#mick uses his socials like a real boy

[j-emini]

"mick uses his socials like a real boy" is flbr's only safe space

[acrosstobear]

2021 → 2022

[schulott]

mickschumacher - Can you tell that it was sunny? ☀️

[bodybeautifulbymills]

David Bowie

Bowie never laid out any definitive labels for his gender or sexuality. He walked back his statement to Watts by telling Playboy he was bisexual in 1974, then later in Rolling Stone he declared he had been heterosexual all along. But he never owed us an explanation.

Sukita, M. (1977). David Bowie by Masayoshi Sukita.

David Bowie embodied the fictional character of “Ziggy Stardust” for only about 18 months circa 1972-1973. Yet it’s usually an image of that garishly made up, flamboyantly dressed androgynous creature adorning t-shirts when one thinks of the musician.

While he might have not realized it at the time, Bowie, who died on Jan. 10 after an 18-month battle with cancer, anticipated today’s continuing gender binary dialogue. Besides leaving behind an impressive body of music that rarely was commercial (“Let’s Dance” a notable exception) and mostly experimental, perhaps Bowie’s greatest achievement was opening people’s minds to sexual identity expression.

He clarified his sexuality in a 1993 Rolling Stone interview: “I think I was always a closet heterosexual. I didn’t ever feel that I was a real bisexual. It was like I was making all the moves, down to the situation of actually trying it out with some guys … The irony of it was that I was not gay. I was physical about it, but frankly it wasn’t enjoyable. It was almost like I was testing myself. It wasn’t something I was comfortable with at all. But it had to be done.”

www.youtube.com. (n.d.). David Bowie talks about his sexual orientation. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/zZdNxKkMiRE?si=mEy8vl-7qHy3yTns [Accessed 25 Sep. 2023].

‌He married his first wife Angie in 1970, and she gave birth the next year to their son “Zowie,” and proudly co-parented him during his toddler years. Angie, who he divorced in 1980 at which time David gained sole custody, claims responsibility for his feminine fashion style.

Bowie appeared to be giving fellatio to Mick Ronson’s guitar as he kneeled, gripping the musician’s buttocks, an iconic rock image if there ever was one.

1979 on Saturday Night Live he wore a military uniformed skirt. His backup singers were Klaus Nomi and Joey Arias – dressed in drag. Bowie’s music video for his ironically titled, hysterically funny “Boys Keep Swinging” and its trick cinematography featured himself as his own backup singers, as three different female personas.

Indeed, Lady Gaga learned from Bowie how to get media attention by being outrageous in what she says and what she wears (e.g., dresses made of meat and condoms), was appropriately selected to pay musical tribute to Bowie with a four-song performance at this year’s Grammy Awards in February.

More than five years ago she nearly broke the Internet, regarding a social media rumour that she had a penis: “My fans don’t care if I’m a man, a woman, a hermaphrodite, gay, straight, transgendered, or transsexual. They don’t care! They are there for the music and the freedom. This has been the greatest accomplishment of my life – to get young people to throw away what society has taught them is wrong.”

Segal, C. (2016). David Bowie made androgyny cool, and it was about time. [online] PBS NewsHour. Available at: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/david-bowie-made-androgyny-cool-and-it-was-about-time.

[skamenglishsubs]

Subtext and Culture, Young Royals, Season 1, Episode 2

Episode 2 picks up the morning day after the initiation party, the girls are having breakfast lunch at their dorm, the boys at theirs, and everyone wants the juicy details about what happened at the party...

Culture: Tell me more, tell me more, did you get very far? Although, it's pretty funny how the roles are reversed, Maddie is all "meh" about it, while Nils tells a different story. Then again, since when do you get together after a blowjob?

Culture: I actually have no idea why Simon is having breakfast at Skogsbacken, since regular schools only cover lunch for students, everyone eats breakfast at home, and then goes to school. Then again, it allows a scene where (Never mind, they're having lunch, thanks @kamand !) Blink and you miss it: Wilhelm casts some nervous glances at Simon after having been called out for disappearing at the party and almost forced to confess to making out with someone.

Culture: I know Felice is trying to put August down, but don't knock a proper Swedish pizza! As much as I like living in the US, they can't fucking make pizzas here, and the first thing I eat every time I go back to Sweden is always a real pizza. With pineapple and shrimp as God intended pizza to be made!

Culture: August is namedropping ski resorts in the Alps, which is where you go skiing in Europe if you have money, although Saint-Martin-de-Belleville is actually near Val Thorens in France, while Verbier is in Switzerland. It does have a three-star restaurant, though. Sweden and Norway have a couple of decent ski resorts, but the Scandinavian mountain chain is simply not as impressive as the Alps.

Subtext: Remember Wilhelm getting up and hurrying to math class in the beginning of the scene? It was so he could grab the other seat next to Simon, because he knows Simon is gonna sit next to Sara, since no-one else does.

Culture: Formally greeting your teacher before class is very uncommon in Sweden, but since Hillerska is all about discipline and tradition, of course they do it. Note that they're again using the formal Swedish title for male teachers, Magister, which in a regular school would be kind of a joke, since teachers and students are on a first-name basis with each other.

Subtext: Wilhelm is exposing how the world works if you have money. At Simon's old school, studying alone would result in good grades, but Hillerska is slightly corrupt and almost expects the students to essentially pay for getting a good grade.

Subtext: Simon is lying to his teacher, he absolutely hasn't talked to his parents about paying for private lessons.

Subtext: No, Sara absolutely does care about what other people think about her, and when she directly tells Felice that she would actually like some friends, that's when Felice gets it and starts making an effort to become real friends with her.

Culture: They're all bilingual at Simon's home, they're all speaking Spanish and Swedish, although Linda has a very noticeable accent to her Swedish. Based on demographics and statistics, the most likely scenario is that Linda immigrated to Sweden from Chile, met Micke, and started a family. In real life, Omar Rudberg was born in Venezuela and grew up in Sweden, while Carmen Gloria Pérez was born in New York, and grew up in Puerto Rico.

Subtext: Remember how I talked in the intro post about how distant social classes know nothing of each other? Ayub and Rosh are either working class or lower middle class like Simon, and since rowing is a typical upper class sport, they know nothing of it, they don't even think of it as a real sport. Unlike football, which is a proper working class sport, they know all about that!

Subtext: Scandinavia has Jantelagen, and everyone there thinks it's uniquely Scandinavian, but all countries have some form of Tall Poppy Syndrome. In this scene, Simon is starting to make a class journey, he started rowing, he started trying to fit in with the other upper-class kids, and getting into a relationship with someone as upper-class as Wilhelm would definitely move him all the way. But going on a journey means leaving things behind, which is why Rosh and Ayub are cutting him down and literally turning their backs on him. They like it in the small town of Bjärstad, why can't he be happy there too? Why is he betraying his roots?

Subtext: This comment from August nicely foreshadows a later episode when August does something traceable on a School computer...

Subtext: What August means is that he's not sure Wilhelm has the same desire to be accultured into the upper class, to play the part of a proper prince, in the same way that he and Erik have accepted their roles and are even enjoying them.

Culture: Although it's impossible to read the name of the medicine, the paper tag on the bottle indicates that it's some kind of prescription medicine. From the conversation with Vincent, we learn that it's some kind of ADHD medication, probably some kind of Dextroamphetamine since those improve athletic ability and cognitive functions in healthy people.

Culture: Birkenstock sandals are associated with hippies in Sweden as well as in many parts of the world, so August is actually saying that the school counselor isn't really part of the same upper-class society as the rest of the staff. And again, his use of the word sosse drives the point home.

Subtext: Consequently, the counselor sees right through August and refuses to immediately prescribe him the medication that he wants...

Subtext: ...even though August tries to both bribe him and threaten him into giving him the medication he wants.

Subtext: A big theme of this episode is class journeys, and in this scene and a previous exercise scene, August gushes about how good a thing that is, how proud he is of Simon for going on one, and spouts some crap about how everyone can make it if they really want to.

Subtext: Thankfully, Madison says what we're all thinking: August is full of shit, life isn't fair, and they're only at the school because they were born into privilege.

Blink and you miss it: After Wilhelm has nervously texted his crush for the first time, he starts to bite his fingernails, but quickly stops himself, because why would he be nervous? He's just texting another boy about rowing practice, there's nothing more to it!

Subtext: Simon's texting game is on point though, he knows exactly what he should write to get Wilhelm to go on a totally-not-a-date with him.

Subtext: In the same way that August couldn't convince the counselor about being sick, I don't think Wilhelm's atrocious acting here convinces August that he's sick either.

Culture: Public transport in the greater Stockholm area - or wherever we're supposed to be - is of course cash-less, and you pay by either charging a special card, or by signing up in their app and buying tickets through there. The point of this scene though is to drive home how Wilhelm has never ever had to take the bus before in his life, and therefore has no idea how it works.

Culture: The totally-not-a-date starts at a Circle K, which in Sweden is just another gas station, but it is actually a Canadian multi-national convenience store corporation. The price of gas is of course posted in kr/l, and 13.98kr/l corresponds to roughly $6/gal.

Subtext: Throughout the totally-not-a-date, Wilhelm is trying to reach for common ground with Simon, trying to show him how he's just a regular guy...

Subtext: ...but then real life intrudes, Wilhelm is recognized by some local girls, who call out to him and run away giggling, which shows how he's not a regular guy, he's going to get recognized wherever he goes.

