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dotdotdottie · 4 years

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Cats and Dots || Dot & Luce

LOCATION: Ink Inc.

TIME: Before Bea’s Death

@divineluce

Clicking on her “Bad Ass Bitches” playlist on Spotify, Luce set to work on fixing the absolute shitshow that was Dot’s tattoo. Not only was the placement bad, it looked like a drunk toddler had decided to go to town with a machine. Which is why she was more than happy to be working on it. Nothing was more interesting than fixing a bad tattoo and turning it into something worth showing off. “How the fuck did you wind up with this hot mess? And, you can’t fucking smack me for saying that because I’ll make it worse.” She grinned as she dipped the needles into ink and set to work, bobbing her head along to the beat of the pounding bassline. “Like, love is love, but christ.” She gestured to the god awful rainbow plastered on her hip. “The lines on this are hot garbage.”

The rainbow tattoo had been something Dot got in a frat house in her junior year of college. Her friend had ordered a tattoo gun off the internet and the ink had been sourced from somewhere she had no desire to examine. She didn’t regret the tattoo, it was a funny fucking story and she liked being a dumbass with a rainbow tattoo... But if she was going to make sure everyone going down on her knew she was pretty fucking gay, she wanted it to a nice rainbow. “I got it done by a coked-out frat named Braydon.” She had almost considered eating him afterward, but her colony would have been pissed. She wished she had done it. “I probably could have done it better myself, but it was kinda fun watching him struggle. Hope you know how to make it look less like an idiot did it. I don’t need people to focus on the rainbow when my snatch is out.”

Stories like this weren’t super surprising, especially not when it came to shit tattoos. Luce nodded as she filled in the stencil, a black cat whose body covered the majority of the rainbow. What bits it didn’t, she was planning on incorporating into a rainbow collar around its neck. And besides, even without the collar, it was still gonna be pretty gay. “You know, that doesn’t fucking surprise me in the slightest. Braydon,” She wiped away the excess ink, “Had awful goddamn hands. And, trust me. This is gonna be dope.” Luce grinned, “Definitely a pussy out kind of look.” She laughed. Given the fact she usually tattooed straight, toxic masculinity dudes all the time, it was a goddamn delight to be tattooing someone who wasn’t. And, Dot was cool enough. She was dating Blanche, which honestly sounded like a match made in chaotic heaven.

Listen, Dot didn’t love cats, but she would get one tattooed on her for a pussy joke. Most of her tattoos were jokes anyway. She knew plenty of people thought tattoos had to have meaning but she thought they just had to have a fun story and be cool to look at. “Oh trust me, I know Braydon’s hands were terrible. He’s one of those boys who think the clit is a suggestion instead of required.” She had slept with him a few days later simply because she had been bored out of her mind. “Can’t wait for the summer when I can show it off when I’m at the beach,” She cackled imagining the horrified faces of suburban mothers as they covered their kiddie’s eyes. She liked Luce and if she wasn’t with Blanche, she would have considered trying to smash, but for once Dot didn’t have the desire to cheat. “You got anything fucking weird tattooed on you?”

Letting out a low whistle, Luce shook her head. “Sounds about right. Boys are the fucking worst.” She said, remembering her ill-fated attempts at dating boys in high school. For the most part, they’d been boring and dumb and not terrible to hang out with. But, Jared, he was a fucking time. “Sounds like the dude I slept with back in the day. But, I gotta say, hats off to Jared. He did in fact, turn me gay.” She joked. That had been a hilarious thing for him to realize, when they ran into each other at a house party the year after they graduated. Specifically, when he found her fucking a girl on the side of his house. “Oh, it’ll be a look. And a damn good one at that.” She said as she finished up the tail of the cat. At Dot’s question, Luce laughed and nodded. “Of course I do. This is a good one,” She said and backed up to show Dot one of the tattoos on her ankle. At first glance, it was a normal anchor tattoo with a scroll script around it, the cliche every college girl got. But, the scroll read ‘Fuck your Anchor.’ “A tribute to all the stupid anchor tattoos I have to do.”

“Men are good for two things, paying us and looking pretty,” Dot said with a grin. There was a third, very important thing they were also good for, but she doubted that Luce shared her passion for sinking her fingers in the chests of frat boys and eating their hearts. “Speaking for the community, I thank Jared for his contribution. We’re glad to have such a hot gay with us.” Was she flirting? Yeah, but Dot didn’t think it was terrible to do so. It was a joke after all. She craned her neck a bit to see the progress and grinned, honestly, it looked fucking sick already. She couldn’t wait to show Blanche… And literally anyone else who was willing to look at it. She let out a cackle as she took in Luce’s tattoo. “Wow, what an icon. I hope you make sure everyone sees it when they ask for an anchor tattoo. You get a lot of those stupid mom heart ones?”

“You can say that again.” Luce laughed, thinking back to the random venmo that she’d gotten from Adam. As much of a big dumb frat boy he seemed, the dude was half-way decent. When he wasn’t talking about his crotch goblins or giving her stupid nicknames. That said, Dickcleaver Vural had a nice ring to it. “You’ve got that right. I am, in fact, a gift to the ladies and they-dies of White Crest.” Luce chuckled to herself as she filled in the body of the cat. Was she aware of the tone behind Dot’s words? Yeah, which is why she dug in just a little deeper with her needle. Not enough to blow out the ink, but just enough to remind Dot that she was, in fact, tattooing her. Besides, Luce was a lot of things, but she wasn’t the other woman type. “You know it. Oh, I’d be fucked if I did. Ulf would have my head on a spike if I went flashing that around.” She remarked as she looked at her handiwork. “Nah, most dudes have figured out those are out of style.”

Adam’s venmo had sent Dot into a cackling session that lasted for several minutes. She hadn’t expected anyone to actually send her money, but when she got the notification on her phone, Adam had gained a few brownie points. She gave Luce a mock salute,“Thank you for your service. You should be given a medal of honor.” Her eyes narrowed as the needle dug in deeper, sending a glare Luce’s way. She was pretty sure the tattoo artist was too practiced at this point to change pressure like that. Guess flirting, even jokingly, wasn’t allowed with Luce. “If Ulf doesn’t see it happen, what’s the harm? Some people wouldn’t even read it, I bet.” Even if they did read it, Dot was pretty sure some people would just get it anyway. She laughed,“That’s tragic. I love when I see them, it’s just so funny. Teasing guys about it is so fun.”

“Every lesbian who ever slept with a man should, honestly. Gold star lesbians, my ass. Give me a gold star for having to suffer through forty seconds of super sexy thrusting.” Luce grumbled as she wiped away the last of the excess black ink. Popping over the rainbow array of ink, she dipped her needles in to color after color, filling in the rainbow pattern on the cat’s collar. “The harm is when all the piss babies storm out or write bad Yelp reviews. I’m in customer service,” She pasted a fake smile on her face before rolling her eyes, “I gotta service the customer.” Arching an eyebrow at Dot’s words, Luce couldn’t resist the urge to snicker. “Well, I can tell you this, you can and should make fun of anyone who’s got a terrible tribal. God, 90’s and 2000’s tattooing was the worst.”

“Wow, he lasted a full forty seconds? You had a marathon runner. Most boys out there are one thrust wonders.” Dot loved moments like this where she just got to make fun of men as brutally as she wanted. So many people got uncomfortable when she talked about boys and her sexual experiences with them. “I’ll write you a five star Yelp after this. I’ll even include that I reccomend the lesbian artist.” It wouldn’t be the first time she wrote a long review just to praise a friend. She was great at acting like a Karen and if she used her real name, everyone thought she was seventy anyway. “I should make them tip me extra for making me witness their bad tattoos. At least my bad tattoos are covered up or I’m getting them fixed.”

“I was truly #blessed.” Luce said in a mocking voice, as she shut off her machine. “What got me was the fact he had the balls to ask, ‘was it good for you’? That was when I straight up told him I was pretty sure I preferred girls. Whoops.” She said as she wiped off the last of the ink and gestured for Dot to take a look at the tattoo in the mirror she had on the wall. “You better mention me, otherwise people will come in thinking it was Rory who did this sick pussy tat. God knows how the girls would react to that.” She snorted, amused at the other artist’s struggles with the fairer sex. “Honestly, they really should. And hey, you’re getting there.” She said as she tossed her gloves in the trash and began to clean up her station. “When are we gonna fix that jank ass dolphin tattoo of yours, huh?”

“‘Was it good for you?’ Well, bud, if I’m getting up to leave then I’m pretty sure it wasn’t good for me. Boys are fucking stupid,” Dot laughed. This is part of the reason she ate human boys, they were just so annoying. She stood, looking into the mirror with an almost feral grin. “This is fucking awesome.” Turning back to Luce she let out another half laugh,“Yeah I’ll make sure I tell them it was you. Try not to hit on all the hot ones I send your way.” Dot took out her phone to take a photo to send Blanche and a few of her old college buddies. Snorting, she shook her head,“The dolphin is staying as messed up as it is. It’s a Dot classic at this point.”

“Right? You’d think me grabbing my shorts and booking it out the door would have been a dead give away.” Luce said with a laugh as she grabbed the aftercare instructions pamphlet and stuffed it into a baggy with a little Ink Inc. sticker, some candy, and a few packets of Aquaphor. “I’m glad you like it.” She said as she held out the grab bag. “And, no promises on that.” Luce winked and shook her head as they walked out to the register. Setting the station up for her, Luce shook her head with a disappointed snap of her fingers. “Damn, and here I thought I might have a chance at getting you to rethink that. But, hey. You win some, you lose some.” As she leaned against the front desk, Luce glanced up at the clock. Dot was a dope lady, if chaotic. And, coming from her? That meant she was pretty much chaos incarnate. But, she was good company for a drink. “You wanna grab a drink? Celebrate your new art?”

#cats and dots #chat log: luce

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adventuresloane · 5 years

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22 with Lup and Taako please?

Taako did not wake up screaming. His jaw was too tightly clenched for that, and it ached. He could hear the groan of his molars as they ground together.

Instinctively, he reached over to his side, but his fist only curled around the fabric of the nearest pillow. It was cool to the touch. Compared to the warmth of the form that should have been there, it felt positively frigid.

“Get your foot outta my face.”

“It’s not even touching your face.”

Lup shoved his leg away from her. “I can smell it.”

With a grunt, Taako relented and rolled over, so that he no longer sprawled on top of her. He felt the warmth of their waning campfire on his cheeks. His head sank against the adult-sized tweed coat he and Lup had found abandoned on a park bench, which he now bunched up beneath him as a pillow. (“For now it’ll be a pillow,” he explained to Lup. “One day, when I grow up enough to fit it, I’ll fix it up and walk around like one of those bigwig professors.”)

“Hey, wait.” He heard a shuffling behind him, and then Lup was pressed up against his back. Her cheek pressed against his shoulder. “I’m cold.”

His eyes burned dully with exhaustion, but he did not blink. Every part of him was rigid up to his eyelids. The darkness concealed every detail of the world from him. It unmoored him, left him feeling adrift and directionless. For all he knew, he was the last thing left in the multiverse, and now he was without the stars and the ship and the people that had sworn to stick by him, alone in the blackness that seemed smothering and thick enough to block his ears like water. He let out a breath. It was stupid of him, being afraid of the dark at his age. Even as a child he hadn’t minded it much. But as a child, and ever since, he had had another person within reach to reassure him that he would not be consumed by the night.

“She’ll be back in a few months, Taako,” they had all said. But that didn’t mean jack shit in this moment. Anyway, what did any of them know? This was the first time Lup had died in any of these cycles. None of them fully understood how any of this worked.

He sat up, finally. There was no way he would get back to sleep tonight. He thought about meditating instead, then realized that he would never be able to focus on the mental exercises needed to put him into a trance. All he would see would be Lup being struck by that bolt of electrical energy by one of the hostile locals on this planet. Instead, he tossed off the covers and headed for the kitchen.

“Make up your mind,” he grumbled. “You wanna sleep next to me or not?”

“I do. It’s too cold not too. I just didn’t want your foot stank, doofus.” She squeezed around his middle tighter. “Koko?”

“Yeah?”

“You remember how we saw that person lying on the side of the road the other day?”

“Yeah. They froze to death in their sleep, probably. That won’t happen to us, though. Not while we’ve got a fire and we’re sharing heat like this.”

“What if it does, though?” she mumbled into his back. “What if one day I wake up and you don’t?”

He couldn’t even bake right, for the gods’ sake. So far he had dropped two bowls, one of which was now cracked, and had been forced to start over with his batter once already after forgetting the egg white. He kept trying to pass things to a Lup that wasn’t there, out of habit. When he spilled a cup of flour over the edge of the counter, he set the cupboard door rattling with his kick before he planted both elbows onto the marble surface, eyes closed, forehead propped up by his wrists. He stayed that way for several minutes. But there was nothing to do but keep going.

When he tried to hand off the bag of sugar to Lup, he realized his mistake an instant too late. He resisted the urge to slap himself and waited for it to hit the ground.

And he waited.

When he didn’t hear the slam against the kitchen tile, he looked over to find Lucretia, stock-still and hunched over rather awkwardly, her hand still outstretched in the position in which she had caught the sugar.

“Sorry,” she murmured, as if she weren’t the one who had just saved him from yet another mess to clean. “I didn’t know you were here. I just came in to make some tea.”

“’S fine,” he answered, going back to stirring. “You can do whatever you want.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her straighten, arms tucked into her sides. “Um, I’m sorry again about Lup–”

“Thanks,” he said flatly, taking the bag from her without turning her way. His empathy kicked in a moment later. Looking to her, he saw her glancing at the ground with her lips pressed together, clearly believing that she had done something to offend. He sighed. “Sorry, just…I haven’t been getting a whole lot of rest this time around.”

“Me neither.”

“Caffeine at 3 AM will do that to you.”

She shrugged and tried a smile. “If I’m going to be up anyhow, might as well be up and alert.”

He chuckled lightly. After a moment’s consideration, he held up a batter-encrusted spoon. “Ever made macarons?”

He snorted. “That’s dumb. I’m not gonna.”

“But if you do?”

The burning wood snapped in the silence as he thought. “I mean, first of all, I’m Taako and I’m awesome and unkillable, so jot that down.” She giggled behind him, and he went on, “But like…I guess if at any point we’re not together, I mean, you can’t really get away from me no matter what, you know? Just like there’s stuff that’ll remind me of you no matter what, and it’ll be like having you there. I don’t know. I’m tired and can’t explain it. Can I sleep now?”

He was just showing Lucretia how to prepare the filling when plodding footsteps thudded down the hall, making both of them turn to the doorway as a pudgy figure walked in. “Hey, Jorts Man. You woke up, too?”

Barry removed his glasses to rub his stubbly face. “More like I never fell asleep,” he mumbled through his palm. “What are you guys doin’ this late? You need help with anything?”

“I need you to sit at that kitchen table over yonder and keep that bland palette of yours far away from my station.” He waved off Barry for emphasis, causing Lucretia to giggle.

“Heh, fair enough,” he said with a tired grin.

