earth-to-jess

[theyogahousetoronto]

Come , Join us on 4 March, Saturday at The Yoga House Toronto.

[ddymarie]

☀︎ Bakugo x reader

OPACAROPHILE

☀(n) A Person Who Loves The Sunsets

☀You had a rare weekend with katsuki and you both decided to spend it with a beach date

☀includes: kissing, rubbing, water, body worship, use of good girl, car sex (back shots) .

☀ a/n : I haven't uploaded in a while ik but I have so many fics in my drafts ready to made! Also some song suggestions are scattered throughout the fiction from my 'random' writing playlist! Speaking of music I haven't been able to get bad by wale outta my head

The sky was filled with orange reds and yellows. The setting sun adding a glow to your brown skin. Katsuki eyes looked as if they glowed from the way the sun had affected them, as he towered overed you, even sitting down.

"Katsu~ " he mocked holding your face in his hands "katsu~, let's go to the beach" he mimicked your voice.

Rolling your eyes lying back on the towel. Black bathing suit (design of your choice) highlighting your curves. Your pretty jewelry added a glow to you. You looked like a goddess.

Your Bluetooth playing partynextdoor. The smirk on your face was quickly wiped away when your boyfriend suddenly picked you up " katsuki! " you screamed giggling "ahh! " the loud splash you caused-caused katsuki to laugh.

" you son of-" swimming back to the surface looking around for your petty ass boyfriend-only to not find him anywhere in sight. Just then you were lifted up from underneath. Katsuki arose from the water with you on his shoulders "look not so bad right, pretty?" he teased looking up at you.

The water dripping off him had you hot and bothered. Fuck he looked like he tasted better then he smelled in this moment. And your favorite thing about him was his caramel scent. It drove you crazy when he sweated.

Retreating from your position on his shoulders. Standing in the water. It came just up to your neck. Paddling your hands on the water as you splashed him. Your small smile soon grew bigger once he began to splash you back " oh, pretty it's on! " he looked into your eye's with a glare hinted with a bit playfulness.

Hours passed before you both decided to call quits on the water fun.

The sky had shined bright even during the night. Stars causing nothing but your silhouettes to appear. Together you both looked like Greeks God's. Especially with your arms around his neck and his on your waist kissing away like you would loose each other to the deep, dark depths of the water. It was majestic.

The sound of your bracelets jingling as you allowed him to lift you up by your thighs. Escorting you outta of the water. Lips just now breaking apart. You both gasped catching breaths you hadn't realized you'd lost.

" you look beautiful in that bathing suit. Might have to buy you more " he said squeezing what he could of your plump ass before smacking it,french kissing you.

Lying you you both down on the singular orange towel. Orange and black the same color of his trunks. Your glasses that once sat on top of your head now falling on the the tip of your nose.

Removing them off your face and setting the black shades a side.

Bakugo began trailing his hands down your body. Lifting a leg of yours over his waist. Licking his lips as he dove in stealing another kiss from you

"Uh-uh" you said looking at the blonded lover in the eyes waving a finger in his face 'no' was what it symbolized " wait til we get home, play boy" you said pushing the muscular man from a top of you

Getting up, taking the blue tooth with you to the car. Katsuki sat there for a moment mesmerized by your jiggling ass before abruptly getting up snatching the towel and your shades up with him trailing behind you...

Laughing as you jumped into your shared foreign car. Katsuki pulling outta the now empty parking lot.

Driving on the empty road one hand on the steering wheel the other on your thigh. It was a small simple gesture of his until it started to trail up your thigh. The car slowed down... Pulling into yet another empty parking lot...it was 10:30 pm

Unbuckling his seat belt while leaning over the the arm rest grabbing your face and kissing you causing you to drop what ever treat you had in your hand. You two had been on the breezy road for about 27 minutes. The large shirt that pulled over your bathing suit. Was now being lifted. The shirt was off within seconds along with your top... And panties.

In this foreign car let it go

You went from kissing in the front seat to receiving back shots in the back of your truck.

" mm~ " you whimpered this man was knocking the air outta your lungs. Leaving you breathless "fuck" he growled throwing his head back. Hands gripping tightly on your waist which was sure to bruise later. Your hips collided. You throwing your ass back meeting his hard forward thrust. " ah-ah ahh~" you moaned as he pulled your hair, Leg up on the seat spanking your ass leaving a visible hand print on your brown skined ass. " fuck, pretty, just like that " he said removing his hand off your ass and onto your neck.

You cried out begging.. Pleading " please~" what were you begging for? Shit you ain't even know. His thrust slowed as he tilted your head down putting you in a face down ass up position and he lurched forward " love this body, baby" he worshipped hands roaming with no destination in sight. The feel of your skin. Your curves. Had this man on his knees everytime he seen em. Whether at home or on the feild. As his thrusts slowed they got deeper. He drew his hips back further it was torture to you. But it felt "soo good~". The pleasure he was giving to you made you arch your back more. You stopped throwing your hips back letting him do his thing. And from there it was nothing but praise~

"Mm~" you whined at his words " ass so soft. " he said gripping your soft ass spreading your cheeks. Slipping a thumb in your butt "ahhh, katsu~" "yea thats right say my name, good girl~"

Take the time to find you out

You love when a young n! go down on it

"Say it baby" he groaned.

" in this foreign car, let it go" he whispered in your ear.

That was all you needed to hear before you let go. " I'M COMING,KATSUKI!" you moaned his name Cumming all over the seats. You both sat there in silence for a couple of moments.

"Guess someone couldn't wait til we got home" you said looking back with a smirk before passing out.

You woke up to the car pulling into your shared pent house parking lot.

☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️

[federichika]

Robert Page - The audacity of Robert, playing Jimmy's guitars whilst Jimmy was in the lavatory.

There's a story from producer/sound engineer Eddie Kramer: "Jimmy never forgets. I had all my pictures from Stargroves, a great series of pictures of Robert with an acoustic guitar, and I showed them to Jimmy in a hotel in New York twenty years after the event. He goes, 'That fucking prat...' He just went off like a fucking rocket about Robert: 'I told him never to touch my fucking guitar. I went round the corner for a quick gypsy's and he had the fucking audacity to pick up my fucking guitar and I told him never to touch it!' I said, 'Jimmy, give it up. It was fucking years ago.' The paranoia and the suspicion and all that stuff is part and parcel of who he is, and unfortunately it manifests itself in some weird ways."

Around the time of Walking Into Clarksdale Robert and Jimmy gave an interview to Guitar World magazine and the interviewer asked "so Robert, did you play much guitar on this record?" Robert replied "no, he wouldn't let me..." and Jimmy replied, "oh, right, where are those lyrics I've been writing again?" They both laughed and Robert went "ok, ok, fair enough."

Robert never played guitar on a Zeppelin record or live during the Zep era.

____

Slides 2 to 5 - Japan 1971 - Shinko Music Archives/ Koh Hasabe

Slides 6 to 8 - Bath, UK 1971 - photos by Robert Ellis

Slide 9 - Toronto 1969, photo by Hugh Crymble

Last slide photo 1972 Gisbert Hankeroot, Amsterdam

_________________________________________

(Source on Instagram account dedicated to Led Zeppelin @worldofzeppelin.

Go check it out because it has a lot of interesting information about our favorite band!)

[nostalgic-woodwind]

Mommy and Daddy's Little Panda Cub

CGs! Ming and Jin Lee and Regressor! Mei Lee 🍼

Plot: It's Mei's bedtime. Little scholars need their rest, after all.

It was a peaceful, yet cold winter night in Toronto. It was also raining. Raindrops made pitter-patter sounds on Mei's bedroom window. Ming had just finished giving her daughter a bubble bath and dressing her in a pair of soft, warm footie pajamas. She was now sitting in Mei's bed, cradling Mei in her lap as if she were a baby again and feeding her a warm bottle of angel milk that Jin had just prepared.

Mei had an eventful couple of days, filled with finals before winter break and getting her first period (for real this time), which happened on her final test of the semester. She powered through and aced her exams with flying colors. Now, she had regressed and was healing from her period, thanks to her parents' TLC (tender loving care).

"Are you feeling better, baby?" Ming asked softly.

Mei nodded and cooed behind her bottle. Ming smiled at this and stroked her daughter's red hair.

"Mommy wants you to know that she and your daddy are very proud of you. You're an amazing little cub, and we love you, no matter what or who you become."

Mei snuggled to Ming's shoulder as she drank her bottle. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, signaling that she was ready to go nini.

Jin walked into the bedroom with Mei's stuffed dog, Wilfred, and a pink, satin-trimmed chenille blanket. He had put them in the dryer to make them warm and toasty. He handed Mei the items, who cooed as her way of saying thanks.

Jin sat down next to Ming and kissed her cheek. Ming kissed Jin's cheek in return. She then kissed Mei's forehead as she finished the bottle.

Mei whimpered and whined after Ming removed the empty bottle from her mouth. Ming softly shushed and cooed as she replaced the bottle with a pacifier that was resting on Mei's bedside table. Mei calmed down as she suckled on the soother.

Ming rested Mei's head on the pillow and tucked her in. Mei snuggled Wilfred and her blankie in her arms as Jin turned off the lights and turned on her nightlight. He and Ming kissed Mei's forehead and whispered goodnight as they left the room.

Mei fell asleep, warm and safe from the cold winter's night.

[sleekervae]

Past Lives [1.8]

Masterlist

A/N: *Commence adorable flashback sequence*

Warnings: delinquency, nothing major

--

The sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving behind a canvas of warm hues that gradually melted into the deep indigo of the night sky. A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves, carrying with it the scent of blooming flowers and distant laughter. It was a hot summer night, and the city was alive with the magic that only such nights could bring.

In the heart of downtown Toronto, the streets were lined with charming cafes and quaint boutiques. Strings of twinkling lights hung above the sidewalks, casting a soft, golden glow on the bustling pedestrians. The night had drawn people out of their homes, and the energy in the air was palpable.

The night was alive with sensory delights. An ice cream truck parked at the corner beckoned to families with children, the promise of sweet relief from the lingering heat. The scent of freshly baked goods wafted from a nearby bakery, tempting even those who had just finished dinner.

As the night deepened, the stars above became more pronounced, scattered across the velvety sky like scattered diamonds. The distant sound of a train's horn added a touch of nostalgia, a reminder of the city's history and connection to the railway.

As the clock ticked on, the temperature began to dip, offering relief from the day's sweltering heat. Yet, the warmth of the night continued to envelop the city, inviting people to linger a little longer, to savor the fleeting moments of the summer.

All of this provided cover for eighteen-year-old Jade; mousy, slender and unassuming, one wouldn't notice her in the dark. She surveyed the chain link fence and the expanse of the park, security wasn't out tonight.

Behind her, nineteen, just about twenty-year-old Austin bit nervously at his lip, rubber necking around, his nerves getting the better of him as he foolishly followed his friend. He was excited, but apprehensive.

"I can't believe you talked me into this shit," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

Jade turned back to him, her usually long hair tied in a messy bun atop her head. Her eyes twinkled with excitement, "C'mon, I do this all the time. It'll be fun,"

She gave him a little wink as she produced a pair of wire cutters from her backpack. The metal strands of the fence yielded under the pressure, creating a small gap just wide enough for them to slip through. She crawled through first, slithering like a snake without hesitation. She dusted off her knees, motioning for Austin to follow.

Heart racing, Austin squeezed through the opening, his pulse pounding in his ears. Jade bent down to help pull him up. Once inside, the world around them transformed. The pool area was shrouded in shadows, the water reflecting the pale glow of the moon, like liquid silver.

They exchanged a triumphant grin before kicking off their shoes and peeling off their clothes to reveal their bathing suits. The cool, dew-kissed grass felt refreshing against their feet as they approached the edge of the pool.

"Last one in's a goober," Jade teased, her voice a hushed but excited whisper.

"What are you -- eight?" he asked, amused nevertheless.

"Come on!"

Austin rolled his eyes, a laugh bubbling from his lips. Without another word, they took a running leap and plunged into the water. The shock of the coolness enveloped them, stealing their breath momentarily. But as they resurfaced, the thrill of their spontaneous adventure surged through their veins.

