#all: jeff sterling

[simplysummers]

Cleaning out my camera roll! Have some warbler incorrect quotes!

[behindthemirrorofmusic]

Starting next week Behind the Mirror of Music will be all about Phantom of the Opera to celebrate the 115th anniversary of the novel by Gaston Leroux.

Celebratory episodes include:

An interview with original Broadway cast member Jeff Keller who was part of the production for 17 years as Phantom, Andre, Firmin among other roles.

An interview with Heather Jackson, who starred as Madame Giry on West End for nine years.

And Phantoms on Leroux: Phantoms including Ethan Freeman, Jonathan Roxmouth and Mike Sterling discuss the original Leroux novel as well as the character of Erik.

This plus more coming up soon here

[minilev]

Do you have any cyberpunk book recommendations? I'd love to get into the genre.

Of course! First and foremost ofc are:

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson

The Electric Church by Jeff Somers (my fav series)

I personally struggled getting into these big novels with complicated plots with so many characters, corporations and intrigues. My advice is to start with short stories to understand if you're gonna like it at all:

Johnny Mnemonic by W. Gibson (it's different from the movie, don't worry about spoilers) - "Burning Chrome" collection of short stories

Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology

Press Enter by John Varley (really freaked me out, one of the scariest stories I've ever read)

Maneki Neko by Bruce Sterling

[j0eyj0rdis0n]

SONGS THAT REMIND ME OF THE CREEPS

with playlists (ofc)

MASKY

Happy Pills - Weathers

Heavydirtysoul - Twenty One Pilots

Trouble - Cage the Elephant

Morph - Twenty one Pilots

Down In A Hole - Alice in Chains

Numb - Linkin Park

Breaking the Habit - Linkin Park

This Is How I Disappear - My Chemical Romance

Stalker - Badflower

Duality - Set It Off

HOODIE

Another Way Out - Hollywood Undead

Fairly Local - Twenty One Pilots

Message Man - Twenty One Pilots

Sucker for Pain - Various Artists

My Blood - Twenty One Pilots

Cut My Lip - Twenty One Pilots

Breezeblocks - altJ

Nearly Witches (Ever Since We Met…) - Panic! At The Disco

Hypnotized - Set It Off

Church - Fall Out Boy

“TICCI” TOBY

Don’t You Dare Forget The Sun - Get Scared

Medicine - Hollywood Undead

I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead - Set It Off

Pain - Three Days Grace

Keep Myself Alive - Get Scared

Never Too Late - Three Days Grace

Animal I Have Become - Three Days Grace

Horrible Kids - Set It Off

Mama - My Chemical Romance

Back from the Dead - Skillet

CLOCKWORK

Shatter Me - Lindsey Sterling, Lizzy Hale

Decode - Paramore

I’m So Sick - Flyleaf

I Miss the Misery - Halestorm

Enemy - Imagine Dragons, JID

Playground - Bea Miller

Catch Me If You Can - Set It Off

Ironic - Alanis Morissette

Rhiannon - Fleetwood Mac

Body Talks - The Struts, Kesha

EYELESS JACK

From The Ground - Hollywood Undead

Get Out Alive - Three Days Grace

Monster - Skillet

Dead Bite - Hollywood Undead

The Phoenix - Fall Out Boy

My Demons - STARSET

Sarcasm - Get Scared

Pet - A Perfect Circle

Somewhere I Belong - Linkin Park

Twisted Transistor - Korn

JEFF THE KILLER

Chalk Outline - Three Days Grace

So Called Life - Three Days Grace

I Can’t Decide - Scissor Sisters

Killer - The Ready Set

Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) - Marilyn Manson

Kill Everyone - Hollywood Undead

A Little Piece of Heaven - Avenged Sevenfold

To Catch a Predator - Insane Clown Posse

Dark Side - Blind Channel

Just Pretend - Bad Omens

JANE THE KILLER

Bring Me To Life - Evanescence

Damage - Fit For Rivals

Tear You Apart - She Wants Revenge

Tourniquet - Marilyn Manson

Unbreakable - Fireflight

I’m Gonna Show You Crazy - Bebe Rexha

Hit and Run - LOLO

Get Jinxed - Djerv

La Seine - Vanessa Paradis

Let’s Kill Tonight - Panic! At The Disco

NINA THE KILLER

Heather - Conan Gray

Get Well - Icon For Hire

Oh No! - MARINA

Pretty Little Psycho - Porcelain Black

Partners in Crime - Set It Off, Ash Costello

Backstabber - Kesha

DONTTRUSTME - 3OH!3

You’re So Creepy - Ghost Town

This Little Girl - Cady Groves

Guys My Age - Hey Violet

BEN DROWNED

Turbulent - Waterparks

Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) - The Offspring

Dirty Mind - 3OH!3

Riot - Hollywood Undead

oops! - Yung Gravy

Fashionably Late - Falling In Reverse

parents - YUNGBLUD

Hell of a Ride - Bo Burnham

Teeth - 5 Seconds of Summer

Bad Girls Club - Falling In Reverse

SALLY WILLIAMS

Hayloft - Mother Mother

Tag, You’re It - Melanie Martinez

Little Game - Benny

Teen Idle - MARINA

Where Do I Go - Anna Blue

Silent Scream - Anna Blue

Lolita - Lana Del Rey

Dollhouse - Melanie Martinez

All The Things She Said - Poppy

Burning Pile - Mother Mother

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

💌 + Somewhere Only We Know?

oh what a fun fucking time!!!!

