#seattle girl musicians

[perseephoneee]

if you like...

BEACH BUNNY

OLIVIA RODRIGO 

MAZZY STAR

Then you’ll probably like my band:

The Sleepy Haunts

We’re an indie pop rock band located in Seattle and we’ll be releasing our second album, Bloom, this year. Our first album, queendom, is on all streaming platforms. We write about anxiety and all your favorite nerdy things (Charmed, Twin Peaks, Sex Education, Marvel, etc)

It would mean the world to me if you guys gave us a listen :) Happy haunting.

Instagram

Album

[stuffydollband]

Talkin about my upcoming album, "Ganymede Gives Up The Ghost" day 7!

Today's song is "Seattle Chic".

You may have guessed from the illustration, if you've been following along, that this song is the sister-song of "Tampa Avant-Garde" and I went pretty hard on that concept. These two songs are exactly the same length, same structure, but with inverted keys and very different melodies. A sort of strange take on a reprise.

In that vein, this song is about being queer in a place where everyone is fine with queerness. The contradictive experience of being reduced to your queerness while also being stripped of your uniqueness. The pressure to perform your identity, to be the "right kind" of queer, to be interesting outside of your queerness but to always be brought to the table because of your queerness. Don't get me wrong, Washington is my favorite place in the world, but it is a very strange feeling.

I guess to condense that thought: In oppressive places, individuality thrives. In accepting places, you become a featureless component of a greater whole. Security versus freedom. I guess that's always the question, ain't it?

A sample of the lyrics:

"Nobody really wants me, just the controversy

I'm a figment of fame, twisted filigree

I give my identity out for free

It always seemed unfair to me"

Have you experienced this? Do I sound crazy? Let me hear about it!

[wewontbesleeping]

booked plane tickets to Seattle and my first thought was Hello Seattle by Owl City, who I was obsessed with for a very short period of time around 2008, and it’s just. Amazing what things stick around in that noggin

[haleygravesofficial]

This was me 2 years ago at a very unhealthy point in my life and the bottom is me today! So crazy! Dropping out of college was the healthiest decision I made for myself! I do still wonder why I look like a football player on the left though! 😂

[thefrontofmymind]

could you do another musician ig blurb thingy with Suki Waterhouse as the fc?? i love these things so much

rockstar girlfriend!reader x matty healy instagram blurb

FC: Suki Waterhouse

yninstagram look hot, feel hot. thanks seattle.

view all comments

ynfan1 already got post-concert depression

trumanblack you’re right.

>yninstagram i know <33

ynfan2 she’s so ethereal omg

ynfan3 only 3 more days until my showwwww

yninstagram san francisco, you were lush.

view all comments

charli_xcx how is my bff so hot

>yninstagram no, you!

ynfan1 I LOVE YOUUUU

ynfan2 i cried so hard

trumanblack fit

yninstagram I love you, San Jose. Unfortunately you were upstaged just a little by a surprise backstage…

TAGGED: trumanblack

view all comments

ynfan1 omg im dying she’s so hot

ynfan2 OH MY GOD WAS MATTY AT MY SHOW???

yninstagram when in doubt, boyfriend’s shirt

view all comments

ynfan1 i hope matty knows how lucky he is

trumanblack oh thats where that shirt went

>yninstagram sorryyyyy

ynfan2 omg yn in matty cosplay

ynfan3 style icon of our generation

yninstagram cause you got that James Dean daydream look in your eyeeeeeeeee

view all comments

ynfan1 yn on 1989tv WHEN???

ynfan2 omg im obsessed with this look

charli_xcx queen

>yninstagram love you ❤️❤️❤️❤️

yninstagram The Troubadour. I’m so thankful for everyone that helped me get to perform at my dream venue. I love you all.

view all comments

ynfan1 shut up im crying rn

ynfan2 im so obsessed with that top but i KNOW it’ll be like thousands of dollars

ynfan3 how can someone look so beautiful???

trumanblack very proud. Xx

yninstagram San Diegooooo!!! Thank you for having me!!

view all comments

ynfan1 I WAS THEREEEEE

ynfan2 please come to italy!!!

~~~

yninstagram via instagram stories:

Caption: miss u

