#and already listed a bunch of east coasters

[filmnoirsbian]

#it was between georgia arizona and ny for the last one but i was trying to cast a wide net #and already listed a bunch of east coasters #tcp #my vote is texas btw <3

[theplatinthehat]

*nails my piece of paper to Philip Pullman’s front door*

So, I made a joke earlier today about writing up my grievances with the world-building of the His Dark Materials trilogy. I genuinely didn’t think anyone would be interested enough to ask me about this. But someone did, so I’ve abandoned the actual jobs I needed to do today and went away to cobble together this post to summarise My Thoughts (and no-one was more surprised than I to find that there were more than two).

Let me say that these are my thoughts and opinions on this particular canon of work. I don’t judge anyone who likes them (hell, I love the idea of daemons and I certainly think there are some interesting concepts explored in the series) and you are more than welcome to disagree with me on any (or all) of the points that I outline below. And you’re certainly allowed to acknowledge that there are issues with a text and still find enjoyment from them. I’m not looking to Cancel anyone – I just have questions and I’m prepared to shout them into the void.

If anyone does reblog this, I ask that you don’t tag it with #hisdarkmaterials or #hdm, because that’s unfair on the people who are using those tags to curate a positive fandom experience.

Caveat to all of this – I haven’t read the books, but I have watched the current BBC/HBO series in great depth. I’m also writing a fanfic called The Shadow Mandate set in the world of His Dark Materials and that has required me to do extensive research and engage with multiple sources about the world. It’s as a direct result of this research that much of these questions and critiques have arisen. I am planning to read the books soon though (mainly so I can roast them more thoroughly)

Don’t send this to Philip Pullman (or Philman, as I will probably refer to him from here on out). 1 – he isn’t going to care what I say (he’ll just say it’s a metaphor and to not read too much into it or something equally as infuriating) and 2 – I don’t care what he says.

Now all that boring stuff is done, let’s get to it. I’m putting this all under the cut so the poor folk who want nothing to do with this can ignore at their leisure.

This will possibly get a bit tongue in cheek in places – just a warning

One Church to Rule Them All, One Faith to Bind Them

So, one of my main questions about the world of His Dark Materials is the Magisterium and the Holy Church. And that question is “How?”

Overlooking the fact that this was probably a conscious decision by Philman to Make A Point, I still have questions behind this behemoth of an institution. Based on my research, I’m of the understanding that Lyra’s world parted from our own when John Calvin became the Pope, and transferred the seat of Papal power to Geneva. After Calvin’s death, the Magisterium was formed and they consolidated power from there.

In my mind, this just doesn’t work. Because it makes it sound like Calvin was the only person standing between the Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformation. Whilst he had a big role in the Reformation, he just wasn’t the only person working for reforms (I mean – Luther? Hello? He had 95 problems, and Indulgences were all of them). You could probably argue with me on this, as he was a significant figurehead of the Reformation, but there were so many people working for change in Europe at the time that I would have thought that someone else would have taken that place (you can read more here).

The lack of denominations also doesn’t really sit with me because if there’s one thing I know about Christians, it’s that we love to argue over teeny-tiny details and build whole new ways of worshipping around them. The fact that the Magisterium doesn’t just tear itself apart is, to be honest, quite surprising. And, you know, the Eastern Orthodox tradition was already a thing at the time… (here’s a brief overview of the East-West Schism of 1054)

I’d also like to point out that Papal power was dominant in Western civilization. That leaves a lot of the world for the Magisterium to then suddenly gain power of. Or did Philman conveniently forget that Judaism (although the Jewish people had suffered significant persecution in Europe by this time), Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism (and many others) were all already very well-established religions in other parts of the world that I doubt would have taken too kindly to the Magisterium’s political advances. This idea of a religion having such a heavy-handed control over the whole world just seems a bit too far-fetched for me to believe.

However, I have to acknowledge that I say this as a white, Western Christian – perhaps people genuinely feel that is the case.

I do know that the witches are mentioned at having their own religion, but I can’t really find any information about it, so I can’t really compare them. It could well be that other religions and faith practices are mentioned in the books themselves, but I’m struggling to find them (do the shamans count? I’m not sure). Perhaps this is just me, but one religion consuming the whole world (or, at least, the vast majority of it) doesn’t strike me as particularly plausible.

 Beast from the East

This is probably my most serious critique of the series, and one that’s actually been the most nightmarish for me to deal with in my own expanded world-building of Lyra’s world for The Shadow Mandate. This is an issue that has been discussed at length Marek Oziewicz in the paper ‘Representations of Eastern Europe in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, Jonathan Stroud’s The Bartimaeus Trilogy, and J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series’ – which I highly recommend you read!

(And it dunks on Ms R*wling too – what a treat!).

I’ll do a little summary for those of you who haven’t got the time to read a whole paper:

The His Dark Materials trilogy is told from a very British point of view (understandable, the author is a white British man)

Britain is a positive and exciting place, where all the characters are individuals with the capacity for good or evil

The general geographical sense of the world-building is that the further East you go (in Europe) that the less ties the people have to the Holy Church and the more barbaric they are – see the Tartars and their ‘Breathless One’ practices

The Eastern European races are frequently described with qualities such as “cruelty, pitilessness, barbarism, fierceness, physical and emotional instability” (Oziewicz, p. 8)

A lot of nationalist stereotypes surround the peoples of these races/countries

I mean, the treatment of the Tartars (which is a living, breathing ethnolinguistic group) as a whole is pretty disturbing. They’re described to be like a ‘warmongering race of xenophobic genocidal humans who want to conquer the whole of the Earth’ (Quote) - compare that to the complexity of the characters from the West. Oziewicz notes that the Tartars are somewhat akin to the Imperial Guard of Star Wars, as their helmets have ‘no eyes – or at least you couldn’t see any eyes behind the snow slits’ (Northern Lights, p. 289). As far as I can tell, they’re pretty much just tarred with one brush – made particularly plain by the fact that all Tartars seem to have identical wolf/husky daemons – unless that was a requirement when the Magisterium put the job posting on Indeed.

So, a whole nation of people has been reduced to a single archetype – one that plays on existing prejudices in British culture. That just feels like extremely lazy world-building to me – I don’t know a single country or ethnic population that could accurately be described as one archetype.

I also feel that a lot of other countries in the world are written off with sweeping generalisations – or just kinda lumped together? So, a lot of my research has involved me looking at the canonical list of Globetrotter Maps, and a whole bunch of countries tend to get lumped together – particularly, I’ve noticed, the South American countries. It does this really intriguing and complex world a major disservice. As I said, this is something that I’ve had to grapple with for my own work – and I hope that I’ve done enough work so as to begin to dissemble what Philman started.

 A new and exciting way to get around the ‘G’ slur

For those of you who are unaware (although, you’re on Tumblr – how could you possibly not be aware?) the G-slur is considered to be a pejorative description of the Romani ethnic group, associated with idleness and itinerancy. It comes from the mistaken European belief that the Romani people came from Egypt (they aren’t). You can read more about that here and here.