Aurora Andesron x Sebastian Smythe

Blaine Anderson x Sam Evans

Cooper Anderson x Roman Kline x Ash Astor (x unnamed boyfriend)

Jesse St James x Millie Kindell

Josh St James x Nell Baker

Amelie Kline x Lindsay Wright

Haruki Knox x Kurt Hummel

Nick Duvall x Jeff Sterling

Thad Harwood x Dave Karofsky

Wes Montgomery x David Thompson

Cassie July x Al Motta

Holly Holliday x Bryan Ryan

Burt Hummel x Carol Hudson

Isabelle Wright x Julian Beck

i feel like i'm missing people oops

Send me 💌 + an oc/fic and I’ll list all* of the endgame ships in that series

[so-long-soldier28]

very random warbler headcanons

✨ sebastian smythe ✨

- played lacrosse in france and was liked by his teammates, but wasn’t necessarily popular in school

- scandals bar habits came directly from nights in paris

- neither of his parents are homophobic, but he’s heard the horror stories and fears losing his relationship with them

- his maman knows about his late night habits, but doesn’t question him about them. she’s always known he was gay, but he never directly told her. she fears if she brings it up, he’ll clam up 

- still, she looks out for him in ways she can. teaches him how to be safe outside at night, shows him ways to defend himself if he ever has to. sneaks extra condoms in his nightstand drawer

- takes him a while, but eventually realizes his mom knows, but isn’t trying to stop or control him. awkward about it at first - doesn’t go out for some time and definitely doesn’t bring anyone home. but when their relationship doesn’t change, he goes back into his old ways. does make an effort to be safer (and even a bit more open about it), though, for his maman’s sake

- something about the smythes: love preparing for social gatherings; hate social gatherings. their house is always the place to be during the holidays bc it’s huge and gorgeous. mrs. smythe loves decorating for christmas, and all three of them love to cook and bake for it. but then throughout the night, they all just want their company to go home so they can sleep

- both parents taught sebastian to cook and bake, and he has a book of their favorite recipes that he pulls out during late nights at dalton

- charcuterie board connoisseur 🧀🍷

✨ nick duval ✨

- from michigan but at dalton on a scholarship (i read a fic where it was a soccer scholarship, and my brain adopted it)

- childhood best friends with jeff

- not good with directions. can’t really tell left and right apart. on road trips, he’s not the driver, nor the navigator, but a secret third thing (in the backseat, wondering where the nearest rest stop is)

✨ jeff sterling ✨

- second child of four siblings + has a twin sister

- also from michigan, but siblings are scattered all around states (has an older brother in florida, too)

- loves his family, but they have their issues. grateful for nick’s support throughout his life, otherwise he’d be pretty lost

- when nick got accepted to dalton, he begged his parents to go, since most of his siblings were separated anyway. they let him go mostly to have one less child to monitor 

✨ hunter clarington ✨

- doesn’t believe he can be liked, so he settles for being feared

- this works for coaching the warblers, but he quickly learns he’s not accepted nor respected by them

- left out on lima bean study dates and movie nights and other warbler group activities. hurts him, but he doesn’t show it

- canonically: acts out with steroids until the boys plant enough evidence that blaine and sam find out to get him expelled

- noncanonically: after one strenuous practice, he loses his cool and shares his insecurities. very slowly, the boys open up and forgive him, like the did to sebastian after the slushie. eventually, he’s brought into the group as a friend, instead of just being on the outside as a leader

✨ thad hardwood ✨

- always first to forgive

- giant goof that makes everyone smile, even on the worst days

- has a theory that kurt killed pavarotti for blaine’s attention. wes thinks he’s crazy for it

✨ trent nixon ✨

- public school bullying brought him to dalton

- lives closer to cincinnati, ohio. wishes he was in westerville, though. doesn’t feel safe in his hometown

- parents aren’t divorced, but they don’t love each other. very close with his mom, not at all with his dad. has to talk to his dad once a year, though, bc he pays for his schooling. this usually happens around christmas-time. unless his dad drinks too much the night before and forgets

- queer. every so often wonders if he’s bi, but has never been in a relationship with anyone so he doesn’t know. curious about girls, but at the same time, can’t imagine dating one. doesn’t feel a need to figure it out ~ he likes who he likes

- has the biggest crush on blaine. relates to him, wants to protect him, and thinks he’s absolutely adorable

- was the one to kick sebastian out of the group after the slushie. all were mad, but he shouted at him for almost an hour, and even pushed him once

- last to forgive sebastian, but did eventually. also apologized for pushing him. he’d never physically touched anyone like that before and he felt bad since it happened, but not bad enough to apologize right away

✨ david thompson ✨

- aroace

- best friends with wes. they went on a date once, but both decided they were better as friends

- the warblers call them their dads (no one knows about the secret date, but their parent-like protectiveness over the group brought on the gag)

✨ dalton academy ✨

- students are allowed to use the kitchen as long as they keep it clean and know basic safety rules

- there are three fire drills a year. one is during classes, one is at night, and the last is unannounced and random

- lots of begging resulted in the warblers all being put on the same floor. all freshman students and transfers are randomly placed, but going into their sophomore year (or next year up), they can request roommates

- the school’s no-bullying policy extends to having emergency buttons in all of the dorm rooms and hallways, in case anyone ever feels unsafe

[mudkipper]

13 Questions About Books

Tagged by @nudibranchpropaganda , thanks for the tag!!

