#we’ll see if I actually play enough anarchy to reach S now

[vaguelyhauntedcornfield]

…

[darlingpetao3]

House of W (Multiple!Wells x Reader, Chapter 4)

Rating: T

Summary: After having to deal with the deaths of an infinite number of Harrison Wells in the Multiverse, you, a magic-wielding meta, have a breakdown and unwittingly create a happy, fictitious sitcom life with some of your favourite men. In a world of comedy and cameos, can Team Flash and an out-of-town magician break through your powers to save you? And what if you don’t want to be saved...?

A/N: Alright! Here’s where we continue from where Team Flash left off. We’ll see Chapter 3 from their perspective, and somethings might make a bit more sense as well as raise more questions!

Tag List: @fandomdancer @bluesclues-1234 @pinkdiamond1016 @crissymadlock @firstofficer-tilly @disneyoncerlover815 @marvel-lady10 @thecaptainsgingersnap @noctvrnalmoth @alexxlynn @dontbedumb3 @heyl0lwhatsup @ryou-cosmos @arianalilyblack @sonnensplitter @imagine-yourself-happy​

PROLOGUE | CHAPTER 1 | CHAPTER 2 | CHAPTER 3

Barry is the first to sprint out of the Cortex, leaving everyone else in the dust and papers flying.

The rest of Team Flash and Zatanna rush after the Speedster down the halls of S.T.A.R. Labs as fast as they can to the elevator. Only when they reach it are they met by Barry to inform them of your discovered whereabouts.

“She’s in the basement,” he tells them. “You have to see this.”

Indeed, they all take a ride down to the building’s lowermost level—an enormous concrete space and incredibly high ceilings. But there is one thing very much out of the ordinary here.

“Holy Forcefield, Batman…” Cisco says at the sight before them all.

A glowing, translucent purple sphere surrounds what looks to be an empty set—the set of your magical sitcom everyone had been watching for the past two episodes. It’s eerily dark and quiet. Chester can’t seem to resist its beauty and mystery as he walks even closer toward it and reaches out a hand.

“Careful Chester-!” Caitlin warns him a little too late. Chester yanks his arm back after touching the forcefield with a yelp. He looks at everyone.

“Are you hurt?” a concerned Barry asks.

“I…” Chester shakes his head in disbelief. “I saw something awful. It was, uh… from my childhood. I thought I’d forgotten it…”

“Why don’t you go sit down for a bit?” Caitlin ushers the poor traumatized man to a seat by the wall.

Meanwhile, Zatanna utters a few backwards phrases and moves her hands in the direction of the purple sphere. The gang waits to hear of what she’s learning.

“Just as I thought,” she says at last. “This forcefield (Y/N) has put up is embedded with Anarchy Magic. And it seems she’s made it so that whoever touches or tries to break through her magic will experience trauma and heartbreak from the trespasser’s life.”

“How tragically fitting,” Caitlin comments sadly as she thinks of you and all you’ve been through. Barry takes this information in and stares into the darkened sitcom set.

“What are we going to do?” Cisco wonders out loud.

“This could be our chance,” Barry says, already churning out the beginnings of a plan. “Zatanna, do you think you could breach through (Y/N)’s forcefield with your magic?”

“I’ll need a little more time to study it, but yeah,” Zatanna assures, “I think I can.”

“Great. We’ll prepare ourselves while we wait.”

“Wait for what?” Caitlin asks. Barry turns to her.

“For Episode Three.”

~ ~ ~ ~

The part of the S.T.A.R. Labs basement which Team Flash has access to has now been essentially transformed into half campground/half studio audience seating. The latter was Cisco’s idea, naturally.

Everyone had stayed the night on mats and foldable tents found in the Starchives. A certain longhaired engineer even made the correlation that this felt a lot like camping out in line in front of a theater for a much-anticipated movie release.

After staying up too late theorizing and plotting your safe return, the campers are rudely awakened by a jingle—a very groovy disco-sounding theme.

“Iiiiit’s startiiiing!” Cisco shouts, making sure to grab his pillow and a bag of pre-popped popcorn

The others—Caitlin, Allegra, and Chester grumble and mozy out of their sleeping bags, whereas Barry and Zatanna burst out of theirs with a raring purpose.

Through the forcefield, they can see a flurry of Wells men running around the house doing various tasks in preparation for your impending baby. It all feels very real to the onlookers, not fake or acting on any of the doppelgangers’ parts. They really do believe you’re having a baby.

Barry doesn’t want to fully believe it. Part of him still wants to believe this is all for show—a fictional world with pre-planned plots and storylines. It would be so much easier for him if that were the truth.

Because the other option was a lot more painful to deal with.

Even as everyone watches and laughs along at the antics, none of the ‘stars’ on the other side of the magic forcefield can hear them.

“She looks like she’s gonna burst,” Barry notes at your exponentially growing size. “At this rate, she’ll have the baby by the end of the episode. We need to help her. Zatanna, Caitlin, are you ready for what we talked about last night?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Caitlin says.

“Let’s do this,” Zatanna replies. 

“Great.” Barry sighs a worried breath. “Caitlin, I’m giving you this comms so that we can keep in contact even on the inside. Zatanna has bewitched it to look like an earring. And I’m going to let Cisco take the reins on walking you through what to say since he is apparently this show’s number one fan.”

“Gotcha, boss.”

“Uh, guys?” Allegra pipes up. “Her water just broke!”

“It’s now or never,” Barry exhales.

Zatanna holds out her palms toward Caitlin, then speaks in a clear voice, “Mlaer moctis eht edisni ylefas niltiaC dnes.”

At this, Caitlin vanishes before the team’s very eyes. Everyone can only hope she is safely on the other side of the forcefield.

“And now we wait,” Zatanna confirms.

“Popcorn?” Cisco proffers his bag to everyone.

“Shhhhh!”

With Caitlin now officially in the sitcom realm—clad in a white doctor’s coat and a stethoscope hanging around her neck—the door whisks open in front of her to reveal Nash Wells. Even for her, seeing his face again is a shock. While she and Frost were away with Doctor Tannhauser for a time, she had received word from Barry saying that Nash and the other Wells had sacrificed themselves.

