#HE SINGS THE NEW MAGIC SCHOOL BUS THEME??

[chaoswithmusic]

Lin-Manuel Miranda is in my fucking walls.

I could be watching a show about a greedy duck and "oh what is this familiarly awkward high voice?" IT'S LIN FUCKING MANUEL.

I'm watching this super cool cop show and "oh poor Amy her brother sounds slightly pretentious" DAVID SANTIAGO IS LIN-MANUEL FUCKING MIRANDA.

This well beloved book of a lot of people's childhood based off Greek mythology is getting turned into a show "lemme check the cast of the gods in this show, I kinda like Hermes he seems like a fun god-" IT'S LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA BITCH.

[hummingbee-lievable]

Song of the Day #17:

'Tokyo Á Go Go' by the Magnetic Fields (released 1992).

Tokyo Á go-go

Tokyo Á go-go

The dancing spies

With evil eyes

That walk the night

Tokyo Á go-go

Tokyo Á go-go

In colored scenes

The dancing queens

With laser beams

Track 5 on 'The Wayward Bus/Distant Plastic Trees' (and isn't that just a fantastic album name?).

Fun fact: One of Stephin Merritt's most prolific albums, '69 Love Songs' (a fantastic album, highly recommend for a road trip or housecleaning day) is where the song 'The Book of Love' (covered by many including my favourite version, by Peter Gabriel) came from. Merritt's favourite version is: 'is a seven-year-old girl singing it on Holland’s Got Talent. The instrumental accompaniment was cheesy, of course, but she really inhabited it in a way that you couldn’t imagine a seven-year-old girl doing. Particularly the line ‘We’re all too young to know’'. (Which he thought was particularly funny coming from a seven year old.)*

Personal blurb: *Sigh.* Okay okay. I know I said I was going to try not to do multiple songs from the same artist but I've been driving from one side of the country to the other quite a bit lately and this whole album has been keeping me such company. I can't get over how fun this song is. I mean, it is a crappy romantic spy film (you know the ones) in song form, and the beat is just so goofy and fun. It feels like it could be the theme music for Mr. and Mrs. Smith or the Pink Panther if they just fully embraced their cartoonish side (well, I guess the Pink Panther has already done that, quite literally). I just love how fun and ridiculous it is.

This whole album is so much fun. My top songs from it are:

(As you might know already) '100,000 Fireflies' for it's melancholy and strangely transporting message.

'Railroad Boy' which I LOVE. You know how you listen to an album multiple times and sometimes certain songs only reach you after you've listened to them on the 7th round? It's like reading a book or watching a movie and noticing something you've never appreciated before. It's why I can never listen to an album only once; I discover something new every time. This song in particular reminds me of this song from the movie 'Australia'. The movie was not bad, and I love the message of this song:

'By the Boab Tree' by Ophelia of the Spirits (which is an amazing name):

Both songs feel so magical to me.

I also really love 'When You Were My Baby', 'Candy', 'The Saddest Story Ever Told', 'Candy', 'Tar-Heel Boy', 'Living in an Abandoned Firehouse With You', and 'Josephine' is super fun because it's told from Napoleon's perspective (their love story was quite a cursed and interesting one; in the movie he says to her- though I doubt he said this to her in real life- when they have to face the public after a series of events: ‘All our harsh words are behind us. I need you to be my most tender friend’. I love that line).

My bonus is 'Jeremy' (and let's face it, I'd probably just list every song on the album if you gave me enough time). This one always amuses me because of Pearl Jam's 'Jeremy' and I always think this in my head whenever I hear it:

It's a great song. Trigger warning for school shooting references:

I remember the video for this being intense and good, although it's been years since I've watched it.

Anyway, enough ranting about the Magnetic Fields. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. Ralph Rant, if you will (that's my actual name).

The answer to yesterday's puzzle, after these fabulous guesses from my sister:

'So he didn’t cut of his wrong hand?

So he could get hooked easier?

So he could fish better? or zip line without anything?'

😆 The answer issssss:

*Drumroll.*

'Because after he cut off his left, he was hooked!'

*Ahem.*

Anyway.

What creature in the animal kingdom regards you as very attractive, Smalls?

😋

*Reference:

[sikereviewdotcom]

strawberry shortcake s2 ep1 - horse of a different color

this one was suggested by someone who couldnt keep their mouth shut and not sing the strawberry shortcake intro theme in the middle of our economy class

no one wanted to hear that, but they  went ahead and then i actually followed up on that train of thoughts i remembered about the fucking cartoons and i knew it pronto: its a must-see shit its like slightly above the level of magical school bus series, but the final rating is for the fin not the beginning so lets begin this horseshit:

were reviewing “horse of a different color”, it focuses indeed on strawberrys horse, honey pie pony (its her entire damn name, how sweet right? like all of them, i got diabete from this review but its the cost of maintaining this blog anyway, the kids are playing together on a that tree having fun jumping around like chimpanzees hooba hooba but sadly our filly quickly realizes she cant play king kong with them and keep falling on her ass,

yet since theyre all retarded or young (id say its a fifty-fifty case for them kinda normal ig, i mean they ARE literal 6yo) they try several ways of getting her up on that tree, not thinking how to get her down if they ever were to succeed (good for them: aint happening) its child labor too btw, from an horse still same deal what if honey pie fell down on them? crushing them corpses with her mighty pounds? the findus company would be delighted to hear such news, im sure its some quality (sweet ass) horse meat

once it all fails she understands a horse isnt meant to climb a tree, too big too fat its four legged, not even entertaining the relationship giraffes have with trees

but it aint over, then (after a talk with herself) hp hears the laughters of a bunch of kids which catches her attention, it always does who can ignore that sorta noise? although she aint annoyed by it shes just into the idea of riding a bike now, shes even gonna get a go at it oh yea thats it we finally found her human hobby gogdamn shes a backward furry

of course it fails aswell since she has no hand for the handle and shes heavy so i guess its the reason why she rides into w/e and cant stop? because otherwise she couldve also just.. actually it makes no sense does it? i mean she couldve easily stopped the ride actually how is that kid bike even holding her? ive never tried putting a pony on a bike for 6 y/o but i doubt about its capacity in not being crushed aswell as i doubt in the kids bones not being severely damaged after a visit under honey pies horsy buttcheeks

but all of that really makes her sad: she cant play with her human friends and shes the only horse around strawberry land or whatever see me tearing it for her, theres so much emotions in this episode especially after that filly trynna get kids to get into some horseplay horseshit like dude theyre only 6, lets go easy on them, might have a problem with the parents of the kids watching this episode no one even thought how fucked up this one part is? sure horseplay isnt only sexual or w/e but it still is the visual of 6yos on all four jumping around and neighing together with their ass a little bit too exposed wow im going on a dangerous road here? aint i? not gonna sue the writers im sure it was their subconscious speaking probably got issues from their childhood, eventually got them sorted out since 2004 what do i know? aside from me not caring

back on track : after seeing horsey being so sad the kiddos decide to get her a horse friend but where the fuck? they got no idea, they are proud nonetheless and go tell honey the good new until they are like “wait but we have no idea where to find horses!” ofc we get a big reveal, some serious strawberry shortcake lore: actually all the horses, ALL OF THEM FROM THE ENTIRE FUCKING PLANET are on one (1) single island: ice cream themed to diversify it all they are just chilling over there in ponyland and for some reason this one here got lost or idk guys she took the boat and checked the rest of the world out as an even younger filly, found strawberry and her friends and decided now she was a centaur  slash humanrry furry human, idk you get it but shes their friend and so on to introduce the concept of an AWESOME island full of equestrian activity and ofc ice cream but its kinda lame because who cares? everythings already made out of food, also why isnt the ice cream melting? its one water? nevermind for the introduction as i was saying, hp sings an horrendous sounding song it deteriorated my ear drums they got pierced or something  or maybe im exagerrating? either case horses cant sing:

so to the ice cream land they go, huh

of course it wouldnt be a big adventure without an almost broken bridge oh no whatever shall we do? could we possibly cross it safely? lets try it out  guys: yay it worked good for us little stress and suspense it was wack how they got honey pie out of the hole her big ass hoove made im mesmerized by the power of friendship and sugar at this point, just in full awe for the rest of the episode probably over dosed on all the ice cream flavoured horseshit, i got some all over my mouth its dripping on my desk i gotta clean that later

next thing we know: horses its all this episode is about (aside from labor) but you see, so far hp would switch between normal human language and neighing well turns out her other fellow equines can only neigh and so they just neigh together while our english well-spoken mammal translates to the moronic kids who just smile smuggly

of course the animals are having a welcome party then, dancing around while the morons are just bored, harsh one being a cartoon character isnt it guys? w/e theyre gonna ask for honey pie to come back home now, convinced that her natural habit isnt her place and she loves them too much to just leave them and never come back and break any plans they ever had together- oh shit looks like shes leaving forever huh? what a plot twist mark that on the bitch quota for today

the first one to leave is the little boy btw, important thing to note: hes the biggest pussy he cant even face reality: oh no, no more pony back time before sleep thats quite a bummer, downer and man how are they going to survive now they got no animal to watch over them? jesus theyre soon, on the boat (idk where they got it from idk why suddenly theyre on a boat because then theyre once again gonna cross that bridge but ok) anyway yea theyre having a relationship crisis during that ship trip yada yada ah and the bridge, because (see i do not call them morons for now reasons obviously they deserve this title not only because theyre 6 but also because they are just daft:) they proceed, once in the middle of the bridge all 4 of them, to stop and wonder

“will the bridge be able to hold all of us? wont it break? damn i wonder if it will crack” and they talks without moving until vlam: a tree comes and breaks it (dont ask) so now theyre in trouble:

back to ponyland: bitch pie realizes how much she misses her actual friends and that she can speak english which her other horse friends cant do so she is special and probably abnormal, shes a big outcat of the pony society and has no other reason but to escape her incoming death sentence for fraternizing with the humans of course none of the second part is true, she just wants to see the kids again so she says asta la vista baby to the neigher team and runs away see, she hasnt taken the boat and yet also arrive to the bridge? why a boat sequence then? i will skip this for now but it WILL play in the rating, imagine im the parent of the youngster watching this crap and i have to endure it

if it sucks this bad and is this illogical i might just get bored and change the channel, idc my progeny aint gonna be watching this in either case, ill make them watch political debates then interrogate them on what they learned after what but it wasnt actual political debates just random furry youtuber venting with their fursona sprites animated and thats how you make your kids retarded, the kick of this joke is that i aint planning on getting any kids but totally gonna make them watch classics too such as the attack of the killer donuts as soon as they reach 6 so they wont be dumb and probably not getting diabete or w/e in their adulthood

then honey pie saves the kids btw all of them, heavy shit

and they all go back to strawberryland, happily after a big “wow i missed you sm, you are my real friends w/e if you dont look like me i aint speciest guys really!” theyre all vegan too btw so this works for them i havent watched enough strawberry shortcake episodes to know if they ever eat meat but i have doubts seeing how theyre into a very cannibalistic diet which include eating dessert when obviously thats what they are at least half part, this cartoon raises a lot of political questions it may have a deeper value than i first attributed to it

the end: another terrible song plays about horseshit and how tasty it is

thats all folks

so the rating: big 6/10, so you know 5/10 if its a decent kid show where im highly eager to click on the x and get back making jams but nah

surprisingly enough, i only wanted to stop watching half of the episode and not the entirity of it so credits for thats since im an adult and not a kid, imagining kids enjoyed this sweet childish cartooness or w/e now why +1? its because of how many political questions it raised, how it made me think about our society and cakes yknow its more than kids having a conflict with an horse it talks about veganism, specism, handicap, cannibalism, the management of the limited ressources were exploiting and so on yea really makes you think, its subliminal messages to make kids smarter: they watch their dessert-imbecile counterparts doing bs and then get it right irl: good  ah- it also makes it better for you when youre watching this with your kid, you suddenly transcend to another level of spirituality, existential crisis activated or at least reasoning mode or w/e youre willing to name this the point is you arent bored still despite all of this i rated it quite low for such a serious kid cartoon what couldve possibly made me tic? 1) kids are morons and cant understand all of this, not clear enough for the targeted public 2) projection onto the characters/dialogues from the writers of their childhood traumas (the horse play event didnt go unnoticed, karren brown) 3) my little pony ripoff 4) its controversial, our society, especially in 2004 couldnt understand the depth of this shit and finally 5) i got so much ice cream flavoured horseshit all over my desk god help me this is so filthy what a fucking mess i would totally recommand it to anyone who feels like being blown away by the statements made in this work of art 6/10 but really we all know in the future, itll be a 9/10, some ahead-of-its-time-crap

tg, out

[kyotosummer]

Glossaryck’s Bucket List (From the Book of Spells)

Key:

Black: Hasn’t been done yet (based on my memories)

Struck Through: Struck through in the Book

Blue: Already checked off in the Book

Purple: Has not been checked but Glossaryk has completed in the show

Green: Someone else did it on the show

Red: My commentary

———-————————————————-

Take on the form of someone else

Build a nest

Lick your elbow

Live in the sandwich dimension for one year

Pick nose with toe

Ride a tornado

Surf on Lava Lake Beach

Say nothing but “Globgor” for a whole year

Be in two places at once

Be in three places at once

Be in four places at once

Be in five places at once

Bathe in pudding

Be immersed in pudding

Learn to paint with pudding

Roast pudding

Hypnotize a hawk

Learn to sing

Learn to sing opera

Hypnotize a chicken

Get a fish pedicure

Make new flavor of toothpaste

Publish book of haiku

Be a tourist in your own book

Learn to belly dance

Learn to tap dance

Learn to tango

Learn to meditate

Create life from nothing

Create competent life from nothing (debatable)

Eat nothing but burgers for one month

Know the meaning of cosmic importance

Travel through space-time

Go without shaving for one year (Prove to me he hasn’t)

Sleep on hot coals

Live in a book

Die in a book (WHAT!?)

Create a new language

Eat pickled dragon feet

Stay awake for 72 hours

Spend a day in the body of a cat with a human face

Spend a day in the body of a human

Spend a day in the body of a centipede

Teach a non-queen how to use magic

Perfect the ukulele

Don’t eat pudding for one month

Swim in shark-infested waters

Reconnect with an old friend (Who was this?)

Send yourself mushrooms

Live a day in reverse

Send yourself flowers

Fire the Magic High Commission

Do nothing for a day

Do nothing for 5 days

Learn to stop thinking

Eat 100 Goblin Dogs in one day

Replace teeth with gold

Talk to that judgmental cat, Baby

Find long-lost brother

Be a best man

Be a bridesmaid

Adopt a monkey

Write a musical

Learn self-photosynthesis

Learn how to make lasagna

Cruise in a low-rider

Toboggan

Befriend a ghost

Make peace with an adversary (WHO!?)

Own a dimension

Make own kimchi

Be on reality tv

Learn ventriloquism

Grow extra fingers

Learn how to apologize

Say sorry to that judgmental cat, Baby

Get fashionable head crystal

Throw away all pants

Learn to make cheese

Use a donut for a floatation device

Use a donut for a flying device

Live in a donut box for a full day

Experience time backward

Eat leaves

Learn anatomy of a Pony Head

See if you can survive without a heart (...sir.)

