#erich bar

[rwpohl]

*

pogo 1104, wigbert wicker 1984

[tenth-sentence]

In his mind he's probably already enjoying the clear autumn evenings, the Sundays on the heath, the village church bells, afternoons and evenings with the girls, the buckwheat pancakes with bacon, the hours of aimless conversation in the bar—

"All Quiet on the Western Front" - Erich Maria Remarque

[daysofyellowroses]

red rose

kerry von erich x afab!reader | 10.9k | 18+ minors dni | tw: mentions of death, language, some smutty implications

It wasn't exactly something you had planned for, certainly not at this stage of your life. Then again, life never did seem to work out the way you had expected. After a very happy and loving childhood and slightly turbulent but overall great teenage years, your world got turned upside down when you turned eighteen. 

so i finally finished this, i did not expect it to be over 10k 🫢 i am already thinking i want to write a little part two for this, but i got a whole lot more to write before that! i hope you enjoy this, and if you perservere the whole way through i love you! 🫶🏻💗

🌼

The drive took hours, the immense heat didn't help the feeling of exhaustion that settled over you. It was a rare occasion that you drove back home to Denton from Austin, particularly in the last few years. Now you wouldn't just be visiting, you would be staying. 

Your mom had been driving home from work when she got into a car accident, one which ultimately claimed her life. It left an empty space in your heart, one you felt could never be filled. Her death felt impossible to process, you couldn't do anything but feel totally numb. You hadn't cried when you were told by the doctors that she had passed away from her injuries. You hadn't cried when you went to her funeral. You couldn't, the tears wouldn't come. There was just a hollow void in you, you couldn't focus on anything. 

After the funeral, you received an acceptance letter from college, which you ignored. You weren't in the right headspace for it, and despite your dad trying to convince you to go, you refused. That was when the guilt sunk in. Why should you get to go on with your life, have new experiences when your mom would never have that opportunity again? 

Your dad withdrew into himself too, the two of you didn't talk and when you did it was to fight and argue, both unable to handle your grief.

You needed to get away, and planned to go to Dallas for a new start. That didn't pan out, so you headed to Austin instead, with a renewed determination to start over. And you did, you got yourself a place to stay, a job in a bar, and started getting back on your feet. Over time you got your own apartment and started working in a hair salon, doing basic jobs at first before deciding to professionally train.

After about six months you had gotten in contact with your dad again. It started slow, occasional phone calls or letters, then you visited one Christmas. You weren't super close, but he was the only other person in the world who loved your mom as much as you did, your tether to her. Then, a year or so ago, just when you had thought you were starting to really build a solid bond with your dad, he went quiet. Barely any calls, wouldn't let you visit. 

You feared the worst when two months went by with no contact. The neighbors would have contacted you, you knew, but you still worried. Then you got a call from a stranger, who turned out to be your dad's nurse. She explained that he hadn't wanted you to worry, sympathizing when you said you only worried more if he was silent. There was a knot in your stomach when you asked what was wrong, trying not to imagine your dad slowly wasting away in front of you or losing his memories of your mother and you. 

When the nurse informed you that your father had rheumatoid arthritis, the knot in your stomach loosened, but only slightly. You learned that the nurse could only visit your father three times a week, and his insurance didn't cover more care. So, you took the decision to give up your life in Austin and head back home to look after your dad. 

The sun was just beginning to set when you drove down the familiar road, passing the few neighbors' houses. You turned eventually, heading down the long driveway. Your heart thudded as you spotted the large garage, dozens of cars dotted about in the yard. None of them had been worked on for a long while, you suspected, the owners no doubt not pushing for a quick return.

You drove up to the house, taking a deep breath as you parked your truck. You only took one suitcase up to the door with you, deciding to get the rest of your stuff later. Pushing the doorbell, you took a step back and glanced at the light blue bird feeder hanging by the door. Your mom would sit on the porch for hours and watch birds come and go, she always looked so peaceful when she did.

A few moments later, the door opened and revealed your father on the other side. Neither of you said anything, neither of you moved for a moment before you both stepped forward and wrapped your arms around each other. 

“You didn't have to come,” Your father murmured, holding you close. “I'm fine.”

“I know you are,” You nodded, gently rubbing his back. “I wanted to come. Now let me get my things inside, I want this unpacking out of the way.”

Once you had taken your things up to your old bedroom and unpacked, you sat on the end of the bed for a moment. It had been a while since you'd visited, but you got the same feeling you did every time. The memories came back full force, from playing with barbies with your best friend to sneaking a boy in through your window late at night. The teddy bears, posters of bands and trophies had been put into storage but the bedsheets were the same ones you'd had as a teenager. There was still a cork board above the desk with faded concert tickets, photos and birthday cards pinned to it.

You made your way downstairs, finding your dad in the living room and letting him know you'd make dinner. It was easy, moving through the kitchen again. Every time you'd visited the muscle memory came back. It always stung a little that your mom wasn't there, singing along to the radio as she chopped vegetables, the knife moving in rhythm. She always made up her own lyrics when she couldn't remember the real ones, her version always stuck in your head when you heard the songs again.

Once dinner was ready, you brought the plate to your dad on a tray in the living room. You watched him out of the corner of your eye, the way he struggled with his knife. He didn't ask for help and you waited until he set his cutlery down in frustration before you quietly got up and cut up his dinner for him.

It was only when you were laying in bed later that night that you realized that things like that would be your life from now on. Parents look after their children, then children look after their parents years and years later. It felt too soon to be looking after your dad. He wasn't even retired yet, you weren't even thirty yet. But, life doesn't always go to plan.

In the morning, you thought you were dreaming when you woke up. It took a minute to adjust, to remind yourself you weren't just visiting. There was nowhere else to call home anymore. You took a shower and got dressed before making breakfast, having more small talk with your father. You noticed his shirt wasn't quite buttoned right but elected to ignore it. 

“I'm gonna take a walk,” Your father informed you after breakfast. “the air is fre-”

“Freshest this time of day,” You smiled, giving him a nod. “I remember. I'm gonna clean up, is Carla coming today?”

“Tomorrow,” Your father replied, clearing his throat. “She comes on different days each week. She covers a big area.”

“I see,” You nodded, watching your father for a moment before clearing the plates. “Well I got this under control. Enjoy your walk.”

Once you'd cleaned the kitchen, you decided to do the rest of the house too. It wasn't bad, just needed a little sprucing up. When you got to your dad's bedroom you took a breath before walking in. Your mom's things weren't there anymore, they had been put away into storage, but her presence was still there.  As you made the bed you thought about all the times you'd climbed into your parents bed after a nightmare, the birthdays and mother's days you'd take your mom a tray, feeling so proud when she told you she loved it.

When you were vacuuming, you glanced out the window and spotted a figure heading into the garage, unable to make them out clearly. You made your way out of the house and over to the garage, the air already feeling hot. 

“Hello?” You called, holding your hand over your forehead to shield your eyes as you turned into the garage. “Can I..”

You let out a sigh as you spotted your father leaning over the hood of a truck, lowering your arm.

“Dad, what are you doing?” You asked, walking over and folding your arms. “You told me you were taking a walk.”

“I was,” Your dad nodded, looking over to you as he gestured to the truck. “Then I remembered I had this sitting in here. I gotta get it back by tomorrow, Ed’s gonna need it.”

You took a deep breath, slowly lowering your arms and stepping closer to the truck. 

“If it really needs to be fixed by tomorrow, then let me do it.”

“Let you do it?” Your father repeated, a concerned look on his face. “I couldn't ask you to do that.”

“Then good thing you're not asking,” You smiled. I'm a little rusty but you can just give some guidance if I'm going wrong. I didn't spend half my teen years here for nothing.”

“Well, if you're up for it,” Your father nodded, taking a step back. “Give it a whack.”

An hour or so later, you popped the key in the ignition and let out a cheer when the truck started. Your dad stood up from where he'd been sitting, walking over to the window.

“Well look at that,” He smiled, opening the car door for you. “You never lost it.”

“Apparently not,” You grinned, turning off the ignition. “I can drop this over to Ed, if you want?”

“If you want,” Your dad nodded, looking down at his shirt and frowning slightly before looking back to you. “You'd be doing me a favor really. He said he wasn't in a rush but..I don't want to delay him.”

“Okay, I'll drop it over,” You nodded. “I'll pick something up for dinner, too. Do you need anything else?”

Your dad thought for a moment before shaking his head and gently patting the door of the truck. 

“I'm all good. I'll let you get off.”

“Alright, I'll see you later.” You smiled, closing the door and starting up the truck. You presumed Ed lived exactly where he always had, and honestly you were a little amazed he was still alive. When you were a child he was about a hundred years old, god only knew what miracle was keeping his heart ticking.

When you were out on the road, you lowered the windows and turned on the radio, enjoying the fresh air as you sang along to the music.

‘So smile for a while and let's be jolly, love shouldn't so melancholy, come along and share the good times while we can..’

When you arrived in town, you drove to Eds's first, parking up outside and looking up at his house. The place hadn't changed in probably 50 years, not so much as a paint job. You took the keys and headed to the front door, pushing the door bell before taking a step back.

After a few minutes, a woman you didn't recognise opened the door and you wondered if you'd somehow gotten the wrong house. She certainly didn't resemble Ed, with her kind eyes, warm smile and curly brown hair. Ed looked like Mr. Magoo on a bad day.

“Hi,” You smiled, gesturing over your shoulder to Eds's truck. “I'm looking for Ed Hicks, I'm dropping off his truck.”

“That thing,” The woman rolled her eyes with a smile. “He shouldn't even be driving it, yet he still gets it dropped for repairs. Come on in darling, he's here.”

You followed the woman inside, heading into a living room that looked like it should have been in a shack in the woods. In the corner, Ed was sitting on an armchair watching the TV, looking exactly as you'd remembered him.

“You got a visitor Ed,” The woman told Ed, raising her voice. “This young lady has come to drop your truck back. Don't tell me you've been driving again?”

“Nope, cross my heart,” Ed patted his chest before looking over to you. His eyes were so pale you were amazed he could see you but he recognised you right away.

“You back at your daddy's then?” Ed asked once you'd walked over and shaken his hand, giving him a nod.

“Yes, I am,” You told him. “He was busy so I thought I'd drop your truck back, needed to head into town anyway. How have you been, Mr. Hicks?”

“Oh you know me,” Ed shrugged, looking back to the TV. “I get by. Still waiting for this one to marry me though,” He gestured to the woman. “any day now.”

The woman laughed affectionately as she shook her head. 

“Stop it you, you old charmer. Now I need to get going, you need anything else?”

“I'm all good, you get yourself gone,” Ed waved his hand. “I got my stories.”

You said your goodbyes and left the house with the woman, turning to her as she closed the door.

“I know this sounds a little strange, but your voice is really familiar,” You raised a brow. “Have we met?”

The woman looked at you for a moment before nodding and smiling, folding her arms.

“I was thinking the same thing, we most certainly talked recently. I'm Carla, I'm a nurse, I do a lot of home visits around here.”

“Carla..of course,” You smiled. “I think you look after my dad?” You gave her the details and noticed her face lit up a little as she nodded.

“I certainly do,” She smiled. “So you must be the daughter he's so proud of,” She grinned. “You know I gotta say, it is really admirable what you're doing. If I could, I'd be out at your dad's more but..I can just about manage to hold onto the days I do have.”

