#New Zealand Jazz

[deborahwaikapohe]

Songwriting

Today's website blog is about how I combined vocal technique and sound engineering technique in 'River'll Carry Me (Edit)' 2024.

I have never been happy with my recording of ‘River Will Carry Me’ (2022). So, yesterday, I edited the vocals and sound engineering and… Voilà! River’ll Carry Me (Edit) on YouTube The problem for me with the 2022 version was that the vocals weren’t expressing what I needed this song to say: ‘the River’ (life) will eventually bring the character in the song (the singer) to find a man that treats…

[robertleckie]

All right, I'm crawling back in to post some pictures from Melbourne and filming locations from The Pacific. Please note that A. these pictures are not great (Flinders Street and Flinders Street Station are really busy and it's hard to find somewhere to stop) and B. a LOT has changed since they shot here back in 2008/2009, so it was really hard identifying anything. If I hadn't found articles talking about how they closed down Flinders Street for like two days, I don't think I would have recognised much. They've built lots of modern buildings and such, and obviously it would look different in the show due to set dressing, camera angles and lighting and such.

Anyway, I'm putting the pictures under the cut for anyone that's interested, as well as any info on what they may have used that location for from my memory/comparing the few screencaps I've got saved (I don't have access to the Melbourne episode atm).

Okay, so this is like the one place I properly recognised right away from the show. This is right off Flinders Street Station (station on the left, street on the right), and where we see the boys eating ice cream in the show.

Flinders Street Station is pretty y'all, and very old time-y which I love! Hard to photograph because busy, and also most of the inside is modernised and/or closed off with ticket gates. But they totally shot here.

So this is Flinders Street, with the station and the area where they're eating ice cream on the left. I'm guessing this is where they filmed the tram scenes as well. They still do run some older-looking trams along Flinders Street, but idk if they're the same they used in the show. I was going to try and go on one, but I haven't gotten the chance to.

[youmagnificentbeast]

i'm back with more ad breaks! for now i'll be tackling tm nz, the one that got me into taskmaster originally :)

hope you enjoy ♥

[burlveneer-music]

The Circling Sun - Spirits - glorious new spiritual jazz album from New Zealand

New Zealand’s jazz luminaries have assembled to form an all-star cluster: The Circling Sun. Channeling spiritual/modal jazz and Latin rhythms, they simultaneously reference the greats such as Sun Ra, Pharoah Sanders and Alice Coltrane, while maintaining a fresh perspective on ensemble dynamics. Perhaps the group’s name is no coincidence - each instrument seems to be in orbit around the concept of symbiotic synergy - and everyone is given equal space to shine; from a psychedelic Korg, to a delirious saxophone or the gentle ripples of a harp. There’s a huge array of keyboards, skillfully manned by the likes of Guy Harrison and Cory Champion (Clear Path Ensemble), with a standout acoustic piano solo by Harrison on “Plume”. Not to be outshone, the wind section delivers ecstatic saxophone riffs, fluttering flutes and solid horn choruses throughout. Meanwhile, providing vital foundational support are the percussion (Soundway alumnus Julien Dyne), vibraphone, acoustic bass and full choir arranged by Matt Hunter. It’s a testament to their harmonious relationship and skill that this debut album instantly sounds like a classic from a group that might have been together a decade. Artwork: Meurig Rees

[mindfulcuppa]

(S)Pacifics w/ Hellovera - 05/09/2023

Radio show broadcast live from EHFM, Edinburgh. It features 100% Aotearoa artists.

[cowboy-tendencies]

Wandering Eye - Fat Freddy’s Drop

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Faithless - Insomnia 1995

"Insomnia" was released as the second single off of Faithless' debut album Reverence (1996), and became one of their most successful songs. It has, dare I say, one of the most famous drops of its era.

It was originally released in 1995 and reached number 27 on the UK Singles Chart, topping the UK Dance Chart in the process. "Insomnia" reached number one in Finland, Norway and Switzerland. Additionally, it managed to climb into the Top 10 also in Austria, Belgium (number 2), Denmark, France, Germany (number 2), Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, and Sweden, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it hit number 3. Reverence reached number 26 on the UK Albums Chart. The single also reached the top spot on the RPM Dance Chart in Canada and the Billboard Dance Club Songs in the US, number 16 in Australia and number 39 in New Zealand. After Maxi Jazz's death in December 2022, "Insomnia" charted at number four on the UK Singles Downloads Chart.

MTV Dance placed "Insomnia" at number 22 in their list of "The 100 Biggest 90's Dance Anthems Of All Time" in November 2011. It was voted by Mixmag readers as the fifth "Greatest Dance Record of All Time" in 2013. It was certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in 2023.

