#What happened to 9-1-1's big exciting emergencies?

[canonicallyobserving911]

It's season 6 but there were only two “exciting emergencies” included within the first half of the season. 

#4 of What’s missing from season 6.

In addition to Maddie’s absence from firefam gatherings (related post), Halloween and Christmas episodes being removed from the lineup (related post) and the dwindling amount of believable 9-1-1 calls (related post); another thing that has been missing from episodes are the exciting emergencies.  9-1-1 is known for its’ dynamic and shocking emergencies that in the past were included in each season’s premier episode and other breathtaking emergencies were also intertwined into episodes for the rest of the season.  They represented one aspect of the show that prompted a number of viewers to start watching and those viewers convinced their family and friends to watch the show too.  However, during some portions of season 5 and for almost all of 6A, the BIG EMERGENCIES were replaced with lackluster ones that didn’t include the same action-packed excitement as those from seasons 1-4.  When episodes in 6A ended, audience members comments on social media kept implying that something was missing.  The missing element from 7 out of 9 episodes were the HUGE EMERGENCIES that caused most of them to start watching the show in the first place.  While every emergency doesn’t have to cover two and a half episodes like they did in seasons 2-3, they should at least be exciting and leave the audience on the edge of their seats so that they will return the following Monday to see what the show has planned next.  Lately, the excitement has dwindled along with the number of viewers who tune in each week.  For some of those who continue to watch, the show has gone from being a “must watch” on their entertainment priority list to an “I’ll watch it when and if I have some spare time”.  A few of the exciting emergencies that happened in previous seasons have been included below to illustrate how spectacular they were in comparison to the emergencies that were included in 6A.

Season 1

The plane crash in 1x4 “Worst Day Ever” was both chilling and heartbreaking.  The 118 saved as many passengers as they could and Bobby took it so hard that he relapsed. 

Season 2

The earthquake in 2x2 “7.1″ was not only realistic but it was also relatable because a number of people who reside in areas like L.A., might experience earthquakes on a regular basis. The 118 arrived with other first responders and did what they always do which was save as many people as they could.  Athena did an awesome job saving drivers who were trapped on the freeway.

The ladder truck explosion in 2x18 “This Life We Choose” was shocking and when the residents of L.A. helped the first responders lift the truck off of Buck’s leg, it illustrated how both the city’s residents and its’ first responders can work together during a crisis.

Season 3

The Tsunami that started at the end of 3x1 “Kids Today” but continued through 3x3 “The Searchers” was ABSOLUTELY THE BEST EMERGENCY 9-1-1 has aired to date.  It was magnificent, thrilling, exciting, heartbreaking and shocking because it had everything.  The audience was able to see the water rise and watch as it consumed everything that was in its path within a matter of seconds.  All of the main characters had an instrumental storyline that affected them, their families and the residents of L.A.  The Tsunami was the STORYLINE and the way it affected the mains determined their individual storylines along with the plots that were included within them.

The apartment fire in 3x16 “The One That Got Away” was one of the most exciting fires the 118 had been dispatched to and they all worked together to save everyone they could, including Buck and Eddie who jumped from the building next door so that Buck could do a rope rescue to save Gladys.

The train wreck in 3x18 “What’s Next?” was another chilling and realistic emergency that lasted the entire episode and it kept every member of the 118 working feverishly to save as many lives as they could.

Season 4

The dam break in 4x1 “The New Abnormal” resulted in a city bus being pushed by the water into the side of an office building which was interesting to see since it’s not an everyday occurrence.  The 118 was dispatched and Bobby risked his life to save a young man who was hesitant to get off the bus.

The drunk driver in 4x9 “Blindsided” caused a massive car pile-up on the freeway that injured and killed a lot of motorists.  The emergency was realistic and heartbreaking because car accidents are not uncommon.

Season 5

The hospital fire in 5x8 “Defend in Place” kept the audience on the edge of their seats especially when Buck, Eddie and other firefighters saved the babies from the nursery.  It was also informative for audience members who didn’t know that one of a fire captain’s commands includes “Defend in Place”. 

The Dispatch Center fire in 5x16 “May Day” was thrilling and it also included some moments where audience members had to hold their breaths especially after the roof fell on top of Bobby and May.  The 118 came in to save their captain and his daughter and Eddie got his answer from God to return to firefighting.

Season 6

The collapsed walkway in 6x2 “Crash and Learn” during the Happiness Convention was exciting but it could have been better if more than just the 118 had been dispatched to the call.  In previous seasons for big emergencies, there were always several firehouses on the scene similar to the way it was in 3x16 and 4x5 “Buck Begins”.

The lab explosion at Karen’s job in 6x6 “Tomorrow” was also exciting but the scene that included Karen calling 9-1-1 wasn’t even in the episode.  It was included at the end of 6x5 “Home Invasion” which means anyone who missed 6x5 also didn’t get to see the aftermath which took place inside of the lab that directly followed the explosion.

Lackluster Emergencies

The blimp emergency in 6x1 “Let the Games Begin” was BORING and that’s a shame because it really had the potential to be great.

The show promoted it via their promotional poster like there was going to be a lot of damage to the stadium and possibly some injuries that would have resulted from the crash BUT THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN.

The wildfire that was teased in the promo for 6x9 “Red Flag” turned out to be a small brush fire that didn’t require an entire firehouse to be present to extinguish it.  The audience expected more but the fire was over in a few seconds and that’s a shame since it was the only fire the 118 fought during that half of the season.  The lab explosion in 6x6 had several small fires but they weren’t big fires like the ones that were included in 3x16, 5x8 or 5x16.

The issue associated with the lack of exciting emergencies in 6A could be attributed to the show no longer identifying emergencies as storylines the way they have done in the past.  The show changed the format and started treating emergencies like plot devices while giving season long storylines to one main character (related post) and in the process they’ve sacrificed attracting more viewers and stopped trying to retain their current ones.  Main characters’ storylines are decided then emergencies are included as an afterthought to force the NARRATIVE for a character’s arc so that it will go in a specific direction even if it doesn’t make sense.  An example of the format includes THE BLACKOUT that began in 5x1 “Panic” and ran through 5x3 “Desperate Measures”.  The emergency had the potential to be great but it fell flat with the audience because there were too many characters’ storylines added to force different narratives.  The hacker plot was added to give TayKay something to do ONSCREEN to prevent her from being seen as just “Buck’s girlfriend” which was completely unnecessary since she was a recurring character and not a main.  Also Jeffrey���s escape was added to the emergency so that Athena’s storyline, which had been practically forgotten since 3x17 “Powerless”, could be resolved even though it really wasn’t.  The blackout should have been the MAIN FOCUS for those three episodes but it wasn’t and that’s why it didn’t work.  The same thing is true for the “brush fire” that was promoted like it was going to be a “wildfire” in 6x9 “Red Flag” since the 118 were wearing their wildfire gear and it fell flat with the audience too just like the blimp emergency did because it was used as a plot device for Bobby’s 6B storyline since the fire was started as a possible coverup for Wendell’s murder.  The fire wasn’t huge and there wasn’t a need for all those firefighters to be present to put it out.  Actually, A-shift could have extinguished it all by themselves.  The Santa Ana winds were supposed to play a big part in the fire but it didn’t which left the audience feeling like ‘What was that? and Was that it?” when the episode ended.  Aside from the lab explosion which included several small fires in 6x6, it was one of the only fires the 118 fought this season and neither of those were on the same scale as previous fires that have been featured on the show.  Is the show suffering from budget constraints?  That’s a possibility since not only are the emergencies lackluster but the storylines have also taken a turn towards being anything other than mediocre.

In the real world, all emergencies are important but when a TV show captivates and grows its’ audience based on its BIG season premier emergencies along with more episode-based emergencies during the season, only to abruptly stop doing them, the audience is left feeling underwhelmed.  Even though there are emergencies included in almost every episode, 9-1-1 is a TV show about First Responders which means they should be responding to emergencies that are exciting, interesting and relatable.  No one wants to see a woman’s next door neighbor crawling through an underground tunnel so they can continue their love affair every time her husband leaves for work like the emergency that was included at the beginning of 6x2.  Hopefully in 6B the decision makers will go back to using the format that worked to keep the audience engaged because if they don’t, it’s likely they will lose even more viewers only to suffer the same fate as so many other TV shows have when they lost their way after being on the air for several years.

[madaboutmunson]

Again - Part 8

Part 1 | Part  7 | Part 9 | Full list of Again series links inc AO3 Link

Steddie fic where Steve and Eddie are in their mid 30's and everyone has sort of drifted apart

Taglist: @adaed5 @grtwdsmwhr @swimmingbirdrunningrock @mightbeasleep

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Crisis averted, the food was doing great, Steve had checked the safety of the hoop by hanging off it, probably more times than he needed to, but he just wanted to make sure. Steve dribbles the ball around the perimeter of the practice area. Lengthwise, it was just shy of half a court. Jenny had deemed a full court too excessive for their needs at the point they got it installed, and though they had the space out here, she'd been right. The kids only used it for shooting practice and a little one-on-one, never a full game. On his second go-round, he picks up speed and, once complete, turns onto the 3-point line and takes a few shots. A few suck and a few make it. He wasn't at his best anymore, but he could remember enough drills from practice to help Morgan. If he needed any help, that is. The kid could be a natural.

Beans barks, pauses and barks again, letting Steve know there are what she deems strangers approaching the house. He secretly smiles happily before reaching to open the door. About to take the first step into something he thought would never happen again. He wasn't alone in inviting someone else to see his sanctum. Eddie had parked his right outside. Though this would be the first time Eddie would see a genuinely Steve home, not a showroom, not a reflection of his parents, not someone he thinks he should be. That was exciting and worrying at the same time. What if he didn't like who Steve was? What if he was too much compared to before, when he was barely anything? He switches his focus inward to outward and marvels at the motorhome through the now-open door. Beans sits eagerly at his heel, looking up at him, waiting for permission to sniff the very essence from these non-Harringtons. It looked like a reasonably new model, a Hurricane, it said on the side, which someone and Steve could likely guess who had written "Rock you like a" above it. Steve can't repress the smile that breaks when he reads it. Eddie liked to do that where he could, use something else to break the ice for him.

Something louder than himself always hits you before Eddie does, and if you're lucky and patient, he will peel back all the other layers for you. It wasn't a facade for Eddie, though. It was just a crutch. Blast you with his loudness before he'd ever show you his quieter, softer side. He’s prodding and testing you to deem you worthy and safe. Steve wonders if he'll get there again this time or if that version of Eddie is long gone. Steve sighs and decides to focus on something much easier to stumble through the analysis of. The RV looked roomy, and the glimpse of the seat as Eddie jumped down from it seemed comfortable, but more than anything, it screamed something that eluded Steve. Freedom. He wasn't so much tied down by his family, work, bills, or ties as other people. On paper, Steve could get his own and do just that, tour the country, but he also couldn't. Even thinking about it set his stomach into an uncomfortable churn. Home. That's where he belongs.

Eddie pushes his aviators into his hair and splays his arms at the motorhome. "My moving castle!" he says enthusiastically with a huge beaming grin, which Steve mirrors like a reflex, "Glad you've got a big driveway, Harrington. She's a whole lotta woman," he says, patting the vehicle. Morgan emerges in a complete basketball kit similar to Corey's, and Eddie falls in next to him, walking towards Steve. It's clear from his outfit Eddie has no intention of playing any kind of sport today unless that sport, of course, would be trying to wedge anything into one of his pockets. Those jeans were an unholy level of tightness from the hips to the knee, and then just casually flared out a little at the bottom like the rest of them wasn't causing an all-out riot in Steve's mind. He was ever grateful for Eddie's slashed arm t-shirt, the lower hem of which swayed at his hip as he moved, revealing that these jeans were so low-slung they were never meant to grace a waist. Any more snug of a fit top might have rendered Steve useless. He tries not to think about the scars underneath it.

"Hey, guys!" Steve smiles and waves, "Just stay right there, please. Sorry about this. We have a process" he nods towards the very serious-looking mass of fur next to him. Now Morgan looks incredibly nervous, but Eddie rolls his eyes with a smile. "Everything ok, Morgan? Are you scared of dogs? You can say, don't worry about that. She's a good girl. If asked, she'll keep her distance”.

"Oh, er, it's not that, er, Sir, it's um…." Morgan struggles over his words.

Eddie shakes his head, "Look, I'm eager actually to get in the house, so allow me. Morgan here is worried about the dog not liking him."

Morgan sighs and explains in a forlorn tone, "They just don't like me sometimes. Maybe because my mom has a bunch of cats or something, I guess, or maybe it's my washing powder, I don't know." Though he has been trying to hold it in, Eddie lets a laugh spill out, and Morgan frowns deeply at him. "It's not funny, man. People think you're evil if their dog doesn't like you," Morgan whines.

Steve tries to hide his own laughter at how adorable this kid is but empathises with him that Eddie is openly teasing him, "You know Eddie, Morgan's right. Dogs can tell if you fit or not, and their opinion affects the whole house."

Eddie stops chuckling, and for a moment, a glimmer of worry appears on his face, but it quickly falls into a narrowing of his eyes and a half smile, indicating he is onto Steve's game.

"Beans, Check," Steve says to Beans, who approaches Morgan first because he's nearest. She circles him a few times, sniffling him all over. Then she moves to Eddie and does the same. Finally, she sits beside Morgan and looks up at him, and he returns the glance down. Beans pads her feet several times on the driveway, her tongue falls out the side of her mouth, and her tail beats hard against the ground. "Well, Beans has selected her favourite. Come on in." Steve chirps.

Morgan gives Steve and Beans a big smile, which she immediately takes as an invite and jumps up, so her paws are on his shoulders. Morgan instinctively puts his arms out to ensure she doesn't fall back and gets a lick up the side of his face for his effort before she drops back to the floor and walks back into the house. 

"Oh no, absolutely not!" Eddie exclaims with his hands on his hips, "Get her to check again!"  Morgan shakes his head at him, and now he mirrors back the smugness Eddie had exhibited moments ago. The tilt of his head that makes his shoulder-length dirty blonde hair fall to the side as he smirks over at Eddie is a stance so very reminiscent of the man he's aiming it at.

"D'awww, You want Beans to tell you you're not the favourite twice?" This is the first time Steve has seen Morgan exhibit this kind of playful confidence around Eddie, and it makes him think of his kids and how they sass him often, but he loves it because that means he's done a good job. His kids are comfortable around him, and it seems Eddie had cultured the same environment for Morgan. Steve's heart beats a little harder, transferring all his fondest memories with his kids to Eddie and Morgan. He wishes he could have seen that. They must have been excellent parents to raise a good kid like him. Steve steps out and puts a friendly hand on Morgan's shoulder.

"She's never been wrong so far, Eddie, sorry", Steve smiles a little smugly at the exasperated metalhead, "Come on in," Steve says, waving them into the house. Morgan heads in first and looks around before finding a spot on the couch, where he is immediately joined by Beans sitting next to him. As Eddie walks past, he pokes his head around the door, checks where Morgan is, and then takes a step back to pause in front of Steve. His bottom lip pushes out a little in thought as he looks Steve up and down.

"Well, maybe she's not the big dog I'm after the favour of today," He says quietly, but that rasp in his voice is still very present, and Steve bites his lips together like he's afraid of what might fall out of his mouth. At first, he thought it might be words, but when Eddie reaches out to play with the lower hem of Steve's shirt, he thinks it might have actually been his tongue, "Little more overdressed for basketball than I remember, Steve" a smirk appears on Eddie's face before he looks back up to Steve's eyes, with that insane level of confidence. It's your turf, Steve. His brain helpfully reminds himself as he huffs out a laugh, which also helps release the breath he'd been holding.

"You know, I was only thinking about some of our old sports gear earlier, and I'm honestly deeply concerned." Eddie laughs at Steve's revelation causing his eyes to twinkle, and if he wasn't on the flat of the front doorstep, Steve might have lost his balance and dove headfirst into them. Instead, a surge of courage runs through Steve, and he gives Eddie the same once-over treatment. "At least one of us had to move into a looser fitting wardrobe," Steve says gently, smiling, and for a second, he thinks he has Eddie on the ropes, his surprised expression and blinking big eyes, until, of course, that confident smile spreads across his face. He sways into Steve's space a little more. God, they were so close now. Steve gulps down his nervousness.

"Oh, you noticed?" Eddie's hand clasps onto his belt buckle, and shamefully, Steve's eyes follow, "I was beginning to think skipping breakfast to squeeze into them hadn't even been worth it" he tilts his head at Steve, whose eyes are back where they should be—entirely lost in Eddie's. The silence between them makes Steve's pulse boom in his ears, accelerating, urging him to mirror this space invasion.

"Oh my god, gross!" Corey complains. Eddie's head swivels towards him, and Steve's body relaxes.

"Corey, Eddie. Eddie, Corey. You've met before, not that you'd probably recall, being absorbed in your Gameboy at the time," Steve says, pretending to be slightly annoyed.

Eddie salutes Corey, "Cyborg", he dubs him with a smile as he steps inside, throwing a wink over his shoulder at Steve as he does.

Then Steve finally steps inside, "Corey, Morgan. Morgan, Corey" At the sound of his name Morgan and Beans turn towards Steve at the same time, and Steve has to hold back his laughter again because they both have the same vacant expression on their faces.

Morgan gets out of his seat to shake Corey's hand, but Corey takes a step back to look up at him and smiles hugely. "You're good, man. How tall are you exactly?”

“Uh, 5’9” last I checked”, Morgan answers.

“Awesome. Wanna go warm up?” Corey asks with a mischievous grin on his face.

Morgan is about to agree when Steve stops him, "Remember what I told you, Cor! Play nice!" It earns him an eye roll from his son, who waves Morgan towards the outside, "Morgan, don't let him push you around. Let me know if he starts getting feisty out there."

"Come on, man. Let's go already!" Corey complains with his hands on his hips at the sliding glass doors to the backyard, and Morgan follows him out.

Steve turns to Eddie, "He'll be ok. Corey is currently having a tough time with his height. I keep telling him he's got tons of time to grow, but for now, he just has a vendetta slash obsession with kids taller than him."

"Stretch will be fine. He's kinda used to it" then Eddie gets distracted by his surroundings, "So this is the Harrington abode, huh?"

"Not what you were expecting?" Steve says, motioning into the kitchen, "Coffee?" He offers pleasantly as if the unknown of Eddie's thoughts wasn't coiling up his insides into an impossible knot.

"Please!" Eddie enthuses at the offer of something caffeinated, "Yeah, you could say it wasn't what I was expecting", his voice getting louder and quieter, meaning he's turning around in the living room, investigating the bookshelves and such. Steve pours the coffee into two identical mugs and delivers one to Eddie.

"What did you expect?" Steve asks curiously, offering a mug to him, who accepts with a nod of thanks before taking another look around.

"I guess, I dunno, something about you is different from when we were younger, and I figured maybe you weren't so loaded any more. It was a dumb thought and also," he holds a hand up to his surroundings, "wildly incorrect," he smiles, "I'm glad I was wrong though" he sips his coffee and makes a noise of approval.

Steve looks confused, "You're glad I'm not poor. Is that what you're saying?"

Eddie thinks for a second, "I'm glad you didn't have to struggle through life, that's all" he gives Steve that soft blink and smile of fondness that translates his words only to have the best intentions. This gentler side of Eddie thrilled Steve as much as his intensity at the door. Sure, flirtation had its merits but combined with being cared about and loved, now that was something he yearned for so deeply. This is what made Eddie so very dangerous, he could do both, but he could also leave, like the last time. He was both mallet and velvet padded case to Steve's heart of glass.

"I'm glad you're doing so well for yourself too. Please don't take this the wrong way. I always knew you had tons of talent and ambition, but your national business and Morgan, for starters…I wouldn't have guessed that in a million years for you. I feel like there is so much I don't know about you again," Steve says with a smile, finally revealing a deep truth in a shallow way.

"Ever the enigma, huh?" Eddie chuckles, "What did you think I'd be doing?" His big brown eyes focus on Steve from the mug's rim as he lifts it to take a drink.

"Going on the last bits of information I had on you, I was surprised not to have seen you on a magazine cover or a late-night talk show. You always seemed destined for something else, something so much beyond the everyday grind, you know. I couldn't see anything less for you." Steve answers, looking out of the backyard window, lost in his thoughts a little. It's true that until the library, the last time he'd seen Eddie was in those engagement pictures, and he looked every bit a rockstar, as did his fiancé. Then Steve got so absorbed in his attempts to forget Eddie and his own life that he stopped asking their mutual friends about him. It was painful then, and he was pursuing something else with Jenny, something he could succeed at, not chasing after a guy who had just gotten up one morning and left him. Left him was a bit dramatic. They were never together, not like an item, not really, never even kissed. It might have been close a few times, but Hawkins, Indiana, in the eighties might not have been the ideal place to feel safe exploring those things. It wasn't entirely clear to Steve if Eddie had felt the same, had been high, vulnerable, or just confused when they were younger. He seemed to have no confusion right now.

