#when on karaoke night a guy performed (not sang. Performed) toxic by britney spears with a pride flag tied around his waist

[shittywriterbrain]

i was looking up the founding year of the boy scouts and stumbled upon this article complaining about the boy scouts of america changing their name to "scouting america" to be more inclusive. it's the dumbest shit i've ever read but it does have an absolutely amazing idea

this is not happening. Anywhere. but it should!!!

[jami-c]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/21/derrick-rump-colorado-springs-shooting-victim/

I'm gonna miss you forever, Chocolate Chip.

Bartender Derrick Rump ‘is what made Club Q’

Without him, one club regular said, the place is ‘never going to be the same’

By Casey Parks

November 21, 2022 at 6:21 p.m. EST

Club Q regulars could tell before they even entered the bar if Derrick Rump was working that night. Most evenings, the 38-year-old blasted Britney Spears songs so loud you could hear them from the parking lot, friends said.

If they heard “Toxic” or “... Baby One More Time,” they knew Rump was behind the bar and the night was going to be good.

Sassy and pint-size, Rump was seen as the glue that held together the queer community in Colorado Springs.

:readmore:

He bought lashes and outfits for drag queens who couldn’t afford them, and during the pandemic, when all of the performers lost their jobs, he bought other people’s groceries for two months straight.

“He is what made Club Q,” said Kayla Rene Cortes, a 26-year-old lesbian who has visited the bar for years.

Rump is one of five people killed in a mass shooting at Club Q late Saturday night. At least 18 other people were injured.

Without him, Cortes said, the club is “never going to be the same.”

How the Colorado mass shooting unfolded — and ended — inside Club Q

Rump started working at the single-story bar five years ago, and he instantly established himself as a good listener with a heavy pour. He opened five days a week, and he spent most shifts mixing drinks in the upper lounge, an elevated spot where the acoustics made it easier to carry on a conversation.

If you didn’t know him and saw his face, friends said, you might have thought he didn’t want to talk. He was direct and sarcastic, and his dark eyebrows were often raised in a way that felt both daring and distinct, but the minute he started talking, that look melted away.

“He was super welcoming,” Anthony Kichton said. Kichton, a biomedical equipment technician in the Air Force and student at the University of Colorado, met Rump 10 years ago.

“Every time I saw him, he was always positive and extremely kind,” Kichton said.

One of Rump’s best friends, a drag performer who started at Club Q the same night Rump did, said Rump could connect with anyone, regardless of age or gender or sexuality.

The performer spoke on the condition of anonymity. Many people have sent hateful messages to others who frequented the club in the days since the shooting, she said, and she does not feel safe having her name or face available publicly.

A few years ago, Rump and fellow bartender Daniel Aston decided to stop referring to customers as “guys” or “girls.” Instead, the performer said, they greeted everyone with “Hi, friend.”

“It changed so many people’s lives because they didn’t feel misgendered,” the performer said. “I know it’s such a small thing, but it matters to people.”

Aston was also killed Saturday night.

Jared Sikes said he was nervous the first time he went to Club Q because he hadn’t been to a gay bar in years. He felt out of place until he spotted Rump and Aston.

“I hung out near the bar where their smiling faces and warm personalities made me feel welcome,” Sikes wrote on Facebook. “It was the same story every time we spoke. They were kind and considerate and the world is a darker place without them.”

Rump occasionally pulled himself away from the bar to counsel people on the patio, the drag performer said, and every Thursday night, he signed up for karaoke. He was a passionate singer, if not a technically talented one, and he sang the same off-key version of “Runaway Train” every week. He somehow never learned all the words to the Soul Asylum classic, the performer said, but that didn’t matter.

“He would take the mic and go right to the middle of the dance floor,” the drag performer recalled. “He always missed the first word, then from there, it was him and the song playing catch-up very loudly and proudly.”

Rump wasn’t a drag performer himself, but last month he agreed to try it.

Before the pandemic, the bar often had lines around the block, but it has struggled over the past few years. Some nights, only a dozen or so people came. The small crowd gave the bar a homey feel — patrons often hung out and played Uno together — but the workers were looking for a way to draw in more customers, and they figured new entertainment might help. Many performers left the bar or the business entirely during the pandemic, and most weeks this year, the same five drag queens entertained people five nights a week.

Rump’s friend decided to create “Let’s Do Drag,” a new Sunday night event to recruit and train new performers. The first week, hardly anyone signed up. Drag can be expensive and daunting, and people seemed nervous to dive in. But in early October, Rump said he’d give it a go.