And yet, here they all are, standing in the doorway with panicked eyes about the fact that you’re having their baby.

Oh, right! This is my cue, she thinks.

“Uh, hi,” Nash says, a little confused. “Who are you?”

~~“Remember, you can’t give your real name in case (Y/N) catches on. You have to play along,”~~ Cisco advises in her ear. She remembers that he, along with the rest of Team Flash, can see her on the other side of the forcefield. To her, however, she merely sees a plain wall.

“Yes, hi! My name is C… uhh...”

~~“Say Elsa, say Elsa, say El-”~~

“Elsa?”

Dammit, Caitlin curses mentally. Frost laughs in the back of her head while Cisco cackles in her comms. The doctor, now thoroughly annoyed, plays with her earring to turn off communication with the outside world. Cisco’s prank could have cost them big time. She’s going to do this herself. No distractions.

“I’m a doctor,” Caitlin continues. “I was making the rounds in the neighbourhood and heard some yelling coming from your home. Are you in need of a doctor?”

“Actually, yes,” Harry confirms. It’s so strange. He’s looking right at Caitlin—they all are—but they truly do not recognize her. It makes your friend realize just how powerful you really are.

Meanwhile on the outside, Team Flash is having mixed emotions about the birth of your baby. Barry is still in disbelief that he is becoming an uncle before his eyes. Cisco, Chester, and Allegra are fanboying and fangirling over the moment. And then there is Zatanna, watching with a neutral expression.

They watch Caitlin help deliver baby Liberty, although entirely and conveniently out of view from the “camera” and the transparent forcefield.

But when the surprise of Belle arrives, well, that earns literal applause from Cisco.

“Do you think they’re real?” Barry quietly asks Zatanna away from everyone else.

“I’m still unsure,” she answers. “They sure all look happy, though.”

Barry doesn’t respond to this.

Once the babies are safe with their cooing fathers and you’ve magically seemed to have cleaned up from the ordeal of birthing twins, you approach Caitlin.

“Doctor Elsa, I can’t thank you enough for your help today,” you say to Caitlin. For a moment, she forgets you’re referring to her with the accidental alias. “What a coincidence that you showed up at my door just as I was going into labour! You must have a sixth sense about these things.”

“It’s a gift!” she says pleasantly. “But really, how have you been doing? Are you well?”

You give her a curious look. “Yes, of course I’m well. I have two beautiful daughters and four wonderful husbands. A house full of love. I couldn’t be happier.”

Caitlin knows she shouldn’t press on anything about the ‘behind the scenes’ of your sitcom reality, but this is all so confusing and mysterious that her scientific mind can’t help but form a myriad of questions.

“What is it?” you ask.

Caity, I’m not sure… Frost begins to voice her worry in her head.

“It’s just…” Caitlin drops to a whisper so as to not let the Wells men hear, “how are they here?”

Your face drops. “I’m not sure I follow.”

“Your husbands. They… died. Vanished. How did you do all of this?”

Your entire body glows with a purple aura, and Caitlin half-wonders if you’re starting to levitate slightly.

You look like a vengeful and magical angel of death.

“Get out,” you tell her.

“(Y/N), no, please, listen,” she tries, but it’s too late. A powerful blast of energy hits Caitlin in the gut, knocking the wind from her lungs and backwards. Her body comes in contact with something hard, then squishy, and…

“Ronnie?” she says. “No, please…”

What she sees is all around her as she’s pushed back through the forcefield—the death of her husband, Ronnie Raymond. It’s like it’s happening all over again, watching as he flies up into the windy vortex above the city as Firestorm. The last time she’ll ever see him alive again.

“Caitlin? Caitlin!” Barry worries over his friend. She looks totally out of it as she lays on the concrete floor, safely back in reality once more. “Are you okay?”

Caitlin grunts, her brow furrowed. She’s trying to keep everything she saw inside. For a second time.

“Yup, I’m good,” she claims. Allegra and Cisco help her up and over to their makeshift audience seats.

Barry sighs and soon becomes lost in thought. “You know what I still don’t get?”

“What’s that?” Zatanna replies.

“What about in the last episode where they were working at S.T.A.R. Toy Manufacturing? Those were our hallways upstairs. And I don’t see any extra sets. Do you think the forcefield, I dunno, moved with them?”

“If that’s the case, it would be as if (Y/N)’s magic is writing and rewriting itself. And if so, as she moves, everything around her gets recreated. Like the era-changing set. That’s what we see on screen. It’s like a battery that was left on.”

“So what, does that mean eventually she’s going to run out of power? Or short circuit?”

“That, I still don’t know. This kind of magic she wields is unlike anything I’ve seen before. I’m learning about it as much as you are.”

Cisco does a little jog over the two conversing theorists.

“How is she?” Zatanna asks the engineer.

“Not physically hurt… but I can see that she is inside. Emotionally.”

Barry’s lips press into a thin line.

“Hey, so, do you think the Wells can… get out of her forcefield radius?” Cisco asks the magician. Instead, Barry answers first.

“Knowing (Y/N), she wouldn’t have made that an option.”

[autistic-ramblings]

Anarchy Hearts

Rated R for Violence, Language, Nudity, and Suggestive Themes.

A Kingdom Hearts AU in which all of the characters are involved with the criminal underworld of the city of Fantasia. There is no magic in this universe, but the characters and their respective roles for the most part remain the same.

Read at your own risk.

Chapter 1 - Bustin’ up the Beach (1100 Words)

The sun was beating down hot and heavy on the beach, which combined with the sound of the surf and the lazy but cool breeze assaulting the senses of the weary passerby, it made for a nice place to take a nap, Sora thought to himself. That is, if you wanted to run the risk of being robbed, raped, or roughed up. Therefore, be Sora’s strict adherence to avoiding the three R’s, the beach was not a good place to take a nap. It did, however, offer up a great opportunity to have some fun with alliteration.