They swam side by side, their movements fluid and effortless. The water felt like a secret they had unlocked—a hidden world they now shared. The pool's stillness magnified the sound of their laughter, echoing off the tiles and fading into the night.

As they floated on their backs, gazing up at the stars, Jade whispered, "And you doubted me"

"Okay, okay I admit, this is awesome," he corrected, a playful grin tugging at his lips as he turned to her, "You're pretty awesome,"

Jade's heart fluttered, thankful for the darkness lest the moon reveal the deep blush in her cheeks. She was keeping herself together for the most part, half naked with her friend in a public pool, so close to him. It was rebellious, scandalous; if her mother knew what she was doing she'd certainly keel over. All she told her was that she was hanging out with Austin, and she was lucky that her mom liked him.

"I know," with that, she turned over and dove back under the surface.

Austin didn't do stuff like this. He was usually the quieter type, didn't make waves, kept his head down and worked his butt off. If his agent found out what they were doing, he would surely be eaten alive. But right now he didn't care: filming was long and tedious, the heat was unbearable sometimes. So when Jade had suggested they break into the city public pool, he was skeptical. But he ought to have known better than to doubt her, she brought him so far out of his shell.

Hours slipped by, and the two friends lost track of time in the embrace of the water. Eventually, shivers began to run through their bodies, a sign that the late-night swim was coming to an end.

Reluctantly, they pulled themselves out of the pool, water droplets shimmering on their skin like liquid diamonds. They wrapped themselves in towels they had brought along and settled on the edge of the pool, catching their breath.

"You wanna do this again?" Jade asked, a coy smile on her face.

Austin nodded in agreement, a contented expression on his face. "Yeah, but maybe next time during the day and without the whole breaking-in thing,"

Jade rolled her eyes, nudging his shoulder, "You're such a baby,"

"No, I just don't want to get arrested," he pointed out.

"Fair," she nodded, "You're too pretty to go to jail, anyway. You might end up becoming somebody's girlfriend,"

They shared a laugh, their bond stronger than ever as they sat there, savoring the serenity of the night and the memory of their daring midnight dip.

Jade had often thought back to that night; it was a memory she cherished most. Her youth was a cluster of impulsive, stupid decisions, wishful thinking, and stars in her eyes when she thought about her future. She had so much hope for herself back then, so many plans and things she had wanted to do.

She had been nursing a crush on Austin for a while, whether or not she had wanted to admit it to herself was a whole other can of worms. When Jade had embraced her knack for song writing, only then did her feelings truly reveal themselves. The music she was writing was wistfully romantic, imagining incredibly luscious, fantastic adventures that she could only dream of.

Her first major hit, 'Roman Holiday', captured all of that. However, Jade soon realized the damage she had done to herself when she was writing that song. It was clear when she read over it that she was writing about Austin, and by that time he was already getting settled in his new relationship. She didn't release it for a while, fearing people would figure her out, call her out for her crush. Though the moment she did, it was clear that nobody really gave a shit about who it was about more than what it was about.

That song, and much of her first album helped spearhead the iconic 2013-14 Tumblr era. The subculture of being funky and weird and a passionate poet was in and it definitely helped boost Jade's music career.

Of course, Jade was older now; she was a little wiser. And her song writing looked quite different, or so her producer, Zakk, mentioned. They were listening to the very raw recordings of Jade's progress. She had a few solid tracks she was confident in, 'Evergreen' being one. Being back in Toronto, with her family and in familiar surroundings pushed her to sit on her reflections, some more uncomfortable others.

"I think I felt God strike me from the top Humbled my ass real quick I thought I had it all, but it went wrong Felt like an acid trip Bite my tongue, right my wrongs But I don't wanna deal with it"

Her voice floated beautifully along with the soft chords of her guitar, and Zakk nodded his head approvingly to the music.

"'Cause no one gives a damn shit less you're dead Or you're seventeen, an overnight prodigy, Everyone could care less 'til you're dead Or you're sеventeen, I wanna be evеrgreen"

Zakk had worked on a couple of Jade's previous albums, attuned to her unique and alternative sound, as well as her writing style. He watched her grow as an artist and a visionary, and he couldn't have been more proud to see her progress now.

"Damn," he finally responded when the demo ended. They had spent the last ten minutes reviewing her recordings, and Jade had her heart in her throat as she awaited his critiques. 'American Whore' was definitely in the running to be on her album.

"What do you think?" she asked tentatively.

He was silent at first, mulling over her sounds, her stories, "I think you've never been more honest in your writing, and I fucking love it," he told her, grinning like a proud father despite the fact that they were the same age.

She let out a collective sigh, relieved, but still apprehensive, "What would you say if I told you the label wants an album by the end of the year?"

Zakk's smile fell; he rolled his eyes, closed the laptop and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was often dismayed by corporate deadlines, no matter whether it was his bosses, hers, or society. He lived by the golden rule that you simply couldn't rush art.

"Do you think you'll be ready by then?" he asked her.

She shook her head, "Not at all,"

"Thank I say 'get fucked'. We're gonna' take our time," he decided, "And if they have a problem, they can come kiss my ass,"

"Classy," Jade nodded back.

Zakk rolled away from the desk and towards his switch board, "How many are fully written? Let's get some acapella done today and it'll set the course for your sound," he turned to her, "Is there a particular sound you're going for?"

She shrugged back, "Nothing super cohesive, yet. I got two slow ballads, two alt tracks and a classic rock song," that last one, 'Butterflies', was another particular favourite of hers. It was bombastic, fast paced, serving as an antonym for its title and expressed the anger she had kept bottled up within her.

Zakk paused, running through her demos in his head as he turned to her, puzzled, "You have two ballads?" he could recall 'American Whore', he couldn't recall the other one.

Jade realized she'd let it slip; she was still undecided on 'Little Death'. -- at least, that was the working title -- and she hadn't played it for Zakk. Mainly because -- and much to her chagrin -- it was about Austin; and she wasn't sure she should be incorporating him so much into her album.

"... Yeah," she admitted, "It's a love song,"

Zakk chuckled under his breath, "Didn't you tell me a few months ago you were swearing off love songs?"

She averted her gaze to her boots, "Yeah... well... you could say I got inspired,"

"Do you want to play it?" he asked her, trying to gauge her mood, "You know I don't care who it's about -- even if it's about anybody,"

"I know. But this isn't gonna' be a love album, anyway," she pointed out.

He scoffed back, "Call me cynical, but all the best love songs -- truly great love ballads -- tend to come from the albums not trying for love. They just feel it. You have the demo?"

She shook her head. He rolled back over to the desk, "What about the actual song? You have that on you?"

She nodded then, "... You want me to play it?"

"Is the pope catholic?"

Jade sighed heavily, her limbs suddenly felt very heavy. Nevertheless she grabbed the guitar he had hanging off his wall, got comfy with it on her lap and took some tentative strokes of the strings. If there was one thing she had to credit Zakk for, it was his persistence. He sometimes had to wrangle music out of her, more often than not the stuff she was afraid to play, that showed her vulnerabilities, was the stuff that garnered the most success. She took a deep breath as she began to sing the first few lines,

"I would drown in your holy water Got a taste, now I'm going under And let the world just fade away Treat me bad like no one's daughter Body bag, baby I'm a goner And let it all just fade away,"

She couldn't help her voice shaking as she sang, the guitar chords memorized in her fingers as she hit every note, every melody with perfection.

"Just put your hands around my throat Ain't been to heaven but I'm close Your love is a murder Your love is a murder I'll let you touch me sweet and slow Just take my body and my soul Your love is a murder Your love is a murder"

Zakk sat back in awe, taking in her everything. He noted how she kept her eyes closed, letting herself become lost in the story she was weaving, reliving every word that passed her lips.

"In your bed just the way that God made me Cover me up, baby, just lay me In the dirt 'til I'm pushing up daisies, You got a dark side and it don't phase me Cover me up, baby, just lay me In the dirt 'til I'm pushing up daisies,"

The last twang of the guitar faded out peacefully, and Zakk's silence weighed heavily on Jade. She was apprehensive about this song, not only for Austin, not to stay "on theme", but because it felt a little too personal. She hadn't felt this way since writing 'Roman Holiday'.

Zakk began to smile, "That's clearly for somebody," he noted.

She scoffed back, "You just said you didn't care," she pointed out.

"I don't. But every time you lose yourself in a song -- like you just did -- you're reliving something special. It's beautiful, Jade," he replied.

She sloughed back in her seat, letting the guitar rest agains the desk. She was mad because Zakk was right, her mind raced to the same place over and over whenever she played that song. His house, his bed sheets, his warm chest, dark eyes, the smell and the vibe. Austin was everything in this song; whether she liked it or not, he was penetrating every part of her, killing her slowly. So 'Little Death' seemed like an appropriate working title; straight up 'Murder' was another. It would certainly push her love for paradoxes.

"I'm glad you like it," was all she'd said.

Austin had never been happier to receive a phone call than when he had Callum's. He'd flown into town for a new project, but he was more than happy to make time for his friend. Of course, the one place he knew he had to take him was Santa Monica Pier.

The scent of cotton candy and freshly baked treats wafted from the snack stalls, tempting passersby with sweet indulgence. The colorful blur of a Ferris wheel spun against the backdrop of the ocean, its brightly lit capsules carrying passengers high above the water, providing sweeping views of the coastline.

At the end of the pier, the iconic Santa Monica Pier sign stood tall, a symbol of a timeless connection between land and sea. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the sky painted a masterpiece of warm oranges and deep purples, casting a tranquil aura over the bustling scene.

"Boys in the Boat?"

"Yeah. Never quite taken to boating, but if George Clooney's directing, I'll learn how to tame a lion if he asks," It was clear Callum wasn't used to the West coast heat, even in February as he fanned himself off with the neck of his shirt. Austin meanwhile was unbothered, the only show of the heat was the thin film of sweat dotting at his forehead.

Austin simpered, "I don't see him working on the Greatest Showman sequel, I think you're safe," he replied.

"Reckon so," he said, "Did Tarantino ever ask you to do anything crazy?"

"Riding a horse," he replied, "My first day, I didn't even have one leg up before he threw me off,"

"Fucking hell," Callum laughed, "Tell me you landed arse-first?"

"... Sure,"

"Ah well," he shrugged, "You looked cool anyway. What else is new with you?

"Nothing, really," he wiped the sweat from his brow as he spoke.

Callum cocked a brow, "Nothing? You bought yourself a house, didn't ya? Settle back into life? Reconnect with friends?"

"Oh sure, I did all of that," he replied.

"No girlfriends?"

He shook his head, blinded momentarily by the glare of the busker's trumpet in the sunlight, "Afraid not,"

"Well, that's a shame," he marvelled, "What about Florence's friend?"

"Jade?" he said her name a little too quickly, licked the salt off of his lips, "She's just my friend,"

Callum gave him a wanton look, incredulous, "Not what those pictures said," he pointed out.

"You believe everything you read?" Austin scoffed back.

"I believed the little pep in your step you had when you came back to the table," he replied.

"We've been friends since we were teenagers,"

"Mate, you went home with her. Raff was bloody steaming!"

Austin shook his head, relenting finally, "Alright, so I kissed her,"

"Just once?" Callum smirked.

"... In public, anyway,"

His English counterpart laughed, "Aye, nice mate!"

Austin chuckled under his breath, "Keep that to yourself," he pleaded.

"Of course!"

They stopped along the railing, gazing out at the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, where the horizon seemed to stretch endlessly. Seagulls soared overhead, their cries merging with the distant music and the waves below.

Callum turned to him, perching his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose, "Mathilda's coming out in a couple weeks, maybe we ought to double date? She always wanted to see Disney Land," he suggested.

As lovely as that sounded, Austin shook his head, "We're not together in that sense," he said.

"In what sense is it, then?" Callum asked.

"No strings attached," Austin replied bluntly.

"That was her idea?"

"How do you know it wasn't mine?"

Callum glowered, "Because you've been looking miffed since we've been talking about her. What's eating you?"