A tapping like the nails of a dog walking on hardwood sounded from outside. It could only have been the sound of the captain’s clawed gnome feet. Even in pajamas, he stood erect, hands behind his back in a way that was both refined and second-nature, and more presentable in appearance than the other three of them in the room put together. “I heard some banging down here. Everything alright?”

“We’re fine, Captain,” Lucretia said, and sounded almost like she meant it.

“Hey, sir, would it be bad for me to put on Fantasy Spotify this late?”

“Yes, but quietly, if you don’t mind. Merle’s room is right above this one and I don’t want to disturb–”

“Heard there was a party down here,” came a gravelly voice as the dwarf wandered in, scratching his beard. Magnus followed behind, yawning. “I know you’re always the last to tell this old guy anything.”

“Fuck’s sake, it’s a small enough kitchen as is,” Taako announced loudly, staring down at the mixing bowl in front of him to conceal a smile. He was sweating with the heat of the warming oven and of so many bodies in the space, but he couldn’t say it was uncomfortable. It reminded him of the kind of fire that gave light rather than destruction, of an embrace. Warmth wrapped around him, and for a moment, Lup was there.

((Hope you like this one! :D))

#taz #the adventure zone #taz balance #taz fanfic #my writing #ask meme #anonymous #ipre #lup #taako #lucretia #davenport #merle #magnus #barry bluejeans

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thejenesaisquoigirl · 5 years

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For your D&D character meme, how 'bout odds for Talise, evens for Tamsyn, and the letter C? :D

Had a feeling this revenge was coming XD *cracks knuckles* Here we go!

1) What would they consider to be their biggest failure?

Talise: Oof. Maybe not being able to save her family, or at least her sister-in-law and nephew. Maybe her (former) deep reliance on alcohol once her memories started coming back. Trauma is a motherfucker

2) What’s the story behind their name?

Tamzen: When it comes to naming characters, I really just start thinking of names that stick out. It started with “Tiernan”–from Pirate Queen–and I must have watched an episode of The Tudors with Tamsin Merchant to remember that name, too. “Tamsin” kept sounding best with the character concept and then the spelling changed to “-zen” as a subtle joke since she’s a monk haha

3) What’s their relationship with their family?

Talise: When she was Hosanna, very close. They all loved learning (though maybe different things), the people in their city, and each other. She was closest to her brother, Yanis, despite their age difference. She felt adrift without a family unit, having a ship and crew helped, and finding Yanis has upset any equilibrium she was finding.

4) What’s one song that describes them or is them?

Tamzen: Not many peeps know this, but she was built to be the personification of the “Morgan: Amor Tristis (or Morgan - Amor Tristis on Spotify)” instrumental from the Ah! My Goddess movie. My all-time favorite instrumental and it suits her story.

5) Who is their best friend?

Talise: Expanding on the Yanis thing, he was her best friend growing up. So the years in which she thought he was dead and that she failed him were rough…but she was working towards a place of resignation…then they found him alive. It’s super weird now because yes, her brother used to be able to embarrass her; but now, it’s the first time she’s ever felt shame. Hosanna, while sharing a small flair for the dramatic, was a very different person than Talise was crafted to be. But in the party, Jax is the closest to a best friend, no contest.

6) Why are they their class?

Tamzen: She ran away from the city after her heartbreak and stumbled across a traveling group of mousefolk. Most of them were monks but since she stayed with the leader and his wife (the only ones with stuff able to house a larger humanoid), they were the ones who taught her as a way to find calm and take back a sense of control.

7) What do they think of their party members?

Talise: She feels distinct lines in the sand. At first, they seemed only about their sleeping habits (there was no other way the rooming arrangements could have shaken out and everyone live). But now, it feels very much like two separate factions working together. Separately: Q- she’s terrified of everything she does being in that book, and she has a hard time wrestling with his innocent naiveté when it reminds her of who she used to be. Briony- Not used to being around women in a strictly friendship sense, but is happy for her presence so Q has someone of a similar maturity. Braxton- He’s rarely there. Jax- They instinctually understand each other. It’s complicated but in a good way. Caspian- Like recognizes like but she feels they have different motivations behind collecting information…and it’s hard for her to move beyond a betrayal of trust.

8) In what ways are they similar to you?

Tamzen: Extremely calm under pressure, thinks she’s never good enough to be significant to anyone enough to not leave her, thoughtful gift-giver, gives herself for others until there’s nothing left, can have an accidentally sharp sense of humor, deep well of feeling and protectiveness for those she considers “hers”

9) In what ways are they different from you?

Talise: Unashamed in the way she moves through the world, unabashedly flirtatious and teasing, confident, how she copes with things (tends to be physical indulgences), seeing trust as black and white, unafraid of confrontation or large birds

10) What do they look for in a romantic partner, if they have a romantic orientation?

Tamzen: Someone who doesn’t see her as second best or not enough. Someone she doesn’t need to take care of but who can take care of her. Tamzen has a competency kink a mile wide; so if they’re even-keeled, stronger, a better fighter, and extremely skilled in what they do…they’re definitely her type. She’s a pretty quiet person, so they need to be comfortable with silence and understand things unsaid as she’s very action-oriented. You can tell a lot about how she feels about someone based on her actions, not her words. They also need to love her son.

11) If they had a patronus or animagus form, what would it be?

Talise: Ooooooooo….idk. Maybe a panther animagus? Something that slinks around with confidence but can be very soft. Patronus would be a cat like Talis or a hippogriff like Fantôme…or a peafowl.

12) What do they smell like?

Tamzen: Orange blossoms and vanilla, with hints of herbs that can be used medicinally (eg: lavender, tea tree, etc)

13) What is their secret skill?

Talise: Sketching/drawing. She’s intensely private about it; but has charcoal, pencils, and a sketchbook in her pack that’s rather like a diary.

14) What is their relationship to spirituality?

Tamzen: Complicated haha. She’s a “tsuki kitsune” and I tweaked that to mean she’s a fox blessed by the goddess of love with the potential of becoming “human.” Her “parents” are the guardians of a special, unknown spot in a forest the goddess has declared sacred; there to take care of the clearing and of any creature blessed by it…and Tamzen was a fox spawned there. Anyways, so even as a fox, she was engrained with this strong belief in the goddess and had an awareness of her presence; but then something devastating happened with the person Tamzen thought she was fated to be with–who had been the cause of her transformation. Ever since, Tamzen has had a tumultuous time with the idea of love…much less having firm faith in her goddess, because she feels betrayed. She’s slowly trying to repair her side of the relationship through making sure her friends find love; but she still thinks she’s been abandoned by someone she had absolute faith in, so she’s weary.

15) If they were to be remembered for something, what would they want to be remembered for?

Talise: NOT like what they were shouting at Hosanna. She’d like to be remembered, in general, rather than lost to lines in a book. She wants people to speak of her and the small amount of goodness she’s put into the world.

16) Why did they become an adventurer?

Tamzen: Happenstance led to her becoming a monk…and she needed additional discipline to try to silence the rage and nastiness brewing inside of her, so she joined the army. The adventuring grew from that.

17) What’s one thing about their backstory that came to you after you already started playing the campaign?

Talise: THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. One notable thing–I hadn’t even thought about her being an alcoholic (sober now) until making her playlist. For some reason, “Chandelier” kept coming up and it had to have been a sign because it’s deepened her in ways I wasn’t expecting. Also her tattoos.

18) Do you have any headcanons for them that haven’t come up in game? Or headcanons for other party members?

Tamzen: Totes! She plays the lute only for Tal or when she needs to really think through something–frequently those moments are one in the same when he’s playing outside. Her internal crisis over always being second best and slowly being resigned to it. Party members: Mama: they sometimes read together (even though Tamzen doesn’t like to read), trade skills (Mama helps her build strength and she helps Mama with flexibility), and that Mama has to spend extra time in front of a mirror before going to a fancy event to take in the fact that this is her life now and she gets to wear these pretty things and be feminine. Kerrick: that he’ll sometime have ink in his hair from running his fingers through it while copying down spells. TBD: thinks it’s hilarious how he still hasn’t had to explain his name and has a running bet with himself over it. Finn: she catches Tal speaking squeakspeak to Finn while playing and Finn just going with it and trying to learn the game through context instead.

19) Any ships with your character? If a PC or NPC, what interaction launched it?

Talise: YOU DID THIS ON PURPOSE, SHIPPY MCSHIPPERSON xD. She’s the first character in a LONG time I legit ship with another PC. Whether it becomes romantic or remains platonic (it’s not just up to me or Talise), Jax is the most significant person in her life–excluding her brother. They just got each other from day one and they seem to be the only ones able to easily talk to the other, even when the subject is difficult. The canon you created about her feeling safe with Jax is 100% true; ever since Before, she has a hard time sleeping around other people but she trusts him enough to even share a bed…and he’s the only one with whom she would never be anything but truthful. At their core, they are people reinventing themselves after tragedy but don’t know if they’re doing it right. But Jax makes Talise feel it’s alright to be who she authentically is rather than acting the part she’s written for herself; and to find joy again in the things from her past. The ship’s legit launch was after their serious conversation about “equivalent exchange” in relationships (about Caspian) and has since been buoyed by all their side chats + interactions. “…are you just going to stare at me?” “Until you’re ready.”

20) What would your character consider their biggest success? Or what is your favorite success your character has had so far?

Tamzen: Tal and facing Silas again. She’s really surprised me in how she’s been able to grow to where she is now…so that’s an awesome success because it feels like there’s still more growing for her to do emotionally. But the ultimate success EVER was the gift of the hearthstone to Mama. It was canon lore created on the fly and it was so meaningful and has become a cornerstone of Tamzen’s character.

Letter C:

Smartest- Talise and Syl are the most booksmart; Calla is the wisest about people (followed by Talise and Tamzen); Vi is the smartest about how to use people for her advantage; Mireth is the most diplomatically savvy.Most Attractive- Tamzen is that annoying woman who looks beautiful even without makeup (#blessed) but isn’t necessarily sexy like Talise is. From there it’s Mireth (that half elf/half fae glowup), Calla (aasimar moon baby), Lady Vi (moon elf tall, slim model build), Evi (Italian witchy woman), and then Syl (striking but not always considered beautiful).Hogwarts- Ravenclaws are Talise and Syl. Slytherins are Lady Vi and Evi. Hufflepuffs are Calla and Mireth. Gryffindor is Tamzen.

#fuzzy feathers #@sapphireemeralds #food for asks #ask and you shall receive #dnd #ref for character

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greenteaafter12am · 5 years

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I need to gush about Good Omens and Neil Gaiman for a bit

I’m currently all about Good Omens right now. The show came out over a month ago, and I’m watching it again for a 4th time. There’s a new season of Stranger Things. I LOVE Stranger Things!

...But I also kind of wanna watch Good Omens again. No, I really do want to watch it again. Then perhaps, I’ll start season 3 of Stranger Things.

I was a fan of the book first. It was one of my favorite books immediately after the first time I read it. I reread it, and I don’t reread many books.

I was a fan of Neil Gaiman before that even. I discovered The Sandman through a fanfic. So, to give you a better picture, I was Tina Belcher from Bob’s Burgers back in high school. I was socially awkward, really into boybands, aroused by everything...you get the idea. I was reading fanfic one evening where the author wrote the Backstreet Boys into Gaiman’s* Sandman/Endless universe. I wish I could find the story again because, from what I recall, the author did an excellent job capturing Gaiman’s characters and setting.

The story got me interested in The Sandman series and Gaiman’s work in general. I don’t remember which I decided to read first, but I do know that I was immediately hooked. I was going to use the cliche of Alice going down the rabbit hole, but no. Instead, let’s say I was Coraline unlocking the door. I went through the door to other worlds. Beautiful, bizarre, brilliant worlds. And each tale is, and the way it’s told, is so unique. Reading American Gods is a completely different experience from reading Neverwhere or Stardust.

I watched an interview Nick Offerman (another amazing human) did with Neil. Offerman recounted the time he discovered Neil’s work. I can’t recall the exact way he worded it, but he described how Neil speaks to those of us who are a little bit weird. Wow. Nailed it.

I’ve heard people describe Prince and David Bowie as artists who showed us that it’s okay to be weird. That’s what Neil is for me. And through Neil, I found other comic books. I’m now completely obsessed with all graphic novels. I dove into more fantasy, sci-fi, and horror. These interests helped me find my community of other weirdos. Now, through Good Omens fandom, I’m finding my community of other weirdos who are also queer! The book is one of my all time favorites, not just from Neil’s work, but of all the books I’ve read (and I’ve read a ton!). I was stoked when they announced the TV series. I’ve said for years that Good Omens was the one I wanted to see adapted the most. I lost my mind when the announced the casting. I was already a fan of David Tennant from being a Whovian. Being a fan of genre fiction, I’ve seen Michael Sheen being awesome and scene stealing in lots of films (his performance in the Twilight films is my personal favorite). On top of this, Neil’s book to film adaptations have all been superb. Stardust is one of my all time favorite movies, Coraline was spectacular, and American Gods was near perfect**. I was so ready for this! And it did not disappoint. In fact, it’s now my favorite miniseries and book to film adaptations. In just a little over a month, it’s also become one of my “comfort food” shows.*** One of the main reasons for all my re-watches is David Tennant as Crowley and Michael Sheen as Aziraphale. They brought my favorite book characters to life. There are amazing posts here on Tumblr that show all the small, delicate choices these actors make in just a few seconds of film. Not only are their character portrayals perfect, they have chemistry that’s off the charts. In the books, Crowley and Aziraphale’s relationship was pretty ambiguous to me. It was clear they cared for one another, but that was it. In the show, however, I can feel the love these characters have for one another. It’s sweet, it’s romantic, and it’s so wonderfully queer! On top of that, it’s a queer romance that DOESN’T end in tragedy! (Seriously, can we be done with the “Bury Your Gays” trope?) My sexuality isn’t something I’ve fully embraced. I was out in college, but not to my family. I don’t think I’ve ever been out at any job I’ve ever had. I don’t think it’s a coincidence the Good Omens fandom is mostly LGBTQIA. We don’t see many romances like this in genre fiction, especially between genderfluid/non-binary characters. It’s helping many of us feel seen! And we see each other. We’re not alone. This year for Pride, I went out wearing bi pride flare. I posted bi-pride photos and memes on social media, where all my family could see. Neil Gaiman, the book, the show, and the fandom led me here. So thank you, Neil Gaiman. Thank you, Terry Pratchett. Thank you, David Tennant and Michael Sheen. Thank you everyone who put this amazing show together. And thank you, Good Omens fandom. I’m not quite ready to share any fanart or fanfic. But for now, I’d like to contribute this Spotify playlist I’ve been working on: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3YzKhN2Z8r4Guu5f4IYEOH?si=jmEeFtHgSIOfSlWnMZ-S-A These include songs from the shows, songs discussed by Neil and the fandom, and just songs that reminded me of Aziraphale and Crowley. It’s still WIP (haven’t figured out which Tori Amos song I should include yet). Off to watch Good Omens again. * Sorry, I change a lot between referring to him by his first and last name. I’ll come back and edit later. **I’ve only watched season 1. I’ll watch season 2 eventually...but maybe after another rewatch of Good Omens ***All my other comfort shows are Michael Schur comedies. Speaking of, I read Neil saying that Crowley would probably be a fan of The Good Place. YES.

