#was in only like maybe 2hrs of the last two seasons

[winnie-the-monster]

“I figured out why I was so obsessed with it. The story is about learning to say goodbye. I think Raf leaving is hitting me harder than I thought.”

“I know.”

[aurelion-cerulean]

We all know that S5 is going to be going back to its roots. It's supposed to emulate S1 from what we have been told.

But what does that actually look like?

I think three big things:

Run Times and Episode Count

There has been debate on the number being either 8 or 9 (1&3 were 8, 2&4 were 9). I considered 10 as a new rounded number to finish it off, but then I realized that 8+9+8+9+8=42.

If you’re new here, 42 is the secret to the universe in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe. It’s big sci-fi nerd stuff. So I can’t pass up this opportunity. Also the first season is 8 episodes, and since they are trying to return to that Season 1 vibe, this would make sense to me.

Also. 42 is divisible by 7, and 7 is tied to Will. If Will is the MC for season 5, then this just helps strengthen the choice.

Averaging at 86 min per ep, S4 was a monster. If we take out eps 7,8,&9 (1.5 roughly, 1.5hr, 2.5hr), the average is a beautiful 73min per episode. S1 was 50min on average. Better yet, S2 and S3 were also about 55min on average. If we look at run times alone. S4 says that it's 9 episodes but if we compare the average times... S4 when compared to S1 has (roughly) 6 episodes worth of content. So S4 is like 15 episodes in a trench coat trying to pass itself off as 9.

Goodness.

We know that they, the creators, want the episodes to be shorter (possible if everything is in Hawkins and no new information really has to be established). We also know that the last episode is going to be 2hrs, or so they say, as the grand finale. I really don’t think that they will be able to drop down to 50 min again. Regardless of the information they need to include. After the spectacle of S4, they need to GO BIG. And I don't just mean the two hour finale.

I suspect that this season is going to be brilliant in cinematography, horror, and effects. It's going to make you sit on the edge of your seat in awe. AND it has to be a good story ending.

I think that the average episode time will be 60min + the 2hr finale. It lets them drop down in time, and gives them the room for the spectacle. It also doesn't highlight just how much of a monster S4 was in terms of time. IDK but having that season as this big outlier in time per ep, feels strange. IDK if they care, but I wouldn't want one of my seasons to stick out like a sore thumb like that.

2. Return to the Small Town Horror

Now, this show has been scary the entire way through. We've had monsters and unknowns, but in some way it hasn't felt the same as S1. Maybe I'm the only one who thinks this, but I knew, going into S4, that El would save the day. The question was about how. Not so much if or who. I also knew that the main cast would live.

Both of these things need to be established early on as NOPEs in order to really make S5 scary. We need to really feel that the characters can die (not just us panicking out here on social media thinking it, because they said no new characters). We also need to see that El can't just simply power up and we'll be good. She tried and failed. But she wasn't ready. So she powers up again. She still needs to fail. Why? Because we expect her to win and this time that's not how it works. (I have a whole thing on Defeating Vecna specifically, and the thematics of the Upside Down, that explain that I think this will be more of a rejection of ideologies.)

This season is going to need to feel close, crawl-up-your-skin-breath-on-the-back-of-your-neck scary. It's going to need to replicate the S1, "what the heck is going on?" And the, "No! The Monster! It's right there," scary. Now, how do we do that when we already have all the cards on the table? I have a few ideas of how they can achieve that (but I need to double check S1 first).

3. Single Narrative Focus

Note that this ties into point 2.

In S1 it was "find Will." Well, Nancy was off doing her Nancy thing, but for the others it was Find Will. By S4 we had: get Hopper, Find El, Figure out Vecna (and that's simplifying it). And really, in S2 and S3 we slowly turned this way from the single narrative to this complex narrative. It was an evolution outwards as the world expanded, and it's not bad, but we did get a lot.

However, now everyone is back in Hawkins. The return to the single narrative is EASY. They're all in Hawkins. The villain is Vecna. There are no if-ands-or-buts about it. We know who he is, why he is, how he is, and where he is. All the questions? Answered.

The issue is this: now what?

Everyone is together. How do we split them up when they know that's the wrong choice? Reasonably speaking, there is no reason for them to do this. They don't need to investigate (they know the villain). They don't need to figure out where he is (there is a whole cloud over Hawkins). They are already unified as a group, physically.

Note that I say physically. I've said this before. I will say it again. They are not unified mentally. Will? Used El as a proxy for his feelings. Mike and El? On the rocks. Νancy and Jonathan? Haven't spoken to each other about their issues. Dustin just saw Eddie die. Max is in a coma. Lucas watched that happen. Joyce and Hopper just arrived but they don't really know what's going on. Murray is Murray. Steve just dropped that infobomb in Nancy's hands and was like "deal with this as you will." Robin is probably the only one chill.

They are the furthest from unified as a group, mentally, as they could be. It's for this reason that I actually think that the focus of this season will not be "destroy Vecna" but rather "unify." With Vecna being the embodiment of rejection, isolation, and fear (see my Upside Down write up), the only way to combat that is to face their demons and come together as a group mentally too. Fighting separately for the same goal is not good enough. Not for this fight.

It's really funny because in most of the seasons I'll yell at the screen like "JUST TALK." Because if they just shared information lol. So many issues would be solved. Guess what? S4 Vecna squad does that. Nancy still does go off on her own to follow up on a lead, but ultimately, they do talk about everything. From the beginning, they are unified front in that regard. Things are working right, but they still fail because it's not the whole group.

Big horror trope? Person who goes off alone dies? Good thing our main cast hasn't done that before and almost died... very strange that it is a theme of this show too. Almost like, they shouldn't be operating solo, or running off on their own. Almost like they need to be unified every single season for things to work in the end. And just maybe. Maybe. This season, they need to see eye to eye and face their demons and support each other as they do that. IDK. Maybe that's a reach.

Sarcasm aside, I think that S5 will be about them coming together and solving the problem as a full team, but that also means that people are going to have to face themselves and their personal internal struggles. And with Vecna's reach pretty much everywhere, I wouldn't be surprised that we get more visions by the others, seeing things and then having to face their emotions regarding those things. AND then getting the support of the group, as they do so. They don't have to get over the feelings, but they will see that they're not alone and that they don't have to face it alone. That they don't have to be scared alone. (How many times do I need to repeat alone? Vecna is the embodiment of acting solo. In order to defeat his ideology, they can't do what he does.)

I think they'll be split up again, but not by their own choice. Something will happen, probably due to miscommunication, and then the party is split and has to come back together. They will do so, and whatever things they were hiding will be said, because they can't risk not saying it. They can't risk not facing it. Not when the big bad is on the horizon and there might not be another chance.

