#posting two NY edits on the same evening

[meraki-yao]

Ok I got four asks in my inbox about the new Nick interview and I'm actually mad. I'm actually livid and exasperated because I've been getting and answering similar asks over and over again, and yet people still come to me with the same statement and the same conviction EVEN AFTER I POINTED OUT EVERY FUCKING FACT THAT CONTRADICTS IT.

Do you really need a 19-year-old to teach you reading comprehension and media literacy?

Ok, fine.

Statement One: Nick doesn't appreciate RWRB, he's brushing it aside, which is why it wasn't mentioned in the New York Times

One: Editorials don't always portray the actual thoughts or agenda of the interviewee.

Unlike a video interview or a podcast interview where we can hear the whole conversation directly from Nick with his voice, and even if there are cuts and edits we can pick it up via visual or audio continuity, in a written editorial the only thing we can rely on is the writer's words, or in other words, the writer's paraphrase or quotation of what Nick said to him. This gives much bigger room for any changes or manipulation in content because we have nothing else to reference.

It is clear that in the past three editorials, the writer or the magazine itself has deliberately demeaning and devaluing RWRB. In NY Magazine, it was only mentioned in one line and degraded to "a queer take on a common straight trope" (see the choice of word "president's daughter"), with the implication being at its core, it's a straight story/ reliant on past straight stories to be interesting; Hunger Magazine calls it fujoshi-pleasing (fujoshi: Japanese slang, denoting how a straight woman who enjoys fictional gay content is "rotten", too ruined to be married, an insult to both the audience/fans and the movie itself ); and this time New York Magazine didn't even mention RWRB, when let's be honest, it's Nick's biggest breakout role.

"Once Is Chance, Twice is Coincidence, Third Time's A Pattern" this is deliberate. I can't say what the agenda is, my guess is some extent of latent homophobia, but it's clear that this is a fucking pattern. In fact, besides the hidden agenda of devaluing RWRB, these editorials show another hidden agenda, but that's something for a later day. PM me id you want to now, I won't discuss that one on my public platform yet.

Again, there is so much more room for twisting and hiding words in a written editorial. In all the video interviews Nick did, especially in the UK, when has he ever avoided a question about RWRB? When has he ever not shown gratitude towards the project?

Two: In all video evidence that can't be manipulated, that clearly shows Nick's own thoughts which not influenced by any other party, he has made it clear that he adores RWRB.

Why else would he sign books during the M&G London premiere, going as far as to stay behind after the event just to sign books? Same with the LA M&G premiere and TIOY premiere: those were promotions for other projects, he had a valid reason to refuse to sign the RWRB books and posters, but he didn't, always signing with a big smile on his face, even playfully signing on Taylor's face. He said it himself in his Instagram post, and I quote: "The love that Henry has received has been one of the most heartwarming things to watch. It's been difficult to not talk about him. So thank you for seeing him for all he is. He was a joy to bring to life." There's your proof, directly from the man himself.

Statement Two: Nick's not interested in doing a sequel, he said he's done playing princes and he's done playing romantic leads

One: "Done playing princes" doesn't mean literally done playing princes, it means he wants to try more roles and not be stuck with only being known as the "prince" guy. (even though he's literally a prince lol)

Plus, he said that after Robert, but then Henry came along and he was attracted to Henry as a character with his scared but loving heart. He doesn't just view Henry as a prince, he views Henry as a complex, delicate person who so happens to be a prince. Him saying he's done playing princes means in the future, he doesn't really want another royal on his filmography, but this doesn't mean he doesn't want to continue Henry's story. With the given context, namely asking him about future projects he wants to take up, "he's done playing princes" and "he doesn't want to play Henry anymore" are not mutually inclusive.

Two: "Done playing romantic leads" means he wants to try new things and take up new projects that aren't romance films.

This doesn't include the continuation of already established characters i.e. sequels, this just means if he were to take up brand new projects, he wants to try something else. Sequels are inherently different from new projects because again, sequels are based on already established characters.

Three: He said several times ON VIDEO that he'd be in for a sequel

In this one, when asked if he'd be up for a sequel, he said, and I quote "Look, I think with any opportunity of doing a sequel, I think, you know, the script has to be right. But obviously, it was so lovely to see how many people it touched and having that resonance is incredibly important to me, so, yeah. Of course."

In this one, when asked if they have had conservation on a potential sequel, he said, and again I quote: "Yeah, I mean definitely had conversations. I think we're all on the same page in the sense that, you know, the script needs to be right, and sort of all the different components need to be right because we made something that has such a positive effect and I think the last thing you'd wanna do is ruin that or take that in a way, so, you know, the conversations are definitely being had."

And there are more videos from red carpet interviews that I can't be bothered to find right now but he says more or less the same thing.

(look I even transcribed it)

Not only is he on board with a sequel, he's also being careful about it to make sure once they do get to making it, it's something good. He's on board, and he values it. And again, that's directly from him.

We have a phrase in Chinese: 斷章取義, meaning "breaking off a small part of an article and deriving the meaning from that single part" That's what so many of you, in particular, the people who come to my inbox with the sentiments of the above-mentioned statement are doing. Please, use critical thinking and look at the whole picture. Stop making judgments from the surface of one source.

Tagging my friends @alittlefrenchtree and @myteavsricochet because it looks like they've been getting the same things I got

[butterflydm]

wot rewatch (book spoilers edition): 2x3

And here are my additional thoughts that contain spoilers through all the teasers and the books through book 13: A Memory of Light.

I was watching show-only reviews to try to figure out if it's safe to call Ishy 'Ishamael' yet but reaction seems mixed on whether or not Moiraine's words clued people in on the situation, so I'm going to stay ambiguous about him in my book spoiler-free posts for now.

I loved the changes that the show made to all Nynaeve's tests. They all make sense in context of the show and Nynaeve's character, they all tell us something about her, and there's also some great connective threads between them. We've known for a while (or guessed) that her first test would take place when she was a kid because her mom appeared in the casting lists... quite a few months ago. Ages ago. But I definitely prefer this one to the book version. It was so heartrending and touching.

2. The crimsonthorn strand throughout the tests is very interesting to me. I talked about this in the other post, but on a more spoilerly note, I like that the show is not defaulting to "all the Wondergirls feel a draw towards Green because They Like Men" and that Nynaeve is actually getting tugged between Yellow and Red in these last two episodes, as Liandrin tries to influence her. It makes me wonder if maybe they'll have Elayne incline towards maybe Brown ("I like to tinker with things") instead of Green. Though Nynaeve did put Egwene in the Green Ajah in her personal AU (which did such a good job in only using elements that Nynaeve was aware of when she went into the arches! No Elayne in Nynaeve's AU; and no Rand because she believes him to be dead).

4. Side note: thrilled that Nynaeve does not have to be naked for the test. The amount of times that women have to strip down for rituals in the books gets pretty ridiculous (especially when men doing the same kind of ritual -- ex. going to Rhuidean -- does not require them to strip). Stripping down to her shift makes the point well enough.

5. A thought I had about the people attacking the Two Rivers -- could this have been happening during the Andoran Succession Crisis that led to Morgase being Queen? And so the Queen's Guard, instead of keeping the roads clear of bandits, were busy with the civil war among the nobility, which let bandits get even as far as the Mountains of Mist. That could actually serve as a really good reason for the Two Rivers to basically nope out of being part of Andor -- "you were so busy squabbling amongst yourself that you let bandits rove the lands and kill innocent people". I'm not certain if the timeline matches up, but I will put it out there as a theory.

6. Her second test is based on the same worries that she had in the books -- that she's abandoned the Two Rivers and she won't be there when they need her and someone who isn't a good Wisdom will have taken over for her -- but shifted the details to hit harder in the show version, and to use characters that the show viewers are already familiar with. It really worked for me. I also liked them essentially using Perrin's lies about Rand to Tam in the books for Nynaeve here instead, where it makes a lot more sense -- she doesn't want to steal the only comfort that she can give a dying man by telling him that his son is dead.

7. Liandrin genuinely got herself invested in Nynaeve! I liked seeing that. I really like that the show is giving more emotional depth to our Darkfriends. Both Sheriam and Liandrin come across as very genuinely upset that Nynaeve hasn't returned through the arches. Because they both think of themselves as the good guys! Liandrin's motives in the show seems to be along the lines of "You need to have power so that others can't have power over you" while Sheriam's in the books were about being Black Ajah essentially to get ahead in the Tower but never expecting that she would actually need to do anything TOO terribly bad in exchange. Neither of them wanted Nynaeve to die or get hurt (they were both probably hoping to turn her to the Black Ajah). It's also really funny that it's entirely possible that they do not know that the other one is also Black Ajah.

8. Theory: being able to sense latent channelers may be a Talent rather than something either everyone or no one can do. Because it's one specific damane who comes out to point out the individual women to get dragged off to be damane, rather than it being the two women who were used to attack the village.

They are hitting the dehumanization angle hard. Egwene's 'training' is going to be so hard to watch.

9. Ishamael doesn't seem like he was expecting to find Perrin here, so I don't think Ingtar has been in regular contact with him. I really do wonder where exactly the Darkfriend social happened, timeline-wise, to the rest of the season thus far.

10. Ah, goodbye, Uno. I'll miss you, but you went out like a boss. Given the changes that were made to the plot, this does make a ton of sense -- Uno is not a man who backs down easily and he's also not a plot-relevant character really... ever, at any point. He's a fun character for flavor but someone who can be sacrificed to illustrate a narrative point without needing to change any of the story in the future.

11. Changing Logain to being able to see men who can channel as opposed to ta'veren makes a lot of sense on a practical level -- Mat was sitting right next to Rand, so if he saw ta'veren, then he would have seen both of them glowing; making it about Rand being a channeling focuses Logain's attention and memory in on Rand specifically.

12. Rand being kept out of the knowledge loop here kinda cracks me up because "Rand is on an information diet" is something that kept coming up in the books and it frustrated me so much because, in the books, it was consistently a result of his allies just never being willing to tell him a fucking thing ever unless he bullied them into it or spied on them. It makes a lot more sense here that he doesn't know what's going on with anyone else's plotlines! Taking something frustrating from the books and making it make sense is a really good habit that the show has been doing.

13. Lanfear continues to be the funniest girl in the world. She is just on cloud nine so far in s2, cruising along living her best life. Also, we see that her inn cheekily has her personal symbols as their sign.

14. Given how much Rand is experiencing the class divide in Cairhien and how much he's seen the poor get mistreated and looked down on by the rich and titled, I almost wonder if he isn't going to get a bit of Mat's arc from the books when he finds out that Elayne is a noble and needs to realize that she's not like the Cairhienin nobles.

15. Mat escaping from one abusive situation only to land right into another one definitely reminds me of the Tylin->Tuon pipeline in the books, of course. The main difference being is that we're dealing with mother figures in the show and not 'romances' (please take that word with a very large grain of salt). Possibly the biggest way that they can set Mat x Tuon up for success is actually showing us her relationship with her mother and how toxic and cruel the environment that she grew up in is. I feel like not killing off the old Empress at all and instead having Tuon take over a faction of the people and split off them off from the Empire would give us a sense that she really IS Not Like The Other Seanchan, instead of just wanting people to believe Mat when he says it despite there being no evidence in Tuon's actual behavior (I'm trying to remember who originally suggested that idea, but it was a while ago, so I have forgotten; I'm sorry!).

16. Liandrin grinding in to Mat how worthless and what an awful friend he is will, presumably, be some pretty good setup for him to show himself to be both loyal and vital in the final episode, though there will probably be more pain for him in the upcoming episodes (maybe involving what happens with Min's viewing about him stabbing Rand).

17. Lanfear is buzzing on such a high of getting show off of her Personal Dragon to a fancy group of lords and ladies at the start of this party.

18. Rand's conversation with Moiraine's sister is particularly fascinating! There's a queen of Cairhien but I suspect that it's not a Damodred (maybe I'll be wrong and Anvaere is the queen! We'll see!). That Anvaere reaches out to the mysterious ~outlander lord~ and shares so much with him is very intriguing, especially if we end up seeing her again later in the season (once Moiraine arrives in Cairhien?).

18. Here is where the cracks in Lanfear's illusion of perfect happiness with her New Lews Therin are beginning to show: he's keeping secrets from her, he's doubting her, and then he just leaves her behind. She is probably getting some very unhappy flashbacks right about now.