Austin shook his head, keeping his eye on the rippling sea below, "I think I wanna' attach some strings,"

"And she doesn't?"

Austin didn't know how else to explain, other than to start from the beginning. He swore Callum to secrecy, of course. He talked about their situation, Jade's reservations about relationships, the music she was writing, revealed how equally jealous and disappointed he was when he found out about Jade's date. Callum was at a loss for words at first, he could picture this very scene playing out in some corny romance movie. Though it was clear on Austin's face that this wasn't a joke or a post-method phase he was going through. He had fallen for Jade, he seemed to deflate as soon as he'd finished talking.

Callum gave a low whistle, "Shit. That's a lot,"

"Yep,"

"Dating's complicated enough when you're a normal person. Tack on fame, fortune, and the eternal curse of everybody nabbing a piece off'a you, it's near impossible," he mulled.

"No kidding,"

"Does Jade know how you feel?"

"Doubtful," he huffed, "I don't want to put that kind of pressure on her, she's got a lot going on,"

"Sure, but so do you. And if you have time to have an existential crisis over this, then I'm sure she does, too," Callum pointed out.

Austin scoffed, "I'm not having a crisis,"

"If we had pints between us, I'd bet yours would be bone dry by now," he replied, "Look, there's no harm in trying, neither in being honest. If you want her, you should tell her. You should tell her all you’ve been feeling and then ask her how she’s been feeling too. How she feels about what you told her. She can't read your mind, you know?"

Austin nodded, "I know. Even I don’t know what’s going on with me half the time. And if I lose her, then she's gone forever. I don't wanna' jeopardize what we got, already,"

Callum tutted, "You're thirty, Austin,"

"And?"

“And you need to be a man. You want her, right? You want this to work?” 

“Yes, if she wants it, too,” the younger man confirmed. 

“That’s already something, isn’t it?” Callum encouraged him. 

Again, Austin nodded.

"I suggest that you reflect on it a little. Think about how you feel when you were with her, when you took a pause, when you were without her. Now, I'm not saying it would be easy, but there are things you guys are gonna' have to compromise on. Be realistic. Make them small things, just two or three. Show her that you care, reach out. That’s all it takes to make a conversation work. I’m sure she'll appreciate the effort,” he moved his hand to Austin's shoulder, “And remember to ask her what she doesn’t like. Be empathetic. Suggest improvements for the both of you. That’s what women appreciate: empathy,”

Austin blinked back, ideas spinning as Callum's words echoed in his ears. He started to smile, and Callum became excited.

"You got an idea?" he asked.

"I got a couple," he nodded.

"Good,"

Soon enough the sun began to set, bathing the pier in a warm red glow. People equally funnelled in and out of the board walk, the noise heightening, the heat began to die down.

Austin shoved his hands into his pockets, his thumb brushing anxiously against his phone screen, "You still wanna' do the hike tomorrow?"

"Nah, I can't," Callum shook his head, "Forgot, I have a thing,"

Austin glanced at him curiously, "Just like that?"

"Just like that," he nodded, "... I can think of someone else who might wanna' go," Austin laughed to himself, "What's funny?"

"Jade never really liked hiking,"

Callum simpered, "Something tells me she might tough it out for you,"

It had been a couple of days since Jade and Austin had spoken. He had told her Callum was in town and she wanted to give him his space with his friend. More than anything, she figured it would be best for her to start distancing herself from Austin, their last in-person conversation continuing to float in the recesses of her brain.

So, she was quite surprised when he had phoned her that afternoon. She was clicking through designers that Cam had sent her, needing her to pick out a dress for the Batman premiere. She would have to jet out to New York in a couple of weeks, but truth be told she wasn't as excited as she should've been. Nevertheless, she picked up Austin's call.

"Hey,"

"Hey," even through the speaker, his voice was like liquid gold, "Whatcha' doing?"

"I'm tablet shopping for gowns," she replied, trying not to sound too disinterested.

"Oh? For the Batman premiere, or just for fun?" he asked.

"A little of both," she admitted, "What're you doing?"

"I just got home, I was at the pier today," he replied.

"Santa Monica?"

"Mhm,"

"Beautiful," her eye suddenly caught on a long, slinky black gown, the skirt near completely see through. She was intrigued, "How's Callum?"

"He's good, he says hi," he replied, "We were supposed to hang out tomorrow, but he's got a thing,"

"That's too bad," Jade tapped on the Michael Costello dress, only half listening at the moment, "You gonna' take the day off?"

"Yeah. But I was wondering if you were free tomorrow?" he asked suddenly.

She paused at that, "Um... yeah! Yeah, I got nothing going on," she replied, "What did you wanna' do?"

He inhaled sharply before he spoke, the idea taking Jack aback a little, "You like hiking?"

[spine-buster]

To Sail Beyond the Sunset ft. Sidney Crosby | Chapter 4

gif credit @/9116

A/N: Surprisingly, no flashback scene in this one...but we finally get to figure out what June's hiding! And some interesting thoughts from Sid...

Lazy nights with June on the lake were Sidney’s favourite thing to do in the summer. Besides fishing, it was probably the one activity that brought him the most solace. It was the only time that his mind was completely clear from any worries, doubts, overthinking, everything – even hockey. Time with June was the best medicine in the world; it was the cure for everything, and the thing Sidney always wanted.

It was Canada Day, which meant that June was over. Sidney heard his screen door open as the sun set over Shubenacadie Grand Lake, and saw June carrying their drinks – a Jack and coke for him, a margarita for her – before she closed the door with her foot and walked over. “Thanks Junebug,” he said as she handed him his drink.

“Anytime,” she smiled, settling in right next to him, as she often did, the entire left side of her body pressed up against his right. She raised her margarita and he raised his Jack and coke. “To Canada,” she said.

Sidney clinked their glasses together. “To Canada.”

“And to Mr. Canada-who-scored-the-Golden-Goal.”

Sidney snorted. “You just had to, didn’t you?”

“Of course I did,” June put on an exaggerated smile, clinking their glasses together again for good measure. “Do the people across the lake still do fireworks?”

“Mhmm,” he nodded, taking a sip of his drink.

“Good, she said, leaning her head against Sidney’s bicep as they looked out onto the lake. “Nothing can beat this sunset, though.”

Sid smiled, taking another quick sip of his drink. They were quiet for a few minutes, just listening to the sound of the lake waves gently rolling. Sidney was thinking about the feeling of June nestled into him. This was far from the first time that they’d been in this position, but the feeling of her body so close felt…different now, especially when Andy’s words were still mulling around at the back of his mind.

Sidney thought about June as a wife. She’d been engaged before, to a man named Cameron Currie from Toronto. His family bred thoroughbred horses at a farm north of the city and had been doing so for generations – they socialized in very prominent circles and donated money to the arts, which is how June met him. He was a nice guy, well-to-do, great pedigree and all that, but they called off the wedding. June told him it was because they couldn’t work out some things, and that they could never find a resolution. While Sidney was happy for her, and wanted to see her happy, at the back of his mind, he would think about her life as a wife. Would they buy a new house together, or inherit his parents’ farm? Would June be a hostess to the social circles and put on parties with passed canapés and champagne flutes? Would she put all their commitments on a shared calendar? Would she visit him at work and support him in his business endeavours? Would she take off her robe at night, get into bed, put hand cream on, and read a book until she fell asleep? Would she kiss him goodnight? It was probably sick to think about, but Sidney did it anyway. And whenever feelings of jealousy would arise in him, he’d squash them down quickly, wondering why he was even feeling jealousy in the first place.

For the first time, Sidney’s mind wandered, and he let it go further, further than he’d ever taken it before. He thought about June as his wife. He thought about her teaching her classes and him dropping by more often and how her girls would probably giggle and call her Mrs. Crosby instead of Miss June just for fun. He thought about her being home when he got home from a game or a road trip and hugging him at the door. He thought about her running him an Epsom salt bath for him after a long road trip or gruelling game. He thought about her making him grilled cheese sandwiches when he missed home. He thought about her cuddling into him at night and holding each other as they slept, or being one of those couples that always had to be touching somehow when they slept, even if it was just a foot. He thought about her attending his games – more of them, obviously, since she’d be around all the time. He thought about waking up together in the morning and making coffee. He thought about hearing the sound of little feet running down the hallways and jumping into bed with them to cuddle underneath the covers.

He thought about June as a mom. He held his breath in his chest when he did, but his mind was running wild. He thought about breakfasts together in the mornings and dinners together at night. He thought about everybody helping out in the kitchen and throwing spaghetti against the cupboards. He thought about being at the table and doing homework together. He thought about school runs and birthday parties and hockey practice and dance classes. He thought about Halloween costumes and Christmas decorations. He thought about baking cookies for Santa and wrapping the kids’ presents and staying up to put them under the tree. He thought about June scooping their kids up in her arms and peppering their faces with kisses. He thought about her brushing and braiding their hair. He thought about them reading to their kids at night. He thought about them sitting out on the deck, with their kids in their lap, watching Canada Day fireworks over the lake.

Their kids.

Sidney could feel his heart skip a beat at the thought of having a family with June. To say he never thought about it would be a lie, but every time his mind wandered and it did come up, he would think to himself that it was impossible. They’d grown up together, they had been separated but still stayed close, they had entered into other relationships with other people and never once mentioned the possibility of being together. Being with him – was it something June even wanted? Being with him in that way? And more than that – she wasn’t just with him. She was with Sidney Crosby. He knew that he wasn’t “Sidney Crosby” as an abstract idea to her, as he was to everybody else, but she would be with Sidney Crosby and the idea of Sidney Crosby, and that was a lot to take on. He could understand completely if—

“Sid?”

“Yeah Junebug?”

“You were just sort of…out of it there,” she said, her tone having a bit of worry. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said, trying to play it off. Just thinking about you as my wife and the mother to our children. “Just had a rough workout with Andy.”

“He didn’t even give you the day off for Canada Day?”

“You know Andy.”

June laughed slightly. “I do. He never quits.”

When the sun had set, and the sky became pitch black except for the light of the moon and stars, the fireworks from neighbouring cottages on the lake began. The distant sounds of kids screaming every time a pop went off and exploded into the air made Sid and June smile. They were done their drinks by the time the fireworks finished, and they were both almost too comfortable to get up. But it was getting cold, and June’s feet were always colder than the rest of her body. When they moved inside, Sidney immediately got a blanket out of a pouf June made him buy for the family room and turned his TV on to Netflix. “What are we watching?” he asked.

June was bringing their glasses back to the kitchen. “I don’t know. Something patriotic?” she joked.

“I don’t think so,” Sid grinned. “Come on. What have you been watching?”

“Honestly? Selling Sunset.”

He burst out into laughter. “Seriously, Junebug?”

“It’s addicting!” she defended herself as she walked back to the family room. “It’s mindless and mind-numbing and I love it, okay? Forgive me for getting into a show like that after the doom and gloom of the last year and a half.”

Sidney rolled his eyes playfully. “Alright, fine. Selling Sunset it is,” he said, plopping down on the couch, into the corner of the sectional. June unfolded the blanket, sat on the couch next to Sid, and lay it at their feet. She leaned into him just as she’d done outside, using his bicep to rest her head against. He scrolled through Netflix to find the show, and played the episode and season June told him to play.

He had no idea what was happening, so he would ask June some questions. “What’s her name?”; “Her husband is how old?”; “Wait didn’t we just see her?” At some point, he noticed June’s voice get softer. Eventually, when he pointed out how ugly a house was and she didn’t respond, he looked down to see that she had fallen asleep against him, her chest rising and falling softly. She looked incredibly peaceful that Sidney couldn’t help but smile. Like many things, this wasn’t the first time, and it definitely wouldn’t be the last time. This time, he decided not to wake her. Instead, he let the TV show be background noise and allowed himself to fall asleep too.