Faithless member Rollo is the brother of singer-songwriter Dido, featured on poll #120.

"Insomnia" received a total of 43,9% yes votes. :'(

[ranmagender]

Public Domain Day 2023

Happy Public Domain Day everyone. This year some stuff became public domain so like the last few years imma list some of the notable things.

These are works that are entering the public domain in 2023 and therefore can be used by anyone in any way as their copyright is expiring. If a work is listed here know it applies to the creators entire body of work (except in the USA)

In Europe and other life of author + 70 years areas:

Maya the Bee by Waldemar Bonsels

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela

The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tay

Caspar Milquetoast comic strips by H. T. Webster

The Museum of Eterna's Novel by Macedonio Fernández

In Japan & New Zealand and other life of author + 50 years areas:

The works of Nobel laureate Yasunari Kawabata

In the USA (works made before 1975 have a 95 year long copyright)

All media published in 1927. Some notable among these are...

The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog, Alfred Hitchcock's first thriller.

The Jazz Singer, the first sound film

The original three stories of the Hardy Boys

The last Allan Quatermain book, Allan and the Ice Gods

The last two Sherlock Holmes stories (now sherlock holmes is public domain worldwide with no strings, suck it Arthur Conan Doyle estate)

Everywhere

In September 2023, comic book writer Bill Willingham intentionally released the Fables intellectual property into the public domain

There's of course more but these are just some of the highlights, go forth and explore. You can find a lot of this on Archive.org or Gutenberg.org

[rhysdarbinizedarby]

Rhys Darby has ‘not an ounce of scaredness’ about son’s band dreams

NZ actor Rhys Darby and his musician son Finn interview each other. VIDEO CREDIT: David White/Stuff

Rhys Darby is proudly listing career moments - but they’re not his own.

He’s recalling watching his son Finn’s band, Great Big Cow, “absolutely rock” iconic LA venue Troubadour to sold-out crowds.

As a parent, “you worry about a bit of nepotism,” he admits.

“Are we just ‘yay, our boys!’ when really they’re dreadful?”

But, he says, the band’s indie folk rock is “brilliant”, and keeps getting better. And, he insists, people are paying attention.

“We’re shocked as parents a little bit,” he jokes.

The band, Rhys and I are nestled between a Street Fighter arcade game and a pinball machine, in a dark corner of Auckland’s Whammy Bar. The US-based teen band has been sound-checking for their first international show.

Rhys has donned weathered jeans and a plaid jacket - approved by Finn. His son is wearing Dad’s socks for the night. While Rhys talks, Finn pulls faces and shares quiet in-jokes with his band mates. There are plenty of laughs.

Finn, Paolo Pesce, Will Angarola and Wyatt Nash originally played together in a school jazz combo, and went on to form Great Big Cow in 2022.

Rhys Darby, left, watches his son Finn’s band dreams without “an ounce of scaredness”. DAVID WHITE/STUFF

Now, Rhys insists, they have a growing fanbase. Some of whom “[do] that thing where you dance really closely … Moshing”. He points to my notebook.

“Put down there that I did know what moshing is.”

Sure, Rhys Darby - one of New Zealand’s most well-known comedy exports - helped the band get bums on seats and lock in bigger venues, but they were also recently featured on LA public radio station KCRW’s Young Creators Project, can be found on Spotify and their mainstay is house parties.

“I think because I'm a bigger deal [in NZ], it might have been a little different. In LA, no-one really gives a shit about who I am,” he laughs, looking over at Finn who’s patiently had his hand raised while Dad spoke.

There are people and groups in LA that have helped the band too, says Finn, and he’s not sure those opportunities would have happened back in NZ.

“I would have got you on bFM for sure,” Rhys quips back.

He looks on at Finn’s creative path with, “not an ounce of scaredness”.

“Obviously as a child I had many different dreams, but at the base of everything was art and performance,” he says, describing his younger self as a “dreamer” who wanted to entertain.

Rhys Darby with son Finn before Great Big Cow played Auckland’s Whammy Bar. DAVID WHITE/STUFF

“When it comes to [my kids], I see different ambitions, but they have the artistic talent - I’m completely open to whatever they want to do. I’ll always be there for them.”

Where New Zealand has a bit of a reputation for tall poppy syndrome and an air of negativity, LA is hugely positive, says Rhys - especially for fostering young talent.

And it was in LA, at a house party, that Finn recalls being caught up in the “electric energy” of playing live.

“The whole audience was moving. And I think two people got lifted up above the crowd and surfed around above the crowd,” he says.

