#i heard j-boy by phoenix for the first time in forever

[transurgender]

do y'all have a song that, no matter how much time has passed or WILL pass you Always associate it with a certain character (a blorbo if you will, or mayhaps an oc) because i have. so many.

[sapphiics]

even numbers for the top 10 long answer asks !! <3

oooh thank you leah!! this is long i’m so sorry

2. Top five songs right now and why

Edge of Midnight by Miley Cyrus and Stevie Nicks

I’m really into Miley’s whole rock thing right now, and the song just reminds me of like Blondie and Kiss! and the lyrics hold up enough that I can not only enjoy the tune and musicality but sing along and actually enjoy it.

La Lune by Madeon and Dan Smith

i first heard this song in this instagram edit for one of my favorite ships, nathan and haley from oth, over a year ago and it is still one of my favorites. The best part is definitely the pre chorus, but the chorus itself is really good to. It just talks about how things don’t feel the same, and whenever I listen to it I get like a burst of energy I can’t even explain.

I’m just a kid by Simple Plan

That song sounds like a documentary of my life. I feel as if I’m wasting away and not doing enough (even in a pandemic where the whole point is to stay at home as much as possible) and I feel alone most of the time, like nobody cares about me. Plus it’s early 2000s grunge(?)/rock so It’s an automatic favorite.

Figure 8 by ellie goulding

Oh my not only is her voice so amazing in this song, the music just sounds good. reminds me heavily of 2014 type stuff, like when Calvin Harris and Avicii were in their prime, and it’s a song that I scream the lyrics to while dancingaround my kitchen at 2am while sweeping.

23 by Jimmy eat world

This is me and my older sister’s song. She’s a senior in high school and our relationship was very tumultuous for most of our lives, but we’re in a really good place right now and this song is one we scream together in our kitchen whenever rit comes on one of our playlists. I first heard it on one tree hill, and I showed it to her and the entire song is how you have to reach for what/who you want before you’re alone for the rest of your life, and it pushes me to reach for my dreams before life passes me by. I won’t always be young forever.

4. Least Favorite memory from school

I’m 9 years old sitting in the principals office.Fifth grade. I was such a mean kid, and I acted out a lot because of unresolved issues at home, and bullying form earlier grades. I remember picking on this new kid, and I found out his chrome book password and logged in to his computer. I got my chrome book revoked, and I just remember sitting there and having my counselor look me in the eyes and say ‘ you’re a bully. I’m sorry to say it but that’s what you are.’ i’m sad and ashamed and angry, because this was the woman who did absolutely nothing when I was getting horrifically bullied by this one boy in the third grade, who called me a mistake from god, but I was also horrified by myself for becoming the person J hate the most. Elementary School was just bad tbh.

6. Describe one of your favorite people: My Brother.

Technically my half brother (same dad) but even though he didn’t live with my dad as a kid he’s only ever known my dad’s family, and his kids call my mom grandma. He’s 18 years older than me, but we’re pretty close and I tell him almost everything about myself. He’s open-minded and really nice, and most of my best memories as a kid were with him.

When he first moved in with us, me all of 3, my sisters 6 and 8 respectively, and him a good 21, we barely conversed. He had school and multiple jobs, on top of learning to speak english. It wasn’t until my second oldest sister went to him, crying about how he never spent time with us, that he quit one of his jobs that week, and dedicated the next years to being someone who I have always counted on in every capacity.

My parents worked a lot when I was young, my dad gone to work at the airport early in the morning, and my mom finally getting the nursing job she wanted since she moved to America, so my brother took us everywhere. We lived within very short walking distance of an elementary school, so he took us to the park, pushed us in the swings, helped us ride our bikes, and spun us in this little yellow swirly thing, like a wide funnel with small railings that you sit in.

For my tenth birthday, he took me to the water park with one of my friends. My oldest sister’s fourteenth birthday, he took her to an amusement park with friends. My other older sister’s 12th bday, he took her and some friends to the movies. A girl in my sixth grade class had her parents surprise her at school by coming to lunch and eating with her, and I wanted the same thing. Not even thinking about my parents, cause I knew they were too busy, I ask my brother (and my sister-in-law) to come, and they did with my baby niece.

When Frozen came out, he took all of us to go see it. When Maleficent came out, he took us to the movies to go watch it. The very first movie we ever watched together was the Adventures of Tin-tin. I haven’t watched it since, but I recommend it to everybody I know. The night he proposed to his now wife, it was after taking all of us to go watch Mr.Peabody & Sherman, and to Johnny Rockets afterward.

Also he’s really funny, 6’2, and we have this long running joke on what year he was born. I still don’t know for myself, and I’ve seen documents, passports, and old photos. Gave me two perfect nieces, an amazing sister-in law, and hates on God as a joke. I don’t think I know a better guy.

sometimes when I sit with and talk to him and my sisters, this moment just happens where I’m looking at all of them and the epiphany of‘these are my siblings. nobody will ever be closer to me, both biologically and emotionally, than these people. I am you and you are me, just scrambled differently.’ Even though he has a different mom, he’s such an integral part of my life that he’s just automatically included.

8. Childhood Band I liked.

Fall Out Boy. I was a huge pjo fan, as were my siblings, and I watched those little mvs on youtube with viria(are they still a thing)’s art to fall out boy songs, and as a kid who was growing up and learning things at an alarming rate that has definitely messed up the way I understand my world, Fall Out Boy’s music was the perfect vessel to express my anger. I can remember the day in 2014 where a new pjo mv dropped, to the tune of The Phoenix by FOB.

this is already super long and gianna asked for ten so i’ll link the answer here

[yuzusorbet]

My Sendai Holiday (April 2018) - Part 2:  Ice Rink Sendai

Part 1 was about Yuzuru’s Olympic Victory Parade, the main purpose of my trip. The other purpose was to just enjoy being in Yuzu’s hometown.  After I became his fan (since 2014 Sochi Olympics), Sendai is a place that I often saw in photos and videos and read about (and translated about), and so I have been wanting to visit for the longest time.  The 2018 victory parade made it the perfect time to go.  Yuzu said during one press conference, “By all means, please come to Sendai and spend some money.”   And so I did!  :D 

(It’s another one of my VERY long posts, haha.  I want to remember all my emotions and all the wonderful things that I experienced.) 

--------------------------

My first afternoon in Sendai, I had no plans but my heart was yearning to go to Yuzu’s home rink.  I knew I would be going there the next day with a friend Ella, but I realised I couldn’t wait!  This is the rink where Yuzu grew up, the rink that he loves, the rink that he donates all his royalties from his 2 autobiographies to (‘Aoi Hono’ 1 & 2).   It was recently renovated (in the 2nd half of 2017) with ideas/suggestions from him and Shizuka Arakawa.   So I found myself going to the tourist information centre in Sendai Station to get directions to Ice Rink Sendai.  (The tourist info centre is awesome!  Photo above.  There is staff who speak very good English.  I did not need to use my Japanese at all.)

There are 2 ways to get to the rink and I chose the 50-minute bus ride.  I wanted to relax on the bus and see the neighbourhood and eat my ‘zunda mochi’ and ‘zunda pudding’ (Sendai specialty, sweet deserts made from edamame, bought from a shop in the station)  (Yuzu ate zunda mochi in ‘Weekend Sendai’ photo shoot).  It was a delicious and scenic ride.  

Photo above: Nanakita River and Yurtec Stadium, home to J.League club Vegalta Sendai (and also to Vegatta-kun, the eagle mascot that loves Yuzu very much xD).  Being in the Nanakita area means the rink is near!

After alighting at the right stop (I checked with the bus driver to be sure), I looked around wondering where the rink was.... then I saw this ‘Fun-te’ sign;  Ice Rink Sendai’s name and logo is there too! 

Turning right at the sign, soon I saw a familiar building.

I am here!!!  The rink that I’ve seen in videos and photos, and read so much about!  There was a banner hanging down one side: “Congratulations, Hanyu Yuzuru senshu, gold medal”.

After entering through the glass doors, I saw this beautiful sight.......

Along the left wall was a Yuzu-in-kimono standee and LOTS of messages on the wall.  They were support messages to Yuzu written before PyeongChang Olympics.  Many of them were written on specially made oval-shaped paper with the words “PyeongChang 2018 Olympics; Ganbare!! Hanyu-senshu!!” at the top of the paper.  The photo below is a close-up of 2 such messages.  

These two were written by members of Pandalion, the Sendai group that composed cheer songs for Yuzu for both Olympics.  One message says ‘Forever supporting you!!’ and the other says ‘You are a phoenix!!’ (the kanji is literally: You are the bird that never dies!)   I was so touched reading the messages.  They were all written during the long silent period when Yuzu was recovering from injury.  The people here kept on believing in him (and I’m so proud to say I did too).  