Culture: Kokt eller grillat, boiled or grilled, are the two ways you can get your hot-dog at pretty much any hot-dog place in Sweden, and ketchup and mustard is always offered. The correct answer to this question is of course grilled, with ketchup and mustard, and this just shows that Wilhelm is a man of culture and good taste. Unfortunately, they were out grilled ones, so they all got boring soggy boiled hot-dogs instead. Is there a metaphor here? I don't know.

Subtext: Again, the show drives home the point that absolutely no-one has a problem with people being gay. Simon is clearly out to Ayub and the rest of his friends, and Ayub immediately picks up on the fact that this is totally a date.

Blink and you miss it: Ayub nudges Simon with his elbow to tell him that he should make a move on Wilhelm.

Culture: What we're looking at is just the local junior/high school football team, Bjärstad, playing a match against some other unnamed junior football team. Since the stakes are super low, the audience basically consists of whichever parents and friends of the players that could be bothered showing up.

Culture: Driving age is 18 in Sweden, and even then getting your own car at that age is extremely uncommon. However, you can easily get a license for a moped when you turn 15, so these are the vehicles of choice for teenagers to get around.

Subtext: August found out about Wilhelm's trip to town, but his main problem with it is that he wants Wilhelm to stop slumming it with lower class people, and to start hanging out with everyone at school instead, so that he can be properly accultured into the upper class. Again, sosse in this context means working class, not socialist.

Subtext: Although Simon felt really great about his first date with Wilhelm, the text message reminds him that Wilhelm isn't a regular person, and that even this innocent little trip generates interest and scrutiny, and can't be posted publicly.

Culture: As everyone should have noticed by now, Madison keeps speaking English, while everyone speaks to her in Swedish, so clearly she understands it. But here she gives her motivation for sticking to English, and that is that she doesn't feel she's good enough at speaking Swedish. Boarding schools like Hillerska attracts international students that have some kind of connection to the country, so a likely scenario is that Madison grew up in the US with a Swedish parent, and she's being sent here to experience Swedish culture and get immersed in the language to learn it better.

Cinematography: This shot of August drives really home all the pressure he is under, he's out of drugs, the headmistress just hinted that he's out of money, and he's literally being weighed down by books and work-out weights.

Subtext: Simon has kept his visits to Micke a secret from Sara, so here he has to intervene to make sure August doesn't accidentally reveal this to her. He also wants to protect his sister, so he's redirecting August's search for drugs onto himself.

Subtext: And on the flipside, Simon isn't really telling his dad that Sara still hates him and really doesn't want to see him, so he's vague when Micke asks about Sara and Linda.

Culture: Finally a bottle of medicine where we can read the label! Unfortunately for Simon, this is Tramadol, an opiate prescribed for pain relief, which is the complete opposite of the kind of drugs August wants.

Subtext: If you haven't figured out yet that this episode is about class journeys, August spells it out for us here. However, the reason he's "congratulating" Simon in front of everybody is because Simon just supplied him with more drugs, so this is his way of thanking him, since he can't really pay him.

Blink and you miss it: For a split second, Wilhelm grabs Simon's leg during the scary scene.

Subtext: The entire dialogue of the movie works as subtext for what's actually going on between Wilhelm and Simon at this point, and Wilhelm is getting a little freaked out by this sneaky display of affection.

Subtext: The movie also puts words on the implications of Wilhelm getting together with a boy, what about having kids in the future? Can you carry on your family name and traditions, or will they die with you?

Lost in translation: The plaque actually says "FEEL YOUR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE HERITAGE". Even though the plaque means the heritage and legacy of the school itself, Wilhelm is thinking about his legacy, his heritage, and how getting together with Simon would threaten that.

Lost in translation: Wilhelm actually says "jag är inte en..." - "I'm not a..." before he stops himself. So it's not possible that he was trying to say "I'm not gay", because that doesn't work grammatically in Swedish either. He could be trying to say "I'm not a guy like that" or "I'm not a guy who likes guys", that would work.

Cinematography: The framing and silhouetting of this shot is just chef's kiss. The outline of their hair allows us to see who is who, and we can see from their poses that Simon is welcoming a kiss, while Wilhelm is still hesitating.

[princemick-archive]

Can you please make a list of the drivers and tell what you think about each of them. Only if you want to, but I am curious. 😽

...alright, okay, whole grid under the tab ya'll also if i say I hate someone rn and I start saying I love them tmmr dont be surprised my brain does that sometimes

charles: I genuinly like charles, seems like a good person w an insane amount of talent genuinly enjoy watching him drive a lot, one of my favs on the grid.

carlos: ......I am a culer. I do not like this man.

max: I, ugh, I love fanon max if that counts for fucking anything, irl max makes me uncomfortable but I get it, he has a weird charm but yeah just no. also dont really enhoy the way he races so that also doesn't make up for him being a dick.

checo: I dont have to much of an opinion on him but I like how respectful and kind he seems to be all the time. also incredible driver!

lando: listen ya'll okay..........I used to simp, I dont like him a lot rn, he just gives me bad vibes, he just feels to much like a 15 yr old gamer boy and I do not enjoy that. I like him w max and dan a lot tho

dan: BABIE BOOYYYYYYY. one of my favorite drivers on the grid, incredible driver, fantastic human. my favorite in my hyperfixactions are always the optimistic flirty lil bitch and that him, he is just so wonderful he makes me very !!!

lewis: king, one of the best to ever do it, style icon. yeah just, I mean its lewis, pretty high maintenaince man who gets what the fuck is going on in the world and isnt afraid to say it.

george: I dont like care about this man at all, he doesnt give me good or bad vibes, he exists, he looks like he wouldnt know what I meant if I would ask him to hold my drink as I go to the bathroom

esteban: noddle man who jsut seems genunly kind. I really like him, dont know to much abt him but the bit I do is just him seeminly being a good and kind person who just a lil dramatic and I love that for him

nando: stupid old slut man who I despise deeply (affectionate)

pierre: I hate how attracted I am to this man but hes an incredible driver and the way he carries himself is just, so hot. so uh, thumbs up.

yuki: I dont feel to much abt him but he seems wonderful and kind and I genuinly think hes an incredible driver and I hope he gets to show that more this season.

lance: no real opinon, rich boy, kinda shit driver, who doesn't seem like to like driving. eh. other people deserve that seat more.

seb: *holds gently* my beloved little idiot man I love you so much you stupid lil freak. he needs a haircut.

val: yes

guanyu: funky lil fashion man who goes zoom well. thumbs up.

nicky: look at lance opinion. Just like him a bit more because he genuinely seems to enjoy driving and is actually pretty okay when you look at his junior career.

alex: wonderful man! he is so good so soft so kind, I like him a lot he just gives off such good vibes.

kev: a whole man and a half whos completely fucking insane and exactly my kinda guy for that, love him so wonderful so supportive.

mick: I..........d-do u even want me to start. litteraly my favorite person on the grid for so so so many reasons. the way he holds himelf, the way he is socially aware the way he has so much pressure on him and is still able to have fun and live a life and do what he does and be kind and he so incredible, the way he cares so muhc about everyone on his team and helps out and makes sure everyones okay i just.....I love him but I need him to break and go mad schumi please and thank you.

alright, feel free to disagree or try and convince me otherwise in my asks im open for change unless its abt mick, if u dont like mick the fuck r u doing on my blog fr.

[j-emini]

oh my god i didn’t realise mick put still woozy over that story of his i’m DEAD

[acrosstobear]

mickschumacher Lately 🎡

[schulott]

undefined

Mick being a himbo walking in the rain today (5 June 2022)

[kangaroo-sniper-imagine]

-I went with a generally disapproving family-

The mercs encounter a protective family. THEY USE CHARM, it is ineffective!

Engineer

If your family is judgmental, they’ll have a hell of a time trying to find fault in Dell. I mean, he’s finely educated, has a well paying job (they don’t know WHAT you two do, they just know you could live comfortably), he’s a southern gentleman I mean, if you’re gonna bring ANY merc back home, it be him.

Dell is literally perfect. Even if your dad is like, nitpicky, trying to get a rise from him, Dell is basically the team’s dad, so he’s got patience in spades. Dell is the one in charge of putting Pyro to sleep, Dell fears no man

He brought a cake for god's sake

Scout

Jeremy is nervous at first when you mention that you have a big family, then remembers his family is probably way bigger than yours, and he’s a little less worried. Then he get worried again because Jeremy remembers he isn’t exactly, uhhh, great when it comes to making good impression

He spends most of the time by your side, stock still, sweating nervously. If he gets too nervous, he goes into his default maneuver to make people like him; which is talking about his family. It wins over your mom (cuz lets be real, boys who get along with their moms are less likely to suck)

Your father puts him through the ringer. If Jeremy wasn’t so used to being threatened daily, he probs would’ve fainted or some shit. But nope, he was stuck in that horrific limbo of fight or flight, better known as “freeze.” the poor baby’s gonna need you to stay by his side the whole time

Heavy

Mikhail isn’t normally intimidated, but you are so important to him that the thought of facing your family made him want to volunteer for one of Medic’s experiments.