Philman decided to name his ethnic group known for travelling and trading as they go ‘Gyptians’. I won’t insult your intelligence by explaining any further.

Should I let this slide with the explanation that the term is so pervasive in Britain that it’s actually a legal term? Perhaps, but I’m not going to.

 Kill Bill God

My only issue with this is that if Philman wants to kill God, he should kill… God. Not some angel with a superiority complex. But seeing how badly some people took it, I can understand why he didn’t. I still think he’s a coward.

 Sex, Dust and Dragons

I have a whole other bone to pick with Philman about his obsession with sex in children’s literature, but that’s not what you’re here to talk about. No, you came to hear about His Dark Materials.

It’s established in the world that Dust doesn’t settle on children because they don’t have experience – they are too innocent. Based on the research I’ve done, and the language used in both the film and the mini-series is this maturation from childhood to adulthood is though protosexual experiences e.g. kissing. And this is what Mary Malone’s role as ‘the serpent’ is – she’s the one that make Lyra think about her sexuality for the first time:

As Mary said that, Lyra felt something strange happen to her body. She found a stirring at the roots of her hair: she found herself breathing faster. She had never been on a roller-coaster, or anything like one, but if she had, she would have recognised the sensations in her breast: they were exciting and frightening at the same time, and she had not the slightest idea why. The sensation continued, and deepened, and changed, as more parts of her body found themselves affected too. She felt as if she had been handed the key to a great house she hadn't known was there, a house that was somehow inside her, and as she turned the key, deep in the darkness of the building she felt other doors opening too, and lights coming on. She sat trembling, hugging her knees, hardly daring to breathe, as Mary went on...

Marzipan, The Amber Spyglass

(That’s such a long quote)

It’s then made explicitly clear that it’s the intimacy of Lyra and Will’s relationship, and the touching of one another’s daemons, that causes Pan and Kirjava to settle in their true forms.

Andrew Lloyd Webber was right – love really does change everything.

Here’s where things get a little bit petty.

So, if Dust begins to settle on children once they’ve had their first ‘sexual awakening’ – what about those people who don’t ever experience that? Because, believe it or not, asexual people have existed for a very long time. If they don’t experience this, then would their daemons settle? What are the implications of this? Are asexual people remaining in the ‘childlike innocence of the Garden of Eden’? (Quote)

Asexual fans of His Dark Materials, I pass this question to you – do you lack a soul because you’ve never experienced sexual desire? Is sex truly instrumental on the road to maturation? I’d love to hear your thoughts, and what you’d do if your daemon never settled. Would you let them shift into a dragon? I know I would if I were in that position.

This issue, to me, is massively indicative of the prevalent attitudes towards the asexual community. There is a tendency for media products to portray a-spec people as immature because they don’t experience sexual attraction – which is just not true. The ace community has said many times that they feel that this attitude infantilizes their orientation, and it’s a view that needs to be challenged. Check out this source for more information on the microagressions faced by this community – section six is particularly relevant. Asexuals are mature – despite this lack of ‘experience’ that Philman seems to think all people need to have in order to become free-thinkers. This just isn’t true. I don’t understand why society seems to believe this theory, but with its prevalence in media it’s not too difficult to see why this view pervades.

Anyway, the only reason I’m so petty about this particular aspect is that I’m so bored of reading stories where sex and romance are the most important thing. I think heresy is a much more interesting sin than sex, so that’s what The Shadow Mandate will be about once I’ve finished it.

I also have some more minor world-building issues both in HDM and the later Book of the Dust trilogy including, but not limited to:

Why is it New Denmark? The Dutch were quite famous for reaching America – New Amsterdam being the original name for New York. Admittedly I’m only cross about this because I got mixed up in my own world-building.

There’s even more ‘othering’ of non-British races – particularly the Skraelings who are analogous to the Inuit people (but possibly a term for all Native-American peoples) who carry out ‘barbaric’ practices such as trepanning

Witches can’t forgive men that turn them down. Well I don’t have much of a problem with this as such, but it just makes me think of that quote about fairies from Peter Pan – “Fairies have to be one thing or the other, because being so small they unfortunately have room for one feeling only at a time.”

The treatment of Pantalaimon by Lyra in subsequent adventures

Malcolm Polstead needs to leave Lyra tf alone

 I appreciate that this is a very long and whingy list about things that I don’t like, so congrats on making it this far! I’d love to give you something – perhaps your time back – but alas, my powers only extend so far. I appreciate that the His Dark Materials books are well-loved and that most people would probably disagree with what I’ve said – I just have lots of questions and Philman doesn’t have as many answers as I would like. But then again, should I really read this much into the work of a writer who seems willing and capable to ignore the personality of their protagonist for a whole book? I don’t know. But I do know, that axolotl daemons would require a lot of work.

(I have beef with Philman – thank you for humouring me)

Leave your hatemail in my inbox <3

#rant post #his dark materials rant #is this what i'm going to be known for? #maybe so #philip pullman do not interact #philman #hdm rant

[sanders-specs]

Christmas Roadtrip Chapter 2

Prompt:  Christmas Prompt time! Logince fic human au where Roman is a broadway star who lives in Florida with his husband Logan and their son Thomas. Roman is trapped in New York on the day before Christmas Eve because a snow storm has cancelled all flights for the next week. He crashes in his New York apt resigned to a lonely Christmas. Then Logan crams all the Christmas decorations into their car with thomas and drives to New York to surprise him. (Bonus points if you can squeeze in Patton and Virgil)

A/N: Well, I’d meant to have this chapter up earlier, but I’ve been on my own little christmas trip, haha. Anyway, here’s the second part! Sorry for the little vague ending of the last one, i forgot to put any kind of indication that there was another part. so...here it is! 

Parings: Logince, Moxiety 

Warning: Almost cursing (again, can’t think of anything else, but please let me know if i need to tag anything) 

Read on Ao3

Chapter 1 

tag list:  @fiive-second-cookies @tripleaaaqueer @lilbeanblr @helloisthisusernametaken @justanotherpurplebutterfly @alwaysmy-lilith @ilylogan @logically-trans @seas-space-and-stardust @generalfandomfabulousness @arentordinaryvillainsadorable @nico-holly@anxiouslyfred @cefinitely-rolo @princessbutterknife

“Arizona! How many points is that Dad?”

“I believe that would be twenty, which brings your total to eighty,” Logan says, smiling slightly.

“Yes!” Thomas exclaimed and high fived Patton as Virgil groaned.

“Stupid west coasters,” Virgil muttered, but he was smiling.

Logan only shook his head. They’d been on the road for a few hours, and it seemed that Patton had prepared a bunch of road trip games to play. Apparently, Logan and Virgil were on one team, and Patton and Thomas were on another. Logan didn’t particularly care for the games, but Thomas was having fun, so he went along with it.