The two of you walked down the porch steps and towards the curb, stopping by a little red car.

“You need a ride somewhere?” Carla asked, opening her purse and taking our her keys. “I've got another visit but I can take you somewhere if you need.”

“I just need to go to the supermarket, if that's okay?” You asked, deciding to worry about getting home later. 

“Of course,” Carla nodded, unlocking her car. “Hop on in.”

You got in the car and put on your seat belt, looking over to Carla as she started the engine.

“Can I ask you something, if you don't mind?”

“Of course you can honey,” Carla smiled, looking over to you before looking back and pulling away from the curb. “What's on your mind?”

You looked out the window, taking a deep breath. 

“My dad..it's bad, isn't it? His condition? Like..I know a lot of people function just fine with arthritis but I've noticed little things he can't do anymore.”

Carla let out a soft sigh, her hand gently touching your arm.

“I won't lie to you darling, your dad's arthritis is severe, in fact..the hospital wants to run more tests just in case he might be developing Parkinson's. You came at a good time, he's going to need the extra help.”

“Yeah,” You nodded, keeping your eyes on the world outside the window. “I think I did. It just feels..strange. How do you do it every day? Look after people, see them become frail in front of you?”

“Well I love my work,” Carla replied, gently squeezing your arm before letting go. “It feels like I'm making a difference. You'll get that feeling, it just takes time. And your dad isn't so frail, he just needs more time to accept his limitations. It hasn't been easy on him.”

“I know,” You nodded, looking over to Carla. “I'm sorry I haven't been around much, but I'm glad you've been looking after him. He can be a little stubborn about accepting help but I hope he hasn't been too difficult.”

“He's been a dream,” Carla smiled. “I know that he's frustrated that he can't do all the things he used to, but he's getting a little better at accepting it every day. The hardest part seems to be work. He keeps telling me he's gonna get back out to the yard and fix up all the trucks but..it's just not possible.”

You nodded before looking back out the window, the familiar sights flashing by. 

“I found him by Eds's truck this morning, I told him I'd do it and let him tell me what to do but..I could tell he wanted to be doing it himself.”

“Well that's not a bad thing,” Carla looked over to you. “He may not be able to work himself but if he feels like he's contributing then that might ease the disappointment. Are you a mechanic yourself?”

You smiled to yourself as you shook your head, glancing over to Carla.

“No, I'm a hairdresser. I used to help my dad out in the yard when I was a teenager, picked up some things. I never really thought of it as a job, more just a hobby.”

“Hobby or not,” Carla raised a brow, gently touching your arm. “Might be something to think about. Is here okay to drop you off hun?”

“Perfect,” You nodded, glancing at the window. “Thank you so much.”

“Anytime,” Carla smiled. “I'll be out at yours tomorrow, see you then.”

The afternoon passed by quick enough, you got a coffee in the diner, made small talk with people you knew in another life,  went to the supermarket, bumped into one of the neighbors who offered you a ride home. It was like you'd never left, the familiarity sinking into your bones.

Your dad was watching TV when you got home, a sight you never thought you'd see on a warm afternoon. You made your way to the kitchen, trying to ignore the knot in your stomach as you unpacked the groceries and started preparing dinner. You turned the radio on, humming along to the music as you moved about the kitchen with ease. When you were plating up dinner, you felt the knot in your stomach tighten as you got a knife and fork to cut up your dad's food. It was spaghetti, which made it easier to disguise that it had been cut, but you knew you'd have to keep doing it.

You took the plates into the living room, placing a tray on your dad's lap before sitting down yourself. 

“How was town?” Your dad asked, picking up his fork and glancing over to you. “Anybody about?”

“A couple,” You nodded, dipping your fork into your pasta and pushing it around a little. “Nobody too exciting.”

“Ah, never is,” Your dad shrugged, looking back to the TV. “Oh turn up the volume, the match is coming on.”

You reached for the remote, raising the volume and glancing over to your dad.

“What match?”

“Wrestling,” Your dad explained, pointing to the TV. “David's making his debut tonight. Should be a good one.”

“Oh,” You raised a brow, looking back to the TV. “I didn't know he was getting into wrestling..does Kevin still do it?”

“Sure does,” Your dad nodded. “He's good too. Reckon he'll be even better now with his brother on side.”

You sat back a little, your eyes watching the screen as the presenter explained the upcoming bout. When it cut to a reporter standing with Kevin and David Von Erich, you couldn't help but smile. They looked so different from when you had last seen them, but they still had that familiarity, a boyish charm. 

When David looked down the camera lens and gave a warning to the opponent, you bit your lip slightly, smiling to yourself as your Dad praised him. The match was fun to watch, your dad's enthusiasm made you think of how he was when you were a child, his passion and support for the things he loved shining through. The last thing you wanted was for him to lose that joy, to have things in his life that brought him happiness.

The actual wrestling didn't interest you all that much, but it was entertaining and fun to see Kevin and David show off their skills, raise their arms triumphantly when they won.

“What did I tell you? They got something special there,” Your dad looked over to you. “You know, you should pop over and visit them one of these days. They'd love to see you.”

“Maybe,” You nodded, getting up and placing your tray on the coffee table. “I have things to do so..I'll have to see when I got some time.”

You gathered up your dad's tray, taking the dishes out to the kitchen and resting them on the counter. Taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes and tried to clear your mind, not wanting to give certain memories an outing.

You focused on cleaning the kitchen, taking your dad a beer when you went back to the living room.

“Just the one,” You smiled, sitting down on the couch. “So don't get too excited.”

“I won't,” Your dad laughed, shaking his head. Hell, even if I wanted another one I couldn't. Carla..the nurse,” He corrected himself, clearing his throat. “She can always tell. Scolds me something terrible.”

“Well she's just doing her job,” You shrugged, sitting back against the couch and smiling as you looked at your dad and noticed the slight smile on his face.

 “She means well.”

“Mm, she does.” Your dad nodded, picking up his newspaper from the arm of his chair and slowly opening it, his face particularly obscured but not enough to hide his smile. 

“Just gotta remember that sometimes.”

“I met her today, actually,” You glanced to your dad as you said it, watching as he didn't look away from the paper but didn't turn the page either. “She said she was coming by tomorrow.”

“Yeah, she will be,” Your dad nodded. “I saw it on the calendar.”

You rolled your eyes with a smile, sitting back and reaching for the remote to find something new.

The next morning, you woke up naturally and stretched slowly in your bed as you glanced to the window. You had left the curtains half open, the warm sunlight filtering into the room. After taking some time to get up, you made your way downstairs and paused in the doorway of the kitchen as you spotted your father sitting at the table reading the paper. It wasn't so much what he was doing but how he looked, with his carefully gelled hair and good brown suit. His shirt was buttoned properly and you felt guilty for wondering how long it would have taken him, if you should have knocked on his door and offered help.

“Morning dad,” You raised a brow, walking over to him and placing a kiss on his cheek. “You're looking snappy. Don't tell me I forgot your birthday?”

“Nah course not,” Your dad laughed softly, shaking his head. “It's just polite to dress for company.”

“Of course,” You nodded, smiling as you put on some coffee. “I'm sure company always appreciates it.” 

You watched the machine brew for a moment before taking a deep breath and looking over to your dad.

“I was thinking..maybe today I could take a look at more of those trucks in the yard.”

“Hm? Why would you want to do that?” Your dad asked, and the knot in your stomach returned as you went to put on some toast. 

“Because,” You began, popping two slices of bread in the toaster. “I enjoyed it. And-” You stopped yourself from speaking the words you knew your dad didn't want to hear.

‘Because you can't anymore.’

“I need something to keep me occupied,” You continued, looking over to your dad. I'll probably only get started on one truck but I want to dust off my old skills. You didn't teach me to waste them right?

“Right,” Your dad nodded after a moment, lowering his paper. “You're right..if you want to take a look I won't stop you.” 

After breakfast you took a shower and got dressed in a simple blue sundress, glancing out the window as you heard a car approach. You smiled as you saw it was Carla's, heading out of your room and down the stairs. Your dad was in the living room, pacing back and forth a little until the doorbell rang and he rushed to answer it. 

“Morning sweetheart,” Carla smiled at your dad after he greeted her, the smile on his face wider than you'd seen for a long while. “Don't tell me I forgot your birthday?”

As Carla was running through some medical checks with your dad, you went out to the yard and made your way to the garage. You took a set of keys and found the truck it belonged to before getting into the garage. The radio was turned on, there was some shelter from the already immense heat, and you soon found yourself getting back into the swing of mechanics. A little while later you were under the hood when you heard a truck coming up the drive. You figured it would be a drop off, possibly just a courtesy one. No doubt the whole town knew about your father's condition.

When the truck door opened and closed and you heard multiple voices, you ducked out from under the hood and grabbed a cloth to wipe your hands, immediately dropping it in shock when you saw who was walking towards the garage.

“Oh my god!” You shrieked excitedly, rushing forward and wrapping your arms around Kevin Von Erich when you got close enough. He laughed and gave you a tight hug back, each of you holding each other's arms as you pulled apart.

“I can't believe it,” You grinned. “It's been..well a long time.”

“Too long,” Kevin smiled, his eyes shining. “We were so sorry not to be here for your last visit.”

You waved your hand, smiling as you looked up at Kevin. 

“Don't be silly. You big shot wrestlers have busy schedules, I get it. Caught you on the TV last night, almost couldn't believe my eyes.”

“You wouldn't be the only one!”

You laughed as Kevin turned around with a playful frown, your smile growing as you spotted Mike. You gently squeezed Kevin's arm before rushing over to Mike, his arms wrapping around you and swaying with you as you hugged him back. 

“You are not Michael Von Erich,” You teased as you pulled back, raising a brow. “you're way too grown up. Look at you!”

“Aw come on I ain't changed that much,” Mike grinned, the tips of his ears growing pink. “It's just been a minute. It's so good to see you.”

“Don't I get a hug?”

You rolled your eyes playfully, giving Mike a wink as you stepped aside and folded your arms.

“I don't know,” You shrugged, raising a brow. “You're a real big mouth hot shot wrestler now, you really need the girl next door hugging you?”

“Yes, right this second.”

“Oh yeah?” You smiled widely as you rushed forward, David's arms immediately wrapping around you and lifting you up as you wrapped your arms around his neck. 

When he set you down carefully, he gave you a wink and you gave him one back, stepping back and turning to Kevin and Mike.

“What brings you all over? I know it ain't that truck.” 

The Von Erichs looked at each other for a moment before looking back at you, Kevin clearing his throat.

“Well we heard you were back in town, and..that it's more permanent this time. We were sorry to hear about your dad, hopefully he's doing okay.”

You looked at the three men in front of you for a moment, smiling as you folded your arms.

“Damn, word travels fast. Was it Ed?”

“Ed.” They chorused, making you laugh.

“Of course,” You nodded, dropping your arms. “Well I am back, and thank you,  my dad's doing well. He's got his nurse with him today so..all good.”

“Hope it's not rude to ask if you want to come over for dinner some time?” Mike asked, resting his hands in his back pockets. “and your dad, of course. Mom keeps insisting.”

“So I really can't say no then,” You smiled. “That would be great, really.”

“Perfect,” David grinned, walking over to you and slinging his arm around your shoulder. “Knew you couldn't resist.”

“How could I,” You grinned, resting your hand on David's back. “I've had your mom's cooking before.”