(for the fun of it) Your father is taller and bigger than Mikhail; and oh fuck is russian homeboy shook/freaked. Misha is pretty stoic when he feels threatened, and he is soooo overwhelmed by your dad’s hardened glare

You and your mother enjoy yourselves as your father and boyfriend stare and glare silently the whole night. When the night is finally over and you and Misha are alone, he tells you your father terrifies him, and you tell him you dad told you that he liked Mikhail

Spy

(for story reasons…) Your father was your last surviving family member and he was hella protective over you. Jacque was completely content with never meeting your father if he could help it, but it was so important to you and he eventually caved.

You know those dad’s that are basically junkyard dogs to everyone except their kids? That's your dad. When you aren’t in the room, he will grill the shit out of Jacque. “What’s with the mask, what’s your income, if you ever hurt my daughter no one will ever find your body” sorta thing

Jacque is not easily scared, but holy fuck is your father one scary mofo when you’re involved. The Frenchman tries to reassure your dad that he wouldn’t ever hurt you, as you are one of the best things that's ever happened to him, your dad still acts rude and mean when you aren’t around. Jacque doesn’t tell you what you dad said, but he now he actively avoids meeting him again

Medic

Ludwig does not shake in the face of danger, he’s met the fricking devil, nothing frightens him. Then he met your mother, and OOOOOOH BOY. Ludwig thought HE was overprotective of you, but good god your mother!

Your mother wasn’t rude per say, but she was passive aggressive. Normally, our favorite mad surgeon would brag about losing his medical license, but now he artfully avoids that topic and instead focused on his accomplishments as a doctor and his achievements back in university. You mom doesn’t give a shit

After the visit Ludwig, for the first time in a long time, feels hella inadequate and struggles grappling with it. Even after explaining to him you mom does that to weed out the weak suitors

Sniper

Oooooooooof. Mick is good at reading people, and is good at clocking those with tough characters who’ll dislike him. For Mick….. No one in your family liked him. He could pick up on it immediately, all of your brothers, your sisters, your parents. The room was very tense

Mick was also very good at faking being nice and knows how to take snide comment after snide comment. He felt hella uncomfortable the whole time, but you loved your family, and your family loved you back, so he withstood it.

Mick gets that it’s your family’s defense mechanism, doesn’t mean he likes it. He’s happy there’s plenty of people to be there to defend and protect you, he just doesn't like that they want to protect you from him

Pyro

Don't bring Pyro to meet your family, that’s like asking for disaster.

Pyro picks up on bad vibes like its nothing and will act hostile if they are treated hostile

Also i can imagine any situation in which you could explain the gas mask

Soldier

Jane is extremely old fashioned and probably encouraged you to allowing him to meet your family. You couldn’t see a fault in his logic; if anything, your strict family might approve of the military-like man

HA! Thank god Jane, in regards to social situations, is a bit slow. He doesn’t get that your dad is subtly trying to threaten him or that your mother is questioning his loyalty. He genuinely thinks that your father wants to show him his new hunting rifle and that your mother questioned his loyalty to America

You were upset by your parent’s rudeness at first, but seeing Jane deflect it all turned it into a comedy show for you. He might not be the best person to bring home, but he has the best results

Demo

Can you say nervous? Tavish loves and respects the hell out of you, and all the other mercs seemed to understand that, but holy hell, your parents can’t seem to get it through their thick skulls.

Tavish is on his absolute best behavior. No drinking, no cigar smoking, no arguing with the sentient sword in his room for the last 24- hours to make sure he was calm and collected before meeting your folks; and yet your dad is still trying to start a fight with him even though you’re still in the room

He suffers through it, I mean Tavish has taken the killing blow for you over and over again on the battlefield so dealing with your folks should be small potatoes. His own mother is pretty rough with him, so your parents set him on edge but they don’t scare him away

[formulaonedirection]

💌 (if you're still doing them :D)

Amandaaaa. You are THEE content provider of my life. If I miss anything I’m like it’s okay because I can look forward to #amanda’s catch up on my timezone. I love your Callum prop, seeing his sweet little face randomly pop up on my dashboard lights up my day. I also love the tag Mick uses social media like a real boy it makes me laugh when I see it. Also this is lowkey but I love your Schulott fics too like I'm lowkey Schulott hive and your fics were what got me into it!!! And I love that those two weirdo freaks Maximilian Bradley and Landon orris make you as insane as they make me. 

put a little 💌 in my askbox for a love note

[passionate-reply]

This week on Great Albums: they’ve been called Duran Duran for art school nerds, and a whole lot worse, but you probably know them as...Japan! Find out what made their last album their best work, and how they landed one of the most unusual and experimental pop hits in history. Transcript after the break!

Welcome to Passionate Reply, and welcome to Great Albums! Today, I’ll be taking a look at an album that proved to be its creators’ hard-earned mainstream breakthrough, as well as their final release as a group: Tin Drum, by Japan. Japan had gotten their start in the mid-1970s, as a glam rock act, and as the 70s melted into the 80s, they kept up with the times, gradually sidling into the “New Romantic” scene--a movement which, in turn, owed many debts to glam pioneers like Roxy Music and David Bowie. By their fourth LP, 1980’s Gentlemen Take Polaroids, they had arrived at a lightly electronic pop sound that fit right in with the musical landscape of the early 80s.

Music: “Gentlemen Take Polaroids”

The following year, Japan would release Tin Drum, but it’s not exactly the album you would expect it to be--at least, not entirely.

Music: “The Art of Parties”

The most immediately striking feature of Tin Drum is its unique instrumentation. The rich and distinctive sounds of Chinese horns and African flutes jump out immediately, producing a powerful and distinctive accent upon what’s otherwise a somewhat conventional rock band arrangement. I feel like the “exotic” instruments here actually function in a similar manner to how the bands of this era who remained grounded in rock often approached synthesisers--that is, they add flourish and flair to the hooks, and bring an inherent timbral interest to the music, but ultimately, they’re used in a more condimental manner. Underneath all of this exoticism lurk the bones of pop excellence: the ineffable brilliance of a great hook, and some wondrously groovy basslines--the contribution of core member Mick Karn, on his distinctive fretless bass. Artsy as it is, it’s not so hard to believe that Tin Drum was the album that finally pushed Japan from cult darlings to artists with a major hit single to their name. But, when you hear what that single was, you may well be surprised.

Music: “Ghosts”

“Ghosts” is certainly a singular track, that stands out even on this fairly unconventional album. Its complete lack of percussion contributes immensely to its uncertain, unpredictable atmosphere of invisible menace--a bold move, for sure, but one that really delivers on the song’s premise. While “Ghosts” is fascinating and unforgettable, it’s far from the most obvious hit single you’ll find on Tin Drum. If I had to guess, I’d probably have pegged the lead single, “Visions of China,” as most likely to succeed.

Music: “Visions of China”

The dreamy “Visions of China” seems to center the idea that what we’re experiencing is a fantasy vision of Asia and not the real thing. Japan may have been a bunch of White, British guys playing around with Oriental aesthetics, but at least they appear to have been somewhat self-aware about it. Or, at least, we can come to that conclusion if we read the lyrics closely. It’s also very possible for a more casual listener to gloss over that aspect, especially when it’s so easy to get swept up in that triumphant refrain. While some critics might describe Tin Drum’s Orientalism as wholly or partially “ironic,” I think that idea forms the beginning of a conversation on how these themes are used, and not the end of one. The album’s closing track, “Cantonese Boy,” is much harder to take at face value.

Music: “Cantonese Boy”

Just how do you write a compelling song about a subject as controversial as Maoism? Many artistic portrayals of totalitarian regimes fail to resist the urge to play up their clownish and absurd appearances--Laibach being a prominent musical example. That can be valuable, but it’s also, comparatively, somewhat easy. “Cantonese Boy” is designed to lead us to sympathize with the beauty of the Communist dream, and presents an insidiously stirring vision of glory. But it’s hard to imagine listeners nodding along with it, and singing about the Red Army, despite its anthemic charms and driving, martial percussion. I think “Cantonese Boy” is the track that most successfully balances irony and sincerity, and it pays off.

Tin Drum’s cover features frontman David Sylvian in a lonely, austere dwelling. The New Romantic movement is often dismissed on the grounds of being style over substance, for its elabourate wardrobe and makeup aesthetics, but much as the music breaks expectations, the sparse surroundings here set this album apart as something more subtle or contemplative. The first thing one notices is this drab colour palette, which is particularly ascetic by 1980s standards, but the more you look at it, the more the little details of this interior scene stand out: the bare lightbulb, and the tears at the edges of this portrait of Mao, make it feel particularly threadbare.

It’s somewhat ironic that this album is most famous for a song with no drums at all, but is titled “Tin Drum.” That aside, though, I think it’s an interesting title overall. The expression “to bang a tin drum” signifies creating clamour and commotion to call attention to something, most often, a social or political cause. It seems to be used in that sense in the lyrics of “Cantonese Boy,” and straightforwardly so. But the title also calls attention to the album’s instrumentation, which is of course one of its most noteworthy qualities, and it centers the instrument itself, as a physical object. A thing is simply a thing, an inanimate object to be used and abused however human beings see fit. In a way, the title gives tacit permission for the album’s re-interpretations of exotic instruments.