#good omens #ineffable husbands #neil gaiman #queer stuff

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backpackbrigade · 5 years

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Backpack Playlist 5/27/19

I no longer have a radio show so this is where I’m gonna be posting my thoughts and playlists! Have fun, who cares. Apple Music/Spotify links at the bottom. Enjoy.

“Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” - Kate Bush, Hounds of Love (1985, EMI)

A gay icon, not much to say beyond that. We love some extra as shit background vocals.

“Bags” - Clairo, Immunity (2019, Fader)

First single off Clairo’s new LP coming out at some point this year. Literally all I can think when I hear the guitar line in this song is Avril Lavigne, and I say that with the utmost respect and love. Big ups to VW alum Rostam for the production on this track and Danielle Haim for drums - does this mean Clairo is now part of the PC Music squad AND the VW-adjacent rap/indie rock squad??? Her career is definitely pretty strange so far, but I’m hype to see her blow up beyond the world of the Youtube algorithm chewing up and spitting out DIY music videos. This track is also kinda full circle for her - in her big Pitchfork feature last year, she talked about being starstruck after seeing one of the Haim sisters on a plane listening to SOPHIE, and now she’s got one of them on a track. We love growth.

“Kisses 2 My Phone” - Sega Bodega, self*care - EP (2018, NUXXE)

Lona (aka MANIIK aka BABY GAMELAN) shared this EP with me last year, and it’s been rattling around in my head ever since. Some glitchy trap beats and subtly depressing lyrics about sending kisses to your phone and losing love. Scottish experimental pop kid who gets in your ears and won’t leave.

“Even the Shadow” - Porches, Pool (2016, Domino)

A classic, both Pool and their newer album The House (2018, Domino) remind me of a very specific time in my life when I was spending 12 hours in the photo studio every other weeknight and played Porches on shuffle to get through it. Very sad stoner synthy alt-pop for gay kids with lots of insecurity but dreams of 2014 soft pale tumblr aesthetic escapism!!

“Hatin” - Rico Nasty & Kenny Beats, Anger Management (2019, Sugar Trap)

Remember when Rico was just a Soundcloud kid with a stellar remix of “The Race” under her belt?? When I first heard that track in the background of a friend from high school’s Instagram story, I literally dropped my phone trying to lyric search it to see who sang it. Big ups to Lafayette (a newly minted Howard University grad :,) ) for putting me on. Rico’s always been bffs with Kenny, so this collab record isn’t surprising, but I didn’t expect it to be this good!!! Very excited to see her blowing up on Tik Tok rn, maybe she’ll finally get what she’s owed. And she deserves more than just a 2 second cameo in the Old Town Road music video………

“Dig” - Lance Bangs, Lance Mountain - EP (2016, Citrus City)

Reminds me of screamy jangly indie rock from the summer after my first year when I lived in a commune and got a stick and poke from a friend who was three mojitos deep. Also, Citrus City is awesome and we love to support VA labels!!

“Livin’ On a Prayer” - Bon Jovi, Slippery When Wet (1986, Vertigo)

Mostly putting this on here because it’s the ending soundtrack to a great little animated short film I watched recently called WORK (2009) by Michael Rianda. It’s a super 2009 short, but it’s fascinating because it feels like the aesthetic halfway point between Don Hertzfeldt’s Rejected (2000) and Bojack Horseman (2014-) style absurdity. It’s not the subtlest anti-capitalist cartoon out there, but it’s very cute and funny.

“20 Ghosts III” - Nine Inch Nails, Ghosts I-IV (2008, The Null Corporation)

Put this back to back with Bon Jovi because the weird guitar/vocal growls sound like the “Livin’ On a Prayer” digital doo-wops put through an insane pedal filter. Heard it for the first time when I was watching Laura Poitras’ documentary Citizenfour (2014) - she used it for the super haunting opening and closing scenes, and I can’t think of any better use for Trent Reznor’s sad garage dad phase guitar music.

“Guap” - Yaeji, Yaeji EP (2016, GODMODE)

No introduction necessary, hopefully. Gives me third year queer party vibes, and if you know what that means, congratulations. You’re part of an in-group now. Listen when you need subtle hype up music.

“Indica” - Dizzy Fae, Free Form Mixtape (2018, self-released)

When I showed a friend a picture of Dizzy Fae, their first response was that she’s probably from Amsterdam or Berlin or something and floats between secret clubs all week long before performing herself. She’s actually from Minnesota and is way younger than either of us assumed, so big ups to her for projecting the coolest vibes imaginable. Her vocal distortion is a little FKA Twigs, but she knows how to fuckin rap on the rest of the EP. Well worth a full listen.

“Flower Moon (feat. Steve Lacy)” - Vampire Weekend, Father of the Bride (2019, Columbia)

Best track on this new album, imo, but I can’t stop thinking about Vampire Weekend for a completely different reason. When this album came out, literally everyone was making fun of it for sounding like a Paul Simon redux. A lot of people praised it for the exact same reason lol. But Paul Simon’s relationship with cultural appropriation is a lot like Ezra Koenig’s, and not enough people have made that connection. Remember when Paul Simon broke the cultural boycott with Apartheid-era South Africa to make Graceland (1986)?? Everyone shit all over him for not only straight up taking South African music styles and centering himself in their vocal story, but doing it all in the midst of the largest cultural boycott in modern history. It’s a good album, I won’t pretend it’s not, but it’s deeply problematic and disappointed a lot of people who expected something better from a guy who knew what he was doing. Reminds me of 2008-2012 Vampire Weekend!! Anyway, listen to this track for Steve Lacy, if nothing else.

“Ur Phone” - boy pablo, Roy Pablo - EP (2017, self-released)

Another Youtube algorithm kid, boy pablo was in everyone’s feeds because this EP is the perfect summery shimmery gaze-y indie rock. His newer album is a little more uptempo than I personally like, but this track is *chef’s kiss*

“Can the Circle Be Unbroken” - The Carter Family, Can the Circle Be Unbroken: Country Music’s First Family (2000, Sony; original recording 1935)

Really not trying to wade into the country music discourse today, but this track is genuinely full of intense longing and sadness in a way that so clearly changed country/rock music and its relationship to the guitar.

“Before the World Was Big” - girlpool, Before the World Was Big (2015, Wichita)

Their new stuff fucking slaps, and seeing them come to terms with their gender identities is fucking beautiful!! But I always come back to these weird ass nursery rhymes. It’s literally just their harmonies and two guitars, and legend has it if you turn this up to full volume in your car and drive through your hometown, your unrequited high school crush will appear with their spouse and two kids just to rub it in.

“Vroom Vroom” - Charli XCX, Vroom Vroom - EP (2016, Vroom Vroom Recordings)

I mean. It’s Charli’s early work with SOPHIE, you’ve gotta just blast this shit and ruin someone’s life. The return to queer hyper pop over the past few years is the only thing sustaining my fucking mental health.

“Xternal Locus” - Chynna & Oklou, Single (2018, self-released)

Another track Lona played for me after I picked her up from work in DC. Lowkey enough to ***** to, highkey enough to **** to ;)

“Cinema” - Kero Kero Bonito, Totep - EP (2018, self-released)

KKB really did an about face with this record, but I still fucking love them. It’s still sunny and glittery pop, but with a chilled-out vibe. Their intense pop records are like the come up, and this is the chill smoke sesh the day after. Just vibey enough to let you chill out and kick back, but keeps you on your toes with some unexpected samples and glitchy moments.

“Jack the Ripper” - SadGirl, Breakfast for 2 - Single (2018, Suicide Squeeze)

We love surf rock, and that’s all I’m gonna say for this. You either vibe with it you’re bored as shit.

“watch you sleep.” - girl in red, Single (2019, self-released)

Music To Sleep To.

Playlists

#music #playlist #musicreview #music blog #yaeji #charli #rico nasty #girlpool

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wineanddinosaur · 3 years

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VinePair Podcast: Will Sports Bars Score Big This Fall?

As athletic stadium seats begin to fill up this fall, the drinking culture surrounding sporting events makes its return, too. For sports bars with livelihoods that largely depend on game-day drinking, it is a welcome shift toward normalcy. But will it be enough?

On this episode of the “VinePair Podcast,” hosts Adam Teeter, Joanna Sciarrino, and Zach Geballe assess the state of sports bars and how they foresee athletics impacting the scene. Sports stadiums are increasingly opting to serve alcohol at games, too — a move that may further influence how and where fans drink.

LISTEN ONLINE

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

OR CHECK OUT THE CONVERSATION HERE

Adam Teeter: From VinePair’s New York City headquarters, I’m Adam Teeter.

Joanna Sciarrino: And I’m Joanna Sciarrino.

Zach Geballe: And in Seattle, Washington, I’m Zach Geballe.

A: And this is the “VinePair Podcast.” Before we start, I want to talk about something that’s a little bit of a bummer, and that is that Joanna’s in the phone booth of the office, because we still don’t have the studio set up again from Covid. I’m in my office with the door closed, and Joanna has the phone booth. It’s so weird.

J: It’s real tight in here.

A: I’m just thinking about Joanna sitting in the phone booth right now. It’s too funny.

Z: Can we blame someone for it not being set up? Maybe Keith?

J: Covid.

A: It’s Covid’s fault. Keith is here right now, figuring out how we’re going to bring in the panels and everything. We were in the process of building a full studio before Covid. We stopped, obviously. Now we’re doing this. We’re all coming back into the office.

Z: I miss being in a studio. Shout-out to our former engineer, Nick Patri.

A: Oh, yeah. Nick was a great guy.

Z: I haven’t talked to him in a while, but I’m sure he’s got lots of thoughts about hard seltzer.

A: He was a big hard seltzer person. So, how have you both been? What’s been going on? What have you been drinking?

J: I’ve been well. I had a really great weekend of drinking. I took my banana rum and made the Banana Justino cocktail. It came out really, really well. I can’t wait to do it again. It’s my new thing.

A: I love it.

Z: So it was worth whatever the effort was?

J: Yes. Absolutely worth the effort.

A: I kind of want to make this now.

J: You just need this enzyme, the Pectinex stuff that I talked about. It’s a quick order, and then you’re good to go.

A: That’s so interesting. What else did you do this weekend?

J: I went to the Dead Rabbit, which I had never been to. It was awesome. What a great place. I had the Irish Coffee there, which is incredible.

A: It’s famous.

J: It’s so good. I really want to make it at home. I also had a really delicious gin cocktail with vermouth and snap pea.

A: Interesting. Cool.

J: It was really wonderful, and I can’t wait to go back. That was the extent of my drinking this weekend. What about you guys?

Z: The thing that I had this past weekend that was really exciting for me was when we were celebrating one of my sisters’ birthdays. It was a small family gathering, and I brought a magnum of Prosecco from Adami, which is one of my favorite producers. It’s one of their higher-end bottlings from a single vineyard. Most of the time, when I drink Prosecco, it’s probably something like that. It’s a DOCG bottle. It’s so good. I used to think, “Prosecco. Yeah, sure. Whatever.” Maybe it’s something about — as has been the case with other wine regions for me — going to a place, seeing it, trying some of the wines, and meeting some of the people. Sometimes that makes you feel differently about it. I also think there is something about the balance of Prosecco and how it’s a little less intensely effervescent than a lot of other sparkling wines. It’s often a touch sweeter. It’s a little more fruit-driven. It’s not quite as much about long bottle aging and conditioning. It’s delicious. There’s a lot of mediocre Prosecco out there, but even that stuff is pretty good. The good stuff is actually really good. It reminded me that I should drink more Prosecco. What about you, Adam?

A: I had some fun adventures over the weekend. I went to the western Catskills. I think I’ve talked about this before, but we went to check out this new hotel that opened, called Callicoon Hills. It was a fun hotel. It was one of my last big weekends traveling, except for what I’m about to talk about for our subject this week. I had some delicious cocktails in the area. I went to this really great pizzeria and bar called Kaatskeller. I had a hemlock Negroni, which was really delicious.

Z: And you survived? Aren’t hemlocks poisonous?

A: Yeah, I think it’s supposed to be. Who knows? That was the name of it. It was a really good Negroni, very floral, and quite enjoyable. You’ve been before, right, Joanna?

J: I have. It’s a cool spot.

A: There’s a connection between the owner and his partner, or someone, who is the owner of Apotheke.

J: Yes, you’re right.

A: I think that’s who does the cocktails. That was really cool. Then, I continued to search for an Old Fashioned and continued to not be served an Old Fashioned with a large cube. I think I’m done searching for an Old Fashioned. I think I’m tapped out.

J: You just have to make it yourself, man.

A: I tried, multiple times, after listening to the first episode of “Cocktail College,” and every place basically did chunk ice.

Z: Did you never ask for a big cube, or did you just take it how they gave it to you?

A: Yes. Let me be clear. The first few times I just took it and thought, “I guess this is what we’re doing again.” The last time, we were at dinner at a place that was having some issues. They were newer. I think they were having some service issues, still getting their sea legs, and had only been open for a few months. They had a bottle-aged Old Fashioned on their list. I thought that was interesting, and that they had to serve it over a big cube. The server comes over. I said, “I’m looking at your cocktails and trying to choose between one thing or the bottle-aged Old Fashioned. It sounds really delicious. How do you guys serve it? Over a big cube? Orange twists?” The server was very enthusiastic about it. Then, it comes out over chunk ice. Anyways, I did have two service issues that I was curious about. One happened at the same restaurant, and another that happened later in the week. As our resident hospitality professional, I wanted to ask how to handle these situations and what you would do.

Z: OK.

A: I’m going to give you both scenarios and let you talk about both of them. In scenario one, we ordered cocktails that took forever to come out because the bar was backed up. They were having a huge party outside, which I always understand. Make that money. There was one bartender behind the bar and the dining room was full. It just totally sucks. When you first go out to eat, you’re craving that first cocktail when you sit down. We ordered cocktails and starters. We ordered our mains, and the cocktails came out. The starters still hadn’t come, so we figured we had some time. They placed the starters down and saw that our cocktails were a quarter full. They asked if we wanted wine. We ordered glasses of wine for our entrees. They walk back. The starters had just come out. Then, the entrees came out.

Z: Oh, man.

A: Naomi literally said, “Excuse me, could you please send those back to the kitchen?” They were really surprised and taken aback by that. We had literally just gotten salad and were sharing an appetizer. I could tell they were caught off guard. Then, of course, when the entrees came out, they were cold. That was really a bummer. I’m curious how we should have handled that and how you would handle it. I didn’t know what to do, because either way they were going to get cold. They were going to sit to the side of us and get cold while we ate the starters. I’m just curious what they should have done. The other question I have for you was a situation where we went out to dinner and ordered wine. There was a somm. We went to a nicer place in New York that has a Michelin star. The somm asked if we were interested in red or white, something funky. I told him what we’re looking at and mentioned a wine that was around $80. He recommends this producer and says we have to try her. I look at the list, and it’s $150. That’s a lot more than the $80 bottle I told him I was looking at. He walks away and Josh and I are looking at the menu. Both of us realized we had never had a Cabernet Franc from Anjou before.