“Amen to that,” David grinned. “Listen, what are you up to later?”

“You tell me,” You raised a brow, looking up at David with a grin. “Do I need to cancel my plans?”

“Absolutely,” David nodded, looking serious for a moment before grinning. “I'm taking you out for a burger, we're catching up properly.”

So, a few hours and one fixed up transmission later, you took another quick shower before changing into a clean t-shirt and jeans. Your dad was in an extremely chipper mood after Carla's visit, and you promised him you would be back in time to make dinner.

When David pulled up outside the house in his truck you felt like a teenager again, skipping down the porch steps and getting in beside him.

“Right on time,” You grinned, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “That a new habit?”

“Not the only one,” David grinned, turning the truck around and heading down the driveway. “You hungry?”

“Starving,” You nodded, sitting back and turning up the radio a little, singing along under your breath.

‘Go lightly from the ledge, babe, go lightly on the ground, I'm not the one you want, babe, I'll only let you down..’

You smiled as David turned up the radio, the two of you singing together as he drove towards town.

‘You say you're looking for someone, who'll promise never to part, someone to close his eyes to you, someone to close his heart, someone to die for you and more, but it ain't me, babe, no, no, no, it ain't me, babe, it ain't me you're looking for, babe..’

When David parked up in town, you were laughing at some silly joke he'd made, wondering if there would be any moment where you didn't feel seventeen again. You both headed into the diner, sliding into a red leather booth you'd sat in countless times in your life.

“I don't need to look at this, but it feels polite.” You plucked the menu from its metal stand and opened it, smiling as the wave of nostalgia hit you. Your mom taking you for a milkshake after school, hanging out with friends, one order of fries between six of you, and of course being there with the boys next door. 

“I don't think you can beat a cheeseburger,” David grinned, sitting back and tilting his head slightly as he watched you read the menu. “I mean why would you not want a classic?”

“To be adventurous,” You teased, putting your menu back. “Try something other than a cheeseburger, chili fries and a coke. Unless you updated your order since we were last here?”

“Hey I know what I like,” David grinned, giving you a wink. “And like you ain't gonna order a chili dog and a strawberry shake.”

“Why would you not want a classic?” You grinned, laughing as David rolled his eyes playfully.

“Fair enough,” He nodded, glancing around the diner and sitting up a little. You were about to say something when two girls appeared at your table, probably just about twenty one. They blushed as they asked David for an autograph, giggling when he winked at them, handing back the flowery notebook. 

“You're really famous now,” You grinned, gesturing to where the girls had stood. “you'll have a fan club next.”

“You could be the president of it,” David smiled, resting his arm along the back of his seat. “Give out all the buttons with my face on them.”

“Wow, you haven't thought about this at all, huh?” You teased, sitting up a little as the waitress came over. You both ordered your classics, choosing to let it slide.

“Oh you know who I met yesterday?” You raised a brow, looking over to David. “Nancy Moss, who apparently still hates my guts even though I ain't seen her since high school.”

“She hates you?” David raised a brow. “Nah, she never hated you.”

You shook your head, sitting back and holding your hands up. “She did, and still does.”

“I don't get it,” David frowned. “Why would she hate you?”

"Because of you," You grinned, pointing over to him. "I think she was jealous."

David looked surprised, glancing around for a moment before leaning on the table and meeting your eyes. 

"Jealous? Of what? It's not like you and I ever dated. Not.." He cleared his throat, looking a little embarrassed in an endearing way. “not technically, anyway.."

"I think that annoyed her more," You shrugged, resting your arms on the table. "We weren't a couple but I got to ride around in your truck, I was always at your house, you were sneaking into my bedroom at night.."

"You were the one sneaking me in," David held up his hand with a grin. "how would she even know about that anyway?"

You shrugged with a smile, resting your hand on your cheek. "I may have said some things that she overheard, not my fault if she was eavesdropping."

“Oh I see,” David grinned, sitting back and gesturing to himself. “Bragging about me huh? Can't say I blame you.”

“In your dreams,” You rolled your eyes with a grin, sitting up as the waitress brought your drinks. You thanked her before sliding your glass closer, lightly swirling the straw in the thick pink liquid.

“How are your parents by the way?” You asked, taking a sip of your milkshake.

“They're good,” David nodded, clearing his throat and sliding his glass closer. “Thanks. We're all good. You should definitely come by, they'd love to see you.”

“Yeah,” You nodded, lifting your straw and slowly dropping it, taking a deep breath. “I'll definitely try and drop by.”

“Good,” David nodded, taking a sip of his drink before leaning a little closer and reaching out to touch your arm. “Oh you know what? You should come to the Sportatorium on Saturday night, bring your dad. We got a big match coming up.”

“That I can't object to,” You smiled, meeting David's eyes. “My dad will be beside himself with excitement.”

“That's great,” David. “So will you be when you see me do my thing.”

“Oh I've seen your thing many times,” You raised a brow with a smile. “Hope it's as good as I remember.”

When you arrived back home, you felt like you were riding on a high. The afternoon had been easy and fun, you couldn't remember when you had laughed so much. You said goodbye to David and went inside the house, finding your dad in the living room reading the evening paper.

“Hey,” You smiled, walking in and sitting down on the couch. “How was your day?”

“Hey darlin’,” Your dad smiled, setting the paper down in his lap. “It was alright, Carla left that for you,” He gestured to a white envelope on the coffee table. “tried to sweet talk her into letting me read it myself but my charms need some polishing I guess.”

“I'll get you a cloth,” You laughed softly, leaning forward to pick up the envelope. “I don't know why she'd leave me something.”

“I don't either,” Your dad sighed, looking down at his paper. “Anyway, how was your date?”

“Date? It wasn't a date,” You grinned, opening the envelope. “Just two old friends catching up.”

You peeled open the envelope and took out the letter inside, your heart sinking a little when you heard your dad mutter ‘that's right, it was the other one.’

“Oh this is nothing, just her contact details in case of an emergency,” You smiled, folding the paper back up. “I'm gonna freshen up then start dinner.”

“Alright sweetheart, take your time.” Your dad nodded, picking his paper back up as you left the room, holding the envelope to your chest.

You made your way upstairs, heading into your bedroom and sitting on the end of your bed. Taking a moment, you let out a breath before taking the letter back out from the envelope. Technically you hadn't lied, Carla's details were indeed on the letter, just written above the rest of it. As it turned out, your father would have to be taken into hospital the following week for some tests, and Carla felt (accurately) it would be better to tell him closer to the time, but didn't want you to be surprised. 

Once you had carefully folded the letter back up and hidden it in your room, you went to the bathroom and splashed some water on your face, trying to push the thought of hospitals from your mind.

A couple of hours later, you placed a tray on your father's lap and sat down on the couch, looking over to the TV. 

“Oh I forgot to say, I got some invites for you,” You smiled. “David invited us next door for dinner, and he's gonna get us tickets for the match next Saturday.”

“You're kidding?” Your dad held the remote in mid air as he looked over to you. “In the Sportatorium? Well, I'll be damned. You thank that boy for me won't you? I can't believe it. Oh just wait til I tell Earl.”

You laughed softly, picking up your own tray from the coffee table and setting it on your lap.

“I wasn't sure about dinner at theirs,” You began, taking a breath. “We don't have to go if you don't want.”

“Don't be silly,” Your dad looked over to you, setting the remote on the arm of his armchair. “Of course we can go. Fritz and Doris are old friends, and good neighbors. Why wouldn't we..” He stopped himself, looking back to the TV and letting out a sigh, his hand moving to his neck. 

“I uh..I believe not all the boys still live at home. Some of ‘em went off, training..”

“I see,” You nodded, keeping your eyes on the TV and trying to keep your heartbeat steady. “In that case I'll tell David we'd be delighted.”

The week seemed to pass slowly, not that you objected. You spent most days out in the garage working on the various cars and trucks, finding yourself enjoying it more and more. Sometimes your dad would come out and give you instructions you didn't need, but followed anyway. You cooked, cleaned, made sure your dad had his good clothes for when Carla visited. You watched his eyes light up when she laughed at his corny jokes. She called you sweetheart and thanked you at least three times for a cup of coffee. You went into town, you noticed people stopped asking how long you were visiting for. Everyone sent their regards to your father.

One evening you and your dad visited the Von Erichs for dinner. It felt like old times instantly, your dad and Fritz putting the world to rights while Doris insisted you didn't need to help with the dishes but gave you all the gossip when you did. Kevin told you about a girl he was seeing, and you already couldn't wait to meet her. Mike invited you to a gig, and you promised you'd go. David constantly took the seat next you and made you laugh so much you ached. 

The evening after, you had gone into town with Kevin and David to meet Pam, Kevin's girlfriend. You adored her instantly, the two of you clicking right away. You hadn't intended to get drunk, but you were having a good time and the drinks kept appearing and you didn't object. When one of the bars you visited was having a karaoke night, you and Pam were up on the stage before the alcohol-induced confidence could fade.

‘Look into his angel eyes, one look and you're hypnotized, he'll take your heart and you must pay the price, look into his angel eyes, you'll think you're in paradise, and one day you'll find out he wears a disguise, don't look too deep into those angel eyes’

By the time Mike came to pick you all up, you were wrapped around David to steady yourself, the world spinning on a loop. You struggled not to fall asleep on the ride home, resting your head on David's shoulder and focusing on the feeling of his hand on your shoulder.

When you got home, David took you inside to make sure you got to bed safely, your eyes closing the second your head hit the pillow.

“I had fun tonight,” You murmured softly, turning onto your side and letting out a sigh. “tell me ‘m fun.”

David laughed softly beside you, his hand gently touching your hair. “You're very fun. And a heck of a lot more.”

“Yeah?” You sighed softly, pulling the blanket up a little. “Then..then why wasn't I enough for him?”

“Hey,” David’s voice was soft and made you want to sleep. “don't be worrying about all that, you hear me? That's all over now. It was all just..a misunderstanding. You need to get some sleep, I'll see you tomorrow.”

By the time Saturday came around, you were feeling pretty good, greeting your dad when you went into the kitchen for breakfast. You could have sworn he hid some of his paper but couldn't be sure, there was no reason for him to. You moved about the kitchen getting breakfast ready, unable to shake the feeling your dad was hiding something. 

You waited until he went to get dressed, looking under the table and finding a slightly scrunched up piece of newspaper on the floor. You picked it up and smoothed it out, trying to see what would be so offensive. Heatwave incoming, American athletes to withdraw from the Olympics, Cowboys win game, nothing to write home about. You left the paper back where you found it before cleaning up the kitchen, your suspicions melting away.

The evening came around quick, and you were looking forward to seeing the match. Your dad seemed a little quiet, to your surprise. He'd been so excited all week, now when it was time to go he didn't seem as enthusiastic. You didn't push it, especially when he didn't say anything about it. 

The Sportatorium was already bustling with activity when you got there and parked up, feeling excited for the night ahead. You went in with your dad, finding your seats and smiling when he seemed to relax more.

It was halfway through the match when you saw him.

At first you thought you were just seeing things, imagining it. Imagining him.

But he was there, sitting in the front row with Mike, cheering on his brothers.

You felt your heart sink into your stomach, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath. You could hear your dad cheer beside you, the crowd going wild as a body slammed down on the mat. 

You watched the rest of the match and refused to look anywhere else but the ring, wanting to run away more than anything. 