It was a license plate game where they tried to find cars from all the different states. Cars from states on the East Coast were ten points, since they were bound to be the most common ones. Mid-west states were twenty, and west coast was thirty. Each time a team saw a license plate from one state, they crossed that state off the list and looked for a new one. The point was to see how many points they could earn, but also how many states they could find.

“Oh! Oh! New York! Dad, that’s where we’re going!”

“Yes, it is. Also, another ten points.”

“Great eye kiddo!” Patton exclaimed.

“Minnesota! Ha!” Virgil shouted, pointing to a car in front of them.

If he was being honest, Logan was surprised Virgil was as interested into the game as he was. Then again, it was a rather good way to kill time.

“Where’s that?” Thomas asked.

“North, we’ll count it as one of the East Coast states,” Logan said. “I’ll show you on a map the next time we stop.”

“Okay,” Thomas said, and fell quiet. For a while, everyone was silent, presumably looking for more states. At least Logan thought that until he heard his son’s voice again.

“Dad?”

“Yes Thomas?” Logan asked.

“Papa won’t be mad that we’re coming to him, is he?”

A little startled at the question, Logan glances first at Virgil, then Patton. “Uh, well, I would hope not. He seemed very upset that he couldn’t come home for Christmas. I imagine he’ll be very happy.”

“Okay,” he said, but Logan could still hear an edge in his voice. Sure enough, after another few moments, he spoke up again. “But what if he didn’t want to come home? What if he wanted to stay in New York?”

“Thomas,” Logan said gently, “I can understand where your fears are coming from, but I’m sure that Papa will be very happy to see us. He loves us.”

In the rearview mirror, Logan saw Patton reach over and squeeze Thomas’s hand.

“Look!” Thomas exclaimed after a moment. “Mississippi! Ten points!”

Logan pulled into the rest stop and parked the car before turning around to look at Thomas. “Stay with one of us okay? And you can have one thing from the vending machine.”

“Okay Dad!” Thomas said, getting out. Logan got out as well, stretching. They’d been driving six hours at that point, with only one other stop, so he was eager to walk around for a bit.

“I’m gonna head to the bathroom, want to come with me Thomas?” Virgil asked.

“Yeah!” Thomas said, taking Virgil’s out stretched hand and walking with him to the building. Logan watched them for a moment before turning to go towards the vending machines.

“How are you doing?” Patton asked, catching up with Logan easily.

“I’m very exhausted. I’m eager to take a nap,” Logan told him honestly. He and Virgil were switching spots for a few hours before they stopped at a hotel. Logan would keep going if he could, but even he had to admit that he really needed some sleep.

Patton chuckled. “You look it. I meant about what Thomas said earlier.”

“Oh. That.” Logan sighed. “I don’t know, honestly. The thought hadn’t even occurred to me. Roman seemed genuinely upset about being stuck up there, and I feel that I would know if he were lying.”

Patton nodded along and stared down at the ground. “I think he’s just worried. He hasn’t seen Roman in months, it’s probably just that. He’s a little nervous to see him again.”

“Why would he? Roman is his father.”

Patton gave him a small smile. “Yeah, but it’s always a little nerve wracking to see someone for the first time in a long time, you know? Exciting, but also a little scary.”

“I suppose. I’d never thought about that before. I’m simply excited to see him,” Logan said.

Patton rolled his eyes. “Of course you are, but isn’t there a part of you that’s just a little afraid?”

Logan thought for a moment. “Perhaps, but the excitement far outweighs it.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Patton said, a little absentmindedly. “Thomas just needs to see him to be reassured.”

“He will soon.”

Patton smiled. “And in the meantime, we’ll try to keep him distracted with games. Long car rides are always the best place to think, which isn’t always a good thing.”

“I suppose that’s why Virgil is very into these little games?” Logan asked.

“Yep,” Patton grinned. “He likes to distract himself. Driving is good for him too.”

“Dad!”

Logan and Patton turned to see Thomas running towards them, Virgil not far behind. Logan smiled at his son, holding out his hand for Thomas to hold onto.

“Hungry?” Logan asked.

“Starving!” Thomas said, even though he’d already eaten half the snacks they’d brought with them (with some help from Patton).

“Well come on, let’s see what kind of snacks they have here.”

Virgil pulled into the parking spot outside their motel room. “Alright, rise and shine everyone, let’s get inside.”

Logan groaned as he sat up, rubbing his neck. He’d been sleeping for the past couple of hours, and in that time, the sky had darkened and the only light came from the headlights from the cars around them.

Suddenly, Logan’s phone rang. The sudden noise made everyone in the car jump.

“Sh—I mean, oh no, it’s Roman!” Logan said, his husband’s smiling face looking up at him.

“Well answer it!” Patton said.

“He wants to video chat! I can’t let him see the stuff in the back,” Logan said.

“It’s dark Logan, just answer it! He’ll be suspicious—and sad—if you don’t.”

Logan sighed but hit the answer button. “Hey love,” Logan said.

“Hi…wha…Logan? Where are you? I can’t see you.” Roman said, his grin turning into a confused frown.

“Oh, uh, hold on, I’m in the car at the moment,” Logan said. He flipped on a light, turning slightly so that the only thing in the back ground was the seat and a reflection from the window.

“The car? This late? Where were you?” Roman asked.

“Oh, Patton and Virgil treated Thomas and I to a movie night at the theater. The film was longer than we anticipated.” Logan quickly glanced at the time to make sure his lie wasn’t entirely unbelievable. It was only ten, so he figured that he could pull it off.

“Hi Roman!” Patton said.

“Oh, hello!” Roman said. “Where’s Thomas?”

“He’s asleep in the back seat,” Logan explained, seeing that their son was, in fact, fast asleep and leaning against Patton.

“Aw,” Roman’s face fell a little. “I was hoping I’d catch him before he went to bed…I figured I could tell him some Christmas stories.”

Logan smiled softly. “I’m sorry. Perhaps tomorrow night? I will make sure that he gets at least one story from you before he falls asleep.”

Roman smiled back and chuckled. “Not if it makes him stay up too late…”

“He’d stay up all night for one of your stories,” Logan said, “you know that.”

“You flatter me,” Roman said, rolling his eyes. He had a pleased smile on his face, though, and Logan knew how much the compliment meant to him.

“Hey, as cute as this is, I’m tired as hell—”

“Virgil! Language!”

“—and I’d really like to get some sleep.”

“I guess I should let you go...” Roman said, looking rather sad.

“I am also quite exhausted. Though I would like to spend more time on the phone with you. Give me a few minuets to get Thomas inside and in bed, alright?”

Roman smiled. “Yeah, of course. Tell him I love him.”

“Of course.”

“Bye Roman! Stay warm up there,” Patton said.

Roman laughed and shook his head. “I will Pat, I promise. Goodnight. And goodnight purple nightmare.”