Next to all the support messages was a whiteboard with Yuzu’s messages from past years.  The first one has no date but I saw a photo of it a long time back.  It says: ‘Even though we are apart, our hearts are one!!  Everyone “forward”!!  I will also work harder and become strong!’  (my translation) And he signs off with a little mushroom drawing next to his name.  Reading it, I felt again how much he loves his hometown and how difficult it was for him to leave Sendai to train in Toronto.  (His desire to become a better skater was so strong, he knew sacrifices had to be made.)   The other 2 messages are from 2014 (thanking everyone for their support) and 2017 (congratulations on the 10th anniversary).  

Further down this left wall was the entrance to a little exhibition gallery with photos and memorabilia of Shizuka Arakawa and Yuzuru.  Photo-taking is not allowed in this part.  But here are 3 photos from news sources (thanks to ElenaC):  

The cutest thing was a pair of small, black skating boots with a name labeled on the blades, ‘はにゅう ゆづる’ (’Hanyu Yuzuru’ in hiragana)..... could be his earliest pair of skates!     

On the right side near the entrance is the ticket machine and the reception counter.   You buy a 200-yen ticket if you want to enter the rink area to look around and watch people skate.  If you want to rent a pair of skates and do some actual skating, you buy the 1700-yen ticket.    

Straight ahead were glass panels and a set of glass doors that lead to the ice rink.  There is a sign on the door saying photography is not allowed inside.  The young lady at the reception counter explained that it is for protecting the privacy of the children skating there.

It was quiet and peaceful on this day of my 1st visit.   In the reception/exhibition area, there were only 3 or 4 people slowly looking at the messages, photos and exhibits.  After spending some time here, I bought a 200 yen ticket and entered the area where the rink is.  

There were many skaters in the rink.  The first things that caught my eyes were 2 big posters of Yuzu on the opposite side of the rink;  they were the ‘Aoi Hono’ posters (Book 1 and 2).... wow..... so beautiful......  I walked around and then I sat down on one of the viewing benches to watch the skating.  Most of the skaters were school children having skate lessons after school.  

After a while, a lady who looked familiar entered the rink and started to coach a group of children.  It was Nanami Abe-sensei!!!!  Aww....... I felt so happy to see her!  The coach who was with Yuzu in so many of his earlier videos, the coach who was in tears after his legendary R&J in Nice 2012, the great coach that I have read so much about...... my heart was just so moved to see her for real in person.  She was in a longish black down jacket, with short cropped hair and black-framed specs.  

Pic below:  there is a photo of her in the poster on the right, and a photo of her and other coaches of Ice Rink Sendai. The poster on the left shows the exhibition area before the renovation of the rink.  (These posters are in the outer area where the message board is.)

She was coaching a group of children who looked about 12 years old to early teens (about 5 girls and 1 boy).   I just sat there watching them, feeling very happy and contented. 

After some time, I suddenly I heard Nanami-sensei saying in Japanese, “Photos are not allowed.  Please do not take photos.”  I realised that 2 ladies sitting on a bench near me were using their handphones to take photos.  Oops..... maybe they forgot that it was not allowed in here.  Nanami-sensei then came out of the ice rink and was now walking towards our benches!  She went to the ladies and said politely but firmly, “Please delete the photos that you took.”  They were not Japanese but Nanami-sensei just repeated herself until they understood.  She stood there and watched them as they deleted the photos in their phones, and then she went back into the rink and continued with her class.  Wow..... that was so cool!!!  She is so cool!!!  I sat there watching her with a HUGE amount of respect and feeling even more in awe of her!  (And I couldn’t help feeling a little scared of her too, haha!) 

I stayed there watching the skaters until it was closing time (6pm).  Of course, I was tempted to skate as well.  But I know I can’t skate to save my life and the ice is so hard..... I was afraid of falling and breaking something and not being able to go for Yuzu’s victory parade!  I decided I would just have to come back here another day after the parade. :)) 

The next day was Saturday, ie. the day before the parade.  My friend Ella had arrived in Sendai and I came to the rink with her.  What a big difference today.... there was a long queue to go in!  (The rink would be closed on parade day itself.) Pic below:  I was waiting in line near the main entrance when I took this photo. The glass doors at the end lead to the ice rink.  The banner hung above the doors says “PyeongChang Olympics 2018 figure skating Japan representative, Hanyu Yuzuru senshu, gold medal congratulations”.   

Pic below: I was now inside and I took this photo from the opposite direction.

Because it was crowded, we didn’t stay long.  Ella had a good look at the whole place and we both knew we would come back again soon.   So we headed to a very nice Starbucks nearby and relaxed there with our frappuccinos.  

Next to it was a big bookshop with a poster of Yuzu’s book ‘Yume wo Ikiru’ prominently displayed outside.  Of course, we went in for a while. :) 

Lots of beautiful books inside. :) 

For the return journey in the afternoon, there were no buses that go to Sendai Station (they only run in the morning with a last bus at 1.35pm).  It’s a short bus ride or a 20-min walk to the nearest station ‘Izumi Chuo Station’ and then take the subway.  (Note: bus schedules may change according to month/season.)

Next day = Yuzu’s Parade Day = the hottest day ever recorded for April in Sendai.  After the parade, the next few days were grey and rainy.  I was so grateful thinking back to parade day...... thank God it was hot and sunny!  (link to my parade day post is at the bottom of this post)  With the parade over, it was safe to do some ice skating!   So one rainy day, I went back to Ice Rink Sendai.

My initial plan was to take a walk around the Nanakita area, have a look at Nanakita Elementary School (that Yuzu attended) and Nanakita Park (where Yuzu sat on a bench in ‘Weekend Sendai’ mag), and then head to the rink.  But it was not good weather for being outdoors.  I decided to go to the rink first; maybe the rain would stop later and I could go to the park and the school after skating.  

Pic below: on the way there by bus again.

In Ice Rink Sendai, the staff at the reception counter were the same ladies that I saw on the other 2 days, and one of them remembered me from my previous visits!  haha, that made me so happy! :D  

I handed them 2 postcards for Yuzu, one written on behalf of the FB International Fan Group and one from myself.  The staff said they would pass them to him. :)  Then one of them helped me with the purchase at the ticket machine;  I paid 300 yen for a pair of plain grey gloves (mascot Irene gloves were out of stock but it’s ok cos I do have a pair at home) and 1700 yen for skating and rental of skates.  I asked her “how many hours”, I thought it would be for 2 or 3 hours, but she said, “Until closing time.” Oh wow!  You mean I can skate here the whole day???  Glad the rain made me come here earlier than planned!

Then she asked me if I wanted a ‘point card’ even though I may not be able to use it -- you get a stamp for each session, and 5 stamps will give you one free session.   I had told her on my first visit that I don’t live in Japan and I came because of the parade, so she knew it would be hard for me to make use of it (card expires in one year).  It was so nice of her to offer me one.... I told her I would keep it as a souvenir.  How I wish I could skate here 5 times a year!  

I entered the area of the rink.  It was so quiet!  There were only 3 adults skating as most children were still in school; their lessons would start later in the afternoon.  For now, it felt like I had the whole rink to myself!   I went to the rental skates counter and the staff helped me to get the right size of skate boots.  

Then, one thing really, really surprised me.  The staff actually asked a coach to look after me for a while!  A female coach with a very kind and sweet face came to me as I was wearing my skates and said she would give me some guidance.  Wow..... what a kind gesture from them!!!  I was so touched!  Thank you, staff-san and sensei!!!

Pic below:  I am ready to skate!

Sensei showed me how to get onto the ice safely and how to move forward and how not to fall.  We went very slowly round the rink together as I practised what she showed me.   At first, I was very nervous and afraid of falling.... I know how painful it is!  Then I started to get more comfortable on the ice and more confident, thanks to her instructions.  And I love the ice!!!  It was very dry throughout and very nice to skate on.  I moved slowly around the rink, with Sensei patiently skating next to me.   

Sensei was so warm and friendly, and chatted to me as we skated. (Once again, I felt very thankful that my Japanese is good enough for a decent conversation.)  She said she loves skating and she has been teaching here for many years.   I told her that I have been a Yuzu-fan since Sochi Olympics and I had come to Sendai for the victory parade and I really wanted to visit his home rink.  So here I was!  She was very happy to hear that and thanked me for coming.  Then she told me that she was already coaching here when Yuzu was a little boy and he was so cute with his mushroom hair!  Oh WOW!!!!!  I am skating with someone who knew him as a kid!!!  I felt so privileged to have her company!  We started to talk about how great he is, not only as a skater, but as a person as well.  It was very obvious that Sensei is extremely proud of him. :)   She also told me some funny anecdotes.  She said that among the little kids that she teaches now, the boys say, “When I grow up, I want to be Hanyu-kun.”   And the girls say, “When I grow up, I want to marry Hanyu-kun.”  Hahaha....... SO CUTE!!!!!