1. The last book I read

Diane Seuss's frank: sonnets, for class, but I did like it as I do like poetry unlike a lot of people in that class lmao

2. A book I recommend

Roadside Picnic by Argady and Boris Strugatsky. The movie Stalker and the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games are based off of it :)

3. A book I couldn't put down

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg!! I had to read it for class last semester and ended up loving it, wish I read it sooner

4. A book I've read twice (or more)

I've never read a book more than once oops

5. A book on my to-be-read

The books my sociology professor last semester gave me: Sexing the Body by Anne Fausto-Sterling and Suits Me: The Double Life of Billy Tipton by Diane Middlebrook

6. A book I've put down

I never finished Lady of the Lake by Andrzej Sapkowski in the Witcher series, idk why, probably school got in the way or something

7. A book on my wishlist

I've been meaning to read Jeff Vandermeer's Southern Reach trilogy, which the movie Annihilation was based on

8. A favorite book from childhood

I remember my mom reading The Tale of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo out loud to me twice, the copy of the book we have has the edges of the pages all worn and wavy like they were eaten up

9. A book I would give to a friend

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, im thinking of one friend in particular, but still it's a very very good book

10. A fiction book I own

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

11. A nonfiction book I own

What Is Anarchism? by Donald Rooum

12. What I am currently reading

Nothing, yikes. Don't read super frequently anymore, but when I do read I'll finish books within days

13. What I plan on reading next

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Soon, I'm going to the beach for a few days and I always read on the beach for hours and hours so

No book shelf picture because I don't own a shelf :)

No pressure tags: @unstablecryptid @johnwickyaoi @frogus @gayboysteve @boyd-clowder

[dollarbin]

Nickel Bin #14:

Jerry Jeff Walker's Fading Lady

My famous brother is a show off. He sent me the text yesterday for his recent interview with one of the greatest humans still currently on the planet, Linda Thompson. Watch for it soon, probably on Aquarium Drunkard... And he returned from the Big Apple recently bragging about how he yanked Jerry Jeff Walker's Five Years Gone on vinyl outta of a dollar bin during the trip. That's a big find, folks: just take a listen to a single blissed-out track from that nearly impossible to track down record:

It's no fair: My biggest interview of late was with my cat. She said nothing and demanded heavy petting. And my last foray into the Dollar Bin turned up a Steve Cropper solo record form the early 80's that looks terrible.

(As a quick aside, it kinda looks like Walker invented the selfie on the cover of Five Years Gone; Jerry Jeff: visionary.)

Still, I'm a competitive dude by nature so I rode my bike 14 miles midday late last week in 90 degree weather to test my luck once again in the bin; surely, I figured, the dollar gods would reward such selfless dedication with my own copy of Five Years Gone.

Yeah, no. All I did was drop a few too many dollars on a copy of Circus Maximus's debut album. Turns out Jerry was in a Moby Grape style psychedelic boy band for about 15 minutes in 1967. He shared the lead with a jazz pianist who sang like Neil Diamond and played lead guitar like Sterling Morrison would after they'd each had botched lobotomies; the drummer clearly attended Joe Freakin' Lala's School of Percussion, an offshoot of Trump University; their motto, "just wack the hell out of whatever you can as fast as possible, white boy, and then call it Latin jazz," is more famous than any of their alumni. Today the band has just one claim to fame other than Jerry Jeff's presence: the bass player would soon write Linda Ronstadt one of the greatest torch songs of all time before disappearing altogether from history:

I've loved this song for a long, long - you get the idea. I see it recently was featured in some zombie apocalypse TV show and therefore enjoyed a brief renaissance; that's fitting: Linda is clearly singing about a zombie apocalypse.

Suffice it to say that my famous brother wins this latest round in the Dollar Bin: I'd trade him my copy of Circus Maximus for his copy of Five Years Gone in a hot second. And, come The Revolution, I will head immediately to his house, hatchet in hand and dodging zombies as I go, so as to lay claim to his entire record collection.

While we're at it, check this out:

Isn't it crazy how Linda Ronstadt can make even Jerry Jeff Walker sound like an average dude by comparison? Still, it's nice to hear this song sung by a fellow mortal.

But let's get to the point: happily, Circus Maximus, which, coincidentally, has a cover photo collage dedicated to that very same zombie apocalypse, does feature one track worthy of our nickel: Fading Lady. Take a listen; Jerry Jeff is starting to find his voice.

I don't know about you, but I am mesmerized pretty quickly. My wife just asked me what the hell I was doing under our bed. I told her I was counting our shoes, and I requested space to do so.