But at the end of the day, the monster is no longer in the dark and no longer hiding in the scary place. It is where everyone can see and they have to face it openly. (If that's not the biggest symbolism HERE I AM neon light. IDK what is.)

Now this, in my mind, can be done through the horror tropes (see point 2) and fear. Visions, monsters, etc. Getting them to talk and understand each other. I need to think about this a lot more to really see how I think it could be done, but there is a good possibility of this with pacing, tension, lighting, and music.

These are the three things I think we can expect from that return to S1 comment by the creators. I'll be back later with a better idea of the horror tropes and how they might be used to make things scary this season when we already know what lurks in the dark. Or, if someone else wants to... Tag me! I want to see!

[akajustmerry]

hottake maybe but...while there's some credit to the assertion that ratings were low for tfatws finale due to racism, i think the main reason is that narratively this series did not seem well thought out. things were vague at best and while u can get away with that in a 2hr film (as the mcu has done for years) u can't get away with it in 6 hours of TV.

the big problem with these Disney Marvel shows is that they're still being written like films wherein reveals and immediate reaction are the story. this is fine in a film because ppl generally don't expect high levels of detail when the only time being asked of their attention is 2hrs. but in a TV show, ur asking ur audience to sit with a story for 6hrs over 6 weeks, you simply have to give ppl more than reveal/reaction.

"vague terrorist organisation wants to abolish boarders with big bad plan" is serviceable for a 2hr film, but 6 hrs in 6 weeks?? and ur not even going to reveal their plan until the final episode?? ur asking ur audience to root for the protagonists AGAINST this group and ur not even gonna provide context or detail for what their actions are in the story until the last episode?? all so the plan can be revealed and reacted to in the final act? that's not how tv works.

marvel/Netflix Daredevil had its problems don't get me wrong, but can you imagine how hard that show would have been to stick with if you as an audience member did not clearly understand what Matt was up against even when he didn't? Daredevil is structured around you, the audience, knowing what Fisk is up to and rooting for Matt to stop it. You're rooting for him to know what u know so he can stop Fisk. You watch as Matt figures out fisks plan at about halfway/two-thirds of the way through the season and the rest is watching Matt strategize how to stop Fisk and Fisk pushing back so the final act feels satisfying cos u as an audience member know exactly what ur rooting for and rooting against both in ideology and in action.

To put it simply, when it comes to long form narrative like television if your antagonists' goals aren't made clear in the beginning than your protagonists' aren't either, and your audience has no reason to keep watching. There is nothing and I mean nothing about tfatws final episodes that couldn't have happened in the first two episodes, but because these shows seem to be built around reveal everything is drawn out in service of the reveal at the cost of storytelling people can actually invest in.

The Flag Smashers plan to kill the GRC members should have been revealed to the audience in episode 1 and Sam and Bucky in episode 2 at the LATEST because then we'd have clear context and motives for everyone's actions, but we didn't have that. We just had 5 episodes of a wild goose chase where we didn't know where the goose was running to. How can you surprised that a finale was underwatched when neither general audiences nor the protagonists had been given clear motivation or expectations for the final conflict?

the first episode of tfatws was (apparently) the most watched thing on Disney plus, more watched than Wandavision. People wanted to see these characters, that was evident. The main reason the finale was low rated, if you ask me, was because after 5 weeks of television, ppl realised they had no clue what the villains (the antagonists supposedly catalysing the story) were doing so why would they care??

Wandavision had this same problem where the reveal was the story so the finale fell flat because we as the audience didn't get a chance to understand the conflict in any meaningful way. we weren't even sure rooting for Wanda was the right take because she'd been angled as the villain, not because it made any sense, but because the writers wanted you to go 😳 when Agatha was revealed to be the villain. But like lmao Wanda is literally a white woman Avenger, audiences weren't gonna buy her as the villain anyways.

Revealing ur villain's intended actions as a climax for the story works in film because of time constraints, it doesn't work for TV. especially week by week TV because ur asking ur audience to spend weeks/months with a story without knowing the story's literal context. It was very poor writing covered up by big budget and star power and Sam Wilson, the first Black Captain America, deserved better.

[knitordeath]

So maybe you can help, I saw in one if your older post that you used to be a character actor and I assume that means princesses for bday parties. How old is Rapunzel? There is some debate between me and my friends, and I don't come on Tumblr anymore unless I'm truly desperate. Can you help me figure this out?

Fortunately for you, character acting does mean I was Princesses for birthdays and Rapunzel was my main princess. (That wig was flippin insane, it was in two parts and weighed seven pounds. It remains my favorite costume of all time and the one that hurt my neck the most. But that's off-topic)

Her age depends on which media Rapunzel is coming from.

In the movie, we know that the whole thing takes place over her eighteenth birthday.

Now it was incorrectly assumed by a few people that in the Disney short Tangled: Ever After, better known as the wedding, she was still eighteen. This isn't the case. For one, we hear at the end of the movie Eugene say that Rapunzel agreed to marry him after years of asking.

There is also another movie, in a different animation style, Tangled: Before Ever After. Now Before Ever After is set six months after Rapunzel first comes to the kingdom and is learning her place in the castle. We get to see a disastrous coronation and Rapunzel getting her long magical hair back. The whole movie is basically a set up for the series named (not very creatively) Tangled: The Series.

The series is IMO 100% worth a watch as it's; the same core cast (plus a few new faces) as the first film; the songs they sing are, while not dazzling, very entertaining; has a more consistent plot over the course of three seasons than The Rise of Skywalker did in 2hrs 22 min; AND most importantly you get to enjoy one JAMES MONROE IGLEHART lending his truly spectacular voice to several fantastic songs.

(Here's my favorite)

True to the ending monologue of the first movie, Eugene proposes multiple times over the course of the tv series, with Rapunzel only saying yes on the last episode. We also see bits and pieces from the wedding and how they came into being, like the white and gold sash that Eugene wears and how Rapunzel has short hair in time for the wedding.

Back to the timeline, the start of season one is almost the day (or perhaps week) after the coronation in Tangled: Before Ever After, and the season one finale is on Rapunzel's nineteenth birthday.

Now season two has Rapunzel and Co on the road so the time line is a little less clear, but there are a few flash backs that help with dating. The first episode flashes back to "25 years ago", the day Eugen's father gave him up. This is the same date for the flashback in one of the last episodes of the same event. So season two takes less than a full year. It does last more than six months (which one if the characters mention off had in one if the episodes, but the timeline isn't the most concrete. I say eight months, just to be safe.

Season three however has a somewhat nicer timeline. In one episode, titled "Beginnings" we have a flash back that puts Rapunzel's arrival in Corona two years previously, which would make the Princess 20 years old towards the beginning of season two.

After that, it's anyone guess, but a you could make the argument that a full year has passed by the end of season three just because there isn't a definite date to the last episode.