19. I wonder if Rand's bad experience with Logain here will inform his choices in the future. In the books, there isn't really a good reason for him to give Taim free rein over the school, but if it's more of a "Taim vs Logain" situation and he already doesn't trust Logain (and Taim appears less affected by the madness), then him trusting Taim might make more sense.

20. Mat being released from a prison cell and not knowing where to go and then (temporarily in this case) returning to his prison gives me echoes of "Mat inexplicably appears by magic in Ebou fucking Dar, a place that treated him like shit for months" from A Memory of Light, lol.

21. Perrin feeling wary about getting too wolfy because of his encounter with Ishamael feels like a much better reason that we got in the books... though I wonder if we'll follow it up by having him meet... shit, the guy who lost himself to the wolf; do not remember his name. But I'm thrilled to have him hanging out with Elyas and the wolves (Hopper?) for now.

22. Liandrin calling Mat Cauthon, agent of chaos, "nothing if not predictable" feels like it needs to bite her in the ass at some point.

23. Yeah, on rewatch, the sex dream is definitely Lanfear feeling like she can finally show her possessiveness and anger in Rand's dream. She is MAD at him for keeping secrets and leaving without her, but she can't show it when he's awake because it doesn't fit her carefully crafted persona. She does NOT like her men with an air of mystery -- she wants to know every tiny thing that he's thinking and feeling. I wonder if Rand actually did light the roof on fire or if Lanfear helped it along -- she's definitely taking advantage of his vulnerability in the aftermath of the fire. "If you ever leave me like that again, I will kill you." Yeah, that's absolutely Lanfear.

And, you know, her inn burning down does mean that she doesn't have to worry about dealing with it anymore. Now that she's had a taste of Rand in fancy coats, I think she probably wants to try to figure out a way to make it happen again.

24. Nynaeve's dream does have a couple of painful easter eggs in it -- Mat gets a wound over his eye; Perrin gets killed by an axe.

Nynaeve does forcibly bring back the arches in the books too, just without so much happening in the illusionary life. But I liked this a lot because of how much it gave us from the other characters who believed that Nynaeve was dead.

25. So, my theories about what we might get in episode four. Wow.

Rand's trajectory... I don't think he's done with Logain. But I feel like ep4 is going to be a big one for him, based on the title (Daughter of the Night). Rand may find out the truth about Selene in this episode, which would be a. be a pretty big betrayal but also b. might make him realize that it's not likely that the Dark One is actually dead.

Moiraine is presumably on her way to Cairhien right now, but it doesn't seem like she thinks Rand himself is there, but more that she's investigating the poem situation, so they may run across each other by accident.

Everyone is going to get to react to Nynaeve powering her way out of the arches (like a boss). I am very curious if Lan is going to spend an episode in the Tower before going after Moiraine... but if Actual Lan goes to the Tower... hard to imagine he wouldn't tell Nynaeve, at least, that Rand is still alive. He knows how deeply Nynaeve cares about the Two Rivers kids.

Unless Liandrin tricks Nynaeve, Elayne, and Egwene into leaving the Tower before Lan arrives there?

Where are Mat and Min going! Mat can't be going after Egwene & co to save them because... nothing to save them from at the moment. Where would Liandrin want him to be led? Falme? I mean, maybe, but he can't channel, so it's not a secure prison for Mat like it would be for the girls.

Perrin's storyline is going to teach us more about the Seanchan and wolfbrothering, I imagine. Maybe some scouting. He can truthfully tell any Seanchan soldiers (if he runs across any) that he's taken the oaths.

Will we follow right on from episode 3 or is there going to be a timeskip to give the characters some time to travel to new locations?

[dailymothanon]

THE ALASKAN DREAM CONSISTS OF HUGE FUCKING FISH ‼️ I don’t know if y’all in the Lower 48 also learn about fish in your schools, especially salmon (and yes in Alaska we do indeed say salmon like ‘samen’, salmon without the L cuz we’re always winning no we’re not), I had to learn atleast like two weeks worth of school of purely salmon and watching salmon documentaries and dissecting salmon cuz of how important they are to Alaska 😭 (I didn’t mind tho cuz I love learning about Alaska) (also, a really long rant below, I don’t expect y’all to read all or any of it— it’s not a sad or deep rant, just like a long letter of appreciation for you guys)

Btw I’m sorry I couldn’t do more this post :( my heads been a little preoccupied with some struggles so I couldn’t focus on drawing much else, also I just simply hit a creative stump is all as well, I have considered talking a little deep about me (or technically, my life a little bit) for y’all, I dunno why, maybe it’s simply the fact most people I’ve talked to within this fandom n such has simply just been so nice and relaxing (although, I’m aware I don’t interact that much or consistently) sometimes I really like deep conversation as well, or just spouting random facts and ideas I have, it’s nice, especially if there’s people that atleast somewhat get my rambles— but I suppose this is a thank you, to be honest, because I love that you guys like my work and sometimes even use them or build off of them, even if I think the idea I had was a bad idea (Punk Ny for example was an idea I was worried about not being a good one), most of the time I don’t edit them out because I think maybe one person out there might like it and want me to keep it there, like my girlfriend who encourages my ideas or helps me shape them, I never had this type of interaction and it makes me so giddy at times, so I really appreciate it :)

Also, I know I’m not obligated to draw so much with each post (maybe I’ll talk about how long my process is and what I do for most posts) but sometimes I feel like I owe you guys it because a lot of you are very respectful, and a lot of states do not have the amount of content that one who is passionate about would want, I mean, that’s why I joined this place and immediately started drawing Alaska like a mad man since there wasn’t much content about him (especially specifically about him), im passionate about my state, I yearn to know as much as I can and see how others think of it and us, I wanna do the same for other states but I worry that I don’t feel the same amount of passion for them as I do Alaska and I know that’s fine, but I still feel bad about it because I think I can do better for you guys, Indiana and Arizona and North Dakota for example I feel I can do more, even if you guys are content with what I came up with, but it’s very relieving to hear the expectations were not unreachable like I expected you guys to be about them, and I’m glad you guys aren’t critical about the fact I’m very inconsistent with Alaskas design because I’m not quite sure what I want for him and how much his design feels like him so I’m still trying always

anyways, have a good day or night yall <3 much of you guys are simply so so nice. Err, idk how I feel about this rant cuz I don’t wanna waste y’all’s times because I know you’re here for the states, so I might delete it depending on how I feel later about it

[dustedmagazine]

Listening Post:  John Coltrane/Eric Dolphy’s Evenings at the Village Gate

In 1961, John Coltrane was reaching a wider audience via his edited single version of the Sound of Music classic "My Favorite Things.”  He was also, although it seems trite to say given the trajectory of his career, in a state of transition. Moving away from his "sheets of sound" period to exploring modality, non-western scales and polyrhythms which allowed him to improvise more deeply within the constraints of more familiar Jazz tropes.

His personal and musical relationship with Eric Dolphy was an important catalyst for the development of his sound. Dolphy was an important presence on Coltrane's other key album from 1961, Africa/Brass and here officially joins the quartet on alto, bass clarinet and flute. Evenings at the Village Gate was recorded towards the end of a month-long residency with a core band of Coltrane, Dolphy, Jones, McCoy Tyner on piano and Reggie Workman on bass. The other musician featured here, on "Africa,” is bassist Art Davis.

The recording captures the band moving towards the more incandescent sound that made Live at the Village Vanguard, recorded just a few weeks later in November 1961, such a viscerally thrilling album. The hit "My Favorite Things" and traditional English folk tune "Greensleeves"  are extended into long trance-like vamps. Benny Carter's 1936 classic "When Lights Are Low" showcases Dolphy's bass clarinet and in the originals "Impressions" and particularly "Africa"  the quintet hit almost ecstatic grooves. Dolphy's solos push Coltrane further into the spiritual free jazz that so divided later audiences. Dolphy's flute on "My Favorite Things" and especially his clarinet on "When Lights Are Low" are extraordinary, particularly the clarity of his upper register.

The highlight for me is the 22 minute version of "Africa" that closes the set. The two basses, bowed and plucked, Tyner's chordal work and solo, the slow build from the bass solo where the music seems to meander before Jones' explosive solo heralds the return of Dolphy and Coltrane improvising together on the theme, spiralling up the register, contrasting Coltrane's long slurries with Dolphy's staccato bursts which lead to the thunderous conclusion. 

As an archivist, sudden discoveries in forgotten basement boxes never surprises and the excitement never gets old. The tapes of Evenings at the Village Gate were recently unearthed in the NY Public Library sound archive after having been lost, found and lost again. Recorded by the Village Gate's sound engineer Rich Alderson these tapes were not meant for commercial use but rather to test the room's sound and a new ribbon microphone. As Alderson says in his notes, this was the only time he made a live recording with a single mic and, yes, there have been grumblings from fans and critics about the sound quality and mix particularly the dominance of Elvin Jones' drums. For me, one the best things about this is that you hear how integral Jones is not just as a fulcrum for the other soloists but as an inventive polyrhythmic presence, playing within and around his bandmates. I know that many of the Dusted crew are Coltrane fans and would love to hear your takes on the music and whether the single mic recording affects your enjoyment in any way. 

Andrew Forell

Justin Cober-Lake: There's so much to get into here, but I'll respond to your most direct question. The single-mic recording doesn't affect my enjoyment at all. I understand (sort of) the complaints, but I think they overstate the problem. More to the point, when I hear an archival release, I really want to get something new out of it. That doesn't mean I want a bad recording, but there's not too much point in digging up yet-another-nearly-the-same show (and I have nearly unlimited patience for Coltrane releases) or outtakes that give the cuts the same basic idea but just don't do it as well. I was really looking forward to hearing Coltrane and Dolphy interact, and nothing here disappoints. Having Jones so dominant just means I get to hear and think more about the role he plays in this combo. It would sound better to have the other instruments a little more to the fore, but it's not a problem (and actually Tyner's the one I wish I could hear a little better).

I think your topic suggests ideas about what these sorts of recordings — when made publicly available — are for. Is it academic material (the way we might look at a writer's journals or correspondence)? Is it to get truly new and good music out there? Is it a commercial ploy? Is it a time capsule to get us in the moment? The best curating does at least three of those with the commercial aspect a hoped-for benefit. This one probably hits all four, but I suspect the recording pushes it a little more toward that first category.

Bill Meyer: I’m playing this for the first time as I type, and I’m only to track three, so my (ahem) impressions could not be fresher. 

First, I’ll say that, like Justin, I have a lot of time for Coltrane, and especially the quartet/quintet music from the Impulse years. The band’s on point, it sounds like Dolphy is sparking Coltrane, and Jones is firing up the whole band. Tyner’s low in the mix and Workman’s more felt than heard; the recording probably reflects what it was like to actually hear this band most nights, i.e. Jones and the horn(s) were overwhelming. 

How essential is it? If you’re a deep student of Coltrane, there are no inessential records, and the chance to hear him with Dolphy, fairly early on, should not be passed up. But if you’re big fan, not a scholar, then you need to get The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings box and the 7-CD set, Live Trane: The European Tours, before you drop a penny on this album. And if you’re just curious, start with Impressions. This group is hardly under-documented. The sound quality, while tolerable, is compromised enough to make Evenings At The Village Gate less essential than everything I just mentioned. 

I’m only just now starting to play “Africa,” so I’ll check in again after I play that. 

“Africa” might be the best reason for a merely curious listener to get this album. It’s very exploratory, the bass conversation is almost casual (not a phrase I use much when discussing Coltrane), and they manage to tap into the piece’s inherent grandeur by the end. 

“Africa” is a great example of this band working out what they’re doing while they’re doing it. 

Andrew Forell: On Justin’s points about the function of archival releases, I’ve been going back and forth on the academic versus time capsule/good music uncovered question. There is a degree of cynicism and skepticism in these days of multidisc, anniversary box sets in arrays of tastefully colored vinyl which seemed designed for the super(liquid)fan and cater to a mix of nostalgia and fetish. Having said that specialist archival labels have done us a great service unearthing so much "lost" and under-represented music. On one hand I agree with your summation and to Bill’s point, yes this quintet has been pretty thoroughly documented and yes the Vanguard tapes would be the place to start. But purely as a fan I am more interested in live recordings than discs of out- and alternative takes. I’m thinking for example of the 1957 Monk/Coltrane at Carnegie Hall and Dolphy’s 1963 Illinois concert especially his solo rendition of “God Bless the Child," recordings that sat in archives for 48 and 36 years respectively.