Ultimately, I do think it’s hard to reckon with the impact of Tin Drum without asking some difficult questions about culture and race. In the early 1980s, Orientalism was all over pop, particularly in the New Wave and New Romantic scenes. A lot of hit singles from this era contain much more overtly upsetting caricatures and stereotypes of Asian people and their culture than anything you’ll find here. But just because Tin Drum is a bit better than that, and sells us what it does with more class and panache, doesn’t render it above criticism. Nor does the fact that Japan were well received by listeners in the country of Japan, and collaborated (elsewhere) with Japanese artists like Ryuichi Sakamoto. It’s still essentially an album that uses instruments and themes perceived as foreign and exotic, in an attempt to whisk us away to the world of the Other, and I don’t think it could possibly be made in this day and age. While I do think Tin Drum is a Great Album, and simply tossing it aside as “problematic” is no solution, I think it’s worth examining the ideas and associations underpinning how and why these artistic decisions were made. This isn’t an easy conversation to have, but it’s a necessary one, and one that I wish wasn’t so markedly absent among fans of the music.

As I mentioned in the introduction, Tin Drum would prove to be Japan’s final studio album as a group, and they would split up to pursue their separate ambitions shortly after. Percussionist Steve Jansen and synthesist Richard Barbieri would form “The Dolphin Brothers,” and take more influence from the synth-pop stylings of Gentlemen Take Polaroids, but Tin Drum’s evocative, experimental soundscapes would serve as the blueprint for the solo work of both Mick Karn and David Sylvian.

Music: “Pop Song”

My favourite track on Tin Drum is “Still Life in Mobile Homes.” It’s a track with a hell of a hook, and probably the single song that drifts through my mind at random times more than any other, which is saying something. But what really pushes it over the top for me is its eerie, surprisingly dissonant breakdown. In one track, it seems to distill all of the tension between avant-garde strangeness and pop par excellence that wrestle one another throughout the album. As always, thanks for listening!

Music: “Still Life in Mobile Homes”

[heirloommtomatoes]

don’t read the last page but i stay

Mickey and Ian go on another lunch date :) Just some quick super simple fluff! Literally nothing at all happens in this other then a cute date. These boys deserve nothing but sweet domesticity forever and ever, thanks.

Word Count: 2.3k~

———

Mickey picks Ian up from his afternoon shifts whenever they can cram it into their schedule. Do they live together? Sure. Did they get out of prison barely a year ago where their combined shared space was half the size of their Gallagher house bedroom? Sure. Do they still try to spend almost every waking moment together? Absolutely.

Ian’s schedule as an EMT, as sporadic as it has the potential to be, has fallen into a steady routine the past few months. Since Debbie’s arrest, Lip moving out, and the increased responsibility in the Gallagher house, Rita makes sure that every Friday Ian hands his shift over by 5pm. Mickey was promoted at his work — a promotion that warranted his first real Gallagher party a few months back — and is working steadily at the mall as the general security manager.

Ian’s laughing with the new members of his team over some pictures of their kids from last weekend when his phone buzzes. He slides it half-way out of his pocket to look at the screen:

Mick: hey dipshit I took a photo of me waiting for you

Mick: Attachment: 1 Image

Ian swipes on the message and unlocks his phone. The photo is of a mummified, presumably ancient corpse sitting cross-legged on a ridge, probably out of some National Geographic article he’d found while scrolling endlessly through random news pages while waiting for him. He stifles a laugh as he types his response.

Ian: 🖕

Ian: be out in a sec

Mick: 🖕

“That your husband?” Samantha, a younger EMT fresh out of training, nods toward his phone.

“Yeah,” Ian responds as he slips his phone back into his pocket, “Meeting him for dinner and drinks.”

Rita looks over her shoulder from where she’s rummaging around her locker. Ian expects her to make some witty remark at his expense as per usual, but instead: “You got the best relationship record outta any of us here, Gallagher,” she says with a self-deprecating laugh.

“Yeah, well,” he shrugs, “Eleven years, a bipolar diagnosis, and several prison stints seems to be the trick.”

He doesn’t mean to really joke about it; if what they went through together doesn’t count as some seriously real shit, he’s terrified to think of what does. But if he can’t make light of it now and then, if he can’t at least try to ponder the distance between then and now and look back at how far they’ve come and laugh at the simple joy of it all, then what the hell else is he supposed to do?

Laughs ripple around the locker room as Ian raises an warm to wave goodbye to everyone, overlapping “Bye Ian!”s and “Have a good weekend”s following him out.

Ian emerges from the garage, shrugging off his EMT jacket in the mid-afternoon summer sun in a way that makes Mickey’s heart flutter in his chest. He carries it loosely in a hand at his side.

“Bout time, Gallagher,” Mickey says to him with a grin. He’s been smiling a lot these days, he thinks; not that that’s anything new around Ian. He’s been making him smile since he was seventeen.

“Hey,” Ian responds easily, throwing an arm around his shoulders and planting a kiss to his cheek. A blush creeps up Mickey’s face and he grins at the ground as they walk. Ian starts babbling about the kid who broke his arm on the monkey bars and an older woman who fell down her stairs and Mickey listens, butting in for the odd comment or exclamation here and there as they make their way down the block to Boystown. It’s become their once-a-month Friday evening tradition. Mickey picks him up from work, they fill each other in on their days as they walk, they grab dinner and drinks either at one of their favourite spots in Boystown if they’re feeling like they want their own little escape, or at The Alibi if they feel like keeping it close to home. Today is too beautiful of a day to not make use of the clean outdoor patios the bars in Boystown can provide.

Mickey recounts his day when Ian’s done and maybe it doesn’t sound quite as glamorous on the surface of things, but it barely occurs to either of them. They’re both doing something they’re good at, something they’re each coming to realize they genuinely enjoy, something that makes them feel useful, and if that isn’t success, what is?

“So this old woman stuffs a bra between her boobs. Like hell I was gonna reach in there and drag it out,” Mickey huffs as he finishes up his story. Well, maybe something they genuinely enjoy most of the time. Ian laughs and it’s Mickey’s favourite sound. It’ll always be Mickey’s favourite sound.

“You sure you’re not gay?” Ian asks skeptically, recounting all the times Mickey’s jokingly —and not-as-jokingly — denied the label.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Mickey says, casting a mischievous glance his way, “My husband is, though.”

“Ohh, I see,” Ian says with a nod, casually changing the subject as he remembers Mickey’s earlier texts, “Oh hey listen, that was a really cute photo of you earlier, Mick. You’ve found your angles, I’m impressed,” Ian says, his voice dripping with mischievous sarcasm.

“Ohhh, thanks, man,” Mickey responds with a playful nudge to Ian’s ribs, “My beauty secret is this really cool thing my husband does called making me wait for ten fucking minutes.”

Ian raises his brows at him. Game on. He opens his mouth to respond in kind, but Mickey’s grabbing him by the upper arm and tugging him into a brick-lined alleyway. Ian grunts in protest, hands flying to Mickey’s biceps to steady himself before he’s shoved against the wall.

Mickey’s kissing him like he’s been thinking about doing all day while Ian’s out here being fucking Superman, like he’s been thinking about doing his whole life. He feels Ian’s smile against his mouth and his heart leaps in his chest and he loves him. He loves him. Mickey’s not sure how or when it happens, but suddenly Ian’s grabbing him and he’s being spun and his back’s being shoved against the wall so quickly his breath almost leaves him.

“Watch it, tough guy,” he breaths, and doesn’t mean a word of it. It’s the closest he’ll come to saying do whatever you want with me.

Ian huffs a laugh, threading his left hand into Mickey’s right as he studies his husband’s face. The cold metal of his wedding band brushes against his fingers and Mickey leans forward, capturing Ian’s lips in a warm kiss that reminds him of the dugouts, reminds him of when they were teenagers too skittish and childish and young to know what to do with the swelling in their chests every time they looked at each other. Ian’s the first to pull back, but he tugs on Mickey’s hand and leads them out of the alley.

“I’m hungry,” he says with a shrug by way of explanation when Mickey gives him an incredulous stare.

“So am I,” Mickey replies quickly, glancing pointedly downwards toward Ian’s crotch. Ian barks a laugh and rolls his eyes. He’s never said it out loud, but damn if he doesn’t love how fucking funny his husband is. No one really knows that about Mickey, he thinks. Distantly he remember’s Mickey’s “now they’re black and blue balls” in the hotel room that one night when they were teenagers. Damn if he didn’t think about that one and swoon over his protectiveness and Southside charm for a good week after. In the back of his mind, he remembers Byron’s list of complaints: he’s socially inept, he’s politically ignorant, he’s violent…

Meanwhile, Ian looks fondly at Mickey and knows that he’s funny, he’s thoughtful, he’s loyal, he’s his husband.

“The fuck you starin’ at?” Mickey snaps at him, an eyebrow raised halfway up his damn forehead.

Ian rolls his eyes, “Nothin’. What do you wanna eat?”

Ian sees the hint of a shy smile on his face as Mickey turns his gaze to the various restaurants they’ve been passing, “Uh, I’m kinda feelin’ Sheffield’s, man. That sound good to you?” He asks, looking back at Ian. The midday sun silhouettes his head, creating a halo out of his red hair and glowing against the hard edges of his face. Mickey remembers the round-faced, freckled boy at the convenience store with the floppy bangs and oversized flannels. Hell, he remembers him before that. He remembers third grade, and some loser with a mop of curly red locks and oversized front teeth leaning over and asking him for a pencil. Looking at him now with his wedding band catching the light, his chiseled jaw, and the lop-sided grin directed right at Mickey, he looks like fucking Adonis.