Z: OK.

A: There’s one on the list at $85. We ordered that. He comes back and is pouring the Anjou. I taste it and say, “This is so cool. It’s such a great Cabernet Franc. I’ve never had a Cab from Anjou before.” He said, “Yeah. My favorite Cabernet Franc on the list is from Saumur. It’s amazing. It’s a better deal at $70.” He literally said that to me.

Z: After he’s already poured you the wine?

A: I was so taken aback. I was like, “What? I don’t know what to do here.” I wondered if he was pissed that we didn’t take his original recommendation? Did I do something wrong? Am I right? Was this bad behavior, or should I have done something better? What’s going on here, Zach? And, Joanna, would you be just as shocked as me?

J: Oh, my God. Yes. I think like in the first instance, I probably would have just let them give us the entrees and eaten it all together. That’s not great, though. With the second, I truly don’t know what I would have done. What a wild thing to do. He should’ve said that when you ordered. You were clearly looking for recommendations and his input on wine, if you’re ordering this Cab Franc, then he says, “Actually, this is a better deal.”

A: Maybe he thought I was very assertive. Then I thought, if you thought I was very assertive, there was no reason to say something else to me after you poured that wine.

J: Right. Just say, “This is a really great wine. You’re going to love it.”

Z: OK. Let me try to put this together. With the entree thing, I’m generally in Joanna’s camp that I would rather get the entrees, even if it’s way too early. I can try a couple of bites while it’s still warm. It’s not a great situation. Having worked service for many years, timing food out of a kitchen, especially a busy or new kitchen, is really hard. It may be the case that the server is new. It may be the case that the chef is a tyrant, and if the server goes back to say the table isn’t ready for their entrees and they need to be re-fired, the server might get screamed at. I don’t blame the server, totally. But, it is true that part of what you pay for when you go out to a meal is pacing. When I make dinner at home, all the food gets made at the same time because I want to sit down and eat it. I don’t get up and make multiple courses, generally. We all accept that as a given. When you go out to eat, you are hoping to get a lot of those things done for you, including proper coursing. That’s just a bummer, but that’s a bummer that happens, right?

A: Talking to both of you, I think we should have just let them place it. We were just so taken aback, but we should have just let them drop it on the table.

Z: You’re kind of damned if you do, damned if you don’t in that situation. If you’re at a one-star Michelin restaurant, you would reasonably expect that not to happen. I think you would be well within your right to say, “We just got our appetizers, can you hold on to these?” If they can’t keep them at peak condition, warm, then they should remake it. That’s just the reality of that kind of restaurant. I’ve certainly done that plenty of times in my career. It’s not fun, but that’s the deal. That’s how it works. If you don’t get the timing right on your end, that’s not the guest’s fault. As far as the somm goes, what blows me away here is that I don’t think it’s totally outlandish for them to have recommended a wine that’s significantly more expensive, but only if they also recommended other wines that were in your price range. If they had said, “Hey, you’re looking at this wine, so maybe you like lighter-to-medium-bodied reds. I’ve got this great Cabernet Franc from Saumur. I’ve also got this really cool other wine.” Give the cool story behind the situation with this wine. When people asked me for recommendations, or say something they’re interested in, often I would throw wines at them that were at or below their price range, and above. You never know when someone might be willing to spend $120 or more on a bottle of wine if you can give them a reason to do it. That’s the somm’s job in many cases: to upsell.

J: You can always say, “If you’re looking to splurge, here’s an option.”

Z: Exactly. Or say, “If you want something really special.” As a customer, you can say, “That sounds great, but maybe not for tonight. The thing that you were more turned off by, and understandably, is him saying that afterwards. Maybe they felt like you were really sure that you wanted this Cab Franc from Anjou, and they didn’t want to tell you no. What they could say to you is, “If you really liked this, next time you come in, there’s this other great Cabernet Franc on our list from Saumur that I think is also really good. It’s in that price range. Definitely keep your eye on that next time.” They can tell you about it and it still may be a little odd, but they wouldn’t have made you feel like an ass. Why do that? There’s just nothing in it for them, other than getting to lord it over you that you made a bad choice. That’s on them. Their job is to not let you make a bad choice, if at all possible. It sounds like you enjoyed your wine.

A: It was great. It was super cool.

Z: No harm there. If that was me — and that $70 Cab Franc from Saumur was my favorite wine on the list — and someone ordered a different Cab Franc in that price range from a nearby region, I’d let them know that this other wine is my personal favorite so they could consider that. The truth is that some somms are weird about it. They don’t want to down-sell. You already turned down the up-sell. I don’t think they have an obligation to talk you out of your $95 bottle of wine, but they do have an obligation to not make you feel like a moron for having bought it as you’re tasting it.

A: It was literally at the very beginning of the glass.

Z: I’m sorry. That’s no fun.

A: Thank you. It’s just funny. Maybe we’re just all getting our sea legs back in terms of going out to dinner. I don’t want to hold it against the somm. I was just very taken aback by it. Josh and Naomi were, too. When he walked away, they were like, “Did that just happen?”

Z: Adam, you are a weird magnet for strange interactions with sommeliers.

A: I think I just share them more.

Z: You do have a podcast. That’s true.

A: I just share them more because I’m curious about them. I also want people to know this stuff happens to all of us. I want to understand how we should handle it. That’s sort of where the intimidation comes from.

Z: For sure.

A: When you’re talking about beverage especially, it can be really intimidating. It feels easier to talk about the menu and say, “I definitely don’t want the $195 prime ribeye.”

Z: Imagine if you did order a steak, the server brings it, you take one bite, and they say, “Oh, by the way, do you know what’s way better?” The flatiron steak for two-thirds the price. It doesn’t matter the context. That’s just terrible service. That’s unfortunate.

A: Totally. So, I thought we would have a really fun conversation this week.

Z: We did have a really fun conversation. This already was one.

A: We’ll keep this one fairly brief. This weekend, I’m doing something a little bit crazy.

Z: OK?

A: I promise I’ll get a PCR test when I’m back. Those of you that are loyal listeners know that I am originally from Auburn, Ala., and I’m a huge Auburn Tigers football fan. They are playing a White Out game, primetime ABC, on Saturday night at Penn State. I have tickets. I’m going with my friend Ryan. We are going to a sporting event. I’m really curious to see what sporting events are going to start looking like as we’re coming out of Covid and the drinking around sporting events. Last weekend was the first weekend of NFL football. I know lots of people that went out to watch the games. There are lots of brands that are really hopeful that this happens. These are great entertaining occasions where people love to grab cans of seltzer, bottles of beer, make cocktails, drink wine, et cetera. I’m curious what you guys think the fall holds for drinking and sports. Right now, it feels to me like a lot of people are acting like we’re getting back to normal in that regard.

Z: Well, Joanna is our biggest sports fan. You should go first.

J: What is a White Out game?

A: Penn State’s tradition is that, at their biggest night games of the year, every single Penn State fan wears white in the stadium that holds 80,000 people. Apparently, it’s very intimidating, because all you can see is this bright white. I think Georgia does a Black Out game. Because one of Penn State’s colors is white, it has become very famous in college sports as this thing that happens.

Z: I assume you will not be wearing white?

A: I’m going to wear orange and blue on purpose and hope that I don’t get beat up. I think we’re sitting deep in the Penn State section, so it’s going to be a little freaky. It’s going to be interesting. Joanna, what’s your opinion here? How do you feel about sports and drinking?

J: I have a few thoughts on football, specifically. I have been to a few professional sports games recently. I’ve been to a few baseball games. I actually went to the U.S. Open, which was also fun. I have a feeling that they’re tamer than what I imagine college football to be.

A: Yeah. I have a theory of why that is, but we can get to that in a second.

J: I think it’s actually going to be really interesting to see, like you were saying, Adam, the sports bars. I’m curious what that situation is like, because college football has started already. I feel like I’ve seen a lot of our local sports bars pretty packed with people watching games. I will not be participating. I do not care for football.

A: Why?

J: I think it’s so boring. I have no allegiance to any team. This is a fun fact about me. I am married to a very lovely Canadian man who, when we first met, had no interest in the NFL. He has subsequently joined a fantasy football team. It’s so dreadful because now he cares to watch the games.

Z: We’ve corrupted him.

J: Yeah. It’s horrible. He spends hours at night on his phone, setting his draft. It’s so horrible.

A: It’s so good. Naomi hates when I do that, too. Zach, how is it in Seattle? You guys have, at least, a very famous quarterback. I don’t know how the Seahawks are this year.

Z: Oh, they’re good.

A: Is it full? Are people going out to the bars and watching the games? What have you heard? What are you seeing?

Z: Really good question. The Seahawks have not played at home yet. They started their season on the road. They’ll be at home over this coming weekend, so by the time this podcast airs, that game will have happened. I was recently reaching out to a contact who works for the Seattle Mariners because I’ve been interested in what they’re doing about beverage service. My wife and I went to a Mariners game a few weeks ago. It was interesting to see how, even in the couple of years since I’ve been to a game, the product mix and how things are done at the games has changed. Some of that may be Covid-related. Some of that is just due to changes in the market. It was definitely a little different than it had been in the past. The University of Washington’s football team appears to be dreadful, but they are serving beer and wine at games for the first time in a long time. Last year the Seahawks played, but they did not play in front of fans. A huge part of the game- day profitability for these franchises are concessions, and beer in particular. Alcohol is a big driver. There’s certainly a lot of hope that things will be back to normal. Stadiums are at full capacity. There are vaccines and mask mandates here in Washington for these events. People can be in the stands drinking, obviously. To the question about sports bars, I think that what you’re seeing is a little bit of a mixed bag, from what I can gather. Around the stadiums, you’re definitely seeing bars that are game day spots being pretty busy. What I’ve heard of more, just anecdotally this year, is what you were getting to in the intro, Adam, which is that a lot more people are doing stuff at home. A lot of people have decided they may not be comfortable going out to a sports bar with strangers and spending hours eating and drinking, unmasked. They are comfortable having 10 to 15 people over in their house. People may feel a little more comfortable with their own entertaining chops because they’ve had to do so much more at home as of late. Overall, I think you’re definitely going to see a real uptick in the sales of light beer or seltzer. Those things are already doing well. If I was a sports bar owner and not near a stadium, I might be a little concerned. Those things revolve around the big NFL Sundays and college football Saturdays. They’re not necessarily super profitable on a Wednesday night. I think we will see. In Seattle, we’re just transitioning weather-wise from summer into fall. What are people going to do when it’s dark, gloomy, rainy, and cold? Do you really want to be at home again? Maybe Sunday seems like a good day to go out to a sports bar because it’s just something to do.

A: Yeah. In Seattle, are they requiring vaccination proof to come inside?

Z: Not yet for all restaurants, It’s required at all of the sporting events, including the outdoor events. Somehow, the Mariners are not implementing it until October, which is convenient for them because their season is going to be over in October. I have not been tracking it ultra-diligently, in part because we have a small child and another one due any day. We are not going out to eat much right now. If there isn’t a vaccine mandate yet, though, it will be coming soon. I think they’re just trying to get everyone on the same page, which is tricky.

A: I wonder if part of the reason there is more excitement around sports bars in New York is just because the vaccine is required. When you’re in the sports bar watching the game with people and drinking Truly, White Claw, or Bud Light, you know you’re there with other vaccinated fans. It might feel a little safer. To go back to your original point, Joanna — about college seeming crazier — I think that all has to do with the fact that college has a real problem admitting that its of-age fans drink before the game and would like to drink at the game. I think we’ve had this conversation before, Zach. There are still so few college stadiums that allow the legal sale of alcohol, so a lot of fans smuggle alcohol in and drink to oblivion before. Both are very bad. These are not things that should happen.

Z: I mentioned that the University of Washington is allowing alcohol sales at games now. One of the reasons they cited was basically that. They think they can decrease people getting blackout drunk before they even get in or smuggling stuff into the stands if the stadium can provide them with an option. Cynically, I don’t know if that’s true. It’s obviously a cash grab. There is something to the idea that, if a lot of these games are dry, people aren’t going to just be sober. That’s just not how people are going to behave.

A: I do think that it’s different when you attend a sporting event in New York or any professional sporting event. I also went to the U.S. Open this year. When I did, I got on the train and I hadn’t had a drink. I got to the stadium and had two beers.

J: You paid $40 for your drink.

A: That’s why I only had two beers. It’s cool to have a beer and watch tennis. I think if I wanted to have a beer but I couldn’t, something psychologically happens for people. There’s the mentality that “you’re not going to stop me from being less than sober for this.” That’s why I think college is crazier. More universities are starting to think the way that University of Washington is. There’s a very easy fix here: Sell alcohol and continue to ban it in the student section, because they probably should. Only one-quarter of the student section population should be of age. In the rest of the stadium, allow adults to buy beer and wine. In the places that have done it, they’ve seen some success. A lot of times, in these stadiums, the people who have the worst behavior are the older people, to be very honest. It’s really depressing to see an older person get taken away because they’re been confiscated for illegal booze. It’s never a good look.

Z: That’s one thing you can roll with when you’re 21. It’s a little harder to roll with when you’re 51, I’d imagine.

A: That’s embarrassing.

Z: All that to say, what do you anticipate drinking at this Penn State and Auburn game? Rolling Rock?

A: I don’t know. My friend Ryan, who lives in New York, too, is actually an alum of Auburn. I’m from the town and my parents are professors there, but I didn’t go to Auburn. He was invited to the alumni tailgate. I think they’re providing alcohol. It’ll be beer. I don’t know what it will be. We’ll go. He was allowed to bring a guest. I think they’re providing beer and barbecue. Then, we’ll go into the game. Normally, I’d check out one of the local bars beforehand. I’m definitely not going to do that this time. I feel pretty safe because Ryan is a doctor in New York at Mount Sinai, and he’s been very involved in Covid. If he feels safe to go, then I feel safer to go as long as we stay outside and wear our masks. But, I’m not going to go downtown, try to go into a few of the college bars, and check out what’s going on. We’ll go to this tailgate. We’ll have a few beers. We’ll go in the stadium.

Z: Give us a prediction. What’s the final score?

A: I think it’s going to be 35 Auburn, 21 Penn State. I think we’re going to run up the score. I think we have a better quarterback. We have a new coach. I think we’re the better talent. Road games are hard. Being the away team is not easy. This is why I’m a little scared, as is Ryan. This is the first home game for Penn State since Covid, and it is a White Out game. They are going to be rocking. It will be a very live crowd. This has been a great conversation. I’d love to hear what some of the listeners think. If you’re attending any sporting events this fall, tell us what sports bars in your area look like and what you think the fall holds for drinking and sports. Zach and Joanna, I’ll talk to you on Friday.

J: See you.

Z: Sounds great.