When the match ended, you told your dad you weren't feeling well, needing to get out of the arena as quickly as possible. You felt like you couldn't breathe until you got into your truck, wanting to crawl into your bed and forget the world. 

Your dad gave an enthusiastic debrief on the way back home, and you felt guilty for not sharing his excitement. When you got home you went up to your room and leaned against the door for a moment. You felt sick, your heart pounding in your chest. After getting ready for bed, you opened up the wooden chest at the end of your bed, rooting through it and eventually pulling out your last high school yearbook. 

Taking it into bed, you opened the book and looked through the photos of your old classmates, smiling at some of the quotes, laughing at the others. You flipped to the back of the book, where your friends had written messages on the white pages. You traced your finger over them, smiling to yourself until you found it.

There it was, in black and white. 

‘I love you now & always, can't wait to spend forever with you ❤️ KVE’

“Fucking liar.” You muttered, slamming the book shut and flinging it down to the end of your bed. 

The following morning you didn't want to leave your bed, a restless night leaving you exhausted. You reluctantly got up and got ready, already dreading what was to come. You went downstairs and met your dad in the kitchen, the two of you heading out to your truck.

“I know you hid something from me,” You told your dad as you started your truck. “I wasn't sure why at first but now I know. And I'm grateful, but I can't avoid him forever. He's back, I saw him last night. He's going to be there today, and we will talk to him because we are good neighbors, and I don't want to embarrass you by causing a scene.”

Your dad was quiet for a moment, and you could feel your heart racing. Eventually, he silently reached out and took your hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“I'm proud of you sweetheart, always will be,” He murmured softly. “You can do this.”

When you got to church, you wanted to be anywhere else, especially when you spotted David's truck. You walked into the building with your dad, putting on a smile and making your way up the aisle. You spotted the Von Erichs right away, giving them a polite nod as you walked by, feeling your stomach drop as you realized the only free seats were in front of them. Your dad walked down the pew first, your heart racing as you felt eyes on you. You sat down, almost anticipating a hand on your shoulder, blue eyes burning into yours. 

The service seemed to last forever, you wanted desperately to just turn and run, feeling trapped like a deer in headlights. When the reverend finally ended his sermon, you followed your dad outside and made polite conversation after polite conversation. Eventually you couldn't put it off anymore, and you found yourself with the Von Erichs. You felt like they were all looking at you like you were about to attack, electing to put on your brightest smile and stepping closer to Kerry.

“Well hey stranger,” You gave him a hug, feeling him hesitate for a moment before he hugged you back and the familiarity could have killed you. “It's so good to see you again.”

You pulled away, taking a step back as your dad greeted Kerry, your hand hammering in your chest. David gave you a reassuring smile and Kevin subtly squeezed your arm. After some small talk, you made your way to your truck with your dad. Neither of you said a word until you were back home and in the kitchen. You'd gone to put on some coffee and burst into tears.

Your dad immediately wrapped his arms around you, stroking your back and holding you close. 

“It's okay darlin’,” He murmured, letting out a sigh. “Your mama wasn't shy with the truth, and you know how she knew things about us we didn't even know? She knew all about you. She told me, and I'm sorry I wasn't there for you.”

“It's okay,” You whispered, pulling back and wiping away your tears. “It was a long time ago. I just..I just want to forget about it.”

“Alright darlin’,” Your dad nodded, letting out a sigh. “Come on, you need some rest.” 

He refused to listen to your protests, taking you to the living room and draping a blanket over you as you got on the couch. You wanted to insist you were fine but all you could do was wrap the blanket around yourself and close your eyes. 

You were dimly aware of noises around you, your dad reading the paper, the radio playing in the background. A dog barking in the distance. At one point, just as you were drifting between sleep and wakefulness, you could have sworn you heard voices in the hallway. 

‘Please sir, I just need to talk to her.”

‘It's not a good time right now.’

The next day, you went out to the garage after breakfast and focused on fixing things you could salvage. Your dad hadn't confirmed your suspicions there had been a visitor the day before, and you didn't ask. Part of you wanted it to be true, and you hated yourself for that desire.

The sun was high in the sky when you heard footsteps approaching, reaching for a clean rag to clean your hands.

“Almost done, I'll be in to make lunch in a second.”

“Hi.”

You took a deep breath as you heard the voice, clutching the rag in your hands before turning and seeing Kerry standing at the entrance to the garage.

“Why didn't you just drive over?” You asked, tossing the rag aside and walking back to the truck in the middle of the garage. 

“I wanted some fresh air.”

“Well now that you've had it you can go home,” You sighed, feeling your hands tremble slightly. “Sorry to make you waste a trip.”

“I'm not going anywhere,” Kerry told you, walking closer. “I need to talk to you.”

“Who says I want to talk to you?” You sighed, keeping your eyes on the engine. 

“Please just let me explain,” Kerry sighed. “You see, I-”

“Explain what?” You interrupted, stepping back and looking over to Kerry. “That you're sorry? You never meant to hurt me, you wish you could take it back, you've lived in regret, blah blah blah. Bullshit. Save your breath.”

Kerry was silent for a moment, keeping his eyes on you before he looked away and nodded.

“I understand that you're upset, but-”

“Oh, you understand,” You scoffed, placing your hands over your heart. “That makes me feel so much better, you understand. If you understood then you wouldn't have done what you did. You never even gave me an answer, you know that? One minute we're planning our future, you're telling me you love me, we're forever, we're going to start a new life. The next minute I'm standing right here waiting for you and you never show. Then I hear you're gone. You're with her and you're heading off to start a future with her. How the fuck could you possibly understand how I feel?”

“David,” Kerry replied. His tone was soft but there was a hardness in his eyes. “That is how I understand. I thought that was all over between you, then I heard you two got back together after our graduation. I took it as you choosing him over me, I had to protect myself.”

“Am I seriously hearing this?” You laughed, shaking your head. “Some idiot told you I was with David and you just believed it?”

“Can you blame me?” Kerry muttered. “Not like you didn't have previous. I wasn't gonna sit around waiting for you again.”

You felt something inside you snapped, and you stormed over to Kerry with a fire in your eyes.

“How dare you say that to me?!” You snapped. “As if you ever sat around waiting for me, don't make me laugh. I was the one sitting around waiting for you to open your eyes.”

“Oh yeah?” Kerry frowned, his voice raising slightly as he stepped forward, his tone growing harsh. “Was this before or after you fucked my brother?”

You took a deep breath, holding Kerry's gaze. 

“Don't you dare, Kerry Von Erich, throw that in my face. You never fucked anyone? Not my best friend, not every girl that was throwing herself at you? And not that it's any of your fucking business,” You held your hand up. “But the only reason David and I started doing anything was because you had stood me up again and he was consoling me. I have been in love with you since I was thirteen years old, and I thought I was destined to be your friend forever. If I couldn't have you then David was the next best thing. But I couldn't officially date him because I knew you'd never want me then. Then I did get you, I finally fucking got you and you saw me, and I..” 

You stopped yourself as you felt tears welling up, trying to push them away. 

“I couldn't believe my luck, I wanted to believe that we could be together forever, you made me feel so loved and so safe and happy then you just ripped it all away. I..I can't deal with this,”

You stormed past Kerry, the tears fully flowing. He called after you, tried to grab your arm but you pulled it away. You could hear him following you, trying to talk to you. You blocked it out, heading up the porch and into the house. Heading into the kitchen, you got yourself a glass of water and tried to calm yourself down.

“Please just let me explain,” Kerry pleaded behind you, fresh tears welling up in your eyes. “I swear I never meant to hurt you.”

You set your glass down, turning around and taking a deep breath. 

“I don't believe that. If you didn't want to hurt me you would have just left, but you left with someone else. You left with my best fucking friend, so don't tell me you didn't want to hurt me.”

You walked past him, heading to the living room and freezing on the spot when you got there. 

“It's not what you think,” Kerry sighed as he approached. “I can explain if you-”

He looked at you before following your gaze.

You felt like time stood still as you ran across the living room and dropped to your knees, your dad lying unconscious on the floor.

“Dad,” You gently shook his shoulder. “Dad it's me, wake up. Come on, wake up now..”

You felt panic set in as he didn't respond, holding your hand to his hot forehead. 

“Dad..please wake up, you're not leaving me. Come on..”

A few minutes later, Kerry appeared by your side, dropping to his knees beside you.

“I called an ambulance, they're on the way,” He explained, gently touching your back. “He's going to be okay, don't you worry.”

“How can you know that,” You murmured, closing your eyes as more tears filled your eyes. “What if I've lost him too?”

“Hey, don't say that,” Kerry wrapped his arms around you and you didn't object, sobbing into his chest. “He's going to be fine,” Kerry whispered, stroking your back. “It's not his time yet, you got him for a whole while longer.”

“I'm still mad at you, you know,” You muttered, taking a shaky breath. “But thank you.”

Everything seemed to happen in a blur. You only remembered clinging to Kerry as paramedics came into the house and got your dad into the ambulance. You held his hand on the ride to the hospital, your head buried in Kerry's shoulder. 

Being back in the hospital waiting room felt like a nightmare. You wanted to be anywhere else, wanted to run away from it all. When Kerry went to get some coffee you wanted to beg him not to leave, but couldn't. When he came back you accepted the coffee with a grateful nod.

“I think we should talk,” You sighed softly, looking over to him. “I don't need another thing hanging over my head. So..just tell me why you left?”

Kerry looked down at his cup for a moment before looking back at you and giving you a nod.

“Alright  let's get this out there. I know that I wasn't perfect, far from it. I swear to you that I had no idea how you felt about me, if I had even suspected you saw me as something other than a friend then..”

He shook his head, laughing softly.

“I wouldn't have been such an idiot. I was crazy about you but I thought you saw me as more like a brother. So I thought I should just date anyone else, try and get over you. Then you and David started hanging out more and I really thought you weren't interested in me. So I just wanted anyone else as a distraction, I was so angry at David for stealing you even though you weren't mine to steal. I would hear you laughing in his room and it would kill me, I just wanted to know why you chose him over me.”

You took a sip of coffee, your heart aching in your chest. After a moment of silence you took a deep breath and looked over to Kerry.

“Why didn't you just come to me when you heard that stupid rumor that me and David were together again?”

Kerry looked up for a moment, letting out a sigh before looking back at you.

“Honestly? I didn't want to hear you confirm it. It would have killed me. I shouldn't have believed it, but I did. I thought you had realized I wasn't good enough for you and I just wanted to get away. So when the opportunity came up I took it.”

You wrapped your hands around your cup, letting out a soft sigh.

“And my best friend?”

Kerry shook his head, clearing his throat. 

“That wasn't anything. We fooled around a little at a party. I was just desperate to get the thought of you being with David out of my mind. She asked if she could come with me when I was leaving but we went our separate ways when we got there.”

You went to reply but stopped when a doctor walked towards you. You reached your hand out to touch Kerry's, hesitating for a moment before he took your hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. 

As it turned out, your dad was indeed going to be fine. He had suffered a minor heart attack, and while he was to be kept overnight for observation, he would make a full recovery.

“Don't say I told you so.” You looked over to Kerry when the doctor left. 

“Never would,” Kerry held his hand over his heart. “I promise.”

You took a deep breath, looking up for a moment.

“I should go see him. I was so scared I wouldn't be able to.”