Even so, you can hear that the song could be even better. Jerry needs no boy band echo behind him; and, like Danger Bird, slower here would be even better. Happily he soon ditched the mustache and the whole 60's scene and headed for the ditch a few years before Neil Young. They'd wind up wallowing in it magnificently together until Jerry got married and cleaned himself up for good around 73; from that point forward he just sounded drunk all the time.

But he wasn't drunk enough to know that Fading Lady deserved a second pass. Listen to him truly nail the song on 69's Drifting Way of Life:

Aw yeah: that's the stuff right there folks. The great David Bromberg does his New Morning/Self Portrait Dylan thing alongside Jerry on guitar; Kenny Buttrey makes almost no sounds whatsoever on the drums and does so perfectly. And all the while Jerry Jeff effortlessly instructs us to tally up our jewels. And our shoes.

I'm on it Jerry!

[lamaisongaga]

LADY GAGA ATTENDS SUPER BOWL LVIII

Lady Gaga showed her support for the San Francisco 49ers as she and her beau entered Allegiant Stadium for the 2024 Super Bowl yesterday!

Lady Gaga has entered the 2024 Super Bowl discourse. Our girl made her athletic allegiance known while strutting into the stadium wearing a customized Jeff Hamilton Niners leather bomber jacket adorned with rhinestones all over!

Underneath her jacket, she wore the Mitchell & Ness oversized red No. 16 Joe Montana jersey!

Her intricate crystal eye stickers are an instant throwback to her own Half Time show from 2017. These custom Face Lace beauties were worn to her visit at the Super Bowl LIV as well.

Gaga accessorized her look with the Sif Jakobs Jewellery Medio Pianura sterling silver single link earring from the "Capri" collection (€128.52).

Shop:

Sif Jakobs Jewellery "Pianura" Earring (€128.52)

Some dainty jewelry, fishnet stockings and the Pleaser Xtreme-1020 black faux leather platform booties completed the look.

[askjesse]

Wait, is that JESSE ST JAMES?  they kinda look a lot like CHARLES MELTON, don’t they? i heard the 21 year old is known as the EGOTIST around mckinley. it seems like they auditioned to be in VOCAL ADRENALINE AS CO-CAPTAIN which is so lame? people at campus have said they’re MAGNETIC, but don’t be fooled since they’re also RUTHLESS. rumor has it, you can find them at DRAMA/DANCE when they aren’t belting show tunes. their entire vibe revolves around THE HIGH NOTE AT THE END OF SANTA FE FROM NEWSIES, A PSEUDO BAD BOY PERSONA, SCULPTED CHEEKBONES THAT WOULD MAKE A GREEK GOD WEEP but no one pays attention to that here in ohio.

LIST ABOUT 3+ HEADCANONS ABOUT YOUR CHOSEN CHARACTER!

Jesse St James was born to two out-of-work actors and immediately pushed into the performing arts. From an early age he was in singing, dancing, and acting lessons, and filming local commercials. Although some people criticise stage parents, Jesse thrived in the environment and adoration became his fondest friend. 

Unfortunately, despite what he could only describe as flawless performances, Jesse was unable to gain entry into any prestige musical theater courses, begrudgingly opting to train at McKinley instead of deferring and trying again next year. He’s trying not to let him slow him down, and his pride and joy is Vocal Adrenaline, where he has naturally risen to captain. 

Some may think that his self-assured, egotistical bravado is an act, but this is truly who Jesse has been since a child, and it hasn’t made him well-liked, but it’s made him excellent. He’s not out to make friends, he’s out to make fans, and if he breaks some hearts along the way, all the better. 

BASICS

full name: jesse georg st james

pronouns: he/him

nicknames: n/a

hometown: atlantic city, new jersey

birthday & age: january 18th, 21 years old

relationship status: single

sexuality: bisexual

occupation: student at mckinley arts college

sports/clubs: drama, dance

glee club: vocal adrenaline (captain)

major: musical theater

CONNECTIONS

blaine anderson: watching someone steal the national championship from your automatron hands not once, but three times, will definitely leave a bad taste in your mouth, and a broken egg on their head.

rachel berry: when you perform sixteen going on seventeen with someone in front of 200 people in the lima community theatre production of the sound of music, you don't forget them easily, so it was a no-brainer when shelby told him to put himself back on her radar.

quinn fabray: he won't lie and say he doesn't have a soft spot for the soft-voiced beauty.

finn hudson: between being the most predictable choice that quinn could have made, and heading the most riff raff showchoir in the country, the guy doesn't impress jesse.

madison mccarthy: both of them are razor-sharp focused on their ambition and are prepared to do whatever it takes to get there. naturally, they're not fans of each other.

sebastian smythe: they say that when two people get that close, they're about to kiss or kill each other. with these two, it's both.

jeff sterling: jesse's really into his showchoir, jeff's really into his band. hustle recognises hustle.