Thanks so much for listening to the “VinePair Podcast.” If you love this show as much as we love making it, please leave us a rating or review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever it is you get your podcasts. It really helps everyone else discover the show.

Now for the credits, VinePair is produced and recorded in New York City and Seattle, Washington, by myself and Zach Geballe, who does all the editing and loves to get the credit. Also, I would love to give a special shout-out to my VinePair co-founder, Josh Malin, for helping make all this possible, and also to Keith Beavers, VinePair’s tastings director, who is additionally a producer on the show. I also want to, of course, thank every other member of the VinePair team who are instrumental in all of the ideas that go into making the show every week. Thanks so much for listening, and we’ll see you again.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity.

Joanna’s Take on Dave Arnold’s Banana Justino

Ingredients

1 750-milliliter bottle of rum (I used Diplomático Mantuano)

3 yellow bananas (not too green or too brown/ripe)

½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste (optional)

2 grams Pectinex Ultra SP-L

Limes

Coconut water

Whole star anise

Technique

Make the banana rum

Add the rum, bananas, vanilla bean paste if using, and Pectinex to a blender and blend for a minute or two until completely smooth. Keep the rum bottle for decanting later.

Pour the mixture into a sealable container and leave on the countertop for about a week, until the mixture has fully, visibly separated.

Slowly pour the mixture through a coffee filter (I used a Chemex) to clarify. Pour the extracted liquid (your banana rum) back into the original bottle.

Make the Banana Justino

Freeze coconut water into large ice cubes.

In an Old Fashioned glass, add an ice cube and pour over the banana rum (about 2 ounces); stir briefly.

Squeeze in a wedge of lime and garnish with a whole star anise.

The article VinePair Podcast: Will Sports Bars Score Big This Fall? appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/will-sports-bars-score-big-this-fall/

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159potterhead · 3 years

Note

I hope it boosted serotonin <3<3 Everytime you say hibernation I assume you have a cave like something to hide and go to sleep where you can cut yourself off from the world. I hope your appointment goes well ✨✨ (that's good! take your time off)

Let me think about more rules🤔🤔 okay, so, we can start with basics, you know there's this thing, I hope you've heard about it; bros before hoes, so I'm thinking for clowns it should be something like this but I can't settle on one thing so I'll put here all the options and you can help me out or any of your followers who's reading this and has a better idea can also chime in.

Clowns before towns (we can use hometown and clown before gown but this doesn't makes sense or Clown before Crown. Idk these all rhymes you can also put any other word which makes sense in the sentence)

No. I love you more!!💖✨💕😘

I need to think about this more, it's like a deep question and idk the type of answer you're looking but for but for now I'll answer with this thing my mind went straight to when I read the question; I like looking at the moon, it gives me this whole different kind of feelings yk and I think people should appreciate it more. I have read this quote long long back somewhere and it's still stuck with me, now, I don't remember the exact words but it goes like this; if you ever feel lonely just look up at the moon because someone out there in the world is also staring at the moon at exactly the same time.(That feels a little comforting to me and I wish more people knew that so I'm sharing this here)

(This quote is something different which boosts my thought process more and call me sappy but everytime I look at the moon I get lost thinking if the theory of multiverse is ture than there are plenty of galaxies out there and someone in that galaxy on some random planet might also be staring at the sky and they might be looking at me so that also amazes me a lot.) I would also love to know your take on this question. It's pretty great question where do you even find these??

It's been ages since I watched sunrise (it's been 6 years I think🤔) I can only imagine how beautiful it was. You describing the sunrise reminds of this scene in my fic where Dean and Cas are sitting on the patio early morning and watching sunrise. (Oh! God! This song! I searched your lyrics on Google to find the name and then I was listening to it on Spotify and I was like I've heard this before. Then I went on yt and I found out it was played in the office. Thanks again for the song😍😍)

🎶So she took her love for to gaze a while upon the fields of barley in his arms she fell as her hair came down among the fields of gold🎶

it did<3<3 ahah, assuming the way I dig myself way too deep in my duvet ig it’s safe to say I do live in a cave😂 thankss it did!! (and you too btw. if you’re busy or if you ever dont feel like sending something or you don’t have the energy to do so, that is absolutely okay. just shoot me a quick ask to lmk so I don’t go worrying)

ahahah I loooove this!! let’s go😆

yooo clowns before crowns is epic!!

no me😚💞✨💖💘

woah babe, is it possible I love you more? omg that is so true!! I love that so much🥺 maybe I can go look at the moon rn and you go do it too, then we’ll meet<3 i’ll be sure to lay with you on our rooftop every night and you tell me all about your friend, the moon. yk, this is another soulmate bingo point, I’m obsessed with the stars. I could literally sit there for hourssss just admiring the nightsky and making out constellations. and you love the brightest object in the nightsky. the moon and the stars... how poetic of us. and I agreeee, it is comforting yeahhh❤️✨

(listen, I will call you sappy so affectionately cause we are indeed two halves of a whole sap<3 plus the more sappy and deeply sentimental you get when you talk, the more I find you cute, so keep going😂💞 woooooow wifey, your thoughts themselves are from another galaxy!! I am so in love with you and the way you perceive the world, pls marry me. these really are things that people should appreciate more, and i’m so glad they amaze and fascinate you😚) aha Idk how I came up with them, I guess I am your other sappy half;) if you’ve got more questions like these, shoot. hmm, for me, honestly I would second your answer. sure there are sooo many things that are not really appreciated nor romanticized much, and the moon and stars are some of them. one thing is photos and videos. nowadays everything is being recorded. and what I honestly don’t like is that when I ask my friends to take a pic for example, they always pull out snapchat and put filters and take forever to pose and then deleting it and doing it over and over again (I don’t have it for this reason), all for a simple pic to preserve this memory. I see that capturing raw spontaneous moments is becoming such a rarity, and it’s kinda bad cause for example you get like ten photos and two videos of you and your friends hanging out when you could’ve just gotten one photo to cherish the memory. I think this is a reason why I absolutely love releasing the shutter and hearing the click of instant cameras. cause that picture has been taken and no matter how it turns out, there’s nothing you can do about it. and almost always there is someone in the pic that wasn’t ready, so this way it turns out even more spontaneous. idk, I understand there are so many people who’d fully disagree with me, and I get that.

WOAH SIX YEARS???? babe get ready I’m picking you up for a therapy session with the morning sky. it was really beautiful, not as beautiful as you though;) omg you’re kidding!!! I love😆 see, we really are dean and cas👀 (it was? awesome!!! it’s a really great song ikr😍! anytime my beloved🥰)

🎶if I say a cliche, it's cause I mean it. we can't walk away, we gotta get in between it. and when you wake up we'll grow together, so don't you give up🎶💕

#in my appointment I saw some guy in his office who looked sooo much like finneas and this song has been stuck on my mind ever since aha #also did I mention that I love you?#thee lover anon saga <3

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seven-oomen · 4 years

Photo

First, I swear I’ll explain about the picture in a minute.

Next, it’s totally okay, I understand completely. I, too, am prone to being a total space cadet sometimes. My top skills are remembering/thinking of things when I’m in no position to act on them (composing review questions while at work, thinking of phone call I forgot to make while driving, realizing I didn’t show my mom the sonogram my friend sent me right as I fall asleep, etc.) Really, I’m just happy finding others to talk about this stuff with who seem to appreciate and enjoy it as much as I do. :D

Omg, I’m SO EXCITED to see the necklace turn up, however that happens! And as someone who 90% of the time also uses drinkware featuring superheroes and other nerdery for their alcohol, I very much approve Derek’s choices, whether it makes it into the story or not. I also enjoyed both versions of the chapter flashback, but the first was definitely more “Oh My…”, and the redo more straight up fluffy and adorable.

And I love all that stuff in the ideas tag! With Corey there’s so much potential stuff that can be done with someone with those types of powers. I admit I don’t know too much about exactly how his are supposed to work. his powers are due to genetics and not outside forces in this, could it perhaps be connected to how Gerard has been able to do some of the things he’s done? (Could the wolves track him while invisible in the show?) And oh, my God, that is a total Moon Moon moment (resisting the urge to make a comment about why Ian was trying to fit a ball in his mouth). I choose to believe that Noah and Chris coordinated to trick Peter into doing that and managing to get it on camera. They threaten to make it part of the family Christmas card. Peter only agrees if they make it so that all the pictures used embarrass everyone equally. Which is where some of the BTS type stuff could come in. (My lord, they are all such dorks. I mean, I follow Ian, Linden, JR, and Hoechlin on Insta and or Twitter, so we been knew, really, but still. XD ) And I’m all for any plot points or incidents that allow Lydia to showcase just how awesome she truly is. Also, I will never turn down an idea that involves puppy piles and cuddle puddles. I’ve been in this fandom too damn long not to have developed a deep-seated love for damaged characters getting the affection and comfort they deserve.

I’m so glad you’re enjoying the examples of my often questionable musical tastes. ;D I think I first heard that song on an anime music video (for LOVELESS I think, of all things), and I was just like “well this is catchy as hell”. As someone whose musical tastes are all over the gd place, I like to imagine they all have some genre that they’re secretly a fan of but don’t want to admit to because it might clash with their grunge-y punk image (the other two totally know anyway.) Speculatively I’d say boy bands for Peter, bubblegum pop/pop-punk for Chris, and classic (read: dad) rock for Noah, but I welcome other opinions.

And jsyk, it really makes me happy to know that my reviews are helpful for more than just story ideas. Which partially brings me to the picture I’ve attached. I work in a pet supply store, and the item on the right is a dog toy we carry and every time I look at it, all I can think of is how much it reminds me of Deucalion. Like, I can’t not see it at this point. And nobody I work with would have the slightest idea what I’m talking about, so I finally made this so that I could share it those that might get why it’s so funny to me. So here it is. And if you are still in need of things for distractions, here is a list of some random incidents that have (mostly) occurred at my work in the last few days:

1) Someone left a 4 Iron in one of our shopping carts along the far wall of the store. We have no clue where it came from, we aren’t anywhere near any kind of golf or sporting goods store. (I checked and there was no sign of blood on it, so no one was ditching a weapon on us or something.)

2) I walked into our warehouse and asked “why does it smell like sparklers in here?”, saw a coworker standing looking out the back door, and walked over to see that there was a car on fire about a block away in another parking lot. (The fire department was already on scene putting it out, it looked like it started near the front driver’s side tire?)

3) A child ate one of the fancy dog treats we have on display (luckily that one is mainly yoghurt and peppermint extract), and then try to drink from the fountain we have set up for any dogs that come in. I don’t think mom ever noticed.

4) We now carry a special, highly filtered, and ph-balanced (and overpriced) bottled cat water (no really), that seems simultaneously like a brilliant idea (because UTIs), but also somehow one of the whitest things I’ve ever seen (and I say this as a white person who grew up basically middle-class).

5) One of the smoke alarms in my apartment started doing the dead battery warning beep at around midnight Sunday night. I unfortunately was out of the size I needed to replace it, so I just popped out the one that was in it. Turns out it’s also hardwired, so that did nothing. It beeped the entire night. I would have gotten worried about my neighbors, but they had one that they let beep for like a week back in Feb, so I decided I didn’t care. When I stopped to buy a replacement I also ended up buying two bags of candy with the justification that they were on sale and I might need them for the next chapter.

6) Our pet bathing area re-opened, which meant we finally got a visit from one of my fave canine customers. His name is Jax, he’s an American Akita, and he is a gigantic, sweet, bear of a dog. Seriously, he comes to about my hip (I’m right around 5'4), weighs around 190lbs, and is a beautiful dark brown/black brindle all over. He is also one of the most calm, chill dogs I have ever met (he’s been coming in for years), and I love to watch other people react to seeing him for the first time.

7) While searching around my music files and Spotify for suggestions, I got distracted and ended up treating my neighbors to an impromptu concert that consisted mostly of 00s divas and 60s bubblegum pop (oddly, a lot of Herman’s Hermits and Ohio Express has a very similar vibe to Bowling for Soup, to me at least), because I had headphones in, and didn’t realize I’d started singing along for…a while. I did consider apologizing for that, at least, but ultimately decided to just ignore that it happened.

Anyway, I hope you are feeling a bit better now, and that some of the weirdness that is my life at least provides some entertainment. And that the therapy session at least feels like something you think will help in the long run, even if it sucks massively right now. I’m so proud of you for going, and sticking with it (I know so many who need to who don’t, for whatever reason). It is hard, and exhausting, and I am always awed by those that are determined to see it through. (Sorry if any of that comes across weird. My automatic supportive defaults tend to be humor and awkward sincerity, and I always worry that one will come across as the other and vice versa. Social anxiety is a hell of a drug.) So, I’m gonna go ahead and wrap up the verbal flailing for now, please enjoy whenever you see this tomorrow (I think? I’m terrible about keeping track of that sort of thing. Also, how is most of Europe just one time zone?! …anyway…)

Ok, I need to find out where I can get that crocodile/Alligator. for uh, for Mo...

Yeah for Mo.

(It’s for me, I would totally buy a dog toy if I thought it looked adorable.)

I definitely toned that scene down, though I kept some necessary exposition where Chris thinks on what happened between them. Might include some teenage raunchiness later, as someone pointed out to me, Peter would definitely be like that, as would Noah (probably). Chris would definitely be more reserved, he barely got a sex education aside from abstinence. ( Because I don’t see Gerard as the type of person who’d give his son the talk, honestly.)

And as someone who also drinks alcohol in superhero or Halloween glasses and mugs, I had to throw Derek’s very mature choice in there. Batman mug stays XD

I’ll admit, that was exactly what I was thinking with Corey’s power and how I could use it in the story. So I’m curious to see where I’ll go with it eventually, but yeah, that’s on my idea list.

.. must resist Ian & JR ballsy jokes.. you are not twelve Ben.

I am.

I really am. A twelve-year-old in a twenty-nine-year-old body.

I bet Ian wanted to prove what he could fit in there. He wanted to show some ballsy moves. It’s practice for-

Okay, I’ll stop.

And they are the biggest dorks, I follow Ian, JR, Colton, and Holland on and my lord, they’re such dorks. Definitely following Linden now too though. hehe.

I can see them trying that trick with Jackson, Malia, Ben, and Scott as well. Scott just falls face first and tries to fit a tennis ball into his mouth. Ben just looks at the tennis ball, figures that ain’t gonna fit and balances it on his face instead. Malia opens her mouth, notices the camera coming out, and just poses while smiling at the camera. Jackson though pretends to not understand what he has to do until Chris shows him how it’s done and then Jackson quickly points to Chris and while Noah films it laughing his ass off.

They make an awesome Christmas card with all of them doing something with that tennis ball.

Speculatively I’d say boy bands for Peter, bubblegum pop/pop-punk for Chris, and classic (read: dad) rock for Noah, but I welcome other opinions.

SO MUCH YES.

Also, Nickelback for Chris & Never gonna give you up. They're guilty pleasures. I would also like to suggest for Peter, either the Spice girls or like the Vengaboys. Gets him going but only when he’s alone at home and he’s wearing headphones. Because God forbids someone else hears it too. And I kinda wanna say Baby Metal for Noah. Idk seems like that might fit him and it’s hilarious to think about. Some headcanons don’t need to make sense.