By contrast, the other recent Coltrane excavation, Both Directions at Once is wonderful but I’m not listening to it as an academic exercise, taking notes and mulling over the different takes, interesting as they are. I approach Evenings as another opportunity to hear two great musicians, in a live setting, early on in their short partnership. As Justin says, this aspect doesn’t disappoint. I agree with Bill that the mix is close to what you would you hear in the room, the drums and horns to the fore. All this is a long way to a short answer. A moment in time, a band we’ll never experience in person and when all is said and done, 80 minutes of music I’d otherwise not hear.

Jonathan Shaw: As a relative newb to this music, I can't contribute cogently to discussions of this set's relative value. Most of the Coltrane I've listened to closely is from very late in his life, when he was playing wild and free--big fan of the set from Temple University in 1966 and the Live at the Village Vanguard Again! record from the same year. None of that is music I understand, but I feel it and respond to it strongly. The only Dolphy I've listened to closely is Out There. So I'll be the naif here.

I need to listen to these songs another few times before I can say anything about them as songs, but I really love the right-there-ness of the sound. I like being pushed around by the drums and squeezed between the horns (the first few minutes of "Greensleeves" are delightful in that respect). Maybe I'm lucky to come to the music with so little context. It's a thrill to hear the playing of these folks, about whom there is so much talk of collective genius. Perhaps because my ears are so raw to these sounds, I feel like that talk is being fleshed out for me.

Jim Marks: I think that this release has both academic and aesthetic (if that’s the right word) significance for Dolphy’s presence alone. I am more familiar with the original releases than the various re-releases from the period, but it’s my impression that there just isn’t that much Dolphy and Trane out there; for instance, I think Dolphy appears on just one cut of the Village Vanguard recordings (again, at least the original release). In particular, I’ve heard and loved various versions of “Favorite Things,” but this one seems unique for the six-plus-minute flute solo that opens the track. The solo is both brilliant in itself and creates a thrilling contrast with Coltrane when he comes in. This track alone is worth the price of admission for me.

Marc Medwin: I agree concerning Dolphy's importance to these performances, and while there is indeed plenty of Coltrane and Dolphy floating around (he took part in the Africa/Brass sessions that gave us both Africa and a big band version of "Greensleeves") his playing is really edgy here. Bill is right to point toward the sparks Dolphy's playing showers on the music. Yes, the flute on "My Favorite Things" is really stunning. He's all over the instrument, even more so than in those solos I've heard from the group's time in Europe.

Jon, I'd suggest that there's a strong link between the albums you mention and the Village Gate recordings we're discussing, a kind of continuum into which you're tapping when you describe the excitement generated by the playing. The musicians were as excited at the time as we are on hearing it all now! It was all new territory, the descriptors were in the process of forming, and while Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, Sun Ra and a small group of kindred spirits were already exploring the spaceways, they were marginalized. That may be a component of the case today, but it's tempered by a veneration unimaginable at the time. That's part of the reason Dolphy lived in apartments where the snow came through the walls. Coltrane had plenty to lose by alienating the critics, but ultimately, it did not stop his progress. These recordings mark an early stage of that halting but inexorable voyage. With the possible exception of OM, Coltrane's final work never abandoned the tonal and modal extremes at which he was grabbing in the spring and summer of 1961.

Jennifer Kelly: Like Jon, I'm not well enough versed in this stuff to put it context or even really offer an opinion. I'm enjoying it a lot, and I, also, like the roughness and liveness of the mix with the foregrounded drums. But I think mostly what I am drawn to is the idea that this show happened in 1961, the year I was born, and that these sounds were lost for decades, and now you can hear them again, not just the music but the room tone, the people applauding, the shuffling of feet etc. from people who are almost all probably dead now.  It seems incredibly moving, and I am also taken by the part that the library took in this, in conserving this stuff and forgetting it had it and then rediscovering it.  In this age of online everything-available-all-the-time, that seems remarkable to me, and proves that libraries are so crucial to civilization now and always, even as they're under threat.  

Marc Medwin: A real time machine, isn't it? We are fortunate that we have these documents at all, and yes, the story of the tapes resurfacing is a compelling one! To your observations, audience reaction seems pretty enthusiastic to music that would eventually be dubbed anti-jazz by prominent members of the critical establishment!

Bill Meyer: I can imagine this music being more sympathetically received by audiences experiencing its intensity, whereas critics might have fretted because it represented a paradigm shift away from bebop models, so they had to decide if it was jazz or not.

It is amusing, given the knowledge we have of what Coltrane would be playing in five years, that this music is where a lot of critics drew a line in the sane and said, "this is antijazz."

Jon Shaw: Yes, Bill, that seems bonkers to me. I am particularly moved by the minutes in that 1966 set at Temple when Coltrane abandons his horn altogether and starts beating his chest and humming and grunting. Wonder what the chin-stroking jazz authorities made of that.

Given my points of reference, this set sounds so much more musically conventional. But the emotional force of the music is still immediate, viscerally present. Beautifully so.

Andrew Forell: In retrospect, all those arguments seem kind of crazy. Yesterday’s heresies become tomorrow’s orthodoxies but what we’re left with is, as Jonathan says, the visceral beauty of Coltrane’s striving for transcendence and his interplay with Dolphy’s extraordinary talent which we hear here working as a catalyst for Coltrane. As Marc and Jen note the audience is there with them..

Come Shepp, Sanders & Rashid Ali, the inquisitors’ fulminations only increased and you think what weren’t you hearing?

Marc Medwin: I was just listening to a Jaimie Branch interview where she's talking about her visual art, about throwing down a lot of material and finding the forms within it. I think that might be another throughline in Coltrane's and certainly Dolphy's work, a gradual discarding of traditional forms and poossibly structures based on what I hate to call intuition, because it diminishes the process.

Then, I was thinking again about our discussion of the critics. I see their role, or their assessment of that role, as a kind of investment without reward, and yeah, it does seem bonkers now! Bill Dixon once talked about how the writers might spend considerable time and expend commensurate energy learning to pick out "I Got Rhythm" on the piano, and they're suddenly confronted with... well, the sounds we're discussing! What would you do, or have done, in that situation? It's really easy for me, like shooting fish in the proverbial barrel, to disparage critical efforts of the time, especially in light of the ideas and philosophies Branch and so many others are at liberty and encouraged to play and express now, but I wonder how I would have reacted, what my biases and predilections would have involved at that pivotal moment.

Ian Mathers: The points about historical reception are really interesting, I think. There's a famous (in Canada!) bunch of Canadian painters called the Group of Seven, hugely influential on Canadian art in the 20th century and still well known today. In all the major museums, reproductions everywhere, etc. They were largely landscape painters, and while I think most of the work is beautiful, it's so culturally prominent that it runs the risk of seeming boring or staid. I literally grew up with it being around! So it was a delightful shock to read a group biography of them (Ross King's Defiant Spirits: The Modernist Revolution of the Group of Seven, if anyone is hankering for some CanCon) and see from contemporary reviews that people were so shocked and appalled by the vividness of their colour palettes and other aesthetic choices that they were practically called anti-art at the time. It's not surprising to me that this music would both attract similar furore at the time and, from the vantage point of a new listener in 2022 who loves A Love Supreme and some of the other obvious works but hasn't delved particularly far into Dolphy, Coltrane live, or this era in jazz in general (that would be me), be heard and felt as great, exciting, but not exactly formally radical stuff.

I don't think I would have noticed much about the recording quality were people not talking about it. "My Favorite Things" seems to have the overall volume down a bit, but still seemed pretty clear to me (agree with the assessments above; Coltrane, Dolphy, and Jones very forward, others further back although even when less prominent I find myself 'following' Tyner's work through these tracks more often than not), and starting with "When Lights Are Low" that seems to be corrected. It actually sounds pretty great to me! Although I absolutely defer to Bill's recommendations for better starting places for serious investigations, I can also say as a casual but interested fan who tends to quail in the face of box sets and other similarly lengthy efforts this feels from my relatively ignorant vantage like a perfectly nice place to start. I like Justin's rubric for why these releases might come about (or be valuable), but if I hadn't heard any Coltrane and you just gave me this one, my unnuanced perspective would just be something like "wow, this is great!" But maybe I'm underthinking it. And having that reaction doesn't mean that others aren't right to recommend better/more edifying entry points, or that having that reaction shouldn't lead one to educate oneself.

Jonathan Shaw: Maybe it's a lucky thing for me to be so poorly versed in Coltrane's music, not just in the sense of having listened to precious little of it. I am even less familiar with the catalog of music criticism, which in jazz seems to me voluminous, archival in scale. But even with music I'm extensively engaged with — historically, critically — I try to understand it and also to feel it. I can't imagine not feeling what's exciting in this music, energizing and challenging in equal measure.

Like Marc, I don't want to recursively impugn the critical writing of folks working in very different contexts. But I don't like it when the thinking gets in the way of the music's emotional and aesthetic force, which to me feels unmistakably powerful here.

Ian Mathers: Yeah, maybe that's a good distinction to draw; I can imagine in a different time and place feeling like the music here is more radical or challenging than it sounds to us now. But I can't quite imagine not getting a visceral thrill out of it.

Marc Medwin: And doesn't this contradiction get at the essence of what we're trying to do? Those of us who've chosen to write about music are absolutely stuck grasping at the ephemeral in whatever way we're able! How do we balance the ordering of considerations and explanations in unfolding sentences with the  spontaneity of action and reaction that made us pick up a pen in the first place?! We add and subtract layers of whatever that alchemical intersection of meaning and energy involves that hits so hard and compels us to write! In fact, the more time I'm spending with these snapshots of summer 1961, the more I decamp from my own philosophizing about critical relativity to sit beside Ian. The stuff is powerful and original, and the fact that so much of what we're hearing now is a direct result of those modal explorations and harmonically inventive interventions says that the dissenting voices were fundamentally, if understandably, wrong! It could be that the musician can be inclusive in a way the writer simply can't.

I'm listening to "Africa" again, which is for me the disc's biggest single revelation in that it's the only concert version we have, so far as I know. How exciting is that Jones solo, and how much does it say about his art and the group's collective art?!! He starts out in this kind of "Latin" groove with layers of swing and syncopation over it, he goes into a melodic/motivic thing like you'd eventually hear Ginger Baker doing on Toad, and then eases back into the groove, all (if no editing has occured) in about two minutes. He's got the music's history summed up in the time it would take somebody to get through a proper hello!! Took me longer to scribble about it than for him to play it!!

Justin Cober-Lake: I'm not sure if Marc is making me want to put down or pick up a pen, but he's definitely making me want to listen to "Africa" again. (Not that I needed much encouragement.)

Andrew Forell: Africa/Brass was the first jazz album I bought. Coming from post-punk, I found it immediately the most exciting and challenging music I’d heard and it set me off on my exploration of Coltrane, Dolphy, Coleman and their contemporaries. This version of “Africa” is a highlight for me also for all the reasons Marc, Ian and Jon have talked about.

Bill Meyer: Yeah, "Africa" is quite the jam! 

A thought about critical perspective — our discussion has gotten me thinking, not for the first time, about the impacts of measures upon experience, and the limits of critical thinking when I’m also an avid listener. If I’m listening for “the best” Coltrane/Dolphy, in terms of sound quality or most focused performances,  this album isn’t it. But if I’m looking for excitement, this album has loads of it, and that might be enhanced by the drums-forward mix. 

[pleasantlyinsincere]

When was the Two Virgins night, May 3rd vs May 19th 1968?

Since the topic of when the Two VIrgins night supposedly happened comes up every now and again, here’s a post argueing the two dates and giving, in my opinion, the most plausible timeline for May 1968.

May 19th 1968 seems to be the most widely accepted date today (e.g. Wikipedia, Beatles Bible…) to put John and Yoko’s first night together. Since none of these websites gives any source or reason for the date,  I started trying to find out how people got there. I looked through quite a few Beatles books to try to find a clue where and for what reason it was first introduced. 

Surprisingly it wasn’t dated at all for a few decades. From what I could find, the first mention happened by Barry Miles in Many Years from now nearly 30 years after the Two Virgins night . Here’s a list of which books place the date when, sorted by publishing date: (I didn’t look at interviews, magazines or other sources.)