“Go on,” Kerry smiled softly. “I'll be here.”

You made your way to your dad's ward, finding his bed and letting out a shaky breath when you saw him. He was still with you, still breathing. You sat down beside the bed, touching his hand.

“Thought you were gonna leave me too,” You murmured softly, watching his chest rise and fall slowly. “I would have brought you back to life and killed you again for doing that to me. I should've known you'd pull through, you're too stubborn to go this soon, right? And you got a lot more to pack into this life. Asking Carla out, for one. You think she's going to be won over by the jokes? You need to woo her, she'd be good for you.”

You stood up, stepping closer to the bed.

“I'm gonna be right back here in the morning, okay? You're in safe hands. I love you so much.”

You leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead before pulling back with a smile and heading back to the waiting room. Kerry was still waiting for you, and you tried not to feel too pleased about it. 

“I think I'm gonna head home,” You sighed softly, sitting back down beside Kerry. “I'll come back in the morning, I don't really want to spend the night trying to sleep in one of these chairs.”

“Fair enough,” Kerry nodded. “I can call Kev, get him to give you a ride home.”

“Okay,” You nodded. “Thank you.”

“And by home I mean our home,” Kerry took your hand. “You think I'm gonna let you spend the night alone in your place then you got another thing coming.”

Any urge to protest faded away, you nodded and watched Kerry go to phone Kevin to pick you up. You let out a breath, looking up for a moment before smiling to yourself. 

As it turned out, it was exactly what you needed. Kevin came to pick you up, and very kindly agreed not to tell anyone about your dad. He brought you back to the Von Erich household and any fear you had about things being awkward melted away when Kerry and David seemed to be on perfectly normal terms with each other. 

The boys played football and you cheered them on, feeling a lightness settle over you. When Kerry and Mike won they grabbed you and lifted you up like a trophy, your laughter filling the air as the sun dipped lower in the sky. 

You ate dinner and helped Doris with the dishes and sat half on Kerry's lap when you all watched TV, his arm around your waist. You felt as if the last few years hadn't happened, you were back where you'd always felt happiest.

When the time came to go to bed, you insisted Mike didn't need to give up his bed for you, feeling guilty when he insisted he would. You wouldn't sleep anyway, knowing Kerry was in the bed across the room. You stared up at the ceiling for a while for a while before throwing the blanket off and getting up.

You padded across the room before you found yourself standing by Kerry's bed. He was awake too, looking up at the ceiling before he turned and his eyes met yours, the light of the moon making them seem even more blue.

“Can I get in?” You asked, smiling a little as Kerry immediately moved over and pulled the blanket back for you.

“Couldn't sleep either?”

“No,” You sighed softly, getting into the bed and laying down with your back to Kerry. He moved the blanket over you and kept his hand by your shoulder for a moment before pulling it back.

“Today was..a lot. Just feel like I need to come back down to earth.”

“I get you,” Kerry murmured softly. “Sometimes you just need something familiar.” 

“Well this certainly is,” You raised a brow, smiling as you felt Kerry's hand near your waist. You reached down and pulled his arm around you, relaxing into his touch.

“I can't remember how many nights I slept in this bed.”

“Enough to make us experts at keeping quiet,” Kerry laughed softly.

“I know,” You smiled with a groan. “Oh poor Mike..did he ever find out I was sneaking in here?”

“Nah,” Kerry murmured softly, wrapping his arm around you a little tighter. “Sometimes in the morning he'd ask if I got up in the night or he'd tell me I talk in my sleep. I never corrected him.”

“Well I'm glad we really could keep quiet then,” You murmured softly, turning over and meeting Kerry’s eyes.

“I never said but..thank you for being there with me today. I know I didn't say the nicest things to you, and I stand by them, but..I really appreciate what you did.”

Kerry smiled and gently stroked your waist, giving you a slight shrug.

“Don't mention it, honestly. You would have done the same for me, and..no matter what happened between us I still love you, I'll always love you.”

“I'll always love you too,” You smiled softly. “We both did stupid things, we both ended up right back here. I'm sure that means something but I don't want to think about it too much right now.”

“That's okay,” Kerry smiled, letting out a breath. “It's been a long day, why don't you get some sleep.”

“I will,” You murmured softly, glancing down for a moment and taking a deep breath. “But I need to do one thing first.”

You leaned in closer, closing your eyes as your lips pressed against Kerry's. For a moment you worried he wasn't going to kiss you back, but your heart soared when he did, his arm pulling you closer.

In the morning there would be a chat about the future, you would have to bring your dad home from the hospital, carry on with normal life.

But, the night was young enough to not worry about all that, and you planned to make the most of it.

[bidotorg]

"From the very first episode, Elizabeth is flanked by her ever-reliable, tirelessly loyal, and impeccably prepared assistant Blake Moran (played by Erich Bergen). The series initially coded his character in a way most will read as gay. It was all the Hollywood clichés: too coiffed, meticulously neat, even a bit of the stereotypical 'gay' accent. And yet the show curiously held back from embracing his seeming homosexuality. He did not call himself gay, we did not see him in any relationships, and his character consistently made a concerted effort to obfuscate the sex of the people he dated, a fact remarked upon by his peers. In time, we learn that this was a deliberate choice made by the writers, not to perpetuate the cowardly trope of having a queer character whose queerness exists only by inference, but to turn common sexuality assumptions on their head.

"In season three, we finally see Blake meet an ex-boyfriend at a bar, and the two get into an argument that at first appears to be over the fact that Blake refuses to own his sexuality as a gay man. But it turns out that Blake is actually bi, which his former lover rejects. The encounter upsets Blake so much that the usually private and even-keeled assistant holds up Secretary McCord’s motorcade to come out as bisexual. In a bi speech for the ages, he voices the pent-up frustrations so many bi people feel about being erased or misunderstood for not fitting neatly into a 'straight' or 'gay' binary. He says the words so many shows and films avoid: 'I’m bisexual.' He even calls out 'biphobia' by name. There’s a moment of uncertainty where he — and the audience — hold their breath to see how Elizabeth will react. She wordlessly steps out of the car and embraces him."

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed Thursday adding a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which he said will address the country's gun violence crisis.

The amendment would raise the minimum age to purchase a gun from 18 to 21, mandate universal background checks, institute a reasonable waiting period for all gun purchases and bar civilians from purchasing assault weapons, according to a statement from the Governor's office.

"This will guarantee states as well the ability to enact common sense gun safety laws, while leaving the Second Amendment intact, and respecting America's gun owning tradition," Newsom said in a video statement. "The 28th Amendment locks in the common sense constitutional protections that Democrats, Republicans, Independents and gun owners overwhelmingly support and ensures NRA-owned politicians can never strip those protections away."

6 in 10 Americans, including 4 in 10 gun owners, said controlling gun violence is more important than protecting gun rights – the highest percentage in a decade – according to a national poll released last month.

Newsom told Politico and NBC the move was inspired in part by the rollback of gun safety measures by the courts.

The move comes amid speculation that Newsom may run for President, which grew after he won a second term as Governor, which ends in 2026, and dropped $10 million on a new political action committee. Newsom has denied planning to run in 2024 or 2028, saying he supports President Joe Biden and wants Vice President Kamala Harris, a fellow Californian, to be President.

PROPOSAL SPARKS CRITICISM FROM GUN GROUPS

The move has drawn opposition from gun-ownership groups. A spokesperson for The National Rifle Association said in a statement to USA TODAY that the majority of Americans reject Newsom's "California-style gun control.”

“Newsom’s latest publicly stunt once again shows that his unhinged contempt for the right to self-defense has no bounds," the statement said. "California is a beacon for violence because of Newsom’s embrace of policies that champion the criminal and penalize the law-abiding."

Erich Pratt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America said "Newsom's proposals will fail miserably to control crime."

"It's a foreign concept to wealthy anti-gun political elites like Mr. Newsom that the common people have a right to possess arms for self-defense and repelling government tyranny, so it's no surprise to us that he hopes to butcher that right with a new Constitutional amendment," he said in a statement to USA TODAY.

ADDING CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 'WON'T BE EASY'

Adding a constitutional amendment requires either a two-thirds majority vote by both houses of Congress or a constitutional convention convened by two-thirds of State legislatures, according to Thomas Donnelly, chief content officer at the National Constitution Center. None of the 27 amendments to the Constitution have been proposed by a convention and the last time the Constitution was amended was in 1992, he said.

Three-fourths of the states must ratify the proposed amendment in order for it to become part of the Constitution, Donnelly said. Donnelly declined to speculate on the likelihood of Newsom's success. But he said the process is "meant to be difficult."

"The Founders really wanted to limit new amendments to those that can actually secure the broad support of the American people, so for them, they would have said 'an idea that would transcend faction,'" he said. "Today, we would say it's often something that's going to transcend partisan politics."

Given the impact of the Supreme Court's landmark ruling on gun control last year, "something like a Constitutional amendment may seem absolutely necessary," according to Michael Waldman, president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law.

Waldman, author of "The Supermajority: How the Supreme Court Divided the Country," called Newsom's approach, which leaves the Second Amendment intact but allows for "common sense gun laws" that may be palatable to some gun rights supporters, creative and interesting. He said Newsom's amendment "is not likely to happen, but it's important to think about it."

"Constitutional amendments seem completely impossible to do until suddenly they seem doable, and that's how it's worked all throughout our history," Waldman said. "If the Court's doctrine is so misguided and the carnage on the streets is so undeniable, you might get a surprising outcome."

Newsom acknowledged how challenging the process would be, saying "this fight won't be easy, and it certainly won't be fast."

California State Sen. Aisha Wahab and Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer will introduce a joint resolution to make California the first state to call for a convention, also called an Article V Convention or amendatory convention, according to the Governor's statement.

Newsom will then work with "grassroots supporters, elected and civic leaders, and broad and diverse coalitions across the nation" to get similar resolutions passed in the 33 other states required to convene the convention, the statement said.

"California will be the first but that's just the beginning," Newsom said in a statement.