He borrowed a wig and a dress, and a friend painted his face with black lipstick and turquoise eye shadow. Rump didn’t want anyone to see him before the show, but he teased his friends with peeks at the details on Snapchat. His wig was platinum blonde, his dress black and sequined.

When showtime came, Rump didn’t know how to walk in his high-heeled boots, so he wobbled toward the stage until he could strut.

“He was having the time of his life,” the performer said. “I’ve never seen him so sassy in my life, and he was already pretty sassy.”

Afterward, Rump and all his friends cried backstage.

“It was such a powerful night,” the performer said. “He got a lot of people to try drag. I had people signing up left and right after that.”

Rump grew up in Berks County, Pa. Tracy Hampton met Rump there 15 years ago when they both worked for a small mailing company. Hampton said Rump helped her grieve the loss of her daughter.

“Derrick was the sweetest soul I ever knew, and like a second son to me,” she said. “He always had a smile ready for everyone. He made friends very easily.”

When Rump moved from Pennsylvania to Colorado, Hampton said she felt lost without him, but they stayed in touch, and she talked to him a few days before his death.

“I’m just glad the last thing I got to tell him was that I love him,” she said.

Rump had been living in Colorado Springs for at least a decade. The city is about an hour’s drive from Denver, and it’s home to a tightknit queer community, mostly people who fled more conservative areas for LGBTQ-friendly Colorado, only to find that the rents in Denver were too expensive.

The past few years had been hard on that community, the performer said. None of the other tragedies made the news, but some people lost homes, and other people lost people. Rump had endured his own string of losses, but he was reluctant to ask others for help. Instead, he found solace in stepping in for other people.

In that way, he leaves what many described as an unfillable hole. He is the person they most need to guide them through this time, they said.

Even if he didn’t know what to do, he often stepped up and acted as if he did. For a gay man, he was a decidedly “not decorative” person — his Christmas stocking was the only one without glitter on it last year — but he often volunteered to help decorate. And when people lost their homes, he took them shopping and paid for everything.

Maybe he wouldn’t know now how they’re supposed to move on, friends said, but he would have found a way to lead them.

“Derek had a tough-love attitude with everything,” said Alex Gallagher, a regular who left Club Q about 20 minutes before the shooting began. “If he saw me crying right now he’d probably tell me to stop crying, to stop being so dramatic. We loved that about him.”

Ari Schneider, Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Maham Javaid, Cate Brown and Alice R. Crites contributed to this report.

Mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado

The latest: A day after the 22-year-old man who allegedly opened fire inside an LGBTQ nightclub was preliminarily charged with murder and hate crimes, investigators continued seeking a motive Tuesday behind the nation’s most recent mass shooting.

Remembering the victims: Officials on Monday identified the five victims killed in the Colorado Springs shooting. Their names are Daniel Aston, Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh and Derrick Rump. Here’s how to help family members of the victims and survivors of the Club Q shooting.

Stopping the shooter: An Army veteran who was at the nightclub to celebrate a friend’s birthday with his family disarmed and subdued the gunman. Here’s how the Club Q shooting unfolded.

The suspect: The suspect, Anderson Lee Aldrich, faces five murder charges and five charges of committing a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury, city spokesman Max D’Onofrio said. Prosecutors will later file former charges. Records show that Aldrich changed his name at age 15, obscuring a a tumultuous past.

[breakfreefromyourlies]

With a taste of your lips (Part 5) – Reader x Gwilym Lee

Summary: You landed your first pretty big job on the set of the BohRap movie, what could go wrong? Except your feelings?

A/N: I am so excited for this chapter. This is my fav yet. I had so much fun writing it and I have alway wanted to write a karaoke scene. I hope this will make you dream and want to sing haha. Don’t hesitate to tell me what you think of it and if you want to be added to the tag list. And remember that English is not my first language so I’m sorry if there are grammatical mistakes.  

The gif is Gwilym looking at you while you perform. 

Pairing: Gwilym Lee x Reader

Words count: 2.1k

Your eyes were still locked with Gwilym’s. His confession dropped on you like a bomb and you were not sure to realize what was happening. There was so much you wanted to say but you wouldn’t know where to begin and you definitely didn’t want to do it in front of Ben and Joe.

“We can leave if you two need to keep talking.” Ben said, noticing that something serious was taking place.

“No need, I said what I had to say.” Gwilym replied. His cold answer made your heart ache.

“Well perfect, because we are… GOING OUT!” Joe let out with great passion. “We want to celebrate your promotion Y/N and well it’s always a good idea to go out. The first round is on me.” He added before winking at you.

“Great because I definitely need a drink, or four.” Gwilym added, looking away from your direction, not realizing that he didn’t even know about that promotion.  

