#and in classical music that usually means the basic tune stays the same in the variations but the rhythm or harmony changes

[tea-of-destiny]

category 5 "realized my set class analysis is wrong and now i can't make this post-tonal variation say something noteworthy relative to the theme" event

[yikesharringrove]

Sweet Little Mango

Rewrite

Read on Ao3

Chapter 3

-

Billy groaned as he folded himself into the Camaro.

Steve hadn’t been at school that day.

Billy wasn’t totally worried, it was around time for his heat, anyway, but Steve had been feeling bad the past few days, throwing up nearly every morning this week before making his way to school, looking pale and clammy, and sleeping through nearly every class.

Billy smoked lazily out the window. The October chill was beginning to set in, and he was fucking dreading the cold weather. He was a California, golden sunshine, warm weather baby through and through, and if it fucking snows, well. Basically, he doesn’t have a coat and he’s pretty much fucked.

He pulled into the driveway in front of Steve’s house, letting himself in the front door with the key Steve had given him at the end of summer.

The house didn’t smell like it did when Steve was in heat, full of the honey lavender scent of his hormones, his slick.

The house was as cold as still as it usually was when Mr. and Mrs. Harrington couldn’t be assed to spend time with their only kid.

Something uneasy climbed down Billy’s spine.

“Stevie?” He yelled up the stairs. There was no answer. Billy didn’t even bother taking off his shoes before he bounded upstairs. “Stever!”

He found Steve in his bedroom, all snuggly and wrapped up in bed, nestled under a pile of blankets. Again, not really unusual behavior for Steve, especially if he was in one of his moods, but the entire situation just didn’t sit right with Billy.

Call it alpha intuition.

Billy sat on the other side of the bed, laying over Steve, melting his body weight onto him.

Steve didn’t react to him.

Something’s up.

“Baby, what’s up?” Steve just made a high sound in his throat in reply.

So, there’s a big something up.

Billy started shifting blankets, finding Steve’s face. “Talk to me.” One of Steve’s eyes opened, big and round and full of something Billy couldn’t place. “You okay?”

“I went to the doctor today. I was awake all night throwing up.”

Billy kissed his forehead. He was covered in cold sweat.

“What’s the verdict? You alright?” Steve shifted, sitting up, holding a pillow to his chest. “Flu? Strep? Hand-foot-and-mouth disease?” Steve didn’t laugh. Didn’t even smile.

Billy was fucking worried.

“I, um, I’m, I’m pregnant.”

Billy’s heart fucking stopped.

“She said I was probably eight weeks along.” Steve was nervously picking at something on the bedspread, beginning to ramble. “So I guess it was during one of my heats, that sometimes, sometimes omegas still have heats during the early pregnancy, which is why, why I still had the last one but didn’t have this one, and apparently it’s the size of a raspberry, a tiny little raspberry, Bill. And I, I know we’re so young, but I don’t, I don’t think I can bring myself to get rid of it, and this, I mean, it’s a fucking miracle I even got pregnant in the first place, and this could be my chance to have a pup of my own, and, god, it’s all just so fucking much, and I’m not, you don’t, I‘m not expecting anything from you but-” Billy pulled Steve into his chest, petting his hair, shushing him softly.

“It’s okay, Sweet Thing.” He kissed Steve’s head. “Whatever you wanna do. I’m gonna be right here for you.” Steve melted into him.

“Bill, I, I don’t know what to do. I don’t know if I can, if we can actually, actually be fucking parents, but I, Billy I can not just, just-I already love them so fucking much. ”

“You don’t have to, Honey. You can decide. We’ll make this work, how ever we have to.” He hefted Steve further into his lap. “I’m gonna be here for you, for our pup. And we got, like, family that’ll help us.”

“Bill, I don’t think our parents are gonna-”

Billy was quick to cut him off.

“Are you gonna tell Joyce she can’t babysit, or should I get murdered for it?”

Steve laughed, an unexpected little thing.

“So you’re- you’re okay?”

“I mean, nothing’s really sunk in, and I’ve got a huge fucking breakdown on the horizon once I realize what all this actually means. But, you know. I’m fine.”

-

Billy’s breakdown came when he went home the next morning.

When his dad backhanded him across the face for staying out all night.

He was standing in his room, staring wide-eyed at the window.

How could he be so fucking stupid? Steve wasn’t on birth control. Billy fucking knew that , and still pumped him full of cum every fucking heat.

Steve had told him that it was near impossible for male omegas to get pregnant. It had to be a perfect storm of proper anatomy and a strong heat that allowed for their bodies to actually implant and grow a tiny clump of cells into a whole human person.

Steve had been working with the idea that he pretty much couldn’t get pregnant since he was a kid. And Billy had totally run with that.

And now Steve’s got a little tiny almost person inside of him.

He’s fucking stupid. He’s stupid, and dumb, and he’s a fucking teenager with a pup on the way.

The tears stung his eyes.

He sank to his knees, one hand fisted in his own hair.

Fuck. Fuck.

He’s not gonna tell Steve what to do with his own body. If he wants to have the pup, then Billy’s gonna fucking support him.

Because he’s not a shitty deadbeat.

And he loves Steve. He really does.

But he doesn’t believe in himself, though. There’s no fucking way they make this work.

There’s no fucking way they raise this pup, and stay together, and not traumatize the little thing.

There’s not a way in this fucking world.

-

“Alright, Steven.”

Steve was perched nervously on the exam table, his fingers in knots in his lap.

Billy was sitting against the wall, bouncing his leg and itching for a cigarette.

He hadn’t had one since Steve told him about the pup.

Two weeks ago.

He quit when Steve did. Not that Steve kept up the same level as Billy. There was a big difference between one or two cigarettes at a party, and nearly two packs a day.

But it wasn’t good for Steve, or the pup, so Billy took the most stressful time in his whole life so far, to quit smoking.

They were at Steve’s ten-week appointment. At the clinic in Indianapolis. The one where the front desk staff only raised an eyebrow at the boys’ fake I.D.s and didn’t ask for their parents’ contact information.

The doctor ushered Steve to lay back, pulling up his t-shirt to spread the clear jelly on his stomach, turning on the machine.

She located the fetus easily.

“Well, it looks like you’re coming along nicely. You’re at the proper growth for this stage, and the heartbeat’s nice and strong.”

Billy was staring at the monitor.

He couldn’t really make anything out. The machine was making this wooshing sound, like it was a scope underwater, and not a digital look into Steve.

But there was a little tiny blob in there. Something that looked like a little white bean nestled in Steve’s abdomen.

Their pup.

The doctor highlighted the little bean, zooming in and taking a capture of the image.

“Little pup's first picture.”

Steve’s scent went absolutely sweet, filling the room with sugar. Billy just reached out, taking his hand.

-

At the beginning of his pregnancy, Steve had terrible insomnia.

Billy would sneak out of his house to come over most nights, curling up behind Steve with one hand splayed wide on his slightly chubby tummy. He was always solid behind Steve. Warm and soft, a constant comfort to remind Steve that he wasn’t alone with the pup. That he had Billy to love them. To protect them and take care of them.

And sometimes, his warmth and steady breathing would be enough to lull Steve into a nice doze, or even to coax him into sleep.

But most nights, he was wide awake.

Steve didn’t want to keep Billy awake on those long nights, so he would sneak out of Billy’s gentle embrace, and sit on the couch downstairs in the sitting room. He would usually hang out in the quiet, just him and the little pup growing inside of him.

But then Billy would wake up, cold and alone, and would trudge downstairs to find Steve, and manhandle Steve until he was laying on top of Billy on the couch.

That’s where they were when Billy first spotted the grand piano in the corner of the room. Never noticed where it stood, collecting dust. Partially hidden by a large potted fern. He slid out from under Steve and took a seat at the leather padded seat, brushing his fingers over the glossy blackness of the beautiful piano.

Many of the keys were out of tune, as the thing hadn’t been played in years, but he plonked out a few easy scales.

Billy’s mom used to play. He had vivid memories of sitting on her lap, his hands on hers as she played beautiful songs. She taught him a few, once upon a time.

He struggled through one of the songs he could kind of remember, occasionally hitting the wrong key before correcting himself and continuing with the melody. He stumbled through what he could of Hey Jude before turning back to Steve, expecting to see a soft smile, big tired eyes blinking slowly back at him.

But Steve was dead asleep on the couch, both hands resting over his tummy.

Billy carried him up to bed.

That became their ritual on nights Steve couldn’t sleep.

Steve even decided to scour the poorly stocked music store and bought Billy lots of sheet music. He had just grabbed random stuff, and ended up with the weirdest assortment of things. Rock ballads and classical pieces. Swing jazz and a few beginner piano books.

Billy sifted through to find the easier stuff. He could still read sheet music well enough to slowly decipher the notes, but had to remind himself which keys corresponded to which note.

The piano was still out of tune and sometimes made the songs sound dreadfully wrong and quite nearly frightening, but it was peaceful. Quiet except for the sounds of the piano.

Steve was just content to sit next to him as he did it, holding onto his stomach, his head leaned gently against Billy’s shoulder.

-

They didn’t really tell Joyce.

Not exactly, anyway.

Steve and Billy were at Melvald’s, looking through the health section, throwing vitamins Steve’s OBGYN had recommended into the basket.

The basket was heavy, the metal handles digging into the meat of Billy’s palm. Nearly overflowing with expensive supplements that were meant to help their little pup grow into something fully formed and functioning.

Steve was being picky about the supplements. Taking the specific brands the doctor had recommended, reading the labels diligently to see if they said anything along the lines of Warning: Do not take while pregnant. Will give your pup an extra head.

Joyce was the only person at the check-out stand, and she made small talk while she scanned vitamins, shea butter, and produce, not even looking at the rattling plastic bottles.

Until one container wouldn’t scan. She picked it up, turning it over in her hands.

She faltered, and it was like the world came to a halt.

Prenatal Vitamins, omega specialized formula

She stared at it. Steve felt like he was gonna cry.

But she moved in a flash, shifting around the counter, and pulling Steve into a tight hug.

It took him a second to return the hug, wrapping his arms around her.

“If you boys need anything, and I mean anything at all, you come get me.” Steve scrunched his eyes up, trying not to sob into her shoulder.

She pulled away, giving Billy a hug of his own.

He hooked his chin on her shoulder, and he kinda felt like he could cry too. She gave him a bone-crushing hug for someone so small.

She took Steve’s hand when she finally relinquished Billy.

“How far along are you?”

“Just about ten weeks.” She cooed, handing them their bags as Billy counted out bills.

“And you’re not even showing. With Jon, I must’ve put on thirty pounds.” Steve looked around.

He was wearing a baggy sweatshirt, mostly wearing too-big clothes of Billy’s these days, trying to hide what he could for as long as possible. He was beginning to get insecure about the weight he was gaining, even though it showed off the growth of their pup.

But he’s vain. And Steve’s the first to admit that.

He lifted his sweatshirt to show the shirt underneath, the tighter fabric showing off his little bump. Joyce smiled at them, and it made Steve feel so warm.

“I want copies of the very first sonogram.”

[dontletthishappentoyou]

Me: The time I spend thinking about a thing should probably correspond at least somewhat to how important that thing is.  Also Me: I was listening to the ending credits to Hamtaro, and noticed something odd about the harmonies in the first section. For the majority of the song, it’s just in regular old F major. Lots of F major chords, a bunch of B flat and C chords (IV and V) as well, looking like the most standard thing you could find. However, the intro/outro is a little bit odd. First of all, it’s a little bit odd that it’s an intro and outro. The song follows a weirdly symmetrical ABCBA form, where the B theme only has lyrics the second time for some reason. It flows well and sounds natural, but it’s not a common form and I can’t think of any other examples.  In the middle section, the C and B, I remember interpreting the lyrics to be hinting at some interesting music-oriented magic system. “Sing this secret spell” and “Let’s make a wish // Make it come true // Singing along with us is all you do” just makes it sound like there’s some sort of incantation that requires a melody to be preperly performed. It felt like the writers had an idea for some much more interesting fantasy series, but then 9/11 happened and they decided to just make a thing about hamsters instead to keep things extra light for a few years, but the lyricist had already written some gold for that other series, so he threw it in the Hamtaro song so it wouldn’t go to waste. I did a bit of research and cannot confirm that that’s not what happened.  I did discover that the lyrics to one of the Hamtaro theme songs were adjusted recently in Thailand. They’re protesting their government, and the protestors are singing the Hamtaro intro theme, comparing the government to greedy hamsters, hungry for tax money. So if you hear a familiar melody in Thailand and there are people walking around with violently altered Hamtaro plushies, that’s why.  Anyway, the A section. That’s where the music gets interesting. The melody definitely establishes F minor. But! When the phrase is repeated, it’s harmonized, which is a super common thing, but the harmony has a quirk.  See here’s the melody, clearly in F minor:

And here is what I would say is the most natural harmony. Since the melody is in F minor, the harmony also stays in F minor. Right? That would make sense; that would sound normal. 

But no! We get this weird thing. I realize it’s just off by one note, but that note is the third of the scale, the thing that establishes whether it’s in major or minor, which shows up here going directly against what was just established. 

So yea, that bugged me a bit and I couldn’t figure out how to analyze it, or if there’s anything similar that follows the same pattern. You have things like the epic theme from Lord of the Rings. At first I was thinking that it was doing something similar, where the melody is in minor and the harmony is in major and the contrast makes a kind of epic heroic kind of feel that you also find a little bit of in the Zelda main theme. 

So I listened loudly with headphones and there’s just not enough harmony for that to be a valid interpretation. It’s literally just those two vocal lines, and the bass is playing a constant F drone in the background with the Latin American percussion that I never thought sounded out of place for some reason. The interpretation I ended up settling on was that it’s a good example of a kind of polytonality uncommon before the 1900s in classical music.  By that, I mean the melody is harmonized by an exact copy of the melody, moved upward. So instead of having a harmony that’s also in F minor but higher, we have a harmony that’s just in A minor, sung at the same time.  Here’s an example in Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra, where the oboes are doing the same thing, playing the same melody transposed a minor third apart. 

The reason this works is because of a thing called Tonal Fusion. Every sound has one wave frequency that really stands out, called the fundamental, and then a ton of usually quieter ones above it. The sound of static will just have a ton of random noise at all frequencies, and noisy things like snare drums and the sound of the letter F will be similar, and every sound has a distinct pattern of pitches. A flute will be basically just that one tone with some quiet ones above it, a clarinet will have the fundamental and well known series of overtones that are closer to the same volume, but all pretty well in-tune.  The problem shows up when we realize that if the clarinet is playing tons of distinct notes, and someone shouting “Fffffff!!!” makes a ton of distinct notes, why does it sound like exactly two sources of sound, rather than just one weird object, or thousands of individual objects? Our brains do tonal fusion, assuming that things moving in the same way are coming from the same object. If all of the notes above the fundamental frequency of the clarinetty sound are all moving together in perfect unison, we’ll hear it as a single object.  So what Bartok is doing up there, is he’s making a new instrument. He’s taking the sound of an oboe, with it’s unique pattern of pitches above its fundamental, and he’s adding another oboe slightly above it, and when they move perfectly together, it messes with our brains and we don’t know whether to hear it as a single object or two. They tonally fuse.  That’s kind of what is going on in Hamtaro as well. The melody and the harmony sort of tonally fuse together. The theme was written around the year 2000, and especially if you listen to the intro theme song, they are really playing with music production techniques, because that was what was cool at the time. This is especially noticable if you listen to the French version of the Hamtaro intro.  The weird tonal fusion thing that’s happening here creates an effect very similar to things you can do as a music producer, messing with equalizers and vocoding. The fact that the vocals do this naturally is likely a result of the songwriters feeling that this is a natural way for the song to go because of the effects they’ve been experimenting with, since it seems pretty unlikely that they were inspired by Bartok, Ravel, or Holst to use this style of polytonality.  I always find it fascinating when an artform is influenced by technology that was used to replace some elements of that artform. Painters practicing photorealism, animators replicating CG motions by hand, and this is definitely a good example. It’s possible that the harmony is another take pitch shifted up a major third, but it doesn’t sound pitch shifted. Instead it sounds like someone’s ear has been trained in a style influenced by developments in music production technology, converging on techniques that composers worked on a hundred years before to try to make new and inventive sounds.  When we’re listening casually as kids it’s a completely different experience. I remember my synesthesia being way more intense before I shifted to whatever part of my brain listens analytically. This song was just fun, colors, and way too cheesy to admit that I enjoy as much as I do, and now it’s different. It’s a nerdy kind of fun, which I still really enjoy, and I never would have been able to have epiphanies about it years ago, but I could have learned to. I was capable of both ways of listening. Now I’m only capable of how I listen now, and it makes me feel like doors have closed forever, and I’m left with just the memory of what was behind some doors that I was very fond of. But honestly, I appreciate those memories immensely, and looking into this way more deeply just builds contrast that helps the happy joyful years of hearing that stand out better to me. It’s not a white on black where there was a purely happy experience superimposed against my dark, adult experience; it’s more blue on orange. It’s extremely different, but there aren’t many better ways to really bring out the blue than having the orange to contrast it. I hope that the overanalysis of fond memories can always just help me appreciate the pleasant tiny moments of the past.  Anyway, that’s about all I have to say about the A naturals in the Hamtaro outro theme. 