[lususnatura]

feeling strangely sentimental this sunday afternoon, so i just wanted you all to know, blamore used to work as a piano player at a bar during college once it turned 21 — and i think that is honestly... SO fitting for him for some reason. like blamore playing billy joel songs on the piano like 'piano man' and 'just the way you are?' umm, YES. it would be that eccentric piano player in an underground bar somewhere. also, fun fact, this is where blamore met erich förstner (his ex-boyfriend) so yeahhh. the man got to see it playing the piano in action, haha

[444namesplus]

all character names used in the song of ice and fire pile

addam addison adrack adrian aegon aegor aelyx aemma aemon aemond aenar aenys aerea aerion aeron aeryn aerys aethan aethelmure aggo agnes ahai aladale aladore alan alannys alaric alarra alayaya alayne albar albett albin alchemist alekyne alerie alester alfyn alicent all allar alleras alliser allyria alton alvyn alyce alyn alys alysanne alyssa amarei amerei amory amos and andar andrey andrik andros androw anguy annara antario anya archer archon's ardrian aregelle areo argella arianne arlan armen armond aron arra arrana arrec arryk arryn arsa arstan arthur artos arwood arwyn arya arys asha ashara ashford aubrey aurane aurion axell ayrmidon azor b baelish baelon baelor balaq balerion ball balman balon banefort bar baratheon barbara barber barbrey barneby barra barre barristan barthogan bass bastards beesbury bella bellanora bellegere bellena bellonara belly ben benard benedict benfred benfrey benifer benjen benjicot bennard bennarion bennifer benton beren berena beric bernarr beron bertrand bess beth bethany bettley bharbo big billy biter black blackbar blackberry blackfyre blackshield blacktyde blackwood blade blood bloody blount blue boarkiller boisterous bolton boremund boros bors borys botley bowen boy bracken bran branda brandon brax braxton breaker brella brienne brightstone bronn broome brother brother brune brus bryan bryce bryen brynden bryndon buckler bullock bulwer bump burley burton byan byrch byron bywater c cadwyl cafferen caleotte calla captain captain's cargyll caron cassana cassel cassella caswell category catelyn catspaw cayn cedric celtigar cerelle cerenna cerissa cersei cerwyn ceryse character characters characters charlton chataya chayle chett chiggen children clarent clayton clegane clement cleos cletus cleyton clifton clydas cockshaw codd cohollo coldhands colemon colin colmar commander commander's connington corbray corlys corne correy coryanne costayne courtesan cousin cox craghorn

crake crakehall crane cregan cregard creighton cressen creylen crow culiper cuy cynthea cyrelle cyrenna d daario dacey dacks daegon daella daemion daemon daenerys daenora daenys daeron daeryssa dagmer dagon dale dalt dalton damion damon danny danos danwell dareon daring darke darklyn darlessa darnold darry daryn daughter daughter daven davos daxos dayne deana deceased deem delena demonlover denyo denys desmera desmond devan deziel dick dickon dobber donal dondarrion donel donella donnel donnis donnor dontos doran doreah dormund dorna dornishman dragons drogo drumm drunkard dryn duckfield duncan dunstable dunstan duram durran durrandon durwald dusk duskendale dusky dustin duur dyanna dykk dywen e ebrose eddara eddard eddison edgar edgerran edmund edmure edmyn edric edwell edwyle edwyn edyth eerl egen elaena elder eldred eleyna elia elinda elinor ella ellard ellaria ellyn elmar elmo elric elwood elyas elyn elys elysar emberlei emma emmett emmon emmond emory endrew erena erenford erich ermesande erren erryk essie estermont estren ethan euron ever eye eyed f falena falyse farman farring farwynd father fenn fergon flatnose flement fletcher flint florent florian florys flowers folk follard fool foote for forel fork forley foss fossoway fox franklyn free frenken frey from g gael gaemon gage galbart gardener gared gareth garibald garlan garrison garse garth gaunt gawen gendry genna gerald geremy gerion germund gerold gerrick gevin gilbert gilliane gilly gilly's glendon glover godry gold goodbrook goodbrother goode goren gormon gormond gorold gower graceford gran grance greatjon green greenbeard greenfield greenhand gregor grell grenn grey greydon greyiron greyjoy griffith grover groves guard guncer gwayne gwenys gwin gwynesse gylbert gyldayn gyles gysella h h'ghar haegon haereg haggo haggon hagon haigh hairy hake hal halder hali halleck hallis hallyne halys hammer hardy hardyng hareth harlan harlaw harlon harma harmen harmond harmund harrag harras harren harrion harrold harron harry harwin harwyn harys hawick hayford heddle helman hendry henly herndon hero herrock heward hibald high hightower hill hilmar historical hoare hoarfrost hoat hobb hobber hobert hodor hogg hoke hollard holly hop horas horgan horn

hornwood horpe horse horton horys hosman hosteen hostella hoster hot hotah hotho howard howland hubard hubert hugh hugo hullen humble humfrey hunter huntsman husband illifer illyrio ilyn imry irri iv ix j jacaerys jacelyn jack jacks jaehaerys jafer jaime jalabhar jammos janei janna janos jaqen jared jaremy jason jasper jast jax jayne jennis jenny jenye jeor jeren jeyne jhiqui jhogo jirelle joanna jocasta jocelyn joffrey johanna john jojen jommo jon jonah jonnel jonos jonothor jonquil jorah joron jorquen jory joseran joseth joss josua joy joyeuse jurene justin justman jyck k kaeth kandaq karlon karstark karyl kedge kegs kella kenning kermit kettleblack kevan kezmya kindly king king kings kingsblood kingsblood's kingsguard knight knights kurleket kyndall kyra l lad laenor lake lambert lancel langward lanna lannister larence lark larys last laswell leana leathers leek lefford lelia lem lemoncloak lenwood leo leobald leona leonella leonette leslyn lester lew lewyn lewys lharys lia lianna lickspittle lily locke lodos lollys lomys long longbough longleaf longthorpe longwaters lonmouth lonnel loraq loras lorch lord lord loren lorence lorent loreon lorimar lorimer loron lorra lothar lothor lucamore lucas luceon lucifer lucimore lucinda lucion luthor luwin lyanna lyarra lydden lyle lyman lymond lyn lynara lynora lyonce lyonel lysa lythene m mace mad maege maegelle maegon maegor maekar maelor maelys maester maia maid maldon malegorn malleon mallery mallister mallor man mance manderly mandon manfred manfrey manfryd manly marbrand

margaery margaret marghaz margot mariah marillion maris mariya mark marla marlon marna maron marq marqelo marsella marsh martell martyn maryam masha maslyn massey matarys mathis matthar mattheus matthew maz meadows medgar medrick medwick meera megga meha melantha melara meldred melesa melessa melisandre melissa mellario melony melwyn merianne meribald merlon merlyn mern merrell merrett merryweather mervyn meryn mikken milk mina minisa mirri mo mohor mollander mollen monarchs moon moore mooton mopatis mord mordane moreo morgan morgarth morgon mormont moro morrec morrigen morros mors morya moryn mott mounts mullendore mullin mully munda murenmure musgood mya mycah mychel myles myr myranda myrcella myre myriame myrielle mysaria n naerys naggle naharis nan narha night's norbert norcross norjen norman normund norne norren norrey norridge norvos notch noye nute nymeria o o' oak oakenshield oakheart oarsman obara oberyn of old olene olenna ollidar olymer olyvar olyver omer ondrew orbert orkwood ormond ormund orryn orton orys osbert oscar osfryd osha osmund osney osric oswald oswell oswyck oswyn othell otherys othgar otho othor ottyn owen oznak p paege pahl palehair patchface pate pater patrek paul paxter payne peake penny pennytree penrose perceon peremore perianne perkin perra perriane perwyn petyr philip pie piper plummer podrick polliver poole porther pov praed pree prentys prester preston prince

princes promised prudence prunella pryor puckens pyat pycelle pyg pyke pypar q qalen qarl qarlton qhored qhorin qhorwyn qorgyle qotho quaithe quaro queen quellon quenten quentin quenton quentyn quincy qyburn qyle r ragged rakharo ralf rambton ramsay randyll rast raven ravos raya rayder raylon raymont raymun raymund raynald raynard reach red redbeard redfort redpool redwyne reed reference regenard regis regnar renfred renly rennifer reynard reyne reysen rhae rhaegal rhaegar rhaegel rhaella rhaelle rhaenyra rhalla rhea rhogoro ricasso richard rickard rickon rivers rob robar robard robb robert robett robin robyn roderick rodrik rodwell roger rogers rognar rohanne roland rolder rollam rolland rolley rolly rolph romny ronel ronnal ronnel roone roose roote rorge roryn rosamund rosby rose rosey roslin rowan roxton roy royce rufus rupert rus russell ruttiger ryam rycherd ryella ryger ryk rykker rylene ryman rymolf rymond ryswell s saan sabitha salladhor sallei saltcliffe samantha samgood samwell sand sandor sansa santagar sara saranella sargon sarra sarsfield sarya satin sawane scales scarb seastar seaworth sebaston selmond selmy selwyn selyse senelle septon serena serra serry serwyn sevenstreams shadrich shae shaena shagwell sharp she shella shepherd shett shiera shierle shireen shirei shortear shrike shrykos sigfry sigfryd sigorn simon sister sisterton skahaz skinchangers sloane slynt small smallwood smike smiling snow son son soulless sour sparr spicer spotted squire stackspear stafford

stallion stannis stark starvling staunton steffarion steffon stevron stillwood stiv stokeworth stone stonehouse stonetree storm stout strickland strong suggs sumner sunglass surly swann sweet swyft sybell sylas sylvenna sylwa symond syrio t taena tagaros talbert tall talla tallhart tally tanda tanner tarbeck targaryen tarle tarly tarth tawney templeton teora ternesio terys tess that the the theo theodore theomore theon thoren thorne thoros three timeon timotty tion titus tobho todder todric togarion tollett tom tomard tommen torghen torgon torrhen torwyn torwynd tower towers toyne trant tree tregar tristifer triston trystane tully tumitis turnberry turnip tyana tybolt tyene tygett tyler tyrek tyrell tyrion tyrion's tysane tysha tyta tytos tywald tywin u ulf uller umber umfred umma urragon urras urrathon urrigon urron urswyck uther utherydes uthor utt v vaegon vaellyn valaena valerion valiant vance varamyr vardis vargo varly varys vayon velaryon veron vickon victaria victarion victor vikary vines visenya viserra viserys volmark vorian vortimer votyris w waif walda walder walderan waldon walgrave wallace wallen walter walton waltyr walys was waters watt waymar wayn waynwood weaver webber weeper wendamyr wendel westerlands westerling westling wex whalen whent white whittlestick who wick wife wildling will willamen willas willem william willis willow wind wineseller winterfell wode wolves woman woodcock woolfield world woth wulfgar wull wyl wylde wylis wylla wyman wynafrei wynafryd wynch wynton wythers x xaro xho xhoan y yandry yarwyck yew ygon ygritte yohn yorbert yoren yorko youngest yronwood ysabel ysilla z zo zollo

[lichtecht]

DFK 2023 AUDIOBOOK TRANSLATION MASTERPOST

PART 1 - In which we meet Martina and she receives a fateful letter.

PART 2 - In which Martina arrives in Kirchberg and meets Matze & Uli, who tell her how things go around here.

PART 3 - In which Martina meets Jo, who throws her suitcase on a car, and the kids discover a hidden train wagon.

PART 4 - In which the Nichtraucher and the handsome Theodor first appear and the kids are sent to Bökh's office.

PART 5 - In which Bökh makes a deal with the custodian Mr. Rothe and Martina gets called a doctor's daughter.

PART 6 - In which Martina makes a phone call, Oskar burns some eggs and Matze & Uli have a conversation.

PART 7 - In which Herr Bökh gets described as an "unglücklicher Spießer" and Direktorin Kreuzkamm complains to him.

PART 8 - In which Direktorin Kreuzkamm gets flustered, Bökh invokes a punishment and Martina decides to skate.

PART 9 - In which the plans for the play are shared and set into motion but Egerland doesn't get to play a girl.

PART 10 - In which the kids meet the Nichtraucher.

PART 11 - In which the kids start filming, Uli gets roasted by the audiobook narrator and Jo receives some bad news.

PART 12 - In which Robert as the narrator drops a quote about running away, Theo's fingers experience an unfortunate collision with the piano lid and Jo gets kidnapped.

PART 13 - In which Matze gives advice to Uli about doing something brave and the Nichtraucher gives advice about writer's block and fights before going for a swim.

PART 14 - In which we bear witness to the most embarassing duel in history.

PART 15 - In which the kids throw sand at each other, Jo comes free and Erich Kästner is misquoted.