So long answer short, Rapunzel, by the time of her wedding is at least 20 years old, but you could make a solid argument for 21.

[r3b3lgrrrrrrrl]

A LunaTic and her Gunn (Part 99) "Shows in Different Country Codes"

@creatureofthen1ght-v3 @crystalbaby12 @mgkobsessed @backoftheroomandnotbelonging @5sosfam1dlover

Waiting for the Xanax to kick in that Luna had given him in their uber, Colson's leaned back into his seat. A thousand thoughts swirling through his head as he stares out the airplane's window.

"FUCK... I hate leaving them...." He sighs at the thought of Casie and Luna. "I wonder if she got in touch with that planner Emma gave her..." His mind drifting to their weddings. Being more nervous for EstFest, there's a lot to do just festival wise. "I'm glad no one gave me shit about adding the extra day..." He thinks of the vendors. Sighing again, his mind wanders to a place it tries to never go. "Maybe I should call my dad.... He should probably meet Luna...." His heart worries as the Xanax helps his eyes close.

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Luna lands in Mexico City around 5A. She wanders around the gift shop for a moment, buying a new shirt before making her way outside. It's pouring, so she pulls her Yankees hat on backwards before she hops into a taxi.

Once checked in at The Four Seasons, Luna doesn't know what to do with herself. Ashley's sharing a room with Dom, leaving Luna alone. Lighting a joint, she tries on the shirt she bought. Heading into the bathroom, she stands on top of the toilet to Snap Colson.

Finally crawling into bed, Luna flicks on the TV as she lights another joint. Drifting off to the sounds of Parks and Rec once she's put it out.

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The Bus is parked in the back of the venue, Colson's playing The Knitting Factory tonight. In the back of a cab, he catches the Snap from Luna. Laughing out loud at her once he opens it.

"She's so fucking adorable..." His heart aches for her as he pays for and climbs out of his ride.

Opening the door to their bedroom on The Bus, Colson isn't shocked to find Baze and Sam. He's definitely not pleased though.

"Yo. Wake the fuck up and get outta my bed." He states, kicking the bottom of Baze's foot.

Both of them wake with a bit of a startle. Looking at each other, slightly embarrassed. They like to think they're on The Low but everyone knows about them. Silly Wabbits.

"FUCK man... I didn't think you'd be back till later..." Baze says groggily as he collects himself.

"Clearly, Truck." Colson rolls his eyes with a chuckle as he turns around so they can dress.

Not one to cock block but desperately wanting to lay down, he really doesn't care. He knows Luna will though. As they begin to leave his room, Colson calls out a Yo. They both turn but he talks directly to Sam.

"You know she's a cunt.... I'd get these sheets washed before she gets back." He says with a light warning.

Tired, Sam stares at Colson. She hates that he knows Luna well enough to be right.

"I got it." She responds, uncharacteristically trying to hide the annoyance in her voice.

With his door shut, Colson Snaps Luna back before throwing himself down. Hoping to find her smell, he can only find other people in their bed. Pissed, he rips the blankets, sheets and pillow cases off, throwing them out the door.

Grabbing her pillow and tucking his nose inside his hoodie, he catches her faint scent. Images of Luna dancing in his head as he falls asleep.

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Luna wakes up to a hard banging on her door. It's just after 2P. Touching the empty side of her bed, Luna wishes Colson was with her.

Hating The World, she let's them bang. Finding her phone, there's a Snap from Colson.

"He's such a dirty Motherfucker..." Luna thinks with a grin.

The door still pounding.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!! I'M COMING!" She shouts as she climbs out of bed.

Winging the door open, it's Ashley and Dom. Impatient fucking Assholes.

"WHY!?!" Luna demands. "Why the FUCK do you need to bang like that?" Luna complains as she let's them in.

"To wake your bitch ass up." Ashley snarks, pushing her way into the room.

"Mornen' Loons." Dom greets her to her silent nod.

"You really are a DICKFUCK sometimes...." Luna says with annoyance.

"Whatever...." Ashley brushes her off. "Got any bud?" She asks, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah.... But it was shoved up my asshole, so do you really wanna smoke it?" Luna deadpans.

"Shut the fuck up." Ashley laughs as she turns to Dom. "She didn't shove it up her ass." She reassures him.

"Oi... Bum smoke is no problem fo me!" Dom responds, making both Girls laugh.

Dom knowing Them well enough to truly understand the nature of their friendship. Rolling one up as Ashley and Luna climb onto the bed together. Luna's ring catching Ashley's eye for the first time.

"HOLY FUCK! WHAT IS THIS!!!" She exclaims as she grabs for Luna's hand.

Admiring the large, sparkling stone, she moves Luna's hand all around as it catches the light. Shining brighter with every different angle. It's definitely NOT a guitar string.

"He picked this out on his own?" She asks in amazement.

"I think Rook might've helped him a little, but yeah... I had nothing to do with it." Luna answers.

"Good job, Kells." Ashley compliments his choice.

Luna, Ashley and Dom burn and chat. Talking about Colson, the ring, what they've both been up to and the upcoming weddings. It feels like forever since The Girls last saw each other. In reality, it's only been three days since the show at The Roxy.

"Alright... We gotta motor. Go shower, we have rehearsal in less then 2hrs. Come meet us in room 202 when you're ready." Ashley directs Luna.

"Alright......" Luna yawns loudly.

She heads into the bathroom as Ashley and Dom close her door behind them. Lighting another joint, she rails three 30s as she gets ready for the shower. Forgetting to Snap Colson back due to her unexpected visitors.

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"Cool..." Colson thinks when he finally opens his door. His angry linen fit is gone from the floor. "Thanks Sam...." His brain grateful even if his actions are sometimes dickish.

Walking to the front of The Bus, everyone's lounging, burning and waiting for him. Plopping down next to AJ, he asks Rook to throw him a bag of chips. Colson nonchalantly munches on them as they all talk about tonight's show. Working on the setlist, he hates when he has to cut Bad Things as he finishes his snack.

"Dawg... Raise that shit to your face!!" Slim hollers at the picture on the bag.

Looking at it, Colson asks "What like this?" Lifting it up just under his nose.

The entire Bus erupts into laughter. It fits so perfectly. Colson tosses his phone to Slim.

"Here, take a picture.... We'll see if this is wedding acceptable." He laughs.

Tossing it back after he takes one, Slim laughs out a Definitely Not as Colson shoots Luna a Snap asking the same question. Colson shrugs with amusement... You never know with Loons.

"We ready to fuck this day up?" He asks as he begins to lead the rest of them off of The Bus.

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Throwing on jeans, with a band T and flannel, Luna has her hair up. Red bandana securing it. Only having one pair of contacts left, she chooses to wear her glasses. The sun being her eyeballs mortal enemy today.