***

Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche had, unfortunately, been defeated in the playoffs by the Las Vegas Golden Knights. That meant now that Nate was back home in Halifax, but it also meant that Nate was angry and trying to get over yet another second-round exit by his team. As one of his best friends, but more importantly his mentor, Sidney took the role very seriously. He had talked to Nate already – a long, emotional conversation – and assured him that he felt the same way about his own team’s exit. It took a while, but Nate did seem to get over it – superficially, at least – and was in the mood to work out on a consistent schedule with Sid and Andy. This was a positive, since Nate loved them. He took his diet, nutrition, and fitness extremely seriously – unlike Sid, who ate what he wanted to eat (like four grilled cheese sandwiches made by June) and drank what he wanted to drink.

However, despite the workouts being consistent and Nate’s typical responses of getting hot-headed and angry when he lost a race or a drill, Sidney was shocked to see that at this particular workout, Nate was paying more attention to his phone than he was the pylons for his lateral movement training. But when he saw the tell-tale answer – a smile from Nate – Sid knew he was going to rib him. “What’s keeping you on your phone?” he decided to start off light.

He clearly caught Nate off guard. Nate looked up quickly, pretending that he hadn’t just spent the last few seconds staring at his phone screen and smiling. “Nothing. It’s nothing,” Nate was dismissive.

“I don’t think it’s nothing,” Sid pressed, a grin growing on his face.

“It’s nothing. Just drop it,” Nate insisted.

“Stop pretending it’s nothing,” Sid countered, being an ass.

“Not pretending.”

By Nate’s tone of voice, Sid knew he had him right where he wanted him. “Then why were you smiling?”

“God, what are you, a private investigator?”

“Detective Crosby at your service,” he said. “Come on, man. Is it a girl?” he asked, already knowing the answer to the question.

“No.”

“Is it a guy?”

“No.”

“Is it—”

“—Sid, I’m asking you nicely. Please drop it.”

Sid could tell Nate was ready to explode by the playful line of questioning. Nate didn’t like to get called out on his mysterious behaviours and when he did, he went off. Sid was one of the only people who could call him out on it though. Though Sid wanted to take things further and aggravate Nate a little more, he dropped it. “Okay, fine. But if it’s a girl you should bring her around sometime,” he put in one last quip.

“Oh, you mean just like how June’s meeting us for lunch?” Nate decided to bite back. Two could play at this game.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Nate rolled his eyes. “I don’t think I have to spell it out for you, do I?” he asked. “You guys are in love with each other. Always have been.”

Sid furrowed his brows. “Where’d that come from? Did Andy tell you to say something?”

Nate laughed out loud. “Andy thinks so too?” he asked. Clearly Andy hadn’t said anything to Nate, which made what he said all the more shocking to Sid. “Nobody has to tell me anything, Sid. I saw it the first day I met her, and I see it in you all the fucking time. We can all see how in love you guys are.”

Sid shook his head. He couldn’t take this from a guy eight years younger than him. “It’s not like that. It’s different with her. She’s my best friend.”

“Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be?” Nate asked rhetorically. “You wouldn’t want to marry someone you’re not friends with, right?”

“Well, sure, but—”

“—But what? It’s not rocket science. You guys just don’t see it, do you?”

Sid couldn’t say anything back. He couldn’t talk back to Nate because he knew Nate made a good point. Just like Andy. But Sid couldn’t say that out loud, because he was still trying to grapple with his feelings, whatever they were. “Hey Nate?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m asking you nicely. Please drop it.”

Using Nate’s own words against him was the only way Sid knew to fight back at this particular moment. Nate understood that completely, but he wasn’t going to let Sid off the hook. And truth be told, Sid shouldn’t have let him off the hook either. They were best friends – they should be able to talk about this stuff. “Her name is Sorcha,” Nate revealed. “We grew up together. Went to all the same schools. But she was bullied really badly because of her size and her hair and all that stupid shit, and I was friends with the guys that did it. I saw her the other week in a café and we’ve been reconnecting. I don’t know exactly what’s happening but I know that I want to be spending almost all my time with her.”

“So you like this girl?”

Nate nodded. “I like her a lot. It almost scares me how fast I got really into her. She’s a sparkplug and she takes no shit from anybody, let alone me. She’s got this confidence to her and I—I’m just so attracted to her and I don’t know what to do.”

Sid nodded softly. He and Nate would always end up this way – being secretive before spilling their guts to one another. “June’s already been engaged. I don’t know if she’d ever want to do that again. And to do that with me. I mean I know—I know we’ve known each other forever, but nowadays, being with Sidney Crosby means something a hell of a lot different than if I was just some guy from Cole Harbour.”

Nate nodded his head now too, completely understanding where Sid was coming from. But Sid was still so blind, and Nate wanted to open his eyes. “Do you want my honest opinion?”

“Of course.”

“She’s always been with Sidney Crosby, bro. From Shattuck to Rimouski to the Penguins and the gold medals, she’s always been with you. I don’t think your question should be if she wants to do it with you. I think she has been doing it with you and will always do it with you no matter what. It’s just up to you guys to have that conversation about your future together.”

Fucking hell, Nate was right. He was exactly right. How could he be so dead-on about something? Sidney wondered what he and June looked like to outside eyes if this was the opinion of the majority of people around them. Did everybody think this? Was everyone just waiting on baited breath until they got together? “Since when did you get so mature?” he asked Nate,

“Since I started hanging out with you, bro.”

***

June said she was working late again tonight. So Sidney had a plan.

Late lessons meant that lights would be on in the studio. It meant June’s car would be in the parking lot. It meant that he’d see a parent’s car dropping off their daughter and coming back after however long to pick her up. It meant that Sidney was in his car across the street watching and waiting to see if all that happened.

It didn’t.

Once the lesson was over, parents did come to pick up their daughters. But nobody returned. Not after an hour. Not after two hours. Not even after three hours. It was only June’s car in the parking lot for the entire night – nobody else came or went, not even a cleaning crew. That’s when Sidney knew something was up, and that’s when he knew he needed to get to the bottom of it tonight.

When he saw from across the street that the lights in the studio were starting to be turned off, he got out of his car and walked across the street. When he saw June emerge, locking the front door behind her, he approached. “Junebug,” he called out her nickname so she wouldn’t get startled and scream.

She still jumped at the sound of her nickname. She looked up, clearly shocked to see him there. “Sid? What are you doing here?”

“You told me you had extra lessons,” he said. He didn’t want to make this too confrontational, but he knew that if he didn’t press things, he wouldn’t get anything out of her. “I saw everybody leave and then nobody came back.”

“You were watching?”

“I—right across the street,” he pointed over to his Range Rover in the parking lot across from them. “You’ve been acting funny and now all of a sudden you’re supposedly giving extra lessons when I know you want these girls to live a normal life outside of ballet. Why’d you lie to me, Junebug?”

June let out a sigh. She’d been caught – and of course she’d been caught, because her best friend in the entire universe was Sidney fucking Crosby. “Sid, it’s not what you think it is.”

“Really? Because I’m thinking you’re keeping a big secret from me, and we never keep secrets from each other.”

“Sid, I—”

Suddenly, it hit him. “Do you have a secret boyfriend you’re not telling me about?”

“Oh my GOD Sidney,” June rolled her eyes like she was a fourteen-year-old girl again. Why on God’s green Earth Sidney would ever think she’d get a boyfriend and hide him was a mystery to her. “I do not have a secret boyfriend and you know that.”

“Then what’s going on? Were you seeing anyone in there?”

“I wasn’t seeing—UGH!!!” she let out a loud, slightly angry, and exasperated groan at his jumping to conclusions. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down – so did Sid, waiting for her to answer for her secretive behaviour. She didn’t – couldn’t – even look him in the eye as she mustered up the courage to reveal to him what she’d been doing. She didn’t know what reaction to expect from him. “I’m dancing again, Sid,” she finally revealed.

He was shocked. June watched as his jaw dropped slightly, but he must have been aware, because he picked it right back up after a few moments. “You—you’re dancing again?”

“Yes. After the girls leave I just—I just sort of dance alone in the studio.”

Sidney felt so stupid that he accused her of having a boyfriend now. This was not what he was expecting given what had happened to her. “I can’t believe it,” he didn’t know what else to say. “I—pointe shoes and everything?”

“Mhm. Pointe shoes and everything,” she used his words, nodding her head slightly as looking down at her feet. “I’m just seeing if I can do it again. The pointe, I mean. And the movements and variations and grand pas and all that. I mean, it’s not like I’m going to become a professional dancer again or anything—”

“You’re still a professional dancer, Junebug,” he interrupted, his voice soft. “Nothing or no-one will take that away from you.”

June didn’t respond, looking away after Sidney’s words. If she did look at him, she was sure she would burst into tears. “Anyway, that’s what I’ve been doing. Not off gallivanting with some secret boyfriend.”

Sidney felt like an idiot. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

“Can I watch you one day?”

June’s eyes focused on his. He’d seen her dance countless times before, but they had all been when she was in the National Ballet of Canada and their company. Every time he’d seen her, she’d been at the top of her game. She hadn’t danced in a proper ballet since her injury, obviously, and though she knew Sidney wouldn’t have an ounce of judgement in him, she didn’t know if she was prepared for him to see her dance after not dancing for almost six years. Especially since he was still at the top of his game, so talented and gifted despite his age. To her, he still played like a 21-year-old when he won his first Cup. The things he did on the ice still inspired her. Though she was still surrounded by ballet in her every day life, their situations were vastly different. “Maybe one day,” she said hopefully. She knew she would have to fight for the courage.

Sidney understood. June took a lot of pride in what she did. He bit his bottom lip slightly. “When you are ready to let me watch, can you tell me?”

“Of course.”

“Promise?”

June held up her hand, extending her pinky. Sidney let out a chuckle and he raised his too, locking their fingers together. “Promise.”

[dustedmagazine]

Dust Volume 10, Number 6, Part I

Infinite River

We’re halfway through the year and swamped with mid-year activities (look for our round-up next week), but the records continue to pile-up and we continue to make time for as many as possible.  This month, the slush pile yielded a wide range of music, from Burkina-Faso-ian griot to microtonal composition to snarling black metal to improvisation and jazz. 

Our reviews are split in two parts because of Tumblr's arbitrary limits on sound samples. See Part II here. Contributions included Jennifer Kelly, Bryon Hayes, Andrew Forell, Christian Carey, Jonathan Shaw, Bill Meyer, Jim Marks, Justin Cober-Lake and Alex Johnson.  Happy summer!

Avalanche Kaito — Talitakum (Glitterbeat)

Another of those cross-cultural, Afro-European collaborations that are so often great—see recent works by Chouk Bwa & The Ångströmers, Ndox Electrique and Group Doueh/Cheveux—Avalanche Kaito sets Burkina Faso griot to a rattling, pummeling noise punk beat.  I like “Lago” best, where a clatter of mixed percussion and serrated, distortion crusted guitar dart in and around a keening call and response.  Near the end of a recent long-distance drive, I listened to it 14 times in a row without wearing it out.  Still the title track is fantastic as well, its guitars stabbing in like Fugazi, its drums boxy and agitated, its spatter-painted words dicing the beat into eighths and sixteenths.  The “Kaito” in the band name comes from grioteer Kaito Winse.  The Avalanche comes from the falling-down-the-stairs-but-still-on-beat mix of strident punk and West African syncopation.

Jennifer Kelly  

Ayal Senior — Ora (Medusa Editions)

Toronto’s 12-string warrior Ayal Senior workshopped the songs that became Ora at a monthly residency he has at the Tranzac Club, a haven for the city’s most adventurous musical minds. His comrades Kurt Newman (pedal steel, electric guitar) and Andrew Furlong (bass) joined him on the journey, and together they slowly worked the sonic skeletons into fleshy bodies of song. The trio brought scene veterans Blake Howard and Jay Anderson on board to add drums and percussion when they laid the sounds to tape. Their flourishing rhythms complete the image: five beams of light passing through the prism of Senior’s celestial vision. The guitarist bills Ora as the spiritual successor to 2022’s Az Yashir, yet while that record embraced a post-COVID sea change, Ora is bathed in the light of tranquility. Senior’s folk devotionals draw warmth from the presence of his pals, taking on raga and kosmische adornments as they languidly unfurl. These hymns are beauty incarnate, guitar-centric mantras in service of the cosmic mystery that surrounds us all.