~~~

ynupdates YN and Charli XCX at an event for New York Fashion Week

view all comments

yn1975fan1 omg the 1975 WAGs out in full force

ynfan1 idk if i wanna be them or date them

1975fan1 matty and george better learn to fight because I AM COMING FOR THEM

~~~

trumanblack via instagram stories:

Caption: my girl is hotter than yours

[bubblesandgutz]

Every Record I Own - Day 804: The Rolling Stones Tattoo You

Back in the early '10s, a handful of Seattle musicians from bands like The Blood Brothers, Chromatics, and Shoplifting had a Rolling Stones cover band that would play around town. The songs were performed faithfully and unironically. The role of Mick Jagger was played by Blood Brothers' Jordan Blillie.

Jordan has been a fun resource on my own Stones journey. At some point early last year he mentioned to me that Tattoo You was about as far into their career as he went. Some Girls had been my stopping point, but I made a mental note: keep an eye out for a cheap copy of Tattoo You. So when I found this pristine and bargain-priced LP at a vintage clothing shop in Tokyo, I snagged it.

I'll be honest... I'm not in love with Tattoo You. But it's growing on me. It helps to know that most of these tracks were culled from earlier recording sessions back in the '70s. But I think it's gonna take some time for me to shed my childhood prejudice against "Start Me Up."

[sweetestberryofthebunch]

ok musician au hear me out: (it’s season 12 so far because that’s what i know but i’d love to hear your thoughts for who could fit the rest of the band !!)

jan and jackie are a duo, famous for jan’s energy and bright vocals with jackie’s warmer tones to balance it and provide lower harmonies, not to mention their iconic chemistry and will-they-won’t-they energy that keeps audiences guessing. their careers are firmly in the limelight after a big break a few years back, and they’ve gotten the best team they could hope for (though they’re still looking for someone to help gigi, their hair and costume person, with the outfits for the shows). now on their second national tour, they feel on top of the world—especially with their friends by their side.

but there’s a new name on the scene that both of them find themselves maybe too bothered by. where they’d never been anything but friendly and welcoming to the people they met, something about this new hot french solo act named nicky doll seems to be affecting them more than normal. worse, somehow, is the fact that she gets along so well with the rest of the team, and even worse? she’s opening for them at their next show.

cast do characters so far:

jan and jackie (main duo)

crygi as makeup (crystal) and hair/wardrobe (gigi)

nicky (an up-and-coming solo act and opener for their next show)

jaida (her designer and best friend)

who else would be in the band/in their team?

Oh this is SO cute! And all their friends from other seasons could be friends they meet st different stops on tour - In new York they play a show at the bar where they got started - which just got taken over by Jan‘s Highschool friend Rosé who can immediately sense the chemistry between not just Jan and Jackie but also Jan and Nicky, pushing her to fool around a little.

In Missouri they save some money by parking their (kind of old and wacky - its their first big tour after all) tour bus in front of Crystal’s little sister Daya’s place. They all stay in the house while they’re there, and Jackie and Jan find themselves forced to sleep in the living room with Nicky, pushed together on a pullout couch. While they deal with crashing egos and maybe some jealousy, Gigi gets to know Crystal a lot more on a trip through her hometown, getting a tour of all her favourite spots.

In LA they stay for a whole week to play at a festival, and in the early mornings after shows in the sun all day, lots of alcohol and maybe some other recreational activities, shenanigans ensue. Meanwhile, Gigi is nervous for Crystal to meet her found family, worried the LA girls will judge her.

After that they’re on the road up the coast for a while, and Jackie gets jealous when Jan and Nicky start writing a song together, especially since Gigi and Crystal seem to get closer by the day too as they make their way towards Seattle…

[femmeanonymelives]

Isn't it lovely? (Santiago Garcia x OC)

Santiago Garcia x Singer/Songwriter!OC

Mentioned platonic Frankie Morales x OC

(Santiago refers to her as the nickname "Songbird," but real name is Valerie) Inspired by the song "Lovely" by Billie Eilish (with Khalid)

Series Masterlist

Ari's note: This is pure angst and fluff. Some adult language, usage of alcohol and some spoilers for Triple Frontier. This song somehow keeps showing up on my Spotify rotation. It is very beautiful and heartbreaking. I wanted to write something that deals with this song and somehow it reminds me of Santi.

The rain putters on the window seal. 

Seattle.

 The warm air fills the room with comfort from the cold, rainy weather outside. Started playing with the keys of the keyboard that someone that I loved bought me for my birthday. Pulls out a small yellow notebook with song lyrics. A familiar tone that I used to play around with when we hang out together.

“Happy Birthday, songbird. You can finally become the real Piano Man,” he joked before taking another gulp of beer as he played with my then-shaggy, long black hair. It was my birthday a few years earlier. A few days before the boys went down to South America and fucked shit up there. Santi hosted the festivities at his house. The boys, their partners, and a few of our mutual friends met up and had dinner. Santi wanted to make his present special. 

“Honestly, Frankie could have made that joke, but you honestly made the joke somehow shittier,” laughs softly as I play my legs in his lap. He gives the classic “you know you love me” smirk as he gives me a soft kiss.

“Frankie would have requested Sweet Caroline, but knowing you,” he holds my chin in his hand as he makes look at him in his sweet brown eyes, “you would be performing in stadiums soon, not in a bar. I will be by your side when you headline your first show.”

I moved to Seattle a few years back after the guy I last loved left me for a trip that, according to him, “broke him from the inside out.” I did music before I met him. Choir and piano lessons since I was six. If you are talking to my mother about my musical talents, she blames my father who was a musician that performed at the family bar. Started writing some wanderlust type songs, but never really got anywhere in Florida.

Frankie was the one who introduced us. I am the girl “who can sing Taylor Swift better than Taylor Swift without making it annoying.” He was the pain in the ass that Frankie would constantly tell him to ask me out. He saw I brought out a softer side to Santi, even though Santi is a horrible singer.

When he broke it off with me, he blamed how the fucked the mission was from the beginning, how Tom fucking died, how he was worried what was going to happen to him and his squad, and he was worried how we was going to explain this to me. He wanted his share of the money to go to me so we could move and start my music career.

“Songbird, I fucking love you but I need you to understand that I am doing this to set you free. You don’t need me anymore. I am sorry.” He kissed me like this was the last kiss that he was going to ever take with me. Four years of passion, long-distance phone calls, and stale beer thrown away like Tom’s body near the Andes.

That was the last time I saw him. 

Three Years Later

I am back in humid Florida, visiting family and Frankie and performing at a local music venue. I step up on stage. Getting a warm welcome from my hometown crowd. Under the bright stage, I see Frankie and the boys… and then I see him.. Drinking a Bud Light in one hand, and wearing an old baseball cap. His hair and stubble is more gray. He looks tired, not wanting to be there. Worried that Frankie brought him to a trap. I move towards the piano and start playing the song that somehow people are recognizing themselves to. My soft, yet powerful alto voice sings the lyrics when I was alone by myself in Seattle.

“Thought I found a way

Thought I found a way out (found)

But you never go away (never go away)

So I guess I gotta stay now

Oh, I hope someday I'll make it out of here

Even if it takes all night or a hundred years

Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near

Wanna feel alive, outside I can't fight my fear

Isn't it lovely? All alone

Heart made of glass, my mind of stone

Tear me to pieces, skin to bone

Hello, welcome home”

As I look up into the crowd, I stare into his eyes like I did years ago. Making me realizing that the song is hurting him the same way he hurt me all of those years prior. I tried to focus on anyone, but him. Tears swell up as I think of us at our happiest as I sing aloud.

“Walking out of time

Looking for a better place 

Something's on my mind

Always in my head space

But I know someday I'll make it out of here

Even if it takes all night or a hundred years

Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near

Wanna feel alive outside I can't fight my fear

Isn't it lovely? All alone

Heart made of glass, my mind of stone

Tear me to pieces, skin to bone

Hello. Welcome home

Whoa, yeah

Yeah, ah

Whoa, whoa

Hello, welcome home”

I hear a mass applause from the crowd as I quickly wipe my tears as I look towards the crowd.

 I see Santi and Frankie gone. I focused on the rest of my set that focused on songs from my album and a few covers of Fleetwood Mac.

After the show, I head backstage towards my dressing room. I see Santi standing there, mad and regretful at what he did to me. His knuckles are bloody, which he fought with Frankie in the parking lot. 

“Songbird, listen to me-”

“Don’t… just don’t call me.. the bullshit you pulled forfeits the right to call me that.”

“Valerie, I am sorry. I fucked up. I should have told you the truth from the beginning.”

“Santi, it is not that… you fucked up this relationship by using Tom’s fucking death for a reason to end it… That is not a good enough excuse for me. Why are you here?”

“When Frankie told me that you were coming into town, I was scared shitless. The money was for you.”

“Santiago Garcia, don’t be fucking with me about this. The one time I see you are telling more bullshit.”

“Val, that money for you and I to spend a life together.” He takes a deep sigh and runs his fingers through his hair. “That money was for you to actually start your career.”

“Bullshit… absolute bullshit! Stop lying to me just to save your own ass.” He grabs my arm and pulls me back in my dressing room. He locked the door.

“That song.. You wrote that about us…”

“I was hurting. Frankie was the only of you assholes to reach out.” Santiago is shocked; he knew Frankie and I were close, but never knew the impact that our relationship had. “Ben couldn’t even look me in the face when I saw him in Seattle.”

“So you wrote a fucking break-up song, Val? I know I was a dick by how I treated you, but I am telling the truth” He sounds more hurt than angry. The song made him seem like the biggest asshole in the world.

“I wrote it because you left me the minute you came back. I was angry. I was in a town by myself, wishing you called and said that you made a fucking mistake, but you didn’t.” Santi grabs me by my now-long dyed red hair and kisses me like he did three years earlier.

“I love you, Val.. and I am sorry for what I did.” 

I walked out of the door; not being able to stay there another second without crying. As I head to my rental car after grabbing my stuff, tears stream down my eyes as I whisper to myself in the car, “I love you too.”

[brookston]

Holidays 7.19

Holidays

Battle of Mirbat Day (UK)

Bender Day

Bloomer Day

Brian May Day

Changing Places Awareness Day (UK)

Coach Day (Ukraine)

Colt 45 Day

Engineer’s Day (Nepal)

Feast of Cranks

Female Cabinet Minsters Day (Japan)

Festival of the Puzzlebox

Flight Attendant Safety Professionals’ Day

Flitch Day (Bacon given to any married couple who could prove they had lived in harmony and fidelity for 1 year; very few took home the bacon)

Glioblastoma Awareness Day

Grocery Heroes Day (Canada)

International Retainer Day

K Days begin (Canada)

Lord of the Rings Day

Lumberjack World Championships (Wisconsin)

Martyr’s Day (Burma)

National Barbara Day

National Football Day

National Hug Your Kids Day

National Play Day

National Secretary Day (Mexico)

National Tell A Girl She’s Beautiful Day

National Urban Beekeeping Day

National Words With Friends Day

National Youth Empowerment Day

New Friends Day [also 1.19; 10.19]

One Voice Day

Palace Day (India)

Rojava Revolution Anniversary Day (Syria)

Roy Orbison Day (Odessa, Texas)

Sandinista Day (Nicaragua)

719 Day (Colorado)

Solomon Burke Day (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Spelt Day (French Republic)

Stick Out Your Tongue Day

Tabaski Day (Cameroon)

Tims Camp Day (Tim Hortons; Canada)

Triple Play Day

World Peter Obi Day (Nigeria)

World Product Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day

National Daiquiri Day

Raspberry Cake Day

Independence & Related Days

Cyberia (Declared; 1997) [unrecognized]

Einglen (Declared; 2016) [unrecognized]

Laos (from France, 1949)

Rennell and Bellona Province Day (Solomon Islands)

New Year’s Days

Egyptian New Year (a.k.a. “The Opening of the Year and the Feast of every God”)

3rd Friday in July

Big Sky Games begin (Montana) [3rd Friday]

Flashback Friday [Every Friday]

Fry Day (Pastafarian; Fritism) [Every Friday]

Gentse Feesten begins (Ghent, Belgium) [Friday before 3rd Sunday]

Lindenfest (Rhineland, Germany) [Begins 3rd Friday]

National Park & Recreation Professionals Day [3rd Friday]

National Property Managers Day (Australia) [3rd Friday]

Pflasterspektakel Linz (Street Musician Festival; Germany) [3rd Friday thru Sunday]

Sherwood Robin Hood Festival begins (Oregon) [3rd Friday; ends Sunday]

Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival begins (Dorset, UK) [3rd Friday; ends Sunday]

Wrong Days in Wright (Wright, Montana) [3rd Friday & Saturday]

Weekly Holidays beginning July 19 (3rd Week of July)

Celebration of the Horse (thru 7.21) [3rd Weekend]

Robin Hood Days (thru 7.20]

Festivals Beginning July 19, 2024

Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo (Dauphin Island, Alabama) [thru 7.21]

Atlas (Kyiv, Ukraine) [thru 7.21]

Bacon, Bourbon and Brew Festival (Newport, Kentucky) [thru 7.21]

Baltimore Restaurant Week (Baltimore, Maryland) [thru 7.28]

Bite of Seattle (Seattle, Washington) [thru 7.21]

Boryeong Mud Festival (Boryeong, South Korea) [thru 8.4]

Cecil County Fair (Elkton, Maryland) [thru 7.27]

Copper River Salmon Jam (Cordova, Alaska) [thru 7.20]

Deer Fest (Oshkosh, Wisconsin) [thru 7.21]

Folkmoot Summerfest (Waynesville, North Carolina) [thru 7.20]

Gentse Feesten (Ghent, Belgium) [thru 7.28]

Giffoni Film Festival (Giffoni Valle Piana, Italy) [thru 7.28]

Grainger County Tomato Festival (Rutledge, Tennessee) [thru 7.20]

Great Wellsville Balloon Rally (Wellsville, New York) [thru 7.21]

Hempstead Watermelon Festival (Hempstead, Texas) [thru 7.20]

Hillside Festival (Guelph, Canada) [thru 7.21]

Humeston Watermelon Days (Humeston, Iowa) [thru 7.21]

International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama (Paphos, Cyprus) [thru 8.10]

Jackson Hot Air Jubilee (Jackson, Michigan) [thru 7.21]

Jazz & Rib Fest (Columbus, Ohio) [thru 7.21]

Killington Wine Festival (Killington, Vermont) [thru 7.20]

Koloa Plantation Days (Koloa, Hawaii) [thru 7.28]

Marysville Peach Festival (Marysville, California) [thru 7.20]

Mississippi Watermelon Festival (Mize, Mississippi) [thru 7.20]

Muskie Days (Nevis, Minnesota) [thru 7.20

North Dakota State Fair (Minot, North Dakota) [thru 7.27]

Northwest Raspberry Festival (Lynden, Washington) [thru 7.20

Positivus Festival (Riga, Latvia) [thru 7.20]

Qingdao International Beer Festival (Qingdao, China) [thru 8.11]

Roscoe Village Burger Fest (Chicago, Illinois) [thru 7.21]

Royal International Air Tattoo (Swindon, United Kingdom) [thru 7.21]

Salzburg Festival (Salzburg, Austria) [thru 8.31]

Saulkrasti Jazz Festival (Saulkrasti, Latvia) [hru 7.20]

Snowflake Pioneer Days (Snowflake, Arizona) [thru 7.20]

Sweetcorn Festival (Chatham, Illinois) [thru 7.20]

Taste of River North (Chicago, Illinois) [thru 7.21]

Tomorrowland Belgium (Boom, Belgium) [thru 7.21]

unWINE Downtown (Starkville, Mississippi) [thru 7.20]

Vashon Island Strawberry Festival (Vashon Island, Washington) [thru 7.21]

Vermont Brewers Festival (Burlington, Vermont) [thru 7.20]

Wannigan Days (Taylors Falls, Minnesota & St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin) [thru 7.21]

Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire (Bonney Lake, Washington) [thru 8.18]

Waterford World's Fair (Waterford, Maine) [thru 7.21]

Yarmouth Clam Festival (Yarmouth, Maine) [thru 7.21]

Feast Days

Adonis and Aphrodite Wedding Day (Ancient Greece)