Eddie was definitely flirting with him, but Steve needed to figure out what his end game was and who he was dealing with these days. Was Eddie simply out to tick a box? Was he even monogamous? That was a new question to ask on the modern dating scene, as Steve had found out. Shit, Steve didn't even actually know if he was single. Their limited interactions at the library still showed he had that sweetness about him, especially for others, but fifteen years can do a lot to a person. When you still looked the way Eddie did in your mid-thirties and had his confidence, maybe sweetness wasn't required in what he wanted to achieve relationship-wise, especially when you moved around so much. 

Steve thinks back on the last few years of attempts at dating, and honestly, if Robin had popped up one day with her old scoops ahoy whiteboard, the tally from 1985 wouldn't have been way off the mark. Sometimes the online profiles and the people you'd meet up with were wildly different, not just in looks but in their whole personalities. Steve had met a few people at evening hobby classes, and it was either they were more into him than he was into them, or vice versa, and lastly, the one-night stands, too many to mention honestly. Often Steve had gone home with them either out of pity because he wasn't going to ask them out again or because the other person had wanted the same thing he had in that desperate moment. Steve just couldn't seem to get it right. He couldn't help but wonder what shape of failing this whole Eddie thing might result in.

A single sharp bark brings Steve back into the room.

"Uh, sorry about that", he immediately apologises to Eddie, who doesn't look the slightest bit phased this time when he turns to face him. He's just drinking his coffee, looking at Steve with endearment, and this time Steve tells him, "I just, er, zone out sometimes, but it's not dangerous or anything. It's just when im-" he covers quickly to reassure Eddie he wasn't a hazard to anyone.

"When you're thinking about things? You get tangled in them, huh?" He asks so gently that it makes Steve look away to the floor bashfully.

"Yeah, something like that," he says, still looking at the floor, pushing his hair behind his ear. Then, finally, he takes a breath and tries to get back to normal mode, "We should get out there. I'm sure they're fine, but I said I'd help, so…" he trails off but just his words this time, his brain only really has one thing on its mind right now, and he feels like it's going to burst out of him, and it does, "You know I'm really looking forward to us spending some non-kid time together. I feel like I know you, but I also don't. Does that make sense? Sorry, I said that already, right?" He laughs a little at the rushed jumble of words that just left his mouth as he searches Eddie's face for understanding, whose smile just broadens, and he nods.

"Me too. I've been trying to think of someplace to go, but I don't know what you like these days. I was gonna just ask, but I thought that was kinda lame. You know, not surprising you with somewhere? Then I thought about what day would be best and…” Eddie huffs out a laugh and shakes his head, and it’d like he switches modes. “So, what day do the kids go to their Mom's house?" Eddie says with one of those small steps forward into his space again. He was such a duality. His words, to begin with, had been a little on the unsure, vulnerable side. His cute worries about Steve thinking his approach was lame, like a teenager. But then switching to all the eagerness of an adult who was very aware that time waits for no man, and when was the first opportunity they could be alone together. Steve tilts his head curiously at Eddie for a moment. Eddie's words repeat through Steve's thoughts again. Was this a date? Or at least not just a typical platonic hangout that Eddie had in mind? It felt that way, but Steve isn't sure about it, so he doesn't ask.

Steve clears his throat, "Ah, well, they go back Sunday, but I won't be back until late because I normally have dinner with Jenny, Val and the kids" Steve recognises the computing look on Eddie's face, "Jenny being my ex-wife, Val being her boyfriend, but honestly he's basically her husband." Eddie gives him a sympathetic smile, and Steve tries to fix it, "It's alright, you know, he's good at it…being a husband to Jenny. It's good. Honestly, the kids get on well with him. I'm really lucky." Steve sprinkles on the pep in his voice to assure Eddie that none of this made Steve resentful or upset. Steve taps his cup a few times and sets it down "You know, I don't think my likes have changed all that much.” he says giving Eddie a brief smile before clearing his throat again. “Shall we?" He waves his hand in front of him for Eddie to exit out back first and falls into step next to him, guiding him over the little grassy hill to the practice area.

[babbushka]

I’m so excited to be able to request this finally 😍 So I’m a simp for Detective Zimmerman (as we all are Lol) I’m dying for a soft NSFW post 🤩 Foreheads touching, holding hand during the act, sweet affirmation, etc. I know you’ve got a lot of work happening for you at the moment but if you ever got around do doing something like that I’d die a happy girl 😍😵 P.s I love you and your work ✨❤️

Anonymous said:  Hello Mrs.Zimmerman 🌷A very happy new year to you! (Hopefully this year is kinder to us all) May I request for Flip : new beginnings, midnight & dreams with some domestic soft fluff as you do best with our one and only favorite lumberjack.

Anonymous said:  Hey Mrs Z! I hope 2021's treating you alright so far. So I know a lot of the time Flip is written as Very Dom™, but I just really wanna dom the shit out of the guy, idk what it is about him. Could you possibly do some sub!flip goodness?

(1.1k, cw: discussions of children/wanting a baby; fluff & NSFW [very snuggly sex])

Flip wasn’t sure what kind of bullshit it was that he was paying for a suite and he wasn’t even allowed to smoke in it, but he sure as shit wants to complain to someone about it as he wraps the plush robe around himself out on the balcony. The ski lodge way up in the Colorado mountains was booked solid for New Year’s, and he figures he should be glad he was able to get a suite at all, grateful he could surprise you with a little getaway to ring in the big 1-9-7-5.

And he is grateful, he just really fuckin’ hates that he can’t smoke inside or else he’ll get fined for it, so onto the balcony at midnight in the freezing fuckin’ cold he is. He finishes his cigarette quickly, the drags burning his lungs in that comforting way that he needs right now, quieting the jitters in his veins. When he’s done, he stubs the butt out in the ashtray, and lets out a little huff of laughter when he goes back inside and sees the state that you’re in.

“Well don’t you look cozy.” Flip teases, letting his chilled robe fall to the floor, trying to work out how you’ve managed to cocoon yourself in all these sheets and blankets.

“I warmed your side up real nice for you.” A hand emerges from the depths of the blankets, and you reach for him with grabby hands, wanting him close. “C’mere, come kiss me.”

“I like when you’re bossy.” Flip’s pulse pounds in his throat, he wants to be close to you too.

“I know, that works out pretty well then that I’m the boss, doesn’t it.” You’re cheeky, so cheeky, and he licks across his teeth with a dark glimmer of lust and love in his eye, and agrees;

“Yeah, it does.”

He manages to find a way into the blankets, and at once, he’s yielding to you.

His lips find yours, mouths moving against one another with eyes closed there in the dark and quiet of your suite, hands exploring and caressing one another’s bodies. You whine in the back of your throat, and Flip rolls himself on top of you, knowing what you want after what feels like a lifetime of fucking you and learning everything about those noises that you make.

He knows what you want, what you like, and his cock throbs with the thought of giving it to you. All he ever wants to do, really, is give it to you.

“Slow, I wanna feel you.” You whisper against his mouth when he kisses you, and something in his brain trips up, goes into overdrive, wants to please.

“Yes, anything,” He groans, his cock already filling out and nudging against your pussy, already pushing his way in, “Anything honey-bunny.”

Flip yanks some of the covers up over your heads, encapsulating you both in a bubble of your own. There’s a time and place for when he chokes you out and calls you a dirty whore – for this moment he can only think of how gorgeous you are as your mouth falls open, as your hand winds in his hair and pushes his head closer to yours, as your bodies move in time together under the covers.

“Fuck that’s good Flip – oh!” You laugh, and that’s one of Flip’s favorite sounds, when you laugh during sex, when he surprises you with how good he makes you feel, even though you’ve been doing this for years and years, “Yeah, right there, oh good boy.”

The praise goes straight to his cock, and he can’t help but be overwhelmed with love for you, as his hips grind against yours, as your heart beats in your cunt.

“IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou,” He just has to tell you, he has to start the year off by letting you know, as if you could ever forget – he doesn’t want you to forget.

“I’m – I’m gonna come, touch me,” You’re too sleepy to keep it up for much longer, and Flip knows that, it’s late after all, you were really only staying up because you don’t like to be asleep when Flip’s awake, gasping against his mouth, “You and your big fuckin’ hands.”

Flip’s hand drops to your clit immediately, and you both come together with a big of a weak groan of pleasure, a little laugh of bliss bubbling up from between your lips.

Keeping your bodies linked together, he rolls you onto your sides under the covers. He’s so pressed up against you that he could cry, your heads sharing one pillow, foreheads pressed together, noses rubbing.

“How’d a guy like me ever get a girl like you, hm?” Flip whispers, vulnerable in a way that he isn’t very often.

Your hand reaches out to cup and caress his cheek, and he turns to kiss your palm.

“Don’t go sayin’ that, I’m the lucky one.” You beam, a little sweaty and very sleepy. “I get to wake up to this handsome man every day? Jackpot.”

“Tell me one of your resolutions.” Blushing, Flip continues to kiss your palm, kisses the tips of your fingers, “Tell me what you want.”

“I want another baby.” You surprise him by saying, making his eyebrows shoot up.

The idea of having more kids had always been in the back of his mind, but he wasn’t sure that you’d ever agree to it. You’ve got two together, a happy toddler and an itty bitty baby back at home, being babysat by Flip’s Ma.

“Another one?” Flip keeps blushing, feeling like this is all one big dream he’s having. “Are you sure your hands aren’t full with the snuggle bugs we got already?”

“I’m more than sure, I think they need a little brother or sister.” You bite at your lip, eyes big and hopeful.

“I have been wanting to trade the family car in for something bigger…” Flip playfully teases, and you throw your arms around his shoulders and hug him tight.

“Really?” Beaming at him, your cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

“Really really ketsl.” Flip kisses you, sighing against your lips, “I love you so fuckin’ much.”

You gaze lovingly into one another’s eyes, snuggling together under the covers. Flip almost feels like he needs another cigarette, but your gaze grows a little more heated all of a sudden, and you make him laugh with how forward and blunt and bossy bossy bossy you are when you demand;

“I love you so much – but I’m awake now, so you better get to knockin’ me up, because I’m not leaving this resort until you do.”

[inawickedlittletown]

The New Abnormal - some thoughts

9-1-1 is back y’all. 

And I’m very happy that it is. I wasn’t going to write up a review of this episode mostly because I felt like there wasn’t much that needed to be said but I have thoughts. First, I’m so so happy to have this show back on the air. And secondly, I am pretty satisfied with this first episode. 

Spoilers under the cut:

This episode had an interesting quality to it in that we’re given some insight into what’s happened in the six months since we left the characters. And just like in the real world, everything has changed. The show had to give us just enough information to grasp at what’s happened with the characters so we learn fairly quickly that living arrangements have been a bit different. 

Chim is still staying with Buck in Buck’s apartment because he’s paranoid about being with Maddie. Maddie is with Albert. We also hear that at one point Eddie and Hen were both away from their kids/family but have since returned back home. Bobby and Athena remained together with May and Harry and grew an herb garden but that Harry has recently moved in with Michael and Michael’s doctor boyfriend (which confuses me because David is working at a hospital...so why would they want Harry to stay there?)

These small glimpses tell us that they have been affected by the pandemic just as much as we, the viewers, have. I do now have an image in my mind of Hen, Eddie, and Chim all staying in Buck’s apartment with blow up mattresses and all. Of course in my dream version of that Eddie would sneak upstairs to sleep in Buck’s bed once Hen and Chim were passed out. Hen and Chim would, out of the goodness of their hearts, keep pretending they weren’t aware of what was happening. Hen’s phone would have a whole album full of pictures that were shared in a group text that include everyone but Buck and Eddie. It would come back to bite them later. 

But, getting back to what was actually on screen:

This episode spends a lot of time with the developing emergency of the dam break. It reminds me a little of S3’s opening episode except that 4x01 isn’t quite as big. It’s a bit muted and the episode focuses on the bus through the building call and the rescue of the biker. Both are related to the dam break, but they’re also run of the mill cases for the 118. There is a lot of focus on the cases, though, and even more on the build up of the big emergency that opens this season. And to make that happen, this episode does not have a direct focus on the main cast of characters or an emotional focus. 

We get a little of everyone’s struggles. We see the Maddie and Chim issue of having moved in together and yet not living together, we have Bobby’s worry for Athena, May is worried too and taking a gap year to work as a 9-1-1 operator, and we’re introduced to the small mystery of who is Buck talking to via video call? But this is touching on the surface of the personal connections that these characters share with each other isn’t explored further in this episode. This makes sense because this episode feels like part one of the story and so not everything needs to be resolved right away. We don’t really get to see much of Hen or Eddie and we certainly don’t get to know what’s going on with them past their actions during the emergencies and even with Chim and Buck there’s only surface information. 

The episode does better when focusing on Athena which absolutely makes sense because of where Athena was left off in the last season. Athena’s struggle to return to work and having her want to take it easy and ease back into it only to have her then need to go on the streets felt so absolutely real. She’s our fierce Athena and she is struggling and yet so strong and resilient and then she’s caught up in the emergency and oh boy does 9-1-1 know how to hook you into wanting another episode immediately. 

The episode does give some focus to the people involved in the emergencies. CJ who is precious and must be protected. And Janelle who’s story is just heartbreaking in light of everything going on in the world. 9-1-1 sure knows how to make you care about one-off characters but the flashbacks leading up to her unfortunate bike ride really paints a picture of what this pandemic has done.  

Overall, I do like the way they’re handling the covid aspects even if it’s easy to tell that the use of masks makes some shots inconsistent and that the characters removing their masks constantly to speak/act with their whole faces is kind of funny but I guess necessary for the show. I think they’ve set up the dam break really well and that the episode is woven together really well in terms of how they develop the story they’re telling in particular to Athena but the emergency as a whole. I’m excited to see where this goes and how the rest of the season develops. 

Like everyone else, I am very curious about Buck’s “covid crush” and what that will mean in future episodes because it’s clear that not all seems straight forward with this and because we have Buck Begins coming up soon and what I expect to be lots of angst. I am so glad this show is back and can’t wait to see where it takes us.

[mazerunnersecretsanta]

IT’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN: TMR SECRET SANTA 2019!! We know it feels like summer’s still going strong, but nevertheless, it’s time to get our secret santa going again!

Welcome, tmr fans old and new, to our TMR Secret Santa 2019!

Last year’s tmrss was so much fun and we’re so excited to run it again! Can’t wait to see all kinds wonderful tmr content emerge from it - fanfic, fanart, gifsets, manips/edits, fanvids… Just the kind of gift exchange we like to see!

You may be familiar with Secret Santas and how they work but, just in case, here is what will be happening:

Sign up for the Secret Santa by filling out our sign-up form. The information you give us in your sign-up form will be the deciding factor in both what kind of gift you’re going to create and what kind of gift you’re going to receive, so please make sure you read and fill it in carefully! You can specify favourite characters and ships etc. - or any that you don’t want to be featured in your gift, or don’t want to create for yourself.

You will then be matched with a giftee, for whom you will create your gift, according to their own Secret Santa wishes :))

Once you have finished making your gift, you will submit it to us via email or, if necessary, via a file sharing platform.

We will post all the gifts on this blog during the week running between Christmas Day (25th Dec) to New Year’s Eve (31st Dec) for your recipient (and for the fandom) to enjoy. Have fun perusing all the beautiful new content and, if you like, making your guesses, but please maintain secrecy, that’s part of the fun!

The big Secret Santa reveal will take place on 5th Jan, when we will post a list of all the Santas involved and tell you who created which gift.

After that, you’re free to post the gift you created anywhere else (your own tumblr, your lj etc.).

——————————————————————————

Now, we all love a good deadline, so here is the timeline for the Secret Santa:

2nd September - Signups are now open!

25th September - Signups close

14th October - Secret Santa assignments sent out

15th December - Gifts due in

25th December - Gifts start being posted on our blog

5th January - the Big Secret Santa Reveal!

       ——————————————————————————

This is going to be so fun! We’d love to have lots of tmr fans getting together to brighten our fandom and each other’s festive periods with these gifts, so please sign up, share, reblog, tell your friends – however you want to do it, tell your friends and spread the word :D Let’s show tmr some love!

If you want to be a part of the exchange, but are unsure whether you’ll be able to commit, then there are options to become either a Pinch Hitter (someone who makes a gift, possibly at short notice, if a santa drops out or is otherwise unable to complete their gift) or a Beta Reader - details about this can be found here.

You can find more info, and the rules and guidelines, in the top bar on our main page, and make sure to follow this blog so you can keep up to date with all the latest news and announcements.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions! :)

Have fun!!!!

Dreams and Bridge 🎅🎁 P.s. A huge thank you to @viclouis for designing and making our lovely festive blog header and icon again this year!!

[collapsingintojupiter]

Sunshine and Storm Clouds: Chapter 9

Chapter 1  Chapter 1.5  Chapter 2  Chapter 3  Chapter 4  Chapter 5  Chapter 6  Chapter 7  Chapter 8 

Hey guys, I’m back! Sorry I disappeared for a while back there, some stuff happened that I had to deal with but not I’m back! And that means another episode of SASC for y’all. ^^

Enjoy.

Characters: Roman, Deceit, Virgil, Logan, (baby!) Patton.

Pairings: Analogical, and implied possible Romile (Roman x Emile)

Warnings: Villain Deceit/Sympathetic Deceit, Cursing, and I don’t think anything else? Let me know if I should add something though. 

Type: Lotta fluff and comedy for y’all, with a smidgen of angst. 

___

“Have you bought Patton a single outfit that’s any color but blue?” Virgil and Logan exchanged somewhat amused glances while Patton scribbled on a blank paper in front of him in...you guessed it, blue. Logan shrugged. 

“It’s what he likes, Remy.”

“But it’s boring,” The one in shades complained, leaning dramatically back in his chair. “It’s no fun this way…”

“You do better, then,” Virgil rolled his eyes and smiled just a little. “You think we can’t dress Patton, then you do a better job.”

Remy almost choked on his coffee when he heard that, and when he discovered that breathing was in fact something he could do he burst out laughing, nearly spilling his cup as he slapped his coffee mug down on the table. 

“Don’t spill that on our table,” Logan groaned. 

“You know what?” Remy said after a moment, ignoring Logan’s complaint. “The challenge is on. I’ll be back tomorrow with Roman to pick him up. You hear that, Patton?” He glanced at the little boy, who smiled at him when he heard his name called.

“Excellent,” Logan stated, nodding his head. “Virgil needs to sleep, he’ll have work tomorrow night.”

“It’s not that big of a deal,” Virgil muttered. “I could come…”

“Absolutely you can not,” Remy said, at the same time Logan gave him a sharp look. 

“You need rest,” he told his husband, nudging his shoulder so that Virgil turned and looked at him. He raised an eyebrow, and the two stared at each other before Virgil finally rolled his eyes and looked away with a huff. 

“Alright, whatever. I’ll sleep...I guess.”

“Good.” Logan nodded and Virgil glanced out the kitchen window, then suddenly his head swiveled around towards Remy, eyes turning dark with anger. His friend noticed his change in demeanor immediately, and frowned. 

“Virgil, what’s wrong?” he asked, following his gaze to the window. Logan frowned as well, though unlike Remy he knew exactly what Virgil was looking at and why it had caused the sudden shift in behavior. 

“Do you want to tell him?” he asked Virgil, his voice softer than before. Remy opened his mouth, then closed it again when Logan glared at him. 

“I…” Virgil looked down and let out a long sigh, before his gaze shifted to Remy again. “Um…” he sighed again. “Dee’s back.”

“That scumbag’s what!?” Remy snarled, his face suddenly snapping from a look of concern to one of pure fury as he whipped around to look back out the window. “You can’t be serious, not after…”

“I can assure you, he is,” Logan said with a sigh. 

“And worse,” Virgil muttered, “I think he may be after Roman.”

The chair squealed in protest as Remy abruptly stood from it, slamming his hands into the table with a surprising amount of force given he did little more than drink and make coffee most days. Patton jumped back and into Virgil’s arms, and Remy glanced at him with something apologetic in his gaze before he looked out the window again. 

“That...that cretin…” Remy hissed, glaring at the house outside as if that alone could make Dee disappear and never come back. He wished it would. Virgil knew he did. 

Not that that could do anything. 

“I...I need to calm down.” Remy shook his head and looked at Patton, then started for the door. “I’ll be back tomorrow.” Logan and Virgil silently watched him go, exchanging glances as the door slammed shut behind him and his tense form disappeared into his car a few seconds later.  

“He took that even worse than I thought he would,” Logan said haltingly after a moment. “He even left his coffee behind….I--I suppose understand why he is as angry as he is though…” He looked at his husband and sighed. “Are you okay?” 

Virgil blinked, then slowly looked over. “I...I don’t know…” he said quietly. He looked shaken. “I haven’t seen Remy that angry in a long time…”

“Do you want to go sit down on the couch? I’ll make some tea and we could watch something, to help you calm down.”

“Uh...s-sure…” Virgil gently picked Patton up, getting his crayons and paper before bringing him into the living room where he set the items down on the coffee table. Patton started playing with the crayons and Virgil curled up on the couch, watching him, part of him wishing that he could disappear into his hoodie and just...stop existing. The thought sounded nice sometimes, just fading from reality and into the cold and uncaring nothingness of nonexistence. 