Destiny Boardwalk was the turf of Sora and his small gang: the Destiny Anarchists. So, Sora could, in theory, nap on the beach without having to worry too much, but the poor sap that Sora had marked as a sucker that morning, now asleep as he tanned on his beach towel, had no such security. In mere moments, before anyone could notice what he was up to, Sora had snuck down, checked that he was indeed asleep, and robbed him blind. The trick, Sora had learned during his long tenure on the street, was not to act like a suspicious twat, but to act cool, suave, and confident, as though he had nothing to worry about even though his heart was beating a steady drumroll in his chest.

Sora grabbed what he came for, hidden away in the mark’s drink cooler, and walked swiftly, but calmly away back to the boardwalk, where he disappeared once into the crowd and then again as he turned a corner into a less-travelled alleyway that tucked away behind the local open-air restaurant that the Anarchists frequented, the Seaside Shack.

Casually leaning up against the faux-wood wall that hid the Shack’s kitchen from view, Sora reached in his pocket to admire his spoils. The wallet had been liberated from one Masafumi Miyamoto, probably just a tourist, judging from the ID. Sora grabbed it and the other plastic and flicked it into the nearby dumpster. Sora didn’t like playing with other people’s library cards, let alone their credit or debit cards: that was just asking for trouble. But inside the wallet was Sora’s favorite and untraceable green-backed jackpot: Munny, and loads of it. Sora loved catching the one percent with their pants down, they were the only people left who still walked around with multiple 100’s in their pockets anymore. Masa-whoever probably wouldn’t even miss it.

“You’re gonna share that, right?” Kairi asked, startling Sora into almost hitting her. God, why did she have to be so damn sneaky? She was lucky he was used to her doing this; Sora’s fight-or-flight response was not to be trifled with.

“Gimme a break,” Sora said, lowering his arm slowly, “Why can’t you find your own marks?”

“Because sharing is caring,” Kairi responded, plucking a couple of bills from the wallet and folding them neatly into her bra. If anyone else had tried that, Sora would have broken their arm. “Also business is practically dead today.”

“Really?” Sora asked, mocking skepticism, “No one wants any action from the blowjob queen?”

Kairi cocked an eyebrow at him, “Hey, you try getting a guy to pull a trick on to in front of his wife and kids in broad daylight. You’re lucky I don’t have a pimp to answer to.”

“No,” Sora said as he pocketed the wallet and wrapped his arms around her in one smooth flourish, “You’re lucky I don’t mind sharing.”

“Oh?” Kairi retorted as she pulled herself closer to him, “Is that so?”

“You bet your sweet ass, it is,” Sora smirked. She leaned in for a kiss…

“Hey!”

God fucking dammit, Riku! Sora thought even as he felt Kairi twist in his grasp to see the silver-haired wunderkind walking up to them.

“Aren’t you guys forgetting about something?” Riku asked as he tossed the duffel bag he was hefting around with arm onto the street, “I’m starting to think that I’m the only one who cares about the yacht.”

“Hey, we’ve been working hard!” Kairi protested.

“Please,” Riku said, jerking his chin at Sora, “You’re just as lazy as he is.” He sighed before adding, “We only got one more payment to make on that damn thing, and then the Anarchists can kiss this hellhole of a city goodbye.”

“We’ll make it,” Kairi said, “There’s no need to be so stressed out all the time, Riku! We just got to pull through and do the best we can!”

“I hope you’re right,” Riku said as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Also,” Kairi continued as though Riku hadn’t said anything, “I found someone who’s trashing some pretty nice planks of wood just a few blocks from here. We could use those to repair the deck.”

“That’s nice Kairi, but all the repairs in the world mean nothing if we don’t pay to own the damn boat!”

“Hey!” Sora snapped, then took a breath. It wouldn’t do any good to bite off Riku’s head right now, no matter how much he deserved it, “When the yacht’s actually ours’, wouldn’t be nice to have a wooden deck that doesn’t looked like splintered Swiss cheese to walk on?”

“Fine,” Riku sighed, “Could you take care of it, I’m too busy right now.”

“Sure, I could get a few of the other Anarchists in on it.”

“Good. In the meantime, I need someone to go to the Cove and keep an eye on the yacht,” Riku picked the duffel bag back up, “Kairi, since you’re not really doing anything; you’re up for the first shift.”

“Okay,” Kairi replied, “Why?”

“I think someone’s trying to move in on our turf, and I’d like to avoid that until we’re gone,” Riku explained, “I need someone to keep an eye on the yacht to make sure no one makes off with our shit.”

“Fair enough,” Kairi replied, “But you boys owe me!”

“Well, since we all know what we’re doing, there’s no reason to stand around like a bunch of co-conspirators,” Sora said, and was surprised that half-attempt at humor actually got Riku to smile.

“Yeah,” Riku turned to walk off, “I’ll let you guys know what I find.”

“Well,” Kairi said as she kissed Sora, “I’ll see you tonight.”

“Definitely,” Sora kissed her back, and she turned off in the direction of the Cove.

Sora sighed, manual labor was not what he had in mind for work today, but it had to be done. He walked off to go find other Anarchists that owed him favors.

Chapter 1 [Next] [Table of Contents]

[readablenoise]

Joy In Repetition: A Conversation with Adam Bravin The co-founder of She Wants Revenge talks about the music industry, his new project ‘Love Ecstacy Terror’ and future to come (minus Replicants)

If you were a music fan in the mid 2000’s and were a purveyor of the newest in rock, you watched The Late Show with David Letterman, aptly following in his predecessor’s shoes, and if you could stay up long enough, you watched Carson Daly’s program which was, and continues to be, a savior to college radio dreams made real. However, there was a third option and one that was all too often overlooked. If you wanted really really good new rock, you watched Jimmy Kimmel’s program. And if you were watching one fateful night in the mid 00’s, you couldn’t help but be drawn, perplexed and fascinated by She Wants Revenge’s debut performance. Vocalist/instrumentalist Justin Warfield captivating with a vocal that was drawing and musician extrodinare Adam Bravin on keys, giving the camera a deadpan stare straight into it. It was something cool, something different and most importantly, something brilliant.