In the front seat of an uber with Ashley and Dom, her phone goes off. It's another Snap from Colson.

What the SHIT!!" Luna can't contain her thoughts or laughter. "Look at this crazy Asshole!!" She laughs.

Screenshotting the Snap before passing it to the backseat. Both of them erupt into laughter also.

"Oi. E wears it so well!!" Dom laughs.

"No... No, he doesn't. He looks like a fucking pornstar." Luna laughs as she takes back her phone.

"Pornstache!!" Ashley laughs out loudly to Luna's hysterical agreement.

Catching the older driver's amused eyes, Luna shows him. Bursting out laughing, he agrees... Yes, I'm sorry but Your Boyfriend Looks Like a PornStar. Tickling Luna's funny bone to the core.

"FUCKING JOHNNY WADS!!!!" She shouts, turning in her seat to look at Ashley before she Snaps Colson back.

She's referring to one of the pioneering PornStars of the 70s. John Holmes. Huge cock. 15 inches... If not more. A wild and extremely violent true story. The two of them watching the movie dozens of times as teenagers. Amongst many others.

Even with with one's own solid influences, false advertisements are still intriguing. Filling their young, rebellious souls. Recommending the fucked up movie to anyone who loves drugs, violence, Val Kilmer and unhappy endings.

"Oooh.. Christ!!! You better hope not, Phoebe!!" Ashley laughs.

"Fuck you... I'd be a Smelly Cat BEFORE a fucking SHARON!!!" Luna flicks her off with a laugh and a grin.

Dom chiming in to sing Smelly Cat as they step out of their cab and head into the venue to rehearse for the Awards Show. The Girls singing along with him.

"Wait... What are we doing and why are we in Mexico again?" Luna asks, slightly confused.

"It's the MTV Latin Millennial Awards." Ashley answers as if Luna's supposed to just get it.

"Annnnnd....?" She leads.

"And I'm nominated and performing. They requested Without Me and Nightmare so you HAVE to be here." She teases Luna while draping her arms around her shoulders from behind.

"But we're not Latina....?" Luna's still confused.l

"Dude... I don't know. I just played the Brazil one a few weeks ago. Without Me is a nominee for Global Hit... Maybe that's why." Ashley shrugs. "We've got more important things to worry about. I want us do some choreography with four dancers."

"You fucking what?" Luna asks in bewilderment.

Ashley has her at an Award Show in Mexico and now she wants her to dance like some fucking pop star. She's gotta be out of her God Damn mind.

"Yeah!!! It'll be fun!! Come meet the girls." Ashley says with a grin as she pulls Luna along.

"Fuck my stupid fucking life...." Is all Luna can think.

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Colson is rehearsing with The Boys. Deciding to take a Burn&Board Break, they head out back. Reaching into his pocket, he finds a Snap from Luna.

Laughing at her smart ass response and missing her voice, he calls her. It rings straight through. Colson can't resist leaving her a voicemail.

🎶Off that fat ass//Imma do a line or two//Before we//Have our own private shoot//Where I//PornStar Fuck//The shit outta you//Be ready//When you come back//Boo//Cuz it's//Only Bad Things//That we do🎶

Laughing after he finishes, he shouts "LOVE YOU, KITTEN!! CALL ME!" before hanging up.

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Luna's BackStage as Ashley and Dom sit in the audience. She's trying not to freak out over the performance Ashley wants to pull off. Even with Patti making her take ballet and gymnastics, Luna is not a dancer. She's a musician, a songwriter, a photographer, a painter, a sculptor. An artist. You could even call her an activist, a feminist, a bitch and an outlaw. What you can not call her is a professional dancer.

"This is gonna be a fucking shit show...." She worries as she hears Ashley's name called. "OH FUCK!! SHE WON!!!" Luna's brain bursts. Any other thoughts disappearing with the excitement for her bestfriend.

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Catching up in the dressing room they're sharing, Luna congratulates Ashley with a tight hug. Popping into the bathroom while Ashley puts on her first outfit, Luna shoots Colson a Snap. Not paying attention to her voicemail as she comes out of the bathroom. She always has an unchecked voicemail.

"Change. We're on next." Ashley instructs her, pointing to the latex and chain garments sitting on a chair.

Wiggling into the tight pieces, Luna checks herself out in the stand up mirror. Her outfit consisting of a latex crop top, VERY small booty shorts with metal chains dangling securely around the hips, fishnets and a pair of Docs. Ashley has the exact same thing on under what looks like a 1980's prom dress.

"You know I'm keeping these right?" Luna asks as she slides her hand up her smooth ass.

"Yeah, I figured..." Ashley laughs as a tiara is placed on top of her head.

"See you out there, Miss 2019." Luna smiles, referring to the sash Ashley's wearing as she makes her way out the door.

Luna double checking herself before following behind. Thinking about Snapping Colson again, she decides to wait. He loves the feel of latex and she'd rather show him in person.

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Colson's phone goes off just as he's about to silence it. It's Luna.

"Fuck, she's gorgeous...." He thinks staring at her picture. Wanting to put his hands on every inch of the bare skin she's showing. More so on the parts she's not.

"Yo!!! You gotta go!!" Ashleigh hollers at him.

Walking quickly down the hall, Colson Snaps Luna back before heading OnStage. Grabbing his guitar, he shouts to the crowd WHAT UP EST FAM!!!! making the factory explode in excitement.

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Ashley presents Without Me almost as a performance piece. Standing alone OnStage in her pretty dress, sash and tiara initially until black, shadowy figures begin to push and pull at her. By the end of the song, they've ripped the gown off of her. Leaving her on the floor.

The lights go down as the opening chords to Nightmare come on. Ashley running to the MainStage to meet Luna. It's a long runway with a large circular stage at the bottom.

Luna and Ashley bounce in between the four similarly dressed dancers. Ashley kicking her leg out high as she begins.

🎼I!🎶

She shouts the opening chorus as the two of them run, bounce and jump down the straight away towards the camera. Of course it's being televised. Stopping MidStage, the dancers squat down. Surrounding them as Luna hits her mark.

🎶I'm out for blood//And it won't be sweet🎶

She sings, dragging her hands around her body as the dancers and Ashley tilt their heads back and forth to the beat. On que the six of them stalk to the center of the stage, Ashley and Luna in the middle. Back to back the dancers pull at them as Luna bellows.

🎶Society has us//Pinching our skin//With our own fingers//Wishing we could//Cut our parts off//With some scissors🎶

None of their performances together are the same but they do carry similar tones. Luna and Ashley still mocking each other about Giving Each Other A Smile. Instead of jumping wildly, they move in sync with the dancers to their sides. Fire exploding as they drop out and let the audience shout that WE DON'T OWE YOU A GOD DAMN THING!