Bryon Hayes

Beams — Requiem for a Planet (Be My Sibling)

Beams is an alt.country ensemble, playing rock and folk instruments in delicate, otherworldly ways.  The voices especially — Anna Mērnieks-Duffield primarily but fleshed out in harmonies by Heather Mazhar and Keith Hamilton—float in translucent layers, mixing eerily with the meat-and-potatoes sonics of guitar, bass and drums.  As the title suggests, Beams main subject is the earth itself, its fragility, its rising temperature, its trajectory towards unlivability.  Yet though there are lessons here, in songs like “Heat Potential,” Beams steers clear of polemics.  “It’s All Around You,” especially envelopes and enfolds. Its string-swooping, gorgeously harmonized arrangements lift you up and out of the mess we’re in.  “Childlike Empress” with its well-spaced blots of keyboard sound, its ghostly, tremulous singing, is an eerie elegy for the world’s natural beauty.  The album is its own thing, but it might remind you of certain twang-adjacent Feelies side projects, Speed the Plough and Wild Carnation especially. 

Jennifer Kelly

DELTAphase — Synced (Falling Elevators)

Process. DELTAphase founder Wilhelm Stegmeier contacts a disparate group of musicians and provides them with a key, beat, tempo for seven pieces of music and allows them complete stylistic and compositional freedom. Each of 10 musicians contributed to one or more of the seven pieces, without knowing who else was involved. Stegmeier, seeking synchronicities and serendipity, collates and adds to the contributions and collages them within the given parameters. Result. The musicians, Merran Laginestra, Beate Bartel, Thomas Wydler, Brendan Dougherty, Lucia Martinez, Antonio Bravo, Andreas Voss, Eleni Ampelakiotou, Dominik Avenwedde, Kilian Feinäugle and Stegmeier come from classical, jazz, electronic and post rock backgrounds, and the music occupies liminal interstices between and across genres. There’s lots of layered percussion, electronic backgrounds and guitar interplay from the squalling electric duel on “Phase Lock” to Bravo’s jazzy riffing on “One by One” which also features Laginestra’s  impressionistic piano. That combination is a standout on an album that can occasionally meander into cul-de-sacs. Remote collaboration has become a commonplace since the pandemic but the caliber of the musicians here and Stegmeier’s skill in pulling their contributions together make Synced a fascinating exploration of compositional process.

Andrew Forell      

   

Taylor Deupree — Sti.ll  (Greyfade)

A recent microtrend involves making acoustic realizations of electronic compositions, the latest being a new version of Taylor Deupree’s lauded 2002 electroacoustic recording Stil. Sti.ll follows suit, with a reworking for acoustic instruments by Deupree and Joseph Branciforte. The bespoke Greyfade book that accompanies Sti.ll is handsome and contains a QR code to download the digital recording. The acoustic versions can sometimes fool you into thinking that you are listening to the original synth sounds, which is part of the game. “Stil.” is nearly twenty-minutes long, for vibraphone and bass drum. The vibes play both textural passages and, simultaneously, repeating dyadic melodies. The bass drum errs on the side of gentle effects rather than thwacking. Another standout track is “Temper,” for multiple clarinets and a shaker. The composition moves through a series of repeated intervals, descending fourth, ascending minor third, et cetera, with harmonic underpinning from the other clarinets and constant pulsation contributed by the shakers. Hard for clubbing, but these pieces would work quite well in a concert.

Christian Carey

Emma dj — Lay2g (Danse Noire)

Paris based Finnish producer Emma dj has the tendency to get distracted by novelty which interrupts the flow of this set and disrupts individual tracks often enough to leave the listener frustrated. If that’s the point, all well and good, but I suspect it’s not, which makes you wonder if this is all in service of the producer rather than the audience. That’s fine if there’s challenge in the music, which here, there is not. He collides bits and pieces of dance punk, chiptunes, video game soundtrack and the detritus of underground sub-sub genres into a messy mélange — a potluck casserole thrown together for a class reunion no one’s attending. It’s particularly annoying for the moments when, by design or serendipity, Emma produces a dish worth eating like “RR.dnk” for instance that sprays warped synth stabs against cowbell hi-hat, thumping kick drum and a stumbling bass line without succumbing to the over seasoning of vocal samples, jokey blips and burps or overwrought exhortations to dance. With a little more focus and balance, he may well produce something pretty good but this is only halfway there.

Andrew Forell

Incipient Chaos — S/T (I, Voidhanger)

There are times when some listeners just want a record of snarling, muscular black metal — thematics and scannable cultural politics be damned. If that sounds good to you, this new self-titled LP from French band Incipient Chaos rages and rips with all the right sorts of aggressivity. It seems that one takes chances with one’s ethics (if not one’s immortal soul) doing this sort of impulse listening in black metal: Is this NSBM? Does anyone have the skinny on that? Do we need to dig into the various “Is this band sketch” subreddits and descend into that 9th Circle of gossip-mongering and reaction? Lucifer smiles; so does Advance Publications. Is that a distinction without a difference? Meanwhile, we can note that Incipient Chaos has released this record on a politically reliable label, and while it’s unusual not to get a lyric sheet from I, Voidhanger (uh oh…), that may just be typical black metal shtick: the words are obscured because they are sooooo evil. Whatevs. The riffs are strong, if not world-changing, and the compositions have drama, if not overwhelming tragedy. Check out the guitar-centric middle portion of “Ominous Acid,” which is hugely satisfying. The down-tempo opening minutes of “Dragged Back from the Abyss” will remind you of the best of Aosoth. It’s all a lot of…fun?

Jonathan Shaw

Infinite River — Tabula Rasa (Birdman)

First came the space, now comes the rock. Infinite River’s first couple recordings had a definite COVID-era vibe to them. The Detroit-based ensemble started out as a trio, with Joey Mazzola and Gretchen Gonzales playing guitars and Warren Defever contributing tambura and a place to record. But a bliss-oriented drone might make less sense in a time when you can get out and play shows than it did when clubs were shut down and people didn’t want to go out than it does when stages are available and Steve Nistor, who drums for Sparks, is available to join in. Last year, Bryon Hayes invoked  Windy & Carl and Mountains when describing Infinite Rivers’ Prequel; “Sky Diamon Raga,” the track that kicks off Infinite River, is more like an arena rock dream of Chris Forsyth’s “The Paranoid Cat.” Much of the time this record feels rather like the Raybeats negotiating production ideas of the 1990s and 2010s, which means that the guitar tones will have you scratching your head to remember what’s being reference and how it’s been changed, but that the snare drum takes up entirely too much sonic real estate. Tellingly, the best moments come when the production is dialed back and the melodies take over, as on a Ventures-does-Coltrane interpretation of “My Favorite Things.”

Bill Meyer

Will Laut — Will Laut (Wavetrap)

Producer Ivan Pavlov AKA COH has collaborated with John Balance and Cosey Fanni Tutti, and the sounds of Coil and Throbbing Gristle are clear influences on his new EP with singer William Laut. Shot through with the feeling of dancing towards doomsday, Laut’s haunted murmur wavers just on the right side of cynicism and sleaze as he sings of living through hate, looking for the redemption of love or at least an opportunity to forget even for a few moments. COH lays down a minimalist carpet of synths and drum machines that use TG’s  “United” and Daniel Miller’s “Warm Leatherette” as templates. Most effective are the slow burn sarcasm of “Cryptoman” and the weary tango of “Wine of Love.” These are songs Brecht and Weill might have written if they had access to cheap keyboards and a primitive drum machine. Noirish, knowing and smart, the four songs on Will Laut are a speakeasy floorshow for the modern world. Highly recommended and hoping to hear more from this duo.

Andrew Forell

Niels Lyhne Løkkegaard and Quatuor Bozzini — Colliding Bubbles: Surface Tension and Release (Important)

Niels Lyhne Løkkegaard is a composer based in Copenhagen. On his latest EP he joins forces with the premiere Canadian string quartet for new music, Quatuor Bozzini, to create a piece that deals with the perception of bubbles replicating the human experience. In addition to the harmonics played by the strings, the players are required to play harmonicas at the same time. At first blush, this might sound like a gimmick, but the conception of the piece as instability and friction emerging from continuous sound, like bubbles colliding in space and, concurrently, the often tense unpredictability of the human experience, makes these choices instead seem organic and well-considered. As the piece unfolds, the register of the pitch material makes a slow decline from the stratosphere to the ground floor with a simultaneous long decrescendo.  The quartet are masterful musicians, unfazed by the challenge of playing long bowings and long-breathed harmonica chords simultaneously. The resulting sound world is shimmering, liquescent, and, surprising in its occasional metaphoric bubbles popping.

Christian Carey

[live-the-fangirl-life]

i would love if you'd shared everything that might be in aelin's list in a world away, all the dream places she wants to go or already went 🤧🥺

First of all - I am so sorry it’s taken me so long to answer this ask 😭

Second - this list is in no way complete. I could probably double it if I gave it some more time (and maybe I’ll edit this post and add some later) but I wanted to answer this ask.

Third - some things listed are cities, some are attractions, some are landmarks or monuments…it’s really a mix of everything. And some major landmarks that cover more than one country are only listed once.

A World Away

So, without further ado, please enjoy

Aelin’s Incomplete and Ever-Adapting World Travel List ✈️

Antarctica

Argentina

Iguazú Falls // Patagonia // Rainbow Mountains // Buenos Aires

Australia

Melbourne // Sydney // Gold Coast // Great Barrier Reef // Adelaide

Austria

Vienna // Salzburg // Hallstatt

the Bahamas

Belgium

Bruges // Brussels

Belize

the Great Blue Hole

Bhutan

the Himalayas

Bolivia

Salar de Uyuni

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Stari Most Bridge // Mostar

Brazil

Rio de Janeiro // Christ the Redeemer // Amazon Rainforest // Lençóis Maranhenses National Park // Sao Paolo

Bulgaria

Cambodia

Angkor Wat

Canada

Niagra Falls // Vancouver // Banff // Toronto

Chile

Easter Island // Torres del Paine National Park // Marble Caves

China

Great Wall of China // Beijing // Shanghai // the Summer Palace // Potala Palace // Tianmen Mountain // Reed Flute Caves // Zhanye Danxia

Costa Rica

San Jose

Croatia

Dalmatian Coast // Diocletian's Palace // Krka waterfall park // Plitvice Lakes // Zagreb

Cuba

Havana

Czech Republic

Prague

Denmark

Copenhagan

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Quito // Galapagos Islands

Egypt

Cairo // The Great Pyramids & Sphinx // Nile River // Valley of the Kings // Luxor // Aswan

England

London // Thames River // Stonehenge

Estonia

Tallinn

Fiji

Finland

Helsinki

France

Mont-Saint-Michel // Louvre // Eiffel Tower // Alsace Lorraine // Paris // Notre Dame // Sacre Coeur // Versailles // Nice

French Polynesia

Bora Bora // Tahiti

Germany

Munich // Berlin // Black Forest // Oktoberfest // Neuschwanstein Castle

Greece

Santorini // Athens // Parthenon // Roman Agora // Acropolis // Mykonos // Oia // Fira // Corfu // Meteora

Greenland

Hong Kong

Tsim Sha Tsui

Hungary

Budapest // Capitol Hill // Bath Houses

Iceland

Reykjavik // Northern Lights // Egilsstaðir //Ring Road // Blue Lagoon // Vatnajökull National Park // Kirkjufell // Húsavík // Akureyri // Thingvellir National Park

Italy

Roman Colosseum // Amalfi Coast // Florence Duomo // Venice at Carnival // Piazzale Michelangelo // Cinque Terre // Pisa // Venice // Pompeii // Milan

India

Taj Mahal // Varanasi & Ganges River // Golden Temple // Agra // Mumbai // New Delhi

Indonesia

Bali // Komodo Island // Blue Flames at Ijen Volcano // Jarkarta

Iran

Hall of Diamonds

Ireland & Northern Ireland

Cliffs of Moher // Giants Causeway // Galway // Blarney Stone // Trinity College // O'Neills // Belfast // Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge // Cobh