Create evil clone

Get a degree in medicine

Buy a haunted bus

Find buried treasure

Bury treasure (Green for Star’s secret closet, but debatable)

Make a time capsule and hide it at the bottom of ocean

Wear two taco shells as shoes

Wear a taco shell as a hat

Set a rainbow on fire

Become invisible

Use goldfish as skis

Have the ultimate beach day

Win staring contest

Crochet your own socks (they just introduced a guy who crochets EVERYTHING)

Crochet your own underwear

Travel to the beginning of creation and watch the multiverse get made (We might see this one in-show)

Create new flavor of ice cream

Create a new flavor

Start a small business

Make mediocre beach art

Teach a spider sign language

Travel to every dimension in the multiverse

Make sacrifice to a volcano (I’m counting the Pie Folk ep)

Learn to speak in two voices at once

Write a pudding-themed cookbook

Eat your own weight in pancakes in one day

Travel to the bottom layer of the underworld

Rule the multiverse

Save the multiverse

Help mortals find the meaning of life

Read 10 books in 10 days

Floss

Host a lovely dinner for friends

Spend a year living underground

Spend a summer in Oregon

Name a pet Mr. Panda Pants

Pop out of a birthday cake

Go to high school reunion

Grow a tail

Tell a stranger you love them

Put together a 5000 piece jigsaw puzzle

Fall in love (With an object, food, or sentient being?)

Buy a haunted houseboat

Direct a movie

Reanimate a squirrelicorn

Travel to Pie Island

Everything on this list, probably

Change my voice

Walk on water

Apologize to Reynaldo

Apologize to Father Time

Make a leaf hat

Die and be reborn (This is the only thing checked multiple times??? 4times????)

Stand still long enough to be mistaken for statue

Lie still long enough to be mistaken for dead

Buy a unicorn

Teach a unicorn dressage

Find a cure for spider bites

Go to grad school

Buy a magic ball

[salfordiansiren]

Interview Questions for Ren Harvieu, God is in the TV ‘In Conversation with…’article

We do like to ask some ‘off-the-wall’ questions, also some slightly tongue-in-cheek and left-field ones not connected to the music business at all. There are also a few multiple questions and I’ve mixed them up a bit so that the subjects keep changing. Many of them are open-ended, giving you the opportunity to be as verbose as you wish.  Please ignore any question you do not wish to answer.

Hi Lauren, my name is David Bentley, I write for a UK-based e-zine God is in the TV (GIITTV).

The objective of this interview, which will be published in GIITTV within a week of receiving your responses, is to introduce you to a new audience in the UK and abroad and to promote your forth on ming album.

The interview will also feature some embedded videos and/or audio unless you ask us not to do that.

There will be an ‘introduction’ to the interview but that will be written after its completion.

Thanks for agreeing to take part.

So, here we go…

 

Hi Lauren, thanks for joining us today. How are you?

I’m in a great mood today thanks. I had foot surgery last week and so I cant leave the house or really move for 6 weeks but I feel strangely calm about the whole thing, I dont mind bein

 

For the benefit of readers who may not be familiar with you, how would you describe yourself as an artist, in a paragraph?

 

 

You have released two singles, ‘Teenage Mascara’ and just now ‘Yes, Please’ from your second album, ‘Revel in the Drama’ which is scheduled for next April and the first one was well received by broadcasting ‘tastemakers’. How does the album differ from the first one, ‘Through the Night?’

 

The difference between Revel In The Drama and Through The Night is that this is a much more personal album. I spent the last couple of years honing my songwriting craft and these lyrics have come straight from my gothic salfordian brain. Its darker, more intense, stranger but still has the beauty of Through The Night. I think both albums sit nicely together.

 

 

Since 2015 you’ve been co-writing with Romeo Stodart of the Magic Numbers and he appeared on stage with you at your recent concerts. Will that relationship continue? Do you prefer to control the songwriting process yourself, or are you content to work with other music or lyric writer(s) into the future? If the latter, who has the final say?

I’ll keep writing with romeo till I die if he wants to. He’s the best of the best, and he understands me. I never really felt understood as an artist till I met him. I feel so comfortable in his presence that I let it allllll out, not just the versions of me t

 

You signed with Universal, a huge corporation, as a 17-year old. Is that too young, or are there any benefits in being ‘bloodied’ in the industry at such a tender age?

I think I was too young, although Universal were great that wasn’t the problem. But there was a lot going on behind the scenes that I was dealing with. I wasn’t a show biz kid from a showbiz family and I had real problems that seemed bigger than singing about about being dumped by some boy. I felt too young and overwhelmed but also too streetwise and smart for it all. It was a confusing time.

They say that everything happens for a reason. In 2011 you suffered a life-changing event, just as your debut album was about to be released, and one which set you back several years. Eight years on do you think the dreadful accident in which you broke your back has had any positive repercussions?

I think there had been positive repercussions,I dont think I would have started writing if it wasn’t for the accident. I dont

 

What attracted you to signing with Bella Union for your new album?

Well

 

Do you have any role models in the music business? A hero or heroine? Anyone you would enjoy being “mentioned in the same breath” with? (Dusty Springfield comes to mind, also perhaps Shirley Bassey).

 

I really admire Fiona apple because she does whatever the hell she wants. And her records are stunning, unique and completely un compromising.

You are compared occasionally with Elkie Brooks (I’ve done it myself!), a different kind of singer perhaps but a highly respected one who hails from the same city, and even the same suburb as you. And she’s still performing, in her seventies. Is there anything you feel you can learn from her and, indeed, are you ever in contact with her?

I dont know Elkie personally but I love her shes a legend. Rising Cost Of Love is my jam!

 

 

You left Salford and relocated to London a while ago. Do you miss it? How did the move impact on your creativity?

I really miss the north, everything about it but I needed to leave because I was really sad and I knew if i didnt do something soon I was going to slip down the back alleyof my mind and maybe disappear forever. I have memories on every street, bus stops make me emotional. Corner shops where me and my friend would try and get booze in our school, theres just memories everywhere and I needed a clean break. To create some distance so I could write about it

When you’re writing, how do most of your songs start life? A piano part? A chord? A melody? Does inspiration simply come, or do you have to seek it?

I feel inspired everyday by everything. When writing a song I like to visualise it, like a film, frame by frame. Sometimes I move around, dance, put on voices. Romeo will play something off the cuff that’s so beautiful that I’ll just start shouting and laughing and hugging him. Its the closest I get to spirituality. Writing wise, I want the narrative to have as much depth as possible, I want to feel something and I feel it is my duty to give the emotion and the stories the respect they deserve. I take it very seriously.

 

Do you see yourself as a live artist, or a recording artist, or both?

I see myself as both. I get to appease the introvert in me by being in the studio and attend to the outrovert by playing live.

 

How would you personally measure ‘success’? By ‘breaking’ America? Or something more modest?

Success to me would mean I get to create and perform music for all time and make a living on it. Success to me would mean that people are touched and moved by my music. I would love to be a voice to someone that can comfort them, just as say Rufus Wainwirght was to me when I was a depressed 14 year old. I’m not doing this just to stroke my own fragile ego, I genuinely want to reach o

 

When I saw your show at the Deaf Institute in Manchester recently, in one song (I think it was ‘Cruel Disguise’), you reached and sustained a note that convinced me and those in my company that you could probably tackle opera singing. Do you have any ambitions to perform in that or any other genre?

I would love to learn opera. I think

 

Back in 2012, while you were recovering, you performed several James Bond film theme tunes with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, including ‘You only live twice’ and ‘Nobody does it better’, both of which arguably could be applied to you. Do you picture yourself as a ‘Bond girl’ in the sense of recording the theme to a future movie, or do you even have any acting ambitions to actually play such a role? After all, the new album is constructed so that you can “revel in the drama of my life” as you say. (Incidentally, a female friend of mine – also from Salford – commented that you look like a 1950s Hollywood movie star).

Tell your friend I said thanks a lot! I would love to sing a Bond theme, I feel like it could happe

Acting wise I’m open to it, why not?

 

I saw one of your Christmas Special shows at the Soup Kitchen in Manchester in 2015. During the show you told a story about how a school choirmaster prevented you joining a musical assembly on four occasions for no better reason than that there was something about you that he didn’t like. Your rejoinder to that was “Well, fuck him” and of course you soon went on to release demos on MySpace which were picked up by a local manager and sent on to Amy Winehouse’s producer. The rest is history. A new song, ‘Little Raven’ was written cathartically as one to your younger self when you had no label and didn’t know if it would ever be recorded. What advice would you give to young people who find doors being slammed in their face as that schoolmaster did to you?

If anyone is picking you, school teachers, other kids, parents, anyone i would say to

If schoolmasters are singling you out and picking on you, its probably because your different and they cant stand

 

 

What touring plans do you have to support the release of the new album?

We are organising a tour right now around the UK, quite a big one its really exciting. I also cant wait to tour outside of England, I’ve never done that.

 

If you weren’t a musician what would you be? Do you ever aspire to being ‘something else’ entirely (model, politician, footballer, train driver…?!)

I think I’d try and be a fiction writer. I love books and stories and characters. I heard Donna Tartt say something life ‘as much fun as it is to read a book, writing one is one level deeper’ There’s something about losing myself into another world entirely that really appeals to me.

 

The environment. Whose viewpoint are you closest to? Donald Trump or Greta Thunberg?

 Greta or course.

United or City?

United

 

Coronation Street or EastEnders?

Corrie

 

Thanks again and good luck with the album and your future career.

[lostsummerdayz]

Otakon 2019 In Review - The Language of Cosplay and Music

The legacy of famed artist, Nujabes, bridges two nations and two cultures together many years later

By. Nay Holland

Hello and good morning! Good afternoon! Good evening! Wherever you are reading this across all of the seven seas, or in the comfort of your own home, Lost Summer Dayz is here to bring you an exclusive report! A report none other than Otakon itself! This was my second time attending Otakon, with my first being way back in 2012, when it was still held in Baltimore.

There were several firsts for me the past weekend. It was my first time ever being inside Washington instead of passing through. Secondly, it was my first time attending the convention within the Washington venue. As such, I was coming into this convention, excited on what it would hold for me. For several reasons. Did Otakon live up to my hype that I had built up for it in my mind? We’ll find out now!

Our Otakon 2019 story begins earlier within the month of July, contrary to the day of travel. I had first heard the news of Otakon via a suggestion of the group I am affiliated with, the Geeks of the Round Table. What made me dead set on wanting to attend the event, however, were two major reasons.

The first reason was the Tribute to Nujabes concert and the chance to see quite possibly one of my favorite Japanese artists, MINMI. The second reason was to also meet my actual muse for getting me into Japanese music, Taku Takahashi. Everything else would have been a bonus, and the entire experience was indeed a giant love letter to the culture. But! I am getting way ahead of myself here!

Nessa and Leon from Pokemon Sword and Shield credit: bunsonbunscosplay

Knowing this, I’ve purchased the tickets to Otakon and VIP for the concert, and twiddled my thumbs waiting for this eventful weekend to arrive. Sure enough, on Thursday, July 25th, the morning did come. Meeting up with my fellow cohorts, we embarked on our bus ride to the event! At least, we would have, had the bus not arrived an hour late, thus making the trip a six hour trek. (The ride back was way more palatable, thankfully!)

The moment we arrived at Union Station we were greeted by panhandlers.

It was at that moment I realized, we never truly left New York after all.

Okay, so, D.C is different enough from NYC, but within the first thirty minutes of us walking to our hotel, I felt a sense of familiarity from the city. Aside from the White House that loomed in the distance, I grew accustomed to the city streets. It was just like walking through New York, but smaller. We’ve arrived at our hotel and once settled in, I departed to pick up my badge.

This was the main reason why I wanted to arrive at the con the day before the official first day. Thursday is considered to be “Day 0”, yet with the amount of staff assisting attendees, the abundance of cosplayers both inside and surrounding the venue, and the overall hustle bustle, one could easily assume that this was “Day 1” instead. There was so much activity that I stayed around for a few minutes after I had picked up my badge, just to take in the atmosphere. It was truly the calm before the storm.

Day 1, Friday. The gates were let wide open and Otakon commenced!

The Nujabes concert wasn’t until 8 and I had to be on the line by at most, 7, so I had about a good twelve or so hours to take in the Otakon experience. One of the first things I did was head to the game room, as per routine for any convention.

Ran by the lovely people at Tokyo Attack, the lineup for the arcade portion of the game room ranged from Gundam VS, to Dance Rush, DDR, Pump It Up, Sound Voltex, Nostalgia, Pop’n, Chunithm, BeatStream, and others. There wasn’t a IIDX machine once again, but with a star studded cast of niche Japanese rhythm games, I couldn’t complain.

I literally couldn’t believe they had IDZ. First time EVER seeing it in person!

At two, there was a Tekken tournament that I did participate in, that deserves a mention briefly!

Oh boy, here comes Nay a.k.a “Cereal K.” plugging in his Tekken experience at any event he goes to again!

Alisa from Tekken credit: sugarc0maa

In my defense, it wasn’t the main reason why I came to Otakon! Remember when I said “bonus”? This was the “bonus” albeit, I didn’t get too far in the tournament itself. I was one win away from top eight if that's any consolation, but, overall all who I played against were really good and I enjoyed my time hanging with my good friends in both the Tekken scene and the Otakon staff!

Annie from League of Legends credit: gbudnyjr

With still more time to kill before the Nujabes concert, I took more pictures of cosplayers throughout the convention. You’ll see pictures of them throughout the article spread across all three days, with their information underneath for you guys to check out! Part of the magic in attending conventions are the cosplayers. I’ve said this in my Castle Point article if you’d like to hear more of my thoughts, but, in a large scale convention like Otakon, you’ll never know who you might end up meeting.

One particular cosplayer however deserves a special mention. What started out as asking for a photo of her cosplay, due to the overall rarity of seeing a Tekken cosplay aside from the Alisa cosplayer in the tournament earlier that day, ended with a kindled friendship over the course of the weekend. Known as Kawaii Kiki Cosplay on Instagram and Facebook, Kiki has been cosplaying since 2013, yet has been attending Otakon since roughly 2009.  I was able to sit down with her briefly to have a conversation as she was open and friendly to share her story with me.

Straight from the DMV area herself, her cosplay ventures began in 2013, when a Sailor Moon group cosplay was in need of a replacement senshi. She answered the call, and the rest was history. Being a graduate of the Art Institute, she’s able to utilize her academic knowledge into her cosplay for optimal effectiveness. For example, when I first met her on Friday she was cosplaying Asuka from Tekken. Being recently introduced to the Tekken series,  she was able to capture the character well. As we spoke several attendees exclaimed in excitement as they, too, asked for her photo. It was these reactions, that made the cosplay worth it.

“Cosplay for me, is like one in costume wearing a Disney Princess outfit in Disney world for kids. I want my cosplay to enact a similar excitement for those who see me. I want to make others happy with who I’m cosplaying as,” she reflects.