The six of them sit down on the ground, sat behind the other like a human train. Leaning forwards and backwards as Ashley sings how she's No Sweet Dream But A HELL Of Night. Standing up and collectively circling around Luna and Ashley, the dancers move behind them as Luna comes in again.

🎶No, I won't smile//But I'll show you my teeth//And I might let you breathe//If you just let Us be//We've been polite//But we're done with this trend//Of men thinking//They can tell Us//What we can do in our beds🎶

Rolling their hips and hitting different moves together on certain lyrics, the choreography isn't nearly as awful as Luna had anticipated. Fire bursting around them as they squat and move easily with the dancers. The performance rolling smoothly.

"Thank you, Mexico City!! Thank you for having us. Thank you for the honor of my award..." Ashley shouts to the crowd as the song begins to come to it's end.

Luna comes up to Ashley, putting her arm around her. Looking at each other, Luna turns back to the room.

"Yes!! Thank you!! This woman here is AMAZING!! Can you do one thing for her? On this last verse can you go WILD!?!" Luna asks to their roars. "THEN, HERE WE GO!!!!"

Ashley and Luna sing together strong and fierce. Fire and lights exploding around them. Fuck the choreography, they're fully enjoying losing their minds OnStage together. To their credit, the dancers are completely professional and stay on point. Somehow managing to avoid crashing into the Maniacal Girls

🎶I!//KEEP A RECORD//OF THEIR WRECKAGE//AND THEIR LIES//WE'RE STARTEN' TO WEAPONIZE//OUR POWERFUL MINDS//THEY TALK SHIT//BUT//WE WON'T TAKE IT//THIS TIME//AND//THEY'LL FINALLY REALIZE🎶

Coming together again, arms linked around each other and the dancers waists, The Girls yell in unison with a wave.

"THAT WE'RE NO SWEET DREAM BUT WE'RE A HELL OF A NIGHT!!! THANK YOU AGAIN, MEXICO CIIIIITYYYY!!!"

The two bestfriends laughing and holding hands as they walk OffStage. Thanking and complimenting the dancers along their way.

-------------------------------------------------

"THROW THOSE HORNS UP AND SIIINGIIING!" Colson shouts as he grips the mic, guitar hanging from his body.

🎶Woah, Woah//She said//You need to let me go//Woah, woah//She said I'd die for you//You're like my drug//But I can't get high off you//You're not mine anymore🎶

His Est Family erupting with him as they sing along word for word Let You Go with him. There is NOTHING like thousands of people singing your words along with you.

The Band runs through El Diablo and Rap Devil. Colson climbing onto the top of Rook's kit hitting a guitar solo during Alpha Omega. Bad Motherfucker follows with them finally ending on 27.

It's a great show. The Boys are raw and fearless. Colson jumping and climbing on everything he can find. Shouting THANK YOU, IDAHO! as they exit the stage.

Without Luna there Colson feels a bit lost. Heading straight BackStage, avoiding his dressing room. Grabbing a beer, he slams a shot with The Crew. Random Girls floating in around them. Falling all over themselves to get to Rook, Slim, AJ, Baze and Colson.

Sam is sitting on a couch between Colson and Baze talking about tonight's show, if anyone's heard from Luna and other random stuff. It's when two girls slither over, each perching themselves on the arm rest next to one of the boys. Touching them to get their attention.

Sam looks left. Then Sam looks right. Reaching in her back pocket, she pulls out her blade. Popping it, she looks back and forth between the two females again.

"I'd get the fuck up if you cunts like your tits." She states with a snarl.

The two quickly moving away as Colson laughs. Sam and Luna truly are two peas in a pod. Looking over he catches Baze kiss Sam's cheek. It makes him miss his LunaTic even more.

"Knock it off." He tells them. "If I'm not getting any, neither are you motherfuckers. Now, let's get FUCKED UP!!" Colson declares as he grabs a bottle of Jack.

--------------------------------------------------

Luna's doing the same. Only in Mexico with Corona and Mezcal. Sitting at an After Party with Ashley, Dom, the boys from BTS and a few other artist, they bullshit and talk about the night. Everyone stopping to congratulate Ashley on her win and compliment both Girls on their performances.

"You won't eat the worm..." Ashley dares Luna as she swigs the bottle with the little guy floating inside.

"Nothing happens if you do...." Luna blows her off.

"Yes hunh.... You start trippen'. Isn't that right, Luis?" She asks as she turns to one of the other artist.

"For dayyys, Mami..." He drawls.

Rolling her eyes, Luna takes the last of the fifth to the head. The other's watching with wide eyes as the worm slides down her throat with it.

"We'll see... But I call bullshit." Luna states.

"Aye..." Luis nudges Ashley. "She's no gallina." He says impressed to her nod.

"Nah, mucho perra." Luna counters to his surprise.

"Aye...." He grins with his own nod, amused by the tiny white girl.

The music is loud as smoke and Mezcal continue to flow. Everyone is drunk. Ashley tries to follow with Dom as Luis teaches Luna to salsa. Politely declining his advances as his hand slips from the small of her back down to her ass.

"I'll be back...." She calls over her shoulder as she goes to check her phone.

There's a Snap from Colson hours ago.

Both sets of Luna's cheeks instantly flush when she reads his words. Missing him, she calls instantly.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Hi, Bunny...." Her voice is low and warm when he answers.

"Oooh, Kitten. I miss you." He sighs.

"Me too... I miss your face. And your eyeballs. And your hands on my body. The way they run threw my hair when I suck your cock..."

Colson's dick had perked up at the sound of her voice but her words have him full on hard now. Wanting to fuck her, touch her.... Shit, just seeing her right now would probably make him cum.

"Where are you?" He demands

"I don't know.... Somewhere in Mexico?" She answers.

"Find somewhere alone and FaceTime me right back." He tells her firmly.

"Okay." She simply says as she hangs up.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Luna heads towards the stairwell. Popping in her air pods, she FaceTime's Colson right back.

Colson had made his way into a bathroom while they were off the phone. Answering, he can't help but break out into a smile.

"Hey, Gorgeous... You alone?" He asks after greeting her.

"Mhmm... Just me and your pussy." She coos. "She's lonely without you...."

"Show her to me." Colson taunts as he adjusts his phone on the bathroom sink and unbuckles his pants. Both of them are drunk and horny.

Luna props her phone against the wall across from her. Standing up, she slips off the black jean shorts she has on. Sitting on them, she drops her left leg on the step below and lifts her right to the one above. Spreading her legs for Colson. Only a screen and Luna's black panties separating them.

"I want you to touch her." He requests as he starts to pull on his hard cock.

