Swedish staging of Nobody’s Side - because who doesn’t want angry/hurt Florence drinking and grinding with strangers in a nightclub - but it doesn’t fit in this production. And there’s something special about Helen Sjöholm being the only one to perform that staging - because HS is a dream and I am very gay.

The chemistry between Vosk and Riddle made me all smiling and tingly, and they had two almost-kisses and then a very long intense kiss and the romantic sap in me was very happy.

I also absolutely LOVED having a young Florence and her father in some flashbacks - in Budapest is Rising, in Florence Quits (I believe they were there - it’s getting a bit muddled in my mind). But multiple times where we see a young Florence run across the stage, or being carried by her father, or their separation. Oh it was so good.

The ending and You and I always gets me emotional. Again - Jessica Vosk portrays Florence with all the heartbreak and emotion I need. The repeated “losing my man and getting nothing in return” made me cry, and then I was sobbing during the Epilogue.

THIS is the version of Chess that should be revived on Broadway. It’s perfect as a rock opera. Keep it that way. Add in a little bit of dialogue if absolutely needed. We don’t need the self-defacing humor of the newest Danny Strong book. We don’t need the CIA, or fake Gregor, or sympathetic Molokov. This staging is perfect. This is what I want to see on Broadway.

I wish I could have seen the show 100 times. I’m extremely fortunate and grateful that I saw it twice. And that I got my program signed by Jessica Vosk - so now I’ve got signatures from three different actresses playing Florence.

There’s TikTok videos of pieces of the show floating around. I’d love to get my hands on a proper boot of the show. My phone battery is shit so it wasn’t gonna be me.

It was gorgeous and amazing and thrilling and everything I wanted and I hope to see more of it soon. With a good cast like this, worthy of taking on these roles.