A.J. Cronin (Writerism)

Åke Hellman (Artology)

Ambrose Autpert (Christian; Saint)

Ancient Egyptian New Year

Arsenius the Great (Catholic Church)

Back-to-Front Yad (Shamanism)

Bernold, Bishop of Utrecht (Christian; Saint)

Cervantes (Positivist; Saint)

Crannchur (Casting of the Woods; Celtic Book of Days)

Daiquiri Day (Pastafarian)

Day of Isis (Everyday Wicca)

Dr. Doom/Thulsa Doom Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Duke (Muppetism)

Edgar Degas (Artology)

Festival of Honos (Personification of morality & honor; Ancient Rome)

Garth Nix (Writerism)

Giuseppe Castiglione (Artology)

Isis and Osiris Wedding Day (Ancient Egypt)

John Martin (Artology)

Justa and Rufina (Christian; Martyrs & Virgins)

Kirdjun (a.k.a. Abakerazum; Christian; Saint)

The Lucaria (Festival of the Grove to Sucellus, Gaulish God of Alcohol); Ancient Rome) [also 2.1 & 7.21]

Macrina the Younger, Sister of St. Basil the Great (Christian; Saint)

Opet (Day of the Marriage of Isis and Osiris; Pagan)

Symmachus, pope (Christian; Saint)

Vincent de Paul (Christian; Saint)

Wedding Day of Adonis & Aphrodite (Ancient Greece)

Wedding Day of Isis & Osiris (Ancient Egypt)

Xu Beihong (Artology)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Lucky Day (Philippines) [41 of 71]

Perilous Day (13th Century England) [22 of 32]

Sensho (先勝 Japan) [Good luck in the morning, bad luck in the afternoon.]

Umu Limnu (Evil Day; Babylonian Calendar; 33 of 60)

Premieres

Airlift A La Carte (Chilly Willy Cartoon; 1971)

The Air Race (MGM Cartoon; 1933) [Never Released]

An Affair to Remember (Film; 1957)

Awkward (TV Series; 2011)

Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (Film; 1991)

Clueless (Film; 1995)

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (Talk Show; 2012)

Crazy, Stupid, Love (Film; 2011)

Dance With Me, by Orleans (Song; 1975)

Day of the Dead (Film; 1985)

The Everlasting Man, by G.K. Chesterton (Novel; 1925)

Chaplin Corps./Accidents/Gas (A Few Quick Facts MGM Cartoon; 1944)

Counter Attack (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1960)

Foul Play (Film; 1978)

Help!, by The Beatles (Song; 1965)

K-19: The Widowmaker (Film; 2002)

The Legend of Billie Jean (Film; 1985)

A Little Bit of Mambo, by Lou Bega (Album; 1999)

Liv and Maddie (TV Series; 2013)

Mad Men (TV Series; 2007)

The Man with One Red Shoe (Film; 1985)

The Midnight Snack (Tom & Jerry MGM Cartoon; 1941)

Movin’ Out (Musical Play; 2002)

My Family and Other Animals, by Gerald Durrell (Novel; 1956)

Narcissus and Goldmund, by Hermann Hesse (Novel; 1930)

News Oddities (Phantasies Cartoon; 1940)

Our Miss Brooks (Radio Series; 1948)

Peace Time Football (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1946)

Pinto Pink (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1967)

The Rag Dog (Rainbow Parade Cartoon; 1935)

RED 2 (Film; 2013)

Revenge of the Pink Panther (Film; 1978)

R.I.P.D. (Film; 2013)

Speedy Ghost to Town (WB LT Cartoon; 1967)

A Squeak in the Deep (WB LT Cartoon; 1966)

That’s All Right/Blue Moon of Kentucky, by Elvis Presley (Song; 1954)

Trainspotting (Film; 1996)

Treasure Island (Film; 1950)

Trick or Tree (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1961)

Uncle Tom’s Cabana (Tex Avery MGM Cartoon; 1947)

Weathering with You (Anime Film; 2019)

Today’s Name Days

Bernulf, Justa, Marina, Poppo, Reto (Austria)

Aurelija, Zlata, Zora (Croatia)

Čeněk (Czech Republic)

Justa (Denmark)

Saara, Saare, Saari, Salli (Estonia)

Saara, Salla, Salli, Sara, Sari, Sarita (Finland)

Arsène, Micheline (France)

Bernard, Marina, Reto (Germany)

Dias, Garyfallia, Makrina (Greece)

Emília (Hungary)

Arsenio (Italy)

Digna, Jautrīte, Kamila, Kamilla, Sari (Latvia)

Aura, Aurėja, Galigantas, Mantigailė, Vincas, Vincentas (Lithuania)

Gerhard, Gjert (Norway)

Alfred, Arseniusz, Lutobor, Rufin, Wincenty, Wodzisław (Poland)

Dušana (Slovakia)

Arsenio, Áurea, Justa, Rufina (Spain)

Sara (Sweden)

Arsene, Arsène (Universal)

Armenia, Arcenio, Arsenia, Arsenio, Wayne (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 201 of 2024; 165 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of Week 29 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Tinne (Holly) [Day 13 of 28]

Chinese: Month 6 (Xin-Wei), Day 14 (Jia-Shen)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 13 Tammuz 5784

Islamic: 12 Muharram 1446

J Cal: 21 Red; Sevenday [21 of 30]

Julian: 6 July 2024

Moon: 95%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 4 Dante (8th Month) [Cervantes]

Runic Half Month: Ur (Primal Strength) [Day 11 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 30 of 94)

Week: 3rd Week of July

Zodiac: Cancer (Day 29 of 31)

[4birds-of-a-feather]

Chapter 27 - Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight (when it’s exactly twelve o’clock that night) [part 6]

Birds Of a Feather

Look who Monty the cat dragged in! Hope you guys are fine and are gonna enjoy this, let us know what you think about it ✨

(In the previous chapter: despite their mutual attraction, Layla and Eddie decided to spend some time together in a platonic way; Stone wasn’t able to make Sara come out from the bathroom but has instead confessed her his feelings; Jeff has seen his bandmate go inside the bathroom and he knows Stone is with Sara, but what he doesn’t know is that the two of them are making out)

Seattle, 31st December 1984

“Here you are! Thought you had deserted us” Sara snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Jeff’s voice coming from behind: she turned around as he was already strolling in her direction, and she immediately felt her mouth dry. “I’m sorry, I-I came here to get some fresh air – I thought I was about to faint inside” the girl stammered, pointing at the room where It’s My Life was playing out loud “The balcony seemed like a clever idea” “It was, just like me bringing you some fruit punch” Jeff grinned, handing her a red cup that she gladly took. “You’re a lifesaver, thank you” “No problem” he went to sit on the railing, next to where now Sara was chewing the edge of her paper cup “Penny for your thoughts?” “Just a silly recollection…” the tips of her ears instantly reddened “You’d make fun of me” “I would never! I won’t, I promise” “Well, I was thinking about last New Year’s Eve, wondering how I spent it” “And…?” “... and I just realized it was probably me still crying because Dennis Wilson had died a couple of days before” she rested her elbows on the railing, then leaned her cheek on a hand “You know, Beach Boys’ drummer? And a year later I’m at a party, but I fled to the balcony because inside there’s too many people I don’t know… so yeah, a year may have passed but I’m still socially awkward, ugh” “Hey, I wouldn’t call ‘socially awkward’ someone who’s having zero problems chatting with a guy she’s known for seven months” “What, you’ve been counting or something?” she smirked at him, her voice showing amusement at his corniness. “Every single day” “Oh, shush” the girl immediately flushed, and Jeff couldn’t help but grin triumphantly because she was trying so hard not to smile but the half dimple on the right corner of her mouth said otherwise. “No, but seriously – you’re doing great” he was quick to make himself clear “I mean, you said it yourself: going to a party full of people you don’t know, with other people you barely know? In my book you sound like a total badass” “You think so?” “I do” he looked her in the eye “But that doesn’t mean that last year you were an utter loser because you spent New Year’s Eve crying over some dead musician… sounds like he meant a great deal to you”   “He does, yeah” “I know my Brian Wilson and my Mike Love,” he began, while she frowned at the last person mentioned “but the other members… not so much, I’m afraid – except for the drummer’s association with Manson, obviously” “Yeah, I guess that’s public domain” Sara wrinkled her nose “Well, Dennis was the first one in the band to come out with a solo project, which I think has to be one of the saddest albums ever… still beautiful, though I haven’t been able to listen again to it after last year” “Understandable” “And he also made a movie with James Taylor that I have yet to watch but my father tells me it’s great – kind of a road-movie, made in the early ‘70s” “Sounds like something I’d like” “I think so too; he also wrote some pretty cool songs for the band, but he was obviously overshadowed by his brother” she sighed “Anyway, it’s all over now so I guess it doesn’t matter anymore” “It matters to you, that’s what’s important” She adjusted her scarf, avoiding his glance, then abruptly changed topic: “I listened to your tape” The bassist almost lost his balance but was able to recover at the last second: “Yeah? Verdict?” “You should seriously start to listen to some good ol’ folk, you can’t live just with punk music” “... that’s your feedback?!” this time he had begun to fall backwards, so he wisely jumped off the railing. “Yeah, that’s it” “Uhm, I-I guess I can see your point, but I also put Bowie and Beth by KISS! C’mon, you can’t tell me they’re punk, that’s-” “Honestly? That’s the sweetest thing somebody has ever done for me – and my dad is a worthy opponent in this competition, but you beat him anyway” the girl winked at him “You could have made a Barry Manilow compilation and I would have appreciated it all the same, because in any case it would have been something you made thinking of me” “Woah, I-uhm… thank you? I mean-” “Anyway, I need to lend you some tapes that I think are fundamental in the education of a person – especially for a musician like yourself” Sara kept on talking, then noticed he was giving her a funny look “What, what did I say?” “Nothing, just… I’m happy you liked it, I was hoping the tape could make you understand what you mean to me” Even though her feet were on the ground, the girl was still able to trip over an invisible obstacle. “Errrrr, thank God I didn’t drink the vodka they offered us before, otherw-” she babbled, but was interrupted by Jeff moving closer. “... Wanna go out with me?” “Like, right now? We shouldn’t ditch the others, it wouldn’t be f-” “No, silly!” the guy chuckled, the wrinkles around the corners of his eyes instantly giving her butterflies in her stomach “I agree with you, right now it would be really improper: wanna do this next week?” “You’re… serious” “Why shouldn’t I be? We can go to the movies and then grab something to eat” “Just the two of us?” “Unless you want that pain in the ass of Stone to tag along” he joked, trying to ignore the annoying thought of his friend being the third wheel. No words came out Sara’s mouth, so the guy panicked. “... you know what, I didn’t want to mess this up – just forget it” he dismissed the previous idea with frantic gestures of his hands “I’m sorry I embarrassed you, I-” “I’d love to” the girl had come closer and taken his hands in hers “I’m sorry if I made you believe I didn’t wanna go out with you, I just… I’m surprised you invited me, that’s all” “Hell, to be honest I’m surprised you accepted” Jeff let out a nervous chuckle, squeezing her hands in return “You sure? Just the two of us?” “Just the two of us” she said in a resolute tone, grinning at him, and he finally mirrored her relaxed smile. 1985 was about to start in the best possible way.

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Seattle, VedderAment’s place, 31st December 1990 (but not for much longer) “It’s barely a couple of minutes to midnight!” Layla yelled into Eddie’s ear as they held to each other and swayed to the music. <Excuse me, Miss Boulais, is it midnight? I’d check my watch, you know, but I just can’t take my eyes off you… JEEZ, I DIDN’T SAY IT OUT LOUD, DID I?> Eddie had a mind full of cheesy kissing pick up lines as it often happened when he was drunk or stoned. “Really? Uhm we’re almost there then hehe” he awkwardly replied as he couldn’t say if he was more inebriated by the booze, the song’s atmosphere, Layla’s delicate flowery perfume, the warmth of her breath against his face or her body pressed against his. “Yep!” Layla knew she should have said something earlier because now, right in the middle of the party, it was impossible to have a proper conversation about anything or even say anything more than best wishes. She tried to tell herself to enjoy the moment, which wasn’t bad at all, but she couldn’t help but regret her lack of courage. She was an overly worried type of drunk. <I’m here, slow dancing with a nice guy, who also happens to be very hot, and instead of just enjoying it, I keep on brooding over what I did and didn’t do...> 10! 9! 8! They kept dancing without saying a word, until Chris started shouting the countdown and everyone at the party followed him. Eddie and Layla stopped but were still holding each other as they were howling every number too. 7! 6! 5! <Wanna start the new year with a bang?> he couldn’t help thinking as they smiled at each other during the count. 4! 3! <Ok, that’s enough, I’m done! I’ll kiss him! Just like that. But what if he doesn’t want to? What if he pulls away? How can I save the situation? I could kiss him and make it seem like it was a mistake. Like I could be aiming at the cheek and then oops! And then just see where it goes from there… If he gets into it, that’s great, but if he doesn’t I can always say “sorry” and laugh about it and pretend nothing happened then go cry about it in my room later> Layla’s train of thoughts was very fast in those two seconds, as she pondered about her kissing attempt. 2! 1! <Can I be your first mistake of the year?> Eddie was disgusted but also surprised by his own creativity for pick-up lines as the last seconds of 1990 were ticking away. HAPPY FUCKIN’ NEW YEAR!!!!! Cornell screamed from the top of his lungs as chaos started around in the apartment at the stroke of midnight, so much that the music was barely audible, although Chris had turned back up at maximum volume. “Happy new year, Eddie!” Layla jumped and cheered and went to kiss him on the cheek. Right, on the cheek. Her previous determination gone out of the window, as always. Eddie kissed her cheek in turn and stood staring at her with a drunk smile, considering telling her that, talking about new year’s resolutions, he had a new one now and he was looking at it right at that moment. “Thanks, happy new year to you too” he said instead, keeping some dignity. <Why can’t I be uninhibited drunk instead of overthinking drunk?> Layla sighed internally as she took in Eddie’s disheveled beauty right in front of her and regretted their loser-style new year’s kisses. “1991 will be great for you and the band, I just know that!” the girl shook him by his shoulders and it was like he snapped up from sleep. “I trust you. You know, talking about resolutions…” Eddie started saying and it was like he could hear himself talking but couldn’t do anything to prevent it and was terrified of all the stupid shit that could come out of his mouth. “Yeah?” she asked as Eddie wouldn’t go on but just started dancing with her instead. “Uh, I have a new one. I didn’t mention it before because, well, it’s new” he said after Layla’s encouragement and was already saying a silent goodbye to his dignity. <I just hope she had enough alcohol to believe I’m charming and cool> “Ok, that’s great” “Yeah” he said as he kept swaying in time with the music. “And what is it?” she prompted him to talk as she thought the booze was probably starting to kick in and have the best of him. “Not be a loser anymore” he spoke into her ear as he stopped moving and subtly tightened his hold on the girl’s hips. “Oh. Well, that’s, that’s good” “Pucker up now, please” he looked up into her eyes and she saw an extremely serious expression on his face. “Wha-” Layla didn’t have time to understand what Eddie was talking about before his lips met hers in a sudden kiss. Layla wanted so badly to let her mind wander and mull over what was happening and the possible aftermath and consequences of it but she just couldn’t. The kiss was so surprising she was caught off guard and it was just that deep type of kiss that leaves little room for thought. The rush of sensations crawling across her body was the only thing she could focus on, together with the taste of him. Eddie pulled away only to look at her face, searching for reassurance, any hint or reaction that could tell him whether he had just fucked up big time or she liked being kissed. He had his answer in a couple of seconds, when the silent double stare broke into a mirrored dumbstruck smile. “... Fuck it” Layla said and he thought that it was serious if she used the F word. He managed to smirk before the girl decided that whatever it meant, whatever the consequences might be, whatever his lips were bringing, she wanted more and pulled him into a new kiss. They were lost in each other’s lips and it was like the outside world had ceased to exist. That was until a loud crash that sounded like an explosion broke the air and their kiss and brought them back to reality.