Luna can see him playing with himself through the phone. Obliging him, she pulls the cotton to the side. Exposing her bare lips. Opening them for him to see her pink insides. Colson tugs harder on himself as Luna slips her fingers inside her sopping cunt. Letting out a low moan as she arches her back.

"That's right, Kitty... Play with my pussy. Rub that clit with your thumb the way I know you like." He directs her.

Following directions, Luna uses her free hand to yank the Japanese Star Wars shirt she has on up. Exposing her full breasts. With her fingers still inside of herself, she grips one tit. Playing with it's piercing between her thumb and index finger. The sight of his ring on her hand makes Colson rage even more.

"Does that feel good?" He pants as he watches her, feeling close to exploding.

"Unh hunh.... She moans with closed eyes as she bucks against her own hand. "Be better if my mouth had your cock in it." She lets out with another moan, she's close too.

"I'm gonna fuck you so hard you can't fucking walk by time I'm done with you." Colson threatens to Luna's delight as he grips the sink.

With Colson's deep voice wrapping around her brain and the memory of his touch hitting all her senses Luna cries out for him as they masturbate for each other.

"AHHHH FUCK! DO IT, LOONS!!" He shouts as his dick shoots his seed everywhere, keeping his eyes glued to the screen.

Luna's spread eagle as she finger fucks herself on the steps. Bucking wildly as her hands please her body. Cumming all over herself as Colson watches in pleasure.

Out of breath, Luna opens her eyes. "Fuck, C....." Is all she can get out as her knees fall together.

"Lemme see her one more time.... Bring her close." He instructs.

Opening her legs back up, Luna pulls her phone up to her box. She can hear Colson telling her pussy that She's A DIRTY Girl. Looking down when she hears him making kissing noises, all she can see is his lips. He's kissing his phone screen.

"Are you trying to kiss my fucking vagina?" Luna asks with a drunken laugh.

"Damn right I am." He grins.

"I fucking love you." She laughs again as she shakes her head.

"Not as much as I love you. Now put your fucking pants back on before I have to kill someone." He smirks.

Doing as she's told, Luna slips her shorts back on over her soaked panties. Staring at each other, both of their heads are dancing in ecstasy.

Luna and Colson sit on the phone for another 45mins just talking. About anything and everything as usual. Luna telling him about the choreographed performance. Colson chuckling, saying He'll Be Finding It On YouTube to Luna's Fuck. Agreeing to meet in Seattle tomorrow, they exchange sweet Love and I Miss Yous before hanging up.

***********************************************

"Jesus fucking Christ, that girl can make me cum from ANYWHERE!" Colson thinks as he walks out of the bathroom contently.

***********************************************

"Holy cock on a cracker...." Luna sighs to herself. "That fucking voice gets me every time...." She thinks as her heart throbs for her Lover.

--------------------------------------------------

Still on the same continent, they both head back to their respected parties separately. Colson eventually moving his party to The Bus. Luna moving her's back to The Four Seasons.

He'll ride through the night while she'll fly out tomorrow. Bringing Dom and Ashley with her.

Even apart, they're still on each other's minds. Even with shows in different country codes, they still mange to fuck only each other.

Truly showcasing A Day In The Life of a LunaTic and Her Gunn.

---------------------------------------------------

To be continued.....

[davidhuzyk]

SURVIVOR 41 SEASON PREMIERE THOUGHTS

Here are my thoughts on the opening episode of the new season. Nothing I’m about to say is revolutionary, it seems like all these opinions have already been shared before, but I wanted to wait a few days to think on everything as well as talk to some family/friends before putting my final thoughts down. Overall it was pretty polarizing, lots to both love and hate:

PROS

Diverse cast: I don’t think there’s a dud among the whole cast, and the diversity allows for more dynamic chemistry and a lot of different stories to be told

Candid shots of production: I like that they are letting us in to that world. Previously in moments like the medical disaster in S32 Kaoh Rong they showed production, and it made a great impact as a viewer. I don’t find it breaks immersion, in fact the opposite. The average audience member nowadays is much more knowledgeable & initiative than back in 2000, when a show trusts its viewer in this way I think it helps them become more invested in the show, understanding the ins & outs of how it’s functioning

Editing/storytelling style: there was a lot of great moments playing with the edit this episode that previous seasons tended to stray away from. I enjoyed the edit showing/giving us as a viewer information the contestants don’t have yet, like hidden advantage locations. I also enjoyed how they presented the Prisoner’s Dilemma, leaving it a mystery until tribal council whether or not Xander & JD chose to risk or protect their vote. It’s nice that in yet another way production is trusting us as a viewer with more (or less) info

Fourth Wall Breaking: this is both a pro and a con for me (con to follow). I enjoyed the moments Jeff spoke to us as a viewer, explaining new rules or changes to the game. This reminded me of S1, and I think was a great way to help any new fans coming in to the show. Only new changes were discussed, and it was kept relatively brief, so even for super fans it didn’t feel bloated or like a time sink

Subtitles at tribal: while I have more to say on live tribals, I do at least appreciate this time having full subtitles for all conversations taking place. While contestants may want to obscure info from other players, us as viewers should never be left in the dark, so I appreciate this effort being taken this season

Penalties for losing challenges: I enjoy this twist, as it seems to carry the spirit of the game. This is Survivor, it should be about having to get by on less, not more. I always found it odd that there were “reward” challenges. There are two ways to give a team an advantage, you can boost them up with a prize, or you can penalize the opposition, and I’m happy to see this element come more into play. Similar ideas had been done before in previous seasons when a contestant would get to raid the opposing tribes camp for one or two items (ie. Sandra in S7 Pearl Islands) and that always seemed to make for great television

Footage from Home: I enjoyed the return of footage from back home like in the earlier seasons. It helps us connect and become more invested in the contestants, and I assume they will go away after the first episode or two, so long term they don’t seem to pose a problem

Shot in the Dark: this twist is just weak enough to be balanced. In essence I don’t see this really changing or impacting the game in any significant way, but it does at least maintain a glimmer of hope for each contestant so as a viewer you’ll never be bored. Should someone pull this off I think they are deserving of the free immunity for having read the situation properly, and would make for great television. Some may say this could make for an unfair moment with a separate contestant “wrongfully” going home, but that’s always been the case since hidden immunity idols were introduced. At least this way every contestant is aware of the confirmed, tangible (albeit slim) threat and not just the idea they “could potentially” have an idol

CONS

Cinematography: it seemed off, very different than last seasons. The confessionals all looked fine, but you certainly noticed it during camp life and challenges. There were no night shots used, a lot more static camera shots, and the slow motion during challenges was just overblown. There was maybe one good slow motion shot of Xander grabbing his buff and jumping in the water, every other one felt forced (Brad bellyflopping? Brad chopping bamboo? Naseer huffing & puffing a sandbag a couple feet?)