Also, just for shits and giggles.

Caramelldansen in English and Swedish.

Makes these dads (and Melissa and Derek) move and dance around the new house like crazy, Ben joins in, because of the funny voices.

The teenagers are mortified.

MORTIFIED.

This made me so happy,

I feel like that’s basically toddler behavior. Also, Ben did this at some point. One hundred percent. He walked into the pet section at a store and started eating the dog treats. Chris didn’t notice, Peter did, asked him about it and went; well, it’s probably not toxic for him, so whatever. He did film it. Noah and Chris yelled at him.

That is the whitest shit I’ve ever heard. And yes I’m white too from lower middle class. But still...

But maybe that’s because I live in a country where I can drink tap water so that’s what Mo gets in his fountain.

And your stories made me smile my friend, every single one. <3 thank you for sharing these.

I wish I had funny ones really. Only one I can think of is some of my customers I run into as a tech support guy.

Customer calls me to tell me they don’t have internet. I ask, “Where’s your modem and how is it plugged into the network?”

Customer: It’s still in the box I received it in.. it’s wireless..”

Me:

Cue ten-minute argument on how it’s not wireless like that and how he needs to install his modem... yeah. People and technology...

But anyway, I’ll stop rambling now because it’s 1 am here and I need to go to sleep again.

1 am is in the Amsterdam/Berlin timezone where I live in.

That is 6 pm in NYC

And 4 pm in California.

So I am 7-9 hours ahead of the US, to give you an idea about timezones.

#ben says stuff #once upon a time comments #once upon a time scene ideas #submission

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onestowatch · 5 years

Text

For dodie, a Bit of Madness Is Key [Q&A]

“Oh, I’m so human/ We’re just human,” confesses dodie on the title track of her third EP, Human. It is a simple yet profound sentiment that builds an impressive level of atmosphere, as well as the emotional crux for much of the English singer-songwriter’s touching musings. For whether dodie finds herself diving headfirst into an idyllic, lovelorn number or stepping back into a moment of stripped-back reflection, there is an undeniable human element to the entire affair.

Perhaps it is that very notion of accepting every facet of what makes us human that begins to explain dodie’s near-universal appeal. Opening up about her own struggles with mental health in both her music and on her various social media platforms, dodie has amassed a monumental following whose dynamic more closely resembles that of a collective family than that of your typical fan-and-artist relationship.

We had the pleasure to sit down with dodie, who is currently in the midst of her largest headlining tour to date, to discuss what it means to be human, her friendship with Tessa Violet, being labeled a YouTuber, and gifting a purpose to your pain.

OTW: I was in the bathroom, which is a great way to start any interview.

dodie: Yes, it is.

OTW: They had this question written in chalk on the wall. “What keeps you up at night?” Very heavy.

dodie: And you stole it.

OTW: Exactly. I just thought, “That’s a good one.” So, what keeps you up at night?

dodie: Oh, man. Do we really want to start like this? Ok, let me think. What keeps me up at night? My friends talking in the other room. I guess the fear of death will creep in now and again. I think sometimes I’m guilty of thinking about the past a lot and what it used to be like. I feel like I’ve trained myself pretty well to fall asleep pretty quickly. If I’m not feeling great, I’ll be like, “Brain, time to turn off, and begin again the next day, just try again.” If I’m feeling good, I feel good enough to sleep.

OTW: Moving beyond existential dread for a moment, let’s talk about your latest EP, Human. What do you think it means to be human?

dodie: I think it means experiencing everything. Forgive yourself and forgive everyone else, because we are experiencing life. So yeah, feeling a lot, experiencing a lot, maybe doing shameful things, and forgiving yourself.

OTW: You’re very open when it comes to speaking about mental health. As someone who got their start on a very public-facing platform, was this sense of candidness planned from the outset?

dodie: Nothing has ever been planned. I think I’m planning now, but when I began and the way my career grew, it was not planned. I think I started kind of experiencing different symptoms of mental health problems, and it was new to me. I don’t think I had it in me to keep up this happy pretense, so I started sharing naturally on various platforms. And I think at first, the response was very kind–people related -- and my community was small enough back then for it to be this really wholesome thing that didn’t have many consequences. It’s more difficult for me now, because there’s just way too many people and way too many opinions, so I kind of hold myself back a little bit more. But it was a helpful thing.

OTW: As someone who has personally and publicly dealt with mental health issues of their own, what do you think is the best advice or best thing a friend has done to help?

dodie: Just listen. It sounds like such a stereotype, but it really is the best thing you can do. When I think about all my friends, and the times I needed them most... I’ve called friends, sat on sofas as they stuffed pillows in my arms or just put everything down and listened to me cry, and talk it out. They don’t even have to pretend to understand. Sadly, a lot of my friends have mental health problems too, so they can relate very easily.

I think just having the space to let me know that I’m being heard, and just that they’re there for me is so important. I have a friend called Shannon who says, “We will sort it out. We can do that.” That makes me feel so supported. When everything’s overwhelming she’s like, “We will get through this.” I love that so much.

OTW: Would you say a lot of your songwriting comes from personal experience then?

dodie: I think I play with themes that run in my life. More recently, I’ve been experimenting with writing from different perspectives. I saw Lin-Manuel today. He’s writing the new Little Mermaid songs, and he said something along the lines of “Oh, I should get out my Moana book, because he wrote all the songs from Moana, which are all water-themed.” And he kind of got over the Moana songs he wrote. I feel that way. Like, I’ve written about love and mental health a lot, and it’s hard to keep going back and being like, “I’ve already written this song.” So yeah, I think I kind of play with different themes in my life that come across. Life is so damn long, and so much happens that I don’t think I ever will run out of inspiration.

OTW: There’s an ongoing conversation of “Oh, you’re a YouTuber-turned-musician,” in spite of your very first uploads to the channel being your own music.

dodie: I definitely understand it though, because I did grow up online. Basically, I don’t want to get mixed up with people who made YouTube videos solely, and then decided they wanted to make music for fun. Because my music has very much been intertwined with my videos since the beginning. I don’t mind the word “YouTuber,” or being called a YouTuber. It would be dumb to hide and say that I wasn’t, or that I’m not, because I still enjoy YouTube sometimes. It’s a little weird now, but it’s still really fun to sit down and make a video. So I don’t mind, I guess it’s just an easy title to say.

OTW: There is a whole new generation of apps and platforms, from Instagram, Spotify, to TikTok, which have allowed for an unprecedented level of visibility. Any thoughts on the present state of streaming and social media culture?

dodie: It’s interesting because there are a lot of talented people out there, and now there are so many platforms in which you can get yourself discovered. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I think it’s a pretty cool thing -- to have the potential to create a portfolio on whatever platform you choose. It’s weird. It’s interesting. It’s terrifying. I’m kind of glad I came to it before, and I got to experience what it was like to have that world in a smaller way.

OTW: Speaking of fellow YouTubers, who have gone on to make some amazing music, what is the story with Tessa Violet?

dodie: I was a fan of Meekakitty. I guess you could say that Tessa was a YouTuber-turned-musician, but she’s a damn good musician. She deserves any title. Touring with her was awesome. She is the coolest woman. I love her songs. I can’t wait for her to blow up an become a pop goddess; that’s what she deserves.

OTW: 100% agreed as someone who has watched the music video for “Crush” far too many times.

dodie: It’s so good. I remember when she was playing me her songs, because she’s just like me, she has a lot of self-doubt. She was sending me various versions of songs saying, “I don’t know if I like this.” And at that time she was spending so much money trying to make these songs, trying to make videos, and she wasn’t sure if it was going to work out. I just kept saying, “Trust me, when people hear this song, the world’s going to go mad.” And they did. I’m so glad. She has a ridiculous amount of views now, and she deserves it.

OTW: Have you had a similar feeling at any point? The age-old doubts of “I don’t know if this is right... is music for me?”

dodie: Definitely not with music. I don’t know, sometimes I’m like do I really want this as my career? Because I love it so much, and it’s always been that way with me. It’s tough when in interviews people ask, “What’s your hobby? What gives you joy?” And I just say, “music is my life.” I don’t know, but I always come back to “Well, why not?” It’s the perfect thing.

If I can survive off of doing the thing I love most, then god, I’m so damn lucky. But, I think in terms of what musical career I want, I’m at a very nice place right now where I’m working on my personal project, which is my album and a lot of forthcoming things. But then I’m being hired to cover songs for TV shows, which is something else I really want to get into–like film and TV. I’m just very lucky, basically.

OTW: Any plans for an acting debut?

Dodie: Oh heck yeah! Actually, you know what, I want to be an actor. Acting actually was my number one. I didn’t think music could be a job, but luckily that happened. I was just like, “I’ll always have music in my life.” If I could write a song for an episode and then be in the episode, that would be great! Hire me!

OTW: I have to ask. What’s your tattoo?

dodie: Have you seen La La Land?

OTW: Of course.

dodie: This is a quote from La La Land. It’s the song Mia sings in her audition, called “The Fools Who Dream.” She sings, “A bit of madness is key.” It’s probably my favorite film of all time. It’s filled with music, color, and LA, and I love LA and all of its weirdness. Also, I feel like this quote, in particular, has a mental health meaning of whenever I feel really, really bad, I remind myself that I’ve used it, and I can use it again. It helps me in writing or being empathetic, so you need a little bit of this pain to keep going. Even though, when you’re really in it, you’re just like, “No, you don’t! I’d rather just not have it!”

OTW: Do you worry sometimes that people romanticize mental illness too much, especially when it comes to creating art?

dodie: It is tough. I think about that a lot. I’ll start with the bad first, and then get into why I don’t believe that’s true. I can understand. You go online now, and everyone’s joking about mental health, anxiety, panic attacks, dissociating, and depression. It’s tough; it’s triggering. I think, growing up now, I would probably question my mental health, and I don’t know what that would have done to me.

However, in comparison to all the good that it’s made, that is so small. If you don’t have mental health problems, you might see that as a problem. In having mental health problems, you will know that making fun of the fucking shit that you feel is the only way you are going to get through.

There’s so much good in gifting a purpose to your pain. Otherwise, what else are you supposed to do with it? Just fucking sit and carry it around? No! I think it’s great when people take what they have to have, because it’s so hard to get rid of, work through, process it, and make something good out of it. At least then, you’ve got something out of it. Especially when you’re in your worst moments, where you’re like, “What am I doing here? I don’t want this.” You have evidence to prove yourself and to everyone else that you have a purpose and that you can use whatever ails you for good.

OTW: What’s next for you musically?

dodie: I am trying to write an album. I’m really excited for whatever’s next. I don’t know when this whole body of work will come to fruition, cause I don’t have a lot of time but definitely some exciting things happening.

OTW: Who are your Ones To Watch?

dodie: Orla Gartland. She’s my good friend, one of the best damn singer-songwriters I know. Tessa Violet! She’s got a few years worth of songwriting and, let me tell you, they are bangers. I went on tour with KAWALA. They were great lads. Those are my Ones To Watch!

OTW: Any final words?

dodie: I’m thirsty, and I’m going to get a drink but not Kombucha. Those are my final words!

#dodie #interview #human #indie #pop #singer songwriter

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the-littleway · 5 years

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"What a beautiful love.”

I was listening to my Discover Weekly playlist on my Spotify the other day. This song entitled Beautiful Love by Victory Worship came on. I was extremely struck by the lyrics, and it actually reminded me of a few things I wrote for Celine, my sister.

“What have I done for God that He should shower so many graces upon me?” - Letter I to Celine

“I cannot fathom the Infinite Love which has led Him to treat us in this way. Our dear Father must indeed be loved by God to have so much suffering given to him. It is a delight for us to be humbled with him.” - Letter IV to Celine

The song has lyrics that go “Oh what love, how can it be? From that cross You looked at me. Oh what love, poured out for me. What a beautiful love.” as well as “Came down unashamed, You called me Yours. Caught up in Your grace, You're all I need; there's nothing more beautiful than Your love.”

From what I know, the song’s artists aren’t Catholic but that didn’t stop me from being awestruck by God’s infinite love for me. The song was able to remind me of how amazing and awesome God and His love for me truly are.

This song is a prime example of why I do what I do, and why I believe in what I believe in. I sincerely want to help and love everyone as Jesus would, even those who are hardest to bear.

I may not be called to sacrifice my life on the cross as Jesus did, but I know I can always show my great love for others through my small deeds. At the end of the day, the great love I have for other people comes from an overflow of God’s great and infinite love for me, and it is but right that I share that love with every single person I encounter.

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rajatarora · 6 years

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Staying organized the right way

I was casually browsing twitter a few months ago when I came across a new app that was making waves all around the social media, called — Notion. I wasn't much intrigued at that time because I didn't really need any other note-taking app. Or a reminder app. Or a to-do app. So I summarily dismissed it as yet another fad and moved on to the next tweet.

You see, I use a lot of apps in my daily workflow. I write my blog posts on a distraction-free editor called ghostwriter. I use Evernote as a sort of dumping ground for all my notes and ideas and other tidbits. If I need to write a more structured document full of tables and diagrams, I use this awesome markdown editor called Typora. It is more feature-rich than ghostwriter but an overkill for a simple blog post like this. For simple notes-on-the-go I use an android app called Squid, or sometimes even Samsung Notes. For keeping track of my tasks and shopping lists and what not, I use Remember The Milk. Again, an overkill but it gets the job done! And lastly, for keeping track of my bookmarks I simply save them to my Instapaper account.

I know – too many apps! However, I have developed this system over a period of many years after trying out so many app combinations. It really works for me now. I have got accustomed to the different idiosyncrasies of all these apps and everything is nicely ingrained into my muscle memory.

And then came Notion! It came back on my radar recently when I was perusing an online discussion about a blogging workflow. Someone casually mentioned that he used Notion to write the actual post and then copy-pasted it onto the CMS. The intrigue came back and I found myself watching some YouTube videos about how it combines multiple apps in one and really makes life simple. I ended up making an account.

And boy was I hooked or what!

When you open Notion for the first time, it feels as if it is a yet another online note-taking application (like Evernote). But once you dive it, you find that not only you can enter text on a page, you can also organize whatever you want into multiple pages, add tables and run formulas on them (think Excel), drop your tasks into a kanban-style board (think Trello), embed a real calendar on a page complete with appointments and reminders (think Google Calendar), write stuff and annotate it with embeds like tweets, YouTube videos, Spotify playlists, GitHub gists (just like in Medium), use their web-clipper to dump all your bookmarks at one place (think Instapaper) ... the list goes on!

Some enterprising folks have also set up a showcase website called Notion Pages that gives you so many ideas for you to set up your own workspace. People have created bullet journals, account books, college notebooks, personal wikis and so much more using Notion.

Here's the kicker though. Notion is not free :(

Although you can use it for free forever, you can only store 1,000 blocks in your account. (In notion-speak, each page is made up of multiple blocks. A heading is a block, a text area is a block, and so on). Mind you, 1,000 blocks is a lot! But if you really get hooked to this stuff, those will be gone in no time.