Finn’s not the only Darby putting in some work while in Aotearoa. Following Rhys’s joint 50th celebration with wife Rosie, he’ll be returning to the local stage, performing his Rhys Darby 25 Years stand-up show at Waiheke Island’s Wild Estate on April 3.

It encompasses the best bits from his previous shows, but performing it at Waiheke is “just another excuse to put on a show, really”, and to show his US mates another part of Auckland.

Rhys Darby, following a stint in the army and then university, kicked off his career with stand-up, before becoming a household name with an impressive TV and film CV, including Flight of the Conchords, Yes Man, The Boat that Rocked and Our Flag Means Death.

As for whether he still loves stand-up, “love is a strong word”, he laughs.

“I still enjoy it. But it's it's less of a thrill than it used to be.”

What he’s really loving is throwing himself into acting, and challenging himself with more dramatic roles - different to the very physical, crazy “shenanigans on stage”, requiring more focus for the comedian and “not just being a silly bugger”.

Plus, he’s 50 now.

“It’s much easier to do the stuff where I'm just sitting down,” he laughs.

Still, there’s no denying he’s been part of a movement that threw New Zealand comedy into the wider world, and he speaks proudly about his own work, but also that of other Kiwis such as filmmaker Taika Waititi and actor Rose Matafeo.

It’s a type of comedy, he says, that “has a signature” and can’t be copied.

Rhys Darby and son Finn at Auckland’s Whammy Bar. DAVID WHITE/STUFF

“I think it’s that positivity thing, which is ironic coming from a place with tall poppy syndrome. We don’t like each other but you guys love us, eh?”

It’s one of the reasons Darby is still living in LA, “still waving the flag [and] not changing my accent”.

And while Darby’s big break may have been the role of band manager Murray, when it comes to Great Big Cow he and Rosie “don’t want to be helicopter parents too much”.

“We're there when they have a question.”

And while Rhys says he can’t talk about any of his own projects, Finn interrupts with a quiet word about vague plans for a comedy musical theatre show featuring Rhys and the band.

Looking back at his own career, the highlight was breaking into the US market - name-dropping X Files and Our Flag Means Death as highlights.

“What's next? It's all peaks and troughs,” he says - mentioning Hollywood is turning to AI, but “thankfully, there's no one that can do a better robot impression than me”.

Still, the changing industry is worrying.

“People are losing their jobs, and AI is having a lot to do with it,” he says - dropping the quips and gags for a moment.

“After the strikes, I know, it's taken a while to get the industry back on its feet, but I'm hoping that it will get there,” he says.

“But it is worrying. It's really worrying the moment.”

Source: Stuff NZ

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

spotify recommended me a mix called "Ethiopian jazz" which sounded pretty rad, so I checked it out and here are some notes on the first handful of artists in the mix

American, alternative/indie

Ethiopian pianist

Greek, indie folk

American, r&b

American, alternative indie hip hop rap

American, r&b/soul

Bahamian, rock

New Zealand, psychedelic rock

German, r&b soul alt indie rap hip hop

English, alt indie

French, alt indie

what. the fuckening are we doing here.

[itwashotwestayedinthewater]

been reading up on some more aotearoa music history today, specifically the early punk scene. the funniest thing i came away with is that the first two "punk" bands that formed in new zealand did not actually hear a single punk song until about 3-4 months into existing - one guy just read about the '76 sex pistols gig in NME and was like "oh shit. thats gonna be big. let's try to make whatever that would sound like" then walked across town in auckland to pitch this idea to his friends LMAO

"It was mostly social chatter rather than a serious statement of intent, but Brett Salter and Simon Grigg had talked of a jazz band. Neither was musically proficient although Salter played rudimentary saxophone. Little came of this until late 1976 when a mutual friend, the aspiring film director David Blyth, reading the NME at Grigg’s flat, noted a tiny live review of the Sex Pistols and showed Grigg. Deciding that this punk thing had more going for it Grigg immediately went around to Salter’s Ponsonby student flat to do a pitch on “punk” and the stillborn jazz band was henceforth a punk act."

this ended doing something that i find crackup: most of the early NZ punk bands don't sound like The Clash or Sex Pistols or anything, they kinda skip right over that and go straight to weird art-punk bullshit:

[omg-im-such-a-masochist]

The Beginning Of The End - Chapter 5

Summary: You were once a “honeybee”, now you’re simply a “bunny”. Can an alliance and friendship still last after one’s former lover became the current lover of another?

Pairings: ELP x Reader x Jay White

Warnings: +18, mentions of cheating, cursing, mentions of smut, adult language. 