[askjeffsterling]

"Cause we all just wanna be a big rock star."

wait, is that JEFF STERLING they kinda look a lot like ROSS LYNCH, don’t they? i heard the TWENTY-ONE year old is known as the PUNK ROCKER around mckinley. it seems like they auditioned to be in THE WARBLERS which is so lame? people at campus have said they’re CREATIVE, but don’t be fooled since they’re also ONE-TRACK MINDED. rumor has it, you can find them at N/A when they aren’t belting show tunes. their entire vibe revolves around GRUNGY UNDERGROUND CLUBS, LEATHER JACKETS AND WORN OUT JEANS, CALLUSES FROM GUITAR STRINGS and YOUR HEART RACING TO THE TEMPO OF A SONG but no one pays attention to that here in ohio.

Auditioning with Hammer by Point North

Jeff didn’t have a bad upbringing. He was the child of two loving parents, who did whatever they could to support him. That wasn’t to say that he made it easy for them though. Jeff was always getting into trouble in school. Whether it be a prank on another student, or the consequential fight that would be a result afterwards. But no matter what, they always went in to bat for him, and always made sure he knew he was loved and supported.

That wasn’t to say that Jeff wasn’t smart, though. Academically, Jeff thrived. He could cram for a test the night before and ace it. But he just wasn’t interested in it. School bored him, and the only thing that could hold his attention was music. Freshman year of high school, Jeff picked up a guitar, and he hasn’t put it down since.

In senior year, Jeff was so sure that music was the path he was supposed to take that he almost chose to for-go college in order to pursue getting signed to a record label. His voice wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t outstanding- and playing guitar could only get him so far. Being a quitter was something that wasn’t going to happen though, so instead he started a band. He’s fine to share the spotlight, so long as he gets it.

His parents pleaded for him to at least give college a try- they didn’t care about whether he attended an Ivy league or not, just that he went. He agreed with their request to keep them off of his back. So with them paying his tuition, he now attends just enough classes to not flunk out- whilst focussing as much time and energy as he can on his band and getting them noticed.

BASICS OF JEFF;

Name: Jeffery (Jeff) Sterling Pronouns: He/Him Hometown: Lima, Ohio Birthday & Star Sign: April 10th - Aries Relationship Status: Single and mingling Sexuality: Pansexual Occupation: Event promoter Sports/Clubs: N/A Glee Club: Dalton Academy Warblers Major: Art

WANTED CONNECTIONS;

Best Friend: His ride or die. The person who can bring him out of his shell and knows all the little inner info that he doesn't let anyone else see. Ex-Relationship: There was chemistry, there was a connection, talking, casual dates etc. But for some reason one (or both) just couldn't make it work. Could be amicable, or there could be tension. Current Love interest/FWB: Everyone needs someone to lean on when it comes to pent up sexual frustration. Could be as simple as a one night stand to a small fling. Nothing super deep, or the love of his life. Enemy : Pretty self-explanatory. They cannot stand one another. Could be something that's happened in the past, a general differ in character, anything really. Bandmates: The people he's trying to make a living with in this crazy life. Bandmates could be super close, have an understanding that they're both a means to an end, or lowkey despise one another. So much room for many options! *Definitely open to anything else also! If anyone is looking for something to be filled and thinks Jeff could be the man for the job, I'm more than happy to assist!

[indigosandviolets]

some modern gareth emerson headcanons

these are completely random and all over the place lmao, but hope y'all gareth enjoyers, uh, enjoy

- this dude listens to a wide range of music, but you're looking at bands like Wolfmother, The Hives, The Raconteurs, Beck, The White Stripes, The Smashing Pumpkins, Modest Mouse, Cake, Toadies, The Offspring, Foo Fighters, Deftones, Rage Against the Machine, System of a Down, Pearl Jam, and Rammstein

speaking of Foo Fighters, bro couldn't figure out if he wanted to be Dave Grohl or fuck Dave Grohl

but in all honesty, when it comes to music, it totally depends on the bass and drums, because as long as they both fuck he's listening to it

this dude makes his own buttons and pins, but he'll also spring for enamel pins if he thinks they're cool

he also totally dyed his hair black once or twice, the first time being a straight up black dye that he got done professionally, the second time being one he did with Eddie at 2 in the morning using Arctic Fox's Transylvania because the thought it of it fading to like four different colors sounded cool as shit to him

Gareth wears all the layers, doesn't matter if it's 1986 or 2016, he probably dresses the exact same

he's got the same pair of Bluetooth headphones that he's had since middle school, which are covered in pencil marks, sharpie doodles, and random stickers

his child hero was Jack Black

his hero is still Jack Black

specifically School of Rock Jack Black

dude always has a random Wikipedia article open, not even sure how he got to the one he's on rn (he somehow got from Marylin Monroe to Jamaican Patois one time)

smokes a LOT of weed

he'll smoke a joint, but he has a really pretty red and black bowl and a matching bong that he absolutely loves

the bowl's for when he's on the go, the bong stays at his house

he's also done shrooms a handful of times, but he never really fucked with it too much

will totally be a trip sitter though

he's also a wake and baker, loves to sit outside and drink coffee between bong rips

he's always the one to refill the Brita for the morning after whenever everyone else is too hungover

yeah, he's never one to get drunk drunk, but he'll totally get too high and go to bed early, which means he wakes up in time to help everyone else deal with their hangovers (everyone being Eddie, Jeff, and maybe Kevin, but Kevin usually doesn't stay the night)