“…Mick?” Ian’s voice snaps him back to reality.

“Huh?”

“I was saying we’re here, Neil Armstrong,” Ian quips, “Come back to Earth, I wanna eat.”

“Ay, references like that are my thing,” Mickey says as Ian’s arm around his shoulder steers them toward Sheffield’s. They continue bickering as they walk in the restaurant, much to the server’s constant exasperation as she leads them to the patio. “Since when?” “Since fuckin’…always, man.”

They sit out in the Chicago summer sun, basking in the warmth of it together as they sip their drinks. Mickey, ever the loyalist, gets the cheapest beer on the menu after casting his eyes over the ludicrously long list of names, only a third of which he can pronounce. That’s what you get for going to a brewery, he figures absentmindedly to Ian. Ian gets one of the beers lower in proof, but he knows it’ll still bring him a pleasant buzz.

“If nothing else man, your meds make getting drunk economical as hell,” Mickey says to him with a breathy laugh as he hands the waiter their menus with a nod.

“You’re telling me,” Ian responds as he leans back lazily, comfortably spreading his legs in the chair as he grabs the sunglasses hanging off his shirt collar and slides them over his eyes. Mickey follows suit with his own pair of sunglasses and damn if the two of them don’t look good. Mickey changed out of his work uniform before coming to meet him and he’s wearing a pair of jeans that actually fit him, a black tank and blue short sleeve button up top that’s open and fluttering in the light breeze. He looks so relaxed and in his element, and Ian can’t help but wonder if this is what he used to wear in Mexico. For once the memory isn’t tinged with heartache; they’re here now.

“You look good,” Ian says, eyeing Mickey up and down from across the wooden picnic-like table.

Mickey flashes him a smile, “Says you,” he responds, and it’s so disgustingly sweet and domestic that he barely knows what to do with himself. He’ll never get used to this, he thinks, and he doesn’t want to. Ian smiles in return before Micky continues and leans forward, “I was thinking about getting my GED.”

“No shit,” Ian responds, mimicking Mickey in leaning forward across the table, a casual hand still around his beer, “What prompted that?” He asks before taking a sip.

Mickey shrugs, “I like my job now, but I was talking to Larry and he thinks it’d be a good idea. It’d give me better hirability or whatever, and…I dunno, I like my job now,” he repeats almost sheepishly, like he’s about to admit something terrible, “But I’ve been thinking about wanting…more, I guess?”

Ian smiles and reaches across to put a hand over the one Mickey has resting casually on the table, “Let’s make it happen, then.”

Mickey meets his eye for a brief moment with a shy half-smile that he hides by taking a sip of his beer.

“I’m serious, Mick. We can get some study books for you, Kev and V can look after the kids when you need the house to be quiet for two seconds so you can study…” he trails off, lowering his head slightly to prompt Mickey to meet his gaze.

“Alright, alright, Jesus,” Mickey finally says with a chuckle, turning his hand over to grasp Ian’s and rub his thumb over his knuckles, “Love you,” he adds quietly, but it’s not shy or embarrassed or scared; it’s just for Ian, and only Ian.

The two of them sit for what could be hours or minutes longer, chatting about their future plans like it’s nothing but it means fucking everything to both of them. Neither of them had ever really let themselves dream of a future like this. Whenever Ian’s mind had wandered to thinking of moments like this, of sentences like “Kev and V can look after the kids”, he’d dismissed it as the wishful thinking of a manic episode. “Fucked for life” had practically been Mickey’s life mantra. They share a house, they share food, they take turns making dinner, they have monthly goddamn traditions that include sunshine and drinks and risky kisses in alleyways.

They stay at Sheffield’s far longer than they had originally intended as the waiter informs them there’s live music that evening. So they stay, both buzzed on their beers and drunk on happiness and sun and music, sharing insults and laughs, basking in the comfort and familiarity of each other’s presence as the sun casts an orange glow over the Chicago skyline.

[edourado]

Together, Ch. v

This chapter is dedicated to Mick, my little angel of a puppy, who saved me from spiralling into darkness a few months ago. I love and adore him with the entirety of my heart, and maybe that’s why he’s such a spoiled little boy. 

Also, who can spot the reference to one of my favorite movies?

Be safe. Wear masks. Wash your hands. Defund the police. Black lives matter. Much love. 

Frank came back home one day with a dog. 

Almost an hour after he had left for his run, he called Karen, saying that he had found an injured dog and took it to the vet, so he might be a while longer. 

When he did return, it was with a big pitbull, that did look injured. It’s paw was bandaged, and it looked frightened. 

“What did the vet say?” Karen asked while Frank put it on top of a mat in a corner of the kitchen. 

“Probably a fight dog.”

“Oh, no!” Karen gasped, looking at the poor thing, curled up in a ball. 

“Yeah. She had a few ticks, a few bruises, the worst was a bite in her paw.” 

“It’s a she?” 

“Yeah.” Frank looked at her, something in his eyes. 

“What?”

“She’s, uh… She’s pregnant.”

Karen lifted her brows, and Frank kept looking at her. And she just knew, from the way he did, that he wanted to keep the dog. 

After he explained that they had bathed her at the vet, removed the ticks and cleared her for fleas, he went to take his shower, and Karen stood there in the kitchen looking at the dog, not knowing what to think. 

She felt sorry for her, of course she did, but this was such a small apartment, and there would be puppies, Karen didn’t know how in the world they were going to manage Lord knows how many dogs, in the middle of a pandemic, no less!

After Frank’s shower, they sat down to have breakfast and talk about it. 

“I’m assuming there was no chip on her?” she said, pouring coffee for them. 

“No. Nothing on social media, either, as far as they could tell, and nobody called asking for a lost pitbull.”

“Yeah, I mean, if she was a fight dog, I doubt they’d be looking for her in any official capacity.”

Frank looked at the dog, who was snoozing next to the radiator after they fed her a bowl of the dog food Frank had bought. 

“You want to keep her, don’t you?”

He brought his eyes back to her, looking as if he had been caught, and sighed. 

“Yeah”, he said, smiling. “But I don’t know how you feel about that.”

Karen took a bite of toast. 

“I never… Considered getting a dog. And rescuing one, a pregnant one, in the middle of this quarantine thing sounds like a load of trouble, not to mention expensive.” She rested her face in her hand, looking towards the dog. “On the other hand, it seems cruel to not help. She’s injured, she’s pregnant, you found her in the street… If she really doesn’t have an owner, how could we send her away?”

“I mean, there’s… Shelters.”

The way he said it made it seem like it was physically painful for him just to consider that option.  

“But you wanna keep her.”

He drummed his fingers on the tabletop for a few seconds and then turned back to her. 

“Yeah.”

Karen blinked under his stare, and then it clicked. 

“Are you- Are you asking my permission?”

He smiled, so sweetly she wanted to kiss him. 

“It’s your apartment.”

“It’s ours”, she reminded him. “You live here, Frank, it’s as much yours as it’s mine. We should make these decisions together.”

“Ok”, he said, taking her hand and rubbing her wrist with his thumb. “Then I vote we keep her.”

She didn’t know why, but that made her laugh. Maybe it was the quickness of the answer, maybe it was the eagerness in his face, maybe it was how casual he was trying to keep his voice, or maybe it was the fact that presenting his vote still made it her decision, ultimately. 

“How about this?” she said after finishing her toast and refilling her mug with coffee. “We keep her for a while, she’s not in a good shape to keep moving around, from the street, to the vet, to here, to wherever. Help her with her wounds, take her to get the exams you said she needs, and wait. If she has an owner, a good one, not a dog ring owner, and they show up claiming her, we give her back.”

“And if nobody does?”

She paused. 

“Then we have another meeting”, she proposed, with an air of “I don’t know what else to do.”

Frank smiled, nodded, and picked up her hand to place a kiss on her knuckles.

“Ok.”

He called the vet a little before lunchtime, to ask if someone had gotten in touch asking for the pitbull, and the answer was “nothing yet”, but they had put out a message. 

On the next few days, he went out to buy proper food for her breed, he took her back to the vet to check on the puppies, he bought a dog bed. 

(“She needs to be comfortable, because of the pups. If someone shows up for her I’ll give them the bed.”)

Slowly, the dog started to trust that she was not gonna be harmed, started to walk around the apartment, look up at them curiously, let them pet her without flinching, she stopped hiding under the kitchen counter.

Instead of running, Frank would now go on multiple walks with her, and it was extra work, to wash the dog’s paws and take a shower every time they came back, but he didn’t complain once. 

After almost a month, she had regular visits to the vet, she had gained weight (both because she was being properly fed and because of the growing puppies inside her belly), she liked to sit with her chin on the windowsill, feeling the breeze on her face.

Karen had started to call her “lady”. They didn’t want to name her, in case she already had a name, but they needed to call her something other than “the dog”. At first, it was “this lady”, as in “has this lady eaten yet?”, and then Frank caught on, saying “I’m taking the lady out for her walk”, and then she was just lady. Lady, capital L.

One afternoon, Karen was sitting on the floor with her, trying to teach her to give her paw, and giving her treats when she got it right. 

“She’s really intelligent”, she said, after Lady put her paw on Karen’s outstretched hand, and she cooed and rubbed her face and moved to place a kiss on her head. “Good girl, Lady!”