It isn’t about how much you know about your cosplay, but rather, how much you are able to bring joy to others for wearing said cosplay.

There are some personal favorites that Kiki has in her arsenal, such as another Asuka cosplay she wore for the second day of Otakon. This Asuka was from Evangelion, with the outfit made to appear similar to Asuka’s  Eva 02. Lastly, she carried around a stuffed version of the iconic Pen Pen along with her. Perhaps her most favorite cosplay and convention experience was her appearance in Blizzcon last year, when she cosplayed as Leah from Diablo 3. The excitement of being around those who enjoy the same medium as her, while also cosplaying as an important character from said game, was enough to enhance the experience for her.

If any of you guys reading this have the chance, please give her some love! She’s a really amazing cosplayer and woman to hang around with and it was my pleasure to talk with her. Follow her at Kawaii Kiki Cosplay!

To round up Day 1, we have the Tribute to Nujabes concert. From the beginning, the message was clear. It was not just an ode to a legendary man, but an ode to hip hop.

The MC EyeQ blessed the stage, following Maryland’s own Substantial, then Shing02.

Seeing Substantial and Shing02 live, performing songs that I had listened to since my high school years gave me a sense of euphoria. At the time, over ten years ago when I was a sophomore in high school, I would listen to Nujabes during my lunch breaks in school. This was back during a time when I still used the pen and paper to write. Lyrics, fiction, whatever came to mind. Listening to the backdrops that Nujabes laid out, with rappers such as Substantial and Shing02, who would bless that very stage, tuned out life’s many inconsistencies at the time.

Coping with my grandmother’s passing, failing classes due to woes back at home, and overall trying to get a grasp of my existence. His music, along with the lyrics of everyone on that stage, helped me get through high school. To see them live and perform was what my teenage self would have wanted. I felt like I was fifteen again.

Being the opening act, EyeQ shuts it down while backed by DJ Okawari beats.

And then there was the final set. Adorned in an intricately designed kimono with long flowing hair comparable to a goddess herself, Minmi emerged basked in light. She took to the stage singing Shiki no Uta, the original ED to Samurai Champloo, and as the song ended, she shed her garment to reveal a flowing yellow tracksuit.

This was her way of saying “The gloves are coming off.” She had our attention, and we were under her spell for the next hour.

Performing some of her hits including Sumertime!!!, Hibiscus, and one of her recent singles, #Yacchaitai. Following these songs, the scene shifted once more as she pulled up a piano and started singing slower ballads. These included a cover of Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You,” Who’s Theme, and Sha Na Na. The last song was all the more powerful considering that Sha Na Na, originally a Dancehall classic, was sung in a ballad.

I’ve been a huge fan of MINMI for almost as long as I’ve been a fan of Nujabes and those who had graced the stage. She brings special mention because for a while, during my college years, I was growing accustomed to a new phase in my life. A new scenery in college, new friends, old ones moving from the city, long lasting relationships coming to a close, and overall I felt alone.

I first heard of MINMI through Samurai Champloo and a dear friend of mine who was unable to make it to Otakon with me, Devin Harris, had got me into her outside of the anime.

There’s this Japanese used book store called Book Off where I was able to find used CDs of hers, and since then I’ve been hooked. My knowledge of the Japanese language is limited, but, even through her music I could sense the energy and influence that Western music had on her. It was a different type of energy she brought with her, even hearing her as guest vocals on songs such as m-flo’s “Lotta Love.”

MINMI performing her cover of Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You”

She can bring out the energy, but also allow her audience to cool down as well. She can be the hype of the party as well as the emotional support. Dedicating her final songs to the tragedy at Kyoto Animation, she made me feel a wide range of emotions. Very few musicians I’ve had the pleasure of listening to, have had the range that MINMI has.

For me to be able to have a chance to see her live was a treat. For me to meet her after the concert and tell her these things and more, was the icing on the cake.

Day 2 began with meeting quite possibly my biggest influence in Japanese music, Taku Takahashi. You may notice a pattern at this point, with Nujabes, Substantial, Shing02, and MINMI all being music of my adolescence, and Taku does not break away from this mold. Being a third of the trio of talented artists known as m-flo, m-flo as a group exposed me to music I would have never known existed outside of New York.

I was just thirteen at the time during middle school. I already felt like an outcast because my, then, budding tastes in anime and “nerd culture” caused me to be the odd one out. I was into DDR at the time, so I would join several online communities where we would talk about music from DDR. M-flo was one of the groups brought up. While technically not being in DDR at the time, their songs were featured in beatmania IIDX, a rhythm game I mentioned earlier. When IIDX was in its infancy, it was possible to link a IIDX machine and a DDR machine, known as “Club Versions,” to allow players to play IIDX songs on DDR machines. This was how I found out about m-flo.

I liked their style of hip hop and how familiar it sounded to me, despite the language barrier. From the beginning, they always had a style to blend Western Hip Hop with a local flavor to call it their own. They were one of the pioneers of the Japanese Hip Hop renaissance period, and I would be introduced during the tail end of it. Just as I was getting into m-flo, they were starting their “m-flo loves” series, in which their next three albums, Astromantic, Beat Space Nine, and Cosmicolor, would feature heavily on collaborators. One of these collaborators as I’ve also mentioned earlier, would be MINMI.

LSD ❤ ☆Taku Takahashi!

I’ve been an m-flo fan for a very long time. Not just as a group, but for their solo careers as well. From the rapper, VERBAL, being a consistent feature on Nujabes’ earlier works as L-Universe, his collaborations with Pharrell, and his fashion career. From the singer, Lisa, with her solo career and independent projects. Lastly, there’s Taku Takahashi himself.

Of the three I resonated with him the most, considering how many works he had become a part of over the years. From his works with House Nation, DJing, collaborations and remixes independently. To his recent features on IIDX and his musical works in anime which includes Panty and Stocking to his most recent being Carole and Tuesday. To list everything that these three had done independently as well as a group, would double the reading length of this article. Needless to say, to have a chance to meet one of the hardest working artists in the business, who started as an inspiration for my music tastes as well as learning more about Japanese culture, made me starstruck. Pun intended.

After meeting him, there was the Nujabes tribute panel to accompany the concert from the night before. Seeing everyone on the panel, most of whom I had met either the night before or a few hours prior and hearing their stories, left me with a deeper understanding on the influence that Nujabes had.

There was also a lot that I’ve learned involving some of the work that went into the songs for Samurai Champloo. Back on the subject of MINMI, the inspiration for “Who’s Theme” was more personal than I had initially thought.

I had always had speculation that “Who’s” was meant to be “Fuu’s,” as the main character in Samurai Champloo was arguably Fuu. Somewhere there was a loss in translation and Fuu was mistaken as Who due to the way Fuu sounds in the native tongue. She mentioned that the song was, indeed, “Fuu’s Theme,” but her inspiration for writing that song was putting herself in the character of Fuu.

There are some minor spoilers for Samurai Champloo here, but, Fuu’s goal in Samurai Champloo was to find a “samurai who smells of sunflowers.” Ultimately, the “sunflower samurai” was Fuu’s father, and the loss of her father was her driving force to find her against all odds.

MINMI read the script of Samurai Champloo and it instilled an emotion inside of her that she could relate to. The feeling of loss, the feeling of separation from one’s family. Feeling what Fuu felt, she used Fuu as a muse to write the song. This brings a new meaning to the song itself, as you can feel the words that are being said by her.

This was a point that everyone at the panel brought up. It was a question I’ve had since middle school, which was finally answered that very day.

“How can I, who does not know Japanese, appreciate the music? How can I, who does not know Korean, influence my musical choice for many years to come?”

Aside from Japanese music, I was also getting into Korean hip hop and R&B at that time as well. Despite the language barriers, when it comes to music, we all have an ability to feel an emotion. Happiness, sadness, it doesn’t matter what language it’s spoken. Music is a language we feel. Nujabes’ ear for music tastes, whether he wanted to go for the urban sound or a more traditional one, was an ear that understood the universal language of emotion. Everyone in that room, be it on the panel or as an attendee, had felt that language spoken to us in one way or another.

Later on that night, everything came full circle. I was able to go to the Otakon rave and see Taku perform his set. Remember when I said that MINMI was a collaborator with m-flo during their “loves” series? He had brought her out as a guest during his set and she performed the song she collaborated with m-flo, “Lotta Love,” live.

A vast majority of the crowd may have been introduced to her that night, but it was an energy that was felt. The music alone was enough to make everyone dance and have a good time, further answering my question. I left that night, no, I left that weekend in a state of content.

While I never had the chance to meet Nujabes when he was alive, he lives in in his music. He lives on in the memories of those he had worked with, those he has influenced, and those who listened to his music. I left D.C with a value that was priceless than any merch. Although the weekend came and went, the memories I made, the people I got to experience, and the stories I got to hear, will resonate with me for the rest of my life.   Rest in Power, Jun Seba As a bonus, this was probably the hypest part of the night. Watching Shing02 and all who had performed, perform a cypher to Battlecry backed by Team Red Pro breaking. Blood was left on the stage that evening and it was a massacre of beats and lyrics.

See you next year, Otakon!

[timelordthirteen]

2018 Fanfic Year in Review

Again, I’m late, but that seems to be the running theme so far in 2019. I did not hit my goal of 750K total words on AO3, but I should be able to get there pretty easily this year.

I said 2018 was going to be the year of finishing things and I totally didn’t. I did get my beloved Working Out done, but I have to be very strict with myself not to create new verses willy nilly and get some of these done. After my RBB fic, my priority is Some Other Time followed by The Don’t Fall in Love Job.

Stats: Words Posted on AO3: 153,964 Stories posted: 40 Verses created (multiple fics, same verse): 12 WIPs finished: 1 WIPs still to complete: 3, started this year

Total words on AO3 as of the end of the year: 682,128

January

Rumbelle

Sunlight-  Gold finds his wife lounging in the sun and can’t help himself. (nsfw)

Working Out Chapter 13 - It’s back!  The third date, a lot of kissing, and a confession.

Keep the Change - Lacey confronts Gold about a late notice for her rent and things…happen. (nsfw)

February

Rumbelle

Working Out Chapter 14 - Belle and Gold chat with their workout partners about their last date, Ruby and David get in some good natured teasing, and plans are made for a very important next date.

Working Out Chapter 15 - Leading up to the highly anticipated date night, Gold and Belle find help and reassurance from their friends.

If Wishes Were Kisses - Part 1 -  A series of ficlets covering all of Rumbelle’s canon kisses (including the ones we didn’t see on screen…).  Rumple and Belle’s first kiss, True Love’s Kiss from Skin Deep. Rumple POV.

Intervals - Part 14 - Ficlets set in the Working Out universe. A couple days before their big date, Gold and Belle meet up at the gym. NSFW… ;)

Anyelle/Anyem

Alchemy - Alchemy: a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination. Lacey finds an antagonistic note left in her classroom and confronts the person who wrote it. (Rushacey)

March

Rumbelle

Between Friends - Belle and Gold are best friends who are secretly in love with each other and living together. One night their mutual attraction boils over and finally brings them together. (nsfw)

Paris As It Lays - Belle has been working for Mr. Gold to fund her dream of traveling world, and fallen in love with him along the way. What happens when she asks him to come with her to Paris? An aesthetic and a ficlet for @mariequitecontrarie‘s birthday. (nsfw)

April

Rumbelle

Hearts Off Balance Chapter 2 & Chapter 3 (complete) Belle works at the same museum as Gold, and while she’s attracted to him, he’s being a huge ass. After being denied a promotion, she’s called into his office, and her frustration, sexual and otherwise, bubbles over. (nsfw)

Woven Lace

Happy Hour - An argument between Weaver and Lacey in Roni’s bar leads to sexy shenanigans in the bathroom. (nsfw)

May

Rumbelle

Parent Teacher Conference: Teacher Appreciation Week (nsfw) - Belle is a teacher, Gold is the parent of a student, and during parent-teacher conference night, they find themselves alone with their mutual attraction.

Parent Teacher Conference: Summer School (nsfw) - After a tutoring session, Belle and Gold find themselves alone in the house and unable to resist temptation.

Between Us (nsfw) - Rumplestiltskin accidentally spills a potion that has some interesting, awkward, and frustrating effects, which he tries to hide from Lady Belle. But Belle knows something is *up* and she’s determined to find out what… Part of The Between Verse Series.

Woven Lace

Scars to Show: Out of Sight (nsfw) - Lacey’s boyfriend is arrested, but not without incident. In the aftermath, Weaver finds himself on Lacey’s bad side, but an encounter at Roni’s leads to a making up… of sorts. Part of the Scars to Show verse which started with Happy Hour.

Doctor Who

Stay - Ten II x Rose For the drabble prompt “Stay” at doctorroseprompts on Tumblr.

June

Rumbelle

Parent Teacher Conference: 3 - After School Special (nsfw) - Gold and Neal go out for dinner, but whom should they see at Granny’s diner but the lovely Miss French.

Parent Teacher Conference: 4 - Distance Learning (nsfw) - A frustrated Belle starts fantasizing about Gold, who makes a very timely phone call.

Pillow Talk (nsfw) - For a prompt at a-monthly-rumbelling, Dark Castle, first time, fluff.  A quiet moment and some introspection after their first time.

Between Us Part 1 and 2 (nsfw)- Rumplestiltskin accidentally spills a potion that has some interesting, awkward, and frustrating effects, which he tries to hide from Lady Belle. For the lust potion prompt at a-monthly-rumbelling.

In These Final Hours (G) - Belle’s friends drag her out for drinks and karaoke on one of her last nights in Storybrooke. After a couple of glasses, she gets up the nerve to sing a song about unrequited love, secretly directed at her friend Mr. Gold. Except Mr. Gold is in the audience.

Woven Lace

Scars to Show: Lost On You (nsfw) - Lacey and Weaver go back to her place to finish what they started at the bar, but the end is not what Lacey expects.

July

Rumbelle

Lover of the Light - An RCIJ fic for @evilsnowswan. Belle finds a bowl of strawberries in the castle and it leads to a significant moment between her and Rumple. (nsfw)

Woven Lace

A Holy Fool - Weaver and Rogers do a little police work, but end up striking out. Meanwhile, Lacey has a disturbing moment after Nick is released from jail. (semi-nsfw but only for some dirty talk at the end)

August

Rumbelle

Parent Teacher Conference chapter 5 -  Belle has a no good, very bad day, and Gold makes it better. Right before he fucks it up… (nsfw)

Laundry Day -  Rumplestiltskin returns home to find Belle wearing a very interesting outfit. (nsfw)

Working Out chapter 16 COMPLETED!!! -  THE BIG DATE. Romance…go! I can’t believe I finished this fic finally.

Through a Paris Window - Gold admires his wife and can’t help taking a little video with his shiny new phone.

The Kissing Booth -  Belle is running a kissing booth to raise money for the library. When Gaston approaches, Mr. Gold comes to the rescue.

Golden Lace

The Don’t Fall in Love Job chapter 1 -  Con artist Lacey never planned on staying in Storybrooke, just long enough to let the heat cool off in Boston from her last job. She also never planned on falling in love with the town’s eccentric pawn broker, Mr. Gold, but here she is living a life built on nothing bu lies. Well, almost nothing… This is what happens after it all falls apart.