Good thing is that it is really easy to earn credit! If you click on this link and sign up, you will instantly get a $10 credit in your account. After that, you can complete some simple tasks (like downloading their desktop and mobile apps, using the web clipper, etc.) and earn even more credit. I was able to get $30+ credit quite easily. It costs $4 a month.

As far as I am concerned, I'm really trying to get my entire life organized inside of Notion. At the moment I have made a skeleton of a personal homepage that lists out my books queue, my bookmarks, my habit trackers, and a list of my favorite quotes. It is still a major work in progress, and I will share progress once I make some.

Meanwhile, if you decide to give Notion a whirl, leave a note below :)

#organization #notion #self improvement

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nitemice · 7 years

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Hey, here's my latest post over on my main blog:

For those who have been wondering “what ever happened to Skye Sweetnam?”, here’s a surprise for you. Sumo Cyco is a punk rock/metal band out of Toronto, where Skye Sweetnam now resides as lead singer, under the alter ego of Sever. With MD13 (Matt Drake) on lead guitar and Thor (Ken Corke) on bass guitar, Sumo Cyco have produced two albums, a live EP, a number of cover singles and a tonne of music videos. I had intended to write a review of their first album, but by the time I got to it, their next album was just around the corner, so here’s a review of that instead.

When I first discovered Sumo Cyco, I was a bit horrified at the turn Skye Sweetnam’s musical style had taken. But after giving it a chance, I actually started to really enjoy it. And when you consider the transition from Noise From The Basement to Sound Soldier, you start to see how she got here; From punk pop, to punk rock, to punk metal. This evolution makes even more sense when you find out that some of the other members of Sumo Cyco used to be part of Skye’s tour band. Skye has said that her aim with Sumo Cyco was “to be able to sing any style..[and] to not feel constricted by genre”, which shows in the variety present on both Lost In Cyco City (Sumo Cyco’s first album) and Opus Mar (their second album). Sometimes it can border on screamo or growling, sometimes it sounds like rap, and sometimes it can feel more like power pop, but mostly it falls under the general banner of metal. Skye herself has classed the band’s music generally as “dancehall metal”, inspired by UK band Skindred . I’m no heavy metal connoisseur, but I can tell you Sumo Cyco produces a punchy, yet danceable fusion of punk metal with any number of other styles in any given song. So even if you don’t much like some song, you’re likely to find one you do (unless you can’t stand rock/metal at all, in which case, this is not the band for you).

As I mentioned, I was going to review Sumo Cyco’s first album, Lost In Cyco City, but I never quite got around to it. Suffice to say, I liked its unique blend of fiery, soaring vocals with shredding guitars and body-shaking drums. Surprisingly, it reminded me, in parts, of some of Paramore’s really early stuff, but with less emo and more metal. So when I heard they were crowdfunding a new album through PledgeMusic, I was excited but cautious. While I enjoyed their first album, much of the music Sumo Cyco had released before that had been much heavier, and I was worried this new album might tip into territory outside my comfort zone. Ultimately though, the main thing that stopped me from pre-ordering was the cost. Shipping to Australia, plus a poor exchange rate, meant a copy of the CD alone would have set me back just under AU$50, which is just too much for a CD. Instead, I spent the first few weeks after the album came out repeatedly listening to it on Spotify. Now that I’m convinced of its quality, I’ll be buying it directly.

Sumo Cyco also posted a series of videos explaining the meaning and writing process behind each track on Opus Mar. I wrote most of this review before watching those videos, so I could give you my uninfluenced impressions and interpretation of the songs, but I did watch them later, so I could give a more definitive comment on the message of each song. Before watching the videos, I was a bit worried that hearing their meaning might make me dislike some of the tracks. However, it turned out that it only made me like most track even more.

As with my other album reviews, I’ve listed previous songs each track reminds me of (by Sumo Cyco or just Skye Sweetnam), with the album they come from, a rank for each track on this album, as well as a short comment about each track. Plus there’s an overview of the album as a whole at the bottom.

1. Anti-Anthem

Reminds me of: My Name Is Rock N’ Roll [Lost In Cyco City], Interceptor [Interceptor] Rank on this album: 4 A perfect opening track, Anti-Anthem sets the tone for the whole album, with its blend of punk rock, heavy metal and modern pop elements. It starts with faux radio noise, which instantly reminds me of the previous album, which also used effects like this to open. It’s a bit of a misnomer, but the band claims this was on purpose, because it’s arrogant to declare your own song an anthem. But the meaning behind it runs deeper than that, being about the plight of stateless refugees, with literally “no place to go”. The vocals really open up towards the end, and the track closes with more sample dialogue.

2. Free Yourself

Reminds me of: Brave [Lost In Cyco City] Rank on this album: 1 Probably the catchiest track on the whole album, Free Yourself stuck in my head from the moment I heard it. With a heavy rocking intro, memorable chorus, relentless drums, and slick guitar riffs, this song is a perfect illustration of why I love this band. If you want to introduce Sumo Cyco to a friend, this would be my go-to track. It’s a fantastic anthem of self-reliance and looking to yourself for strength, rather than outside world.

3. Move Mountains ft. Benji Webbe

Reminds me of: (Let’s Get Movin’) Into Action [Sound Soldier], Like A Killer [Lost In Cyco City] Rank on this album: 9 Tracks with featured artists are often divisive, and Move Mountains is no different. On the one hand, it’s an epic song with a dead simple, yet catchy hook, thumping drums and bass beats. I think I even heard a Wilhelm scream in there! On the other hand, Benji’s vocal part stands in stark contrast to Sever’s. While stylistically similar, his sound is so different and just wasn’t something I much enjoyed. For me, Skye’s vocals are one of the main points of attraction, so anything that reduces that is bad in my book. That said, I understand that it was a really big deal for the band to have one of their idols perform with them on the album (Benji Webbe is the frontman for Skindred), and the track grew on me. I can imagine a really awesome superhero-based music video for this song, which I hope gets made one day.

4. Passengers

Reminds me of: We Ride [Lost In Cyco City], Mercy [Live Sessions 1] Rank on this album: 11 Passengers delivers heavily on the two big themes of this album: the need for social change on Earth, and trains. It paints a vivid picture of how the earth is being destroyed, and we are all just passengers, along for the ride. It implores listeners to stop ignoring what’s happening and “fight for the promised land”. Even though they’re Canadian, the band said this track was also partially influenced by the USA election of 2016. Musically, Passengers delivers shredding guitars and drums, with a strange Maroon 5-esque bridge with electronic vocals.

5. Brave II

Reminds me of: Crowd Control (Do What We Want) [Lost In Cyco City] Rank on this album: 5 Apart from its name, Brave II shares little in common with Brave, my favourite track from the original album. This song wears its meaning quite clearly on its sleeve, talking openly about the rise of conflict, extremism and echo chambers that exist in the world today. It encourages the listener to fight this wave of fear and anger with love, tolerance and open-mindedness. It would make a perfect backing track to a protest video. The band have said that the song was also influenced by the numerous shooting that have taken place in recent years in music venues, and is about having the guts to keep on doing what you want to, rather than living in fear or terror.

6. Sleep Tight

Reminds me of: Hypocrite [Noise From The Basement], Human [Sound Soldier], Cry Murder [Lost In Cyco City] Rank on this album: 7 Sleep Tight opens with a softly-spoken intro, back by an endless guitar riff, which gives way to smashing guitar, and screaming verses. The bridge has a weird disco vibe to it. This song is about how money serves as the unspoken motivator for many, and how it drives marketing and the media to pull the wool over our eyes, in aid of capitalism.

7. Rivalry

Reminds me of: The Ugly [Lost In Cyco City], Shot To Pieces [Noise From The Basement] Rank on this album: 2 Based on the experience of a fan dealing with suicide and depression, Rivalry is about facing your inner demons, and using music to fight the negativity. It’s solid rock all the way, with a punchy, pseudo-rap break for a bridge. Glitch effects and distortion add extra colour to vocals, which reminds me of the last Garbage album, except they work really well here.

8. Kids of Calamity

Reminds me of: Fuel My Fire [Lost In Cyco City], Danger [Danger] Rank on this album: 12 Like it’s compatriots, Kids of Calamity focuses on the need for social change in the world. Specifically, in the way the previous generation is leaving the planet for the next. It is a call to arms for this new generation, to rise up and be better.

9. Won’t Put Me Out

Reminds me of: Go Go Go [Lost In Cyco City], Permanent Holiday (Locked in the Trunk of His Car) [Live Sessions 1] Rank on this album: 6 With one of the calmest opening by Sumo Cyco’s standards, Won’t Put Me Out is a slow burn that builds through call-and-response verses. Ironically, this track is about being in the zone, on stage. There’s a great, stompy guitar riff that gives the track a vague tribal vibe.

10. Words

Reminds me of: Fighter [Lost In Cyco City], Ultra [Sound Soldier] Rank on this album: 3 Wordscombines fast, rapped verses with a simple, yet endlessly catchy chorus hook. The thing that sucked me in was the pop culture references in the first verse. The track, which is about the way people twist each other’s words when they fight, closes quite appropriately with distorted vocals seemingly glitching out.

11. The Broadcasters (Murdering by Radio)

Reminds me of: Where Do We Go? [Where Do We Go?], We Ride [Lost In Cyco City] Rank on this album: 8 The Broadcasters starts, unsurprisingly, with the sound of a radio tuning. It’s mostly rap, backed by a gruff chant, that builds to each chorus, with soaring vocals in the bridge.

12. Rally

Reminds me of: Limp [Limp] Rank on this album: 13 Rally opens with a racing guitar riff, which never lets up. A call-and-response chorus and crashing cymbals help keep the pace. The ending is a refreshing surprise, with light acoustic guitar and sweet vocals.

13. Building Castles

Reminds me of: Scary Love [Sound Soldier], Loose Cannon [Loose Cannon] Rank on this album: 10 Building Castles tries to end the album on a high, positive note, talking about the reward for pushing through times of struggle. With a complex instrumental intro, and a bridge that reminded me of Lady Gaga, or Yiddish music full of running arpeggios, musically Sumo Cyco furfills their goal. The train metaphor is completed as the song fades out to railway noise.

As a whole, Opus Mar flows really well. When I first listened to it, I didn’t even notice the transition between some of the track. It feels like one continuous musical journey, with endless variety and passion. In that way, it sort of reminded me of a live set, but much cleaner and crisper than live albums characteristically are. That said, each track stands well on its own, with some really coming into their own when listened to apart from the rest of the album.

Skye Sweetnam has always packed her lyrics dense with meaning and references, and with the amount of rap on Opus Mar, that’s truer than ever before. Yet every song still has a catchy, strong, and memorable chorus. All the song seems to be going at a million miles an hour; much faster than the last album, which had some pockets of solid, calm groove. Every track on this album also seems to have a bridge of one sort or another, be it in the form of a rap break, or a brief interlude in a totally different musical style, which really helps keeps some of the tracks feeling fresh. Skye’s voice have always been amazing, and this album is no exception. That said, her sweeping, sweet yet powerful vocals are far less common on this album. As mentioned, it has a lot more rap and gruff metal voice than the last album, which will not be to everyone’s taste. For me, the addition of these elements wasn’t as off-putting as the loss of what they supplant. Although the scarcity does make those rare moments all the more powerful.

Many of the trimmings of modern music are here: reverb, distortion, glitch effects and the like. However, while these sorts of tricks are often employed to disappointing or plain-out distracting ends, they all seems to fit quite comfortably here. They’ve been used in ways that suit the style of music, and are appropriate within each track.

One thing I was surprised by, and on reflection sort of impressed by, is the fact that there are no explicit tracks on the album. Despite the fact that the whole album is about the sometime frustrating and seemingly hopeless quest for social change, Sever never resorts to swearing to get her point across.

The two main themes of this album, as mentioned above, are social change and trains. While the reoccurring train motifs are little more than a novelty, the push for social change is anything but. Sumo Cyco has clearly chosen to take a stand with this album, and make a statement about how they view the state of the world today, and what needs to be done to improve it. Almost every song makes mention of how terrible the world is these days, and how we can help change that. There’s definitely a sense of doom and gloom to it, but what makes it so impactful is that there’s also a sense of hope and empowerment too. Although Sumo Cyco is from the “Great White North”, their message seems to resonate remarkably with what’s been going on in America. No doubt it’s applicable all over, and has been for a while, but it feels much more present in people’s minds now.

Overall, Opus Mar is a strong, impactful, timely and rocking album full of music with a message. It may not be what you expect to hear from the teen popstar we knew as Skye Sweetnam, but that doesn’t overshadow its quality. While there are elements of the previous album that I preferred, there are also elements here that are an improvement. Between the two is a fascinating fusion which I hope to hear on Sumo Cyco’s third album, whenever that may appear. In the meantime, this is a solid entry into a fast-expanding catalogue that I hope will make people, not only dance, but think.

RATING: 8/10 – ★★★★★★★★☆☆

But you don’t have to take my word for it…Listen to the album for yourself, and make up your own mind. Then you can let me know what you think of Sumo Cyco’s Opus Mar.

So, have you ever heard of Sumo Cyco, or Skye Sweetnam? What’s your favourite songs of theirs? Did you pre-order Opus Mar? What do you think? Did it live up to your expectations? Have I said anything you disagree with? Tell me & everyone else who passes through here what you think in the comment below.

To Infinity and Beyond,

Nitemice

Filed under: Leisure & Hobbies, Music, Reviews

#IFTTT #WordPress #Music #Leisure & Hobbies #Reviews

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natrohne · 8 years

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Ya Win Some, Ya Lose Some

Ya win some, ya lose some. About eight weeks ago, I was pretty positive I had won something big. And I wasn’t wrong. I have been blessed by an amazing support group who have faithfully supported me and my adventurous spirit. I have been blessed with a father willing to leave home a few days a week so that I can travel for free, or almost free internationally. I have been blessed to meet and befriend people all over the world. This has come to me by the grace of God and the work ethic He placed in me to accomplish my dreams and go after my goals. Eight weeks ago I marched onto Lufthansa flight 447- service to Dusseldorf, Germany. The flight went without a hitch. I even made friends with the girl next to me, who was, ironically enough, also visiting her past German foreign exchange student. The weeklong visit with Franzi, my wonderful friend who lived with my family six years ago, and her wonderful boyfriend, Fabio, who was extremely friendly and hospitable, was awesome. They were perfect hosts and I was so incredibly blessed to finally see Franzi’s life and home.

The next few days were spent south of Manchester, England with my good Triangle Y Ranch Camp counselor friend, Tim. We have talked for years about him giving me the grand tour of Sheffield and I was so blessed to finally partake in that tour. He took care of everything and was a gracious host and friend as always! I’ve been blessed with some real winner friends. Then the fire came.

On the way to the Manchester Airport, Tim and I ran into some traffic and did not get to the airport nearly as early as I had hoped. Then once I tried to check into my flight at the front with RyanAir, they charged me extra fees for my bag (which I had already paid for once) and for my carryon (which I didn’t know was even a thing) and for printing out my boarding pass (just a few extra dollars, but still!) So after figuring all that out, I headed to security, thinking the hard part was over. Not so.