Tag: @theworldofotps , @writtingrose , @aerynscrichton, @daddyhausen , @melissahausen , @unoficialy-married-to-ace-austin , @sophiewolfheart-blog , @sultryfandoms , @new-zealand-chic, @crowleysqueenofhell , @thealliasylum , @legit9thlunaticwarrior , @adamjf , @josiewrites , @seeingstarks , @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch , @whenimakeitshine1234 , @moxkindagirl , @sunshinevirus , @im-just-a-mississippi-girl , @pleasantpastels

Chapter 4

Riley was still mesmerized, of course, he knew you had a strong personality and was incredibly outspoken. When you met that was the very first thing that caught his attention: your fierceness. Riley never failed to notice how those traits sometimes seemed to disconcert Jay to the point of anger. As a matter of fact, Riley was aware that Jay never knew how to handle you ever since the beginning of your relationship.

“She doesn’t listen, she does whatever she wants, she doesn’t understand nor obey me. She never does anything I want, she’s not-“

“She’s not like every desperate ring rat waiting for you at the arena parking lot who’s willing to lay on the concrete floor and let you walk over them just for your sheer amusement?” Riley chuckled and tossed his towel on the locker room bench before looking at Jay “Man, are you listening to yourself? She doesn’t ‘obey’ you? She’s not your daughter, Jay. She doesn’t have to do shit!” He huffed loudly “She’s a fascinating woman with a strong personality, not a teenager. So unless you want her to get tired of your immature behavior and eventually dump you, I suggest you stop treating her like she’s below you”. 

And now, sitting at the foot of the bed of your hotel room, Riley couldn’t take his eyes off of you. 

You paced around the room, murmuring a random jazz song as you chose an outfit for your breakfast date. After Riley watched the entirety of the discussion between his bunny, Jay, and Lisa, he did the only thing he could think of doing ever since he watched you fiercely defend your relationship: have an hour worthy of passionate sex. 

It probably wasn’t appropriate, but this whole situation was starting to get too strange to be considered normal, so what was one more freaky thing amid this chaos?

“This outfit looks weird, doesn’t it? It’s alright, you can say it” You asked when your eyes caught Riley intently staring at you. 

He shook his head lightly and smirked “No, you look beautiful, breathtaking” Standing up from the bed, Riley closed the distance between you and cupped your cheeks with his hands, “You’re perfect, do you know that? Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky” His blue eyes’ scanned across your face, savoring the warm smile you offered him. 

“We both know you’re the perfect one” Standing on your tippy toes you pressed a soft peck on his lips and stated with a teasing smirk “Besides that’s the postcoital haze speaking”. 

Riley couldn’t hold back his chuckle when he replied “Trust me, bunny. Even though the sex is out of this world and you’ve ruined me for any other woman, what’s speaking right now is not the hormones but a four-letter word”

“Cake?” You teased again, giggling when Riley tickled your sides. 

“Smart ass. Fucking rude of you to ruin my wholesome moment” He playfully pouted 

“Awww, my poor baby. Will you feel better if I say that although I do love cake, I love you way more?”

“You love me more than you love cake? Damn, bunny, I’m flattered! I think I’m gonna cry”

Your laugh became louder when Riley tightened his grasp enough to crush you. “I love you, Ry”

“I love you more, bunny. More than you’ll ever know”

Jay’s patience was wearing thin, he didn’t want Lisa here, he never asked her to come nor had he allowed her to come. Seeing Lisa face to face solidified the hatred Jay already felt for the young woman, and such a feeling only seemed to grow inside him ever since you came to Japan. Being forced to face you every day and stare at the woman he’d lost only made Jay’s conscience weigh on the fact that not only he would probably never have you back, but he was also stuck with a woman he despised.

“Go get my son, please. I want to see him” Jay muttered, focusing on the task of setting up his toiletries on top of the bathroom sink. He needed to keep his focus on anything but Lisa’s face or else he would do something that would end his career and freedom.

“Not before you tell me what the fuck was she doing in here with you” Her tone did not leave room for doubt, she was incredibly pissed. Lisa was fuming with rage from the minute she saw you standing inside Jay’s hotel room.

“I’m not gonna ask you nicely again, Lisa. Just go get Charlie”. Jay was trying, he really was. To have Lisa in the same room as him and not punch her in the face took a whole lot of him and he knew that. Jay always despised men who hit women, to him they were nothing but cowards who were too scared to face someone their own size, but here’s the difference: Lisa isn’t a woman, she is a rat. A plague sent his way to end both his life and the patience he naturally lacked. 