Which brings us to here: 10 odd years later where the performance led to The Late Show which led to numerous song appearances on major films and TV series, and opening for Depeche Mode and The Cure, an honor and twofer that doesn’t happen all that often. Then again, the pairing of two perfect influences doesn’t happen all that very often and it’s in this innate chemistry that Bravin and Warfield thrive, both sharing a love for 80’s culture, rap and most importantly, being deliciously strange. Amidst all this, are the equally impressive achievements both Warfield and Bravin have accomplished: the former making his 1993 debut with “My Field Trip to Planet Nine” on Qwest Records, Quincy Jones’ record label, as well as being produced by Jones’ son. If you recognize Warfield’s voice elsewhere, it may have been from his recent solo material being featured on the TV series “Sons of Anarchy” or a throwback to “Spite & Malice” by Placebo which remains a hidden gem by the band. Bravin hasn’t had any less impressive feats on his list, having a distinguished reputation as one of the top DJ’s, from the personal choice of President Barack Obama to the late Prince, production credits and making his first foray into the solo world with his passion project, Love Ecstasy Terror, which sees the multi-instrumentalist taking the mic for the first time. As if this wasn’t enough, Bravin is one of the masterminds behind numerous successful themed club nights in L.A. with Giorgio’s (a disco love letter to Moroder and his legacies), AFEX (a hip-hop parade of the classics and underdogs) and now Cloak & Dagger, which while reaching the same high bar of musical quality as the rest, maybe the most interesting. It’s the kind of club you heard about in the 80’s: neon and candle lit, held in a secret location accessible only to card carrying members given out by the members to the lucky few. If it sounds like a mixture of Eyes Wide Shut meets Fight Club minus the orgies and blood, you wouldn’t be too far off, as the club even has it’s own set of rules though they’re more about etiquette than anything else. The public will get a taste of the club’s offering when it celebrates it’s second year with an L.A. festival that would make any goth/synth lover’s ears salivate, with the Jesus and Mary Chain, Cold Cave, TRUST and of course She Wants Revenge.

With all these credits, it’s easy to picture the duo having big heads catering to rock royalty. And so it makes it all just that much more refreshing when you find it really could not be farther from the truth. Upon meeting the band before their show in West Palm Beach for the 30th anniversary of local venue Respectable Street, Warfield wearing a worn Siouxie and the Banshees tee and Bravin in A Tribe Called Quest tee that looks just as comfy as your own favorite band shirt, they are still the exact same humble and music loving kids from the Valley who set out to make good music and crush the standards. Bravin is more than kind, soft spoken and possessing a knowledge of the industry in all it’s facets, the good the bad and the ugly. With the Morricone line being played in synths. This is a candid look into that insight.

Readable Noise: 10 years on since the first debut you’ve you’ve toured with Depeche Mode and The Cure, did it feel special the first time you recorded it? Adam Bravin: You know, we don’t think about it in those terms. I think we were really just trying to do a few things at that time, one was to inspire each other to do something new; we both have a hip-hop background and accidentally locked into this sound. We did a song and then we did another one and then another, and we go way back, and I think we were just trying to make music that we liked, you know? I was just learning how to play bass, learning how to be in a band, learning how to collaborate with somebody. We weren’t really thinking about it in those terms, we were just like “Let’s make a cool song, okay? And then let’s make another cool song”, just trying to do our thing.

RN: You have a lot of musical background, from hip-hop as well as working with female musicians, so I have to ask is “City of Women” (Bravin’s teased side project consisting of female vocalists) ever going to come out? AB: That is what I started working on when I was sidetracked, once again. I was working on that before She Wants Revenge, for a long long time. She Wants Revenge sidetracked me for 10 years and then when that was done, I started working on it again. And then Justin convinced me to make a solo record which sidetracked me once again. So now that I’m done with my solo record, I'n going to go through the cycle that you go through, putting it out and hopefully touring? And then when that’s done, I’ll probably get going to recording City of Women and hopefully finish it one day… Before I retire. (laughs)

RN: And how’s the solo process been for you, since it’s your first foray into vocals? Which I have to say is really good. AB: Thank You. I still can’t wrap my head around hearing myself sing, although it gets a little bit easier every time I do a new song. It’s a fear of mine, and I’m in this mode in my life of conquering as many fears as possible. So when Justin first suggested to me that I do an album and sing on it, I was completely against it. But he helped me write a song, record it, and I wasn’t… I didn’t have a great time on that first one. And then we did another one and then another, and after we did like, two or three, I realized how amazing it is. Even though it still terrifies me, and even though I’m not where I want to be as a vocalist, I’m in love with the process of writing something on paper and then saying it out loud. There is something about that that I’ve never experienced as an artist. It’s just, to be at this point in my life and find a new way to express myself is a really special thing. And so I’m kind of taking the anxiety and fear that it gives me and redirecting that energy into a creative space and pushing forward, it’s really exciting. I’ll be doing my first show pretty soon and I’m terrified of doing that but again, I’ll take that energy and turn it into something else.

RN: What has been the most revealing thing to you, stepping into the lead vocalist shoes? AB: You know, I’ve always been able to hide behind the turntables as a DJ, and kind of hide behind Justin in She Wants Revenge, and hide behind other artists producing them. And it [Love Ecstasy Terror, Bravin’s solo moniker] really doesn’t allow me to hide behind anybody. I think the most revealing thing is revealing myself, to other people in that way. And again it’s terrifying but it’s really rewarding. I haven’t really gone up in front of anybody yet except a couple of my friends and even that alone.. Even if I never got up in front of anybody except a few of my friends, that’s been enough for me, really enjoying it. And again, I have one show planned and hopefully that goes well, we’ll see what happens.

RN: You come from a music background, has that always been a prominent part of your life? AB: Oh yeah, since I was a baby. Both of my parents are musicians and I’ve always been around music. I was raised basically in a recording studio, my Dad always had a studio when I was a kid. He always played keyboards and piano and was always in a band or jamming with somebody. So I’ve always been around music.