[prose-for-hire]

How Btvs characters would spend Halloween with their s/o:

A/N: This is based on the assumption that the reader really enjoys Halloween 🖤🦇

Buffy summers:

Buffy really likes Halloween

Surprisingly

Often her one night off

But she loved it from being a kid

Having fond memories of trick or treating and then squabbling over candy with Dawn

Being allowed to stay up late to watch movies

When she told you her fond memories you were determined to create more fond memories for her on Halloween

Will absolutely love the idea of a couples costume

But won’t want you to tease her about it

Once you get the hints she’s dropping you would totally pick the cheesiest outfits to compliment each other

You spend all day making Halloween treats with Dawn and not allowing Buffy in the kitchen

And you share them with her before you go to a Scooby gathering/party

you dress up and Dawn hypes you both up (she loves you together)

the party is fun

you laugh along with your friends and even bob some apples

(Xander’s idea)

You rent a bunch of movies to watch for when you get in

you want to recreate something that feels like home for her

She cuddles up to you and kisses you softly thanking you silently

she really loves you and now she loves Halloween more

Xander Harris:

big Halloween fan

he really enjoys it

Won’t shut up about it as soon as October first hits

It’ll be infectious and he’ll love it if you’re as enthusiastic as him

Will have horror movies all lined up for the whole month

you’ll settle in, dim the lights and cuddle up

On the 31st he will have saved the best line up until last

Will want to spend as much time with you as possible

So movies will be his ideal

You’ll both for sure be dressing up even if you’re not going out in the evening

he’d do a couples costume but may actually prefer surprising each other with your respective costumes

Bonus points if you dress kinda sexy he won’t be able to keep his hands off you

Will have so many films lined up you’ll have to stay up basically all night to finish

He’ll have the classics and some more modern ones too to mix it up

He’ll know a whole bunch of facts about the filming too

You bring the snacks and just enjoy your night together

It’s perfect cos it’s the two of you

Willow Rosenberg:

Will be as enthusiastic as you

Will have planned out a costume way in advance

(one made not bought just in case and will insist to make yours too)

It’ll be all part of the

Lots of time for kissing and snuggles in between making the costumes

Plenty of time together through October

you make your costumes and finally they are perfected

the best part has been spending so much time with her though

Halloween night finally came and you spent the entire day eating candy and adding the finishing touches to the costume

you were both giddy with excitement

At the Halloween party you will be the coolest and most historically accurate

you enjoy yourselves, not caring what anyone else thinks of you or your costumes

you have each other, that’s the best part

you meet up with the Scoobies and have a great time

she’s so comfortable with you she can actually let loose

you leave really late, stumbling home together

Willow loves the way you bring her confidence out

you get home and curl up in bed together

you wished the day would never end, you had so much fun 

Rupert Giles:

Enjoys the holiday

Didn’t celebrate so much in England

But has fully embraced Halloween since moving to Sunnydale

He’ll dress up, he used to wear the same costume every year but now switches it up a little

his favourite is the trusty wizard costume

He does prefer to stay at home but would go out if you asked

but you don’t, you’re content to just be with him

he has his nose in a book as you make Halloween treats

you entice him to join you 

(promising it means he gets as many as he wants)

He came over and immediately helped with weighing everything

He’s actually a good cook so he could have taken over

but loves sharing the responsibility

you put some Halloween themed music on and dance around the kitchen

he adores seeing you so happy

makes him melt more than the caramel for the candy apples

you laugh together and just generally enjoy the time you share making sweet treats

he loves every moment

you decorate them and share them when they’re done

you ask him to tell you ghost stories

and he does. Although they’re all true and from his Ripper days

it makes it even more interesting (and he loves sharing his past with you)

Spike:

Loves it

everyone knows he (not so) secretly loves Halloween

will have stolen any and all candy left outside people’s homes

will split it with you if you ask nicely

may tease you and ask for his treat first

but will definitely share the candy cos he’s fond of you

may take some convincing to get him to leave the crypt after dark

but if you do, by some miracle, manage it

you will find him warming up to it

wont dress up himself but won’t mind that you do

might even teasingly offer to help get you into your costume

you go to some bar or the Bronze

had the impression that dressing up was some kind of insult

but figures eventually that you all must just think he (as a vampire) is very cool

makes him very full of himself 

(more so than usual)

Won’t dress up at all but will mutter under his breath his thoughts and a primitive rating system on everyone else’s costume

this will make you laugh

a lot

 he’ll enjoy making you laugh and continue until someone overhears and it gets him in trouble

You’ll end up being kicked out of the bar but neither of you will mind

Halloween is so much better when you were together

Angel:

Angel doesn’t like Halloween so much

But when he sees your love of the holiday he will change his tune

Instantly

he just likes to see you happy

it’s not selfless really, to see you happy gives him so much joy

so he sets off on his October-long mission

Will find every Halloween themed activity you can attend

Sunnydale unsurprisingly has a lot to offer

Haunted houses, pumpkin carving, the works

You name it he’s looked into it

by the time the week of Halloween arrives, you’ve done everything on offer

you tell him one evening that you want to go ghost hunting

he looks at you and frowns

it sounds dangerous

and he would rather you didn’t die (especially not on Halloween)

but you manage to convince him to go ghost hunting

on Halloween

You said it was your Halloween wish. only for you would he do this.

you go to a graveyard and look around with a torch

you were one step away from dressing as a ghost buster

but decided it would probably be disrespectful

You turned and there was a ghost! A real one

you slipped your hand into Angel’s as you communicated with the ghost

Angel planned this. He knew as soon as you saw one you would want to leave and do normal Halloween stuff again

would admit to it eventually, but the most important thing was your face when you met a real (and friendly) ghost

Anya Jenkins:

Anya loves it. She loves making money

She loves dressing up. And she loves you

A winning combination. She also loves learning about everything

Does try her best to get used to being human (and doesn’t get enough credit)

You and Anya will spend the entire day in the Halloween department of the store

Not kidding, you get there early and are there well into the afternoon

You can’t decide what to buy

there’s so much candy so little time

and the decorations! You squabble over what’s worth buying

eventually you manage to convince her you need everything you’ve chosen no matter the cost

she smiles at some of the items and shrugs

she’s new to Halloween, she finds it very cute though

not at all scary

when everything’s decorated and candy is left out, you can relax

(she will have definitely checked on the Magic box while you were in town to make sure it’s going okay)

she can stomach the worst, most gruesome horror movies without so much as batting an eyelid

She’s seen and done worse. will protect you if you struggle to watch

Tara Maclay:

Tara used to get a bit weird around the holiday

You found out later it was because she thought she was a demon

And just decided to sit Halloween out

You had always missed her and offered to stay in but she wanted you to go out and have a good time

Finally this year you knew everything about her past

And so did she

Surprise: she’s no demon

So you make sure she has the best Halloween ever

Cos she’s missed out on so much

you start with pumpkin carving

a staple

you plan out your designs and spend time perfecting them

they look super cute lit up later that night

she smiles a lot

its the first time in a while she’s just done fun things for Halloween

without something in the back of her head telling her she’s wrong

you decorate the dorm you share and play spooky music

You watch Halloween specials and family friendly movies through the entire afternoon

you dress up and hand out a whole bunch of candy

she really likes it, finding herself able to relax

the Scoobies come over and you have a little party

nothing too outrageous just you all hanging out

some of you are in costume, some not

but you have a really great time

and Tara has plenty of plans for celebrating next year

Oz:

Oz doesn’t hate halloween

He isn’t enthusiastic either

Kinda hard to pinpoint his feelings on the occasion

Either way? He’s a sucker for you

he’s usually booked at some gig for Halloween

But this year, he tells the guys he isn’t doing it

knows how much you love the spooky day

so he’s going to spend it solely with you

took him ages to figure out what to do

he will help you decorate 

eventually says he needs to go out to the store

when he was out he found a lot of Halloween goodies for you

Decided to use the Halloween themed treats and decided to hide them around the (well decorated) home

its like a little treasure trail. You get clues and you get a treat and another clue until the end

he loves to buy gifts for a s/o and Halloween is no exception

you love Halloween and he loves you so he wanted to make it special

you will come to the end of the trail and gush about how much you love it

he’ll shrug but that smile’s there

he’s pleased

as the night draws in you cuddle up and every time the door goes you insist you both go

so you can see the cool outfits and hand out candy together

Drusilla:

wouldn’t celebrate Halloween unless you wanted to

Might not be aware of how big the holiday is

Would humour you if you wanted to celebrate though

Might find it cute the way you love it

Would want you happy so would make sure there were Halloween decorations everywhere in whichever lair you were in

Decorations would stay up all year round

It kinda blends with the rest of the place

If you’re really into Halloween would hold a ball/party in your honour on the 31st

She would be very proud of it

Would invite every demon she knew but most probably wouldn’t show

demons don’t party. Not on Halloween

Even if it was just both of you attending the party, she would dance with you slowly in the middle of the room

Even with no music

Will pepper your face in such loving kisses

May offer to sire you as she knows you love the date so much

But is happy to wait if you refuse

you are her favourite so Halloween is her favourite of it’s yours

you show her the cuter side of Halloween

Will hum to you softly

maybe a tune like the Addam’s family but will hum it very seriously

Faith:

Faith always thought Halloween was lame

until she met you

she likes to pretend she doesn’t care

and she’s too cool for all that stuff

but melts into a puddle when she sees your enthusiasm for the holiday

Will basically do anything you ask so long as she gets to see you happy

But what you really want is her and you tell her this

you make a plan to go for a ‘spooky walk’ before coming back to get cosy and watch Halloween tv

on your walk, you point out all of the spooky decorations and lights

she thinks its cute but won’t admit it

you end up dusting a few vamps that didn’t get the memo 

but you convince her it was perfect, very Halloween-y so she doesn’t get so mad at them for interrupting your evening after that

She will stop and kiss you every few streets

loves stolen kisses, especially like this

you enjoy looking at the cool costumes but eventually walk back home

her favourite part of the night, however was when you turned the motel room you now shared into a cosy fort

blankets everywhere and candles 

very romantic and to you it had the right amount of spooky too

You hide under the blankets and start to tell outrageous ghost stories into the night

she held you close and insisted it was now her favourite holiday

Cordelia chase:

Cordy loves Halloween

Especially the excuse to dress up however she wants

Would 100% want to dress you up

Wouldn’t ask, would tell you it’s happening

And you ofc would agree

(Or else)

She’s a sweetheart really and wants a lot of input on what you’re comfortable wearing

Will use her dads credit card to buy anything she thinks you’ll need

You will probably be wearing something worth more than your entire wardrobe for the night

She will dress you up, maybe do your spooky makeup if you’re into that

She would make sure to get you both invites to the coolest party going

I’m talking the coolest

anyone who’s anyone is going

Will walk you in as if you’re both on the red carpet

Will not let anyone compliment one of you without demanding they compliment the other

You will have the best time

Dancing and laughing the entire night

Riley:

Probably wouldn’t enjoy Halloween so much

He sees enough demons on a normal week day

Might want a night off but won’t be too into going out

But If he sees you all excited he’ll start to change his mind

Slowly

He’ll do some activities if you ask and smile as he watches your enthusiasm

When he sees you dressed up he may rethink

Wants you to have a good time so he asks what you wanna do

your choice all day

you wanna go and make dumb decorations? He’ll get the craft glue

you wanna eat your weight in candy? He’s down to share

will take you to a party if you ask

(and maybe even join in with any activities on offer if he’s in a good mood)

will enjoy himself, especially with you on his arm

but you will leave early

He will make an excuse to go home with you

weirdly his job hasn’t called him in tonight

maybe the demons have time off or something?

Weird

you go back to his place and are able to spend a whole uninterrupted night together

you have Halloween themed movies on in the background but mostly you’re spending it together in bed

[rogueshipagogo]

ppl have been asking me my opinions on space channel 5 vr... and i guess since i bought a vr headset off craigslist just so i could play it and speedrun it before work the day it came out... i should talk abt it now... i dont rly think i’ll be able to separate it into ‘good’ and ‘bad’ things i think i’m just going to do a rambly stream of consciousness bc i have a headache... but i DO have good things to say abt this game... so st.... sta stay t tune  d

right off the bat, the thing i appreciate most abt this game- i like that space channel 5 vr doesnt have cash grab vibes. i Do genuinely believe that they Wanted to make this game For the people who are still obsessed with it, and that they ultimately did what they set out to do when they intended to scale certain aspects of the series up conceptually to match the way the fandom perceives it nowadays. but like i’ve said before... i’m not going to Disagree with the very common conclusion that it Needed to be longer, or at Least more intricate plot-wise. one of my fun and fresh excuses for sc5vr being as short as it is is because you arent really supposed to be playing vr games for too long anyways, its really disorienting and kinda painful, but even that doesn’t account for why so much of the game that we got is a rehash of old settings, concepts, songs, and characters. [i dont even have a problem with reusing old songs, i just think the ones they chose ended up being misleading]

for example i think it makes sense that the first report is a remake of the first games first report on the surface, it’s meant to take you back to the way the first game felt and give you an idea of what it means that the games classic scenery can be rendered in actual high quality detail now [same with the recurrence of events like encountering the space pirates in the asteroid belt/the last battle against a villain being singing to it about what it’s done wrong], but i really thought, like, report 1 was going to end up being a simulated scenario for the benefit of lou and kee’s training... which i dont think ended up being the case??? i think they really did write ‘ok here you are in the first game’s setting again, fighting the old enemies again, because... :^) ok have fun playing report 2!’

and then whats report 2... you fight another old boss from the first game... but theres Still no clear villain or motivation for anything thats happening... and there wont be until like... basically the end of the game...

like, glitter is a really cute character, but its kind of underwhelming that shes just a random citizen who was kidnapped by an entity that we NEVER LEARN ANYTHING ABOUT... like part 1 was extremely notable for being about corporate greed and corruption, part 2 honestly wasnt that political in comparison but at least made you do a think wrt purge’s motivation and his methods, and this game just has a plot device that feels like it’ll do smth but then ends up not doing anything beyond what we already learned about it from the information on its character bio before the game was out. if it turns out that cell x is actually relevant again in a future entry in the franchise and they do have a more developed concept for what cell x Is in mind, i’ll do an entire backflip, but for now its just chalked up to being the result of More Space Hijinks that dont need to be explained

ESPECIALLY WITH ALL OF THE ALLUSIONS TO CELL X BEING AN ENTITY THAT FEEDS OFF OF DANCE ENERGY... it had me thinking that there would have to be some New Method of fighting it off that didn’t just lend it more power in the process, but nah apparently just tacking on the disclaimer ‘*this dance energy is not for glitter’ is enough to turn it from smth it can consume for power into big attacks you can use to kill it... like honestly it sounds like im asking for a lot from a game that has Never made too much sense, but considering that in part 2 they could add details like ‘oh didnt you know purge can open pocket dimensions? ulala is capable of manifesting tangible dance energy and the only other person who can do that is purge???’, its not like they havent come up with weird new shit for dance energy to do within the plot before. they just didnt do it in this game fsr

like did anyone else think that cell x/glitter was going to be the result of tossing purge out into deep space and him encountering the sc5 universe’s equivalent of an eldritch alien creature, smth more bestial than morolians?? even if purge wasnt part of it, when you say ‘uh oh, this guy Eats this society’s only source of energy!!!’ i expect the stakes to get HIGH, and i want the ramifications of it to be kinda STARTLING, because blank wanted money and purge wanted to ritualistically end the world but something this near to an ecological disaster that would force an entire paradigm shift hasn’t occurred yet in the series?? its totally new!!! there’s a lot they could do with this but OH DONT WORRY ABOUT IT EVERYONE ulala knows how to make dance energy kill cell x instead of feed it she’s got this we’re good no need to investigate more into all that

i can’t explain why the game is like this. and i dont expect grounding to address it in any meaningful way either. i’m sure they’re Aware of these complaints by now- the game reviewing community has Not been kind to sc5vr specifically due to all of these shortcomings [i didnt even touch on the issues with motion sensing and how many of the games mechanics were removed in favor of smth presumably easier to program yet much less satisfying, like Secret Moves just being mini quicktime events and Turning Your Ratings Into Stars just being replaced with the standard Three Strikes You’re Out method of scoring], but the pr team still seems very enthusiastic abt the game and is still promising dlc and potentially even more games in the series after this one- heres hoping that they’ll at least take these grievances to heart and consider making the experience not only more accessible [aka it will... go back to being a rhythm game with controller input.... and not... an exclusive vr experience...], but also as immersive and detailed as the old games, with less reused plot beats. i can let some of it off the hook in this game simply because i’m aware that it began its life as a tech demo that was only supposed to be that initial first report from the first game But Happening All Around You!, but i Really dont think they could get away with doing this little to expand upon the groundwork set by the first two games again. not with the way people remember part 2 being such a vast upgrade from part 1... the bar had been set so high that this just felt like a huge backslide into something even sillier and harder to take seriously than part 1 before we had any idea what kind of staying power the franchise would have as a hallmark of sega’s quirky antics. like... this game is what i think space channel 5 looks like to people who don’t understand the appeal of the first two games. and that scares me

but i guess for the most part, aside from wishing they had done more to revitalize the setting and the lore of the sc5 universe itself, im kind of glad it didnt do a lot to change the existing storylines the characters have kinda forged for themselves- here i was stressing out that they would pull out some plot development that would utterly and drastically change the way we talked abt the series for the rest of time, but so little happened and so little was added to the bank of sc5 lore that we can kind of all just carry on as usual and keep having the same headcanons we always had.

BUT!!! there ARE a lot of cute little details here and there that make the experience feel wholesome and like i said not an utter cashgrab- like so many of the character profiles referencing previous games [all of the references to npcs in this game being relatives of the npcs of the last games made me lose it] and how often ulala changes her expressions up and looks right at you and talks to you. the new music they wrote for the game also all slaps and everyones redesigns [if they got a redesign... rip pudding] are stunning

one of the most important things they did in this game was give a nice sort of Update to every character.... for example explaining that ulala isn’t a rookie reporter any more like she was in the first 2 games, that she’s moved up to being in charge of training new channel 5 reporters, and that while pudding is still somewhat stuck on her rivalry with ulala her career isn’t stagnant either, she was just cast in a romcom series as the lead... which is really nice considering how in the past she was portrayed as somewhat of a loser with almost no remaining fans left from her idol years

and you knew i was going to bring up jaguar at some point HES ALL OVER THIS GAME AND IT LITERALLY MADE ME FEEL LIKE MY LIFE WAS WORTH POWERING THROUGH THESE LAST FEW YEARS AND ALSO LIKE IM A GENIUS FOR SPENDING SO LONG POSTING EVERY SINGLE DAY ‘NO REALLY, HE’S THE SECONDARY PROTAGONIST OF THE STORY, ITS ABOUT CHANNEL 5 AS A COMPANY AND THEIR IMPACT ON EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER ENCOUNTERED THEM AND THAT INCLUDES JAGUAR AS WELL AS ULALA HES INTEGRAL TO THE PLOT BC SHE WOULDNT BE ALIVE IF IT WEREN’T FOR HIM’ i feel like it’s really incredible how in this game he has genuinely nice energy and doesnt withhold praise from ulala just to be helpful in a mysterious way later and he like HAS FRIENDS now. like consider how he went from disgraced former ch5 employee who got mad every time he saw them, to kidnapped robot henchman kinda humbled by the fact that now the turns tabled and ulala had to rescue Him, and now 3 years later his bio is all about how he has a new tv show thats super popular and he has a new entourage of ladies who he considers his '’’’’’comrades’’’’’’’ within the station he founded??? AND AFTER 20 YEARS THEY WERE FINALLY ABLE TO GIVE HIS MODEL JUICY ASS CHEEKS??????????????? NO MORE PANCAKE BOOTY???? THE BOY HAD A GLOWUP AND NO I WONT STOP TALKING ABOUT IT

WHEN I SAY MEOW MATCH THE POSE MOTHERFUCKERS THIS BLONDE BASTARD GETS TO BE IN CHARGE OF THE HUNDRED STAGE BATTLE NOW TOO THIS IS THE YEAR OF THE SPACE PIRATES BAYBEE

[batb1tch]

It’s my boy’s birthday so here are some Jason Todd head-canons 🎉

Probably 3rd to last (Alfred and Bruce) on the list of ‘understanding internet slang’ in the household. He died and just sort of fell behind on the times (including memes, pop culture references,etc..) I know he’s known for making snarky quips and sarcastic comments but I have no doubt his siblings would call him out on his outdated references. It’s likely it’d really piss him off too like, knowledge is really everything to this kid and here he is with a group of teenagers who are always on top of shit (Steph, Tim, Duke, even Dick) and he doesn’t know what they’re talking about the majority of the time. Can’t figure out how to use Twitter or Snapchat and he does not have the patience to learn. It’s a genuine sore spot for him regardless of the humorous side.

Has an inner city accent that will never leave him. Still pronounce “on” like “awn” and frequently drops his r’s (which Bruce acts like he hates but really he finds it endearing.) Drops his “ing”s like “nothing” is “nothin.”