“No” Lisa spits back, a mocking smile dancing across her lips. The jealousy she felt upon seeing the love and devotion written in Jay’s features as he stared down at you was too much for her to handle.

With an annoyed sigh, Jay reached for his phone in his back pocket and quickly tapped the number under the letter “K” in his contacts. “Hi, Keiko. Could you bring Charlie to my room, please? Yeah, same room as last week. Okay, thank you”. Without looking at Lisa, Jay stepped out of the bathroom and took two steps forward to the bedroom area.

Lisa felt her body shaking with rage, her chest was burning, a vein popped on her neck and a redness began to settle on her nape. “You can look at her as much as you want, Jay. But you’ll never have her back, I won’t let you choose her!” She called from behind him, following him into the room. She heard him chuckling from the bed where he was currently setting aside his dirty laundry.

“You won’t let me choose her? Aww, how cute” Jay mocked with a loud laugh before his cold, gray gaze settled in her face “Is it too late to let you know that I already chose her? I’ll always choose her!” Jay raised his hand up when Lisa started to protest “I know what you’re about to say, Lisa. And trust me, I know she won’t choose me again, definitely not after the biggest fuck up I’ve ever made in my entire life” His gaze intensified, silently making it clear that the last phrase was meant for her. “But I don’t care”, Jay continued, “She’s the only woman I’ll ever love. The only woman who owns my heart, my soul. I’ll always choose my honeybee over anyone! She’ll be my number-one choice until the day I die! And I suggest you start getting used to that” He finished with a bitter spat as someone knocked on the door, “Now, be useful for once and go open the door so I can be with the only joy you’ve ever managed to give me”.

After breakfast, Riley took you to one of the places you were excited to meet the most: Koishikawa Korakuen. The park was even more beautiful than you’d expected, its beauty completely breathtaking, like a livid painting before your eyes. Not even the best-resolution pictures online made justice to the astounding view. 

“Oh my god, Ry. This is beautiful!” You giggled, fascinated by your surroundings. 

“It truly is”, Riley agreed, as you turned around to find him intently staring at you. 

Shaking your head lightly, you felt like a teenager being complimented by her high school crush “Stop”. 

Riley smirked, pulling you closer to his body in a tight hug. He whispered softly against your lips “Never”, before delicately kissing the soft flesh. 

“I love you so much” was his next whisper once he broke the kiss. 

“I love you too, blue eyes” You smiled, giving one last peck on his lips before pulling him down to sit on the grass beside you. 

“Are you ok? You seem a little withdrawn and pensive this morning” You played with the longer strands of hair at Riley’s nape, “Did something happen?”

Huffing a laugh Riley focused on the lake before them, “How can I never hide anything from you?”, he felt the muscles on his neck tightening as the memories flooded his mind. 

“The argument between you, Jay, and Lisa earlier…I can’t get it out of my head” he began “I was coming back from the gym since I was feeling a bit weird, so I decided to go back to our room and when the elevator doors opened, I heard your voice and I just ran towards it…I thought” Riley looked up at the blue sky, mentally counting the clouds before continuing, “I don’t know what I thought, to be honest. I just heard your voice and then Lisa screaming so I guess I thought something bad was happening…I don’t fucking know what was I thinking, I just ran” Riley shook his head to try to get rid of the tightness on his neck.

Kneeling on the grass, you slowly placed yourself behind him. Positioning your right hand on Riley’s nape, you began to massage his neck as a way to help his pain. 

“That must’ve been scary for you” You kissed his cheek “I’m sorry, baby”. 

Riley laughed bitterly “I was shitting my pants”, he leaned his head back to rest it against your shoulder. “When I heard that fucking psycho bitch yelling like a lunatic I was scared that she may have done something to hurt you, I don’t know”. Riley grabbed your hand that was previously on his neck so he could intertwine your fingers. He pulled your hand down until your arm was stretched out on top of his torso, “When it comes to Jay she’s fucking clueless. She doesn’t care about who she hurts or what she has to do to keep him so I ran there because I didn’t want her to hurt you because of him”. Turning his face to the right, Riley placed a soft peck on the side of your neck. 

“My knight in shiny ring gear” You teased, making Riley chuckle while you placed your other arm on top of his torso. As you hugged him from behind, you whispered “Thank you for coming to my rescue and I’m sorry you got scared”. 

“It’s alright, bunny. I’m glad you’re ok” Riley poked your knees until you laughed. Finally sitting on the floor behind him and resting your back against a tree trunk, you pulled him back toward your body.

A few minutes of comfortable silence passed by until Riley spoke again, “Bunny, can I ask you a favor?”