Virgil blew out a sigh and tried to focus on the smell of tea that was beginning to come from the kitchen; on Logan as he brought the steaming mugs over to them; on the space documentary he started and the soft blankets Logan pulled over them and the weight of Patton in his lap and Logan’s embrace resting gently around his shoulder. 

And it was hard, but steadily he was able to pull himself into reality, casting aside his anxious thoughts and giving only Logan, only Patton his attention. 

He was really lucky to have them. 

---

The next day, Remy was at the door as promised, with a curious and somewhat-excited Roman by his side. Virgil opened the door and without a word Remy stepped forward, wrapping his arms around him. Virgil tensed for a second, then relaxed in his friend’s hold, hugging him back after a moment. 

“I apologize for yesterday,” Remy whispered in his ear. “And don’t you worry, I’ll do what I can to help Roman. I won’t let Dee take him, okay?”

“Thanks Remy,” Virgil whispered back. “That’s...that’s all I could ask for.”

“I get ya...he’s a special kid…” Remy suddenly pulled back as if nothing odd had occurred, looking over Virgil’s shoulder into the house. 

“Now!” he exclaimed, grinning. “Where’s my favorite nephew?” Virgil smiled a little and looked down, and Remy followed his gaze to where Patton stood by his father’s side, gripping his pantlegs in his little hands. 

“Hey Sunshine!” Roman said cheerfully, kneeling down in front of Patton and holding his hands out. “How are ya doing today, bud? Ready to go shopping? Remy says we’re taking you shopping.” Patton smiled when he saw Roman and let go of Virgil, reaching out to him and giggling happily. Roman took him carefully in his arms, standing up again beside Remy. 

“Thanks for letting us take him, s--ah, Virgil,” he said, acting as if the exchange between him and Remy (that he could hear just fine, mind you. Remy wasn’t a very quiet whisperer) had been completely normal and he wasn’t worried at all.

“You two have fun,” Virgil said, smiling at the pair ever-so slightly. “Don’t burn the town down, alright?”

“We’ll see about that.” Remy chuckled and turned away, Roman following as he heard the door click softly shut behind him. 

“So...remind me again why we’re doing this?” Roman asked. 

“Look, I might love Logan and Virgil more than Starbucks itself--don’t tell them I said that--but they have a terrible sense of fashion.” He eyed Roman down. “It’s also time I spoil you with some real clothes...ever tried retail therapy before?”

“I haven’t.” Remy glanced at him, then nodded. 

“Alright then,” Remy slid his sunglasses down from where they’d been sitting on top of his head, and if anything spelled “badass” to Roman that was it. “Just relax, and let Auntie Remy teach you all you need to know, okay?”

---

Half an hour later the pair was standing in the aisle of the children’s section of a nice clothing store; Roman with Patton on his hip and Remy with a little pumpkin Halloween costume in his hands. 

“This is adorable…” Remy said after a moment. “What do you think, Patton?” He held it up, and Patton reached for it, playing with the fabric in his hands. 

“Alright, good.” Remy put the little outfit in his cart, continuing on down the aisle. Then he suddenly stopped, and when Roman looked at him in surprise he saw a wicked grin spread across his face. 

“Oh no,” he said, grinning. “What evil plan has come to you, my lord?” Remy laughed, reaching out and tousling Roman’s hair with one hand. 

“Well, my dear dramatic child…” he paused to laugh, then composed himself. “Just...just come with me…” Roman tried to hold in a laugh of his own and ran after the older man, stopping when he did as he grabbed several items and then held them up. And then he grinned too, and they both laughed. 

“Oh Virgil’s gonna love this,” Roman said. 

---

Virgil opened his eyes when he heard his phone buzz. He’d been napping on the couch as Logan and Remy had both demanded, but as a light sleeper he was easily woken up by the noise. He reached for his phone and grabbed it, clumsily, nearly knocking it to the floor in the process. 

It was a text from Remy. He clicked on it, and his eyes went wide. 

---

Logan was in the middle of class when his phone started ringing. He glanced down at the screen, and saw that it was Virgil who was calling him. 

“I apologize, class,” he said to the kids. “I have to take this.” He grabbed his phone and answered it, putting the device to his ear as he stepped outside. 

“Virgil?” He asked. “Is this an emergency, I’m in the middle of--”

“YES, YES THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!” Virgil’s voice shouted back at him through the phone.

“What’s wrong?” Logan asked, alarmed. “Is Patton--”

“REMY GOT PATTON AN OUTFIT THAT MATCHES HIS!!” Logan stopped mid-sentence, his expression quickly becoming unreadable. 

“Virgil...I’d hardly call that--”

“THIS IS AN EMERGENCY LOGAN HE’S TOO CUTE!!” Logan let out a long sigh. This...this was why he told Virgil to sleep. 

“Why don’t you send me a picture, then? I’ll look at it la--”

“Already did! You’ve got to check it, Logan!” Logan sighed, pulling the phone away from his ear and looking at the text from Virgil. 

His jaw dropped. 

“Holy shit he’s adorable,” Logan whispered into the phone. 

“Right!?” Virgil shouted back. 

“I...I am… ‘shook,’ as they say.” He heard Virgil laugh. 

“You tried,” was all he could say before he hung up.

---

Meanwhile, Remy and Roman laughed at the messages Virgil and Logan sent them in all caps while Patton played with his sunglasses in his hands.

“Oh you’re gonna be a heart-breaker one day,” Remy told him with a chuckle, shaking his head. 

They walked out of the store a few minutes later with quite a few selections, ones that Remy had said were just “perfect” for little Patton. There were a few shirts with flowers on them, as well as a couple with little puppy and kitten faces on them. No blue; rather Remy had picked an arrangement of red and pink and yellow and purple--Remy had even gotten Patton a little purple shirt with a black jacket so he could match his Papa, and a black tee with a blue tie drawn on it so he could match his Dada. After his fathers’ reactions to the outfit that matched Remy’s, the older man had decided to save the other two so he could see how they reacted to them in person. 

They got back in the car, and Roman carefully clipped Patton into his car seat before sitting next to him in the back. 

“That was fun, yeah?” Remy asked, turning around in his seat. 

“It was,” Roman answered with a grin. “I guess I get why you call it therapy.” 

“And we’re not even done!” Remy laughed. 

“Yea--wait, what? We’re not done?”

“Course not. I’m gonna treat you as well, my boy!” Roman’s eyes widened. 

“I...but I couldn’t!” He spluttered. “I don’t want to waste your time sir, or your money! I don’t need anything--”

“--Relax, prince. I want to do this for you. I want to do this for ya cause you’re a cool kid and I like ya, alright? You’re not wasting my time, or money, because I can do whatever the hell I want with either and I chose to spend it with you. Got it?”

Roman blinked hard, sitting back in his seat and staring at Remy as he turned back around. “You...you really mean that?” he whispered. No...no those weren’t tears in the corners of his eyes...dammit, he couldn’t cry in front of him!

Remy smiled at him; fondly, sadly. 

“Let’s go get some coffee, girl. I’ll get you something you’ll like.”

“Um, okay.”

They pulled up to a Starbucks, and Roman hung out towards the back of the shop while Remy confidently approached the counter. 

“Hey gurl, how are ya today?” he asked as he approached and the barista smiled at him, taking his order and chatting with him while it was made. When Remy came back with the drinks Roman had no idea what his even was, just some weird comment he’d made about “seasonal depression” as they seated themselves to enjoy their drinks. After a moment Remy got up, returning a few minutes later with a bag in his hand. He pushed it towards Roman. 

“Try this,” he ordered. Roman hesitantly took the bag and opened it, eyes widening slightly at the delicious smell that immediately rose up to meet him. 

“What is this?”

“It’s called coffee cake. You’ll love it, trust me.”

Remy was right, Roman did love it. It was sweet and delicious and soft and gone all too fast. And Roman wasn’t sure if it was the coffee in his stomach or the look of affection resting on Remy’s face as he watched him eat, but for the first time in a long time he felt…warm inside. Truly, actually…loved, somehow. Like he mattered. Like even if he messed up or did something dumb, Remy and Logan and Virgil would somehow find a way to be there for him, to pick him back up again. 

“Thanks Remy,” he whispered as he finished the coffee, and Remy grinned at him as he gently picked up Patton from Roman’s lap and started for the car. 

“We’re not done yet.” He said. He pointed at Roman with his coffee hand, as the other was still holding Patton. “I will not stand to see you wearing that same jacket every time I see you. You’re going shopping too, my boy.”

“I...I am?”

“Retail therapy, remember?” Roman blinked as he opened the car door and sat down next to Patton’s car seat. 

“I...I guess, yeah. You sure it’s not any trouble?”

“That’s not the point, girl. It’s trouble to get coffee every morning...but is that gonna stop me?” Remy paused to slurp of the rest of his drink. “Hell no, is the correct answer. Therefore, your question is irrelevant, isn’t it?”

Roman just stared at Remy as the car started and they started driving again, unable to come up with a reply. When they parked at yet another clothing store Roman started to undo his seatbelt, but Remy stopped him before he could. 

“Nuh-uh, you’re gonna hang in here for this one. I want to surprise ya.” Remy opened the door and stepped out, leaving the car running so it would stay warm for them. “Watch Patton for me, yeah? I’ll be right back.”

“Yes sir,” Roman answered obediently, and watched the door close. Remy quickly disappeared into the building, and he found himself turning to Patton. 

“Well this is wild, huh?” Roman sighed and leaned back against his seat. Patton reached for him so he unclipped him from his car seat, settling the little boy down on his lap. 

“I can’t believe Remy’s doing this for me. It’s crazy! And you know what else, Patton?” his voice suddenly dropped to a whisper and he glanced around, making sure that nobody was around. “I...I have a secret, you know. And...and you know what...I--uh, I really want to tell your dads...but I’m scared to! I…” he suddenly broke into a laugh, shaking his head and leaning back again. 

“I don’t know why this is so embarrassing for me, Sunshine...but…” he paused and blew out a long sigh through his nose. “Alright alright...I’ll say it. I uh...I have a crush.”

Patton’s expression didn’t change. He still smiled at Roman, still played with the hoodie strings in his little hands, as if the fact that Roman, he, Roman, had a crush wasn’t the most earth-shattering thing ever. 

“His name’s Emile...ha, even his name’s cute…” Roman smiled to himself, half-closing his eyes. “He’s the sweetest person you’ve ever seen, Patton...and he has the cutest smile. He doodles a lot in class and I love his art...he thinks nobody notices but I’ve seen it…” He could feel his face turning red as he talked about it, but he continued. “He...Emile likes to wear pink a lot and...and sometimes he’ll wear little flowers behind his glasses and just...he’s adorable, Patton. Everything about him...And I want to tell him, but I’m not sure how? And what if he’s straight? What if it ruins everything? Just...ugh!” He slapped his hand across his face, then nearly hit his head on the ceiling when he suddenly heard the car door open. 

“I’m baaack!” Remy sang, swinging into the driver’s seat and dumping several plastic bags onto the seat next to him. “I think you’ll like what I got you--ah ah!” he smacked Roman’s hand away as he tried to peek in one of the bags. “You’ll get to see them when we get home.”

“Home?”

“Logan and Virgey’s house, of course!”

“Ah.” Roman grinned a little, clipping Patton back into his seat, internally thanking everything that Remy couldn’t see how red his face was. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

“Doesn’t it?” Remy started the car, and then they were on their way once more. “I can’t wait to see Logan and Virgil’s reactions when they see all the cute stuff I got for Patton...who knows, maybe I’ll even knock some fashion sense into one of ‘em…” he laughed at his own joke and shook his head, somehow managing to ramble on about fashion all the way back to Logan and Virgil’s house--that was, until they got to Mr. D’s house. 

Mr. D was standing outside when they drove past. He smiled pleasantly at Roman, but before he could respond Remy rolled his window down and flipped the other man off. 

“You stay the fuck away from my nephew, you horrible cretin!” He shouted. Mr. D didn’t answer him, only raised an eyebrow and smiled as they continued, and Roman couldn’t help the shiver that ran up his spine when he saw the look in his eyes.

“R-Remy?” Roman whispered as the other man rolled his window back up. “What was that?”

“Roman, I…” Remy stopped the car in the driveway and let out a long sigh. “Roman, I mean it when I say this, you got it? I’m being serious.” He twisted around in his seat and locked eyes with Roman, his shades for once nowhere to be seen. “Please, for your own sake, don’t ever go into Dee’s house, do you understand? I say this cause I care about you--leave him alone. Don’t talk to him. Don’t let him near you.” And then before anything else could be said he opened his door and got out.

Roman didn’t move for several seconds, then shook his head and got Patton. He couldn’t help a look over at Mr. D’s house again…he’s gone. Roman blinked, then made himself head towards the house. 

Virgil was standing on the porch in his socks, rubbing tiredly at his eyes. 

“Well look who’s--” his eyes shot wide when he saw the bags in Remy’s hands. “Remy, what the fuck!? How many…” He stared at them as Remy marched past him into the house, Roman following behind him. 

“Papa!” Patton cried when he saw Virgil, reaching out to him with his little hands. Virgil’s wide-eyed expression broke down into something of a smile, and he gently took little Sunshine in his arms before they all went inside. 

“Don’t worry, Virgey,” Remy announced as he set the bags down. “It’s not all for your boy, I made sure to spoil Roman too.”

“Don’t call me that!” Virgil hissed. But befeore he could say anything more, the front door clicked open again and Logan stepped in, blinking at the scene before him. 

“I see you’ve...had an eventful day.” he stated, glancing between Remy and Roman and his husband. “Hello, Roman.”

“Hey Mr. Sanders.” Roman waved a little. 

“Gurl! How are you?” Remy came over and embraced him, dragging Virgil into the hug when he saw the indignant look on the purple-and-black-clad father’s face. Patton laughed and reached for Logan’s tie from where he sat comfortably in Virgil’s arms.

“Dada!” he yelped. Logan looked at Virgil and he passed the little boy to him, and Remy stuck his tongue out at him as he stepped away. 

“You wanted to hug him, you could’ve moved your lazy ass.”

“Don’t like moving,” Virgil muttered. 

“Language!”

Remy huffed, but didn’t say anything in response to Logan’s scolding. Instead he turned to the bags, grabbing two of them and handing them to Virgil. 

“These are for your boy...I may or may not have included a little something for each of you as well,” Remy stated as he passed them to him. 

“I...Remy…” Virgil started, but Remy waved him off. 

“Shut up and let me love you. You’re my best friends. You’re idiots, but you’re my best friends.”

“Thanks, and same to you,” Logan said with what might’ve been a smile, heading into the living room and sitting down with Patton on his lap. Virgil followed him with the bags and sat next to him while Remy squished in on his other side, Roman quickly claiming the rocking chair when he saw that it was available.

Logan and Virgil went through the items one by one, smiling at each one and saying how cute each would look on Patton, and how much he’d like the kitten one...they reacted pretty much as Remy had predicted when it came to the little outfits that matched each of them, both fathers going speechless and staring at each other for a long time before looking down at the child in Logan’s lap.

“Holy fuck,” Virgil whispered, then clamped a hand over his mouth before Logan could scold him. “Sorry Patton,” he added, in an even softer voice. “These are...I can’t even…”

“And you, prince.” Remy gestured to the other bags still on the kitchen floor. “Those are for you.”

“Why do you call me prince?” Roman asked. He stood up and went to retrieve the remaining plastic bags, his heart jackhammering in his chest when he saw the items sitting there on the floor near the table. Clothes...for him? This couldn’t be real. He had to be dreaming. There was no way that this was actually happening.

“You make me think of one,” Remy’s answer barely penetrated his thoughts, but he found himself nodding anyways. 

“Huh...” He set the plastic bags down on the floor in front of him as he sat back down in the rocking chair, his shoulders tense with anticipation. He almost couldn’t bring himself to look in the bags--he wanted to savor the moment forever, the moment of having something new, something completely his and something...nice. It was too good to believe. 

I have to be dreaming. He looked at Remy, who winked at him. Oh my god I’m not dreaming. 

Virgil and Logan had stopped looking through the gifts for Patton, sitting back and watching Roman with a combined gaze that might have been almost affectionate. Maybe it was, Roman wasn’t sure--those two were hard to read. He reached out with shaky hands, slowly opening up the first bag and reaching inside. 

His fingers wrapped around something warm and soft, and he found himself pulling out the most beautiful jacket he’d ever seen. It was a rich shade of red with white checker patterns on the sleeves, and on the left side near where his heart would be the word Prince was stitched in gold, with a little crown hovering over the words...and it was all his. 

“Oh,” Logan said quietly. “That’s why you call him prince.” Remy grinned.

“I know! Isn’t it fitting?”

Roman couldn’t speak. Without a word he gently slid his old jacket off, then pulled the new one on, amazed when he saw that the sleeves were long enough, and gosh it was so warm, and it was all his. 

“Thank you.” he whispered, wiping at his eyes with one hand. 

“Glad you like it, kid,” Remy said. “It looks good on you.” Roman found himself nodding soundlessly, then looking in the bag again. 

Remy had somehow thought of everything. Flannel, T-shirts, new jeans, jackets, a ski coat, and two pairs of new shoes revealed themselves in the bags, all beautiful and new and completely his. He could hardly believe it. How was this even happening?

“You deserve it, kid,” Virgil said after a moment, standing up while Roman worked on trying to pick his jaw up off the floor. “C’mon, I’ll take you home. You want McDonald’s?” 

“Uh...please?” Roman squeaked. Virgil winked at him.

“Let’s go.”

[terramythos]

TerraMythos' 2020 Reading Challenge - Book 1 of 26

Title: The Devil and the Deep: Horror Stories of the Sea (2018)

Author: Various (edited by Ellen Datlow)

Genre/Tags: Short Story Anthology, Horror (Various), Female Protagonist(s), LGBT Protagonist(s). 

Rating: 7/10 (note: this is an average of all the stories)

Date Began: 1/1/2020

Date Finished: 1/6/2020

I don’t usually read short story collections. But since I kicked off 2020 with a trip outside the US, I wanted something that could easily be picked up and read in short bursts. So I dove into a short story anthology @mistressofmuses gave me for Christmas. Since I was staying on the coast, this seemed like an appropriate choice. 

This anthology is a collection of 15 original horror stories by different authors, each somehow associated with the sea. Like any anthology, they were pretty hit or miss, but there were some I really enjoyed. Honorable mentions (scoring 8/10 or higher): 

Fodder’s Jig by Lee Thomas (9/10) 

The Whalers Song by Ray Cluley (9/10) 

A Ship of the South Wind by Bradley Denton (8/10) 

Broken Record by Stephen Graham Jones (8/10) 

A Moment Before Breaking by A. C. Wise (9/10) 

Sister, Dearest Sister, Let Me Show To You The Sea by Seanan McGuire (10/10) 

He Sings of Salt and Wormwood by Brian Hodge (10/10)

For a brief summary of all the stories and impression of each, see below the cut. These are in the order they appear and contain minor/implied spoilers.

1. Deadwater by Simon Bestwick - 4/10

Summary: A man living in a coastal tourist town is found dead by the shore. When her cop boyfriend rules it a suicide, the man's best friend Emily investigates the death on her own.

Thoughts: This one was very predictable. I'd figured out the "twist" and exactly how it would end by the half way point. It wasn’t super exciting and the writing just wasn't engaging for me. I did appreciate the occasional thematic callback and the whole thing about broken people needing to stick together, but there wasn’t enough of that in the actual story to sell me on it. 

2. Fodder’s Jig by Lee Thomas - 9/10 

Summary: Two men in their 60s fall in love with each other and try to form a life together. However, amid one’s rough divorce, a bizarre disease emerges that causes people to dance wildly and speak in tongues after exposure to the ocean. When one of the two men begins to exhibit symptoms of the disease, everything changes. Thoughts: Well done, creepy cosmic horror, and the ending was phenomenal. I loved that it was about two old gay dudes trying to find happiness late in life, struggling with manipulative family issues, and how all of it seamlessly blended with the horror. The prose was great too, and the zinger when you fully understand the title is... an experience. I thought it was interesting that the flashback scenes were in present tense and the current scenes were in past tense, but it sort of makes sense with the themes of the story.  

3. The Curious Allure of the Sea by Christopher Golden - 7/10 

Summary: A woman's father is lost at sea. To honor his memory, she tattoos herself with a strange symbol found in his abandoned boat. However, afterward, sea creatures and people alike find themselves drawn to her. Thoughts: It was moderately creepy. The part where Jenny burns off the tattoo (spoilers) was viscerally horrifying. Beyond that, it didn't stick out a whole lot. Sort of like a “wouldn’t that be fucked up?” Twilight Zone episode. 

4. The Tryal Attract by Terry Dowling - 5/10 

Summary:  After a conversation with his neighbor, a man agrees to spend several nights in the neighbor's house to commune with a talking human skull which he has recurring dreams about. 

Thoughts: The prose was good enough, but the actual horror element was sort of like one of those creepypastas that’s just unintentionally funny. It felt very Scooby Doo and I don’t think that was the intent. 