he's absolutely a little shit about it too

"Sleep well, sweetheart? Need any coffee, tea, hot cocoa?" in the most condescending of tones and a sickly sweet smile on his face

definitely has a lot of ear piercings, first and second holes, an industrial on his right, and both daiths

usually only wears black jewelry, but he has a good bit of sterling silver and some red too

he doesn't have any on his face bc he's not sure what he wants on his face quite yet or what he thinks would look good

totally has a stick n poke coffin on his arm and wants to do a patchwork sleeve when he has the money

he's a lil bit of a hippie, big fan of incense and has a crystal collection because he thinks they look dope as fuck

also definitely mixes cut herbs with his weed because he likes the mixture of smells when it burns, not bc of the metaphysical properties or anything like that

bro also loves the smell of weed, but in a tasteful way? like, it's not the main scent when you walk into his room, because it's mixed with other shit, but he loves the slight scent of it mixed with vanilla or frankincense or cinnamon

that's another thing, Gareth never smells bad. like, he has a very distinct scent, but it's really good

also, he's totally the kind of guy to just sit in bed and listen to music at 3 in the morning

just straight up sitting cross legged in his bed, headphones on, blasting Aerials sitting in the fucking dark

likes Weezer (only Pinkerton and the Blue Album tho)

his parents were super into classic rock, so his queer awakening was either Robert Plant or Jim Morrison (other contenders: Billy Joe Armstrong, Serj Tankian, Dr. Frank-N-Furter from Rocky Horror)

definitely read a lot in elementary and middle school, but got out of it when he started focusing more on drumming

he has a collection of band biographies from the 90's and 2000's though, the ones with the black and white photos on shitty paper, some of them are cut out and have gone on his wall

[litcityblues]

The West Wing Re-Watch, Seasons 1 & 2

You couldn't possibly reboot The West Wing today. I know there's been chatter about it now and again and they did that dramatic presentation of an episode ("Hartsfield's Landing" from Season 3) a couple of years back to benefit 'When We All Vote' featuring the original cast and key recurring cast from the episode in their original roles. (With Sterling K. Brown stepping in for the deceased John Spencer to play Leo McGarry.)

But you couldn't possibly reboot it today. It would be dismissed as cringe centrist fanfiction almost immediately. The past is another country and The West Wing proves it conclusively. You watch the show and it's like staring back into an America that doesn't exist anymore. The politics seem positively quaint compared with today's noxious environment.

*deep sigh*

All that being said, as we all sit here, on our little rock, falling through the Universe, I'm left with the inescapable conclusion that our festering, fetid Culture War is a cul-de-sac we're all trapped in together. Both sides seem to want to keep us on the never-ending hamster wheel of outrage and ideology and it's mentally exhausting. Various horrible bills are currently working their way through our state legislature in Des Moines. I've written on vouchers, but there are parents that seem convinced now that if schools don't teach social and emotional learning, they won't discover their sexual identities. There are parents that think if kids don't hear the word 'transgender' they won't be transgender. (Whether or not these parents allow their children cell phones with access to the internet is a question nobody wants to ask because guess what? If they have the phones with the TikToks and the Snapchats and the social media, they're going to be finding out about all the shit you hate... on their own. So, game over either way.)

Our current time of nonsense is exhausting and even if The West Wing represents a politics and an America that no longer exists, it sure is nice to remember when it wasn't a toxic waste dump, so there's some nice escapism you can wallow in if that's your thing.

*ok, tangent over.*

The First Season of The West Wing is... well, you can tell it's a first season. Sorkin is, of course, infamous for using the same phrases over and over again and I'm pretty sure parts of 'A Proportional Response' show up in 'The American President' and of course, every show he's ever done has the inevitable first season finale of 'What Kind Of Day Has It Been' (and I don't know why, either. If there's an explanation for that, I've never seen it.)

But, mixed in with the inevitable 'finding of the sea legs' that every show seems to go through, you've got some really excellent episodes that peek through. 'The State Dinner' introduces Abbey Bartlett (Stockard Channing), 'Take This Sabbath Day' is a really excellent look at the politics of the death penalty (another issue that's just a non-issue in today's political discourse, but very much a cogent issue in the 90s.)

I know everyone likes to cite 'Let Bartlet Be Bartlet' for this season and it's a good episode, a nice hinge episode that sets up the last few episodes leading up to the season finale, but the one that really stands out to me is 'Six Meetings Before Lunch.'

In general, it's not a particularly memorable episode, but one subplot between Josh (Bradley Whitford) and a nominee for the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, Jeff Breckenridge (Carl Lumbly) stands out because there's a bit of a kerfuffle about Jeff because he commented on a dust cover for a book advocating reparations for slavery. This episode aired in the year 2000. And I don't know if people would call it a comprehensive discussion of reparations, but it seems like a pretty balanced one to me- well ahead of its time.

The West Wing has a few moments like that- in general, it's fairly straightforward 90s liberalism, heavily influenced by the late 60s progressivism (obviously, because people in the 90s couldn't shut about the 60s). But on occasion, some prescience peeks out.