Isreal

Dead Sea // Jerusalem

Jamaica

Japan

Tokyo // Mount Fuji // Wisteria Gardens // Osaka // Kyoto

Jordan

Petra // Amman

Kazakhstan

Kenya

Maasai Mara National Park // Lake Victoria

Kyrgyzstan

Luxembourg

Madagascar

Avenue of the Baobabs

Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur // Batu Caves

the Maldives

Male

Malta

Valletta

Mexico

Cabo // Teotihuacán // Chichen Itza // Cabo // Yucatan Peninsula // Mexico City

Mongolia

Gobi Desert

Morocco

Casablanca // Hassan II Mosque // Marrakesh // Chefchaouen // Sahara Desert

Myanmar

Bagan's Temples

Namibia

Nepal

Mount Everest // Kathmandu

the Netherlands

Amsterdam // Van Gogh Museum // Tulip Festival

New Zealand

Auckland // Queenstown // Kawarau Suspension Bridge // Milford Sound // Tongariro National Park // Hobbitton // Dark Sky Sanctuary // Waitomo Caves

Nigeria

Lagos

Norway

Oslo

Panama

Panama City

Peru

Machu Picchu & Huayna Picchu // Lima // Aguas Calientes // Andes Mountains // Huacachina

Philippines

Palawan // Manila

Poland

Krakow

Portugal

Lisbon

Romania

Russia

Moscow // St Petersburg

Rwanda

Volcanoes National Park

Saint Lucia

Samoa

Saudi Arabia

Al-Masjid an-Nabawi

Scotland

Edinburgh // Loch Ness // Inverness // Glasgow // Scottish Highlands

Singapore

Marian Bay Sands

Slovenia

Lake Bled

South Africa

Capetown // Johanessburg // Isle of Elephants

South Korea

Seoul // Jeju Island

Spain

Barcelona // Madrid // Sagrada Familia // Mosque of Cordoba

Sweden

Stockholm // Sweddish Lapland

Switzerland

the Alps // Bern // St Moritz

Tanzania

Mount Kilimanjaro // Serengeti

Thailand

Bangkok // the Grand Palace // Phuket

republic of Türkiye 

Cappadocia // Istanbul // Hagia Sophia // Pamukkale

Turkmenistan

Darvaza gas crater

Turks & Caicos

United Arab Emirates

Dubai // Burj Khalifa

United States

Grand Canyon // San Fransisco // Honolulu // Kauai // New Orleans // New York City // Seattle // Portland // Los Angeles // Antelope Canyon // MOMA // Las Vegas

Vanuatu

the Vatican

St. Peter's Basilica // The Vatican Museum // Sistine Chapel

Vietnam

Ha Long Bay // Hoi An // Hanoi

Zambia

Victoria Falls

[osmanthusoolong]

Yr skin is so beautiful! What is your routine (if you don’t mind sharing)?

Ahhh, you’re so sweet! I’ve actually had pretty fucky skin all over since I was a baby (eczema, allergies, hives, acne, weird dryness), so it’s nice to hear that my attempts to deal with it are working.

I’ve been using the cream-to-foam cleanser from cerave for a while now and I really like it, sometimes I use it all over. Since it started getting cold and dry and irritating, I’ve been using the cosrx galactomyces essence, which I think I’m liking? And at night I use either the press restart retinol from versed or the ascorbyl glucoside from the ordinary which I really really like because they’re like baby versions of retinol and vitamin c. And I’m using the purito cica sleeping pack at night since it got really dry. (Toronto has two settings: very warm and humid or very cold and dry) I like a really barely tinted moisturizer during the day so you can see freckles but not the ghosts of zits or the weird spot on my chin that otherwise can look bruise-y. It all sounds like a lot, but it’s nice to not be itchy or very broken out.

Sometimes I like to stick a sheet mask in the fridge before I use it while having a really hot bath, but I think that’s mostly just the whole mammalian dive reflex vibes more than actual benefit. I’m also on spiro, and have been for ~7 years because of the acne thing, which definitely did help, especially with body breakouts, which were getting really bad.

[theyogahousetoronto]

Hello Everyone,

Saturday March 4th Join Celeste and Ru Henry for an afternoon recharge session.  We will prepare for the coming full moon in Pisces with Qi gong followed by yoga nidra, refreshing healthy snacks and complete our afternoon with a sound bath and Thai yoga massage. $113. includes HST 1:30 - 5:30 pm   All you need is: -comfy clothes -water bottle -and a journal.

Click to register

[socaprince]

SOCA THERAPY - SEPTEMBER 22, 2024

Soca Therapy Playlist

Sunday September 22nd 2024

Making You Wine From 6-9pm on Flow 98.7fm Toronto

Hulk (Dr. Jay Plate) - Blaxx 

Soca Party (Riddim Master Anthem Intro) - Nadia Batson

She Ready - Adam O x Salty                

Lost And Found - Preedy

Bad in Bum Bum - Mighty x Subance

The A List - Pumpa

Ben Ova Miss (Super Clean Radio Edit) - DJ Private Ryan x Mela Caribe x Yung Bredda

Slip In - Geo

Back fi Ya Bend - Slida x Slipe

No Behavior (Touch Down, Shell Down) - Cloud 5

Mashup "When Ah Touchdown" - King Bubba FM

Mizik - Hypasounds

Mas Go Play - Erphann Alves

Live Yuh Life (Like Yuh Playing Mas) - Kes The Band x David Rudder

All of Me - Zan x Niyalee

Aye Gyal - Hey Choppi x Chalmer John

Pressure - Nailah Blackman

Practice - GBM Nutron

Slow Wine - Rae

In Meh Eyes - Viking Ding Dong x Karene Ashe

Look Meh In Meh Eye - Gailann x Rocky

Carnival Darling - Treason

Powder Puff - Xtatik

Long Time - Edwin Yearwood

Have A Little Wine - Lil Rick

Turn Me On - Kevin Lyttle x Maddzart

Over You - Kimba Sorzano

Celebrate Life - Kevon Carter x Shal Marshall

Counting My Blessings - Nadia Batson

Blessing Me - Jimmy October x Coutain

Never Again - Machel Montano

Gyal Wuk - Machel Montano

Wining Season - Machel Montano

Wukkin Up - Patrice Roberts

Born Wit It - Alison Hinds

TOP 7 COUNTDOWN - Powered By The Soca Source

Top Soca Streamed In United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Apple Music (Reggae)

7. All We Have - Destra x V'ghn

6. Truck On D Road - Bunji Garlin

5. #BAD - Skinny Fabulous

4. Carry On - Patrice Roberts

3. Ola - Olatunji

2. Better Than Them - Machel x Timaya

1. Big Bad Soca - Bunji Garlin

Rum Done Friend Done - Christo x Yung Seeche

In A Mess - Problem Child

Is Mas - Patrice Roberts

Own It - Imani

Feting Family - Shal Marshall

All About Soca - Derrick Seales

Oideyo - DJ Private Ryan x Lyrikal x Ann G x Jus Now

Is D Weekend (Soca Therapy Plate) - Third Bass

From Me Heart - Lil Rick

Ah Love It Here - Ricardo Drue

Play Mas - Teddyson John x Lyrikal

PAN MOMENTS

Down Dey - Michael The Pannist x Connell Thompson

Body Language - Michael The Pannist

TANTY TUNE

(1989) Workey Workey - Burning Flames

(1989) Island Girl - Burning Flames

Iron - Ricardo Drue

No Weapon (Jime Edit) - Tian Winter

Nat U (Quest Edit) - Claudette Peters

Bam Bam (Remix) - Drastic x Shal Marshall

Winin' Freestyle (Dr. Jay Plate) - Hypa 4000

Dutty Dancing - Hypa 4000

High Influence - Lavaman

Front Yard Wet - Skinny Banton

Wet It Up (Jester Edit) - Zeek

Take Ah Bathe - Iwer George

Carnival Jumbie - Problem Child

Horn - Marlo Benn

Someone Else (Radio Edit) - Litleboy x Quan x Trilla G

Sound Check - Mad Skull x Wetty Beatz

Stagga Dance - Natty x Thunda x Muddy

Addicted - Jab King x Travis World

Not From Here - Lavaman x Travis World

Jab Jab Festival - Pumpa x Travis World

Explore (Radio) - V'ghn x Travis World

Miracle - Kes x Tano

Unruly - King Bubba FM

Stop Calling Me Phone - Lil Rick

Resurrect It - Skinny Fabulous x Lil Rick x King Bubba FM

Come Home - Nailah Blackman x Skinny Fabulous

Burn - Skinny Fabulous

Spoil Button - Lil Kerry

Bi Polar - Lavaman

NORTHERN PRESCRIPTION

Christmas Nice - Connector

Follow Dr. Jay @socaprince​ and @socatherapy

“Like” Dr. Jay on http://facebook.com/DrJayOnline

[hellllopetsinc]

Why Dog Grooming is a Must for Urban Pets in Downtown Toronto? 

Dog grooming is not just about looks since it is a basic requirement for a dog living in an urban setup such as Downtown Toronto. Given the current and developing urban life pattern, pets are regarded as useful items. However, grooming should not be done often, as most people tend to think. 

This element serves a very important purpose when it comes to animals' health, comfort, and more. This is why grooming is mandatory for dogs in urban areas such as Downtown Toronto.

Health and Hygiene:

Dogs are very active animals, and due to interaction with other pets, they get exposed to dust, dirt, etc., from the urban setting. These particles wash off during a regular grooming process. Some people may develop rashes, bacterial or fungal skin infections, and unhealthy body odors if they remain on the skin. Professional groomers in Downtown Toronto understand the need to look out for other ailments that may develop, such as ear infections, skin ailments, and fleas and ticks. This way, you help your dog to stay healthy and prevent many visits to the veterinarian, which is always costly.

Comfort in the City:

Toronto has quite another climatic condition: a continental climate consisting of hot summers and very severe cold months. Grooming assists in maintaining your loved dog comfortable in all the seasons of the year. For instance, in the summer, a neat trim of the fur jacket makes the animal feel a lot cooler, while in the winter, overgrown hairs become uncomfortable for the animal and could pose skin problems. Batting is also important in grooming, and this involves trimming nails, especially for the dogs that move around on pavements. They get discomfort when their nails are overgrown, and it affects their gait besides having long-term orthopedic implications.

Improved Socialization:

Since you live in a rather populated area such as Downtown Toronto, it is almost certain that your dog will most certainly interact with many people as well as other animals on a daily basis. First, the cleaned companion is more pleasant in communication and, secondly, more self-sufficient. These sessions effectively expose your dog to different places, sounds, and touch, among other things, hence easing the socialization process. This is especially important for urban dogs who have to go for strolls at parks, cafes, and other public places.

Developing the Pertinent Rights:

Prospective grooming goes beyond the services offered by people in the vocation. Activities like brushing and bathing your dog should be done at home, and they offer the perfect chance to interact with the dog. All of these chap and attentive acts assist in the bonding of the relationship and the construction of trust. Especially in such an active city as Toronto, it is critical to establish such warm moments in the family as frequently as possible.

Aesthetics and Pride:

That should not be forgotten; who does not love to see his or her dog well-groomed and clean? In a fashionable district like Downtown Toronto, people pay much attention to a pet’s grooming, as it is a sign of stylish ownership. Part of hygiene is having a well-groomed dog not only for the benefit of the animal but also for the owner. In addition, it assists in less shedding, thus making your home environment clean and more convenient.

Conclusion

Bathing is a must for the dog in Downtown Toronto, and this is not only to maintain the looks of the dog or pet but also crucial for all urban pets to get groomed. From ensuring that the dog’s body stays healthy and comfortable to promoting interaction and connection with other people, dogs need grooming regularly, whether in the City or the country. Well, if you have not yet done so, try to make grooming a part of your dog’s daily schedule – it is one of the best things you could ever do to your pet!