As my ‘lesson’ progressed, children and teens started to arrive at the rink for their lessons.  As we continued to skate slowly round the rink, students would skate up to greet Sensei.  She responded to each one with a gentle nod and a smile. These were all her former students, she told me.  What lovely students, I thought.  So well-mannered and respectful...... just like a guy I know. Ci  

Then Sensei said it was time for her to get ready for her lesson with some children, so she would leave me to practice on my own.  I thanked her profusely for her kindness and she replied that she really enjoyed teaching me. :D  

Before she went off, she made sure I was ok.  Told me that if I feel cold, there is a ‘warm room’ where I can enter with my skates and sit for a while.  If I am hungry, there is a lounge where I can get food and have a rest, but no skates allowed there so I need to change back into my normal shoes for that room. She also said there are a lot of Yuzu’s books and magazines there so I should go and take a look!!!  haha.... Sensei really understands the heart of a fan!  Ice-resurfacing was going to start at 3pm;  no skating for 30 minutes, perfect time to head to the lounge!   

If you want to see the place, here is a link with 3 news videos:  twitter.  And this is an English news article with a few photos. 

The lounge is a very comfortable place with neat rows of tables and chairs.  And there are really a lot of Yuzu’s books and magazines there! Nicely displayed on a few low shelves that encircle a cosy sitting area further inside.

WOWWWW......................

I CAN STAY HERE ALL DAY........

There were vending machines selling drinks and hot food.  I got a box of ‘yaki onigiri’ (grilled rice balls which I love), selected a few mags and sat by the huge glass windows that look out towards the rink.  “Itadakimasu!”   

What a perfect meal.

Soon, the zamboni had done its job and the skaters were out on the ice again.  I found it so hard to leave the lounge..... I wanted to look through ALL the magazines first!  But the rink closes at 6pm..... there was not much time left to skate.  So after spending a bit more time on the mags, I tore myself away and went back outside to put on my skates.  

Now there were several coaches on the ice and different classes were going on. I waved to Sensei who was teaching a tiny little boy..... awww Yuzu must have been like that when he started.....  And then, I saw Nanami-sensei again!  She came into the rink and started to coach a group of older children.  I continued to skate slowly round and round the rink, trying my best NOT to stare and to concentrate on my own practice.  I admire her so much as a coach and choreographer that I couldn’t help feeling excited to be skating near her. xD 

The older children were practising jumps and spins.  There were also a few adults skating.  Everyone was so good and I must have stuck out like a sore thumb.  But surprisingly, I was not embarrassed nor self-conscious.  I think I must have been too overwhelmed with happiness to feel anything else. :D

Too soon, it was closing time.  I returned my skates and thanked the staff for their help and kindness.  I went outside and saw that it was still raining!!!  And I had totally forgotten about checking the weather and trying to go to Nanakita-koen, haha!   

I was putting up the hood of my parka when I heard someone call my name.  It was the coach who had taught me..... Sensei!   She asked me where I was going and I told her I was going to take the bus and then the subway to Yaotome Station.  ‘Rikyu’, a restaurant near there has very delicious grilled liver and beef tongue, and also Yuzu’s signature, haha.  And then, I got another HUGE surprise of the day.... she said she could send me there in her car!!!  I quickly declined her offer, gosh how could I trouble her!  But she assured me that the restaurant was on her way. She also said it was getting dark very quickly because of the rainy weather and she would worry about me trying to look for it in the dark.  And again insisted it was no trouble for her as she was going that way.  Awww...... Sensei, you’re too kind for words!!!  I asked her to join me for dinner but she said she had to run some errands, so she couldn’t.  We went to her car which was parked in the huge parking area outside Ice Rink Sendai and I had a very quick and comfortable journey to the restaurant.  Sensei, domo arigato gozaimashita!!!  

(Note of caution in case there are very young fans reading this: do NOT get into a car with someone you don’t know.)

(Photo above:  I took this photo of the restaurant after I waved goodbye to Sensei and I was waiting to cross the road.  There was a light drizzle.)

What a rainy day.... but oh how grateful I am for it!  It made me spend the whole afternoon at Yuzu’s home rink and I experienced the immense warmth and kindness of the people there!   Thank you, Ice Rink Sendai!  Thank you, Sensei!   

Part 1: victory parade day Part 3: coming up.... I will write about the rest of the trip, like going to places with Yuzu’s signature. :))   Update: Part 3 and Part 4

[Please do not use or re-post my stuff without my permission]

[thephoenix-hq]

☞ NAME: Remus Lupin. ☞ AGE: Nineteen (03.10.1960). ☞ BLOOD STATUS: Halfblood. ☞ HOUSE: Former Gryffindor. ☞ GENDER: Cis-male. ☞ FACECLAIM: Tom Webb.

+ THE STORY SO FAR +

As far back as Remus could remember, he had been taught to keep secrets. Don’t tell mummy’s frighteningly Welsh family that daddy can do magic. Don’t tell the muggle children in the neighborhood about the wizarding world. He was living two lives even as a child no bigger than four. It was around this time that everything changed, all at once. The small boy didn’t even remember it happening. He had been dreaming sweetly, awoken by the sounds of his mother’s cries and an intense pain he had never experienced before. The smell of tourmaline and the bright florescent lights of Saint Thomas hospital in Southwark surrounded him in a confusing haze.

The scars marring his body healed, but they didn’t disappear into his skin the way they always had before. They remained, though faint, a white imprint on his form forever, stretching and morphing with his growth over the years. The need to keep secrets grew stronger. The family of three moved from town to town, terrified of what might happen if anyone found out about the young boys condition. Despite the love his parents had for him, he was a lonely child. By the time he was ten, he had accepted the fact that it would be a rather lonely life indeed. When Albus Dumbledore showed up on their doorstep that year and convinced Lyall Lupin to allow his son to go to school, a happiness and freedom his sickly child had never known took over. Though once in school, the need to lie returned. Don’t tell anyone about your condition. Tell them your mother is ill and you visit her often. Lie, lie, lie. The three boys he shared a dorm with, however, were far too nosy and clever to fall for Remus’ musings.

They called him out, and for the first time in his life, Remus had given in. He had told the truth, no matter how petrified of the consequences. Naturally, as they would continue to do for years to come, they surprised him with their loyalty. For the first time in his life, Remus Lupin had friends - three people who he trusted and loved beyond his two parents. These were the people he considered on the insides of his walls; his parents, Albus Dumbledore and the Marauders. Over time, Lily Evans found her way in, being too clever for her own good and too close with Severus Snape to not know the truth. He allowed it because even when Snape tried time and again to convince her, she would always play dumb. Remus recognized this and thanked her for it. Once Remus loved, he did so deeply and unconditionally. He saw this as an asset in relation to James, but ultimately he couldn’t help but feel as though it were equally his greatest weakness. He avoided it - the loving - but once he felt it in any form, it wasn’t likely to go anywhere.

-  J U N E  1 9 7 9 -

When Dumbledore asked Remus to join the coalition he created known as The Order of the Phoenix, Remus answered unthinkingly. “Yes.” It felt like he was finally paying back a portion of what he owed Dumbledore. Though the old man disagreed heartily, Remus felt there was no one else more responsible for the happiness and love he acquired during his time at Hogwarts and he would do absolutely anything to satisfy his old professor. It was a loyalty that would never falter. Though there was some concern. Everyone in the organization would have to know the truth about him. He couldn’t keep secrets here for their success depended on their honesty with one another. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Remus would prepare himself to speak his darkest secret aloud to a room full of people he trusted simply because Dumbledore said he could.

←  C O N N E C T I O N S  → 

→ Marlene McKinnon

He called her Magnificent and she, ironically as ever, called him Classic. At the beginning of their sixth years, Remus trudged into a train compartment with never ending ink stuck to the bottom of his shoe. The only person taking up the space until that moment had been Marlene, who was suddenly and painfully fascinated by the nervous, babbling boy making a mess all over the carpets. She poked fun at him in a way that anyone else would think was casual conversation. But Remus knew from the moment she opened her mouth that she was quietly intelligent and dead clever. She reminded him of himself in an instant - soaked in undertones and, to someone as familiar with them as he, keeping secrets. He chose her that day, taking quiet pride in the fact that Marlene was the first person that didn’t force their way into his life, but he decided on his own he wanted to know. That was the beginning of a friendship that would tear them both apart. Due to a fateful prank between Sirius Black and Severus Snape that could have ruined everything Remus had worked so hard to obtain, he distanced himself from his closest friends and in that, grew closer to the Slytherin girl they all seemed very much against for no real reason other than her affiliation. There was a darkness in her that matched his own and it drew him to her in ways Remus wasn’t familiar with. They got too close to something he had forbidden himself from taking pleasure in, however, and he removed himself from her life like smoke, a tragic hero in his own mind (something she would blatantly disagree with, if he plucked up enough courage to ask). Remus is one of three people that knows why Marlene truly left Hogwarts in December of 1977. What he doesn’t understand is why she never came back.

