#paxton has grown so much as a person and i hear that they just completely erased 3 seasons of his character growth?

[tploz]

I spoiled the ending of Never Have I Ever and I guess it’s time to write and post some fix-its on ao3 because Devi and Paxton deserve better

[rafaelxalvarez]

⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚ david castañeda, cis man, he/him. yes, i know RAFAEL ÁLVAREZ. the BARTENDER AT BEE BALM PUB has been in sage lake since 1974, and are still waiting for their soulmate, SELENE PAXTON. they’re known around the lake for being INDEPENDENT & STAUNCH & DAUNTLESS, though it’s rumored they’re SARCASTIC & CYNICAL & HOTHEADED. may they find their other half in the ageless autumn.

Hey everyone! I’m Kip and very late to the party, but here is my disaster! Feel free to like this or message me if you’d like to plot!

▷  currently  playing  ——  CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’  by  THE MAMAS AND THE PAPAS.

Name: Rafael Álvarez Nickname: Raf, doesn’t take too well to being called Álvarez Age: 30 Birthdate: April 17th, 1944 Birth Order: Youngest of three Hometown: El Paso, Texas Languages: English & Spanish Education Level: High School Arrival in Sage Lake: June 21st, 1974

▷  currently  playing  ——  FORTUNATE SON  by  CREEDENCE CLEARWATER.  

WAR & DEATH TW

Rafael grew up in a single parent household with two older brothers. His father died in WWII before getting the chance to come home and meet the newest addition to the family. Things weren’t easy growing up this way, but the tightknit family always seemed to manage.

Growing up, he didn’t have too much to complain about. Sure, his family might not have been as well off as others, but it never seemed to bother the free-spirited kid. He was always too busy running around with the other neighborhood kids and getting himself into trouble with his inability to keep his opinions to himself.

Though he was a bright kid, his family didn’t really have the means to send him to college, so he ended up working a factory job right out of high school. Admittedly, he did have bigger dreams for himself and was disappointed life couldn’t pan out the way he wanted it to. He tried to keep his head up though, reminding himself that things could be worse.

With America’s entrance into the Vietnam War, it was more likely to find Rafael speaking out against it than volunteering to fight in it anytime soon — something that caused somewhat of a rift between him and his eldest brother, who decided to enlist at the time. Though his brother would eventually make it back, the two never fully patched things up between them before Rafael ended up in Sage Lake.

Despite his strong opposition to the war, fate seemed to have other plans for him. The draft rolled around in December of ‘69 and Rafael, who was a year away from being exempt, was drafted into an ugly war he wanted nothing to do with. The year he spent in the war was easily the worst and most influential year of his life — full of never ending horrors and death. 

After what felt like several lifetimes, his year in service was finally over and he was able to return home. Attempting to adjust back to the life he had before wasn’t as easy as he thought it might be — especially when he held onto a lot anger, guilt, and mistrust from the war.

Just when he felt like his life was somewhat returning to a state of normalcy, the rug was ripped out from underneath him again and he found himself in Sage Lake. Once again, he found himself struggling to adjust to his new reality.

These days, Rafael can usually be found at the Bee Balm Pub either working or drinking. With several decades to accept the things he can’t change here, he’s opened up a bit more in recent years, and is at least attempting to make the most of things. 

▷  currently  playing  ——  DON’T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD  by  THE ANIMALS.

Rafael can be a little rough around the edges, but anyone who gets close enough will come to find he’s actually a lot more caring than he comes across.

He’s extremely ride or die for the people he’s closest to. Like it’s a miracle he made it back from Vietnam with some of the stunts he pulled to make sure the guys he served with made it back okay.

Rafael initially didn’t handle getting stuck in Sage Lake well. It felt like another major choice in life was completely ripped out of hands. He spent a good decade and a half pissed off at everything before eventually accepting things as they were.

Though it’s far more likely to hear him complain about Sage Lake, the place has grown on him. If nothing else, the town has a peacefulness the rest of the world could never seem to offer him.

Definitely a night owl. You’re not going to find him out and about anytime in the morning unless he absolutely has to be awake.

Really used to like going dancing before getting drafted and then getting stuck in Sage Lake. He hasn’t done it much since.