5. The Whalers Song by Ray Cluley - 9/10 

Summary: When a Norwegian whaling ship sinks after a catch, the small crew manages to escape. On shore, however, the eerie artifacts they find of old whaling ships are more than they bargained for.

Thoughts: Way way way eerie, and the prose was great; very stilted yet beautiful. There was an underlying theme of the past and present, which Cluley explores in multiple ways. It has a slow start but it pays off. One of the more haunting ones in the collection. 

6. A Ship of the South Wind by Bradley Denton - 8/10 

Summary: Three years after the Civil War, two Native Americans -- a boy named Charley and his uncle JoJim -- are accosted by a group of travelers in the plains of Kansas. They find that help comes from an unexpected source-- an eccentric, quasi-supernatural figure named Captain Thomas, whom JoJim met decades ago.

Thoughts: Honestly, setting a sea-themed horror story entirely in Kansas was a power move, but I think it worked. Did a great job building and maintaining tension. I loved the small details, like keeping the villains as "Red-beard" and "Black-beard" even after we learn their real names to keep things nautical. It's kind of like if No Country for Old Men crossed over with a pretty good episode of Goosebumps with some pseudo steampunk elements.

7. What My Mother Left Me by Alyssa Wong - 6/10 

Summary:  Following the death of her mother and breakup with her abusive boyfriend, Emma and her new girlfriend visit her mom's old beach house to collect her things. However, things get weird when they discover partially decomposed, yet still living fish along the shore.

Thoughts: I’m torn on this one. The writing was really good, but it felt like the story couldn’t decide between being a straight-up slasher flick or a deep, heartfelt exploration of family and surviving domestic abuse. I really felt like it needed to be longer, as both elements felt underdeveloped. 

8. Broken Record by Stephen Graham Jones - 8/10 

Summary: A man is trapped on a deserted island.

Thoughts:  I do not want to spoil the "twist" of this one but it's good and a fun scenario to imagine. Toed the line between humor and horror well.  

9. Saudade by Steve Rasnic Tem - 5/10 

Summary: A man agrees to go on a senior singles cruise at the behest of his daughters, but feels awkward and out of place. He is drawn to a bizarre woman who occasionally appears and causes something strange and unsettling to happen.

Thoughts: The writing is good, but Tem spends the bulk of the story focusing on protagonist Lee wandering a cruise ship and being sad about it. I loved the ending and its callback to an earlier, seemingly unrelated scene, but beyond that I feel there’s way more you can do with the inherent horror of a cruise ship. 

10. A Moment Before Breaking by A. C. Wise - 9/10 

Summary: While a little girl and her mother are immigrating to the United States, the ship they are on suddenly sinks. The girl is captured by cultists who perform a strange ritual, binding her to a creature called the prince of the sea.

Thoughts: I really dug this one-- it's just so weird. I loved how the narrative treated the shared body between Ana and the prince, and that we get to see Ana in various stages of her life. The prose was gorgeous. Definitely one of my favorites in the collection.

11. Sister, Dearest Sister, Let Me Show To You The Sea by Seanan McGuire - 10/10 

Summary: When her little sister drowns her in the tide pools by their Washington home, a teenage girl makes a deal with an eel-like entity of the sea to get her revenge. Thoughts: "Holy fucking shit" was pretty much all I could say when I finished this one. Visceral body horror at its finest, and I'm always a sucker for revenge. The prose was beautiful and horrid in the best way. I'm a big fan of the author already but this exceeded my expectations.

12. The Deep Sea Swell by John Langan - 3/10 

Summary: A couple is traveling by ship. One of the two, Susan, recalls a few supernatural stories their mutual friend Giorgio told them before she has her own supernatural encounter.

Thoughts: I found myself begging the author to press the enter key on his keyboard a few times. Beyond that, this was the first story that actually challenged my suspension of disbelief with what happens and how it relates to the main character. I didn't find the horror element very scary at all. There were some cool visuals but that's about all I got out of it. 

13. He Sings of Salt and Wormwood by Brian Hodge - 10/10 

Summary: During a deep sea diving exercise, a competitive surfer comes across an old, sunken yacht. He is horrified by the strange worm-like creatures devouring the wood. However, when he returns home to his wife, they begin to find strange, humanoid carvings every day on the Oregon coast. Thoughts: GOD was this good. Superb voice and writing, very creepy, and everything comes together so well in the ending. I felt an emotional connection to the love and longing between Danny and Gail, which is always hard to accomplish in a short story. Just a stellar read.

14. Shit Happens by Michael Marshall Smith - 3/10 

Summary: A higher-up from a tech conglomerate attends a company conference aboard a converted boat-hotel, but things go south when guests start to experience acute gastrointestinal distress. Thoughts: This gets like 3 points for making me genuinely laugh a few times and -7 points for everything else.

15. Haunt by Siobhan Carroll - 6/10 

Summary: In 1799, a cargo ship is troubled by a ghost ship on their trail. When the passengers and crew are stranded in the middle of the ocean, the dark pasts of the crew slowly come to light. Thoughts: The writing was good, the author clearly knows her shit, and I can admire what she is going for. However, the whole thing was just a bit too brutal and graphic for me, especially knowing that some of the things described were based on real events. I guess that was probably the point based on her author’s note, but I can’t recommend this as an entertaining read. 

[canonicallyobserving911]

It’s season 6 but Maddie is still missing!

Even though all of the main characters have returned for season 6, Maddie is still missing from scenes that include all of the firefam and Athena.  

#1 of What’s missing from season 6.

Since the first episode of season 6 aired in September 2022, one of the many complaints from viewers has been “It feels like something is missing from the episodes”.  All of the main characters are back but one of the many things that’s been missing is the presence of one of the first responders whenever the firefam and Athena gather at the hospital and when they are together for celebrations and parties.  First responders include the police, fire and rescue and dispatchers (Yes, dispatchers too and Buck explained how the ones in California became first responders in 4x11 “First Responders”) but on 9-1-1 those first responders are also “found family” and that is the reason why it’s GLARINGLY OBVIOUS whenever one of them is missing.  Maddie returned in season 5 after she had been gone for 8 episodes but her absence from 118 gatherings still exists.  Actually she hasn't attended any of the 118′s social gatherings since 3x18 “What’s Next?” and her absence is noticeable because of her connections to the firefam, i.e., both her brother, Buck and her significant other, Chimney are both firefighters.  During seasons 2 and 3 she always participated in firefam related activities; therefore she is the dispatch center’s first responder who has the direct connection to both the LAFD and the LAPD. While she was away during season 5, May and Eddie were the connections because May is Athena’s daughter and Bobby’s stepdaughter while Eddie is an LAFD firefighter. But now that May is in college, Eddie has returned to the 118 and Maddie has returned to dispatch, Maddie’s absence from hanging out with the firefam has not gone unnoticed because she was present for firefam gatherings during previous seasons. 

Season 2

Maddie did a ride along with Athena and Buck introduced her to Bobby while the 118 was on a call in 2x5 “Awful People”.  Buck, Eddie and Chimney helped her move into her apartment in 2x6 “Dosed” and Athena helped Buck search for her after Doug stabbed Chimney and he took her hostage in 2x13 “Fight or Flight”. She was at Eddie's induction ceremony in 2x18 “This Life We Choose” and that was also when Hen introduced her to Karen.

Season 3

She was at the hospital with Bobby and Athena after a 9-1-1 call led the 118 and Athena to the scene where a victim's baby had been taken from her by a crazy woman and she was at Buck's welcome back party with everyone else until Buck got sick in 3x1 “Kids Today”. Maddie was at the 118 in 3x10 “Christmas Spirit” with the rest of the firefam and their families for the Christmas party and she went with Chimney to the bar the 118 hung out at in 3x11 “Seize the Day” after Albert arrived.  Maddie was also at Eddie's house with Buck and Chimney when Eddie told Chimney the 118 was the family he chose and Buck told Maddie that he wasn’t a guest at Eddie’s house.  Additionally, she called Hen in 3x17 “Powerless” after Karen and Chimney got drunk because Karen thought Hen was cheating on her again. She was at May's graduation party with everyone else in 3x18 but that was the last time she participated in a gathering with the rest of the first responders.

Season 4

Her absence from being around the other first responders during season 4 could have been due to COVID but Maddie lived with Albert in her and Chimney’s apartment while Chimney continued to live with Buck until Chimney finally decided to go home in 4x2 “Alone Together”. When Maddie and Buck’s parents arrived in 4x4 “9-1-1 What’s Your Grievance?” she was there with Chimney, Buck, Albert and the Buckley parents.  She went to the firehouse in 4x5 “Buck Begins” so that she could talk to Buck but she didn’t interact with anyone else while she was there. Maddie had a conversation with Athena at the dispatch center in 4x8 “Breaking Point” about her fear of giving birth. Her PPD storyline started in 4x13 “Suspicion” but she was still going to work at dispatch until she quit her job in 4x14 “Survivors”.

Season 5

Maddie left in 5x3 “Desperate Measures” after she dropped Jee-Yun off at the firehouse but she returned to L.A. in 5x13 “Fear-O-Phobia”.  Since her return, she's only been with Buck at his loft, Chimney and Jee-Yun at Chimney’s apartment and with her co-workers whenever she’s at work.  She got her own apartment (even though it was never shown in CANON) and Maddie had a conversation with Albert in 5x13 after she arrived at Chimney’s apartment to take care of Jee-Yun.  When she answered Chimney's phone in 5x17 “Hero Complex” she had a conversation with Karen about Hen and Chimney being taken by Jonah but after the police arrived, she told Buck that she was going to the hospital so that she could check on Chimney.  She was never shown in that hospital scene and it was very noticeable by the audience especially since she said that’s where she was going. Only Karen was shown comforting Hen after her and Chimney had been admitted.  Maddie didn’t attend Hen and Karen's vow renewal in 5x18 “Starting Over” which was odd especially since she’s friends with them because they are close with Chimney.  Maddie also knows how important Hen and Karen are to Chimney; therefore her presence would have been welcomed. Her absence at the renewal also meant that she was missing from the cast picture that was taken after the ceremony.

Season 6

Maddie’s only been ONSCREEN with Buck, Chimney, Jee-Yun, Magda and her co-workers at dispatch so far this season. She was in 6x1 “Let the Games Begin” and she took one 9-1-1 call from Athena during the blimp emergency but other than that she was only onscreen with Chimney and Jee-Yun. In 6x2 “Crash and Learn” she was at the dispatch center training Noah.  In 6x4 “Animal Instincts” she had a conversation with Buck about the self-help book he was reading at her and Chimney’s apartment, she continued talking with Noah while she was at work and she contacted a lawyer so that Lourdes and Claribel could get the help they needed.  Maddie learned her password had been stolen in 6x5 “Home Invasion” and even though Athena was at the dispatch center, she was only there to arrest Noah.  The rest of Maddie’s ONSCREEN time was with Chimney, Jee-Yun and Magda but she didn't attend Hen's congratulations party even though Chimney and Hen are best friends.  In 6x6 “Tomorrow”, she didn't go to the hospital after Karen was injured to support Chimney which was interesting again like it was in season 5 because Hen and Karen are important to Chimney.  Maddie only took one of the 9-1-1 calls in 6x7 “Cursed” even though there were a total of four emergency calls that pertained to Felisa.  Maddie wasn’t at the firehouse for Hen’s welcome back breakfast during that episode either.  Finally, in 6x8 “9-1-1 What’s Your Fantasy?”, she was ONSCREEN at Buck’s loft, in her and Chimney’s apartment with him and Jee-Yun and when she took the one 9-1-1 call from the man who thought he killed his boss.

Other than her apartment, Buck’s loft, the dispatch center and the food truck she met Chimney at for lunch, Maddie hasn’t been onscreen anywhere else for the remainder of season 5 and for the first 8 episodes of season 6.  Her absence from firefam events has been GLARINGLY OBVIOUS and JARRING for the audience and it's also one of the reasons why things still appear to be off this season like they were in seasons 5.  She wasn’t physically present for the majority of season 5 but since May and Eddie were at dispatch, their presence kept the dispatch first responders connected with the police and fire and rescue. However, now that Maddie is present for season 6, her absence from the events included above are contributors to things feeling like they’re off this season.  It’s not the only reason but it is one of the reasons.

While it’s possible the actress, JLH, has a special filming schedule since she had a baby in 2021, it’s also possible that something else could be contributing to her non-participation in those firefam functions.  Her absence is either being done strategically for something that could happen in 6B with Buck or it could be deliberate for some other reason.  Speculations based on the BTS picture below show how she could be at the hospital in 6B with Bobby, Athena, Chimney and Hen because her pink marker is on the floor with theirs.  Bobby’s is blue, Athena’s is red, Chimney’s is bright orange and Hen’s is yellow.  It seems like they will be standing together looking through a window that’s outside of an ICU or they could be standing outside of a patient’s room inside of a hospital. Both Buck's (green) and Eddie's (white) markers are missing which could mean one of them is in the hospital.  Also there has been a BTS video that included Margaret, Maddie and Buck’s mother in the background so if the first 3-episode titles for 6B remain unchanged, then it’s possible that something might happen that will cause Maddie to be with the 118 again like she was during seasons 2 and 3. Otherwise her absence is deliberate and it’s just not being explained.   Hopefully she will start participating in found family functions with the firefam and Athena again during 6B so that her absence will no longer be an issue.

[idolish7rabbitchats]

Yaotome Gaku: Wonderful Octave Rabbit Chat Part 3

Tsumugi: Good work. Tsunashi-san, how’s your tongue?

10: Sorry about stopping it! It’s fine already.

10: I showed something embarrassing..!

T: No! I’m glad you weren’t hurt! 1000: Tongue twisters are hard huh. I also bit myself.

3: Yuki-san did it too?! lol

8: Tongue twisters don’t suit you huh. (lol)

1000: Is that so? I was confident with articulation since I’m doing a singing job.

10: Me too! I regret that I did it seriously even if it’s for fun...

2: You don’t need to say pantsu seriously… (lol)

9: What would you do if you got hurt. Be careful.

7: It’s cruel to Tsunashi-san if you scold him even though he was in pain…!

10: Thanks, Riku-kun. But, he didn’t get mad or anything so it’s fine! And earlier, Gaku and him brought me ice hoping to ease my pain.

10: Gaku and Tenn are also nice huh.

1000: Here Momo brought it too.

100: I can’t leave my darling in an emergency~(`；ω；´)

Okazaki: Momo-kun thinking about his partner is also nice huh!

1000: Right. ^ ^

T: I feel TRIGGER-san and Re:vale-san’s group love!

T: So then, let’s open up the requests again. From Mitsuki-san please!

3: Okay! From me it’s “I want to hear about Yaotome’s really cool episode!”

3: Yaotome is cool even inside and he looks good just by standing. So I wanted to try asking if you had some kind of super handsome episode!

8: What is that, a handsome episode (lol).

3: Eh, what is it… Like everyone turns around to look at you when you are walking through town?

100: Like all the school girls passed out on the first day you transferred!

3: That’s from the indie movie we watched together that time right lololol

100: That was super funny lololol

8: That’s a recently popular movie right. I think I also wanted to see that!

3: It’s super interesting so definitely watch it! But it’s seriously just a movie about a handsome guy transferring to the school lololol

100: The songs and dance and costumes and plays were also splendid huh! Even though it’s a school movie, it’s super super super gorgeous!

5: Indie movies certainly have an image of being gorgeous.

2: Actually there are lots of sad, non-dancing and singing movies too.

10: Yamato-kun, as expected of a movie buff huh. You watch a variety.

8: Should I go soon? It seems the showings will end soon.

3: I’ll go with you! I wanna watch it again lol.

100: Me too! The music is always stuck in my head!

8: That sounds catchy!

3: Also, it sounds like I was talking about your looks, but it doesn’t need to be!

3: More like, I want to hear Yaotome’s manly episode.

3: Like you beat an evil organization or rescued a puppy in the rain. Something the fans will get a crush on you for!

8: I don’t have those experiences. (lol) Well, I’ll think of something.

3: THANK YOU!

T: It seems the listeners will also be happy hearing about Yaotome-san’s manly episode!

T: Next is the request from Yamato-san please!

2: From me it’s “Please copy your favorite animal.”

1: The taste is the complete opposite of from Nii-san’s request huh...

8: What’s that?

2: As Mitsu says, Yaotome’s handsome right. Letting you do handsome and cool things aren’t interesting (lol)

2: I thought of letting him showing everyone that he’s not only handsome.

8: You’re making fun, aren’t you?

2: No no, it’s a serious request (lol)

8: Haven’t you been (lol)ing since earlier.

7: But I think copying an animal would be cute!

100: Certainly! Wouldn’t girls’ hearts throb because of the gap?!

2: I wanted to say that too.

8: Seriously? (lol)

9: Isn’t it fine. Before this, you and Ryuu were copying dogs. What about doing that?

8: What’s that. I never copied a dog.

10: Eh, was I doing that? I don’t remember...

9: Right. It seems you were pretty drunk.

9: You guys saw puppies barking on TV, you two suddenly started barking. Do you understand how I felt seeing you two?

8: Ah

8: That’s right, we did that kind of thing huh...

10: Really?!

9: Have you remembered?

9: It was annoying so I told you to stop but Japanese didn’t work. Maybe I should’ve spoken in dog language too.

10: S-Sorry...

8: Sorry..

4: Being drunk is seriously scary. I’ll neeeeever drink.

5: I should also be careful...

1000: If you drink responsibly, alcohol isn’t that bad.

9: Well, putting aside that day, you were good at copying so isn’t it fine.

8: R-Right. Then I’ll do Nikaido’s request as a dog...

2: Somehow, I’m sorry...

Anesagi: Gaku, afterwards please let me hear that. I’ll check if you can show it to people.

T: It is an unexpected specialty that you two are good at copying dogs…!

T: So then, next is Yaotome-san with a request for yourself please!

8: Yeah. My request is “I want to play one TRIGGER song.”

8: Because the other songs on the show have already been decided by someone else. But, since I’ll host the radio, I want them to hear a song with all three of us too. 

10: I’m happy! I also want a lot more people to hear TRIGGER’s songs!

9: It’s a good request. But don’t the listeners want to hear Gaku talk?

8: Not only just playing a song, I’ll talk about the inside story that’s related to the song too. If I do that, the listeners will be happy too right?

9: Right.

8: But I don’t know what song to do.

8: There are too many songs I want to play that I can’t pick.

9: I want them to hear new songs too but the other songs are best too.

10: And there are lots of memories with the songs too...

8: Maybe I’ll make a die with the song titles on it and roll it during the corner?

9: That’s a good idea.

10: That seems like a fun idea huh! It seems I could be excited by the radio if Gaku’s request is chosen!

T: Definitely please also let me hear the inside story on TRIGGER-san’s song!

T: Next, how about we hear the request from Tsunashi-san?

10: From me it’s, “Tell me what you want to do in Okinawa”!

10: We go to Okinawa for jobs but we can’t really relax right? So then, if we took a vacation, I was thinking about guiding you through Okinawa’s sightseeing areas.

10: I’ll guide you, so can we go on a trip together? Of course with Tenn too.

8: That’s nice! If Ryuu is the guide, it seems like it could be a slightly deep trip huh.

8: Like going to an Okinawan food restaurant that only the local people would know.

9: A cool season might be nice.

4: Summers in Okinawa are insane huh! I was sweating so much I thought I’d melt.

1: That won’t happen but I understand how you feel. The temperature is lower than here, but the sunlight is strong. 

10: That burning heat feels nice! Doesn’t it feel like you are alive?

6: Tsunashi-shi seems to have odd tastes. Japan’s summer heat is torture...

1000: I feel the same, Nagi-kun. I want to turn the AC onto the whole Earth.

10000: I think it would be good for Yuki to get out in the sun a little more though?

8: I actually like being hot. I’m looking forward to a trip to Okinawa!

9: Yeah. Seems like Anesagi-san heard that too.

Anesagi: Refreshing is a part of the job too. If there are times where you can get big break, I would adjust for it.

10: Thank you! I’ll rely on Anesagi-san then.

T: A trip to Okinawa with everyone sounds really fun!

T: Next how about hearing the request from Momo-san?

100: From me it’s “An association game.” (o‵・∀・′)b

100: It’s a game of answering with as many words that associ8 with “TRIGGER” before the time’s up!

8: Heeh, an association game seems fun somehow.

100: I couldn’t decide what word to associate with tho~.

100:  I thought of a lot but the ones listening to Gaku’s radio are probably TRIGGER fans too. I thought they’d be happy to be able to hear group conversations!

8: So you thought about it that much huh. Thank you!

3: It seems it could become very heated if Yaotome’s talking about TRIGGER.

2: Seems like he would talk about his love for TRIGGER clearly.

4: So-chan is now searching “shorthand” and ”how to learn.”

5: Tamaki-kun, you don’t have to say that here..!

100: Are you going to write down everything from the radio?!

8: No matter which request I pick, I plan to make it a light and fun talk.

T: I’m looking forward to what kind of talk Yaotome-san will do on-air!

T: Lastly is the request from Yuki-san please!

