#what is this VULGARY my man

[goldenpinof]

why would they need onlyfans when they have danandphilgames

[strawberryblondebutch]

Back by unpopular demand, it's my top albums of 2023! While 2022 suffered a dearth of good artists that made it impossible to cobble together a top 10, I struggled this year to whittle my 50(!!)-album shortlist down to my top.

Same rules as always: everything on this list is a full-length album (no EPs) of largely previously unreleased material (no reissues, no cover albums, no Taylor's Version) arranged in an intentional manner (no B-sides or rarities albums). Now, behold!

10. DOG PARK DISSIDENTS - THE PINK AND BLACK ALBUM

I hope I'm not the only punk frustrated with the decline of queer rage in the music scene. Everyone's sad and no one is angry. If you're sick of being well-behaved, this is the album for you. I've been a Dog Park Dissidents fan for years now, and I'm thrilled to see them put out an LP, especially one as great as this one.

9. SINCERE ENGINEER - CHEAP GRILLS

Something everyone needs to know about me: I love a girlflop. There is nothing more endearing than an absolute disaster of a woman, and no one is flopping through life quite like Deanna Belos. Her third album brings her scratchy-voiced brashness into her early 30s, and as much as I hope for an end to her crisis, at least she has a good soundtrack going.

8. ALL GET OUT - ALL GET OUT

Wouldn't it be easy if I didn't listen to any albums? If I just put my favorite bands in the top ten and said "that's enough hard work, I think"? Well, I don't, because sometimes there's a surprise. All Get Out has frustrated me for a while, as their Southern-fried brand of rock and roll is something I should like, but they never seemed to put it all together... until now.

7. BLONDSHELL - BLONDSHELL

Sabrina Mae Teitelbaum showed up at the eleventh hour to wreck my rankings. I was unaware of Blondshell until they opened for Liz Phair a month ago, and I was intrigued enough to follow up and listen to her debut. Her stage presence needs some work -- unlike, say, Foxing's latest album, which I learned to love once I heard it live, I think Blondshell is better recorded -- but if this is her first effort, I can't wait to see what she does next.

6. ZZ WARD - DIRTY SHINE

2023 was the year of blues rock artists going independent, and their music was all the better for it. The Record Company was a late cut for my honorable mentions, but ZZ takes the sixth spot here. There was a lot riding on Dirty Shine: she was independent and had been mostly silent since the pandemic. With some of the tightest production I've seen this year, she hasn't missed a step.

5. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE - IN TIMES NEW ROMAN...

Talk about someone who's been through the wringer since their last album. Josh Homme battled cancer, alcoholism, and a bitter divorce, and his band's latest release is one of pent-up rage. It bears strong shades of 2007's Era Vulgaris, which was divisive in its own time, and as a result, some might hate In Times New Roman... for its looser, crunchier sound. For me? It's exactly what I like to hear.

4. SPANISH LOVE SONGS - NO JOY

I have a confession: I'm a terrible album reviewer. It takes me weeks or months to listen to something new, even for my favorite artists, like Spanish Love Songs. I didn't get around to No Joy until just before I went to see SPL open for Hot Mulligan, at which point I felt like the time had come. This album was an acquired taste, smoother and more polished than 2020's Brave Faces, Everyone, but like Frightened Rabbit's 2016 Painting of a Panic Attack, the sparser sound lets you focus on what Dylan et al. are trying to say, and you can soon tell No Joy is an album that needed to come out for his own sake.

3. HEART ATTACK MAN - FREAK OF NATURE

Speaking of "late on the draw," behold Heart Attack Man, a band I should have loved... if I ever got around to listening to them. They hang around all the same scenes my other favorite bands do (in fact, Hot Mulligan also brought them along on their most recent tour), and yet I never got around to exploring them until this June, when they played in Philly for $20 tickets. Good thing my impulses won out, because this album is what punk should be (and something it's been sorely missing).

2. HOT MULLIGAN - WHY WOULD I WATCH?

After shouting them out in the last two entries, I have to give Hot Mulligan their flowers. They're a strange band, having more in common with Dance Gavin Dance than, say, The Wonder Years. It's progressive post-hardcore for Midwest emos, and although the individual songs on Why Would I Watch? are on par with any individual song from a previous release, they do something here that elevates them above their other work: put out an album, rather than a collection of songs.

1. FIREWORKS - HIGHER LONELY POWER

It was always going to be Fireworks. They released this album on January 1 after a long hiatus, giving me an entire year to have this LP rattle in my brain and linger in my bones. Higher Lonely Power combines several trends found on the rest of this list -- a new sound that needed to grow on me, a need to shake off the rust of a hiatus, a band I took far too long to get to know. They're my favorite band's favorite band for a reason, and Higher Lonely Power is a gorgeous mediation on love, death, and aging. A worthy album of the year if ever there were one.

[dogmetaph0r]

Canis Vulgaris: A "Sic 'Em" Playlist

"Of course you must learn to love, to love always and love entirely and to be wounded by nothing so much as the violence of your own love."

- Andrew Kane, How To Be A Dog

A/N: Tadaaa! This is going to be somewhat of an ongoing project as Sic 'Em evolves and as I find more music (one of the benefits of a music-friendly workplace is that spotify is always giving me new material lollll). I've categorized each song by what it mainly connects to and tried to organize them in a roughly chronological order to show how everything has developed over time.

Song list below:

Characters

Florence-Maria Lee

Sisters - Saint Motel

My Kind Of Woman - Mac DeMarco

$20 - Boygenius

Ophelia - The Lumineers

This Woman’s Work - Lady Maisery

Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison

Gap In The Clouds - Yellow Days

Baby I’m Yours - Cass Elliot

Never Grow Up - Taylor Swift

Samuel Lovell

Youth - Daughter

Blackbird - The Beatles

Saint Bernard - Lincoln

Northern Attitude - Noah Kahan

Gale Song - The Lumineers

West Coast - Lana Del Rey

It’s Called: Freefall - Rainbow Kitten Surprise

Army Dreamers - Kate Bush

Relationships

Sam Lovell x Florence-Maria Lee

Lay Me Down (cover) - Hozier

Bruno Is Orange - Hop Along

The Night We Met - Lord Huron

Work Song - Hozier

See You Again (alt. intro) - Tyler the Creator

A Pearl - Mitski

Anything - Adrianne Lenker

Chemtrails Over The Country Club - Lana Del Rey

Vampire Empire - Big Thief

Silver Springs - Fleetwood Mac

I Bet On Losing Dogs - Mitski

All The Burning Lovers - Isaac Gracie

Samson - Regina Spektor

In The Kitchen - Renée Rapp

A House In Nebraska - Ethel Cain

Lay Me Down - Sam Smith

Sam Lovell x Thomas Shelby

Satanist - Boygenius

It's Only Sex - Car Seat Headrest

One Of Your Girls - Troye Sivan

Caroline, Please Kill Me - Coma Cinema

Fido, Your Leash Is Too Long (cover) - Light Sleeper

Jealous - Labrinth

To Someone From A Warm Climate - Hozier

Papa Was A Rodeo - The Magnetic Fields

Sober To Death - Car Seat Headrest

Love Is Like A Bottle Of Gin - The Magnetic Fields

Moon Song - Phoebe Bridgers

Doomsday - Lizzie McAlpine

Me and the Devil - Soap&Skin

I’m Your Man - Mitski

Burning Hill - Mitski

Midnight Doomer Cruise - Any Two Words

I Will - Mitski

Story

Chapter 1: Fetch

De Selby (Part 1) - Hozier

Chapter 2: Speak

De Selby (Part 2) - Hozier

The Distance - Cake

D is for Dangerous - Arctic Monkeys

[crazy-hand-official]

omg sorry for being late with these two so im just combining them!! ive been overwhelmed at work it sucks hell no

but anyways i was tagged by the lovely @cherixrosa twice!! :) the first was to shuffle the top songs in your spotify wrapped playlist (or in this case my apple music replay) and list the first ten that come up!

1. Ain’ It Fun (live) - Rocket From the Tombs

2. Swimming Pool - Marie Madeleine

3. Pet Grief - The Radio Dept.

4. Daisy - Ashnikko

5. No Dark Things - Echo and the Bunnymen

6. Bololo Hahaha - MC Bin Laden

7. Get in Line - Barenaked Ladies

8. Feeling Good - Chrissy Zebby Tembo

9. Animal Farm- The Kinks

10. Come Together- Primal Scream

sounds about right for my year! second tag was to answer some fun questions about myself :)

nicknames: casey, kas, crazy hand, tusk doglips, verucca vulgaris, miss catherine / nurse catherine, and i know i have one more but i cant think of it aw man

sign: libra

last thing i googled: toxoplasma gondii...... i usually have more exciting stuff going on in my mind sorry folks

song stuck in my head: since writing that list of 10 songs “get in line” by BNL is playing in a loop. my brother was one of the top barenaked ladies listeners in the united states on spotify. my parents had new wave mix CDs and barenaked ladies playing nonstop when i was little and it’s the soundtrack to my childhood.

number of followers: like 10 mutuals and 54 sexy, sexy porn bots

amount of sleep: it depends. i get between 0-48 depending on what the hell is going on

lucky number: the hackers would love to hack into my bank account now wouldnt they...

dream job: i have my dream job right now which is being a psych nurse :) also does anyone remember that plug and play game from the early aughts ‘dream life?’ lmao

wearing: kuromi pajamas because i am tired from the absolutely draining night of work i just had and should rest but i still want to read and blog and journal and kiss all my pets :(

movies that summarize me: god i hate saying this because of the toxic vibes it gives off but girl interrupted just maybe in a clinical sense. but i dont even like that movie anyway. idk i dont watch movies uh..... crybaby and gummo for my vibe especially when i write. grey gardens is the best fitting movie of all though.

books that summarize me: and i don’t want to live this life, the bell jar, uhh not sure really what else.

favorite song: closing time — hole

favorite instrument: that old grimy keyboard from the 90s that my siblings and i would push the demo button of and pretend to play

aesthetic: cockette, new wave, post punk, trash dirt and grime. sanrio and cigarettes. baker miller pink. punk adjacent.

favorite author: my best friend and i

favorite animal noise: mourning doves. crooOO... hooo...hooo...hooo.......

random: my rats smell like burnt popcorn. many people who own rats claim they smell like popcorn and we dont know why

tagging: anyone who wants to man it’s your life dont you forget caught in the crowd it never ends

[angelsarewatching]

I posted 1,600 times in 2022

That's 1,600 more posts than 2021!

287 posts created (18%)

1,313 posts reblogged (82%)

I tagged 401 of my posts in 2022

#simon ghost riley - 32 posts

#ghost slander tag - 14 posts

#saint vulgaris - 13 posts

#call of duty - 13 posts

#saint-vulgaris - 8 posts

#archangels and saints' art - 7 posts

#welldonekhushi - 6 posts

#asks - 6 posts

#oc: mirasol corazón - 6 posts

#holy shit - 5 posts

Longest Tag: 125 characters

#listen babe i know theres a missile lost at sea rn and it might kill millions of ppl but u look really hot rn like really hot

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

remember folks on may 1st it’s titanfall day. get your ps plus subscriptions, hard disks for the pc gamers, and xbox consoles ready!

28 notes - Posted April 28, 2022

#4

@lisbetadair what do you think ...

70 notes - Posted October 26, 2022

#3

Hola!

If you have request open, can I request some HC on how Price would ask his S/O on a date? 🥺 👉👈

I love how you write so much 💕✨😭

tysm for liking how we write 😭💞 you're so sweet!

Captain Price (Dating) Headcanons!

(chose the best gif we know right)

This man is not a romantic. At all. He never considered himself to be a romantic and doesn't like cheesy romantic cliches....but he has this feeling of always trying to impress and one-up everyone else and reassure himself that he's better than anyone else who wants to date you. Don't get us wrong, he does love you a lot...it's just that due to the nature of his work skewing his standards of what's "normal", it's a bit difficult sometimes to date him.