RN: In terms of DJ'ing you still stay to the traditional, you still spin actual records which is great, what was the first 12" that really kind of changed your life? AB: I remember… I always had records, but I remember when I first DJ'ed in my friend Travis’ bedroom, like, put two turntables and a mixer together. And he had a bunch of records and I brought over a bunch of records but none of them were really like, they were all kind of random? So I do remember going to the record store at that time and buying records specifically for playing them at our friends house party, which would have been my first party I ever DJ'ed. And I remember getting Pet Shop Boys “Opportunities”. That was probably my first record as a DJ that I ever bought. I had a whole bunch of stuff that I inherited from my parents but as a DJ, I remember that one, going back to my buddy Travis’ house and I remember going “Wow, let’s go get more!”, we ended building up a little bit of a collection and I just started DJ'ing all the parties at high school.

RN: Are you happy with the vinyl resurgence that’s coming back? AB: I mean, I love vinyl. I have probably close to 50,000 pieces of vinyl. You know… It’s difficult to get excited about what they call a resurgence because there’s been a number of vinyl resurgence. And… It just sometimes feels like people are buying records because it’s ‘cool’, you know? I see a lot of DJ’s saying ‘Come hear my old vinyl set!’. It doesn’t mean anything to me, you know. I don’t think it matters what format you’re on. I think records are cool, but I also think if you use an iPod, if you use CD’s, if you use vinyl, whatever you use, whatever’s coming out of the other end of the speakers to create a cool soundtrack for a party, I don’t think it matters what you use. So when people are using vinyl because they love vinyl, and they understand the difference in sound between playing a piece of vinyl and mp3 because there’s definitely a difference, people that appreciate that part of it, that really understand the sonics of it as well as get into like the artwork. Not just going ‘hey, come check out my vinyl collection’ but really buying the records for the linear notes, and to hold it, listen to one side of the album, turn it over and listen to other side. There’s something cool about that that younger people don’t really understand because they didn’t really grow up listening to records like I did. If somebody appreciates vinyl in the same- not even in the same way I do, if they appreciate the art that comes along with it, and the sonics that come along with it, and the fact that you can hold it, can’t hold an mp3, you know? Then that makes me excited about the resurgence. People that are like ‘check out my old vinyl set’ just because its cool? Doesn’t really mean much to me.

RN: You guys came from the 00’s where everyone had to work for their dollar with MySpace and other platforms. Do you feel that new bands don’t have to try as hard these days because there’s so many media platforms or does that make it harder? AB: Try so hard in what way?

RN: To promote themselves, insofar as get noticed because there’s Bandcamp and Soundcloud among others. AB: You know… There’s so much music on a daily basis that gets released, I am just happy for anybody that breaks through in any way to get their music noticed. It’s not like it used to be. There’s like, hundreds and thousands of songs and artists that come through on a daily basis. So to even… I wish I knew what the answer was, we don’t even know what the answer was. I don’t think anybody knows, unless you’re on a major label or you have somebudy funding you and have tons of money for advertisements or get sponsored. It’s really difficult to be noticed unless you get lucky or you get on some Spotifly playlist that gets popular or a big artist cosigns for you, retweets you, or reposts you on Instagram. So, I mean… I get excited when the underdog or some band- cause I’ve always been that way. I’m like “oh my God, no one knows about this, it’s amazing!” And then it blows up, sometimes you get a little…you know, you get a little jealous that the little secret gets out. I remember when I was younger, I knew about a couple of bands that no one else knew about and then when the whole world finds out about it, it doesn’t feel as special, even though the music is still as special. But I think these days, whatever you got to do to get noticed… It really comes down to the music. Like, if the music’s good, I feel like one way or another, it rises to the top somehow.

RN: Going back to all the band’s that influenced you, what is one lyric that would sums up your life? Like if someone asked you to describe yourself, what would it be? AB: From another band?

RN: From your band or another band. AB: One lyric that describes me? I’ll have to think about that one for a minute. Its probably a Depeche Mode or Prince lyric. Probably… (pauses) It’s a good question. (Another brief pause) Lets come back to that one. I’ll think about that one before we finish.

RN: Speaking about Prince, do you have as much b-sides at this point as Prince’s vault does? AB: Who, us?

RN: I remember you saying you has a b-sides album you were toying with? AB: Prince has hours, and days, and weeks of music that’s unreleased! I don’t think anybody has the amount of music that’s locked away in his vault. That guy worked- every day he wasn’t on stage, he was recording. For the entirety of his career, so there’s thousands of songs locked away in that guy’s vault, for sure. We probably have like, 30, not even close. Probably the same amount of songs that we’ve released, we have others on our computers somewhere, on a hard drive.

RN: As a personal question, you’ve worked with Prince a few times, what do you think of his work aestethic? Do you agree that he kept his music withheld from places like YouTube and off social media and released them on his own? AB: I mean I understand how he was really precious about everything, but up until a certain point- there came a certain time where I was like, c'mon dude. We all just want to hear your music, man. And I get where he’s coming from, I mean… He’s like the ultimate artist in my opinion, he’s the definition of an artist. So it doesn’t really matter how I feel about it even though it’s more of a selfish thing, like I want to hear all your music, put it out on YouTube or wherever. But I understand it, he kept it true, you know, until he passed away. And what I mean by that is like, he did that for a reason to protect all the artists. Artists don’t make money anymore. I think it was more, making a statement like… You’re only worth what you let the world know you’re worth, right? So if you say, I’m putting my own stuff out and you gotta pay for it, you’re creating a market for your art. We live in a world where you just don’t make money because people don’t buy music anymore, and its crazy. It’s crazy that people spend all this time and energy, blood, sweat and tears creating art for other people to connect with, creating a soundtrack for people’s lives. And they don’t get anything in return for it, except love, which is okay, you just have to figure out other ways to get paid as an artist. But I think, back to Prince, I think he was just trying to, you know, make a statement and say we’re artists: this is what we’re worth, if you want to hear what I create as an artist, you gotta pay for it.