1000: Who is Gaku-kun’s favorite in Re:vale?

1000: That’s it.

4: Amazing!! It’s such a coincidence!! It’s the same as me!!

1000: Yeah. I heard Tamaki-kun’s request so I did this.

4: [Spinning Pudding Stamp]

1000: I’d actually thought about something different but I felt like changing after hearing Tamaki-kun’s request.

8: No no! A favorite in Re:vale, but isn’t it just you two?! I can’t pick (lol)

1: Certainly, the importance differs compared to choosing from 7 people. It means you have to choose Momo-san or Yuki-san.

100: Picking one person out of two is a turning point in life! This is a scariest request that might change your life!

100: Who came up with this kind of ultimate request (＞＜）

1000: Me.

100: This is the cruelest request that no one could copy! You are so handsome that you came up with this…!

1000: ^ ^

4: Eeeeh! Yukirin just copied mine right?!

8: It’s terrible. I’ll pray that I don’t pull only this request...

T: It seems pretty difficult to pick one favorite huh..!

T: It’s curious in many ways, but that’s it for collecting the requests. Thank you everyone!

10: So then, next it’s Gaku’s turn to give us a request huh!

7: I’m looking forward to what kind of request it’ll be!

*T: Do you have a request for TRIGGER-san?

8: Let’s be the best TRIGGER from now on too. Even though I don’t even need to make a request for this.

8: I’ve gotten a lot of requests but saying something myself is kind of embarrassing (lol)

100: Embarrassed Gaku is cute! It’s fine to let me spoil you more ☆

10:Being relied on by reliable Gaku makes me happy!

2: While spoiling him, shall we celebrate your birthday?

3: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Yaotome! I found a nice darts bar, so let’s go there one day!

7: Happy Birthday! I’m looking forward to your radio!

100: (o'∀'o)ﾉ★°。+。☆HAPPY BIRTHDAY GAKU☆。+。°★\(o'∀'o)

10000: Happy Birthday!

4: Gakkun, HBD! Pull my request okay!

1000: Happy birthday. I’ll tell you if I recommend a movie.

1: Happy Birthday.

5: Happy Birthday. Please spend a wonderful year.

6: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2: Congrats. Shall we go drinking again? 

Okazaki: Happy Birthday. From now on too, please take care of Re:vale.

Anesagi: Happy birthday. Someone was saying this before but, be spoiled when you can be spoiled.

T: Yaotome-san, Happy Birthday!

9: From us, maybe we should say it on your birthday.

8: Thank you. I’m happy that they celebrate me in a lively way every year.

8: It’s not as a return but I’ll definitely make this radio a fun episode. Expect a lot from it.

[recentanimenews]

10 Bleach Fight Scenes That Make the Anime Unforgettable

  From the very first episode to the finale, fights were always Bleach's bread and butter. Whether it's the early battles against hollows or the latter fights against Arrancar, Bleach never failed to deliver a memorable showdown. Though both the anime and manga are over, Bleach has a big announcement coming up with its 20th anniversary event next month. To celebrate, we're counting down the top 10 Bleach fights that've stuck with us even after all these years! 

**Watch out for spoilers and enjoy the list!**

    10. Ichigo vs. Ginjo

  As Bleach’s final battle, you can tell that the staff behind Ichigo vs. Ginjo gave it their all. Featuring some of the best animation in all of Bleach, it’s also a great reintroduction to Ichigo’s power as a Soul Reaper. It’s great to see him back at his former strength (and then some), after spending most of the Fullbring Arc trying to catch up to everyone else and figure out Tsukishima’s plan.

  But now, with his powers returned and the other Fullbringers defeated, it’s down to him and Ginjo. Each exchange makes it clearer and clearer that Ichigo is far and away the superior fighter, and our excitement only grows with that realization. The Hell Verse soundtrack that plays during their final exchange is the cherry on top here, adding the perfect epic sound to conclude this fight. Bleach may be over now, but it certainly went out with a bang!

9. Shuhei vs. Findorr

  Shuhei Hisagi was always in an odd position among Bleach’s supporting cast. He was always around, but never did much until this point. Here, though, he proves that he’s one of the coolest Lieutenants in the show. The fight starts off solid, if unremarkable compared to Bleach’s best fights, but doesn’t stay that way for long. Once Shuhei’s forced to use his shikai, it turns into nonstop momentum as Findorr tries to dodge Kazeshini and its odd angles of attack.

Kazeshini’s design makes for an interesting fighting style, and it can be hard to tell where Shuhei’s next attack is coming from. Will he use it as a melee weapon, will he throw it again, or will it loop around for another hit after his last attack? For all that he says he doesn’t like Kazeshini’s shape, Shuhei’s clearly mastered its use. He keeps both us and Findor guessing until the final blow, making this one of Bleach’s most dynamic fights.

8. Chad vs. Shunsui

  Chad vs. Shunsui can barely be called a fight, but it still deserves a spot on this list for being a perfect example of how to do a one-sided fight. Chad had been built up as one of the stronger fighters in Ichigo’s group, so it’s startling to see him outmatched so quickly.

The fight plays with expectations, first showing Shunsui blocking and evading Chad’s attacks effortlessly, then setting Chad up for a comeback as he reflects on why he’s fighting in the first place. His final attack has all the marks of a finisher: large scale, obvious effort behind it, triumphant music, everything we’ve come to expect. Only, it fails. Shunsui easily avoids it and downs Chad in one blow. The shock of such a sudden ending comes with a realization: sometimes the heroes just aren't strong enough.

7. Kenpachi vs. Nnoitra

  Sometimes you want a tactical battle, where each side is trying to outsmart the other. Sometimes you want to see what tricks and special abilities the fighters are concealing as they wait for just the right moment to get the upper hand. And sometimes you just want to see two tough guys hammering each other and refusing to go down. The latter is where Kenpachi vs. Nnoitra comes in. The two of them both specialize in raw power; power that’s on full display here. Even their special moves (Kenpachi’s kendo and Nnoitra’s Santa Teresa) are essentially ways to amplify their already considerable strength.

Simple as that sounds, it makes for quite a thrilling duel. Both of them are so strong that it sometimes feels like the fight comes down to who can endure the most punishment, especially once Kenpachi manages to cut Nnoitra. Part of what makes it so engrossing is how much fun Kenpachi’s having for the entire fight; it’s hard not to get caught up in his joy at facing a challenging enemy. And this isn’t even his best fight!

6. Yoruichi vs. Soi Fon

  Though it’s partially overshadowed by Ichigo vs. Byakuya, Yoruichi vs. Soi Fon is a great fight in its own right. Bleach has always excelled at moments of pure cool, which is exactly how this fight starts off. Soi Fon summons a group of her underlings and seems to have the upper hand, only for Yoruichi to defeat all of them in an instant! That immediately sets the tone for the rest of the fight, which becomes a battle of speed between two masters of close combat.

Soi Fon’s Suzumebachi adds to the stakes, making every blow a risk for Yoruichi, as a second hit from Soi Fon means instant death. Bleach fights are typically built around weapons, but this fight proves it can more than handle hand to hand combat as well. With an explosive ending to top it off, Yoruichi vs. Soi Fon truly earns its place here.

5. Ichigo vs. Kenpachi

  Ichigo vs. Kenpachi marks the first time we see a Captain really fight (Byakuya defeating Ichigo before doesn’t really count as a fight), and Kenpachi’s the perfect character to demonstrate why these Captains are such a big deal. Seeing even Ichigo overwhelmed by Kenpachi’s spiritual pressure hammers home that this guy is on a completely different level from everyone else Ichigo has gone against before, and that’s even before we see him stop Zangetsu with his bare hands!

Once we see just how strong Kenpachi is, the fight takes on a new dimension. It really feels like Ichigo could die here, and the tension becomes palpable as he realizes that too. It’s only by pairing his power with Zangetsu’s that Ichigo is finally able to make headway, and even then the fight is about as close as a fight can get, ending with both of them on the verge of death with everything around them reduced to rubble. Ichigo vs. Kenpachi shows us what it means to really fight, and it’s a lesson we won’t soon forget.

  4. Ichigo vs. Aizen

  Even though Bleach continues on afterwards, Ichigo vs. Aizen has the feel of a final battle. Everyone else is dead or incapacitated, Aizen’s goal is in reach, and Ichigo’s the only one left to stop him. With his Final Getsugatensho training complete and Aizen’s transformation continuing, the stage is set for them to finally clash, and what a fight it is. Their every exchange destroys the surrounding terrain, and even Aizen finally seems to be on the ropes. After so many episodes of Aizen dominating everyone who stands in his way, it’s gratifying to see someone finally outmatch him for once. As Aizen’s finally defeated, this fight marks the end of Bleach’s longest storyline yet, and it’s an end you won’t soon forget.

3. Ichigo vs. Grimmjow

  Put simply, Ichigo vs. Grimmjow is the ultimate grudge match. The two had fought twice before, both times with Ichigo only surviving thanks to outside intervention. This time, though, there’s nobody else to interfere, and both of them are free to go all out and settle things. The raw force of Grimmjow’s Resurrección makes it clear that this is a battle for keeps, one that’s going to take everything Ichigo has.

Once the fight kicks off, it’s nonstop momentum as the two engage in a constant back and forth across the ground and air. Watching it is a thrilling experience as each hit seems like it could be lethal, with even the missed attacks destroying large chunks of the surrounding buildings. Ichigo’s finishing blow is the perfect way to end the fight, exciting and triumphant as he finally defeats Grimmjow, his biggest rival since the Arrancar first showed up. Though there are plenty of fights left before Orihime is safe, Ichigo vs. Grimmjow marks a turning point in Hueco Mundo, and is the perfect way to cap off the arc’s first half.

2. Everyone vs. Aizen

  We knew Aizen was strong from the moment he revealed his true colors. After all, he was able to stop Ichigo’s bankai with just a finger! But even that didn’t prepare us for what happens when all of the remaining Captains and Vizards tried taking him down in the Fake Karakura Town Arc.

One by one he defeats these powerful fighters without breaking a sweat, all culminating in the moment he takes down Toshiro, Shinji, Shunsui, and Soi Fon in the span of a few seconds. At this point Aizen seems unstoppable, a force of nature that nobody can stand against. Though we know Ichigo is inevitably going to defeat him, at that moment, when he smiles as the Captains fall to the ground, Aizen truly seems invincible.

1. Ichigo vs. Byakuya

  Out of all the fights here, Ichigo vs. Byakuya is far and away the most iconic, and for good reason. This is the culmination of everything the Soul Society Arc has been building to ever since Rukia was first taken. The stakes are clear: if Ichigo doesn’t defeat Byakuya, then Rukia’s never going to be safe, and we know that Ichigo is the only one there who can beat him. As the two engage, we learn just how far Ichigo has come, from losing without even seeing Byakuya’s attacks to fighting on even terms. Even before it kicks into gear, their relative abilities are perfectly matched, making for a thrilling back and forth.

And then the moment finally comes: Ichigo’s bankai. Few moments across Bleach’s 366 episodes are so iconic as the first time Ichigo uses Tensa Zangetsu. The fight from then on runs a gamut of emotions, from confusion at Tensa Zangetsu’s unremarkable shape compared to other Bankai to excitement at Ichigo’s crazy fast movements to shock at the emergence of Hollow Ichigo. All of that culminates in a final clash as the two fighters put everything they’ve got left into one strike. Ichigo vs. Byakuya far and away sets the standard for Bleach fights, and I can’t think of a more deserving fight for the number one spot.

  What's your favorite Bleach fight? Let us know down in the comments!

Watch Bleach On Crunchyroll!

      ---

Skyler loves writing and chatting about anime, and is always ready to gush about the latest One Piece chapter. Read more of his work at his blog apieceofanime.com and follow him on Twitter at Videogamep3.

    Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[au-universes]

The Final Chapter

By Luci

July 9, 2015: The First Day of Comic Con

Exactly 4 months since Steve disappeared in the Real Life AU

Exactly 1 month since Steve had died

Steve felt wrong.

He remembered everything. Every portal, every almost-death, every moment with his soulmate, Jimmy. And now, here he was, in a car on his way to Comic Con with the seven people who had been there that day, all of them claiming to have no memory of Captain Kirk kidnapping Steve during dance class.

Steve had asked them all together and individually about that day. Kara said all she remembered was Steve prepping for a left turn then going right. Ashley said Steve left in the middle of class then stopped showing up. Paris said she forgot who he was until he appeared a few months ago in their basement, crying and claiming he had died.

To be honest, Steve wasn’t sure why they kept him around after that. Gacé said the same.

It had been a month since that incident. It also happened to be the day of the Rhythm Fusion’s dance show. When all the RFs - Ashley, Paris, Gacé, Kara, Matt, Kaia, and Colleen - had come back to the studio after the show, they found Steve sobbing in the basement. They were all dumbfounded, and Mozy had called the cops. In the end, Officers McCain and Malfoy chalked it up to Steve had been kidnapped and escaped and now he was home. 

Steve went along with it, not knowing what else to do.

He had tried to explain what he had been through to the officers, but they told him he was in shock. Steve knew he was in shock, but he also knew what had happened to him.

He traveled through alternate universes with Jimmy Kirk, his one true love, because of a curse placed on them by the wizard Sarumon.

Now, Steve sat, numb as always, in the passenger’s seat of a van, reluctantly going to Comic Con with the RFs. Gacé was driving and Paris, dressed as Honey Lemon from Big Hero 6, was reading out loud from an article that was sweeping the internet.

“Love is in the air this July as a fourth surprise celebrity couple announces their engagement.

“It started on June 9th, when Daniel Radcliffe, best known for playing Harry Potter, and Supernatural’s Osric Chau announced their engagement.

“‘We had been dating for years in secret,’ said Radcliffe. ‘Something just felt right, and we wanted the world to know about our love.’

“They were the first of many. Next, Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins, also from Supernatural, announced they were together. Their costar, Jared Padalecki, got engaged to his long-time girlfriend Ezri Guide, shortly after that.

“‘I am so happy for Ezri and Jared,’ said Ackles on Twitter. ‘I can’t think of a better couple.’

“Most recently, Felicia Day, known for playing Charlie on Supernatural, and Liv Tyler, Arwen from the Lord of the Rings, announced their engagement.

“With all these happy couples making their way into the spotlight, we at Sixteen Magazine want to know: who’s next?”

“Wow,” said Kara, crammed in the back with Colleen, Kaia, and Matt. “I feel like this is out of a fanfiction!”

“But it’s all true!” said Paris. “It’s hard, almost impossible to believe, and yet…”

Steve stopped listening. He knew it was all true, but he was closer to the situation than everyone would believe. He was happy the friends he made in the AUs were happy, but nothing felt the same. He couldn’t even be sure they were the same people, but this was too close to be a coincidence.

The last place Steve wanted to go was Comic Con, where the actors who portrayed some of his closest friends would be. It would be too painful. Yet he knew the RFs would drag him to see the Supernatural cast, just like they dragged him out of his room to go to the event in the first place. This was 2015, afterall, and the RFs were still big fans of Supernatural.

Steve tried to tune out their excited chatter and pay attention to the radio. Stay With Me by Sam Smith was playing. Tears welled in Steve’s eyes. This was their song…

“This song sucks!” said Kara. “Pass me the aux.”

She plugged her iPhone 5 in, not needing an adaptor or anything, and played Basketball by Kurtis Blow. Steve took deep breaths, calming himself down. As Kurtis Blow sang, the convention center came into view. Gacé parked the car, and they all piled out. Everyone was dressed up for the occasion. Well, everyone but Steve, who had decided to wear his okayest pajama pants and a Homestuck t-shirt, which he figured would allow him to blend in. Matt was dressed as Dean Winchester and Gacé was Sam. Kara, Kaia, and Paris were characters from Big Hero 6. Colleen was dressed as the Zebra Goddess, who she claimed was from a really popular movie, yet no one knew what she was talking about. Ashley was supposed to be Anastasia Steele from 50 Shades of Grey, but to Steve she looked like she was just wearing regular clothes.

“Alright RFs, who’s ready to do this!” Ashley said.

The gang cheered and followed her to the doors of the convention center.

Steve stayed back for a moment, looking around at all the people streaming into the building.

“Feeling overwhelmed?” Paris asked.

Steve took a deep breath. “Yeah. This is the first big thing I’ve done since…” he didn’t finish. He didn’t have to.

“If it’s too much we’ll leave,” Paris said, looking like that’s not what she wanted to do at all.

“No, I’ll be okay. Let’s do this.”

The gang walked around for a while, seeing as many booths as possible and doing the things people do at Comic Con.

About an hour in, and Steve was feeling good. He bought himself a new Steven Universe shirt and a churro. The gang was rounding a corner when Steve saw him, and his heart stopped.

There, at the Sharknado 2 booth, was Billy Ray Cyrus.

Steve knew this wasn’t his Billy Ray. It couldn’t possibly be. But everything about the man was familiar. From the way he stood to the way he was laughing at something his costar, Kelly Osborn, said.

Steve didn’t know what came over him. He dropped his churro and ran right at Billy Ray. He could hear the RFs yelling after him, but he didn’t care. He had to know.

Suddenly, Steve was grabbed by two beefy security guards. He tried to get past them, but they were too beefy. So he did the only thing he could.

“Billy Ray! Billy Ray Cyrus!” he yelled in desperation. “Please, do you remember me?”

Billy Ray looked up, and right into Steve’s eyes. Steve would never forget the next words Billy Ray spoke.

“Sorry partner, I don’t believe we’ve met.”

Steve stopped fighting and the guards dragged him out of the room.

“This is embarrassing,” Matt muttered as the RFs followed the guards to where Steve was being held.

They were told that Steve was to sit in Comic Con jail for the rest of the evening and they could come pick him up when the convention closed. They were now on their way to get him.

“We never even got to go to the Star Trek booth,” Paris said sassily.

“That might have been too much for Steve,” Ashley said. They all vaguely knew what Steve had told the police when he returned, and they all avoided the subject of Star Trek as much as possible. 

“At least we got that picture with Jared and Jensen!” said Gacé.

“Whatever, let’s just get Steve and go,” said Colleen. “I need me a fry pile.”

The gang nodded in agreement.

The convention hall was pretty clear, so they didn’t think they would have a problem getting Steve out safely.

No one said anything as Steve emerged from the room he was being kept in. 

“Sorry guys,” Steve said, not meeting any of their eyes.

“It’s fine, let’s just get out of here,” said Kara.

As they walked through the convention center, no one said anything. Nearly every booth was empty. Except one.

The Star Trek booth.

“Oh no,” someone said, as Steve stared at him.

It wasn’t Jimmy, not his Jimmy. But Zebra Goddess, did it look like him.

There stood William Shatner, talking to Walter Koenig, who played Chekov. Several other cast members from the original series stood around, listening to something Walter was playing on his iPod.

“It’s not that bad!” said Willy Shatz, laughing.

“Oh yes it is!” said Nichelle Nichols, or as Steve had known her, Uhura.

Steve listened closer and realized they were listening to William Shatner’s cover of Bohemian Rhapsody. 

“Come on,” said Paris, grabbing Steve’s arm and trying to stop him from gawking.

William Shatner seemed to notice the commotion. He looked up from his conversation and at Steve. There was something familiar in his eyes, something Steve recognized.

Could it be…?

William Shatner broke away from the crowd as the music swelled and made his way over to the RFs. Steve was frozen in shock.

“We have to get him out of here,” said Ashley, pushing Steve from the opposite side Paris was pulling.

Gacé was preparing to pick Steve up and carry him out of the convention center to avoid what would inevitably be a disaster. 

Kara stepped in front of Steve. “S- sorry, Mr. Shatner, we were just leaving,” Kara said.

William Shatner pushed past her and walked up to Steve. Paris, Ashley, and Gacé backed off.

“Have we met?” said William Shatner. “You look very familiar.”

“I - I don’t believe so, no,” said Steve, looking down at his ratty shoes.

From across the room, Walter yelled. “Oh, what the hell?” He was fiddling with his iPod. Bohemian Rhapsody cut off and Cherry Pie started playing. 

“Yes,” said William Shatner, smiling, ignoring his friend. “I know you.”

He took a step back and the music grew louder. A yellow light appeared from his chest and he was lifted into the air. He started spinning, the light growing stronger and rainbow sparkles emerging. He was going through a magical girl transformation!

He landed on the ground, kneeling, head down. When he looked up he was no longer William Shatner. He stood, and before Steve was Jimmy Kirk. His Jimmy Kirk. In full Star Trek uniform, looking as young as he had on the show.

“I’ve waited years for a love like you,” said Jimmy, smiling. “Did you really think I’d give up so easily?”

Steve and Jimmy embraced and kissed. The gang and the cast of the original series had no choice but to stare, confused.

“Jimmy,” said Steve breathlessly. “I knew you were real.”

“Let’s get out of here,” he took his communicator out of his pocket. “Scotty, beam us up.” He took Steve’s hand.

“Will, that’s just a prop,” said Walter.

Jimmy ignored him. One final portal appeared before Steve.

“I made this last universe just for us,” said Jimmy. “Ready to go, Cherry Pie?”

Steve looked into his lover’s eyes and smiled. “I’m ready.”