“Yeah yeah.”

Logan smiled as he ended the call, then he stretched. “I think that went well.”

“Yeah, whatever, let’s just get inside and go to sleep,” Virgil said, opening the door.

Exchanging exasperated looks, Logan and Patton followed.

“Dad! Dad! It’s snowing!”

Logan shut his eyes tighter before squinting over at Thomas, who was shaking him excitedly. “It’s snowing, it’s snowing, it’s snowing!”

Rubbing his eyes, Logan sat up and looked towards the window. There was, in fact, white flakes coming down from the sky. Thomas got down from the bed and ran over to the window to pull the curtains back more, making Virgil hiss.

“Hey, it’s too early for light.”

“Oh hush, he’s excited,” Patton said, already awake and ready to go.

Virgil just groaned and pulled the blanket over his head.

Logan sighed and sat up fully, pulling out his phone. Indeed, the snow storm seem to have hit earlier than expected. It still had a few hours before things got bad, though. He calculated in his head for a moment and figured that if they moved quickly, they’d be able to get to New York before the storm got too bad.

“Alright, Virgil get up, we’ve gotta go.”

“Duuude just let me sleep,” Virgil grumbles.

“If we want to make it to New York in a timely manner, we need to leave soon,” Logan said, already pulling out a new set of clothes from his backpack.

“Will we be able to get to Papa?” Thomas asked.

“Yes, Thomas, I will make sure of it,” Logan said, just as his phone dinged. He unlocked it to find a picture from Roman’s apartment window, showing a similar sight as what was outside the motel window.

Roman: Snow hit early :(  guess it’s for sure now

Logan: I’m sorry love. We will try to make the most of it

Roman: Have you been around Patton too much?

Logan: It’s possible.

Roman: Good. Can I call and talk to Thomas?

Logan: Yes, of course

Roman: <3

Logan: Dork

Roman: <3

Logan: <3

Five hours later, Thomas was asleep in the back seat, this time with Virgil keeping him company. Patton was driving and Logan was dozing, trying to keep himself awake by listening to his favorite podcast. He was just starting to doze off, though, when he heard Patton gasp.

“Hey guys, we made it!” he exclaimed.

Logan took the earbuds out of his ears and sat up. Sure enough, there were skyscrapers in the distance, a sign directing them to New York City moving above them as they passed under it.

“Hey, Thomas, wake up,” Virgil said from the back.

“Hmmmm?” Thomas mumbled.

“Look.”

Logan looked back at Thomas in time to see his eyes light up in understanding. “We’re here?” He asked, hope in his voice.

“Not quite,” Logan said, “but we’re almost there.”

Thomas grinned.

“Do you have Roman’s address?” Patton asked.

“Yes, of course. Though be careful, it looks like the snowfall is getting heavier,” Logan warned. “I’d rather be a little off schedule then get into a wreck.”

“Don’t worry, Lo, I’ve got it under control.”

Logan just nodded and took a deep breath.

Almost there. They were almost there.

Roman walked with his shoulders hunched and his head down. The wind was starting to pick up and the snowflakes hit hard against his skin, despite the fact that he tried to cover every inch he could. He was grateful that they’d cancelled rehearsal for the day, though he loathed the fact that he had to walk back to his apartment. The last thing he needed was to lose his voice in the cold.

Mostly, Roman was just trying not to think about his family. About the fact that he wouldn’t be able to be there for Christmas, to read to Thomas before bed, or to wake up at the crack of dawn to Thomas jumping on their bed and screaming for them to come down stairs immediately.

Roman shivered, and he tried to push the thoughts away. They wouldn’t do anything except make him feel even lonelier.

As he neared his apartment building, he heard a group of people arguing.

“Yes, I’m quite sure that this is the right place.”

“You didn’t say that you needed a key to get in! Now what are we supposed to do?”

“We wait in the car.”

“Because that doesn’t look creepy.”

Roman sighed. Even complete strangers sounded like his family. Maybe he just needed to go inside and have a long phone call with Logan. That always seemed to cheer him up, at least for a little while.

“Wait, ask that guy, maybe he knows.”

Oh no, tourist.

Roman quickened his pace, but there was suddenly a hand on his shoulder. “Excuse me do you think you can—”

The stranger cut himself off when Roman looked up, and for a moment, Roman was confused until his mind processed who was standing in front of him. Roman pulled down the scarf he’d been using to cover his face.

“Logan?”

He grinned, the stupid, careless grin that was only ever reserved for Roman and occasionally Thomas. Then he threw his arms around Roman, who was so surprised that he took a step back to brace himself, making him slip on a piece of ice. The two fell into a snowbank, laughing.

“What on earth are you doing here?” Roman asked, looking up at Logan with what he knew was a stupid grin that matched his husbands.

“We decided to surprise you,” Logan said. “So surprise.”

Roman laughed and kissed Logan like, well, like he hadn’t kissed him in five months.

“Ewwww.”

The two chuckled and pulled apart. “IS that my little prince I hear?” Roman asked, sitting up as much as he could with Logan on top of him.

“Papa!” Thomas yelled and ran to them. Roman held out his free hand and wrapped his boys into a tight hug.

“Ew it’s cold,” Thomas said after a moment.

“Yes it is,” Logan said, pushing himself off of Roman and standing up. He helped Thomas to his feet first, then he reached for Roman.

Once they were all on their feet again, Roman wrapped his arm around Logan’s waist. “You’re here. I can’t believe that you’re here! Wha-how….” Roman shook his head.

Logan chuckled. “It was your sons’ idea,” he said.

“And what a marvelous idea it was!” Roman exclaims, ruffling Thomas’s hair.

Thomas looks up at him with big, bright eyes. “It was?”

“Of course it was.”

Thomas smiled and hugged Roman’s waist tightly, maybe a little too tightly. Roman only hugged him back and kissed the top of his head.

“Okay, as sweet as this is, we’re freezing our backends off out here, can we please go inside?”

Roman looked up. “Ah Virgil, always nice to see you’re bright and happy smile.”

“Suck it Princey.”

“Virgil,” Patton said in a chiding tone before smiling at Roman. “Hi Ro.”

“Hey Pat. And Dr. Gloom is right, we should get inside,” Roman said, noting how Thomas was starting to shiver. “Come on.”