“Lucy, Rami and Allen are coming too. So Y/N? What do you say?” Joe asked, his enthusiasm making you have a light smile on your face.

You knew that the following day was off and you definitely didn’t want to be alone tonight so you agreed wholeheartedly.

“What Joe didn’t tell you... is that we are going to a KARAOKE BAR!” Ben said with a big smile on his face.

At least it would make you forget a bit about that roller coaster of a day.  

Gwilym and you were silent the whole ride to the bar. It was definitely not the same for Ben and Joe as they began singing in the car which lighted up your mood a bit even though you still felt a knot in your stomach.

You finally arrived to the place after what felt an uncomfortable ride. Allen, Lucy and Rami were already around a table and waved in your direction as soon as they saw you coming.

The place had an eccentric vibe that you very much appreciated. It was quite crowded and you almost regretted agreeing to come and sing in front of all of these people.

“I’ll have a vodka shot!” Gwilym ordered to the waiter before even being fully seated.

“Ok you were not joking when you said you wanted to drink.” Ben said to him. Gwilym let out no expression on his face.

“Come on Gwilym, we’re here to have fun. Don’t make that face all night.” Joe added, giving him a light kick on the arm.  

“I’ll take one too.” You told the waiter. Alcohol was exactly what you needed at this very moment.

“Wow I see we’re not kidding here. I’ll take one three.” Lucy said with a huge smile on her face.

“You know what? Let’s all have a bloody shot!” Ben shouted, bumping his fist on the table.

Five minutes later, everyone was ready to drink the beverage in front of them.  

“To the best crew ever!” Rami toasted, his drink up, followed by all of you. The taste of alcohol burned your throat. As you came to your senses, you felt Gwilym’s glaze on you before catching him looking away instantly.

“So who’s going first?” Allen asked, excited to judge the performances.

“I’d say the woman of the hour should go first.” Joe said with a smirk on his face before adding “It’s your time to shine Y/N!”.

“Asshole” you replied, laughing. “If I go first, I definitely need another drink.” You stated before ordering a cocktail. You drank almost all of it before going on the empty stage in front of the whole bar.

“YEAH Y/N/N, SHOW THEM WHO’S THE STAR!” Ben shouted, making you laugh.

“YAS QUEEN!” Lucy added, waving her hands in the air.

You felt the alcohol starting to increase the temperature of your body and inhibit your control. Your cheeks were turning a soft red so you decided to take off your jumper and threw it to the table where your friends were.      

Gwilym’s breath became heavier as he watched you carefully on stage. His eyes were wandering from your face to your whole body. He had never wanted someone as much as he wanted you now.

Going through the list of songs available, you picked one of your favourite by Britney Spears. You took a deep breath before facing all the tables full of strangers and the one with your friends.

“I want to dedicate this song to you Joe. I know how much you love me but I’m sorry I think I did it again.” You smirked.

You didn’t even have to look at the lyrics on screen to sing along to the melody. You knew the song by heart and you were fully focused on giving the performance of a lifetime.

“Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

I think I did it again

I made you believe we're more than just friends

Oh baby

It might seem like a crush

But it doesn't mean that I'm serious”

You channelled your inner Britney Spears and took the entertainment very seriously. You moved as if you were in a music video.

Strangers were clapping and singing along with you. Every single one of your friends were dancing and singing except for Gwilym. You catched his eyes. He was so focused on you that you lost track of the song for a few seconds before regaining attention to the lyrics.

“Cause to lose all my senses

That is just so typically me

Oh baby, baby

Oops, I did it again

I played with your heart, got lost in the game

Oh baby, baby

Oops, you think I'm in love

That I'm sent from above

I'm not that innocent”

“She’s quite something, isn’t she?” Joe said, turning his head to face Gwilym.

“She is.” He replied, keeping his glaze fully focused on you. He just wanted to go on that stage and kiss you with all the passion he had in him. The way you let yourself go, having fun and being fully yourself made him fall even more. His heart was beating faster and faster, the drinks emphasizing his desire.

As you finished the song, everyone in the bar clapped and complimented you but it didn’t matter as long as the only cheering you needed was there. You spotted Gwilym standing while clapping his hands with a soft smile on his face. It was the first time that you were seeing him smile in a few days and it immediately melted your heart.

As you came back to the table, Joe and Ben immediately run towards the stage, ready to perform their duet on “Purple rain” by Prince. They had developed an obsession for this song during the shooting and grabbed any occasion to sing it together.  

You ordered another cocktail as you sat down.