September

Rumbelle

Parent Teacher Conference chapter 6 - In the immediate aftermath of Neal disrupting their activities, Gold calls Belle and makes amends for his behavior. AKA Gold done fucked up and he knows it, but Belle is pretty forgiving…and also horny on main. (nsfw)

After Party - Belle and Gold arrive home from a formal party to have another party of their own.

The Bartender chapter 5  - After 84 years no updates, ta-da! Bartender!Belle and Gold work their Saturday night together.

Only Something in Me -  Furious over Rumple’s involvement with the Evil Queen, Belle confronts him in his shop. But things do not go as planned once Belle’s anger and jealous take over. Post 6x07 Heartless.

Golden Lace

The Don’t Fall in Love Job chapter 2 -  Con artist Lacey fic for the little Angst War continues. Gold goes after Lacey, and things get a bit heated. (nsfw)

The Don’t Fall in Love Job chapter 3 - After leaving Storybrooke, Lacey gets some unexpected, life changing news, and remembers the first time she met Mr. Gold.

Some Other Time - College student Lacey dumps her boyfriend and needs a new apartment, it just so happens her professor, Dr. Gold, has a room to rent. (Teen)

Some Other Time chapter 2 - For anon who asked: Does Some Other Time!Lacey do yoga? If so, does Gold like to watch without her noticing? (rating goes up to Mature!)

October

Rumbelle

The Bartender Part 6 - After not seeing Gold for a couple of weeks, Belle reflects on her feelings for him and decides to track him down.

The Bartender Part 7 - Now awake, Rumplestiltskin makes his way to his shop to recover and remember how he and Lacey met, while he figures out what to do next.

Parent Teacher Conference Chapter 7 - Belle goes to visit Gold in his shop, and of course naughtiness ensues. Extremely naughty (read the warnings.) (nsfw)

November

Rumbelle

The Bartender Part 8 - Rumplestiltskin visits Belle (Lacey) at the Rabbit Hole to make amends, and a date happens.

Parent Teacher Conference Chapter 8 - Belle goes to Gold’s house for dinner, but things don’t turn out the way either of them plan. 

Parent Teacher Conference Chapter 9 - Gold and Belle finally confront their feelings, and the future begins. (nsfw, and also complete!!)

Golden Lace

Some Other Time Part 3 -  Following Gold’s post-shower, full frontal mishap, Lacey attends one of his classes and things get…suggestive. (nsfw)

December

Rumbelle

The Pretty Librarian - Mr. Gold goes to the library to return a book and something unexpected happens. (nsfw)

Rumbelle/Golden Lace/Woven Lace/Macelle for 31 Days of Fandomas

A Card for Mr. Gold - Part 1 - 9 (Rumbelle, G) -  Mr. Gold receives a card on Christmas Eve.

The Gift - A Working Out ficlet (Rumbelle, Teen) - Belle gives Gold the best Christmas gift ever. Takes place after Working Out!Rumbelle are married, approximately 2.5 years after the end of the main story.

Win-Win Situation (Rumbelle, Explicit) -  Belle and her husband get up to some naughtiness at a holiday charity event. (nsfw)

Desperate Souls (Macelle and Macey, Teen) - Ex-priest Joseph is having a bad day, but someone is watching over him.

Yippee Ki Yay (Woven Lace, Mature) - Lacey and Weaver spend Christmas together. (nsfw)

Traditions(Golden Lace, G) - Lacey thinks she’s going to spend Christmas alone.

Some Other Time - Part 4 (Golden Lace, Explicit) - The incident with the lollipop behind them, Gold and Lacey look forward to the holidays. (nsfw)

Carol of the Belles (Rumbelle, G) - Mr. Gold is being driven slowly mad by the caroling outside his house.

All I Want for Christmas Part 1 - 5 (Rumbelle, Teen) - Young Gideon French tells Mr. Gold what he’d like for Christmas.

Very Nice Indeed (Golden Lace, Explicit) - Lacey asks Gold if she’s been naughty or nice. (nsfw)

One Hour (Woven Lace, Mature) - Lacey talks Weaver into going to a holiday party. (nsfw)

Some Other Time - Part 5 (Golden Lace, Explicit) - Lacey gets a package, and Gold gets a peek. (nsfw)

By the Fire (Rumbelle, G) - A quiet moment in the Dark Castle.

The Ornament (Golden Lace, G) - Lacey returns and sees Gold has fixed something.

Peppermint(Golden Lace, Explicit) - Gold needs to hear the words. (nsfw)

Some Other Time - Part 6 (Golden Lace, Explicit) - Lacey plans a sexy surprise for Gold, but her plans get derailed by another surprise. (Takes place immediately after the last chapter.) (nsfw)

Resolutions - New Year’s Eve aesthetic + drabble (Golden Lace, Teen) - Mr. Gold has made a New Year’s resolution.  

Kastle

No One Says It Out Loud (Kastle, Teen) - Karen’s house sitting for the holidays and Frank’s back in town.

[keepingupwithlinmanuel]

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 2017 in review (a brief recap)

Previously: my epic 2016 in review post.

January

The Hamilton Prizeo fundraiser for Planned Parenthood raises millions of dollars for PP.

Starting at the end of this month, Lin begins making (almost) weekly mixtapes on Spotify. As at the end of year, there are now 34.

Nominated for an Oscar for writing How Far I’ll Go for Moana.

February

Mary Poppins Returns begins production in the UK. Lin moved to London at the end of 2016 to work on the film.

Launches Hamilton SanFran Prizeo campaign to benefit Code 2040 and the Latino Community Foundation.

Launches merch to benefit the National Puerto Rican Day Parade Scholarship Fund.

Performs at the Oscars with Auli’i Cravalho.

Jay-Z announced as co-producer of the In the Heights film.

Broadway cast recording of Hamilton certified 3x Platinum. The album has now been on the Billboard 200 for 117 weeks straight.

March

Featured in the opening track Intro ADN/DNA of Residente’s self-titled album and in the accompanying documentary.

Awarded United Nations Women for Peace Association Philanthropy Award.

You’re Welcome music video featuring Lin and Jordan Fisher released.

Makes a guest appearance on Adventure Zone: (K)Nights, the Adventure Zone spin-off only available to Maximum Fun donors.

Appears in a PSA in support of the ACLU.

April

Presents Best Musical at the Olivier Awards with Audra McDonald.

Writes a tribute to Riz Ahmed for the Time 100.

Attends a Q&A with Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber in London.

Moana OST certified Platinum. 

The EduHam program expands to the Chicago and touring productions with the help of new sponsors including Google. 

May

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center announces support from The Miranda Family Fund to provide scholarships for students to further the inclusion of artists of color across all disciplines of theater.

First recipient of Wesleyan University’s Hamilton Prize announced. (Lin is the chair of the selection committee.)

Disney announce that Lin is part of the voice cast of the new Ducktales, playing superhero Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera.

June

Wraps on Mary Poppins Returns.

Presents Best Musical at the Tonys (warning: Kevin Spacey is in this video).

Announcement that Lin will be getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018.

Launch of #Ham4All, the Prizeo campaign for the opening of Hamilton LA, set up to raise funds for the Immigrants We Get the Job Done Coalition.

Release of the Immigrants (We Get the Job Done) video, executive produced by Lin.

Invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (as an Oscar nominee).

July

Release of the Hamilton Instrumentals.

Goes on vacation (!) You might think this means no news for the rest of the month, but you would be wrong.

Nominated for his second Emmy (Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series) for hosting Saturday Night Live.

Disney announce that Lin will be doing new music for the live action Little Mermaid with Alan Menken.

The Immigrants video is nominated for a VMA.

August

Launch of the Hamilton mobile app.

Opens Hamilton LA with a live Ham4Ham and gives a speech at the curtain call.

The Miranda family honoured with the President’s Award at the Imagen Awards.

Visits Vega Alta to open Placita Guisin, a museum and food kiosks designed to help reinvigorate the local economy.

Honoured by the Anthony Quinn Foundation at Joe’s Pub for his contributions to arts education.

September

Sings the theme song for the new Magic School Bus.

Cameos in BoJack Horseman.

Receives 2017 Freedom Award from the US Capitol Historical Society.

Spends 2 days meeting more than 30 members of the House and Senate to campaign for the National Endowment for the Arts.

Receives the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s Gala Award.

Writes title track of Mandy Gonzalez’s album Fearless and appears at the Viva Broadway celebration in Times Square to introduce its debut.

Assists in setting up and promoting the Hispanic Federation’s UNIDOS fund for hurricane relief for Puerto Rico.

Writes column for The Hollywood Reporter urging aid to Puerto Rico.

October

Triggers a media avalanche with his response to the US president’s attack on the mayor of San Juan. 

In the wake of his tweets, Lin sends out a fundraising email for the UNIDOS fund via MoveOn which raises $3.34mil in the space of a few days. The fund eventually raised $14mil in the space of 24 days.

Writes a tribute to Oskar Eustis for Variety.

In the space of two weeks, writes, organises, mixes and releases Almost Like Praying (featuring over 20 Latino artists) with all proceeds to go to the UNIDOS fund.

In record time, executive produces and co-directs the video for Almost Like Praying.

Almost Like Praying tops iTunes charts in 17 countries and debuts as the top selling song of the week in the US. It eventually raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the UNIDOS fund.

Releases a Teerico collection for Hurricane relief.

Led by book writer and scrip writer Quiara Alegria Hudes, pushes publicly for the Weinstein Company to release the movie rights for In the Heights.

Produces Telemundo fundraising telethon based on the making of Almost Like Praying.

Writes Stephen Sondheim tribute for NY Times T Magazine’s The Greats issue.

Together with the Andy Warhol Foundation and the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, provides $100,000 each in emergency grants to a hurricane relief fund focused on Puerto Rico’s arts community.

Appears on Sesame Street segment for Mexican earthquake relief.

The Kingkiller Chronicles TV show (executive produced by Lin and featuring original music by him) lands at Showtime.

NBC airs English-language special on the making of Almost Like Praying to raise funds for hurricane relief.

November

Appears on a panel on activism with Common and performs at the closing concert with Chance the Rapper at the Obama Foundation Summit.

Lin visits Puerto Rico. He uses his visit to raise $100,000 via Facebook for the UNIDOS fund, announce grants to local NGOs amounting to $2.5mil and hand out food at Placia de Guisin. 

Lin and Jeffrey Seller announce that a new tour of Hamilton will originate in Puerto Rico with Lin as Hamilton in January 2019. The production will help get the venue ready and will offer up to 1/3 of tickets at $10 each.

Lin and Vanessa launch Prizeo campaign for the opening of Hamilton London to benefit NGOs working against climate change.

Holds private fundraisers in LA and SanFran to raise money for Puerto Rico.

Awarded President’s Merit Award at the Latin Grammys.

Attends Unity March for Puerto Rico in DC and gives speech urging Congress to forgive Puerto Rico’s debt and support the island’s recovery.

Features as himself in the final two episodes of this season of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

How Far I’ll Go from Moana nominated for a Grammy.

December

Lin presents at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards in London and reveals that Vanessa is pregnant with their second child.

Teams up with American Express for a radio campaign aimed at supporting small businesses following Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

Partners with Hispanic Federation and Toys R Us to send toys to Puerto Rican kids for Three Kings Day. They’re up to 30,000 toys as at the end of the year.

Writes Washington Post op-ed on what Puerto Rico needs from the federal government.

Announces #HamilDrops, a series of monthly releases of new Hamilton content from December 2017 through to December 2018, starting with Ben Franklin’s Song.

The Moana OST goes 2x Platinum. It has now been on the Billboard 200 for 57 consecutive weeks. Where You Are and We Know the Way both went Gold, You’re Welcome and Alessia’s How Far I’ll Go went Platinum, and Auli’i’s version is 2x Platinum. 

Starts MoveOn petition to urge government aid for Puerto Rico.

Gives a speech at the opening night of Hamilton London (and participates in a special London Ham4Ham). 

Phew. What a year. 

Happy new year, everyone. Thanks for being here.

[avaliveradio]

City of Joy (live) by Living Waters Celebrates Faith and Joy

Artist: Mark A Lajoie : Living Waters

New Release: City of Joy (live)

Genre: Christian Rock

Located in: : New England

I will never forget the concert when this live version was recorded; it was what you would call a 'magical night'. We were at the height of our powers. We were tight and strong in every way.

Just read some of the reaction to this recording:

"Listening to City Of Joy now, I hear a blend of vocal harmonies most of us can only dream of...", "you guys are tight. and of course City of Joy is Beatle-esque.

You guys are putting out some great music.", "City of Joy of is a beautiful song and the fact that the performance is live even makes it more special.",

"A beautiful and joyful song! The vocal harmonies are marvelous!".

This was a truly special moment for our faith family!

https://open.spotify.com/track/3TRVFGFfdJisDmS2Wm8KKJ?si=DCyeesk6RamW6szrRW1v0g

City of Joy is a central foundational song of our identity. This particular recording is the result of hundreds of concerts and recordings, performed at the apex of our touring, and expressing the core of the classic band.

Every album either includes a version of it or is thematically based upon this song. It is a cry of joy and trust, the joyful shout of triumph in the face of weakness and evil. In style and theme, all of our newest work is firmly rooted in this song, and in this performance and recording.

Right now we have two classic tunes in the can, awaiting some missing tracks. These songs are "Searching" and "Do You Understand" We also have a new meditative song by Mark waiting for further work. We hope and pray we can add to our large public catalog in a way that further reflects our past in a new and inspiring way.

SITE:  http://www.livingwatersband.com  EMAIL:  livingwaters@livingwatersband.com  "Anna Post Writing" Nominated for two Radio IMC Awards for 2020 "Alive Again" Winner of Best Contemporary Christian EP Award and Winner on Top Ten Countdown for Catholic Music on Adoration Radio "Love's in a Name" Winner of the Platinum Auddy Songwriting Award from uplaya.com "Do What He Tells You to Do" Winner of the 2017 Radio Music Award for Contemporary Christian Song "Peter the Rock"  Presented by Ambassador Raymond Flynn to John Paul II "Booze Blues Cruise" Nominated Best Rock Artist at the 2014 Artists in Music Awards Living Waters started as a house-music-ministry group at a MA based retreat center in 1976. Imitating "Lighthouse", based in Ann Arbor, MI, "Living Waters" grew into a full production of music, dance and drama, with full lighting and sound production. Traveling in a converted school bus, LW played across the states, at locations including Yankee Stadium, the World Marriage Encounter Convention, Hartford Civic Center and more. Over the decades they developed a very unique Christian rock style that has been described as "uplifting" and "inspirational". There were many highlights: the song “Peter the Rock” was presented to and blessed by Pope John Paul II at the hands of Ambassador Ray Flynn. LW performed with Dana and John Michael Talbot. LW supported and performed at Covenant House in NYC. Eventually, the group became a faith family, many members marrying other members in the group and having a lot of talented kids.  Over recent years LW has achieved amazing success on the Internet. The band has been featured on Windows Media and the ReverbNation main page. After four decades of continuous existence as a band, they have achieved their long-term goal of a digital album release, “Refresh” (on ITunes, Amazon, mp3 and other sites). There is a collection of Christmas classics entitled "The Joy" that is pouring out to refresh hearts and souls. In 2015 LW released an award-winning two-song EP, "Alive Again". In 2016, a collection of recent work entitled "Still Flowing" was released. 2019 brought us the release of of our first full-length studio-produced album,"Overflow". Find out what all the excitement is about. Dive in and GET REFRESHED! THE TRADITIONAL MAIN BAND LINE-UP Mark Lajoie "Shorts" - lead vocalist, main songwriter, 12-string Ovation, some electric & a few one-finger keyboards!