He knows about love, how MacMillan has different wives, who always seem to be younger and more buxom than the previous one. He thinks of love as some kind of complex dynamic between two people, with unspoken etiquette and rules that he doesn't know of. Too busy with his work to ever even fathom settling down one day and marrying someone he loves...he just can't see it in his future. "Love" is just something you can use against another, (like holding someone's wife and kid as a bargaining chip) and "Marriage" was just having eye candy on your arm and make other people jealous. He has a very grey moral compass and his ethics are very unclear and vague.

Then you come in.

You don't blow him away right from the start, but you do pique his interest. You're new, fresh faced, and proficient in many skills. He gets to know more about you, and he's taken aback by how accomplished you are, and he respects your capability and acknowledges your usefulness during missions.

But there's something he can't just point out--why does he feel some kind of need to impress you? Why does he want to make you smile? Somehow he feels lighter and almost giddy when he makes a joke and you laugh--and at night, he stays awake staring at the ceiling, reminiscing about your melodious voice. Unexpectedly, he starts to look forward to meeting you every day, and he feels as if he could listen to you talk for hours on end, or just watch you do your thing and feel satisfied and content. He doesn't know why he feels these things however--he thinks that maybe it's just because he appreciates you and the work you do is useful and makes things easier when he's deployed. He brushes off his newfound feelings, thinking that sooner or later they'll just fizzle out and he can go back to working like normal.

The only catch was that it didn't fizzle out. The more time he spends with you, the more this fire inside of him crackles and burns more fervently, and it's inextinguishable. He realizes then, that he likes you, but he's adamant on saying that yes, I do like them, but it doesn't matter.

Finally he loses too much sleep over this, pondering how your hands fit into his calloused palms so well, and how he wants to hold you and rock you back and forth as you slow dance to romantic French songs, that his younger sister, Jenny, (Squadron Leader Jennifer "Broke" Price of No 9 (B) Squadron, RAF) had to hammer it in his head with a power drill that "you're in LOVE, johnny" and he regrets ever going to his younger sister for "Relationship Advice" because now even his older sister, (Major Jasmine Price) is heavily berating him about it. "This is having a significant impact on your effectiveness in the field, Johnathan. If you don't do something about this, I'm going to have to write you up and give you a mandatory leave till you sort yourself out."

He cannot go on Mandatory leave. He just can't. He'll die. So he takes a deep breath, memorizes the list of things he has to keep in mind during a "date" (or whatever Jenny called it) and approaches you.

"I really enjoy your company. If you're free, would you like to have dinner with me at 7PM tonight?"

You're surprised. Is Captain Price asking you out on a fucking date? You accept, but you're left reeling, shocked as ever, as he just says "Alright, thank you," and then leaves. He's fist pumping the entire way to his office.

You go out on a date in a nice restaurant in Hereford, as you're stationed there for the meantime. He knows this place like the back of his hand, and you both are chaperoned in a sleek black Mercedes-Benz 600 Grosser with bulletproof window panels towards the venue of your date. (He borrowed the car from Jasmine, and the random valet has a tuxedo.)

Part 2 of what happens during the date..? 👀

97 notes - Posted October 17, 2022

#2

@lisbetadair i don't know if you've seen this. but you have to see this.

172 notes - Posted October 28, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

KÖNIG Headcanons (NSFW at the end)

Born in Austria, but moved to Germany when he was like, seven.

Suffers from the most severe amount of anxiety you've ever seen. Like. Not the cutesy, blush, "imscawedtopresentinfrontofclass" thing you'd see on a cute anime girl. Nope. This man is a severe

WRECK.

He is absolutely NOT pure but he's like. The awkwardest bitch to ever exist. Why. Why. Who gave you anxiety my love.

Not cinnamon roll either, these are skilled, deadly operators we're talking about.

Gets flustered for no reason ever and gets the most random anxiety attacks for what he calls the "smallest" things ever.

His brain goes FULL alert and alarm mode when there's a very small problem that will not affect his life at all and when there's an actual BIG problem in place, like life-ending missiles?

His brain takes a sip of vodka and then goes like "yea it be like that sometimes"

Bullied in grade school, high school, not college. He enlisted into the army when he found out being built like a mountain also meant that it was harder to knock you down. In combat, I mean. But it's easier to knock him down mentally..

would have actually went to college if not for his crippling anxiety kicking him in the gut every time he tried to go out for a walk. someone passes him by and it's immediately "shit shit shit shit shit shit shit they hate me i'm actually so fucking worthless like-" i wish i was exaggerating but no. he was just really fucked over mentally as a kid.

grew up being bullied like HELL because of how tall he was. like. it wasn't normal. it wasn't even bullying it was just some people laughing at him from time to time about how large he was. this actually hurt him severely and sometimes refused to go out and if he was forced to. he would cry

severely sensitive about his face. he looks Fine. not attractive or ugly but. just a regular german guy. but with very sad eyes. for some reason.

seems. apologetic. his resting face is a man wanting to apologize.

definitely suffered from depression for a few years in his high school days. just not wanting to go to school and it being difficult for him to even get out of bed.

he also suffers from extreme self-esteem issues. he hates his face. Very much. has tried to cut it on Very bad days. a few scars here and there but no scarring that's too extensive.

prone to self harming. due to overthinking and extensive blaming and self-deprecating thoughts.

not as bad as ghost but. still Very bad

on a scale of 1 to 10 on how much of a pathetic wreck of a man he is? he's a solid 20.

wears a mask because he is Sensitive. very. he hates his face, he hates mirror, he hates his reflection. very very thankful for his headgear and how it hides his face because he hates his face so so much

cries a lot too. will just break out crying sometimes when he pent up Too much emotion and silent tears will come out of his eyes. but you won't see it. because it's hidden

yeah he literally thinks Everyone hates him just at first glance. he tries not to though. he tries to just focus on the job but he can't help but tremble sometimes.

you'll catch him shaking or stammering on his words too much and he'll just. ignore it if you point it out. and then slam his head on a desk inside his room when you're out of earshot

super critical of himself and his actions. TOO critical.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Need I say more.

sometimes he just. can't help it. but. suddenly he will feel like his life TRULY is on the line if he doesn't flick the light switch twenty times and blink his eyes five times so that he's safe and all his loved ones are safe and-

too clean of a room. too clean. no dust anywhere. reorganizes four times a day. indecisive. Cannot be trusted to make decisions. absolutely not.

he's OK in the battlefield but outside of fighting and shooting......... he's pathetic.

oh damn he's HORRIBLE at bed. this man's dick game would've been rock bottom if not for his massive -

yeah of course it's massive. why wouldn't it be. he's embarrassed of it because it hangs weirdly if he doesn't wear the tight enough boxers

502 notes - Posted October 28, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[bazzybelle]

13, 16, 17, and 27 for the historical asks ❤️

Oh my gosh! So many questions! :D Thank you for the ask, my lovely!

13) Something random about some random historical person in a random era.

Here is an interesting fact about Dante Alighieri, one of my favourite writers/poets.

Dante was the first writer who used a different language other than the commonly used Latin. Instead, he promoted the use of a more easily accessible vernacular language, based on the dialect of his beloved Florence. His treatise De vulgari eloquentia (On the Eloquence of the Vernacular), outlines the ways in which promoting the vernacular language is better for unification of the people. He was essentially a pioneer in this, and his views on language will be instrumental several centuries later, when Italy finally unifies.

Another fun fact, the "Italian" that is typically taught in schools and which is heard on the news is based on Dante's early Florentine vernacular.

16) Do you own some historical item? (coin, clothing, weapons, books, etc) If yes which one is your favourite?

Sadly, I do not. My husband has some fancy printings of famous books, but they're just a fancy version of them. I wish I did, though.

17) What historical item would you like to own?

I answered this question in another ask, but I can try to think of another answer. I really love period clothing. I've been wanting to try and find retro-style clothing for myself because they're just really gorgeous. I really like clothing from the 40s and 50s in particular. So, if I could get like a wardrobe of various period clothing and learn how to wear them, I'd be very very happy. :)

27) Favourite historical “ What if… ” ?

Oh man, this is GOOD one. Ok so I LOVE finding videos on YouTube that dive into these What If... scenarios. It's always fun to look at massive historical events, and see how the patterns of history would have changed had something not happened the way that it did.

One of my favourite What Ifs to follow is about The Black Death and what would have happened if it just never had the massive impact it did, or if it just never occurred.

Now The Black Death (the medieval one) had a DEVASTATING toll on the world. In Europe, it wiped out nearly a third of its entire population. This had an effect on the economy, as now workers were able to demand better wages and respect from their Lords, or simply move out of the farms and into the cities.

During the Black Death, a LOT of people lost faith in the Catholic Church, leading to an era where philosophy flourished, as well as hedonism and an appreciation for beauty. I think you know where I'm going with this... The Renaissance.

But, what if it didn't happen? What would change? The YouTube channel AlternateHistoryHub does a pretty decent dive into the What If scenario here, so I encourage a watch if you're interested. Take care though, he goes in depth about the Plague and its effects, and talks about the rampant anti-sematism that occurred during this time.

He presents a very bleak alternate history, talking about overpopulation and a severe shortage of food and resources. Feudalism stays in tact, no peasant revolts, no shift in culture. He does makes it clear that it wouldn't mean we'd all be serfs to this day, but that certain shifts would have taken a lot longer to occur.

Really fascinating stuff.

ASK ME THE HISTORY QUESTIONS PLEASE!

[science-soup]

ok hold up. I know this is a meme but I will not let this stand. Lame? You're calling hydras LAME?! NOT ON MY WATCH

Look at it: hydra vulgaris

fucking beautiful. breathtaking. have you seen them move? You should! They can extend and shrivel together like crazy. sure they might not be dangerous to YOU (unless you're about 1mm in size) but they can regrow lost body parts making them basically immortal in a lab environment!!

And if you want something more dangerous, remember these:

Portuguese man of war. I know what you're gonna say, they're not the same, this isn't a Hydra. BUT the portuguese man o war is in the same group of animals and this group is called Hydrozoa, so there ya have it. Basically a hydra irl that can fucking kill you. (Btw it is actually made of numberous little polyps rather than being one organism and all those polyps must coordinate their individual functions and work together to create a floating killing machine.) Very NEAT don't you think. Very NOT LAME.

We got the lamest version

[queerdraws]

Cleaning Out the Rooms - a Harry Du Bois playlist Alcoholism, getting better?, memory loss, being a superstar, The Final Dream, forming political opinions, bad breakups, past transgressions, being a strange and inconsistent being, and persisting despite it all 26 songs (r-slur warning for Turnin’ on the Screw - QotSA)

including: David Bazan, They Might be Giants, The Mountain Goats, British Sea Power (of course), Queens of the Stone Age, and more.  Full track listing and lyric excerpts under the cut

---- Turnin' on the Screw - Queens of the Stone Age (This is the opening track on Era Vulgaris, seemed like an appropriate opening song / introduction to Harry's general essence) ----

... They say those who can't just instruct others And act like victims or jilted lovers You can't lose it if you never had it Disappear, man, do some magic

Want a reason? How's about because You ain't a has been if you never was

I sound like this

Scared to say what is your passion So slag it all, bitter's in fashion Fear of failure's all you've started The jury is in, verdict: r******d

I'm so tired, and I'm wired too I'm a mess; I guess I'm turning on the screw

---- Bless this Mess - David Bazan (Harry being a drunk and a general mess, things going in cycles) ----

God bless the man who stumbles God bless the man who falls God bless the man who yields to temptation God bless the woman who suffers God bless the woman who weeps God bless the children trying her patience Trouble getting over it Is what you're in for So pour yourself another 'Cause it'll take a steady pair of hands Holy or unholy ghost Well now I can't tell, but either way you cut it You should get some distance if you plan to take a stand God bless the house divided God bless the weeds in the wheat God bless the lamp hid under a bushel I discovered hell to be the poison in the well So I tried to warn the others of the curse But then my body turned on me I dreamt that for eternity My family would burn Then I awoke with a wicked thirst

---- Don’t Sit Down Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair - Arctic Monkeys (general Harry vibe.  off-kilter) ----

Break a mirror, roll the dice

...