← James Potter

It only took about a month and a half. When Remus first arrived at Hogwarts, he had just gotten through a full moon. He was tired, his bones ached, but he had a chest full of child-like hope that was overwhelming to him at the time. He confined himself to his dorm room. The three boys he shared it with came and went. He might show up to lunch and grab enough bread and fruit and cheese to get him through until the next day. It had been James Potter who stayed behind first. “I’ll catch up with you,” he’d heard him say to the others, a knot of nerves forming in Remus’ throat as he cowered behind the curtains of his four-poster. There was some rustling from the other side of the room followed by footsteps that undeniably led right up to the side of his bed. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists, but no words came. There was simply a clunk, retreating footsteps, and the click-clack of the door opening and closing. Tentatively, Remus peeked out over the side of his bed. A tray of food at been left on the floor in the spot he heard James stop. There was a hefty goblet of pumpkin juice with a heaping of meats and sweets. It was clear what James preferred to eat, looking at it. There was a note stuck to a piece of roast beef. Written in messy scrawl, he’d said, “I already found the kitchens. Show you if you want. - James Potter, your roommate (the expert flyer).” Remus woke up for breakfast the next morning and excitedly (though tentatively), called after the other three as they headed for the door. When they stopped abruptly and looked at him there was a mixture of confusion and disbelief from two, but a knowing, triumphant smile from one. When he said he wanted to come with them, a hopeful eyebrow that surprised Remus shot up James’ forehead. “Yea?” He asked and Remus, swallowing down the fear, nodded. He seldom skipped a meal after that. In truth, they were his favorite parts of the day.

→ Sirius Black

Remus was very good at reading people. He discovered this about himself very early on in his Hogwarts days. James was an open book. He wasn’t ashamed to feel or let his feelings be known. Peter was subtle, he preferred, like Remus, to keep to the background and observe his surroundings. Sirius, on the other hand, was a sea of emotion that he kept carefully concealed behind sarcastic quips and bouts of fire-like rage. It was in the twitch of his jaw, subtle tightening of grip, flash of eyes, or even in the way he held his shoulders. Remus could see the way Sirius fought his own demons. It was admirable because he knew of a similar fight within himself. Unlike him, however, Sirius never had to want in his youth. He had been brought up on certain stigmas and stereotypes that he struggled to fight early on. When they first discovered he was a werewolf, Remus could see clearly that Sirius pretended to be okay with it as a means to find more reasons to stand against his family. In truth, it was hard for him. He grew up thinking werewolves were scum. Now he was friends with one and though he tried, it stunted them a little bit. Remus had convinced himself things were better, Sirius had worked through his seeded discriminations, but a hateful prank pulled on Severus Snape in their sixth year changed his mind on that, and put a permanent dent in their friendship. Though Sirius apologized and Remus forgave, because he loved his friends and would likely always give them second chances, he couldn’t forget. And every month, he felt a familiar sense of anxiety creeping in; could he trust him? Should he not? He would because James asked him to. James was the glue that held them all together; seeing his friends with bountiful admiration, always.

→  Peter Pettigrew

Remus attached himself to Peter because they were both quiet. They kept to themselves when James and Sirius weren’t around, finding solitude in the silence like the other boys never could. Remus appreciated Peter’s quiet hilarity. He seemed timid, but truthfully he was observant. He wanted to be in the background. It had become clear to Remus in their fifth year when his animagus took the form of a rat. Peter was resourceful, clever, quiet down to his swift movements that seemed to allow him to glide through a crowd as if made of vapor. He was an important facilitator in most of the pranks James and Sirius came up with, managing to go unnoticed among a crowd of people if that’s what he wanted to happened. He got his way through being devious and sometimes, though fleeting and a thought he entirely kept to himself because of how James and Sirius might react, Remus wondered what kept his good friend from being a Slytherin.

REMUS LUPIN IS CURRENTLY CLOSED FOR APPLICATIONS.

[wlwinry]

but i came banging on the walls (like i heard your heartbeat call) playlist

Ta-da! That’s right, ladies and gents (and all people in between), I made a playlist for this fic! Thanks to @lemaskadra and @baconwaffle2016 for suggestions, as well as @penumbrcge for listening to me babble on about this au. Brace yourselves, it’ll be a bit long... 

1. Scars to Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara

2. Kids in the Dark by All Time Low

3. Mess With Your Heart by American Authors

4. I’m Born To Run by American Authors

5. First Burn by Ari Asfar, Julia Harriman, Lexa Lawson, Rachel Ann Go, and Shoba Narayan 

6. No More Heroes by The Aviators

7. Glitter and Gold by Barnes Courtney

8. Icarus by Bastille

9. Fire n Gold by Bea Miller

10. Please Take Me by Beth Crowley (that’s the theme song of the au as a whole!!)

11. Warrior (Remix) by Beth Crowley

12. Battle Cry by Beth Crowley

13. Confident by Demi Lovato

14. Future Me by Echosmith

15. Shining Bright by Echosmith

16. Good Girls by Elle King

17. America’s Sweetheart by Elle King

18. My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark by Fall Out Boy

19. The Phoenix by Fall Out Boy

20. Immortals by Fall Out Boy

21. Fire by Gavin DeGraw

22. I Am The Fire by Halestorm

23. Natural by Imagine Dragons

24. Warriors by Imagine Dragons

25. Ready Aim Fire by Imagine Dragons

26. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons

27. Believer by (you guessed it) Imagine Dragons

28. Masterpiece by Jessie J.

29. All of Me by John Legend

30. People Like Us by Kelly Clarkson

31. Legends Never Die by Against the Current

32. Night Vision by Lindsey Stirling

33. Take Flight by Lindsey Stirling

34. Shadows by Lindsey Stirling

35. Moon Trance by Lindsey Stirling

36. Heroes by Mans Zelmerlow

37. How Far We’ve Come by Matchbox Twenty

38. You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid by The Offspring

39. F*ckin’ Perfect by P!nk

40. Raise Your Glass by P!nk

41. Just Like Fire by P!nk

42. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco

43. Victorious by Panic! At The Disco

44. The Only Exception by Paramore

45. Heaven Knows by The Pretty Reckless

46. Helpless by The Regrettes

47. Hold On Forever by Rob Thomas

48. Out Tonight by Rosario Dawson

49. Life Afraid by Set It Off

50. Uncontainable by Set it Off

51. Something New by Set It Off

52. Feel Invincible by Skillet

53. Undefeated by Skillet

54. The Resistance by Skillet

55. This is War by Thirty Seconds to Mars

56. Ready As I’ll Ever Be from Tangled: The Series

57. Monsters by Ruelle

58. Until We Go Down by Ruelle

59. Control by Halsey

60: Revolution by UNSECRET feat. Ruelle

61. One For The Money by Escape The Fate

[riyuyami]

I was looking over my notes for a fanfic I’m writing, and I found that I wrote this scene out already. Well, I decided to post it up, but I also expanded on it with a post-event scene, and then it turned into something super yuu-jyo-ish.

Enjoy!

--

Jounouchi watched as Rishid dropped to the ground by the bright lights and lightening of the angered Sun God Ra. He heard a scream, but he didn't pay much attention to it as he watched the attacks rain down on him and the unconscious man, until he saw one aimed right at him.

He had no time to run.

In a second, Jounouchi felt as if the sun itself was inside of his very body as soon as the light touched his stomach. He didn't scream, he didn't know what was going on, did time stop? Did the world stop?

What did... what was happening?

Was this really the power of an Egyptian God, or the effects of the Solid Hologram System?

It was strange, almost as soon as he felt it, the feeling of the sun seemed to vanish.

Then he felt something again in just two seconds flat.

A horrible pain shot right up his spine, to the base of his skull, but then he felt it go down his back, down his left leg, to his foot. There was the same pain in his left arm now, a terrible tingle, like a billion, red hot pins were stabbing him in his nerves, everywhere that the lightening and light of Ra has touched him.