John Lennon. One Day at a Time, Anthony Fawcett (‘76): May 1968

The Beatles Forever, Nicholas Schaffner (‘77): May 1968

A Twist of Lennon, Cynthia Lennon (‘78): no date given, placed before the NY trip

Shout!: The True Story of The Beatles, Philip Norman (‘81), no date given

The Ballad of John and Yoko, The Editors of Rolling Stone (‘82): May 1968

John Lennon. In My Life, Pete Shotton/Nicholas Schaffner (‘83): May 1968

The Love You Make, Peter Brown/Steven Gaines (‘83): no date given

Lennon. The Definitive Biography, Ray Coleman (‘84); May 1968

The Beatles. Day by Day (‘87), Mark Lewisohn: no mention

The Lives of John Lennon, Albert Goldman (‘88): no date given, Cyn leaving for Greece “just two weeks after her return from India”

The Lost Lennon Tapes, Radio Show, a few weeks after NY and a few days prior to May 22 (Added in edit)

In My Life, John Lennon Remembered, Mark Lewisohn/Kevin Howlett (‘90): May 1968

A Day in the Life, Mark Hertsgaard (‘95): exact date is unknown, sometime in the latter half of May 1968

Many Years From Now, Barry Miles (‘97): May 19 1968 (they Jesus meeting on the 18)

The Beatles. Off the Record, Keith Badman (‘00): May 19 1968

John, Cynthia Lennon (‘05): no date given, placed before the NY trip

The Beatles. The Biography, Bob Spitz (‘05): no date given, places after the NY trip

John Lennon. The Biography, Philip Norman (‘08): May 18/19 1968 (also places Cyns Greece holiday and the NY trip at the same time)

The Beatles Diary, Barry Miles (‘09): May 19 (Cynthia's return on 26th May)

Lennonology, Chip Madinger/ Scott Raile (‘15): May 3 “almost certainly”

Arguements and timeline behind the cut, because this got annoyingly long. 

As you can see most authors didn’t date it any further than sometime in May 1968. Even by 1995 Hertsgaard still wrote that the exact date wasn’t known. Two years later however Barry Miles put it down as being May 19 and from then on more authors went with it.

If anyone has come across an earlier mention of the May 19 date, or someone explaining how they arrived at that date, please share. I would be really interested in that.

Disappointingly Barry Miles doesn’t give any reason why dated it as May 19.  It’s easy to refute his assurance that the Jesus meeting happened on the 18, though. Every source I read for that puts all four Beatles there. However Ringo and George were in Cannes at the time and only returned on the 19. Therefore Miles certainly is wrong giving that date.

Here is Ringo and Mo dancing on the evening of May 18 in France:

On May 19 Ringo and George returned from Cannes. The same day George and Pattie travel to Liverpool to go to a christening. It is possible that they could have traveled back to London the same day, for George to go to the Apple meeting. It just sounds very stressfull.

For the Two Virgins night to happen Cyn has to be in Greece at the time traveling with Jenny, Alex, Donovan and Gypsie. Magic Alex is with John and Paul during their New York business trip. They return to London on May 16. We can already exclude Philip Norman’s timeline of the NY trip and the Greece holiday happening at the same time, because Alex can certainly only be at one place at the time. 

It is possible that Alex kept his bag packed and he left with Cynthia for Greece on May 17. A two week holiday would mean that they returned on May 31, while Miles dates it to being 26 May. (If they didn’t immediately leave and only left a day or two later, the return day should move also.)

Jenny Boyd however has another court date on the 16. Originally when everyone returned from India her passport was taken, so that she wouldn’t flee the country, after drugs had been found in her apartment. She had it returned for a trip earlier that month but I don’t know if she was then allowed to keep it, or only got it back after her case was decided in June. It is therefore questionable, if she could travel around this time.

On May 22 John and Yoko already have their first public outing attending the Apple tailoring opening. This seems contradictory to the fact that Pete Shotton remembers that during the Greece trip John got angry at their housekeeper Dot for alerting Cyn to Yoko being at Weybridge. If he didn’t want her yet to know, posing for the press would undermine that goal. It would make more sense, if at this time Cyn already knew about the affair.

Cynthia recalls that after her return from Greece and finding Yoko at her home, she moved out for a few days to Alex and Jennys place, before returning to try to reconnect with John again and only then leaving for Italy with Julian and her mother. I assume we should ascribe about a week for this to happen. So even if she already returns from Greece on May 26, after (at the most) nine days instead of two weeks, the earliest it would make sense for her to leave again for Italy would be June 2nd or 3rd. This is supposedly another two week vacation. However Cynthia already sent a telegram home on June 6, that they’ll return on Sunday June 9. That doesn’t match with the alleged lengths of the holiday, which in this case would be barely a week.

Other aspects not quite fitting in:

during the time Cyn is back at Weybridge and supposedly settling again with John, the White Album recordings start with Yoko being in the studio

Pete Shotton travels with John and Yoko looking at a house on June 1. Also unlikely if Cny is still there.

the Italy holiday is listed on the Lennon household expenses for May

Yoko already requested her bank to send a summary of her account to Pete Shotton on May 13

John and Yoko joint art exhibition Four Thoughts is promoted as such in the International Times on May 24 and has its opening night on May 28 or June 2 (date is debated). Unlikely for them to go public in that way and find the time to prepare an exhibition together, if at the same time Cynthia is returning home to settle again with John.

In Lennonology Chip Madinger and Scott Raile have worked out an alternative date for the Two Virgins recording night, they feel almost certain about. They place it on May 3. To me the most compelling reason they give, is fitting in Cynthia’s Greece vacation with Jenny Boyds limited possibilities to travel.

(May 1) Finally, solicitor David Jacobs returned to court today on behalf of Jenny Boyd to request the return of her passport, as "she wants to go to Rome this weekend" (more specifically, her paramour Donovan was scheduled to perform in concert there on Saturday). Her request was granted, but only on the condition that she return to Britain no later than Monday, May 6th.

Jenny Boyd, Donovan and possibly Gypsie were in Rome that weekend in early May and it’s easy to confirm the date of the concert online. With Jenny needing a special permission to travel from court, it seems unlikely that she made multiple trips during that month.

Going with that date, would mean that Cynthia and Alex could have left for Greece around April 25th alone. (That’s also roughly two weeks after returning from India as Goldman implies.) On the way home, they then met up with Jenny and Donovan in Rome and flew home together on May 5th. Thereby placing John and Yoko’s first night together a few days prior. If it has to be exactly the 3rd is debatable. 

This date fits more nicely with:

Cynthia quite consistently remembering her finding John and Yoko together happening before John left for New York. 

makes more sense this way for Yoko to send her banking account infos by May 13th, if they were already sure about their relationship by that point

Cynthia and Julian leave for Italy around May 20, being absent for John and Yoko to go out together in public to the Apple tailoring event, in the studio, collaborate on their art show and to go house shopping and making the planned return date of June 9 more realistic

And here is a simplified version if my ongoing work-in-progress ‘68 timeline from John’s return from India to early June for a better understanding how everything would fit together:

[forever-eternal]

Hey! I’ve been doing writing requests and drawing requests for my WTTT AU, Family Ties. But!! There are some rules (more to be added):

– I don’t write or draw NSFW, that’s not what this blog is for. This AU is about family bonds. I’ll have another blog for more NSFW.

– Requested Art has to be from a one-shot I’ve already written, usually just a sentence or a scene from it.

– Please be specific about which scene/quote you want me to draw!

– Requested One-Shots and Art will be centered around the AU!!

– The only canon ships (currently) are:

– New York/Massachusetts/New Jersey

– Georgia/Pennsylvania/Virginia/Maryland

– Delaware/Connecticut

– Gov/Assistant

You can also ask about lore or about the characters in general! I have the headcanon ask game somewhere around here <3. You can even ask about me! I won’t answer questions I’m uncomfortable answering though, and it may take a while; I’m in college and have a job.

Thanks everyone!!

Quick Edit:

What I WILL write/ on this blog:

– Family Fluff/Silliness

– Romantic Fluff (between pre-established couples)

– Hurt/Comfort, emotional and physical

– Headcanons (see the Ask Game Reblog on the ‘reblog’ or ‘wttt’ tag/any sort of headcanons)

– Magical Mishaps are fun (especially when Gov and Assistant are the victims of it and it doesn’t actually do damage; ie, de-aging or turning them into cats or whatever)

– Murder/Gore (I’m not good at it; but Assistants killed one person and ate two others already so)

– Parent-Child interactions, sibling/friendship/cousin/we-lived-in-the-same-house-raised-by-the-same-people interactions, established romantic partner interactions, be it fluff or silly or someone getting hurt and comforted after

What I will NOT write/draw on this Blog;

– Incest

~No Og13/Other States

~No Dept/Dept

~No Gov or Assistant/State or City or Dept

~City/City…depends, NY/MA/NJ cities won’t date each other, nor will PA/GA/VA/MD cities, nor will they date each other. They will date other OG13 cities, but none of the other 37 State Cities.

– NSFW. I do have an NSFW WTTT Au, with a different version of Gov— named Cyrus— and no Assistant, but I will be making a separate blog for that when I have it figured out. This is a SFW blog.

– Hurt/No Comfort. Gov and Assistant would kill me (alternatively; if Gov or Assistant are the ones hurt and get no comfort, the States, Depts, Cities and Agencies would kill me). Family Ties is an au about healing after severe miscommunications and it’s supposed to be fluff and love and protectiveness (and that sometimes includes murder)

Please remember:

– WTTT is not the only thing I write/draw, it’s just my main thing right now

– If you have an idea for writing/drawing but don’t want to try and condense it into an ask, you can message me!

– I am both a college student and work part-time, so there may be long periods between posts

– If you have any questions about the Family Ties AU (or any other AU that may show up on my blog as my hyper-fixations shift and change), just ask! I’m happy to answer if I can.

– This AU is very, very, very loosely based on actual statistics and events; I mostly watch Ben’s videos and the character suddenly possesses me to tell me who they are. There is very little base in actual facts, though I do try sometimes.

[celticcrossanon]

Hello Celta, I think it’s funny as he** that Charles’ second wife (CSW) wants to supplant the first wife in every regard. Karma don’t play girlie, she’s a thousand times as vicious as any b**ch alive. The fact that she seems to care so deeply and desperately about it shows me just how deeply she was invested in removing Diana from Charles life. Just how much they both gaslighted Diana and tried to make her crazy making. Just how much she hated Diana. Please don’t ever change, CSW. Don’t change. The fact that she’s having a hard time even contemplating letting go, shows us again how deeply her negative emotions towards Diana were ingrained for so many years. It reminds me of Meghan’s control of Harry. She keeps on flipping the switch that engages that part of his reptilian brain to hate and envy William and to covet everything that’s rightfully his. They are two peas in a pod, Meghan and CSW. And the best part? Karma has now activated for them both, by the passing of one great lady, QEII who held their futures in the balance. Perhaps they both have the same trajectory, who knows? They both ignored the golden rule, don’t wish for others, what you don’t wish for yourself. It’ll be fun to see how this plays out.

On another concerning note. The Commonwealth Games are in peril. Both Australia and Canada have both pulled plans to host the 2026 and 2030 Games respectively. Both countries cite the cost of hosting the games as the reason. It seems the Commonwealth itself is collapsing at a much faster rate than we anticipated. Yet Charles twiddles his thumbs, holidaying up in Scotland, wearing the kilts that William supposedly refuses to appropriate. Hahaha lol. Yes Charles, let’s focus on the little things while the world collapses in upon us, and the ar**hole son and the much admired Tungsten wife wreak havoc down upon us. BTW Northywitch a YouTube tarot reader with some accuracy says that she feels the overseas duo with do something very stupid, like stage another security scare. Harry knows he’ll lose his bid to get IPP. She said the same before the NY car chase before it happened. She feels they will pull another stunt, either in Düsseldorf or Asia. I hope they know how the Europeans and Asians deal with threats. I wouldn’t want to test it. Lol. Plus I believe M15 and M16 have eyes on them.

Hi AnonymousRetired,

Camilla does seem to be set on a path of petty revenge and trying to supplant Diana. I wish she wouldn't, as it would be much better for her if she rose above it/let it go and concentrated on building her own legacy as Queen Consort, but you can't dictate what other people do, so all we can do is watch and wait for the fallout.

Harry and Meghan pulling another stupid stunt overseas would not surprise me, as it would get them the attention they both seem to crave. I hope they are called out for it if it happens, the same as their last stupid stunt (the car chase) was called out.