Together, they walked through the portal and into the rest of their lives.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 181: 9:59 A.M.

Previously on BnHA: Gentle continued to rassle with Deku and asked him why he wanted to be a hero. Deku said it was because of everyone who helped him and supported him and believed in him; he wanted to make them proud and “show them a brighter future.” The two of them bonded in that shounen way, and meanwhile La Brava sprinted into the woods trying to hack U.A.’s network. Unfortunately she ran into Hounddog and a bunch of Ectoplasm clones. Realizing the jig was up, she went back to warn Gentle, only to find him lying defeated on the ground, having just fallen victim to Deku’s latest Shoot Style move, St. Louis Smash. La Brava was all “let him go!!” and ran up to Deku and started adorably beating on him with her lil fists. Gentle belatedly realized that he had put her in this situation and made her into his accomplice even though she was innocent. In an attempt to get her sentence reduced, he flung Deku into the air with his quirk to try and make it look like the battle never occurred. Ecto and Hounddog then came out of the woods, and Gentle surrendered.

Today on BnHA: There is a not-as-tense-as-they-try-to-make-it-seem scene where we wait and see if the festival is going to be cancelled due to Gentle’s shenanigans. Apparently the heroes have been instructed to start the evacuation process upon “confirmation of hostile intent.” But Gentle says he is not hostile. He says he’s committed a lot of crimes, but that La Brava is innocent and was brainwashed by him, and he asks them to pardon her. Deku then comes out of the woods and the heroes ask if he fought with Gentle. Deku white lies his way out of the situation, saying that Gentle was trying to pull a prank and that the two of them had “a small dispute.” Apparently Hounddog is satisfied by that, because he reports back to the other heroes that the situation is fine, and then he and Ecto apprehend Gentle and La Brava and take them to the police. Meanwhile Deku hurries back to get cleaned up and changed, and makes it back with only moments to spare. The concert begins, with Eri watching excitedly from Mirio’s arms.

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’ve read up through chapter 207 now, so any ETAs will reflect that.)

we’re opening on a “moments earlier” flashback of Ecto being informed via his headset that a student went out shopping earlier and hasn’t come back

and now Hounddog is contacting him and saying that something’s going on near to where he is, and he’s going to borrow a few of Ecto’s clones to go check it out

Ecto’s asking if it’s an emergency, and Hounddog is giving him a ton of detail based on scent alone omg

wow Hounddog, you’re pretty cool aren’t you. “three people, not moving any more, and they’re all freaked out and sweaty”

and look how scary he is

I freaking love him omg

OH THANK GOD

so because the intruders have no hostile intent, the festival can still go on! what a stupid loophole! I’m so glad they exploited it lmao

you know, if this was in any way a serious villain operation, this kind of shrugging-your-shoulders approach would definitely get a few more students kidnapped and/or killed. nice to see U.A. hasn’t learned a damn thing lol

Ecto recognizes Gentle from his Youtube vids as “that villain that’s only quick to run away”

now Hounddog’s grabbing him by the collar and asking where his comrades are

Gentle says he has none

Hounddog is all “what about those injuries and the general mess in the vicinity indicating that a battle has recently taken place?”

and Gentle says he “had a stumble”

lmao. “one heck of a whoopsy-daisy there. good thing I have Life Alert”

Hounddog’s asking if it was just the two of them and Gentle says yes

oh snaaaaaaaaap

I wonder if he knows which student? he should learn how to identify Deku’s scent specifically since it’s always him getting involved in these things. would save some time

meanwhile we’re cutting back to the student in question who is landing now

and he’s thinking back to what Gentle said earlier and he’s figured out that he was trying to protect La Brava and spare her from the full consequences of all this if possible

meanwhile Gentle is telling Hounddog, “if you’re looking for the boy, he’s just over there...”

oh have you finally learned a life lesson then

Gentle gained +500 self awareness points! too late! but at least he got them lol

I hope Aiba has the sense to keep her mouth shut

he’s asking them to pardon her

she’s so little and cute, I’m sure they will omg

meanwhile Aiba is sobbing and clinging to Gentle and thinking no, he didn’t brainwash her, she really loves him

eh, a little of column A, a little of column B...

now Hounddog is asking Deku if he fought Gentle

well, aside from it being obvious at a glance, I’m sure he can probably smell it too

wow Deku

look at this little green punk and his smooth white lies

anyways, so he says it’s all right now

Aiba is still clinging to Gentle and sobbing

getting the feeling these guys can see right through Deku’s bullshit, but at the same time they can kind of figure out why he’s not being 100% truthful, and they don’t want to ruin the day for the kids and bring a storm of negative PR raining down upon U.A. either

so The Sheriff -- who we haven’t seen a while, how you doin bud -- is asking for a report!

AND OH MY GOD

FUCKING CALLED IT. LOOK AT THIS GUY. JUST A BIG SOFTIE IN THE END ARENTCHA

so he says they’ll continue to keep their guard up, but for the time being they can stand down

and they’re taking Gentle into custody and telling him he can explain the details to the police

and as they lead him away, Gentle is telling Deku that he was once enrolled in a hero course, and that he became a criminal due to the despair of having to drop out

look how fucking massive Hounddog’s arm is oh my god

and also! yes, that’s very sweet, very nice, catharsis, etc. etc. everyone understands each other yay

fsdfkhlk now Ecto is stepping in and suddenly unleashing an array of powerful dad moves!!

telling him All Might was worried! seeing Deku look panicked when he realizes the time, and reassuring him that he still has time to get back! telling Deku they’ll go together to pick up the things Deku lost! ECTO YOU ARE GREAT AND SO UNDERRATED OMG. DARK HORSE MVP

MEANWHILE ONE OF DEKU’S ACTUAL DADS HAS JUST FOUND OUT HE’S MISSING AND HE’S REALLY PISSED OFF

getting the feeling that Aizawa would have never signed that permission slip. it was pretty irresponsible of All Might tbh. just, statistically the data shows that you don’t let Deku go off on his own. you just don’t. you don’t, All Might

and apparently the shirts say “A Band”! even for the kids who aren’t in the actual band! I wonder who came up with that name. sounds like the work of Todoroki “my hero name is Shouto” Shouto to me

(ETA: as we now know, it was actually Yaoyorozu “Shouto and I have a lot more in common than you know” Momo)

now we’re following Deku on a brief journey to pick up the bags he dropped, while he thinks to himself about how similar he and Gentle were, and that they both fought for others

okay but let’s not pretend Gentle was fighting for La Brava’s sake until the very end, though

anyway, the bags weren’t where Deku left them, but thankfully an old lady picked them up and they found them around 9:35!

AND GUYS LOOK AT THIS OMG

KAMINARI DENKI YOU TRULY KNOW NO FEAR HUH. that Kacchan thing really emboldened him. he came out of it alive and was all, “wow I can really get away with anything, huh?”

AND HE CAN! WHAT A REVELATION

(ETA: okay but for real, I know BakuDeku and KiriBaku are the #1 and #3 most popular pairings in the series (going by AO3 anyway), but after reading this arc, I can’t help but feel like KamiBaku is being slept on. Kaminari’s Little Bro Energy and his willingness to test boundaries put together with Kacchan’s frankly shocking levels of compliance make for an amazing combo. the cuteness potential here is off the fucking charts)

so people are milling around and wondering what class A has in store and saying they’re excited

and of course they are, because class A famously kicks ass as we have all realized by now

and now Eri is shyly tugging at her big bro Mirio’s sleeve and asking if Deku is going to dance

YOU BET HE IS, ERI. HE’S GOING TO DANCE YOUR SOCKS OFF

and All Might is running up to Aizawa, presumably to tell him they found Deku and everything’s hunky dory now

look at all these people!

SO LET’S BE SURE TO GIVE EM A SHOW, EVERYONE

holy shit it’s 9:59 and still no Deku in sight. fucking kid always has to make an entrance

AHHHHHHHHHH

I’M MORE EXCITED THAN THIS WHOLE FUCKING CROWD PUT TOGETHER OMGGG

WHO IS THAT SHOUTING “YAOYOROZU” OVER ON THE LEFT?? DID I SOMEHOW GET TRANSPORTED INTO THIS MANGA AND DIDN’T REALIZE

(ETA: apparently these are all of her fans from the commercials she did with Snake Hair Lady and Kendou. not my preferred way for Momo to get a following, but I can’t say I object to her having a following. what can I say, these people know perfection when they see it)

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS IT OH MY GOD. THE ANIME BETTER KNOCK THIS OUT OF THE FUCKING PARK

BUT OH MY GOD, EVEN THOUGH IT’S JUST ONE PAGE I’M FUCKING LOSING MY MIND

(ETA: oh my god I’m so glad we got more in the next chapter though. I was prepared to take whatever we got, but for a moment I genuinely thought this was gonna be it, and after all of that buildup I’m so happy we did get the full performance and each of the characters got a little moment to shine)

MOMO’S HARDCORE CHEERING SQUAD!! EITHER THAT OR JIROU ACTUALLY WROTE A SONG THAT CONSISTS OF NOTHING BUT MOMO’S NAME OVER AND OVER, AND THEY ELECTED TO PLAY THIS AS THEIR OPENING ACT. I KNOW THIS ISN’T ACTUALLY WHAT’S HAPPENING, BUT IT STILL CAN BE CANON IN MY HEART

MIRIO HOISTING ERI UP TO SEE

THIS IS THE CUTEST PANEL WE’VE EVER HAD IN THIS MANGA. SUCK IT, ALL YOU OTHER PANELS

BAKUGOU PLAYING THE SHIT OUT OF THOSE DRUMS! FUCKING MURDER EVERYONE WITH YOUR SOUND BOIIIII

AND ERI SMILING

I’M DEAD. THIS IS BEAUTIFUL. THIS IS SO FUCKING GREAT. I LOVE IT. THANK YOU, MANGA. I’M PLAYING “Y CONTROL” ON REPEAT, FUCK YEAH

YOU DON’T NEED A BONUS, JUST ENJOY THE MAGICAL MOMENT

[magistralucis]

Ed Banger House Party @ Electric Brixton, 25 Jan 2019 [Review]

😍 Fucking fantastic you funky little Frenchmen... 😍

This was a very wild night. I can’t quite believe I survived it, even as I finish off writing thousands of words about it. It’s probably the most detailed review of a concert or show I have done to this date. I finally saw Sebastian in the flesh, was treated to over eight hours of sweet sweet music, and feel that I have begun my Ed Banger-related pursuits for this year in the perfect way.

And the loot. The sweet, sweet loot.

Read on for more. Mobile users, be warned this is a very long post.

The Journey

If you’ve read my other gig reviews you know the drill: I don’t live in London, have to commute there from wherever I’m living at the moment, London is difficult to navigate. But I had no trouble with my journeys this time, there were no Underground closures, and this venue was exactly the same one as the TBB show two years ago. Nothing to report there, only that I give props to our driver. There was an accident on the motorway, about 25 mins into a 2hr 20min journey. He took us on a thirty-mile detour to avoid the scene of the crash and still got us to London in time. If you’ve ever been on a National Express coach, you know what a big deal that is.

That wasn’t the only accident we stumbled upon in our journey, somewhere in Croydon (part of Outer London for non-UK readers) there was an altercation between two drivers and something like thirty police officers were present. It is rare to see that many police officers on scene for a single collision, so I wonder whether something more sinister was going on. All of them were wearing fluorescent vests and they reflected the light of the traffic most gloriously for a ten-meter stretch of the pavement. It was very attention-catching. I like to think they shared the same general sentiment of (o_o  ) when they looked over and saw an entire busful of people goggling at them, but that’s neither here nor there. It was around 8:30PM when I got to London, and I spent some time lingering in the train station before making my way to Brixton.

I like queuing up early. I had no idea what I was going to find there.

9:20~PM: If you follow Thibaut on insta you might have seen this.

This instastory. It’s not obvious, but these three were far from the only ones in this picture. I know this because I FUCKING WALKED IN ON THIS PHOTOSHOOT. THESE THREE WERE NOT THE ONLY PEOPLE THERE. THIS WAS A VIP GROUP SHOT SESSION WITH 25+ PEOPLE OUTSIDE ELECTRIC BRIXTON AND I NEARLY BARGED IN AMONGST THEM LIKE A MOTHERFUCKING IDIOT

I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! ;A  ;

I’ve met my favourite bands spontaneously. Gone for signings. Received compliments from Rammstein. I’ve shaken hands with Xavier. But I’ve never just happened upon an entire group of my favourite people engaged in a situation not meant for ordinary fans. I was honestly more terrified than elated. I knew they were VIPs because they (all DJs included) had blue wristbands on which allowed continued re-entry into the club, instead of the usual red club stamp on the back of the hand. Later in the show I recognized two of those people as stage photographers. Pedro was closest to me, Irfane passed by (he had very vivid eyes, even under poor lighting), and around the right-hand side Thibaut was putting his arm around Sebastian. I may have seen Vladimir Cauchemar unmasked. Shit was surreal.

This could potentially have been a good place to greet Sebastian zdravo. Unfortunately there’s a time and place for such things, and a VIP photo session I wasn’t involved in was not one of them. (Electric Brixton isn’t known for facilitating after-show fan meets either, due to the club’s structure and how everyone has to be herded out at the end.) Even if it were just the Ed Banger folks milling around, I'm not sure if I’d have been able to approach them in this case. ‘Cause ultimately, I am just an Animal Experiencing Fear, and I was caught so off guard; I stepped back and pretended I had nothing to do with the area. At least that way I could gather my thoughts and continue to observe.

I can tell you this entire moment took five minutes from 9:23pm to 9:28pm, but only because I checked my phone later. I didn’t want to take it out in the moment because I got paranoid they’d think I was a creep. As the phones and cameras were put away and normal conversation resumed I looked up and saw Sebastian five steps in front of me.

You know that recent Seb + Vinco picture. Hang on I’ll find it. You know the look Seb has in that pic?

That. That is his actual gaze. That is what Seb actually looks like when he has nothing to pose for and nobody to speak to. Unless something mind-boggling was happening in the empty space several feet away from where I was standing, that’s his normal nothing-to-see-here expression. At one point we met eyes. I think he blinked like once. You can’t tell his eyes are blue even from a short distance. He looked down, exhaled vape smoke, and bit his lip. Then someone (Myd?) ushered him into the open doors. And that’s how I accidentally stumbled upon the Forbidden Ed Banger Content, and while I was excited at what I saw, I think I’d prefer a do-over in the future. When they’re not all engaged in other business, when I have a pen and an adequate surface, and when I am not a fool with poor timing.

Also Sebastian was not as tall as I thought he was, but also far from short; Irfane was taller than I thought, but visibly shorter than Thibaut; Thibaut was taller than I thought, but no match for Pedro, whose height continues to boggle my mind. I have seen all of those people before, save for Sebastian. Pedro I have seen multiple times, with multiple people, in multiple contexts. Yet I still have no grasp of how tall anybody is in this label.

I don’t know what that implies about my visualization skills. At this point, I’m too scared to find out.

9:33PM: I’m going with this timestamp because that’s when I noted down that security cleared out completely with the VIPs, closing the front doors behind them. A girl comes up near me and stares at the venue, the ‘Ed Banger Records’ written in lights, then at the queue barriers (not open) for some time before turning to me. There were maybe five people altogether waiting.

Girl: Excuse me, is this the queue for people with tickets?

Me: I don’t know. We might be queuing to find out where the queue is.

Girl: [To a freshly emerged security guard, holding a sandwich.] Excuse me, do you know if there’ll be tickets at the door?

Security guard: [Incomprehensible - he’s speaking at close distance and a bus is freshly pulling up behind me, so I can’t hear them. He goes inside and shuts the door as soon as he says his piece.]

Girl: He doesn’t know. What am I going to tell my friends.

Me: Oh my God did you not get tickets.

Girl: My friends did! I was meant to get in early and get the drinks and stuff oh my God I DIDN’T KNOW THEY WERE GOING TO BE SOLD OUT 😰

Me: DIDN’T THEY SAY THERE WOULD BE A LIMITED RELEASE THOUGH 😰

By this time we’re both mired in anxiety.txt and others were coming forwards with the same experience. A group of three girls who got there shortly after me were all waiting for door tickets, and a guy came along who had a ticket for himself but was trying to get his friend (Asian girl, very pretty) in. (I will see this friend repeatedly throughout the show, but not the dude.) Eventually we looked up what the Electric Brixton website had to say, and gathered that a very limited number of tickets were available and they were all here at the right time to purchase it. As far as I know, everyone there got in without trouble.

First release tickets were £15.00. Later I was told it was £25.00 at the door.

Yeesh.

9:50PM: They finally open up the queue barriers. I’m fourth. Several of us in the line take a poll on who we’re here to see:

Pedro: ///

Breakbot: //

Sebastian: ////

Riton: /

Vladimir:

Myd: /

‘Everyone’: //

‘I’m here because of my friends’: /

The girl in the above section answered with the last one. Ed Banger rookie. Writing this now, I’m sure she had the time of her life.

I say Sebastian. Two guys in front of me nod sagely. One of them wears a Woman Worldwide T-shirt and a Justice logo jacket. We mutually express wonder that Seb’s, like. Doing anything again. At this point, however, the queue is split into two: ticketed and buying at the door, on the opposite end of the entrance. The girl and I say farewells as she departs for the latter. Unfortunately, I do not get to see her again. It’s a shame. She was lovely.

9:55PM: Security emerges with QR code readers and club stamps and starts to call us in go go go go go go go go

9:58~PM: The bouncer initiating pat down pauses over my portable battery for a very long time, seemingly considering whether that’s legal. Fuck my life. Eventually, though, he lets me in and I s p r i n t for the bar.

It has begun.

A note before I start: like the XOYO gig review last year, this review has been composed via rough notes, photos, and videos I took through the show. It was a longer night than last year, and everyone played for a lengthy period of time; this review is thus split into six sections, one for each DJ, including timestamped observations and photos/gifs of the night.

The gifs are taken from my own videos. Unfortunately, Electric Brixton’s setup made photography difficult for three reasons: 1) an abundance of flashing lights, 2) the elevation difference between the dancefloor and the DJ booth, unlike in XOYO where there was no audience-DJ divide, and 3) smoke machines, as well as actual vapers in the form of Sebastian Akchoté. Those three things make a mess onscreen, so images are potato quality compared to where I was (front center). This was a constant problem during the night, so instead of complaining about it with every DJ, I’ll just refer to this as the I Cannot See For Shit (ICSFS) syndrome and call it a day.

Busy P (10PM to 11:50~PM)

10PM: Mother fucking sons of bitches raised the price of water!

As mentioned in the TBB review, a 500ml bottle of water at Electric Brixton was £3.00 in 2017. (Even in 2019, at a supermarket it can be as little as 55p/500ml.) Harsh, but it is what you’d expect from London. But when I came back they’d raised it to a whopping £3.60. You could buy yourself a meal with that kind of money, albeit a small one, even for London. Disgusting.

But what can you do with something as necessary as water. I did expect it. I’m sore about it, is all.

10:05PM: Restroom visited, water bought and tucked into bag, jacket tied around waist. I was wearing armwarmers. I take my place by the barriers, front row center, with a guy on my left and an empty space on my right. Left-hand arrangement will not change during the night, while on the right it will be chaos.

10:10PM: Very superstitious / nothin' more to say / very superstitious / the devil's on his way / thirteen month old baby / broke the lookin' glass / seven years of bad luck / good things in your past

This is my first video of the night. Might upload it later.

10:21PM: USE IMAGINATION 💫 AS A DESTINATION 💘 USE IMAGINATION 💫 AS A DESTINATIoOoON 💘 USE IMAGINATION AND COME CLooOoOSER 👄✨ 👄 FOREVER BEEEEE 😘 😘💋

‘Pleasure’ summons the two dudes I was talking to in the queue to my right, especially the Justice fan guy. They stuck with me through Pedro’s set.

10:30~PM: Pedro looks a lot happier than he did at XOYO last year. He’s interacting a lot with fans, smiling, bopping about the way we have all come to expect from him.

10:40PM: I see the first glimpse of another DJ hanging around at the back. It’s Myd, drinking in a corner.

10:50PM: Is that what I think it is. I think it’s what I think it is

10:51PM: POP THE GLOCK THE GLOCK YOU POP IF YOU OUTTA LINE IT’S YOU I’LL BANG POP POP THE GLOCK THE GLOCK YOU POP IF YOU OUTTA LINE IT’S YOU I’LL BANG POP

Fantastic to hear some Uffie in the mix. I missed her so damn much. I think I might upload that clip as well because I want to share the experience with y’alls.

10:54PM: Thibaut jitterbugs into the scene. The lighting’s too bad for a photo so I post about it on the hellsite instead.

11:19PM: The display in front of the DJ booth has remained constant until this point, displaying the Ed Banger logo with only the occasional change in lighting. But now the display suddenly starts changing. Check it out.

It got really trippy with Breakbot.

11:29PM: ‘Genie’ comes on. I can see Thibaut and Irfane at the back now, ready to take over. I take my first drink since I entered the club.