Mike McBride - the other main songwriter of LONG SONGS!, piano & keyboardist extraordinaire, some acoustic

Denise Vassel - powerful female vocalist...and unofficial mother of the boys in our house community days

Dave Bourque - dexterously amazing bass player, upper vocals, bus-packer & great lead singing in "Let Me In"

Greg Loell "Jack Gregl"- LEAD GUITAAHH! Just listen to some of his leads, man....plays akustic, too...

W. Anthony "Tony" Vassel - amazing drummer, leader, loves jazz syncopation & giving non-sensical names

John Drahos "Henry" - voluminous songwriter; we've done several of his songs as a band; he's filled in often Jim Babish - manager, mixer, planner, pioneer & 'father' of us all and synth player when needed over the years Steven "Pepi" Pipitone - our board mixer through most of our history; we call him "Bill""...and we call Denise "Bill", too.... Josh Loell - In recent times, Greg's son has been an indispensable contributor with mixing, horns, plus more on our newest recordings Of course, there have been many more people involved who are still part of the family. Go check our pictures and our blog: http://livingwatersblog-mlajoie2.blogspot.com/

LINKS:  https://www.facebook.com/livingwatersband https://twitter.com/LivingWatersMsc https://open.spotify.com/artist/1QXw5rKD18g4arVeiiT2st?si=vNiMagdCQtW8ZFCEtPOVow https://www.instagram.com/livingwatersmsc/ https://livingwatersband.com/ https://livingwatersblog-mlajoie2.blogspot.com/ https://livingwaters.bandcamp.com/

Featured on..

[sicklylittlesnowflake]

hello! you're blog is so cute i love it!!! tbh you're such a good writer it makes me cry. could you please do a fic describing keith's emotions (or lack thereof) when allura fell in his arms vs his emotions when lance literally just touched his shoulder?

(Hey sweetpea, you’re honestly the kindest person ever?? I hope you don’t mind that I added elements of whump into this prompt because I wanted to stick to my sickfic/whump theme, but I couldn’t turn this prompt down because I loved it!! It’s still more focused on Keith’s thoughts than the actual whump!)

Keith’s idea of love had always been through a screen. Never real, processed and filtered through a Hollywood lens.

He’d had a taste of love when his classmate Lucy gave him a card cut out like a heart for Valentine’s Day in kindergarten, but he didn’t feel anything at all. But Keith couldn’t quite help but feel a little warm and fuzzy when his classmate James let him help him build his sandcastle.

But for the most part, Keith never really understood what it was. Teachers at school always explained it was what mommy and daddy felt for each other, but he didn’t have that. How could he know what he didn’t have? Keith told himself that maybe he just wasn’t wired to have it, that not all boys get to have it, and that was okay. You can’t miss what you never had.

But Keith was curious. He wondered what it would feel like. He wondered what all his classmates were crazy about, why all the girls would squeal over their crushes picking petals off flowers and why all the boys tried and competed to find ways to get the girl. It was something Keith just didn’t get, something that wasn’t on his radar.

He would watch romance films on the TV, watch as a boy and girl fell in love in a whimsical journey. He watched as boys burst into song about how happy they felt, how in love they were in the rain. He’d watch girls sing quietly to themselves about how smitten and complete they would feel, the devotion they felt to another human being. To Keith, it didn’t didn’t feel real at all. He could only shrug and move on. It just wasn’t for him.

Then there was Lance.

Lance came swooping in one day, a complete surprise that he had said he didn’t need and certainly didn’t want, but now, more than anything, needed, and desperately wanted. It was funny how time changed things.

He’d seen him before, he’d simply been in the background of his life. Lance was just there, sitting around with his class at the Garrison. Just fading in to the background in Keith’s eyes. But now Lance was all he could see.

No Hollywood movie could ever explain how Keith felt about Lance.

It had all happened too fast. Keith didn’t even know where the transition from you are the most annoying person I’ve ever met to you’ve given me something to believe in was. There is something about Lance’s very essence that makes him feel at home. Something about Lance that grounds him back to earth when he feels like he is floating away, out of reach for good.

There was nothing like Lance’s smile, subtle, perfect and real.

Now Lance is in front of him and he isn’t smiling, he’s fevered and sick and just not his Lance. Not his sweet, lively Lance who walked around lightly leaving traces of twinkling stardust behind him. He looks vulnerable, weak, sick. Someone like him who burst with sunlight didn’t deserve this.

And Lance is here, fevered and sick because of him. Keith had insisted on going on a dangerous mission, and Lance would not let him go alone. He had brushed it off and said he only went because he thought Keith was incompetent, but as he prepared himself he overheard him gently telling Hunk that he was coming because he believed in him.

Lance hadn’t been feeling well, something that wasn’t to Keith’s knowledge, and yet he went with Keith, fiercely protecting him like the sharpshooter he was, pushing aside everything else for Keith.

Lance had succeeded, Keith finished the mission safe and sound, but ended up worsening his own physical state. On their way back to the Black Lion, Keith was beaming about how well they were worked together, how great Lance was, and Lance was smiling, smiling so bright then he was collapsed on the floor. Needless to say Keith was beyond freaked out.

His whole life Keith told himself that he and love were incompatible. Love was not for him. No one could ever love him, he wasn’t built for it, it was in his very molecules that was chemically unresponsive to it. It was written in his DNA, wired so that he couldn’t.

And then Lance comes barging in and breaking down his closed walls and turns everything around.

Keith frantically cradled Lance in his arms, scooping him off the ground and holding him so close in fear that if he loosened his grip for one second, he’d lose Lance forever. He couldn’t lose anyone else.

Worry flooded him, as panic raced about his body and his heart beat furiously, adrenaline pumping because he couldn’t lose Lance. He incoherently spat out about how stupid Lance was for doing this, that he shouldn’t have come with him if he was sick, how none of this was worth Lance’s health as he drove Black home frantically

Then Lance let out a husky chuckle, looking at Keith with that stupid flirty, slick expression that rendered him so jealous he could barely function when it was used with other aliens.

But what came out of Lance’s mouth was said so differently, so purely and genuinely from how he spoke to those alien girls.

“You don’t get it, do you, Keith? You don’t get that I love you,” Lance said feverishly, but said in a tone so soft and loving that for a few moments Keith’s blood ran cold, all concept of time and space halting as his heart melted, a feeling that was the perfect culmination of flowers blooming and a warm fire starting in the fireplace.

Black suddenly tipped slightly as Keith lost control, of both the lion and his emotions. He let out a small gasp, his hands beginning to tremble lightly as his breath became short and shallow. Lance had just turned the world he once knew upside down.

And Keith has lost control.

Keith doesn’t remember what happens after that, but he knows that he lands back on the Castle and carries Lance’s fevered, sickly body out of the Lion as Coran and Hunk rush towards them in concern and shock, carrying Lance away to medbay.

His concept of time went whack as he tried to collect his thoughts. He disassociated from his own body, detached from his reality and walking aimlessly, like walking in a dream. His reality warped and fading, all he could hear was he loud thumping of his heart, and the word love echoing in his head like a mantra.

He doesn’t remember how he got here but he’s sitting by Lance’s side, watching him breathe in and out steadily, looking drained and exhausted. He looks so peaceful like this, and its one of the only times he’s been able to just look at Lance like this. He’s handsome despite the sickly features. He has clear skin, the cutest upturn to his nose and the lightest of freckles dotting it. So perfectly Lance.

He ponders for what seems to be hours about what Lance had said to him, what this was supposed to make him feel. Keith doesn’t know how to react, how to feel, he’s not good with people, he’s not Lance. He is so confused, out of his element and thrown out of the controlled mindset he had adapted for himself. Keith has effectively lost it. He’s been alone for so long he’s forgotten he’s real.

He tries to rationalize, trying process everything so he his brain can finally shut up and end the endless rollercoaster it’s on. There’s so much going on in his brain that he needs to just take a moment and think way back, try and analyze the situation and understand how he’s feeling. Keith closes his eyes and thinks back to the past, searching for answers.

When Allura falls into his arms he is hit by a sense of deja vu, like he had been here in this situation before. But he hadn’t–Keith feels as if he hasn’t quite lived yet, he’d all watched it on a TV screen in yet another Hollywood romance. He’d seen it all before hundreds of times, it’s lost any sense of magical wonder. He wondered if he’d feel that rush or thrill of holding a girl in his arms like that, but he felt nothing at all.

Keith tries to feel something in that moment, forces himself to feel magical and like he could burst into song in the rain, feel butterflies dancing in his stomach, because the TV screen told him to, but he can’t. He wonders where the moment where he realises he wants to spend his whole life with her went, because it’s not here. All he feels is catching his friend, and he’s happy that he caught her, because he cares about Allura and wouldn’t want her hurt, but he thought he would feel more. Because that’s what he was told to do.

But Lance’s hand on his shoulder is like when the bus finally arrives after waiting so long in the freezing cold, that relief of the heated vehicle and the reassurance that yes, I am finally going home. He feels that wonderful heat rising to his cheeks, that firm whisper that keeps him together when he is sure he is going to fall apart. The way Lance looks at him melts Keith in the insides, and he just does not know what to do in the slightest. The TV screen never told him about this, never prepared him for it. He’s lost in Lance’s soft blue eyes, spotting this kindness and softness that cradles him gently, soothing his weary heart. Keith wonders why the TV screen never showed him this because this beat every single thing it had showed him.

Keith thinks about this as he watches Lance sleep, breathing heavily from a fever and curled up, looking so much softer and vulnerable. It was a new side to him he never knew was there, a side to him that was just as scared as he was, a side that didn’t feel the need to keep up a cheery facade constantly. A side to Lance Keith never would’ve thought would go on a mission with him despite how awful he felt, just to make sure Keith wasn’t alone, and to tell Keith that he believed in him.

It forced Keith to reevaluate everything he ever knew, because Keith was so convinced that he would always be alone, that no one could ever love someone who could not be understood, but here Lance was making a sacrifice for him. Keith didn’t think anyone could do such a thing. But Lance was here. Here Lance was, who didn’t quite understand every single little thing about Keith, but loved every single little thing about Keith and somehow saw past all of his crap and believed in him. It was too hard to believe. That perhaps he wasn’t so unlovable after all. It couldn’t be real. But Lance loved him.

Keith is suddenly hit with an epiphany.

A revelation that leaves his body cold and frozen, then a surge of warmth and he’s breathing heavily as his heart swells and wants to escape his chest and he’s shaking, because he’s in love with Lance. He’s in love with Lance too.

‘I love Lance,’ Keith thinks over and over again, hoping that somehow it can finally sink in and he could suddenly have his eureka moment and know exactly  what to do. He is so confused and scared and excited and filled with a plethora of mixed, conflicting emotions but it feels so good and so right. Keith hates being wrong but right now he was wrong and he is so happy that he is. Keith is not unlovable, and he didn’t realise how much he needed to know that.

Keith wants to cry because he’s so happy, he’s shaking and tears are spilling from his eyes and he can’t help but reach out for Lance’s hand. He flinches just a little as his skin comes into contact with Lance’s, and a feeling of doubt begins to build slowly but he looks back at Lance and the mantra starts again. ‘I love Lance,’ The voice repeats over and over again but never quite loses its magic. He is assured again. He eases into it, intertwining his fingers with Lance’s and he feels so connected, it feels so right.

Lance stirs, and his eyes are fluttering open and they sparkle with delight when they see Keith’s form.

“I love you too,” Keith chokes, smothered with his own happy tears, a shaky smile playing on his lips. Shaky, but still so sure. So certain. He’s so confident in it he could yell it to the world at the top of his lungs or burst into song and dance until the sun rises.

and when Lance smiles at him the magical technicolor romance he saw on screen leaps out and becomes real. Very real, vivid and dancing and twirling and sparkling in all its rich colours as it comes to life and Keith can’t help but join in and bask in it.

[theseadagiodays]

April 6, 2020

Travel at home

I have always been a passionate traveler, with an insatiable curiosity for new experiences, cultures and sensations.  But what also comes with all the titillation is a fair dose of unfamiliar, unsettling, and often challenging new circumstances every traveler must agily welcome if they are to thrive.  When you are served dinner with no cutlery in Kalkata, scooping sloppy curry with your hands has to do.  When you’re penniless and lose your companion, hours from home in Bangkok’s busy streets, you must ingratitate yourself to the kindness of strangers for bus fare to your hotel.  It strikes me that this same flexibility can serve us well as we navigate the unchartered territories of this new nation we all inhabit, called COVID.

But what moves me most as I wander the world is the way in which constant new sensory input elevates my present-minded attention so intensely.  My ears delight in a particularly evocative call to prayer in Morocco.  My mouth savors the sour sweetness of a Colombian maracuya (passionfruit).  And my nose even appreciates the cow dung furnaces on the side of the road in India. It is like meditation in motion.  After each journey, when I return home, I set the earnest intention to sustain such sensory focus at home.  But as the days pass, this consistently becomes increasingly difficult.  However now, with little opportunity to venture much more than metres from our door, we need new strategies to remain sane and stimulated.  So, I think we can all benefit from living like tourists at home. I believe there is a science to this. I’ve even coined a term for it. It came from a time when I heard education expert Ken Robinson define the word aesthetics.  Associated with beauty, most think of the definition as subjective.  But he simplified this by pointing out that the opposite of aesthetics is anaesthetics (that which numbs our senses).  So, aesthetics are those things which make us feel.  Since this revelation, I have come to call myself an aesthesiologist because I believe that all artists are in the business of making people feel.  And this is why I feel that sharing artistic resources on this blog is the best medicine I can offer as we all ride out this crisis together.