Fantastic chef, learned from the best. Very good at making something out of nothing and making it last. Steph has been showing him how to can things like fruit and vegetables. She’s basically just enabled his doomsday prepping behavior.

Speaking of, if you think Bruce is bad with the backup plans (yes there is always a b c d — z) where do you think Jay got it from? Absolutely anal about planning and contingencies. Has a backup for his backups.

Has a small hoard of books hidden in an end-table back at one of his safe houses. His favorite classics (mostly gifted by Bruce.)

Loves the smell of paper.

Definitely could use them but refuses to get glasses. Babs teases him for his squinting when she gets the chance.

“Just join the club book-worm, promise it won’t ruin your badass reputation.”

Jason ~squinting~ “I’d rather die....again.”

Collects cool bookmarks.

Definitely names his guns.

Favorite meal is literally any Spanish/Mexican dish followed by a good chili dog & a coke.

Can pack away enough food to feed a horse and keep going, not even Bruce knows how he does it. Alfred acts like he’s a pain in the ass to cook for but loves feeding him anyways. “You’ll eat us out of house and home someday my dear boy, good god.”

While we’re at it, he is 100% taller and wider than Bruce. You might think it makes Bruce a bit uncomfortable when standing right next to him (I mean...it does lol) but he absolutely loves when Jay throws his weight around because the malnourished string-bean of a child that he met on the street could now powerlift a small automobile and he is so fucking proud and happy that he grew up to be big and healthy (that he managed to grow up AT ALL mind you) how could he be mad? He probably tears up at the dinner table after Jay fills his plate for 4th time that evening and still intends to stay for dessert because he loVES HIM.

His feet definitely hang off the end of his bed by like, the shins because his room only has a full compared to everyone else’s king/queen. It never got upgraded when he hit puberty (because he was dead) and then he wouldn’t let anyone change it once he came back because that’s his bed “don’t fucking touch it I still fit just fine.” (Even though he’s like 22 and there’s a dip in the mattress that could put the Grand Canyon to shame.)

Still has a picture of Catherine hidden away. Visits her grave on the anniversary and always brings her favorite flowers (Lillie’s.)

His hands get cold really easily and they’re always dry/calloused.

Snores. Loudly.

The Lazarus pit did NoT heal his autopsy scar that shit is there for life and it is big and it is ugly. He doesn’t like taking his shirt off because of it and the look on Bruce’s face when he sees it could strip wallpaper.

Stopped dying the lock of white hair on his head.

Has spring allergies that turn him into a giant snotting watery eyed whiny baby.

He’s claustrophobic and not a fan of the dark. It’s why his helmet has night vision.

(While we’re at it, that helmet has to be the equivalent of like, iron mans on the inside. Definitely has built in comms, scopes, analysis systems, navigation, etc etc. the WORKS. whICH he designed and created himself because he’s brilliant.) (Actually Roy might have helped a little but don’t tell him that.)

Has a work-in-progress bike in the cave that hasn’t been finished for over 2 years and it will never be finished because he uses it as an excuse to hangout and spend time with Bruce. Drives Steph crazy to see it sit there but she gets it.

During his first Thanksgiving with Bruce and Alfred he cried for 15 minutes before dinner (which he’s still embarrassed about to this day) and then ate until he literally puked. He hasnt missed many Thanksgivings since he died.

TERRIBLE at 1st-person-shooters and super pissed about it.

“That’s not even realistic, an HK-416 doesn’t even have a 200 round drum. It’s bonkers! It’s madness Tim!”

“Shut the fuck up Jason you haven’t even been facing the right way since we started.”

(He’ll stick to Space Invaders and Mario fuck you very much.)

Really good at piano. Bruce asked him to start playing seriously when he moved in because “learning a musical instrument teaches self -discipline and versatility” but really it’s because one day during his Robin years Jay sat down and started plinking on the keys to a song he learned at the public youth-center on the “old shitty out of tune” wood one they had and it just happened to be a song Martha used to play Bruce all the time. He wanted to hear it fill the halls again.

Gets in a screaming match with Bruce nowadays and instead of lighting up one of Penguin’s underground casinos (like he might of used to 👀) he’ll disappear for a month to cool down. You can always tell when he gets over it though because he sends the family a postcard from wherever he is in the world. (Alfred puts them all on the fridge.)

Pit symptoms used to (and occasionally still do) include horrific night terrors, black-out rage, and brief moments of hallucinations or flashbacks. He had to relive the period of time shortly after he was pulled out through graphic and warped recollections (typically after not getting enough sleep or engaging in physical altercations.) He really only started to work through this after Ducra had suggested keeping a log and writing down everything he could remember. After a time he was able to piece together the things he had experienced or done (mostly to others) and as awful and horrible as knowing may have been, he could at least start to move on.

The more time he spent with Damian after he came back the more he could remember as well. He will occasionally speak to him in Arabic & not even realize he’s doing it (which scares the pants of Dames, himself, and Bruce.)

He does feel closer to the little gremlin because of it though. Talia likely had him as a baby with her the majority of the time after he was born and Jay was recovering/training, so he spent a substantial amount of time with both of them.

Bruce bought him a kindle for Christmas one of the first years he was back and he was (and still is but don’t tell the old man that) elated.

Occasionally mumbles in his sleep, usually in a variety of languages.

He does smoke, mostly only when he gets stressed out (because everyone reams him for it otherwise.) You’d think it’s a rebellious street kid thing but it’s actually because Catherine used to smoke the same brand and the smell reminds him of her.

His shoe size is a 13.

The time shortly after he crawled out of his own grave he could see ghosts (and I’m talking straight up dead people.) He can’t recall much of this or the time spent actually deceased (even after his dunk in the pit) but even now he’ll see things move out of the corner of his eye or get cold chills or feel like he’s being watched. When he hasn’t slept for like, 4 days and is bordering on manic depressive and harmful behavior, he starts seeing them again. Constantine prob finds him real interesting.

My guess is that he did see Catherine when he died but overall ended up in some sort of purgatory-like state which he can’t recall.

When he blushes it’s the hollows of his cheeks, back of the ears and neck and all the way down the front of his chest. The autopsy scar shows up white against it.

Has those hands that no matter how many times he washes them the oil/gun cleaner doesn’t come out of the cracks. Looks like a mechanic.

Tends to wear thicker work/type clothing like carhart fireproof pants and boots. Obviously his jacket too.

Not a fan of cold weather at all. His nose and cheek get really red and he shivers (as unmanly as that is)

OCD. His apartments are spotless, weapons and ammunition categorized and logged, etc.

Had asthma as a child and sort of grew out of it but sometimes his endurance suffers as an adult because of it.

Has this particular phone case 💀

[cherry3point14]

Freaky Friday

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Warnings: Body switching crack basically, mainly hijinx, overreaction, mentions of feelings.

Word Count: 3886

Prompt: Sam and Dean have switched bodies, which you would have found hysterical if you had known BEFORE you went to your best friend Sam to mope about how felt about dean and how he had no clue.

A/N: Did y’all miss me?! I put out a cry for prompts because I was in a major writing rut and my girl @divadinag hit me up with a ton. Obviously, they’re all fantastic. So this is the first of several fics based off her brilliant brain. P.S please be gentle as I try to remember how to write again.

Ao3 if you prefer.

“The witch is dead why are we still like this? Why’d it only happen when we got back here?” Sam’s tone is more panicked than normal, asking more questions than he’s prone to. Sam normally has the answers. “I don’t know Dean,” Dean’s voice emphasizes the name with the same annoyance Sam normally utters it with, “funnily enough I didn’t ask the witch before we killed him!” “Ok, enough, just, we gotta figure this out, dude. I can’t stay in this body. You’re all gangly.” Dean’s face looks affronted at the accusation, “gangly?” “Yeah,” Sam shakes his arms through the air as if they’re new, “Son of a bitch have you always been this long? It’s unnatural and I don’t like it.” Dean’s face gets this little ghost of a smirk on it that Dean, the one trapped inside of Sam’s body, recognizes, “I thought you’d like the extra length Dean.” “Shut up Sammy. I’ve got plenty of length where it- just shut up ok. We’ve gotta figure this out.” Sam, the one currently residing inside of Dean, clamps a hand on his own shoulder, “guess I, or should I say you, better get reading huh?"

It had been quiet since you got back from dealing with the witch yesterday. The relative calm that hung over the bunker wasn’t unusual at first. It had been a long drive and after you’d all spent ten hours plus in the Impala together the three of you tended to scatter for some alone time. It was just unusual for it to stay quiet for so long. Dean usually crawled out of whatever binge he fell into after a few hours in search of food, and Sam usually preferred the communal comfort of the library to working in his room. But right now you haven’t seen either of them since you got back yesterday morning and their absence is making time tick by achingly slowly. Eventually, you’d even go as far as to say you’re starting to miss them both. However, you are not one to sit around and mope about it. Instead, you decide to take action to curb your loneliness. Sam’s door is a little further from the library than Dean’s which means you walk past it every time you go to see the youngest Winchester. And every single time you stop. Something tight in your stomach makes you pause, stare and imagine. What if you walked in and kissed those lips that you’ve been dreaming of? What if you strode in with all the confidence you normally possess, like he doesn’t phase you, and straddled his lap with absolute certainty? What if you finally admitted to Dean all the dirty things you’ve thought about doing to him? The answer, as your brain was so good at reminding you, was that you would make an idiot of yourself. Dean has never shown even a passing interest in you like that. Your friendship would be ruined to boot and you’d probably have to move out just to be able to live with yourself. But that was, you know, just one of the many worst-case scenarios that eventually got you walking again. You knock when you get to Sam’s room but you never wait for a response before your hand is twisting the handle and you’re sliding inside. Neither of you cares much for privacy around each other, it’s not a luxury you’re afforded on the road in cramped motel rooms so it became a habit back at the bunker too. Or at the very least Sam knows to lock his door when you’re not welcome. Since it’s unlocked you walk in and land unceremoniously on his bed with your limbs spread out like a starfish. He’s sitting at his desk but that probably wouldn’t have made a difference. You’ve fallen on him before and no doubt you’ll do it again at some point. “Y/N?” There’s a confused inflection in how he says your name that you quickly question. “Who else is it going to be? Don’t tell me you have another friend?” You turn your head to the side, smiling at him, waiting for the start of your familiar back and forth, but are met only with this bug-eyed stiffness to his body like he’s still not sure why you’re here. His straight back and frozen expression of fear ends your attempt at a joke as quickly as it began, “you ok? I’m not interrupting anything, right?” “No! Erm...” he cocks his head a little, which makes his hair fall into his face and in turn seems to frustrate him as if he forgot it was there. “No, I was just... reading! Yep. Research. You know how I love me some research.” “Ok” you drag out like he’s a weirdo. Because he is. And the book at his desk isn’t even cracked open so he’s either lying or he doesn’t want you to see what he was reading. You’re guessing it’s the latter but the old, leather-bound book of whatever lore he has a boner for looks uninteresting at first glance. “Anyway, I’m bored. Don’t suppose you’ve found any new cases yet?” “Nah, I’m working on the thing.” He says turning back to the book, opening it this time but holding it at an awkward angle. You can see the front cover but whatever he’s reading inside is well and truly hidden. The unknown project, as well as his shadiness, piques your interest despite the title of the book being some boring, long ass anthology of pagan magic, “what thing?” You’re only watching out of the corner of your eye so as not to seem suspicious but you notice his eyes dart about before he answers, “nothing, it’s just something Sa- me. Something me and Dean are working on.” You’d been about to dig deeper and find out why Sam is being so weird but then he had to go and mention his brother. You fling your arm across your face with all of the dramatics you usually reserve for talking about Dean, “seriously? You couldn’t go ten minutes without mentioning him?” “Hey! What’s wrong with me-my brother?” You roll your eyes under the arm stretched across your face. You know Sam must tune out you out like 50% of the time, you hope he does at least for his own sake. Except for the amount of time you’ve spent lamenting about your unrequited feelings he can’t have completely forgotten, right? “I don’t know why you’re being so weird but please stop.” You huff out a breath and slump your shoulders, “seriously I’d just got him out of my head.” The book slams violently shut in a way Sam never treats books, “nope, that’s it. Now I want to talk about it!” “Really?” Sam had been understanding when you first developed your crush but you were pretty sure the other reason he tuned out your ‘Dean talk’ was because you were talking about his brother. It can’t have been comfortable to listen to. Although now he wants to talk about it? “I mean. Ok, fine. I thought you were sick of me talking about how pretty your brother is but I guess not.” He had swung around and leaned forward on his knees when you first opened your mouth but as soon as you mention Dean being pretty Sam begins choking on his own tongue. “What?” “Calm down bud,” you jump up and clap him on the back before slumping back onto the bed. “I won’t call him pretty again in your presence. Lesson learned. But seriously, I almost told him today. I was five steps from his door. I could have gone in and done it.” You puff your chest out a little, proud of the progress you’re making from being six steps away from admitting the truth. “Told him- you almost told him?” “Yes, you giant dummy. I almost told Dean that I maybe, definitely want to knock boots.” Sam’s mouth is caught in this limbo of half opening and then snapping shut making him look like a defective guppy. There’s no sound is coming out, so you continue, “oh come on. That’s not even the worst thing I’ve ever said to you about him. Remember when I told you about that dream where he spent an entire hour... well I won’t say it again. Last time you couldn’t look at me for days.” If you hadn’t been making yourself laugh with the memory then maybe you’d have noticed how suddenly interested Sam had been in hearing the story again. And maybe you’d have thought it to be a red flag. “How long have you been feeling like this?” . “Eugh. Every time you ask me that and then you tell me to put on my big girl pants and go tell him.” “Why haven’t you? Maybe he would want to know.” He poses a good question and it’s not the first time he’s asked you. It is, however, the first time you’ve been interrupted by the object of your affection running into the room, “dude I think I found something!” Everything stops for too long a second. You stare at Dean, Dean stares at Sam and Sam can’t stop looking at you. It’s all very Days of Our Lives, you just need some dramatic music in the background. If your mind weren’t elsewhere you might wonder why they are being so secretive and climactic. However, you’re too busy praying to any available god or even demigod, that Dean didn’t hear what you’d just been talking about. When Dean finally looks at you he misreads the awkwardness in your face, “oh good, you told her. Listen, I know it’s weird but I think I found something to put us back. It’s not really a reversal of the spell just a detour, kind of.” “What spell? What are you talking about?” As soon as he mentions a spell almost getting caught with your crush fades to nothing. You’re in hunter mode without faltering. Especially so soon after just killing a witch. “The spell the witch cast before he…? Dean didn’t tell you?” His face creases, pouts more like it, in Sam’s direction. Actually, if you had to put a name on it you’d say that he does a classic Sam bitch face. Except it’s Dean doing it at Sam. Before your brain can unpack how wrong that it there’s something else he said that’s sticking in your craw. “No Dean. Since I haven’t seen you all day no, you haven't told me anything. What the hell is going on guys?” You look over at Sam, your trustworthy best friend who normally explains it all. There are no answers though. Sam’s face is blank except for those wide eyes again. Dean steps forward, “Y/N. It’s me, Sam. There’s no easy way to say this but Dean and I, we kind of got switched, this morning actually. We think the witch put a spell on us but maybe time delayed it somehow? We didn’t find any hex bags anyway. But I think I’ve found...” Dean, or Sam anyway, could have started reciting the declaration of independence, in French, backward for how much attention you pay anything else he says. Realization sends a shudder up your spine that turns into a white-hot flush of equal parts embarrassment and fury. You slowly turn back to Sam, well Dean. Dean in Sam’s body. Dean who you just unwittingly admitted your long hidden feelings to. You can feel the intensity of the red staining your cheeks. Somewhere in Dean’s body, Sam is still talking but the real Dean has the decency to make Sam’s face look sheepish at least. In the back of your mind, you joke that he can't pull off Sam’s infamous puppy dog eyes properly. Not that it matters, because you’re about to do the only thing you can do right now. Monsters you can face, demons you can kill, ghosts you can burn but this situation? Yeah, you’re going to run. Dean, or Sam, fucking whatever, falters over whatever he’s saying when he reads the decision on your face. But even half blocking the door he’s no match for your speed, especially not in a new body that he’s not used to. He barely raises his hands in a defensive attempt to ask you what’s wrong when you shake your head and side step him altogether. Three well-placed steps and you’re past him. Then it’s just you and the sound of your pounding feet echoing through the empty corridors of the bunker. All the way to the garage where you take the first set of keys your fingers wrap around, start the engine of an old pickup, and get the hell out of dodge.

If you wanted to be found, like an idiot, you’d have gone to a bar. Or maybe a diner. You know, somewhere they'll obviously look first. You don’t want to be found for a long time. Instead, you stop at a gas station and buy yourself the nicest bottle of whiskey they have along with some random armfuls of snacks. Then you drive to a motel, turn off your phone and curl up in bed, in the fetal position sucking on your drink like a baby’s bottle. They’re going to be beyond pissed that you took off and turned off your phone but maybe you’re beyond pissed that Dean just let you sit there and spill your guts. Everyone can be mad about something. Or maybe you should have gone balls to the wall and told Dean all those months ago. Whatever. There’s lots of blame to go around. What sucks is this could have been funny. Like this could have legitimately been the most hysterical supernatural situation to find yourselves in. You and Dean could have hidden all of Sam’s things in places too high for him to reach, well you’d have watched Dean hide the stuff anyway. And Sam could have taken Dean’s body out for a run or to a make your own salad place. That’s just your initial ideas. Given an hour you’d have a list of pranks ideas for them both. Instead, you’re almost halfway through a fifth of whiskey and two bags of chips deep into your snack pile. Alone. You don’t remember ever feeling the embarrassment on the level you’re experiencing now. It’s agonizing and you're absolutely sure it will never fade. Alcohol only dulls your chagrin as you keep flashing back to using the phrase ‘knock boots’.   You’re close to insanity when there’s a knock at the door. You’re slow to get up and even then you take the time to press your face against the peephole. Your shoulders roll back in annoyance at not being as well hidden as you’d hoped, “no thank you. Do not disturb.” He knocks again and you sigh, stamping your foot in a mini, slightly drunken tantrum. “Y/N, it’s Sam.” Reluctantly you swing the door open and try not to frown at him still wearing his brothers face. While you manage to keep your expression in check you still splutter, “why do you still look like him?” “We haven’t tried the spell yet. We’ve been looking for you since you left.” You still think you were pretty justified in running away but you kinda wish you could talk to Sam right now. Your Sam. “I’m sorry.” The apology tastes of whiskey and potato chips but not of actual regret. “No, you’re not.” He smiles. In your head, you know exactly how that smile would look on Sam’s face. It’d be comforting and friendly, playful even. But on Dean’s lips, the smile reminds you of the fool you’ve made of yourself. You huff and wander back to the bed and your bottle, “you’re right. I’m not. He just sat there and let me tell him! And now he knows. And I can’t talk to you when you look like him. You’re going to have to turn around or something.” Sam shuts the door behind him but makes no attempt to look like anything less than Dean. It’s motly annoying that you didn’t see it earlier. There’s the occasional way he moves that’s so utterly Sam, like the way he shakes his head or the way he carries himself. Now that you think about it there were lots of those clues while you talking to Dean. If you’d have recognized even one then maybe you wouldn’t have opened your big, dumb mouth. “Want to talk about it?" “Absolutely not Deano. Oh sorry, Sam. Right. Sam! It’s so hard to keep track.” You sweep your arm through the air with the bottle hanging precariously from your hand. Alcohol-fuelled sarcasm dripping from your tongue. “Look where talking has got me tonight. I can’t even run away for more than a few hours before you find me, all looking like Dean!” He strides over to you wordlessly and you forget. For all of a second, it’s another daydream. It’s Dean, the actual Dean, coming towards you. It’ll be his hands on you when he reaches you and his lips about to kiss yours. “I think you’ve probably had enough of this.” Sam mothers the bottle away from you, breaking the spell. Even though it’s soulful green eyes that you’ve memorized staring at you, it’s Sam that shines through them, somehow. “I never used to be like this you know. Maybe you don't remember when you first met me. I was a badass. I killed a demon by squeezing his head between my thighs, I mean I exercised him after but the thigh thing really slowed him down. I was cool Sam and I was hot!” He’s moving your snacks from the bed to the table while you ramble on, “both at the same time, huh?” “Yes! Because I wasn’t bogged down with dumb feelings for your dumb brother.” You lay back without being told to. Drunken exhaustion has crept up on you and with the bed now empty you fall into it easily. The mattress is lumpy but not completely uncomfortable. Sam pulls the blanket over you and patronizingly pats you on the head. “Maybe if you’re lucky things will be different in the morning.” He says earning a grumble for treating you like a child. You don’t correct him though. You hope things will be different in the morning. You hope you wake up in a world where today never happened. You close your eyes as Sam lets himself out, Dean being the last thing you really see.