Frank had noticed how Karen slowly fell for the dog. She was a tad distant at first, and then she started worrying, asking about the exams results, and then she was always checking on her, taking photos, ordering expensive organic shampoos online (“I don’t want to hurt the puppies, what if the chemicals are bad for them?”), talking to her, explaining what her book was about, settling in the couch together to watch a movie while Frank hung out in his hammock, carrying her out to the fire escape to swing on the hammock a little, smiling and cooing when the dog closed her eyes, enjoying the wind on her face. 

“You keep that up”, Frank said, from the couch, while Karen kept asking for Lady’s paw. “And you’ll have a hard time if someone shows up to claim her.”

“Oh, nobody’s gonna claim her! It’s been a month!”

“You sure?”

“Her photo’s been making rounds on social media, and I’ve had people offering to take her, but nobody said they were her owners. I think she’s here to stay.”

Frank’s eyebrows went up, and he smiled in spite of himself when both Karen and Lady laid down on the floor, face to face, and Karen rubbed the dog’s swollen belly delicately. 

“You mean that?”

“I do”. Her voice was sing-song, sweet, cooing, full of love. “Of course I do, Frank, look at her. She’s ours, she’s family, of course she’s staying, aren’t you, sweet Lady, aren’t you?”

“No meeting needed?”

She looked back at Frank.

“Why? Did you change your mind?”

“Nope.”

“So that’s that”, she said, facing the dog again, who lifted her chin when Karen scratched her there. “She’s staying. Forever.”

Before she could change her mind, Frank texted the vet who had been treating her to tell her they had decided to keep the dog. “Fantastic!” the doctor replied. “Congratulations!”

The very next day, just before lunch, they heard whimpers: Lady was having her puppies.

Frank called the veterinarian and she walked them through the process. Soon after, there were four puppies nursing eagerly, and Karen cried real tears of joy. 

“You did so good”, she said, petting Lady’s head gently, kissing her forehead. “You did so good, Lady, you��re so brave.”

Frank had a picture of that moment on his phone: Lady with her head on Karen’s leg, the puppies nursing, Karen with her hair blocking her face, looking down and them. 

It was interesting to see Karen’s transition in regards to the dogs. For someone who was so reluctant at first, she embraced the idea with big enthusiasm. 

They had, for example, agreed that their bed was off limits to the dogs. One day, when the puppies were almost a week old, Frank came back from his run to find Karen snuggled up in bed with Lady and the four little babies, all six of them sleeping soundly. 

“They were crying”, she explained sleepily when Frank got back into bed with them. “There was nothing I could do.”

So now, everyday, he went out to run, leaving the pups on their own bed on the floor, and came back to find them on his own bed. 

And Karen stood for her decision everyday. 

.:.

Soon enough, the puppies all had homes. Curtis got the first one, and it took almost no convincing at all.

“He’s cute, man”, he said over the video call, while Karen held the bigger of all the puppies in front of the camera. “How old is he?”

“Almost two weeks”, Frank said while the puppy sniffed the screen of the phone, curious. 

“Aw, look at him. What’s up, little man?” Curtis said, smiling as the puppy licked the screen of Frank’s phone. “He’s got a name?”

“Not yet. We can’t keep them all, I thought maybe you’d want one.”

Curtis scratched his cheek, thinking.

“You found the mom on the street?”

“Yeah, she was in a rough shape. Our best guess is that she used to be a fight dog, and she was either abandoned or ran away.”

“That’s fucked up. Lemme see her.”

They talked for a little while longer, and he could feel Curtis warming up to the idea of keeping one of the puppies. 

“We don’t want to sell them”, Karen said, holding one in each hand, sitting on the floor. “Much less send them to shelters, so we thought maybe finding them homes with our friends. And you, the honest loner of a Marine’s medic, we thought you’d take good care of him.”

“See, now you’re playing dirty. Why you gotta appeal to my caretaker side like that?”

In the end, he agreed to keep him. And even named him. 

“I’ll call him Pete”, he said, smirking

“Funny”, Frank said, even though he didn’t use the alias anymore. 

The next call was to David. Sarah was the one who picked up. 

“Ooh, look how sweet!”

She mused about the puppies for  a while, and then Zach got into the room, saw them, and yelled for his sister to come down to the living room. 

Karen smiled conspiratorially at Frak when Leo and Zach’s faces shared the screen, over the moon about the tiny puppies.

“We’d have to ask your father”, Sarah tried to reason.

“Mom, look at that one, look at that one! Mom, please?”

Sarah ended up summoning David, who blinked at the phone. 

“You got dogs?!” he asked Frank, who explained the story. 

“Oh, no!” Leo cried, horrified. “Dad, we have to take one, please, please!”

“I can have one and you can have another”, Zach suggested to his sister. 

“You want to get two dogs?!” Sarah interjected. “Who’s gonna take care of the mess if we get two dogs?!”

“We will!” Leo jumped. “We promise, mom, we’ll take care of them, walk them and feed them, everything, please, please, please!”

Sarah and David looked at each other.

“We do have the space”, Sarah mused.

“What if they… Crap everywhere?” David asked. 

“We’ll clean it up!” Zach jumped. 

“They can be potty trained”, Leo offered, eager. “And they’re babies, so it wouldn’t be difficult!”

“Let me take another look at them”, David asked. 

In the end, they said they needed to talk, to decide if it would be a good idea or not, and promised to call later with their decision. 

Some 40 minutes later, while Karen was in the hammock with all the puppies, they called back, and when Frank picked up, it was to Leo’s excited face. 

“They said yes!” she told him, elated, and Frank smiled. “They said we can keep two of them!”

Frank filmed the puppies again, for them to pick which ones they wanted, and it was decided that Leo would have the only girl in the litter, and Zach would get one of the boys.

“I can’t wait!” Leo said, after saying goodbye and giving the phone back to David. 

“Bye, Frank!” Zach said, more eager than Frank has ever seen him, smiling and everything. 

“Bye, buddy.”

“That was entrapment”, David said, in a low voice, when the kids were out of ear shot. “What the hell am I gonna do with two dogs, you jackass?”

“Raise them?” Frank suggested. 

“You’re gonna love them, David”, Karen said. “I promise, they’re so sweet.”

“If one of them bite me”, he said, “I’m gonna bite you, Frank, I don’t even care.”  

.:.

They paused to decide who would get the remaining puppy. 

“The logical choice would be Matt”, Karen said, rocking gently on the hammock with the babies while Frank sat by the window, on the fire escape, Lady’s head on his knee. “Single, lives alone, a good size apartment, he’s active. But I don’t know if he’d want one.”

“I’m not sure I’d want him to have one of my dogs”, Frank said, casually, and Karen rolled her eyes. 

“You two need to figure out a way to live with each other.”

“What about Nelson?”

“I doubt Marci would let him keep one. Their apartment is too fancy, too full of breakable things. Maybe Dinah?”

“Nah, she’s never home.”

They went through a list of names, all of them crossed out for some reason or another. 

“I mean, we could… You know, we could keep him”, Frank said, picking the puppy in question from his spot on Karen’s belly, big hand scooping him up easily. 

She blinked at him. 

“You think so?”

“I think so.” 

A few weeks later, when the puppies were old enough to be separated from Lady, Karen and Frank drove to deliver Pete to Curtis, who got the box and waved at them from his building’s door - since they couldn’t get too close, social distancing and everything. 

They left the box with a bow on the Lieberman’s front door, and Frank honked once to signal their arrival. Leo and Zach yanked the door open and kneeled by the box, and Frank smiled when they took their puppies out and ran to the front yard to play with them. 

“Thanks, guys!” Yelled Leo, and they waved at her from the other side of the street, leaning against the car. 

“Come visit when this is all over”, Sarah said, hand shielding her eyes from the sun, the whole family now out of the house, looking at the newcomers.

“You got it”, Frank nodded. 

They took Lady and the last remaining puppy for a drive, and then a walk by the water, Karen holding the tiny guy, since he was too young and a few shots short of being allowed to walk on his own. 

“So what’s this guy’s name?”

Frank asked, hand wrapped around Lady’s leash, the three of them walking leisurely. 

Karen looked at the puppy, who tried to nibble on her mask. 

“I don’t know.” She thought for a few seconds, and then cuddled him. “It’s too soon, he hasn’t told me his name yet.”

But she called him by these cutesy words, like “buhba”, “munchkin”, or “cookie”, and one day she landed on “Pooka”, and it stuck. 

Frank would argue that “Pooka” wasn’t an actual name, but the pup seemed to like it. When Karen lied down on the floor with him, he would make his wobbly way over to her and was already responding to the sound of the name.

So Pooka it was. Lady and Pooka. Frank and Karen. 

His tiny, mismatched, traumatized, fighter of a family. 

And he loved them. 

[its-a-branwen-thing]

r/RWBY AMA Highlights

For those who weren’t aware, r/RWBY did an AMA with the voice actors of the Ace Ops early this morning :) I wanted to share some of their answers here for ya’ll in case people didn’t feel like trekking through the thread. Here are some of the Q&As that I found fun/the most interesting! These are just my personal highlights, by the way! :)

First, some introductions (I put the character next to the name but...just in case I mess up):

And now, for some of the Q/As!