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“Jesus H. Tap-dancing Christ, what the hell was that noise?!” Sara startled, then finally realized what had been happening for God knows how much time and immediately pushed herself away from Stone. “Sounded kinda like the roar you hear during an earthquake...” he casually observed with a smirk, touching his lips without taking his eyes off her. “Oh, that’s magnificent… fuckin’ A, we’ll be the first ones to drop like ants!” she growled, then kicked him in the leg “What the fuck are you waiting for?? Stand up, I need to go out!” “After all the trouble I went to come here? Over my dead body, missy” “You’re asking for it” she kicked him again “I’ve got zero problems with killing you to save myself: you’ll be just a fatality caused by the earthquake” “Only if you’re gonna cry at my funeral – first row, with a Hepburn LBD and this exact perfume” he went on, grabbing her ankle and trying to pull her close. “... you’re a sick motherfucker, you know that?” Sara shook him off, pushed him aside while he was guffawing and finally reached the handle “I’m not done with you” “That’s exactly what I was hoping you would say, Scout” “Go eat a dick, Boo Radley” she gave him a last fake smile then stormed out the bathroom with her ears and cheeks boiling. <Jumping Jesus on a pogo stick, let’s hope nobody noticed my absence… that son of a gun needs a good kicking> The girl stopped for a few seconds, trying to catch her breath and wondering if her lipstick had survived the havoc that Gossard had bestowed upon it, then craned her neck to see if anybody had seen what she had been up to, to no avail: the hall was empty, because apparently everybody had gathered in the living room. “Ames, I already told ya I’m fuckin’ sor-” “What the fuck should I do with your apologies, Chris?? Wipe my ass, that’s what I’m gonna do!” Jeff was shouting at his (ex) friend “What am I supposed to tell the landlord?? ‘My friend thought that shooting a goddamn confetti cannon against the ceiling would be a brilliant idea’?! That would surely make everything easy for me, yes sirree!” <Do not think about that idiot’s ass, Fancini, and focus on the main news: no earthquake and Mr. Montana’s imminent ass-kicking provided by his landlor-fuck, I thought about his ass, didn’t I?> Sara looked up, first of all trying to figure out how much did Chris actually fuck up and also to take her mind off the bassist’s butt. She noticed quite a large hole in the ceiling and a few confetti remains hanging from it. “You can always say it’s installation art” Steve suggested as Lukin on his side couldn’t seem to take off his squinting eyes from the confetti cannon disaster. “Yeah, it surely… uhm, transformed the perception of the space” Layla remarked, as Sara briefly looked at her friend and couldn’t help but notice Eddie’s arm looped around her waist – she didn’t think too much of it. “Sure! And it will transform the landlord’s perception too as he won’t hesitate invading our personal space to kick our asses!” Jeff flailed his arms around in frustration, while Sara silently cursed him for mentioning his cute ass once again. “Come on, it’s not bad! I mean, it is bad, but not that much. Nothing that can’t be repaired” Matt pointed out, trying to save his bandmate from the homicidal instincts of Ament. “Sure it can be repaired. At our expenses, of course” Jeff rubbed his face with his hands, trying to stay calm, but the people around him didn’t help. “Oh! You could ask the construction company that’s fixing our apartment! They’re not too expensive” Layla thought this would cheer the guy up a little but apparently she was wrong. “Well, thanks a lot, Four Eyes! They’re cheap and all but considering how quick they’re working at your place, do you think they’ll have the fuckin’ hole fixed on time for the next New Year’s party?” “Come on, Jeff, let’s not ruin the party now” Vedder exchanged a reassuring look with Layla and went to lighten up his bandmate’s mood. “Me? It wasn’t me, Chris ruined it” Ament shrugged and Cornell rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time. “How many times do I have to apologize to you?” “Listen, we’ll think about something tomorrow, I’ll try and see if I can do something. Tomorrow, though. Today we’re celebrating, ok?” Eddie went on and his attempt at keeping his friend calm wasn’t totally uninterested. <The sooner Jeff relaxes, the sooner we’ll all go back to the party and the sooner I’ll go back to the smooching> he thought, hoping he was really just thinking and not saying the word smooch aloud. “How sweet of him, improvising as a mason… I bet he’d pass himself off as a firefighter or a fuckin’ astronaut just to resume his favourite activity” Turner murmured under his breath, still bearing a sort of grudge against him because of Layla. “Hey, what’s happening he-OH. Jeffrey, how many times did I tell you not to do jumping jacks at home? You know you’re not exactly as light as a feather” Stone appeared out of nowhere and Sara had almost forgotten their escapade and was chuckling at his joke – at least until she turned to look at him and noticed a faint trace of her lipstick in the corner of his bottom lip. “HAHAHAHA OH, SHUT UP GOSSARD, GIVE HIM A BREAK!” the girl laughed exaggeratedly and shoved her hand upon Stone’s mouth as to playfully shush him up, but actually to subtly remove any evidence. <A flamethrower would be more effective but this will do for now> she thought as she felt a sort of satisfaction in almost suffocating the guy. Stone didn’t lose his composure and with a quick move he took her wrist, twisted it lightly, kissed her hand and smirked. “As you wish, Miss! How can I say no to such a gentle request?” Everybody turned to look at them with their faces scrunched up like crumpled paper; the color drained immediately from Sara’s face when she realized that all her previous caution had just been destroyed by the cocky attitude of her ex-friend. Silence was reigning until Ament cleared his throat: “Ok ok, considering everybody’s at least as wasted as Stone, we clearly can’t do anything now anyway” he paused and looked at Stone and Sara with a weird feeling gnawing at him that he couldn’t put a name on “You’re right, Ed, we’ll think about it tomorrow” “... Confetti hole” Lukin said out of the blue, while Chris turned the music back up and everyone went back to their own business. “Yeah, 1991 started with a bang” Steve snorted. “It looks like the sun” his friend said seriously. “Midnight sun” “Confetti sun, like it looks like the sun but it’s fake” “Uh-uh” “Confetti hole sun. Wouldn’t it be a great song title?” Lukin’s face suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree. “Yeah yeah, sure. Come on, let’s go have a drink” Steve shook his head and led his bandmate to the kitchen as the party slowly started again.

[aboysbestfriendishismum]

CHAPTER 60 - JUKEBOXES, CORN AND BRACES

In the previous chapter: Angie and Grace visit the set of Singles and meet Cameron Crowe. Grace would want to meet and talk to the actors but Angie's too shy and does everything to avoid them, especially Matt Dillon. The director offers her a small part in the movie and Angie is shocked. When she hears Tim Burton is supposed to make an appearance in the same scene as her, she sneaks away from the set. Eddie and Angie meet up the same night outside her apartment building to have a cigarette together and talk a little bit, a quick "date" in between their obligations. They flirt a little and Eddie not so subtly hints at the fact that he misses her a lot, also physically. Angie wonders how will they do once Eddie eill be out touring with the band after the record release and will be away for weeks and months. Vedder reveals his solution to the problem. In the meantime, Jerry wants to spend a nice uneventful night at home but his plans are shattered by Layne and Demri, who set him up in a blind date with one of the girl's coworkers.

Seattle is not Los Angeles and First Avenue is certainly not the Sunset Strip, but walking this street that almost entirely crosses the city from north to south is the best choice if you want to enter the heart of the Emerald City. And if you want to meet a musician or an artist of any kind, the area between First Avenue and Pike Street, before the market, or the border area between Belltown and Downtown, are the ones to keep an eye on. Not because of the live music venues, which certainly are not lacking, but because here you can find the ideal combination of goods and services particularly sought after by the just mentioned category: sex shops, pawnshops, second-hand shops, record shops, drug dealers and, above all, places to eat and drink super cheap. Whether they're signed to a major label or not, the average musician here is perpetually broke anyway and couldn't survive without places where they could get a decent meal for a few dollars. Many wonder why and how this fervent music scene developed in Seattle, bringing into discussion college radios, fanzines, independent labels on the one hand, isolation, cold, rain and not having shit to do but staying at home and listening to or making music on the other. In my opinion, however, there would be no Seattle sound without the cafes, diners and bars that feed and quench the thirst of the broke artists who have lived here forever or moved there to be part of the scene. 

The Frontier Room is one of those holy places. It opens at six in the morning it could very well knock you out by half past seven. Drinks are cheap here and the bartenders are known for having a heavy hand. I'm at the bar with Layne, for a second round after the first round of introductions, small talk, and booze with Demri and Heather. I must say that girl is not bad, she is not even what I expected. I don't know why, but from the name, I pictured her as a sort of sex bomb all boobs and perm... not that I have anything against boobs or perms, God forbid! And I don't even mean that she's ugly, on the contrary. She is a beautiful girl, tall and thin with legs fir miles, blue eyes and dark hair, she could easily be a model and she would kill it, even walking the catwalk with the white sweater and the jeans she's wearing now. She also seems likeable and down to earth. In short, she would be my type. If I gave a damn. Layne walks off with gin and tonic for him and Dem, while I watch the bartender mix the two whiskey and coke for Heather and I at the same time. He basically fills whiskey glasses half full, then grabs the coke, and as he turns to talk to another guy, he doesn't notice that most of the drink he pours misses the target and ends up soaking the rag over the counter. When he finishes the exchange, he notices that the glasses are still just short of half empty so he tosses in some more whiskey. This is the secret of the Seattle sound: the places that give you more whiskey than coke, I hope live forever. 

I grab my glasses and make my way over to my friends' table when I spot a smooching going on right between Layne and Demri. Nothing exaggerated, but enough to make me take a small U-turn in search of a diversion, which materializes right in front of me in the form of a jukebox. I set the glasses down on the machine and flip through the titles to waste some time, sorry Heather! I skip a lot of country music, not because I don't like it, but because I'm not in the right mood. Garth Brooks, Bob Seeger, there's a bit of classic rock, but I keep scrolling, partly because I want to be sure to find separated lips when I come back, partly because nothing particularly strikes me. Eagles? Ugh... Scorpions. WAIT. I stop there, for a double reason. Number one: I love this band. Number two: Angie hates this band. I don't think I've ever heard her say a bad word towards anyone other than the Scorpions, Bon Jovi and…um, well, yours truly. There is Love at first sight, easy, there's Animal Magnetism, which is my favorite album, there's also Crazy world, the latest, a good work, but certainly the most commercial. And I totally fall for that right now.

 

Wise man said just walk this way

To the dawn of the light...

 

Kenny Rogers finishes just as I get to the table with the drinks, Send me an angel begins and my three evening companions moan almost simultaneously. And they're not the only ones because I can almost hear a single moan run through all the people in the bar one after another as they listen to the ballad and reflect on the meaning of their lives. A little too depressing maybe, huh? The evening seems suddenly quieter and colder and perhaps not even the supercharged whiskey and coke is strong enough for this song. I think I've officially ruined everyone's night, at least until Heather gets up, at which point I think I've mostly ruined hers. And Dem and Layne's too. After all, they only want me to socialize like a normal person and I don't think they're asking too much but why has everything gotten so hard all of a sudden? Anyway, the girl doesn't pull up her jacket and bag to just up and leave with an excuse as I thought. She just takes a couple of coins from her pocket, winks at me and with a few strides reaches the jukebox. With the same grin on her face she scrolls through the titles, inserts her quarters, presses the buttons and returns to the table, while my song fades, leaving the bar in almost total and surreal silence. Heather doesn't sit down, but she looks at us, looks around and addresses the whole place judt as Rudolph Schenker starts playing some grittier chords.

“His fingers just slipped and hit the wrong button, that's all!” Heather raises her arms and then points her gaze at me, takes the glass and takes a nice sip of basically plain pure whiskey and starts singing, here, in the middle of the bar, as if nothing had happened. This surprises me, but what surprises me most is that I sing along.

 

I look in your eyes, I really think you're fooling me

You're pretty and nice, it doesn't matter don't you see

 

We sing Falling in love by the Scorpions in a duet, but only until the first chorus, because from there on it becomes a choir, first of our table, then of the whole bar. My memory could easily fail me, but I think it's the first time I've helped start a bar sing-a-long. It's easy to have the crowd sing at your concerts, but it's much more difficult to wake up a group of drunks in an anonymous place on a cold and humid evening in March. Sometimes a wrong night just needs the right fingers.

 

“I love that album,” I comment with Heather nodding, long after the chorus ends.

"It's the breakthrough disc." she says, just before Dem and Layne leave with the excuse of cigarettes "My favorite song is The Zoo , but that was more catchy"

“Hehe yeah, better for bar karaoke. Anyway The Zoo is a masterpiece, you're the first girl I've met who knows the Scorpions so well” leaving out Angie who, just because she knew them well, vomited just hearing their mention, I really don't remember any fan in particular. Well, aside from her , but she wasn't that badass.

“Oh man, Jerry, I'm sorry” Heather immediately becomes serious and places her hand on mine, which rests next to the ashtray after having just put out a cigarette.

"Eheheh well, no big deal. I mean good musical tastes are welcome, but they are not everything. I am pleased when I find someone who shares my interests, but it is not fundamental". I mean, music is my life, but I stopped selecting friends based on musical tastes in 1980, more or less.

“No, I meant, I'm sorry…but I'm not going to sleep with you.” She shakes her head and looks at me contritely, as if offering me condolences.

"What?"

"I'm not sleeping with you, don't get any strange ideas"

"Oh. Okay. But what does it have to do with it?”

“I wanted to be honest with you before you started hitting on me But I couldn't say anything before, in front of Demri, she cared so much about this date”

“Who says I wanted to hit on you?”

“You're already doing it… You're the first girl I've met who loves Scorpions, uh! After this sort of imitation she pushes my hand away from hers giggling and finishes her drink.

“So, I understand that it may sound like a pickup line and I admit that I have used something like this in the past, but I swear that in this case the intention was absolutely not that”

"Come on! Look, you don't have to pretend with me, it's normal to expect something from a blind date, I don't blame you" Heather reaches out for my pack of cigarettes without asking, takes one and lights it with my lighter.

“Of course it's normal, but normality doesn't really belong to me lately. I can assure you it was a simple remark, I was not hitting on you. To tell you the truth, since it's the moment of truth, I didn't even want to come tonight."

"Oh really?"

“I was this close to standing you up”

“This reminds me of the fox saying that the grapes were sour…” Heather winks and blows smoke in my face.