Find a well-known hard man and start a fight Wear your shell suit on bonfire night Fill in a circular hole with a peg that's square

But just don't sit down 'cause I've moved your chair

...

Bite the lightning and tell me how it tastes Kung fu fighting on your roller skates Do the Macarena in the devil's lair

But just don't sit down 'cause I've moved your chair

---- I've Been Seeing Things - They Might be Giants (feels very Harry's detecting style, surreal happenstance) ----

I've been seeing things I've been seeing things Don't have answers but I've got lots of questions

Carpool's up, someone gets out Hand someone else a violin case I'm trying not to let them see me looking at them But I'm pretty sure there was a dollar sign

Keep your eyes peeled and you'll see stuff Which at first seems like unimportant irrelevant things

Can't just ask some perfect stranger "What are you hiding in your violin case?" Shadow them at a distance instead Try to get inside their head

Where'd they go now (Where'd they go now) I got distracted (I got distracted) Begging me to stay (Begging me to stay) Wearing a disguise (Wearing a disguise) That lady (That lady) Must have ditched the kid (Must have ditched the kid) Hidge the down (Hidge the down) [???] What's she up to now? (What's she up to now?) Trembling cold by the airport road Watching them stack containers in rows Seagulls, helicopter, windblown trash Something doesn't add up

I've been seeing things I've been seeing things No one asks but I'm packing all kinds of attention

Later I'm watching a news report Camera pans across a crime scene Unremarked upon detail Empty violin case Okay maybe not the same case Different material, different color Still you have to wonder Am I the only one who knows

I've been seeing things

---- Music is the Victim - Scissor Sisters (breakup Harry.  drug-addled disco Harry) ----

I left my heart in San Fransisco It's at some motherfucking disco The people there where dancin' on it And that's including Ms. Matronic

Hell if music is the victim then so am I Of lovin' and a cheatin' the snake gon' bite I beg and I scream and I cuss and I cry If music is the victim then so am I

Of your bad fun Money's all gone but you need some Lover's on the phone but they got none Daddy ain't home from the dog run And you're riding through the city with a shotgun

I left my bag in Pasadena Where all them girls was doin' Tina Them bitches sure were crunked up on it I said I'd rather smoke some chronic

Hell if music is the victim then so am I Of lovin' and a cheatin' the snake gon' bite I beg and I scream and I cuss and I cry If music is the victim then so am I

---- Down to Your Soul - Right Away, Great Captain! (about the Final Dream and pre-game Harry) ----

And I see things I actually don't see. I knew it wasn't actually you a few feet from my reach. I looked into your eyes and I began to lose my teeth, And I felt you were dreaming the same thing.

And I know you don't know what I'm capable of But if you give me just one more minute I'm sure That you would be shaking right down to your soul And I'd hope that the fear of the lord brings me home. I'm a man in a body of water so tall Could swallow you whole and forget where he's going But I carved a map in the back of my arm Don't worry I'm coming home I said don't worry cause I'm coming home

---- No Surprises - Radiohead (suicidal harry, pre-game.  Maybe immediately before the game.  A little Big Communism Builder) ----

A heart that's full up like a landfill A job that slowly kills you Bruises that won't heal You look so tired, unhappy Bring down the government They don't, they don't speak for us I'll take a quiet life A handshake of carbon monoxide

And no alarms and no surprises

…

This is my final fit My final bellyache

…

No alarms and no surprises, please (get me out of here)

---- Cleaning Out the Rooms - British Sea Power (The instrumental part seems to have been used / referenced for a background music track.  And also the name of that one thought project. as expected, it fits beautifully.  Wake up in a new life, down by the seaside.  Cleaning out the rooms.  She’ll be coming soon.) ----

Where life is good in a way Swept away upon our hearts, in cold coal ceremonial On a rainy day, hang it up Get the vacuum and suck it in Cleaning out the rooms, I'll clean it up Dark cloud, drifting out of view I'll never know, she'll be coming soon, that is all I'll wake up in a new life, ship shape and shoe shine Cleaning out the rooms, I'll clean it up She'll be coming soon Drifting into view, way in the west, white cloud If everybody knew, I never knew, she'll be coming soon I'll wake up in a new life, down by the seaside In a new life, down by the seaside Cleaning out the room, I'll clean it up Dark clouds, she'll be coming soon Down the chimney, out the window, that is all

---- In the Morning of the Magicians - The Flaming Lips (waking up with no memory, but bad vibes) ----

In the morning I awake

And I couldn't remember What is love and what is hate

The calculations error

Oh, what is love and what is hate? And why does it matter? Is to love just a waste? And how can it matter?

Oh...

As the dawn began to break I had to surrender The universe will have its way Too powerful to master

---- Once in a Lifetime - Talking Heads (Huh??  What's happening??  same as it ever was, same as it ever was) ----

And you may ask yourself, "How do I work this?" And you may ask yourself, "Where is that large automobile?" And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful house" And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful wife"

...

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was Same as it ever was, same as it ever was

...

And you may ask yourself, "What is that beautiful house?" And you may ask yourself, "Where does that highway go to?" And you may ask yourself, "Am I right? Am I wrong?" And you may say to yourself, "My God! What have I done?"

---- Don't Change - David Bazan (alcoholism, cycles of wanting to get better, depression, slipping in to old coping mechanisms, plus a little bit in here about dreams.  This is a song for if Harry continues partying after the memory wipe, I suppose) ----

He seems nice You met him once or twice But you wonder what he's like When he's sober

Then again You hear he has no friends Just people that he spins To do him favors

When he wakes up in the morning he tells himself Today I'll make a change But falling into his bed at night he thinks Man it was a beautiful day to stay the same

I'm so deep That only in my sleep Do the secrets that I keep Float to the surface

So I hold them down Till they don't make a sound Like they accidentally drowned Except on purpose

And when I wake up in the morning I tell myself Today I'll make a change But falling into my bed at night I think Man it was a beautiful day to stay the same

---- Airbag - Radiohead (born again, back to save the universe) ----

In the next world war In a jackknifed juggernaut I am born again In the neon sign scrolling up and down I am born again

In an interstellar burst I am back to save the universe

In a deep, deep sleep of the innocent I am born again In a fast German car I'm amazed that I survived An airbag saved my life

In an interstellar burst I am back to save the universe

---- A Comet Appears - The Shins (puppeting a man-body around pretending to be a living thing. drinking, depression) ----

One hand on this wily comet Take a drink just to give me some weight Some uber-man I'd make I'm barely a vapor

They shone a chlorine light on A host of individual sins Let's carve my aging face off Fetch us a knife Start with my eyes Down so the lines Form a grimacing smile

Close your eyes to corral a virtue Is this fooling anyone else? Never worked so long and hard To cement a failure

---- The Communists Have the Music - They Might be Giants (Big Communism Builder, but especially Harry's shallow understanding of Communism.  Party-boy communist) ----

I got handed an Ayn Rand sandwich Straight from the can, it tasted so bland I asked a lass to pass me a glass Of Engels' Conditions of the Working Class

Right away they dragged me to the committee To explain my un-American activity They're gonna see they made a mistake If they'd only let me play my mixtape

I'm not partial to the martial Or the plutocrats, in their beaver hats And the fascists have the outfits But I don't care for the outfits What I care about is music And the communists have the music

---- Harlem Roulette - The Mountain Goats (Harry thinking about Guillame le Million?  Generally: that vibe of secret, maybe supranatural machinations happening just outside your field of view.  A kinda lonely, pensive vibe, sprinkled with past drug use, driving...memory) ----

Unknown engines underneath the city Steam pushing up in billows through the grates Frankie Lymon's tracking "Seabreeze" in a studio in Harlem Its 1968. Just a pair of tunes to hammer out. Everybody's off the clock by 10:00. The loneliest people in the whole wide world are the ones you're never going to see again. Feels so free when I hit the avenue. Nothing like a New York summer night. Every dream's a good dream, Even awful dreams are good dreams, If you're doing it right. Remember soaring higher than a cloud. Get pretty sentimental now and then. The loneliest people in the whole wide world are the ones you're never going to see again. And four hours north of Portland, a radio flips on. And some no one from the future remembers that you're gone. Armies massing in the dusky distance. Ghosted in the ribbon microphone. Leave a little mark on something, maybe, Take the secret circuit home. Nothing in the shadows but the shadow hands. Reaching out to sad, young, frightened men. The loneliest people in the whole wide world are the ones you're never going to see again.

---- Suture up Your Future - Queens of the Stone Age (Harry's gonna fix his mess) ----

I'm gon' suture up my future I ain't jaded, I just hate it See, I been down too long It's kinda hard to explain Burned and buried, all I carried

...

Tried explaining unexplained Got caught in the plan All this talking at once I've been giving my love away To the things that tear it apart I'm gonna suture up my future

---- Lampshades on Fire - Modest Mouse (Harry trashing his body / having already trashed his body, just kinda a Harry-vibe song) ----

...

Well, the lampshade's on fire when the lights go out This is what I really call a party now Well, fear makes us really, really run around A-this one's done so where to now? Our eyes light up, we have no shame at all Well, you all know what I'm talking about The room lights up, but we're still dancing around We're having fun, having some fun now

Pack up again, head to the next place Where we'll make the same mistakes Open one up and let it fall to the ground Pile out the door when it all runs out

...

As our feelings are getting hurt Oh, we want you to do the work Our ass looks great inside these jeans Well, we want just our water clean

Well, this is how it's always been And this is how it's going to be So you just move on

---- Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (Harry "can-opener" du Bois.  Talking to the skills, solving things, detecting, generally being a terrifying force of nature / the pale) ----

I'm gonna fight 'em all A seven nation army couldn't hold me back They're gonna rip it off Taking their time right behind my back

And I'm talking to myself at night Because I can't forget Back and forth through my mind Behind a cigarette

And the message coming from my eyes Says, "Leave it alone"

Don't wanna hear about it Every single one's got a story to tell Everyone knows about it From the Queen of England to the Hounds of Hell

And if I catch it coming back my way I'm gonna serve it to you And that ain't what you want to hear But that's what I'll do

And the feeling coming from my bones Says, "Find a home"

---- Body of Years - Mother Mother (Harry's past that follows him, Harry's half-decomposed body that marks the years of abuse it's been through) ----

All the remains of a cadaver of days I keep hidden away, keep them there just in case I wanna visit that place Blow the dust from the bones Off a body of years that I leave all alone Just a body of years

See the skin disappears And the blood turns to stone In a body of years now a pile of bones Like a sheet of veneer Each a piece of my soul It's a body of years that I leave all alone

It's Just a body of years, now a pile of bones You know Old soul who falls down Can't stop trippin' on these Old roads I go down Get back up and get my foot in the door And my face on the page Make my mark in the world With a bat and a blade It's a body of work that you can't ever change Like a body of years that you take to your grave It's just a body of years that I leave all alone It's just a body of years, now a pile of bones Like a sheet of veneer Each a piece of my soul

---- The Cap-m - They Might be Giants (just a Harry vibe song) ----

When I talk you keep looking away from me 'Cause you probably think that I'm high on pot But I'm not, I'm not

Look me over, I'm the Cap'm You say it's such a joke But I don't see you laughing

People seem to think you can't be called the Cap'm Unless you drive a boat Well, I don't I don't

Look me over, I'm the Cap'm Go ahead and mess with me You'll find out what will happ'm

...