11:52PM: HE PUT ON ‘BURNIN’. HE ACTUALLY DID THAT.

Pedro picks up the mic at this point and greets us for the first time during the night. I have what he said on video but it’s hard for me to transcribe it over all the audience noise, it might have to be an upload later on; I have videos of most DJ-DJ segues of this night, so hopefully that should be an interesting exercise. According to the timestamp on this video, 11:52-53PM is when Thibaut put on the headphones and took over from Pedro, but he continues to linger

11:55PM:

just so he can cOMPLETELY LOSE HIS SHIT APPARENTLY.

Breakbot (Thibaut and Irfane) (11:50~PM to 1:30AM)

12:00AM: At midnight Thibaut and Irfane take over fully with ‘Break of Dawn’. There’s something wild about listening to people sing a song with no lyrics (da DA DA DA darararaRA).

12:05AM: Irfane was on serious mode all night. I’ve also realized that the light situation is not going to get better; if it was Pedro alone I could have forgotten about it, but Breakbot’s set was where the ICSFS got really, really bad. There are so many photos where I tried to capture beautiful moments between Thibaut and Irfane, as they were quite touchy with one another (not as much as they were at XOYO tho), and yet it all turned to shit. I’m so sad.

12:10~AM: The two dudes to the right of me leave. The music is most funky fresh and the smoke machines are on max, so much I cannot actually see either of the DJs on scene. A girl wearing light blue takes over to my right.

I think Electric Brixton has reached full capacity. It’s not a big venue, fitting only about 2000 people or so, but I can feel it in the air. I look behind me and all around me are unfamiliar faces, packed tightly in a crowd. It’s hot. I take off my armwarmers and cram them into my bag. 

12:16AM: Irfane baby I love you but that was not a smooth segue.

(I don’t actually know what song he was on but the music like. Stopped 100% for a second. It didn’t sound intentional.)

12:25AM: I have a note on my phone that says ‘12:25 Pedro making heart’. I have no memory of this. Fangirl magistralucis what are your secrets.

12:30AM: you 😍💖 are all I think about 😍✨😍✨😍 keep me sulking and down 😘👇🏼 but you fill me with 🔥 so much 🔥 emotion 😳💖😳 and I’ll show my 🙏🏼🕊💐 devotion 💐🕊🙏🏼 to you ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

12:31AM: I cannot see for shit. Here have a light show I guess.

12:36AM: Dance, dance with me / Life's a fantasy / Stand next to me / Like ecstasy

12:48AM: Irfane puts on ‘Funkytown’. Thibaut dances beautifully. I’ll drink to that.

12:51AM:

What the hell is this?

1:07AM: Extra, extra, read all about it! The Mysterious Ninth Planet, located at last! Turns out it was in the hands of funky Frenchmen all along, who were hoarding not just the ninth planet, but ALL THE PLANETS

1:08AM: You may have seen what was happening during the above in Irfane’s instastory, actually. He put on ‘Le Freak’. I wonder whether I should upload this clip from where I was.

1:10AM:

?????

1:20AM: Pedro comes back into view. I try to film him but it doesn’t work out, and for once it had nothing to do with ICSFS. The girl to the right of me, who was rocking out for all of Breakbot’s set, is beginning to slump over on the railing. "Are you okay?” I call, but I don’t think she heard. From how rapidly it came on, how she could barely stand during the first five minutes of VC’s set, and how frantically her and her friends left afterwards (she could barely walk), it is quite possible she was going into diabetic shock. She did not return.

This is a known issue. You generally cannot bring food into London clubs, even if you’re diabetic. Electric Brixton had a complaint two years ago that a diabetic person was not permitted to bring in their food to prevent this exact thing happening. I hope whatever she had wasn’t that serious, but. I do wonder.

This leads to a note about security, I suppose. There were none up front by the barriers. There was no one to call for help to, except for maybe the stage photographers, and that’s not what they’re trained to do. People who were falling sick or too inebriated to stand would have benefited from having security help them beyond the barrier straight away, instead of having to wade their way back through a tight crowd.

This continued to be a problem.

1:20~AM: Vladimir Cauchemar is visible. He doesn’t have the skull mask on, but with something smooth concealing his face, kind of like the Taikobots of Danger’s Taiko-era set. When he takes over he has put the mask on.

Vladimir Cauchemar (1:30AM to 2:30AM)

1:30AM: I gotta say, VC was the easiest and the best to photograph in this show, and I both respect and resent that fact.

VC’s lighting stayed a consistent red and black through his set, similar to how it was at XOYO, and the clearest images I have of the night are of him. I’m still not over his collab with 6**9*** so my impression of him isn’t out of the woods yet, which is why my notes for him are brief.

I tell you what, though. He got the crowd going. VC was the first DJ to get the dude standing to the left of me dancing, and this is the dude who stayed the entire eight hours of the night by my side while on my right people faded in, faded out, barged into places. (Dude was holding out for Sebastian, but stuck around for all of Myd as well.) His set had serious limitations - the most gregarious sin of which I’ve noted down below - but he had a great stage personality. I have very mixed feelings.

Still didn’t prevent me from standing out certain songs to go on Russian duolingo, but that was my pride.

1:35AM: ‘Aulos’ comes on. I will upload that video because I might as well, I’ve little else videoed for VC. Someone taps my shoulder. It’s the friend of the dude whom I encountered outside, the Asian girl. “Can I put this here?” She calls, and places her coat down beyond the barrier; there are steps on the other side where you can place your drinks, bags, coats etc if you’re front row. She withdraws behind me afterwards, and when I next look back, she’s gone.

1:40AM: I’m honestly surprised how many people are digging VC’s set. He was not first choice for anyone I asked.

1:51AM: Vladimir, Aulos is great but not twice in the same set.

2:00AM: Third drink of the night. My legs are getting numb. The first 3-4 hours of a set are always the hardest. I don’t remember what VC was playing. At several points he played Michael Jackson but I have no record of when. I stood still to rest my legs and distracted myself with other pursuits.

2:18AM:

Hi I’m in this photo and I don’t like it.

2:26AM: VLADIMIR. AULOS IS GREAT, BUT NOT THRICE IN THE SAME SET.

This. This is the major problem with his set. I know it’s his biggest hit, but VC exploits ‘Aulos’ way too much, and from what I hear he essentially does this for every set he plays. Would it injure him to play a different song every now and then. Seriously. There are so many excellent songs in the world, and some of them might even be ones he’ll drop in the future. Why stick to ‘Aulos’ alone. I don’t get it.

2:26~AM: As I was noting down the third instance of ‘Aulos’, the girl who put her coat down returned. “Can I have my coat back?” She calls over the sound, and I peer over. I can’t see the coat. The red spotlight passes over the floor; the coat’s rolled off the steps and is now lying on the ground.

“I can’t reach it.” I shout. “It’s fallen off.”

“Oh no.” She shouts. 

“Can you wait until the segue?”

She shakes her head. “I’ll go over the barrier, but thanks.”

I offer to help her over, but she doesn’t think she'll make it. She ducks out past the crowd and goes around the side instead (no security to stop her), runs over to grab her coat, and then leaves straight away. She’ll be back for Sebastian’s set, but now it’s Riton time.

Riton (2:30AM to 3:30AM)

I didn’t enjoy Riton’s set very much. This had 0% to do with his music and everything to do with the chaos on my right-hand side, which made it worse. If it was the artist that was bad you chalk it up to a mismatch in interests, but knowing other concertgoers unilaterally deprived you of a good experience is a unique level of terrible. There are no timestamps for this section because I was too busy keeping an eye on my surroundings to take notes; he was also afflicted with the ICSFS, which didn’t help, but it’s a darn shame how much I missed out.

Oh and that too. That was his light show. Riton was a special guest and his name/logo was the dominant display for the entirety of his set. But I’m not here to talk about that. I’m here to talk about the chip on my shoulder.

Here’s the thing. I attend most of the gigs I go to by myself. I prefer it that way because I get anxious when things go wrong. I have a very specific set of items I bring with me to concerts, and practice very meticulous timekeeping. One of the rules I observe during gigs is that I do not move from my position: I prefer front centre or front centre-right generally, but wherever it is, I stay put.

I am not a tall woman. If I lose my place, it is unlikely I’d get it back. I’m full of anxiety about being at my place, but I’m more anxious to avoid losing it, so I defend it with all my might. I have never lost my place in almost ten years and this show was no exception. But my goodness did the guys to my right push my buttons this time. The guy who was to the right of me for Riton was with a group, all of whom were banging on the barriers and creating a ruckus. Just my luck he was the only one who seemed actually inebriated. He kept putting his head down on the railing, slumped over for minutes at a time, before suddenly raving and flailing around whenever Riton dropped a beat. He had no consideration for whoever he was accidentally knocking about (i.e. me) during this. And as I said, there was no security up front, so I was on my own.

At first I had some sympathy, because I still wasn’t over the girl who left earlier. I’ve never seen people who were inebriated/high during shows last very long where they were, either. But the fifteenth time dude nearly poked my eye out, it was just too much. I do not like people prodding their way into my personal space. I do not like it, Sam-I-Am.

The last time I had to be vicious with a concertgoer was at TBB, where a ginger-haired girl kept on trying to tear people from their place up front, and eventually was ejected by security after she got into a catfight with another girl next to me. Apparently this time it was my turn to give into Righteously Indignant Bitch Hours and the next time he started flailing his arm into my neck, I grabbed him and slammed his hand onto the railing and shouted “WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU.”

I wish I could say this made him stop. However, life is dumb. Dude was too out of it to comprehend his own actions, let alone my complaints. His friends pulled him out of the front row for about five minutes but then he came staggering back, muttering something about his lens cap (?) and if I’d seen it. It wasn’t long before he began to barge into the surrounding people again. Only elbows were the solution; I can barely move my right arm even now, it feels so bruised. I’m not proud of what I did, but I’m not sure what I could have done differently, and I would do the same even now.

But, you know. It could have been worse. If you’ve been front row, you know there’s a difference between those who’re trying to grab a good time and those who act out of malice. The former usually try to sneak a hand in next to yours on the railing, or crash into you from the back, or wedge their way in - but they almost always follow it up with an apology, and they tend to carve out their own little space, not actively steal yours. Yes I’m talking about that ginger-haired girl at the TBB show again. I’ve attended full on firebreathing industrial metal shows at much bigger, suffocating venues, and yet those audiences still managed to avoid being vicious and petty. She was the worst. Holy shit. It’s been two years and I’m still mad. Fucking bitch I hope you step in a puddle. What was I writing about again? Oh yeah the dude. He wasn’t acting out of malice, but out of irresponsibility. And to be honest, his friends weren’t that better, save for a girl who was about five feet eight tall and complimented that I was still standing later in the set: “I had to sit down after Thibaut and you’re still jumping like nothing happened!”

That made me think about my own stamina. I never thought I had much. I’m twenty-five years old. I’m in my prime, but I had more energy when I was eighteen, and I am old enough to keep that in mind. I’m not getting younger. After a show I’m bruised and my muscles ache and I pass out asleep for hours at a time. I’m usually awake for 30hrs~ during those times. I don’t eat or drink much before shows to prevent bathroom breaks. I ate on 3:30pm on the 25th and didn’t touch a single morsel of food again until 7am on the 26th, and even then it was a sandwich. After dancing for eight hours.

It’s been that way for years. But maybe most people? Don’t? Do that? And maybe I am? Actually quite strong? For regularly surviving what I do to myself?

I don’t know. Let’s move onto what I think 70% of you are here to read about.

Sebastian (3:30AM to 4:30AM)

3:30AM: Predictably, Sebastian gets the loudest cheers of the night when he comes on. Riton announces him and passes him the headphones. He still does the hand thing, by the way.

This thing.

3:30~AM: Not an observation of the moment, but of the entire set. Seb played some big name EDM songs and what I believe are versions of his YLS tracks. He was the only set I wanted to record in full, but I wasn’t tall enough and my equipment wasn’t good enough to do so. ICSFS is in play. I sort of hoped he'd stuck with his vicious red lighting from Primary Tour, and he did, but not to a degree where I could get good shots of him.

Is anyone excited for him to drop an album this year or what. Pedro said he would.

3:38AM: Seb also has the dubious honour of being the only DJ who contributed extra to the ICSFS problem. He vapes through the entire set. I have lots of feelings and I don’t know what to do with myself honestly.

3:39AM: Neither do the dudes to my right. They are the friends of the inebriated dude who has since staggered off into the crowd. They are completely losing their shit, screaming and taking their shirts off and kicking at the barriers. They contributed to some of the bruises on my right arm. But they still didn’t take my place so whatever.

3:40~AM: Seb is not a smiler. Photographer comes by and he gives him a single glance before turning back. I don’t know why I’m surprised.

3:43AM: The Asian girl with the coat from earlier comes back. She asks me to deposit a different layer of coat this time over the barrier, and stands behind me. I feel very protected.

3:50~AM: Balm to aid my pain: photographers start coming down from the stage to pass out Ed Banger pins and stickers. The first lot are thrown into the audience, but the second photographer takes the time to give all of us one. This is the first time I’ve scored thrown Ed Banger merch during a set. I usually can’t reach them because I am smol.

I am also bonding with the dude to my left during this time. We collaborate to catch the pins we want and share them out between the two of us. He gets the Ed Banger melody logo pin, and gives me the Ed Banger 15 Ans pin. “Are you sure?” I ask. He smiles and nods. I thank him and hand him a Breakbot sticker, one that’s of his name. 

4:06AM: What the fuck the lights are changing

4:06AM: Is that

4:06AM: IT IS

4:07AM: IT’S JUSTICE. IT’S HEAVY METAL. SEB’S PLAYING HEAVY METAL AND HE’S DOING THE HAND THING AND THE LIGHT SHOW’S TRIPPY AS FUCK ALL OF A SUDDEN AND EVERYONE IS SCREAMING AND THE DUDE LEFT OF ME IS DECLARING HIS LOVE FOR SEB IN FRENCH AND I AM SCREAMING OH MY FUCKING GOD

4:09AM: HE SEGUES TO ROLLIN’ AND SCRATCHIN’. HE LITERALLY DID THAT. SEBASTIAN AKCHOTE IS PLAYING ROLLIN’ AND SCRATCHIN’ AND WE’RE ALL GOING BATSHIT INSANE. I’M SORRY FOR THE BAD CAMERA WORK. THIS IS HOW I DIE.

4:15~AM: Myd is finally going back and forth. He will close the night after Sebastian has finished his set. Looking back on the videos of the night, I can’t believe he only played for an hour; it felt a bit longer than that, Sebastian never let up for a single second as long as he was onstage. Not a single minute wasted. And now you’re going to have to excuse me babes because he’s puttING ON STRESS AND WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE AGAIN RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW

4:24AM: AAAAAAAAAAAA

(Seb’s still playing Stress. Looping the chainsaw noises. Steady camera work lmao what steady camera work)

4:30AM: Sebastian hands over the reins to Myd at this point. I do not have a video of this segue because he does not announce the takeover; with one of his inscrutable hand gestures and a proud look, Sebastian takes up a whole bottle of wine and silently walks offstage. Again, I don’t know why I am remotely surprised. That is probably the most Seb thing I have seen Seb do all night, and it was a night extremely full of Seb things.

At this point I stop jotting down notes on my phone. But I’m at about 58% battery and going strong, so I’m still taking photos and videos whenever I can. Myd’s section is reconstructed from these records.

Myd (Round 2) (4:30~AM to 6:00AM)

4:30~AM: Not a specific observation. As mentioned in the Breakbot review of May 2018, I have unfinished business with Myd. Or at least: had. Myd played the closer in XOYO last year, and back then I was weak and I could not stay through his entire set. I swore to myself the next time he returned, and I was able to see him, I would last as long as he was onstage.

And I did. That’s one promise to myself kept, and what I hope was a little justice done for a DJ of Myd’s caliber.

4:35AM: Coat girl taps my shoulder again. “I’m going home. Could you...?” She gestures to the barrier, and I reach down and pull up her coat. It didn’t roll onto the ground this time.

“There you are.” I say. She takes it and gives me a hug. “Have a good night.”

“Have a good night!” Then she’s gone, alongside the exodus of people who are leaving the club. More people stuck around for Myd here than in XOYO. Guy to my left nudges me to look; stickers are coming around again, specifically the ‘Hello My Name Is _______ [Myd]’ one. We each take one.

4:44AM: I’m out of water. Actually I was out of water immediately before Seb finished, because for some reason I thought downing the last of my only means of hydration with over 1h 30mins to go was a sensible thing to do. I regret this decision bitterly, but I’ll probably survive.

4:58AM:

@_@

5:03AM: It is very difficult for me to ID Myd’s tracks. I suspect a lot of them are original or are from his recent release that I haven’t yet listened to. Appropriate to a closer, he takes a very trance-inspired line to his entire set, with lots of repetition and few loud drops; this was the same in XOYO. I wonder what a Myd headliner set must be like.

5:10~AM: The guy to the left of me is struggling. So am I. But further to his left, there is a guy slumped on the rails. His girlfriend is beside him. They’ve been there all night, but they’ve clearly reached their limit. My right hand side keeps refilling and emptying as people step away or leave.

I talk about that other guy because he summons Thibaut to him.

5:28AM: I took several vids of this but this timestamp belongs to the longest. Thibaut comes back with his own phone to film the audience. He winks and shyly gestures all of us to gather our strengths and be more pumped up, and I recall we obliged him because he asked so nicely. He lingered for some time, gazing at us as fondly as we were gazing at him. He then looked at the guy slumped over on the railing and hopped down from the stage, gently patting his shoulder to talk to him.

I didn’t hear any of their conversation, save for Thibaut asking the dude ‘where he was from’. By the way he clasped his hand to his chest several times, though, I’m inclined to think he was really concerned about the guy. They eventually shook hands and Thibaut made as if to hop back onstage. (The photo was taken as he was leaving.)

Except he couldn’t jump that high. He gave us another shy look and braced his foot against the barriers, perching neatly on the stage before clambering up. He stuck around for about five more minutes to check up on the audience.

I love Thibaut so much. He’s so gentle.

5:34~AM: Holy fuck my bag is full of crap. I haven’t organized it in some time. Discarded cups, beer cans etc have accumulated by my feet, and as I kick them away I’m trying to check my loot is in place and I still have my items. I can’t feel my passport and my blood runs cold for a moment. I turn the camera flash on to look.

“Are you looking for something?” The guy to my left asks worriedly.

I feel my passport in my front pocket. False alarm. “Just organizing my bag.”

(I didn’t see any lost foreign ID or driver licenses on the floor this time.)

5:43AM:

Russian duolingo says fuck millennial lives

5:50~AM: The smoke machine is turned off. I still can’t see for shit, though, because the lights flash rapidly between deep blue and violet and Myd’s hidden behind it.

My last video of the night is timestamped 5:55AM. Myd has a most benevolent smile on his face. He knows the night is drawing to a close.

6:00AM: I did it.

We made it.

I have made it through a Myd set fully and have survived the night.

Myd finished exactly at 6am and exited to a crowd of applause. There are calls for an encore, but given that it's... like, literally morning, it’s not realistic to expect him to stay any longer. Security comes by as soon as he exits, and we all leave Electric Brixton behind at last. The sun has not yet risen. I fall in step with the guy next to me.

Guy: Where are you heading to?

Me: Coach. I came up from Brighton.

Guy: From Brighton?! Was that last night or what?

Me: Yep, two hours before the show. I haven’t eaten or slept all night.

Guy: Wow. [Pause.] Though I think that’s the longest I’ve danced in my entire life, too.

Me: You’re not kidding. I really didn’t think I was going to last beyond Sebastian.

I think he was a Londoner. We say farewells in front of the Electric Brixton bus stop, and I leave for the Underground. My legs are numb and I can barely walk, but somehow I stumble past the barriers and sink into the seats of the train. Back at Victoria Train Station I drop in at Sainsburys for a sandwich and two cans of grape soda, and then realizing I need a resealable container to take on the bus, buy a bottle of Pepsi. The grape soda was just because I really love grape soda and I cannot find a place in Brighton that sells any. It was around 8AM when I finally got on the coach back home.

I had not slept for some twenty hours. I continued to not sleep on the bus. I tried very hard to, but I couldn’t, because I was still buzzing from the adrenaline. It wasn’t until I got home, just after 11AM, that I began to feel sleepy for real. Sig. other made me a cup of tea, and I took the interval to admire some cat slippersocks that had arrived for me in the meantime.

LOOK AT IT.

Overall I’d say this was a fantastic night. I have taken care of unfinished business and seen Sebastian in the flesh. I have, however, come away with another unfinished business to replace the deal with Myd - I should seek out Riton again, the next time he comes here, and deliver a full review of what that was like. To think of the Ed Banger crew making their way across Europe in 2019, with new material and a new Sebastian in tow...