“Hahaha I know what it looks like, but it's not like that. I would certainly make a better impression if I went along with your story, but no. I'm much more pathetic than that” I don't know why, maybe it's because deep down I don't know her, she's a stranger, and it's easier to be honest with strangers; it may also be because of the vibes I get from her but to me telling the truth seems the easiest thing in the world right now, sitting at this table with Heather.

"Pathetic? What do you mean?"

"That until a few months ago I would not only have hit on you, but I would have also succeeded and by now we'd already be driving towards my house"

“Hahaha even if I told you that I had no intention of putting out?”

"Of course and I would have done it in such a subtle way as to make you believe it was you who changed your mind, indeed, I would have convinced you that I wasn't even thinking about it either and that everything was happening totally by chance"

“That is exactly…what are you doing now? Or am I wrong?" she smiles at me curious and even though she thinks she has caught me, she doesn't seem irritated. Is it because she believes me? Is it because she plays along? I don't know.

"No no, now I'm just baring my soul to you, I'm not using tactics, I swear"

“So what has happened lately that has changed you so drastically?” here is the fateful question. I take a deep breath and spit it out.

“I fell in love with a girl, broke her heart, got dumped and haven't been close to another female since then, which would be three months ago, more or less”

"Oh. Well, you made a great recap”

“I went straight to the point, at least with words I'm still able to do it” what is it, have I started walking the path of self-irony? Well it sort of works, I laugh and she giggles with me.

“You know, your story is very similar to mine. Well, I mean, more or less. I fell in love too, I've been dumped for a while and I still haven't recovered”

"I'm sorry"

“But I'm the one whose heart was broken. Well, he dumped me for someone else”

“I understand what you're going through, I really do. It's not a pickup strategy!” I repeat trying to make her laugh again.

“I killed the mood, didn't I? Like you did before with that fucking song!"

“Nah, I totally beat you, sorry! And I win the award for saddest story too, because I'm in such a bad place that my friends introduce me to girls hoping to cheer me up and instead I end up driving them away by talking about my ex"

“Haha and what about me? What do you think I'm here for tonight? Demri is sick of seeing me cry on cigarette breaks day in and day out. And she's not the only one. All my friends push me to get to know new guys, but they don't understand that it's much worse this way!”

"Exactly! I don't know if it's the same for you, but... it's hard to explain. When you have to forget someone, the best solution would be to avoid everything that makes you think of that someone, right? Well, how can't they see that a date is the first thing that makes me think of my ex because..."

“Because that's the thing you used to do with her! Same thing for me, I agree. You date a guy and you come up with the same situations and…”

“And make comparisons!”

"Of course, how the fuck can you not make them!"

“Do you know why I chose the Scorpions on the jukebox?”

“Cause you have memories of her with that song?”

“Because she can't stand that band, she hates them!”

“Hahaha”

“I've been scrolling through all the titles on that fucking jukebox for a while and there wasn't a name that made me feel something. And music is my life, mind you. Then my eyes landed on that name and... byeeee"

"And then, I even told you that I like them"

"Right! Tell me, how could this arranged date make me forget Angie, it can't, it's the opposite"

"Five minutes after you arrived, I had already made a mental comparison between the shades of blond of your hair and those of Rob, as well as your heights and way of laughing"

"We're both so fucked up, we need to make a toast!" I exclaim, as I pour some of the content of my glass into hers, then go back to being serious for a moment "You're not squeamish, are you?"

"Hahaha no, nit at all! Here's to the broken and pathetic hearts!"

"Cheers" our glasses touch each other and we drink them all down in one.

“You're nice, if you weren't brokenhearted I would have hooked up with you. You're cute too"

"Really?"

“Yeah, tall, long hair, musician… you're pretty much my type”

“Wow, thanks, I'm flattered”

“And at least you understand me. Whereas I'm going to have to go on who knows how many more blind dates."

“Well, maybe sooner or later you will find someone you'll be so attracted to that you will even forget your ex's name”

"Eheh after what we said to each other, you are not credible anymore, I'm sorry"

“Well, just tell your friends that you don't want to date anyone right now”

“Do you think I didn't? Like it's a prerogative to have someone, I mean, what's wrong with being single?”

“Single and happy!”

“Besides, sex is overrated”

"Well..."

“Yeah, it's cool, I'm not saying it isn't, but it's not like I miss it that much. It's not the thing I miss the most about Rob, so that's proof that it's not fundamental."

“In fact, it's not like I'm struggling either. And I wasn't one to spare himself, on the contrary..."

“I bet your not sparing yourself has to do with how you broke your ex's heart, right? I'm not judging you, huh! We all make mistakes, we are human"

“What can I say, you hit the mark. But now the girls who go around in the backstage of our concerts... I don't even look at them, I don't see them, I don't want to "

“LOOK, I HAD AN IDEA!” Heather slaps her palm hard on the table, causing even the guys sitting at the table next to her to turn towards us.

"What an idea?"

“We are in the same situation and we have the same problem. Why can't we be each other's problem solvers?"

"Uh?"

“It's just occurred to me right now, maybe it's bullshit, but I think it would work”

"Do you want to explain yourself better?"

“So, Demri and Layne will be back at the table soon, they'll see there's no chemistry between us, they'll see us leaving without even exchanging numbers, and what will they do next time?”

“They'll torment us asking why it didn't work?”

“No, that what they will do tonight, immediately. But what will they do next time?”

“What will they do?”

“They'll introduce us to someone else! And on and on and it will never end!”

“I'm about to go on tour with the boys, they'll ask me to do the fourth every time they pick up someone with a friend"

“And Dem? She knows literally everyone in Seattle, do you have any idea how many tall, long-haired musicians will be sitting where you are right now?”

“And what would your solution be?”

“Put on some chemistry”

"That is?"

“Let's not tell them it didn't work” Heather shrugs as if she's telling me the most obvious thing in the world.

"Do you want them to believe we've clicked?"

"We'll make them believe we like each other, we can exchange some effusions..."

“Exchange what?”

“Just for show! We can also exchange numbers. You're going on tour soon, aren't you? At most you call me once or twice, just to make the game more believable for my roommate too. Your friends will see that you're into me and you're doing ok and they won't dare pushing other girls to you at the risk of screwing you up again"

"And your girlfriends will quit arranging blind dates"

“It's a win win for both"

“Mmm”

“I know the fake boyfriend archetype is overused and may sound like a John Hughes rom-com cliché, but I assure you I have no ulterior motives. And it would be for a good cause: our sanity” Heather looks at me hopefully. All in all she's not talking bullshit and, fake or not, her eyes are hard to say no to.

“It's so absurd that it could work”

"WHAT?" I'm so focused on Heather's evil plan that I don't notice our friends returning, or Demri coming over to scream in my ear.

“What, what?” I ask playing dumb.

“What could work?” she repeats, as she sits down with her boyfriend.

"Us! We found out that we are very different, but also have so much in common, right Jerry?” Heather winks at me and moves the chair a little closer.

"True! You were right to drag me here, man, you know?” I reach around my new accomplice's shoulders as Layne looks at me in amazement.

"Seriously? Well…” but not without suspicion.

 

I'm not getting into another mess, am I?

 

************************************************** *****************************************

 

"Your first kiss? When did it happen? With whom? Tell me..."

Grace and I are in the midst of our almost daily post-coital Random Questions session to get to know each other better, hosted as always on the couch in her apartment. Grace's couch is the official home for pretty much everything we do, whether it's sex, post-sex, no sex, listening to records, eating, watching tv, looking at aquariums, or hanging out. Oh and I also sleep on it, because Grace's bed is still offlimits. Because the speech I made to her the other night was perfect and I know my words hit the mark, but in the meantime, making love without her boots, let alone sleeping together, it's still not an option. And so here we are, me in my underwear, she wearing my T-shirt and her ever-present boots, both on the sofa which has now taken on the shape of our bodies, especially mine, eating toasted cashew nuts and asking questions to get to know each other, when in reality we'd just need to undress completely and go to her room to really get closer. Anyway, intimacy is made up of many things and it takes a lot of time to build it. I have patience, it's just that I have the bad habit of always turning around and keeping an eye on the easiest route, while I trudge along the most impervious path, unanimously considered the most effective.

“It happened on sixth grade, with a redhead I didn't like,” I recall as the scepter of power, aka the bowl of cashews, passes from Grace's hands to mine.

"I don't know why, but I expected such an answer. Was she crazy too?"

"Mmm no, Jane was normal, as normal as an eleven-year-old can be. She was nice, okay, but not someone I intended to kiss"

"And how did it go?"

"We were walking home from school, we lived on the same street. We got off the school bus and walked together, her house was before mine, when we got there and I was saying goodbye, she took her chance"

"Girls who take the initiative are a recurring element in your life, have you noticed that?" Grace reaches into the bowl and takes a hefty handful.

"Yes. But not with you, I kissed you" let's give Caesar what belongs to Caesar.

"Okay, and all the work to get to the kiss? What about that? I did it all man!" okay, always dotting the i's.

"Details"

"Anyway, Jane tried to kiss you and you?"

"I panicked, of course"

"Obviously"

"And as her lips were getting dangerously close..."

"You ran away?"

"No, I told her the first thing that came to my mind"

"That is?"

"That I'd just threw up"

"Ahahahaha what???" the sofa shakes a little under us as she laughs. 

"I told you, it was the first thing that came to my mind! And as I tried to explain to her that it must have been the meatloaf from the cafeteria and that I had thrown it up in the school toilet before going out, she threw me off"

"Did she vomit too?"

"No he said It's okay , he shrugged and kissed me anyway! Can you believe that?"

"Wow she must have liked you so much"

"So she wasn't quite as normal as she seemed" 

"You gotta have a crush to be willing to kiss a pucked mouth"

"No, you must be sick! However it was a wet and cold kiss. And there were no more kisses between me and her. To be safe anyway, from then on I went to school by bike"

"It didn't traumatize you at all, nooo"

"And what about you?"

"Ah my story is less funny. I was twelve, he was one year older, I had braces on my teeth, he had too. We didn't get stuck or anything like that, but there were some technical difficulties, mini metallic clashes, it was a bit embarrassing, but cute" the little smile that appeared on her face as she recalled the memory almost makes me jealous.

"And your cute kiss was the first of a long series?"

"No, the next day he got together with my friend" and the dreamy smile disappeared, replaced by a half-resigned grin.

"Ouch. Did she have braces as well? It must have been an issue of accessibility, don't take it personally"

"Actually no, she didnt!"

"Come on, next question, but this time it's my turn" I take matters into my own hands and pretend to improvise a question that I've been preparing for a while instead.

"Ok"

"How many guys did you date after the surgery?"

"Oh. Wow, good question" 

"I only ask good questions"

"First of all, define date"

"At least one date, in the evening, alone" I list the primary conditions on three fingers.

"Okay, well, that's an accurate definition"

"Did you expect something different from me?" I set the bowl of cashews down on the coffee table and cross my arms, turning to face her, preparing myself for her response and the big talk that will follow.

"Hehe absolutely not"

"So?"

"Well I don't know, ten-ish"

"What about a more precise answer, adequate to the question?" I know, it's not essential to have the exact data, but while we're at it, I want to know.

"Wait..." Grace, after one last bite, rubs the salt of the cashews off her hands and then I see her start counting mentally and with her fingers.

"Twelve"

"Including me?

"Thirteen" she corrects herself with a satisfied smile. 

"And how many of them did you share your secret with?"

"All of them, except two. So eleven"

"And how many of these did you go on a second date with?"

"Mmmm six"

"And how many have you had sex with?"

"Oh God, where are you going with this?" Grace starts to get suspicious, but I won't give up.

"How many?"

"Four"

"And of these four, how many have also slept with you?" 

"Do we really have to talk about it?" she's not angry, just a little sulky.

"Yup" 

"One"

"Ok. And was this guy so much better than me?"

"Stone..."

“Was he a saint, an empath, a Nobel Peace Prize…?”

"I would say no"

"A psychologist, a therapist, a doctor?"

"No, and he wasn't even a champion of sensitivity, if I have to be honest"

"Great! Just like me. So how about we give my back a break tonight and have a good night's sleep in your room?"

"You have to understand that it's not easy"

"No way! Really? Of course know it's difficult, Grace, and even if I hadn't figured it out myself, let's say that an average of one in thirteen would have been overwhelming proof, don't you think?" 

"It took me a long time to accept myself, it was hard to be able to look at myself, let alone let another person see me and touch me"

"Grace, I know, ok? I know. But I'll ask you a question" I take her hand, perhaps more to block her than to console her. 

"Another one??"

"We have to get to know each other, don't we?" I take the other one too and she squeezes both of them.

"Yes, but at this rate we'll tell each other everything tonight and what will we be talking about from tomorrow on?"

"Haha, do you think I won’t find any more topics to talk about? Me? You underestimate me"

"Okay, what do you want to know?" she sighs resigned.

"You don't show yourself because you're uncomfortable or because you don't want to make me uncomfortable?" 

"Stone, it is...both"

"But in percentage?"

"How can I quantify? I don't know, fifty-fifty"

"Bullshit"

"Ahahahah how can you say that?" 

"What happens if you take off these boots in front of me now? Nothing changes. Nothing for you, you are always the same, the only variable is me and how I could react. This is what changes and this is what worries you"

"And you think your reaction has nothing to do with me? That it doesn't have any effect? ​​I'm obviously worried about it"

"Sure, but you gotta understand that it's not an avoidable thing. I mean, sooner or later it will have to happen, I can't sleep on this couch forever and you can't wear boots inside the house forever" 

"Sometimes I even wear normal shoes. With baggy pants," she points out knowing full well that's not the point, but behaving as if it were. 

"Yes and when you have that outfit it means you don't wanna have sex" I can lighten up a conversation too, you know?

"Ahahahah"

"I've learned to recognize the signs, you know"

"However, I know that sooner or later it will happen. I just want to take my time" 

"The question is... if I see all of you in a month's time, will your foot be less absent than it is now? I mean, is the non-existence of your foot inversely proportional to the time that goes by?" is it a good idea to make sarcastic jokes right now? Yes, because if I didn't, then it wouldn't be me, I would seem fake, and I want everything to be as true and honest as possible. 

"No, but you'll have more time to get used to the idea"

"And why should that be your problem?"

"Huh?" Grace glares at me, as if I've insulted her, so maybe I need to explain better.