Q: FancyDancyMaho: For Mick - so who is the Goodest Boy and why is it Marrow? If you had to take a guess, is Marrow a mix of insecure and overcompensating because he's the Rookie?

ricepiratemick (Marrow): Absolutely. The thing is, he's a Rookie to the team, but not a rookie in general experience.  The AceOps don't just hire anyone.It's like being a senior in high school: you're the upperclass. Then going to college and starting back down at the bottom of the food chain.Plus he's young, AND a little "different" from the rest. He's got a lot to prove. But unfortunately, "needing to prove something" can sometimes get in your way.

Q: JazzRen47 asked: Hi! This is a general question for all of you. I know voice acting is different from stage work, but was there anything in particular that helped you get into character for your recordings? I'm currently a University theatre student so I'm beyond curious about getting insight wherever I can haha! It was an absolute joy to get to hear your performances this Volume (and an aside for Dawn: you are a wonderful singer, ma'am). Thank you so much for taking the time to come do this.

ricepiratemick (Marrow): Some VA's sit while they work. Focusing all that energy and nuance directly into their voice. I've never been able to that. I gotta stand up and move around (which is sometimes a problem, but I've been able to reign it in and keep it more manageable).

But I'm still flailing my arms around and pointing at imaginary people lol

Q: silent-film asked: Clover’s tone in his scenes with Qrow is noticeably different from his tone when speaking to the Ace Ops or the kids. Can you say anything about that or what your thoughts were on their interactions as a whole?

ChristopherWehkampVA (Clover): I approached Clover as a guarded leader type character, who rarely allowed others into his mind on a personal level. So you see that reflected in how he treats most people, keeping a professional but kind distance.

Q: CapitalStory4 asked: Anairis, what is the best part about being the female Flash?

anairisq (Harriet): At this point? The memes.

Q: Mpatrick23 asked: Hey y'all! I wanna thank you five for taking the time to do this AMA! Now down to the questions:

To all: What was it like in your own perspectives to be a part of the ride with the RWBY cast and who were your favorite VAs to just hang with when not recording? And do you guys have spare time hobbies? Also, just throwing a compliment out there: Dawn, you did beautifully in War!! That was bloody amazing. I loved Harriet up until the "It's not excessive if it's necessary" line as well. I hope you guys make convention appearances soon and possibly see the rest of you in V8!

One of the many loyal fans, -Mitch

DawnMBennettVA (Elm): Hey Mitch! Thank you so much!!! :'D

We generally don't get to see each other a lot when we're not recording, as actors have the most unpredictable schedules. However, I did get to see Anairis before we were able to announce our roles, and we totally geeked out and got excited about each others' performances since we hadn't heard them yet.

I think I'd say my hobby is cooking and baking! I love trying to make new dishes I've never made and see what works. My last favorite food I made was lavender tea bread with a honey lavender glaze. My kitchen smelled fantastic.

Q: MrZissman asked: Hi Dawn! Question - who wins in an arm wrestling contest: Nora or Elm?

DawnMBennettVA (Elm): I think Elm would win at first, but then Nora would probably keep challenging her for rematches until she won. And then Elm would do the same back to Nora until it became an infinite loop of flexing.

Q: BiFross asked: Anairis, the beginning of the season's Harriet is much different than the end's Harriet. How did you make that distinction between friendly threats to actual threats?

anairisq (Harriet): Oh, definitely. Harriet was really serious and angry by the end, so there was no room to play games. You don't see her confidence manifest as playfulness as much as it manifests in frustration by the end, and that's the distinction I made in my head.

Q: Firegirl15639 asked: For Chris, A lot of people's favorite scene you were in was the one in the truck with Qrow. What can you tell us about getting into character for that scene?

ChristopherWehkampVA (Clover): Thanks, I loved that scene. It’s a good glimpse of how professional and capable Clover is while also still having a warm hearted side. I remember wanting to show that warm hearted side with my reads and have it contrast to how all-business he would be later in the scene

Q: threefoldthrowaway asked: Chris, I absolutely loved you as Clover and I’m gutted to see you leave. Clover had most of his screen time shared with Qrow so I just want to ask: How do you think Clover and Qrow’s relationship changed over the course of the volume?

ChristopherWehkampVA (Clover): Thanks, it was so cool to play with their dynamic. By the end of the volume Clovers pain at feeling he had to arrest Qrow was so genuine. He was dealing with the very real pain of having to choose sworn duty over what was becoming an important relationship to him

Q: BrokenLevel asked: Why do you suppose each of your characters are so steadfastly loyal to Ironwood? No need to be canon, personal conjecture is also fine.

ricepiratemick (Marrow): For Marrow, he's a faunus, and there's clearly social tensions that come with that. Having been brought into THE most elite group of huntsmen in the Atlesian military, I can't help but think Marrow (despite being a bit cocky) is hugely appreciative and humbled. He knows how difficult and rare it is for those of his kind to be placed in a such an important role.

That said, of all the AceOps... I think he'd be the first to question his "steadfastly loyal" position on Ironwood.

toddwo (Vine): I think it's the military thing. It's chain of command. He's in charge. The RWBY kids can use their hearts more as a guide because they're not military-first like I think the Ace ops are.

Q: ArmoftheSpoonFiend asked: What would you guys rather fight, 100 duck-sized horses or 1 horse-sized duck?

DawnMBennettVA (Elm): 1 horse-sized duck. Gonna need a giant oven, though.

ricepiratemick (Marrow): Marrow prefers a single target :]

anairisq (Harriet): 1 horse-sized duck. Easier to run away. :') I know if it was Harriet, she'd take on all 100 the duck-sized horses just to show off.

Q: OutcastMunkee asked: Quite a few (mainly because a few from my friend who is at work so can't make it!) questions here for everyone...From me, I gotta ask what you think about the Ace Ops vs RWBY fight and why do you think RWBY came out victorious?

As for questions from my friend, he wants to know:

Did any of you know of/watch RWBY before you were cast?

How did you end up auditioning for the roles?

Was working on RWBY any different to other voice acting jobs you've done in the past?

Thanks for doing this AMA folks! <3

toddwo (Vine): Firstly, RWBY team cheats in battle, so that's why they beat us ;)

I actually produced two seasons of the broadcast show RWBY rewind about RWBY, so I had seen nearly all of it by the time these auditions came around, and programmed entire episodes of that show around episodes, characters, and events of RWBY.

I usually submit every time there's a call for voice actors. I've been voicing various things in videos for a decade, animated characters, puppets, Reggae Shark. So I just love leaving the headspace of being at a desk at work and going to imagination land and recording voices.

I think I answered this in a different post, but I'd say the difference is being close to the show - I work at Rooster Teeth - and knowing the directors personally. It makes it way easy to ask questions, get feedback, and just be loose, as compared to skypeing in to some jerk director in L.A. lol.

ricepiratemick (Marrow): I've seen the debates about the fight results on twitter and reddit and I think it's fairly simple (and that many folks got it): AceOps were not on the same page and down a leader + RWBY were fighting for their lives and the lives of the people they were trying to save. It's as simple as that. Sure "team work" and "friends" and all that, but for those who were disapproving of that being the sole reason... I think it was clear that there were many legit reasons why RWBY came out on top.

Before getting cast, I knew of RWBY, especially some of the folks on the team, but wasn't an avid follower of the series before. Since being cast...gotta say, I love it. And will continue to watch no matter what happens to Marrow.

Audition was sent by the magic of electronic mail.

One main difference (compared to other acting jobs) is the time they take to nail down a line. In many VO jobs, yer on the clock and they roll through the script at a clip. With RWBY, it wasn't like there was a 100 takes of each line, but they knew what they wanted while still wanting the actor to explore. Just super positive, organic, and overall great experience recording with them every time.

anairisq (Harriet):

1) Yup! From the beginning. :)

2) I had received the audition online while living in FL! Submitted it pretty much the same day and tried not to think about it. I was so, so excited when I heard I booked.

3) It was for me! It was my first time doing prelay work in the booth. I was a little nervous about how it'd be like, but each session was really fun.

Q: patrizl001 asked: Todd, did you ever notice your character never used their weapon throughout the volume? Why do you think that is?

toddwo (Vine): This is totally a guess, but I feel like it's Vine's "nuclear option." He's all zen normally, so I tend to think he wants to solve things organically, and not just go nuts and use some metal blades to do the job of stretchy-ness and tactics. I could be wrong tho! Maybe it's just a fashion accessory!

Q: Eldi13 asked: For everyone: Where do you hope to see your characters go in Volume 8?

ricepiratemick (Marrow): Obviously, I have no official say in what happens to Marrow and his place in the story. But I can't help feeling he's gonna get a lot of heat from Ironwood and company after Harriet rats him out for not fighting, especially in light of Clover's death.

Personally, I'd love to see him help/side/join the RWBY gang, even if he's not a mainstay. But no matter what, he's definitely been built up to be the most conflicted of the Ops and I'm curious/excited to see where they leads.

DawnMBennettVA (Elm): Like Mick said, I have no say in the story, but I'd also love to see Elm's growth after Clover's death and the possible events to come (like what's gonna happen to her team after losing its leader, y'know?). She really does seem like a team mom at times, and I'd love to see her give Team RWBY another chance.

Q: Eldi13 asked: For Dawn, (if you make it by later!) what was the recording process like for the song in episode 12? Did Jeff and Casey arrange the whole thing, or did all the vocalists have input as well?