There's no pounding behind your eyes when you peel them open and for that, you'll have to thank Sam at some point. It wouldn't have been the first time you drank yourself to sleep and you were far from tired until he tucked you in and took away the good stuff. Although it was gas station whiskey so, mediocre stuff. Your body drags as you get out of bed like the air is slowing you down. It's a tragic shuffle to the bathroom where limp arms barely find the tiny bottle of mouthwash to banish the day-old whiskey breath. You run your fingers through your hair and give up after the second tangle. The palms of your hands make a small semblance of an effort to flatten the creases from your clothes, but you still look like you slept in the clothes you’re wearing. Eventually, you accept that, yeah, you're going to have to go back like this. They'll both look like stock photo models for the Canadian tourism board and you'll look like the human embodiment of the hair that gets pulled from the shower drain. It will be a fitting return for you after yesterday. Your brain tries to convince you that you should drive straight home. The faster you face the music the faster you can get on with your life. It’s just, then you see the mound of junk food on the table. You try to pretend it's your hunger that makes you sit cross-legged on the end of the bed, salty snacks and candy bars resting in your lap, even if you know it's the fear in your chest making you procrastinate. You're throwing M&M's high into the air while trying to catch them with your mouth when there's a knock at the door. The falling chocolate bounces off of your forehead and lands somewhere on the floor amongst its other fallen brethren that missed the target. Getting off the bed is now a loud affair of creaky mattress springs and crinkled wrappers and you take long enough that your visitor knocks again. "I'm coming, I'm coming." You huff out. You hadn't really paid much attention to the time but for some reason, you're expecting the robust man who rented you the room to be there demanding you leave or pay for another night. It's why, unlike last night, you don't check who's there. Everything seems safer in daylight so you almost lurch the door off its hinges with the force you exert to open it. “Really? Come to drag me back already?” Dean is standing there, well his body anyway, and you're just as frustrated as you had been to see him last night. “Seriously you guys didn’t have time to do the spell yet?” He smirks. It’s enough to know from that alone but he still confirms it for you, “we had time. ‘S all taken care of sweetheart.” Everything is happening too fast to blush or run or slam the door. “What are you…?” He takes a step so that the edge of his boots are almost touching your feet. One hand cups your cheek, his thumb stroking a lazy line back and forth over your skin like he’s admiring art and his other arm wraps around your waist. You’re already breathless. You’re already fucking done. But Dean hasn't even started. He ducks his head at the same time that he lifts your face a little, angling your mouth in his direction. You let out this whisper of a gasp, unable to actually comprehend this series of events as his lips connect with yours. It could all be a dream. You’ve dedicated entire REM cycles to just this moment. The kiss. But in your dreams, he never tastes like coffee as he does now. And dream you never worries about if she still tastes of alcohol. Plus there all those little things you hadn’t thought to imagine. Like the way his arm pulls you into him so you’re halfway into a Hollywood style dip except you’re crushed against him enough to feel his muscles twitch. His lips are fuller somehow, softer but he kisses you more intensely than dream Dean. His tongue chases yours and maps out your mouth for a lifetime. It’s still not enough. When you both somehow telepathically agree to breathe you still don’t want to give him up and you rake his bottom lip through your teeth just because you don’t want to let him go. He laughs at that. The unashamed desperation that you finally let out. “Thought I should wait till I wasn’t in Sam to do that.” “You know, to anyone else, that’d be a really weird thing to say.”

5eva tags: @divadinag @darthdeziewok @fluentinfiction @witch-of-letters @supernatural-teamfreewillpage Dean babes: @thewinchesterchronicles @akshi8278

[taeyohonic]

The Milkshake Incident (Part 2)

Words: 2,701

Genre: best friend Taeyong / high school / some fluff I guess? / Yukhei (adorably) 3rd wheeling / Baekhy(p)un certified / mature(ish)? (more like PG-15-ish? i had to cut some “stuff” i didn’t like...)

Pairing: Taeyong x Reader

Summary: A milkshake thrown at the innocent band t-shirt of your best friend is the final straw. Taeyong needs a girlfriend and you are going to help him. Even if that means betraying your feelings for him.

A/N: Thank you so much to all the love for Part 1! I hope you guys like the 2nd part as well! I’m gonna post a piece for @nctwriters spc this week too, so please stay tuned...

Previously on TMI: “You… you’re – not sleeping with anybody?”, you whimper and his lips form a sinister smirk when he answers:

“No, I mean I’m not available.”

Yuk opens the door and cuts the tension like a knife. God bless this immature kid with a timing of heroes.

“I am ready to parteyyy”, he shouts sliding into the backseat and leaning forwards. You back against the passenger window like you’ve been burned.

So Taeyong does have feelings for someone. That hurts. A lot. You know you were very direct with your rule of not talking to about his latest conquests, but you always thought that when he finds someone important, he’d talk to you about her or him. You guess there really are limits to your friendship. And that makes it so complicated to breath while your best friend drives towards his home.

“It’s classical music performed by amateurs and accompanied by the same asshole teachers you see in this hell every day.”, you mumble and try to not let your excitement show too much in your voice. Sure, your relationship with Taeyong isn’t in the best place, but this Friday is important to you on a different level. This is the only field, where you are somewhat more qualified than your friends.

Your driver grabs your neck in a warning sign. “Don’t belittle yourself, Y/n. Not when I’m in earshot.”

“Why didn’t you say that to me yesterday when I insulted my cooking skills in front of you?”, whines Yuk and slaps Taeyong’s hand playfully away from its position on your neck. But the damage is done. You still feel his tangling touch on your skin. A shudder runs through your body. What is this boy doing to you during a twenty-minute car ride? This should be illegal.

“Because your stir fry tasted as cheap as your gaming style.”, Tae replies and parks the car. You are the first getting out of this enigma of a car ride and basically run to the front door. You need to get ready for your play tonight. And you need to get away from your best friend. Not necessarily in that order. The cleaning lady opens the door before Tae reaches you and there is definitely a nervous step in your walk as you climb the stairs and shut the door to Taeyong’s bathroom.

Two hours later and you’re still sitting on the floor of his bathroom, trying to smooth your nerves with the cold marble under you. This is getting ridiculous. And embarrassing. As if Tae can hear your thoughts, there’s a sharp knock on the door. “Y/n?” “Yes?” “Are you alive?” Yuk might have asked if you were okay or fine. But Tae can sense that you are neither. So, he gives you a question you can actually answer. “Barely”

A chuckle is heard before you hear the unmistaken sound of a lock being picked. A moment later your best friend takes his place right beside you and your eyes meat his in bewilderment.

“Where the hell did you learn to pick locks?” “Baek taught me in the showers a few games ago.”, he shrugs. “That sounds so … so so wrong, Tae.”, you laugh, and he follows with his own strong chuckle before fixating you with a concerned stare, the smile dying on his handsome lips.

“Listen, I talked to Yuk.” Nothing good ever starts with this sentence. “He told me that you are trying to get me a girlfriend for more than a week now.” So, Yuk did tell him about your chemistry talk. Well, nothing to be self-conscious about.

“He said, that you’re tired keeping up with my ... hm shenanigans?”, he asks, and you can hear real hurt in his voice. “I didn’t know i was such a burden.” Now Tae doesn’t even look at you anymore.

“No, Tae. You’re never a burden”, you intercept vehemently, “You’re my best friend. I cannot imagine ever seeing you as a task rather than my partner.”, you add truthfully, only you being aware of the double meaning. Taeyong’s blazing eyes focus on your figure again – finally.

“So, you don’t need a vacation form me?”, he asks suspiciously while using the exact same words you said to Yuk at the beginning of this week. There is something very reliable about Yukhei’s low EQ, he doesn’t repeat what he thinks you meant, but just what you said. And that precisely. So of course, your best friend will be distrustful. You exhale, before responding with the truth … kind of.

“I don’t need a vacation from my best friend. I need a vacation from your libido, Tae.”

You get up from the floor and look at yourself in the mirror. The simple black dress is required for all the female orchestra members. You just took a bit more liberty with the length of it. Dangerously ending mid-tight, this dress gives you surprising confidence. The material hugs your body and pays tribute to all the early morning jogs Tae dragged you along during spring break. The costume, as well as the shoes, are from your little sister.

You aren’t the biggest shopper – not with two pubescenting boys as best friends. So, you were really thankful to her when she presented you with that outfit this morning. Even though she did cancel on the concert in the same motion. A Friday night spend in the same four walls she’s imprisoned in during the school week? Not happening. Because of some prior engagements even your parents can’t come tonight. So again, these two boys are not only your fan squad but your foster family as well.

Taeyong’s reflection comes up right behind you as he lays his large hand around your neck. “You look beautiful” “I look better than normal, yeah.”, you answer accompanied by an eyeroll and earn a warning squeeze from him. “What did I say?” You don’t answer. “Y/n?” Huffingly you respond. “That I should always sugarcoat my accomplishments in front of you.”

Taeyong just chuckles and tightens his grip one last time before letting go of your body. Were you going mad or did his touches increase this week? Maybe it is just wishful thinking.

“Just hurry up. Yuk is really excited and you’re cutting it close time wise.”, he says and moves to the door. “Tae?” Your friend turns around with questions in his eyes. “Thank you for being there tonight.” “Oh, you know how much I love classical music.”, he winks and lets the door open. Deep breaths, Y/n, deep breaths.

The auditorium is packed. Your fellow musicians are prepping their instruments while you nervously clutch the notes to your chest. This is horrible. Why did you want this? Why were you so eager to agree? You will probably fuck up really bad. You will be the disgrace of the whole orchestra. To distract yourself and calm your beating heart you pull out your cellphone. No chance in hell are you up for a face to face pep talk from your fellow students. So, hiding in virtual social media it is.

[Tae 07.46 p.m.] you’ll do great, y/n. [Yuk 07.49 p.m.] omg omg check fb y/n. right now. NOW.

Slightly concerned by Yuks vehement tone you decide to quickly check your app.

Lee Taeyong updated his status: libido on vacation. Indefinitely. Don’t expect a postcard u losers.

What? WHAT? You don’t have time to scroll through the dozens of replies. Your music teacher ushers you all out and your brain still tries to comprehend what you just read. What does he even mean by that? And what did you mean by that when you first said it to him? And why is this performance now not even as scary as having to talk to Tae afterwards?

You are welcomed with a round of applause as you take your seat behind the piano. Shaking hands place your notes in front of you as you squirt your eyes. The lighting sucks and the humid summer air is more suffocating than usual because of the ton of people in the audience. You absently hear your teacher starting to introduce the orchestra and the evening program. You only listen with one ear as you try to make out our friends. And there they sit, in the first row, like they deserve special treatment.

Taeyong gazes in your direction. You can’t see him clearly, but you can feel the burn in his stare. And then it begins, and you play, and you know he listens, and you know he cares, and you feel enough. You’re so full of joy, that the round of appreciative noises don’t even register in your ears. People are clapping, and you see the proud eyes of your teacher staring adoringly at your ensemble. With two deep bows you leave the stage and the atmosphere backstage is electric.

Your fellow students are hugging and gushing and packing up their respective instruments. You feel such a high, that the figure tapping on your shoulder makes you jump slightly.

Irene is looking at you with uncertainty in her eyes. Milkshake Irene in the flesh. You knew that her being chief editor of your school paper presented a slight chance of her covering this concert. But seeing her so soon after you performed sours your mood – immensely. What does she want?

“Y/n?” You just arch an eyebrow and comb with one hand through your slightly damp hair. The heat is getting to you, as well as this girl, who hasn’t even said anything other than your name yet. Damn, Taeyong’s mood swings are rubbing off on you.

“Can I speak to you for a second?”, she asks with determination in her voice.

“Sure, what’s up?”, you answer, deciding to play along. Maybe she just wants some quotes from the orchestra. Or maybe she is trying to make it a triple. First the slushy thrown at you during fall break, then the milkshake at Tae on Monday. Maybe she wants to end this week with a final dump. But her hands are empty, and she seems nervous, which is not like her. Not that you know her well. But she is a semi-permanent fixture in Tae’s life, so you try.

“Uhm… I just … wanted to uhm…”, Irene releases a long breath and finishes the sentence quickly, “… apologize.”

“Say what?”, you respond dumbstruck. What the hell is going on here? Now she looks at you confused. Same here, girl, same here.

“For what I said about you?”, she continues, asking more than telling.

“Okay?”, you have no clue what this person is talking about. She had beef with your best friend, not with you. She ruined his shirt, not yours. And you are 99% sure that Tae did something cruel to provoke this incident.

“I’ve always been a bit eh self-conscious about you. You know? Him being so close to you.”, she tries to explain and motions with her fidgeting hands in your general direction. Irene … self-conscious … because of you?

“But nevertheless, I was out of line. So, I get it.”

Okay, that makes one of you. Your expression must have portrayed the confusion.

“I shouldn’t have called you an … untalented second-hand pianist, that nobody wants to hear play.”, she stage-whispers slowly, as if you are the stupid one, trying to comprehend easy words in their natural order.

“But he shouldn’t have verbally attacked me as well.”, Irene continues, not giving you any time to comprehend her explanation. “Y/n, the insults he threw at me … You would have dumped the shake on him just like I did, right?”

Taeyong defended you? Your best friend didn’t get into trouble because of his relationship drama, but because he was protecting you? And he didn’t even mention it when you were criticizing his actions? Why?

“What the hell?”, you want to say, but Taeyong beats you to it. His voice booms and he is at your side in a flash.

“I told you to stay away from her.”, he snares and looks at Irene with disgust and she takes an obeying step back, frightened.

“I … I was ju- just trying to apolo-“, she stammers, only to get interrupted by your best friend with anger in his voice. “I … I … don’t care.”, he mimics her mockingly. “Get out.”

Irene’s feet move in small, fragile steps and she backs away fast, leaving you two alone at the back of the rehearsal room. Taeyong turns his stare slowly to your eyes, softening his features.

“You were wonderful tonight.”, he says in earnest, but you just look at your best friend like he’d grown a second head.

“Oh no Mister. Don’t try to avert this conversation.”, you answer pocking him hard in the side. “What was that?”

“That was Irene being a bitch, and you being stupid enough to listen to her.”

You just overlook the stupid comment and don’t take the bait to redirect this discussion again.

“Let me get this straight … you insulted her, because she insulted my piano skills?” There is a heavy layer of wonder in your voice as you stare at him.

“Nobody belittles you, Y/n. Not when I’m in earshot.”

You huff in annoyance.

“Is my honor really worth the detention you got? Or the gossip this milkshake incident caused?”

“You’re my partner. Nobody talks shit about you.”, he states, mimicking your word choice from this afternoon.

“Use your own words, Lee Taeyong, and fight your own fights. Don’t belittle me by fighting mine as well.”

Taeyong crouches down, so your blazing stares meet. Never have you felt more powerless than in this confrontation. Your feelings for him are a dangerous cocktail and you feel tears shimmering at the corner of your eyes.

“Every other girlfriend would swoon over her boyfriend defending her honor.”, he snares still on eye-level. It feels like a punch in the face. You can taste the bile rising up. How can he say stuff like that? This is way too far out of your friendzone.

“Well, I’m not your girlfriend.”, you counter into his angry face. Saying the truth out loud is a wake-up call for your heart. Taeyong is not your boyfriend.

“Yes. You. Are.”, he growls and pushes you against the wall behind your back, caging you. You stare dumbfounded at your best friend. Come again?

“I’m so so done with … with this pretense, Y/n.”, Taeyong continues in a low voice, his body coming dangerously close to yours.

“What more do I have to do for you to notice me?”, he asks. Your head is empty, no braincell is doing its job. You just stare silently into his brown eyes brooding with emotions.

“I hear you” His warm breath is at your right ear. “I defend you” His lips ghost along your jawline. “I touch you”

And then his lips are on yours. They are as rough as his words and dominate your mouth. Like a feral animal he pushes is tongue between your lips, not asking for entrance, demanding it. Your body reacts instantly, welcoming him with a warm tug of your own tongue, your hands absently going into his tick hair. Your surroundings completely ignoring, he presses you deeper into the wall.

The contrast between the cool surface and his warm kiss makes you shiver. His tall frame is caging your body, shielding you from any remaining ensemble members. Taeyong claims you in a way not even your darkest fantasies could have imagined. His hands rest on your neck, tightening. You try to breathe through your nose, but there is no willpower and you can feel yourself getting lightheaded. A content moan escapes your throat. Taeyong responds with a deep groan of his own before reluctantly retreating from your lips.

Leaving his hands around your neck, he starts to speak again, his voice deliciously husky. “Don’t be just my best friend. Be my partner. Be mine.”

There is so much you want to answer. I’ve loved you for so long, my adolescent brain doesn’t even remember a time where it was not in love with you. I’m afraid I’ll not be enough. I was conditioned to be with you. I will always be your best friend, even if I throw milkshakes at you. I’ll be yours.

Out loud you just command: “Kiss me again, boyfriend.”

[iamsonyeondone]

heir!seventeen // kwon soonyoung

♥ very!! fluffy and angst if you can even consider it that

♥1.7k words

♥ summary: an unexpected encounter turns into a wave of apologies and then... a confession?