PART 16 - In which the Internals are sent to Bökh's office a second time.

PART 17 - In which Justus Bökh tells his story.

PART 18 - In which Martina has to break her promise to Oskar and Jo tells her story.

PART 19 - In which the kids put the pieces together and both Justus Bökh and the Nichtraucher are met with an unexpected surprise.

PART 20 - In which Justus and Robert have a conversation in the train wagon and stare at each other incessantly.

PART 21 - In which Uli is stuck in a trash can on top of a closet and Direktorin Kreuzkamm says a quote from the book.

PART 22 - In which Uli announces he'll prove his bravery, Jo & Martina have a fight and Jo talks to and plays piano with the Nichtraucher.

PART 23 - In which Uli climbs a wall.

PART 24 - In which Uli falls and Justus & Robert meet at the hospital.

PART 25 - In which the Internals make plans, Martina gets help from Bökh and Ruda talks to her mother.

PART 26 - In which almost all conflicts get resolved in a few minutes.

PART 27 - In which the school closing celebration takes place.

PART 28 - In which the kids finish their play, Justus & Robert once again stare at each other for very long and Martina takes her admission test.

PART 29 - In which Martina & Jo parallel the 2003 movie, Justus & Robert meet at a bar, Martina gets accepted into the boarding school and everyone lives happily ever after.

The Secret Part 30 - Translation of the song lyrics of "Mit Träumen kann man fliegen"

[tmwwriting]

Inspired by the outrageous costs of both classical and jazz concerts near me. And because you can never have enough crackfic AU - Orchestra ideas:

Diana Burnwood and 47 as the concert mistress and pianist for the most prestigious philharmonic in the world. 

Diana, who enters the industry bloody and with a little chip on her shoulder from her name and her money and her tragic, dead family—hiding it (poorly) behind ruthless competence. Unassuming and polite but so, so hungry. Watches. Learns. Claws her way to 1st chair at a perfectly respectable orchestra. 

Recruited to the ICA when Erich Soders attends one of her concerts and poaches her from the organization who can't match the ICA's offer. The only seat available is with the second violins, but Diana trusts Soders when he tells her to be patient. 

She's the one who finds 47 and has him audition for the ICA residency program. There will never be any soloist better, the board knows that before he's ten measures into the concerto she picked out for him, and they lock him into a hefty contract to keep him at ICA. 

Diana eventually replaces Soders a few years later as 1st chair, though he claims his retirement was voluntary and he's very happy on the board now, thank you very much.

vs.

Lucas Grey and Olivia Hall in a wildly popular jazz ensemble that's blowing people away with their sheer passion and skill and they've gone viral over the past few years with their stunts aimed at criticizing the music industry as a whole.

The music translates better when it's democratized the way they're so careful to do, when it's played in subway stations and cheap bars and street corners. (They never get the proper permits, but they're gone by the time anyone comes along to check.) 

They don't offer tickets for sale—they cover their own overhead at the places they play—nor give any kind of advance notice of where they'll be playing next. There's only a website with a single page with no useful information, and a massive cult following on social media. 

It's a little creepy how their drummer seems to be wearing a rubber mask meant to look like a face, but it's very dark in a lot of these clubs, so who knows for sure.

They particularly bother Soders, who spends more time than he should bitching about this group to anyone who will listen, and who takes their criticism of gatekeeping and snobbery a bit too personally. Olivia leaks an audio recording of an ICA board meeting to the media, then reposts a report of it on a burner account with the caption "kicked dogs yelp".

[if-tomorrow-never-comes]

The Libertines return with ‘Run Run Run’ and announce new album ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade’

“We're over the moon, and the ball is in the back of the net," declares Pete Doherty, as the band also announce intimate Margate shows

ByAndrew Trendell

The Libertines have returned with new single ‘Run Run Run’, as well as announcing details of their long-awaited fourth album ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade’ and some intimate Margate shows.

READ MORE: The Albion Rooms: Watch Carl Barat show us around The Libertines’ hotel and studio

Arriving on March 8, ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade’ is the long-mooted follow-up to 2015’s ‘Anthems For Doomed Youth’, with the first taster arriving in the form of launch single ‘Run Run Run’ – a classic yet subtly raucous Libs indie dancefloor anthem that sees them reflect on their standing after more than two decades, as Carl Barat begins: “It’s the lifelong project of a life on the lash”.

“It’s about being trapped, and trying to escape your dismal life, a bit like the man in Bukowski’s Post Office,” said Barat of the track. “The worst thing for The Libertines would be to get stuck in a ‘Run-run-run’ rut – constantly trying to relive our past.”

As well as sharing a name with Erich Maria Remarque’s anti-war novel, the album’s title is in honour of the band’s Margate hotel, studio, restaurant and bar, The Albion Rooms – which is also depicted on the sleeve with a dramatic cast of characters from the world of faded seaside glamour.

Consisting of 11 new tracks with songwriting credits shared among all four of the band, ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade’ was produced by Dimitri Tikovoï (The Horrors/Charli XCX/Becky Hill) and recorded at The Albion Rooms in just four weeks back in February and March of 2023, before being finished over a wee at La Ferme de Gestein Studios in Normandy. Additional production and mixing comes from Dan Grech-Marguerat (Lana Del Rey/Liam Gallagher/Paul McCartney).

Despite having been attempting work on writing the album for some years, the indie veterans have said that their previously reported sessions at Geejam in Port Antonio, Jamaica

saw Barat and Pete Doherty’s chemistry reform, before returning to Margate to reconvene with bassist John Hassall and drummer Gary Powell where, as Doherty explained, “we really came together as a band for “a moment of rare peace and unity, with all the members contributing.”

Doherty continued: “We’re over the moon, the ball is in the back of the net, and I’m chuffed for the lads!”

“I feel like we’ve completed a cycle of some kind as a band, and finally now we can add these songs to the setlist, because we’ve got some bangers in there. Now we’ve opened the hotel and used the studio ourselves and it’s all worked out – more Libertines records? I should hope so!”

Barat, meanwhile, added: “Our first record was born out of panic, and disbelief that we were actually allowed to be in a studio; the second was born of total strife and misery; the third was born of complexity; this one feels like we were all actually in the same place, at the same speed, and we really connected.”

The Libertines’ new album ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade’ is available on CD, deluxe CD, 12” vinyl in limited edition coloured variants, deluxe double vinyl cassette and digital download on March 8.

Fans who pre-order the album will be offered the chance to purchase tickets for ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade – described as “two days of special acoustic and electric live shows by The Libertines” at the 500-capacity Lido in Margate on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 December. VIP after party tickets at the Albion Rooms and Justine’s nightclub, including full band DJ sets, will also be available.

The tracklist to ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade’ is: 

‘Run, Run, Run’ ‘Mustang’ ‘Have A Friend’ ‘Merry Old England’ ‘Man With The Melody’ ‘Oh Shit’ ‘Night Of The Hunter’ ‘Baron’s Claw’ ‘Shiver’ ‘Be Young’ ‘Songs They Never Play On The Radio’

Speaking to NME back in 2019, Doherty said that the band had been exploring a number of ambitious directions on new material, likening it to the diversity of The Clash‘s divisive ‘Sandinista’.

Drummer Gary Powell then told NME in August last year that the band were “not going to try and reinvent the wheel… but I think we can push the boat out a little more while still bringing something that has the same emotional integrity and dynamism that the audience craves when they come to a Libertines show.”

[givemearmstopraywith]

hey tthank you so much for being vocal about palestine! it's been so offputting seeing other theologians and the vague jesus side of tumblr be so quiet about this. i know Everyone should be talking about this but i feel it especially disappointing in their cases

hey!! this is really kind of you- i honestly feel like i haven't been saying enough (there isn't actually an "enough" as long as palestine is not free). i can't speak to the experiences and feelings of other bloggers in whatever jesus community we've created on this website but at least in my own experience up until i was in my late teens i had been in christian communities where you weren't given a choice on how to feel about palestine. i don't think there's an excuse for silence, or for passive compliance, but i do empathize with the difficulty of undoing your thinking on a topic that you've been essentially brainwashed into believing, especially when that is tied up with your religious beliefs and convictions (i have a very militantly zionist mother, unfortunately, so i think about this a lot). when i was growing up, and i'm sure it's worse now, it was just a given that as a christian, or someone in a christian space you would be pro-israel. this was the early to mid 2000s, so that came automatically with certain implications about islam, palestine, and the arab world in general that was anchored in fearmongering and very islamophobic. it's basically brainwashing. western christianity and zionism are deeply and inherently bound up- they historically always have been, with christian zionism directly precluding the emergence of fundamentalist evangelical movements in the 19th century. it's as equally bound up in antisemitism, and now with islamophobia, because christianity lends itself to the propagation of political goals and therefore with genocide (there's a reason why part of nazism's platform was the concept that hitler was "finishing" martin luther's reformation). erich fromm writes about this in his paper "the dogma of christ" which i highly recommend- how the messianic movement of jesus became warped by hellenistic greeks and romans so that rather than empowering the working class, it disempowered them to become compliant in their own domination by bonding earthly and heavenly authorities as singular. christianity as a religious ideology could never be used to justify being pro-israel or being quiet about genocide, but as a political ideology it's actually really malleable to support both of those things, and to staying quiet about them.

i think people have a hard time a) wrapping their minds around the idea that christianity is compliant in something that in theory it should be against, like genocide, and b) that a genocide is happening at all. but ultimately, having a hard time with intellectualizing something is a privilege that only the privileged can have: intellectualizing is a privilege. but ultimately this isn't a commentary on the community on tumblr so much as it is on conversations i've had with christians over the last few months, and the point is that none of this matters, because the experience of westerners doesn't matter in the scheme of palestinian genocide, or any genocide. we love to make conversations about ourselves and how hard it is for us to watch, and it does not fucking matter. being vocal is not even the bare minimum, it's just being a decent person. the bar is on the floor and every time i see footage of parents mourning their children i think about my own family who lost children during the holocaust and i feel so enraged because we already went through this once, in living memory, and people were incredibly passive then too, and it frustrates me because over and over agendas and politics and personal feelings wind up mattering more than the most vulnerable people, the people who are actively suffering. the fact that there are sides to take is baffling to me. anyway thank you for this skdfhgdfg

[crownsofsorrow]

. ✧ . * . ⌜ leo suter, 29, cis male, he/him / a nobody’s soldier by hozier + waves crashing against a ship in the black of night, you were dead - and yet here you are, a ship disappearing into the black of night on a mission designed to be your own final stand, your father always said your life would amount to nothing - it’s only natural that you live your life trying to prove a dead man wrong, your childhood ended the day you were sent to the sea, even the prince of darkness once loved the sun so much he flew too close - to his own death ⌟ high greetings to CASSIUS GREYJOY, the PRINCE of THE IRON ISLANDS, also known as THE IRONBORN GHOST, THE PIRATE KING. though they can be a bit ARROGANT & RECALCITRANT, those closest to them will tell you they’re FERVID & ADROIT. perhaps that’s why they’ve placed their loyalties with HOUSE GREYJOY. and are AGAINST the coronation of a high king. may the gods have mercy on their soul.