So, maybe today you can consiciously pay attention to some subtle new observation each of your senses notice in your environment.  The way the light hits your tea kettle at dawn.  The call of a returning bird at spring time.  The crunch of the potato chips that you’re binging on right now.  Lately, I’ve certainly learned to feel extra fortunate that I can taste or smell at all, because my husband completely lost his sense of smell 3 weeks ago.  Most have probably heard that this is an alarming and bizarre potential sign of COVID, particularly in people with no other symptoms.  So, having come thru full incubation period, we’re at least past the scare that it could have become worse or that he might have infected myself or others with whom he’d had contact prior to quarantine.  But he never thought he’d look so forward to the day he could smell my farts again.  (Meanwhile, I’m indulging in all the beans and garlic I want)

At any rate, if home sensations don’t tickle you enough, there is always virtual travel.  And while that certainly risks inspiring a vicarious longing that may not serve you, for others, it can elicit some of the same wonders as adventures themselves.  So, if you’re craving sensory immersion into other worlds, New York Times can help you do this with their 13 recommended travel podcasts.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/09/travel/travel-podcasts.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage&contentCollection=AtHome

I know I have certainly spent many days in quarantine wallowing over my screensaver trip photos, longing for a time when I could journey further afield once more.  But I have also been swept away by the photographic brilliance of some of the work that the New York Times is featuring weekly, in their World Through a Lens column.  Marcus Westerberg’s shots of Zambian wildlife (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/travel/zambia-safari.html) were particularly emotional for me, having just had one of the most meaningful travel experiences of my life there, last year, when I served as resident visiting artist at a music school in Lusaka.  In fact, I arrived exactly one year ago, today, and can’t wait to return to those magical people.  A girl has to dream, after all...

April 7, 2020

Creativity at Home

If any of you are variety-mongers like me, seeing only the same person or people, day in and day out, can have you dressing up your spouse in wigs or Hawaian skirts or bear costumes just to mix things up a bit.    But largely, I’ve been hearing that many parents and siblings are embracing ways to capitalize on their excessive togetherness. I think it’s why the show Survivor has been so successful all these years. Forced into small spaces and “tribes”, we tend to do whatever it takes to get along with our fellow captives.  Cooped up together for days on end, there is no limit to the clever activities some families have created to keep themselves occupied.  

This crew took a simple tube and board of wood to create some exercise apparatus that has kept them busy for hours:  https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5518064

Others are taking vicarious travel to the next level with some Photoshop fun - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/travel/coronavirus-fake-travel.html

And the most impressive might be this 5-person brood, each with operatic quality voices, who belt out their rendition of One More Day, from Les Miserable.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-52106893/coronavirus-family-goes-viral-with-lockdown-les-mis-song-adaptation

But, if you happen to be stumped for ideas yourselves, here are a few ways you can kickstart your family’s creativity.  A bunch of resourceful theatre company’s have been commissioning playwrights to create short Plays at Home, designed for actors and amateurs alike to perform in their own living rooms.  Most are staged for 1-7 humans, with joyful themes, and participants are welcome to share video recordings of their readings.

https://www.playathome.org/?fbclid=IwAR3_Uib1GQV5134ZbF7IEI5F5lpt0HQdxYkd1HtiNeUFws1UKCvVV4_2KEQ

And right here in Vancouver, my friend Vanessa Richards is finding thoughtful ways to engage community in collaborative singing, by sustaining her weekly free choir sessions, now in Livestream, every Wednesday, from 6-7:30.  You can check out Van Van Song Society here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/togethersinging/

April 8, 2020

Quarantine Living - Al Yankovic style Some of you may be too young to recognize this reference to our favorite weasly moustached 80’s bard, who humorously bastardized everything from Queen’s Another One Rides the Bus to Michael Jakcson’s Eat It, with his own comic lyrics.  But lately, like our Les Miserable family, Weird Al Yancovic’s “wordsquatting” trend is spreading more virally than corona.

This original take on the Beatles, I gotta wash my hands is a classic.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxOJ7hh3H-I

For more potty humor, I adore this Philipino artists’ no-toilet paper campaign, I love tabo- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vzb98tQp53I

And certainly, the most high tech example has come from Vancouver’s own Phoenix Chamber Choir, in their rendition of the hugely popular Queen song, Coronavirus Rhapsody- https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1720158275935?fbclid=IwAR3gEdqv95oX4KT_W4F4_naJyASRhUaGpr-T56Aux9k4tCStGvow9xgHIQw

April 9, 2020

Reading Respite Endless screentime has probably left many of us fatigued and squinting, with a need for stronger reading glass prescriptions that we can’t fill, because all the optometry shops have shut down.  So, these next suggestions are offered with that caveat. However, for me, the tactile experience of a book in my hand can still be a nourishing antidote to digital overload. Often just a page is capable of transporting my body, mind and soul away from news feeds, virus counts, and press conferences.  

Never a fan of e-readers, I have always passionately supported my local bookshops.  And thankfully, there is a current intiative intended to do the same, at a time when the threat of a certain Capital A behometh taking over global commerce is greater than ever.  So, you can actually feed your spirit and your neighborhood bookseller by purchasing any literary craving here. Thanks to the new site, bookshop.org, you can order what you’d like from the local bookstore of your choice, while this company acts as liason.  And the fair split allows your local vendor to keep 30% of total profit, when direct sales that are no longer possible for them may have only been slightly more (40-45%).  

As far as what to stories to consume at a time like this, it has amazed me how much films like Contagion and Outbreak have had huge resurgences. This tells me that relevance and resonance are key factors in people’s entertainment choices.  However, if you’re looking for something that relates to your current circumstances, but leaves you not with more fear, but with actual hope, inspiration, or tools for survival, here are a few better options:

Emily St. Mandel’s Station Eleven is, in fact, a post-apocalyptic tale.  But her narrative’s most clever survivors form a travelling Shakespeare troupe, demonstrating the power of art to heal in dire times.  

For some existential musing reaped in self-isolation, Thoreau’s Life in the Woods always still provides.

And if the new stressors arising from this crisis find you busier than ever, but you long to slow down, travel journalist, Pico Iyer, in his prophetic 2014 book, The Art of Stillness, makes a strong case for the fact that “in our madly accelerating world, our lives are crowded, chaotic and noisy. So, there’s never been a greater need to slow down, tune out and give ourselves permission to be still.”

April 10, 2020

How Might We Fill This Space?

Never before have Memes, Tik tok or Cat Videos provided such many needed lifelines for people all over the world.  But the video that most stirred me to action was this stunning dance collaboration that popped up in my Facebook feed, during the early days of self-isolation, before my first Zoom conference, before I’d seen my first collaborative musical Quarantine Song spoof. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3pFxsYPLgU

This global initiative to weave together dance gestures, while performers were entirely physically separate, seeded the idea for a community art and writing project that I have recently started with a few friends.

In an effort to connect artists during this physically distant time, we have launched Spool of Thought.  And all artistic contributions are welcome to the thread.  

https://www.instagram.com/spoolofthought2020/

On this page, we invite people to respond to the question, “How might we fill this space?”as we adjust to different rhythms of being. The idea is to weave together our thoughts, through the fluid form of cursive writing, in a non-linear narrative documenting this unique time on our planet.

The full instructions are below, for those interested and eager to participate:

1.Using Notes (iPhone) or Evernote (Android) and the digital pen, draw a continuous cursive line from the left to right side of the note (arranged horizontally) and write a word, phrase or sentence that responds to the prompt: How Might We Fill This Space?

2. Save it to your photos.

3. Then,send it by email to: spoolofthought2020@gmail.com, and we will add your text to the Spool of Thought Instagram page.

4. Please include your name, your location, your occupation, and your Instagram@ for the caption of your photo.

5. And feel free to share this invite with your community, along with these instructions.

6. Finally, enjoy watching the spool unravel on @spoolofthought2020, as the thread grows, and tag us wherever you choose to share: #spoolofthought2020.

[x-enter]

Everything Coming to Disney+ in March 2020

We’re almost to a new month which means that streaming services are revealing what new titles are coming to them. The latest to reveal their new slate is Disney+ which reveals episode details for The Clone Wars as well as several other shows. For movies, Black Panther and Bedtime Stories are two that I really enjoy. What are you most excited for in March?

Available March 1

Doctor Dolittle 2

Ice Age

Available March 4

Black Panther

Available March 5

Bedtime Stories

Available March 6

The Finest Hours (Returning Title)

Three on the Run

Diary of a Future President

Episode 108 - “Matters of Diplomacy”

As she prepares for the big dance, Elena is shocked to discover she has a “mustache.” Attempts to fix it only make it worse, forcing her to “own” her look. Bobby and his buddies plan a prank for the dance, but when it doesn’t go the way Bobby expected, he lashes out at Liam. Gabi’s discomfort with her new relationship only grows when her mother invites the entire family over to meet Sam.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Episode 703 - “On the Wings of Keeradaks”

After their escape, Anakin Skywalker and the clones defend a local village.

Marvel’s Hero Project

Episode 118 - “Genius Gitanjali”

When Gitanjali discovered there were people living without clean water, she was determined to find a solution. Through rounds of trial and error, and the search for a lab that would let a middle schooler use it, Gitanjali invented a device that could test for contaminants in water. Spurred on to create new tools that benefit others, her blend of science and kindness is what makes her a hero.

Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings

Episode 204 - “Pandoran Wedding”

Patrice and Dontrell become the first couple ever married at Pandora, The World of Avatar. Alyssa & Scott honor generations of "ohana" at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, with a surprise performance by singer and guitarist Kina Grannis.

Shop Class

Episode 102- “Justin's Biggest Fan”

Teams are challenged with designing and putting their own unique take on Little Free Libraries.

Disney Family Sundays

Episode 118 - “Zootopia: Bracelets”

The Pyle-Lawrence ladies join Amber for a project inspired by Disney's "Zootopia."

One Day At Disney

Episode 114 - “Kris Becker: Animal Keeper”

For over 20 years, Kris Becker has provided top notch care to the animals of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park.Through a unique and emotional bond, Becker is able to look after these exotic creatures through nutrition and wellness support.As she goes about her day, Becker is also able to interact with guests helping educate them on the animals and important conservation efforts.

Available March 13

Wicked Tuna (S3-8)

Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks (S1-6)

Zorro - Second Series (S1)

Stargirl

Premiere

“Stargirl” from Disney+ is a tender and offbeat coming-of-age story based on the critically-acclaimed, New York Times’ best-selling young adult novel about an unassuming high schooler who finds himself inexplicably drawn to the free-spirited new girl, whose unconventional ways change how they see themselves…and their world.

Diary of a Future President

Episode 109 - “State of the Union”

Elena is shocked to discover that Sasha wants to switch roommates for the Tallahassee field trip. Desperate to run from her problems, she misses the bus on purpose, only to be driven by Gabi – who’s fleeing from her own issues with Sam. Bobby, still confused by his behavior at the dance, tells his girlfriend that he loves her.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Episode 704 - “Unfinished Business”

Anakin Skywalker and the Bad Batch attempt to gain a victory for the Republic.

Marvel’s Hero Project

Episode 119 - “Astonishing Austin”

Austin knows what it’s like when food is scarce. It was one of those times when he decided to grab a handful of beans and plant a garden. He invited his community to pick what they wanted, and word spread. Nearby farmers and volunteers came to help him work the soil and now, this local hero has shown a whole city how to sow the seeds of hope and reap the literal fruits of their labor.

Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings

Episode 205 - “Made for Loving You”

Ana was missing her sister at her wedding, but Disney magic makes dreams come true, and Grammy award winning artist Tori Kelly performs. Melanie & Nathan reunite after decades with a ceremony aboard the Disney Wonder in Alaska.

Shop Class

Episode 103 - “Ramps & Champs”

Teams are challenged with turning iconic school items into skatepark obstacles.

Disney Family Sundays

Episode 119 - “The Muppets: Pom Poms”

The Crownholm family joins Amber for this craft inspired by The Muppets.

One Day At Disney

Episode 115 - “Leah Buono: Casting Director”

Leah Buono, Executive Director of Casting, takes us behind-the-scenes as she searches for the next Disney Channel star. Through casting calls, auditions and pure instinct, Leah is instrumental in the discovery of a new generation of young Disney Channel actors and actresses who will bring their talent, passion and drive to upcoming Disney Channel series and movies.

Available March 15

G-Force

Available March 17

Big Hero 6 The Series (S2)

Available March 20

I Didn’t Do It (S1-2)

Playtime with Puppy Dog Pals: Puppy Playcare (S2)

Vampirina Ghoul Girls Rock! (S2)

Diary of a Future President

Finale - Episode 110 - “Two Party System”

In Tallahassee, Elena has unresolved issues with Jessica, and she decides to take a Senator’s inspiring advice, to find a solution. Bobby struggles with expressing himself and finds comfort in Sam’s guidance. Gabi tries to pretend like everything is fine at work, despite her new normal with Sam.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Episode 705 - “Gone With a Trace”

Ahsoka befriends a pilot but must hide her Jedi past while trying to stop a dangerous droid.

Marvel’s Hero Project

Finale - Episode 120 - “High-Flying Hailey”

When Hailey realized her twin sister Livy’s ongoing medical care was putting a strain on her family’s finances, she leapt into action.Hailey founded a kids’ organization to reach out and provide community and support for families living with epilepsy, like hers. Now, Marvel makes her a true SuperHero, immortalized in her very own comic book.

Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings

Episode 206 - “Wedding GOALS!”

College teammates Joi & Lexie have a fairy tale wedding at Disneyland with World Cup champion Brandie Chastain and singing sensation Colbie Collait. Nathan surprises Krystal with a proposal in Paris and help from Adventures By Disney.

Shop Class

Episode 104 - “Bridge or Bust”

Teams are challenged with designing and building bridges that look great and can support weight.

Disney Family Sundays

Episode 120 -“Winnie the Pooh: Flower Pots”

The Ruvalcaba family joins Amber for a plant-tastic project inspired by Winnie The Pooh.

One Day At Disney

Episode 116 - “David Muir: World News Tonight Anchor”

David Muir, Anchor of ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir, sheds light on his responsibility as a newscaster. Inspired by the likes of Peter Jennings and Diane Sawyer, Muir believes it is his job to break through the chaos of today to deliver straightforward, relevant news to people around the world.

Available March 25

A Wrinkle in Time

Available March 27

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Episode 706 - “Deal No Deal”

Trace makes a rash decision after learning what they are transporting is for the Pyke Syndicate.

Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings

Episode 207 - “Te Amo, Mi Amor, Again!”

Hurricane Maria survivor, Gloriene surprises her husband of 13 years with a vow renewal and a sizzling performance by Latin Grammy winner Pedro Capo. Brieanna & Tyler celebrate a fairy tale with an Alice in Wonderland themed wedding.

Shop Class

Episode 105 - “Boulder Bash”

Teams are challenged with putting a modern twist on the classic picnic table.

Be Our Chef

Premiere - Episode 101 - “Bibbidi Bobbidi Bon Appetit”

In this “Cinderella” inspired challenge, the first two families, the Merrill family and Robbins family, are asked to magically transform a classic comfort food into a gourmet meal.

Disney Family Sundays

Episode 121 - “Ratatouille: Chef Hat”

source https://geektyrant.com/news/everything-coming-to-disney-in-march-2020

[watusichris]

Replacements, 1st Time Around

In 1983, the Replacements hit Los Angeles for the first time. I followed them around for a week or two. This story, from the Dec. 2, 1983 issue of the Los Angeles Reader, is being posted in acknowledgement of the band’s splendid live album “For Sale,” which is being released on Friday by Rhino and is utterly tremendous. **********            During a Midwestern winter, when the seasonal temperatures gravitate toward the arctic, a rock ‘n’ roll band has to play hard just to stay warm. Judging from the rather limp records that emanate from the region, there are a lot of frozen butts in the heart of the nation. Midwestern rock hasn’t had much to offer since the garage-band heyday of Chicago’s Shadows of Knight and Minneapolis’ Litter, besides the pre-punk spasms of the MC5 and the Stooges.