“You should go easy on the drinks Y/N/N.” Gwilym advised you but you knew you needed more. “And great performance you did out there.” He added, smiling softly before saying “Roger and Brian should definitely consider taking you on tour with them.”

This made you smile.

“Don’t mess with me Gwil.” You replied, bumping your shoulder in his arm. You missed feeling this close to him. “It’s nice to see you smile again.” You added, looking at his lips for a brief instant before looking back at his eyes. Your bodies were close and you could smell his perfume from where you were. You wanted to forget everything around you two and just enjoy his presence next to you but Ben’s and Joe’s cover of Prince’s hit made it very hard not to laugh. They took their performance very seriously. You decided to cheer them as loud as you could, Gwilym following your action.  

As the night kept going, a few other customers took the stage and performed many songs you loved. Even Rami and Lucy decided to give it a chance and sang “Total eclipse of the heart” with such passion that everyone in the bar were cheering them. Allen was enjoying his judge role way too much, making you laugh even more.

….

The evening had passed so fast you hadn’t realized that the seventh of you were the only people left in the bar. It was 1:00am and you were exhausted of the long day and all the fun you have had tonight.  

As you said goodbye to Rami, Allen and Lucy, Joe and Ben were about to go too.

“You guys are not leaving?” Joe asked you and Gwilym as you were not moving from your seats.  

“I just finish my drink and I’ll go.” Gwilym replied, looking at his almost empty glass.

“I’ll stay with him. Just want to make sure he doesn’t try to steal the mic and start singing a song by himself.” You added, chuckling while looking at Gwilym’s face.

“Well, have a nice night then!” Ben said with a smirk on his face. You looked at him with a wince.

You were now the last two people in the bar. The bartender was busy wrapping everything for closure.    

“Why don’t you sing to me one last song before we leave?” Gwilym asked you out of nowhere, taking you by surprise.

“You already heard my amazing voice tonight, are you sure you truly want to hear it again?” You asked, not knowing if he was actually serious.

“Yes, I do.” He replied, not thinking twice.

“Well, I’ll see what I can find.” You whispered, leaving the table to go on stage.

Scrolling through the hits, you knew exactly which one you wanted to sing. You took the mic and placed yourself right on stage across from Gwilym. His eyes were devouring you, giving you shivers through your whole body.

The slow music began and you took a deep breath before starting. Singing in front of Gwilym only stressed you more than in front of a full bar.

“Baby, can't you see

I'm calling

A guy like you should wear a warning

It's dangerous

I'm falling”

Your voice was nice and slow. You knew that the cover of “Toxic” by Britney Spears was exactly the song you wanted to sing to Gwilym. The lyrics matched all of the feelings you felt for him.

“There's no escape

I can't wait

I need a hit

Baby, give me it

You're dangerous

I'm loving it”

Your body was moving slowly, your hands holding the mic with much intensity. Gwilym’s throat was getting tighter and his breathing more and more difficult. It took all the control in him not to stand up and take you on that stage at this very moment. He was hypnotized by your whole being.

“Too high

Can't come down

Losin' my head

Spinnin' 'round and 'round

Do you feel me now?”

As you continued singing, you began to go down the stage and walked with a slow pace towards Gwilym. Your heart was beating faster and faster.

“With the taste of your lips

I'm on a ride

You're toxic I'm slippin' under

With a taste of the poison paradise”

You had arrived at the table where he was. Without looking away from your lips, he moved to the side of the seat to give you some space next to him.

“I'm addicted to you

Don't you know that you're toxic?

And I love what you do

Don't you know that you're toxic?”

You sat down, your legs touching his. The tension was so strong that could not keep singing. The instrumental kept playing as you let out a long sigh while looking a Gwilym’s lips.

“Remember when you told me during the rehearsal of the “We will rock you” scene that you would give me anything I want. I just had to ask?” You asked him, under your breath.  

“I do.” He answered almost instantly, fully focused on what you were about to say.

“Well, I want you to kiss me.” You whispered, not thinking about anything else than how Gwilym’s lips would feel on yours.

Without any hesitation, he placed his right hand on your left cheeks and gave you the most passionate kiss you had never had in your life. His lips were hot with a subtle taste of alcohol. You had completely forgotten where you were. You put your hands in his hair as he let down his left hand on your waist. You were burning inside. You knew that if you two were alone at this very moment, you would lose complete control of your actions.

As he parted from your lips, his breath being so heavy, he looked at you with all the desire in the world and confessed “You can’t imagine for how long I have dreamed to do that.”

You also had wanted this for as long as you could remember. Except, you would never have thought it would be more incredible than what you had imagined before.