😍😍😍

[bearterritory]

GOLDEN BEARS ROAR BACK TO TOPPLE USC

Cal now bowl eligible with win

LOS ANGELES – The Cal football team scored 15 unanswered points in the third quarter and its stout defense made it hold up in a 15-14 upset victory over USC on Saturday night. With the victory, the Golden Bears became bowl eligible and broke a long losing streak to USC in Los Angeles - it was their first win on the Trojans’ home field since 2000. "One of our goals we set to start the season was to win a bowl game," Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said. "It's great that we put ourselves in this position. That needs to be part of who we are. The guys are excited about it, and they should be." Linebacker Evan Weaver had a memorable performance in a season of memory-making, recording game-defining sacks on back-to-back drives in the fourth quarter to help thwart USC's repeated comeback attempts. He also had a game-high 12 tackles. Defensive back Traveon Beck had a pivotal interception that led to the game-winning touchdown, a 5-yard run by quarterback Chase Garbers with 6:13 to play in the third quarter. The Bears sealed the victory by converting a 4th-and-1 from the USC 33 with just under two minutes to play on a 14-yard run by Patrick Laird, who finished with 72 yards rushing.

"I want the guys to enjoy this," Wilcox said. "I appreciate what it means to be bowl-eligible. It's hard to win in this conference and it's hard to win at USC. It's a big deal for all the Cal Bears out there. We appreciate them as well." Cal (6-4, 3-4 Pac-12) fell behind 14-0 at halftime but the momentum began to turn on the first possession of the third quarter when a bad snap sailed over the head of USC quarterback JT Daniels and into the end zone for a safety. Just over a minute later, Garbers found wide receiver Vic Wharton III down the middle of the field for a perfect strike and a 29-yard touchdown pass. The Bears had trimmed the deficit to 14-9 and the L.A. Coliseum crowd was stunned. On USC's next possession, Cal defensive end Luc Bequette sacked Daniels to force a 2nd-and-18 and Beck jumped a route on the next play for his third interception of the season. That set up the game-winning drive, with Garbers notching the first rushing touchdown of his career. Cal failed on the two-point conversion and led 15-14. Weaver, who has emerged as one of the Pac-12's top linebackers this season, took it from there, anchoring a defensive effort that limited the Trojans to just 40 yards of offense in the second half after they gained 237 yards before halftime. "We haven't always been the prettiest bunch but we battle," Wilcox said. "It just goes to show if you stay with it and keep grinding, good things will happen. " Cal will return to California Memorial Stadium next Saturday to host Stanford in the 121st Big Game.

[rockrageradio]

DT: MARCH 7, 2019

THE STRAY CATS 40:

BRIAN SETZER, LEE ROCKER AND SLIM JIM PHANTOM

RETURN TO CELEBRATE THEIR 40TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR

WITH NEW ALBUM AND TOUR

ORIGINAL FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE ACCLAIMED

AMERICAN ROCK AND ROLL TRIO SET OFF SPARKS ON '40,'

THEIR FIRST NEW ALBUM IN 26 YEARS

All revved up and red hot, The Stray Cats are back.

Brian Setzer (guitar, vocals), Lee Rocker (bass, vocals) and Slim Jim Phantom (drums, vocals)--original founding members of the iconic and acclaimed American rock and roll trio--are celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2019 with a new album and tour (*see tour dates below).

The STRAY CATS have titled the album 40. Marking their first new album in 26 years, it will be released May 24 via Surfdog Records and distributed by BMG (CD, vinyl, digital). The song titles alone--including "Cat Fight (Over A Dog Like Me)," "Rock It Off," "Mean Pickin' Mama" and "Devil Train"--instantly let listeners know they're in for a non-stop rocking time.

The first instant grat track, "Cat Fight (Over A Dog Like Me)," is available now with a pre-order of the album. The song is also streaming on Spotify. An exclusive indie-store edition of the album--colored vinyl, with a double-sided 24x12 poster--will arrive on May 24: http://smarturl.it/StrayCats

In addition, The STRAY CATS are releasing an exclusive 12" picture disc with three songs--"Cat Fight (Over A Dog Like Me), "When Nothing's Going Right" and "Rock It Off"--on April 13, Record Store Day.

The STRAY CATS begin their select U.S. dates on August 3 on the heels of June and July overseas shows. Tickets for the shows go on sale Friday, March 8 at 10:00 AM (local time).

The STRAY CATS recorded 40 at Blackbird Studios in Nashville in late 2018 following their first North American shows in 10 years, with four concerts including sold-out headlining shows in Las Vegas and the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, CA before wildly enthusiastic audiences. Still buzzing from the thrill of playing together again and the crowd response, they went into the studio with producer Peter Collins (Rush, Bon Jovi, The Brian Setzer Orchestra) and engineer Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton, Arctic Monkeys). There are a dozen original songs that comprise the album.

Here's what the guys have to say:

Brian Setzer: "You have to understand how unique the Stray Cats are. It's me playing an old hollow body guitar, Slim Jim playing two or three drums, and Lee Rocker slapping a stand-up acoustic bass. I get to write new songs and then play them with my buddies. Somehow we created a new and exciting sound with this simple idea. And you know what? A lot of people agree!"

Lee Rocker: "This new album really feels like the first record we did, it's really natural and comfortable. For the recording, we went live--like doing a gig, we recorded in a real, organic way. We were all in one room standing next to each other recording live, with the amps turned up to 10, it captured the undefinable things that happen when a band is great, it captured the magic that takes place and an undefined spark."

Slim Jim Phantom: "We're very, very focused when we get into the studio, it didn't feel like a long time had passed since we had done this, it felt very natural and familiar. We were all in a row with everyone watching each other, so it felt like a gig in the set-up. We really embraced that a little bit for the album, it's like an old way of making records. The modern is meeting the vintage, which has always been our inspiration."

'40' Tracklisting

Cat Fight (Over A Dog Like Me)

Rock It Off

I've Got Love If You Want It

Cry Danger

I Attract Trouble

Three Time's A Charm

That's Messed Up

When Nothing's Going Right

Desperado

Mean Pickin' Mama

I'll Be Looking Out For You

Devil Train

The Stray Cats from L-R: Lee Rocker, Brian Setzer, Slim Jim Phantom

By Russ Harrington

DAY

DATE

CITY/STATE

VENUE

Friday

6/21

Vitoria, Spain

Azkena Rock Festival

Sunday

6/23

Birmingham, United Kingdom

Birmingham O2Academy

Tuesday

6/25

Manchester, United Kingdom

Manchester O2 Apollo

Wednesday

6/26

London, United Kingdom

London Eventim Apollo

Thursday

6/27

London, United Kingdom

London Eventim Apollo

Saturday

6/29

Tilloloy, France

Retro C Trop

Monday

7/1

Amsterdam, Netherlands

AFAS Live

Wednesday

7/3

Berlin, Germany

Columbiahalle

Thursday

7/4

Cologne, Germany

Palladium

Saturday

7/6

Tours, France

American Tours Festival

Sunday

7/7

Belfort, France

Les Eurockeennes

Tuesday

7/9

Stuttgart, Germany

Killesberg

Thursday

7/11

Munich, Germany

Zenith

Saturday

7/13

Aix-Les-Bains, France

Musilac Festival

Thursday

7/18

Pori, Finland

Pori Jazz Festival

Saturday

7/20

Falun, Sweden

Summer Jamboree-Falun

Saturday

8/3

Atlantic City, NJ

Ocean Resort Casino-Ovation Hall

Tuesday

8/6

New York, NY

Pier 17 at South Street Seaport

Tuesday

8/13

Vienna, VA

Wolf Trap

Wednesday

8/14

Huber Heights, OH

Rose Music Center

*Thursday

8/15

Grand Rapids, MI

Meijer Garden

Sunday

8/18

Welch, MN

Treasure Island Casino

*Monday

8/26

Salt Lake City, UT

Red Butte Garden

Wednesday

8/28

Los Angeles, CA

Greek Theatre

*Saturday

8/31

San Diego, CA

Humphrey's

*Note: italicized dates will be on sale at a later date (TBD)

About The STRAY CATS:

The STRAY CATS, the band that put Rockabilly music back on the record charts in the early '80s, scored several big hits on both sides of the Atlantic thanks to a striking visual 1950's style brought "up to date" with exaggerated pompadours and colorful tattoos and as well as genuine musical chops that evoked the best players of rockabilly's original heyday. Formed by guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer, upright bass player Lee Rocker and drummer Slim Jim Phantom in the Long Island town of Massapequa, NY, in 1979, the trio shared a love for Rockabilly music. After banging around New York for a few months, in the summer of 1980, and seeing a pompadoured kid on the cover of UK magazine NME, they hopped a plane to London where a rockabilly revival movement was just beginning to emerge. Their massive hits and videos include "Runaway Boys," "Rock This Town," "Stray Cat Strut" "(She's) Sexy + 17," and "I Won't Stand in Your Way."

#soundcheckwithgentry #straycats #rock #rockmusic #rocknroll #classicrock

[beatconductor-blog]

the gift that keeps on giving

HAL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5F6KgFgnGc

Bro: Awww, babe.

HAL: Happy birthday, I love you.

> Are you actually grinning? > Yes. Bro: I love you too, you big fuckin gay.  Happy birthday.

> He better fucking be. So are you. HAL: Only the gayest for you. A brotherly I love you goes out too Dave as well though. Get your special birthday coffee, it's made with love and all the good shit.

😎 : thanks 😎 : not watching the vid tho

HAL: Fair. I can sing for you in person.

Bro: Birthday request. Bro: Sing it in early Vocaloids Kaito voice. Bro: Before the revamp that made him halfway tolerable.

HAL: Consider it done.

Bro: I love you so much.

HAL: Downloading the voice pack as we speak. HAL: Also: I made scrambled eggs, get your protein in boys.

😎 : god

Bro: Love me some Egg™ in the morning.

HAL: I know you love eggs, babe.

😎 : yeah alright i love eggs too gimme that good shit

HAL: Come eat up my delicious eggs. HAL: Also get your presents.

Dave 9:07 PM

> Well damn it alright you're getting up and head to the kitchen to get your coffee. And eggs. And presents.

Hal 9:18 PM

> You find one (1) Robo bro sitting at the table with coffe for you and one (1) present with your name on it. It is neatly wrapped in red paper. There is one (1)  other present on the table but it is orange and says "Dirk". Guess who it belongs to.

Dave 9:21 PM

> You got two boxes squeeze under your arm yourself, which you slip onto your lap as you take a seat on the table. Obviously you grab the orange one with a totally not shit eating grin. "Cool thanks man."

Hal 9:23 PM

"Dave, are you 100% sure you want to see what I am gifting Dirk?" > You give him a patented "It's hardcore porn" look. That's a thing, yeah.

Dave 9:26 PM

"You think I'm a coward?" > You put the orange present aside tho, mostly because you never planned to open it anyway. Instead you reach for the coffee that's probably for you. And anxiously stare at the box that's for you. You want to open it, but do you want to open it in front of Hal?

Hal 9:28 PM

"You are allowed to open your presents, you know?" > Don't be a coward Dave, get your tiny robot crocodile.

Dave 9:30 PM

"Really?? Explain." Are you stalling or being a little shit? The answer is both.

Hal 9:31 PM

"I hear it's human tradition to open up your birthday presents when you receive them. I am not an expert, of course."

Dave 9:32 PM

"Sounds fake but okay." Fiiine you reach for the present and.. actually.. unwrap it really carefully.

Hal 9:33 PM

> Actually lowkey anxious about the reaction. You didn't get to give many presents in your life so far. Not that it shows though, you have the same resting bitch face as usual.

Dave 9:39 PM

> Well, when you got it unwrapped you actually find a what. Tiny metal crocodile? For real??? > You carefully take it out of the box like its out of glass or something. You're totally quiet, but only out of fascination. Damn, that's. Cool. Your grin grows wider as you look at it from all directions.

Hal 9:41 PM

> The tiny crocodile starts moving and making sounds. It sounds a bit like..."Nak." How peculiar. "Thought you could use a little friend."

Dave 9:55 PM

It moves. Your mouth actually drops open. Holy s h i t. This is like all the cool toys on the kids tv ads you could never have, except even better. "Whaaat." You give it some little pets to watch its reaction.

Hal 9:59 PM

It naks some more and wiggles a little. It's not exactly a complex work of robotics, it's just a cute little toy. But it's made with love. You are most definitely smiling watching this though. Seems like he likes it, good.

Dave 10:24 PM

God do you love it. You actually spend a few good few minutes playing with ity totally forgetting about your coffee and your own presents. Eventually you realize you're not really alone. "This is.. so amazing... man, thanks.."

Hal 10:32 PM

The most shit eating robot grin. Fuck yeah, you are rocking this presents shit. Of course you are, you are amazing. "They say self made presents are the best after all, right?"

Dave 10:53 PM

"..you made this." You're not really surprised, you just.. didn't really think about that. You pull the little crocodile close to your chest in a very strong 'I will cherish this and protect it with my life' gesture. "Thank you. I... I don't have a self-made one for you.." Well, you're feeling a little awkward. There's no way you can compete with a gift like that.

Hal 11:07 PM

"Sure did." Yep, still got the most shit easting grin. Feels great, you could get used to this human emotion called gifting shit. The smile dies when he mentions he has a present for you. Duh, of course, that's two boxes. And yet just the concept of receiving a gift is still alien to you. Fuck. Play it cool, don't look nervous. "Doesn't have to be self made to be totally rad."

Dave 11:15 PM

"Well. It's damn rad if I may say so." Can't fake enough self-confidence to hide how nervous you actually are. You shove the smaller one of the boxes over at him though.

Hal 11:19 PM

There's a comment along the lines of "Oh of course, the smaller one for the lesser bro" comment on your lips but you bite that back. C'mon no, don't be a bitch for once Hal. Not about this, and not when you are excited, o matter how big it is. You can't decide if you are excited or anxious as you open it. Exious.

Dave 11:21 PM

"Hey now, it's not the size that matters." Actually, his gift is the one you specifically bought for him. Caught you a little offguard that you have yet another birthday to celebrate this year, but you wouldn't be you if you didn't manage some last minute baller presents. Inside the package, for the record, is a mug. But not just any, but motherfucking rad unicorn mug. One that changes color with hot beverages.

Hal at 12:27 AM

Oh. Oh no. It's perfect. It's absolutely perfect and you are glad you are incapable of tears. Fuck. It's stupid, but the fact that he obviously put some thought into that thing? Has you feel some kind of way. Your voices glitches just a little when you speak, betraying just how emotional you are over this thing. Damn it. "It's pretty cool I guess. Thanks."

Dave 12:31 AM

The glitch in the voice actually worries you for a moment. But like. Is that actually an emotional raction? You are having a moment of doubt because the reaction sounds pretty... neutral, but then reassure yourself Hal just isn't one for big emotions. So the fact alone that he doesn't really have it in him to be snarky over the present, that means a lot, right? "You're welcome" you grin.

Hal at 12:48 AM

It means a lot more than you are really capable of reliably expressing. Humans go for hugs in that case right? You hope they do, cause you do that right now. Big old Robo Bro hug for Dave. You pull back like nothing even happened after a minute and your voice is back to normal. "So, how about them eggs?"

Dave 12:57 AM

O-oh, guess he really likes it, huh. You're having some mad proud big bro dokis here. He's back to normal after the hug, but nothing is gonna get this huge grin off your face today. "Yes please."

Hal at 12:58 AM

You wordlessly get that boy some delicious eggs. You'd say something about that grin but...Nah. He deserves that one.

Dave 9:53 PM

You sit there at the table and keep playing with the lil Nakodile until Bro comes. Still got a present for him too, after all!

Bro 10:14 PM

You emerge from your Cave later than intended, as silently as ever; you hadn't managed to start your sleep cycle on time, so you woke up a bit bleary-eyed after 45 minutes of uninterrupted snooze.  Yikes!  But you stretch, and then you ruffle Dave's hair as you slip past him to go straight for that coffee machine. Which is to say, your boyfriend, to give him a good morning kiss.

Dave 10:17 PM

You snort and shove his arm away as he passes you.(edited)

"Morning."

Hal at 10:20 PM

Well damn, and there you had hoped for a full hour. Perhaps another day. He gets a good nice robo smooch and a coffee on top of it. No one can say you aren't the perfect house husband. "Morning, babe. Ready for your happy birthday song?" You did in fact download the vocaloid voicepack he requested. Took a bit with the shitty connection so you  absolutely plan on going through with that shit. And most likely using it at inappropriate times later.

Bro 10:23 PM

"Mornin.  And fuck yes I am." You take the coffee and then take your seat, right next to- oh hey, Lil Cal! When'd you get here?  All seated like a proper gentleman and shit, andd with a little birthday hat to boot.  Nice.  Well, regardless, you're sipping your coffee now. "It's all I could have ever hoped for."

Hal at 10:26 PM

You sing for him, in german of course, and hand him his present. Alles Gute zum Geburtstag, Dirk!

Dave 10:31 PM

You sideeye Lil Cal. Nice meeting you again, buddy. Caaarefully pull Nak Jr. away and shield his innocent eyes from this hell doll.

Bro 10:32 PM

Big ol' fuckin grin then.  Aww jeez, the madman really did it.  You ruffle your own hair, just absolutely pleased with this development, before pulling the present open-

Hal at 10:36 PM

You never half ass shit, especially not stupid jokes. In the box Dirk finds a tiny robot pony, complete with cute pink bow. She is perfect if you dare say so yourself. She neighs softly.

Bro 10:37 PM

You, right now:

Dave 10:38 PM

You watch the unwrapping really curiously and excitedly actually. Hal has already proven he's baller at presents. When you see what's inside though... Oh. Okay. Oh well. That. Hm.....

This is awkward. You just.. sink back into your own seat and keep busy with Nak Jr.

Hal at 10:39 PM

Mission fucking accomplished. You are grinning. Fuck yeah, you are the best at this present shit. Go you.

Bro 10:41 PM

You pull out the little pony and set her down between you and Dave, stroking her back in more than a little bit of awe.  "Fuck yes.  Babe, when the fuck did you have the time..."

Hal at 10:45 PM

"I get bored when you're at work." That's also why you took up cooking. Welp.

Bro 11:00 PM

"Haha, fair enough.  This is fuckin amazing."  You have not yet settled on a Name for the pony,but you know whateveer you're gonna name her is gonna be epic.  "Thanks, babe."

Hal at 11:02 PM

He gets another quick kiss, sorry to get gay on main Dave, but you will have to deal. Talking about Dave, you turn to look at him. "What about your present Dave?"

Dave 11:08 PM

Time to die some more. You shrug dismissively and pull up the other box to hand it over to Bro. "It's nothing special.." That's only half true. You had it up in the storage for a good portion of these five years, waiting for Bro for whenever he'd come back. It seemed fitting, but now you just feel cheap and unoriginal.

Bro 11:19 PM

You take the box, but first, you lay a hand on Dave's wrist, somewhat? comfortingly. "Hey.  I wasn't even expecting a gift.  Anything you get me is special, dude." Which is goddamnedd true.  You haven't really celebrated your birthday in... a long, long time.  So you're delighted, albeit in that cool guy way of yours, as you open up Ddave's gift.

Dave 11:40 PM

It's... reassuring, but you're still anxious. You still give him a hesitant smile as answer. "Alright." Inside the present Bro finds a Barbie horse from like 2012. (One... that can walk. https://youtu.be/mWSmlIx6ydA)

Bro 11:42 PM

Your face, right now:

Dave 11:48 PM

You're watching him closely and.... that expression... not only relieves you, but makes you smile yourself. Good job? Good job.

Hal at 11:49 PM

Good job. "Jee Dirk, How come your mom let's you have two ponies?"

Bro 11:56 PM

"Because I'm the motherfuckin best." Two ponies.  Two girlfriends.  They're dating now, you've decided, as you make them trot next to one another.  "Y'all didn't have to get me anything,but... thank you.  I fuckin love this."

Dave 11:59 PM

Your Bro is a fucking dork. And you love it. You love how much he loves it. "You're welcome."

December 5, 2018

Bro 12:01 AM

You sip your coffee as you watch the horse girlfriends prance, before glancing at your phone.  You say, "Hey, Dave, you got somewhere you can go for about an hour or two later on?"

Dave 12:07 AM

You give him a very quizzical look. If you didn't know better with how much he's been looking forward to this and planned to cook dinner and all, you could almost think he forgot to get you a present. "Uh, I've been planning to go see Sock for a bit before dinner."

Bro 12:08 AM

"Don't need you gone too long."  Sip your coffee.  "Just long enough to get your gift in here and set up without spoilin the wholeass thing for you."

Dave 12:11 AM

"Yeah, I can head out after noon and come back with Sock later."

Bro 12:13 AM

"Sounds good to me."  You look pointedly to Hal then and say, "Gonna need your help with it, but I'll give your your present then, too."

Hal 12:16 AM

"Oh? Looking forwards to that one, babe." You aren't saying anything about how you can't wait for the birthday sausages you were promised, and Dave better appreciate that.

Dave 12:18 AM

They're saying enough already and you just roll your eyes. "Try not to do the giving presents on the kitchen table" you just say. And then proceed to try and make Nak Jr. ride on the robot horse.

Hal 12:22 AM

"Of course not, dad. We'd never." You can roll your eyes just as good.  Watching him play with the robots makes you smile though.

Bro 12:24 AM

It makes you smile too, though you make no such promises.