Shorter game length: an easy one to criticize, and I understand the reason why it’s only 26 days, but the condensing of the game seems to already have an odd ripple effect that I worry will make for a disjointed end game

Two Tribes Going to Tribal: this is most likely related to the 26 day time crunch, but if this is the standard this season it makes me worry how strong of a narrative we will get for each tribal. This premiere episode wasn’t too bad, but it was a 2hr premiere, regular 1hr episodes will surely have a hard time balancing every contestants narrative in that amount of time

Still Live Tribals: I know some people like these as they are exciting, but come on, this is chaos! In the early days Jeff would yell at contestants for trying to get up out of their seat. Jeff needs to maintain control again. Tribal is like a courtroom, Jeff is your judge and there is literally a jury, you wouldn’t see the defendant in a courtroom standing up, running around, whispering to others… there must be order!

Fourth Wall Breaking Moments: as mentioned above I enjoyed when Jeff explained new game dynamics to us as viewers, but when he would interrupt a conversation with the tribes to turn to the camera I just felt cringe. The worst was “alright, first tribal council”. It was so easy to leave that on the cutting room floor, the editors should have known better on that one especially

The Prisoners Dilemma: in concept this maybe wasn’t a bad idea, but the execution was horrible. Analyzing the setup, to me it only makes strategic sense TO risk your vote. The first problem is that a regular prisoners dilemma does not occur within a game, so normally you’re probably not as invested about the outcome of the other prisoners, only your own. But here because it’s a game it does make strategic sense to hinder your opponents. So risk your vote, because you either get an extra vote, or you’ve stolen two votes from opposing contestants for your one. Also looking at this specific situation, all three contestants who went on the boat were debatably the strongest physical player on their tribe, so it would make sense for each individual to want to weaken those other players and increase their risk of going home, in turn weakening their overall tribe. If they could trust their tribe than returning without a vote is not the worst thing, if they can properly articulate the situation and work it to their advantage (Xander was a great example of this, JD showed us the opposite lol). Overall it feels like a pretty flawed twist and needs reworking

No Shelter Building Focus: not a huge con, but I did miss the focus on shelter building. Through the conversation & act of shelter building we as a viewer usually get to see who is a leader, who might be confrontational, who is a team player, etc. But more so we’re reminded of the actual survival element of the show, which production seems to be putting less focus on

No Intro: not the first season to do away with the intro sequence but I would have liked to see it return

Production Challenge Errors: some of the recent staffing changes with CBS must have been on the Challenge Production team because there were some glaring problems with that first challenge. Firstly, Yase’s yellow oar completely blended in to the yellow rope, they had a distinct disadvantage. I know some people will say if they couldn’t notice the other two tribes grabbing their oar from that location it’s their fault, but that’s a crappy excuse, it should be completely level & fair entering a challenge. Also what was with the double anchors on the boats? Perhaps it was left on the cutting room floor but I don’t recall Jeff mentioning prior to the challenge beginning that the boats had two anchors. Now I’m certainly no expert when it comes to nautical knowledge but as far as my life experience I‘be only ever seen or heard one anchor being referenced on use in a boat. Clearly all of the Luvu tribe thought the same as they only unhooked their front anchor. Jeff however later in the challenge yells to the Ua tribe and reminds them to unhook both anchors. Luvu was further away having had a lead so they very likely couldn’t hear Jeff when he said that. It’s like Ua was given an extra advantage. It also was unclear what the objective with the boat was, I was surprised to all of a sudden see Ua paddling in the opposite direction back towards the ship. Production should have had them race in a circle instead of a straight “there and back”

Game Within the Game: I’m sorry, this is the lamest addition they’ve ever added. Really? A standard rebus puzzle? They don’t take up enough time/focus during an episode to actually have any impact, and the puzzles themselves have so far been extremely simple. Jeff says this is “for the kids”, but any child young enough to find that puzzle challenging certainly doesn’t have the attention span to sit through an entire episode and find the puzzle in the first place. For any adult wanting to play this game as well the answer will be online within minutes of it airing… what’s the point? Pure fluff that has nothing to do with the game

Within Episode Flashback: I certainly hope this doesn’t become a habit, but during JD’s confessional when he talks about building fire they actually flashback to him just minutes ago having built the fire. Seriously!? We literally just saw it, why waste screen time showing it again? That was a poor call from some editor and I hope this doesn’t become a storytelling pattern

And finally, the “Guys” debate: so much has already been said on this. Personal feelings aside from the use of the phrase, this is a discussion that should have been had off camera, and came off feeling way to pandering. Jeff literally says at the beginning of the episode “we are all going through what’s most likely the biggest world incident we will ever experience”, but yet we spend more screen time talking about the word “guys” than the pandemic and all the emotional trauma that may have caused? I know Survivor likes to be sensitive, but this was not the way to go about it. It doesn’t ruin the show for me, it’s just a phrase I know I can “survive” without it, but I hope this isn’t the first step in many changes like this down the line. I’m all for being inclusive, but the method in which the show decides to go about change can actually alienate their existing fan base, so I hope they make better decisions on how to implement change moving forward

[dani-ellie03]

hi Danielle, I hope you are keeping well! I haven't been watching S7 since the winter finale and I was thinking of watching the finale but after reading some of the latest comments from A&E that they saved Regina's happy ending for the end I just can't watch it. I'll watch Emma and the Charmings scenes on youtube but I just don't want to watch a 2hrs Regina love in. I watched OUAT for Emma and her family and I was never a Regina fan and I'm still not a fan now - end of rant!

Hi! I’m doing well. I hope you are, too!

On the one hand, I definitely hear you. I haven’t read the article so I really can’t comment on the specifics but the heart of the show for me always was and still is Emma and her family. I’ve been watching season 7 but I am in no way as invested as I once was, which makes me sad. I’m pretty much at the “don’t be sad because it’s over, smile because it happened” level of acceptance of that sadness, though. I also never really got out of the “I want to like you but you just won’t let me” stage of character appreciation for Regina, so I’m definitely picking up what you’re putting down re: not wanting to watch her for two hours. I’ll content myself with seeing my babies and my heart for however long we have them and probably roll my eyes mightily at the rest, haha.

On the other hand, I don’t really know what else A&E are supposed to say other than they saved Regina’s happy ending for the end of the show. I’ve seen people bringing back that old quote where they said that the last happy ending on the show would be Emma’s but a whole lot of life has happened between that quote and now. It was not their choice not to have Emma and the Charmings continue on through this season. They gave Snowing and Emma their happy endings when they found out they wouldn’t be able to hold off until the end of the series. Maybe the argument could be made that the show should have ended with season six, then, but that’s a whole level of business and creative decision-making that I personally can’t speak to.