Did you say what I think you just said My hat looks good on me? I agree, I agree

Look me over, I'm the Cap'm You act like it's a joke But I don't see you laughing

---- Broke - Modest Mouse (oops!  all mistakes.  Broke it all.  Want to forget it but can't) ----

Broke account, so I broke a sweat I've bought some things that I sort of regret about now Broke my pace and ran out of time Sometimes I'm so full of shit that it should be a crime

Broke a promise 'cause my car broke down Such a classic excuse it should be bronze by now Broke your glasses, but it broke the ice You said that I was an asshole and I paid the price

Broken hearts want broken necks I've done some things that I'd love to forget, but I can't

Broke up, and I'm relieved somehow It's the end of the discussions that just go 'round and 'round And 'round, and 'round, and 'round ... It was like everything was evidence of broken time

You're living on fancy wine You'll drink that turpentine You're starting conversations You don't even know the topic

---- Spent Gladiator 2 - The Mountain Goats (Defiantly alive) ----

Like a spent gladiator, Crawling in the coliseum dust. Who can count on his remaining limbs, All the people he can trust. Like the one who stands behind him, Cheering him on. Ecstatic when he stands defiant, Wild with abandon when he's gone. Just stay alive. Keep your eyes on the pay line. Like a village on the step, About to get collectivized. When the men emerge with rifles from the haystack, Everybody looks surprised. Like the mice in the forgotten grain, Way up on the top shelf. Like someone who's found a small town to escape to, Keeps one eye on his abandoned, former self. Stay in the game. Just try to play through the pain. Like a fighter who's been told its finally time for him to quit. Show up in shining colors, And then stand there and get hit. Like the clock that ticks in Dresden, When the whole town's been destroyed. Like the nagging flash of insight, You're always desperate to avoid. Like the bloody-knuckled gunman, Still stationed at the breach. Like that board game with the sliders, And the children on the beach. Stay alive. Maybe spit some blood at the camera. Just stay alive. Stay forever alive.

---- You Only Live Once - The Strokes (just general Harry, talking about the skills, choices you can make, what kind of cop you can be) ----

Twenty-nine different attributes Only seven that you like, oh-oh Twenty ways to see the world, oh And twenty ways to start a fight, oh

...

And countless odd religions too It doesn't matter which you choose, oh, no One stubborn way to turn your back, oh This I've tried and now refuse, oh

Oh don't, don't, don't get up I can't see the sunshine Oh, I'll be waiting for you, baby 'Cause I'm through Sit me down Shut me up I'll calm down And I'll get along with you

---- Pork and Beans - Weezer (Superstar Cop) ----

They say I need some rogaine to put in my hair Work it out at the gym to fit my underwear Oakley makes the shades to transform a tool You'd hate for the kids to think that you've lost your cool

I'ma do the things that I wanna do I ain't got a thing to prove to you I'll eat my candy with the pork and beans Excuse my manners if I make a scene I ain't gonna wear the clothes that you like I'm fine and dandy with the me inside One look in the mirror and I'm tickled pink I don't give a hoot about what you think

Everyone likes to dance to a happy song With a catchy chorus and beat so they can sing along Timbaland knows the way to reach the top of the charts Maybe if I work with him I can perfect the art

I'ma do the things that I wanna do I ain't got a thing to prove to you I'll eat my candy with the pork and beans Excuse my manners if I make a scene I ain't gonna wear the clothes that you like I'm fine and dandy with the me inside One look in the mirror and I'm tickled pink I don't give a hoot about what you think

No, I don't care I don't care

---- Freaks - Surf Curse (head filled with skills, The Final Dream) ----

Don't kill me just help me run away From everyone I need a place to stay Where I can cover up my face Don't cry, I am just a freak

I am just a freak(x3)

My head is filled with parasites Black holes cover up my eyes I dream of you almost every night Hopefully I won't wake up this time

I won't wake up this time(x3)

---- The Smallest Church in Sussex - British Sea Power (oh yeah this is mandatory) ----

[whatdoesshedotothem]

Friday 2 May 1834

7 ¾

12 50/..

did not sleep well last night – fine morning F51 ½ at 9 50 – puzzled what to do about planting - Letter from Miss Walker York, 2 pages to me - the third to be torn off and sent immediately to Mr Washington – he to send off Sarah to York to be there this evening - Smith ill in bed - wrote a few lines to Miss W- to go to Sarah – saying I would write her by tonight’s post and inclosing her Mrs Musgrave’s note telling Miss W- to tell me the boy’s name and age if she wished me to write for her – if not to write herself and send me her note by parcel - despatched Matthew about 9 or a few minutes after - directed the packet enclosing the letter to Miss W- to Mr Samuel Washington and wrote underneath that if he was not at home, the packet was to be opened by Mrs Samuel Washington - note this morning from Mrs Bramley, compliments  and asking Miss Walker’s address in York - some time talking to my father and Marian – wrote the above of this morning – out a few minutes then breakfast at 10 ½ in ½ hour then a little while with Charles and James Howarth laying the new floor over the old one in the North Room – then down the Old Bank to Throp’s - staid to see 50 more Portugal laurels, 100 more box, 25 more hollies, 40 more yews, 6 junipers, 6 weeping cedars, 2 Lignum vitae of some sort or other? 2 Chinese alba vitae, 6 junipers, 1 rose acacia, 4 American Scotch-like firs, and 1 Erica vulgaris and another patch of violets, take up and packed in our cart with which John got back about 2 ½ pm I got back just before - having staid a minute or 2 to look at the cellar digging for the Whiskum bar-house began today – Pickels’ man (someone employed by him) bringing the stuff to this side, the new Dry bridge - John Bottomley bringing soil (thrown up from the new Godley road in my uncle’s time) to dress up ground along the entrance road along the garden wall - from 2 ¾ to 7 pm Pickels and Dick and the other man and John Booth planted all that came from Throps today - P- in the morning filled up all but 36 plants John put in this afternoon the hedge along the top of Trough of Bolland wood with hollies which took altogether about 87 - sent George Pickels about 5 with our cart for 15 more Portugal laurels and 25 box, and 6 rhododendrons and all these, too, just (planted) by 7 except the last (rhododendrons) which with violets and a few small things of yesterday John planted till about 8 -  came in at 8 10, dinner at 8 20 – coffee – at 9 ¼ in ¾ hour wrote and sent at 10 3 pages kind letter answers to all questions to ‘Miss Walker Heworth Grange, York’ – then ¼ with my aunt – talking to Cordingley – wrote the last 16 lines till 10 55 – filled up tax paper entering Thomas Beech footman, chaise i.e. 14 wheels carriage, and annual bearings blazoners on the carriage - enclosed this paper so filled up under cover to ‘Mr Mallinson Horton Street Halifax’ to go by John in the morning - having written to him much obliged and hoped he would find the paper right filled up having entered as above named - then wrote the following ‘Miss Lister presents her compliments to Mrs Bramley, and has great pleasure in informing her, that Miss Walker’s address is, Heworth Grange, near York. Shibden Hall Friday Evening 2 May 1834’ - to go by John in the morning to ‘Mrs Bramley, Aked’s Road’ - gave Cordingley £35 for John to pay Mrs Lawson, the glazier’s bill for the 2 water closets £34.11.7 but deducting 10 st. 12 lbs old load pipe at 2/. (new load 3/2 per stone and rising) = 21/6 = £33.10.1 had just done all the above and given all in charge to Cordingley at 11 ½ - very fine day tho’ at times rather dull and giving hope of rain by and by perhaps tonight or after midnight F57° now at 11 ½

[saphirafoxgirlspost1]

(Open Rp) "Finding My Valentine"

(Warning: This Contain, Muscle growth, weight gain, And Major Yandere Alert...So Be warned..if your a Minor please do not reply this rp..Viewer Disgression is Adviced))

Its Been 6 years Since Saphira and Her Husband Name Alvin Ernesto Barren have been married...But not until...Saphira's Mother in law Name Imelda Maria Barren Made Her Life a Living hell..Sadly..She made a Biggest Insult to Saphira's Family by Bringing a "Live" Chicken to a Family table..It was a Biggest Insults to the Kitsunes Culture..Saphira's Father was Livid and told Imelda's Family that it was a Hard core Insult to this family...Then that Night Saphira had a Serious talk with alvin..

Saphira:"Alvin..You Need to talk Some Sense to your Mother! This is an outrage Of her Behavior toward my family!"

Alvin: "Saphira Mi amour..I understand that my mother Brought a Live chicken to your family...whats the Big Deal?"

Saphira;"A BIG DEAL!!!???? You have any idea How Insultive that was to the Kitsunes!!? We Kitsune Brings "Cooked" Chickens as a tradition of welcoming....But Bringing a "Live" Chicken is an insult to the Kitsune Culture! Your Mother Did that on Purpose!! She's trying to get me to Divorce you! Did you not even Notice of her Vulgary Behavior?!"

Alvin: "Saph..Maybe She's old and forget something...just please..give her a Chance..I Promise I Will talk some sense to her.."

Saphira:" Alright But you better Do it...Or else..If She does something like this..even Going too far on this Troubled Marriage...I will Make your mothers "dream" come true...and I'm going to cut ties with you and your Awful evil mother of yours AND Your going to pay the compensation and the Alimony! Got it?!"

Alvin: "Y-y-yes..My dear"

When she said that out of anger...Alvin knew..that Saphira is the Person that They do not want to Argu with...She knew her Mother in law too damn well...ever since She and alvin first got married..Imelda made her life miserable by making her doing alot of House cleaning and cooking..even Mocking saphira's own Kinds Culture...Which it made Saphira very angry about it....And for the past 6 years..She Still hated Saphira because She's a "Man eater" Just like her kind...But the Next day...her Father In law Name "Jorge Ernesto Barren" Came to apoligize Of his wifes vulgary behavior Towards Saphira and Offer Her to go out on the "Red Rose Cafe" For some tea and cakes...She called her husband to come over..but he told her that he was busy...Jorge did the same thing with Imelda..but she said the same thing...So they go there as Father in law and Daughter in law thing...She and Jorge Started talking..but then she got called by Alvin...and she asked him where he is...but until she turns and Saw him...With a Tall, blonde with a big firm breast..and Very "Human" Lady who is "imelda's Ideal" Daughter in law...But other side..was Imelda with another man who is handsome than Jorge...Saphira and Jorge Saw her husband and His wife Cheated on them with another man and woman...And boy Saphira began to Fume in rage..the Manager saw it and Knows the drill..the customers runs off when they sees saphira's rage..and she said with her Fuming Words..

Saphira:" AAAAAALLLLLVIIIIIIIIN!!!!!!!!! *She storms to him and alvin turns and He got the biggest Slap on his face and said* WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!!??"

Jorge Joins in and Called His wifes name as well..

Jorge:" IMELDA!!! ARE YOU SERIOUS!? Cheating on me with another man!! Have you Lost Your Sanity!?"

Saphira:" I Demand An Explanation Alvin! Why are you with Another Woman!? Aren't you Suppose to talk some sense to your mother about us Being Married!!?"

Jorge:"I wanted the same thing! and I talked Some Sense about That Imelda! I know you've been Mistreating Saphira Like this they First got married! and Now look at you!!, Mistreated Saphira is one thing! But "THIS" Is Gone too far!!??"

Saphira was Completely fuming and Livid as well...and then She screaming and scolding alvin while Jorge was scolding Imelda in the harshful way and then Saphira says"

Saphira: "I can't believe your a "Mama's Boy" thats it..I've had it..I want a Divorce!!"

Alvin: "What!? Please Saph..I can change!"

Saphira: "Nope! thats it..your done!..*turns to Imelda* and you Imelda,, I hope your Proud of yourself! You got your Wish but I'm going to tell you one thing! this Woman Is Married...so be prepare because Her Husband Is coming for her! Your going to pay For the Damage...So Congradulation Imelda,,you just Destroyed this marriage!! *turns to Jorge* Sir..I am SO Sorry for this to Happen..."

Jorge: " NO dear Saphira, I am Sorry for my Wife and My Idiots Son's Infidelity...I'm Sure that I'll make them Pay the alimony and the Compensation For the damages that they've Cause it upon you"

So saphira thanked Jorge for this..and days later..She and alvin are officially divorce and Alvin and Imelda (who is Now divorced too by Jorge) is paying the alimony and compensation to saphira and Jorge....So She began to Move back Out From Bay of Pigs, Cuba to Her hometown Tokyo, Japan. 10 months Has passed, Saphira was Now Single and Quite Lonely Now...Then her friends Couldn't stand to see Saphira being single on the Very First day of Febuary..So her friend name Monique said,

Monique:"Saphira It's been 10 months since the Divorce and moving back here....You Need to Find a right guy..I mean come on...Look at you.. your a mess Since you move back here, But I got the perfect Solution of this..."Situation"

She holds out the Match Making app called "Finding My Valentine" it's an app that you can Either Match yourself with one..Or create It Just for someone who was lonely and single...Saphira was confused at first...But..She knew Monique was right though..She's been alone long enough since the Divorce and She's Had Enough about it...In Order to Forget Alvin barren...She needs to find or create a right man..So She began to Download her App on her phone and began to look for a match But none Of Those men wasn't good enough For saphira Because Of Her thought of Alvin's troubling Antics...So She decided to created her man of her life..who can Respect her and Love her for who she is and Being More Loving and Caring as well..Then..She saw the Yandere Button...So She began to Press it..and Boom..She got herself a Dream guy who would Love her forever, She created a (saiyan, slime guy, vampires Or Ect..You decide) ... And then She press Create...and then with in 3 or 4 days later...Saphira got a Lovely Package..and saw a big batch of Roses and a Lovely letter with a Big Fox Plushie holding it..she opens it and it says.....