Last week, though, a Minneapolis band pulled through L.A. and proved that there’s no energy crisis in their particular basement. The Replacements knocked out four superior sets of go-for-the-throat rock ‘n’ roll in the local clubs. I’ll borrow one of their song-title catch phrases: Color me impressed.

The Replacements have been together since 1979. They’ve released three records’ worth of original material (two albums and an EP) that could blow Violent Femme Gordon Gano’s precious little gonads from here to Maine. After hearing them on vinyl and in concert, there’s no doubt as to who the true Kings of the Great White North are.

The records, all on the Twin Cities-based Twin/Tone label, are all raw, unmanicured productions that opt for scurvy power rather than flat professionalism. Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, the debut album released in 1981, is a sort of song cycle of 18 tunes about cruising, partying, romance, dope, drunkenness, and the other senseless pursuits of adolescent Midwesterners. Its 1982 follow-up, The Replacements Stink, is a harder, louder eight-song EP that refines the first record’s sound into a murderous ball-peen screech. The latest LP, Hootenanny, is a lovably sloppy, diversely programmed collection incorporating blues, country, and folk elements hitherto unheard on the group’s recordings.

The great virtue of the Replacements’ records is a charming insouciance about polish, cleanliness, subtlety, taste, and other non-rock ‘n’ roll concerns. The band comes on like a disarming juvenile trash compacting of the pre-’66 Rolling Stones, the New York Dolls, the Stooges, the Sex Pistols, and the Ramones. Crudity, humor (much of it self-deprecating), velocity, and high volume are the hallmarks of the Replacements’ style. The Dolls are their most obvious role model: The ear-scraping abandon of Bob Stinson’s guitar recalls Johnny Thunders at his most frenetic, and vocalist Paul Westerberg’s drunken, hoarse warbling is comparable to the caterwauling of the pre-solo David Johansen.

 Westerberg writes the lion’s share of the band’s material, and it is largely terrific stuff. He’s at his best when confronting the trials of Everykid, whether goofing off at the bus stop (“Hangin’ Downtown”), lusting after the girl who works at the corner store (“Customer’), lamenting the necessities of lower education (“Fuck School”), or confronting the idiocies of average teenage social behavior (“I Bought a Headache” and “Color Me Impressed”).

Though many of the numbers are smash ‘n’ snarl thrashers, there’s enough variety in the Replacements’ sound to keep them out of sticky-floored identipunk corners. Many of Westerberg’s most effective and affecting compositions are ballads – “Johnny’s Gonna Die” (a premature elegy for the graveyard-bound Johnny Thunders, on Sorry Ma), “Go” (on Stink), and “Willpower” (on Hootenanny). The group also shows an increasing affinity for inebriated blues and boogie; the standard mode of Midwestern barroom bashing is utilized to ironic effect in “White and Lazy” (which sounds remarkably like the Dolls’ boozy remake of Bo Diddley’s “Pills”) and “Take Me Down to the Hospital.” Westerberg is also reportedly a prolific writer of folkish solo material: This side of his style is reflected on record in the non-LP B side “If Only You were Lonely” and the caustic, basement-tapey self lampoon “Treatment Bound,” which concludes Hootenanny: “We’re getting’ noplace as fast as we can/We get a nose full from our so-called friends.”

This daffy catalog of styles, as well as some wonderfully blatant cops (everything from the Dragnet theme to “Frere Jacques,” “Oh Darling,” and “The Twist”), combines with Westerberg’s nose-thumbing take on dumb youth angst and the band’s flat-out, heated performance methodology to make for rock ‘n’ roll that is alert, aware, pointed, and funny. On their records (and I wouldn’t part with any one of them), the Replacments are unbeatable. Onstage, even when approaching the boundary line of chaos, they’re among the most special of live bands.

I don’t know where you suckers were last week, but the Replacements shows in L.A. were without exception under-attended. Well, you blew it, chumps, and don’t let it happen next time. This is a band that can knock you out of your Nikes even on the slowest and worst of nights, and they shouldn’t be missed.

Visually, they’re an unprepossessing lot. Paul Westerberg is an emaciated rail who looks like he rolled out of bed just before the gig; his sole concession to onstage fashion is some poorly applied eye makeup, which just emphasizes the beatness of his wardrobe (faded flannels and T-shirts and well-worn jeans) and the comatosity of his appearance. His face is perpetually creased by a knowing smirk; like Popeye, he speaks and sings out of the corner of his mouth.

Guitarist Bob Stinson is the group’s fashion plate: He usually plays in a polka-dotted skirt, or in his jockey shorts. The pocket of his blue denim jacket holds his toothbrush. His brother Tommy, the group’s bassist, and drummer Chris Mars are little babyfaces (the junior Stinson joined the group when he was 12). For all his youthful appearance, Mars possess a deadpan wit: Shortly after Kristine McKenna pegged him as a Yale student in the Times, Mars showed up on the Music Machine stage wearing a T-shirt hand-lettered in Magic Marker with “YAIL UNIVERSITY.”

“Loose” is a term that can be used to describe a typical Replacements set. Some songs do not so much end as break down in a clatter of drums and a squawk of feedback. Westerberg and the young Stinson are often to be found in conversation during a guitar solo. Blown key changes occur with regularity. The band is frankly casual about its performance demeanor. At the Music Machine last Wednesday, Tommy Stinson leaned over in midtune to grab a beer, and his bass immediately came both unplugged and unstrapped; he unhurriedly refitted himself, in time to pluck the last two notes of the song.

 This is definitely a group who hold to their professed sub-professional standing (“The label wants a hit/But we don’t give a shit,” they sing in “Treatment Bound”), but their carelessness and blithe disregard for even the basics of showmanship never interfere with the impact of the show.

They heave their way through a set at eardrum-crushing volume, with Westerberg, his vocal cords ready to snap at any moment, screaming to be heard over the din. Bob Stinson’s Fender spits out withering clusters of spike-toned notes, underpinned by Westerberg’s brutishly loud rhythm guitar. And Tommy Stinson and Mars provide a relentless backup. As wiggy as the band can get, its musicianship is generally of the highest caliber.

They provide more than a few laughs, too. They’ll switch instruments to play the title track from Hootenanny. They’ll rock out on “The Marine Corps Hymn,” essay Hank Williams’ “Hey Good Lookin’” or T. Rex’s “Twentieth Century Boy,” or perform a country-and-western version of their “God Damn Job” (lyric: “I need a god damn job/I need a god damn job/God damn it/God damn it/God damn/ I need a god damn job”).

I got hooked on the Replacements’ energy and sharp-incisored humor at Club Lingerie two weeks ago, where, looking a bit singed from the road, they wowed some of the assembled waxworks with a ragged but involving set. I wound up following the group around town during the next few days. They did a sizzling marathon hour-and-a-quarter show at the Cathay de Grande on Monday night, and a tough, nutty, erratic one at the Music Machine on Wednesday.

Musically, they were at low ebb at their return Cathay engagement on Thanksgiving, but that set may have been the most revealing of all. The house was filled with Mohawked dolts panting for Social Distortion. The Replacements, who could easily have mowed their audience down with a show comprising their short, fierce, hardcore-styled tunes, instead opted for the opposite tack. They began the show with the blues shuffle “White and Lazy” and made their alienating way through every ballad, country tune, and slow number in their repertoire. The leftover turkeys in the crowd were gobbling as the set oozed its way to a conclusion, but it was the Replacements who were having the last laugh on the fashion-conscious ex-surfers in leather. As Tommy Stinson said in mock admiration, “Wow, punk rockers.”

Remember when punk rockers gave their audiences the raspberry (or worse), disassembled rigid expectations, and guffawed at the status quo? At the Cathay on Turkey Day, the Replacements proved something besides the fact that they are a great rock ‘n’ roll band. They proved that they may just be the last real punk band in America. Come back soon, guys – there are some other folks in this sleepy town who could use some waking- and wising-up.

[findafight]

aight SO instead of doing a full-blown Voltron summer camp au (yET), have some headcanons about in-canon Camp Counsellor (and lifeguard!) Lance:

he’s gone to the same camp for years, since he was a kid, and is the poster child for going through camp until he got to a counsellor and then Lifeguard

he adores camp. highlight of the year, always. April rolls around and he cannot wAIT until June

he wears croptops and shortshorts, the male staff try to call them rugby shorts but Lance schools them because ??? rugby shorts do not come in pastel floral, Carl.

*throws cold wet pool noodle at coworker*

“So hey guys, if one more kid poops in the pool this week you can find me crying in the pumphouse drinking chlorine :))))”(i feel u brah)

is the camp heartthrob 3 years running. 12-year-olds fall for his easy charm, he playfully flirts with coworkers after hours.

heart sunglasses/big rim sunhat aesthetic for guarding on deck

*plays Carly Rae Jepson full blast at the pool so it echoes around the entire camp* 

He tries really hard to make sure kids have a magical time at camp like he did as a kid because camp is a home away from home and it’s amazing

on overnight trips away from camp he points out constellations and tells the myths behind them, not necessarily the greek, but his favourites.

*runs through woods at night outside cabin windows with sparklers because ~~Fairies~~*

“holy flippin’ doodles, day hike!! It’s the best guys!! Candy at the top of the hill!!!” (Lance hates day hike day but the children can never know)

kids adore him, they cling to him at the end of the week, cry saying goodbye and make him cry too and suddenly anyone still at camp is also crying because Lance’s genuine crocodile tears are contagious

some kids write to him after summer ends and he writes back and they’re so excited to see each other every year and it makes his heart grow three sizes knowing that he’s making a difference for these kids. Being away from his bio fam all summer is hard because they’re so close but he wouldn’t trade camp for anything

returning campers and staff are so excited for him when he gets accepted into the Garrison because!! his DREAM!! GROUP HUG!!

“I expect to see you all back here next summer!!” he yells as the bus pulls away, and he wipes tears from his face.

at the garrison, he can’t write as frequently to campers but he does try. when he disappears, the letters stop coming altogether and the kids get worried but don’t know what happened. 

some of them see on the news that he’s pronounced MIA, presumed dead. it breaks their hearts that he never got to live his dream.

the summer after, the underlying theme is “Stars, Space, and Exploration.” With the kids, they build cardboard spaceships, have alien theme dance parties, sing songs about silly space things, blast rocket man and major tom and any other song they get their hands on that involves space from the pool to echo around camp.

it’s all for Lance, and everyone who met him knows it is, but no one says so until the very end of summer after all the kids are gone and the counsellors and Resource staff have a couple days to clean up and say goodbye for the year.

It takes a few days longer than usual. 

The staff paint a mural on the ramp and wall around the pool he loved so much, of space and nebulae and planets and a lone starship, flying through the cosmos.

June rolls around in the Castleship and Lance can’t help but wonder what his camp fam is doing.

[pandabearlikes]

Story Archive Master Post

Chapter Stories

The Lucky One (completed)

Characters: You x Sehun  Genre: Romance, Angst, Drama, Family  Number of Chapters: 15 

Ten years of unrequited love.  One night that changed your life forever.   

Table of Contents:

I. One Night II. Shame III. Reunion IV. His Gift V. Pandora’s Box VI. Her Deal VII. Stuck in a Bubble VIII. Like an Hallucination IX. Warning X. “Yes” XI. Calm Before the Storm XII. Oh Youngwoo XIII. Omma XIV. One Night (Reprise) XV. Epilogue  

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Cat and Mouse (completed)

Characters: Luhan x You x Chanyeol   Genre: Romance, Action, Drama, Angst   Number of Chapters: 7

You are a trained assassin.  He is a top ranking police officer.  

Table of Contents:

Forwards I. Heartbeat II. So Close III. Forgotten Souls IV. Replacement V. Decoy VI. Park Chanyeol VII. Epilogue

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Temporary Affairs (completed)

Characters: You x Kai Genre: Romance, Light-Hearted Comedy, Fluff Number of Chapters: 17

In which Kim Jongin is your tall, dark, handsome, and sexy husband to be…of course…due to an arranged marriage…  

Table of Contents:

I. Mismatch II. Lee Sohee III. Puppet IV. Your Offer V. Lovesick VI. Lovesick II VII. Lovesick III VIII. Breathless IX. Chicken Feet X. The Ex XI. Sweet Potato Pie XII. Head Over Heels   XIII. Resolution XIV. For Better or For Worse XV. First Night XVI. The Fight XVII. It’s Okay, That’s Love 

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Temporary Affairs II (completed)

Characters: You x Kai Genre: Romance, Angst, Fluff, Family Number of Chapters: 13

In which you married the man of your dreams, got pregnant with his child, yet still don’t really know if he loves you…  

Table of Contents:

I. Unasked Questions II. Lucky Charm III. Perfect Imperfection IV. The Fated and The Unexpected V. The Caretaker VI. Self-ie-conscious VII. Kim Yoona VIII. Those Three Words IX. His True Love X. Friends Not Foes XI. Little Miracle XII. The Proposal   XIII. Happiness

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still trying to figure out why these don’t work :( please bear with me.

Beautiful Distraction (completed)

Characters: You x Tao Genre: Romance, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Addiction Number of Chapters: 8

Disclaimer: This story may contain themes that may cause discomfort in younger readers (for example, sex and addiction).  

When reality is just too much and parts of you begin to slip away…

Table of Contents:

I. Distraction II. Illusion III. The Role IV. Addiction V. Consequences VI. You VII. Separate Universes VIII. Epilogue

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The Lucky One II (completed)

Characters: You x Sehun Genre: Romance, Angst, Slice of Life, Fluff, Family Number of Chapters: 22

One night that granted you a lifetime of blessings, happiness, sorrow, and heartbreaks with the love of your life.  

“I love you,” he spoke and you melted into his arms, believing every word, every syllable that slipped out of those soft lips.  

Table of Contents:

I. Oh Baby, Baby II. Our Little Adventure III. Birthday Surprise IV. Innocent Love V. Hidden VI. Abandoned Hearts VII. Surprise Present VIII. The Protector IX. Blood and Water X. Wake Up Call XI. The Half Truth XII. Maternal Instincts   XIII. Young Love XIV. Young Love II XV. Omma’s Martial Artist XVI. Sweetpea XVII. Formal Closure XVIII. It Was Perfect XIX. True Love XX. Pieces to a Whole XXI. Mending the Wounds XXII. Epilogue

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Skinny Love (completed)

Characters: Yoona (You) x Youngwoo (a.k.a. Kai’s daughter x Sehun’s son) Genre: Romance, Angst, Slice of Life, Fluff, Family, High School Drama Number of Chapters: 20

“When you’re around someone so much, for so long, they become a part of you and when they go away, you don’t know who you are without them”.