“Of course, Ry”

“Can you stay away from Jay while you’re here? I don’t want Lisa to see you around him and do something stupid”

“Well, I can’t avoid randomly meeting him, Ry. Not when we are currently in the same place” You covered Riley’s lips with your hand as he began to protest, “But, I’ll do my best to not be around him, although it may not always work, I promise I’ll try to stay away from him”. 

Riley pecked the palm of your hand that still covered his lips before pulling your hand away from his mouth, “Thank you, bunny”. He lifted his head up for a kiss that you gladly gave him until a voice pulled you out of your cotton candy love haze. 

“Oh look who we have here, Charlie! The couple of the year!” Lisa chuckled, sarcasm dripping from her words as Jay approached her with a frown.

“You wouldn’t mind if we had a picnic beside you, right?” Her eyes gleamed with mischief as she didn't wait for a response to settle her things down on the grass beside you and Riley. 

[itjazzbicch]

My Sweet Angel

Pairing:  Sami Zayn x Fem Reader 

Summary: Based off my previous fic Heaven:

Keeping their relationship a secret considering the reader is the younger sister of Jimmy, Jey, and Solo, things get tough for Sami and the reader's relationship, having to make a big choice when things implode...

Warnings: Swearing (Sorry if there's any typos I literally just whipped this up quick asf because I saw the opportunity lmao)

Word Count: 1.9k 

Tag List: @demonqueen29 @peachy-satan00 @new-zealand-chic  @crowleysqueenofhell @unoficialy-married-to-ace-austin @thatpanpal @melissahausen @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch @linzi-land @xxx-jazz-xxx @writtingrose @legit9thlunaticwarrior @seeingstarks @rubyred1980 @alexisquinnlee-bc 

I DO NOT OWN THIS GIF:   

Ever since that night in my hotel room, Sami and I kept it behind my family's back, but we were as close as close could get. Not leaving each other's sides, always laughing and putting smiles on each other's faces, he even started calling me his little angel, which always made my heart flutter.

My heart was filled with such strong emotions and overflowed just by looking at him. With all that emotion came a great price though.

Anxiety nor paranoia could even describe how I felt when Roman was around. Thankfully, I didn't have to worry as much considering my older brother Jey finally loosened up and became friends with Sami. But Roman was always questioning him, testing him, and when Tribal Court came?

Jey was my savior that day, protecting Sami from Solo's attack and Roman's accusations. I knew there was nothing I could do. Like any of them would listen, but I was so grateful Jey knew that things weren't right.

Deep down inside, I knew this wasn't over. After having my own title match, I was informed only Sami and Paul would be going out with Roman during the main event. My heart instantly dropped. I tried to shower and watch the women's rumble match, considering the winner could very well be my next opponent.

But I couldn't stop worrying. Jumping at the knock on my door:

"Hey, my angel. You in there?"

"Coming!" I rushed to the door, Sami trying to smile for me, but I could tell that he was worried sick just like me. We both knew tonight was going to be rough.

"I just wanted to give you a hug before I go out there with Roman," He whispered softly, knowing that he really needed some kind of comfort, that I gladly gave him with a tight hug:

"You listen to me. Don't do a thing out there. Don't talk to either of them, just let them wrestle. Okay? This is Roman's fight. Not yours."

"I will, angel," I could even hear his hurt through his voice, wanting to take it away, squeezing him tight before I picked up my head to kiss:

"And just be careful. Please."

He only nodded, pressing his lips a little harder and it nearly put me in tears. He kissed me as if it were the last chance he'd get to. Watching him walk away, I let those few tears fall, but having to clean myself up as I heard my phone, seeing Jimmy's contact pop up.

Jimmy, Solo, and Jey had me come to their locker room to watch the match and it had me on the edge of my seat. Kevin Owens was no push over and how he kept kicking out was mind blowing. All till Roman speared him through the barricade.

That was the beginning of the end. Roman beating the back of his head against the steel steps, getting him in the ring and I couldn't even watch Roman get the pin as Solo was at the door walking out, "Let's go."

I never felt my heart race so quickly, making our way out to the ring with Roman in the center, titles held high, Sami just staring at us like a plea for help.

Just the look Roman gave to Jimmy, Jey, and Solo had me swallowing a breath. Jumping into the ring just to start beating the shit out of Kevin. He wasn't exactly a friend of mine or anything, but superkick after superkick, just a straight up beat down, it was hard for even me to watch.

If things couldn't get any worse, Roman's laughs caught my attention, handcuffs jingling in each of his hands. I never felt so scared and useless, just standing in the corner, watching Kevin get handcuffed to the ropes, completely defenseless and taking even more superkicks from Jimmy and Jey.