[machiavellli]

He is also an extremely delulu man and I love him for it.

He tried to convince people that vulgar Italian and all the other European languages were invented before Latin ( a language constructed by the ancient romans in his mind and in fact he called it ��La grammatica” because it was “plastic”). He wrote 3 books on the argument (planning for it to be 4 actually), De Vulgari Eloquentia, before realising that it didn’t make much sense. In fact in the Divine Comedy he is showcasing another opinion, his final opinion as for everything else. Because as professor Barbero always says “Dante’s Comedy is the apex of all his opinions constructed in the past”. What’s an interesting thought is that De Vulgari Eloquentia was a political book, Dante wished to change the minds of the governors of the time on the usage of the vulgar and in the hope for it to become one day the official language of the Italian peninsula, which, as you know, wasn’t unified till 1861. This fact shows how deep the Italian cultural sentiments runs and how, especially, in literature terms we were all the same linage, all from the same non-existent country, Italy.

Although, I am not sure he is considered 100% a philosopher because much like Leopardi he did change his opinions (I don’t know why that should be a thing necessarily for resulting as a qualified philosopher, but it is regardless)…and my boy Leopardi was much more of a philosopher than him, let me tell you.

Era anche un ruffiano btw, he did Virgil dirty in the Purgatory.

In general, all Italians poets were delulu, because the real roots of our poetry culture was misunderstood till last century essentially. But that’s more funny than anything else.

as long as i knew dante motherfucking alighieri was a poet, turns out he's also a philosopher

[lys-lilac]

The Realization of Importance

Part (3/3)

Let’s end it. 

A/N:  This is to say that all the characters and the main story line belong to Voltage Inc. Only the fictional story is a work of mine, as well the fictional characters, Hana, Touma and Akari. Also this story is based on dream event, because I had this as a dream many days ago. It might be a little different from the usual genre, a little more angsty, so this little girl wants to know your honest opinions about the work. Be honest and do let me know what you think. But, if it feels a little bit dreamy or weird, you can discontinue reading from here.

Part 1 II Part 2

                                                      Part 3/3

Hana: ?!

Standing behind me was none other the man I loved the most, Kasumi. But, why is he here? His face is looking as cool as a cucumber. And, is he smiling? I hurriedly get up from my seat.

Hana: Kas- Err, I mean Chief Kasumi! What are you doing here?

Kasumi: Listening to your conversation.

Hana: ...I- Well, I am not MC. 

Turning my head where I put the hairpin to his side, I show him my ‘recognition symbol’ or whatever.

Hana: I am Hana, the new resident.

Kasumi: I know that. 

Hana: ?

Why? Just as I am trying to focus on my work, why does he drop such lines? What work has he with me? I rack my brains for a possibility. 

Hana: Oh, are you here to talk with Touma?

Tucking on my white coat and holding me like a scared child, Touma slowly ducks his head to the side. I knew that Kasumi loved children, like he played pictionary with Sora that time. So I decide to give it a try.

Hana: Touma, he is the head of EICU, Dr. Kasumi. You can talk to him. He really is good person. Oh yeah, we might play pictionary together!

Kasumi: ...

Probably not expecting the response, Kasumi’s eyes go wide. Did I say something wrong? Wait, don’t say me... This event has already happened here already. If that’s the case, I might be in knee deep water right now.

Hana: I thought that Touma might like to draw, since he is good at gardening and sightseeing, so I asked. That’s it. 

Kasumi: Touma, I know you can do it. And as she said, we can play pictionary anytime you want. But, I have a request to make.

Touma: What is it?

Kasumi: Can I accompany you to the visit to your garden?

Hana: What?!

Okay. I seriously need to check my mental health now. Am I really in my senses? What in the world did I hear just now?

Hana: But, we shouldn’t trouble you. After all, your schedules might be packed. And what about Dr. MC?

Kasumi: She has a lot of study to do. Besides, I want to see how this resident handles the case.

So it was just as a mentor... I see. Although I would have felt pangs in my heart at this time, I feel relieved, although I don’t know why.

Touma: I would be happy to! 

After finishing our drinks, I drop Touma to his bed, and go towards the CSD (Cardiovascular Surgery Department). But, Dr. Kasumi is following me. I was sure that was not the case at first, as both CSD and EICU were in the same direction. But, instead of turning to the opposite side in the fork, he turns in my direction. WHAT IS GOING ON?! Oh god, stop, my heart...

Hana: Dr. Kasumi, I need to ask something. Do you have any work at the CSD? I can help you out with the menial tasks, if you ask.

Kasumi: ...

The silent intimidation! His dark prince cape never slides from him!

Kasumi: I need you to meet me in the outside in the evening. I have something to discuss with you.

...aand, there he goes, not listening to me. And, why the heck is he calling me to join him in the evening? The more I try to clear out my mind, the more it becomes tangled with his words. Guess I have no choice left. Maybe it’s something related to Touma?

Hana: ...Alright.

[Evening: Seimei Medical University Porch] 

As I am sitting on the bench after completing the post OP rounds of some patients, a chilled can of coffee hits my cheek.

Kasumi: Here.

Holding two cans of coffee in his hands, he gives me one, and takes a seat beside me. Surprisingly, it’s my favorite flavor, mocha. 

Hana: So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?

Kasumi: ...

Gazing at the children playing at a distance, he remains silent. 

Hana: Dr. Kasumi, I am not a psychic that I can read your mind by telepathy. You have got to say something.

This time also, the response is nothing. Giving up, I look up at the sky, which is painted with a hue of orange and yellow. Gradually, the Sun sets, leaving a pinkish violet band spread in the horizon.

Hana: Look, Dr. Kasumi, the Belt of Venus! Now, you have to say the reas-

What leaves my mouth leaves me surprised. Clasping my mouth with my hand in order to shut it, I slowly move my fingers around the coffee can.

Kasumi: MC.

Hana: Dr. MC? What happened to her? Is she busy today?

Kasumi: You are MC, right? And that name ‘Hana’ is just a false one. Am I wrong?

Hana: You are getting it all wrong, Dr. Kasumi. Look at this hairpin, I am the new resident, not MC...

Kasumi: And what if I say that the hairpin you are wearing is the one you bought when you went to the zoo with me?

I can’t even dare to say a word. What exactly am I supposed to say? That “I am MC, I don’t know what’s going on here” ? I try to push another excuse.

Hana: This hairpin is common here! I think that Dr. MC may also have one at her home. Look, Dr. Kasumi, you might need some rest as you may be overexerting yourself. I will go and inform Dr. Kyogoku, okay?

As I get up from the bench, a sudden grab of my arm makes me stop.

Hana: ?

Kasumi: At least let me justify why I think of you as the MC.

Why those pure eyes? Was his pull not enough? Those eyes are my weakness, and I can’t resist his words.

Hana: Ok, I will listen to you.

Kasumi: Until yesterday, I was unsure myself that which one of you was my MC. The way you said that you are a new resident, all of us had no choice but to believe it as the truth. But when I saw you talking with Touma, that made me clear of your identity. Because my MC is a little childish, likes to get acquainted with patients, and...

Hana: and?

Kasumi: No wonder where you are, I can always recognize you.

His fingers intertwine with mine, and as I am about to reply, Kyogoku comes from the building.

Kyogoku: Kasumi, we have got hold of her true identity.

Without any delay and without loosening his hand, he drags me with him, and we all leave for the EICU. My mind which had turned to mess after all the things he said, was not working at all, so I stay silent to know the truth.

[Evening: Seimei University EICU]

There was she, Dr. MC. All the other doctors were also there. But, why were people from Metro Police Department standing there? And that to, handcuffing her? What the heck was going on while I was outside? Just as I was thinking, a police speaks up.

Police 1: Finally, this miscreant got caught.

Police 2: We are sorry for all the trouble she caused. We will make sure she gets the ‘reward’ for what she had done.

Police 3: Thank you for the help doctors! No wonder you all are jewels! Now, give us the permission to leave.

What the WHAT?! No one was in shock as me. She, A MISCREANT? So, inso and dreaming were not the reason?

Hosho: I am glad to see our MC back!

Takado: Oh, and how foolish of us to think that the silent impostor was this idiot. Never in life.

Ekuni: She didn’t even falter when we threw jokes on her.

Matsunaga: And here I thought, we are going to get two talented doctors... Although I am happy that you are the only precious girl of the EICU.

Kyogoku: Butthead, now you know who you are right?

{A/N: Now, Hana is the actual MC, so no need to use the fake name, otherwise who knows what will Kasumi think of me... ^^;)

MC: God, can anyone please explain what is going on... I might just pass out from the overdose of information.

Kyogoku: Apparently, she was a die-hard fan of Kasumi, or whatever it may be, and was super jealous of you. So she arranged all of this. Went through a plastic surgery to look exactly like you, changed your documents by adding a false name, just to take your place.

MC: Then, how you all figured it out?

Hosho: It was Kasumi who first told us that something was weird.

Takado: That how the office, which is a place of damn banters, was as silent as the sea. Although it was peaceful, it felt wrong.

Ekuni: She didn’t know her own schedule of scrub ins, and didn’t lash us out.

Matsunaga: And most importantly, I was not satisfied her response when I asked her to join me during breaks.

Kasumi: We all are aware of your behavior and your nature, so it was not long till we figured it out.

Kasumi: MC?

Ha... haha, my life. I will not hesitate to say that it is more intense than what happens in mangas. One can do this much only for jealousy? 

MC: Thank god, thank god you all remember me. Here I thought I was in a parallel world and no one recognised me. 

The doctors could sometimes lead me to release smoke from my ears out of fury, but nonetheless, they cared for me, and that’s what of value to me the most.

[Some days later: Touma’s garden]

{A/N: Again, a random picture}

Touma’s surgery is a success. On the day of the surgery, Kasumi volunteered to accompany me in it, as his schedule was open for the morning. The good thing is that he can still walk and talk, although now in wheelchair for some days of recovery. Me and Kasumi, to fulfill our promise to Touma, were leaded to Touma’s garden on the day we paid a home visit to him.

Can I say that the place is paradise? Tulips, lilies, hydrangeas, pansies, daffodils and all the varieties are lined in rows. Adjoining to it is the fruit garden, and beside it is the vegetable one. Huh, did I even know how to plant a sapling when I was of his age? Answer: no.

As I was appreciating the beauty sitting on the cool grass, a small flower is tucked into my hair. It is a Syringa Vulgaris. In other words, a small lilac.

Touma: This looks pretty on you.

MC: Oh, thank you Touma.

But, just after that, a flower crown is placed on my head.

Kasumi: And I think this looks even prettier.

MC: ...

My cheeks flare up crimson. Aww, just how cute are these two, adoring me like that! I can just float in the sky out of happiness,

MC: Thank you. 

MC: Oh, but I wanted to ask something. 

Kasumi: Sure.

MC: If you realized that I was the original piece, then why didn’t you recognize me in the office?

Kasumi: That’s because the other you submitted your reports just before you came. Did you notice that when you were about to submit the papers in your hand, it was not the original but only blank papers?

MC: ...No! Now that I think about it, I was so heartbroken at that time, that I didn’t even glance at it. And probably, she might have done it when I was in post OP rounds, and my documents were all laying on the table. Ah, the headache I felt there might be due to her making me unconscious using chloroform, because I found myself in the closet. God! And here I was thinking that I fainted due to overwork!! That chick, grrr...