There has been quite a bit of discussion here in Australia about Victoria (a state) pulling out of hosting the Commonwealth Games. I believe it when they say it was for economic reasons. I hope some other country can step up and host the games, as otherwise it will be a big disappointment for the athletes.

I don't think the Commonwealth of Nations is falling apart. It seems to be going strong. What I do see is quite a few nations who are part of the Commonwealth and who have King Charles as their head of state becoming a republic over the next 10 - 20 years and rejointing the Commonwealth as an independent nation, like most of the member nations (the Commonwealth of Nations has 56 nations as its members, of which 15 have King Charles as their Head of State - the others have different monarchs or are republics). I can also see more nations joining the Commonwealth who do not have ties with the old British Empire (like Mozambique, Rwanda, Togo and Gabon).

EDITED TO ADD: I just read your post on @honeytothebee where you mention the difference in the feeling For King Charles III as compared to Queen Elizabeth 2 in the Commonwealth realms (the 15 members of the Commonwealth of Nations who have King Charles III as their Head of State). With respect to Australia, I agree with you. In my circle of friends (which is not the whole country, just a small part of it) there was a definite connection to Queen Elizabeth 2 and a feeling of respect, loyalty and love for her. With King Charles III, there is just indifference. I believe that Prince William could inspire a similar affection as was given to his grandmother, if he visits us and if his visit is not sabotaged by opposing interests like in Jamacia. We are currently feeling rather neglected down here (the new King does not consider us worth a visit etc). Other Aussies are free to disagree, of course. I can only speak for myself and my social circle, which is a very small part of the Australian people.

[waitmyturtles]

Couple of dorama notes to help me keep track of things, woop!

1) THE NEW EMPLOYEE NEW EPISODE, EEP!: I’m not going to peep the tag until after I watch it tonight. Now that I binged the manhwa, I think I know the direction of this episode, but I’m still looking forward to the NYS flashbacks and seeing how Jong Chan handles it.

2) The Makanai: Cooking For the Maiko House: A couple of IRL friends recommended this to me because they know I love shows about food -- I started it yesterday and I’m in full binge mode. It’s directed by the legendary Koreeda Hiroyuki, who directed After Life in the late 1990s and who now has the film Broker out (which is making its way around the awards circuit).

I hadn’t heard of this manga (Kiyo in Kyoto) before, but I understand it to be quite popular -- I even think NHK aired an anime of it. I want to take some time, if I can find it, to research the background and popularity of the manga, because I think the drama is a bit darker than it’s set up to be on the surface. Quickly: two 16-year-old girls leave Aomori Prefecture to apprentice as maiko, or junior geishas, in Kyoto. One of the teens is a natural at her training; the other teen (Kiyo) is expelled from the school and becomes the cook for the okiya (lodging house) (wild wild wild).

I admittedly know next to nothing about maiko/geisha culture, but it struck me as surprising that young teenagers can still leave school to apprentice and live in an okiya. (EDITING TO ADD: Phew, okay, this part is fictional, according to this interview.) I think there are a few stories being told underneath the surface (but I’m only on episode three) -- rivalries between friends and students, unrequited loves, and this undercurrent about young girls doing labor for the lodging house and for clients, including teenage maiko accompanying clients to bars.

I’m kind of in a whirlwind headspace to understand it all. BUT: THE CINEMATOGRAPHY IS SPECTACULAR, and there are some great names acting in it, including Lily Frankie (I love this guy’s name so much), Morisaki Win (a darling from Three Star Bar in Nishi Ogikubo), and Makita Aju, who is simply killing it as an antagonist against maiko culture (and who also played an amazing foil as Micchan in Okaeri Mone). Also, Hashimoto Ai and Matsuoka Mayu going head to head -- their competition is totally sizzling.

I’ll have a bigger review of this, but it looks like this dorama is extremely popular in Japan, so I’m glad I’m catching up with it in real time. 

3) Besides my real-time BLs (The New Employee, Ameiro Paradox), I’m going to start on Bad Buddy later this week as part of my essential BL series, once I’m done with The Makanai. 

4) But ALSO: I found a three-part NHK miniseries called Ototo no Otto (My Brother’s Husband), from 2018 -- and I’m seriously excited for it, because I am a huge stan for NHK’s boundary-pushing work on discrimination. The show is about a Canadian man who comes to Japan after his same-sex Japanese partner passes away. The “widower” meets his late partner’s twin brother and the twin brother’s kids, all to learn more about his late partner’s life in Japan.

The show looks like it focuses on current issues regarding LGBTQ+ discrimination, including the homophobia that the late partner’s brother himself has -- which may have led to estrangement between the twins.

There’s only a few posts about this show on Tumblr, but the posts say the show was seriously good. I’m so glad I found it, and I think I’ll need to watch it before diving into Bad Buddy.

And after Bad Buddy: Dark Blue Kiss, to prepare for the eventual GMMTV adaptation of Cherry Magic, which damn it -- I still can’t shake. 

5) FINALLY: Um, we may be getting new The Novelist/The Pornographer material?! (cc @gillianthecat). According to Twitter, there will be an announcement about something related to the franchise on 1/24. Let’s see -- the very last short film hasn’t been translated or released internationally, so maybe that’s the update? Give us SOMETHING, FUJI TV. 

YAY, updates! I honestly love writing these posts when life gets crazy, because it helps me set my priorities!

[eowyntheavenger]

Time to complain!

I needed to write a new paper this week with a quick turnaround, and the editing process was absolutely AWFUL. This editor has given me trouble before—he adds multiple grammatical errors to my pieces every time he edits them! He has one job! And he is terrible at it!

But this was somehow worse. He did, as always, add multiple errors to the paper, which I then had to fix. He also rewrote my title to something so bad that I was actually worried it would damage my reputation. I told him I was not comfortable with the title, because it sent the wrong message and misrepresented what I was saying in the article, but he refused to change it. He told me that titles “don’t need nuance” and that I was overthinking.

He published it with that title. My coauthor saw it and obviously hated it, so he ALSO asked the editor to change it. The editor still refused. Then my coauthor asked him to take the piece down until we could figure it out. The editor still refused.

Finally the editor takes the article offline at 6pm. Me and my coauthor think okay, good, we’ll sort this out in the morning during regular work hours. We didn’t communicate with the editor anymore—we thought we should let everybody cool down.

Then at 9pm (the same day) the editor sends us an email saying he’s made the change back to my original title and put it back online—but he launches into this whole thing about how our articles are “underperforming,” our concerns about reputational damage are overblown, and only he can “increase our engagement” by putting “catchy” (read: NY Post style, clickbaity) headlines on our articles, which again he claims have “underperformed.” It was way past passive aggressive—it was just aggressive and insulting.

I’m so mad. I mean, we got the title changed, so in that sense we “won” here. But I still have to work with this guy in the future, and he’s clearly willing to burn bridges and insult me and my colleagues over a disagreement. My supervisor was on the cc line of his email!

Also, reality check. One of my articles was among the top 15 most-read pieces that my employer published during the ENTIRETY of last year. So, underperforming? Meanwhile this guy can’t even catch his own typos. He posted a photo and caption along with the article, and the caption had a misspelling AND a factual inaccuracy in it. I had to email him AGAIN asking to fix them. The positives here: I like my coauthor and I appreciate him standing up for us, which was better than if I’d had to do it by myself. And after our article came back online with the title we wanted, we got really good feedback from other experts. The same day, I received an email from the editor-in-chief of a very reputable publication asking me to write an article for them.

At least later today I’m catching up with one of my best friends, which is always fun and cheers me up. And next week I’m seeing two other friends who live on the other side of the world but are visiting my area, so I’m looking forward to that.

I’m just so! pissed! off!!!!!!!!!!

[8bityinyang]

Sorry for not posting that much art. I have a lot of coursework to do right now and I'm still really stressed about it.

Anyways, here's this character that I kind of based on myself.

They're an anthropomorphic robot with an old Windows 98 Second Edition desktop for a head with a CRT monitor face.

Back in the 1990s and very early 2000's, before LCD and LED screens were common, you had to do something called "degaussing" to the CRT monitor to your computer screen, and that would clear electromagnetic buildup from the monitor so your screen wouldn't be messed up from using the computer a lot, and that caused some really interesting-looking effects on the screen for a second or two.

An example of monitor degaussing can be found here.

I decided to use the appeparance of degaussing to show how this character "kisses".

I also showed how this character would eat (and I'd imagine that they'd drink liquids the same way) so this character could have a way of enjoying human food even though they primarily rely on plug-in recharging and technological repairs.

They also shut down and start up instead of sleeping and waking up like a human would, but it has the same effect in the end.

I also gave them the same black hoodie that I recently bought in real life from a Label Shopper in Northeast Hudson Valley, NY.

[sassysambucky]

Updated for 2023, cause lord knows it was time.

🍻 Once again, I am Sassy and you're watching the SamBucky channel *draws with wand*. Blog is 18/21+ due to nature of mature writing and the fact that we filthy round these streets, son! All fics are in fact Sam/Bucky.

Fic updates tag: #sassyao3.

Note: I do have a few fics on Ao3 'hidden' because I am re-editing them. They'll be back but were in need of a face lift. I have them marked accordingly below as well. 👇🏿

All links go to tumblr or ao3!

#ongoing (1) ⋆˚

That's Not My Alpha! 🔞 rated E | SamBucky | 12k+ | Post-Civil War | +post+ / +AO3+

Sam is an omega who never dates alpha guys. When he and Bucky are in Wakanda, his feelings quickly change.

Some tags: omegaverse, modern dynamics, fluff, angst, internalized omegaphobia, struggle flirting

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#completed (9)

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Under the Sea(man) 🧜‍♂️ | rated E | SamBucky | 17k | Pirate Sam x merman Bucky | +AO3+

Sam is a ship captain for the Dearest. One day, he is walking along the cove by himself when he comes across a seaman. Things get wetter than he expects as they get closer.

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Figaro Magnifico 🐈 | rated T/M | SamBucky | 12k+ | Post-FATWS | Epistolary / texting fic | +AO3+

Bucky is in love with Sam, according to himself, and he's in need of new hobbies, according to his therapist. Clearly, the solution is watching Sam's cat from hell.

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I'll Keep What I Wish For 🔞 rated E | SamBucky | 100k+ | Post-FATWS | +post+ / +AO3+

Sam and Bucky’s date night is interrupted when Gideon appears… and he isn’t happy to see that Sam, his brother, is gay and with Bucky, an ex-Winter Soldier.

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Mr. Grinch 🎄 | rated E | SamBucky | 2k | holiday ONE SHOT | +AO3+

Sam is stuck working even into his holiday getaway with Bucky. How ever will Bucky cheer him up?

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fill the void 🔞 rated E | SamBucky | 8k | ONE SHOT | monsterfucker | tentacle monster | +post+ / +AO3+

Sam happens upon a tentacle monster on a mission with Bucky. Things escalate when the monster enters his mind, revealing his true feelings.

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thank the yeti 🔞 rated E | SamBucky | 4k | ONE SHOT | mission fic | idiots in love | +AO3+

Sam and Bucky are "snowed in" to a cabin. They have no choice but to share the same bed... absolutely no choice.

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pumpkin, won't you be mine? 🔞 rated M/E | Sam x Bucky | 20k | Roomates AU | +post+ / +AO3+ 🎃halloween!

Bucky supports Sam's decision to have hookups with strangers, but it comes at the price of pushing the person he loves most into the arms of undeserving fellas. Halloween might be his breaking point.

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Stand Up (face this) 🔞 rated E | Sam x Bucky | 4.0k words | ONE SHOT | Pre-FATWS AU | +post+ / +AO3+

Bucky avoids Sam's texts until Sam flies in to NY, refusing to be ignored.

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Blueberry Eyes 🔞rated E | Sam x Bucky | 15k words | 4 chapters | Pre-Winter Soldier AU | +post+ / +AO3+

Working at a coffee shop, Sam meets the winter soldier, so he serves him a blueberry latte to match his eyes. 

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(4)

🚧 I Need You, Falcon 🔞 rated E | Sam x Bucky | 68k words | 22 chapters | FATWS | +post+ / +ao3+ | 🚧

Bucky knows that he has feelings for Sam, but not that Sam feels the same way.

Some tags: Bucky being feral to everyone, dancing, fighting, fixing the damn boat, attempting therapy

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🚧 (His) Safe House 🔞 rated E | Sam x Bucky | 43k words | 9 chapters | Pre-Civil War AU | +post+ / +ao3+ | 🚧

Rescuing Bucky on the run goes wrong when he becomes the Winter Soldier. As he recovers, Sam watches him take on a Brooklyn persona that’s very kissable.