"Cause we're back to to my first question: are you more uncomfortable for yourself or is it more like not wanting to make me uncomfortable? Because if it's the second one, well you don't have to, because it's not your job. It's not your job to think how to make your boyfriend feel comfortable when he's with you, that's none of your business, it's the part of the relationship work that I have to do, it's my responsibility, not yours. Will it be a piece of cake? No. Will I be completely indifferent to the thing? Fuck no, but I'm the one who has to deal with my fears and reactions, not you" 

"You must be really uncomfortable on this sofa to try and sound so convincing, huh?" she delivers this pretty good, because she keeps a very serious expression, except for a slightly arched eyebrow. 

"I don't give a fuck about the couch"

"I know, I was being sarcastic"

"Well you can't be when I'm not"

"The light must stay off" the light will be off, but I finally see a glimmer of light.

"Okay, I'll grope, feeling the stuffed animals in the dark towards the bed"

"And the hands must stay away from the legs"

"Jeez, I'll keep them away from everything if you want, I'll stay on my side and won't move, if you want you can come closer. We'll, if you really have to"

"I have to remove the prosthesis when I sleep"

"I'm so ignorant I didn't know, see how much I'm already learning with you? Anyway it's ok" 

"But I have the sock"

"Ok"

"It's a specific sock, which you put on the stump... it covers everything, in short"

"I won't see it in the dark anyway"

“Ok”

"Ok, can we go, then?" I slowly get up from the couch, not letting go of her hands, which I've been holding the whole time.

"Let's go" she takes a moment, then she gets up too.

"Anyway, you don't need to turn off the light right away. You're wearing my shirt and you're completely naked underneath, who gives a shit about your feet? I mean, in general, people aren't constantly looking at each other's feet while interacting. I take it for granted that people have them, but it's not like they're there to be looked at. Have you ever seen my feet? Can you honestly tell me what they look like? I guess not, I think you don't give a shit after all. And the same thing  goes for me. And by the way, I'm too concentrated on what is there to think about what's missing" I go freewheeling, perhaps because the walk in silence towards the bedroom looks so much like a journey to the gallows and this has got nothing to do with that.

"Are you done?" Grace stops in front of the bedroom door and looks at me as if I were a poor jerk.

"Yup"

"I've already said yes, you don't have to convince me anymore"

"You said yes to this now. There are still a lot of things I have to convince you to do, I must keep myself in training"

**************************************************

21:58 

In theory there are two minutes left for my shift, in practice, as usual, it will still take some time before I set foot back home. First I have to dispose of the people in the till, then I have to do the accounts and write down the partial collection, I gotta check that there are enough coins and cash, bags, paper rolls of the card machine and the cash register, leave notes in the notebook for Ian about the things I've done and what still needs to be done. In short, I won't be free before half past ten, but tonight I don't mind. I have to wait for Eddie anyway. Finally we'll see each other and we manage to spend one evening together. At least I hope, cause he warned me that he might be late, but that he will do everything to be here as soon as possible after today's recording session. He cares a lot and, well, so do I. Every time we talk on the phone or see each other in passing it's like he's trying to apologize for his working schedule and I'm always there to reassure him. It's his job, and you don't have to be together 24/7 to be in a relationship. However I am pleased to be able to spend a quiet evening without counting the minutes. And maybe it's because of my unusual good mood that I decide to break the rule of the good old pissed off saleswoman and start a conversation with the customer in front of me that goes a little beyond the simple greeting. 

"Good evening, how are you?" I smile as I type the receipt.

"Have you ever sat on the toilet reading the newspaper long enough to forget you shitted only to realize minutes later that you hadn't wiped your ass?"

"...it's twenty-four dollars fifty-five"

It's my fault, only my fault. 

The intellectual man pays and leaves and it's the turn of another guy in his forties. Of all the items he's placed on the counter for me, I reach for the six-pack of beer first and I am about to scan it, but the man cuts me off. 

"Sorry, I'm actually trying to drink a little less. Could you put them away, please?"

"Sure no problem!" I put the beers to the side and continue with the rest of the shopping, when a woman, who has appeared out of nowhere, approaches him and stares at me with a glare.

"What did you tell him?!" he yells at me.

"Excuse me?"

"Stop talking to my man! You can't have him, he's mine!" then she turns to him "What the fuck did she tell you? Did she ask your number or what?!"

"Mmm no, I just asked her to put the beers aside" he replies in a calm, monotonous voice, in stark contrast to her anxious one. 

I look at her dumbfounded, she stares at him first, then me and I take the beer to show to her and confirm the man's version; then her gaze returns to him.

"Ah! So now you're buying other women drinks, huh?! Forget about coming home tonight!" and that said, she just up and leaves. 

The customer stands there, impassive, rolls his eyes, and then motions me to continue. I tap the last few pieces and at that point I see him stretch his hands over the beers to bring them closer to the till again.

"Okay, l think I'll take the beer after all. If I have to sleep in the dog's kennel tonight, at least I won't be sober!" he hints at a smile, rather bitter, with the face of someone who has already seen multiple scenes like this. I finish his bill, he pays and leaves and I greet him, not envying him at all. 

"Oh, such weird people..." a lady in a long yellow coat, the last in line, at least for now, shakes her head as she approaches the counter.

"Yes, strange types show up sometimes at this time if the day" 

"Very Strange"

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, I have to make a return"

"Sure, what is it about?"

"I'm returning this" the lady hands me a copy of today's Seattle Times. 

Never two without three.

"Excuse me, why do you want to return it?"

"Because I've read it all, I need tomorrow's issue"

Take a breath, Angie, a good deep breath. 

"Tomorrow's paper isn't out yet, ma'am, but I couldn't change it for you anyway"

"Well give me a voucher, so tomorrow I can get the new newspaper"

"It's not possible, ma'am, I can't accept this return"

"Why not? It's from today, it's expiring, you have to give me tomorrow's newspaper" 

The thing that drives me crazy the most is actually having a dialogue with people like this: not the assholes, who insult you or pick on you by yelling after you, they are nothing compared to people who are perfectly calm, even kind, and lucid in their their madness, they really think they're right and they just don't understand why you're there making trouble for them. 

"I can't because my superior takes care of this kind of returns, just wait a minute, I'll go call him immediately" I wouldn't want to bother Hannigan, but I can't make it tonight. And then I caught a glimpse of the headlights and the silhouette of Eddie's pickup through the glass, so goodbye. 

I get the boss to intervene and he must be really in a state of grace because he tells me to go and that he'll take care of the rest. It's mid-March, but I'm sure tomorrow it's gonna snow! I go and get changed in a flash and when I come back in front of the till I hear the lady repeating the same objections and, at the same time, the doorbell ringing.

"EDDIE! God I'm glad to see you!" I greet him, and almost knock him down, with a hug.

"Hey! Oh, well, heheh, me too Angie"

"Please save me, take me away from this madhouse" I add softly begging for mercy. 

"Ah! So that's why…"

"There's a particularly high concentration of crazy customers tonight"

"And I thought you missed me, at least a little bit" Eddie frees himself from my clutches and jokingly pushes me away pretending to be offended. 

"Of course I missed you." I come closer and kiss him. Yes, here, in front of everyone, including Hannigan, Ian and the crazy customer. Eddie should be proud of me, I'm not ashamed of anything anymore. Well almost "The fact that your arrival coincides with the end of my nightmarish shift is a plus" 

"I pretend to believe you. I forgive you. But only because it's you. And because it's a special day" he kisses me to seal the peace and I think about how special this evening will be. I guess Eddie has very high expectations, but I just hope I don't fall asleep before the end of the film since I'm also a bit tired.

"So, what do you want to do? Where are we going?" she asks me once outside.

"Oh well, I was planning on staying home, I rented a movie" 

"Okay, kitty" I appreciate the fact that he kept the dumb nickname for when we would be alone, away from prying ears.

"And then I was thinking of ordering a pizza, since I haven't eaten"

"Oh perfect, me neither! In fact I'm starving" with an arm around my neck, he accompanies me towards the door of my house. 

"But maybe you wanted to go somewhere"

"Nah, your place is great"

"Perhaps you were thinking of something in particular. We can also change plans, you know"

"The program is fantastic and, to tell you the truth, it's exactly what I was hoping for, I'm a little tired. Of course, if you had planned something else then I would have adapted, but really, pizza, movie and sofa with you seem like a dream to me right now"

"Are you sure?" he's kept talking about this special evening for days but now he wants me to believe that he was waiting for nothing but to be sprawled out on the sofa to stock up on pizza and horror?

"Absolutely. Then it's with you, so it's perfect regardless"

"Is it?" I ask him as we climb the stairs.

"Of course. Well... actually, no." he changes pace, in every sense, because he accelerates and passes me on the steps, then he turns around and I see that he's pouting. Real or fake? "No, because I'm actually mad at you" 

"Hehe what? Why?"

"Ask Matt" he starts running up the stairs, but not too fast, because he knows very well that I would catch up with him the day after tomorrow and out of breath.

"Matt? What does Matt have to do with it?" I ask both him and myself, not understanding the connection between the drummer and some crap of my own that I may have said or done. 

"Well Matt told me something this morning during our guitar lesson"

"Ah. You mean that Matt" I understand he's talking about Dillon and not Cameron.

"Yeah, that Matt. Let me tell you, I'm very, very disappointed" we get to my floor, we cross the corridor, he always pouting ahead and I behind, laughing a little and thinking about how I'll get out of it this time. 

"I don't understand what you mean, what did he tell you?" I play dumb as I open the door, under Eddie's stern, judgmental gaze. 

"He told me that a few days ago he met some of my friends on set, which would then be you and Grace"

"Ok"

"So I explained to him that you're my girlfriend and guess what he said?" did he really feel the need to tell a Hollywood actor that I'm his girlfriend? 

"Um what if I order the pizza first and then I guess?" rhetorical question as I take off my jacket and grab the cordless phone.

"He said we would all surely meet each other more often on set, since Cam OFFERED YOU A FUCKING PART IN THE FILM" Eddie reveals everything and raises his voice just when I've finished dialing the number and put the phone to my ear.

"Is it okay with double cheese?" 

"Yup." she concedes and then takes me by the hand to the sofa while I finish ordering "But you're a liar"

"It's not true, I told you so! I also told you about how I escaped and about the shitty figure" I try to justify myself to him, who looks at me like a principal listening to the apologies of the student in trouble, undecided whether to suspend them or not, obviously sitting on the opposite side of the sofa a thousand miles from me.

"You told me you ran away because there were too many famous people and you were getting anxious and not because Crowe had just asked you to star in the movie"

"It's not a lie, technically it's more of an omission"

"And why would you have omitted to tell me this?"

"Because if you had known, you would have tried to convince me to accept"

"Why? Don't you want to accept?" he suddenly asks me in amazement and moves on the sofa in my direction.

"There we go"

"But why?" Eddie moves a little closer. Why? As if he didn't know me.

"Because… it's not my thing"

"But cinema… is your thing, isn't it supposed to be like your job?" he gets even closer until our knees touch.

"I want to write for cinema, not act"

Eddie unties my legs, which were crossed until a second ago, and gently adjusts them on his, he pulls me towards him and now we're as close as we can get. 

"I too want to write and sing songs, not be a roadie. But I set up the stages anyway. It's all part of the system, you have to start somewhere"

"You only did it so you could see concerts for free"

"Well, just think that you can watch a movie for free, from inside the movie." he reiterates hugging me "You can see how a film is made, see the actors"

"I don't care about actors and movies look much better from the outside, trust me"

"Angie, can I ask you one thing?"

"Yes" I say and I already expect the correct and perfectly logical, as well as almost certainly funny, speech with which he will bare the stupidity of my insecurities and demonstrate that accepting that part is the only sensible thing to do and will convince me to say yes and that's exactly why I didn't want to tell him a damn thing in the first place. 

"Actually two"

"Ok"

"Where's Meg?"

"She went to be a stewardess at a cardiology convention or something, and she said she'd go dancing with the other girls afterward, so she'll be back late."

"And when does the pizza arrive?" it confuses me and I try to understand how far he's taking it and where he's going with his motivational speech starting from my roommate and passing through pizza.

"In half an hour. Why?"

"Because… I know we're discussing important things and I don't want to sound inappropriate at all, but we're alone and so much can be done in half an hour and you're so sexy when you insist on defending your indefensible opinions and wee haven't had sex in like fifteen years, so how about going to your room for a sec?"

"How can it be fifteen years if we've known each other for less than one?"

"Tsk you want to be a writer and you can't recognize hyperbole?"

"What?"

"Hyperbole"

"Say it again"

"Hyperbole"

"You're sexy when you say hyperbole, could you say that in a more indefensible tone?"

"Fuck you. Shall we go?" 

Since I'm good at being cool and resisting, about thirty seconds later we are in my bed. And we're still there exactly seven minutes later, gasping for breath in the dark. 

"A bit fast, huh?" 

"Fast, but effective"

"I told you it felt like fifteen years..."

"If these are the effects, I recommend continuing to see each other at this frequency"

"What a bitch!" I can make out his smiling profile in the dark, as he shifts closer under the covers "Anyway, going back to the previous topic…"

"Ah, do you want to go back to the previous discussion? I thought you'd dismissed it by now due to more urgent needs- OUCH!" I joke and he, close to me, takes his revenge with a pinch where the sun doesn't shine. 

"No, I haven't dismissed it. And be good, because I'm about to say something serious"

"Mmm ok, shoot" here comes the bullshit in disguise that will lead me to accept the proposal.

"I don't want to tell you what to do, because in the end it's you who have to decide. I can only give you my opinion. I think that deep down you want to throw yourself into this adventure but you're scared or ashamed or both. I don't know if you can do it, but Crowe is a professional, I think he can tell if a person can act or not and would never entrust you with a part above your skills. I have a line too, you know?"

"But I have more than one, that's the problem!"

"He definitely doesn't give a shit about our acting skills, he wants us to play ourselves, so you too, you'll just have to be yourself"

"Okay, I correct myself, that 's the problem"

"I don't…" My eyes have adjusted to the darkness and I see almost every detail of his face as she tries to piece together what he wants to say "but I don't see why you shouldn't try. Worst case scenario, if it really doesn't work, Cam could always cut your scene, you've got nothing to lose."

"Except my dignity"

"Mmm don't pretend to be a coward"

"Hahaha do you think I pretend? Sure, I'm actually super brave"

"You're very brave. Since I've known you, I've seen you do a lot of things that you might not even want to hear at first: play basketball with us, play the drums, go up the Space Needle, dance in a disco full of people without shyness, taking a plane to San Diego alone..." he kisses me after the last one in the list "I wasn't there yet, but I heard you even took the elevator in this building once" 