Chapter 3 

#sanders sides #logince #roman sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #patton sanders #moxiety #my fic #christmas roadtrip

[my-insanity-is-irrelevant]

The same to you - all of them 🎃

200: My crush’s name is: Ryan, Eli, Claire, several others I cant name for complicated reasons 

199: I was born in: 1997/a hospital 

198: I am really: Intense weather in my calmness or excitement 

197: My cellphone company is: T-Mobile

196: My eye color is: Light green

195: My shoe size is: 9 1/2 wide (i usually have to do like a 11 for high heals)

194: My ring size is: ??????? probably big I have chubby fingers

193: My height is: 5′ 6″

192: I am allergic to: nothing unless you count idiocy 

191: My 1st car was: A blue 2007 Ford Focus and I LOVED her

190: My 1st job was: A server for Cheddar’s Casual Cafe 

189: Last book you read: How to Ruin Everything by George Watsky 10/10

188: My bed is: A king with lots o’ pillows and blankets and is very comfy

187: My pet: 2 cats, 5 kittens, 6 dogs, 2 snakes, 1 bearded dragon, 1 leopard gecko, 4 turtles, 1 bullfrog tadpole, and bunches of fish

186: My best friend: is a boy i met a month ago because i have intimacy issues

185: My favorite shampoo is: Dead Sea’s Argon oil shampoo is so good to my poor dry curls

184: Xbox or ps3: I use an Xbox to watch Netflix but I don’t play video games

183: Piggy banks are: Cute decorations but go unused

182: In my pockets: $2, some lint, a rubber band, and something weird i took out of my dog’s mouth earlier

181: On my calendar: I have nothing written in it but it has cool pictures of bears

180: Marriage is: Cool because of the financial benefits but other than that unnecessary to prove one’s love. I want a wedding though because I want a pretty dress

179: Spongebob can: Make me hate my life a 3am

178: My mom: Died of breast cancer and smoked a lot of pot

177: The last three songs I bought were? I can’t remember ever paying for music but the last three i listened to are: Cherry Wine by Hozier, Strong As An Oak by Watsky, and San Cristobal by Mal Blum

176: Last YouTube video watched: A slam poem by Neil Hilborn called Liminality

175: How many cousins do you have? I have no clue? At least 10 on each side, but i’m sure there’s way more than that

174: Do you have any siblings? 2 older brothers, 2 older sisters, ans one younger sister 

173: Are your parents divorced? They were never married

172: Are you taller than your mom? Nope! She was like 5′10′

171: Do you play an instrument? I can play hot cross buns on the recorder and thats the best i can do

170: What did you do yesterday? I slept and ate beef jerky[ I Believe In ]169: Love at first sight: No, but i do believe in lust and infatuation at first site. I think  love takes time to grow.

168: Luck: Yes like, as in karma

167: Fate: Catch me in the right mood and i do

166: Yourself: NOOOOOPE

165: Aliens: Yes

164: Heaven: No

163: Hell: Yes, it’s called Texas

162: God: Naaaaah

161: Horoscopes: I think they’re accurate generalizations

160: Soul mates: Yeah but not like the traditional; kind of way, i think we have lots of people we’re meant to be with in various ways

159: Ghosts: Yes and No i go back and forth

158: Gay Marriage: 100%

157: War:0%

156: Orbs: Idk what this is talking about but sure, ill root for them

155: Magic: No, Im a science gal[ This or That ]154: Hugs or Kisses: Hugs

153: Drunk or High: High, drinking gives me a tummy ache

152: Phone or Online: Online

151: Red heads or Black haired: Red heads

150: Blondes or Brunettes: Brunettes

149: Hot or cold: Cold

148: Summer or winter: Winter

147: Autumn or Spring: Autumn

146: Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla

145: Night or Day: Night

144: Oranges or Apples: Apples

143: Curly or Straight hair: Curly

142: McDonalds or Burger King: Mcdonald’s

141: White Chocolate or Milk Chocolate: White Chocolate is the key to my heart

140: Mac or PC: PC

139: Flip flops or high heels: HIgh heels even though i cant walk in them

138: Ugly and rich OR sweet and poor: Sweet and poor

137: Coke or Pepsi: Coke

136: Hillary or Obama: Obama

135: Burried or cremated: Cremated, the idea of rotting creeps me out

134: Singing or Dancing: Dancing but im bad at both

133: Coach or Chanel: Idgaf

132: Kat McPhee or Taylor Hicks: ??????

131: Small town or Big city: Big city

130: Wal-Mart or Target: Wal-Mart

129: Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler: I hate Adam Sandler

128: Manicure or Pedicure: Manicure

127: East Coast or West Coast: West Coast

126: Your Birthday or Christmas: Christmas all the waaaaaay

125: Chocolate or Flowers: Flowers, preferably potted

124: Disney or Six Flags: Disney i’m scared of roller coasters

123: Yankees or Red Sox: I dont sports[ Here’s What I Think About ]122: War: Its stupid and bad and i hate violence 

121: George W. Bush: Okay, looook, i dig his paintings, okay???

120: Gay Marriage: gimme that shit i want that shit

119: The presidential election: I could be down for violence against trump

118: Abortion: everyone should have safe access to abortions, they save lives

117: MySpace: I never had one? Does it still exist? I may make one for fun? 

116: Reality TV: i dont ever watch it, i avoid it like the plauge

115: Parents: Mine were grade A shit

114: Back stabbers: What goes around comes around

113: Ebay: I use Amazon

112: Facebook: Its filled with my racist family, i avoid it 

111: Work: I watch my niece and nephew (twins) and i love it

110: My Neighbors: I don’t interact with them ever

109: Gas Prices: why so expensive pls give me break

108: Designer Clothes: catch me in wal-mart clothes i bough 4 years ago

107: College: I want but cant afford halp

106: Sports: no

105: My family: I love them but they fkn annoy the shit out of me with their political views

104: The future: stop.[ Last time I ]103: Hugged someone: My niece yesterday

102: Last time you ate: I am eating a bowl of mac n’ cheese right now

101: Saw someone I haven’t seen in awhile: I saw my sister’s in-laws last week and i loooooove them! I made slime with the kids

100: Cried in front of someone: When i found out my ex was cheating on me like two months ago

99: Went to a movie theater: Went on a date with a cute boi like a month ago and w saw Baby Driver it was so good

98: Took a vacation: The only vacation ive ever took in my life was with my ex and his family to Florida last summer

97: Swam in a pool: Less than a week ago

96: Changed a diaper: Yesterday, i change them for a living

95: Got my nails done:last summer

94: Went to a wedding: My oldest sister got married last week!

93: Broke a bone: when i was like 3????

92: Got a peircing: two weeks ago i got my nipples done

91: Broke the law: this morning when i got high

90: Texted: Im texting cute bbs  right now[ MISC ]89: Who makes you laugh the most: My boi Ryan who is a fkn idiot i love him

88: Something I will really miss when I leave home is: I already left home and only miss having someone else cook and clean because my roomates are hopeless

87: The last movie I saw: The Last Five Years

86: The thing that I’m looking forward to the most: When i can move far north and start a loving and respectful communist sex cult

85: The thing im not looking forward to: Getting up for work at 5 in the morning

84: People call me: lame

83: The most difficult thing to do is: exist

82: I have gotten a speeding ticket: i sure haven’t i’m Safe

81: My zodiac sign is: Libra

80: The first person i talked to today was: Ryan

79: First time you had a crush: i liked a boy named Antonio in second grade

78: The one person who i can’t hide things from: no one? 