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🚧 Oh, It's Magick (double trouble) 🔞 rated E | Sam x Bucky | 45k+ | 11+ chapters | Post-FATWS AU | +AO3+ | 🚧

Bucky is magically split into two bodies, himself and Winter, when a mission goes south. Sam finds that both halves are still attracted to him, but despise each other.

Some tags: magic, curses, vampires, Lilith Drake, Sam Wilson can talk to birds, Timeline What Timeline

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🚧 Touch Me (Feel Me Bloom) [HIATUS] 🔞 rated E | Sam x Bucky | 43k+ | 10+ chapters | Pre-Ultron | +post+ / +AO3+ | 🚧

After months of tracking him through Europe and being roommates, Sam walks in on Bucky talking to his… well, talking his dick.

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#drabbles (2) ⋆˚

That Time Bucky Initiated a Hug | T | sambucky | 450w | +post+

One More Time | T | rare stucky | 500w | +post+

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Bucky Barnes Bingo 2022 - (half-finished) lol

Sambucky Halloween Bingo 2022 🎃 (#posts)

SamBucky AU Week 2022 (#sbauweek2022)

WinterFalcon Bingo 22-23 (Masterpost)

SamBucky V-Day Bingo 23 (#sbvdaybingo23)

SamBucky Halloween Bingo 2023 (in progress!)

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

I don’t know if you have said you won’t talk about the T & Miss J situation. If you did forget this ask. If not what do you think about both company doing nothing about it? Or are they doing something behind the scenes? Until last night i was still thinking i really don’t give a f about them. But now the talk on the street is someone got into her cloud and that’s how they got the pictures. And now i think it’s frightening for someone anyone really do be on the receiving end of something like that.

I hope they are ok more importantly that she is Ok cause it’s her privacy that has been made public, it’s her cloud. Mr T to an extent cause he is in the pictures but for me i couldn’t bring myself to worry about him. But her i feel for her and it seems like it’s not the first time.

And if in a cruel world all this shenanigans is like a pr stunt or something 🔪

T & Miss J, that sounds like a drink name, lol. No, I have no policy on not talking about this, I actually answered a few asks last week when the leak rumor started.

As to the companies approach and their current public silence on it, this is how I see it. Concerning the breach of privacy and hacking someone's IG account or iCloud (it's still not sure what is the origin of the photos), YG is the company that could make a statement because this concerns Jennie, the idol under contract there. Her account was hacked. But just because they haven't said anything, it doesn't mean nothing is being done. Fans shouldn't expect instantly to be in the loop in regards to this issue and how it's handled. Since this is no longer just a mere dating rumor, but something much more serious, perhaps the approach is different. Fans trending hashtags on twitter and demanding a public response is certainly out of concern, but it's also for their peace of mind because they the fans feel the need to know that something is being done. But since they're not in they haven't gotten a response yet, it might translate for them as the company doing nothing to protect its artist. At the same time, the leaks started last week with gurumiharibo posting the photos with their own watermark, but now it escalated, so it does make me wonder why that person was still able to do what they want and still wasn't stopped somehow after so many days. It's a sketchy situation and everyone thinks they have their answer, but at this point, the reality is that we simply don't know.

As to the fans reaction, I think it's quite interesting what's happening. They spent days (some of them are still doing it), making threads to debunk the photos, calling themselves photoshop experts to prove the photos of Tae and Jennie are fake. Of course focusing primarily on proving they are not dating, more than on the aspect of this being a harmful breach of privacy that could lead to the leaking of other personal information, which in my view, is the biggest concern. But now that photos of Jennie with Rose in NY and a mirror selca with Jisoo were also posted, there is a shift in conversation because I guess they are finally allowing themselves to realize that this is way more serious than someone editing photos of Tae and Jennie to fuel a dating rumor. I haven't seen anyone trying to prove the Jennie and Rose photo is fake, that someone took photos of them separately and edited them together. Everyone simply acknowledges it's them. So this points to the actual problem fans had up until now, which was simply not wanting to acknowledge that two people are dating. The more they denied that, the more photos kept leaking. As fans that call for the protection of Tae and Jennie, unfortunately their priorities in the beginning were those of typical stans who cannot accept even the possibility of them being in a relationship. So now it lead to this point.

Hybe doesn't need to make any statement, unless they want to publicly acknowledge that the dating rumor is true or not, which then again, it's not something that is mandatory. Not saying anything could mean different things, especially compared to their approach towards dating rumors in general, which were quickly denied. They are not doing it now, especially since it's way bigger than some article on Pann based on imaginary lovestagram. So perhaps they simply don't want to get involved or Tae himself doesn't want for any statement to be made. We can't possibly know. My point is, fans demanding Hybe to speak up about the leaks of Jennie's photos is not realistic because it concerns an artist from another company.

The situation is still unfolding and everyday now, something else may come up, which is a scary thought. I feel sorry for Jennie because someone hacking a phone and reveal private photos is not something that anyone wants, especially in the context of the world to see. I hope something gets done as soon as possible and as much as I wish this could be a learning lesson for those who are first and foremost more concerned about their idol dating and not about how that information got out, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

[biglisbonnews]

What You Missed at New York Fashion Week (According to Linux) This is What You Missed Last Month (According To Linux), in which nightlife it-girl Linux takes us behind the velvet rope and into the VIP section of Scene-City. Through her extreme (sometimes exaggerated) lens, Linux gives us the tea on what really happened at every party-of-the-century that floods our Instagram feeds. (A note from the author: don’t take what she says too seriously — she’s just a club kid after all).They say, “all’s fair in love and war,” which must be why each February all New Yorkers’ rules of candor are tossed into the trash. What are the odds that the two most brutal yearly happenings, Fashion Week and Valentine’s Day, happen in the same month? How on Earth does one balance the two? Not so fast investing all your energy into securing a mans for that candle-lit dinner at The Nines — you’ve got a Vogue party to go to! Good luck dedicating your paycheck to buying your new lover some diamonds — you’ve also got to go to Loewe and buy your own look for their party you’re crashing. (We all know the PR girl who sent you the flyer at the afters last week is never texting you back, in fact she’s probably fired by now!) The only foolproof way for an it-kid to garner triumph in February’s affairs of love and war is simple: Throw those morals right out the window! Have to text your besties nemesis who handles reservations at Indochine? She won’t forgive you, but at least you’ll have an entree to IG-Story on the 14th! Do you so badly want to go to the [Redacted Cancelled Fashion Designer] show but you’re worried about your reputation? Diet Prada posts ten times a day, this too shall pass!And don’t worry, my curious readers. While the despicable Socialites and Fashionistas of 10001 spent 28 days backstabbing and trampling over one another towards victory in love & war... your favorite journalist (me!) tagged along. All month I lurked in the shadows, disguised as the scenesters we love to hate, and quietly attended each and every New York happening. As a servant of truth, I’ve brewed all the tea that went down at these scandalous hotspots... and honey: it’s scalding! Rest assured that I, Linux, the New York Downtown It-Girl, am nothing like them… I’m one of you! I didn’t even want to be at these mega-fabulous celebrity-filled parties. This was all for… uh… research purposes! February 9: Christian Siriano See on Instagram Every New York Fashion Month starts with a visit from Christian Siriano. We know it, we expect it, we love it. Project Runway star Christian Siriano invited the who’s who of who’s left to Gotham Hall to show off his Fall 2023 collection. I could tell you all about the floral fashions that stomped down his runway but I know you’re really here for the front row! I was plopped next to the usual Nightlife/Fashion Crew, seated next to queens like Gottmik and CT and nightlife cool kids Leigh Lezark, Austin Smith and Ty Sunderland. After the NY-C-List got settled in, a swam of flashing photographers around a redhead at the entrance alerted all of us that the real stars had arrived. Taking a closer look, we realized it was none other than Lindsay Lohan. Yes... Lindsay Lohan! What a gag. After millions of photographs, Lindsay was quickly escorted to her seat next to us where we all one by one whispered to one another “omg…I can’t believe... Lindsay Lohan!” After the Hollywood legend sat down and her show ended, the fashion show began. New York legend Dianne Brill, however, did not make it to her seat in time, but all of Gotham Hall got to admire her head-to-toe ensemble and self-emblazoned “BRILL” clutch from our seats.After the final look came down the runway and the crowd applauded for Christian, we piled into a Siriano Sprinter van and headed to the afterparty at the Edition Times Square. There, Gottmik performed something Y2K (this was a month ago, how should I remember?) and Ty Sunderland DJ’d something even more Y2K. Somehow hours went by and by 8 PM I was on the Edition terrace in Times Square drunk out of my mind chain-smoking with Lindsay Lohan and a bunch of talent managers. No matter how many jokes I told... I did not get a gig! (But Lindsay did laugh.)February 10: Dion Lee AfterpartyIf anyone in the scene is an enigma wrapped in a riddle and cash, it’s Dion Lee. The Australian designer was first introduced to me in my Bushwick home at one of my many COVID-era raves. Since meeting, I’ve seemed to run into him anywhere the BPM passes 140; at too-cool hotspots such as Unter, the green rooms at Basement or the 10 AM yurt afters at Nowadays. It’s easy to find him around — that is, besides during Fashion Week. I reached out, as I do every season, to attend his show and afterparty to no avail. After weeks of radio silence, I finally took the hint that it was a big N-O. Most with a speck of pride would give up... but honey, I am more than a chimp with a typewriter. I am Linux and this is The Nightlife Bible. The only thing that will without fail get my party-crashing ass to attend an event is telling me I can’t go! I’m sure my invite just got lost in the mail. On Fashion Week Friday, Dion Lee invited everyone (besides me!) to Boom Boom Room to celebrate his Fall 2023 show. Everyone in NYC with a functioning ketamine habit pooled into the Standard Hotel elevators and up to the top floor to party with the designer. If you’re a routine reader of mine (as I’m sure you are) then you’ve come along with me to countless events at this venue. If you’re new here: it’s where Solange and Jay-Z got in that fight! But what made this night different from most at Boom Boom Room was that, instead of being filled with LA celebrities or the entire Vogue office, the congregation mainly consisted of Bushwick ravers and transgender Parisian supermodels. Simply put: the crowd was cunt. The room was packed, but thankfully there was no wait at the open bar, as most attendees were likely dosing GHB. Around midnight, the bartenders began clearing the unused bar, which hinted that whoever was about to perform would be converting it to something with more value: a stage. Finally, as the music cut off and we heard her iconic voice, the secret show was revealed to be Azealia Banks. In seconds, the most talented person to come out of New York City hopped onto the bar in a two-piece army green number and began performing for us. One thing about Dion Lee is he will always align himself with talent, and Banks rapping at his afterparty was no exception. By the end of “New Bottega,” the tranquilizer crowd did their best to applaud, and the K-gods spoke to me in my thoughts, letting me know it was time to go. In fact, by 2 AM I don’t know if anyone there even knew where they were! Kudos to Dion for throwing a fashion week party that only I will probably remember. All I could keep thinking to myself that night was, All these people got invited and not me? But as I write this now, I am immediately reminded that it’s because I write party reviews like this!February 11: Honey Dijon Teksupport See on Instagram There’s nothing I love more than going to a non-Fashion Week party smack-dab in the middle of Fashion Week. Long-running production team Teksupport is no stranger to throwing killer parties. For as long as I can remember, Teksupport has been one of the few bumpin’ bashes for breeders this city has to offer. For a full week in February, Teksupport put together a lineup of iconic DJ’s including Diplo, Bedouin and Honey Dijon. Out of those three, the standout evening was easily that which belonged to Honey Dijon. The event took place at The Glasshouse, an innovative venue boasting floor-to-ceiling windows and unobstructed 360-degree views of the Manhattan skyline. The city was especially excited to see Dijon as this was the fashion-icon and DJ’s first New York appearance since being awarded a Grammy for her part in Beyoncé’s Renaissance. I had hundreds of Fashion Week things going on that day, but that didn’t stop me from arriving promptly at 11 PM. I was quickly reminded just how straight Teksupport parties are. Thankfully, however, Honey Dijon was in the building to save us all. For two hours, Mother played her best heavy-hitting house for the thousands of attendees on the top floor of The Glasshouse. Dijon’s talent combined with Teksupport’s otherworldly skill in lighting and sound made for the ultimate New York night to remember. Needless to say, it was the best homecoming a girl could ask for... Honey Dijon said so herself!February 15: Paul's Dolls' One-Year See on Instagram After 52 weeks straight of throwing a party meant for the girls, gays and theys, the night had finally come to celebrate a whole goddamn year of my weekly party: Paul’s Dolls. I remember when I first spoke to you, my fabulous readers, about Paul’s Dolls last spring. At that point, I had only the slightest idea of what this party could become. Wednesday after Wednesday I joined forces with the most notable New York kids to help bring this night to life... and girl did it work! At Paul Sevigny’s nightclub Paul’s Casablanca in the heart of Hudson Square, everyone who’s anyone got together to celebrate my baby turning one. I think what this city loves so much about Dolls is it isn’t too stuffy or uptight. To so many, this night could only be described as a Weekly Downtown House Party. When a Drag Race girl is in town? They go to Paul’s Dolls. When Fashion House is in town? (Mugler, I’m looking at you!) They go to Paul’s Dolls. Bitch, even fucking Snooki goes to Paul’s Dolls! Somehow the vibe is so correct that you totally forget you’re at a bitchy nightlife menace’s ego-stroke! So with that, I’d like to end this month with something different: a thank-you. Every week you’ve managed to show up and show out at my very first solo weekly, and I’ve been moved. Seeing your glittering faces each week at Paul’s Dolls and experiencing such a magical night with you all so often is a total honor. When it comes to Paul’s Dolls I know one thing’s for certain... you definitely didn’t miss it! Photography and styling: Airik Prince Art direction: Chris Correa Dress and gloves: Christian CowanShoes: Pissy PussyScarf: Adrienne LanduaGlasses: Smiley GoodsJewelry: Heart of Bone https://www.papermag.com/linux-what-you-missed-nyfw-2659607821.html