"There I risked seriously"

"Anyway, it seems to me that you are quite good at doing the things that scare you the most, this would be just the umpteenth demonstration of how cool you are, you wouldn't risk anything"

And I would like to tell him that I'm neither cool or brave and that if I've done each of those things it's because each and every time there was someone else to push me and that it takes very little insistence to make me do things, it's really easy to make me say yes. But for once I don't want to exaggerate, I don't want to make him snort as usual and turn out to be the ever problematic girl, I don't want to destroy his beliefs: I mean, if he's drawn this little portrait of Angie the Intrepid in his mind, who am I to refute it? At the same time, I have no idea what the fuck to say because I never understood how the hell you respond to compliments.  Like, who was supposed to teach me and when? Usually I respond with a sarcastic joke, but now I'm in bed with my boyfriend and something tells me that would not be the best reaction. So what do I do? Do I show discomfort? Do I scale back his flattery? Do I justify the reason for the success of all the experiences he listed? Do I distrust? Goat? Not say anything? Drop the subject? Thank him and stop? The sound of the intercom comes to my rescue.

"Oh. Either Meg broke all hearts at the cardiologist convention or our pizza's early." Eddie pulls away from me and sits up on the bed.

"We gotta get up to find out" 

"I'll go, don't worry" Eddie with sudden newfound energy springs out of bed and leaves the room.

"EDDIE?!" I yell at him as he runs away, but he doesn't listen. He reappears at my bedroom door a minute later.

"It's the pizza" he acts as if nothing had happened.

"BUT DID YOU GO LIKE THIS?" I insist, holed up under the duvet, while he turns on the light and explores the floor of the room. Luckily I'm already lying down, otherwise I could have collapsed.

"Like what?" he asks absently, then finds his boxers at the foot of the bed and, picking them up, finally looks at me. And I look at him. And then he understands "I only answered the intercom, he can't see me" he smiles slyly putting on his underwear.

"Thank god…"

"Don't pretend to be jealous, you're not credible" he quickly puts on his cargo pants and red checked shirt, buttoning it at random. 

"The money for the pizza is in the cabinet outside in the corridor, in the drawer"

"Okay." starts to leave the room again, but then turns around "What are you doing? Aren't you coming?"

"I'm coming now"

"Ok"

"Ok" I answer, still under the duvet, while he doesn't get out of there. 

"Or maybe you want to have dinner in bed?" the little shit winks at me.

"No no, no crumbs in my bed"

"All right"

"Okay" and he stays there.

"Come on or pizza will get cold" 

"I told you I'm coming now, just go and I'll join you!" he almost laughs at me, but the pizza guy saves me a second time as he rings the doorbell. Eddie gives up and goes to open the door but I don't hear the sound of the drawer opening. What the fuck. I get out of bed in a sprint and close the door before putting on my pajamas in record time. When I leave the room we almost have a head-on collision: the jerk thought he would be catching me red-handed! 

"Ready?" he asks pretending to pass by by chance.

"You payed?" 

"Yup"

"But the money is here" I open the drawer and show him.

"I took the money from my wallet"

"And why?"

"To make it faster. Are you coming now or do we have to stay here and discuss until the pizza becomes inedible?"

"Come on, let's go!" I would like to take his hand, but I end up pulling him by the unbuttoned sleeve of his shirt, and take him to the sofa. Eddie immediately grabs a slice of pizza and I manage to throw paper napkins at him, threatening him "If you dirty my sofa I'll kill you"

"What movie are we watching, kitty?"

"We're watching Children of the corn !" I reply enthusiastically by pressing PLAY on the remote control and pounce on the pizza too.

"From the title, I imagine it's a romantic comedy with a guaranteed happy ending" 

"Obviously" 

"And are you sure I can eat while I watch it?"

"Ahah yes, don't worry, it's not that strong" I open two beers and give him one.

"You said the same thing about Hellraiser "

"Okay, you're the one who's too sensitive! Amyway this is a lot softer, there's no comparison, I'd say it's almost comedy"

"Ok, I trust you, kitty" we toast with our cans and start the vision.

***

"Well comedy… I wouldn't say that…" the movie is over, as well as pizza and beer.

"Come on, shall we talk about the acting? And then, those fucking special effects! It seems like they ran out of money at some point"

"They must have spent it all on corn"

"Haha exactly! Hey, by the way, did you know that in a certain sense I was a child of the corn as well?"

"Were you a member of a satanic cult of baby-killers?" Eddie, who was completely slouched on his side of the sofa, now sits up a little curious.

"Eheheh no, also because at this age they would have already sacrificed me"

"So?"

"Well, you know the summer jobs you used to work when you were a kid? Ok, you're from San Diego, so well, your concept of a summer job will include things like lifeguard, waiter, ice cream guy, stuff like that, right?"

"More or less. Whereas in Idaho?"

"In Idaho we went out castrating corn!"

"Hahaha what?" at this point I have Eddie's full attention, and he sits up straight and approaches me.

"Corn detasseling, I went four years in a row, to Notus"

"What the fuck does detasseling mean? Does corn get castrated?"

Of course now I'm teaching my mini-agriculture lesson that Eddie was dying to hear. On special evenings, couples talk about projects, they slowly discover each other, they flirt. Instead, I talk about how corn has both male and female flowers, explaining that if you remove the male part of the plant it will not pollinate itself, but it can be fertilized by the variety chosen by the farmer, which will not be clipped, thus creating hybrids . 

"In simple terms, the work consisted of walking for hours and hours in the corn fields, pulling the tops off the plants with your bare hands. You started in the morning, when everything was damp, and you ended up in the afternoon, soaked in sweat from the heat. Also because you had to wear long pants and long sleeves if you didn't want to cut your skin completely"

"Sharp leaves?"

"Like fucking razors, Eddie, you don't understand"

"The ideal job for children"

"I'm sure you'll be more understanding with Malachi now"

"Hahaha yes! Now I understand why they rebelled, poor kids"

"I'm pretty sure He who walks behind the rows is actually a child who got lost while corn detasseling, bleeding to death, and now his soul continues to wander in the fields in search of his parents to take revenge"

"Blood red corn from children employed in child labour"

"Those in short-sleeved T-shirts! But I was making twelve dollars an hour..."

"Not bad! Anyway, you were practically working as corn contraceptives"

"We Were Corn's Planned Parenthood "

"So corn has sex too. And more than us, I guess”

"Hahahaha Eddie!" I get up acting shocked, and I go to throw away both the pizza box and the empty beer cans.

"I'd rather not be neutered though"

"You're an asshole! How long have you been circling around the concept to finally get there?"

"It's been a while. Just kidding, kitty"

"I know" I get back from the kitchen.

"It's just that… well, we just got together, we should be in the middle of our honeymoon phase , but I'm never there and I'm so sorry"

"Our phase what??"

"Yes, the first phase of a relationship. When you are constantly looking for each other... euphoria, lots of mutual attention, cuddles, continuous search for physical contact, passion, chemistry... you know?"

"Well, I'd say we still have these things, don't we? They're just more… diluted over time"

"Uh I'd rather concentrate them"

"But that's not necessarily a bad thing if you think about it: it means you'll get tired of me much later" 

"Why do you always have to say stuff like that?" it's not that he's really pissed off, but you can clearly see him frowning a bit.

"Heheh come on, it was a joke"

"I know, but I don't like it when you make these jokes. About me breaking up with you, getting tired or bored… it's like you did that to normalize the thing, to prepare yourself for when it should happen"

"It's not like that" but it's exactly like that, fuck, and I could not have summarized the concept better. If I can't help saying certain things it's not because I want to be reassured by him that they will never happen, but precisely because I know for sure that they will happen and at least that's how I get used to the idea. 

"I'm exaggerating, I know. I don't want to make a drama out of it, it's just that I don't really think about the end of our relationship, I don't wanna think about it, not even as a joke"

"Maybe it's because we've had different experiences, that's all"

"Yeah. Anyway, I didn't want to start an argument, who cares about other experiences, let's think about this one now, ok? And then, especially today" he takes me by the hand and the dimpled smile becomes overbearing again.

"Hehe why today?"

"Well, because it's a special day"

"Wow the fact that you missed me so much flatters me, but does it take so little to make a day special?"

"It always is when we're together, but… this time it's not special just because of that"

"No? For what then?"

"Well, you should know..."

Oh shit. 

"Mmm should I?"

"Angie, what day is it today?" he releases my hands and, arms folded, begins the interrogation.

"Thursday"

"Yes, but what day is it?"

"March 14th"

"And what day is it?"

"Your Birthday is in December"

"It's clearly qnot my birthday. And neither is yours"

"Name day? I didn't know you were Catholic"

"No and no" by the fact that he's smiling I know I'm not in trouble, but it's clear that I'm not making a great impression. 

"Were we supposed to do something and I completely forgot about it?"

"No, it's something we've done before, some time ago." he explains to me and when he sees the cosmic nothingness in my eyes he gives me another clue “One thing we did this day”

"But last year in March we didn't know each other, I wasn't even here"

"Don't go back too long"

"What do you mean?"

"A month ago, what day was it?" he rolls his eyes and gives me yet another little help.

"February 14th, Valentine's Day?"

"And where were you a month ago at this time?"

"Dunno, same as the last 18 years? Most likely in bed sleeping"

"No. Think about it, where were you?"

"Wait, yeah, I was on a bus to Seattle"

"Okay, what about a few hours before? Where were you? What were you doing? Angie, you're fucking making me sweat"

"Aaaaaaaaaah! I know! At the bus station! We kissed!"

"BINGO!" Eddie even starts a mini applause, I don't know if it's relief or to take the piss out of me or both.

"Yay! See? I did it"

"So you understand why it's special"

"It was great, yes. At one point I didn't understand shit anymore, but it was an unforgettable moment" he kissed me and I started hearing Depeche Mode in my head and then I couldn't even remember where I was, if he hadn't physically put me on that bus I'd probably still be there.

"Yes and that's when it all started. Well, it's a kind of anniversary, isn't it? It's not an anniversary, but…"

"It's a... Monthliversary! Ahahahahah like welve year olds say, who count months"

"Well, we've been together for a month, so…"

"A month…? What do you mean? Cause you… you count since the kiss?"

"Yes, for me it started from there. Why? Since when do you count?"

"I don't count"

"Huh?"

"I mean, I never asked myself the question. I didn't know I had to count, that's it"

"You didn't know you had to count" he repeats, looking at me almost in amazement.

"I didn't… I explained to you that I haven't really had any regular relationships, right?"

"Are you saying you never counted ?"

“Exactly, the guys I was with weren't interested in those things. And so I never was either. I never celebrated anniversaries, monthlyversaries  or dayversaries or anything really. My relationships were all so short that I never even had time to figure out if I wanted to celebrate"

"Well, it's not that it's essential to have a date. But… no, fuck it, it's not true, I want a date, I need it, so if it's okay with you, February 14th is our day, ok?" his inner debate can be seen very well even from the outside and makes me smile.

"What you call our day ironically coincides with the most hypocritical and commercial holiday in the world, did you notice that?" 

"Of course! And making it our day is the greatest revolutionary act we can do, don't you think?" 

"Well, it's a point of view- WAIT" I don't smile anymore because I just realized it's not a fucking laugh.

"Hehe what is it?"

"You've been talking about this special night for days. Because that's what you meant! Celebrating our… Oh my!  Our monthlyiversary?!"

"Yes, but it's not like we had to do who knows what celebration, what we did is fine"

"But it doesn't count if I didn't know shit! I forgot, do you understand? I feel like shit" I stare at the carpet in the living room and I would like to roll up in it and then be thrown into the landfill in shame.

"Hahaha but no, why?"

"You thought of something sweet and I'm the fucking cold loveless nonaffective girlfriend" I take a pillow from the sofa and sink my face into it.

"Nonaffective? You?? How?!"

"I'm a bitch. Luckily you didn't buy me a gift, otherwise I'd be a total bitch"

"Uhm…"

"Eddie?" his hesitation leads me to remove the pillow from my face and I read his answer on his.

"It's not like I really got you a present..."

"HOLY FUCKIN SHIT" this time I slump directly on the armrest of the sofa.

"But it's a thing for both of us, not necessarily to celebrate the month" he tries to sugarcoat the pill as he gets up to retrieve his jacket to take something from his pockets.

"You bought me a present. And I didn't even make you a sandwich. I ordered a pizza. WHICH YOU PAID FOR!"

"Kitty, don't fret" she comes back and kneels on the rug in front of me, making me feel more anxious.

"Advice: NEVER call me Kitty when I'm upset"

"Listen, I only bought two tickets to Neil Young at the Coliseum in April. I would have bought them anyway, apart from the monthlyiversary" he explains, showing me the two white and blue tickets.

"I can't believe you say monthlyversary, you're an adult" I breathe a sigh of relief, even though I still feel like shit.

"Are you trying to make me feel stupid?" thinking about it, I feel stupid for forgetting about it, but how must he feel? He made all this big deal about this special occasion when I wasn't even remotely thinking about it, and what's more, I'm making a Greek tragedy out of it.

"No! It's pretty obvious by now that I'm the dumbass of the couple" Eddie puts the tickets in my hands and then takes them in his own.

"So, what I'm trying to say is that I just took them, regardless of the anniversary, because as soon as I heard about the concert, the first thing I thought was that I would go with you. I thought I'd give you the ticket today because. it seemed like a nice way to say Hey, Angie, I didn't disappear, I'm still here and I want to be with you and do things with you and even though the currents seem to carry me away a lot, you'll never lose me because the currents are always changing, and I'll only ever come back to you"

"You really have a thing for surfing metaphors, no doubt about it"

"Fuck off, Angie. From the bottom of my heart" he kisses me and I can't help but think about how much I love when Eddie tells je yo go to hell.

"Now I have to think about what to give to you that can compete with Neil Young"

"You don't owe me anything" he shakes his head as he gets off the floor and settles down on the couch.

"Ok, what if I want to give you a badass gift for our second monthlyversary? Who'll stop me? This time I'll mark it on my calendar though"

"Haha it's not like we have to celebrate every month now"

"Why not? And how do I make up for my poor figure ?"

"You don't, so I keep the upper hand in our couple dynamics"

"I was already looking forward to the fifth, with the curious interposition between our anniversary and the anniversary of the Bastille Day: the two revolutionary acts par excellence"

"I see you're still fucking with me" I pull away again slipping towards the other end of the sofa, but he follows me and is practically on top of me.

"Who? Me? No!"

"You're sexy when you do"

"So yeah, I'm definitely fucking with you, big time"

"The truth is, you do and say a lot of sexy things, have you noticed that?" 

"Yes, you see that's my upper hand in our couple dynamics"

"This too, very sexy"

"Do you want to, like… go to my room?"

"And you read my mind too"

“But I can't read every single thing"

“No?”

"Uhm no"