Before the terrible blissfulness of unconsciousness overcame him, the blond heard the screams of Yugi, calling his name.

'...Yugi, I-I can't... go out... not like this...'

Then he knew no more.

--

Jounouchi looked at the golden God Card in his hand, staring at the dragon-bird in the image. “So this is the infamous Ra, yeah?” He mumbled, glancing at Yugi, who held the other two Gods. They were sitting in Yugi’s room, it was Sunday, just a few days since Battle City came to an end.

Golden eyes turned back to Ra, staring at the image brought up bad memories of when the copycat card was played, and the real Ra attacked. He had... yet to tell Yugi of the full damage of the attack.

Hell, he hadn’t actually told anyone. When they were told to go to bed on the airship, Jounouchi snuck off and spoke with the doc tor, asking for him to exam the damage he knew was there from the attack.

It was worse then he had thought.

The attack left a large scar up his back and down his leg and arm. Starting at the spot where he thought the beam of light went through his back when it shot him in the stomach, was a large, reddish-pink scar. It was circular, with branches of scar tissue coming from it, looking like the fucking sun, of course. But then a long scar when up his spine, up to the hairline of his neck. Another branch went down his shoulder, down the back of his left arm to his elbow. Another went down his back, down his left leg, all the way to his foot.

The shot to the stomach left more of a rash, it was slowly going away, but his back was scarred for life.

He was surprised Yugi hadn’t noticed his elbow, seeing as he was in short sleeves today. Jounouchi wondered if he should even show Yugi the scar.

“You don’t like Ra, do you?”

Blinking, Jounouchi looked at the smaller boy. He saw a look in Yugi’s eyes that he couldn’t read. “What do you mean?”

“You were attacked by Ra, the Sun God, twice. You took two dangerous attacks from him. And because it was actually him... you were attacked by the sun...”

Jounouchi frowned, shaking his head. “Nah, I don’t hate him or anything, but he’s not my favorite. I’ll admit, Yugi... it was pretty fuckin’ scary.”

Yugi looked at him, wanting him to elaborate. “Ya see, the first attack, with Rishid... I got struck with a sunbeam, and when it made contact... it felt like the whole fucking sun was inside of my body for a second. Everything was on fire. But then it was gone, and I felt fine.”

“There’s a ‘but’ there, isn’t there?”

The blond sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I felt something, in my back, the worst pain I had ever felt in my life. I’ll admit, it hurt a hell of a lot worse than the damage Marik did to me with the phoenix form. Just... I felt like all my nerves were in hot oil, that I was boiling in my own skin, it was the worst pain, it even felt like I was burning to a crisp. Then... I passed out, but before then, I heard your voice, you sounded like the world was coming to an end in that moment.”

“I saw you collapse! I thought you had died...!”

“Heh, yeah, but that didn’t happen until the next day.”

“...” Yugi made a face and Jounouchi bit his lip, yeah, probably best not to joke about that. He knew Yugi took it pretty hard, really hard. The spirit of the puzzle had told him after their duel that he had never seen Yugi cry like that before, he never looked so broken in his life.

It... actually hurt Jounouchi to hear that, he knew Shizuka was devastated, but he didn’t know that Yugi had been so traumatized by the idea that his best friend had almost left this world for good.

But Jounouchi understood that pain, most than Yugi probably realized. 

When the Black Clown game shop was burning around him and Yugi, then the smaller duelist was so determined to save the puzzle... Jounouchi honestly thought that this was it, this would be the last time he would see Yugi alive.

When he found the puzzle finished, but Yugi unconscious, barely breathing, barely alive, he thought the world around him was gone and that anything good in his life was taken from him in one fell swoop

Looking down at his friend, he saw the dark skin on his hands, the dark marks of burn scars from hot metal he had clutched for dear life in the fire. He knew the back of Yugi’s hand has small burns still from where the fires licked at him, and even on parts of his face, small, faint patches of burns.

Jounouchi had them as well, he carried scars from that night as well, but Yugi didn’t seem bothered by his blemishes, by the permanent marks on his skin. Yugi had no regrets, they were a sign of his survival, and he told Jounouchi once that he wore them as a symbol of his bond with him and with the spirit in a way, something to remember of the night, to have forever.

“Yugi.” Jounouchi spoke softly. “Ra left a mark on me.”

Yugi blinked, noticing Jounouchi began to remove his shirt. He blushed, about to ask what he was doing, but the words died in his throat as the sight of the large, slowly healing scars he saw. “J-Jounouchi...”

“From Ra’s first attack on me, heh, he didn’t leave me any wounds from the second one though. I haven’t really shown any of you guys these scars, I’ve been... scared. But I think you should see them, Yugi. I want... I want you to know what they meant to me.”

Turning to face him better, Jounouchi put a hand on Yugi’s shoulder, looking him right in the eyes. “Yugi, I carry this scar on my back as proof of my friendship with you. I told you I’d help you take on Marik, and I did. I survived an attack from the strongest of the God Cards, I got back on my feet because of you and our friends, but... mostly cause of your support. You let me save you from the fire that almost killed you weeks ago, and this time, you saved me from a fire.”

Yugi looked at him, eyes wide, before he smiled, putting his own hand over Jounouchi’s, his more scarred hand from the chain. “Just as I carry my scars with pride, you should as well.”

“Hehe, yeah.” He grinned at the smaller duelist, quickly grabbing him into a one-armed hug.

“I gotta admit, Jounouchi, your scar does look reall cool. Looks like the sun is on your back?”

“You think that too? I think it looks kinda bad ass.”

“Yeah! It’s proof that you fought the freaking sun, and won!”

“Oh shit, you’re right! Haha! I am Jounouchi, conqueror of the sun! Bet Kaiba can’t even say he has done that!”

“Nope, I bet he can’t.”

[meltedmagazine]

AN INTERVIEW WITH BRUCEMONT

Brucemont is an alternative indie rock band from Asheville, North Carolina. Their unique, versatile tracks take influences from many different genres. Lucidly comparable to alternative English early-century rock, Brucemont is definitely one of the most post-britpop resembling bands in Western North Carolina. Although they may resemble bands like The Fratellis or Phoenix, they still incorporate their own unique garage surf feel to their songs. In fact, at times, certain guitar riffs seem to sound like something you’d hear in Beach Boys’ early demo recordings.

While they may resemble a plethora of bands, listening to Brucemont for the first time is like meeting the child of Beach Fossils and The Shins. AND-- they’re genuinely wonderful guys.

Tell us about your band! Who are you?

Julien: Xandy and I went to middle school together. And we all went to high school together.

Xandy: Julien taught me how to play drums in middle school.

J: I actually was teaching drum lessons in middle school. We all played interchangeably in high school.

Colin: And that’s basically how we know each other. We’ve been playing together since high school in a bunch of different variations. Brucemont was just born out of all of us just being the most into being in a band and being into the same sort of music. So, when Lewis got back from college, and Xandy got back from his travels abroad, we were all just in the same place. We started playing music again.

Lewis: Also, when we moved into a new house we had an actual place to practice.

J: Lewis moved in with me after he got out of college. And then we were building the studio.

C: So Brucemont kind of became a thing about a year ago.

**A whole year ago. Could you tell us more about how Brucemont was born? **

L: Xandy wrote a lot of songs while he was in France.

X: The brunt of them was right after I got back.

J: Xandy is like, a super good songwriter. And he can do it by himself. He can write all the band’s parts-- or at least flesh them out.

X: I’ve been doing it since I was like twelve, recording and multitracking in my bedroom, just like messing around.

J: When he says “I have a song idea!” It’s basically done. So that’s why we don’t ever have demos. Because if we had demos people would have a hard time discerning between recordings and demos. He, literally, was just like “I have a shitload of songs, are you guys willing to play them?” And we were like “yeah.” Because we’ve played together for forever.

C: So yeah, Brucemont was mainly born out of Xandy having all these songs and us being down to play them.

X: But we had been talking about it before. Before I left we were like “we should seriously try to do a band,” and so when I got back I was like, “well I’m gonna start writing with four parts in mind.” And it was more rocky than I’ve ever done.

You guys were previously called “Hate A.M.” Why did you decide to switch to the new name?

C: We decided to switch the band name because Xandy lived there [on Brucemont circle] since he was out of high school. We’ve had parties there, and that was the first place we actually played together as a band back in the day.

J: I wasn’t really a fan of the name from the beginning, because we were trying to pick names and we couldn't really pick them.

X: One night, I was like “hey, let’s just be that!”

J: We were like “fine!” But I don’t really like the word “hate” that much in general. But it just didn’t speak to me at all. It was almost a detriment. If someone heard the name of the band, they might be like “oh, they sound like this because it’s got the word ‘hate’ in it. It might be angry or metally”, and so I was like “fuck.” Brucemont is a place that we played a lot and it also just has a really nice ring to it.