[cherryonclouds]

I miss 2017-2019 YouTube. My favourite people really popped off back then like Sade Watkins and bestdressed.

They seemed really authentic to me - just two women navigating their lives and also posting content on the internet.

Sade was always vibes, whether it was her GRWMs, conversations, or room decor. I think somewhere along the line her trauma got to her and she blames everything on spiritual forces. Not really my cup of tea.

I remember having a few solid videos I loved from her. The room makeover and tour, the dick appointment video, her 70s fluffy wig and a whole lot more. She took a lot of them down.

Honestly I haven't watched a whole lot of her new content because of the whole religious perspectives. I just sense the negative energy, so I don't even want to engage. So basically I know nothing except that everything is spiritual and you can't have anything because you know... Demons and shit.

Honestly after having grown up hearing my parents tell me that the reason our family didn't have a lot was because of God's will and he was testing us - best believe I no longer want to hear that. It wasn't God, it was your beliefs, which guided your actions and then my siblings and I suffered as a result.

I will never say that it's some external entity that does anything to me because I know better.

But everyone has their phases. I used to believe that if it was God's will it would happen but now I disagree. I never went so hard about things though because I dislike being a victim and constantly blaming my issues on external sources is never taking control... And maintaining that victim status.

So I've chosen not to engage. It would be really nice if she were to come back with her old content and stuff. Because she brought hot takes, her comment section was always full of stories from the other women who related to her, and I for one was happy to see her flourish, make her coins and leave her toxic life behind.

Now she just seems like she's holding on to Christianity as a crutch to justify her pain and suffering. Which I have no doubt is entirely real, but maybe the help she needs is different from the types she's gotten so far. I know. I was there once. I was actually hard core into atheism as a way to demonize Christianity but even that's a lot of work to constantly be justifying.

Bestdressed was cool. I adored her stuff so much. I think I was watching her for a solid year and a half before unsubscribing. At some point I even had post notifications on, and I'd be excited every Thursday for when she'd post.

2019 was a hard year for her. She did her best. Her mental health was all a whole hot mess, she had gotten into and out of a relationship in a year, suffered immense burnout from upping her video quality, but not decreasing her upload schedule or outsourcing certain things.

Then 2020 came. She posted her NYFW Trilogy, a couple more videos and one of her talking about how 2020 had affected her. That last video apparently was taken so poorly that she took it down and just went to other platforms to continue her content creation.

And I guess I was seeing it coming, since despite her editing skills being top tier she seemed like she was losing her shit. And she was changing. She moved to NY which is a really stressful looking place, and life kinda hit her, especially with covid and living alone.

I stopped following her on ig because she always looked depressed and the self deprecating humor, while funny in 2018/2019 was not after that for me.

I still miss that era though. It seemed so expansive and open. Like even though they had bad times or hard moments, it was more expansive, creative and fun. Kinda reminds me of me in 2016 when everything seemed that way in my life. It was nice knowing there were people online living in that same way.

I hope Sade ends up ok. I hope bestdressed is also ok.

And maybe at some other point in their lives, they'll come back how they used to be - open, expansive and authentic. Although I do think both of them are being authentic, since authenticity is about being true to yourself in the moment, maybe just more open, expansive and in control.

[missacidburn928]

Let Me Take You On A Journey...

UPDATED: 01/18/2024

Welcome to my little blog. I sometimes string a whole bunch of words together and create new worlds and stories for some of my favorite characters.

Here are a couple things to note before I send you on your way:

I write strictly 18+ content. SO MINORS DNI!

Due to minors and ease of use I post my stories strictly on Ao3. I will always link new stories posted here on my blog and update the Masterlist when able.

Help support my love of providing you stories by buying me a ko-fi!

AU's abound here. I rarely stick to canon. My world. My rules.

I have currently have asks turned on but for my sanity if things get to be too much I will turn it back off. Always feel free to message me, reblog or comment to your hearts content.

I am a poet as well, so don't be surprised if you see me post my original poetry here as well. This blog is a safe space for me and I will post what I wish.

Happy Reading Heathens!

Series:

Affinity

Snapshots and moments between Alpha Bucky and his sweet little Omega

Edit: This duo turned into a throuple thanks to a certain Captain. So there will be snapshots between Alpha Steve and their sweet little Omega both all together and separate mixed in.

There is no chronological order to this series so if you only want to read about one pairing you'll easily be able to do so.

Sandalwood, Leather, Mead & Honey

Thor x POC Singer!Reader “Honey” x Bucky.

Thor x POC Singer!Reader “Honey” x Bucky x Steve.

Snapshots and stories following four souls in love.

Dalliance of Sin

Nomad Steve and his best girl...

Sinner's Prayer

Mafia!Stucky x POC Escort!Reader “Sin”

Of all my sins, you're the one I love most…

Stories (Chaptered Fics):

Why Did Love Put A Gun In My Hand

Mafia AU Mafia!Avengers x POC Reader "Jinx"

Lucien “Luci” Greco, your piece of shit ex, has come to NY looking for you. He's the reason you had to leave everything behind in the first place. Didn't stop him from searching for you though. The long lost mafia princess. He needs you if he is ever to rightfully take over the family from your father Declan.

Little does he know you're doing mercenary work for the highest bidder. He still thinks you're some wilting damsel, a spoiled little princess. Your daddy didn't raise you that way though. You've been primed to take over since birth. Too bad he beat the shit out of you so badly you had to run for your safety.

Somehow, even trying to stay under the radar you've befriended the damn Avengers family. A misfit mafia if you’ve ever seen one. You’re all after the same enemy afterall. Maybe, it's time to finally let someone or several someones in, so you can live life without constantly looking over your shoulder.

Question is, do you even want the crown anymore?

LUNATIC

Avengers x POC Reader "Nyx"

We could be covered in blood together if you stopped playing hard to get…

One-Shots:

A Well Deserved Break

Stucky x Reader

Fatigued after months of back to back missions, Y/N decides it’s time for a much needed break from the hustle and bustle of being earth's mightiest defenders. Just a quick little trip to Vegas for some fun and debauchery.

Soothe My Soul

Thor x OFC x Steve

A relationship is tested. How will they all fair in the end?

I've got all these issues. Will you be my prescription?

Bucky x POC Reader

A fight about your safety ensues when pictures of the two of you together get leaked by a fellow agent and former one night stand. He's livid that your relationship is exposed to the world and now could be used against him. You could care less who knows about your relationship. You've been together over a year, you knew what dating the former Winter Soldier brought with it. No, you're pissed that some bitch, who doesn't even count as an ex, is trying to ruin the best thing to happen to you.

Don't care if it sounds cold. It is, what it is.

Bucky x POC!Reader Ex!Steve x POC!Reader

Steve returns 3 years after he left for the past. Wanting the life he had with you before back without consequence. Too bad you’ve moved on with someone he least expected.

Crossover:

It's hard for me to say, I'm jealous of the way, you're happy without me...

Hunterverse AU

Sy, Walter, Curtis (Lumberjack & the 2 bears) x POC Reader "Havoc/TG"

Ex Dean x Reader

Platonic Sam x Reader

Numerous SPN Characters

It’s been quite some time since you last laid eyes on the Winchesters. So naturally they just so happen to stumble into your bar looking for some help on a case. Dean notices that as much as some things have stayed the same regarding you, others have certainly changed. Like your relationship status with not one but three men.

Moonlight & Fang

Fantasy/Little Red Riding Hood/ABO AU

Alpha!Jax Teller, Dean Winchester, Captain Syverson, Ari Levinson, Bucky Barnes x OC Omega!Selene/Red

Their sweet words fall like bittersweet honey. Lacing pain and menace under a sugary facade. Coating everything. Sticky, sweet and unthreatening. All earth and warmth. The best disguise for unsuspecting beings, with open hearts and damaged souls. A succulent entree for her sharp teeth to feast upon. For she is made of moonlight and fang. All charm and soulful eyes. While hiding an all encompassing darkness inside. Sinful lips with a deadly tongue. Patiently waiting for her prey to become safe and lucid. Drunk off of her words and lingering touch. When their red hoods fall, exposing the softness of their throats. Her eyes become bigger, as her hunger and lust for flesh grows. Just one bite and she'll change your life.

My, oh my.

What big fangs you have my dear.

You're The Coffee That I Need In The Morning...

Captain Sy x POC Reader

Biker!Bucky x POC Reader

Just saying you love someone is not enough. As they always say…Actions speak louder than words. Inaction also has its consequences. The results may vary and not everyone gets a happy ending.

I've got to feel, how it feels, to be loved by you...

Alpha!Captain Syverson x Omega!POC!Reader "Sunny"

No matter the circumstances, love finds a way. It’s up to you to accept them.

Why you calling me tonight?

Ex!August Walker x POC!Reader

Walter Marshall x POC!Reader

The grass is never truly greener on the other side and all that jazz. It is never easy to walk away from something you love, but sometimes it’s the best thing you can do. Just remember, the better tended garden will always produce the brightest blooms.

The Perks Of Being A Fiend

Alpha!Jax Teller x Omega!POC!Reader "LuLu"

There's no in-between, we only do extremes. He can get on my LAST nerve, but honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Let Me Spell It Out For You

Jax Teller x Rockstar!Reader "Firefly" ExBf!Rockstar!Steve Rogers x Reader

It’s Battle of the Bands Night at your local hole in the wall bar run by SAMCROW. You're currently dating their prez Jax Teller. Your lifelong best friend and first real love. Somehow your ex, Steve Rogers and his band The Howlies have shown up, vying for top spot and the cash prize. Such a shame they’ll have to go against you and your all girl group Serenity. It’s going to be a verbal bloodbath and you can’t wait to humiliate his arrogant ass.

A collection of stories themed around a specific song or album.

Jeans by Jesse Reyes *Coming Soon*

[whatever-itakess]

Don´t Fuck it Up

Paring: boyfriend!Tom Holland x Reader

Words count: 2,8k

Summary: the cast of the new movie of Spider-Man was in an interview, and Tom released your secret relationship with him on live.

N/A: I really liked to write this funny and lovely story! I hope that you enjoy it! if you could help me, reblog the post. feedbacks are really appreciated :)

"Five minutes, people!" the powerful voice coming from one of the directors in charge of the first online interview of the day about the upcoming Marvel Studios film to be released - 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' oozed over the recording studio, despite the mask and the face shield muffling the sound.

On the set, following all the protocols in order to avoid COVID-19 contagion, were Tom Holland - obviously - Zendaya, Jacob Batalon and you, the new addiction to the internationally famous franchise on the big screen!