Still listens to a lot of music from the 50s, 60s, and early 70s for the nostalgia. 

Probably not the best bartender to tell all your troubles to because he’s far more likely to offer up a sarcastic comment than helpful advice.

Lowkey probably still has some unresolved trauma from the war, but is very “it’s cool, I’ll just ignore it and it will go away.” :/

He honestly didn’t pay attention to his watch when he first got to Sage Lake, too upset about his situation to care. His attitude has changed since and he’ll subtly check it from time to time out of curiosity. 

▷  currently  playing  ——  STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU  by  STEALERS WHEEL.

Found Family: I’m an absolute sucker for these kinds of plots/dynamics. And since Rafael was so close to his family, he definitely misses having a strong sense of family and would absolutely love/appreciate having that type of relationship with some people in Sage Lake.

Friends: Even though he can have a difficult personality to get along with and he doesn’t make it easy to get to know him, he has been in Sage Lake for quite some time now so I’m sure even he’s been able to make a few friends.

Coworkers: Throw all the Bee Balm Pub employees my way. Rafael’s worked there for a long time now and I’m super open to the dynamics he has with his coworkers. 

Anything and everything! My brain is fighting me right now, but I’m definitely open to more than what I came up with so if you have any ideas you think would work for our muses, feel free to throw them my way!

[shemakesmusic-uk]

INTERVIEW: Hannah White.

Hannah White has battled her way to gaining a loyal following of fans around the UK whilst maintaining a wholly independent approach to her career. Her music is influenced by country, blues, folk, pop and soul but remains distinctly her own.

With a voice that can switch from a sweet Nashville croon to a bluesy holler, her songs draw from a rich well of life experiences. Hannah released her latest album Elephant Eye earlier this year, preceded by the single and video for 'In It For Love'. We had a chat with the artist about the new record, performing live, her venue The Sound Lounge and more. Read it below.

You have just released your third LP Elephant Eye. What was the inspiration behind the record? What do you hope fans will take away from the album?

"Well I am constantly writing songs, I do it almost daily.  Everything I write is either autobiographical or about something that really matters to me, so it always comes from somewhere sincere.  This record is no different. It wasn’t a collection I looked at pulling together for any particular reason other than for the purpose of sharing.  There is a lot of my politics in the album, there are some deeply personal songs about my relationships, about love, loss and my search for meaning.  My hope for anyone listening is always that they find some kind of connection.  I think that’s what’s so powerful about music and song; when it makes someone feel something."

How does Elephant Eye differ from your previous two releases Poetry and Whose Side Are You On? How do you feel you have grown as an artist?

"I’m not sure I’ve ever really thought about my own evolution as an artist.  My own music preferences have definitely evolved since I wrote my first album, Poetry.  I’ve always listened to Dylan and Cohen, I’ve always loved Prince and also The Bee Gees and Abba for their brilliant, pop songwriting.  But I went through a period of listening to a lot of hiphop and RnB which is something that came and it left me really.  Now I listen to a lot of bluegrass & country and the songwriters I love have evolved too: Tom Waites, Tom Paxton, John Prine and Patty Griffin are all a huge influence on me.  Mostly American artists.  That has definitely influenced my writing, I think you can hear the Americana in me coming out more than it did before."

You worked with lots of talented people on Elephant Eye including producer Nigel Stonier and AMA 2017 Instrumentalist of the Year Chris J Hillman. What was it like working with them and what have you learned from the experience?

"It’s impossible not to learn from any person who joins in on a creative project.  Every single person brings their own creative energy and turns the song or the performance into something it couldn’t have been without them.  The fact that they are lovely people helps too.  That sounds a bit silly but honestly, bringing a song you have written into the world is such an exposing thing, it can make me feel really vulnerable, so being around positive people with lots of talent and who feel where it's coming from is an amazing feeling.  It’s like a little piece of magic happening."

You have a few shows planned for later this year, in the summer. Which of the new songs are you most excited to play live?