RN: That’s why I wanted to ask you, because you’ve been in the music business for so long in so many different aspects of it. There’s so much consumption that I feel the only way for bands to make any money is to work their asses off in touring which is sad because it takes such a personal toll on them. Sometimes bands gets destroyed by touring being away from their families, that’s why I was curious. AB: It’s a tough call because if you’re Prince, you can do that. If you’re not Prince, and no one knows who you are, you have to put your music out, people have to hear it. So, again if you’re Prince, you can be precious about it, you can take it off the internet and you can get people to buy it because you had a career that spanned over 30 years. For a band no one knows, you have to do everything you can to get people to hear it. So if you have to put it out for free, if you have to put it on YouTube, stream it, give it away for free in order for people to hear it, that’s what you gotta do. So, I see both sides of it, but again, you have to be a huge band. If you’re U2, you can do that. For me, because people know She Wants Revenge I have a little bit of an advantage, but not much. The only reason I would charge anybody for my music… Like, I’m probably gonna do what Justin did with his new side band, Dream Club. You can download it for free, if you want, or, you can buy it for whatever amount you want to pay for it, and the money that he’s getting from people that buy his music, he’s gonna turn around and print vinyl with. So people are basically just funding, vinyl. I like that idea, of like, pay what you want and if you don’t want to pay, you know, take it. If you want to pay and you understand that what you’re giving me will either help support me doing shows or support me pressing vinyl, it just goes right back into it, I’m not putting it in my pocket. For us, when we tour- when people come to shows, it just supports us being able to do more shows. You know, we don’t make a ton of money off of touring. That money goes right back into what we do, and it helps support us going to other cities and continuing to share our music. Hopefully, someday we can go back in the studio and make more.

RN: It’s kind of funny that you bring up the pay what to plan because when Radiohead did it for In Rainbows, it’s hilarious that some people paid 9 cents or even 1 penny because like you said people put their blood, sweat and tears into this- AB: Well again, if you’re Radiohead, you can afford to do that.

RN: Even with newer bands though who put it through Spotify and get, one fraction of a penny. AB: It’s like- it’s a tough call. It’s just a very strange world where, because of the internet, all these different art mediums with the exception of painters, who still sell their artwork, if they’re not digitized. But music and film, it’s crazy how… At a certain point, you have to give it away. You know, for me, I worked 4 years on my record. I put more energy and heart into my solo record than I’ve ever put into anything. Do I think I’m gonna make money off of it, probably not. I don’t even know if anyone’s ever going hear it, honestly. Again, because we have a fan base, in She Wants Revenge, someone’s gonna hear it because people follow us on social media. I may not make any money off of it, and you know what, that’s cool. I don’t have any expectations. I think we live in a world where when people make music they don’t have any expectations either. They shouldn’t, they may never make a dime, and they have to be okay with that, it’s just how it is. You make money off licensing, you make money off merchandise, you make money off touring. if you’re lucky enough to tour. You kinda have to go into it knowing you may not make any money. And you know what, it’s discouraging and I know a lot of musicians that are turning away from music. I know a ton of musicians that, they write for film and TV. Or they direct. Or they take photos. Or they just stop making music. It’s very hard to have a life and be a musician; have a family, like, Justin has a family. We do this because we love it, we’re fortunate that people come to our shows, make a little bit of money. But it’s discouraging. I meet a lot of managers, lawyers, we all say the same thing. They discouraged people from entering the music industry, more times than encouraging them. Because there’s no money, you have to know what you’re getting yourself into, and it sucks, honestly. But I’m not here for that, I just love making music. Fortunately, I do other things that I make money from, and I love making music so much that I would do it for free, and I can afford to do it for free. I can’t imagine being an 18 year old kid, trying to do a band in my garage.. Knowing that the chances are I’ll never make a dime off of it. Unless I get lucky somehow and my song ends up on a TV show or a movie. I come up with a clever t-shirt that everybody buys, you know what I mean?

RN: I know what you’re saying. Even being in journalism, I’ve been told so many times to ‘get a job doing social media enterprising, you’re never going make a cent off doing journalism, and I tell them fuck them, because I like to do this. AB: As you should.

RN: It’s sad that its gotten to this point. What was supposed to help us just went off the rails. AB: It’s crazy. You know, a really kind of big publication interviewed me the other day… (Pauses) And It was an intern. They basically got rid of their entire staff with the exception of three people. And I know they used to have a staff, probably of 30 or 40 writers. Now it’s like, 2 or three? The guy that interviewed me, no offense, was an intern. No one’s left. They either all went off and started their own blog, or podcast. You know, why help somebody else’s brand when you can just go create your own, and put all your energy into blowing up your own podcast or whatever. Because publications just don’t make the money that they used to. So I understand journalists’ frustration in general, just one more down the line, one more occupation down the line that you have to figure a new way to approach it in order to make any money.

RN: It’s sad because when big magazines were forced to go online, they became snarky just to get the clickbait, and I saw that. It was heartbreaking because I saw them flip-flop artists and say “hey we dissed this band, buy our stuff.” AB: It’s crazy. …I think everyone’s just scrambling to figure how to do it, how to move forward. Who knows? It’s frustrating as someone who wants to breathe music journalism. Like, I want there to be amazing writers, the more I read shit online, not to say there’s not amazing journalists out there, but like-

RN: It’s very few. AB: The publications that like… …I don’t want to name any names but the things that I used to buy every week in a magazine, I don’t pay attention to anymore because they suck.