Your acting career started a little over seven years ago. You had played some Netflix series of your own few years ago and national movies since you entered the industry. But nothing came close to the beloved and acclaimed MCU. When you received the invitation through a phone call from none other than Kevin Feige, your heart almost flew out of your mouth. As soon as you hung up the phone, you gave the biggest happiness yelling. Your mind was electrifying, and the jangled nerves didn’t return to normal until a week after the first contact with Feige.

The next step that had taken you out of your sleep days before because of anxiety was the recording premier for the film. Meeting the crew, the actors and put your feet in the studio were one of the most strange and exciting feelings you've ever experienced. The moment the rehearsal started, your nervousness quadrupled. There were so many details, different cameras around the actors, and the change of space for editing to do its work after the shoot really scared you. Your breathing became labored, your lines, although memorized a million times, simply evaporated from your mind, and the shame of having ruined an opportunity for one week was horrible. You had the feeling that you would faint at any second, even if the team was supporting you. However, like an angel from heaven, Tom magically calmed you down, bringing a glass of water to you, accompanied by a gentle smile and warm gaze. He, without a doubt, was the person who reassured you the most during the recordings. The brunette has taught you hitherto unknown breathing techniques during the breaks, and as the days passed you grew closer and closer. The subjects you liked to talk about were similar, and your taste in music, culinary, even the cinematographic were practically the same. It wasn't hard to try a friendship that already been made concrete with so many similarities. You had fun when you were together with the other actors, but at the moment you and Tom were alone everything was so much better that butterflies fluttered in your stomach. There was a different kind of chemistry between you, that was a fact, and Holland took the risk of asking you out on an almost date in the restaurant of the hotel that you guys were staying in. You even had the dessert before going back to your respective rooms, yet the real sweet taste came from the unexpected kiss in the elevator. After that dinner, the exchange of messages between you happened with a certain frequency and the intimacy also grew, as well as the desire to repeat the kiss and pleasant evening you had during the rehearsal period and before the recording actually begin.

The entire movie was shot in two months straight, enough time for you and Holland to get to know each other better, if you know what I mean. On the days off, you would take some time together, let the hidden romance burn inside your chests, but nothing serious or that would compromise the professional work you submitted to. However, only on the last day the young man finally called you for a date outside LA, in NY to be more exact. The restaurant was chic and very private. No paparazzi in sight, which made everything run smoothly. And at the end of the night, in a strange but confident manner, Tom discreetly asked you to date him in the cutest way that you could even imagine. Despite your initial surprise, you accepted the proposal without hesitation. The British man had won your heart the instant he helped you on your first day of work, still in rehearsals, and being away from him after months of sharing scenes - on and off cameras - was not something you cogitated to imagine. However, making your relationship public wasn’t a choice you took immediately. None of you wanted to be disturbed about it, at least in the first months, so then, after an easy consensus, you followed your love life hidden from the media, trying to stay that way as long as possible. And it was working very well.

"Baby…" Tom's nervous voice called out as soon you heard it, and his apprehensive expression made you frown.

"What’s wrong? Are you OK? You sound nervous."

"And I am!" he exclaimed as fixed his hair, looking restlessly around.

"Why?"

"It is the first interview we gonna make about the movie!" the way how he said it, it sounded as if that simple explanation was enough. And it really was enough for you, understand what was causing your boyfriend a certain dread. "I don't wanna fuck everything up."

" Hey, just concentrate on answering the question in a way that doesn’t compromise the film. At the last meeting, Joe talked about what we can or cannot tell them, do you remember that?"

"Yes, but that’s not exactly my concern." the brunette laughed lightly. "My fear is that I might miss something about our relationship." he whispered, and you smiled at the careful and even funny way the actor portrayed. “We were three months together last week, and I don't want the whole world to know that we're dating. Even more in an interview." Tom was really afraid and worried. Yet you tried to reassure him.

"Look at me. Take a deep breath and stay calm, OK? They won't get into personal matters."

"And if they'll get into?"

" Well, if they'll get into, you respond that you are single." you shrugged as let a laugh escape your lips.

"Simple like that?"

"Simple like that." the peace and convinced tone was able to appease Holland's nerves, and after a cute smile of thanks from him, you hugged him in order to reassure him, the same reassurance he had given to you when you needed it. "It’s gonna be okay." your gazes met as you left each other’s arms, and then gave each other a quick kiss.

"ANW, how cute!” the act was extremely fast, but Zendaya witnessed the instant when your lips met his as she walked past you, and she couldn't comment about the cute scene between the couple.

"He's afraid to spoil our relationship, can you believe it?" you hugged his torso as you said the line, in love.

"As long he doesn’t any spoil about the movie, I don't see a problem with that." Jacob, who also nearby, made fun of the many times that Tom missed important parts of the feature films, drawing laughter from the presence of the local.

"In your places, guys!" the order came from the director of the show, and the small team obeyed, as well as you - the actors - sitting down each one on your respective black chair, similar to the one they had on the set.

Two cameras were aimed at you and in front of you there was a monitor for you to talk to the interviewer. "We go live in 5, 4, 3, ..." as of the number two, the director signaled with his fingers and soon the entertainer Jimmy Kimmel appeared on screen, with a wide smile on his lips.

"Hello, guys! Welcome to 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'! It's a pleasure to get all of you, even if it is online!" everyone waved and said 'hi' nicely, including you.

"It's great to talk to you again, Jimmy!" Tom was the first one to say something, and you smiled as you remembered the special appearance - online - your boyfriend had done a few months ago on the same talk show that you guys were on now. "By the way, did your son like the surprise?"

" William simply loved it! He was shy at first, but he loved having the Spider-Man on his birthday.

"ANW, I saw the video on the internet!" Zendaya said with a cute face. "He is such an adorable kid!"

"Thanks a lot, darling! Well, while we’re on this internet subject, I had read some rumors that there would be new characters in the next movie and I see those theories were real because there is an unfamiliar face among you, right?" you nodded half-heartedly in between laughs, after all the host was talking specifically about you. Immediately your colleagues looked at you, certainly proud, and plastered on a spontaneous smile. "Y/F/N! Very welcome to the show!"

"Thank you so much, Jimmy!"

"How are you feeling now that you're part of the Marvel family?"

"Awesome! I have been extremely welcomed by everyone on the team, and it has been surreal to have the opportunity to work with such spectaculars people on the amazing film!"

"This is incredible! What will your role be? If you can tell us."

"Well, I'm not allowed to say too much, but what I can claim is the romantic side of this movie will not only going to be between Peter and MJ" Jimmy’s eyes widened as soon as he heard you and a surprised expression came over his face, as did the others, who pretended that they didn't know what you were talking about.”

"Wow! This film will be such a huge thing!"

"You can’t wait."

"The recordings are over, right?" you nodded. " So we can talk about it." without being agreed Tom brought his hands to his mouth, covering it probably with the intention of being funny since, as everybody knew, he wasn't very good at keeping information to himself and wouldn't say anything this time. The laughter from practically everyone in the studio and from Jimmy through the monitor was heard loud and clear, as Holland kept his hand over his mouth.

"Can we keep him in that way?” Jacob commented jokingly.

"That’s a great idea." Zendaya agreed, and more laughter erupted.

"I can check with production if they have some tape to put over his mouth. It that possible, guys?" this time was Kimmel who joked and then Tom finally spoke up.

"That will not be necessary." he said as he denied with his forefinger. "I promise to behave, really."

"You career is at stake, young man." the interviewer got more laughs with his sentence, and the brunette nodded, pretending to be worried by closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "So, guys, did you have fun during your time together on the set, since the four of you are almost the same age?"

"Yeah!" Jacob answered excited. "It was even hard to concentrate sometimes when we were shooting scenes as a group. Tom and Y/N were the first ones to laugh and make fun too."

"In my defense, my character must be funny, so…"

"But that’s doesn’t mean that you have to clown around in serious scenes." Zendaya retorted Holland's comment, making the others laugh.

"Wow… We have conflicts going on here!" the presenter’s puzzled and funny way of saying it got more laughs. "And out of the cameras, how do you get along with each other?

"We have become good friends since the first movie. And Y/N has only added to this friendship and brought us even closer together with her lovely presence and wonderful personality."

"Awn, thanks a lot!" you said with a beaming smile turned to Zendaya, who winked and stroked the hand you placed on her shoulder. "We really had a lot of fun on the shooting and especially on our days off. And now the recording is over, we have more time to hang out and meet each other outside the cameras."

"It's really nice to see the friendship between you guys! How long did the filming last?"

"Two months." you responded together.

"And did you get to know each well during this time?"

"I think so.” Tom replied.

“Well, that’s what we gonna see now." in an excited manner, Jimmy presented the unknown attraction till then, which featured a dancing vignette. "OK, pay attention here. In each round I gonna ask you guys a question, and you have to answer according to the person who best fits the adjective I will say, pointing to it, all right?"

"OK!" you responded in chorus.

"Are you Ready?"

"Yes!"

"Let's go, who is the most gluttonous?" the fingers of your colleagues pointed directly at you, including yours, which is why everybody laughed. "Y/N! Even you agreed?"

"There is no denying it. I love to eat!"

"That’s to make two of us!" Jimmy agreed with you. "Who’s the sleepier one?" fingers divided between Jacob and Zendaya. "This one was not unanimous."

"I sleep a lot at night and take a long time to wake up, but Jacob lean on somewhere, closes his eyes and just passes out." the brunette girl defended herself.

"That is true." Tom claimed. " One time Jacob fell asleep while we're recording, and I thought he was faking it because it happened so, so fast."

"Dude, I was exhausted on that day. Give me a break."

"That’s quite a skill, Jac!" the host commented as he raised his eyebrows and received the approval of Batalon, who pointing at the camera. "Next, who is the most whiner among you?" all fingers went to Zendaya, except hers, which was pointing to Holland.

"Me?" she questioned, almost indignant. "Tom cried on the last in LA, when we were going to the airport.”

“I hate goodbyes.” the brunette was justified himself with his upset tone.

“In other words, whiner!”

"You cried when I told you that I had proposing Y/N to dating, girl!" at that moment the laughter that had been going on every second stopped, and a look of surprise came over everyone’s faces, including the interviewer’s. Holland only realized what he had done when silence broke out and his mind processed the sentence he had let slip. You and your friends had your hands over your mouth and eyes in amazement and of course denial that Tom had leaked yet another piece of precious information, not involving the job but rather your secret relationship. "Oh, shit…” when he understood what he had said, the boy threw his head back and ran his hands through his face until he reached his hair. "I definitely can't give interviews" the tense atmosphere was minimized by your boyfriend’s comment, which was responsible for the laughter returning.

"This time the spoiler was about your personal life, my friend." Jimmy didn't miss the opportunity to make another joke. "Y/N is red, poor thing!" you could really feel your cheeks burning, and it was impossible to ignore what had just happened. The only thing you could do was laugh, and that was exactly what you did. Even because you were speechless. Seeing the way you looked, Tom whispered an ‘I’m sorry, babe' in your direction, and you could clearly identify the annoyance on his face. So you hissed an ‘It’s okay' to calm him down.

"If I told you that he was terrified of releasing this information, would you believe me? "

"Really?" the question came from the presenter, and Tom nodded, embarrassed. "Well, on the bright side, the paparazzi didn’t get this exclusive bombshell, and you won't have any problems with it." you shrugged your shoulders, agreeing with what was said and then a weak laugh escaped. "Best wishes, Tom and Y/N! You two make a beautiful couple! For real!"

"Thanks, Jimmy." you said with a nice smile, just like your boyfriend."

"And it is with this unpublished and amazing news, and once again given on first hand by our spider boy, that we end the participation of the cast of Spider-Man: No Way Home! Success, everyone! Stay safe! See ya!" you said goodbye, thanking him for the invitation, and then the transmission was ended.

"I blew it." Tom whined in frustration as he stands up from his chair, somewhat disappointed.

"It's fine, my love." you consoled him with a hug. "Now we can come around without hiding.

"At least you didn’t say anything about the movie, man. This is a beginning." Jacob joked, and you tried hard not to laugh.

"Get out of here!" your boyfriend pushed his friend away and this time you let a giggle come out your mouth, as did Tom, who put his arms around your waist gently, pulling you closer to him. "I'm really, deeply sorry, honey. I didn’t mean it."

"I know, baby." your passionate smile took over your lips, and then you stroked his red cheeks slowly. "Don't worry about it."

"Do you still love me?"

"Of course I do." you replied, giving him a long and tender peck. "And I will love forever."

"Even if I fuck it up?"

"Even if you fuck it up."