X: It’s unique.

J: Which actually is a west Asheville thing, supposedly. I think a lot of people name their bands after [places.] People who live here really like it.

What’s your favorite song off of Scene? Why?

L: I like Resurrection.

J: I think Resurrection is my least favorite song.

Really? I’ve heard that people really love Resurrection!

J: It’s nice to know that. . . that people like our songs!

C: On Spotify, it’s the only one of our songs that has the little popularity bar.

X: Yeah, it has one popularity bar.

X: My favorite is Resurrection because how we play it, and how it sounds in real life.

J: I also think What I Meant is underrated. What I Meant is my favorite.

X: I actually think What I Meant is my favorite.

J: There’s a lot of emotion and then it’s over.

X: If someone asks to hear our music and I play it for them, I actually go to What I Meant. That’s my favorite.

J: I think the coolest thing is how the album has a lot of well rounded songs.

X: My favorite is Evergreen. That’s my final answer. That's the one that I’m most proud of and I feel well connected to it.

C: Evergreen.

Have you had any crazy experiences in the Asheville music scene/ at shows/ during recording?

L: There was a guy at the last Shithaus party, and he was on coke or something. He started a fight with everyone who lived there. The last Shithaus show/ party ended with a fight.

C: Shithaus is the epicenter for a lot of stories. More crazy stuff happens at house parties.

X: Every house party that’s been on Brucemont, someone has tagged the basement. I’ve been cleaning bottles out the next day and there’s a fresh tag somewhere. That’s not crazy, but --

J: Oh! Good story! The toilet water was backing up and that guy was jumping on the fucking board next to the drain. And he was jumping up and down and it was just going everywhere.

C: It wasn’t poop water, but it was related.

J: That was funny. That was at Brucemont and it was after one of our shows. . . Also last time I bled. All over my drum set.

L: There was this punk house called 69 Gay Street, it was like the best place ever. The ceiling was so low, and people would crowd surf there so much that there were always footprints on the ceiling. So when they moved out, there were all of these boot prints all over the ceiling and it looked really, really cool.

Asheville seems to be such a big town for buskers. Has any of you ever tried busking before? If so, what was it like?

J: Fuck them, and they’re from Florida. That’s my answer.

C: The thing about that is how it’s a different music crowd. It’s not related to any of the venues, and it’s not really related to musicians around here who do venues and house shows. The buskers don’t always interact with a lot of other musicians. They’re in their own world. I’ve never been to a house show with someone who also busks.

X:  That was something that we aspired to in High School, but now, I don’t know. It doesn’t seem super realistic. It’s weird because you’re playing to a bunch of people who are walking by.

L: That’s like, everything that’s wrong with Asheville.

X: Also, in this busking scene, I was in another marimba band with adults after high school, and we’d play downtown sometimes if it was a nice day. People would pull up and be like “yo, this is our turf! Get outta here!”

How does the creative/ songwriting process work for you guys?

L: Pretty good.

J: Pretty great.

X: It’s been changing a little bit. Before, as they were saying earlier, I would just make a finished song and I’d be like “here’s the song, let’s learn it!” But now, with our newer stuff especially, I’ll have a half-formed idea and we’ll all work on it together, which is really cool.

J: We’re a band!

X: I think it’s more of an even mix of our tastes and expressions.

J: Traditionally, Xandy writes all of the stuff, and he delivers it to us. And then we ignore what he wants until he gets really mad about it --

X: -- and I’m like “guys, fucking listen to this!” and then they do and it goes great.

J: And we mostly play it pretty verbatim. After us playing all together, he’s also gotten better at it. It’s pretty cool that we are playing more together now that we’re more practiced and in sync. We’re writing together now. That’s getting really fun. The other day, actually, we’ve gotten to a point where we can kind of yell at each other without actually getting mad. So we’d say “just hear me out, can we try this thing?” I’m the drummer, but I play bass and keyboard, too. We all play a couple instruments. So I remember this last time -- I don’t know how to communicate chords because I can’t play chords on a guitar -- but I’m like, “there’s this note that I’m hearing that would be really cool if we could go to!” and that’s what’s cool about that. We all just fucking duked it out, to figure out what it could do, and that idea I had in my head was evolved upon as soon as I said it.

L: I feel like the newer stuff is a little bit more. . . chutzpah.

J: The newer stuff is a little more reflective of us. Xandy writing songs by himself is even different from Xandy writing with us. It has all of our sounds & stuff. Also, when you’re recording by yourself, it’s really easy to just to play, like “la la laaa. . . “ and when you’re playing with other people you’re like “YEAH!” It’s hard to fucking bang shit out.

X: Yeah you’re right. You can’t bang shit out on your own.

What bands/ artists influence your sound the most?

X: For me, with my writing, it’s mostly mainstream indie rock. I never stopped listening to The Shins. I love them. I took a lot of ques from Grizzly Bear. Here We Go Magic. Smith Westerns.

J: I agree with all of these things.

When I first heard you guys, you actually reminded me a lot of The Shins.

J: Some of [Xandy’s] vocal melodies are definitely where when he would first sing it I’d be like “hah! What? Pretty sure Mercer’s done that.” But mixed with the music it’s so different. It’s got a lot more influences, especially the new stuff. Drum-wise, I always go back to Stuart Copeland who was the drummer for The Police.

L: Fuck yes dude!

J: I’ve played in a reggae band, and I really like that. So there’s a little bit of just something different there with the syncopation. I think it might be more than with indie rock. It might also just have to do with all of our influences. Spoon is another big one.

X: Frankie Cosmos is a huge one. Alex G, Palehound. I’ve also had a lot of music phases where I’d be into jazz, or acid-techno, or world music. West African, Afro-pop, samba, bossa nova, even more progressive, like Brazillian, Portuguese rock, French music from the 60’s. Whitest Boy Alive and Erlend Øye. Erlend Øye in general is a HUGE influence for me. He’s my musical idol. I love him.

L: The Beatles.

X: My parents raised me on The Beatles.

J: I think that might be a given for all of us.

X: It might have given me my ear for chords and harmonies.

J: Radiohead. Radiohead is like god-level though. It’s just remembering that Radiohead is going to be better than every band that ever comes after us. And knowing that and then being okay with it.

C: The Beatles and Radiohead are on the same wave of influence. The same tier.

X: It’s like saying you like music.

L: They are very different though. [Radiohead] is very introverted, studio-heavy.

J: We do look up to that, though. Songs like Evergreen and Weird Fishes [by Radiohead], the drum parts are very similar in syncopation. On the new music, though, when you listen to some newer stuff we’re writing right now, I hear more Tame Impala and King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard. It’s getting [musically] harder.

Any life experiences that formed songs?

X: I guess almost all of my songs are formed by relationships or being in and out of love with someone. Which is kind of tacky. But some songs, it’s a mix of different things: trying to be a musician in Asheville, and about weird things that my friends are doing, or not doing. Evergreen is about my last relationship. I wrote that one and it feels very universal to me. It feels like I can apply it to a lot for different parts of my life. But it was definitely about a relationship.

J: I think those lyrics are very universal.

What do you want out of music/ the music industry? What does the perfect image of success look like for you?

X: Lots and lots of black tar heroine.

Me too! That’s why I’m in Melted.

X: I’m just trying to mellllllllltt. Haha!

J: Do we all agree that the original idea of a rockstar is probably not what we wanna do?

All: Yeah.

X: I think my image of success is having enough to live off of. Just because of music. And then putting out stuff that people really like.

C: Being able to record our albums without--

J: --having to suck every single dick of every single person who gives us money to record our album.  We would rather not do that. . .

C: I think it would be nice to have enough financial gain for our recording -- to take however long we want to record our album--- and not feel like we’re taking a hit in our checking accounts. Beyond that, honestly, I could give a shit. I want to play music for my friends, make music with my friends, and record music ‘cause I love doing those things.

X: My idea of success is not having to work a job because of my music. And that’s all.

J: I forget how fun it is to play in front of people, and so I say it’s not important, but we just played The Mothlight and there were a lot of people in the audience and I was like “oh shit, people actually like our music.” Shows would be really fun, and the format of our music works well for shows.

X:  I wouldn’t want to play the Civic Center [which is owned by US Cellular and is an epicenter for less authenticity and more commercialized shows]. . .

J: But we could also crush a small Bonaroo set. We could totally do that. It would be fun.

X: My favorite part of shows is the give and take. It’s a personal thing.