Mandy (Moira Kelly) departs the scene after the first season and I always thought it was a shame they never managed to bring her back in some capacity- and whether that was because of hard feelings or just general luck I don't know. But to be fair to her, it seemed like Mandy was a character they didn't really know what to do with, so if the break-up was mutual, I think it made a lot of sense.

The second season is probably one of my favorites. (In fact, you could sell me on Seasons 2-4 as being The West Wing at the peak of its Sorkin-powers quite easily.) The season picks up in the aftermath of the shooting in Rosslyn and the fallout that followed. The introduction of Ainsley Hayes (Emily Proctor) as a Republican Lawyer hired as Associate White House Counsel early on in the season features one of the best encapsulations of the gun control debate that I have ever seen and one that still holds up today and explains why we can't get anywhere on that issue. (The workplace harassment subplot seems very jarring back then, but the tribalistic behavior the two disgruntled staffers display fits the politics of today lamentably well.)

'Shibboleth' is a standout episode in the early going- but really, it's 'Noel' that just about steals the whole season in many respects. But there are so many great episodes to choose from in this season! 'Ellie', 'Somebody's Going To Emergency, Somebody's Going To Jail' (which features a nicely Sorkin-esque critique of performative leftism that holds up today.) 'The Stackhouse Filibuster' is undoubtedly still used in high school government classes to teach about the concept of a filibuster even though the actual filibuster hasn't worked like that for years now.

The slide down to the season finale is just a run of episodes that do not miss. The last six episodes are building towards something and with the season finale of 'Two Cathedrals', the payoff is sublime. It's perfect. Even now over two decades later, I defy anyone to find me a show outside of like 'The Wire' that has had a seven-episode run leading into a season finale like The West Wing does here.

You can love Sorkin or you can hate Sorkin but right here, the man was at the height of his powers in a way that I don't think I saw again until possibly The Social Network or Molly's Game.

Even after all these years, 'Two Cathedrals' still SLAPS. Just fucking perfect. Fight me in the comments if you disagree.

Apparently, this is the year when I rewatch old shows, so welcome? Come along for the ride?

[mylifeincinema]

My Week in Reviews: February 3, 2024

Only three this week... oh, plus one, because I forgot to include the new TMNT movie a couple months back when I saw it.

The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer, 2023)

Powerful. Overwhelmingly disturbing. The type of movie that will stay with you for weeks, if not longer. Glazer's direction patiently and unflinchingly studies the banality of evil and the results are devastatingly haunting. Wow. - 9/10

American Fiction (Cord Jefferson, 2023)

Hilarious. And better than that, it has a lot of interesting things to say not only about race and family, but about the absurdity of publishing trends. Sterling K. Brown wowed. I'm not overly familiar with his work, in general, but I especially didn't realize he had such sharp comedic delivery. And Jeffrey Wright has always impressed, and nails the indignant frustration and artistic stubbornness needed for this character. - 8/10

Five Nights at Freddy's (Emma Tammi, 2023)

Bad. Just really, really f*cking bad. I know nothing about the game (nor did even know it was based on a game until late in the promotion of the film), but the general concept should've been an absolute blast. Instead, we got an annoying protagonist, a painfully obvious bad guy, and the most generic, bland kills you could possibly imagine. - 2/10

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (Jeff Rowe & Kyler Spears, 2023)

It was good enough... kinda. They made the turtles lamer than they've ever been before, though. And that really bothered me. Michelangelo isn't supposed to be such an insufferably pathetic dweeb. The animation and character design on the mutants just about makes up for it though, so I guess it wasn't all bad. - 5.5/10

Enjoy!

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

[eisforeidolon]

Question: I love the episode where The Trickster puts Dean and Sam in different tv shows, and is there a tv show you would like to be in. For example, I would love to see you in the Youtube talk show Hot Ones were you get and eat extremely spicy chicken wings? I would love to see how far you come.

Jensen: [nonverbally reacts to last line] Uh... I have said for several years now, before the show got big?

Question: You know it?

Jensen: Oh! When Hot Ones was just a Youtube show, and nobody had heard of it and they were having, like, random people on it? I was like - Jared and I - we were still shooting Supernatural, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, we've gotta do this show!' And they invited us both to come on the show. And we couldn't work it out with production.

Audience: Aww.

Jensen: But now the show's so popular that, like, major A list movie stars are doing it, I don't think they're gonna have us on anymore. But I will say that the guy, oh, what's his name -

Question: Sean Evans?

Jensen: Sean! I will say that Sean - so Jeff, Jeffrey Dean Morgan was, he did an episode during COVID. And so he had to do it via Zoom, but I was talking to Jeff about it and I was like, 'Dude, you did Hot Ones! I'm so jealous.' And he was like, 'Are you serious? You wanna do that show?' I was like, 'I would LOVE to do that show. I wanna do that show so bad!' And he's like, 'Sean loves Supernatural, like, he would totally have you guys on.' I'm like, 'Really?!' And then I started watching the show and I was like - Oh, well, like Charlize Theron is doing it. And there's just too many big names, who was the latest person - there's like huge names that do it now.