DawnMBennettVA (Elm): Hey there! I believe Jeff and Casey did indeed arrange the whole thing. (Obviously, someone from production please correct me if I'm wrong)! :'D

I was approached by Jeff during the process to be a guest singer, which absolutely blew my mind!!! He and Casey are such crazy talented musicians and it was an honor to be able to perform with them.

Then Christopher Sabat (voice of Arthur Watts) kindly let me use his recording studio to track my vocals, Briana Villarreal engineered me, my cousin Kaitlyn Fae coached and directed me, and I sent my vocals off to Jeff!

Jeff had asked me to sing whichever lines I liked best and he'd pick which ones to use from those. You can imagine how happy I was to hear myself singing when Elm appeared on the screen. :')

Q: SentientHam asked: Thoughts and opinions on each of your character's sembalances and weapons?

ricepiratemick (Marrow): It's fetching. Despite not seeing it's full potential, I think it's got a lot of staying power.

Q: AylaPazza asked: For all VAs, do you have any particular headcanons for your characters? Like hobbies or ways to relax, things like that! Also you all did a fantastic job this volume! I hope we see more of all of you in volume 8!

ricepiratemick (Marrow): Marrow uses his semblance to hack speed-runs of difficult games.

toddwo (Vine): I try to channel Paul Bettany's Vision character and make a lot of resonating noise in my head and relax at the same time. My voice is really high naturally so I spend a few minutes just humming low to myself to get someplace different.

Q: galaxyseal asked: To any of them: have you guys gotten to meet any of your fellow cast members in person?

DawnMBennettVA (Elm): Yes! From the Ace-Ops, I already knew Chris Wehkamp, and I met Anairis not too long after recording! I also met Lindsay and Michael Jones years ago when I started working on Fairy Tail, and Elizabeth Maxwell when we were working on Dragon Ball Super.

Actually, now that I think about it, I've met way more of the RWBY cast than I thought... The voice acting world is smaller than you think! :D

anairisq (Harriet): I met Dawn! She's just as much of a sweetie as Elm is <3

ricepiratemick (Marrow): I haven't!!!! >:[

Buuu~t I've gotten to meet/hang/know some of the team members :D

All solid, passionate, hard-working peeps

Q: brendans1989 asked: For anyone to answer - what is the most powerful advice you would give to anyone aspiring to become a voice actor?

DawnMBennettVA (Elm): Know that rejection is just part of the job. You're not going to book everything you audition for. Learn to let things go. Also, your friends' progress is not a measure of your own.

Even when you're at your lowest and you think you might be the worst, don't give up. Talk to a private coach, take classes, do everything you can to improve yourself. Keep pushing, keep trying, keep moving forward.

------

I hope this is fun for everyone to read through! I tried to balance out answers on character questions and misc. ones, as I bet some folks are interested in hearing about their journey as VAs! If anyone wants to check out the full AMA, it’s here.

r/RWBY seems like a cool crew of people, this seemed like a lot of fun, and the mods did a good job curating! Hope I gave credit where it’s due for question askers--this was all their hard work!

Happy Saturday everyone~

[talesfromatabletop]

RP Headcanons: DC Edition, pt 1

Batfam

Bruce cares, tries, and fails, but generally keeps trying for his kids.

Baby Terry McGinnis is the cutest thing ever and his dinosaur t-shirts reinforce this.

Slade Wilson - terrible person, great assassin, loving (if strict) parent.

Dick and Bruce fight constantly! Once Dick gets mad about something, everything makes him more angry until he and Bruce eventually resolve the first problem. It's sometimes big stuff... sometimes really petty shit.

Steph loves waffles. She will trade Tim for a 4-stack with chocolate chips.

Everybody wants to pair with Bruce on Gotham patrols. He gets the best fights and he brings snacks in the belt - it's a 50/50 if it's protein bars or trail mix, though.

Nobody wants to pair with Bruce on Gotham patrols. He won't let you make Social Media posts or stop for a hotdog at Rico's corner stand.

Jason and Dick actually fight a lot, still. Jason knows how to push Dick's buttons and he uses that as a self-defense tactic when he doesn't want to talk. ("Get Dick mad and he won't ask if I'm okay!")

Cass loved Steph before Steph loved Cass. Stephanie figured it out... eventually.

Lucius Fox only helps with the really weird shit because Bruce trades him Alfred's secret holiday recipes sometimes. Alfred's recipes are the true treasures of Earth.

Duke does his best not to get swept up in the weird, wild lives of his batsiblings tbh.

Tim doesn't babysit, he gets babysat.

Ace is the Good Boy™ but he will try and take Krypto down.

Titus is trained, we swear, but he's goofier than a ferret on drugs sometimes. 10/10 derp.

Sometimes Dami gives Batcow walks through the garden to help her relax.

Every Batfam member will stab the other for the last piece of Ma Kent's apple pie. Even Alfred.

Superfam

90s Kon and YJ Kon both deserve to exist. What better combo than the Insta-famous, outgoing showboat and the blunt, introverted buffbaby?

YJ Kon is way more of a "Conner" than 90s Kon. 90s Con is now "Carter."

Carter + Tim = Flashy Disaster Couple

Conner likes Wally's freckles.

Ma and Pa Kent accept any and all grandkids, time-travel or dimension-hopping be damned because "They're our boys, now, Clark, of course we want to see them!", and there are family trips to the farm.

Clark will bribe his friends and teammates with his mother's cooking. He can't bribe with his own, though, because he's terrible at it.

Jon would happily fly to Gotham for dinner before eating what his father burned made for them.

Krypto would probably go, too.

Clark doesn't know what to do with all of his sons but at least they aren't like his cousins.

"It's not about whether the boob window would look good or not, guys! It isn't happening!" is still something he's had to say before, though, and Clark's mildly ashamed of it.

With three superboys up to bat, the real issue is that none of them want to share the name. Jon had it first and that's fine with his brothers, really. Conner looks and feels like practically an adult, so he's meh about it. Carter wants something catchier to say. The result? Superboy, Kon and Rao.

Jor-El had a conniption when Carter named himself "Rao" as a hero. "You named yourself after OUR GOD?!? You disrespectful little-!"

Lex thought it was hilarious.

The boys are constantly in the background of Carter's posts and there's a few Insta vids of Lex trying and failing to hide that he's mildly amused by his son's shenanigans.

Flashfam

Barry is face-blind (has prosopagnosia). He can gradually memorize specific elements of a person's face ("Uh... Ollie's hair is like mine, right? So he's blond! And I know he has facial hair.") but has trouble associating them together unless he's had long periods of exposure to the person.

Wally is a nervous bundle of anxiety. All of the time.

Barry is practically incapable of looking on the dark side of things, and tends to believe the best of people - this extends to his villains.

Cisco is his bro, Caitlin is like the ditzy aunt, and Harrison is the exasperated father-figure that just wishes his kids didn't drink so much coffee.

Speaking of coffee - Barry doesn't drink it on the job. It makes him antsy.

Captain Boomerang - Digger, to his friends - is always on the edge of getting out of the game. Raising Owen ("Little Diggs") is a higher priority than his Rogues work. He waivers between retirement and always that "last" job that'll set him up to take care of his son.

Little Diggs is too pure for this world, and a fan of Flash even though he knows his father is a villain.

Wally isn't as forgiving with the Rogues as Barry is. This is especially true for Heatwave, Glider and Cold, since they've all double-crossed the Flash before.

Cold isn't fond of Kid Flash. Barry earns his respect and, in some ways, his admiration - this doesn't extend to Flash's smartassed sidekick.

Lisa and Mick are a surprisingly functional duo despite their dysfunctional dynamic. Lisa is generally in charge in their relationship, and Mick knows Len would ice him if he ever raised a hand to Lisa.

Len and Mick are best friends, despite the friction from their clashing personalities.

Lisa keeps pushing Len to either date or pick a favorite hooker - anything to get him laid and chilled out for once.

Len is practically addicted to puns. Not even just cold- or ice-related puns, either! He will make puns out of anything when given an opportunity, and genuinely is amused by them.

Arrowfam

Oliver is never in control of his daily life. He's barely in control of his personal choices most of the time.

Felicity runs it all - the team, the company, organizing his assignments from the League... everything other than doing the hard stuff herself.

Ollie really is a capable hero, but he doesn't believe it. He also doesn't particularly believe that the League needs or wants him there, but couldn't tell you why exactly they keep him, then, if questioned about it.

Roy has totally given up the flash and mystique of heroism tbh. Trucker hat? Check. Bow, arrows, and backup guns? Check. Flip-flops? All the better to chase people with. The slapslapslap of justice will strike terror in the hearts of muggers everywhere.

Oliver spoils Lian relentlessly.

Artemis is glad to avoid the weird shit that Roy and his clones get up to when Ollie isn't paying attention. She's never been more thankful that she isn't one of the adopted sidekicks.

Jim: Big, friendly, easily guilt-tripped, the pretty one.

Will: Mature, down-to-earth, does the guilt-tripping, the mom/dad friend.

Roy: Trash, amger!!!, can't be guilt-tripped but can be blackmailed, has no clue what he wants in life yet.

Lian will either murder you in your sleep or you are now a member of her family. There is no in-between.

No pets. Ever. They will get shot with an arrow by accident and nobody in the house is willing to deal with that emotional burden.

Oliver wants exactly 0 people in the "Arrowfam" but will kill you and/or himself over losing any member of his Arrowfam.