J: And meeting other bands, too, that are trying really hard. But I also run a business. So I really like that. Maybe fame is not the angle. But we’ve always had recording equipment, and we’ve always been really interested in that. The album we recorded was done all on our own equipment.

Tell us about your newly-released EP Fault.

X: Well, the new songs definitely have a different feel. We moved from, I don’t know, dance rock, to more surf rock, and now it’s like psych. It’s a little more aggressive, more mathy.

J: Lewis and Xandy have switched instruments for the majority of the songs.

X: Yeah, thank GOD. I’m not fucking on guitar anymore.

J: Xandy started playing bass and he doesn’t have to play a guitar solo ever again. Lewis is a riff master. He just shits riffs out. Like good riffs, though. Like shiny fucking beautiful riffs.

L: Put that on a tombstone.

C: Textbook riff shitter. When you think riff shitter, think Lewis.

J: They’re polished.

Should we expect to hear any sounds similar to your album Scene,  or will it sound completely different?

J: It’s sounding different. But the EP is a cool side thing almost. The EP is more in the direction of Ressurection-y stuff. What I Meant. More light hearted.

A song, artist, or album that makes you feel a heavy dose of nostalgia?

J: I really like The Kinks. That’s some nostalgia.

L: Oooo. Nostalgia is the record Alopecia by Why?. That’s the most nostalgic album in my life.

X: I don’t like them. I hate them. But I think I’ve only heard Elephant Eyelash. Oh it’s a horrible album. I hated it. It’s so whiny.

L: You might not like Alopecia either.

J: I also really like Deerhunter. Deerhunter’s music. . . like he’s nostalgic for those times. He’s more applicable to me.

X: The Shins, and The Strokes make me nostalgic. Flatt & Scruggs. They make me feel nostalgia.

J: THE STROKES!!!!

L: Mad Brains! : Real Estate. Beach House.

J: Are we old enough to understand nostalgia as a concept? I. . . would challenge this question based on our age. Not saying it’s a bad question, I just don’t know if we’re old enough. I think so, but I also think that the nostalgia from people who are three times as old as us are gonna be much more nostalgic.

L: Dude, I was nostalgic from the womb.

X: Yeah me too.

Do you prefer vinyl? MP3? Tapes? Physical or digital ways of listening to music?

L: Digital, but Vinyl when I have free time.

X: Ditto.

J: I love vinyl. However, I have a really nice set of brand new speakers that are fucking amazing paired with a vintage amp

X: You came into my house and my computer was sitting on top of the record player. Maybe that’s symbolic.

L: I am an aux cord liker.

C: I do have a soft spot in my heart, though, for 128 kilobytes per second.

J: I think that the best format for music is definitely an 8 track. No I’m just kidding. The best format of music is. . . no question, a V0 LAME Encoded MP3.  .flac is a lossless file format but it’s also open source, and therefore is the best. .wavs and .aiffs and .accs can go suck a dick.

A favorite memory that could inspire jams for years to come?

J: Playing with these guys before any of us had any hair on our faces.

X: Honestly, I don’t feel that much nostalgia for. . . I don’t fully identify with the 90’s because I was so young then. The early 2000s? I don’t feel it.

L: I get super nostalgic about trip hop. Massive Attack. I always heard that shit when I was little and I thought “that is the coolest sound ever.” And then it just, like, died.

J: I miss playing Sims and Rollercoaster Tycoon instead of having to do work.

LISTEN TO BRUCEMONT HERE

PHOTOS by AUDREY KEELIN

INTERVIEW by AUDREY KEELIN + HILA SULLIVAN

[anideawhosetimehascome]

rant about music~

OH MY GOD this makes me feel so warm and fuzzy I can’t stop smiling. Thank you so much. I’m so grateful for this opportunity.

This is gonna be so messy just prepare yourself.

I have to say, right now, my favorite band is City and Colour. I’ve been saying that for awhile, maybe half a year or even a year, god it’s been a long year. I’ve bought two concert tickets to see him. I had to sell the first one (it was a really good seat, third row :(..) but hopefully I can see him with his band with my other ticket (general admission smh) and once more on a fully solo tour like the first ticket I bought.

One Direction comes next as always but each individual member of one direction is ranked differently… louis, harry, liam, and niall in terms of whose music I care most about. I know louis has only put out one collab so far but he’s my favorite,of course I’m most excited for his stuff.

AND I BOUGHT A TICKET TO SEE HARRY HOLY FUCK !!!! I GOT A SEAT IN SECTION 5 IN PHOENIX SO FUCKING CLOSE TO THE STAGE. I GOT SO LUCKY BECAUSE I WAS A COUPLE MINUTES LATE AND I GOT AN AMAZING SEAT. THE PIT IS IN FRONT OF ME AND SO IS 30 OTHER ROWS BUT THATS IT IM GOING TO BE IN THE SAME ROOM WITH HIM AND HEAR HIS BEAUTIFUL CROONING VOICE LIVE AFTER 5 LONG YEARS. I’m just trying to imagine doing the same with louis and my head is exploding. Shoutout to my mom for letting me use her debit card since I haven’t got any paychecks yet.

Protest the hero is an anomaly in my life, I really haven’t been into them in like over a year, but they remain top 3 because I can’t let them go. I love all of their albums (except I only listened to their most recent one once rip) but if I ever got to see them live I would know almost every song IF NOT every single one by heart and that’s an experience I haven’t gotten to have yet. Hopefully twice this year I’ll have that. Maybe I’ll look out for a protest the hero tour and see if I can swing a ticket.

After that it’s really hard to rank everything. I have my favorite albums that differ from favorite artists.

Alt-J is high on my list. They’ve put out some really good shit. I liked An Awesome Wave multitudes more than the other album. I’m hoping his most recent one kinda brings them back to that era.I wish I could travel to the U.K. to see Aquilo. Their album Silhouettes is the best fucking album EVER and yet they’re so small they can only tour their tiny home country. They need more recognition.The Shins are coming to a local venue only a couple hours away and it blows my mind because I fell in love with Wincing the Night Away but they have a plethora of other albums that I didn’t love and I wouldn’t feel right going to a concert where I only knew like 3 of the songs. I wish they did a Wincing the Night Away revival tour where they only sang songs from that album just to appease me lmao.Kendrick’s new album is such a mindfuck. That’s been on repeat the past few weeks. I need to listen to his other stuff too.Sweet Sexy Savage by Kehlani is the genre I’ve been really into lately. That sultry R&B pop is just SO delicious. It’s like nothing else I’ve ever heard before. Her voice is like brown sugar and butter. Everything she does with the instrumentals, her voice, and the backing track is just MIND BLOWING I love it so much.Of course The Weeknd has to come in here. I just saw him live a week ago. It was the best concert I’ve ever been to (the only other one was Taylor swift. She sounds good live, but I’m not a huge fan). STARBOY IS THE BEST ALBUM EVER SERIOUSLY. I was a bit disappointed he didn’t sing more tracks from Starboy because I didn’t know some of the ones from his older albums. Also perpetually disappointed that kendrick never showed up for sidewalks.

Old Crows/Young Cardinals by Alexisonfire has been very high on my list lately. Reminiscent of protest the hero for the reasons I like them, but their voices are COMPLETELY different. It always takes me awhile to get used to screaming and really rough jagged voices, but once I do, I’m either head over heels in love with them or I fucking hate them. Usually the former. If Dallas Green (city and colour) wasn’t involved in this band, I would have never touched them.

Spirit by Depeche Mode has also been a genre I’ve got into lately. I just kept seeing the same fucking google ad every time I opened the app “Spirit by Depeche Mode is out now!” why the FUCK google gave me that ad I don’t know, but it caused me to find one of my most treasured albums. It’s very politically charged which I LOVE. I see the message of each song loud and clear as a movie in my head and it makes me fall deeper in love with it each time.

Now I’ve forgotten everything else, so I’ll start going through albums alphabetically.

Arctic Monkeys is a band I really need to listen to more. I’ve only listened to A.M. once fully through and only stuck with a couple of the songs. I listened to Humbug and liked it a LOT more, so I have a feeling I’ll love their older stuff.

Ahhh how could I forget about CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN. God I spent an hour on YouTube watching them play old versions of The Balcony the other day, it was the best live video I’ve ever watched. He sounded even better than on the album, and I was transported to those shows for that moment where he seemed to be playing in some seedy basement. I wanted to see them live last year for my birthday but didn’t get a ticket. Maybe I’ll be able to get one sometime soon. That’s a band I NEED to see live before I die. They are fucking amazing. Their songs are everything I love about bands.

I’ve listened to a bit of Two Door Cinema Club. I need to listen to more. It’s hard with Apple Music. As you can see I have so fucking much to listen to and it never ends. I think I like music… a lot more than most people. It’s weird to think about. But anyway. Sun, that’s a good song.