I want to kms this is the worst summary ive ever written oh my god

so as we all know, our mr kwon fire can easily be friends with anyone

he just has that welcoming and cheerful vibe to him that attracts people

which is an a+ for anyone who attends the same galas or functions with him because you’ll never be onely

naturally, everyone in Pledis would know him one way or another because if you don’t know who soonyoung is?? you’re living under a rock

just like his outgoing personality, he loves the stage and the attention he gets from it because it’s such a big mood boosters for him and he becomes a million times more confident but at the same time nerve-wrecking because he doesn’t want to disappoint anyone

and he!!!just!!loves!!dancing!!

plus he’s very grateful that his parents fully support his dreams like they’ve even got him his own dance studio a t home fully equipped with quality speakers and the floors are maintained every month

I want to be rich

and wow-ing the crowds with something he’s capable of doing AND something he’s passionate in?? it’s a dream come true

although his amazing skills are clearly seen through his stages and competitions with Pledis’s dance team, he likes to deny the fact that he’s the best out of everyone because he believes that there is always room for improvement

another humble baby

also!! everyone likes to call him by his nickname ‘Hoshi’ because it’s cute and it gets cUTER when he explains why

and he’s just a really lovable and fun person to be with !!

you on the other hand prefer to stay away from the limelight and stick to the usual clubs that work behind the scenes instead

because you get stage fright and camera shy really easily, you tend to avoid any activities that required these things

and how does the outgoing soonyoung have to do with a reserved person like you???

well Let Me Tell You

even if you disliked being in front of an audience, you really enjoyed dancing in your free time

nothing serious, you just liked dancing to the beat and having a platform to release your stress on

besides, you had to fully use the school’s facilities because this place was equipped with top-notch equipment and not using it would haunt you in the future

so without fail, you use one of the many dance studios on a Friday afternoon because everyone would much rather leave the school premises and have ‘actual’ fun as they call it

so once the school was mostly rid off of the students, you made your way to the washroom to change into more comfortable attire before making your way to the dance studio

after doing your usual stretching routine, you start with something a little more relaxed, gliding around the room to a classical tune, effortlessly twisting your body into elegant moves as you watched your stature in the reflection in front of you

you began to play a more upbeat song, giggles eliciting from your lips as you attempted the numerous trendy dance moves until you shake your head, saying that you looked silly

but someone at the door definitely thought you didn’t look silly at all

maybe because you were too entranced by the music and the pile of stress burdening your shoulders, but you have yet to take notice of the figure by the door, their jaw dropping to the floor as he watched you danced ever so gracefully

it was only when you had grown breathless and in need of water that you notice soonyoung by the door, his eyes sparkling as a wide smile grew on his lips

“you did amazing!-”

you spitted out the water while you choked on the rest of the liquid, the shock overwhelming your body as your eyes widened

“I-i’m sorry, did you need to use the room?” you squeaked out as you wiped your chin, your cheeks flushing red as you scrambled to grab your things

“NO NO please stay. I was about to head home but I heard a familiar song and I guess curiosity got me,” Soonyoung apologized as he rubbed the back of his neck from embarrassment

I must’ve frightened her, what a dimwit, he cursed in his thought

“Oh I-it’s ok, I’m done for the day anyway,” a small smile crept onto your lips as you rushed out of the room, your heart pounding from the anxiety clouding your brain

Because THE kwon soonyoung just saw you dance

And you don't even register the compliment he gave you and instead have the thought that he was probably judging you so h a r d rn

For the rest of the weekend, you had 5 mental breakdowns thinking about him and assuming he's making fun of you to his friends

But best friend! Chan wants to slap you back to earth because you're literally worrying about nothing since he's friends with soonyoung

And he knows something more that you dont :))

"trust me, he doesnt-"

"but he was giving me that face!"

"what?"

"he was looking at me all weird"

And chan probably knows what you're talking about because you're oblivious and never know when people look at you because they like what they're seeing

Like seeing you dance?? Of course but like you?? Who knows ;))

And mondays comes around and you have to muster up your remaining courage just to go to school

What if he talks about what happened that day?? What if everyone knows that you dance like a duck??

But your thoughts were put to the side once you see the school gates

Damn time flies 

with heavy feet, you made your way to your locker, head hung low to avoid any possible eye contact from your fellow schoolmates

but the last person you wanted to see stood right in front of your locker while you stopped in your tracks, debating whether you should run away from your problems like usual or actually face it

but you’re not even given the time to think as soonyoung spots you, a warm smile adorning his face as he made his way to you

“I’m sorry for scaring you off last Friday, I can get a bit too excited,” Soonyoung chuckles sheepishly as you shook your head

he had nothing to be sorry about and you would much rather prefer if he had just stayed away

because now you really were the center of attention

why was kwon soonyoung talking to (y/n)? were they ever friends?? no one has ever seen the both of you interact before so it was definitely a sight

“Y-you don’t have to apologize, I need to get to class so I’ll get going-”

the whispers around you began to grow as your wrist felt something around it

more specifically someone’s hand around yours

and soonyoung has this apologetic smile on his face as you looked towards him

“I’m really sorry,” he mumbled but loud enough for you to hear before he released your hand and returned to his group of friends

after that little incident, your life has never known silence

every hallway you went through would always end up in hushed whispers and little chuckles

and you couldn’t wait for Friday to come because the numerous comments made your way had broken you bit by bit

even if chan tried his best to clear the rumors between you and soonyoung, they never ceased

and once Friday came, you couldn’t help but let your heart do a little skip of joy

but the same familiar face appears in the room that you now dreaded and before you could turn your heel and rush out the door once more, music plays and soonyoung glides his way over to you

“I’ve heard what people have been talking about and part of it... I want it to be true,” Soonyoung chuckles in embarrassment as he slowly and gently grab a hold of your hand

“We barely know each other yet the first time I saw you, I felt an attraction. Cheesy, I know. But I was truly mesmerized by the way you danced. And if you don’t mind, will you dance with me?”

everything was too fast for you to wrap your mind over it as you looked back into his puppy eyes

and then your heart felt light, the tension holding your shoulders lighten as you held onto his hand tightly

you don’t even know where all this confidence came from but you felt so secure in his arms even if it was just the basic waltz

but you?? dancing with someone else??? that’s something you don’t do everyday

and once the music came to an end, you looked back into his eyes, crinkling and sparkling with happiness while your smile imitated his

wow the moment he saw you smile back at him, knowing that he was the cause of it, kwon fire fELt like he was on fire

because you deary, has been his crush for the past year

but he’s never gotten the guts to talk to you until he became friends with Chan when he joined the dance club

“You know (y/n)???’

“What do you want from her?”

“h A h A nothing it’s not like I have a crush-NOTHING,”

but if it weren’t for Chan, you would probably still live your life in silence

what do I mean??? ;))

“Hoshi, how many times do I have to say that I’m not as a great dancer as you?”

“first things first, you’re my significant other so you can’t call me Hoshi, call me something sweeter like darling or sweetheart or-”

“we just started dating a week ago-”

“SECONDLY, you’re as great as a dancer as I am, babe,”

soonyoung, grabs you by the waist as you hesitantly pushed him away, your face turning tomato red from the contact

“Do I have to shower you in kisses for you to get it into your head, my talented sweetheart?”

Soonyoung chuckled as he brought you closer, closing the gap between the both of you as he lifted your chin with his index finger towards him

before Soonyoung could lay his lips on yours, the clearing of a throat resonated from the door as you pushed soonyoung away hurriedly

“If I knew this would happen everyday, I would have never told soonyoung about you,”

a/n: wow this is some fluff HAH I thought I would be able to post an actual writing last week but my schedule got hectic last minute and I’m only half way done with both of them :(( but i’ll continue the svt!heir series for now!!

[thotyssey]

On Point With: DJ William Francis

One of 2018′s most in-demand dance floor DJs, this son of a choir director is a true beatmaster working overtime keeping you twirking through the city’s sexiest, chicest parties. DJ William Francis takes Thotyssey to church!

Thotyssey: William, hello! It's nice to catch you during a minute when you're not at a gig. Do you enjoy working this much, or does it ever get overwhelming / exhausting? DJ William Francis: Lolz! I love the work! I usually don’t even think about it, to be honest. I just try and tackle each gig one at a time... and take care of myself so I don’t look too worn out!

What do you like to do on your downtime?

Sleep, mostly! And working on some side projects with my super talented friend Nashom. Also, Fire Island--for self-care, obviously!

So okay, we have lots to talk about, so let's go right to the beginning... where's your hometown?

I was born in New Rochelle, but grew up in Virginia.

Has music always been a part of your life?

I was a choir boy, always begging for a solo. But I never got it, ‘cause my mom was the choir director.... or I was terrible! But I was always playing an instrument: piano a bit, and I used to play the guitar. I led a youth group...: God Rock, I guess it’s called. Anyway, it was a dark time.

Was it always a big conflict with you, religion and family versus being Fabulous?

Mixed. My mother wasn’t really religious... just spiritual (jk)!. But seriously, she was just in it for the music. She LOVED a hymn, and the only reason it was worth it to go [to Church] on Sunday was when she would do her solo with the organ playing. Oh, honey! It would make anyone a believer, even for a second! There’s few places to get that energy out when you’re raising kids in Virginia. I think my dad still prays for my soul, though!

Hey, whatever helps! 

What brought you to NYC?

My whole family’s from New York, and I always had a strong connection here and knew this is where I wanted to be. I remember coming to visit my aunt and walking through Greenwich Village, and my parents warned my siblings and I that we might see some homosexual things. I saw two guys kissing unabashedly outside a cafe, and I was like I want that life. I had to have been 10 or 12. And look at me now! 

And then how did the DJing start?

After college, I moved here with my college boyfriend and friends, hungry to hit the scene and express ourselves. As I found myself and my place in the city, I was always drawn back to the music. Once I touched those decks, it was all over.

Where was your first gig?

First real gig was Susanne Bartsch and Kenny Kenny’s Vandam. I was opening for Michael Magnan in the basement, and Johnny Dynell was playing upstairs. Will Automagic was booking DJs for it, and he gave me my first real shot. I still have the CDs I burned for that night in a book somewhere. They’re so sticky and don’t work anymore! 

I was also playing the backroom at Westgay at the same time. But there was no equipment back there, so I just brought in my little MacBook.

Is William Francis your Government Name, or a DJ alias?

It’s my first and middle name.

That works! So what was on those sticky first CDs?

Yikes. A lot of gems. I remember really going for it with the most iconic tracks--probably some of my all time favorites, honestly. And then a LOT of trash. A lot of times I would love a sample, but it was to a very basic beat and I would play it anyway. That made me always hunt out where the sample came from, which really broadened my lexicon. It’s always a hunt. 

How has your musical lexicon changed over times since then?

I’m drastically different in my own mind now, compared to when I first started. But I think my goal was always the same: to play good music. People’s ears have changed, and my own definition of what’s good has narrowed, I think. But I still love trashy music sometimes!

Do you tend to be more driven towards house, or pop remixes, or both, or something else?

Disco actually, and classic house. There are, however, these remixes Nita Aviance did for Beyoncé that I can never get enough of.  I’m also obsessed with mixing in some nu-wave and R&B, and some harder beats, too. I have a hard time staying in one genre, honestly. I bounce all over the place or I get bored. And I probably slip at least one Whitney song into every set, for good measure.

What are some changes you've noticed in the habits of your dance floor kids over the years? Have they gotten easier to please, less attentive, more adventurous? All the above! People are less attentive in general, but far more adventurous. The biggest difference is the exploding Brooklyn club scene. For a minute, it was like pulling teeth to get people to come out and move around. And there really weren’t that many large venues to go to, as places in Manhattan closed one by one. The kids are more willing to trek deeper and deeper into Long Island to dance. They aren’t looking to sit around a bottle or hear and experience something they’re used to, either. People are really here for that release that a good night out dancing provides, and they know what they’re looking for.

Speaking of Brooklyn, let's talk about some places where we can find you, starting with: Furball Brooklyn Pride at Analog, June 9th! The Furball brand seems to be expanding and getting more popular every year, what do you attribute that to?

Joe Fiore, who does Furball, is a great promoter who has been doing it forever, and is just about the sweetest guy to work for in the scene. He books some great talent, and has a great crowd that likes to have a lot of fun. What’s not to like? I’m super excited about about playing there this weekend. I love a Furball!

And still in the bear vein, June 16th is Bear Milk at the Deep End! That's a really interesting venue. you've done this party a bunch of times before, right?

Yeah! The Deep End is my favorite place to play. I always come in early and grab some tacos before I spin; I think spinning on a full stomach makes for a happier set! Bear Milk is always a super fun and wild time there... very wild. The owners, Jorge and Jon, are so great, and created a cool space for the community. It’s awesome to be able to play for them and that party. They’re really, really, really fun over there, lol!

And Sunday June 24th, you’re back with Ms. Bartsch, in the booth for KUNST!

KUNST Is another wild one. Susanne and The Dreamhouse parties always draw the coolest and most colorful crowds. So much fun to DJ and spiral there, and this Pride Sunday afternoon party is going to be even more legendary! All the kids will be at this one!

And on July 14th, you'll be spinning the Fire Island Pines version of HARDER! This is the cruisy Euro-flavored party that's been bouncing all over the place lately. How do you think it will translate in the Pines?

I mean, it can’t get more cruisy than the Pines, and HARDER is gonna fit in perfectly at the Pavilion. The party has grown and changed a lot over the years. It still has it Euro-cruisy roots, but Ricardo--who’s party it is--has turned it into the kind of powerhouse of talent and production New York deserves. I’m happy to be part of the HARDER family, and anytime I get to spin with heartthrob resident Eric Bloom is also worth it!

Most of your Tuesdays these past few months have been spent at Acme spinning for Deryck Todd's party STRUT, where club kids and regular folks convene and sometimes craziness happens. Have you had a Most Memorable Moment there yet?

I think when Rosario Dawson came. I’m a huge nerd and love her in all the Marvel Netflix shows, so I gagged a bit ‘cause she’s also stunning.

Where else can we find you in the near or distant future?

I’m doing every Thursday at Club Cumming starting this week for a diva- focused party...

...and I’m also playing tunes at The Cock every first and third Wednesday of every month, which is my most family friendly gig, lol!

Otherwise, I’m traveling a bunch. Going to Chicago with HARDER, and doing a fun party in Baltimore with all the drag queens down there. I think it will get more busy too as the month goes on, and I’m sure I’m forgetting stuff. Pride is always the most exhausting, but so worth it.

Yes! Okay, final question that I ask all DJs: What's the best advice you can give to someone who wants to break into the biz?

Just do it. Trial by fire, baby!

Thank you, Mr. DJ!

Check Thotyssey’s calendar for DJ William Francis’ upcoming appearances, and follow hum on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and SoundCloud.

On Point Archives

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I've Been Born To Be A Treble Marker T-Shirt

THE FIRST VIDEO IN THE FIRST LINK GETS IN THE AUTHENTIC VIDEO FLYING SAUCERS THAT FLEW OVER WASHINGTON IN 1952 NOW THERE SOME EVIDENCE AND I’LL MAKE THIS POINT THAT MOST OF THE UFOS THAT WERE CITED DEFTLY FROM THE 1950S ON WERE BASICALLY OURS AND THERE MADE ON THE PLANET OR FROM THE PLANET AND THERE’S ALSO WHICH IS HARD TO BELIEVE THIS THIS GROUP OF 59 UFOS THAT FLEW OVER WASHINGTON IN 1952 WERE PART OF THE THE NAZI GROUP THAT SPLIT OFF AND WENT TO ANTARCTICA AND BUILT UNDERGROUND BASES IN CAVERNS AND THAT THEY WERE ACTUALLY WORKING WITH UFO TECHNOLOGIES OR ANTIGRAVITY TECHNOLOGIES BACK IN THE 30S SO THAT HISTORY GOES WAY BACK WE’VE NOT REPORTED ON IT OR I’VE NOT DONE ANY INFORMATION ON THAT YET BUT THAT’S FORTHCOMING IN THE FUTURE BUT FIRST OF ALL WE’VE GOT TO GET THROUGH THESE UFO DISCLOSURES WHICH ARE REALLY KIND OF BASIC IN THE WHOLE SCHEME OF THINGS UFO IS A I've Been Born To Be A Treble Marker T-Shirt DISTRACTION IN MY OPINION FROM THE SECRET SPACE PROGRAM WHICH IS WHERE ALL THE INFORMATION IS IN BEING HELD BUT FOR THE TIME BEING WE WANTED TO. So I look on my iTunes shuffle sort of thing you have like rock meadow jazz blues R Band soul classical country music is everythingand I just installed pigments all over the map anything they think is quality musicand that moves me emotionallyand I I like him means give you more’s concrete examples I love the nieces the new them guy album new mastodon album I love you Mars Volta album like a band called Sharon Jonesand the teams looks like modern RAV soul I love alive like you just got older jazz stuff so I’m pretty much just all over the place I likeand his French bank which era I think the really great elemental band that I like everything up onto it this wayand an ugly go today to the meetand greets you notice if you could if you wanted me to read as a lot of fans nervous systems for doing meeting we always adjustand relaxed mood I’m always in a relaxed moodand I I realized more relaxed I am the more relaxed they tend to live five I said you know they say to me so nervous I onlyand I realize from now by surfing what is your favorite spot on this planet to serve me not to hide when that’s like asking me what my favorite Metallica song is I mean because every service buys differently now everything is fine had a unique ways rather than having a favorite spot this like to make them go out thereand serveand have as much done as I possibly can as old server saying that goes the best surfer is the guy is having the most fun so that he had so that’s what I try to do is tell you whenever I got but it’s California ports ago you know Malibu Hawaii I Japan Australia China have the most funand immediacy authority must be tossed do you think you because we get homeand I mean to your house so is still at the HQ over how you doing when you’re going to eat a guitar at the hotel room or how you do that I pretty much always have a guitar with me all the time I have tons guitars HQ obviously I have a few of them at my house when I’m traveling on tour I always have a guitar to play in the hotel room sometimes I wish had to because last night house with Brent master nineand we we both wanted to play guitar but there is only one guitars or would like just giving each other backand forth all his listeners check this out like a manand a half for doing that is pretty goalless but to goand do you know how much because you refuse to count you refuse you know the approximate ally the other night it felt really good to see hard core fans filming us because for one thing it really makes you say feel energizedand really want to show the fan here that’s filming you know how fired up you are to be performing this particular Metallica song for them to have them write their documenting itand a it’s more like at this a little more heartfelt I think they just some guy who doesn’t know the man you know doing his joband he you can feel the energy from the person filming that’s what I thought the other night it’s it’s exciting for us for sure you know I think it actually makes us work a little harderand play little more intense not to say that we don’t but it’s like so far into it to her worldly ureter of Turing’s firing to the show to be probably some of the best live footage that Metallica seen in a long time just because of what the fans are to put into itand I’m excited I think we did some semi good work with you guys the other nightand I’m sure it is next few nights again to be just as great when you are playing with with Ozzie you didn’t have to didn’t have to do so much pressand interior stuff how do you deal with that right now feltand how does it feel getting into the Metallica situation it’s like going to the opposite end of the spectrum where you have a lot of responsibilityand you obviously got probably more press than almost any other band one of these about Metallica as we always try to really cater to the two fansand cater to you know the man lives inand you just really thought out thereand let people know that we careand that’s what we have one of the best fan club world if not the best has been care so it’s a lot of work but it’s actually it feels goodand very rewarding I sorry also to Diana’s days before the photo instrument you’re jamming about seven hours or something like that now settings are or whatever to find hard to know or do you have to put a lot of you intend to do what you’re doing to stay to say will in sync with with other guys or when the weather thing is you’re doing basically this is a rare occasion no word here in Copenhagen we’ve got five shows in the same venues is very rare that you have the opportunity to have us your equipment set up for this many days to be honest with some of the bases we’ve been having some problems with getting the sound so today was it a great opportunity to actually get with the soundmanand find out what to make those bases that are bringing up the man reducing the love was just trying to make these adjustments so that these bases will sound better for the show you know when you’re playing over two hours of music in yourand at least for me I am rotating about 15 different instruments into the sadand we pray sometimes over 18 songsand some of the instruments don’t hold up as well as others so today was a perfect opportunity to make some adjustmentsand hopefully will be doing it the next couple days but it’s very rare that were in one location this many days this is a great time to to fine tune so to speak this is something that I regularly do usually it just like you roll in a couple hours before I get depressed going everything but this is this was good todayand I thought we got good resultsand now hopefully tomorrow will get the same whether any other plusesand minuses of being five days in the same place you know I think it’s all good I mean one of the great things of one of the places obviously is that this is Lars is stomping around his his home turf so to speak in itself makes it special special occasion for him it’s a special occasion is as everybody knows a lot of what metallic is about his come from from Denmark income from just Denmark but Scandinaviaand a lot of the influences that surround the band set originated on this tourand analyzes brain mind the things that I feel is that it’s always special when you play places where there’s the history you know whether it’s the van having recorded hereand spent a lot of time here members being born here or even like in Los Angeles for me it’s obviously interesting especially for this one from it’s also special for Metallica because you know it’s where you know Jamesand Lars Mattand Dave staying in three the early stages of metallic that you know whether it’s Joe Mohler I know I mean in an obviously is the transitionand were suddenly in the Bay Areaand they’re getting together with Cliffand of course Kurt so to me Copenhagen in Denmark is an important phase of this journey which has no other cities in the mix toand then that’s very special so it’s an honorand a privilege to be playing on a in the soil of Copenhagenand the fans of ingrained you are also altering the settlers each nice are we going to hear something special doing these five shows because you know 5000 in one place that’s is a long file sure you stop for or unexpected stuff is going to be there as you know as everyone knows Lars really instigates what were you in a playand initiates a priestly idea of what we should doand I have some ideas for these five shows that a shared with the bandand I feel fortunate that has been addressedand we’re going to be actually attempting some of that sometimes you can always get what you wish for but you some of it as such any of the guys that play freight in the Santa Teresa that may take a whileand I don’t think you. Very well have a lot of factories and plants how we get a firearm she has no clue just don’t even think she studied it it may be in high school she started it but probably not in teaching got to college stomachaches because I don’t know I don’t know her background but it is not having into the environment all of a sudden she comes up with the green new deal and these people all day because they have to because the radical left wants a degree new deal will cost 100 trillion in we have a perfect years the greatest years in the history of our country we can’t make it with 100 tickets spent the degree new deal in 2016 Wisconsin voted to fire this corrupt political establishment and you elected an outsider as president was finally putting America first in my sounds like a typical Washington politician because I’m not one of the reasons I was as a validation I probably would and I don’t know play by the rules of Washington and the Washington establishment because I was elected to fight for you and abiding you