[sarkarinteriors]

Elevate Dining Experiences: Sarkar Interior's Mastery in Restaurant Design

When it comes to creating unforgettable dining experiences, the ambiance of a restaurant plays a crucial role. In Toronto, discerning restaurateurs turn to Sarkar Interiors, the best restaurant interior design company in the city, to transform their culinary visions into captivating realities. With their unparalleled expertise in interior design services, Sarkar Interiors has mastered the art of crafting immersive dining environments that leave a lasting impression on patrons.

Sarkar Interiors approaches each restaurant design project with a deep understanding of the client's vision and brand identity. Through close collaboration and meticulous attention to detail, they create spaces that not only reflect the essence of the culinary concept but also resonate with diners on a visceral level. From upscale fine dining establishments to cozy neighborhood eateries, Sarkar Interiors has the versatility and creativity to tailor their designs to suit any style or ambiance.

One of the hallmarks of Sarkar Interior's approach to restaurant design is their ability to strike the perfect balance between aesthetics and functionality. They understand that a successful restaurant interior must not only be visually appealing but also practical and conducive to the dining experience. Sarkar Interiors employs innovative spatial planning techniques to optimize space utilization, ensuring that every square foot of the restaurant is utilized efficiently while still maintaining a sense of openness and flow.

In addition to spatial planning, Sarkar Interiors pays meticulous attention to every design element, from lighting and color schemes to furniture and decor. They understand that these details can have a profound impact on the overall ambiance of the restaurant and work tirelessly to create cohesive, harmonious spaces that engage the senses and evoke emotion. Whether it's creating an intimate dining nook bathed in warm, inviting light or a sleek, modern bar area with a vibrant color palette, Sarkar Interiors excels at curating environments that enhance the dining experience.

Furthermore, Sarkar Interiors understands the importance of creating a memorable and immersive dining experience that extends beyond the visual realm. They leverage their expertise in interior design services to incorporate sensory elements such as sound, scent, and texture into their designs, creating multi-dimensional spaces that captivate the senses. From strategically placed sound-absorbing materials to ambient scent diffusers, Sarkar Interiors goes above and beyond to create environments that engage all the senses and leave a lasting impression on diners.

In conclusion, Sarkar Interiors stands out as the premier restaurant interior design company in Toronto, known for their mastery in crafting immersive dining experiences. Through their unparalleled expertise in interior design services, they have transformed countless restaurants across the city into captivating spaces that captivate the senses and elevate the overall dining experience. With their meticulous attention to detail, innovative design solutions, and commitment to excellence, Sarkar Interiors continues to set the standard for restaurant design in Toronto and beyond.

[sleekervae]

Yoü & I [2.6]

Masterlist

A/N: The finals season is wrapping up and I'm almost finished all my projects, but I still got lots of content I'll be banging out over the holiday break. Thanks as always for sticking around!

Warnings: none

--

Charlotte could draw many parallels between Toronto and New York: tall-ass skyscrapers, streets shrouded with people all with more important places to be, homeless who begged for money on every block and a niche of street food and culture to indulge in. 

After the two hour flight into Canada, the bands took the day to decompress before their show the next day. The hotel they were staying at was beautiful, and a perk to staying in a gorgeous hotel in the dead of summer was the rooftop pool -- which Maria practically begged the girls to come with her for a 'pool day'. 

A pool day sounded like just the thing Charlotte was due for. Her hands were cramped from clutching pens and her fingers were blistered from working on the guitar so much -- a break was overdo. 

She stood in the illustriously well-lit bathroom, admiring her slim physique in the little black bikini she'd slipped on. It was a newer piece that Maria had picked out for her on a recent shopping trip, and while Charlotte wasn't so keen on how little it covered at first, the more she looked at it on her the more she liked it. 

Tying her hair into a half-assed bun, Charlotte exited the bathroom to find Chloe still lying on the bed, texting and smiling like a mad man. She didn't pay much attention to her bandmate, but Charlotte didn't mind. She watched the galaxy-haired drummer with a coy smile as she slipped on a yellow sundress.

The last time Chloe looked this giddy was just before the band had taken off -- about three years ago, now. She hadn't had much luck in the way of romance since her career had skyrocketed, much like the other girls, she was always busy traveling, tracking, writing. And when she did meet a potential interest, it didn't forego more than a week when Chloe would either loose interest or she would be ghosted for no apparent reason. 

"Who ya' talking to, Smiley?" Charlotte asked.

"Jeff the Killer," Chloe replied.

Charlotte nodded, "Well, maybe you can take two minutes away from Eva and go get your swim suit on? Before we get assaulted with Amber alerts?"

At the mention, Chloe set down her phone and glanced at the singer, "Do you think it's too early to be sending bathing suit pics?" she asked. 

Charlotte simpered, "Um -- it's been about a week, so I'd say so. Does she follow your insta?"

"Yeah,"

"Then just post it there," 

Chloe smiled, "Ah ha! The subtle thirst trap! You're a genius!"

I'm not so sure 'subtle' is affiliated with any social media, Charlotte thought to herself.

"Thank you," she replied. 

Chloe changed into her own electric red one-piece and shorts, and the girls quickly went to meet their friends at the pool. They caught a glimpse of the elevator just as it was beginning to close, growing cause for the girls to sprint. 

"Hold the door!" Chloe called. 

A hand extended out of the gap and held the doors open for the girls to rush in. And lo and behold, Luke and Michael were in the elevator as well. 

"Hey, fancy meeting you guys here," Luke grinned.

"Funny how we just keep running into each other," Charlotte smirked, "As it by fate,"

Chloe meanwhile glared down at Michael's swim trunks, "Nice shorts, Mikey," 

Michael glanced down at his blue swimmers, printed with little silhouettes of fish and turtles -- sure, at first glance they may have been more suited for a child rather than a twenty-year-old man. But Michael liked them, so what?

He, as well as Luke and Charlotte, waited anxiously for another snarky remark from Chloe, but she just looked straight ahead. She said nothing. 

"And?" he asked. 

"And what?" Chloe turned to him.

"No follow up?" 

Chloe smiled, "Oh, I have a follow up. I'm just in a good mood right now," 

"Oh,"

"... If I wasn't in a good mood, I'd ask why you were skimming through the children's section at Walmart for swim trunks," Chloe went on.

Luke snapped his fingers, "There it is," 

The pool wasn't the only highlight of the hotel's rooftop. Aside from umbrella seats, a canopy bar and a hot tub, the kids had a stunning view of downtown Toronto. Not as infinite as Tokyo and not as imperialistic as Vienna, the skyline of glass buildings reflected off of one another, creating a beautiful ripple of blues and teals that crashed against the cloudless sky above. 

Maria and Kimberly were already laid out on deck chairs, soaked in sunscreen, rays and bikini clad. Across from them were Ashton and Calum, partaking in a game of ping pong. There were no other guests on the deck, meaning they had the pool to themselves for a while.

 Kimberly pried her eyes open when she felt a shadow fall over her, scrunching her eyes and blocking the sun with her hand to find Charlotte and Chloe standing over her. The material of her own navy blue two-piece glinted in the rays.

"Yes?" she raised an eyebrow at them, prompting Maria to look over.

"You guys are no fun," Chloe chided.

"No fun? We were waiting for you," Maria said, her voice a little gravelly. 

"Our bad, but somebody just couldn't stop texting another particular somebody," Charlotte winked at the girls. Kimberly awed up at Chloe.

"Aw, how's Eva?" she asked.

"Wishing she was here instead of Syracuse, I imagine," Chloe replied, taking the deck chair next to her. Charlotte took the one on the other side of Maria, both of them stripping back down to their bikinis. 

"You guys have been talking for how long, now?" Maria asked.

"Just under a week," Chloe replied.

"And it's constant," Charlotte remarked, "I think we have reasons to be optimistic," 

"We can start getting optimistic after the three week mark. If you don't scare her away, I'll be so proud of you," Kimberly told her.

Chloe simpered back, "Your confidence in me is astounding," 

At the other end of the pool, Luke was just pulling off his t-shirt and unpacking his backpack. He had his iPhone with an audiobook he thought he would try out. He could hear his mom's voice in his head, reminding him to be sure he put on lots of sunscreen. It was ironic how he came from one of the hottest continents in the world, and yet he was as pasty as a soy bean. 

When he turned back around, reaching as best he could to slather sunscreen on his back, his line of sight fell on Charlotte. Her yellow sundress had disappeared and she was clad in a black triangle bikini, contrasting against her natural olive skin that seemed to glow under the sun. Her shapely legs crossed one in front of the other as she hunched over to shake out her hair. He had to swallow the lump in his throat when she suddenly swung around in his direction, not realizing that he'd been caught staring when his eyes locked with hers. If he had a clear view of Charlotte than she had a clear view of him. 

He smiled sheepishly and waved, a tint of blush covering his face. Charlotte shook her head at him with a little smirk and put up her middle finger. Though she wasn't exactly innocent in the staring department either, and how could she not be?

"Eyes to yourself!" Chloe suddenly shouted, having caught Luke staring, too. Her outburst drew the attention of everyone else. 

Ashton giggled to himself, therefore missing Calum's backhand. The ping pong ball whizzed right by his face.

"I win!" Calum declared.

"You do not!" Ashton countered, "That went out of bounds,"

"We didn't set an out of bounds!" Calum argued. 

Ashton pointed to one of the potted plants behind him, "Yes we did. We agreed if it landed after the tree on my side, or the towel rack on your side, then it's out. Besides, Chloe distracted me,"

"Oh, boo hoo," Calum chided back, "Sore loser," 

With the others distracted, Michael took the opportunity to take a running start and do a cannon ball into the pool -- effectively splashing everybody within a metre of him. Maria and Kimberly were violently ripped from their sun bath with icy cold water droplets, while Chloe hid behind her deck chair and Charlotte covered her head. 

"Michael!" Kimberly scolded, sitting up in a huff. The guitarist remerged from the water, rubbing chlorine from his eyes and shaking out his drenched hair.

"The water's fine, guys! Come on in!" he replied.

Luke shook his head at his hyperactive friend, mouthing a 'sorry' at Charlotte before jumping in himself. Charlotte made good to stand back this time -- the other girls weren't so lucky.

"Oh, come on guys!" Maria whined, wiping cold water off her legs, "A little warning would suffice!"

Charlotte couldn't help but laugh at her friends. Sure, they were trying to have a relaxing afternoon in the sun, but hey, a pool was a pool. And since no one else was around...

Kimberly saw it coming this time, and she moved off the deck chair just in time as Charlotte jumped in after the boys. Maria grimaced when more water splattered across her face.

"Where's my --" Chloe then cannon-balled in, sending water everywhere once again, "... towel?"

There was an assortment of balls and blow up floats for the bands to fool around with -- though given the colours of the toys they were very well meant for little kids. Never the less, a game of volleyball ensued in the pool, with Charlotte and Chloe on one team and Luke and Michael on the other. Calum and Ashton's ping pong game was still in full swing, considering that Ashton demanded a rematch. Kimberly kept the score this time around and they set the boundary lines. 

Luke pitched the rubber ball to Chloe, who bunted it over to Charlotte, who spiked it back at Michael. However, Michael miscalculated where the ball would land and ended up getting knocked in the face. He fell back into the water.

"Oh, shit!" but he emerged quickly, rubbing at his nose and eyes. All attention around the pool was directed at the sudden injury. 

"You okay, mate?" Luke swam over to him. 

"Mike, I'm so sorry!" Charlotte exclaimed, thinking the worst she'd done was bruise his eye or cheek. And God knows they'd have fun explaining a heinous mark to their managers.

Michael pushed the water off his face with his hands and pushed back his sopping hair, looking dazed as he glanced around the pool, "Where am I?" he then glanced at Luke, "My God, are you gorgeous," he then broke out into a smile. Luke rolled his eyes.

"He's fine," he assured the girls, grabbing the ball and handing it to him, "Your serve,"

Meanwhile, the ping pong game was getting heated. Kimberly's head was practically moving in sync with the little white ball as it bounced between Ashton and Calum. Ashton was determined to knocked the ball past Calum but he was a swift opponent. At the next pass, Calum batted the ball just a little too hard however.