"Then I guess I'll have to give you some advice"

"Please, I'm all ears"

[allegranardi]

Name: Allegra Sofia Nardi Nicknames: Allie Gender/Pronouns: Cis-Female, her/hers Age: 26 Birthday: June 11th, 1996 Zodiac: Gemini Sun, Virgo Rising, Pisces Moon Hometown: Rome, Italy Neighborhood: West Point Homes, Seattle Occupation: A bartender (architect) Sexuality: Heterosexual. Relationship status: Dating Rhett Matthews Positive traits: innovative, fearless, reliable Negative traits: reckless, impulsive, jealous

tw: alcohol, drugs.

Born to an Italian mother and an American father in the beginning of what would be an incredibly hot Italian summer, Allegra spent the first three years of her life in Rome living in a small, yet a happy family of three - her mom, her older brother & herself. And what about her dad? Well, her parents were in a long distance relationship that started during her mother’s college years in the States. Her father couldn’t move to Rome because he was a DEA agent, while her mother never wanted to live in the States. However, when her mother had finally decided to move the small family to New York so that they could all finally be together, her parents decided to break up.. after seven months of living together. And New York was nothing like Rome, not even close.. but it became a home. 

Friendly as she was, Allegra had managed to find herself a great set of friends and hobbies that made her life much sweeter in The Big Apple. Yet it was one hobby that managed to stand out - ballet. And she was dancing till she was seventeen years old, even dreaming of turning pro one day. A talented dancer, Allegra was spending all of her time in the ballet classroom till her toes would be literally bleeding, but she didn’t care about the pain or the tears - it was all she wanted to do. However all good things must come to an end, don’t they? A sudden knee injury prevented her from turning into a professional ballet dancer.. Allegra had never really recovered from her dream shattering into a million pieces.

Considering there was no future for her in the world of ballet, Allegra enrolled into the Columbia University majoring in History of Art & Architecture. Whether she wanted to work as an architect or not was not so much important to her as her days were filled with partying. To forget the pain caused by the loss of her dream, the girl could be found at every damn party, numbing herself to the point of not knowing who she was. Drinking wasn’t an enemy of hers, but a very dear friend, just as doing drugs wasn’t unknown to her. But she had it under control, didn’t she? It was during the weekends only, and to be fair, it wasn’t even every weekend - well, not anymore. And perhaps she couldn’t even remember when was the last time she even took something. But how many times had she woken up not remembering anything at all? Or the times she had found herself lying next to the unknown men in unknown bedrooms? She never cared about anyone except having fun.. it was all she wanted to do.

But it all come to an end when she met a certain blond musician - Rhett Matthews. It didn’t take them long to hook up, with both more than keen to just have fun, but it took them quite long to confess to themselves and each other there was more to the two of them than just sex. From the meaningless kisses to the days & nights spent together not wanting to let each other go.. they fell in love. And boy, did they fall - it was one of those I-can’t-live-without-you loves.. the one they had no control over whatsoever, so it wasn’t surprising that Allegra decided to pack her suitcases and move to Seattle with Rhett. No questions asked.. the bottom line was, all she wanted was to be with him. 

[behaein]

hi, everyone! it’s just me (chaerin’s mun) back with a second muse! i wanted to bring in someone different, so unlike chaerin, haein’s a lot more spunkier and goofier! she’s got that firecracker energy, and she actually wants to be an idol as well. i have her profile page up, but anything else you need to know about her will be in this intro post. as always, please do like this post to plot or come bother me with all your thoughts and ideas!

before i begin, i’ll say that haein goes by both hailey and haein! it depends on whichever language you begin to speak with her. nevertheless, she doesn’t mind either one!

her background first: hailey haein oh was born in seattle, washington to an engineering professor and a chef! has an older and younger brother. all in all, let’s just say that hailey was the only one to not win the academic lottery! she was not as smart as her parents or older brother, and it became pretty evident that she’ll never be on their level! not to say that she got like d’s and f’s, but she wasn’t going to graduate in the top 5% yknow

her parents didn’t care too much though, and they continued to support her in trying to find something she’d like. has gone through gymnastics, was a cheerleader in junior high and high school (or at least as much as she attended), so she’s always been an active dancer! 

when she’s in high school, a casting manager from a npc company in korea picks her up and asks if she’ll like to audition. she does and they offer her a spot as a trainee. parents are glad she’s found something she can do and shift her off to korea! 

when she was training, she lived at a dorm with the other trainees, but her legal guardian was always her maternal aunt! a run-down of maternal aunt: always wanted to be a musician but her parents said no, so she became a pharmacist instead. however, she’s still super passionate about music so her and haein went along great

right before the group is supposed to debut, about three girls get cut from the lineup with one of them being haein. it’s kind of a shocker for her because she’s had a pretty easy life until then. plus, she moved all the way to korea, dropped out of high school (she found it difficult to juggle that and training together) and got her ged instead so like... what now? 

that all happened within the last three months, so now she’s been working as a part-timer at cgv, the movie theater, and she also does some english tutoring at the side. she thought about moving back to america, but her aunt convinces her to continue pursuing her dream!! dropped out of high school anyway so what’s she going to do back in america?

hailey agrees so here she is!! trying to debut somehow!! 

so timeline with years to break it down: 2002 (born) -> gets casted and moves to korea summer of 2020 -> trains until september 2022 where she gets cut from the debut lineup -> and then current day where she lives with her aunt and works part time jobs

personality: she’s super extroverted and goofy! simply just wants to live a good life, kind of lives the yolo lifestyle. up for being friends with anybody as long as they make her laugh. she sort of gets affected by the people around her and act the way they do when she’s around them! haein’s like slime, she can sort of melt into any situation and personality as long as it means getting along with those around her because she finds fun in socializing with people. you can catch her just sitting at cafes on her own, people watching because she thinks that’s interesting

possible plot ideas: people she tutors in english, those she meets at dance classes because she’s taking them to not forget how to move, those she meet at like a korean american community thing within korea, someone who likes seeing movies so they always see her at cgv and you share movie recs with one another, you can talk kpop with her because she loves her groups (esp girl groups) and anything else!! i’m open to everything, and haein’s a super flexible muse so!

[stevie-adler]

Good God, I'd love to, well, I had to.

Name: Stephanie  Stevie Adler Age & Birthday: 47, April 3rd 1975 Gender & Pronouns: cisfemale, she/her Hometown: Port Arthur, Texas Time in Bradford Springs: 10 years Occupation: Owner & Operator @ The Phoenix  alt music venue Positive traits: Creative, Confident, Supportive, Fun-loving Negative traits: Impulsive, Sharp-tongued, Impatient, Mysterious 

Stevie was born and raised in Port Arthur, Texas which is famous for being the hometown of Janis Joplin. Joplin is a huge inspiration to Stevie, who as a young girl became enamored by her music. Eventually, she adored grunge and punk.

After highschool, Stevie and her band mates (Krush Katz: Babes in Toyland soundclaim) moved to Seattle, Washington. The home of grunge. They didn’t get noticed until 1998 and became the ‘hardcore’ version of The Spice Girls. Lots and lots of angry feminist music. 

Stevie hated being signed to a record label, though. She felt controlled and lost her artistic freedom. After the fourth album, she cut ties with the band and began releasing music solo (PJ Harvey soundclaim).

As the music industry changed, Stevie’s music faded into obscurity which was a-okay with her.

When she was 37, she decided she wanted to be surrounded by the music scene again and the real raw kind of lifestyle she had in Seattle. She did some research on cities around America that needed a boost to the music scene and she found Bradford Springs.

She bought a place Downtown that she completely renovated into The Phoenix. The place is small but constantly playing live music. There’s a bar area on the main floor and a small space for acoustic acts. In the basement is a stage and main area for heavier music. Cheap drinks but only serves cold snacks. 

Stevie is a wildcard for sure, she acts as her own security in the bar area and happily kicks any trouble makers out herself. 

She’s very fun-loving and supportive, especially to and with musicians. She wants to see them live their dream. 

Very anti-establishment 

Doesn’t mind if people recognize her from Krush Katz or her solo career, she’s impressed if anyone can. Happily will tell the funny, crazy stories she’s experienced and lived through.

You will always find her making placards for protests. She’s very big on social justice. 

Swears like a sailor, loves like a mother.

[moochilatv]

The Jaws of Brooklyn presents: Litebringer

This song have a strong potential radio play

Press:

Seattle’s Jaws of Brooklyn is releasing their new single, 'Litebringer,' on September 19. Produced by Grammy-winner Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes), the track blends 60’s garage rock and soul with powerful vocals from their new lead singer, Gretchen Lemon.

Backing vocals from Alabama Shakes’ Karita Law and Shannay Johnson add depth to the sound.

¡Stellar musicians and production!

Jaws Of Brooklyn in IG:

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BIO:

Seattle’s Jaws of Brooklyn emerged during the 2020 pandemic, blending 60's garage rock and soul with modern songwriting.

Their debut album, “The Shoals”, produced by Alabama Shakes’ keyboardist and 2024 Grammy award-winning producer Ben Tanner was recorded in Florence, Alabama, and released in 2022.

The album earned them critical acclaim with Billboard calling them “impressive” and American Songwriter stating, “The Jaws of Brooklyn are set to chart a new course.” The Jaws of Brooklyn, now a seven-piece live act, set about winning the hearts and minds of the Pacific Northwest and beyond with their punchy vocal harmonies and high-energy performances including SXSW and Seattle’s Capitol Hill Block Party.

After performing at 2023’s Capitol Hill Block Party the band parted ways with their lead vocalist. In 2024, Jaws of Brooklyn saw a pivotal change with the addition of powerhouse vocalist Gretchen Lemon, revitalizing the lineup of Dana Dysart (keys), Bryan Cohen (guitar), Paul Christofferson (bass), and Zia Uddin (drums). With renewed energy, they returned to Florence, Alabama, where they recorded 15 new songs. The recording features a return of background all-star vocalists, Shannay Johnson (Alabama Shakes, Brittany Howard, Roger Waters) and Karita Law (Alabama Shakes, Brittany Howard) to round out the sound and expand their sonic exploration.

Full of retro guitars, soul-inspired rhythms, anthemic choruses, and 60’s girl group vocals, the Jaws of Brooklyn continue to push their music into new spaces. Standout cuts include 60’s psychedelic rockers ‘Lightbringer”, “Lie to Me”, and ‘Gravitate”. Retro-inspired girl group musings, “Up All Night” and “Crush on You”, sit alongside the soul-influenced “Coming Home”, “Unstoppable” and “I Keep Changing”. In addition to the retro rhythm pocket of many of the tracks, the Jaws also cut a disco-influenced track called “Where Are You” and a synthy track called “Perfect Way to Start” as a fan-only bonus track.

The Jaws of Brooklyn are set to begin releasing new singles starting September of 2024 with a first EP containing half of the new songs slated for April 2025 release. In the meantime, the band is back to its full seven-piece performing unit with shows all over the Pacific Northwest and a return to SXSW planned for 2025.

Photo credit: Ettie Abraham

[rotarpeggiate]

☠︎︎ 𝕳𝖆𝖗𝖕𝖊𝖗 𝕸𝖔𝖗𝖆 𝕭𝖚𝖙𝖆𝖈-𝕻𝖆𝖑𝖒𝖊𝖗 ☠︎︎

Saw OC RP Blog

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Extroverted morose headbanger from the outskirts of Seattle, Washington moves all the way to Trenton, New Jersey and pitches a cemetery groundskeeper job. The last thing she’d expect is to find herself entailed in the Jigsaw case with the FBI and MPD, and a hotheaded Special Agent Peter Strahm of said FBI whom is restlessly working on the case.

𝕭𝖎𝖔𝖌𝖗𝖆𝖕𝖍𝖞

Harps, Seattle Hipster, That One Girl From Seattle, Cemetery Girl, give her some nicknames!!

25-30 years old

She/her

5’8”

Straight aroacespec

Born and raised in the outskirts of Seattle, Washington, on April 7th, 1976-1981 (?), moved to Portland, Oregon at 18 years old then Trenton, New Jersey

ENFP. Cynical, sardonic, nihilistic, sarcastic, lethargic, insecure, empathetic

AUDHD

Cemetery gravedigger & groundskeeper, drummer, guitarist and singer for Girl Pains, a grunge/nu metal band, and BonRibs, an industrial band, Jigsaw survivor

Reason tested: Did not turn in her ex to the police out of fear

Likes: Strahm, Deftones, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, She Wants Revenge, poké bowls, buko salad, boba, rotting in bed, iPod/cassette tapes/CDs, gigs, karaoke, wandering random places downtown

Dislikes: Jigsaw, her ex, Donny (her other ex), health issues, her insecurities, being misunderstood, people who are actually shallow, when people say she’s “too old for rock and roll”

𝕬𝖉𝖒𝖎𝖓

Hi! I’m Doll. I’m 22, use she/her pronouns and live in the PNW. I’m a college student and musician. I would like to enter the Tumblr RP community, to make friends and to develop my OC more. My life is hectic, but feel free to DM me. I’m tired, but outgoing. I’ve work, school and health issues. I’ll try to respond as soon as I can, so please be patient.

The Saw franchise is definitely of dark subject matters, but if you’re a minor, no NSFW themes in RP. For your own safety. It makes me uncomfortable to see young people exposed to that online. I’m not trying to be uptight. You have to be careful and stay safe. Please take this to heart.

I’m not a multi ship blog, as I only ship my OC with Strahm. It’s okay if you don’t like my ship, but please be respectful and don’t hate on my ship.

Since Saw takes place primarily in the 2000s, Harper will use 2000s terminology. We can do modern AUs though, or any time period.

Harper is not a self insert.

If you want to RP, send an ask/submission, DM me, or respond to one of my posts in character. Don’t be shy, I love interacting with people :)

I love crossovers!! AUs as well.

Please be nice and tone indicators are helpful because I’m autistic and struggle with RSD.

𝕿𝖗𝖎𝖛𝖎𝖆

☆ Harper’s faceclaim/voiceclaim is Shannyn Sossamon.

☆ Harper’s first name means “someone who plays the harp” or “minstrel”, alluding to her musician aspect. Her parents named her after Harper’s Bazaar. She cannot actually play the harp. It is also a pun on “to harp on” which means to incessantly go on about something. What’s also interesting is that her name can relate to certain etymology, such as arpeggio (Italian, from arpeggiare “play the harp”) and psalms (Greek psalmos “song sung to harp music”, from psallein “to pluck”).

☆ Her middle name means “blackberry” in Spanish.

☆ The first part of her last name means both “identifying mark” in the Akeanon language and “to help, to pull” in Tagalog and Ilocano, derived from “batak”.

☆ The second part of her last name means pilgrim, or someone who made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It is a pun on embalmer and an idiom for using one’s palms.

☆ Harper’s meaning with strings and Butac’s meaning with pulling, forms a combined meaning similar to “pulling on strings”.

☆ Harper’s birthday being April 7th (4/7) is a reference to how most harps have 47 strings.

☆ Harper has two moles under her right eye, and one above her upper lip and one under her lower lip. She also has a harp tattoo on her right forearm.

photos are from Catacombs (2007)

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