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[hillbillyhippiemusicreview]

Post #45—Interview with Addison Lea Thompson

Hey all you hillbillies and hippies! I hope you’re doing well out there in Quarantine-Land. If you’re anything like me, I imagine you’re getting antsy for some live music to soothe your soul. Thankfully, during this time, a lot of artists have been putting out new tunes for us to enjoy and alleviate the blues. Speaking of new tunes, one of our favorite HHMR alums—Addison Lea Thompson—joins us today to discuss life and music during the shutdown and what the future holds.

L: Well, hey there King of Honky Tonk Loud Nation! How’s this quarantine been treating you with no bars to play on?

ALT: It has been a blessing and a curse. Any one that knows me, knows I live for road life and touring. My friends and family are probably going nuts being around me, having not been on the road for a while. However the upside is I am able to get back to my original love and help out on the family ranch, I have also been able to do a lot more writing recently as well as put a lot of effort into a new album that we have in the works. So, overall I’m doing well, but damn am I ready to be back on the road.

L: I love the road myself, so I can imagine you’re as stir-crazy as I am! How do you keep busy when you’re off the road?

ALT: I love the ranch life so you can usually find me perched on a tractor or fixing fence or one of the thousands of other things you need to get done on a cattle operation. When I am not doing either of those things I absolutely love to hunt and fish. I have been an outdoorsman my whole life, and I do my best to take time out of my schedule to go drop some flies on a river or go chase some Elk in the mountains.

L: So, you’ve been rather vocal on social media about your need to honky-tonk during this time of economic shutdown. Finally, it appears the music scene is opening back up. What was your first show post-quarantine like? Was it anything like you expected? Any remnants of days gone by left?

ALT: It was absolutely great to be back! There were some odd things that I am still getting used to, such as the social distancing guidelines in the venues and all. I’ll also admit that I was rusty as hell the first three songs, but man oh man I got into the groove on a “Dixieland Delight” cover around song number four and it was like being back on a horse you love to ride. I was back in the groove and back to doing what I love. I personally think we will be back to normal in the future.

L: Hopefully you are right and the scene will be hoppin’ again before long! When you’re able to tour regularly again, where would you like to play?

ALT: All over! Hahaha, in all honesty thats the answer. I have toyed with the idea of doing the western United States route I love doing so much, but I have also been super bummed that we had to cancel so many Midwest dates, and I really want to make those up as soon as possible because the folks out there have always been so amazing to me over the years. I also want to be able to share the stage with as many of my friends in this business as I can. I think some gigs with The Comancheros, Billy Don, Jeff Hopson, ole Uncle Dallas and so many more will be a well needed cure. Our plan is once its possible to set up a tour we are just going to hit as much of the U.S. as we can as quick as we can.

L: Most artists have their favorite venues to play whilst on the road and have that “Mecca” of a location they aspire to play. Where’s your favorite place to play and your dream venue?

ALT: I honestly don’t have a favorite, because there have been so many over the years that I have come to know and frequent. I will say the Moose Bar in Dillon, MT will always have a special place in my heart, because it is where I got my start, and it will always be my home bar. That was where it all started. My dream venue without a doubt is Billy Bobs Texas. I make a point to go grab a beer there every trip I make to Fort Worth. I’ll sit there and stare at that stage for damn near an hour and just keep saying “One day, Addison.” I know that sounds cheesy as all get out, but it’s sort of my cheesy moment I can always look at on a rough day.

L: That’s certainly a great—and reachable—goal, and I admire you for respecting your roots. What made you decide to start playing and writing music?

ALT: Music has always been a part of my life, I started piano at a very young age, I was in my school band, I was in the church handbell choir, church vocal choir, and the list goes on forever. I was the weird kid in high school wearing band tee’s and flannel, blasting classic country and rock through my headphones between classes. I was sort of just doomed from the get go. I’ve always written as well since grade school: short stories, comic books—I’ve got stacks of novels I never finished writing, poetry, again you name it! So, basically the two just came together somewhere in high school.

L: I can relate to the notion of being doomed from the start! The lyric “Way back on the radio dial, a fire got lit inside a bright eyed child” is my truth. When I started writing, I always made it a point to incorporate my life experiences. Can you elaborate on how your experience as a cowboy influences your writing and the stories you tell.

ALT: It’s my world. I have covered a lot of miles and met some amazing folks in my short life, all because of being a cowboy. It’s a unique world with its own culture, and that culture is so much of who I am and where I come from (Not to accidentally quote my own song there haha). You write what you know and I know the cattle ranching world and rodeo world. I always have felt if I tried to be anything other than myself and what I know in my music, people would know in an instant moment that it was fake.

L: It’s apparent from your music and lifestyle that you are very real—your music alludes to all things cowboy and western. So, what does the phrase “Heavy and Western” mean to you?

ALT: To me it means that I’m hanging out with my buddies “The Comancheros" and there will be a lot of talk about classic rock and Star Wars happening hahaha.

L: That’s a solid answer! Love those Comancheros! When I reviewed your most recent release, Western Sky, I focused a bit extra on two songs full of western imagery, yet with quite heavy undertones: “Towards the Light” and “Single Barrel Hell.” I was particularly drawn to the stories woven throughout the lyrics and I related deeply given my past with mental illness and suicide attempts. You mentioned I was the first to get the meaning behind them that didn’t know what they were about. Can you expand on your inspirations behind the songs?

ALT: For sure! Suicide awareness/prevention is a cause near and dear to my heart. I have lost several friends to it, I have my own personal experience with it, and I think there is a need to shine a light on what I personally think is a very “needed to be discussed subject”. I never went into the writing of either of those songs with the mindset of “oh, I’m going to make this big point about the subject”. I just wanted to tell both of these stories. One is the story of a combat veteran friend of mine, and the other is a collection of stories that are about a lot of people that have been through the same situation.

L: It’s a great cause to highlight and every bit helps to end the stigma. Where can your fans see you play those songs next? Also, where can they connect with you on social media?

ALT: Right now due to the current situation with Covid-19 we don’t have the normal solid schedule I like having, I will be trying to do more Facebook live feeds, and as soon as we get live shows booked everyone else will be the first one to know as soon as I know. You can catch me on the inter webs at Addison Lea Thompson on Facebook, @addisonleathompsonmusic on Instagram, and @AddisonLeaMT on Twitter. Or you can of course go to www.addisonleathompson.com

L: Speaking of social media, what’s your viewpoint on it and the effect it has on the music industry?

ALT: You know it is a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing because unlike back in the day, you can access a large crowd very quickly and find your market very quickly. It makes it easy for people that enjoy your music to stay up to date on whats going on. You can get the word out about shows, a new record, new merchandise—you name it. The only downside is you don’t want to get carried away using it as a platform for things that might not really effect your music. I make it a pretty solid rule to not post about touchy topics, because at the end of the day, people should be able to believe in what they want to believe in and it has no effect on me.

L: I can get behind that. It’s been a blessing to stay connected with new music lately. I’ve heard through the grapevine, namely via you, that there are new tunes on the way. What can you tell me about this project?

ALT: It will be sonically unlike anything I have ever put out, but also reminiscent of both of the previous records. I wanted to go different than what we have done historically on this record, and we have made that point key in the process. We are drawing on a lot of influences and ideas I have always had, but never pulled out of the bag. It has been an absolute blast working on the project and it will feature some awesome co-writers on some of the songs, all who are good friends of mine. In my personal opinion lyrically, this album is the best songwriting I have done to date.

L: I’m excited to hear it! Now, time for some lighthearted questions to get to know you better. You’re obviously quite talented in the music realm, but what would you consider your most useless talent?

ALT: I know a lot of good dad jokes, and I am excellent at being one of the most technologically impaired people on the planet.

L: Dad jokes are quite nerdy, but other than that talent what is the nerdiest thing about you that fans may not know?

ALT: I am a HUGE American Civil War history buff. I can’t tell you how many damn books, documentaries, and artifacts I own from the era. When I was 13 my folks let ME pick a vacation destination for the summer, big mistake on their part because I totally picked three days touring the Gettysburg Battlefield.

L: That’s awesome! It’s one of my favorite eras in history, too. So, it’s time for the final question—think hard. We at HHMR love to ask artists is what they perceive their spirit animal to be. So, what is yours? And why?

ALT: North American Bison, the main reason I say that is that it is an animal I am obsessed with. The necklace people always see me wearing is a Bison necklace. They are an incredible animal that just enamor me so I am personally going to say Bison. Ask my family and friends they’ll probably tell you an old mule, since I’m so stubborn.

Well there ya have it folks—the man behind the music is quite the interesting feller! But, I think I may be able to outdo him on the dad jokes...

What did the buffalo say to his son when he left for college? Bison!

On that note, I gotta go, buffalo. Y’all be sure to stay connected with all things Addison Lea Thompson via his social media. In the meantime, brush up on your puns so you can challenge him to a Dad Joke Duel and tune into the Facebook live shows until we can meet again in person. Stay safe and healthy. I’ll see y’all down the road.

Peace, love, & music

—Lyssa

[woodsens]

The 12 Worst Types best beginner keyboard piano

Correction Appended

On an album of bittersweet childrens music that she wrote more than a decade back, the lady who arrived to get recognised only given that the piano teacher available what, in hindsight, seems like an eerie glimpse of her personal foreseeable future.

Im moving absent nowadays to a location so far-off, the place nobody knows my title, she wrote from the lyrics of a song referred to as Shifting.

When she wrote that music, she was young and vivacious, a piano teacher and freelance audio writer who liked Beethoven and jazz, sunsets and river Appears, lengthy walks and every little thing about The big apple.

On a kind of beloved walks, via Central Park in the bright Sunshine of the June day in 1996, a homeless drifter conquer her and tried to rape her, leaving her clinging to life. Once the assault, the terms to her music came legitimate. She moved absent, away from Ny city, outside of her outdated lifestyle, and all but her closest buddies didn't know her title. To the rest of the environment, she was — like the much more well known jogger attacked in Central Park seven yrs before — an anonymous image of the city nightmare. She was the piano Instructor.

Now, within the 10th anniversary of your attack, she is celebrating what seems to be her total Restoration from brain trauma. She is forty two, married, with a little baby. She is Kyle Kevorkian McCann, the piano teacher, and he or she hopes to explain to her Tale, her way.

Her medical professional explained to her it will take ten years to Get well, and Sunday was that talismanic anniversary. I come to feel my everyday living continues to be redefined by Central Park, she claimed a number of days in the past, her voice delicate and hopeful. Just before park; following park. Will there at any time certainly be a time Once i dont think, Oh, this is the 10th anniversary, the eleventh anniversary?

She spoke in her modest ranch household in a very wooded subdivision inside a The big apple suburb. She sat inside of a eating area strewn with toys, surrounded by images of her cherubic, darkish-haired 2-yr-aged daughter. A Steinway grand stuffed 50 percent the room, and at a single position she sat down and performed. Her playing was forceful, but she seemed humiliated to play various bars, and shrugged, as opposed to answering, when asked the title from the piece. She requested that her daughter and her city not be named.

She calls that day, June 4, 1996, the day when I was damage.

Hers was the very first in a string of assaults by precisely the same man on 4 women about 8 times. The last sufferer, Evelyn Alvarez, 65, was crushed to Demise as she opened her Park Avenue dry-cleansing store, and ultimately, the assailant, John J. Royster, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in jail.

Still the assault over the piano Instructor would be the one particular people feel to remember probably the most. Part of the fascination must do with echoes in the 1989 assault over the Central Park jogger. But Additionally, it frightened men and women in a way the attack within the jogger didn't simply because its situations have been so mundane.

It didn't happen in a very distant part of the park late during the night, but in close proximity to a well known playground at 3 inside the afternoon. It could have occurred to anybody. The stress was heightened by the thriller with the piano teachers id.

For three times, as law enforcement and Medical doctors experimented with to see who she was, she lay inside a coma in her clinic bed, nameless. Her moms and dads were on trip and her boyfriend, also a musician, was in Europe, on tour. Last but not least, among her pupils regarded a law enforcement sketch and was able to detect her from the clinic by her fingers, mainly because her face was swollen beyond recognition. The law enforcement did not release her name.

The very last thing she remembers about June 4, 1996, is offering a lesson in her studio condominium on West 57th Road, then Placing her very long hair inside of a ponytail and going out to get a walk. She won't try to remember the attack, Though she has read the accounts from the law enforcement and prosecutors.

To me its similar to a actuality I learned and memorized, she said. Just as if I have been a pupil in school studying record.

She won't take into consideration The person who did it. I may need been angry for any minute, although not much longer than that, she mentioned. How could I be offended at John Royster? He was declared not crazy, but I assume by our expectations he was.

Dr. Jamshid Ghajar, her health care provider at Ny Healthcare facility-Cornell Healthcare Heart, as it was identified in 1996, informed reporters that she experienced a 10 per cent possibility of survival. Medical practitioners experienced to get rid of her forehead bone, which was later replaced, to produce home for her swelling Mind. When her mother manufactured a community attract pray for my daughter, countless numbers did.

Soon after 8 times, she arrived outside of a coma, to start with inside a vegetative state, then in the childlike state. As she recovered, she slept minor and talked consistently, sometimes in gibberish. I used to be having mad at folks after they didnt reply to these words and phrases, she claimed.

Like an Alzheimers affected individual, she had very little brief-term memory and would ignore guests once they remaining the space.

More than various months, she had to relearn the way to walk, gown, examine and produce. Her boyfriend, Tony Scherr, frequented every day to Perform guitar for her. He encouraged her to Engage in the piano, in opposition to the recommendation of her Bodily therapists, who believed she would be pissed off by her lack of ability to Enjoy just how she at the time had. Mr. Scherr performed Beatles duets with her, participating in the still left-hand portion though she performed the correct.

That was my best therapy, she said.

In August, she moved again residence to New Jersey, together with her father, an engineer, and mother, a schoolteacher. She visited outdated haunts and named friends, striving to restore her shattered memory. I used to be pretty obsessed with remembering, she mentioned. Any memory reduction was to me an indication of abnormality or deficit.

Her therapists believed her development was fantastic, but her two sisters protested that she wasn't the deep thinker she had been.

What bothered her most was that she experienced lost the opportunity to cry, just as if a faucet within her brain had been turned off. A person evening, 9 months just after she was harm, she stayed up late to look at the John Grisham Motion picture A The perfect time to Get rid of. Just immediately after her father experienced long gone to bed, she viewed a courtroom scene of Samuel Jacksons character on trial for killing two Gentlemen who had raped his younger daughter.

The faucet opened, plus the tears trickled down her cheeks. I thought about my mom and dad, my father, and what they went by means of, she explained. Minimal by tiny, my experience returned, my depth of mind returned.

Urged by her sisters, she went back to highschool and acquired a masters diploma in tunes schooling.

Not every thing went nicely. She and Mr. Scherr split up 5 years following the assault, even though they continue to be good friends. She dated other Guys, but she usually instructed them regarding the assault straight away — she couldn't aid it, she mentioned — they usually hardly ever known as for the second date.

We have to uncover you anyone, her Mate David Phelps, a guitar participant, said four yrs ago, in advance of introducing her to Liam McCann, a pc technician and amateur drummer. For once, she didn't say just about anything with regard to the assault till she acquired to grasp Mr. McCann, and after that when she did, he admired her strength.

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, who had normally frequented her at her bedside when she was inside the healthcare facility, married them in his Times Sq. office. She wore a blue gown and pearls. Whilst she was pregnant, within a burst of creativeness, she and her mates recorded Even though Were being Youthful, an album of childrens songs that she experienced prepared ahead of the attack, including the tune Transferring. Her ex-boyfriend, Mr. Scherr, developed the CD. On it, her partner plays drums and she plays electric piano.

Is her life as it absolutely was? Not accurately, nevertheless she's unwilling to attribute the discrepancies to her injuries. Her previous two piano college students still left her, without the need of calling to explain why, she stated. She has resumed taking part in classical new music, but simple pieces, for the reason that her daughter would not give her time and energy to exercise. As for jazz, I dont even attempt, she claimed.