RN: It feels like you have to go overseas to kind of get satisfaction, but even then it’s iffy.. AB: Maybe. Maybe. Even then, I just search out, there’s people that just branch out on their own or never work for a magazine and just write, who I follow. I’d rather read some kid from Ohio, some 16 year old kid who’s well read and really digs in, and discovers new music in some unique way than read some jaded guy who works at wherever, who doesn’t give a fuck anymore and all he’s worried about his job because he’s one of the last four people who works there. But he’s doing- all these people are based in fear. All these industries: DJ’s, nightlife, everybody does their job based in fear. Because they don’t want to lose their jobs. Like in nightlife, it’s crazy. The owners hire promoters, the promoters hire DJ’s that suck because they’re afraid if they get somebody that’s actually an artist that the guys coming who are buying the bottles, aren’t going to come. The DJ’s are playing a bunch of bullshit because they’re afraid if they’re artists they’re going to get fired. It just trickles down, I think it’s almost in every industry. Listen to the state of music, it’s so hard for me to find anything I like, because everything sounds the same. We were just having this conversation today, how like, it wasn’t so much about music, it was about people and their personal style. Like, when we were growing up and there wasn’t the internet, you couldn’t just go online and see what everybody else was wearing all over the world. And then there are these girls that every girl follows on Instagram and however they do their make-up, or whatever they’re wearing, it trickles down to the world. So everybody, everywhere I go, looks the fucking same. And when we grew up, you couldn’t do that, you had to have your own style. You just went out and bought the clothes that turns you on, based on whatever music you were into, whatever the subculture you were living through. There are all these amazing people that had their own individual style and it’s so hard to find now, not just in fashion, but in music. No one plays guitar anymore because it’s all digital. Kids aren’t learning instruments, they just want to get a computer and make music like all the pop artists are making. Same way with writers. It’s just…

RN: It’s frustrating. AB: It’s frustrating, not only s a musician, or as a DJ, or an artist but as someone who appreciates good writers. Good photographers. Everybody’s a photographer, all you need is an iPhone.

RN: Or an Instagram account. AB: That’s it, a couple of filters and everything looks good. Everybody’s a model. No one looks like they do in real life. It’s crazy. I know all those girls on instagram. I know them in real life, they don’t look the same.

RN: No exactly. AB: You get a couple of apps, and a couple of filters-

RN: Photoshop. AB: Get some make-up tutorials online. And then turn into this thing that looks like all the rest of them, it’s crazy.

RN: I was reading Johnny Marr’s autobiography and like you were saying, fashion made him meet these types of people who made them meet their types of people, and you don’t- it’s so foreign to me because it doesn’t exist anymore. AB: You know, it’s crazy, I was having another conversation recently with a business partner of mine who I do a night with in Los Angeles, people used to go out to be inspired, in nightclubs, because you were around amazing people that came from all these different walks of life: real writers, real photographers, real musicians, everybody inspired each other to be creative, or to collaborate or to learn something new. I go out now, and I don’t learn anything, I don’t even want to go out, not to say that those places don’t exist.

RN: They’re harder to find. AB: They’re almost impossible to find. They exist, you just really have to go out of your way to discover them. So… Long answer to the first question, it’s frustrating.

RN: Going back to Cloak & Dagger festival, how did it come up? It is a really good line-up. AB: Thank You. The original idea was to do a two year anniversary party, which would include my band. There are members of other bands that are members of Cloak and Dagger, the original idea was to do like three bands for the two year anniversary but after doing a little research with my agent, we realized that there’s no festivals out there that mix genres in the way that we do at the club. So it really was my agent’s genius idea to try and do a festival that encompasses the different genres that you play at Cloak and Dagger. So, it just went from an idea to do a little show at the club into this sweet festival we’re having. And its really exciting because all I’m really doing is what I do in the club which is put together a bunch of songs and I play them for people, in a certain order. So doing a festival like this is kinda like doing the same thing, I made a list of artists and put them altogether and we had a festival.

RN: They’re a super stellar line-up, it’s tempting to make a trip to L.A. for. AB: It’s a pretty special line-up, I have a couple of partners and everybody worked really hard, because I don’t know the first thing about a festival, I just know the music I like. So fortunately, I have a couple of partners that worked really really hard to book all these bands. And it took 9 months of work, which is a long time to put together. So I’m really glad it happened, we were able to put it together and my first show as a solo artist will be at that festival. We’re already planning on doing it hopefully in other cities next year, we’re already starting to book 2018 and hopefully it’s the next chapter of my life, building up Cloak and Dagger as a brand and doing more Cloak and Dagger festivals.

RN: I always like to close it out with a lyric, you can either complete it with your own, or you can just complete it as it is. “Must be something in the water they drink” AB: That’s one of my favorites, I love that. When I think about Prince lyrics that relate to my life, I don’t if they really relate to me but I will say… ‘The beautiful ones always smash the picture’ is one of my favorite lyrics, or ‘what’s this strange relationship?’ You know there’s just… Lemme think of the perfect Prince lyric. This is actually probably my favorite Prince lyric, is.. ‘Holding someone is truly believing there’s joy in repetition.’

If music is a cycle of new innovation, then there is endless supply of joy found in between the waves. And it’s exciting to see what the next tide brings.

The Cloak & Dagger: Dusk Till Dawn festival featuring The Jesus Mary Chain, TR/ST, Love Ecstasy Terror, Cold Cave, She Wants Revenge and more will be held Oct 20th to 21st in L.A., information can be found at http://xcloakanddaggerx.com

-Jenelle DeGuzman

[afoolsingenuity]

Looking Forward // February 2017

Looking Forward is a regular feature on the blog where I let you know which books I’m looking forward to in the month. They are all books I’m looking forward to being released and want to know if you’re excited about them too?

This month is great because I know I can put in a request for a few of these books for my birthday at the end of the month… although I’ve already pre-ordered two of them… I may not understand the concept of budgeting.

Long Way Home (Thunder Road #3) – Katie McGarry

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Release Date: 1st February 2017

Unconventional – Maggie Harcourt

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Release Date: 1st February 2017

Seventeen-year-old Violet has always been expected to sit back and let the boys do all the saving.

It's the code her father, a member of the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, raised her to live by. Yet when her dad is killed carrying out Terror business, Violet knows it's up to her to do the saving. To protect herself, and her vulnerable younger brother, she needs to cut all ties with the club—including Chevy, the boy she's known and loved her whole life.

But when a rival club comes after Violet, exposing old secrets and making new threats, she's forced to question what she thought she knew about her father, the Reign of Terror and what she thinks she wants. Which means re-evaluating everything: love, family, friends…and forgiveness.

Caught in the cross hairs between loyalty and freedom, Violet must decide whether old friends can be trusted—and if she's strong enough to be the one person to save them all.