I couldn't watch anymore, but looking and seeing Roman putting the chair in Sami's hands, screaming at him:

"DO IT! HIT HIM!"

We all knew that deep down inside, Sami cared for Kevin, and I wanted to grab them both and just book it out of there, but Sami tried to deescalate the situations, telling Roman this wasn't worth his time, just for Roman to yell even louder:

"I WON'T SAY IT AGAIN!"

There was no way out of this, Roman standing before Kevin Owens as Sami stood behind him with the chair and for a moment, Sami stared at me in the corner, as if he was telling me that he was sorry, filling the entire arena with gasps when the chair smacked Roman's back.

I started shaking so hard, seeing the looks on Jimmy and Solo's faces, just to watch Sami eat one of the nastiest superkicks Jimmy's ever delivered. Covering my mouth, I could only watch in the corner, Jimmy and Solo taking turns beating up Sami.

Roman made it to his feet and I thought I had some hope when he pointed at Sami, commanding Jey to join in on the beating, but Jey didn't move.

"Jey, please-" I whispered, but the crowd's roar blocked out my words, everyone in even more shock as Jey shook his head and left the ring, clearly fighting some hard feelings.

All that did was piss Roman off even more, taking the chair again, and that's when I couldn't just stand there anymore. I refused to stand here and watch Roman do this.

The crowd was almost deafening when I ran over to Sami, hugging his body and bracing myself for an impact, Roman going to swing, but leaving the chair in the air. Staring at me confused.

"Y/N, what the hell are you doing?!"

"Just stop this! Please!" I pleaded, shaking my head and trying to fight the tears, but I failed miserably, crying horribly, "Roman, please!"

"And why should I?!" Things just went from horrible to worse, Roman trying to yank me away from Sami's limp body, but I was hugging him so tight that I wouldn't budge, "He claims he's, our family?!" He just hit me with this damn chair! He ain't our family!"

"Yeah! BUT HE'S MY BABY!" I screamed so loud that it strained my voice, silence falling with all eyes on me. Now I was the one who was pissed, eyes staring a hole through Roman, "I love him, and I won't let you do this to him!"

Jimmy and Solo only exchanged looks, not sure what to do, and Roman was having none of it, laughing at me:

"You? You were the 'angel' I heard him talk about before?"

"I am," I huffed, sending the crowd crazy as I stood up tall, measuring up Roman, glaring, "And if you try to hurt him again. You're going to deal with me."

"Jimmy! Solo!"

"Angel, please," I turned my head for only a second when I felt Sami's hand around my ankle, desperately trying to pick himself up, but I kept protecting him, not sure if Jimmy and Solo were going to listen to Roman:

"Jimmy! Solo! Get your sister, NOW!"

"Sis-" Jimmy at least didn't want to do this, taking my hand softly, but when I tried to snatch it away, Solo was at my other, both pulling me into a hug that I couldn't break.

"I WILL NEVER FORGIVE ANY ONE OF YOU! STOP!"

Damn them for having such a tight grip, no matter how hard I trashed and kicked, I couldn't escape Jimmy and Solo, crying and screaming while Roman smacked Sami with the chair. Over and over till his body was motionless. Looking dead against the mat.

I literally couldn't breathe, and Jimmy let his guard down because of that, trying to calm me down:

"Y/N, it's-"

"Fuck you!" I cried angrily, elbowing him hard so that I was free and running back to Sami's body, a death stare locking into Roman's eyes while he stood over us, having the damn nerve to smile.

The crowd was chanting exactly what I was thinking, "Fuck you, Roman!" Never heard such loud boos and screaming in an arena before. I had never been so hurt and Roman deserved to get hit with that chair after everything he'd done.

"And don't worry, I'm not finished with you, either," Roman's authority meant nothing to me now, his words meaningless and I made sure he knew as I growled back:

"Go to hell."

I refused to let Sami go till they were out of the ring and out of my sight, a bit relieved when he finally started to move, medical personnel tending to him and Kevin. Just to prove my loyalty to them as well, I already had Sami's arm wrapped around me once he was out of the ring, but I look Kevin's too, strong enough to be a base for both of them.

"You know," Kevin huffed, even while beat up, smiling at him, "You got yourself one hell of a girl, Sami."

Sami didn't say a word, but I could see the small smile through his hair, parting ways once we were in the back and I made sure that the medical personnel checked him thoroughly, needing to make sure that he wasn't hurt.

He did need his midsection wrapped up and with the time given, I moved like the wind to get all our stuff out of my locker room and made sure Roman nor my brothers were there, Jey nowhere to be found either.