Unfortunately, this is how it goes with TV sometimes. Sometimes real life derails plans and the only thing the people in charge can do is make the best of their new normal and present it in the press in the best light possible.

[necessaryveganism]

I really hope this vegan thing gets easier after a week or two.. I haven't cooked much before, so it takes me like 1-2hrs to come up with an idea, make sure it's vegan, and cook it.. the cravings are hard too, but they mostly go away when I think about where that food comes from. On the plus side, my dad says we can go shopping today for more raw ingredients! Any go-to recipes you would recommend or ingredients I should be sure to get? Thank you!! (from animalsdeservebetter)

If you’re lacking inspiration, check out some vegan food blogs. Here are just a few- @vegan-yums @veganfoody @elephantsarevegan and @tinykitchenvegan

As for staples: beans (canned or dry, whichever you prefer, but canned are always easier), legumes, nuts, seeds, pasta, rice, barley, quinoa, lentils, those are the most important! These help build the base of a good, well-balanced vegan diet. Most of these are cheapest when bought in bulk, so while initial cost might be high, it comes down to only cents (yes, cents) per serving. For example, a 1 pound generic bag of rice costs $0.75 at my local grocer. It contains 10 servings of rice- that’s under 10 cents per serving! 

Frozen (or fresh, frozen is cheapest) fruits and vegetables, but definitely go heavy on the vegetables! Those big frozen bags last a while, and you can get all mixes and varieties of vegetables. There are canned vegetables too! Frozen and canned products will almost always be cheaper than fresh, but if you buy fresh, make sure it’s something in season to save!

Most of my grocery trips (which I rarely go on, just because I have most of my stuff in bulk) are for fresh fruits and vegetables, and the occasional milk (I buy most of my milk as shelf-stable, so I don’t need to buy more until my stash is low), because I have large bags of rice, barley, beans, lentils, and many boxes of pasta! 

If you don’t have basic spices, make sure to pick up at least some pepper, garlic, and maybe something else on the spicier side to give your cooking some flavor. Any meat replacements you want to grab, get those too! Tofu is cheaper per ounce than the average meat, so if your father protests, make sure to point that out to him!

Oh. This is where I shamelessly promote potatoes. So full of nutrients, and so so incredibly cheap! I always have a small basket (yes, basket) of potatoes on hand. Roast one, put some veggies and beans with it, bam, that’s dinner. That’s actually, like, almost always my dinner. 

Remember that things packaged and marketed as vegan or gluten-free or health-friendly or organic will always be more expensive. Find vegan products that are vegan without all the branding- that’s mostly going to be your whole foods. 

Happy shopping!

-Admin Samantha

[jafreitag]

Grateful Dead Monthly: Memorial Auditorium – Buffalo, NY 11/9/79

Forty years ago (tomorrow), on Friday, November 9, 1979, the Grateful Dead played a concert at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York.

“The Aud” was a New Deal era project to replace the aging Broadway Auditorium and bring jobs to the City of Buffalo. In 1938, the City sent an application to the Works Progress Administration; two years and $2.7 million later, the new venue opened. Its first event was a 1940 rally for Republican presidential candidate Wendell Wilke. The Aud initially hosted alot of college basketball games among the “Little Three” colleges of Niagara, Canisius, and St. Bonaventure, who were all national powerhouses in the 1940s and 50s. The National Basketball League’s Buffalo Bisons also played there for part of a season, before moving and ultimately becoming the Atlanta Hawks. The NBA’s Buffalo Braves played there from 1970-78, before moving and ultimately becoming the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Aud, however, was probably most renowned as the home of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres from 1970-96. (They moved, too, but only to the nearby Marine Midland Arena – now the KeyBank Center). It was demolished in 2009. 

This show was the penultimate of a thirteen-night, east-coast swing that began in Springfield, MA and ended in Ann Arbor, MI.

ECM is still prepping this year’s edition of 31 Days, so I waded into the LMA reviews again. Mind Wondrin, whom I quoted last month, weighed in on 11/9/79. Here’s his take:

“This was their first time playing the Auditorium. They were just here, in January, playing the Shea’s Buffalo. Like much of this above average tour (see 10/25, 10/28, 10/31), there’s a long second set, at nearly 2hrs.

First Set. Alabama Getaway is just the 3rd one, and still a challenge. You need the AUD for the lead-in tuning. Seems this is one of the longest versions; it was shortened after this. After a few average songs, the sky-cracks begin separating for Loser. Just a solid version – and check Bobby. His rhythm is also great on this Supplication. You need the AUD again for the opening measure of Althea. It’s a little bit of a struggle, and right before the song ends Jer repeats the last verse. Easy to Love You has the rare verse “I feel so cold but you come on like a flame.” Jack Straw is an exciting set-ender, but not the tightest.

Second Set. The money set. Dancing in the Street is already much different than it was with Donna. It’s Brent’s 3rd one, and 1st great one. Everyone is in the drummers’ pockets, and the mods are great … right into a hot Franklin’s Tower. This is ’79 hyper, with Brent’s Styx keys. Check how Jer plays the intro, and gets sidetracked, and starts jamming. Not 10/27 great, but hot. These ’79s are arguably a bit too slick and a bit too vampy, but Bobby  and Phil are great. After a few listens, I came around to it. Jer is trying to give a lot to new-guy Brent (maybe in part because of the tempo), but he doesn’t always run with it. Estimated Prophet is above average due to the long jam section with Brent. This is a whopper of a He’s Gone, clocking in at 19 minutes. It has a hypnotic, slow groove, with a sudden bridge, and then goes into a jam section that spontaneously finds the chords for Gloria (though they didn’t do a prepped version, with lyrics, until ’81). There are just a brief couple minutes of Space, centered on Phil. Wharf Rat is a solid one. A gobsmack-tidy I Need a Miracle transitions into a super Bertha. The wonderful segues solidify the back nine, but the solo is something else.”

Another LMA reviewer, Dylan M, calls this “perhaps the most underrated second set of 79′” and “so crystal clear.” He adds:

“Everyone I show this Dancing > Franklin’s to agrees that it sparkles with extra energy and flair. The transition into Franklin’s is flawless.

This is the potency and potential that this lineup of Grateful Dead possessed. Jerry is still playing with speed and fire. Brent, if not completely assimilated and quite as influential as he would become eventually, is really crushing. 

HEY DAVE LEMIUEX!!! Hint. Hint. Relisten to this one. With some spiffing up its undeniably release worthy.”

DL2 was apparently paying attention. Some of this show (Dancing > Franklin’s, Wharf Rat > Miracle > Bertha) is an official release as part of Road Trip’s 1.1. Here’s the widget.

If you want to hear the whole show, transport to the LMA SBD recording HERE. And the audio of Franklin’s is on YouTube.

More soon, including more GD content (and it’s big) later this month.

JF

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