Kasumi: Pfft, as expected.

MC: Don’t laugh at me! Well, how did you find the clue then? Even I was confused of my own identity. Didn’t your thoughts waver?

Kasumi: I got the first hint by the hairpin you had. I was pretty sure that it was the same one that you bought when we went to the zoo, and that you always kept it in your bag. But when I asked the other you about this, she just made excuses that she had left it at home. Further, you mentioned about Sora and also exclaimed when the Belt of Venus appeared, so my confirmation was strengthened.

MC: A prodigy you are, aren’t you?

Kasumi: No.

MC: Huh?

Kasumi: No matter which different identity you own, or wherever you may be, I can always recognize you, because you are the most important person to me in my life.

Seeing my blank face, he chuckles and a soft touch lands on my lips, like a feather fluttering on my skin. 

MC: The same goes for me too. I can always recognize you anywhere, because you are the one I love the most.

 As I see the dandelions dancing in the wind, the flowers, fruits and vegetables bathed with sunlight, and the smile of Kasumi, which I yearn the most, I realize something. That I am important to him and so is Kasumi to me. No matter whatever may come, I will always stay by his side, and support him with all my heart.

~

END.

{Author’s trivia: I actually woke up just after the scene where Kasumi realizes that she is his MC. So, I just added the after plot, to complete it.}

That’s it! I am telling you, I was myself feeling butterflies when writing the end part. So I am sure, the story will appeal you just like it appealed to me. Pure nature of Kasumi, dipped in honey felt words. But gahh, it felt so dramatic, the police and all... Let me know what you think. If any requests, feel free to drop it in the suggestion bowl. Have a good day ahead, and give your best everyday, just like our dark prince!

~Lys 

[dreamterlude]

In alphabetical order I present to you, drum roll please… the gods of alcohol.

Aegis, Nordic God of the Sea and host of the gods

Ægir is the divine personification of the sea in Norse mythology, and also the frequent host of the gods. In the Poetic Edda, Ægir has a wife, Rán, with whom he has Nine Daughters associated with the waves. Ægir is often portrayed in the eddic poems as the host of the gods. In Hymiskviða, Thor acquires a huge cauldron in which to brew beer as the gods expect to visit Ægir. In Lokasenna (Loki’s Flyting), Loki’s verbal duel with the gods occurs at a feast hosted by Ægir, and the poem is also called Ægisdrekka (Ægir’s Drinking Party) by paper manuscripts. During the party, Loki kills one of Ægir’s servants. In Grímnismál, Ægir’s prowess as a host is the final motif Odin reveals to the King Geirröd.

Dionysus (Bacchus), Greek God

Dionysus, Romanised as Bacchus, was the god of grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology.  He was later considered a patron of the arts. Dionysus is the son of Zeus and Semele. He was one of the most important gods of everyday life and became associated with the idea that under the influence of wine one could feel possessed by a greater power. On one hand he brings together joy and ecstasy, on the other chaos and misery, reflecting both sides of wines nature. He was a god who stood for the untamed nature of life. He wandered the world actively encouraging his cult. Maenads, women who had been driven mad, flush with wine and known for their cries of ‘oi’, accompanied him. The maenads achieved a state of ‘ecstasis’, which is where our word ecstasy comes from, and were famously outrageous. Festivals called Dionysia were held in his honour in the spring, when leaves started to reappear on the vine, Greek theatre was institutionalised here.

Kvasir, Norse Mead of Poetry

In Norse mythology, Kvasir was a being born of the saliva of the Æsir and the Vanir, two groups of gods. Extremely wise, Kvasir traveled far and wide, teaching and spreading knowledge. This continued until the dwarfs Fjalar and Galar killed Kvasir and drained him of his blood. The two mixed his blood with honey, resulting in the Mead of Poetry, a mead which imbues the drinker with skaldship and wisdom, and the spread of which eventually resulted in the introduction of poetry to mankind.

Liber, Roman God

Liber (the free one), also known as Liber Pater (the free father) was a god of viticulture and wine, fertility and freedom. He was a patron deity of Rome’s plebians, his festival of Liberalia, (17th March) became associated with free speech and the rights attached to coming of age. Young men celebrated their coming of age by cutting off and dedicating their first beards to their household’s guardian deities, and if citizens, wore their first toga virilis, the “manly” toga. Liber also personified male procreative power, his temples held the image of the phallus. His cult and functions were increasingly associated with Bacchus and his Greek equivalent Dionysus, whose mythologies he came to share.

Mbaba Mwana Waresa, Zulu Goddess, South Africa

Mbaba Mwana Waresa is a fertility goddess of the Zulu religion. She is a goddess of the rainbow, agriculture, rain and beer. She is one of the most beloved Goddesses of Southern Africa, largely because she is credited with the invention of beer. she could not find a suitable husband in heaven, so she came to look on earth. She came across a herdsman named Thandiwe, whose song moved her so much that she chose him to be her companion.

Ninkasi, Sumerian

Ninkasi is the Sumerian goddess of brewing and beer and head brewer to the gods themselves. Her name means “the lady who fills the mouth” and her birth was formed of sparkling-fresh water. The sumerian written language and the associated clay tablets are among the earliest human writings. Among these is a poem with the English title, “A hymn to Ninkasi”. The poem is, in effect, a recipe for the making of beer. Early brewers were primarily women, mostly because it was deemed a woman’s job.

Ogoun, Yorùbá religion

In the Yoruba religion, Ogoun is an orisha (deity) and loa (spirit) who presides over iron, hunting, politics and war. He is the patron of smiths, and is usually displayed with a number of attributes: a machete, rum and tobacco. Ogoun comes to mount people in various aspects of his character, and the people who venerate him are quite familiar with each of them. His possessions can sometimes be violent. Those mounted by him are known to wash their hands in flaming rum without suffering from it later. They dress up in green and black, wave a sabre or machete, chew a cigar and demand rum in an old phrase “Gren mwe fret” (my testicles are cold). Often, this rum is first poured on the ground, then lit and, finally, the fumes generated by this are then allowed to pervade the peristyle. The sword, or much more commonly the machete, is his weapon and he often does strange feats of poking himself with it, or even sticking the handle in the ground, then mounting the blade without piercing his skin.

Radegast, Slavic God

Radegast, is an old god of Slavic mythology, his name can be etymologised as meaning something like “Dear guest”. He was proclaimed as the Slavic god of hospitality and as such entered the hypothetical, reconstructed Slavic pantheon of modern days.

Raugutiene and Raugupatis, Baltic God and Goddess

Raugupatis is known as the God of fermentation. Raugutiene is Raugupatis partner and she is known as the Goddess of beer.

Silenus, Greek

Silenus was a companion and tutor to the wine god Dionysus. He was the old rustic god of the dance of the wine-press, his name being derived from the words seiô, “to move to and fro,” andlênos, “the wine-trough.” He was also the god of drunkenness who rode in the train of Dionysus seated on the back of a donkey.

Soma, Hindu

Soma, an ancient Hindu god, is many things; the afterworld, the moon, inspiration and the god of poets and a bull. Not only does he enjoy drugs, he is a particular drug: the soma plant, known more commonly as ephedra vulgaris. For millennia, Hindu warriors have drunk a concoction derived from the soma plant. This drink was said to give them a sense of euphoria and ecstasy and helped warriors get over the fear or anxiety of an upcoming battle. As a drug, the god Soma represented a link between the world of the gods and this world. Soma is the name of a fictional drug in Aldous Huxley’s 1932 novel, Brave New World.

Sucellus, Celtic

In ancient Celtic religion, Sucellus or Sucellos was the god of agriculture, forests and alcoholic drinks of the Gauls, also part of the Lusitanian mythology. He is usually portrayed as a middle-aged bearded man, with a long-handled hammer, or perhaps a beer barrel suspended from a pole.

Tezcatzontecati, Aztec

In Aztec mythology, Tezcatzontecati is the god of pulque, of drunkenness and fertility.

Yasigi, African

This African goddess of beer was depicted as the ultimate party girl, a female deity depicted with ample breasts, a beer ladle and penchant for lustful dance.

Yi-ti, Chinese

This Chinese god is said to have created the first rice wine. Not much is known about Yi-ti but it is said that he brewed the concoction for an emperor and may of used grapes as well as rice.

Anon don't get me wrong I absolutely love this and I read the entire thing but I do have to ask: what prompted you to send me this??? please reply???

[dippedanddripped]

Debbie Harry doesn’t believe in harbouring regrets. “I have made many, many errors, but nobody leads a perfect life,” she reflects down the telephone from New York. “So, should I regret anything? No. It is a waste of time. It really is a waste of time.”

Dial back to the turn of the 70s and the life that Harry led before fronting Blondie – prior to her image being burned onto the retina of popular culture – was colourful to say the least. “I was so desperate to live life,” she says of her time spent hanging with the outcasts and artists of downtown New York. “I was jamming in as much experience as I possibly could and I don’t know if I could have done anything differently. I learned a lot.”

The old Bowery music venue CBGBs has long passed into music folklore as the place that called the likes of Television, Patti Smith, and the Ramones their house bands. It was also where punk and new wave progenitors Blondie cut their teeth before they sashayed into the wider world with the protean panache that would make them a household name. Classic singles such as “Heart of Glass”, “Call Me”, “Atomic”, and “Rapture” have been responsible for more worldwide rug-cutting than an industrial carpet tool. To imply that they were merely a solid singles band is to do them a cardinal disservice, however.

And although they’ve always cocked their attention to the things ahead of them, Harry and her Blondie cohorts have spent a lot of time looking back just lately. Harry’s long-awaited autobiography, Face It, hit the shelves last year, and Blondie co-founder and one-time partner Chris Stein published Point of View: Me, New York City, and the Punk Scene, a photography book featuring personal snaps taken during the band’s pomp in the 70s and early 80s. “We can’t keep on touring and doing club dates the way that we used to. It would be physically impossible,” Harry concedes. “Living through this pandemic has certainly made us take a long look at the value of what we’ve got with our body of work.” Asked if it is a process of attempting to frame their legacy, she admits it’s something that they “have to do”.

This deep-dive into their canon has culminated in a mouth-watering archive set, Blondie: Against the Odds 1974-1982, slated for release next year. Coming in four formats, it promises to include extensive liner notes, “track by track” commentary by the entire band, a photographic history plus rare and unreleased bonus material. The group will also go out on the road – coronavirus permitting – for an autumn Against the Odds UK tour with Garbage.

The artist born Angela Trimble was put up for adoption only a few months after she was ushered into the world in the summer of 1945. A loving New Jersey couple took her in, rechristened her Deborah Harry, and raised her as their own. She grew up in a suburb that she “never left”,  was voted best-looking girl in her high school yearbook, and oscillated within a social circle that consisted of “many of the same people” throughout her childhood. “I was somehow shy within that,” she recalls, “(but) somebody once said to me that being shy was an ego trip and a light went on in my head. I thought, ‘Oh, uh-huh, let’s have none of that!’”

Harry travelled by bus as a curious teen to nearby Greenwich Village, imbibing the febrile inner-city atmosphere. In 1965, she graduated from junior college with an associate of arts degree and New York’s allure became too enticing to resist. She decamped to the bright lights of the city and made ends meet with a succession of odd jobs, including secretarial work for the BBC, waiting tables and an infamous nine-month stint as a Playboy Bunny.

The period was a traumatic one, too, with Harry enduring an ex-lover-turned-violent-stalker and a near-miss with serial killer Ted Bundy (although Bundy’s identity is contested by others). In her memoir, she writes candidly of the time she was raped by a man wielding a knife while on her way home from a concert with Stein. Music offered a vessel for her creativity, and she spent time as part of girl group The Stilettoes and folk ensemble Wind in the Willows before her meeting with guitarist Stein which set the foundations for Blondie. Their classic lineup was completed by Gary Valentine (bass), Jimmy Destri (keys), and Clem Burke (drums).