She wish to generate far more, sensation stranded within the suburbs, but she is definitely rattled. She tries to be articles with staying dwelling and caring for her daughter.

Dr. Ghajar, a medical professor of neurological operation at what is now identified as New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Clinical Center, who operated on Ms. Kevorkian McCann after the attack, said last week that her amount of recovery was rare. Shes basically usual, he said.

Other specialists, who're not personally accustomed to Ms. Kevorkian McCanns case, are more careful.

Regaining the ability to play the piano might contain an Practically mechanical method, a semiautomatic remember of what the fingers ought to do, mentioned Dr. Yehuda Ben-Yishay, a professor of scientific rehabilitation medication at New York College School of Medication. When brain-wounded, you happen to be always brain-injured, for the rest of your lifetime, Dr. Ben-Yishay stated. There's no overcome, There exists only intensive compensation.

The greater telling Portion of a Restoration, in his perspective, is psychological, and on that rating he counts Ms. Kevorkian McCanns relationship and kid as a major victory.

For her aspect, the piano teacher understands she has changed, but she has designed her peace with it. I was type of a hyper —— I dont know if I used to be a Type A, but I was bold, she claims. Why was I so formidable? I used to be a piano Trainer. I dont really know what the ambition was about. I actually did return to the person Im purported to be.

[homestuckcanonconfirmer]

The Top Reasons People Succeed in the best beginner keyboard Industry

Correction Appended

On an album of bittersweet childrens tracks that she wrote over ten years in the past, the girl who arrived to become recognised only since the piano Trainer presented what, in hindsight, seems like an eerie glimpse of her own long run.

Im transferring away currently to a spot so far away, wherever no one is aware my name, she wrote inside the lyrics of the track known as Relocating.

When she wrote that music, she was young and vivacious, a piano Trainer and freelance songs writer who loved Beethoven and jazz, sunsets and river Seems, long walks and every little thing about The big apple.

On a kind of beloved walks, by means of Central Park in the bright Sunlight of a June day in 1996, a homeless drifter conquer her and made an effort to rape her, leaving her clinging to daily life. Once the attack, the words to her track arrived true. She moved absent, out of Ny city, out of her old daily life, and all but her closest buddies did not know her identify. To the rest of the planet, she was -- like the much more famed jogger attacked in Central Park 7 many years before -- an nameless symbol of an city nightmare. She was the piano Instructor.

Now, on the tenth anniversary from the assault, she is celebrating what is apparently her entire recovery from Mind trauma. She's 42, married, with a small baby. She is Kyle Kevorkian McCann, the piano Instructor, and she or he desires to convey to her Tale, her way.

Her doctor informed her it would acquire 10 years to Get well, and Sunday was that talismanic anniversary. I experience my lifetime is redefined by Central Park, she stated several days in the past, her voice comfortable and hopeful. Before park; just after park. Will there ever certainly be a time when I dont Consider, Oh, This is actually the tenth anniversary, the 11th anniversary?

She spoke in her modest ranch home inside of a wooded subdivision in a Big apple suburb. She sat inside a eating place strewn with toys, surrounded by images of her cherubic, darkish-haired 2-12 months-outdated daughter. A Steinway grand filled 50 % the home, and at 1 stage she sat down and played. Her taking part in was forceful, but she seemed embarrassed to Engage in more than a few bars, and shrugged, as an alternative to answering, when requested the title of the piece. She asked that her daughter and her town not be named.

She phone calls that day, June 4, 1996, the day After i was damage.

Hers was the 1st inside of a string of assaults by the exact same person on 4 Girls in excess of 8 times. The last sufferer, Evelyn Alvarez, 65, was crushed to Demise as she opened her Park Avenue dry-cleaning shop, and ultimately, the assailant, John J. Royster, was convicted of murder and sentenced to lifetime in prison.

Still the assault within the piano teacher could be the just one men and women appear to be to keep in mind quite possibly the most. Portion of the fascination needs to do with echoes from the 1989 assault on the Central Park jogger. But Additionally, it frightened persons in a means the attack around the jogger didn't because its situations were being so mundane.

It didn't happen in a remote Portion of the park late during the night time, but in the vicinity of a well known playground at 3 while in the afternoon. It could have occurred to any individual. The tension was heightened by the mystery from the piano academics id.

For three days, as law enforcement and Health professionals tried to determine who she was, she lay in the coma in her clinic bed, nameless. Her mother and father ended up on getaway and her boyfriend, also a musician, was in Europe, on tour. Lastly, one among her pupils recognized a law enforcement sketch and was able to determine her from the healthcare facility by her fingers, because her deal with was swollen outside of recognition. The law enforcement didn't launch her title.

The last thing she remembers about June 4, 1996, is giving a lesson in her studio condominium on West 57th Street, then putting her prolonged hair in a very ponytail and likely out for just a wander. She won't don't forget the assault, Despite the fact that she has heard the accounts with the law enforcement and prosecutors.

To me its like a fact I uncovered and memorized, she reported. As though I were a college student in school studying history.

She would not think about the man who did it. I might need been offended for your instant, but not for much longer than that, she said. How could I be indignant at John Royster? He was declared not crazy, but I assume by our benchmarks he was.

Dr. Jamshid Ghajar, her physician at Big apple Hospital-Cornell Health care Center, as it was acknowledged in 1996, instructed reporters that she experienced a 10 per cent potential for survival. Medical practitioners had to remove her forehead bone, which was afterwards replaced, to make space for her swelling brain. When her mom designed a community attract pray for my daughter, hundreds did.

Immediately after eight days, she arrived away from a coma, first in a vegetative state, then in the childlike point out. As she recovered, she slept tiny and talked frequently, sometimes in gibberish. I was having mad at men and women once they didnt respond to these words, she said.

Like an Alzheimers affected person, she experienced tiny short-expression memory and would forget site visitors when they still left the room.

Above a number of months, she had to relearn the way to walk, dress, go through and write. Her boyfriend, Tony Scherr, visited each day to Enjoy guitar for her. He inspired her to Perform the piano, in opposition to the recommendation of her Actual physical therapists, who thought she could well be annoyed by her incapacity to Engage in the best way she after experienced. Mr. Scherr performed Beatles duets along with her, enjoying the left-hand part when she performed the correct.

Which was my ideal therapy, she mentioned.

In August, she moved back property to New Jersey, together with her father, an engineer, and mom, a schoolteacher. She frequented old haunts and called buddies, hoping to restore her shattered memory. I had been really obsessive about remembering, she mentioned. Any memory reduction was to me a sign of abnormality or deficit.

Her therapists imagined her progress was wonderful, but her two sisters protested that she was not the deep thinker she had been.

What bothered her most was that she experienced misplaced a chance to cry, as though a faucet within her brain had been turned off. A single evening, nine months just after she was damage, she stayed up late to watch the John Grisham Motion picture A Time for you to Eliminate. Just following her father had absent to bed, she watched a courtroom scene of Samuel Jacksons character on demo for killing two Guys who experienced raped his younger daughter.

The faucet opened, along with the tears trickled down her cheeks. I thought of my mother and father, my father, and the things they went through, she reported. Minimal by little, my sensation returned, my depth of thoughts returned.

Urged by her sisters, she went back to high school and acquired a masters degree in new music education.

Not anything went well. She and Mr. Scherr split up 5 years once the assault, however they remain pals. She dated other Males, but she always explained to them about the assault right away -- she couldn't assistance it, she claimed -- they usually in no way identified as for your 2nd date.

We have to search out you another person, her Pal David Phelps, a guitar player, reported 4 decades back, just before introducing her to Liam McCann, a computer technician and beginner drummer. For as soon as, she did not say nearly anything with regards to the attack right until she got to grasp Mr. McCann, after which you can when she did, he admired her toughness.

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, who had typically visited her at her bedside whilst she was while in the medical center, married them in his Moments Square Workplace. She wore a blue dress and pearls. Even though she was Expecting, in a very burst of creativity, she and her friends recorded When Were Younger, an album of childrens tracks that she experienced created before the assault, including the tune Transferring. Her ex-boyfriend, Mr. Scherr, generated the CD. On it, her husband plays drums and he or she performs electrical piano.

Is her lifetime as it had been? Not exactly, however she is reluctant to attribute the discrepancies to her injuries. Her last two piano students left her, without calling to explain why, she stated. She has resumed enjoying classical new music, but basic parts, due to the fact her daughter isn't going to give her time for you to exercise. As for jazz, I dont even test, she mentioned.

She would like to push a lot more, emotion stranded while in the suburbs, but she is definitely rattled. She tries to be articles with keeping dwelling and caring for her daughter.

Dr. Ghajar, a medical professor of neurological operation at what exactly is now termed NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare facility/Weill Cornell Health care Center, who operated on Ms. Kevorkian McCann following the assault, said previous week that her amount of recovery was uncommon. Shes essentially typical, he mentioned.

Other experts, who will be not personally aware of Ms. Kevorkian McCanns situation, are more cautious.

Regaining the opportunity to Perform the piano could entail an Practically mechanical process, a semiautomatic remember of just what the fingers need to do, claimed Dr. Yehuda Ben-Yishay, a professor of scientific rehabilitation medication at Big apple University School of Medication. At the time Mind-hurt, that you are generally brain-injured, For the remainder of your lifetime, Dr. Ben-Yishay said. There is absolutely no treatment, There exists only intense payment.

The more telling part of a Restoration, in his check out, is psychological, and on that score he counts Ms. Kevorkian McCanns relationship and baby as a substantial victory.

For her section, the piano Trainer is aware of she has altered, but she has designed her peace with it. I used to be type of a hyper ---- I dont know if I used to be a kind A, but I was formidable, she states. Why was I so bold? I used to be a piano Instructor. I dont really know what the ambition was about. I really did come back to the individual Im supposed to be.

Correction: June thirteen, 2006, Tuesday An write-up on Thursday about Kyle Kevorkian McCann, a piano teacher who was beaten and sexually assaulted ten years back in Central Park, misstated the title of her album of childrens tunes. It really is Whilst Ended up Youthful, not When Have been Young.

[thesinglesjukebox]

CHARLI XCX - BOYS [6.72] Who's looking for a good time?

Eleanor Graham: Video game noises will only ever be cute. They will never be evocative in the way that a synth line, a "woah" or even a "hey" can be. They may serve once or twice as punctuation but they cannot, aided only by a one-syllable word, carry a hook. But I do like the languorous glitter plod of this. And the sugar rush of bridge: "I was miles away, yeah!" I love to have fun, honestly. I'm just bitter because the video coerced me into a crush on [redacted]. [5]

Anthony Easton: The video is a masterpiece, a weaponized, high femme, millennial pink reworking of the ironic/not-ironic gender trouble of Collier Schorr -- made even more disturbing by finding out how hot I find Charlie Puth. The song, with its hint of Super Mario coins like a wink against capitalism, with the minimal drum beat like blood flowing from the heart to more southern regions, that laconic kind of delivery that suggests a louche moral decadence. Plus, how she sings the phrase ring tone, is almost as good, as ear wormy, as the perfect hook line of "I'm sorry, I missed your party." [10]

Nellie Gayle: 'I need that bad boy to do me right on a Friday/ 'And I need that good one to wake me up on a Sunday/'That one from work can come over on Monday night/ I want em all.' Never have the bubblegum archetypes of boy toys been so clearly joyously articulated as in Charli XCX's newest single. A pop star who clearly enjoys taking the piss out of that title (when once asked about why she liked her single 'Break the Rules' in an interview, she replied 'I like that it's so . . stupid'), Charli revels in the stereotypes of boy crazy, partied out girls. The many 'types' of girls have been outlined throughout the pop cannon - there are crazy girls, there are fun girls, there are dirty girls. In one way or another, Charli XCX has inhabited all of these personas for the sake of great, EDM-laced pop. In the video for 'Boys', she takes her own routine objectification (which she usually handles with amusement more than anger), and casually tosses it back to pop culture's finest dudes. Stormzy munches on some fruit loops, Joe Jonas licks his ice cream mustache, Diplo should presses some poodles. Saturated in bright colors, these visuals will come to mind every time you relisten to 'Boys.' It's a wink to gender roles that is cuter than it is inflammatory, and like all of Charli's best moves, it's best described as 'fun.' [8]

Maxwell Cavaseno: Functional to a certain level of flatness that Charli's wound herself around to the point that I'm never sure if it's her strength or her weakness. Still for the sake of all this melancholy gazing, and the spry little chip-tune punctuations, that bleakness serves as a complimentary sense of boredom, an audible fluster of the lips and sigh at something that feels more frustrating than it ever needs to be. Odd to find something so disappointed in itself could be so satisfying. [6]

Dorian Sinclair: Charli XCX sure is a chameleon, isn't she? There's a sort of dreamy wistfulness here we haven't heard from her too often, and with a different performer I suspect it could quickly become saccharine. But the wryness she brings to most of her performances is here as well, and that combined with the humour in the lyrics (and that adorable chiptune sample) has ensured that, since I first heard it, I've been busy thinkin' bout "Boys." [8]

Alfred Soto: Chirping wistfully like Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder, the synths and Charli XCX turn "Boys" into a tuneful flutter. Who wouldn't get wistful at the thought of absent boys or the boys we can't have? [6]

Julian Axelrod: Once you get past the instant-classic video (and lord knows I haven't) you realize "Boys" is a work of pop genius. The chorus is one of those brilliantly simple, universally relatable, deliriously catchy gems every songwriter wishes they'd thought of first. But the real magic is in the verses, as Charli reveals her thirst has left her friends out to dry. "I wish I had a better excuse like/I had to trash the hotel lobby" is such a perfect line, adding nuance and depth to both the song and Charli's party monster persona. (Which makes it all the more fascinating that she doesn't have a songwriting credit here.) The song becomes more resonant the more you listen: Who among us hasn't abandoned (or been abandoned by) a friend for some fleeting affection? That's what makes "Boys" so sublime: Like all great pop songs, it's really about friendship. [9]

Crystal Leww: Much fuss has been made about this music video, but the song itself is so dreamy, conjuring images of sunshine and grass fields. I am not sure if Charli XCX will ever get to be a huge pop star, but I don't care; her music feels so atmospheric and familiar, like it sits in the bottom of your stomach and wriggles through your brain and body. "Boys" has stuck with me for days, whisking me away from sweaty subway cars in the morning back to the weekend afternoons in the sun. [8]

Thomas Inskeep: I really hope that the viral popularity of this video leads to "Boys" going overground and Charli XCX becoming a real, big pop star in the US (I know that "Boom Clap" was a top 10 single three years ago, but that was three years ago), not only because she's one of our best purveyors of pop right now, but because "Boys" is relentlessly, charmingly cute. It's purposefully underproduced, and thus sounds very low-key and almost quiet, in a highly endearing manner. And besides, who of us isn't guilty of missing ______ because we were "busy thinkin' 'bout boys"? [8]

Joshua Copperman: A song about the female gaze and a video for the male gaze. Well, to quote a show that this might fit well on, it's a little more nuanced than that - there's nothing here that suggests that she's attracted to masculinity or manliness, unlike, say, "he's so tall and handsome as hell", and Charli's narrator is more in love with the idea of BOYS! than actual boys. (Swap out boys for "girls" and it's a Mary Lambert song, but that might be part of the point.) It's an interesting step after the #1 Angel mixtape managed to blend the PC Music stuff she was doing with something more accessible - this is full-tilt accessible, but with just enough edge from Charli's breathy performance to ensure that it stays true to her weirder side. [7]

Anjy Ou: I was surprised that Kero Kero Bonito didn't write or produce this - "Boys" hits that sweet spot between mainstream pop and Japanese bedroom pop that she's so good at, especially at the beginning. Charli, ever the pop chameleon, gives this sound her own self-indulgent twist, with lyrics about ditching a hard-partying lifestyle to swoon over her many suitors. Its blips are cute and sweet, and she cruises languidly through the song, like she wrote this the morning after while still in her pink cloud of peak crush. It would be a bit too basic for me, but someone set this song to a video of my favourite k-pop boy band and suddenly everything made sense. [7]

Katherine St Asaph: I mean, I too have had a crush on every boy, but this is just the languid parts of "Grins" severed from the exciting ones, or "What I Like" without the specificity and sex, or "I Don't Like Anyone" with trap vocals, Super Mario Bros. coins and emotional anemia. It's not that the older Charli XCX grows the less mature her music does -- that's too easy -- but the more detached she grows from anticipation or euphoria or danger, all those things boys can do. I suppose it's novel that the video's full of cutesy-alluring boys rather than cutesy-alluring girls to distract from a lack of substance, but there too, I prefer men. [4]

Stephen Eisermann: Anyone has ever felt "boy crazy" probably had the same mixture of nostalgia and anxiety while listening to this song for the first time. My first thought was immediately, "omg Stephen, don't overplay this song or say you relate, just be cool, even if this is a blog straight from your now deleted Tumblr," but it quickly became "damn Charli... you get me." Charli makes efforts to disguise or explain herself for this all too common phase and instead simply admits that, yeah, she was thinking about dudes. This willingness to be vulnerable, because yes, admitting you think about the gender you are sexually attracted to often is showing vulnerability, plays well against the quiet composition, and the bell/high pitched sound that plays after every time Charli says Boys perfectly sums up the feeling of butterflies that often accompanies those thoughts. All in all, a terrific effort and only made better by a simple yet colorful video that shows all the different kinds of boys we are attracted to, even if I could've done with a bit more brown goodness in the video. [8]

Will Rivitz: There's so much to love about "Boys," but I think the part most telling of Charli XCX's genius is the utter perfection of its chorus. It's quintessential Charli: though superficially inane, it captures in four perfect lines her bittersweetly self-reflective ethos. She doesn't really have any excuse for blowing her friends off -- she wishes she did, it'd make things a lot easier -- but the swell of life and love and just everything worth caring about got in the way, so she let things happen. It's a beautiful perspective, "stop and smell the roses" restated freshly and eloquently in the face of a neon facade Charli doesn't really care to hold up at the moment, the one people usually think of when they think of her. Charli XCX juggles personas adroitly, but I don't think that's so much a function of her skill inhabiting multiple characters as much as it is her skill at expressing the complexities of human experience as, y'know, complexities, as opposed to hammered-down stubs which fit a general narrative arc too cleanly. Here, she discards the party-girl aesthetic of Number 1 Angel for a more passive outlook, but the beauty of "Boys" is that the two attitudes never feel contradictory. No matter who a person is or what they act like, sometimes it's ok for their head to be in the clouds. [9]

Will Adams: That Charli XCX has done the hyper-crush premise many times before shouldn't be a deterrent -- it's where she excels. The problem with "Boys" is that it replaces the textured sonics of True Romance with tinny snares and overused GameBoy switch-ons and the ebullience of "Boom Clap" with the dead-eyed stare of "After the Afterparty." [4]

Edward Okulicz: Eh, I preferred it when Charli XCX was a whip-smart songwriter who made cool, indelible, effortless pop. Now her effort seems to end with the concept, because beyond its catchy monomania and shareable video, there's not anything else here. [3]