77: Last time someone said something you were thinking: Ryan last night when we said a stupid Ricks and Morty quote at the same time

76: Right now I am talking to: my cat Beatrice 

75: What are you going to do when you grow up: probably cry a lot

74: I have/will get a job: working with kids!

73: Tomorrow: I will be very tired

72: Today: I am very tired

71: Next Summer: I will be very hot

70: Next Weekend: Im going to tie ppl up with rope

69: I have these pets: see 187

68: The worst sound in the world: A baby crying because they’re hurt or sad

67: The person that makes me cry the most is: my ex inbox me for his url so you can tell him hes a meanie

66: People that make you happy: My nieces and nephews and also my bff

65: Last time I cried: last night because the damn dog was so cute

64: My friends are: amazing and deserve the world

63: My computer is: slow and bad but i still love her

62: My School: was down the road from a prison, which my mom was in years ago

61: My Car: is old and smells like my mom’s cigarettes 

60: I lose all respect for people who: are racist, homophobic, sexist, trans-phobic, Islamophobic, anti-semetic, ect. 

59: The movie I cried at was: the beginning of Guardians of the Galaxy

58: Your hair color is: Auburn

57: TV shows you watch: Game of Thrones, Criminal Minds, Sense 8

56: Favorite web site: tumblr.com

55: Your dream vacation: stargazing in Alaska 

54: The worst pain I was ever in was: when i fucked up my siatic nerve in a car wreck in January 

53: How do you like your steak cooked: medium-well

52: My room is: cold and messy and covered in kittens

51: My favorite celebrity is: Harry Styles

50: Where would you like to be: on a beach in Iceland with a person playing a ukulele 

49: Do you want children: Only if i have more than one long term partner living with me 

48: Ever been in love: Yes 

47: Who’s your best friend: see 186 its Ryan

46: More guy friends or girl friends: no

45: One thing that makes you feel great is: when my cat comes to me and just lays where shes barely touching me 

44: One person that you wish you could see right now: My best friend from high school who committed suicide 

43: Do you have a 5 year plan: no

42: Have you made a list of things to do before you die: no

41: Have you pre-named your children: I want to name my kid Coraline but id also like to do something not defined by a single gender?

40: Last person I got mad at: My sister because she left the dogs inside all day while i was at work even though shes a stay at home mom and so the poor things had accidents and no one was happy

39: I would like to move to: Canada

38: I wish I was a professional: mom[ My Favorites ]37: Candy: white chocolate truffles 

36: Vehicle: vintage beatles 

35: President: Alexander Hamilton

34: State visited: Florida

33: Cellphone provider: ?????

32: Athlete: ?????

31: Actor: Nat Wolf

30: Actress: Maise willams

29: Singer: Radical Face/Hozier

28: Band: Bad Books

27: Clothing store: Wal-mart

26: Grocery store: Joe-V’s Smart Shop

25: TV show: Game of Thrones

24: Movie: Swiss Army Man

23: Website: see 56

22: Animal:  Monitors 

21: Theme park: i dont do theme parks

20: Holiday: Halloween

19: Sport to watch: does Yuri on Ice count?

18: Sport to play: no

17: Magazine: i don’t read magazines but i heard Teen Vogue is doing wonders

16: Book: The Kite Runner

15: Day of the week: Wednesday’s Child is Full of Woe

14: Beach: wherever i was in Florida 

13: Concert attended: Warped Tour 2015 there was a band called Onwards ect. it was so good

12: Thing to cook: homemade flour tortillas 

11: Food: Cheese enchiladas

10: Restaurant: This cute little place named Marianne’s thats down the road from my house she makes the best tamales 

9: Radio station: 94.5 The Buzz

8: Yankee candle scent: Clean Linen 

7: Perfume: i dont

6: Flower: Lilies 

5: Color: pink

4: Talk show host: Steve Harvey

3: Comedian: John Mulaney

2: Dog breed: Pit Bulls

1: Did you answer all these truthfully? 100%

#ask #nydcreep

[luckybouquetnachous-blog]