“Somebody once said to me that being shy was an ego trip and a light went on in my head. I thought, ‘Oh, uh-huh, let’s have none of that’” – Debbie Harry

Although they self-identified as punks, the parochial and nihilistic mandate as promulgated by the genre’s militant diehards never fit Blondie comfortably. The group looked outwards from the moment they started, drawing inspiration from their cosmopolitan city. Their sound was a melting pot pulling at the seams of culture’s fabric, and they would weave their own patterns from it.

Harry agrees that their eclecticism was down to good fortune in coming from the “metropolitan area of New York” where they ingested “a lot of musical influences”. Taken as a whole, their catalogue bears this out. Blondie never stood still musically – yet never sounded like anyone else – and they loaded their songs with more hooks than a fisherman’s trawler. 1976’s punchy, eponymous debut married surf-rock textures with 50s girl-group sensibilities, and their palette had expanded exponentially by the time of seminal third album, Parallel Lines (1978). Eat to the Beat and Autoamerican followed, by which point they could boast flirtations with disco, rocksteady, funk, hip hop, and more within their enviable output.

When asked to pick one track that encapsulates the essence of Blondie, Harry opts for their 1981 US number one single “Rapture”. “What happens in ‘Rapture’ is very comprehensive,” she says. “It took a form of music that was, or still is, very modern and can be very political. Rap and hip-hop songs back then didn’t have their own songs. Rappers would just rap on somebody else’s music. (‘Rapture’) was crafted specifically for that rap. Until then that hadn’t been done. It was a breath of fresh air.” It stands as one of the things in her career that she feels “very good about”.

Blessed with the sort of features that could sell sand to the Saharans, Harry’s appearance caused a stir from the band’s earliest days. “That’s part of showbiz,” she says to me, trying to downplay it. “We always had an eye for that, the entire band. We always had an idea of making a look that represented our sensibilities and links to British pop and mod.” Maybe so, but it was Harry alone who was immortalised by Andy Warhol in one of his iconic silkscreen prints, and who posed for era-defining photographers including Robert Mapplethorpe and Anne Leibowitz.

Did the disproportionate attention she attracted ruffle feathers within the Blondie camp at the time? “Yes and no,” Harry remembers. “We were all happy that it was working. I suppose there was a certain amount of competition or jealousy but ultimately, no. I think that’s a better question for Clem or one of the other members in the band. Of course my relationship with Chris was so close that he was very happy about everything.”

The band’s wheels eventually came off after their muddy and unfocused sixth album, The Hunter, dashed against the commercial rocks in 1982. They had to abandon their subsequent tour after Stein became gravely ill with a rare autoimmune disorder, pemphigus vulgaris, that proved extremely difficult to diagnose. Blondie had no option but to bow out of the public eye, and they broke up quietly.

15 years later, with Stein fully recovered, the group reconvened and released a critically acclaimed and commercially successful comeback album, No Exit. They even topped the UK charts with lead single “Maria”, but faced tussles with erstwhile members at the time too. Former bassist and co-writer on “One Way or Another”, Nigel Harrison, and guitarist Frank Infante attempted to sue the rest of the band over their omission from the reformed lineup. And when Blondie were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, Infante grabbed the microphone to express his ire publicly.

Fast-forward to 2020 and the settled iteration of the band are working on a new album with John Congleton, who produced 2017’s Pollinator. Does Harry have a formula when it comes to songwriting these days? No, as it happens. “When a phrase or a sentiment makes me respond emotionally or physically, I write it down and I save it,” she explains. “At a certain point, I’ll sort of review things. A lot of times I like to just work with a rhythm track. Just a drumbeat or some kind of drone-y rhythm, a groove. Other times people will give me a rough sketch of some chord changes – an idea that they’ve got. I seem to work in a lot of different ways.”

Thanks to her effortless chic and timeless looks, Harry’s relationship with the fashion industry has been a mutual love-in since forever, and she recently announced a revival of her partnership with ethical fashion designers Vin + Omi – the duo responsible for her profane ‘STOP FUCKING THE PLANET’ cape worn at the Q Awards in 2016 and throughout Blondie’s Pollinator tour. They have teamed up for a new sustainable clothing line entitled HOPE, and her enthusiasm for the project is palpable. “I love Vin + Omi,” she says. “They are so creative and adventurous. They have this desire to prevail and do things that are smart and modern in terms of recycling and making energy count. I think that is brilliant.”

As a fledgling bee-keeper, the plight of the bees is also something close to Harry’s heart. It was one of the reasons why 2017’s Pollinator was, well, named exactly that. “You’re either being stung by a bee or you’re going to eat its honey,” she chuckles softly, marvelling at the absurdity of the contrast. “But bees and water are two issues we cannot escape from. We should be concerned with finding better ways of living, using our resources in the best way possible.”

Help is coming, she hopes, through the election of Joe Biden, who is “firmly attached” to the idea of helping the environmental cause – and she believes his ideas can help the economy, too. “I’ve been saying for quite a long time that solar and wind power are renewable (energies) that can create jobs,” she says. It’s a far cry from her feelings towards outgoing President Trump and his “daily infusion of bullshit” and “thunderstorm of endless diatribes”.

“One of the most exciting things about rock’n’roll was that it was about breaking the rules, and (‘WAP”) is certainly a part of that. It’s titillating and aggressive and it is part of what is exciting about popular music. The nature of what we try to do is to shock and entertain at the same time” – Debbie Harry

What strikes you when you speak to Harry for an extended period is not only her warmth, but her unexpected humility for someone so staggeringly famous. I reference a Bob Dylan BBC interview from the 80s in which he observed with sadness how his fame had the ability to change a room’s energy and how he missed seeing people act naturally around him. She paws the comparison away, saying she’s nowhere near famous “to the degree of Bob Dylan”, whom she calls “such a megastar”. This could sound like false modesty coming second-hand, but in person it feels like a sincere statement, even if it is a little bewildering coming from an international icon. She will concede, however, that she has “definitely noticed and felt something like that” and has often wished she could simply be “a fly on the wall”.

There is also an inquisitiveness that makes the conversation a more two-way affair than your quote-unquote typical ‘interview’. She fires questions back at you, not as a deflection tactic, but to expand and explore a topic further. This happens when conversation turns to Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s ubiquitous “WAP”. A recent interview had her fangirling over the track, but Harry’s feelings no longer appear to be as clear-cut and she wishes to discuss the song further. “I love it and hate it at the same time,” she now shares. “One of the most exciting things about rock’n’roll was that it was about breaking the rules, and (‘WAP’) is certainly a part of that. It’s titillating and aggressive and it is part of what is exciting about popular music. The nature of what we try to do is to shock and entertain at the same time.” She pauses. “I don’t know. Everything is revealed and maybe sexual explicitness has come of age.”

Pushed about what she dislikes about “WAP”, she says she would “hate it” if any young girl or woman was hurt by the song’s message. “I think that, in a way, men have to know that women think like this, and that there is this component,” she says, “but I would hate it to mean that everyone should be treated like this. I don’t think anybody should be hurt by sex”.

Harry has long championed the LGBTQ+ communities. When she refers to her dearly departed friend and Hairspray co-star Divine as a ‘drag queen’ in Face It, she acknowledges the term in some instances is no longer accurate or politically correct. I suggest that it can often seem as though the evolution of our language is speeding up in the digital age – by necessity, of course – and ask her if online culture fills her with concern when it comes to using the right terms. “Yeah, (because) in many cases it can be a slip of the tongue, especially for an old dog like me! Things do move so very, very quickly. It is hard to keep up,” she observes. “Fortunately, I have a lot of godchildren!”

Speaking of younger generations, Harry likes to think she’d have coped with social media if she were coming up today, but is thankful that she had her “dark cocoon” in which to “bloom out of”, a place where she was able to “ripen”. “When you’re under the harsh glare of constantly being analysed, that shapes you whether you want it to or not,” she says. “It’s a germ or a seed that’s planted in your mind. It can take surprising turns and it can affect your growth. For good or for worse, who knows?”

“When you’re under the harsh glare of constantly being analysed, that shapes you whether you want it to or not. It’s a germ or a seed that’s planted in your mind. It can take surprising turns and it can affect your growth” – Debbie Harry

One thing that remains is her fierce level of self-criticism. “I always want to do better,” she declares matter-of-factly. “I’ve always been very critical of everything. I hear things or look at them and say, ‘Oh God, it should have been that (instead).” Maybe this hypercritical inclination is what still drives her forward. “I honestly don’t like resting on my laurels. I like working and I like creating. I always beat myself up about not being more creative or more prolific.”

When looking at the bounty of projects she has lined up, no one in their right mind could put Debbie Harry and laurel-resting in the same sentence. Aside from the new album, archival set and fashion project, the paperback edition of her autobiography will be released with a brand-new epilogue in April of next year. (Just don’t ask her what’s in it – “I don’t remember what I wrote. I’ll have to look it up!” she says with a laugh.)

The signs are that the musician is done looking into the rear-view mirror, though. Time may be passing, the tide may be higher, but Debbie Harry is doing more than merely holding on. Her eyes are locked to the future and she’s positively thriving.

Blondie: Against the Odds 1974-1982 will be released next year; Face It is out now via Harper Collins

[gothfoxx]

Love on a Dare pt.2

Prt1 Prt3

Warning for slight language and hinted child abuse

The rest of the day sucked a little less than the first half, Remus was big enough to admit that the thought of Patton’s giggles and cheery smile is what kept him from just giving up and ditching. His brothers and the guys had made fun of his quick change of tune as they boarded the bus back to the school, “Who knew De and Remus had the same tastes.” Virgil snickers making Logan roll his eyes and Deacon glare menacingly at the emo edgelord. “Aw come on babe, don’t insult Deacon like that. Logan has his charm...on occasion.” Roman counters. Remus doesn’t like the way they dismiss poor Pat like that, Virgil had been the loner kid before Roman had dragged him into their group and their dearest little brother had been coaxed out of his anti-social ways when Logan had engaged in a battle of philosophy when they were in middle school. “Hey lay off him. So what he’s different? I’m different and you guys love me!” Remus hisses out as the teacher does roll call. Roman makes a so-so gesture with his hand and the other laugh and nod, “Shut up, you would all be bored without me!” He huffs and lays across their laps earning a warning about behavior from the very tired teacher up front.

The rest of the trip home was filled with chatting about what they all endured that day and making plans for the upcoming weekend, that’s when the conversation circled back to Remus’ date. “Where do you plan to take Patton? A Starbucks or hipster coffee shop are not usually your ‘scene’” Logan asks using air quotes to emphasize the outdated slang. “Yeah! I can’t picture you in a sea of snobby preps or hipsters without your baseball bat or tire iron.” Pipes up Virgil who had been zoning out before, he seemed to really like messing with Remus today…probably because Remus was constantly teasing him about his early 2000 emo look. “Not like there’s pleanty of local mom and pop cafes or diners around town, you know perks of having a theme park near by and all.” Sasses Deacon as he combs his hand through Logon’s short (less than perfect now) hair. And wow Remus loved having a smart and amazing brother! Roman was great too but he didn’t have the same finesse with words and back talk that their younger brother did. “Fuck yeah De! He looks like the kind of guy that would love diners with that whole Mr dad vibe he has!” He cheers, but then Roman makes a ‘daddy’ joke and they end up forgetting the date again.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧.✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

After having to be slathered with aloe juice from all the spots he forgot to cover with sunscreen Remus was happy to just lay on his bed and scroll through his feed, liking and commenting on some epic monster effects makeups and a few grimdark aus before he got bored. He was going to text one of his graffiti buddies when his thumb stopped on Patton’s id, the memory of those giggles played again. Texting on the same day wasn’t that taboo was it? Pat wouldn’t have just played along and put in a fake number, right? Ugh no no he was sounding like Dancing! In the Panicroom, why should Remus care about taboo? His whole existence was centered around being a big middle finger to tradition. And if Pat gave him a fake number then that was his choice, it might suck but Remus had come over to hit on him unannounced. Remus clicked the id and shot off a text.

???: Some scientists classify me as "vulgaris", but I'm really sweet once you get to know me ;{)

Patty-cake🐙: Remus? Hehe your smiley has a mustache too!