Table of Contents:

I. The Chase II. The Protector III. The Confession IV. Oh Youngji V. Realization VI. Maybe VII. First Love VIII. The Resolve IX. I Love You, Kim Yoona X. Painful Decision XI. The Break XII. Losing Him   XIII. Whenever It Rains XIV. When Love Falls XV. If We Are Together XVI. Separation XVII. To Have and To Hold XVIII. Telepathy XIX. Forever Yours XX. Art of Seduction

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One Thousand Years (completed)

Characters: You x Chanyeol Genre: Romance, Angst, Fantasy, Friendship Number of Chapters: 15

A thousand years of rain that span three lifetimes…When predestined enemies fall in love…invisible barriers are pushed aside.  A relationship doomed from the very beginning.  

Table of Contents:

I. The Bunny and The Wolf II. Predator Instincts III. Love IV. Love II V. Separation VI. Forbidden Love VII. Vows VIII. Inevitable Fate IX. One Thousand Years X. Melodies of Love XI. Jade Bunny XII. Home XIII. Forbidden Love (Reprise) XIV. Happy Ending XV. Epilogue

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Glass Flower (completed)

Characters: You x Suho Genre: Romance, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Family Number of Chapters: 7

Disclaimer: This story may contain themes that may cause discomfort in younger readers (for example, abuse).  

You were his flower and he was your water.

Table of Contents:

I. Invisibility II. Water and Flower III. Seed IV. Seed II V. Rebirth VI. Second Chance VII. Epilogue

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STORY MASTER ARCHIVE PART 2

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If some links don’t work on tumblr mobile app, please visit my Stories Back Up Tumblr I will try to organize it soon.

[welcometophu]

Revelations 2

Twinned Book 1: Commit to the Kick

Revelations 2

[ Previous | First | Next ]

It’s a long weekend, but it’s not entirely bad. Alaric crashes early on Sunday night, wakes into the sunlit room to find Rory had crawled into bed sometime during the night. When Alaric shifts, Rory mutters in his sleep, and Alaric decides that he doesn’t really need to get up. He burrows back down under the covers, drags Rory over him like a blanket, and slides back down into slumber.

He wakes alone again, his phone blinking from several text messages. Rory, letting him know that he did eat and is back in the library. Chris, asking how the research is going. Drea, talking about some party she went to at VIT the night before, sent long after Alaric went to sleep. He sends a quick note to Rory to let him know he’s up, and Chris to say that he has no idea, then tosses the phone on the nightstand. He leaves it there when he packs up his things, a conscious decision to disconnect and follow Susan to someone else’s home to spend the day.

He ends up in David’s house, in a bright, airy room at the back, with spun yarn laid out on tables. Alaric shows David the process he uses for his dyes, and together they work through several hanks of a mid-weight yarn, perfect for sweaters. The dye reeks, like it always does, and the scent reminds Alaric of home and comfort. It’s easy to let go of his stress as they trade techniques. Somewhere in the middle of the day, Alaric finds Miranda pressed up against his leg, trying to watch. He lifts her up, anchors her on one hip while he works, explaining each step to the small girl.

When he explains that it’s best to warm the yarn to fix the dye, he grabs a plastic bag to put it in, intending to let it bake in the sun. But Miranda wiggles her fingers, and takes the bag from him. Her small fingers squish it tightly, and her expression furrows deeply, lips pressed together. Alaric can feel the warmth coming from her small body, sees steam rise from her fingers.

“Don’t burn it. If it gets too hot, it’ll felt,” he murmurs, and she leans in against him and holds on. “Don’t move your hands, either. Just hold on, keep it still. It needs to be a gentle warmth.”

She offers the package back to him, and it’s still warm. He sets the bag back down on the bench, and slowly lowers her to the ground. “Let it cool now,” he says. “When it’s done, you’ll have David help you wash it in cold water—very gently, so it doesn’t felt. Once the water runs clear, you’ll be done.”

“I want a sweater,” Miranda says firmly.

“I’m sure David will make you one.” Alaric smells amusement, glances over at the door to see Rory there, his fingers tapping on the screen of his phone. Pawel is behind him, Conor nowhere to be seen.

Miranda tugs at his jeans. “I want you to make me one.”

There’s a snort of laughter, and when Alaric glares, Pawel shakes his head.

“I’m not laughing at the idea of you knitting,” Pawel says. “I’m laughing at the fact that Rory’s cousin seems to have imprinted on you.”

Alaric can’t deny that Miranda is currently clinging to his leg like a limpet, as if she’s afraid that he’s going to disappear into thin air. And for all he knows, she might know people who do exactly that. He crouches down, and she shoves her thumb back in her mouth, tilts her head and looks at him.

What the fuck is he supposed to do? He can’t make the kid cry.

“I can’t take this yarn with me,” he tells her quietly. “It’s not done yet. But I have stuff of my own. Stuff I made at my home, Clan yarn. I’ll make you something and Rory’ll get it to you.”

“Promise?” She holds out her hand, sticky with saliva.

Alaric clasps it solemnly. “Promise.”

Rory unfolds himself from the doorjamb, passes his phone to Alaric when he joins them. He’s got pictures. Several pictures, of Alaric and Miranda with their heads bent close together, working on the yarn. Alaric feels his cheeks go hot.

Rory takes the phone back and does something. “Sent them to you,” Rory says. “So you can do what you want. Are you ready to go?”

“We’ve read everything we could read, and we’ve got things to talk about, but I’m thinking we can do that in the car,” Pawel says. “I’d like to get back before dinner so I can get Conor to wind down in time to sleep tonight, since he has to go back to school tomorrow. He’s pretty wound up after a weekend of no magic restrictions.”

“You can visit any time you like,” Rory points out. “Gram invited you back. Especially since Conor probably could use a community, and so could you. We’re not really meant to be solitary.”

“I might do that.” Pawel gives a lingering look to Gram’s house as he heads to the car. “I should have thought of this before.”

“You do have a lot of interviews talking about Lineage community,” Alaric says dryly. He’s read the entirety of the textbook of interviews with Lineage Talent. One of the most common themes is the aspect of magical community. He can’t think Pawel missed this.

“I also have a life at Pine Hills, and my son has a life in the town there,” Pawel says. “The two are at odds with each other, until a magical community happens to move into the space where I live.”

Alaric grunts, and slides into the back seat. Rory’s already thrown their bags into the trunk, and Alaric’s phone sits on the seat, waiting for him to reconnect to the world. Conor takes the front seat and buckles in, pulling the seat up to give Rory more leg room. As soon as they’re settled and the car is moving, Rory brings out a sheaf of papers and starts shuffling through them.

Alaric sends a quick text off to Drea and Corbin: On our way home. Be there in a few hours.

“So we found something,” Rory says quietly. “But the problem is, it’s not real.”

“It’s real,” Alaric mutters. “My brother is dead, remember?”

“The symbol is real,” Pawel tells him. “We found multiple references to it. But it’s not magical in nature. It’s not meant for a ritual done by Mages.”

“I don’t get it.” It doesn’t make any sense to Alaric. It’s a symbol. A rune, maybe, but it’s something for a purpose. It was part of a ritual, and Orson’s dead. Of course it’s made by Mages.

“It’s a word,” Rory tells him. He has a drawing of the symbol, clear and precise. “We found two different meanings for it: retribution or recompense.”

“So it’s a different language?” Alaric asks slowly. “Whose language is it?”

Rory shuffles through the paperwork, but it’s not fast enough for Pawel.

“That’s the best part of this,” Pawel says. He stops at Alaric’s growl, his hands tight on the steering wheel. “Of the research, Alaric, not the situation. There is no best part to your brother dying.”

“Damn right,” Alaric growls.

“I’m sorry.” Pawel lets the apology sit there, while Rory continues going through papers until he finds the one he wants.

The page shows a copy of an old piece of art, the lines thick and rough. The shadows around the edges of the room are dark, while a woman sits in the light, an infant cradled on her lap while she spins. When Alaric looks closer, he sees the shape within the shadow, the tiny white spots of eyes. “What is this?”

“There was an interview in my book,” Pawel says, his voice even. “I spoke to a woman who claimed to be more than a century and a half old. Her family said it had to be true—she’d been alive longer than any of them, already old when they were born. And she claimed to have seen a Talent that is supposedly just a legend. Deathstalkers. I also spoke to a historian of the Talented lines, who talked about Shadowwalkers and Soulstealers, who are also legends. Things that don’t exist. It’s possible that some of them are at the root of other myths—Soulstealers may have existed once and still live as the vampire myth. But they aren’t real, not any longer.”

“The thing he’s so excited about is that this is a symbol used by the Deathstalkers. Or Shadowwalkers. Or Soulstealers.” Rory pauses, looks at the image. “The problem with legends is that everything’s a mess, and it’s all hearsay. It’s all what people remember, and stories that have been passed down. But that symbol is part of those stories.”

“So it’s a copycat,” Alaric says flatly. “So what?”

“What if it’s not?” Pawel asks, and Alaric smells that flare of interest and curiosity. He bites back the growl, because he understands. Pawel is an academic. He wants to learn.

But this is Alaric’s life.

“What if a Deathstalker came for Orson and his roommates?” Rory asks. “What if this is because they aren’t legends, and they’re here?”

“Why the fuck would they kill my brother?” Alaric bites out. “What the fuck did he do to them?”

“Language,” Conor sing-songs, and it’s the first Alaric remembers that he’s even in the car.

“Put in your headphones,” Pawel instructs. “Play a game, watch a video. This isn’t conversation for you.”

“You’re only angry because Alaric swore,” Conor grumbles, but he shoves the earbuds into his ears anyway. Alaric can hear the sound as he turns up the volume on his tablet and sinks into the game.

“No, I really don’t want to talk about this in front of you,” Pawel says quietly. He glances up, meets Alaric’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “I don’t know why a legend would come back and kill your brother, Alaric. But if it isn’t that, then someone wants us to think it is. Either way, it’s the first clue we’ve got. And more importantly, it means it wasn’t a magical ritual. If you want to try to explain that to your father—stave off whatever he means to do—that might help. Orson’s roommate was as much of a victim as Orson, probably.”

“But we still don’t know who, or why.” Alaric glances at his phone when it chimes.

Call me.

Alaric huffs. “Corbin wants me to call him. Hang on.” He presses to dial, lifts the phone to his ear.

“Drea’s still here,” Corbin says as soon as he picks up. “I’m putting her on a bus back to Unity soon, but right now we’re looking into something.”

“What?”

“I’m sending you a link to a news article from last night.”

Alaric puts the call on speaker, switches to messaging and clicks on the link Corbin sends. It opens to a local news site, and an article timestamped with the wee hours of the morning. Alaric motions and Rory slides closer to look at it with him.

“One dead, one in a coma, after ritual gone awry,” Alaric reads.

“I know what it says, and am I on speaker?” Corbin asks.

“Yeah, shut up, I’m reading it so Pawel can hear. He’s driving.” Alaric frowns, skimming through the article. “Noah Steinberg was found dead in his apartment early this morning after neighbors reported shouts and screaming. A woman, Lorraine Barr, was found unconscious and remains in a coma at the hospital now. Noah’s boyfriend, Darrik Malone, is missing and is sought for questioning. It appears to be the aftermath of a ritual. There were candles and blood, and there are marks on the body of the unconscious woman, implying she may have been the target or a sacrifice.” He glances at Rory. “You don’t actually sacrifice people.”

“We use blood sometimes, yes, but no sacrifices,” Rory says firmly. “Corbin, are you calling because of the marks?”

“A friend of a friend has a friend in the police department and they were able to find out that the mark is on the inside of her left wrist,” Corbin says. “It looks like it was both cut and burned into her skin, and it’s the same mark. The same exact symbol.”

There’s a chill down Alaric’s spine. His eyes close as a growl rumbles up, and he pulls away when Rory touches him. “What do they know?” he rumbles.

“The girl’s still in a coma, and the boyfriend’s at large,” Corbin says. “Drea and I are going to see what we can do. I mean, if you can sweet-talk case information out of an officer, I should be able to charm one easily.” There’s a squeak of a sound, high-pitched enough to hurt Alaric’s ears. “Your sister pinches hard. But she’s right, we’re going to try tracking Darrik first. We’ve got advantages the police force doesn’t have.” Another squeak, and he adds, “And she has a lot of good points. We’re also going to talk to people around them. Because I’m sure the police are already doing that, but we’re unassuming and just other college students, and I’m pretty sure that they went here.”

Alaric feels vaguely sick to his stomach. “Did you know them?”

“No, but they lived on a street that’s mostly VIT student apartments, and they seem like they’re about the right age,” Corbin says.

“They think the boyfriend did it?” Pawel calls back, and Alaric repeats the question in case Corbin didn’t hear.

“Seems to be what the article’s saying, which is why I want to know more about them. What? Oh. Drea’s got the school directory up and Alaric, why does your sister know the password on my laptop? Because I am not that predictable. You know it wasn’t easy to guess.” A shuffling noise. “Noah was a junior, and a CompSci major. Lorraine’s also a junior, in Math, Physics, and apparently a minor in Philosophy. The boyfriend is a teacher at the local high school. So he’s older.”

Alaric huffs, because he can’t see how any of this intersects with Orson. “Maybe they met while Orson was at PHU?” he thinks out loud. “Fuck. No. This doesn’t make sense. Why would some local high school teacher kill my brother, then kill his own boyfriend?”

“Maybe it wasn’t him. He’s just under suspicion, Ric.”

When Rory touches Alaric’s arm, he doesn’t pull away this time, just lets the beast and anger bleed away. “See what you can find, Corbin, and send it to me. Drea has my number,” Rory says.

“And be careful.” Pawel’s voice is firm. Flat. “If it is the boyfriend, it’s possible that he’s a kind of Talent that hasn’t been seen in a long time.”

“Deathstalker,” Rory supplies.

A short, sharp bark of laughter. “Oh God, do you remember the story of the Deathstalker and the lemon, Ric?” Corbin asks, still laughing. “Those things aren’t real. They’re fairy tales. Told to Clan kids to keep them in line, because how else do you handle a bunch of kids who can shapeshift? You scare the piss out of them.”

Alaric had forgotten that story, left it behind in the recesses of his mind long ago. He remembered far scarier childhood stories, like the one about the Clan child who lost his beast. He can feel the weight of Rory’s gaze on him, and he shrugs one shoulder. “There are storybooks. I can get them for you.”

“They’d be interesting from the purely anthropological and sociological viewpoint,” Pawel muses. “Still, my point stands. The symbol isn’t magical—it’s a Deathstalker word, for lack of a better term. So be careful.”

“Always,” Corbin says cheerfully, and the call cuts out.

“He’s never careful,” Alaric mutters. “Never. But Drea is, and she’s with him.” Which means she’s potentially in danger, too, which fuck… he mutters under his breath. “They’ll be fine.”

“I hate to say it, but this is good news for your investigation,” Pawel says quietly. “More evidence. More information. More of a chance to find out what’s going on. With a symbol like that, the deaths are most likely linked. The question is what those kids had in common with your brother. And how a legend’s come back to life.”

Alaric’s not sure if he believes in the legend, but he knows something is going on. And it’s apparently getting worse. He taps out a message to Drea.

Keep an eye on Corbin; don’t let him do anything stupid. And find out if any of them are Mages or Clan. I want to know if someone’s trying to start a war.

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