Adventure Travel In Australia

Australia is among the nicest places to go to. Very friendly folks and the scenery is superb on some places. By encouraging active participation in daily routines corresponding to cooking, cleaning, setting camp and packing up, journey excursions interact vacationers in the complete outdoor adventure experience rather than simply ready on passive members hand and foot. If you do, then it's essential to know extra about the nation, its tradition, folks, and meals before you make that main decision of touring to Australia and obtaining your individual Australian visa. One of the major draw cards to a On line casino trip in Australia is its fantastic yr round weather circumstances. If you're trying to be completely unbiased then the Greyhound coaches or the prepare provide good value to cover massive areas however is not going to allow time to cease and see places. There are plenty of full facility campgrounds suitable for campervans all through Australia, with a higher focus around well-liked tourist areas. You will see that native tourist info and free recommendation in most locations in Australia. Once you replenish an application form and pay the mandatory charges, you must now be capable of purchase the tourist visa, as soon as it is approved. Skydiving will be executed in cities like Sydney and Cairns after a 15 minute educational course on easy methods to do it. The charges are someplace round $200. Air tickets should be booked after receiving a sound visa and after organizing vital documents. There have been quite a few incidents of harassment, robberies and assaults (including sexual assault) on overseas tourists. The itinerary however will put together your group for concepts like, how a lot you'll spend, the things you should carry and the way much time you must allocate from one place to a different. The excessive price of lodges is one reason most travellers end up compromising on the quality of lodgings they ebook, but this needn't be so. You can simply discover an inexpensive place to remain whether you might be travelling alone or with family. The current financial climate, with many students having to rely on pupil loans, parental help, vacation jobs or personal savings for his or her monetary fluidity, largely dictates and limits simply what can be achieved on this regard and there are a number of ploys and strategies which can be generally used to make the money go additional or, to take a look at it another manner, to allow the identical money let the coed go further! Scorching continental local weather is auspicious for Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz and for different full bodied wines (even fortified wines can be found right here). The commonest visa issued by Australian immigration authorities, is the Digital Journey Authority (ETA) visa, which lasts for up to 3 months, in addition to a tourist visa that permits the visitor to remain up to 12 months. Many worldwide visitors want to change their money to Australian Dollars as soon as they get to Australia both at registered Forex Exchange places or in Australian Banks or simply withdraw Australian dollars from Automated Teller Machines (ATM's) utilizing their international financial institution cards. Less than an hours drive from Melbourne, lies this wealthy hillside space which grows all manner of excellent issues to eat, drink and respect, such because the show of Spring bulbs, Devonshire Cream teas and the Puffing Billy Steam Practice that lightly meanders its means via the gorgeous landscape. The scenic great thing about the place makes you understand why Australia vacations are so valued and special. If and if you end up already issued a working vacation visa then you may be allowed to remain in Australia for not more than twelve months. For instance, the 'Queensland Coaster Package deal' consists of travel between Brisbane and Cairns in addition to quite a few tours. From Brisbane to Darwin traveler meets a lot of wine areas. Summer season tourists can get pleasure from fishing, climbing, and climbing whereas ski enthusiasts may have the time of their lives in the Victorian Alps throughout winter. Bus journey might be handy for different causes, too. An excellent travel insurance coverage coverage should cowl you for medical and health cover for an damage or sudden sickness abroad, 24 hour emergency service and assistance and personal legal responsibility cover in case you might be sued for causing injury or damaging property. Journey travel is subsequently primarily related to travel products where the first purpose is to interact in activity and participatory experience relatively than the more passive sightseeing associated with conventional outdoor tourism. The ETA is valid for twelve months or until the expiry of the customer's passport, whichever occurs earlier. Watch waterfalls and further go to to Port Douglas and Daintree Nationwide Park which has largest number of crops. In Australia, the notion of adventure in travel is inextricably linked to that of the Outback. Its wonderful beauty, unique city life, arts, culture, historic buildings and museums are a few of the major attraction that adds more colour to the tourism business in Melbourne. Beneath you will discover a list of holidays in Australia, and you'll notice that lots of them are the same as ours! You possibly can have an entire view of the town from the highest of Sydney Tower. Arranging for a bunch tour of this enchanting city is among the means that yields one of the best likelihood of seeing every thing it is best to see. The cheapest forms of travel usually being the slowest and least luxurious. The 1990s noticed rapid progress in the evolution of particular segments of the tourism market together with ecotourism, nature tourism and different special interest tourism which catered for the brand new breed of refined traveler with both the means and the need to travel. Which means true journey travel is more likely to be found away from the comfy, city east coast, and specifically away from the realm situated south of the Brisbane-Adelaide line where over eighty% of Australians reside in urban and suburban settings oblivious to the geographic, climatic and cultural realities of nearly all of the Australian continent. High quality outback adventure excursions in Australia are characterized by many elements, together with using 4-wheel-drive vehicles fairly than buses, access to spectacular distant websites, provision of challenging adventure activities, and lively hands-on participation in day by day routines. You may also avail of this entry requirement online, by logging on to the official Australian Visa on-line website. All these playing cards are available in the US from Council Travel, STA, and Journey CUTS. Australia is fast changing into a drive to reckon with in the art of wines, and once you be part of a wine tour, you're going to get to taste what the fuss is all about. Await some surprises if you go to Victoria which is a relatively smaller state than different ones. A crocodile sliding into the water from a river financial institution will go away a characteristic mark; hold this in thoughts when organising camp! These categories embody visas for expert staff, businessmen, mother and father, companions, household immigrations, firm sponsors, college students, guests and working holidays, to name just a few. For a wondrous investigatory trip hop a tourist bus and think about parts of the outback. Positioned close to Melbourne, this place can be enjoyed by individuals of all ages. A large portion of Australia is roofed with deserts however nonetheless there are loads enough locations to make Australia a hot journey destination in the World. East Coast overland journey - Combines the best of Queensland and New South Wales. They're erected in that exact space the place a crocodile is ceaselessly spotted and could still be dwelling or even breeding in that area. Australia, with its no. three ranking within the World Well being Organization's most health-accountable international locations, is a chief vacation spot for immigrants and visitors alike. You successfully enter your requirements and these sites send the small print to dozens of airways (and a few brokers) and show their findings with the most affordable first. Once on the vacation spot, the coed has to think about the easiest way of travelling around. Varied on-line immigration visa companies additionally employ the ETA or Digital Journey Authority processing, which is equal to a visa. Wildlife safaris can be found in the Australian Outback and Rainforests. That is the country oldest state and has various vacationer places. It's normal name, the Saltwater Crocodile, is also referred to as the Estuarine Crocodile and 'Saltie'. Everybody desires to travel on a finances, to reduce their bills while maximizing on their experiences. Luxury Australia journey does not have to be expensive - lifestyle in Australia comes as a given - it's the lifestyle in this a part of the world, so add just a little luxurious into your Australia travel with a few of our solutions. It's clearly unimaginable to generalise all through the world, however hitch-mountaineering, which could have once been considered the most affordable method to journey, has a distinct risk aspect of non-public security and clearly is inappropriate for the lone feminine traveller. Organized tours are available based mostly on the kind of adventure. Take a spectacular sunrise balloon trip over the Yarra Valley, certainly one of Victoria's stunning winery areas. You can go to the Gold Coast and enjoy sunbathing. Moreover, you must have a passport from an ETA using country with a purpose to be eligible for this method. It's advisable to carry private well being information and correct medical prescriptions assigned by a professional medical practitioner together with medicines. You will either want an ETA Long-Keep Tourist Visa or Short-Stay Vacationer Visa in case you wish to go to Australia to visit some pals or family, go sightseeing, or indulge in other non-working activities. Billed as metropolis sightseeing with a difference you'll discover the history and pleasure of sporting Melbourne. Whether you are with pals, family or spouse this is the best option for enjoying your holidays. They're discovered around the coast of Australia anywhere north of the Tropic of Capricorn and inland for up to 100 kms or extra. When planning your journey to this fabulous continent, be sure to take a look at this Australia Journey Information. Right here are a few things to look out to your cheap holiday in Australia. As a result, substantial changes occurred in the demand for worldwide travel merchandise. Subsequent to Barossa Zone we can discover Eden Valley, dwelling of the Australian Riesling. In case you are getting out into the Australian outback then tenting or a campervan might be a very good basis for a cheap holiday in Australia. cheap hotels england The colourful metropolis is known for Sydney Harbour Bridge, Darling Harbour and the Opera House which attracts a large number of travelers. Australia is filled with freedom camps, that are either free or low price camping and ideal for in travelling in a camper van. In case you resolve to go on a more adventurous holiday corresponding to skiing, be sure to have winter sports cover. Catamaran excursions take folks out in the sea to observe Humpback whales. Steeped in outdated world allure, these 1920's brown and gold liveried tram cars are an appealing technique to uncover the city centre sights. The other main factor of low cost holidays is maintaining the cost of travelling in the country to a minimum. Crocodile Dundee the film was a giant hit for Australia and the folks working as safari guides. It has a mixed inhabitants of round solely 21.3 million, with a lot of the population living across the state capitals of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, in addition to in Canberra. There are variations on this course of with sites like Expedia and Travelocity specialising in long-haul flights and Expedia and Opodo permitting flights to one airport then leaving from one other. As I mentioned there are possibilities to search out good wines in Western Space as nicely. New rules and rules governing enterprise migration positioned greater emphasis on the abilities of a business compared to how a lot money they may doubtlessly make. You will want to deliver light-weight clothes on your journey and a few sweaters or sweat shirts simply in case. It claims to be the primary airline with the most cost effective rates in Australian domestic flights. Small group tours or overland excursions are in all probability the easiest way of getting an inexpensive vacation in Australia, whilst getting to see and expertise a lot of places of interest.