Royal💚: you bet, it’s my signature look 👈👈 what’s it like being a sea creature on land all the time?

Patty-cake🐙: it’s nice but everyone’s humor seem pretty /dry/

Royal💚: that’s no “pun”, did I “wet” your appetite today?

Patty-cake🐙: your really good at this, like a duck to water

Royal💚: the goal IS to “quack” you up ;{)

Patty-cake🐙: lol =D

The rest of the evening was spent trading bad puns and telling even worse jokes, Remus kept it all pg-13 since he still wasn’t sure which way Peppermint Patter swung. It was getting close to 11 when Patton’s texts started to slow, Remus was kinda sad about it but heck even he was beginning to flag and he was used to staying up till 2 or 3. But the guy also legit worked at the crap-shoot, if he went through that every day with a hot suit on then of course Pat would get tired at old man hours. He felt bad for probably keeping the poor dude up but he could practically see that smile every time he sent a new play on words. Ah fuck, damn it all to the netherplains! Remus f’ing Cain Royal had a crush on Patton ‘Padre’ Seaver! Fuck!

Luigi: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Mario: Remus wtf?!

Luigi: hsvctsgdvhdhsbsgdgddhhd

Bowser: gay key smash? Hmm 🤔

Mario: wait wait I’ve heard you laughing through the walls why are you freaking out

Mario: who are you talking to!?!

Mario: Rein in the gay and tell us dreadful duke!

Luigi: aahshahhh I’d sell Satan my letf testical to make him smilrdhhdhdhhbsnsgdgnxj

Bowser: really PlainPat? You hardly know anything about him, you haven’t even been on your date yet and what? you’re going to do a dark ritualistic summoning for him? What kind of sorcery is this? Geez

Luigi: STFU hes an angel (҂｀ﾛ´)凸

Mario: and youre a fallen one, what a match

Bowser: ooh I see you just want to dirty him up eh?

Mario: aha yes that explains it, you want to break his halo as it were

Luigi: some support you guys are and after all the things I’ve done for you and yours :{P

Bowser: shit, fine I still owe you for hiding L in your closet when mom came home early :/

Bowser: just don’t get upset if he turns out to be a hety

Mario: and if he hurts you we’ll help hide the body

Bowser: or what’s left of it

Luigi: (Ɔ˘з˘)(ꈍヮꈍ)˘ε˘ C) there now I feel the love tonight

Bowser: ew

Mario: gross, go to sleep dirty duke

It might not have been the support he was looking for but at least he didn’t have to handle all these feelings alone, last time he tried that someone ended up in the hospital…ok so it was him, he didn’t take finding out about their dad’s affair or being threatened by said dad all that well. They made a rule after that, the three of them would shoulder shit like that together afoaofa style. Sure they might think Remus is chasing tail or whatever but they still had his back and that’s what he needed as he sent a goodnight text with a heart to Patton. A moment later he got one back. Yeah he was caught hook line and sinker.

Patty-cake🐙: sweet dreams 🍬

-tag list-

@jessibbb @alexa-lettuce @deceits-left-glove @dorkyduckling16 @lallyphant @newblue002 (if you want on or off the list let me know)

[dontthrowsticksatme]

I accidentally wrote 1600 words of Pansy Parkinson and her family as the Kardashians. I'm sorry.

Pansy succeeded in dragging Draco along to the party at the Parkinson Property. Her brother Penstemon and sister Primrose had come over, and the Parkinsons were at its chaotic peak with all five siblings present. It was Draco’s firm belief that the entire family shared one single brain cell when they got together. The biggest survivor move on a day in their household was to figure out whose turn it was on the brain cell, and to stick with that person at all times.

Primrose and Penstemon had brought along their respective partners, heightening the chaos even further. Primrose was dating a giant American Quidditch-player named Nathan B. Daniels. He was Beater for the Sweetwater-All Stars and twice Draco’s size, and for some reason – perhaps sheer respect – everyone kept calling him Nathan-B-Daniels as if it was just one name.

Mr. Parkinson had been utterly against the guy at first. ‘Nobody knows him, we have no idea who his family is! I refuse to tolerate any common American marrying my daughter! It is simply not happening, Primrose!’

Primrose had kept yelling over him, ‘Who said anything about marrying? Who said marrying, dad?! Seriously, I never said anything about marrying, did I?!’

It had split the family apart for days, until Mrs. Parkinson arranged a dinner to meet the new boyfriend. She’d seated Mr. Parkinson next to Nathan B. Daniels at the dinner table... and they'd instantly hit it off, talking about sports and model racing brooms like they'd known each other for years. Ever since, they got along like a house on fire; sometimes it seemed like Mr. Parkinson loved Nathan B. Daniels even more than Primrose did.

The night of the reunion party was no different than any other. The house elves had served them all – including the children – big glasses of wine on the porch. Sipping their Superior Red, they overlooked the sunset over Parkinson Property, while their mother related stories about disastrous mistakes she prevented her friends from making and Penstemon raved about his job. Pansy kept slapping Primrose’s butt or poking her boobs – for no particular reason – along with the occasional insult, while Primrose was sitting on Nathan B. Daniels’ lap.

Ordinary night.

After one or two glasses, Primrose started asking her little sisters Poppy and Periwinkle invasive questions about their “secondary sexual development” that Draco would not be comfortable to repeat, at which Pansy and her mother shrieked with laughter while the little ones slouched in their seats with flushed faces.

‘Leave them alone, Primrose,’ said Penstemon, at which Nathan B. Daniels shot up with a face as if he wanted to fight. Draco only just met him, but he could already tell the man fitted into the family just fine.

‘Relax, honey,’ simpered Primrose, petting her boyfriend. ‘He’s joking.’

‘I’m not joking, actually,’ said Penstemon, clearly keen to fight too.

‘He’s always telling you what to do,’ Nathan B. Daniels hotly told Primrose. ‘I hate how your family tries to keep you down all the time.’

Primrose hushed him, but Penstemon shot to the edge of his seat. ‘No, Primula Vulgaris, by all means! Let the man speak!’ he shouted, not allowing the man to speak at all. ‘Tell me, how am I trying to keep my sister down? How long have you even been in this family? You don’t know us!’

Draco sipped his wine, relishing in the warm glow of another Parkinson feud.

‘Settle down, Penstemon,’ said Mr. Parkinson, and Draco braced himself, knowing it was like throwing oil at Penstemon’s fire to tell him to settle down.

‘The only thing I said was that I don’t think it’s appropriate to ask the girls – who are minors! – about their private affairs! In front of everyone! How is that keeping anyone down? Tell me! Do you think it was appropriate to ask the girls those things in front of everyone, dad? Do you?’

Primrose winked at Nathan B. Daniels, and proceeded to give her youngest sisters some advice on the best ways to please a man.

‘Primrose!’ roared Penstemon, while Pansy almost peed her pants, she was laughing so hard. ‘You are being so inappropriate right now!’

‘Penstemon,’ Mrs. Parkinson intoned, ‘please.’

‘You are honestly being so inappropriate right now! My wife is here! Do you people ever think about anything other than yourself for even one second?’

Mrs. Parkinson – leaning back in her chair, wine in hand – loudly put in her two cents: ‘These are perfectly normal topics to discuss – I don’t see why you’re making a fuss, darling. You know, maybe you should think about surgically removing that stick up your ass.’

‘Mum!’ yelled Pansy, while Draco burst out laughing, almost spitting out his wine, and Penstemon jumped up.

‘What did you just say? What did you say to me, mum?! You are supposed to be the adult here! My wife is here. You are all being so rude right now. Honestly, you are being so childish. I can’t be with this family anymore!’

‘Oh come on,’ Mrs. Parkinson drawled, but Penstemon stormed off, dragging his wife along.

The family watched in silence. The crickets in the fields surrounding the Parkinson Property chirped their song.

‘You shouldn’t have said that,’ Mr. Parkinson weakly told his wife.

Mrs. Parkinson’s eyebrows were up in her hair. ‘Why, what did I say? Honestly, I don’t understand what I did.’

That was Pansy’s cue to slam down her glass. ‘You can’t tell your son he has a stick up his ass, mum! He was right, you were being so rude!’

‘I was joking!’

Pansy jumped up. ‘Shut up, mum! I’m telling you, you can be so rude!’

Her mother made to get up, but didn’t actually bother. ‘I was joking!’ she called after Pansy, who was storming off now too. Draco wondered if he should follow her, seeing as he was her friend.

‘Penstemon should learn to take a joke!’ Mrs. Parkinson lazily shouted after Pansy. Then she leaned back in her chair again, allowing the house elf to top up her glass. ‘It was just a joke, you know.’

Primrose was looking around in confusion. ‘Is Penstemon angry with me?’

‘Don’t worry about your prissy brother,’ said Mrs. Parkinson. ‘He should learn to loosen up. Those topics we discussed are perfectly ordinary topics. It’s important the girls learn these things.’

Mr. Parkinson facepalmed. ‘Dion…’

Meanwhile, Poppy and Periwinkle were dancing in the yard, unbothered by it all. Nathan B. Daniels was kissing Primrose everywhere and touching her under her clothes as if they were alone. Draco tried not to stare, but stared. He shook his head, forcing himself to look away, and went to find Pansy.

She was in the kitchen with her brother and his wife, who only ever talked to agree with Penstemon. The three of them seemed to be rehashing the fight till eternity, and it became clear to Draco that neither of them owned the brain cell that night. After a few minutes, he had enough, and when he returned to the patio, the entire mood had shifted.

Primrose was crying, flanked by her little sisters, who were petting her shoulders and her hair. Her mother was crouching in front of her, unsteadily because of the wine and the stilettos, while Nathan B. Daniels kissed Primrose's neck, arms and hands.

‘He’s my only brother,’ Primrose wailed with big, woeful doe-eyes. ‘I only just got back from France. I hardly see him anymore, and I was so excited to be here and now we get into this huge fight. He is so important to me. You know how important my family is to me. I’d die for you guys!’

The girls simpered and ‘aaw’-ed and told her they, too, would die for their family.

Draco sat down next to Mr. Parkinson. They shared a look.

‘Penstemon is my only brother, you know,’ Primrose wailed on. ‘I used to be so close to him, remember? Wasn’t I always so close to him, mum?’

‘Yes,’ Mrs. Parkinson solemnly swore. ‘You two have always been the closest of all my children. Right, Al? Didn’t I always say how close Penstemon and Primrose were, growing up?’

‘Yes, my dear,’ said Mr. Parkinson obligingly. ‘Two peas in a pod, our two eldest.’

‘Oh, I can’t stand this tension,’ said Mrs. Parkinson, getting up to put her hands on her hips. ‘This fight is tearing our family apart.’ She was looking expectantly at her husband.

So, groaning, Mr. Parkinson took his cue to get up. Draco followed him to the kitchen, where the man beckoned Penstemon to come outside. ‘Your sister wants to tell you something.’

Penstemon crossed his arms and cantankerously looked away. ‘She’s not my sister anymore.’

‘She will always be your sister,’ said Mr. Parkinson. ‘You should give her a chance.’

Penstemon huffed, but after a second he gave in. ‘Fine…’

‘If she doesn’t apologize, we’ll slap her,’ grumbled Pansy.

‘Fair enough.’ Mr. Parkinson walked out, fully expecting his children to follow – which they did. Draco trailed after them like he was their house ghost.

As soon as they reached the patio, Primrose dried her tears and ran up to Penstemon, telling him how sorry she was and how important he was to her. Penstemon teared up too and hugged her, telling her how sorry he was and how important she was to him.

‘Thank Merlin!’ said Mrs. Parkinson emphatically.

‘I am honestly so relieved,’ Pansy told Draco in a deadpan. ‘They were always so close, you know.’

Draco nodded, having a hard time not to laugh. ‘It was tearing the family apart.’

The house elves quietly refilled everyone’s glasses. The girls turned up the music, which led to ugly dancing, dirty jokes and lots of loud laughter, and to Primrose giving Nathan B. Daniels a lap dance.

Draco loved the Parkinsons with all his heart.