Question: Yeah, yeah, really huge names. Pedro Pascal -

Jensen: Alright, enough with Pedro Pascal, alright! I've had about enough of Pedro Pascal. The guy is - he's too awesome, and I wanna be him. Did you guys watch This is Us - or The Last of Us? This is Us [laughs at himself] - good show, though. Shout out to Sterling and my boy Justin. Yeah, The Last of Us, so that started floating around Hollywood a couple of years ago, and I was like, 'Alright, who do I have to kill to get this role?'

Audience member: Pedro Pascal!

Jensen: [nods] And it became very clear ... that his name was Pedro Pascal. And because I am a law abiding citizen, I did not kill him. And instead I watched The Last of Us on my iPad, with hate in my eyes.

Audience member: Did you take a selfie?

Jensen: What?

Audience member: Of the hate!

Jensen: All the hate?

Audience member: Did you take a picture of the hate in your eyes?

Jensen: Oh, did I take a picture, did I take a selfie of the hate in my eyes? No, but I can show it to you right now. It looked a little something like this [goes through an extended series of facial expressions flat/annoyed/enjoyment/flat/enjoyment/etc.]

Audience member: What just happened?

Jensen: What just happened? I enjoyed his performance and I got mad at myself, that's what happened. That's what that looks like. God bless you, Pedro, you're killin it. Good for ya. But that's the thing, too, in this industry - am I jealous? Mmm. Yeah. Envious? Sure. But I'm also really happy for him. Like, good for him. He's killing it right now, that's so great. And I think that that's a really cool thing about this industry is that I think the people that really get it, they aren't upset if they're not getting a role. They're happy for the person that gets to succeed, because there's always going to be different stories, there's always going to be other roles. But, you know, sure would I have loved to play that role? Yeah. But I would have done it much differently, and it wouldn't have been what it turned out to be and I think it turned out to be really great. And so for that I'm - I'll just keep my eyes out for the next one, you know?

[mitchelldailygames]

2023 Book Round-Up

This is going to be a quick list of some of my favorite books that I read this year. These aren’t books that necessarily came out in 2023 and they’re not in any particular order.

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone OK, this one is in a particular order. It’s my favorite. I read this book twice this year, the first time based on the recommendation of that tweet a lot of people saw. I found it beautiful, and as someone who wants to eventually publish novels, very inspiring. The application of the epistolary style to its sci-fi concept (it is actually set in a time war) made for a compelling and unique feel to the book. The prose were absolutely gorgeous. The way the characters were human and the way they were inhuman was perfect. All of it got me thinking about how my own writing could reach further than I'd considered before.

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir I also read and really enjoyed Nona the Ninth this year, but Harrow was my favorite. The mystery of it all, the intense necromancer action, and the angst all adds up to the perfect Locked Tomb book. And the payoff at the end is so good.

On the Beach by Nevil Shute I read this after watching Jacob Geller’s Art in the Pre-Apocalypse video, and this is the write up that will end up feeling the least like a recommendation. This book messed me up. I read it while fall was tumbling towards winter in the often dreary Pacific Northwest (of the US). This book made me feel like the world was ending. I became immersed in the state of living life while the end drifted closer to the point I kind of started to believe it in real life. I certainly found it compelling in its restrained doom.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers This one is also in a particular order because I read it right after On the Beach and it plucked me right out of my funk. Where the previous book left me feeling like precious few moments were slipping away from me, A Psalm for the Wild-Built said it was OK to just be. This is a beautiful solar punk novella as is its sequel, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy. It presents a possibility for a better world while giving a glimpse into the pathways we can take as individuals to move towards something better (while acknowledging that big changes need to take place on a macro level).

The Difference Engine by Bruce Sterling and William Gibson I tried reading this a long time ago because I was a fan of Gibson’s cyberpunk books and couldn’t get into it. I didn’t have that problem this year. Its steampunk London after the century-early arrival at the computer was very compelling. It fell prey to some tropes I’m not a huge fan of, namely that people in crisis will quickly resort to chaos and violence, but overall it was a story and setting that kept me reading all the way through this time.

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer What a book! I’m currently reading Authority, and I love this brand of weird sci-fi/horror. I watched the movie forever ago, but really enjoyed (and am enjoying) the story that's told in the books. The unraveling of the group and of the biologist was a great read, and it was fun to see cosmic horror in the modern age done really well. The mystery of it all was really the hook of the book, and the things it leaves unanswered was really fitting for the story.

Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King I finished the Dark Tower series this year, but this was my favorite. The doombot bad guys, the way it expanded on the lore, and the gunslinger action were all really cool. The characters were all operating at their peaks in this book, while dealing with some deep, dark secrets, and it felt like it held the best of all the things the series has to offer.

Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt What a harrowing, powerful, complicated haunted house story this is. I will say this book is not for the faint of heart (and comes with trigger warnings at the beginning of the book), but I was left at the end of the story with the distinct feeling I had read something that would stick with me for a long, long time. It gets into the complicated ways identities interact and the way fascism breeds in societies and individual hearts. There are long sections that slip into disturbing rambles that become less coherent as they go on, which is perfect within the tone of the book. The things that haunt the characters throughout the story add and help give traction to all of these other pieces.