The little white ball whizzed past Ashton's head this time, only instead of hitting the ground it flew over the deck and over the railing... over downtown. The boys were stunned, Kimberly was at a loss for how to call the game. 

"So... who wins?"

They both stared down a stunned Kimberly, who only shrugged as she racked her logic, "Okay... the ball is technically... definitely out. Ashton wins by default," she decided. 

"Yes!" Ashton rejoiced, throwing his hands up. 

Calum just shook his head and threw his paddle down, going instead for the neon green floatie, "It's too hot for ping pong anyway," he slipped the floatie around his waist and took off in a little run.

"Go Calum!" Michael chanted. Calum reached the edge of the pool, but instead of a grandiose jump he simply chose to hop in. He didn't even get his head past the water thanks to the floatie. The boys broke into fits of giggles.

Maria just shook her head, "What? You afraid to get your hair wet?" she called.

Calum smirked at her, "Are you, Little Miss Sunshine?"

Maria rolled her eyes, opting to stand up and proudly show off her purple bikini set. Calum subconsciously licked his lips, which didn't go unnoticed by Luke. Maria stood at the deep end of the pool, did a little bow, and dived in gracefully. She emerged a few seconds later, shaking out her raven black hair. 

"Beat that, Marty Mc-Floatie!" she smirked at Calum. 

Ashton did some flexes and bending before he took his running start, ready to make another big splash. However, he didn't count on Michael. hucking the rubber ball at him as he jumped in. The ball nailed him square in the chest and instead of a pencil dive he just flailed in. 

"Michael!" the girls scolded. Ashton made a quick recovery, glaring over at his bandmate.

"Fuck you!" he pretended to cry, clinging to Luke in pity. Luke held him tightly.

"It's okay, honey, he didn't mean it," 

Kimberly pushed some of her dreadlocks over her shoulder, nervous to get them wet. It wasn't so much getting them wet that was the problem, but the drying process could be pretty tedious depending on the day.  

"Come on, Kim!" Chloe urged.

"Do you know how much of a bitch it is to do my hair when it gets wet?" she replied. 

In his peripherals Luke spotted another large floatie: a raft, to be specific. He had a brilliant idea, then. He swam to the other edge of the pool and retrieved it, pushing it towards Kimberly.

"Here!" he called, "Use this!" 

Kimberly smiled at him, "Thanks Luke," she quickly tied back her dreads and sat on the edge. Luke and Calum held the inflatable raft steady so she could wiggle on top, laying on her stomach and paddling over to meet her friends. Her hair was safe. 

Much of the afternoon was spent splashing about. They played a couple round of volleyball and then tried to play a game of Marco Polo. Emphasis on tried to. Poor Calum was picked to 'Marco', but the others devised to slip out of the water quietly all while shouting 'Polo'. 

"Marco!" he called tirelessly, his eyes squeezed shut as he hopped from spot to spot.

"Polo!" Chloe called back, helping Kimberly off of the raft. 

"Marco!" Calum called again.

"Polo!" Ashton quietly sat back on a deck chair and threw his hands behind his head. Calum's patience was wearing thin. He should've at least tapped someone out by now. Calum waded through the pool for a good five minutes before he realized everyone was cheating. 

"You wankers," he muttered, understandably miffed when his friends started laughing. 

At some point, Charlotte took to clambering back to the edge of the deck for a dry spell. She sat on the ledge and let her feet dangle in the water. Just as soon as she slathered on some more sunscreen, Luke had come to sit beside her. He had with him a cold bottle of water that he offered to her.

"Thanks," she smiled at him, "You want some SPF 50?" 

"I'll pass," he shook his head politely. Charlotte raised an eyebrow at him, having heard those words many a times before Luke would be complaining of sunburn hours later.

"Famous last words," she teased. Luke stuck out his tongue. 

Chloe and Ashton were still in the pool, facing off against Maria and Calum in a fierce game of chicken. Kimberly just watched from her raft, sipping a bottle of orange juice while Michael played referee. 

Luke kept his glance on Charlotte, she couldn't help but shiver as water droplets slid down her spine. She was a sight to behold under the sun, her golden skin ablaze against the sharp black fabric of her bikini, and she had some makeup that stained beneath her eyes but Luke didn't point it out. She looked really cool, actually.

"How're you doing?" he asked, not having much of a chance to talk to since they took off again. Really talk, the way they used to. 

"I'm wet," Charlotte replied, unable to keep the smug smile off her face. Luke rolled his eyes.

"No shit," he grinned, "I mean really, though. What's going on with you?" 

Charlotte shrugged, "Nothing. I'm stuck on the road with a bunch of crackheads for three whole months. Other than that... I guess I'm just -- existing,"

"Existing?" 

"Yeah. I'm here, but lately I feel that I haven't been here," she pointed to her head. 

Luke's smile fell a little, "Has Ben been bothering you again?" 

"No," she shook her head, "No, I think he finally got the hint,"

Luke sighed and looked down at his hands, his face tinting red but not from the sun, "You know..." he spoke after a small moment of silence. Charlotte glanced at him and sipped from her water. He laughed nervously, "You're gonna think I'm a cheese puff or something but -- I'm really fucking grateful for you, Char," 

Charlotte broke into a flattered smile, "I'm really grateful for you, too,"

"But seriously," Luke said, "I feel like I don't thank you enough for everything you do for me. No one else would do the things you do for me, no one else tries me happy like you do and you have no idea how much you mean to me. And I know I dicked around on ya a couple weeks ago --"

"-- Water under the bridge," Charlotte said, her heart burning in her chest. She had no idea where this was coming from. 

"But the fact is I don't know what I did to deserve you and I need you to know how fucking grateful I am for you... even when I don't deserve to have you in my life. And if you feel like you can't talk to me about shit 'cause I'll judge you, I won't. I'll always take care of you. You're my best friend and I don't know what I'd do without you," 

Charlotte bit the inside of her lip, willing away the stinging sensation in the back of her eyes, "Jesus Christ," she wrapped her arms around him. She never expected him to say anything like that to her, especially because it was the exact way she felt about him. 

"Am I corny?" he chuckled, hugging her tightly. None of them cared that they were just skin-to-skin in midday. She smelled so sweetly of grapefruit intermingled with bitter chlorine.

"No, you're perfect," Charlotte laughed, "If anything, I'm the one that's grateful for you. No one puts up with my stupidity and shit like you do. I don't know how you do it, honestly,"

Luke snickered and shook his head, pushing some of her wet hair behind her ear, "You're not stupid. You're far from it, Shorty," 

Charlotte smiled and punched his arm, "If the others heard us they'd take the piss out of us so hard right now," 

Luke rolled his eyes, "Like I told you before, they're just jealous of us, "

"Always gotta' be a fucking optimist, don't ya?" Charlotte huffed.

"Always gotta throw in a fucking curse, don't ya?" Luke shrugged. 

Charlotte glared back, and before Luke knew it he had been shoved into the pool. When he resurfaced Charlotte was in a fit of giggles while he sputtered and coughed up chlorine. 

"And here we were having a moment!" 

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“BURWASH FARM AIMS TO REFORM,” Owen Sound Sun Times. January 8, 1921. Page 4. --- MEN WORK CLOSE TO NATURE - 480 PRISONERS LUMBERING AND FARMING NEAR SUDBURY ---- J. J. Middleton, M. B. D. P. H., in an article in the Toronto Star Weekly says:

Burwash is a settlement about thirty miles from Sudbury, and to the visitor appears as a huge Industrial farm cleared out of dense. woods Burwash, however, a much more than that It is an idea. Its 35.000 acres have behind them a conception that man is not naturally depraved and that environment means much. This idea works on the assumption that any errings from the path of rectitude may be corrected by taking the wanderer away for a time. from the strangles and temptations of modern city life into close contact with mother nature and helpful, rest-giving surroundings. Burwash cannot help but be a success because, the idea on which it is founded is right.

At present there are about four hundred and eighty prisoners or inmates at the Burwash Industrial Farm They are sentenced for terms varying from three months to two years less a day. In many cases the prisoners are first offenders, ordinary citizens up till then, with perhaps light kink in their moral make. up That these men are not much different from average human beings is evidenced by the fact that about seventy per of them "trusted" given freedom that old-time prison officials would never have dreamed of.

Seldom do the inmates have serious quarrels among themselves. In only one instance does the present superintendent of the Farm remember prisoners fighting, and that, strangely enough was when two men came to blows over a horse which one of the combatants declared the other had ill-treated: this charge the latter stoutly denied. Indeed, one has only to visit the stables to see what interest the men must take in looking after the horses forty-five of the finest animals one could wish for, all carefully groomed and in first-class condition. 

A resident physician attends to the general health of the prisoners, and in addition the Provincial Board of Health sends up a clinical specialist from Toronto at regular intervals to examine and treat the men for venreal disease.

In planning prison reform there are two viewpoints largely affected by the severity of the prisoner's office One is to provide facilities for teaching younger prisoners a trade, and for the older ones to "carry an a some familiar occupation, 

The other is to bring the prisoners in touch with nature, to have them work in the folds or in the woods, to give their tired and perhaps sometimes distorted mind a res: far removed from city influences. 

It in on the latter viewpoint that the Burwash idea hinges, and last year the prisoners took out from the Farm woods 1,000,000 feet of lumber valued at $60,000. This lumber is used for the building and extension at various public institutions in the Province. Potatoes and other vegetable are grown on nearly 100 acres. All the work is done by the prisoners who work ten hours a day in summer, with Saturday afternoons off after 3 pm The weekly bath is arranged for Saturday afternoons where work is finished. In winter the working day is during the hours of daylight, Although under restraint in the respect that their quarters have locked doors and barred windows, the prisoners are provided with indoor attractions, including a good gymnasium and a piano.

A visit to the Industrial Farm in extremely interesting. Recently I went there in company with another. doctor, and at the railway station about a mile and a half from the Farm, we were met by a horse and buggy in charge of a young man whom, I afterwards learned, was a prisoner; there was no restraint apparent, however, nor could anyone tell that our driver was not an ordinary individual from the local livery stable. We had breakfast at the Farm, all the waiters being prisoners, and yet they were extremely obliging and cheerful. The meals served were excellent, and showed a capable che was in charge of the kitchen, even if he was not for the time being a freeman. The cooking arrangements are superintended by a lady dietitian, one of the Farm officials. 

There is a sawmill, which is always busy. The work of planing, making sashes and doors-in fact, all the fine features of the building trade are carried on. 

The prisoners have Just built a fin schoolhouse on a site which a few weeks ago was a dense forest.  The teacher arranges for concerts and athletic sports.

Trusted men are given many privileges that the less trustworthy do not enjoy. For instance there is a big herd of over 300 cattle which roam the spacious territory that the farm includes, Chosen prisoners go away all day with the cattle taking lunch with them. Seldom do any of them escape. 

The temptation to escape is, how ever, reduced to a minimum, as non of the outside influences that might distract the attention of the prisoners can very well penetrate the fifty mile of surrounding bush. 

Complaints have been heard regarding the treatment handed out to prisoners. One can rest assured that any breach of discipline is dealt with justly, but no hardships are tolerated. If any individual guard should be reported as treating a prisoner with cruelty the case is investigated at once.

Some of the prisoners also complain of the lack of trades taught at the Farm, the greater part of the work being farming and lumbering This is the definite foundation of the Burwash idea - to keep men who have received short sentences at outdoor work among natural surrounding. The length of sentence would not allow enough time to carry out sufficient training in any of the skilled trades. The Parole Hoard is an important feature in prison reform work at this institution. If a man is paroled, all efforts are made to get employment for him, sometimes done through private employers.

The Board consists of a committee of gentlemen who have judiciary powers as to whether a prisoner is eligible to be given his freedom on parole. It includes Hamilton Cassells, K.C. chairman: G. Y. Chown, registrar of Queen's University, Kingston; Mr. Miller Toronto: Col. Noel Marshall; W. W. Dunlop, Inspector of Prisons.

In leaving the institution on parole, Burwash inmates have the services it the Parole Officer, who at present Dr. Lavalle. This officer, who is servant of the hours, keeps in touch with Salvation Army and social workers and industrial concerns