Jonathan Bradley: "Boys" wafts like a daydream: it's an insular and domestic song, a pastel doodle in a diary's margin or a decorated bedroom wall. Kitty Pryde knows how effectively these rough drafts can invoke the intensity of little infatuations. Charli's rough draft is very rough though, and the chiptune chirrups of "Boys" are aggressive in their flimsiness. It gets old to be reiterating this with each new single Charli puts out, but PC Music's conviction that it constitutes a clever deconstruction of pop to make a kind that sounds deliberately shoddy is not an interesting one, and Charli's embrace of their approach has squandered her talents. Here, she dials up her natural insouciance -- a playfulness fitting for the subject matter -- to the point it seems she can barely be bothered delivering the lyric. The performativity undermines the persona; this isn't a song about crushes on boys, but a song about Charli knowing how much we all want to enjoy a song about crushes on boys. [4]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: It took a dozen listens before I realized the song's ephemeral, almost nondescript nature works strongly in its favor. This is the sound of an instinctual sigh that appears while daydreaming, and Charli XCX captures that perfectly when she intonates "boys." The subtle details here -- the water samples, the ticking, the ringing phone -- never feel intrusive, thankfully. Which means that for these short three minutes, the fantasy never dies. [7]

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[thegroovethief]

#TGTfeature 012: Bukkha [Moonshine Recordings/Dub-Stuy Records/Infernal Sounds: Valladolid, Spain] Diving deeply back into the bass bins, following France’s digital reggae extraordinaire Manudigital, it is #TGTfeature 012 with heavyweight producer Bukkha, an American based out of Spain. The audio interview was featured on KGNU Community Radio's "Dub Palace" show. This and forthcoming #TGTfeature articles will highlight dedicated musical talents by featuring their recent work as well as an in-depth interview. The low-end enthusiast has released weighty wax on respected labels and tested sound systems around the globe. While he works with a range of tempos and styles, there’s always a sense of dub, or at least dub wisdom, in his work. Prior to his Denver debut at The Black Box, Bukkha spoke about his production work, his Preacha project, limited-edition vinyl, working with vocalists, and much more. A bit about Bukkha: - Heavyweight bass producer, he’s maintained a strong relationship with Moonshine Recordings while also working with labels like Dub-Stuy, Grand Ancestor, Infernal Sounds, Lion Charge, and ZamZam Sounds - Known for his stellar vocal collaborations – a recent example is the grime/trap cut “Chasing Dreams” featuring Rider Shafique - His late-2018 mix for Moonshine is filled with forward-thinking productions, many his own, and demonstrates the potency of proper dubwise sound system music

TGT: How'd your upcoming USA tour come together - seems you're bouncing around a bit? B: I don't know, everything just panned out really well. I ended up hitting up the cities that I didn't get to last year really, for the most part. You know Arcada, Portland, Denver, San Antonio, Maui, so, it's very exciting really. TGT: Yeah, yeah, and a bit eclectic as well... B: Definitely all over the US man, like kind of circular in a way. Oh yeah shoot, even Miami, how I can forget Miami, I'm so excited to go back to Miami. TGT: At this point in your career, do you find it more fun to be still going to new places, do you also enjoy going back to a crowd you've had success with before, and now you're being welcomed again with open arms? B: Both man, both. It's always nice to go to somewhere new, but it's kind of like a home situation - you go to one place, and you've made a really great impression, so like everybody's waiting for you to get back and rock it. Yeah, I just find myself in that position now too, where I can go back to a place, feel welcome, everybody's looking forward to it. It's either as good, or even better than the last time. TGT: Glad to hear that, I know a lot of effort goes into putting these overseas tours together, and do you know big differences between being booked in Spain and mainland Europe, compared to the UK and the US? Or do you feel like the scenes are pretty equal in their expectations and taste? B: Well, I mean, here's the thing, it's like, I think that if you get booked and people go there to see you, then they kind of know what to expect. I don't - I mean I guess I might - surprise people with some of the stuff that I play sometimes because I kind of am all over the place; just like my productions really, I do a lot of steppers, a lot of dub/reggae stuff, but at the same time, I've made dubstep early on, and just starting messing a bit more with drum n bass and jungle, kind of jukey stuff, all that get stuff gets thrown into my sets. I try to add a little something for everybody. TGT: So that means you're not letting the larger perceptions, like that Europeans only love steppers, for example, you're not letting that impact your selections on any given night? B: No, no, no, no. Not at all. TGT: You just mentioned a lot of different genres, has that been part of you as Bukkha, or is that you wanting to get out of the 140 box? B: Ooh - both. Both. And I mean, everybody's gotta grow, I definitely don't want to just stay stuck in a genre or a certain tempo and it keeps things a little bit more interesting. I've done everything from like, I think the slowest tune I've done is 110, and now even I'm working close to the 200bpm range, which I mean would really be 96-99bpm but you know... so yeah, I'm really just all over the place, because I don't want to get bored with it. For me, even when I go to shows, four or five hours of the same stuff, it just kind of gets, for me, a little boring, I just like a little variety. So I do that with my productions as well. I don't want people to get sick of me, too, I think that's probably like a fear, I definitely don't want people to get sick of me, like 'oh shit, here's Bukkha again with some stepper, or here comes some dubstep' - you know, just switch it up man. TGT: That is good advice for all producers, right? Mixing it up is not a bad thing, even if you're well-known for a certain sound. B: Exactly, exactly.

Chasing Dreams by Preacha ft Rider Shafique

TGT: And, can you talk a bit about the relationship between Bukkha and Preacha, your newer project (or alter-ego?) - how do you describe it? B: Man, alright, so here's the thing. Preacha was originally supposed to be kind of like a digital reggae project. That's what I was gonna do. And then somewhere along the way, the new tune I did with Rider Shafique, it was not digital reggae at all, it was just like more grimey, I guess trap, I keep wanting to call it that. I don't know, I'm not even limited with that project anymore, whatever happens, happens. I think the next Preacha project is gonna be like jungle/drum n bass, that's what I'm gonna shoot for. I don't know, so we'll see what happens. TGT: That means, maybe you started Preacha with more of a firm line dividing the two, but then that's kind of disappeared...? B: Exactly, I don't why, but yeah, that's just how it's kind of worked out. TGT: Will we get to hear more of these digital reggae productions though, since that's actually one of my favorite styles of music ever? B: Yeah, actually, yeah man. I'm still gonna do it, and I'm still gonna try and put them out on NICEUP! as Preacha is exclusive to NICEUP! Records. I've sent the label owner, Shepdog, some of the newer stuff, and he's like 'oh no, I love it, I love it, let's try and get a vocalist on it.' So yeah, the last couple of things have been more digital reggae, but also with the intention of maybe trying to go jungle and drum n bass. TGT: And those are working in very similar bpms really, like Chopstick Dubplate they do a lot of jungle obviously, but then they'll have reggae remixes that are basically just cutting the tempo in half, right? B: Yep, yep. TGT: Does that mean you've already got some vocalists lined up for that, or is that still in the works right now? B: Still in the works, definitely got some vocalists in mind, but you know, still gotta see how I get them. That's always the toughest part is communication. TGT: Do you find that you're wanting to go back to vocalists you've worked with - you know given the success of the Rider Shafique track are you hoping to do more with him? - or do you view that as 'that was great' but who else can I work to bring a new tone and new lyrical perspective to your production work? B: Actually, let's see. I've worked a lot with Junior Dread and he's been great. I think I'm kinda gonna give him a little break since we did quite a few tunes together. I've got Killah P on some tunes TGT: Including Dub-Stuy right? B: Exactly, that's how it all first came about. Rider, we've got a couple of things as well, so yeah. I think it's on my last Mooncast mix, I put him in there. I don't know, sometimes it just depends on the tune, you might have a vision, who you want to hear on the tune, but I'm always open to working with new people, and also old, familiar faces. If it works, it works. TGT: I don't wanna get too in-depth on the business side here, but what's your approach to find a new singer to work with? Are you doing this all through Facebook or since you have relationships with a lot of record labels, are they able to help? B: It's a good mix man, most of the time it's me going on Facebook and reaching out, if it just seems like there's a bunch of circles to go through, then I'll reach out to a label... let's say I send an instrumental to a label, and they're like 'this is tune is great, but it could really use a vocalist' or something like that. So I'm like 'OK,' and then you talk about it, and then they might make a recommendation and then they reach out because they might have the link. It's definitely a mix. TGT: And does that mean you've kind of got a dream list of vocalists that you're hoping to work with? B: Yeah [laughs], there's a list, but that list is kind of getting smaller and smaller, as I've been pretty fortunate in working with a good bit of vocalists lately. TGT: Definitely, but I do know you're not scared of sampling classic Jamaican sounds. B: Not at all [laughs].

TGT: I think the most notable recent release is that absolutely killer "Discjockey" with Dubbing Sun... so how did that collaboration come about, since I know Dubbing Sun do a lot of work with Digid usually, so what brought you together, and why'd you decide to tackle such an iconic vocal? B: Well, I was in Austria last year, like around this time, and they had helped set up a couple of gigs for me, so after my gig with Dubbing Sun out in Austria, we just kind of kicked it for a whole week and we worked on a good bit of tunes. Right there and then we had started "Stop Dem" - TGT: the b-side on that? B: - yeah, exactly, the flip. And it was just so weird because we were talking about the WAR label, and we're like we really miss that label they have some really great tunes, blah blah blah, and then maybe a month or two later DJ Madd reached out to me and he was like 'hey, you got some tunes for WAR?' I'm like 'whaaat - what's going on here?' I mean, it was honor, first of all, that he reached out; secondly, we already had one tune, and then I was like 'yo, yo, David' - that's Dubbing Sun - 'David, you got another sample somewhere around there?,' a sample you know, we can use for a tune? And he was all pumped man, he couldn't believe it either. So he was like, let me reach out to one of the other guys from Dubbing Sun because it's a collab project, and so he got that "Disc Jockey" sample going on - it's like 'oh bro, this is perfect.' And the funny thing about that tune was it started off as another stepper, so we're gonna have two stepper tunes on there. When I sent it to Madd, he goes like, 'this sounds great, but can we do more of a dubstep version of this?' And I was like 'ahhhh man, alright, cool.' So we did that, we just switched it up and then it completely took on a whole new body and it sounded great. The other one, the stepper version, is like a dubplate song. Somebody's gonna be lucky enough to hear it whenever I play out. TGT: Well, keep in mind you're coming to Denver soon - B: yeah [laughs] TGT: - we're happy to hear that! And related to that, I wanted to ask, what are your thoughts on these limited edition vinyl-only releases? WAR is 500 copies, it's a very very limited thing... B: Man, OK - it's kind of a double-edged sword, I think [sighs]. OK, like, this is gonna sound really funny: I don't play vinyl, but I love collecting it. I might play it at the house and stuff, but it never leaves my home. I treasure it. But nowadays, people seem to be, or promoters might look at, Spotify, and look how many plays you might have on Spotify. And if you've only got a vinyl-only release, it's not showing up on Spotify. It's either or, I don't know how much it affects what... me personally, I like them. Some exclusive thing, whoever got it, got it. And that person either is gonna collect it and/or play it out. And then only that person has it, which I think is cool. It does give it a certain exclusivity, not everybody should have the tune, because then everybody's just gonna play the same tunes over again, and over and over and over again. TGT: But I suppose you're in a better position because you've got the digital right [laughs]? B: [laughs] Yeah, exactly, I don't know - it's cool, I mean - I made it [laughs]. TGT: I do want to kind of rewind because I noticed an interesting thing... you mention very specifically on your Facebook profile that this started as a bedroom project and it's obviously evolved well beyond that, while I find a lot of producers kind of want to pretend that they didn't start in a bedroom and that they just magically emerged on a club floor with ten killer 'plates you know - so why have you decided to include that in how you present yourself, and do you think that's an important message for other DJs? B: To be honest, I really never gave it much thought you know? For me, it just really is how it started. And the thing is, I didn't start making dubstep. Like, I was just making... weird music. Like weird instrumental music. When I first started I was listening to a lot of Radiohead, Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky, these bands... when I first started they really blew my mind. Then I started getting more into the avant garde electronic stuff, like Squarepusher, Luke Vibert/Wagonchrist, Aphex Twin - so I was like 'man, how are they doing this stuff?' So I was just in my bedroom trying to do this sort of stuff. TGT: What time period would that be? B: Oh - let's see, this was probably in 2004-2005, I was in the last couple years of my college career and I was kind of looking for an outlet too, you get senioritis and just looking for something to get rid of that stress, and yeah, I was doing that... and what was funny also, Luke Vibert was doing grime and I guess dubstep-ish beats, but I didn't know what it was called, it just sounded really good to me, really bass-heavy and all that stuff. And basically, when the Dubstep Warz show with Mary Anne Hobbs came on, a friend showed it to me and I was just like 'holy crap, this is what that is, alright.' So I don't know, that sound just kind of stuck with me, and I kind of stuck with it, and practiced it, and not even gonna say mastered it because it's still evolving and there's nothing to master - you do what you do and hope that somebody likes it I guess. But I think really as long as the producer likes it, then other people will like it, too. You believe in your product, so to speak. TGT: For sure, you need to right? If you as a music-maker are satisfied with what you've made, then I don't think it an inappropriate assumption that there will be listeners out there who want to hear it, so the challenge is more getting that music to the right people, yeah? B: Exactly, exactly.

TGT: What methods do you use to try and reach fans at this point in time, or do you feel like you've gotten over that initial hill of exposure? B: Luckily, I've been working with the right labels for what I do. And because of that, then more labels have reached out, and they kind of know what they're gonna get from me. Although man, it's still is kind of just tough, because I might want to experiment a little bit more, and it just might not fit a certain... so, the only other thing that helps is doing mixes, or guest mixes for radio shows, and if somebody hears it and really likes it - that's great. The last mix that I did for Moonshine, that was a great help, and the timing was perfect. Everybody was heading out to Outlook [Festival], so a lot of people were downloading it, and then I reposted it again after Outlook, and even more people started downloading it, because there were like some tunes in there that, I didn't know but Mala and Truth and N-Type were like pushing at Outlook, so people were like 'well, who did this tune' and they saw that it was me, and it was like holy crap. So yeah man, the timing was perfect for that mix. I think it surprised a lot of people because it included a lot of stuff that they just didn't expect from me because I had been doing more dubwise stuff. TGT: Yeah, and does that mean you're maybe trying to get a step away from always having there be a Jamaican air, shall we say? B: No man, not really, it's always gonna be a part of my sound I think. I'm a sucker for delays and spring crashes, so that's always just gonna be a part of my sound I think, I think no matter what I do it's always gonna be a part of that project... TGT: I did want to ask a bit more, I've really enjoyed that Moonshine mix, that's the one that came out about five months ago, so we're talking October 2018... you've had a very long relationship with Moonshine, so how did that relationship first come to be, and does that mean we're going to see more Bukkha out on Moonshine in 2019? B: Yeah, yeah, there's - alright, well my relationship with Moonshine was - let's see, 2019... - almost ten years, I think it probably started around 2011. That relationship started because of Radikal Guru, so I had known Radikal Guru since the beginning of both of our careers - quote unquote careers, because I've never really had a career [laughs]. So yeah, because of him I linked with Moonshine, and Moonshine gave me the first remix opportunity. And they've been wanting tunes, but for whatever reason I just - I don't know, because I had a regular job, I never saw it as 'I need to this, I can do that.' I was happy with just my regular job and making music on the side, so you know, that was that. But always, I just kept sending them tunes so they might want to play or maybe release. And it did take a while, I think I got my first release on Moonshine in 2016. The recent mix that I did has a lot of forthcoming tunes, but not all of them are Moonshine. Some of them are gonna be Infernal Sounds, the more dubstep ones... and then a good bit of them are gonna be on Moonshine actually. TGT: How often does your name get brutally mispronounced? B: Ooh, more than mispronounced, misspelled. Which I think is really funny. And you know what, recently I just found out that in I guess Croatian - I'm hoping that's the language they speak in Croatia - Bukkha means noise, it translates to noise. I thought that was pretty funny, oh shit man, that could be another meaning to my name, noise [laughs]. TGT: So what was the original inspiration then, because in some ways you know, Bukkha has a very dubstep feel to it, but it's not a word, right? B: Exactly, exactly. OK, long story short, basically I got the name from - I don't know how many people remember the show Wildboyz, it was the spinoff of Jackass - so in one of the episodes, I forget, Steve-O and the other guy [Chris Pontius], they go to India and they spend time with a cannibal tribe, the Aghori tribe there in India, and one of the guys in the tribe, his name was Buka. So I was like, 'OK, I kind of like the sound of that,' so I just jacked it and spelled it a little bit differently. And you know, stupid, I just had one of those moments where I'm gonna take this and misspell it and that'd be cool - I didn't know any better. I don't know, the name's cool, it's kind of like easy, I think [laughs], but I guess not if people mispronounce it and misspell it. I don't know, but yeah, I like it. TGT: Yeah, I think 'boo-kah' makes sense, but I could certainly see people trying to say 'buck-a' or something... B: Oh yeah, yeah, 'buck-a' yeah, they say that one a lot [laughs]. TGT: As long as they don't read 'bukkake' it's probably alright... B: Yeah, awww, yeah but I make fun of that - I make fun of that, too - I call myself that as well... how do you think I got my name? I like that genre of pornography - and they're like 'oh my god' - it's like 'no, I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding.' TGT: My understanding, this is going to be your first gig here in Denver, correct? B: Yes... TGT: Especially when you're coming to a new market - but obviously Denver has a big reputation for dubstep and bass music at this point in time - so what's your mindset when you know most of this crowd is gonna be familiar with what you've put out, and a lot of people will probably have listened to that Moonshine mix, whether they've already heard it or they're gonna check it out once it's being emphasized before the show; so what do you want to bring us, and what can the crowd be expecting on March 12? B: A lot of Bukkha [laughs]. A lot of my favorite tunes that I've made, a lot of my newer stuff that I haven't put in mixes yet, so if you like my sound then you'll like the new stuff. And then I'll also have stuff that friends have sent me, some dubstep or the dubwise tip - it's definitely gonna be something for everybody, it's how I do things. I don't want to say I educate, because that just kind of sounds a little pretentious, but I just want to show the people there are different sounds, different styles, you don't just have to be into this one thing, there's everything, and it all fits together if you just really listen to it, it all truly does fit together. TGT: Do you give much thought to who you're co-headlining with? In this case, it's Six Sunsets and Opus, does that enter into your thought process at all? B: To be honest, yeah. I did do a Shitty Dubstep event in the UK; now, if you know anything about Shitty Dubstep, you'll see that it's nothing but dubstep. And, that's probably the most nervous I had ever been, because it's been such a long time since I just did dubstep, and I don't really talk to too many of the new dubstep cats. So man, I just really had to dig deep and search for dubstep tunes, the hottest stuff for at that moment, even if it was new and nobody's even heard it... I reached out to some friends, 'oh yeah man, here have this one, have that one.' So yeah, but it all worked out, it was all great. I played dubstep, but I also did play "Discjockey," like "Discjockey" just went off - I mean, whether you like dub or not, it's just that perfect mix of trap/grime/low-end, but with a dub sample... TGT: Any final thoughts on things... B: ... I hope to be around as long as the greats like Channel One and Jah Shaka - that would be great, you know? Just play tunes, play music that I love, hopefully, my ears and eyes will still function in a way that I can make music still...