[weownthenitenyc]

Uhhh ummm uhhh…

We’re left with mostly guttural sounds after this year’s Dirtybird Campout and for all the right reasons (minus a possible upper respiratory infection). With so much happening all at once, if you looked down at your phone for a moment to see if you had service (spoiler alert: you don’t) you might just have missed something incredible. From the music to the games, the build-out, and the Dirtybirds in attendance riling everyone up, there were so many parts to the Campout that made every mile traveled to get there absolutely worth it.

In its third year running, Dirtybird has really nailed the overall concept and delivered more of a familial camp environment than a music festival atmosphere, creating an unparalleled experience. Dirtybird as a record label, with the Campout as its flagship event, has seen an impressive amount of organic growth to push the flock into their own tier of awesome. Campout translated what it is to be a part of something bigger than just a festival and provided a completely new adventure with each day set to the tune of some of the most skilled beat masters around.

Early Friday campers began piling into the campgrounds to find their prime locations to set up home for the weekend in what were arguably the dustiest conditions by campout standards yet.  For those in GA camping, it proved to be worthwhile to head as deep into the campsite as possible since it was a bit of a hike into the actual event itself.  Thankfully for those who didn’t care to make the trek, there was a shuttle in and out of the festival grounds, but if you were too proud of your personal space then it definitely wasn’t for you because people were herded on top of each other in the back of a truck. Regardless, most of us were there to get weird in the middle of a crowd in the mountains, so you probably didn’t join us at all if you don’t like bumping up on people.

By sundown on the first day of Campout, it had been made extremely clear to everyone, if they already weren’t aware: we were in for a weekend-long escapade of debauchery, weirdness, and dust. With every turning hour, the San Antonio Campgrounds and the beautiful creatures inhabiting for the weekend flocked together and got super freaky. How freaky, you ask?

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Assisted by DJ Deeon throwing bass in everyone’s faces, the party had taken full form and the tone had been fully set.  To follow suit, the homies Will Clarke and Kill Frenzy sling some raunchy and unreleased tunes that had even the most reserved attendees booty poppin. Pretty sure somewhere in the crowd an ass eating contest broke out and I might have even seen a dog twerking in the corner at one point. (insert boomerang) Then to think that things couldn’t get even wilder, the Dirtybird bossman Claude VonStroke took the stage to close out the night’s main performances with a set comprised of all new unreleased music that had the crowd buzzing for more. Indeed more was to come, as camp-goers migrated to the disco-driven late night Great Bingo Revival that ran till 4:30 am or later… who really knows?

To most, while the sun was out, Saturday may have seemed like a relatively “normal” day filled with yoga sessions, T-shirt making, arts and crafts, and a bit of exploring. “Normal” ended there, as Saturday turned out to be arguably the most bizarre odyssey of the weekend from start to finish.  Impressively, the creatures of camp headed out a bit early for this one and by around what I assumed to be 6 pm the party was in full rage mode for Cut Snake to show everyone how Australia gets down. Their set transformed the crowd into a pelvic thrusting and booty bumping bunch of animals-in-heat type of weird, perfectly transitioning into nightfall.

Saturday night was by no means for the faint of heart or overly sensitive individuals. Nightcrawlers were out in their final forms marching to the heavy drum and bass while exploring uncharted dimensions. Barclay Crenshaw managed to work his freaky bassy synth magic to rearrange our brains and assimilate everyone to the way of life that is Dirtybird. Walker and Royce, with a little help from Dances With White Girls, in anticipation of the release of their Self Help album, drew such a large crowd that we just had to jump into the dusty mess that was the mainstage dancefloor. The beats were so dirty it just didn’t make sense to try to stay physically clean anymore. To round out the more housey side of things for the night, Justin Martin closed out the Bird House stage with a truly powerful and emotional roller coaster type of set filled with tracks that had people begging for ID’s and dropping to their knees.

Photo Credit: Juliana Bernstein

For those that felt it was still too soon to call it quits on Saturday night, a.k.a. the early hours of Sunday morning, there was plenty still going on at the Bass Lodge. We had DJ Marky throw down some gritty drum & bass and showed us exactly why we appreciate the artistry that is a true master DJ at work.

Then in pure Dirtybird Campout fashion, The Martin Brothers blessed us with another unforgettably mystical after hours drum & bass set that even made a wild J Phlip scale the wall of the front of the stage out of nowhere.

With everyone in a daze and running on fumes on Sunday, it was a bit tough to get people up out of their tents. Nonetheless, there was still partying to be done and more adventures to be had.  Those who made it over to the festival grounds while the sun was still out, mostly hid in the shade and meditated to the music for as long as possible because it was an absolute scorcher.  I give major respect to whoever set up all the water stations because it was absolutely necessary for the amount of people attending and the conditions we experienced.  Far too often has there been events that venues neglect water fill-ups or overcharge for a bottle, but thankfully Dirtybird knows how to keep the flock safe and party responsibly.

Photo Credit: Miranda McDonald

Sunday’s festivities displayed how tight-knit the entire Dirtybird family is and how masterful they are in creating an event to be proud of. The music of the day was a fire blend of every genre imaginable. At the Bass Lodge, Mija, Ryan Forever, Ardalan, Mark Starr, and a few more people that dropped by for an extensive B2B2B2B2… Successfully turning the stage it into a frenzy of friends that strut their best tracks in the middle of the day.  The family vibes were buzzing high all day across the grounds to the extent that everyone in attendance, ranging from the artists to the fans in the crowd, existed on the same plane and interacted without a hierarchy like humans often do.  To shut down the last day of the festival, as Dirtybird Campout tradition goes, the family set allowed nearly every artist who played and stuck out the weekend to throw one more track in the mix to send us off with.  While emotions ran high as we closed out with Justin Martin playing the final song, we embraced the fact that this was one of the largest and most intense Dirtybird event to date.

Overall, the Dirtybird Campout reigns at the top of our list for one of the most welcoming and intimate festivals around, despite it’s growing size and audience. Thankfully we get to catch another event in the near future, as it has been announced that the Dirtybird Campout will be coming to the East Coast from February 2nd to the 4th to spread that Dirtybird love to both sides of the U.S. Can’t thank all involved and everyone that attended enough for making Campout an unforgettable experience and we will absolutely be seeing you all very soon! Stay tuned into everything Dirtybird at https://dirtybirdrecords.com/ and http://dirtybirdcampout.com/ !

A collaborative effort by: Andrew Siconolfi and Anthony Romano

Featured Photo by Juliana Bernstein

REVIEW: Dirtybird Campout 2017 Uhhh ummm uhhh… We’re left with mostly guttural sounds after this year's Dirtybird Campout and for all the right reasons (minus a possible upper respiratory infection).

#DB Campout #Dirtrybird #DIRTYBIRD Campout