Lexi Angelo has grown up helping her dad with his events business. She likes to stay behind the scenes, planning and organizing...until author Aidan Green - messy haired and annoyingly arrogant - arrives unannounced at the first event of the year. Then Lexi's life is thrown into disarray.

In a flurry of late-night conversations, mixed messages and butterflies, Lexi discovers that some things can't be planned. Things like falling in love...

Why Am I Excited?

I know Katie McGarry often writes overly dramatic and slightly angsty YA which is always a little crazy but her writing is so insanely addictive. I am always there for her latest release because there is something about her books which hook you. I know the first time I read Pushing The Limits I was rolling my eyes and thinking I’d never go back to one of her books and then I ended up wanting to reread a year later and loved it. She’s an author who just gets you somehow and I love it.

Also, it’s a little bit like Sons of Anarchy for a younger crowd and I love Sons of Anarchy.

Why Am I Excited?

Honestly, I don’t even know. I guess it’s mostly for the fangirl in me who is excited about this book. I think I need a new book to feed that fangirl side of me and what better way than a book about a convention? It is just the perfect sounding fun YA and I want to read it. Is that so wrong?

A Darkness Absolute (Casey Duncan #2) – Kelley Armstrong

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Release Date: 7th February 2017

Wintersong – S. Jae Jones

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling

Release Date: 7th February 2017

The follow-up to #1 NYT bestseller Kelley Armstrong’s acclaimed City of the Lost, Rockton town detective Casey Duncan makes a terrible—and dangerous—discovery in the woods outside of town.

When experienced homicide detective Casey Duncan first moved to the secret town of Rockton, she expected a safe haven for people like her, people running from their past misdeeds and past lives. She knew living in Rockton meant living off-the-grid completely: no cell phones, no Internet, no mail, very little electricity, and no way of getting in or out without the town council’s approval. What she didn’t expect is that Rockton comes with its own set of secrets and dangers.

Now, in A Darkness Absolute, Casey and her fellow Rockton sheriff’s deputy Will chase a cabin-fevered resident into the woods, where they are stranded in a blizzard. Taking shelter in a cave, they discover a former resident who’s been held captive for over a year. When the bodies of two other women turn up, Casey and her colleagues must find out if it’s an outsider behind the killings or if the answer is more complicated than that...before another victim goes missing.

Casey Duncan returns in another heart-racing thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.

All her life, Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, dangerous Goblin King. They’ve enraptured her and inspired her musical compositions. Now eighteen, Liesl feels that her childhood dreams are slipping away. And when her sister is taken by the Goblin King, Liesl has no choice but to journey to the Underground to save her. But with time and the old laws working against her, Liesl must discover who she truly is before her fate is sealed.

Why Am I Excited?

I may be new to the Kelley Armstrong fanclub but that doesn’t mean I’m not committed to reading all of her books. I mean, I’ve been looking forward to this book ever since I finished City of the Lost. I have just been making grabby hands at computer screens and wishing for it to arrive sooner so I am so excited for this release! I had actually contemplated requesting this for my birthday at the end of the month but that is so far away I don’t think I’ll make it! I may sneak this into my basket (don’t tell anyone).

Why Am I Excited?

Well, first of all, is this an honest to God standalone fantasy I’m seeing? Second of all, it sounds awesome. I’ve heard this being compared to Labyrinth but considering I’ve never seen that film I don’t actually care. I just want to read the damn book. I even have it preordered for Kindle (dedication on my part).

Pretty Face (London Celebrities #2) – Lucy Parker

Genre: Romance, Contemporary

Release Date: 20th February 2017

A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #3) – V.E. Schwab

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Release Date: 21st February 2017

Highly acclaimed, award-winning author of Act Like It Lucy Parker returns readers to the London stage with laugh-out-loud wit and plenty of drama

The play's the fling

It's not actress Lily Lamprey's fault that she's all curves and has the kind of voice that can fog up a camera lens. She wants to prove where her real talents lie—and that's not on a casting couch, thank you. When she hears esteemed director Luc Savage is renovating a legendary West End theater for a lofty new production, she knows it could be her chance—if only Luc wasn't so dictatorial, so bad-tempered and so incredibly sexy.

Luc Savage has respect, integrity and experience. He also has it bad for Lily. He'd be willing to dismiss it as a midlife crisis, but this exasperating, irresistible woman is actually a very talented actress. Unfortunately, their romance is not only raising questions about Lily's suddenly rising career, it's threatening Luc's professional reputation. The course of true love never did run smooth. But if they're not careful, it could bring down the curtain on both their careers…

The precarious equilibrium among the four Londons has reached its breaking point. Once brimming with the red vivacity of magic, darkness casts a shadow over the Maresh Empire, leaving a space for another London to rise. Kell begins to waver under the pressure of competing loyalties. Meanwhile, an ancient enemy returns to claim a crown and a fallen hero is desperate to save a decaying world…

Why Am I Excited?

Erm, did you see my review for Act Like It? I need to know if that was a fluke or not. I mean, I highly doubt it was, I doubt it so much I have it pre-ordered and have a review copy, but you never know.

I do have to say if her first book is anything to go by Lucy Parker is destined to be a firm favourite of mine and I cannot wait to dive into this book, just two other review copies to conquer first! I wasn’t actually going to include it here because I have a review copy but I am insanely excited for this book so I want to keep shoving it in your faces.

Why Am I Excited?

I may not have read the second book yet but that makes me no less excited for the release of this one. I am ready for a good old binge read of all three. To binge read a series is one of my favourite things to do and this one would definitely be worth it.

Since I have read the first book I can say that based on that alone I would be buying this. I mean, I just loved it so much and Schwab proves time and again that she is an author worth keeping an eye on as she seems to always deliver an interesting read.

  Special Mentions

These three books are also books I’m excited for this month but I have review copies on them which I’ve not read yet and so can't say if I want to shove them in your face or not. They are books I’m interested in and I am aware are being released. Let me know your thoughts on these if you have read them. I’m currently reading Our Own Private Universe and like it so far but we’ll see about the rest.

And there are my picks for February. Have you read any of these or are you looking forward to them as well? And are there any books I’ve missed and absolutely need to include on my list?

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