Space Oddity by Bowie makes me feel high. R.I.P.

Frank Ocean has been a recurring name lately. Chanel and Self Control are two gems of his.

Cold by Maroon 5 and Future is one of my guilty pleasure songs. I could listen to it for hours and it wouldn’t get old. I don’t even know why I find it so orgasmic.

Cake is one of those bands that wormed their way into my heart a long time ago and I don’t really know how or why and I haven’t listened to enough of their songs because they have too many albums and they’re all from the 90s and I’m so young yet I feel so old when I listen to them. It makes no sense and I love it.

The Dark Side of the Moon. Need I say more? Yes. Us and Them. Brain Damage. Eclipse.

I’m a fan of Blackbear’s new album digital druglord. Very different from what I usually listen to. I don’t always have a usually, but when I do, Blackbear’s not in it.

Message to Bears is the best study music. They’re what I put on when I need to have a quiet night with some undertones of depression and existential realization. Still one of my low key favorites that I always forget about.

FOUR saved the music industry.

I need to reiterate how perfect Protest the Hero is. Listen to Kezia. LISTEN TO IT.

Oh, every time I get the chance to rant about this I will. Little Hell by City and Colour is an album about going from Catholic to atheist, and each song is showing his progression in realizing that. Now this is just my headcanon, but with the first song being about “finding each other in the dark” sounding suspiciously like someone finding God and the last song being a blatant message on being raised religious but rejecting the “make believe” stories. I could theory craft on this album all day. It has seriously made me reconsider naming Sometimes, his first album ever, my favorite, and instead reclaiming Little Hell, City and Colour’s third studio album, as my new favorite. But since it’s just a theory and I have yet to confirm or deny anything, I’ll keep it at my second.

Listen… I know he’s a snake but Zayn’s album was actually really good. I literally haven’t touched it for a year but I really enjoyed it for a long time.

I like the Radiohead quote. I’m not like that at all but I can get into their music, like Nice Dream. Maybe because when I found that song I would have related to that quote. Music is so strange, man.

The Beach Boys, Coldplay, The Boxer Rebellion, Fun., Syd Matters, Breton, The National, Secret & Whisper, G-Eazy, and Bastille all get honorable mentions for being some of my favorites at one point in time.

I hate how into music I am. But I love it so fucking much. I remember in 2010 when I bought a Britney Spears song on the radio and I decided to listen to the mixtape my friend made me because I needed some new music. It changed my life forever because it opened me up to a whole new world that I had never heard before. I’m eternally grateful to her for introducing me to musical curiosity. I will never get over it and I don’t want to.

Despite what I’ve written, I’ve only just now realized how much music I have on my Apple Music library that I’ve literally added and never listened to. I need to work on that.

[sportsandsongs]

Best Albums of 2017

1.       Lorde – Melodrama

Looking back at the year, this is pretty clearly my favourite of 2017. A pretty diverse album – modern pop bangers next to lifting synthy 80s inspired songs, with some piano ballads more typical of her first album mixed in for good measure. Front to back, start to finish, the best album of the year.  Hard to even pick out highlights, but my favourites are ‘The Louvre’, ‘Supercut’, ‘Sober’ and Homemade Dynamite’. First time in a while my favourite has strayed too far from indie/rock but this is what I came back to the most.

 2.       LCD Soundsystem – American Dream

Their first album in seven years and it manages to cover all the styles they’ve hit so well in the past and then keep pushing things forward. The big single, “Tonite” calls back to their early singles and self-titled album. “American Dream” is a slow reflective song in the vein of “NY I love you”, “Call the Police would fit right in on Sound of Silver. From there they venture into new territory with more rock inspired songs like “I used to” and “oh baby”. In the centre of it all is the massive build and release of “how do you sleep?”

 3.       Spoon – Hot Thoughts

Spoon have been my favourite band of the past 15 years and this just another great album by them. So consistently great, Britt Daniel is a fantastic song writer. Spoon have a distinctive, signature sound but they still manage to change things up a bit on every record. On Hot Thoughts, there is more synth presence than any past album, particularly on the brilliant, “whisperi’lllistentohearit”. For their more straight forward indie rock songs, “Do I Have to Talk You Into It” and “Can I Sit Next to You” fits in well among their best. While the slowed down “I Ain’t the One” shows just how pretty their songs can be when they choose to go that direction.

 4.       Phoenix – Ti Amo

Phoenix are a truly global band. They come from France but sing mostly in English. This fall I had the chance to see them play in Germany. On this album they mix in some Italian influence but whatever language, it’s all fantastic pop music. Featuring the best pop slow jam of the year in “Fior di Latte” and songs that bounce around the club like “Ti Amo”, “J-Boy” and the catchy and fun as hell “Telefono”. Front to back, not a bad song on this album. They definitely continue to push in a more pop oriented direction from their early Strokes-influenced days of It’s Never Been Like That but it suits them well.

 5.       Charly Bliss – Guppy

Charly Bliss were a band I had never heard of before this year but I had the good fortune to see them open for Tokyo Police Club in Peterborough and again for Operators in Toronto early in the year. Their 90s influenced power grunge song won me over immediately. The vocals of the lead singer can take some getting used to but once you do, it’s an energetic burst of awesome. An example of why you always go see the opening band, this group came mostly out of nowhere and now this album and ‘Glitter’ are all over every music critics year end “best of 2017” lists all over the world... and ten months ago they were opening at the Red Dog. ‘Percolator’ and ‘Black Hole’ are great songs as well.

 6.       Stars – There is no Love in Fluorescent Light

Stars have been around for a long time now. They haven’t released a bad album in my books but their most recent is probably the best in my opinion. They’ve always been able to knock out a great club dance anthem (’Fluorescent Light’ being the best of the bunch here), with their combined male/female vocals and building synths. The difference with this album is the highs stay high throughout. No filler on the album. It all builds up to the great release of ‘Wanderers’, the final and best song of the bunch.

 7.       Japandroids – Near to the Wild Heart of Life

It feels like this album has been out forever to me. Probably because the lead single came out in 2016 and I saw them in Toronto in late 2016 as well. Nevertheless, it is an early 2017 release and the best straight up record of the year for me. You know what you’re getting with Japandroids, a 2-piece band. Huge guitars, soaring anthemic songs. They changed things up this year with the highlight of this album, ‘Arc of Bar’ a 7 minute song that dials back the guitars just a bit in favour of building fuzzed out synthesizers. The anthems are still here though, with “Near to the Wild Heart of Life” and “No Known Drink or drug” leading the way. It isn’t quite on the level of Celebration Rock (probably the best rock album of the decade) but it’s pretty great.

 8.       Father John Misty – Total Entertainment Forever

I don’t particularly care for FJM’s online asshole persona. The twitter wars and sticking his nose into every music topic there is wears me out. That said, I am a sucker for a great piano ballad and this album is full of them. Combine that with smart, funny lyrics and this is the best indie-folk album of the year in my books. The four song run that opens this album (‘Pure Comedy’, ‘Total Entertainment Forever’, ‘…Before the Revolution’ and ‘Ballad of the Dying Man’) is the best of any album released in 2017. While it drops off a bit from there, it remains one of the best of the year.

 9.       The New Pornographers – Whiteout Conditions

This may be the lowest The New Pornographers have been on one of my years end lists, which speaks to how consistently great they’ve been for the past 17 years and also to a somewhat uneven album, in my opinion. The highs here – ‘Whiteout Conditions’, ‘Avalanche Alley’, ‘High Ticket Attractions’ and ‘Play Money’ are some of the best songs of the year – but it does have its lulls in the middle.

 10.   Alvvays – Antisocialites

A bit of a change from their debut album, this one is a bit more polished, a bit more poppy and it took me a bit longer to get into it. The lead single ‘In Undertow’ is good but not as great as the best of their first album. That is quickly made up for by the pop-punk influenced ‘Plimsoul Punks’ and the beautiful ‘Dreams Tonite’, which I now believe to be their single best song.

  11.   The Shins – Heartworms

12.   Menzingers – After the Party

13.   Fast Romantics – American Love

14.   Queens of the Stone Age - Villains

15.   The Killers – Wonderful Wonderful

16.   The National – Sleep Well Beast

17.   Said the Whale – As Long As Your Eyes Are Wide

18.   Hollerado – Born Yesterday

19.   Fred Thomas - Changer

20.   Mountain Goats - Goths

21.   Los Campesinos – Sick Scenes

22.   Cloud Nothings – Life Without Sound

23.   Wolf Parade – Cry Cry Cry

24.   Paramore – After Laughter

25.   Bleachers – Gone Now