"Do you know it changes every time I perform.  I never write set lists because I’ll aways run with the vibe of the room (or the crowd if it’s a festival).  I walk on to a stage and get a sense of who I’m with and what’s going to work.  I think performing is a two-way experience.  It’s at it’s most amazing when you’re making a connection with people.  I know when this has happened because after a performance people will approach me to share their own personal stories.  It’s amazing to think I’ve done some sharing on stage and the audience wants to share back.  It means that it’s not been a one-way experience and that my songs have touched on some emotional fibres."

What is your favourite thing about being on stage and performing live?

"I love performing live I think almost as much as I love songwriting itself (which is just my favourite thing in the world).  It’s never entirely comfortable, but it’s beautiful to share something with the musicians I’m on stage with, when you’re all locked in it is a very special feeling.  But also, crucially, to lock in to something with an audience is just amazing.  I am pretty sure there is no other feeling like it.  Nothing else exists during that moment.  I can completely understand why Bruce Springsteen gets on stage and performs for 4 hours!  I could do it myself, I absolutely love it."

You wrote your most recent single 'In It For Love' after spending time in 2016 at the refugee camp in Calais where you went as a volunteer with food, tents and clothes. Tell us a bit more about that experience and how important activism is to you and the impact it has on your music.

"I decided to go to Calais myself because I was so upset by what I was reading and the images I was seeing in the news, I got to a stage where I couldn’t do nothing anymore.  I went out with clothes and tents and things but also instruments because I knew there would be musicians and songwriters just like me, among the thousands of people living in the camp.  Of course it was really hard to see people living in third world conditions just a few hours from my own home in London.  It was hard to hear their stories and feel very helpless but it was also uplifting to see people coming together through adversity; to see how people find hope and exist by it.  I don’t know if I could if I’d lost everyone and everything.  I played music with the refugees and the joy it brought was amazing, I will never, ever forget it.  I brought those experiences home with me and I live with them every day.  The people I met there, the despair and the horror, but also the resilience and the determination are things that don’t leave me.  Back home I’ve raised money & collected donations, I’ve campaigned for policy change at a political level, I’ve given over my sofa to refugees here in the UK who would otherwise be destitute.  I think it’s the inhumanness of the refugee crisis that makes me so sad, so I just do what I can to be humane. "

You opened the London venue The Sound Lounge with your husband, Keiron to support the careers of other independent artists like yourself, after running an incredibly successful crowdfunder. What an amazing thing to do! Tell us a bit more about what inspired you to do this and how it all came about.

"We came across a completely derelict space in Tooting, SW London, which was open to the elements, without any electricity or plumbing.  My husband (who plays guitar & performs with me) and I had been talking about opening a venue in South London to promote independent artists to support the new music emerging from our city because through working on my own music we’d come across so many other artists with such enormous talent and without enough platforms.  We applied for some grant funding but we were rejected because we didn’t have the track record to support the claims we were making about what we planned to do.  We didn’t have any money ourselves so we thought we’d try a crowdfunding campaign instead to see whether ordinary people like us would get behind it.  We knew it would also tell us whether there was a desire out there for what we were planning or not.  It was amazing, people emerged from everywhere offering money, skills, expertise, PR, graphic design, plumbing….the list goes on.  It was such a brilliant, community project.  We turned the space into a 250-capacity grassroots music venue and creative hub.  We hosted charity events, screenings, talks and we ran workshops for families, young people, we did sound engineering and barista training for refugee minors, we launched our ‘Friendship Coffee’ sessions offering free cuppas for people suffering from social isolation.  And, crucially, we were putting on live music events from mainly UK artists, but also artists from Texas, Nashville, Canada, Europe and attracting audiences from all over the UK and even beyond."

Finally, what would you say has been the biggest highlight of your career so far and what are you looking forward to in the future?

"I did once perform at a festival in Turkey surrounded by mountains to a completely silent, seated audience of 3,000 and that was quite amazing!  But I have to say the people who have come into my life thanks to music is what I’m most grateful for.  I’ve made some lifelong friends and I feel very lucky for it! Already this year I’ve been lucky enough to have national radio play and press on this album which has been amazing so for that to continue would be brilliant because it would mean that my music can reach more people.  But ultimately if I can keep writing, performing and meeting wonderful people then I literally couldn’t ask for anything more."

Elephant Eye is available now.