I was out of breath and panting when I got back to Sami in the ME office, looking and listening to his soft voice:

"Come here, angel."

Great, here came the tears again as I came and hugged him softly, the scene of Roman beating him with that chair burned into my mind, all I could do was cry.

Sami hugged me back as tightly as he could, head against mine as he whispered, "I'm gonna be alright, okay? I'm sorry that I started all these problems with your family-"

"No, Sami," Picking my head up and wiping away my tears so he could see the seriousness in my eyes, "Roman damn well knows that what he did was unfair to you. Roman and my brothers have used you, worked you like a dog, and I understand how you feel about Kevin. Roman deserved to get hit with that chair, but you did not deserve what he just did to you."

I had to step away again and breathe, wiping away more tears. All I could think about was beating Roman's ass myself, but Sami pulled me back into another hug, fighting his own tears:

"Kevin's right. I sure have one hell of a girl."

"I'd fight my brothers, I'd fight Roman," I sniffled, holding his forehead to mine and crying, "I'd fight the whole damn world for you, Sami. I wish I could've done more. It makes me feel like shit."

"I got myself into this mess with Roman, okay?" Picking his head up and being strong for me, he made sure to look into my eyes while assuring, "And we will get out of it. I promise. Don't beat yourself up over this."

Nodding softly, I just hugged him again, needing the comfort, and as always, he knew how to make me smile some, praising me:

"Also, I've never seen someone so badass stand up to Roman like that."

"I should've kicked him in the dick now that I think about it," I tried making myself laugh and it helped somewhat, not as much as what I heard next:

"You did all you could with the odds stacked against you, and I love you even more for that, my sweet angel."

"I love you too, Sami," Voice breaking down on me while my hands cradled his face, kissing softly, "I love you so much." 

[tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors]

hi autistic librarian in training (the librarian part is the in training part, I don't need anyone to teach me how to be autistic) here to answer your library question

a lot of college libraries will use the library of congress classification, which just goes more detailed than the dewey decimal classification does. ddc works well for smaller libraries and lcc is better for research/academic libraries.

ddc uses just numerals (and then by authors last name if two books have the same call number) to classify books and has about 10 broad classes to sort topics into, while lcc uses letters and numbers (and also years sometimes) and has 21 classes to sort into. they get stacked on top of each other like some unholy warlock sigil, I love it.

for example, here's the call number for the self-help book my boss made me check out, using llc:

BF 575 .H27 H375 2022

meanwhile with ddc, it's call number is just 158.1

and all fiction books are classified under 813.54, which is. a lot of books.

but yeah there are a whole bunch of library classification systems just in english but a whole bunch more when you branch out to other languages which I think is super neat

some other examples in english-speaking places include the colon classification (cc), universal decimal classification (udc), moys classification system (used in law libraries in canada, australia, new zealand, the uk), etc. there are a bunch more too

for folklore books and fairy tales, if your library uses library of congress, I'd go look in the GRs, maybe dabble into the GTs, for the non-fiction aspect of learning mythology, and pop by the PS200-300s for fictional stories that draw from a lot of folklore (but that's not going to be all inclusive for the PSes, as P is the lovely literature section. there's gonna be a lot in there).

*jazz hands* thanks for coming to my tedtalk

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh gosh this is actually so cool, ive been schooled !! /pos

i get annoyed with libraries when they use things other than ddc because thats the one i have my favorites memorized in, but i always thought those libraries were being pretentious and using their own proprietary system or something. this makes WAY more sense and now im gonna go ham memorizing my favorites in all of these two. thank you for sharing!!!!

[jewish-vents]

i live in new zealand. basically as far from israel (and as far from anything lol) as you can get. there are all the protests and rallies and poorly disguised dog whistles and people who have such black and white views of everything and all i can feel and think is what's the point? you think fucking bibi will finally pull his head out of his ass because a few hundred people in new zealand yelled and waved some flags about it? i know its to raise awareness and all that jazz but i just feel so jaded about it all. i really struggle to care. i want to be empathetic and kind to everyone, id like to believe im a good person, or at least a half-decent one, but i see or hear anything, literally anything, online, irl, from my friends and family about i/p, and my first thought is just an overwhelming sense of I DON'T CARE. i have family in israel, and i want the best for them and for all israelis and for all palestinians. i just want peace, and that shouldn't be a controversial take. and ive gone in circles about what i think and what i should think and how my upbringing has affected my perspective and im constantly surrounded by i/p chatter and im just so tired. i can't bring myself to care in the way i feel i should. for anything, for anyone. i just want it to be over, whatever over means.

תודה, וסליחה שאני לא כל כך נחמדה יותר.

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