BASICS.

full name : cassius balon greyjoy

nicknames : cas

epithets : the ironborn ghost, the pirate king

titles : prince of the iron islands, king of the pirates, former captain of the leviathan, captain of the black dread

gender / pronouns : cis man, he/him

sexuality : bisexual

date of birth : the twenty-first day of the sixth moon, 360 A.D.

age : twenty-nine

place of birth : pyke, the iron islands, westeros

accent : westerosi

languages : the common tongue, the summer tongue, some high valyrian and some dothraki

allegiance : house greyjoy himself

religion : the drowned god

APPEARANCE.

faceclaim : leo suter

height : 6'5"

eye color : green

hair color : brown

dominant hand : ambidextrous

PERSONALITY.

positive traits : fervid, adroit, adaptable, astute, dauntless

negative traits : arrogant, recalcitrant, cynical, vindictive, brazen

RELATIONSHIPS.

parents : torwyn greyjoy ✝ & morya greyjoy née tully ✝

siblings : harwyn greyjoy ✝, erich greyjoy ✝, -- greyjoy ( current king of the iron islands & older brother ), -- greyjoy ( older sister ), -- greyjoy ( older brother ), -- greyjoy ( older brother ), -- lannister née greyjoy ( twin sister ), -- greyjoy ( younger sister )

spouse : n/a, previously betrothed (wanted connection below)

children : n/a that he knows of

ADDITIONAL INFO.

cassius greyjoy was not born to rule the sea or iron isles, the seventh child and sixth son of torwyn greyjoy, cassius would never be king, nothing more than another spare. cassius was the oldest of the greyjoy twins and a sickly babe. torwyn would have sent him to the drowned god if not for morya. it had not been an easy pregnancy or labor for the queen. torwyn seemed to hold a grudge against his own infant son for what the long labor did to his wife, something that would carry over through-out cassius' life. cassius was a strong-willed and loud child, always telling jokes and doing whatever he could to keep those around him laughing. it was only when in the presence of his father that cassius was quiet. he did all he could to hide in the shadows and avoid torwyn's attention or worse yet, his wrath. being sickly as a babe meant cassius wasn't nearly as strong as his five elder brothers. it took him longer to hit the same milestones they did, another mark against him in torwyn's books. morya endured seeing her happy little jokester turn to stone in the presence of her husband, something cassius never understood. cassius never stopped wanting for his father's approval, not until the death of his mother. morya was killed during the iron islands' first encounter with the thing that came in the night, while attempting to bar the beast from entering a the room her three youngest children hid, the room that had once been each of her nine children's nursery. cassius had been in the room with his twin and youngest sister. a sword, too large for him, clutched in his hands, his sisters against the far wall as the twelve year old prince stood at the door, waiting for a beast to come for him. he would stand against the monster to protect his sisters, even if it gave them only a few extra moments to flee. cassius would go on to cite that day as the day he became a man, as he listened to his mother, the only loving parent he had, being torn apart by he creature he had never even seen. in the years following his mother's death, the young prince dedicated himself to becoming the best ironborn warrior he could be, training sunrise to sunset. often refusing the help offered from his older brothers, he wanted to prove himself, needed to prove himself. cassius never got the chance to gain his father's approval. just two years after the death of his mother, death had come to claim his father as well. cassius stood by his eldest brother's side as harwyn was crowned as king of the iron islands. the boy might have been a sickly babe, but now at just fourteen years of age, cassius greyjoy was given command of a ship in the iron fleet. perhaps it had started as a cruel joke by the elder greyjoy siblings, wanting to embarrass their youngest brother, or perhaps they had truly believed in the boy, but cassius exceeded all expectations. his crew was young and untried, but the leviathan's crew was deemed strong enough for patrol and guarding pyke until they were battle ready. fast forward ten years and cassius had truly proved himself, in battle, as a captain and as a prince. now, at twenty-four, he was betrothed and the captain of one of the most notorious ships in the iron fleet. cassius and his crew were to set sail on a mission given to them by his brother, harwyn and the king of the crownlands, daemon velaryon. leaving behind his family, and betrothed, cassius wanted to make one decision for himself. the night before he was set to leave with his crew he took his betrothed and wed her in a secret ceremony with only them and a maester present. the pair spent only one night together as husband and wife before cassius set sail, hoping this mission would be what finally ended this war. it was a stormy day, cassius knew the waters would be rough, but they were on a strict time frame and cassius chose to power through, believing in his crew. the leviathan was never seen again.

from this point the bio is kind of a mess, mostly due to me not entirely having the timeline of events fully worked out. and bc i got tired of writing

in the five years since he set sail with his crew cassius had become shipwrecked near the summer isles, him and his surviving crew being rescued and spending time on the islands before acquiring another ship and attempting to return to westeros.

in true odyssea fashion however they would be taken captive by a crew of pirates. after some time, cassius took over as captain of the pirate crew, becoming known as a fearsome captain and well seasoned warrior. mostly keeping in the seas near lys.

at some point, cassius would be "crowned" as the pirate king. it was most likely very dread pirate roberts ala the princess bride and the title was passed to him.

word traveled across the narrow sea of daemon velaryon being crowned as the high king of westeros, and so the pirate king set sail once again, for home this time.

CONNECTIONS.

cassius' ex wife : so when cas didn't return from his mission and was presumed dead, his wife returned to her family. i feel like having a "secret" child could be fun, especially if she remarried quickly and passed their child off as her new husbands.

crew members / second and third in command : they would have been missing and presumed dead along side cassius for the past five years, probably the closest friends cassius has, especially after spending a while five years together when most of the crew had either died or dipped, they stayed by his side.

[tenth-sentence]

But there isn't much going on in there now.

"The Way Back" - Erich Maria Remarque

[sylvienerevarine]

Sophrine the Dragonborn comes from a long line of people that just married whoever

(eep, thank you for 100 followers! some explanations below cut)

Sylvie the Nerevarine (and Bathmar Bold-Lute)

Sylvie met her future husband at the Thirsk Mead Hall on Solstheim, after she killed the Udyrfrykte, took its heart as a trophy, and became the new chieftain (this is a normal Loredas for her). It's hard not to be attracted to someone whose entire job is to sing your troll-related praises. Bathmar originally hails from Riften but wound up on Solstheim during a folk-song-research expedition, and stuck around for the booze and the terrifying ginger women. Sylvie and Bathmar had one daughter...

Falura "Lulu" Flame-Heart (and Sylveron Llervu)

Lulu, named after her mother's best friend, dresses like Island Barbie because she spent a significant percentage of her youth sailing around the world with her parents. They got back to Morrowind just before the mountain exploded, and Sylvie managed to gather some family and friends on Solstheim because she sensed some shit was going down. Lulu married her childhood friend Sylveron Llervu (named after his mother's best friend). Sylveron was supposed to take over as Zainab Ashkhan one day, but after all that fell apart, he and Lulu had three kids, the middle one being...

Svenja Llervu (and Erich One-Eye)

Svenja, named after a family friend from Solstheim, grew up with her parents in the city of Blacklight (it's spectacular!) before she went off to study at the Arcane University. After college she scored a job in Bruma, where she met Erich, local blacksmith and all-around good lad. Erich's family thought he was a bit weird for marrying a part-elf mage lady, but her common-cold remedy is on point, so the family grew to love her. Svenja and Erich have two daughters, the elder being...

Ilse the Healer (and Gerard Aulette)

As soon as Ilse hit twenty-one she hit the road and started working her way around Tamriel, making potions and hunting weird things. She did quite a few interesting things, like finding pirate treasure in Hammerfell and high-fiving an Alfiq, before she found herself in the Stormhaven village of Left Bank. Therein she met Gerard Aulette, son of the local innkeepers, and fell madly in love with his souffle skills. The two got married, Ilse finally managed to settle down, and the family was blessed with two children, Bertie and...

Sophrine Aulette (and Roggi Knot-Beard)

What can be said about these two that hasn't already been said? Their meet-cute was one party blackmailing the other into not paying his bar tab. They can have hours-long conversations about food and beverages. One of them is a superhero chef with the wrong type of soul, and the other is a completely normal guy. They think it's funny to have sex in haunted caves. I love them.

[jules-has-notes]

Avengers: Thunder (Unexpected Musical) — PattyCake Productions music video

Few movie franchises have had a greater impact on the film industry and online fandom in the 21st century than the MCU, particularly when the first Avengers movie brought together heroes from across the Marvel universe. So when PattyCake wanted to match the bombast of this Imagine Dragons banger, they turned to the larger-than-life characters from the silver screen.

Details:

title: Unexpected Musicals — Avengers: Thunder

performers: Jeremy James (Tony Stark / featured vocals); John Wright (Thor); Leah Lowman (Black Widow); Erich Dale (Captain America); Tony Flaherty (Star-Lord / featured vocals); Jackie Stressman Isham (Gamora / featured vocals); J.None (Black Panther / featured vocals); Skeet Karsgaard (Spider-Man); Billy Celiz (Iron Man double); Jason Tibbs (Black Panther double); Eli Jacobson, Tony Wakim, & Layne Stein (additional vocals)

original songs / performers: "Avengers theme" from The Avengers (2012); "Thunder" by Imagine Dragons; "Pray for Me" by The Weeknd, feat. Kendrick Lamar from Black Panther (2018)

written by: "Avengers theme" by Alan Silvestri; "Thunder" by Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, Ben McKee, Daniel Platzman, Alexander Grant, Jayson DeZuzio, & Frederick Hansen; "Pray For Me" by Abel "the Weeknd" Tesfaye, Kendrick Lamar, Adam "Ging" Feeney, Jason "DaHeala" Quenneville, & Martin "Doc" McKinney

arranged by: Layne Stein & Tony Wakim

release date: 8 June 2018

My favorite bits:

reworking the Marvel Studios intro, complete with page-flip sounds

positioning Stark as the ♫ "young gun with a quick fuse" ♫

of course Thor gets the first iteration of ♫ "lightning before the thunder" ♫ as he should

Leah recreating Natasha's iconic landing pose

Star-Lord's little characteristic smirk

the slow bell chord under the end of Gamora's section

integrating the repulsors and blasters into the percussion

J.None spitting those Kendrick bars in T'Challa's accent

that unmistakable horn line under the choruses

sneaking in a nice animated Hulk silhouette

Trivia:

○ This video features a combination of familiar faces and new ones, but most are friends from the Orlando theme park performance community. Of the folks who hadn't appeared in previous PattyCake projects:

John and Erich are both longtime actors and stunt performers at Universal Studios.

Skeet is a costumer and special effects makeup tech.

Tony F. has performed in several vocal groups at both Universal Studios and Disney World. He was also a member of a cappella group Echo, who were VoicePlay's backups for their annual residencies in Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at Disney World.

○ Although Tony Wakim usually makes all of PattyCake's costumes, this time he had help from some members of the local Guardians of Justice cosplay and volunteering group. That included Skeet wearing his own custom Spidey suit.

○ Several of the other superhero costume pieces and props for this video were created by Dynamic Duo Fabrications in Boston, another small business run by passionate geeks.

○ PattyCake had produced a handful of videos for groups from Jeremy's company, Entertainment Central Productions, so it was only fair that the guys pulled him into one of their own projects.

○ J.None kept his costume and used it for a kid's birthday party shortly thereafter.

○ This video is part of a loose pair celebrating Marvel and DC comic book movies with tracks from the latest Imagine Dragons album at the time. Its companion piece, "Batman: Whatever It Takes", was released a few weeks earlier.

[weimarhaus]

Erich Wegner (German, 1899-1980) At the Bar, ca. 1920s