Once at security, I pulled off my shoes and pulled out my small Ziploc of toiletries and laptop as I’ve done hundreds, if not thousands, of times. My bag got pulled to the side to be double-checked, behind about 20 other bags. I was starting to sweat at this point. They were going so slowly through each bag and I was wracking my brain for what else could be hidden in there I didn’t remember to check or pull out. When it was finally my turn for them to look through my bag, they took 20 minutes to find a tube of chapstick. Yup, my little tube of Burt’s Bees set it off. Once the threatening chapstick was removed they scanned my bag once again. And again, it rang red! So they had to pull out all the contents AND check through my other bag just in case, even though it had gone through without a hitch. Meanwhile, they pull me to the side and two different women patted me up and down, in addition to the two who had already patted me down. Finally, they gave me the all clear and barely said sorry as I flew off to the gate. With heaving breaths as I neared the gate, I saw the jetway pull away from the plane and the gate agent shut the jetway door. I had missed my flight. Something I had never, ever done before. I could not believe it. RyanAir does not believe in rolling a passenger over to the next flight (nor do they believe in anything being their fault) so they said they would either charge me €150 simply to roll me over to the next flight (not including the baggage cost, which I had officially paid for no reason at this point) or they would walk me back out to the front of the airport so I could list myself on a different flight. I started to ask about other airlines and ran off to Aer Lingus. After a few hours of arguing and frantically trying to figure out the Manchester Airport, all on only a few hours of sleep and 30 minutes of free wifi, I finally had myself listed on a different flight on a different airline with all new fees and a whole other security checkpoint. Of course, this security check went without a hitch. How typical is that! But hey, I got to Ireland and only a couple hours after I was supposed to. It could have been way worse, but I definitely lost that one.

Dublin was a bit difficult to adjust to with such a rocky start. My roommates posed an interesting group of people to live with which has been both fun and insightful. After this trip, I think I will have officially covered all the bases when it comes to types of people to live with… But nevertheless, the first few days were stressful and frantic. I found myself not trusting anyone, not even myself. I have traveled. I should have known. I could have done better. But I did not transition well at all. As I wrote in my last blog, I packed my last semester as much as I possibly could! I was completely burnt out from the way I conducted my life but once I had some time to rest, I had no idea what to do with it. My motto on gap year two years (can you believe it’s been two years?!) was, “don’t waste it.” And I was determined to apply that to my stay in Dublin even though I was simply exhausted, and honestly, (as much as I hate to admit it) scared.

My internship while in Dublin consists of me working for our in-country supervisor (basically our Dublin Mom) Ms. Olwyn Mannix. She is an independent travel agent aspiring to start, or continue to pursue her own travel company. She needed help to boost her Internet presence, so, with my blogging and general computer experience (which is limited to be fair), she hired me for the semester. Two weeks in, Olwyn paid for me to attend a workshop across town where I would acquire beginner and intermediate knowledge about Wordpress, a commonly used blogging and website design site. The workshop was incredible and I am now nearly fully capable of building a website all on my own, which I am hoping to do for small businesses or charities back home. On the way home, I was taking a train I used for the first time that day called the LUAS. It runs from the North to the South side of Dublin and I rode it the entire way, getting on at the farthest south stop and getting off at the farthest north stop. On my return trip, however, I apparently did not correctly scan my student charge card to pay for my ride. I know this because only two stops into the ride back, a large man with a heavy, non-Irish accent with a bright orange vest approached asking to see my ticket. I presented my card for him to scan but he began to write me a ticket saying I had not paid to be on the train but I definitely thought I had. It had been raining at the stop and there was no awning so I rushed to make it on the train before the door closed and I guess I didn’t wait for the card to scan long enough to fully pay for the ride. So now I was in trouble with the Irish law and had a ticket looming over my head. I tried to appeal it but there was no sympathy for the rushed, stupid American. I definitely lost that one!

Two nights later, I was with two of my roommates and another friend trying to blow off some steam at a live local concert at the famous Dublin venue, Whelans. I was leaning against the railing overlooking the unique and cool venue, my jacket along with my roommates on the chair right behind me. One minute it was there, the next we were relocating and my jacket was completely gone. My roommates’ was there but mine was taken. Thankfully there was nothing in it but it was the only nice jacket I owned and it was stolen. I called a few times in the days to follow but got nowhere. I lost that one for sure.

I’m intrigued by the art of travel. Don’t you just see and experience the most random and interesting situations and people at airports or when in other cultures? If you have ever sat in an airport for more than 30 minutes and simply watched what was happening around you, you probably saw a person running to catch a flight. You have no idea where they are going or where they came from or why they are running. They desperately run past you and are out of your life forever. You’ll never know their name or if that day was really as rough as it seemed in that single shared moment. Have compassion on those poor people. No one I ran past in the Manchester Airport had any idea that I was about to live alone in a foreign country I had never been to for four months. No one had any idea what January 25 was supposed to look like for me. I lost that day. I had a terrible attitude and I let it affect the first few weeks of my disgruntled and disjointed trip. Things just got weirder and harder as the time went on in Dublin. Life is expensive. Mistakes are expensive. Expenses are stressful. Stress is torment to an injured brain and good for absolutely no one.

But as I sit here, sipping on a delicious margarita given to me by a random flight attendant, I am reminded of what I have won. Today has been one of the smoothest, cheapest, and easiest travel days of my life, even though based on the destinations; it should have been very stressful. Today should have been WAY harder than that one-hour flight to Dublin nine weeks ago but here we are, an easy couple flights, a free margarita, and an excellent Spotify playlist to make for an incredible day. It’s the incredible days that are the most forgettable. Why is that? As humans we remember the days that sucked beyond all compare. We remember when we got screwed over or scammed. We remember the stuff that went wrong. We remember the times we lost.

But here’s a cheers (or slainte) to appreciating this time among many that I have won! I am blessed by the life I have. I am blessed by the people in it- JC, for being the home I have always wanted, Rachel, for being my best friend no matter how many times I leave and what country I end up in, Katja and Isaac, for emailing me and including me in their lives, my parents for letting me take advantage of Dad’s job so much ;), Kelly, for being a stellar direct roommate, and Madison for being an incredible other roommate ;). You girls are the highlight of Dublin. Along with the very random St. Patrick’s Day parades and pub outtings, and day trip excursions, this journey has been incredible. There are so many others but I just wanted to thank you. We have all won some and lost some. I hope all of you win some today!

#travel dublin slainte winningandlosing

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krisrowland · 6 years

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Promises for this year and reflections on last year

A few activities that I’m trying to have a positive impact my life in 2019

Reading (so many books I haven’t read on my shelf)

Drawing in my Adam J Curtis book

Writing Kasper pieces

Spend time figuring out a vague shape for Kasper so far.

Organise Skype sessions with friends, Helena, Steph/Archie, Tina/Aine, Rosie, Lauren,

Research artistic meetups

Find time to meditate

Find time to be silly/rehearse monologues

Singing in the shower

Practising monologues

Writing thought pieces

Practical things to work on in 2019

Get a credit card and spend £50 each month

Buy all birthday cards and presents for sister, mum, dad, matt, Archie, Sophie, Jonny and Rich and Helena. + any other major birthdays

Organise birthday party in August

Organise China trip in August

Things I promise to be this year

Being a better uncle to Archie

Everyone is a little bit racist as they say. I want to be less so. I want to understand more and go to talks, plays, listen to activists that have a BAME voice . And figure out how else I can be an ally.

Always be willing to learn

Reflections on 2018

January

I met Chris at Paul's birthday party which was amazing it was so fun and an overwhelm of lust and play. I stopped doing the Landmark Education introduction Leader Programme after 4 months of emotional, frustrating and enlivening phone calls. I couldn't deal with the pressure I was putting myself under. My grand visions of social justice and my own creative practise were in severe conflict with reality and I needed to reassess what I was saying to myself. I think Landmark has undoubtedly changed my life it has made me really respect myself and find ways of being more flexible on a day to day with others. I now have the best relationship with my Dad, Mum and work I have ever had. I also started counselling for the first of three times this year to clear up some irrational thought patterns, which has continued my personal development journey and understanding of myself. Katharine and I continued our obsession with Stacey Makishi @ The Yard Theatre. Paul and I watched an earthshattering theatrical version of Network at The National theatre.

February started with Rosies hen do and a rekindling of the Notts college crew. I had a two week break to hang round London see shows and art galleries. I had my first rehearsals for Kasper, a performance piece I have wanted to do for ages and invited Chris k to collaborate. I also partied hard with Kayleigh Foulkes for the first time in a number of years in Camden and G.A.Y. The broom dancing team were on form (minus Heather)

March Rosie and Bob's wedding was another wonderful reminder of the awesome people that are in Nottingham, god I love our college crew there is so much I have to thank you for. Catching up with Jake was great, though we only met up three times this year, a culture vulture with a big heart and the best company. Kris R's party was a messy fun night with glitter et al at G.A.Y. And another messy night to welcome Gurdeep to his new Stratford home.

April Discovering the cruisey vibes of Bloc bar with Bryan was amazing. It felt like I was at a gay trance night in the 90's. Pulsating music, guys and telling the time by the number of topless men you could see. April was also Jamie's birthday with a terrific karaoke and Chinese evening. I went to Nestas people powered health conference which made me want to do a service design ma in the new year and had a number of wines for the road with my director and manager.

May was an eventful month starting the new job, Eurovision being a messy evening to say the least in a fabulous location. I saw Hamilton with Jamie which was an honour and a pleasure it was the best musical I'd seen in ages, intelligent, mainstream, modern and political, never mind catchy. The amount of times I listened to the soundtrack Spotify created me my own Hamilton playlist as if it was a genre.

In June I did my first stint drinking no alcohol at house parties with support from Helena as she was trying to cut down as well. I joined the Grapes quiz team and won a number of times throughout the rest of the year with them. Helena and I went to Phobiarama which was a political and race based ghost train. Followed by a very iffy messy night at XXL. It was Jonny and Rich's 40th and Sophie's 30th. We said goodbye to the first care leavers peer support group and partied at Chris's caravan to say goodbye to Chris and Helena on their next adventures.

The start of July was Helenas leaving party :( This years London pride felt like the first time I really understood why we still celebrate. A space in which you can be anything you want to be and feel comfortable being who you are. Years and Years were epic at the Roundhouse showing off their new album with much pizazz. Grindr the Opera was a weridly touching patische that was both hialrious and heartwarming. Helena was back in London and had a brief visit to see Gary in his new pad with Lindsey on the Henley part of the river Thames.

August was my first holiday with my dad in a beautiful air bnb in the New Forest. I had a joint birthday with Chris K starting with a picnic in Green park and ending in the beautiful Set You Free at The Chateau for pure 90s pop #messy. Kayleigh came to London again and we saw Britney at the O2 and went to Jonny woo' club The Glory.

September I headed off to see Helena and explore Estonian culture in Talinn. I managed to do my best time on a half marathon. 1hour 54 minutes.

October

Not much happened in October.Cabaret night with Phil Will and Kris. Halloween twas

November I met a really nice guy on Tinder but just didn't get the spark. I started Kasper rehearsals again, trying to figure out what the hell you do in a devised rehearsal space. Fantastic Beasts was a disappointment.

December started off with a fab racalette and wine evening with Chris Will and Phil. We had two Team away days on the same day which I helped organise. The Xmas party was at one my fav craft beer places. I had the gayest of Secret Santa's with unicorn Christmas decorations, a apron with a fake cock attached to it and a very fluffy rainbow pen. I finally went to see The Inheritance. A beautiful bittersweet depiction of modern gay life and the debt we owe older gay men.

Throughout the year I have been volunteering at a care leavers peer support group in Thurrock. It has been a challenging experience with the young people but also being able to find our place in the group. I wrote a blog about my experience here. I am continuing this into next year and won't be continuing after June.

It was a bit of a shock in May to hear that Helena (my closest and best friend) would be moving to China. We have really gone through thick and thin together and with each other over the last two years. Meeting at Landmark on a course and then developing a social impact concept together. Whilst the CCA's output may have left much to be desired. We created some unbelievable friendships ourselves and with other people including Gary, Kris , Annie and Papola. July was the month when she departed to go to Estonia for a few months before leaping over to Bejing to be a lecturer. Looking back over the year it strikes me how much of an impact she has had on me. Getting me off my seriousness addiction, pushing me when I didn't think I could give much more. She is one in million a real open, honest, not afraid to share her thoughts, willing to give anything a go and also a mysterious multitasker that you don't realise is doing so much brilliant stuff. She has opened my eyes to the EU migrant experience in Britain, Estonia's vibrant culture, my own biases, helped me celebrate myself and so so so much more. Helena I frigging love you and miss you, no one can ever take your place.

At work it was an up and down year. A department restructure and consultation had been taking place since September 2017. After six months we had the finalised structure, my line manager was leaving which was a blessing and a curse. (In some ways he was an amazing line manager giving me space to explore with him what I wanted to develop in the role but he was also not great at following up and holding me to account plus our meetings could go on for hours.) Then looking at the final paper I saw that my job had been deleted. So I had to interview for a new position which mostly matched my previous role, though it was the grade above which softened the blow. We welcomed Jane to the peer support team and many others into the unit and it felt we had new found energy and ambition. Two colleagues and myself started the LGBTIQ+ workshop which has been an amazing 6 months of creating events, learning, creating structures and trying to see how we are best placed in the organisation. At the Xmas party we even had someone congratulating us on sustaining the group and seeing us as a steering group for the organisation. I also travelled to Birmingham and Swansea for Influence and Participation (I&P) events, helped create an animation and will be facilitating a session next year for a new set of videos explaining the benefits of I & P to people on their recovery journey. The success of our staff forum pay paper meant in April that all staff got a pay rise, with further Brexit/ economic developments this will be a key focus in the coming years to see how we can support staff within our capacity as a charity. I was recently made the staff forum chairperson as Zadie leaves after having helped us navigate a consultation that asked major questions of our internal structures and leadership and form a project plan. Things now seem more on track with my role with a clear steer that my efforts to troubleshoot and problem solve is a positive contribution to the units and department as a whole. We will see what happens in the new year.

Jamie was another of Paul's friends who I instantly hit it off with. An amazing creative/ animator who has enthusiasm for all things culture with a labyrinth of music, film, TV shows and merch surrounding his almost iconic living room. We created a film club watching films we had never seen before it was a zany mix of animation, black comedy, surreal adventures and classics that you are suppose to have seen. After a bit of persuasion Jamie created an amazing puppet lipsynch to Robyn's here. Talent screaming out, can't wait to see what next year brings for this phenomenal guy.

Chris what to say about Chris. Well he has given me some of the best nights of the year pub quizzes, theatre, drinks, nights in, films, banter, Karaoke, clubbing, a picnic. His smile is inffectious. He made me value the small things. We dated and that came to an end but he became a solid friend. There is so much going for him I just wish he would see how great he really is.

Big love

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